Boom!
An explosion echoed, sending shockwaves through the air.
Flames shot up into the sky, thick smoke billowing.
From a distance, a figure stood tall amidst the raging fire and destruction—a colossal centaur clad in red armor, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.
It was none other than Kudamon's Ultimate form, the Royal Knight Sleipmon.
A sudden streak of red laser fire shot out from the burning ruins, aimed directly at Sleipmon. The attacker was a mechanical Digimon with a purple metallic exoskeleton—Gizmon AT.
In the blink of an eye, the laser beam sliced across Sleipmon's body, moving at incredible speed!
However, what should have been a devastating attack—capable of breaking down Digimon into pure energy and preventing them from reverting into DigiEggs—left not a single mark on Sleipmon.
Impossible!
Yet, that was the reality.
Sleipmon's armor was not made of ordinary metal—it was crafted from Chrono Digizoid, one of the most durable materials in the Digital World.
Not just any Chrono Digizoid, but the Red variant—a pure, refined form with unmatched hardness and resilience. Even if the laser was ten times stronger, it still wouldn't penetrate it.
"Hmph, an attack of this level is useless against me!"
With a fierce glare, Sleipmon raised his right arm, which was equipped with a massive shield shaped like a horse's face, engraved with an emblem of a stallion's head.
Its name—Holy Shield Niflheim.
A shield worthy of a name must be extraordinary.
With it, Sleipmon could manipulate weather, summoning blizzards of extreme cold that could freeze enemies solid—even a fellow Royal Knight like Gallantmon would struggle to escape.
That technique was known as Odin's Breath.
At this moment, Sleipmon wasn't using the shield for its full power—only as a melee weapon. He swung it violently, slamming it into the Gizmon AT that had fired at him.
A chilling energy seeped from the shield into the mechanical Digimon's frame.
Ice instantly formed, coating its entire body before shattering it into pieces.
A machine built to eliminate Digimon, reduced to nothing in an instant.
Even Gizmon AT, the ultimate Digimon killer, was no match for another Digimon.
The shattered pieces of Gizmon AT soon reformed into a DigiEgg—despite being an artificial creation, it was still a Digimon at its core.
And so, it followed the same cycle of life and death.
But for Gizmon AT, a Digimon designed to destroy other Digimon, becoming a DigiEgg was ironic—almost poetic justice.
Watching this, Sleipmon felt a complex mix of emotions. His hatred for Kurata only grew stronger. With anger boiling inside him, he roared:
"Kurata! Where are you?!"
He had stormed this facility based on the intelligence provided by Sei, expecting to corner Kurata.
Yet, the only resistance he encountered was Gizmon AT—not a single human was present.
Kurata had fled.
Sleipmon was furious. Days of meticulous planning had gone to waste.
Had he acted sooner, as Moss had suggested, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.
Regret weighed heavily on him.
Meanwhile, two kilometers away—
Kurata peered through a pair of binoculars, watching as Sleipmon obliterated the facility he had spent years building.
Surprisingly, he wasn't upset.
Because he had already moved everything of importance. That base had become an empty husk, filled only with expendable Gizmon AT units.
Watching it burn to the ground was almost amusing.
"Wow… truly terrifying," Kurata muttered to himself. "I underestimated DATS… I didn't expect them to have such a powerful Digimon."
He had always viewed DATS as a group of amateurs playing at being heroes.
He never imagined they would have Sleipmon—a Royal Knight—at their disposal.
Had he stayed in that facility, he would have been finished.
But he had escaped, and as long as he lived, fate was still on his side.
A chuckle escaped his lips, then grew into a sinister laugh.
Just then, a voice interrupted:
"You should be thanking me for that."
Kurata turned toward the source of the voice.
Standing there, with his usual cocky smirk, was Sei.
After reverting to his old self, Sei had immediately informed Kurata of his time at DATS and their undercover operation against him.
Thanks to this, Kurata had managed to evacuate his base in just half an hour—narrowly escaping Sleipmon's wrath.
For that, he supposed he did owe Sei some thanks.
Though, he couldn't help but find the guy irritating.
"Seriously?" Kurata thought. "You're the one who exposed my location in the first place, and now you want gratitude? The nerve of this guy…"
Despite his internal complaints, Kurata forced a smile.
Sei was still useful, after all.
"You're right," Kurata said smoothly. "For your loyalty, I'll reward you with the strongest Digimon I have."
The strongest Digimon in his possession was Belphemon—his ultimate trump card.
Of course, there was no way he'd hand that over to Sei.
Instead, he planned to give him Darkdramon—his second-strongest asset.
"Excellent!" Sei grinned wickedly, turning his gaze toward the distant Sleipmon.
"That damn Kudamon, daring to control me… That damn Angewomon, daring to threaten me… Once I have the power of the strongest Digimon, none of you will escape! Not one of you!"
Hearing this, Kurata narrowed his eyes slightly.
Their goals aligned—for now.
But Kurata wasn't just thinking about revenge on Sleipmon or DATS.
He was thinking about Moss.
Everything had gone wrong because of that one Digimon.
If Moss hadn't escaped.
If Moss hadn't appeared on TV.
If Moss hadn't manipulated Sei.
If Moss hadn't provoked Kudamon…
None of this would be happening.
Everything was Moss's fault.
The true root of all his troubles.
A chilling gleam flashed in Kurata's eyes.
He had initially planned to eliminate her.
But now… perhaps capturing her would be even better.
She harbored secrets—secrets he wanted to uncover.
With that thought, Kurata turned away.
"Let's go," he ordered. "We're heading to the Digital World."
Sei blinked in surprise. "Why? What's the rush?"
"Because," Kurata sneered, "the fact that DATS was given the green light to attack means the higher-ups are cutting ties with me. That means the human world is no longer safe for us—unless you want to be hunted down."
Originally, Kurata had intended to continue using humanity's resources to hunt Digimon, stockpiling life energy to bring Belphemon to full power.
But plans change.
And now, so would his tactics.
Before dawn, Sleipmon returned to DATS headquarters, reverting back to Kudamon.
Everyone had already heard the results of the raid.
For an entire night, Sleipmon had searched every inch of the facility.
But Kurata and Sei were gone.
"It's my fault," Kudamon muttered. "My technique must have worn off. They realized the plan."
If only he had acted sooner…
Moss stepped forward, smiling.
"Don't be discouraged, Kudamon. This is nothing but a passing storm."
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