(A/N: Well, I was going to pull an April Fool's prank on you guys, but that's tomorrow, so it looks like you lucked out. Haha, just kidding. Last chapter ended with a bang, literally. Now let's get to the aftermath of Barbamon's defeat.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 161: Plans, Plans, and More Plans

The explosion died down, and Susanoomon lowered his weapon. The ZERO-ARMS: Orochi disappeared in his hands, and he turned in the direction his friends had been blown away in by OmegaArmamon's Rage Demon Breath.

"Guys, are you all ok?" he called out worriedly. "Tell me you're ok."

There was no need to worry though, as they were all sitting up and staring at the spot OmegaArmamon had been, seemingly unable to tear their eyes away. They eventually managed to look at the god Digimon with looks of amazement on their faces.

"Are we ok?" Gallantmon asked. "How could we not be after what you just did? You totally annihilated OmegaArmamon."

Susanoomon breathed a sigh of relief, glad that they were indeed all fine. "Don't sell yourselves short. I never would have managed to do it without your help."

"And Chronomon," Ophanimon C stated, bowing her head in respect and sorrow. "Without him, we would have…"

"You got that right," OmniShoutmon said in obvious relief. "I've never seen a battle where the tables have turned so much. I thought we had a chance against Barbamon, then thought we were doomed when Armamon woke, thought we had a chance when he showed he wasn't at full power, then screwed again when he and Barbamon became OmegaArmamon, a chance when Chronomon arrived, then screwed again when he was destroyed, and then…" He sighed deeply. "This was just too much for me."

"I have to admit," said Susanoomon, "I thought we were done for as well. Even after I Digivolved."

"We were," OmniShoutmon replied. "It was OmegaArmamon's arrogance and stubbornness that led to his downfall. Landing that critical blow with your Celestial Blade is what allowed us to win, otherwise we would have been toast."

A sigh escaped Imperialdramon. "So we got lucky again. It seems like we always do. Maybe we'll get lucky with the last two Demon Lords too."

OmniShoutmon turned to him, his eyes shining. "There's no need for luck. Victory is now in our grasp."

Ophanimon C cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

He looked back at the god Digimon. "Susanoomon is the key. I never would have imagined that he would appear. The Digivolution requirements need to be so precise. It takes ten specific Digimon, or at least their Fractal Codes, being brought together in order to result in Susanoomon."

"Ten?" Seraphimon repeated, thinking back to the battle. "You mean those ten that Susanoomon temporarily split into? I recognized a few of them, like Agunimon, Mercurymon, and Grumblemon."

OmniShoutmon nodded. "Yes, those Digimon hold the titles of the Legendary Warriors, each one representing one of the ten elements. All ten of them at their highest level are needed for Susanoomon."

"I was always Agunimon and his Digivolutions," said the god Digimon. "The four I got to become EmperorGreymon were from the data I absorbed at Cherubimon's castle; the same Digimon AncientWisemon had sent there to die so I could get their power. The rest I got when MagnaGarurumon gave me his Fractal Code back when we were defending ElDradimon."

OmniShoutmon was nodding along with this. "Yes, MagnaGarurumon is the equivalent of EmperorGreymon for the other five Legendary Warriors. To have all ten come together is nothing short of a miracle. With Susanoomon's power, not even Lucemon will be able to stop us!"

Omnimon inhaled. "You're saying that Susanoomon is stronger than Lucemon? What about Daemon?"

"Considering that Lucemon is stronger than Daemon, yes, Susanoomon is stronger than him as well."

Gallantmon gave a whoop of glee. "Then the war is pretty much won! If Susanoomon can take down even Lucemon, then with our help, victory is definitely in the bag."

Ophanimon C held up her hand. "Now wait, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Susanoomon being stronger than Lucemon is a great advantage for us, but don't forget that there are still two Demon Lords left. If they work together, will Susanoomon's power be enough to stop them?"

Seraphimon placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ophanimon. If they do team up, I'm sure the rest of us will be able to handle Daemon long enough for Susanoomon to take care of Lucemon. Then we can all defeat Daemon together."

His fellow angel Digimon sighed. "Maybe, but it's not just Lucemon and Daemon we need to worry about. There's still Bagramon and Boltboutamon. If all four of them team up against us, or even just three of them, then what are our chances?"

OmniShoutmon scoffed. "Boltboutamon is a wild card. There's no telling what he will do or when. Maybe he'll take part in the final battle, maybe he won't. He might fight for just a little while then split and watch the rest of the battle from the sidelines, or maybe act as a spectator for a while and then join in. Or maybe he'll fight us on his own before then, or after. There's really no knowing what that maniac will do."

