The Chronicles of the Digimon War

by SwedishEmperorThe1

They thought that after the battle against MaloMyotismon, peace and understanding would unite the two worlds, but little did they know that the battle was just the start of the war that would consume not only both worlds, but the entire universe in flames, thus the death of one of the Digidestined changes the outcome from what it should've been to what it'll now become.

1. The Beginning of the End

It'd all come to this. Months of fighting, planning, spying, deceit and everything else for this day to defeat the final foe. The Digidestined, The Chosen Warriors of the Digital World, were right now in battle against this final foe, whose name was MaloMyotismon.

MaloMyotismon was the chessmaster behind everything that happened to the worlds for the last months: the corruptions of Yukio Oikawa and the Digidestined of Kindness, Ken Ichijouji, and the latter's transformation into the Digimon Emperor, the creations of the Dark Towers and the Dark Rings, the births of Kimeramon, Arukenimon and Mummymon, the destructions of the Destiny Stones, the digimon invasions and the spreading of the Dark Spores copied from Ken's own into several other children, who in their loneliness and despair accepted them for talents and self-esteem, unaware that they were only keys for MaloMyotismon to open a gateway into the Digital World, there he could start his final moves for complete conquest.

But the Digidestined wouldn't allow it. They'd fought too long and too hard to keep everything in order, and they wouldn't let this monster ruin everything. The problem was that MaloMyotismon was the most ruthless enemy they'd ever fought against, and his sadistic murdering of Arukenimon and Mummymon had frightened them like sheeps and now they refused to fight. The only one who was ready to fight was Daisuke Motomiya, the Digidestined of Courage, Friendship and Miracle, and he and his digimon partner, ExVeemon, decided to take on MaloMyotismon by their own. The problem was that ExVeemon was a champion, and MaloMyotismon a mega, with years of fighting experience and ruthlessness behind him, and so right now it was pretty much an one-sided battle.

ExVeemon ran right at MaloMyotismon in an attempt to tackle him of the ground, but it didn't even lift MaloMyotismon at all. In fact he didn't even seem to had felt it at all. With a grin on his lips, MaloMyotismon picked ExVeemon up with his right hand and then threw him several feets away. The other Digidestineds could only look in shock.

"He's too powerful Daisuke! Let's get out of here before he turns ExVeemon into a handbag!" said Takeru, clearly concerned for ExVeemon's life.

"No, I never retreat! Not as long there's a fighting chance! I've never quit before and I'm not going to start now! As so long ExVeemon willing to fight, I'm backing him!" said Daisuke with the famous determination he always had with him.

ExVeemon tried to stand up after he was thrown away.

"I'll never give up Daisuke!" shouted ExVeemon, inspired and fuelled by Daisuke's determination. He rose from the ground and when he did it, blue brightness came out of his body. Somehow it seemed to empower him, because right then ExVeemon flew at MaloMyotismon and punched him in the nose with new-found strength that it almost threw MaloMyotismon out of balance.

"It's working", Daisuke said in a surprised tone. "It's working", he said again, this time louder and more confident.

ExVeemon pulled his arms on his chest and began to form up energy for his attack.

"V-Laser!" he shouted as he released his attack. It hit right at MaloMyotismon, and it pushed him several feets away. He wasn't hurt physically since he held his arms in front of himself to protect his body, but for his pride it was a different story, and that meant something for MaloMyotismon, and now he began to become more angrier.

"Raar! So you want to play hardball, do you?!" He asked in a clearly angry tone.

"Oh right go ExVeemon! Make him shut up the very mouth of his!" shouted Daisuke to ExVeemon, encouraging him to continue the fight.

"V-Las..." said ExVeemon when he attempted to charge up another attack but didn't succeed since now white lights came out of MaloMyotismon's yellow, cold and angry eyes.

"Mental Illusion!" shouted MaloMyotismon.

And then everything went white.

---

"Hey mom! Sorry I'm late!" shouted Takeru as he had just came home from school. Somehow for some reasons, his mother wanted him to come at four o clock but it was 16.15. When he went to the kitchen he saw what reason his mother had, and to be honest he just couldn't believe what his blue eyes now saw.

His older brother Yamato Ishida and their father were here, sitting around the kitchen table together with his mom.

"Hello there, son. Just in time for dinner. Mom made your favourite goulash", said his father in an unusual happy tone.

Takeru just stood in the hallway in surprise. His parents had been divorced in years, and suddenly they were here together and acted as if they'd been it for a long time, as if they'd never a divorce in the first place. He just stared, his brain still trying to comprehend this. He just couldn't believe this. It wasn't supposed to be this way, and even if this was what he'd wished for years, it still seemed too good to be true.

But then he decided to ignore his thoughts and mentally thanked fate for this. All his wishing, his waiting, his prayings and his hoping had finally been answered, and to mention that he'd helped save both the Digital World and the real world from evil, this was truly a great reward for everything. He went to the kitchen table to join in.

---

On the table she saw different cakes laying up for her. She was fascinated by these arts of cooking and she just wanted to eat them all.

"Wow. I can't believe it. It must be two dozen desserts. Are they all for me?" asked Miyako her mother, who cheerfully nodded.

"They're all for me! Yea yea yea!" Miyako chattered in delight, since now she'd all this and right now she didn't have to share it with her siblings.

---

Iori walked through a colourful field that was bathing in the Sun's warmth and light. The grass on the field had the colours of not just green, but of yellow and pink as well. It also grew some trees, and on the field some baby digimon were playing with each other. On his left side was Hiroki Hida, a celebrated police officer and his own father. Hiroki was dressed in a blue police uniform, that was made of a blue suit, white shirt, blue tie and a blue peaked cap. On his left chest were several ribbon bars hanging.

"Dad, this is the Digital World I told you about. It can be pretty strange at first but you get used to it", said Iori with some out of character enthusiasm in his voice to his father. Ever since he first visited the Digital World he always wanted to bring his dad with him to it, to show him the true beauty it had. A beauty that was very hard to find in the real world.

Hiroki just looked at Iori with a pleasant smile but didn't say anything. Then he turned his eyes from Iori and toward the clearly beautiful field, also without saying one word.

"I really love to introduce you to some of the digimon. They may look small but they are pretty powerful hehe. You should've seen some of the crazy staff we'd been through. I think you'd be proud!" said Iori with a soft voice nobody never had heard before while looking at his father with both warmth and pride. Yes, he knew that his father was proud of him for his and his friends' struggle for a better world, and that was all he could ask for.

---

Under the shadow of a tree sat Hikari together with Gatomon. The tree grew on an outside park that was located in the middle of Tokyo. The day was very warm, and the summer sun shone strongly with its beautiful shine. In the park, both humans and digimon were playing together without any form of tension that once nearly caused open war between the species. Hikari smiled. It was just relaxing that finally both humans and digimon could live with each other in peace, something they all found benefit from. Hikari had decided to bring Gatomon with her to the park so that they both could enjoy the day.

"Its so nice. Hey, isn't it beautiful?" Hikari asked Gatomon, who sat on the opposite side of the tree. The answer didn't come because just suddenly, a voice shouted for Hikari. Hikari heard the voice and she turned her head to see who just shouted for her, and she saw a boy. The boy was of young age and seemed to be at least nine or ten years old. On his right side stood a woman, certainly the boy's mother. On his arms he was holding a Nyaromon. The boy opened his mouth and asked:

"I was wondering if you could tell me when I can expecting Nyaromon to digievolve to Salamon?"

"Do you take good care of her?"

"Yea! Of course I do!"

"Don't worry. As so long you giving her a lots of love she digievolve soon enough" said Hikari. It was truly exciting to see how better things had turned out. For a time, Hikari had actually truly feared that this day would never come. Once she thought that war was just some few days away at the time of the "Digimon Christmas", and any thoughts of that had frightened her into the core. Just imagining it scared and disgusted her like no end. A war between humans and digimon would've been nothing but a real life nightmare; one you wouldn't be able to wake up from. She still had problems watching war movies without feeling tense, especially if they were based on true events, and imagine something like that was simply horrifying.

But fate had smiled upon them. A war never came. Instead it was peace that came, and it truly was a peace that both species enjoyed to no end. Of all everything Hikari and her friends had been through and endured, it was all worth it. This truly was, as the wise men said, "The Fruits of Your Hard Labours".

---

Takeru didn't listen to the bad joke his mom was telling to the family. He was just happy that they were a family again. In fact, the word "happy" couldn't even begin to describe enough of that he felt right now. It was more than happy, something he hadn't felt in his whole life. Takeru didn't know what you call it but right now he didn't care. His family was back again and so he didn't have to care anymore.

He was just about to eat the rice from the bowl that he held in his hand than suddenly he heard a small, squeaky voice saying his name:

"Takeru!"

Takeru knew already who just called him.

"Hey Patamon what are you doing here?" he asked Patamon with a bit surprise in his voice. In this important moment of his life, he didn't expect his digimon partner to be here.

"I came to get you. We need you", answered Patamon, who suddenly was on Takeru's head.

"What? But I'm not finish eating dinner", said a more confused Takeru.

"None of this is real, it's all a delusion"

"What are you talking about Patamon? Look my family is finally all together", said Takeru with an enthusiastic tone...only to see his family suddenly was somehow pulled away from him as the background became more of a white, empty space. Takeru's mind went wild with confusion and panic, and he cried out:

"Wait a minute! What's happening?! DON'T GO! PATAMON DO SOMETHING! I WANT THEM TO STAY!"

"It's not real!" said Patamon in a loud voice, which snapped Takeru from his wild, upset rant.

"Wait a second they weren't here at all!" said Takeru, shocked by the horrifying realization. As the realization began to set in on his mind, he suddenly remembered, and he hated what he just remembered. He began to frown, and his face showed both deep bitterness and cold hatred toward the thing that had just tried to fool him with the imaginations of his dreams in an attempt to distract him from defeating it.

"MaloMyotismon, you're going to pay!" he said with determined hate and disgust for the named monster he was planning to waste.

Suddenly, a well-known figure appeared before him from nowhere.

"There you're dude!" said Daisuke with a pretty loud voice.

"Daisuke?" said Takeru, surprised that Daisuke just came out of nowhere before him, but Daisuke didn't seem to bring much mind to it.

"So are you ready to help me?!" Daisuke asked with a battle-ready tone.

Takeru hummed and nodded. He too was ready for battle.

---

Tasting the sweet taste of cake, Miyako moaned in delight. This was a truly good cake, and the good part was that there were plenty of them left for her. The taste she enjoyed was like a ride into the heavens themselves. She just couldn't have enough of it.

As she munched on the cake, she heard a voice calling out her name.

"Miyako!"

She turned to her left and saw her digimon partner, Hawkmon, the only digimon who was partnered with a human from the opposite gender.

"My dear is this really what you wanted?" he asked her.

"Huh", she said in surprise of that question. "Well of course. Dessert is my favourite meal", she answered, but that didn't convince Hawkmon of her true reason.

