They plunged headfirst into the steep, treacherous slope littered with jagged rocks and dead woods.
Relying entirely on the environmental scanning granted by his necromantic magic, Lorze desperately searched for a way out through the complex terrain.
The terrifying aura behind them clung to them like maggots on rotting bone, drawing closer and closer.
That freezing wrath felt like a physical blizzard, chilling their very souls to the point of trembling.
Logically, a Cofagrigus’s innate speed stat should be absolute garbage, but Ghost-type Pokémon had their own unique tricks for traveling.
Not to mention, it possessed the absolute, overwhelming power of the “Pro-tier.”
Soon enough, a violently speeding shadow bypassed them completely.
After a ferocious tumble, it materialized into a Pokémon resembling a solid gold sarcophagus!
“It really is Cofagrigus.
We’re in deep fucking trouble now!”
“It is you!
This King sensed your aura earlier; it is quite unlike that of other humans.
To think you possessed such colossal audacity as to plunder My royal bedchambers while I was away.
I should have annihilated you right then and there.”
“You call yourself ‘King’!
What is your exact relationship with the master of that tomb?!”
“Relationship?
That tomb was constructed under My direct orders when I was still among the living.
The master has always been Me.
You wretched thief are the very first human to step foot inside it in two hundred years.”
“I see.
So this Cofagrigus is the literal manifestation of the buried ancient noble’s lingering resentment.” Thinking this to himself, Lorze attempted to negotiate:
“You are no longer human.
What fucking meaning do those burial artifacts hold for you now?
You might as well let me bring them back out to see the light of day!”
“Absurd!
How could a filthy commoner like you ever be permitted to defile Royal tributes?!
You have offended the heavens today; surrender your life immediately to atone for your sins!”
“You’ve been holed up in that ancient tomb for far too long.
You probably don’t even know that the outside world has completely flipped upside down.
Emperors and generals are a thing of the fucking past.
What should be most important to you right now is elevating your own combat power.
Why on earth would you abandon a priceless item like the ‘Spell Tag’ just to chase after these useless, mundane trinkets?”
“Hehehe~ What an arrogant whelp, actually daring to lecture your King!
Slaughtering you all will require nothing but a flick of My wrist.
It won’t delay My true business in the slightest.”
The golden sarcophagus housing the old royal bastard ceased its blabbering.
The upper two of its four pitch-black limbs instantly elongated, viciously snatching at Zorua and the Giant Pumpkaboo respectively.
Zorua didn’t dodge or evade.
Smashing its claw, coated in pitch-black energy, into the ground, it countered instantly with “Bitter Malice.”
The Giant Pumpkaboo was scared shitless, immediately trying to explain that it wasn’t with them.
But seeing Cofagrigus attacking it with absolute indifference, it had no fucking choice but to desperately condense and fire off a “Shadow Ball.”
Cofagrigus’s “Shadow Claw” crushed the “Shadow Ball” effortlessly.
After a barely noticeable pause, it continued its aggressive advance, pinning down the Giant Pumpkaboo with pathetic ease.
However, the “Shadow Claw” aimed at Zorua swiped through thin air.
Simultaneously, the resentful energy of “Bitter Malice” erupted from the ground right beneath Cofagrigus’s feet, completely engulfing the old royal bastard.
“How is this possible?!
This little fox is clearly brimming with pure Ghost-type energy!
Why are moves of the exact same typing completely ineffective?!”
The little fox had zero intention of explaining shit to this outdated old boomer.
Exploiting the moment before it could wrap its head around the situation, Zorua instantly blasted it with another point-blank “Bitter Malice”!
The pitch-black resentful energy slammed into Cofagrigus’s golden shell, emitting a sickening, corrosive sizzle.
But because the level gap was simply too goddamn massive, even while tanking super-effective damage, Cofagrigus didn’t show a single sign of defeat.
Instead, it countered instantly.
