Redux I: Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

We do not own Digimon or any other anime, except of course the crappy cartoon Wix drew on the back of a beermat the other day, yeah that was pretty bad. But we stole it! MWAH HA HA!

Chapter 35 - All Kinds Of Darkness : Pt 3 - Justice of the Furies

The wall exploded as the young man was thrown through it with a great viciousness, were it not for the divine blood flowing through his veins his bones most assuredly would have shattered from the impact. Not that he would have noticed this as death would have been instantaneous. Gennai laughed as his brother coughed up a small portion of that divine life-force onto the catacomb floor.

"Oh dear, I trust this means I'm now fighting the essence of humanity in Angelus?"

Archangel, now in control of Angelus merely coughed up more blood, Gennai smirked victoriously. "Fool, you took away a possible victory for what, for the sake of living yourself? How selfish of you."

"Not for the living or, or... for the surviving - for the cause."

"Cause? What cause?

Archangel rose unsteadily to his feet, and not quite sure as to what the hell he was supposed to do now grasped the fallen Gatekeeper sword. "Someone like you or Gatekeeper wouldn't understand."

"Pathetic."

"Is that so? Care to prove that?"

Gennai unleashed a flurry of blows that Archangel managed to block clumsily the last one however did nick his side though. He winced before unleashing his own attack, which Gennai deflected with little effort before stifling a yawn.

"Well this is all very entertaining but I'm afraid our little chat is over, after all your life is shortly to end."

"All I see is talking Gennai, where's the action?"

Gennai responded by hurling Archangel through yet another wall, the youth skidded to a halt by a pillar in a room Gennai knew only to well… a pathway to the Chamber of the Dragon.

"Okay… so there was some action." Archangel groaned and his eyes rolled back into his head.

In the misty midst of Angelus' mind Archangel found himself once more, he hurried over to the slumped figure of the real Angelus who was next to the impaled Gatekeeper.

"We are dead thanks to us." Gatekeeper rasped, conscious now but with his own blade buried deep within his guts.

"I frelled up! We need Angelus back"

"Surprises us not. You too weak to fight a god, we are more worthy."

"Unworthy I doubt, I took you out of commission didn't I? Where was that in your grand scheme of revenge?"

"WE RIP YOUR SOUL OUT WE SHALL!"

"OH SHUT UP!" Archangel was surprised when the divine fury suddenly abated, but only a little. "We need him back before we're all killed."

"Not possible. I am no longer able to take control."

"I wouldn't let you even if you were, Angelus needs us to work together to find fulfilment and his true self – there's no point in the two of us arguing like this he'll never be whole otherwise."

"There is nothing that matters except for the will of Gatekeeper!" Gatekeeper roared.

"He is you dumbarse! When are you going to realise that!"

Gatekeeper thought about this for several long valuable seconds before finally saying. "Suggest we do what?"

Taking that to mean what did he want the demi-god to do Archangel frowned. "Where three were one must remain."

Gatekeeper looked over towards the crumpled heap that was his true self, the combination of humanity and divinity of Archangel and himself. "So be it." He said.

Then with a great flash of light Archangel and Gatekeeper disappeared…

Gennai smiled as he stood over Angelus, or Archangel or whatever he was now, it looked like he wouldn't need that backup plan in the chamber of the dragon after all. With a cry of triumph his sword flashed downwards towards his brother only for it to be blocked by a pair of hand clamping on either side of the blade.

"What?!"

The image of his brother flickered and once again became that of Angelus, growling he pushed upwards and katana and owner flew backwards onto the floor. Nipping up from the floor Angelus looked down at Gennai and the elder man scrambled back away from him.

"This is... impossible."

"The impossible is one of my specialities."

Angelus advanced and Gennai's resolve began to fail, he parried the first blow easily but Angelus just kept coming forward, purest hate blazing in his grey eyes. The swords clanged and spanged against each other, a shower of sparks flew off into the darkness as Angelus's blade skidded down the side of one of Gennai's. Immediately Gennai tried to use his momentum to bring his elbow into Angelus' face but the winged male ducked bringing his foot into Gennai's stomach pushing him backwards down into a corridor. Angelus jumped slashing downwards and Gennai brought both his swords up in a cross to catch the Gatekeeper Sword the sound of metal on metal squealed outwards.

