Chapter 137: The Icy Crystal Azure Dragon Beast

Yet, in the very next moment, the Soaring Dragon Beast’s figure pierced directly through the attack and appeared before Garuda Beast, launching its own strike.

This turn of events was something few could have foreseen. Even Garuda Beast was caught off guard. However, Garuda Beast reacted with impressive speed. Just as the Soaring Dragon Beast struck, Garuda Beast began to condense energy for a counter-attack.

Tragically, at that critical juncture, Garuda Beast’s expression twisted in agony. The attack he had been preparing dissipated instantly. The massive wound he had sustained earlier had finally taken its toll, rendering him unable to complete his offensive.

Under normal circumstances, this might not have been fatal; one could simply evade the enemy's strike, falling into a disadvantageous position rather than meeting a certain end. But now, it was different. The Soaring Dragon Beast was already right in front of him.

"Boom!" The next instant, the Soaring Dragon Beast passed through Garuda Beast’s body, leaving a gaping hole. Data particles began to disintegrate from the edges of the wound.

"I have won," the Soaring Dragon Beast’s voice drifted from behind Garuda Beast.

"I, too, never expected that you would be the one to win. It is a pity; if I could have held on just a moment longer..." Before Garuda Beast could finish his sentence, the hole in his body expanded, and his entire form dissolved into raw data, vanishing completely.

The residual data was swiftly consumed by the Soaring Dragon Beast. Yet, the Soaring Dragon Beast was in dire straits. As Garuda Beast dissolved, the Soaring Dragon Beast began to disintegrate as well. To land that killing blow, he had been forced to take the full brunt of Garuda Beast’s final attack.

Garuda Beast’s ultimate move was far from a common strike; its power was immense. Even after absorbing Garuda Beast’s data, the Soaring Dragon Beast’s own disintegration did not cease; it merely slowed down slightly. Everyone knew that the Soaring Dragon Beast was doomed. But even so, this battle was his victory.

A moment later, the Soaring Dragon Beast completely dissolved into data. Since no one had delivered the killing blow—as Garuda Beast, his slayer, had perished first—his data remained unabsorbed by others.

Astar Beast watched the scene with a cold, grim expression. "Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast, you are up. No matter what, we cannot let the advantage the Soaring Dragon Beast created for us go to waste."

Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast replied coldly, "Rest assured. In this battle, victory will be ours."

Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast is a Dragon-Man type Data-attribute Ultimate Digimon, whose signature move is the "Glacial Breath." It is said that only a rare few among the Azure Dragon Beasts can evolve into this Dragon-Man form.

Its body is encased in a highly developed ice shell that acts as armor, significantly boosting both defense and attack power. The icicles attached to its wings allow it to remain unaffected even in the presence of high-temperature Digimon.

As he finished speaking, he stepped onto the battlefield. As for I-Beast’s side, they deployed WarGrowlmon.

WarGrowlmon is a Cyborg Virus-attribute Ultimate Digimon, whose signature move is the "Atomic Blaster." Known as the "Digital Hazard," he is a massive cyborg Ultimate Digimon. As his name suggests, his body is gargantuan, with his upper torso encased in Chrome Digizoid armor.

He utilizes two thrusters mounted on his shoulders to fly, allowing him to attack both in the air and on the ground. To restrain the spacetime distortions caused by his excess energy, he wears a muzzle-like restraint on his jaw.

Strictly speaking, WarGrowlmon is a Fire-attribute Digimon—a high-temperature type—while Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast is an Ice-attribute Digimon. They were perfectly matched, with their attributes diametrically opposed. In other words, either WarGrowlmon would melt the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast, or the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast would freeze WarGrowlmon solid.

Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast looked at WarGrowlmon and said, "Let us begin. Show me whether your flames are superior or my frost."

"Very well." At these words, a glimmer of fighting spirit ignited in WarGrowlmon’s eyes. The thrusters on his back flared, and he lunged toward the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast.

The Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast stood his ground, not dodging. As WarGrowlmon approached, he swung the ice claws equipped on his arms at his opponent.

A flash of intensity crossed WarGrowlmon’s eyes. As the ice claws descended, he countered with the "Atomic Blaster" cannons mounted on his arms.

"Boom!" The two attacks collided. The resulting shockwave transformed into a raging storm, engulfing them both.

On the surface, it appeared to be an even match, but a closer look revealed that WarGrowlmon seemed to hold a slight edge. With every collision, the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast was forced back just a fraction.

"It seems WarGrowlmon is sure to win this," Elena said, finally exhaling with relief.

I-Beast wore a grave expression. "No, that is not necessarily the case."

Elena asked, surprised, "Oh? What do you see?"

"On the surface, each of WarGrowlmon’s attacks pushes the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast back, making it look like he has the upper hand. However, with every clash, the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast is imbuing a trace of freezing energy onto WarGrowlmon. At this rate, WarGrowlmon’s movements will become increasingly sluggish. Eventually, WarGrowlmon will lose."

"Then what should we do?" Elena asked.

I-Beast replied matter-of-factly, "What else is there to do? Naturally, he must defeat the Ice Crystal Azure Dragon Beast before he succumbs himself."

"I see..." Elena sighed. As she spoke, the battle on the field began to shift.