Chapter 74: To Protect This Light, Even If It Means Falling Into Darkness
BlackGatomon glared at the back of Greymon's massive skull. She wanted nothing more than to teach this oversized lizard a brutal lesson for embarrassing her earlier. Her claws twitched, aching to strike. But she forced her paws to relax. A direct clash would not guarantee her victory, and more, they had a mission to complete.
She swallowed her pride, burying the dark frustration deep within her digicore. 'I will remember this grudge, you detestable Greymon,' she promised herself, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
Under Mizuki's watchful, trusting gaze, the two Champions assembled their forces. Greymon selected fifteen of his strongest Agumon, while BlackGatomon rallied fifteen Tapirmon. Together, this unlikely battalion marched out, their heavy footsteps kicking up clouds of digital dust as they headed toward the looming silhouette of the distant pyramid.
They marched in silence until the camp was far behind them. Once Greymon was absolutely certain Mizuki was out of earshot, his heavy footsteps ground to a sudden halt. The massive dinosaur turned, his shadow falling over the smaller feline.
"BlackGatomon," Greymon's voice was a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through the dry air. "Shouldn't you explain yourself by now? What exactly are you plotting?"
BlackGatomon paused. She did not flinch. Instead, she slowly turned her head, her piercing blue eyes locking onto Greymon's reptilian gaze. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
Finally, she spoke, her voice a faint, chilling whisper. "Greymon... what kind of King do you think Lord Mizuki is?"
"What are you implying, BlackGatomon?!" Greymon roared.
Sensing the subtle, dangerous shift in her tone, his temper flared. The sheer, terrifying aura of a veteran Champion-level Digimon exploded outward like a shockwave.
The pressure was suffocating. Around them, the fifteen Agumon and fifteen Tapirmon cried out, their knees buckling as they collapsed into the dirt, entirely unable to lift their heads under the crushing weight of their leader's fury.
At the epicenter of this storm stood BlackGatomon. She felt the ambient data around her warp and scream. The pressure bore down on her small frame, making the very code of her digicore tremble as if letting out a mournful wail.
'This guy... he truly is a monster,' she thought, gritting her fangs. Even back when he was merely a Rookie, he had already touched the threshold of digivolution. Now, after being bathed in Lord Mizuki's enhancing Digi-Soul, his raw power was staggering. He was practically standing on the precipice of the Ultimate level.
She planted her paws firmly into the cracked earth to keep from being blown back. Yet, despite the overwhelming suppression, she felt no humiliation. No anger. Instead, the corners of her mouth curled upward into a sharp, genuinely delighted smile.
Greymon blinked. The malice he expected to find was absent. Confusion flickered in his fierce eyes, and he slowly reined in his oppressive aura, letting the suffocating pressure bleed out of the air.
"I advise you to speak clearly, BlackGatomon," he warned, his tone lower but no less dangerous.
"Heh... heheh..." BlackGatomon let out a low, breathy laugh, rolling her shoulders as the crushing weight lifted. "That is exactly why I called you an idiot."
She ignored his warning growl, brushing a speck of dust from her dark fur with deliberate slowness. "However... even if you are a meathead, as long as that thick skull of yours remains absolutely loyal to Lord Mizuki, I suppose it is acceptable."
Greymon bristled. "You... what is that supposed to mean? Are you daring to doubt my loyalty to Lord Mizuki?!"
"Doubt?" BlackGatomon paused, looking up at him with a deadpan expression. "No. While I highly doubt your intellectual capacity, I have never once doubted your loyalty."
Greymon stared at her. A massive question mark practically materialized above his horned head. He felt distinctly insulted, yet she had just praised his absolute devotion to their King. His anger fizzled into a state of deep, awkward confusion.
Watching the simple-minded giant process her words, BlackGatomon let out a long, weary sigh. 'Why does such a massive simpleton possess such terrifying power? Is this the Digital World's way of punishing me for actually having a brain?'
Shaking her head, she steered the conversation back to the precipice. "While I trust your loyalty, I still needed to test your resolve just to be absolutely certain. Now, let us return to the main point, Greymon. What kind of existence do you believe Lord Mizuki to be?"
Greymon's eyes widened, his chest puffing out with absolute pride. "Does that even need to be said? He is, without a doubt, a gentle and noble King! In this brutal, unforgiving world, I have never witnessed an existence quite like him. Even the other DigiDestined... they cannot even begin to compare to Lord Mizuki! Hmph!"
"I know that," BlackGatomon nodded softly. But beneath her calm exterior, a deep, agonizing helplessness flashed across her features. "However... that very gentleness is what terrifies me the most."
She took a slow step forward, her voice dropping into a raw, vulnerable register. "Greymon, as the former guardian of the Agumon village, you know exactly what kind of Digimon I am. I am a creature born of virus and shadow. I am not a good existence. Yet, even to a monster like me... Lord Mizuki extended his hand."
She pressed a dark paw against her chest, right over where her digicore pulsed with a steady, warm rhythm. "His gentleness... it is the most beautiful, miraculous thing I have ever experienced. I can guarantee, with every shred of my data, that nothing in this world will ever surpass it."
Then, she snapped.
The warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by a flash of absolute, unhinged madness. Her pupils constricted into razor-thin slits.
"And precisely because of that, I cannot tolerate anything that might exploit his kindness!" Her voice cracked, rising in pitch as hysteria bled into her tone. "The mere thought that Lord Mizuki's gentle nature could be used against him... that it might lead to him getting hurt... it makes every single fragment of data within me shriek in agony!"
Her claws extended, glowing with a dangerous, erratic light. Without thinking, she raked them across her own arms. Digital blood in the form of glowing fragments of code spilled into the air, but she did not stop.
