41. The Withering of Iron-Cockatrice, The Crest of Sincerity Obtained

Datamon stared at Taichi and Zeromaru through the eyes of Sinduramon.

"Well then... This Perfect-level Digimon has been specialized for aerial combat. How will you defeat Sinduramon without any ability to fight in the air?"

Sinduramon retracted its body into its armor, transforming into a purple steel sphere, and plummeted from above toward Zeromaru.

It must be said, Sinduramon lived up to its reputation as one of the Deva, the holy Digimon serving the Four Sovereigns. Its sheer, violent force pushed Zeromaru, who had only managed a hasty defense, into a continuous retreat. Furthermore, in terms of pure hardness, Sinduramon's armor even surpassed that of Andromon.

"Interesting! This is the kind of battle that gets me excited!" Zeromaru’s lips curled into a smirk. As an Ancient Species, the complexity of the data within him was far less than that of modern Digimon. But it was precisely because of this simplicity that he could unleash a terrifying power unimaginable to contemporary Digimon.

As his Digicore pulsed with fervor, Zeromaru quickly entered a battle state, his physique expanding at a visible rate. In a blink, he halted his retreat, gradually turning the tide and forcing Sinduramon to fall back.

"Well, this was within my expectations," Datamon narrowed his eyes. With a mere thought, the treasures Sinduramon carried on its back began to discharge powerful electrical currents.

Once a Digimon evolved to the Perfect level, its destructive power exceeded that of most conventional weapons in the human world. More extreme cases, like RiseGreymon, possessed the destructive power of a nuclear weapon with a single missile. Sinduramon’s signature move, "Material Flow," was no different; its power was in no way inferior to lightning in the natural world.

In a short time, Zeromaru’s body was scorched black. Yet, rolling his eyes, he shouted, "Weak, too weak! Attack me with more effort!"

"V-Breath Arrow!"

Zeromaru used his signature move for the first time in a while. The deep-blue, high-heat ray tore through Sinduramon's electrical currents, heating that unbreakable purple armor until it glowed red. Unable to withstand the heat, Sinduramon finally extended its limbs from the armor and flapped its wings to dodge the continuous blast.

"That shell is really tough," Taichi remarked.

By now, having defeated multiple Perfect-level opponents and bathed in the light of two Crests, Zeromaru’s own data volume exceeded that of most Perfect-level Digimon. Yet, even with such enhancements, he still couldn't pierce Sinduramon's armor. It had to be admitted that Datamon had sent a highly specialized opponent this time.

But that aside, how did Datamon manage to get so many Perfect-level Digimon to work for him? That guy didn't seem to possess much charisma. Moreover, watching Sinduramon make calm, robotic judgments throughout the fight after its evolution only fueled Taichi's suspicions.

"It’s just flying, what’s there to be proud of!" Zeromaru kept firing V-Breath Arrows, but the opponent dodged them one by one with superior mobility.

"Hehehe, you are finally at your wit's end." Datamon’s voice emanated from within Sinduramon. "At this point, don't waste your energy on signature moves anymore."

"So, it really was your doing that caused Cockatrimon to evolve." Hearing the voice, Taichi confirmed his theory.

"Don't be so hostile toward me. As I said before, I am full of gratitude toward you and your partner for defeating Etemon," Datamon continued. "However, someone gave me the power to make you my enemy. I have no choice in the matter."

"Is that the power that caused Cockatrimon to evolve?" Taichi asked.

"An incredible power, isn't it?" Datamon admitted, then tempted him: "Why don't we cooperate? If we combine your power and mine, taking over the entire Digital World would be effortless. When that time comes, I am willing to let you govern half of the Digital World."

—This was a lie.

Even now, Datamon had not forgotten his original plan: to lure Taichi into his laboratory, scan him to create an identical clone, and then collect all seven Crests to trigger the power within them using the clone. Once that was done, he could force Zeromaru to evolve into the Perfect level using the power of the seven Crests.

Datamon’s true goal was to use the Perfect-level Zeromaru as fusion material, allowing himself to DNA Digivolve into the strongest Ultimate-level Digimon in history! If he obtained a素材 (material) like Zeromaru—who was stronger than most Perfects even in his Adult stage—Datamon believed that even the Dark Masters and the Four Sovereigns combined would be no match for him!

The strongest body and the greatest intellect of the Digital World fused into one. He would become the god of the Digital World! God-Datamon!

