Though she'd narrowly escaped, LadyDevimon was so severely wounded she couldn't even maintain her Ultimate form, forcibly degenerating back into BlackGatomon.
Even her current form was barely sustained thanks to her recent growth; otherwise, she would have reverted directly to her DigiEgg…
…In her current state, continuing the mission was absolutely impossible. The moment she dared show her face again, Wizardmon—no, Mistymon—would undoubtedly track her down and finish her off immediately.
What now?
Her mind was a chaotic mess, forcing her to take deep breaths and calm herself as she desperately considered her next move…
At that exact moment, something stored inside her DigiCore began emitting bursts of heat—precisely the crimson bat mask.
"Myotismon-sama?!"
She instantly shuddered. Myotismon's main body had already been annihilated completely in his battle with Zero, leaving behind only this mask and a fragment of his spirit.
He was famously called the "Undying King"—and if fully prepared, he naturally wouldn't be extinguished so easily.
Even in the original timeline, after being obliterated by two Mega-level Digimon, a lingering shard of his consciousness still managed to revive as the final boss in 02…
Until now, the mask had shown no activity, but suddenly reacting now was enough to shock BlackGatomon deeply.
Before she could react, the mask suddenly rose of its own accord, flying directly toward her face.
"!"
She tried to dodge, but in her critically weakened state, even twitching was painful—completely defenseless, the mask swiftly covered her face.
Upon contact, the mask came alive, countless needle-like tentacles sprouting from its underside, piercing her skin and burrowing deep inside.
Within seconds, the mask dissolved into a crimson glow, fully absorbed into BlackGatomon's body.
She leaped up in panic, frantically checking her own body—but nothing seemed amiss.
At first, she'd thought Myotismon was forcibly taking over her body. However, that didn't seem to be the case; instead, her body felt strangely lighter, and her injuries appeared mostly healed.
But she quickly realized something else was wrong…
…Within her body, aside from her original DigiCore near her heart, there was now a second DigiCore!
It wasn't unheard of for exceptionally powerful Digimon to possess multiple DigiCores; in fact, it was a symbol of immense strength and status.
…Yet BlackGatomon knew very well she wasn't special enough to qualify—and the familiar aura radiating from the second DigiCore made the truth painfully clear.
It belonged to Myotismon!
Myotismon had hidden fragments of his power within the mask, secretly absorbing negative emotions alongside BlackGatomon's own actions, slowly repairing himself.
Just moments ago, her brush with death and overwhelming despair had provided the perfect nourishment for the mask.
As an undead vampire Digimon, despair—especially the despair of imminent death—was pure ambrosia. Absorbing it allowed him to reforge his DigiCore at last.
Yet he still lacked a proper physical form, so temporarily, his core had fused into BlackGatomon's body.
"Myotismon…sama?" she tentatively called out.
A faint, barely perceptible presence emanated from the DigiCore. Although Myotismon had successfully rebuilt his core, his condition was still extremely fragile. He didn't even seem capable of direct communication.
But from the faint aura, she could interpret a simple message:
Well done…
Brief, without further explanation, but clearly praising her for completing the tasks he'd previously assigned. It was precisely because of her that Myotismon had regained the chance to resurrect.
Yet, despite this praise, BlackGatomon felt absolutely no joy…
…Because given her current situation, she strongly suspected Myotismon intended to use her body as a vessel for rebirth. Even worse, she had no way of resisting him at this point.
Myotismon's DigiCore was now directly integrated within her body—completely inseparable. Self-destructive methods to remove it were impossible.
And even reduced to a mere core, Myotismon's strength vastly exceeded her own. He was the Undying King, who'd once dominated nearly half of Server Continent—second only to the Four Dark Masters themselves.
Although he'd fallen midway, clearly, he planned to rise again…
As BlackGatomon anxiously pondered what to do, a chillingly familiar voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
"You've disappointed me, my cute little one~"
"!!!"
Although Piedmon's tone carried a hint of amusement, the words themselves nearly froze the blood in her veins.
"Please give me another chance… Just one more chance, great Master!"
