Digimon: I reached the top using the Knight item.

Bai Yu's words caused the smile on Yamaki Mitsuo's face to fade slightly.

He turned his head, his gaze behind his sunglasses falling on Bai Yu with a hint of scrutiny.

“I thought you were different from those other children.”

"But are you trying to tell me that these Digimon are also living beings, that they have the right to live? And that you want me to stop right now?"

He slammed the lighter shut with a click, his tone turning cold and hard.

“I’m telling you, I don’t deny their right to live, but that only exists in their own world.”

"In our world, they don't exist!"

Hearing Yamaki Mitsuo's words, Shiraha knew he had misunderstood. He shook his head and said, "Chief Yamaki, that's not what I meant."

"What I mean is that what you're eliminating now are only the juvenile and mature stages, but there are also Ultimate and Perfect stages in the evolution of Digimon."

"Moreover, there is a huge gap between the mature stage and the ultimate stage. Being able to deal with the mature stage does not mean that you can deal with the ultimate stage, or even the ultimate stage."

Yamaki Mitsuo finally understood; Shiraha was saying that his 'annihilation plan' wouldn't work.

He was immediately displeased, but then he remembered that Bai Yu was still just a teenager, so he patiently said, "You're too young, you don't understand scientific research..."

Before Mitsuo Yamaki could finish speaking, Shiraha interrupted him: "I don't understand technology, but I do understand Digimon."

Bai Yu's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight.

"This is a creature that has evolved for countless millennia. Can such a creature really be thoroughly studied in a short period of time?"

"And the Digimon I captured for you was only a Champion-level Digimon."

"Using a mature specimen, what height can I imagine it reaching?"

Bai Yu's words struck Yamaki Mitsuo's heart like heavy hammer blows.

His face turned ashen instantly, and the lighter in his hand creaked as he gripped it tightly.

He wanted to refute, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't say anything.

Because he had to admit that every word Bai Yu said made sense.

Just then, it seemed as if fate itself wanted to slap Mitsuo Yamaki in the face.

Suddenly, a blinding blue light appeared at the center of the dark vortex that was devouring and disintegrating countless wild Digimon in the distance.

The blue light started as a tiny dot, but it expanded rapidly in an instant, as if something was being forced out from the other side of the black hole.

Almost simultaneously, a panicked emergency report came through the earpiece that Mitsuo Yamaki was wearing.

"Chief! Something has escaped from the black hole of the annihilation plan!"

Upon hearing this, Yamaki Mitsuo's pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately spoke into the microphone, "What? It can't be broken down?"

He knew without even thinking that what was going to run out was a Digimon.

But his annihilation plan should theoretically be able to break down all the data!

In the microphone, the subordinate's voice already had a noticeable tremor.

"Manager, it seems like it won't work! The system shows that the other party's data is too massive and simply cannot be broken down!"

Meanwhile, inside the massive central server room of the 'Special Network Investigation Room' headquarters building.

The piercing alarm blared, and the scarlet warning lights flashed wildly, casting flickering light on the tense expressions on the faces of every technician.

"Warning! Warning! Data overload, crashing! Data overload, crashing!"

The cold, synthesized sound repeated itself over and over, striking at everyone's heart.

Technicians' fingers blurred across the keyboard as they tried to stabilize the collapsing system through manual adjustments.

But it was all in vain.

The continuously scrolling code stream on the screen abruptly stopped, replaced by a deathly red jumble of characters.

A dozen seconds later.

"boom--!"

With a muffled bang, several core servers in the server room simultaneously emitted electrical sparks and completely crashed.

Above the city, the thick pillar of light connecting heaven and earth, and the pitch-black vortex at its top, both vanished in an instant.

Instead, blue light suddenly appeared from the spot where the black hole vortex had just disappeared.

Blue light rippled outwards like water, and the digital realm rapidly took shape, transforming the entire headquarters building of the 'Special Network Investigation Room' into a symbol of M.

On the overpass.

As Yamaki Mitsuo listened to the busy tone coming through his microphone and heard his subordinate's final, desperate report, he froze on the spot.

He stared in disbelief at the newly formed digital realm in the distance, his expression frozen.

The annihilation plan... the ultimate weapon he had pinned his hopes on, the one that could solve all problems once and for all, had failed just like that?

Bai Yu's voice rang out again, calm and without a trace of emotion: "Chief Yamaki, although you may not like to hear this, I still have to tell you."

"The only thing that can deal with Digimon is Digimon, and that cannot be changed."

Bai Yu himself was no different.

The knight items provided by the system are essentially just empty vessels without any power.

From the moment he came into this world until now, every power he has used has originated from Digimon.

After saying that, Bai Yu ignored the man who was caught in self-doubt and regret, and headed towards the direction of the Digital Domain Emblem B.

Just as Bai Yu was about to approach the building and enter the digital realm, a figure appeared in front of him without warning, blocking his way.

"Young man, please wait a moment." The voice was clear and steady, carrying a maturity that was incongruous with his appearance.

Bai Yu stopped and stared at the Digimon that had suddenly appeared before him.

It was not large in size, covered in cold white scales, and had a bright red cloak draped over its back. It looked like a small Western dragon and was rather cute.

However, the moment he saw the Digimon, Shiraha's pupils suddenly contracted.

Hackmon!

At almost the same time, the system provided information about Hakumon.

