Mercurymon dragged his wounded body up World Mountain. Although he was gravely injured, wounds only affected the combat strength of someone at his level. Even his everyday movements were far more vigorous than those of a healthy ordinary person.
Halfway up the mountain, a warrior holding a shield blocked Mercurymon's path. "Mercurymon, what are you doing here?"
"SkullMeramon, I didn't expect to see you here. I'd like to see the World Tree. May I?" Mercurymon asked. Though he phrased it as a question, his tone brooked no argument.
"No. The World Tree has ordered that no one approach him. Until new orders arrive, you may not pass." SkullMeramon's reply was just as unyielding. Ordinary people might have been cowed by Mercurymon's imposing presence, but SkullMeramon was his equal.
"SkullMeramon, do you know that a terrible disaster has struck the Digimon World? I've come to ask the World Tree for help." A pleading look appeared on Mercurymon's face.
"Is... is it because of the Human World?" SkullMeramon asked. In the previous disaster, the gods of Olympus had suffered devastating casualties, and the World Tree had ordered the destruction of the Human World. Now a gravely injured Mercurymon had come running to seek his aid.
"It has nothing to do with humans," Mercurymon said firmly. With Zheng Fan in the Human World, he would never dare ignite a war there. "A powerful being from another world has entered the Digimon World. Goldensword Leomon and more than a dozen other Mega Digimon went to fight him. Four Mega Digimon have already died."
"What did you say?" SkullMeramon cried out in shock. "Is the enemy a powerful army, or just one person?"
"There's only one enemy," Mercurymon answered, a little puzzled. Then he, too, realized what that meant, and overwhelming fear gripped his heart.