As all this went on, there was a brutal attack being perpetrated on the innocent digimon of a large city in the Digital World. Amidst the normally serene valley where the city lay, billowing smoke rose in great plumes. Screams and explosions echoed throughout the valley; the sounds and smells of battle were thick. The city was ablaze as more and more mechanical digimon made their way deep into the city.

"Twin Beam!" shouted a Mekanorimon.

"Nose Gun!" shouted a Tankmon.

The combined attacks of the two digimon obliterated a nearby store. Several Gotsumon ran from the ruined structure, coughing from the thick, black ash that hung in the air. Several of them fell to their knees, begging for mercy. Their pleas were met with nothing but a savage blow to their faces, followed by another attack from Mekanorimon, destroying them.

In another part of the city, the local security force had been pinned down by the onslaught of enemy forces. It was made up of a motley crew of digimon, including several Tortomon, a swarm of Kuwagamon, a small group of Drimogemon, some Tyrannomon, some Monochromon, some Snimon, and of course there was the commander: a Rapidmon. They were locked in close combat with the increasing number of enemy forces who were hell-bent on absolute destruction of the entire city.

"Don't give 'em an inch boys!" shouted Rapidmon as he elbowed a Gardromon in the eyes.

The Gardromon stumbled back a few feet, allowing Rapidmon to dispatch him with a well-placed Rapid Fire.

"Yes sir!" shouted a Tyrannomon as he locked his claws with a Mekanorimon.

Both the Tyrannomon and the Mekanorimon pushed as hard as they could, but Tyrannomon quickly proved the strongest, shoving the Mekanorimon back into a building before unleashing an explosive blast of flame from his mouth, taking down the Mekanorimon and most of the two-story building along with it. One of the Tortomon meanwhile was charging through a group of Gardromon, plowing them out of his way, tossing them around like rag-dolls. Hagurumon had surrounded two of the Snimon on all sides. One after another the Hagurumon charged at the Snimon in massive waves, and every time they were sliced down, but the Snimon had been forced back-to-back, and they would be unable to keep this pace up for long. Down went another batch of Hagurumon. Using each sickle-like claw independently, the Snimon sliced through the steel bodies of their enemies, and still they came. Seemingly unlimited numbers of digimon continued to pour into that city, driven into a berserk bloodlust, completely unfazed by the fall of their companions. The fury of their onslaught was unlike anything the security force could have ever been prepared for.

"Heads up!" shouted Rapidmon as he fired two more missiles into the group of Hagurumon.

"Thanks boss!" shouted the Snimon as they made a hasty escape to rejoin their friends.

A shell from a Tankmon struck Rapidmon square in the chest while he was distracted. He was knocked down, but not out. Three Kuwagamon landed and guarded until he recovered while the rest of the swarm had descended on a squad of Mekanorimon, beating them into submission with a mix of dive-bombing and direct hand-to-hand combat. As a nearby troupe of Gardromon launched their missiles at the Kuwagamon, the many insect digimon returned to the air, leaving the missiles to strike the downed Mekanorimon instead. The Kuwagamon were just about to go after the Gardromon, but in a flurry of incredible speed and power, a single digimon rushed right through the middle of their force. They all remained perfectly still for a moment before their bodies fell apart and disintegrated. The Kuwagamon had been sliced apart so quickly and powerfully that they never even saw it coming. Rapidmon watched this as the fearsome digimon came to a stop overhead, casting a shadow over the battlefield. It was very difficult to make out who it was because of the glare, but the digimon was clearly very powerful. The three Kuwagamon leaped into the air, charging at the digimon with all the force their hearts could muster; however it was soon proven that determination alone will not win a fight. All three of them were sliced in half the instant they got within five feet of this digimon.

Moving quickly and efficiently, the digimon landed firmly on his two, powerful feet directly in front of Rapidmon, shaking the ground below him. He stood erect in front of the visibly shaken Rapidmon, slowly retracting his wings and looking down at him with a cruel glare.

"You won't get away with this…" Rapidmon asserted. "Kill me if you can, but there will always be others to take my place."

"We can't wait to see who will challenge us after you," said the digimon in a cold, mechanical voice.

Rapidmon rushed forward with the same speed his name suggested. He booted the mechanical digimon in the face, rebounding off him and soaring backwards through the air before launching his Rapid Fire attack at him. The missiles hit hard, creating a powerful explosion that engulfed the vile digimon. Rapidmon landed on the rooftop of one of the still-standing buildings, looking carefully into the smoking crater left by his last attack. He waited patiently for any sign of movement.

