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

Guan Yan looked at the powerful armored body before her, her cheeks slightly flushed, but the situation was urgent, and she couldn't care less about her embarrassment. Gritting her teeth, she carefully climbed onto the broad, sturdy metal back of the Dark Beast, wrapping her arms tightly around its neck. The Cute Beast was then stored in the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The Dark Beast sensed the weight on its back but made no move. Its two sharp demonic blades shot out, embedding themselves deeply into the hard rock wall with a clang! Then, the sharp blades under its foot armor easily sliced ​​into the rock.

He began to climb the desolate vertical cliff like a black lightning bolt, with astonishing speed and stability! Gravel tumbled down beneath his claws, plunging into the bottomless dark abyss below.

Guan Yan closed her eyes tightly, burying her face in the cold shoulder armor of the Dark Beast, the whistling wind and the harsh sound of metal rubbing against rock filling her ears.

After an unknown amount of time, the climbing finally stopped.

Guan Yan cautiously opened her eyes and found herself standing on solid ground.

The Dark Beast de-evolved, and Cheng Yuan returned to his original state, though his breathing was slightly rapid.

The scene before them suddenly opened up, yet remained oppressive. Beneath their feet lay barren black rocks, and behind them stretched a massive, unfathomable abyss, like a scar on the earth.

Not far ahead, a towering, pitch-black mountain range rose abruptly from the ground—their target, the dead volcano! However, a massive, irregularly shaped fissure, hundreds of meters wide at its narrowest point and hundreds of meters at its widest, stood like an insurmountable chasm between them and the foot of the volcano!

Looking out, on both sides stretched endless, barren deserts covered in black gravel, with howling winds whipping up sand and dust that formed a gray-yellow curtain between heaven and earth. Only this jagged crack kept the target a mere stone's throw away.

"We can't just fly across," Cheng Yuan said in a deep voice. He bent down, picked up a fist-sized rock, and threw it with all his might toward the other side of the crack!

The stone whooshed through the air in an arc. Just as it soared into the air above the center of the crevice—

call--!

An extremely violent and sudden gust of wind, like an invisible giant hand, brought terrifying, immense pressure from above, and slammed down from the narrow gap in the sky! The rock had no chance to struggle; it was instantly swept up by this strange wind, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and smashed vertically downwards into the bottomless dark abyss below at an even faster speed!

Guan Yan's face turned pale, still shaken: "This wind... it's too eerie!"

"We can only find our way along the edge of the crack." Cheng Yuan's gaze turned to the distance where the crack extended, where it was shrouded in sand and mist.

There was no other choice. The two, carrying their Digimon, braved the increasingly fierce sandstorm, trudging along the edge of the terrifying fissure in one direction. Time seemed to lose its meaning; only the monotonous black sand beneath their feet and the endless abyss beside them kept them company. They walked for an unknown amount of time, until Guan Yan felt her legs were as heavy as lead, when Cheng Yuan suddenly stopped and pointed ahead where the sandstorm had subsided.

Look there!

A bridge!

An extremely narrow, towering stone bridge, like a dying stone dragon, spans a relatively narrow section of the crevice (about a hundred meters long). Constructed from massive, roughly cut black stones, its style is almost primitive, covered with deep dents left by wind and sand erosion and the marks of time. The bridge is only wide enough for two people to barely pass side-by-side, with no railings on either side. The bridge hangs forlornly above the abyss, as if it could be blown apart by a howling wind at any moment.

Braving the wind and sand, they approached the lonely bridge step by step. When they were a hundred feet away, something strange happened.

On the dilapidated stone bridge, numerous indistinct humanoid figures appeared, arranged in a long, seemingly endless line, moving silently towards the other side. At the bridgehead stood several taller, more distorted, and distinctly inhuman humanoid figures, seemingly managing order. One of these figures appeared to be holding a bowl-like object; each person who reached the bridgehead would pause briefly before this figure, seemingly forced to drink from the bowl, before continuing their numb journey.

The scene resembled the legendary bridge across the River Styx, eerie and oppressive.

"A mirage?" Guan Yan's voice carried a hint of surprise and uncertainty.

However, just as they took a few more steps closer, trying to see more clearly, the dense array of light and shadow, the inhuman administrators at the bridgehead, the bowls being handed out... everything vanished without a trace, like smoke blown away by the wind! Only the weathered black stone bridge remained, standing lonely and real across the abyss, as if everything just now was merely an illusion created by the wind and sand blinding them.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the fear in each other's eyes. This bridge was definitely not a safe place.

