Agumon who wants to become Omegamon

This heat doesn't burn your hands; instead, it feels warm and smooth.

At the same time, it conveys a message, just as Huangfu Weilai guessed: the treasure map is the key.

Rumbling--

The stone wall made a loud noise, as if it was about to open.

Huge amounts of dust fell from the stone wall, revealing a vast and profound sense of history.

Before Huangfu Weilai could see the murals on the stone wall clearly, the entire stone wall sank into the ground.

This allowed Huangfu Weilai and his group to see the dark passage behind the stone wall.

A chilling aura emanated from the passage, like a gaping, black maw that could swallow Huangfu Weilai and his companions standing outside the stone wall at any moment.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Empty Square

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Agumon's forehead: "This feels... not good!"

“You can tell just by looking,” Agumon S replied.

Huangfu Weilai and Betamon stared silently at the passageway.

A series of eerie winds, like ghostly howls, burst forth from the stone wall and rushed towards the people outside.

Huangfu Weilai, who was standing at the front, turned pale. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to his head, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Agumon took a step back, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Should we... go down?"

"..."

There was no response; no one responded.

The scene seemed ominous; a sense of impending death gripped everyone's hearts, making it impossible for them to make a decision.

Even Betamon, who was most eager to come, fell silent.

The chilly atmosphere lingered in silence, just as everyone's desire to retreat became increasingly apparent.

Suddenly

"What a joke!!" Huangfu Weilai said with a stern expression.

I didn't believe in God before, but now that time travel has happened, it's hard to say whether 'God' exists or not, and it's also hard to guarantee that ghosts don't exist either.

But where am I?! This is the Digital World!!

In Huangfu Future's understanding, the Digital World consists of Digimon, Digimon Spirits, and other related data life forms, or at the very least, children who come from the human world.

I'm more inclined to believe this is a Digimon than a ghost!

Huangfu Weilai's face was icy, and he said in a cold tone, "Playing tricks!"

After speaking, he launched a full-scale attack.

Phoenix Form – Open!

Ultimate move – Phoenix: Miniature Explosion!

A burst of orange-red flame was instantly condensed in Huangfu Weilai's mouth, held back, allowing energy to accumulate and the color of the flame to gradually deepen.

The orange flames are from Agumon's normal attacks, while the red flames come from the phoenix form that forms on Huangfu Future's body. Huangfu Future combines the two forces to form a special flame—the orange-red flame.

In terms of destructive power, it naturally surpasses normal orange flames, and it also carries the will attack of Huangfu Future's Phoenix form. It is equivalent to a double blow targeting both the body and the mind.

If we were to explain this attack on willpower using the analogy of a brother complex, it would probably be something like, 'You foolish little brother, hate me!'

"you?!"

Betamon realized what was happening and was about to speak.

The beings inside the passage seemed to sense some kind of crisis, and suddenly became noisy, as if they were gathering their power to attack Huangfu Future.

But it was all too late.

The flames had turned a deep orange-red, and Huangfu Weilai felt he was losing control of the power.

"Heh, then I won't hold back anymore, I'll take this hit!" Huangfu Weilai smiled coldly.

call out--

A sound like a sharp arrow rang out, and Huangfu Weilai was pushed back by the recoil.

But those inside the passage were too late; the fireball was too fast, it was unimaginable that it possessed both destructive power and speed.

As the fireball approached, it transformed into a light source, illuminating the dark passage and revealing its ghostly figure—a white body with a monstrous head of flames—the Candle Beast.

At the same time, the Candle Beast showed a panicked expression.

Oh no, we're doomed, the flames exploded.

Boom!

A tremendous roar came, but Huangfu Weilai and the others, who were already prepared, calmly stood in place to meet the incoming airflow.

"Heh, I'm used to it." Agumon said quietly.

"Let the storm rage on!" Huangfu Weilai said calmly, but inwardly he was secretly overjoyed.

Boom!!

It seems that the Candle Beast itself is a mobile source of fire, causing Huangfu Future's attack to be detonated a second time.

It's fortunate that the builders of this passage put a lot of effort into its construction; otherwise, the first explosion alone could have collapsed the place.

"Haha, this looks much better."

Huangfu Weilai laughed heartily, and on the surface, the gloomy atmosphere lessened considerably, while a scorching heat and a burnt smell filled the air.

“That’s absolutely right.” Betamon nodded.

“Agreed,” Agumon said.

"+1" Agumon S is even simpler.

Thanks to Huangfu Weilai's actions, the situation has reversed. Now, the Candle Beast not only doesn't increase the psychological fear of Huangfu Weilai and the others, but it doesn't even know how many of its own members are still alive.

To boost morale, and taking advantage of everyone's enthusiasm, Huangfu Weilai delivered a powerful speech.

"Let's set off now and seize the treasure!"

Although Huangfu Weilai regretted it as soon as she said it, was I really that childish?