"Do you like not having your brothers and sisters around?"

"Yeah, it means more for me", she said and took another bite of the cake, unaware about what she just said, or what message Hawkmon was trying to tell her. It didn't take her long to get what he tried to tell her though.

"Actually I kind of miss them right now", she said and sighed.

"You're always surrounded by brothers and sisters, and you feel like you get past over, so you wonder what it'd be like if they weren't around, am I right?" Hawkmon asked, trying to play the therapist.

Miyako seemed to be in deep thoughts about what he just said. Those thoughts apparently came into a slow realization.

"You're right. I guess always wondered what it'd be like to be an only child", she said in a quiet voice, apparently disgusted by her own quick moment of selfishness. "But I love my brothers and sisters, and I love having them in my life!" she said with a louder tone.

Hawkmon hummed, satisfied that he got Miyako to see more deeply about the whole thing.

"Thank you Hawkmon, I guess I was paying a really big oinker back there. Sometimes it takes someone to show you more clearly. You're the greatest friend ever", she said, thankful for his help.

"You're making my feathers blush" Hawkmon said as his feathers did blush by the gratefulness he received.

Suddenly, the whole room turned into a white, empty space, and a hole opened from nowhere. Out came a figure they both were both surprised and happy about to see.

"Hey guys, we really could use your help!" said ExVeemon as soon he saw them.

Miyako hummed, ready to help ExVeemon to take care of the bad guy.

---

"...and thats how we defeated Daemon. Pretty cool huh?" said Iori as he told his father about the battles the Digidestined had been through. He and his father were now overviewing a colourful valley on a near edge of a cliff. Hiroki didn't answer but continued looking at the valley. Iori laughed at the weirdness of the story before he heard a voice calling out his name.

"Iori"

Iori turned to his right in surprise and he saw his digimon partner, Armadillomon. Iori became quickly enthusiastic about presenting his father to Armadillomon.

"Armadillomon, I been looking all over for you. I want you to meet my dad", he said in a happy tone...something that almost broke Armadillomon's heart now that he must tell Iori the harsh truth.

"Iori", he said in a sad tone as he looked at Iori with an apologizing look. "I don't think that's your father"

Iori was really taken by surprise about what Armadillomon just said.

"What are you talking about? He's right here"

"This isn't real", Armadillomon said, perfectly aware that convincing Iori would be difficult, as well heartbreaking once he "succeeded" to open Iori's eyes.

"Armadillomon, I think I know my own father when I see him", Iori said. He then turned his head toward his father. "He's just being funny, dad", he told Hiroki, still refusing to believe Armadillomon.

Hiroki just looked at Iori, with the smile still on his lips. He then turned his head toward the valley and suddenly walked right toward it. Since he held Iori's hand, Iori was dragged with him until his hand slipped from Hiroki's. Then Hiroki began to glide stand tall through the drop and the valley. Iori began to panic by his father's abandonment.

"NOOO! WAIT DAD! DON'T GO!" he shouted for his dad as Hiroki continued to glide away from him, his back turned on Iori.

"Iori, this's an illusion", said Armadillomon, hoping that this would wake Iori's senses.

Then Hiroki just disappeared.

Iori looked at where his father just disappeared with a crushing defeat on his face. He couldn't believe that all this was just cruel hoax, placed on him to play on the only wish he ever had. Iori was almost at a breaking point, as losing his father twice was almost too much to handle. He didn't know what to do. Should he cry or what? Any normal kid would now cry their eyes out...but Iori was not a normal kid, not ever since his dad passed away the first time. Not only that but now he was also a Digidestined. Accepting the truth was hard, but he'd to do it or else they all would perish.

"I can't believe he's gone. He left again. I never got to share the Digital World with my dad; I won't make that mistake again. I'm going to share this world with my mom; I hope she can handle it".

Iori turned around to face Armadillomon.

"What do you say about that, Armadillomon?" he asked the said partner of his, wondering if he liked that idea.

"I say it sounds like a winner", he answered, happy that Iori not only took this more well than he had thought he would, but it also inspired the kid to do great things. "Lets go"

Suddenly, the Digiegg of Courage appeared behind Armadillomon and it shone with bright, orange light. Then it took flames, and the flames reshaped into a familiar figure.

"Flamedramon!"

"Come on, lets go", he told the young boy.

"Everyone are waiting for us Iori", Armadillomon said to Iori.

"Yeah", the boy answered, feeling more better than he ever had for a long time.

---

Hikari was sitting on the grass, continuing to overlook the park and felt warmth in her heart of the beauty her eyes saw. Gatomon had now come to her side and watched the park alongside her.

"Isn't it just wonderful Gatomon? Humans and Digimon playing together without some lunatic trying to destroy it all", she said while watching all the human children playing with the digimon babies, something they'd done in some hours now.

"Yeah but..." said Gatomon, trying to make a conversation but suddenly stopped herself.

Hikari turned her head to Gatomon.

"What is it?" she asked, wondering about what Gatomon was trying to say.

Gatomon closed her eyes and turned her head down, as if she was feeling ashamed about something.

"I hate to break it to you but this isn't the things really are", she said in a sad and disappointing tone, her eyes still closed and her head still down.

"Huh?" Hikari was surprised about what Gatomon just said and how she sounded like she meant it. Hikari turned her head back to the park.

"What do you mean? Have you been into the catnip again?" she jokingly asked Gatomon, but Gatomon remained serious and ran in front of Hikari.

"It's all a big illusion!" she shouted loudly. Suddenly, the whole park just turned into big "pictures" of sort and were pulled away by some invisible force into the white space that now was surrounding Hikari and Gatomon, and slowly disappeared.

"You mean none of it was real?" Hikari asked, shocked and disappointed of what she witnessed. Her emotions quickly became fear as she stared at the white, empty space.

"Gatomon, what's going on? Where am I?" she asked her partner, frightened by this weird place.

Suddenly, blue, bright light came behind Gatomon's back, and out of it appeared the Digiegg of Friendship. The egg and the blue light transformed into the familiar face of Raidramon.

"Raidramon?!" said Hikari in a loud and surprised voice.

"Come on Hikari, we need you", he immediately said to her.

"MaloMyotismon casted this spell on all the Digidestined to distract you. Trust me, I know his tricks", Gatomon explained to Hikari about the situation.

"So then we wouldn't put up a fight?" asked Hikari, started to comprehend the situation and now became bitter about it.

"He always has been lazy. Thats why he needed me, but those days are over. I'm with you Hikari", said Gatomon, trying to pep Hikari and herself up for the next battle against the monstrosity she once called "master".

"Lets go", said Hikari, ready to fight the ultimate evil that stood between peace and destruction.

---

Hikari and Gatomon rode on Raidramon across this shining, endless space that seemed to stretch for miles. After several minutes, Hikari began to wonder if it was even possible to get out of this place. What if this was MaloMyotismon's backup plan in case they might break out of his illusions: to be doomed to travel through this place for all eternity. The thoughts of that possibility depressed somewhat Hikari: if that was true, than it'd be no way to stop MaloMyotismon from conquering both worlds. Everything they'd fought for would be for nothing, and people would suffer from it. The thoughts of the pain and sadness the people would suffer terrified Hikari, but they also motivated her. She just couldn't give up, not now, not ever. So what if it was impossible to get out of here, that didn't mean she was dead, and so long she still was breathing, she'd find a way out of this limbo place and stop MaloMyotismon once and for all. But right now she decided to let Raidramon do the searching and herself do the hoping.

After some more several minutes, Hikari could see small figures standing some few hundreds of meters away. As Raidramon ran closer to the figures, Hikari recognized them: they were all her friends, waiting for her. Now she was with them, and they all greeted her with most enthusiasm. After many "hello there" and "glad you came", Hikari decided to ask them about the illusion.

"So guys, have you been through the same?"

"What do you mean?" asked Miyako

"I mean if you also had been through some distracting illusion of sort"

"Yes, I had", said Miyako

"Me too", said Iori

"Me too", said Takeru

"Well how were they?" asked Hikari.

"Well Miyako's illusion was that she got all the dessert in the whole world, and she ate so much that her stomach blew up," Hawkmon jokingly answered.

"Hawkmon!"

"What? She wanted to know what your illusion was and I told her that. Is nothing wrong with that, and since I'm the Digimon of Sincerity, I can't make a lie to our friends, now can I?" said Hawkmon in a matter-of-fact tone to Miyako, who blushed in embarrassment. Meanwhile, the other Digidestined and their partners were trying to hold their laughters of Miyako's silly illusion and behaviour.

Miyako sighed

"Well, you could at least try to make a lie"

"I could, but I prefer to tell the truth. It's much funnier that way", he said smirking.

The Digidestined and their partners chuckled at Hawkmon's remark.

"Na, I was just kidding. Miyako didn't ate herself up until she blew up. Just some few cakes"

"Still a silly illusion if you ask me", said a grinning Takeru.

"Well what was your illusion then?" asked a frowning Miyako.

Suddenly, Takeru's grin disappeared and a sad expression replaced it, making Miyako to feel guilty of her question, and the others to feel sympathetic for Takeru, aware that he was no doubt pained by it.

"My illusion was that my family was no longer divorced and together again, as they used to be before they began to fight for some reasons and took that divorce. My greatest dream has always been that my family could be together again, like a normal one, but I guess it was too much to ask for", Takeru said with a trembling voice.

The others showed outright sympathy for the blond boy. Been through the same thing for some moments ago, they knew how terrible and emotional crushing it was for him to see his most wanted wish literally turned into pieces in front of his eyes, and Takeru was definitely the last one who deserved that kind of punishment, being the kindhearted person he was.

Hikari put her hand to his shoulder to comfort him. He accepted it, and some seconds later, the sad expression disappeared.

"Now what were those illusions?" asked an uncomfortable Miyako.

"They're MaloMyotismon's attacks against the mental mind, meant to send his enemies inside a fantasy world, created of their most wanted wishes and desires, in order to distract them", answered Gatomon. "Myotismon has always been an excellent manipulator, and now he seemingly has learned how to take one step further in his mind games".

"That must be the reason why Takeru saw his family as one again, because that is his most wanted wish, and that must be also the reason why I got to meet my dad...", said Iori. Everyone else could hear the tense in his voice that was unusual for the young boy as he paused. "...because some monster though it'd be fun to play those sick games on us", he continued in a barely audible voice, mostly speaking to himself than to the others.

Not wanting to let her friend to fall into a deeper depression, Hikari tried to put his and the rests' attention to what she'd been through, an illusion that unlike theirs might become reality.

"And the reason why I saw peace between humans and digimon alike. Ever since I became a Digidestined, I've always hoped that we could one day cooperate with each others in an interdimensional size, for the good for us all in peace, without being worried that a war will break out. I hope that after we defeated MaloMyotismon for good, that dream will be true", she said wistfully.

