Chapter 18: The Empty City Stratagem
Boom!!!
NeoDevimon, whose face had just taken a devastating, solid kick from Mizuki, was sent flying backward like a fired cannonball. The sheer kinetic force of the blow carried his massive frame through the air until he crashed violently into a jagged rock formation, sending a thick cloud of dust and debris billowing into the sky.
"How is this possible?!"
Recalling the split second of the impact, a flash of absolute disbelief widened NeoDevimon's crimson eyes.
That human boy's power... just moments ago, his energy signature had barely registered at the weaker end of the Champion level. How could his strength have spiked to the Ultimate level in the blink of an eye?!
Before NeoDevimon could process his shock, the razor-sharp combat instincts forged through countless battles screamed a lethal warning.
Not good!
Because his head had taken the brunt of Mizuki's brutal strike, his vision swam. The blow was not instantly fatal, but it left his mind groggy and his reflexes terrifyingly sluggish.
By the time NeoDevimon forced his arms up, desperately trying to block the incoming threat, it was already too late. The slender, deadly blade of LadyDevimon's dark sword slipped effortlessly through the gaps in his fingers. With terrifying precision, the weapon struck the exact center of his already cracked mask.
"To do such a thing to Mizuki... NeoDevimon, die, die, die, die, die!"
Having witnessed Mizuki forcibly twist and sacrifice his own leg just to create the opening that sent NeoDevimon flying, LadyDevimon was consumed by a blinding fury. Every fiber of her being wanted to abandon the fight and rush to Mizuki's side to heal him. Yet, she forced her jaw shut, gritted her teeth until they ached, and ruthlessly pursued their enemy.
This was the only way. Only by destroying this monster could she prove herself worthy of Mizuki's agonizing sacrifice!
This flawless, lethal coordination was the unique, unspoken understanding forged between them. They were partners in the truest sense of the word.
Even if they lacked the holy devices and the preordained destiny of the chosen children, what did it matter? After wading through blood and darkness together, their bond had hardened into something far more dangerous. They were already a team capable of rivaling, if not surpassing, those kids.
Under the relentless, synchronized assault of Mizuki and LadyDevimon, the cursed mask on NeoDevimon's face began to fracture. The cracks spread inch by agonizing inch.
Finally, with a sickening crunch of giving way, the mask shattered completely. Shards of dark metal rained down, exposing the bottomless, chaotic darkness festering beneath it.
Without the mask's stabilizing restraint, the volatile data within NeoDevimon's core began to run wild. The dark energy surged out of control, tearing at his physical form from the inside out.
Feeling his very consciousness being swallowed by the encroaching madness, NeoDevimon unleashed a roar of pure, unadulterated rage.
"You despicable brat... and LadyDevimon!!!"
'Damn it, just a little bit more!'NeoDevimon thought, his mind reeling as the virus data chewed at his sanity.'If I had just one more second... no, even a tenth of a second, I could have deflected her attack!'
At this moment, a suffocating wave of unwillingness washed over the dark Digimon.
That LadyDevimon clearly cared for the human boy more than her own life, so why did she show absolutely zero hesitation when she saw his leg snap?
And that lunatic boy... he just twisted his own limb out of its socket without a second thought? Did he feel no pain whatsoever? Was he truly so confident that his partner would perfectly exploit the microscopic window he created? Was he not terrified that LadyDevimon might be half a step too slow, rendering his gruesome sacrifice entirely meaningless?
Anger. Frustration. Utter bewilderment.
A chaotic storm of emotions churned within his deteriorating mind, rapidly being consumed by the rampaging data.
Left with absolutely no other choice, the towering demon was forced to purge the excess dark data from his body to save his own life. Thick, inky clouds of corrupted code bled out from his form, scattering into the wind.
As the data drained away, his immense power devolved, plummeting from the towering heights of the Ultimate level straight back down to the Champion level. He was Devimon once more.
Although this desperate measure preserved his sanity and stopped his core from imploding, the sheer humiliation of abandoning so much hard-earned data filled Devimon with an unmatched, suffocating frustration.
"Do you honestly think this is over?"
