Chapter 23:

Shifting Threats

Forest Zone-Green Zone Border, November 18th 2022.

Dukemon quietly watched the long columns of soldiers marching across the border in an orderly manner. The crimson and white paladin rested his hands on his hips, looking up as Examon and Magnamon finally caught up with the rest of the army. The massive dragon slowed down in the air before hovering in place to speak with him.

"Everyone's accounted for. The Metal Empire haven't opened fire on us,"

"That's good," Dukemon nodded, "That means that they are keeping their words. Go join the rest of us up ahead. I'm waiting on Grani,"

Examon nodded and resumed his flight to catch up with Magnamon. The Royal Knights were spread out across the ranks, making sure that the enemy soldiers wouldn't attack their soldiers. The long trek back at the border was tiring for the most of them, but they were slightly relieved to have some peace and quiet... even temporary.

Meanwhile, at the head of the Strike Force soldiers was Alphamon, accompanied by Omegamon and Raijinmon. The trio of Mega-level digimon halted by the crossroad, letting the troops pass by.

"This is as far as I'm allowed to go, sires," Raijinmon announced professionally, "I'll make sure that our treaty is respected at the back,"

"I guess we shall bid you farewell, Storm Commander," Alphamon replied calmly, "Safe travels, until we meet on the next battlefield,"

"Farewell, sires," The Storm Commander respectfully bowed before making his way back to his unit.

Omegamon shook his head and sighed heavily. His black counterpart eyed him curiously, "You wish to speak your mind out, old friend?"

"This is getting out of hand, Alphamon..."

"Well, that is the nature of war, Omegamon. War's chaotic and destructi-"

"You know what I meant," The white paladin interrupted him dryly, "We're getting stretched to our limits. Our soldiers are battle fatigued, even our fellow knights are at each others' throats," He voiced his concerns and frustration, "Just what the hell are we doing? What are our Lord's orders?"

"We are trying to restore and maintain peace, Omegamon. We have been doing so for over a century," Alphamon reminded him in a stern and serious tone. He closed his ruby eyes and released a sigh, "As for our Lord's commands... I felt nothing nor have we received any notice... I wonder if It is aware of the global situation we're finding ourselves in..."

"Do you remember when the Imperium launched its first attacks?" Omegamon asked.

"I do, clearly even... we were contacted months after they've conquered half of the DigiWorld,"

"You also remembered that It has foretold the humans' coming into our world, right?"

"That I do... but It also warned about another foreign threat, to keep a wary eye open in the world... Whatever that meant," Alphamon pensively wondered, stroking his chin.

"Maybe It meant the humans, that we should keep a distance from them," Omegamon mused, "The Metal Empire's recent reports on them does seem to confirm some of our doubts,"

"Perhaps... but we do not have the whole picture. The humans must have their own reasons for conducting operations without our guidance or knowledge. We can't really blame them if we're also doing the same to our own allies,"

"Hmm," Omegamon nodded quietly, "Once all of this is over... are you going to take that private yoga class with Venusmon?"

Alphamon choke on his own spit, coughing heavily before staring at his long time friend with wide eyes, "W-was that your attempt of a joke?!"

"No, I was being serious," Omegamon replied innocently. Alphamon recovered quickly and stared at him with deadpan eyes.

"Ah..."

Camp Dawnstar, Southern Region.

Rika held her distraught face in her hands while Satomi stared at her with baffled eyes. The two women sat at a table in one of the camp's mess halls. They were far and away from any prying eyes and ears after Rika have told her about her night spent with Ryo two days ago.

"Holy... steaming...Jesus..." Satomi muttered.

"Ugh, I just want to kill myself right now!" Rika groaned into her hands.

The young combat medic soundly swallowed her saliva and cleared her throat, trying to process the surprising revelation, "Sooo... was he any good in b-"

"Seriously?!" Rika snapped and quickly covered her mouth, her face boiling red with embarrassment.

"Look I'm trying to figure things out with an outside perspective," Satomi reassured her, "Okay, so like, did you guys ever spoke about it after... the incident-"

"Please don't say it like that,"

"Fine, after your one night stand,"

"That's worse!" Rika plopped her head against the mess table, unable to contain her embarrassment. She felt Satomi reaching out and holding her hand, feeling somewhat at ease. A true medic's touch.

"I'm just trying to help you sort out your feelings. Do you, perhaps, harbour any feelings for him?"

"I know he does for me but... gah, it's all messed up!"

"Try me,"

Rika breathed out heavily and perked her head up, staring back at Satomi with shy eyes, "I already have feelings for someone else... but that night... when we...huh..."

"Had sex," Satomi finished with a smug grin.

"Yeah, that. It was... relaxing, comfortable. I mean, we did do it a couple of times that night,"

"Oh my, didn't know you guys had that much stamina,"

"Comes with the job," Rika joked wryly, "But it also felt wrong... like I'm playing with his feelings, giving him false hopes when there is nothing going on between us... It was a spur of the moment thing and I felt vulnerable and... and I just needed company. Does that make any sense?"

Satomi rubbed her cheek with a thoughtful hum, "I do understand, but in that case, you need to clear the air with him ASAP before you hurt each other by giving the wrong ideas,"

"I know but... that kind of makes me sound like a slut,"

"It happens to the best of us, beside you were both extremely drunk,"

"Yeah, I guess you're right,"

"By the way, have you guys been using protection during the act?" Satomi asked professionally.

"I... I don't remember..." Rika was about to panic, realizing the mess she might found herself in. Having a child is probably the last thing she needed.

As if answering her worries, Satomi produced a vial of contraceptive pills. "Here, morning after pills. Take a pill on a daily basis and you won't get a xenomorph growing in you,"

"Okay, firstly: eww and how dare you. Secondly: are you carrying those everyday with you?"

