Chapter 30: I Have Never Changed
As LadyDevimon lost herself in thought, time trickled by. A full day passed, yet the answer she sought remained stubbornly out of reach.
Seeing the persistent confusion clouding her features, a flicker of displeasure crossed Andromon's optical sensors. But before the cyborg Digimon could speak, Mizuki's voice cut through the silence.
"Let's just start, Andromon."
"I'll leave her to you."
"...Understood."
Mizuki's seemingly detached words drew Andromon's gaze. After the events of the previous day, he was well aware of the deep bond between the boy and his partner. He found it impossible to believe Mizuki would simply ignore LadyDevimon's troubled state.
'In other words,'Andromon processed,'this is all within his expectations?'As the thought formed, his gaze met Mizuki's. The boy's eyes held a knowing glint, a depth that seemed to see right through him.'So, he saw through my intentions all along…' Andromon's focus sharpened involuntarily.
Yesterday, during his conversation with LadyDevimon, he had subtly twisted a concept. He knew perfectly well that she would risk everything for Mizuki. Yet, he had deliberately framed her hesitation in battle as a weakness born from her dislike of fighting. His goal was to force her to confront and shatter that fragile mindset. The boy was too important; there could be no room for error when it came to his protection.
But if Mizuki had understood his gambit, why hadn't he explained it to LadyDevimon? Did he want her to find the answer on her own?
"..."
Andromon purged the extraneous thoughts from his processors. It was no longer his concern. Since Mizuki had made his decision, all that remained was the task at hand.
"LadyDevimon. If you will not make the first move, then I will."
As his voice fell, flat and metallic, his dark palms began to spin at a dizzying speed. Potent energy coalesced, forming deep blue blades of pure force that shrieked through the air.
"Spinning Energy Sword!"
"—!"
Her mind still a maelstrom of confusion, LadyDevimon failed to react in time. One of the high-temperature energy blades grazed her side, and a searing pain ripped through her, shocking her back to reality.
"Tsk—"
Glancing at the smoldering wound, she cursed her own carelessness and shot into the air, finally assuming a combat stance.
"Attempting to gain an advantage through speed? A correct decision."
As the fallen angel ascended, strings of data scrolled rapidly across Andromon's visor.
"However, I have already collected sufficient combat data on you."
A missile bay slid open on his shoulder, revealing the familiar, fish-shaped projectiles.
"Gatling Missile!"
"Don't think you can toy with me like you did before!"
The memory of yesterday's near-miss still fresh, LadyDevimon refused to underestimate the seemingly small missiles. She unleashed her ultimate attack without hesitation.
"Darkness Wave!"
A tidal wave of demonic, shadowy bats surged forward. The missiles spat streams of bullets from the Gatling barrels in their mouths, tearing a hole in the approaching swarm, but the sheer volume of dark energy overwhelmed them.
Just as the two missiles were swallowed and detonated in a violent mid-air explosion, a piercing arrow of white light shot through the billowing black smoke.
Its target: Andromon's right leg, the only part of his body that hadn't been heavily modified with armor.
'She changed forms?'
The Holy Arrow was blindingly fast, its velocity exceeding even Andromon's reaction speed. But the cyborg seemed to have anticipated this exact move, having already initiated an evasive maneuver before the missiles even exploded. The preemptive action allowed him to sidestep the attack, the arrow of light grazing harmlessly past him.
"Still too naive..."
A scarlet glint of a dark spear met a brilliant blue light with a deafening shriek of metal.
Staring at Andromon, who had somehow closed the distance in an instant, LadyDevimon—who had switched forms again in the blink of an eye—wore an expression of pure disbelief.
"You reacted? How could you be that fast?"
"My speed is irrelevant. Your movements were predicted long ago!"
His high-speed rotating arm ground against her dark spear, sending a shower of sparks into the air and signaling the battle's shift into a brutal, close-quarters exchange.
LadyDevimon tried to disengage, but Andromon had already finished charging his next attack.
"Spinning Energy Sword!"
The point-blank attack engulfed them both in a vortex of destructive energy. As the dust and debris gradually settled, LadyDevimon's heavily damaged form was revealed.