[Hakmon: Juvenile, Baby Dragon, Data type; Strength rating: B-]

Chapter 95: The First Appearance of the Emperor Demon

Hearing the information from the system, Bai Yu cursed inwardly.

During its growth period, its strength was actually rated as B-!

What the hell is this ridiculous thing?

This is even more unreasonable than being unreasonable at all.

He truly deserves to be the future royal knight-errant; he's treated differently.

The last one to be this outrageous was Lucemon, though of course, Lucemon was even more outrageous.

Bai Yu's heart was churning with turmoil, but his face remained as calm as an ancient well. Looking at the Hackmon before him, he spoke indifferently, "What do you want?"

Hakumon's voice was clear and steady, a stark contrast to its somewhat cute appearance: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Hakumon, and I am the messenger of the Digital World's constancy."

"I've come to see you this time because of that fragment of Apocalypse Beast. Apocalypse Beast is..."

Before Hakumon could continue speaking, Shiraha interrupted him without any politeness.

"I understand what you mean, there's no need to say anything more." Bai Yu waved his hand, giving off an expression that said, "I understand everything."

"I know what the Apocalypse Beast is. Thank you for your concern. Please rest assured, I have taken good care of it."

"I believe you can't sense any remaining power of the Apocalypse Beast right now, right?"

Even if that thing hadn't been turned into a knight's tool, as long as it was stored in his system space, it would be completely isolated from this world.

No matter how powerful Hakumon is, it's impossible for it to sense things out of thin air.

As expected, Hakmon did not refute it.

It indeed did not sense any evil aura belonging to the Apocalypse Beast from Bai Yu, which was its biggest puzzle.

In its view, the fragments of the Apocalypse Beast were not so easy to handle, unless...

"You used the power of the emblems of those chosen children to reinforce the seal?" Hakumon offered his conjecture.

“While this is one approach, it’s not a long-term solution. To be on the safe side, I think it would be better if you handed the matter over to me to handle.”

Back then, Hakumon witnessed firsthand how Shiraha used the power of the three crests to construct an energy prison, trapping him in a black crystal.

But in Hakumon's view, the seal on such a thing would be broken sooner or later.

Never choose to seal away a potential threat if it can be completely eliminated, lest you leave trouble for the future.

Hearing Hakumon's words, Bai Yu explained again: "It's not what you think. It's that thing no longer exists. There is no longer such a thing as the fragment of Apocalypsemon."

Upon hearing this, Hakumon stared intently at Bai Yu with his clear eyes, revealing obvious doubt.

Bai Yu wasn't blind, and naturally saw the meaning in its eyes. He simply spread his hands and said, "If you don't believe me, then go find it yourself."

"If you can sense even the slightest trace of the power of the Apocalypse Beasts from me, then you're quite powerful."

Hakumon didn't speak, but stared at Shiraha more intently.

The air seemed to freeze.

Half a minute later, just as Bai Yu's patience was about to run out, Hakumon finally withdrew its scrutinizing posture.

"Sorry to bother you."

It uttered these words, tossed its red cloak behind it, and turned to walk away into the distance.

Watching Hakumon's clean and decisive departure, Bai Yu suddenly cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Hey! There's a Digimon causing trouble over there. Since you're the messenger of constancy, can you lend us a hand and eliminate that Digimon?"

Hakumon didn't turn around, but its clear and steady voice drifted clearly from afar.

"As an envoy, I will not get involved in what happens in your human world."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu lowered his hand, and his expression relaxed considerably.

He certainly wasn't really hoping that Hakumon would help; he was just testing the waters.

The Four Holy Beasts and Constancy are theoretically a group. What he will have to deal with next are the Emperor Demons under the Four Holy Beasts, also known as the Twelve Divine Generals.

If that outrageous guy Hakmon were to get involved, things would get quite complicated.

Fortunately, judging from Hakumon's straightforward answer, it had no intention of meddling in other people's business.

This is not surprising.

In the eyes of constancy, there is only the so-called "balance". As the messenger of constancy, Hakumon naturally regards balance as the ultimate principle.

Unless given a direct, constant command, it probably won't actively participate in anything else, even if it concerns the Four Holy Beasts.

Having confirmed this, Bai Yu felt much more at ease and, without further delay, turned around and continued walking quickly toward the building marked with the Digital Domain Emblem B.

At this moment, the entire skyscraper was completely enveloped from top to bottom by a thick, impenetrable fog. The fog swirled and made it impossible to see the specific situation inside.

When Shiraha arrived at the building, Keito, Kenryo, and Ruki arrived from different directions with their respective Digimon partners.

"Brother Baiyu, you're here too!"

Qi Ren spotted Bai Yu from afar and quickly jogged over to greet him, while the Gilmon beside him let out a cheerful cry.

Bai Yu nodded, but before he could say anything, Ruki beside him already seemed impatient.

She looked up at the building shrouded in thick fog, its gates tightly locked: "Fox Beast, go up and take a look!"

Ruki's instructions were simple and direct. She thought it through: the fox spirit was agile and, given that the nature of its supernatural form was still unknown, it was undoubtedly the best choice as a scout.

"understand!"

The fox-like beast responded and nimbly climbed upwards along the outer wall of the building, disappearing into the thick fog in just a few breaths.

Bai Yu tried to speak up to stop them, but it was too late.

In the thick fog, the fox-like beast moved nimbly, landing silently on the rooftop terrace of the building with a few leaps.

"Ryuhime, I've arrived." It lowered its voice and reported to its partner downstairs via mental link.