Chapter 44: Evolution in Madness
"How... how is this possible? LadyDevimon... you've actually reached the Mega Level?!"
Clutching the smoldering, bullet-pierced wound in his torso, NeoDevimon's six eyes stared, wide with disbelief, at the figure standing calmly amidst the devastation.
LadyDevimon.
'No,'he corrected himself, a sliver of dread piercing his shock.'She should be called Belphemon now!'
They hadn't even properly clashed. A single, contemptuous exchange, and she had inflicted catastrophic damage with a few seemingly insignificant bullets. His potent Dark Adaptability and innate resistance to viral data were utterly useless against her assault. The projectiles hadn't just pierced his flesh; they had shredded the very code of his being.
This was pure, unadulterated power suppression. In the face of such absolute strength, adaptability and resistance were meaningless concepts.
"...Why?"
The question echoed in the ruins of his mind.
Why?
Why!
She was just a Digimon, barely hatched into this world! How could she consistently surpass him at every stage of evolution? From Champion to Ultimate, and now from Ultimate to Mega! Why was he always, always one step behind?
As the fractures on his mask spread, a torrent of negative emotions—envy, rage, and a deep sense of injustice—flooded NeoDevimon's core. In the deepest recesses of his consciousness, it felt as if a crushing, invisible hand had seized him, squeezing the last vestiges of his composure into dust.
'Power... I need more power!'
His original plan had been careful: consume the DigiDestined, absorb their data, and then ascend to the Mega Level on his own terms. But now, crushed under Belphemon's overwhelming might and consumed by the poison of his own emotions, NeoDevimon made a desperate choice. He began to recklessly tear down the data limiters he had so carefully maintained within his body.
In an instant, the dam broke. A tidal wave of abyssal darkness erupted from his being, not merely gushing but exploding outwards. The porcelain-white mask on his face spiderwebbed with cracks before shattering into a thousand pieces, revealing a pair of eyes no longer cold and calculating, but blazing with pure, undiluted madness.
"This is bad!" Taichi's eyes widened in alarm. He knew exactly what that surge of power meant. "Mizuki! Belphemon! Devimon is forcing an evolution!" he yelled, his voice tight with urgency. "After the Ultimate Level is the Mega Level! We have to stop him, now!"
The thought had barely formed before MetalGreymon, linked to his partner's will, unleashed the full might of his newfound form.
"Let's start with this—"
"Trident Arm!"
With a roar that shook the fractured earth, MetalGreymon fired his fully mechanized left claw. The massive appendage shot forward on its cable, slamming into NeoDevimon and pinning him in place. Simultaneously, the missile hatch on his chrome chest slid open.
"Giga Destroyer!"
A high-pitched whine escalated into a piercing shriek as two organic missiles, shaped like monstrous sharks, launched toward their target. They screamed through the air, leaving fiery trails in the night sky. But MetalGreymon wasn't finished. He drew in a deep breath, his massive jaw creaking open.
"Annihilation Breath!"
The fire-breathing ability he possessed as Greymon hadn't vanished upon evolving; it had been compressed and amplified. He rarely used it, favoring the more direct power of his Giga Destroyer, but this was different. To ensure NeoDevimon suffered irreversible damage, he would hold nothing back.
BOOM!
The world dissolved into fire and thunder. The very foundations of File Island seemed to groan in agony under the force of the triple-pronged assault. The ground split apart, fissures racing across the landscape like jagged bolts of lightning. For a fleeting moment, the night sky was bleached white, brighter than any day. Even miles away, along the coast, the tremor kicked up violent waves that crashed against the shore.
This was the devastating power of an Ultimate Level Digimon.
Under such an onslaught, could NeoDevimon possibly survive?
Taichi didn't know. The oppressive aura Devimon had projected since his first appearance was a constant, suffocating weight. In his mind, the fallen angel was a threat second only to the quiet, unpredictable power of Mizuki and the sheer destructive potential of Belphemon. So even with his partner now at the Ultimate Level, Taichi couldn't afford to relax for a single second.
"MetalGreymon, can you keep going?" he urged. "Hit him again!"
"Oh, you know it!" MetalGreymon bellowed.
He began to prime another Giga Destroyer, but before he could fire, a claw composed of pure, swirling energy burst from the billowing smoke and dust, lunging straight for Taichi.
Fortunately, someone else was faster.
"Belle!" Mizuki cried out.
"I know!"
In a flash, Belphemon was in motion. A cold, metallic glint shone from the bayonets affixed to her twin pistols.
"Double Claw!"
The blades crossed in a silver arc, cleanly slicing the energy claw in two before it could reach Taichi. But as Belphemon moved to protect one human, another claw of dark miasma erupted from the smoke, this one aimed directly at Mizuki.
Just as the shadowy appendage was about to strike, a shimmering crimson barrier materialized from thin air, solidly blocking the attack with a resonant hum.
"What is that?!" Taichi gasped, his surprise momentarily overriding his fear.
Before anyone could answer, the demon hidden within the thick smoke finally revealed its true form.
If Devimon had been elegant and NeoDevimon had been coldly menacing, this new form was a complete departure. It radiated an aura of absolute madness, a grotesque and alien presence. Its body had swelled to several times its previous size, yet its frame was unnaturally slender and gaunt. Long, razor-sharp claws tipped its spindly limbs, gleaming with a sickening scarlet light under the moon.
This was Devimon's Mega Level.
DanteDevimon.
"Heeheeheehee!" A deranged, high-pitched laugh echoed from the creature. "Foolish Belphemon! Did you really think you could stop my ultimate evolution with my own tactics? Utterly foolish! Now, I'll make you watch as I devour your precious partner!"
DanteDevimon cackled, its massive jaws snapping open as it lunged toward Mizuki. It didn't know what had blocked its miasmic tendril moments ago, but surely the full power of its main body would be far superior—
—or so it thought.
"You hideous thing," a cold voice cut through the air. "Get away from Mizu."
BANG!
Flapping the black, scarf-like wings on her back, Belphemon intercepted DanteDevimon's charge, positioning herself squarely in front of Mizuki. Facing an opponent that towered over her, she showed no fear. With a movement almost too fast to see, she simply raised one long, elegant leg and delivered a single, powerful kick.
The impact sent the colossal DanteDevimon flying backward, tumbling end over end before crashing heavily into the ravaged earth.
"What!?" it shrieked, its voice a mixture of pain and disbelief.
"Surprised?" A mocking smile curved Belphemon's lips. Enhanced by her exquisite features, the expression was both glamorous and captivating, yet carried a clean, decisive swagger. "But Mizu always said that size never determines everything."
Both were Virus-type Digimon, born of darkness. But looking at the graceful, powerful Belphemon and then at the monstrous, flailing DanteDevimon... Taichi and MetalGreymon exchanged a look, their thoughts perfectly in sync.
'Taichi.''MetalGreymon.''He's hideous, right?''Yeah. Absolutely hideous.'
DanteDevimon, overhearing them, let out a guttural snarl.
"You bastards... DON'T GET COCKY!"
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