Chapter 276

"I choose this one."

BlackDramon made his choice.

"Absorbing dark data means I just need to eat more Digimon that have Virus-species data in their bodies, right? Then I'll go out and hunt some first."

Broly volunteered, preparing to go out and hunt some game.

"Eh, where are you planning to go hunt?"

Piximon hurriedly asked.

"Wherever there are Digimon with dark data, that's where I'll go hunt."

Broly replied.

Piximon: "..."

Considering whether to tell Gluttonmon about the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, who possess the most dark data.

Just then, Moleculomon said: "No need for such trouble, I have plenty of dark data right here."

Moleculomon went to a control console on the side and operated it for a while; the white floor of the basement suddenly opened a circular hole. Looking down from the edge of the hole, a pile of dark cables were entangled with each other, looking like nothing special.

"This is a dark space I secretly manufactured by manipulating dark cables. It was originally meant to deal with Gokumon, but Gokumon was already killed by you, Gluttonmon, so this dark space is of no use to me. Since BlackDramon needs it, I'll give it to BlackDramon."

BlackDramon leaned at the edge of the hole. Having a cat's appearance, he also had a cat's curiosity. He extended his hand, wanting to touch the dark cables clinging to the edge of the hole, but was stopped in time by Moleculomon: "What are you doing?"

"I just wanted to touch it and see."

"This isn't something you can touch. It's filled with extremely destructive dark data, hmm..."

Moleculomon picked up the microphone on the control console beside him and threw it into the dark space below the hole.

The microphone had just touched the dark cables below when it was directly decomposed into the most basic data, then absorbed and devoured by that clump of entangled dark cables.

"See? If you touched it, you'd end up like that microphone — the limb you touched with would be directly decomposed."

BlackDramon gasped, pointing at the dark space below the hole, and asked: "Then you still want me to absorb the dark data in here?"

"Rest assured, they're only dangerous when gathered together. But when it's time for you to absorb them, I have a specialized transmission device here to extract data from the dark space below. I'm not letting you jump down there to die."

Moleculomon explained a sentence, then let go of BlackDramon's hand.

"Then when do we start making the Evolution Armor?"

Piximon asked.

"The Holy Ring on BlackDramon's tail can't support too long a time."

"Manufacturing Evolution Armor requires not only a sufficient quantity of corresponding data, but also a hardcore base material capable of bearing the compression of massive data."

"Do you have it?"

Piximon asked.

"I don't."

Moleculomon shook his head.

"Huh?!"

Broly looked over.

"But I know who does."

Not waiting for the boy to ask, Moleculomon continued.

"Who?"

"Homeostasis."

Piximon: "???"

"What is that?"

Broly asked, confused.

"The system that manages the Digital World. Counts as the god of this world."

"So, you're going to ask Him for something?"

"Not asking Him for it, but replicating a device He once manufactured."

"What device?"

"The Digivice and Crest Loader. Those are special evolution devices perfected and utilized in the Holy Plan. In the relevant data I recorded, they should be able to accommodate massive data streams, making them the optimal base material for manufacturing Evolution Armor."

"Moleculomon, how do you know all this?"

Piximon asked at this moment.

"I don't know how I know. I once had my body shattered by Gokumon and lost this portion of memory data."

Moleculomon could not provide an explanation.

"However, judging by the back door I left in the Steel Empire's data system, there's a 56% probability this data was stolen by the previous me from the Steel Empire."

Piximon: "..."

The pre-amnesia Moleculomon was absolutely a daring scoundrel, because the current Steel Empire is the territory of one of the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, praised as the strongest mechanical modification Digimon, Machinedramon. To dare leave a back door in the Steel Empire's data system controlled by him — he truly wasn't afraid of being discovered and hunted down?

"Then what are we waiting for, Moleculomon? You hurry up and manufacture those devices now."

Broly urged.

"The data is somewhat defective. I need to perform certain calculations..."

Moleculomon hadn't finished speaking when he was interrupted by Piximon.

"No need to manufacture them. I can get you already-made Digivices and Crest Loaders directly."

"Huh?"

Broly and BlackDramon looked over with some doubt. Moleculomon's electronic eyes flashed a few times, but he quickly analyzed the situation.

"Piximon, are you a Digimon under Homeostasis's command?"

"Not under command. I simply chose to stand on the side of Homeostasis, who wants to restore peace and light to the Digital World, and thus act as His assistant in carrying out actions."

