"Dropping your tail like a gecko? Hah, you're clearly a dragon, but you're playing tricks like an earthworm…"
Zero couldn't help but mock. Clearly, MetalSeadramon was a heavily modified Digimon whose body was largely mechanized.
Though still partly flesh-and-blood, he had essentially become a half-mechanical lifeform. Thus, even injuries fatal to ordinary lifeforms—like being cut cleanly in half—weren't necessarily lethal to him.
Not to mention, as a Mega-level Digimon, his DigiCore was far sturdier than that of common Digimon, and he'd even been specially reinforced by the existence beyond the Firewall, granting him strength far surpassing normal individuals.
Nonetheless, there was no doubt MetalSeadramon had been severely wounded. Even conservatively, it would take considerable time for him to fully recover.
Barring some miracle, the next time the Four Dark Masters appeared, they'd be reduced to the Three Dark Masters.
Moreover, Puppetmon was a lone-wolf asshole who almost never teamed up. If they managed to separate Machinedramon and Piedmon, then picking off the Dark Masters one by one would become viable.
Of course, right now, the most satisfying thing was that Zero had once again broken through the barrier to Mega. Now with two Mega forms at hand, his confidence was bolstered considerably.
However, MetalSeadramon had exhibited strength far beyond what was shown in canon. If all four Dark Masters were enhanced to a similar degree, their overall power was definitely higher than Zero anticipated.
With all these factors combined, even Zero couldn't tell which side had the clear advantage right now—but then again, he wasn't alone.
"Everyone, great job! We've fended off the Dark Army's assault and successfully executed the Firewall Plan. At least for now, the Real World can breathe easy."
Zero waved to his weary comrades. Nearby, Angewomon, Mistymon, and Hajime had nearly finished mopping up the battlefield.
Without the troublesome MetalSeadramon around, MarineDevimon and Dragomon, who had led the assault, were swiftly eliminated by Hajime working in tandem with the other two.
The rest of the leftover seafood on the shore might still pose some threat to ordinary humans—but for Hajime's group, they were little more than ingredients waiting to be tossed into hot pot.
After dealing with these hot-pot ingredients, Taichi finally had the chance to ask the burning question.
"Koushiro, how did you end up with Wizardmon?"
The three Digimon reverted to their lower forms as well. Gatomon similarly gazed curiously at Wizardmon.
"Right, weren't you supposed to be guarding the gate? Why'd you come to the Human World?"
Wizardmon quickly explained. Although only about a week and a half had passed in the Real World, it had already been a full month in the Digital World.
Wizardmon, cooperating with Piximon, moved the gate to Piximon's lake and assisted the Resistance Forces in establishing a communication network centered around Etemon's Pyramid base. Though still rudimentary, the Resistance was no longer the ragtag group it had once been.
With things stable enough, it was up to Gennai, Piximon, and their allies in the Digital World to handle the rest.
Meanwhile, due to Gatomon's influence, Wizardmon had grown intrigued by humanity—and being an action-oriented Digimon, he immediately began exploring the Human World. He quickly ran into Taichi's friend, Koushiro.
Events unfolded as described previously: Koushiro solved Wizardmon's puzzle, discovered the existence of Digimon in his quest to uncover the DM Organization's truth, and became Wizardmon's partner. Through this, he gained the Tag, became one of the Chosen Children, and received the Crest of Knowledge from Zero.
"That about sums it up. I didn't tell you guys earlier because, well, occasionally showing up at just the right moment like a hero feels pretty cool, don't you think?"
This had clearly been a decision made jointly by Koushiro and Wizardmon. Although Koushiro was a tech genius, at heart he was still a boy, and occasionally indulged in a little youthful flair.
As for Wizardmon, he had simply wanted to surprise Gatomon.
Judging by the results, he succeeded.
"You certainly surprised me. I never imagined you'd find a new friend so soon. And he seems pretty reliable, too."
Gatomon looked approvingly at Koushiro, causing Wizardmon to awkwardly laugh.
"Hey, hey, don't make it sound like I'm some gloomy loner who can't make friends. Clearly, Gatomon, you're the one who—"
"Hm?"
Halfway through, Gatomon raised an eyebrow, her sharp gaze instantly shutting Wizardmon's mouth.
"Ah, sorry, the wind was too loud just now. What did you say again?"
"Nope, nothing at all! I said the weather today is nice!"
