Impmon grumbled underneath his breath. So far this servant thing wasn't going as well as he had hoped. For so long, he had dreamed of serving the Fallen Angels, not the usual simpering variety of minion, no he would be the top agent, the kind that would be their master's right hand, living at the top with numerous benefits. More specifically, he had hoped he would serve directly under Lilithmon in all her…..assets; the jiggly, voluptuous assets that is. He wasn't entirely off the mark, he did serve under her…..yet the collar around his neck seemed more like a demotion than anything.

"I aint that bimbo's damn dog!" That summed up how he felt in a nutshell. Or going by digimon terms, digitama shell.

"You shouldn't talk of Lilithmon-sama in such a manner." A blank voice commented on the goblin/imp's outburst.

Impmon backed away with a yelp as he noticed a digimon standing right next to him. He recognized her as Tsukaimon, Cherubimon's assistant.

"Geez toots! Give a warning next time, will ya!" Impmon barked.

The Patamon knockoff simply stared at her fellow Rookie; stared at him with those big, blank, round eyes. Whatever frustration he had, he soon found himself more discomforted than anything else. He had only spoken to Tsukaimon sparsely. All he knew about her was that she was some creation of Cherubimon. That alone disturbed him. Digimon were either born on File Island, or were data swapped between two parents. Digimon were not meant to be created in such a manner. Evil as Impmon may have been, he knew what was natural and what wasn't. It explained several things, at least to Impmon. The way she soullessly annunciated her words, it wasn't any surprise as to why he felt uncomfortable around her.

Still, she was the only one who didn't treat him like a servant. That was something, wasn't it? Kind of...maybe.

"My apologies." Tsukaimon spoke in her dead tone.

"Eh forget about it. So what'ya want, ya recolor?" Impmon inquired.

Tsukaimon made no movement in body or face. She remained as stiff as a board. "Nothing of consequence, I always walk around when Cherubimon-sama has tasked me with nothing."

Impmon believed the last thing Tsukaimon explained. He just couldn't understand it. "Wait, you mean that's all you do when you ain't doing things for the rabbit?"

Tsukimon cast a glance towards him. Although she kept her same emotionless stance, there was a subtle twitch in her gaze that told Impmon she didn't like the slur he had bestowed upon her creator.

"Uh well, you know what I mean." Impmon nervously defended. He was sure he could take her if she wanted to fight, but still, that look discomforted him to the World of Darkness and back.

Suddenly, a shrill sound rang out, reverberating across the walls and into the rookie's ears.

Impmon held his down in annoyance. "What da heck is up with this place!" It seemed that his coming here heralded a new age of torture for him.

Tsukaimon was hardly affected by the sound; if she was she didn't show it. Then again, the former was probably the most assured situation for she knew what those alarms meant.

"Our enemies are approaching us." Tsukaimon plainly said.

Impmon kept his ears firmly pinned out of annoyance for the sound, but he lessened up when the artificial female finished.

"Wait, enemies? Ya mean?"

XXX

There they stood, the five...no ten of them, five humans and five digimon. Kazuya adjusted his goggles, a gleam of the sunlight reflected off of them. Looking back at all of his companions, he could see the uncertainty in their eyes, uncertainty and a whole mess of emotions.

Sho and Labramon seemed distant from each other; strange in itself as Labramon usually clung to her partner, never leaving his side. Now though, there seemed to be something going on between them. The pair would occasionally glance at each other turning away before the other could spot them. Sho looked ready to say something, but put it aside with much reluctance. Soon after, Labramon would hang her head down, furthering her eyes away from her human. Although if anyone knew what had transpired last night, Labramon would say calling Sho "her human" would be unfitting; at least as far as Labramon was concerned.

Jun and Penguinmon shared a similar position. If Kazuya didn't know any better, he would have to say Jun seemed just as worried as Penguinmon looked about now. Penguinmon being worried, that wasn't news. Jun however, now that was something new; A first time for everything apparently. Yet her worry didn't seem to be about the upcoming battle itself. Penguinmon's worry obviously related to the battle and Jun's safety. Jun's worry on the other hand seemed to be towards Penguinmon himself. Strange as it may have seemed, the former bully looked as if she was worried about her digimon more than herself.

