Chapter 126: An Unprepared Evolution

The moment Feng Xue climbed onto the Behemoth, the motorcycle grew even more frantic, behaving like a wild stallion refusing to be tamed. It barreled through the village with manic speed, but fortunately, Feng Xue still retained a shred of self-awareness, managing to steer the Behemoth away whenever it was on the verge of crashing into something.

"Look, something fell off the bike!" Following the voice, the group looked over and discovered a Kuramon that had just tumbled off the motorcycle.

"Is this thing a Digimon, too?"

"Thank you for saving me!" The Kuramon’s tail flickered with electric light, and its ruby-like eyes blinked as it spoke.

"Saved you?"

"That motorcycle is terrifying. Once you get on, it steals your consciousness. Unless someone takes your place, you’re forced to ride until you die!" the Kuramon said, trembling with fear.

The state of this Kuramon was highly unusual. Generally, Digimon in the Baby I stage cannot master language because their data volume is less than two kilobytes. The only reason this Kuramon could speak so coherently was clear: it had devolved from a much higher stage.

This also explained how a limbless Baby I stage Digimon had managed to climb onto that motorcycle in the first place. (Incidentally, Kuramon is actually quite gifted, possessing a unique special move and a distinct type even in the Baby I stage.)

But conversely, how many years must a Guardromon or an Andromon have ridden the Behemoth to have suffered so much data loss that it devolved all the way back to the Baby I stage? (The Rookie forms of Kuramon—like Hagurumon, ToyAgumon, or Kokuwamon—would have found it nearly impossible to leap onto the Behemoth, let alone a limbless Baby II stage.)

Upon learning this, the group looked toward the speeding Feng Xue with growing concern. However, because Feng Xue was an Ultimate-level Digimon, even a Leomon would struggle to use the methods seen in the original legends to strip him of his consciousness.

At that moment, Feng Xue had no such thoughts. His consciousness was being battered by a wild, primal will that felt like a prehistoric beast. It wasn't just his mind; his body was being bombarded by torrential streams of data.

"What is going on?" Feng Xue wondered, feeling a secret tremor of alarm. He lacked a proper strategy to resist, so he could only allow these inexplicable data streams to wash over him while using his will to combat the Behemoth’s violent temper.

He did not know how much time had passed—perhaps a minute, an hour, or merely a fleeting instant—but eventually, the wild consciousness in his mind was suppressed by Feng Xue. Having cultivated a nascent spirit, how could he possibly be defeated by a mindless, bestial drive?

Yet, the moment Feng Xue subdued the Behemoth, a transformation began.

The yellow-green crest atop his head finally revealed its true form. A symmetrical pattern composed of rectangles and lines emerged on the circular base, gradually sharpening. Around the perimeter of this circular crest, digital runes began to manifest, forming a yellow-green band of light that encircled the pattern.

High above, it was as if a star had suddenly ignited in the sky. Even though the Digital World lacked a sun, moon, or the concept of stars, the light from this distant celestial body shone directly onto the crest above Feng Xue’s head.

At that moment, a "♀" symbol appeared within the crest’s pattern. This was not a symbol for gender, but the representation of Venus among the stars.

As the crest fully manifested, a surge of data poured forth from an unknown region of the Digital World, flooding Feng Xue’s body with immense power. The data was so overwhelming that the light of evolution erupted from his form!

In that instant, Feng Xue seemed to see a colossal gate engraved with seven circular crests of varying colors—three bright and four dim. Before he could discern their exact shapes, the crest identical to the one on his head shifted from dim to bright, emitting a yellow-green radiance. The entire gate shuddered, and as if a switch had been flipped, Feng Xue completed his evolution while still atop the Behemoth.

"Phyllis-mon, evolve—Beelzemon: Demon Lord Mode!"

"E-evolved?" Rika’s eyes widened. She was not alone; everyone stared at Feng Xue in astonishment before casting strange, questioning glances at the Kuramon.

Before they could press for answers, the Behemoth suddenly came to a halt.

"That bike can actually stop?" the Kuramon squeaked, but no one paid it any mind as they rushed toward Feng Xue.

"Feng Xue, are you alright?" Rika reached him first, staring at the man who looked like a completely different person, her voice tinged with bewilderment.

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Feng Xue smiled, feeling an indescribable sense of power.

Beelzemon was a Demon Lord in his own right, but to possess a "Demon Lord Mode"—it was simply inconceivable!

All of this stemmed from the Behemoth.

The Behemoth was not a Digimon itself. While it took pleasure in ramming into them, it could not absorb their data. However, this did not mean the data of the defeated Digimon was wasted. Though it couldn't absorb them, the Behemoth collected them; once tamed, that data naturally became available to its master.

The moment Feng Xue mounted the Behemoth, this reservoir of data was absorbed by the budding Crest of Gluttony he already possessed, ultimately coalescing into the complete Authority of Gluttony. Guided by this power, he connected to the "Gate of the Seven Deadly Sins."

Perhaps due to obtaining the Crest of Gluttony, Feng Xue had effectively gained the status of one of the Seven Great Demon Lords. Under the recognition of the Gate of the Seven Deadly Sins, a massive influx of the original sin of Gluttony poured into his body through the crest.

The Gate of the Seven Deadly Sins is rooted in the deepest layer of the Dark Area, absorbing all the "sins" (emotional data of a malevolent nature) of the entire Digital World. These data are stored until a corresponding Demon Lord emerges, at which point the data becomes available for the Demon Lord to wield.

Though named "Sin," this emotional data is a part of the Digital World's cycle. Where there is light, there is shadow; where there is virtue, there is vice. This data is no different from the emotional energy contained within crests or ancient armors. To a Digimon, aside from potentially shifting their abilities toward the dark side, it carries no negative impact.

It was under the influence of this original sin of Gluttony that Feng Xue vaulted over the threshold of the Ultimate level and evolved into Beelzemon.

However, due to the nuances of his path, his evolution bore the suffix "Demon Lord Mode." His attire was not the mechanical, knight-like leather gear of a standard Beelzemon, but a jet-black trench coat adorned with platinum stripes, exuding an evil, majestic aura. His weapon was not the legendary shotgun "Berenjena" crafted by Vulcanusmon, one of the Olympus Twelve, but a short bow he had manifested himself, named "The Feast."

A quiver containing twelve arrows of various colors hung at his waist, and the platinum wings on his back had been dyed pitch-black by the Gate of the Seven Deadly Sins.