Swish!
Facing the sword-like wind-blade unleashed by Leomon, Piddomon—having lost its initial advantage—surprisingly didn't dodge, instead spreading its blazing wings wide once again.
"I am the messenger chosen by fate; these flames are my glory!"
Accompanied by a low whisper, the flames engulfing Piddomon expanded abruptly into a massive sphere of fire, completely enveloping its wings.
—Firewall!
Like a god of war reborn amidst flames, scorching heat transformed into the perfect defensive shield around Piddomon.
Never mind a mere wind-blade; even far deadlier attacks would be confidently turned aside by this flaming shield. It was confidence born from a thousand battles, the very thing ensuring its survival in this chaotic zone teeming with hackers and Digimon.
"Die, lowly human!"
In a fleeting moment, Keisuke and Leomon seemed to glimpse a pair of blazing golden eyes staring at them through the flames—eyes filled with an unyielding resolve, never to surrender, never to yield.
Piddomon was absolutely not a Digimon that could be conquered through words or brute strength. Its willpower was no weaker than any human hero or champion.
Most crucially, Piddomon deeply believed that everything it did was righteous—and it would pay any price to see its conviction fulfilled.
"If you want to hurt Keisuke, you'll have to go through me first!"
Witnessing this, Leomon tightened his grip on his blade, finally unleashing a low, savage roar, holding back no longer.
Like a lion genuinely enraged, Leomon's mane bristled fiercely, exuding raw power, matching Piddomon's intensity in defending its resolve.
—Lion Sword!
One strike, two strikes, three strikes!
In the blink of an eye, Leomon's Shishiou-maru reached its very limit, emitting a sorrowful metallic cry. As a cost of surpassing his limits, three immense wind-blades, each several meters long, tore through Piddomon's flaming barrier instantly, forcing its true form to appear once more under Leomon's blade.
CLANG!
A deafening sound—far louder than any previous collision—reverberated through the battlefield.
Piddomon, gripping its sacred staff tightly, was actually forced back by Leomon's slash, desperately beating its wings to steady itself, retreating a full ten meters before finally halting its momentum.
"You've completely enraged me!"
Staring furiously at Leomon and Keisuke not far away, the outraged Piddomon resolved to give its all. Even if it couldn't eliminate these meddlesome pests outright, it definitely wouldn't let them off easily.
"Now I'll show you exactly why no other hacker group dares track me down!"
Before the words had fully left its mouth, Piddomon's wings underwent yet another transformation.
In an instant, the feathers' original angelic whiteness faded, replaced by blazing crimson flames, burning fiercely.
"Leomon, take this!"
At the precise moment when Piddomon's wings became fully formed wings of flame, scorching fire used the feathers as a medium, turning into countless burning arrows that covered the entire area around Leomon in a lethal hailstorm.
Under such circumstances, not only was Leomon himself at risk, but even Keisuke behind him had no chance of escaping this overwhelming barrage.
—Fire Feather!
...
"These guys... they're practically walking weapons," Chen Ze muttered, watching Piddomon and Leomon's battle unfold with wide-eyed astonishment.
Though neither was at Parrotmon's Ultimate-level, their sheer presence matched Parrotmon's imposing aura.
Had Chen Ze not personally witnessed the duel between Parrotmon and Greymon before, he probably wouldn't have been merely swallowing nervously right now.
"They're already close to the pinnacle of the Champion-level, and incredibly troublesome opponents at that," Renamon remarked, impressed. Even she, a Digimon seasoned by countless battles, had to acknowledge the sheer strength these two Digimon displayed.
Renamon was nearly certain: as long as they maintained this unyielding resolve after this fight, evolving into Ultimate-level Digimon was merely a matter of time.
"The outcome is already decided."
At that moment, Renamon shook her head regretfully, having already predicted the battle's ending.
"What?"
Hearing this, Chen Ze first glanced upwards at the countless flaming feathers raining down, then at Leomon, who was still slashing his blade vigorously, unable to understand why Renamon would come to such a conclusion.
In Chen Ze's eyes, although Piddomon's meteor-like feather assault was undeniably fierce, Leomon's current performance didn't look like that of a losing Digimon.
In fact, if it weren't for protecting Keisuke standing behind him, Leomon wouldn't have needed to fight so passively.
Considering Leomon's remarkable agility earlier, his ideal fighting style should involve constant maneuvering.
But Piddomon ignored all normal combat logic, relentlessly targeting Keisuke instead, creating this current stalemate.
If Chen Ze were in Keisuke's place, he definitely wouldn't stand foolishly in one spot, forcing his partner into such a passive situation.
On the contrary, Chen Ze not only wouldn't let his partner become passive, he'd have a thousand ways to provide vital support, sealing off every possible escape route for Piddomon.
Wait… Escape?
Realizing this, Chen Ze suddenly grasped what Renamon meant by her earlier words.
"Piddomon's real aim was never Keisuke!"
"It's just trying to create an opening to escape!"
As soon as Chen Ze realized this, his eyes snapped back to Piddomon, noticing it had already subtly drifted away from the battlefield.
"Oh no! Piddomon broke through my blockade!"
By now, not only Chen Ze and Renamon, but even Erika, supporting Keisuke remotely from the network, had quickly picked up on Piddomon's true intention.
"It plans to run away!"
Hearing Erika's shocked cry through his earpiece, Keisuke froze momentarily before his face changed in sudden realization.
"Leomon! Forget about me! He's trying to escape!"
Unfortunately, Keisuke's warning came slightly too late.
Without anyone noticing, Piddomon had risen much higher into the air—so high that even Leomon's strongest blade attack wouldn't be able to reach it anymore.
"Farewell, you stubborn fools."
Finally securing its chance to escape, Piddomon showed no desire to continue fighting. It simply left behind those ambiguous words—half mockery, half resignation—then swiftly turned, vanishing deeper into the even more dangerous Kowloon Level 5.
"After it!"
Looking toward the treacherous area of Level 5, Keisuke clenched his teeth resolutely, commanding Leomon to follow without hesitation.
---
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