"In that case, are you interested in following me?"
As soon as Zero said those words, all the Drimogemon fell into stunned silence…
Obviously, Zero's proposal went beyond their expectations. Without minding their reactions, he casually continued on his own:
"Of course, it's not an order—just a suggestion. Those willing to follow can come with me. Those unwilling…leave now. I promise not to make things difficult."
Zero naturally had no need to lie. He'd already demonstrated enough overwhelming power—if he really wanted to force them, these Drimogemon had no room or chance to negotiate.
Precisely because Zero had given them this choice, however, the Drimogemon hesitated.
As mentioned earlier, Drimogemon had always been helpless laborers shuffled repeatedly among powerful factions. They couldn't be blamed for lacking backbone.
Every strong Digimon they met, they couldn't beat. Disobedience meant death; obedience might even mean cruel exploitation. How were they supposed to choose their fate?
Any defiant individuals with rebellious hearts had long since been sent by the Dark Army straight to Primary Village. Their graves probably had grass three feet high by now.
Those who remained were mostly meek and submissive types. As long as it kept them alive, they'd do whatever—whatever the boss said was absolute.
Had Zero ordered their compliance, they would've immediately made the decision without hesitation—that was how they always lived. But now, when Zero genuinely offered them the power of choice, they found themselves uncertain instead.
"What are they doing…?" Taichi asked in confusion.
Zero quietly replied, "…Nothing much. They're just finally remembering the fundamental right all living beings should have from birth…"
—The right to choose one's own fate!
After a lengthy discussion among themselves, one Drimogemon was finally pushed forward as a representative, cautiously stepping up to ask:
"If…if we choose to follow you, where exactly are you planning to take us?"
Without any hesitation, Zero raised his claw and pointed decisively to the south—
"…The southern desert. I intend to establish a base there to oppose the Dark Army. Of course, I won't be alone—I have reliable companions. However, they're currently not on Server Continent."
File Island was Zero's ultimate fallback. Andromon from File Island's Unmanned Mechanical Factory, as well as Monzaemon from Toy Town, were both trustworthy comrades of his.
Leaving Monzaemon aside, even on Server Continent Andromon could be counted as a powerful fighter. Having also inherited partial authority from the Metal Empire, he was truly someone to rely upon.
Zero planned to set up a foothold on Server Continent connected to File Island—and for now, he'd chosen the southern desert.
Although he hadn't yet met the Sage of the southern desert, Zero roughly guessed who it was. If it really was that Digimon, then it would surely support his plan.
But these Drimogemon clearly hadn't heard legends about any "Sage" in the southern desert. In their minds, that desert was a lifeless wasteland.
Indeed, it was harsh for baby Digimon or ordinary humans—but with a Champion-level Digimon's strength, surviving in the desert wasn't impossible, just inconvenient due to limited resources.
The Drimogemon assumed Zero chose the desert because it was remote and undesirable, a convenient place where few powerful bosses would bother interfering—easy for him to establish himself.
After all, the best territories on Server Continent had long since been divided among powerful factions. What room was left for newcomers?
Fully aware of the desert's harshness, the Drimogemon felt it might be wiser to seek refuge with other powerful leaders instead. As common labor Digimon, they knew plenty of places would gladly accept them if they truly just wanted to survive.
After another long discussion, most of the Drimogemon chose to leave. Zero didn't try persuading or stopping them at all, merely waving generously as they departed.
Zero had granted them the right to freely choose, and they had exercised that right. From now on, whatever happened would result from their own decisions.
After the group dispersed, five Drimogemon remained. They chose to follow Zero into the southern desert, betting their futures on this entirely unknown path.
Zero himself neither felt particularly satisfied nor disappointed by this number—it was about what he'd expected. So, smiling gently at these remaining Drimogemon, he said:
"…Thank you for choosing to trust me. Come along then~"
Although it was just a tiny step forward, Zero truly had gained followers—five Drimogemon. On Server Continent right now, such numbers wouldn't even cause a ripple—barely a faint wave upon the surface of still waters.
But every journey started with a single step, didn't it?
