Knights of the Digital World

The Knight of the Digital World, Ning the Madman. By CS

"I originally thought I was here to be a doctor or a knight, but I ended up in the Digital World; I originally thought I would have a Digimon partner in the Digital World, but I still have to go up there and get beaten up by myself; I thought my system would be of the highest level, but it was only at its peak from the start and became completely useless afterward!"

Hosho Emu sighed and said this.

Chapter 1, I am Hosho Emu

"It's been eleven years since I transmigrated here, and there's not a trace of the Bugster, nor any Phantom Group. As expected, apart from the name, there's absolutely no information related to Kamen Rider Ex-Aid..." Emu Hojo lay on the table, idly playing with his flip phone, opening and closing it repeatedly.

It was 2002, and most mobile phones were still flip phones or basic PHS phones. They didn't have any games or video functions. Aside from that, Emu Hojo had no idea how to use this version of the phone.

"Yongmeng, stop playing with your phone like that, it'll break easily!" Her mother, hearing the phone constantly opening and closing in the kitchen, called out unhappily.

"Yes~" Emu replied, drawing out the words, then placed the phone in front of her and fell back into her memories.

Clearly, Hojo Emu was a time traveler. To be honest, time travel these days is really easy. He hadn't done anything in his previous life; he just woke up as a baby, and the words echoing in his ears weren't familiar, but Japanese. Heaven knows how bewildered he was at the time.

He wasn't some orphan from a family with no parents. He had both parents and a happy family. Before transmigrating, he had just been accepted into graduate school, a time when he was full of hope for the future. Who would have thought that when he woke up, everything had changed, and all his relatives and friends were gone? This was just ridiculous!

Yongmeng was practically weeping all day. Every morning when she woke up, she would think of the past and burst into tears, only to be picked up and comforted by her parents in this life, who would then feed her and change her diapers. Fortunately, she had only been a newborn baby when she first transmigrated, and this routine was quite in line with her status as an infant, so it didn't arouse any suspicion.

After venting her emotions for several months, Yongmeng finally let go of her attachment to her past life. She still missed it, still thought about everything from it. But what's done is done, and she needed to adjust her mindset to face her new life. Those memories could only be revisited in her spare time, and could no longer be the main focus of her life.

With this in mind, Emu began to diligently study Japanese. Whether it was because she was in an environment where only Japanese was spoken, or because children learn things faster, Emu could easily understand Japanese by the time she was one year old. However, due to her physical development, she couldn't speak very clearly, and writing was out of the question. How could someone who hadn't even learned it expect to be able to write after hearing just a few sentences? That would be a gross underestimation of a language.

Emu also learns his name in this life—Hojo Emu. Yes, it is the name of the Kamen Rider Ex-Aid user, the protagonist of the 18th Heisei era.

At that moment, Emu was surprised. He wasn't a die-hard Kamen Rider fan; the only Kamen Rider TV series he had actually watched was Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. He had gathered most of his information from other sources.

He was quite interested in catching up on the anime, since all those iconic scenes were available on Bilibili. For example, "I've always wanted to see that expression on your face, that jealous expression~", and "The end of Kamen Rider has come!" Of course, there's also Shrimp Dumpling's exaggerated facial expressions and "House↗Sei↘Emiya↗". Just seeing those iconic scenes makes you want to watch the anime. Unfortunately, he was busy preparing for his postgraduate entrance exam. After finishing the exam and finally being able to relax, he watched Ex-Aid and then time-traveled.

Emu had also wondered if her time travel was related to watching anime. But this was too absurd. If she was going to time travel, she should have done it while watching! She'd already finished watching before she time traveled. What, was her time travel delayed?

But since her name was already there, it wouldn't be right to say there was absolutely no connection. Anyway, Emu decided to assume she was a knight and work towards that goal. That way, even if it turned out to be just her imagination, it wouldn't hurt.

Therefore, for his bright future and to ensure he wouldn't suffer setbacks as a knight, Emu abandoned his reclusive nature from his previous life and, since the age of six, insisted on getting up early to exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This process was quite painful, and Emu overcame it entirely through adult self-discipline. After maintaining this lifestyle for about a year, Emu finally got through the most difficult beginning and gradually adapted.

Emu had considered learning martial arts or taekwondo, but ultimately gave up. It wasn't that he couldn't endure the hardship; it's just that most training programs these days don't focus on practical application, but rather on flashy, impressive moves. A side kick might look beautiful, but its actual effectiveness is another matter entirely. And if he were to become a knight, the Gadget would most likely come with built-in fighting skills. Otherwise, it wouldn't explain why a group of doctors who hadn't specifically trained were so skilled in combat. Especially Emu Hojo, a pediatrician who usually trips on flat ground, yet becomes incredibly agile with the Gadget, easily defeating a Hollow. Who would believe that without a power boost?

