Chapter 27: Victory's Unwelcome Lesson
"Darkness Wave!"
A roiling tsunami of pure darkness, crackling with corrupt energy, surged towards Andromon. Caught off guard by LadyDevimon's blistering speed, the hulking android was too slow to erect a defense. In the blink of an eye, the torrent of shadow completely engulfed his metallic form.
"It worked?!"
A cruel, triumphant smirk curled LadyDevimon's lips. Andromon was no NeoDevimon; he lacked any inherent resistance to the powers of darkness. Taking a direct hit like that, she reasoned, meant he would be, at best, grievously wounded.
As for death? The thought barely crossed her mind. She had held back, after all. She wasn't some indiscriminate monster, and she knew Mizuki would never want to witness such a brutal end.
Just as she considered easing the flow of her power, the unthinkable happened.
Without the slightest warning, a sliver of brilliant blue light pierced through the churning darkness. It blossomed with blinding speed, growing from a pinpoint to a massive blade of energy. Like a scene from some ancient myth, the light cleaved her Darkness Wave, splitting the torrent of darkness in two.
"What?!"
"Spiral Sword!"
FWOOSH!
LadyDevimon barely twisted out of the way as Andromon's energized drill-hand sliced through the air where she had been a nanosecond before. She could feel the searing heat wash over her wings as the attack whizzed past. Staring at the android, disbelief flashed in her crimson eyes.
'How is that possible?!'
He was… completely unscathed?
Under the factory's harsh fluorescent lights, Andromon's chrome armor gleamed, reflecting the chaos around him. Her ultimate attack hadn't so much as scuffed its polished surface.
"I wasn't aiming for a kill shot," LadyDevimon murmured to herself, her confidence wavering, "but this is just absurd…"
Seeing Andromon preparing to lunge again, she beat her powerful wings, rocketing higher into the air to regain her speed advantage.
This time, however, Andromon didn't press his advantage with his Spiral Sword. Instead, another weapon system came online.
"Gatling Missile!"
Panels slid open on his chest, and two missiles shaped like bizarre, metallic fish shot out, streaking directly toward LadyDevimon!
'Missiles?'A flicker of disdain crossed her face.'With that kind of speed, how could they possibly catch me?'
The words had barely formed in her mind when the two projectiles' metallic mouths hinged open. From within each, a revolving gun barrel extended, locking onto her flight path with chilling precision.
"There's more to it than that!?"
The sudden, unexpected development caused her to hesitate for a fatal fraction of a second. In that instant, a storm of superheated lead erupted from the missiles, blanketing her position in a curtain of tracer fire.
Da-da-da-da-da!!!
The deafening roar of gunfire echoed off the factory's steel walls as LadyDevimon twisted and weaved through the air, the bullets nipping at her heels.
Watching the desperate aerial ballet from the sidelines, a thoughtful glint appeared in Mizuki's eyes.
'She's still too green…'
From the moment Andromon shrugged off her first attack, the tempo of the battle, once hers to command, was now firmly in her opponent's grasp. There were several reasons her attack had been so ineffective.
First and foremost were the inherent traits of a Digimon like Andromon. His body was almost entirely cybernetic, and his armor plating provided not only offensive capabilities but also an almost impenetrable defense. In the original story, Mizuki recalled, he had even blocked a strike from Piedmon's Trump Sword—the same attack that had pierced both WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.
Secondly, while Andromon lacked the innate dark resistance of a Devimon, as a Vaccine-type Digimon, he still held a natural advantage against the Virus-type LadyDevimon.
Vaccine countered Virus. Virus countered Data. And Data, in turn, countered Vaccine.
Unless there was an overwhelming gap in raw power, this fundamental compatibility often decided the outcome of a battle. Mizuki had explained all of this to her before. But perhaps the sudden shift in momentum had rattled her, or perhaps her early success went to her head. Either way, LadyDevimon had forgotten the basics.
In the end, it came down to a simple lack of combat experience.
Sighing softly, Mizuki, who had remained a silent observer until now, finally spoke, his voice cutting through the din of battle.
