The sunset faded as evening arrived.
Night had already descended, leaving only a faint glow of twilight lingering at the windowsill, casting an unexpectedly warm, intimate atmosphere across the spacious apartment.
"Has she fallen asleep?"
Only when Mimi finally drifted into deep slumber did Renamon, who had remained hidden inside the study all this time, quietly emerge and stand behind Chen Ze.
"She was way livelier than I imagined," Chen Ze muttered softly, though the slight curve at the corner of his lips betrayed his real mood.
Just as mentioned earlier, perhaps due to the influence of his new body, Chen Ze's personality had become increasingly childlike since his rebirth.
Especially while comforting Mimi, Chen Ze had felt himself returning to an authentic childhood—a carefree, innocent state he hadn't experienced in a very long time.
"You seem quite fond of that child," Renamon remarked softly, glancing down at Chen Ze, who sat by her feet. She had never seen him act this way before.
Whether alone or in front of his parents, Chen Ze always presented himself as a miniature adult.
In fact, that was the very reason his parents enjoyed teasing him—because the opportunities to see the usually serious Chen Ze reveal his "irrational" side were extraordinarily rare.
"I wouldn't say fond," Chen Ze said slowly, his voice calm yet tinged with quiet regret. "It's just… occasionally, I wish I had such a playful little sister myself."
In this life, Chen Ze was an only child. But in his previous one, he'd had a younger sister a few years his junior.
The time he'd spent with Mimi had reminded him of that past family—not wealthy, but filled with warmth.
"It's too bad we're merely passing through this world."
Renamon sensed keenly that Chen Ze wasn't entirely truthful, but she didn't press further, instead murmuring softly with a knowing tone.
"Right," Chen Ze echoed, the loneliness evident in his voice. "We're just passersby, after all."
In this moment, Chen Ze felt only a profound loneliness. Not just in this world—even in his original one, he'd always been merely a visitor.
"…"
Realizing she'd inadvertently said something inappropriate, Renamon tilted her head slightly, curiosity and thoughtfulness surfacing in her expression.
"What are you thinking?" she asked after a short pause, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"I just think… perhaps it's time we quickly ended this strange 'intrusion' into this world."
Chen Ze, as a hacker, instinctively disliked this uncontrolled "cross-dimensional" scenario. Even actively seeking out Homeostasis to resolve things was starting to seem like a viable option.
"End it, huh?"
Renamon nodded slowly, thoughtfully gazing out of the window, her eyes distant.
"Perhaps the end is closer than you think."
...
Meanwhile, at another apartment in Hikarigaoka.
"Koromon?"
Taichi stared wide-eyed at Koromon, who was trembling uncontrollably beneath the blankets. Kari had woken him up moments earlier, urgently pointing out that something was wrong.
"What's happening to you?"
As if sensing an imminent danger, Koromon's usual playful demeanor had completely vanished. Even its color had turned sickly pale, tinged with fear.
"Answer me, Koromon!"
Taichi and Kari watched anxiously, wanting to help but afraid to reach out and touch him, terrified that any action might push Koromon over the edge.
Bzzz… Bzzz…
Just as Taichi frantically pondered how to help, Koromon, previously curled up tightly, abruptly opened his eyes.
Immediately afterward, all the electronic devices in the apartment flickered and buzzed erratically, their screens overwhelmed by meaningless, chaotic characters.
From 1 to 0, then back to 1 again…
The numbers flickered randomly, completely without logic, as if desperately trying to communicate the imminent arrival of something unknown.
"Whistle~!"
Only when Kari let out a nervous whistle did Koromon finally stir.
Bzzz…
At the very same moment, those chaotic numbers seemed to suddenly synchronize, simultaneously transforming into a single symbol—one that shouldn't logically appear on any electronic device:
∞
In mathematics, ∞ represented infinity—unlimited, boundless.
In theology and philosophy alike, ∞ also symbolized a boundaryless authority—something akin to a god or supreme being.
"Roaaar!"
Stimulated by both Kari's whistle and the symbol ∞, Koromon—now fully alert to the approaching danger—released a roar reminiscent of a primeval dinosaur.
"Koromon!?"
But what Taichi never expected was that Koromon's roar marked only the beginning. A far more dangerous transformation swiftly followed.
KOROMON—DIGIVOLVE...
Under the threat of danger, the data within Koromon's body rapidly multiplied and expanded in an incomprehensible manner, swelling to a hundredfold its original scale in mere moments.
Astonishingly, this rapidly expanding data didn't shatter Koromon's structure—instead, guided by an unknown power, it built itself into an entirely new form.
It was a digivolution unlike any seen before among Digimon in this world—the first-ever active intervention by the human world in Digimon evolution.
The sudden growth in size crushed the small bed beneath it, as Koromon's round, gentle shape twisted violently, transforming into a fierce, savage reptilian beast.
—AGUMON!
Thus, the first-ever Agumon in the Digital World, or perhaps even in the entire cyberspace, was born.
"Roaaar!"
Another thunderous roar echoed. Overwhelmed by an intense sense of crisis, this newly formed Agumon discarded its previous intelligence, shifting entirely toward a desperate pursuit of sheer, primal strength.
The radical change was clearly visible from its abnormal size. Standing nearly two meters tall and weighing over five hundred kilograms, its physique already surpassed some weaker Champion-level Digimon.
While size wasn't the sole metric of a Digimon's strength, for Digimon below Champion level, it often decided their very survival.
Yet Agumon's strength wasn't limited to size alone.
Its rapidly operating DigiCore had abandoned any data devoted to higher intelligence, channeling every bit of resources into pure combat prowess instead.
As a result, this Agumon had devolved into a savage, primal beast—its feral instincts and combat intuition surpassing any normal intelligent creature.