I got so caught up in writing these chapters, I forgot to study for a math test :D Hope it's not tomorrow…

Lillymon fell to the ground, having miraculously survived Daemon's attack. Several areas of her skin were burned; her wings were singed to a crisp, and parts of her clothes had burned up and evaporated from the flames, but had protected the skin underneath.

"May I take her Fractal Code?" Barbamon asked pleadingly.

"Very well, then; you can have the red one's as well," Daemon said.

"Well, it's about freaking time!" Barbamon lunged at the unconscious Lillymon, only to be knocked backward by Shoutmon.

"Come on, Lillymon; we have to go warn the others!" Shoutmon said, picking her up by her waist.

"Are you really so foolish as to think you can escape me?" Daemon asked.

"I won't know until I try! Rock Damashi!"

"Evil Inferno!" Daemon's flames swallowed up Shoutmon's attack, making it more powerful and fast, and Shoutmon just barely dodged it. Shoutmon kept slowly circling around Daemon. "I see what you're trying to do; trying to get away so you can get help from the others. Barbamon!" Barbamon suddenly lunged at Shoutmon, swinging his staff, but he missed and hit the ground. Meanwhile, Shoutmon broke through the window of one of the few houses that wasn't on fire, soon followed by Barbamon and Daemon, who managed to trap him against a corner.

"Why do you guys want the Spirits?" Shoutmon asked.

"Our business is none of your concern," Daemon said.

"Do…you want them to gain Ebonwumon's favor?"

"Sovereignhood? HA! That's a laugh! Why would we want to be one of the Sovereigns when we could become much more powerful than them?" Barbamon asked. Shoutmon's eyes glanced nervously at a nearby door. "Wow, even when defeat is inevitable, he still tries to see if he can make an escape. I like courage in one so small!"

"The girl has become nothing more than a burden to you," Daemon said.

"Burden?"

"Just leave your little harlot behind, and you may have a chance of escaping."

"Temptation!" Lillymon began to glow in a bright red aura, illuminating the room in its crimson radiance, blinding the two Demon Lords.

"Good job Lillymon, but just try to rest for now. The exit was this way, right…?" Shoutmon was just about to get to the door (his eyes were closed from Lillymon's attack) when he suddenly stopped and became surrounded in a ring of fire.

"You may have blinded my brother, but the red eyes of my mask blocks all light!" Barbamon walked through his flames as if they were little more than a breeze, his mask off to reveal his hideous face; he had no nose, and his two eyes were joined together as one v-shaped red eye that took up most of his face.

Where are those god damn Demon Lords? Aldamon thought worriedly. This momentary distraction allowed for Flamedramon to back him into a corner. Aldamon began to fly up, but Flamedramon used his Flame Fist attack, hitting him in the wings and making him fall. He prepared a Fire Rocket, but was knocked out of the way by Beowulfmon's Frozen Hunter attack. "Thanks for the help, buddy!" Beowulfmon gave his usual half-smile. A young Digimon, a Floramon, could be seen nearby watching the fight. Flamedramon turned his fist toward her and attacked, but Mercurymon jumped in front of her to block and reflect the attack.

"Don't involve Digimon that have nothing to do with us!" Beowulfmon said.

"As I said earlier, this will all be over with as soon as you perish, Legendary Warriors," Flamedramon said.

"Oh, like that could ever happen!" Aldamon shouted.

"Shut up, Takuya," Mercurymon said.

"Damn it, we have to get him away from this place before what's left of it gets destroyed! Cleansing Light!" the missiles managed to impact Flamedramon, blinding him temporarily, giving Beowulfmon enough time to put some space between the two, but not too much so that Flamedramon couldn't find him.

"It's time; we've gotten every Digimon out of this place. From the sounds of things, they're fighting Flamedramon and the Demon Lords in relatively the same place," Cherubimon said.

"Yes, sir; I'll go assist whichever group needs it more," Commandramon said, preparing to take leave.

"There's a Digimon healer close to Ophanimon's Castle; you know the one. Once this is all over, meet with us there. Make sure you aren't followed."

"Yes, sir. Commandramon Warp Digivolve To, Cyberdramon! Legendary Warriors, please do not follow me," Cyberdramon said, flying off.

"Shoutmon…" Lillymon said weakly.

"Don't try to talk, Lillymon; you need to save your strength," Shoutmon said.

"My wings…I can't feel them anymore…"

"What of it?"

"Daemon was right…I am just a burden to you…please, just abandon me and save yourself…"

"You would have me do something that they would do? Forget it!"

"Please forgive me for this, Shoutmon…Flower Cannon!" Lillymon put her two arms together, forming a cannon, and all Shoutmon could see was white…

"Well, that was certainly…insane…" Daemon said thoughtfully.

"I knew he was brave, but I didn't think he would actually leap through me flames!" Barbamon said.

