Knights of the Digital World

Emu remained silent, his mind racing: "He still sees me as some new Digimon called 'Kamen Rider.' But that's not the point. The important thing is what he said. He knows about Beast Warrior Souls, which makes sense, since Cherubimon's warriors all go looking for Beast Warrior Souls themselves. Only Darkmon's Beast Warrior Soul is in Cherubimon's possession. Judging from his words, does he know this? His relationship with Cherubimon seems really bad..."

"He also mentioned 'they'... Who are 'they' referring to? Who will guide Takuya and the others... Could it be the Warrior's Soul?! Does the Dark Beast know that the Warrior's Soul is conscious?! Has it communicated with the Dark Warrior's Soul? Then how did it become the Dark Beast?!"

"Damn it, I'm definitely not the strategist type. Without the knowledge of the world's prophet and without sufficient intelligence, I can't think of anything useful!" Emu gritted her teeth inwardly.

Darkmon, unfazed by Emu's lack of response, laughed maniacally for a while before continuing, "You told those brats to stay in their Digimon forms, that sounded good. I want you to do the same. Come on, evolve now! Don't revert to human form until you can't take it anymore!"

"My body won't allow it. I just fought you, and I don't have enough energy to transform." Emu didn't have any objections to Dark Beast's arrangement, but he didn't want to overexert himself, so he explained.

"Not allowed? Hmph, you underestimate your body. In my eyes, your body is far from reaching its limit! It's your will, your subconscious weakness, that's holding you back!" The dark beast sneered disdainfully.

"How could that be! Don't I know my own body? I've been exercising every day, and I know my own limits! I can't overwork myself! This has nothing to do with my will or any weakness!" Yongmeng said firmly.

"You think your body is still the same as before? This is the Digital World! Your body has already been digitized! What overdraft, what destruction, is meaningless. Your body won't have any problems until your data breaks through its limits." Darkmon scoffed at Emu's tough stance.

"Datafication?!" Instantly, the image of a datafied body, which often appeared in his previous life, appeared in Emu's mind. It had its own attribute panel, its H attribute never returned to zero, and it was fine even if its head was blown up.

However, Emu quickly realized that he was definitely not one of those data-driven beings. At least he had never seen any attribute panel, and he didn't dare gamble on what would happen if he got a headshot. But Darkmon was probably right; at least the characteristic of this Digital World was that people were indeed digitized, and everyone even had their own digital password. Even if someone was on the verge of death, as long as their digital password hadn't been scanned away, they would recover in a short time. And the appearance of a digital password also meant that the data had exceeded its limits, and the damage suffered was excessive.

In the TV series, the children were repeatedly beaten and regressed, yet they never showed any obvious injuries, such as missing limbs. Moreover, their injuries healed remarkably quickly; they could lie on the ground for a short while and then get up again. This is likely due to the initial datafication process. My ability to directly transform into Ex-Aid is probably similar. My current body is already very close to that of a Hollow Source, only lacking their ability to transform into a data stream. Therefore, I can transform directly without adaptation surgery or system modifications.

It's a pity about the divine chant of the shrimp dumplings.

Thinking about it this way, Yongmeng realized that this world was indeed a good place to train. He could train himself to the point of near death. As long as no one scanned his digital password, he could recover after a while and continue training. Just like Xiajiao's 99 lives, if you have too many lives and can't die, you can just go wild.

"You've figured it out? Then transform quickly!" the dark beast urged. "Fighting is the best form of training. From now on, you'll fight me at least three times every day!"

Emu's hand holding the cartridge trembled. "Three times?! What's the point of training if I fight you? It's a one-sided stomp! Besides, it's supposed to be recovery and rest time, so I can't do any other training! I might as well train on my own first!"

"What kind of training methods do you know! I've already said, the best way for a warrior to train is through combat! Combat is the fastest way for you to become familiar with your own abilities. Rich combat experience allows you to make the most appropriate judgments in battle! Everything else is just fluff! What's the use of being powerful if you can't use your abilities?" the dark beast scolded.

"I will suppress my power to the same level as yours. Hurry up, stop hesitating," the dark beast urged.

"On the same level? Then let's give it a try!" Yongmeng was actually a little unconvinced, feeling that the Dark Beast's strength relied more on overwhelming power. After all, their combined attack had only broken the Dark Beast's health bar, and after exchanging a few words, the damage was fully restored.

How am I supposed to fight this?!

