The sky gradually darkened, and the howling of the wind and snow grew more intense.
Perhaps due to the blizzard, the beast tide was advancing slowly—but it was still approaching the front line.
Wooooooo~
The blaring of horns instantly echoed across the entire front, causing the resting soldiers to open their eyes.
"They're coming! The beasts are coming!"
Shouts erupted throughout the camp.
A large number of soldiers immediately entered combat formation, eyes locked on the distant wave of beasts.
This time, the beast tide arrived shrouded in wind and snow, putting immense psychological pressure on the soldiers.
Compared to previous tides, this one was likely the largest yet—meaning mass casualties were inevitable.
Despite their heavy hearts, the soldiers stood firm. Behind them was their home, and they would not allow the beasts to take a single step beyond this line.
"They're here," Kevin said grimly from atop the wall.
In his hand, he gripped a longbow, and in the other, an arrow with an oil-soaked cloth wrapped around the tip.
"Let's begin," Aven said calmly, gazing at the vast horde in the distance.
This fire would undoubtedly claim the lives of many Pokémon.
But if not consumed by fire, they would only die from exhaustion. Aven could do nothing for them except bring them peace more swiftly.
"Alright!"
Kevin nodded heavily and pulled back his bowstring.
Aven struck a flint to ignite the cloth-wrapped arrowhead.
Kevin nocked the flaming arrow, drew the bowstring fully, and let it fly—whoosh—a streak of fire arced through the sky and landed on the cleared ground ahead.
In an instant, the oil ignited, erupting into a towering blaze that lit up the darkened earth with a crimson glow.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The cold wind blew the flames wildly, but couldn't extinguish them.
Snowflakes fell onto the fire and instantly evaporated as the flames burned on, transforming the ground into a sea of fire.
"The grounds on fire!"
"But will this fire really stop the beasts?"
"It should take out the ones in front. Don't let your guard down—we've still got a tough battle ahead!"
The knights spoke among themselves. Their hands never left their bows, nerves taut, ready for combat.
Whoosh whoosh—
As the wind parted the snow, the knights finally saw the beasts within the blizzard.
Leading the charge was a massive, bipedal figure.
Its body was covered in thick white fur, with dense eyebrows over light purple eyes. Several long strips of fur draped over its mouth.
Two tufts of even longer fur extended from its chest and back. Its green hands, feet, and tail were thick and short, resembling evergreen branches.
"As expected… an Abomasnow," Aven muttered, eyes narrowing.
Behind the Abomasnow were a number of Snover, resembling snowy children with little hatted heads—similar in shape but much smaller.
There were also Piloswine among them—ice-type Pokémon the knights were already familiar with.
The scale of this icy beast horde was enormous—possibly the largest ever seen!
Whoosh whoosh—
The fire on the cleared ground continued to burn intensely.
Watching this scene, the knights' hearts tensed even more.
The trap was so obvious—any sane creature would avoid charging into flames.
But the Abyssal Beasts could no longer be considered living creatures.
Faced with fire, they didn't react at all.
As the beasts advanced, the Abomasnow stepped into the fire, and instantly its fur caught ablaze!
Yet the Abomasnow seemed unfazed, continuing to walk forward, engulfed in fire, until its body was fully consumed and it collapsed, no longer moving.
The Snovers behind it followed one after another, stepping into the inferno, becoming part of the flames as they were incinerated—fire roaring higher into the sky!
The Abomasnow and Snovers became fuel for the flames, feeding the fire as it devoured every monster that stepped into its path, reducing them to ashes!
Aven stood atop the wall, his white coat fluttering in the wind.
He clenched his fists as he watched the scene unfold.
A chill rose from deep within him.
To be consumed entirely by fire and show no response at all…
To live like mindless husks—it would be better for them to simply die.
For these creatures, death truly was a release. It was all finally over.
Whooooosh—
The flames surged skyward, swallowing the blizzard whole.
For a moment, the entire frontline fell silent.
Then a thunderous cheer erupted!
"We did it!"
Kevin finally let out a long breath of relief.
In the past, they always paid a steep price to fend off a beast tide.
To resolve such a massive one so easily was truly cause for celebration.
He turned to look for Aven—but saw only the man's white-coated back disappearing as he descended the wall.
Aven had no heart to celebrate now.
He only wanted to hurry back and finish his research—to rid the world of the gray mist!
…
Meanwhile, the Aspiration Mountains had fallen into a deathly silence.
Not a single magical beast remained in the entire range.
A dark-robed sorcerer held a black crystal in his hand, looking down at the gray-mist-covered forest at the mountain's foot.
A wicked grin spread across the face hidden beneath his hood.
In just half a month, he had driven all the beasts of the Aspiration Mountains into that black forest.
After being eroded by the gray mist, these creatures would become mindless beasts and charge en masse toward Aspiration City.
This beast tide, which included nearly every magical beast from the mountains, would be unstoppable by any city on the continent!
He had already foreseen it—the beasts would crash through the frontlines and surge all the way to Lake Valor.
Anything in their path would be crushed, and the gray mist would engulf the entire region.
At that moment, if the city's lord didn't want Aspiration City to fall, he would be forced to summon the legendary Pokémon Azelf!
And after stopping the Abyssal Beast Tide, Azelf would likely be drained of power.
Meanwhile, knights from Marina City would press forward. Once Aspiration City fell, Azelf would lose its bond with the city.
When Azelf was no longer protected by the city's spiritual link, the sorcerer would finally have a chance to defeat and capture it directly!
Legend said that whoever controlled the Lake Trio would control the entire Sinnoh Region—
And for this day… they had waited far, far too long.
(End of Chapter)