Chapter 37: Mature Digimon

[Battle Start!] At the very moment the system prompt sounded, Garurumon opened its jaws and let out a [Wolf Howl]. In the next instant, its figure flashed, rushing directly toward Digimon One.

[Shield of Control] Almost simultaneously as Garurumon moved, Digimon One raised its shield, but the anticipated attack never came. Or rather, Garurumon hadn’t struck directly. In front of Digimon One, Garurumon’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

[Garurumon Charge] At nearly the same moment, Digimon One reacted, sensing a presence behind him. Though he hadn’t had time to turn around, his shield flickered and appeared behind him, blocking Garurumon’s attack.

With a single blow, Garurumon cracked the shield, but the fissures were not numerous. From this, Digimon One understood that while Garurumon was at the mature stage, its combat strength was not overwhelming. At best, it rivaled the power of Agumon X from the hidden dungeon—a formidable adversary.

Agumon X had only a combined battle power of three hundred. Garurumon, likely, had just over two hundred. Its offense was strong; defense, perhaps a bit weaker, but not to the point of vulnerability.

If Digimon One hadn’t faced Agumon X before, he might not have known how his Digimon could handle Garurumon. But now, it seemed that activating Burst Mode would easily resolve the situation.

Still, Digimon One was reluctant to activate Burst Mode prematurely. After all, once it was used, it required time to recharge. Even if a dungeon allowed for multiple activations, each subsequent burst lasted for a shorter duration.

It was like a reservoir: when full, opening the floodgates would release water for a long time; when nearly empty, the flow would be brief. If you’d just drained the reservoir to ten percent, even if you opened the gates again, how long could the water last?

Though unsure whether Burst Mode would be needed later, it was best to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary. To squander one’s reserves recklessly was hardly wise.

While Digimon One weighed these thoughts, Garurumon’s attack struck the shield, and Digimon One, weapon in hand, lunged toward Garurumon.

[Ice Wall] Garurumon retreated a step and summoned an ice wall before him. Digimon One’s sword pierced through it, shattering the wall with his attack.

[Body Slam] But as the ice wall was destroyed, Garurumon burst forth from behind it, ramming into Digimon One. Caught off guard, Digimon One was knocked back, his armor now showing fresh cracks.

[Foxfire] At the same moment, Garurumon leapt into the air, unleashing blue flames at Digimon One.

Suddenly, a Kongomon appeared between Garurumon and Digimon One, shielding Digimon One from Garurumon’s [Foxfire].

In battle, no third Digimon could interfere, for this was an arena, a game. This Kongomon was in fact a puppet summoned by Digimon One using [Kongomon’s Resentment].

Its defense was a staggering two thousand points, and frankly, without Burst Mode, Digimon One could not hope to breach it. Even with Burst Mode, it was merely a possibility.

Garurumon was indeed a mature-stage Digimon, but judging from prior exchanges, even if it was stronger than Digimon One, the advantage was limited. With its current attack power, breaking through the defense was simply impossible.

Almost as the Kongomon puppet appeared, Digimon One’s figure emerged behind it, stabbing toward Garurumon.

However, Garurumon’s speed was exceptional. Even as Digimon One appeared, Garurumon had already withdrawn its flames and dodged aside, rendering Digimon One’s attack futile.

The arrogant man across the field shouted loudly, “It’s useless! I don’t know where you got your trump card, but my Garurumon is so fast you can’t keep up. This round is mine, after all! Ha ha!”

“...” Digimon One said nothing, casting a disdainful glance at the arrogant man, a sneer curling at his lips.

How ridiculous—to boast over an enemy easily defeated by a single burst. If things truly became dire, Digimon One had no qualms about letting his Digimon activate Burst Mode.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Garurumon, after his barrage of attacks, realized that without seizing the right moment, he might not be able to overcome Digimon One. Thus, he refrained from attacking, instead circling rapidly around Digimon One, searching for an opening.

[Found it...] A thought seemed to flash through Garurumon’s mind. The next moment, his figure flickered behind Digimon One. At that instant, Digimon One seemed unaware of Garurumon’s proximity.

[Frozen Fangs] In a heartbeat, Garurumon’s frost-laden fangs sank into Digimon One’s left shoulder, the sharp teeth piercing through the armor.

[Got you...] But in that same moment, Digimon One’s left arm swung up, seizing Garurumon clamped onto his shoulder. His other hand, sword in grip, stabbed forward.

With the thrust, [Kongomon’s Gauntlet] (fused into his palm) activated its [Power Strike] ability, doubling Digimon One’s attack power.

Previously, Digimon One may not have been able to breach Garurumon’s defense, but now, he certainly could. His sword passed through Garurumon’s eye, piercing its head.

In another Digimon world, Garurumon would have been slain instantly. But here, in this game world, despite the special damage bonus, this strike did not reduce Garurumon’s health to zero. Thus, Garurumon was not yet dead.