In stark contrast, Andromon appeared completely unharmed.
"LadyDevimon..."
Watching the scene unfold, Mizuki couldn't suppress the worry that tightened his chest. But he forced himself to remain still. He knew this was a critical moment for her. If she had truly decided to overcome the volatile side effects of her "Data Rewrite" ability, she had to forge a will that feared no hardship, no challenge.
He kept his gaze locked on her, his focus unwavering. His emotions, his will, his absolute belief in her—all of it seemed to flow through their bond, an unseen current of power reaching out to her.
But before LadyDevimon could fully grasp that silent support, Andromon pressed his assault.
"LadyDevimon, what are you thinking?" his synthesized voice boomed. "Are you so distracted on the battlefield? Do you think this is a game?"
A cold, mechanical fist grew larger in her vision. Unable to dodge, she could only cross her arms to block.
Bang!
The impact was immense, the force sending her flying through the air. At the same instant, Andromon's missile bay snapped open again.
"Gatling Missile!"
Whoosh—!
Trailing long plumes of smoke, two missiles rocketed toward her tumbling body. To cut off her escape, they opened fire as they approached, their Gatling barrels spewing a relentless stream of bullets.
Da da da da da!!!
Facing the dense barrage, LadyDevimon, whose strengths did not lie in defense, was forced to unleash another "Darkness Wave" just to block the onslaught.
But as she channeled her power, Andromon seized the fleeting opening. He closed the distance in a flash, unleashing another point-blank "Spinning Energy Sword" that slammed viciously into her exposed back.
"Spinning Energy Sword!"
"Ugh—!"
A cry of pain was torn from her lips as agony flooded her senses. The attack from behind caused her to falter, the movements of her hands pausing for a critical second.
It was all the opening the missiles needed. They burst through the dissipating "Darkness Wave" and slammed head-on into the defenseless LadyDevimon.
Two violent explosions rocked the training ground. Her shattered body was flung backward, crashing heavily onto the cold, hard floor.
'LadyDevimon…' Mizuki's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
He knew Andromon was holding back. Otherwise, a Digimon like his partner—whose combat role was akin to a fragile, low-defense glass cannon—would have already been sent back to the Village of Beginnings.
But it was precisely because he knew this that he absolutely could not step forward. An injury in training was just an injury. In a real battle, a single moment of disadvantage could lead to a true, irreversible end.
This thought was not his alone.
LadyDevimon felt no sense of abandonment, no loss, no sadness at Mizuki's inaction. Instead, a quiet pride swelled within her. He trusted her. And with that pride came a sharp pang of guilt for failing to live up to his expectations.
At that moment, Andromon's heavy footsteps approached.
"Ultimately, you are nothing but a half-hearted amateur."
He stood over her, a towering metal giant.
"LadyDevimon, why are you so weak?"
"We are both Ultimate Level Digimon. Even accounting for a difference in experience, you should not have been brought to this state."
His tone, initially flat and emotionless, suddenly shifted, taking on a stern, almost furious edge.
"It is because you have yet to change your mindset! Hating battle? How ridiculous! The very essence of life is struggle. To survive, one must fight against all manner of trials. And you, who despises the fight, you violate this fundamental principle. Forget protecting those important to you; you cannot even protect yourself!"
As he spoke, he raised his rotating arm, aiming it directly at the fallen LadyDevimon. A brilliant blue energy began to condense around it, gathering with visible speed. The power radiating from this attack far surpassed anything he had used before.
"Let us end this ridiculous battle with this one strike."
"..."
Feeling the terrifying energy wash over her, LadyDevimon gritted her teeth, struggling to push herself up. But her injuries were a dead weight, anchoring her to the ground.
Just as she began to wonder if she truly was defeated, just as Andromon had said, a familiar voice reached her ears.
It was Mizuki. He had finally spoken.
But it wasn't the comfort or encouragement she might have expected. At this moment, Mizuki was simply stating a fact.
"LadyDevimon, can you feel it?"
His voice was slow and calm, his gentle tone like the recitation of a poem.
"Feel our existence."