"Yes, you'll be surprised how many people fuck around in this camp... in both senses of the word,"

"Kami..."

LTGEN Yamamoto entered the briefing room with a coffee mug in hand. He was greeted by the four CIA field agents whom were waiting patiently to show their presentation. He ungracefully sat at the other end of the long meeting table and quietly drank his coffee.

"Alright, McKinley, you better give me some good news regarding the terrorist cell," He warned without even looking at him.

The leader of the CIA team cleared his throat and switched the projector on, showing a map of the Southern Region with several long lines highlighted in red. "As of matter of fact, we do, general," McKinley replied with a confident grin, "Our two prisoners from last month's raid have finally broke, revealing the tunnel system that the terrorists have dug through the continent," He took a laser pointer and circled around the wide tunnel network displayed on the screen, "These red lines represent tunnels, with a couple of their access points scattered throughout the region,"

Yamamoto leaned forward as one access point caught his attention. It was quite close to their base, it came from a mine located next a burnt village they've discovered back in August.

"Isn't that-"

"Yes, this access point is from the burnt village," Agent Jordan Stones replied knowingly, "Oakfields, if I remember correctly. The village was burnt by the terrorists because one of the locals spotted their hideout and was about to report it to us. Guess they were more keen to punish the whole village,"

"So what do you suggest?" The Japanese officer inquired.

"To cut them off and force them into a choke hold," McKinley answered coldly, "I propose a three-phase plan. Phase one: we recon the access points, assess them and gather intel. If we can spot which one our HVT uses to travel through the continent then we pass to phase two," He laser pointed at two tunnels that outstretched out of the border and into the United Draconic Coalition and the Wildlands Region respectively.

"We drop a couple of bombs into those tunnels, effectively severing them from any outside help. Then we destroy all the other entry points and only leaving one,"

"Thus moving to phase three," Yamamoto stated firmly.

"Bingo!" McKinley clicked, "Either we force them out or drop the mother of all bombs on their fucking heads. Either way, our HVT will have no choice to expose himself to us. Thus dissolving his little insurgency,"

Yamamoto leaned back into his chair, pondering and weighing the options offered to him. It was a solid plan, but the American's original plan was bold but reckless and could easily backfire if civilian casualties are involved. He was also demanding a lot of expensive equipment, resource and manpower; manpower that he couldn't spare since the terror attacks on Tokyo.

"You're asking for a lot, McKinley. I'm not too sure if my government will accept your requirements," He informed him, hoping that he could modify the plan.

"You don't have to worry much about that, general. I have friends in high places that can make a few calls and..." The agent pursed his lips, as if trying to word it out correctly, "Persuade your government to consider otherwise,"

The general frowned, feeling something off. All operations must be studied and approved by him before it could get a green light from the Japanese Prime Minister. So for McKinley to suggest that he can make a few calls and bypass him, meant that he has already done so without his permission or knowledge. "Damn him..."

"I suppose that you've already made those calls and that the Prime Minister has already green light this operation. Am I correct?"

McKinley chuckled arrogantly, "I'm afraid so, general. What I need is..." He takes out a file from his laptop bag and placed it in front of him, "An approval stamp from you,"

Yamamoto eyed him confusedly, "Why does it matter? You've already got the go signal from the Japanese government,"

"Just formalities, general. So that they have proof that you were aware of this operation," The CIA agent replied, his Texan accent catching up to him.

"What's the name of this operation?"

"Grave Diggers,"

Research and Development Site Omega 58, Industrial Zone, November 19th 2022.

The rumble of engines and clamour of machines working around the clock echoed in the large and wide military complex in the neutral Industrial Zone. Whole companies of Kenkimon and Mechanorimon transported stacks upon stacks of supply crates, ammunitions, artillery shells and field guns. They loaded the various supplies onto the many, long convoys of GranLocomon and Locomon, set for destination to the frontlines of the Metal Empire's wars.

Hundreds of Guardromon supervised and controlled the flow of traffic. While the heavy logistical supplies were being loaded up and sent out, thousands of Commandramon soldiers stood at parade rest in the large outdoor plaza, between the railway station and the airport. They were Chaosdramon's new clone army; genetically modified to be better soldiers than the already venerable D-Brigade. They aged and learned quickly, able to be produced in just two months, already trained and battle ready. By companies, the soldiers marched autonomously to their designated transport: either the GranLocomon or the Blimpmon stationed on the tarmac.

The whole complex was buzzing with activity, officers shouting out orders, the train digimon letting off a high pitched whistle before departing.

The complex but flowing logistical chain were being sent out with newer equipment, weapons and a literal army made for war. Chaosdramon, unbeknownst to his own generals and advisors, has green lit the deployment and acceleration of his new army and weapons, part of project "Blitzheer". While the Type-II clones were deployed, the production of Type-III clones were well underway, already producing a thousand troops per week. This next phase of the campaign will force the CNS and IDDF to surrender, by launching an overwhelming invasion of the Forest Zone, the Dramon Republic, the Wind Guardians Federation and NeoNexus, effectively cutting the allies from each other.

The time has come for the digimon to reclaim their independence, as for those whom oppose Chaosdramon's will, they will know the might of the Metal Empire.

Vulcanusmon inspected the lines of clones with a scrutinising eye, attentive to every detail and condition of the soldiers' individual equipment. The soldiers held their gaze firmly and stoically with him, unflinching and ready to snap into action at a moment's notice. Deeply satisfied, he nodded to their company commander. The commanding officer barked his orders, ordering the whole company to march toward their appointed transport vehicles.

The leading architect and mastermind behind the "Blitzheer" project continued his inspection of the whole operation, making sure that the site and deployment worked like clockwork. Following behind him was a small group of Asuramon assistants and apprentices, whom followed his teaching and commands to an almost fanatical degree.

