"How can this be…?"
MetalGarurumon spoke in a shocked tone. Ever since Omnimon first appeared, there had never been a case where the fusion had been forcibly undone.
But it wasn't over yet. As Tai's power continued to drain away, WarGreymon's body began to change again. Bathed in golden light, WarGreymon de-digivolved back into Agumon.
"Tai, my power's gone!" Agumon cried out in surprise.
"Yeah."
Tai's face was grim. No matter how he tried to stop it, the energy inside his body wouldn't stop flowing out. Even the power of his Crest had disappeared, and that was what had caused Omnimon to vanish and WarGreymon to de-digivolve.
"Hahahaha! Well? Can you feel it now—the pain of losing your power?"
Daemon's face twisted with ferocity. "The pain of failed evolution… When you're right on the verge of succeeding, only to suddenly collapse back down again—that pain."
"So this is your doing, Daemon."
Tai stopped worrying about the loss of power. Since he couldn't stop it anyway, he might as well let it run its course.
"You really think that just because we've lost Omnimon, we can't deal with you?"
As Tai spoke, MetalGarurumon stepped forward, eyes fixed on Daemon like a hunting wolf.
"Ice Bombs!"
All the ports on his body opened at once, firing countless freezing missiles from every angle straight at Daemon.
"Flame Inferno!"
Daemon flung up his hand, unleashing a pillar of flame that detonated the incoming Ice Bombs.
"Child's play."
Before the smoke even cleared, MetalGarurumon's silhouette tore through it, charging straight in. The Garuru Blade on his foreleg came cleaving down toward Daemon with crushing force.
Clang!
Daemon barely moved at all; he simply raised his sleeve and blocked the Garuru Blade with it.
"That's impossible…"
MetalGarurumon was stunned. The Garuru Blade might not have been made from the very best material, but in the Digital World it was still one of the most durable weapons around—and yet it had been blocked so easily. It was hard to believe.
"Knuckle Cannon Barrage!"
Five energy spheres fired from Daemon's five talons, slamming into MetalGarurumon and sending him flying. He hit a nearby mountain with a thunderous crash, and under the rumbling impact, the mountain slowly collapsed.
Rumble…
MetalGarurumon shoved aside the rocks piled over him and stood up. The look in his eyes as he stared at Daemon had changed.
He'd fought Daemon once before, but the Daemon standing before him now was far stronger than he'd been back then.
"What's wrong? Surprised?"
Daemon's voice was hoarse and triumphant.
"Ever since our battle with the Royal Knights, none of us Seven Great Demon Lords have ever fully recovered. Even just now, Lilithmon and Leviamon had barely regained twenty percent of their strength.
As for me, I've recovered to about half of my full power."
His eyes gleamed.
"Without Omnimon, you don't stand a chance against me. Perish in terror. Hahahahaha!"
"Hey, Daemon."
Tai's voice cut across Daemon's strange, hysterical laughter.
"Hm?"
"Do you know how villains who have an absolute advantage usually die?"
Tai asked the question back at him.
"…What?"
Daemon still didn't understand.
"It's because, just like you, they talk way, way too much."
Tai stated this cruel truth with a blank expression.
"Thanks for giving me so much time. Now it's time to show my appreciation."
As he spoke, the Holy Sword: Grade Alpha in Tai's hand twisted, transforming amid golden light into a sword that shone with golden radiance—the Ultimate Warblade: King-Dragon Sword.
"This is your thank-you gift—Dimensional Flash Slash!"
A blade of energy that seemed to split heaven and earth came crashing down toward Daemon's right arm under his stunned gaze, chopping it clean off and sending the Source of Darkness tumbling away.
When Daemon tried to reach out with his left hand to grab the falling Source of Darkness, Tai swung the Ultimate Warblade: King-Dragon Sword in rapid succession.
"Phantom Slash!"
Dozens of sword auras whirled and slashed toward Daemon's body. He dodged a few of them, but the rest carved straight into him, shredding the robe that had remained untouched from the start of the battle and turning it into ragged beggar's clothes.
"That is…"
Daemon's pupils shrank sharply as his gaze fell on the seven-colored bracelet on Tai's right wrist.
"So that's it. Still, the plan has been completed. It's time for me to leave."
Boom!
Just as Tai was about to give chase, the dropped Source of Darkness suddenly exploded, blocking his path. He hurriedly raised a magic shield before him. By the time the flames cleared, Daemon's presence had vanished completely. Only his parting words lingered in the air:
"The next time we arrive, it will be with the full power of all Seven Great Demon Lords. I hope by then you'll have the Royal Knights ready to stand in our way."
"Damn it, he got away again…"
Tai clenched his teeth in frustration. Not that his side was in great shape either. MetalGarurumon had proved no match for Daemon, and WarGreymon had already de-digivolved back into Agumon.
