Chapter 190: LordKnightmon's Elegance
Why had it come to this?
Hovering in the stormy air, Omnimon stared down at the dark, corrupted armor of his former comrade. His optical sensors flickered, processing a reality that felt entirely broken. Ever since Lord Yggdrasil handed down that absolute directive, a heavy knot of doubt had taken root in his core. He had buried it deep, masking his hesitation behind unwavering loyalty and the silent compliance of his fellow Royal Knights.
But watching Gallantmon—the most noble among them—willingly discard his sacred vows and embrace the dark abyss... the dam broke. The suppressed emotions surged upward, violent and untamable.
'Are we truly in the wrong? Lord Yggdrasil...'
Before Omnimon could voice his turmoil, Magnamon broke the silence. The golden-armored knight floated beside him, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief. "Degenerating yourself... Gallantmon, you are actively degenerating yourself!"
"Gallantmon?" The dark knight below slowly raised his head. The crimson glow of his visor pierced through the gloom. "I have already discarded that name."
He gripped his demonic lance, the metal groaning under his immense strength. "The current me—is ChaosGallantmon!"
With a single, heavy step forward, ChaosGallantmon unleashed his aura. A suffocating wave of dark energy exploded outward, sweeping over the battlefield. Even Magnamon, the Royal Knight renowned for possessing the absolute strongest defense, instinctively recoiled, his golden armor rattling against the sheer pressure.
'What is wrong with me?'
Magnamon's eyes widened behind his visor. He stared fixedly at ChaosGallantmon, who had now ascended into a terrifying new state—Calamity Mode, the dark reflection of his Crimson Mode.
A sudden drop of moisture struck Magnamon's cheek. He instinctively raised a gauntleted hand, wiping it away.
'Is it sweat?'
He looked up at the dusky, bruised sky. No... it was rain. A cold, misty drizzle had begun to fall, washing over the ruined landscape like a silent elegy for the comrades who had irrevocably parted ways.
Magnamon drew in a sharp, ragged breath, forcing his gaze back down to the dark knight.
'How could an opponent of this level make me so nervous that I'd actually sweat?!'
He gritted his teeth. It was true that Gallantmon had always been top-tier among their ranks, and his Crimson Mode elevated him to a realm few could touch. As his dark counterpart, ChaosGallantmon: Calamity Mode naturally possessed that same world-ending combat power.
But Magnamon refused to cower. He was no weakling. Clad in Chrome Digizoid and empowered by the Miraculous Digi-Mental, his very existence defied logic. He possessed the power to turn any desperate situation into an absolute victory through miraculous intervention. He was the ultimate shield of the Royal Knights!
More, he wasn't alone.
He glanced sideways. Omnimon stood ready, wielding power that rivaled Gallantmon's peak. Flanking them were LordKnightmon, Craniummon, and Kentaurosmon—each a devastating force of nature.
Five against one. The advantage was overwhelmingly theirs.
As for that WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X standing in the distance? Clowns. Mere background noise not even worth a second glance. The same went for the human and the rest of his pathetic group.
Magnamon's gaze swept over Mizuki and Belle. A sharp, calculating glint flashed in his eyes. He had found the weak link.
"ChaosGallantmon!" Magnamon's voice boomed across the rainy battlefield. "I can perhaps understand you making a drastic choice for the sake of your own twisted sense of justice. But how do you explain colluding with creatures from another world? Lord Yggdrasil decreed that these outsiders are the enemies of all things!"
"Enemies of all things?" ChaosGallantmon let out a low, rumbling scoff. "You really have the nerve to parrot those words."
Memories of the past days flashed through the dark knight's mind. The visor of his helmet narrowed.
"I only believe what I see with my own eyes," ChaosGallantmon declared, his voice echoing with absolute conviction. "And what I see from them is the kindness to reach out to the weak, even when their own lives hang by a thread. I see the humility to treat others with warmth, despite wielding terrifying power. I see the bravery to stand up for the defenseless and fight for their inner principles, even when facing impossible odds!"
