Chapter 366: Lei Guan Wang, Who Foresees the Future, and the Shield Hero Who Changes the Future

Even though it was still some time until dusk, the light within the forest was exceptionally thin.

Before entering the forest, he had felt nothing unusual, but now, amidst the great trees whose crowns blocked out the sky and sun, Luo Mu had the illusion that he was already immersed in night.

The rivers within the Slumbering Weald meandered like long snakes, acting like the forest's blood as they flowed into every corner.

At this moment, Luo Mu had already recalled Six-Tails into its Poké Ball; instead of riding Spectrier, he walked through the Slumbering Weald alongside Luxray, much like one taking a stroll after a meal.

It had to be said that although the light was somewhat dim, the air in the Slumbering Weald was exceptionally fresh.

The mixed scent of the river, earth, and trees underwent some wonderful transformation, producing an aroma that could be described as "fresh."

Luo Mu looked at Lei Guan Wang, who had switched to riding Spectrier, and thought that as expected of a Legendary Pokémon, even though he himself had ridden a horse all day until his bones felt like they were falling apart, forcing him to walk now to loosen his limbs, Lei Guan Wang remained completely unaffected.

Luo Mu did not know if he possessed the qualifications of either the Sword Hero or the Shield Hero, so he left the entire route to Lei Guan Wang without asking too many questions about this aspect.

The Slumbering Weald map in the game was not particularly large; one could reach the sleeping place of the two heroes after just a few turns, yet Lei Guan Wang led Luo Mu through the Slumbering Weald from dusk until sunset and into total darkness.

Only when the bright moonlight pierced through the dense tree crowns, casting mottled light and shadow upon the Slumbering Weald, did Luxray suddenly cry out, prompting Luo Mu to look around thanks to its warning.

Unbeknownst to them, the surroundings had become filled with ethereal thin mist; this fog made the sky-blocking trees all around appear blurry, as if fairies from a fairy tale would emerge from the deepest parts of the mist at any moment.

Luo Mu's spirit immediately focused; if his expectations were correct, Zacian and Zamazenta should appear very soon.

"Let us wait here; they will come to see us."

Lei Guan Wang's slightly majestic voice rang out; even though it no longer intended to live as the King of Galar, regarding those two brave warriors, it decided to still interact with them using its former attitude.

After Lei Guan Wang requested them to stop, the surrounding mist not only failed to thin but grew thicker and thicker, until it was nearly impossible to see one's own hand, at which point two agile figures slowly emerged from the thick fog.

Even Luxray had not detected their footsteps; they were just like ghosts.

On the left was a Pokémon draped in hanging blue mane.

Its posture resembled a giant wolf, with white patterns like scars on its body; the upper parts of its slender limbs bore pink braids connecting to its ears, and a large pink tail resembling a broom hung behind it.

On the right was a Pokémon clad in red fur that looked like sharp armor. It similarly bore white patterns resembling wounds, with blue hair atop its head like a helmet crest; its red and blue face, more angular than the Pokémon on the left, resembled a small shield.

Their names were Zacian and Zamazenta, the Hundred-War Heroes who, according to legend, repelled the Darkest Day but had their achievements stolen by the Galar Wang Zu, and had been sleeping within this Slumbering Weald.

Just as knights audience a king, Zacian and Zamazenta approached Lei Guan Wang, prostrating their bodies as if performing a knight's salute to a monarch.

Lei Guan Wang's gaze fell upon Zacian and Zamazenta; a trace of doubt flashed in its eyes, but it temporarily suppressed this doubt and spoke majestically: "Oh heroes who successfully repelled the Darkest Day, there is no need for such courtesy."

Zamazenta and Zacian exchanged a glance, joy rising in their Emperor Yan Di; it seemed the King already knew everything, so now, did the King perhaps wish to summon them both back to serve at the King's side?

Seeming to perceive the Huo De Xiang Fa of Zacian and Zamazenta, Lei Guan Wang said in a deep voice: "I am no longer the King of Galar; your thoughts are likely to come to naught. Moreover, you are already true kings and need not bow your heads to me."

The expectant expressions on Zacian and Zamazenta instantly froze; as if they had not reacted in time, they revealed utterly bewildered looks.

Almost instantly, they noticed the change in Lei Guan Wang's self-designation and felt incredibly confused by it.

The King was no longer a King?

Yet their eyes remained extremely persistent; even after receiving the titles of King of the Sword and King of the Shield, they still wished to serve beside Lei Guan Wang.

Knowing he could not change the minds of these two stubborn fellows, Lei Guan Wang's voice did not halt due to the emotional shifts of Zacian and Zamazenta, continuing steadily with instructions: "Furthermore, rather than serving at my side, have you not noticed?"

"That power still lies buried beneath the land of Galar; I fear that sooner or later it will return with a vengeance, and moreover, that power has already spread to the Wang Guan Snowfield; the next Darkest Day will only be more fierce and powerful."

"But your current state is..."