Omnimon asked the other obvious question. "Then what about Bagramon? Both he and Susanoomon are stronger than Lucemon, we know that, but is Susanoomon stronger than Bagramon?"

The dragon Digimon didn't reply, but his silence was enough of an answer. Before anyone could say anything more on the subject though, a loud rumble drew their attention, and they looked up to the sky to see heavy clouds appearing, and a familiar distortion beginning to take place.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about this," said Imperialdramon. "The next Sovereign is coming."

"We'll discuss who is stronger than who later," OmniShoutmon replied, getting down on one knee. "Everybody bow."

They did as he instructed as the next Sovereign appeared. Emerging from the distortion was a giant Digimon that resembled a white tiger with purple stripes. It was surrounded by a pure white aura, and twelve yellow spheres rotating around his mid-section.

"Behold," said OmniShoutmon, "the youngest and most powerful of the four compass Sovereigns, Baihumon, the White Tiger of the West."

Gallantmon looked up at the tiger Digimon, his eyes shining in amazement. "Even knowing what these guys are like, I'm still always awestruck every time I see one."

"They're Sovereigns," OmniShoutmon snapped. "Of course you'll be awestruck."

Four red eyes looked down at the DigiDestined from behind a purple mask, and Baihumon leaned down to them. "Guardians…" He hesitated. "No, you are the humans who have inherited their power."

Imperialdramon swallowed nervously. "Yes, Mr. Sovereign, sir."

"Remove those guises," the Sovereign demanded. "I would see you for who you truly are."

The DigiDestined glanced at each other nervously before looking at OmniShoutmon, but the dragon Digimon kept his head bowed low. Omnimon let out a resigned sigh and became Tai again, and the others followed his lead.

Baihumon studied each of them with interest before rising up to his full height. "Strange. Such weak forms, yet they hold so much power. It's quite baffling."

"Uh…" Takuya muttered. He looked at the others. "Was that an insult or a compliment? It kind of sounded like both."

"I think he was just making an observation and stating a fact," TK replied.

"No offense was intended," Baihumon clarified. "You humans are such an enigma to us. Such fragile creature, yet supplying enough power to take down the Demon Lords." He looked into the distance. "Tell me, which ones remain?"

"Lucemon and Daemon, sir," OmniShoutmon told him immediately. "Bagramon as well."

A resigned look crossed the tiger Digimon's face. "The strongest members of the group. I suppose that was to be expected. There is still much to be done."

"We'll take care of it, Mr. Baihumon, sir," Takato called. "We'll do everything we can to stop the Demon Lords and free the rest of you."

Baihumon looked back down at them, a sorrowful look on his face. "It should not fall onto you to fix what we allowed to happen. There is still a dangerous journey ahead of you."

Davis grinned. "Hey, don't worry, we're getting stronger every day. And you saw that we have Susanoomon on our side now. Not even Lucemon can stop us now."

The Sovereign's eyes hardened, and he stomped his foot. "Do not let your power go to your head. There are forces within this world more powerful than you can imagine, Digimon that are stronger than even the strongest Demon Lords, stronger even than Bagramon. I fear you will run into these forces before you journey is through."

Tai frowned. "Stronger than the Demon Lords. If there are Digimon like that, then why haven't they risen up against them?"

"The Demon Lords learn to control what they cannot surpass, or to use it to their advantage." He looked at the plateau that had led to Armamon's imprisonment. "I see you have come into contact with one already."

"More than one," Takuya replied, thinking of Chronomon when he was in his Destroy Mode.

Baihumon suddenly roared, but it didn't seem to be in response to what Takuya had said, but rather just an expression of frustration. "The forces of darkness are great, but balance must be restored. I am counting on you to restore peace to this world. I too shall do my part."

He let out another roar and suddenly leapt up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. They faded away a few seconds later, taking all traces of the Sovereign with them.

"And there goes another one," said Kari. "Four Sovereigns down, two more to go. And four more enemies to fight."

"Six," OmniShoutmon replied. "Don't forget about the Chaos Generals. We'll have to defeat them as well."

Takato frowned. "But do we? Once the Demon Lords, Bagramon, and Boltboutamon are defeated, maybe they'll give up."

OmniShoutmon scoffed. "No chance. In fact, we'll more than likely have to fight them before we get to the Demon Lords. But if we did defeat Lucemon and Daemon first, then ChaosGallantmon and Chaosmon will fight to avenge them."

"Damn," Tai swore. "But I guess we should have figured that'd be the case."

"What about Bagramon?" Takuya asked. "Does he have his own Chaos General?"

