(A/N: We're getting down to it. Barbamon is on his way to awaken Armamon, and our heroes are forced to put their trust in Boltboutamon of all people to get them there in time. Have they made the worst mistake of their lives, or is Boltboutamon actually going to be trustworthy for a change. Even if he is, will they still be in time to stop Armamon's awakening. Read on to find out.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 157: The Awakening
Shark-like teeth were visible as Barbamon grinned broadly, making his way down the hall. It was hard to believe that the mighty weapon Digimon had been hidden away down here all this time. He had spent so much time searching, and now his goal was in sight. With Armamon at his command, no one would be able to stop him.
It was ironic that the humans who opposed him and his fellow Demon Lords had indirectly allowed him to find Armamon. Had they not offended Snatchmon, then the alien Digimon might not have found and turned over the keycards. Had they not gotten involved with the Kogamon and Ninjamon, things might have gone wrong with his plan with Asuramon and he might not have gotten hold of the scrolls. And had it not been for AncientWisemon's desire to help them, he might not have captured the mutant Digimon and tortured the location out of him.
Yes, he would have to thank the humans for their help, and he planned to do that by showing them the type of power they had allowed him to get ahold of, and then use it to crush them.
As he walked along, the hall soon opened up to an enormous cavern. Everything in it, from the ceiling to the floor, was made of crystal. And in the center of the cavern, encased inside a giant crystal protruding from the ground, was the weapon Digimon he sought.
"Armamon," he whispered as he approached the giant crystal. "At last we meet."
He held out his staff and tapped it against the crystal. "You've been sealed away for so long. Such a tragic and unforgivable act. If a weapon's not wielded, then it's useless." He chuckled. "But I plan to make very good use of you."
Stepping back, he looked up at the weapon Digimon. He held up his staff, and began to gather his dark power. "Awakened by a demon, and he shall destroy the world. I, Barbamon, the Demon Lord of Greed, call to you now. Armamon, I command you, awaken!"
He stomped his staff on the ground. A wave of dark energy flowed out of it and across the floor. It reached the crystal encasing Armamon and flowed over it. A few seconds after the wave passed, the crystal cracked.
(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)
Parallelmon whirled around as a portal appeared. His gaze darted over to the doorway Barbamon had gone through, then back to the portal. A few moments later, Boltboutamon stepped through it, and the mutant Digimon's lone eye narrowed.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
The demon Digimon's grin spread wider across his face. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just here for the show."
Parallelmon cocked his head to the side. "Show?"
A few moments later, the DigiDestined emerged from the portal. They looked around in mild surprise, half expecting Boltboutamon to have created a portal to the bottom of the ocean or something.
Parallelmon took a step back in surprise, then rounded on Boltboutamon furiously. "You brought them here! Traitor!"
One of Boltboutamon's rapiers suddenly appeared and impaled Parallelmon straight through the head, bursting out of the back. The mutant Digimon's body tensed up at the impalement as Boltboutamon sneered at him. "I'm no traitor. I've always been loyal… to myself. The only one I've ever been loyal to."
Incoherent speech escaped Parallelmon before his hand suddenly shot out. It landed on the top of a pedestal protruding from the ground and swiped across the surface. What seemed to be cards went flying from it, and a loud rumbling noise was heard. The large plateau Parallelmon had been standing in front of began to tremble, and a rock wall rose up, sealing off the cave-like entrance to it.
"Long live… the Demon… Lor…"
That was all Parallelmon managed to say before he dissolved into data. An amused chuckle escaped Boltboutamon before he turned to the DigiDestined with a grin. "Well now, that's a bit of a dilemma for you. I took you this far, but you're on your own from here on out. Goodbye for now, little humans. Do give me a good show."
He suddenly placed his gun to his temple and fired. Boltboutamon burst into data, revealing that he had been nothing more than one of his copies. It was an unsettling sight, but the DigiDestined didn't have time to dwell on the demon Digimon's disturbing nature. They looked up at the plateau where the cave entrance had once been before Gallantmon slowly approached.
"That was the entrance to where Armamon is being kept, wasn't it?" Bending down, he picked up one of the cards that had been scattered. "And these must be the keycards that Argomon was initially after."
