After confirming that the crisis had been completely averted, Aomori, Ophanimon, and the children who saved the world returned to the human world.
The children were all astonished to see Aomori being embraced by Ophanimon. However, Aomori was only interested in one of them.
"Are you Ryo Akiyama?"
"Uh, yes. Hello."
Aomori patted Ophanimon on the head and said, "My name is Aomori. I'm essentially her partner. We were separated for a long time after being attacked by Millenniummon, and we've only just reunited."
"I see. Are you looking for me to get information on Millenniummon?" As the one hailed as the "Legendary Tamer," Ryo Akiyama had fought many battles against Millenniummon.
Previously, Akihiko Kayaba and the others had managed to repel Millenniummon only with Ryo Akiyama's help. Even the device used to travel to another Digital World had been inspired by him.
Receiving an affirmative nod from Aomori, Ryo scratched his head and said, "I'm truly sorry, but I've lost its trail for the time being. It's likely lurking in some Digital World right now. If it comes out to stir up trouble, I'll definitely know its whereabouts."
"Is that so? Then never mind. I'll use my own methods to find it." Aomori was not a magnanimous man; he naturally wouldn't let Millenniummon off for plotting against him in the past. Moreover, he was highly interested in its mastery over the powers of time and space.
"In that case, we won't disturb you any longer. Let's go back, Ophanimon."
"Mhm!"
…
After returning to Digital World No. 1, Aomori sought out Akihiko Kayaba.
"Kayaba, with your current abilities, you should be able to help me create these two Digimon, right?" Aomori produced two Digimon design blueprints, rewards he had received long ago from completing a Digital World dungeon task.
They were the two materials required to synthesize Millenniummon: Machinedramon and Kimeramon.
Since finding the original Millenniummon was difficult, he decided to simply synthesize one. He just didn't know if the synthesized version would possess the same memories as the previous one.
"Hmm, I can do it, but it will take some time. Mega levels aren't that easy to succeed with," Akihiko Kayaba replied.
"That's fine, I have plenty of time right now." Aomori thought for a moment and added, "During this downtime, I'll go play in the new SAO world for a bit and keep Ophanimon company."
"No problem. I've already arranged a role for you; you're going to like it."
"Oh?"
…
Komatsu was a middle school student who had just started her second year. Although she was a girl, she loved staying at home and playing games. Her parents were big bosses and were not short on cash. When she saw a Full Dive stealth game called "SAO," she immediately bought an expensive gaming pod.
After finishing a dull day at school, she lay down excitedly in the pod.
"The reviews online are all incredibly good. I hope it doesn't disappoint me."
Full of anticipation, she followed the manual and pressed the start button.
"Link Start!"
The car-sickness-like dizziness came and went quickly. When Komatsu opened her eyes, the scenery before her had changed drastically.
She was in a dark, dry hall. At the far end was a tall, glittering golden throne, flanked by hideous monster statues. On the walls behind the statues, flaming torches flickered, providing the only sliver of light in the enclosed hall.
"Eh? This looks different from the guides other players posted. Shouldn't I be spawning in a super crowded place? Why am I the only one here? Could it be..."
The curve of Komatsu's mouth grew wider as she shouted excitedly, "This is a limited spawn point! Heavens, I finally have a stroke of luck!"
Just as she was about to explore the area with great interest, two figures suddenly appeared before the throne above.
Aomori, draped in a large cape, sat down on the throne. LadyDevimon, with a smug look on her face, hugged his leg and sat directly on the floor.
"Th-They appeared! Quest NPCs!" Komatsu scurried forward, wanting to ask for a quest, only to be forced to her knees by a massive pressure. It felt as if a giant hand was pressing down on her, making her unable to move.
"How bold! A mere citizen of the other world... how dare you not prostrate yourself before the King!" LadyDevimon barked.
"Now, don't be so crude. We are civilized people; we must maintain elegance at all times." Aomori waved a hand, and Komatsu immediately felt the pressure vanish.
This boss is kind of handsome, Komatsu thought, blinking her eyes as she stood up.
"You were supposed to appear in the Town of Beginnings below. I specifically invited you here," Aomori said slowly.
"Why? Do you want me to do something?"
"Smart. That's exactly why I chose you. What I need you to do is simple: act as my mole, infiltrate the Angel Faction, and report the movements of their leader, Ophanimon, to me."
Doesn't this mean being a double agent? How... how thrilling! Komatsu immediately bowed her head and said loudly, "I will not fail your expectations, My King! In life, I am your subject; in death, I am your ghost..."
After a long-winded "essay" of several thousand words, Komatsu licked her lips and asked, "Um, are there any perks?"
"Heh, naturally." Aomori snapped his fingers, and a black Digi-Egg appeared before her. "This is a special Digimon egg. If you train it well, you'll easily be able to take down other 'otherworlders' like yourself."
Hoho, a unique Digimon just for me! Having read the guides, Komatsu knew how important a strong Digimon partner was. She had essentially won at the starting line.
"Thank you, My King! I'll work hard every day!"
"Good. I'll be watching you."
…
This was the new expansion pack Akihiko Kayaba had added, the War of Light and Darkness, with Aomori acting as the Hell Faction Boss to oppose the Heaven Faction.
Originally, the Heaven Faction had the advantage in numbers, but their leader, Ophanimon, surrendered before the battle started, defecting to the enemy on her own initiative. This left a multitude of players heartbroken.
"Ophanimon, didn't we agree to take the game seriously?" Aomori said helplessly, looking at Ophanimon, who was clinging to him.
"No! The game is only fun when I'm with Master. Why do we have to be on separate sides?"
"Fine. Since things have turned out like this, let's head back. Kayaba should be almost done."
"Mhm!"
