The voyage was peaceful. A few days later, Aomori and the others reached File Island.
"So this is File Island."
Standing at the prow, Aomori gazed at the island's scenery. It looked remarkably similar to the Server Continent.
However, above the most prominent mountain on the island, dark clouds were gathering and expanding. A heavy sensation weighed on everyone's hearts.
"Master, Master, I feel really uncomfortable." The usually energetic Salamon had been acting off since they approached File Island.
"It's alright. Go back to the cabin for now."
Aomori didn't let Salamon or BlackAgumon disembark. Instead, he told them to go inside. He stared at the high peak, feeling a trace of unease.
In his memory, that mountain was Infinity Mountain, the residence of Devimon.
"Darkrai, do you feel it?"
"Yes. There is very strong dark energy there, several times stronger than Myotismon's." Darkrai stood by his side, also looking toward Infinity Mountain.
"How is this a 'Newbie Village'? Is this the butterfly effect?" Aomori chuckled. "But that's what makes it challenging."
"Darkrai, come with me. Maybe we can use our new skill this time."
"Understood!"
Aomori only took Darkrai. They sat on Pidgeot's back and flew toward Infinity Mountain.
The closer they got, the more oppressive the power became. Near the mountain, the dark energy was so dense it felt physical, like entering a swamp with resistance from all directions.
Pidgeot, which could usually outrun a plane, was now like an ordinary bird, barely managing to deliver Aomori and Darkrai to the summit, in front of Devimon's palace.
"Thanks for the hard work, Pidgeot. Come back for now." Since Pidgeot would lose most of its strength fighting in such an environment, Aomori simply recalled it to his system backpack.
"This is unpleasant." Aomori felt a slight constriction in his breathing. Darkrai, conversely, looked like it was enjoying itself, occasionally taking deep breaths as if it had returned home.
Staying in such an environment for long would be difficult even for Aomori, so he used a taunt: "Devimon, stop hiding. You're brave enough to pollute the environment, but too cowardly to show your face?"
Perhaps the taunt worked. The palace shattered, and a figure as massive as a mountain burst through the debris, revealing itself before Aomori.
It was a Devimon that had expanded hundreds of times in size.
"Gigantamax? No creativity at all," Aomori quipped.
The giant Devimon spread its sky-blotting wings, its crimson eyes staring intently at Aomori. An ear-piercing voice echoed across the island: "HellKnightmon, outsider... today is the day you die!"
"Oh, you know who I am." Aomori hadn't met a decent opponent in a while; this giant Devimon gave him a long-lost thrill.
"Let's go, Darkrai."
"I am ready."
Aomori and Darkrai clenched their fists simultaneously, raising their right hands high, and shouted: "Bond Evolution!"
Heavy light erupted from both of them, repelling the Devimon that was about to attack.
Within this colorful black light, Darkrai turned into a stream of light and entered Aomori's body. The Violet-Gold Knight Set was affected; not only did its color turn pitch black, but its form became more menacing and terrifying.
The sealed helmet transformed into a face mask. Jet-black, waist-length hair flowed from the back of his head, complementing the red cloak.
This move, [Bond Evolution], was a skill unlocked after his intimacy with Darkrai reached Level 10. By using this skill, he could fuse with Darkrai, becoming one. His strength would increase drastically.
However, maintaining the fused state consumed massive amounts of stamina and energy. Previously, he could only last 5 minutes at most.
"Darkrai, all that energy of pain, unease, and despair you've accumulated... it always makes me feel so irritated." Aomori opened his eyes, revealing a cold, tyrannical gaze. "I really, really want to let it all out."
Darkrai's voice echoed in his mind: 'You'll get used to it.'
"I don't want to get used to it. I want to remember this feeling vividly; only then will I yearn for the light even more."
He drunkenly inhaled the surrounding dark energy and slowly exhaled, pointing his index finger at the shaken Devimon. "Hey, big guy. How's your stamina? Can you last 5 minutes? Never mind, 2 minutes will do. That's usually the limit for someone like you."
"Don't be too arrogant!" Although Aomori's transformation made it uneasy, the moment it remembered its power was granted by that lord, all unease vanished.
"That's right! I, who have been granted power by a god, am the strongest!" The giant Devimon lunged two massive claws at Aomori. They seemed slow, but carried the sound of wind and thunder, descending upon Aomori's position like someone swatting a mosquito.
The mountain shattered like fragile tofu. Devimon felt no resistance from Aomori and lifted its hands in confusion, but there was no sign of him.
"Where is he?"
"I'm over here."
"What?" Devimon turned its head and saw a figure standing on its right shoulder. It was Aomori.
"Too slow, too slow. What's the point of being big? You're just a clumsy bear. I bet even a logger could play you like a fiddle."
"Curse you!" Devimon roared.
The flesh of Devimon beneath Aomori's feet suddenly writhed, and a pair of furry hands reached out, grabbing his ankles.
"Oh, it's Etemon. How did you end up as fusion material for a Champion Digimon?" Aomori wasn't panicked at all; he was even in the mood to chat with Etemon.
"What do you know! Being chosen by that lord is my honor!" Etemon's expression was fanatical.
"That lord?!" Aomori lowered his voice, speaking as if in fear. "Could it be... Captain Fire Head?" [1]
"Who the hell is Captain Fire Head? It's clearly... Hmph! Trying to trick me into giving information? In your dreams!"
"So it's not Captain Fire Head? That's good. If it were him, I'd really have to run for my life." Aomori patted his chest with a look of lingering fear.
"Madman!" Etemon didn't want to talk to him anymore and roared at Devimon: "What are you waiting for? Attack him!"
However, Devimon's expression was stiff; it didn't respond.
In the next moment, a thin line appeared across Devimon's neck. The entire massive head slowly slid off, separating from the neck and dissolving into digital fragments.
"You... you..." Etemon turned to look at Aomori, eyes wide with terror, unable to finish a sentence.
In Aomori's right hand, a 40-meter-long black energy sword had appeared at some point.
"When did you start under the illusion that I hadn't attacked?"
BOOM!
"How is this possible?"
Etemon watched helplessly as it, along with Devimon's massive body, turned into pieces and scattered.
"Couldn't even last a minute. Pathhetic!"
[1] Captain Fire Head refers to the scene in the Ultraman Taro episode "Zoffy Died! Taro Died Too!" where Birdon sets Zoffy's head on fire seemed like an accident to audiences, but it was actually intentional. Also, this scene was made into several memes in Japan, even to the point they named him as Mister Fire Head and Captain Fire Head.