Convergence

"I wonder how many Digimon in the sea will be caught up in this disaster." Mastermon looked west, his eyes filled with compassion.

Zheng Fan did not know what to say either. The only good news was that there were not very many Digimon in the ocean. After all, Digimon generally did not need to eat, so there was no need to maintain a food chain. In the Digimon World, Mega Digimon already stood at the pinnacle. Even in the deepest reaches of the ocean, the strongest were only Mega Digimon. Venture into the depths of space, and the strongest Digimon were still Megas. Mastermon did not know this, but Zheng Fan knew it perfectly well, because he had traveled beyond the Digimon World's universe.

MegaKuwagamon said apologetically, "All these disasters happened because I acted recklessly." That was what MegaKuwagamon said, but his actions showed no sign of remorse. He was only sorry that he had nearly sold out his teammates. As for anything else, no matter how terrible the disaster, he did not care as long as it did not affect him.

Zheng Fan had the best eyesight of the group. Even from a distance, he could see the darkness on Infinite Mountain growing thicker.

"Seriously. They really do treat us like little kids," Mimi Tachikawa complained as soon as Zheng Fan left.

"But Mimi Tachikawa, I really am a little kid," T.K. Takaishi said.

"That's right. We should listen to Mr. Trist. The Digimon World isn't as peaceful as you might think," Tentomon said. Then he turned to Agumon. "Agumon, you have to teach me that powerful fighting style of yours. That guy MegaKuwagamon is definitely going to challenge me to a duel. I don't want to lose to him."

Joe Kido said to Tai and Izzy Izumi, "You two shouldn't get your hopes up. Agumon couldn't learn what Zheng Fan taught us, could he? And we couldn't learn what Zheng Fan taught Agumon either. That means learning these things depends on aptitude. Agumon is a reptile-type Digimon, and Greymon is a dinosaur-type Digimon, while Tentomon and Kabuterimon are both insect-type Digimon. Their techniques definitely can't be shared." Joe Kido's words threw cold water over everyone's enthusiasm.

But Joe Kido's reminder perked Tai up again. "Izzy Izumi, T.K. Takaishi, Mimi Tachikawa, watch closely. I'll show you the exercises Zheng Fan taught us." As he spoke, Tai beckoned to Joe Kido. Understanding what Tai wanted, Joe Kido said awkwardly, "Tai, do we really have to?"

Mimi Tachikawa hugged Joe Kido's arm. "Joe, please, let me see. Joooee!"

Joe Kido felt goose bumps rise all over his body. He really did need some exercise. He walked into the clearing and stood beside Tai.

The Light Domain's Great Prophecy had transformed the Universal Physical Arts into a practice governed almost entirely by the mind. Where the heart willed, nothing could stand in its way. That was the true essence of the Great Prophecy. With the Universal Physical Arts, as long as a learner wanted to perform the routine, they would be able to complete it. Of course, the pain never diminished. For an ordinary person without any foundation, completing the whole routine without genuine commitment-even with all kinds of assistance-carried a ninety-nine percent chance of dying on the spot. Conversely, if an ordinary person could endure the pain and complete the movements, the benefits would exceed anything they could imagine.

Fortunately, Tai and the others were in the Digimon World. Perhaps thanks to protection bordering on that afforded to children of destiny, Tai and Joe Kido experienced almost no pain. Still, that did have something to do with how earnestly they had studied.

Joe Kido and Tai twisted their bodies into all manner of impossible angles, pushing the limits of the human body again and again. The others watched, dumbstruck. Mimi Tachikawa tried to copy one of Tai's hand gestures and immediately burst into tears from the pain.

"Tai, why do I feel like there's danger nearby?" Joe Kido's upper and lower body were almost folded together, yet his voice remained perfectly calm.

"I feel it too." Tai punched out with his right arm at an unbelievable angle. "It's over that way."

Following the direction of Tai's fist, Agumon immediately spat out a Baby Flame. Joe Kido planted both hands on the ground and launched a rabbit-kicks-the-eagle strike, his body forming a streamlined streak as he chased after the Baby Flame.

Although Tentomon and the others did not understand what had happened, they could not go wrong by firing off their special attacks.

The Baby Flame struck something in midair, sending ripples through the air and knocking a figure out of invisibility. Joe Kido's foot landed on the Digimon's face a moment later. After delivering three kicks in succession, he leaped clear, just as the Boom Bubble arrived.

The Digimon's red cloak had a metallic sheen and seemed to conduct electricity. The power of the Boom Bubble coursed over the cloak, leaving the Digimon inside rigid for a moment. The Poison Ivy that followed bound him tightly.

"It's Bakemon!" Joe Kido shouted. This was the red-cloaked Bakemon. Joe Kido remembered him clearly.

"He's an Ultimate!" Tentomon and Patamon lunged forward together, placing themselves in front of Izzy Izumi and T.K. Takaishi.

"Tentomon, digivolve to... Kabuterimon!" "Palmon, digivolve to... Cactismon!" "Agumon, digivolve to... Palmon!" At Tentomon's warning, the Digimon each digivolved.

