BraveBeasts vanished again, the same way it had appeared. Tai had learned much more, but his mood soured all over again. Especially after learning about Millenniummon. Tai still remembered some things: Millenniummon is a composite Digimon created from Machinedramon, which possesses overwhelming power, and Kimeramon, a chimera built from the innards and components of many powerful Digimon.
No one knows why those two Digimon fused, but it's believed the key to Millenniummon's so-called invincible might lies in that fusion. Its special abilities include compressing time and creating bizarre, pocket dimensions—techniques that can trap enemies in an extradimensional prison it calls "Infinity Cape"—and firing a super-dreadnought energy blast from the cannons on its back, the "Infinity Cannon."
But Machinedramon still exists… so how can there be a Millenniummon if it's supposed to be the fusion of Machinedramon and Kimeramon?
Not even BraveBeasts knew the answer. There were still too many things in this world that could not be known.
Tai drew a deep breath and pushed those thoughts aside. He didn't need to figure that out yet. Right now, the priority was defeating Piedmon, Puppetmon, and MetalSeadramon—and the Apocalymon lurking behind them. Handle what's in front of you; let the rest wait.
He headed down the corridor and into his room. He had barely sat when a knock sounded. Tai opened the door to find Kari standing outside, gazing up at him.
"Kari, what is it?" he asked, stepping aside to let her in.
Kari didn't answer. She simply hugged him in silence. Tai sighed. Kari was still the same—she hadn't wanted to come here, but because the Digital World needed her, she came anyway.
"Tai… why does the Digital World have wars? Can't they be avoided? Why does everyone have to keep fighting?" Kari lifted her face to his.
Tai had no way to answer. He could say a lot of things—like that Piedmon and the others had started this and they had to be stopped; that only by defeating Piedmon could the Digital World know peace again; or even just tell Kari that this was really Millenniummon's fight and they were being dragged into the crossfire.
But those were things he would keep to himself. Tai wasn't going to load Kari down with that worry. An older brother stands in front of his sister. He would take care of everything; the burdens could stay with him.
He patted her back and smiled. "Don't worry, Kari. The war will end soon, and we'll be home before you know it. Here—look at this."
Tai produced a garment. "See? This outfit will change with your imagination. Its defense is excellent, too—it'll protect you. Try it on later."
Kari accepted the clothes and gave him an angelic smile. "Got it, Tai. Don't worry about me—I'll take care of myself. I still have Gatomon with me. You need to finish this needless war and bring peace back to the Digital World."
"Mm. Get some rest."
"Good night, Tai."
"Good night."
After Kari returned to her room, Tai watched her go and let out a long breath. Kari really did have the Light's constitution—too sensitive to darkness. If he was right, then by now Millenniummon was about to evolve into Moon=Millenniummon, the spirit-type Digimon that exists in Millenniummon's inner world—its dark heart given form, with no fixed shape. It often appears as crystal, but fueled by hatred and anger toward its enemies, it can change its form. Being a spiritual entity, it has no substance and is immune to any physical attack. To defeat Moon=Millenniummon, you must first defeat Millenniummon itself—but there probably isn't a Digimon alive that can accomplish that. And even if by some miracle Millenniummon were brought down, its fallen body would split, transcend time and space, and revive again. Its special attack, "Death Crystal," has no physical destructive force; it is said to sever an enemy Digimon's heart.
Millenniummon was shedding its physical form to evolve into a spirit. When that happened, it would be even trickier—an even tougher foe to deal with.
Kari stepped into her room and shut the door. Gatomon padded over, concerned. "Kari, where did you go?"
Kari hugged Gatomon and stroked her soft fur, worry in her voice. "Gatomon, why does everyone have to fight? I feel like my brother's become a little unfamiliar. He still protects me like he did when we were kids, but… why did he become the master of the Steel Empire? Everyone's a Digimon—why keep struggling and scheming? Wouldn't living in peace be better?"
