Both Incubation Bars progressed at an unusually fast pace, with one noticeably quicker than the other.
They would likely hatch very soon.
Setting aside his thoughts, Akira finally took a careful look at his surroundings.
As he had guessed earlier, this environment was nothing like the ruined ship they had just been on. They had arrived in another space.
The air here was also filled with gray mist, identical to the mist outside.
Aside from the mist, the lighting was dim, with a dark purple hue casting an eerie glow over everything.
"It seems this is a Demon Realm" Morel concluded after surveying the area.
This came as a slight surprise to Akira.
Not a Secret Realm, but a Demon Realm?
People had a simple way to determine whether an alternate dimension was a Secret Realm or a Demon Realm. If it was safe inside with almost no dangers, it was a Secret Realm. If it contained hazards or harmful elements, then it fell under the category of a Demon Realm.
This classification was quite straightforward.
Since the Dark Sonata was hidden here, it naturally belonged to the Demon Realm.
If it wasn't a Secret Realm, would the Pokemon born here still be capable of Mega Evolution?
Everywhere was shrouded in a purplish-black hue, accompanied by omnipresent gray mist and unknown dangers.
An oppressive sense of dread lingered in the air.
"Screech~"
The moment they entered, the violin sound grew increasingly shrill, as if infused with anger.
Perhaps it was displeased with their intrusion, or maybe because its Death Aura had no effect on them.
"This place feels fraught with danger at every turn, as if threats could emerge at any moment" Cluck said solemnly, her voice low.
Speaking too loudly might inadvertently attract peril.
As if to confirm her words, several figures emerged from the gray mist in the next instant.
"Are these... people?" Morel had no time to say more, quickly releasing billows of white smoke to summon the Purple Haze Soldiers for battle.
About five humanoid figures dashed toward Akira and the others in an eerily unnatural manner.
Why unnatural?
Their movements resembled the Abnormal Titans from Attack on Titan—every possible contorted gait except a normal running posture.
Their facial expressions were grotesquely twisted, akin to the figures in the famous painting The Scream.
In such an environment, the sudden appearance of these "people" would startle anyone.
Akira raised an eyebrow, noticing something else amiss. Beyond their bizarre running styles, the aura emanating from them was equally strange.
Though devoid of life, their bodies brimmed with immense Aura—Death Aura!
They were being manipulated by the Dark Sonata!
White figures surged forward, engaging them head-on.
The Purple Haze Soldiers were no weaklings, especially under Morel precise control, their strength amplified further.
Yet this time, their enemies were far from simple.
One of the "people" suddenly clenched its right fist, flames igniting around it.
"BOOM!"
A single fiery punch obliterated one of the Purple Haze Soldiers, forcing Morel to hastily command another to intercept.
Beside it, another "person" wielded inky Death Aura, materializing sharp needles that pierced through the soldiers.
Just a few strikes were enough to disperse a Purple Haze Soldier into wisps of smoke.
***
All five "people" had their own methods, dismantling Morel soldiers one by one.
"How is this possible?!"
"They still retain their Nen abilities?!" Cluck pupils contracted as she gasped at the varied Hatsu techniques displayed.
Clearly, these were their original Nen abilities.
Now Morel and the others finally understood where the missing people had gone... They had all gathered here!
Retaining Nen abilities after death was rare, lending an absurd, surreal quality to the scene.
The difference between having Nen abilities and lacking them was immense.
Moreover, these "people" far exceeded their original strength. Under the Dark Sonata influence, they had lost their souls in exchange for greater power!
Now they were nothing more than powerful puppets controlled by the Dark Sonata!
Though their movements were stiff and many actions difficult to execute, with their power greatly enhanced, every move they made could cause immense destruction.
In the midst of her shock, Cluck didn't forget to assist Morel, quickly releasing her Aura which transformed into eagles that swooped down.
Knuckle and the others also prepared to rush forward to help their master.
Yet before they could take two steps, they abruptly stopped and sharply turned to look left and right.
Several powerful waves of Nen energy surged from the sides!
The gray mist churned violently as several more figures emerged from within.
Just like those fighting Morel and the others, they were all people controlled by the Dark Sonata!
Except for the entrance they had just come through, they were surrounded on all three sides.
"Dammit!"
Knuckle looked around, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead—they had unknowingly been encircled!
This gray mist had the ability to obscure perception to some extent.
After a few breaths, Knuckle and Shoot exchanged glances, both seeing the same determination in each other's eyes.
