Chapter 69: A Bloody Battle

Though they had claimed the barrier would last fifteen minutes, in truth, the wall of flame dissipated after only thirteen.

With a chorus of roars, countless Simian Beasts surged as the vanguard, and the horde once more pressed towards the secret realm’s exit.

“Comrades, for the homes behind us, we have no choice but to fight!” Lin mustered his spirits, the Flame Beast manifesting behind him once more, but its flames now burned dimly, its strength nearly spent.

“To battle!”

A dozen or so Digimon vaulted from the stone huts, forming a line of defense before the oncoming tide.

A deafening crash. Roars.

Combat erupted anew. Zhao Jie’s gaze never left the Greymon not far away.

At this moment, Greymon rampaged unimpeded through the beast horde, its massive bulk scattering foes like autumn leaves in a storm. But soon, a Simian Beast singled it out.

“Super Flame!”

A torrent of orange fire poured from Greymon’s jaws, a blazing cascade incinerating several unlucky Champion-level Digimon who could not escape its searing heat.

The Simian Beast recoiled in terror, shrieking, yet two more appeared at Greymon’s flanks, forming a deadly triangle and closing in.

The Simian Beasts moved with blinding speed, faster than Greymon by far. All three unleashed their signature Sonic Punch at once, fists flying toward Greymon.

With a sweeping motion, Greymon’s tail lashed out, Wind Tail activated.

A thunderous blow sent two Simian Beasts flying from the flank; only the one attacking head-on remained within reach.

Super Flame.

Once more, flames spewed forth, scorching the Simian Beast in a relentless blaze.

With a final, pained howl, the beast collapsed, lifeless, to the ground.

Greymon raised a mighty foot and stomped forward—beneath its claws, the Simian Beast’s body was crushed, its end brutal and swift.

In the stone hut, a mustached, middle-aged man clutched his head, howling in anguish.

“What’s happening…” Zhao Jie’s eyes moved from the man to the battlefield, where a mature Lionmon, beset by several Champion Digimon, was struck through the heart by a Monoclemon. Its life force drained rapidly.

Outside, such wounds might be healed, but here, the Lionmon’s fate was sealed.

Still, it fought to its last breath, swinging its weapon and slaying two more foes before finally collapsing, powerless, to the earth.

With a splatter, Lionmon fell. The middle-aged man’s wailing ceased; blood gushed from his mouth, leaving his face deathly pale.

This Digimon Tamer, Wang Wei, instinctively reached for his chest, where a photo of himself and Lionmon was tucked away.

A bittersweet smile crossed his lips as his hand pressed to his heart.

We will never be parted, Lionmon.

A few breaths later, the Digimon Tamer was gone.

“Wang!” someone cried in despair, but there was no time for mourning. Inwardly, they paid their respects and braced themselves once more against the onslaught.

“Dead…?” Zhao Jie stared at Wang Wei’s face, that faint smile lingering even in death, and a chill gripped his heart.

It was the first time he had witnessed a Digimon Tamer’s death. The true danger of this path hit him at last; before, it had only been words and others’ accounts.

He had known it was perilous, but never truly believed it until now.

Now, he lived it.

“Wang!” A terrible scream sounded—barely three minutes after Wang Wei’s fall, another Tamer perished.

His Digimon partner was a Werewolfmon, skewered repeatedly by a Deadwoodmon’s attack, then finished by a Simian Beast’s crushing punch.

This desperate cry snapped Zhao Jie from his trance of shock. He looked back at Greymon’s battlefield.

I can’t die. I want to keep growing with Agumon—forever!

Digifusion.

Greymon was locked in a fierce struggle; its foundation weaker than the Digimon of other Tamers, yet now it faced as many foes as any of them.

Each time a Digimon fell, the survivors faced even greater odds.

With a roar, Digifusion surged through Greymon, reinvigorating it. Its tail lashed out, flinging several Digimon from its back.

Super Flame!

A blast—several Champion-level Digimon, unable to evade, died in agony.

“Bring Greymon back! It’s time for you to go,” Old Xiao appeared at Zhao Jie’s side, shouting above the chaos.

At his words, Zhao Jie signaled Greymon to retreat, but his gaze swept the battlefield. Three more had died, one of them a teacher who had led their group.

In scarcely a quarter of an hour, five Tamers had perished.

The coming minutes promised only worse.

Was this truly the moment to flee?

He watched the Digimon clash in bitter battle.

No, he told himself quietly.

“Old Xiao, I can’t leave now. You need my help.”

Old Xiao, exasperated, snapped, “Help? You’ll only get in the way! Get out of here, now, before you cause more trouble!”

Boom!

Greymon withdrew; in its place, a V-dramon took the field—Old Xiao’s Digimon partner.

But V-dramon was already battered, its attacks spent. It could only endure with its body.

“Help him.”

With a roar, Greymon crashed forward, sending a Giant Wolfmon flying before it could ambush them.

“Hurry! If we run out of strength, you won’t even have the chance to escape,” Old Xiao urged.

A thunderous crash—another Digimon fell, and the backlash claimed another Tamer, who collapsed lifeless to the ground.

In the next five minutes, two more Digimon and their Tamers met their end.

In less than half an hour, eight Tamers had died.

Only eight remained, including Yang Dong, each with their Digimon partners.

“Fall back to the exit!” Lin’s voice, thick with grief, rang out. There was no time to tend to their fallen comrades; the survivors retreated from the stone huts, making their final stand at the entrance to the secret Digimon realm.

There was nowhere left to run.