The Dark Beast's emphasis on combat experience was completely ineffective. Throughout the entire fight, the Dark Beast didn't dodge any attacks, simply tanking them all and then going straight for the kill. Given such a significant difference in strength, the difference in experience was negligible; it wouldn't have mattered who fought.

"A massive transformation!" Emu instantly transformed into a level 3 fighting game player, with fire erupting from the dog heads on his chest and shoulders: "Hellfire!"

This time, the Dark Beast didn't take the hit head-on. Instead, it quickly dodged to the side and unleashed a sword aura: "Blood Assault!"

Yongmeng extinguished the flames and leaped to the side, dodging the sword energy. The sword energy slashed at the ground, creating a trench. However, compared to the previously exaggerated trench tens of meters long, it was clear that the Dark Beast had indeed suppressed its power.

After unleashing its sword energy, the Dark Beast quickly closed in on Emu. Emu didn't back down; it summoned the Gashan Destroyer, switched to its sword form, gripped it tightly with both hands, and slashed down at the Dark Beast.

Darkmon possesses two demonic swords called "Blood Evolution," but perhaps out of a desire to teach, Darkmon only uses one of them.

Easily parrying Emu's attack, Dark Beast's free left hand struck towards Emu's chest. The dog heads on Emu's chest and shoulders immediately opened their mouths, ready to bite Dark Beast. Dark Beast remained unmoved; its large eyes on its shoulders and chest emitted beams of light, forcing the dog heads down. Its left fist slammed into Emu's chest, causing Emu to groan softly and loosen its grip slightly.

Dark Beast deftly deflected Emu's Gashan Destroyer, then pierced Emu's chest with "Blood Evolution," knocking him back two steps. It then kicked out with its right foot, slamming it heavily into Emu's face and sending him flying.

Chapter Nineteen, The Dark Beast's Teachings

"A foolish choice. You're holding a sword, not a knife, and your first reaction in battle is to slash? Are you really that strong? Are you sure you can break through the enemy's defenses? Have you thought about what you'll do if you can't?" The dark beast didn't continue its pursuit but instead scolded, "Your sword is a good weapon, but you're not a good user of it! Use your weapon wisely!"

The Dark Beast's power was suppressed to a similar level to Emu's, so Emu wasn't seriously injured. He quickly stood up, listening to the Dark Beast's rebuke, speechless. He had indeed failed to make good use of the Gashan Destroyer's sword form; after all, he didn't know any swordsmanship and could only hack and slash randomly.

Emu switched his weapon back to hammer form. Heavy weapons like hammers, axes, and maces don't have many set patterns; you can achieve good results even by randomly striking. However, weapons like spears, swords, and staffs require more specific techniques, and they won't be very effective if you just fight randomly.

After several battles, Emu had developed some ideas of his own. He started with Hellfire again, but this time he didn't continuously spew flames. Instead, he used the flames on his chest and shoulders to block the Dark Beast's escape route, while he quickly closed in head-on and slammed his hammer down hard.

Dark Beast nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Eiryu's little trick. The fiery seal could effectively restrict the opponent's movements. When the strength difference was small, Hellfire could inflict significant damage. This was a very effective way to force the enemy into direct combat.

As Emu had hoped, Dark Beast met his attack head-on. Unlike its previous sword-form slashes, the hammer-form's blows were more powerful and its attacks more ferocious. Dark Beast's Blood Evolution demon sword wasn't a broadsword type, and it struggled to exert force under Emu's hammer blows, instead being forced back several steps.

Seeing that his attack was effective, Yongmeng was invigorated and closed in on the Dark Beast again, bringing his hammer down on its head.

The Dark Beast didn't react; it just stood there dumbfounded, taking Yongmeng's hammer blows head-on and retreating continuously.

Emu was initially quite excited with his first few strikes, but when he realized the Dark Beast wasn't retaliating, he immediately realized his mistake and stopped his pursuit, instead retreating. His previous attacks lacked finesse; they were just random, brute force. It was normal to be able to suppress the Dark Beast at first, but after ten or so strikes, if the Dark Beast hadn't found a chance to counterattack or escape, then it was impossible. Even Emu himself had several ways to break out of this situation, let alone the Dark Beast.

