Leomon and Biyomon

"Zheng Fan, look out!" Once the terrifying tearing sensation vanished, Zheng Fan vanished too. He could no longer hear Li Xiaojiao's anguished cries. The old man had exploited a flaw in Priest James's simplified Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Sealing Magic Circle to rip it apart, unleashing a terrifying spatial storm. Since the Magic Circle specialized in sealing, it also offered its target powerful protection, so its lingering power still shielded Zheng Fan. Of course, the old man had calculated this outcome as well. After all, Xiaoxiao would not want to see her beloved die at her family's hands.

The effects of the spatial rupture were not actually much of a problem. Spatial forces would not attack mortals who displayed no energy, and James had long since taken precautions. As for the ruptured space that crashed into the old man, it merely stirred a light breeze before him. Still, even in its simplified form, the name "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths" was intimidating, especially when James had spent over a year preparing it and had even dreamed up the idea of using an entire city to power the Magic Circle. Once the Magic Circle began running, probably only a handful of people in the three great domains could stop it.

Zheng Fan, the primary target of the seal, had indeed been saved. The old man had sent him out of the main world with a dark banishment spell, allowing him to escape the spatial rupture with ease. Though, would a spatial rupture really have injured Zheng Fan? The malicious banishment spell had also been magnified countless times by the rupture, actually turning into a one-way teleportation. As a result, there was no telling whether Zheng Fan would ever return to the Buzhou Domain in his lifetime.

His awareness returned to his body, and the disorientation caused by the spatial rupture gradually faded. He was only a young man, after all. One of the mainstays of the three great domains could probably have ignored such tiny spatial fluctuations. "Who are you?" What greeted his eyes was a being with a lion's head and a human body, holding his Night Dawn Sword. "What kind of Digimon are you? I've never seen you before." Only after hearing the voice did Zheng Fan notice the many strange, ball-like creatures around him. They had pink bodies and flowers blooming atop their heads, with several long stamens sticking upright like stray tufts of hair. Could these cute little things be spirits? Zheng Fan wondered. Casually, he lifted a stamen, only to lift the entire little ball with it. "Ow, that hurts! Put me down!" the little ball cried, spitting at Zheng Fan as well. Its saliva contained a faint trace of attacking energy, which Zheng Fan easily neutralized. "Sorry, that was rude of me." He hurriedly set the little ball down and asked, "Who are you, and what is this place?"

Turning back, the lion-headed man handed the Night Dawn Sword to Zheng Fan and said, "This is the Biyomon village. I'm Leomon, a Champion-level Digimon. These children are Biyomon, In-Training Digimon." Hearing Leomon introduce them, the Biyomon jumped up eagerly, calling, "I'm Biyomon!" "I'm Biyomon!" Zheng Fan was very curious about how these little creatures could jump over a meter high. Taking Night Dawn from Leomon, he studied the sword doubtfully. For martial artists of the Buzhou Domain, refining weapons into their bodies was the most common way to carry them. His dantian was undamaged, yet his weapon had emerged on its own, which was actually a frightening matter. "Kuwagamon attacked you, and you passed out by the river. When I found you there, this sword flew out of your body and defeated Kuwagamon. Congratulations on evolving." With Leomon's explanation, Zheng Fan understood. Night Dawn had acted to protect its master. In that case, he was not far from the Sword Soul realm. Once the sword developed a soul, however, he would no longer be able to store it in his dantian. But what did Leomon mean by evolving?

Seeing Zheng Fan's expression, Leomon asked, "What kind of Digimon are you? Are you a Champion now, or an Ultimate?" Zheng Fan had intended to tell them he was not a Digimon, but suddenly noticed the curious gazes of the Biyomon. Remembering how he had acted when he first encountered races from the outer domains, he said calmly, "My name is Zheng Fan. Champion." Leomon said, "You lasted so long against Kuwagamon's attacks as a Rookie. Now that you've evolved into a Champion-level Digimon, you must be a powerful Champion. Come fight me."

Fight? Zheng Fan hurriedly said, "Wait, Leomon-" "Zheng Fan, fight me!" Leomon shouted, already swinging his fist forward. Zheng Fan reacted a beat too late and could not hold his ground against Leomon's blows. He fought while retreating, trampling several of the Biyomon's little houses. Fortunately, the Biyomon noticed what was happening too and hurriedly shouted, "Leomon, stop fighting! Leomon, stop fighting!" Realizing his mistake, Leomon withdrew his fists fairly promptly, though the looks he gave the Biyomon became increasingly ingratiating.

Everyone tidied up the wrecked Biyomon village, and night fell over the Digimon world. This time, in the clearing they had cleaned up together, Leomon issued another challenge to a duel. Zheng Fan had wanted to ask a few more questions, but the sight of Leomon in his fighting stance made his own blood surge. Martial artists of the Buzhou Domain never feared battle.

Leomon always opened a fight with a straight punch. Though Zheng Fan primarily studied swordsmanship, he had also dabbled in fist techniques. But this was not a contest of fist techniques-it was a contest of fists, so they simply traded blows, meeting fist with fist head-on. After exchanging more than a dozen punches, Zheng Fan felt as if his hands were about to shatter. None of the methods he had learned for dissipating force worked at all. He could only leap out of the fray and say, "Brother Leomon, I can't match you with my fists. Let's use weapons." With that, he drew the Night Dawn Sword from behind his back. Leomon felt rather helpless too. Zheng Fan's fists lacked that solid, sturdy feel; they even seemed as though a casual blow could shatter them. Yet the force transmitted when their fists collided was tremendous. Leomon suspected that without the protection of data power, his own fists would have shattered as well. Fortunately, Zheng Fan had suggested using weapons. Otherwise, Leomon would have lost all face, especially with the Biyomon watching.

