In truth, it wasn't some elaborate deception, but precisely because they were inside the trap, they had failed to clearly see the truth right before their eyes.
From the start, Zero had been overly cautious, worrying about an ambush hidden in the mountain. They had proceeded carefully, step by step.
But exactly because they were so preoccupied with the idea of a hidden ambush, they'd overlooked the obvious answer displayed right in front of them.
Only when the mountain itself split open did Zero realize—the instant they first set foot here, they'd already fallen into Devimon's trap.
"From the moment I gathered those pathetic Digimon as my guards, I never expected them to truly protect me in any critical moment."
Devimon's voice was chillingly cold. Just as he'd said, he never trusted his so-called "subordinates." From the very beginning, he trusted no one.
The only one he could trust… was himself!
Strength that belonged to anyone else was meaningless. Those underlings were simply food for his own future growth.
The Black Gears embedded inside this mountain were just the beginning. Eventually, he intended to fill the entirety of File Island with them.
When that happened, File Island would transform into a fortress he could freely control with his own will—a true headquarters, the foundation of his envisioned "Devimon Army."
To accomplish that goal, he needed countless subordinates, massive amounts of data—a premium field of chives, and a steady supply ready to be harvested whenever he pleased.
But before that, he first needed to conquer the entire island.
Up to about a month ago, his plan had proceeded without any flaws. Everything had been perfect, and indeed the plan had gone smoothly… until the moment he was at his peak, when something utterly unexpected came crashing in.
Devimon still had no idea where Zero had come from. At first, he didn't consider some variant Greymon worthy of attention. He'd casually thrown a bunch of Black Gears at him, assuming that would be enough to nip this threat in the bud.
But the chance meeting between Zero and Rina caused Zero's growth to vastly exceed his imagination. With Hajime joining them, these three had quickly evolved into a terrifying force.
After the incident at the Unmanned Mechanical Factory, Devimon finally realized just how serious a threat Zero posed. He didn't ignore it—this time, he chose to personally step in and eliminate the threat.
His decision was entirely correct… but unfortunately, still slightly too late.
Devimon's best opportunity had been when Zero first evolved through Rina's power. But having missed that crucial moment, any attempt at recovery, no matter how swift, was ultimately just repairing the sheepfold after the sheep had escaped.
Then came the battle that left him heavily wounded by Zero, who now intended to seize this chance to eliminate him for good.
Devimon knew clearly: this was his last opportunity. Only one side could survive—if he wanted to reverse the situation, he needed perfect preparation right here.
Thus, he decided to reveal his hidden trump card, one he'd originally planned to use when invading Server Continent.
…This move had been prepared specifically to deal with the powerful natives of Server Continent. But now, circumstances forced him to reveal it earlier than planned.
"Burn this image into your eyes—and then… DIE!!!"
Countless Black Gears poured out from the mountain's cracks like a dark fountain, all rapidly converging upon Devimon's body.
There was no time to stop them; the sheer number of Black Gears was far too great. Even if Zero and the others blocked with everything they had, completely intercepting them was impossible.
In fact, the number Zero, Hajime, and Leomon combined managed to intercept wasn't even equal to how many Rina eliminated by herself through scanning.
Even pushing themselves to their absolute limit, they only managed to stop around one-fifth of the gears. The remaining four-fifths surged uncontrollably into Devimon's body.
At that moment, at the very center of File Island… an enormous figure, towering to heights visible from nearly anywhere on the island, stood forth.
At the Unmanned Mechanical Factory, a group of Baby-level Digimon trembled, cowering behind Andromon as he gazed upward at that terrifying figure.
"…Do we even stand a chance of victory now? But perhaps… if they still manage to win this, they truly might be the legendary Chosen heroes…"
The moment this terrifying demon appeared, the sky above File Island was instantly blanketed by thick storm clouds. The swirling black clouds twisted into a massive vortex, erupting with crimson-black lightning crackling violently within.
An intangible yet oppressive aura radiated outward, covering the entire island. Even the Digimon scattered across File Island, currently engaged in battles, instinctively stopped and stared at the demon in stunned disbelief.
"From the moment you laid eyes upon this form… you had already lost!"
The demon proudly issued his declaration, and he indeed had every reason for confidence. This colossal, supersized demon had already expanded his data volume far beyond the standard Ultimate-level Digimon.
But still… only an Ultimate-level after all.
…This level had an extremely wide range of power, but as long as the boundary to the next level wasn't crossed, even a massively powered-up Devimon would never reach that truly transcendent level of Mega.
Perhaps precisely because of this, Devimon simply chose to remain in this Champion-level state—a form he was far more comfortable controlling anyway.
The gigantic demon gently raised his claw, casually waving it. With that single movement, a storm whipped up from nowhere.
Just a casual strike, yet nearly half a mountain peak was instantly reduced to dust beneath his claws. Now he stood far taller than the mountaintops themselves, resembling a towering, unreachable pinnacle.
"…Ahaha, aren't we basically screwed now?"
Rina smiled bitterly as she looked up at that terrifying demon, a hint of bitterness slipping into her tone. The sheer oppressive force from such a gigantic body was truly beyond imagination—but surprisingly, Zero instead felt a sense of relief.
"No—on the contrary, this clearly shows this demon's full hand. He has no more tricks left to pull."
It was just like in horror movies: the most frightening moment was always when the ghost or monster hadn't yet fully revealed itself.
Those brief, fleeting glimpses—shadows in darkness, a sudden eerie silhouette, a handprint, a scale, mysterious water stains—were what truly made one's heart race.
But when the hidden monster jumped out into broad daylight, baring its fangs and claws directly in your face? Honestly, after being bombarded by endless CG movies, modern viewers would find very few such reveals genuinely scary.
Fear came from the unknown. Once the enemy's cards were fully revealed, even if their strength seemed impossibly overwhelming, at worst it just meant a fight to the death.
At least there was no need to worry about the despair of finally gaining the upper hand, only to see the boss suddenly shift into another form.
In every possible sense, this was truly the final showdown. Therefore—
"…Bring it on!"
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bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
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