Chapter 100: The Vampire Beast Attacks!
Moonlight spilled like liquid silver across the silent night, bathing the digital landscape in a soft, ethereal glow. As the earth finally shed the raucous clamor of the evening's feast, the howling wind gradually softened into a gentle, rhythmic breeze. Only the flickering embers of the bonfire remained, casting a warm, orange hue over those pure, exhausted hearts.
Mizuki sat quietly by the fire, his gaze sweeping over the sprawling pile of sleeping Digimon. A deep sigh escaped his lips, but the helpless curve of his mouth was betrayed by the obvious fondness in his eyes. It was a strange sensation. Watching their defenseless, peaceful faces, he inexplicably felt like a new mother—no, scratch that. A new father.
Moving with practiced silence, he stepped among the sleeping forms. He carefully adjusted a wing here, tucked a stray tail there, and shifted their sleeping positions to ensure the little ones were as comfortable as possible against the cool earth.
A soft rustle from the side caught his attention.
Mizuki turned his head. Belle sat a short distance away, her knees pulled to her chest. Like him, she hadn't touched a drop of the celebratory alcohol, leaving her entirely sober and sharply observant. However, unlike Mizuki's gentle indulgence, Belle's crimson eyes narrowed at the snoring, mischievous children with clear displeasure.
'These guys...'Belle muttered softly, her voice barely a whisper over the crackling embers.'They were the ones crying about wanting to join Little Mizu, but now Little Mizu has to play caretaker...''How annoying...''Alright, alright.'
Hearing her grumble, Mizuki chuckled softly. He reached out and gently poked her slightly puffed cheek. The moment her jaw snapped shut in an attempt to nip his finger, he smoothly pulled his hand back, leaving her teeth to click against empty air.
Belle let out a muffled, frustrated hum.
'It is just a small matter,'Mizuki whispered, offering a warm smile under her sulky glare.'There is no need for us to be so bothered by it.'He turned his attention back to the Digimon, not returning to Belle's side until he had carefully corrected the posture of every last sleeping child.'Belle,'Mizuki said, finally settling down beside her.'Come help me with something.'She blinked, tilting her head. Although she was still privately miffed about missing her chance to bite his finger, her posture immediately straightened. She would always answer his call. After all, she liked Little Mizu the most.'I am right here.'Belle puffed out her chest, striking a pose that clearly communicated: I am very reliable, unlike these snoring lumps.'What do you need?'Mizuki reached out, his fingers gently brushing through her golden hair.'I plan to rewrite the environmental data of this area.''However, because the ambient data reserves in my body are not quite enough to complete this scale of alteration, I have to borrow your strength, Belle.''Transform the environment?'Belle looked around the barren, sandy ground, genuine surprise coloring her features.'Why?''How should I put it?' Mizuki murmured, his eyes scanning the sleeping faces.'Looking at these children, they still seem reluctant to leave this place.'
He understood their unspoken feelings perfectly. The reason they clung to this specific patch of dirt was that this area marked both the bitter end of their past and the hopeful starting line of their new lives. It was a place steeped in heavy, nostalgic value. The only reason they had not voiced their desire to stay was their absolute willingness to follow Mizuki's commands.
But Mizuki missed nothing.
'Do you remember what I told you before?'Mizuki asked softly.'The essence of the Digital World is simply zeroes and ones. Raw data.''Based on that logic, rewriting the environmental code to change the very fabric of the land is not an impossible feat. Of course, to execute it efficiently, one needs a massive surplus of data to act as the foundation.'As he spoke, Mizuki took Belle's outstretched hand. He leaned forward, pressing his free palm flat against the coarse, sandy earth.'Although this phrase might be a bit theatrical...'A faint, confident smile played on his lips as a brilliant golden light ignited across the back of his hand, pulsing in time with his heartbeat.'Now, it is time to witness a miracle.'
————
Miles away, beneath the exact same sky, the moon hung like a lustrous, flawless pearl, casting its pale glow over the rugged terrain.
