Zero had barely fallen asleep after counting stars for half the night when he was abruptly awakened by a burst of noise.
"?"
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Rina's vibrant, energetic face.
"Good morning! Did you sleep well? Haha, thanks to Zero-kun and Hajime-chan, I slept wonderfully~!"
"…"
After a long pause, Zero swallowed back his words about not sleeping half the night—he simply couldn't bring himself to complain when faced with her radiant smile.
"What's happening? Why's it so noisy?"
Zero's attention shifted away from Rina. Not far from their lakeside location, loud and chaotic sounds rose from within the dense forest. It was impossible to tell what was causing all the commotion.
At the same moment, Zero realized Hajime was missing. He quickly asked and learned she had woken earliest, leaving to forage breakfast for the three of them.
"But…" Rina glanced toward the forest, her brows slightly furrowed, "…Hajime-chan has been gone for a while now. I hope she didn't run into trouble—the forest doesn't seem very peaceful."
Without hesitation, Zero leaped from Rina's embrace. "…Right. Let's go check, just in case."
Before he finished speaking, branches rustled in a nearby thicket, and Hajime emerged from the undergrowth. She had returned empty-handed, carrying no food at all, and her expression seemed troubled.
"We've got a problem, Rina, Zero-kun. Something's happened out there—lots of Champion-level Digimon suddenly left their own territories and are causing chaos everywhere. The forest is a total mess now!"
"?"
Zero knew clearly that the Digital Forest had its own unspoken rules. Typically, Champion-level Digimon remained within their own territory and rarely crossed into others.
Conflicts could happen occasionally—like settling grudges or new Champions challenging the existing order—but those typically involved at most two or three territories.
But according to Hajime, more than ten Champions were currently rampaging wildly. It was the most chaotic event in the Digital Forest since the end of ancient wars.
What the heck is going on?
"I'm sorry. I wanted to find food, but it was just too chaotic out there, so I had to return empty-handed," Hajime apologized earnestly, prompting Zero to respond quickly.
"It's fine, as long as you're safe. Food is a minor concern right now. Still, what's causing this?"
Though he couldn't immediately grasp the situation, Zero quickly made a decision.
"Rina, let's circle around the area and leave from the opposite direction."
Their goal was the Unmanned Mechanical Factory, which, while its exact location remained unknown, clearly wasn't within the Digital Forest. Leaving the forest immediately took top priority. As for the chaos happening inside—let it be someone else's problem…
Rina glanced toward the commotion and nodded promptly. "Mm! Let's do what you said~"
Zero inwardly sighed in relief. He had genuinely worried Rina might impulsively head towards the excitement. Luckily, while she was carefree, she wasn't brainless. She clearly understood the dangers and easily agreed to Zero's plan.
With Zero's current strength, after evolving, handling an ordinary Champion was definitely no problem. One-on-one, he confidently believed he wouldn't lose to anyone in the Digital Forest.
But facing a double-digit number of Champions all at once? That was just asking for trouble. Even the current Zero had no interest in such complications.
The trio decided quickly…immediately taking the opposite path to avoid the chaos.
But though their decision was sound, the problem was—sometimes trouble came knocking even if you tried your best to avoid it.
Moving swiftly through the dense trees, Zero, Rina, and Hajime took the route opposite the worst conflict. The two natives naturally navigated easily, while Rina's physical abilities were far beyond a normal girl her age—actually, they bordered on superhuman.
Their journey through the forest thus encountered very few obstacles, progressing quite smoothly…
"…Looks like all the powerful Digimon have been drawn over to the battlefield, leaving this side even more peaceful than usual. Haha, as expected of me—I'm truly farsighted!"
Zero smugly boasted, but his words had barely left his mouth when several towering trees ahead abruptly toppled, and a dinosaur-type Digimon emerged. It had a sturdy horn protruding from its snout, thick armor covering its back, and even crouched down, it stood nearly twice a human's height!
At that exact moment, Zero choked on his unfinished sentence. Beside him, Rina couldn't hold back a burst of laughter.
Simultaneously, the Digivice hanging from Rina's waist—the device that had manifested alongside her DigiSoul yesterday—shook gently.
Rina quickly grabbed the Digivice. When she pointed it at the charging Digimon, a holographic projection unfolded from its screen, rapidly displaying lines of data:
[Monochromon]
Data-type, Champion-level.
Normally a gentle herbivore, but when enraged, it unleashes astonishing power.
[Special attack]:Volcanic Strike—fires magma projectiles from its mouth!
"Wow, this thing doubles as an analyzer too?"
Rina exclaimed in amazement, but just then, another sound—a rapid buzzing—descended from above. A massive beetle-shaped insectoid Digimon, its body encased in deep crimson armor, swooped down from the sky!
Rina aimed her Digivice upward at this Digimon, and sure enough, corresponding information appeared immediately on the screen.
[Kuwagamon]
Virus-type, Champion-level.
Fierce, battle-loving insectoid Digimon, natural rival of the Champion-level insect Digimon Kabuterimon.
[Special Attack]: Scissor Hands—uses massive pincers on its head to slash opponents!
One above, one below; one ahead, one behind—the two Digimon, both with bloodshot eyes, charged toward Zero's group without any hesitation.
"Rina!"
Clearly hostile intentions—these two Digimon weren't just coming to say hello.
Rina didn't hesitate. She immediately raised her right hand, clenching it into a fist. Between her fingers surged a brilliantly glowing DigiSoul.
With the Digivice in hand, she could directly channel her DigiSoul into her Digimon partner through its connection.
So…
"…[DIGISOUL, CHARGE]!"
Zero's body instantly became enveloped by countless strands of radiant light—
KOROMON... WARP DIGIVOLUTION...
—GEOGREYMON!