A/N: Trigger-warnings still apply. Some heavy stuff ahead.

Having awoken the Manticoremons, the group escaped back to the continent to get sturdier land under their feet before the battle.

Once they had reached the coastline in silence, Taichi couldn't take his eyes from the darkening sky and forming whirlwinds; the monocular never left his hands. They had all fought before but the situation felt different. And the younger team — minus TK and Hikari — had never fought on this scale. Taichi sighed and eyed the rest as if taking a headcount while everyone was still together.

"Just live up to your crests and it will all go well," Takeru commented offhandedly. No one responded. Takeru wasn't sure if it was because of his lacking presence in the passing weeks or out of honest fear of what was to come. Nevertheless, the kids needed to push past whatever it was so he continued, "You've all done amazing things while being a lot younger and a lot less prepared than you are now, use that to your advantage."

Few heads turned in Takeru's direction, but only Taichi opened his mouth, "We'll fight."

Takeru nodded; there was no need to say that he knew, had always known that they would run headfirst into danger with the mindset only young teens sport. Takeru's gaze glanced over the group as well but it was much more superficial than Taichi's worry. However, the message was the same: they were ready for the first hit to strike.

However, darkness doesn't ask for permission or agree to a predetermined schedule, not even when you open the door for them. Two hours later they were still waiting for the situation to spiral. All the while, they kept a direct view of the ocean and the whitecaps that were increasing in height. Digimons had wolfed their last snacks. Their only luck was that the rain had stopped as the darkness was spreading as waves. And then, Piyomon finally declared from above that the Ocean had begun to turn to inky blackness. Moreover, it didn't take them much longer to hear high-pitched screeches from the offing, and soon after, two Manticoremons fighting something they didn't recognize.

Angemon squeezed Takeru's better shoulder briefly before setting off into the sky.

It was war after that.

The first ones that came were the low-levels who had been closest to the surface and scrambled towards freedom. Hundreds of Vilemons on air. Troopmons and Divermons emerging from the waves into the coastline. Gazimons trying to stick together and clinging to a dead tree trunk to avoid drowning and make it ashore.

Not all made it that far.

Because then came the bigger guns.

Velgemons flew from the vortex. Manticoremons managed to hit a few but some escaped blockade and flew inland. Angemon tilted his head to look up at an overpassing Devil Bird but the lack of reaction signaled to the rest that this wasn't in their list of urgency.

Birdramon, Togemon, and Digmon had moved to either side of the group to stop the smaller foes.

The second Velgemon hit Dark Obliteration into the coastline over fifteen miles to their right. They could only watch as the land and any Dark Area Digimons that had reached it were annihilated to dust.

Their own coastline wasn't faring much better as the whirlpool was still growing and the waves licked the shore. The kids and their partners had to evacuate deeper inland as the low sand beaches began to disappear into the waves and the now naked banks crumble into sharp cliffs.

The fighting followed them. DeXDorugoramon was the first to destroy a Manticoremon with one strike. The Ghost Digimon absorbed the Manticoremon's Digicore only to grow in power.

And soon, the kids had everything thrown at them. Ghosts, Demons, Undead, and Nightmare Soldiers alike. Still, they were lucky. Too many Dark Beings flew to other directions, keen to conquer a spot of this World before the others; to eat as many Digimons they could to strengthen themselves and to tip the power battle in their favor. Moreover, only a handful of the higher-level foes were interested in a group of pesky kids; it was mostly the partner Digimons with their Digicores that lured enemies.

The partner Digimons digivolved to the highest forms they could reach. But as Takeru watched WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon go against a Gulfmon, his brow furrowed at the absence of Miracles: Omegamon, Paildramon (or Imperialdramon, Takeru added in his mind). The youngest kids were clearly at disadvantage with Digmon, Aquilamon, Raidramon, and Stingmon. Patamon had digivolved to HolyAngemon while Angemon was stuck in his current form thanks to Takeru and their connection. And, of course, the third missing miracle was their merge and/or getting the Digital World to reboot.

