The light faded, revealing a massive dragon-like being clad in metallic armor, towering several dozen meters high.
Its skin was still that same orange-yellow hue reminiscent of Agumon, yet its physique was utterly transformed—those powerful, sculpted muscles bore no resemblance to the chubby little dinosaur from moments ago. No—no resemblance between the two beasts at all.
Behind it, a pair of stubby metal wings—shorter than its arms—fanned out like shields, yet they somehow supported its weight in midair. In its grasp gleamed a massive trident-shaped sword, large enough to span several stories in height.
If there was anything familiar to Yanqing, it was the distinct Cloud Knights' patterns etched into its armor, and the orange-glowing mark of The Hunt blazing upon its chest plate.
"VictoryGreymon."
Yanqing turned to look; the machine known as Digivice emitted a mechanical voice to explain.
"A valiant dragon warrior clad in Chrome Digizoid armor—the apex of super-metal. Upon receiving an unimaginably vast amount of hunting data from the Emanator, its original evolutionary route was altered, becoming a special subspecies imbued with the power of The Hunt."
After hearing that, Yanqing felt a twinge of unease.
He said, "Master, if I remember correctly, it just evolved three times in a row. You said before that Digimon can typically only evolve up to the Mega stage. Then this means…"
Remembering what he'd been thinking earlier, he almost wanted to slap himself.
Just what he feared—had really come true! It was entirely possible that this brand-new junior apprentice might actually surpass him in a single day of training!
He could still clearly recall what his master told him earlier. He'd assumed that Digivolution was limited—Koromon could evolve once on its own, then again with the help of the Digivice. Surely that was the limit in such a short time.
That alone only brought it to the Mature stage—barely equivalent to a new Pathstrider's fighting level.
But who could've expected such an unreasonable evolution—it had leapt tiers entirely! Straight to Mega level!
Even without fighting, he knew—Mega-level beings were easily city-tier in combat strength, and some could even reach planetary destruction level.
Meanwhile, he himself was barely at city-tier. How was he supposed to compete with that!?
Fortunately, he still had the Massacre Ruler.
He looked down at the broad-bladed sword in his hands and felt a flicker of comfort.
With this weapon, he could even trade a few blows with General Jing Yuan. Compared to VictoryGreymon, perhaps… he still had a chance to fight.
Yet just as that comfort bloomed, Jing Yuan shattered it—this time not with physical force, but with words that struck just as hard.
"After testing, its combat power is only a hair below mine. You could say it's already reached Emanator-level. If it evolves again in the future, it may far surpass this old man." Jing Yuan's tone carried a wistful sigh of 'the new generation surpassing the old'—yet the smile tugging at his lips refused to fade.
He added with a hint of regret, "I didn't expect that sharing my data with it would bring such a drastic improvement. If I gave it to you, perhaps you'd reach the Champion stage at best. For your age, that'd still be commendable."
Too much!
Yanqing glared at his shameless master, his face full of indignation.
Wasn't it cruel enough to brag like that to your own disciple?
Poor him—he had barely regained some dignity after being humiliated by his rival, only to suffer another double strike from his master—first physically, now spiritually!
Being scolded by his master's old friends hadn't been enough—his own teacher had to deal an even harsher blow!
Right now, Yanqing could only cry without tears. If not for how well he understood Jing Yuan's temperament, he might've actually broken down.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. "General, are you testing me to see if I'd get discouraged after being overshadowed by my junior?"
"Oh? You noticed? Quick to catch on, aren't you?"
A pleased smile spread across Jing Yuan's face.
"General, though Yanqing may harbor doubts and struggles to hold his flying sword, he would never be jealous of another's talent!" He straightened, performing the signature Cloud Knights salute. "I know full well how much my junior's strength means for Luofu's safety. My sword heart will not waver because of that!"
"Good!" Jing Yuan clapped his hands twice in satisfaction.
After learning VictoryGreymon's true strength, his greatest concern had been Yanqing's state of mind.
Truth be told, for someone of Yanqing's age, his current power already qualified him as a prodigy. Having spent years by his side, Jing Yuan couldn't accept it if his disciple were crushed by discouragement.
He had even prepared a speech to help the boy recover if that happened.
To his surprise—he didn't need it at all.
Not only was Yanqing's strength solid, his mindset was maturing rapidly. With growth like this, Jing Yuan felt reassured—even if Mara struck him down early, Luofu's future would not dim.
"These next few days, you'll train your junior in swordsmanship. Help him build his foundation."
"Me?" Yanqing blinked, confused. "But he's already far stronger than I am!"
I'm supposed to teach an Emanator swordsmanship? Seriously?
Sure, there were tales of tigers once being trained by cats—but that was pure fantasy!
Jing Yuan shook his head and sighed. "The Digivice's induced evolution can't last long. It drains enormous stamina. Normally, he can only maintain his Agumon state."
"Ah, I'm starving already."
A childish voice drew both of their attention. When they turned, the imposing armored dragon warrior was gone—Agumon sat on the floor instead, clutching his belly, wearing an utterly pitiful expression that said it all: he was famished.
"See?" Jing Yuan spread his hands. "And though his strength is immense, his mind is still that of a child. We can't throw him into the bloody war against the Denizens of Abundance just yet."
Then, in a formal tone, he said, "Yanqing, for Luofu's future—teach this Emanator-level warrior the art of the sword. Do you have the confidence?"
"Of course!"
Yanqing answered with equal gravity. As his master said, though his junior's power was overwhelming, his skill was a blank slate. Teaching him would be difficult—standard training plans would surely fail—but Yanqing would not shrink from the challenge.
Still, one question lingered. "General, wouldn't it be better if you taught him yourself?"
"No can do." Jing Yuan crossed his arms, sighing helplessly. "The Six Charioteers have agreed to co-develop the Digital World with a member of the Genius Society. That genius, upon hearing the news, became overly excited and insisted on coming to Luofu immediately. They'll probably arrive tomorrow. I'll have my hands full then."
Hearing that, Yanqing nodded thoughtfully. "I see… so that's how it is."
…
Morning at the Curio Trash Can shop.
After sweeping the floor, Sylvester—as usual—opened the shop doors right at seven.
The first thing to greet him was a yawning Qingque.
She covered her mouth and grumbled as she walked in, "Sylvester, can't you open up at, say, ten instead? I'd definitely be awake by then. Getting up early is torture."
Sylvester chuckled as he stepped behind the counter. "No can do. Customers start lining up at five in the morning. A whole line blocks the street—who could still sleep after that?"
Qingque tilted her head, muttering, "It's not my door they're blocking. Why do I have to wake up early?"
Sylvester sighed at her lack of appreciation. "Just accept your fate. You've got it good enough already. Getting up early's healthy."
"But I go to bed late and wake up early." Qingque slumped into a chair, legs bent inward, arms hanging between her knees like she might doze off again any second.
Just as she was drifting into sleep, a bright, clear voice startled her awake.
"Hello! You're the shopkeeper here? I didn't expect you to be this young."
A barefoot girl stepped into the shop, glancing around before placing her hands on her hips. "My name is Yunli, from the Xianzhou Zhuming. I heard your trash cans can produce legendary swords?"