On Infinity Mountain, the DeviEtemon, having been battered by Homeostasis, seemed to understand the danger. For a moment, it made no rash moves, only roaring repeatedly at Aomori from a distance.
Aomori ignored it. After recalling Darkrai, he first checked his own body. Finding no major injuries, he felt relieved, yet also a lingering fear.
Dark energy could stir the darkness within a person. He had foolishly absorbed too much dark energy, intending to weaken DeviEtemon, but almost had his mind corroded by it.
If Homeostasis hadn't lent a hand with the Digivice in the end, he might have truly stumbled this time.
'Though they say "blackening makes you three times stronger," only after experiencing it do you realize falling into darkness isn't fun.'
Aomori's vigilance against dark energy had greatly increased. Any future Bond Evolution with Darkrai would also need to be approached with caution.
After converting all remaining energy in his body into Holy Light, he felt a warm, sacred sensation, and couldn't help but indulge in it. "Indeed, Holy Light is much better."
Then he looked at DeviEtemon, whose confused expression was slowly fading, and began to ponder how to deal with this formidable foe.
After much deliberation, Aomori decided to employ the essence of ancient military strategy: running away is the best!
His energy was less than a tenth of its peak, his stamina was low, and he hadn't brought all his forces. Why should he fight this guy to the death?
Aomori wasn't a hot-blooded protagonist who would rush into a hopeless situation. He didn't have a "desperate burst of power" skill. Rationality and well-planned tactics were his usual style.
After rehearsing a plan in his mind, Aomori threw a Holy Light Orb at the ground. While DeviEtemon shielded its eyes, he immediately released Pidgeot.
With their Telepathy, Pidgeot instantly understood his intention. It carried Aomori and flapped its wings, soaring high into the sky.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to deliver a parting shot: "I'll be back! You just wait!"
Watching Aomori fly away, even the not-so-bright DeviEtemon realized it had been fooled. It roared in indignant fury: "Die!"
Immediately after, the flesh on its back bulged like mud, growing a pair of broad bat wings. They flapped faster and faster, and its entire body shot up like a rocket, pursuing Aomori.
"What the hell! You can do that? Is this guy playing fair?" Aomori saw that its linear flight speed even surpassed Pidgeot's. Realizing it would soon catch up, he quickly changed his plan, telling Pidgeot to fly toward where the light beam had appeared earlier.
DeviEtemon fired Kiss of Death at Aomori while flying, but Pidgeot skillfully dodged the attacks with agile maneuvers.
After a few minutes of aerial chase, Aomori arrived above the designated location and gave Pidgeot instructions.
"Piijo!" Pidgeot suddenly descended, plunging into the forest below, using the trees to obscure itself.
DeviEtemon followed closely, its Kiss of Death toppling many trees and sending the Digimon in the forest fleeing in panic.
After several evasions, Pidgeot ascended again, leaving the forest, but Aomori was no longer on its back. Instead, a silverback baboon holding the Violet-Gold Knight Set took his place.
In Pidgeot's high-speed movement, DeviEtemon vaguely saw something familiar on its back and chased after it without hesitation.
Behind a large tree in the forest, Aomori, back in his human form, concealed his aura. After DeviEtemon had flown far away, he jumped down from the tree and ran toward the location he remembered.
Although DeviEtemon's mind wasn't the sharpest, Aomori didn't expect to fool it for long. He had to race against time to find an opportunity for victory.
His Mind's Eye unfolded, taking in the nearby scenery. He quickly found his target.
Lightly stepping, he made a few leaps to a seemingly ordinary large tree and unhesitatingly crashed inside.
This tree was hollow inside, with only an outer shell, concealing seven small, fragile-looking Digimon. Aomori's gaze fixed on the seven Digivices beside them.
"Found them!"
Under the terrified gazes of the seven Digimon, he snapped his fingers, and the seven Digivices broke free from their control, floating before him.
"Ah, those are very important to us!" A round Botamon cried out, bouncing up to retrieve its Digivice, but Aomori pressed it back down with a single finger.
The other Digimon also shed their fear, spitting incessantly at Aomori, but they were all blocked by a transparent shield.
"Alright, you little ones, stop causing trouble. I was just about to talk to your parents." Aomori waved his finger, trapping them with telekinesis, then looked at the line of Digivices before him.
"Homeostasis, I know you are omnipresent and must be aware of what's happening here now." Aomori spoke quickly to the Digivices: "First, thank you for your help just now. Second, as the saying goes, if you see a good deed through, help to the end. How about you lend me some more energy and help me take down that evil Digimon outside?"
He extended his index finger, its tip glowing faintly. "As you can see, I am a master of Holy Light, a righteous hero, naturally at odds with the forces of evil. We are natural allies. Afterward, we can help each other. I'll help you restore the Digital World to normal, and you can provide me with some convenience."
"Will you form an alliance with me?"
He waited for several minutes. Just as Aomori was about to lose patience, the screen of the Digivice finally lit up, displaying a single word—"YES."
Aomori smiled: "Heh, pleasant cooperation."
A stronger light burst forth from the seven Digivices, engulfing Aomori completely. A pillar of light shot into the sky.
DeviEtemon, chasing Pidgeot, paused in mid-air, turned to look at the light pillar, let out a low growl, and flew back.
On the Server Continent, in Iron City, Akihiko Kayaba was researching Salamon's Digivice when its screen suddenly lit up, transforming into a stream of light that shot through the air.
"This is..." Akihiko Kayaba furrowed his brow.
With a long, luminous tail, the Digivice that had shot through the air arrived before Aomori in a blink, shining brightly with the other seven Digivices as they slowly revolved around him.
At this point, DeviEtemon arrived near the light pillar, hesitating.
The light pillar slowly faded. Aomori felt an unprecedented surge of immense power filling his entire body, energy so abundant it was almost overflowing.
He concentrated all the energy into his right hand, clenching his fist as if holding a sun.
Looking at DeviEtemon which appeared above him, he revealed a slight smile and swung his right fist at it.
Holy and blazing light instantly filled the entire sky. A pillar of light shot heavenward, piercing through the clouds, forming a white trajectory thousands of meters wide, clearly visible even from the Server Continent.
It easily cut through trees and mountains in its path. The majestic Infinity Mountain was pierced through like a piece of paper.
Wherever it passed, space undulated, emitting faint ripples. At the very center of the light pillar, DeviEtemon vanished into ashes without a sound. Dust, dark clouds, and dark energy all disappeared.
Tiny specks of light drifted down from the sky, and the gloom on File Island completely dispersed.