Digimon Ruins of Babylon

[michirusan]

...the original Ruki was his oneechan? Okay, can someone please point to the hints that established this before the outright reveal here? Because I'm feeling a little off-balance by it.

 

[Belgarion213]

I thought it was pretty obvious actually. There were the hints that Ruki wasn't real (well out right told), the way his big sister was never named, the way when he was almost dead, or dead tired, around Ruki and emotionally distraught he mentioned it.

There was the implication that he joined the game to spare her, and Takoto doing it for Ruki is very in charterer for him. The point where it mentions how well he knows her and how he keeps shoving 'ruki' back into the weave of existence, her insistence of him not dying from before.

Glad to see my guess was right.

 

[Daneel Rush]

The difference in specs was clear—whether it was physical capability or combat skill born from experience, the Royal Knight was superior. Furthermore, Takato was fighting a being that could anticipate every threat. Hence, this was a being that would not be defeated by a stroke of luck or a convenient accident.

Omegamon does not make mistakes.

Gold and white clashed again and again in the sky. While the gold one darted in every direction like a mad pinball, the white one relied on minimalistic movements to parry the other one’s furious assault. Omegamon only did the absolutely minimum necessary to prevent damage and it was only because he was Omegamon that he could do that.

He could not be defeated in a battle of attrition.

Takato’s back met an outcrop of rock, but he moved just in time to avoid the horizontal slash that cut the stone at the base. Omegamon’s eyes narrowed just before the gargantuan rock he had just sliced off the ground shattered in a million irregular and very sharp fragments, but the point-blank explosion would not harm his excellent armor. The Royal Knight elegantly protected himself by letting the shards bounce off his cape—

The knight’s bladed right arm darted out of the cape to meet Takato’s punch.

“It is useless,” he stated of Takato’s idea of using the shower of fragments for cover. Soon enough, the armored human was once more overpowered, his golden form crashing on the ground like a beautiful meteor.

This time, Takato did not stand up immediately afterwards. Lopmon watched the prone boy sprawled on the hard soil with sad eyes.

“So, this is the difference between Magnamon and Omegamon,” Takato murmured as he struggled to control the hasty pace of his heaving breath.

The difference between the weakest and the second strongest among the Royal Knights.

Omegamon’s heels touched the ground, the knight standing over the fallen human and unhesitatingly pointing his Grey Sword at his face.

“You will speak now.”

A statement. Never a question. Omegamon does not need to ask questions.

Takato chuckled even as he raised his body until he was kneeling on one leg. It was actually kind of hard to speak in his current state. He would not be able to explain things properly even if he wanted to.

The Royal Knight’s next attempt at pulling information out of Takato was interrupted by a series of explosions. Two Royal Knights, a human and a Child-level Digimon glanced in unison in the direction of Reichmon’s castle. It was falling apart, despite not having suffered significant structural damage. Pieces of obsidian towers fragmented and collapsed like Lego blocks, never touching the ground for they dispersed into meaningless data as they fell.

“Reichmon is dead,” Omegamon declared, and Takato sighed in relief. Now he had to distract the Royal Knights long enough to slip everyone through the gate…

“Step back, Omegamon.”

It could not be a Digimon.

The owner of that voice could not possibly be a Digimon, but perhaps it was precisely for this being that the word ‘Digimon’ applied the most. That which filled the vast open land with the magnitude of its mere existence was a true ‘Digital Monster’. A monster of monsters that defied all comparison.

Should he laugh or cry? Should he bit his tongue or cry in outrage at his misfortune? Takato had yet to even see the monster standing behind him, but his miserable, pitiful body clad in the most radiant golden armor had already surrendered. Vaguely, just vaguely, he heard the shrilly, pathetic cries of Shaochung’s Digimon partner. Of course, if he, Matsuda Takato, had succumbed to this point, then Lopmon must be wracked by incomparable terror…!

Omegamon’s eyes showed the extent of his surprise at the most unexpected newcomer. His own power was immense, and he was amongst the few who could stand before this immense, unreasonable existence without being defeated by its very presence. Even Magnamon had chosen to land and fall on one knee, keeping his eyes fixated on the ground so as to not reveal the extent of his awe and his fear.

This was a Digimon that could not appear before other Digimon. The gift of undefeatable power was also the curse of eternal solitude.

“I am Alphamon.”

Yes, Takato had already figured out as much. The abomination before him could only be the one who imprisoned Lucemon in the Dark Area. In fact, how monstrous could Lucemon possibly be, that not even this absurd being could slay him?

“I have come following the presence of the Crest of Wrath,” Alphamon explained his appearance to all the presence. “I can feel it within you, human, and not only that.”

Takato squeezed a clump of hard soil with his left hand. He could not…he could not allow this monster to say another word! Lopmon was right there! This…Alphamon, he was about to ruin everything!

“Please…” For some reason, that was the word that left his lips.

A tilt of the supreme knight’s head. Holy? Could they really call this thing a ‘Holy Knight’? This thing, more fearsome, more terrifying than any Demon Lord?

Alphamon turned its body to fully face the fallen Takato, whose body trembled as it became the sole recipient of the huge knight’s attention. This was…this was ridiculous, and humiliating beyond compare.

What were his options? None; it was preposterous to even think of the possibility of options existing. No, to the current Matsuda Takato, there was only one way out.

“Please…say, say no more,” Takato pleaded, and as if his words were an admission of surrender, the golden armor of Magnamon he wore scattered into worthless bits of data. “I…I’ll tell you everything.”

However, that did not mean he had lost.

“But…”

The Royal Knights’ eyes narrowed.

“Only to you,” Takato declared, quickly working his way to the least disadvantageous path. No matter what, his pieces could not learn of the Game. Not yet.

“I’ll speak only to you, Alphamon.”

********************************

“Jen…”

“Hmm?”

Late that evening, partner and Digimon stared at the ceiling together. While her mother often argued about letting the Digimon sleep with their Tamers on the same bed—mostly out of ‘health concerns’ or the such—, most of the time Jenrya’s and Shiuchon’s partners did pretty much whatever they wanted.

“What are you thinking?”

Jenrya hesitated for a moment.

“I think…” He eventually spoke, slowly and somewhat distractedly. “…that I’ll ask you and Lopmon to repeat that story again tomorrow.”

“Hmm…”

There was a strange coldness in the room, at odds with the warm summer night breeze. Rather than coldness, it was more a sense of “distance”. Terriermon was resting on his Tamer’s chest, but there might as well be a stone wall between them.

“I cannot help but feel there’s something you guys are not saying.”

“We told you everything we saw that day, Jen,” Terriermon retorted. “Lopmon told you how they were beaten by the Royal Knights. When I and the others got out of Reichmon’s castle, Takato and Alphamon were away from Lopmon and the other two, and nobody knows what those two said to each other.”

The green-white Digimon leapt off Jenrya’s torso and planted his head on the pillow to stare at the young human’s eyes. It was a level of intimacy Lee Jenrya only shared with his Digimon partner, so far.

“We told them that we beat Reichmon, but Cyberdramon went on a rampage. Takato and Alphamon then hurried to the collapsing castle, but we were too exhausted to follow, and Alphamon scared the living shit out of us.”

The Child Digimon shuddered; the mere memory of that abominable existence shaking him to his very DigiCore.

“We don’t know what happened in the castle, either. They returned a few minutes later, Takato carrying a sleeping Monodramon. Alphamon left with the other Knights after that; Magnamon and Omegamon did not look too happy about it, but who’s gonna argue with that monster?”

“Haa…”

Jenrya sighed, and looked away from his partner and back to the ceiling once more.

“Takato…reached some sort of deal with Alphamon.”

Terriermon did the same, and both Tamer and partner found themselves once more admiring the clean ceiling above their heads.

“That…would be the likely possibility, yes. But what really bothers is what Alphamon said when he first arrived, according to Lopmon.”

“The Crest of Wrath…”

Jenrya and the Digimon Tamers already knew about the Crests of Deadly Sins from Katou Juri. They also knew of Juri’s possession by Leviamon and how Takato saved her by claiming the Demon Lord’s Crest of Envy for himself.

“Takato already had the Crest of Wrath, back then,” Jenrya stated, and it was, indeed, the absolute truth.

The Digimon Tamers do not know this, but the number of Crests of Deadly Sins Matsuda Takato currently possesses, is three.

It was a good thing, of course. It was a step towards Takato’s victory and freedom. However, the question was important because it was frightening. Jenrya wished to know because not knowing made him nervous.

When did Takato defeat Demon?

*******************************

With the glow of myriad points of artificial light, Lucemon arrived to his final destination of the evening. Standing in the middle of the small room, the Child Digimon planted his small hands on his hips and made a face of smug satisfaction.

“Umu,” he said to himself, as if there had been any possibility of his instantaneous movement failing. It was an unnecessary gesture that did not truly mask the excitement clear in his beautiful irises.

He inhaled. Deeply.

“Suuuu…”

He inhaled, and his body flushed with almost sensual bliss.

“…haa…”

He exhaled, almost reluctantly, the sound of the air escaping his lips carrying an undercurrent of longing. Still, his eyes glimmered with happiness.

“This place…” He murmured as in a trance, his voice half an octave higher. “It’s so full of you…”

Like an art geek who visits the Louvre for the first time, Lucemon’s eyes danced merrily to capture the sights of Matsuda Takato’s bedroom: the school textbooks aligned on a shelf over the desk, the Digimon Card Game posters adorning the walls, the Agumon action figure that triggered an unusual dark feeling in Lucemon’s chest.

Of course, he had seen this place hundreds of times before, when following Takato’s days. He knew of the old drawing notebooks stuffed in a cardboard box in the closet, together with an old Disney cap he received from Makino Ruki and a make-up kit he got from Makino Rumiko. He also remembered the group of stray cats that chose the alleyway right out of Takato’s window for their occasional nighttime concerts.

Lucemon, who had followed Takato’s life for five fruitful years, knew everything that could possibly be known about this room. But the happiness that inflamed his chest simply by being there, in person, could not be denied.

Furthermore, that thing was there. On the corner.

It beckoned.

Lucemon looked at it with trepidation, out of the corner of his right eye; his pride obliging him to resist its temptation, even if he knew it was pointless. Even stronger than his pride, that insufferable, irresistible feeling…!

Stealthily, hesitatingly, sliding his bare feet along the cold floor, he inched towards that damnable thing. He glanced nervously at both window and door, no matter how unlikely it was for anybody to catch him unaware. Window, door, and then that…that…

He could not.

Lucemon simply could not hold himself anymore!

He plopped down on its empyreal softness, and a most unbelievable “funyaaa~” sound escaped his majestic lips. His angelic wings wagged like the tail of a delighted puppy. An electrical current shot from his tail bone upwards, making his body shudder and his vision go blank for a moment.

It was wonderful! So wonderful! Too wonderful!

