The artificial tower is gone, shattered to pieces. Its splintered fragments gleam under the moonlight.
Beside its remains stands the angelic dragon, his blue tail swaying lazily.
The Digimon—Gargoylemon, as my Digivice X identified him—folds his wings, tilting his head slightly. He parts his jaws.
"Hey, y'all alright?"
His voice is casual, despite the overwhelming power he just displayed.
I blink. "Um... yeah."
"Hahaha!" He laughs, his wing-like ears twitching. "No need to thank me. Just doing my job."
He waves a clawed hand.
"You should head back. It's dangerous here."
Huh? That's it?
No ominous warnings?
Usually, in these kinds of scenarios, isn't it something like, 'Chosen heroes must prepare for the challenges ahead'?
But here, he's just saying 'Go home.'
For a Digimon who just swiped away the black lightning and destroyed that who-knows-what tower in a single hit, he's surprisingly laid-back.
Perhaps seeing me lost in thought, Gargoylemon speaks again.
"Oh, do you want directions?"
He points to his left.
"There's a road ahead. About a fifteen-minute walk from here."
"Uh, thanks..."
I try to process the bizarre situation, but then, low murmurs reach my ear.
I glance down at Labramon, his purple eyes fixed on Gargoylemon.
"Hey, kid. Are you sure it's them?"
"Y-yes, Blanc remembers that data..."
"Tsk. To think they'd come to this world too."
Labramon takes a step forward. "It'll be hard in my weakened state... but we have no choice."
Blanc nods, gripping Cross Barbée tightly.
Wait... what are they—
"Retriever Bark!"
Before I can ask, a sonic wave pierces the air.
Gargoylemon flinches as the sound wave strikes him head-on, his entire body paralyzed in place.
Blanc charges in.
"Divine Pierce!"
Her golden trident gleams with radiant light as she thrusts it forward.
But before it can land—
"WHOOSH!"
Gargoylemon flaps his wings, breaking free and escaping into the air. Divine Pierce misses him by a hair's breadth.
"Wha—Wha?!" Gargoylemon exclaims. "Didn't I just save you?!"
"Blanc, Labramon, what's happening?" I shout.
"Knights," Blanc murmurs, her voice shaking. "They never save anyone..."
Knights again? Why is she reacting like this?
[WARNING!]
The Digivice X in my pocket beeps wildly. I glance at it.
[Override Detected]
Wait...Override? But I didn't activate anything!
"It's all..."
[Digimodify - White Wings]
"It's all their fault!" she screams, and six wings of light erupt from her back.
Did she just... force the Digimodify?
But the Digivice X isn't supposed to work like that.
The Tamers control the commands.
Then how can she?
Her ethereal wings unfurl as she launches herself into the sky, straight at Gargoylemon.
"Divine Pierce!"
She strikes again, aiming for Gargoylemon's chest.
But the dragon dodges each blow with fluid motion, leaving afterimages behind him.
His voice, however, sounds utterly bewildered.
"Wait, wait, wait," he shouts while evading another strike. "I don't want to fight you!"
But Blanc doesn't listen, pressing forward.
"Just what has gotten into her...?"
She used to be overprotective whenever I was in danger, but this is the first time I've seen her so hostile.
"It's obvious," Labramon says, his fur bristling. "Nothing good ever comes whenever these Apostles of God show up!"
Apostles of...God?
I freeze, trying to process his words.
But Gargoylemon—he seems just as confused as me.
"Wait!" He barely ducks under Blanc's trident. "Can you listen for once? I'm not even here by God's orders!"
"You think we'll believe that?"
Labramon growls. "After everything you all have done?!"
"Knights are liars!" Blanc shouts, continuing her assault.
Labramon dashes forward.
"Retriever Bark!"
The high-frequency sound wave shoots through the air.
"Not this time," Gargoylemon flaps his wings harder, flying up to avoid the attack.
Just then—Blanc thrusts her trident from behind him.
"Divine Pierce!"
Gargoylemon turns, swiping his claw.
