A/N: Here comes the update! Sorry for not updating for a long time.
I have just finished this chapter, but I feel obliged to post it as soon as possible, so this one hasn't been proof-read, so you can expect some, if not a lot spelling and grammatical errors in this chapter. I hope you don't mind...
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Digimon is the property of Toei Animation. Also, this chapter may contain some references from some games, especially Tales series games. All of them belong to their respective owners.
Please review!
Chapter 21 – The Only Hope
Sol Sanctum, Fiery Path…
Venturing deep into the Sol Sanctum, the Chosen Children arrived in the Fiery Path. As suggested in its name, this place was actually inside the active volcano. Lava surrounded every their path, making it unbearably hot.
"Whew, this place is sure hot!" Taichi muttered, "This heat really burns my lungs!"
"Of course!" Coronamon snapped, "We are inside an active volcano! Now stop complaining and move!" he commanded irritably.
"My, talk about temper!" Miyako commented.
"I am sorry if my brother keeps snapping at you," Lunamon apologized, "He's in his worst mood ever since we escaped from the Reaper."
"Don't worry about it, Lunamon," Agumon remarked, "He's right after all, we need to get done with this place as soon as possible!"
"…Everyone, can we take a rest awhile? I think Hikari can't take it anymore!" Takeru suggested. Everyone quickly turned into Hikari. It seemed Takeru was right; Hikari's face was very pale.
"…Hang on!" Lunamon remarked, "We almost reach our first stop! We can rest there!"
"Yeah, it's just in front of us! C'mon, let's move!" Coronamon shouted impatiently.
"Hikari, if you can't take it anymore, let me help you!" Takeru remarked, "Just lean on my shoulder!"
"N-no, I am okay, really!" Hikari forced to smile.
"Ok then, but please tell me if you need my help!" Takeru remarked gently.
"O-ok, thank you, Takeru!" Hikari blushed a bit.
So they walked a little more, and even though the heat became more and more unbearable, they finally reached their first stop. It was a cave, shielded from the heat of the volcano.
"Whew, finally a cool place!" Gomamon shouted.
"Well, it's not a good as outside, but it's still better than before!" Koushirou wiped his sweat.
"I never thought we would need to pass this horrible path anymore," Jou shook his head, "The Dragon's Path we encountered before is bad enough, but this is truly insane!"
"Hikari, are you okay?" Taichi asked anxiously.
"Y-yes, I am alright," Hikari forced a smile, "With a little rest, I am sure I will be okay."
"Your hands are very cold," Takeru grabbed her hands, "Don't tell me that you've seen that place again!"
"N-no, really, I am okay!" Hikari remarked, "Just…"
"…Maybe it is because of me," Lunamon suggested, "Before, I used some dark magic to defeat Ion. Maybe she was affected by that."
"Oh yeah, she's very sensitive to darkness," Takeru remarked.
"I am sorry about that, but I have no other choices," Lunamon bowed apologetically.
"…Don't worry about that, Lunamon," Hikari smiled, "It's just because I am not used to see someone in our side using dark magic."
"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, those V-mon are indeed very strong," Koushiro stated, "How come they are regarding themselves as rejects?"
"Yeah, their battle techniques are amazing!" Patamon added, "In addition, they seem to have some dangerous techniques, like when Sync smacked Coronamon."
"Well, thanks for reminding me about that moment!" Coronamon retorted.
"This is just my thought, but I think they can't evolve," Lunamon raised a point.
"Of course they can't! They don't have partners, right?" Taichi remarked.
"No, it's not like that!" Lunamon shook her head, "Digimon without partners can also evolve naturally, but it's very difficult."
"Yeah, like us, we can evolve, but we rarely do that," Coronamon added.
"So, that's the reason why they challenged us in that room?" Hawkmon suggested.
"Most likely," Coronamon replied shortly.
"But how can our partners are beaten so easily by them?" Mimi asked.
"Maybe because our partners are not used to fight in their child level," Jou suggested, "Since they can evolve, they rarely fight in their child level, remember?"
"…While most likely those two always fight in their child form. It's obvious that you can't match them!" Coronamon added.
