Tiredness...That was the feeling slowly taking over my body. School, exams, and a part-time job... Honestly, I don't know how long I can keep this up.
I think today was probably the most exhausting day of the week. Ms. Toriumi's language class is fun, sure, but she doesn't go easy on anyone. And as if that weren't enough, there was still Mr. Daichi's history test. When I finally thought I could rest at the end of the day, the store manager called me to cover Mr. Arakawa's shift, he got sick and couldn't come in. Still, even though it had been a tiring day, at least it was... enjoyable!
- "Well, I guess it's already midnight!" - I said, standing a little from the chair and stretching my body. "Time to close up the store." The restaurant lights were shutting off one by one. - "But I don't think the buses run at this hour... I guess I'll have to walk home again." - Slowly moving toward the counter, I kept thinking, - "Maybe I should ask for a raise. I feel like I'm working too much..." - My hands touched my chin. - "Ah, but the boss is so kind to me... asking for a raise might make him feel bad." - Tilting my head slightly, a light smile formed. - "Ah! I'll think about that later. Anyway, better head home now." -
Leaving the place, I couldn't help but glance at the large sign above me. That was "Kurohana", a restaurant that served many kinds of traditional dishes, and, well, the place where I worked part-time.
Closing the restaurant doors, I turned around and glanced at the street... Completely empty. Besides the sound of the wind, there wasn't any other noise. Some houses still had their lights on, but none bright enough to illuminate the path ahead clearly. In the end, the only real light source that night was the large moon shining in the sky.
- "At least it's a beautiful night..." - I whispered, taking a step forward. - "I wonder if Mom's still awake." - Pulling my phone from my pocket, I glanced at a photo of two people, a woman and a child.
Both the child and the woman had brown hair and turquoise-green eyes, though the child had a small white streak in their hair. Those in the picture were my mother and me, smiling, celebrating my sixth birthday.
As I looked at the photo on the phone, a message appeared on the screen. Opening the message box, I couldn't help but smile slightly, it was from my mother.
— [Iride, better get home soon, the food's getting cold.] —
Watching the message for a few seconds, I quickly replied:
— [Don't worry, Mom! I won't take long. Just left work now.] —
After that, I began walking again, heading home. Honestly, it shouldn't take long, maybe an hour or two on foot. I wished I could go by car, but well, that's life. Anyway, better get going before she worries too much!
•••••
Time slowly passed; silence and darkness filled the road. Nothing unexpected happened, no problems, in the end, it was just the usual path home, the same one I walked every day after work.
However, amid the stillness... a sound echoed. It wasn't just any noise, but a loud metallic crash. It was as if something had struck a large steel structure.
Hearing the noise, my body instantly turned toward the direction it came from. It sounded like it came from the warehouses, not far from where I was. Yet, the noise didn't stop; it grew louder. And with it, so did my curiosity.
Normally, my mother always told me not to snoop around or stick my nose where it didn't belong. But... I never really listened to that advice. Curiosity is what drives humankind, and, as a result, what drives me too.
- "... Maybe she won't be mad if I get home a little late, right?" - With those words, my body began moving slowly toward something, toward the warehouses. I didn't know what awaited me, but... I couldn't be more curious. Was it a fight? A machine malfunction? So many questions, but I'd only have my answers once I got there.
My steps quickened as I got closer and closer to the warehouses. The nearer I got, the louder the metallic sounds became — and not just those, but other strange noises too, ones I couldn't identify.
Still, as I approached the warehouse, a sudden flash of light broke through, something that completely shattered the night's darkness. Even though I was blinded for a few seconds, I didn't stop. I just kept moving forward.
- "Hey... What's happening here? What was all that light just now?" - As my words ended, the whole area finally revealed itself. The place was partly destroyed, with metal beams and containers broken everywhere.
At the center of all that chaos stood a creature, or rather, a monster. It was canine-like, taller than an average human. But aside from that monster, there were others in the area.
One was smaller than the first, but still looked like some kind of beast. Next to it stood a person, brown-haired, dressed in a red outfit, something that resembled a school uniform.
Seeing the whole scene, my body froze. It was... nonsensical. What were those things? Monsters? Beasts? It was all so unreal that my mind struggled to grasp what was happening before me. Yet, after a few moments... a smile formed on my lips.
Maybe this was... a movie!? Could they be filming some kind of monster battle film? Probably... YES!
