Sweat slowly trickled down her forehead, and she wasn't sure whether it was from the steaming bath or from the fear gnawing inside her heart.
If she truly angered Piedmon, perhaps death would be the greatest mercy he could bestow…
…But far more often, the punishment was to be transformed into a lifeless puppet, neither alive nor dead, trapped eternally in that demon's grotesque collection, forever awaiting a release that might never come.
This was Piedmon, the demonic clown, commander of the Dark Army who stood atop the Dark Masters!
Fortunately, today Piedmon seemed to be in a fairly good mood.
"A task? Ah, yes, there is indeed something for you..." he chuckled lightly, as if suddenly recalling a trivial matter. "The humans seem to be preparing something rather intriguing, but it poses an obstacle for us. Go and destroy it… Surely I don't need to teach you how?"
"Yes!"
Without the slightest hesitation, LadyDevimon decisively gave her answer. She then heard Piedmon's pleased laughter.
"Excellent! Then I'll leave it entirely in your hands. Don't disappoint me, my dear little one~"
Piedmon's voice and presence faded. From beginning to end, LadyDevimon had no idea how Piedmon had transmitted his voice directly into her mind, across the barriers of worlds. It was a power far beyond her comprehension. Even now, as an Ultimate-level Digimon, she couldn't grasp a single trace of that mysterious power.
Piedmon's abilities were utterly elusive and unfathomable. Many who stood against him died never even understanding how their demise had come about—dying inexplicably, in every sense of the word.
Disturbed by these thoughts, LadyDevimon lost all desire to continue her bath. She irritably rose from the tub, blood-red flames enveloping her body, instantly evaporating every droplet of water.
The flames reshaped into her familiar leather attire. Tossing her waist-length white hair aside, she spread her tattered demon wings.
When she stepped into the living room, the well-off middle-class man immediately bowed obediently.
"Mistress, what are your orders?"
A man who'd managed to gain some measure of wealth and status within human society was now completely under her control with merely a glance.
Once again, irritation and jealousy surged within her.
"Why is it that worthless weaklings like you get to enjoy peaceful and pleasant lives, while I must live in constant fear, hovering on the edge between life and death?"
She approached the man slowly.
"You've already enjoyed yourself enough, haven't you? Then…"
Before the man could respond, the expression froze on his face—
A claw had already pierced through his chest. With that quick and merciless strike, the man's stunned body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
"Hmph, shocked? But in our world, life is precisely this fragile! A single whim from someone stronger, and this is your fate!"
LadyDevimon licked the blood off her fingertips, then paused as her sadistic smile froze slightly.
"...Why did I kill him?"
Her expression contorted in confusion.
"I could've still made good use of him. Dammit, what am I…?"
In a brief moment of emotional instability, LadyDevimon had impulsively killed the man. She only realized it afterward, and the realization disturbed her deeply.
The death of a mere human wasn't significant. What truly troubled her was the uncontrollable murderous impulse that had seized her in that moment.
This wasn't the first time. Previously, when facing Wizardmon, she'd also felt her emotions slipping beyond control. Now, it was becoming even worse.
This isn't right!
Her past experiences as DemiDevimon had taught her the critical importance of controlling one's emotions. She'd seen powerful Digimon fall to those far weaker due to such lapses in self-control.
Once emotions slipped, strategies crumbled. For someone like her, who had survived among powerful predators by cunning and intellect, such loss of control was unthinkable.
Even Myotismon had resisted resorting to evolving into Ultimate until cornered into desperation precisely because he feared losing his reason in exchange for greater power.
LadyDevimon's Ultimate-level strength was certainly stronger than DemiDevimon's, yet in the Dark Army, her strength was at best middling. Her true advantage had always been her calm intellect and strategic mind.
It was precisely because of this that she'd noticed her emotional instability immediately. Had it been a simpler mind, it probably wouldn't even have realized until it had already degenerated into madness.