"Yeah, for Barbamon," EmperorGreymon growled.
Gallantmon turned the card around and raised an eyebrow. "Um, how come there's a picture of a Digimon on here?"
"What?" Seraphimon asked.
The knight Digimon nodded. "Yeah, it's like a trading card of some kind. Though the back looks like the surface of a computer chip or something."
He looked at the pedestal; and walked over to it, the others soon joining. On the surface, there seemed to be nine square spots where the cards could go. The top three spots each had a single star while the second three had two and the last had three. Above the spots with the single star were the images of a lion, a centaur, and a monkey. To the left of the nine spots were three dots arranged in a triangle position, and on the other side was the picture of what seemed to be a ruler and protractor.
"So the keycards must go here," Omnimon noted, pointing at the square spots. "That must open the entrance."
"Quick, everyone, gather the cards," said Ophanimon C.
It didn't take them long to find all nine, as Parallelmon hadn't scattered them that far. When they were all gathered up, they noted that each of the keycards had a different Digimon on them.
"I guess we have to figure out which card goes where," said EmperorGreymon, stating the obvious. "But how do we know which one goes where?"
"The scrolls!" Seraphimon exclaimed. "The Kogamon and Ninjamon scrolls that tell how to use them. Anyone see them anywhere?"
Gallantmon shook his head. "Not me."
OmniShoutmon looked at the plateau. "Barbamon probably took them with him so now one else could follow should Parallelmon need to close the entrance."
"Figures," Imperialdramon grumbled. He looked down at the pedestal. "I guess we'll just have to try a bunch of different combinations until we get the order right."
The others all gave him a peculiar look. "Are you serious?" EmperorGreymon growled. "Do you have any idea just how many combinations can be made with nine cards and nine spots to put them in? We'll be here forever; certainly long enough for Barbamon to awaken Armamon."
Feeling foolish, Imperialdramon held up his hand to the plateau. "Then forget the cards. Let's just blast our way through. Super Positron Laser!"
He fired a beam at the entrance. It blasted against the plateau, and pieces went flying, but much to the dragon Digimon surprise, he hadn't been able to blast open an entrance. Instead, a different type of material seemed to be beneath the rocky outer layer of the plateau.
"Hmm," OmniShoutmon muttered. He flew over to the plateau and scratched off some more of the rock to reveal more of the material beneath it. "It looks like this plateau is actually made of Chrome Digizoid beneath the rocky outer surface. This stuff is so hard and so strong that it's practically indestructible. Only other Chrome Digizoid will be able to scratch it, and there's only one Digimon that possesses Chrome Digizoid."
Imperialdramon shoulders sank. "Well, that sucks."
"Then maybe we should just leave it," Gallantmon suggested. "Let both Barbamon and Armamon rot in there."
"Don't be naïve," OmniShoutmon growled. "There wouldn't be a way in but no way out. That's just stupid."
"Then we need to hurry up and figure out this card combination," said Seraphimon, looking down at the keycards. "Something about the Digimon on these cards must go with the shapes and patterns on the pedestal."
"I agree," Omnimon replied, looking the pedestal over. "Gallantmon, you know a lot about anime and gaming and stuff. Especially Pokemon stuff. If anyone can figure this out, it's you."
Gallantmon blinked. "Me?"
"He's right," Imperialdramon agreed. "Pokemon isn't so different from Digimon. They're both monsters with special attacks that evolve, and each has an element and stuff. Come on, use that gamer knowledge of yours."
Gallantmon was still surprised by the request, but decided to give it a shot. "Um, ok, I'll try. Uh, but first, OmniShoutmon, tell me as much as you can about each of the Digimon on the cards."
For the next several minutes, OmniShoutmon did just that. The Digimon on the cards included Gomamon, Elecmon, Gazimon, Unimon, Drimogemon, Kuwagamon, Andromon, Digitamamon, and ShogunGekomon. OmniShoutmon gave Gallantmon a description on each, including their type, element, level, attribute, species, family, attacks, previous and next Digivolutions, and a brief bio on them in general.
