(A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Hope everyone had a good holiday. I've got a little present for you. Nope, not just a new chapter, but also a short one-shot that's a crossover of Avengers and Deadpool called 'Deadpool ex Machina'. If you're looking for a laugh, check it out. If you're just looking for the next chapter of this story, look no longer, and enjoy.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 126: A Lucky Break?
The powerhouse that was Raidenmon was a tank, quite literally. Resembling an army tank crossed with an android, the combination of the Machine Mercenaries looked like he was capable of handling any form of attack while packing his own massive amount of firepower.
The DigiDestined looked at the new machine Digimon nervously. "Well…" Gallantmon muttered uneasily, "now we only need to defeat one instead of three. That's kind of better, right?"
"Don't be an idiot," OmniShoutmon growled. "We're in real trouble here. Not only is Raidenmon very powerful, he's also so devoted to destroying his targets that he'll even sacrifice himself to do it."
"Oh, perfect," EmperorGreymon grumbled. "We had a hard enough time trying to beat him when he was the Machine Mercenaries. Nice to know he's a kamikaze now too."
"Kirlian Brand!" Raidenmon cried, and unleashed a blast of electricity.
"Scatter!" OmniShoutmon shouted, and they all took flight as the electricity tore the ground apart.
"That was shocking," said Imperialdramon.
"Be careful," OmniShoutmon told them. "His Kirlian Brand unleashes an electric attack of 45,000 volts."
"I'm guessing that's a lot," said EmperorGreymon.
"Shocking, isn't it?"
"Imperialdramon, will you quit making jokes!" Omnimon snapped. "Now's not the time for that. Lets just take this guy. Dash Grey Sword!"
He flew at Raidenmon and slashed with his sword. The machine Digimon didn't bother to block or dodge, and Omnimon's sword struck against him with a clang. Much to the knight Digimon's surprise though, his blade was ineffective.
"What the!?" he exclaimed, and then proceeded to strike him over and over again. Sparks flew with every blow his sword landed, but Raidenmon didn't get so much as a scratch.
The machine Digimon let this go on for a few seconds, then suddenly lashed out with his claw, grabbing Omnimon around the torso. He lifted the knight Digimon into the air, then slammed him into the ground.
"Hang on, Omnimon!" Seraphimon called. "Hallowed Knuckle!"
"Twin Fireball Strike!"
"Eden's Needle!"
Fireballs along with needles and balls of light fell upon Raidenmon, bouncing harmlessly off his body. The machine Digimon ignored the attacks as he buried Omnimon deeper into the ground. Then Imperialdramon came swooping in, slamming into Raidenmon's side with his Dragon Knee. The machine Digimon was knocked onto his side, releasing Omnimon in the process, but Imperialdramon pulled back, gripping his knee painfully.
"Geez, what's this guy made of?"
"Harder stuff than you," Raidenmon replied, pushing himself upright again.
"Lets see if he's hard enough for this," said EmperorGreymon, pointing his sword at him. "Dragonfire Crossbow!"
He shot a fire arrow, and it exploded in the machine Digimon's face. It appeared to be affective, as a pained grunt escaped him.
"Looks like we'll have to rely on powerful attacks rather than low powered ones and physical blows," Seraphimon noted.
"Fine with me," said Ophanimon, pointed her javelin at him. "Eden's Javelin!"
The beam she fired struck Raidenmon and began pushing him back. A growl escaped him and he held up his hand to keep the beam from hitting him directly. Seraphimon followed up with his Hallowed Ascension, and lightning came down on Raidenmon. Gallantmon then used his Spiral Saver, spinning around above Raidenmon to create a fire tornado that materialized around him and the machine Digimon.
Another growl escaped Raidenmon as the three attacks came down on him at once. He unleashed his Kirlian Brand again, and the electricity blast caused the others to disperse.
"Big Charge Bomb!" he cried, firing a bomb from his tail. Ophanimon flew forward to deflect it with her Unicorn Shield, but instead of deflecting, the bomb exploded against it, and Ophanimon was blasted back by a massive explosion. Seraphimon quickly flew into her path to catch her, and she collapsed in his arms.
