Knights of the Digital World

The clown beast grinned, its mouth painted with bright red lipstick, and spoke in a slightly hoarse, mocking tone.

MetalGarurumon remained unmoved. Perhaps because it controlled the cold air and used artillery as its weapon, MetalGarurumon always remained calm, yet it did not lack the passion for battle. It simply lowered its head and charged towards Piedmon at an even faster speed.

"Oh, oh! I'm so sad that they don't believe me!"

Piedmon let out a affected sigh, as if performing in a stage play, but just as MetalGarurumon approached, it shifted onto his back, firmly bracing its legs around MetalGarurumon's waist, shifted its rear end twice, and shook its head, saying:

"Sitting on you is so uncomfortable, so cold and hard. You'd definitely look better as a keychain! Clown trick!"

As he spoke, a white handkerchief was flung out by Piedmon. MetalGarurumon turned its head in surprise to look at Piedmon, but before it could speak, the handkerchief was covered by Piedmon's handkerchief, and without much struggle, it turned into a keychain.

"MetalGarurumon!! Damn it! Courage Tornado!!"

WarGreymon's rage surged even higher, and it roared as it turned and charged toward Piedmon.

The phoenix in the sky also let out a cry, its four wings flapping, and endless golden particles poured down like starlight:

"Starburst!"

"Angewomon, let's go!"

Originally resting to the side due to insufficient energy, Seraphimon could no longer restrain itself after seeing Lotusmon and MetalGarurumon in trouble one after another. It called on Ophanimon beside it to attack together.

The clown beast tilted its head back and let out a maniacal laugh, then stopped laughing and disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Seraphimon, his bloodshot eyes staring straight at Seraphimon, causing Seraphimon to instinctively take a step back.

"Don't rush, it's your turn now, isn't it? Angels, I hate angels the most! Hmm, kill the women first!"

Piedmon muttered a couple of things in a madmanish manner, then suddenly a long sword appeared in his hand and swung it down at Seraphimon.

Slayermon instinctively raised its hands to brace itself, but felt nothing; instead, a cry of pain came from beside it.

He turned his head and saw that Piedmon had already cleaved through Angewomon's armor and slashed at Angewomon's right shoulder with its sword.

The javelin that Angewomon was holding fell to the ground. The dark energy belonging to Piedmon flowed into her body, clashing with the holy energy in her body and causing Angewomon unspeakable pain.

"Hehehe! Feels great! Slaying angels is so satisfying!"

Piedmon burst into laughter, drew his sword, and kicked Angewomon in the stomach, sending her flying.

Angewomon also disintegrated after falling, turning back into Hikari and Gatomon. In order to protect Hikari, Gatomon took more damage, to the point that it could not even retain its Champion form, but this also ensured that Hikari was not seriously injured.

"Oh dear, human children. The previous one seemed to be one too. Could it be that you are the so-called chosen children? Whatever, I'd be happier to have human children die with me."

The clown beast gestured wildly as it spoke, and the cracks in its mask widened further.

Burning his Digicore sealed his fate, but it also allowed him to completely unleash his true nature. His comical and exaggerated behavior, his sarcastic and ironic remarks—these were Piedmon's favorite things.

"Bastard! Die! Heaven's Slash Blade!"

Angemon roared and lunged at Piedmon, his entire body covered in sharp blades as weapons, determined to slay this evil!

"How scary! But I really want one too! What does an angel-shaped keychain look like? I want to collect one!"

The clownmon grinned, feigning fear, but in the end, it was filled with desire. Gripping its longswords, it forcefully cleaved through Seraphimon's attack—it now possessed the power—and then casually tossed them aside. The remaining two longswords pierced towards Phoenixmon and WarGreymon, while the clownmon itself took out a handkerchief and covered Seraphimon's head.

"A clown trick!"

Chapter 55 The End of the Clownmon

"boom!"

Ahe slammed his fist on the table, stood up from his seat, and without saying a word, covered his head and tried to run out.

"Ahe, where are you going!"

A-Zhu reached out and grabbed A-He's arm, asking a question.

"Let me go, Aju!"

Ahe forcefully shook off Azhu's hand, turned his head away, his eyes already red, looking like he might cry at any moment:

"I have to go over there! Takeru is in danger! MetalGarurumon has been turned into a keychain by Piedmon! I'm Takeru's brother, Gabumon's partner, I should be there! I should go save them! Not sit here!"

"But it's no use you going there now. Let's think about this more carefully."

Ah-zhu frowned, awkwardly trying to persuade him, unsure of what to do with his hands.

Taiichi, who usually takes on the role of counselor, was unusually sitting in his seat, silent. Only Sora, sitting next to him, could sense Taiichi's inner turmoil from the strength of his grip on her hand.

"Let's think this through! How can we think this through! Yes, I'm useless right now! But that's not a reason for me to stay here with a clear conscience! Even if I die, I should die with my brother and my partner! Taiichi!"

Awa raised his voice, glared at Taiichi, and shouted:

"What are you thinking?! You also think I shouldn't go?! Your sister, Xiaoguang, is there too, you should understand how I feel!"

""

Taiichi lowered his head and did not reply immediately. A hint of disappointment flashed in Awa's eyes as he turned to leave.

“Ahe, I’ll go with you.”

Taiichi's hoarse voice rang out. He stood up, trembling, and strode over to Ahe, his voice still trembling:

"When Xiaoguang was little, I was careless and didn't pay attention to her illness, which led to her being seriously ill and hospitalized. She almost died, but she never blamed me. At that time, I decided that I would protect her! Protect her forever!"

I know we bear the weight of the digital world's safety on our shoulders, and I should make a rational judgment. But I can't! Yes, A-He, I understand how you feel! I feel the same way! Let's go! Let's go together!

