The clearing fell silent, save for the ragged breathing of the defeated alliance members.
Brain narrowed his dark eyes, his gaze shifting from the two small creatures to the young man holding the glowing red-and-black device.
"You blocked my magic," Brain noted, his voice turn into a low dangerous rumble. "A neat trick. But if you think two pets and a fancy toy will stop the Oración Seis, you're more foolish than the rest of this pathetic coalition."
"I don't plan on stopping you with pets," Ace said calmly.
His thumb traced the edge of the D-Tector, feeling the digital data surging within its core.
He glanced back at the trembling Wendy.
"Stay behind me. Don't move."
Racer scoffed, adjusting his goggles. "Big words for a guy standing still! I'll carve you up before you even blink!"
Racer vanished.
He didn't run, he simply ceased to be in his original spot, a blur of motion tearing through the clearing straight for Ace's throat.
"Patamon. Armadillomon," Ace called out, his digital soul flaring to life.
The D-Tector erupted with a blinding, piercing light that washed out the gloomy shadows of the Worth Woodsea.
"It's time to level the playing field."
The two small Digimon leaped into the air, enveloped in a swirling cocoon of binary code and radiant energy.
Patamon Digivolve to...
Armadillomon Digivolve to...
The light shattered like glass. Where the small, flying guinea pig once hovered, a tall, angelic warrior now descended.
Six pristine white wings unfurled from his back, casting a brilliant, holy glow across the battlefield.
He wore a silver helmet with a golden cross, and he held a gleaming golden staff in his hands.
Where the small armadillo had stood, a massive, heavily armored dinosaur now crouched.
Its body was covered in thick, spike-studded golden plating, and its tail ended in a devastating, mace-like iron club.
Angemon!
Ankylomon!
Racer appeared inches from Ace, his knives slashing in a deadly cross.
But before the blades could find their mark, a golden staff swept down, blocking the strike with a heavy, ringing clash of metal.
Angemon stood between Ace and the dark mage.
"What?!" Racer gasped, struggling against the sudden, immense physical pressure.
"How did you react to my speed?!"
"Your magic alters the perception of time in a specific radius," Ace explained, his voice steady. "You aren't actually fast. You just make everyone else slow. But Angemon's holy aura purifies magical anomalies within his immediate space. Your field doesn't work on him."
Angemon spun his staff, generating a powerful gust of wind that blew Racer backward.
"Don't ignore me!" Cobra hissed, launching himself off the rocky ridge.
Cubellios opened its massive jaws, spewing a thick cloud of toxic purple mist toward Ace and the newly evolved Digimon.
"Ankylomon!" Ace commanded.
The armored dinosaur let out a deep, rumbling roar. It spun its massive body, slamming its heavy, spiked club directly into the earth.
"Tail Hammer!"
The impact hit the ground like a localized earthquake.
The sheer kinetic force generated a shockwave that tore through the clearing, catching the toxic mist and blowing it violently back toward Cobra.
Cobra cursed, forced to flip backward to avoid his own poison.
He landed gracefully, pressing a hand to his ear. "I can't hear them! What is this noise? Their muscle contractions, their breathing... it sounds like grinding static!"
"They aren't creatures of this world, Cobra," Brain deduced, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the golden aura radiating from Angemon.
"They're constructed of some strange, foreign energy. Fascinating. But raw force won't save you."
Hoteye stepped forward, his blocky smile widening. "Oh, money is the ultimate power! And the earth is my vault! Liquid Ground!"
The rocky terrain beneath Angemon and Ankylomon rapidly softened, turning into a swirling vortex of deep, suffocating mud.
The ground threatened to swallow them whole.
Angemon simply flapped his six wings, ascending gracefully into the air above the liquefying earth.
Ankylomon, however, didn't bother trying to escape.
The heavy dinosaur sank slightly into the mud, then curled its massive, armored body into a tight sphere.
"Megaton Press!"
