When the kids reached the place Davis's mom had guessed was Ken Ichijouji's home, they could hear police sirens echoing across the whole area from far away.
"Is it here?" Davis asked. Cody, meanwhile, carefully checked the map in his hands. "According to Izzy's map, it should be this building."
"Looks like something happened here," Yolei said, listening to the police cars that kept wailing all around them.
The conversation of two middle-aged women nearby caught the kids' attention.
"I heard the Ichijouji family's Ken has gone missing…"
When they walked closer, they saw a couple anxiously talking to the police. "Officer, I don't know why he ran away from home—where could he have gone?"
Ken Ichijouji was known as a genius, practically the pride of this entire neighborhood. His disappearance was a major case, so the police took it extremely seriously—so seriously that they'd dispatched several times more patrol cars than usual.
"Missing???" Question marks practically popped over the kids' heads.
"Where would he even go?" Davis asked.
"I think he went to the Digital World," Tai replied.
Tai was right.
At that very moment, Ken was in that dim control room, completely focused on operating the equipment, pouring his entire mind into the work of modifying Dark Rings.
"Faster! Faster! Move it! Useless trash!" Ken bellowed, lashing his whip over and over at the Digimon rushing back and forth in front of him. Yet his expression stayed dark and sullen.
The same scene played out again and again across the Digital World. Ken had already fallen fully into madness, relentlessly forcing Digimon to build Dark Towers for him. Dark Towers rose rapidly throughout the Digital World. Ken watched his territory expand and expand, delighted, to the point that he'd completely forgotten about the Human World. When he was in a good mood, he didn't look—he didn't even want to look—at the image of his parents crying in grief.
Back in the computer lab, the kids stared at the map of the Digital World displayed on the monitor, watching the blackened regions spread at an alarming rate.
"It looks like Ken's been staying in the Digital World this whole time," Izzy analyzed, watching the abnormal growth of the dark region. "And since he hasn't gone home at all since he disappeared, maybe he intends to stay in the Digital World permanently—expanding his influence in one push until he reaches his goal."
"But why would he do that?" Yolei couldn't understand his behavior at all.
"I think he might be planning to stay in the Digital World forever and never return to the real world," T.K. said.
Cody looked down at the magazine in his hands. In the photo, Ken wore a bright, sunny smile. Cody truly couldn't connect that face to the cruel Digimon Emperor.
"Then we're going too," Davis said firmly, clenching his fist.
"But it's already pretty late," Cody said, worried.
After a noisy round of discussion, the kids decided to head to the Digital World to take a look—and try to get back before dinner so the adults wouldn't worry.
When they arrived, a searing heat wave hit them in the face. Everywhere was lava and volcanic craters. Even the ground felt scorching hot, and the air itself shimmered with heat. Flames kept bursting out of the earth, then quickly flickering out.
Through the wavering heat haze, they could make out a twisted Dark Tower in the distance. The kids decided they'd destroy that Dark Tower first. Along the way, Davis kept shouting Ken's name, trying to draw him out—yet what answered him was a swarm of Meramon. When they suddenly leapt out of the lava, they startled the kids badly.
Meramon are flame-type Digimon wreathed in crimson fire, forever burning. They are Digimon born from the defensive barrier known as a "firewall," created to prevent improper access to the internet. Possessed of a temperament as fierce as the flames surrounding their bodies, they burn everything they touch to ashes. Because their firepower is stronger than the same species on File Island, it's extremely difficult to tame them—and even if you do, you never know when they'll rebel again. In battle, anything they touch bursts into flame. They're fast, excel in close combat, and can also grow gigantic by drawing on the power of their flames, greatly increasing their strength. Their signature attack is Burning Fist, in which both arms blaze as they pummel the enemy.
"Alright—let's go!"
"Armor Digivolution!"
"Veemon, Armor Digivolve to Flamedramon!"
"Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve to Digmon!"
"Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve to Halsemon!"
"Patamon, Armor Digivolve to Pegasusmon!"
"Gatomon, Armor Digivolve to Darcmon!"
The kids' Digimon unleashed a barrage of special attacks at the Meramon, blasting them straight down into the lava. Just as the kids thought they'd succeeded, even larger Meramon sprang out again.
