When the kids reached the place that someone's mom had guessed was Ken Ichijouji's home, they could hear police sirens blaring through the whole area from far away.
"Is it here?" Davis asked. Cody stared at the map in his hands and double-checked carefully. "According to Izzy's map, it should be this building."
"Looks like something happened here," Yolei said, listening to the nonstop wail of police cars all around them.
The conversation between two women nearby caught the kids' attention.
"I heard the Ichijouji kid, Ken, is missing…"
Walking closer, they saw a couple anxiously saying something to an officer. "Officer, I don't know why he ran away from home. I don't know where he went!"
Ken Ichijouji was known as a genius. You could even say he was the pride of this whole neighborhood. His disappearance was a major case, and the police were taking it extremely seriously—so seriously that several times the usual number of patrol cars had been dispatched.
"Missing…?" The kids all had question marks popping up in their minds.
"Where would he even go?" Davis asked.
"I think he went to the Digital World," Tai answered.
Tai was right.
At that very moment, Ken Ichijouji was in that dim control room, fully focused on operating the system, throwing his entire mind into modifying the Dark Rings.
"Faster! Faster! Move it, you useless pieces of trash!" Ken roared, lashing a whip again and again at the Digimon rushing back and forth in front of him as they worked. His face stayed grim the whole time.
The same scene played out over and over across the Digital World. Ken had completely fallen into madness, constantly forcing the Digimon to build Dark Towers for him. Dark Towers sprang up rapidly throughout the Digital World. Ken watched with delight as his territory expanded and expanded, forgetting the Human World entirely. When he was happy, he neither wanted to look at—nor cared about—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. The blackened area was spreading at an alarming rate.
"It looks like Ken Ichijouji has been staying in the Digital World this whole time," Izzy analyzed, watching the abnormal surge of the dark region. "And since he hasn't gone home at all since he disappeared, maybe he plans to stay there permanently—expanding his reach in one big push until he gets what he wants."
"But why would he do something like 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 glanced at a magazine photo of Ken, smiling brightly, looking sunny and warm. He just couldn't connect that image with the cruel Digimon Emperor.
"We're going too," Davis said, clenching his fist with determination.
"But it's already really late," Cody said, worried.
After a loud, overlapping debate, the kids decided to head to the Digital World and take a look—then try to get back before dinner so the adults wouldn't worry.
The moment they arrived, a wave of heat blasted them. Lava was everywhere, with volcano vents scattered around, and even the air itself shimmered with heat. Flames kept bursting up from the ground, then dying out in moments.
Far away through the rippling heat haze, they could see a twisted Dark Tower in the distance. The kids decided they'd destroy that Dark Tower first. Along the way, Davis kept shouting Ken Ichijouji's name, trying to draw him out—
But the ones who answered were a group of Meramon.
They sprang out of the lava without warning, startling the kids badly.
Meramon were Flame Digimon wreathed in crimson fire that burned eternally. They were born from the defensive wall "firewalls" on the internet meant to prevent unauthorized access. Their temper was as fierce as the flames surrounding their bodies, and they would burn everything they touched to ash. Their firepower was even stronger than others of the same kind on File Island, making them extremely difficult to tame—even if you managed it, they could rebel again at any moment. In battle, anything they touched would catch fire. They were fast, strong in close-range combat, and had the special ability of not fearing flame-based attacks. They could also use the power of fire to enlarge their bodies and boost their strength. Their finishing move was Flame Fist, igniting both arms and pummeling the opponent.
"All right—let's do this!"
"Armor Digivolve!"
"Veemon, Armor Digivolve—Flamedramon, the Courage of Fire!"
"Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve—Digmon, the Knowledge of Steel!"
"Hawkmon, Armor Digivolve—Halsemon, the Love of Heart!"
"Patamon, Armor Digivolve—Pegasusmon, the Hope of Flight!"
"Gatomon, Armor Digivolve—Darcmon, the Light of Smiles!"
The kids' Digimon unleashed their attacks together, blasting the Meramon and smashing them straight into the lava.
Just when the kids thought they'd won, even larger Meramon leapt out again.
And at that moment, Ken Ichijouji arrived, riding an Airdramon with Wormmon at his side. From far off, they could see the kids, their Digimon, and the Meramon locked in a standoff.