"Be careful, stay close to me," Cheng Yuan whispered, stepping onto the narrow bridge first. Guan Yan followed closely behind, and Gatomon nervously stayed at Cheng Yuan's feet.

The bridge surface was rough and uncomfortable underfoot. With each step, the bottomless dark abyss below brought a strong sense of weightlessness and psychological pressure.

A howling, eerie wind surged up from the depths of the crevice, violently tearing at their clothes and hair, as if countless icy hands were trying to drag them down. Guan Yan didn't even dare to look down, her eyes fixed on Cheng Yuan's back, her heart pounding in her chest. An invisible fear, like cold vines, coiled around them, causing them to unconsciously quicken their pace, wanting only to escape this suspended wasteland as quickly as possible.

The short bridge stretch of just over a hundred meters felt like an eternity. When their feet finally touched the solid ground on the other side of the crack, both of them involuntarily let out a long sigh of relief, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.

At the end of the bridge, an ancient stone path, also paved with black rock, winds its way into the depths of the massive shadow of the extinct volcano. They hadn't walked far along the path when, in the shadow of a relatively flat, sheltered, huge rock ahead, a massive figure lay prostrate, fast asleep.

It was a Digimon in humanoid lion form, enormous in size, far exceeding that of a typical Champion-level Digimon. It possessed a thick, flame-like black mane and a purplish-red hide. Its strong, twisted limbs were covered in black armor, and its sharp claws gleamed coldly even in its slumber. Most striking were the exposed ribs on its chest and the scapular spikes on its shoulders, as well as the blood and gore stitched into its flesh, revealing its extremely dark and corrupted zombie-like nature. A ferocious, violent, and seemingly uncontrollable aura emanated from it even in its slumber.

“This is…” Guan Yan immediately picked up the T-Rex machine to scan it.

Digivice: "???" This kind of zombie Digimon is not included in the Digivice.

Cheng Yuan used system scanning:

[Wealth Points -100]

【CrazyLeomon (Perfect Level Contaminated Degenerate)】

[Virus Type - Immortal]

[Maturity Stage]

[Status: Data disorder, deep dormancy (suspected of having suffered severe psychological trauma/contamination)]

[Solution: The digital core has been irreversibly corrupted by darkness and cannot be recovered.]

"A degenerate form?!" Cheng Yuan's pupils contracted, and all the muscles in his body tensed instantly. Gatomon arched its back, letting out a threatening growl, its entire body shimmering with holy light, while Momomon hid behind Guan Yan in fright.

Cheng Yuan and Guan Yan's hearts leaped into their throats. At this final, treacherous pass leading to the Death Volcano, a dormant, abnormally slumbering Digimon—once a Perfect-level Digimon that had degenerated—was like a sword hanging over their heads.

Chapter 144 Death Volcano

The massive body of Crazy Lionmon lay prostrate in the shadow of a huge rock, each long and heavy breath stirring up a faint gust of air mixed with the stench of blood and fragments of decaying data.

Its thick black mane rose and fell slightly with its breath, like a dim black flame, and the menacing metal horns and shoulder spikes on its shoulders reflected a cold luster in the dim light.

Even in their deep sleep, the violent and destructive pressure emanating from their past as Ultimate-level Digimon still weighed heavily on Cheng Yuan and Guan Yan's hearts like solid lead.

“It’s in a deep hibernation.” Cheng Yuan’s voice was very low, almost swallowed by the sound of the wind through the cracks in the rocks. “As long as you don’t provoke it, it won’t wake up easily.”

"Back then, Commander Feng led the Master Dragon Beast and fought this thing here?" He recalled the rumors about the gathering place of the chaotic rocks, and how Commander Feng paid the price of his partner's degeneration and mutation in order to defeat the ferocious beast under the Death Volcano.

"To be able to defeat a Master Dragonmon to the point of mutating and degenerating... that must have been a pretty brutal fight." A chill ran down his spine.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over the sleeping lion beast and landing on the terrifying mountain range in the distance—the Death Volcano—which resembled a giant pillar supporting the heavens and the earth.

It stands at the desolate edge of the Yellow Springs region, its massive mountain composed of pure, cold, lifeless black rock, barren of any vegetation, its deathly stillness chilling.