DemiDevimon practically twitched upon his partner's shoulder. His claws dug into Chiisi's skin who merely winced at that. The boy held his normally stoic condition but even in the blank stare he presented, Kazuya could note something bugged his youngest friend.

Then it went down to him. Kazuya could feel his own doubts. That morning he had seemed so confident, now he wasn't sure.

XXX

"So it's decided?"

That morning the group had woken up to a delicious breakfast, courtesy of Don Guil's chefs. It was a grand meal befitting a king or at least a really rich guy. Don Guil pulled out all the stops but the meal wasn't really worth describing, they had more pressing matters. The only thing of importance to note of the meal was that Labramon didn't wolf everything down, strangely. They all returned to the living room afterwards. Such a large meal really aided their digimon, that and a night's rest had fully replenished their energy reserves, perfect for evolving.

But they hadn't decided on anything of that sort. Yet they all gathered together under his banner. Gazimon stood beside him with an ever present cigar, of course. That night they had all gone through their own doubts and worries about taking the fight to the Fallen Angels. There would be no other chance to take. They had defeated Demon leaving only two left. Still, defeating one Mega wouldn't necessarily mean the downfall of the others, Kazuya knew where he stood, as did Gazimon, yet it needed to be a group decision.

Thankfully, the decision was unanimous. After much talking and debate, they had come to a decision.

XXX

Kazuya felt a hand upon his shoulder. He knew whom it belonged to from the delicate touch. He turned to Sakura's comforting gaze. He knew she stood by, her and Fairydramon as well. Looking back at everyone, Kazuya remembered the concise feeling they all felt. Flashing a proud grin, Kazuya clenched his fist in triumph.

"All right everyone, this is it! It's now or never!"

Gazimon flicked the stub that remained of his cigar crushing it with his foot. "Now you're talking, partner!" Gazimon's voice and body matched the teenager's.

Soon the feeling spread to the entire group. Their digivices were held high into the air with glows emanating from the screens.

The glow first spread across Kazuya, Sakura and their partners.

"Gazimon! Jogress warp evolve!"

"Fairydramon! Jogress warp evolve!"

The two humans and their digimon joined together as the light overtook them. As they merged, four bodies became one each.

"KnightGenkimon!"

"Celestialdramon!"

The Mega forms of Gazimon and Fairydramon now stood, their partners intertwined with them merged into one. Despite the marvelous sight of the pair, the other Digidestined would not be left out. This was their fight as well. Labramon, Penguinmon, and DemiDevimon felt the warmth of the evolution light.

"Labramon evolve! Shiisamon!"

"Penguinmon evolve! Saberdramon!"

"DemiDevimon evolve! Devimon!"

In their places stood three Champions, but it didn't last long.

"Shiisamon super evolve! Cerberusmon!"

"Saberdramon super evolve! Parrotmon!"

"Devimon super evolve! Myotismon!"

Mega they may have not been, but still their power was not to be doubted, especially with their partner on their side. This was everyone's fight. No one would be left out. Sho hopped upon Cerberusmon's back, Jun did the same with Parrotmon while Myotismon held on tightly to Chiisi. Although they rushed into danger, they knew it was all up to them. Ahead in the distance, they could see it, growing larger with each thrust they made: Fallen Angel Castle. A pit swelled up in their stomachs. Even from where they were, they could sense the darkness of the fortress. Appropriately so, it would seem being the resting place of Grandracmon, and if they were not fast enough, his revival point.

In the depths of their hearts, they knew they wouldn't fail, they couldn't fail.

"Hey what's that?" Jun called out, pointing towards the distance. A strange blanket of darkness stood out amongst the stone of the castle. Floating above were several black shapes, upon closer inspection they appeared to be Devimon, yet in draconic form. Behind them were flocks of muscular orange serpant digimon. Behind them spread tattered purple wings and in place of claws were metallic replications. The same metal covered the top of their heads akin to helmets.

