"N-no, the Gatekeeper can't be here!"
Devimon's voice trembles, his red eyes fixed on the monstrous three-headed silhouette looming over Dobermon.
"He was supposed to be gone! The Soul Judge...he sealed—!"
"Oh, but I'm right here."
Dobermon's voice is amused, almost playful; his fangs glint under the dim moonlight. "It seems Lord Anubismon's seal wasn't meant to keep me bound forever."
I stare at him, carrying Blanc in my arms.
Anubismon? Seal?
Dobermon...just who, or what exactly was he before we met?
And what is that shadow behind him?
Devimon's face twists in frustration as he takes a nervous step back.
"Tsk. I'll have to inform Master—"
His wings unfurl, ready to fly.
Is he trying to escape?
His tattered wings flap as he takes off.
"Styx Killers—" Dobermon whispers calmly.
The armored claw of the ghostly hellhound snatches Devimon mid-flight, slamming him to the ground with an unsettling crack.
"GAHHH!"
The claw slams down on him again.
"THUD!"
Another strike—his wings twitch, his claws scraping helplessly against the dirt.
"What happened~?" Dobermon chuckles, watching Devimon struggle beneath the spectral claw. "Weren't you about to send me to hell?"
"Damn you—AAAH!"
Devimon screams, his body dragging through the wilds as the monstrous claw grips and slams him over and over.
I swallow hard.
This isn't even a fight anymore.
It's like a predator playing with its prey.
And the worst part? Dobermon's enjoying this.
His cold voice, the lazy flick of his tail as he mercilessly stomps Devimon—it reminds me of back then.
The Deep Web.
Blanc's berserk state, her bloodlust, as she was about to kill the Digipolice Digimon without hesitation.
And now...Dobermon is also—
"Dobermon!"
I call out, and the shadowy claw halts mid-motion.
The spectral Cerberus doesn't move.
Dobermon doesn't move.
For a split second—he stares at me.
His crimson eyes narrow slowly.
"Tsk," he exhales. "Just when I was starting to have some fun."
I study him carefully.
"You're still… you, right?"
He blinks, giving me a deadpan look—exactly like Labramon's expression when Blanc does something dumb.
"Why? Did you think I was someone else?"
I let out a small, relieved sigh. "No reason."
"Humans are truly weird."
His gaze lingers for just a second before he scoffs.
"Big sis?"
Blanc's voice shifts my attention. Her silver eyes slowly open.
"Blanc! You're awake!"
"I already took care of the dark data," Dobermon says flatly. "She'll be fine."
As I put Blanc down, she tilts her head up, looking at the spectral Cerberus looming over Dobermon.
"That form...did the dummy mutt finally evolve?"
"Stop calling me that already!"
Dobermon growls, but there's a hint of softness in his voice.
"But Dobermon's a dummy mutt who steals Blanc's food."
"Hah! You wanna go, kid?!"
"Pfft..." I giggle.
"...I hate both of you."
Dobermon grumbles, his tail wagging indignantly.
If you really wanted to fight, wouldn't you have already?
"By the way, what's that?" I point at the ghostly beast behind him.
"It has nothing to do with you."
"Come on, you can't just show something like this without an explanation!"
I try to ask further, but a low growl catches my attention.
"You...you damn beast..."
Devimon's claw twitches as he forces his ragged form to stand. "You think you'll get away with this?!"
"Huh? You're still here?"
"..."
Dobermon tilts his head, puzzled.
Devimon quavers.
"What did you say?!"
Dobermon sighs dramatically.
"You had one chance to run away, and you wasted it?"
Devimon stumbles back, his eyes burning with rage.
"Don't you look down on me, Gatekeeper!"
He lurches forward, grabbing onto the thick cables connecting to the artificial tower.
Black electricity crackles, snaking through his arm like a living being.
The air shifts.
Instinctively, I step back, a sudden chill spreading through me.
The brain freeze from earlier? No, that was over an hour ago.
"Big sis, this cold...it's coming from Devimon," Blanc says, lifting her Cross Barbée.
From Devimon? But he didn't have any cold powers...unless—
For a moment, the worst possibility comes to mind.
As if confirming my suspicions, the dark mist gathered around Devimon turns a pale blue, spreading like clouds.
"SLIDE EVOLUTION!"
A deep, chilling howl tears through the night as an azure pillar erupts from Devimon's body, piercing the forest. The ground beneath him solidifies, creating an icy wasteland.
"Crack... Crack..."