- "You guys are... filming a movie!? Aren't those... special effects!!!?" -
•••••
Everyone stared at the person who had just arrived. It was something none of them could've anticipated... A civilian had appeared in the middle of that battle.
Yet, amid the absolute silence, the civilian's voice broke through, asking whether "they weren't filming a movie." After those words, a few seconds passed before a small chuckle echoed.
- "This night's going to be fun... Heh. Another person has joined the game," - said Sangloupmon, his crimson eyes glowing as he stared straight at Iride. It was a strange image, a massive wolf covered in metallic blades, baring a wide grin filled with sharp teeth at an ordinary human. And that didn't go unnoticed by Kiyotaka.
The boy was already on full alert, and with this newcomer's arrival, Kiyotaka now had two responsibilities, not just to protect himself, but also to protect the unexpected guest thrown into the field Still, even facing this worsening situation, his face remained calm. Slowly, he brought his Digivice close to his lips.
- "The situation just got worse," - he muttered, sighing. - "Not only did Dracumon digivolve, but now a civilian has shown up. Looks like things tonight won't be easy… Well then, let's do this." - The instant Kiyotaka finished speaking, the Digivice in his hand emitted a deep purple light. But before he could even call for an attack, Sangloupmon was already moving.The wolf-like Digimon dashed forward at incredible speed, ripping through the air and slicing the battlefield apart as he lunged toward Iride. The blades on his paws gleamed under the moonlight, aimed right at the boy, ready to pierce through him.
Perhaps by pure instinct alone, Iride's body moved at the last second, stepping aside just in time to avoid the incoming death strike.- "Huh!? Whoa! Those special effects look so realistic! It almost felt like it was actually going to hit me!" - he exclaimed.
It was strange, as much as Iride's mind hadn't yet processed the terrifying reality of the situation, his body knew the danger was real. Any wrong move could have easily cost him his life.Sangloupmon tilted his head slightly, curious. - "Special effects? What could that be?" -
That was his only reaction to the boy's words. To Sangloupmon, the human was playing with him. Unlike Kiyotaka, who observed, analyzed, and adapted every movement he made, this new human did none of that. He showed no fear, only pure wonder and fascination.
It was as if, to this strange human, Sangloupmon was nothing more than an elaborate costume or flawlessly rendered illusion. And oddly, that amused the Dark Beast. For the first time in a while, instead of fear, someone looked at him and smiled with excitement. In return... Sangloupmon's lips curved upward into a faint, twisted smile of his own.
But there was no time for games.
- "Hyper Dash Metal!" -
Kiyotaka's shout cut through the air, and in the next instant, Dorumon dashed at full speed, his crimson forehead crystal flaring brightly and carving a crimson line through the night.
While Dorumon engaged the enemy, Kiyotaka sprinted toward Iride, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him closer.
- "Kid… Do you even know what's happening here?" - It was the only question Kiyotaka could ask. He needed to know whether this civilian understood what kind of chaos he had stepped into, even if deep down, he already knew the answer was no.
- "It's not a movie? But it looks so real…" - Iride replied innocently.
Hearing that, Kiyotaka froze for a moment, then exhaled sharply.
It was worse than expected. Either this boy hadn't realized the truth yet… or he was refusing to believe it.
- "All right, listen, kid. My advice? Get out of here while you can. Things around here are about to... well, explode, let's put it that way." -
The moment he finished his sentence, something happened.
- "Shadow Slash!" -
Before either of them could even react, the sharp sound of a slashing attack filled the air, the sound of blades tearing through flesh. Dorumon's small body was thrown backward, crashing violently into a nearby cargo container. The impact scattered metal fragments and debris everywhere, while a cloud of dust began to spread across the field.
When Kiyotaka turned his gaze back to Sangloupmon, he noticed the Digimon's claws now pulsing with a dark energy.
- "K-Kiyo… He's… really strong… The Hyper Dash... did almost nothing…" - Dorumon muttered through heavy breaths. The little Digimon dragged himself from the crushed container, barely able to stand, his body trembling from the blow.
"You seemed much stronger a few minutes ago," - Sangloupmon taunted, - "or maybe... it's just me getting stronger, huh? Hehe." - His mocking tone cut through the air, vibrating with arrogance.
- "What a mess," - Kiyotaka muttered harshly. Then he turned to Iride.
- "Leave. Now. If you don't want to die."-
It wasn't a threat, it was a warning. Kiyotaka wasn't exaggerating. These creatures, Digimon, weren't fairy-tale beings that spared humans; they were far from that. And Kiyotaka knew that better than anyone.