Regarding the memories of that time, Lei Guan Wang had been fuzzy upon first awakening; only as its power recovered did those fragmented memories gradually become clear.

It remembered that, due to the crisis of the Darkest Day, it had ordered the finest forging craftsmen of that time to create a sword and a shield for Zacian and Zamazenta, injecting its own King's Power into the sword and shield before bestowing them upon the two.

Just like the pale neighing and black neighing of the steeds, Zacian and Zamazenta, equipped with the sword and shield, not only became significantly stronger in power, but their most skilled attacks and defenses also made tremendous progress, and their forms changed as if they had undergone evolution.

They had become Zacian, King of the Sword, and Zamazenta, King of the Shield.

In order to save the vast forests and the lives within them that would fall into despair under the ravages of the Darkest Day in the future, it had exhausted its power to transfer them.

While saving those lives, it had also provided Zacian and Zamazenta with a battlefield where they could fight without any reservations.

Afterwards, it fell into slumber, but upon waking and not seeing the sky shrouded by that terrifying vortex, Lei Guan Wang knew that Zacian and Zamazenta had successfully repelled the Darkest Day.

"Woof-woo—" (The sword and shield bestowed upon us by the King were damaged during that great battle and have completely lost their power.)

The wolf-like howls of Zacian and Zamazenta were not at all domineering; on the contrary, they sounded somewhat aggrieved.

Their tails hung low, as if their spirits were low; being cared for by Lei Guan Wang and enjoying full translation services throughout, Luo Mu suddenly felt that Zacian and Zamazenta were a bit like two big dogs.

Regarding the relationship between Lei Guan Wang and Zacian and Zamazenta, Luo Mu recalled that the original setting had not mentioned any superior-subordinate relationship between them, and many people believed there was no connection between Lei Guan Wang and Zacian and Zamazenta.

But regardless of what the settings were at the time, looking at it now, Zacian and Zamazenta were indeed knights loyal to Lei Guan Wang, heroes who accepted weapons gifted by the King to challenge the "Great Demon King" Eternatus.

Zacian's exclusive item, the "Rusted Sword," and Zamazenta's exclusive item, the "Rusted Shield," were forged for them by Lei Guan Wang commanding its subjects.

Luo Mu and Luxray listened intently to this conversation that seemed to span across time and space, quietly observing its development.

Upon hearing that the sword and shield it had bestowed upon Zacian and Zamazenta were damaged, Lei Guan Wang frowned slightly, slowly closed its eyes, and blue light began to rhythmically shimmer around its body.

Zacian and Zamazenta instantly fell silent, simultaneously looking at the three unfamiliar faces—Luo Mu, who was holding Cosmog for Lei Guan Wang, and Luxray; unlike Snowy, they did not interrogate them, but merely used their eyes to signal them to maintain absolute silence.

Because right now, Lei Guan Wang was using its divine power to gaze upon a future that it currently did not know.

Just like the crisis of the Darkest Day, if the King had not known the future in advance, ordered craftsmen to forge the sword and shield, and moved the forest and its lives, then even if the Darkest Day had ultimately been defeated, Galar would have paid a far more painful price.

A moment later, Lei Guan Wang slowly opened its eyes; its gaze first fell upon Zacian, then immediately shifted to Zamazenta and stopped there.

Zacian glanced disdainfully at its foolish younger brother; surely this idiot had done something in the future to displease the King again.

The gazes from its older sister and the King made cold sweat break out on Zamazenta's back, and its mind immediately began to race with wild thoughts.

Could it be that I did something stupid in the future?

"Sigh."

Lei Guan Wang let out a light sigh, changing its gaze to one of disappointment turned anger as it looked again at Zamazenta, whose body had instantly stiffened at the sound of the sigh.

The hero chosen by Zacian possessed a heart full of passion for Pokémon, which barely qualified as meeting the requirements of the Sword Hero and could activate the Rusted Sword.

But what about the choice made by Zamazenta?

How could such a greedy human be called the Shield Hero, and how could they make the Rusted Shield shine with light once more?

Even though it could peer into the future, Lei Guan Wang was extremely cautious in using its abilities, restraining itself from easily altering the course of the future.

The first time it broke this vow was during the arrival of the Darkest Day; through these eyes capable of seeing the future, it saw that grief-stricken Galar, and unable to bear it, it chose to change history.

And this time, no longer acting as the King of Galar, Lei Guan Wang decided to be willful and change the future a second time.

Lei Guan Wang did not speak to Zamazenta, who was watching him cautiously, but instead looked at his friend Luo Mu, told him of the things he wished to change, and sought his friend's opinion.

Upon hearing Lei Guan Wang's account, Luo Mu directly inhaled a sharp breath of cold air.

"Hiss—"

The greedy Shield Hero; could Lei Guan Wang possibly be referring to that notorious certain Hao?

Even Lei Guan Wang considered him greedy; it seemed that in this world, he was just as authentic.

Lei Guan Wang looked seriously at Luo Mu and asked, "My friend, if it were you, how would you change all of this?"

