Huh?
They got here that fast?
Although he was talking to Renamon, Mo Yan had not let his guard down.
Mo Yan first sidestepped the fireball, then kicked Terriermon away.
The fireball struck the wall behind Mo Yan and scattered into sparks.
Seeing his special move dodged so easily, Guilmon's eyes widened. He looked rather cute.
"Terriermon!"
Li Jianliang caught Terriermon in time as he flew backward.
"You got here pretty fast, didn't you?"
Mo Yan then looked toward the direction the fireball had come from.
"You know us?"
Hearing that, Li Jianliang immediately asked while checking Terriermon's injuries.
"Want to know the answer? Then defeat me."
Flapping his wings, Mo Yan slowly rose into the air.
Seriously, was I supposed to stay down there and let them gang up on me?
Mo Yan had no intention of sacrificing his own advantages just to be the protagonists' sparring partner.
His boss, Qinglongmon, had told him to give the chosen children appropriate tempering and trials.
Not to throw his own life away like the Deva.
Looking down at the protagonists from above, Mo Yan gestured for them to keep attacking.
That lofty posture, that contemptuous beckoning gesture.
The first to lose patience with Mo Yan's attitude and launch an attack was Rika Makino.
"Renamon!"
"Rika."
With a turn of the D-Ark in her hand, a Digimon card appeared in Rika Makino's other hand.
"Card slash: Healthy Herb Fruit!"
Renamon's concern and Mo Yan's mockery had Rika Makino ready to explode with anger.
Although Rika Makino kept insisting that Digimon were born to fight, that this was their destiny.
She seemed cold and heartless, treating Renamon as a weapon.
But when Renamon actually got hurt.
The most anxious, worried, and furious person was Rika Makino herself.
Especially now that the "kindhearted" duo had arrived, letting Rika Makino cast aside some of her reservations.
So Rika Makino immediately led with a card slash and kicked off the fight.
Before the card's healing effect could take hold, Rika Makino drew another card from her pack and followed up.
"Card slash: Overload Plug-In Z!"
"Card slash: Attack Plug-In A!"
"Card slash: High-Speed Plug-In T!"
She first used the Overload Plug-In Z to increase how much Renamon could withstand, then boosted Renamon's attack power and speed.
Three consecutive slashes refreshed Renamon's condition and strengthened her.
This was the difference a Tamer made to a Digimon.
"Rika, Renamon's already hurt. Are you really going to keep fighting?"
As everyone's little angel, Takato could not bear to watch and spoke up to Rika Makino.
"Digimon are born to fight. That's their destiny!
Go! Renamon.
Defeat him, then evolve!"
Rika Makino glanced at Takato, tightened her grip on her D-Ark, and spoke rather coldly.
"Why do you like making your Digimon fight so much?
Digimon aren't weapons!"
Seeing the battered Renamon continue fighting at Rika Makino's command, Li Jianliang seemed to remember something and loudly questioned her.
"I already told you, this is a Digimon's destiny!
Fight, then evolve. That's what Digimon are!"
Rika Makino spoke coldly without taking her eyes off Mo Yan.
Yet deep within those purple eyes lay a different emotion.
"Clap, clap.
Well said. Digimon are born to fight."
Mo Yan clapped in approval, wholeheartedly agreeing with Rika Makino's words.
"We hatch from Digi-Eggs and pass through our infancy, defenseless in a world full of danger.
As time passes, we young Digimon grow into Rookies. No longer helpless, we can fight to survive.
Through constant battle, we grow anew.
Then we slowly mature, advancing from Rookie to Champion.
To evolve, to become our complete selves.
We endure countless more battles and struggles, moving from maturity to completeness and achieving our Ultimate evolution.
After that, we seek an evolution beyond even that, until we finally reach those infinite possibilities.
Chosen children!
For evolution, for survival.
Battle runs through a Digimon's entire life."
Like a stage actor, Mo Yan recounted the life of a Digimon in an almost operatic tone.