Unfortunately, after so many years of observation, Emu realized that he might really just be someone with the same name. There's no such thing as the Phantom Group or the Collapse Source Body in this world. Becoming a Kamen Rider is probably out of the question, but his years of consistent training and a healthy lifestyle have kept him in good health, without any excess fat. His studies are also quite good; aside from Japanese, which he still needs to work on, his other subjects are relatively easy thanks to his foundation from his previous life. If he continues like this, he can probably get into a good university and find a decent job. But speaking of which, Japan's economy is really going to collapse in the future. Maybe he should try to go back to his homeland? After all, socialism is truly wonderful! He didn't even join the Party in his previous life; he'll try his best to join in this one!

While Yong was lost in these random thoughts, his phone, which was placed in front of him, suddenly vibrated.

"Hmm? Did someone send a text message? Let me see..." Emu opened his phone and found a strange message that read: "Do you want to start?" Below were two options: yes and no.

"Hmm, this opening looks so familiar... Am I in an infinite flow world? Or is it a scam?" Yongmeng carefully examined the strange message, hesitating. Reason told him not to click, but intuition urged him to click!

"Seriously... this doesn't feel like an infinite flow novel. Where else have I seen this? Ahhh, I can't remember!" Emu smacked her head, struggling for a while before finally clicking. But she regretted it immediately: "Ah, why did I click that! What if there's a problem... Why did I have to be so impulsive..."

Just as Emu was feeling frustrated, a female voice rang in his ear: "Hosho Emu, the game that will decide your future has begun." Then, a message appeared on his phone: "Go to Jiyugaoka Station and take the 17:45 PM train to Shibuya."

"Wait... this is... Digimon Frontier 4?" This déjà vu, coupled with the sudden appearance of the female voice, finally triggered Emu's memories. Wasn't this the very scene where Takuya Kanbara departed from Digimon Frontier in the Digimon Adventure 4 storyline?!

Chapter Two: The Rescue Operation of Koichi Kimura

Emu never imagined that all her plans for the future would go so awry. She thought she'd received a tokusatsu (special effects) film script, but it turned out she'd received an anime script! And what's worse, the main characters in the anime script were already cast, while there was no place for her, the tokusatsu film's main character! This was incredibly embarrassing.

The plot of Digimon Adventure 4 is different from the first three. While the first three had a main cast, other children could also have their own Digimon partners. But the fourth season clearly states at the beginning: Ten Warriors. At most, there can only be ten. It's completely one person per role. Think about Yuuki's classmates in the story; stubbornly staying in the Digital World was pointless. They were told there was no future for them, and even their close relationship with Angemon didn't lead to any Digimon plans or anything like that.

But to say that Emu doesn't want to see the Digital World is a joke. Pokémon and Digimon are his generation's childhood memories. Leaving aside the frustrating things like the game constantly changing maps and getting killed by the plot, at least the endings of each Digimon series have been pretty happy. Now he has the chance to experience his childhood dream up close and fulfill a wish, even if he gets sent back afterward, it doesn't matter. Besides, the time flow in the Digital World is different from the human world, so there's nothing to worry about.

Having made up his mind, Yongmeng glanced at the time and saw it was already past 5:30. He grabbed his phone and called out to the kitchen, "Mom, I have to go out for a bit, I'll be right back."

"Hey, child, what time is it? What are you doing out there? Yongmeng?" The mother in the kitchen was startled and asked hurriedly, but there was no answer, only the sound of the door closing.

"Jiyugaoka~Jiyugaoka~ Ah, I wonder if I'll run into Takuya Kanbara? I remember there was someone in the next class with that name, but I couldn't remember it at the time... I wonder what the main characters look like in real life? Takuya Kanbara, Kouji Minamoto, Yuki Himi, Izumi Orimoto, Junpei Shibayama, Koichi Kimura... Damn!"

As Emu ran towards the station, he suddenly swore. He remembered that the tragic character, Koichi Kimura, had fallen down the stairs while chasing his younger brother, almost losing his game. Speaking of which… Koichi Kimura's transformed Digimon was… BlackLeomon?!

As expected of a bento box monster!