"Be careful," OmniShoutmon called. "A lot of Raidenmon's attacks are counter attacks. He can charge them up the more he's damaged."
Imperialdramon glared at him. "That would have ben useful to know earlier."
"So our physical and low powered attacks are ineffective," said Gallantmon. "And any attack we do to deal damage will just allow him to counter with an even more powerful attack. And even if we do manage to weaken him enough to defeat him, he'll just go suicide bomber on us, or something. That about sum it up?"
"He also has a healing ability that will double the power of the next attack he uses."
"Are you kidding me!?" Imperialdramon raged. "This guy is totally cheating!"
"The Machine Mercenaries were as strong as hell," EmperorGreymon told him. "Did you think the DNA Digivolution of all three of them would be a pushover?"
Raidenmon raised his right hand, at the end of which was what looked like a grenade launcher, and he began firing. The first two blasts exploded against Imperialdramon, the first knocking him back, and the second taking him off his feet. Then he turned his weapon on EmperorGreymon, still firing. The dragon Digimon used his sword to knock away the attacks while Gallantmon flew down towards him, using his Lightning Charge.
Raidenmon continued to fire. Despite EmperorGreymon knocking away the blasts, they still exploded against his sword, causing him to lose eventually his grip and take one to the face. Then Raidenmon quickly raised his gun up at the approaching Gallantmon. The blast went straight through the lightning sphere surrounding the knight Digimon, and his dive turned into a fall. Raidenmon grabbed him before he hit the ground, spun him around, and threw him.
"Flame Cannon!" cried OmniShoutmon.
"Omni Howling!" Omnimon cried.
The attacks hit Raidenmon, the former in a continuous stream. A grunt escaped the machine Digimon as he leapt up out of OmniShoutmon's attack and up towards Omnimon. The knight Digimon lifted his sword to block as Raidenmon raised his clawed hand and brought it down on him. Omnimon hit the ground hard, and Raidenmon dropped down on top of him, making the knight Digimon cry out.
"Omni Torpedo!" OmniShoutmon cried, surrounding himself in an aura and launched at Raidenmon.
The machine Digimon glanced his way, then charged at him too. They met in the middle, resulting in an explosion. Raidenmon skidded backwards from the blast while OmniShoutmon bounced across the ground from the impact.
"Damn this guy," Seraphimon growled, and came in for a landing. He gently set Ophanimon down before glancing back at the machine Digimon. "Hang tight, I'll deal with this."
Still dazed from the blast she had taken, Ophanimon reached for him. "Beware of that bomb attack of his. It's a doozey."
He nodded. "I'll be careful."
He flew at Raidenmon, firing his Strike of the Seven Stars. The attack blasted Raidenmon back several feet, and he turned to face the angel Digimon. Seraphimon kept his eyes on the machine Digimon's tail as it swung through the air, fully expecting him to fire a bomb. Instead, he unleashed his Kirlian Brand, and Seraphimon was electrocuted.
"Pyro Dragons!" EmperorGreymon cried, and the fiery dragons rose out of the ground and latched onto Raidenmon, holding him in place.
"Majestic Strike!" Imperialdramon cried, flying up into the sky and then dropping down towards the machine Digimon.
Raidenmon glanced up at him, but was kept bound by the Pyro Dragons. Imperialdramon thought he had a clear path, but then Raidenmon surprised him by firing at him with the cannon on his back.
The second part of EmperorGreymon's attack came into affect, the explosion beneath him launching him into the air. He raised his sword to bring it down on the machine Digimon as Raidenmon kept struggling. He managed to pull his clawed hand free and strike EmperorGreymon before he could strike him with his sword, knocking him away. The Pyro Dragons fizzled out, and Raidenmon was free again. He turned back to the DigiDestined as they regrouped, regarding them with interest.
"I guess this isn't too bad," said Imperialdramon. "He's tough, but manageable."
"Don't jinx it," Gallantmon told him. "The last thing we need is to somehow end up at an even greater disadvantage."
