Chapter 108: The Whole World Needs a Change
The Dark Network pulsed beneath their feet, a sprawling web of corrupted data cables burrowing into the very foundation of the continent. Mizuki stared down at the sprawling mess, his mind rapidly piecing together the fragmented clues they had gathered.
He already harbored specific suspicions about the origins of this digital blight. First and foremost, while Datamon possessed the technical genius required to engineer such a massive infrastructure, the logistics simply did not align. The mechanical Digimon had been brutally defeated by Etemon. Forcing himself into a state of self-repair while simultaneously constructing a continent-spanning surveillance and control grid was practically impossible. Datamon simply lacked the necessary resources and processing power to accomplish both tasks at once.
Therefore, only one logical conclusion remained. The Dark Network had been planted in this world by an entirely different entity.
The scene unfolding before Mizuki's eyes served as the final piece of concrete evidence.
"Belle, do you feel that?" Mizuki asked, his voice low.
"The spatial structure in that dark-shrouded zone ahead..." Belle trailed off, her gaze fixed on the distorted horizon. "It feels unstable. Fractured."
"Exactly," Mizuki nodded. "Sometime in the past, the spatial barrier here was shattered by an external force. Something from another world crossed over into this one and left the Dark Network behind."
"Something from another world?" Belle's brow furrowed deeply. A look of distinct distaste crossed her features as a specific, highly annoying figure surfaced in her memories. "Mizu, you don't mean—"
"You're thinking of GranDracmon, right?" Mizuki tilted his head, flashing her a faint, reassuring smile. "Unfortunately, it's not him."
Ever since GranDracmon had tricked her, Belle had developed a rather severe case of paranoia regarding the ancient vampire. Whenever something felt out of place or reeked of dark manipulation, her mind immediately jumped to him as the prime suspect.
Mizuki found the reaction somewhat amusing, though he had to admit, his own thoughts had drifted in a similar direction a moment ago.
Meanwhile, in an entirely different dimension, a certain ancient vampire was currently experiencing a deep sense of melancholy.
Sitting in the dimly lit parlor of his grand castle within the Dark Area, GranDracmon slumped in his ornate chair. He had been silently observing Mizuki and Belle through a scrying projection, and their casual slander stung his pride.
He turned his gaze toward the three captive Digimon seated across the card table from him.
"You see? You hear how they talk about me?" GranDracmon gestured dramatically toward the projection. "Do I really look like the kind of guy who constantly schemes and plays cheap tricks?"
The three Holy Digimon stared at him in dead silence.
"I mean, I won't deny that I'm not exactly a saint," GranDracmon continued, pressing a hand to his chest in mock hurt. "But ultimately, I'm vastly different from the other riffraff crawling around the Dark Area, aren't I?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Faced with GranDracmon's tearful accusations, the three angelic beings exchanged flat, unimpressed glances. None of them knew how to respond to such blatant hypocrisy.
Finally, one of the two Seraphimon sighed, breaking the silence to interrupt the vampire's nagging.
"GranDracmon, stop talking nonsense. It is your turn to play."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot." GranDracmon casually flipped his cards onto the table. "I win."
"What?!" The third Digimon at the table, a Cherubimon, slammed his heavy paws against the wood. "How is this possible? You won again? You evil, dark Digimon, you definitely cheated!"
"I refuse to accept this outcome! Let's restart! Deal the cards again!"
It was difficult to say whether his current state of absolute shamelessness was a result of being captured by GranDracmon, or the sheer trauma of being ruthlessly schemed against by his two fellow angels. Whatever the cause, Cherubimon had completely abandoned his holy dignity and was now acting like a sore loser in a back-alley casino.
Watching their comrade throw a tantrum, the two Seraphimon clutched their chests in deep heartbreak.
"Cherubimon, how can you behave like this?" the first Seraphimon scolded, his tone dripping with righteous disappointment.
"As noble Holy Digimon, even if our card skills are inferior, we must maintain our grace. We cannot be sore losers," the second Seraphimon chimed in.
"Exactly, exactly," GranDracmon nodded along, thoroughly enjoying the show.
"You two—!" Cherubimon bared his teeth, his fury boiling over.
He was so angry his small, round face flushed a deep, violent red. He looked as though he might Fall and transform into his Vice form at any given second.
How dare these two absolute rascals use the name of Holy Digimon to lecture him? They completely ignored the fact that they were the ones who had lured him into GranDracmon's trap using forged, highly compromising pictures of Ophanimon! Where was their noble, holy grace when they were blackmailing him with those photos?
He had been too naive back then. He actually fell for their trick!
His old friend—another Cherubimon who had long since Fallen—had been absolutely right all along.