"That's about it," he concluded. "Any more will become a breakdown of the individual Digimon on a personal level rather than a species as a while."
"Hmm," Gallantmon muttered, and began studying the pedestal. After a minute or two, he reached a conclusion. "Ok, I think I have it."
EmperorGreymon looked up from drawing on the ground with his sword. "You got it?"
Gallantmon nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Look here. These marking on the pedestal seem to hint to the Digimon on the cards' level and attribute and type. Using this, we can appropriately place each card in the correct slot."
Omnimon studied the pedestal and the cards. "You really think that's it?"
"Makes sense to me," OmniShoutmon replied. "Only one way to find out."
He arranged all the cards in the spots Gallantmon indicated. Once they were all in place, they took a step back and looked up at the plateau. Several seconds ticked by where nothing happened, and Gallantmon let out a disappointed sigh. "Sorry, guys, I guess I got it wrong."
"Don't worry about it," Ophanimon C told him. "You did better than any of…"
She trailed off as a rumbling began to emit from the plateau. Slowly, the rock wall began to open, revealing the entrance.
"It opened!" Imperialdramon exclaimed. "Gallantmon, you did it!"
"Yeah, way to put that gamer knowledge to use," EmperorGreymon congratulated.
The knight Digimon bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "And my parents said that video games would never help me in real life."
"Come on," said OmniShoutmon. "There may still be time to stop Barbamon."
They charged into the plateau and began running down a long hallway that angled down into the ground. The hallway was big, but Imperialdramon still had to crouch down as they hurried along, and was grateful when the room opened into a much larger cavern that seemed to be made entirely of crystal.
"Whoa," he muttered, looking around. "This place would make quite the tourist attraction."
"And look at the centerpiece," said Seraphimon. "That's got to be Armamon."
They hurried over to the giant crystal and looked up at the weapon Digimon sealed inside. Armamon resembled a giant, powerful-looking robot whose lower body almost looked like a sword. His eyes were closed as he continued to slumber in his crystal prison. A prison that, much to the DigiDestined's alarm, was covered in cracks. Already chunks had broken off and fallen to the floor, and another crack suddenly appeared across it.
"Damn, it looks like we're too late," Omnimon growled. "His prison is breaking apart. Barbamon must have begun the awakening process."
Ophanimon C looked around. "Where is Barbamon anyway?"
"Forget about him for now," said EmperorGreymon. "OmniShoutmon, is there a way to stop the waking process?"
OmniShoutmon considered Armamon's prison. "I don't know. I guess we could try to-"
A stream of fire flew in front of him as he took a step towards Armamon. Barbamon suddenly floated down from up above, having been lurking in the shadows. "You can't stop anything. Armamon will soon be free."
"Oh, great," Imperialdramon grumbled. "I thought you flew the coop."
The Demon Lord took note of Imperialdramon's Paladin Mode form, but didn't seem to be bothered by it. "And I'm surprised you didn't, but you humans are very stubborn. No matter, this will save me the trouble of hunting you down."
"We're not going to let you do this!" Gallantmon declared.
Barbamon threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, it's far too late to stop me. But let's play a little game. Let's see if you can survive long enough against me to see Armamon in all his destructive glory. Pandemonium Lost!"
An explosion of fire straight out of the Dark Area erupted from his body. The DigiDestined leapt away, fleeing from the fiery blast as it covered the area. Barbamon sneered at them as the explosion died down, and Omnimon flew forward. "Supreme Cannon!"
He fired several times, shooting off explosive ice balls. Barbamon used his staff to knock them away, then used his Dark Inferno, shooting dark fire from his staff at the knight Digimon.
"Dragon Soul Sword!" EmperorGreymon cried, flying past Omnimon and cutting through the stream of fire with his sword. He swiped at the Demon Lord, but Barbamon blocked with his staff.
"Staff beats sword," he commented.
"Purgatory Sword Dance!"
EmperorGreymon began rapidly swiping about. Barbamon easily blocked each blow before whacking him with his Greedy Wand. EmperorGreymon went flying backwards, but managed to fire off his Dragonfire Crossbow. Barbamon held up his hand, and the fire arrow exploded against it.
