ôThat was quite amazing, Alraune,ö Lucemon said with an appreciative voice while Yamaki and the male Tamers finished placing the table back in its proper place and position. ôHave you considered a career in standup comedy?ö
ôBe quiet, angel,ö Ruki spat back, no longer bothering for manners. She was rarely rude in this particular way, but this Digimon was nothing short of infuriating. ôI asked a question.ö
ôRight, rightàÆwhat I want from TakatoÆ, I believe it was.ö
The nails of his left hand made an annoying drumming noise on the chairÆs armrest.
ôYouàseem to be under the assumption that I want æsomethingÆ from Takato.ö He chuckled and shook his head, in a way that clear said that he was looking down on them all. ôWhat could I possibly want from him?ö
A snort.
ôChildren. Everything Matsuda Takato is, was and will ever be already belongs to me.ö
ôBullshit.ö Surprisingly, it was Ryo of all people who uttered that word. Maybe because Lucemon gave him some awkwardly familiar vibes.
ôAhaha, am I perhaps triggering bad memories, Akiyama?ö The angel merrily suggested, and he only received a bitter glare in response. ôBut anyway.ö
His head resting on his loosely clenched right fist, Lucemon clarified things for the Tamers.
ôThe Game will continue, with or without you. Takato cannot abandon the Gameàno, he would not abandon the Game, even if he could. The Game is the only path, both for him as well as for me. We cannot not play the Game.ö
He closed his eyes, yet his face still reflected a strange fondness, as if he were remembering something precious.
ôWeàthereÆs just no longer a choice for us. WeÆre way past the point where we could reach an agreement. Our hands cannot reach Heaven together.ö
His eyelids separated once more; intense blue eyes meeting RukiÆs serious stare,
ôTakato is mine, children. This is an absolute truth. This Gameàis basically formalization; just like the placing of the first stone or the cutting of the red band when raising a new building. A chance for Takato to put up one last bout of resistance before I properly claim himàand a chance for him to grow in power.ö
He nodded, more to himself than to the audience around him.
ôI wantàno, I need Takato to be powerful. Matsuda Takato, not the æChosen of DreamsÆ.ö
The Child Digimon concluded his monologue with a fanfare-like drumming of the seatÆs armrest.
ôWell then, weÆre wasting our time with this discussion. Shall we move on to what really matters right now?ö
ôTakatoÆs current location,ö the Avatar of Lust stated, just in case none of the humans in the room could figure it out.
Lucemon did not waste time releasing the facts.
ôTakato is currently in the grasp of the Vampire Lord Digimon, GranDracmon.ö A pause. ôWell, that makes it sound like he was kidnapped or something, but it is more likely that Takato went to him of his own volition to stay out of my reach for a while.ö
ôExplain,ö Mitsuo Yamaki demanded in a firm tone before any of the young Tamers could voice their feelings more recklessly. It was hard not to feel the latent anger in that room; those childrenàthey had many things they wanted to say to this condescending angel Digimon, but that would be pointless in the current circumstances. If Lucemon was willing to clarify things for them at this point, the best option was to gain as much information from him as possible.
ôGranDracmon. Ultimate Digimon. Former ruler of the Dark Area before I was locked in there, but heÆs never been much of a territorial being. He did not seem to particularly care when I took over most of his realm, which makes sense as his abilities work better in a reduced territory.ö
The Crest of Pride flared to life briefly, just enough for Lucemon to craft a reconstruction of GranDracmonÆs signature violet crystal. Making it twirl in his left hand, he allowed the artificial lights in the meeting room to be scattered and tinted purple before bathing the audience.
ôCrystal Avalon. Basically, the power of ædominionÆ. Within the perimeter of what he appoints as his æterritoryÆ, GranDracmon gains tremendous power. However, the extent of that power decreases in an inverse square relation to distance. Within his throne room, GranDracmon is basically God; his powers roughly comparable to TakatoÆs Crest of Dreams. As for his æattackÆ today, I can only guess he has reverse-engineered my Gate of Deadly Sins and temporarily extended his æterritoryÆ to cover the æland beyond the GateÆ.ö
He handed the crystal to Takako, who disinterestedly examined it before handing it over to Juri to her left. The Tamers would futilely try to find something odd about it, but it was in the end just a purple crystal.