Emu mentally scoffed, but his expression turned serious. He knew Kimura Teruichi would be alright in the end, rescued by the main characters. But since he already knew something might happen to him, and he was fully capable of saving him, why let something bad happen? Kimura Teruichi had even suffered under the clutches of the Cherubim for so long because of this.

As for the plot... it doesn't matter. This is a real world now, and I'm a part of it. How can I treat it like watching an anime? If the plot falls apart, so be it. At most, the main group will lose one less B-class monster. Once the main group defeats Cherubimon, they'll still get their fighting spirit, right? In the later stages, it's basically KaiserGreymon and MagnaGarurumon fighting against the Royal Knights. When fighting Lucemon, Susanmon will also appear. It doesn't matter if BlackLionmon comes along.

But for Huiyi, it meant something completely different. He didn't have to endure the agony of near-death, nor did he have to wallow in the clutches of Cherubimon. He could easily reunite with his younger brother without secretly feeling guilty and burdened by a life of mistakes that weren't his to begin with. Perhaps this was the only thing he, a mere extra in the anime script, could do.

Having made up his mind, Emu boarded the train. His phone then received a second message: "Please transfer to the subway departing at 18:00 PM from Shibuya Station." Emu closed his phone and glanced around. Several children were looking at their phones; they seemed to be Chosen Ones. Unfortunately, he didn't see Takuya or Kouji; they must be in different carriages.

Emu didn't care. He closed his eyes and mentally planned his actions. According to the plot, Kouji and Takuya would take the elevator, while Kouichi was a little short, so he ran up the stairs to catch up with his brother. He slipped, flew off, and fell flat on his face. However, his obsession was too strong; his soul drifted to the Digital World and was controlled by Cherubimon, becoming the evil Dark Warrior Darkmon.

Saving Kimura Kouichi is both simple and difficult. It's simple because all you need to do is stop Kouichi from falling. However, Kouichi's obsession with Kouji runs so deep that Kouichi, a complete stranger, won't obediently stop him without the ability to foresee the future. Therefore, all you can do is prepare in advance and pull Kouichi back just as he's about to fly off. Hmm, you also need to be prepared to avoid flying off with him; that would be ridiculous.

Yongmeng had made up his mind when he heard the train's arrival announcement. He quickly rushed out of the train car and ran towards the subway. He saw a boy dressed in blue with a blue headscarf waiting for the elevator.

This must be Minamoto no Kouji, right? Kouichi hasn't arrived yet, so I still have time… Speaking of which, he really does look quite like the anime character…

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Emu ran towards the stairs on one side.

Kouji watched with some surprise as the boy ran past him and disappeared into the stairwell. It was strange; if he was also going to take the subway, why didn't they wait for the elevator together? And his gaze just now was odd… Kouji thought to himself. However, he wasn't an extroverted person; in fact, he was somewhat introverted and not good at talking. Coupled with his own experiences, this gave him a cool and aloof demeanor. He didn't say a word to the stranger, and besides, the other person was already gone.

Just then, the elevator arrived, and Kouji stepped inside and pressed the floor button. The elevator doors slowly closed. A boy wearing a hat backwards and goggles rushed forward and into the elevator…

"Phew, he should be here soon, right?" Emu didn't go down too many floors, afraid that Teruichi would pounce so fast he wouldn't notice. He took out his phone and checked the time again; it was already 17:58 PM. If Teruichi didn't hurry, he might miss this chance to go to the Digital World.

However, Kouichi did not disappoint Emu. A boy wearing a green jacket, who looked similar to Kouji, appeared in Emu's line of sight as he ran quickly. He did not notice Emu and just rushed downhill.

"They're finally here!" Emu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

After passing two more floors, not far in front of Emu, Huiyi suddenly cried out in surprise, slipped, and fell downwards.

"Now!" Emu reached out, grabbed Kiichi by the collar, and pulled him back, landing hard on his backside as he slammed against the edge of the step with a thud. Kiichi was also dragged down onto the steps, hitting his head and letting out a groan of pain as he sat there clutching his head. He was also panting heavily from the near-miss, his heart pounding.

Chapter 3, The Cheat Code Goes Online

"Thank you. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened." Kimura Teruichi quickly came to his senses and said gratefully to Emu.

"It's nothing~ By the way, did you get this text message too? We need to hurry. It's already 59 minutes, if we don't hurry we'll miss it." Yongmeng stood up, waved her hand, showed the text message on her phone, and pulled Huiyi up. "Anyway, let's run! We can talk about everything else on the subway!"

"Okay, okay!" Huiyi replied and ran after Yongmeng.

