BOOM!
The instant the fight began, Chen Ze, in his Agumon form, immediately felt the overwhelming strength of the Eater.
That crushing brute force, the terrifying capability of devouring all data, and the suffocating sense of danger that loomed everywhere—just one careless step could drag Chen Ze into certain doom.
This pressure was something entirely beyond imagination when supporting from afar. It felt like dancing on the edge of a blade, a true warrior's feeling.
In a sense, this was genuinely Chen Ze's first fight as a "Digimon." Its thrill and peril naturally exceeded mere hacker intrusions.
After all, during the Hikarigaoka incident, Chen Ze had fought Digimon three times—but in every case, Renamon had led the charge.
When first facing Angemon, Renamon was the primary attacker; Chen Ze only slightly distracted the opponent.
When infiltrating the Metropolitan Police firewall, Chen Ze hadn't even directly confronted Revolmon, much less engaged in combat.
Even during the decisive battle with Parrotmon, Chen Ze had merely participated as a "bystander." At most, he stalled briefly to buy time for Greymon's final attack.
"Hm?"
Clearly noticing Chen Ze's lack of combat experience, BushiAgumon, who was attacking the tentacle alongside him, let out a faintly puzzled sound.
After all, the Agumon form Chen Ze had taken was ferocious and savage, clearly an abnormal subspecies.
From appearance and aura alone, he hardly seemed like a green rookie without any combat experience.
From another perspective, without substantial strength, an ordinary Agumon would never evolve into such a vicious, brutal form.
Fortunately, BushiAgumon's surprise didn't last long. It decisively grasped an opening, unsheathed its blade once more, and struck fiercely at the tentacle that failed to dodge.
Clang!
The blade seemed slow but was incredibly swift, landing before Chen Ze could even strike.
—Chou Teisoku Ichimonji-giri!
Shiiing!
This time, the attack appeared slower than before, yet held immense power, effortlessly slicing off a portion of the tentacle.
BushiAgumon's sharp attack made the tentacle look as fragile as tofu, cleanly and elegantly cutting it into two.
Rip!
Seizing this opportunity, Chen Ze didn't hesitate. He took a deep breath, then expelled a burst of pale fire.
—Overload Flame!
In the shape of flames yet fundamentally an overload program, the pale fire burned while simultaneously disrupting all normal functions of its target's body.
Even the Eater, with its extraordinary assimilation ability, could not resist such a strike. Chen Ze had confirmed this earlier in the Darknet Black Market.
Whoosh!
For an instant, Chen Ze thought he heard a scream from the Eater's true body.
A wave of fury and hatred was transmitted clearly, even through two separate digital spaces, pouring out an intense malice.
Unfortunately for it, hatred was only hatred. With its true body trapped in another digital space, the Eater was unable to meaningfully threaten Chen Ze—and it had already lost one of its tentacles.
...
"[SWIFT STRIKE]!"
If the fight involving BushiAgumon and Chen Ze was considered intense and nerve-wracking, then Renamon's solo confrontation with another tentacle seemed graceful and composed by comparison.
With only a few elegant maneuvers, Renamon had repeatedly injured the Eater's tentacle, its demonic, corrosive claws severely hindering the opponent's recovery.
Like a crocodile being slowly bled dry, the tentacle, unable to advance or retreat, could only helplessly accept its eventual defeat.
Yet this was hardly surprising. After all, Renamon had previously fought the Eater's main body alone for quite a while before withdrawing unharmed.
Even if Chen Ze's assistance had played a part back then, it still showed Renamon's formidable capability.
Of course, Renamon's relaxed and calm performance now didn't mean she was truly stronger than both Agumon combined.
The difference lay entirely in battle style. This was precisely Renamon's most distinguishing feature, setting her apart from other Rookie or even Champion-level Digimon.
Usually, before evolving into Ultimate-level, Digimon battles were straightforward collisions between physical strength and brute force, accompanied by their special moves.
Only Digimon who pursued specific "skills" beyond mere evolution—such as BushiAgumon and Wizardmon—possessed unconventional abilities.
Incidentally, Renamon belonged precisely to that type.
Gifted with extraordinary intellect and composure, Renamon had intentionally undergone specialized training even before reaching the Rookie stage.
Combined with the unique illusions and demonic aura acquired after evolving, Renamon's fighting style was not a warrior's direct approach but something far more eerie and elusive, akin to an assassin.
Every move was cloaked in illusions and trickery, leaving opponents uncertain whether Renamon's next attack would even be real.
The only thing her opponents could be certain of was that a single misstep would lead to a relentless series of swift, decisive strikes.
Graceful, calm, yet subtly sinister…
This was the impression left on all Digimon who'd fallen to Renamon. It was also the very reason she could hunt Champion-level Digimon while still a Rookie.
Just like now…
Clack-clack-clack…
No matter how the tentacle attempted to attack or defend, Renamon remained completely composed, never once giving the enemy any opening.
Especially after noticing Chen Ze and BushiAgumon had finished their battle, Renamon withdrew the portion of attention she'd placed on Chen Ze and began actively attacking.
Crack, crack, crack…
Perhaps foreseeing its imminent doom, the Eater's tentacle suddenly expanded fully.
Like a giant python stretching its body, the tentacle instantly swelled several times its original size, then brutally smashed down toward Renamon with overwhelming force.
"[DIAMOND STORM]!"
Whirling leaves surged into a violent storm, with Renamon at its center, revealing a scornful smirk.
As Chen Ze had once described Renamon, she was the type who'd never take a cautious stance if she could indulge in recklessness. More crucially, beneath that playful demeanor lay an absolute determination never to concede defeat.
Combining these traits allowed Renamon to unleash astonishing ferocity whenever a battle threatened her life—a kind of ruthlessness ordinary beings found incomprehensible.
BOOOM!
An impact far louder and fiercer than Chen Ze and BushiAgumon's attack echoed through the space.
At the point of collision between Renamon and the tentacle, razor-sharp leaves carved deep fissures into the ground, while the tentacle itself exploded into pieces, scattering debris everywhere.
With this, the local battle was decisively over. The Eater's tentacle had been forcibly expelled from the Digimon Black Market.
---
A/N: Originally planned to wrap things up starting last chapter, but it turned out the story unfolded into something much bigger. The brothers, BushiAgumon, the decisive battle against the Eater—plus the foreshadowed plot involving Kishibe Rie and Suedou Akemi lurking behind the scenes…
Seems like wrapping up this arc clearly will take around ten more chapters at least.
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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