Knights of the Digital World

"Grodonmon? He's too weak. Even when he transformed into Giant Rockmon, he wasn't a match for me. There were five of those brats, plus two Beast Fighters. Isn't it normal that he was defeated? Is that what you call a strongman?" Darkmon shook his head, looking uninterested.

"If that were all, I wouldn't have come to you." Silver Mirror Beast covered its mouth and chuckled. "They found their Beast Warrior Souls after defeating Grodonmon. And it seems that only one of them fought when they defeated Grodonmon. It was that Auramon, I think. Later, I had Nunamon test their strength, and they got a good beating from those brats. Each of them is quite strong."

"Nanamon? She's a little better than Grodonmon, but that's about it. She's too obsessed with being an idol, and her own strength has suffered. Besides, hasn't she found her Beast Warrior Soul yet? According to your description, if she doesn't work harder, her Warrior Soul will be taken away, and she'll turn back into a Digi-Egg," Darkmon said disdainfully.

"By the way, what about the Sacred Tree Beast? He's quite strong, and he has the Soul of a Beast Warrior. Didn't you send him to test those human children?" Dark Beast asked, thinking of the Wood Warrior.

“The Sacred Tree Beast went to test the waters. Before those brats found the Beast Warrior's Soul, they were no match for him and could only flee. However, after obtaining the Beast Warrior's Soul, the five of them combined were already able to hold their own against the Flower Dragon Beast. Moreover, they are constantly familiarizing themselves with the Beast Warrior's Soul. Next time, the Flower Dragon Beast won't be able to suppress them,” said the Silver Mirror Beast.

"Is that so? That's a bit more interesting. Where are they? I'll go find them and give it a try." The dark beast feigned excitement.

"Don't rush. They're almost at the end of the forest. These human brats are definitely looking for Seraphimon. Seraphimon is one of the three great angels, yet he's asleep and hiding. It'll be difficult for us to break in with our strength... We might as well let those brats scout ahead for us." Silver Mirror Beast revealed his plan.

"Whatever. I just want to fight strong opponents. Since it won't be that quick, I have another challenge to take on. After that, I'll go back." The dark beast waved its hand impatiently.

"Hoo hoo hoo, then I look forward to your return." The Silver Mirror Beast let out a strange laugh and quickly left.

The Dark Beast stood silently in place, lost in thought. Then, with a wave of its hand, it removed the black mist that had been covering Emu, and said to Emu, who was slowly climbing out of the crater, "You heard what I just said, didn't you?"

Chapter Twenty-Three, The Dark Code (End of Volume)

"Yes, I heard it all. I'm going to help Takuya and the others!" Emu said firmly to the Dark Beast.

"Help them? With your current strength? You might not fully understand the strength of Silver Mirror Beast and the others. You're stronger than Grodon Beast and even Rock Beast without a problem, and Nana Beast is no match for you either. But Tree Beast is only slightly weaker than you, and once it evolves into Flower Dragon Beast, it can crush you. And even Flower Dragon Beast can only hold its own against those brats. If those brats get stronger, it might even lose."

"As for me, I think there's no need to say more. And there's Silver Mirrormon, whose strength is no less than mine. Moreover, he's a very cunning Digimon. With your current strength, even if you went, you wouldn't be of much help," Darkmon declared ruthlessly.

Emu was speechless. To be honest, Takuya and his friends' strength had improved significantly compared to the original story. In the original, Giant Rockmon single-handedly defeated five children. FlowerDragonmon even held its own against multiple beast-type fighters before finally succumbing to the combined attack of justice. However, now, with FireGreymon capable of crushing Giant Rockmon, and with only Flamedramon and SilverWolfmon, and with the assistance of three other humanoid fighters, they could actually hold their own against FlowerDragonmon. The increase in their strength was evident.

This is clearly a butterfly effect caused by Emu. Because of Emu's words, Takuya and the others were able to adapt to and train their Digimon forms in advance, and continuously explore their abilities. At the same time, because Emu was captured, Takuya and the others' fighting spirit became even stronger and more vigorous, and their strength was also enhanced accordingly.

