Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

The most short-tempered running beast felt its master had been insulted, and immediately swung its tail in displeasure, unleashing an invisible energy blade—[Heartbeat Pulse]—that precisely slashed at the still-chattering freak beast!

The freak was startled and jumped away hastily, falling into the swamp with a splash.

The rock it had just been standing on had a small piece shaved off by the energy blade, leaving a smooth cut.

This enraged the monster frog!

It climbed out of the water, brought the horn-like organ wrapped around its neck to its mouth, connected the horn to its tongue with three air holes, puffed out its cheeks, and blew it out loud!

"Beep—beep beep! Beep—beep beep!"

The brief, rapid melody, carrying a clear sense of alarm and summons, quickly spread through the misty swamp.

While Cheng Yuan and the others were still confused and hadn't reacted, something chilling happened—

The surrounding swamp water began to bubble and gurgle, the nearby reeds shook violently, and pieces of what appeared to be ordinary "mud" and "driftwood" actually started to move!

One, two, three... ten... sixteen!

Sixteen monstrous frog-like beasts emerged from all directions and hidden corners, their equally angry eyes fixed on the uninvited guests at the entrance of the ruins!

Cheng Yuan stared at the dense array of frog eyes, feeling a chill run down his spine: "One, two, three, four... sixteen! Holy crap! Did we... stumble upon the lair of a monstrous frog beast?!"

This time, I'm not the one who's really in deep trouble!

Chapter 174 Frog Swarm

Besides a dozen or so strange frog-like beasts, the surface of the swamp began to churn violently, and countless dark blue, round little heads popped out—they were tadpole beasts!

They surfaced in dense numbers, their pairs of bulbous eyes fixed on the animal trainers at the entrance of the ruins—a sight that sent chills down one's spine!

【Monster Frog Beast】

[Mature stage, amphibian type, virus species]

【Special Moves: Water Arrow, Song of the Frog】

[Description: A frog-like Digimon. It plays with a horn curled around its neck and produces sound through three holes at the tip of its tongue. It excels at ensemble playing, and when multiple Digimon play together, they can create powerful sonic attacks. It is timid and usually lives in groups.]

Tadpole Beast

[Growth Stage · Aquatic Type · Species Data]

Special moves: Foam, Water Arrow

[Description: A tadpole-shaped Digimon. It has smooth skin and a gentle nature, but when provoked, it will collectively fire water arrows. It is the juvenile stage of the Frogmon and usually lives in groups.]

These monstrous frog-like beasts generally only have data at the early stage of maturity, while the tadpole-like beasts are only at the growth stage.

The Frogmon are not a species that excels in combat. In terms of both data volume and energy intensity, they are at a significant disadvantage compared to Champion-level Digimon. They are often bullied by other wild Digimon, which is why they live in groups and stick together for warmth.

Moreover, when there are many Frogmon, their ensemble skills are enough to leave many powerful Champion-level Digimon speechless.

At this moment, with their cheeks puffed out and their angry, bulbous frog eyes glaring, they led a dense swarm of tadpole-like creatures, slowly encircling the area from the water, the mud, and behind the bushes, forming a suffocating encirclement!

The murky swamp water was stirred up by them, making a splashing sound, and the pressure increased sharply when combined with that cold gaze!

During this time, more monstrous frogs came running after hearing the horn and joined the encirclement.

"On alert! All units prepare for battle!" Zhao Gang's loud shout instantly broke the brief moment of astonishment.

He suddenly flipped over and mounted the Wind Lion Beast. The Wind Lion Beast let out a deep roar, its body surging with air currents, and its mane moving without wind.

Lin Yu, Li Yunjin, and Liu Li immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and quickly returned to their positions, directing their respective Digimon to assume defensive stances.

The grizzly bear orc stood up, letting out a menacing roar, its thick paws slamming into the ground, splashing mud and water.

The running beast lowered its body, letting out a low growl from its throat, its muscles tense, ready to unleash its astonishing speed at any moment;

The powerful Angora Beast turned sideways and raised one leg, pointing forward with a sense of power.

Guan Yan was working her best to break through the gate to the ruins and couldn't stop. Baron stepped forward and shielded her behind him, the ancient book in his hand emitting a faint light, ready to unleash [Guardian Barrier] at any moment.

"Damn it, we've gone too far..." Zhao Gang cursed under his breath, his face grim. He hadn't expected that a casual skipping motion would actually lead to catching a whole family of strange frog-like creatures!