Looking upwards, one can barely see half of the mountainside; further up, the massive mountain is completely submerged in the churning, thick, ink-like "death data fog."

The black mist was not still, but rather slowly wriggled and churned like a living thing. Occasionally, huge blue arcs of electricity would tear and explode within it, and the muffled thunder sounded like the roar of a giant beast, making one's eardrums tingle.

Starting from an altitude of about one kilometer, one can see swirling, cutting, and twisting dark gray air currents—a destructive storm formed by highly condensed death data and violent energy.

Ordinary people, let alone climb it, will be instantly torn apart and dried by these invisible blades as soon as they step into its range, turning into "dried meat" hanging on the black rocks.

Such a rich and pure environment of death data is an unparalleled paradise and source of power for immortal and ghost-type Digimon.

According to warnings from the community and scavengers along the way, there are at least four terrifying Ultimate-level Undead Digimon near the base of this dead volcano: Zombiemon, Skullmon, Oboroguron, and the rare Mudmon.

The sleeping Mad Lionmon in front of us was knocked down from its growth stage by MasterGreymon, making it the weakest of the four.

Were we lucky to have encountered the weakest one?

The ancient stone path in front of us, occupied by the Mad Lion Beast, is probably the fastest way to climb the mountain. Finding other entrances would take forever, and taking a detour means facing the truly complete form in a more dangerous and unfamiliar area.

“Let’s break through from here,” Cheng Yuan said.

He recalled the information he had gathered from the settlement and looked at Guan Yan: "But these immortal Digimon don't act alone, so there will probably be trouble. Therefore, you need to strengthen your abilities."

Guan Yan understood what he meant, her gaze falling on the adorable beast in her arms, and she gave a wry smile.

The little guy seemed to sense the terrifying aura ahead, and his round body trembled slightly.

Guan Yan: I understand what you're saying, but I can't do it... The cute beast only has one growth stage, where can it unleash its full power?

Cheng Yuan reluctantly pulled out something—an armored egg radiating intense heat with flame patterns—the Courageous Digital Spirit!

“Guan Yan,” Cheng Yuan’s voice was unusually serious, “this might be useful for the cute beast.”

Guan Yan carefully took the armored egg that radiated intense heat. The eggshell was warm and smooth, as if it contained an indomitable will.

It was the Spirit of Courage that Cheng Yuan finally obtained from the Dragon Priest in the Time-Space Secret Realm that made the Courage Armor Egg.

Cheng Yuan solemnly explained, "This Courage Armor Egg might help your Moemon instantly gain mature-level combat power, but since you don't have the Arc Light Machine as a medium, your Moemon can only directly contact the Armor Egg and rely on its own resonance with the Spirit of Courage to undergo armor evolution. Moreover..."

He paused, his tone growing heavier: "This kind of direct-contact armor evolution is irreversible. Once it evolves into an armored form, it can no longer follow the evolutionary path you originally designed, and it loses the potential to evolve into other conventional mature or complete forms. Its future will be fixed on the path of the Courage Armored Form. You... need to think this through."

The air seemed to freeze, with only the mournful wind and faint thunder coming from the direction of the dead volcano.

He gave Guan Yan time to consider, while Cheng Yuan took a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to face the excruciating pain.

The ever-growing dark flower in his left hand and the dark warrior armor in his right hand overlapped once more, suddenly emitting a deep, eerie light!

"Ugh—!"

A suppressed groan escaped his throat, and beneath his skin, countless streams of black data seemed to surge, tear, and recombine wildly! The black mist instantly enveloped him, and the intense pain from the distorted data caused his body to spasm slightly.

A few seconds later, the black mist dissipated, and the humanoid Digimon, Darkmon, clad in ferocious black armor and with blood-red energy patterns flashing on its joints, reappeared.

Beneath the cold, metallic mask, those scarlet eyes increasingly resembled the seven bloodshot pupils on the armor.

He looked at Guan Yan.

Guan Yan looked down at the fiery-patterned armored egg in her palm, then at the adorable beast in her arms, trembling but still looking at her with its big, wet eyes.

Irreversible evolution... This means she will forever lose this pink, adorable little guy, and in return gain an unknown partner in a combat form.

Her mentor's belongings, the threat of death, the uncertainty of the future... countless images flashed through her mind.

Sadness, fear, hesitation... ultimately, transformed into a resolute flame that ignited in her eyes.

