Chapter 158: Are You a God From Another World?
"WarGreymon X..."
While Belle and WarGreymon X exchanged words, Omnimon had already re-stabilized its stance.
Though momentarily caught off guard by the sudden intervention, the Royal Knight showed absolutely no signs of distress. Its pristine white armor remained immaculate, the cape billowing behind it with an imposing, oppressive weight.
After all, the sheer disparity in strength between the two sides—even with the potent enhancement of WarGreymon's X-Antibody—remained an impossible chasm.
Yet, WarGreymon X stood his ground. The golden armor plating on his arms gleamed as he raised his Dramon Killers. A seasoned warrior honed far more than just physical strength; his spirit was entirely unbroken.
Omnimon's cold, mechanical gaze shifted. The Royal Knight first analyzed Belle, who hovered beside WarGreymon X, before locking its piercing optics back onto the golden dragon warrior.
"WarGreymon X," Omnimon's voice echoed, devoid of inflection but heavy with absolute authority. "Do you comprehend what you are doing?"
The Royal Knight raised its left arm, the Grey Sword gleaming with a chilling, lethal light as it pointed downward.
"This Digimon... and that entity standing on the ground below. They are 'aliens' from another world." Omnimon's tone left no room for debate. "They are anomalies. Existences that must be purged."
"Another world, huh..."
Facing the lethal tip of the Grey Sword, WarGreymon X blinked in momentary surprise. However, that fleeting shock quickly dissolved back into a calm, battle-hardened resolve.
"I suppose that... doesn't entirely exceed my expectations," WarGreymon X replied, a low, rumbling chuckle vibrating in his chest. "After all, thanks to you Royal Knights and your absolute justice, naive fools like this are truly a rare breed in this maddening world."
'But having said that,'WarGreymon X thought, a smirk hidden beneath his faceplate,'aren't you also exactly that kind of naive fool?'
Down below, the ruined earth remained scarred from the previous clashes. MetalGarurumon X, his metallic blue armor scuffed and venting steam, overheard the exchange. His crimson eyes darted upward toward WarGreymon X. Gritting his teeth, the cyborg wolf attempted to force his battered joints to move, intending to leap into the sky and provide aerial support.
Instead, his legs buckled. A wave of bone-deep exhaustion dragged him back down to the dirt. His internal cooling systems whirred frantically, struggling to compensate for the sudden emptiness echoing within his core.
At that moment, Mizuki's calm voice drifted over from the side.
"MetalGarurumon X, it would be best for you to rest for now."
Mizuki stood amidst the rubble, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp as he assessed the downed wolf. "Although only a fraction of your X-Antibody was extracted—meaning it won't be fatal—the sudden loss will still severely impact your mobility for the time being. Don't force it."
"Is that so..." MetalGarurumon X clicked his tongue, a metallic rasp escaping his jaws. "That is... truly a pity."
Despite his frustrated words, the cyborg wolf's crimson optics held not a single shred of regret when he looked at Mizuki.
Silence stretched for a brief moment, save for the crackling of residual data in the air. MetalGarurumon X lowered his heavy head, seemingly deep in contemplation. Finally, unable to suppress the burning curiosity in his chest, he voiced the question that had been gnawing at him.
"Um—" MetalGarurumon X began, his tone surprisingly respectful. "You are an existence from another world, correct?"
"...Hmm. That's right."
Hearing the inquiry, Mizuki didn't bother to deflect. He offered a gentle, straightforward nod.
There was no point in hiding it. If he ever wanted to find a way back home, the assistance and trust of the local Digimon would be absolutely vital.
Besides, Mizuki had already taken the measure of the Digimon before him.
He knew exactly how agonizingly difficult it was for any Digimon to achieve the Ultimate level without the external catalyst of a human partner. Even if this specific Digital World lacked the cruel rule from his original universe—where failing to evolve meant immediate death—the sheer survival-of-the-fittest brutality required to reach this stage was staggering.
Yet, despite clawing his way to the absolute apex of digivolution, this MetalGarurumon X had willingly thrown himself into the line of fire. He had been prepared to sacrifice his own life, all to protect an insignificant, helpless infant Digimon.
Such pure, unadulterated nobility and kindness were traits rarely found in humans, let alone among the data-driven instincts of Digimon.
Upon receiving Mizuki's candid admission, a brilliant, reverent light flared within MetalGarurumon X's crimson eyes.
