Solo Leveling: Digispirit.

103 power stones, so an extra Chapter, if we reach the 200 there’s another.

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Takuya made his way toward the second largest volcano.

Oddly enough, despite knowing that the next opponent would be even stronger, he found himself looking forward to the battle.

It wasn’t how he had felt before.

Somewhere along the way, fighting had become... exciting.

Not because he enjoyed hurting others, but because every battle taught him something new.

As he climbed, he replayed his previous fights in his head.

There was a lot to analyze.

Fighting Digimon with unique abilities was completely different from fighting ordinary monsters armed with knives or claws.

Every opponent had its own strengths, instincts, and combat style.

Each battle forced him to adapt.

Fortunately, climbing each volcano took hours, a lot of hours, also he had been here for what 20 hours? giving him plenty of time to think.

By the time he reached the summit, the sun had begun to sink lower in the sky.

Takuya slowly scanned the crater.

Then he saw it.

Waiting for him on the opposite side.

A massive feline surrounded by dancing flames.

Its crimson body stood out clearly against the black volcanic rock.

The giant cat calmly circled the rim of the volcano before beginning to walk toward him.

When it was roughly fifty meters away, Takuya finally recognized it.

"...Lynxmon."

Another Armor-level Digimon.

"...Oh."

A smile appeared on his face.

"So all three of them are Armor evolutions."

"If that’s the case..."

"I think I already know who’s waiting on the last volcano."

He pushed the thought aside.

Now wasn’t the time.

There was an enormous flaming cat standing in front of him.

Unlike Boarmon, Lynxmon showed neither aggression nor impatience.

It simply walked toward him with calm, deliberate steps.

Confident.

Almost relaxed.

When the Digimon stopped about ten meters away, silence fell over the volcano.

The two simply stared at each other.

This time...

Takuya didn’t even expect it to speak.

Nearly a minute passed.

Then Takuya shifted his footing ever so slightly.

Lynxmon did the same.

In the next instant—

Both of them exploded into motion.

They leaped at each other simultaneously.

Takuya swung a high kick.

Lynxmon answered with a slash of its flaming claws.

Clang!

The metal armor protecting Takuya’s forearm blocked the attack, but the impact still hurled him backward.

His kick hadn’t been harmless, however.

Lynxmon was knocked upright onto its hind legs before landing gracefully back on all fours.

Neither of them had used a special technique yet.

They were simply testing each other.

Measuring.

Evaluating.

From that single exchange, Takuya reached one conclusion.

"...This one’s smart."

Far smarter than the previous two.

He was almost certain Lynxmon could speak if it wanted to.

Takuya rushed forward once more.

"Baby Salamander!"

He launched the attack without hesitation.

By now, he was certain of one thing.

Among all of his techniques, Baby Salamander was the only one that could truly threaten Fire-type Digimon.

The others barely seemed to bother them.

This one...

This one they always dodged.

Lynxmon did exactly that.

The feline vanished to the side in a blur of motion.

Takuya had expected it.

As he closed the distance, he fired Baby Salamander again while igniting both fists with Noble Heart.

His strategy was simple.

Attack with his legs.

Defend with his arms.

If he tried to trade claw strikes head-on, he would be carved apart.

His armor was already proving insufficient.

Even so...

Backing away wasn’t an option.

He continued pressing the attack.

His smaller frame still gave him an advantage in mobility.

But the gap was shrinking.

Lynxmon was simply stronger.

Every exchange pushed Takuya farther backward.

His boots scraped across the volcanic rock as he struggled to withstand the force behind every swipe.

"...I’m losing."

He realized it.

This wasn’t like Boarmon.

This wasn’t even like Salamandamon.

Lynxmon was a better fighter than he was.

Its movements were refined.

Precise.

Every step, every slash, every feint flowed together naturally.

Even with a feline body, its combat skill far surpassed his own.

He wasn’t going to beat it in a fair fight.

Then...

He saw it.

A tiny opening.

"...Got you."

Takuya made his decision.

To exploit it...

He would have to sacrifice himself.

He charged straight in.

One of Lynxmon’s flaming claws slipped past his guard and tore across his chest, opening a deep gash.

Blood—

Or rather, streams of digital data—

Burst from the wound.

Takuya ignored it.

He kept moving.

Throwing himself against Lynxmon’s neck, he wrapped both arms around it and climbed onto the Digimon’s back.

Lynxmon reacted immediately.

The flames surrounding its body erupted.

Boom!

A violent burst of fire engulfed Takuya.

The intense heat flooded directly into the open wound on his chest.

Even with his growing resistance to fire...

This was different.

His skin began to burn.

His muscles charred.

The smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

Still...

He refused to let go.

"If I can’t beat you..."

"...Then I’ll kill you, even if I go with you."

Grabbing Lynxmon’s blazing mane, Takuya tightened his grip.

Then he began smashing his flaming fist into the same spot.

Again.

Again.

Again.

The base of the neck.

He remembered what had worked against Plotmon.

Mammal or not...

A neck was still a neck.

He would break it.

Lynxmon thrashed violently.

The explosions of fire became stronger and stronger.

Takuya’s body continued burning.

His arms no longer even looked human.

The flesh had blackened, exposing muscle beneath the charred skin.

Every second, the flames consumed a little more of him.