"Anyway, please rest as good as you can!" Lunamon interrupted, "This path is quite harsh, and there's a chance that we don't have any other rest area like this."
Patamon and Tailmon…
"Pata-kun, are you okay?" Tailmon asked as she sat beside him.
"Yes, as you can see, it's already healed," Patamon showed his left wing, "Umm, back there, thanks for saving me…," he blushed a bit.
"Don't mind it, we are friends," Tailmon remarked, "Besides…"
"Yeah?" Patamon asked.
"Well, maybe more than just friend," Tailmon remarked, "You are…my most important Digimon, after all," she blushed.
"Tailmon…," Patamon whispered, but before he could continue, Tailmon kissed him in the cheek.
"This is for my little angel," Tailmon smiled.
Now Patamon's face was completely red. He couldn't find any word to describe his feeling now. He and Tailmon then spent their precious moment together.
Agumon and the others…
"Agumon, what do you think about what Sync and Ion told us back there?" Tentomon asked.
"You mean about the replica stuffs and others?" Agumon asked, "To tell the truth, I don't really understand what they are talking about."
"Yeah, I also don't understand, but if what they mentioned is true, it's really something!" Gomamon added, "I mean, imagine that you find out that you are actually made, not born."
"Yeah, it's very hard to believe that!" Tentomon nodded.
"Hey, they told us that the Guardians made seven V-mon replicas, but how come we only saw three of them, dagyaa?" Armadimon asked.
"Now that you mention it, we haven't seen the other four!" Hawkmon nodded in agreement.
"Hey Wormmon, Hawkmon, Armadimon, do you remember how many Doomdramon did you face 1000 years ago?" Agumon turned to face them.
"…I don't remember, sorry…," Wormmon shook his head apologetically.
"I also don't remember," Hawkmon scratched his head.
"…So do I, dagyaa," Armadimon added, "But at least two of them were exist, because I remember AlForceV-dramon destroyed two of them, dagyaa!"
"W-what? V-mon killed two of them?" Agumon asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and I remember that he did it mercilessly, dagyaa!" Armadimon added innocently.
"Poor V-mon…," Tentomon whispered, "If he heard this news, he will be very devastated."
"Why? They are our enemies, right?" Wormmon asked, "So why V-mon should feel depressed about them?"
"No, it's not that!" Agumon shook his head, "I have a feeling that the other four V-mon replicas were captured by the Lord of Millennium and being turned into Doomdramon! That's why I asked you about this!"
"…You may be right," Hawkmon nodded, "I wonder why we didn't notice it in the past…"
"That doesn't important now!" Tentomon shook his head, "The most important thing now is we need to retrieve the Light as soon as possible!"
"Yeah, we must proceed quickly!" Agumon remarked, "The faster we can retrieve the Light, the higher chance we can prevent the recurrence of this tragedy!"
"Yeah, not that I don't believe on V-mon, but I think the Lord of Millennium might have something sneaky to exploit V-mon's innocence. I will never forgive Lord of Millennium if that happens!" Wormmon shouted.
"I hope we don't need to face any other enemy here…," Gomamon whined, "Two V-mon are already more than enough!"
"I really do hope so…," Agumon nodded.
"Guys, what are you talking about?" Patamon and Tailmon joined them.
"…We just had a talk about the Doomdramon in the past," Tentomon explained, "Do you two remember about that? How many Doomdramon did you all defeat in the past?"
"I don't really remember clear enough, but I think there are at least two of them," Patamon tilted his head.
"So do I," Tailmon shrugged, "What's wrong with that?"
"This is just my feeling, but I think those Doomdramon were the other V-mon's replicas," Agumon explained, "Remember, we just saw three of them, including our V-mon, so there are four more replicas we haven't seen."
"Hmm, that's reasonable," Patamon nodded in agreement.
"However, that means…," Tailmon gasped.
"…Yeah, V-mon killed his own kinds, or should I say, his twin brothers," Agumon smiled bitterly.
"That's really horrible," Patamon held his hand in his chest, "To think a happy, go-lucky Digimon like him bears such a horrible burden."
"I also don't know whether we can trust the Guardians anymore," Agumon shook his head, "If those V-mon's words are true, then it means that the Guardians themselves are no different than the Lord of Millennium!"
