Chapter 164: Methods to Confront the World
"I won't allow it!"
The words tore through the air, sharp and absolute.
"I heard exactly what you just said. You want Mizu to help them evolve into Omnimon, don't you?"
Belle stepped forward, her previously gentle demeanor vanishing in a heartbeat. Her eyes narrowed, flashing with a dangerous, unstable light.
"I will absolutely never accept such a thing!"
The sheer velocity of her emotional shift caught the surrounding Digimon completely off guard. The air around her crackled with volatile data.
Only Gallantmon and Mizuki remained unfazed.
The Royal Knight merely let out a quiet, metallic sigh. "Another impatient child..."
Beside him, Mizuki reached out, his hand gently resting on Belle's tense shoulder.
"Bel, calm down for a second," he murmured, his voice a steady anchor against her rising panic. He offered her a reassuring smile. "Let's just hear what Gallantmon has to say first."
"No! I won't compromise anymore!"
Belle shook her head frantically, her silver hair whipping back and forth.
She grabbed his arm, her grip tight enough to show her desperation. "Mizu, you already exhausted almost all of your Digi-Soul earlier just to save those survivors. If you drain what little you have left, you won't be able to resist this world's rejection!"
Her voice trembled, pitching higher with raw fear. "Before we even find a way back home, the moment this reality rejects you, you'll be torn apart by the Spatial Turbulence in the Void!"
She knew exactly what she was talking about. Back when she had reinforced the collapsing space at the bottom of the Pyramid, Belle had brushed against the chaotic energies lurking within those dimensional cracks. It was a maelstrom of absolute disorder—a crushing, violent force that even she, in her current state, had to treat with extreme caution.
Seeing the sheer terror in her eyes, Mizuki felt a deep warmth bloom in his chest. She was terrified, not for herself, but entirely for him.
Heavy, metallic footsteps interrupted the tense silence. WarGreymon X stepped forward, his massive armor clinking with every deliberate movement. He locked his golden eyes onto the Royal Knight.
"Gallantmon, I won't deny that I look forward to the possibility of evolving into Omnimon. The power to protect others is something I deeply desire." He crossed his clawed arms, his stance unyielding. "However, if the price of that power is hurting the very person who saved us, I will never accept it. Under any circumstances."
"He's right. Count me out as well."
MetalGarurumon X limped forward, his metallic joints grinding slightly. He was still dragging a body that had barely begun to recover from the brink of death, yet his mechanical jaws were set in a firm, defiant line.
Even more surprisingly, the tiny, battered Dorumon—who had been quietly resting on the sidelines—suddenly leaped into the fray. The moment she realized this plan might harm Mizuki, the supposedly weak and pitiful Rookie Level Digimon planted her paws firmly on the ground. Fluffing up her purple fur to look as intimidating as possible, she bared her small fangs and hissed fiercely at the towering Royal Knight, a being standing at the absolute pinnacle of the Mega Level!
"Hiss—!" Dorumon spat, her tail lashing.
Gallantmon stared down at the tiny creature. "..."
Finding himself suddenly painted as the villain and the target of universal criticism, the holy knight fell into a heavy silence.
He had originally intended to play the role of the deep, mysterious guide, dropping cryptic hints to test their resolve. But catching sight of Belfast Beast's aura—which was practically boiling over and seconds away from a violent eruption—he wisely abandoned that theatrical approach with a quiet sigh of regret.
"Belfast Beast, I am fully aware of the precarious situation your partner is in," Gallantmon stated, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "In fact, the proposal I am making carries only benefits for you all. There is no harm intended."
He raised a gauntleted hand, pointing a crimson finger directly at Mizuki. "Just as you pointed out, your partner burned through the vast majority of his Digi-Soul to heal the innocent, all while actively fighting off this dimension's natural rejection of foreign entities."
"Under normal circumstances, his strength should have completely bottomed out. He should have been expelled into the Void hours ago."
Gallantmon lowered his hand, his visor gleaming in the ambient light. "Yet, the fact remains: he is still standing right here. He exists in this world, grounded and whole."
"Do you not find that strange?"
Mizuki frowned, his clever mind immediately seizing the puzzle. He fell into deep thought, analyzing his own internal data flow.
Belle, on the other hand, crossed her arms and lifted her chin with an expression of absolute, unquestioning pride. "What is so strange about that?" she huffed, her tone suggesting Gallantmon was an idiot for even asking. "It is simply because my Mizu is the most amazing person in the universe! Obviously!"
Gallantmon stared at her. "..."
'Her raw power is terrifying, yet her mindset is entirely that of a fiercely protective child,'the Royal Knight thought, mentally shaking his head.'I really should not have expected a logical deduction from her.'Before Gallantmon could attempt to explain further, Mizuki's calm voice broke the silence. "Is it...'recognition'?"
