Meanwhile, in the Digital World.
Taichi sat upon a throne forged of steel and darkness, looking down at the vast, endless metallic tide below, a strange smile curling his lips.
The grand plan he had set in motion was bearing fruit in various places, the curtain rising.
The deciphering and decoding of the Metal Empire by Kurai had also reached 67%. Several production lines for Ultimate and Champion-level Digimon had been fully restored.
If Taichi willed it, they could begin production at any time.
The remaining lines were the core of the Metal Empire, the Mega and 'Mega Modified' Digimon production lines. These were secrets among secrets. Even Kurai would require considerable time to complete their decoding.
"However, with this Envy source code sent by Koshiro, the Metal Empire's production lines can be put to use first." Taichi lightly snapped the fingers of his right hand.
A Crest of Envy, burning with purple-black sinister flames, materialized from the void. The power of the Crest symbolizing the sin of Envy among the seven deadly sins was one of the artifacts most dreaded by Homeostasis.
The fires of envy could mass-produce apocalyptic Digimon capable of destroying the world… Leviamon.
"Agumon, Kurai taught you how to activate the Metal Empire's production lines, right? Begin manufacturing the Envy Digimon." Taichi waved his dark cloak, addressing the goggle-wearing, lab-coat-clad Agumon beside him.
Agumon grinned, an expression of intense interest on his face.
After studying under Kurai, he had developed a thirst for knowledge regarding DigiCores. Sometimes, Taichi even teased him, "Your Mega form shouldn't evolve into WarGreymon, but rather ResearchGreymon."
Indeed, the current Agumon looked every bit the thorough researcher.
"Alright, sync the Envy source code data to the Metal Empire's production lines. Let's mass-produce a batch of Champion-level prototypes first. I want to see the results."
[Beep, beep. Executing now.]
A virtual screen flashed before Agumon. As his claws performed a dizzying array of operations, the long-dormant production lines within the Metal Empire's ruins slowly whirred to life.
The Champion-level Digimon production line was originally used by the Metal Empire to manufacture toys. Its operation was extremely simple, and its production speed terrifyingly fast. A single line could achieve a rate of 500 units per minute.
Whirrrrr…
Countless streams of steel data and the emotion of envy intertwined and overlapped within the production line.
Finally, various Champion-level Digimon, pitch-black as ink and radiating intense flames of envy, took form.
"Digitamamon, Rexmon, Kappamon, Bitmon, Octomon... Subordinate branches of Leviamon, covering both land and sea, power types and speed types. It's very comprehensive." Agumon reported to Taichi while manufacturing the metal-modified Envy Digimon.
The combat power of these mass-produced Champion-level Digimon was slightly stronger than ordinary Champions because their bodies were coated with the Metal Empire's 'Low-Grade Alloy'.
While its defensive capability wasn't as formidable as Chrona Alloy, it was still decent, equivalent to the hardness of ordinary steel in the real world.
"Good. Quickly mass-produce one hundred elite Ultimate-level Envy Digimon, then deploy them into the real world." A smile played on Taichi's lips, "I will initiate the second Digital Rampage. This time, in the name of Envy, I will ignite the flames of holy war."
United States, Washington D.C.
The suit-clad President, flushed with anxiety, his short, thick neck turning red, shouted angrily into the phone, "General, if you don't blast that monster standing on the head of the Statue of Liberty, the one declaring war on the whole world, down this instant, I'll have you be the first challenger!"
Click.
The President furiously put down the phone and turned on the nearby TV.
[News Bulletin: Starting at 9 AM this morning, a bizarrely shaped black-armored monster atop the Statue of Liberty has declared war on the world. Below is the detailed footage.]
Click.
On Liberty Island, the 93-meter tall statue, symbol of the United States, was coldly trampled underfoot by a roughly three-meter tall, jet-black armored monster.
The high-definition camera captured it clearly. The monster narrowed its eyes, its sharp claw pointing towards a helicopter hundreds of meters away.
"I've heard this is the strongest place of humanity, possessing the world's top weapons and technology."
"Today, I specifically chose this location, the place your nation's people are most proud of, to declare war on the United States."
"I seek only battle, fearing neither life nor death."
"You can come together, you can use weapons, you can challenge me one-on-one… I accept it all!"
A curve lifted the corner of BlackWarGreymon's mouth, his gaze indifferent, as he issued the challenge.
That aura of looking down upon the world materialized into a tangible wave of dark energy, overturning all the nearby helicopters.
Instantly, it captured global attention.
'A single entity challenging the strongest nation! What is the origin of this monster?'
[That's the live report. We will continue to track the investigation.]
The TV switched off. The President's face was as black as coal as he slammed the remote control onto the ground.
Too arrogant.
The United States possessed nuclear weapons capable of obliterating the earth's surface hundreds of times over, biochemical weapons that could exterminate the biosphere… the pinnacle of human technology, the limits of mechanical power.
Let alone a single monster, even if the Digital Rampage that happened in Tokyo were to play out here, the President was confident he could suppress it immediately.
"Contact the Nuclear Forces Division. Deploy a long-range tactical nuclear missile and blast that arrogant black monster down. But remember, the strike must be precise. Do not damage the Statue of Liberty." The President, his face grim, dialed a secret number.
The US nuclear technology, after so many years of development, had reached a terrifying level of precision. The most accurate tactical nuclear missiles could confine their blast radius to within three to five meters… just enough to annihilate the monster without harming the statue.
The President put down the phone, looked out the window at the overcast sky, and allowed a slight smile to touch his lips.
'Once again, it was the United States' time to shine on the world stage.'
Meanwhile, at the Statue of Liberty.
Upon receiving the President's order, the Nuclear Forces Division quickly responded, aiming their launch tubes at BlackWarGreymon.
"Prepare for ignition."
"Five, four, three, two, one... Launch!"
A tactical nuclear missile marked with 'Nuclear Hazard' traced a long arc in the sky, heading straight for BlackWarGreymon.
Don't be fooled by its small size, its explosive yield was nothing to scoff at… equivalent to 3,000 tons of TNT. One blast could pulverize three-meter-thick high-hardness alloy.