Solo Leveling: Digispirit.

A/N: This is the last Chapter of the mini-arc. From the next arc onward, we’re going back to the Solo Leveling world. I know some people didn’t really like this mini-arc, but I enjoyed writing it hahaha.

In that moment, ExTyrannomon looked worried as he saw Halloween coming his way. He knew he didn’t have much of a chance, but Halloween simply ignored him and went straight for his axe.

The moment he had it back in his hands, he casually spun it around, almost as if he were showing off. From the side, Takuya and BlackWereGarurumon looked at each other with amused smiles.

"He’s showing off, isn’t he?" BlackWereGarurumon asked.

"He is," Takuya replied, watching Pumpkinmon get ready to fight. He then sat down and motioned for BlackWereGarurumon to sit beside him. They had already taken down every other Digimon in the area, so only ExTyrannomon remained, and Takuya believed Halloween should be able to handle him alone.

Seeing no other option, ExTyrannomon attacked. He fired a barrage of pink, heart-shaped bubbles toward Pumpkinmon, but Halloween calmly cut through them as he advanced, slowly dodging and slicing his way closer to ExTyrannomon.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a giant pumpkin above the plushy dinosaur, who countered by firing a ball of black matter—or perhaps energy—from his mouth.

The projectile shattered the pumpkin into pieces, but that was exactly what Pumpkinmon wanted. The giant pumpkin had only been a distraction, allowing him to use the opening to slash ExTyrannomon across the body.

Watching him fight like this, Takuya couldn’t help but smile. "He really has gotten stronger."

"We’ve been fighting constantly and absorbing a lot of data, so it’s pretty normal. However, the rate at which we’ve been growing has been incredibly fast. To be honest, it’s absurdly fast," BlackWereGarurumon replied as he leaned forward, carefully observing how Halloween fought.

Takuya had noticed the same thing in himself. The more data he gathered, the more naturally he moved, fought, countered, and controlled his flames. At first, he had thought it was simply the experience gained from fighting constantly, but now he was more than certain. He was getting stronger. It might not be reflected in his stats the way it was with Jinwoo’s System, but there was definitely something changing within him.

Then he looked back at Halloween, who was already close to finishing his fight. With a quick slash of his axe followed by a final burst of fire, Pumpkinmon burned ExTyrannomon down. The Perfect-level Digimon dispersed into data, leaving Halloween standing there with his axe resting casually in his hand.

Seeing him fight like this, knowing that he now had BlackWereGarurumon at his side and considering how much data he had accumulated himself, Takuya knew his time in the Digital World was coming to an end. He only had a couple of Perfects left to deal with, and after that, he was going back home.

Once Halloween returned to them, Takuya simply patted him on the head, and the group left the underground area. In the end, it would be Monzaemon who handled the rest and investigated the destination of the missing Digieggs and whatever operation had been taking place beneath the Valley of Beginnings.

Over the next few months, they truly took down each of the aggressive Perfect-level Digimon on the island. After that, Takuya had almost reached the requirements for his next evolutionary stage, but he no longer had any targets left to hunt, and he had no intention of committing a massacre against innocent Digimon just to force his evolution.

BlackWereGarurumon also received a brand-new name. The name of his species was absurdly long, and continuing to call him that was becoming strange, at least by Takuya’s standards. He had considered changing his name several times. There was always the option of simply calling him Garuru, but that sounded kind of lame, as if he had just shortened the original name without putting any thought into it.

Then Takuya remembered a movie. Considering BlackWereGarurumon’s fighting style, it was easy to think of him as a boxer. The first option that came to mind was Rocky, but that was too generic for Takuya’s taste, and it could easily be confused with something related to rocks. So he went with another option: Creed.

It was a good name, and BlackWereGarurumon took it to heart when Takuya explained why he had chosen it. From that point onward, the former BlackTailmon was simply Creed.

In the end, Takuya spent another full month training with them and simply hanging out. He knew that once he left this place, he might be able to come back relatively soon from his own perspective, but for the Digimon he had met here, it could be several months, perhaps even a year or more before they saw each other again. And even then, Takuya knew he couldn’t stay with them forever. The best he could do was spend as much time with them as possible while he still had the opportunity.

