Chapter 218: The Current State of the Digital World
Digital World — Survivor Camp.
The name was a bleak reflection of reality. Deep within the subterranean caverns, the very last remnants of the Digital World's population huddled together. Among them were the fortunate few who had spontaneously awakened the X-Antibody to survive the devastating X-Program. Others were battle-scarred refugees who had barely slipped through the merciless hunting nets of the Royal Knights. A significant portion owed their lives entirely to the timely interventions of Mizuki and Belle, pulled back from the absolute brink of deletion.
These gathered Digimon hid cautiously in the sunless underground. Although they could not see the sky, they represented the final, flickering ember of hope left in a dying world.
Today, however, even that fragile ember threatened to extinguish under the crushing weight of a new nightmare.
"Damn it... What exactly are these things?!"
"Why aren't our attacks working?!"
Several Tyrannomon roared in frustration. Plumes of searing crimson fire washed over the swarm of bizarre, black-and-white monstrosities, only to dissipate harmlessly against their shifting, gelatinous hides. Disbelief twisted the dinosaur Digimons' features as the creatures advanced without a single scorch mark.
The sheer invulnerability of the invaders extended far beyond the limits of Champion-level fighters. Even seasoned Ultimate-level defenders found their most devastating strikes glancing off the strange entities. Only those Ultimate-level Digimon who had pushed their latent potential to the absolute limit via the X-Antibody, or the supreme Mega-level warriors, possessed the raw destructive output necessary to actually delete the creeping horrors.
"Damn it... Where on earth did this endless swarm come from?"
WarGreymon X growled. He swung his massive arms, the razor-sharp Dramon Killers tearing through the vanguard of the bizarre horde, scattering their corrupted data into the cavern air. His golden eyes narrowed with intense urgency as he surveyed the suffocating tide of black-and-white Eaters flooding the tunnels.
His original plan had been simple: secure Dorumon and Digitamamon within the camp, then immediately double back to reinforce Mizuki on the surface. But the battlefield cared little for plans. The Eaters had materialized out of nowhere, launching a frenzied, mindless assault on the subterranean sanctuary.
The root cause lay in the complete deletion of Jesmon; without the Royal Knight to maintain the dimensional seal, the Eaters had broken free from their containment. Even though Gallantmon had subsequently obliterated that corrupted sector of space, a small cluster of the parasites had slipped through the cracks beforehand, multiplying at a terrifying, exponential rate.
Left with no alternative, WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X anchored themselves at the cavern's primary chokepoint, serving as the final shield for the world's last survivors. They were the only true Mega-level combatants remaining in the camp.
"There are simply too many of them! WarGreymon X! MetalGarurumon X!" a desperate voice echoed from the rear lines.
Wizardmon rushed forward, his tattered cape billowing behind him. As one of the camp's primary caretakers, he spent most of his days shielding the vulnerable In-Training children from the harsh realities of their existence. Now, he hurled crackling spheres of magical energy into the Eater swarm. The spells barely staggered the creatures, but he refused to stop casting. "If we hold this position any longer, they will surround us completely! We'll be slaughtered!"
"Then we abandon the camp!" MetalGarurumon X commanded. He unleashed a sweeping blast of freezing air from his metallic maw, temporarily encasing a dozen Eaters in thick ice. The cyborg wolf turned his heavy, armored head toward the spellcaster. "WarGreymon X and I will carve a path through their main line! You, Mummymon, and the rest of the vanguard need to gather everyone and run!"
"...Understood! We are counting on you!" Wizardmon gripped his staff tightly, his knuckles turning white. Leaving their strongest defenders behind gnawed at his conscience, but logic dictated his actions. For the weaker Digimon, fleeing was the only tactical option left.
As Wizardmon sprinted back to rally the chaotic crowds, WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X exchanged a single, knowing glance. No words were needed. They pivoted toward the thickest concentration of the Eater swarm, drawing upon the absolute limits of their X-Antibody cores.
