It felt almost instantaneous as the tide of the battle seemed to turn, where the Royal Knights ordered a full retreat to the Digimon and Appmon fighting with them as the dark forces rallied, emboldened by Ahriman's appearance, turning and attacking the defenders with renewed vigor.
From atop a large rock, Dark Joe laughed maniacally at the sight, with Dark Vikemon standing nearby as they watched their enemies retreating.
"Such terror, such suffering, such...!" The Dark Digidestined of Reliability began to say in a maniacal voice, enjoying the fear and terror before him, only to stop and let out a gasp as a sudden pain filled him, causing him to cough up blood.
Looking down, Dark Joe saw a shadowy claw extending from his chest, turning his head to see that a Stalker was responsible.
"You... are... nothing..." The Shadow Demon said in an inhuman voice, before laughing insanely as it threw Dark Joe at other Shadow Demons nearby, who proceeded to tear the dark Digidestined apart, Dark Vikemon unable to help as he was overwhelmed by his former allies.
Similar scenes were happening all over as the Shadow Demons turned on the dark Digimon, Appmon and D-Reaper Agents, with Dark Marcus and Dark Yoshi, along with their corrupt Royal Knights, being destroyed by the Shadow Demons, who continued to follow in Ahriman's wake as the Dark One continued on his path to Primary City.
"Holy Crap!" BlackTerriermon let out from his Henry's arms, who sat with Dark Hawk on Stryker's shoulders, the tech villain back in his exosuit, flying high enough to stay out of the Dark One's visibility, as they watched the Shadow Demons destroy their former allies.
"Yeah... we need to stay as far away from that... thing, as possible." Stryker said with a gulp as they watched the carnage below.
"So, what's the plan?" Dark Hawk then asked, afraid of being on this world any longer while the Ahriman was tearing it apart.
"We wait for the right moment, find a dark portal, then get off this world." The alternate Ken replied, causing Dark Hawk to ask in disbelief and annoyance. "That's your plan?!"
"Do you have a better idea?!" Stryker snapped back, causing Dark Hawk to quiet down, while the Henry with them looked down, seeing Ahriman's form moving slowly towards his goal.
'This... this isn't what I wanted...' He thought, now seeing that all he had done only helped bring more death and despair, instead of fixing it.
Within the DATS Command Room, Miki, Megumi, their PawnChessmon, Sampson and Yamaki watched in horror as the monitors showed the Shadow Demons attacking their allies.
"Why...? They're allies, why are they attacking them?!" Miki asked in terror, unable to process what was happening, before a beeping sound caught her attention, as Izael, who was a few floors down, appeared on the monitor via a terminal on that floor.
"It is because of Ahriman. Because in his eyes, despite being servants, only the Dark Ones and the Shadow Demons deserve to exist. All other life is a product of the Light, and must be annihilated." The Light Being explained, where Yamaki felt his frustration growing as he asked. "What happened?! How did they revive him?!"
"Shadowknight was right when he said they were performing the resurrection ritual, but instead of an altar, they used the Digital World itself." Izael explained, surprising those in the command room as he continued. "They filled the Digital World with enough dark energy, so that every battle would contribute to Ahriman's resurrection."
"You mean they threw their servants at us as sacrifices?!" Sampson asked in shock, seeing that their enemy had seen their soldiers and allies as expendable.
"Yes. Whether we fell or they did, each death contributed to the ritual, with the latest battle being the final act. Had Davis and Kari died, the fragments of Ahriman within them would have formed the creature now threatening us, but instead, the fragments within the Dark King and Witch Queen were used instead. He won't stop now until he takes his fragments from Davis and Kari, and then he will annihilate this world, before moving onto the next, until he has fully reformed, destroying everything in the process." Izael finished, adding to the gravity of the situation.
"How are they?" Megumi then asked, having seen the state the Ascended Digidestined were in when they arrived, where they saw Izael look down the hallway from where he was at.
