Devimon had seized both Zero and Hajime, holding them within the deadly grasp of his killing range.
But on the flip side, at such close quarters, it also meant he himself was well within Zero and Hajime's attack radius. At this distance, whoever struck first would leave the other side almost no chance to react.
Moreover, Devimon had just taken a scanning blast head-on. The Digivice's scan inherently restrained him, and without prior knowledge, anyone hit by it the first time would inevitably suffer a serious disadvantage.
Of course, this sort of trick could only exploit the initial information gap. It might work wonders the first time, but once enemies learned to anticipate it, catching them off guard again would be exceedingly difficult.
But it didn't matter—because right now, Devimon had absolutely no way to dodge this attack!
Having no intention of missing this perfect chance, Zero aimed the Trident Revolver straight at Devimon's head. A golden-red glow, compressed to the extreme, finally burst forth right before Devimon's eyes.
"!!!"
Devimon's reflexes were frighteningly swift. Instantly, he released his claws and desperately tried to fly upwards, intending to evade the blast—
"Sorry, but I saw that coming..."
Yet Zero seemed to have predicted Devimon would flee skyward. At the last instant, Zero lifted the cannon barrel slightly, releasing the charged shot straight upward, directly into Devimon's escape path.
Right at that moment, Devimon had just soared into midair, helplessly watching as the dazzling orb of energy exploded mere centimeters from him—
At that instant, it was as though the entire world had fallen silent. Everything froze, as if someone had pressed pause, suspending time itself for two full seconds. All sound vanished utterly...
…Then, after two seconds of surreal silence, a deafening explosion shook the heavens. A wave of blinding whiteness burst forth from that single point, threatening to erase all other colors.
Zero lunged forward, using his own body as a shield to protect Rina—
—Immediately afterward, scorching winds, shockwaves, and towering flames intertwined, erupting outward from the epicenter, engulfing Monzaemon's toy town.
In the path of that devastating wind, the colorful buildings of the toy town instantly lost all vibrancy, fading to a deathly pale white before disintegrating into ash and scattering to the winds.
…That terrifying inferno razed nearly a third of the toy town into absolute nothingness. The shockwave radiated outward, shaking even distant buildings until they teetered on the edge of collapse.
According to official lore, the Trident Revolver's blast rivaled a nuclear explosion. Perhaps the anime had lacked the capacity to properly convey its terrifying power, but now Zero finally saw firsthand the destructive potential of this monstrous weapon.
Though to be fair, even this wasn't the Trident Revolver's full strength—at maximum output, it could probably devastate half of File Island.
But Zero wasn't insane enough to drag half the island's Digimon down with Devimon. Even so, at this close range, there was no way Devimon could escape unscathed, regardless of his strength approaching Ultimate-level.
As the flames and dust settled, Leomon and Ogremon had both been knocked unconscious by the immense blast. Rina, shielded by Zero's body, was fortunately unharmed.
Hajime had barely managed to protect herself, as most of the blast had been centered high above. Even so, she'd narrowly avoided severe injury from the aftershock.
And if the peripheral shockwaves were already this devastating, the condition of Devimon at the epicenter went without saying.
Hovering shakily in midair, the demon appeared battered and severely wounded for the first time, his scarlet eyes filled with a barely contained fury.
Yet, rather than dive down to exact revenge, he looked slowly down at his own body.
From his waist up to the edge of his heart, across his shoulder and nearly half of his torso...everything had vanished completely, annihilated in the horrifying blast.
Even worse, had Zero's aim been just slightly more precise, the attack would've pierced Devimon's DigiCore, instantly ending his life on the spot.
Though he'd narrowly managed to protect his DigiCore and thus survive, this injury was unquestionably the closest Devimon had ever come to death.
Damage this severe wasn't something he could easily recover from, and it completely dashed any chance of him continuing to fight.
"Cough..."
Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth, scattering into flecks of data—a terrible sign. It meant part of his body was already digitizing, struggling even to maintain physical form.
But of course, Zero and Hajime were in equally terrible shape after unleashing that devastating strike. Both were weakened to the point that just standing upright was a massive effort.
Under normal circumstances, Devimon could easily finish off opponents in such a pitiful state without even needing a second attack.
Right now, these two looked so frail that even a gentle breeze could knock them flat.
Without a doubt, this was Devimon's best—and perhaps only—opportunity to eliminate these two dangerous pests once and for all. Yet...
…Devimon looked once again at the ruinous state of his own body.
His situation was just as precarious as theirs. The earlier judgment applied equally to him.
He had absolutely no confidence he could kill these two without being dragged down by their final, desperate counterattack.
In other words, if he wanted to end their lives right here, right now...he would have to prepare himself mentally...
To die alongside them today.
Devimon closed his eyes briefly, forcing down the surging anger inside him.
…No, he was destined to rule File Island, perhaps even conquer Server Continent and beyond. How could he gamble his entire future here?
It wasn't worth it…
Opening his eyes once more, he stared bitterly at Zero and Hajime, memorizing their battered appearances.
"I've lost count of how many opponents I've killed…but you two—I'll definitely remember you well. Today…consider yourselves lucky to escape with your lives!"
Leaving behind this final, venomous threat, Devimon beat his wings, retreating pathetically from the battlefield. The oppressive black clouds overhead slowly dispersed with his departure, revealing the clear sky hidden behind.
Watching Devimon vanish into the distance, Zero and Hajime exchanged one weary glance. Then, simultaneously, their bodies shuddered, white light flashed—and both reverted to their lower forms, collapsing heavily to the ground.
Just before Zero's consciousness faded completely, he heard a frantic voice calling anxiously near his ear.
"Zero! Hajime! Are you two okay? Is it serious? Ah, um—what should I do now? Can someone lend a hand here, please!?"
"Heh heh…Sorry for the trouble…Rina~"
Murmuring these last words softly, Zero peacefully shut his eyes, drifting into unconsciousness in the girl's comforting embrace…