Airdramon was a Mythical Beast Digimon with enormous wings. Because it was such a rare creature, it was considered an existence close to divinity. It excelled at aerial combat—its roar could summon storms, and the beat of its wings could call up massive tornadoes. Though extremely violent by nature, it possessed high intelligence. For an ordinary Tamer to command one was basically impossible. Its finishing move was Spinning Needle, flapping its huge wings to generate razor-sharp vacuum blades.
Airdramon gathered a cutting vacuum blade in midair and fired it toward the kids. Before it could reach them, Darcmon—flying above—split it apart with a single sword strike. The kids lifted their heads, alert, staring up at Ken in the sky.
"What are you trying to do?!" Davis shouted up at him. "You've gone missing like this—your parents are really worried about you! Do you even understand that?!"
"Hmph. You'll find out what I'm doing soon enough. As for them—those useless people—how could they possibly compare to a genius like me?" Ken said with open contempt. "And you—being Chosen Children alongside you lot is my shame. This time, I'll treat you properly."
"What? How can you say that?!" Cody yelled, unable to accept it.
"You—how can you not even hear what you're saying?!" T.K. shouted angrily.
"Why are you controlling and abusing these Digimon?!" Kari demanded, confused. "Why can't everyone just live peacefully together?"
"Hmph! This is my world. I'll do whatever I want," Ken sneered. "Now, take a look at my newest masterpiece."
As he spoke, he shifted aside. A blue wolf stepped forward. A Dark Ring hung around its neck, its eyes glowing red. It threw its head back and howled at the sky.
"This is…" T.K.'s eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
"Even if I can't control an Ultimate like Andromon yet," Ken said, "I can control them if I force a Champion Digimon to Dark Digivolve directly into an Ultimate. Accept the power of darkness, Digivolve into an Ultimate, become my subordinate, and obey my command!"
Ken lifted his black D-3 Digivice high.
"Garurumon, Dark Digivolve!"
"Awoooo—!"
As black energy poured out of the dark D-3 Digivice, Garurumon was swallowed by a shroud of black mist. When it emerged again, it had changed completely—
BlackWereGarurumon.
BlackWereGarurumon was a bipedal Beast Man Digimon with fur dyed pitch-black. Because it walked on two legs, it lost its original speed, but it gained far greater attack and defense—becoming a tactical assault Digimon. Inheriting Garurumon's leg strength, its kicking power was terrifying, and its jumping ability ranked among the best. After being infected by a virus, its attacks gained a corrosive property that could contaminate and erode an enemy's body and weapons, crushing their will to fight. Its finishing move was Kaiser Nail, ripping the opponent apart with sharp claws imbued with computer viruses.
"Hahaha!" Ken laughed delightedly. "Go, BlackWereGarurumon—wipe out these useless brats!"
But BlackWereGarurumon didn't do what Ken expected.
Instead, it turned and slashed at him.
"Ken, watch out!" Wormmon slammed into Ken, knocking him down off Airdramon's head and barely saving him from the strike. The claw swiped through the air—its cutting wind grazing Ken's scalp—then, in Ken's shocked and disbelieving stare, it struck Airdramon's head and tore open a huge hole.
Airdramon screamed in agony and fell straight out of the sky.
Wormmon hurriedly maneuvered another Airdramon over, caught Ken and himself, and shot upward—fleeing high into the air to get away from the rampaging BlackWereGarurumon.
BlackWereGarurumon, still suspended in midair, kicked the air several times in rapid succession—so fast only afterimages could be seen. Its body began rising as if gravity no longer applied. It reached the other Airdramon, killed it, then used its powerful hind legs to leap to yet another Airdramon—killing them one after another.
Airdramon bodies crashed down one by one. Some slammed into the ground. Others fell directly into the lava.
The kids could only stare in disbelief.
In just a few seconds, Ken's "subordinate" had slaughtered seven Airdramon.
With a heavy thud, BlackWereGarurumon landed on the ground. It stood again, baring sharp teeth, its eyes vicious as it locked onto the kids.
BlackWereGarurumon walked toward them step by step.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Those heavy footsteps hit the ground like they were stomping on the kids' hearts. BlackWereGarurumon's brutality left the kids completely stunned.