"Agumon!" Tailmon scolded at him, "The Guardians just wanted to protect this world, so—so…"
"I hate to admit it, but Agumon raised a point there…," Tentomon remarked, "Even for the sake of this world, still it cannot justify their action toward V-mon!"
"But how can we confirm this fact?" Gomamon asked, "The Guardians obviously will not tell the truth if we ask them about this matter, and…"
"…Yeah, we still can't trust those V-mon yet," Agumon nodded, "Not when they wanted to kill us."
"I think we will know about that sooner or later," Patamon remarked, "Now we must focus ourselves to retrieve the Light! Remember, we are not doing this because we are told by the Guardians! We are doing this because we want to save V-mon, and our world!"
"You are absolutely right!" Tailmon nodded, "Then, Agumon, is this reason good enough for you?"
Agumon thought for awhile, and then he nodded, "Yeah, you are right! Thank you, Patamon!"
"No problem, we are friends, and friends help each other, right?" Patamon smiled.
"Great, then let's see if our partners have rested good enough! We need to continue as soon as possible!" Agumon shouted, and then all of them returned to their partners.
"Hey, Coronamon, Lunamon, can you tell me more about this replica stuff?" Koushirou asked the lion Digimon.
"Well, to tell the truth, I don't know much about this stuff, but there's a wild rumor about the Lord of Millennium used this ancient technology to create his army 1000 years ago," Coronamon remarked.
"However, we can't be sure about this, because basically, the replicas can't be easily distinguished from the other Digimon, as their appearances are the same as us," Lunamon added.
"Wow, you two sure know a lot of rumors!" Miyako commented.
"But I think it is very obvious, Miyako-san! They are spies, right?" Ken reminded her.
"Oh yeah, I almost forget about that…," Miyako slapped her forehead.
"No problem at all," Lunamon responded, "As spies, the less people know about you, the better, even our allies shouldn't know too much about us!"
"Hey, that also reminds me!" Koushiro shouted, "You guys stated that you would explain why you knew this place so much!"
"Yeah, I am curious about that too," Ken nodded, "So, if you two don't mind, can you share some details about yourselves?"
"Actually, we don't mind telling you our story, but saving that blue brat is more important now!" Coronamon added.
"Well, Hikari still needs some rest, so we will rest a bit longer. Didn't you two say that there's a chance that we can't find another rest area here?" Taichi explained.
"Yeah, and our partners are still tired from the last battle," Yamato added, "I do not hope I am right, but I think we are not done here yet!"
"What do you mean, Bro?" Takeru asked.
"He means that there's a chance that we have to battle again. I don't believe those V-mon are the only guardians here," Jou remarked.
"Yeah, he is right!" Sora nodded, "But I can't imagine how strong the true guardian will be, given that those V-mon are already very strong…"
"That's why we should let them rest well," Yamato smiled, "That way, they will be fully prepared to face any obstacle!"
"…Very well, if you insist, we will tell some details of ourselves," Lunamon closed her eyes.
"First of all, I believe that we told you guys that we were the descendants of the resistance that oppose Lord of Millennium 1000 years ago," Coronamon started.
"Yeah, I think V-mon mentioned it before," Takeru remarked.
"Well, actually, we lied, we are the same as your partners; we have lived since 1000 years ago," Lunamon remarked.
"We were the leader of the Resistance that opposed the Lord of Millennium, and our job was to provide information for the Guardians, as we were no match for the Millennium Generals," Coronamon added.
"…No wonder you have a broad range of information regarding the Lord of Millennium and his army," Ken commented.
"Yes, but it came from countless spies that formed our spy network. You can say that we just collected the information gathered from our spy network, and then reported it to the Guardians," Lunamon explained.
"…In that case, you must know about the Millennium Generals," Koushirou remarked, "How many are they?"
"There are six in total," Coronamon simply replied, "And I believe you have defeated four of them."
"Yes, Chimeramon, Chaosdramon, Darkdramon, and GigaSeadramon," Taichi counted with his fingers, "Means that there are still two Millennium Generals."