Yagami Taichi and his group had also settled down for a brief rest. As the unspoken leader of the team, Taichi had voluntarily taken the first watch. He sat cross-legged by their small bonfire, his brown eyes locked onto the dancing flames, his mind wandering through a maze of heavy thoughts.
Kari sat practically glued to his side. She leaned her small weight against her older brother, her presence a silent comfort, as if trying to ward off the creeping chill of the digital night for him.
Across the fire, Agumon appeared entirely unbothered by the heavy atmosphere. The reptilian Digimon sat on a smooth rock, his stout legs swinging back and forth in a carefree rhythm as he occasionally tossed another dry branch into the weakening flames.
The crunch of footsteps broke the silence.
"Izzy?" Taichi blinked, pulling his gaze away from the fire. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Sorry. I couldn't sleep."
Accompanied by the soft buzzing of Tentomon's wings, Izzy stepped into the firelight and took a seat opposite the Yagami siblings. True to form, his heavy laptop was already open on his knees. The moment he sat down, his fingers began flying across the keyboard, lines of code reflecting in his dark eyes.
"Although I know this might sound ridiculous..." Izzy paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. "I don't know why, but I have a terrible feeling."
"A bad feeling?"
Taichi and Kari exchanged a quick, loaded glance. Neither of them dismissed the warning. Instead, Taichi's posture stiffened, his hand resting instinctively near his Digivice.
"Then we will just have to keep our guard up tonight."
Izzy looked up, blinking in genuine surprise. "...I thought you would laugh at me, Taichi."
"If we were back in Odaiba, I probably would have." Taichi offered a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "But this is the Digital World."
"Even the most outrageous nightmares are possible here."
"...Indeed." Izzy studied Taichi's grim expression for a long moment before giving a slow nod. "But I have to admit, Taichi. You have certainly become much more mature recently."
Taichi raised an eyebrow.
"Is it because Kari is here now?" Izzy asked softly.
Hearing her name, Kari gently shook her head, her grip on Taichi's sleeve tightening just a fraction. "It is not just that, Izzy. My brother has always been very reliable and considerate."
"I won't deny the reliable part, but as for being considerate... that is highly debatable." Taichi grinned, entirely unfazed by Izzy's teasing gaze. He leaned back on his hands, admitting it openly. "I can't help it. You said it yourself—Kari is here."
"If I don't force myself to grow up a bit, how am I supposed to protect her?"
"Brother, I am not as fragile as you imagine." Kari's usually soft voice carried a sudden, firm edge, clearly dissatisfied with being treated like a helpless toddler.
Noticing her shift in tone, Taichi immediately backpedaled, offering a flurry of comforting apologies. Desperate to change the subject, he pointed a finger at the red-haired boy across the fire. "Don't just talk about me, Izzy. Look at yourself."
"Your personality has gotten a lot brighter recently, hasn't it?"
"Has it...?" Izzy paused, genuinely taken aback by the observation.
Tentomon bobbed in the air, nodding vigorously. "That is absolutely right! I have been watching Izzy very closely, so I am completely certain. Izzy has become much more optimistic!"
"...Is that so." Izzy looked down at his screen, a faint, emotional smile touching his lips. "This is probably because of the influence you and he have had on me."
"Compared to me, his influence is definitely the bigger factor, right?" Taichi chuckled, leaning forward. "Mizuki."
"If there is anything worth celebrating about getting dragged into this crazy world—besides meeting Agumon and the others—it is probably getting to know Mizuki."
"Agreed. I have never met anyone quite like him before," Izzy said, his tone turning analytical but warm. "Not only does he possess a tactical wisdom and maturity far beyond our age, but more, he has a kind heart. Yet, he is neither pedantic nor indecisive when it counts."
"Yes, Brother Mizuki is a truly wonderful person," Kari chimed in, her voice sweet and agreeable.
'Except he draws my brother's attention away from me...'she added silently in her head.'Good thing he is not a girl...'