"Flame Fist!" The Meramon didn't care about any of that. They all swarmed in and unleashed their finishing move at BlackWereGarurumon.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The attacks hit—though it would be more accurate to say BlackWereGarurumon had no intention of dodging. Flames swallowed its body, but the sound of its footsteps never stopped until it walked out of the burning shroud.
BlackWereGarurumon was completely unharmed.
Five Meramon attacks hadn't even singed a single hair.
It opened its jaws, teeth gleaming, and let out a savage howl. Then its body blurred into an afterimage, weaving through the Meramon at impossible speed.
When it stopped, all five Meramon were down.
A second later, their bodies burst into data and scattered into the Digital World.
"How can it be like this?!" Cody cried, tears in his eyes.
BlackWereGarurumon turned its head slightly, staring at the kids and their Digimon—the only ones still on the field.
Flamedramon charged first, flames bursting from both fists as it struck.
BlackWereGarurumon dropped its body low, easily slipping under the blow, then kicked upward with brutal force.
"Aagh!" Flamedramon let out a short cry of pain and flew into the air, body bent from the impact. By the time it fell, it had lost consciousness—reverting to Veemon before it hit the ground, collapsing in a heap.
"Veemon!"
"Big Crack!" Digmon's drills roared to life as it slammed the ground and split it open.
But when it raised its head—
BlackWereGarurumon was gone.
"Watch out above!" Pegasusmon warned urgently, firing Silver Blaze in an attempt to stop it.
But BlackWereGarurumon was far too fast.
Pegasusmon's blast missed, and BlackWereGarurumon's foot crashed down on Digmon's head, kicking it away. Digmon fell unconscious at once and reverted to Armadillomon.
"Armadillomon!"
The instant its foot hit the ground, BlackWereGarurumon stomped hard and launched upward again. Its sharp claws raked Halsemon—who couldn't dodge in time—smashing it out of the sky. Halsemon hit the ground hard.
"Hawkmon!"
In just ten seconds, Flamedramon, Digmon, and Halsemon were all down.
Only Pegasusmon and Darcmon remained in the air.
"Damn it!" Darcmon beat its wings and shot down like a spear, brandishing its slender swords as it rushed BlackWereGarurumon.
CLANG!
BlackWereGarurumon crossed its arms and blocked both blades with its claws.
"What?!" Darcmon's eyes widened in shock.
BlackWereGarurumon curled its mouth into a savage grin.
And Darcmon realized in horror that black mist was creeping from BlackWereGarurumon's claws onto the blades in Darcmon's hands, corrupting them.
BlackWereGarurumon flipped, sweeping its left leg and carving a blood-red crescent through the air, slashing toward Darcmon.
BANG!
Darcmon couldn't dodge in time. The blood-red arc struck its waist, knocking it down with overwhelming force. Its swords flew from its hands.
"Silver Blaze! Silver Blaze!" Pegasusmon rushed forward, desperately firing again to push BlackWereGarurumon back.
"Kaiser Nail!" BlackWereGarurumon lunged, slashing into the incoming Pegasusmon.
A blood-colored claw strike slammed into Pegasusmon's chest. The impact instantly reversed its momentum—throwing it backward. The destructive power shattered the armor plating on its chest, and Pegasusmon devolved into Patamon, crashing to the ground and rolling several times.
"Patamon!"
Darcmon forced itself back up. It stretched out its left hand, and the Holy Ring there shone—transforming into a holy staff inlaid with the symbol of the Crest of Light. Darcmon spun the staff once, drawing a glowing sacred shield of white light that began revolving around it.
"Behind you!" Kari shouted anxiously.
Darcmon turned—
A blood-red claw mark was already tearing toward it.
At that exact moment, the rotating sacred shield vanished from behind Darcmon and reappeared in front of it. The blood-red claw slammed into the shield, rippling its surface—then dispersing completely.
For the first time, BlackWereGarurumon's vicious expression flickered with surprise.
Darcmon swung the holy staff again. A beam of white light blasted BlackWereGarurumon in the chest, smashing it backward and slamming it into the ground. Before it could rise, Darcmon lifted its right hand—the Holy Ring there flared, forming a shining lasso that bound BlackWereGarurumon tightly.
"So strong…" the kids breathed, awestruck.
