"Humans and Digimon… are destined to be enemies!"
Before the young hacker's words had fully faded, two pillars of flame suddenly erupted from his back.
Whoosh!
The next instant, blazing flames surged forth from his shoulder blades, spreading wide and revealing two snow-white wings piercing through his back.
"Aaaah!"
A cry, somewhere between a roar and a scream, erupted from his throat.
As the young hacker's body expanded, his form began undergoing a grotesque transformation.
First, his body stretched violently, the human form bursting apart.
Then, flames emerged from nowhere, consuming him, engulfing everything within several meters in a fiery inferno.
"What?!"
Keisuke and Leomon stared, wide-eyed and stunned by the sudden horror. Even Erika, observing remotely via the network, showed an astonished expression at this startling turn of events.
Yet, compared to what was about to happen next, everything they had witnessed thus far was mere child's play.
"Humans... Your kind is fated to be replaced by Digimon!"
An ambiguous voice echoed—neither male nor female—as the young hacker vanished completely, replaced by a humanoid Digimon slowly emerging from the roaring flames.
"An angel…?"
Its body was wrapped tightly in brilliant, flame-colored ribbons, wings radiating an unbearable heat that distorted the surrounding air.
At this moment, standing proudly before them was a majestic angelic being, clutching a crescent-shaped sacred staff, with burning wings unfurled at its back.
Flames were its weapons; the staff was its authority.
It was the messenger of the divine, the very symbol of righteousness.
Its aura alone dominated the battlefield; its visage far beyond mortal comprehension.
...
"Piddomon?!"
At almost the exact same moment, Chen Ze and Renamon, who had silently crept closer, witnessed Piddomon's dramatic reveal.
That slow emergence from the blazing inferno was nothing short of a mythical descent, filled with awe-inspiring majesty and solemnity.
As an alternate subspecies of Angemon, Piddomon lacked the revered six-winged divine rank, but its mastery over flame-based combat vastly exceeded that of a common Angemon.
Perhaps Angemon held unparalleled strength against evil, possessing power pure and unmatched in that aspect.
But if judged purely by combat skills and battlefield experience, Piddomon, forged through countless fierce battles, stood out as the genuine "warrior."
No glaring weaknesses, no evident flaws…
Regardless of opponent, Piddomon had its own effective method to counter. That was its most significant distinction from Angemon.
Most importantly, Piddomon's evolution conditions weren't as restrictive as Angemon's.
It required neither deep compassion nor an encounter with absolute evil…
All it needed was an unwavering heart of justice. Any Rookie-level Digimon inclined toward angelic evolution held the potential to evolve into Piddomon.
"Piddomon…?!"
Having also recognized the angelic form stepping out of the flames, Leomon—who understood the meaning of its appearance better than any human—instantly prepared for battle.
"Foolish!"
With Piddomon fully revealed, its voice and demeanor shifted dramatically, becoming more domineering and obsessive.
Boom!
With just a single leap, the digital blocks beneath Piddomon shattered under immense force, scattering into countless fragments, disappearing into the depths of virtual space.
Borrowing this powerful momentum, Piddomon shot forward like a blazing arrow, aiming straight at Keisuke and his partner's position.
"[FIST OF THE BEAST KING]!"
Leomon's muscles tightened instantly, his battle-hardened instincts guiding him to the most effective response.
ROAAAR!
With a powerful, bestial roar, the fierce image of a giant lion materialized, surging forward with the intimidating aura of an apex predator, aiming directly at the incoming Piddomon.
Whoosh!
At the decisive moment, right before impact with the lion's visage, Piddomon suddenly swept its wings. The flames burst forth explosively, incinerating everything nearby in an instant.
Like a meteor shower descending from heaven, empowered by flame, Piddomon forcibly tore through the Beast King's attack, rapidly closing in on Leomon.
CLANG!
A powerful clash erupted between Shishiou-maru and Piddomon's holy staff, sending ripples of air pressure reverberating outward. The metallic collision echoed loudly enough for even Chen Ze and Renamon, dozens of meters away, to hear clearly.
Yet compared to the intensity of the upcoming battle, this exchange was merely the prelude.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
To protect Keisuke from being caught in the chaos, Leomon took the initiative, unleashing a series of relentless strikes after successfully blocking Piddomon's charge.
Horizontal slash, vertical slice, upward counter, rapid parries—every move flowed seamlessly, forcing Piddomon into a purely defensive stance just to withstand this flurry of rapid blows.
In that instant, the roles of attacker and defender had completely reversed.
Yet, though Leomon specialized in swift and powerful assaults, Piddomon—armed with its sacred staff and flames—was no pushover. Quickly adjusting to Leomon's rhythm, Piddomon regained its footing.
With flames blazing around it, even Leomon, who momentarily had the upper hand, didn't dare to push too aggressively.
"How pathetic, reduced to a mere 'slave' of humans without realizing it!"
After a brief adaptation period, Piddomon lashed out in contemptuous anger, intensifying its flames further.
"You think you can stop me?!"
Unlike typical foolish villains, Piddomon knew its objective clearly—Keisuke, who remained safely behind Leomon.
As long as Piddomon could destroy Keisuke's avatar and forcibly log him out, Leomon would naturally disappear alongside his partner.
"Never!"
Though generally calm, Leomon's eyes flashed briefly with anger, a reminder that beneath his composed exterior still lay the primal ferocity of a lion.
After all, he was born from data embodying the King of Beasts—rage and ferocity were etched deep within his DigiCore.
Klang!
Leomon's Shishiou-maru gleamed sharply, his well-trained muscles surging with explosive power to match the deadly technique he was about to unleash.
"[THE KING OF FISTS]!"
In an instant, cold, lethal light reflected directly into Piddomon's eyes, briefly causing it to lose focus.
Taking advantage of that split-second distraction, Leomon immediately swung his blade with perfect precision.
Swish!
The blade moved at such blinding speed it ripped through the air itself, creating a slicing wind pressure sharp enough to break the sound barrier.
This was a special technique Leomon had painstakingly perfected—one capable of slicing the very atmosphere—a unique, matchless killing move exclusive only to him.
---
A/N: Ah, regarding Keisuke's official Mega-level on the cover—I never paid much attention to that, actually. But rest assured, Keisuke certainly won't have only Leomon as his partner.
I plan on making him a true hacker, after all—and a genuine hacker could never be limited to just a single Digimon.
T/N: you may ask why is it called the king of fists when it's using a sword? well I HJAVE NO IDEA iits other name though is "Lion Beast Wave Slash"
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