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

After the smoke cleared, the Shell Beast lay dying in the ruins, its once indestructible shell mostly shattered, revealing its fragile data core.

Tailmon also knelt weakly on one knee, but its azure eyes remained as bright as stars, and the Holy Tail Ring and the Shadow Ring on its left ear alternately flickered with a faint light.

However, something even more disturbing happened.

The energy storm caused by Gatomon's low-end version of "Chaos Demotion" should have subsided, but the space inside the arena continued to distort strangely.

The golden-purple energy aftershocks did not dissipate; instead, they acted like a sharp blade, carving a tiny crack in the crystal wall between the real and digital worlds.

"This is..." Cheng Yuan's pupils shrank suddenly, and his heart pounded faster.

The crack, like ripples on the surface of water, rippled with eerie waves, its edges flashing with unstable data light, and a faint "buzzing" sound of electricity could be heard.

Cheng Yuan's pupils contracted sharply; he keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Logically speaking, given Gatomon's current strength, its low-level version of "Chaos Demotion" shouldn't have caused such strong spatial disturbances.

As Cheng Yuan pondered, the rift had already expanded to the width of his palm. Through the faintly visible spatial rift, he saw a chilling sight—

A pale yellow mist filled the gray sky and earth. It was no ordinary mist, but "death data" composed of countless tiny data fragments, each exuding an aura of decay.

In the distance, withered black trees could be vaguely seen with twisted branches, covered with humanoid data fragments that seemed to wail silently.

The ground wasn't soil, but some kind of translucent grayish-white substance that would create ripples when stepped on.

In this desolate world, countless ghost-type Digimon marched in long lines in silence.

Leading the pack was a colossal Death Beast, its empty eye sockets beneath its black robe burning with eerie blue flames, its massive scythe dragging across the ground, leaving cold marks on the data swamp.

Behind it, hundreds and thousands of ghost-type and immortal-type Digimon—Ghostmon, Red Candlemon, Will-o'-the-Wispmon, Fierce Ghostmon, Ghost Shadowmon, Ghost Soulmon… their figures were illusory and blurry, as if they were being pulled forward in unison by some invisible force.

What's even more chilling is that these Digimon aren't wandering aimlessly; they're as disciplined as an army. Their steps are heavy and uniform, each one seemingly treading on the depths of the soul, sending shivers down your spine.

Occasionally, if a Digimon strays from the group, the surrounding mist will suddenly condense into chains, roughly pulling it back into the ranks.

"The ghostly soldiers borrow a path..." Cheng Yuan murmured to himself, the ancient phrase flashing through his mind.

"Ghosts... digital space fusion?" Cheng Yuan suddenly recalled the information he had researched before the competition. The location of the Penguin Sports Center was once the largest mass grave in Pengcheng a hundred years ago. During the post-war reconstruction, countless souls buried here were hastily relocated, leaving behind a deep-seated resentment. Later, the digital world merged with reality, and this land filled with the aura of death was most likely to form special digital space nodes.

In addition, the low-end version of "Chaos Degradation"—the Light and Darkness Termination—caused spatial tremors, accelerating the erosion of this area.

Cheng Yuan broke out in a cold sweat; he'd gone too far again...

The cheers from the audience abruptly ceased.

Everyone saw what was behind the crack, and an inexplicable chill enveloped the entire venue.

A faint, lingering smell of decay drifted through the air, a mixture of mold and death that made one unconsciously hold their breath.

"What is that?!" A girl in the front row of the audience grabbed her companion's arm in horror.

"Don't, don't be afraid," his companion tried to remain calm. "It must be an AR effect put up by the organizers to celebrate the final results..."

"Yes, yes! It looks so real, you'd think it was another digital invasion!" someone nearby chimed in, their voice trembling uncontrollably.

The audience members were convinced of their own words, and they smirked, even shouting and screaming at the "actors" in the crack, exclaiming how awesome they were.

but!

In the guest seats, Li Xiaochun suddenly stood up, his face terribly solemn.

As one of the Twelve Divine Generals, she understood what this meant better than anyone else.

"Oh no! A digital space rift!"

The special Tyrannosaurus Rex device in her hand could detect spatial oscillations, and it was currently vibrating violently as a warning.

The staff below were in complete chaos. Someone shouted, "Why did a digital space suddenly appear? The monitoring system gave no warning whatsoever!"

"This kind of digital space is obviously a disaster space!"

"Look at the organization of those Digimon! This is a well-organized army of Virus species!"

"There's a fully-equipped leader... the initial assessment is that it's a large-scale or larger digital space..."

"Quickly use a digital satellite to investigate. Is it a terrifying... dark area?"

She quickly pressed the communicator, her voice low and urgent: "Immediately summon the professional beast tamer pioneering team and the garrison team! A high-risk digital rift has appeared at Pengcheng Sports Center! Arrive there as fast as possible to deploy a firewall!"

However, it was all too late.

The crack seemed to be drawn by some force, and it was expanding at a visible speed.

The Death Beast seemed to sense the gaze of the real world and slowly raised its skull.