“Funyaaa~” The same strange, incomprehensible word, this time muffled by the malleable softness of Matsuda Takato’s pillow.

Lucemon’s eyes suddenly shot up in utmost shock!

Yes, it was certainly a pillow.

Lucemon was resting face-down on Matsuda Takato’s bed.

And his face…on the pillow.

The pillow.

The pillow…!

Lucemon’s face was buried on Matsuda Takato’s pillow!

He trembled. It was hesitation that made him tremble. Not even the strongest Digimon, Alphamon, could make Lucemon feel doubt in this manner. He acknowledged Alphamon as the strongest, but he did not fear him.

No, Alphamon did not…he had nothing on the ultimate temptation presented before him! Even his magnificent pride would surrender before its charm!

Yes.

It was pointless to hesitate. After all, this battle was lost long before it started.

Lucemon inhaled. He inhaled like he had never inhaled before.

He was lying on a bed long unused; a bed Matsuda Takato had not rested on in months. Rather than any human scent, his nostrils were instead filled with the perfume of detergent and softener.

However, it was still the bed where Matsuda Takato had slept since he had memory. It was the place where he had spent between one-fifth and one-fourth of his entire life.

Nowhere in the universe was Matsuda Takato’s presence stronger, than on that bed. Thus, even better than the best trained dogs, Lucemon could feel him. All over that room, and at its strongest on that bed.

“Takato…” Lucemon whispered gleefully. “It’s like…fuaaah~”

He rubbed his face against the pillow in inexplicable joy. He giggled like a girl who was confessed to by the boy she had always liked. He greedily grabbed the pillow and squeezed it against his body. He rolled on the bed like a hyperactive kid, his tiny hands never letting go of the fluffy headrest. He was out of control; he truly could not control himself. It was something completely beyond his control, something that betrayed even the pride that was his power. Before this incomprehensible feeling he never asked for, his body succumbed and his mind became like marshmallows.

“And that’s why…” He muttered, as his relentless rampage on the bed finally came to a stop. With his face half-hidden by the pillow, Lucemon glanced at the empty ceiling of Takato’s dark bedroom. But nothing could hide the emotions in his eyes.

Sadness, longing, regret, disappointment, boundless affection.

But, above all, the determination of one with the power to both create and destroy worlds.

“That is why, I have to destroy you, Takato.”

As long as Matsuda Takato existed in this world, Lucemon’s wish could not be fulfilled.

This, Lucemon believed to be absolutely and undeniably true.

However, if only for that night, he would forget about that and bask in the comforting presence of the one who was his and only his.

Clutching the pillow like an unimaginable treasure, the Avatar of Pride, Lucemon, for the first time in many, many, many years, slept.

******************************

Eight hours passed, and the two chatted the whole time. They spoke of all sorts of things: of the Tamers, of Takato’s Digimon partner, of Makino Ruki, of the Digital World, of life, the universe, and everything.

“It’s done,” Takato finally said. Albeit reluctantly, he lifted himself off Dreams’ soft thighs and faced her properly. “It’s compiled.”

The Crest nodded. The boy smiled with affection and gratitude.

“Thank you for staying with me tonight.”

He honestly did not know if he would be able to express his gratitude like that again, so he thought it better to make his feelings clear in that moment. The strange, inhuman girl, however, shook her head in response.

“Takato,” she said. “No matter what you request of me, no matter what you choose to do or what you choose to become, I am yours.”

She exists beyond good and evil, right and wrong. She is but a machine, a perfect genie that unhesitatingly turns her master’s dreams into reality, without regard for the consequences.

Takato chuckled. “I don’t deserve you.”

Dreams shook her head again. Worthiness or virtue had nothing to do with it. She chose him because, even before he was born, she knew he would make her do amazing things for him.

Because she knew, and still knows that, one day, he will dream a Dream of incomparable greatness.

“Go, Takato. Dream for your own sake. Dream for me.”

Her expression had never changed. Neither had her voice. But Takato still felt an irreplaceable connection to this transcendental being. He considered Dreaming her into reality for a moment, but Dreaming to manipulate the nature of Dreams was too risky, especially at this critical juncture. No, he had to accept this as their one and only night.

“Don’t worry,” Takato said while grinning confidently. “I intend to use you thoroughly and without hesitation.”

Dreams nodded and the world around them, the hall of gold and marble and elegance beyond compare, began to fall apart like house of cards. Takato’s words, words that would be deplorable when aimed to a human being were accepted most eagerly by this vast existence beyond comprehension.

“Use me with abandon, my precious Dreamer.”

********************************

Inside an octahedral crystalline prison, Matsuda Takato opened his eyes. Almost immediately, he felt the pressure of GranDracmon’s gaze on him. The Vampire Lord watched him from above, elegantly seated on the wide throne at the top of the staircase of red felt, golden threads and violet crystal.

Even in the center of his territory, where he was at his strongest, GranDracmon was cautious. Takato thought it was a great quality. He almost felt sorry for him, for no amount of caution would be of help in the current circumstances. Really, it could not be helped.

Human (if he can really be called such) and Digimon stared at each other at length. The Digimon watched over the crystal with an austere, regal poise, like a sphinx guarding the gate to great riches. The human boy wore a calm, pleasant smile.

GranDracmon jumped to its paws the moment the concentric circles of the Crest of Dreams came to life under the crystalline prison. However, by then, it was already far too late.

“BABALON.”

The source is Thelema. The language is Enochian. No schema was applied.

The name of the sacred whore in whose purity resides the path of supernal enlightenment.

GranDracmon’s crystal fortress exploded.

********************************

“Holy, Holy, Holy art thou, and blessed be Thy name for ever, unto whom the Aeons are but the pulsings of thy blood.”

Aleister Crowley, “The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians, Part Two”, Appendix, p.143, 1944.

********************************

CHAPTER 03 – END

 

[KageX]

Incredible work as always. I am very happy that you updated, but as always your cliffhanger is keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you for all the hard work you have put into this story, and it's predecessor Daneel Rush, and good luck on all of your future works.

 

[Epsilon]

Lucemon should just get a Takato dakimakura.

 

[Crystal shadow]

I wanted to say thank you for the update and that I can't wait for more!

 

[Daneel Rush]

Disclaimer: Digimon does not belong to me. That is a good thing. Really, really.

*****************************************************

RUINS OF BABYLON
Chapter 04
The Boy who Belongs to the Monster, and the Monster who Longs for that Boy – Auditorium of the Apotheosis

*****************************************************

It was an awkward meeting that morning, full of heavy feelings. It was a lovely summer morning, warm and inviting. Throughout the country, children would revel and squeeze as much fun as possible of that perfect summer day, for as long as their holidays lasted.

However, it was with trepidation that the Digimon Tamers had gathered at HYPNOS that morning, accompanied by a powerful feeling of uncertainty but unable to escape the necessary ordeal before them. No, was even “escape” the right word? Would any of those children, if offered the chance, refuse the duty placed on their shoulders that day?

“Some of us have to stay behind,” Juri stated. It should have been obvious, but she still felt the need to point it out. Nobody was really thinking straight that morning. Or lately, for that matter.

“I’m definitely going,” Ruki quickly affirmed. “Being the first to punish that reckless Gogglehead is my absolute prerogative, ordained by the gods. We clear on this, Renamon?”

“Yes,” the fox-like Digimon confirmed. “If Ruki so wishes, I shall inflict bodily castigation upon Matsuda Takato.”

“No, no, that’s just not right,” Akiyama Ryo retorted.

“Tha-that’s…” Juri was not sure how to respond to that, so she just acquiesced, all the while pressing the closed clam-like shell of her partner against her bosom. “Um, right. Anybody else who expressly wants to go…?”

“Juri, I think everybody here wants to go,” Jenrya stated, and both Shaochung and Ryo nodded their agreement.

“I’m fairly sure I don’t wanna go to the Dark Area!” Terriermon commented, but was duly ignored.

“You’re the leader,” Jenrya continued. “So let’s hear your proposal for a split.”

“Eh? But I…”

The other girl present in the all-too-familiar meeting room gave her a scolding look. Katou Juri was the person who led them through the Game Rounds against Lilithmon. Without a shadow of a doubt, she was their leader. It had nothing to do with her intellectual ability or her capacity for strategy; it was simply because she willingly and unhesitatingly accepted the burden of meeting a Demon Lord’s challenge face-to-face for the past three months.

“Um…in, in that case…” Juri continued. “I…I’d like to keep Shiuchon-chan here, together with Ryo-san and Hirokazu-kun.” An awkward pause in which the girl bit her lip as if she had just said something inappropriate. “If…if you don’t mind…”

The group except for Shiuchon smiled warmly. Everyone could clearly see the logic behind Juri’s proposal, clear as water. There was nobody in Heaven or Earth capable of stopping Ruki from going to the Dark Area, and SaintGalgomon was really not very suitable for urban warfare. If the enemy decided to launch an assault on Tokyo while some of them were away searching for Takato, their best defenders would be sturdy and agile frontliners like Justimon and HiAndromon, with Cherubimon and MarinAngemon acting as support.

“That’s good,” Jenrya said. “In all honesty, I want to…”

Juri nodded and smiled gently at the boy’s awkward honesty. Jenrya was not one to voice his feelings much, but he, too, cared deeply and worried much about his missing friend.

“Wait, more like, where is that visor idiot?” Ruki murmured. Admittedly, the others had also wondered about Hirokazu’s absence in their minds.

A distance away from the conversing children, Yamaki Mitsuo cleared his throat to draw their attention.

“Shiota Hirokazu has reported that he would be slightly late,” he explained, his voice mixed with the repetitive sound of a steel lighter opening and closing.

“And the reason for that would be…?” Ruki insisted, perhaps just looking for a reason to feel irritated.

“It appears Lucemon and Kuroyama Takako have paid him a visit early this morning.”

Jenrya and Juri gasped at the dire revelation, while something like “bwuh!” escaped out of Ruki’s and Terriermon’s lips.

It kind of annoyed Ruki that she had the same reaction as the rabbit-dog thing.

*****************************************************

The Tamers assembled at HYPNOS were then summoned to that most familiar place: the concrete hut Guilmon had once called home. Accompanied by Yamaki and his assistant, Ootori Reika, the group of two boys and three girls met with the two remaining Tamers plus a Digimon and a second Digimon in the guise of a little sister.

“Kenta-kun!” Juri was the first to call out to the unexpected presence. Kitagawa Kenta greeted the other Tamers with a weak smile, the best he could muster since that day. His right arm, rendered worthless by the destruction of the shoulder it was attached to, remained within a thick cast and bent close to his body—any other placement was apparently too painful. These past three months he had stayed away from the battles; no one in his right mind would allow him to fight in his condition. In fact, the Tamers were surprised to see him out of his house on his own.

“Lucemon…’convinced’ my parents to let me go out today,” Kenta answered the unspoken question, glancing warily as the placidly smiling young angel.