"Yes," Raidenmon mocked. "We wouldn't want that. Gilead Plant!"
His body began glowing, and the damage they had managed to deliver was healed. EmperorGreymon raised his sword and slammed it against the ground in response. "Oh, come on! Are you serious?"
"Be on your guard," OmniShoutmon warned. "His next attack will be twice as strong as usual. That's the technique I was talking about, the one that not only heals him, but doubles the power of his next attack."
Imperialdramon shrugged in resignation. "Sure, why not? We've got everything else going against us."
"Then you might as well go out with a bang," Raidenmon told them. "Big Charge Bomb!"
He launched a bomb from his tail. It sped towards the DigiDestined, but before it could hit, something flew through the air and struck it, causing the bomb to explode. The DigiDestined recoiled from the shockwave, wondering what just happened.
"What was that?" Gallantmon asked.
"Looked like a bullet," said Imperialdramon. "I think someone just saved us."
Raidenmon seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "Who dares to interfere?"
"That would be me."
The hope for salvation the DigiDestined felt vanished instantly at the familiar voice. All heads looked up to see none other than Beelzemon, still in his Blast Mode, floating in the sky. There was a scowl on his face as he surveyed the scene below before coming in for a landing.
Raidenmon glanced at the Demon Lord curiously. "Lord Beelzemon, to what do I owe the honor?"
Beelzemon didn't even look back at him. "These humans are mine to kill. So unless you want to join them, get the hell out of here."
The DigiDestined waited to see what the machine Digimon would do. From what they understood, the Machine Mercenaries weren't strictly devoted to the Demon Lords, but were soldiers hired by them, and the only reason the Demon Lords didn't kill them for not swearing their allegiance to them was due to their usefulness. But would Raidenmon back off as ordered, or would they be dealing with two enemies?
Raidenmon seemed to hesitate, but then his stance seemed to relax. "As you command, my lord."
His body began glowing, and he split back into the Machine Mercenaries once more. Fujinmon offered the Demon Lord a bow. "We shall take our leave now."
With that, the Machine Mercenaries took off, disappearing into the horizon. A grin spread across Beelzemon's face as he stared down the DigiDestined. "Well, well, here we all are once again. I must admit, you surprised me with your resourcefulness, but there are no data streams here for you to pull a stunt like that again."
"Beelzemon," OmniShoutmon growled, even as a bead of nervous sweat ran down his head. "I'd hoped we wouldn't see you again until after we took care of Laylamon."
A cruel chuckle came from the Demon Lord. "That's a bold claim, thinking you stand a chance against her. Or me. But as much as I'd love to see that bitch get slapped around a bit, I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of killing you." He held up his hand and made a fist. "That right belongs to me."
A frustrated sound escaped EmperorGreymon. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."
"Buck up, guys," Imperialdramon told them. "Our group has gotten stronger. I think we can take him."
Beelzemon closed his eyes, looking entirely too smug. "How very cute you are." Then his eyes opened, and his face contorted with rage. "And how very annoying. Black Skewer!"
He raised his blaster and fired a beam of dark matter. The DigiDestined scattered, taking to the sky, but he kept firing after them, causing Imperialdramon to cry out when a beam grazed his wing.
Ignoring her injuries, Ophanimon took a risk in flying into the path of Beelzemon's attack and used her Unicorn Shield. She deflected the beam, but it took a lot of effort, and the recoil made her feel as if she had been hit by a train. Beelzemon laughed as he kept firing, and Ophanimon somehow successfully managed to deflect the dark matter beams.
Finally, she managed to angle the shield properly, and the next beam Beelzemon fired she managed to deflect back at him. His eyes widened in shock before he was blasted by his own attack, and a furious snarl escaped him. "You dare turn my own attack against me!"
Spreading his wings, he flew up towards her, stopping when he was directly in front of her. She pulled back in surprise, then thrust her javelin at him, firing a beam. He moved to the side, and pushed her javelin away, avoiding the attack, then backhanded her with his blaster.