"She was weak like you." Gennai growled, "Is that the best you can do brother?"

Angelus snarled and Gennai thrust him backwards with a powerful push, Angelus fell on his back and Gennai went for the kill twisting his sword around he jabbed downwards but Angelus in turn twisted to the side and the blade only nicked him. He rolled backwards and attacked again and once more Gennai blocked, this time following up with a spin attack but both swords clanked against Angelus's blade. Gennai finished with a last ditch stab but Angelus deflected it and with a lightning fast flick sent one of Gennai's Gemini katanas down into the black abyss.

Angelus didn't smile but Gennai growled, bellowing a war cry he jumped forward but Angelus sidestepped and as Gennai landed punched him straight in the face knocking him down a flight of stairs. Angelus simply jumped down the few stairs and roaring sliced his sword down Gennai blocked the blow by pushing the flat of his blade up with his boot. Rolling backwards he got to his feet in time to stop another series of strikes, Angelus was pushing Gennai back perhaps the only way he could win now was to make Angelus angry. Angry enough he made a mistake.

"She died so easy. Pity. Sora always was the resilient one, she must have grown soft hanging around you."

"Don't you dare even speak her name murderer!" Angelus glared menacingly at Gennai then attacked again, Gennai dived to his right and sliced across Angelus back the katana slicing through the leather but not the skin.

"Why not?" Gennai taunted, "Are you embarrassed brother that for someone so powerful you were unable to save her?"

"ENOUGH!" Angelus yelled still covering his wound but his brother laughed.

"You will die Angelus, there can only be one Warrior of the Light and I am the one chosen. Why else would The Light inform me of the prophecy? Your Traveller friend shall perish by Aeth's hand and I shall rule The Three from my temple. There are so few boundaries to me now I know the extent of my power, all those who appose The Light and its ideals shall perish and so shall YOU."

Gennai dived at Angelus and the two fell down the final steps, down into a kind of sub-basement or large dungeon hallway, a pair of swords scuttled along the floor as they grappled. The former mentor elbowed the Gatekeeper in the ribs and went for something in his belt, a split bladed dagger. He managed to draw it and thrust it at Angelus who held his arm by the wrist, trying to prevent the blade cutting him. They fought this way for around thirty seconds before Gennai brought his head back and slammed it into Angelus's temple, the youth was temporarily stunned and Gennai stabbed the knife into his side.

"AHHH!" The warmth of trickling blood replaced the cold steel as Gennai removed the knife and tried to slash his brother across the face. The knife partly struck home, the double blade leaving a pair of parallel cuts down his right eyebrow and across his cheek. Angelus was lucky the blade did not pluck his eyeball from his socket but the pain was very real, Angelus kicked out with his foot and the knife spun away. Then he brought his foot back again so the heel hit Gennai in the back of the head before delivering one final kick that knocked Gennai through the air onto his back.

Angelus coughed and was rather disturbed to find there was blood with the spittle that came out of his mouth; blood was also streaming from the wound in his side. He prayed nothing major had been punctured by the vicious daggers strike and also that the blood seeping from the cuts near his eye would cease so he could see properly. Painfully slowly, mainly because it was painful Angelus half-crawled, half-dragged himself across the floor in the direction his sword lay. Gennai rolled onto his knees and held his jaw, turning he saw Angelus's laboured movement in the direction of his weapons and in turn starting crawling to his sword.

Both reached their respective steel at the same time and got to their feet, the left hand of Angelus trying to stem the crimson tide that emanated from his body and was turning his shirt an ominous black. Gennai took a deep breath – they were now in the Chamber of the Dragon.

"It hurts?"

"Gee, what do you think?"

"I think you're going to die."

"Well you're just a fountain of generosity today aren't you?" The Gatekeeper sword was raised into an attacking posture. Gennai's eyes flicked to the side and saw it, just as he had planned; hidden behind a pillar was his bow and arrows – a contingency. Not only that he found his first katana on the floor again.