"You... you weaklings actually dared attack me! You actually injured my noble body, the body of Phantomon! Unforgivable! Even sinking you into the deepest reaches of the Dark Ocean would not quell my fury!" the red-cloaked Phantomon rambled.

"T.K., is this guy really an Ultimate Digimon?" Tai cautiously approached T.K. Takaishi and asked.

"He talks an awful lot of nonsense, but his presence really is that of an Ultimate," Patamon answered.

Suddenly, a faint tremor came from the direction where Zheng Fan and the others had entered the forest. Tai only felt the ground shake, but Greymon and the other Digimon all fell to the ground. Even Kabuterimon, who had been flying in the air, was not spared.

"Haha, now's my chance! Are you ready to die? I won't show mercy just because my opponents make a mistake!" Phantomon knew something and had prepared himself before the fall. An enormous scythe appeared in his hand, its blade gleaming as though eager to prove its sharpness. In his other hand, he held a meteor hammer.

Phantomon swung hard, sending the meteor hammer hurtling straight toward Kabuterimon. Kabuterimon beat his wings and took flight, unwittingly playing right into Phantomon's hands as the chain wrapped tightly around him. Phantomon knew he had to restrain Kabuterimon first, since he was the only one who could fly.

"Super Flame!" Unafraid of an Ultimate's imposing presence, Greymon took the initiative and attacked Phantomon. Phantomon swept his scythe across and cleaved the Super Flame apart.

"Dark Ambush!" With a wave of Phantomon's hand, a black shadow shot out. "Spiky Bump Punch!" Beside him, Cactismon sent the shadow flying with a single punch.

"Haha, not bad! You really are the chosen Digimon. But even so, you will still pay for injuring me!" The deranged Phantomon waved his hand, unleashing a seemingly endless torrent of shadows.

"Spiky Bump Punch!" Cactismon spun in place, spraying countless spikes from his body. But an Ultimate Digimon was tremendously powerful; it took three to five spikes just to knock a single shadow off course.

"Greymon, use what Zheng Fan taught us!" Tai cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. Greymon knew how destructive that move was, of course, but charging out now would get him riddled with holes.

"Scare him, Greymon! Scare him!" Seeing that Greymon had not understood Tai's meaning, Joe Kido acted out all sorts of gestures beside him.

This time, Greymon understood. He stomped down hard on the ground in front of him.

The original version of this stomp came from the Dragonblood Bull, a powerhouse beyond the Immortal Realm. It ranked among the finest footwork techniques across the planes. Perhaps only something beyond the normal bounds, like the Eight Steps of the Defiant Dragon, could utterly surpass it. A mighty expert from Buzhou had learned ninety percent of it from the Dragonblood Bull, and the original imprinted teaching material reproduced over sixty percent. What Zheng Fan had seen was merely a copy, only half of which captured the essence. Zheng Fan had memorized eighty percent of its movements, but they possessed only the outward form. By the time it reached Greymon, anyone who knew their stuff would have judged it to possess neither form nor spirit.

In the end, Phantomon was not a Digimon who knew his stuff. His fight with Cactismon had been effortless, so naturally, he studied Greymon's movements closely. That close look frightened him, and his hands stopped moving.

Without reinforcements, the countless shadows were finally overwhelmed by the Spiky Bump Punch. The spikes struck Phantomon's body directly. Still, he was an Ultimate Digimon. Even caught unprepared and bombarded by countless spikes, he suffered only minor injuries.

Seizing the opportunity, Greymon slammed a claw down on the chain. As though alive, the chain twisted and writhed, releasing Kabuterimon and retreating.

"Kabuterimon, are you all right? Hurry, use Charge-Up and get ready for Mega Cannon!" Seeing Kabuterimon break free, Izzy Izumi quickly gave instructions. Every Digimon knew the Charge-Up technique; it was just that the time spent charging did not scale proportionally with its power.

"Cactismon, hurry! Phantomon's about to snap out of it!" Greymon knew the limits of his own ability, but he had underestimated Phantomon, who had devoured countless grudges. No sooner had Greymon spoken than Phantomon's chilling voice rang out. "What terrifying power. I must take back my earlier impolite remarks. I've decided. I will turn every one of you into Bakemon, whether you were originally Digimon or human." As Phantomon finished speaking, the already dim forest instantly turned pitch-black. They could not even see their hands in front of their faces, and the sinister chill grew heavier.

"Tai, did Phantomon say anything impolite earlier?" Even in the darkness, Izzy Izumi was still puzzling over this question.

"Super Flame!" In the darkness, Greymon tried to kindle a fire with Super Flame, but its light was incredibly feeble and was swallowed by the darkness in an instant.

"We're done for. I guess Phantomon was just playing around with us during that whole fight." Mimi Tachikawa's weary voice drifted over. It was easy to imagine her slumped helplessly on the ground.

Suddenly, a ray of light blossomed in the darkness. It came from Joe Kido's Digivice. "Great! It's Gomamon! Gomamon must be nearby!" Joe Kido shouted happily.

Everyone sat down around Joe Kido. With the light of the Digivice, they finally had something to rely on again. Could they really only pin their hopes on Gomamon now?