I sat with Gatomon and BlackGatomon near the edge of the crater, watching SHIELD scientists with their array of instruments scanning Mjolnir. They would not find much, I knew, as its properties were mystical, not technological.
Coulson approached.
"We located your blonde man, Cipher," Coulson said.
He carried a hint of surprise in his voice that my vague description had yielded results.
"Is it Thor?"
Coulson nodded, a faint smile on his lips.
"Yes. your intel on him was…surprisingly accurate."
"I told you, Coulson, I know things," I said.
"Some things are just facts of the universe."
Coulson's smile faded slightly.
"We found him with three individuals who appear to be scientists," Coulson said.
"SHIELD's background check on Jane Foster's group revealed they have been actively studying the recent anomalies for days."
"I need you to tell your people to back off," I said.
"Do not touch their data, and do not confiscate anything."
Coulson raised an eyebrow, a hint of his usual calm returning.
"They are studying the anomaly that brought him here," Coulson said.
"That data could be vital to national security."
"It is their life's work," I said.
"Confiscating it would be cruel, and it would destroy any chance of gaining their trust."
"Trust is not our primary concern here," Coulson said.
"Security is."
"Then support her," I said.
"Jane Foster is intelligent. She tracked the energy from the wormholes before anyone else. Give her resources, not handcuffs. That is how you gain an ally, not by force."
Coulson's gaze held mine, a silent debate passing between us. He sighed, a faint sound swallowed by the desert wind.
"They drove out into the desert," Coulson said.
"They were chasing another energy signature. We lost their track a few miles east of here."
My mind raced. Another energy signature? That could only mean one thing. My Digivice had been silent about the specific location of the rogue Digimon, but my gut told me this was connected. Jane Foster, Thor, and some random Digimon in the middle of nowhere was a recipe for disaster. My concern for Jane's group intensified. My mission was to hunt rogue Digimon, but I also had a responsibility to protect innocent lives.
I pulled out my Digivice and tapped the screen.
MailBirdramon materialized with a burst of digital light, its metallic wings whirring softly in the dry air. Gatomon and BlackGatomon immediately hopped onto its back.
"Come on, guys," I said.
"Let's go find a god."
I climbed onto MailBirdramon, settling between my two partners.
MailBirdramon launched into the sky, the ground shrinking beneath us as we sped eastward, following the direction Coulson had indicated. The desert stretched endlessly, a vast canvas of red rock and sand. My Digivice pinged, a clear signal now, growing stronger with every second.
"That's the spot," I said.
"MailBirdramon, full speed ahead."
Below, the desert floor erupted. A colossal, dragon-like creature burst from the sand, showering the air with rock and dust. It was Groundramon, its scales shimmering with embedded Huanglong Ore, its massive arms tearing at the earth. The rogue Digimon I was hunting was here, and it was attacking Thor and the scientists.
Thor, still without his hammer, was easily swatted aside by Groundramon's sheer power, crashing into a jagged rock formation. Jane Foster and her team were scrambling, their faces a mix of terror and disbelief.
"Looks like we're just in time," BlackGatomon said.
"MailBirdramon, get its attention!" I yelled.
"Yes! PLASMA CANNON!"
MailBirdramon swooped low, unleashing a volley of plasma blasts from its mouth. The energy bolts struck Groundramon's armored hide, causing sparks to fly. The dragon-like Digimon roared, its predatory gaze shifting from the helpless scientists to us. It was a clear challenge.
My plasma blasts were hitting Groundramon, but its Huanglong Ore scales shimmered, deflecting the attacks with ease. It shrugged off MailBirdramon's barrage, barely flinching. This wasn't going to be a quick fight. Groundramon was tougher than it looked, a real tank. I had to up the ante.
"Gatomon, BlackGatomon, get ready," I said.
"It's time to go Ultimate."
My Digivice glowed with a familiar intensity as I channeled my will.
"Gatomon, BlackGatomon! Ultimate Evolution!"
Gatomon and BlackGatomon shimmered, their forms dissolving into streams of light and dark data. The energy coalesced, swirling into two distinct cocoons. One glowed with pure, radiant light, while the other pulsed with a sinister, crimson aura. The air crackled around them, a testament to the power being unleashed.