At first, there were people coming and going on the stairs, but gradually, the number of people decreased until only Yongmeng and Huiyi remained. The stairs also seemed to change; everything around them inexplicably darkened, leaving only a downward-sloping path. This was beyond the lowest level of the station, but they hadn't yet reached the end.

Finally, a bright light shone ahead, revealing a vast space before them. The staircase that should have been behind them had inexplicably vanished. In this expansive space, twelve trains were arranged like the twelve hours of a clock, with small groups of children wandering around them.

Their phones lit up at that moment. Upon opening them, they saw the phones emitting an orange-red glow, a strange symbol appearing in the center of the screen, and the female voice spoke again: "Final choice: take the bus, or go back?"

“We’re already here, we definitely have to get on the train… otherwise, we’d have come all this way for nothing.” Emu muttered as she closed her phone. Meanwhile, Kouichi’s gaze was fixed on a blue figure running onto the train, muttering, “Kouji…”

"Let's go, stop looking, it's almost time. Let's get on the train first, that one's too far." Yongmeng tugged at Huiyi and pulled him onto a random train. As 18:00 PM arrived, the doors of the twelve trains closed automatically, making a "whoosh whoosh" sound, and they started moving.

"Is this the Train Beast? It feels just like a real train, it's amazing~" Emu curiously touched the train, completely satisfied.

"Um... thank you for saving me earlier. My name is Kimura Teruichi. Nice to meet you!" Since Teruji wasn't on this train, Teruichi regained his composure, thanked Emu again, and introduced himself.

"Hey, it's nothing. I couldn't just watch you fall, could I? I'm Hojo Emu! Nice to meet you!" Emu said with a smile. The satisfaction of rewriting the tragedy of the original story filled him with.

"I still want to thank you. I really thought I was going to die back then... my mind went completely blank." Huiyi insisted on thanking him, a trace of lingering fear still on his face. After all, what would happen if you fell from such a high step? Just thinking about it is terrifying.

"Let's not talk about that. Hey, Huiyi, why did you choose this trip?" Emu asked familiarly, adding, "Oh, just call me Emu! I feel like we could become good friends!"

In Japan, addressing someone by their first name is a sign of close relationship. Hearing Emu's words, Kouichi couldn't help but smile, saying, "Ah, that's what I thought too! Hosho... no, Emu!"

After a pause, Huiyi continued, "I originally just wanted to see my younger brother... his name is Huiji. My parents divorced a long time ago. I never knew I had a younger brother. My grandmother only told me recently before she passed away. I actually went with him. As for the text message, I did receive it, but I didn't pay much attention to it. And you, Yongmu? Why did you get on the train?"

"Me? Hehe, it's for a childhood wish!" Emu smiled, not elaborating. Time travel is something really hard to explain.

The two sat chatting, having gained a basic understanding of each other. Suddenly, the car went dark, then began to shake violently. Even though Emu had been somewhat prepared, she and Kouichi were still thrown about by the jolts. A dark, phantom image suddenly appeared on Kouichi's body; his lion-like helmet revealed his identity—Black Lion Beast!

"Plot correction? Or compatibility? Isn't the spirit of the Dark Warrior in Cherubimon? Why is Kouichi's phantom still appearing?" Emu wondered to himself, when suddenly an electronic voice rang in his mind.

"Special power detected - identified as a Collapse Source Entity - Rider power selection in progress - Kar Ex-Aid!"

Accompanied by an electronic voice in his mind, Emu's pocket emitted a light. He pulled out the light source and saw it was his own cell phone. The phone was enveloped in a dense white light. After a while, the white light dissipated, leaving only a blank cassette tape without any design.

"Is this a Rider switching to Gacha? What's going on? Hey? Are you a system? Come out and explain!" Emu thought to himself. All that reading in his past life wasn't for nothing; at least in the face of something like a system, there were plenty of characters who had demonstrated how to act.

"I am a fragment of the Knight System. I am part of the system that collapsed after the last person who obtained the power of a Knight abused it and became a monster. According to historical records, the power after the system collapsed broke through space and time, completing the time travel in the host's memories. And I am also sleeping in the host's soul," the electronic voice answered matter-of-factly.

"Because I am just a fragment of the system, I cannot freely provide the host with knight power. In fact, my awakening also requires stimulation from special forces. After being stimulated, I will provide the host with a portion of knight power. After that, I will no longer be able to provide the host with material assistance, that is, I cannot provide other knight power, but can only solve some questions for the host."

