Resolved

"Joe Kido, look out!" Tai shouted. Joe Kido had spotted a Digimon right in front of Triceramon and actually rushed over without a thought for his own safety, scooping up the Bukamon.

Seeing a frail weakling like Joe Kido dare to provoke him, Triceramon decided not to use Volcanic Cannon just yet.

"Earthquake!" Triceramon roared. Supporting himself on his hind legs, he raised the front half of his body high, then slammed it into the ground. Waves that should only have appeared in water rippled across the earth, making the entire ground seem to shake.

But Joe Kido came from a place where earthquakes happened every other day, and Earthquake was hardly a particularly powerful finishing move. All Triceramon saw was Joe Kido staggering away with Bukamon in his arms, almost out of Earthquake's range.

Frustrated, Triceramon's black back armor began to redden, its spikes glowing bright red. "Volcanic Cannon!" Countless streaks of red light shot from his back. Even looking at them was enough to sense their terrifying heat.

Volcanic Cannon destroyed everything like an erupting volcano.

"Super Flame!" Seeing Triceramon attack Joe Kido, Greymon hurriedly unleashed a Super Flame. Greymon's Super Flame was a blast of pure energy, while Triceramon's Volcanic Cannon consisted of tangible, fluid fire, like magma.

Super Flame collided with Volcanic Cannon, instantly destroying the projectile. Then it burst into a wall of fire, blocking several more Volcanic Cannon shots and giving Joe Kido time to run back to Tai.

Ultimately, the wall of fire formed by Super Flame could only protect them from one direction. As Volcanic Cannon shots landed one after another, the grounds of the Village of Beginnings were devastated. Several In-Training Digimon who failed to escape in time were struck and instantly shattered.

Aegiochusmon looked at the burning Village of Beginnings and the dead Digimon, fiery red light flashing through his eyes.

"Stop right now! I'll never forgive you!" The red runes on Aegiochusmon's body shone with searing light, as though terrifying energy might erupt from them at any moment.

The normally honest, simple-minded Triceramon seemed to have wised up. Continuing his rampage, he answered, "Not a chance. Don't think we Triceramon are easy targets. We're already the strongest Digimon on this island fragment. Wiping you out will be child's play."

Triceramon's answer shocked everyone. Both Zheng Fan and Elecmon had confirmed that Triceramon were gentle and kind, yet this one harbored such terrifying thoughts.

Tai was the first to think of a possibility. He asked Aegiochusmon, "Could Triceramon be controlled by a Black Gear?"

"A Black Gear? What's that?" Aegiochusmon asked in return. Elecmon had lived in seclusion and knew nothing of the many things that had happened on File Island recently.

While Aegiochusmon stood distracted, a scream rang out. Triceramon's horn had pierced the In-Training Digimon, Chapmon. His entire body hung from the sharp horn, slowly crumbling apart.

"Chapmon!" Aegiochusmon completely lost control. Stamping hard against the ground, he launched himself forward and slammed sideways into Triceramon's head.

Triceramon was knocked to the ground, but as he fell, he swept his tail hard into Aegiochusmon. Aegiochusmon was sent flying three or four meters, with scorching magma directly beneath him.

Aegiochusmon knew he was in trouble. If he fell into the magma, at the very least, his wish to avenge the Village of Beginnings and its Digimon would never come true.

At that critical moment, the red runes on Aegiochusmon's body took effect. In moments, they broke down and absorbed the magma's heat-or rather, the data energy of Volcanic Cannon. Once everything beneath Aegiochusmon had been absorbed, the red runes seemed unsatisfied. Their absorbing power spread across the entire Village of Beginnings and even farther. Triceramon's Volcanic Cannon, Greymon's Super Flame, Flymon's Turbo Stinger, Flymon himself, and the power of the In-Training Digimon's spit were all broken down and absorbed. Even the residual energy in the sword marks Zheng Fan had laid down failed to escape. The runes also tried to absorb Zheng Fan's power, of course, but found that they could not break down the energy under his control no matter what they did, and could only give up.

By the time Aegiochusmon landed, there was no danger left at all.

Absorbing so much energy was hardly pleasant for Aegiochusmon, either. Volcanic Cannon or Super Flame alone would not have contained that much energy. But Volcanic Cannon's burning, Super Flame's explosion, and Turbo Stinger's piercing and impact could all trigger chain reactions in data energy, causing the runes to absorb much more. It far exceeded what the Champion-level Aegiochusmon could withstand.

Aegiochusmon's eyes were bloodshot. After absorbing so much energy, he understood why he had been unable to use so many of his abilities. Now, however, he had the opposite problem: too much energy, which he had to release through a powerful technique.