Digimon: Devidramon

Level: Champion

Type: Evil Dragon

Attribute: Virus

Attacks: Crimson Claws, Red Eyes

Digimon: Megadramon

Level: Ultimate

Type: Cyborg

Attribute: Virus

Attacks: Darkside Attack, Ultimate Slicer

Below the draconic fleet, several moving shapes disrupted the ground. The group recognized them as Tankmon, but the other two groups, they hadn't encountered before. Deep inside the body of KnightGenkimon, Kazuya could see the coming throng of enemies. Sakura did the same inside Celestialdramon.

"There's so many of them." Sakura noted with worry.

"Yeah I know. Think we can beat them?" Kazuya spoke to her from his digimon.

Sakura was about to respond with more uncertainty until she heard a comforting tone. "Sakura, don't think like that, we'll win so long as we're together."

Those words worked and comforted the girl.

"Heh, yeah we'll stomp them and be home in time for a smoke!" KnightGenkimon boldly laughed.

"What is it with you and cigars? I swear you're addicted." Kazuya spoke up against his partner's constant mention of his cigar addiction.

KnightGenkimon didn't even bother arguing back. He knew his answer and he would always respond with it whenever someone questioned what he liked. The three who happened to not be merged with their digimon had the same sentiments.

"Look at them all! How are we supposed to fight them!" Sho spoke in a panicked tone. He half expected Cerberusmon to reassure him like she always did, but he knew that would not happen.

"Don't be such a wuss, Sho!" Jun retorted from atop Parrotmon. "We just have to fight our way through!"

Sho had something to say in regards to that, but whatever he said would simply be shot down. Today and the previous night just hadn't been his best times.

Chiisi said nothing, as Myotismon kept him close. The boy could feel such darkness coming off the monsters. Too much darkness if they asked him. He could see the black aura surrounding each of those digimon. It covered them, coated them, covered them, immersed them, almost as if it were being enhanced.

"Hey kid," Chiisi looked up upon hearing Myotismon's voice, "I think this is where you need to get off."

The vampire descended, releasing the boy from his grasp. Chiisi kept his eyes towards the group of digimon. An impressive sight they were, but something seemed off. The darkness coursed through them, pulsating and growing with every inch they closed in.

"Good luck." Chiisi blurted out without so much as a glance at his partner, not that Myotismon cared, all he wanted was to kill something, and he would.

The five digimon rushed into the battlefield bravely, their hearts poised on this moment.

XXX

Don Guil reclined back in his chair. He hadn't felt so relaxed since...well he couldn't remember. Honestly though he had felt relaxed. Things were finally coming into place.

"Miss Maya, if I may ask, why do you seem so troubled?"

However, not everyone was at peace. Maya kept her gaze outside the window, out into the distance. The view showed the distant outline of Fallen Angel Castle. From the distance she stood she could not make out the battle, but she could sense it. There was no doubt in her mind that they were winning. Even from here, she could feel the deletion of their opponents. It brought a smile to her face, but it quickly fell. Her thoughts ached at her. So much remained on her mind, impending thoughts of the future.

"It's almost time." Maya noted with a foreboding tone.

Don Guil's complacent position switched as he turned his attention towards the data child. He could tell her face was twisted in uncertainty and pain. Don Guil studied that via body language. He had seen it before, years ago when he was but a teenager, about nineteen in human terms. His mother had the same look, right on the night she died. Her death had been a depressing surprise, a surprise that had shattered him. Yet that experience had strengthened him in the long run, but the memories lingered.

He almost dreaded asking this, but he felt compelled to do so.

"You're going to die, aren't you?"

Maya didn't answer. Instead, she held herself tightly, ready to face the future.

XXX

"Aura Sword!" KnightGenkimon sliced through the Devidramon as if they were nothing. With each swipe he made, the data flew into a swarming sea, yet KnightGenkimon didn't bat an eye.

Celestialdramon twirled her staff, batting at the oncoming soldiers. "Agni Staff!" The flames burned several of the Devidramon, making them burst into bits of data along with the brethren her companion had slain.