The eerie blue flames in its eye sockets suddenly surged, and two icy gazes pierced through the spatial barrier, staring straight at the crowd in the arena.

Cheng Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

That wasn't ordinary hostility, but a more wary gaze at an unfamiliar world.

He instinctively hugged Gatomon tightly, only to find the little guy's fur standing on end—Gatomon, possessing both Holy and Dark types, is most sensitive to the aura of death.

Just then, dozens of dark red data tentacles suddenly emerged from the edge of the rift, spreading towards the real world like living things.

The nearest tentacle was less than ten meters from the nearest audience seat. A girl was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as the tentacle coiled towards her...

"Shh!"

A golden light descended from the sky, precisely severing the tentacle.

The Jade Rabbit Beast, its entire body enveloped in data, descended from the sky, its two palms transforming into two giant axes, the blades imbued with divine power.

With a single axe stroke, it shattered the tentacles, and the aura of its divine, fully-formed power stirred the dormant legion within the rift.

"All Champion-level Digimon Tamers, summon your Digimon immediately!" Li Xiaochun's voice resounded throughout the arena through the loudspeaker system, cold and devoid of any emotion. "I am Li Xiaochun, the Digimon Tamer of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac! According to Article 37 of the Digimon Crisis Response Act, you have been temporarily requisitioned by the Digimon Tamer Association!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of digital lights illuminated the entire venue.

Members of the Animal Trainers Association, guests, leaders from the Ministry of Education, and school leaders present responded to the call, and clusters of digital light illuminated the entire battlefield.

More than a dozen Champion-level Digimon lined up behind Jade Rabbitmon, facing the cold gaze of Deathmon in the spatial rift.

In the VIP box, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses pushed up his glasses and said, "The Celestial Hunters Guild has no cowards either, it's the unanimous creed of beast tamers worldwide..."

"It's about blocking darkness from the human world!"

Several data halos lit up on the other side of the venue, and a few more Champion-level Digimon joined the defense.

A tense and solemn atmosphere permeated the entire venue, with all the animal trainers on high alert.

Gatomon looked up at Cheng Yuan, its eyes flashing with a questioning light.

Cheng Yuan took a deep breath and nodded vigorously: "Go, Gatomon. This is what a true Beast Tamer should do!"

Chapter 122 Domain of Light

When the term "pioneer team" exploded in Cheng Yuan's ears, Xu Xin's words immediately came to mind: "Every new digital space needs someone to be the first to enter it."

At the time, he thought it was just a metaphor, but he never expected it to be a real profession.

"Pioneering Team" was a new profession that Cheng Yuan had heard about: professional animal trainers.

Rather than a profession, it's more like a job forged with one's life—a unique position for explorers in the digital age, born from the advent of the digital space.

Cheng Yuan stared intently at the spatial rift ahead, watching the Jade Rabbit Beast leading a group of Digimon in a state of high alert, and suddenly understood the significance of the pioneering team's existence.

Behind every new digital space lies an unknown digital ecosystem.

The pioneering team's mission is to rush into this unknown world as soon as possible, measure its boundaries with their lives, record the types of Digimon within, and assess the level of danger.

Are the Digimon in this digital space friendly, neutral, or hostile to humans?

What are the Digimon's levels? Are there any ferocious species that threaten humanity? Are they aggressive? Are they beyond the human world's tolerance? Should they be destroyed, or should the surrounding population be evacuated?

Is the spatial entrance stable? Will it exist in the long term? Or will it close in the short term? Or has it already begun to merge with the human world, evolving into a "wild" area within it?

Just like the Savage Valley Digital Space in the northern suburbs of Shenzhen, that outpost was established ten years ago. Before its establishment, the pioneering team went through countless pioneering journeys, using blood and lives to explore the boundaries of Savage Valley and the distribution of powerful Digimon. With the lives and blood of professional tamers and their partner Digimon, they explored Savage Valley Digital Space very clearly.

The pioneering team is the frontline and most dangerous position among professional beast tamers. Without a lofty sense of mission towards the human world, it is impossible to join and stick to this position.

The pioneering group consisted mostly of professional beast tamers from the Beast Tamer Association. A small number of those who were not professional beast tamers from the association were either soldiers or members of some planned Digital Hunter Guilds, and they had to follow the code of conduct for professional beast tamers.

Normally, if the Beast Tamer Association detects a suspected opening of a digital space through spatial monitoring, the pioneering team will already be on standby in the vicinity, ready to enter the digital space as soon as it opens.

In general, the pioneering team's responsibility is to assess the newly formed digital space as soon as possible. If it has value, they will keep it. If it may pose a threat to the human world, they will find ways to repair the firewall and block or isolate the digital space.

Sometimes, in order to keep invading Digimon out of the human world, they even seal themselves off in the Digital World.

These professional trainers enjoy privileges in society not only because of the power of their Digimon partners, but also because, in ways unknown to ordinary people, they bear the responsibility for the survival and safety of the entire human world and the lives of every ordinary citizen.