Piximon is a Digimon, and although he has ties to Gennai, he possesses his own will and is not a puppet completely controlled by Homeostasis.

"Peace and light, huh? You Digimon of that type really are always pursuing meaningless things."

Vademon feels no affinity for those Digimon who, like pilgrims to the Virus Busters' domain, persist in upholding their own justice.

"Since you can obtain those base materials from Homeostasis, that's perfect. I'll start calibrating the Data Compression Device now; it's estimated to take seventeen Digital Times to finish adjusting the equipment. You just need to give me the base materials required to manufacture the Evolution Armor at that time."

Piximon prepared to return to his Sage Mountain. Broly wanted to see him off, but Piximon refused: "No need to rush back. Gennai might not even be there yet. Anyway, there are still seventeen hours. You stay here and keep BlackDramon company. If I'm not back by then, come find me."

Piximon could guarantee this absolutely wasn't because he didn't want to be treated like a ball and carried flying by Gluttonous Beast.

"Do you need me to do something?"

Left behind, Broly watched Vademon get busy and leaned over to ask.

"Can you understand code?"

Vademon asked.

"Can't understand it."

Broly answered honestly.

"Then I don't need you to do anything. Of course, if Gluttonous Beast really has some free time, you can look over this Digivice and Crest Loader data. It records some materials; you might be able to go outside and collect some."

Vademon tossed a set of R&D data to Broly, to prevent him from disturbing him at the side.

"But didn't Piximon go get those two things?"

"This is in case Piximon can't get them. Then we'll have to manufacture the Digivice and Crest Loader ourselves."

Vademon left something unsaid: in his recorded data, the research base for the system template humans belonging to Homeostasis's side was destroyed by the Dark Four Heavenly Kings' faction many years ago.

Now those guys are all hiding. Vademon somewhat doubts whether they have the capability to produce new Digivices and Crest Loaders.

"Alright."

Broly lay prone before the screen, reading the data Vademon gave him, and BlackDramon also ran over, jumped onto the console, and huddled together with him.

"Huh? Vademon, is the device on this the Digivice?"

Vademon worked away with his head down for a while, then suddenly heard the inquiry from that side.

"Yes, that's right. The data I gave you absolutely has no problems."

Vademon answered without lifting his head.

"Then I have this Digivice."

"Is that so?"

Vademon's mechanical fingers, clacking away at the code, suddenly stopped. He raised his head and saw a tiny device exactly like the Digivice shown on the screen data, held in Gluttonous Beast's hand.

"Where did you get this thing?"

Vademon asked.

"I picked it up."

Broly answered.

"Gluttonous Beast, your luck really is not bad, to actually pick up a Digivice."

Vademon meant it — a device that can convert emotional power into Evolution Data isn't something you can just randomly pick up.

"Gluttonous Beast, may I ask where you picked up the Digivice?"

Vademon asked.

And he felt the place the other party picked up the Digivice might just have the research base for the system data humans made by Homeostasis.

If it could be found, perhaps more R&D data on Homeostasis could be obtained.

"Where I found it, hmm, it was on the balcony of a girl named Yagami Kari's home."

Broly answered honestly.

Vademon: "???"

"Who is Yagami Kari?"

"A girl."

"A girl? Not a Digimon?"

"Not a Digimon."

"Have you been to the Real World?"

Vademon asked.

"Not 'been to' — I'm from over there."

Broly answered.

And his words made Vademon's right electronic eye start flashing red rapidly.

"So you're not a Digimon, but a Chosen Child?"

The electronic eye flashed for a while before Vademon broke the silence and asked.

"If you mean the Holy Plan written on this — coming from another world to this world, and meeting the Digimon waiting for oneself in this world — then I suppose I am."

When Broly answered this, he was full of confidence.

"So this is the truth of the Chosen Children?"

Vademon suddenly realized.

He originally thought the Holy Plan was Homeostasis selecting suitable human children from the Real World, summoning them to the Digital World to serve as evolution energy batteries for rapid evolution of selected Partner Digimon in the short term, but now...

True Chosen Children should be like the Gluttonous Beast before him: willing and able to easily slaughter a Mega-level Digimon King, their petite bodies containing the formidable power to trample Digimon below the Ultimate Level at will.

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing Vademon not speaking, Broly asked.

"No, no problem. It's just that you've given me a new understanding of the Chosen Children, and the Holy Plan."

Molecule Beast replied.

