bookcurios Chapter 423 The New Guardian
Chapter 423 The New Guardian
Listening to the dejected words of the Combo Style Martial Arts Bear Master Ping, Zhang Heng understood its thoughts and respected its wishes.
Zhang Heng's fingertips unconsciously caressed the black luxury ball that had been prepared at his waist, but the icy touch could not dispel the melancholy in his heart.
The towering body of the Combo-Style Martial Arts Bear Master cast a shadow, and the water-based energy condensed between its manes reflected a cold light, revealing that the Combo-Style Martial Arts Bear Master was also filled with reluctance.
However, its brother went to pursue his own future, and it will inevitably have to take over the position of One-Strike Style Martial Arts Bear Master.
Looking at Zhang Heng and the Combo Style Martial Arts Master Xiong, the ones who felt the most deeply were Duan Guanjun and the One-Strike Style Martial Arts Master Xiong. It was because of this that they missed twenty years of time and were unable to travel together.
The gaze of the One-Strike Style Martial Arts Bear Master suddenly became distant. It looked at the ancient runes on the tower and recalled the struggle it had gone through twenty years ago when it made the same choice.
At that time, it parted ways with Duan Guanjun, solely to uphold this seemingly endless responsibility of protection.
"Don't you want to see the world with like-minded friends?"
The One-Strike Style Martial Arts Master Xiong slowly walked towards the Water Tower, stretched out his hand, and his claws brushed against the tower, creating a glowing effect like stardust. His tone was one of relief.
"Nourished by the power of the Creator God's Fighting Stone Tablet, this space is a hundred times more solid than it was twenty years ago. The spatial rules have long been perfected, and those cracks that could once penetrate the barrier can now not even let a wisp of wind pass through."
It turned to look at the stubborn Combo Style user, sighed softly, and continued, "Moreover, there is never only one way to protect."
Duan Guanjun gently patted his chest, coughing repeatedly. He hadn't fully recovered from his all-out battle with Martial Arts Master Xiong.
"Cough cough cough, responsibility is not a shackle. I have waited for twenty years to help you remove the shackles, and you still want to bind yourself with the shackles."
"Just like me and it, we once parted ways because of protecting each other, but now we can face each other calmly. The form of protection should change with the times."
The Combo-Style Martial Arts Bear Master clenched its fists: "Even if the space is solid, there will always be cracks. I must stay here!" It looked at the traces of its countless repairs in the space, its eyes resolute.
The One-Strike Style Martial Arts Bear Master sighed, "Back then, I guarded this place and missed too many important things. Now that the spatial rules have stabilized, we're really no longer needed." It looked at Duan Guanjun, who silently nodded.
“It certainly needs someone to guard it, but such a secure space no longer needs a divine beast to protect it,” Duan Guanjun suddenly said. “There is one right here.”
His gaze fell on the wild Swamp Monster. "It is familiar with the terrain and can manipulate water power. It must be the authority you granted it."
Although this space is dilapidated, it is guarded by the Martial Arts Bear Master and his disciples. It must have been with their permission for the Swamp Monster to appear here.
Upon hearing this, Lianji Liu nodded and said, "I once mistakenly thought it was the Mudkip I knew. Their scents were too similar, so I brought it in. Later I found out it wasn't, but it had already become a member of this place."
The air fell silent. The wild swamp monster paused for a moment, then shifted its feet uneasily, the mud gurgling beneath its feet.
When it realized that everyone was looking at it, its massive body suddenly trembled and let out a low growl filled with confusion.
A finger pointed at itself; though it couldn't speak, the gesture seemed to ask, "Me?"
The shimmering Swampert stepped forward, nudged its companion with its shoulder, and made an encouraging sound in its throat.
Duan Guanjun closed his eyes and communicated with the fighting stone tablet. At this moment, a faint light suddenly appeared in the space, and the runes slowly floated towards the wild swamp monster, swirling around it.
The fighting stone slab appeared in space, its light suddenly blazing, and the runes transformed into streams of light that entered the Swamp Monster's body.
It straightened its back, the horn on its head gleaming like pearls, and a new protective barrier stretched out beneath its feet, with water ripples and fighting runes intertwining, acknowledging it as one of the managers of the space.
The runes surrounding the wild Swamp Monster grew brighter, and its once murky eyes now gleamed with intelligence.
It took a light step, and the water ripples beneath its feet caused energy in the space to flow towards it as if summoned.
The Combo-Style Martial Arts Bear Master narrowed its eyes slightly. As the guardian beast of this place, it clearly sensed that the connection between the Swampert and the space was deepening at an astonishing speed, as if the two were about to merge into one.
Zhang Heng raised his hand to signal the restless, shimmering Swamp Monster to quiet down, but his gaze remained fixed on the Martial Arts Bear Master's gradually lowering claws.
"The outside world is undergoing dramatic changes, with mythical beasts awakening one after another, and new crises and opportunities coexisting. This space has guardians, but the beliefs you uphold can protect even more justice."
Zhang Heng's voice suddenly softened, carrying the sincerity unique to a young man: "Do you remember when you mistook Swampert for Mudkip? Perhaps the true reunion is not about waiting in the same place, but about an unknown journey. Let the legend of the Martial Arts Bear Master continue from this space to the whole world."
The water-based energy throughout Martial Arts Master Xiong's body trembled violently, and his previously tense body suddenly lost some of its momentum.
It remained silent for a long time, as if it had made up its mind.
Suddenly, his aura surged, causing the ground to tremble: "If you want me to go with you, then let me see if your strength is worthy of this invitation!"
Zhang Heng shook his head with a wry smile and rubbed his throbbing temples.
After a night of running and fighting, his mental strength was already nearing its limit, but the fighting spirit in his eyes remained undiminished.
The shiny Swampert excitedly waved its arms, ready to fight, but Zhang Heng stopped it.
He gently patted the shimmering Swampert on the shoulder, signaling it to step back; it wasn't the main character in this battle.
Then, his sharp gaze fixed on the Combo-Style Martial Arts Bear Master: "Martial Arts Bear Master, you are still far from mastering water-based power."
Having said that, Bodangshui's figure had already arrived behind Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng knew the nature of the Martial Arts Urshifu Pokémon. From the battle he had just observed, it was clear that Duan Guanjun had been consistently suppressed by the One-Hit Kill style.
Zhang Heng didn't want his status to become so lowly.
He now wants to tell Master Xiong of the Combo Style Martial Arts that his mastery of water-based techniques is still far from sufficient.
Zhang Heng's idea was to demonstrate his strength and show the Combo Style Martial Arts Bear Master that staying by his side would allow it to grow better.
Beneath the Water Tower, the air distorted, and scalding hot water mist spewed from the nasal cavity of the Waves Water. Its red vertical pupils burned with ferocity, and the steam rising from its body condensed into sharp, vortex-shaped air blades.
The Combo Style Martial Arts Bear Master stomped heavily on the ground, the surging water between his manes transforming into silver chains. His deep gray pupils locked onto his opponent, and as he rubbed his palms together, the water on the ground shot into the sky, gathering behind him into a roaring phantom of a water beast.
The two forces collided violently, steam and water swirling into a boiling chaos, causing white smoke to rise from the stone slabs in their wake, and the runes of the Water Tower flickered wildly in the clash of high temperature and cold.