Ankylomon launched himself high into the air, spinning rapidly before crashing down like a meteor onto the very edge of the liquefied zone.
The immense physical weight and the concentrated impact sent a ripple of hard, solid force through the ground, forcefully canceling out Hoteye's softening magic and sending clumps of hardened dirt flying into the dark mage's face.
"My beautiful suit!" Hoteye wailed, brushing the mud from his shoulders.
Natsu pushed himself up on trembling arms, his eyes wide as he watched the two Champion-level Digimon hold off the Oración Seis.
"Whoa... I've never seen Ace use these guys before."
"They're strong," Gray grunted, clutching his bruised ribs. "But Erza... we need to help Erza!"
Ace glanced back.
Erza was slumped against the roots of a giant tree, her face pale and drenched in cold sweat.
The dark purple poison from Cubellios was spreading rapidly up her arm, creeping dangerously close to her chest.
She was gasping for air, her life fading fast.
"We don't have time for a drawn-out fight," Ace muttered.
He looked up at Brain, his digital soul flaring into the D-Tector.
"Angemon. End this opening act."
Angemon nodded. He raised his right fist, drawing his arm back.
Radiant, holy energy gathered around his knuckles, shining so brightly it rivaled the midday sun.
The sheer density of the light banished the shadows of the Worth Woodsea, forcing the Oración Seis to shield their eyes.
"Heaven's Knuckle!"
Angemon thrust his fist forward.
A massive, concentrated beam of holy golden light shot across the clearing, aimed directly at Brain and the ridge.
Brain's eyes widened.
He slammed his staff into the earth, summoning a dense, swirling barrier of dark magic.
"Dark Rondo!"
The holy light and the dark magic collided. A blinding explosion rocked the forest, sending a massive shockwave tearing through the trees.
The impact kicked up a thick, suffocating cloud of dust and debris, obscuring the entire ridge.
When the smoke finally cleared, the rocky incline was severely cratered.
Brain stood breathing heavily, his dark barrier shattered. Cobra, Racer, and Hoteye had been forced to scatter to avoid the blast.
Midnight remained asleep on his carpet, though he had drifted slightly farther away.
Brain looked at his strained hands, then down at Ace.
A dark, calculating gleam entered his eyes.
"A tactical retreat is in order," Brain announced, his voice carrying over the ringing silence of the forest.
"What? We can still crush them, Brain!" Cobra yelled, wiping dust from his cheek.
"Our primary objective is Nirvana, not a pointless brawl with a tamer of strange beasts," Brain replied smoothly.
He pointed his finger toward Erza's shivering form.
"Besides, Titania is already dead. That poison has no cure, without their knight and with the rest of their forces battered, this coalition will crumble on its own. Let them rot in the forest."
With a swirl of dark magic, Brain turned his back.
Racer grinned, blurring out of sight. Hoteye sighed about the cost of dry cleaning before sinking into the earth, and Cobra shot one last venomous glare at Ace before vanishing into the trees with Midnight in tow.
The Oración Seis were gone.
Ace let out a slow, measured breath.
He lowered the D-Tector, and the brilliant light surrounding Angemon and Ankylomon faded, returning them to the small, familiar forms of Patamon and Armadillomon.
"We did it, Ace!" Patamon cheered, landing softly on his shoulder.
"Don't celebrate yet," Ace said, his tone grim.
He rushed past the recovering vanguard, dropping to his knees beside Erza.
Natsu, Gray, and Lucy scrambled over, their faces tight with panic. Erza's breathing was erratic, and the purple venom had reached her shoulder.
"Erza! Hey, stay with us!" Natsu yelled, his voice cracking.
Wendy ran over, tears streaming down her face.
She knelt beside the armored mage, holding her small hands over the wound.
A soft, gentle blue light emanated from her palms, but it flickered unsteadily against the dark poison.
"I... I can't extract it," Wendy sobbed, her hands shaking. "The poison is too aggressive. My magic isn't strong enough yet!"
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