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

Upon hearing this, Guan Yan's face turned pale, and she unconsciously took a half step back.

"To put it bluntly, you just want to seize power," Cheng Yuan pointed out incisively, his fingers unconsciously stroking the arc light machine at his waist. "If you truly cared about the settlement, everyone would naturally support you."

Deputy Commander Zhou sneered dismissively: "The strong should have the right to speak. With Qilin's assistance, we will surely achieve great things."

"Sorry, I'm not interested. Deputy Commander Zhou, please leave. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything." Cheng Yuan's attitude was firm.

Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Are you really going to venture into that deadly volcano?"

Is it strange that we want to leave?

Deputy Commander Zhou's voice suddenly rose: "Even if you can cross this desert and reach the Death Volcano on the other side, do you know how terrifying and dangerous the Death Volcano is? Do you know how many Ultimate-level Digimon are entrenched there? Do you know how terrifying the Death Mist is?"

Cheng Yuan said, "I know a little." Commander Feng had told him that he had also reclaimed land there back then.

Deputy Commander Zhou continued, "I've personally experienced how terrifying it is there. It's simply not something a Champion-level Digimon can contend with. Not to mention, there are just a few Ultimate-level Digimon lurking at the foot of the mountain. If you accidentally disturb them, you'll be dead without a trace. Even if you manage to get past the Ultimate-level ones, the black mist of death data emanating from the Death Volcano is equally deadly, and you'll have absolutely no chance of climbing to the top. Moreover, the claim that there's a spatial passage at the top is pure nonsense from this girl. Does she really come down from the mountain? Does she really have the ability to pass through the territory of a few Ultimate-level Digimon? Absolutely not. It's clear she's spreading rumors."

"Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou, have you ever climbed the dead volcano? Could you tell me about it?" Cheng Yuan's expression shifted as he stared at Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou and asked with great interest.

Deputy Commander Zhou's eyes showed fear as he slowly said, "I can tell you this to dispel your wishful thinking. Back then, I was also unwilling to stay in the settlement, so I went to the Death Volcano with two other powerful hunters. However, before we even got close to the Death Volcano, one of the hunters was discovered by a nearby fully-formed being and died at the foot of the mountain."

"My fellow hunter and I barely escaped, allowing us to continue. But the higher we climbed, the fiercer the digital gales with their cutting power became, and the denser the death data grew. My other teammate didn't even make it a quarter of the way up the Death Volcano before being corroded into a skeleton by the death data, and his Digimon turned into a zombie, almost chasing me. But the higher we climbed, the harsher the environment became. In the end, I didn't even get to see the legendary illusion halfway up the mountain before being swept off the cliff by the gale. Luckily, Bloodwolfmon protected me in time."

"Although they were lucky enough to survive, they dared not climb any higher and had no choice but to turn back. The last two hunter teammates and their partners were left there forever."

A flicker of fear crossed Deputy Commander Zhou's eyes. "Moreover, even Commander Feng suffered a crushing defeat at Death Volcano, with even the Ultimate Master Greymon regressing as a result. What makes you think you can succeed?"

"From then on, everyone in the settlement completely gave up the idea of ​​leaving the dead volcano," Deputy Commander Zhou said with a hint of fear in his eyes.

"It's quite scary!" Cheng Yuan murmured thoughtfully, stroking his chin. Guan Yan's eyes showed fear.

She said she seemed to have encountered illusions at the time, but she didn't face any danger from Ultimate-level Digimon.

"It's more than just terrifying. You two should give up on that idea; there's no need to even try. The outside world may be wonderful, but you'll need your life to get out. Why don't you stay here and fight alongside us? The outside world isn't worth gambling with your life." Deputy Commander Zhou seemed to be speaking very sincerely.

“Deputy Commander Zhou, you don’t need to persuade me. I won’t give up until I try it myself. Of course, if I really can’t climb the Death Volcano, I will return to the settlement.” Cheng Yuan did not agree to Deputy Commander Zhou’s suggestion to seize power, and replied tactfully.

Seeing that Cheng Yuan remained unmoved, Deputy Commander Zhou suddenly changed the subject: "Since you insist on leaving, leave behind the digital props that Dr. Zhao gave you. They should belong to our Bloodblade Guild."

Cheng Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, finally understanding the other party's true purpose.

