The treasure only allowed four people to use it at once, so naturally they had to discuss who would go...
"To guarantee our combat power, Zero is absolutely necessary..." Rina said. No one raised any objections—without Zero, fighting MetalSeadramon would be impossible. His inclusion was beyond question.
"To maximize Zero's power, Taichi and Rina are also essential," added Gatomon. Taichi's Crest of Courage and Rina's DigiSoul were critical boosts to their fighting capability, so they were also a must.
With that, three out of four spots were filled, making the final choice rather straightforward.
"If either Wizardmon or I go without Hikari or Koushiro, neither of us can unleash our full strength," Gatomon explained.
With only one spot left, sending either Gatomon or Wizardmon without their human partners would severely limit their abilities. Sending either Koushiro or Hikari alone would be even riskier.
Thus, the final slot naturally went to Hajime, who could fully utilize her strength just by accompanying Rina. The final team was set: Taichi and Rina, paired with Zero and Hajime.
Zero, having already broken through the Mega Barrier, was the Resistance's strongest fighter, and Hajime was a solid Mega-level force herself. Even if she couldn't dominate the battle, at least she wouldn't hold them back.
Moreover, since they'd just destroyed MetalSeadramon's oil factory, it was very likely the Dark Army would soon launch a counterattack against the Gekomon island. Leaving Gatomon and Wizardmon behind would provide extra protection. With this settled, their plan was finalized.
"All right, that settles it~"
Rina casually took out her Digivice, pointed it at the ornate box held by ShogunGekomon, and activated the "Card Conversion" function.
In a flash, the decorated box turned into a thin, sleek card. Now the preliminary preparations were complete.
"MetalSeadramon is in the underwater city. The exact location…"
Koushiro's fingers flew across his laptop keyboard. A detailed 3D map appeared on-screen, clearly displaying the underwater structures through a simulated ocean layer.
The underwater city itself had been rebuilt from ancient ruins. Once, it had been a prosperous city before sinking beneath the waves into ruin.
It instantly reminded Zero of Atlantis, the legendary lost city—likely this place was the Digital World's reflection of that famous myth. But now wasn't the time for speculation. Koushiro transmitted the map data directly into Rina's Digivice, helping her lock onto the target.
"Let's go. This time...we'll finish off MetalSeadramon for good!"
Taichi, Rina, Zero, and Hajime approached the edge of the island. Rina swiftly swiped the card across her Digivice—
"[CARD SLASH]~!"
A gentle blue glow enveloped them. Exchanging brief glances, they all leaped confidently into the ocean...
As soon as they entered the water, all four immediately noticed the difference...
"Amazing! Even though we're underwater, breathing isn't a problem at all... Ah—"
Rina experimentally spoke to her companions. Tiny bubbles emerged from her lips, yet her voice clearly reached their ears through the water.
"It seems even communication works perfectly. This solves everything!" Taichi excitedly waved his arms around, fascinated by an experience impossible in the Real World.
Now that their main obstacle was gone, Rina opened her Digivice and brought up Koushiro's map. Quickly, she signaled the group, and they rapidly dove deeper into the ocean depths…
...
At the same time, news of the oil factory's destruction had already reached MetalSeadramon in the underwater city.
The forces he'd stationed there had been completely wiped out, and the factory itself was obliterated. Although this loss wouldn't cripple MetalSeadramon's overall power, it still stung.
More importantly, MetalSeadramon had ongoing deals with Machinedramon. This oil was an essential trading resource. Even within the Dark Army, friendship was friendship, business was business, and deals were strictly transactional.
In reality, relations among the Dark Masters weren't exactly brotherly to begin with.
Without the promised oil shipment, trade with Machinedramon would suffer—a significant problem indeed.
Given the Dark Army's vengeful nature, they couldn't possibly accept this humiliation without retaliation.
But the individual responsible for this damage was already obvious. It was clearly the leader of the Resistance—the same enemy who'd previously clashed with MetalSeadramon in cyberspace and defeated two Dark Masters already.
That strange Digimon from File Island, calling himself "Zero."
MetalSeadramon knew very well sending ordinary troops would be suicide. The Gekomon's island was irretrievably lost.