"Clank!"
The metallic clang echoes as Cross Barbée spins through the air before falling to the ground.
"Blanc!" I shout.
"That should do it," Gargoylemon says. "Now, as I was saying—"
"Tokotoko Dive!"
Blanc cuts Gargoylemon off, launching herself forward and crashing into him.
"THUD!"
Gargoylemon crosses his arms just in time, blocking the impact.
Blanc flaps her wings to pull back, but the dragon's clawed hands catch her mid-air.
"Stop already—it's useless!"
"Everyone..." Blanc struggles, kicking and thrashing in his grip. "Everyone is gone... they all vanished!"
Everyone is gone...?
Those words... they're the same as what the pink creature said in my dream the first time Blanc came to this world.
As I thought—it really was Blanc.
But then, those explosions, those guardian deities...
I look up—only to see Gargoylemon frozen mid-air.
"No... you're," he mutters, realization dawning in his voice. "You're an X-Digimon?!"
Blanc doesn't respond. Her small frame writhes in his grasp, her white wings flapping desperately.
Her voice trembles.
"It's because of the knights... that big bro..."
[WARNING!]
[Forced Data Extraction]
[Target: X-Data]
[Overwrite Completed]
My Digivice X's screen flashes red.
Wait…
The last time this happened, when she learned Tokotoko Dive, it called X-Data the initiator—the 'Source.'
But now—'Target'?!
Blanc stops struggling.
Her silver eyes go blank. Cold. Detached.
Her tiny hand trembles—then clenches into a fist.
A violent, golden aura whirlwinds around her arm.
"Beast..."
Her voice is barely a whisper.
The golden energy swirls, condensing like a wild, uncontrollable whirlpool.
"King..."
Gargoylemon's entire body tenses.
Even with his eyes hidden under the bindings, I can feel his gaze locked onto her.
"...That move!"
"Destruction!"
The moment the words leave her lips—
A golden shockwave erupts from her fist, detonating like a raging storm.
"BOOOOM!"
The impact slams into Gargoylemon's chest point-blank.
His body hurtles downward like a falling star, crashing straight into the earth.
Dust hangs in the air.
Did she... win?
"Ugh, that hurts."
My eyes widen as the dust begins to settle. Gargoylemon stands back up, rubbing his chest with his clawed hand.
"But the same goes for you, doesn't it?"
The same goes for—
My gaze shifts to Blanc in the air.
My heart clenches.
She's bruised and panting heavily.
Her wings are dimming with each passing second, her small body struggling to stay afloat.
I don't even need to check the Digivice X to know—her stamina is nearly drained.
"By decrypting the lingering data in your antibody, you drew out a technique that was never yours," Gargoylemon continues. "Even when your body couldn't handle the power."
Blanc clenches her fist again.
"Beast..."
A golden aura whirls around her knuckles once more.
No—just using it once already pushed her to the brink. If she tries again...
"Blanc! Don't!" I beg her, but she doesn't hear me.
Gargoylemon exhales.
"But—you won't listen," he raises his right claw. "So I can't hold back either."
"King..."
She dives.
"Hey, where are you—?" Labramon's voice reaches my ears.
It seems, before I know it, I've already started sprinting.
Scorched bushes and tree trunks blur past me, but my gaze is locked on the two figures ahead.
"White..."
The massive, demonic statue manifests above Gargoylemon, radiating a divine luminance.
They're going to clash.
I won't make it in time.
Come on, Lily, faster!
"Statue!"
"Destruction!"
"Blanc!"
I cry out.
But just before they collide, someone moves between them.
"Stop! Both of you!"
Blanc hesitates for a moment, a flicker of light appearing in her blank, silver eyes.
At the same time, I lunge forward, wrapping my arms around her small frame.
"Got you—!"
Blanc struggles for a split second before her exhausted body slumps against me, the golden aura fading from her arm.
I catch my breath. Blanc's body is warm in my arms.
Phew, finally made it in time.
But who was that person who just jumped between the two attacks?