If the Dark Warrior's Soul falls into this person's hands, they will use this item to enhance their strength and rule the settlement by force.

"I'm sorry, but I can't comply." Cheng Yuan refused decisively.

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Deputy Commander Zhou's eyes flashed with ferocity, and the Blood Wolf Beast let out a low roar, its sharp claws digging deep furrows in the ground.

"Gatomon!" Cheng Yuan commanded, and a holy light flashed. The holy data of the dogmon had already been restored, and it instantly evolved into an elegant white cat-type Digimon.

Despite being in the Dark Realm, Gatomon's Holy Ring still radiates a pure light.

"You're asking for death!" Deputy Commander Zhou grinned maliciously and waved his hand. "Blood Wolf Beasts, tear them to shreds!"

The Blood Wolf Beast roared to the sky, and the sound waves of its "Lone Wolf Howl" made the sand grains tremble.

It leaped up suddenly, and thousands of blood-red blades rained down like a storm—[Thrust Blade]!

Tailmon nimbly erected the [Holy Barrier], and the light barrier trembled violently under the impact of the blade.

It nimbly weaved through the rain of blades, its [Cat Fist] carrying holy light as it slammed into the Blood Wolf Beast's belly.

The Blood Wolf Beast neither dodged nor evaded, taking the blow head-on, and then countered with a [Blood Claw Tear].

Three bloody streaks ran across Gatomon's shoulder, instantly staining its snow-white fur crimson with digital blood.

Even more terrifying, the Blood Wolf Beast's wounds glowed with an eerie red light due to its [blood-sucking] ability, and Gatomon's energy was being continuously drained.

Cheng Yuan's expression was grave. Gatomon was indeed at a disadvantage—its holy power was suppressed by the environment, while Bloodwolfmon was thriving. To make matters worse, the opponent's combat experience far surpassed theirs, and every attack was precise and ruthless.

Although Gatomon possesses the attributes of Vaccine, Light, and Holy, its presence in this ecological domain negates its advantage over the Virus type.

Bloodwolf, being a veteran adult-level Pokémon, far surpassed Gatomon in combat experience, adaptability, and data volume, thus suppressing Gatomon for a time.

Seeing that Gatomon was retreating step by step, Cheng Yuan suddenly took out the Dark Warrior Soul from his pocket. The seven blood-red eyes of the three-headed bone beast statue gleamed with an eerie light in the sunlight.

"Foolish!" Deputy Commander Zhou sneered. "Your Digimon is already a Holy Beast type, so it can't use Dark Items at all!"

Cheng Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile: "Then let me show you the true power of the Dark Warrior's Soul!"

"Armed Evolution—!"

A dark flower bloomed in his left hand, while his right hand gripped the Warrior's Soul. The two dark energies intertwined in the air, forming a bizarre vortex.

Cheng Yuan felt his blood boiling and every cell screaming – a pain more terrifying than death. Cheng Yuan couldn't help but let out another heart-wrenching scream of pain!

"No...this is impossible!" Deputy Commander Zhou's eyes widened, all color draining from his face. "How could a human...?"

Within the data vortex, Cheng Yuan's figure began to distort and deform.

His entire body was covered in jet-black bone armor, his head and hands were replaced by three black beast skulls, and the bone armor on his chest, shoulders, knees and feet was inlaid with seven huge blood-red eyeballs, exuding a ferocious and evil aura.

His bones creaked painfully. Dark energy surged into his body like a tidal wave, gradually transforming him into a digital form.

When the light from the black cocoon faded, the one standing there was no longer a human boy, but a hybrid Digimon completely encased in jet-black bone armor, with three beast skulls and seven blood-red eyes that were particularly striking.

"Dark Beast!"

Chapter 140 First Battle of the Dark Beast

Cheng Yuan—no, he should now be called the Dark Beast…

He looked down at his brand new body.

A jet-black metallic shell covered his entire body, with sharp bone spikes extending from his joints. Three ferocious beast heads on his head and wrists roared silently, and seven blood-red eyes followed his gaze. Most strangely, he could still think clearly, but his senses were completely altered.

