Starting from a Koromon! [86]

Although Etemon had nothing to do with dragons, the “Dramon Killer,” even without its special effectiveness bonus, was still a Mega-level weapon worthy of its name.

With Mega-level power, even a normal attack could kill; add in a type advantage, and you could practically smack a god with it.

Thanks to the Crest of Courage, the Host Computer finally sent out the reward promised earlier—the resources belonging exclusively to the original protagonists of the Adventure series.

And precisely because of this bestowed power, Zero, for the first time, genuinely touched the threshold of the Mega level. In that instant, he vaguely began to grasp something profound.

Why, for most Digimon, failing to reach Mega meant forever remaining a pawn to be manipulated. Because when standing at this peak and looking downward, all other Digimon truly felt like mere ants.

Setting aside the idiots who mixed up power levels, special attacks, or attribute counters, a Mega fighting an Ultimate was just grandpa beating grandson.

Armed with such overwhelming strength, at a time when even other top-tier fighters lingered around Ultimate-level, the Dark Masters genuinely had the capital to look down upon everyone. Even Puppetmon, that clownish fool, could rely purely on level suppression to crush all challengers into obedience.

No matter how meticulously Myotismon plotted, his primary goal had always been to first attain Mega-level power. Because he understood clearly: without Mega-level strength, any scheme or trick was a joke before the Dark Masters. Even against Puppetmon, whose intellect and EQ were frankly embarrassing, he wouldn’t have stood a chance…

…And if he happened to cross paths, perhaps he wouldn’t even manage to penetrate MetalEtemon’s defenses, meeting a humiliating end at the hands of that ridiculous comedian.

Good thing Myotismon died early. Had he survived, sooner or later he’d have broken the rules. Look at his resurrection in the sequel—didn’t he end up being literally talked to death?

This was the power of a Mega…

“…Exactly, this is what Mega means.”

A flat statement devoid of any emotion marked the complete and irreversible defeat of Etemon.

Under the Dramon Killer, with one shrill scream, Etemon died on the spot—utterly clean and decisive.

At this point, both battlefields had settled, and the outcome of this clash ended in Zero’s complete victory.

Next came some cleanup and the exchange of intelligence.

Zero headed underground beneath the pyramid base to meet up with Taichi, Hikari, and Gatomon. With Etemon dead, his underlings naturally scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

Having witnessed Zero’s power, none dared avenge their fallen boss. Those slow runners who accidentally bumped into Zero, attempting a desperate miracle strike, were casually sent back to the Village of Beginnings to respawn.

“Next time… try being a decent Digimon.”

Zero, still in his Agumon form, took out a Numemon lunging at him. After brushing against the Mega threshold, his DigiCore had upgraded significantly, amplifying his strength even further.

“Taichi, Hikari, Gatomon~!”

Quickly regrouping with the other team, Zero noticed Gatomon resting weakly yet peacefully in Hikari’s arms. Meanwhile, Taichi explained everything that had transpired.

“I see. Who would’ve guessed the Crests were hidden here all along? Truly, sometimes the hardest searches end effortlessly.”

Zero knew the Crests naturally attracted their destined children, yet hadn’t anticipated Etemon—with Datamon’s help—would gather them neatly ahead of time.

It was indeed a massive favor. On File Island, Zero had snatched two pieces of equipment from Devimon’s clutches, then intercepted the Digimental keys from the Dark Masters at the underwater cave. Now, he’d stolen the Crests from Etemon’s grasp.

Thank goodness the villains diligently delivered experience points, nurturing a perfect environment for the protagonists’ growth.

Taichi received the Crest of Courage; Hikari, the Crest of Light. Six Crests remained unclaimed, which Zero carefully tucked away.

The others aside, Rina had to have one. Given Hajime’s existence, the Crest of Friendship was perfectly suitable.

…Anyway, Zero figured no matter how he handled the Crest of Friendship, it’d certainly fare better than leaving it to its original owner.

As for the other five Crests, finding their matching bearers wouldn’t be overly complicated. Apart from Hope, locating suitable candidates for Sincerity, Knowledge, Purity, and Love wasn’t particularly difficult.

Knowledge might prove slightly trickier, requiring the recruitment of a studious genius. Luckily, Zero had previously learned Koushiro’s whereabouts from Rina.