"Correct, and Millenniumon is one of them, and the strongest of the Millennium Generals," Lunamon nodded, "He is undefeatable if we can't nullify his time-space abilities."
"Nullify time-space abilities, huh?" Yamato commented, "Do you two have any idea about it?"
"Actually, there is also a rumor about this," Coronamon remarked, "It is said that the reason that we could subdue Millenniumon in the past is because we had one thing called Eternal Orb."
"Eternal Orb? What is that?" Jou asked.
"Well, it's a very top secret information, so we are afraid that we don't know much about that," Lunamon explained, "But according to the rumors, that magic orb could render the time-space abilities useless, making it possible to defeat Millenniumon in normal way."
"However, even with Eternal Orb, Millenniumon was proved to be strong enough to defeat most of us, so with the sacrifice of the five heroes, the Guardians split him into Chimeramon and Chaosdramon, and sealed them away."
"Wait a minute, you said five heroes, just who are they?" Miyako intercepted.
"Well, I think you have heard the rumor right? About the first Chosen Children ever?" Lunamon asked.
"Well, yeah, Gennai mentioned about them in our first adventure," Taichi remarked.
"Then, you might have guessed it; it is because their sacrifice that the Guardians could defeat Millenniumon," Coronamon smiled bitterly.
"It was a great sacrifice, and a great loss, because without their power, we couldn't defeat the Lord of Millennium, so Huanglongmon, together with AlForceV-dramon, used the power of Eternal Orb to seal the Lord of Millennium," Lunamon ended their story.
"Wow, that was some stories…," Taichi commented.
"Believe it or not, this is what happened 1000 years ago," Coronamon shrugged, "I can't believe that this tragedy is about to be repeated."
"No, we will not let this tragedy to be repeated!" Patamon gritted his teeth, "For the sake of this world, and the sake of V-mon, we will do everything to prevent this tragedy!"
"Then we should move now!" Coronamon commanded, "We need to retrieve whatever sealed here as soon as possible or this world will be doomed!"
"Wait, isn't the Light you were talking about?" Koushirou asked.
"Well, actually, the existence of the Light is just a hypothetical," Lunamon stated.
"…What do you mean?" Daisuke asked.
"It means that no one has actually seen the Light," Coronamon added, "According to the myth, Huanglongmon sealed it here, but we have never seen it, even in the past."
"What!?" Everyone shouted in disbelief.
"Yes, the existence of the Light has never been confirmed," Lunamon emphasized, "However, judging from the way those two V-mon acted, I believe that there must be something in this sanctum that can remedy V-mon's curse seal."
"How can you be sure?" Miyako asked.
"If you remember, they said that they knew that V-mon was in verge of being turned into Doomdramon, right?" Coronamon asked.
"Yeah, they said it, but what does that mean?"
"Next, they said that they would not let us taking the key they had been guarding, as they wanted to see this world perished," Lunamon added, "This, of course, counteracts with what we are trying to do."
"That means that they wanted to prevent us from retrieving something in this sanctum that would ruin their vision, and the only one that could ruin their vision is if we can rescue that blue brat!" Coronamon explained, "However, they had never mentioned about the Light, so we don't know if the Light is really exist."
"…Then, we still can save V-mon, right?" Daisuke asked helplessly.
"Of course we can!" Ken encouraged his best friend, "That's why we are here, right!?"
"Ken's right!" Takeru smiled, "We will save him for sure!"
"Then now, shall we?" Coronamon asked.
"Yes, let's go!" Taichi shouted.
So, the Chosen Children and their partners continued their journey in the scorching Fiery Path. As Coronamon and Lunamon predicted, the path was getting harsher and harsher as they walked. Sometimes they need to cross paths temporarily flooded by the lava, and to do so, they need to wait the low lava tide.
"Whew, you are not kidding about this path getting harsher and harsher…," Taichi groaned as they crossed lava-flooded path.
"Keep moving, everyone!" Lunamon shouted, "If the lava touches you, it will leave more than just blister!"
"Yeah, we know about that!" Yamato remarked irritably. As they finished crossing it, the path was once again engulfed in lava.
"Whew, that was close…," Agumon wiped his sweat, "The fiery atmosphere here is really bad… I think I can feel my lungs burning!"