"I'll try to find those two; you deal with Flamedramon. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Why are you fighting us?" Beowulfmon asked.

"I already told you; you Legendary Warriors killed all of my friends and family," Flamedramon said.

"How do you know it was us and not some Digimon claiming to be one?" Beowulfmon asked, thinking of Dorulumon and Ballistamon.

"I saw…Agunimon, Lobomon, Kumamon, Kazemon, and Beetlemon. You yourself were there; why do you ask me?"

"I wasn't there! There must be some mistake; we would never kill innocent Digimon!"

"Fire Rocket!"

"Solar Wind Destroyer!" Aldamon attacked Flamedramon and once again cancelled out his attack. "Sorry we're late, but you two run pretty fast."

"Flame Fist!"

"Dark Reflection!" Mercurymon reflected Flamedramon's attack again, but it missed, the reflection instead impacting another building. The four Digimon were suddenly surrounded by a ring of fire, and they could all see Barbamon's masked face through the flames.

"You again," Flamedramon said with disdain. "One of the Demon Lords."

"He's one of them?" Aldamon asked, and Flamedramon nodded. Barbamon gathered all of his flames into his staff, and released it as a giant fireball at Flamedramon, which he dodged, and he used his Fire Rocket attack, striking Barbamon in the chest. However, he quickly recovered, and he swung his staff, striking Flamedramon and sending him crashing into a burning building.

"What's going on? Shoutmon and Lillymon said that they would defeat any Demon Lords that showed up…what's this one doing here?" Aldamon asked.

"He said he would defeat any ones that he found. Maybe he didn't find this one," Beowulfmon suggested. "It's not like he can detect their presence and track them down!"

Daemon wandered down the empty streets and alleys of the Autumn Leaf Fair, searching for the Shoutmon and Lillymon. What he found, however, was not quite what he was expecting; Ranamon, using her attacks in an attempt to put out the fires.

"Legendary Warrior of Water; my name is Daemon, Demon Lord of Wrath. If you would be so kind as to hand over your Spirits peacefully, I shall leave you unharmed," Daemon said, causing Ranamon to turn around in shock. "Would you like to repeat my previous question?"

"No, I think I understand, sugar."

"Very good; now, if you would just-"

"Now, just hold on a second there, I didn't say I would actually give you my Spirits!"

"So, it is to be the hard way, it is," Daemon said, preparing an Evil Inferno as Ranamon prepared one of her attacks.

"Antylamon, would be so kind as to help out your dear master?" Barbamon said.

"Anything for you, sir; Bunny Blades!" a tall, brown, rabbit-like Digimon appeared from Barbamon's staff and leapt at Flamedramon, her hands turning into axes.

"Flame Fist!" Flamedramon shot multiple fireballs from his hand at Antylamon, killing her instantly.

"Oh, that's a shame; Antylamon was always so kind to everyone," Barbamon said remorsefully as he scanned her Fractal Code. Barbamon then ran at Flamedramon, prepared to strike him with his staff.

"Omega the Fusion!" a knight Digimon crashed into Barbamon, slamming him into one of the burning buildings.

"OmegaShoutmon!" Aldamon exclaimed.

"Everyone, get prepared to hit him with your strongest attack when I give the order!" OmegaShoutmon ordered as Barbamon got back onto his feet unsteadily. OmegaShoutmon then leapt up, and took his mask off, revealing his hideously disfigured face. "Now!"

"Solar Wind Destroyer!"

"Frozen Hunter!"

"Heavy Metal Vulcan!"

"Dark Reflection!" Mercurymon absorbed the three Digimon's attacks with his left shield, and fired them out his right, which was aimed at Barbamon, dealing heavy damage and causing his Fractal Code to appear. However, the Fractal Code wasn't absorbed by a Digimon like most Fractal Code; it went straight for Barbamon's mask. When the Code was gone, there wasn't even a Digi-Egg.

"What happened?" Aldamon asked.

"Whenever that Digimon takes his mask off, he is severely weakened. Also, the most important part of a Digimon's body, the DigiCore, is located within his mask. If a DigiCore is to get destroyed, the Digimon will be deleted," OmegaShoutmon said.

"So, Barbamon is still alive?" Aldamon asked, and OmegaShoutmon nodded. "Why didn't you kill him? I thought you wanted all the Demon Lords to be killed as quickly as possible so you could take our Spirits!"

"I wanted to question him…and make him suffer a little bit," OmegaShoutmon de-Digivolved back into Shoutmon and looked at the mask, which seemed to shrink back and shiver in fear.

"For only fighting in your Human Spirit, Ranamon, you fight well. The fact that you are the Warrior of Water gives you an advantage; I must admit I had fun toying with you. But now it ends!" Daemon lifted up his hand at the burned René, and readied his attack. "Evil Inferno!"

"Execute, Fusion Evolution, Krakenmon!"

The battle nears its end…