Takeru kept his eyes on everyone, on every attack, on every movement. His steps stumbled when he turned to see the battle out of his line of vision but it didn't register. He felt more alive than in a long time. The arising sense of worry and terror in the others helped Takeru push his feelings aside.

Survival.

Survival.

The air was a growing cacophony of attack names and resounding explosions. It was a blessing because it drowned out all the sound-based attacks many of the Nightmare Soldiers used to kill their victims.

The agents had to be somewhere: waiting. Takeru turned in time to see the explosion that Angemon's Heaven's Knuckle and Megidramon X's Megido Ax smashing together caused. MetalGarurumon dashed towards the two to help. In the corner of his eyes, Takeru could see movement away from the battle. He turned just in time to see a MadLeomon fall back into the vortex with parts of the cliff it had been climbing upwards. However, amidst the sharp turn, Takeru's balance gave in again and he tumbled on his hands and knees. He never took his gaze away from the battle as Joe and Taichi ran to help him back up. Behind Joe's back, the farther side of the coastline was already on unappeasable fire. Probably the site where the Megidramon X had landed, not an immediate concern, Takeru thought, and he barely registered the drops of blood that his body violently coughed up.

What it is to be alive?

The only split second when Takeru took his eyes of the battle was to look at the dots of red on the back of his hand without fully grasping the image.

Survival.

Still alive.

Takeru looked back up only to see Lilymon being shot from the sky and Angewomon flying to the rescue. To his relief, Angemon was still in one piece: worn out and sending attacks without a moment of rest but on his own wings.

Had someone later asked where it came from at that moment, Takeru couldn't have answered, but the end of the world around him provoked hope from somewhere deep inside him. He was scared, yes. In despair, too. But he was fighting like Angemon, unwilling to give up.

Takeru took a quick glance at the ever-growing vortex that was swallowing more and more of the ground. They were almost on the edge again and someone was pulling him towards inland making him stagger and causing a ripple of pain to run through him. But the darkness was faster than them, killing the bushes and trees, dulling the colors of life. The Beasts were coming, it was mainly Megas at this point, and the sky was now lost too: the change highlighted by the lightning attacks issued every so often.

Takeru coughed some more and he had to forcefully focus his thoughts as they seemed to slip away. He knew now that they only needed time. A little bit more time to nurture his hope and unleash it.

Paildramon was now there helping in the fight against Megidramon X, the incarnation of Hell.

They could win.

Takeru stared at the battle; somewhere beside him Miyako came running to shout something to Koushirou and Taichi but Takeru closed his ears only letting a few brain cells alert him if it proved to be anything urgent. He didn't even notice that he was using Joe as makeshift support to stay upright.

MetalGarurumon's Grace Cross Freezer managed to hit the Megidramon X on its left wing making it plummet towards the ground. The partner Digimons didn't get a moment to catch their breath as Nightmare Leeches emerged into the sky. The smile Takeru had formed at the sight of Megidramon X's fall remained, and so did the coldness in his eyes.

How much does it take to tip a world over?

Did they have to wait until Deamon or Ghoulmon graced them with their presence? Could they all survive alive until that? With Angemon's stories, Takeru knew that the masterminds would only make themselves seen when the time was right, their work halfway done for them.

Digmon was badly injured, leaving Stingmon to the rescue.

And still, Takeru hoped almost ludicrously. And his whole body felt lighter as a result, like a balloon you pump so full of air it looks it will tear apart at any second.

Just a little while longer.

They had to move again as more solid rock crumbled into the vortex. A good 60 feet drop separated them from the sea level and much more than that to the center of the vortex.

Of course, that didn't deter their foes as an Arcadiamon's upper body rose from its prison. It was an Ultra-level Digimon; they had nothing to compete against it but it wouldn't stop them from trying.

A little less world, a little more hope.

A little more, a little more.

Just a little bit more.

Just how much would they need?