He pointed his lance directly at Magnamon. "So what if they harbor ulterior motives? A true knight is judged by his actions, not the paranoid whispers of others. In my eyes, they shine far brighter than you hollow shells who only know how to blindly follow orders!"
With a thunderous crack, ChaosGallantmon spread his eight dark wings. The sheer force of the downdraft shattered the ground beneath him as he launched himself directly at his former comrades in the sky.
"WarGreymon X! MetalGarurumon X!" ChaosGallantmon roared over his shoulder. "Take them and leave! This battle is far beyond your level!"
WarGreymon X took a step forward, his claws gleaming. "ChaosGallantmon!"
"Don't even think about escaping!" Magnamon shouted, his golden armor flaring with light. He dove straight toward Mizuki's group, intent on executing Yggdrasil's purge.
But before Magnamon could cross the distance, a massive, dark hand clamped around his throat.
"What?!" Magnamon choked, his momentum instantly halted.
ChaosGallantmon hoisted the golden knight into the air, his glowing red eyes burning with disgust. "Seriously, Magnamon..."
[Odin's Breath!]
A freezing blast of Cocytus Breath energy erupted from Kentaurosmon's crossbow in the distance, tearing through the sky toward them.
"...I've always hated how insufferably rigid you are," ChaosGallantmon finished. With a brutal heave, he hurled Magnamon directly into the path of the incoming freezing tempest.
The blast struck Magnamon dead center. Thanks to his miraculous defense, the ice shattered harmlessly against his golden armor, but the impact sent him tumbling wildly through the air, completely neutralizing Kentaurosmon's attack.
"Kentaurosmon, you idiot! Aim before you fire!" Magnamon roared, stabilizing himself with a furious flap of his wings.
Hovering a short distance away, the six-legged, centaur-like knight lowered his divine crossbow, giving Magnamon a deeply unimpressed look. "You can hardly blame me for that. Who asked you to charge in so impulsively?"
"I am executing Lord Yggdrasil's orders!"
"Sigh... I understand your loyalty," Kentaurosmon replied, his tone dry. "But I suggest you understand your own weight class first."
Kentaurosmon turned his armored head toward the white knight beside him. "Omnimon. Among all of us here, you are the only one capable of confronting a Calamity Mode head-on. I will leave the vanguard to you. Is that acceptable?"
Omnimon remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he gave a slow, heavy nod. He raised his left arm, and with a sharp hiss of steam, the Grey Sword slid from the metallic jaws of the WarGreymon head.
"Leave Gallant... no, ChaosGallantmon to me." Omnimon's voice was cold, stripped of its previous hesitation. "LordKnightmon, Craniummon. Intercept the outsiders. Magnamon, Kentaurosmon. Support me from the flanks."
Hearing the orders, LordKnightmon let out a soft, melodic chuckle. Though his face was hidden behind his ornate, pink-and-gold visor, his entire posture radiated a sudden, intense amusement.
"How wonderfully interesting~" LordKnightmon purred, his voice lilting with theatrical flair. "Then I suppose I shall go and see for myself."
With a graceful twirl, LordKnightmon shot through the air, leaving a trail of pink light as he descended toward Mizuki's group. Craniummon, ever the silent and dutiful shadow, hefted his massive dual-bladed spear and immediately followed his flamboyant companion.
Omnimon's tactical arrangement was deliberate. Among the Royal Knights, LordKnightmon and Craniummon shared a bond remarkably similar to the one he had once shared with Gallantmon.
'But... nothing can ever go back to the way it was.'Omnimon tightened his grip on the Grey Sword. Gallantmon was still Gallantmon at his core—driven by a pure, unyielding heart, even if his armor had turned black.'But me... am I still the same knight I used to be?'
Burying the thought, Omnimon kicked off the air, thrusting the massive Grey Sword directly at ChaosGallantmon's chest.