"Your reaction time is alright. If you had struck a few more times, I would have been disappointed in you," the Dark Beast said calmly. "Judging an opponent's ability is also a form of combat experience. Like before, your attacks didn't have much rhythm; they were all just straight, direct blows. This kind of attack can't effectively restrict an opponent, making it easy for them to find an opportunity to counterattack. It's good that you didn't greedily take those few hits. But your reaction time is still a bit slow; it's only passable. With your attack speed, an experienced person would have found an opportunity to counterattack on the second hit."

As the Dark Beast spoke, it flicked its sword and charged towards Emu. Almost instinctively, Emu swung its hammer down.

But Dark Beast had already seen through Emu's attack. Without even dodging, Blood Evolution flashed past and pierced Emu's wrist.

The attack on his wrist caused Emu to pause involuntarily. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Dark Beast grabbed the handle of the Gashan Destroyer and twisted it outwards, causing Emu's hand to flip outwards as well, rendering him powerless. Dark Beast followed up with a kick to Emu's abdomen, sending him staggering back several steps. Dark Beast also managed to dodge the Gashan Destroyer in his hand.

"See that? Your attack pattern is too simple; I saw through it immediately. I didn't even need to dodge; I could have avoided it and even taken your weapon. If I had dodged, I could have landed a more ferocious attack on your chest and abdomen, enough to incapacitate you." The Dark Beast tossed the Gashan Destroyer behind him and lectured Yongmeng.

"Rhythm is key in combat! A hammer is indeed great for random smashing, but can't you vary your attacks? Smash from the left, then from the right. Don't just blindly smash head-on. Vary your attacks so your enemy can't predict them and won't be able to dodge them! Use your rhythm to dictate your opponent's rhythm and keep them busy!"

Yongmeng listened silently to the Dark Beast's teachings, diligently taking notes. These were all straightforward and practical instructions. Although he didn't know the Dark Beast's true situation, he no longer harbored much resentment towards it forcibly taken away; instead, he felt more respect and gratitude.

The Dark Beast reprimanded him, then withdrew its blood evolution and said, "As for weapons... you're just so-so. You still need to learn slowly. Now let me test your fists and feet." With that, the Dark Beast threw a punch.

Yongmeng quickly reached out to catch the punch, and with his other hand raised in a chop motion, he slashed at the Dark Beast's joint.

Dark Beast opened its fist and grabbed Emu's wrist with its other hand, parrying Emu's hand chop and grabbing his wrist as well. With a burst of strength, it pulled Emu towards itself, causing Emu to stagger forward. Then, it delivered a vicious headbutt to Emu's head.

The blow left Emu's head spinning, and he shook his head involuntarily. The Dark Beast's attack didn't stop; its hands remained firmly gripping Emu's wrists. Using this leverage, it launched itself into the air and kicked Emu in the chest and abdomen. It then released its grip, executing a graceful backflip and landing on the ground.

With that kick, Yongmeng's hands were released, leaving him without a point of leverage. He stumbled backward a few steps and landed hard on his backside.

The Dark Beast gave Emu no chance to catch her breath, pushing off the ground with both feet and charging forward, its knee viciously aimed at Emu's head.

Yongmeng had regained her senses and quickly placed her hands on the Dark Beast's knees. Using the momentum, she fell backward, dodging the Dark Beast's downward punch. She then raised her legs and kicked towards the Dark Beast's back.

The Dark Beast reacted with lightning speed, leaning forward and pressing down with both hands, pinning Emu's head down and causing it to slam hard against the ground. Using the force of its hands, it kicked backward with its feet, striking Emu's raised shinbones and slamming him back to the ground. The Dark Beast then flipped itself over, landing next to Emu's head.

As soon as it stopped, the Dark Beast continued its fierce attack, kicking Emu in the head.

This time, Emu's head wasn't hit too hard, and she remained relatively conscious. Catching a glimpse of the Dark Beast's movements out of the corner of her eye, she quickly rolled to the side, avoiding the ferocious kick.

The Dark Beast continued its relentless pursuit, unleashing a barrage of kicks. Its attacks were not static, nor did it solely target the head. It shifted its focus, occasionally aiming for the shoulders and chest. Even though Emu was rolling to dodge, she was still struck by the Dark Beast several times.

Several times, Emu tried to force himself to get up by taking two kicks, but the Dark Beast detected him in advance and changed his kicks to stomps, forcing Emu to continue rolling and dodging.

"That's the change of rhythm!" Dark Beast kicked Yongmeng on the shoulder again, scolding, "Use your attacks to guide the opponent's actions. Interrupt them before they make a move. You did a good job when you forced me with Hellfire, but it wasn't enough. You lost the rhythm afterwards. So you need to learn properly!"