"! Did you guys cause my transmigration?! Damn it!" In an instant, Yongmeng gritted her teeth, her facial muscles twitching, and her free hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. An indescribable anger surged into her heart, but quickly dissipated. Eleven years had passed; venting her past resentment and anger was useless. Besides, this thing was still inside her soul; she couldn't even vent her anger or seek revenge. She couldn't exactly punch herself, could she?

"Alright... tell me about my current Rider power. I only have a blank cartridge, no Player Driver, and I haven't undergone Adaptor surgery. How am I supposed to use the power of Ex-Aid?" Emu took a few deep breaths and asked in his mind.

"The system has detected that the host already possesses the transformation requirements and no surgical modifications are necessary. As for the cartridges, they are infinite cartridges created by the system's last remaining power, including the Extraordinary Action X-Player cartridge. The host can also create other cartridges. The currently used cartridge is entirely determined by the host's own will. The Player Driver will automatically appear according to the host's wishes for easy carrying," the electronic voice explained in detail.

"Infinite Gacha... Alright! Let me see just how far the Riders can go in the Digital World!" Emu looked at the Gacha in his hand, a surge of pride welling up inside him.

Chapter Four, The Final Stop of Flames

"Emu, are you alright? What was that tremor just now? I wasn't prepared at all," Huiyi asked with concern as he stood up, supporting himself on a chair, after the tremors stopped.

"Ah, Huiyi, I'm fine. It's just that my phone is in this state. What about yours?" Yongmu stood up as well, showing Huiyi his game cartridge. After all, he would definitely need it later, so there was no point in hiding it. It was better to bring it up now and show that he didn't know, saving himself the trouble of explaining later.

"Huh? My phone's changed? Let me see... Ah! Mine's changed too! What's this?" Huiyi also took out his phone. At this moment, his phone had changed drastically, becoming a black device, which was the Digimon Machine from Emu's memories.

The Digivice lit up, and the female voice spoke again: "This is the Digivice. Welcome to the Digital World."

"Digital World? Where is that? I've never heard of it... Oh, right, do you know what Emu's phone turned into? It doesn't look like mine at all. Is it also a Digivice?" Kouichi asked, holding his Digivice.

"That's not a Digivice. I don't know why it turned out this way. It's another powerful and mysterious force..." The female voice said, then suddenly faded, and the Digivice's light disappeared.

"Hey! Hey! What's going on? Why did it stop halfway through?" Huiyi patted the Digivice, but received no response, and said somewhat angrily.

Emu knew that Angewomon's power was probably insufficient. After all, she was still imprisoned by Cherubimon, and such a large-scale selection of children was a considerable drain on her.

It's really strange, though. Why did Kouichi get the Digimon? After all, the Dark Warrior Spirit he was suited to was controlled by Cherubimon, unlike Takuya and the others, whose Five Warrior Spirits—Fire, Light, Ice, Wind, and Thunder—were scattered by Angewomon and Seraphimon, and their spirits only came when the time was right. Kouichi basically had no chance to obtain any Warrior Spirits. In the original story, if his soul hadn't been controlled by Cherubimon, he would probably have been one of those sent back.

Angewomon does not wish for the Chosen Children to be harmed. Those who are compatible with the Fighter Spirit have no choice; the world depends on them to save it. As for the children who are not compatible, or whose compatible spirits are not in Angewomon's hands, it's best for them to return home as soon as possible.

So why didn't Kouichi go back this time, and even stayed to get the Digivice? Wasn't Angewomon afraid something would happen to him? No... maybe it's because of me? Because I obtained the power of Ex-Aid, and even Angewomon described it as "powerful and mysterious," so she was at ease? Perhaps she also hoped that I could help Kouichi obtain the Fighter Spirit.

Emu pondered Angewomon's thoughts for a moment, then quickly dismissed them. After all, all he knew was from the anime of his previous life; who knew if the world had changed? There was no point in overthinking now; he should first explore this fantasy world that was the dream of his childhood.

Yongmeng, still dreaming, tugged at Huiyi's clothes and said, "Alright, never mind all that, we'll find out eventually. Come and see, something's really strange out here!"

"What's so amazing? Let me see... Ah! What are these? They're flying!" Hui looked out the window and saw a group of floating beasts drifting in the sky.

"Oh, look over there, it's another train! These little things are stuck on! Ah... they've been scared away." Emu looked out the window, providing real-time commentary.

"There seem to be people on that train too, I saw some figures... I wonder if we're stopped at the same place," Huiyi said, looking at the train next to him.

“No problem… It is the mission of our Tram Beast clan to follow the passengers’ requests!” A deep voice rang out, startling Huiyi.