Seeing that their situation was hopeless, a crazed look flashed in the eyes of the fatass leader.
He and his remaining men desperately gathered what little dark magic power they had left, roaring as they unleashed a concentrated, foul-smelling shockwave of darkness.
Their target wasn't the armored woman, but Ace, who was busy tying up the prisoners and seemed distracted!
"Watch out!" Erza's sharp cry rang out as a dazzling light erupted from her body!
"Requip! Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
In an instant, Erza's ordinary clothes vanished, replaced by a magnificent suit of silvery-white armor.
On her back, four diamond-hard metal wings spread wide and in her hands, the single blade was gone, replaced by twin, exquisitely crafted longswords.
Facing the dark shockwave hurtling toward Ace, Erza's eyes turned cold.
She crossed her twin swords in front of her, and with a burst of speed that looked like teleportation, she appeared instantly before Ace.
"This is the end of your evil ways! Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!"
With a clear shout, her arms blurred into a cascade of light!
The twin swords in her hands seemed to multiply endlessly, creating dozens, even hundreds, of shimmering swords of light floating in the air.
These were not illusions, but tangible magic blades formed by extreme speed and power!
They interwove into an impenetrable net of steel, a chaotic storm crashing head-on into the dark shockwave.
Sssshhh-!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a series of faint, grating tearing sounds.
The seemingly formidable dark shockwave, faced with the absolute defense and counter-attack field of the Heaven's Wheel, was sliced, shredded, and annihilated like a fragile piece of black cloth!
Not even a wisp of stray energy managed to pass through the net of swords.
But the light of the swords didn't stop there.
As if possessing a life of their own, they bypassed the stunned Ace and his Digimon, sweeping precisely toward the leader and his last two subordinates who were still trying to escape!
"No... Impossible!"
The fatass only had time to let out a desperate scream.
The magical shields he and his men had hastily erected were like wet paper in the face of the endless sword light, shattering instantly.
The swords did not take their lives, but like precise surgical scalpels, they severed the tendons in their limbs and crushed their magic power sources, utterly nullifying their ability to resist without inflicting fatal wounds.
As the light dissipated, Erza stood proudly as the Heaven's Wheel Armor glittering in the sunlight.
Behind her, the three dark mages collapsed to the ground, completely stripped of their combat capabilities.
Throughout the entire process, she hadn't moved a single step from her spot.
This scene made Ace's heart surge with excitement.
It also made him wonder: 'When will my own Digimon be able to evolve to their Ultimate forms and reach this level of power?'
With the dark mages completely subdued, the remaining giant rat Magical Beasts lost their backbone in an instant.
The crazed red glow in their eyes faded, replaced by instinctual bewilderment and fear.
They let out panicked squeaks and scrambled to escape into the cracks of nearby houses or fled deep into the mountain forest.
The village square, once packed to the brim, was soon empty, leaving only the mess of battle.
[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully thwarted the dark guild's plot and defeated its members. Reward issued: Digi-Soul, Special Item: Evolution Card (Single Use) x1.]
Ace's heart stirred, surprised by the "Digi-Soul" reward.
'Digi-Soul?' Ace thought.
'Wasn't this... the special data energy from the Digimon Savers series? The power converted from human emotions?'
At this thought, Ace subconsciously clenched his fist, feeling a new, indescribable stream of warm, active energy coursing through his body.
'If I can master this power, does it mean I can become a human with the strength of a Royal Knight, just like Marcus Damon?' He chuckled internally.
Then again, Marcus considered fighting a vital part of his life and could beat an Agumon to a pulp with his bare hands.
It won't be easy to reach his level!
"Ace, are you alright?"
Erza's voice interrupted his thoughts.
She had finished securing the prisoners and walked over to him, keenly noticing the subtle change in his expression and his clenched fist.
"Were you injured in the fight just now, or did you use too much magic power?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine, Erza," Ace quickly shook his head, offering a slight smile. "I just gained some insight during the battle and needed a moment to process it. Let's go check the deeper parts of the village again, just to make sure there are no stragglers or traps left behind."
Erza nodded in approval, pleased with Ace's caution. "That's the right thing to do. Dark guilds are treacherous; we can't be too careful."
The two of them, along with Garurumon and Leomon, began a grid search of the abandoned village.
Relying on his keen sense of smell, Garurumon discovered the residual aura of dark magic and found several deactivated Magic Circle discs in a hidden cellar—tools used to agitate the beasts.
Meanwhile, Leomon used his rich combat instincts to find a hidden compartment under a haystack in a barn.
Inside were a few notebooks recording information on members of the "Shadow Serpent's Claw" and notes on low-level dark magic—powerful evidence against them.
The search confirmed the village was free of threats.
The sun began to set, stretching their shadows long across the road.
It was only on the magic-powered train back that Ace finally had the time to calm down and carefully study the new item.
His consciousness sank into the system, and a detailed description appeared.
[Evolution Card]: A special rule-based consumable item. Can be used on a designated allied Digimon, allowing it to temporarily break its limits and evolve to the next stage (Rookie → Champion → Ultimate → Mega).
The evolved state lasts for a maximum of three turns or until the current battle ends.
After the effect ends, the Digimon will revert to its original form.
"Temporary evolution... lasts for three turns..." Ace's eyes lit up.
He remembered a mechanic like this in a Digimon card game he used to play.
A pity there's only one card, though.
...
Back at the guild, the process of handing over the mission and the prisoners went smoothly.
Although most of the reward money still had to go into the bottomless pit of the "repair fund," Ace felt a solid sense of accomplishment as he looked at the small sum of Jewels credited to him and the new rewards in his system.
As night fell, Ace lay on his bed in the dormitory, unable to sleep immediately.
He repeatedly savored the feeling of the "Digi-Soul" humming in his veins and began to plan the right time to use the "Evolution Card."
The path to power had just become clearer!
...
The next day, when Ace and Erza returned to the Fairy Tail guild hall, their success caused a sensation.
As Ace gave a detailed report to Master Makarov, specifically regarding the plot to manipulate the beasts, the Master's mustache bristled with anger.
"Those rats from the sewers again! Well done, Ace, Erza! You not only resolved the threat to the village but also exposed the masterminds behind it. The guild will remember this contribution!" Makarov patted Ace's shoulder, his tone full of pride.
However, in this harmonious atmosphere, a voice tinged with impatience and a burning fighting spirit rang out.
"Oh? So you're finally back from your mission, Ace!"
Everyone looked over to see Mirajane standing not far away.
Her arms were crossed and while her face bore its usual confident smile, her eyes were sharper than ever, fixed intently on Ace.
Her defeat at the hands of SkullGreymon had clearly been weighing on her mind since she had lost before she even had a chance to fight.
"Is Mira-nee going to challenge him again?"
"I hope that skeleton dragon doesn't show up again..."
Many guild members, recalling the terrifying pressure exerted by SkullGreymon, felt a lingering fear and subconsciously took half a step back.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense.
Feeling everyone's gazes, Ace immediately understood their concerns.
He took a step forward, looking at Mirajane with a frank gaze that also swept over his nervous comrades.
He spoke in a clear, reassuring voice. "Mirajane-san, I accept your challenge. However, I promise you and everyone in the guild—this time, I do not intend to summon SkullGreymon."
Hearing Ace's promise, a collective sigh of relief swept through the hall.
But then, their gazes became complicated.
Without that invincible bone dragon, what could he possibly use to fight against the She-Devil?