But this wasn't all bad—it meant Zero had come to the Ocean Domain, directly onto MetalSeadramon's turf.
He'd previously suffered humiliation at Zero's hands. Now, both new grudges and old wounds could finally be settled all at once!
Under normal circumstances, MetalSeadramon—still not fully healed—would definitely be no match for Zero. However, thanks to a deal with Machinedramon, not only had he fully recovered, he had even gained new power surpassing his former limits.
Within the underwater city lay a small submarine. The Ocean Legion consisted mostly of aquatic or amphibious Digimon who naturally didn't need submarines.
Thus, this sub's owner was clearly someone else. And marked clearly on the hull was a familiar emblem:
It was the very same symbol that had recently caused a massive stir across Server Continent, belonging to the now-famous Fifth Commander of the Dark Army…
...the Digimon Kaiser.
At this very moment, the Digimon Kaiser and LadyDevimon walked through a dark corridor. Two Digimon on either side guided them, using their powers to clear a pathway through the water.
They eventually reached the end of the corridor: an oceanic abyss of total darkness without a single flicker of light.
And deep within that abyss, an enormous body churned through the pitch-black waters.
Although the figure's exact form remained hidden, its immense presence still made LadyDevimon's knees weak.
Even after losing badly to Zero, nearly reduced to sashimi, MetalSeadramon was still firmly among the Digital World's top echelon. No matter how low he'd fallen, he was far from someone ordinary Digimon could provoke.
Moreover, MetalSeadramon had clearly just undergone significant modifications, gaining power far beyond his previous limits.
The Digimon Kaiser's presence here was, of course, due to his previous discussions with Piedmon.
"You've arrived?"
From the deep abyss below, MetalSeadramon's voice resonated like thunder. His enormous form dwarfed any human. Combined with the oppressive darkness, the sheer intimidation was suffocating.
The Kaiser steadied his nerves and barely kept his voice calm as he replied.
"Yes. Just as we agreed, I'm here to help you complete that final step."
As he spoke, the Digimon Kaiser raised his Dark Digivice. But MetalSeadramon's thunderous voice echoed again from the abyssal darkness.
"To be honest, I'm skeptical that a mere human can increase my power that much. But since Piedmon recommended you, I'll give him some face. So, kid…don't disappoint me."
In the past, the Kaiser would've instantly stormed off after hearing such dismissive words.
But after recently being utterly humiliated, he'd learned some restraint. More importantly, to reach beyond the Mega Barrier, he desperately needed the Dark Masters' support.
"Don't worry..." The Kaiser lifted his Dark Digivice. "…I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Immediately, intense black energy erupted from the Digivice. Originally, the Holy Plan and Crests amplified emotions. The Kaiser currently didn't possess a usable Crest—or rather, he couldn't awaken his true Crest, the Crest of Kindness.
But the Digivice's basic effect as an emotional amplifier still worked perfectly. It could amplify negative emotions as easily as positive ones.
The Dark Digivice dramatically increased the power of darkness and negative feelings, turning them into raw strength.
However...
...As the black energy surged into the abyss, MetalSeadramon's voice emerged again, carrying a mocking undertone.
"Oh? So this is your power? Not bad…but is this really all you've got? Just this won't satisfy me."
"…"
Amplifying negative emotions put significant strain on the Kaiser's own body. Such classic power-ups were double-edged swords. He could already feel the corrosive darkness eating away at him, yet he didn't give up.
To surpass the Mega Barrier, his current efforts weren't nearly enough. His enemies were fighting seriously—gambling their lives in every battle.
Therefore...
"If I don't stake my own life here, I'll never surpass them. So…"
Gritting his teeth, the Dark Digivice in his hand exploded with even greater darkness—far surpassing its previous intensity.
"Oooohhhh!"
This time, the darkness formed a massive whirlpool, pouring into the abyss. MetalSeadramon finally sounded satisfied—
"Good! That's more like it! With this power, I can finally take that step forward…MetalSeadramon—"
—DARK DIGIVOLUTION!!!
---
T/N: HOW IS HE DIGIVOLVING??? HE"S ALREAYD MEGA
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