Chapter 56: Evolution! MetalGreymon! Raynare’s Transformation

[Name: Kokabiel (♂)][Level: Lv210 (Low-tier Demon King)][Attribute Evaluation](Note: Strength assessed within the same level.)

Strength: C Speed: C+ Magic Power: C Physical Durability: B Martial Arts/Spell Proficiency: C- (Competent, but nothing special among Demon Kings.) Sacred Gear/Bloodline Ability: C+ (Ten-Winged Fallen Angel bloodline. High development potential, but Kokabiel is obsessed with war rather than refining his power. His current growth is purely the result of constant conflict.) Comprehensive Evaluation: C-tier Demon King. Overall Comment: A Ten-Winged Fallen Angel who, even in death, would struggle to reach the peak of Demon King level, let alone surpass it. Compared to Baraqiel, he's utterly outclassed.

Kokabiel was dumbfounded.

A blonde girl—clearly the team's healer—had just blocked his full-power Light Spear.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Since when was the healer the strongest fighter in the team?!

"Hmph! Since you threw yourself at me first, I'll take you out first!"

Asia's absurdly high defense was making Kokabiel uneasy.

He needed to take out the healer before the rest of the team could fully engage him!

But just as he made that decision—

His heartbeat spiked.

For a brief moment—no, just an instant—he felt an overwhelming threat to his life!

"Who's there?!"

Kokabiel whipped around.

A young man stood there—calm, composed, and completely unbothered, as if he had been present the whole time.

Kokabiel recognized him.

Lucien Leviathan.

But knowing him wasn't the issue—

The issue was why this boy was making his instincts scream.

And then—

Kokabiel realized why.

Lucien raised his hand, and in the next instant—

A crimson gauntlet materialized.

Then—

[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!][Forbidden Move! 『Red Dragon Emperor's Armor』 (Boosted Gear Scale Mail)!]

Kokabiel's eyes widened.

"Red Dragon Emperor?! Leviathan's fake heir actually became the Red Dragon Emperor—and he's already unlocked the Forbidden Move?!"

Impossible!

At this stage, Forbidden Moves were exceptionally rare!

If they weren't, he wouldn't have wasted so much time playing around with Kiba earlier.

"Demon King-class! There's no doubt about it—he's at Demon King-class!"

Kokabiel stared at the young man before him, whose aura was now towering—his narrow eyes flashing with battle intent.

Thankfully.

Thankfully, Lucien wasn't Vali.

That lunatic's physical strength was already on par with his own, and once he activated the Forbidden Move, he could completely crush him.

This Lucien…

Strong, sure. But not strong enough to defeat him.

The moment Kokabiel thought, Alright, I got this, Lucien suddenly flicked his wrist, sending a golden flash flying.

"Agumon! Go!"

[Got it, Lucien!]

A brilliant white-gold light erupted, and Agumon appeared.

Sacred metal formed over his claws and vulnerable areas, giving him an even more mechanical and formidable presence.

After absorbing two drops of Phoenix Blood, Agumon had restored his full potential and broken through to the peak of High-class Devil.

With Lucien further purifying data equivalent to three Phoenix Tears, Agumon had finally evolved into his Perfect form!

Kokabiel instantly backed away.

Something was wrong.

This monster…

This yellow beast—he couldn't see through it at all!

And then—

The most terrifying thing happened.

This Digimon's aura exploded, crushing Kokabiel's presence instantly!

[Agumon Super Evolution!—][MetalGreymon!!!—]

Under Kokabiel's disbelieving gaze, Agumon's body was engulfed in the light of evolution—rapidly expanding!

Five meters… ten meters… twenty meters… fifty meters… one hundred meters!

What emerged before them was a colossal, hundred-meter-tall war machine!

[Name: Holy Agumon (♀)][Type: Dragon Beast][Level: Lv240 (After evolution, strength has reached peak Demon King level)]

[Attribute Evaluation](Note: Strength assessed within the same level.)

Strength: S+ Speed: S- Magic Power: S+ Physical Durability: S+ Martial Arts/Spell Proficiency: SS Sacred Gear/Bloodline Ability: SS Comprehensive Evaluation: S+ tier Demon King. Overall Comment: MetalGreymon—The pinnacle of holiness and destruction. Capable of annihilating all evil. Against countered enemies, it can even fight above its level.