KnightGenkimon smirked as Celestialdramon finished her attack. "Pretty nice swinging, my little honey."

Celestialdramon knew that the smirk was directed towards her new mammaries. Or rather, how they jiggled. Groaning, Celestialdramon batted another Devidramon away before she spoke rather nonchalantly. "You should watch out for those missles."

"Huh?" KnightGenkimon muttered. Then he noticed the Megadramon. The cyborg dragons held out their metal arms threateningly. A slot opened atop each one and from it emerged a tiny creature. Whatever the creature was, it held a sadistic little grin across its mouth. The organic missiles shot out of the slot and towards KnightGenkimon. The armored rabbit wasted no time in attacking the moment he saw the forthcoming projectiles. The Aura Sword easily sliced through them, causing tiny explosions to appear in mid-air. His next target were the Megadramon themselves. Taking his sword, he drove it right into the head of the first Megadramon he saw. The creature gave a frightened gasp as it deleted.

Celestialdramon eyed KnightGenkimon with an impressed look. The way he sliced through those Megadramon was admittedly…..daring. The Megadramon advanced onto her as well. Twirling her staff, she summoned more flames which engulfed the creatures.

Down below, several more explosions followed as Cerberusmon and Parrotmon attacked.

"Mad Dog Fire!"

"Mjolnir Thunder!"

Emerald flames and lighting surged through the crowds. The Tankmon barely had time to react as they were deleted from the duel attacks.

"Now that's the way to do it!" Jun shouted excitedly. She was enjoying this battle. Parrotmon? Not so much.

Parrotmon took extra care not to drop Jun. That proved a difficult task due to having to fight at the same time. "Whatever you say, Jun." He sighed.

Sho tried to think of something to say. Cerberusmon was a fierce beast as she destroyed whatever got in her way. However, he could see the loss of life in her eyes. There was no zest. "Great job, pal!" Sho forced a smile and a happy tone.

Cerberusmon looked up at him. "Thank you." She spoke in a dead pan voice. Again, there was no sign of her perkiness, her youth.

Sho resigned himself with a sigh. He just had to open his mouth last night. If only he had known how much it would have hurt his friend.

The Tankmon continued their mindless assault. No matter how many of them fell, they kept coming.

"Crimson Lighting!" Myotismon swooped in, brandishing his bloody streams of energy. Just as his friends did, Myotismon easily dispatched the Tankmon.

The machine digimon exploded into packets of data, dispersing high into the air. The battle raged on continuously. Fire, energy, lightning, all together they formed into a spectacular light show. The show soon ended in a resounding finale. Kazuya and Sakura could see it all from within their digimon, while Sho and Jun viewed it atop their digimon...they had won the battle. Chiisi observed from afar viewing everything that had transpired. By everything, that included things the others had not seen. That fight...it had been too easy.

"Hey kid!"

Chiisi's thought were interrupted as Myotismon swooped down.

"Grab on, we're moving!"

Chiisi obeyed the vampire's words and held tightly. They had passed the first threshold, but certainly there would be more inside.

XXX

Duskmon didn't even flinch as the foot soldier deleted. His sword retracted inside his arm, stained with the blood of its helpless victim. Behind him, he could see Cherubimon and Lilithmon. Keeping his back turned, he could picture them in his mind: Their expressions...or rather Cherubimon's twisted in horror. Lilithmon held the blank face her master had bestowed upon her. At their feet, Impmon and Tsukaimon were mirror images of Cherubimon and Lilithmon respectively.

"It had to be done." Duskmon excused his actions. "The master commands it."

Cherubimon swallowed whatever retort he had planned to say. Twisted as he may have been, this didn't seem to sit well.

"Oh don't look so shocked, you tortured many of of your "volunteers" till this point. You should view this as another experiment in itself." Duskmon suggested that last line luridly.

Cherubimon continued to be silent. Lilithmon merely stroked the black digitama while the two rookies stood there. Well, Impmon shivered, Tsukaimon stood there.

"We should get going, by now the humans have taken care of the remaining forces he had." Duskmon spoke with command.