A pink halo flared violently in its eyes as it actually used “Psychic” to telekinetically crush Zorua from a distance.
Seeing Zorua and Pumpkaboo ruthlessly suppressed to the point of being completely immobilized, Lorze instantly cast the Soul Bind spell.
A surge of energy that absolutely did not belong in this world—yet functioned perfectly against Ghost-type Pokémon—violently crushed down on the old royal bastard.
This sudden, crushing pressure also contained energy-sealing properties.
Cofagrigus’s “Psychic” and “Shadow Claw” were simultaneously nullified, completely freeing both Zorua and the Giant Pumpkaboo.
But at this moment, Lorze’s face was deathly pale, thick veins violently bulging on his forehead.
Since arriving in the Pokémon world, this was the absolute first time casting necromancy had put him under such agonizing strain.
This was due to the astronomical gap in their energy tiers.
According to Lorze’s own perception and physical assessment, his current magic capacity as an apprentice Necromancer roughly equated to the peak of the “Elite-tier”!
If he could finally break through and become a formal Mage, his energy tier would likely match the “Pro-tier.”
Seeing that Lorze’s magic was on the verge of collapsing, Zorua and Pumpkaboo immediately attacked Cofagrigus.
“Bitter Malice” and “Shadow Ball” struck it one after the other. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Simultaneously, Lorze’s control finally hit its absolute limit, and Cofagrigus violently tore itself free.
“Good, good, good~ It seems both you and that little fox are no ordinary prey!
This King is not entirely opposed to pardoning your sins of offense, but you must remain here and serve Me for eternity.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!
Forcing me and Zorua to rot in the dark forever like that skeleton and Honedge?
That’s a fate worse than fucking death!”
“Oh!
Refusing My generosity?!
Then This King has no choice but to drag you back Myself!”
Having said that, a bone-chilling surge of dark energy began aggressively condensing in front of Cofagrigus!
Although this energy was also pitch-black, it didn’t possess the ethereal nature of Ghost-type energy.
It was infinitely more solid, crushing, and oppressively heavy!
“Oh fuck, it’s a Dark-type move!”
Panic exploded in Lorze’s chest.
If they took a direct hit from a Dark-type skill propelled by such a massive level advantage, the Giant Pumpkaboo and Zorua absolutely wouldn’t be able to tank it.
But he himself was suffering from the violent backlash of Cofagrigus shattering his Soul Bind, leaving him completely unable to channel a single drop of magic for the moment.
Facing the devastatingly fast pitch-black beam, Zorua and Pumpkaboo had no choice but to desperately throw out “Bitter Malice” and “Shadow Ball” to block it.
However, their combined Ghost-type energy was utterly dominated the instant they clashed, violently pushed back.
It looked like they were seconds away from being completely swallowed by the beam.
Even from a distance, that apocalyptic aura of absolute destruction caused Lorze’s breath to hitch in his throat.
But just as they were about to be plunged into total despair, a sweet, familiar voice echoed beside him, followed instantly by a terrifying drop in the surrounding temperature.
Lorze snapped out of it and turned his head, spotting that petite, hovering silhouette surrounded by a flurry of crystal-clear snowflakes.
“Froslass!
What the hell are you doing here?!”
“Yaa~ I sensed your aura earlier and headed straight in this direction!
Then I noticed your aura weakening, so I hurried up even faster.
Thank goodness I made it in time.
Was it this dead, ugly coffin that hurt Lorze?
With me here, I absolutely won’t let it touch a single hair on your head ever again.”
Froslass shot Lorze an incredibly affectionate smile, then rapidly condensed an “Ice Beam” in front of her, joining forces with Zorua and the Giant Pumpkaboo to intercept the devastating “Dark Pulse.”
The leading edge of the pitch-black beam began freezing into solid ice.
Though the ice was quickly shattered under the pressure, the beam’s forward momentum was drastically stalled.
“So this is what it feels like to be protected…
But the gender roles seem to be slightly fucking reversed here.”