Chapter 165: Charge Towards the Shield
Crumbling stone pillars and moss-draped archways stood as silent witnesses to a forgotten era. For countless years, these ancient ruins had been buried in the dusty corners of time, completely abandoned by the digital world. The only sounds that ever graced this decaying sanctuary were the hollow howling of the wind and the occasional shifting of loose rubble.
However, that deep silence had been thoroughly shattered today. The arrival of Mizuki's group brought an explosive surge of life and chaotic clamor back to the desolate grounds.
"Dorumon! Do not let fear cloud your heart! Charge directly towards Gram!"
"I don't understand a word you're saying, Gallantmon! This is way too dangerous!"
The source of the echoing commotion was, undoubtedly, the towering Royal Knight and the small, purple-furred beast.
Not too long ago, right after Mizuki and Gallantmon had finalized their strategic plans for the upcoming battles, Dorumon had spoken up. Having spent most of her time idling anxiously on the sidelines, the little Digimon had finally mustered her courage, stepping forward to declare her earnest desire to grow stronger.
"I want to help you guys too!" she had shouted.
Her youthful, fluffy face had been pulled tight with absolute resolve, her bright eyes burning with a stubborn fire.
Moved by her determination, Gallantmon had immediately volunteered to personally oversee her combat training. After all, they had no intentions of leaving the ruins until WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X successfully completed their grueling Fusion digivolution synchronization. They had time to spare.
And so, the rigorous training regimen designed to draw out Dorumon's latent power officially commenced.
At this exact moment, however, Dorumon was regretting every life choice that had led her here.
Staring up at the menacing, crimson-glowing tip of the holy lance, Gram, Dorumon felt every single hair on her body stand straight up on end. With a panicked yelp, she threw herself to the side, tumbling across the dirt just as the massive weapon thrust through the space she had occupied a fraction of a second prior.
Successfully dodging a strike from a top-tier Mega level powerhouse like Gallantmon—even if the Royal Knight was holding back ninety-nine percent of his strength—was a monumental achievement for a mere Rookie level. At least, that was how Dorumon felt as she scrambled back to her paws, panting heavily.
Gallantmon, however, did not share her sense of accomplishment. He lowered his lance, his armored visor fixed on the trembling little beast.
"Dorumon, why did you dodge?"
Perhaps because he had fully immersed himself in the role of a strict mentor, Gallantmon's tone had completely shed its previous aura of unfathomable, stoic mystery. He sounded genuinely baffled.
"You shouldn't dodge! You must charge directly into the path of my lance!"
"Gallantmon, are you actively trying to murder me?!" Dorumon shrieked, her eyes wide with utter disbelief. "I said I hoped you could help me train! I never said I wanted to die!"
She wanted to live!
Because that gentle human had looked her in the eyes and told her that she, too, possessed the absolute right to exist. Those simple, deep words had acted like a piercing ray of light, entirely shattering the thick fog of confusion and despair that had long suffocated her heart.
Her small claws dug into the cracked stone floor.
'I want to live.'
Not just to wander aimlessly in search of the meaning behind her existence. She wanted to live to answer the expectations of those who genuinely wished for her survival. She wanted to protect this newfound warmth.
Just as Dorumon fortified her inner resolve, Gallantmon's booming voice broke her train of thought.
"Dorumon, do you truly wish to live?"
"That goes without saying!" she snapped back, baring her small fangs.
"In that case, you must comprehend the true meaning of finding life in the absolute depths of death!"
Gallantmon flourished his holy lance. His massive crimson cape snapped violently in the wind, framing his gleaming armor in a majestic, almost god-like silhouette against the ruin's backdrop.
"Dorumon, I ask you a simple question. Why do birds fly?"
"Huh?" Dorumon blinked. Her large, clear eyes reflected a pure, unadulterated simplicity—a blank slate entirely untainted by whatever philosophical nonsense the Royal Knight was about to spout.
Gallantmon completely ignored her bewilderment. He raised his free hand toward the sky, his voice echoing with theatrical passion. "When the meteor of the end descended upon the earth during the Cretaceous period, bringing absolute annihilation, only the free birds possessed the power to leap out of the jaws of destined destruction!"
He slammed his fist against his chest armor, the heavy metallic clang ringing out like a war drum.
"Do you understand now? This is the great potential of life! Life possesses an unimaginable, unyielding power, and the very essence of that life is to endure against all odds. In other words, only when a living being is pushed infinitely close to the precipice of death can the true, dormant power of their life force be fully stimulated!"
The passionate speech echoed through the ruins, carrying the weight of a warrior's soul.
Unfortunately, the deep joys and sorrows of people are rarely shared.
The exact same rule applied to Digimon.