But his companions still gave him face and shouted even louder with more momentum.

"Oh!!" ×3

Huangfu Future led the way, with Agumon S and Betamon standing on either side behind her, and Agumon bringing up the rear. The entire group advanced in a ◆' shape.

Once the first step is taken, there will be a second, and soon Huangfu Weilai entered this passage.

The further you go into the passage, the less eerie the atmosphere becomes, which is due to Huangfu Weilai.

But Huangfu Weilai showed no discomfort whatsoever; instead, he spoke to his companions with a smug expression.

"Take note, don't panic when things happen, first... cough, first launch an attack to test the enemy's situation."

Agumon and the others listened attentively, while Huangfu Future patiently instilled fallacies in them.

Although Huangfu Weilai and his group spent the entire journey boasting, this did not prevent them from remaining vigilant.

"Huh? This is a light source!"

Huangfu Weilai said in surprise.

He knew perfectly well that this passage was a tunnel, a tunnel leading to some underground cave.

In this tunnel that goes deeper and deeper, a light source suddenly appears?

It's obvious that something's wrong.

"Be careful."

Huangfu Weilai reminded him.

His companions gave a brief response, and everyone knew that a battle was likely to follow.

As the exit drew ever closer, Huangfu Weilai and the others became increasingly wary.

finally-

The light source filled the entire venue; it was a collection of candle-shaped sculptures, with the light emanating from their heads.

Huangfu Weilai and the others cautiously observed the empty square, trying to discern something.

But there was nothing there; emptiness best describes the square.

Betamon frowned and voiced his guess: "Could it be that that bastard Ultradramon tricked us?"

Huangfu Weilai remained calm and said indifferently, "We cannot rule out that possibility, but it is more likely that we have not discovered the hidden switch in this square."

After saying that, he turned to Agumon S and asked, "Did you smell anything strange?"

Upon hearing this, Agumon S immediately raised its head, closed its eyes, focused its sense of smell, and replied, "I'll give it a try."

Betamon's eyes lit up. Ah, why hadn't I thought of using Agumon S? This way, at least we could find some clues.

Huangfu Weilai, however, did not hold such an optimistic view. If this place really was a treasure trove, he would definitely use all means to stop the intruders.

Sure enough, Agumon S opened its eyes and shook its head at Huangfu Weilai, indicating that it couldn't smell anything.

Huangfu Weilai gritted her teeth and muttered to herself, "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Strange Murals

"Are we just going to wait here aimlessly?" Agumon calmly asked.

“Let’s take a look around the neighborhood,” Huangfu Weilai said. “Let’s see if there are any mechanisms or secrets.”

Everyone agreed and began to venture deeper into the area. Of course, they did not consider splitting up to search, since in this unknown place, splitting up to search would weaken their team's combat power.

As Huangfu Weilai and his companion walked on the bronze-colored floor, they could tell that the cave was ancient, but why was the floor so clean?

Huangfu Weilai suddenly stopped walking, and everyone else stopped as well.

Their gazes fell on Huangfu Weilai, hoping he would figure something out and resolve their current predicament.

Huangfu Weilai ignored his companions' thoughts and became absorbed in his own problems.

Even enclosed spaces age and accumulate dust. Unless it's a secret realm or something similar, but those capable of creating such spaces wouldn't leave behind this seemingly simple plaza.

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Suddenly, it occurred to me that someone might be cleaning it regularly.

But it's impossible for a Digimon to have such a long lifespan. Unless it's an Ultimate-level Digimon with a lifespan of at least tens of thousands of years, but would an Ultimate-level Digimon be made with such a rudimentary design?

The more I think about it, the more conflicted I feel, and the more something seems off.

"Are you alright, boss? Or... should we leave?" Agumon asked worriedly.

Huangfu Weilai looked rather unwell, trapped in a vicious cycle from which he could not extricate himself.

"Yes, if it really doesn't work out, let's just leave."

Despite Agumon S's carefree attitude, he can be quite reliable when it matters; he has just noticed that something is wrong with Huangfu Future.

"Heh heh heh, I refuse to believe I can't find it!"

Huangfu Weilai was not fully awake, but his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, indicating that he was determined to go all out.

Of course, this is also Huangfu Future's guess that the highest combat power in this cave does not have any Digimon that have reached the Perfect level, otherwise Huangfu Future would not be so stubborn as to fight to the death.

"Let's walk around and look for it."

Huangfu Weilai met his companions' worried gazes and spoke indifferently.

This time he didn't plan to think too much about it. After all, thinking too much is just guessing, and it's not as important as doing it.

He planned to look for other clues here. Since there was a treasure map, there must be treasure. Even if it was a fake, there would be bait.

after a while.

Huangfu Weilai and the others returned to their original spot with gloomy expressions. They had already walked through the entire square, which was just as empty as it appeared. Apart from the strange murals on the wall, they found nothing.

Those murals are just murals; they don't seem to have any special features.