"Send a message to the emperor," He spoke up, breathing steadily through his mechanical respirator, "That two whole divisions are being mobilised and are combat effective for next phase of the campaign,"

"Yes, Master Vulcanusmon!" An Asuramon replied with a bow.

"Increase the production of ammunitions, especially for artillery shells and biochemical rounds." He added stoically.

"Yes, Master!" Another answered dutifully.

The eight armed digimon halted in his tracks when he noticed a lone Sealsdramon leaning against a small Locomon train, arms crossed over his torso. With a wave of his four arms, Vulcanusmon dismissed his assistants and made his way toward the commando. If it wasn't for the fact that the Sealsdramon wasn't one of his creations, he would've gotten the rogue clone executed on the spot.

The Sealsdramon wasn't a clone nor a soldier of the D-Brigade. He was different from his peers, he donned a camouflaged armour, a mix of green, black and tan pixelated patterns. He was also equipped with custom and personal chest rig, a thigh holster and a set of enhanced optical visor, giving him eight green "eyes".

"C-343, what brings you here?" Vulcanusmon asked, irritated by the mercenary's mere presence.

"I told you already, chooms, the name's "Trigger"," The Sealsdramon corrected while pushing himself off the train car, "But don't worry, I won't be long. Just here to collect my client's order," He answered casually while handing him a touchpad.

Vulcanusmon picked up the device and scanned its contents. It was a large order of ammunitions and weapons along with better communication devices. "What's with the large order? I wasn't notified by Fracture,"

"Well, let's just say that there was a..." Sealsdramon clicked his tongue, "delay," He approached Vulcanusmon with hands raised, palms open, in a placative manner, "Listen, I understand that you are just following orders. And so am I!" They were now face-to-face, a foot apart between them, "My orders are to supply the terrorists with weapons... by any means necessary,"

Vulcanusmon frowned and crossed a pair of arms over his chest, "Are you threatening me?"

Trigger dramatically placed a hand over his mouth, "I would never! I'm just persuading you to help me with providing for the demands. Besides, you should know by now that they are willing to pay for it, right? Under no supervision or inspection from the Bureau of Finances. It's like free pocket money... if said pocket money is worth tens of thousands of bits,"

"Fine," Vulcanusmon reluctantly conceded, "I'll get my workers to fill up a Locomon cart. You can sign the requisition document with them later," He turned on his heels and headed to the opposite direction.

Trigger bowed in a theatrical manner, "Pleasure doing business with you, sire,"

November 26th 2022, Southern Region, near the UDC border

Marcus remained quiet as he observed the tunnel entry of a mine. Laying prone next to him was Mizuhara, his right eye glued to his sniper rifle's scope. The duo have been on a reconnaissance mission for about 24 hours now, searching patiently for the access point to one the terrorists many tunnels.

"Watcher, this is Bravo 2-1. Objective Mesa located and confirmed. We are ready to lase the target, code: Shadow Spear. Over."

"Bravo 2-1, Watcher. Copy that. Launching Shadow Spear, ETA six mikes. Have the target location lased and be ready for impact. Over."

"Watcher, wilco. Bravo 2-1, out." Marcus grabbed the laser designator and activated the device. It let out a small electronic whir to heat itself up for a couple of seconds before going quiet. He peered into the designator's binoculars and aimed at the mine entrance. He activated the IR laser strobe, indicating a distance as well. "Target's lased and hot. Now we wait for the fireworks," He commented casually.

"I've got four squirters outside, by the campfire, 800 meters," Reported Mizuhara monotonously.

"Roger that, I'll notify the Americans," Marcus switched channels to his radio and spoke quietly into his throat microphone, "Demon Dog 4-Actual, this is Bravo 2-1. Be advised: we've got positive ID on four foot mobiles outside of the target location, possibly more after the air strike."

"This is Demon Dog 4-2, we copy all. Thanks for the heads-up. Over."

"Three more just came out, must be their relief..."

"Sucks for them. Missile's inbound," Marcus replied calmly, peering into the laser designator to make sure that he was on target, "Still can't believe that Japan purchased a couple of US ballistic missiles..."

"Well, y'know we got away with it once we wanted to use them in this world," Mizuhara replied coldly, "Only digimon here, no human sovereign states here,"

"I guess you're right but... kind of fucked up, don't you think? Especially when it is approved by the UN,"

"Not our place to judge what should've been right or wrong. We follow orders and that's it. We don't care about anything that's above our pay-grade. Got it?"

"Heh... Amen to that brother," There was a moment of silence as the operators waited patiently for the ballistic missile to strike its target. Then a thought popped in Marcus's mind, "By the way, aren't we in danger close? I mean this is a beefed up version of the-"

His words were completely drowned out by a powerful and terrifying explosion. There was first a blinding, bright, flash that turned night into day for a brief second followed immediately after by an ear-shattering boom. The earth rocked violently as a huge smoke cloud rose from the ground, falling chunks of dirt, rocks and debris fell from the mini mushroom cloud.

"Fuck me..." Marcus rubbed his eyes, slightly blinded by the flash as he reported to his superiors, "Watcher, this is Bravo 2-1. Direct hit on target. Objective Mesa destroyed. Demon Dogs are pushing in to clean up the squirters. Over."

"Copy that, Bravo 2-1. Regroup with at LZ Zulu for extraction. Let the Americans handle the rest. Out."

It has been barely a week that the IDDF began their counter-insurgency operations and it has proven to be a success so far. Special forces units worked around the clock to search, locate and destroy the terrorists' tunnel access points and weapons cache all over the Southern Region while the conventional units made several arrests in over a dozen towns and villages. Thanks to their knowledge of the terrain and help from the local populace and security forces, the IDDF were rapidly cutting off the insurgents' vital supply lines with only two casualties on their side: both were wounded Japanese soldiers after a brief firefight broke out in a village.