“What’s the big idea?” Ruki promptly asked the Child Digimon, who shrugged dismissingly.

“That shoulder can be easily fixed in the Digital World.”

Ruki snorted at that. There was even a challenging smirk on her face.

“Are you saying you’re going to fix it?”

Lucemon chuckled. “I could, but Takato can probably do a better job.”

“Lucemon.”

The pristine creature turned his attention to Yamaki’s clearly irritated expression despite the glasses hiding his eyes.

“What did you do last night?”

Given the Tamers and HYPNOS’ utter inability to trace him, it was a perfectly valid question. From their side of things, that is. As for Lucemon, he apparently found it amusing.

“I shall offer you the benediction of an answer for no other reason but the fact I enjoyed a most pleasant sleep last night.”

A strange, lengthy silence ensued. It consumed the good part of half a minute until Takako cleared her throat.

“Umm…I think he already answered you.”

Yamaki made a strange grimace, but quickly corrected himself and addressed Lucemon one more time with his expressionless face and stern voice.

“Are you claiming you slept the whole night and did nothing else?”

That was apparently the limit of Lucemon’s patience. The moment his usual placid and somewhat cocky smile distorted into a scowl of annoyance, the humans present all took a step backwards in instinctual trepidation.

“I have no need to ‘claim’ anything, worthless cur. And I am done with the likes of an imbecile of your magnitude.”

Yamaki could only grunt in annoyance.

With that said, the dangerous and mysterious Angel Digimon clapped his hands twice like a tour guide demanding attention. “Very well, young boys and girls, I hope you are ready to depart, for I shall wait not a second longer. I tire of this nauseating world.”

As the spirit seal of Och, the Crest of Pride, glowed a deep red under Lucemon’s feet, the air before their eyes became murky and cloudy, like sudden and extremely localized surge of gray fog. As it stretched to the size of an average door, a glimpse of a gray wasteland could be seen beyond the murkiness.

“We will enter the Dark Area from the closest location to GranDracmon’s territory I can set up a gate at. If you wish to live to see Takato again, you must be prepared for opposition the moment we step in. The Dark Area has that name for reasons beyond its appearance.”

“You mean because only rotten things like you call that place home?” Ruki said as she stepped forward, her tone and face ever challenging.

“Hmph.” Lucemon immediately dismissed the tall girl’s words. “Incapable of understanding sublime beauty and greatness, as expected of a doll.”

Really, Ruki could not yet figure out why being called something like “doll” by this angel infuriated her so much. Juri, who knew the whole truth of the matter, could only wince and look away. Silently hoping Ruki would let bygones be bygones, to no avail.

“Li-Like anybody would find you beautiful—”

“Takato does,” Lucemon retorted, and there was this unbelievably smug smirk on his face as he did so. “Otherwise he would not fill the pages of his drawing book with my visage, would he?”

And because nobody but Lucemon should ever have the last word when Lucemon is present, the Child Digimon immediately afterwards stepped into the Gate, leaving the Tamers behind and wordlessly declaring the conversation over.

“Waaah! P-Please wait for me, milord!” Takato squeaked hurriedly as she followed after the golden-haired angel.

“I’ll get him….I swear I’ll get him good one day…” Ruki muttered darkly between growls. Turning to Juri, she then stated her intentions. “Katou, I’m leaving. Let’s go, Renamon.”

“Yes.”

“Ah…um,” Juri acknowledged with a nod. “P-Please be careful.”

“We’ll take good care of the fort while you’re away, so don’t worry,” Ryo watched the three Tamers depart with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll leave it to you,” Ruki replied half-heartedly, waving her right hand but not bothering to look back. Still, the vote of confidence took Ryo a bit by surprise, and he found himself smiling more honestly.

Jenrya offered a clumsy wink to Juri as he walked past her. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Tha-thank you very much…” The leader of the Tamers responded somewhat apologetically, all the while Hirokazu and Kenta bumped fists before the latter followed after Jenrya.

“Bye-bye, everyone!” Shiuchon was the last to call out to the departing Tamers. “Terriermon, take care of nii-san!”

“Then who’s gonna take care of meeeeee~?” Those were the last words heard before the Gate ceased to exist. It was Hirokazu who spoke first after the Gate disappeared, its purpose fulfilled.

“Well, for a visit from the Final Boss, that was comfortingly uneventful.”

Ryo actually found it in himself to chuckle at that.

“Let’s hope we have the same luck next time.”

Yamaki snorted at the comment and turned his back to the children, for it was time to make his way back to HYPNOS.

“Let’s hope there’s not a next time.”

A wish that was not to be, most regrettably.

**************************************************

When Jenrya and Kenta entered the gloomy world, the first thing they noticed was Lucemon’s absence. A quick glance around them told them they stood on a rising slope, and the angelic Digimon was calmly walking up towards a distant promontory. From that spot it was likely they could get a very wide view of the whole region. As for Ruki, she was engaged in conversation with a tall, dark and voluptuous figure.

“Huh, so you changed to this form.”

“Um!” Lilithmon nodded joyfully. “I have boobs again!”

It was not even a willful transformation; upon stepping into the Dark Area, Kuroyama Takako was replaced by Lilithmon. Being one and the same at this point, the conversion to data as they entered the Gate completely restored the appearance of the Avatar of Lust.

“Don’t let her catch you staring like that,” Jenrya whispered into Kenta’s right ear, which made the younger boy sweat nervously and quickly look away from Lilithmon’s bust…or just away from the female in general. Terriermon’s snickering certainly did not help.

“Ruki,” the half-Japanese Tamer called out, and she responded with a firm nod. The two reached for their D-Arks, and seconds later their forms had been replaced by those of Sakuyamon and SaintGalgomon.

Lilithmon giggled.

“No matter how times I look at you guys I can’t help but be amazed by how weak you are.”

It was hard to tell with her headgear, but Sakuyamon was seriously glaring at the demoness after that.

“Oh stuff it,” she mumbled darkly. Lilithmon giggled a bit more.

“Whatever,” she said. “It is good to see you at least listen to advice. Still, most Digimon will not get close while milord and I are here, so you have little to be wary of for now.”

“I’m wary enough of you as it is!”

“Ah, touché.”

“Kenta, MarinAngemon,” SaintGalgomon spoke in Jenrya’s voice. “We’ll be counting on you for support.”

Kenta nodded firmly, and the tiny angel blurted a plethora of chirps nobody could make sense of (except perhaps Kenta).

“Very well!”

Kenta went awkwardly stiff when Lilithmon moved to stand behind him.

“While MarinAngemon takes care of you two, I’ll watch over Kitagawa-kun here~”

“Like hell you will!” All three Tamers found themselves retorting at the same time.

“Ah, don’t worry, don’t worry~” Her voice and gestures carried lightheartedness that only made the Tamers even more nervous. “We’re allies right now, so I’ll take reeeeeeal good care of you~”

“Like I’m letting Four Eyes get taken care of by a pervert!” Sakuyamon posed a very powerful argument. Kenta, whose fear could certainly overcome his arousal, nodded in utmost agreement.

“Iyaaan~” Lilithmon squirmed like a young girl enjoying a deliciously and sweet treat. “Nothing to worry, Ruki-chan! This body belongs only to onii-sama~”

“You’re really not helping your case, are you!?” Ruki put lots of emphasis on the “really” for whatever reason.

“Uwaaah, I think I’m starting to see why onii-sama keeps you around; Ruki-tan’s retorts are really sharp~”

“Who the hell is ‘Ruki-tan’!?”

“Mah, mah, relax, relax~now, let’s go!” Lilithmon, who at this point looked more like a joyful girl on a picnic than a Demon Lord in a rescue mission, dropped her hands on Kenta’s shoulders.

“OW!”

“Uwah!” The Avatar of Lust flinched away from the bespectacled boy’s loud cry. “Uwawawawa—I, I didn’t do that on purpose! My bad!”

“Let’s…let’s just go…” Jenrya suggested in a tired voice.

It was not hard to catch up with Lucemon, who had not moved a step beyond the edge of the rocky outcropping. Even as they ascended to meet him, they could get a gradually growing glimpse of GranDracmon’s territory.

It was…not precisely what they expected.

“Wha…” The fact Lilithmon seemed as shocked by the sight as the Tamers told them things were not supposed to look like they did. To put it bluntly, it was a disaster zone. What should have been a marvelous forest of violet crystal had become a wasteland of broken and jagged shards; it looked like it would be painful to walk on that place. Where there should have been a colossal geode of crystals like a crown for the world itself, there was a mountain of shapeless rubble and scattered crystal spikes.

Destroyed.

Everything was destroyed, as if the mother of all earthquakes had had its way with GranDracmon’s demesne.

“What the hell happened here…?” Kenta uttered with a voice full of both amazement and dread, the kind of amalgam only destruction in such a scale can elicit.

“They’re coming,” Lilithmon pointed out. Indeed, a number of figures could be seen both on the ground and in the air; a small battalion of Digimon to welcome them, covering most of the spectrum of evolution levels.

“Not many Ultimates,” Jenrya pointed out, counting only about half a dozen amidst the fifty or so Digimon they could see.

“There aren’t as many Ultimates in the Dark Area as you might believe,” Lilithmon explained. “We’re not very fond of upstarts so we try to keep their numbers low.”

“Well aren’t you honest…” Sakuyamon mumbled with some disgust.

One of the Ultimates accelerated to meet the group first. It was a rather familiar Digimon, although not in the proper way.

“What the hell…?” Ruki muttered. Really, it was like this entire realm and its denizens were out to piss her off.

Kenta had his D-Ark out and ready to scan.

“Kuzuhamon. An Ultimate-level God Man Digimon, Data-type. The natural end of Renamon’s evolution line, a dark shaman versed in syncretic ancient magic. Her special attacks are Ura Izuna, the unleashing of the kudagitsune stored in the pipe on her waist, and Taizoukai Mandara, an powerful exorcism barrier.”

“Wha-wha-wha—what’s with that ‘natural end’!?” Ruki promptly complained. “Are you saying we’re abnormal? Are you calling me a freak!?”

“Why are you complaining to me!? I don’t come up with these!” Kenta whined a retort, showing the holographic image of Kuzuhamon and the accompanying data to Sakuyamon.

Lilithmon chose not to comment that only the strongest Renamon could step into the Kyuubimon-Taomon-Sakuyamon evolution line. It was more amusing that way.

“Takato…”

It was spoken very softly, but the Tamers and the Demon Lord could catch quite clearly. Lucemon’s eyes, they were definitely not on the approaching opposition. They still gazed over the destruction, and his eyes showed a glimmer of feelings Makino Ruki refused to accept. It just would not be right.

Yet, it bothered her: his voice, the luster in his irises, the clenched fists and the wrinkles on the corners of his eyes as he narrowed his gaze and lost himself in deep thought. It bothered Ruki to watch Lucemon show those expressions, and she did not even know why.