"Yes, that's right. We survived. We are alive and well, standing on this earth. The warm sunlight on our skin, the wind that blows through the air… all of it is proof that we are alive."
"—!"
Listening to Mizuki's words, LadyDevimon's eyes widened.
'Yes… we are still alive.'
Andromon had said her way of thinking was unfit for survival. But what about her, right here, alive and breathing? Of course, this didn't mean she was rejecting Andromon's words entirely. Right and wrong were always subjective, dependent on the individual.
"..."
Taking a deep breath, LadyDevimon pushed against the floor, forcing her battered body to rise.
Seeing the stubborn Digimon before him, a flicker of surprise crossed Andromon's sensors, but his voice remained cold. "What? Have you still not learned to give up? I told you, with your half-hearted mindset—"
"Half-hearted, you say..."
Just as Andromon was about to swing the blade, a triumphant smile bloomed on LadyDevimon's face, as if she had finally grasped something precious.
Seeing it, Andromon instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
Before he could react, a sharp, paralyzing pain shot through his right leg.
"What!?"
Looking down, he saw a swarm of tiny, dark bats enveloping his leg. A startled expression crossed his face. But then, understanding dawned.
'Was it from that moment?'
The "Darkness Wave" she had used to block his missiles… he had assumed it was simply overpowered. He should have known. The same attack that had detonated his missiles earlier had no reason to fail so completely the second time. He had even thought she might have been injured, causing her to falter… but that wasn't it at all.
Realization brought a flash of disdain to his eyes. "What can these little bats possibly do—Hm?!"
Suddenly, Andromon felt control over his body slip away. The surprise returned, more potent this time.
"My body—what did you do?!"
"Heh heh..." LadyDevimon let out a low chuckle, a hint of self-mockery in her tone. "Devimon was right about one thing. Though I am a Holy-type Digimon, I have quite a talent for using dark power."
So that was it.
Andromon understood completely. The reason he was immobilized was because LadyDevimon, referencing the way Devimon's Black Gears had once driven him berserk, had injected virus-type data infused with dark power directly into his systems. As a Vaccine-type, it wouldn't be enough to defeat him, but for a Mechanical Digimon like himself, it was more than enough to cause a system-wide data error and temporarily paralyze him.
As the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place, an arrow shimmering with holy lightning was reflected in his optical sensors.
"Andromon," a new voice said. "You've lost."
Having transformed back, Angewomon now aimed the Holy Arrow in her hand directly at Andromon's head. A point-blank ultimate attack—a technique she had learned from him.
"Perhaps it's true, what you said. I am a complete amateur."
Looking at her opponent, Angewomon's expression was tinged with a faint helplessness, but the confusion that had plagued her was gone, replaced by a serene clarity.
"Hating battle, detesting pain… even now, I haven't changed those feelings."
"However, Andromon, you were wrong about one thing. Even if that is my nature, when Mizu's safety is on the line, I will bet everything I have!"
Her voice grew firm, connecting with unshakeable conviction.
"So, the weakness you spoke of never existed in the first place. Hating to fight and fighting for someone… the two are not contradictory, are they?"
"Not contradictory... perhaps," Andromon repeated, his glowing eyes filled with a complex light as he looked at her. "But, LadyDevimon… or rather, Angewomon. What about you, aiming your weapon at me now, and the you who hates fighting? Even if the two are not in conflict, a contradiction still exists. That contradiction will surely become the crack in your resolve, the reason you will become confused again in the future—"
"No," Angewomon said, shaking her head and interrupting him. "It is not a contradiction."
She looked at Andromon, but in her mind's eye, she saw Mizuki's words from yesterday. She felt his gaze, which had never once left her.
Finally, a pure, radiant smile, as beautiful as a blooming narcissus, graced her lips. She spoke softly, not just to Andromon, but to the young man standing behind her, who had been watching over her all along.
"The reason I throw myself into battle is not to prove anything."
"It is simply so that I will not be changed by this world."
I have never changed. Not the me who hates battle, nor the me who would do anything to protect Mizu.
As her words fell, her immaculate spirit seemed to shine under the sunlight, shimmering with the brilliance of a flawless crystal.
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