Chapter 81: Beat Hit!
'I am so weak.'The thought echoed in the dark.'No matter how much I despise admitting it, it is the cold, hard reality.'BlackGatomon gritted her fangs.'Even now, bathed in Lord Mizuki's power, I am still pathetically frail. I cannot even defeat an enemy who relies on cowardly traps rather than direct combat... Can I truly be of any use to him?'
From the very second the chaotic battle erupted, these bitter questions had clawed at BlackGatomon's mind.
Yet, this internal interrogation did not stem from despair or confusion. Every harsh word she directed at herself acted as a whetstone, sharpening her resolve to a razor's edge. It was exactly because she felt so powerless, exactly because she was currently pinned and helpless, that her desire for strength burned like a raging inferno.
She had to evolve. She had to stand by that human's side. To repay his boundless kindness, she would tear through her own limits, no matter the agonizing cost.
Thick, pulsing cables of pure darkness coiled tightly around BlackGatomon's small feline body, suspending her in mid-air. Datamon's dark network surged with malicious intent. Vile, corrupted virus data flooded through the metallic tendrils, injecting directly into her core. The invasive code aggressively tore at her internal structure, threatening to overwrite and shatter her very existence.
To any onlooker, the black feline was on the brink of deletion. In truth, this agonizing erosion was exactly what she had orchestrated.
From the moment she discovered that the Tyrannomon guarding the desert Pyramids had achieved forced digivolution through this exact corrupted energy, a dangerous scheme had taken root in her mind. Beneath her pained grimaces, she was actively pulling the dark network's data into her digicore, forcing her body to adapt to the lethal influx.
Her innate nature as a Dark-attribute, Virus-type Digimon granted her a unique, terrifying advantage. While the invading data was a chaotic maelstrom of madness and disorder, her core possessed the foundational architecture to assimilate it. She could swallow the poison and turn it into fuel. This was a desperate luxury completely unavailable to her allies. The Vaccine-type Greymon naturally repelled and suffered violently against the virus, while the Data-type Monodramon and Megadramon found their fundamental code actively dismantled by the dark network's predatory nature.
Still, playing with such volatile energy was akin to swallowing liquid fire. The dark network's code was so heavily corrupted that even Ultimate-level Digimon would instinctively flee from its touch. This was exactly why Datamon had deliberately ensnared BlackGatomon with his cables, fully aware of her Virus typing. His cold, calculated logic dictated that a mere Champion-class feline would instantly shatter under the sheer density of the madness. He was absolutely certain she would be crushed before she could ever dream of harnessing it.
But the arrogant machine had made a fatal miscalculation.
To maintain his own delicate grip over the sprawling dark network, Datamon had artificially throttled the data's raw volatility. He had installed limiters to keep the madness from consuming him. BlackGatomon sensed this suppressed state. Alongside her natural Virus affinity, this artificial bottleneck was her lifeline. It gave her just enough breathing room to swallow the data without instantly detonating.
This silent clash of wills had escalated beyond a simple physical confrontation. It was a lethal game of roulette. Datamon wagered his absolute control, betting that the dark network would rip the feline apart from the inside out. BlackGatomon, throwing caution to the wind, pushed all her chips onto the table. She was betting her life, her soul, and her future on a single, impossible chance.
Total victory, or absolute deletion. There was no middle ground.
BlackGatomon squeezed her eyes shut, her small fangs biting down on her lip until digital blood threatened to spill, entirely focused on the raging storm within her core.
Assuming the silent feline was already a broken toy, Datamon swiveled his glass-domed head, shifting his mechanical gaze toward the broader battlefield.
The situation for the vanguard was grim. Relentlessly battered by the dark network's thrashing cables, the three reptilian Digimon—Greymon, Megadramon, and Monodramon—were drowning in a sea of corruption. The virulent data clung to them like acid, triggering rapid necrosis across their digital flesh. Greymon's iconic orange scales had sickened into a bruised, rotting dark blue. Megadramon's imposing draconic armor was peeling away, the flesh beneath bubbling and eroding into a putrid black sludge.
Monodramon, possessing a lower base power than the other two, suffered the most agonizing toll. The small dragon's sturdy purple carapace was fractured by deep, jagged fissures. The corruption seeped directly into the wounds, eating away at the muscle tissue until stark white bone and glitching wireframes of raw data were exposed to the open air.
Yet, not a single one of them took a step backward.
Their heavy breathing rattled in their chests, blood and corrupted pixels dripping from their jaws, but their eyes burned with an unyielding, feral light. The suffocating darkness of the network could not extinguish their resolve. They planted their heavy claws into the ground, fully aware that if their defensive line broke, the fragile companions huddled behind them would be slaughtered.
