I'm just an ordinary person passing by.

She is not a mascot, nor a useless follower who can do nothing but watch from the sidelines. She can fight, she can communicate with her partner, and she can create miracles.

Joy overcame her fear, and at that moment, Xiaobaihe's mindset changed. Perhaps she was still anxious, perhaps she was still eager, but there was clearly a strange feeling in her heart.

—I can have even greater power...I can become even stronger, as long as I'm willing, I definitely can!

Her will began to twist; the power that couldn't completely change the course of the battle, the power that could grow stronger, the power that evolved from her own will... all sorts of emotions intertwined, and the bond between Sayuri and the eight-legged horse beast gradually turned dark... that sacred posture began to fall into darkness...

The Divine Plan connects Digimon with humans, and this connection of hearts makes Digimon stronger. However... the children's hearts are being shaped; good or evil lies in a single thought. When a child's thought turns evil, that divine light will transform into a dark will...

Digimon...will fall into depravity along with the children's will...

Sayuri failed. Her desperate desire to win the war, her desperate need to connect with the eight-legged beast, to become stronger, stronger... her unbridled thirst for power, her disregard for the eight-legged beast, her single-minded craving for power, ultimately led to her defeat...

Her slender legs lost their strength, as if all the power had been drained from her body, and a look of utter despair gradually crept onto the girl's face...

"It shouldn't be like this...it shouldn't be like this...why...Eight-legged horse, eight-legged horse...why won't you give me power? Why won't you respond to my wishes...Eight-legged horse...please, give me power..."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Above, in the shadows that blotted out the sun, the eight-legged horse-like beast, shrouded in darkness, charged relentlessly at Examon and UltimateVeedramon, like a wild animal unafraid of death and pain...

It was repeatedly repelled and struck; even as its strength increased, if this continued, it would surely die...

die? Will die?

In a daze, Sayuri seemed to realize something, and panic began to rise within her... No, no... This can't be...

The eight-legged horse cannot die... it cannot die...

"No... Eight-legged Horse Beast... Stop fighting... Stop fighting, Eight-legged Horse Beast! If this continues, you will surely die!"

"What should I do... what should I do... fight, I can't fight... ahhhhh!!!!"

If they don't fight, they will be utterly defeated; but if they continue fighting, they might win, but the eight-legged horse-like beast... will surely die...

Should they continue fighting, or save the eight-legged horse beast's life?

What to do? What to do? What to do?

The sudden choice between two options nearly drove Sayuri to the brink of collapse. Her friends and family in the human world, and her partner... were presented to her like a train dilemma.

Her body was trembling, her will was crumbling, and Little Lily, who had never experienced anything like this before, was like a pitiful child at this moment, evoking pity.

But no one could help her... Kyoko was fighting alongside Sixwingmon, Gallantmon was single-handedly holding off Omegamon, and Horsemon had lost its mind. She... had no one left to rely on...

Darkness surged in like a tide, and all sounds seemed to be completely cut off. You couldn't hear Anzu's shouts, the explosions of the Digimon's battle, or even your own heartbeat.

What are they saying? What are they shouting? And what should I... do?

Fox-like beast? What are you doing here? What happened to me?

—My vision was gradually swallowed by darkness, and everything in front of me began to blur.

Ah... I'm so tired... Is it time to rest? Kitsunemon, why aren't you saying anything? Are you already asleep? Ah... I see. Well then, goodnight, Kitsunemon...

In the darkness, Sayuri slowly closed her eyes...

"——Sayuri!"

Suddenly, a sound exploded in her ear, shattering the surrounding silence without warning. Sayuri, who was about to close her eyes, opened them in a daze, and then... the darkness receded like a tide, and she belatedly stared blankly at... the blonde woman...

“Kyoko...senpai…”

"Stand up, Lily."

The blonde woman stood in the middle of the battlefield, her eyes fixed on the six-winged beasts fighting, never wavering.

"Stand up! The battle is not over yet, and we have not lost!"

The sound reached her ears, and her dazed eyes snapped back to reality. Little Lily lowered her head, her expression bitter and desolate...

"But... Kyoko-senpai..."

We didn't lose, but I lost... The Eight-Legged Horsemon has lost its mind and is about to be defeated. When the Eight-Legged Horsemon is defeated, the other two battlefields are destined to collapse quickly. Neither Six-Winged Beast nor Gallantmon can cope with ten Royal Knights.

Senior and Gallantmon didn't lose, but she did... She dragged them down... If it weren't for me... If I weren't the chosen one...

Would the situation be different then?

I'm sorry... Kyoko-senpai... I'm sorry... Eight-legged Horse Beast... It's me, it's all my fault... I caused the war's defeat, I destroyed the entire human world... If only it weren't for me...

