Chapter 191: LordKnightmon: Fight for the Good of the World
'I am LordKnightmon!'
The thought rang with absolute certainty in his mind. As a Royal Knight serving His Majesty, Yggdrasil, perhaps in the eyes of the unrefined masses, he did not fit the mold of a traditional knight.
After all, when forced into combat, he simply could not help but strike down unsightly things with extreme prejudice. In the most severe cases, he ensured those hideous creatures were sent straight to reincarnation.
Those ugly beings who paraded around with empty bravado and lacked any true substance... once he had taught them a painful lesson, they dared not show their faces before him again, even in their next lives.
Dining at establishments across the Digital World and leaving without paying if the cuisine lacked flavor, or more, aesthetic beauty, was merely a matter of course. If the offense was great enough, he might even reduce a tasteless stall to data dust!
Yet, despite his eccentricities, he possessed an immaculate eye for what was disgustingly ugly, and what was truly beautiful.
At this moment, LordKnightmon gazed directly at Mizuki. Beneath the cold, unyielding metal of his visor, his eyes gleamed with a brilliant, almost fanatical light.
'Similar! Far too similar!''In the ancient days, His Majesty, Yggdrasil, possessed that exact same stunning beauty!''But...'His grip tightened.'Even though my loyalty has remained steadfast for eons, I must admit a tragic truth. His Majesty has lost that beauty!''As a knight sworn to protect all the beautiful things in this world, I, LordKnightmon, simply cannot tolerate such a tragedy!'
Just as the Knight of Beauty reached this dramatic conclusion, Craniummon's deep voice broke through his reverie from the side.
"LordKnightmon, what is the matter? Why are you just standing there?" Craniummon asked, his tone laced with confusion. "Are you not going to carry out His Majesty's orders?"
Listening to his dear friend's words, LordKnightmon fell silent. He turned his head, the sharp lines of his armor catching the ambient light, and cast a long, measuring glance at the dark knight.
Then, under Craniummon's utterly astonished gaze, he slowly pivoted, deliberately positioning his armored frame to shield Mizuki's body behind him.
"My dear friend..." LordKnightmon's voice lilted with a theatrical sorrow. "I am truly sorry."
"I can no longer tolerate this!"
"As a knight who protects beautiful things, a champion who upholds absolute elegance, I can no longer endure Yggdrasil's stubborn ugliness."
"What?!" Craniummon barked, his voice thick with disbelief.
Under his friend's shocked stare, LordKnightmon raised a hand. With a dramatic flick of his wrist, he tossed the pristine rose he held high into the air. The crimson petals caught the wind, scattering like drops of blood across the battlefield.
"The me of the past, the obedient Royal Knight, is dead."
"I, LordKnightmon, shall fight for the beauty of this world!"
"Huh?!"
Several voices echoed the sentiment in unison. The sheer absurdity of the declaration left everyone on the battlefield completely astonished.
After all, LordKnightmon was entirely different from ChaosGallantmon, whom they had spent some time fighting and understanding. WarGreymon X and his group, who hardly knew this eccentric knight, found his sudden, dramatic defection entirely baffling.
Only Mizuki maintained a calm demeanor. A faint sigh escaped his lips, accompanied by a look of total unsurprise.
Based on his understanding of the Royal Knights, LordKnightmon was a massive outlier. Unlike his Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral peers, the Knight of Beauty did not judge right and wrong by any universal standard. He adhered strictly to his own twisted, internal compass of justice.
In other words, as long as he deemed an action necessary for the sake of his ideals, he would employ the most ruthless, unscrupulous methods without a second thought. He was the absolute definition of a Chaotic Good, or perhaps Chaotic Neutral, individual.
Just as Mizuki was analyzing the situation, LordKnightmon extended a graceful hand toward Craniummon.
"My friend, what do you say?" LordKnightmon asked, his tone inviting. "Will you join me in protecting the beauty and justice of this world?"
Craniummon stared at the outstretched hand in heavy silence.
In truth, the reason the two had always gotten along was precisely because their styles of conduct shared a strange parallel. Craniummon would absolutely obey a sovereign who aligned with his inner sense of justice. Even if the entire Digital World branded that sovereign as evil, Craniummon would gladly sacrifice his life for his own code.
This shared stubbornness was exactly why LordKnightmon felt so confident in his invitation.
However, the Knight of Beauty had miscalculated one crucial detail.