"The recognition from the living beings of this dimension." Mizuki looked up, his eyes meeting the knight's visor. "After all, the collective consciousness of living creatures is a fundamental pillar of what constitutes a 'world'."
As he spoke, Mizuki closed his eyes, turning his focus inward to assess his physical and spiritual condition.
He had been so hyper-focused on forcefully pushing back against the crushing pressure of the world's rejection that he had completely overlooked the subtle changes within his own soul.
Now that Gallantmon had pointed it out, the truth washed over him.
Beneath his own innate Light of the Heart, there was a secondary force holding him together. It was a warm, invisible current flowing into him from all directions—a gentle tether anchoring his existence to this reality. It was the pure, unadulterated gratitude of the Digimon he had pulled back from the brink of death.
"To be precise," Gallantmon corrected softly, "it is 'Sentient Will'. Or, in simpler terms... 'Faith'."
The Royal Knight stepped closer, his cape billowing slightly. "Humans are truly a unique existence. I must admit, you possess a terrifying potential that we Digimon fundamentally lack."
"The innate ability to guide the raw emotions of the heart and manifest them into physical substance."
Gallantmon's tone grew heavy, weighed down by the sins of his master. "Because of Yggdrasil's X-Program, nearly ninety-eight percent of all Digimon in this world have already been eradicated."
The statistic hung in the air, cold and suffocating.
"Because the total population has been so drastically reduced, the sheer number of Digimon you personally saved now occupies a massive proportion of this reality's concept of 'living beings'."
"In other words, by saving them, you have gained the collective recognition of the vast majority of the surviving world. Because they accept you, the 'world' itself is gradually being forced to accept you as well."
Gallantmon gripped his holy lance, his voice dropping to a reverent whisper. "This collective faith is a foundational power. It is a force that even Yggdrasil, despite being the absolute administrator of this digital universe, cannot easily overwrite or contend with."
Gaining the recognition of the majority of the world's living beings. Logically, it was a massive victory. It was his lifeline.
Yet, as the reality of Gallantmon's words sank in, Mizuki felt absolutely no happiness. No relief.
Only a suffocating wave of deep sadness.
He mentally calculated the numbers. He remembered the face of every single Digimon he had pulled from the wreckage. Even if he added up every survivor currently taking shelter, their total population wouldn't even match the number of residents that used to live on a single small continent like File Island.
And yet, this meager, broken fraction now constituted the "vast majority" of life in this universe.
Just how many millions of Digimon had been slaughtered? How many had dissolved into data, screaming in despair and agonizing pain while the sky rained the X-Program down upon them?
Having died once himself in his past life, having clawed his way out of the abyss to cherish his new, healthy body, Mizuki understood the sheer, irreplaceable preciousness of life better than anyone.
He could practically feel the phantom echoes of their terror.
His jaw locked. A vein pulsed faintly at his temple as his hands curled into tight, trembling fists.
Noticing the slight tremor in the human's clenched hands, Gallantmon discreetly averted his gaze, offering the boy a moment of privacy.
"Child of humanity," the knight spoke softly, "the past is already written in stone. No amount of grief, no matter how righteous your indignation, can reassemble the data of lost lives."
"What we must do now is look to the present."
"You must survive. Not just for your own sake, but to carry the legacy of those who have departed."
Live well.
Gallantmon didn't speak the words aloud, but the unspoken sentiment echoed clearly in the space between them.
Mizuki took a slow, deep breath, forcing his hands to unclench. He didn't need the knight to tell him that. He had already made that promise to himself a long time ago.
He would live, and he would thrive.
After all, he glanced down at Belle, who was still glaring suspiciously at the knight, he was no longer fighting alone!
"I understand exactly what you mean, Gallantmon," Mizuki finally said, his voice regaining its usual calm, strategic edge.
"By actively participating in this world's destiny—by leaving a deep mark on it—I can deepen my conceptual connection with it. That connection acts as a shield, allowing me to fully resist Yggdrasil's attempts to reject my existence."
He turned his gaze toward the two heavily armored X-Antibody Digimon standing nearby. "also, by acting as the catalyst to help them evolve into Omnimon, we gain an incredibly powerful ally. An effective, top-tier combat force capable of standing toe-to-toe with the other Royal Knights."
A faint, almost mischievous smirk touched the corner of Mizuki's lips. "In short, it is a transaction of mutual benefit. That is the logic you are operating on, correct?"
"Exactly."
Hearing Mizuki lay out the strategy so flawlessly, Gallantmon nodded his plumed head with evident satisfaction.
Beside him, having listened to the entire explanation, Belle finally allowed her volatile aura to settle. The dangerous crackle of data faded, and her breathing returned to normal.
However, true to her nature, she refused to step away from Mizuki's side. She pressed herself against his arm, her striking eyes constantly darting back and forth, critically sizing up the massive Digimon standing before them.
She looked exactly like a highly territorial little cat, fiercely guarding her most prized possession from a pack of giant, metal wolves.
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