Her intentions must had worked, because now the depressed expressions that were on her fellow teammates' faces were replaced with optimistic bright. They too hoped that their hard work would be rewarding to not just them but to all, humans and digimon alike.

Takeru placed his hand on Hikari's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I think that dream will be reality once we've ended this", he said in a comfortable tone.

"I hope"

Hikari then turned her head to Daisuke. The outgoing boy had been quiet through the whole discussion. He hadn't even said one single word. Maybe whatever the illusion he'd been through was just that traumatizing for him that he simply refused to speak about it. If that was the case than Hikari didn't want to ask him about it since it maybe would bring bad consequences for him, and through him the team.

"So what did you see?" Miyako asked Daisuke without any care, not noticing Hikari's frown.

"Well...I didn't actually see anything of that stuff you mentioned. All I saw was a bright light and then after that, I saw all of you just standing there and looking like you were all sunshine and rainbows of some reason", Daisuke answered.

"If you didn't fall for MaloMyotismon's trick like everyone else, than how come you were able to come into our dreams and pull us back?" a cusious Iori asked.

"Well, when you all stood there, I tried to shake you out from whatever you were, but it was futile. You just refused to let go of those dream tricks the ugly pulled you into no matter how hard I tried. Then I wished for any way I could pull you out, and before I knew it, portals appeared out of nowhere with all of you inside. Then I went in and the rest is history."

"Wait, how come that you're immune to MaloMyotismon's Mental Illusion, and we're not?" asked Miyako with some whiny tone in her voice.

"How the heck would I know? Maybe you should ask him instead", a somewhat annoyed Daisuke answered.

Hoping to stop another potential argument between him and Miyako, Hikari asked:

"Where's Ken?"

Everyone looked around after the raven-haired boy. In their talk about MaloMyotismon's magic trick, they'd completely forgotten about the Digidestined of Kindness, and hadn't thought about him until now. As they looked around, they couldn't even find much of a sight of him. Anxiety started to grow as they became worried if something had happened to him, and with MaloMyotismon as their enemy of today, it could be anything.

"Where do you think he is? Do you think MaloMyotismon has gotten to him now?" Hikari asked, worried that the worst might had happened to her shy friend.

"I don't think so. If he did, than that sociopathic vampire would've invited us to his little victory dancing as his guests of honour in case he did Ken in," answered Gatomon in hope that her answer would soothe Hikari's worry, though inside she wasn't as sure if Ken was ok as she claimed.

"How come that you didn't bring Ken out of his spiritual prison?" Takeru asked Daisuke. Since Ken wasn't just Daisuke's DNA-Digievolution partner but also his best friend, surely he should be the one Daisuke would go for first and foremost, even before Hikari or anyone else in this group.

"Well I tried to, but he was even harder to reach than all of you. And when the portals came up, he was the only who didn't get any. I was hoping that perhaps he was with you guys", answered Daisuke, and the others didn't miss the worried tone that came out of his words.

"Do you think that he's in another form of dream world, that somehow was separated from those you were in?" asked Armadillomon, hoping that it might be some logical explanation why not even Daisuke, for all his willpower, couldn't bring Ken to them.

"If that is the case; what do you think what wish he's living through? You think that perhaps he's seeing the same thing Hikari saw, or familiar?" asked Patamon. It shouldn't be that surprising if that illusion was what Ken was witnessing right now. Despite his dark past as the Digimon Emperor, Ken was a kindhearted boy of a quality that was rare and hard to find amongst people, and his willingness to atone for his past crimes was something Patamon found intriguing, as he was used to evil enemies that wouldn't show even one bit of remorse or regret for the evil deeds they'd committed, not even when they were dying and their lives hung to a thread. And for the last couple of months, Patamon had became rather fond of the boy, and he was sure everyone else in their group, human and digimon alike, had became fond of Ken as well, and the humble boy definitely didn't deserve the treatment he'd received from their enemies, and he was ready to free him from whatever place MaloMyotismon had imprisoned him in with same zeal he would've if it was Takeru that was missing.

Everyone started to wonder of what Ken might witness in his own illusioned world, considering his mysterious nature, with the exception of Daisuke, who suddenly looked more worried and anxious.

"I...I don't think that the chase", he said rather anxiously, which didn't escape the ears of his team as they turned around to him, wondering what he meant with that.

"When I looked at you all when you were in your illusions, you all looked so happy and smiled big smiles, as if wherever you were, the place somehow made you happy, and I was worried that if I'd be able to pull you back to reality, you'd refuse to let go and instead keep staying in your happy place. Ken however looked horrified and terrified, as if he was going through a nightmare", said Daisuke, and then the team heard that, they couldn't think of any words.

After some awkward silence, Miyako fearfully asked what everyone were wondering:

"What do you think he's going through? What do you think he sees?"

Everyone started to think their own theories of answers to that question, and none of them anything positive. As if anything positive could be found when you were dealing with MaloMyotismon, and with Ken apparently still in his claws, goodness knew what horrors he was facing at the hands of that monster.

As everyone else in the group thought of what horrors Ken probably was facing in the illusion he was trapped in, Daisuke suddenly got a feeling of déjà vu as Miyako's question brought forth a flashback of a time not long ago. A time that took place some few days before the disastrous Christmas but after Ken was accepted into their little community. Daisuke remembered that day as if it happened just yesterday, and he could feel the chills crossing through his back as the flashback became clear, as he remembered the talk he'd with Ken that day and what exactly Ken told to him.

---

He was in his room just chilling out and taking it easy, and along with him were the closest friends he ever had in his life. First it was DemiVeemon, who goofed around with Minomon on his bed, playing whatever game they played and just enjoying themselves. The second one was Ken Ichijouji, the boy genius, the former Digimon Emperor, his DNA-digievolution partner, but most importantly of all, his best friend in the world(s).

It was funny on how different things were just some few months ago. Before he became part of this whole Digidestined business, he was just some normal kid living the young life to the fullest before he was chosen to become a protector of a world he thought didn't exist. A very strange world, but a world he none of less had learned to love and to be protective of. And in this change of fate, he found a friend for life, and that friend was Veemon, who was basically him in the different body; outgoing, food loving and a great enjoyer of life.

And it was really funny how his relationship to Ken had completely transformed from one of bitter rivalry and murderous hate to one of close friendship and great trust. When he became a Digidestined, Ken had already made himself infamous through his actions as the dreaded Digimon Emperor. During that period, Ken was a murderous tyrant who killed and enslaved digimon to not only to expand his empire, but also for his own sick amusement, right to the final battle against Kimeramon, which afterward Ken got this epiphany that the Digital World and its inhabitants were as real like the Real World, and not some video game which he could treat as he wanted.

Daisuke was really surprised that behind that monster that was the Digimon Emperor, there was a lonely and depressed child who had let his dark past consume him and who didn't really want to harm anyone, and only did so because of sheer misunderstanding and emotional manipulation by some sick freaks who dared call themselves digimon. When Wormmon's sacrifice cracked the mask that Ken had hid behind, Daisuke couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and Daisuke was the kind of guy who felt that he'd to help anyone who went through difficult times and so he tried to help this boy that wasn't actually the sicko he'd first thought.

It took time but he finally got through Ken, and before he knew it, he found in him a friend for life, whose relationship turned from loose alliance to camaraderie to a beautiful friendship which Daisuke was sure was something that was extremely rare and difficult to find, but he found it and he was happy for it.

And he found it in a former enemy no less.

Now that was what you call irony.

Anyway, as he chilled and took it easy, Ken went to him and sat near him on the floor and, strangely enough, looked rather bashful, as if it was something he wanted to say something to Daisuke but suddenly had let his shyness get in the way. As he paid his attention to Ken, Daisuke could tell that he wanted to say something to him, but he knew that Ken was shy so instead of pushing him he just let him take his time to gather courage to say whatever he wanted to say.

After a short time, Ken gathered enough courage to ask Daisuke the rather bashful question he had, and he opened his mouth and out it came.

"Daisuke, I wonder what do you want as a Christmas present?"

Daisuke shot up his eyes in surprise. Christmas? Wasn't that the holiday the Christians from West celebrates, as far as his attention in school knew. The Japanese don't celebrate Christmas, only the tiny minority of Christians that lived in this country, so why did he ask something like that? What, was Ken part of that minority?

As if he could hear the question inside Daisuke's head, Ken smiled and shook his head.

"No I'm not a Christian if thats is what you wonder. No, I just like the idea of a holiday there you give gifts to people close to you. And as you're my best friend, I thought of looking through the cultural differences and just give you something. You know, to show how much I appreciate how much you've done for me and the second chance you've given me."

Ken's words touched Daisuke deeply and he couldn't help but smile. It was cute that Ken actually wanted to give him something, as if the happiness that came out of their friendship wasn't enough for Ken to show how important he was in Daisuke's life.

"Na, you don't need to give me anything, man."

"You sure", Ken asked rather surprised.

"Yeah I'm sure. Save your money for something else. I've already enough of what I want anyway", Daisuke said and grinned friendily at Ken.

Ken grinned back, happy to know that he didn't need to buy Daisuke anything to make sure how much he appreciated the kindness the out-going boy had showed him. He already knew of it, and somehow it was strange in Ken's mind that why wasn't Daisuke given the crest of kindness instead. He definitely deserved it more than him...

"Hey guys do you know what I want?" DemiVeemon suddenly asked with a cheerful tone, interrupting Ken's thoughts. He'd heard Ken's question, and when he did, thoughts of presents made their way into his blue head, and just like a child near Christmas, he really couldn't help but wanting some presents of his own.

"No, what?" said Daisuke in a mock-curious tone. He already knew what his digimon partner probably wanted for presents but he decided to play along.

"I want to have all candy bars and ice-creams in the whole world!" answered DemiVeemon cheerfully, with a big smile on his lips. The thoughts of gaining all the sweets of the whole world made his mouth watering, and the infamous hunger for food made its way to his stomach.

"Thats what I want too. Please can you get some for us huh?" asked Minomon. He too could feel the infamous desire for human sweets making its way to his stomach as he heard DemiVeemon's wish.

"Is it anything you would want beside food? I mean, there're other stuff to wish for but just that. Seriously, you guys must have the smallest imaginations ever", said Daisuke while he rolled his eyes and threw up his arms. He sincerely started to believe that the stomachs of those two little devils weren't really stomachs, but bottomless pits that couldn't ever be satisfied no matter what.

"Nope. I want food. Food is my favourite thing of all things", answered DemiVeemon cheerfully, completely missing the sarcasm in Daisuke's voice.

"I noticed that. Just make me think that by the time you hit my age, you likely will be renamed BigVeemon, or Fatsomon or something", said Daisuke with a teasing grin on his lips.

Minomon started to laugh loudly at Daisuke's remark, while DemiVeemon crossed his small arms and hmmed in annoyance. Daisuke started to laugh as well, but not as loud as Minomon. Ken chuckled for himself. Not because of what Daisuke said actually was funny but because how goofy they all acted, and it was kind of cute how embarrassed DemiVeemon looked, with the crossing of his tiny arms and the red blush on his oversized head.