ôBut that main strength of Crystal Avalon is also its weakness. GranDracmon does not often leave his throne room precisely because it is the center of his territory. He cannot just, letÆs say, invade Shinjuku and declare it the center of his territory to gain a power boost, at least without relinquishing his dominion over his pretty little corner of the Dark Area. For reasons I wonÆt go into, GranDracmon will absolutely not do that. The Death-X phenomenon is as much a problem to him as it is to everybody else, but, really, letÆs not go there. Aside from that, question so far?ö
The sudden cue caught most people there by surprise. It was hard to deal with such anàamiable enemy. Was that even the right word, amiable?
ôWhyàö Jenrya took the role of the voice of reason among the young ones, as usual. ôàwhy do you claim Takato went to this Digimon of his own volition?ö
Lucemon nodded as if acknowledging JenryaÆs cool head.
ôTakatoÆs one and only priority is the Game. Everything he does has to be examined within the context of æa move against LucemonÆ. By bringing me here and pitting GranDracmon against me, he is obviously aiming for time: Takato plans to do something and, whatever it is, he cannot do it where I can see him.ö
ôYou donÆt seem much bothered by that,ö Yamaki commented, and LucemonÆs smile became all the more charming.
ôWhy would I? How can I be anything but proud of my precious Takato taking our competition seriously?ö Resting both elbows on the armrests, Lucemon clasped his hands together under his chin. ôIt brings me great joy to know this is as important to him as it is to me.ö Separating his hands, Lucemon graced them with a somewhat condescending shrug. ôBesides, if the Game got boring I would just put an end to it and claim him right away. It is well within my current power.ö
The angelÆs hands finally rested on the table as he leaned forward on his chair.
ôEven if it is what GranDracmon wants, I refuse to let him keep Takato a second longer than absolutely necessary. I will return to the Dark Area and get Takato back, with or without your cooperation, Digimon Tamers.ö
Pushing the seat backwards, Lucemon stood up.
ôBut before that, IÆll take advantage of the fact IÆm here to visit a few places. So, if you will excuse meàö
ôWait, what,ö Ruki cut off the angelÆs words as she abruptly jumped off her chair and back on her feet. ôWhere are you going?ö
ôSightseeing, doll. IÆm going æsightseeingÆ,ö Lucemon stated in a voice that made clear he thought it was a retarded question he had been asked. ôIt would be stupid of me to suddenly start a rampage in this world.ö
ôThe Royal Knights,ö Renamon pointed out, and the other Digimon outwardly reacted at her meaningful statement.
Lucemon nodded, acknowledging the vulpine DigimonÆs insight.
ôIndeed. It is already strange enough that they did not react to LeviamonÆs partial manifestation three months ago. Even if æGodÆsÆ awareness does not reach as far as this world, it is fundamentally impossible for it to not have noticed my emergence. I must admit I am confused by the fact they are not beating me yet, but I am not one to ignore such an unexpected blessing.ö His sky blue eyes danced around the meeting room for an instant. ôAnd now it seems your human friends here have questions for you, Renamon. Best of luck with that~ö
But he was to be interrupted one more time before departing.
ôLucemon.ö
He could have just teleported himself away with the Crest of Pride, but the identity of this interloper convinced him to stop.
ôKatou Juri.ö
It was she who had taken over TakatoÆs duties in his absence. She was playing a æGameÆ against Lilithmon. Even if it could not be compared to TakatoÆs five years of misery and wordless agony, her very willingness to stand before a Demon Lord in the Game Room was worthy of, if anything, his acknowledgement.
She was not looking at him, though. Her head was kept down, eyes hidden behind her long brown hair, for once not held in a ponytail for whatever reason. Her thin, trembling arms squeezed the unmoving pink shell of her rather inconspicuous partner.
ôàweÆll defeat you, Lucemon.ö
The angel made a great effort not to laugh.
ôNo, you wonÆt. This is not one of those shounen manga where æthe power of friendshipÆ can defeat any opponent and overcome any obstacle. I am superior to you in every possible, even in this Child level.ö
He walked around the table until he was watching the skyline of metropolitan Tokyo from the large windows of the meeting room, his back turned to the Tamers, Digimon, Yamaki and Reika.
ôThe only one who could defeat me is Takato. But you, children?ö
He shook his head in utter contempt and dismissal.
ôYou are nothing.ö
And he was gone.