However, this ghostly digital space appeared too suddenly. Before there was even time for spatial fluctuations to occur, a mysterious spatial rift suddenly appeared. The pioneering team had not made any prior arrangements or preparations.

"Today, let's be the pioneers!" Li Xiaochun's voice was surprisingly calm, yet it resonated in the hearts of the beast tamers.

As soon as he finished speaking, the spatial rift emitted a sound like shattering glass. Under the pressure of the Digimon's energy on both sides of the spatial rift, the last layer of the crystal wall membrane shattered.

Jade Rabbit Beast took the lead, leading a group of tamer partners into the rift, guarding the rift and refusing any Digimon in the space from passing through the rift into the human world.

Just as Jade Rabbit and other Digimon entered the Digital Space Rift, almost at the same time, a mad bull-like, violent "moo" suddenly rang out.

Cheng Yuan subconsciously looked over and, through the digital space rift, saw an extremely powerful Digimon charging out from the horde of Ghost Digimon.

It has two horns on its head, with humanoid digital corpses strung on the horns. It has a huge bull's head connected to an upright humanoid body, and it is wearing broken chainmail.

Cheng Yuan stared dumbfounded at the huge figure that was charging wildly and trying to break through the temporary reclamation team, his mind somewhat blank.

What is this? A bull's head from the underworld?

【Bullman Beast】

[Virus Type, Beastman Type, Dark Theme]

[Maturity Stage]

[Skills: Demon Tremor, Demon Armor]

[Introduction: Minotaurmon, a minotaur-headed, human-bodied Dark Digimon possessing powerful dark side abilities. Its left hand wields a demonic weapon that can transform into a suitable weapon.]

This ugly Digimon is over two meters tall, walks upright, has a head full of brown cow hair, a body full of strong muscles, and its "demon weapon" on its left hand gradually evolves into a giant steel fork.

The ugly minotaur twisted its head, flung the digital corpse from its horns, opened its blood-red maw, raised its steel fork, aimed at the pioneering team, and let out a provocative roar.

Seeing that the natives of the digital space had taken the initiative to provoke them, the pioneering team could not sit idly by. If the other side thought they were easy to bully, they would swarm them.

These natives have a numerical advantage, especially with a large group of ghost-type Digimon following behind, making them even more difficult to block and suppress.

The seemingly leader of the opposing group, Deathmon, silently watched this scene, seemingly also intentionally probing the strength of this group of unfamiliar Digimon.

A young teacher from Li Xiaochun's Ministry of Education flicked his finger, and a Gargomon, evolved from Terriermon, stepped out from the crowd and fired a cannonball, attracting the attention of Minotaurmon.

Garugmon

[Vaccine Type - Beastman Type]

[Maturity Stage]

[Skills: Vulcan Cannon, Gatling Gun Weapon, Dada Uppercut]

[Description: A Digimon skilled in hunting. Contrary to its appearance, it eliminates enemies with agile movements and incredibly accurate attacks. Contrary to its appearance, it possesses powerful legs that allow it to leap into the air, and it can even glide by opening its ears. It is a Digimon from a warrior race.]

Minotauron and Gargomon engaged in battle on one side of the land.

More Champion-level Digimon emerged from among the natives, and the Digimon of the pioneering team claimed them as their own. The pioneering team's Leomon, Wizardmon, Strikedramon, Rheamon, Baboon, Wind Lionmon, and Needlemon, among others, all found their own rivals.

“Gi-Oh!, let’s pick an opponent too. These are all Virus and Dark types, so we have the advantage in terms of attributes.” Cheng Yuan and the group of Beast Tamers stood behind the rift and spoke to the Arc Light Machine.

Suddenly, Principal Liu Guoliang's voice came from behind: "Cheng Yuan, where are you going? You're still a student, what are you meddling in?"

"Principal, I..."

“You have a bright future ahead of you.” Another leader from another school chimed in, “A young person like you has a lot of room to grow. Don’t let this opportunity ruin your life.”

Cheng Yuan could hear the subtext in their words—this battle was likely to end badly.

"Although most of us are Vaccine-type Digimon, we can't withstand the sheer number of the enemy. Moreover, this Digital Space is the 'Nightmare Legion's' domain, which provides a domain bonus to Ghost, Dark, and Undead Digimon, but suppresses Digimon of other types. Even though we have many Vaccine-type Digimon, we can't gain any advantage."

“That’s right. If we were in an area of ​​adaptation like the Virus Buster, where we would have gained a domain bonus, we could still fight hard. But now, we’re being suppressed within the Nightmare Legion’s domain, and we’re facing the same predicament that the Garrison Regiment is facing in the Dark Domain.”

Within his line of sight, Cheng Yuan saw Garugmon swing its Vulcan Cannon, preparing to fire a shot at Minotaur, when it was suddenly grabbed from behind by Ghostmon.

The power of the curse instantly immobilized Gargomon, and Minotaurmon, seeing this, swung its trident, preparing to launch a fatal attack.

The pioneering team was short-handed, with Jade Rabbitmon and Deathmon locked in a standoff, leaving no room to rescue Gargomon, who was under their control.

"Gatomon, Holy Light Bullet!"