At the unexpected voice, DemiDevimon trembled all over, immediately scrambling to bow low.
From within the darkness… a figure slowly emerged. His body was clad in an exaggerated, dark-red theatrical costume, and his face was covered by a black-and-white mask, the half-face revealed beneath smeared heavily with white powder.
A bright red lipstick traced from the corners of his mouth almost to his ears, pulling his lips into an eerie smile—exaggerated to the point of grotesque distortion.
Bizarrely comical yet deeply twisted, every movement radiated a madness of calculated insanity!
Here, in the Dark Area, no one could fail to recognize his identity—the demonic harlequin, Virus-type, Wizard-type… Mega-level Digimon…
…Piedmon!
Of course, here in the Dark Area, he had yet another identity:
…The head of the Dark Masters, supreme commander of the Dark Army, and one of the current sources of all nightmares haunting the Digital World!
Facing such a horrifying existence, DemiDevimon dared not even breathe too loudly. The usually eloquent and crafty talker found himself unable to force out even a single byte in front of this terrifying monster.
"M-my… M-my… Lord…"
"Heh heh… Didn't you have something to tell me? Or perhaps… something you were supposed to deliver?"
Prompted by Piedmon's reminder, DemiDevimon seemed to suddenly remember his mission. Carefully flapping its wing, it produced a red glow, which floated from its body and landed gently in Piedmon's palm.
It was a mask—a deep crimson mask shaped like a bat.
The only reason DemiDevimon had managed to move freely in the Dark Area was the aura radiating from this mask.
After all, Myotismon had been one of the strongest members of the Dark Army—arguably second only to the Dark Masters themselves, and considered by many as the one closest to breaking through to Mega-level and joining their ranks.
Respect for Myotismon's authority naturally meant giving DemiDevimon a little face. As the saying goes, before beating a dog, one must consider its master.
But now, Myotismon was dead. What remained was merely this mask, carrying a faint wisp of his lingering will and soul.
Clearly, Myotismon had foreseen this possibility and prepared for the worst-case scenario. He'd entrusted DemiDevimon with this mask containing a sliver of his soul, instructing it to deliver this final fragment to the Dark Area if the worst came to pass…
Piedmon's finger gently stroked the mask, and the smile at the corner of his lips stretched even wider.
"An interesting guy… an unlucky guy… heh heh… You too, and that pathetic Devimon as well…"
Piedmon's words clearly referenced both Myotismon and Devimon…
…Indeed, he had once been the enemy Devimon encountered within the Dark Ocean—the one Devimon vowed to challenge again someday.
Yet unfortunately, both of them—the Devimon Piedmon once called "interesting," and Myotismon, whom he now mocked as "unlucky"—were already dead.
And both, remarkably, had died at the hands of the same Digimon…
…That Greymon of File Island, the Digimon who called himself "Zero."
Piedmon's movements paused as if lost in thought…
…Spiral Mountain's program had entered its final testing phase. The arrow had been loosed, and there was no turning back—no matter what disasters might fall, he could only grit his teeth and push forward.
Though Piedmon indeed considered Zero an obstacle to be dealt with, he simply had no spare attention for him now—not with the Dark Army and Spiral Mountain both requiring his full focus.
It couldn't be helped…
…He would have to wait until Spiral Mountain was complete before properly dealing with this nuisance. For now, he'd let Zero enjoy one last moment of carefree peace.
Thinking this, Piedmon's gaze returned to DemiDevimon, suddenly sparking an idea.
Piedmon raised his hand, conjuring a cloud of pitch-black mist in his palm. Then, he casually flicked it towards DemiDevimon…
…The dark mist rushed toward it. DemiDevimon didn't dare dodge or flee—though even if it wanted to, the vast gap in strength would've made it impossible.
In the blink of an eye, the black mist struck DemiDevimon. Immediately, a black, seed-like object embedded itself deeply into DemiDevimon's body.
"!!!"
DemiDevimon's expression froze, the pain of its body being forcibly torn apart almost unbearable. It wanted to scream in agony and beg for mercy, but no sound came out.
Yet, after the initial agony, it realized that its body was undergoing a profound transformation…
…In mere seconds, its bat-like body rapidly reshaped itself, growing sharp claws wrapped in heavy gloves and adopting an agile, feline grace—
DEMIDEVIMON DIGIVOLUTION...
—BLACKGATOMON!