Lilithmon paid no attention to the tone the lesser-leveled digimon spoke in. Cherubimon on the other hand visibly shook with rage. How dare that lower-leveled half-digimon...no false digimon consider giving them orders. Then again, the master did seem to speak through him. He had never thought much of Duskmon in the grand scheme of things. Mostly it had just been the three of them...himself, Lilithmon, and Demon. That is, before the latter showed himself as a traitor. The trio that they were became a symbolization of the master's rule. Whenever the name Fallen Angels was uttered, their images would be engrained in the terrified minds of every digimon. Then there was Duskmon, the messenger boy. He would bring them news of the outside world, news that their minions were too far apart in delivering. Duskmon was a mere insignificant speck in regards to their power. After all, they were three powerful Mega's, while Duskmon...it then dawned on him that he didn't know what level of evolution Duskmon matched.

"The time is nigh, the time has come." Lilithmon's eerie voice brought Cherubimon back to reality. Stroking the black digitama, the succubus followed Duskmon. With nothing else to say or do, Cherubimon followed after.

Impmon's tail thumped against the ground in defeat. This had not been what he imagined or planned when he signed up.

"Hey." Impmon whispered to Tsukaimon. Dulled as her mind appeared to be, the winged guinea pig listened well. "I'm thinking of blowing this joint, ya in?"

Tsukaimon didn't say anything for a few moments. Turning herself away from Impmon, she uttered an ultimatum. "Stay for the mercy of the humans, or stay with the one who'll lead this world to glory."

Impmon felt absolutely defeated. The two choices both had their pros and cons. Though in the end, Impmon made his choice. "Dang it all, I shoulda become a toilet salesman."

Portable potties were all the rage after all. Convenient, handy, and profitable. But in life, sometimes there are no second chances. Impmon had long passed his second chance.

XXX

Something wasn't right. The castle was empty. The group had broke into the front door of the castle, ready to battle hoards of evil digimon in order to reach the remaining Fallen Angels. Yet, not even one stood out.

"I don't get it." Said Kazuya. "I mean didn't we take out their friends outside?"

Sakura could see the same from within Celestialdramon. "This is so strange, you think it's a trap?"

The other's could not hear their friends inner conversations, but they held the same sentiments.

"Alright come on out, ya cowards!" Jun shouted.

"Jun! Don't provoke them!" Parrotmon squawked. "I'm still shivering from the last battle we were in."

Per usual, Parrotmon still was a coward at heart. Although everyone else could find some sense in his words. There was no telling what manner of horrors awaited them inside.

"Oh please. If they were as weak as the ones out there then I don't think we have anything to worry about." Jun boasted.

Even Sho had to find some reassurance in her words. That digimon hoard outside fell without so much effort. If that was the best the Fallen Angels had to offer, then they clearly had their ball in the court. Everyone had their own feelings of confidence, and some with their own feelings of skepticism. Chiisi and Myotismon shared those sentiments.

"They were too easy." Chiisi announced.

Myotismon crossed his arms. "I'll say. Hardly worth killing."

"Come on! That just means we royally stomped them!" Jun proudly proclaimed. Her words only comforted her however.

"That's just it, why would they send out troops we could easily kill?" Chiisi poised the question. Seeing the confused looks upon his friend's faces, Chiisi elaborated further. "During the fight, I could see a mass of dark energy. It surrounded all of those digimon, merging with them even...but it wasn't making them stronger. It made them weaker." Chiisi suddenly finished.

"What!" Several members of the team said.

Chiisi's face grew serious. "I'm positive."

Myotismon thought hard on the matter as well. "I gotta agree with you kid, I could sense it as well."

"But that doesn't make sense." KnightGenkimon countered.

"Actually it does, in a way." Celestialdramon responded. "Obviously, they weakened their troops so we could slay them."

That only confused the lot even more.

Cerberusmon sniffed the castle air. Her fine canine senses searched for any sign of life in the stone walls. Then, she suddenly stopped. "There's no one here."

