The dark canopy of the Worth Woodsea swallowed what little sunlight remained.
Shadows stretched long and distorted across the mossy forest floor, making every twisted, ancient root look like a grasping hand.
Ace walked at a steady, measured pace, his senses expanded to monitor the surrounding brush.
Patamon fluttered quietly just above his right shoulder, while Armadillomon marched steadfastly by his left leg, the heavy thud of his claws muffled by the thick layer of fallen leaves.
Just a few steps behind them, Wendy held Carla tightly against her chest.
Her small boots crunched nervously through the undergrowth.
"I'm sorry," Wendy murmured, breaking the heavy, oppressive silence of the woods.
"I feel like I'm just slowing you down, Ace. If I was stronger, maybe you wouldn't have to babysit me."
Ace stopped and turned around.
He offered the young Dragon Slayer a gentle smile. "You aren't a burden, Wendy. You kept Erza alive when no one else in this so called alliance could. That makes you a vital part of this team. Don't sell yourself short."
"Ace is right!" Patamon chirped, doing a small loop in the air.
"You have a really warm, kind heart. That matters a lot more than just hitting things hard!"
"Exactly, darm it!" Armadillomon agreed, offering a toothy grin.
Wendy managed a shy, hesitant smile, her tight grip on Carla relaxing just a fraction.
Suddenly, Armadillomon's ears twitched.
The yellow Digimon dropped low to the ground, his armored shell scraping against the dirt. "Ace. Vibrations. Someone is coming in fast."
Before Ace could even reach for his D-Tector, a harsh, unnatural gust of wind tore through the clearing.
Dead leaves scattered in a violent chaotic spiral, whipping sharply against their faces.
"Too slow," a mocking voice echoed from the trees.
Racer materialized out of thin air, leaning casually against the trunk of a massive oak tree.
He spin a throwing knife around his index finger and adjusted his sleek, aerodynamic goggles.
His eyes bypassed Ace completely, fixing firmly on the trembling girl in the back.
"Brain was pretty upset that he didn't get his hands on the Sky Maiden," Racer sneered. "I figured I'd do him a favor and bring her back myself. You fairies should have stayed home."
Ace stepped smoothly in front of Wendy, completely shielding her from view.
"You're welcome to try. But you'll find we aren't as easy to push around as you think."
"Big talk," Racer laughed.
He pushed off the tree, his body blurring into a smear of color. "Let's see if your pets can keep up with the fastest man in the Oración Seis!"
"Patamon. Armadillomon," Ace said, his voice perfectly calm.
The D-Tector in his hand flashed with a fierce, brilliant light.
Surging binary code spiraled around his two partners, expanding and radically reshaping their forms in a heartbeat.
Patamon Digivolve to... Angemon!
Armadillomon Digivolve to... Ankylomon!
The blinding light shattered. An angelic warrior with six pristine white wings descended from the sky, a golden staff gripped firmly in his hand.
Beside him, a massive, heavily armored dinosaur crouched low to the earth, its spike-studded golden plating gleaming even in the dim forest light.
Racer appeared inches from Ace's flank, his knives slashing in a deadly, cross-shaped strike.
"Too slow!"
"Ankylomon!" Ace commanded, not even turning to look at the dark mage.
The armored dinosaur let out a deep, rumbling roar.
He didn't try to strike the blurring speedster. Instead, Ankylomon spun his massive body and slammed his heavy, mace-like iron tail directly into the ground beneath their feet.
"Tail Hammer!"
The impact hit the earth like a localized earthquake.
The ground violently fractured and buckled, sending massive jagged slabs of rock and dirt jutting into the air.
Racer, who was mid-sprint, suddenly found his perfectly flat runway destroyed. His foot caught on a jagged, upended root, and his entire momentum worked against him.
He tripped, tumbling violently across the broken terrain and crashing hard into a boulder.
"Ugh! What the hell?!" Racer gasped, spitting dirt as he scrambled back to his feet.
"Your trick is exposed, Racer," Ace said, stepping forward.
The jagged, broken earth didn't bother him or Ankylomon in the slightest.
"You aren't actually fast. Your magic projects a localized field that alters the perception of time for anyone caught inside it. You make everyone else slow, which gives the illusion of speed."
Racer gritted his teeth, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. "So what if you figured it out?! As long as you're in my zone, you can't touch me!"
"That's the flaw in your magic," Ace replied, pointing a finger skyward. "The zone has a limited radius."
Racer looked up.
Angemon hovered high above the tree canopy, completely outside the effective range of Racer's time-dilation field.
From that altitude, the angelic Digimon could see Racer moving at a completely normal, average human running speed.
"No way..." Racer muttered, his eyes widening behind his goggles.
He immediately turned and bolted toward the thickest part of the forest, desperate to escape.
"Wendy, now!" Ace called out.
Wendy didn't hesitate.
Eager to prove she wasn't a burden, the young Dragon Slayer threw her hands forward, tapping into the currents of the wind.
"Arms! Armor!" Wendy chanted.
Two glowing, concentric magic circles appeared around Ankylomon and Angemon.
The Sky Dragon's support magic surged through the Digimon, drastically amplifying their physical attack power and defensive capabilities.
Angemon felt the surge of raw wind magic boosting his strength.
He drew his right arm back, holy energy gathering around his knuckles with the intensity of a miniature sun.
"Heaven's Knuckle!"
Angemon thrust his fist downward.
A massive, concentrated beam of holy golden light shot from the sky. Because he was completely unaffected by Racer's slowing field, his aim was flawless.
He easily predicted Racer's normal-speed trajectory and fired the blast directly into his path.
BOOM!
The holy light slammed into the forest floor right in front of Racer, detonating with the force of a heavy artillery shell.
The shockwave, amplified by Wendy's enchantment, threw the mage backward.
Racer crashed through the branches of a dead tree and hit the forest floor, completely unconscious before he even stopped rolling.
The clearing fell silent.
Ace walked over to the defeated Oración Seis member, pulling a length of enchanted magical rope from his coat to bind the dark mage's hands and feet.
He ensured the bindings were tight enough to completely seal off his magic.
"That's two down," Ace said, pulling the knot tight.
Angemon floated gracefully down from the canopy, his wings folding neatly behind him, while Ankylomon let out a triumphant snort.
"We did it!" Wendy cheered softly, her eyes sparkling with relief. "My magic actually helped!"
"It was perfect timing, Wendy," Ace praised, standing up and giving her an approving nod.
But the brief moment of victory was violently interrupted.
The ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled.
It wasn't a localized earthquake like Ankylomon's attack, it was a deep, tectonic shudder that seemed to resonate through the entire continent.
The air grew inexplicably heavy, and the birds in the canopy scattered in a panicked, chaotic frenzy.
Ace snapped his head toward the center of the Worth Woodsea.
A terrifying, suffocating pressure washed over them.
And then, a colossal pillar of pitch-black light erupted from the heart of the forest, piercing straight through the clouds and dyeing the twilight sky a sickly, corrupted purple.
The sheer density of the dark magic radiating from the pillar made it hard to breathe.
"No..." Carla whispered, her fur standing on end as a terrifying premonition flashed through her mind.
"Brain found it," Ace said, his voice grim.
He stared at the towering pillar of darkness, feeling the digital data inside his D-Tector hum with defensive energy.
Nirvana had been awakened!
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