Starting from a Koromon! [90]

“Sorry, you were too slow…”

“?!”

A ghostly figure appeared silently from the darkness. It closely resembled a Bakemon, but its tattered white-sheet body was draped with a red cloak, and its clawed hand held a chained scythe.

Its name was Phantomon, the direct evolved form of Bakemon. The scythe it wielded had the power of limited “data destruction.” Rumors even claimed that wounds inflicted by it could never be healed.

That was obviously nonsense—it merely meant that injuries caused by data destruction were extremely difficult to repair through normal methods.

Of course, data destruction itself was an extremely advanced form of power. From Zero’s perspective, the Royal Knights’ standard attacks all carried data destruction properties, while Jesmon, known as the Knight outside their ranks, controlled the even more terrifying “data deletion.”

Compared to the Royal Knights’ level, Phantomon’s data destruction wasn’t worth mentioning—similar in nature, but leagues apart in sheer power.

Among Ultimate-level Digimon possessing data destruction, the most accomplished was probably SkullSatamon—special thanks here to Adventure 02 for providing him with Imperialdramon’s legendary assist…

In short, Phantomon’s attack strength wasn’t weak. After all, it stood on a direct path leading up to the Demon Lords, and counted among Myotismon’s key commanders. Unfortunately for it, today it faced Zero—buffed by the Crest of Courage.

Empowered by his Crest and already among the top-tier of standard Ultimates, Zero was essentially unstoppable under Mega-level.

Not to mention, the Crest of Courage buff had brought Zero within touching distance of Mega Digivolution. Phantomon merely saw a blur before his eyes, and the next second, a claw pierced through its body.

The “Pseudo-Dramon Killer” had destructive power nearing Mega level—naturally Phantomon’s body couldn’t endure. Pierced straight through, it didn’t even have time to struggle before dissolving into scattered data fragments beneath Zero’s claws.

After dealing with Phantomon, Zero casually turned around and fired another Giga Destroyer, finishing the cleanup.

The Bakemon Corps had been utterly annihilated—except for a single surviving Bakemon, trembling uncontrollably behind debris, hidden from the shockwave.

Zero flew in front of it. Bakemon jolted violently, quivering in terror. Zero lowered himself, stared straight into its eyes, and spoke each word distinctly:

“Go back and tell Myotismon: Three days from now, I’ll be coming for his worthless life. Tell him to wash his neck and wait obediently for death!”

As his words fell, with the final furious “Go!”, Bakemon was blown back by the violent gust of wind, tumbling away desperately until it vanished without a trace.

“With this, the first move is settled…”

Zero watched Bakemon flee, instantly dropping the vicious air he’d projected moments ago. Quickly devolving back into his Agumon form, he waved a claw lightly, tone now easygoing and relaxed.

“But saying it openly like that, won’t it let Myotismon prepare ahead of time?”

Taichi spoke with some worry, staring off in the direction Bakemon had fled.

“Haha, good point. Normally, that would be a problem~”

Zero was happy Taichi had caught on to that, and Taichi quickly showed a look of realization.

“Ah, I see! Zero, you deliberately said it like that, meaning it’s just a smokescreen to mislead Myotismon, right?”

It seemed Taichi had learned a few things from recent experiences. Zero nodded in approval.

“Exactly, just a smokescreen—but just enough to keep him cautious and prevent him from acting rashly. If that happens, my goal is achieved.”

“All right, next target… Devidramon Corps!”

…

“Bakemon Corps, Devidramon Corps, Raremon Corps… five entire corps annihilated in just two days?”

Within Myotismon’s castle, the figure seated on the throne spoke with a rage-choked laugh. Kneeling on the ground before him, the surviving Bakemon and other Digimon whom Zero had deliberately let go to “deliver messages” trembled fiercely, not daring to utter a single word in response.

Five entire units, including their Ultimate-level commanders, wiped out completely in two short days…

Of course, among them were weaker, specialized groups like the Bakemon Corps—whose frontal combat power was admittedly poor. Being crushed directly in battle wasn’t too strange.

But among them was also the Devidramon Corps—a critical aerial-combat force known for powerful and rapid strikes from above. High mobility, fierce combat power—truly one of Myotismon’s ace units.