"They are unconscious at the moment. With this pseudo resurrection, Ahriman is reaching for his fragments within them, trying to bring them to himself, even if it kills them." He replied, leaving those in the Command Room even more worried.
Within one of the medical rooms, the other heroes and heroines all stood around Davis and Kari, who were now resting, but struggling in their beds, as though having nightmares as a dark aura surrounded the pair.
"What do we do?" Nene asked Joe, expressing her clear and growing worry, where the Digidestined of Reliability shook his head, unsure of what to do in this situation.
"They need to rebalance the Ascended energies within them to push back Ahriman's power." Shadowknight informed, the comment causing Airu to look at the alternate Takato and question impatiently. "And how do we do that?!"
At that moment, the heroes and heroines began bickering with one another, with some afraid that at any moment, Davis and Kari would wake up, consumed by Ahriman's evil and be just like their counterparts and attack them.
The older TK, however, looked between Davis and Kari for a second, before moving forward, grabbing their arms and placing their hands in each other's.
At that moment, both Ascended Digidestined stopped thrashing as a light aura spread around them, suppressing the darkness back within them, where the others stopped and looked at the pair, before looking at the older TK as Rika began to ask. "How did...?"
"Call it a hunch." The older Digidestined of Hope merely replied with a shrug, knowing more than anyone in the room perhaps, how strong the bond between Davis and Kari was, where he looked down at the pair, part of him wondering what was going on in their minds.
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For what seemed like an eternity, Davis and Kari found themselves having nightmares, having a dark voice whispering to them, trying to corrupt them, before a light seemed to pass through it and a memory returned to the pair, one they both cherished.
It was the night of the dance, their first date, and both remembered it so clearly.
For Davis, he was both excited and terrified, holding Kari's hand as they entered the dance floor, happy beyond anything to be with the girl of his dreams, but afraid of screwing up.
Kari, meanwhile, felt similarly, finally on a date with the man who claimed her heart, but afraid of messing things up and crushing her dreams.
But as they turned to face one another, looking into one another's eyes, their worries faded, with Davis taking in how beautiful Kari looked that night, while Kari nearly swoon at how handsome Davis was, the two slowly dancing with each other, ignoring the entire world, even as they became the center of attention as others watched the new couple dance, including their friends, as Yolei looked in shock at the sight, while TK and Ken smiled.
The only thing that mattered to Davis and Kari were each other, enjoying their first dance together, their first date, the first of many that followed.
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Opening their eyes, Davis and Kari first saw Veemon and Gatomon staring down at them with worry respectively, before seeing everyone else looking at them with concern, worry and anticipation, where the memories of what happened returned to them as they sat up.
"You two ok?" Tagiru asked, expressing the concern a few had as to the mental state of their friends.
Looking at one another, Davis and Kari smiled, before the maroon haired boy replied back. "We're good... but now we need to focus on Ahriman."
"Right! Now, how do we stop him?" Marcus asked, happy to see his friends ok and ready to get back into the fight.
"YOU don't do anything." Izael remarked as he walked in, nodding to Davis and Kari at seeing them alright, before looking at the rest of the heroes and heroines as he said. "None of you can face Ahriman, he will destroy you like insects. Davis and Kari, with the help of their Digimon, are the only ones that have a chance."
"We can't just sit back and let them fight alone!" Tai yelled, not liking the idea of letting his sister and her boyfriend fight the Dark One alone, calming down slightly as Sora placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not to mention the fight alone would destroy the Digital World." Shadowknight then remarked, having seen the destructive power Ahriman's fragments held first hand.
"I have a plan." Izael then said, causing the others to look at him as he then added. "But we must move quickly, he will be here within the hour."
"Then we better get moving." Davis said in reply, getting out of bed, along with Kari, as the heroes and heroines rushed to do what they could to save their world.