What about him?
Thinking of this, Tai glanced down at the bracelet on his right wrist—the Holy Ring. By relying on the primal power of the Digital World contained within it, he had restored his own strength.
His power had been more than half drained away by the Source of Darkness, but by calling on the Holy Ring's power, he had managed to summon the Ultimate Warblade: King-Dragon Sword. Even so, that power ultimately belonged to the Digital World. If he used too much of it, he would inevitably harm the Digital World itself.
And judging from the fact that Daemon had managed to find the Source of Darkness, the Seven Great Demon Lords' recovery would only accelerate from here. This time, they had faced three Demon Lords who weren't yet at full strength; next time, it would probably be all Seven Great Demon Lords at full power.
As for the Royal Knights Daemon mentioned, they were likely the only ones who could truly stand against the Seven Great Demon Lords.
It looked like their next task would be to search for the lost Royal Knight bases.
"King Tai, Machinedramon is missing."
Datamon's report came through.
"What?!"
Tai was shocked. After clashing with the three Demon Lords, Machinedramon had successfully held them off, but almost all of its energy had been spent, so it had stayed in the rear to recover. And now it had vanished without a trace.
"Damn it. I swear I'll kill you, Daemon."
He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he was sure it couldn't be unrelated to Daemon.
Much as he wanted to rush off and rescue Machinedramon right away…
Tai turned around and looked out over the shattered remains of Tai City not far away. Broken walls and ruins stretched as far as the eye could see.
Everywhere he looked lay the scattered parts and wreckage of mechanical soldiers. Burst and leaking pipes and cabling crisscrossed the ruins. Locomon and the transport rails it ran on were mangled beyond recognition, no longer usable at all.
The entire File Island was almost unrecognizable. Under the devastation wrought by the three Demon Lords and the Dark Army, fully one-third of File Island had disappeared, and the whole island was on the verge of sinking into the sea.
Tai entered the interior of Tai City's central control tower. Everywhere he saw intact Hagurumon and Repairmon patching up damaged walls and lines.
He took a still-functioning elevator down to the underground levels.
Most of the area down here had already been flooded by seawater, but the most critical armored sector was still intact thanks to its reinforced protection.
Tai placed Veemon into a cultivation pod so his injured body and Digicore could slowly heal. It would likely take a very long time for a full recovery.
He disguised the cultivation pod by piling rocks around it, then set the newly completed Digi-Armor of Courage atop the concealment. He also loaded the data of the third-generation Digivice into the computer built into the Digi-Armor, leaving it there to await a new child who would inherit it.
Once he finished all of this, Tai stopped worrying about anything else and went home.
He reappeared in front of the computer as the screen flared with light.
Kari, who had been waiting anxiously at his side, immediately hurled herself into his arms. Her shoulders trembled as she cried silently, but Tai could feel her deep sorrow and worry.
"Alright, Kari, don't cry. I'm fine."
Tai comforted her gently, then looked over at Izzy.
"How are Joe and Mimi? Have you gotten in touch with them?"
Izzy nodded. "Everyone's been contacted. Joe's finished his exams, and Mimi's already received her Digivice and found a computer. Tai, what exactly happened after that?"
"We finally managed to defeat Millenniummon. But right then, the Digital World was invaded by the Demon Lords from the Dark Area. The mechanical Defense Corps of the Digital World took massive losses."
"The Demon Lords of the Dark Area…?"
"That's a region that's been at war with the Digital World since ancient times, a place filled with darkness and hatred. Each of the Seven Great Demon Lords there possesses power no less than Omnimon's.
We may have driven them off this time, but the Digital World's primal power was badly depleted."
"Then what's going to happen to the Digital World?"
"That primal power is the very foundation of the Digital World's existence. If it's consumed completely, the Digital World will be destroyed."
"Then… what impact will this battle have on the Digital World?"
"You'll see once we get there."
Tai cut him off gently. "You'll understand when you see it with your own eyes. Just know this: the Digital World is no longer as beautiful as it used to be. Far from it. Anyway, let's get going."
"Really?!"
Sora spoke up in delighted surprise; she hadn't seen Biyomon in a very long time.
"Yeah. Get Joe and Mimi. This time, we're going to the Digital World to do something for it—to restore it to what it once was."
Tai didn't say anything more. Instead, he opened the Gate to the Digital World.
He pointed his Digivice at the computer screen. The monitor flared with light and the children vanished from where they stood.
Joe and Mimi likewise pointed their own Digivices at their computer screens and were transported back to the Digital World they hadn't seen in so long.
"Ah…"
At their very first glimpse of the Digital World, the children were stunned.
They simply couldn't believe this was the same Digital World they remembered. Not even in the era of the Four Holy Beasts had the Digital World ever been in such a miserable state—but this time…
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