While Craniummon indeed believed in inner justice, his core was forged from a rigid samurai spirit. He valued absolute loyalty, righteousness, trustworthiness, and courtesy above all else.
Meaning...
"LordKnightmon, my friend..." Craniummon's voice dropped, growing firm and unyielding. "I am sorry."
"Please forgive me for not being able to accept your invitation."
"As a knight, one must offer absolute loyalty to their sovereign!"
Seeing his friend's resolve harden, LordKnightmon's tone darkened, losing its theatrical lilt. "Even if that sovereign goes against your inner justice?"
Craniummon offered no reply. His silence was an answer in itself.
LordKnightmon shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"It seems, my friend, you are deeply trapped in the shackles of loyalty and righteousness, entirely unable to extricate yourself."
"In that case... I shall awaken you with my fists!"
Before the last syllable even faded, LordKnightmon exploded into motion. He lunged forward with terrifying speed, thrusting the massive Pile Bunker on his right arm directly toward Craniummon's face!
Craniummon flinched, barely raising his guard in time.
"Urgent Fear!"
The suddenness of the strike was stunning. Mizuki watched the fluid, incredibly lethal movements with a critical eye. What a ruthless opening attack. Truly despicable, yet undeniably effective.
Watching LordKnightmon's masterful, almost dance-like combat style, Mizuki's gamer instincts flared. He could not help but imagine that if he handed the knight a flaming straight sword or a small black scythe, he would probably wield them with even more devastating grace than his original armaments.
"Spiral Masquerade!"
Without missing a beat, LordKnightmon followed up instantly, unleashing a blinding flurry of slashes with his bladed ribbons.
Caught entirely off guard, Craniummon was swallowed by the storm of attacks. Sparks showered the battlefield as the ribbons struck his armor. The relentless offensive was so overwhelming that the dark knight could not even lift his head to counterattack.
The only thing keeping him from instantly dissolving into data and entering the reincarnation cycle was his incredibly durable armor, forged from high-purity Chrome Digizoid. Had it been any ordinary Digimon, they would have already been shredded to pieces.
"What is wrong, my friend?" LordKnightmon taunted, his voice dancing over the clash of metal. "Are you just going to remain silent like this?"
Craniummon gritted his teeth behind his visor.
'Do you think I do not want to speak? You are not giving me a single opening to breathe, let alone talk!'
Frustration boiled within the dark knight as he endured the beating, but he kept his mouth shut. If he distracted himself to snap back, the relentless storm of blades would surely find a weak point and end him.
High above the chaotic melee, several Royal Knights finally noticed the bizarre situation unfolding below.
Magnamon, hovering in the sky, witnessed LordKnightmon's blatant betrayal. Whether fueled by sheer outrage or the lingering sting of his own Extreme Jihad backfiring against ChaosGallantmon earlier, his temper snapped. He abandoned his current assault and aimed his golden armor downward.
"LordKnightmon!" Magnamon bellowed, his voice echoing across the sky. "How dare you betray His Majesty, Yggdrasil!"
Golden energy gathered rapidly around him before he unleashed a searing Plasma Shoot directly at the traitorous knight below.
Facing the furious strike, LordKnightmon did not even bother to look up. He casually flicked his wrist, sending a bladed ribbon whipping upward. The ribbon struck the descending sphere of plasma, cleanly deflecting the explosive energy away into the distance with a loud crack.
"Whose noisy child is this?" LordKnightmon scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "Go away, go away. Do not get in the way of adults talking!"
Magnamon froze, his golden armor practically vibrating with rage.
Nearby, another Royal Knight watched the exchange.
"...Pfft."
The stifled laugh cut through the tense air. Magnamon's head snapped around, his furious gaze locking instantly onto Dynasmon.
Realizing he was caught, Dynasmon immediately straightened his posture, forcing his draconic features into a mask of absolute seriousness. He cleared his throat loudly.
"LordKnightmon!" Dynasmon called out, his voice booming with forced authority. "Your two-faced nature does not surprise me in the least!"
Magnamon stared at Dynasmon, his fists clenching so tightly the metal of his gauntlets groaned. He could see the subtle trembling in Dynasmon's shoulders as the wyvern knight fought desperately to hold back another laugh.
'Is it my fault my output isn't high enough?'Magnamon fumed internally, his pride stinging fiercely.'Do you think I want to be treated like a child?'He glared daggers at his fellow knight.'You are still laughing! You are definitely still laughing! If you do not stop right now, I swear I will hit you with an Extreme Jihad!'
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