Yongmeng had been rolling around and was already feeling dizzy. He knew he couldn't keep hiding. He was willing to take a few more kicks, even be stomped on, to change the current situation. He prepared himself to grab the dark beast's foot when its next kick came.

To everyone's surprise, the Dark Beast stopped in its tracks, letting Yongmeng roll a distance before standing up. It commented, "You made your decision too late. You should have been prepared to get kicked and stomped on from the start. It's a bit silly to only react after being hit so many times."

"You..." Yongmeng hesitated, unsure whether the Dark Beast had stopped because it saw through his intention to retaliate. Or perhaps, the Dark Beast simply wanted to teach him a lesson, and that's why it stopped?

"You want to ask why I stopped, right?" The Dark Beast seemed to see right through Yongmeng's thoughts and said, "It's very simple. As long as you pay attention to your body movements, you can guess when you will counterattack. It's not difficult at all."

"..." Emu remained silent. He was now utterly defeated by the Dark Beast. During the battle, the Dark Beast hadn't used more power than him, otherwise Emu wouldn't have been able to withstand so many of its attacks. However, with its rich combat experience and superior skills, the Dark Beast completely toyed with Emu. This was far more despairing than an energy crushing defeat. He couldn't even find a reason to console himself.

However, Emu could also sense a certain improvement in his fighting abilities. In fact, after transforming into Ex-Aid, he received related information, including information on fighting techniques. But since he was originally just an ordinary child and hadn't undergone any special training, even knowing this information, his body couldn't react in time. In each battle, Emu could only use some rudimentary fighting techniques, requiring careful thought and judgment before use. This was a major weakness in combat, slowing down his reactions.

In the battle against the Dark Beast, its relentless attacks left Emu with no time to think, forcing him to react almost instinctively. This deepened Emu's understanding of martial arts and enhanced his body's memory of fighting techniques, greatly benefiting his overall strength.

"Let's end this battle here. I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back to continue. Remember, you're not allowed to revert to human form without my permission." The Dark Beast glanced at Yongmeng, then stopped attacking and turned to leave. Black mist spread, gradually obscuring his figure before dissipating.

Chapter Twenty, Zudom Beast

For the next few days, Dark Beast continued to fight against Emu.

The original standard set by Dark Beast was to fight at least three battles a day, but after Emu knew he didn't need to worry about his health, he let himself go, challenging Dark Beast to battle as soon as his stamina recovered. Sometimes, he would even continue fighting after recovering only a little stamina. According to Emu, this was to prepare for battles when encountering enemies before he had fully recovered.

Darkmon admired Emu's hard work and repeatedly brought him to the brink of death, revealing his digital codes.

Of course, with such a high price paid, Emu's strength has also increased dramatically. First, his mastery of fighting techniques has improved several levels, allowing him to hold his own against the Dark Beasts' attacks, rather than being completely overwhelmed. Now, his physical reactions in battle surpass his mental ones. In combat, both offense and defense are much faster and more powerful.

Then there's the mastery of one's own energy levels. Ex-Aid possesses immense power, but initially, Emu couldn't effectively utilize or mobilize it. Each special attack requires a period of charging.

Due to his extended transformations, Emu's control over Ex-Aid has improved significantly, allowing him to more easily and freely mobilize his entire body's energy. He can now unleash his ultimate attack instantly, and its power is no less than his previous charged attacks. Furthermore, his current charged attacks are several times more powerful than before. This has caused a substantial increase in Emu's strength.

Next came improvement in his swordsmanship. During the battles of the past few days, Dark Beast demanded that Emu not use his hammer form, but instead fight him in his sword form. Through repeated defeats, Emu's swordsmanship improved. He didn't learn any special sword techniques or advanced skills; he simply learned to use his sword more effectively, no longer slashing aimlessly.

Finally, there's the improvement in willpower. In the Digital World, as long as the Digital Code isn't lost, one won't die or be crippled. However, the pain suffered will still be reflected in the individual. While Darkmon suppresses his power in battle, he rarely holds back. Emu's numerous near-death experiences are proof of this.

Time and again, he was struck down, fell, and faced death. Emu considered giving up, felt fear, and even wailed in agony. But under the cold gaze of the Dark Beast, Emu could only choose to rise again and fight once more. His will grew stronger in the process. Now, he could be considered a resilient warrior.

