23. The Partners' Ultimate Techniques, Zero-Maru's Evolution??

Tai uploaded the data of Frigimon into Zeromaru.

Before Demon Satan Mode could even react, Zeromaru, his fists wreathed in harsh, frigid air, was already upon him.

"Absolute Zero Punch!"

In an instant, the cold air froze Demon Satan Mode’s entire body.

"Don't... don't think you can defeat me with a trick like that!"

Demon Satan Mode immediately erupted with dark waves, shattering the ice. However, he saw one-meter-long blue light blades extending from Zeromaru’s claws.

"Rotating Energy Sword!"

The blue blade light slashed out like a cross-shaped crescent. Demon Satan Mode held his staff in front of him for defense, but he was pushed back dozens of meters by the two crescent blades. As the light faded, the staff in his hands snapped into four pieces.

"Love Serenade!"

As the data of Bearmon flowed into Zeromaru, he immediately cupped his cute face, batted his eyelashes at Demon Satan Mode, and blew a red heart. The heart flew into the air like a balloon, and then shattered just like one.

Demon Satan Mode, who had braced himself for another powerful attack, was left speechless.

"Tai!" Zeromaru’s face flushed red, and he turned back, calling out in absolute shame.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot Bearmon isn't a combat-oriented Digimon." Tai chuckled awkwardly. He then immediately transmitted the data of Leomon.

"Fist of the Beast King!"

Zeromaru launched a dragon-headed golden energy blast toward the hovering Demon Satan Mode.

"This move again? Do you really think the same trick will work on me so many times!" Demon Satan Mode shouted, throwing his own arm forward. "Tyrant Fist!"

The two energy blasts collided in mid-air and canceled each other out. Suddenly, the figure of Leomon appeared behind the dissipating Fist of the Beast King.

Demon Satan Mode was shocked: "You! How are you here?"

Tai’s lips curled into a smirk: "The Digivice's commands aren't limited to just Zeromaru. Leomon is our partner, too!"

"Disappear now, you darkness that threatens File Island!" Leomon roared, swinging both arms to unleash a move that transcended his limits: "Hundred Beast Fist!"

In an instant, Leomon unleashed over a hundred punches, each with power no less than the Fist of the Beast King, knocking Demon Satan Mode down from the sky.

Zeromaru, who had been waiting for this moment, stepped on Demon Satan Mode’s chest and locked onto him with his mouth, which was fully charged with terrifying energy.

"Holy Light Bullet!"

As the signature move of the Holy Digimon Unimon, this attack was devastatingly lethal to a Dark-type like Demon Satan Mode—especially coming from Zeromaru. What was originally a spherical light bullet transformed, in Zeromaru’s mouth, into a conical beam of erupting light.

Seeing that there wasn't even a shadow left under the point-blank irradiation of the light beam, and unable to dematerialize to dodge, Demon Satan Mode could only scream: "Partition!"

As he shouted the command, the space beneath Zeromaru’s feet suddenly emptied. The figure of Demon Satan Mode split into two, bouncing away to the left and right.

Leomon immediately spotted one of the figures—a green one: "That’s Ogremon!"

He immediately caught Ogremon’s body. As for the identity of the other dark shadow, it went without saying.

"To survive, you even abandoned the Ultimate form you worked so hard to evolve into?" Tai watched as the creature reverted to the Champion-level Devimon, feeling a sense of certainty.

The outcome was decided.

The forced de-evolution had drained Devimon of his stamina, and he stood on the ground, panting heavily. Seeing Tai’s mocking smile, Devimon’s expression twisted: "Damn you, Chosen Child!"

The Digivice relayed Devimon’s current values, and Tai said after checking: "In your current state, Zeromaru doesn't even need to lift a finger—I can defeat you myself!"

Tai’s fists ignited with flame-like data streams. Perhaps, based on the analysis from the Digivice, it should be called—

Digisoul!

This was power born only when the hearts of a Tamer and their Digimon were perfectly synchronized, igniting their shared emotions. Tai and Zeromaru’s hearts were perfectly aligned at this moment: they both wanted to smash Devimon’s face in.

Watching Tai approach, Devimon saw him not as a human, but as a terrifying demon god.

"Guh—Death Claw!" Devimon let out a wail, launching a desperate, dying attack.

Tai didn't dodge or weave; he swung his fist directly. The blue Digisoul tore through the black-red lightning in an instant, striking Devimon to the ground. Looking at the fallen Devimon, who was now unable to stand, Tai felt a tinge of disappointment.

He hadn't even used the true potential of the Digisoul yet.

"Forget it. Someone like you isn't worthy of being Zeromaru’s first victim after his next evolution."

Devimon lay on the ground like a dying dog, muttering incessantly: "Impossible, this is impossible..."

Seeing that Devimon had lost his will to fight, Tai shook his head, having no intention of continuing the mockery. Everything had to have a limit; if he pushed him too far, what would happen if he decided to self-destruct and take the entire File Island with him? He didn't have a father who could teleport.

"Zeromaru."

Tai murmured, and Zeromaru immediately understood, unleashing his V-Arrow Breath.

Come to think of it, the rapport between Tai and Zeromaru had reached the point where Tai only had to say his name, and Zeromaru knew exactly what he wanted. At this rate, one day they would reach a state of total unity, where they would know each other’s thoughts without words or even a glance.

Accompanied by an overloaded Super V-Arrow Breath, the darkness that had plagued File Island—Devimon—was finally extinguished.

His body dissolved into data. Most of it vanished without a trace, but a small portion, to Tai's amazement, burrowed into the body of Ogremon. Perhaps because they had once merged, Ogremon was attracted to the data.

Ogremon’s body became sturdier, and even the bone club in his hand grew thicker. He had reached the absolute limit of the Champion level—almost on par with Leomon.

Leomon was speechless at the sight: "This guy caused us so much trouble, and in the end, he’s the one who got such a huge benefit."

Not only had he absorbed parts of Devimon’s and the Black Gears' power, but he had also experienced the sensation of the Ultimate level prematurely. It wouldn't be long before he could evolve into an Ultimate on his own.

'Though, I’m not far off myself,' thought Leomon, who had grown stronger twice during the battle.

Demon Satan Mode, a powerhouse among Ultimate-level Digimon, had provided Leomon with many insights. Like Ogremon, he was on the verge of evolution. But compared to them, Zeromaru, who had performed the best in this battle, was the one truly ready to evolve at any moment.

Watching Zeromaru hold hands with Tai, spinning in circles and performing what they called the "Victory Dance," Leomon couldn't help but imagine what Zeromaru would look like after evolving.

A Champion-level that could defeat a Demon Satan Mode comparable to a Mega-level—such a powerhouse would likely only be forced to evolve when facing the most formidable of Mega-level opponents.

But when, he wondered, would they finally encounter such a strong foe?