The stars are exceptionally bright tonight, especially the star of doom hovering right above your head.

Upon arriving on Server Continent, I found that it was not as different from File Island as I had imagined.

The two of us had just stepped ashore onto a scorching and monotonous wasteland. The scenery was no different from the wilderness we had encountered when we first reached the village of Yokomon, and the destination we were headed toward after crossing this expanse would be much the same.

Taichi sat on Zero’s back. As Zero sprinted, their movement carved a trail of kicked-up dust across the barren land.

"It really lives up to the name 'Continent.' Just the distance from the shore to the forest is almost as vast as the entire File Island."

Taichi tapped his Digivice twice, causing it to project a light screen into the air. It was a map composed of green pixels—a chart Taichi had drawn over the last five days of their voyage based on data provided by Labramon.

The red dot in the center of the map indicated the current position of Taichi and Zero. Judging by their heading, they would reach their destination in less than half an hour.

A Koromon village.

Zero said excitedly, "I never expected to find a village of Koromon here on Server Continent. Traveling is the best!"

Taichi smiled. "Looking forward to it? I remember you were a Koromon yourself when you were little, Zero."

"Taichi, you still remember that?"

Taichi shook his head, feigning a sigh. "How could I forget? You were such a handful back then. I had to feed you eight times a day, clean your litter box constantly, and you would wail and scream if I ignored you for even a moment."

Taichi was referring, of course, to his experience raising Zero from a digital pet device before coming to the Digital World. While that was just the fixed routine of the game, those memories had become precious treasures between them once Taichi met Zero in person.

Suddenly struck by these memories, Taichi patted Zero’s back with a touch of nostalgia. "My, you’ve grown so much before I even realized it."

"When I first saw you evolve into Agumon, I thought your Mature-level path would surely be Greymon or Tyrannomon. I never imagined you would evolve into a form I had never even heard of."

In the early digital pet devices, an Agumon’s evolution depended on how carefully the Tamer raised it. Good care led to Greymon, while poor care resulted in Tyrannomon.

"That’s only because I, the great Zero, am one of a kind!" Zero declared with boundless energy.

"No, no, that’s clearly because I took such exceptional care of you!" Taichi retorted. "As the strongest Tamer, I’m the only one capable of raising the strongest Digimon. I really am something, aren't I? Hahahaha!"

Just as Taichi was joking around, Zero’s nose twitched, and he pointed ahead with excitement. "I smell Koromon!"

Looking in the direction Zero indicated, Taichi immediately noticed a patch of green in the wilderness.

They had crossed the initial wasteland and were about to enter a forest.

"Do the Koromon live in that forest?"

"They must!" Zero was thrilled. Although this wasn't the place where he had grown up, the thought of showing off his Mature-level form to Koromon just like he once was gave him a sense of returning home in triumph.

Soon, they entered the forest. After traversing a small path, Taichi spotted a cluster of yurt-like houses nestled at the bottom of a slope.

"They look much nicer than the Yokomon village," Taichi remarked. Perhaps this was the difference in regional resources.

As Taichi’s mind wandered, he suddenly noticed Zero’s expression turn strange.

"What’s wrong?"

Zero’s face grew increasingly solemn. "Something is not right here."

Taichi immediately sensed the tension. "Is there trouble?"

Before Taichi could ask, a group of In-Training Digimon came bouncing out of the yurts. Unlike the soft, pink bodies and wide, innocent eyes of Koromon, these Digimon were gray, with cunning glints in their eyes and a faint, crimson glow.

They had ears that looked like twin tails. Upon seeing Taichi, they immediately approached with expressions of feigned delight.

"Welcome, welcome! Welcome to the village of Pagumon, Chosen Child!"

The Pagumon swarmed around Taichi and Zero.

Calling someone a "Chosen Child" upon a first meeting?

Taichi felt a surge of caution, but he didn't let it show. He smiled brightly and said, "Oh? I didn't expect my identity as a Chosen Child to be recognized so quickly. It seems I’m quite famous now!"

*What an idiot.*

The Pagumon exchanged sinister glances behind his back, then immediately switched back to worshipful smiles when they looked up. "Yes, yes! You’re a huge superstar in our village!"

"We admire you so much!"

"Please, let us treat you to some hospitality!"

"Well, I suppose I can give you all a chance to get up close and personal with your idol," Taichi said, putting on a performance. Seeing Zero staring at him, confused, he took advantage of the Pagumon not looking and typed a command into his Digivice.

The gist of the message was to play along for now to lower the Pagumon’s guard, find out what had happened to the Koromon who should have been living here, and then figure out how to deal with these pests.

Zero’s eyes lit up as he caught on, and he adopted a haughty posture. "Gwah-hahahaha! Everyone, come and worship the great Zero!"

*This guy is just being his natural self,* Taichi thought, his lip twitching.

However, this clumsy acting was enough to fool the In-Training Pagumon. With them crowding around, Taichi was led to the center of the village.

There stood a tent over ten meters high, looking completely out of place against the half-meter-tall yurts nearby—a sight so suspicious that even a fool would notice something was wrong.

Zero whispered to Taichi that the yurts were filled with the strong scent of Koromon, while the tent was saturated with the smell of Pagumon and other Digimon. It was clear the Pagumon had occupied the village and set up the tent as a temporary base.

"Stay alert, Zero."

"I understand!" Zero nodded.

They remained alert while taking a hot bath, alert while enjoying the lavish dinner provided by the Pagumon, and alert while falling asleep in the tent. Then, while Taichi was out in the middle of the night to relieve himself, he was sacked and hauled away.

"Hahahaha! Boss, the plan went perfectly!"

"Some 'Chosen Child' this is—he's clearly just an idiot!"

"I can't wait to see how King Etemon rewards us."

"This feels great!"

The ones who had snatched Taichi were Gazimon, the evolved form of Pagumon. Like the Pagumon, they were naturally evil Digimon.

They were all Adult-level Digimon from Server Continent and subordinates of Etemon. Acting on Etemon’s orders, they had received intelligence that a Chosen Child would be passing through the Koromon village. They had driven the Koromon away and disguised the place as a Pagumon village to lower the Chosen Child’s guard and bring him directly to King Etemon.

Three Gazimon ran in a line, carrying the sack containing Taichi high above their heads.

As they reached the entrance to the waterfall where the Koromon were being held captive, the last Gazimon suddenly asked, "Boss, why does it feel so bright back here?"

"Huh?" Before the lead Gazimon could respond, he heard:

"That’s because your star of death is shining bright."

The voice caused the Gazimon to freeze in their tracks. They tilted their heads as stiffly as unlubricated machines, only to see Taichi peering out from the sack. He was wearing a smile, and in the glow of the blue Digisoul emanating from his clenched fists, his expression looked terrifyingly menacing.