"Why is this happening? Is something influencing me? Could it be that by absorbing human negativity, I'm also being corrupted by their emotions?"
It was the only explanation she could think of. If true, negative human emotions were a double-edged sword for Digimon—granting rapid growth in power but consuming sanity in return.
"This sort of thing…"
She shook her head hard, forcing the worries aside. She had a far more urgent task to deal with—the mission Piedmon had entrusted her.
The emotional instability was a long-term concern, but failing Piedmon's assignment meant immediate death. She clearly knew which was the higher priority.
She dissolved into a swarm of blood-red bats, flying out of the window toward her target.
...
Meanwhile, inside an apartment room, Koushiro and Wizardmon sat opposite each other, silently gazing at the chessboard in front of them.
After a long moment of silence, Koushiro picked up a piece, moving it decisively.
"Checkmate."
Wizardmon considered the board briefly, moved to respond, then shook his head and gently placed the chess piece down.
"Well done. It's my loss."
Looking at the chessboard, Koushiro sighed appreciatively.
"You're really impressive, Wizardmon. You only learned two days ago, and I'm already struggling to keep up."
Wizardmon chuckled softly. "It's just a natural advantage of Digimon."
This wasn't arrogance—it was simply a fact. A Digimon's core, the DigiCore, possessed processing abilities equivalent to supercomputers.
With even limited computational effort, Wizardmon could predict every move in advance. He'd deliberately restricted himself to a "normal" difficulty to avoid cheating. If he'd chosen "Inferno" mode, no human brain could've matched him.
"Digimon really are incredible—far stronger than humans in power, and even intellectually impressive…"
"No, this is merely logical calculation. When it comes to creativity… that's something simple calculations can't replicate."
Wizardmon remained modest. Then, both stood up together.
"It's almost time—we should head out. This time, we'll definitely make up for our earlier setback!"
Zero's group, LadyDevimon, Koushiro and Wizardmon… nearly everyone was moving simultaneously, preparing for the decisive battle to come.
And naturally, the Dark Army itself wouldn't remain idle.
Just as Zero predicted, this would be the Dark Army's most ferocious attack on the network so far. But he clearly hadn't foreseen who exactly would lead the charge…
At Spiral Mountain…
Though the full program wasn't complete, the basic framework had been laid.
Within Spiral Mountain's framework, the Digital World had been divided into four territories…
…The "Ocean," the "Forest," the "City," and the "Abyss."
And each area had its absolute ruler—one of the four Dark Masters.
An endless expanse of deep, sapphire blue stretched out, the tranquil ocean hiding countless treacherous currents below its surface…
Piedmon's figure materialized above the calm waters, smiling leisurely as he called out:
"My old friend, it's time for you to make your appearance."
With that call, the serene sea erupted into a gigantic whirlpool dozens of kilometers wide.
Above, thick storm clouds swirled into a colossal funnel, lightning flashed, and torrential rains poured down—a sight as cataclysmic as the end of days.
Within the vortex, an immense shadow loomed beneath the waves, and a deep voice rumbled from the depths:
"Oho… So the day has finally arrived?"
"Indeed," Piedmon replied, smiling. "It's finally time to show those fools exactly what they're opposing!"
"Yes… We, the Ocean Army, shall drown every obstacle in our path beneath endless waves!"
"I look forward to it greatly, old friend… Show me a magnificent performance!"
The voice beneath the sea laughed softly.
"You shall have your wish. I can hardly wait. My subjects, warriors of the sea—answer my call!"
In response, thunder exploded in the skies, and countless pairs of crimson eyes illuminated the ocean depths, each accompanied by ghostly voices rising eagerly:
"We come!"
"We obey your call!"
"Hahaha! I've waited long enough!"
"Eat! I want to eat even more!"
The overwhelming presence of a mighty legion filled Piedmon with satisfaction as he grandly waved his hand.
"Now… Advance, comrades of the Dark Army!"
---
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