Kuzuhama floated ahead and above the Tamers and Demon Lords and saluted with a deep bow.

“My greetings to you, milor—”

“Out of my way.”

A terrible shudder traveled down the human’s spines. It was fear: pure, undiluted, raw in its highest, most dangerous form. Both conscious awareness and survival instincts screamed at them to get as far away from that lovely creature as possible. They saw no longer the charismatic devil, but the shadow of a destroyer; a force of calamity about to start an unstoppable rampage.

Undoubtedly, Kuzuhamon experienced the same. The chattering of her teeth said enough.

Lucemon stepped off the ground to fly towards ground zero of the disaster zone ahead of them. He flew past Kuzuhamon, who knew better than to open her mouth and say another word, for that would mean her immediate annihilation. The other airborne Digimon present opened a breach in their formation to allow the Avatar of Pride to fly through. They were supposed to let him past in the first place, so it was not like this changed their plans in any way.

No, their purpose was to stop anything and anybody that would aim to intrude upon GranDracmon’s and Lucemon’s encounter.

With Lucemon’s departure, the obliterating intent he irradiated in his impatience faded away, allowing the others to regain their bearings and return their thoughts to normalcy. Kuzuhamon’s gaze fell upon her former mistress, who by far remained the calmest when subjected to Lucemon’s terrifying aura.

“Well, if it isn’t the traitor.”

“Hmph!” Kuzuhamon snorted. “I simply chose a more reliable master to serve. No hard feelings.”

Lilithmon’s sigh was lengthy and exaggerated.

“Haa…really. Your ignorance shows, even in the minute of your death.”

The dark shaman gritted her teeth, the tone of her voice rising along with her anger.

“If you think things will turn out your way—”

“Silence, fool.”

All traces of amiability were gone from Lilithmon’s voice as well. It was a good chance to remind everyone that she was, after all, a Demon Lord worthy of fearful respect.

“I do not know what GranDracmon may have told you, and I sincerely care not. This is how things will be: you will return to Sororité Salace like a good little girl, and you will enjoy your last days of existence until I throw you away as a sacrificial pawn in the next round of the Game. Are we clear?”

“Guh…”

“Of course, the alternative is death. Right now.”

The fingers of Lilithmon’s right hand grew and became stakes that impaled themselves in the ground by her feet.

“Wha…” Sakuyamon uttered, taking a step away from the demoness for safety’s sake. She had no reason to worry. For herself, that is.

The Digimon on the ground at the base of the rocky slope Lucemon and the others had ascended found themselves the targets of a vicious forest of impaling spears, each of them a tri-sectioned golden body like one of Lilithmon’s fingers. Instead of five, hundreds of stakes emerged from the hard soil and the fragments of shattered crystal to pierce through dozens of victims in a only single assault. Each of this stakes corresponded to the Nazar Nail that corrodes everything it touches. Ruki, Jenrya, Kenta and their partners could only watch in disgust how the bodies of their enemies fell apart, their faces full of horror distorting like molten wax until no sound could escape their broken lips and their existences shattered into scattered data. The entire earthbound battalion, obliterated in moments.

“…like that,” Lilithmon finished, presented her point to a fear-stricken Kuzuhamon.

It was the end of a battle that never happened.

 

[sytang]

Always nice to see this update, but there's a typo here:

“Waaah! P-Please wait for me, milord!” Takato squeaked hurriedly as she followed after the golden-haired angel.

That pesky one-letter difference again.

Also, following two Demon Lords into the Dark Area... what could possibly go wrong?

 

[Ryuugi]

I can't really say I expected much of Kuzuhamon, given the type of opponents she was up against, but I feel kind of depressed on behalf of her and the others of the Dark Area, who's lives are basically meaningless except as pawns in one game or another.

One concern I continue to have, though, is...well, Lilithmon put it best, I suppose.

“No matter how times I look at you guys I can’t help but be amazed by how weak you are.”

The rest of the Tamers are really lagging behind and becoming increasingly irrelevant. I mean, we knew from the beginning that Lilithmon was basically playing with them, but...well, I'm not sure how they're supposed to have any chance of contributing. Especially if Takato has received such an upgrade that he can wreck even GranDracmon's place, where he's supposed to be like a God.

 

[Daneel Rush]

Rather lively for the survivor of such a massive explosion, Takato surged out of a pile of broken stone and crystal, coughing as desperately as it was unnecessary. He did not need to breathe, yet instinctive, perhaps even algorithmic processes beyond his immediate control urged him to clean his air path.

“Phew…” He wheezed as he fell to his hands and knees. “Didn’t…really didn’t plan for this…”

The gigantic explosion was never part of the plan. It was convenient in that he did not have to fight his way out of GranDracmon’s fortress, but most definitely not the intended effect of his craft.

“To think BABALON would release this much energy…” The boy mused with no little awe and trepidation. “My Crest went a bit overboard, huh…”

Takato laughed nervously, as if expecting someone to pop up to chastise him for the destruction he had unleashed.

“I feel tired…” he noted to himself. Regardless, it was not to the point he would collapse any time soon.

“So!” Squeezing enthusiasm through the minor numbness of his body, Takato stood up with a smile on his face. “I guess I gotta meet with the others—”

He did not even see then coming, the six bullets piercing his body from back to front.

“Gaaah!” Just like that, he fell with his face flat on the harshly uneven ground, his left cheek suffering several small cuts from jagged pieces of broken crystal. “What the…!?”

“Hmph. It appears I set my expectations to high.”

The Crest of Dreams immediately flared to life to close the holes from which data gushed out, lessening Takato’s pain to an easily tolerable level.

“You expected me to dodge them!?” Takato loudly complained to the Digimon looking down at him from a tall piece of broken crystal. “Just exactly what do you think I am!?”

Astamon patted the side of his head with the tube of his machine gun.

“You look quite lively for one who has taken six of my magic bullets, Matsuda Takato.”

The boy smiled placidly and made a dismissing gesture with his right hand.

“Mah, mah, those things can’t kill me anyway.” Before Astamon could retort to that, Takato’s face contorted into a half-hearted glare. “But it still hurt!”

“Hmm…” The Perfect Digimon grinned before pointing his Oro Salmón straight at the space between Takato’s eyes. “If you make such a defiant claim, I have no choice but to contest it, boy.”

“Uhh…” Takato made his open hands meet in front of his face twisted quickly into a supplicant look. “Can I take a rain check on that? I mean, it’s really not a good time.” It was not very wise to look away from Astamon at the moment, so Takato only gestured towards the wasteland behind him. “Lucemon’s here with the Tamers, and you really don’t want to get caught in the middle of Lucemon’s and GranDracmon’s scuffle.”

If that was true, it was certainly cause for alarm. Takato was absolutely right: nobody in his right mind would want to end up in the midst of such a match.

“And I have the feeling Lucemon and Tamers are not the only ones coming…” Takato sighed. “Really, it’s kind of a mess right now.”

Astamon glanced at the distance, as if trying to catch a glimpse of bothersome newcomers. He saw nothing, but…

“You…are not lying,” he concluded, lowering his weapon much to Takato’s relief. “Our proper fight will have to wait a bit longer.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Takato said with a defeatist’s voice. “Sure, I’ll entertain you when the time comes…”

Astamon found the boy’s resigned voice and expression most amusing.

****************************************************

“So…you can fly,” Sakuyamon noted, glancing at Lilithmon’s dark and voluptuous figure crossing the sky some meters to her left. SaintGalgomon followed the two females while carrying a slightly sick-looking Kenta. The boy in glasses was doing his very best not to look at the ground far below.

“A minor application of my Crest, really,” the Empress of Darkness confessed. Certainly, the green seal of Phul glowed inside her pupils. After looking at Lucemon’s back far ahead of them, the Avatar of Lust looked down at the devastated lands belonging to GranDracmon. “Really, what happened here? It’s completely…” She shook her head in awe and disbelief. “Did onii-sama…?”

“Wait, wait; you’re gonna blame Takato for this?”

“Mmm-mah, you might be right; it’s too early to jump to conclusions,” Lilithmon admitted. “But still…ah, we’re going down.”

They followed Lucemon in a gentle descent. The childlike angel had chosen a small clearing surrounding by gargantuan pieces of broken violet crystal. Lilithmon quickly recognized this place as the center of GranDracmon’s territory; the ruins of that formerly magnificent entrance to the vampire lord’s subterranean abode.

“Milord…?” The demoness approached the angel’s back, asking for instructions. Lucemon ran a hand through his fair hair.

“We would have been intercepted in the sky in a few seconds. I thought it better to face them on solid ground, if only for Kitagawa Kenta’s sake.”

Jenrya was admittedly thankful for that. Something like evasive maneuvers would have been disastrous while holding his fellow Tamer.

Two of the largest pieces of fallen crystal were undergoing a disturbing transformation. Their solid structure was melting into an ugly slime capable of shaping its own form.

“This is…” Ruki uttered.

“GranDracmon’s power,” Lilithmon explained. “Within his territory, he can create at will.”

Lucemon was quick to recognize the artificial Digimon GranDracmon was giving birth to, long before their shapes had been completely sculpted from the primordial slime. The Tamers gasped with clear awe when the purplish and black substance ignited and became wings of radiant vermilion flame. On the second blob, massive pauldrons came into existence, ending with sharp claw-like extensions.

“Hmph,” Lucemon snorted. “What a joke.”

The wings of flame were attached to a quadruped body wearing bulky crimson barding. The structure of its armored head and body was clearly draconic, but neither of the children there could recognize this awesome Digimon. A flash of metal drew their attention to the second artificial Digimon, a gigantic bipedal warrior wielding two broad blades almost as tall as he was. A titanic lupine warrior clad in shining armor from which a chilling fog rapidly spread. They were clearly harmonious opposites: a blazing dragon and a warrior wolf of cold steel.

“What…are these…?” Lilithmon looked almost as impressed as the Tamers behind her. “I do not recognize these…”

Lucemon replied with a dismissing shrug.

“Reproductions of the Digimon that defeated me a long time ago: AncientGreymon and AncientGarurumon.”

“The Warrior Ten…”

The dragon growled as it walked in a cautious circle around the group. AncientGarurumon circled in the opposite direction, clearly adjusting positions to set up a pincer attack.

Lucemon chuckled. “So, what do you say, Lilithmon? I will not waste my time fighting these worthless mongrels, but you have not enjoyed a decent fight in some time.”

“Ah, no, no, I’m not a battle maniac, really…” the dark mistress responded with a very unenthusiastic voice.

“And you even have three talented young Tamers to support you!” Lucemon pointed out with an encouraging tone.

“That doesn’t relieve me in the slightest!”

“We’re right here you know?” Ruki muttered darkly.

“Very well!” Lucemon clapped exactly twice. “I intended to face GranDracmon by myself in the first place, so I will leave these pieces of trash for you to—!!!”

Stars.

