"Return, Tyranitar."
Dak didn't let Tyranitar stay outside for too long.
Using his psychic power to suppress its Sand Stream ability was still somewhat strenuous.
Tyranitar was a master-level Pokémon—practically a "Proto-Deity," with strength that could rival or even surpass many Tier 2 Legendary Pokémon.
"Were you directly using psychic energy just now?"
"Yeah, I call it Psychic Power—a special ability powered by mental energy."
Dak nodded, then lifted a finger toward Sosia and gave a little flick upward.
"You're being very rude."
Sosia blushed slightly and scolded him.
Don't misunderstand.
Dak had merely conjured a finger of telekinetic force and lifted Sosia's chin with it.
Who would've guessed this Elf Queen would react so bashfully—completely out of sync with her outward appearance and aura.
"Was that creature just now your familiar?"
Yashan spoke up, clearly intrigued by Tyranitar.
In theory, Tyranitar's rank shouldn't be above hers.
To clarify: Tyranitar was a monarch of sandstorms, but Yashan was the Queen of all Earth Elementals.
Yet Yashan could clearly sense that Tyranitar was stronger than her—even as the Earth King!
Especially when it came to destructive power.
They were both standing in a desert, essentially both in their "home field," yet Tyranitar still held the advantage.
"She's my Pokémon—and also my partner."
Dak was clearly bothered by the term "familiar."
He thought "Pokémon" sounded far better and wanted to slowly change how people referred to them.
"Alright, then. Human from another world—what do you want from the Elves?"
Sosia, for now, accepted Dak's claim of being from another world.
After all, the Poké Ball, Tyranitar, and psychic powers—
None of these things existed in this world as far as she knew, and she had lived long enough to be sure. If he weren't from another world, she had no explanation for them.
Especially when even Yashan—who had lived since before the magic system itself was created—was so visibly surprised.
"I already said. I'm here to invite the Earth Elemental Clan to come live in my world. There, you can make many new, friendly companions."
Dak gestured to the stone woman beside Sosia.
"Come on, Yashan~ It'll be super fun over there. Halkeginia is so boring. Humans just fight all the time—it's such a drag."
The lively Iras turned into a wisp of wind, playfully circling Yashan.
"Sorry. I don't like changing where I live. And I need to help the Elves guard the 'Sacred Land.'"
Yashan wasn't swayed by Iras and refused firmly.
That was her nature—completely opposite from Iras. She disliked change. She could sit in one spot and sleep until the end of the world.
"You heard her."
Sosia smiled slightly with some satisfaction.
"Really? What a shame."
Dak sighed with a tinge of regret, "In my world, there are many Ground-type Pokémon. Some of them can even create new land. They're known as Earth Gods. I was hoping you could meet and learn from each other."
"…Create land?"
Yashan's throat moved—like she swallowed a few pebbles.
"Mm-hmm. But since you don't want to move, I won't push it. Just stay here in the desert, then."
"…"
Yashan fell silent.
Her expression clearly showed interest, but something held her back.
Dak raised a brow—probably something to do with the Sacred Land.
"You Elves should come with me too."
Dak changed the subject and looked at Sosia to probe from another angle.
"…Huh?"
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go to a peaceful world where no one discriminates against you? Don't you want to take your people back to a forest full of nature and comfort?"
As Dak spoke, he stepped toward the throne.
Sosia's eyes widened, and her body visibly tensed. But for the sake of pride, she didn't stop him—she didn't want others to think she was afraid.
"Come. Let's go take a look outside."
Dak walked up to her, grabbed her hand without asking, and pulled her to her feet.
So soft.
The sensation in his hand made Dak glance down.
He had expected Sosia, being a melee warrior, to have callused hands—rough to the touch.
But to his surprise, her hands were softer than Robin's or Monet's—as if they had no bones at all.
No wonder so many doujins feature elf heroines… their special physique really is something.
"…What are you trying to show me?"
