Outrage vs. the Sword of Judgment: Charizard Loses Control

"Invincible Shield!"

At the critical moment, Xiao Hongchen appeared in front of his sister and blocked the fatal blow with a Soul Tool.

Chi Hong sighed.

"This Soul Tool is such a pain. I hate rich people."

Then he looked at Lucario and called out:

"It's time, Lucario! Use Close Combat!"

At the command, Lucario crouched low and slipped inside the Big-Headed Ape's reach like a predator closing in on its prey.

His fists lashed out one after another, cutting through the air so fast that each punch left an afterimage.

Bang, bang, bang!

His fists moved faster than the sound of their blows. The storm of punches hammered Ma Rulong so relentlessly that he had no chance to fight back.

Pfft!

The Big-Headed Ape spat a mouthful of blood, and the phantom of his Martial Soul Possession grew dimmer with every blow.

Finally, Lucario landed a Rising Dragon Punch.

Ma Rulong's Martial Soul Possession broke. He flew backward and slammed hard into the ground.

Just then, Mega Charizard X broke free of the lightning cage.

The three Pokémon fixed their eyes on the remaining Hongchen siblings.

At the sight, Xiao Hongchen resolved to fight to the bitter end. He exchanged a glance with Meng Hongchen.

"Sister, let's give everything we have to defeat him."

Meng Hongchen nodded. "All right."

The siblings embraced, and their Martial Souls began to fuse. The phantoms of the Three-Legged Golden Toad and Vermilion-Clear Ice Toad twisted together violently.

In the blink of an eye, the phantom of a Three-Legged Toad five meters tall appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

The next instant,

thick, highly poisonous mist spread rapidly outward from the Three-Legged Toad.

Chi Hong had already ordered his three Pokémon to gather their energy.

None of them had resistance to poison, so facing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill at the Soul King level would be difficult.

But if they crushed it before it could take hold, they would be fine.

"Charizard, Greninja, Lucario."

"Use Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, and Aura Sphere!"

The moment he gave the order,

Charizard fired a searing beam of blue flame from his mouth.

Greninja launched a blast of water from in front of him.

Lucario thrust both palms forward and sent out a massive blue-violet Aura Sphere.

Xiao Hongchen stared in shock.

The three Pokémon unleashed their ranged attacks together. The attacks streaked through the air and struck the Three-Legged Toad at the same instant.

BOOM!

A violent explosion rang out. Three shades of blue light burst across the battlefield, swallowing the Three-Legged Toad's phantom.

When the light faded, the siblings came into view. Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill had been shattered in a single strike. Meng Hongchen lay on the ground, unable to rise.

Only Xiao Hongchen remained standing, and even he could barely stay on his feet. Burns covered his body.

He looked at Chi Hong in the distance and smiled in resignation.

"In the end, you beat me after all."

With that, Xiao Hongchen collapsed and lost consciousness.

Not far away, Ma Rulong struggled to his feet. He watched his two younger teammates fall under the combined assault.

Then he looked at the savage, overwhelming aura surrounding Mega Charizard X.

At last, he decided to stake everything on one final attack.

He held a Sacrifice Chapter, a level-seven Soul Tool. Now he sacrificed it completely

just to wield the other Soul Tool in his hands: the level-eight Sword of Judgment.

Ma Rulong gripped the two-meter-long Sword of Judgment with both hands. His eyes locked on Mega Charizard X as he roared.

"Come on! I'll cut you down with this sword, you evil dragon!"

Chi Hong's gaze sharpened.

The Sword of Judgment's power approached that of a Soul Sage.

Even Mega Charizard X might not withstand it completely.

But the look in Charizard's eyes made it clear he had no intention of backing down. He wanted to settle this with Ma Rulong.

"If that's what you want, I'll let you."

Chi Hong gave a soft laugh.

"Lucario, use Heal Pulse. Heal Charizard's injuries first."

Lucario nodded and extended both palms. He gathered his Aura into a yellow-white sphere of light and sent it into Mega Charizard X.

Mega Charizard X let out a roar of relief. Every injury on his body healed, and his aura surged stronger than before.

Across from them, the Sword of Judgment in Ma Rulong's hands erupted with dazzling black-and-white light.

