Chapter 120: The Mockery of Passersby

Yishou took a look at the Death Flame Beast, gauging its current state. Confirming that the timing was right, he immediately dove down, bringing Paildramon along with him.

Gongteng Wang watched this scene, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Why did he descend so quickly? Could he actually be confident enough to face the Death Flame Beast in its current condition?"

Tachi-no-Mizu hesitated. "How is that possible? The Death Flame Beast's status hasn't dropped much. By rough estimates, it still retains at least five thousand points of comprehensive combat power. Strictly speaking, it hasn't suffered significant depletion."

A passerby player remarked, "I suspect he's just trying to flaunt his so-called 'top-tier' status. Even knowing it's futile, he's too proud to back down. Very well, let's see just how strong this supposed 'number one' really is. While he might not be able to defeat the Death Flame Beast, his strength should be enough to wear it down further."

Another player agreed, "Exactly my thoughts. A chasm of five thousand points isn't something one can bridge so easily."

Yishou ignored their musings as his figure surged toward the Death Flame Beast.

"Death Shock!" As Paildramon charged, he aimed the bio-cannon on his waist at the Death Flame Beast and unleashed an attack.

"Heat Chain!" However, just as Paildramon's attack was launched, the Death Flame Beast detected the assault from above. It instantly whipped out a chain, striking down Paildramon's projectile.

"Tsk, look at that—what a pathetic attack. I truly don't know where he gets the confidence to face the Death Flame Beast," a player scoffed from the crowd watching from the rear.

Another player added, "Vanity is a painful burden. I wonder how long he'll last? Shall we place some bets?"

"I reckon he'll last ten seconds at least. After all, he is 'number one'—he must be stronger than those who can't even hold out for a second."

"How could it be only ten? Give the man some credit! Eleven seconds, no more than that."

"Pah, you're really being generous. Unlike you lot, I'm a realist. He has an Ultimate-level Digimon; he should be able to hold out for twenty seconds, no problem."

"Heh? Twenty seconds? Or is it eleven? Or ten? In my eyes, if he lasts five seconds, his ancestors must be blessing him from the grave."

"Regardless, I’d hope he can hold out for thirty seconds. After all, he is currently 'number one'."

In an instant, various voices filled the air from the heights behind. Without exception, none of them held high expectations for Yishou. It was understandable, given their own limited strength—they naturally assumed everyone else was on their level. To put it in a phrase, their perspective was incredibly narrow.

As Paildramon engaged the Death Flame Beast, Yishou dove directly overhead and activated Burst Evolution. An evolution matrix appeared beneath him, and as his body passed through it from top to bottom, he emerged in his Burst Mode.

"Holy cow, the legendary Burst Mode! Damn, I suppose he lives up to his 'number one' title after all."

"So what if it's Burst Mode? Hmph, Burst Mode is just a multiplier for one's current level; the combat power gained depends on the base strength. If the base is too weak, it’s useless. If he only has one point of combat power, what can a Burst Mode do? Two points? Three? Four? Heh."

"Exactly. This brother is right. Burst Mode is just a multiplier, and Yishou's form is only at the Adult level. How high can an Adult's combat power be? Even after Bursting, it probably only matches the Ultimate-level Digimon we have here. It turns out the gap between us and this so-called 'number one' isn't that large."

"Indeed. Burst Mode requires a strong foundation. I suspect his power is similar to ours; we were just intimidated by the sight of it. Thinking about it now, Burst Mode isn't all that special."

The moment Yishou activated Burst Mode, shock flashed across the faces of the others, but it quickly faded. There is no fixed rule for how much combat power Burst Mode adds; it ultimately depends on the user's base output.

However, Burst Mode is undeniably rare. This is because if a low-level Digimon possesses the fundamental conditions for Burst Evolution, it is far more likely to simply evolve into a higher-level Digimon altogether.

Even Yishou, in his early days, had only seen one other player with a Digimon capable of Burst Mode, and that player was the number one of another server.

Possessing Burst Mode doesn't guarantee the top spot, but it usually secures a place in the regional top ten. This power is akin to a transformation that multiplies combat power by fifty; while an enemy might need to train for a hundred million points of combat power, you only need two million. The time saved is self-evident.

Yishou ignored them entirely. The moment he entered Burst Mode, he activated "Demon Lord Possession," instantly boosting his combat power to its absolute limit of 150%.

Leveraging the momentum of his descent and his own strength, Yishou slammed his fist toward the Death Flame Beast. The beast responded in kind, throwing its own punch.

*BOOM!*

The two attacks collided, sending ripples of energy through the center of the battlefield. Under the impact, the only entrance and exit to the valley were buried beneath a cascade of falling rocks.

Watching the scene unfold, the crowd that had been preparing to mock Yishou’s recklessness stood with their mouths hanging open, unable to close them.