Chiisi thought back to what Celestialdramon said. He had the same suspicions regarding the choice in strategy the villains had taken, and coupled with the absence of life in the castle, it brought him to a disturbing conclusion.

"They sacrificed all of their troops."

XXX

Grandracmon could hear their cries, their pleas of hopelessness and despair. Their data sated his body, flowing into the digitama shell. Sacrificing his own servants, it wasn't as he had originally envisioned. It had been an action he wanted to avoid. In the end, they had served their purpose as mindless grunts to his higher-ranked servants, the Fallen Angels. There was movement above. He could sense the humans, those wretched Digidestined. Their prophecy would not come to pass. Wisemon had become a senile old fool and those false replacement gods, the Harmonious Ones, were mere children to their creator. Soon, it would all fall into place. He could feel the egg pulsating with glorious darkness.

Soon, it would be time for his freedom.

XXX

They ran through each door that presented itself. With Chiisi's realization made evident, it made their search all the more urgent. Every passageway, every room, all of them were empty. They didn't have to search the entire castle to realize that they wouldn't be able to find the Fallen Angels.

"Graahh! This is hopeless!" KnightGenkimon shouted. With his duel voice, it may have been possible Kazuya held the same thoughts.

To hear that coming from the fused rabbit and boy meant that things really were bad. It began to spread towards everyone. Grandracmon's revival was nearing.

"This is perfect, I really wanted to kick those fallen asses." Jun punched her fist into her palm.

"I really think we should be worrying more about the Digital World than kicking any asses." Sho repremended.

Jun shot him a glare. "I know that. But in order to save said world some asskicking is needed."

That actually made sense. But still they were far off from their goal of being heroes.

"You sure no one is here, girl?" Asked Sho.

Cerberusmon sniffed the air once again. "No, nobody is here." Her voice still held that lack of joyous tone.

Sho felt even worse now, he had to make this right. "Cerberusmon, look..."

"Wait!" Chiisi interrupted, although that wasn't his intention. "I can feel something...it's faint, but I know that scent anywhere!" Before anyone could say anything, Chiisi took off running. The others followed suit. Normally, Chiisi's hunches were always right. They figured they would be foolish not to follow him. Down more of the same structured passageways, they found another opening. This lead into a room, bare for the most part, but not just bare of inhabitants, but furniture as well. Save for one piece of machinery. It was a strange device, built and connected high into the wall. It was a demonic looking device, obviously serving some evil purpose. They came to that conclusion from its appearance and from its location.

Cerberusmon shuddered as she sniffed. "The bad smell is really bad over there." She spoke in her simplistic speech.

Chiisi fixated upon the device. Focusing, he could sense some reek of a stench on it. While it clearly disturbed Cerberusmon, it comforted him to a certain extent. "Darkness." Came Chiisi's words.

Within Celestialdramon, Sakura could sense some of it as well. Like the canine digimon, she was disturbed by it. "It's especially strong there." She said.

"So what? How is that supposed to help us?" Jun's skepticism laced her question.

Chiisi walked towards the device. Sakura nearly reached out, but stopped. The boy stopped in front of the machine, noticing a pedestal when he reached it. Hesitation gripped him, but he overcame it as he had done so many times before. Everyone in the group had done so, it seemed to be apart of the Digidestined passage.

"Hang on everyone, I know what I'm doing." Chiisi kept his hand firmly upon the cold metal. Just as the darkness in this room did, the touch made him feel almost at home. He could sense the other's confusion. Soon, they would understand. Chiisi focused hard. The darkness in the room slowly began to form around their master. The son of their master, that is. The prince of the dark realm called to his father's domain. In his ears, he could hear the waves crashing against the shore. A feeling grew within the room. Chiisi could feel his comfort growing larger and grander than it had ever been since the castle's inhabitants disappeared. Chiisi had closed his eyes when he first touched the machine. When he opened them, all he could see was darkness. His ears caught the shocked cries of his friends which fell into a hush as the darkness covered them all.

When it cleared in the room, there was nothing but a trace left. Now the castle was barren.

