'Sleipmon, you!'
Gallantmon stared at the crimson knight before him, his pupils contracting slightly, his face a mask of shock and anger.
He was the most loyal to Yggdrasil among the Thirteen Royal Knights.
In his view, nothing was more important than fulfilling Yggdrasil's mission. The Lord's commands were to be obeyed unconditionally.
'This isn't just my idea. Look, even Omnimon isn't saying anything.'
Sleipmon shrugged, his gaze shifting to the figure at the very forefront.
Omnimon.
This Royal Knight, born from the fusion of the 'Virus Buster' WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, evolved by combining countless positive emotions, possessed immense power.
Coupled with his steady aura and leader-like demeanor, he was implicitly the captain-like presence among the Thirteen Royal Knights.
'Omnimon! Do you also agree with this neglect of Yggdrasil-sama's will?!'
A cold glint flashed in Gallantmon's eyes as he spoke sharply.
Facing Gallantmon's icy accusation, Omnimon's expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.
"Gallantmon, you worry too much."
"Capturing Yagami Taichi alive does not contradict Yggdrasil's command. On the contrary, it is an action more beneficial to the Digital World."
Omnimon looked down from his superior position, quietly observing the steel ruins kilometers underground.
It was as if he were looking at an old friend from times past, speaking unhurriedly.
"Seven thousand six hundred years ago, the Metal Empire at its peak ruled over more than half of the Digital World."
"They were on good terms with the Four Great Dragons, mass-producing powerful war machines modeled after their bodies."
"They studied the data cores of the Four Holy Beasts, read the ancient powers of the Ten Legendary Warriors, and created countless Supreme Masterpieces."
"They even pioneered a brand-new evolutionary path… Cyborg Evolution."
"All of this, we, the Royal Knights who witnessed it, saw with our own eyes."
Seeing the reminiscent expression on Omnimon's face, Gallantmon clenched his fists, an unwilling look flashing across his face.
"That's true, but so what? Didn't they fall anyway?"
He retorted somewhat defiantly.
The conflict back then, spearheaded by Homeostasis with Yggdrasil pulling the strings from behind the scenes, had stirred up a storm of bloodshed that swept across the Digital World.
The Four Great Dragons, the Four Holy Beasts, the Ten Legendary Warriors, the Thirteen Royal Knights… almost all had been mobilized.
They completely eradicated the invincible Metal Empire, plunging even half the Digital World into an endless storm of slaughter.
It took centuries for the world to barely recover its vitality.
"Hah, search your heart. During that era, could you honestly claim certain victory against the Metal Empire?"
Omnimon glanced at Gallantmon, a cold smile on his lips.
The Royal Knights reigned supreme over the Digital World… they were the pinnacle of evolution, the gods among Digimon.
This fact had remained almost unshaken throughout the vast river of time.
Except during that one period.
The Metal Empire at its peak genuinely possessed a glimmer of potential to clash with the Royal Knights.
Thousands upon thousands of Cyborg-type Megas, millions of powerful Ultimate-level Digimon.
And an endless, numerically overwhelming tide of steel that pushed the Digital World to the brink of its processing load!
Even if the individual combat power of the Thirteen Royal Knights could sweep through any single entity in the Metal Empire, faced with such an extreme numerical advantage, even they had felt a flicker of unease.
"You... bringing this up now is meaningless! The Metal Empire is history! This is merely a relic of their past, it proves nothing!"
By this point, Gallantmon's eyes held a hint of evasion.
He was indeed immensely loyal to Yggdrasil, but he wasn't brainwashed.
The might of the Metal Empire, the potential infinite treasures hidden within its ruins… these were a tremendous temptation for every Royal Knight.
"Your words would carry more weight if you could remove that layer of Chrome Digizoid first."
Omnimon cast a cold, mocking glance at Gallantmon.
After the purge, all the Royal Knights had obtained the evolutionary power of the Metal Empire.
And not just them, other powerful Digimon had also joined the ranks of Cyborg Evolution.
Now, with a brand-new Metal Empire ruin appearing before their eyes, how could the Royal Knights, who had already benefited once, not be tempted?!
"Enough. There's no need to argue about this now. How to proceed can be decided after we actually capture the target."
Leopardmon's eyes shifted slightly, his gaze returning to the depths kilometers underground.
After blocking the Plasma Shot with the high-purity Chrome Digizoid, WarGreymon had long since vanished without a trace, having fled.
"Hah, do you think you can escape?"
The crimson Sleipmon let out a scornful laugh.
The next second.
Ultimate Technique, Bifröst!
A dazzling crimson arrow materialized from the sacred crossbow, Muspelheim, on Sleipmon's left arm.
It shot forth explosively, aimed directly at the path where Taichi and the others were rapidly fleeing.
Boom…
Almost instantly, the arrow traversed space and time, landing right behind Taichi.
The speed of the Bifröst was nearly equal to the speed of light.
The moment Sleipmon locked onto Taichi's form, the arrow had already arrived.
Splash!
A crimson light flashed, and a spray of scarlet blood flew through the air.
'Taichi', clutching his bleeding chest, collapsed in a pool of blood with a pained expression, falling unconscious.
"Haha, resolved so easily. Now let's discuss how to split…"
"Wait!"
Just as Sleipmon, looking quite pleased, eagerly prepared to discuss the spoils, a stream of garbled data flashed in Leopardmon's eyes, his face turning grim.
"He's not Yagami Taichi! His source code data signal has been tampered with!"
Crackle.
The moment Leopardmon's words fell, the 'Taichi' lying unconscious in the blood pool underground flickered, revealing his true form… a Digitamamon!
"What's going on? Our vision is connected to Yggdrasil's mainframe! How could anyone possibly deceive Yggdrasil?!"
Sleipmon stared in shock and disbelief at the scene.
Leopardmon's face was dark with fury. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Perhaps... the secret behind this is the very reason Yggdrasil fears Yagami Taichi so much."
"This time... we might have truly bitten off more than we can chew."
…
Meanwhile, within the steel ruins.
Taichi and Agumon, disguised as two of the most ordinary Champion-level Envy Digimon, stood silently on the production line, holding their breath and concentrating.
This was his contingency plan, an escape method prepared for sudden crises.
"If it weren't for Kurai, we'd be absolutely dead this time."
Taichi and Agumon exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing simultaneously.
That's right.
In the entire world, the only one capable of deceiving the eyes of the Royal Knights was none other than Kurai, an entity on the same level as Yggdrasil itself!
Back when she first discovered the steel ruins, she had prepared a set of escape measures for Taichi.
'I've copied your source code signals into the programming of all production lines. If you encounter an enemy you cannot handle, you can disguise yourselves as Digimon being produced. No one will be able to see through your true forms.'
Thinking back on it now, Kurai, who had uttered these words with such a cold expression back then, truly seemed like a goddess!