"That the best you got?" asked the cold voice from behind him.

Rapidmon froze. How could this digimon be so fast? Why was he there? What did he want? Unfortunately, Rapidmon did not have the time he needed to consider these questions for long. Instead he launched himself forward at full speed, taking flight away from the main battle. He moved with phenomenal speed towards the heart of the city, amidst taller buildings that would make maneuvering difficult for his opponent. Rapidmon could sense the enemy commander hot on his heels, almost treating this as a game. Rapidmon bounded off building after building down the long, torn-up street. The walls of the buildings were so damaged that material would frequently fall away at Rapidmon's touch.

Convinced that he had lured his enemy into a pattern, Rapidmon slammed to a sudden stop. His opponent rushed right on past him at top speed just as Rapidmon let loose another barrage of his Rapid Fire attack. The missiles closed behind the evil digimon with incredible speed, but just when they were about to hit, the digimon pulled up hard, shooting towards the sky. The missiles buzzed past him before smashing into another building, shredding away a large section of wall in the explosion. Rapidmon began looking all around, trying desperately to regain sight of his enemy. Unfortunately, he failed to do so before receiving a devastating kick to the back that launched him down into a pile of rubble that lay in the street. The pavement all around him split from the force of the impact, and Rapidmon found himself lying face-down in a small crater. Debris fell around him like rain; bits and pieces of rock and metal bouncing off his armored body. The mechanized digimon landed a few feet in front of him, brutally unemotional.

"What are you waiting for?!" demanded Rapidmon, struggling to return to his feet.

"We have made our decision," said the digimon. "All life here will be eliminated."

Rapidmon jumped to his feet, but he just wasn't fast enough. The beast had rushed past him, leaving three long slices all the way through his midsection. Rapidmon, overcome by his injuries, disintegrated into a million bits of data.

"Flawless as always," said the digimon to himself.

The evil digimon's keen ears then picked up on a soft sound from within one of the nearby structures. His ears honed in on the source of the whimpering noise. The creature confidently turned to his right and walked to the blocked entrance to the building there. A quick slap knocked the rubble out of his way, revealing the bombed-out interior. In the corner stood a Deramon, holding onto a whimpering Tsunomon protectively. The vile digimon's eyes lit up at this sight. As the digimon began to move in, Deramon placed himself between him and Tsunomon, but a swift kick knocked the Deramon out cold. The digimon then reached down and picked up the Tsunomon, smiling a little.

"Sir!" called a Mekanorimon from outside. "Local resistance forces have been completely eliminated. What are your orders?"

"We have found the prize we sought," said the digimon. "My orders are for all ground troops to fall back. Call in Megadramon and Gigadramon for aerial bombardment. Eradicate this vermin-infested hovel."

"Immediately, sir!" saluted the Mekanorimon

Soon thereafter, the invading ground forces abandoned the city, leaving Megadramon and Gigadramon to clean up after them.

Hours later, the DigiDestined found themselves traipsing through a small wooded area. It was apparently a fairly young forest, as the trees were generally thin and spaced far enough apart to allow a great deal of light in. They could hear the sound of a trickling creek in the distance.

"That was some great targeting there, Izzy," said TK. "I guess you figured that since we're going to the Digital World anyway, we might as well get a little exercise too."

"I already explained it," said Izzy. "I could've done a better job if I knew where our enemy's base is, but I didn't happen to have that information handy."

"Stop picking on Izzy!" said Yolei as she slapped TK on the back of his head. "He's doing the best he can! Besides, he DID manage to get us here."

"Thank you Yolei," said Izzy.

"I'm sorry…" said TK. "I guess I'm just a little agitated right now. With Kari gone, I… I don't know."

"So where exactly are we going?" asked Cody.

"We're going somewhere," said Izzy. "I don't know where but we'll get there."

"Couldn't we get there faster if our digimon digivolved?" asked Cody.

"That might not be wise," said Joe. "What if we're heading the wrong way?"

"At least we'd find out sooner," said Cody.

"Let's just keep going like this," said Yolei. "If it looks like we're getting nowhere fast, then we can have the digimon digivolve."

"Sounds like a plan," said TK.

The group continued on for several minutes in silence.

"Hey, do you guys smell something?" asked Gomamon.