My gaze flicks to the newly arrived young man standing in front of Gargoylemon.
"Oi, Gargoylemon," he calls out casually. "What's going on? Why are you fighting them?"
Gargoylemon halts. The demonic white statue vanishes.
"I was just gonna incapacitate her, you know?"
"Just incapacitate? Looked to me like you were totally serious, man."
"Hey, I was in full control!"
The man crosses his arms, still facing away from us.
Wait. His voice…
Why does it sound so familiar?
"Anyway, let's ask them."
He turns toward us.
His orange goggles gleam over his messy brown hair. A sleeveless blue jacket over a black hoodie, paired with brown pants. That grin—as wide as last time—greets me.
"You're..."
I know this guy.
Akihabara.
Labramon's ramen quest.
"That ramen cart owner from back then."
"Huh?" He raises an eyebrow.
For a moment, he stares at me, then at Blanc and Labramon.
"Ah." He smacks his palm. "You're that customer with this white dog from last month!"
"I think your name was... Mister Motomiya?"
"Haha! So that dog was a Digimon too?" The man laughs heartily.
He points to himself confidently.
"The name's Daisuke Motomiya. But y'all can call me just Daisuke."
I help Blanc stand up.
It really is a small world, huh?
He turns to Gargoylemon.
"So, why were you fighting them? Didn't you say you'd take care of the gate?"
"Well, I did that." Gargoylemon glances at Blanc and Labramon. "But then... um..."
"Blanc, Labramon, what was that about?" I turn to them again. "Will you tell me already?"
Neither of them responds.
They stay tense, glaring at the dragon.
Daisuke watches the scene, hands in his pockets. His gaze shifts between us and Gargoylemon.
"Do you guys know each other?"
The dragon hesitates.
"Well..."
Then—a glow envelops him.
His massive form starts to shrink.
His wings retract, fading away. The bindings begin to dissolve.
When the glow vanishes, a small blue dragon stands there.
His curled horns twitch, a single curved horn protruding from his snout. A 'V' symbol marks his forehead, and the yellow patterns on his cheeks complete his stylish look.
His bright red eyes snap open, meeting Daisuke's curious gaze.
"It's more like they know me."
Labramon bares his fangs.
Blanc clenches Cross Barbée tighter.
The small dragon looks at me.
"The name's Veemon," he says.
Then, he glances at Labramon and Blanc—who are still glaring daggers at him.
His smile turns awkward.
"But, uh... it looks like these two recognize me as something else..."
His stubby tail flicks uncomfortably.
"As UlforceVeedramon—a Royal Knight."
A Royal... what?
"Grim Reapers under God," Labramon steps forward, his tail bristling. "That's all you need to know."
"That's rude," Veemon protests. "We're the greatest heroes of the Digital World, you know?"
Labramon pauses before taking a quick glance at Blanc.
"Oh, so you can still claim that after what you Holy Knights did back then?!"
"That was..."
Okay, am I the only one in the dark here?
I step between Labramon and Veemon.
"That's it! Can someone explain what's going on?!"
Labramon's gaze lingers on me for a second.
"Fine..."
He sighs.
"Do you remember the punishment from Heaven I mentioned once?"
Heaven?
Wait—he mentioned something like that the first time he came here.
"Is it about that plague?"
The puppy takes a glance at Blanc before pointing a paw at Veemon.
"They're the creators of that virus—the X-Program."
The X-Program...?
A silence falls.
The wind rustles through the forest.
I notice Blanc shiver beside me, her silver eyes clouded with something unreadable.
Veemon's eyes flick toward Labramon, his red pupils narrowing.
Labramon continues, his voice dropping into a low snarl.
"In the name of a purge... they erased an endless number of Digimon."
"Erased?"
My breath catches.
My gaze shifts to the small blue Digimon.
Veemon... did that?
AN:
This isn't a 02 crossover—
Okay, maybe this counts as both a post-Seekers story and a 02 AU now.
But after his cameo, I just had to bring Daisuke back.
Also, the Royal Knights are finally making their appearance!