Taking Ophanimon and LadyDevimon with him, Aomori returned to the Steel Empire's headquarters laboratory. There, Akihiko Kayaba, wearing a white lab coat, was directing several mechanical Digimon to perform final adjustments on a metallic-lustered Digimon.
"You've come at the right time. Machinedramon is almost complete," Kayaba said.
"Good. What about Kimeramon?"
"That was easier; it was made long ago. It just hasn't had a soul injected yet."
"Alright, let's do them one by one then."
"Sure."
First to be activated was Machinedramon. As the device powered up, the red glow in its eyes intensified. It scanned the people and Digimon in the lab without a trace of emotion.
"Looks like the type that won't follow orders."
"Yes. Even though I programmed control commands, the data processing capability of a Mega level allows it to rewrite those commands quickly. We have about thirty minutes of safety."
"I won't need that long." Aomori smiled. The purple glow in his eyes bloomed, and his psychokinetic power silently seeped into Machinedramon's body, suppressing its consciousness.
Next, he took out a Poké Ball. After dozens of attempts, he finally succeeded in capturing it. Subsequently, Kimeramon was captured by Aomori using the same method.
"Now for the most critical step." Aomori took the two Poké Balls to a testing site constructed by Kayaba, designed to be theoretically indestructible.
Inside the nearly 100-meter cubic space, Aomori was alone; he had even refused Ophanimon's entry.
"Come forth, Machinedramon and Kimeramon!"
Aomori released the two Digimon. Having been captured, they were relatively obedient. He then retrieved a card from his system inventory, the long-neglected Polymerization card.
"Activate the Magic Card: Polymerization! Appear before me, Millenniummon!"
The Polymerization card turned into two yellow beams of light, wrapping Machinedramon and Kimeramon into two spheres that spiraled around each other before merging into one.
As the light faded, Machinedramon and Kimeramon had vanished. In their place stood a massive four-armed Digimon with two cannons on its shoulders and a ferocious face closely resembling Greymon.
"Millenniummon, it's been a long time."
"In the end, I still couldn't escape your clutches." To Aomori's surprise, Millenniummon actually responded. "All my efforts were in vain. And so, the same will be true for you."
"What do you mean? You already knew what was happening and what I was going to do to you?" Aomori asked, puzzled.
"I am not that strong; I cannot clearly see things that haven't happened. It is just that 'me' from many timelines has suffered defeat at your hands. Thus, I thought of banishing you to another Digital World back when you were weak. Unfortunately, you still found your way back. Now, I am no match for you. Come, I will not waste time struggling further."
Millenniummon closed its eyes, looking like it was ready for the slaughter. This confused Aomori even more. "You used to be so calm, not the type to give up easily. Not to mention you didn't lose heart after years of that love-hate struggle with Ryo Akiyama. Why are you just giving up now that you've met me?"
"Ryo Akiyama is different from you."
"True, quite different. Probably because I can take you away from the Digital World. You... don't want to stay here anymore?"
Millenniummon was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I am Millenniummon, and Millenniummon is me, but I have many, many individuals. We are distributed across different timelines, repeatedly witnessing the birth and death of one Digital World after another, or being destroyed by various DigiDestined. I am tired of it. I look forward to seeing a different world."
"So you appeared before me on purpose to get my attention?"
"Correct. Though I didn't expect you to summon me out in this manner. Originally, I planned to cause trouble in some world to lure you over."
From the observations of his True Sight state, Millenniummon wasn't lying this time.
Aomori stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. "Taking you away from this world isn't impossible, but you must enter a contract with me."
He currently happened to have a pet slot open. He had intended to save it for Ophanimon, but he would let Millenniummon use it for now.
"No problem," Millenniummon agreed immediately. Thus, witnessed by the system, Millenniummon became Aomori's pet.
From its stat panel, Millenniummon's attributes were no worse than his other pets, and its space-time skills placed its combat capability in the top tier. However, these weren't Aomori's primary focus.
"Millenniummon, open your mind. Do not resist."
Millenniummon nodded and lay down like a puppy. Aomori placed his hand on its head. Purple light flooded his eyes, and with surging psychokinetic power, his consciousness crashed into Millenniummon's body.
In Millenniummon's soul space, he saw a misty Digimon sealed inside a crystal, its eyes closed as if unconscious.
"It seems MoonMillenniummon hasn't awakened yet." Aomori lowered his gaze, funneling favorable thoughts into the souls of MoonMillenniummon and Millenniummon.
He was going to use brainwashing to try and raise his favorability with Millenniummon to Lv.10 to trigger Bond Evolution.
Originally, Millenniummon's skill traits could only activate within the Digital World. but if it merges with me, it should be able to affect the real world. If so, perhaps I can travel back and forth between dungeon worlds without relying on the system.
Ever since becoming an Awakened, he had been able to remain conscious during the process of entering a dungeon, observing the entire sequence. However, with his own strength alone, he still couldn't tear through spatial barriers. That was why he wanted to borrow Millenniummon's power.
If it succeeded...
Aomori exhaled softly and withdrew from Millenniummon's soul space. Within the system, his favorability with Millenniummon had reached the maximum level.
"Now, it's time to witness a miracle." Aomori took several deep breaths and whispered, "Millenniummon, Bond Evolution!"
Millenniummon instantly turned into a streak of black light and merged into Aomori's body. Powerful energy erupted from him, slamming into the six walls with a creaking sound.
Once the violent tremors subsided, many strange patterns appeared on Aomori's face. A thick tail grew from his back, hard black armor covered his entire body, and two large cannons extended from his shoulders.
"This feeling..."
After Aomori closed his eyes to inspect his status, he suddenly snapped them open, reached out with his right hand, and made a slashing motion.
A deep, dark hole immediately appeared, with boundless red mist swirling within.