Drawing the Male Soul Blade, Leomon's presence shifted from that of a burly man to a knight. After several exchanges with Zheng Fan, he gradually fell into a disadvantage. The Night Dawn Sword was a long weapon, giving it a slight advantage in reach over Man Soul. A veteran of countless battles, Leomon first used Man Soul to block Night Dawn, then forced Zheng Fan back with a straight right punch. Seizing the chance to leap out of the fray himself, he immediately charged forward again with a downward slash. Zheng Fan raised his sword, easily blocking Man Soul's path with the back of the blade. Unexpectedly, Leomon lunged forward, switching Man Soul from his left hand to his right and turning the downward slash into a horizontal cut. If that struck home, they would probably have to look for Zheng Fan's Digi-Egg in the Village of Beginnings. Zheng Fan easily dodged by bending backward until his body was nearly horizontal, even kicking forward with his right foot. Given that Leomon was only a little taller than an ordinary person, the place that kick would land promised considerable misery. Leomon hurriedly used his now-free left hand to block Zheng Fan's kick, borrowing its force to retreat once more.

"Beast King Fist!" A layer of yellow light covered his fist, and in an instant, a lion's head shot out of Leomon's fist. Fist aura! Zheng Fan inwardly cried in alarm. For ordinary cultivators, this was something that simply did not exist within the five mortal realms. Only grandmasters who entered the Spirit realm could comprehend it. But the so-called Spirit-realm grandmaster was merely an aspiration held out to ordinary cultivators. Spirit-realm experts merely used mental power to control various energies; with sufficient resources, even someone in the Emperor Realm could do that. But Spirit Absorption, turning spiritual energy into aura, without a sufficiently strong physique was asking for death. Though it looked dangerous, it was not impossible to dodge. Zheng Fan straightened his left leg and dropped straight to the ground. The Beast King Fist flew past the tip of his nose and snapped a large tree behind him clean in two.

"No more, no more!" Seeing that Leomon still wanted to fight, Zheng Fan hurriedly stopped him. "I didn't expect you to have already achieved Spirit Absorption, Brother Leomon. I can't beat you. Absolutely not." Seeing Zheng Fan concede, Leomon quickly said, "Zheng Fan, let me see your special move. And what does Spirit Absorption mean?" Only then did Zheng Fan remember that this was not one of the outer domains he knew. "In my homeland, we call the method of producing energy attacks with your body 'Spirit Absorption.' I might have mistaken what you did just now, but back home, an expert who can do that could take on ten of me." "One against ten? An Ultimate?" Although Zheng Fan seemed a little strange to Leomon, he had still reached the Champion level. Anyone who could take on ten Champions had to be an Ultimate. Or perhaps Lucemon?

"Zheng Fan, Beast King Fist is an innate ability of mine. I've known this move ever since I evolved into Leomon. From what you've said, your homeland has a kind of Digimon that can learn all sorts of skills. You could go to the factory and ask Andromon." As he spoke, Leomon drew Man Soul again and waved it around. "One day, I'll evolve again and defeat Andromon."

"You have to evolve again to defeat Andromon? So Andromon is an Ultimate, then," Zheng Fan said. "That's right. And the Andromon at the factory is a powerful Digimon even among Ultimates, just as I'm the strongest of the Champion-level Digimon." Whenever strength came up, Leomon grew impassioned. "Leomon, if Andromon is that powerful, I definitely can't beat him. What if he won't help me?"

Hearing Zheng Fan and Leomon mention Andromon, the cute Biyomon bounced over a meter high again, calling, "Andromon is a kind Digimon! Andromon is a kind Digimon!" Of course, Zheng Fan's concerns were not entirely unfounded. "Zheng Fan, don't you know Andromon?" Leomon asked doubtfully. "How would I know Andromon?" "Andromon is a warrior of the Metal Empire. Wherever the Metal Empire exists, there'll be an Andromon. Those Metal Empire fellows are famously unreasonable." "And you're telling me to go find someone unreasonable? Isn't that asking to get killed?"

"What does dying matter? You just go back to the Village of Beginnings and get reborn." Leomon truly seemed indifferent to death. "Anyone from the Metal Empire obeys its rules absolutely. But honestly, I've never had Andromon refuse me because of an order from the Metal Empire." Leomon was actually quite curious about the Metal Empire's rules himself, but thinking of Andromon's ultimate move, Super Missile, he knew that making Andromon angry would be a terrifying thing. "Then sorry for the trouble, Leomon. Please take me to see Andromon tomorrow." "All right, but why tomorrow?" Champion-level Digimon no longer needed sleep. Seeing Zheng Fan already lying down and the surrounding Biyomon with even their upright stamens drooping, Leomon carefully found a place to lie down as well. He had little choice; the muscular Leomon was twice Zheng Fan's size.

Lying on the ground, Zheng Fan circulated his cultivation method, feeling the strange energy flow back and forth through his meridians. Unlike the spiritual energy or elemental energy in most regions, the energy of the Digimon world felt electrical. It was not elemental electricity, however, but something closer to electricity generated by a power plant, though still fundamentally different. Compared with violent elemental energy or dense spiritual energy, these energies were very gentle. He could even try Spirit Absorption. Of course, Zheng Fan did not do so. After all, he would soon meet Andromon, whom Leomon had described as the most knowledgeable. If he took the wrong path because he could not wait a single day, he might regret it for the rest of his life.