"Heh… calling themselves a rebel army when they're nothing but a bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled…"
Myotismon's voice carried open disdain, and understandably so. The ragtag force Zero had scraped together was, in the eyes of the Dark Army, utterly beneath notice.
Never mind their laughable combat ability—a mixed group of Rookie and Champion Digimon without a single Ultimate-ranking commander, and likely full of freeloaders.
Ninety percent of their total fighting power rested squarely on Zero alone. In other words, if Zero fell, the entire force would crumble instantly.
Because of that, Myotismon didn't even bother sending a special unit to "raid their home."
Sure, Zero's base currently housed nothing but invalids and labor-types. If Myotismon wished, the moment Zero left, he could easily send troops to annihilate the leftover stragglers.
But precisely because those stragglers had no military value at all, destroying them wouldn't injure Zero in the slightest—only waste effort.
What was that saying again?
…A body full of openings can feel impossible to strike.
Zero likely understood this very well. That was why he gathered such a frail, motley army to begin with. After all, Fairy Lake's base had Piximon's barrier—outsiders could neither detect nor breach it.
But the Pyramid Base, out in the open, had nothing substantial to defend it. If someone infiltrated it, things would get troublesome.
Of course, the Pyramid Base itself was effectively a fortress. Once repairs were complete, it could withstand ordinary intruders without an issue.
Even against a typical Ultimate-level attacker, it could hold on for a while—after all, it was built by the techno‑mad genius Datamon, using a low‑spec version of Spiral Mountain as its foundation.
Unless Myotismon or one of the Dark Masters personally marched there, the base probably wouldn't fall…
And Myotismon, let alone the Dark Masters, would hardly stoop to personally attacking a pile of useless weaklings. Way too embarrassing.
Thus, low‑tier invaders could be held off by the Pyramid Base, and high‑tier enemies wouldn't bother attacking. At least until Zero fell, the Pyramid Base remained relatively safe.
Gatomon mentioned none of this. She didn't even hint at Piximon or Andromon's involvement.
She simply reported the local situation and explained that Zero intended to attack Myotismon's castle next.
"I see. So after dealing with that useless Etemon, he's set his sights on me as the next target? Excellent…"
Myotismon saw no reason to doubt it. By all logic, it was indeed time for Zero to challenge him.
In terms of strength, Zero now clearly surpassed Myotismon. And of course, Gatomon never told him that Zero had touched the threshold of Mega-level Digivolution.
To Myotismon's knowledge, Zero was still at the same level as their previous encounter. Digimon evolution beyond Ultimate was always difficult—true power leaps required extraordinary catalysts, not normal training.
In Myotismon's eyes, Zero was strong, but not unbeatable…
Which meant the key lay in the trump card Myotismon had already arranged.
"Gatomon…"
"Yes, Myotismon-sama!"
She was the undercover agent he'd specifically planted to gain Zero's trust. Now was finally the moment for that hidden piece to be played.
"It's time. Just follow the plan exactly."
"…Of course."
Gatomon lifted her head. Her voice was steady and cool, and through the bat-projection Myotismon could not see the quiet resolve flashing in her eyes.
Earlier, she'd wanted to confess everything—her origin, her mission—to Taichi, Hikari, and Zero. But when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them.
She was afraid. If her identity as an infiltrating traitor was revealed, she would never be accepted again. They would turn on her instantly—anyone could predict that.
So, she decided to handle this in her own way.
The coming battle would surely be brutal, but…
…Strangely, Gatomon found herself filled with a feeling she'd never known before.
Battle had always meant pain. To dull that pain, she'd made a habit of detaching herself from her enemies. She never questioned the meaning of fighting. She simply accepted missions blindly… and completed them.
This was probably the first time she was fighting for a clear, personal purpose—
…And just that tiny shift in her heart left her feeling impossibly full inside.
The transmission ended. Seated upon his throne, Myotismon stared at the trace of blood‑mist dissipating from his fingertip, an oddly thoughtful look on his face.