"Kari? Did you just say something?" Taichi looked down at her, catching the faint mutter.
"...Nothing at all."
After a brief, heavy silence, Kari wrapped both her arms around Taichi's left arm, burying her face against his shoulder. Taichi scratched the back of his head, utterly bewildered by the sudden clinginess.
Izzy watched the exchange with a gentle smile, though a sharp flicker of worry passed through the depths of his eyes.
Taichi... haven't you noticed Kari's feelings yet?
These were not the normal, innocent thoughts a child her age should be harboring. What would happen if this attachment continued to grow unchecked? Izzy did not know the answer. But he knew one thing for certain: no matter what happened, he would always stand by Taichi's side. They were best friends.
A sudden, sharp tug on his pant leg snapped Izzy out of his thoughts.
"Izzy! Something is wrong!" Tentomon hissed, his compound eyes locked onto the sky.
"What is it?"
The urgency in the insectoid Digimon's voice made Taichi and Kari snap to attention, their previous relaxed demeanor vanishing instantly.
"The sky. The moon is being swallowed by dark clouds."
Following Tentomon's pointing claw, Izzy snapped his head up. A thick, unnatural mass of pitch-black clouds was rolling across the starry expanse, rapidly devouring the light of the full moon.
"What is so strange about that?" Agumon scratched his scaly head, looking thoroughly confused. "Don't clouds cover the moon all the time?"
Taichi's face hardened into a mask of pure tension.
"Normally, yes, Agumon," Taichi said, his voice dropping to a grim whisper. "But we haven't felt a single breeze all night."
"Clouds move with the wind. That is basic nature."
Kari finished her brother's thought, her small hands clenching into fists. "For dark clouds to move that fast and swallow the moon while the air down here is completely dead... that is completely unnatural."
"It seems my bad feeling was right on the mark..." Izzy muttered, his fingers gripping the edge of his laptop.
Then, he saw it.
Bursting forth from the churning abyss of the dark clouds, a phantom carriage tore through the sky, hurtling directly toward their camp.
"Tentomon!"
"Agumon!"
"Right behind you, Taichi! Izzy!" the two Digimon roared in unison.
The heavy, adrenaline-pumping rhythm of battle filled the air. Blinding pillars of evolutionary light erupted from Agumon and Tentomon, shattering the oppressive darkness. In the span of a heartbeat, the towering, muscular form of Greymon and the armored, terrifying bulk of Kabuterimon materialized, standing as living shields before the children.
High above, a massive, ornate coffin was violently ejected from the speeding carriage.
The heavy wooden doors groaned open in mid-air, and a tall, aristocratic silhouette drifted downward, floating with a chilling, gravity-defying grace.
"Who is that? A human?" Taichi squinted against the gloom.
"No!" Izzy yelled, his laptop screen flashing red with warning data. "It is a Digimon! Taichi, get back!"
The shadow descended, the moonlight finally catching on pale, bloodless skin, a crimson ascot, and a sweeping, high-collared cape.
"Grisly Wing!"
The moment Izzy's warning left his lips, the aristocratic nightmare raised a gloved hand. A deafening screech echoed through the canyon as a tidal wave of bloodthirsty, glowing-eyed bats erupted from his cape, swarming directly toward Taichi and Kari.
Seeing the overwhelming tide of fangs and leathery wings closing in, Taichi threw himself over Kari, shielding her with his own body. At that exact moment, the Crest of Courage pinned to his chest ignited like a miniature sun.
"Greymon! Super digivolution!" Taichi roared over the screeching bats. "I won't let you touch them!"
The blinding light of the Crest consumed Greymon's massive frame. The dinosaur roared, his flesh tearing and reforming as heavy, cold steel grafted onto his skull and chest. He swung his massive arm, the sheer kinetic force of his digivolution shattering the vanguard of the bat swarm.
His left arm dissolved into a mass of glowing data, rapidly reconfiguring into a colossal, razor-sharp mechanical claw attached to a high-tension cable.