After that time finally came to an end, the four of them were ready to part ways. LoaderLeomon had successfully established a united front among the Perfect-level Digimon, and they were now prepared to protect the island together. LoaderLeomon would continue working alongside MetalGreymon, while Creed would act as an independent Perfect-level Digimon who would come to their aid whenever necessary. The Island of Beginnings would also have a newly evolved Greymon to protect it, especially since MetalGreymon was simply too large to remain around the baby Digimon all the time. Halloween, meanwhile, would be traveling alongside Creed.

Currently, the four of them were standing at the Trailmon station. The moment Takuya even considered returning to the Human World, the D-Scan displayed an interface asking him whether he wanted to travel. Of course, he selected yes. The destination was only one point: the same station in Seoul. Once he selected it, a counter appeared, showing twenty minutes until the next Trailmon arrived.

In the meantime, Takuya took the opportunity to say goodbye to his friends. LoaderLeomon was the first to approach him. "I want to thank you again. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be trapped there, or I might have already reverted into data. You didn’t just free me; you also made my home a safer place. If the moment ever comes when you need my help, call me. I’ll do everything in my power to help you," LoaderLeomon said as he knelt down, lowering himself until they were at the same height.

Takuya smiled and replied, "I’ll do the same. If you ever need help, I’ll come back. That’s what friends are for, right?" He extended his fist forward, and LoaderLeomon raised his enormous paw. The two bumped fists and smiled.

Then Creed stepped forward. "You’re acting like you’re never coming back," he said, looking down at Takuya with his arms crossed. "I already told you, that’s not it. Time moves differently in my world. What might be months for me could be years for you," Takuya explained.

"We live a long time. It’s not an issue. See you later, business partner. And if you ever find a way to accelerate my progress toward the Mega level, count me in," Creed said jokingly as he lightly punched Takuya on the shoulder.

"Sure. And just wait until I reach the Perfect level. I’ll kick your ass in a sparring match," Takuya replied with a laugh.

"Hahaha. Keep dreaming," Creed answered.

The next one was Halloween, the first Digimon friend Takuya had made in this world. He was already crying. "I won’t be gone forever. When I’m strong enough, you’ll be able to come with me. In the meantime, you need to stay here. I already told you what the Hunters are like in my world, and how they wouldn’t understand the existence of Digimon," Takuya explained.

"Okay. In that case, I’ll also become the strongest Pumpkinmon, so I can go wherever I want!" the little pumpkin declared. With that, the Trailmon finally arrived, and it was time to go.

Meanwhile, far, far away from where Takuya was—on a distant world entirely—a blue-armored Digimon with a humanoid figure and wings casually walked through what appeared to be some kind of palace. He moved without any particular urgency until someone interrupted his stroll.

"Where have you been?" asked another Digimon, a pink one.

"Oh? Oh? I didn’t know you cared about me. That’s unlike you," the blue Digimon replied without much emphasis in his voice.

"I don’t care whether you live or die. What I care about is that your actions have been strange lately. You’ve been disappearing frequently, and that’s unusual. You’ve never done that before. At least, you’ve never been untraceable before. So, as a fellow... let’s say coworker, tell me what is happening, or I’ll have to figure it out on my own," the pink Digimon said, his voice completely detached from emotion.

"Hahaha. It’s none of your business. Let’s be honest, you and I have never gotten along, and I really doubt we ever will. I mean, I don’t see myself getting along with someone who kills innocents over the slightest inconvenience and calls it justice," the blue Digimon replied.

"The end justifies the means. Have you heard that expression? If maintaining the balance of the Digital World and following the orders of the Host requires it, then the loss of data doesn’t matter. Also, you are evading the question," the pink Digimon answered.

"See? That’s exactly what I mean. But don’t worry, I wasn’t evading the question. I simply don’t care to answer you. But to put your mind at ease, don’t be paranoid. I was just investigating the different anomalies we had detected around the Digital Cluster, I visit Shambala to see the situation there, that’s all. The same thing we’ve all been doing. So now that you know, don’t bother me next time. I’d rather not interact with you unless we have a mission given by the Host," the blue Digimon said.

"Hmm. I will act as I believe you," the pink Digimon replied before disappearing.

After those final words, the blue Digimon continued walking, shaking his head as though his day had been ruined—which, considering the conversation, it probably had been.