"Huh, I thought fire-type Digimon like you can withstand this kind of environmental better…" Taichi commented.
"Yeah, if I was Meramon, maybe I could, but for me, this is too much…," Agumon shook his head.
"And if you complain about this heat, how about me?" Gomamon groaned, "I think I am gonna die any second now!"
"Hang in there, Gomamon!" Jou encouraged his partner.
"Yeah, hang in there, we are almost there!" Coronamon shouted.
"You said it 30 minutes ago!" Patamon protested, "Just how long we need to walk here!?"
"Just a little more!" Lunamon remarked," After we crossed that pit, we will reach the Temple of Huanglongmon!" she pointed at the opening in the cliff across them.
"Are you sure?" Iori asked.
"Positively!" Coronamon answered.
"Then how can we cross this lava river?" Miyako asked, "As far as I can see, there is no bridge or something else we can use to cross this river."
"How about flying?" Tentomon suggested.
"Yeah, we can evolve and carry you all!" Hawkmon added.
"Might not need to…" Coronamon smirked, "See those thingie floating in the middle of the air? If we can light it somehow, the path will be revealed!" he pointed at some candle-shaped things floating in the air.
"How we can do that?" Agumon asked.
"Use fire, of course," Coronamon emphasized, "I think your Baby Flame should do the trick! Remember that we need to light all the candles in the same time, so you will need to do it by only one shot!"
"By one shot!?" Agumon asked in disbelief, "Are you kidding!? Those candles are moving! There's no way I could light them all in one shot!"
"Well, I think you can, Agumon," Ken remarked, "If you see their movement carefully, even though the candles are moving in different directions, there is a brief moment when all the candles align in one line."
"Ken's right!" Koushirou nodded in agreement, "When all the candles align in one line, it's our chance!"
"Then, what should I do?" Agumon scratched his head.
"Give me a moment!" Ken remarked, "Now Agumon, do it!" he shouted.
"OK, Baby Flame!" Agumon fired a small fireball from his mouth. As Ken predicted, the fireball went through all the candles, lighting them in process. After the last candle was lit, a passage made from light emerged, connecting them to the opposite area.
"Great, now we should be able to cross it!" Taichi cheered, "Good job, Agumon!"
"Well, I think the credit goes to Ken," Agumon scratched his head, smirking, "Without his help, I don't think I can do it!"
"No, no, I just pointed out when to do it, you did a good job by following my instruction," Ken shook his head, "Now, shall we?" he asked.
"Yeah, we'd better move fast!" Taichi nodded, "Time is running out as we speak!"
After that, they crossed the bridge. Even though the bridge seemed to be made from light, it was actually solid enough to carry all of them. After awhile, they made it to the opposite side.
"So, we just need to enter this rift, right?" Iori asked.
"Yes, after passing this tunnel, we will arrive at the Temple of Huanglongmon!" Lunamon nodded.
"Great, let's go!" Agumon remarked enthusiastically.
Shortly, after passing that tunnel, they arrived into a spacious room. At the opposite side, there was a gate, just like in the Hall of Sol-Luna.
"Are we there yet?" Taichi asked.
"Yes, that gate there will lead us into the Temple of Huanglongmon!" Coronamon pointed at the gate in the opposite side.
"What's wrong, Patamon?" Tailmon asked as they walked through the hall.
"I don't know how to describe it, but I feel that we are being watched just now," Patamon shook his head.
"Oh no, don't tell me that those two V-mon are following us!" Coronamon blurted, "Damn, I knew that I should have finished them back there!"
"No, the presence is completely different!" Patamon remarked cautiously.
"Then we should hurry!" Lunamon shouted, "The last thing we need is another fight here!"
Without warning, about fifty spider-like creatures were dropping from the upper part of the hall, and before they could even move, they were surrounded by those creatures.
"What the hell are these Dokugumon doing here!?" Taichi shouted panicky.
"And there are lots of them, too!" Sora shrieked.
"Damn, everyone, get ready!" Agumon shouted.
"Right!" all of them responded.