Nestled in her arms, Gatomon enjoyed the petting; then she lifted her head. "Kari, don't overthink it. War can't always be avoided. I lived under Myotismon for a while—that place was steeped in darkness. They're all consumed by the urge to conquer, always looking for ways to enslave others. You can't coexist peacefully with that. Tai's good to you, so try not to worry. It's late—rest, Kari."
"Okay." Holding Gatomon, Kari lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
In the central control room, Datamon was still hard at work. Seeing Tai approach, he paused. "Lord Tai, if we keep passively defending like this, our lines will be broken soon. We need new strength."
Tai frowned. "How's the Digimon Card research coming?"
"While the cards' core can establish a Data Conversion Center, the process takes a long time—and that function halted once it was set up at Dark Tornado Mountain. So relying on a Conversion Center to boost our power isn't viable now."
"Then we have to eliminate one of the enemy to ease the pressure. Our forces at sea are too thin. We'll take out MetalSeadramon first."
"But we can't spare many troops to counter MetalSeadramon."
"We won't need to. We summoned kids will go."
"What about your safety, Lord Tai?"
"I'll be fine. With WarGreymon, I'm covered—and Omnimon's with us too. Until we wipe out the Deep-Sea Savior Corps, you must hold the line. Do not allow the defenses to break before then."
"I'll do my utmost, Lord Tai."
The night passed without incident.
The children set out for MetalSeadramon's domain, hearts fixed on restoring peace to the Digital World.
Dark Ocean.
Millenniummon and BraveBeasts faced each other down.
"Millenniummon, you won't menace the Digital World any longer!"
"Infinity Cannon!" "Brave Wave!"
A thunderous boom—their attacks collided, silhouettes thrown into stark relief by the flash.
Millenniummon sneered. "Looks like you've recombined every last one of your splits. Aren't you worried about what might happen back in the Digital World?"
BraveBeasts stared him down, wary. "Not your concern. Worry about yourself. Fearless Cannon!" A long lance of energy burst from its hands.
Millenniummon gave a cold snort. "Child's play. Mouth Beam!" A beam erupted from its maw, smashing into BraveBeasts' blast and blossoming into searing light and a deafening detonation. Neither side flinched; each bored into the other with their gaze.
Meanwhile, the kids were riding inside Blimpmon—a mechanical Digimon designed to transport troops. Everyone had their faces pressed to the windows, taking in the Digital World's vistas. They had never been this high before.
"It's beautiful," Mimi breathed as the scene scrolled beneath them.
"Mm. What's that?" Sora pointed into the distance at a place where firelight flared again and again.
Tai walked over to answer. "That's a battlefield—the front line against the Deep-Sea Savior Corps."
Matt came up. "Are we heading to the battlefield?"
Izzy joined them. "Are we strong enough to matter out there?"
Joe looked worried. "What if something dangerous happens?"
"We're not going there," Tai said. "Neither side has deployed any Megas on that front, so we're going straight for MetalSeadramon. With our current strength, we can beat it—and if push comes to shove, we still have Omnimon. We'll be safe."
Blimpmon soared over the deep blue sea. T.K. fed Patamon some snacks from the human world; Kari sat quietly with Gatomon in her arms. Matt played his harmonica while Gabumon listened in calm silence. Sora sat looking at Tai, as if wanting to say something, but in the end held her tongue. Aside from the harmonica and the whirr of gears, the cabin was still.
On the seafloor where MetalSeadramon reigned—
MetalSeadramon was listening to reports on the war from its subordinates when the seabed suddenly heaved.
"What's going on?" MetalSeadramon lifted its head, scanning the surroundings for the source of the disturbance.
A black fissure opened at MetalSeadramon's side. As it hesitated, countless black tendrils surged out and wrapped around it. Waves of black data poured through those tendrils into MetalSeadramon's body. From afar, it looked like a massive black cocoon, pulsing with light.
Just then, Blimpmon reached the skies above MetalSeadramon's territory. The kids looked at one another. In each other's eyes they saw the same resolve: defeat the enemy and save the Digital World.
The fierce battle was about to begin.
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