Yet she understood that if Piedmon truly intended to punish her, he wouldn't have bothered expending the energy to tear through reality to rescue her moments earlier.
Given the circumstances, Piedmon had clearly saved her for a purpose—he wouldn't have wasted effort only to kill her afterward.
Under normal circumstances, Piedmon's twisted sense of humor might've led him to do exactly that—but now, with the Four Dark Masters' strength stretched thin, there was no room for frivolity.
Thus, Piedmon clearly still needed her alive. Understanding this, she quickly humbled herself, proactively begging for forgiveness…not giving Piedmon any reason to change his mind.
"To tell you the truth, I actually rather like you…" Piedmon's voice lost its amusement, but his words greatly relieved her. "…Strong subordinates aren't in short supply—but clever, obedient ones are rare. Thus, here's an opportunity specifically for you…"
"Please command me, great Master!"
"I want you to find someone and bring him to the Digital World." After carefully describing the person, Piedmon's voice began to fade, leaving behind only one final warning.
"…You've already disappointed me once. There won't be a third chance. This is your last opportunity—do you understand?"
"I'll remember this with my life!"
After Piedmon's voice vanished completely, BlackGatomon shakily stood up.
Though deeply worried about Myotismon's DigiCore inside her, Piedmon's current task clearly took precedence—her very survival depended on it.
Given everything she'd experienced so far, Piedmon undoubtedly had constant surveillance on her every action.
If she failed again, she had no doubt Piedmon had a hundred different ways to make her beg for death.
Everything depended on the person Piedmon ordered her to find…
She didn't know why Piedmon suddenly took interest in a human, but right now, she didn't dare question it. All she needed to do was follow Piedmon's command exactly:
Find that human—and bring him to the Digital World.
...
Meanwhile, with LadyDevimon's threat largely neutralized, Koushiro and Mistymon didn't remain idle. The battle in cyberspace still raged fiercely, escalating by the minute.
Now that they'd freed themselves from LadyDevimon, it was time to reinforce their friends…
...
In cyberspace, the fierce battle had reached a climax. On Zero and MetalSeadramon's battlefield, massive waves surged, storms howled, and torrents of rain blurred the boundaries between sky and sea into an indistinguishable chaotic mess…
It was as if the entire world had been swallowed by the waves. Thankfully, the battle occurred in cyberspace—had this been reality, half the planet would already be submerged beneath oceans.
If the fight dragged on any longer, Earth might genuinely become a perfect "Blue Planet"—human civilization could officially rename itself Atlantis…
Zero firmly believed he wouldn't lose to MetalSeadramon in raw power. In theory, he should be superior—especially with his anti-dragon advantage, he could crush his opponent outright.
But MetalSeadramon's domain manipulation proved absurdly troublesome. "This land is my divine domain!" clearly wasn't his own innate ability; it must've been a special power granted to the Dark Masters by whoever lurked beyond the Firewall.
The Four Dark Masters represented four domains: "Ocean," "Forest," "City," and "Abyss"—their strength soared dramatically whenever they occupied their respective domains.
Worst of all, rather than existing within these domains, the domains existed wherever they stood.
Damn… If you four got together for mahjong, what would the background even look like?
Though frustrated, Zero quickly realized the likely outcome—it would undoubtedly end up as Piedmon's Abyss domain. After all, the Dark Army's home base was exactly that: the Dark Area.
In other words, whoever was stronger could overwrite the opponent's domain…
…If he could just overpower MetalSeadramon's domain for even an instant, Zero was confident he could win.
My own domain…!
No—more than just having a domain. Zero, already at Mega-level as WarGreymon, could generate a domain himself.
But clearly, WarGreymon's domain was currently suppressed by his opponent. Therefore, he needed to seek a power strong enough to surpass MetalSeadramon's own domain!
If MetalSeadramon was the sea—then Zero would become the sun!
With this thought, a vivid vision suddenly reflected clearly in Zero's eyes…
…Beneath a brilliant golden sun—a holy land suspended high in the heavens!
---
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