Taking a step forward, Kiyotaka began walking slowly toward Sangloupmon. His expression was calm, steady, but dark violet energy began to radiate from his body.
- "Hm? A mere human... Are you seriously going to face me head-on?" - For the first time, Sangloupmon seemed genuinely intrigued, almost disbelieving at the sight before him: a human ready to fight a Digimon directly.
- "You know," - Kiyotaka began, his voice Calm, - "when a human and a Digimon form a contract, they're connected by more than just words or commands." -
As he spoke, Sangloupmon watched Kiyotaka pick something up from the ground, a large steel rod, heavy enough that a normal person shouldn't even be able to lift it.
- "They're also connected by energy. I might not be as strong as a Digimon… but that doesn't mean I can't fight one." -
The purple aura spread fully across his body, and with all his strength, Kiyotaka hurled the metal bar straight toward Sangloupmon.
The wolf Digimon dodged just in time, confused yet cautious. But that's exactly what Kiyotaka wanted.
- "Dodging something that obvious… pathetic. I expected better." -
His words cut sharper than blades, and then, out of nowhere, Kiyotaka leapt through the dust-filled sky, delivering a powerful flying kick straight to Sangloupmon's head.
- "This is why I hate being on the front lines… Dorumon, attack!" -
The command triggered something deep within Dorumon's instincts. With a fierce roar, the small dragon lunged forward once again, his claws glowing bright as he slashed the back legs of Sangloupmon. The beast roared in agony.
- "YOU BASTARDS! SINCE WHEN CAN YOU EVEN DO THAT!?" - Sangloupmon's furious cry echoed across the field. After the blow, he staggered away to gain some distance from them. - "Damn it…" -
- "Did I say you could run away?" - Suddenly, Kiyotaka was right beside him again, fists drawn back for the next strike.
The impact was immediate. His punch landed full force, sending Sangloupmon crashing across the field. But as he flew, the blades on his paws turned completely black.
- "You little brat!" - the beast growled viciously. With a precise swing of his limbs, the darkened blades were released. - "Shadow Slash!" -
The projectiles flew through the air at frightening velocity. Seeing his partner in the line of fire, Dorumon's eyes widened in horror.
- "Kiyotaka!!!" -
The blades struck, detonating in a burst of dark energy, dust and smoke filled the air in an instant.- "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR CHALLENGING ME, HUMAN!" - Sangloupmon's triumphant snarl followed, his lips curling into a twisted smile. He believed the fight was over.
But as the dust began to clear, the sound of dripping echoed faintly.
- "This… hurts," - came Kiyotaka's voice. Emerging from the haze, his figure became visible, his hands and chest were bleeding slightly, and parts of his clothes were torn.
- "Kiyo! Are you okay!?" - Dorumon called out, worried. But in doing so, he made the worst mistake possible... he dropped his guard
Seizing the opening, Sangloupmon lunged and slammed his clawed paw down upon him. Dorumon's small body was pinned hard against the ground, the force cracking the earth and leaving a crater beneath him.
- "D-damn... I... let my guard... down," - Dorumon grunted painfully.
- "You only managed to hit me earlier because I was distracted. Now, I'll—" -
Before he could finish the sentence, something large loomed overhead.
- "You talk too much. Do me a favor... and shut up for a second." -
It was Kiyotaka, soaring through the air again, holding a massive piece of broken container. Without hesitation, he smashed it directly into Sangloupmon's head, staggering the Dark Beast and knocking him off Dorumon.
- "I told you, Dorumon, I'll always be fine. If I die, you'll know it instantly through our contract. So stop worrying so much." -
Kiyotaka extended his hand to the small Digimon, pulling him back to his feet.
- "O-okay... sorry about that…" - Dorumon muttered weakly, sounding almost ashamed.
Noticing the tone, Kiyotaka placed his hand on the Digimon's head, giving it a brief, subtle pat.
- "But you did well. Good job." - It wasn't exactly high praise, more like a quiet acknowledgment that things had gone "as planned." But to Dorumon, who rarely heard even mild praise from his partner, it was everything.
- "Really!? Me? I did good!?" - His voice suddenly burst into excitement, cheerful and loud. Kiyotaka sighed softly, barely hiding a small smirk, before turning his eyes back toward Sangloupmon, who was already shaking off the dizzying hit, ready for more.
But in all that intensity, they had both forgotten one small, but important detail...Iride.