-An hour later-
From a high point not far from DATS Tower, AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon floated in the air, while below them, Izael, the older TK and Shadowknight stood on the building's rooftop, the five watching as Ahriman's massive form slowly moved towards the city's walls, the aerial Shadow Demons flying around the Dark One like a swarm, while the ones on the ground matched with their Master, having finished off their former allies.
Not too far above all this, Stryker, Dark Hawk, their Henry and BlackTerriermon flew above the city, consumed as to why the Ascended were out in the open like that, knowing what was coming for them.
"What the hell is wrong with them?!" The assassin asked in shock and disbelief, where Stryker thought it was wise to check this out, slowly flying his group downwards to see what was happening.
Back in the command room, the remaining heroes and heroines watched on with worry, not sure what would happen in the next few minutes.
"Do you really think we'll be of any use here?" Shadowknight asked the older TK, remembering when he saw a pseudo Ahriman on the heroes' world, where the older blond shrugged and replied. "No idea, but if we do go down, I plan to go down fighting."
Once the Dark One was within range, Primary City's defenses kicked in, unleashing blaster cannon barrages at Ahriman, who let out wicked laughs as the attacks bounced off his form, even though his servants were being destroyed, his sight focused on the Ascended as he moved closer, crashing through the wall as he got closer and closer.
"Now!" Izael yelled through the comms, where Miki, Megumi, their Digimon, Thomas and Izzy quickly activated the program the Light Being helped them set within their systems.
Instantly, every monitor within Primary City lit up, emitting a bright light that filled the entire city, to the point that those in the command room were forced to shield their eyes.
When the light faded, the heroes and heroines looked to see Ahriman missing, his Shadow Demons dissolving into shadows, just like Izael said, while the Light Being, Shadowknight, the older TK, AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon were also missing.
Continuing to type on the monitor, Izzy brought up the monitors again, seeing that he had a strong signal as everyone turned to watch what was happening.
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"Thank goodness I landed on something soft." BlackTerriermon said with a sigh, not realizing that he landed atop of Dark Hawk, his head on her covered breasts as the alternate version of Yolei looked ready to kill the rabbit-like Digimon at any second.
Groaning as they got up, Stryker, whose suit seemed to have disengaged, and the Henry with them, looked around, seeing themselves on a rocky platform, floating in a void with other rocks and distant stars, looking around, before seeing a sight that filled them with dread.
Landing to the ground nearby, AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon helped Izael, Shadowknight and the older TK to their feet, before taking in their surroundings as well, where Davis asked through his Biomerged form. "Where are we?"
"We're in the void between worlds, between dimensions." Izael replied, where the small group heard a pained cry behind them, turning to see the massive form of Ahriman on his side, dark lightning coursing through his form as the Dark One struggled.
"Here, his power is weakened, so you have a chance to take him down." Izael then informed as he looked at the Ascended Digimon, who nodded their heads in reply, ready to fight.
However, before they could act, Ahriman's being was consumed in darkness, which convulsed and changed, getting smaller and condensing, until it was slightly smaller than the Avatars they faced earlier, taking a new form as the group got on guard, unsure what to expect of this new form of Ahriman.
The Dark One now resembled a mage, wearing a black robe that covered his entire being, save for a dark mass, shaped like a skull, for a face with red eyes, eight dark wings coming out of his back, and claw-like hands as he looked at his foes.
"A poor gambit, 'Light Marshal'. In the end, you failed to see the bigger picture, Izael." Ahriman said in a condescending tone, where AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon got ready to fight.
"You strive against the inevitable." The Ascended then heard from the side, hearing Ahriman's voice once more, before turning in shock to see another pseudo form of the Dark One walk from behind a rock towards the dark robed one, resembling a Titan with a larger build, spiked shoulders, horns and a spear-like weapon.
"What the hell?!" Takuya let out in shock to see another Ahriman as the others watched in fear.
"You stand against the end of all things." Another Ahriman voice then added, where they saw a form of Ahriman, resembling a dark knight, with dark armour, a sword, flowing cape, and a helmet that covered the dark mass, leaving only a pair of red eyes glaring at the Ascended as he moved next to his Mage form.