Despite their success, they were nowhere near to capture or kill their main target: WereGarurumon X-Antibody. They've received numerous witness accounts and raided said target sites but with no results; it seemed like he was a step ahead of them.

In addition to their counter-insurgency operation, the IDDF continued with its bombardments of key strategic locations across the Metal Empire but it made the tensions between the factions worst since yesterday the empire finally launched its invasion of the Forest Zone, leaving king Shoutmon, the DSF and the Royal Knights to defend on the ground while they provided air superiority.

Marcus and Mizuhara returned to Camp Dawnstar after an hour flight, the detachment of Force Recon Marines were sent out to another location to raid a weapons cache. The two operators had a three-hour rest, which they spent on eating, taking a shower, sleep and cleaning their equipment. In the evening, they were gathered in the hangar in the camp's airstrip for another mission, but changes were made at the last minute.

"Alright listen up!" McKinley shouted at the operators before him. The CIA agent was geared up, a modified MK17 CQC slung to the side. He was accompanied by two armoured digimon, Gaioumon and Saviorhackmon , "Change of plan! We will have two TEAR operatives from the DSF to observe, assist and supervise us during the op. They want the HVT alive! This is now a capture and no kill op! So be extremely mindful of your environment and targets. Let's make this quick and clean, gentlemen!"

The strike force was made up of over a hundred operators from different SOF units: JGSDF Special Forces with Data Squad, USMC Force Recon and US Army Rangers, British Special Air Service and Ranger Regiment and finally a handful of CIA Special Action Division operatives. In charge of deploying the units were the US Army's venerated 160th Special Operations Aviations Regiment, affectionately nicknamed "Nightstalkers". The strike force were split into three elements: the containment team, made up of US Rangers and USMC Force Recon, tasked with locking down the target location and prevent all squirters from leaving the site. The second element is the isolation element: the British Ranger Regiment with the aid of the Nightstalkers are tasked with blocking off all routes leading to the target location while also providing heavy weapons support if the need arises. Finally, the entry element; Japanese SFGs, British SAS and CIA SAD teams will breach the tunnel, search and capture the HVT; they'll also be followed by the two TEAR operatives.

On standby as QRF, quick-reaction force, was a battalion size force made up of US Army's 82nd Airborne, Belgian SFG and Japanese paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Division. Once the HVT has been secured alive, a ballistic missile will be launched to destroy the remaining tunnel access point, effectively cutting the terrorist cell from all other regions. The HVT would then be handed out to the TEAR operatives for interrogation and subsequent arrest and judgement by the CNS.

At 2200 hours, operation "Grave Stone" began. CV-22B Osprey, UH-60L Blackhawk and AH-64D Apache helicopters flew across the region under the cover of the moonless night. Marcus rested his eyes during the journey, catching up on much needed sleep. His mind wondered through the events that happened these past few months. The friends he had lost, the missions they went through with little to no sleep, the fact that they were no where near to achieve peace in this world and that Japan was under a constant threat of a terrorist attack.

"What the fuck are we doing here?" Came a dreadful thought.

"Twenty seconds," The pilot's cool voice announced through his headset.

He opened his eyes and rubbed the fatigue away. The red lights inside the cargo compartment of the hybrid Osprey aircraft shut off, prompting the men to pull down their NVGs as they prepare for touchdown.

"Ten seconds..."

"Three... two... one..."

The VTOL aircraft jerked lightly as it landed in the middle of an open field, about five hundred meters away from a coal mine site. Dust kicked up around the aircraft as the operators pushed out and formed a semi-circle perimeter.

"This is Raptor 1, all Bravo deployed. RTB for refuelling. Over and Out."

Leading the entry team Bravo was Itami, taking charge of both Data Squad and the Japanese SFG. Marcus glanced around his environment, rocky hills and small forests dotted the valley, the mine was located at the foot of a small mountain. From drone recon images, there were about six buildings, mainly habitats for the miners to sleep in and a large chow hall.

"This is Raptor 2, Alpha deployed. Moving to standby position, happy hunting,"

Entry team Alpha was led by Agent "Warden" McKinley with CIA SAD and British SAS teams at his command. They were deployed at the other end of the valley in order to aid the containment element to encircle and later breach through the access point. Seconds later, the other elements were deployed, all were moving to their designated objectives.

Just as Bravo team was about to enter the mining site, sporadic gunshots erupted at the other side, followed by multiple explosions in the distance. Itami halted his elements, Marcus crouched beside him, his MK17 MOD 0 battle rifle raised to scan for any potential targets.

"Fuck, this is Alpha 0-1. We're taking effective fire from buildings 3 and 4!" Warden reported through the firefight, "Bravo and Kilo, push in and secure the site! Do NOT let anyone out! Copy?"

"Bravo 0-1 copies," Itami replied in a whisper, "Pushing in to buildings 1 and 2 before taking out 3. Kilo 4-1, secure building 4 asap."

"Kilo 4-1, wilco."

"Marcus take point, head straight for building 1. Bravo 2, take out 2."

"Ryoukai." They all replied.

The habitat was a large, two-storey wooden lodge, able to accommodate about twenty human-sized digimon. As they closed in for the back door, it suddenly swung open, an Ogremon dashing out to join their comrades in the fight. They were immediately stopped, eyes wide with shock at the sight of seven human soldiers with their rifles pointed at them.

"s-s- shit-"

They opened fire, silencing for good the tall green monster. Another digimon rushed out, a sword in hand as they charged at Marcus. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger three times, the Aegiochusmon dropped lifelessly on the ground.

"Tango down. Push up." Itami instructed in a whisper.

The two columns of operators quietly made their way into the building. Marcus immediately spotted the stair case on his left, silently signalling to his squad-mates. The men fanned out to secure the ground floor; it featured a wide living room, a dinner room and an open kitchen. Marcus held the stair case at gunpoint, waiting for them to reform the column. Itami placed himself right behind the pointman and lightly squeezed the man's right shoulder.