The boy, standing a few meters away, had witnessed every second of that battle unfold. And now, finally… reality had hit him.
•••••
At first... I simply didn't know what to do. Maybe it was my mind struggling to keep up with what was happening before my eyes. For a moment, I honestly thought it was a movie, one of those absurdly well-made scenes, with fake blood and artificial smoke effects. But in the end... I was wrong.
They weren't special effects, and it wasn't a movie. It was all real. That boy, "Kiyotaka", had just been hurt, while fighting against that thing.
The liquid splattered through the air, the metallic scent filling the atmosphere. That was... blood. For the first time, I saw it with my own eyes. For the first time, I could smell it, strong, heavy, almost suffocating.
Maybe I should have run. Maybe I should've screamed. But instead... I could only watch. Every strike, every movement, every burst of energy, my gaze followed them closely. It was like watching a live match, a fight that defied every single rule of logic possible.
And yet... perhaps because of that, I couldn't feel fear. No, to tell the truth, what I felt was... excitement. Even after hearing that boy's warning. - "Get out of here, unless you want to die" - I simply couldn't. My legs refused to move.
- "How... cool." -
The explosions, the flashes of light, the roars and impacts, even the creatures themselves... Everything seemed straight out of another world, alive and vibrant. It felt like watching a battle unfold inside a game, one far more real than any screen could ever show.
I didn't want to leave. I wanted to see. To understand. What were they? How did they work? So many questions spun in my head, but not a single answer came.
As I kept watching the chaos unfold before me, one small and very uncomfortable thought scratched its way through my mind...
What if I got caught in the middle of it? What if one of those things turned its attention my way? Maybe I should, at the very least, take a step back—
Oh, right... I had completely forgotten one tiny, inconvenient detail...My luck.
•••••
It didn't take long for Sangloupmon to finally recover from Kiyotaka's previous attack. However, the wolf Digimon soon noticed something troubling... He was starting to run out of energy.
The entire battle had been draining him rapidly, every movement, every technique, every exchange consuming more and more of his remaining power. His body was growing heavier, his breathing becoming rougher. It was as though the strength that once surged through his veins was now fading with each passing second.
If he couldn't recover soon... he would be defeated
And that was something Sangloupmon refused to allow.
Turning his gaze, he found exactly what he needed, or rather, who he needed... Iride.
Why him? The answer was as simple as it was cruel, because of the nature of the beast itself.
Sangloupmon was no ordinary Digimon. He was a vampiric wolf, a predator of the shadows. And, like a vampire, one of his most dreaded powers was the ability to absorb the blood, or rather, the very energy, of others to restore his own life force.
Fate, it seemed, had decided to gift him the perfect source standing right before him: a human, unprotected, alone
For a brief few seconds, those icy red eyes locked onto a pair of blue-green ones.
And in that instant, the world seemed to stop.
They were similar, yet so drastically different.
The human's eyes were filled with curiosity, a genuine yearning to understand the wonders unfolding before him.
Sangloupmon's, meanwhile, carried something more primal... pure survival.
That moment of contact was fleeting, just a second, no longer. But it was enough. Enough to set Sangloupmon's next move into motion.
- "I almost forgot about you... Thank you for showing up at the perfect time." -
With that chilling voice, Sangloupmon lunged at full speed. With a clear objective: drain the boy dry, restore his strength, and continue fighting.
Iride froze. Completely.
His body wouldn't move; his mind raced, trying to make sense of the blur of motion charging straight toward him. The creature he thought cared only about Kiyotaka and Dorumon, now, it was coming for him.
He didn't know why. He didn't even have time to ask that question. But one thing was painfully certain, if he did nothing, he was going to die.
Yet there was a problem, yes, he had to do something, but the real question was could he?
The truth was simple: no, he couldn't.
Sangloupmon was beyond human comprehension, his strength, his speed, his killing intent.
No human could ever hope to match that.
It was all over in a fraction of a second. As Sangloupmon closed the distance, his blades glinted, ready to cut through flesh, and then, instead of tearing into Iride... they struck something else.
The sound of metal slicing flesh echoed through the air.
But it wasn't Iride's body that was hit.
- "That's why I told you to get out of this place," - came a voice, calm and steady despite the pain. - "Keeping you here only makes things more complicated." -
Blood hit the ground, drop by drop, staining the earth beneath them. The smell of iron once again filled the night. And yet, despite the wound, the same flat, unreadable expression remained on his face.