XXX

He could sense them, they were near. Every pulse rocked the shell.

Time was nearly nigh

XXX

The wave of darkness passed over the kids in an instant and then it went just the same. The group stood bewildered for a moment. Their bodies were adjusting to the sudden rush that had passed them; All of them except Chiisi and Myotismon that is.

"Geez! Could you give us a warning the next time!" Jun complained.

The complaints they held were put away for the time being. Their current location warranted their location. It was a long winding cave, to put it simply. Behind them was nothing but black, while in front was the same.

"Where are we?" Asked Sho.

Parrotmon's feathers fanned up. "I got a b-b-bad feeling about this place." A thump on his side from Jun swiftly ended his cowardice.

Cerberusmon let out a low growl. "The bad smell is up ahead."

The bad smell could only mean one possibility. They had arrived. The Fallen Angels were ahead.

"This is it." Kazuya and KnightGenkimon said. The two leaders held their heads forward. Well, their head forward seeing as they were technically the same being now. Soon, everyone else followed in suit, this had been a long road. All of their trials and adventures had lead to this moment. Now it was time to finish it. "Alright everyone…let's do this!" If Kazuya was still wearing his goggles, he would have adjusted them triumphantly.

So then, they charged forward. Their heads and hopes high.

XXX

Crick crack!

He could feel the shell cracking, just a little more.

XXX

The Digidestined ran with all their might. Or to be precise, their digimon ran with them riding on it. That would make things much easier.

"Everyone, we need to hurry!" Chiisi spoke with warning. "I feel alot of darkness up ahead!"

A sudden gust of air hit their faces. Their feet skid against the ground for a moment before they maintained their footing. Chiisi was correct, something huge lie ahead. Even the humans could feel it. If that was the case, then this darkness must have been truly horrifying. Nevertheless, they kept running, kept going, never stopping until they reached their destination. Although they ran fast, all they could see was the same shadows in the distance. Then suddenly, they could see something...light. It wasn't the warm comforting light of the sun, but an orange glow against the cave walls. That didn't distract them; they kept running until their surroundings changed. First, they noticed something about the walls and floor. Whereas behind them was nothing but rigid rock, now it was smoothed out like sidewalk. From their feet spreading up to the ceiling, strange symbols were printed upon the ground. The Digimon instantly recognized it as Digicode, the language of the Digital World. Impressive as it was, that didn't compare to what was ahead. A column of fire immediately shot up from a gap in the floor, reaching high into the air. Behind it was nothing but black, yet this kind was different.

"My….look what the rabid Gatomon dragged in."

Everyone ignored the Fire Wall for a moment, something else now held their attention. Standing there were five digimon. Two of them were rookies, an Impmon and a Tsukaimon. In the middle stood Duskmon, while the other two they had to guess were Cherubimon and Lilithmon, the remaining Fallen Angels.

"So, you're the bad guys, eh?" KnightGenkimon spoke in his duel tone. "Heh. You don't look so fearsome."

Cherubimon growled. "You're the ones who destroyed my precious viruses and disrupted all of our crucial plans!" The Mega held a lot of repressed rage regarding the humans. Now seemed like the perfect time to let it out. Whatever thoughts Lilithmon had, she didn't speak them aloud. It wasn't as if she held any true regards to the matter. The heroes prepared to fight, as did Cherubimon. Lilithmon would do so if need be, while Impmon cowered at the sight. Tsukaimon stared blankly at the danger before her. The only other digimon who shared her complacency, was Duskmon.

"There's no need, Cherubimon." Said Duskmon.

The demon rabbit halted the attack he was about to unleash. "What?" He asked confusedly.

Duskmon turned his attention back to the Fire Wall as soon as it erupted again. "They're too late, anyway."

What they did notice was that Duskmon's attention wasn't exactly directed at the fire. It was towards the alter set right before it. Upon the alter was a black digitama.

Crick Crack!

It cracked. For the villains, it was a joyous moment, while for the heroes...not so much.

"Guys, let's go!" Someone shouted. Kazuya/KnightGenkimon, Jun, anyone could have said it, but really it didn't matter. The result would be the same.