Lucemon’s speech was interrupted by countless stars suddenly filling the sky. Stars that did not belong to the Dark Area. Stars of calamity like trumpets of the end. Stars of purification governed by a legend of valor and might; the banner of a legendary ruler wielding an invincible blade.

“Tch!”

The Crest of Pride arose over their heads fractions of a second before an apocalyptic bombardment rained upon Digimon and Tamers like divine punishment. It only lasted four of five seconds, but to those protected by the red emblem of Och truly felt like the end of times. SaintGalgomon fell on his hands and knees, reflexively moving to cover Kenta and his petite partner. Following instincts she did not know she had, Lilithmon grabbed Sakuyamon and pushed her down.

“Wha-wha—where the hell are you touching!?”

“For once I’m not doing it on purpose!” Lilithmon shouted back, her voice carrying not a hint of mischief. The lands of GranDracmon were carpeted by a cloud of dust and powdered crystal as the titanic assault from high above blasted through the already ravaged lands. Kenta’s cries of fears were choked by dust pouring into his windpipe, triggering a nasty fit of coughing. Only Lucemon looked unfazed by the outrageous attack, although his usual calm expression had completely disappeared.

“Milord,” Lilithmon called out to the beautiful angel while slowly getting back on her feet together with Sakuyamon. Of the two artificial ancient Digimon there was not a trace left. “That was—!”

“Pendragon’s Glory,” Lucemon confirmed his subordinate’s fears. “Lilithmon, be very careful—”

Too late.

A glowing blue blade sliced through the Avatar of Lust from her left shoulder to the right side of her waist, wielded by one whose speed only Lucemon amongst them could follow. Sakuyamon, even while standing right in front of Lilithmon, did not see the blade split her body, only the deep gash of broken data and the fearsome figure in white and blue suddenly standing before the hated demoness.

“Guh…shit…” Lilithmon gasped out as she fell on her knees, defeated with a single blow.

“Ah…” A weak sound escaped Ruki’s lips. Behind SaintGalgomon…!

“Dispel your Ultimate evolution, Lee Jenrya,” a deep and familiar voice spoke behind the large machine Digimon. “Please do not make me end it by force.”

Kenta looked over SaintGalgmon’s shoulder and shuddered at the unbelievable existence looking down on them.

“Omega…mon…”

“Guh…!” Lucemon grunted in poorly suppressed anger. He met UlforceV-dramon’s glare with one of his own. The bearers of Ulforce and Omega-InForce, plus Examon sniping them from above…!

“Tch!” Spitting to the side, the rebellious angels invoked the powers of his powerful Crest. Even in this situation, if it was Lucemon, a path to victory could still be revealed—

“Desist.”

That single word instantaneously dispelled the gathering power and Lucemon’s will to fight. Sakuyamon, who also had her back to its source, fell to her knees for no understandable reason. SaintGalgomon remained on its hands and knees; it found it impossible to perform any action. He could only tremble and gaze with indescribable horror at that thing. Lucemon…how could Lucemon remain on his feet and sane standing so close to that thing…!

But, Lucemon…could he truly be called sane?

Behind him. Stood. That Digimon.

That Digimon.

That Digimon…!

“You…” he growled. It was a strange sound coming from such a lovely being. It was dark and spiteful and full of every ill wish in existence. It was the vocalization of pure, ancient hatred. “You…you, you, you-you-you-you-youyouyouyou—youuuuuuuuuuuu!!!”

He turned around to glare at that sublime abomination, the ultimate deterrent, the knightly pinnacle unparalleled in the Digital World.

“Yes,” Alphamon responded, his voice resounded through aeons and dimensions.

“Yes. Me.”

 

[Ryuugi]

Awwww, yeah. Things are getting started now.

 

[KageX]

Well I am interested to see just how this turns out. Needless to say it looks like things are about to get complicated.

Great work as always Daneel Rush.

 

[Coelacanth]

All we are missing from this meeting is Takato. I look forward to seeing what you do with Alphamon's character.

 

[TC_Hazard]

I have to say I love Alphamon's lines at the end.

 

[Daneel Rush]

“Yes. Me.”

His tall, majestic figure loomed over the childlike angel like a living rook; meeting Lucemon’s hateful glare with an unchanging expression of disdain, for there was nothing Alphamon could truly hate, nor anything Alphamon could truly fear.

“Wha…what is…” Sakuyamon shook her head and rubbed her eyes as if trying to make something of what her eyes showed her. Perhaps her brain could not properly interpret the image in front of her. Perhaps it could not give a proper shape to this embodiment of power before her.

“Ruki, it would be wise not to do anything to provoke them,” Renamon suggested and Ruki strongly held back the urge to roll her eyes.

“I can figure at least that much!” She hissed instead.

Meanwhile, Omegamon’s eyes narrowed in slight irritation.

“Must I repeat myself, Lee Jenrya?”

SaintGalgomon trembled from head to feet.

“Jen…” Terriermon whispered warily, and his Tamer grunted bitterly before willing the Ultimate evolution to end, thus eliciting a nod of satisfaction from the second of the Royal Knights. Omegamon looked to his right, to UlforceV-dramon and Sakuyamon, and the blue knight nodded at the unspoken instruction.

There was suddenly a dull noise, like two soft surfaces meeting forcefully, and Sakuyamon’s body joined Lilithmon’s in lying on the ground almost inert. She struck the ground with tremendous force, having received a powerful impact she did not even see coming. Like a delayed reaction, the golden shaman howled in pain and clutched her head while assuming a fetal position. Her body glowed with golden radiance before splitting into Makino Ruki and Renamon, the two of them groaning in unexpected pain.

“UlforceV-dramon!” The knight of the end roared, clearly displeased.

“It’s faster my way,” the fastest knight retorted offhandedly.

“Ruki—!” Kenta called out the girl Tamer’s name and instinctively moved in her direction, but only until he felt something thin and sharp caressing the side of his neck. It was something like a ribbon but it gave him a feeling more dangerous than any katana. The ribbon was connected to a Digimon with a body colored a strong tone of pink.

“Ah, non, non, non,” the Digimon lacked eyes, mouth or ears, but his voice still carried a strong nuance of mischief. “Good children stay still.”

Was there even any other choice in this situation?

“Tch, is the whole team here today…?” Terriermon muttered in a tone unusually dark for him.

Lucemon wanted to scream. If even LordKnightmon was there, it would not be unreasonable to believe the others were somewhere nearby, covering likely avenues of escape. Forcing himself to keep his rage deep within his DigiCore, the lord of the Dark Area, addressed the leader of the knights.

“What do you want? I thought you guys hated this place.”

If bothered by Lucemon’s questioning, Alphamon did not show it.

“Do not speak as if you do not know the answer. The latest events naturally forced us to act.”

Lucemon snorted. “As if anybody could force you to do anything.”

“Then you should give Matsuda Takato the credit he deserves.”

A second snort. As expected, Takato’s latest stunt was the reason. If the one Digimon they had condemned to an eternity within this Dark Area was suddenly allowed to leave like it was never a problem, then of course the Royal Knights would be bothered.

“So? What are you gonna do when Takato’s here?” It was safe to assume they would bring Takato to this impromptu meeting. Lucemon could by this point tell that his boy was not in GranDracmon’s hands anymore, what with all this devastation around them.

“We shall see. When he comes.”

Lucemon almost sighed at that. Alphamon was as difficult to get answers from as usual.

“At least…” he continued, glancing over his right shoulder. “At least let me help Lilithmon. She’s gonna bleed to death at this rate.”

What followed was a strange moment in which most of the present did not know what to think. Perhaps it was the fact that Lucemon was in fact showing care towards what by all means should be just another of his many pawns. Naturally, Alphamon knew better. While their relationship could be summarized to “one being beaten by the other”, the greatest of Holy Knight Digimon probably had a good grasp of how his greatest enemy’s head worked.

“I see no reason to allow you to do that,” he replied in the end.

Lucemon would have given almost anything to be able to squash UlforceV-dramon’s sneer off his insufferable face.

*******************************

“Really, those silly knights just can’t make a normal entrance,” Takato mumbled after dusting his clothes off. He had suddenly found himself swallowed by a massive cloud of dust raised by the attack that carpet-bombed almost 80% of GranDracmon’s territory. “I bet GranDracmon’s not happy about this. The poor guy just won’t get that Game he wants so badly.”

Although, at the moment, the Vampire Lord was probably more interested in rebuilding his territory. Not like he would be able to do much about that until the Royal Knights left, though.

With hands in his pockets, Takato walked towards the ‘meeting spot’ at a leisurely pace. Alphamon would not harm the Tamers, so he did not worry on that side. He was a little worried about Lilithmon—it would not do if they killed her before he could take her Crest. Also, she was his little sister.

No, as long as he made it on time there should not be a problem…

Takato’s eyebrows shot sharply up when a familiar Holy Knight Digimon emerged from behind a pile of crystal debris. When their eyes met, something like relief was reflected on the white knight’s yellow eyes, and its bulky figure turned to approach him. After the initial surprise, Matsuda Takato could do nothing but smile; a smile full of fondness and nostalgia.

“That Alphamon really doesn’t waste time, huh?” He grinned, for this was an unexpected but very welcomed meeting. “It’s good to finally meet you, Dukemon of the Royal Knights.”

The Digimon, startled a little by the amiable greeting, first presented his open hands to show he carried no weapons—not that it made much difference to one who can summon them in an instant—before courteously bowing to salute the boy.

“I greet you, Matsuda Takato,” he said. His voice was neither Takato’s nor Guilmon’s. It was his own voice, booming yet youthful, firm but surprisingly friendly. “It is…a strange experience. To meet my intellectual creator.”

Takato chuckled. His grin was so wide at the moment.

“I know, right? I was thinking the exact same thing!” With childlike awe, Takato tiptoed around the armored figure, examining it with the bright eyes of a boy presented with a brand new action figure. “Uwaah, it’s really the same…!”

“Ah, yes, there were only minor cosmetic modifications to the design,” Dukemon replied, whatever imposing aura he might have wanted to project long gone. “Like my voice, and, umm…and the DigiCode on my Aegis.”

Takato figured it out. This was a rookie knight, nervous about his first job ‘on the field’. It made him chuckle.

“Ahaha, you’re so cute.”

“Pfft!” For a while, words were choked before they could leave Dukemon’s mouth and only strange sounds could be heard instead. “Wha-wha—cu-cu-cu-cuuuu—” Finally realizing he was acting in a much unknightly manner, Dukemon straightened himself and cleared his throat. “Ahem, p-please do not call me that.”

“Nope!” Takato refused with arms crossed before his chest and a grin on his face. “Even if Yggdrasil created you, I’m still your father so I get to call you whatever I want.”

“T-Takato-sama!”

The boy laughed like he had not in a very long time.

“Ahaha, you’re really…” His eyes sparkled with excitement. “Ne, Dukemon, can you say ‘pun-pun’ with that same angry voice?”