"Trident Arm!"
The metallic claw fired like a cannon shell, ripping through the night sky straight toward the floating vampire.
In the blink of an eye, the digivolution completed. The towering, cybernetic behemoth of an Ultimate-level Digimon stood over the camp.
MetalGreymon!
"So, it truly is an Ultimate-level..."
Watching the mechanical claw tear through his swarm, Myotismon's icy blue eyes narrowed. With a flick of his cape, he vanished, reappearing fifty feet higher in the air, the Trident Arm whistling harmlessly past where his chest had just been.
"However," Myotismon sneered, his voice dripping with aristocratic disdain, "a mere Ultimate-level forced into existence by the artificial stimulation of a Crest cannot possibly compare to an Ultimate-level like myself, who has clawed his way to power through true, agonizing digivolution!"
Crimson energy flared violently around Myotismon's hands. He lashed out, sending two crackling, blood-red whips of pure energy slicing through the air toward MetalGreymon's throat.
"Bloody Stream!"
Watching the lethal crimson energy whip toward him, MetalGreymon did not flinch. His tattered, purple wings flared open, and the massive cyborg launched himself into the sky, choosing to meet the attack head-on.
"Whether I can compare to you or not—I will prove it by crushing you!" MetalGreymon bellowed.
Instead of dodging, MetalGreymon thrust out his retracted mechanical arm, allowing the crackling blood whip to entangle his steel wrist.
Myotismon smirked, thinking he had trapped the beast.
But the smirk vanished a second later. With a deafening roar of mechanical servos, MetalGreymon violently yanked his arm back. The sheer, overwhelming physical strength of the cyborg dragged Myotismon out of the sky, pulling the vampire rapidly toward him.
"This physical power?!" Myotismon's pale face twisted in shock, his boots skidding against the empty air as he failed to resist the pull. "Impossible—you were artificially hastened by a Crest!"
"I am not done yet!"
Before Myotismon could sever the whip or adjust his stance, the heavy steel hatches on MetalGreymon's chest slammed open. The air warped and shimmered as terrifying, high-heat energy rapidly condensed within the twin launch tubes.
"What?!" Myotismon gasped.
"Giga Destroyer!"
BOOM!!!!
A blinding, apocalyptic wave of superheated energy erupted from MetalGreymon's chest. The blast struck Myotismon point-blank, detonating in a violent, expanding sphere of fire and data that illuminated the entire canyon in an angry orange glare.
Down below, the deafening shockwave violently shook the earth. The remaining children, jolted awake by the explosion, scrambled out of the sturdy tents they had received from Aegiochusmon.
"What is going on?!" Joe screamed, adjusting his glasses as he stumbled into the dirt.
The first thing they saw was the towering silhouette of MetalGreymon hovering in the smoke-filled sky. Joe instantly yanked out his Digivice.
"Izzy! Are we under attack?!"
"Yes." Izzy nodded grimly, not taking his eyes off the sky. "An unidentified enemy ambushed us, but he just took a direct hit from MetalGreymon's Giga Destroyer."
"Huh? He took a direct hit? Doesn't that mean it is over?" Mimi asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her voice laced with desperate hope. "If he got hit by that, we don't need to worry, right?"
"No, Mimi." Sora shook her head, her expression tight with anxiety. "If it were truly over, MetalGreymon would have powered down by now to conserve energy."
Izzy adjusted his grip on his laptop, confirming Sora's fear. "The fact that he is maintaining his Ultimate-level form means only one thing."
"The enemy is still alive."
As if mocking their hopes, the thick black smoke in the sky was suddenly blown away by a burst of chilling wind.
Myotismon hovered in the center of the fading blast radius. His clothes were slightly singed, but his body was entirely, terrifyingly unharmed.
"Is that the enemy? He doesn't look like much..." Takeru muttered, staring up at the pale man in the cape.