Kiyotaka was the one who had taken the blow in Iride's place. At the very moment Sangloupmon leaped, Kiyotaka had sensed the movement — and in a split second, threw himself between the boy and the beast.
His arm now pierced through by Sangloupmon's jagged claws, Kiyotaka stood unwavering. For the first time, Sangloupmon looked genuinely shocked.
- "What!? WHY!? Why did you protect him, human!?" -
Kiyotaka met that furious glare with his calm, icy eyes.
- "Because that's my job," - he said plainly. - "My job is to deal with anomalies... and protect civilians." - He raised the glowing Digivice slightly. - "That's why — I have to defeat you." -
The purple aura once again enveloped Kiyotaka, pulsing brighter than before.
"Dorumon... Dash Metal!"
On command, Dorumon's body ignited with energy. He charged at Sangloupmon, the red glow from his forehead crystal shining through the smoke. Concentrating all his power in his mouth, the little dragon unleashed a barrage of metallic spheres, firing them at incredible speed.
Each one hit precisely where Kiyotaka intended — striking the same wounds that had already been inflicted in earlier attacks. Every impact made Sangloupmon howl in pain, forcing him to retreat, staggering backward.
The Digimon collapsed to the ground, his body trembling.
Even at this evolved level, the battle had turned against him. The continuous assault, the exhaustion, and being forced to fight two opponents at once — it was too much. The energy drain had reached its limit.
His breathing became erratic. The fury in his expression twisted into something darker — desperation.
- "Damn it... damn it... DAMN IT!" -
The words poured out of him, driven by anger, by humiliation. His eyes flickered with rage and despair. After everything — even after digivolving — he was going to lose. Defeated not by fate, nor by power, but by that human and his partner.
But even now... Sangloupmon refused to surrender. If he was going to fall tonight, he wouldn't fall alone. If he was going to die... he would make sure to take Kiyotaka down with him.
•••••
- "S-... sorry... If I hadn't stayed here, you wouldn't have gotten hurt..." - The words left my mouth filled with guilt. And honestly, it was true... If I had listened to him from the beginning, if I had left when he told me to, he probably wouldn't have been injured at all.
Yet, unlike all my expectations... he merely turned to face me. His brown eyes scanned me from head to toe, calm and watchful, as if he were quietly sizing me up.
- "Look... just get up and leave," - he said after a moment. - "And if you really want to apologize, then do one thing for me: don't tell anybody what happened here. That'd save me a lot of work." -
Strange. Instead of showing anger for being hurt, he showed... serenity. There was no frustration in his voice, no rage, no blame. He didn't even seem to care that his arm had been pierced straight through. Even now, blood trickled freely from the wound, each drop falling onto the ground, echoing softly in the heavy air.
Watching him act so composed, I couldn't help but give a small chuckle.
- "Ah, right... I promise I won't tell anyone about this." - I answered lightly, trying to soften the tension. But before I could say anything else, a desperate cry broke the moment.
- "KIYOTAKA!! ARE YOU OKAY!?" _
Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw the small dragon-like creature sprinting toward him, Dorumon. To be honest, it looked like it might actually start crying at any moment.
- "Kiyo! We need to stop the bleeding right now! If we don't, you're going to suffer from blood loss!" - The tone in Dorumon's voice was frantic, more emotional than you'd expect from a creature like him.
- "We'll deal with it later," - Kiyotaka replied calmly. - "Right now, we need to finish this." -
The more I watched the two interact, the stranger it all felt. What a bizarre situation. The pair almost seemed like siblings. Although it was clear that Kiyotaka himself didn't express much in the way of feeling, there was still something unspoken between them... something like trust.
- "I... uh, excuse me," - I broke in, still trying to process all of it. - "Could you please explain what exactly is going on here?" - It was a reasonable question, my head was spinning from all the chaos, yet the answer I received wasn't what I expected.
"No. The less you know, the better."
That was all he said, blunt, final. After that, Kiyotaka turned his back to me and refocused on Dorumon, scanning the battlefield again as if nothing else existed.
Watching that, I let out a small, nervous laugh. Seriously, I almost felt like an intruder in someone else's story. And when I thought about it more... I kind of was. I had absolutely no idea how I had ended up in the middle of something like this.
But something wasn't right.
From the corner of the field, beyond the debris and half-collapsed steel containers, a shadow began to stir. The darkness moved, curling, reforming into a shape. I froze.