"Gatomon, digivolve!"
"BlackGatomon, digivolve!"
"Angewomon!"
"LadyDevimon!"
Angewomon emerged, graceful and majestic, her eight wings unfurling with divine light. LadyDevimon appeared beside her, a vision of dark elegance, her bat-like wings spreading like a shadowy cloak. They stood ready, light and darkness incarnate, a perfect reflection of my own dual nature.
"Alright, ladies, show this overgrown mole what Ultimate power looks like!" I yelled.
Angewomon moved first, a streak of white light against the desert sun.
"CELESTIAL ARROW!" she called.
She fired a volley of glowing arrows, each one striking Groundramon's tough hide with pinpoint precision. Clang!Clang! The impacts echoed across the barren landscape, but the Earth Dragon remained unphased. LadyDevimon followed, a blur of black and crimson.
"DARKNESS WAVE!" she shouted.
A horde of shadowy bats erupted from her elongated claw, swarming Groundramon and tearing at its scales. The creature roared, a guttural sound of frustration and pain. It retaliated with a brutal swing of its massive, stone-like arm.
"SCRAPLESS CLAW!"
Angewomon twisted, her eight wings catching the desert wind, narrowly dodging the crushing blow. LadyDevimon, with a wicked smirk, formed a shield of dark energy, absorbing the impact with a thud. The force still pushed her back, kicking up a cloud of dust. The clash of holy and dark energy against Groundramon's sheer physical might created a spectacle, a flurry of light and shadow, as they sought an opening in its formidable defenses.
Groundramon roared, a sound that shook the very ground beneath my feet. Its tail, tipped with a heavy, iron-like sphere, swung in a wide arc.
"MEGATON HAMMER CRUSH!"
The attack connected with the desert floor, sending a violent shockwave ripping through the sand. Angewomon and LadyDevimon were forced to leap back, creating distance as dust and debris erupted around them. That thing was a walking tank, shrugging off their attacks like they were mosquito bites.
"Move, now!" I yelled to Jane Foster and her team, pointing towards a cluster of boulders further away.
Thor, despite his own recent humbling, understood the danger and herded the scientists away. I needed them out of the blast radius, and I needed SHIELD to not get any ideas about what they had just seen.
MailBirdramon circled overhead, its plasma blasts still sparking harmlessly against Groundramon's hide. This wasn't working. Angewomon and LadyDevimon were hitting hard, but Groundramon's Huanglong Ore scales were too tough. They were chipping away at it, but not enough to put it down. This was a stalemate, and a losing one if I couldn't dish out more damage.
The Beast Spirit of Flame icon pulsed on my Digivice, a fiery beacon demanding attention. It was time to stop holding back. I needed power, real power.
I leaped from MailBirdramon's back, landing firmly on the hot desert sand. The impact jarred my teeth, but my focus was entirely on the Digivice.
"BEAST SPIRIT EVOLUTION!"
A searing heat enveloped me, a primal flame erupting from my Digivice. My body began to distort, my clothes ripping as scales erupted across my skin. Golden armor fused with crimson, shaping itself around me. A helmet-like head covering formed, complete with Greymon-style horns. Flaming feathered wings burst from my back, stretching wide and catching the desert air. My arms transformed, golden super-weapons snapping into place. The air shimmered around me, radiating heat.
"BURNINGGREYMON!"
I stood as BurningGreymon, a bipedal dragon of fire and wrath, the desert wind now a gentle breeze against my flame-hardened body. The power coursing through me was immense, a roaring inferno ready to be unleashed. Groundramon turned its head, its beady eyes narrowing as it recognized the shift in my presence. This was no longer just a Digimon fight. This was a direct confrontation, fire against earth.
"Alright, you overgrown rock, let's see how you handle a real blaze!" I roared, my voice now a deeper, metallic growl.
The Rudriya Darpaṇa cannons on my arms glowed with heat, ready to incinerate this thing. This was the raw power I needed, a true Beast Spirit. The air around me crackled with the promise of destruction.
***
Donate Power Stones to support this novel
Advance chapters in patreon.com/Najicablitz