A frozen cocoon gleams under the moonlight.
"BOOM!"
The ice explodes outwards like a shattered mirror, revealing Devimon's new form. His towering figure—identical to before—is covered in pristine white, as if sculpted from absolute zero.
My Digivice X flickers to life, displaying the frozen demon's true identity.
[Name: IceDevimon]
[Level: 4]
[Attribute: Virus]
"Oh, was that supposed to be impressive?"
Dobermon says, unbothered by IceDevimon looming over him.
"You arrogant beast! Sleep in an eternal coffin of ice—Zero Freeze!"
The demon extends his hands forward, and a gust of freezing air surges from his palms, encasing everything in its path in shimmering icicles.
The trees lining the forest freeze in an instant, their branches snapping under the sudden weight. The mechanical tower halts its pulse, its metallic surface coated in an deathly frost.
"Blanc!"
"Protect—"
Before Blanc can deploy her barrier, a spectral monstrous claw descends, shielding us from the freezing gust.
"Dobermon!"
My breath falters as frost creeps up the shadowy Cerberus, trapping it in an icy prison.
"Hahaha!"
IceDevimon throws his head back, laughing.
"You've gone soft, Watchdog of Hell! That'll be your downfall!"
"Oh?"
A wicked smirk crosses Dobermon's face.
"You think a little snow will keep the flames of the underworld at bay?"
As soon as he finishes, a crimson glow pulses from the frozen shadow.
The ice melts in an instant, its three jaws parting.
"FWOOSH!"
Hellfire erupts from the beast's maws, consuming the ice within seconds.
The frozen wasteland melts away as the flames race across the clearing, forming a scorching hell.
For the first time since his evolution, IceDevimon takes a step back.
His pristine white face visibly pales. His confidence from moments ago—gone, devoured by the crimson flames.
Dobermon steps forward, his voice mocking.
"I told you already, you should've run away when you had the chance."
"N-no...stay away!"
The demon turns to flee, but the flames already encircle him.
"Unfortunately, I'm not the type to spare my enemies."
"You...damn you, Gatekeeper!"
IceDevimon's claws glow with freezing energy.
"Frost Claw!"
He shifts into a blur of motion, his claws aimed at Dobermon.
The hound doesn't flinch, parting his jaws, a predator preparing to strike.
"Schwarz Strahl!"
A pitch-black beam of darkness erupts from Dobermon's maw, spiraling with streaks of crimson inferno.
The clearing flashes red.
For a moment, IceDevimon stands still, his jagged claw clutching the gaping hole in his chest that's glowing like molten metal.
His eyes—once brimming with amusement—flicker in panic.
"I haven't lost..." His voice bleeds with desperation. "Darkness will never fade! I will rise again—from the depths of Cocytus!"
Dobermon tilts his head, his eyes gleaming with a chilling stillness.
"El Evangelio."
His voice is soft, almost purring.
"You know it, don't you, fallen angel?"
IceDevimon stiffens, his towering frame trembling in terror.
"N-no..." he shouts, his wings twitching in disbelief. "The Hellfire of Purification?!"
Dobermon grins.
"That's right," his voice is eerily calm. "The Flames of Judgment have passed their verdict—"
His fangs gleam.
"Eradication."
A wave of crimson hellfire bursts out from within IceDevimon's chest, swallowing his massive form whole.
"AAAGHHH!"
The frozen demon's screams echo through the clearing, his body consumed by the flames.
"This means nothing!"
His hands, outstretched toward the boundless sky, crumble, shattering into ashes. "Enjoy your fleeting victory, Gatekeeper! But when my Master descends—even the Flames of Hell will kneel before him!"
Another scream, and finally, his eyes—two purple reflecting the abyss—vanish.
The inferno fades.
Where IceDevimon once stood nothing remains.
Not a Digitama.
Not even any Data Fragments.
Only embers, dancing briefly before vanishing into the night air.
Dobermon sighs, shaking his head. "A loud mouth till the end, huh? This is why I don't like dealing with fallen angels."
The shadowy three-headed beast lingers a moment longer before slowly sinking back into his shadow, disappearing like ink dissolving in water.
When it fully fades, Dobermon turns away, walking toward me. His obsidian fur gleams under the moonlight.
Before I can ask anything, he speaks first.
"Don't expect me to explain myself," he mutters. "I'm not like you two."
"I wasn't asking you to."
Dobermon pauses.
I smile.
"Thanks."
Dobermon tilts his head.
"...Why?"