"Takeru, do not underestimate him!" Patamon shrieked, flapping his wings frantically to hover in front of his partner. "That is the evil Myotismon! He is an Ultimate-level Digimon! He is the very darkness that shrouds the Server Continent in fear!"
"Darkness, huh?"
Hearing the word, Takeru's grip on his Digivice tightened. His mind flashed back to a conversation from days ago.
Sister Mizu... no, Brother Mizuki said that power itself has nothing to do with good or evil. Whether it is darkness or light, as long as it is used to protect, it is correct.
Takeru glared up at the vampire. But this guy... he doesn't look like a good Digimon at all! He reeks of murder!
"Alright then—Patamon! Let's go!"
"I am ready, Takeru!"
"Takeru, wait—!" Matt lunged forward, desperately trying to grab his little brother's shoulder, but he was a fraction of a second too late.
A blinding pillar of holy light erupted from the small Digivice.
Patamon digivolution—
Angemon!!!
The moment the six-winged angel materialized, a wave of pure, sacred radiance washed over the battlefield, instantly burning away the chilling, oppressive gloom that Myotismon had brought with him.
Bathed in the agonizing holy light, Myotismon's aristocratic features twisted into a mask of pure, visceral disgust. He threw an arm over his face, his skin sizzling faintly.
"Ugh—you utterly repulsive Angel-type Digimon!" Myotismon hissed, his fangs bared. "Even if you are only a Champion-level, this sickening holy aura is unbearable!"
"Ugly monster, where are you looking?" a deep, mechanical voice rumbled from above.
Myotismon's eyes snapped up. "Not good—!"
MetalGreymon dropped from the sky like a meteor, his massive steel claw raised high.
"Metal Slash!"
Myotismon crossed his arms, summoning a barrier of dark energy, but the sheer kinetic weight of the cyborg's descending strike shattered the shield, violently smashing the vampire down toward the earth.
"Angemon! Now!" MetalGreymon roared.
"Understood!"
Before Myotismon could even arrest his fall, Angemon was already moving. The angel dissolved his golden staff into raw data, channeling the entirety of his sacred power directly into his right fist.
In a flash of golden light, Angemon closed the distance, appearing directly in front of the tumbling Myotismon.
With zero distance between them, Angemon drove his glowing fist forward with everything he had.
"Hand of Fate!"
"Guaaaaah!!!!"
Holy energy was the absolute bane of dark-attribute Digimon. Amplified by a point-blank delivery and Angemon's full, unbridled power, the golden beam erupted straight through Myotismon's torso.
The vampire shrieked, his face contorting in agony as the sacred light literally blasted a gaping, sizzling hole straight through his abdomen. Had he been anything less than an Ultimate-level Undead-type, that single, devastating strike would have instantly deleted his core.
"Not dead yet?" Angemon's eyes narrowed behind his visor. "As expected of an Undead-type Ultimate. In that case, I will just have to strike again—"
"Do not push your luck, you insignificant insect!!!"
Before Angemon could pull his arm back for a second strike, Myotismon's eyes flared with murderous rage. Ignoring the massive hole in his chest, the vampire lashed out, his fist burying itself brutally into Angemon's face.
The sheer force of the blow sent the angel rocketing backward. But Myotismon wasn't done. With a flick of his wrists, two Bloody Streams lashed out, whipping across Angemon's chest with explosive force.
Caught entirely off guard by the ferocious counterattack, Angemon let out a choked groan. His data destabilized, and he devolved in mid-air, hitting the dirt as the small, battered form of Patamon.
"Patamon!" Takeru screamed, sprinting forward and sliding into the dirt to scoop up his bruised partner.
"I am sorry, Takeru..." Patamon whimpered, looking up with tear-filled eyes. "I was careless..."
"No, it is okay, Patamon. You did incredibly well." Takeru hugged him tight, his voice shaking but resolute.
"That's right! Because we are still here!" Matt shouted, stepping up beside his brother.
In rapid succession, the remaining Digivices lit up the night. Garurumon, Birdramon, Togemon, and Ikkakumon materialized, their roars shaking the canyon walls.