"Don't look at me!" said Tentomon.

"That's not what I meant!" said Gomamon. "I mean that I smell smoke…"

"Yeah, I smell it too," said TK.

"Definitely," said Cody.

"Where's it coming from?" asked Joe.

Gomamon sniffed the air a few more times. "East, definitely east."

The group adjusted their direction, running eastward through the forest. It wasn't long before they came to an open patch at the top of a steep hill that descended into a valley. Far ahead of them they could see the smoldering remains of what was once a digimon city. Smoke billowed up from the ruins, and the edge of a great storm cloud lingered ominously overhead.

"This can't be good," said Gatomon.

"We'd better get down there quick!" said Tentomon.

Tentomon quickly digivolved to Kabuterimon and Patamon armor digivolved to Pegasusmon. Between the two of them they were able to provide rapid transport down to the city below. As the group approached what remained of the city, they found themselves overcome by clouds of ash that still hung thickly in the air. Scattered fires scorched the earth around them, feeding off the green valley floor. Skeletal structures were all that remained of the buildings in the area. Debris was strewn about the streets, and the stench of death was powerful among the ruins.

"What happened here…?" asked Cody, clearly shaken by the scene before him.

"Looks like we're too late…" Armadillomon said forlornly.

"Could there be any survivors?" asked Yolei.

"Only one way to find out…" said Joe. "Hello! Is anyone out there?! Hello!"

The others all quickly joined in. They shouted as loud as they could, but still they received no reply. The stillness was eerie. Whatever terrible force had descended on this place had swallowed up all traces of life. With nothing else to do, the DigiDestined began to pick through the rubble, hoping to find a clue as to what had happened.

"What could've done this TK?" asked Pegasusmon as he pawed through the remnants of a store.

"I don't know," said TK. "I just don't know… But if it did it here then it'll probably do the same thing to the rest of the DigiWorld unless we can stop it."

"TK, we can stop it, I know we can," said Pegasusmon. "If there's one thing I've learned from all our time together, it's to never give up hope. No matter how grim things may look, there's always a chance that we can pull through."

"I'm worried about Kari though," said TK. "Will we ever find her again? What is she needs me? What if she's hurt? What if she's… dead?"

"TK, be strong," said Pegasusmon. "Kari is alive. I feel it down to my core. But she will not remain so for long. We must find her, and quickly."

"We WILL find her!" said TK. "I swear it!"

"That's the spirit!" said Pegasusmon. "With that attitude we can beat anything!"

"Then let's stop wasting time!" said TK. "Let's get out there and find where our enemy is!"

"Hey guys!" Gatomon shouted from over where she was digging. "Get over here quick! I found a survivor!"

The others all instantly turned there heads to Gatomon, heading towards her a moment later as she began to help the wounded Deramon out from under a pile of concrete, steel, and broken glass.

Back in the subterranean base, a fateful discovery was about to be made…

"Is there any progress on Subject A?" demanded the shadowy figure.

"I'm afraid not," said the Hagurumon at the console. "Even with the probe at its highest setting we've been getting nothing."

"I refuse to give up!" said the figure. "Still, this human tries my patience. Give it one more day of treatment at the maximum level. I want that crest, even if it means killing the host."

"Isn't that risky sir?"

"Of course it is," said the figure. "But we'd have to terminate it anyway if it proved incorruptible."

"As you wish," said Hagurumon.

"…I'm weary of discussing that one," said the figure. "Have we received the data back from Subject B?"

"It's coming in now sir," said Hagurumon.

"Excellent," said the figure. "Maybe we can finally get some results."

Both the figure and Hagurumon stared intently at the monitor in front of them. A second later though, their expressions turned to utter shock.

"Holy crap…" said the figure.

"Ditto…" said the Hagurumon.

"How could those numbers be so high?!" demanded the figure. "Is there a system glitch?"

"No glitch," said Hagurumon. "The numbers don't lie. Individual strength is 379 and the crest amplification ratio is 13:1."

"Such incredible power…" said the figure. "This must be the one the Vanguard is searching for. Incredible… I must have that power!"

"Sir," announced Hagurumon. "We have a problem. Preliminary scans indicate an extraordinary resistance factor. We can corrupt the subject, but it will take some time."

"Whatever it takes!" shouted the figure. "Begin data download immediately and forward the data to the Vanguard as the download progresses! I want that crest!"