"Well are you prepared to die now Gatekeeper?"

"I am not Gatekeeper."

"No, the real Gatekeeper could have defeated me - he had me on the ropes for a while as you know. You, you're just another pathetic human."

"You're wrong." Angelus smiled and Gennai's heart fell, Angelus despite his wounds took a pace towards him. "The battle was not just being waged in here today, but in here." He tapped the side of his head, I have seen what it is to be Gatekeeper and seen what it is to be Archangel but now the warring is over and I am myself. I know who I am."

The smile grew and on Angelus's forehead appeared a yellow trident shaped symbol, a pair of small golden triangles appeared too on either cheek.

"I am Archangel. I am Gatekeeper. I am Angelus. I am all and I am none but in the centre I am one. I am whole, I am complete I hunt you when you're in your sleep. I am the shadow by your side; I am the light which blinds your eyes." Angelus again stepped towards Gennai purposefully, "I have not had my life turned upside down to have some bastard like you rule the world, I choose my own fate and that fate is to kill you."

"You can't brother, to do so would be to turn your back on what being an angel stands for!"

"You're hardly in a position to give me lectures Gennai."

"If you want to die, come and die."

"Like I said." Angelus readied his sword. "I make my own fate."

And so it began, the final combat of Gennai and Angelus, knight against knight, sword against sword, brother against brother, demi-god against demi-god. At first Gennai was able to keep Angelus at bay but all too quickly blows started coming faster and stronger, parrying a horizontal stroke the first of Gennai's two kitana blades bent ominously a second identical blow shattered the divine steel sending splinters all over the floor. Its twin now held with two hands faired slightly better and Gennai did manage to make Angelus retreat a few paces with a furious spinning assault but the white haired warrior, hair and face stained red by the blood flowing from above his eye just kept coming. With a bellow of fury Angelus sliced clean through the blade and through the stone pillar behind it, dodging this arc of death Gennai hopped backwards and picking up the dagger cut the concealed rope that led activated his backup plan.

The slackening of the rope let fly an arrow from Gennai's concealed bow, it flew straight and true until to Gennai's utter horror it stopped in mid air a fraction before Angelus' throat. Angelus simply growled and the arrow turned around to face Gennai zooming straight through his left shoulder.

Gennai, his mouth in an O of shock and pain collapsed backwards against the wall, but did not fall down. "Do you think you can kill me with THIS!?!" Angelus roared, marching up to the bow and ripping it down from its concealment with the quiver containing a remaining twelve arrows.
"This was it wasn't it? This is what you killed Sora with?"

"I…" Gennai gasped, "I…"

"ANSWER ME!"

After a painfully long pause he replied, "Yes."

"Graaaaaaaaagggh!!!" Angelus threw down his sword and using the bow fired a second arrow into Gennai's other shoulder.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhaaaa!"

"You're going to die now you bastard, die by your own weapon you killed my Sora with - I believe that will be justice enough."

"You can't..." Gennai began, but Angelus had already fitted another arrow to the bowstring.

"Kiss my divine ass, you son of a bitch."

"Please brother, pleeeease mercy!"

Gennai looked up at Angelus, his response was a familiar red A symbol appearing on his forehead. "Go to hell."

And Angelus loosed another arrow.

And another…
And another…

By the time Angelus would break the bow over his knee and leave the Chamber of the Dragon that quiver would be empty and his heart wailing in sorrow and howling in fury Angelus let loose another arrow.

AAUK: So Gennai is dead! HUZZAH!
DC: Huzzah! And all is done and dusted, we can go home the prophecy is fullfilled.
AAUK: Exactly, but is the Light done with Angelus and Ben yet? What are the ramifications of the actions revealed here?
DC: There's only a few chapters left in the epic story Reality Redux!

ArchangelUK 0:o)
Digicowboy c):o)

Sponsored (In no way at all) By Fanfiction . Net- "Free your soul... subject to government inspection and correct permits under statute 196 of European Law."