Chapter 29: What Can a Sheathed Sword Protect?
"Andromon, you've shared a great deal with us. I assume it wasn't just for the sake of conversation, was it?" Mizuki's voice cut through the quiet hum of the factory. "Why don't you tell us your real objective?"
The private moment of connection with LadyDevimon had faded, grounding them both back in reality. Together, human and Digimon fixed their gazes on the imposing android before them. Mizuki had initially sought out Andromon for a simple sparring match, but the cyborg's unexpected analytical prowess and deep knowledge forced him to reconsider the entire situation. There were clearly deeper currents at play here.
Andromon seemed unfazed by the sudden wariness radiating from Mizuki and LadyDevimon. He processed their suspicion with the same calm, flat tone he had used all along.
"Your assessment is correct. The information I provided was not merely for your edification. It was to help you understand your own unique nature, but I do have another objective." He paused, his optical sensors glowing faintly. "My purpose is to help you... or more precisely, to help LadyDevimon master the power of 'Data Copying'."
His head tilted slightly. "And that is the very reason you came to find me, is it not?"
"Oh?" A slow, knowing smile spread across Mizuki's lips. "So, you predicted I would come all along. That whole act of being under someone's control... that was a test for me, then?"
"Indeed. Your wisdom is commendable. You are truly a Chosen Child."
"Wisdom? It was just a simple deduction," Mizuki said, waving a dismissive hand before turning his attention back to his partner. "LadyDevimon, what do you think?"
"Me?" LadyDevimon blinked, a flicker of innocence in her crimson eyes, before her expression hardened with determination. "Of course, I have no objections." Her voice was firm. "After all, Mizu, isn't this what we came here for?"
"That it is," Mizuki agreed with a light shrug, his gaze returning to the towering android. "In that case, Andromon, we're in your hands."
"Chosen Child, I am aware you wish to investigate the forces operating behind the scenes," Andromon stated, his words unexpectedly direct. "I give you my word. After LadyDevimon completes her trial, I will tell you everything I know." A low, mechanical hum highlighted his next words. "This, too, is part of my mission..."
"'A mission,' huh..." Mizuki repeated softly, a thoughtful silence falling over him.
Andromon's attention shifted back to LadyDevimon, his sensors scanning her from head to toe.
"Shall we begin now?" she asked, her posture straightening, ready for a challenge.
"No." Andromon shook his head. "Your current state is not optimal. We will wait another day. However, before we proceed, there are several things you must understand."
As he spoke, a rare flicker of something other than pure logic surfaced in his optical sensors. "LadyDevimon, are you not confused? After evolving to the Ultimate Level, you have never again displayed the power you once wielded."
"...Yes." LadyDevimon's voice was quiet. She desperately wanted to ask how he knew, but considering his near-omniscient computational abilities, she quickly dismissed the thought as pointless.
"The issue is twofold. Part of the reason lies in the conflict between the Dark and Holy powers within your body," Andromon explained, his voice a steady stream of analysis as he processed her data. "Though you are more inclined to use Dark power, your digicore is fundamentally of the Holy type. The act of copying data triggers a massive surge in that Holy power. Under such conditions, a single moment of carelessness could cause a catastrophic imbalance between the two forces."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "It is precisely because you fear this outcome that you have instinctively suppressed this ability."
"...You're right," LadyDevimon admitted openly, her shoulders slumping slightly. If Andromon hadn't laid it all out so clearly, she might have remained oblivious to the true nature of her internal struggle.
"The solution is, in principle, quite simple," Andromon continued. "Once you can thoroughly comprehend both the Dark and Holy powers and achieve the ability to convert between them at will, the amplification from Data Copying will no longer pose a threat."
"Zero and One," LadyDevimon murmured, nodding. "Mizu already taught me about that." She looked up, her gaze sharp. "You said that was only part of the reason. What's the other part?"
"The other part—" Andromon's calm demeanor suddenly sharpened, his voice taking on a cutting edge. "I believe you know the answer better than anyone, do you not?"
His gaze was like a scalpel, dissecting her resolve. "You may possess the determination to protect the one you love, but your very instincts still reject the act of combat."
"I—"
"Are you going to deny it?" Andromon's eyes narrowed. "If so, then explain to me why, in our previous battle, every single one of your techniques was laced with hesitation?"
"That was because I had no intention of harming you! You aren't our enemy," LadyDevimon retorted, but a faint tremor in her voice betrayed her conviction.
In response, Andromon emitted a dry, mechanical chuckle. "Heh. The truth of the matter is a burden you alone carry. LadyDevimon, there is only one thing I wish to impart to you now."
His voice dropped, becoming grave and resonant. "Whether your goal is to harm or to protect... what can a sheathed sword ultimately accomplish?"
He let the question hang in the air, a deep and unsettling silence filling the space between them. "Think on it. Carefully."
With that, Andromon turned his attention from the now-silent LadyDevimon and faced Mizuki. "We will conclude for today. Find a place to rest here. We will reconvene tomorrow to continue."
"...Alright." Mizuki nodded once at Andromon. As the android turned and walked away, his heavy footsteps echoing through the factory, Mizuki didn't watch him go. Instead, he moved directly to LadyDevimon's side.
"Mizu... I..."
Hearing the soft sound of his footsteps, LadyDevimon instinctively started to turn, but then she froze. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She was terrified of the disappointment she might see there. After all her bold declarations, her heart remained unchanged, still shying away from the fight. It felt like she had deceived him.
Just as her thoughts began to spiral, Mizuki's gentle voice reached her.
"LadyDevimon... you know, I really dislike fighting, too."
"?"
"I told you about my past, didn't I?" Mizuki said, his pink eyes shimmering with a beautiful, crystalline light under the factory's dim illumination. The source of that beauty, however, was anything but.
"I was sick my entire life," he continued, his voice soft but clear. "Because of that, I despise pain and injury more than anything. But even so, I threw myself into the battle against Devimon."
He paused, a thoughtful expression on his face, before letting out a quiet laugh. "On the surface, it might look like I simply compromised with reality, but that's not it."
"The real reason I keep fighting isn't because I was changed by the world, or because I want to change the world. It's to stop the world from changing me."
"Not because you changed... nor to change something... but to prevent yourself from being changed...?" LadyDevimon murmured, repeating his words as if they were a foreign mantra.
"That's right," Mizuki affirmed with a nod. "So, whether it's what Andromon said about committing completely to battle, or your own heart that dislikes fighting... in my eyes, neither one is wrong."
He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "As long as you remain true to yourself and never stop, there's absolutely no problem at all."
"..."
Listening to Mizuki's explanation, LadyDevimon felt a faint glimmer of understanding. But a thick fog still clouded the path forward, obscuring her view.
When she faced Devimon, she had hated the fight, yet she threw herself into it without a moment's hesitation—for Mizuki.
That self, and the self she was now—which one was the real her?
She already understood that blindly running from conflict would only lead to bitter consequences. But was the part of her that hated fighting truly wrong? If it was, why would Mizu say those things to her? And if it wasn't wrong... could the self that despised violence truly protect the person she held most dear?
In the quiet hum of the deserted factory, LadyDevimon once again found herself lost in contemplation, caught between the person she was and the person she needed to become.
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