"So what do you want than?" Daisuke suddenly asked Ken, who apparently was taken aback by his question. Now that his raven-haired friend asked him what he wanted as a Christmas present, Daisuke didn't want to be any less of a guy so he asked what Ken wanted, and cultural differences be damned.

"Huh?...well...I'm not sure, at least not of anything materialistic, but there's something I would like to have," answered Ken rather quietly, which didn't escape the others in the room, and Daisuke suddenly got this gut feeling that told him that the next thing Ken would say wouldn't be pretty.

"I want redemption for all the things I'd done as the emperor. I want to pay back for the crimes I'd committed. I want forgiveness, and though I know you and the other Digidestined have given it to me, I'm not sure if everyone else wants to be as forgiving. I don't know why but somehow its feels like that the help I try to give you guys isn't enough. Maybe it really isn't enough...maybe I can only be truly forgiven if I get the ultimate punishment...paid the ultimate prize."

Silence married with the room, and everything went still. Daisuke felt the creeps going through his spine as he figured out what Ken hinted at. People tend to think him as a guy with too much confidence and too little brainpower. Someone who couldn't find his way out of a building even if arrows were painted on walls and a map of the inside structure was on his hands, and who only could rely on sheer dumb luck for any success, but in reality, Daisuke was a pretty intelligent guy with a brain that was rather sharp for his age, only just unenthusiastic about school. And he immediately knew exactly what Ken hinted at with his little speech; he still was so consumed with guilt and remorse that he actually was considering his own death.

Daisuke shouldn't be really surprised of it. The hints were there even before Ken joined the Digidestined, and he remembered the fight against Arukenimon's Okuwamon and how clearly suicidal Ken was during that fight. He remembered on how breathless he was when he witnessed the tormented way Ken acted and how he was ready to let that overgrown, ugly-looking bug of a fake digimon tear him apart in his misguided belief that it was the only way he could repay the crimes he'd committed during his time as the Digimon Emperor. Fortunately, Daisuke acted fast before that could happen, and he pulled Ken out of his suicide-by-fake-digimon plot, but he got this weird gut-feeling afterward that the suicidal depression still was in Ken's system, and now it was finally confirmed.

Needless to say, Daisuke didn't like it. It hurt him to see that, despite all the kind things Ken had done for the Digital World and its population for the recent months, Ken still thought himself as a lesser being, as a monster that only deserved to be killed and its corpse dumped at the wildness. Pushing all his creeping feelings down, he put up a smile on his face and went over to Ken. Right now, he needed to play the therapist, and it'd be more efficient if he put up some positivity.

He laid his hand on Ken's shoulder and spoke to him with an upbeat but still serious voice.

"Look Ken, I know that you still feel awful for the things you did during your less than inspiring time as the Digimon Emperor, but that time is over. The Emperor is over, it's only Ken Ichijouji now, and he's not what the Emperor was, or what Arukenimon wanted him to be. He's my best friend, and of the kind that is really hard to find, less gain. He's not only that but he's one of the kindest people I've ever met, and he's one of the few people that actually has enough humanity to not to see me as a stupid, idiotic brat that should only be hang around with if you really have to, but as the person I really am, and he's not afraid to be friend with me despite how it'd ruin his reputation as a genius kid. He's also one of the bravest people I've met as well, since when everyone else do wrong, they either make excuses and tries to unveil themselves of their responsibilities, or simply runs away, but he takes on the responsibility and do his dues, in progress saving lives from curtain death or worse. I'm going to tell that I'm very happy to met him and befriend him, because I wouldn't know what to do with myself without him to show me what to do. So you don't deserve to feel like that Kenny boy, you should instead be happy with yourself because after the things you'd been through, happiness is what you really deserves and I'm going to tell you, when all this is over, and Arukenimon and Mummymon are defeated, we'll celebrate it the whole night long, and you'll enjoy yourself. That's a order, mister."

Ken was speechless, and so were the digimon. They didn't know how to respond to Daisuke's speech. Granted, this wasn't the first time Daisuke pulled this kind of speech, but as they were used to the easy-going and cheerful Daisuke, they were always taken by surprise anytime the serious, analytical and emotional supportive Daisuke came out and did what he do best. As they were his closest friends, they were perfectly aware that there was more in Daisuke than what he showed to the everyday people, but still they couldn't help but being taken aback by the real side of Daisuke Motomiya.

A big smile suddenly made its way to Ken's face and it was filled with gratefulness and heart-warming feelings that it basically already told what he said next wordlessly.

"Thanks Daisuke. I appreciate what you said. You truly are a great friend"

"Yeah, he's right, but just not only that; you're really one of the best people around", said Minomon. He was extremely grateful that Daisuke came to their lives and helped Ken with the problems he faced. That goggle-wearing boy was something that Minomon once thought only existed in his dreams; someone whose kindness and forgiveness were limitless and free, and would help his partner to see the light that was prisoned inside his own darkness. In Minomon's own thoughts, Daisuke was a miracle in a human body who was sent by God, as the humans calls it, in a time of desperate needs, answering the prays he prayed when he was but a chew toy of the Digimon Emperor.

"That's Daisuke alright", DemiVeemon cheerfully said, proud that he'd such an awesome partner.

"It's no big deal guys. Just doing what friends do", Daisuke said rather bashfully as he swept his hand through his hair and blushed, not really used to that much of praise.

"Well, you're doing it well. You should be more proud of it", said Ken with a smile.

"Yeah, maybe I should", said Daisuke more bashfully. At least Ken wasn't in his suicidal fantasy now, and that was what counted the most.

And yet he couldn't help but again feeling his gut telling him that this wouldn't be the last time Ken ended up swallowed up by his own life-dangerous depression...

...and that next time, it'd be more difficult to make him see the other way.

---

Back in reality, Daisuke saw the others wondering about Ken's whereabout, while he himself started to think about things after that therapist session. After that event, Daisuke had tried even harder to make sure that Ken wouldn't let himself being consumed by his suicidal thoughts, and while it looked like he was succeeding with that, he always felt that they were still inside Ken, just buried for the moment and waiting for their next opportunity.

And then it hit him. The opportunity had already came with the ugly's Mental Illusion attack. Thats probably why Ken looked so differently than everyone else; he was probably living through his wishes for punishment for his past crimes. Punishment that likely will end with...

"Oh shit!"

Everyone else quickly turned to him, curious with his sudden outburst.

"What is it Daisuke?" Iori asked.

"I think what that freak is planning to do with Ken, and we must find him before something really bad happens!" said Daisuke. With that sick mind of that ugly freak, Ken's ultimate desire was like his late Christmas present, and Daisuke was sure that the monster was on his way to collect it.

"What bad is happening to Ken?" Miyako asked, clearly fearful of whatever thing Daisuke thought was happening with Ken.

"I don't have time to explain. We must find him NOW!" Daisuke shouted, and then he quickly jumped on Raidramon's back and off they went, not even bothering to see if the others followed. They needed to find Ken fast before the worst would happen, but it was difficult as they were inside an empty white space. Daisuke didn't really know how to find Ken in this endless void, but rather running forward than staying at one place, and if any god were watching than maybe they could find Ken before that monster do. If he could find everyone else in their illusions than he could find Ken as well. Daisuke prayed to every deity he could think off that they'd find Ken and bring him safety back home.

---

He couldn't see anything that was in front of him, as a large sandstorm prevented him to see anything clearly, and he'd to shield his eyes with his right arm from the sand.

"Where...am I?" Ken Ichijouji asked to himself. Well, he knew enough that he was in a desert, but what desert and which world he was on he didn't know.

As if the weather heard his question, the sandstorm suddenly disappeared and everything went still. He saw an endless desert that stretched for miles ahead, but that wasn't the thing that caught his attention. It was that black, tall spire that stood up at the horizon, and above it the dark, circular, unmoving cloud that left itself like a sour thumb in the otherwise clear sky.

He was surprised to see something like that at the horizon, but what really caught his eyes was the thing that hung at the top of the spire. As he looked harder he could see that it wasn't just a thing...it was a person. A person hung at the top of the spire, and he or she looked familiar to Ken. He could tell that he'd seen this person before, and he tried to figure out who it was at the top.

"That's..." he said as he looked even harder at the person that hung at the spire's top, trying to remember who he, as he could see which gender he was, was.

Then he saw him as clear as the sun. He saw exactly who that person was, and the revelation who he was caused his blood to freeze and his eyes getting bigger in shock. It couldn't be him. No way in hell it couldn't. It was just impossible, just plain impossible even for the rules of this world that the person apparently chained at the spire was...

"The Digimon Emperor!"

He ran right toward to the spire, while repeatedly thinking that it couldn't be in his head. The Digimon Emperor was dead. He died the same day his horrid creature, Kimeramon, died, so it couldn't be him. It must be a mirage of some sort because it was against all laws of time and space that the person chained to the spire was once his evil side that went loose during his early time in the Digital World, created by the Dark Spore's manipulation of his inner darkness. He'd to get to him and see him up close, only than could he be sure it was a mirage...or the emperor himself in the flesh.

As he was not far from the spire, he stopped running as he, to his further shock, saw digimon suddenly appearing from the thin air around the spire. He saw a Tyrannomon, a Gorillamon, a Monochromon, a Unimon, several Bakemon, a Digitamamon, a Gotsumon, an Elecmon and several other digimon. They were all of different sizes and levels but if it was something they all had in common than it was the hatred that was in their eyes as they were looking at the hanging, fallen tyrant.

"You're a horrible person!" the Gotsumon shouted at the emperor with rage in its voice.

"Do you have any idea how many digimon suffered because of you?!" a Gizamon loudly asked the emperor with even more rage than that of the Gotsumon.

"The pain and humiliation of all those digimon you oppressed and whipped...have a taste of it!" the Elecmon shouted as he shot out his electric attack right at the hanging ex-tyrant and hit him right on. The emperor shook in pain as the electricity was running wild on his body, but he didn't have the time to scream as the Unimon and the Gotsumon attacked him as well, hitting the emperor with full force. The attacks were so quick that the emperor didn't have the time to scream or cry of the pain he felt in his entire body. The digimon wouldn't allow him to do that as they attacked with more ferocity and more hatred; hatred they all felt toward this monster in human skin that had done nothing but causing them pain and suffering that hadn't been seen since the reign of the Dark Masters. The tyrant would pay for his crimes, and he'd pay them with his body and soul.

Ken himself watched the digimon delivering their revenge on the former emperor with frozen shock and terror. He was so horrified of what he was watching that he couldn't move even just one finger. This...couldn't be right? This couldn't be real? This must be a nightmare he was forced to live through, a nightmare he wanted to wake up from. The pain and the tortured body language of the emperor cut through his heart as he still watched the horrid event. No, it wasn't the emperor's pain that cut through his heart...his pain did. It was he that was beaten into a mess; he who still was seen as a tyrannical monster by the very beings he'd tried to atone to. The rage and the hatred...they were overwhelming. He couldn't believe it. Was he really such a monster that they'd put him through such torture just that he'd feel how it felt to be the victim? Was he really the one behind all that overwhelming, righteous anger?

