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

Click!

A chilling cracking sound rang out! A deep gash had been cleaved in the black-armored arm of the Mad Lion Beast! Thick, chaotic streams of scarlet data gushed out like blood!

"Roar—!!!"

A lion's roar, ten times more terrifying than any previous roar, suddenly exploded out!

The tangible sound waves, like countless heavy hammers, slammed into the depths of Cheng Yuan, Guan Yan, and the two Digimon's consciousness!

This roar was the true declaration of the Mad Lion Beast's awakening! The slumbering beast fully opened its crimson eyes!

"Roar—!!!" Mad Lionmon roared in extreme pain and rage! The intense pain seemed to cause a momentary lag in its chaotic data core!

Its massive, dark gold ramming horns and menacing shoulder spikes erupted with blinding, ferocious light! A visible, violent energy shockwave, a mixture of scarlet and gray-black, burst forth from its center!

Boom!

Wherever the shockwave passed, the remains of several nearby soldier beasts and mud beasts were instantly torn apart and annihilated into the most primitive data dust! Not even a trace was left!

The oppressive force of the [Roar of the Mad Lion] made Cheng Yuan's heart sink to the bottom. The false sense of advantage he had gained from the hard collision that severed his opponent's arm vanished, and an unprecedented pressure squeezed his heart like a tangible force.

"Cheng Yuan, hold on! Don't let its mental pressure overwhelm you!" The goat beast gritted its teeth and persevered. At the same time, the sound of the mysterious bell rang in Cheng Yuan's ears, keeping him awake.

However, the resistance of the Mysterious Bell seems to have completely ignited the rage of Mad Lionmon!

Its massive body transformed into a destructive storm interwoven with crimson and dark gold, moving at more than twice the speed of before!

"Roar!" A frenzied tearing apart!

The enormous claws transformed into a blur of motion, tearing through space! Their speed was beyond the reach of the eye!

The air was sliced ​​apart, emitting a shrill scream! Claw shadows enveloped the entire space around Cheng Yuan! Each claw shadow contained terrifying power and deadly corrosive poison capable of tearing apart digital alloy!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Cheng Yuan's Shadow Shield was shattered instantly. He swung his two demonic swords into a crimson halo that was impenetrable to water, but it still couldn't stop the mad lion beast's claws. Every time it touched his body, it brought sparks and tearing to his black armor.

The immense force made his armored arms go numb, and the hard black rock beneath his feet cracked inch by inch!

Even more terrifying, the highly toxic corrosive energy contained within the claw wind continuously eroded his armor and demonic sword, emitting a "sizzling" sound and billowing black smoke!

"Ugh!" The Dark Beast groaned as a claw shadow broke through its defenses and slammed into its breastplate!

Inside the breastplate was a scarlet blood-red eye.

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of metal tearing, the breastplate gradually deformed, and corrosive claws burrowed into the crimson blood-red eyes. Instant pain shot through Cheng Yuan; this was the Dark Beast Armor's warning to him.

The battle situation took a sharp turn for the worse! The fully awakened MadLeomon displayed the terrifying suppressive power of a true half-complete form!

"Cheng Yuan!" Guan Yan exclaimed in shock, her heart leaping into her throat. Baronmon's Eye of Insight was still flashing wildly, but Mad Lionmon's attacks were completely unpredictable, purely a venting of its berserk instincts. Its weak points shifted rapidly, making them impossible to pinpoint!

"Baa!" The goat beast launched another Holy Charge, attempting to rescue Cheng Yuan. But the Mad Lion Beast countered with its other hand, unleashing the deathly aura of its black lion face, and biting the goat beast, blasting it directly into the rocks, even dimming the holy light on its horns.

"Three inches below the seam of the left shoulder armor! That's the core disruption point, that's its digital core!!" Baronmon's Eye of Insight finally caught Leomon's weakness, and it shouted sharply!