"Impressive," he casually admitted, glancing at his slightly scorched hand. "That packed more power than I thought."
"Then how about this!" Gallantmon shouted. "Crimson Light!"
He threw his spear above Barbamon. A beam came down at the Demon Lord, but Barbamon took off, avoiding it. Seraphimon used his Hallowed Ascension, and lighting began raining down around Barbamon. He laughed as he flew about, dodging the lightning strikes. Ophanimon C surrounded herself with fire and rose up into the air. She cut Barbamon off with a wall of fire, and the Demon Lord pulled back. She fired her Shining Laser III at him, and he countered with his Dark Inferno, shooting dark fire from his staff that collided with her attack, causing an explosion.
Imperialdramon rose up behind him and used his Omni Sword, bringing it down on the Demon Lord. Barbamon whirled around and caught the glowing blade with one hand, much to the dragon Digimon's surprise. "What?"
Barbamon sneered. "This surprises you? Did you really think your Digivolution would make a difference?"
"Hyper Prominence!"
Imperialdramon's chest opened and he blasted Barbamon. The Demon Lord went flying backwards, but stopped his momentum, snarling at the dragon Digimon. "Insolent whelp!"
"Here's more insolence," OmniShoutmon decreed, appearing in front of him. "Twin Fireball Strike!"
Barbamon knocked the fireballs away, then used his staff to block OmniShoutmon's Doom Drillpress. Omnimon came at Barbamon from his other side and used his Transcendent Sword, but Barbamon's hand shot out and caught the blade. With both hands occupied, Ophanimon C used the opportunity to fly over and strike him with her Holy Slash.
Barbamon cried out as she slashed at his back with holy power. His face twisted into an angry sneer and he unleashed his Pandemonium Lost. Ophanimon C and OmniShoutmon used their Unicorn Shield and Heavy Metal Vulcan to defend against the explosion, but Omnimon had no such barrier abilities and instead felt the full force of the attack as all three were blasted back.
"Justice Genome!" Seraphimon cried, amplifying his Light attacks. "Hallowed Knuckle!"
Barbamon looked down as the balls of light came at him. He used his staff to bat them away as Imperialdramon flew above him and brought down his sword. "Omni Sword!"
Barbamon pulled back, but not quite fast enough, while blocking Seraphimon's attacks, and the glowing blade cut his arm. The Demon Lord looked down at the tear in his sleeve and the cut on his arm before glaring at Imperialdramon.
"Ha!" the dragon Digimon declared. "Prepare to have your data reset."
Despite his irritation, Barbamon grinned at his words. "So sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't Digivolved with anyone or anything. Death Lure!"
Imperialdramon's entire body seized up as indescribable pain filled him. Barbamon's grin widened as the dragon Digimon's body vibrated with pain, but had to end his attack to avoid Gallantmon flying up and stabbing at him with his spear of light.
As Imperialdramon fell from the sky, Barbamon swung his staff. Gallantmon's spear burst into light particles upon contact. Gallantmon improvised by using his now free hand to grab Barbamon's beard and pull. The Demon Lord's eyes widened in surprise as he was yanked out of the sky. Gallantmon flew down to the ground and slammed Barbamon down.
"I always question why wizards have such long beards," he commented.
Barbamon picked his head up and thrust his staff out at the knight Digimon, using his Death Lure. Gallantmon's eyes bulged out as pain overwhelmed him, his body so tightly wound up that he couldn't even fall down.
"Strike of the Seven Stars!" Seraphimon cried, blasting Barbamon.
The Demon Lord was blown across the room, his beard ripping free of Gallantmon's clenched, iron grip, his staff skidding away from him. EmperorGreymon flew down towards the fallen Demon Lord, using his Soaring Flame Edge. Barbamon held up his hand, and his staff flew into it. He brought it up to block EmperorGreymon's attack, sneering at the dragon Digimon. "Dark Inferno!"
EmperorGreymon jumped back as a stream of fire shot out of Barbamon's staff. The Demon Lord got to his feet and rose into the air. He shot more fire after EmperorGreymon, who flew along the ground as the stream of fire followed him.