Then one last attack hit the emperor so hard so that his dreaded glasses went off his face. Ken could no longer watch the torture against the hated past himself so he turned his head around with his eyes closed. After a few seconds, he turned his head back and opened his eyes, hoping in futile that he'd be awake from this nightmare, but he saw that he was still at the same place, and the spire and the digimon around it remained. Only one thing was different; the Digimon Emperor wasn't there anymore. He no longer was chained to the spire, in fact he couldn't see him anywhere.

It was obvious to Ken why the Digimon Emperor wasn't there anymore: he'd paid for his crimes with the ultimate prize. Only the glasses which laid some few feets away from him were all that remained of the former ruler of the Digital World.

The spire suddenly exploded into tiny data bits and disappeared into nothingless. And then the digimon did it as well, their eyes still looking at where the spire was at with the same hatred as before, not even caring that they were deleted into the thin air, leaving Ken alone in this vast desert.

Ken was so shocked of all that he'd witnessed that he didn't know what to do, and the hatred the digimon had showed to the emperor was too much for him to handle. He'd imagined that he'd possibly receive some sort of punishment after the end of the war, but the fact that he alone could inspire such hatred and vengefulness...How could he have been such a terrific monster who had caused so much pain and suffering that the event he just witnessed was considered justice by those fallen victims by his cruelty? It was...he couldn't find any words for it. He stood there alone in the middle of nowhere as he felt the familiar guilt and self-hate grow in his heart. Oh goodness, he just wanted all this to end. He wanted to be free from his sins and the stains of the blood that were on his hands.

"Please, someone help me to be free from all this. Someone please give me atonement so that I can be free from this nightmare!"

As he stood there, shocked beyond all wits, another figure came to his view. The figure bent down to pick up the emperor's glasses, and when he went up, Ken immediately recognized him and it caused his eyes to get even bigger in a greater shock, since it was impossible the figure that stood in front of him was...

"Osamu..."

Indeed it was Ken's dead big brother, Osamu, who stood in front of him, seemingly as alive and well as he was before the car accident that took his life away. The fact that he was supposed to be dead didn't seem to bother Osamu at all, as when Ken said his name in wonder, Osamu looked at him with a kind smile on his face. A smile that Ken hadn't seen since he was a young kindergartener.

"I've come back to invite you to stay with me here, there you no longer have to suffer for the errors of your past"

Then Osamu stretched out his hand in an inviting gesture, obviously meant for Ken to take it.

"Your punishment is over. Trust me, I'm your brother. Take my hand Ken, and we'll be together forever", Osamu said to Ken with his kind smile still present, encouraging Ken to take the hand he was offering to him.

"I can't get these visions out of my head. If I stay, would you help me?" Ken asked Osamu, who nodded in answer.

Ken felt an enormous happiness that he hadn't felt for ages. After all the pain and hardships, he finally saw a chance to be happy, to be free from everything. He walked to Osamu, his brother who came back to him just for him, to free him from the overwhelming guilt he'd felt for a long time. He'd accept Osamu's offer and he'd finally be free from his sins, and then spend an eternity with his brother in peaceful bliss. As he neared Osamu, Ken felt his mouth bringing out the biggest smile he ever had, and his eyes tearing up in overwhelming joy. As he was finally in front of his brother, who still had his hand stretched out to him, Ken couldn't help but ask...

"Where've you been?"

Then, as he was about to accept Osamu's hand, he said...

"I've missed you so long Osamu"

Ken was right about to take Osamu's hand when he heard a familiar voice calling out for him.

"Ken, can you hear me?"

Ken turned around his head to where that voice came from, and he saw another familiar figure who stood some few feets away behind him, and that figure was his digimon partner, Wormmon.

"Wormmon, what're you doing here?" Ken asked his small partner. It wasn't that he didn't mind Wormmon's presence but during this important moment with Osamu, he'd hoped that he'd be alone with the brother he hadn't seen for years.

"I've come to bring you back Ken. The others are waiting for you"

"What others?"

"Well your friends of course. They're looking for you right now, and you've to meet up with them. They're worried sick for you", Wormmon answered, hoping that mentioning about Ken's friends would help him see through the illusion that was in front of him.

"But...what about my brother?" Ken asked rather anxious. He truly wanted to be with his friends, but this was the first time he'd met his brother in years, and Osamu had promised him he'd be with him forever if he accepted his offer, and Ken wanted to accept it, not only because Osamu promised redemption but also because of the likely large chance that if he walked away from Osamu right now, it'd be the last time he ever saw him.

As if he could read Ken's thoughts, Wormmon told him...

"Do you plan to stay here forever, away from your friends and family? Don't you think it'd hurt them if you rejected them in favour for the easy way out?"

Wormmon hoped that he'd bring Ken out of this spiritual prison by bringing up his relationship with his friends and family, so that he'd be reminded what he still had in the real world. Wormmon didn't dare to tell Ken that his brother in front of him was fake though since he was afraid that the harsh truth would traumatize Ken further than he already was, so he tried some other methods.

"I...I..." Ken tried to say something but he couldn't find any words.

"If it's atonement you want than staying here will not help you. You need to come back Ken, back to us. Only back with us can you find atonement. Staying here will not bring you anything but false satisfaction. Please come back with us so that we can help you", Wormmon said as he tried to reason with Ken, as he didn't want Ken to live in a fake dream world for all time.

"But how can I find atonement back there? I'd tried to find it there, but I can't. It seems that I can only find more pain and suffering that is caused by me, so how can I go back? I'll only bring more evil to the worlds, and more pain to the innocents", Ken said to Wormmon, the familiar guilt once again replacing the happiness he just felt some moments ago. How could he find redemption back there when it seemed that no matter he tried, he only caused more terrific deeds? Even if he was no longer the Digimon Emperor, darkness still found a way to use him as its weapon in its quest for domination, whatever if it was Arukenimon, Oikawa or Daemon that used him for their own needs.

"I know it's tough, and that it's been really tough for you, but you can't stay here. You'll never know anything that is good in life if you do. Please come back with me Ken, and we'll find your redemption together", Wormmon pleaded to Ken with a heart-hurting tone in his voice. He was now truly afraid that Ken wouldn't come back with him, and if he didn't than Wormmon would be nothing but a partner less digimon, alone in this large universe.

Ken shook his head with a sad smile before he with a pained tone said...

"I'm sorry Wormmon, but there's nothing for me back there. Nothing but further pain for both me and everyone else. I can't do this no more Wormmon; I can no longer live with the blood that is on my hands, and I can no longer try to find atonement when there is none back there. I can no longer live with these nightmares that are in my head all the time. I'm sorry Wormmon, but Osamu had promised me the redemption I can't find anywhere else, and if I reject him now than there's no hope for me. Please forgive me Wormmon, but this's the only way. Please tell my friends that I'm sorry that I took the easy way out"

Ken then turned to face his brother, who still had his smile on his face and his hand stretched out for Ken, seemingly not bothered by the talk Ken and Wormmon had with each other. Ken then took Osamu's hand with his own, while he smiled at his brother with teary eyes that were full with happiness for this moment...

...ignoring that as soon he took Osamu's hand, Osamu's kind smile twisted itself into a cruel smirk.

Wormmon quickly realized that the Osamu in front of Ken wasn't an illusion, but a real thing...only that it wasn't the Osamu Ken knew, but it was him disguised as Osamu. Panic shot up in Wormmon as he immediately knew what he planned to do next, and he ran toward Ken with his small legs, hoping to prevent what would come next.

"KEN, KEN, KEN!" Wormmon shouted to Ken several times as he ran in hope that Ken would let go in time.

But before he could do anything, everything around Wormmon became nothing but a blood red void, and he felt pain in his entire body. The last thing Wormmon heard in his short life was a cruel, sadistic chuckle.

---

They'd ran for over ten minutes, which felt like hours, and still they hadn't found Ken. The fact that they hadn't found him by this point when everyone else were easy to catch caused Daisuke to nearly panic. He'd a bad feeling about all this, and about Ken. As hard as he tried to look, he only saw more and more white endless space, and from what he could tell, the others were just as unlucky as him in finding Ken. All this whiteness started to irritate Daisuke. He didn't want some freaking, shining space to melt his eyes out, he wanted to find Ken and save him from that ugly freak's sick bloodlust. If the others were easy for him to find and bring out back to reality, than why the hell would it be so difficult when it was about Ken? He was the one who really needed to be saved; not from just that big psycho but also from the nightmare he probably was facing in his illusional prison.

In a flash so quick that Daisuke and his friends didn't have the time to ask, the white space they were in turned into a blood-red light that cut through their eyes, forcing them to close them as the light shone with too much strength. When they opened their eyes, they saw that they were back in the strange dimension the battle began at. For Daisuke it was less than a welcoming sight; they'd suddenly came back here without freeing his best friend first. He needed to go back to wherever that white space was. He needed to go back so that he could stop the worst possible thing to happen to...

"KEN?! KEN OH MY GOODNESS KEN!"

Daisuke turned his head around to see why the hell Miyako screamed after Ken so loudly, and when he saw why she screamed, he suddenly wished he hadn't. The sight that was before him caused his heart to stop and his blood to freeze as he watched in great shock of the event played right in front of him, not believing that it really was happening in front of his very own eyes.

The others were just as shocked and horrified as Daisuke when they saw what was happening in front of them, and they all reacted in different way, but still in denial and terror:

Miyako screamed and shouted in sheer terror of what she just witnessed, refusing to believe that this was really happening in front of her.

Hikari felt the tears comming to her eyes as she saw the whole thing, absolutely shocked beyond her wits. She'd never seen anything more awful thing than this, not even anything caused by the Dark Masters, and she tried to deny what she was watching, hoping that this was just a cruel nightmare that didn't really happen. It just couldn't have happen. It just couldn't. It wasn't supposed to end like this, they were supposed to get through this scot-free. Her heart broken and the tears finally sprung free, she clung to Takeru's shoulder in grief, unable to watch further.

Iori was frozen like a statue absolutely horrified out of his wits. He too hadn't seen anything more awful than the event played before him. In his short life he'd been through several difficult things and had witnessed many horrifying atrocities; the murder of his dad, the rampages of Kimeramon, the battle against BlackWarGreymon, the digimon invasion, Oikawa's tricks and manipulations, and the rampages of the Deamon Corps, but never had he imagined that anything like this would ever happen, and it was just too much for his young mind to grasp as he hyperventilated and shock in panic, and stuttered with a terrified tone...

"He...he..he did it. He...he did it, he did it. He ki...he ki...He is a monster, an absolute monster...how...how...why...why did he do it...why...why did he...how cruel can you...why did he do it?"