Emu was confident that his potential development over the past month was no less than Takuya's and the others'. However, Takuya and the others could achieve a leap forward once they found the Beast Warrior's Soul, while Emu, without a suitable Gacha, would remain stuck at level 3. Now that Emu has returned, although he is still a formidable fighter, he is no longer among the top fighters in the children's ranks.

"Master, even so, I have to go back! I can't just watch them walk into the trap! Even if it doesn't work, I still have to try!" Yongmeng said to the Dark Beast, still not giving up.

The dark beast did not answer immediately, but seemed to be thinking about something.

"Master?" Yongmeng hadn't received a reply from the Dark Beast, so she called out a few times in a hurry.

"Don't rush! I have some understanding of your abilities. You can use an opponent's abilities by defeating them or by receiving their teachings, right? I'm fairly satisfied with your current development of your potential and abilities. However, the lack of sufficiently formidable opponents is hindering your progress. Besides, time is also crucial... I've got it. Come with me."

After analyzing Emu's current situation, the Dark Beast seemed to have figured something out. Black mist spread out, enveloping him and Emu, and they left the spot.

After an unknown amount of time, the black mist before Emu's eyes dissipated, revealing a gray landscape. The sky, the earth, and the plants were all covered in a layer of gray, a sight that was disheartening.

"Master, where is this place?" Yongmeng asked curiously.

"This is the Dark Continent! Cherubimon stays here... More specifically, this is the Station of Darkness," Darkmon replied.

"The Station of Darkness?" Emu repeated, feeling that the name sounded very familiar.

“Yes. There’s a special tram beast here called Dark Ship. It can sense those who are lost in their hearts on the Dark Continent and appear before them, taking them away. Where it takes them is decided by Dark Ship—perhaps the past, perhaps the future, or perhaps somewhere else. It’s not that important; all that’s needed is for the lost person to reaffirm their beliefs, and they can return. However, if that person cannot reaffirm their beliefs, they cannot return,” Dark Ship explained to Emu.

The introduction of the Dark Beast also awakened Emu's memories. The Dark Beast's "Dark Ship" was undoubtedly the Train Beast that brought Takuya back to the real world.

Even among the TrainMonsters, Dark is considered quite powerful. Most TrainMonsters can only travel within the Digital World. A few powerful TrainMonsters can cross the barrier between the Digital World and the Human World. In the original work, there are even TrainMonsters that can travel between the Moon and Earth in the Digital World.

The Dark Ship is even more special; it can traverse not only space but also time. In the original story, it sent Takuya back to before he came to the Digital World. Although the original plot didn't show this, it's not hard to infer that if the Dark Ship wanted to, it could traverse even longer periods of time.

"My relationship with Darkship is quite good. I'll ask him to find a suitable place for your cultivation and send you there. You're a person of firm belief, so if you want to come back, just call Darkship and he'll appear. Besides, with Darkship around, you don't need to worry about wasting time," Dark Beast instructed.

"Master, thank you." Yongmeng thanked the dark beast, his heart filled with gratitude. Although the dark beast before him had a ferocious and terrifying appearance, in his eyes it was a gentle elder.

I wonder what kind of person he was before Cherubimon turned him into Darkmon? Even Cherubimon's dark power couldn't erase the gentleness in his heart.

At that moment, Cherubimon was no longer seen as the pitiful scapegoat in the TV series, but as a despicable enemy to be defeated and avenged. Otherwise, how could he face Darkmon?

The Dark Beast reached out and ruffled Yongmeng's hair, revealing a rare display of tenderness.

The Dark Beast had already summoned the Dark Ship. Accompanied by the familiar whistle, the Dark Ship arrived beside the two.

The Dark Knight was entirely black, befitting its name, with three conspicuous red round holes on each side of the front. He slowly stopped beside the Dark Beast and asked, "Dark Beast, what brings you here?"

The Dark Beast shared its thoughts with the Dark Number. The Dark Number calmly replied, "This matter is quite simple. But you, to actually take on students, truly surprises me."

"So what if I take them? What's there to be surprised about?" The dark beast snorted twice and said, "I'm entrusting my student to you. I'm leaving now."

The Dark Beast patted Yongmeng on the shoulder again and said, "Cultivate well! Don't embarrass me!" Without waiting for Yongmeng's reply, the Dark Beast turned and left. As it walked, black mist spread, obscuring its figure. Soon, the black mist dissipated, and the Dark Beast was gone.