What sounded incredibly stirring, poetic, and inspiring to Gallantmon registered as nothing more than chaotic noise to Dorumon's ears.
"What in the world are you talking about?" she muttered, her ears drooping flat against her head. "I don't understand a single word of that. You finally stopped using that weird, cryptic tone, but somehow the things you say are getting even harder to comprehend!"
Gallantmon froze. "..."
A heavy, awkward silence descended upon the courtyard.
After a long moment, under Dorumon's highly skeptical and confused gaze, Gallantmon slowly raised his arm once more.
This time, however, he did not point the holy lance. Instead, he raised his other arm, bringing the massive, circular holy shield, Aegis, to bear.
Seeing the weapon swap, Dorumon flinched initially, but then let out a small sigh of relief.
Sure, that giant shield looked incredibly heavy and oppressive, but it was infinitely better than facing the razor-sharp, lethal edge of Gram. Even if she failed to dodge and got smacked by the flat of the shield, it would just result in a painful bruise. She wouldn't be skewered alive.
Just as Dorumon was rationalizing her safety, she noticed something terrifying.
The golden crest engraved on the surface of Aegis began to emit a blinding, pulsing light. The surrounding air crackled with immense, gathering energy.
Dorumon froze. "?"
'Oh, my dear Tovarishch... why is that thing glowing?'
Before Dorumon's brain could even process the impending doom, Gallantmon leaned forward, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute, deadly seriousness.
"Oh, Dorumon. Charge towards the shield!"
[Final Elysion!]
In the exact same fraction of a second, a colossal, blinding beam of concentrated holy energy erupted from the center of Aegis. The devastating torrent of light tore through the courtyard, sweeping directly toward the tiny, paralyzed Rookie.
Dorumon's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "?"
"Ah! Gallantmon, you absolute—!"
That agonizing shriek was the poor, fluffy beast's final contribution to the conversation before her entire body was ruthlessly swallowed by the blinding white expanse of Gallantmon's ultimate attack.
The resulting explosion shook the very foundations of the ruins. The scene was so utterly tragic, so wildly disproportionate, that men would fall silent and women would weep. Even WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X, who had been deeply focused on their intensive synchronization training a short distance away, abruptly stopped. The two Mega-level titans stared at the smoking crater in absolute, stunned silence.
"Will it really be okay if he continues like this?"
Hearing the soft, concerned voice beside him, Mizuki turned his head. Belle's elegant figure reflected in his dark pupils.
"Probably... she'll be fine," Mizuki replied, though his lips twitched slightly as he watched the smoke billow from the impact zone. "After all, in a certain sense, that little Dorumon's latent potential is vastly more powerful than any Digimon we currently have here."
"Is that so?" Belle murmured, her eyes widening slightly. She nodded in thoughtful realization. 'I didn't expect that little fellow to be so amazing.'
When Mizuki had said all Digimon, he was obviously including her in that assessment.
Yet, Belle didn't mind the comparison in the slightest. She knew better than anyone that the only reason she could wield such overwhelming, terrifying strength now was entirely due to Mizuki's existence and his unyielding support., her natural personality was as gentle and soft as the drifting clouds in the sky. She simply didn't possess the fierce, competitive drive to compare her power levels with others.
Setting her mild concerns for Dorumon aside, Belle shifted her attention to the small, egg-shaped companion resting quietly on the stone slab beside them.
"...Mizu?"
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Mizuki asked, turning his full attention to her.
"This child hasn't woken up yet." Belle knelt gracefully, her gaze sweeping over the dormant form of Digitamamon. "Is it really okay for her to just keep sleeping like this?"
"Don't worry. This child is currently in a deep state of adaptation, processing the massive data changes occurring within her core," Mizuki explained, his voice taking on a soothing, confident cadence. He reached out, gently resting his hand against Digitamamon's smooth shell. "Considering the deep emotional bond she shares with Dorumon, I took the liberty of slightly adjusting her evolutionary route using the power of destiny."
He smiled faintly, a hint of his usual quiet confidence shining through. "After all, she already possessed the foundational data required to reach this step. Nudging her along the right path wasn't anything difficult."
"Evolutionary route?" Belle tilted her head, her curiosity piqued.
"That's right."
Mizuki nodded, opening his mouth to elaborate on the specific data sequences he had manipulated.
Before he could utter a single syllable, a violent tremor violently shook the ground beneath their feet.
An incredibly powerful, suffocating aura suddenly erupted from the center of the smoking crater not far away. The sheer density of the data pressure cracked the surrounding stone pillars, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
"Gallantmon! I have absolutely had enough of this—!"
A furious, high-pitched roar tore through the lingering smoke, followed instantly by a blinding pillar of evolutionary light that pierced the sky.
"Dorumon Digivolve—!"
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]