MetalGreymon's entire form had been enhanced and overhauled from its previous evolution.

Its body was encased in high-purity sacred alloy, its head more ferocious, its fangs and claws sharpened to an extreme. Advanced weapon systems—including missile launchers and laser cannons—were now built into its frame.

Its gleaming fangs radiated cold light, and its eyes burned red, filled with an unstoppable thirst for battle.

And its skills?

They weren't just upgraded—they had evolved.

Skill Evolution:

Previous Skills:

Sharp Claw Great Horn Charge Super Flame

Current Skills:

Steel Claw Charge Brave Vanguard Holy Horn Strike Trident Arm Giga Storm Ultimate Flame Giga Destroyer

"Aaaaargh!!"

With a mighty roar, MetalGreymon activated the skill Brave Vanguard, boosting his attack power even further! His aura surged, faintly pushing beyond Demon King-class!

"Holy shit! What kind of monster is this?!"

Kokabiel was certain—right now, MetalGreymon was at least as strong as Vali!

Ignoring MetalGreymon, Kokabiel charged straight for Lucien.

Everyone knows the #1 rule of Pokémon battles—take out the Trainer first!

"I won't let you succeed!"

Just as Kokabiel reached mid-charge, Asia stepped in to block him.

Her offensive power might not be much, but her defense was top-tier!

"Mr. Agumon! Now's your chance!"

Asia's message was clear—she wanted Agumon to fire even if she was caught in the blast!

[Ultimate Flame!]

MetalGreymon's massive jaws opened, rapidly gathering high-purity, high-temperature sacred energy.

Truthfully, at her current level, even if Asia didn't actively block the attack, she was confident in controlling the fireball to only hit Kokabiel.

But since they were both part of the sacred faction, MetalGreymon didn't want to waste Asia's goodwill.

Inside his mouth, gold and crimson flames intertwined—divine fire pulsing with overwhelming destructive power.

The very air around them distorted from the sheer heat!

"Boom!!"

A searing inferno erupted from MetalGreymon's mouth, hurling straight toward Kokabiel!

MetalGreymon's control was precise—he had zero doubts that the flames would burn Kokabiel to cinders while leaving Asia completely unharmed!

"Tch!—"

Kokabiel hastily retreated, launching himself into the sky.

However, to Kokabiel's shock—

Even after dodging Ultimate Flame, the attack kept chasing him!

The fireball… curved mid-air?!

And that wasn't the worst part.

While dodging the first attack, Kokabiel realized MetalGreymon was already charging a second shot!

"Boom!!"

Seconds later, another Ultimate Flame* was launched, joining the first in pursuit!

"WTF?!"

Kokabiel was on the verge of despair.

Sure, they were both Demon Kings. He was low-tier, and his opponent was peak-tier—but there should at least be some chance for a counterattack!

Yet—

This absurd control and ridiculously pure divine power—

It felt like he was fighting Michael himself!

Meanwhile.

As MetalGreymon hunted down Kokabiel, Lucien headed toward a nearby alleyway.

Initially, he had planned to fight alongside MetalGreymon.

But before that—

Someone uninvited had arrived.

Lucien needed to meet this newcomer first.

As he turned into the alley, a disheveled-looking man came into view—unkempt, scruffy, but with sharp, piercing eyes.

"Azazel."

Lucien narrowed his gaze, calling the man's name.

"Lucien Leviathan."

Azazel smiled, spreading his twelve black wings, openly revealing his identity.

For a long time, both of them had been aware of each other's true identities—

But today, they finally laid all their cards on the table.

"Lucien, we're on such good terms, so I'll be straightforward with you."

Azazel started with casual familiarity.

"I want you to hand Kokabiel over to me after you defeat him. I'll make sure he receives proper punishment."

Upon hearing this, Lucien shook his head.

"Azazel, Kokabiel cost my Agumon a lot of effort to take down. Not to mention, my side suffered injuries because of him."

"…So what you're saying is—"

Azazel's expression twitched slightly.

"You get it. I need compensation."

Lucien flashed a bright smile.

"…Fine. Compensation it is. What do you want?"

Azazel sighed in resignation.

Since internal conflict among the Fallen Angels would weaken their faction, he couldn't personally intervene to stop Kokabiel.

He needed someone else to handle it.

Originally, he had planned to send Albion.