"Alright, kid, come on up. You're a student of Dark Beast after all, I'll take care of you," Dark Number said to Eternal Dream.

Yongmeng nodded, walked into the carriage, found a seat, and asked, "Darkship, where are you taking me?"

The Darkship sounded its horn and restarted. As it started, it said, "Where to go? That's not up to me, it's up to you."

"It depends on me?"

"Yes. Although I can travel through time and space, I don't just go anywhere. Especially going back to the past could potentially disrupt history and cause unpredictable changes. So, I don't really like time travel. In addition, my destinations are also related to the inner needs of my passengers. Most of the time, my passengers are people who are confused and lost about certain things. I will follow their deepest desires and find a place for them to resolve their confusion. Of course, even so, not everyone can get out of their confusion," Darkship explained.

"Well... I'm not exactly lost right now. Where will you send me?" Emu pressed.

"Hehe, being confused isn't the key. The key is the deep-seated desire within you. You now yearn to become stronger, and I will follow your deepest desires and take you to a place where you can become stronger! As for the specific place, I don't know either," Dark Howl said.

"Is that so? My deepest desire..." Emu fell silent, lost in thought. What were his true thoughts? And where would he go?

As Yongmeng pondered, the Dark Ship sped up, and the scenery outside the window became increasingly blurry.

Dark One said with surprise, "The place you want to go isn't our Digital World? It's another world? This is going to be exhausting... Be prepared, traveling between worlds is no easy feat..."

"Is traveling between worlds difficult? Isn't traveling between the human world and the digital world also a form of traveling between worlds?" Emu asked curiously.

"This is different. The human world and the digital world are two sides of the same coin, and there are points of contact between them. Traveling along these points of contact is not a difficult task; any Trainmon should be able to do it! Those who can't are just a bunch of mediocre people, and they're a disgrace to us Trainmon! What I'm about to cross is two worlds that have no contact at all. I'm going to a world in another universe. The difficulty is obviously extraordinary."

Darkmon, true to his reputation as Darkmon's friend, spoke with arrogance and disdain for the other Trainmon. Most of the Trainmon in the Digital World were, in his words, mediocre.

"Dark Ship, thank you." Yongmeng quickly thanked Dark Ship. She had thought it was just a small matter, but it turned out to be quite complicated and tiring. She felt it was necessary to express her gratitude for the other party's efforts.

"It's nothing. I promised your master I'd take care of you. Oh, get ready, we're about to travel between worlds, it might be a bit bumpy," Darkship reminded.

Emu quickly sat up, gripping the table tightly. He had experienced the turbulence of world travel when he came to the Digital World from the Human World, but this turbulence was more than ten times stronger than that. Even though Emu was prepared, he was still shaken violently, his head spinning.

The vibrations gradually subsided, and the Darkship's voice rang out: "Destination, we've arrived!"

Chapter 1, Visitor from Another World, Eternal Dream of Hosho!

The Darkship slowly came to a stop. Emu stepped off the carriage and thanked the Darkship, saying, "Thank you, Darkship."

"It's nothing. When you want to go back, just silently say my name three times in your heart, and I will feel it and come to pick you up," the Darkship said calmly, then sounded its horn again and left.

“Okay… let me see where this is first?” Emu looked around.

He was currently in a park, surrounded by towering buildings. Looking at the scene, Emu was slightly taken aback: "This is... the human world?"

"How did I end up in the human world...? Where am I supposed to get a game cartridge in the human world..." Emu was very troubled. "I don't even know which game this is? I still need to find a way back to the Digital World..."

Just as Yongmeng was having a headache, an angry shout came from not far away: "What the hell are you doing, you bastard! How dare you interfere with other people's fight!"

"Huh? These lines sound familiar?" Emu was taken aback and quickly walked in the direction the voice came from. After walking a few steps, she saw a group of delinquents lying on the ground, a boy and Agumon facing each other on the rooftop, and a girl in a pink uniform watching from the side.

"Ah...aren't these the strongest Digimon, Daimon, and his tamer, Agumon? And that girl is Yoshino? So I've arrived in the world of the fifth season?" Emu recognized the world he was in by looking at these familiar figures.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Daimon and Agumon had started exchanging harsh words and also scolded Yoshino, and then they started fighting.