The very next second, the massive cyborg wolf spoke words that left Mizuki caught entirely off guard, hovering awkwardly between laughter and tears.
"Then, Your Excellency... you must be a divine being from another world!"
Mizuki blinked. Once. Twice. The sheer absurdity of the statement short-circuited his brain for a fraction of a second.
Recovering his wits, he brought a fist to his mouth and let out a light, awkward cough. A thoroughly helpless expression washed over his face.
"Ahem—no. How did you even arrive at that conclusion?"
"Because of your power, Your Excellency—"
MetalGarurumon X shifted his massive paw, gesturing gently toward the small, sleeping form nearby. It was the Digitama—the infant Digimon whose vital signs were steadily growing stronger and more vibrant by the second.
"I can feel it," MetalGarurumon X murmured, his voice thick with awe. "This child has been gifted the power of digivolution once more. To be able to master and bestow this power, which is the very foundation of our world... apart from a god, I cannot fathom any other explanation."
The cyborg wolf paused. The glow in his optics dimmed slightly, replaced by a swirling storm of complex, melancholic emotions. He seemed to be gazing through the present, looking back at a beautiful, distant past, while simultaneously grappling with the horrific reality of their current era.
After a heavy, mournful silence, MetalGarurumon X spoke again, his voice softer this time.
"Besides that... your boundless benevolence is no different from the gods in my memory."
'Is that so...'
Mizuki remained silent, quietly observing the sorrow etched into MetalGarurumon X's metallic features. Pieces of the puzzle began to click into place. He was starting to gain a much clearer understanding of the gods that ruled this specific Digital World.
First and foremost, in the ancient history of this world, this so-called god likely hadn't been a tyrant.
Even though this entity was currently orchestrating an inhumane, apocalyptic slaughter of its own creations, the past painted a different picture.
Whether it was MetalGarurumon X's deep sense of loss and confusion, or Omnimon's unwavering, blind loyalty, the underlying truth was glaringly obvious.
If the god of this world had always been a cruel, heartless dictator, it would never have commanded such absolute devotion and widespread support from its subjects.
So... what exactly had driven that benevolent god to make such a horrific, merciless decision?
'Slaughter... mass deletion... reduction... culling the number of Digimon...?'Suddenly, a sharp flash of realization pierced through Mizuki's mind.'Wait. In other words, the root of this world's current apocalypse doesn't actually lie with the administrator itself. The problem lies with the world itself?'
His mind raced, piecing together the lore. Because of the administrator's past benevolence, the Digital World had experienced an era of unmatched peace and prosperity. Under those ideal conditions, the population of Digimon had exploded, multiplying without restraint.
However, that constantly expanding mass of data eventually pushed the world's storage capacity to its absolute breaking point.
Seeing that the entire Digital World was on the verge of total collapse due to fatal data overload, the administrator had been forced into a corner. Was this mass culling a desperate, last-resort decision to prevent total annihilation?
'If that's true,'Mizuki mused, his eyes narrowing slightly,'then its current madness... is it secretly hoping for some external existence to step in and judge it? To stop it?'A darker thought suddenly surfaced.'Could this world's catastrophic problem also have The Constant's hand in it?'
After all, wasn't unchecked, blind peaceful development just another form of extreme imbalance?
Mizuki shook his head, forcibly interrupting his spiraling train of thought.
Now was not the time. Everything he had just pieced together was purely his own speculation. Without concrete evidence, no matter how logically sound his theories were, they remained nothing more than castles in the air.
also, there was a much more pressing matter right in front of him.
Feeling an intensely ardent, almost worshipful gaze burning into the side of his face, Mizuki turned back to the giant metal wolf. He let out a long, thoroughly defeated sigh.
"MetalGarurumon X."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
"...Please don't call me Your Excellency. I am not some god."
Mizuki straightened his posture, his expression softening into a gentle, grounded smile. "Let me introduce myself properly."
"My name is Mizuki."
As he spoke, Mizuki's gaze drifted over the small group gathered around him. He looked at the somewhat dazed Dorumon standing nearby, then shifted his eyes to the massive, reverent form of MetalGarurumon X.
Finally, his gaze settled warmly on the small infant Digimon resting peacefully in the rubble, looking as though it were enjoying the most comfortable sleep in the world.
"I am not a god," Mizuki said quietly, his voice carrying a calm, unshakable conviction. "Just an... ordinary human who happened to arrive in this world by chance."
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