Takeru was just as shocked and horrified like everyone else when he saw the event, but unlike them, that shock and horror quickly turned into anger, the same anger that was born from his hatred to creatures like that one in front of him; creatures that seemed to had been born only to cause death and destruction for no reason than to satisfy their own sick desires. Takeru bared his teeth in rage toward the thing that in this moment had committed the worst crime that ever had been made in his whole time as a Digidestined, and here he'd though he'd already seen the worst these creatures could bring. Apparently, he was wrong; this beat all the records, and it took Takeru all his willpower not to go into a rage as he was breathing like an ox ready to charge and his eyes narrowed at the event. While he used all his discipline to not try a reckless attack, he tried to comfort Hikari by rubbing her back, and he answered Iori's stuttering question, his voice drowned with barely sustained rage and hate.

"It's because he's a monster, the worst that ever has lived. He's a sick, twisted thing that shouldn't exist, that doesn't deserve to live. An overgrown computer virus that is nothing but scum, a creature of darkness who does nothing but bring evil to everyone else just for their own sick amusement. Thats why he did it; because he's a sick, psychotic animal that should be shot in the head and its body left to rot"

The digimon stared at the event with the same amount of shock and horror just like their human partners. Hawkmon, Armadillomon and the several digievolved versions of Veemon stared in utter, silent shock of what they saw. Being rather recent recruits, they'd never seen an event as disgusting and horrifying as this. Sure, they'd seen bad stuff before but never of this calibre, and they were in complete denial of what they saw. When bad stuff happened before, they were always able to fix it in the end, but this time they knew it'd never be fixed no matter how much they'd try, so they tried to deny what was happening, hoping in vain that this was just another illusion that was being played to them the same time it was played to their partners.

Patamon and Gatomon, the more experienced digimon, were just as repulsed by what they saw like everyone else. Nothing they'd been through before could even compete with the event that was happening in right in front of them. Gatomon in particular had thought that she'd seen all the evil the universe could offer when she worked for her former master, but she was wrong. This was the most cruel and evil thing she ever had seen, and she could feel her stomach almost giving in to the sheer disgusting nature of the event, and only her self-discipline and pride made that she didn't throw up on the ground.

What was happening to cause such horror, panic and anger in the hearts and souls of the Digidestined and their partners? Well, what was happening was that MaloMyotismon once again did what he do best, and this time his victim was no other than the Digidestined of Kindness, Ken Ichijouji. With his right hand, MaloMyotismon had thrusted his claws deep into Ken's stomach, and now Ken's body hung loosely on MaloMyotismon's hand, his limbs hanging unmovingly, his blood running slowly to the ground, his entire being nothing but a dead corpse, never to be alive again.

The Digidestined were almost at a breaking point. Their friend, and not just any friend but one of the most kindest, polite and goodhearted beings around, had been killed like he was some mere animal, and they were in grief. Miyako, Hikari and even now Iori cried their eyes out, Takeru shook in rage, and Daisuke, Ken's own best friend, was in such deep shock that he barely was breathing. But the worst part was that MaloMyotismon could feel their broken emotions, and it made his heart beat in joy. He'd finally hurt those pathetic insects into the deepest parts of their very beings. He'd finally made them pay the ultimate prize for denying him the victory that he should've gotten years ago, and the pain it caused them made him feel such gleeful happiness. But that wasn't enough for him; they'd pay even more than just this.

Smirking his whole mouth full, and his eyes beaming with sickeningly glee, MaloMyotismon planned another way to hurt those weaklings even further and then he, for no reason than to spite the Digidestined, twisted his right hand around inside Ken's body, causing blood to gush like a fountain, which started to paint the floor red. Then MaloMyotismon, like a child with his birthday present, pulled his right hand back with all his strength and with it, he ripped out much of Ken's intestines, with a sickingly, gushing sound that could be heard with it. This act caused Miyako to scream in sheer terror, Hikari to cling to Takeru even harder, and Gatomon to finally lose her lunch. She'd never seen her former master acting at such more horrifying way before and this was too much for her nerves to take. The others, even Takeru, just stared completely wordlessly and their faces were ghostly pale, all of them traumatized beyond all limits. This was something that would hunt them for the rest of their lives.

MaloMyotismon, however, was in completely different mood. This was the most satisfying day in his life, and he'd never been more elated. Everything had gone so well for him and, despite some few, petty setbacks, he could practically taste victory in his mouth. His former pawn was dead, and his petty friends' hearts were crushed and they stood there like scared sheeps waiting for slaughter. Oh he'd sure slaughter them all alright, just the same way he slaughtered the former emperor. He breathed wistfully as his eyes took in their frighened appearences, enjoying every second of the fear, shock and tears that just radiated out of them. It was excitning near orgasmic levels to see the terror in the eyes of Azulongmon's puppets, and MaloMyotismon became so excited that he suddenly started to laugh. He laughed an enormous laughter that sang an evil that could only be found in the most corrupt beings. An evil that promised nothing but endless pain and bloodshed, a darkness that surpressed even that of the Dark Ocean. MaloMyotismon laughed like he'd never laughed before. He'd won, yes he'd truly won. The worlds were his for the taking, and there was nothing anybody could do about it, neither those scared witless brats in front of him or anyone else.

The Digidestined and their partners were overwhelmed by how far everything had gone. Their friend was dead and they were locked up in this strange, spooky world along with a psychopathic monster with nowhere to run. That monster's loud laughter cut through their souls like hot knifes cutting through butter, and absolute terror was all they felt, and not just fear terror but actual, primal, sheer terror that only such monstrous evil could inspire. This...this'd to be just a terrible nightmare. All this couldn't just happen? It was just impossible that all this really did. This was all just a nightmare born from the most creepest parts of their imaginating fantasies and soon they'd wake up on their beds. Wake up and see that everything had been worked out, with Ken still alive and the worlds free from the darkness, and they wanted to wake up NOW! They didn't want to be here anymore. They wanted to be at home and out of all this. They wanted to be safe with their families, safe in the arms of their parents, away from all the traumatic events that they'd been forced to bear witness. Events that no one, and specially not young children that weren't even near adolescence, should ever see in their lives. But no matter how much they tried to deny everything and wished to be away, they all knew that they couldn't escape from this, and so they stood there completely terrified beyond all rational thoughts, all their wills gone.

Daisuke, however, was the only one brave enough, if only barely, to finally speak something, though it was barely audible.

"You bastard. You killed Ken"

"Sorry. Can't hear you with the blood dripping on the floor. Drip, drip, haha", MaloMyotismon answered as he stopped laughing, perfectly able to hear the brat's words but he wanted to spite him even further.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU KILLED KEN, AND THERE'S ONLY ONE THING I'VE TO SAY TO YOU, AND THAT'S YOU'RE DEAD!" Daisuke shouted with all the rage he was feeling inside toward that creature that had murdered his best friend. The others shot up their eyes at Daisuke as soon they heard him screaming his hatred toward MaloMyotismon, shocked and, honestly, terrified by the sheer savagery the usual easy-going boy now displayed, leaving them even more speechless. So petrified they were; none of them were able to stop Daisuke from charging against the monster that had caused so much pain and death, as he ran right toward MaloMyotismon, determined to revenge Ken's death with his bare hands.

MaloMyotismon was also taken by surprise when Daisuke screamed at him. Mostly because he thought that he'd finally broken the spirits of those brats, and seeing one of them still had some fight in him wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for, no less the sheer hatred that was controlling the boy like a crazed animal that had nothing to lose. The boy really was going to take him down with nothing but his puny hands?

Then MaloMyotismon smirked. The boy wanted to fight him well that was just good. That brat had been nothing but a pain in his tail for the last hour as he'd tried to deny the victory that was already his. Now he could finally teach that brat some manners, make him learn whats happen to those who defy those destined to rule the universe.

"So you were strong enough to resist my Mental Illusion attack, and now you want to see if you're strong enough to take me down by yourself? HA, I LIKE THAT!"

"DAISUKE, DON'T BE A FOOL!" ExVeemon screamed as he flew toward the boy, hoping to stop him before he'd suffer the same fate as Ken did. One death was one too many already, and he wouldn't allow Daisuke to commit suicide.

MaloMyotismon heard ExVeemon's cry and he looked up to the dragon digimon. When he did it, his smirk turned into a teeth-bearing sneer. That mis-coloured, overgrown lizard had been a pain to him just like his brat of a "partner", and he wasn't about to let that ugly reptile ruining his fun this time, so MaloMyotismon picked up the already cold, gored corpse of the former emperor and then he threw it right at the flying freak, hoping it'd be enough to stop him dead...enough for him to give that brat a lession in manners.

ExVeemon flew as fast as he could in order to reach for Daisuke, but then he saw that monster picking Ken's body up and then throwing it as if it was just a useless thing. ExVeemon couldn't allow this monster desecrating Ken furthur than he already he'd done, so he stratched out his muscular arms to catch Ken's body in the midair.

That blue freak caught the corpse, and the few seconds he wasted to wait for it was all MaloMyotismon needed. He looked down and saw that the brat still running toward him, ready to revenge his little friend. MaloMyotismon shook his head in disbelief with his smirk back on his lips; the brat was so insignificent compared to him. So small, and the brat really thought that he could beat him in a fist fight? And to believe that the brat's species once ruled everything...pathetic.

"Come here, I'll give you a free shot", MaloMyotismon said. Then he lowered himself to Daisuke's level and put his right cheek for the boy to punch. MaloMyotismon was confident that the brat's puny fists would cause him no real harm...so imaginate his surprise that once Daisuke punched right at his cheek, his jaw exploded with pain. Pain that was enough to cause MaloMyotismon to shoot up and scream loudly.

"Dammit that really hurt! Damn that kid! Damn that freaking, insignificent, little worm! I must take him out before he figures out how this dimension works", MaloMyotismon thought after he screamed as he held his cheek with his claws.

Breathing slowly in order to dull the pain, MaloMyotismon looked down at Daisuke with rage in his eyes and a sneer on his lips.

"Nice one boy. Here's my shot", MaloMyotismon said with a cold tone, and after that, he pulled up his right arm in the air and then he slamed it with all his strength right at Daisuke, causing the boy to fly across the dimension in a fast speed.

Daisuke flew in a very fast speed, and it looked that he soon would hit the wall. And when he did, it'd likely kill the young boy immediately. Fortunately, Flamedramon jumped up in the air to catch Daisuke, but when he caught Daisuke in his arms, Flamedramon was pulled with him by the strong force and soon his back hit the wall. The impact caused massive pain to explode in Flamedramon's body and he would've screamed his lungs out if he wasn't winded by the impact. Flamedramon couldn't breath no matter he tried despite the pain, and as he tried and failed to get air he started to panic. It wasn't better that blood came out of his mouth, and now he was really scared that he'd soon die. When he landed on the ground, his entire body shook by both pain and panic. After some few seconds, which felt like hours, Flamedramon was able to breath again, and his seizure stopped, but the pain was still in him, and he curled himself in and rocked himself for-and-backward as he hoped it'd lesser the pain, while trying to hold the tears inside his eyes and the blood inside his mouth.

