'The Metal Empire?!'
Hattori's eyes widened as he read Taichi's message.
[True Love Is Agumon has sent a video.]
He clicked play. A video filled with ancient, heavy imagery came through. The cold gleam of steel, the luster of metal, constantly reflecting the faint sunlight.
It exuded a suffocating, sharply angular, and keen aura. Hundreds of thousands, no, millions of massive Machine-type Digimon lay in orderly, silent slumber within the ruins.
Before his eyes, a vast expanse of steel, a plain of metal.
The visual impact of an endless horizon gave a soul-shaking feeling.
[Dark Group Owner: @True Love Is Agumon, Where did you find this? Didn't the Metal Empire at its peak fall in ancient times?]
The Metal Empire that appeared in Digimon was just a tiny remnant.
A legion derived from using the Metal Empire's war machine… Machinedramon.
The true Metal Empire's power could be described as blotting out the skies and covering the earth.
MetalSeadramon, Machinedramon, WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon… the four Mega-level Digimon from the original anime.
Tracing their origins, they were all products of the Metal Empire's modifications.
Even MetalSeadramon's further evolution, GigaSeadramon, and Mugendramon's evolution, Chaosdramon, were merely war machines of the Metal Empire.
If the Empire wished, it could produce them endlessly at great cost.
In its day, the Metal Empire had good relations with the Royal Knights.
It had contact with the 'Four Great Dragon' Digimon, ushering in an astonishing technological revolution.
Reaching the heavens above and controlling the world below…
That described the Metal Empire's status at the time.
However, the Metal Empire, developing too rapidly, was identified by Homeostasis as a 'Virus' that would disrupt the balance between the Digital World and the Real World.
Thus, a catastrophe was unleashed. Overnight, the Metal Empire fell.
Only a few stray war machines remained.
Two of them were modified by Piedmon, becoming two of the Dark Masters.
But now, what lay before Taichi was a remarkably intact ruin of the Metal Empire!
In terms of scale, it far surpassed the old Metal Legion by thousands of times!
[Dark Group Owner: @True Love Is Agumon, How did you discover these ruins? The huge commotion you caused ten years ago didn't bring them to light. How did you manage it now?]
[True Love Is Agumon: I'm not entirely sure either. If I had to say, maybe the movements of my Digimon army were too synchronized. The massive resonance cracked the ground.]
Taichi's eyes flickered as he analyzed.
'Movements too synchronized, causing resonance?'
Hattori frowned slightly, a bold guess forming in his mind, "Kurai, could this be some kind of key left by the Metal Empire? After all, uniformity is a characteristic of the Metal Empire. Leaving the ruins for a potential future Machine-type Digimon legion isn't out of the question, right?"
As Hattori spoke, Kurai's form gradually materialized from the void, dressed in a white dress, her expression cool.
"Beep. Based on calculations, the probability of this being a premeditated act by the Metal Empire is 56.12%. The probability of it being a scheme by Homeostasis is 12.73%."
"The probability of it being pure coincidence is 31.15%."
"Over half, huh." Hattori stroked his chin, pondering.
"By the way, Kurai, with your processing power, is it possible to write a program to reactivate these remnants left by the Metal Empire?"
Data streamed before Kurai's eyes as she quickly responded.
"Beep. Based on calculation, utilizing certain vulnerabilities, such a program can be written."
"A program to fully revive the Metal Empire would require 273 days. If the program is only for partial Mega-level, Ultimate-level Digimon, and production lines, the shortest completion time is one week."
"Production lines are enough. Taichi isn't short on lower-level Digimon." A smile curled Hattori's lips as he typed quickly.
[Dark Group Owner: @True Love Is Agumon, I have a method here that can add another ability to your Crest of Revenge: reviving these long-dormant Metal Empire ruins.]
[True Love Is Agumon: What?! That's fantastic! Boss Group Owner is mighty! Boss Group Owner is invincible!]
Taichi looked at the group chat, laughing heartily, his eyes curving into crescents.
He knew it. If there was a problem, asking the Boss Group Owner was always the right move.
[Dark Group Owner: However, there are certain limitations.]
While consulting with the new world's Kurai, Hattori typed slowly.
[Dark Group Owner: First, a batch of Ultimate-level Digimon must be decomposed to serve as the initial energy source to activate the ruins. The number required is at least 100.]
[True Love Is Agumon: 100? 500 is no problem.]
Taichi typed domineeringly, looking down at the Digimon army behind him.
After a month of conquest, he had long since regained his former fearless courage.
And he had gained some of the overbearing arrogance that came with his darkening.
Throughout the regions he ruled in the Digital World, all Digimon were under his absolute control.
A mere 100 Ultimate-level Digimon were completely within acceptable sacrifice limits.
[Dark Group Owner: Good spirit. But there's a second condition: Create Digital Chaos.]
[True Love Is Agumon: Create Digital Chaos? What does that mean?]
Taichi looked at the group chat, confused.
Hattori looked at Kurai beside him and typed slowly according to her explanation.
[Dark Group Owner: Homeostasis will not permit the lost Metal Empire to revive. To avoid her notice, you must create Digital Chaos in the Real World, making her too preoccupied to care about the drastic changes within the Digital World. During this brief period, I can develop the program to revive the Metal Empire within seven days, helping you take control of this behemoth.]
This series of plans was the 'vulnerability' Kurai mentioned.
Homeostasis, as the entity restraining Yggdrasil, constantly monitors every single thing and every move in the Digital World.
Although Taichi's path of conquest was domineering, it hadn't yet crossed Homeostasis's bottom line.
The Metal Empire was undoubtedly that bottom line.
To avoid Homeostasis's attention, Taichi had to create a greater disturbance, a diversion.
And the best way to create a disturbance was to unleash a turmoil sweeping the globe in the Real World!
[True Love Is Agumon: This condition is also easy to fulfill.]
A cold, sharp smile involuntarily curled Taichi's lips.
Over the past month, using the power of the Crest of Revenge, he had sent hundreds of Ultimate-level Digimon into the Real World.
They're usually lurking in mountains, forests, cities, swamps, and oceans, and once they moved, they would plunge the entire world into a great catastrophe!