From BlackWereGarurumon's clean, brutal defeat of four Digimon to Darcmon's sudden reversal and victory—everyone's emotions had been thrown around like a storm.
"Awooo! Awooo!" BlackWereGarurumon struggled violently, roaring as it rolled across the ground—then suddenly tumbled into the lava beside them.
It went still.
Seeing it disappear, Darcmon finally exhaled, relieved. It picked up its swords. The holy staff in its left hand glowed, shining onto the blades and immediately purging the black mist clinging to them.
After retrieving both swords, Darcmon looked to the side at the unconscious partners—each being held in the arms of their friends. It raised the holy staff again, releasing healing light. Bright motes fell over them; their wounds faded bit by bit, and soon they opened their eyes.
But before the kids could fully relax—
A tremendous crash erupted from the lava.
A black Digimon wreathed in flames leapt out.
BlackWereGarurumon—again.
It landed and roared furiously.
Then black light burst from its entire body.
In the next instant, it devolved into Garurumon and collapsed on the ground.
"This is… Garurumon?" T.K. said in shock.
"What? Is Garurumon Matt's?" Davis blurted out.
A sudden whoosh of wind—an Airdramon dropped from above, grabbed Garurumon with its claws, and soared back into the sky.
"Hahaha! I lost this time," Ken's voice rang out from atop Airdramon's head. "But next time, I won't let you go."
He had rushed in to retrieve Garurumon the moment it devolved.
"Don't run!" Darcmon beat its wings and started to chase.
"Hahaha—then you should look behind you first," Ken said smugly.
Darcmon turned—
Five DarkTyrannomon were advancing on the kids.
"Damn it…" Darcmon grit its teeth and turned back to protect them. The others didn't have the strength to fight again—so for now, Ken would have to escape.
DarkTyrannomon were Champion-level Dinosaur Digimon whose bodies had been eroded by vicious computer viruses. They looked much like Tyrannomon, but the virus had stained and corroded them, turning them into Digimon infused with dark power—among the stronger threats even at the Champion level. Their special move was Fire Blast, spewing a massive pillar of flames capable of burning everything in an instant.
The five DarkTyrannomon lumbered forward, their massive weight shaking the ground. Compared to their huge bodies, the kids looked tiny.
"Fire Blast!"
All five DarkTyrannomon opened their jaws and spewed enormous pillars of flame toward the kids.
"Aah!" The kids screamed, terrified as the flames rushed them.
Time passed—yet no scorching heat came.
When they opened their eyes, they saw a white wall of light blocking all five flame pillars. The source of the barrier was the holy staff in Darcmon's hand, shining brilliantly.
"Baptism of Love!"
Darcmon's twin blades traced beautiful arcs through the air. In a flash, it slashed across the Dark Rings around the five DarkTyrannomon's necks, shattering them one after another.
Then Darcmon turned its gaze toward the Dark Tower nearby.
With a single swing, a blade wave cut through it.
The Dark Tower split cleanly down the middle, the cut surface smooth as glass.
At last, the kids could breathe again. Everyone—kids and Digimon alike—was exhausted. And it was already very late.
They returned to the computer lab, drained and listless. Today had brought too many things they still couldn't understand.
Ken's strange behavior. The appearance of BlackWereGarurumon. Whether that Garurumon was connected to Matt's Digimon.
And most importantly—
They looked at the screen.
The black region had expanded again.
The speed at which they could destroy Dark Towers couldn't keep up with the speed at which Ken was building them. The darkness was spreading day by day.
Meanwhile, Ken—face dark with anger—couldn't stop replaying his failures.
Back in Tai City, that Andromon had been controlled by a Dark Ring… but it wouldn't follow any detailed commands. It only followed preset routines. No matter how much effort Ken put in, he could only change it a little.
And just now, BlackWereGarurumon had outright ignored every order and attacked him instead.
Worst of all, he had humiliated himself in front of the group of kids he hated most—his "strongest subordinate" had turned on him.
"Useless trash…" Ken spat through clenched teeth.
"Why? Why can't I control an Ultimate?" he muttered to himself, fingers moving across the console as he pulled up the Dark Ring's image and detailed data. "Is it because the ring's power is limited?"
His face was full of confusion as he looked toward Garurumon, locked inside a sealed cage.
"If that's the case… then where's the problem?"
Ken fell into deep thought.
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