Things had suddenly gotten serious…
…After all, Zero was nowhere near ready to face an Ultimate-level Digimon—let alone a particularly formidable one among normal Ultimates, like Andromon.
But given the current situation, even knowing he was outmatched, Zero could only grit his teeth and charge head-on. Hadn't the Chosen Children back then faced an Andromon infected with a Black Gear, and somehow prevailed, even though they were barely Champion-level themselves?
But clearly, Zero had underestimated the terrifying power of the so-called "main character halo"…
He rushed straight at Andromon, his signature move Horn Impulse launching him forward like an unstoppable tank. Yet, facing Zero's ferocious momentum, Andromon stood his ground without moving a single inch, calmly raising his mechanical right arm.
The next instant, Zero's entire body halted abruptly—Andromon had stopped his charge cold, effortlessly, with just a single hand.
Andromon's size was about the same as a normal human, just slightly taller, whereas Zero towered over him at the height of a three-story building.
Anyone watching would think there was no comparison between the two—but the truth was, Zero was now completely restrained by a single hand.
In the blink of an eye, Andromon shifted his grip and pulled sharply, causing Zero to stumble forward. Before Zero could regain his balance, Andromon was already at his side, delivering a swift, powerful kick to his flank.
That one kick sent Zero's massive body flying, drawing an arc through the air and smashing through the outer wall of a warehouse within the Mechanical Factory compound.
"…"
This entire exchange had lasted no more than a few breaths, yet Zero had already been utterly defeated.
Over these past weeks, Zero had fought dozens of fierce battles, confronting numerous Champion-level Digimon. Not once had he been bested in direct strength.
As a combat-specialized dinosaur-type Digimon, GeoGreymon boasted thick skin, immense strength, and unmatched ferocity—a top-tier fighting machine among Champions.
But the opponent this time was Andromon, who was likewise specialized for combat—indeed, he was literally designed from the ground up as a living weapon.
Despite appearing humanoid, Andromon's body was almost entirely mechanical, housing an incredible horsepower within his fully mechanized frame. In terms of hardware or pure combat instinct, he easily matched—and even exceeded—Zero's current level.
…This is bad—he's ridiculously strong. So this is the power of a true Ultimate-level Digimon…
At that moment, Zero clearly understood how large the gap was between himself and an Ultimate-level opponent. Fighting seriously, Andromon was treating him like a toy.
As Zero desperately tried to recover, Andromon's mechanical right arm lifted again, his hand beginning to spin at high speed. The rotation stirred the air, condensing blue energy into a single point.
"!"
Zero knew exactly what was coming next—Andromon's signature move:
—Lightning Blade!
Andromon swung his rotating right hand forward, unleashing a crescent-shaped blade of blue energy that slashed straight toward Zero.
Zero absolutely did not want to know what getting hit by that thing would feel like. He forced himself upright, spitting flames to intercept the incoming blade.
But the power difference was just too great. Three huge fireballs, each the size of a washbasin, were effortlessly dispersed by the approaching Lightning Blade.
Even so, this bought Zero the precious seconds he needed. He quickly sidestepped, making a wide pivot to evade the attack, then lunged forward again, swiping with his massive claws, aiming for Andromon's blind spot.
But Andromon didn't even glance sideways—as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he anticipated Zero's movements. He raised his left arm to deflect Zero's claws, gripped tightly, and in one swift motion executed a textbook-perfect shoulder throw.
Zero—despite his monstrous appearance—was tossed around helplessly like a ragdoll. GeoGreymon's tough hide meant the impact wasn't fatal, but being on the receiving end with no chance to retaliate was humiliating.
Before Zero could rise again, Andromon calmly raised his right arm once more, preparing another Lightning Blade.
This next attack would definitely be unavoidable. As Zero braced himself for the worst, a fist-sized rock suddenly flew from nowhere, striking Andromon squarely on the back of his head.
The entire battlefield froze in disbelief.
…Andromon was a combat-focused cyborg. He'd effortlessly handled Zero's ferocious assaults, yet somehow he'd just gotten hit by a thrown rock.
Clearly, the rock-thrower was so far outside Andromon's expectations that he hadn't even considered her a possible threat. This carelessness was the only reason the attack succeeded.
Nearby, Rina—still holding a throwing stance—gave an embarrassed laugh and playfully stuck out her tongue.
"Ahaha~ Guess that didn't go as planned, huh~?"
But no matter how cute she was, her attempts at playing innocent meant nothing to the emotionless cyborg. To Andromon, even the prettiest girl was merely an aggregation of proteins.
Without hesitation, Andromon swung his arm around, hurling another Lightning Blade straight at Rina.
Fortunately, Rina had already sensed danger the moment she threw the rock. As the attack surged toward her, she immediately dove to the side, performing a smooth roll on landing. Her agility was truly jaw-dropping.
The Lightning Blade itself lacked homing capability—it relied solely on its overwhelming speed for surprise attacks. If there was enough reaction time, it wasn't too difficult to evade.
But while Andromon was momentarily distracted, Hajime and Zero seized their chance, simultaneously launching a pincer attack from opposite sides.
Andromon didn't hesitate for a second. Though Rina had caught him off-guard, he'd never lost track of Zero or Hajime. The instant the two of them moved, Andromon had already noticed.
Faster than they could react, Andromon spun, landing precise kicks on both attackers and sending them flying again.
Zero could withstand this—after all, Champions were far sturdier than Rookies—but Hajime couldn't. Receiving a full-on blow from an opponent two levels higher instantly blackened her vision, nearly knocking her unconscious.
Andromon's gaze moved between the two fallen foes, quickly settling on Hajime. Clearly, he'd identified the weaker opponent and intended to eliminate her first, efficiently weakening his enemies' fighting strength.
He began calmly approaching Hajime, who lay severely injured, desperately struggling but unable to stand. Unlike the previous battle with Seadramon, Andromon was simply beyond what she could handle.
Seeing Hajime in imminent danger, Rina dashed forward at incredible speed, placing herself protectively in front of Hajime, and aiming her Digivice squarely at Andromon.
Earlier, the encounter with Hagurumon had shown clearly that machine-type Digimon infected by Black Gears couldn't be freed through simple Digivice scanning.
But at this point, she had no choice but to try anyway—
"—Scanning!"
At that moment, a dazzling white light erupted from Rina's Digivice, surging fiercely toward Andromon…
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T/N: heres Andromon