Chapter 5: My Instincts Tell Me It's Time to Use My Power!
"Elecmon, my goal has only ever been one thing—"
"That is the Holy-species Digimon, which was also the condition I set when I made the agreement with you back then."
Sharp claws gleamed menacingly in the shadows. Devimon's crimson eyes locked firmly onto the trembling Nyaromon tucked securely in Mizuki's arms.
"I promised you I wouldn't harm the Primary Village, and in exchange, you couldn't hide the existence of a Holy-species Digimon." The fallen angel's voice dripped with dark amusement. "Now it seems you were the first to break our little pact."
"Heh. What Holy-species Digimon? I wouldn't know." Facing Devimon's suffocating intimidation, Elecmon tilted his head, displaying a perfectly exaggerated look of utter confusion. "That is just a Nyaromon who doesn't even dare to fight. How could you mistake her for a Holy-species Digimon? Devimon, did Andromon and the others fry your brain circuits?"
"Hmph."
Ignoring Elecmon's mockery and the subtle threat hidden in his mention of Andromon, Devimon let out a low, scornful chuckle. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, but the air suddenly warped. Without a fraction of a second's warning, he lunged.
[Death Claw!]
His already elongated, leathery arms stretched out with grotesque elasticity, snapping toward Elecmon like striking vipers. The sheer force of the thrust tore through the wind.
However, Elecmon was already prepared.
His small, agile body dropped low, the crimson claws slicing through the empty space where his head had been a microsecond prior. Sparks danced across his fur as he immediately unleashed his signature technique.
[Sparkling Thunder!]
Bolts of jagged electricity erupted from his tails, slamming directly into the towering demon.
"Hah. Useless."
Devimon didn't even bother to dodge. He took the blinding electrical strike head-on, letting the currents ground out harmlessly against his dark, leathery flesh.
Yet, his forward momentum halted abruptly.
He dodged again?
Devimon's crimson eyes narrowed. His initial strike toward Elecmon had been nothing more than a feint. His true target, from the very beginning, was the Nyaromon sheltered in Mizuki's arms.
But that human boy... he had somehow anticipated the trajectory of the attack and moved before the claws even extended.
"..."
Devimon watched the young man awkwardly roll across the dirt, clutching the small Digimon to his chest to shield her from the impact. The demon's gaze sharpened, a flicker of genuine intrigue breaking through his arrogant facade.
"Human, I have to say... you are very interesting." Devimon's voice echoed, cold and resonant. "Could it be that you are one of those legendary DigiDestined?"
"Devimon, where are your eyes looking? He's not some DigiDestined brat!"
[Sparkling Thunder!]
Elecmon fired another volley of lightning, desperate to draw the demon's attention back. "Brat, what are you standing around for? Run!"
"..."
The crackling electricity washed over Devimon's body, doing zero damage but thoroughly exhausting his patience. The dark aura around him flared violently.
"Time and time again... do you really think I am joking with you, Elecmon?"
Taking the attack without a flinch, the annoyed Devimon lashed out. His arm elongated in a blur of motion, massive claws snapping shut around Elecmon.
Having just dodged the first Death Claw, Elecmon hadn't found his footing. The second strike slammed into him with brutal force.
A suppressed cry of agony tore from Elecmon's throat as he was violently hurled through the air, his body crashing heavily into the dirt right next to Mizuki.
Static crackled across Elecmon's red fur. His physical form began to glitch, flickering uncontrollably like a broken television screen.
Data collapse.
Mizuki's pupils constricted. His breath hitched as he stared at the glitching Digimon.
'No. Elecmon... I can't let him keep fighting like this.'
His mind raced. Without hesitating, Mizuki shifted the trembling Nyaromon, tucking her securely under his left arm. He reached out with his free hand, grabbing Elecmon by the scruff, and hauled the injured Digimon off the ground.
Then, he sprinted. He pushed his legs as hard as they could go, tearing away in the opposite direction of the towering demon.
Devimon merely scoffed. Retracting his elongated arms, he abruptly flared his massive, tattered black wings.
