16. Instantly Slaying the Fierce Ghost Beast, Breaking into the Northern Snowfields

The next plans were set, but seeing that the Unicorn Beast was still weak, Taiichi and the others decided to rest for a while. Just in time, the hot spring eggs were done cooking. Taiichi and Lion Beast carried the bamboo basket holding the eggs, while Zeromaru took out plates, bowls, knives, and forks from the refrigerator.

Taiichi said, "This fridge really has everything!"

As he ate the fried eggs grilled on a stone slab, Taiichi suddenly missed all the various seasonings from human society. "If only we had soy sauce."

Lion Beast replied, "Farui Island isn’t very large, and most of it remains in its natural, pristine state, so food preparation here is quite simple."

"But on the vast and resource-rich Sabba Continent, there are quite a few restaurants run by Digimon."

"Restaurants run by Digimon?!" Taiichi’s eyes lit up instantly after days of eating only wild fruits and grilled fish. "It’s decided, after Farui Island, our next stop will be Sabba Continent!"

"Yay!" Zeromaru raised his arm in cheer, equally excited about all the delicious food to come.

"Let’s finish off the Devimon quickly so we can leave without worry!" Taiichi looked toward the summit of Infinite Mountain, his eyes burning with an unprecedented fierce determination.

Thus, their next adventure destination was decided so hastily, and the Devimon had no idea its death would be hastened by something as trivial as soy sauce.

After finishing the eggs, the Unicorn Beast regained much of his strength. Seeing his wings flap strongly again, Taiichi and Zeromaru immediately decided to set off.

"Then let’s depart first." With a small jump, Taiichi and Zeromaru mounted the Unicorn Beast’s back.

According to Lion Beast, the remaining mature Digimon on Farui Island were Snowmanmon, Furmon, Centaurmon, and Devimon.

The closest to Taiichi was the Devimon’s church, so he decided to head there.

"I and Ogremon will investigate the current situation of the other Digimon," Lion Beast said, carrying the unconscious Ogremon on his shoulder.

Though Ogremon looked like a villain, he hadn’t actually done any great evil. Every time he met Lion Beast, the two would fight, but the more they fought, the more familiar they became with each other.

To Lion Beast, this creature—whose special moves and fighting style resembled his own—was less an enemy to be defeated and more a comrade and rival for mutual growth.

Now, with Taiichi and Zeromaru joining the side of justice, their strength was unprecedented. It was time for a decisive battle with Devimon. Carrying Ogremon, infected by the virus seed, was also a way for Lion Beast to keep him away from Devimon’s dark faction.

"Devimon is a rare naturally evil Digimon on this island. Even without the control of the black gear, it is highly aggressive. If we find it impossible to communicate, just take it down directly."

Taiichi nodded in understanding and agreed to regroup here afterward.

The Unicorn Beast flapped his wings powerfully, lifting them high into the sky with a gentle breeze accompanying their flight.

"Be careful, Taiichi," Lion Beast said, watching Taiichi’s figure slowly disappear, then stood and left.

Unicorn Beast’s flying speed was even faster than Ogremon’s. Flying straight in the air was far quicker than Taiichi traveling on foot.

Feeling the rushing wind by his side, Taiichi’s heart filled with exhilaration.

"Flying is really great."

If only Zeromaru could grow wings too, then they could fly straight to Sabba Continent.

Beneath them, the scenery shifted swiftly despite seeming slow. Before long, they arrived above the church where Devimon resided.

Before Taiichi could order the Unicorn Beast to land, a pitch-black sinister wind whipped around them. A ghostly figure draped in a white sheet silently appeared behind Taiichi, extending skeletal, branch-like claws to strike.

"Trouble, Zeromaru!"

Taiichi, alert from the moment the ominous wind arose, immediately sensed the presence behind him. Zeromaru, attuned to Taiichi’s mind, swiftly turned and swung his arm like a giant pendulum toward the ghost.

Unexpectedly, Zeromaru’s powerful attack passed right through Devimon’s body without effect.

Taiichi froze momentarily before realizing, "Of course, it’s a ghost. Phasing is normal."

The Unicorn Beast fired a holy light projectile, but Devimon’s body fluttered like paper in the wind, evading it.

Surprisingly, the opponent had divine power backing it, and Devimon cast a wary glance at the Unicorn Beast before abandoning the attack and fleeing back into the church below.

