Chapter 18: The Empty Fort Strategy
Boom!
The sole of Mizuki's foot connected squarely with NeoDevimon's face. The immense force launched the Ultimate-level Digimon backward like a cannonball, sending him hurtling through the air until he finally crashed into a massive rock formation with a sickening crunch.
"How is this possible?!"
A tremor of disbelief shot through NeoDevimon as his mind scrambled to process the last few seconds. That human boy's power… just moments ago, he was barely at the weaker end of the Champion level. How could he have erupted with the force of an Ultimate in a single instant?!
Even as shock clouded his thoughts, the razor-sharp sense of crisis honed over countless battles screamed a warning through his being.
'Not good!'
The blow to his head, while not fatal, had left his mind groggy and his reactions sluggish. By the time NeoDevimon's instincts took over and he raised a hand to block, it was too late. A slender, wicked-looking dark spear slipped skillfully between his fingers, its point striking the hairline fractures on his mask with pinpoint accuracy.
"For what you did to Mizuki—NeoDevimon, you will die! Die! DIE!"
LadyDevimon's voice was a venomous snarl. She had seen Mizuki sacrifice his own leg to create this opening, a move of such brutal self-harm that it tore at her very core. Every fiber of her being screamed to rush to his side, to check on him, but she forced it all down, channeling her fury and desperation into this one final strike.
This was the only way. Only by finishing this could she honor the price he had paid.
This was the unspoken understanding that bound them, a bond forged in the crucible of shared struggle. That's right, they were partners. So what if they didn't have the formal relationship of a DigiDestined and their Digimon? After everything they had endured, their connection was as deep and powerful as any of those chosen children.
Under the combined, perfectly timed assault, the cracks spiderwebbing across NeoDevimon's mask deepened, spreading inch by agonizing inch. Finally, with a sharp, definitive crack, the mask gave way. It shattered into pieces, revealing not a face, but a void of bottomless darkness swirling beneath.
With the mask's containment field gone, the data comprising NeoDevimon's body began to surge, running wild and tearing itself apart. He felt his consciousness fraying at the edges, being annihilated by the encroaching madness. A roar of pure, unadulterated rage ripped from his throat.
"You despicable brat… and you, LadyDevimon!"
Damn it all! He had been so close! Just one more second—no, even a tenth of a second—and he could have deflected LadyDevimon's spear!
An overwhelming sense of injustice flooded him. That LadyDevimon so clearly cherished the boy, so why did she show not a flicker of hesitation when he was injured? And that human… he just twisted his own leg off as if it were nothing. Did he feel no pain? Was he so absolutely certain she would seize the opportunity? Was he not afraid she might be a fraction of a second too late, rendering his sacrifice meaningless?
Anger. Unwillingness. Baffling doubt.
A storm of emotions churned within his mind, only to be steadily consumed by the rampaging data corrupting his form. Left with no other choice, Devimon unleashed a massive torrent of dark data from his body, a desperate purge to maintain his sanity. His power plummeted, his form shrinking and devolving from the mighty NeoDevimon back to his Champion-level state.
The process saved his mind, but the thought of abandoning so much power filled Devimon with a frustration more bitter than any he had ever known.
"Do you think this is over?" he snarled, his voice now lacking the resonant power it held moments before. He flapped his leathery wings, quickly putting distance between himself and LadyDevimon. "Look back. Look towards the Village of Beginnings."
He threw his head back and laughed, a wild, maniacal sound. "My subordinates have already begun their assault! By now, I imagine the entire village is awash in blood!"
But his laughter died in his throat. He watched them, expecting panic, fear, or despair. Instead, he saw nothing. Neither Mizuki nor LadyDevimon's expression changed in the slightest.
A jarring sense of disconnect struck him. "What are those faces? Do you not care about the Village of Beginnings?"
"Of course we care," Mizuki's calm voice replied.
Because he had personally twisted his own leg off, he was now cradled in LadyDevimon's arms, a posture that should have looked vulnerable but somehow didn't.
"However," Mizuki continued, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips, "before I answer you, I have a question for you. Devimon, have you not noticed that Elecmon and Leomon are gone?"
"What—?!"
Mizuki's reminder jolted him. He cast his memory back, recalling the two Digimon he had so easily dismissed earlier. They were nowhere to be seen.
"Could it be—"
"If my predictions are correct," Mizuki said, his tone light and airy, deliberately mocking, "they should be ambushing your lackeys right about now."
The sight of the human and Digimon, so composed and in control, stoked the fires of Devimon's rage until they burned white-hot. Yet, he forcefully suppressed the inferno. He knew, with a certainty that tasted like ash, that in his devolved state, he no longer had the power to challenge LadyDevimon.
And that boy, Mizuki… despite his mangled leg, his unnerving calm suggested he still had other tricks up his sleeve. Who could guarantee he didn't?
So, no matter how much it galled him, Devimon knew he had only one option: retreat.
"You despicable brat, and you, LadyDevimon," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Enjoy this hard-won victory while you can!"
With that final, menacing promise, Devimon turned, flapping his wings with furious speed as he fled the area, never once looking back.
Mizuki and LadyDevimon remained perfectly still, their eyes tracking his departure until he was a mere speck in the sky. Only when they were absolutely certain he was gone did Mizuki finally let out a long, shaky breath.
"Phew… We finally scared him off."
The truth was, their situation was far more precarious than Mizuki had let on. LadyDevimon's all-out attack had indeed shattered NeoDevimon's mask, but the force of the impact had also shattered her dark spear. Until it could be repaired with absorbed data, she couldn't use her most powerful move., the series of intense battles had left her own energy reserves dangerously depleted.
And as for Devimon's fear that Mizuki had other trump cards?
'Oh, I had plenty left,'Mizuki thought with a private, mischievous smirk.'A whole lot of absolutely nothing.'
His calm demeanor had been a complete and utter bluff. It was a classic Empty Fort Strategy. If Devimon had been just a little bolder, if he had chosen to press his attack and use Mizuki as a weak point, he might very well have defeated them both.
But in battle, there were no 'what ifs'.
His reflections over, Mizuki turned his gaze up to LadyDevimon. Just as he expected, her beautiful face was a mask of guilt and deep sadness.
"Mizuki, I'm sorry…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "It's all my fault."
"If only I were stronger…"
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