On command, Marcus marched up the stairs, his squad-mates had their guns drawn in any dangerous direction. He reached the first floor and scanned his surrounding; there was a wide T-shaped corridor with one branching off to the right. There were three doors on the left side, two on the right and one at the far end of the corridor. The assault column pushed forward and started to clear out the floor. To their relief, the house was empty but they've wasted a lot of precious minutes on clearing it. Itami ordered them to egress for the tunnel access point quickly.

"This is Alpha 0-1, buildings 3 and 4 neutralized by our Digi-friends, we're oscar-mike for the tunnels. Kilo 4-1, keep this site on lock. Do NOT let anyone escape. Copy?"

"Wilco, 0-1. Good luck over there."

Marcus dodged a fire attack thrown by an Impmon X-Antibody and responded with two shots to their chest, instantly killing them. The entrance was guarded by a group of insurgent fighters led by a Pajiramon. At his command were a couple of Keramon, two Giromon and a Flamedramon.

Itami slid behind a rusty mine cart, shielding him from the incoming flying arrows and bullets. Acting on his reflexes, he swiftly turned around and shot a Keramon through its skull, the demonic being fell heavily on the ground. The digimon was a bigger and more powerful version of its non X-Antibody variant. Though one wasn't much of a threat, a swarm of them would be enough to destroy an APC.

The Keramon flew around the operators, suppressing them while the other insurgents closed the gap.

"Deadly Bomb!" A Giromon shouted as he hurled a large bomb at Itami's position. He picked up and threw the hand grenade back to its owner, detonating in mid-air and showering the Giromon and two Keramon with molten hot shrapnel, instantly deleting them.

"Archer! Take out their leader NOW!" Itami shouted through his headset.

"Working on it, boss..." The squad's marksman replied coolly. As if to prove his point, the Pajiramon soon fell silent, a struck between his eyes.

"I'll buy you dinner for that," Itami declared gratefully.

"That'll be a large bucket and a Snoopy Biscuit combo from KFC," Nagakawa answered bluntly.

"Duly noted..." He muttered bitterly.

"Push up! Let's fucking go!" McKinley beckoned sternly, stomping a Keramon on the ground and firing a single round into the demon.

The operators, with Gaioumon and Saviorhackmon tailing behind, made their way into the mine, NVGs flipped down and all sources of light shut off. Basked in total darkness, Gaioumon had to latch on to Saviorhackmon, the latter was equipped with night-vision capable glasses. The operators formed two assault columns and led from the front. The tunnels were eerily quiet, their mission briefing informed them of stiff resistance but they have yet to face any additional hostile.

Suddenly, Saviorhackmon halted in his tracks, prompting the others to stop as well. Gaioumon, his eyes barely adapted to dark places, bumped into his partner with a grunt.

"What the-"

"Quiet," Saviorhackmon whispered, eyes focused ahead of them, "I'm picking up a lot of sensors,"

McKinley looked at the digimon with an annoyed stare behind the quad-tubed NVGs, "Now what's that suppose to mean?"

"I have about two or three dozen targets coming our way," Saviorhackmon replied calmly, "I'm trying to identify them by due to being in the caverns, it is creating interference with my signals,"

"Guess we'll find out shortly. Here they come," A SAS trooper announced, raising his weapon and waiting for the first insurgents to reveal themselves.

The men stacked and formed a firing line. They could hear dozens of scrambling steps echoing from the dark, getting louder by the second. They could also hear multiple clicks and hisses. Gaioumon unsheathed the Kikurin swords, bracing for a fight. His golden eyes squinted to focus his vision in the dark, his ears picking up on the various sounds, analysing them.

"It's a swarm of Dokugumon!" He determined indisputably.

"What the fuck are-"

"Huge spiders!" Marcus shouted, caught off guard by the swarm.

They immediately opened fire, the first volley of hot lead ate through the first wave of giant spiders. The Dokugumon collectively hissed and snarled, crawling all over the tunnel's surfaces.

"Meteor Flame!" A series of fireballs flew across the tunnel, deleting half a dozen and burning more. Saviorhackmon continued to launch fireballs out of his mouth while Gaioumon sliced the few that managed to break through the wall of fire.

The humans maintained their continuous barrage of bullets, slowly backing away to keep a distance between them and the enemy. The swarm of spiders then started to return fire, launching sticky webs and venomous blasts. One JSDF operator was hit in the face with a toxin projectile, and instantly fell on the ground, gasping for air while clutching erratically his face to the point of clawing his own skin.

"Fuck! Man down!" Itami yelled before throwing a fragmentation grenade into a cluster of hostile.

His teammates tried to stabilise him but he thrashed around uncontrollably, bleeding out through his orifices and foaming profusely through his mouth. He convulsed violently, each of his muscles paralysed one at a time. He haphazardly took his sidearm and trembly tried to brought it up to his head, wanting to end his suffering quickly. His heart stopped before he could pulled the trigger.

Marcus was crouched next to the paralysed corpse, eyes widened with dread and terror. He swallowed the built-up of bile and shuddered, that will be another face to haunt his nightmares.

Gaioumon slid and slashed through two Dokugumon, his blades and armour covered in their blood. He deftly dodged a web attack, stabbed another and blocked a claw strike with the other sword. His partner swooped in for the kill, cleaving it in two with one of the arm blades. His tail instinctively launched and skewered a Dokugumon behind him. The duo of Digimon stabbed and sliced their way through the tidal wave, spraying the tunnel with their blood and data clouds.

"Push up! Stay frosty, gents!" McKinley ordered as he led the charge.

