Chapter 144: Metallic Phantom Beast

[Crimson Whirlwind!] With a slight dip of his body, he effortlessly sidestepped the energy scythe attack of Metamormon. Simultaneously, numerous drill-like red spears extended from his frame, thrusting directly toward Metamormon's body.

No one had anticipated that while Metamormon was plotting to strike Gigasmon, Gigasmon had been scheming against Metamormon all along.

However, Metamormon appeared to have been anticipating Gigasmon's retaliation as well. Almost at the exact moment Gigasmon's attack reached him, Metamormon withdrew his offensive posture and nimbly dodged out of the way.

Fortunately, Metamormon possessed a relatively streamlined form. Against any other Digimon—such as Paildramon or MetalGreymon—such a close-range onslaught would have landed a definitive hit. After all, even Metamormon's red cloak had been pierced with several holes.

[Cryptic Wail!] In that fleeting instant, the energy scythe in Metamormon's grasp trembled slightly, emitting a low, ominous hum. Though not Metamormon's ultimate finisher, this technique dealt immense damage, capable of harvesting an enemy's soul. In the context of Digimon, a soul often referred to as the Digicore.

Right at that moment, Elena, who was watching from the sidelines, nudged Li's arm and asked, "Who do you think has a higher chance of winning this round?"

"Hard to say." Li shook his head, his expression grave. "Right now, no definitive turning point has emerged. Either of them could take it."

Li's assessment was entirely accurate. While Metamormon could bypass Gigasmon's defenses to strike him directly, that assumed Gigasmon was outmatched and unable to retaliate.

In other words, Metamormon's attacks could bypass Gigasmon's defenses, but if he couldn't connect or lacked the time to land a blow, those capabilities became entirely useless.

[Giga Crimson Dive!] Suddenly snapping his legs into motion, Gigasmon vaulted into the air. Once aloft, he descended in a high-speed spin, using his inverted quills and the hurricane knuckles on his hands to assail Metamormon.

Due to the sheer velocity of his spinning descent, Gigasmon remained entirely unaffected by Metamormon's prior assault. Witnessing this, Metamormon's expression shifted dramatically, but by the time he attempted to evade, it was already too late.

"Boom!" On the spot, Metamormon absorbed the full brunt of Gigasmon's assault. Ultimately, he was crushed down into the earth by Gigasmon, creating a massive crater. Wisps of smoke began to drift across the battlefield.

No one could have foreseen that just a second earlier, victory had seemed entirely undecided, yet the next moment had settled the outcome definitively. Under such circumstances, no one believed Metamormon could possibly survive.

However, as the smoke finally dissipated, the scene within left everyone's eyes widening in utter astonishment. To their disbelief, Metamormon had won. At that moment, Metamormon's energy scythe was deeply embedded in Gigasmon's body. Though Metamormon was in terrible condition, Gigasmon's form had already dissolved into data and was in the process of vanishing completely.

While the others remained oblivious to the underlying cause, Metamormon, as the one who lived through it, knew the truth.

Earlier, after being struck by Gigasmon's onslaught and driven violently into the ground, he had seemingly been left with no opportunity to counterattack. And though Gigasmon had appeared unaffected by [Cryptic Wail], the technique had indeed taken effect.

Gigasmon's continuous chain of attacks had faltered for a single fraction of a second. Seizing that exact moment, Metamormon executed [Soul Predator], plunging his energy scythe straight into Gigasmon's Digicore to deliver the fatal blow.

Even so, Metamormon knew that victory did not mean he was invincible. Even with his successful sneak attack, the cumulative damage from Gigasmon's prior strikes was real. Thus, once Metamormon finally neutralized Gigasmon, the overall team score leveled to three ties.

"I'll take the next one," Astamon's faction watched as Chirinmon glanced briefly toward Li's group before stepping directly onto the battlefield. Astamon offered no objection to Chirinmon's request.

Within Astamon's ranks, this Chirinmon possessed strength on par with Astamon himself. The other Digimon had previously positioned themselves behind them, meaning they could effectively be considered one tier lower in power than both Chirinmon and Astamon.

"What should we do? This Chirinmon's strength looks formidable. How are we supposed to handle this?"

"Why don't we use a tactical sacrifice? Send out our weakest Digimon, forfeit this round, and hand them a guaranteed win."

"That won't work. Don't forget, if we want to avoid overtime, we have to win three consecutive rounds from here on out. If we willingly throw a match now, what do we do next? We would be forced to sweep every remaining match. If even one round is lost, we face overtime; if two are lost, the match is over."

"Are you suggesting we fight him head-on? What if the Digimon we send out loses? What then?"

"Forget it. You a bunch of grown men are just worrying back and forth—I'll take this fight." At that moment, Elena spoke up. Prompted by her command, SaviorHuckmon stepped forward onto the battlefield.

A flicker of complex emotion crossed Li's eyes as he looked at SaviorHuckmon. Barring any unexpected developments, this SaviorHuckmon was very likely the strongest individual among all the Digimon present.

Leaving aside the fact that SaviorHuckmon in his base state belonged to the upper tier of Ultimate-level Digimon, alongside Chirinmon and Astamon, this particular SaviorHuckmon was actually capable of Burst Evolution.

No one on the field understood the sheer combat power boost granted by Burst Evolution better than Li. Consequently, Li was keenly aware of SaviorHuckmon's terrifying strength.

He had originally assumed SaviorHuckmon would be kept in reserve as the ultimate trump card. However, seeing him deployed against Chirinmon now, it didn't seem entirely unreasonable. After all, by all appearances, Chirinmon was no pushover either.