14. The Unicorn Beast

Taiyi stood halfway up Infinite Mountain, gazing up at the towering peak that seemed to touch the clouds.

Unlike his previous view from the ancient Jujabeast Forest, he had now traveled across half of Faile Road Island, forging deep friendships with many Digimon and gaining a profound understanding of the mysteries of the Digital World. Through countless battles, he and Zero Maru had grown stronger, their trust and coordination ever-deepening.

Originally, Taiyi had planned to explore the surrounding regions before ascending Infinite Mountain. Yet now, due to unforeseen circumstances, he found himself embarking on the climb earlier than intended.

Well, unexpected twists are part of the thrill of adventure.

“Zero, let’s go,” Taiyi said.

“Mm,” Zero Maru nodded and followed closely behind as they set foot on the treacherous mountain path. Behind Taiyi, a giant leaf resembling a banana leaf bore the unconscious Lionbeast and Ogabeast, slowly moving forward under Zero Maru’s lead.

——

The narrow mountain path on Infinite Mountain allowed only one person at a time, and a single misstep could mean a deadly fall. Taiyi peered down; they were nearing the midpoint of the mountain. From here, half of Faile Road Island stretched out magnificently before them.

But such a breathtaking view came at a great risk.

“If you fall from here, the pain would last a long time,” Taiyi murmured.

As if summoned by his words, Infinite Mountain trembled violently. Rock faces shifted, and several black gears shot out from crevices, turning into shadowy streaks as they sped away into the distance.

The black gears flew with incredible speed, becoming dark shadows darting off far away.

“Zero, shoot them down!” Taiyi commanded.

Quick to respond, Zero Maru unleashed a volley of V Gale Arrows, shattering all the black gears. Taiyi ran his hand over the closing rock face, the incident reinforcing his conviction that Infinite Mountain was the source of the black gear anomaly.

“Should I blast the rock open?” Zero Maru asked.

Taiyi shook his head. “Let’s deal with the immediate threat first.”

Just as he spoke, the rush of wings filled the air. A unicorn Digimon, adorned with a red helmet and snow-white wings, descended from above Infinite Mountain. Its eyes glowed crimson, and a half-embedded black gear was fixed into its back.

Taiyi remained calm, as if accustomed to such encounters.

The unicorn beast locked eyes with Taiyi and Zero Maru, immediately conjuring a blue orb of light—the Holy Light Cannon. At the instant it fired, Taiyi leapt aside, while Zero Maru countered with a V Arrow Breath. The two powerful attacks collided midair, erupting in a fierce explosion.

Zero Maru’s V Arrow Breath maintained its force, continuing to stream toward the unicorn beast.

The unicorn flapped its wings, twisting slightly in the air to evade the attack effortlessly. Meanwhile, Taiyi and Zero Maru braced against the shockwave, shielding the unconscious Lionbeast and Ogabeast from being blown off the mountain.

——

“This can’t go on. The unicorn’s aerial agility gives it too much of an advantage in this environment,” Taiyi realized. They needed to restrict its mobility.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. “Zero, let’s use wind pressure against it!”

Zero Maru immediately understood. As the unicorn beast drew breath, he unleashed consecutive V Gale Arrows, creating a powerful whirlwind that slowed the unicorn’s speed.

“Let me show you the results of our training!”

The whirlwind swept up loose stones along the mountain path, battering the unicorn beast and forcing it to slow.

Seizing the moment, Taiyi leapt from Infinite Mountain and landed on the unicorn’s back.

The black gear deeply embedded within the unicorn seemed to sense Taiyi’s approach. At that moment, the gear’s influence peaked, and the unicorn emitted a pained cry.

Its eyes deepened in crimson, and ignoring its own exhaustion, it relentlessly fired Holy Light Cannons at Zero Maru.

Seeing this, Zero Maru quickly tied Lionbeast and Ogabeast together with the giant leaf and slung them on his back. Then, muscles tensing, he began punching the incoming light orbs, smashing them like raindrops.

For a moment, Infinite Mountain shimmered with a constellation of dazzling lights.

Taiyi steadied himself on the unicorn’s back, eyes fixed on the black gear embedded there. Clenching his fist, he struck it with all his might.

“Don’t give in to the darkness, unicorn beast!”

The first punch cracked the surface of the black gear.

“Stay strong!”

Another punch widened the cracks across the gear.

“Wake up quickly!”

With a third blow, the gear shattered into fragments with a sharp crack.

The unicorn let out a final agonized howl and plummeted from the sky.

Luckily, Zero Maru anticipated this and adjusted the direction of his V Gale Arrows, guiding the falling beast toward himself, preventing a fatal ground impact.

Moments later, the unicorn regained its strength, rising to all fours.

“What happened to me?” it asked.

Taiyi instinctively explained the preceding events. Learning that under the black gear’s control, it had attacked Taiyi, Zero Maru, and the two incapacitated Digimon, the unicorn lowered its head in shame.

——

“Sorry for causing you trouble,” it said.

Taiyi could not help but feel a deep familiarity with this apology.

He marveled at how kind these Digimon were despite being victims of control. After every defeat, instead of anger, they first expressed gratitude for being saved or apologized for their actions while under influence.

The black gear manipulated such gentle souls, forcing them into unwilling acts, harming one innocent life after another.

Whenever Taiyi thought of this, his fists clenched with anger.

The unicorn moved closer to Lionbeast, nudging him with its nose. “There’s a dark power within you that doesn’t belong to you.”

“Can you sense it?” Taiyi leaned in.

The unicorn nodded. “As a sacred Digimon, I’m much more sensitive to dark forces than most.”

“Can you dispel this power?”

After a moment’s hesitation, the unicorn replied, “I’ll do my best.”

A surge of energy burst forth from it, pure white light bathing Lionbeast. Taiyi saw tendrils of black and red energy escape from Lionbeast’s body.

Taiyi and Zero Maru exchanged glances, joy sparkling in their eyes. They had only intended to borrow the unicorn’s flying ability to find Centaurbeast, but unexpectedly, the unicorn possessed the power to counteract dark forces. A welcome surprise indeed.

The unicorn retracted its energy, breathing heavily. The earlier battle and purging of the dark power had drained much of its strength.

“Thank you, unicorn beast,” Taiyi said, stroking its neck. The unicorn affectionately nuzzled him in return.

At that moment, Lionbeast’s eyes fluttered open, now clear and normal. He instinctively lifted his head and saw Taiyi and Zero Maru watching him with curiosity. Attempting to stand, he felt something pressing down on him.

Looking down, he saw Ogabeast lying against his chest, sound asleep.

“Hey—what’s going on here!”

“Ah, ah ah ah ah!”

The sudden jolt caused Lionbeast to emit an incoherent cry.