"Taiichi, should we go down after it?" the Unicorn Beast asked.

Taiichi shook his head. "This is Devimon’s territory. It must have set traps inside. Going in blindly would be falling into its snare."

"Then what should we do?"

"Isn’t it simple?" Taiichi’s lips curled into a smile. Zeromaru understood immediately and began to gather energy.

"Let’s blast the whole church and Devimon into the sky!"

Zeromaru’s mouth formed a terrifying high-energy orb, aiming at the church below. "V-Arrow Breath!"

A blue beam of destructive power struck the church, instantly triggering a violent explosion that engulfed the entire building.

Devimon’s illusions were shattered, and the church was reduced to a graveyard, then to ruins under the blast.

Devimon’s cloth was scorched and steaming as it lay in a pit dozens of meters wide and two meters deep, its eyes spinning.

"Seems like it’s only immune to physical attacks. Energy attacks still work," Taiichi said somewhat disappointed. Such phasing was of too low a purity.

Apparently, Devimon hadn’t consumed enough rice yet.

After watching for a while, no black gear flew out of Devimon’s body. As Lion Beast had said, this was a Digimon born with an aggressive nature.

Without treatment, Devimon’s injuries would require at least ten to fifteen days of bed rest, making it impossible to interfere with their battle against Devimon.

"Let’s just leave it like this."

Feeling he hadn’t wasted much time here, Taiichi decided not to rest but had the Unicorn Beast carry them northward toward the snowy plains.

——————————

As they left the ruins, the moon hung high above Taiichi’s head. Even when Unicorn Beast brought them to the snowy plains, the moon remained fixed in place.

Upon entering the northern region, the piercing cold and relentless blizzard severely obscured Taiichi’s vision. Snowflakes, countless tiny ice crystals, were whipped by fierce winds into swirling white vortices.

Each breath felt like sharp blades cutting his throat, making every inhalation painfully difficult.

According to Lion Beast, two mature Digimon lived on the snowy plains: Snowmanmon and Furmon.

Both shared a common trait—they were entirely white. In these obscured conditions, finding two pure white Digimon on a pure white snowfield was nearly impossible.

As far as Taiichi could see, there was only endless white, as if the entire world were blanketed in ice and snow, blurring the boundary between sky and earth.

"Let’s get down first," Taiichi said, seeing the Unicorn Beast shiver in the cold wind and his own clothes frozen like blocks of ice. He intended to build a fire on the ground to warm up.

The Unicorn Beast landed at the center of the snowfield, a pine forest where heavy snow bent the branches. Large clumps of snow occasionally slid from the treetops with dull thuds.

Taiichi gathered fallen branches to use as firewood.

Elsewhere, Zeromaru and the Unicorn Beast found a cave. Shortly after entering, snow piled at the entrance like a small hill.

The cave was small but sufficient to shield them from the wind and snow. Inside, it was dry, and huddled together, they felt especially warm.

"These branches are wet. Can they still be used as firewood?" the Unicorn Beast hesitated, glancing at the branches in Taiichi’s arms.

Taiichi was confident. "Don’t worry, we have a strong fire source."

He arranged the branches into a pile.

Though still dusted with snowflakes, against Zeromaru’s firepower it was no problem.

Zeromaru breathed out a ball of blue flame—

This was the V-Arrow Breath in its unreleased beam form. To the Unicorn Beast, this blue flame seemed even more powerful than Tyrannomon’s super flame.

The blue flames passed over the branches, instantly evaporating the moisture. Sparks clung to the wood, spreading rapidly into a warm orange-red fire.

In the dark cave, a comforting orange glow lit up. Taiichi, Zeromaru, and the Unicorn Beast leaned against each other, savoring this rare moment of peace.

The Unicorn Beast lay on its side at the back, allowing Zeromaru and Taiichi to rest against him. Its pure white wings gently draped over them like the softest down quilt. Taiichi closed his eyes without realizing it.

In this moment, Taiichi no longer felt like a lone hero traversing Farui Island but an ordinary child befitting his age.

Yet the tranquility did not last long. From outside the cave came the rustle of footsteps—other people approaching.

Taiichi’s gaze sharpened. He and Zeromaru stood up, bodies tensing, evidently readying for battle.