But survival was only a secondary motivation. A much deeper, warmer fire fueled their defiance. They remembered the gentle hands that had healed them, the calm voice that had treated them not as tools or monsters, but as equals. They were fighting to repay Mizuki. To prove that his faith in a group of wandering, insignificant Digimon was not misplaced.
"Mega Flame!" Greymon roared, his jaws unhinging to unleash a massive sphere of superheated fire.
"Flame Breath!" Megadramon bellowed, twin streams of scorching heat erupting from his metallic maws.
"Volcanic... Strike!!!" Monodramon shrieked, forcing every last ounce of his remaining strength into a desperate, explosive tackle.
Wave after wave of blistering heat tore through the cavern. Yet, against the suffocating, endless tide of the dark network, their dazzling infernos were nothing more than flickering matches tossed into a raging hurricane. The shadows swallowed the flames almost as quickly as they were born.
Datamon observed their desperate struggle from his elevated vantage point, a harsh, metallic screech of laughter vibrating from his vocal processors. "What utterly foolish creatures. My dark network possesses the density to completely dissolve Ultimate-level Digimon into base code. What do you three pathetic Champion-class runts honestly hope to achieve?"
Dismissing the dying dragons, Datamon swiveled his optical sensors toward the human standing calmly at the edge of the battlefield.
"You see it clearly, don't you, DigiDestined?" The machine's voice dripped with synthetic malice. "The lives of your precious little pets are guttering out like candles in a storm. If you do not wish for them to suffer a slow, agonizing deletion, then drop to your knees and surrender your data to me obediently!"
"...Surrender?"
Mizuki did not even bother to raise his head. His dark eyes remained casually fixed on the Dobermon in front of him, his posture entirely relaxed despite the apocalyptic chaos swirling around them. He tilted his head slightly, a dry, almost mocking amusement coloring his tone.
"Surrendering to protect one's companions... A classic, noble sacrifice. It certainly sounds like the correct choice for a hero."
He paused, letting the silence stretch for a fraction of a second.
"Then—" Mizuki finally looked up, his lips curving into a sharp, trollish smirk. "I refuse."
Datamon's optical lenses violently contracted. "!?"
The sheer audacity of the rejection caused Datamon's internal processors to stall. Before the machine could formulate a furious response, Mizuki's calm, unwavering voice cut through the cavern again.
"I believe in them. The partners standing before me are absolutely not fragile weaklings who need my pity or my surrender to survive."
"Oh? Is that what your human logic dictates?" Datamon sneered, his gears grinding in irritation. "How delightfully foolish."
"Foolish?" Mizuki repeated the word softly, tasting it on his tongue. The smirk on his face deepened into a genuine, dangerous smile. "Perhaps. From a purely rational, data-driven perspective, placing faith in a losing battle is indeed a foolish calculation."
Mizuki took a slow step forward, his aura flaring with an invisible, oppressive weight. "But even so, I will tell you this—for a cold, calculating machine like you, it is completely beyond your understanding, isn't it? The sheer, irrational weight of trust. The raw power forged through bonds."
Mizuki let out a short, dismissive laugh. "And you actually delude yourself into thinking you can research the 'Light of the Heart' of humanity? Datamon, your entire hypothesis has been fundamentally flawed from the very beginning."
"...Tsk. A glib, arrogant little brat."
Datamon's mechanical claws twitched violently. His primary directive urged him to lunge forward and tear the human apart, but his sensors locked onto the silent, imposing figure of Bel standing faithfully by Mizuki's side. The unknown, terrifying depth of her power forced the machine to reluctantly suppress his aggressive impulse.
"I am done wasting processing power on your philosophical drivel," Datamon hissed, his cables whipping through the air. "I will count to three. If you do not submit your data to me, I will completely purge this BlackGatomon from existence!"
With a sharp metallic clank, Datamon manipulated the dark network, dragging the limp, tightly bound form of BlackGatomon forward, dangling her over the abyss like a morbid trophy.
Mizuki stared at the motionless feline. He didn't say a word. His expression remained entirely unreadable.
"Three!" Datamon barked, the cables tightening around BlackGatomon's throat.
Mizuki merely crossed his arms.
"Two!" The machine's voice grew shrill, expecting panic.
Beside Mizuki, Bel stood perfectly still, her posture relaxed, showing zero intention of intervening.
"One—"
The final digit hung in the suffocating air. Just as Datamon prepared to execute the lethal command, the heavy silence was shattered. Without a single glance exchanged between them, Mizuki and Bel spoke in perfect, ringing unison.