With a battle cry, Seraphimon flew up behind Beelzemon and grabbed him from the back. He pulled him away from Ophanimon and turned him towards his friends. "I've got him! Attack while you can."
"Nice one," said Gallantmon. "Hold on tight. Gallant Charge!"
He flew at the Demon Lord with his electrified lance, as did the others, brandishing their own weapons. However, an arrogant sneer spread across Beelzemon's face. "You've gotta be kidding."
His tail came up, stabbing Seraphimon in the side. The angel Digimon gasped in pain, and Beelzemon broke his hold. Turning around, he slashed at Seraphimon with his Darkness Claw, then turned back to the others, drawing a magic circle with his blaster. "Corona Destroyer!"
A beam of destruction burst from the circle and flew at the DigiDestined. Imperialdramon flew ahead of the others and used his Light Barrier. Beelzemon's attack hit it, and was held back for only a few seconds before it shattered, and the dragon Digimon was carried off by it.
The others kept coming. Gallantmon thrust his electrified lance at the Demon Lord, and Beelzemon knocked it away with his blaster, then hit him with a Beelzeb Kick. Omnimon and EmperorGreymon attacked together, using their Transcendent Sword and Soaring Flame Edge. Beelzemon grabbed the knight Digimon's sword with his bare hands and caught the dragon Digimon's flaming sword with the clamp on his blaster, holding both back.
"Flame Cannon!" OmniShoutmon cried, firing flaming bolts from his chest while Beelzemon was busy with Omnimon and EmperorGreymon. The Demon Lord grunted as the attack hit him, then slammed the two of them together before blasting all three with a wave of darkness with his Corona Blaster.
He cried out as Ophanimon suddenly stabbed him in the back with her javelin, then fired her Eden's Javelin at point blank range. The beam carried the Demon Lord away before Seraphimon, with precise aiming, fired a Strike of the Seven Stars that blasted Beelzemon at the end if the beam.
"Good shot," Gallantmon commented.
"Was it?" came the voice of Beelzemon from up above as the smoke cleared. "All you're managing to do is piss me off."
"Oh," EmperorGreymon muttered. "We're so very sorry for making you angry in this fight to the death battle you decided to pick with us. Pyro Dragons!"
The fiery streams of dragon heads flew up towards Beelzemon. The Demon Lord just sneered as they approached, and his gun appeared in his other hand. "You've got to be kidding."
He used his gun and his blaster to fire upon the dragon heads, causing each one to disperse. And when EmperorGreymon was launched into the air up at him, he was ready. He used his blaster to block the sword swipe, then fired his Double Impact directly into the dragon Digimon's gut.
A pained grunt escaped EmperorGreymon, and he began to fall from the sky. Omnimon came rising up to meet the Demon Lord as the dragon Digimon fell past him. "Damn you!"
He began swinging his sword. Beelzemon used his blaster to deflect the swipes, and while he successfully managed to block, it was clear that he was not a swordsman, and was soon on the defense. And when an opening presented itself, Omnimon raised his canon and fired into the Demon Lord's chest, giving him the same treatment he gave EmperorGreymon.
Beelzemon didn't take this lying down though. As he was blasted backwards, he fired his Double Impact. The bullet hit Omnimon's shoulder, and he was knocked back. Seraphimon, Ophanimon, and OmniShoutmon immediately rose up to take his place, and fired a series of attacks at the Demon Lord.
"Strike of the Seven Stars!"
"Sefirot Crystal!"
"Hard Rock Spirit!"
The three attacks blasted Beelzemon from the sky. As he fell, Imperialdramon flew up to meet him, hitting the Demon Lord with his Dragon Kick. The attack sent him flying towards Gallantmon, who raised his shield to attack. "Shield of the-"
"Double Impact!" Beelzemon cried while still soaring from the momentum of Imperialdramon's kick. His attack was faster, and it struck Gallantmon's shield, knocking it aside and causing his attack to go off course. "Beelzeb Kick!"