He raised the greatsword high and charged at Mega Charizard X.

Chi Hong pointed forward and shouted, "Charizard, take him head-on! Use Outrage!"

At those words, Mega Charizard X's eyes turned crimson, and a dense draconic aura erupted from his body.

The sheer force of it made the air hum.

Furious, terrifying, rampaging—that was Charizard now.

Even the spectators held their breath under the pressure of his aura, fear written across their faces.

The greatsword came down wreathed in black-and-white flames. Charizard met it head-on.

Crimson light burst from his body as he swung a Dragon Claw.

The claw, blazing with crimson light, tore forward.

Clang!

The black aura of judgment collided with the red light of destruction. They tangled and devoured each other, sending wave after wave of force outward.

Heavenly Fiend Douluo's face darkened as he blocked the spreading shockwaves. He began to curse. "Why won't that damned Soul Beast just die?"

Ma Rulong swung the Sword of Judgment again and again, clashing with Charizard's claws. But with every collision, the sword's black light faded a little more, while Charizard's aura grew ever more violent and powerful.

At last, with a clang, the two-meter-long Sword of Judgment flew from Ma Rulong's hands and out of the arena.

Ma Rulong stood where he was, gasping for breath, the light gone from his eyes.

He knew the Sun Moon Team had been utterly defeated.

"We lost this time."

Ma Rulong stopped resisting and conceded.

At that moment, several lines of information appeared before Chi Hong.

[Congratulations! You have won the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Tournament.]

[A young champion's victory is the beginning of the journey to becoming a Pokémon Master.]

[The second stage of a Pokémon Master's Path to Godhood has begun: the Path of Legends.]

[First trial: Rely on the Pokémon you have raised to defeat the younger generation of every powerful faction on the continent and claim the symbols of their glory.]

[Second trial: Raise your bond with every Pokémon to its maximum, defeat every faction and powerful opponent on the continent, and become the strongest trainer in history. Forge your own eternal legend.]

[Reward: Complete the Path of Legends to create the nineteenth Plate, the Legend Plate.]

"There's a second trial?"

Surprise flickered in Chi Hong's eyes. Becoming the Creator God was not as simple as he had thought.

Then he glanced at the sorry-looking opponents across from him and sighed. "Then again, maybe it isn't that hard."

As soon as he spoke, Chi Hong noticed something wrong with Charizard. Guessing it was a side effect of Outrage, he hurried over.

Across the arena, Ma Rulong was about to lie down and put an end to this painful fight, but the black dragon in front of him apparently had other ideas.

Mega Charizard X's violent aura had yet to fade. His eyes were still crimson, filled with the urge to destroy.

Charizard reached out with a black claw. Under Ma Rulong's terrified gaze, he seized the man by the head and slammed him into the ground.

Charizard raised his other claw, ready to strike again.

"Charizard, stop!" Chi Hong shouted.

At the familiar voice, Charizard stopped at once. But he was still breathing hard through his nostrils, as though he wanted more.

Chi Hong reached Charizard's side and used the mental power of the Mystery Plate to quietly soothe his agitation.

But just as he was about to settle the matter, a figure flashed to Charizard's side as fast as lightning. One punch sent Charizard flying.

Chi Hong's pupils contracted. He turned an icy stare on the newcomer.

It was the referee overseeing the finals: Heavenly Fiend Douluo.

Who the hell do you think you are, hurting my Charizard?

Heavenly Fiend Douluo pointed at Charizard, his expression vicious. "That fire dragon has lost his mind and given in completely to his Soul Beast nature. Look at those young people lying on the ground. Your fire dragon brutalized them. I owe every student competing here an explanation, so I must kill it!"

Mega Charizard X rose from the ground and roared furiously at Heavenly Fiend Douluo.

Greninja and Lucario took their places on either side of Charizard, their gazes sharp as they faced Heavenly Fiend Douluo together. One more command from Chi Hong, and they would attack.

Chi Hong stepped directly in front of his three Pokémon.

He knew the three of them were not yet strong enough to stand against a Titled Douluo.

Even so, Chi Hong remained calm. He said with disdain,

"You think you can?"