“P-Please do not make fun of me, Takato-sama!”

Takato only laughed louder.

“Mmmmmu-mu-mu-mu-muuuu…!” Dukemon growled in irritation, but it still sound more cute than menacing. In the end, the exasperated young knight summoned the powerful lance to his right arm, pointing at the smiling young boy.

“Ma-Matsuda Takato-sama! You will follow me to audience with Alphamon-sama this very instant!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Takato agreed with an easygoing tone, pushing aside the lance almost like an afterthought. “I was on my way there already, but I don’t mind good company. Let’s go.”

“Ah.” Dukemon uttered, seemingly surprised by Takato’s acquiescence. “…um.”

On the way there, Takato only asked one question.

“Ne, Dukemon…”

“Yes?”

“…are you happy?”

The young knight glanced from Takato to the expanse of ravaged wasteland ahead of them, back to Takato and then finally settled on the road ahead.

“I…am not sure I understand ‘happiness’ yet, but…I feel no dissatisfaction with my current life.”

The boy nodded.

“I see. That’s good.”

Dukemon could not make anything out of the smile on Takato’s face, but it was not a smile that made him feel distrust, so he guessed it was a good smile.

They were noticed about as quickly as they noticed the large group gathered in a clearing surrounding by gargantuan pieces of violet crystal. The sight of the fallen Ruki and Renamon at UlforceV-dramon’s feet filled him with a dark feeling he stubbornly pushed into the depths of his core. It would not do to lash out in these circumstances; he just had to talk things out with Alphamon. He had learned in their first meeting: in spite of his terrifying presence, Alphamon was a Digimon who listened to words and avoided unnecessary violence. While Renamon seemed taken aback by the Digimon walking by his side, Takato tried to offer Ruki a friendly smile he was not sure she noticed. He nodded to acknowledge Jenrya’s and Kenta’s attention and mouthed a soundless “it’s alright” in an attempt to ease their fears—he was not confident that worked, either. He acknowledge Lilithmon’s fallen form and suppressed the urge to use his Crest to save her. Not before addressing Alphamon.

Finally, his eyes met Lucemon’s. The glowing expression of undiluted relief on the angel’s face inevitably brought a nervous smile to Takato’s own. Takato guessed he was probably blushing as well. Averting his eyes—and thus not noticing the angry pout he got from Lucemon in response—, Takato scratched his right cheek in a clear sign of embarrassment.

Seriously, that’s not how you look at your nemesis, stupid angel.

It was not the best time for meetings, so Takato guessed going straight to the issue was the best idea.

“Alphamon,” he began, facing straight at the most powerful Holy Knight Digimon, this time without fear or hesitation. “It seems I have caused you—”

The few who actually saw what happened did not move in time to stop it. It would have been hard to stop it, regardless. Such was the nature of that Digimon: tempestuous, like the speed he was so proud of.

What everybody could see was the flash of blue, and the aftermath.

“UlforceV-dramon!” Alphamon called out in a loud, rumbling voice that made the Tamers shiver.

“This is what we came here to do, is it not?”

It was a sound argument. To punish evils, to eliminate threats—those were the roles of the Royal Knights.

But the Tamers and their partners, and Lilithmon, and Lucemon, only had eyes and ears for the sight and sounds of Matsuda Takato’s head rolling off his shoulders and scattering into loose data upon meeting the ground. His body collapsed after that, falling to its knees and exploding into particles of worthless data before it could hit the ground as well.

“Aaah…” The first to utter a sound was Dukemon of all people. Perhaps, it was the shock of witnessing the sudden death of the same person he had been talking to just moments before.

“No way…” Kenta murmured with trembling lips at the surreal sight. Certainly, the Matsuda Takato who had been standing there a moment ago was no more.

“Eh…?” Ruki’s voice was as weak as her current appearance, but her eyes never left the spot where that person had been. He had been there, he had stood right there! They had reached him at last, but…!

“I have said it before!” Alphamon raised his voice, an act unusual for him. “Do not act on your own initiative when I am commanding!”

“What is it?” The bearer of Ulforce retorted. “What was there to discuss? That human opened a path for Lucemon to escape his prison. That is more than enough of a reason to eliminate him.”

“How thoughtless,” Omegamon finally entered the discussion, stepping past the stunned Tamers and Digimon to address the hasty Royal Knight. “We needed to learn the details, UlforceV-dramon. If it was possible for Matsuda Takato to do it, then we needed to know the details to ensure it will not happen again!”

“What’s there to know!?” The blue dragon knight insisted. “He used Dreams, that’s it! With that Crest he could do whatever he wanted! He had to be stopped!”

“Fool!” Omegamon roared. “As long as Dreams had a Master, its power could be controlled! Now you’ve released it again for it to do whatever it wants!”

“Mah, mah…” LordKnightmon approached with conciliating manners, standing before the two powerful knights far greater than he in power. “What’s done is done, right?”

“This is not a matter than can be dealt with so carelessly, LordKnightmon!” Omegamon said bitterly.

But, while the other knights wallowed in bitter and pointless discussion, Alphamon looked at a certain other Digimon’s back. That most powerful of knights was experiencing something he was not familiar with.

Fear? No, it was most definitely not that. The development to come would be more of an annoyance than anything. But…regardless, he could not help but feel a bit sorry for his ancient enemy.

*************************************

“Ah…”

What was that ancient and terrifying Digimon thinking?

“Ah…aaah…”

He was not.

He could not.

It made no sense.

“Aha…ha…”

What his eyes showed him made absolutely no sense.

Lucemon took a step, then another. Alphamon did not stop him.

Lucemon needed confirmation.

Takato…Takato should be there. Takato should be standing there.

Yet his eyes did not show him Takato. That…that did not make sense.

“Aaah…” Speech…speech was not necessary. He just had to make sure.

His eyes were obviously failing him; a glitch, yes, that would be the best way to call it. So, he just had to take a few steps and stretch his hands, and reach…

…data.

Scattered, it caressed his hand like snowflakes; like the last embers of a dying flame.

“Ah…”

It was worthless, yet so soft, like his cheeks.

“Taka…”

The small Digimon cupped his hands, as if he could hold the dispersing data between them. When that failed, he feebly reached for them, but it was as pointless as trying to catch a fly.

“Taka…Taka…” The words would not come out properly. Lucemon fell to his knees, hoping against all hope to feel…to find something, anything, that showed that Takato was still there. Of course, his hands could not reach anything. After that nervous smile…the last memory, would it really be that bashful smile?

“Haha…haa…Taka…to…”

His arms and his forehead also touched the ground. His words could no longer by heard by anybody else there. The Digimon and the human children watched a pitiful figure trembling and mumbling nonsense while on all fours, surrounded by his hated enemies yet seemingly not caring at all.

UlforceV-dramon, Omegamon and LordKnightmon watched the sad figure by their feet, and then at each other. In the end, the blue dragon knight shrugged and raised his blade. He was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Hahaha, haha, haa…” there was a strange amalgam of feelings in that pitiful laugh. There was exhaustion, and also resignation, but also an undertone of relief that they found only confusing.

Lucemon sighed. It was a sigh of defeat.

“Mou…” It was a beautiful voice. Of that there could be no doubt. “…I’m done with this.”

And then everyone, and everything, in a seven meter radius was blown away.

Everything except Alphamon, that is.

 

[KageX]

......... Well every living thing in the Dark Area besides Alphamon is utterly fucked over three ways from Sunday.

I wonder how Takato will come back from this, given Dreams words earlier this is certainly not his end.

And I wonder just how much trouble UlforceV-Dramon is in? If he survives this he is likely scheduled for deletion by Yggdrasil due to being such a loose canon in situation where he truly made things worse, so even if he survives the horror that is Lucemon Unleashed then he is still in a lot of trouble.

 

[DeathGod666]

I do believe Lucemon may be a tad upset.

 

[sytang]

*ahem*

Looks like Takato didn't make the cut

This snippet is heading in a completely different direction than to what I expected.

It's going to put a damper on those slice-of-life sections...

okay I'm going to stop.

On the upside, it's good to see Dukemon again. I also find it interesting that Yggdrasil can replicate the Hazard (at least, I'm assuming Dukemon has the Hazard)

 

[sikle]

It's been implied that this instance of the Hazard is unique to Lucemon.
Though, without a description of Gallantmon's body or hands, who knows?
The author, obviously.
Am I the only one concerned by the fact that the final known form of Lucemon is a larval stage?

 

[KageX]

It's been implied that this instance of the Hazard is unique to Lucemon.
Though, without a description of Gallantmon's body or hands, who knows?
The author, obviously.
Am I the only one concerned by the fact that the final known form of Lucemon is a larval stage?

I am pretty sure that it is a reference to "Larva as a term for an evil spirit", which comes from the Romans. They are also known as Lemures.

I know for a fact that the the term Lemures has been ignored and Larva used for enemies in at least some RPG's originating in Japan, most notably Final Fantasy X where they got the "mask" part of the definition of the description right and used them as an entire species of Fiends.

 

[sikle]

Huh. Learned something else new today. (I looked up the definition of shoverlware earlier)

I can definitely see where your posited theory comes from, and I certainly don't dispute its possible validity concerning the nature and origin of Lucemon. However I also wouldn't be surprised if it was a reference to both evil spirits and insects. Who would be surprised if he's got a super-ultimate form waiting to be revealed another 5-10 years down the road?

 

[ranmatoushin]

sneaky takato, sending a clone ahead to draw the fire. (note there was no mention of dukemon)

 

[shioran toushin]

or he pulled an Obi-Wan...

 

[Coelacanth]

I don't what I was even expecting. Hah, this was great. I literally yelled at my brother to shut up while I reread this scene. Worth it.

 

[Daneel Rush]

“Did you know? The first thing I heard…was your heartbeat.”

*******************************************************

Red.

The sky glowed red.

The stars glowed red.

The barren land glowed red.

The Dark Area was bathed in the color of Pride. The foremost Crest of sin filled all spaces and reproduced endlessly, covering the bleak dimension with the color of freshly spilled blood. It glowed brightest under his feet. It glowed direst in his irises.

It was a suitable fate, for nobody loves more strongly than he, and nobody hates more deeply than he.

Alphamon did not move a single step. His huge figure showed no aggressive intent. With arms crossed, the greatest of knights watched the small angelic figure get back on his feet. Lucemon’s wings trembled like moth’s, dusting off dirt and tiny pieces of crystal which marred their pristine whiteness.

He was the fastest, so it was natural for UlforceV-dramon to recover first. Not wasting an instant, he recognized the threat and move to destroy it.

He was the fastest, but when he closed the meters that separated him from Lucemon in an instant, the angel welcomed his proximity with a cold glare. He was the fastest, but Lucemon had seen the full extent of his movement.