When they hit the wall, Daisuke also felt pain he never had felt before, became winded as well, and when he tried to breath again he couldn't gain any air. Since Flamedramon was the one who took most of the force of the impact, Daisuke was spared from any permanent damages but it still wounded his body, and as he landed on the ground, he felt taste of blood in his mouth, and his limbs hurt when he tried to move them. When he was able to breathe again, it hurt as well unless he did it slowly. Also his head was pounding inside like a hammer, making him feel like he'd vomit or pass out anytime soon. But Daisuke being Daisuke, he decided to remain defiant, and through his pain and illness, he succeeded to speak up against his enemy.

"Good...he...can be...hurt...we still...can...beat him...defeat...him"

MaloMyotimon shook his head and chuckled to himself in amusement. He'd to hand it to the boy: he got guts. Something that the other brats, or even the Sovereigns, lacked.

"I must admit that I'm impressed by your tenacity. You're truly the wolf among this pack of dogs", MaloMyotismon said as he waved his left arm toward the others, who still stood petrified by terror at their spot.

"So I guess that I must break that tenacity. Now you'll witness your friend's death once more, and not just once, but over and over and over again without an end. You'll be forever cursed to see the blood of your friend spilled in front of your eyes. Mental Illusion!" MaloMyotismon said, and then he attacked with his dreaded attack, but instead of white lights that came out the last time, blood-red beams shot out of his eyes, and instead of hitting all of the Digidestined, they hit only Daisuke, who as soon he was hit became uncounscious. The digievolved forms of Veemon disappeared into the thin air, except for ExVeemon, who digidevolved back to DemiVeemon, dropping Ken's body in the progress, and landing on the floor, too weak and tired to move.

"Stupid boy", MaloMyotismon said and then he chuckled in amusement of all the troubles that puny brat yet managed to cause.

The others had looked at the scene with both fright and horror. When Daisuke ran toward MaloMyotismon in a rage, they'd all been too afraid to stop him, not just of MaloMyotismon's sadism, but also of Daisuke's rage, which they'd never seen before. To see Daisuke, the most easy-going guy/human they'd ever met, so angry so that he went berserk like an angry honey badger charging at an elephant, revealing a darker side of himself that was bloodthristy and hateful enough to harm even the most monstrous enemy they'd ever faced, had shocked them to the core. There was more in Daisuke than what they saw everyday, and to tell the truth, they didn't like what they'd just witnessed.

And then MaloMyotismon retaliated, another fear had sprung free inside them; the fear that Daisuke would face the same fate as Ken. When they saw him fly across the dimension about to hit the wall they wanted to scream and jump after him in order to catch him like Flamedramon did, but they didn't since they'd been too shocked to actually do it, and when they both hit wall, they all had been disgusted by the blood that came from their mouths, Flamedramon's seizure, the sound of cracked bones, etc. They wanted to get by Daisuke's side and help him at that point, despite their fear for his darker side, but they were too afraid to do so, and now the boy was stuck in his own nightmare, forced to watch whatever goodness knew what.

However, in Takeru something else started to grow inside him. As shocked and horrified like everyone else he was, he'd watched what had happened and he saw it right there; Daisuke had actually hurt MaloMyotismon. Indeed, when Daisuke punched his small fist right at MaloMyotismon's cheek, it'd been enough to cause the monster to scream loudly in pain, despite that he was a mega-leved digimon fulled by the Dark Spores, and Daisuke a twelve-year old boy. It became clear: MaloMyotismon wasn't invincible as they had thought. Powerful, yes. Invincible, no. He could be hurt...and that meant that he could be defeated.

For the first time in a long time, Takeru felt hope. Yes, that monster in front of him could be defeated. They could win this battle. It'd be hard yes, but there was a chance. They could revenge Ken's death and put an end to this overgrown computer virus's dreams of supremacy, and finally bring peace to the worlds. If Daisuke could defy that monster right at his ugly face, so could they.

"Guys we must fight him. We must do it or we'll lose, and everything we'd fought for will be in vain"

"But Takeru, how can we do it? He's too powerful for us", Iori said to Takeru.

Takeru looked at Iori, and he immediately didn't like what he saw. Seeing the endless fear in the usually stoic and controlled kid's eyes, and his legs that shook massivly told Takeru the seriousness of the sistuation and how far things truly had gone to hell. But he wouldn't let that stop him now.

"Not too powerful. You saw it, he was hurt by Daisuke's punch, and that proves that while he might be tough, he ain't invincible, and we can beat him if we do our hardest. If Daisuke almost broke his jaw with nothing but his own fist, than we together can do him in. We can wipe him out if we fight now. If we don't than all we'd fought for will be in vain. Everthing Ken, Daisuke, Wormon and Veemon fought for. We got to do this, for Ken. For Wormmon. For Veemon. For Daisuke...For our friends", Takeru answered Iori with all the passion he brought out in hope it'd motivate them all. They'd to fight, for both Ken and Daisuke and their partners. Daisuke had proved that they could fight on even with only their bare hands if they'd to, and he'd be damned if he let that monster win this war by simply walking through them.

Patamon, Takeru's digimon partner, had taken Takeru's words to heart and, the loyal partner as he was, decided to be at Takeru's side in this battle and make sure that their friends' sacrifices wouldn't be in vain.

"For our friends", he said, repeating his partner's encouragement to everyone while he sat on Takeru's head.

"Yes, for our friends", Hikari also said. The day had been overwhelming for her and she'd almost given up the fight when she saw MaloMyotismon swapping Daisuke away as if he was a house fly, but her best friend had now reminded her of why she fought as a Digidestined; she fought to keep the worlds safe from monsters like MaloMyotismon. To keep the people safe from bloodshed and evil. To defend peace and prosperity from all sorts of dangers that wanted to destroy them.

To defend her friends and family from the darkness that was now threatening them and every being that lived on the two worlds.

Ken and Wormmon already had paid the ultimate prize, Veemon was wounded, and Daisuke had recieved physical and mental painful punishment which no one should ever recieve, specially not him, and it was enough. They'd stop the monster that had caused so much pain so that even the devil himself would be shocked of, and finally stop his megalomania from harming another living being.

Despite the mess she made on the ground, Gatomon felt that more would come soon. Never had she felt such panic and terror before, and that included her early servitude to that monster. When that thing killed Ken as if he was just a rat, it reminded her of Wizardmon's death, and the old feelings of shock, fear, grief and uselessness came back with a vengeance, and when she saw Daisuke running toward the monster with the intend to kill, she wanted to scream at the boy to not let his emotions control him and think for a goddamned second of what he ran toward to. As much she found Daisuke annoying and obnoxious, she didn't want him to die such gruesome death as well, and she'd even run toward him and force him down on the ground if she wasn't too spineless to just stare and lose control of her own nerves.

Though she doubted that she actually would've the backbone to stop Daisuke when he showed such hateful rage, since not only was it terrifying to see, but it also reminded her for her past self: a creature that let its own darkness control it like a savage animal, going loose at everything that was in its way. A creature that was almost literally controlled by its own hatred, and because of it, was a creature only meant for war, death and revenge. That was a side she wanted to be as far as possible from now that she was free from it, and seeing Daisuke basically becoming the bloodthristy animal she once was was...too much. For the first time in her life, she actually feared Daisuke and she was afraid that he'd become worse when he wake up from whatever mental torture he recieved from her former master, the one who created the same beast that controlled Daisuke the same way it once controlled her.

But then she heard Takeru's encouragement, and yes what he said was true; Daisuke had actually hurt MaloMyotismon. He, a human kid, had hurt something that even ultimate and mega digimon found it difficult to do. So maybe...there was a chance. A chance to finally put her former master down for good.

Yes, they could do it. They could defeat this monster that had taken her friends away for no reason other than petty sadism. For all his talk of mighty powers and his supreme rule, in the end of the day he was just a crazed killer that needed some medication. Yes, they'd win this battle. They'd won before and they could win again, and if a human kid almost cracked that freak's jaw open, than she'd blaste him to kingdom come, and this time for good.

"For our friends", Gatomon said enthusiastically, her earlier illness gone with the wind.

Iori and Miyako, the least experienced Digidestined, were horrified of everything they'd seen. During their time in the Digital World, they'd believed that their jobs as the Digidestined were something excitning, something to do during their free times. Sure, in their first time in the Digital World they'd been scared of the battle they fought in against the Digimon Emperor's slaves, but thanks to their new partners and the older Digidestined, they overcame their fear for danger and accepted their destiny as the protectors of the Digital World. As time went on, things started to get more challenging, and they did get second thoughts some couple of times but they fought through the hardships, and slowly they started to believe themselves rather untouchable. No matter how tough their enemies were, they were never able to finish Miyako, Iori or anyone else off, and they were always defeated in the end. Iori and Miyako had started to believe that their partners would always guard them and keep them safe from any lethal harm, no matter how powerful their enemies were, or how much they'd try to kill them.

So when MaloMyotismon tored Ken apart it'd brutally reminded them of their own mortality, that they could never be guarded from death, and that death didn't care if they were children. In the end they were not special beings but weak mammals that could die any time soon, and only through luck they had survived this far. Ken was the most intelligent Digidestined and yet that didn't help him one bit when death came for him because when death wants something, it just takes it.

Needless to say, the cruel reality had hit Iori and Miyako in the face like a speeding car hitting a brick wall. They couldn't deny it anymore; this Digidestined job wasn't funny anymore. They wanted to get out, back to their families, to safety. They didn't want to die, they wanted to live. They didn't want to end up like Ken: butchered like pigs in the slaughterhouse.

But they couldn't get out, and it was only a matter of time before they would face death themselves.

And so their fear had nailed them to the ground, refusing them the will to do anything but stare in terror at the monster and his deeds.

But when they heard Takeru's encouragement, something inside them started to slowly push away their fear of death. As Takeru and the others found themselves the will to fight on, they as well slowly found it, and then they did it.

They'd found courage.

Yes, they'd found their own courage to fight on, not just for their own lives but for the lives of everyone else. They could fight on. They had to fight on, or else everything they'd done would be in vain.

If they gave up now than endless darkness would rule over the worlds, and everyone - every human and digimon - would suffer a living nightmare with no end. They couldn't allow that, and as Takeru spread his hope to them, they caught it and it gave them the will to push back their fear of death in order to stop it from winning. Ken had already paid with his life for their struggle, and they wouldn't let his sacrifice be in vain, nor Daisuke's. They'd win this battle and put an end to this madness that had caused so much pain and destruction.

"For our friends", they said, ready to repay their friends' sacrifice with their own if they'd to, as so long it'd stop evil from winning.

Armadillomon and Hawkmon quickly chattered the same words, ready to fight one last time before all this would be over.