"Strange… why do I feel this vague irritation?"
Everything was proceeding according to plan, yet his sixth sense whispered an inexplicable unease.
Since evolving to Ultimate and gaining his current power, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt something like this.
"Myotismon-sama…"
The soft fluttering of wings approached. From the darkness emerged a bat-like Digimon.
"…Ah. It's you."
DemiDevimon.
A Rookie of utterly bottom-tier combat strength within the Dark Army. But his mind was keen—especially his talent for manipulation and instigation.
In Adventure's original plot, DemiDevimon repeatedly used smooth words to splinter the kids' team…
Disrupting harmony, sowing suspicion, tearing bonds apart—weakening the team so thoroughly their combat ability plummeted. In truth, DemiDevimon accomplished things even some Ultimates failed to achieve.
In terms of actual damage inflicted on the Chosen Children, one could argue he accomplished more than the Dark Masters ever managed.
Which explained why many joked that Taichi's greatest enemy in Adventure wasn't Devimon—it was Yamato.
All this was why, despite his useless battle power, DemiDevimon earned a small place by Myotismon's side. He couldn't execute grand schemes, but when it came to petty sabotage, he was unmatched.
Looking at DemiDevimon, a thought flickered through Myotismon's mind.
He still didn't believe anything in his plan was amiss—but caution was never a fault. If something did go wrong…
And choosing strong Digimon would draw too much attention. DemiDevimon was clever, unobtrusive, and disposable—a perfect backup piece.
"I have a task for you…"
Myotismon said lightly. DemiDevimon immediately flapped forward with a sycophantic grin.
"Yes, Myotismon-sama! Your humble servant awaits your command~"
...
War only half plays out on the battlefield. The other half begins long before the fighting starts.
Both Zero and Myotismon prepared their own contingencies before the final clash. Which one would prevail… would be decided by strength alone.
The day after Zero formally declared war on the Dark Army under the banner of the rebels, he launched a lightning-fast assault.
The first unlucky victims were Myotismon's Phantomon-led Bakemon Corps—a force of ghostly assassins skilled in stealth, infiltration, and terror tactics.
But Zero, astonishingly, located them the moment he set out. And so a full-scale annihilation began!
Taichi gripped the Tag tightly, the Crest of Courage blazing. Zero, carrying the Crest's power, charged as MetalGreymon through swarming Bakemon.
White-sheet ghosts with Halloween faces—able to turn invisible, phase through walls, and manipulate minds. Maddening enemies to deal with.
In the original story, Myotismon used the Bakemon Corps to control masses of humans, feeding their life force to fuel his evolution toward Mega.
Knowing the danger they posed, Zero naturally refused to let them live.
Zero's will and DigiCore were far too strong for their psychic attacks. Their mind control was completely useless on him.
But Zero's immunity didn't apply to everyone else. If these things reached the Real World, the resulting disaster would be unbearable. Better to crush them now.
Bakemon were terrifying bullies against the weak—but utterly helpless against a real powerhouse. Their attacks couldn't even scratch Zero.
Zero was in no mood to be polite. Physical attacks were limited against Bakemon, yes—but under a mushroom cloud, all beings were equal. Giga Destroyer didn't care if you were ghost, demon, or weird spirit. Not affected by physical attacks? Then taste this!
There was no enemy that couldn't be killed by a point-blank blast. If there was, that just meant you weren't using enough firepower.
Zero's combat style inherited the finest traditions of the Metal Empire: no hesitation, no strategy—just shoot first. Everything else could be discussed if they somehow survived.
The flash of Giga Destroyer lit up the world like a second sun. The ghostly Bakemon screamed, swallowed by the blazing light, disintegrating instantly.
A rising mushroom cloud marked the corps' near-total destruction… and just then, as Zero fired another blast, a cold glint flickered in the shadows. A scythe emerged beside him, carving an erratic, ghost-like arc as it slashed toward him.
But just as it was about to strike—its movement froze.
"…Sorry. You were too slow."
"?!"