OmniShoutmon shook his head. "No, he's more of a lone wolf. He'll do anything, betray anyone, use anyone, for his own ambitions. He'll align with others to further his cause and preach to gain support, but you won't find anyone who will hold loyalty to the level of a Chaos General to someone like him. Once he, the Demon Lords, and the Chaos Generals fall, that'll be it. No one else will remain loyal to them once they've been defeated."

"Except Boltboutamon," Davis pointed out.

"Boltboutamon is a mad dog. He's out to cause as much chaos and suffering as he can. Right now, that coincides with what the Demon Lords are doing, but he'll switch sides in a heartbeat, just as we saw him do today."

Tai crossed his arms. "Yeah, bringing us here to fight and then transporting Chronomon here to help us in battle just to make the fight with OmegaArmamon more interesting for him. Sick stuff."

"Chronomon," Kari whispered remorsefully. "I can't believe we lost him like that."

TK put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't be sad, Kari. He died fighting for what he believed in. You gave him that chance." He offered her a small smile. "And remember, he's not gone. He'll be back again once he hatches from his egg. And we've got to make sure the world is a better place for him and everyone else for when the time comes for him to leave the safety of File Island."

Takuya looked up at the sky. "Then we better get a move on. I'm sure Lucemon and the others already know that they're down another member and that another Sovereign is free. And something tells me that their retaliation is not going to be pretty."

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The glass of wine shattered in Lucemon's hand. He barely noticed though as he focused on what he was feeling, and he couldn't believe it.

The seal had weakened further, and another Sovereign has slipped free. That meant that another Demon Lord had fallen. As far as he knew, Daemon had not made his move yet and was still making preparations. That meant that it must have been Barbamon who had fallen. Whatever grand scheme the Demon Lord of Greed had been concocting, it had obviously failed. But how could he have possibly been defeated?

"The fool," he growled. "How could he have let those humans get the best of him? How pathetic. He disgraces the name of the Demon Lords; all those who have fallen do."

Laughter greeted him, and Lucemon scowled, not even turning around to acknowledge who was there.

"If only you knew what went down," Boltboutamon told him. "You would probably feel different about it."

Lucemon still didn't look back at him. "I would kill you for disturbing me, but you're most likely just another copy, aren't you?"

The demon Digimon chuckled. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. What if I were the real one, and you missed the opportunity to kill me because you just assumed I was a fake?"

Lucemon whirled around and grabbed Boltboutamon around the neck, lifting him off the ground. The demon Digimon just continued to grin, not looking the least bit concerned. "Then again, I could be the real one, and if you kill me for some petty reason like misplaced anger while thinking I was just a copy, then you'll be throwing away a valuable ally. And correct me if I'm wrong, but you're running out of allies that have the power to challenge these humans, aren't you? And just look at your numbers. Only two Demon Lords and two Chaos Generals left. That must be hard for you to accept."

Lucemon stared at him coldly for a few moments before throwing him across the room. Boltboutamon laughed some more before sitting up and looking at the Demon Lord almost mockingly. "Don't let a minor setback deter you, my lord. In fact, you may want to thank the humans for this one. It seems that Barbamon attempted to become the supreme ruler of this world, even over you. He awoke the legendary Armamon and then DNA Digivolved with him to become OmegaArmamon. But the humans eliminated this potential rival before he became a problem. What more, Chronomon fought and fell in the battle as well. So congratulations, your position of power is secure thanks to them."

Lucemon was silent for a few moments as he took in this information. Finally, he looked back at Boltboutamon. "Why are you here?"

The demon Digimon snickered. "Well, now that I've updated you on the situation, I'm curious to see what your next move will be."

A smirk crept up Lucemon's face. "My next move? Why should I bother to do anything? I could kill those humans any time I wish."

"And yet they still live," Boltboutamon pointed out. He rose to his feet and glided over to the Demon Lord. "They live and five of you have fallen. Your allies are defeated, your forces betray you, the public begins to rise up. These humans may not be in your league, but you should consider that it's time to take them," he leaned in close to whisper in the Demon Lord's ear, "seriously."

Lucemon's eyes narrowed. "Take them seriously? Me, the Demon Lord of Pride, take these weak, pathetic humans seriously? As if acknowledging that they pose any sort of threat to me? I would kill anyone who would suggest such a thing."

Boltboutamon backed away. "But of course. I would never suggest that they would be a threat to you personally, but to your hold on this world and those you subjugate, that may be where the threat lies. All you have to do is look at the masses, and you can see the damage these humans are doing."

Lucemon closes his eyes and smirked arrogantly. "A minor setback. These humans are merely a beckon of hope to them. Once they fall, they'll cower before us once more like the worms they are."

Boltboutamon shrugged. "Then why not get rid of the humans now and be done with it? Nip the problem in the bud."