Something resonated deeply within UlforceV-dramon’s soul, or whatever passes for a soul in a Digimon’s code. The eyes that met him were cold but empty, dangerous yet evoking of pity. The eyes of one who had lost everything, and thus had nothing left to lose.

The blade that was poised to decapitate Lucemon froze before the deathly swing could even begin. UlforceV-dramon’s instincts saw death, but it was not Lucemon’s. Thus, the blue knight flew away; he flew away from the threat that shook his center, for it was a threat of a magnitude he could not comprehend, much less measure.

Dozens of meters became hundreds in a second. UlforceV-dramon’s acceleration allowed him to put entire kilometers between himself and the white angel in the blink of an eye.

And the angel’s beautiful lips parted to reveal words.

“…I pursued my enemies and overtook them;”

The earth cracked and gave in as it received an unfair impact. A blue meteor struck it and dug into its barren expanse. The meteor could not even groan in pain, for its neck had bent in an awkward, impossible angle when the fastest Royal Knight met an immovable object.

Lucemon had not attacked. It was a matter of interposing his open hand faster than UlforceV-dramon could change direction.

“Ulforce Saber!”

The angel side-stepped the colossal blue wave that would have split him in half, allowing its sharp edge to plunge through the earth and split it apart like god’s knife. The holy knight’s voice had returned as the broken neck was restored to normalcy as quickly as it was broken in the first place.

Lucemon backhanded the blue knight, but UlforceV-dramon’s speed allowed him to move to the angel Digimon’s right flank and away from the attack. Any attempts to follow up were interrupted by the awareness of Lucemon’s other hand holding his weapon arm.

“When—!?”

To think about how things happened was a waste of time; the Crest of Pride shone brilliantly in Lucemon’s eyes, warning UlforceV-dramon that his life was in imminent danger. When Lucemon let go of his arm, UlforceV-dramon had no thoughts of resuming his offensive.

“Tensegrity Shield!”

It was truly an invincible shell, empowered by the powerful algorithm, Ulforce. No matter how calamitous the opposing power, Ulforce would render the shield unbreakable and undefeatable. It was an automatic routine of self-renewal UlforceV-dramon prided himself of possessing, even if he had little to no control over its actions.

This is why, when he saw the crackling, glowing bead of terrifyingly dense energy inside the volume enclosed by the Tensegrity Shield, he understood the meaning of terror.

“I did not turn back till they were destroyed.”

The other Royal Knights regained their bearings, awoken by the fastest member’s screams.

*******************************************************

“From the moment I was born, I waited for you. Your name was the first thought that crossed my mind.”

*******************************************************

“Spiral Masquerade!”

“Extreme Jihad!”

Lucemon’s back was protected by the glowing emblem of his Crest, growing large enough to receive Magnamon’s barrage. The angel’s hands flickered and caught LordKnightmon’s four deadly ribbons. The Crest of Pride radiantly surrounded its master’s wrists. When Lucemon twisted them in opposite directions, the four sash-like blades were ripped off their owner’s body. The pull was strong enough to make LordKnightmon drop to his knees, and any thoughts of standing back up met their doom when he felt a single finger poking his forehead. Looking up, the monarch of all Knightmon discovered true emptiness.

“I crushed them so that they could not rise;
They fell beneath my feet.”

“Ah….aaah…”

The glowing Crest of Pride struck him from above like the hammer of a furious overgod, smashing him against the ground and using him like a spike to dig a well in the harsh wasteland of the Dark Area.

“Magnum…Puuuuuuuunch!!!”

Lucemon effortlessly stepped away from the fist aiming for the back of his hand, grabbing the offending hand in mid-swing and pulling Magnamon along with it until the golden knight ended up upside down. A single finger poked the uncovered white skin on Magnamon’s midsection, and the Armor-level Royal Knight shook when a petite golden beam pierced through his body. He then screamed when the beam grew to swallow his entire form, blowing him away at least a whole kilometer. No miracle saved him this time.

*******************************************************

“I waited for the happiness only you could give me. For I knew I was born for your sake, and that we were meant to be together.”

*******************************************************

A furious roar from above made Lucemon take a single step back just before a large winged form dive-bombed right in front of him. The angel was swallowed by a cloud of dust and crystal powder, from which a pair of strong, armored hands emerged and closed themselves around Lucemon’s neck. The cold, empty eyes of the Avatar of Pride met those of an incarnation of fury.

“Disappear from this and every world, Morningstar!”

The orbs embedded in Dynasmon’s palms glowed menacingly as they gathered energy matching the attributes of those legendary Warrior Ten, even as they unhesitatingly attempted to squeeze the life out of Lucemon by breaking his neck.

“…you armed me with strength for battle;”

Small hands reached for Dynasmon’s wrists; hands to small to encircle the wrists of such a mighty being. However, when they pushed in opposite directions, Dynasmon grunted in pain, and when those same small hands twisted while gripping Dynasmon’s wrists, those wrists were twisted along until the palms faced the wrong direction.

Dynasmon howled in pain, and his Dragon’s Roar attack was fired to the sides to strike absolutely nobody. The wobbling Royal Knight suddenly found his neck squeezed between Lucemon’s thin ankles. He was not allowed to react in any manner before he was pulled by unreasonably strong legs into the path of Dukemon’s Final Elysion.

“…you humbled my adversaries before me.”

*******************************************************

“But you never came. I do not blame you, but I still despise you. Someone must take responsibility for this pain I never asked for.”

*******************************************************

A vibration in the ground under his feet made Lucemon look downwards just before a sharp spike of rock launched him upwards into the sky, where he found himself unexpectedly surrounded by floating energy globes. It was the result of an opportunist strategy built on the suffering of one’s own fellows.

“Eroberung.”

Lucemon was concealed by a curtain of explosions, but that did not stop Duftmon Leopard Mode from leaping off the rock spike he had created and into the incendiary cloud to tear the angel apart with his crimson claws.

“Blockade—!”

Two hands, beautiful and so fragile-looking, effortlessly caught the lunging beast knight in midair. The hands emerged from a glowing shell of blue energy which had protected Lucemon from the floating energy mines.

“You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,”

Duftmon’s eyes widened in horrific realization upon coming to understand that he was looking at UlforceV-dramon’s Tensegrity Shield.

“You can….you can also—”

Speaking of UlforceV-dramon, he had already stumbled out of the trap of his own making, and he glared at the dark grey cloud hiding Lucemon with utmost hatred. The large golden V-emblem on his chest glowed with awesome power.

“Shining V—buh!” The invocation was interrupted when he was unexpectedly rammed by Duftmon’s body discarded like worthless rags. From within the smoke cloud high in the sky, golden beams rained upon the two fallen holy knights like divine castigation.

“And I destroyed my foes.”

*******************************************************

“I grew tired of waiting. I sought happiness on my own. I sought to build a world in which everybody could be happy.”

*******************************************************

For the second time, destruction rained from the distant sky. For the second time, the crimson emblem of Pride covered Lucemon like an umbrella. The angel stretched his hand in the four o’clock direction, and a second Crest of red light interposed itself on the way of a silvery blue energy beam. As the beam clashed against the Crest barrier, the air became colder and white vapor escaped Lucemon’s lips as his skin began to experience an uncomfortable chill.

“Tch!” The incoming enemy was not one Lucemon could gaze upon with disdain.

The flash of a blade in the midst of the freezing, obliterating cannon, and the smaller barrier shattered like cheap glass, if anything reducing the output of what otherwise would have been a lethal blow. Lucemon flew backwards, wincing in pain as data drizzled out of the vertical wound slicing through his torso from left shoulder to belly.

A burst of small missiles and golden beams struck Lucemon in the back. The angel wanted to growl and glare at the insolent Magnamon, but the more dangerous enemy was on the move once more.

The sword that Lucemon would have caught between his open palms stopped its descent, and Lucemon grunted when he was suddenly kicked on the left flank. Omegamon followed the angel’s flight with eyes of steel, aiming his left arm the moment his enemy’s body met a rocky Cliffside some hundred meters away.

“Garuru Cannon.”

The moonlight-colored beam struck mighty and true, pushing Lucemon’s body deep into the Cliffside before releasing its unstable energy in a tremendous explosion that created a spider’s web of cracks in the grey stone. The gaps in the stone were quickly filled with frozen air, preventing the rocky wall’s collapse and instead creating a spectacular sculpture of transparent, gargantuan, colorless ice crystals; a frozen tomb fitting the most beautiful and dreadful of Angel Digimon.

However, Omegamon was not so stupid as to believe that would be enough to stop Lucemon’s rampage.

“They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
To the Lord, but he did not answer.”

*******************************************************

“I gave away so much of myself. So much that, when I found myself opposed, I could not avoid defeat.”

*******************************************************

High atop the dark clouds, kilometers away from the mostly ground-locked battlefield, the Emperor of All Dragons gazed upon the vast bleakness of the Dark Area. Its colossal body of crimson flesh and sharp metal floated immobile where the Digital World became diffuse, near the boundary between the digital purgatory and the countless worlds it was isolated from.

In spite of the distance, his eyes could carefully scan large expanses of land; hundreds of square meters of lifeless wasteland. The battle developing at ground level had not escaped his sight, and his purpose was to find the appropriate timing to unleash his powerful bombardment.

Pendragon’s Glory.

That was the name of Examon’s ultra-long-range bombardment technique: the release of dozens of special supersonic, high-caliber rounds loaded with multiple different harmful routines. A barrier capable of stopping the first bullet might succumb to the second one only because the effects are different for each. Adding to that the supporting laser beam fire, the result was something that truly looked like divine castigation from the heavens.

None of those bullets so far had harmed Lucemon in any way.

However, until he received new instructions from Alphamon, his role was reduced to that of a sniper. He was mighty, incredibly so, but even he bowed to the authority of the Siege Perilous. So, he sought Lucemon to properly aim his next bombardment.

Finding Lucemon even after Omegamon’s strike turned out surprisingly easy. After all, the Angel Digimon was floating mere inches away from his face.

Seconds later, the Royal Knights, the Digimon Tamers and their partners looked up at the sky in awe, for there was a colossal object freefalling, its body coated in a mantle of igniting air. Examon was wrapped himself in his magnificent wings of Chrome Digizoid. The wings, larger than Examon’s body itself, acted as a fine shield to protect the Dragon Emperor from atmospheric friction. There was some irony in the fact that he had a special attack just like this.

It was, indeed, a poorly performed Draconic Impact that would only harm Examon himself.

He struck the ground like a blazing red meteor. For an instant, the sky shone as if the digital sun had finally made it through the bleakness of the digital purgatory, and afterwards the earth shattered and sunk under the force of the absurd impact and explosive force. He fell far away from the Tamers and Royal Knights, but the meteoric fall was more than powerful enough to be felt by all of them. Crystal shattered even further, as if BABALON had not been enough. The land itself groaned in pain and a tsunami of displaced soil swept over GranDracmon’s territory while tongues of loose data lashed at everything and nothing.