Paildramon led the attack with Desperado Blaster, hitting the massive jellyfish of tentacles and shells.

There was an unknown attack to the kids' direction from the right but as others took cover, Takeru ran towards the edge to get a better look.

Despite his growing hope, there was the disappointing realization that the attack had achieved nothing else than making the Beast focus on them instead of the Digital World.

And the Digimons didn't get a second of warning before the Arcadiamon shot Dystopia Lances in every direction. Everyone scrambled to respond to the fire or dodge. From the ground, Zudomon's Hammer Spark cut away the tentacle that had lashed on WarGreymon. But Garudamon was still trapped. The group of Digimons flew to her and with the others' support HolyAngemon managed to free her with the Excalibur.

Angemon was the unprepared one.

A new tentacle coiled around the angel-type Digimon's right leg and before anyone managed to do anything, dragged him under the surface deeper than any of the airborne Digimons could follow.

The hope Takeru had nurtured died in the instant. Everything stopped existing: the wounds on his body, his pierced heart.

The only thing alive was the vision of Angemon dying to take down Devimon.

Of Angemon saying goodbye to him with a smile on his face.

Of feathers falling.

Drowning somewhere.

He had taken a step forward without realizing it.

It was an apocalypse. Not the worlds', but his own.

And amidst his mind crashing down, somehow, all that survived was his resolve.

For the first time in a very long while, Takeru knew exactly how this would play out, and what he ought to do.

He let his world drop from its axis.

"Garudamon, MegaKabuterimon gather everyone up and flee! When this world breaks you can use the cracks to jump to neighboring worlds!"

Even if Takeru never really registered to have heard his own words, for others around him they were delivered with enough volume and authority to be heard.

Somewhere outside the deafening cacophony of battle sounds, of MegaKabuterimon scraping the ground, was the sound of Yamato, Taichi, and the others who were able to take their focus out of battling for their lives, yelling their objections and questions.

"I mandate you as another half of Angemon, as an affiliate of the Celestial Kingdom!" Takeru yelled while still taking step after step towards the growing vortex below them. He could feel the all too real ghost of a feeling how Angemon was being torn to nothingness by the darkness. And in the end, he paid very little attention to the remaining Digimon partners scooping the humans with them or them shielding the escape to the best of their ability.

Takeru had no reason to keep pushing forward, to tell himself they could do this if he just tried hard enough.

There was no reason for him to stand back up only to be pushed back on the ground again, to predispose himself for disappointment after disappointment. There was no reason to keep fighting against this hell.

And finally, he could accept. Accept the fantasy nature of his efforts, of the cloud castles he had tried to build because that was what he was ought to do. He could stop being the Bearer of Hope, a son, a brother, a human being.

The world had stopped, and the universe had run out of things for him to fear.

He jumped.

"TAKERU!"

"We can't just leave him behind!" Taichi yelled over the hits and blasts of the battle, joining fully on Yamato's screaming stance.

"We'll all be dead if we stay!" Stingmon's voice from Paildramon answered back, apology clear in his words.

No one had the time to shout anything else before they were flying as fast as possible to escape the living hell that was forming behind them.

Everyone's mind was on the image of Takeru jumping unceremoniously to the hurricane-level pitch-black vortex; everyone tried to register what had happened and no one could utter a word. But tragedies don't pause to honor their victims: they were still being followed.

The group was hauled from its stupor as a Nightmare Leech latched into MetalGarurumon causing him to cry out and devolve. By the sheer traces of tarnished luck, Angewomon managed to get Tsunomon into her arms before flying onto MegaKabuterimon's back and devolving out of exhaustion.

The vortex was growing behind them and swallowing the continent bit by bit. More Digimons they had never seen before swam and flew up from the vortex. Paildramon, WarGreymon, and Aquilamon flew around them trying to plow them a path through the sky. HolyAngemon was with TK on Garudamon's back to cover them with a shield and slash out attacks when needed.

"We can't make it anywhere!" Koushirou shouted from his spot on MegaKabuterimon's hands.