The Demon Lord glared at him. "Was it not you who pointed out that dealing with them ourselves would be the same as acknowledging that we see them as a threat? That we, the Demon Lords, could possibly be vulnerable in some way?"

A cruel mocking chuckle escaped Boltboutamon. "But you are, my lord. Five of you have been defeated by them; one having even surpassed you by becoming OmegaArmamon. True, they had Chronomon to assist them in battle, but it still ended in victory for them. I'm afraid it's no longer a matter of whether the humans may look like a threat. They are a threat. And everyday they're alive, with each victory they gain, it continues to look bad for you. Your pride may tell you not to bother with such insignificant creatures until they're literally knock on your door, but the smart thing to do would be to get rid of them before they become an even bigger problem. Who knows, they may even become a threat to you personally."

Lucemon's eyes flashed angrily. "It will never happen."

"It still doesn't change the fact that the humans need to be dealt with. If not by you, then by other means." He cocked his head so far to the side it was nearly upside-down. "Perhaps by using your little… secret weapon."

Lucemon glanced at him curiously before smirking. "Such overkill. You essentially recommend causing a massive flood to extinguish a mere spark of fire."

Boltboutamon chuckled. "Then consider it a test run. To control something of that magnitude is not something that will happen over night. Use it as a way to destroy the humans. You'll be able to provide the Digital World with a lesson in what happens if they defy you and still chalk it up to a simple test run. Why, I'd even be willing to supervise the whole thing." He clapped his hands together and licked his lips. "I certainly wouldn't want to miss the show."

Lucemon stared at him for several moments, but said nothing. Then he turned away and walked out of the room, leaving Boltboutamon alone.

The demon Digimon was grinning madly, and a light chuckle escaped him. "You're watching me, aren't you? Tell me, are you not amused?"

"You play a dangerous game, Boltboutamon."

Maniacal laughter escaped Boltboutamon. "But that's the point. It's just a game. Games are meant to be fun. Come now, Lord Bagramon, aren't you having fun?"

There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again. "I do not do this for fun."

"But of course," Boltboutamon replied. "It's all about ambition for you, even if that means siding with those you despise. Well, my ambitions are what drive me as well, and they're all about having a good time. And seeing the way this war plays out between the humans and the Demon Lords is a very good time, no matter who comes out on top."

"Such a claim makes me wonder whose side you're really on."

The demon Digimon laughed. "Come now, Bagramon, you know very well that I'm on the same side I've been on since the beginning. My own. You know that and the Demon Lords know that. Just pray that my interests remain the same."

"I have long since given up on prayer."

Boltboutamon grinned at that. "Ah, yes, ever since you lost faith in the way the Digimon God allowed life to play out and so you betrayed him. Now the only thing you can count on is yourself and what you can take with your own hands. That's your philosophy now, right? Do absolutely whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Take it all, or take nothing, because you either have it all, or you have nothing."

"I do not do it for myself."

A light chuckle slipped past Boltboutamon's lips. "Of course not. That's what you tell yourself anyway. You're doing what you do for everyone else, whether they want it or not, because you know best. That's why free will is wrong to you, right? Because if they're not in absolute agreement with you, then they're wrong, and it will only lead to disaster. So you're doing what's best for everyone since you know better."

He let out a crazed laugh. "One would call that being as egotistical as one can get. This is how you can justify everything that you do, by claiming that it's all for the greater good and that the ends justify the means, no matter what kind of horrible things you need to do. This way you can bring yourself to do anything. Even robbers have their reasons, as the saying goes."

There was a moment of silence before Bagramon spoke again. "And what of you?"

"Me? I do not concern myself with such things. I care not what happens to others. I'm free. Totally and completely free. I do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. I serve myself and no other. No cares, no ambitions, no limitations. Just me."

A disapproving grunt came from Bagramon. "With such a lack of drive, you could never understand one such as myself."

Boltboutamon's grin widened. "Oh, I understand perfectly. I simply don't care. So you continue to do what you feel you need to do, and I'll continue to do as I please, and we'll see how long we remain on the same team. For now, I'm eager to see how the humans deal with Lucemon's secret weapon."

"This will not end well."

He felt Bagramon's presence disappear after that, and Boltboutamon licked his lips eagerly. "That's exactly what I'm hoping for."

(A/N: Oh boy, a lot is going on right now. Another Sovereign is free, and our heroes now have Susanoomon, who is even stronger than Lucemon. That's good for them, but it doesn't guarantee victory. And what is this secret weapon Lucemon has? And let's not forget that Daemon is planning something as well. And just what is going on with Boltboutamon and Bagramon? So many questions to be had. You'll have to stay tuned to find out. Two weeks until the next chapter.)

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