But knowing Lucien's tendencies, if Azazel sent Albion, Lucien would definitely have his people intercept Albion—and then finish off Kokabiel himself.

Rather than risk that, Azazel decided to just play along from the start.

Half a minute later.

Azazel looked at the list Lucien handed him—his expression twitching uncontrollably.

"Rare metals, anti-dragon materials, intelligence on Dragon-type Sacred Gears…"

"You're gathering all this… to make that yellow monster evolve again, aren't you?"

Azazel shook his head.

"It's already a damn monster. And you're saying it can evolve even further? That's ridiculous."

He had no doubt that if MetalGreymon evolved again, it would be strong enough to kick his head like a football.

"Well then… happy cooperation?"

Lucien grinned, extending his hand.

"Deal. I'll have everything delivered to Kuoh Academy by tomorrow night at the latest."

After signing the contract, Azazel sighed in defeat.

He never expected that one day, he'd be the one getting extorted.

But there was no helping it.

Kokabiel screwed up—and Lucien caught him red-handed.

As one of the leaders of the Fallen Angels' war faction, if Kokabiel were killed by Devils, it could spark internal instability—or worse, another war.

To maintain stability, he had to preserve Kokabiel's life.

At the very least—

He had to make sure Kokabiel survived.

If he did that, even if they froze him in stasis as punishment, the Fallen Angels wouldn't rebel.

Meanwhile…

"BOOOOM!!"

The tracking effect of Giga Destroyer Cannon landed a direct hit on Kokabiel.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

A chain reaction of explosions followed—

Three consecutive Ultimate Flames detonated against Kokabiel's already battered body.

Fallen Angels may wield Light Power, but they were still weak to Divine Power.

In the end—

With no strength left to resist, Kokabiel plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground.

Azazel calmly approached, preparing to retrieve Kokabiel.

Looking down at the barely breathing Fallen Angel, Azazel sighed.

"…Was this really necessary?"

"The alliance between the Three Factions is inevitable. How could one man possibly fight against the flow of history?"

Azazel's voice carried a sense of philosophy—but before he could finish—

He shut up.

Because—

He just spotted another familiar face.

"AZAZEL, YOU BASTARD!!!"

Raynare immediately started cursing the moment she saw Azazel.

"Ah… it's you."

"…Wait, who are you again?"

Azazel genuinely couldn't remember her name.

"...…"

Raynare didn't answer.

Instead—

A visible black mist began rising behind her.

A mist called—

"Resentment."

"Cough, cough… I'll be leaving now. That's it."

Azazel quickly wrapped up Kokabiel, spread his twelve wings, and bolted.

He'd had enough of Raynare.

There was no way he was sticking around any longer.

Besides—he didn't owe Raynare anything.

Sure, he was the one who gave her away, but didn't he compensate her for it?

Three incomplete Dragon King Sacred Gears.

Combined, they were equivalent to three-fourths of a Dragon King.

In his opinion, that level of compensation was more than enough.

As for feelings?

What a joke.

Did unreciprocated feelings even count as a relationship?

He had rejected Raynare from the start!

Honestly, he should be the one demanding emotional damages for all the harassment she put him through!

"Hmph!~"

Watching Azazel flee at full speed, Raynare let out a cold snort, making no move to chase him down.

She had already seen through Azazel.

And now—she knew the truth about the God of the Bible's death.

Before, she believed that the Great Governor had been leading the Fallen Angels in an ongoing struggle against the God of the Bible.

She thought Azazel was the symbol of rebellion, the very pillar holding up the Fallen Angel faction.

But in the end—

The God of the Bible had been dead all along, having perished alongside the Four Great Satans.

And on top of that—

Azazel was never the pillar of the Fallen Angels.

He spent his days playing researcher, eagerly making deals with Devils just to study Sacred Gears.

This kind of leader…

Not only was he unworthy of her admiration—

He wasn't worthy of leading the Fallen Angels at all!

The idol had fallen.

And with it, Azazel's standing in her heart plummeted at record speed.

In fact—

She was starting to wonder why he hadn't just died alongside the God of the Bible.

If that had happened—

Maybe the Fallen Angels could have gotten a new leader by now.

With her mind made up, Raynare approached Lucien.

She did hold some resentment toward him—

But the moment she saw his face, most of that resentment vanished on the spot.

Because, after all—

Looking at a handsome man is always good for your mood.

Especially when that handsome man had Succubus blood.