Emu commented that watching these two fight was truly an eyesore. Were they really just going to take a punch and a kick? At this point, Masaru Daimon was definitely still quite immature. He hadn't yet mastered his DigiSoul, and perhaps because of his superhuman abilities, he was used to exchanging blows in battles, without much thought for dodging. He still has a lot of room to grow before he can one-punch down an Ultimate-level Daimon in the future.

However, such scenes of humans and Digimon fighting hand-to-hand are rare, and this is also the process of Masaru Daimon and Agumon establishing their bond. Emu did not jump out to interfere. Yoshino and the DATS (Digital Aident Tactics SAD, the official organization in the fifth season) behind her were also focused on Masaru Daimon and Agumon, unaware that Emu was lurking behind them.

Finally, they fought until sunset, when the sun's rays shone on the rooftop. The man and the beast lay on the ground, introduced themselves, and acknowledged each other. At that moment, Agumon also recognized Daimon as his elder brother.

"Alright, that's enough! Cooperate and come back with us!" Seeing that the hand-to-hand combat was over, Shuna stepped forward, materialized her Digimon partner—Raramon, and said righteously.

"Who is that guy?" Daimon asked Agumon in a low voice, looking at the suddenly appearing Ralamon floating in the air.

"Those are the people who came to capture me! If they get caught, I'll deal with them!" Agumon said nervously.

"What?" Daimon was very surprised, then immediately made a decision: he had to protect his little brother! He picked up Agumon and prepared to run away.

"Everyone, don't be so tense~ Why don't we sit down and chat?" At that moment, a voice rang out, and Emu slowly strolled down.

"A child? Little friend, this is not a place for you. Leave now!" Shuna said, looking at Emu's youthful appearance and wondering why a child would be here.

"Don't rush, don't rush. I'm here to find you," Emu said calmly.

"Huh? Whoever you are, get out of my way! I will never hand over my little brother!" the gatekeeper said angrily.

"I told you not to rush things. Why don't we all sit down and have a proper talk? You don't want to be hiding with Agumon and the rest of the crew, do you?" Emu said helplessly.

"You actually know Agumon? You... know about Digimon? Who exactly are you?" Yoshino sensed something was wrong in Emu's words and asked with a frown.

"So, let's all sit down and talk... I'll tell you what needs to be said," Emu emphasized again.

"Shuno, listen to him. If possible, bring them all back to headquarters." DATs Commander Satsuma Rentaro, who was remotely controlling the situation, pondered for a moment before issuing the order.

"Ralamon, come back. Little one, you can say whatever you want to say now." Yoshino received instructions from headquarters, recalled Ralamon, and said to Emu.

Seeing that Rilakkuma had retreated a distance, Masaru Daimon and Agumon relaxed a little and whispered to each other, "How about it? Should we just run away?"

"Big brother, why don't we listen to what they have to say? If it doesn't work, we can run again. Otherwise, it'll be troublesome if they keep chasing us."

"Okay... then you get down first! You're so heavy!"

"I'm not heavy at all! I have a perfectly proportioned figure! I don't want to get down!"

"Stop cheating! The younger brother should listen to his older brother! Get down now!"

"Taking care of the younger brother is also the eldest brother's responsibility! I'm not getting down!"

"Get down!"

"No!"

Seeing the two suddenly start arguing, both Emu and Yoshino were speechless.

Emu coughed and said, "Alright... Anyway, let me introduce myself first. My name is Hojo Emu. I'm not from this world; I come from another world."

"Another world?!" Emu's self-introduction immediately piqued the interest of everyone present. Even the team members far away at dats headquarters started discussing it curiously.

"Not this world, but the Digital World?"

"That can't be the Digital World. There are only Digimon there!"

"Kankomon, what do you think?" The commander asked his partner, a glint in his sunglasses.

"...I don't know. He hasn't revealed enough information yet. But he probably can't be from the Digital World..." Kusanagimon replied thoughtfully.

"Is that so?" Satsuma Rentaro pushed up his sunglasses and fell silent. His partner was one of the Royal Knights, and even he didn't know that Emu's identity was becoming more and more interesting.

"Are you... from the Digital World?" Yoshino asked from the other side.