Zacian and Zamazenta instantly looked toward Luo Mu, their expressions filled with shock.

The King actually called this human his friend!?

Spectrier and Glastrier wore expressions suggesting Zacian and Zamazenta were making a fuss over nothing, feeling that in a certain sense, they had surpassed those two attention-seeking show-offs.

Luo Mu fell silent for a moment before suggesting, "Why don't we first retrieve the broken sword and shield that have lost their power, and then consider our next steps based on their condition?"

As Luo Mu's voice faded, the surroundings became utterly silent.

Whether it was Spectrier or Glastrier, Zacian or Zamazenta, they all turned their gazes toward Lei Guan Wang, clearly displaying an attitude of following his lead.

Lei Guan Wang nodded slightly and said, "Then lead the way, you two Heroes."

Zacian and Zamazenta bowed respectfully and walked ahead, leading the way for Luo Mu and Lei Guan Wang.

Following the river forward, deep within the Slumbering Weald, there stood a broken archway.

The atmosphere surrounding the area was quiet and serene; moonlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, sprinkling down upon this place, while the scattered fireflies around added a touch of dreamlike fantasy to the ambiance.

Green moss covered the area around the archway, and even the stone stele standing there had been eroded by time, the characters and patterns once engraved upon it now blurred and illegible.

In front of the stone stele, two rusted, damaged weapons were stuck into the ground.

One was Zacian's sword, and the other was Zamazenta's shield.

With the permission of Zacian and Zamazenta, Luo Mu handed Cosmog to Lei Guan Wang, then walked to the front of the stele; gazing at the sword and shield that looked just like scrap metal, he remained silent for a long while.

Lei Guan Wang was not anxious; during the wait, he surveyed the surrounding environment and praised, "You two have indeed found a fine place to slumber."

Quiet, profound, and undisturbed by the outside world; truly excellent.

Perhaps due to receiving Lei Guan Wang's praise, both Zamazenta and Zacian felt somewhat happy, though there was a vast difference between the siblings.

Zamazenta's drooping tail immediately began wagging like a fan, not understanding the slightest bit about restraint.

As for the elder sister Zacian, she was far more restrained; however, though she appeared calm on the surface, the tip of her tail, twitching in extremely small movements, betrayed her.

Spectrier and Glastrier scoffed at the behavior of these two simp dogs; it had been this way since long ago, as these two fellows habitually loved competing for favor.

Fortunately, because they could fuse with Lei Guan Wang, their own status was extremely stable.

After a moment, Luo Mu, having formed an idea, finally opened his mouth and asked Zacian and Zamazenta, "Are these two sword and shield simply stuck here like this?"

"Woof-woo—" (Naturally so; after repelling the calamity of the Darkest Day, we siblings brought the sword, damaged and devoid of power from battle, to this place to live in seclusion, awaiting either the King's awakening or the arrival of a Hero!)

Letting out a long howl, Zacian and Zamazenta explained the situation to Luo Mu.

With Lei Guan Wang translating, ensuring language was no barrier, Luo Mu asked directly, "Then how do you distinguish a Hero?"

This question stumped Zacian and Zamazenta; they exchanged glances and let out a hesitant cry.

"Aowu~" (The person who can pull out the sword and shield is the Hero of the Sword and Shield~)

Luo Mu: "."

Luo Mu did not speak, but instead chose to use actual action to prove his speculation.

Walking up to the rotten sword and rotten shield stuck in their grooves, Luo Mu glanced at Zacian and Zamazenta, then reached out with both hands to directly grasp the dust-covered sword hilt and shield handle; without exerting even a shred of force, he pulled them straight out.

Holding up the rotten sword and shield, Luo Mu looked at Zacian and Zamazenta with some amusement and asked, "Are you going to admit that I am a dual Hero of both the Sword and the Shield?"

Zacian & Zamazenta: "!!!!"

How is this possible!?

Deep confusion surfaced in the eyes of the two large dogs.

Meanwhile, Lei Guan Wang had discerned some clues and said thoughtfully, "The last remnants of power within the sword and shield have been exhausted by the passage of time; they no longer possess the ability to distinguish a Hero."

Luo Mu nodded slightly: "Exactly; therefore, in the future you saw, knowing full well that greedy human was not the Shield Hero, Zamazenta had no choice but to appear in the face of the approaching Darkest Day crisis and borrow a bit of Zacian's Sword Hero power to activate the rotten shield."

Luo Mu's statement was quite bold, yet in Lei Guan Wang's view, it was surprisingly reasonable; as long as one thought in this direction, everything made sense.

Appreciation surfaced in Emperor Yan Di's eyes as he asked once more, "How do you intend to change this future?"

Luo Mu put down the rotten sword and shield, and amidst Zacian and Zamazenta's slightly twitching expressions, he went to the riverside, washed his hands, and said, "Take away the rotten sword and shield; the Heroes ought to be decided by us!"

(End of Chapter)