"You saved us, didn't you? So, thanks."
He clicks his tongue and looks away.
"Tsk. Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do it for you."
I raise an eyebrow.
So, he's a tsundere now?
Dobermon flicks his tail, but then, a slow rumble echoes.
His tail halts.
"Gah! Whatever. Just give me two bowls of ramen when we get back."
I chuckle.
"Okay, okay, I'll make it five."
Dobermon freezes.
His ears perk up slightly, and his mouth waters.
Then—
"POOF!"
A sudden pulse of energy glitches through his form.
His jet-black figure flickers, shrinking down into a familiar white pup.
"Huff...huff..."
Labramon catches his breath, his purple ears drooping.
"As I thought...it's really hard to maintain the matured form in this state."
I finally let out a deep breath, dropping to the ground.
My body feels heavy, my arms sore from lifting Blanc for so long.
"Big sis, are you okay?"
"Yeah, just tired..."
"Blanc will give big sis a massage then!"
A massage? After everything tonight, that actually sounds amazing.
But—
"You know what a massage is?"
"Blanc saw Ina taking it back at the Ryokan."
Blanc puffs her chest proudly, her silver eyes sparkling.
That gesture—did she learn that from Ina?
"So, the ramen..."
Labramon sits next to me, his curly tail swaying.
Blanc peeks at me. "Big sis, Blanc wants ramen too!"
I glance at her, then at Labramon.
It's been only a month in my new job.
My savings...
"..."
You know what?
Screw it!
"Fine," I sigh.
Today, these two deserve it.
"So, when are we going?"
Labramon asks impatiently.
I stand up. "Yeah, let's get going."
"CRACKLE!"
A searing purple beam erupts from the artificial tower.
I jolt upright.
Black lightning bolts burst from the cables, crackling violently in the air.
"Protect Wave!"
Blanc plants Cross Barbée into the ground, and a dazzling curtain appears. Its divine luminance repels the dark electricity.
"What just happened?!" I exclaim.
"Big sis, the dark energy...is increasing!"
Blanc says, gripping Cross Barbée tight.
Increasing? Could it be a self-destruct?
"But Devimon is already gone. Then why?"
Labramon's tail stiffens; he looks away.
"...Oops."
I whip my eyes to him. "Oops?"
Labramon scratches his ear with his paw.
"Uh...my Hellfire might've melted something."
Wait, those flames earlier?
"Couldn't you be more careful?!" I shout.
Labramon snorts. "How was I supposed to know that thing could explode?"
"Duh! It's an unknown machine of a secret organization! They always self-destruct!"
"Blame it on the fallen angel. He's the one who froze it first!"
The jet-black thunder crackles, whipping against Blanc's barrier.
This won't hold.
Special Move Disc—it might work, but do I have any left?
My hand reaches toward my Digivice X.
But then—
A gust of wind howls through the forest.
Scorched, broken leaves scatter.
"This presence..." Labramon stiffens. "From above!"
Goosebumps ripple across my skin as I look up, and a silhouette comes into view.
A white, beastly dragon descends from the full moon, its angelic wings spreading wide. Silver bindings wind around its body, as if sealing away something immense beneath them. Its tail sways, revealing glimpses of blue scales—but its eyes remain hidden, veiled by the bindings.
"THUMP!"
The ground trembles as it lands.
The black lightning surging from the tower lashes out toward it.
With a single swipe of its claw, the dragon slices through the energy.
"GAWRRRR!"
A deep, earth-shaking roar rattles through the forest.
"White Statue!"
A massive stone statue, clad in holy light, bursts forth from the dragon's hands, slamming into the artificial tower.
The moment it connects, the light spreads, washing over the structure.
The tower crumbles, the lingering bolts of electricity fade, swallowed by the light.
Then—silence.
The angelic dragon turns slowly, its head tilting slightly.
Labramon flinches beside me, his ears flattening. "This light...it's almost bottomless."
Blanc grips Cross Barbée tighter, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper.
"O-one of the... knights?"
Knights?
I frown.
No matter how you look at it, it resembles a dragon rather than a knight.
But her timid whisper—it's the same as in my dreams.
Is she...afraid?
My Digivice X beeps sharply.
I quickly glance down at the screen.
[Name: Gargoylemon]
[Level: ?]
[Attribute: ?]
No other data?! Digivice X can't read it at all?
What kind of Digimon is this?
AN:
It's the end for Devimon.
But what about the Code-Crackers? And who is Gargoylemon? Well, stay tuned to find out ;)