"Save your power! Just leave this to us!" Suddenly from their back, a voice echoed. At once, all of them turned and saw two V-mon standing behind them. Judging from their appearance and the burn marks in their body, they were obviously Sync and Ion, whom they had defeated before.
"You!" Coronamon growled, "What do you want!?"
Sync and Ion didn't reply to Coronamon's question. They simply began to chant a spell.
"O countless falling stars, pour forth, Meteor Swarm!" Sync shouted, and without warning, countless meteors started falling at the Dokugumon. Each time the meteor hit Dokugumon, it instantly destroyed them.
"O primordial brilliance, come forth and destroy mine enemies, Big Bang!" Ion cried. Following his command, waves of celestial wonders were pulsing at the remaining Dokugumon before detonated into a massive explosion. After the smoke cleared, all Dokugumon were destroyed, leaving only the trace of their data.
"A-amazing, with just two attacks, and they destroyed all of them!" Agumon's eyes widened.
"We were lucky they didn't use them at us back there…," Gomamon muttered.
"But, did you need to kill them like that!?" Patamon protested.
"Answer us! What do you want!?" Coronamon bellowed and tried to grab them, but before he could do it, both of them dropped to their knees.
"Hey, are you two OK?" Tentomon asked.
"Ugh, guess I've overdone it…," Sync panted heavily.
"We may have our original's abilities, but we don't have his strength…," Ion shook his head.
"Why…why are you helping us?" Daisuke asked.
"We are told to bring you to the Temple of Huanglongmon safely!" Sync replied.
"By whom?" Taichi demanded.
"By the real guardian of this sanctum…," Ion simply replied, "I'd prefer not to say any more about this thing."
"Just don't ever think that we were doing this because you spared our life!" Sync shouted, "We just did that because we were told so!"
"He is expecting your presence!" Ion remarked, "Now, go!"
"OK then, let's go!" Yamato shouted.
"But how about them?" Daisuke asked anxiously. Obviously, he was concerning Sync and Ion.
"Hmph, I am surprised that you still have time to concern about us!" Sync blurted, "Shouldn't you worry about your sweet partner Vee!?"
"Yeah, even though we are tapped, we can still take care ourselves just fine!" Ion added.
"Well, if so, then let's go!" Coronamon commanded, "There's no need to concern someone who is so ungrateful like that!"
"Guess he's right…," Ken nodded, "Daisuke, let's go!"
Daisuke nodded lightly, and they entered the gate, leaving Sync and Ion alone there.
Sol Sanctum, Hall of Origin…
"So we have arrived huh?" Taichi asked as they looked at their surroundings. Nothing special about this hall, except for some sophisticated patterns engraved in the wall and floor. Like the Hall of Sol-Luna before, there was a big symbol of Sun and Moon engraved in the middle of the hall.
"Is this what you called Temple of Huanglongmon, Lunamon?" Tailmon asked.
"That's right, Chosen Children! Welcome to the heart of Sol Sanctum!" a voice echoed. They quickly turned to see a figure walked to them. This figure was 2 feet on height, had a blue skin with white belly with a V-shaped mark in his forehead and two small ones in his cheeks, just like…
"V-mon!?" Everyone shouted in disbelief.
"Yeah, I am one, but I am not the one you know," he remarked calmly, and he was right. Aside from their similarity, he had some differences from their V-mon. While V-mon's V mark was yellow, this one was gold.
"But how…?" Daisuke asked, "Are you one the replicas too?"
"Close enough, but no, I am not," that V-mon replied, "I am Zenmaru, V-maru's twin brother," he added.
"This thing really makes me confused…," Gomamon hold his head with his hand, "First we met V-mon's replica, and now, his twin brother?"
"How could it be?" Patamon asked, "According to Lunamon, the last V-mon ever survived is V-maru!"
"Your reaction about this is predictable, as I, as well as my predecessors, am never mentioned in the history," Zenmaru replied.
"You mean?" Koushirou asked.
"That V-mon are always born in twins, and it's the duty of one of them to serve as the protector of this sanctum," Zenmaru explained.
"You mean to protect the Light?" Iori asked.
"No, we exist to protect Origin's Seal, which is very vital for this world's balance," Zenmaru replied, "This is very top secret information, and beside us, only Huanglongmon knows about this."