Having reverted to his Champion form, Devimon immediately flared his tattered black wings, violently launching himself backward to put a safe distance between himself and the enraged LadyDevimon.
Even in retreat, he refused to lose the psychological war. He needed a distraction.
"Look back towards the Village of Beginnings."
Devimon hovered in the air, a cruel, mocking sneer twisting his pale face. "My subordinates have already launched a full-scale assault on the Village of Beginnings! I estimate that the entire nursery will soon be awash in a sea of blood!"
He threw his head back and laughed maniacally, expecting to see horror dawn on their faces.
But his laughter choked in his throat. He quickly noticed that neither Mizuki nor LadyDevimon had so much as twitched. Their expressions remained completely flat, devoid of the panic he craved.
A cold sense of disparity crept into Devimon's chest. "What are those expressions? Do you truly not care whether the Village of Beginnings is slaughtered?"
"Not caring is impossible."
Because his leg hung uselessly at an unnatural angle, Mizuki was currently being held securely in LadyDevimon's arms in a gentle princess carry. Despite his agonizing injury, his voice was infuriatingly calm.
"However, before I bother answering your question, I have to ask you something first." Mizuki tilted his head, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. "Devimon, have you seriously not noticed that Elecmon and Leomon are missing from the battlefield?"
"What?!"
Struck by Mizuki's casual reminder, Devimon's crimson eyes widened as he finally remembered the two native Digimon he had completely dismissed as insignificant trash.
"Could it be..."
"If my prediction is correct, they should already be ambushing your pathetic lackeys right about now." Mizuki drawled, his lighthearted, almost musical tone deliberately designed to infuriate the fallen demon.
Staring at the crippled human and the exhausted fallen angel hovering not far away, the fires of rage burned fiercely within Devimon's chest. Yet, through sheer force of will, he ruthlessly suppressed his anger.
He was no fool. Having devolved back to his Champion state, he knew he no longer possessed the raw capital required to challenge LadyDevimon in a direct clash.
Yes, the human boy had crippled his own leg. But looking at Mizuki's relaxed, utterly composed demeanor, who could guarantee the tricky bastard did not have another lethal trap waiting to be sprung?
Grinding his fangs together until they nearly cracked, Devimon accepted the bitter reality. He had to retreat.
"You despicable brat. And you, LadyDevimon. You two had better enjoy this hard-won victory while it lasts!"
Spitting out his final, venomous threat, Devimon beat his leathery wings against the air and fled the perimeter of the Village of Beginnings, not daring to look back even once.
LadyDevimon and Mizuki remained perfectly still in the air. Only after watching Devimon's dark silhouette vanish completely over the horizon did Mizuki finally let his rigid posture sag, exhaling a long, heavy breath.
"Phew. We finally scared that guy away."
The truth of the matter was exactly as Mizuki had just implied. It was all a massive bluff.
LadyDevimon's previous all-out strike had indeed succeeded in shattering NeoDevimon's mask, but the sheer force of the impact had also completely shattered her dark sword. Until she could gather enough ambient data to fully repair her weapon, she was entirely incapable of using that lethal attack again.
, her internal energy reserves had been severely depleted by the relentless, high-speed clashes they had just endured.
As for Devimon's paranoid suspicion about whether Mizuki was hiding any remaining trump cards?
It was not that they had a few tricks left. It was that they had absolutely nothing left. The tank was completely dry.
Mizuki's infuriatingly calm and composed demeanor had been nothing more than a desperate, high-stakes psychological gamble. The classic Empty City Stratagem.
If Devimon had been just a fraction bolder, if he had chosen to stay and use the crippled Mizuki as a vulnerable breakthrough point, the demon would have very likely succeeded in slaughtering them both.
But then again, who could ever predict the outcome of such uncertain gambles?
Pushing the terrifying what-ifs out of his mind, Mizuki turned his gaze upward to look at the partner holding him.
Just as he had expected, what met his eyes was LadyDevimon's beautiful face, currently twisted with overwhelming guilt and deep sadness.
"Mizuki, I am so sorry... this is all my fault." Her voice trembled, lacking all of its usual dark confidence.
"If only I could be stronger..."
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