Chapter 174: WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X Cannot Coordinate
"If that day really comes, then I hope you can, for the sake of who I am now, pass judgment on the me who is no longer myself."
The gentle yet unyielding words of the past Yggdrasill echoed relentlessly within Gallantmon's mind. The memory weighed heavily on the Royal Knight, a phantom burden settling over his crimson armor.
Unable to shake the suffocating tightness in his chest, Gallantmon abruptly stood up from his spot by the campfire. The sudden clinking of his metallic plating broke the quiet night.
"Gallantmon?"
Hearing the noise, Mizuki and Belle turned their heads toward him.
Sensing the questioning gazes of the human and the Digimon, Gallantmon realized his sudden movement had disturbed the peace. He averted his eyes, staring out into the darkened ruins, offering little in the way of explanation.
"Sorry, I... plan to take a walk around."
"It is getting late. The two of you should rest soon."
Leaving those brief words behind, Gallantmon turned and walked away into the shadows, never looking back.
Watching the crimson knight's retreating figure, Belle opened her mouth to call out, but Mizuki gently raised a hand, stopping her.
"Mizu?"
"Alright, let's just let Gallantmon be alone for a while."
Mizuki shook his head slowly at Belle. As he lowered his hand, a sharp glint of contemplation flashed through his eyes.
Gallantmon's troubled reaction, to a certain extent, further validated the suspicions brewing in his mind. As the administrator of this world, the host known as Yggdrasill seemed far more emotional than anyone could have anticipated.
Could it be that this iteration of Yggdrasill was not originally a host program, but an actual human?
The moment the thought surfaced, Mizuki almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
A human becoming Yggdrasill?
It sounded entirely nonsensical. A fairy tale born of a glitching data stream. Yet, aside from that wild theory, Mizuki found it incredibly difficult to find any other logical explanation for why this world's Yggdrasill possessed such deeply human-like traits.
Nonsensical and absurd did not mean absolutely impossible.
Considering the enigmatic and often chaotic style of The Constant, if this world's Yggdrasill truly used to be a human rather than a cold string of code, then its underlying reason for dragging him into this specific Digital World became highly intriguing.
Mizuki shook his head, clearing the fog of speculation.
Until he gathered enough concrete evidence, all these inferences were nothing more than illusory castles in the air. Still, he had no intention of discarding the theory entirely. He filed the thought away in the back of his mind.
Pushing himself up from the warmth of the campfire, Mizuki looked down at his partner.
"Let's go, Belle."
He reached out, gently patting the little girl's soft head. "It is time for us to go to sleep."
"Go to sleep? Okay, but this time—"
Before finishing her sentence, Belle lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Mizuki's waist in a fierce hug.
"Mizu, you can't sneak away again!"
"Haha. My mistake, my mistake. I promise I won't sneak away again."
Seeing the little girl's adorably stubborn expression, Mizuki chuckled, reaching out to lightly pinch her soft, tender cheek.
With Gallantmon wandering the perimeter and Mizuki and Belle settling back into their slumber, the ancient ruins—having briefly regained a spark of life—fell back into a deep, heavy silence.
By the time the morning light filtered through the crumbling stone pillars and Mizuki finally woke from his sleep, Gallantmon had already returned to the camp.
The Royal Knight appeared to have completely returned to normal. The heavy melancholy from the previous night was gone, replaced by the strict, authoritative aura of a seasoned warrior. He was currently overseeing the coordination training of WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X, acting every bit the relentless drill instructor.
"Look at you now!"
"What was that screaming? What were those ridiculous, uncoordinated movements?"
"Do you honestly think you can save the Digital World fighting like a pair of brawling Rookies?"
"Stand up and continue!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
Under the crushing weight of Gallantmon's roar, the two Mega-level Digimon shuddered, hurriedly scrambling up from the scarred dirt.
[Final Elysion!]