All Seraphimon were rotten to the core!
As the three angels bickered endlessly over the card game, GranDracmon leaned back in his chair, thoroughly entertained.
In truth, the card game itself meant very little to him. The real prize was the sheer amusement of the situation. It was a well-known fact that the supposedly rigid, rule-bound Holy Digimon of the Divine Sequence were actually the most entertaining creatures to break. They had been trapped in their old-fashioned, dogmatic ways for so long that their psychological suppression had reached critical mass.
Now that they were finally forced to let loose in his castle, every single one of them had completely shattered their pristine public image.
GranDracmon chuckled to himself, shifting his attention back to the scrying projection to check on Mizuki's progress.
Let us hear what the little guy has to say next.
Through the projection, Mizuki's calm, analytical voice echoed into the parlor.
"While it is true that the old vampire is usually quite boring, he wouldn't do something as crude as this. Knowing his style, leaving behind a hidden gate to travel freely between the Digital World and the Human World is far more likely."
GranDracmon sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.
His sudden, exaggerated gasp instantly drew the attention of the three bickering angels. They stopped arguing and turned to stare at him.
"GranDracmon," the first Seraphimon began, his tone suddenly grave. "What is the meaning of that reaction?"
"You didn't..." Cherubimon narrowed his eyes. "You didn't actually leave a gate connecting the two worlds in that dimension, did you?"
Under the intense, scrutinizing glares of the Holy Digimon, GranDracmon remained perfectly silent for a long moment. Then, he tilted his head, blinked his eyes wide, and struck an adorable pose.
"Ehehe." He winked, an imaginary star practically pinging off his teeth.
"Ugh! I am actually going to throw up!" Cherubimon gagged, slumping heavily against the second Seraphimon and dry-heaving dramatically. "Can you not act normal for one minute?!"
"Cherubimon, you absolute scoundrel! Get off me, do not throw up on my armor!" The second Seraphimon shoved at the heavy beast. "Brother! Brother, come save me!"
The first Seraphimon completely ignored his brother's desperate struggles. His cold, hidden gaze remained locked onto the ancient vampire across the table.
"GranDracmon, do you have any idea what you are doing?" Seraphimon demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. "That world... is the Original World."
"If the Human World and the Digital World in that specific dimension begin to connect, countless parallel worlds will be directly affected. When the foundational balance is broken, absolute chaos will follow."
Seraphimon leaned forward, his holy aura flickering with tension. "GranDracmon, do you truly wish to destroy all of this?"
Meeting the angel's intense gaze, GranDracmon merely waved a hand, looking deeply bored by the accusation.
"Destroying the world... why is it that in the eyes of you Holy Digimon, those of us from the Dark Area are only ever capable of playing that specific role?"
GranDracmon rested his chin on his knuckles. "For the record, I have never once entertained the thought of destroying the world."
"They say a person's true character is reflected in how they play cards. During the time you three have sat at my table, you should have come to understand me, at least a little bit, right?"
Hearing the vampire's calm rebuttal, Seraphimon found himself momentarily at a loss for words. He frowned behind his golden visor, conflicted.
"...Then why do you want to break the balance?"
"Balance?" GranDracmon repeated the word as if it were a joke. "Why do you blindly assume that balance is inherently a good thing?"
Under Seraphimon's watchful gaze, GranDracmon slowly spread his hands wide. "Alright, I will not deny that balance is the necessary foundation for the normal operation of any world. It keeps the gears turning."
"But, have you truly not noticed?"
GranDracmon's voice lost its playful lilt, dropping into a deep, intellectual resonance that commanded the room.
"In the current cosmic environment, this so-called balance has been maintained for far too long. In order to ensure absolute stability, in order to protect this precious equilibrium, countless worlds have stagnated into dead, motionless pools."
He gestured around the grand, empty parlor of his castle. "Just like my home here. Full of nothing but endless longevity and suffocating boredom."
GranDracmon leaned forward, his piercing eyes locking onto the angels. "Tell me, Holy Ones. Do you even remember how long it has been since a truly strong individual was born in your world?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seeing the three Angel Digimon fall into a heavy, uncomfortable silence, GranDracmon allowed a triumphant, razor-sharp smile to curve across his face.
"The Digital World has fallen into an era of absolute stagnation. Constant, unchanging balance will ultimately lead to a quiet, pathetic demise."
GranDracmon stood up, his dark cloak billowing around him as his voice echoed with absolute conviction.
"Right now, rather than needing balance, what we need is a revolution!"
"A revolution that can shatter the old rules and bring new life, new fire, and new vitality to countless parallel worlds!"
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