The Throne

As time passed, Gengar and Mismagius behind Yuga gradually reached the pinnacle of the pseudo-Elite level, and their life energy began to saturate.

Breaking through to the Elite level wasn't a simple task, and relying solely on a large amount of life energy wouldn't elevate Gengar and Mismagius to Elite status.

Feeling that they couldn't continue absorbing the life energy being passed to them, Mismagius suggested that Yuga redirect this surplus life energy into his Shadow Space.

Initially, Yuga wanted to channel the remaining life energy into Chandelure as a gesture of gratitude for saving them and assisting in dealing with Cofagrigus.

However, Mismagius explained that Chandelure lacked the knowledge of the secrets of the Ghost Realm and couldn't integrate with the technique for siphoning ghostly essence. There was no time to teach Chandelure now, so Yuga reluctantly abandoned that idea.

Under the control of Gengar and Mismagius, Yuga's shadow formed a pitch-black mirror, and the surplus life energy transformed into a flow of energy directed into Yuga's Shadow Space.

The pitch-black Shadow Space and the green life energy blended together, causing the entrance of Yuga's Shadow Space to shift from inky black to emerald green. The energies of the Ghost World Origin Stones and life energy within the Shadow Space merged, forming a new type of energy.

After more than two hours passed, Cofagrigus's life force had diminished to its utmost limits, leaving it on the brink of death.

"Please spare me! If you spare me, I won't oppose you anymore. If necessary, I'll even acknowledge you as my master, just please let me go," Cofagrigus begged, knowing that its defeat was inevitable. However, Yuga paid it no more than half a glance, well aware of the principle that those who play with fire get burned.

As the most fundamental power within its body was drained away, Cofagrigus suddenly transformed from a formidable Cofagrigus into a small and frail Yamask. Simultaneously, a grim skeleton tumbled out from within its body.

It was unclear how long this skeleton had been concealed there, but upon hitting the ground, it shattered into a pile of powder. However, judging by its shape when it first fell, it appeared to be a human skeleton.

Yuga looked at the human remains on the ground and then at the "pitiful" Yamask, feeling somewhat perplexed. At this moment, the weakened Yamask seemed fragile, far from the menacing Cofagrigus it once was.

However, what puzzled Yuga the most was why a human skeleton was hidden within Cofagrigus's body and for how long it had been there.

With the threat of Cofagrigus resolved, the Pokémon that had been airborne – Volcarona, Noctowl, and Chandelure – landed around Yuga.

By this point, Florges had removed the vines that had restrained Yamask, but Mega Absol's paw still pressed firmly against it.

Yuga looked at Volcarona, who stood before him, and asked, "Volcarona, can you tell me more about this Cofagrigus? You must have knowledge of its origins since you've guarded its seal."

Volcarona was surprised that Yuga could communicate with Pokémon, but it proceeded to recount the tale of Cofagrigus.

Nine hundred years ago, in the very land where Yuga and the others now stood, there existed a small kingdom. While not large, the kingdom was incredibly prosperous, and its people enjoyed peace and prosperity. Everything changed when their penultimate king ascended the throne.

Upon becoming king, this ruler cared little about governing the kingdom. Instead, he obsessively pursued the secrets of eternal life. However, the world had no such secrets to offer, and even upon his death, he hadn't achieved immortality.

Initially, everyone thought that the history of this king would fade with his passing. However, one day, his tomb underwent a transformation, and an evil Cofagrigus emerged from it.

This Cofagrigus was none other than the king himself.

Unknown to many, before his death, the king had arranged for his own resurrection ritual. He instructed his trusted confidant to bury him according to his specific instructions.

As it is widely known, Ghost-type Pokémon are among the longest-living creatures, with the potential to live for thousands of years under the right conditions. This is a feat that even the long-lived Dragon-type Pokémon cannot achieve. The former king, it turns out, was a prodigy who managed to develop a viable resurrection plan based on the characteristics of Ghost-type Pokémon.

He employed a method that remains unknown to this day to extinguish the soul of a Cofagrigus, converting it into his own coffin, and then laid his lifeless body inside it. Thus, he buried his own body alongside the Cofagrigus's corpse within a tomb.

Eventually, his resurrection ritual succeeded. His soul successfully occupied the body of the Cofagrigus while retaining his original memories, resulting in a unique form of rebirth.

However, this unconventional method of resurrection came with side effects. Even he was unaware of it. Over time, his character became increasingly tyrannical. Upon emerging from the tomb, he began a merciless slaughter of the kingdom's inhabitants.

He struggled to quench his insatiable thirst for life energy, and this intense craving drove him to commit relentless acts of violence.

As time passed, more and more people vanished. When they were eventually found, their life force had been entirely drained, leaving them as lifeless husks.

Absorbing copious amounts of life energy, the Cofagrigus became increasingly powerful, and its character grew even more ruthless. Eventually, it became invulnerable to the entire kingdom, with none able to oppose it, including the kingdom's citizens and the royal family.

At the time, this was a small and remote kingdom, rarely visited by people from other nations. By the time outsiders discovered the situation, the entire kingdom had been wiped out, with not a single soul remaining.

This Cofagrigus had become exceptionally resilient due to absorbing vast quantities of life energy.

It was only the mightiest empire on the continent at the time that was able to intervene, sealing the former king, who now bore the Cofagrigus's visage, away. However, the Cofagrigus's life force was too stubborn to extinguish. It could not be killed. Thus, it was sealed, and the location chosen for the seal was the former king's tomb.

The empire also left behind a powerful Volcarona to guard the seal. This Volcarona was the ancestor of the current one.

The sealed Cofagrigus never gave up on escaping. It released its Ghost-type energy into the surroundings, continuously luring Ghost-type Pokémon from the outside in an attempt to break the seal.

All the Cofagriguss, Yamasks, and Shuppets encountered earlier were attracted by it.

However, the fire energy left behind by Volcarona also attracted numerous Fire-type Pokémon. For instance, Darmanitan and Darumaka were among those lured to Volcarona's side. These Pokémon pledged allegiance to Volcarona and helped guard the Cofagrigus's seal.

Meanwhile, the neutral stance of Chandelure and Litwick, who were attracted by both Ghost-type and Fire-type energy, allowed them to grow in this unique environment.

However, Yuga's presence, along with his King of Ghost aura, attracted Chandelure, prompting it to assist Yuga.

As for Marlon and Roxie, when they previously entered the ruins and encountered Volcarona, it was purely because Volcarona was trying to deter them from facing the onslaught of Ghost-type Pokémon in this area.