"Omni Core Fusion!" OmniShoutmon cried, firing his attack at the Demon Lord.
Barbamon glanced in his direction and stopped shooting fire to whack the Omnimon shaped aura with his staff, causing it to disperse. OmniShoutmon's Victorize Banking attack was right behind it though, and it blasted against the Demon Lord.
Seraphimon flew in and began slashing at Barbamon with his Excalibur. Ophanimon C joined him, lashing out with her javelin. The three did a type of dance in the air as Barbamon blocked and dodged the attacks before knocking Seraphimon away with his Greedy Wand and turning his full attention to Ophanimon C. "Dark Inferno!"
"Unicorn Shield!
Barbamon's fire pushed Ophanimon C back, her barrier lasting only a few seconds before it shattered. She wrapped her own flames around herself before Barbamon's hit her, resulting in an explosion that sent her flying.
"Omni Torpedo!" OmniShoutmon cried, flying into the Demon Lord. Barbamon caught him though and threw him into the wall.
EmperorGreymon stabbed his sword into the ground and unleashed his Pyro Dragons. The streams of dragon-headed fire flew up towards the Demon Lord. He flew down to meet them, lashing out with his staff and claws to cause them to disperse, then headed for EmperorGreymon.
Improvising, EmperorGreymon leapt up and grabbed Barbamon, surprising the Demon Lord. He turned them around and slammed him down beside his sword, just before the ground exploded. They were both launched into the air, and Barbamon's hand shot out, grasping EmperorGreymon's face.
"Quite resourceful," he commented, before overpowering the dragon Digimon and bringing him crashing to the ground. "But still mediocre."
He kicked EmperorGreymon across the room, grinning at the sound of the dragon Digimon hitting the wall. He pointed his staff at him, preparing to unleash his Dark Inferno, when an explosive ice ball hit his side.
Looking in the direction the attack had come from, he saw Omnimon, still smoking from having been caught in the fiery explosion of his Pandemonium Lost. Scorch marks covered his body, and his cape had been completely burned to ash.
Barbamon grinned. "You're looking a little singed there, my friend. Was the heat too much for you?" He chuckled. "Actually, I'm surprised you're able to stand at all after taking my strongest attack head-on like that."
"He's not the only one standing," said Gallantmon as he and Imperialdramon joined the knight Digimon. Tremors shook their bodies from the still lingering affects of Barbamon's Death Lure. Physically, they hadn't been harmed from the attack, but the level of pain they had experienced was damaging in its own right.
Barbamon laughed. "Standing? More like struggling not to keel over. Just look at your legs shake. Was my Death Lure too much for you?"
"We'll pay that back tenfold," Gallantmon growled. "For everyone you used that attack on. No one should ever experience that level of agony."
The Demon Lord's grin just widened. "Pain is a very good teacher. Especially when trying to make one submit."
"We don't have time for small talk," Omnimon growled. "Just blast him. Double Shot!"
"Super Positron Laser!"
"Final Justice!"
"Dark Inferno!"
Their three attacks flew at Barbamon's, meeting in the middle of the room in a stalemate. The cavern shook from the intensity as bolts of energy flew out of the meeting points. Barbamon laughed and began to expel more power, pushing the others' attacks back. Then Ophanimon C and OmniShoutmon landed beside their friends and added their Shining Laser III and Flame Cannon to the mix, stopping Barbamon's attack from pushing theirs back.
Barbamon growled in irritation, and was suddenly blasted in the back from up above. He looked over his shoulder to see Seraphimon launch his Strike of the Seven Stars over and over again, each blast causing his attack to falter more and more.
Letting out an aggravated cry, he unleashed his Pandemonium Lost, his fiery explosion erupting outward, pushing away the DigiDestined's attacks. Fortunately, the blast radius didn't reach them, but they still recoiled from the shockwave.