Just as Cheng Yuan was being lifted up by the lion beast's breastplate, which was about to be crushed in one fell swoop, Cheng Yuan suddenly looked up. The seven blood-red pupils on the armor were locked on the crazed lion beast's gray eyes, which were filled with destructive desire!

[A dark twilight!]

Instead of hypnosis, all the dark mental energy and chaotic will were like invisible, poisonous spikes, piercing into the already chaotic data core of the Mad Lion Beast through the blood-red eyes!

Om-!

Crazy Lion Beast's massive body suddenly stiffened!

Within those crimson blood-red eyes, a raging desire for destruction surged and twisted violently, like a lake tossed with a boulder! The chaotic spiritual energy injected into those blood-red eyes acted like a fuse, instantly igniting fragments of memories that had been buried deep within its core for who knows how long, completely obliterated by the virus and madness!

A series of shattered images flashed explosively in its crimson vision:

On a sun-drenched grassland, a human girl animal tamer's warm smile...

Fight side by side against the raging roar of the dark zone...

In the darkness of the underworld, data corruption gnaws at our bones like maggots...

The pain of viral infection is causing the dam of reason to crumble...

Finally… it was its own claws, shrouded in darkness and out of control, that tore apart its closest partner, the one who stood before it, trying to awaken it! The girl's shocked, sorrowful, and ultimately data-dissipating gaze became its eternal hell!

Chapter 148 Liberation

"No... Roar..." A low, painful whimper, filled with endless regret and despair, was squeezed out with difficulty from the mad lion beast's mouth full of sharp teeth! This whimper was more chilling than any of its previous roars!

The Dark Twilight that the Dark Beast used did not drive it even crazier; instead, it acted like a key, unexpectedly unlocking the last vestige of rationality belonging to the "Lion Beast" that had been sealed deep within its consciousness!

The despair of having killed its partner with its own hands and the eternal self-curse were painfully awakened at this moment!

The destructive desire in its eyes still exists, but it now contains a new element... the desire for liberation through death!

"Now! Left chest! Attack with all your might!" Cheng Yuan caught a fleeting glimpse of pain and a hint of... relief in his opponent's eyes. He didn't have time to think it through; this was his only chance of survival! He let out a desperate roar!

Baronmon's long-awaited pure white beam of light, like a spear of dawn tearing through the darkness, shot towards MadLeomon's left chest!

"Holy Impact - Exorcism!" The goat beast poured all its holy power into its golden horns, transforming them into a dazzling meteor of holy light that followed closely behind, crashing into the same spot!

Cheng Yuan, half-lifted in the air, regained his movement. He suddenly drew his Blood Blade and evolved, stabbing one blade into his own thigh, frantically absorbing his blood and drinking his fill of energy, while the other blade stabbed into the heart of the Mad Lion Beast.

However, faced with these attacks, the massive body of the Mad Lion Beast...did not make any move to dodge or block!

The white spear of light pierced the bone armor on the chest, and the Holy Impact intensified the force, causing the bone armor on the chest of the Mad Lion Beast to shatter.

The crimson evolution, imbued with the energy of the Dark Beast's blood, suddenly pierced the heart of the Mad Lion Beast! Cheng Yuan only felt the demonic blade strike a hard object.

The Mad Lion Beast simply stared intently at the Dark Beast in the air, its blood-red eyes a mixture of rage and pain that ultimately transformed into a strange calm and a longing for liberation.

Through its blood-red eyes, the Dark Beast actually read these images and instantly understood! The other party was seeking death! With its last remaining sanity, it gave up resisting!

"Alright, I'll help you break free!" Cheng Yuan was shocked, but his actions were without the slightest hesitation. He activated "Blood Assault," and the dark energy within his body transformed into a blood blade that cleaved the Mad Lion Beast from the inside out.

The demonic blade on his thigh continued to frantically draw his blood, and the "blood evolution" erupted with an unprecedented, eerie blood light that pierced the sky!

