Chapter 130: Those Destined to Die Must Die

"Huu... huu..." Under the blood-red moonlight, the dark-toned earth was left in ruins. Scars from blades and craters were visible everywhere, telling the tale of the brutal battle that had taken place here.

Feng Xue stood in the center of the battlefield, his back hunched, his heavy, ragged breathing sounding like a bellows. His black trench coat was shredded and torn, a clear sign that he had sustained severe injuries.

Do not underestimate the damage to one's attire. In Digimon battles, physical dismemberment does not occur; even injuries that would cause the loss of a limb are instead replaced by data loss. If a Digimon's own data is insufficient to withstand the loss caused by such an injury, it will devolve into a lower stage to ensure its own integrity. Therefore, as an extension of a Digimon's body, the state of one's clothing is a direct symbol of the injuries suffered.

"As I thought, even if they are Perfect-level, if they swarm in numbers, they can definitely overwhelm an Ultimate," Feng Xue muttered, struggling to straighten his back. In the preceding battle, he had killed at least a hundred Perfect-level Digimon. A massive influx of data flooded into his body; were it not for the miraculous effect of the Crest of Gluttony, Feng Xue would have struggled to even maintain his consciousness.

This vast amount of data was being continuously broken down and assimilated, absorbed into his own being while simultaneously patching up his wounds. The continuous bombardment from the Cherubimon earlier was not to be trifled with; even with Feng Xue fully activating his Blut Vene, he had barely managed to withstand it.

Feeling his strength returning rapidly, Feng Xue sat down on the ground. He was not worried about other Digimon launching a sneak attack; according to the rules of the Dark Area, having survived such a massive battle, Feng Xue had effectively claimed ownership of this land. In other words, the place where he stood had become his territory. If he so desired, he could command all the Digimon living in this region to gather and build him a luxurious castle.

However, Feng Xue clearly had no interest in that. He had been separated from his team for three days. If everything had gone according to plan, Ruki and the others should have already met Ryo Akiyama. No, if one only counted the time, they should have even found Calumon by now. If he did not return soon, he feared that even Piedmon would reappear! With one Digimon missing, Feng Xue doubted if they could even hold out until the birth of Gallantmon! Or, at the very least, until the emergence of Megidramon!

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Feng Xue hesitated no longer. After recalling Behemoth, he began to draw the inter-dimensional magic he had learned from Phelesmon’s memories on the ground. This time, however, Feng Xue had obtained a coordinate from the data of the Cherubimon (as the guardian of the Dark Area’s gate, whose signature move was to open the gate and banish Digimon, it was natural for it to possess such coordinates). To avoid repeating his past mistakes, Feng Xue left a coordinate in his own territory. If necessary, he could return here directly via Cherubimon’s signature move—the "Gate of Destiny."

The magic circle was prepared quickly, and Feng Xue began weaving the hyper-link. With a flash of black light, Feng Xue appeared once again on familiar ground.

Semi-circular mud houses and discarded data were visible everywhere; this was the village of the Gotsumon that he had previously subjugated to obtain Behemoth. Feng Xue was not surprised, as this was the location closest to the Dark Area—the Junk Data Terminal (in layman's terms, a recycling center). It wasn't that there weren't closer spots, but for Feng Xue, rather than crawling out of a Trashmon’s bin (which connected directly to the Dark Area and was even closer than the Gate of Destiny), he would rather find the Network Abyss and swim out from the deep sea of the network!

"Ah, it’s Beelzemon! You actually managed to find your way back?" the Gotsumon village elder asked as he crawled out of his house upon seeing Feng Xue.

"Do you know where my companions went?" Although the Gotsumon elder looked truly ancient, Feng Xue did not show even a hint of respect. In the Digital World, strength is the only truth; there is no such thing as respecting the elderly or caring for the young. If he, an Ultimate-level, were to use honorifics toward a Mature-level, it would only serve to terrify the Gotsumon.

"After you were swept away by that beam of light, they headed in that direction..." The Gotsumon elder pointed a way, and Feng Xue set off in his vehicle, not intending to linger for a moment longer.

However, the roads of the Digital World were completely different from the real world. Some places that appeared to go upward actually led downward; some paths that seemed to head left would eventually emerge from the right. Moreover, there were countless forks in the road. Forget being directionally challenged—even with a map, it was easy to lose one's way...

"Damn it! Where exactly is Ruki?" Feng Xue closed his eyes, trying to sense his connection to Ruki, but it felt as if it had been shielded by something. Aside from the so-called "God," what else could possibly block the perception of a Demon Lord-type Digimon like him?

"The power of the Four Sovereigns?" Feng Xue frowned subconsciously, but felt only a stiff sensation. He then remembered that his forehead was completely covered by a semi-circular mask.

"I remember, Takato and the others should have first come into contact with Zhuqiaomon, right? In that case, they must be heading south..." With this line of reasoning, Feng Xue embarked on his journey toward the south...

...

Meanwhile, the situation for Takato and the others was exceptionally perilous. The DemiDevimon that had evolved into Piedmon was incredibly powerful. His eerie tricks and the Trump Sword, which seemed to fly from nowhere, had become a nightmare for the Digimon. If not for the fact that Piedmon still retained some shred of affection for the children, they likely would have been slaughtered the instant the fight began.

However, whether it was the inevitability of fate or a death flag inherent to Leomon himself, the first casualty appeared. While grabbing hold of Piedmon’s arm, Leomon took a direct hit from the "End of Clown"!

That was a powerful killing move capable of shattering even WarGreymon! The moment Leomon took the hit, he turned into flying ash. He did not even leave behind a final word!

"No!" Juri screamed. Her sorrow and resentment seemed to transform into a black dragon in an instant, infecting Takato as well. In the depths of endless despair, Guilmon transformed into Megidramon!

The earth began to shake, and a peculiar power began to permeate the Digital World. Earthquakes, tsunamis, gales, and torrential rains—various weather phenomena that appeared to be natural disasters began to reveal their majesty. In that moment, the Digital World displayed signs of impending destruction!

"Damn it! It’s Megidramon! I knew those in the Dragon's Zone had done something!" Seeing this scene, how could Feng Xue not understand what had happened? Recalling the vine-like tentacles imbued with the power of the Dragon’s Zone that had protected Guilmon from being sucked into the Dark Area and were later absorbed by him, Feng Xue suddenly understood the root of the problem!