[Dark Beast]

[Virus type? Demon type? Dark type]

【Hybrid (Dark Humanoid Fighter)】

[Skills: Ghostly Twilight (Hypnotic Eye Wave), Conquest (Blood Absorption), Conquest Storm, Blood Evolution (Two Double-Edged Demon Blades), Blood Assault (Blood Blade Release), Ghost Shift (Instant Teleportation), Shadow Shield]

[Description: A dark incarnation formed from the resentment of extinct Digimon and "forbidden data" on the network, possessing the power of the Ten Warriors. Its armor is inlaid with seven evil eyes, and it wields the demonic sword "Blood Evolution," capable of devouring the power of its enemies to strengthen itself. Ruthless and merciless, its fighting style is cruel and efficient; true evil is sealed within the armor's three heads.]

When he "opened his eyes" again, the world appeared in completely different colors to him. The data streams floating in the air were like tangible ribbons, he could smell the fear emanating from Deputy Commander Zhou, and even "hear" the sound of blood flowing within the Blood Wolf Beast.

This experience, which transcends human senses, is both awe-inspiring and somewhat unsettling.

"Is this...the perspective of a Digimon?" Darkmon Cheng Yuan tried to move his body. The jet-black bone armor felt like a second skin, and the joints made precise, mechanical clicking sounds. Every movement carried an unprecedented sense of power, yet it felt strangely unfamiliar, as if he were controlling someone else's body.

He subconsciously raised his hand, and two double-edged demonic swords, "Blood Evolution," wrapped in blood-red light, popped out from the bone gauntlet. As the blades sliced ​​through the air, they left behind a trail of data afterimages.

"So that's how Digimon skills work..." Cheng Yuan suddenly realized that those skills were etched into the Darkmon's data core as if by instinct.

The Blood Wolf took a few steps back warily, letting out a threatening growl.

Deputy Commander Zhou's face was ashen, and the Digivice trembled slightly in his hand: "Impossible... How could a human directly evolve into a Digimon? This violates all known theories of evolution!"

The Dark Beast ignored his shock.

He instinctively swung the demonic blade, and a streak of blood-red light shot out from it—[Blood Assault].

The skill was unleashed so naturally, as simply as breathing. However, the crimson light missed its target, leaving a blood-red mark at the feet of the Blood Wolf Beast.

"Tsk, such poor accuracy." Cheng Yuan frowned to himself. At this moment, he suddenly felt a weakness in his body. It turned out that when using Blood Assault, if there was no blood on the demon sword, it would automatically draw his own digital blood to release it.

Huge loss! A real huge loss.

A few too many chops and you'll get anemia in no time; looks like you should use it with caution.

At this moment, he could feel the surging dark energy within his body, but he couldn't precisely control its flow. His body was like a sophisticated machine, and he was just clumsily pressing the operating buttons.

The Blood Wolf seized the opportunity and pounced.

Cheng Yuan instinctively jumped up to dodge, but because he was unfamiliar with the strength of his body, he used too much force and spun around in the air.

The Blood Wolf Beast's claws sliced ​​across his chest, sending up a shower of sparks of digital fragments.

"Hiss—" The pain was sharper than in human form, but also more...pure.

To Cheng Yuan's surprise, the wound was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, with dark energy automatically filling in the damaged data structure.

"So this is how Digimon body data works..." he suddenly realized. The knowledge he had only read about in textbooks was now being experienced firsthand.

Digimon's pain perception, recovery mechanisms, and energy cycles are all completely different from those of carbon-based life forms.

The Blood Wolf attacked again, this time unleashing its [Thrust Blade].

Thousands of blood-red blades hurtled towards him, and Cheng Yuan instinctively crossed his arms, forming a shadow shield in front of him.

The blade struck the shield, producing a dense sound like raindrops hitting banana leaves.

"Shadow Shield? When did I learn this skill?" Darkmon was surprised to find that, just like humans don't need to think about how to blink, Digimon's body seemed to have a built-in skill library, giving him some fighting "instincts".

The problem is that he only mechanically triggers these abilities and has no idea how to use and combine them flexibly.

Gatomon watched anxiously from the sidelines: "Cheng Yuan! Try to concentrate the shadow energy into one point!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan attempted to mobilize the dark energy within his body, only to find it far more difficult than he had imagined. The energy, like an unruly wild beast, rampaged through his body. He managed to condense a ball of black mist, but due to improper control, it exploded in his hand, sending him staggering back several steps.

Failed to condense Shadow Sphere.