His exaggerated gestures and overblown expressions only made the already irritated Renamon more uncomfortable.
In a flash, Renamon leaped into the air and swung a fist at Mo Yan.
I don't care whether it's for battle, survival, or evolution. Rika's command is everything.
That was Renamon's conviction, a conviction born after she met Rika Makino.
On the ground.
The three of them simply ignored Mo Yan's overblown acting.
But the information revealed in his words shook them and set them thinking.
Each of the three had different views on Digimon, shaped by their own experiences.
Yet all of them had forgotten what the Digimon themselves thought.
Digimon born from data possessed emotions every bit as rich as those of humans.
Even Guilmon, who had been created by Takato, was developing his emotions at an astonishing pace.
Let alone Renamon and Terriermon, who already had experiences of their own.
Takato and Li Jianliang each glanced at their Digimon, only to find Guilmon and Terriermon staring intently at Mo Yan.
As though sensing their Tamers' gazes, Guilmon and Terriermon turned to look at them.
Their sparkling eyes held blazing fighting spirit and a longing to evolve.
Is that how it is?
The same thought passed through both their minds.
"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!"
"Wing Storm!"
While Takato and Li Jianliang reflected, Mo Yan and Renamon had already traded another dozen exchanges.
Now, Mo Yan and Renamon each began preparing their skills.
Seeing Renamon gather power for another special move, Rika Makino desperately wanted to slash another card.
But Rika Makino was also afraid Renamon would not be able to withstand it.
After all, the power granted by the cards came from an outside source.
Every card slash that bestowed power placed a certain strain on Renamon.
Otherwise, Rika Makino would not have used only a handful of cards in each battle.
If she could slash cards endlessly, Rika Makino would have long since started using super-evolution and Mega cards. She did not only because Digimon had limits to what they could withstand.
Exceed those limits, and a Digimon would injure themselves before the fight even began.
In more serious cases, their own data might collapse before they defeated the enemy.
Rika Makino had already tried such things.
So now Rika Makino could only watch Renamon clash with Mo Yan.
"Guilmon, let's go!"
Seeing Mo Yan fold his wings, their feathers gleaming with a metallic sheen, Takato spoke to Guilmon.
"Terriermon, you want to fight, don't you?"
At the same time, Li Jianliang asked Terriermon.
"Okay, Takato."
"Jianliang, can I?"
Guilmon and Terriermon answered respectively.
"Card slash: Enhancement Plug-In W!" ×2
Takato and Li Jianliang slashed their cards simultaneously, even using the same card.
"Target Angemon! Interrupt his special move!"
As the cards' power entered Guilmon and Terriermon, Li Jianliang pointed at Mo Yan's wings and gave the order.
"Guilmon Cannon!"
"Great Ears Flight!"
Hearing Li Jianliang's command, Guilmon and Terriermon aimed their special moves at Mo Yan's wings.
Shit!
Noticing what was happening on the ground, Mo Yan's face turned green.
Did their timing have to be that perfect?
Though a thousand words raced through his mind, Mo Yan had no choice but to release his skill early.
He also had to divert some of his feathers to weaken Guilmon and Terriermon's attacks.
Now's my chance.
Seeing Mo Yan abandon his charge and release his skill instead, Renamon's eyes lit up. She decisively unleashed her fully charged special move.
Boom!
Boom!
Two explosions rang out as Renamon, Guilmon, and Terriermon's attacks pierced through the feathers and struck Mo Yan.
"Cough, cough..."
Although the feathers had weakened the attacks, Mo Yan still took considerable damage.
Fuck, I really shouldn't have taunted the protagonists. The power of these Digimon cards really is the most overpowered cheat in this show.
Looks like I'll have to cheat too.
Clutching his wound, Mo Yan rapidly ascended, glancing at Calumon, who was peeking halfway out, as he thought.
At Mo Yan's will, a DigiCore appeared before him.
Before you continue