Chapter 101: Demon Beast—Butler Form (Extra Chapter for Butler Zizhu Zuichen)

“Butler Form of the Demon Beast?” A peculiar expression crossed Feng Xue’s face, but there was no time to ponder. Liu Ji had already rushed up and clung to his leg, sobbing uncontrollably (such a height difference).

Witnessing this, Qi Ren and Li Jianliang exchanged a knowing smile and quietly slipped away, leaving Feng Xue helplessly watching Liu Ji’s tears.

This was, after all, the first time he had ever seen her cry.

But before he could dwell on it, the piercing wail of a siren shattered the moment.

Scooping Liu Ji into his arms in a princess carry, he gave his wings a single tremor and soared into the sky.

Back at the Makino residence, Liu Ji had cried herself to sleep. After tucking her in, Feng Xue finally had a moment to examine the changes in his own body—

His former priestly robes had become a white tailcoat. The platinum wings no longer folded awkwardly like those of Angel-types or Fallen Angel-types, but instead hung naturally, perfectly aligned with the tails of his coat and trailing all the way to his ankles, as if they were part of the garment. The once-menacing gauntlets had transformed into a pair of white gloves, while a black tie—manifested from dark energy—rested against his crisp white shirt. The shoes, also conjured from darkness, gleamed with an oily black shine. If not for the menacing, horned demon head atop his shoulders, Feng Xue would have appeared the very image of a refined English gentleman.

Many Digimon possess so-called special forms.

Setting aside the ubiquitous Burst Modes, there are all manner of peculiar forms: Imperialdramon and Rosemon both have humanoid and beast forms, while Feng Xue’s Butler Form is different—it’s closer to Sakuyamon’s Priestess mode or MagnaAngemon’s Cleric mode.

However, MagnaAngemon’s Cleric Form is a non-combat state, whereas Feng Xue’s Demon Beast—Butler Form came about because, upon using the Quincy’s Final Form, he absorbed too many Holy Factors and, before he could expel them, entered an evolutionary phase.

As a Fallen Angel-type Demon Beast, the sheer excess of Holy Factors within him made it impossible to return to his standard form. Yet, even with all those Holy Factors, his core was still dominated by Dark Factors, so he couldn’t evolve into an Angemon or HolyAngemon either. Thus, the Digital World, unable to reconcile these contradictions, modeled his new form after MagnaAngemon’s Cleric mode, giving him a unique form—a Butler Form.

As for why a butler, perhaps some memory of a demon butler in his mind had influenced the shape this evolution took.

Though he lost the raw advantages of his original form—the Demon Beast’s long arms and razor claws were certainly more effective for attacks like Demon’s Claw—Feng Xue felt that this more human-like physique suited his fighting style better. After all, the Demon Beast’s arms were so long that using Bajiquan became awkward; the vector transmission he relied on would be rendered useless, and the longer the arms, the harder it was to achieve the harmony of waist and stance.

[Scientifically speaking, “waist-stance unity” means creating several vector forces from the feet through the body, balancing them to amplify power as it’s transmitted, so when it reaches the hands the force is multiplied. But if the arm suddenly lengthens, the final vector changes dramatically, requiring a complete adjustment of technique—moves that once worked reliably would become inconsistent.]

Yet, a Digimon’s form name is never random. In the Digital World, a name or title carries unique significance—

The Dragon Slayer Sword inflicts immense damage on dragon-type Digimon, but its wielder is fated to die by a dragon’s hand; the Cursed Thorn Spear always pierces the heart, but dooms its user to a curse. Leomon bears the title of Hero, which grants him power over many evil beast Digimon, but as a hero, he is destined to die a violent death to save others.

MagnaAngemon’s Cleric Form bestows all the attributes of a priest, and Sakuyamon’s Priestess Form possesses far more professional skills than a certain shameless shrine maiden.

And in the instant Feng Xue became Demon Beast—Butler Form, his mind was filled with the “Professional Conduct of a Butler.” This was not some inherited memory, but rather feedback from the Digital World itself.

However, before Feng Xue could explore this new knowledge, a strange and familiar sensation of being watched caught his attention. With two quick movements, he was standing atop an electric pole outside the house.

“So, you’ve been the one watching me lately?” He looked at the Digimon before him and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Though it had been a long time, Feng Xue still recognized the creature.

“Yes—yes, so what! Don’t think just because you’ve evolved that I’ll be afraid of you!” The little DemiDevimon shouted loudly, but his bravado was shaky; his voice even cracked.

“Oh? You’re not afraid of me?” Feng Xue’s smile grew more amused. He found that his taste for mischief had only grown with his evolution.

“O—of course not! You Digimon raised by humans aren’t scary at all! I’m wild, you hear me? Wild! I rely only on myself, not like you pampered pets who are useless without your humans!” The little demon puffed himself up impressively—well, it would have been impressive if he hadn’t been trembling as he spoke.

“Is that so? Then, would you, a wild Digimon, care to fight me, a domesticated one? I’m a Demon Beast, you know—defeat me and perhaps you’ll evolve!” Feng Xue grinned wickedly, making the suggestion.

“D—don’t underestimate me! If I’m going to fight, I’ll pick strong Digimon. I don’t waste my time on house-trained pets like you!” With that, the little demon flapped his tiny wings and flew away, leaving Feng Xue watching with a smile.

“It’s getting more interesting by the day. I wonder if that little demon will end up as Beelzemon, or just a Baalmon?” Feng Xue had no intention of destroying the DemiDevimon. The inertia of the plot is second only to the protagonist’s aura—an irresistible force akin to fate itself. Small events can be changed, but the grand scheme cannot be overturned. Since his presence had caused the DemiDevimon to take the place of the original Impmon, the plot’s inertia would see that it survived. Just like in the original story, even when Impmon faced off against a Mega-level Demon Lord, he was only rendered unstable and eventually returned to the Dark Area of the Digital World. If an ordinary Digimon had been struck by Indramon like that, even a weaker Ultimate-level would have been obliterated on the spot!

Well, in the Digital World, a Digimon dies and becomes data—there’s really no need for a coffin, just total erasure...