"Origin's Seal?" Coronamon's eyes widened, "So that rumor is true after all…"
"Yeah, to think that Origin really exists, this is really something!" Lunamon added.
"Origin? Who or what is that?" Taichi asked.
"If you can enter this sanctum, you must already know about the Elemental Spirits that guard the gate of this sanctum, right?" Zenmaru asked, and all of them nodded.
"Yeah, Gnome, Undine, Sylph, and Salamander…," Jyou nodded in agreement.
"Origin is one of the Spirits, but unlike them, he is the Spirit of Creation, and thus the King of all Spirits," Zenmaru explained, "He rules the Spirits of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth, as well as the Spirits of Light and Dark."
"So, what's so special about this Origin?" Taichi asked, "Why does he need to be protected anyway?"
"…Origin is the only one who can forge the legendary Eternal Orb," Zenmaru replied, "This almighty orb can manipulate time-space as well as the other elements. After the War of Millennium 1000 years ago, to avoid someone misuses it, Huanglongmon split the Eternal Orb into its materials, and then sealed them all across the World. He also sealed the 4 Elemental Spirits, which are needed to enter this sanctum, all across the 4 hemispheres. Of course, I also guard this place, together with my brothers," he added.
"…Your brothers?" Patamon asked, "You mean those two?"
"Yes, you got it right," Zenmaru smiled, "I found them wandering around here, so after hearing their stories, I took them under my protection and trained them to be guardians of this sanctum."
"But they attacked us!" Yamato protested, "They said that they would prevent us to retrieve whatever sealed here!"
"…About that, I am truly sorry," Zenmaru bowed a little, "I think they are still traumatized of being born and then cast away because they were not needed."
"So, why do we need this Eternal Orb?" Wallace asked.
"I believe that you need it to undo the Millennia Seal on Vee, right?" Zenmaru remarked.
"How do you know?" Daisuke asked.
"My brothers told me about that, so I dispatched them to bring you to me," Zenmaru replied.
"S-so, this orb can free V-mon from his curse!?" Daisuke asked anxiously.
"Yes," Zenmaru nodded, "Basically, Eternal Orb can neutralize any kind of magic, including the time-space one, and so, I believe it can be done!"
"Then, how can we forge it?" Yamato asked.
"You need the materials," Zenmaru replied, "Also, you need to break the Origin's Seal, which consists of 3 seals: the seal of Light, Dark, and Dragon!"
"So, what materials do we need?" Jyou asked, "Don't tell me that we need to go out of this sanctum to search for them again!"
"Hmm, since you are the Chosen Children, you should already have them," Zenmaru answered, "I presume you have all of the eight Digimental, right?"
"Yeah, we have them all," Miyako replied.
"Great, those are the Eternal Orb's materials," Zenmaru smiled, "Now we need to break the three Origin's Seals. To break them, we need to summon Rem, the Spirit of Light, and Shadow, the Spirit of Darkness, while I will undo the Dragon's Seal!" he added.
"Wait a minute, you said that we need to summon Rem and Shadow, but how can we summon them if we don't even have a clue about their whereabouts!?" Agumon asked in frustration.
"Yeah, even Qinglongmon didn't tell us about them!" Iori protested.
"Oh, but you DO have them, because the ones who hold the pacts with them are here with us!" Zenmaru replied.
"But who?" Ken asked, "We never meet them, except maybe…," he turned to look at Coronamon and Lunamon.
"…Now I see why Gennai was so eager to send us to accompany you," Coronamon shrugged.
"…So you two can summon Rem and Shadow?" Tentomon asked.
"Yes," Lunamon nodded lightly, "But we'd never thought that they were needed in here!"
"Then can you summon them for us?" Daisuke pleaded.
"Well, seeing that this world is really in grave danger, I think I don't have any other choice," Coronamon shrugged.
"Yes, I guess so!" Lunamon added.
"Good, then we can begin the process now, but first, I need to do some preparations first!" Zenmaru remarked, and after he said it, he was surrounded by the light of evolution. After the light faded, he was replaced by a wyvern-like dragon with gold wings. A holy ring was attached to his right arm.