[Terra Force!]
[Grace Cross Freezer!]
The subterranean world shook violently. A massive sphere of superheated atmospheric energy erupted from WarGreymon X's raised gauntlets, glowing like a miniature sun. Simultaneously, MetalGarurumon X unleashed a devastating barrage of cryogenic missiles and freezing beams from his entire body.
Fire and ice, two fundamentally opposing elements that should have canceled each other out, spiraled together in perfect, destructive harmony. Their synchronized assault multiplied their individual power exponentially. The combined shockwave tore through the cavern, instantly vaporizing a massive swath of the Eater horde and leaving a wide, smoldering trench in its wake.
The sheer, cataclysmic scale of the attack left the fleeing Digimon staring in awe. The blinding flash of light and the deafening roar of the explosion reignited the dying embers of hope within their chests.
"Hey, hey... That kind of output... it isn't much weaker than those Royal Knight monsters, is it?" Garudamon X muttered, his massive feathered arms shielding his eyes from the glare.
In the original flow of history, this particular Garudamon X would have been mercilessly executed by Omnimon's blade. Thanks to the massive butterfly effect triggered by Mizuki's arrival in the Digital World, he had survived to see this day. Yet, the memory of Omnimon's oppressive, peerless might remained burned into his core. Watching MetalGarurumon X and WarGreymon X fight side-by-side, he felt an aura of power that rivaled the terror he had experienced back then.
"Keep moving! Don't just stand there gawking!" Mummymon yelled, limping over to the avian warrior's side. He waved his bandaged arms frantically toward the newly cleared tunnel. "We cannot waste the path they just carved for us! Get everyone moving, now!"
"Quickly, quickly! Wizardmon, guide the children through this corridor!" Silphymon shouted from a nearby ridge, directing the flow of panicked refugees and helping the spellcaster herd the stumbling In-Training Digimon forward.
In a different timeline, Mummymon, Silphymon, and Wizardmon would have stood alongside the two Mega-level warriors, fighting a hopeless battle until the very fabric of the world collapsed around them. Now, they focused entirely on preserving the future.
"Unleashing an attack of that magnitude inside a buried cavern... You really are a reckless fool, WarGreymon X," MetalGarurumon X commented. His internal cooling systems hissed as he vented excess thermal energy, his optic sensors tracking the retreating backs of the survivors.
WarGreymon X did not even turn his head, his gaze locked firmly on the encroaching shadows. "I took the risk because I knew the residual chill from your freezing air would reinforce the structural integrity of the tunnel walls. Besides, I compressed the epicenter of my blast to minimize collateral damage."
"You miss the point entirely," MetalGarurumon X replied, a low, mechanical chuckle vibrating in his chest. "I meant that standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a warrior of your caliber is a genuinely reassuring experience."
Despite his heavily weaponized, metallic visage, the fierce cyborg wolf was undeniably smiling.
WarGreymon X remained silent for a brief moment before taking a heavy, deliberate step forward. "Save the sentimental nonsense for when we actually survive this." He raised his Dramon Killers, the blades catching the faint ambient light. "Once we finish cleaning up this mess, we still have to track down Mizuki and the others."
"Heh... A fair point," MetalGarurumon X agreed, his weapon pods sliding open with a series of sharp, metallic clicks.
As their brief exchange concluded, the screeching tide of Eaters surged forward once again, pouring in from every conceivable crevice. Wherever the white-and-black monstrosities crawled, the very fabric of the Digital World dissolved. Rocks, subterranean dirt, and ancient ruins were stripped down to their most basic binary code and swallowed into the void. All that remained was an endless, suffocating emptiness—a horrifying portrait of an apocalypse in motion.
Yet, standing before the literal end of the world, WarGreymon X and MetalGarurumon X did not yield a single inch. With the eruption of two thunderous auras—one blazing orange, the other a chilling blue—the two legendary warriors charged straight into the endless abyss without a shred of hesitation.
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