(A/N: This story was a long time in coming. I planned it over 2 years ago, but never got around to writing it. If you don't know who DarkMagnamon is, he's perhaps the most common and most popular fan-made Digimon. I'm actually rather surprised the creators didn't make him an official Digimon, but whatever. You can find fan-art of him online, just type his name in Google. He usually appears as a mirror image to Magnamon, but with black armor instead of gold, and he usually has blue skin, but some artists draw him with black, gray, or dark blue skin. You can look up most information on him on the DigimonWiki. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, it takes place in the Season 2 universe after the Revenge of Diaboromon. Oh, and one more thing, this story has no connection to my other Digimon story. Now lets get started.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"RISE OF DARKMAGNAMON"
Chapter 1: The Hidden Temple
The land was barren, surrounded by mountains on all sides. No creatures lived in this wasteland; the environment was just not hospitable enough to reside here. There was no food, no water, no greenery of any kind, just rocky terrain.
That wasn't to say that there was no life whatsoever. At the moment, two different creatures were currently passing through. They flew through the air to make the journey faster, the smaller one riding on the larger one's back.
The one doing the actual flying was a dragon-like creature known as Airdramon. Like all of his kind, he was also named after his species, and was a dragon-type Digimon of the Champion level.
Though very large and ferocious looking compared to its much smaller passenger, the one riding on his back was obviously the one in charge. Resembling a cybernetic skeleton with a deadly sickle for his right hand, Reapermon was a Digimon of the Mega level, far outranking Airdramon in strength.
It was common knowledge throughout the Digital World of how Digivolution levels worked. Upon hatching from a Digi-Egg, a Digimon, short for Digital Monster, would be at the Baby level. After getting stronger, it would Digivolve to the In-Training level, followed by Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, Mega, and, in some extremely rare and unique cases, the Super Ultimate level, though most never reached beyond the Champion or Ultimate level.
Of course, there were also alternative and unique levels that weren't as commonly known about, Armor and Mode Changing being prime examples, and not every Digimon of the same level was of equal strength, but, generally, not even a dozen Digimon of one level could defeat even a single Digimon of a higher level.
Case and point, Airdramon was completely subservient to the mighty Reapermon, currently serving as his mode of transportation, even though the Mega level Digimon was capable of flying on his own. But the cyborg skeleton was currently searching for a power even greater than his own. And after countless years of searching and gathering information, he finally had the answers he sought.
Which brought him to this desolate mountain land. If the information he had received was accurate, what he was searching for was here somewhere. And once he found what he was seeking, darkness would return to the Digital World.
"There it is," he said in a scratchy voice. "There's the temple. Take us down."
Wedged between two mountainsides, a lone ancient temple resided in the empty mountain land. Obeying its master's command, Airdramon came in for a landing beside the temple. Impatient after so many years of waiting and wandering, Reapermon leapt off the dragon Digimon's back.
"Finally, after all these years of searching, I now stand before the ancient temple."
As he approached, he paid no mind to the pillars circling around the temple, but upon trying to walk past them, a wall of electricity appeared between them. Reapermon cried out as his body was electrified, and he backed away.
"An impressive defense system," he admitted, noting that the electricity had formed a bubble around the temple, "but I have not come this far to fail now. This will not stop me. Airdramon, come to me!"
The dragon Digimon hesitantly flew over to his side. As he approached, Reapermon suddenly grabbed hold of him and pressed him against the wall of electricity. Airdramon roared as Reapermon forced his way through, using the dragon Digimon as a shield to absorb most of the electricity.
Once they were through, he carelessly dropped the dragon Digimon. Smoking and burned, Airdramon groaned in agony, then went still. His body seemed to break down into particles and scattered in all directions, disappearing. Reapermon merely glanced where the dragon Digimon had been before continuing on his way, simply thinking that he had been wise to bring along a subordinate.
Turning his attention to one of the pillars, he charged at it and struck. From on the inside of the circle, he was able to avoid being electrocuted. The pillar toppled over, and the wall of electricity died down. Satisfied, he continued onward to the temple, heading up the steps.
