Digimon Adventure: Taming the Beast of Revelation — Chapter 215

Chapter 215: Nice to See You Again

Kentaurosmon galloped across the digital stratosphere, his six heavy hooves striking the empty air as if it were solid ground. His visor concealed the deep, weary depth in his eyes.

Although the high-altitude winds still whistled constantly past his ears, the sensation no longer brought him the soaring, free-spirited joy of the past. Instead, the rushing air felt like an irresistible, suffocating pressure bearing down on his armored shoulders.

It was a tide impossible to resist.

‘Gankoomon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, Leopardmon…’He mentally tallied the names, each one feeling like a heavy stone dropping into his chest.’Now we must also count Gallantmon and Examon among the lost…”Unknowingly, of the mighty Royal Knights from the past, only a handful of us are left.’Kentaurosmon murmured in his heart, recalling the golden era of their unity. A bitter, hollow laugh escaped his throat, snatched away instantly by the wind.’Besides that, ever since Gankoomon died, Jesmon has been missing… not to mention Dynasmon and Crusadermon, who chose the path of rebellion…'”Kentaurosmon!”‘Now, standing by King Drasil’s side, only I, Magnamon, and Omnimon remain…’

“Kentaurosmon! Stop!”

“Kentaurosmon! Didn’t you hear me? I told you to stop right now!”

The relentless, demanding voice finally pierced through his melancholic thoughts. Kentaurosmon had no choice but to slow his galloping momentum, his golden armor gleaming dully under the fractured sky as he turned to look at the colleague trailing just behind him.

Magnamon.

“…Sigh.” Kentaurosmon let out a long breath. “What is it now? My little young master~”

“Kentaurosmon, how dare you use such a title to insult me!” Magnamon’s golden armor flared with a brilliant, angry light as he glared fiercely at the centaur knight. However, he quickly forced his temper down, his expression shifting into one of deep suspicion. “No, more…”

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Us? Omnimon and I?” Kentaurosmon paused for a moment, tilting his head slightly. “What could we possibly do?”

“Back and forth, isn’t it all just fighting for King Drasil~”

“Kentaurosmon, do you take me for a fool?”

Magnamon was entirely unmoved by the casual, almost flippant tone. He flew closer, blocking the larger knight’s path. “It’s one thing that you and Omnimon abandoned the purge mission, but the direction you’re taking me right now isn’t back towards King Drasil’s domain, is it!”

“Tell me, what exactly are you planning?”

Looking at Magnamon’s stubborn, unyielding posture, Kentaurosmon pondered for a moment. He reached up and scratched the back of his helmet in sheer frustration.

This is exactly why I said I’m not good at taking care of children…

“Kentaurosmon!”

“Fine, fine, fine~” Kentaurosmon waved a hand in surrender. “Since you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you a little bit.”

As the words fell, Kentaurosmon organized his chaotic thoughts. Slowly, his tone turning dead serious, he relayed the dark conjecture that he and Omnimon had recently formed.

After listening to the explanation, the anger completely drained from Magnamon’s face. His eyes widened behind his golden mask, filled with absolute shock and disbelief.

“You mean… you suspect that King Drasil has been influenced by those Eaters?!”

“It’s just a guess for now,” Kentaurosmon replied softly. “Omnimon went personally to confirm it.”

“…Ridiculous.”

Memories of King Drasil flashed through Magnamon’s mind—the absolute authority, the divine grace, the creator they had sworn their lives to protect. A moment later, he managed to force the words through his clenched teeth.

“How great King Drasil is; how dare you look at It with such shallow eyes.”

“Yes, I don’t want to think so either,” Kentaurosmon countered, his voice steady. “But ever since the X-Program was executed, don’t you think King Drasil’s style of action has become increasingly different from the past? It’s too extreme. Too cold.”

“That was a sacrifice that had to be made for the sake of the world!” Magnamon shouted, his fists trembling at his sides. “You should all be very clear that there is no perfect choice in this world.”