Another gust of wind hit the air, halting any attack they could have made. The Digitama started to crack further, sending out more gusts. Everyone braced themselves for some oncoming assault. KnightGenkimon tried to move, tried to muster up an attack.

"Don't...it's useless, we were too late." Chiisi announced.

Lilithmon cast a pleased eye towards the black digitama. Cherubimon dropped whatever animosity he had at the moment, while Duskmon turned to the children.

"The young prince is correct, you know. It was only a matter of time, anyway." Duskmon boasted. "Had we not sacrificed our soldiers for their data, you would have probably halted our plans by a millisecond."

That news shocked everyone on the good side. Although they held their suspicions on the matter. Sacrificing ones troops for their own goals. How low could they get?

"But it's far too late now. So sit back and watch." Duskmon smiled underneath his mask.

Just then, an overwhelming feeling of darkness spread. The Fire Wall grew higher, burning more intensely then it ever had before. As the fire grew at its peak, something appeared within the flames. A glowing pair of red eyes shined underneath. The Digidestined stood by as a voice filled the air.

"At last! Years of having my soul bound in this prison have finally come to an end!"

The eyes faded from view just as the digitama began to pulse.

Suddenly, a dark shadow shot forth from the fire and into the digitama.

Crick Crack!

It cracked even further. As it did, the gusts of wind began to fill the entire cave nearly knocking everyone over. The egg started to pulse and crack further, spurts of dark energy seeping out from the inside. The Digidestined stood there petrified. They couldn't think of anything to say. Their minds and bodies were frozen with fear...except for one.

"Kazuya!" Sakura shouted from within her digimon.

"KnightGenkimon!" Everyone else shouted.

The armored rabbit dove forward, his fist outstretched, ready to strike. He...they...wouldn't let this come to pass. Yet, his heroic dreams would go unfulfilled. The moment he neared the digitama, an overpowering force sent him flying back. Suddenly, everything went silent. A wave of darkness burst forth right at the crucial moment.

Crick Crack!

The Digitama hatched.

XXX

A vast explosion rocked Fallen Angel Castle. From underneath, a wave of darkness spread forth, covering everything. The stone architecture was torn asunder from the mass of energy. The wave spread until it overtook the entire surrounding area, casting it into a nightfall of sorts. Anyone caught in it would find themselves floating in an endless void of darkness. Within it's center, a massive shape formed.

A great roar was unleashed from two heads with shark-like muzzles full of razor sharp teeth. The two heads were connected to a four-legged, brown-furred body. The legs held red bands against their blackened feet. The entire back was adorned with blue tattoos and a yellow tail spread back. Despite the bestial appearance, a humanoid body connected atop it like a centaur. The waist was adorned in a pair of belts, with red bands just above them. Two arms spread out from a crossed position, sharing the red band fashion along with spiked metal plates upon the hands. The remnants of a blue, bat-like plate adorned the shoulders, crossing only around the chest. These were made apparant as two bat-like wings uncoiled themselves, revealing the aforementioned clothing, along with a pale body just in-between the plates. Leading up, the pale body formed into a head adorned with a hat made from the same blue material as the shoulder pads. Two horns crowned it, with blond hair spreading down. Two hanks were braided with the same red bands. The head slowly tilted up, revealing the pale-skinned face of a young man. His irises were bright red...the color of blood.

Beneath him, he could see two groups. One side were his loyal and devoted servants who were currently held in awe, like worship. The other were the Digidestined who were gripped in fear at the sight of him. For the first time in a long time, he felt triumph.

Grandracmon breathed in air for the first time since he was imprisoned. He had been revived. And he smiled.

To be continued...

A/N: Well the big bad has finally been revived. I'm certain anyone else could have done this better but this was the best I could do. Originally I was going to make the battle scene a little more epic, but battle scenes are hard. So I figured I could make it easier for them to win but give a plausible reason for it. Well we are almost at the end. But worry not folks, the remaining Digimon will reach Mega. Kazuya and Sakura aren't the only ones who will take the spotlight.