Digital Hackers' Memories

"Takumi? Isn't that my dream?"

After a brief moment of surprise, Sanada Shin suddenly saw a familiar, digitized image appear before him.

Immediately afterwards, Takumi, on the other end of the network, once again used the EDEN device worn by Arata Sanada as a medium to jump out of the cyberspace built by countless invaders.

"Why did you bring me back? Wouldn't it have been better to just leave me like that?!"

"Humph!"

He rolled his eyes very bluntly, Takumi simply couldn't be bothered with this guy who was so stubborn and headed down a dead end.

"Damn it! You're such a busybody!"

Seeing this, Sanada Shin, who had not yet fully recovered, was perhaps enraged and embarrassed, and suddenly grabbed Takumi by the collar and roared at him.

"Why don't you say something? Why won't you answer me?"

However, instead of Takumi's reply, Sanada Shin responded with a familiar straight punch.

"What do you want me to say? You self-destructive bastard!"

With a punch, Takumi knocked Sanada to the ground and roared in a manner inconsistent with his usual "good guy" image.

Do you think you're the only one feeling guilty?

"Do you think you're the only one worried about Yuugo?"

Do you think you're the only one suffering the pain of those memories?

Do you think you're the only one with the right to wallow in self-pity and give up on yourself?

"You think you're the only one..."

With each word he spoke, he threw a punch; the anger in Takumi's eyes was no less than that of Sanada Shinichi.

However, Takumi's personality made him realize that simply giving up on himself would be useless, and he would not give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

"You guy..."

After being stunned by Takumi's series of punches, Sanada Shinya didn't care about anything else and instinctively threw a punch to retaliate.

So, what followed was a brawl between Takumi and Arata Sanada, with them exchanging punches and kicks, venting their frustration and resentment.

......................................................................................................

"Ah? This..."

Staring dumbfounded at the brawl between Takumi and Arata Sanada, Yuko Kamishiro turned her head away, looking down at Alpha Beast, who was also "unable to bear to watch."

Let them do as they please!

After Alphamon finished speaking, it turned its gaze to Examon in the sky.

Compared to Sanada Shin, who has returned to normal and just wants to find a way to vent his frustrations, the Examon pierced through the sky is the real "crisis".

"Was that WarGreymon just now... was it really just WarGreymon?"

Nokia, who is naturally rather oblivious, may have sensed the "crisis" or not, but after realizing that Sanada Shin had regained his senses, she also turned her gaze to the sky.

"hold head high!"

His body was pierced by WarGreymon's Battle Tornado, and bystanders could even see the Digital Vortex still spinning behind Examon through the hole.

That is the gateway to another world, and the very thing that Examon was willing to expose its true form to protect.

However, WarGreymon pierced through Examon's body and went into the interior of the World Tree, which had not yet fully descended into the real world.

This sense of loss—the feeling that his duty had been broken and his mission destroyed—caused Examon, who was already quite irrational, to completely go berserk.

"We must stop it!"

This time, it was Omegamon who spoke, because only Omegamon, who had personally stopped Examon from going berserk, knew just how terrifying a fully rampaged Dragon Emperor could be.

"Before we stop it, I think we probably have some other problems to deal with."

Alphamon's voice shifted from calm to intrigued as it spoke again, muttering something that didn't fit its usual persona.

"Sister Xingzi?"

Yuko Kamishiro immediately noticed Alphamon's transformation; its unique tone of voice was clearly that of the real Kyoko Kuremi.

Unexpectedly, after Alphamon reverted to its original form, Kyoko Kuroi's will still exist within it, and it was even able to control its body to a certain extent.

"Well, it's me."

With a carefree smile playing on its lips, Alphamon slowly turned its gaze toward BanchoLeomon, who was rushing over from a distance.

"We're not the only ones drawn to this battle."

"If we're not careful, a war between humans and Digimon could really break out."

As if in response to Alphamon's statement, a massive, unspecified human army was rapidly assembling behind BanchoLeomon.

At the same time, some EDEN devices that seemed to be related to the Kamishiro Group were also pushed over – they appeared to be a type of weapon of mass destruction specifically designed to target Digimon and Digimon.

sizzle...

Takumi, who was fighting with Arata Sanada, was the first to be affected by that unknown weapon.

Suddenly, Takumi's body, which is somewhere between a human and a Digimon and possesses the purest "data body," flickered, just like when there is a network problem and it lags.

The problem is that Takumi is not in the network now, but in the real material world.

"Wha...what?"

Seeing this, Sanada Shin, who had just been furious, suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"nothing."

Noticing the abnormality happening to himself, Takumi was taken aback at first, then shook his head nonchalantly.

"Saying anything is meaningless, your body was just clearly visible..."

Before Sanada Shin could finish speaking, he saw Takumi's face with a bright smile.

Welcome back, new!

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Gods of the New World

At the boundary between the material world and the digital world, on the vast and empty dimensional wall.

So, you were looking for me?

Priest Beast X raised its head indifferently, staring at the World Tree core that had been almost completely corrupted by the Eroders not far away.

Unlike the peripheral terminal avatars called "World Tree 7D6", this is the core of the World Tree, a vast database that records all data from the past, present, and future of the digital world.

Theoretically speaking, as long as there are no problems here, even if the entire Digital World is destroyed, the World Tree can rebuild a new and more perfect world based on this information.

