Right so! Second main mission. Which means The Fortress Assault Mission. It starts off with Verge and co leaving the main town and meeting the squad of Angewomon, whom is a foul-mouthed heavy drinker. Here we also learn that most of her current squad used to serve under Scratch and that one member (Exveemon) acts as a kind of big brother figure to Ardat. He was instrumental in encouraging her chuuni tendencies. There's also Pidmon's mentor Angemon who was responsible for drilling in the former's ideals, happy attitude and Zealousness.
They fly on the back of a Maildramon to an enemy supply depot. With Angewomon and her squad harassing/weakening it while Verge tunnels towards it's lower levels.
Aside from digging Verge also spends his days getting shounen-esque training from Scratch so he'll be able to survive what's coming.
One day while digging Verge comes across an odd blockage. One that is essentially a giant root, and attempts to dig through. During the process however, he ends up connecting with the entity behind said root. Which gives him a general talent boost and some other things that will be triggered later.
On the day before the big fight, Scratch sends Verge and Beat off to go try and delete a freshly evolved feral Pipismon. During the confrontation, Beat jumps into the bat's throat to avoid being chomped in half then ends up digivolving to Stingmon from his injuries.
The next day they go on the assault mission, and come into a storage room filled with Chikarax (the green crystal) where Scratch leaves his magical crystal ball behind.
With Scratch as Mistymon, the party scours the bases lower levels, Beat using his new assassination tools to good effect. Ardat engages in close combat using her claws and some more of *her crazy side* floats to the surface.
Until they finally make it to the depot's entrance. Where the squad is split up with Scratch dealing with the enemy Assaultmon while the others go to assist Angewomon's squad.
It goes pretty well at first and victory looks certain.
Before Count and his minions show up. Exveemon gets torn apart by a Grizzly Wing. Ardat gets backhanded, Verge gets finger-flicked and Sparks is trapped in a terror illusion. Beat gets clubbed by Ogremon, while Pidmon hits his head and falls unconscious.
Scratch arrives to take on Count, leading him back to the supply depot. While Angewomon scrounges a *win* against her NeoDevimon opponent then bluffs the remaining enemies into leaving.
Scratch is steadily losing his fight due to the stat difference, but intentionally takes a major hits then uses his enhancement high Programming to temporarily increase his speed and strength enough to toss Count into the supply depot's depths.
Prompting him to use his crystal ball to detonate the room full of Green Crystal and bring the entire mountain down on Count. Trapping him long enough for the survivors to get away.
Verge ends up getting his throat and a third of his chest rotted off by Ardat. Which ends up infecting him with a virus.
Upon returning, we find out that Drop and Dracmon ran away.
Later Verge buys some gifts for his Spidersons. Then tries to comfort Beat by sparring with him. (AKA having the snot beaten out of him)
Next Verge goes to the gym to try Gorimon's scanner to see what he can be as a champion. But it ends up shorting out from effort after displaying Witchmon, BlackTailmon and Gryzmon. Which are assumed to simply be errors.
The third main mission is another escort, where the party has to travel to the City State of Hub City to escort a client.
While there Verge goes with Pit and Sparks to see a SistermonNoir concert. Which the one armed Wizardmon nearly turns into a riot with his attempts at trolling.
Pit reveals that he feels like he's vaguely familiar with SistermonNoir somehow.
The three of them meet a retired Host officer next, who reveals a bit of Host History. Though listening to him causes the group to be late.
At night the squad heads out with their Centarumon client and his two gear-bound (slaves embedded with dark gears) on the way to survey an area for green crystal.
Their Locomon ends up being ambushed, with Dinohumon (evolved Kotemon) making his bid for revenge. A new antagonist in the Gloaming Lord Phelesmon is introduced but Scratch manages to keep him from deleting everyone.