Now, however, it had been utterly devastated by Zero’s assaults. From three to nearly four digits of personnel, only seven or eight survivors remained…

…Usually, Myotismon’s chariot alone required nine Devidramon. Now, even his personal chariot team was impossible to assemble.

Then there was the Raremon Corps, with moderate battle strength but bodies brimming with poison and powerful corrosion abilities—perfectly suited for siege warfare. In their eyes, massive fortifications were little more than jokes.

Their three-to-five-meter-tall forms secreted acid capable of effortlessly melting fortress walls, and their shapeless, mud-like bodies rendered most physical attacks useless.

Bakemon Corps might have weak direct combat, but as stealth and assassination specialists, they were equally important strategically.

But now? The aerial division, assassination unit, siege corps, along with two engineering battalions—gone. Myotismon’s painstakingly gathered forces for invading the Real World hadn’t even had a chance to act, and nearly a quarter had vanished into thin air.

And it had only been two damn days!

Well, there was no helping it—one side numbered nearly a thousand in combat strength; the other consisted solely of two siblings, Zero, a spy (Gatomon), and a secretly-following Wizardmon—five in total.

The difference in mobility was glaringly obvious. The gap in raw combat power was even more overwhelming. Facing a walking nuclear weapon that spammed area-of-effect devastation certainly gave everyone a headache…

Zero’s actions had fully demonstrated that his previous declaration of war wasn’t merely talk. He really was launching a lightning-fast and lethal assault against the Dark Army.

Myotismon’s standing forces alone included thirty units, though many of these were led by weaklings like DemiDevimon and Vilemon—cannon fodder sent out first to test enemy strength.

Yet Zero ignored these disposable units entirely, instead precisely targeting Myotismon’s most prized corps. In raw numbers, perhaps fewer than a twentieth of the total forces were lost—but in terms of combat capability, nearly a quarter of the core strength was gone!

Such accurate strikes couldn’t be explained by mere good luck. It was as if Zero perfectly knew the movements and unit numbers of Myotismon’s forces.

Could it be…a traitor leaking intelligence to Zero?

The thought immediately entered Myotismon’s mind, and his suspicion instantly fell upon Gatomon.

However, upon careful consideration, he dismissed the suspicion.

Gatomon had been at his side for some time. Personally raised by him, her personality had long been shaped into cold ruthlessness through his constant subtle guidance.

And Zero’s group atmosphere, from Myotismon’s perspective, looked like mere child’s play—especially the two human children.

Gatomon, who’d witnessed the Dark Army’s cruelty firsthand and had willingly adapted to it, how could she be swayed by mere children?

Could a vicious criminal really be converted instantly by a few elementary-school kids preaching about love and justice? Would he suddenly repent and turn himself in?

Did they think this was some children’s magical girl anime where everything could be solved by love and justice?

Besides, nowadays even magical girls solved their problems by first beating the villain to a pulp. Clearly, even elementary-schoolers no longer believed that moral lecturing alone could turn villains into saints.

Moreover, even if Gatomon betrayed him…Myotismon was certain she couldn’t possibly know his troop arrangements in such detail.

After all, Gatomon herself was an anomaly. Myotismon valued her special identity, and while she blended into the Dark Army, maintaining her Vaccine-type Holy Beast form was already deeply suspicious.

Holy Digimon falling wasn’t strange—but fallen Holy-types usually evolved into demonic forms. How come Gatomon remained stubbornly as a Holy Beast?

To say Myotismon had no precautions against Gatomon would be absurd. He schemed against others constantly; naturally, he’d remain wary of betrayal from his own ranks.

In short, Myotismon was utterly baffled. He had no idea how he’d been outplayed.

Yet survivors from each defeated corps returned bearing the same message:

“Three days from now… wash your neck and wait obediently for death!”

“Hehe… so that means tomorrow, does it?”

Myotismon laughed coldly. From Zero’s recent movements, it was clear—he was rapidly advancing directly toward the castle.

At first, he’d suspected it was a bluff—but seeing Zero’s aggressive actions, it appeared the threat was serious…

It was like a thief openly declaring his intentions before the crime.

Giving such an explicit warning beforehand implied one of two things: either hopeless naiveté, or absolute confidence.

“So, he thinks so little of me?”

Myotismon’s lips curled into a terrifying smile.

“Fine, then. I look forward to seeing your expression…when you realize you’ve been betrayed by your most trusted companion!”

—

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!