"I have to stop it! I must stop it! I will tear apart anyone who tries to use him!" she muttered feverishly, her claws digging deeper into her own flesh, entirely numb to the pain.
Greymon watched her, a genuine pang of shock and unease rippling through his massive frame. 'This feline... she has completely lost her mind.'But as he stared at her bleeding arms, at the raw, desperate devotion burning in her eyes, the unease faded. A deep light of understanding dawned in his reptilian eyes. He looked at the small, dark creature with a newfound, immense respect.'I feel the exact same way,' Greymon realized silently.
Sensing his shift in demeanor, BlackGatomon stopped her self-mutilation. She looked up, her chest heaving, digital blood dripping from her dark fur.
"Do you understand now, Greymon?" she whispered, her voice trembling with dark conviction. "If I had never known the light, I could have easily rotted away in the darkness. But he pulled me out. I have touched that sliver of absolute warmth."
She threw her arms wide, a terrifying, suffocating aura of dark energy erupting from her small body, climbing higher and higher. "Therefore, I will no longer tolerate even the slightest threat to him! To protect this incredibly precious light... I will stop at nothing. Even if it means damning myself and becoming the darkest Demon Lord!"
The declaration hung in the air, heavy with absolute finality.
Greymon stared down at the trembling BlackGatomon. He remained silent for a long moment, processing the sheer weight of her vow. Then, he threw his head back, and a long, resonant dragon's roar echoed from his throat, shaking the very earth.
BlackGatomon flinched, her dark aura flickering. "What?" she spat, crossing her bleeding arms. "Are you going to mock me? Go ahead. Laugh. I do not care what a meathead thinks anyway. After all, I know I am just a hopeless, broken—"
"No. You misunderstand."
Greymon shook his massive head. To BlackGatomon's utter astonishment, the giant dinosaur leaned down, lowering his terrifying jaws until he was eye-level with her. Slowly, carefully, he extended one massive, three-clawed hand toward her.
"What I mean is, BlackGatomon..." Greymon's fierce eyes softened into a warm, genuine smile. "You are, surprisingly... a pretty good comrade."
"You—!" BlackGatomon's breath hitched. Staring at the massive, smiling face so close to her own, her brain completely short-circuited. She stood frozen, utterly stunned.
Before she could recover, the rustling of the brush broke the silence. The fifteen Tapirmon and fifteen Agumon, having finally recovered from Greymon's earlier aura, scrambled forward, gathering around the two Champions.
"Even though we usually do not get along with the Agumon, Big Brother Greymon is absolutely right!" a Tapirmon cheered, trotting forward.
"Big Sister BlackGatomon, you are not a hopeless fellow at all!" another chimed in.
"Exactly!" a third Tapirmon nodded vigorously. "We still remember! Back when you were just a Salamon, you were always throwing yourself in danger to protect us Tapirmon!"
The moment the Tapirmon finished, the Agumon eagerly joined the chorus.
"Yeah! We hate praising an opponent, but we definitely have to admit the truth!" an Agumon declared, puffing out his chest.
"During the time you captured us, you never actually treated us badly!"
"If someone as caring as you is hopeless, then what does that make the evil Digimon who hunt the weak for sport?"
"," the lead Agumon stepped forward, his eyes shining with determination, "we strongly agree with your vow! To protect our gentle Lord Mizuki, we will spare no effort, even if it means falling into the darkness alongside you!"
"That is right! Because Lord Mizuki will always be watching over us!"
BlackGatomon stood completely paralyzed, overwhelmed by the sudden avalanche of praise and absolute acceptance. Her mouth opened and closed, entirely at a loss for words.
Greymon chuckled, a low, rumbling sound. "See, BlackGatomon? Everyone here truly accepts you."
Under Greymon's knowing, half-amused gaze, BlackGatomon's face flushed violently beneath her dark fur. She tried to formulate a sharp retort, a biting insult, anything to regain her terrifying image, but her throat felt tight.
Finally, unable to handle the overwhelming sincerity, she leaped into the air and forcefully punched her small fist against Greymon's massive, extended claw.
"H-Hmph!" she stammered, landing gracefully but refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "D-Do not think I am going to be happy just because you idiots spout some sappy nonsense!"
She whirled around, her tail lashing wildly. "And why are you all just standing around looking stupid?! Have you forgotten we have a mission?! Follow me!"
Without looking back, BlackGatomon bolted toward the pyramid, moving far faster than necessary.
Watching her desperately retreating figure, the Tapirmon and Agumon blinked in unison. Then, a collective wave of giggles and laughter rippled through the group.
"Hahaha! Big Sister BlackGatomon is actually super adorable!"
"Adorable?" an Agumon tilted his head, scratching his snout in confusion. "How can you tell? She looked pretty mad."
"Dummy!" A Tapirmon rolled her eyes, nudging the Agumon playfully. "Did you not notice? Big Sister BlackGatomon is just shy!"
"Ohhh! I see!" The Agumon's eyes lit up. "If that is the case, she really is super adorable!"
"Right? Right!"
Amidst the cheerful banter, the invisible wall that had separated the Agumon and the Tapirmon completely dissolved. The two previously antagonistic groups fell into step together, laughing and chatting as if they had been friends for a lifetime.
Watching his troops march forward in absolute harmony, Greymon brought up the rear. He looked up at the digital sky, a deep sense of awe washing over him.
'Everyone is gradually becoming a unified family... all because of you, Lord Mizuki.'He lowered his gaze to the distant, sprinting figure of the dark feline.'BlackGatomon... that is exactly why I said it. You are really not as bad as you think you are.'
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