21. An Unprecedented Foe—The Lost Satan Beast!
A powerful aura seemed to transform into a protective shield, enveloping the entire Farui Island. Under its might, the waves surged fiercely, forming multiple water tornadoes that connected sea and sky.
At the island’s center, as the demon beast’s body grew smaller, its appearance shifted in an instant.
This was the phenomenon called Digivolution. Spurred on by an immense influx of dark energy and the data of Ougaemon, the demon beast, already at its limit, finally completed its evolution.
Now, it was—
Lost Satanmon.
With the evolution complete, all abnormal phenomena on the island abruptly ceased. The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a clear, azure sky.
Lost Satanmon stood atop the mountain temple, his body brimming with overwhelming power.
What surprised him even more was that, upon gaining this power, his heart felt no shock—only a calm acceptance of all the changes within himself.
“So this is the Perfect Form. Not just the body—my brain has evolved completely as well.”
“Heh heh heh heh... Splendid!”
At that moment, Taiichiroumaru and Leomon arrived at the summit of Infinity Mountain. Seeing the dark red skeleton holding a staff before them, Leomon sensed the presence of Ougaemon’s energy within him.
With a last glimmer of hope, Leomon asked, “Demonmon, where have you hidden Ougaemon?”
“Heh heh heh heh heh...” Lost Satanmon gave no answer. Instead, he patted his stomach, signaling Leomon to look there.
In an instant, Leomon’s mind was struck as if by lightning; memories of his experiences with Ougaemon flashed before his eyes like rewinding film.
A fury rose within Leomon, one even he found unbelievable. He realized that Ougaemon was now his most cherished friend.
“How dare you, Demonmon, you filthy bastard—!”
“Beast King Fist!”
A five-meter-wide golden lion’s head shot toward Lost Satanmon’s back.
The burst of emotion made Leomon stronger than ever before. This decisive strike even drew the attention of Taiichiroumaru and Leomon; it was surely powerful enough to shatter Demonmon’s skull with a single hit!
So, how would Lost Satanmon respond to this earth-shaking punch?
The answer was—he didn’t.
Lost Satanmon neither defended nor dodged; he stood on the cliff, repeatedly opening and closing his hand, immersed in the sensation of his own power.
The Beast King Fist dissipated upon striking Lost Satanmon.
“Th-This can’t be!” Leomon was stunned.
“It had no effect at all.”
It seemed not entirely ineffective. At least, Lost Satanmon twisted his neck, producing a faint crackling sound.
Then, he swung a punch into the empty air, further savoring his strength.
Afterward, Lost Satanmon finally turned around and gave Leomon a satisfied smile.
Seeing that smile, Leomon felt as if his very digital core was freezing.
“You... you demon.”
“Demon? No, I am Satan~”
---
Lost Satanmon’s speed was remarkable. Though to the naked eye it seemed he only took a step forward, he had actually moved three or four meters, leaving afterimages with each step. In an instant, he stood before Leomon.
“Death Claw.”
With evolution complete, Lost Satanmon had not forgotten his original moves. A black-red energy wave tore through space, aimed at Leomon’s chest.
Faced with this attack, Leomon felt as though he saw his own demise—his fragmented data unable to return to Creation Village, doomed to drift forever above the dark realm.
“Don’t give up, Leomon!” Taiichiroumaru flashed between Lost Satanmon and Leomon, grabbing Lost Satanmon’s wrist.
“Chosen children, don’t get in my way!”
Lost Satanmon swung his staff, striking Taiichiroumaru’s face.
Though his skeletal frame was devoid of muscle, an unimaginable force erupted, sending Taiichiroumaru flying.
Fortunately, Taiichiroumaru’s delay had bought enough time for Taiichi to pull Leomon out of the attack range.
“Taiichi, let me go! Demonmon killed Ougaemon; I have to avenge him!”
Taiichi gripped Leomon’s shoulders firmly, forcing him to stay put. “Calm down. Ougaemon isn’t dead yet.”
Earlier, Taiichi had scanned Lost Satanmon with the Digivice, discovering that all his stats exceeded Taiichiroumaru’s, even the lowest strength value was above normal Taiichiroumaru.
But besides Lost Satanmon, the device also detected another Digimon’s data inside his body.
“No mistake—that’s Ougaemon’s data. He hasn’t been completely absorbed yet; he’s still fighting within Demonmon!”