Sayuri didn't say anything, but Kyoko Kuroi already understood everything.

She remained silent for a while, and then asked softly.

"...Do you really think things would be better without you?"

Chapter 160 The Eight-Legged Horse Beast, Explosive Evolution

Do you really think things would be better without you?

The soft words reached my ears; there was no blame, no disappointment, and no encouragement.

The black-haired girl looked up blankly.

What she could feel from this was relief.

Feeling fortunate? Why feel fortunate? Why should I feel fortunate? Is it because I was the one chosen? Is it because I am the one standing here? Is that why I feel fortunate?

But... I've already lost... Me and the Eight-Legged Horse Beast... I dragged the Eight-Legged Horse Beast down with me... I lost, I alone caused this war to be lost!

Why should we be grateful? Why should we feel grateful?

"Senior Anzu... I've already lost, I've already lost!"

"—No, we haven't lost yet!"

With a slight smile in her voice, the blonde woman turned around, looked at the black-haired girl kneeling on the ground, and said gently and kindly, "You haven't lost yet..."

"Little Lily, the safety of this world will not depend on one person, nor will the destruction of this world happen because of one person. You are important, but you are also not important."

"The destruction of the world is none of your business, and the survival of the world is none of your business. There is no need to put the fate of the world on your shoulders."

"This is too cruel for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old."

"Besides, if we really have to talk about it, shouldn't I, as your senior, stand in front of you?"

"You are the hope of the future, a sapling that is growing strong, while I am the senior, a towering tree. If anything happens, it should be me protecting you!"

"Little Lily, protecting the younger generation is the responsibility of your seniors."

"Until you are able to stand on your own, I will support you and provide you with a safe haven."

"so......"

"No need to worry, no need to be afraid, and no need to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world. Seedlings should just do what seedlings are supposed to do!"

"Grow, transform, become stronger, and then... transform into a new towering tree!"

"Little Lily... don't be discouraged, don't be dejected. Everyone encounters setbacks on the road to growth. You just need to break through your own limitations... that's enough."

"Now, go do what you're supposed to do!"

"Six-Winged Beast! Show us the power of the leader of the Seven Demon Kings! Let our juniors see how their elders protected her from the wind and rain!!!"

Her bold words revealed her boundless ambition, and the blonde woman held up the sacred plan, the golden light making it seem as if a divine descent had descended.

The six-winged beast soared into the sky, its light illuminating the earth like the sun...

"Even though we're supposed to be showing our strength, we can only manage a draw... If you don't give me a raise, I'll protest, boss..."

Little Lily stared blankly at the scene before her.

The golden-haired elder sheltered him from the wind and rain, and divine light supported heaven and earth.

The war is not over yet; her predecessors... are still trying to turn the tide...

For no apparent reason, Xiaobaihe's nose tingled, and tears seemed to well up in her reddened eyes...

No, I won't cry anymore...

She wiped away her tears and stood up.

The black-haired girl stood next to the blonde woman.

Maybe I'm still very inexperienced, maybe I'm still very vulnerable when facing difficulties, maybe I can't do anything at all... but... I have to fight... I have to give it my all.

Her predecessors haven't given up, her partner is still fighting... Everyone she knows is fighting relentlessly for one goal, so what reason does she have... to do nothing here?!

“Eight-legged horse beast... I'm sorry, I gave up... But now, I understand... Although I don't know if I will still be afraid or if I will still have the urge to run away, I will not back down again.”

"I will fight... I will continue to fight!"

"So...please, eight-legged horse beast, lend me your power!"

—Radiance!

As the mind returned, the linked will shone brightly. Just as the black color faded away, a golden, sacred light reappeared around the eight-legged horse-beast.

The injuries on his body disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the power that had been exhausted surged back. Those eyes that had lost their will... regained their will!

"An eight-legged horse-like beast!"

Little Lily smiled happily.

It's back...it's back again...the eight-legged horse beast has returned once more!

"Thank you, Eight-Legged Horse Beast... lend me your power once again, once again, Eight-Legged Horse Beast!"

She prayed like this... but in the next moment, a voice, the voice of an eight-legged horse, suddenly rang out...

"No... Sayuri, power isn't something you borrow from each other... power is something you rely on."

"It's not that I'm lending you my power, it's that our power... has become one!"

"Our power...is united as one..."

The colors around her faded once more, and Little Lily stared blankly ahead.

Strength... is not something borrowed from each other; strength... is something that is united as one...

Our strength...the strength of everyone...

Ah...you're right, eight-legged horse...power isn't borrowed, it's united...our power, everyone's power...

"—Shout out, Lily! You have the power now! Seize your own light!"

"This is...our power!!!"