And at that moment, Ken arrived—Wormmon with him—riding on an Airdramon as they flew toward the kids. From far away, he could already see the kids, their Digimon, and the Meramon facing each other off.
Airdramon is a mythical-beast Digimon with enormous wings. Because it's so rare, it's considered an existence close to a god. It excels at aerial attacks: its roar can summon storms, and with a beat of its wings it can call up massive tornadoes. Though it's extremely violent by nature, it's also highly intelligent. An ordinary tamer controlling it is essentially impossible. Its signature attack is Spinning Needle, created by flapping its giant wings to produce razor-sharp vacuum blades.
Airdramon gathered a razor-edged vacuum blade in midair and fired it at the kids. Before it even reached them, Darcmon—flying above—split it apart with a single sword strike. The kids lifted their heads, warily staring up at Ken in the sky.
"What are you trying to do?!" Davis shouted at Ken. "You disappeared like this—your mom and dad are really worried about you! Don't you know that?!"
"Hah. Hah." Ken sneered. "What I'm trying to do? You'll find out soon enough. And as for them—what use are a bunch of worthless people compared to a genius like me? And you—being Chosen Children just like you is a disgrace to me. This time, I'm going to give you a proper welcome."
"What? How can you say that?!" Cody cried, unable to understand.
"You jerk—do you even hear the garbage coming out of your mouth?!" T.K. yelled.
"Why are you controlling and abusing these Digimon? Why can't everyone just live in peace?" Kari asked, confused.
"Hah! This is my world. I'll do whatever I want." Ken spoke as he turned slightly to the side.
A blue wolf stepped forward, a Dark Ring fastened around its neck. Its eyes glowed red as it threw its head back and let out a long howl to the sky.
"This is…" T.K.'s eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
"Even if I can't control an Ultimate like Andromon yet, I can control them if I make a Champion Digimon Dark Digivolve straight into an Ultimate!" Ken shouted, raising his black D-3 Digivice high. "Accept the power of darkness, Digivolve into an Ultimate, become my subordinate, and obey my orders! Garurumon—Dark Digivolve!"
"Awoooo!"
As black energy poured from the dark D-3 Digivice, Garurumon was swallowed by a shroud of black mist. When it emerged again, it had changed completely—it had become BlackWereGarurumon.
BlackWereGarurumon is a bipedal Beast Man Digimon whose fur has turned black. Because it walks on two legs, it loses its original speed, but it becomes a tactical assault-type Digimon thanks to its far greater attack and defense. Inheriting Garurumon's leg strength makes BlackWereGarurumon's kicks especially terrifying—its jumping power is also among the best of all Digimon. After being infected with a virus, its attacks gain a corroding trait that can pollute and erode an enemy's body and weapons, stripping them of the will to fight. Its signature attack is Kaiser Nail, ripping the opponent apart with sharp claws imbued with computer virus. It can also strike with powerful kicks like Garuru Kick.
"Hahahaha!" Ken laughed excitedly. "Go, BlackWereGarurumon—wipe out these useless idiots!"
"Kaiser Nail!"
But BlackWereGarurumon didn't do what Ken expected. Instead, it turned and swung a claw at him.
"Ken, watch out!" Wormmon slammed into Ken, knocking him down off Airdramon's head and barely saving him from BlackWereGarurumon's strike. The razor wind from that claw swept past Ken's scalp—so close he could feel it—before slamming into Airdramon's head. It tore a huge hole straight through.
Airdramon let out a painful scream and plummeted from the sky.
Wormmon hurriedly brought another Airdramon over, caught Ken, and shot upward—fleeing into the sky and away from the rampaging BlackWereGarurumon.
BlackWereGarurumon's feet kicked off the air several times in a blur so fast only afterimages could be seen, and its body actually rose upward as if gravity no longer applied. It leapt onto the next Airdramon while it was still falling and killed it too—then continued, one after another, slaughtering all the Airdramon.
The kids watched as Airdramon fell from the sky one after another, their bodies slamming into the ground—some dropping straight into the lava.
"Th-this…" The kids couldn't believe it. Ken's own subordinate had killed seven Airdramon in just a few seconds.
With a heavy thud, BlackWereGarurumon crashed down onto the ground. It stood up again, opened its jaws to reveal razor-sharp fangs, and stared at the kids with a vicious, murderous glare.
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