Chapter 29: What Can a Sheathed Blade Protect?
"Andromon, you've shared quite a bit of information with us. I'm assuming this wasn't just a casual lore dump, right?" Mizuki asked, his tone light but his eyes sharp. "Care to tell us your actual objective?"
The lingering warmth of their intimate moment slowly faded into the cool, metallic reality of the factory. Both human and Digimon shifted their focus, their gazes locking onto the towering cyborg.
Originally, Mizuki had only sought out Andromon as a high-level sparring partner to test their limits. But the sheer depth of erudition the machine had just displayed forced him to reevaluate the situation. There were layers to this encounter he hadn't anticipated.
Andromon's optical sensors whirred, adjusting their focus. He paid no mind to the subtle, lingering wariness radiating from Mizuki and LadyDevimon.
When he spoke, his voice retained that same flat, synthesized calm. "Indeed. The reason I disclosed this information—aside from ensuring you comprehend your own unique nature—is driven by a secondary objective."
Gears clicked within his metallic chassis. "That objective is to assist you... or more accurately, to assist LadyDevimon in mastering the power of Data Copying."
A beat of silence passed. "And this is precisely the reason you sought me out, is it not?"
"Oh?" A mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of Mizuki's mouth. "In other words, you anticipated my arrival long before I stepped foot in this factory. That entire display of being under the Black Gear's control... that was just a test, wasn't it?"
"Affirmative," Andromon replied, his mechanical tone betraying no shame. "Your analytical capacity is commendable. You are, without a doubt, the Chosen Child."
"Wisdom? Please. It was just a bit of basic deduction." Mizuki waved a hand dismissively, though the amusement never left his eyes. He turned his attention back to his partner. "What do you think, LadyDevimon?"
"Me?" She blinked, her crimson eyes widening in a brief flash of feigned innocence before settling into a serious, predatory gleam. "I have absolutely no objections."
She leaned closer to Mizuki, her dark aura curling playfully. "After all, Mizu, wasn't this exactly what we came here for?"
"True enough." Mizuki shrugged, the casual gesture belying the sharp intellect working behind his pink eyes. He faced the cyborg once more. "In that case, Andromon, we'll be in your care."
"Chosen Child. I am aware that you wish to uncover the absolute truth hidden behind my existence here." Andromon's words cut straight to the core of Mizuki's unspoken thoughts. "I give you my word. Once LadyDevimon completes her trial, I will disclose everything I know."
The cyborg's gaze drifted toward the ceiling, as if looking far beyond the steel beams. "After all... this is also my designated mission."
"A mission, huh..." Mizuki repeated the word softly, tasting its implications. He let the silence stretch, choosing not to press further.
Andromon's mechanical eyes refocused on the fallen angel.
"Shall we begin immediately?" LadyDevimon asked, her clawed fingers twitching with anticipation.
"Negative." Andromon shook his metallic head, a surprisingly human gesture. "Your current internal state is suboptimal. We will commence the trial tomorrow."
He took a heavy step forward, the metal floor groaning under his weight. "However, before we proceed, there are several critical concepts you must comprehend."
For a fleeting second, a ghost of an emotion flickered across Andromon's usually sterile optical sensors. "LadyDevimon. Have you experienced confusion regarding why, since your digivolution to the Ultimate level, you have failed to manifest that specific data-altering power again?"
"...Yes." LadyDevimon crossed her arms, her leather straps creaking slightly. She desperately wanted to demand how Andromon knew such intimate details about her power fluctuations. But considering his terrifyingly advanced calculation and analysis subroutines, she swallowed the question. It was pointless to hide anything from a machine that could read her data signature like an open book.
"The root of this issue lies within the conflicting forces housed inside your vessel," Andromon explained, his gaze sweeping over her form as if scanning lines of code. "Although your external manifestation and combat inclinations are heavily skewed toward Dark energy, your Digicore remains fundamentally Holy-type."
He raised a metallic finger. "The act of Copying and rewriting external data forces your Digicore into overdrive, triggering a massive surge of Holy power. Under your current unrefined control, even a momentary lapse in concentration could trigger a catastrophic imbalance between the Light and Dark within you."
Andromon lowered his hand. "You instinctively fear this internal collapse. Therefore, your subconscious has placed a hard lock on that ability."
LadyDevimon's jaw tightened. Her crimson eyes dropped to the floor. "...Your assessment is accurate."
She admitted it without deflecting. In truth, if Andromon hadn't laid the facts bare, she might have continued wandering in the dark, ignorant of her own internal sabotage.
"The methodology to resolve this is logically straightforward," Andromon continued. "You must achieve total comprehension of both the Dark and Holy energies. Once you can convert one into the other at will, the data influx generated by Copying will no longer destabilize your core."
"Zero and One," LadyDevimon murmured, nodding slowly. "Mizu already taught me the theory behind that."
She looked back up, her gaze sharpening. "You mentioned that was only part of the reason. What is the rest?"