The door was sealed shut, seemingly carved out of the temple wall rather than being a separate piece that could open and close. On it was a symbol, and Reapermon's eyes lit up as he recognized it. And while most Digimon would have fled in fear, Reapermon looked on in excitement.
Kicking the stone door, he created a hole large enough for him to climb through. Upon entering the temple, he found it to be one large room, completely empty, or so it seemed. But Reapermon knew better. What he sought was hidden away, and he had the means of finding it.
A flight of stairs led to the center of the temple where a stone block rested. Reapermon approached this stone block, and saw the same symbol that had been on the door carved into the side of the stone block.
"You should not be here!" a voice boomed from up above.
Reapermon froze as a figure dropped down from overhead. Before him stood an angel Digimon with large blades for arms and wings that seemed to be made of knives. Though Reapermon had never before met this particular Digimon, he knew who it was from its species.
"SlushAngemon," he sneered. "So you're the one guarding this place. I wondered if someone was. It must have been very boring being here all on your own."
The angel Digimon pointed his arm-blade at him. "Not that it's any of your concern, but I've been in a deep sleep until you set off the alarm."
Reapermon chuckled. "Oh, you mean those electrified pillars? Yes, they were quite a nuisance. I even had to sacrifice my ride in order to get past them."
"You should have stayed away," SlushAngemon told him. "The evil within this temple must not be unleashed. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
Reapermon shook his clawed finger at him. "Oh, but I do. I've been searching for many years. If you think you're going to stop me, then you've got another thing coming."
"I will stop you! I must! It's my duty!"
"Then just try it!"
SlushAngemon accepted his challenge and rushed towards him, swinging his arm-blade. Reapermon's sickle came up and crossed with it. SlushAngemon grunted and stabbed forward with his other arm, but Reapermon's large metal hand closed over it.
"Don't bother. Your puny blades are no match for my Guilty Chain and Judgment Sickle."
He spun around and threw SlushAngemon against the wall. The angel Digimon kicked off it and rushed towards Reapermon again. "Gold Ripper!"
Reapermon braced himself as SlushAngemon's blades danced all around. "Grim Slasher!"
His Guilty Chain shot out, grabbing SlushAngemon around the neck in the midst of his wild dancing. Reapermon's blade came down to decapitate the angel Digimon, but SlushAngemon crossed his blades over his head, blocking the blow.
"Blade of the True!"
He slashed outward with his blades, knocking away Reapermon's sickle and sending out a cross-shaped energy blast in the process. Reapermon cried out as he was blasted backwards, slamming painfully into the wall. SlushAngemon lunged at him, and Reapermon just barely moved his head in time before the angel Digimon's arm-blade buried into the wall.
Ducking under his opponent, the cyborg Digimon twisted out of the way of SlushAngemon's second blade, which also buried in the wall. As he attempted to pull his blades free, Reapermon maneuvered behind him.
"Well now, this is convenient."
SlushAngemon looked back at him. "Wait, stop, you don't know what you're doing!"
"Oh, but I do. Burning Cyclone!"
Spinning around, he created a tornado of fire that SlushAngemon was unable to even defend himself against with his arms trapped in the wall. The flaming vortex spun around him, burning everything to ash.
"You fool!" SlushAngemon cried over the sound of the attack. "You'll doom us all!"
They were his last words as his body broke down into data, leaving no trace of him other than the singed stonewall with two holes in it. If Reapermon were capable of grinning, he would have, but instead a gleeful cackle escaped him.
"Good riddance. Now it's time to do what I came here for."
With no further distractions, he returned to the stone block at the top of the stairs. Bending down until he was level with it, He produced a small black square plate with the same symbol on it as the stone block.
Upon holding the object level with the symbol on the stone block, a static shock passed between the two symbols, and the top of the stone block opened to reveal a hidden slot.
"Yes," Reapermon hissed gleefully. "Yes, that's it."
Inside the hidden slot was a small device. It resembled an older model of what had come to be known as a Digivice, used by the DigiDestined, a group of children chosen to save the Digital World by defeating the forces of darkness. Just the thought of those wretched children, no matter which generation it was, caused Reapermon to seethe with fury. If it weren't for them, the forces of darkness would be much farther along than they were right now.
