The lights of the Digivice, Crest of Courage, and Light of Evolution converged into one point. At that instant, a figure was rapidly reflected within Zero's eyes.
It was the very same form that had first stirred within him when Taichi activated the Crest of Courage for the very first time.
Now, Zero finally crossed the final barrier—not merely touching it, but truly stepping through that door with both feet!
Blazing flames engulfed Zero's body. MetalGreymon's enormous frame… began rapidly shrinking down.
All the way from Rookie stage upward, Zero's evolution had always emphasized one thing: being "big." Every stage was characterized by rapidly swelling data, resulting in increasingly massive forms. From Agumon to GeoGreymon, becoming a three-story giant, then MetalGreymon—a massive dragon whose data had only grown bulkier and more imposing along the way.
But this time, his colossal body started shrinking—
Once a Digimon truly crosses the boundary into Mega-level, they adopt the most specialized form perfectly suited to unleashing their own true potential. Certainly, the Greymon form had become familiar to Zero, but in comparison, another form was far more natural for him.
From the shape of a giant Greymon, he transformed into a near-human appearance, armored from head to toe in Chrome Digizoid, with gleaming metallic claw-blades emerging from both arms.
A silver-white metal helm shaped like a Greymon skull now covered his head, from beneath which shoulder-length crimson hair flowed freely in waves stirred by the powerful surging aura.
Golden alloy reshaped into wing-like armor plates on his back, vividly marked with the Crest of Courage like a blazing sun, forming his most distinctive feature.
The dazzling golden brilliance gradually settled, revealing a majestic humanoid warrior, standing just over two meters tall.
This was the most classic form among all Greymon-species—a dragon-human warrior armored from head to toe.
Vaccine-type, Dragon Man Digimon… Mega-level:
WARGREYMON!!!
"I've received everyone's strength—and your wishes!"
Zero tilted his neck, flexing his wrists, overcome with indescribable emotion.
Finally…!
He'd always been active in a Greymon-shaped body. Even though Greymon walked upright on two feet, its body structure still differed significantly from a human's, making it slightly awkward to maneuver at times.
He'd long adapted to his Greymon form—after all, he'd even gotten used to bouncing around as a Koromon, so handling a Greymon form wasn't exactly hard.
But now, at last, he'd achieved a form nearly identical to a human's. With this familiar shape, Zero felt an exhilarating sense of control—as though every part of him, from each strand of hair to the tips of his toes, responded precisely to his will.
On the other side, Taichi—who'd just taken a Celestial Arrow to the face—finally exhaled in relief.
Although he hadn't said anything earlier, he'd still felt anxious. Now, seeing Zero successfully break through his limits with the Crest of Courage, he felt a fiery surge of exhilaration rise within his chest.
"Go for it…Zero!!"
Taichi shouted loudly, raising his fist. Zero stood with his back facing everyone, right arm raised as he confronted VenomMyotismon.
"Yeah, leave this to me. First, let's—"
VenomMyotismon had clearly sensed imminent danger. Crimson light gathered explosively in his eyes, unleashing a Venom Infusion in a desperate bid to reclaim the initiative.
But Zero didn't even bother to dodge. The Crest of Courage on his back flashed briefly, and two wing-like armor plates detached, swiftly circling him like twin shields.
These dual armors revolved around him, forming an impenetrable golden barrier radiating the Crest of Courage's power. Venom Infusion dissolved uselessly upon contact, completely unable to harm Zero.
This was WarGreymon's second great artifact—
The Brave Shield!
Forged entirely from Chrome Digizoid, its defense was already extraordinary, further magnified by the Crest of Courage. It had entered a realm where reason and logic no longer applied.
So long as courage remained unshaken, this absolute belief could repel any attack—a perfect example of the "the stronger your conviction, the tougher your defense" type of truly metaphysical equipment.
The poisonous energy stream was effortlessly nullified by the Brave Shield. Zero casually raised his right arm, lightly sweeping aside the remnants of the attack with a golden flash of energy.