A gust of foul wind swept across the clearing. In virtually an instant, a colossal shadow eclipsed the moonlight. Devimon landed directly in Mizuki's path, blocking any hope of escape.
A chilling, murderous aura relentlessly pricked at Mizuki's back. Time seemed to slow as he looked up. His wide eyes reflected the gleam of razor-sharp claws descending straight for the top of his head.
In that critical fraction of a second, Mizuki's body moved on pure instinct. Relying on an almost unnatural reaction speed, he twisted his torso violently to the side. The massive claws tore through the air, missing a fatal blow, but the razor edge grazed his cheek, leaving a thin trail of crimson.
"Again?"
This time, Devimon was genuinely confused.
If his previous strike had been casual, allowing the boy to slip away by sheer luck, this attack had been serious. It should have been physically impossible for a mere human child to evade.
Yet, the boy had done exactly that.
Could a seemingly weak brat truly possess such reflexes? Or did this frail human body contain some kind of hidden power he was entirely unaware of? Devimon's eyes scanned the boy's clothes, searching for the legendary Digivice spoken of in the ancient prophecies.
Nothing. He held no such device.
Curiosity.
All in all, the dark lord was extremely curious.
On the other side, thanks entirely to Devimon's momentary bewilderment, Mizuki managed to gain a desperate chance to catch his breath.
His chest heaved. With old wounds still unhealed from his past and new ones added to this fresh body, his current situation was objectively dire.
'If this new body wasn't so much healthier and stronger than I imagined, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on at all...' Mizuki thought, wiping a drop of blood from his cheek. He looked down at the two Digimon in his arms.
"Elecmon," Mizuki spoke, his voice surprisingly steady. "Can I ask you a favor?"
"Brat... little guy, just say what you need."
After a brief respite, Elecmon had managed to stabilize his flickering data slightly. He looked up at the boy, his voice strained but resolute.
"Devimon looks like he won't let us go no matter what," Mizuki said, his gaze fixed on the towering demon ahead. "So... someone has to buy time for the others."
It was impossible to tell what kind of internal struggle Mizuki had gone through to speak those words so calmly. He had finally been given a healthy body, a second chance at life, yet here he was, offering to throw it away.
However, even in the suffocating darkness of the night, his clear eyes sparkled with an unyielding brilliance.
"Elecmon, you are far more familiar with this area than I am. I entrust Nyaromon to you. Please, take her and leave."
Mizuki tightened his jaw. "I will stay here and buy you time!"
"What!?" Elecmon's eyes widened in shock. "Just you, a kid? No way—"
"Enough, stop talking nonsense!"
Before Elecmon could finish his protest, Mizuki grabbed both Digimon and forcefully hurled them toward a patch of thick brush nearby.
He had to. Devimon's next attack was already descending.
"I said, are you treating me like air?" Devimon sneered, his patience entirely vanished.
[Death Claw!]
Watching the massive, razor-sharp claws rapidly expanding in his vision, Mizuki's breathing turned ragged.
His nose filtered the cold night air. His brain spun at maximum capacity, desperately trying to calculate trajectories, speed, and the optimal solution to survive.
Optimal solution, my foot!
My instincts tell me it's time to use my power!
If his guess about this world and his own soul wasn't wrong—
In a blinding flash of motion, Mizuki planted his feet, drew his arm back, and slammed his seemingly immature fist directly into Devimon's descending claws.
Flesh met dark steel.
However, the very instant the boy's knuckles made contact, Devimon felt an unmatched, explosive surge of raw power erupt from the tiny fist.
Before the fallen angel could even register his utter astonishment, the sheer kinetic force of the blow violently knocked his massive arm away.
Although Devimon hadn't sustained any actual damage from the strike, he was left entirely stunned, staring in disbelief at the human boy who had just parried a Champion-level attack barehanded.
Meanwhile, watching from the brush—
"What a reckless brat..." Elecmon mumbled, struggling to push himself up from the dirt. He turned his head to look at Nyaromon beside him.
Since the very beginning of the chaos, Nyaromon had remained completely silent.
Only her small, violently trembling body revealed the overwhelming turmoil tearing at her heart.
'Why... why do they all have to fight?'
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