Facing the lethal strike of his former best friend, ChaosGallantmon didn't even raise his lance. He merely swiped his empty hand outward, swatting the legendary blade aside with a deafening clang.
"Omnimon, my dear friend," ChaosGallantmon mocked, his voice dripping with dark amusement. "What is the meaning of this? Such a pathetic, hollow strike. You're hitting even softer than that golden blowhard!"
"If you want a hard strike, try taking this!" Magnamon roared, seizing the momentary opening.
[Plasma Shoot!]
A barrage of hyper-condensed plasma spheres erupted from Magnamon's armor, hurtling toward the dark knight.
"Know your place." ChaosGallantmon didn't even bother to look. He snapped his eight wings forward, generating a massive shockwave that violently scattered the plasma spheres into harmless sparks.
Capitalizing on Omnimon's slight imbalance from the parried sword, ChaosGallantmon pivoted, delivering a brutal roundhouse kick that sent the white knight crashing backward through the clouds. Without losing a fraction of a second, he vanished, reappearing directly in front of a wide-eyed Magnamon.
Before the golden knight could react, large, dark fingers clamped around his armor once again.
"Not again—!"
With a vicious spin, ChaosGallantmon hurled Magnamon across the sky, aiming him perfectly at Kentaurosmon just as the centaur knight fired his next attack.
[Bifrost!]
A blinding arrow of super-heated light slammed directly into Magnamon's back.
Once again, the miserable golden knight was used as a living shield. The physical damage was negligible against his miraculous armor, but the psychological humiliation was absolute.
'Twice! Two times in a row!'Magnamon's vision swam with pure, unadulterated rage.'What do you take me for?! A meat shield?! I am a noble Royal Knight! I am not a tool to soak up friendly fire!'
Furious beyond reason, Magnamon abandoned all tactical restraint. The golden Chrome Digizoid plating across his entire body ignited like a miniature sun, burning with a terrifying, self-destructive intensity.
"Die!" Magnamon screamed. Several massive torrents of blue-gold energy erupted from his body, tearing through the atmosphere and converging directly on ChaosGallantmon.
[Extreme Jihad!]
"...Tch." ChaosGallantmon clicked his tongue, his eyes narrowing at the blinding light. He immediately folded his wings, attempting to dive out of the blast radius.
Magnamon's standard attacks might have been the weakest among the Royal Knights, but when he abandoned his defense and burned his own life force to unleash his ultimate move, the resulting devastation was enough to threaten even Omnimon.
Seeing ChaosGallantmon slipping away from the blast zone, Magnamon panicked. "Kentaurosmon! What are you doing?! Lock down his movement path! Do not let him escape my range!"
"Yes, yes... you really are a demanding little tyrant," Kentaurosmon sighed, his tone dripping with exasperation.
Despite his casual attitude, Kentaurosmon's movements were blindingly fast. He rapidly fired a volley of Bifrost arrows, forcing ChaosGallantmon to weave and dodge in a specific pattern. Just as the dark knight evaded the final arrow, a perfectly timed Odin's Breath swept over him, freezing the moisture in the air and locking his limbs in a block of Cocytus Breath ice.
Shattering the ice was child's play for ChaosGallantmon, but that split-second delay was all it took.
"No time to dodge," ChaosGallantmon muttered. He planted his feet in the air, raised his demonic lance horizontally, and braced for impact.
In the next second, the roaring blue-gold torrent of Extreme Jihad swallowed him completely.
While ChaosGallantmon was locked in a cataclysmic struggle against three Royal Knights, the battlefield below grew equally tense.
LordKnightmon, with Craniummon trailing silently behind, drifted down and landed gracefully in front of Mizuki's group.
WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X instantly felt a cold dread wash over them. The sheer, oppressive weight of two Royal Knights was suffocating. They dropped into combat stances, weapons bared and engines growling.
Belle's eyes flashed with hostility. She spun her twin handguns, her fingers tightening on the triggers.
