A pillar of virus surged into the sky, bypassing the clashing Leviathan and Necrozma, and shot straight into the Ultra Wormhole.
On the other side of the Ultra Wormhole, the sky was pitch black, devoid of even the faintest starlight.
A young man with jet-black hair and eyes stood atop a black Rayquaza, flanked by a massive force of Ultra Beasts: Kartana, Pheromosa, Naganadel... Some of the Naganadel even carried humans on their backs like cavalry.
The black-haired man gazed through the wormhole, closely observing the battle unfolding on the other side.
It seemed that the Nihilego that had entered their world earlier was only a vanguard, the real army remained here.
As Lucius's virus approached, the black Rayquaza's gleaming golden eyes flashed with a prismatic shimmer, following the virus's movements with eerie precision.
Could it actually see microorganisms?
Lucius didn't dare take chances. He split the virus into hundreds of tendrils, each weaving its way toward the Ultra Beasts and the humans behind them.
The moment the virus dispersed, the black Rayquaza looked left and right, its eyes dimming as the strange light faded. Its expression, however, remained faintly puzzled.
"What's wrong, Rayquaza?" the black-haired man asked his partner, known as the Guardian Deity.
"Nothing, really. Just... felt like something passed by just now. But I couldn't see anything," the black Rayquaza murmured, shaking its head slightly.
"Necrozma seems to be struggling. Should we assist?" the man asked.
"No need. That Pokémon isn't worthy to be its opponent," Rayquaza replied in a low, assured voice, clearly confident in Necrozma's power.
As the man conversed with Rayquaza, Lucius's virus had already latched onto the Ultra Beasts and their human riders: Naganadel, Kartana, Pheromosa... none were spared.
Even the strongest among them were only at Leader-tier at best, Lucius infected them all in an instant.
From their memories, Lucius learned that this was also a world where humans and Pokémon coexisted, but its history had taken a drastically different turn.
Long ago, on an unknown day, the sun was swallowed by an unknown entity. This world was plunged into eternal darkness.
To preserve life on the planet, the ancient super Pokémon, born at the dawn of creation, voluntarily erased their own consciousness. In a final act of sacrifice, they returned their natural energy to the earth and formed an immense energy barrier that encapsulated the entire world.
Thanks to that membrane, the natural energy no longer dissipated into space. Though the sun's heat was gone, the barrier provided just enough power to barely sustain life.
But the disappearance of the sun was fatal. Even with the energy shield, decline was inevitable.
Over the following centuries, the human population dwindled with each generation. Pokémon faced mass extinction, until, in the past century, fewer than ten thousand humans remained. Nearly all Pokémon species had vanished; barely ten species still existed.
Though those few Pokémon had grown powerful through adversity, the harsh environment threatened their species' very survival.
The last remaining scientists among humanity calculated that their world had no more than thirty years before ecological collapse.
Just as despair was about to consume everything, a prodigy was born.
He could speak fluently by the age of one, taught himself without guidance, and mastered the full human lexicon by age three. Before five, he had already grasped most of humanity's remaining knowledge and had invented a multitude of unprecedented devices before turning ten.
He captured Pokémon with ease, had encyclopedic knowledge of their moves and type matchups, and even possessed a deep understanding of species that had gone extinct centuries ago, more so than ancient scholars.
The Naganadel who had followed him since childhood often overheard him muttering, "Why'd I have to reincarnate into this world at the worst possible time…"
And true to the title of "genius," before the age of twenty, he had discovered the one Guardian Deity whose consciousness had not dissolved into nature: Rayquaza. He successfully subdued the Legendary Pokémon and made it his partner.
Rayquaza had earned its title as Guardian Deity because it alone had tirelessly patrolled the skies all these years, protecting the planetary membrane from incoming meteors and extraterrestrial threats.
It had been the mission entrusted to it by the ancient super Pokémon before they sacrificed themselves.
After persuading Rayquaza, the genius delved into ancient texts and excavated Necrozma from deep underground, its light long extinguished.
With Necrozma in hand, he proposed the "Great Exodus Project."
He planned to use Necrozma's Ultra Energy to lead all remaining humans and Pokémon into a new, ecologically balanced world.
The plan was sound, but Necrozma, drained of light, was too weak. Each time it opened an Ultra Wormhole, only a few Pokémon could pass through.
Worse, every dispatched Pokémon was either turned back, lost, or killed. For years, no progress was made.
That is, until one year ago, when he received news that a Pokémon from another world had broken into their realm.
The genius took matters into his own hands and captured Lunala, goddess of the moon, who had come from the alternate world. With Lunala's power, Necrozma finally transformed into its Dawn Wings form.
Now empowered, it became Dawn Wings Necrozma, at last capable of opening large-scale Ultra Wormholes.
From there, he sent Pokémon through in waves to initiate contact. But the organization on the other side, known as the Aether Foundation, rejected any "immigration," and even experimented on the Pokémon they had sent over.
Diplomacy failed.
So the genius initiated the "Forceful Integration Plan"—a full-scale invasion.
And today was the day of the invasion.
[ALERT: Sudden Mission Triggered: Defend Against Invasion by Interdimensional System-Linked Entity.]
[Accept Mission?]
[Yes / No]
The moment Lucius finished parsing their memories, the system prompt appeared.
An interdimensional system user?
So that's what this is. The guy might be from the same world as me… and also has a system. Just unlucky enough to reincarnate into Ultra Space. Still not sure what kind of system he's running…
Lucius didn't hesitate.
He selected: Yes.
[Mission 2: Defend Against Invasion by Interdimensional System-Linked Entity – Incomplete]
A new entry appeared in Lucius's mission interface.
Now that he had accepted, Lucius unleashed his full power. On the battlefield, Leviathan's body swelled to gargantuan size, blocking out the sky. With a single sweep of its tail, it sent Necrozma hurtling into the distance.
Then it lunged forward, gaping maw wide open, and swallowed Necrozma whole, the so-called "Wings of Dawn."
Every camera in the area was trained on the sky. The entire world, watching live, witnessed Leviathan's overwhelming display of divine power.
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