"BlackWarGreymon..." Laxus's voice was hoarse, golden lightning flickering madly in his eyes.
"Good... really good..."
He raised his lightning blade, pointing the crackling tip straight at BlackWarGreymon.
"That humiliation from three years ago... I'll wash it away with your blood!"
Before the words even faded, Laxus moved.
Golden lightning tore through the night sky as he descended like a true Thunder God. His blade carried an aura of absolute destruction as he swung it viciously toward BlackWarGreymon's head!
BlackWarGreymon didn't even try to dodge.
He simply raised his right claw and lazily swiped at the incoming blade.
CLANG!
The deafening crash of metal against lightning shattered whatever stained glass was left in the cathedral!
A massive shockwave exploded outward, spiderwebbing the stone walls with deep cracks.
But what stunned everyone was the aftermath.
Laxus's full-powered strike had been firmly caught by BlackWarGreymon's single claw.
The tip of the lightning blade pressed against the palm of the Dramon Destroyer gauntlet.
Golden lightning raged wildly, desperately trying to melt and pierce the dark metal.
But the crimson-black energy surrounding BlackWarGreymon acted like an impenetrable dam, completely blocking the lightning without budging a single inch.
BlackWarGreymon's fierce compound eyes calmly stared at Laxus before he slowly spoke.
"Three years have passed..."
His left claw gradually rose.
"...and you are still a pathetic weakling."
...
Meanwhile, just outside the cathedral!
"Wait for me!"
"Don't think you're getting there first!"
Three voices rang out almost simultaneously. Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel—battered, bruised, but burning with determination—charged into the church ruins like shooting stars.
They immediately spotted BlackWarGreymon advancing toward the bell tower, while Laxus struggled to his feet in the distance.
"Laxus is mine!" Natsu roared, flames engulfing his body.
"You don't get to decide that!" Gray gritted his teeth, freezing energy gathering in his palms.
"Hmph. You two pieces of trash should just scram," Gajeel sneered, his arms transforming into solid steel.
The two Dragon Slayers and the Ice Mage charged toward the bell tower.
But the moment they took their third step—
"Heeheehee! This path is closed!"
A sharp, eerie voice—like metal scraping against glass—echoed in front of them.
All three skidded to a halt.
In the shadows of the cathedral entrance, a figure in extravagant clown attire leaned casually against the crumbling doorframe.
He rested his cheek in his hand, watching them with a faint, mocking smile.
His face was painted with exaggerated white makeup, his mouth stretched into a wicked grin, and his dark purple eyes gleamed with amusement.
Piedmon.
"You're one of Ace's summoned beasts too, aren't you?" Gray frowned. "Why are you blocking our way?"
"Because my orders are to deal with you!" Piedmon giggled, drawing four slender blades from his back—the Trump Swords.
"As for the fight over there... that's none of my business."
"Then move aside!" Natsu roared, throwing a flaming punch. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The blazing punch tore through the air, aimed straight at Piedmon's face! But the Digimon didn't even flinch.
He merely tilted his head a fraction of an inch.
The fiery fist grazed right past the brim of his hat, blasting a charred crater into the stone wall behind him.
"Too slow," Piedmon taunted.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray attacked at the exact same time, sending dozens of ice spears erupting from the ground!
"Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel morphed his arm into a massive steel blade, slashing viciously at Piedmon's neck from the side!
The trio's combined assault perfectly sealed off all of Piedmon's escape routes.
Yet, Piedmon simply hopped into the air.
He floated upward as if he were completely weightless, executing an elegant, theatrical backflip that perfectly evaded every single attack.
The ice spears, the roaring flames, and the heavy steel blade all hit empty air.
"I told you, too slow!" Piedmon landed gracefully, wagging a white-gloved finger at the three mages.
"With speed like that, you couldn't even touch the hem of my clothes."
"Damn it!" Natsu gritted his teeth, charging forward again.
Gray and Gajeel followed up with even more ferocious attacks.
Flames, frost, and steel ran rampant through the ruins, tearing the already dilapidated church to pieces.
But bizarrely, no matter how fast or cunning the trio's attacks were, Piedmon always dodged at the very last possible second, evading by a hair's breadth.
He didn't even look like he was moving fast; he just executed the most precise, effortless dodges the instant an attack was about to land.
It was as if he could see the future.
Data streams flickered wildly deep within Piedmon's eyes.
He was instantly calculating their attack paths, their magic flow, their muscle tension, and even their breathing.
All of this information was processed and simulated in his mind, yielding the absolute perfect way to dodge.
This was the true power of the leader of the Dark Masters.
It wasn't just overwhelming strength... it was an absolute, flawless mastery over the concept of combat itself.
"Have we had enough fun?" Piedmon suddenly asked, a hint of boredom creeping into his voice.
"Then it's my turn!"
He hurled all four Trump Swords at once!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four silver streaks tore through the air, moving so fast they left glowing afterimages.
Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel's expressions shifted in panic as they threw their arms up to block—
But the swords didn't target them.
The four blades traced bizarre, curving arcs through the air, completely bypassing the trio's defenses.
They plunged perfectly into the stone floor around their feet, forming a perfect square that boxed the three mages in.
"What is this...?" Gray stared at the swords in confusion.
In the next second, the four Trump Swords erupted with dark purple light!
The light shot upward and connected, transforming into a massive, glowing cubic cage that trapped them inside.
Piedmon giggled playfully, snapping his fingers at the cage.
"Now, be good boys and stay right there! I'll play with you after the fight over there is finished."
"Damn it!" Natsu roared, slamming his fiery fist against the glowing barrier.
The cage didn't even budge; it only sent a numbing, painful vibration up Natsu's arm.
Gray tried to freeze the bars with his ice magic, and Gajeel tried to saw through them with his steel, but it was completely useless.
Breaking this cage was clearly far beyond their current power levels.
At that moment, an even more violent explosion echoed from the other side of the church.
The battle between BlackWarGreymon and Laxus had reached its climax.
...
Golden lightning clashed wildly against crimson-dark energy.
Every collision made the earth tremble and lit up the night sky.
The three-hundred-year-old cathedral was being completely leveled as the two powerhouses fought through the debris.
Fists against claws, magic against data—every single clash sent out shockwaves of pure destruction.
ROAR!!!!!
BlackWarGreymon's roar shook the heavens.
His Dramon Destroyers tore straight through Laxus's lightning armor, leaving deep, bloody gashes across his chest.
But Laxus's Thunder God Blade struck back, leaving a charred burn marks across the Digimon's Black Digizoid armor.
Were they evenly matched?
Perhaps, but the sheer madness in Laxus's eyes was only growing more intense.
"Not enough... it's not enough!" Laxus snarled, the lightning around him whipping into a violent frenzy.
"I need more power! MORE!"
He raised his glowing blade, aiming the crackling tip directly at BlackWarGreymon—and at Ace, standing calmly behind him.
The tip of the blade bloomed with a blinding, destructive light that threatened to devour everything in the church.
Ace simply raised his right hand, palm facing the sky.
He slowly closed his five fingers into a fist.
"I apologize, Laxus," Ace said quietly. "But the game..."
"...is over."
---------
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