In fact, Yggdrasil did try to do that, but was ultimately stopped by the Royal Knight it created—Alphamon.

"Since you consider yourself a 'god,' have you ever thought that one day you might ask for help from what you consider 'mortals'?"

As if in response to the words of the priest beast X, the core, which had been enveloped by the invaders, slowly unfolded, revealing a massive creature with strange horns and a single eye.

Its towering body, tens of meters tall, is as magnificent as a giant from a tokusatsu film, and its majesty, which cannot be shaken even by those who erode it, tells outsiders that it is a "god".

"It is the duty of us believers to dedicate everything to God."

Standing indifferently behind Priest Beast X, Jade Rabbit Beast refuted the other party's statement in this way.

“We are the creation of God, an extension of the World Tree. Saving Him is saving our own world.”

The Jade Rabbit is not a devout believer, but that does not prevent it from understanding its relationship with the World Tree.

In Yutumon's view, Yggdrasil is the Digital World, and the Digimon living in it are part of Yggdrasil.

Saving the World Tree is the same as saving the Digimon themselves; there's not much difference between the two.

"Yes, the World Tree is the 'Creator,' the one that has brought both worlds to the future!"

Just as Priestmon X and Jade Rabbitmon were talking, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Who?"

The Jade Rabbit, which had been on high alert, was the first to turn around, and then it saw a human who shouldn't have been there—Mitō Akemi.

"My name is Motoaki Akishiro, a researcher with some knowledge of the digital world."

With that strange, almost morbid smile on his face, Suedo Akira gave a simple reply to the Jade Rabbit Beast's question, then turned his gaze to the Priest Beast X, who had remained silent.

"Of course, if it were you, I would also consider you as my 'savior'."

Upon hearing what Suedo Akemi said, Priest Beast X turned around with a look of disgust, making no attempt to hide his aversion to Suedo Akemi.

“We were just getting what we needed, as Ming Shi of the end of the hall said.”

"Taking advantage of someone's kindness" is a morally condemned act in the human world, but Priest Beast X was not at all surprised that Mo Tangming would do such a thing.

Or rather, it would be surprising to Priest Beast X that this somewhat neurotic guy would eventually develop normal human moral values.

From showing up after the "Shinjuku subway station incident" to proposing Chen Ze's treatment plan, Priest Beast X has always been extremely wary of this human who claims to be an "ordinary researcher".

Priestess Beast X did not deny the abilities that Suedo Akira had demonstrated in this series of events, but the other party's neurotic morbidity and illogical style made her deeply understand that he was a time bomb.

Just like now, a human is able to penetrate deep into the "core of the World Tree," a place that even ordinary Digimon may not be able to reach.

The sudden appearance of Suedo Akemi doesn't seem like someone who's here for tourism at all.

"Is it a matter of mutual benefit? But that's certainly true."

Completely disregarding the priest beast X's apparent rejection, Modo Akira walked forward and stood before the massive core of the World Tree.

“I always knew you were no ordinary person, but I never imagined you would be a ‘god’s clone’.”

Under the incredulous gaze of the Jade Rabbit Beast, the human, Suedo Akemi, actually touched the core of the World Tree with a fervent obsession, behaving like a true pervert.

"God, the Creator, the Maker of the world... what a perfect thing this is!"

As if sensing his own pain, Priest Beast X frowned and kicked away Suedo Akemi, who was trying to climb the core of the World Tree.

"You didn't come here just to lament about this, did you?"

Priest Beast X, just like a true divine priest, used a barrier to isolate this mysterious fellow.

"What a stingy person."

Like a child whose toy has been taken away, Suedo Akemi rarely complained, but the strange smile on his face revealed his current mood.

“Let’s work together! I know you definitely don’t want to become a ‘split’ of God.”

He spoke with a certain tone that was enough to make Jade Rabbit Beast frown. Suedo Akemi's attitude was as nonchalant as before, but the two Digimon present could sense the weight of his words.

"Give me your identity, and I'll become God's 'avatar' in your place. What do you think of this deal?"

As soon as Mo Tangming said this, the Jade Rabbit Beast shrank forward without saying a word, and burst out with almost terrifying speed and power in a small space.

boom!

The violent impact resounded throughout the entire venue, and the resulting air shockwave directly destroyed the nearby floorboards.

"Priest Beast!!!"

However, the Jade Rabbit Beast, which had just unleashed a stunning attack, immediately turned around and pounced on the Priest Beast X behind it in an even more ferocious manner.

Because in that very instant, the barrier originally used to imprison Suedo Akemi became a protective barrier for him, neutralizing the Jade Rabbit Beast's attack.

Who else but Priest Beast X could do something like this at this time and in this place?

Most importantly, wasn't Priestmon X exhausted its power in the battle against Mugendramon, which is why it was kidnapped by him?

When exactly did the opponent regain their strength?

Could it be that the other party's previous statement that "there is no time to guard against thieves" was not just bluffing?

"Shut up!"

With just a soft shout, the priest beast X, who had not shown any intention of resisting before, imprisoned the rampaging jade rabbit beast with a simple barrier.

"You have no right to speak now."

Glancing at the Jade Rabbit Beast that he had completely imprisoned, Priest Beast X slowly turned his head to the other side, towards Suedo Akemi.

"If I understand correctly, you want to take my place and become the 'backup' of the World Tree?"

"No, or to be more precise, you want to become the World Tree, to become the god of the new world?"

End of Volume Spacetime Observer