Hearing this, Leomon’s spirit soared. He imagined Ougaemon standing before him, taunting, “What’s wrong? Has the proud and mighty Leomon lost his mind just because he was provoked? You might as well stop calling yourself Leomon and change your name to Trashmon!”
Feeling Leomon’s breathing steady, Taiichi relaxed his hold.
“Thank you, Taiichi.”
“Say your thanks with Ougaemon,” Taiichi smiled.
Leomon stood up, his fury abated but his strength undiminished—his will to fight for his friend made him even stronger.
Just then, Taiichiroumaru crawled out of the rubble.
His muscles had swollen immensely. According to the Digivice, all his stats had increased by 50%, surpassing even Leomon’s current state.
Lost Satanmon’s strength was unlike anything Taiichiroumaru had ever seen, yet he felt no fear. On the contrary, as an ancient-type Digimon, his fighting spirit was fully ignited!
A red aura engulfed Taiichiroumaru’s entire body, and even Taiichi, sharing his resolve, felt a surge of power within.
“I’m fired up now!”
With a powerful kick, Taiichiroumaru dashed at Lost Satanmon at near-instant speed, throwing a strong punch.
Lost Satanmon instantly became a shadow, his body seemingly dissolving to evade the strike. Then, from Taiichiroumaru’s shadow, he extended his arm and staff, poised to strike down.
“Watch out!” Leomon, having suffered from this move before, immediately warned and drew his short sword, Lion Kingmaru, to block.
Lion Kingmaru lasted only a second before shattering under Lost Satanmon’s staff, but that was enough time for Taiichi to send a command to Taiichiroumaru.
Taiichiroumaru turned and firmly grasped Lost Satanmon’s arm. Though the red bones were harder than diamonds, they creaked under his grip.
“Hmph, you think that can stop me? Kid, I’m a Perfect Form now—damn Perfect Form!” Lost Satanmon sneered, emerging fully from the shadows.
“Ha!” With a burst of energy, a terrifying dark wave radiated from him. The jewel at the end of his staff glowed fiercely.
---
“Bone of the Claw!”
Lost Satanmon unleashed his Perfect Form’s ultimate move. The crimson light could even damage the data within a Digimon’s body.
Taiichiroumaru was blasted away by the tremendous impact, temporarily losing the ability to move due to data corruption.
Leomon, caught in the aftershock, was flung backward dozens of meters.
“I’ll finish you off, and no one will be able to stop me anymore!” Lost Satanmon raised his staff toward Taiichiroumaru, the Bone of the Claw’s light flashing again.
Leomon shouted, “You won’t succeed! Taiichi and Taiichiroumaru are the saviors of the Digital World!”
“Beast King Fist!”
This punch was even stronger than the last. Lost Satanmon turned his head slightly, looking at Leomon, who had broken his limits twice in quick succession.
“You’re really stubborn, huh!”
An indescribable rage surged in Lost Satanmon’s heart. After all his painstaking years of scheming, evolving into Perfect Form by a one-in-a-million chance, how could these guys simply grow stronger with a few words about friendship and passion?
Taiichi scanned the remnants of the Bone of the Claw’s light on Taiichiroumaru, hoping to find Lost Satanmon’s weakness.
“The determination to protect one’s comrades—how could you possibly understand that!”
“Comrades? What a joke! That only makes one weak!” Lost Satanmon roared.
Though he didn’t know what was on Taiichi’s wrist, his instincts told him to stop this brat at all costs.
He immediately fired the fully charged Bone of the Claw at Taiichi.
To Lost Satanmon’s surprise, when the attack struck Taiichi, his cloak suddenly radiated a divine light.
The glow formed a protective barrier around Taiichi, neutralizing the Bone of the Claw.
“How is this possible! Why does that brat carry the light of a High-Level Angel!”
Lost Satanmon seemed to recognize the light. At the sight of it, he showed an expression of panic that even surprised Taiichi.
Taiichi murmured, “So it’s HolyAngemon...”
Seeing the light gradually fade like water without roots, Taiichi no longer hesitated.
At least, before that happened, he would land a solid punch!
With that thought, Taiichi charged toward Lost Satanmon.
“Ha! A mere human dares to harm me, a Perfect Form!”
Lost Satanmon laughed wildly, facing Taiichi’s fist without evasion or defense.
Then he was knocked flying.
“Gah—Impossible, impossible!”
Seeing his punch deal significant damage to Lost Satanmon, Taiichi felt a warm surge fill his limbs.
He instinctively looked at his fist, where swirling streams of data wrapped around it.
“What is this?”