She needs power! To protect herself, help Cheng Yuan, fulfill her mentor's last wish, and uncover the truth of this world! The adorable beast also needs power to survive in this hellish world!

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes as firm as a rock: "Let's choose to evolve! Moe Moe Beast, we need power!"

"Puli!" The cute beast seemed to sense Guan Yan's determination, and nodded its round head vigorously, the fear in its eyes replaced by a kind of innocent courage.

Guan Yan no longer hesitated, and solemnly handed the Courage Armor Egg to the Cute Beast with both hands.

The adorable beast stretched out its tiny paws and gently touched the red eggshell.

Om-!

In an instant, blinding and scorching flames erupted from the armored egg! Like a small sun rising in the dim, ghostly realm!

The flames instantly enveloped the adorable beast completely, forming a giant cocoon of fire.

Inside the fiery cocoon, the tiny figure of the adorable beast rapidly elongated and deformed in the golden light, with the faint crackling sound of its bones growing faintly audible. A surge of fiery, resolute, and unwavering courageous energy spread out like a tide, even temporarily dispelling some of the surrounding chilly aura.

The light lasted for several seconds, then suddenly contracted inward!

What appeared in the same spot was no longer the cute Momomon, but another Digimon with a fierce appearance!

Chapter 145 Cute Beast Armor Evolution

It is of medium size, about the height of a person, and resembles a standing Digimon wearing a priest's robe and a ferocious lion mask.

Its head is covered by a ferocious red folk lion mask, and a diamond-shaped gemstone emitting a soft white light is set in the center of the helmet, like an all-seeing eye.

Baron Beast

[Free Race - Demon Type]

【Armored Body (Mature Stage)】

[Skills: Meteor Dance (summons a meteor shower), Crimson Hair, Fire Control, White Spell, Guardian Barrier]

[Introduction: Baronmon is an Armored Demon-type Digimon evolved from the power of the "Digital Spirit of Courage." It is also the guardian of the forgotten temple ruins (database) in the Lost Forest, possessing abilities of lost technologies not found in current Digimon. Its third eye on its forehead is one of these abilities; it is said that this eye can foresee the future, which allowed Baronmon to survive the collapse of the ancient Digital World.]

“Baronmon…” Guan Yan looked at her partner, who had a completely different temperament and exuded the wisdom of a scholar and the determination of a guardian, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

She excels at archaeology and history research, while Baronmon is a scholar-type Digimon in the Digital World legends who guards history, observes relics, and can even glimpse a trace of the future!

This irreversible evolution, guided by the spirit of courage, unexpectedly aligned with her path, a truly serendipitous coincidence.

"Guardian Baronmon, at your service, Guan Yan." Baronmon's voice was deep and gentle, carrying a sense of wisdom that had come from a long life. It nodded slightly, and the ancient book in its claws shimmered with light.

It instinctively took a step forward, subtly shielding Guan Yan behind it. The gem in the center of its helmet scanned the sleeping behemoth ahead and the pervasive aura of death in the distance, its gaze sharp and full of vigilance.

"Good!" Cheng Yuan glanced at the Digimon encyclopedia and gave a thumbs up. Momomon had successfully evolved, adding another Champion-level fighter, which eased the pressure on him a little.

His bloodshot eyes turned to the only stone path leading to the volcano. "Go! Stay alert, and try not to disturb that big guy!"

The three of them (Guan Yan, Darkmon, Tailmon, and Baronmon) held their breath and, with the lightest steps, carefully circled around the edge of the huge rock to the entrance of the mountain path behind the sleeping Mad Lionmon.

Each step they took felt like walking on a knife's edge, their hearts pounding in their chests. The Darkmon clenched its fists, the Gatomon radiated holy light, and the Baronmon's third eye gleamed silver, as if making some kind of prediction.

Only a hundred meters from the entrance to the stone path! The Mad Lion Beast remained fast asleep, its enormous snores like muffled thunder.

However, just as they were about to step onto the stone path—

rustling sounds... creaking sounds... hoho...

A chilling sound suddenly erupted from all directions! It was as if the gates of hell had been opened!

Behind the jagged black rocks on both sides of the stone path, in the deep caves formed by weathering, and even in the cracks in the ground underfoot, countless decaying skeletons and twisted black rubber figures emerge like a tide!

These decaying bones and rubber were pieced together to form huge skeletal soldiers several meters tall, with eerie green soul fires flickering in their empty eye sockets, and holding rusty bone knives or giant axes.