"BlackGatomon. It is time to open your eyes—everyone is waiting for you!"
"What?!" Datamon's optical sensors flashed a frantic, error-filled red.
A violent shudder ripped through the suspended feline. "—!"
A sudden, terrifying spike in data mass registered on Datamon's internal radar. Instinctively realizing his fatal error, the machine whipped his cables around, attempting to crush the hostage he held.
But he was far, far too late.
With a deafening shatter of digital glass, the dark cables binding BlackGatomon exploded outward. She tore through the corrupted restraints with terrifying, explosive speed. Before Datamon could even process the breach in his network, a small, black blur closed the distance between them.
A heavy, rhythmic beat suddenly pulsed through the cavern, as if the very fabric of the digital world had begun playing a triumphant, adrenaline-fueled soundtrack to accompany the slaughter.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A blinding flurry of kinetic impacts rained down on Datamon's glass dome. BlackGatomon's fists moved like pistons, every strike perfectly synchronized with the phantom rhythm echoing from the depths of her digicore.
"BlackGatomon, how are you—!" Datamon shrieked, his mechanical body violently jerking backward under the sheer force of the blows.
The feline offered no witty retort. Her eyes burned with a piercing, crimson light as she pressed the assault. And then, right before Datamon's terrified optical sensors, her physical data began to violently expand.
The small, beastly frame stretched and warped, engulfed in a swirling vortex of pitch-black energy. Limbs elongated, shifting from feline proportions into the tall, dangerously slender silhouette of a woman bathed in shadows. The heavy, clawed gauntlets on her paws melted down, reforming and sharpening until they solidified into a wicked, blood-red rapier that gleamed with lethal intent.
Watching the dark cocoon of digivolution, a flicker of deep nostalgia crossed Bel's eyes. "Mizu, that form... that is—"
Mizuki kept his eyes locked on the swirling vortex, a soft, satisfied nod confirming her thoughts. "That's right, Bel."
He tilted his head, watching the crimson blade slice through the dark network's cables with effortless grace. "It's LadyDevimon's sword. Seeing it again brings back memories... Though, realistically speaking, it hasn't actually been that long since we last saw it, has it?"
"Only about half a month, give or take," Bel replied, a faint, knowing smile touching her lips.
As their casual banter floated over the battlefield, the newly formed entity delivered a devastating, sweeping kick, sending Datamon crashing violently into a stone pillar. The dark vortex shattered like fragile glass, revealing the magnificent, terrifying result of her desperate gamble.
"Ultimate level..." A low, sultry chuckle leaked from the woman's lips, quickly escalating into a manic, echoing laugh. "Hehehe... Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
She spun around, her tattered black wings flaring dramatically as she locked eyes with Mizuki. "Lord Mizuki! Did you see it? I did not fail your expectations!" Her voice trembled with sheer, intoxicating euphoria. "It is done! I did it! I actually succeeded!"
The chaotic data settled, fully unveiling her new, stunning form. Clad in tight leather, chains draping across her pale skin, and a crimson visor shielding her eyes, the Ultimate-level Digimon stood tall amidst the ruins.
LadyDevimon had arrived.
Datamon dragged his battered mechanical body out of the rubble, his glass dome cracked and sparking. "Ultimate level... She actually forced an digivolution..." The machine's vocal processors hitched in sheer disbelief. "Did you... did you absorb the raw corruption of my dark network?! That is mathematically impossible! How did your digicore not shatter?!"
Clutching his sparking chassis, Datamon stared at the dark angel hovering gracefully above him, his logic circuits completely failing to process the reality before him.
LadyDevimon looked down at the broken machine, a cold, aristocratic sneer curling her dark lips. "Lord Mizuki was entirely correct. How could a pathetic, emotionless calculator like you possibly comprehend the sheer depth of my loyalty and reverence for him?"
She raised her crimson rapier, the tip pointing directly at Datamon's core. "It was that very emotion—that burning desire to stand by his side—that anchored my soul. It allowed me to retain my sanity while your boundless madness tried to tear me apart, fueling my successful transformation!"
Her tattered wings flared, casting a massive shadow over the cavern. "Now, allow your own pathetic body—and your miserable life—to experience the weight of that power!"
Thrusting her free hand forward, the ambient shadows violently coalesced. A massive swarm of screeching, crimson-eyed bats materialized from the void, diving toward the machine in a suffocating tidal wave.
"Darkness Wave!"
Recognizing the lethal threat, Datamon abandoned all limiters. He dumped every last ounce of processing power into the dark network, ripping the remaining cables from the cavern walls.