Magnamon stared fiercely at Kentaurosmon, his voice cracking slightly under the emotional weight. “For King Drasil, such a gentle and kind existence, to make such a choice… how much pain must It be in? You should know that better than anyone!”

Halfway through his defense, Magnamon’s voice faltered. He paused, staring down at his golden hands.

After a short, agonizing silence, he lowered his head and forced out a single sentence in a quiet, vulnerable tone.

“Kentaurosmon… my brain isn’t good. I don’t care about all that messy stuff.”

“I only want to know one thing—”

“…Go ahead.”

Perhaps not expecting the usually impulsive and prideful Magnamon to show such a fragile side, Kentaurosmon pondered for a moment before nodding gently.

“You… you and Omnimon… you don’t have any thoughts of betraying King Drasil, right?”

Hearing the raw desperation in Magnamon’s question, Kentaurosmon felt a brief pang of surprise. He quickly recovered, offering a warm, reassuring smile beneath his visor, and nodded without a second of hesitation.

“Ah, that goes without saying~”

“…That’s enough.”

Watching the now-silent Magnamon, Kentaurosmon originally wanted to say something more to comfort him. But as the words reached his lips, they felt heavy and hollow. He found he couldn’t speak them no matter how hard he tried.

Sigh. This kid usually puts on such a tough front, but in reality, he is so deeply uneasy…

This suffocating feeling of responsibility was really annoying.

Kentaurosmon scratched his head again. I really am not suited for taking care of children.

Whenever times like this arose, he couldn’t help but start missing a certain colleague from the past. That guy was the real “nanny” of the Royal Knights. He always knew exactly what to say to keep everyone together.

Don’t you think?

Gallantmon…

Kentaurosmon’s thoughts flew away, drifting down like autumn leaves, eventually fading into the distance with the howling wind, leaving behind only an unspeakable emptiness in his chest.

In the end… was I careless…?

Located deep within the origin center of the Digital World, Gallantmon’s consciousness had frozen at the exact moment before he was ambushed.

He had braced himself for the end.

However, a long moment passed, and the expected, agonizing sensation of being devoured by the Eater did not come.

With a heavy hint of doubt, Gallantmon slowly turned his crimson-armored body around.

The next moment, he froze, utterly shocked by the scene that met his eyes.

Indeed, a grotesque Eater had just attempted to ambush him from the blind spot. However, the monstrous entity had now been completely slain, its bizarre, geometric body sliced into dissipating fragments of junk data.

And the existence standing amidst the falling data—the one who had slain it—was an “old acquaintance” who should have disappeared long ago.

The newcomer’s crimson and white armor, once a shining symbol of unyielding heroism, hung in jagged, ruined strips. The core crystal embedded in his chest, usually blazing with brilliant digital light, flickered with a dull, dying ember glow. Yet, the five tactical blades extending from his limbs and tail still gleamed with a cold, lethal edge—a silent, visceral declaration of his unbroken will.

“Are you… Jesmon?”

Looking at the battered Digimon swaying in front of him, Gallantmon blankly managed to force the name out of his throat.

At the same time, the broken Jesmon seemed to have been pulled back to consciousness by that familiar voice. His originally dim, unfocused eyes gradually gained a spark of color.

“Is that you… Uncle Gallantmon…?”

“…You brat, what’s the meaning of calling me Uncle the second you show up?”

After a brief, stunned silence, Gallantmon managed to force out the complaint, his voice thick with suppressed emotion.

Without hesitation, the veteran knight lunged forward, reaching out his armored hands just in time to catch Jesmon’s tottering, exhausted body before he could collapse to the ground.

Gallantmon looked down at the ruined armor of the young knight, a soft, relieved sigh escaping his lips.

“However, I can’t be bothered to care about that much right now…”

“I’m very glad to see you again, brat Jesmon…”

Jesmon: “…”