"Ha!" Knuckle lowered his stance, compressing his Aura into his fist.
A dazzling punch landed squarely on one of the "people," accompanied by a loud "BANG!".
The explosive sound was followed by the shattering of the target right arm.
Knuckle had deliberately chosen the one with the weakest aura among them.
Not to be outdone, Shoot beside him flung open his purple robe, his entire body erupting with a radiant green Aura.
A cage and three floating severed hands appeared before him—this was his Nen ability, the Hotel Rafflesia.
After inflicting a certain amount of damage on an enemy, he could imprison them in the cage, whether whole or in parts. The three severed hands suddenly struck different parts of the "person," producing three consecutive impacts.
With Knuckle wearing the enemy down, Shoot easily confined the weakened foe into the Hotel.
Their original strategy had been to retrieve the missing individuals. But now, there was no need to consider such a thing.
After all, these people were already dead. Unlike the pigeons from earlier, these individuals had been eroded by the Dark Sonata for too long—their souls had completely dissipated, beyond any hope of revival.
The only thing Morel and the others could do now was send them off!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of something cutting through the air came from above—clearly, enemies were attacking from overhead.
Akira didn't even bother to look up.
In an instant, he gathered a terrifying amount of Aura in his right hand, the pure energy swirling around it as if nothing could withstand its force.
With a casual swing of his hand, he sent the "person" flying through the air.
"BANG!"
The "person" was twisted into a grotesque shape, tumbling to the side and knocking over several others who had been approaching.
"Gengar."
Gengar grinned widely and inhaled sharply toward them.
Seizing the opportunity, Gengar directly sucked away the Death Aura clinging to their bodies.
As strands of Death Aura were peeled away like unraveling threads, their movements gradually ceased.
They returned to the stillness befitting corpses.
Without the Death Aura imposed upon them, they were nothing more than ordinary dead bodies.
Just as Akira thought these were the only "people" present, a series of piercing, buzzing sounds erupted.
"Hmm?" Akira stared straight into the gray mist, where the buzzing grew increasingly shrill.
Unlike the violin-like tones of the Dark Sonata, this sound resembled the chirping of insects.
It almost sounded like... cicadas?
Akira held his breath, focusing intently as he manipulated the Psychic Energy around his body, expanding it outward.
Like an ever-expanding bubble, it sought to envelop the surrounding environment.
Advanced Application Technique—En!
As one of the Aura techniques, En had a wide range of uses, with its primary purpose being reconnaissance. Within the range of "En," the user could clearly perceive everything inside.
The only thing to note was that "En" wasn't always appropriate to use.
The expansion of "En" was essentially the outward diffusion of Psychic Energy, allowing it to come into contact with objects and relay information back to the user.
Therefore, Emission-type Nen Users were generally more proficient with "En." The effective range of "En" was typically greater for them compared to other Nen types.
However, since it involved Aura making contact with other objects, there was a risk of being detected by them.
In other words, those enveloped by "En" would know someone was using it. But for Akira, there was no need for such caution.
In fact, he welcomed being detected, hoping to draw more "people" to gather.
"So it really is cicadas..." Akira muttered to himself.
Although the gray mist could block perception, it varied from person to person.
Knuckle, whose abilities weren't particularly strong, couldn't perceive the scene within the mist.
Akira, however, was different.
Despite some interference from the distance, he could still clearly sense the situation. At this moment, within his "En," a large swarm of aggressive cicadas was flying toward them.
Like those "people," they were products controlled by the Dark Sonata and these weren't ordinary cicadas—empowered by Death Aura, this swarm posed a threat no less than the "people."
****
"Bam!"
Morel surged with a massive amount of aura, swinging his heavy smoking pipe with force and knocking one of the "people" to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, he kicked the "person" toward Mega Sableye.
Even missing limbs, these "people" would still fight relentlessly, like mindless destruction machines. The best solution was to take advantage of their momentary collapse to remove the Death Aura from them.
Otherwise, the battle would never end.
"Whew..."
"Though it's a bit exhausting, things are steadily improving." Morel scanned the area, wiping sweat from his forehead as he sighed with relief.
Despite initially being intimidated by the strength of these "people," the group quickly realized their glaring weaknesses... The most critical one was their lack of a soul!
They could only perform simple actions under the control of the Dark Sonata.
Such as straight punches or jumps—basic movements.