“I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.”

*******************************************************

“But victory and defeat felt irrelevant. Even building the ideal Digital World felt irrelevant. Without you, everything felt irrelevant. Isn’t that just too unreasonable?”

*******************************************************

He dodged a Garuru Cannon and slipped through the gaps in Magnamon’s barrage. The golden knight was blown away with a punch to the face, and Lucemon quickly turned around to catch the wrist belonging to Dynasmon’s hand trying to reach him. He spun a full circle and then slammed the dragon knight on the soft and utterly messed up ground under their feet. Lucemon’s free hand outstretched to grab LordKnightmon’s Pile Bunker. The pink knight tried to unleash his mountain-shattering mechanical waves, but the hand that held his weapon still inexplicably changed into a glowing blue sword that split the Pile Bunker into identical halves.

“Wha…buh!”

A kick to the gut sent LordKnightmon flying away. Lucemon turned around again, and his sword-arm met UlforceV-dramon’s own. Identical Ulforce Sabers clashed and the blue dragon knight glared at Lucemon with ever increasing hatred. However, Lucemon’s hand changed back to its proper form and grabbed the other weapon. The Crest of Pride shone mightily around Lucemon’s wrist, and the Ulforce Saber broke into three pieces.

“Guh!” UlforceV-dramon grunted while warily pulling away from the melee. “That…that Crest!”

Lucemon grabbed one of the pieces of the Ulforce Saber, and the Crest of Pride brimmed with radiance once again. He threw it to his right, in the direction of the approaching Duftmon, who easily dodged it. That was when the code instantaneously embedded into the blue fragment caused it to explode, showering the rapier-wielding knight with shrapnel.

But Lucemon had not the time to rest; he immediately turned around yet one more time to try a high kick, which was obviously seen through and countered with a terrible horizontal swing of the Grey Sword. Growling to conceal his pain, Lucemon swept his right hand before Omegamon, invoking half a dozen orbs of energy that were promptly sliced to oblivion. He did not even see the left cannon-arm going for his gut until his body lurched forward, coughing loudly and disgustingly.

“Garuru Cannon.”

The Crest of Pride was faster. Lucemonr reappeared a meter above Omegamon, hands clasped together and blazing with power. But Omega inForce is flawless in its operation, and it has absolutely no blind spots.

The Grey Sword pierced through Lucemon’s body from chest to back, making the childlike angel cry out in utter agony for the first time in this battle. But Omegamon did not underestimate his enemy; noticing the small hands reaching the blade embedded in Lucemon’s body, the knight of the end pulled his weapon back out and struck with a second swing.

“Grey Sword.”

A sparkling wave of white radiance followed the path of the swing, striking Lucemon’s torso and blowing him away, the other Royal Knights chasing right after. Naturally, UlforceV-dramon was first among them. With his awesome speed, he caught up to the angel in undirected flight. The V-symbol on his chest shone brightly.

“Shining V—!”

Lucemon disappeared, and UlforceV-dramon’s face met the ground after he was stomped on the back of the head.

“You have delivered me from the attacks of the people.”

“Step back!” Omegamon warned his fellow knights, but voice has always traveled slower than light. Three of them—Dynasmon, Magnamon and Duftmon—were caught inside a deadly cross of divine energy centered on Lucemon’s lovely form.

Grand Cross.

“You have made me the head of nations.”

*******************************************************

“This feeling. I despise this feeling more than anything else in this worthless world. This need that makes me feel lacking. This need that makes me feel incomplete. This feeling that gets in the way of my pride.”

*******************************************************

Lucemon flew out of the cross with eyes like a bird of prey. He flew towards Omegamon but a new figure stood in the way.

It was Dukemon.

Teleporting one more time, Lucemon emerged deep within Dukemon’s personal space, at a very close range where both Gram and Aegis were rendered useless. Dukemon thus stepped aside revealing Omegamon sword raised and LordKnightmon moving to cover Lucemon’s left flank. Even if he attacked the weaponless LordKnightmon, clearly the weakest link in this three-pronged attack, Omegamon would see that and act upon it.

However…

“People I did not know now serve me.”

Alphamon frowned.

Three Royal Knights were blown away.

“Foreigners cower before me.”

*******************************************************

“I do not blame you, but I still despise you. For this feeling I never asked for. For these fetters I never deserved. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!”

*******************************************************

The Crest of Pride came to life behind Lucemon, stopping UlforceV-dramon’s Shining V-Force.

“Breath! Of! Wyvern!!!”

Lucemon teleported away from the gigantic dragon that pounced upon the land like a beast of the endtimes. Floating far above anybody else, Lucemon drew a cross with two fingers. This time, everybody saw the cross of light drawn on the ground, covering a huge expanse. This time, the attack being cross-shaped, the Royal Knights were able to move away in time from the surge of golden light that was Lucemon’s signature attack.

Of course, the fact that the attack had a specific shape meant Lucemon knew exactly in how many ways it could be avoided.

“As soon as they hear of me, they obey me.”

Laser beams shot from each of Lucemon’s fingers, anticipating the Royal Knights evasive maneuvers and striking true most of the time. UlforceV-dramon’s absurd speed and endurance protected him, but Magnamon, Dynasmon and Duftmon took the full brunt of the barrage were defeated by it.

“Royal Saber!”

Lucemon effortless dodged the beam fired from Dukemon’s Gram. In other circumstances he might have praised the sturdiness of the Virus-type Royal Knight who recovered so quickly, but the current Lucemon had no room in his mind for such thoughts. Raising a hand, he released five golden beams towards the sky which merged into a single gigantic beam. When he lowered the hand, the beam moved along to fall upon Dukemon like a hammer of light. It was a colossal mallet of energy at least twenty meters in width and over a kilometer in length which mowed through the barren wasteland and the youngest of the Royal Knights with frightening carelessness.

“They all lose heart;
They come trembling from their strongholds.”

UlforceV-dramon and Omegamon charged.

*******************************************************

“I…I cannot live without you.”

*******************************************************

Omegamon was bothered by something.

Just moments ago, he was blown away by Lucemon’s attack.

He had been struck by a simple—albeit powerful—melee attack.

He had been struck by an attack that by all means should have been avoidable.

However, that was not what Omega inForce showed him.

What he saw, the premonition that filled him an instant before the strike, was that Lucemon’s attack was an attack that could not be dodged.

That should not be possible. That would mean Lucemon, even in his Child level, had reached the pinnacle where Alphamon stood.

That simply could not be possible.

The angel watched their charge with cold eyes, uncaring of the two deep wounds Omegamon had inflicted in addition to the other attacks which had struck true.

The laser beams were easily dodged by the two Holy Knight Digimon, but they did a good job of building a distance between them. In an instant, Lucemon pounced upon UlforceV-dramon.

“They all lose heart.”

A claw swipe was easily dodged by the smaller Digimon, who retaliated with a knee kick UlforceV-dramon dodged just as easily, only to find his neck choked by an unexpected hand. When the Crest of Pride flared into existence, the blue dragon knight began to scream as he felt his constitutive data being tainted from within; Lucemon’s unparalleled coding prowess striking at the very center of UlforceV-dramon’s existence.

It was the exact same way in which his predecessor was defeated by this same Lucemon many, many years before. Even if his recovery power was the greatest among the Royal Knights, it did not prevent him from feeling pain. Even if that recovery power prevented Lucemon’s invading algorithm from destroying UlforceV-dramon, it would not stop the agony from the self-replenishing virus wracking his insides.

His mind would break long before his body collapsed.

“They come trembling from their strongholds,” Lucemon spoke while glancing at the plummeting figure of UlforceV-dramon, who had been rendered unable to fight any longer.

Only Omegamon remained.

Alphamon watched with the eyes of a hawk.

*******************************************************

“There is no doubt about it. No matter what I do, even if I see you disappear before my eyes, this feeling will never go away. Curse this pathetic existence! Curse this worthless me, and curse you for turning me into this wreck!”

*******************************************************

Having no other opponents to worry about at the moment, Lucemon faced the second of the Royal Knights. He had reduced this match to a one-on-one fight, and Omegamon responded accordingly. He did not bother with his cannon left arm. He charged in the most straightforward manner, readying his sword to destroy the terrifying enemy ahead.

Lucemon raised his left hand in the direction of the approaching Omegamon. Energy gathered before those fingers as they drew the deadly cross.

There.

In that instant, that unfair ability activated, and Omegamon caught glimpse of the immediate future. This is the base nature of Omega inForce: all Digimon and all things in the Digital World are built from data, including thoughts themselves. By reading the instantaneous variations of ones and zeroes within all relevant entities, Omega inForce can accurately interpret temporal changes and present a vision of future events, for even those exist in that world in the form of binary code.

So, Omegamon saw Lucemon’s incoming attack: his signature attack, Grand Cross.

He saw it being released right in front of him. That was a threat that could be avoided—it is a cross, so it has rather obvious gaps.

But…he also saw it being released from above, from below and from both sides.

He saw it unleashed from the one o’clock direction, and from the two o’clock and four o’clock and all other directions that could be described in such a manner.

He saw Grand Crosses from every angle and from every distance.

He saw infinity and eternity, for they were one and the same.

“This is…!”

Omegamon was swallowed by light.

*******************************************************

“Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations.”

They were uncaring eyes, those that watched the smoking, battered figure of Omegamon falling to the ground, perhaps even unconscious.

They were hurt to different degrees, but no matter which among them stood back on his feet, he would no longer be a challenge for Lucemon.

However, the angel did not come out unscathed from this challenge. He was wounded, but beyond that, his body trembled and his skin looked pale and sickly. A line of drool he had failed to keep in his mouth dripped off the side of his gentle jaw, and bits of data trickled out of his body just like Lilithmon earlier—no thoughts of the Avatar of Lust crossed his mind. She might as well be already dead by this point.

But he simply stood there, proudly, with his pristine wings slowly flapping in the grey sky and his eyes like glaciers staring down the battlefield with the gaze of a merciless king.

He had nothing else to lose, so he feared nothing.

“I will sing the praises of your name.”

An instant later, he stood before the pinnacle. With arms crossed, he stared up at the supreme challenge; the invincible nemesis. That foremost of holy knights, immense in all ways physical and metaphorical, returned Lucemon’s stare with his usual calm expression.

An arcane magic circle of unparalleled complexity came to life before Alphamon. It was a construct without equal which drew knowledge and energy from countless possibilities and innumerable dimensions. Fearlessly, the hermit knight sunk his right hand into the magic array, allowing it to disappear into the limbo, the infinity expanse outside time and space, and then he pulled something out of it.

Shaped like a sword, but not something that could be called a sword. A nexus of energy in the shape of a blade.

Gradalpha, the “holy sword” that is neither “holy” nor a “sword”.

Lucemon stared at that absolute not-weapon, and at the ultimate Digimon that wielded it, and allowed his Crest to blaze with all its power.

“Amen.”