Fear. Despair.
Takeru's eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the abyssal beast before him, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"This... this is just the evolution of Gomamon... how...?" He couldn't understand.
'MagnaAngemon was supposed to be the rarest, most powerful Digimon. The chosen one, selected by the will of the world itself.'
'So why... why was the MagnaAngemon beside me also trembling?'
"Go on! Aren't you a Holy-type?! Against a countered Devil-type Digimon, you should be able to solve this with a single punch!" Suppressing the fear in his heart, Takeru shouted at the MagnaAngemon beside him.
MagnaAngemon wanted to move, to raise its wings and fist, to seal away that monstrous creature. But its pure white six wings trembled uncontrollably, its light continuously receding.
Counter? Below the Mega level, Holy types undoubtedly countered Demon types.
But at the level of the Seven Great Demon Lords, before the world's end, its holy light was like a lone firefly in the night, insignificant as dust.
"Hea... Heaven's Gate!"
Finally, after gathering all its holy power, exerting its utmost effort, a shimmering white Gate of Heaven was released from MagnaAngemon's hands, gradually outlining a pure white barrier.
Only then did the look of fear on Takeru's face dissipate, "Hahaha, Joe, you still lost! Before the Gate of Heaven, even if you evolved into an Ultimate-level monster, you'll be sealed away forever!"
Watching Takeru laugh wildly, Joe crossed his arms, a scornful curve on his lips.
"Is that so?"
"Leviamon, swallow that gate."
Roar!
The crimson abyssal beast let out a low growl. The sound wasn't immense, the light not dazzling.
Simply, its jaws enlarged. Enlarged until they were taller than skyscrapers, large enough to swallow the Gate of Heaven whole.
Then…
Chomp.
Crunch, crunch.
MagnaAngemon's face turned deathly pale, utterly unable to believe what it was seeing.
Its ultimate move, the Gate of Heaven fused with the world's will, was completely devoured in a single bite, leaving not even a scrap.
"Is that all? My Leviamon isn't even one-tenth full." Joe stood atop Leviamon's head, laughing maniacally. Watching Takeru and MagnaAngemon's stunned expressions, his blazing envy found the best release.
The thrill of revenge, the pleasure of payback, the satisfaction of trampling the once-high-and-mighty chosen son underfoot… these emotional powers intertwined once more, flowing into Leviamon's body.
The crimson armor grew deeper, etched with countless mysterious patterns, as if imprinted with the Digital World's origin.
Each of the Seven Great Demon Lords represented a cardinal sin. As long as the sin expanded infinitely, in a sense, their power could also grow infinitely.
"Get up! MagnaAngemon! We are the righteous side! We are favored by the Digital World! We can't lose, right? Get up, there must be a way!"
Facing an enemy he could never defeat, Takeru broke down. He shouted at MagnaAngemon one moment, crying and self-harming the next. Then he made various strange gestures towards the sky.
'Wrong, wrong, it's all wrong!'
Tears and snot mixed on Takeru's face, dripping disgracefully onto the ground along his contorted features.
'I'm the chosen son, the world's selection, the protagonist who would save everything! When facing desperate situations, just by shouting wildly and making those cool poses, a miracle would always appear.'
'But this time, why didn't it work?'
"I told you, so-called miracles are just pre-arranged plans." Joe descended from Leviamon's head, staring into Takeru's eyes, a sinister smile on his face.
"The will of the world doesn't place all its hopes on a single individual. Leviamon has the ability to devour infinitely. Giving you more power would only become its nourishment. It wouldn't do something so foolish."
"Simply put, you have been abandoned."
Thud.
Joe's words struck Takeru's heart like a heavy hammer.
'Abandoned?'
His smooth-sailing life since childhood, his incredibly lucky life, his star-studded status… all turned to nothingness at this moment.
"No! Impossible! You're lying to me! There must be a way! There must be some trigger I haven't grasped! Just wait, when I'm in true desperation, surely…"
Crack.
Takeru's frenzied shouts were cut off by Joe's icy grip. Joe choked the chuunibyo teenager, his face full of impatience.
"Ah, I'm tired of hearing this script. Repeating it is just the wailing of the incompetent. It doesn't stir my envy at all. How boring. Let's end this. Leviamon, pluck the feathers and skin off that big moth for me."
Roar!
The crimson abyssal beast moved as commanded, lightly raising its sharp claws. A seemingly casual strike carried a terrifying force that was impossible to break free from.
Watching this bloody scene, Joe's expression grew more twisted. The black aura on his body thickened, forming a massive black cloud floating in the sky.
At this moment, holiness fell, and evil was born.
The once majestic, gorgeous and handsome Angemon from File Island, which could be called the Digital World's fated protagonist, was now stripped of its white feathers, covered in blood, skin torn open, revealing large, ugly, ferocious scars.
"So, the high-and-mighty angel is just like humans. When injured, it also leaves scars." Joe laughed mockingly, giving Leviamon its final command.
Annihilate.
A crimson energy storm gathered, transforming into a nearly solid, profound shockwave.
With one strike, more than half the city block was devoured and obliterated, not even a trace of debris remaining.
Standing amidst the nothingness, the ambition in Joe's heart expanded infinitely.
Now, all conditions were met. Takeru was destroyed, Angemon slain.
"I am the Demon King, the world's terminator, the bell-ringer for the coming dark fog."
"Watch me. I will become everyone's nightmare. I will make the whole world remember the name of Kido J..."
"Target detected. Distance: three thousand meters. Approaching."
"Target aware. Switching to defensive mode. Converting."
Whoosh!
Just as Joe's passions and emotions peaked, an extremely dangerous presence abruptly appeared nearby, alerting Leviamon.
Without the slightest hesitation, Joe immediately commanded Leviamon to attack.
The massive crimson jaws landed on a protective shield composed of countless data streams.
Joe looked in that direction, his pupils contracting sharply.
"You…"
From within the shield, a figure, nearly composed of data, cold and rational, slowly emerged.
"According to calculations, your probability of victory against me is only 0.213%."
"So, barring unforeseen circumstances."
The cold, rational voice looked at Joe and spoke faintly.
"Your ambition ends here."