"Is there no end to these fuckers?!" A SAS trooper shouted angrily, striking an enemy soldier with the butt of his rifle before planting the cannon into it and emptied an entire magazine.

"We've got to find an Archnemon and kill her, the rest will flee mindlessly." Saviorhackmon replied firmly, "She's nearby, about fifty meters down this tunnel," He pointed at a corridor branching off the main tunnel.

"Saviorhackmon, take a squad with you and eliminate her. We'll stand our ground here!" Gaioumon instructed calmly as he cut a Dokugumon in half.

"What? No, we-" McKinley's protests fell on deaf ears as the entire "Data squad" followed closely behind the armoured dragon man.

The operators of "Data squad" formed two assault columns with their weapons trained forward, cautious eyes darting in every direction. They instantly killed the small cluster of Kodokugumon, a smaller variant of the ones they were encountering.

"Shit!" Saviorhackmon yelled with surprise, barely diving out of the way as another large digimon pounced at him with surprising speed.

The new digimon was much larger then the swarm, her exoskeleton was covered in red fur and chitin armour and had the upper half of a humanoid. She laughed maniacally, focusing on the stunned humans in front of them.

"I can sense your fears... and your blood!"

In the blink of an eye, she zipped at the nearest human and grabbed "Doc" Park by the neck and jumped on the ceiling, snapping him in two before biting into his lifeless body. The rest of the men stared at her with pure terror, frozen in place while watching the ruined corpse of their friend consumed by the beast.

"Kill that bitch!" Itami cried out furiously, prompting the rest of the squad to open fire, laser focused on her.

Archnemon laughed as she swiftly darted around the tunnel, taunting her new preys and pounced on 2LT "Rabbit" Horiuchi. He howled in pain as one of her sharp claws dug into his left shoulder. The bullets harmlessly bounced her hardened chitin exoskeleton.

"Acid Mist!"

"Scatter!" Itami warned urgently.

The men either jumped out of the way or dashed to the side, trying their best to dodge the acidic cloud. Though a short-ranged attack, it was enough to distract them, she suddenly grabbed Horiuchi by his right leg and leapt back on the ceiling, quickly crawling past the soldiers.

Horiuchi frantically grabbed his sidearm and withdrew it from the thigh holster. He slammed the slide against the holster, loading a round into the chamber. Archnemon hissed in pain as a bullet flew through her shoulder. Annoyed and distracted, she didn't see Saviorhackmon bounding in the air.

"Trident Saber!"

All three of his blades cleaved her multiple times in rapid strikes, shattering her naturally tough chitinous armour and skewered her digicore, instantly deleting her. She burst into a cloud of data, releasing a surprised Horiuchi.

"shit-oof!"

He grunted upon impact in Saviorhackmon's metallic arms, probably not the softest and most comfortable of his landings.

"Are you all right?" The armoured digimon asked curiously.

"Yeah..." Horiuchi winced in pain, "Saviorhackmon, right? Guess this is fitting of your name..." He commented sheepishly before he was let go.

"Rabbit!" Itami called as he ran up to him, "Need to see a medic?"

"I'll manage," He answered confidently, "Let's get that son of a bitch,"

"For Park," CPL "Jack" Tsuda added with determination.

"For Park," Marcus repeated with a scowl.

With the death for their leader, the swarm of giant spiders rapidly dissipated into a full and distraught retreat, leading the task force straight for their HVT. Roaming through the tunnels, they met very little resistance, most insurgents were either low-level digimon or suicide bombers, quickly dispatched by a wrathful and merciless platoon of operators.

The task force came upon a spacious and long chamber with numerous junctions that branched off to other galleries deeper in the mine. The chamber was once a temporary habitational area and central hub to the operation, where the ores were disposed then sent back to the surface while equipment were stored safely in large shipping containers. It boasted tall and robust concrete support beams with powerful flood lights attached to them. Concrete T-walls and dirt fortifications, resembling Hesco barriers, were built and placed tactically like a standard checkpoint.

Without warning nor sound, one CIA operative's head jerked violently back, his whole body forced to the ground. Everyone ducked for cover as a barrage of bullets and energy attacks soared at them.

"Fuck! Sniper!"

"I've got eyes on two machine guns!"

Gaioumon flinched when a bullet struck the side of his helmet but remains focused on the battlefield, trying to spot the sniper and plan out their next course of action. He ducked down and shifted his eyes to Saviorhackmon across the dirt pathway. The dragon man hid behind a concrete wall, peeking out only to hide back behind cover.

"Saviorhackmon! Can you scan the insurgents' composition?" He asked loudly over the roars of gunfire.

"Yeah... at least that's what I'm trying to do. That sniper is super effective," He replied with frustration, wincing as another round whizzed closely by his right arm.

"McKinley!"

"Yup?"

"We're going to need some smoke cover and give enough time for Saviorhackmon to scan the area." The Greymon samurai instructed, calmly fusing his swords into a great-bow once again.

"What the- all right, fuck it!" McKinley conceded reluctantly, "Okay, guys! Pop smoke and suppressive fire! On my mark!" Everyone grabbed a smoke grenade or readied a grenade launcher, loaded with a high-explosive round, "Now!" He threw a smoke across the chamber.

The operators followed suit while the grenade launchers fired a volley over their cover, effectively decimating the enemy force. They waited until the smoke cloud filled the width of the chamber before returning fire, eliminating a few disoriented insurgents.

Saviorhackmon peered his head, switching the glasses' functions that allowed him to see through the smoke, highlighting every digimon in his field of view. A sudden and agonizing surge of pain shot through his upper left arm. He fell on his back and immediately rolled out of harm's way. He hissed and brought a hand to his left arm. He stared at his blood covered hand and quickly took out a roll of bandage.

"Are you okay?" LT Gaioumon asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine! Sniper's on top of a three storey prefab, blue-coloured, far left corner, about two hundred meters!" He reported through gritted teeth, "Aah, it hurts a lot!"