Sosia, in moments like this, wasn't like the younger elves.
Those little girls didn't understand much—being held by the hand meant nothing to them. Even bolder gestures could be waved off with a flimsy excuse.
But Sosia was different.
She had seen more, knew more, understood the difference between men and women—and knew that holding hands was a relatively intimate gesture.
She suspected Dak was taking advantage of her—but seeing his indifferent attitude made her unsure. She decided to pretend it didn't bother her, trying to act cool.
"I want to show you how happy your people are… just because of a little rain."
Dak's words instantly silenced Sosia.
All those messy thoughts in her head disappeared.
Even if Dak didn't show her, she already knew how her children were reacting.
"No need. We can't leave."
Sosia withdrew her hand and stopped walking.
"Why?"
Dak knew this was the crucial part.
"If the World Gate inside the Sacred Land is opened… Halkeginia will be doomed."
Sosia let out a heavy sigh but said no more.
She didn't dare reveal the full truth.
She feared that if Dak learned too much, he too might covet the Sacred Land and the World Gate.
After witnessing his psychic power and Tyranitar, Sosia wasn't confident they could deal with him—especially with the Wind King standing at his side.
"Because of the world on the other side of the Gate?"
"You know?!"
Sosia's eyes widened in alarm and she stared at Dak.
"Yes, I know. In fact, I probably know more about it than you do."
Dak was tempted to say, "Your subordinate already told me."
But seeing the worried, guilty face of that tanned elf squad leader, he decided to cover for her.
Besides, he already knew what was on the other side of the gate.
"Then you should understand why I said what I said."
"…You're afraid this world isn't strong enough to resist the other one—and Halkeginia might get invaded?"
Dak thought for a moment and roughly pieced it together.
The Zero World's magical development was limited—comparable to the Shinobi World. High offensive power, but weak defenses.
Merging two worlds would almost certainly trigger a war.
Sure, Earth had nukes, but this world had overpowered forbidden magic—single spells that could level entire cities.
Still, overall, Earth's technology was stronger.
Because there were so few powerful mages here—and long-range hot weapons completely countered them.
As for magical races? Most would hide rather than fight back.
They had intelligence and awareness, sure—but many were still like children. They couldn't grasp the consequences of hiding instead of resisting.
"Exactly. That's why we can't leave the Sacred Land. We must guard the World Gate and make sure it never opens."
"What are the conditions to open it?"
"You need the power of the four Void mages and their Void familiars."
"…Oh~"
Dak responded with a meaningful hum.
So his earlier theory was correct. The Four Void Powers really were the key to unlocking the World Gate. No wonder the Pope was so invested in helping Tristain fight Joseph.
Images of past events played out in Dak's mind.
The Pope must have discovered that King Joseph was a Void Mage and invited him to launch an assault on the Elves.
But someone like the Pope would never reveal the true reason—he probably said they could split the land, or even offered all the land to Joseph.
If it was the former, Joseph wouldn't agree.
His greatest ambition was to unite the entire magic world. Even Romania—under the Pope—would eventually be his.
If it was the latter, Joseph would instantly sense something was wrong. He'd know the Pope had ulterior motives.
The two likely fell out—and Joseph began to suspect the Pope was hiding something.
"Alright then. I'll help you Elves solve this problem. Come with me."
Dak grinned, patting his chest with confidence.
"You?"
Sosia shot him a doubtful look.
A problem they hadn't solved for thousands of years—how could Dak fix it just like that?
"Yep. I have four ways to help you."
"Four?!"
"Yeah. Let's try the first one—just tear the gate down."
Dak raised a finger and reached for the Poké Ball on his waist with the other hand.
"What are you saying?! That's impossible!"
"Won't know until we try! Take me there."
Lapras and Tyranitar might not be able to destroy the gate—but if Ho-Oh couldn't do it either, then not even other Proto-Deities would succeed.
But that was fine.
Like he said, he had four ways.
"Tch… so stubborn."
(End of Chapter)
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