"Time to tip the balance," he said, raising his sickle. "Bone Duster!"
With his blade catching fire, he brought it down on the device. Upon smashing it, a beam of black light burst forth, shooting upward. Reapermon backed away and waited eagerly for what he had been searching for to finally reveal itself.
When the light faded, a small creature stood where the remains of the device once rested. Resembling a humanoid dinosaur, or perhaps a rhinoceros, the creature was blue with a white belly and a yellow V mark stamped on its forehead. Red eyes, completely devoid of emotion, blinked open, and the creature glanced around the temple.
Reapermon could scarcely believe what he saw. The stories were true; the legend was real. After so long, his goal was in sight.
The small creature continued looking around with a scowl on its face before its gaze landed on Reapermon. "Where am I?"
Reapermon tried to contain his excitement. "Great Destroyer, it is an honor to finally meet you. I have searched long and hard for you for centuries. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Reapermon, and, like you, I am a loyal minion of the Masters."
There was no emotional response from the creature Reapermon had referred to as the Great Destroyer. "The Masters? Yes, the great ones. Where are they? It has been so long."
Reapermon hesitated. "Um, yes, it has been long, much longer than you know since you've been sealed away. I regret to inform you that the Masters have fallen. They've either been destroyed, or have been sealed away."
There was still no reaction from the blue Digimon as it simply replied, "Impossible. The Masters cannot be defeated."
"We all thought so as well, but I'm afraid it's true. They were beaten long ago. Their armies were defeated, and they're remaining forces have scattered across the Digital World. Some have attempted to rule in their place, others have tried to resurrect them, but so far all attempts have ended in failure."
The Great Destroyer was silent for a moment. "Even… my master?"
Reapermon knew of whom he spoke. "Regretfully, yes, your master too. Not that he didn't put up a fight. Unfortunately, he fell to the DigiDestined, a group of children and their chosen Digimon partners that had been selected to combat the forces of darkness. They've proven to be a real nuisance. Not only did they manage to defeat four of the Masters' greatest generals, but also the mighty Apocalymon."
Though the little Digimon still showed no emotion, there was now a flame of rage burning in its eyes. "If the Masters have been destroyed, they'll have reverted to their Digi-Eggs, and those that fight for the light will make sure they never rise to power like they did before."
"Yes," Reapermon regretfully agreed, "that has been the case. But there is still hope, Great Destroyer. Now that you have returned, we can use this to resurrect them."
He held out the smack black square plate he had used to open the stone block. The smaller Digimon looked at it curiously. "The Crest of Desolation."
"Indeed. It has been kept with those still loyal to the Masters. With this and your power, we can bring them all back to their full strength. No, even more powerful than before! And not just them, but all those that fight for the darkness."
Reaching out, the small blue hand took the Dark Crest from him. "To do so, I would need to regain my true power. I must find it."
Reapermon chuckled. "Oh, not to worry. I know exactly where it is. Ironically, it's currently in the possession of the DigiDestined. And they don't even know they have it. But I have a plan on how we can get it from them. We can't take it by force though, so we'll have to be crafty. If you're willing to follow my plan, you'll be at your full power soon enough."
The Great Destroyer stared at the Crest in his palm for a few moments before its hand closed over it. "Very well. What is your plan?"
(A/N: There's the first chapter. I think it's fairly obvious who the Great Destroyer is, and which Digimon he is too. But what is the Crest of Desolation, and what is the Great Destroyer's source of power that the DigiDestined supposedly have? If you know about DarkMagnamon, then you probably know who his master is, but who are these other Masters? So many questions. By the way, does anyone know why they decided to call him SlushAngemon rather than leaving it as SlashAngemon, or even GuardiAngemon, as it was translated in Digimon World 3 for PlayStation? Either one sounds better than "Slush". It almost makes me regret deciding to use the dubbed names. Also, I got Reapermon from Digimon Rumble Areana. Anyone ever play that? Oh, and don't worry about the shortness of the chapter. They'll get longer as the story progresses.)