"What you mean, we have to escape somewhere!" Taichi yelled from Garudamon's grip, trying his hardest to catch up with his role as a leader to get them somewhere, anywhere, out of this mess.

Somewhere on the back, Sora was already crying, keeping a grip of Iori and unconscious Upamon.

"They sealed the gates! We can't get out of the Digital World and it's collapsing on us!" Koushirou yelled with dread as everyone turned to look at the disintegrating world and the icy-black sky behind them.

The chaos and Mimi's shout 'We can't die here!' barely registered on TK's mind. He could still see Angemon falling into the abyss and his mind worked overtime to catch up with the others' panic when he felt so hollow. However, amidst all the terror, TK could feel HolyAngemon, his HolyAngemon who was still alive and with him, tightening his grip from his midsection with a gentle squeeze once they had outflown their most imminent pursuers. "It's going to be alright."

TK's stare over the destruction behind them halted as he turned to look at HolyAngemon who's other hand grasped tightly at Garudamon's back-feathers.

To his utmost surprise, HolyAngemon's face, despite the wounds and dirt, was portraying a small smile, grave like HolyAngemon, but a smile.

TK knew that his own face had to portray the utmost confusion and shock as HolyAngemon's smile widened at his expression. TK didn't know if he felt hope, if he felt anything at all, but HolyAngemon seemed to smile even more at his dumbfoundedness and nod his head a tiny amount somewhere behind them.

TK turned his gaze but upon the widening vortex and the black ground he couldn't see anything that could have fit to HolyAngemon's stance.

"You can't feel it?" HolyAngemon asked softly, no one else had any chance of hearing them with the speed they plowed through the wind.

It was extremely difficult to spot, but somewhere amidst the dread and death of the Dark Ocean, there was another feeling he couldn't quite place. He had to smell it, feel it, for a moment before an almost forgotten memory of WarGreymon –Angewomon– was brought to the edge of his awareness. And something else… And at that moment he could see, the faint, inaudible, shockwave that shook the ground below them away from the epicenter of the vortex. It would have been impossible to spot amidst everything else if you wouldn't have consciously looked for it.

TK's brow furrowed and just as he was about to ask what they had witnessed HolyAngemon beat him to it, "Hope."

As he tried to comprehend the idea, the fourth shockwave was already larger in size and even the others began to notice the energy shaking the ground beneath them with each passing wave.

"A huge amount of energy is concentrating behind us!" Koushirou shouted trying to keep his laptop from falling away from his hands as Yamato and Mimi tried to keep him from falling off the convoy.

They couldn't stop with their pursuers behind them but now they weren't focusing anymore on escaping without a plan but waiting for something to happen.

And it did. By the seventh shockwave, they were already too far to see properly but they could see light emerge from the darkness: a golden angel figure rise from the vortex.

Before they had a chance to wonder, seven light orbs shot from the light to different directions. The orbs bounced from their enemies like rubber balls and vanquished foe after foe upon contact. 'The Strike of Seven Heavens.'

For their relief, the orbs killed their pursuers but passed them and raced after the escaped convicts.

Moreover, as the first attack was still wreaking havoc, they could see a new attack take place: a round sphere of light that advanced to all directions.

This time, TK could feel HolyAngemon tighten his grip on him and turn his head as if wondering whether to shout out a warning.

The hesitation made sense a moment later because this attack seemed to destroy everything. The kids and the Digimons could only watch in horror as the vortex, sea, land, trees, all evaporated into bits of data.

They had stopped stumped in mid-air after the Seven Heavens but now they panicked to move again. Yet, they had no time.

The attack was so fast, it reached them in time with the soundwave. And just before TK felt the world and himself disappear into nothingness, the name of the attack registered in his brain,

"Testament."

A/N: Only one final chapter left! Pretty, pretty, pretty please, stick with me until the end. The last ch should be up within a week. And I can't bear not to say, don't copy Takeru, there are healthier ways to cope with things, just in case you need to hear it.