Flying out of the explosion, Barbamon went after Seraphimon since the angel Digimon was all alone. Holding out his staff, he tapped him with it and used his Death Lure. Seraphimon's body tensed up in agony, but, fortunately, it didn't last long as Barbamon immediately flew at the others. Using his Greedy Wand, he struck Omnimon, Gallantmon, then OmniShoutmon, jumping from one to the other. He leapt at Ophanimon C next, repeating the attack, but she managed to block it with her Unicorn Shield. Barbamon immediately followed this up with his Dark Inferno, and the stream of fire forced its way through her barrier and pushed her back.
"Imperial Claw!" Imperialdramon cried, slashing at Barbamon.
The Demon Lord leapt out of the way of the attack and flew up at Imperialdramon. A kick to the head knocked the dragon Digimon to the ground, and Barbamon landed on his chest.
"You betrayed your friends before," he stated plainly. "Let's see if you'll do it again. Hypnosis!"
He pointed his staff at the dragon Digimon, and Imperialdramon felt a dark presence begin to invade his mind, forcing its will on him. It didn't take a genius to figure out whose will it was, and Imperialdramon fought back with everything he had.
"Resistance is futile," Barbamon told him. "My Hypnosis allows me to control all evil beings."
Imperialdramon's claws dug at the crystal ground before forming into a fist. "I am… not evil!"
He threw a punch, his fist slamming into the Demon Lord and knocking him away. Barbamon snarled as he stopped his momentum and turned back to Imperialdramon, only to be blasted back by his Super Positron Laser. The beam pushed him back until he hit the wall, and he dropped to the ground when the attack ceased. He barely got to his feet before a fireball from Ophanimon C's Volcano Napalm hit the ground beneath him and erupted into a pillar of fire.
"Nice shot," Imperialdramon commented to Ophanimon C as she and the others regrouped.
"Thanks," she replied and looked around. "Where's Seraphimon?"
"I'm here," her fellow angel Digimon called, crawling over to them as he tried to stop his body from trembling. "I never felt anything so painful in my life. I can't stop shaking."
"You're preaching to the choir, pal," Gallantmon replied. "That Death Lure attack is agonizing. You'll stop shaking in a bit."
"At least it doesn't physically damage us," said Imperialdramon. He looked at Omnimon. "But you're looking a little crispy there, Omnimon. Heaven's Light!"
His healing power flowed over the knight Digimon, healing his burns, and even regenerating his cape. Omnimon let out a sigh of relief as the pain faded. "Thanks for that. Burns are the worst." He looked back at the Demon Lord. "I bet Barbamon feels the same."
The pillar of fire suddenly burst open, and the Demon Lord reappeared, baring his fangs. "You humans are more irritating than I anticipated. I guess I've been going too easy on you."
"Feel free to keep doing that," Gallantmon commented.
This made Barbamon chuckle. "Do you actually think you can win? This isn't even a battle. It's a punishment, and I see I need to make it more severe."
OmniShoutmon took a fighting stance. "Get ready, I think he's about to get serious."
EmperorGreymon gave him an incredulous look. "You mean he wasn't serious before?"
Barbamon laughed mockingly "You ignorant humans continue to underestimate the Demon Lords. I think it's time I show you just what you're up against."
"Bring it on, Gandalf!" Gallantmon cried.
"Yeah, we're gonna Avada Kedavra you, Dumbledore," Imperialdramon added.
EmperorGreymon gave him a look. "Really?"
"What? I wanted to make an old wizard joke too."
Barbamon pointed his staff at them. "Prepare yourselves, humans. Now it's time for you…"
He trailed off as the entire cavern began trembling. The DigiDestined looked around worriedly, afraid that the cavern might be caving in. But nothing happened; the walls and ceiling remained intact and undamaged, aside from what had been sustained during the battle.
A loud crumbling sound was heard, drawing everyone's attention, and they all looked towards Armamon. The crystal surrounding the weapon Digimon was covered in countless cracks and was rapidly crumbling apart as Armamon began to move inside it.
Barbamon's mouth twisted into an enormous grin. "Finally! It's happening! Armamon has awakened!"
(A/N: It's happening. Armamon is waking up. But your probably figured out that would happen. Now out heroes have to deal with Barbamon and Armamon. How will they make it out of this one? Find out in two week's time.)
