Tai stares, unable to look away as the structures of his friend's digimon break away, pure data energy coalescing into orbs of their respective crest colors and zooming to Omnimon, merging with him and becoming a part of the royal knight. His eyes remain on Omnimon as the cape shifts into feathery wings, colors being swept away into blinding whiteness, pure blue energy shining through the gaps in his armor.
Tai sees this, but it's not what he's focusing on.
He doesn't hear the wind rushing as Omnimon surges, doesn't hear the angry cry of Ordinemon. How could he, with the loud thudding of heart-beats in his ears?
Tai knew Matt's heart beat as well as his own. The strong pulse of it matched his, perfectly in sync. When Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon had first fused all those years ago, it had startled Tai, though with the heat of the moment he had accepted it, embraced it even. Days ago when Omnimon had first fought Alphamon, there'd been the terrible and uncomfortable sensation of their hearts jolting out of syncing, skipping around each other as they struggled to keep Omnimon together despite differing desires. Tai much preferred this here - the unity between them, working as one to provide energy to the form their partners had taken.
The other six hearts were a surprise.
He felt them, like an extension of himself. The beating roared, each thump backed up by seven others at the exact same time. If he focused, he could almost distinguish them from each other, feel which one was Sora and which one was Izzy.
The tie to Agumon, his bond with his partner, felt like it was on fire - it burned with power and energy, like hands holding onto a rope that was slipping through a white-knuckled grip, searing his palms and stipping away the skin, and yet he couldn't let go. There was a great clamour on the other end of it, eight creatures that were now one. Through it he could feel - like a distant echo - Meiko, as she lended her power as a Digidestined to keep it all together, to sustain the connection between the Chosen Children and Omnimon and kept his form from slipping apart, breaking away into eight once more.
It was a rush, adrenaline rushing through Tai's veins.
It was terrifying, like Tai was on Omnimon's shoulder, feeling every blow the digimon took, hanging on for dear life as he flew through the air.
And then if fell away.
Tai stumbled back, the world impossibly quiet as the column of light from Ordinemon's demise disappeared. His link to Koromon persisted, but it was just the two of them. It felt right, comfortable, as it should be, a huge weight he hadn't realized he'd been supporting suddenly gone. Yet, at the same time, there was hole. It had been ripped into him by Omnimon's Merciful Mode to make room for all the others.
Behind him, he could hear Joe gasping for air, Sora whispering something under her breath, but they all seemed so far away now compared to just seconds ago.
The spell over them was broken by Matt as he stepped away from the shore towards the bridge. Wordlessly, the rest of them did the same, a silent group of battle-worn teens following the one connection they still had, walking to their exhausted partners.