"Croak! Croak croak!" The first freak to be hit on the head and the first to be attacked seemed to have become the temporary commander of the group of freaks. It stood on a high rock, arrogantly waving its little horn and giving orders.

The next second, more than twenty monstrous frogs and even more tadpole-like creatures simultaneously puffed out their cheeks, their bellies swelling at a visible speed!

"Watch out! It's [Water Arrow]!" The top students in Shanghai immediately recognized this iconic skill.

These water arrows are not very powerful individually, probably only able to cut through a thin layer of skin, but when there are many of them, the resulting barrage is enough to cause terrifying suppression and damage!

In an instant, countless water arrows of varying sizes, shimmering with light, shot out from all directions like a sudden storm!

They were so densely packed that they almost covered all the mudflats around the entrance to the ruins, leaving no way to avoid them!

"Wind Lion Beast! Stone Guardian!" Zhao Gang was the first to respond. The Wind Lion Beast roared, and a barrier made of data code and rock phantoms materialized in front of it, temporarily blocking the attack of a water arrow.

"Grizzly Beast, Thick Hide! Giant Bear Paw Strike!" Lin Yu commanded. The Grizzly Beast roared, its fur seemingly coated with a metallic sheen. It swung its massive paws, shattering the approaching water arrows as if swatting flies!

Water splashed everywhere, and even the fish that managed to escape were blocked by that incredibly thick, defensive skin, making muffled splashing sounds.

"Powerful Angolan Beast, Jet Dance!" Liu Li commanded.

The powerful Angora Beast unleashed a rapid series of kicks while standing on one leg, its leg shadows flying and accurately scattering the incoming water arrows one by one, its movements even carrying a strange sense of rhythm.

"Running beast, move at high speed to avoid it!" Li Yunjin chose to let his partner take advantage of speed.

The running beast transformed into a streak of light, dashing left and right through the narrow entrance to the ruins, dodging the dense barrage of fire with astonishing speed, and occasionally tearing apart unavoidable water arrows with its sharp claws.

However, there were simply too many water rockets!

The combined volley of over twenty Frogmon and twice the number of Tadpolemon covered a vast area, yet many still managed to slip through the Digimon's defensive network and hurtle towards Cheng Yuan, Guan Yan, and Goatmon in the center!

"Goat Beast, Divine Barrier!" Cheng Yuan calmly gave the order.

The Divine Barrier is least afraid of area-of-effect attacks with low power, but is most afraid of single-target skills with strong explosive, piercing, and cutting power.

Water arrows splattered against the golden-white barrier, like a downpour hitting a sturdy umbrella. After evolving into a goat beast, the barrier gained even more protective power, becoming stronger and more resilient.

Cheng Yuan patted the corner of his clothes, leaving them completely dry.

Baron also coordinated perfectly, summoning the [Guardian Barrier]. The materialized barrier combined with the energy of the Holy Barrier to form a double defense.

At this point, they only need to obediently play a supporting role, protecting Guan Yan and themselves.

"This won't do! Passive defense is too disadvantageous!" Zhao Gang shouted, frowning.

Although the situation has reached a temporary stalemate, the commotion here is too great. If it attracts more wild Digimon or alerts a more troublesome entity in the swamp, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"We have to interrupt their spellcasting! Or take down the leader!" He also realized the key: if the monstrous frog that was in charge wasn't eliminated, they would be endlessly drained by these annoying water arrows.

"Running Beast, Heartbeat Pulse!" Li Yunjin attempted a targeted kill.

The running beast instantly unleashed an invisible energy blade, aiming straight for the leading freak beast.

But this strange frog-beast seemed to have learned its lesson. Upon seeing this, it immediately waved the horn on its neck, and with a crisp "clang," it accurately smashed the energy blade away!

It even croaked twice triumphantly, seemingly mocking the situation.

"Hey, it's pretty flexible!" Cheng Yuan laughed. "Let's give it a try."

The goat beast's sacred barrier rose up and condensed into a holy light bullet larger than usual, radiating a scorching aura, which flew towards the monstrous frog beast that was giving command.

The monstrous frog tried to smash the ball of light away as usual. The horn collided with the ball of light, producing a muffled "bang".

The ball of light was deflected, and the monstrous frog-like beast let out a few strange laughs, seemingly mocking the attack as nothing special.

However, Cheng Yuan wore a knowing smile.

The holy light bullet that had been knocked away drew a strange arc in the air, as if it had been equipped with a tracker, and suddenly turned back, hitting the smug frog beast's head with even greater speed and precision!

boom!

Holy light exploded! A blinding white light flashed and disappeared!

