Chapter 68: The Secret Realm in Turmoil

Boom!

The dragonfly beast was dealt with, but the danger was far from over. A massive number of earth-type Digimon were closing in on them, drawing nearer with every passing moment.

A thunderous roar erupted.

They fought as they retreated.

Countless Digimon were now forced to gather around the stone hut, eyes wary and alert as they watched the relentless oncoming horde.

“Is this… a beast tide?!”

Old Xiao and the others stared in shock at the scene before them. So many Digimon appearing all at once—aside from the term "beast tide," he could think of no other way to describe it.

“Weren’t beast tides supposed to only appear in at least medium-level secret realms?”

No one had an answer to that question, and now was hardly the time to discuss it.

“We have to hold out until reinforcements arrive.”

Another roar split the air.

Mature-stage ape Digimon surged forward in droves, but fortunately, their own Digimon had rallied as well. Using the stone hut as their stronghold, even though the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming, they managed to hold them at bay—for now.

Soon, more and more DigiTamers arrived in the secret realm, among them the same Brother Lin they’d met at the base before.

With the arrival of these DigiTamers, some Digimon who’d been nearly spent now initiated Digivolution, fusing and surging back to life.

The battle raged on—a sudden, unforeseen war. Before this, everyone had thought this small secret realm was already secure.

Reality, however, struck them with a harsh slap.

Brother Lin looked at the dark mass of Digimon in the distance, and his heart sank. What had driven these Digimon mad? Why were they launching a sudden attack?

“Everyone’s at their limit. Flame Beast!”

Brother Lin’s digital partner was a mature-stage Flame Beast. At his shout, flames on the creature’s body flared intensely.

In their Digivolved state, the two unleashed a blazing Fire Barrier. Roaring flames enveloped the entire stone hut and the secret realm’s passage, shielding them completely.

After unleashing this skill, Flame Beast reverted to its champion form, its aura dwindling to near exhaustion.

But the outcome was good. Thanks to the Fire Barrier, the mature-stage Digimon outside halted their advance, granting the defenders and their DigiTamers a brief respite.

“I applied for reinforcements as soon as I received the news. It’s been nearly twenty minutes since then. The Fire Barrier will only last fifteen minutes. Which means that, once it fails, we’ll have to hold out for another thirty minutes.”

Brother Lin massaged his temples, his expression weary. Their numbers were few—only fifteen people, with fifteen mature-stage Digimon.

Surviving thirty minutes under these conditions would be a monumental challenge.

“By the way, you’re not on our roster. You can return to base—you’ll be escorted back to Wuling City later.”

Suddenly, Brother Lin turned to Zhao Jie.

From Old Xiao and the others, he’d already learned that the reason the other children made it safely back to base was thanks to Zhao Jie and his Greymon.

But Brother Lin was right—defending against the beast tide wasn’t Zhao Jie’s responsibility. Besides, Zhao Jie was about to enter university—there was no reason for him to risk his life here.

That’s right: risk his life. With only a handful of people, holding out for thirty minutes against this onslaught was nothing short of leaving their fate to the heavens.

“I’ll stay for now. If things go south, I’ll withdraw immediately.”

Zhao Jie thought for a moment but ultimately declined Brother Lin’s suggestion.

He could see that defending the secret realm’s exit was already a struggle, but his presence here might still help tip the scales.

Perhaps they could hold out.

And if things truly became hopeless, he would of course retreat.

Brother Lin was a little surprised by Zhao Jie’s answer.

But a faint smile flickered across his face, and he nodded inwardly. If Zhao Jie had chosen to leave now, he wouldn’t have stopped him—but he would have felt a pang of disappointment.

“All right. When it’s time for you to go, let us know—we’ll cover your retreat.”

With that, Brother Lin closed his eyes and began to recover his digital energy.

“Good lad. Don’t worry—when the time comes, I’ll get you out safely, even if it costs me my life.”

Old Xiao walked over and sat beside Zhao Jie, grinning broadly.

“Let’s all get out of here alive,” Zhao Jie replied. Then he went to stand by Greymon, watching the Digimon outside.

There were both champion and mature-stage Digimon, the horde immense—by rough count, nearly fifty mature-stage Digimon.

If such a force emerged from the secret realm into the human world, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“These Digimon seem to have lost all reason.”

After observing for a while, Zhao Jie returned to the group to share his discovery.

“Are you about to say there’s a mastermind behind all this?” asked Old Qian, one of the DigiTamers, with a laugh.

Zhao Jie scratched his head awkwardly—he had indeed been about to suggest that.

“In fact, every beast tide has a mastermind behind it. But what good does knowing that do us? Right now, we’re struggling just to hold the line.”

Old Qian left the rest unsaid.

Their primary task now was to hold the position. As for any other plans—like rooting out the mastermind—they simply didn’t have the strength.

There was something Old Qian didn’t voice: To control so many mature-stage Digimon, the mastermind was almost certainly an Ultimate-level Digimon.

And Ultimate-level Digimon were far stronger than any mature-stage Digimon.

If they tried to draw out the mastermind, they’d only lose faster and more miserably.

As things were, they might at least hold out until reinforcements arrived.

“Fair enough.”

Zhao Jie shrugged; Old Qian had a point. Right now, holding out until backup arrived was their only real chance.

As for the mastermind—best to leave that for when reinforcements came.

A low, unending growl rose from outside as the Fire Barrier weakened second by second. The Digimon trapped outside glared at Zhao Jie and the others inside the stone hut, brimming with hatred.

Some bolder Digimon tried to cross the barrier, only to be struck down by Zhao Jie and his companions.

But that tenuous balance was becoming ever more precarious as the Fire Barrier faded.