"it is good!"

A rare smile appeared on Ahe's tense face as he softly responded.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong with you guys! Sora, Koushiro, you should try to talk to them too!"

Joe frantically turned to the other two children for help, only to see Sora stand up, take Tai's hand, and whisper:

“Let’s go together. Aren’t we together? Your sister is my sister.”

Koushiro closed his laptop, stood up, and said:

"It's too far for you all to run there like this. I'll take you there. Beetlemon, can it evolve?"

"No problem, Koushiro."

The beetle floated beside Izzy, raising its right claw in response.

"Why are you all Gomamon? Why did you push me?"

Joe felt the force on his leg, looked down and saw Gomamon, still wrapped in bandages, pushing him while raising its head and saying:

"Aju, let's go. You'll definitely regret it later if you don't go."

"Let's go together then!"

Aju gritted his teeth, picked up Gomamon, and was about to follow.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing getting off? It's a waste of time! Darkship, you know what I mean?"

Emu stopped them, knocked on the carriage, and said.

"Understood. Let's set off now!"

Without further ado, the Dark One sprang into action and headed towards the battlefield.

"The Dark One will still be a bit faster. The Beetle Beast's injuries haven't healed yet, and carrying so many of you won't make it fly very fast."

Emu explained with a smile.

"Thank you, Eternal Dream Dark Ship!"

Taiichi and Ahe were stunned for a moment, then sincerely thanked them.

Of all the children, they were the most anxious. This was because their closest relatives were among those facing danger. Even though the other children were also their trusted companions, their greatest worry was for their own families.

This is only human nature and there's nothing wrong with it.

"No need to thank me. I've always said we're friends. I'll also lend a hand later. I'll make sure everyone is safe. Ruki, from now on, Taichi and the others' safety is in your hands and Renamon's. And Parad, you'll need to work with Ruki to protect everyone."

Emu, Taichi, and the others waved their hands and gave Ruki and the others a few more instructions.

Under Yongmeng's arrangement, everyone gradually calmed down, silently listening to the sound of the Dark Ship's wheels as it moved forward, waiting for the station to be reached.

"Angemon Slayer, are you alright?"

WarGreymon, holding Seraphimon's belt in one hand and adopting a defensive stance with the other, stood in front of Hikari and Gatomon, watching Piedmon warily.

"I'm alright, thanks to Azuryomon's lightning support, WarGreymon. Put me down now. I'll move Hikari, Gatomon, Mimi, and Palmon to the side. While I'm not good at healing, I should be able to stabilize their injuries with Holy Aura."

Seraphimon took a few breaths, then waved his hand from WarGreymon and said.

He was almost turned into a keychain by Piedmon. Fortunately, Azumamon reacted quickly. After Piedmon unleashed its Digicores and wreaked havoc, Azumamon immediately burned its own Digicores, three at once, raising its energy level to the same level as Piedmon. Just in time, it used lightning to cleave the white handkerchief, saving Seraphimon.

WarGreymon and Phoenixmon arrived just in time. Phoenixmon swooped down from the sky, forcing Piedmon back, while WarGreymon took the opportunity to pull out Seraphimon.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'm going to fight!"

WarGreymon glanced at Seraphimon and, apart from being low on energy, was otherwise unharmed. Without further ado, it placed him on the ground and charged toward Piedmon.

Seraphimon looked at its blade-shaped arms, carefully lifted Hikari and Gatomon up, and used its holy energy to soothe their bodies. Then it ran towards Mimi and Palmon, who had fainted.

Meanwhile, WarGreymon had taken over from Phoenixmon and Piedmon, and the sharp Dragonmon Killer was constantly slashing at Piedmon.

The black flame-like energy emanating from Piedmon's body had dimmed considerably. He had previously defeated four Ultimate-level Digimon with ease, but the process had taken its toll. The Digicore burning provided a comprehensive boost that energy alone couldn't compensate for; once it was used up, it was essentially irreplaceable.

"Too bad, it seems I won't be able to defeat you guys myself."

Piedmon sighed as he dodged WarGreymon's attacks. His mask was completely covered in cracks. The moment the mask shattered would be the moment his Digicore burned out and he died.

"Sometimes I really envy those Four Holy Beasts. Their strength is just so-so, yet they have twelve Digicores! Anyway, there's no point in talking about it. I'm about to die. But before I die, I've prepared a big gift for you all. Hehe, accept it with gratitude!"

I sacrifice myself to summon you! You are endless darkness, profound despair, the one who brings pain to the Digital World!

"Come forth, Lord Apocalypse Beast!!"

Chapter 56 The Apocalypse Beast Descends

Piedmon was originally just covered in cracks on his mask, but the moment he shouted "sacrifice," these cracks spread to his entire body, making Piedmon look like a broken porcelain doll.

Starting from Piedmon's hands and feet, his body began to crumble into countless data fragments, which instantly burst into flames, causing the energy flames from his previously dimmed burning Digicore to surge once more.

The Digicore is the core of a Digimon, storing its basic information, serving as the source of its power, and being used by Digimon to identify themselves.

However, Digimon also retain a significant amount of data within their bodies. While burning their Digivice inevitably leads to death, the data remaining within their bodies can still give the Digimon a chance to start over.

However, even if some data remains after Piedmon sacrifices itself by burning its body, it won't be enough to form a Digi-Egg. This means Piedmon will truly die, becoming nothing more than remnants of the Digital World.

But Piedmon felt no fear or dread. To him, the individual reborn from the Digi-Egg was no longer himself. Rebirth and being reduced to ashes were essentially the same. So why bother?