The words of Homeostasis, resounding through heaven and earth, echoed in the hearts of all Digimon.
There was the darkened Gennai, far away on File Island, his face gloomy.
There was the Apocalymon lurking in a shadowy corner, a sinister smile on its face.
There were the Seven Great Demon Lords, scattered across the world, some furious, some disdainful, some attentive.
There were the Four Holy Beasts, the Four Great Dragons, the Ten Legendary Warriors, and other Megas who reigned over the Digital World.
And...
The god of the Digital World, the host of all data, Yggdrasil!
And under its command, the Royal Knights, hailed as the pinnacle of the evolutionary chain!
On the surface.
Gallantmon's face turned terribly dark upon hearing Homeostasis's voice.
"How outrageous! This action by the World Will is nothing less than a declaration of war against Yggdrasil! This is betrayal, a despicable betrayal!"
The Royal Knights were aware of the cooperation between Yggdrasil and Homeostasis.
If not for the intelligence provided by Homeostasis, which monitored the entire world, Yggdrasil alone would not have been able to pinpoint Taichi's coordinates so easily.
But!
Just as they were about to capture Taichi and uproot the Metal Empire's ruins, Homeostasis suddenly stabbed them in the back, announcing the recruitment of the very existence Yggdrasil feared most, the Seven Great Demon Lords whom the Royal Knights had always wanted to eradicate completely?!
What was the meaning of this?
This meant they wanted to flip the table!
"I have received Yggdrasil's command. This matter is no small issue. We must return immediately to prevent Homeostasis from launching a sudden attack."
Omnimon, who held a leader-like position among the Thirteen Royal Knights, silently scanned the others around him and spoke in a low voice.
"…What about the treasure of the Metal Empire? And the mission target, Yagami Taichi? Are we just giving up?"
Craniummon looked down at the steel torrent kilometers underground, somewhat unwilling.
The armaments of the Metal Empire were almost within their grasp.
To give up at this final moment was truly a great pity.
"Hmph, what time is it for thinking about the Metal Empire's treasure? Step aside! I will destroy this place completely!"
A cold glint flashed in Gallantmon's eyes as he pushed aside the other Royal Knights nearby, gathering energy aimed at the ruins kilometers below.
His strength ranked among the stronger within the Thirteen Royal Knights.
At full power, his strike was enough to completely vaporize and annihilate the entire underground ruins.
Even high-purity Chrome Digizoid would be unable to withstand it.
"No!"
Sleipmon, Craniummon, Leopardmon, and several other Royal Knights blocked his path, their faces bearing a hint of threat.
"The matter of the Metal Empire ruins involves many complexities. We cannot act rashly before fully understanding the situation."
"What if there are secret weapons down there that we don't know about? Accidentally triggering them could cause a catastrophe."
Sleipmon and Leopardmon spoke in tandem, their goal to stop Gallantmon.
Gallantmon looked at them coldly, with a sneer in his heart.
'Excuses.'
'With the power of the Thirteen Royal Knights, what secret weapon could possibly threaten us?'
'Even the Metal Empire at its peak only had its Supreme Masterpieces and mechanical hordes that made us somewhat envious.'
'In terms of individual combat power, who dared claim certain victory against the Royal Knights?'
"Omnimon, you decide. What is more important: the mission from Yggdrasil-sama, or the so-called Metal Empire's treasure?"
Seeing that a significant number of Royal Knights were blocking him, Gallantmon simply snorted coldly and left the decision to Omnimon.
Omnimon nodded and raised the holy sword in his left hand.
"I will strike only once. If it hits, speak no more of the Metal Empire. Such is fate."
"If it misses, we will jointly cast a barrier, temporarily sealing this place. We can explore the ruins slowly after the situation calms down."
"Royal Knights, who agrees, and who opposes?"
A faint, indifferent curve lifted the corner of Omnimon's mouth as he looked around at the Royal Knights with their varied expressions, speaking softly.
"This..."
Gallantmon's face was grim, and he wanted to refute but found the words stuck in his throat.
He knew Omnimon's character.
When he said he would strike once, it would undoubtedly be a fair and just strike, without holding back.
With the power of his ultimate technique, the Grey Sword, the violent fire energy was enough to split the entire land in two, creating a terrifying effect that could pierce through a planet.
Under such circumstances, if Taichi could still survive, it would truly be astonishing fortune.
But...
'What if we really encountered that tenacious cockroach? What about the mission from Yggdrasil-sama?'
"I agree with Omnimon's suggestion. Let him strike once, and let the fate decide."
Just as Gallantmon was hesitating, the previously uncommitted, neutral Gankoomon slowly stepped forward, his face calm as he spoke.
"The cyborg evolution system of the Metal Empire holds great value for us. It cannot be easily abandoned."
"Yggdrasil's command is also very important, concerning the heavy responsibility of maintaining the Digital World's balance."
"Since the choice is difficult, why not leave it to fate? Let fate give the most reasonable choice."
Gankoomon's proposal clearly gained the agreement of most Royal Knights.
They had lived far too long, witnessed countless changes of eras and the passage of time.
The words 'fate' were not just ethereal luck in their eyes,
But also a general trend of the world, a mysterious force not to be questioned.
Defying fate was absolutely not a wise choice.
"You... you... I abstain!" Seeing the resolved expressions of the others, Gallantmon's face stiffened, and he ultimately relented helplessly.
'So be it. It all rests on this one strike.'
Omnimon looked at everyone, nodded slightly, and walked to the center of the abyss.
The Dragon's Holy Sword at the end of his left hand, engraved with countless mysterious patterns, slowly rose.
Endless fire energy gathered from the air, intertwining on Omnimon's left hand.
"Grey... Sword!"
As the two words fell, even the world seemed to freeze for an instant.
A terrifying explosive fire aura surged from the tip of the Dragon's Holy Sword, carrying an earth-shattering momentum as it advanced towards the steel ruins a thousand meters underground.
In an instant, the plains across thousands of kilometers on the surface turned into scorched earth, burning with the extremely hard-to-extinguish dragon's wrathful flames, the temperature astonishingly high.
If the ultimate nuclear weapons of the real world could affect at most a range of a thousand meters underground, then the Grey Sword of Omnimon, a standout among the Royal Knights, could pierce through hundreds of thousands of meters of planetary crust, releasing a beam dazzling even in the cosmos.
Boom!!!!!!
The dragon sword fell, and the scorching air gradually settled.
Omnimon silently gazed downward, data flickering in his eyes.
'Scanning for life signs...'
'Life signs detected...'
'Status: Healthy'
Omegamon's calm eyes abruptly contracted.
"He lives."
"And, completely unharmed!"
He only left these two sentences, then sheathed his Dragon's Holy Sword and turned to leave.
Such was fate.
A strong premonition arose in Omnimon's heart.
One day in the future, he would inevitably meet Taichi again…
In a form that no one could anticipate!