Staring at Triceramon, Aegiochusmon recalled the Village of Beginnings' former prosperity, the joy of Poyomon's birth, Tsunomon's stubbornness, and Chapmon's little clever tricks.

"Whether it's a Black Gear or something else, Triceramon, you've done so much harm to the Village of Beginnings that I have to destroy you. I'll avenge the village and everyone in it." As he spoke, Aegiochusmon closed his bloodshot eyes. The power of his hatred guided the immense energy within his body into the three horns on his head.

Aegiochusmon's middle horn gleamed with golden light, his left horn emitted white light, and his right horn shone blood-red. The light from the three horns interwove into a wave, yet their colors did not blend. Gold, white, and red remained sharply distinct.

"Death Trio." As Aegiochusmon's words fell, the waves slowly advanced toward Triceramon. One, then another, then another.

The scene was so similar to Greymon's instant defeat of Flymon. The difference was that Triceramon seemed entirely unaware of the terrifying energy within those waves. Or perhaps he sensed it and carefully assumed a defensive stance, but still did not take it very seriously. Running away is something only weaklings do. I'm strong. And so, tragedy struck Triceramon.

When the first golden wave reached Triceramon, he calmly swept his tail at it. It accomplished nothing. The golden wave continued slowly onward, while Triceramon's tail severed. After his tail, his horn also fell to the ground. Only when his body had almost been cut in two was the golden wave's power finally exhausted.

A trace of madness flashed through Triceramon's eyes. What was it that denied him peace even on the brink of death?

Triceramon never got to act on that madness. The second, white wave arrived, moving through the wound the golden wave had torn in his body, and gently touched his Digicore.

Triceramon's Digicore instantly exploded, and the white wave was completely annihilated along with it. Greymon reverted to Agumon. Unlike the white wave, even after the golden wave's energy had been exhausted in the attack, some remained to prevent Triceramon's wounds from healing. Otherwise, the white wave could not have passed through unimpeded. But the instant the Digicore exploded, the golden energy, the white energy, and Triceramon himself were all utterly annihilated.

Tai and the others only saw Triceramon's body shatter in an instant, yet the fragmented data energy failed to drift away. Even Zheng Fan, who was regulating his breathing nearby, was disturbed, his breaths suddenly becoming rapid.

As Triceramon's body shattered, a Black Gear appeared before everyone. Tai and Joe Kido did not react particularly strongly, but Aegiochusmon's and Agumon's eyes filled with anger and disgust when they saw it. The weak In-Training Digimon stared at the Black Gear in terror. Even when facing Triceramon, they had not been this frightened.

The blood-red wave struck the Black Gear. It did not crush it effortlessly as the earlier waves had crushed Triceramon, nor did it cause a terrifying explosion. The two simply remained locked in a stalemate.

The blood-red color grew steadily fainter. Cracking sounds came from the Black Gear as fine fissures began spreading across it. When the blood-red wave disappeared, the Black Gear suddenly shot into the sky, seemingly freed from restraint.

"Baby Flame!" Agumon spat out a ball of fire. It looked certain to hit the Black Gear, but unexpectedly, a streak of sword qi instantly shattered his Baby Flame. It was Zheng Fan's technique.

Aegiochusmon glared at Zheng Fan. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Aegiochusmon, you need to calm down." As he spoke, Zheng Fan used his fingers as a sword to demonstrate the Clear Heart Sword for Aegiochusmon, then told Tai, "I'll go take a look at the Black Gear. Wait until Aegiochusmon wakes up, then come over together."

With that, Zheng Fan left. Rather than flying, however, he ran swiftly along the ground. Being interrupted truly felt awful.

"He looks so cool." Watching Zheng Fan's elusive movements, Tai was filled with envy. If I could move that fast, I'd win every soccer match.

Joe Kido was envious, too. If I could move like that, I could stay home and study a little longer before heading off to an exam. Joe Kido really did live in a different world.

Aegiochusmon woke up after only a minute. He said nothing when he awoke, but his expression was frighteningly grim. He did not know whether he had done the right thing.

Following Zheng Fan's marks, Tai and the others reached a cave, where Zheng Fan was fretting over an enormous assembly of Black Gears. Seeing them approach, he said, "Tai, have Agumon digivolve. Aegiochusmon, you too. Let's all attack together and see whether we can break these Black Gears."

Tai was about to answer when a gleam of intelligence flashed through Joe Kido's eyes. "There's no need to go to all that trouble. Zheng Fan, could you please find a stone that's hard enough? We can use it to jam the Black Gears."

The stone selected through Zheng Fan's careful examination proved extraordinary indeed. The turning Black Gears ultimately failed to crush it. With just a light touch from Zheng Fan, the enormous gear assembly collapsed on its own. The island fragment began rumbling once again.