Given the opportunity, returning the Crest to its original owner seemed ideal. Izzy truly deserved the Crest of Knowledge.

With that settled, Zero left Taichi and Hikari to tend to Gatomon, heading outside to maintain order himself.

Etemon was gone, freeing the enslaved laborers at the base. Among them were some of Etemon’s former subordinates hiding in the chaos, who couldn’t simply be ignored.

Zero gathered these Digimon together, then addressed them through a microphone—one Etemon had used regularly to torment them with singing.

“I’ve defeated Etemon. From now on, you’re all free…”

His words echoed through the crowd of Digimon, yet most stared back blankly.

Free…

…So what?

The Digital World was in chaos. Even with Etemon gone, the Dark Army still held immense power. Freed from one tyrant, they’d inevitably fall into the clutches of another.

Ultimately, escaping one hell just meant falling into another. What was the difference?

Zero knew these Digimon, accustomed to oppression, could no longer grasp the meaning of freedom. Heroes who liberated them were rewarded only with numb, mechanical smiles, while they knelt and shouted, “Long live our hero…”

“…”

Staring at the sea of subservient heads bowed around him, Zero lowered the microphone, coughed lightly, then picked it up again…

“…Stop kneeling. Get the hell up!!”

…

About three hours later, Taichi and Hikari saw Zero return underground.

“Uh, Zero…how did things go outside?” Taichi had overheard Zero’s words earlier but couldn’t quite understand why Zero had sounded so angry while ordering them to stand.

“It’s fine. Those willing to leave found their own paths. Those who decided to stay and help have already been organized. After all, this base is practically ready-made—it’d be a shame not to use it.”

Though the battle between Zero and Etemon nearly razed the base, damage was mostly surface-level. Etemon wouldn’t destroy his own home, and Zero consciously held back to preserve infrastructure.

Even if some collateral damage was inevitable when Mega-level Digimon clashed, the outcome was acceptable—the base was essentially intact.

With sufficient manpower, it’d regain most functions within days.

Among everything here, Zero was particularly interested in the surveillance network spanning Etemon’s territory, connected by underground cables…and, of course, the hidden warehouse…

After greeting the siblings still caring for Gatomon, Zero moved alone to an inconspicuous underground corner. Breaking the lock by brute force, he opened the secret warehouse door.

The scene revealed inside momentarily blinded him.

“Holy shit, this goddamn petty King—he’s filthy rich!”

The warehouse overflowed with neatly stacked ingots of refined DigiAlloy, piled high, nearly reaching the ceiling.

Recycling all this alloy meant the mechanical factory wouldn’t lack materials anytime soon.

Most mines on Server Continent were monopolized by the Dark Masters, specifically Machinedramon. Using these resources, he forged a heavily armored legion, destroying all obstacles with cold steel and fiery artillery.

Comparing alloy reserves with Machinedramon’s army would be like a village chief facing a superpower—utterly crushed. Yet compared to average Digimon, this warehouse was obscenely wealthy.

Counting idly, Zero spoke lightly…

“…Isn’t it about time you showed yourself? Friend~”

Though no one was visible, silence followed briefly before space shimmered behind him. A blurry figure gradually sharpened into clarity…

…It was Wizardmon, who’d secretly followed their group all along.

Being discovered by Zero wasn’t surprising. Wizardmon’s tricks might deceive most, but deceiving Zero, nearly two levels higher, was unrealistic.

Yet Wizardmon appeared unafraid, speaking easily upon materializing.

“Congratulations indeed, Zero-san… You’ve certainly gained quite the harvest.”

“Well, that aside,” Zero said bluntly, “what I want to know is… Who exactly are you?”

Caught off guard by Zero’s directness, Wizardmon hesitated. Just as he tried deflecting casually, Zero cut straight to the chase.

“Forget it, even if you don’t say it, I can guess… You’re Gennai’s assistant, right? Sent specifically to locate the lost eighth Chosen Digimon and ensure her return to the plan. You’re the last insurance if something unexpected happens…”

Thus, Wizardmon always seemed mysteriously confident—he really knew plenty.

In the end, he’d decisively fulfilled his duty, using his death to solidify Gatomon’s resolve, returning her to the Chosen Children.

“You’ve worked hard…” Zero’s voice softened, “…When we’re free, I owe you a drink, brother~”

—

This is a fan translation of从滚球兽开始 by 魔王丘比. Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!