Before either Digimon could fully adjust their stances, Gallantmon raised his Aegis shield, blasting a devastating beam of purifying light directly toward them.
Watching the massive pillar of energy sweeping across the battlefield, WarGreymon X immediately crossed the Dramon Killers on his arms, digging his heels into the ground to block the impact.
However, MetalGarurumon X, positioned just to his side, calculated the trajectory and violently yanked the dragon warrior by the shoulder, attempting to pull him out of the blast radius.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden pull, WarGreymon X lost his footing. Their limbs tangled, and instead of escaping, both of them tumbled directly into the edge of Gallantmon's finishing move, taking the explosive force head-on.
As the smoke cleared, revealing the two battered Megas, Gallantmon lowered his shield. He raised a single eyebrow beneath his visor and let out a heavy sigh.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Cough, cough... MetalGarurumon X, why did you pull me just now?!"
Scrambling up from the scorched crater in a complete mess, WarGreymon X immediately turned his frustration toward the cyborg wolf.
"My Dramon Killers, enhanced by the X-Antibody, possess the exact same defensive hardness as the Brave Shield! There is absolutely no problem using them to block Gallantmon's attack!"
"That may be true, but why take unnecessary damage when you can simply dodge?"
MetalGarurumon X shook his metallic head, his optical sensors flashing as he defended his logic. "According to my combat program's calculations, as long as you were willing to cooperate with my movement, we could have completely evaded Gallantmon's finishing move with a ninety-nine percent success rate."
"Dodge? True, we can dodge once. But can we dodge twice? Three times?"
WarGreymon X clenched his claws, a fierce look of determination burning in his reptilian eyes. "In the end, we have to face all of this head-on! We cannot keep running away!"
"This is not running away. It is called tactical repositioning."
Faced with WarGreymon X's reckless, head-on style, MetalGarurumon X let out a highly exasperated, metallic sigh.
Watching the two powerful Digimon argue endlessly over whether to charge head-on or use indirect tactics, Gallantmon's eyes narrowed into a very dangerous arc.
"Arguing?"
"You still have the energy to stand here and argue?"
"Very well. It seems you are still far too idle!"
With his patience entirely exhausted, Gallantmon no longer held anything back. He raised the Holy Lance Gram, its tip crackling with lethal energy, and launched another devastating strike right at their arguing faces.
[Royal Saber!]
A blinding shockwave of lightning tore through the ruins.
Looking at the smoking, groaning forms of WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X—who had been violently blown away by the blast—Gallantmon shook his head and turned around.
"That is enough for today."
Dismissing the two Megas, Gallantmon shifted his piercing gaze toward DoruGreymon, who had been watching the entire brutal display from the sidelines.
"Next. It is your turn."
Being stared down by Gallantmon's fierce, uncompromising gaze, the massive dragon immediately shuddered from head to tail. However, desperately trying to maintain her momentum, she puffed out her chest and bravely let out a roar toward the Royal Knight.
Despite the effort, the sound carried a distinct, weak-willed tremble.
At that exact moment, Mizuki walked over, leading a sleepy-eyed Belle by the hand.
Looking past the trembling DoruGreymon, Mizuki's gaze landed on WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X, both lying completely unconscious in a fresh crater. He could not help but cover his face with his free hand.
He finally understood.
He had used the power of Destiny and Miracles to open up new evolutionary possibilities for these two Mega-level Digimon, yet they still could not achieve that final breakthrough.
Aside from a lack of synchronized training, their absolute biggest hurdle was their clashing personalities.
WarGreymon X's fighting style leaned entirely toward brave, fiery, close-quarters frontal combat.
MetalGarurumon X's fighting style relied heavily on calm, rational, and agile long-range suppression.
One was straightforward and explosive; the other was calculating and precise.
They were total opposites. In theory, they possessed the perfect tools to complement one another, but in reality, they were constantly at odds, tripping over their own conflicting instincts.
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