Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, they traveled through an even more ancient and dense jungle, encountering many strange Digimon, but most were of mediocre strength.
What made BlackWarGreymon increasingly impatient was that they had yet to encounter the sufficiently powerful opponent they had anticipated.
Until this one afternoon.
The ground beneath BlackWarGreymon's feet trembled slightly, and its jet-black figure transformed into a dark afterimage that was difficult for the naked eye to follow.
With a swoosh, it vanished into the depths of the dense forest, its speed reaching an extreme.
"Huh... Why did it suddenly leave?" WereGarurumon asked in confusion.
The group quickened their pace in pursuit.
The forest grew deeper, and the trees became taller.
After chasing for about a quarter of an hour, the path ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively wide clearing in the woods, semi-enclosed by a ring of rock walls.
In the center of the clearing was a small, crystal-clear pool of water.
They didn't see BlackWarGreymon, but at the edge of the clearing, they saw an unexpected figure.
It was a massive, dragon-man Digimon exuding a formidable aura.
Its chest was covered in a set of incredibly heavy red armor, resembling a miniature fortress reactor.
Its left arm was a giant revolver, and on its back was a pair of relatively large and intricately structured metal wings.
It was a RizeGreymon!
At this moment, RizeGreymon was slightly turned sideways, facing the direction from which Ace and the others had arrived, its eyes filled with scrutiny and vigilance.
"Unfamiliar Digimon, and... a human?" RizeGreymon's voice was deep. "The auras on you'all is weird. That fleeting dark aura from just now, was that your companion?"
"I suppose so," Ace did not deny it. "Are you the guardian of this place?"
"No." RizeGreymon shook its head, its gaze landing on WereGarurumon, who had the strongest aura.
A hint of battle lust rose in its eyes. "I'm just passing through, looking for opponents to hone my skills. You... don't look weak. Care for a match? We'll stop before it goes too far."
A low growl rumbled in WereGarurumon's throat as it looked at Ace.
Ace pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"WereGarurumon, you go."
"ROAR!" WereGarurumon let out a long howl and shot forward, facing RizeGreymon from a distance.
"Excellent!"
A stream of data flashed in RizeGreymon's eyes.
The metal wings on its back vibrated to provide auxiliary power, and its body moved swiftly to the side as it raised its left arm.
"Trident Revolver!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three crimson light bullets, condensed with high heat, shot out at high speed in a triangular formation, sealing off any escape routes.
WereGarurumon had already dodged in a flash, becoming a blur of azure, while simultaneously swiping with its ice-blue claws to intercept.
Boom! Boom!
Two of the light bullets were intercepted. The third grazed past, blasting a scorched crater in the ground.
With the first strike missing, the several launch ports in the center of RizeGreymon's heavy reactor chest plate suddenly lit up with a blinding light.
"Rising Destroyer!"
Countless scorching beams rained down like a metal storm, covering a large area.
WereGarurumon was instantly caught in the barrage.
It roared angrily, weaving, stopping abruptly, and changing direction amidst the dense shower of light.
"Is this all you've got?" A sharp glint flashed in WereGarurumon's eyes.
Spotting a gap, the ground beneath its feet exploded as its body shot forward like a cannonball.
In a straight-line dash, it withstood several peripheral beams and instantly closed the distance with RizeGreymon.
"What? So fast!" RizeGreymon was startled and tried to pull away, but WereGarurumon was already upon it.
WereGarurumon's right fist smashed viciously toward the connection point on the side of RizeGreymon's chest plate.
It was the joint between the heavy chest armor and the relatively weaker side shell.
RizeGreymon hastily blocked with its left arm.
Bang!
WereGarurumon showed no mercy.
Its left claw followed immediately, five sharp claw marks tearing through the air.
"Kaiser Nail!"
RizeGreymon could only retract its right arm to block as well.
Screech!
Five deep claw marks were left on RizeGreymon's right arm.
Once in close quarters, WereGarurumon completely seized the initiative.
Its speed, strength, and close-combat skills completely suppressed RizeGreymon, which specialized in mid-to-long-range firepower and was slightly hindered in its turning by the heavy chest armor.
"Damn it!" RizeGreymon was both shocked and enraged.
It tried to fire from its chest ports at point-blank range, but WereGarurumon anticipated the move and a heavy kick struck the lower part of its chest plate, throwing off its center of gravity and causing the blast to go wide.
"ROAR! Don't underestimate me!"
RizeGreymon roared, data streams flashing wildly in its eyes as if it had made some kind of decision.
It no longer tried to escape the close-quarters struggle.
Instead, it suddenly threw its arms wide, ignoring its defense, and slammed its body hard into WereGarurumon, forcing it back half a step.
A torrent of crimson energy, far thicker, more solid, and radiating a more destructive aura than any previous attack, erupted like an uncaged dragon, blasting toward the nearby WereGarurumon.
"It's over." WereGarurumon struggled to its feet.
Though injured, its eyes were still fierce as it walked step by step toward RizeGreymon, who seemed temporarily incapacitated.
However, just as WereGarurumon was about to deliver the final blow, and Ace was preparing to call a stop—
"ROOOOAAAAARRRR—!"
A ferocious roar, filled with an immense craving for greater power, suddenly exploded from the mouth of the kneeling RizeGreymon.
The pressure and energy fluctuations contained within the roar made even WereGarurumon subconsciously halt its steps.
A blinding, dazzling golden light burst forth from within RizeGreymon.
The golden light instantly engulfed its entire body.
"This... an evolution?!" Ace exclaimed in shock.
Within the brilliant golden light, RizeGreymon's form underwent a world-shaking transformation.
Its streamlined body was filled with a powerful aesthetic.
A terrifying pressure of energy swept out like a tsunami.
It wasn't just an increase in power, but a leap in the level of life itself.
WereGarurumon, who had just been through a fierce battle and was not lightly injured, couldn't help but take half a step back in the face of this pressure, its eyes filled with gravity.
"This power... This is... the Mega level!"