"LadyDevimon, stop retreating! Fly forward thirty meters, then bank straight up."
"!?"
Hearing Mizuki's voice so suddenly startled her. Her mind raced, questioning the logic behind such a command, but her absolute trust in him overrode her hesitation. Without a second thought, she executed the maneuver precisely as he instructed.
The events that followed proved his judgment flawless.
As she shot forward, her gaze inadvertently swept over the spot she had just vacated. A cold dread washed over her as she watched the dense web of bullets converge on that empty space. If she had retreated as her instincts screamed at her to do, she would have flown directly into the barrage. She had been avoiding the attacks so well that she hadn't realized her opponent was analyzing her movements, predicting her every dodge.
The last volley hadn't been an attack; it was a trap.
"Gatling Missile!"
More missiles launched from Andromon's chest, joining the deadly pursuit. The realization of how close she had come to disaster sent a shiver through her. At the same time, a surge of deep admiration for Mizuki welled within her.
'Of course… That's Mizuki for you!'
Following his calm instructions, LadyDevimon deftly evaded the swarming projectiles, slowly but surely wrestling back control of the battle's rhythm. Just as she gathered her dark energy, preparing to unleash another Darkness Wave, Mizuki's voice reached her again.
"LadyDevimon, don't forget the type compatibility." His tone was gentle but firm. "Until your own power is great enough to overwhelm his defenses, ignoring the type disadvantage is just reckless."
"— —!"
Mizuki's words struck her like a physical blow. She remembered now. Of course. How could she have been so foolish?
As she prepared to tap into Angewomon's power, to perform a extraordinary Evolution and shift the odds, Mizuki spoke once more.
"LadyDevimon, someone like you, who wields the power of darkness so skillfully… you must be able to feel it, right?" he prompted. "That subtle wrongness. The energy that doesn't belong to Andromon."
"..."
Guided by his hint, LadyDevimon closed her eyes for a moment, focusing her senses. She pushed past the hum of machinery and the smell of ozone, reaching out with her affinity for darkness. And then she found it—the "wrongness" he spoke of.
It was a faint, corrupt aura emanating from Andromon's right leg. A Vaccine-type android like him should never be radiating dark power. It was a glaring abnormality, one she should have noticed from the very beginning.
A bitter wave of frustration and shame crashed over her. 'Damn it, I made him worry about me again…' She felt she had utterly failed his expectations.
But she knew that wallowing in regret was a luxury she couldn't afford. The most important thing right now was to win.
With that single thought crystallizing in her mind, she raised her razor-sharp claws, gathering a massive sphere of dark energy.
"Darkness Wave!"
The wave of darkness, now fueled by her seething frustration, crashed over Andromon once more. The result was no different from before. The android stood at the epicenter of the storm, utterly unconcerned by the spectral bats gnawing at his armor, and slowly raised his weaponized arm.
But to his surprise, before he could unleash his Spiral Sword to disperse the attack, a blinding flash of white light tore through the darkness from within!
"Holy Arrow!"
It was LadyDevimon—or rather, Angewomon!
The previous attack had been nothing more than a deliberate feint, designed to cloud Andromon's senses and judgment. All for this one, decisive strike!
Under the unified gaze of Angewomon and Mizuki, the arrow of pure light, imbued with sacred power, struck its target with unerring accuracy. It pierced Andromon's right leg, and with a brilliant flash, obliterated the dark power festering within.
Fragments of a black gear scattered across the factory floor. Watching them fall, Mizuki's mind briefly flashed back to the events of the original story.
But that could wait.
"Well done, Angewomon," he said, a proud smile on his face. "I knew you could do it."
Hearing his praise filled her with a warmth that chased away the lingering shame. Yet, she didn't return his smile as she usually would. This battle had forced her to confront her own inadequacies.
'I have to become stronger…'she thought, her resolve hardening into steel.'Strong enough to be worthy of his trust. Strong enough… to protect him!'
Behind her visor, Angewomon's eyes burned with a newfound, unshakeable determination.
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