"Lieutenant Itami!" The human in question turned around with a curious gaze, "I require your best shot."

"Archer! Prep yourself and listen to Gaioumon!"

"Ryoukai!" SFC Nakagawa moved up and got close to the digimon.

"I'm going to draw his fire. He's on top of a blue, three storey prefab, two hundred meters in that direction," He pointed at the enemy sniper's probable location, "I'm going to advance to the next line of barriers, you'll have a small window to kill him, make it count. Understood?"

The sniper grinned eagerly, "Consider it done, lieutenant," Gaioumon nodded in response.

Without a word, he ran out of cover and sprinted towards the line of Hesco barriers. The humans provided effective suppressive fire, pinning the machine gun teams while Nakagawa set up his HK417 rifle and aimed at the designated target location. He spotted the tallest blue prefab and waited for any hint of the enemy sniper: a gun flash, the glint of his scope, an unnatural movement or a humanoid silhouette. He suddenly noticed dust being kicked up around a dark pile of canvas and slime like material. He fired a shot and saw that it reacted violently to it.

A mist of blood, or so he supposed, jolted out of the canvas. It seemed to agitate erratically before it stood erected and tried to move away, two golden dots could be seen into the canvas enveloped void. Nakagawa wasted no time to fire two more shots into it. He saw it slumped forward and remained still, unmoving, until it started to dissipate into particles of data.

"Sniper eliminated!" He cried out with a winning smile, "Although I don't know what the hell it was,"

"That was a Ghilliedhumon," Saviorhackmon replied as a matter of fact, "One of the best marksmen and masters of camouflage,"

"Welp this one wasn't good enough," Agent "Maverick" Morris commented before spitting at the ground.

"Sniper's out! Push up to the samurai and spread out!" McKinley ordered sternly.

Marcus snapped his rifle to a pair of Keramon, eliminating them quickly with accurate shots before sliding towards cover. The insurgents were getting more desperate: they charged at them in the hopes of closing the gap but were dispatched expediently. He changed his spent magazine for a fresh one, catching his breath for but a moment.

"Fan out and wipe them out!" Shouted a feminine voice filled with unholy fury, "Darkness Spear!"

Marcus jumped out as a dark twisted spear planted firmly on the ground next to him. He rolled to side and instinctively brought his weapon up firing into the air. LadyDevimon vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving a confused and wary Marcus on the ground. He then recognized the distinct, heavy mechanical roar of an AK-47 typed assault rifle.

"Troopmon inbound! There's a whole platoon!" Saviorhackmon warned as he sliced through a Keramon and Troopmon.

"Saviorhackmon, take out LadyDevimon! I'm going for the HVT!" Gaioumon instructed before kicking over a Kyukimon and stabbing them in the guts.

"Okay, Alpha team with me! We're pursuing the HVT! Bravo team, clear out the rest!"

"See you at the other side, mate," A passing SAS trooper patted behind Marcus' helmet.

"Right behind you, bud," He replied nonchalantly.

Alpha team pushed through the right flank, trying to keep up with Gaioumon while Bravo team held their ground and went on the offensive, their main target being LadyDevimon. They figured if they took her out, the rest of the demonic insurgents, if they could still be considered as such, would lose their will to fight and structural command.

Saviorhackmon breathed out a volley of fireballs at his targets, set them all alight before he jumped over an Assaultmon and skewered him from behind with his tail blade. He shifted his attention to a small cluster of Keramon which he quickly disposed off with a flurry of slash and thrust attacks. The human cohort following him eliminated insurgents on his blind spots, giving their digimon ally enough room to manoeuvrer and to focus on their priority target.

"Darkness wave!" A swarm of bats threw itself onto Saviorhackmon, disorienting him while LadyDevimon closed the gap for a back stab, her elongated and razor sharp claws poised for the deadly strike.

"On your left!" Marcus shouted urgently while firing at her, grabbing her attention.

Saviorhackmon cleanly cleaved through the swarm and expertly blocked LadyDevimon's claw attack with his left wrist blade. Sparks flew out when they clashed, he quickly followed with a knee strike into her stomach. The demon doubled over, a sharp pain shot through her body. She disappeared into a cloud of bats, distracting her opponent while relocating behind him.

Her left hand morphed into a twisted spear, imbued with dark magic, "Darkness Spear!"

SaviorHackmon sensed the incoming attack, he twisted his body to the left narrowly dodging the spear and delivered a swift punch across her face. LadyDevimon flew a couple of meters away from him, her face numb with pain and cut by his armoured gauntlet. She growled menacingly and spawned four Keramon out of thin air before disappearing into the shadows once again.

The Dragon knight was shocked by her ability to summon lesser demons, only a master summoner like a Vamdemon or a Skullsatamon could accomplish. He shook his head, he would debate over it later: she needs to be eliminated and fast.

"Man, this is bullshit!" CPL. "Jack" Tsuda exclaimed while reloading his weapon, "That bitch could spawn more of these fuckers!"

"Keep your eyes open to the shadows, she could be anywhere." Saviorhackmon warned calmly, taking out the newly summoned Keramon.

More Troopmon appeared from one tunnel, overwhelming and outgunning the human cohort. These digimon felt no fear nor pain, blatantly ignoring the flying rounds or once they were hit by multiple bullets. Their rubber-like skin offered no ballistic or melee protection but they did not care.

Marcus spotted two Troopmon equipped with flamethrowers. The hairs on the back of his head stood erected, an instinctual fear gripped him at the sight of a highly effective psychological weapon. "Flamethrowers! Our twelve!" As soon as he relayed his report, he brought his gunsight at them and fired in small, controlled burst.