"You will fall against eternity." Another copy of the Dark One said as it floated down to its counterparts, resembling a fallen angel with eight wings, made entirely of darkness, with glowing red eyes filled with malice.
"And the Light will perish!" A fifth, and final Ahirman said as it moved to the group, resembling a demon, where the creature appeared to be encased in bone, with darkness pouring out of the openings where the joints were.
Long, claw-like hands held onto a large scythe, while eight spine-like tendrils came out of it's back as the head had two large horns coming out of the side, with two glowing red eyes, but no mouth to speak of.
"Wh... what the hell?!" Tai let out in fear, a feeling shared by the others as they watched the scene on the monitors, while before them, AscendedVeedramon, AscendedOphanimon, the older TK and Shadowknight were shocked and worried.
"Do you realize how many of your counterparts have fallen? The fragments they held feel into this void, allowing me to slowly rebuild myself." The Mage Ahriman remarked as he looked at the Ascended.
"It has taken me longer than I had expected to pull myself together, but It was worth it." The Titan Ahriman then added.
"Once I have the fragments from within you, I will be strong enough to pull myself back to a somewhat normal form." The Knight Ahriman continued.
"Then I will be strong enough to pull my remaining fragments from the rest of this blighted multiverse, and finish what I started long ago." The Dark Angel Ahriman said, with the Ascended finally understanding what was happening, that their foe was one mind, one will, spread across five forms.
"You have failed, 'Light Marshal'. Soon, our long war shall end, and with it, your precious reality." The Demon Ahriman then added with an amused tone, hoping to get to his old foe.
However, the Dark One's mood then turned as they saw Izael not afraid or angered, but seeing the Light Being grinning instead.
"I have not failed, Ahriman. I knew what was happening for a while now. That is why I brought you here, so that all your efforts could be undone by those with the power to stop you." Izael said in reply as he looked back at AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon, before looking back and adding with an amused tone. "And I brought some help as well."
The Dark One looked confused for a moment, before sensing something as all five heads turned upwards and glared, causing AscendedVeedramon, AscendedOphanimon, the older TK, Shadowknight, Stryker, Dark Hawk, their Henry and BlackTerriermon to do the same, where their eyes widened in shock.
"Holy..." Kazu let out as he and the others looked in shock at what they were seeing.
The other Henry and BlackTerriermon looked in awe at what they were seeing, while Stryker and Dark Hawk looked at the sight, at two things in particular, and said in unison. "Oh, fuck!"
For AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon, the sight was beyond their comprehension, seeing eight beings, four Digimon and four humans, standing on top of a rock ledge looking down at them.
And through their senses, the Ascended realized, despite the small differences, that these individuals were them.
"AscendedVeedramon, AscendedOphanimon, may I introduce you to LightforceVeedramon, HiMastemon, SaviourVeedramon, Lightbringer Ophanimon, V-Force, Dawnbringer, the Champion of the Order of Dawn and her beloved." Izael said happily, causing AscendedVeedramon and AscendedOphanimon to look upon their counterparts from the various worlds beyond their own, looking upon the Davis from the Order of Dawn's world, seeing him a knight clad in golden armour, with dragon heads for shoulder pads, a v shaped helmet, and a long flowing cape with light wings coming out of his back as he held a golden blade in hand.
Next to him, his Kari, the Champion of Dawn, had the appearance of a beautiful and powerful priestess, a Kari who wore white robes, wielded a golden staff, and held a determined look in her hazel eyes.
Glaring down at the Dark One in his five forms, the 'Knight' Davis drew his blade, speaking for those with him as they prepared to fight. "Your darkness ends this day, fiend. You claim your power will darken our worlds, but our light will shine through it!"
The ten Ascended each prepared for the battle ahead, knowing that if they failed, all of existence would fall.
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Author's Note: We come to it at last, the final battle. Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy what's to come.