Chapter Fifty-Two: Two Paths

Loretta Beast said she had grown fond of the sensation of evolving.

In those moments, she felt power coursing through her entire being. Enemies she once could never overcome now seemed insignificant after her evolution. Unlike the first time she evolved into the Dark Spider Witch Beast, Loretta Beast could recall every second and every instant of her transformation into the Furious Tiger Saint Beast with perfect clarity.

Nor had she ever forgotten the one she cared most about.

“That’s wonderful,” Qin Fei said approvingly with a nod. Even as he rejoiced for Loretta Beast, a faint sense of loss crept into his heart, one he barely noticed himself.

“However, can you still continue to evolve?”

“Hmm… Not for now. My body’s completely spent. I used up all my strength fighting the Monkey Beast before evolving, and becoming the Furious Tiger Saint Beast drained every last bit of energy I had. I couldn’t maintain that form for long—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything more than scare off the Monkey Beast.”

As she finished speaking, Loretta Beast, nestled in Qin Fei’s arms, slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, visibly delighted.

“What should we do now?”

“We should get out of here. Otherwise, do you want to wait until the Monkey Beast returns and finishes us off, seeing the two of us so weak and helpless?”

“Where should we go?”

“Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow.”

Qin Fei nodded as if he had finally made up his mind. “Then let’s grow stronger together.”

“Hm? Aren’t you going to look for those Chosen Children?” Loretta Beast suddenly raised her head, surprise flickering in her eyes.

“It’s not time yet. The Monkey Beast isn’t the kind of Digimon to accept defeat easily. The loss it suffered at our hands, it will definitely try to reclaim from Tai and the others.”

Qin Fei looked up at the now unrecognizable sky, holding the exhausted Loretta Beast as he walked into the unknown.

With these words, he tacitly agreed to Loretta Beast’s hopes—to grow stronger by absorbing the data of other Digimon through battle.

“What’s this? Are you giving up on your naive kindness?” Loretta Beast laughed smugly.

“If we want to survive, strength is everything. In this Digital World, the law of the jungle reigns. The Chosen Children let me forget that for a while, that’s all.” Qin Fei spoke calmly, not angered by her faint mockery. He’d thought about this for a long time. In the first Digimon Adventure, the children’s journey felt more like a dreamland for biology and fairy tales.

It didn’t add up.

Though the children’s Digimon could evolve through the power of their partners’ hearts, that power was fleeting. Only step-by-step evolution could endure. For instance, Kari’s Gatomon had survived for a long time as a wild Digimon, surely fighting countless battles, which allowed her to maintain her Champion form without reverting.

But the other Chosen Children’s Digimon lacked the necessary data. At best, their default state was Rookie. Sometimes, their evolutions didn’t even last as long as Ultraman’s color timer.

Wild Digimon evolved through battle. Many fought to survive, devouring the data of their foes to ascend to higher forms, thereby increasing their chances of survival.

Clearly, some force was smoothing the path for those children, concealing the Digital World’s darkness.

“So, you wanted to rely on the Chosen Children’s aura to blend in and walk a safer path?” Loretta Beast suddenly understood, but then looked puzzled. “Then why leave them?”

Qin Fei’s steps faltered. The decision had always left him uncertain.

“Because, facing the Monkey Beast, I suddenly realized—if something unexpected happens and we lack strength, we’re still in danger.”

Qin Fei closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, his resolve stronger as he strode forward.

Take this incident, for example: if Loretta Beast hadn’t managed to evolve at the last moment, they both would have become just another pair of stray pieces of data in the Digital World.

Next time, they might not be so lucky. Qin Fei did not want to entrust his life to luck.

If nothing went wrong, Tai and the others had already obtained the Crest of Courage. With the constant at play, any accidents were close to zero.

However, after their confrontation with the Monkey Beast and the shock of its strength, the children would likely lose their fighting spirit for a while. Under such pressure, Greymon’s unfortunate evolution might be close at hand.

“So where are we going?” Loretta Beast asked curiously.

“To find something to eat. If you remain weak, we’ll truly be in danger.”

Qin Fei’s gaze scanned the surrounding forest. In this world, there were plenty of edible fruits to be found. Otherwise, the children and the Digimon living here would never survive.

“In that case, I’d better cherish these pleasant moments while they last,” Loretta Beast said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

“How so?”

“Because once I’m full and regain my strength, you won’t be so willing to carry me around like this.”

Qin Fei looked resigned. “If you can evolve to your Ultimate form, I wouldn’t mind holding you every day.”

“Really?”

“Um, not really.”

Loretta Beast: “……”

…

“Tai, what should we do?”

On the other side, Tai, who had already obtained the Crest of Courage, stared at the blocked passage ahead, his mood heavy.

“Do you think Qin Fei might have…” Joe hesitated.

“Don’t say it, Joe! Waaaah…” Mimi’s outburst silenced Joe at once.

As Mimi broke into sobs, Sora gently gathered her into her arms in comfort.

“No way, Qin Fei is full of surprises, and you all know Loretta Beast is amazing too. For all we know, they’ve already beaten the Monkey Beast and are on their way to us now!” Tai tried to reassure them, but no one seemed convinced. The sheer strength the Monkey Beast had displayed was something neither Qin Fei nor Loretta Beast could hope to match.

Tai could only force a smile and glance around at everyone. “We all hope Qin Fei made it out safely, but we can’t stay here.”

Except for Mimi, the other children nodded. Only she wept silently.

“Let’s move on. Once Greymon can evolve again, we’ll have the strength to defeat the Monkey Beast. Then I’ll make it tell us where Qin Fei is.”

A smoldering fire slowly took shape in Tai’s heart, making him seem a little unhinged.

Even in Mimi’s heart, a seed of hatred unknown to her began to take root.

Everyone realized then that this world was no fairy tale—carelessness could indeed mean death.

It seemed that because of Qin Fei’s “sacrifice,” the children’s hearts and thoughts had already diverged greatly from those in the original story.

“Let’s go. For Qin Fei’s sake as well as our own, we must return.”

Tai’s eyes shone with a new sharpness.

“Yeah, Old Man Genai said our crests are scattered across Server Continent. Only if we collect every crest will we have a chance to defeat the forces of darkness and return home.”

Izzy opened the map, trying to determine their location.

“Agumon, you’re the only one who can currently evolve. You’re the only one who can fight. We have to do our best!” Tai’s eyes showed a hint of obsession, making Agumon uneasy.

“But how do I evolve further?” Tai grew restless again.

“From past experience, evolution requires a lot of energy. That means you can’t evolve when hungry, and also when your partner is in danger,” Izzy explained, his face impassive.

“I see. So, further evolution must require even more energy.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Agumon, and a dangerous light flickered in Tai’s eyes.