"Everyone, attack together!" Taichi commanded, pointing at the wounded vampire. "Support MetalGreymon! We cannot let this bastard escape!"
"Understood!" the Champion Digimon roared in unison.
"You think a pack of miserable Champions can keep me here? Arrogant fools!"
Myotismon sneered. Dark data bled from the edges of his wound, rapidly stitching the gaping hole in his abdomen closed. Crimson energy flared around his hands once more.
But MetalGreymon was not about to give him the space to cast.
"Myotismon! Keep your eyes on me!" MetalGreymon bellowed, firing his Trident Arm once again.
"MetalGreymon... you wretched, persistent machine!" Myotismon cursed, forced to cancel his attack to dodge the incoming steel claw.
The vampire's mind raced. If he stayed and fought, he would inevitably take another hit from the cyborg. He could have handled MetalGreymon at full strength, but Angemon's point-blank holy strike had severely destabilized his core data. If he took another Giga Destroyer now, even if he survived, the resulting data dispersion would cripple him and ruin his grand plans for the human world.
He had to retreat. Now.
Retracting his energy whips, Myotismon violently pulled back, gaining altitude. Seeing MetalGreymon and the flying Champions preparing to pursue, a cruel, desperate smile twisted his lips.
He whipped his cape forward, aiming not at the Digimon, but directly at the defenseless children on the ground.
"If you wish to pursue me, then watch your precious tamers be devoured!"
"Grisly Wing!"
A massive, shrieking cloud of demonic bats plummeted toward the children.
"Damn it! You cowardly scum!" MetalGreymon roared. He and Birdramon instantly aborted their pursuit, diving desperately toward the ground to intercept the attack.
But they were too far away.
As the bats closed in, Kari suddenly stepped out from behind Taichi. Her small face was set in absolute defiance. She raised her bare hand toward the descending darkness.
"Retreat, dark power!"
A blinding, pure white light erupted from her small palm. The moment the bats touched the illumination, they shrieked in agony, dissolving into harmless motes of data before they could even reach the group.
"What?!"
High in the sky, Myotismon froze, his crimson eyes widening in absolute disbelief. A mere human child had effortlessly shattered his attack with raw, innate light. Even if it was a hastily cast distraction, no normal human could possess that kind of power.
Unless...
The missing puzzle piece slammed into place. Myotismon stared down at the small girl, his mind reeling.
"The Eighth Child!"
"The Eighth Child has already crossed into this world?! How is this possible? The prophecy said... Tch. This complicates everything."
Realizing the absolute peril of his situation, Myotismon abandoned all pretense of aristocratic grace. He fired one last, blind volley of Grisly Wing toward the camp to cover his escape, then dissolved his physical form into a swarm of bats, fleeing frantically into the dark clouds.
His disheveled, desperate retreat was a stark, humiliating contrast to his arrogant arrival.
"You hateful DigiDestined! This is far from over!" his disembodied voice echoed through the canyon.
"Myotismon, you bastard! Get back here!"
Realizing the vampire had slipped out of range, MetalGreymon let out a deafening roar of pure fury. Unwilling to let the enemy escape without a parting gift, the cyborg's chest hatches snapped open one last time.
"Giga Destroyer!"
Twin missiles of superheated energy tore through the sky, detonating violently inside the dark clouds, but the resulting explosion hit nothing but empty air.
Slowly, the heavy mechanical Digimon descended, his thrusters whining as he landed heavily beside his partner. The ground beneath his feet was scorched and cratered from the battle.
"Taichi. Are you hurt?" MetalGreymon asked, his deep voice laced with frustration.
"I am fine. Thank you, MetalGreymon," Taichi said, placing a hand on the Digimon's massive steel leg.
"It is a disgrace... I couldn't keep him here." MetalGreymon stared up at the empty, scarred sky, his cybernetic eyes glowing with deep, unresolved anger.
Next time. Next time, I will absolutely tear you apart.
Myotismon!
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