Out of the gloom, that same creature as before crept forward, its form now clearer under the fading light.
With a swift motion, it leapt from the shadows, the sound of metal claws slicing through the air as it shot straight toward Kiyotaka, ready to strike again.
•••••
On the outside, Kiyotaka and Dorumon looked fine, calm, composed even. But on the inside, it was the exact opposite.
The two were burning their energy fast, fighting continuously against the creature before them. Every movement, every command, every surge of power drained their bodies further, wearing them down bit by bit.
Maybe that's why neither Dorumon nor Kiyotaka noticed it the strange shift in the air.
Sangloupmon's attack had already begun.
- "LOOK OUT!" -
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"I-it's... because you... saved m–...me..."
The voice was soft, trembling.
Iride stood in front of him, a faint smile decorating his face as his eyes slowly closed.
Blood began to slip from his lips, dripping down like scarlet rain. And yet, even then, his weak smile didn't fade.
Behind the boy were the crimson claws of Sangloupmon, tearing across his back. The Digimon stared at the scene with wide eyes — disbelief painted across his monstrous face. His ambush... had failed. And all because of him.
The boy.
That was how Iride thanked Kiyotaka for saving his life — by offering up his own to protect him in return.
After all... his mother had always told him to thank people properly when they helped him.
- "...Damn it." -
That was the only word that escaped Kiyotaka's lips before he rushed forward, his eyes focused entirely on Iride.
Realizing that his surprise attack had failed, Sangloupmon stumbled back, chest heaving, desperation clawing at him. He was out of strength, completely spent. This was no longer a battle he could win. He had to escape. He had to. But the moment he turned to flee... something tore through his body.
A wet, heavy sound filled the air.
Looking down, the creature's eyes widened. The shining point piercing through his torso... belonged to Dorumon.
- "I knew it," - Dorumon growled, his voice cold and beastlike. - "I should've killed you back when you were still Dracumon, if Kiyotaka hadn't stopped me." -
The small Digimon's paw was driven deep into Sangloupmon's side. The red crystal gleaming from his forehead pulsed violently, casting light that reflected across the battlefield.
There was no saving him now. Sangloupmon's body began to break apart.. pixel by pixel, fragment by fragment, dissolving into pure data.
"D–... damn—" That barely formed curse was the last word that left his throat before his body completely disintegrated, the fragments dispersing into thousands of glowing particles.
The scattered data began to twist together above the field, attempting to converge. But Dorumon didn't hesitate, he sprang upward, his jaws snapping at the floating remnants, trying to devour them.
He wasn't fast enough to consume it all. But even so, he managed to absorb most of it.
The rest of Sangloupmon's data condensed into an oval shape a "DigiEgg." Rings of digital symbols formed around it... and then, in an instant, the egg vanished, data and light fading into the void.
- "Damn! If I'd managed to devour all the data, I might've gotten even stronger," - Dorumon grumbled under his breath, frustration written plainly across his face.
Then his eyes turned toward Kiyotaka — who now stood on one knee, arms wrapped around the limp body of Iride.
- "Is he... dead?" - Dorumon asked quietly.
- "No," - Kiyotaka replied with certainty. - "He still has a pulse. Most likely, he fainted from the pain and blood loss — those claws went deeper than I expected. And it looks like he broke an arm during the fall. Troublesome." -
Dorumon shuffled closer to him, anxiety flickering across his face. - "So what are we gonna do now? Take him to a doctor? Because if that's the plan, we'd better hurry!" -
Kiyotaka paused for a moment, looking up. The moon hung above, clearer and brighter than it had been all night — glowing almost unnaturally.
- "This night's been exhausting..." - he muttered, exhaling softly. - "Let's just get him to a hospital. After that... we'll return to the academy." -
With that, Kiyotaka began walking forward, Iride's unconscious body resting carefully in his arms.
- "Hey!" - Dorumon called, jogging to catch up beside him. - "Should I treat your wounds first? Maybe wrap them up or something before you lose more blood?" -
- "No need," - Kiyotaka replied. He lifted his arm — now wrapped tightly in bandages. - "For now... let's just finish this night." -
And so, Kiyotaka carried Iride away into the dim glow of the city lights, Dorumon padding beside him.
The night had been long. After the fierce, relentless battle with Sangloupmon, the duo's only wish was to deliver the boy to safety — and perhaps, after that, to rest before facing whatever awaited them next.
And with that... that long, bloodstained night finally came to an end.
To be continued.