"…"
Beside them, Hajime shook her head slightly. This tsundere-style bickering was something she couldn't quite comprehend. Instead, she turned and waved at Zero, who had already returned to his Agumon form.
Zero approached and gave Hajime a high-five.
"Good job~ Let's head back~"
The path might've been bumpy, but they'd successfully completed the Firewall—and just in time, too. With the Firewall in place before the Dark Masters completed Spiral Mountain, their full-scale assault on the Human World had effectively failed.
But that only meant the Human World was safe for now. The Firewall relied on the seven major human-world servers, and if anything happened there, it could still collapse.
Breaking through from outside would be extraordinarily difficult, but internally, even a janitor pulling the plug by accident might be enough…
Clearly, they couldn't rest easy yet. Besides, the Digital World remained in crisis.
Even if unable to invade the Human World, the Dark Masters could still weaken the Firewall's defenses significantly by destroying the Village of Beginnings. If left unchecked, the entity behind the Firewall could successfully breach it—and then things would become catastrophic.
Thus, the Dark Masters were still enemies who had to be dealt with. After all, the one behind the Firewall was the true mastermind behind the entire Adventure saga.
"In short, we still have a long way to go. We can't let our guard down yet. The real war with the Dark Masters might just be beginning."
Despite her words, Gatomon lightly circled around Hikari, looking relaxed.
"It doesn't matter~ I've long decided that even if I have to stake my life on it, I'll spend the rest of my days atoning for my past sins by stopping the Dark Army—until my life comes to an end. As long as Hikari stays with me… I'm not afraid of any enemy~"
Wizardmon watched Gatomon closely. Her eyes were pure, resolute—free of hesitation, filled only with conviction.
"As for me… I still need to recover my lost memories and return home. But before that, I've also got bonds in this world that need resolving."
Wizardmon was certain he wasn't native to this world but rather an interdimensional visitor. Even though he'd lost all memories of his past, at least he'd found comrades worthy of entrusting his life. Until he regained his memories, aiding his friends was a fine goal indeed.
Hajime looked around blankly, unsure how the topic had suddenly shifted to sharing heartfelt resolutions. She tilted her head thoughtfully for a while, then finally said earnestly:
"…As long as Zero and Rina are there, anywhere is fine."
Simple and direct. Rather than a lack of thought, it was a reflection of her absolute trust in Zero and Rina—she didn't need to worry at all.
And so…
"…The Firewall for the Real World is finished. Let's rest up a bit, then head to the Digital World and settle things with the Dark Masters once and for all!"
"Yeah!!!"
...
They stormed into cyberspace fiercely, yet fled back defeated, tails tucked miserably between their legs. The contrast was absurdly huge.
MetalSeadramon returned to the Digital World barely alive, battered and weary. Just as he reached his territory, he heard a voice, childlike and mocking:
"What's wrong? You look so pathetic."
MetalSeadramon didn't even need to look to know who spoke.
A small figure, shaped exactly like a human child—smaller, even, than a normal human boy.
But the similarities ended there. This figure's body was a wooden doll meticulously pieced together by intricate mechanical parts…
Dressed in blue overalls and a red toy-like hat, his arms and legs had strings connecting him to a cross-shaped controller on his back…
No matter how you looked at him, he resembled a life-sized marionette. Not exactly cute, but unquestionably intricate in structure.
Of course, within this puppet-like body was condensed dark power no weaker than MetalSeadramon's own…
…One of the Dark Masters, ruler of the Forest Domain, gathering toy-like Digimon with powers straight out of a twisted fairy tale—Puppetmon.
Unlike Etemon, who surpassed the limits of toy-type Digimon through harsh training to become a physical combat genius, Puppetmon had gone in an entirely different direction.
He, too, broke past the inherent weakness of toy-type Digimon, but instead relied on sinister powers akin to curses, blending concepts like "a doll inhabited by grudges" and other malicious spirits.
Compared to the other three Dark Masters… his direct combat abilities weren't particularly strong. Yet, by relying on bizarre curses and magic, he could effortlessly toy with his opponents in the palm of his hand.
Knowing Puppetmon's vile, bratty temperament, MetalSeadramon had no patience for conversation and coldly spat out:
"If you wanna fight, I'll oblige. If not, piss off—I'm not in the mood for your nonsense."
"Hah?"
Puppetmon's voice instantly rose, clearly provoked.
"Interesting. Why don't you come try me, then!"
Just as the atmosphere between the two became dangerously tense, another male voice suddenly intervened…
---
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