Within the data star sea contained by Homeostasis, countless brilliant stars shimmered. Each star emitted a unique light, symbolizing the emotional power it represented.
Courage was a dazzling golden sun, continuously radiating light and heat.
Knowledge was a holy, pure silver crescent moon, coldly reflecting the light of Courage.
Friendship, Love, Envy, Wrath...
These emotions that frequently surfaced in people had existed for thousands of years in the long river of time, they were the data Homeostasis valued most.
But!
Even if you combined the light emitted by all these stars, it wouldn't be as dazzling as that chaotic, formless enigma due north.
'What is it?'
'Why is it there?'
'What emotion does it represent?'
Hikari stared at the formless enigma, her gaze becoming mesmerized. A mysterious force urged her spirit to move closer to the enigma.
'Come.'
'Merge with me.'
'As long as you comprehend this enigma, you can become the new Homeostasis.'
'Then, whether it's your brother Taichi or the world itself, everything will be under your control…'
"Get out!" A sharp glint flashed in Hikari's eyes as she shouted. A faint, chaotic aura was shaken off from around her, dissipating into nothingness.
Huff... Huff... Huff...
Hikari gasped for breath, a trace of lingering fear on her face. She had almost been bewitched by Homeostasis.
The will of the world truly lived up to its name. Even in its disordered, crashed state, its unconscious self-preservation program still possessed such powerful emotional force.
'Onii-chan is right. Even with a 100% fusion rate with the Crest of Heart, I can't let my guard down. If possible, it's best to find the memory database that doesn't contain any emotional power and start from there.' Hikari murmured softly, her gaze shifting to the silver crescent moon.
Knowledge wasn't an emotion, but it was an essential memory database for the world's will. It recorded Homeostasis's memories over thousands of years, containing countless insights, experiences, and skills it had imprinted.
Similarly, because it carried no emotional color, its danger level was the lowest.
"I'll choose this one."
White light swirled around Hikari. The Crest of Heart enveloped her consciousness, slowly merging into the silver crescent moon symbolizing Knowledge.
Cold. Complex. Vast.
That was Hikari's first impression upon seeing the endless ocean of memories. With her brain capacity, she definitely couldn't read all the knowledge at once. Nor did she need to… that was Koshiro's task.
'What I need to do is read Homeostasis's recent memory data, select the most suitable node, and implant the fabricated memory that 'Hikari is Homeostasis's master' within it.' A cunning smile touched Hikari's lips.
This method wasn't taught to her by Taichi. It was something she thought of herself after fusing with the Crest of Heart.
Homeostasis's memories were infinite, its database immeasurably vast. A normal person couldn't comprehend even a fraction of it in their entire lifetime. Forcibly assimilating such a powerful Homeostasis was extremely difficult, with almost no chance of success.
But what about the reverse?
Instead of assimilating Homeostasis, become its master, its ruler?
At the very least, Hikari felt this method was worth a try.
'Crest of Heart, call up Homeostasis's memory data from the last month. Play it back at ten times speed across multiple screens. I need to filter for the most suitable fragment as soon as possible.'
Whoosh…
Under Hikari's command, the Crest of Heart transformed into a soft white light, deeply piercing the core of the Knowledge star, filtering through the memory fragments of the past month.
Battles between Digimon. Conspiracies in the human world.
Apocalymon's restlessness.
And, within a key time node, the figure of her brother, Taichi!
Countless scenes were reflected in Hikari's eyes, her emotions surging.
It's so shocking!
In just this single month, so many changes had occurred in both the Digital and real worlds!
'Moreover, all the ones Onii-chan has been trying to find, the Seven Great Demon Lords, the Ten Legendary Warriors, the Four Great Dragons, they've all appeared within Homeostasis's field of view in the past month! I've recorded all their coordinates. I can send them to Onii-chan when I get out!'
Hikari's eyebrows trembled slightly as she stared intently at several figures on the screen, so excited she almost shouted aloud.
'Onii-chan had said that during this missing month, he wasn't running away. He was building a vast empire in the Digital World.'
Hikari was thrilled. In her heart, Taichi was the strongest existence in the entire world. So not just an emperor of the Digital World... even the real world should belong to Taichi.
And to rule both worlds, besides facing the most powerful Yggdrasil and Homeostasis, these god-level Digimon with long lifespans, who reigned at the apex of the Digital World, were also enemies that must be defeated.
Therefore, the coordinates of their hiding places were extremely important intelligence.
'Hehe, I've finally been able to help Onii-chan a little. I'm so happy.' Hikari's eyes curved into smiles, her small face full of happiness. Being able to help Taichi was what made her happiest.
Fizzle…
The scenes continued to flow, vast streams of information flashing by. Homeostasis's memories were incredibly broad.
If Hikari hadn't obtained the power of the Crest of Heart, boosting her memory and computational abilities countless times, she wouldn't have been able to process such massive information.
"Wait! Stop here! Slow it down!"
When the memory footage reached a certain moment, Hikari's pupils abruptly contracted sharply. She frowned slightly and commanded the Crest of Heart.
Swipe…
From the countless screens, an inconspicuous fragment was selected. Enlarged countless times, it began playing at the slowest speed.
Hikari widened her eyes, concentrating all her mental energy to watch.
One minute, ten minutes, one hour...
Hikari's expression grew increasingly dark, her face more and more grave. By the end, she didn't even realize her clothes were completely soaked with cold sweat.
"Impossible! The truth absolutely cannot be like this!"
"Aren't they enemies? Mortal foes who want to destroy each other? Why would they... about Onii-chan...?"
Hikari shook her head desperately, tears falling uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes. She wanted to convince herself that what she saw on the screen wasn't real.
But…
The cold, objective memory data presented everything clearly.
Nothingness. Emptiness. Desolation.
In an extremely hidden space within the Digital World, the formless entity symbolizing Homeostasis and the massive silver machine symbolizing Yggdrasil stood facing each other, silent.
After a brief silence, a garbled message flickering with strange waves slowly resolved into a clear image.
What it displayed...
Was a picture of her brother, Yagami Taichi!