That day, after Dark Beast had hammered Emu into a near-death state, it stood beside Emu and waited until Emu recovered before saying, "That's enough for today's battle. You should rest well and come out with me tomorrow. I've already located those guys; go and test their strength."

I experienced the near-death experience again, lying on the ground gasping for breath. No matter how many times I experience it, this feeling is always awful.

Catching her breath and recovering, Yongmeng slowly stood up and asked, "Who are those guys? Can you tell me first so I can be prepared?"

"No. The world is full of surprises. You can't know every opponent's information beforehand. The important thing is to learn how to gather information about your opponent in a brief exchange. That's a very important lesson." The Dark Beast flatly refused. "You can transform back into human form and rest now. Show your full strength tomorrow. Understand?!"

"Yes! I understand!" Under the Dark Beast's questioning, Yongmeng couldn't help but answer loudly.

This Darkmon is indeed extraordinary. Sometimes he acts erratically, and just from his laughter, you can tell he's not a good person. But he's also very dedicated to teaching Emu, making him a qualified teacher. Despite being an evil warrior under Cherubimon's command, he has never stolen any Digicodes; he simply seeks out strong opponents to fight, and his words reveal a strange resistance towards Cherubimon.

Emu speculated that Darkmon might have been a powerful and righteous Digimon before obtaining the Warrior's Soul. Even after being brainwashed and transformed into Darkmon by Cherubimon's dark power, his own unwavering will still struggled against the power of Cherubimon's brainwashing, which is why he appeared to be insane.

Emu secretly resolved to find an opportunity to rescue Darkmon from Cherubimon's clutches. Although he hadn't interacted much with Darkmon outside of battles these past few days, he already regarded Darkmon as his teacher.

Day two.

Emu, who had transformed into a level 3 fighting action player, stood next to Dark Beast and nodded to it: "I'm ready."

"Fight well. Show me your improvement." The Dark Beast glanced at Yongmeng and said coldly. Before Yongmeng could reply, black mist had already spread out and enveloped their bodies.

After an unknown amount of time in the black fog, Emu's eyes lit up and he found himself on a beach.

Emu surveyed his surroundings, trying to locate his opponent. Dark Beast, meanwhile, activated Blood Evolution, unleashing a powerful Blood Assault towards the vast ocean. The thick sword energy sliced ​​through the sea, creating towering waves.

"Who is it?!" An angry shout came from the sea. As the waves rolled, a Digimon with a large hammer in its hand, a huge shell on its back, and a jagged horn on its forehead stood up from the sea, its eyes filled with anger at being disturbed.

"This is... Zudomon?!" Emu exclaimed, looking at the familiar Digimon. This was the Ultimate form of Gomamon, Joe Kido's partner in the first Digimon series—a true childhood memory!

"You know him? Tsk... then the effectiveness of gathering information during the battle will be much lower... but never mind. He's also a master of the hammer. This time, you're only allowed to use the hammer form. Learn well, understand?" Dark Beast shook its head and shouted at Yongmeng.

"Yes!" Emu had no objection.

"Hey! Who are you?! What do you want?!" Zudomon gripped Thor's hammer tightly, looking at Emu and the other two with great vigilance.

"Zudomon! I'm here to challenge you! I've heard you're very strong, so I want to fight you!" Emu stepped forward, raised her head, and shouted at Zudomon.

"Challenge me? No problem. But what kind of Digimon are you? I've never seen you before. And... what's up with that Digimon next to you? It's covered in dark energy... to be honest, it disgusts me!" Zudomon was easy to talk to. Vaccine-type Digimon are generally innocent and kind-hearted, the good guys of the Digital World.

“This is my master! Although he looks fierce, he’s not a bad person! You don’t need to worry about him,” Emu defended the Dark Beast.

When the Dark Beast heard Yongmeng say that he was his master, he didn't refute it. He just snorted coldly, found a large rock behind him, sat down, and said, "Hurry up! Don't waste time!"

Emu didn't mind, stretched his limbs, took out his Gashan Destroyer, and said with a smile from Zudomon, "Then, Zudomon, let's begin!"

As he spoke, the dog heads on Emu's shoulders spewed out green flames, still starting with Hellfire!

Despite its large size, Zudomon was incredibly agile. Faced with the hellfire, it simply flung its Mjolnir away and used its shell to shield itself from the flames.