The first rounds connected with the front Troopmon's head, instantly killing it while the second and third burst pierced the rear Troopmon's abdomen, left shoulder and neck. It dropped immediately on the ground, bleeding profusely black goo. It took a grenade in hand and started to climb to its feet. A round ricocheted off the fuel tank on its back, hissing as its contents were released. It fell heavily as its right "knee" shattered by a bullet, releasing the pin of the grenade.

"Fuck, grena-" The Japanese SFG operator was doused in flames after the grenade exploded, detonating the fuel tanks.

The inferno indiscriminatingly swallowed any one in its path, friend or foe. Another SFG operator had half of his body enveloped in fire, erratically rolling on the ground and screaming in agony. Meanwhile, a whole squad of Troopmon dropped dead, slowly burnt to a crisp while a few kept fighting despite being engulfed in flames.

The intense heat of the explosion was enough to light up the tunnel, and so revealing LadyDevimon's location. SaviorHackmon spared no time to close the gap and go for the first strike. He vaulted towards her and readied his right wrist blade in a downward slice. She saw him at the last second, expertly backing away by a hair's breath. She replied with a roundhouse kick, which he blocked but the brute force was enough to push him behind by a meter. She smirked in triumph.

"Stun whip!" Bolts of electricity shot out of her hands, impacting SaviourHackmon and paralysing him in place. She morphed her left hand into a spear and readied to pierce his digicore. "Too bad we're not on the same team, I found you rather cute," She winked at him playfully.

All of a sudden a rapid footsteps echoed behind her, followed by a heavy weight that latched onto her back. Marcus held onto the demon for dear life and started to stab at her back with his combat knife. Being the nearest member from the target, he wanted to open fire with his battle rifle but it got damaged when a round struck the upper receiver. Out of ideas and acting spontaneously, he drew out his blade and charged at her.

LadyDevimon howled in pain as she shook the human off her back. She used her elongated arm, grabbed the man and violently slammed him into the ground. While occupied with the human, SaviorHackmon regained control of his body and skewered her with his tail and wrist blades. The female demon gasped as she looked down at her torso, the blades piercing through her entire body. He withdrew the blades and let her drop next to Marcus.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the remaining Keramon went into an animalistic frenzy and attacked the Troopmon in front of them. The humans used the chaos to eliminate the remaining insurgents. Marcus heaved and rolled onto his back, struggling to get back to his feet.

"Are you okay, human?" SaviorHackmon asked, worried.

"I'll... I'll be fine. Is she still alive?" He inquired while looking around for LadyDevimon.

"She's eliminated. We can regroup with the others and secure the HVT."

Another light arrow struck WereGarurumon X on his right shoulder. Blistering pain surged through his right arm, immobilizing the member. His whole body was numb with pain, covered in bruises, deep cuts and bullet wounds. Parts of his armour were chipped away or completely destroyed, rendered useless. His left arm was crippled during the ensuing fight with Gaioumon, and although he possessed the X-Antibody, which amplified his strength and power, the difference in level between the two was enough to tip to the black samurai's favour.

His loyal and veteran bodyguards were killed by Gaioumon and the humans, they fought bravely to give him more time to escape but alas, the enemy caught up to him in the end. He slowly turned around when heard the incoming footfalls of his pursuers. Bright lights blinded him as he fully faced them, a line of human soldiers had their torch lights on and their weapons trained on him. In the middle and stepping forward was Gaioumon, one of his Kikurin swords pointed at him.

"Surrender now, WereGarurumon, while we still give you this chance." Gaioumon commanded firmly.

"And give up my people's freedom and right to live?" WereGarurumon replied sarcastically, "Need I remind you that you're also one of us? Afflicted with the X-Antibody as some would say,"

"I understand your cry for justice against the Metal Empire but your movement has caused far greater harm to innocent digimon and you must be stopped," Gaioumon argued diplomatically, "You will have a fair trial before the CNS and they will provide you protection from Chaosdramon and Fracture,"

"You really think I would want to hide behind the CNS?" WereGarurumon growled, "You've done nothing to bring justice in this world, only mishaps and dealings with the Devil... a mere puppet and copycat of the humans' United Nation,"

"Lieutenant Gaioumon, we don't have all night for political debates. Detain him or we'll smoke him instead." McKinley warned him assuredly.

"And you call this a fair trial?" WereGarurumon pointed at the humans with a sneer, "They're even making threats to their own allies,"

"I don't make threats, sonny, just guarantees,"

WereGarurumon laughed darkly, shaking his head while he bled from his wounds, his once icy blue and snow white fur coated in dark crimson stains. "I don't deserve a fair trial though," He finally stated, "I've done things that would make my ancestors ashamed of me. That nuke in the Sword Zone? That was my work but that is nothing compared to what I've already done, back when I started this insurgency..."

"I had to make some questionable decisions, dealings with despicable and immoral digimon, all motivated by greed and power. However for one group of digimon, they were driven by their own ideals and vengeance... against the CNS, the Network, Yggdrasil... God and just recently..." He turned his cold stare towards McKinley, "Humanity,"

"What are you saying?" Gaioumon asked concernedly.

"It is already too late, Gaioumon... this cycle of the DigiWorld will soon perish and enter another era, an era where only the digimon live here... and in the Real World. There's already a handful in the human world, wreaking havoc as we speak. Humanity will go extinct. The end is nigh."

With every ounce of strength and willpower, Weregarurumon X used his right arm to pierce his own torso and crush his digicore, instantly deleting himself. Everyone stood aghast and with shock, not expecting their target to commit suicide before their own eyes.

"Son of a bitch!" McKinley exclaimed angrily, "There goes our only lead against the Metal Empire," Gaioumon eyed him suspiciously and feigned ignorance, WereGarurumon's last words repeating inside his head, "All units, all units, this is Alpha 0-1. Begin exfiltration phase. The HVT is KIA. Pack it up, gents."