"You've already had your turn. Now, it's my move!"
Zero charged directly toward VenomMyotismon with astonishing speed, his Brave Shield still orbiting protectively around him.
VenomMyotismon panicked, desperately swiping his crimson-armored claws toward Zero. Though fundamentally flawed, its offensive strength was still genuinely Mega-level. Its claws glowed red, charged with viral energy that shredded data itself—any Ultimate-level or lower Digimon would instantly die from even a scratch.
But Zero cared nothing for this deadly Virus Claw. Infusing his Dramon Killers with blazing golden fire born from the Crest of Courage, he swung his claws boldly forward.
Dramon Killer met Virus Claw—and sliced through effortlessly, like cutting tofu.
Without the slightest resistance, Zero cleanly severed VenomMyotismon's massive claw, tearing apart armored scales, muscles, and data in one stroke!
"@#&%$!!!"
VenomMyotismon screamed incoherently, emitting a painful roar like corrupted code, an amplified version of its mental-attack move "Nightmare Screamer"—
"You're too noisy—SHUT UP!"
Zero swung upward once again, three dazzling blades of golden energy rising sharply, hitting VenomMyotismon square in the jaw and violently cutting off its scream. The massive beast wobbled dangerously, losing balance and tilting backward.
Seeing the monster teetering, Zero called out quickly:
"Angewomon! Now!"
"Got it!"
Understanding his intent immediately, Angewomon spread her arms wide, summoning brilliant holy rings of light. Three glowing halos descended from above, instantly restraining VenomMyotismon.
The Mega beast had just suffered Zero's ruthless attack and was helplessly off-balance. Angewomon's Holy Bind swiftly trapped him firmly.
"!]"
VenomMyotismon desperately struggled, fully aware being restrained even briefly spelled doom. His violent struggles pushed Holy Bind to its limits—after all, suppressing a Mega-level Digimon was still extremely taxing even with attribute advantage and Crest buffs.
Yet, just as the monster nearly escaped, Angewomon's own temper flared.
Though now a holy angel, her true nature remained that of the fierce, tsundere little cat. While being with Hikari had softened her a bit, she hadn't entirely changed. Most of the time, she still behaved more like a wildcat—obedient and cute only in front of the master she trusted, and merciless toward enemies.
"…Just shut up and DIE ALREADY!"
Roaring defiantly, she unleashed even brighter light from her hands, forcibly strengthening the Holy Bind beyond its limits with sheer determination and the Crest of Light's power.
"ZERO!"
"Leave the rest to me!"
Zero leapt upward, Brave Shield plates returning to his back. Raising his Dramon Killers high, his entire body spun rapidly, becoming a blazing drill surrounded by fiery dragons.
"A drill is…a MAN'S ROMANCE!!"
Breaking the sound barrier, his spinning figure emitted a thunderous roar like a dragon's cry. His spiraling attack pierced directly through VenomMyotismon's hidden weakness at the abdomen.
A distorted shriek erupted from that spot, as if another monster lurked within—but without resistance, it was obliterated instantly.
VenomMyotismon's body turned ashen-gray, slowly crumbling away into dust. Its massive data split evenly, flowing into Zero and Angewomon, purifying the corrupted region.
As sunlight returned, Zero, reverting to Agumon, smiled and high-fived Gatomon.
"Nice work, Gatomon~"
"Yeah… Thanks for waking me up back there, Zero…"
Wizardmon, Taichi, and Hikari approached; Wizardmon coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem… Congratulations, Zero-san. You've officially entered the realm of Mega-level, standing among the Digital World's strongest now."
"Heh, that's meaningless if we don't defeat the Dark Masters first."
Zero shrugged casually. He didn't care about titles; his heart thought only:
I can finally go back! Rina, Hajime—I'm coming home!
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T/N: AHJHHH SO COOOOOL HE CAN FUCK ME