Chapter 132: The Words of the Ancient Sages

"Our strength has not changed at all. At least for us, our current strength is exactly the same as it was in the game; there is not much difference."

"I see..." Yi Shou nodded and asked, "Then, when and where will the next battle begin?"

"The final battle will take place at the Document Plains, located between us and the Digimon. At that time, our armies and the Digimon's armies will face off at both ends. If this battle goes smoothly, there will be nothing more to say; perhaps only one or two among us might meet with misfortune. But if this battle cannot be resolved peacefully, I fear the two armies will clash immediately, and the result will be nothing but carnage." The speaker was a man whom Yi Shou did not recognize.

"As for the time, it is three days from now. They gave us time to reorganize, and we granted them the same. Regardless, this is the final battle for us. Win or lose, I suspect we will be stuck in this Digital World forever." The speaker was another man.

With that, the meeting concluded.

As the meeting ended, Elena stopped Yi Shou, who was about to leave, and said, "Hey, would you like to come to my room for a bit?"

Yi Shou shook his head and refused, "No, thank you."

Although a girl inviting a boy to her room might usually make one's eyes light up with anticipation, Yi Shou was currently nothing more than a Digimon that resembled a human. Digimon do not have gender distinctions—at least, that was how it felt to Yi Shou.

Since there was no gender, he naturally felt indifferent about a girl's room. If he and Elena had been on good terms, visiting her would have been fine, but their relationship was not close. After all, they had only met once. A single encounter was not enough for Yi Shou to trust her.

Despite his refusal, Elena followed him all the way to his room—or rather, the exterior of his "login space." When Yi Shou entered, she followed him right inside.

Yi Shou looked at her, his expression calm. "You followed me all this way, so it must be for a reason. What exactly do you want?"

Elena did not stand on ceremony. As soon as Yi Shou spoke, she closed the door, sat on his bed, and looked at him. "I want to tell you that I fear the battle in three days will be fraught with complications."

Yi Shou asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"The hearts of the Digimon are not united. Data, Virus, and Vaccine types are inherently conflicting; from the very start, they have never been on the same page. The only reason they have gathered together is because they share us—the so-called 'humans'—as a common enemy," Elena said, her eyes locked onto his. "And just as the Digimon are divided, so too are we humans."

Yi Shou frowned. "Are you saying that things might not go as planned in three days? How do you know this?"

Elena looked grave. "You don't need to know how I know. But I am certain that something will happen. The final outcome will likely trigger an all-out war, and many people may die."

"Then why come to me?" Yi Shou asked.

"I need to find more people to support me. Only with support can I possibly prevent that outcome, so that fewer lives will be lost," Elena replied heavily.

Yi Shou nodded. "I understand. If what you say is true, I will help you."

"Good, then I'll be going." Elena flashed a playful smile and left immediately.

Yi Shou stood in his room, silently watching her retreating figure. His eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of insight flashing within them, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

After a long while, Yi Shou murmured, "It seems the ancient sages were right: wherever there are people, there is a world of strife."

(Ancient Sage: "I never said that.")

Regardless, Yi Shou knew that there was only one way to break the deadlock: he had to become stronger. If he could reach even the minimum combat capability he once possessed as a Perfect-level Digimon, he would not be worried about this battle at all. But it was difficult, difficult, so difficult.

When Yi Shou had first reached the Perfect level, even in his base state, he possessed power rivaling Lucemon: Falldown Mode. As far as Yi Shou knew, there were three such stages. In other words, he knew of three "Ultimate Perfect-level" Digimon.

The first was Lucemon: Falldown Mode, whose strength need not be described.

The second was Zero. In order to deal with Lucemon: Falldown Mode and Lucemon: Satan Mode, Zero had single-handedly borne the power of the Ancient Ten Warriors.

One must realize that the Ancient Ten Warriors could merge into Susanoomon. Thus, at that time, Zero had leaped into becoming a terrifying Digimon comparable to Lucemon: Falldown Mode.

The power of the Ancient Ten Warriors accompanied Zero's growth throughout. Even later, when Yi Shou reached the Ultimate level and became Yi Shou X, he still possessed that power.

As for the third Ultimate Perfect-level Digimon, it was Yi Shou himself. His data originated from Zero and Lucemon: Satan Mode. When Zero reached the Perfect level to destroy Lucemon: Satan Mode, both perished together.

Part of Zero's data was reborn in another Digital World as Zero, but another part became entangled with Lucemon's data across space and time, evolving into Yi Shou.

The reason Yi Shou could become an Ultimate Perfect-level Digimon was largely because his power came from Lucemon. Therefore, while it was possible for him to break through to become an ordinary Perfect-level Digimon, the prospect of instantly becoming an Ultimate Perfect-level Digimon upon breakthrough was...