MaloMyotismon looked at the brat's unconscious body with amusement. That brat just didn't know when to stop and accept who was the winner and rightful ruler of all. Oh well, that was something he should've counted for since it was always that someone who just had to be too thick-headed to accept defeat, and would still fight on despite being outclassed on all fronts. But no matter; the brat was out of the game and by the time he'd wake up, MaloMyotismon would've already taken his rightful place as the ruler of both worlds, and the brat would be nothing but a weak schizophrenic, forever hunted by his visions and nightmares that could break even the strongest minds.

And that before they would finally arrive and put the brat into a fate of eternal torment.

MaloMyotismon heard some chatter that came not from far. He turned around his head to see what the hell that chatter was, and he saw the other brats and their pets chattering something to each other, and from what he saw it wasn't based from fear. Infact, they didn't look afraid at all, and that wasn't a good sign. The last time he checked, they were all petrified by terror, and the possibility that they were conquering that terror didn't suit his goals. The brat had already denied his victory for too long, and MaloMyotismon wasn't in the mood to let the other brats do the same.

He finally heard exactly what they chattered about: they chattered about their pathetic friends in an attempt to inspire themselves.

How could it be? The former emperor was nothing but a cold, pale and gored corpse just waiting for the maggots to feast on, and the brain-dead brat was knocked out by him by just one punch and then literally by a blink of his eyes, so how could they suddenly become inspired by their failures? They were supposed to beg and cry for the mercy they'd never recieve, not suddenly become brave enough to fight the inevitable.

Damn that brat, his defiance must had inspired them to fight as well. It wasn't better that the brat's wish for revenge had made it possible for him to use the power of this dimension to actually hurt him as if he was only a rookie-leved runt.

The Digidestined and their partners then turned around to face him, their faces hardened by determination and defiance. They'd actually fight him, despite that they'd witnessed his might first-hand?

"And for our friends, we'll defeat you, and make you pay for all the pain and suffering you had brought! We'll beat you, and you'll be deleted like the overgrown computer virus that you're! Do you hear that you freak?! We'll beat you up just like the last time, and this time we'll be sure you remain dead forever!"

MaloMyotismon immediately knew who the other defiant, screaming brat was. It was the Digidestined of Hope, one of that overgrown worm Azulongmon's little, precious favorites. The same one who murdered Devimon, which was a shame since Devimon, despite that he was a champion, was a prodigy and one of the most cunning digimon that had ever lived. Not to mention that Devimon gave him the inspiration to create the Dark Towers and the Dark Rings for the emperor to use. And now this boy thought he could kill him as well.

"You and what army, boy?" MaloMyotismon asked with a smirk on his lips, unimpressed by the blonde brat's seemingly empty threats.

"With this army!" Takeru answered, and then they all lifted their digivices, which now shone with bright lights, and before they all knew it, the digimon had digievolved to their stronger forms. What took the Digidestined with surprise was that their partners had not only digievolved to their strongest forms, but to all their forms, and that included their armor, champion and ultimate forms, not just their DNA-digievolved forms. It was just like Veemon when he apparentely digievolved to both ExVeemon, Flamedramon and Raidramon at the same time.

The Digidestined were perhaps surprised of their partners' sudden ability to digievolve to all their forms, but they were happy enough to not ask questions. They'd now a greater chance to win this battle.

MaloMyotismon's smirk had disappeared when all the possible digievolved forms of those pests made entrence, and a frown had replaced it on its place.

"You just had to ask that, didn't you?" MaloMyotismon's mind said to him, and he agreed in irritation that he should've kept his mouth shut.

Takeru, while surprised, was also elated to see that Patamon had not only digievolved to Angemon, and then DNA-digievolved with Ankylomon to Shakkoumon, but also he had somehow digievolved to form both Angemon and MagnaAngemon alongside Shakkoumon, and he wasn't only one. From Iori's side he saw Digmon, Submarimon and Ankylomon. From Miyako's side he saw Halsemon, Shurimon, Aquilamon and Silphymon, and from Hikari's side, he saw Nefertimon and Angewomon. In other words, he actually saw an army of digimon ready to fight by their side.

Takeru then looked at MaloMyotismon, and he didn't see any surprise at all on his face. Annoyance and anger, yes but not surprise, which caused Takeru to feel rather suspicious, but he didn't have the time to ask questions. He could do that later when they'd beaten this freak back to the pit there it belonged.

"Everyone, attack!" Takeru shouted and all the digimon immediately charged their attacks at MaloMyotismon, who sneered at their charging forms. He didn't have the time to curse or whatever he planned to say before he was bombarded by their attacks, bringing him a lot of pain that caused him to scream in agonizing rage.

MaloMyotismon was pissed off. This was not supposed to happen in his plans. He was supposed to be already the ruler of both worlds, not standing here taking hits by all those parasites that just refused to accept defeat. Thats it! He'd to get out of here before those brats would realize this world's full potential and use it to their advantage. Hell, they were already using it, and if he didn't get out soon he'd be done for.

He'd to get to the Digital World. The darkness was likely already rooted deep into the world by now, and only there would he be powerful enough to destro..no, completely annihilate these parasites for good.

Biting through the pain the relentless bombardment caused him, MaloMyotismon aimed his shoulder-mouth at the wall of this dimension and, though with great difficulty, charged up energy for his attack.

"SCREAMING DARKNESS!"

MaloMyotismon's shoulder-mouths opened up and out came large, heavily powered bolts of dark energy that shot foward the wall with a fast speed. The fact that he'd turned around to fire his attack at the wall, and not toward them in self-defence caused the digimon partners to stop their combained attacks and look in surprise at where the bolts hit. So did the Digidestined.

When the smoke cleared from where the bolts hit, they saw that MaloMyotismon's attack had created a hole on the wall of this dimension. A hole that led to another world.

The Digidestined and their partners looked at the hole with wonder and surprise, thinking that it was so against all laws of nature, even by the standards of this world, of the ability to open a hole to another world by simply blasting the wall of this world. MaloMyotismon, however, was elated that his gambit had paid off. Finally, his fortune started to shine.

MaloMyotismon turned his head toward the surprised Digidestined and their equally surprised partners, and with a grin on his lips, he said to them...

"I'll see you pests later."

And before they could answer, MaloMyotismon ran toward the hole in such fast speed that seemed impossible for him to run with all that bulk. In less of a blink of an eye, he'd ran through the hole and disappeared into the other world.

After they spent a moment blinking in surprise, Takeru shook his head and caught back his composure. His face hardened by determination, he turned to his friends and started to talk to them with a willful voice.

"Guys, we've to follow that freak. We can't let him escape, now that we're so close to victory. We got to finish him off once for all, so come on. Lets go!" Takeru said and was about to run toward the hole when he felt someone take hold of his arm. Takeru turned around and saw Hikari holding his arm and looking at him with a worried expression.

"But what about Daisuke? We can't just leave him here. What if something happens to him?" Hikari said to Takeru, since she was worried about the goggle-wearing boy. If they left him here in this strange place, anything could happen to him, and he was already trapped in whatever spiritual prison MaloMyotismon locked him into so he'd be undefendable from anything else. She didn't ask about Ken since it was already obvious that Ken was...her heart would be completely broken if something familiar happened to Daisuke just because they left him in his time of need.

"We got to do it Hikari. If we don't stop that monster now than more people will suffer. I'm sorry Hikari but this's our only chance and we must take it before it's too late", Takeru said to Hikari with a regretful tone. He too didn't want to leave Daisuke here in this weird place, but it they didn't follow MaloMyotismon now than maybe it'd be too late, and the sacrifice Daisuke had paid would be for nothing.

"Beside, Daisuke is a tough one. He'll be okay while we do our part. If he can take a punch from a mega-leved digimon and live, than he can survive anything. I promise, once we're done with MaloMyotismon, we'll go back and tend to Daisuke", Takeru said with a more hopeful tone, hoping it'd calm Hikari's worries. They were already dealing with enough worries right now.

"Okay, I'll go with you. I just hope that he'll be okay when we come back", Hikari said, though she still looked somewhat worried.

"Ok, someone else who want to say anything?" Takeru asked his other friends.

No one said anything.

"Good, now lets go", he said, and they all ran or flew toward the hole with adrenaline pumping their bodies up, ready to win this war once and for all.

Two minutes after they'd passed through the hole, something started to groan in pain as it tried to move its weak limbs. That something was no other than Daisuke Motomiya. Yes, the boy had through sheer force of will alone freed himself from MaloMyotismon's Mental Illusion, but it'd still made its scars. What Daisuke saw would forever hunt him through the rest of his life, since what he'd witnessed was something of great, repulsive nature. Something that even the strongest minds would shatter of by the trauma the illusion created in the young boy's mind, but that wasn't what he thought off right now.

Wounded both physically and mentally, Daisuke dragged his brusied body to there his best friend now laid. Any movement, any breath, any thought caused massive pain to explode in Daisuke's body, and it was only thanks to his famous determination that he didn't pass out by exhaustion and pain.

After some great difficulty, Daisuke was finally near Ken, and he, while ignoring the warm blood beneath him, the big hole on Ken's stomach and what was left of his intestinces hanging out, and the coppery smell that made its way to his nose, took hold of Ken's cold hand.

"Ken...K...en...Keee...n...Keenn...K...K...Ken", Daisuke rasped with his weak voice while he shook Ken's hand in hope that maybe - just maybe - that Ken was alive and would answer him any moment soon.

But it was futile. Ken would never answer him. Would never ask him any question, would never answer him any of his own question, would never help him with his homework, never play soccer with him, never help him with his problems, never hang out with him in the internet café or the movie store, never join with him and the others to the beach, never fight by his side against the resent threat.

Never would any of that ever happen again. Ken was dead, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

But Daisuke still tried, denying the truth that was in right in front of him, but it didn't last. His strength running off, Daisuke was able to mouth one last time.

"Ken"

And then unconsciousness fell over him, the nightmares ready to torture him some more.

---

Author's notes: The wise men of the ancient times once said "In order to write a great fanfic, you've to start with one single page." And thats is what I just did right now. By releasing this first chaper I hope that it'll be the start to the fanfic I had in my head for quite some time, and I hope it'll be an epic and great one as well. Something that readers from all across the globe will find enjoyment and excitment from when they read it. If they enjoyed this first chapter than I think I took the right, first step to the road toward great storytelling, and I really hope that the readers will comment and review the fanfic as it goes.

Please pay attention that since English ain't my first language, there might be some grammar issues. In case of it I want to remind you that I really tried to fix them for nearly a month, reading through the chapter for like 5-6 times, narrowing my eyes to the screen, sometimes doing so in the middle of the night and checking out on wiktionary and translation websites countless times for the correct grammar and translation, but this is how far I think my knowledge of English will go (if only Swedish was the global dominant language...) but if you find any grammar fault, please tell me where it is and how it should be written so that I can fix it quickly.