Doing a flip in the air, he brought his foot down on the knight Digimon, sending him crashing to the ground. He then turned back to the DigiDestined and raised his blaster to the sky. "High Impact!"
Lightning came down from the sky, striking the DigiDestined, and they fell to the ground in smoking heaps. Beelzemon smirked before looking down at Gallantmon and slowly descending towards him.
The knight Digimon groaned, his head pounding from Beelzemon's kick. Instinctively, he looked up to see the Demon Lord floating down towards him. A sneer spread across his face as he raised his gun, aiming right between Gallantmon's eyes. "Looks like I was too fast for you earlier. Lets see if I am this time too. Double Impact!"
A bullet flew from his gun. Gallantmon flinched on reflex, but the bullet never hit him. Instead, a portal suddenly appeared, and a hand shot out, snatching the bullet out of the air and pulling it into the portal.
Beelzemon's eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell?"
Another portal appeared, this one bigger, and Boltboutamon stepped out of it, tossing Beelzemon's bullet into the air and catching it. "Hello, Lord Beelzemon. So sorry to interrupt."
A scowl crossed the Demon Lord's face. "What do you want? I'm in the middle of something."
Boltboutamon tossed the bullet into the air once more and caught it before crushing it into dust. "You've been summoned, my lord. Lady Laylamon has requested your immediate presence."
Beelzemon's scowl deepened. "You can tell that whore to piss off. I'm busy right now."
He pointed his gun at Gallantmon again, but, much to the surprise of everyone present, Boltboutamon casually walked in front of the knight Digimon. "I'm afraid she insists on seeing you right now. Before you kill the humans. She was very clear about that. Said your already damaged reputation was at stake, and if you wish to preserve what's left of it as an all-powerful Demon Lord that you'll hold off on killing the humans until you've heard what she has to say." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Unless you think this will be your one and only chance of winning and you won't be able to beat them in the future."
Slowly, Beelzemon's gun moved to the demon Digimon, his eyes burning with fury. "What did you say?"
Boltboutamon held up his hands and grinned. "Now, my lord, don't shoot the messenger. If you have a problem with the summon, then take it up with Laylamon."
Beelzemon glared at him for a few moments longer before glancing back at Gallantmon. His gaze then shifted to the other DigiDestined, and it became apparent that he was trying very hard to restrain himself.
However, he eventually lowered his gun, and let out a frustrated huff. "Seems you humans got a lucky break. But make no mistake, the next time we meet, you're all dead."
"Splendid," said Boltboutamon cheerfully. "I'll be looking forward to seeing that."
He snapped his fingers and another portal appeared. Still scowling, Beelzemon walked into it. "This better be good."
With a sinister chuckle, Boltboutamon stepped in after him. Oh, it will be." He wiggled his fingers in departure at the DigiDestined. "Ta-ta."
The portal closed, and both Beelzemon and Boltboutamon were gone. The tension left Gallantmon's body and he relaxed. "Geez, I seriously thought I was going to die. What was all that about?"
"Us getting a lucky break," said Imperialdramon. "I forgot how strong that guy was."
OmniShoutmon got to his feet. "I don't think that was a lucky break. Whatever Laylamon wants Beelzemon for, something tells me it's not going to be good."
"Maybe he'll do us a favor and kill her," EmperorGreymon said hopefully. "The two don't seem to get along that well."
OmniShoutmon scoffed. "It'd be nice, but that's just wishful thinking. They need each other to keep the Sovereigns sealed away." He looked up at the sky. "No, whatever Laylamon called Beelzemon for, it definitely doesn't bode well for us."
(A/N: Yes, I know, this chapter subverted expectations. Not only did Beelzemon interrupt our heroes' battle with Raidenmon, but then Boltboutamon did the same for Beelzemon. There's a reason for this though, as it will establish what comes next and for what will happen later. For now, our heroes may have gotten a reprieve, but OmniShoutmon is actually worried that this means that something even worse is coming. Is he right? Stay tuned to find out.)
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New Digimon that appear. Replace the DOT in the link(s) with actual periods.
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Trailmon_(Ball)
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Raidenmon