But before she could fire, a hand gently pressed against her shoulder.
Mizuki stepped forward, calmly lowering her weapons.
Belle blinked, the hostility melting into deep confusion. "Mizu?"
Mizuki didn't answer immediately. He offered her a reassuring nod, then turned his gaze back to the pink-armored knight standing before them. Though LordKnightmon's face was entirely obscured by his ornate visor, Mizuki could feel the intense, piercing scrutiny boring into him.
Beside the flamboyant knight, Craniummon shifted his massive spear. "LordKnightmon. What are your orders?"
LordKnightmon remained completely silent, his hidden gaze locked onto the human boy.
Craniummon frowned beneath his skeletal helm. Just as he opened his mouth to ask again, LordKnightmon suddenly let out a breathless sigh.
"Beautiful..."
Craniummon paused. "What?"
"Whether it is the conviction in Gallantmon's words, or the sight standing before me right now..." LordKnightmon raised a hand, delicately plucking a fresh, crimson rose from seemingly nowhere. He held it up to his visor, his voice rising into a dramatic, high-pitched lilt. "Without a doubt, it is utterly, breathtakingly beautiful~"
He crushed the rose in his gauntlet, the petals scattering into the wind. "But can your inner soul possibly match the sheer perfection of this outward appearance? Let me see for myself!"
LordKnightmon tossed the ruined stem high into the air. In a blur of impossible speed, he completely bypassed the defensive line of WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X.
Before anyone could blink, he was standing directly in front of Mizuki.
Belle snarled, her guns snapping up, but Mizuki's hand shot out, firmly gripping her wrist to hold her back.
Four razor-sharp ribbon-blades extended from LordKnightmon's armor, snapping forward like vipers. They halted instantly, the deadly, gleaming tips hovering less than a single centimeter from Mizuki's eyes.
WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X froze in absolute horror. "!?"
Belle's breath hitched, her heart stopping in her chest. "..."
"Bastard!" DoruGreymon roared, his massive wings flaring. "Get away from Lord Mizuki!"
"Bad guy! Fight—!" Breakdramon bellowed, the earth trembling as he prepared to charge.
LordKnightmon ignored the chaotic shouting around him. He didn't even spare the massive dragons a glance. His entire focus was fixed solely on the human boy standing at the edge of his blades.
And Mizuki—standing perfectly still, his expression completely placid—stared right back.
"Why didn't you dodge?" LordKnightmon asked, his voice dropping to a curious whisper.
"Because there was no need."
Mizuki raised his free hand, signaling the enraged Digimon behind him to stand down. He looked calmly at the lethal blades framing his face, then met the dark slit of LordKnightmon's visor. "After all, you don't have any killing intent. Do you, LordKnightmon?"
LordKnightmon froze. Slowly, the ribbon-blades retracted, sliding back into his armor with a soft metallic hiss.
"...Heh~" A delighted, musical laugh bubbled up from the knight's throat. "This sharpness of mind. This quiet wisdom. Coupled with the sheer, unshakeable courage to remain perfectly calm with death staring you in the face."
LordKnightmon clapped his hands together, his tone soaring back into its flamboyant, high-pitched melody. "Without a doubt, it is truly elegant! Beautiful to the extreme~!"
Watching the terrifying Royal Knight suddenly gush like an overly dramatic poet, the surrounding Digimon exchanged bewildered glances. The suffocating tension evaporated into sheer, baffled silence.
Craniummon, however, merely let out a heavy, metallic sigh. He looked like a warrior who had long since accepted the eccentricities of his partner.
Yet, beneath his exasperation, Craniummon couldn't entirely disagree. He looked at the human boy standing fearlessly before them.
To be fair, the child indeed possessed a presence and an appearance that commanded a strange, quiet awe. In Craniummon's long, ancient memory, it seemed only the Lord Yggdrasil of the distant past could ever compare to such a sight.
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