The seven evil eyes embedded in the armor opened simultaneously, emitting greedy and excited hiss!

Blood Assault!

CrazyLeomon unleashed a black and red blood blade from its body, shattering its body along with its Digicore.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Roar……"

A soft, almost inaudible sigh, carrying a sense of relief, escaped its lips.

No madness, no resentment

Those blood-red eyes dimmed completely, and his massive body convulsed violently a few times before finally coming to a stop, crashing to the ground along with Cheng Yuan.

The demon sword "Blood Evolution" emitted a deafening, almost frenzied roar! The gushing torrent of scarlet blood was frantically devoured and absorbed by the demon sword!

The blood-red light on the blade surged and solidified at a visible speed, even beginning to spread towards the dark armor, imprinting deeper and more sinister blood-red patterns on it!

Cheng Yuan felt an indescribable, violent, and pure torrent of power surging wildly into his body along with the demonic blade! This power far exceeded the sum of all the undead he had absorbed before!

As the power was drained, the massive body of the Mad Lion Beast rapidly collapsed and disintegrated like a sandcastle. The dark purple fur, dark armor, and scarlet data streams that made up its body were all rapidly decomposing and dissipating, turning into countless blood-red specks of light that drifted through the air.

Only a few huge, dull white bone armor fragments remained in the original location.

The battle is over.

Cheng Yuan lay on the ground, panting heavily. The demonic sword "Blood Evolution" finally stopped its greedy sucking, becoming even more profound and restrained, yet radiating a chilling and eerie pressure. Cheng Yuan felt the low groans and tsk-tsk laughter in his head intensify.

The battlefield was a mess, littered with data fragments and skeletal remains left behind by the dead Digimon.

He struggled to his feet. Although he had absorbed the power, the demon sword had also drained a lot of energy from his thighs. This draining and extraction put an extreme strain on his body.

Guan Yan was pale behind the light wall of the Baron Beast.

The goat beast walked up to the dark beast and gently nuzzled its head against the armored arm.

"Let's go! Let's climb the mountain!" Cheng Yuan deactivated his evolution, his face pale. Fortunately, the wound from that slash was inflicted on the Dark Beast's body, and his own body was unaffected. However, the Dark Warrior's Soul also needed time to repair and digest the dark and frenzied energy it had absorbed, so it couldn't immediately re-evolve.

He glanced at the spot where the Mad Lion Beast had vanished, then looked at the volcano that pierced the black mist of death, without lingering for a moment.

Stepping onto the winding, upward-facing black stone path, the aura of death instantly intensifies and becomes even more chilling.

Starting from a height of one thousand meters, the destructive, deadly gale-force winds follow you like a shadow.

At first, the cold wind cut through the skin like ice blades, but the higher you go, the stronger the wind becomes. The gray-black air currents mixed in with the wind are like millions of high-speed rotating grinding wheels, frantically tearing and grinding everything!

Cheng Yuan rode on the broad, warm back of the goat beast.

Goatmon's name contains the word "mountain," and it is indeed a Digimon that is good at climbing. Even on steep, slippery black rocks ravaged by strong winds, its four hooves still stand very steadily. With each step, tiny ripples of holy light bloom beneath its hooves, dispelling the corrosive death data.

"Guan Yan, come up here!" Cheng Yuan stretched out his hand.

With the help of the Baron Beast, Guan Yan also rode on the broad and sturdy back of the Goat Beast.

The Baron beast gripped the rocks firmly with its enormous claws and climbed steadily.

"Baa!" The goat beast let out a long bleat, and its holy halo expanded to form a milky white light shield several meters in diameter, which barely enveloped Cheng Yuan, Guan Yan and the Baron beast.

Outside the light barrier, the dark gray death wind raged like a furious dragon, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound. The light barrier fluctuated violently, flickering as if it might shatter at any moment.