【Partner Digimon equals cute pet, using cute pet-type Digimon to conduct friendship kidnapping on the Chosen Children, Homeostasis's move is truly brilliant.】

Looking at the Black Tailmon leaning against Broly's head, occasionally rubbing its head against the boy's movements, the emotionless Molecule Beast at this moment also had to admire Homeostasis's methods.

"Then can this be used?"

Broly handed over the Digivice in his hand and asked.

"It can be used, just right I also have a reserve of Crest Loaders on this side."

In order to deal with Son Goku Beast, Molecule Beast had made multi-handed preparations, including wanting to utilize the Partner Digimon of some Chosen Children who might come to this side of Server Continent.

"Since the conditions for manufacturing Evolution Armor are all gathered, then let Black Tailmon absorb the Dark Data of the Dark Space first."

"Eh, Molecule Beast, haven't you not finished debugging the device here yet?"

"What needs debugging is the Compression Data Device, while what Black Tailmon needs to use is just the Data Transmission Device, it absorbs the transmitted Dark Data, yet that also needs some time……"

Piximon was not here, Molecule Beast again behaved comparatively professionally, Black Tailmon and Broly did not have too much hesitation, directly just followed its arrangements.

"Black Tailmon, I will stay by your side the whole time."

Black Tailmon lay on the Data Transmission Device, Broly then stood beside the device giving it the biggest comfort.

"Mm."

The black cat replied with a sound.

"Can we start?"

Following Black Tailmon's nod, Molecule Beast activated the Data Transmission Device.

The Dark Cables linked on the device began extracting the data of the Dark Space below, guiding it into the mechanical bed where Black Tailmon lay.

Pitch-black Data Stream flowed out, at once wrapping around the Black Tailmon on the bed, regardless of whether Black Tailmon was willing or not, a continuous stream of Dark Data surged into its body, forcing Black Tailmon to absorb these data.

"Ah～"

Black Tailmon felt pain, its spirit seemingly being torn apart, and the cry of pain it emitted was then covered by the Dark Data Stream enveloping it.

The Holy Ring on its tail gradually dimmed, Black Tailmon's consciousness began falling into the pitch-black abyss, gradually sinking within this Dark Data.

……

Unknown when, the spiritual pain disappeared.

The surrounding darkness suddenly receded, oneself then was in a colorless forest like a black and white photo.

Black Tailmon discovered it had become shorter, waiting at the riverbank to see its own appearance, only then discovering the current self was Yukimi Botamon.

This was its most initial, and also weakest childhood form, Black Tailmon remembered which forest this was.

"I returned to the past? No, this should just be past memories, but why would I appear here?"

Yukimi Botamon was somewhat puzzled, but the hunger from its stomach yet let it have no leisure to think too much, it hopped and ran to a once familiar place, just clung on a tree like an Insect-type Digimon, sucking tree sap.

Bitter taste, tree sap is not anything good to drink, but could sustain the life continuation of its weak childhood self.

"Who are you bastard?"

A sound rang out from the side, Yukimi Botamon looked over, discovered it was a Digimon that had once taken care of its Childhood Form 1 self.

"Damn it, regardless of who this bastard is, since it dares come here to steal suck our tree sap, that is this bastard's fault."

But different from memory not too much, that Digimon that should have spoken to stop its kin from driving it away, now not only did not speak for it, instead together with that side's kin Digimon, kicking and beating drove it away.

Yukimi Botamon hungry and thirsty and aggrieved, did not understand the development of matters, why different from past memories.

……

Under the Dark Data wrapping, Black Tailmon began having a dream.

In the dream it was experiencing a cat life different from its original cat life trajectory.

In this world of past memories, it did not encounter any friendly Digimon.

To survive, had to fight, had to steal, had to rob.

Only sufficiently cunning could eat full meals.

Only sufficiently ruthless, other Digimon would not dare bully oneself.

From the various sufferings suffered in weak childhood, to after evolving into Black Tailmon beginning to bully the weak with strength, bringing suffering and torture to other weak Digimon, it seemed it originally should be just such an evil, brutal Digimon.

However, already become the forest's overlord, it yet time to time would feel some not right places.

For example beside the throne woven of vines, would inexplicably empty out a one person position, as if there should sit besides it another person.

But who should be sitting there, Black Tailmon yet was very confused, it completely could not remember.

"Black Tailmon King, not good, Son Goku Beast from outside the forest wants to come attack us."

And whenever Black Tailmon pondered deeply, there would always be other matters happening, interrupting its train of thought.

This time also no exception.