The sheer, crushing weight of Salamence's presence brought the entire battlefield to a grinding halt.
High above the courtyard, the Red Knight pulled hard on the reins of his massive Corviknight, stabilizing his mount against the turbulent gale generated by Salamence's wings.
"Seth Williams," the Red Knight's metallic voice echoed, laced with a mix of caution and dark amusement. "I must admit, your bravado is commendable. But tell me, how does it feel? Knowing your precious League was completely oblivious to our movements? That our armada marched right into your home, and your so-called protectors didn't sense a thing?"
Seth let out a soft, echoing chuckle. He stood perfectly balanced on Salamence's broad back, his white suit pristine against the chaotic sky.
"Is that what you think?" Seth tilted his head, his smile pitying. "Do you really believe your little cult is skilled enough to bypass the Central League's dimensional radar on a scale this massive?"
The Red Knight went still.
"You trust your spies," Seth continued smoothly, his voice dropping an octave. "Your little rats scurrying in the League's walls told you that the Vanguard was blind to your operation. But the truth is... they were blind because I covered your tracks."
"What?" The Red Knight's voice sharpened.
"If the League knew you were coming, they would have mobilized the Elites. And if you sensed the Elites gathering..." Seth's smile vanished, replaced by an abyss of pure, terrifying malice. "...you would have run away like the cowards you are. I couldn't have that."
The Red Knight stared at him for a second before bursting into a harsh, metallic laugh.
"You hid our invasion? To face us yourself? You arrogant fool!" The Red Knight pointed his gauntlet at Seth. "We have your data, Williams! We know the exact limits of your strength. We brought exactly what was needed to crush an elite-four-level trainer and his pathetic estate. Your arrogance will be your grave!"
"My data?"
Seth's eyes burned with a fiery, unadulterated vengeance.
"You think you have my data because I let you have it. I've spent years hiding my true strength, acting the part of the eccentric merchant, just to make sure you felt confident enough to step out of your rat holes."
Seth raised his hand.
"Salamence. Let them feel it."
ROOOOOOOOAR!
The world seemed to fracture. The pressure released by Salamence didn't just multiply-- it exploded exponentially. The sheer density of the dragon-type energy warped the physical space around the beast, creating visible, crimson shockwaves that shattered the surrounding clouds.
Down in the courtyard, Eric stumbled as his eyes went wide with absolute horror as he forced his System to scan the beast in the sky.
---
Pokémon: Salamence
Gender: Male
Level: 83
Type: Dragon/Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: None
Potential: Gold
---
'Level 83?! Gold potential?!' Eric's mind blanked.
The Red Knight staggered backwards on his Corviknight, "Impossible! Champion rank?!"
The sky above the Williams estate turned blood red.
The draconian energy saturated the atmosphere, locking the space in a terrifying, inescapable pressure.
A Dragon Domain. Inside this space, Salamence was the absolute, unquestionable king.
Seth didn't give the invaders a moment to process their despair. He flicked his wrist.
Salamence's eyes glowed with a feral, crimson light. He opened his jaws and unleashed a sweeping beam of pure, concentrated dragon energy. It wasn't a named move like Dragon Pulse or Draco Meteor; it was just a casual expulsion of raw energy.
Yet, it tore through the sky like a laser cutting through paper.
BOOOOOOM!
Dozens of the Ancient Kingdom's armored vanguard, along with their Advanced and Pseudo-King level mounts, were instantly vaporized. They didn't even have time to scream. The beam cleaved a massive, empty trench straight through the invading armada.
Despite the instant, catastrophic loss of his men, the Red Knight forcibly steadied himself. He was a Knight of Order; panic was beneath him.
"Do not falter!" the Red Knight roared, his voice laced with desperate resolve. "Generals! Execute the protocol!"
The two figures hovering on either side of the Red Knight, his top generals, simultaneously raised a pair of glowing, jagged black artifacts.
"Dimensional Severance!"
The artifacts shattered in their hands. Instantly, a massive, translucent black barrier erupted from the sky, slicing downward with absolute precision. The barrier phased right through the physical structures of the estate, expanding into a colossal dome that cleanly separated the upper atmosphere from the island below.
Seth, Salamence, the Red Knight, and the two Generals were completely sealed inside the upper half of the barrier.
Seth frowned. He commanded Salamence to strike the barrier with a Dragon Pulse.
Boom!
The dome shuddered violently, but it held. It was a localized spatial lock, fueled by incredibly high-tier artifacts specifically designed to quarantine a high-value target. Even a Champion-level Pokémon couldn't break it so easily.
"You are trapped with us, Williams!" The Red Knight sneered, pulling out two Poké Balls. "Even if we die today, we will drag you down with us! And as for your precious guests..."
Down below, inside the lower half of the barrier that covered the island, the space violently distorted.
A second spatial tear ripped open just above the courtyard.
"We came prepared for a siege," the Red Knight gloated. "The second battalion will slaughter every prodigy on that island, and you will be forced to watch!"
Hundreds of new figures poured out of the second tear, dropping down toward the estate.
Seth looked down through the translucent barrier, but contrary to the Red Knight's expectations, he didn't look troubled. His sharp intellect quickly analyzed the aura of the newly arriving forces.
'The second batch is weaker,' Seth noted internally. '=The strongest among them is an Elite, with a handful of Pseudo-Elites.'
He glanced at his own forces on the ground. His head butler, Sauras, was an Elite-level trainer. The family bodyguards and the League Police chaperones boasted a solid number of Pseudo-Elites.
The top-end strength on the ground was evenly matched.
The only disadvantage was the sheer volume of Advanced-level grunts the Ancient Kingdom had brought.
But remembering the faces of the few prodigies he saw, and his own daughters, Seth didn't worry much. No prodigy reaches their potential sitting at home. They need to go through the risks.
Or that is what Seth told to convince himself. At the very least, he wa confident that Blaire would be fine and keep Belle safe.
Seth turned his gaze back to the Red Knight, all traces of concern vanishing. Now that he was sealed in this barrier, he didn't have to worry about the collateral damage of a Champion-level battle destroying his home or killing the guests.
He could finally, truly let loose.
"You think you've trapped me?" Seth's voice was a cold, venomous whisper that chilled the Red Knight to his very core.
"No. You've just locked yourselves in a cage with a monster."
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