The flames of rebellion had already been lit, and the key to utterly destroying Devimon's forces lay in Devimon's own life.
At the very center of File Island, atop a towering barren mountain, stood a forbidding black castle.
Thick layers of dark clouds hovered menacingly around the mountaintop, practically spelling out "EVIL ORGANIZATION" in bold letters for all to see.
"We're here—Devimon's castle. Beyond this point lies Devimon's core territory."
After nearly two months of trekking from the Digital Forest, they'd finally reached their first-stage destination.
Looking up at the black castle, almost blending into the swirling clouds above, an inexplicable, anxious pressure weighed on them.
Well, this was the enemy's stronghold, after all. Such pressure was only natural. Rina, gazing upward at Devimon's castle, suddenly turned and glanced around.
"It's way too quiet here. I don't see any Digimon controlled by Black Gears…"
Leomon instinctively chimed in beside her, "Maybe Devimon already sent most of his forces out to attack Andromon's factory and Monzaemon's Toy Town. Devimon's army is stretched thin right now."
Their conversation made Zero's eyelid twitch. Holy shit, don't set flags like this! What if a whole upgraded platoon jumps out of the bushes? Wouldn't we be screwed then?
So, he quickly interrupted them.
"We should still be extra cautious. Devimon is wounded; there's no way he wouldn't have prepared something. The quieter it is, the more troublesome things will likely get."
Unusual circumstances always meant something sinister was brewing—everyone understood this clearly.
Along the journey, they'd faced intense resistance, vividly demonstrating how extensively Devimon's forces had spread across File Island.
Yet the closer they'd gotten to Devimon's castle, the fewer obstacles they'd encountered, until now—arriving at the castle gates without meeting even a single enemy.
This suspicious atmosphere was overflowing. If they blindly assumed Devimon simply forgot to set up defenses, they'd have no one but themselves to blame for falling into a trap.
Though fully aware there was likely an ambush ahead, turning back at this stage obviously wasn't an option. All they could do was face whatever awaited them head-on.
"Alright… everyone ready? Let's go!"
...
"So, you've arrived…"
From atop his throne, the demon rose. His previously wounded body had now nearly healed completely—far faster than should have been possible, given the severity of his injuries.
But he had his own method.
By turning every guard in his castle into data and absorbing them, Devimon had managed to heal most of his wounds.
Of course, under normal circumstances, this method of "robbing Peter to pay Paul" would've been utterly stupid. But from the very moment Devimon created his army, he'd never intended for any of these guards to survive anyway.
As he'd declared the instant he unleashed the Black Gears: every Digimon on File Island was his subordinate, his power… his sustenance to grow stronger.
Originally, the "harvest" was nowhere near ready—after all, the "chives" hadn't been fattened enough yet, nor had his entire farm been fully cultivated.
Proper harvesting was supposed to happen only after the whole island fell into his grasp. Then he'd systematically reap the ripe, healthy "chives" using the Black Gears.
But this sudden turn of events had forced Devimon, whose initial capital accumulation wasn't even complete, to prematurely harvest a batch of undergrown chives—effectively overextending his capital.
By the standards of an evil overlord-turned-chive farmer, this was unquestionably reckless waste. Before the crops even fully matured, he'd been forced to uproot them entirely.
Sustainable development applied even to harvesting chives—doing too much too early would only ruin the long-term yield. Yet if Devimon didn't seize a wave of these premature crops now to strengthen himself, someone might soon come knocking at his door to smash his entire rice bowl.
Therefore, the conflict between Devimon and Zero's party was absolutely irreconcilable—a fundamental class contradiction. The only way to resolve this was for one side to be utterly destroyed.
Fortunately, Devimon possessed the decisiveness of a proper villainous hero. Without any hesitation, he'd already harvested his chives and prepared himself. This time… he'd make sure Zero's group stayed here forever…
…Yet strangely, as the decisive battle approached, his DigiCore began restlessly throbbing, alerting him to some unknown threat.
Could it be that the previous battle… made me feel fear?
The terrifying impact of that last attack had indeed etched itself as data directly into his DigiCore. Originally, this was to help him respond better in the next fight, but perhaps it had inadvertently carved some unwanted, extra data into it as well.
Fear?
…Me… afraid of those worthless fools who've never even glimpsed what true "hell" looks like?
A memory surfaced vividly in his mind: the image of his former self, struggling helplessly in a boundless sea of darkness.
Back then, he'd still had pure white wings and a sacred form. Yet even then, he'd ultimately lost everything in that dark abyss, transforming into his current self.
That… had truly been "hell."
…Now that I've transcended even that hell, how could these insignificant trash possibly surpass me!?
Come, then…
Devimon rose fully from his throne. His gaze locked directly onto the four figures who'd arrived before him. His mouth curved into a mocking smile, while his crimson eyes gleamed with chilling murderous intent.
Rina raised her Digivice. At this point, neither side needed any pretentious words; their conflict was far beyond the point of mere talking.
"[DIGISOUL... CHARGE]!!"
Two roars erupted in the throne room as two figures—one red, one blue—burst forth from the blinding light. Alongside Leomon, who'd drawn his sword, the three of them surged forward simultaneously.
On present-day File Island, these three combined could almost sweep away any enemy. Yet, faced with these powerful foes, the demon before them showed not even a hint of fear.
"Three against one, huh… Haha! Then the advantage is clearly mine!"
The demon raised his arm, gathering darkness so thick it took on physical form between his fingertips. Meanwhile, Zero and Hajime charged forward, red and blue flames erupting from their mouths, as Leomon clenched his fist, igniting it into a roaring lion's head of burning aura!
Each unleashed their ultimate attacks simultaneously, creating a terrifying whirlwind of power and shockwaves as their strikes violently collided head-on…