"Sounds tempting," Taichi smiled. "But I refuse!"

Datamon: "Oh?"

Taichi said, "I have no interest in ruling. Taking care of Zeromaru is exhausting enough as it is. Besides, I have no interest in cooperating with a villain like you!"

"So it fell through, as expected." Datamon was not frustrated. If that was the case, he would defeat them using the flight-capable Sinduramon. Even if he had to break their legs, Datamon would bring them back!

Seeing Sinduramon prepare to launch another signature move, Taichi warned: "Hey, hey, are you sure? You shouldn't play with electricity in weather like this~"

Datamon paused: "What did you say?"

Only then did he notice that a cumulonimbus cloud had gathered in the sky at some point, dark and heavy, blocking the sunlight. Moments later, a rare downpour began in the desert.

Taichi said, "Datamon, you made one mistake."

"The target of the V-Breath Arrow was never Sinduramon from the start!"

Taichi raised his Digivice. Since the beginning of the battle, he had been using it to scan Sinduramon's data. Sinduramon absorbed electricity to enhance its power and released it via its signature move, but those abilities relied entirely on the treasure behind it. In other words, Sinduramon itself was not immune to electricity. Everything in the world is fair; Sinduramon gained the strongest defense among the Deva, but it lost something in return.

Thus, Taichi had Zeromaru continuously fire high-heat V-Breath Arrows into the sky to create updrafts, which in turn formed the thick cumulonimbus clouds. Now that Sinduramon was drenched, if it dared to discharge electricity, the rain would conduct the current, and it would be the first to be defeated by its own attack.

"You brat, you had this strategy planned from the start?!" Datamon had to admit that Taichi’s tactical execution was a variable that exceeded his calculations.

"What do you think a Tamer’s duty is? It’s to fight side-by-side with your partner, to devise tactics that lead to victory when faced with an unbeatable opponent, not to obsess over blind strength and evolution." Taichi shook his head. "Datamon, you are too narrow-minded."

"Tch, you win this time. But it won't be so easy next time." Datamon clicked his tongue, maneuvering Sinduramon toward the inverted pyramid.

"There won't be a next time! I'm going to defeat Sinduramon right now!" The Crests of Courage and Sincerity glowed brilliantly on Taichi’s chest. The combined power of the two Crests surged into Zeromaru, causing his stats to skyrocket once more!

With a powerful leap, Zeromaru reached the high altitude at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Under Datamon’s gaze of "It's over!", he latched onto the armor.

"Disappear with the thunder!"

Zeromaru threw a punch, not at the armor, but at the treasure behind Sinduramon. Under his monstrous strength, the treasure—the source of Sinduramon's power—was shattered into fragments. The long-accumulated electricity leaked out, attracting the lightning from the cumulonimbus clouds.

Zeromaru kicked off Sinduramon’s head to accelerate his landing, leaving the opponent to take the full force of the blast alone. Amidst a roar that shook the heavens, Sinduramon dissolved into data. Cockatrimon and Indramon, used as fusion materials, also fell from the sky, eyes spinning, smelling faintly of fried chicken.

Taichi noticed the Cockatrimon and another, reddish Cockatrimon that appeared after Sinduramon vanished.

"Taichi, that is Indramon," Zeromaru corrected.

"I see. I thought I had encountered a shiny variant," Taichi realized.

Cockatrimon. Indramon. So the power Datamon spoke of was fusing Digimon to force their evolution.

"Such a cool ability, it's a total waste in Datamon’s hands." Taichi shook his head.

As the cumulonimbus clouds dissipated, the sun once again scorched the desert. However, after the rain, the desert temperature was no longer unbearable. Taichi and Zeromaru bid farewell to the Numemon and headed toward Jijimon’s residence, where they obtained the third Crest from a giant cactus nearby. As for the Numemon, they inherited the luxury cruise ship, which they would later operate with the Sukamon into a famous resort cruise in the desert area.

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Meanwhile, inside the inverted pyramid.

On Datamon’s computer, one screen displayed Taichi and Zeromaru’s standoff with Sinduramon, while the other analyzed their combat performance: the timing of Taichi’s commands, their methods of dodging, and the subconscious habits they displayed when firing signature moves. These combat habits, which could not be scanned by a Digivice, were calculated by Datamon through his own technical prowess.

Having mastered this data, he was ten-tenths certain of victory in the next battle against Taichi.