"Hahaha!" Deputy Commander Zhou laughed upon seeing this. "You have strength, but you're as clumsy as a baby!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Blood Wolf Beast unleashed [Blood Claw Tear], and three bloody gashes cut deep into the Dark Beast's shoulder.

The intense pain forced him to kneel on one knee, but what bothered him even more was the feeling of powerlessness—he could clearly feel the surging power within his body, yet he was unable to effectively utilize it.

"So this is... why Digimon need training..." Darkmon finally understood. Having skills is just the beginning. How to integrate skills and how to adapt to changing situations in battle are the true essence that tamers and Digimon need to hone together.

The Blood Wolf Beast pressed its advantage, continuing to lash out at Cheng Yuan with its blood claws.

"Watch out!" Gatomon's shout exploded in my mind.

Cheng Yuan hastily raised his knife to block, and the Blood Blade Demon Blade collided with the wolf claw, sparking dazzling sparks.

The Blood Wolf Beast's strength was astonishing, causing him to stagger back several steps, carving two deep furrows in the sand.

"Cheng Yuan, dodge to the left!" Dilu Beast suddenly charged from the side, and [Holy Barrier] barely blocked the Blood Wolf Beast's attack. It flicked its tail, and three holy light bullets shot towards the wolf's eye in a triangular formation, forcing the Blood Wolf Beast to retreat temporarily.

Taking advantage of this moment of respite, Cheng Yuan took a deep breath (although Digimon do not need to breathe) and focused his attention on the demon sword.

The blood groove on the blade suddenly lit up, and the [Conquer] skill was automatically triggered—the digital blood that had flowed out from the injury was absorbed by the blade and transformed into a wisp of dark red energy that flowed into the armor.

"So that's how it is..." Cheng Yuan suddenly understood and spun around again to unleash [Blood Strike].

The blood-red light on the demonic blade detached from the edge and transformed into a crescent-shaped arc of light that swept across the area.

The Blood Wolf roared and leaped up, but a streak of blood grazed its hind leg, instantly tearing its skin and flesh.

"It can be done!" Cheng Yuan's spirits lifted.

Tailmon's support gave him a chance to catch his breath. He began to try a more flexible fighting style—closing up to attack when Holy Light Bullets interfered with his vision, and using [Ghost Shift] to teleport away and create distance when Blood Wolfmon counterattacked.

Although the movements are still somewhat clumsy, they have improved considerably compared to the initial awkwardness.

"Gatomon, coordinate!" Cheng Yuan shouted in his mind.

Tailmon understood immediately, and the red light from Cat's Eye and the Ghost Twilight from Darkmon were activated simultaneously.

Cheng Yuan's seven blood-red eyes stared at the Blood Wolf Beast simultaneously, and the eyes of the Dilu Beast also emitted an eerie red light.

The Blood Wolf's eyes became unfocused, as if it were trapped in a nightmare.

Cheng Yuan drew both swords simultaneously, activating the [Conquer] skill, and the demonic sword pierced deeply into the Blood Wolf Beast's shoulder blade. He could feel the beast's blood energy flowing continuously into his body through the blade, causing the Dark Beast's armor to glow with a layer of bloody light.

"Roar—!" The Blood Wolf roared in pain as it broke free of its control and slapped Cheng Yuan in the chest with its claw.

Cheng Yuan was sent flying backwards, and Gatomon released a large number of holy light bullets to block the Blood Wolf Beast's pursuit.

Cheng Yuan used Ghost Shift to teleport behind the Blood Wolf Beast in mid-air and slashed its hind leg with a backhand strike!

The tide of battle gradually turned.

Cheng Yuan became increasingly adept at controlling the Dark Beast's body, especially with the cooperation of Gatomon, who alternately fired Holy Light Bullets and Shadow Balls to disrupt it, forcing Blood Wolf Beast to keep running for its life.

"Impossible!" Deputy Commander Zhou's face turned ashen. "How could the Blood Wolf Beast lose to a mere brat?!"

His sinister gaze swept across the battlefield, then suddenly fixed on Guan Yan, who was hiding behind a rock.

“Since that’s the case…” Deputy Commander Zhou grinned as he pulled out a pistol—a human weapon he had brought from the real world to the underworld.

It might be almost useless against Digimon, but it's more than enough for humans...

"boom!"