The mission continues, only for the terrain to start getting familiar. It turns out to be the area from the prologue which causes Verge to have a mental breakdown. After slaughtering a lot of Goblimon workers, he's put on watch duty while the survey takes place, but leaves to visit Gramps Graveyard. Where he makes four graves, but ends up running into a Bakemon.
Verge chooses to run rather than fight, but is ambushed by the prologues terror, Owlmon. The Bakemon comes to help Verge out and they defeat it, but it's discovered that this is Fu's ghost. A shadow of her former self.
Verge is chastised upon his return and Sparks refuses to deal with the returned Fu.
They end up being attacked once again, with Dinohumon getting the edge on Verge in melee, but ends up not being able to win due to Verge causing a cave-in.
The squad then gets an emergency message stating that they're needed for another mission. Ardat uses her wind magic to carry everyone back to town, traumatizing the heck out of Verge. Before continuing on to the next destination.
Looking for Angewomon and her soldiers whom were investigating the Gloaming's newly formed horde.
With the help of an Owlmon scout, Verge Sparks and Pit get to searching while everyone else runs interference.
Verge ends up dropping a pillar of rock on some enemy mon, further traumatizing him by connecting even digging to deletion. First they find Maildramon, but are caught by several powerful enemies on the escape. Verge goes up against a Togemon and is half-torn to shred by its needle-spray. But the power imbued upon him before activates, rendering him temporarily tough enough to no-sell the rest. Allowing Sparks to get a big spell off and finish the fight.
Next they end up looking through a trench created by some Mega digimons attack and find the now devolved Angewomon (now a Darcmon) under attack with several others soldiers.
Several end up being deleted, but the enemy forces are temporarily driven off.
Verge digs an escape for them. But runs into a Gloaming employed Drimogemon. Whom he intimidates away at the cause of further traumatizing himself.
The group tries to escape but is caught by the regrouped enemy now led by several stronger champions. Only Darcmon and another Pidmon make it out with the squad.
Lastly they find a mortally wounded Angemon under attack, causing Pidmon to freak out and go into a wrath-powered pseudo dark evolution to slaughter everything in sight,
Angemon manages to use his remaining life-force to hit Pidmon out of the pseudo evolution before it can fully solidify. He passes along a message for Pidmon, then fully vanishes.
The group heads back to camp and reunites with the rest of the squad. But are interrupted by Repulsa, Count and two more of servants which have hit Ultimate.(SkullSatomon, MetalTyranomon)
Verge finally manages to overcome his Fear and attacks Repulsa but gets slapped down with promise of taking his other eye later.
SkullSatomon goes to finish Verge off, but Scratch takes the blow for him.
When he comes to, Verge is mortally injured by Scratch, who explains it was the only way, then tells Verge to load him.
Verge finally digivolves, becoming a mutated version of Gryzmon with insanely tough equipment. Which he uses to block one of SkullSatomon's attacks, before closing in. He hits the Ultimate's core (exposed by Scratch's attacks) and deletes SkullSatomon.
He looks around to find a red LadyDevimon Fighting Count, and realizes that it's Ardat. Even in this form she's not really a match for him and gets beaten down.
Thinking she's wholly defeated, Count turns to talk to Verge, but is hit by a sneak attack from Ardat, which carries him out of the battlefield.
Which is when the Gloaming's leader Astamon shows up, offering to let the others live if Ardat joins him.
However Beat recovers and stands in front of Astamon's gun. Prompting him to ask the Stingmon's name.
Upon hearing it Astamon flies into a rage and recinds the offer, wanting to just delete them all instead.
SlashAngemon shows up just in time to prevent their mass deletion and readies himself to finally delete Astamon. Who reveals that he had intentionally let news of this group spread to draw him in. Which he follows up by ordering his newest general to (NeoVamdemon) to attack.
SlashAngemon is restrained, but pulls out his hidden trump card. And manages to achieve Burst Mode, which he uses to break free and fight both NeoVamdemon and Astamon.
Verge and Co leave before witnessing the end, but none of those involved perish.
