The Digimon Emperor leaned against the wall, still shaken, staring blankly with an expression that said he couldn't believe what had just happened.
Wormmon nuzzled affectionately against Ken's right leg, looking oddly satisfied as it spoke. "Now you understand, Ken."
"Let go of me! Let go!" the Digimon Emperor snapped, shaking his leg hard, trying to fling Wormmon off. But Wormmon clung tightly, refusing to let go.
"We were completely wrong."
"Wrong? Impossible! How could anything I do be wrong? I've always been perfect!"
"This time is different from before, Ken."
"You're so annoying!" The Digimon Emperor suddenly jerked his leg and finally threw Wormmon away, then casually lashed out with his whip. "This is just a game—and the one who wins in the end will definitely be me!"
"Gaia Force!" WarGreymon swung his arms and hurled the energy blast straight at Beelzemon.
"Quick Shot!" Beelzemon's twin guns spat a rapid stream of bullets. They were erased almost instantly by the Gaia Force—but every bullet that got destroyed also shaved away part of the blast's power. By the time the attack closed to just a few meters from Beelzemon, it had been completely consumed.
"Great Tornado!" WarGreymon crossed his arms and spun, his entire body turning into a violent cyclone that tore toward Beelzemon.
Beelzemon planted his feet and fought the storm head-on, both arms braced as the whirlwind slammed into him. His arms trembled from the strain, and his body was forced backward, carving deep trails into the ground as he was pushed down a slope. Gritting his teeth, Beelzemon suddenly twisted with all his strength, deflecting the tornado's path to the side—and then threw himself forward to escape the worst of it.
Boom!
The Great Tornado hit the cliff face and drilled out a massive, deep crater. Beelzemon stared at the destruction, his heart pounding. His arms had been sliced open in several places, dark purple blood spilling down.
Thud… thud…
WarGreymon's heavy footsteps echoed as he advanced. Beelzemon looked up—WarGreymon had already stepped out again, settling back into a fighting stance. Beelzemon clenched his jaw, forced himself upright, and raised both guns at WarGreymon once more.
The two Digimon locked eyes—and attacked at the same time.
WarGreymon leapt into the air, the cold gleam of the Dramon Killers flashing as he drove them down toward Beelzemon. Beelzemon's twin guns fired nonstop, bullets hammering WarGreymon's armor with ringing clangs. Every shot left a deep dent, crater after crater forming across WarGreymon's plating—but WarGreymon didn't slow down even a little. He pressed forward without hesitation.
Finally, Beelzemon gave ground. He kicked off hard and shot backward at an angle, trying to disengage—but WarGreymon dove with his left leg, slamming down and striking Beelzemon square in the chest.
Thud!
Beelzemon crashed into the ground, leaving a crater the size of his body. WarGreymon's right-hand Dramon Killer slashed down—Beelzemon hurriedly raised both guns to block it.
The two Digimon strained against each other in a brutal contest of strength, but the Dramon Killers kept inching closer and closer to Beelzemon's chest.
Beelzemon pulled his left arm back. A lion's face appeared along his forearm, and an energy wave condensed around his fist. Beelzemon roared, "Beast King Fist!"
The punch slammed into WarGreymon's chest and sent him flying—at the exact same time, WarGreymon's left Dramon Killer raked across Beelzemon's chest, carving out a deep, vicious wound.
WarGreymon staggered, clutching his chest. That punch had stamped a deep fist-shaped imprint into his armor, and his body was riddled with bullet scars.
But Beelzemon wasn't in any better shape. His body was covered in countless wounds—yet the worst by far was the gash across his chest. Even with his hand pressed over it, dark purple blood kept pouring out.
"Gaia Force!" WarGreymon stood up again, gathered another blast, and fired at Beelzemon—who was down on one knee. Beelzemon snapped both guns up and tried to brace against it.
Boom!
Beelzemon was blown backward, his body scorched black in places, blood running from fresh tears.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!" Beelzemon laughed at the sight of his battered body—but the laughter was packed with fury that seemed ready to burst into the sky. "You've made me angry."
"And you're still saying things like that?!" An enraged voice snapped from behind the Digimon Emperor.
The Digimon Emperor turned—and saw the kids, every one of them glaring at him, faces tight with anger.
"The Kimeramon I created with my own hands will never lose to you," the Digimon Emperor said, still wearing that smug, arrogant expression.
"Why would you create a Digimon like that? Do you really think what you're doing is right?!" Yolei demanded.
Cody stepped forward, adding sharply, "You gather up a pile of Digimon data, mash it together, and call it 'my Digimon'—don't you think that's ridiculous? Digimon aren't toys!"
"Look at them!" T.K. pointed at Patamon and the others. "They have lives. They're real. They're the ones we treasure—our partners!"
