Chapter 45: Hymn of Heaven and Earth

[Zero Beast Flame Cannon] The Digimon on the other side, too, was acutely aware that he had no other means to deal with the Zombie Greymon. This move was his only attack that could possibly have any effect.

Under normal circumstances, there was no way this attack would have hit the Zombie Greymon. After all, a Digimon isn't a stationary target; it wouldn't just stand there and let itself be struck. Yet, at the very moment when the Digimon launched his assault, he unleashed his own aura, attempting to overwhelm his opponent by sheer force.

This particular Zombie Greymon had little intelligence, relying mostly on instinct. Precisely because it acted on instinct, when it sensed that surge of presence from the Digimon, it was momentarily cowed by fear. Unable to dodge in time, it was struck squarely by the attack.

With a deafening crash, a billowing cloud of smoke rose up and engulfed the Zombie Greymon. At that instant, the Digimon’s expression turned even grimmer.

He had realized that even after exerting himself to the utmost, his attack barely managed to inflict any real damage. Before the smoke had even cleared, he'd already glimpsed the Zombie Greymon's health — it had only dropped by five percent.

Five percent. Was that much? Not at all. It merely signaled that the enemy's defenses had finally been breached, but only just. Even with the Digimon’s most powerful assault, aided by his own strength as a Champion-level Digimon, he had succeeded in shaving off a mere five percent of the creature’s health.

He made no move to flee. First, to leave this instance, he would have to reach the designated safe zone. Second, he knew full well he could never outrun the Zombie Greymon. Even if he did, the organic missiles mounted on the creature’s back were not there for show.

At that moment, he suddenly heard the hurried patter of small footsteps approaching from the side. Glancing over, he saw Agumon, whom he had told to hide, running toward him for reasons unknown.

He scowled. “Why did you come back?”

Agumon produced a Digivice, covered in dust and blotched with rust. Had he not seen it here, the Digimon might have mistaken it for a piece of worthless scrap metal.

[Curse Breath] The Zombie Greymon's figure emerged from the smoke, its gaze locking onto the Digimon. Without hesitation, it spewed a cloud of violet mist straight at him.

[Hello, your Digimon has triggered the power of evolution at the brink of death. Would you like to evolve now?] At that moment, the system panel appeared once more. Though the Digimon couldn't fathom why his partner always waited until the last possible moment to evolve, he had no time for such questions now.

His gaze fell upon the Digivice in Agumon's claw. Truthfully, he was unsure whether this was even the device he needed, but at this point, it seemed there were no other options.

Though evolution was possible without a Digivice, its inclusion in the game surely served a purpose. With that thought, he took the Digivice from Agumon and pressed the button to confirm evolution.

At that instant, the Digivice in his grasp emitted a dazzling beam of light that shot up toward the heavens. Simultaneously, a massive magic circle appeared in the sky.

Soon after, a second magic circle shimmered into existence on the ground below, both radiating a gentle glow. At first, he thought the light was faint, but then it intensified until his entire vision was flooded with blinding white.

All around him, nothing else could be seen.

Then, another magic circle materialized, this one much smaller. As it appeared, a mirror floated up from below, settling right in front of him.

It was a full-length mirror, and through it, he could see himself on the other side — or rather, his former self. More precisely, it was his Digimon form. Clearly, this mirror was no ordinary glass.

He paused in confusion, but the next moment, his feet began to move toward the mirror of their own accord. As he advanced, the Digimon on the other side moved in perfect unison. When he was only ten centimeters from the glass, so too was his reflection.

At last, when his stomach touched the mirror’s surface, it rippled like water, sending waves across its face. In the next instant, his figure stepped into the mirror itself.

The moment his entire body was submerged, the Digimon on the other side did the same. In that instant, the mirror blazed with an extraordinary brilliance that made the surrounding light seem dim by comparison.

Meanwhile, in the outside world — within that very instance — the Zombie Greymon saw the Digimon dissolve into a shaft of white light, which surged into the human’s body. At the same time, radiance burst forth from him, forming a brilliant white sphere that enveloped him completely.

With a thunderous boom, the sphere seemed to dim, and endless rays of white light shot through its shell, piercing the world. In that moment, it was as if the heavens resounded with a faint hymn.

At last, the white light faded, flowing away like water from the body of a newly emerged Digimon — a form never seen before.

It was clad in golden Digi-alloy armor as its base, though whether the color was merely a coating or the true alloy was unclear, and its body was further adorned with red and blue markings. On each of its limbs, two orbs of light entwined in constant motion.

This was neither the Champion form of Zero Beast, nor that of the Digimon himself; indeed, whether it could even be classified as Champion-level was uncertain. Moreover, as it appeared, fissures split open across the sky, and howling winds — as if from another world — poured through.

The Digimon ignored these spectral voices. Raising a single hand, it aimed at the Zombie Greymon and unleashed a pillar of energy. In that instant, boundless white light engulfed the heavens and the earth.