Night was already falling. They planned to leave the next day anyway—Zero had chosen this valley precisely to rest and reorganize.
Seeing the Drimogemon freed, Taichi looked cheerful. Even though he hadn't directly contributed much, simply seeing oppressed Digimon rescued was enough to make him happy.
After traveling together for a week, Taichi had grown accustomed to outdoor camping. With Zero around, troublesome tasks like gathering food or building fires became easy—not to mention Zero handled night watch and protection.
Under Zero's care, Taichi and Hikari essentially experienced a comfortable field trip…
As darkness descended, Taichi stared at the starry sky above. The Digital World's night sky was surprisingly similar to the Real World's—countless stars merged into a vast, magnificent sea of lights.
"What a beautiful sky…" Taichi couldn't help exclaiming softly.
Zero, currently in Koromon form and held snugly in Hikari's arms, echoed quietly, "It really is beautiful…but Taichi, could you please do something about your little sister?!"
Just when Zero thought he'd finally escaped being Rina's personal pillow, he'd ended up as someone else's pillow again—this time, from Rina to Hikari.
Taichi immediately chuckled in amusement, "Oh? But you seem pretty happy about it yourself, Zero~"
"…"
Zero swallowed back his immediate protest—I have someone waiting for me back home! Please ask your sister to respect herself! My heart belongs solely to Rina!
After all, Taichi had no idea who Rina was, and even if Zero explained, Taichi probably wouldn't take it seriously…
In Taichi's eyes, Koromon-form Zero was essentially just a cuddly stuffed toy. He wasn't concerned about a plushy taking advantage of his sister.
But that was exactly why Zero felt so miserable inside—What if Rina finds out about this later?! How am I supposed to explain myself?!
Forget it, forget it—better not think about such trivial matters…
Nearby, the exhausted Drimogemon had already fallen into a deep sleep. Having been worked continuously as forced laborers before, once finally given a break, they slept so deeply even shouting couldn't wake them.
It was better this way. Let them rest properly. From now on, there'd be no need to work themselves to death like before.
At that moment, Zero suddenly felt drowsiness creep in. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted through the air, inducing sleepiness. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier—but just as sleep nearly overcame him, his DigiCore violently jolted, instantly bringing him back to alertness.
Something's wrong!
"Watch out! Enemies incoming!"
Zero leaped urgently from Hikari's arms, immediately evolving into Agumon. Clearly visible now was a faint pink mist lingering around their makeshift campsite.
Zero blasted away the obviously sleep-inducing mist with a burst of flames. The fiery explosion immediately scattered several Candlemon hidden in the darkness, who tumbled out in panic.
Candlemon—Rookie-level Data-type Digimon who released various special gases by burning their candle-like bodies. Individually weak in direct combat, but incredibly effective for sneak attacks!
Naturally, that was only if their surprise attack succeeded. Having been caught red-handed like this, mere Rookie-level Candlemon had no chance to continue playing tricks under Zero's watch. Terrified, they immediately attempted to scatter and flee.
Zero's commotion woke everyone from sleep.
"What's going on?" Taichi asked groggily, not yet fully awake.
Zero, however, had already assumed a fighting stance. "…An enemy attack. Tch, if I'm not mistaken, our big guest has finally arrived."
Candlemon themselves weren't particularly aggressive Digimon; someone surely ordered them here. The mastermind's identity was already obvious.
Amidst the darkness, applause suddenly echoed, followed by an annoyingly loud voice:
"Hahaha, amusing… Looks like you've got some real skill after all. But sadly for you, the Great King warned you clearly: don't let me catch you. Now that I have, I won't let you off easily!"
With that distinctive voice, the remaining Drimogemon turned pale in panic, while Zero nodded knowingly—just as he'd thought, the real enemy had arrived.
Without hesitation, Zero immediately fired a flame toward the voice. A shadow somersaulted deftly out of the darkness, casually waving a hand to disperse the fireball.
With that effortless gesture alone, it showed strength and combat skill far surpassing anyone they'd encountered so far. Finally, emerging from the darkness clearly visible—
—Etemon had arrived!