Yet...

He no longer felt any pain.

So he kept punching.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Until—

Crack.

Something snapped.

Both of them collapsed onto the volcanic rock.

Side by side.

Lynxmon’s neck bent at an unnatural angle.

The Digimon dissolved into streams of data.

Dead.

Takuya remained motionless.

His entire body had been burned beyond recognition.

Only his back, protected during the struggle, had escaped the flames.

It wasn’t a victory won through strength.

It was a victory paid for with everything he had.

Now he simply lay there.

Motionless.

Like a statue carved from charcoal.

"...I look like Anakin," Takuya thought with bitter amusement.

A moment later, the D-Scan began absorbing Lynxmon’s data.

There it was.

His gamble.

He could only hope it had paid off.

Based on what had happened after defeating the previous Kings, he was counting on the D-Scan to perform another miracle.

The familiar messages appeared.

Lynxmon, King of the Hell Volcano, defeated.

He barely looked at them.

Instead, he waited for what came next.

Absorbing required Data...

Your DigiCore is undergoing changes...

High-density Fire Data detected...

Processing Fire Data...

Your DigiCore has become further ignited...

Body heavily damaged...

Igniting DigiCore...

Replacing damaged data...

Reconstructing...

The moment those words appeared...

He felt it.

"...GOD!"

Pain.

The instant the D-Scan reconstructed his nervous system, every burn he had stopped feeling during the battle came rushing back all at once.

His entire body screamed.

For Takuya, those few seconds felt like an eternity.

Time itself seemed to stretch.

As more and more of his body regenerated, he slowly realized something.

He was screaming.

At least...

He thought he was.

His throat had been burned away.

Perhaps his ears as well.

He couldn’t hear his own voice.

He couldn’t tell whether any sound was actually coming out.

All he could do was endure.

Fortunately...

It didn’t last long.

Little by little, the agony faded.

Until, finally...

It disappeared completely.

Takuya remained lying on the ground for several minutes before slowly rolling onto his back.

Above him stretched a sky hidden beneath endless smoke and volcanic ash.

"...I’m a complete madman."

He let out a weak laugh.

Why had he chosen that strategy?

He already knew the answer.

There had been no other way.

There was no chance he could have defeated Lynxmon in a fair fight.

That Digimon wasn’t merely an Adult.

It was stronger than the average Adult Digimon.

"...But I won."

His smile faded.

"The problem is..."

His eyes drifted toward the largest volcano.

The final one.

If a Digimon capable of defeating Lynxmon ruled that mountain...

"...How am I supposed to beat it?"

The thought lingered in his mind.

For the first time since entering the trial...

He hesitated.

"...Is this really worth it?"

Why was he pushing himself so far?

Then he remembered.

"...Right."

"If Jinwoo resets the universe..."

"I might disappear along with it."

"And there’s also the possibility that something even worse than the Monarchs exists out there."

He sighed.

"...Yeah."

"Those are two dam pretty good reasons."

With a groan, Takuya pushed himself to his feet.

His body had been completely restored.

The D-Scan had repaired every injury and erased the fatigue from the battle.

There was no reason to remain here.

Taking one last look at Lynxmon’s empty battlefield, Takuya turned toward the largest volcano.

Then...

He started walking.

Suddenly, the walk no longer felt rushed. Takuya had no reason to hurry.

"I honestly don’t know how I’m going to win this one..." he muttered.

He already had a pretty good idea of who was waiting for him at the summit.

As he climbed, he searched his memories, trying to recall everything he knew about that Digimon.

Two signature attacks... One I might be able to dodge. But if the second one lands... I’m done.

He was also an exceptional close-range fighter. At long range, he was just as dangerous.

Definitely stronger than the average Adult Digimon. I’m pretty sure he could defeat a Tyrannomon or a Kuwagamon without much trouble. At least that’s how he was portrayed in the anime.

Slowly, the summit came into view.

It wasn’t small.

Then Takuya noticed something strange.

The sky above this volcano was crystal blue.

There were no clouds of ash.

No smoke.

No rivers of lava.

He hadn’t been able to see it from below, but this volcano was completely different from the others.

As he finally reached the top, the scenery left him speechless.

Instead of a crater filled with magma, the summit was sealed, forming a hidden valley within the volcano itself.

It was alive.

A vast field stretched before him, covered in vibrant flowers and green grass that danced gently in the wind. A single enormous tree stood proudly at the very center, its branches casting a wide shadow over the peaceful landscape.

"...Beautiful."

That was the only word that came to his mind.

Takuya slowly descended into the valley, walking through the silent meadow.

He had already spotted a figure.

It sat calmly beneath the great tree, resting on a flat stone as if it had been waiting for him all along.

Relaxed.

Patient.

As Takuya drew closer, the Digimon’s appearance became clearer.

Blue skin.

A long blue tail.

Its armor resembled the Digi-Egg of Courage, decorated with crimson flame patterns. Large gauntlets, shaped like halves of the Digi-Egg, protected its forearms, each ending in three sharp claws. Similar armor covered its feet.

A long, blade-like horn extended from the helmet protecting its head.

Black straps wrapped around its arms, while smaller pieces of armor protected its chest and knees.

Takuya had to admit it.

He looks... unbelievably cool.

There, beneath the tree...

Sat Fladramon.