"The secondary factor—" Andromon's previously neutral stare suddenly turned piercing, carrying the weight of a seasoned warrior. "I calculate that you are already acutely aware of it."
He took another step closer. "You possess the raw determination to protect the human you cherish. Yet, your fundamental instincts still violently reject the very concept of combat."
"I—"
"Do you intend to formulate a denial?" Andromon interrupted, his optical sensors narrowing into thin, glowing slits. "If so, explain your combat parameters during our previous engagement. Why were your strikes riddled with micro-hesitations? Why did you pull your lethal blows?"
"That was simply because I had no intention of destroying you!" LadyDevimon shot back, her dark wings flaring in defensive agitation. "You weren't a true enemy. There was no need for lethal force."
Despite her fierce volume, a faint, obvious tremor ran through her words.
Andromon let out a low, mechanical scoff. "Heh. The statistical probability of that being the complete truth is zero. You are lying to yourself."
The towering cyborg turned his back to her, his metallic cape swishing heavily. "LadyDevimon, I will leave you with a single query to process."
He paused, looking over his heavy shoulder. "Whether your objective is to slaughter an enemy or to shield a loved one..."
"What exactly can a sheathed blade accomplish?"
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"Process that carefully." Andromon shifted his attention back to Mizuki. "We will terminate today's session here. Secure a location within the facility to rest. We shall reconvene tomorrow to initiate the practical phase."
"...Understood." Mizuki nodded. He didn't watch the cyborg's retreating back. Instead, he immediately closed the distance between himself and LadyDevimon.
"Mizu... I..."
Hearing the soft scuff of his shoes against the metal plating, LadyDevimon instinctively wanted to turn away. Her shoulders tensed. She stopped herself, freezing in place.
She was terrified. Terrified to look into those bright pink eyes and find disappointment staring back at her.
She had made such grand declarations. She had sworn to be his sword, his shield, his ultimate weapon. Yet, deep down, her core remained unchanged. Her soul still shrank away from the brutality of violence.
Wasn't this a betrayal? Wasn't she just a fraud masquerading as a demon of the dark?
Just as the spiral of self-doubt threatened to consume her, Mizuki's voice broke through the gloom. Soft. Warm. Utterly devoid of judgment.
"LadyDevimon. To tell you the truth... I really despise fighting, too."
"?" Her breath hitched. She finally turned her head, her crimson eyes wide with shock.
"I've mentioned fragments of my past before, haven't I?" Mizuki stepped into a patch of light filtering through the broken factory roof. The illumination caught his pink eyes, making them shimmer with a stunning, crystalline clarity.
But the history behind those eyes was anything but beautiful.
"In my previous life, my body was a cage of illness." His voice was steady, carrying the weight of old, familiar ghosts. "I spent my days surrounded by the sterile stench of medicine, constantly reminded of my own fragility. Because of that... I harbor an intense, deep-seated hatred for pain. I despise the sight of injuries."
He reached out, his fingers gently brushing against the cold leather of her sleeve. "But even knowing that, I still threw myself headfirst into the meat grinder against Devimon."
A soft, self-deprecating chuckle escaped his lips. "On the surface, I suppose it looks like I just caved to the harsh reality of this world. Like I compromised my ideals just to survive."
Mizuki paused, his gaze drifting upward before locking back onto her. "But the truth is entirely different. The reason I force myself to fight, the reason I bare my fangs... it's never because I want to change myself. And it's not because I have some grand delusion of changing the world."
His grip on her sleeve tightened slightly, anchoring her. "I fight to stop the world from changing me."
"Not to change... but to prevent yourself from being changed...?" LadyDevimon whispered, the words rolling over her tongue as she tried to absorb their immense weight.
"Exactly." Mizuki smiled, a genuine, radiant expression that chased the shadows from the room. "So, whether it's Andromon demanding you become a ruthless warrior, or your own heart screaming its hatred for the battlefield..."
He reached up, gently cupping her pale cheek. "In my eyes, neither of those things is a flaw."
"As long as you remain true to who you are. As long as you never stop... then there is absolutely nothing wrong with you."
"..."
The cold, metallic factory seemed to fade away. LadyDevimon leaned into his touch, her chaotic thoughts slowly beginning to untangle. She felt as though she was standing on the precipice of a massive revelation, even if a thick fog still obscured the final steps of the path.
Back when Devimon had threatened them, her hatred for violence hadn't vanished. Yet, she had still hurled herself into the abyss, tearing her own soul apart just to keep Mizuki safe.
That desperate, protective angel... and the hesitant demon standing here now... which one was the real her?
She already understood the bitter truth of this digital world: blindly running away from conflict only paved the road to tragedy.
But was her innate hatred for violence truly a sin?
If it was a sin, why would Mizu look at her with such absolute, unwavering acceptance?
If it wasn't a sin, could a heart that despised the sword truly wield it well enough to protect the boy she loved?
Standing in the quiet ruins of the factory, bathed in the fading light, LadyDevimon closed her eyes. For the first time, she stopped running from the contradictions within her soul, and finally began to truly examine the reflection of her own heart.
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