The group returns back to the Blessed Hosts main force, only to find it ready to be defeated by a last push of scavenged and repaired Mechanorimon.
Verge and Co manage to beat them thanks to Ardat's luscious power. But Verge attempts to stop her from engaging in her sadistic tendencies and ends up getting half his head torn off for the trouble.
When he next wakes up, he's in town and manages to speak with SlashAngemon and the northern frontiers commanding HolyAngemon. Who threatens to kill Verge if he spills any Host secrets.
Verge visits Frigimon's orphanage again and had a talk with the mon about his wards futures. Where it's decided he'll suggest Warren and Scourge head to The Great Arena instead of joining the Host.
This is followed through on the next day where they digivolve and then set off at the end of the day. Which Verge realizes is partially his fault because he left all the time. Grip as the sole remaining ward is devastated.
Verge also ends up visiting Ardat a couple more times as she's staying in the trading posts basement. But she's clearly not well in the head. However, Verge manages to help stabilize her somewhat.
There's a last wholly optional mission to go to Phelesmon's fortress and join the siege. Here Verge fights his first *worthy opponent* in the mercenary Wolfmon (Lobomon by the dub) who was the Strabimon from the prologue. Verge lost the fight, but Wolfmon was suckerpunched by an Angewomon. However before he could be deleted, Verge blocked the next shot and gave him time to get out of there.
Phelesmon released his collection in a bid to escape, including Blitzmon and a Growlmon.
Verge down to one arm battled the Growlmon and managed to scrape out a victory thanks to his equipment. While Beat fought Blitzmon and finally managed to defeat him. Traumatizing the Legendary Warrior in the process. Beat also overcomes one of his personal problems and becomes a little more outgoing.
Phelesmon was killed by HolyAngemon with help from Angewomon. Firmly ending the northern conflict, since Count had retreated into the Hazard Coast.
However there isn't time to rest as what remains of the squad is summoned to the Blessed Hosts capital of Alt City. There's a 15 day Locomon ride where Verge bonds more with Ardat and a certain corruption threshold is reached which had certain effects. Though one of which has yet to manifest.
Upon reaching it, the group is sent through a scanner. Verge nearly has the security system turned on him by the Taomon in charge, but HolyAngemon (who's come along for a promotion) disarms the situation.
Ardat is taken to a nice cushy prison for psychology evaluations and potential rehabilitation.
Verge buys her some books so she can practice magic (as her evolution to LadyDevimon took away most of her magic) and visits a digimental shop with Sparks.
Verge runs into Magnamon there who gives off a feeling similar to that root from earlier. They also find out that Sparks choice of digimental (the digimental of courage) is extremely expensive.
The group is put under the command of Darcmon, who is now using the newly evolved Maildramon (HippoGriffomon) as a Mount in combat.
After a couple days training, news strikes that floating nation of Vortex Isle has launched a series of unprovoked attacks and the squad is sent along with a caravan of reinforcements. Which also gets ambushed.
Verge fights the Legendary Warrior Chackmon, and drives him off with the help of Sparks.
A MagnaAngemon takes charge of the survivors and leads the flyers to the mission sit, leaving the squad and other ground digimon to walk. Two allies perish on the way there.
After four days they arrive at the allied fort only to find it under attack. Said attack is driven off and after a few hours of rest MagnaAngemon chase leads an assault on their *Nest* to wipe the nearby enemy force out for good.
While everyone else is sent back to base, Verge's squad is sent to meet an allied force with important intel. But find out that the Legendary Warrior Shutumon destroyed the meeting location and all but two of the allied soldiers.
The surviving Armadillomon states that his sergeant, a Unimon has the intel, but Shutumon's forces captured him for interrogation. However he thinks that the knows where they are.
The squad heads out for the rescue and finds the Unimon tortured to near deletion.
Now they're fighting the elite enemy force, and the current vote is for who Verge will help.
