Taichi looked at Hikari, at her tear-filled eyes. His heart contracted violently.
No more giving up. No more retreating.
This time, it wasn't just Hikari.
Even the darkened Taichi felt the same way.
"Mm. Since you've agreed, even if you try to leave later, I will absolutely never let you go. Understand?" A glistening light shone in Taichi's eyes.
His holographic body slowly dissolved into data fluctuations, vanishing from the real world.
"Onii-chan!"
Watching Taichi disappear so suddenly, Hikari's pupils contracted sharply. She screamed, desperately trying to chase after him, but was gently stopped by a deeply ashamed BlackWarGreymon.
"That was just Taichi's virtual image. My apologies... I misunderstood you before." BlackWarGreymon looked silently into Hikari's eyes, somewhat awkwardly.
If it were his old self, even if he were wrong, he would never apologize. But now, he had sworn loyalty to Taichi. Pointless pride had no place before his lord's sister.
"No, it was my fault. If I had been honest with Onii-chan sooner, none of this would have happened." Hikari shook her head, her face full of remorse.
But it wasn't too late.
Hikari bent down, looking at the shimmering Crest program on the ground. Without hesitation, she picked it up.
"Onii-chan said... to accept the power of the Crest of Heart, I must abandon the Crest of Light... abandon the Digital World's choice..." Hikari stared at the Crest of Heart, murmuring unconsciously.
The adventure in the Digital World ten years ago was Hikari's most treasured memory.
But...
"Compared to Onii-chan, even ten thousand Digital Worlds, even ten million Crests of Light... what do they matter?"
Hikari took out the Crest of Light, which she had once cherished so deeply, from her bosom. The Crest shimmered, etched with her past memories.
Then, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She raised it high and smashed it forcefully onto the ground.
Smash…
An intense white light flashed. The rift between the real world and the Digital World seemed to shatter at that moment.
The Crest of Light, the moment it touched the ground, transformed into countless glistening particles, eternally annihilated in the real world.
It wasn't due to physical impact, as no physical damage could affect a Crest created by Homeostasis. It was Hikari's own choice. From the bottom of her heart, she had abandoned the Light, choosing the truest voice within herself.
Whoosh…
The Crest of Heart in Hikari's hand emitted a dazzling beam of light, instantly surpassing the intensity of the shattered Crest of Light.
It was brilliant, yet not blinding.
This was the power of the Heart. Immensely powerful, yet gentle and subtle, offering the most comfortable, ethereal experience.
A pure, heart-shaped cocoon of light enveloped Hikari.
Just like Koshiro before her, Hikari entered a world of her own transformation.
Meanwhile, in the Digital World, Taichi watched the screen with deep concern, repeatedly asking Agumon beside him.
"She'll be okay, right? According to Kurai's calculations, the success rate should be almost 100%, right?"
Agumon smiled wryly, "Yes, strictly speaking, it's 99.998%. Unless the world ends, a meteor falls, or BlackWarGreymon suddenly attacks, it's almost impossible for Hikari to fail the fusion."
As he explained, Agumon projected a data model for Taichi to see.
"The power of the Crest of Dominion symbolizes all-encompassing knowledge. It contains all the data of the Digital World. If fully parsed, Koshiro could transform into an Yggdrasil like Kurai, capable of creating worlds."
"The power of the Crest of Heart is the complete opposite. It's the purest emotional Crest, containing the most fundamental emotions of the Digital World."
"Heart... what is the Heart?"
"Explained in Digital World's terms, the Heart is will, emotion, the most fundamental wavelength of a piece of data. The Heart of a Mega is far stronger than that of an Ultimate or Champion."
"The Hearts of the Seven Great Demon Lords contain the power of the seven deadly sins, which is the source of their strength."
"The Royal Knights, the Four Great Dragons, the Ten Legendary Warriors, even Apocalymon... and so on..."
"The Heart's role for them is on par with their data essence. They exist because of the data essence that constitutes 'Yggdrasil'. They have meaning because of the 'Heart' that forms the root of emotion."
"And Hikari's direction of transformation... is to become the primordial point of all Hearts, the embodiment of the world's will…"
"Homeostasis." Agumon adjusted his goggles, a smile curling his lips as he watched the shimmering white cocoon on the screen.
"According to Kurai's calculations, Hikari's fusion rate with the Crest of Heart should reach at least 30%. This nearly 30% fusion is enough for Hikari to access the emotional power of Megas and steal the core evolutionary origin from the Digital World."
"If everything goes smoothly, Taichi, we can completely…"
"Mass-produce Megas, right?" Taichi stared at the screen, murmuring softly.
"Right. Not just Megas. As Hikari grows stronger, the Ten Legendary Warriors, the Four Great Dragons, the Royal Knights... as long as it's an emotional power recorded in the Digital World, it could potentially be interpreted and mass-produced using the Metal Empire's production lines." Agumon spoke excitedly, his face full of enthusiasm.
"I know all that." Taichi nodded. For the first time since his darkening, a gentle light appeared in his eyes, "However, if possible, I still hope she can happily make her own choices."
"After all... she is the best little sister in the whole world to me. One of a kind."
Back to the present.
Unlike Koshiro's perilous fusion process, Hikari's compatibility with the white cocoon was significantly higher.
Her soft, fair fingers gently touched the crystalline light source, and her entire body was instantly enveloped by vast emotional energy, undergoing the transformation into Homeostasis.
10%... 20%... 30%...
The fusion proceeded with unimaginable smoothness. The minimum 30% predicted by Kurai was achieved by Hikari in almost ten seconds.
40%... 50%... 60%...
Another half-minute passed, and Hikari's fusion rate with the Crest of Heart had surpassed halfway. Given sufficient time, reaching 100% fusion was almost a certainty.
However, at that moment...
"Taichi! I can't hold on any longer! Homeostasis's focus on Hikari is far stronger than we imagined!"
Across the ocean, Koshiro spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rapidly dimming. The clock behind him shattered into countless fragments with a violent crash.
He had held on for one minute and twenty-nine seconds. Finally, he could no longer withstand the terrifying, mountain-like pressure from the will of the Digital World.
"It's really coming... With endless rage, sworn to reclaim its chosen vessel." Koshiro looked up at the sky, a rare trace of apprehension flashing in his eyes.
That existence. The formless existence. The supreme will of the Digital World.
Homeostasis had arrived.