The Digimon Emperor's eyes widened at those words—but then, in the next instant, the pain in his head surged and crushed him again. It passed quickly, but when it was gone, he snapped right back into that same cold look.
Kari walked forward, furious. "You're a Chosen Child too. How can you not know that? Isn't your Digimon your partner?" She pointed at Wormmon on the ground, shaking with anger.
The Digimon Emperor lowered his head, looking at Wormmon. His voice dropped, dark and heavy. "A Digimon worthy of standing with me should be…"
Then his voice suddenly rose.
"Kimeramon!"
Elsewhere, Kimeramon was rampaging—spewing Heat Vipers again and again, hunting Magnamon relentlessly while Magnamon dodged through the collapsing corridors. Every missed beam slammed into the fortress structure and melted steel into molten runoff. The entire base shook with ear-splitting explosions.
From the outside, the Digimon Emperor's base was bursting with firelight. From time to time, a scorching pillar of light shot straight into the sky, melting open another massive hole in the fortress.
The base was already in ruins, on the verge of collapse. It had completely stopped moving—and it was sinking, descending steadily.
Magnamon grabbed a pillar to steady himself—then Kimeramon's Heat Viper blasted through it, snapping the heavy steel column. The broken pillar crashed down and pressed Magnamon toward the darkness below.
Magnamon swung his arms and hurled the pillar at Kimeramon, but Kimeramon casually smacked it away with a single skeletal claw.
Magnamon shot in from behind and drove a brutal kick into Kimeramon's chest, sending it flying and slamming it into the wall—embedded there for a moment.
Kimeramon opened its mouth and fired a Heat Viper point-blank.
The scorching beam struck Magnamon dead-on, burning across his armor and shoving him backward until he slammed into the central engine chamber.
Boom!
The engine chamber exploded. Firelight flooded the space, and fragments rained downward, detonating again at the bottom. The blast lit everything below like daylight.
WEE-OOO! WEE-OOO! WEE-OOO!
Alarms howled throughout the base as it began to quake violently. The kids, completely unprepared, nearly fell.
"This base is finished. If you want to die, then stay here," the Digimon Emperor spat, and immediately fled.
Flames surged up through the cylindrical engine space, explosions chaining one after another. The shaking grew even worse. Davis tried to chase, but the tremors nearly knocked him off his feet, forcing him to abandon it.
The kids quickly had their Digimon Armor Digivolve, mounted up, and raced to escape the fortress before it crashed.
Boom!
Magnamon smashed through the wall and burst out into open air. Kimeramon surged after him.
Magnamon's thrusters ignited, stabilizing him in midair. His armor shifted and opened, revealing built-in launchers.
"Plasma Shot!"
Dozens of spherical plasma blasts streaked out trailing white smoke, slamming into Kimeramon behind him.
Boom!
The explosions flared, completely swallowing Kimeramon's silhouette in firelight.
At that moment, the kids finally broke through the last wall and escaped the Digimon Emperor's base—only to be met head-on by the sight of Magnamon and Kimeramon battling in the sky.
Ken, riding atop Devidramon, looked back once at the base—then Devidramon shot upward, soaring away.
The fortress, belching fire and smoke, slammed into the desert with a deafening crash, throwing up a towering cloud of dust.
"Extreme Jihad!"
Magnamon pushed every last bit of power through his body. Golden armor blazed, and a massive energy wave washed over Kimeramon.
Inside the golden light, Kimeramon screamed in agony, its body showing signs like it was about to melt.
But then the wave vanished.
Magnamon felt it immediately—his power was completely exhausted. He couldn't even keep himself airborne anymore. His body dropped toward the sand below.
Kimeramon was steaming all over, as if it had been boiled alive by the heat. Then it raised one arm, caught Magnamon in its hand, and squeezed viciously.
Magnamon let out a pained cry as the Time DigiZoid armor cracked with sharp, grinding sounds.
"Perfect! Crush it into pieces for me, Kimeramon!" the Digimon Emperor laughed wildly from atop Devidramon.
"Hang in there, Magnamon!" Wormmon shouted, cheering for him.
The Digimon Emperor's face twisted with rage. He raised his hand and whipped Wormmon across the body. "What did you say?!"
Tears glimmered in Wormmon's eyes as it looked at him. "Ken… even now, you still don't understand? I remember the old Ken wasn't like this. Back then, when we explored the Digital World together, you were kind—you understood people. We laughed together, and we cried together…"
Magnamon struggled in Kimeramon's grip, but he couldn't force out any strength at all.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!" That sinister voice came from Kimeramon's mouth again, dripping with malice. "If you were at full strength, I'd be fleeing for my life. But right now, you're nothing but an empty shell. Even your energy is half-baked. So the mighty Royal Knight ends up like this…"
"Kill you, and I'll be the first to slaughter a Royal Knight. Hah! Hah! Hah!"
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