"I can't believe it…," Tailmon muttered as she saw this transformation, "…Goddramon!?"
"I thought he was just a legend!" Patamon added.
"Yeah, my true identity is Goddramon!" the newly-evolved Zenmaru stated, "However, I thought it would be easier to talk to you guys if I was in my child level, so I degenerated myself before you came here… Guess I just made you confused, didn't I?"
"Yeah, especially because we thought that Vee is the only V-mon left in this world…," Hawkmon commented, "In a split second, I thought you were him."
"Sorry about that, then," Zenmaru stated apologetically, "However, that wasn't the only reason why I chose to be at my child level when I met you."
"So your other reason is…," Koushirou asked.
"…As the symbol of trust, meaning that you don't need to fight me, even though according to my duty, I should fight you as the proof of your strength to make a pact with Origin," Zenmaru explained.
"Whew, that's good, then!" Armadimon sighed in relief.
"So you will not fight us?" Wormmon asked to make sure.
"Don't worry, I won't. I believe you will need your strength later…," Zenmaru replied, "Now, let's move on!"
Dark Area, Tower of Shadow, Prison Room…
Behind the bars, there were two Digimon. It had been around one week since Gabumon and Piyomon were taken prisoners by GigaSeadramon.
"I wonder what happened outside there…," Gabumon asked, "Why did they capture us?"
"I don't know…," Piyomon shook her head, "I just hope Sora is okay…"
"Yeah, hopefully Yamato is doing fine as well…," Gabumon added, "I hope they will find us soon and rescue us."
Suddenly they heard the sound of door's opening. They quickly turned over to see the Lord of Millennium, still in his cloaked form, entered the room. He smiled maliciously as he saw the two Digimon.
"You!" Gabumon growled, "You are the one who captured us, right!? What do you want!?"
"My, my, how grouchy of you…," the Lord of Millennium mocked them, "Living in the darkness sure dampens your mood, doesn't it?"
"Answer me!" Gabumon bellowed, "What do you want!?"
"My, you are really impatient, aren't you?" the Lord of Millennium sneered evilly, "To think that one of your friends is looking forward to meet you…"
"What do you mean?" Piyomon asked.
"Well, you'd better see him by yourself!" The Lord of Millennium's sneer widened as he moved away.
"V-mon!?" Gabumon gasped as he saw the tiny blue dragon stood before him, "What are you doing here?"
"You see, apparently this little friend of yours is my new ally. He has agreed to help me to get rid of this twisted world," The Lord of Millennium smiled wickedly.
"What!? This is a joke, right, V-mon!?" Piyomon shouted in disbelief.
"You bastard, what are you doing to him!?" Gabumon bellowed angrily.
"Well, enough of this chit-chat!" The Lord of Millennium shouted, "Now, V-mon, you know what to do with them!" he commanded V-mon.
V-mon nodded lightly, and then he ripped the cell door open. He slowly walked to Gabumon.
"V-mon, what are you doing!?" Gabumon shouted, "Please come back to your sense!"
"It's no use!" The Lord of Millennium laughed maliciously, "He can't hear you!"
"Give…me…your…data!" Gabumon saw V-mon stared blankly at him. Suddenly he jumped and bit Gabumon's neck. Gabumon screamed loudly as he felt his data was sucked away from him. Feeling he had enough, V-mon released Gabumon from his grip, leaving him barely conscious.
"Now do the same to her!" the Lord of Millennium commanded him. V-mon nodded lightly and then began to walk to her.
"Please, V-mon!" Piyomon pleaded, "You are not evil! Please don't do this!"
However, V-mon just ignored her plea. He merely seized her and then bit her neck. A loud scream erupted, followed by the malicious laugh.
"At last, the preparation is complete!" The Lord of Millennium's voice echoed, "Now, my pet, it's time to reveal your true power! Dark evolution, activate!" he shouted.
The Lord of Millennium laughed maliciously as purple light of dark evolution surrounded V-mon. He slowly transformed into a gigantic figure with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
The Lord of Millennium then left with him, leaving Gabumon and Piyomon there.
"Yamato, help me…," Gabumon remarked weakly as he slowly lost his consciousness.
-End of Chapter 21-