The deafening explosions gradually subsided, and the raging storm of energy slowly dissipated.
The guild hall was in a complete mess.
Fragments of tables and chairs were scattered everywhere, and the sturdy walls were covered in cracks, testifying to the terrifying power of the recent clash.
Mirajane was on one knee, her Satan Soul Take Over flickering unstably before deactivating completely, returning her to her original form.
Her face was pale, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, and her chest heaved violently.
She had not yet mastered her Soul Extinguisher; not only did it take a long time to cast, but it had also completely drained her magic power.
An eerie silence fell over the entire guild hall.
Everyone was too stunned by the mutually destructive outcome to speak.
Ace looked at Mirajane, who was clearly exhausted and could barely even stand, then at Leomon and Renamon, (they had mainly been responsible for containment in the early stages, so their power consumption was relatively low).
He thought to himself, 'From the looks of it, I should be the winner, right? It seems Mirajane has no magic power left to continue fighting.'
The silence was soon broken as whispers spread like a rising tide.
"Is... is it over?"
"Who won?"
"It looks... like Ace won? It seems Mirajane has run out of magic power..."
"But his Wolf Magical Beast also reverted from that state!"
"Idiot! Didn't you see he still has that lion and fox next to him? They can still fight!"
"That's right! Mirajane seems to be out of magic power, but Ace still has two Summoned Beasts left!"
"Setting aside the fox, isn't that lion-headed Magical Beast's strength seems on par with the Wolf Magical Beast that defeated Natsu?"
"He forced Mirajane to use her ultimate move... and it was useless! This guy is really strong!"
"Summoners are so troublesome! Fighting one is like fighting a whole group!"
These discussions clearly reached the ears of the two combatants.
Mirajane struggled to lift her head with a complex expression on her pale face.
She looked at the emotionless Ace, feeling extremely unwilling to accept the outcome.
"Damn it! You just wait! I'll defeat you sooner or later!"
Renamon, who had stood quietly beside Ace since the chaos subsided, was suddenly enveloped in a soft, brilliant pillar of evolution light!
Evolving to the Champion level required far less data energy than the monstrous requirements of the Ultimate level.
The intensity of the battle, the exposure to high-level dark magic, and the will to protect its tamer had pushed Renamon past the tipping point!
"Renamon Digivolve to..."
Under everyone's astonished gazes, the silhouette within the light changed.
It was no longer the agile, bipedal beast-man form.
The body elongated, growing four legs, and the tail split and multiplied.
The light shattered, revealing a majestic, fox-type Digimon with golden fur and nine fluffy, magnificent tails tipped with blue flames!
Kyubimon!
It was a creature feared in folklore as a bewitching beast that brought ruin, yet revered in ancient times as a messenger of peace.
Only a Renamon with exceptional abilities and vast experience could evolve into this form.
While its raw physical attack power wasn't its main focus, it excelled in "Techniques" that wielded immense spiritual power.
"Kyubi...mon?" Ace immediately perceived the data of the new form entering his mind.
'It seemed that my digimon summon can evolve by leveling up like in the digimon game'
Kyubimon elegantly flicked one of its nine tails, the blue ghostly fire dancing at the tips.
It turned its head and gave Ace a slight, respectful nod, its voice sounding ethereal and pleasant, echoing directly in his mind.
"Ace, thank you for the opportunity this battle provided, I have broken through my limits."
This scene completely dispelled everyone's last doubts about Ace's strength.
"This time it's the fox! It grew nine tails!"
"So beautiful... but its aura feels even stronger than before!"
"Gods, how many more surprises does this guy have hiding in his pocket?"
Almost simultaneously, the system's notification sound chimed clearly in Ace's mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host has achieved victory in a formal duel against the guild's S-Class candidate Mage, Mirajane, and has gained widespread recognition within the guild. Reward issued: Base attack power of all humanoid Digimon permanently increased by 15%.]
"Attack power increase for all humanoid Digimon?" A thought stirred in Ace's mind.
At first glance, it seemed odd since Kyubimon was now a beast type.
However, looking at the long term, this reward was incredibly practical.
Leomon was humanoid.
WereGarurumon was humanoid.
Even future evolutions like GrapLeomon or Gallantmon fit the criteria.
'This is a tangible enhancement to the foundation of my core combat strength,' Ace realized.
The future returns on this bonus are going to be massive.
"Hey! Ace! Fight me! Right now!"
The moment was ruined by a familiar, boisterous shout.
Burning with renewed fighting spirit, Natsu pushed his way through the crowd and rushed over.
His eyes were locked on Garurumon, who was panting on the floor.
"Your partner looks super strong! Especially that black werewolf form! Let's have fight again!"
Looking at the high-spirited Dragon Slayer who couldn't read the room to save his life, Ace shook his head and calmly patted his shoulder.
"Next time, Natsu. We just finished a fight and we all need to rest."
'Besides,' Ace thought to himself, 'if I fight you now, I probably won't get any decent system rewards even if I win. Your strength hasn't increased much since yesterday, so the system will probably judge it as 'bullying' and give me nothing. It'd be a pure waste of stamina.'
'Better to wait until you're stronger.'
Of course, he kept those thoughts to himself.
Although Natsu grumbled in dissatisfaction, claiming he was "all fired up for nothing," he was eventually persuaded to stop by Happy and Levy, who dragged him away to let the others clean up.
....
For the next two days, life in the guild seemed to return to its familiar rhythm.
Kyubimon, with its elegant and mysterious demeanor, became a beautiful sight in the guild.
It liked to lie quietly by a well-lit window, its nine fluffy tails spread out like clouds.
It would occasionally use its tails to help Levy tidy up books scattered on the floor or use its gentle demonic power to soothe small animals startled by Lisanna.
Its gentle and intelligent side was deeply loved by the female members.
As for Ace himself, despite defeating Mirajane and becoming a highly prestigious member of the guild, he did not spend most of his time basking in the joy of victory.
He would take his Digimon partners out of the bustling guild and town to train in the mountains and forests or by the river outside the city.
Firstly, the newly evolved Kyubimon needed to familiarize itself with its abilities and fighting style as soon as possible.
Secondly, he wanted to try to guide and strengthen the Digi-Soul within his body.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, trying to capture and amplify the feeling of spiritual connection with his Digimon.
He guided that thread of warm energy to flow through his body and attempted to resonate with Gabumon beside him, and even with the Digimon he was faintly connected to through the summoning circle.
Although progress was slow, he could feel that the bond between him and his Digimon was indeed deepening, and that thread of energy also seemed to have grown by an imperceptible fraction.
Feeling that the Digi-Soul in his body had been initially activated and was no longer so stagnant, Ace's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.
He stood up and assumed a fighting stance.
With a low shout, he began to practice a set of the most basic boxing techniques.
Jabs, hooks, and uppercuts, coordinated with his footwork, his movements went from slow to fast.
At first, it was purely physical strength, with his fists whistling through the air.
But gradually, he tried to channel the guided Digi-Soul energy in his body into his arms with the intent of his punches!
"Ha!"
He threw a punch and unlike before, this time, an extremely faint, almost invisible white halo flickered over his fist!
Although it vanished in an instant, the sound of his fist tearing through the air seemed sharper, and the airflow it generated was a bit stronger.
Side kick, roundhouse kick, axe kick!
With every kick, he strove to infuse his intent and energy into his legs, feeling the subtle changes brought by the flow of energy.
His movements became more and more fluid, his fists and feet beginning to leave afterimages.
An invisible aura seemed to form around his body, kicking up blades of grass and fallen leaves from the ground.