Inside the light shield, although it was still bitterly cold and the wind howled, the deadly cutting power was greatly weakened.

Like a small boat in a raging storm, they struggled upwards along the deathly path leading to the pinnacle of hell, protected by a divine aura.

Above their heads, a swirling, lightning-filled black mist of death data resembled a gaping maw ready to devour them.

Chapter 149 Sacred Ruins and Relics

The goat-beast walked at the forefront, its body radiating a soft, milky-white halo that formed a thin, sacred barrier, struggling to push aside the thick, ink-like "death data black mist" surrounding it.

Cheng Yuan, in his Dark Beast form, carried Guan Yan on his back, each step landing on the rugged, steep rocks.

This black mist possesses an extremely strong corrosive power; even through the barrier, one can feel its chilling, soul-freezing aura and the nauseating, decaying stench of data.

However, this peace did not last long.

Waaah—waaah—!

A mournful wind, like the shrill cries of millions of vengeful spirits, suddenly swept down from the higher mountain peak! A deathly gale howled!

This is no ordinary wind; it is a destructive torrent formed by highly condensed death data and violent energy!

The dark gray air currents, like billions of high-speed spinning boning knives, slashed fiercely at the sacred barrier of the goat beast with the power to tear everything apart!

A piercing, teeth-grinding scraping sound exploded!

The goat-beast let out a long bellow, and the sacred ring around its neck erupted with an even more dazzling barrier, struggling to withstand the first and most violent wave of gale.

The light of the Holy Ring and the Holy Bell dimmed rapidly, and the Goat Beast's breathing became heavy.

They had been climbing halfway up the mountain for a long time, during which waves of strong winds came one after another, like the breathing of a giant beast.

With each gust of wind, the light of the sacred barrier dimmed a little, and the goat beast's breathing became a little heavier.

Another fierce gust of wind swept in! The goat beast squeezed out the last bit of holy energy in its body, pushing the barrier to its limit!

Click—!

The sacred barrier, like glass that could not withstand the weight, was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and finally shattered under the continuous tearing of the gale!

Goatmon's Holy and Radiant data were exhausted, and it reverted back to Puppymon. Puppymon collapsed limply to the ground, too weak to even stand up.

Cheng Yuan used the power of the Dark Beast to open the barrier of darkness, firmly supporting Guan Yan with one hand, while instantly scooping up the limp little beast from the ground with the other, carefully placing it on his broad, cold shoulder armor. "Leave the rest to me! Hang in there!"

At this moment, they had climbed to the very top of the dead volcano, seemingly only a step away from the crater that spewed endless black mist.

But without the protection of the goat beast's sacred energy, the terrifying black mist of death and the intermittent death winds gnawed at them like maggots clinging to their bones.

Guan Yan's condition deteriorated rapidly. Her fingertips began to blur, flickering with tiny data mosaics like an old television signal, and a few strands of hair also showed an unnatural pixelated breakage.

The Baron Beast staggered, its fangs on the lion dance mask becoming even more ferocious, and its eyes occasionally flashing red light.

Cheng Yuan had a sudden thought. He encapsulated the Seed of Light into a chip, inserted it into the Arc Light Machine, and summoned the Sacred Domain.

Within the domain, it was as if one were bathed in warm sunlight! The viscous black mist of death, as if encountering its nemesis, emitted a sizzling burning sound and was forcibly pushed away and purified! The suffocating sense of data invasion and chilling coldness vanished almost instantly!

"It works!" Cheng Yuan's heart leaped with joy. But he knew that this sacred domain had limited effectiveness in resisting the deathly gale.

Whenever the howling wind grew louder, Cheng Yuan would immediately lead everyone to hide in the crevices of the rugged rocks, or forcefully blast cracks into the hard black rock to serve as cover.

Once the devastating winds subsided and the force of the storm weakened, they climbed upwards like geckos, using both hands and feet. They repeated this process, slowly and perilously moving towards the crater.