"Croak—!!!" The monstrous frog let out a shrill scream. Its entire head was charred and smoking, and even its precious horn was charred and emitting wisps of smoke.

It fell backwards into the water, thrashed about a couple of times, and then fell silent.

The sound of the flash explosion and the commander's screams clearly reached the ears of every monstrous frog.

The frog-like creatures' cheek-puffing motion noticeably faltered, and their water arrow attack instantly weakened by more than half.

They looked at each other, seemingly somewhat flustered.

But soon, a collective outrage spread!

The remaining monstrous frogs took out the horns from their necks, put them in their mouths, and puffed out their breath!

The tadpole beasts continued to spray water arrows, their power diminished but still annoying. Meanwhile, the monstrous frog beasts blew their horns!

"Beep—woo woo woo—"

"Beep—woo woo woo—"

"Beep—woo woo woo—"

A strange, noisy horn sound, yet with a hint of eeriness in its rhythm, rang out. The three air holes on the tip of the tongue coordinated with the horn, playing a harmony that could disturb one's emotions.

The sound seemed to penetrate directly into my mind!

【The Song of the Strange Frog】!

Our own Digimon will be the first to be hit!

The Wind Lion Beast irritably shook its mane, the Grizzly Bear Beast's roar became somewhat frantic, the Mighty Angora Beast's dance steps became chaotic, and even the fastest running beast showed a moment of confusion and chaos in its eyes, showing signs of losing control, and paced anxiously in place!

"Sonic attack? Mind interference?" Cheng Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately shouted, "Goat Beast, use the Mystic Bell to counteract them!"

"Baa—!" The goat-beast raised its head and bleated, the golden sacred bell under its neck moving automatically without wind, emitting a clear, melodious "clang—clang—" sound that seemed to cleanse the soul.

The sound seemed to possess a strange magic, piercing through the noisy horns and clearly reaching the ears of every friendly Digimon.

Like a clear spring flowing through their hearts, the confusion and frenzy in their own Digimon's eyes quickly faded, and they regained their clarity.

Two completely different sound waves collided, intertwined, and annihilated each other in the air! This created an invisible, violently vibrating sound wave!

The surface of the swamp trembled violently at a frequency visible to the naked eye, creating countless fine ripples. Then the ripples grew larger and larger, eventually turning into waves that surged outwards, crashing against the mud and rocks of the ruins on the shore!

"boom--!!!"

When the energy of the two sound waves reached its limit, they finally exploded with a deafening roar! A massive explosion, far surpassing all previous sounds, erupted over the swamp!

An invisible shockwave, mixed with a piercing noise, suddenly spread outwards!

"Quack!!!" "Purr!!!"

The monstrous frogs and tadpole beasts were the first to be hit, as if struck by an invisible giant hand. They screamed and were thrown out by the sound waves, falling heavily into the swamp like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, splashing up large swaths of mud and water, instantly clearing a large area.

Cheng Yuan's Digimon weren't in much better shape. Although Goatmon's bell was mainly for protecting its own side, the huge sonic boom still made their heads buzz and their eardrums ache. For a moment, they were all dizzy and unsteady on their feet.

However, this deafening roar did not bring the silence of victory.

The earth... began to tremble.

A dull tremor, as if coming from the bottom of a swamp, slowly spread, becoming clearer and clearer.

The monstrous frogs and tadpoles, who had been struggling and thrashing in the mud, seemed to sense something extremely terrifying. They instantly stopped struggling, stared in horror into the depths of the swamp, and then let out even more shrill and panicked screams:

"Oh no! The king has woken up!"

"Quick, hide!"

"It's all your fault! You woke the King from his sleep!"

"The king will be hungry when he wakes up!"

"Still talking! Run! Or the king will eat you!"

They no longer cared about Cheng Yuan and his group of invaders. Like startled birds, they frantically paddled and jumped, fleeing in all directions in a panic.

At this moment, they just wanted to get away from this area as quickly as possible, wishing they had more legs.

An indescribable, unsettling sense of oppression enveloped the entire swamp.

Chapter 175 Give Me Two More Minutes

The fog seemed to freeze, the humidity in the air suddenly increased, carrying a strong, pungent smell of rotting seaweed from the depths of the swamp and a certain fishy odor. And there was the ever-approaching vibration, as if breaking free from the constraints of the muddy bed…

Just as Zhao Gang and the others were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief after the strange frog beasts collapsed, they were stunned into stillness by the sudden sense of oppression.

A huge clump of objects, swaying slightly like purple seaweed, suddenly began to shake violently and "grew taller" at an astonishing speed!