Even running was considered a complex action for them, making it difficult to execute normally, which was why they moved like bizarre creatures. Once familiar with their movements, counterattacking became easier.
The only downside was the unavoidable consumption of aura.
More than half of the enemies on the field had been eliminated and everything was progressing favorably.
Just as Morel and the others thought the danger was nearly resolved, a new threat emerged.
"Bzzzzz..."
A massive swarm of cicadas burst forth from the gray mist!
These cicadas were extraordinarily peculiar, unnaturally large—each the size of a basketball. Thick Death Aura cloaked their bodies like pitch-black armor, sending chills down the spine. The endless swarm of cicadas seemed infinite, their sheer numbers making one's scalp crawl.
If someone with a fear of clusters had been present, they would have fainted on the spot. Not only that, but each cicada' appearance was bizarrely grotesque, utterly terrifying.
The massive swarm of cicadas gathered an intimidating aura that seeped into everyone's hearts, instinctively invoking fear.
This, however, piqued Akira interest in these cicadas.
Pokedex Ability, activate!
Name: Devil Cicada
Strength: B+
Origin: Originally a special species of cicada native to the Demon Realm, highly aggressive with an extremely hideous appearance.
After being influenced by the Dark Sonata, their power increased further, but they became mindless puppets as a result.
Possesses the special ability "Golden Cicada Molting"—when suffering a fatal attack, it can shed its outer shell while remaining unharmed.
Each cicada can only use this ability once in its lifetime.
***
So these Devil Cicadas were originally inhabitants of this place?
Later, they were corrupted by the Dark Sonata, turning into what they are now.
Sentiment aside, these Devil Cicadas were about to swarm them, so they naturally had to be dealt with.
Akira brought his hands together in front of him, palms open in a stance resembling an energy wave technique.
In the next moment, Akira unleashed his Aura without restraint!
The surging Aura shot skyward, causing the cicada swarm to momentarily freeze. Their already hard bodies, startled by this, could no longer maintain flight and crash to the ground.
The immense Aura swirled around Akira, making him shine like a dazzling sun in the dim surroundings.
The intense wind pressure made Akira hair stand on end, his clothes fluttering wildly.
The surrounding gray mist was blown away, suddenly creating a clear space.
This abrupt change drew everyone attention to Akira.
They knew—Akira was about to make his move!
'From the looks of it… it seems Akira intends to act himself?'
Seeing Akira assume a battle stance without summoning a Nen beast, Morel couldn't help but mutter to himself.
This was the first time he had seen Akira take action personally—previously, he had always relied on his Nen beasts.
He wondered what kind of spectacle Akira own strength would present?
Akira power was unquestionable, of course.
After all, on that day, Akira himself had been one of the five overwhelming auras, at least on par with his other Nen beasts. What Morel was curious about was how Akira would handle this swarm of cicadas.
He soon found out.
As countless streams of Aura converged in his palms like rivers flowing into the sea, a blazing red energy sphere suddenly formed. The scorching flames contained within caused the surrounding temperature to rise sharply, and everyone felt a wave of heat wash over them.
The energy sphere rapidly expanded, morphing in midair until it took the shape of a giant, fiery character.
The fiercely burning character, carrying terrifying energy, shot toward the cicada swarm at high speed.
The entire process was executed seamlessly, completed in an instant.
Fire-type move—Fire Blast!
Against a swarm of insects, a fire-type technique was the natural choice.
"BOOM!!!"
Flames erupted skyward!
The sight was filled with cicadas engulfed in fire, their piercing shrieks accompanying the explosions.
One by one, the cicadas, charred to a crisp, rained down like dumplings from the sky. Soon, a massive pile of scorched corpses accumulated.
While Golden Cicada Molting was effective, Fire blast wasn't a one-hit attack—it left behind lingering flames.
Thus, a vast number of cicadas still perished.
The air was filled with strange odors—scorched flames, charred embers—making one involuntarily frown.
Ding!
"Pokemon incubation complete!"
Just as Akira was admiring the spectacular scene and debating whether to fire another attack, a new Pokemon was born.
Upon seeing the information of this Pokemon, Akira could no longer suppress his shock.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing was real!
Before this, whether it was obtaining Tyranitar, Dragonite, or even the incredibly overpowered Ditto, nothing had stunned him this much!
Because this time, the incubated Pokemon was Shedinja!
And not just any Shedinja—it was the legendary, game-breaking Sturdy Shedinja that existed only in people imaginations!
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