"Do not underestimate my intellect, you wretched anomaly!" Datamon shrieked, his voice distorting into static.
Hundreds of thick, frantic cables erupted from the ground like a nest of striking vipers, surging upward to meet LadyDevimon's swarm of familiars head-on.
The cavern violently shook as the two opposing forces of pure darkness slammed into each other. Bats tore through metal, while cables crushed shadows into dissipating data. It instantly devolved into a brutal, grinding war of attrition—a raw test of endurance between artificial corruption and evolved malice.
"Do you feel it, LadyDevimon?!" Datamon cackled, his cables slowly pushing the swarm back. "My dark network draws from the entire continent! It is endless! Your newly acquired power will burn out before you even scratch my core!"
Watching the screeching bats slowly being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of his mechanical tendrils, Datamon's triumphant laughter echoed off the stone walls. "Do not delude yourself into thinking that merely reaching the Ultimate level gives you the right to act arrogant in my domain!"
"Heh."
Despite the encroaching cables threatening to skewer her, LadyDevimon did not flinch. Not a single trace of panic touched her elegant features. Instead, a supremely confident, almost pitying smile graced her lips.
"That is exactly why I said it earlier. You simply do not understand anything, Datamon."
Datamon's optical lenses violently constricted, zooming in on her calm expression. "What?!"
A massive system error suddenly flashed across his internal HUD. In the span of a single microsecond, nearly half of the dark network's total bandwidth was violently severed from his control. The sudden, catastrophic drop in power caused his defensive cables to instantly slacken, allowing LadyDevimon's Darkness Wave to surge forward and completely reverse the momentum of the clash.
"What in the digital world just happened?!" Datamon screamed, frantically trying to reroute his failing systems.
LadyDevimon's laughter rang out, clear and cruel. "Does it even need to be spelled out for you?" She thrust her rapier forward, directing the swarm to tear through his weakened defenses. "It is exactly as Lord Mizuki stated! It is the power of our bonds!"
As if her words were a physical trigger, a massive shockwave erupted from the far side of the cavern. The dense, suffocating sea of dark cables that had completely buried the three reptilian Digimon began to violently boil and convulse.
A deafening, primal roar shattered the cavern's ceiling.
The next second, the black sea of cables was violently ripped apart from the inside. A colossal, heavily armored figure tore through the corruption, soaring into the air while firmly carrying the battered, scarred bodies of Megadramon and Monodramon in its massive claws.
The sheer density of the data radiating from the giant left no room for doubt. It was another Ultimate-level Digimon!
"If the righteous power of a Vaccine cannot protect the companions standing behind me..." The colossal cyborg dragon hovered high above the battlefield, his metallic jaw unhinging as his voice boomed like thunder. "...Then I will gladly plunge myself into the abyss of the Virus!"
A terrifying, deep-crimson fire ignited deep within his chest cavity, venting out through the exhaust ports on his back.
"Vengeful Flame!"
He unleashed a devastating torrent of hyper-concentrated, dark fire. The remaining dark cables that attempted to snake upward and drag him back down were instantly incinerated, the corrupted data rapidly decomposing and collapsing into ash the moment it touched the vengeful heat.
Through sheer willpower and the desperate need to protect, his very code had rewritten itself.
Vaccine-type shifting to Virus-type.
Ultimate Level—MetalGreymon (Virus)!
"Another Ultimate level..." Datamon's mechanical voice glitched, his optical sensors darting frantically between the majestic, heavily armed MetalGreymon dominating the airspace, and the lethal, smiling LadyDevimon closing in on the ground. "You anomalies... How dare you do this to my calculations!"
An unmatched, suffocating wave of pure frustration surged from the depths of his digicore. It was a humiliating, irrational emotion—one he had never experienced, not even during his crushing defeat at the hands of Etemon.
Driven to the absolute brink of madness by this illogical reality, Datamon began to shriek and curse like a petulant child. "One after another! What do you parasitic glitches take my dark network for?! A free energy buffet?!" The machine thrashed wildly, his remaining cables sparking and dying. "You could have at least warned me before you drained my servers dry! You thieving, logic-defying bastards!"
But his pathetic wails fell on deaf ears. The battlefield had reached its absolute climax, and the verdict had already been decided.
With a final, elegant flick of her rapier, LadyDevimon directed the full, unmitigated wrath of her Darkness Wave forward. The screeching swarm of crimson-eyed bats crashed over Datamon like a collapsing tidal wave, completely engulfing his mechanical body and drowning out his final, glitching screams in a sea of absolute darkness.
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