Thinking the transformation complete, it was stunned when another wave of pain surged up, the pained cry escaping its mouth now transforming into a mature woman's anguished wail. Moments later, her body changed again…
From a nimble feline to a mature, voluptuous woman with pure-white hair and blood-red eyes, clad entirely in tight-fitting black leather…
…An almost perfect dark mirror to Angewomon's beauty, radiating an alluring yet deadly charm. She was the very embodiment of seductive, sinful elegance—
Virus-type, Ultimate-level, Fallen Angel-type Digimon…
…LADYDEVIMON!
She collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat… Panting heavily, she tried to stand, only to fall back to her knees in exhaustion.
Yet, despite her current extreme weakness, her expression shifted from pain to confusion, confusion to sudden clarity—and finally settled into uncontainable ecstasy.
To evolve directly from Rookie to Ultimate—a dreamlike stroke of good fortune that ordinary Digimon would kill for—had just fallen into her lap.
For a moment, her mind blanked with overwhelming joy, almost unable to think straight.
Then, the one responsible approached her, extending a finger to gently lift her chin, raising her head.
Naturally, she dared not show the slightest resistance. Obediently lifting her head, her eyes filled with gratitude and a certain dreamy daze.
"From today onward… you will act as my subordinate."
"…Yes, my Lord… No… my Master~"
Her voice was sweet and submissive. The clever tongue she possessed as DemiDevimon immediately guided her on how to use her newfound advantages to full effect.
Piedmon withdrew his finger, casually tossing the crimson bat-mask at her feet as if disposing of garbage.
LadyDevimon hurriedly reached out, carefully catching the mask in her hands…
"This holds the last wish of your former owner. Take it, and settle that affair for me. This is your first task—show me your abilities, and don't disappoint me… my lovely little one~"
"Of course, my great Master~ You'll never be disappointed."
Although Piedmon couldn't personally handle Zero at the moment, leaving behind this little pawn might at least cause some trouble—or serve as a test of Zero's strength.
"Greymon of File Island… How exactly will I judge you? I eagerly await the moment we meet…"
...
"Half a month?!"
At Myotismon's castle, Gennai had just confirmed that half a month had passed in the Real World. Zero remained relatively calm—it was still within acceptable limits, after all.
But Taichi and Hikari weren't calm at all. They were elementary school students, and going missing for half a month straight? Their family had probably already reported them missing!
Fortunately, Gennai coughed lightly.
"Ahem… No need to panic. This old man already sent messages to your parents in advance, so technically, your safety has been assured. Of course, I did take some liberty—please forgive me if it was inappropriate."
"Huh?"
Taichi and Hikari were stunned, asking simultaneously:
"What exactly did you tell them?"
Gennai looked toward Zero, explaining slowly:
"…I borrowed the Shinomiya Family's name. I told your parents that the school was holding a summer-camp enrichment program, and that you two were selected. Such an opportunity was rare, and your parents happily agreed."
"The Shinomiya Family…?"
Taichi was bewildered. He only knew their school was indeed sponsored by the Shinomiya Family, which regularly funded special activities to reward exceptional students.
Being chosen for such an event was a point of pride, and their parents would naturally rejoice at their selection.
But why would the Shinomiya Family help Gennai lie? Zero instantly understood.
"Oh… It was Rina who helped, right? Is she alright now?"
Rina's injury was Zero's biggest concern. Gennai immediately smiled.
"As you wished, Rina-san has fully recovered… and right now, she and your other partner have taken on a very important responsibility in the Real World."
"…?"
Gennai did not elaborate, perhaps finding it difficult to summarize quickly. In any case, the quickest way to learn more was clearly just to go through the newly secured gate and find Rina in person.
"Then let's hurry back… It's been half a month already. Who knows how Rina and Hajime are doing now? Ah…"
As he spoke, Zero's mind suddenly flashed to the images of two other girls—a cool, lily-like girl, and another sweet, girl-next-door type…
Yuuko, Lillie, and all the people from the Kamishiro Group and the Aether Foundation… After seeing Digimon firsthand—and with Hajime stuck in the Real World—what happened over these two weeks?
But surely, with Rina there, Hajime would be safe. Zero also instinctively trusted Yuuko and Lillie, despite having spent less than a day together—they both felt like reliable, trustworthy girls.
There was simply too much he wanted to know. Zero couldn't wait any longer.
"Let's go… Right now. Immediately—back to the Real World!"
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl