Takuya had been awake for roughly an hour since the start of the group's impromptu nap session. When he first came to, he was met with a snarky comment from Saki asking if he had slept well, and Takuya had responded with a dramatic yet playful roll of his eyes before asking why they hadn't rested as well. Saki had simply shrugged it off, refusing to give a direct answer. Takuya understood as soon as he saw the anxiety that had made their posture go tense; they were trying to make sure that the Royal Knights didn't ambush the group when they were unable to fight, to Saki had decided to assign themselves the position of guard while everyone else rested and prepared for the next battle.
Everyone had been pulled from slumber since he first shared his brief conversation with Saki, but they hadn't yet started moving. Takuya was watching his D-Tector carefully, and he could see a trio of signals on the horizon. They were white, yellow, and green in color, a clear way of saying that Koji, Junpei, and Yumiko were coming. Takuya was positive that his group would have started moving by then if not for the exhaustion that permeated the air like a stifling fog. None of them had much energy after being forced to move around so frequently in between fighting the Royal Knights, and they were going to need the time to regenerate as much as possible before the inevitable next encounter.
At the very least, Takuya took solace in the knowledge that two of the five Royal Knights were gone. He couldn't say for sure what had happened to Crusadermon, Leopardmon, or Alphamon, but he was still beyond relieved that Dynasmon and Jesmon were out of the picture. It was a significant step, and Takuya couldn't help but feel pride swell in his chest when he remembered how far his team had come. At first, he never would have imagined that they would be able to defeat the Royal Knights, and yet, there they were. After being given the chance to recuperate, they were able to take out two of their five foes, and they were raring to go as soon as the next target came into their line of sight as well.
Takuya heard tapping, and he glanced up to see that Chihiro was pressing their thumb nail against the side of their D-Tector nervously. He could tell that they were just as desperate to reunite with the rest of the team as he was, so Takuya moved closer to them before placing a hand on their shoulder. Much to his surprise, Chihiro didn't even jump, instead seeming to melt into the touch as they closed their eyes. The two sat like that for what felt like an eternity, simply enjoying the presence of the other nearby Warriors. Takuya wasn't sure of how much time passed, but it wasn't as if he particularly cared to find out what the answer was either. They were alive, and he knew that three other members of their group were as well. That was the most important thing to him.
Koichi, Hinoka, and Mayumi were still unaccounted for, and Takuya could tell that Haroi was starting to get particularly antsy. Bokomon had offered to sit with him until he calmed down, but Takuya could tell that wasn't going to be happening for quite a while. Haroi attempted to flip through the pages of Ophanimon's book about the Legendary Warriors as a way of soothing himself, but there was only so much that he could accomplish when he was unable to focus for longer than a few seconds. Nobody openly acknowledged his jittery behavior, knowing that nothing they could say would be able to help him. They were all aware that the three missing members of their team could handle themselves while still looking after the remaining reincarnated members of the Celestial Three. They would be fine, but that didn't do much to ease the nervousness that hung around them in a suffocating blanket.
Takuya rose to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. After having sat still for so long, he was practically desperate to move and do something aside from simply lounging around. His foot, not for the first time since his arrival in the Digital World, longed for a soccer ball to kick around between his shoes. Instead, he glanced down to his D-Tector, and he found himself starting to bounce one foot as his mouth went dry from something between anxiety and fear.
There was something wrong, but Takuya wasn't sure of what it was. His body was tense for seemingly no reason, and Takuya assumed that it was the Digimon side of him, the part that was far from being merely human, trying to warn him about something. He searched the sky with wandering eyes for any signs of danger, but he didn't see anything. In fact, it was peaceful, almost unnaturally so. For the first time since the Royal Knights appeared, Takuya felt oddly secure, and he knew that it was yet another signal that something was about to go terribly wrong.
Takuya heard a gasp from somewhere behind him, and he turned to see Izumi wrapping an arm around Tomoki's shoulders defensively. The young boy had set his gaze on the heavens above, and Takuya followed his line of sight before his eyes locked on a figure that was steadily growing closer. Takuya did his best not to snarl at the familiar darkened armor of Alphamon, and his grip around his D-Tector tightened out of the newfound instinct he had come to possess.
Saki was the first one to speak, and they allowed an almost effortlessly sly smile to spread across their features. "It seems like the time has come for us to take down yet another one of our enemies," they declared simply. Their D-Tector had appeared in their fingers before anyone could register it, and the rest of the group took that as their cue to follow suit.
Takuya nodded before glancing down to the radar that rested above his D-Tector's screen. Koji, Junpei, and Yumiko were still getting closer, but they were farther away than he had realized. If the trio did arrive on the scene of the battle as it was going on, then they would simply have to pitch in. Takuya hoped that wasn't the case since he wasn't sure of how well his friends were faring after they had been separated, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to change the outcome no matter how hard he tried. The rest of the group was simply going to have to do their best without the assistance of their second half.
"He's no slouch," Chihiro reminded everyone with a tone that brokered no objections. "We're going to have to be careful. He wiped the floor with all of us on his own back at Abraxas, and even if we were exhausted, we can't become complacent just because we took down a few of his comrades."
"We've got a few extra Hybrid forms on our side this time, so that might give us an advantage over our previous encounter with him," Haroi pointed out. He had handed off Ophanimon's book to Bokomon, and the small white Digimon was left in possession of the full trio of the Celestial Three's books on the Legendary Warriors. The small white Digimon didn't seem to mind, and he seemed almost awestruck despite the heavy situation at hand.
"We're going to have to be on our guard regardless," Takuya declared, though he was positive that everyone else understood that without him needing to speak up. He allowed his finger to slip over the activation button of his D-Tector and he watched as three rings of data surrounded everyone else's hands as well as his own. "Let's show him what we're made of!"
The explosion of Fractal Code was immediate, and Takuya was replaced with Aldamon before the light could fully diminish from his comrades. He glanced out over Aerismon, Siriusmon, and Daipenmon before his gaze fell on the two new Digimon that he had never seen. He was positive that they had to be Yaiamon and Aeromon, and even if he hadn't been aware of that already, the little voice in the back of his head that whispered their names explained everything to him easily. Aldamon knew that it was the influence of the Spirits once again leaving an impact on him, but he couldn't think for much longer than he already had on the matter.
Those who could fly took to the skies as soon as the transformation was complete, and Alphamon was left to close the gap between himself and the Legendary Warriors. Aldamon could see that he was just the same as he always had been, and he found himself internally on fire with the power of his own passion. He had failed last time, but history was not going to repeat itself on his watch.
Mayumi could tell that something was wrong, but she wasn't quite sure of how to respond to it.
She had been walking with Hinoka, Koichi, and Salamon for almost two hours since their departure from Rubrum, but Koichi was acting strangely in a way that she couldn't define. His gaze was glassy and distant, almost as if he couldn't bring himself to focus once again. That was a sensation that Mayumi understood all too well, but there was something oddly eerie about it when Koichi was the one behind the detached eyes. Koichi had always been so attentive as far as Mayumi could tell. He was quiet, yes, but that didn't mean that he wasn't paying attention. His observant nature was clear given how he seemed to greatly prefer watching others in comparison to interacting with them.
Hinoka appeared to have caught on as well, and she kept glancing at Koichi over her shoulder. Salamon watched Hinoka from her place in the Warrior of Water's arms, desperately attempting to figure out what could have been so wrong. When Salamon did finally whisper the question of what was bothering Hinoka so much, the long-haired girl had simply shaken her head and said that it was nothing. Salamon seemed too wise to know that was the case, but she didn't press it either, instead allowing the silence to close in around them like it was a tomb and they were the victims.
Mayumi glanced down to her D-Tector, trying to keep from adjusting her ponytail for the third time in the past hour. There were nine signals on the screen, and Mayumi did her regular counting routine to figure out that everyone was there. She was positive that the other Digimon guides like Salamon were with the remaining groups, so she didn't allow herself to panic more than necessary over those outside parties.
Instead, Mayumi's concern remained focused primarily on Koichi. She let out a heavy sigh before stopping and pressing the activation button on her D-Tector. A moment later, she had been replaced by Aethermon. Hinoka and Salamon watched her in confusion, and Koichi took far too long to glance up to investigate for someone as regularly cautious as him. Aethermon did her best to keep the disdain from showing on her features, but judging by the way that Koichi looked away after they met eyes, she knew that she hadn't gone far enough in her preventative measures.
"Everyone is a pretty large distance away from here, and we're not making any progress as it is," Aethermon explained. "We're going to have better luck if we fly there. Well, I can't fly, but I sure as hell can jump pretty far, and that's much more efficient than just shuffling along like we've been doing. We need to give them the good news that Leopardmon is gone, but we can't do that if we're still here moping around. What do you say, you three?"
Hinoka set down Salamon before nodding and following Aethermon's lead. She was Ceruleamon a moment later, and she cradled Salamon in her arms once again as the young Digimon watched with wide, adoring eyes. Koichi was a bit slower to respond, but he was Rhihimon before Aethermon could call him out on his strange behavior. She tried to not give him a confused and suspicious glare, but there was only so much she could do before her emotions got the better of her. She had always worn her heart on her sleeve, and the Digital World hadn't changed that in the slightest.
With everyone transformed, Aethermon made the first move, springing off the ground and launching herself in the direction of her fellow teammates. Even without her D-Tector in view, she could sense where they could be found, and she was sure that it was a result of her connection to the Spirits. Still, she supposed that the cause wasn't all that important as long as she was able to reach her companions in a timely manner.
Ceruleamon and Rhihimon were both silent as they took off into the sky. Aethermon gave a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that Rhihimon's had gone downcast once again, almost as if he was running on complete autopilot as opposed to actually making an attempt to move forward of his own free will. Once again, Aethermon found herself suppressing a shudder, unsure of if she even wanted to poke the Warrior of Darkness and hear what was plaguing him so.
In the end, Aethermon forced herself to stay quiet, but that didn't stop her from continuing to watch him. If Rhihimon did notice-which it appeared to Aethermon was not the case-he chose not to acknowledge her, too lost in his own thoughts to give her the time of day. It was odd for somebody so regularly caring and gentle to retreat into himself this way, and Aethermon had an awful feeling about it. For all she knew, everything would turn out fine, but she didn't have the evidence to back it up, and that left her anxious and unsettled. Her stomach churned, and jumping seemed like the worst idea in the world all of a sudden despite it being her proposal in the first place.
The rest of the trip was silent. Aethermon moved silently through the air, and her companions did the same. The only sound that reached Aethermon's ears aside from the rushing of the wind around her was the small whimpering that Salamon released when she saw that Rhihimon was still acting so strangely. Aethermon was going to have to bring this up to everyone else when the Legendary Warriors were fully reunited, though part of her doubted that anybody would be able to do anything to solve the issue. This was Rhihimon's burden to carry alone in his eyes, and he had no intentions of sharing it regardless of how frustrated such secrecy made the rest of his team.
Alphamon's neutrality was almost impressive in Aldamon's eyes. The Royal Knight had been standing on what remained of the ground for about thirty seconds, though each moment seemed to crawl on for a thousand years as the Legendary Warriors were left in suspense over what his first action was going to be. Alphamon didn't do anything to break through the veil of silence, instead choosing to remain quiet as he watched them with a detached gaze that showed how little he thought of them.
Aeromon was the first one to break through the curtain of stillness, and she raised her hands into the air before swiping them downwards, creating an impressive torrent of wind that spun around Alphamon with far more force than the Warrior of Fire had been anticipating. The tempest rustled Alphamon's cape and actually managed to tear a few holes in the fabric, something that Aldamon hadn't even realized was possible. He could see that the Royal Knight's armor had been chipped as well, and Aldamon felt a victorious smile spreading across his face.
"You shouldn't have come here," Aerismon began, keeping their voice as even as possible. "Then again, I suppose that doing things that shouldn't has never stopped you before. You waged war against innocent Digimon alongside the rest of the Royal Knights and Lucemon years upon years ago, and yet, in all this time of peace, you still haven't learned to not do things like that. It seems that the duty falls to us to teach you a lesson."
"You're not going to be able to get away with things the way that you once were," Yaiamon remarked with a snort. They didn't move, but their words were mocking enough to make it clear to Aldamon that they were attempting to goad the Royal Knight into doing something beyond simply standing there. "Two of your comrades are dead, and you won't be at your full strength ever again."
Alphamon raised his sword into the air, and the silence that had been broken came back in once again. The Royal Knight lifted his other hand and created a small orb of dark purple energy. The magic seemed to swirl with an ominous sense of malice that made Aldamon shudder to himself. He suppressed the action to the best of his ability and got ready to defend himself in case he wound up having to move quickly.
It turned out that this was the best action. Alphamon threw the energy at the air between Aldamon and Aerismon, prompting both the Warriors of Fire and Steel to swerve out of the way. The orb of energy attempted to loop back once again to strike at Aerismon, but Yaiamon was already intercepting the attack before any of them could attempt to stop it. Yaiamon stepped forward by a step, and a rock pulled itself from the ground below before colliding with the energy orb. The two attacks merged in a grand display, sending shards of earth every which way. Aldamon saw Aerismon raise an arm to keep from being hit in the face.
Daipenmon was the next to make a move, and he swung his axe through the air in a wide curving motion. Icicles were fired in a half circle around him, and a cluster of the frozen liquid traveled towards Alphamon, creating sharpened daggers that pulled mercilessly at the Royal Knight's armor. The dents that Aeromon had created only grew worse, and Alphamon was left at the mercy of the Warrior of Ice.
However, Alphamon didn't seem to mind this in the slightest. He allowed the attacks to make contact, and his gaze remained as uncaring and detached as ever. He raised one hand, creating yet another sphere of energy before sending it towards Daipenmon. This time, the sphere was far faster than the previous strike, and Daipenmon was left with no time to dodge before he had been hit in the chest.
Daipenmon hit the ground roughly, and he slid backwards a short distance before managing to hoist himself back to his feet with the assistance of his sharpened axe. Siriusmon flew down in front of Daipenmon to cover for him, and the Warrior of Cosmos held his staff out in Alphamon's direction to show that he wasn't messing around.
Alphamon didn't even bother giving them a second glance. He didn't care that they were present at all, and Aldamon couldn't help but wonder how in the world the Royal Knight could be so distant and stoic. It was clear that Alphamon was at a disadvantage since he was surrounded by so many powerful fighters, but he barely gave any members of the group any attention. Instead, he swung his sword outwards, and Aldamon realized just how large the Royal Knight was. He cringed as his wing felt the wind blow past from Alphamon's attempted strike. It was easy for him to forget how giant Alphamon truly was given the fact that Aldamon was in the air, constantly looking down on his foe as opposed to remaining level with him, but Alphamon was making it clear that such an underestimation would be a mistake.
Alphamon moved quickly, far faster than someone of his size should have been able to. He stabbed his sword in the direction of Aeromon, and the Warrior of Wind swerved out of the way as a glare materialized in her eyes. She kicked downwards, but her foot only made contact with the base of the blade when Alphamon raised the sword to block her. He shot out an elbow in her direction to discourage her from getting any closer, and it worked in his favor. Aeromon was forced to execute a hasty retreat as rage continued to boil in her periwinkle eyes.
"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" Yaiamon questioned. They jumped into the air before landing on the ground in a crouching position, and a series of rocks sprouted from the ground in the space between Yaiamon and Alphamon. The Royal Knight took a step back as the sharpened stones continued their quick advance.
Alphamon didn't seem to realize just how determined Yaiamon was to get in a hit, and they were able to send a rock up through Alphamon's foot. For a brief moment, Alphamon's eyes showed a flicker of panic, but the signal of concern was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Aldamon to wonder if he had simply imagined the display of weakness in the first place.
However, he knew that Alphamon taking damage as a result of Yaiamon's attack was most certainly real, and the Royal Knight was forced into the air soon afterwards. His shredded cape continued to billow around him, swaying in the breeze with a sense of power that Aldamon yearned to shatter. The Warrior of Fire had to admit that Alphamon was certainly less frustrating than some of the other Royal Knights on the conversation front. Alphamon barely spoke at all, but that was better than him constantly rattling on about the glory of his liege. Aldamon didn't know if he would have been able to take more aggravating ranting about Lucemon's true strength. He would have been ready to rip his ears out before he even came close to defeating them.
Daipenmon was the next one to respond, and he created a pillar of ice that shot into the sky without hesitation. Yaiamon jumped onto the column just before it was out of reach, and they remained in a crouch until pieces of ice came up to attach their feet to the slippery surface below, easily keeping them from slipping free of the ground that had formed below. Siriusmon returned to the air as soon as he realized that Daipenmon didn't need his protection anymore.
As soon as he was back in the fight, Siriusmon pointed his staff in Alphamon's direction. The sky around Siriusmon's outline began to warp and change color as soon as he did so, and the crisp sapphire overhead began to melt into the darkness of obsidian heavens. Stars dotted the shadows, and Siriusmon's grip against his staff grew tighter. The spell that he had cast took this as a cue to activate, and comets began streaking down towards Alphamon with incredible speed, offering no time for the Royal Knight to react.
Alphamon raised his sword in an attempt to stave off the strikes, but there was only so much he could do under the sheer onslaught that Siriusmon was bringing towards him. He was pushed backwards through the air against his best efforts, and Aldamon could sense the hostility lingering in the air around him. He watched as Siriusmon managed to knock Alphamon off balance, leaving the Royal Knight open to further attack.
This was a weak point that Aerismon simply couldn't pass up on taking advantage of, though Aldamon chastised himself for not believing that something like this would happen. The Warrior of Steel dove downwards with their sword stretched out, and they wove between the comets before dealing a heavy blow to the front of Alphamon's armor. The Royal Knight was left to move towards the ground, the one place where he might be able to regain his sense of control, as Aerismon teleported away.
However, Alphamon wasn't able to get away quite so easily. Aerismon appeared once more a few feet above him, sword raised in the air. They brought down their rapier on top of his head, denting the armor found there before unleashing another wild kick that knocked him off balance. Alphamon hit the ground roughly, though he managed to maintain his sense of balance for the most part. It was almost strange to see someone who had been so composed and elegant up until that point suffer so much under the combined force of Aerismon and Siriusmon's attacks.
Aldamon decided to rush towards Alphamon as he wondered on the collaboration between the Warriors of Steel and Cosmos. He pulled one fist back and set it ablaze, flames crackling along the surface of his knuckles. He delivered a harsh blow that struck the space just between Alphamon's shoulder blades. The armor had a weak point there, and it was enough to earn a guttural groan from Alphamon. That was the only noise that Alphamon had made since the fight began, and Aldamon was willing to take that as a sign of victory.
Aeromon looked ready to follow up on the attack that Aldamon had unleashed, but she was cut off as a streak of light traveled through the sky, emitting a harsh and high-pitched shriek as it passed by. Aeromon pulled backwards as quickly as possible, and she glanced off to try and find the source of the attack. Her eyes went wide and a smile appeared on her lips as she recognized the one responsible.
Beowolfmon was dropped to the ground rather unceremoniously after having been carried through the air by Thundramon and another figure that Aldamon didn't recognize at first. The voice in the back of his head whispered that her name was Lyseirmon, and he was able to put the pieces together easily that she was the Hybrid form of Wood. The clear similarities to both Fioremon and Calanthemon stuck out to him enough to make him positive of such an assertion, and he took comfort in the knowledge that every member of the group had reached the highest level possible since they had last been together.
"You can't mean to fight against Alphamon without us," Beowolfmon said next, his voice dry and rough as he prepared another attack of white light. His sword was outstretched in Alphamon's direction, and the two blades were crackling with the promise of violence. "It's good to know that we'll be able to have at least two of the Royal Knights taken care of."
"Two?" Siriusmon echoed, turning to glance down at Beowolfmon as soon as he recognized what the Warrior of Light had said. He ducked down to dodge an attack that Alphamon sent in his direction before returning with a strike of his own.
"We defeated Crusadermon," Lyseirmon explained. She landed briefly, taking Patamon off her head and setting him in the waiting arms of Bokomon and Neemon. Aldamon had been so distracted with her new form that he hadn't even noticed that Patamon was there as well, though he supposed it was for the best if Patamon was kept out of the line of fire for as long as possible.
"That's three of the Royal Knights taken out actually," Aeromon told her, and a wide grin consumed her features in the blink of an eye. "We've gotten rid of Dynasmon and Jesmon too, so that leaves only two of them left. Alphamon isn't going to know what hit him."
Aldamon turned his attention back to the Royal Knight in question, and he saw that Alphamon's eyes had been overtaken by a flicker of panic once more. He stifled the emotion before anyone could see too much of it, but Aldamon wouldn't forget what he had witnessed. He was positive that Alphamon was starting to lose his nerve, and that was most certainly a victory in Aldamon's eyes.
Thundramon charged through the air, electricity dancing across his fist in the seconds before he hit Alphamon in the chest. He took advantage of the weak spot that had already been hit by Beowolfmon and Siriusmon, and the combined might of the previous attacks was enough to send Alphamon stumbling backwards a short distance once again. Aldamon's heart swelled with pride at how far his team had come. There truly was a difference between the way that they had fought against Alphamon the first time versus the current clash, and he was beyond gleeful with the progress they had made.
"Let's just get this over with. It's time for us to take out the trash, and there's a giant hunk of it for us to put up with," Yaiamon snorted, though Aldamon could hear the masked joy in their voice that said they were happy to see the four newcomers. They pushed one hand through the air, and the earth began to tremble under their command.
The ground started to rise upwards, constricting Alphamon in a firm block of stone. At first, only Alphamon's legs had been taken over by the rocks, and his armor could barely be seen from the waist down. However, Alphamon's arms were still free, and he was able to freely swing his sword through the air. He did so, keeping away anyone who dared to get too close, as he conjured yet another orb of energy with his other hand.
The sphere was fired downwards at the ground, taking out the stones that had Alphamon pinned in place to begin with. He managed to step away from the debris aftermath of Yaiamon's attack, but his attention had been diverted for a few moments too long, leaving a clear gap in his defenses for the Legendary Warriors to take advantage of.
Aldamon created a few attacks of fire, and the flames crackled against the armguards of his armor. He slashed his hands downwards, creating an X-formation in the air that flew towards Alphamon. It hit his armor and left behind a char mark, prompting Aldamon to smirk in pride at his success.
Aeromon unleashed a strike of wind soon afterwards, and both Thundramon and Daipenmon unveiled attacks of lightning and ice respectively to merge with her twister. This created a far more powerful attack that left more than a few dents behind in Alphamon's armor, and the Royal Knight grunted to himself as he stumbled about under the force of the tornado. Aldamon couldn't help but wonder just how much power Aeromon had gained when she reached the Hybrid level and abandoned her previous form of Zephyrmon. The jump in strength was beyond impressive to him.
The next one to lash out was Siriusmon, and he showered down more stars from above as vines began to twist upwards from the ground to attempt to keep Alphamon tethered to the earth. Lyseirmon had one hand held out in the direction of the Royal Knight, and she shared a brief glance with Yaiamon, silently asking for their support. Yaiamon nodded in response and followed up on what Lyseirmon was implying by forcing the stones beneath Alphamon's body to start growing in mass, once again restricting his movements. His attempts to break free proved themselves to be useless under the combined might of Lyseirmon and Yaiamon, leaving him right back where he was before.
"You don't seem to understand that you've already lost this fight," Beowolfmon muttered under his breath. He extended his free arm, the one that wasn't carrying his incredibly large blade, and pointed it in Alphamon's direction. A laser of bright white light burst forth from the surface of the armor, slamming into Alphamon's shoulder. The Royal Knight recoiled but didn't stumble away. The stones and vines keeping him trapped in place were too much for him to escape.
Aerismon allowed themselves to fly in the air behind Alphamon, their blade poised gently between their fingers. They pointed the edge of the rapier in Alphamon's direction, unleashing a barrage of violet lasers that peppered against his armor like raindrops made of acid. Alphamon didn't show any signs of pain, though Aldamon could tell that the Royal Knight was not in the good condition that he had been before all of this began. His armor was starting to grow worse for wear, and the cape that billowed from his shoulders was only continuing to fall apart. It was only a matter of time until the fabric unraveled completely.
Alphamon slashed his sword backwards over his shoulder, somehow managing to stab in the direction of Aerismon. The Warrior of Steel was too fast to be hit by such a sloppy attack though, and she flew backwards at the last minute. She pressed one hand against the side of her head, and a wave of circles pulsed outwards from her body. Aldamon could feel the surges of energy, and he knew that if they had been aimed at him, they would have hurt like hell. Instead, Alphamon was the one feeling that pain, and the Royal Knight was only starting to grow more exhausted as the seconds passed by.
Alphamon continued to stab at the air, and the continued attacks from the Legendary Warriors did little to deter him from his mission of keeping them at bay. Instead, he simply allowed his frustration and rage to fuel him. Aldamon couldn't help but cringe as the blade whistled a bit too close to his right wing. Still, the Warrior of Fire knew that he was getting better about everything that came with fighting. Once upon a time, he never would have been able to dodge such an attack. At the beginning of the adventure, he would have certainly been knocked from the sky even by Alphamon's laziest of strikes.
Aeromon pulled back as soon as she was able to do so, but she managed to send another tempest of wind towards Alphamon as she retreated. The Royal Knight glared at her, the longest show of emotion that he had allowed himself to bear since the battle began, before his gaze began to scan the battlefield. His eyes eventually settled on a target, and Aldamon recognized what Alphamon was going to try before he could even act.
Alphamon swung his sword through the air in the direction of the ice pillar that Daipenmon had created. The Warriors of Ice and Earth were still standing on top of it, and an energy beam from Alphamon's blade was rushing straight towards the ground they stood on. They wouldn't be able to escape in time given the wide range of Alphamon's dark blast.
Aldamon changed his course and darted downwards, curling his arms beneath Daipenmon's waist. He found that he was far stronger in Digimon form than he ever had been as a human, and it was almost effortless for him to deposit Daipenmon back on the ground soon afterwards. The Warrior of Ice gave him a thankful glance as he grasped a bit tighter at his axe.
Aldamon glanced up to see that Thundramon had done the same for Yaiamon. He was a far larger target, but Thundramon still managed to swerve out of the way of another attempted attack from Alphamon. However, Thundramon wasn't ready for the second strike, and his wing wound up being barely clipped by the energy that Alphamon unveiled. Both the Warriors of Thunder and Earth were sent careening towards the ground, and Aldamon heard a shriek of pure panic leave Yaiamon's lips.
Thundramon managed to somewhat correct his course at the last minute, though the landing with the ground was still rough. Sand was kicked up in every direction as Yaiamon was torn away from his grip. The Warrior of Earth rolled away from him, and they wound up at the shallowest part of the nearby sea.
It took far too long for Yaiamon to rise to their feet, and Aldamon could already tell that such a rough fall was going to leave a few bruises behind. For the time being though, Yaiamon looked nearly entirely unharmed. The primary sign that anything had happened at all was the water that was weighing down their every action. Yaiamon's hair was nothing short of completely soaked beneath their draconic helmet, and the bandages wrapped around their chest had grown a few shades darker under the influence of the nearby seawater. They began to grip at their hair to wring out the remaining fluid, and water dripped free of their brown tresses a moment later.
Yaiamon didn't remain in place for long after that though, and they were practically rushing towards Alphamon in the blink of an eye. Their gauntlets began to grow larger, almost as if rocks were contributing to them in the silence. All it took was a single punch for the rocks surrounding Alphamon's legs to fracture and then splinter into nothing. The echoing clap of stone on jagged stone rent the air like a scream, and Alphamon was left freer than he had been before.
At first, Aldamon didn't even know what Yaiamon was trying to do. However, when his gaze traveled downwards to see that Yaiamon had left behind a gigantic marking across the back of Alphamon's legs, the pieces clicked into place. Between the rocks and the vines, Alphamon's lower half was practically coated in dirt, and there was only so much that his strong armor would be able to protect him from as long as the Legendary Warriors were continuing such a fierce assault.
Lyseirmon created an arrow from nothingness, and she placed it upon her bow before firing it straight at the weak point in Alphamon's chest that had been created throughout the battle. The arrow seemed to splinter into a thousand tiny pieces upon making contact, and Aldamon wondered briefly if perhaps Lyseirmon hadn't put enough energy into the attack to execute it properly.
That was when the vines began to grow, and Aldamon realized that he shouldn't have judged Lyseirmon so prematurely. Green plants were rapidly spreading across the surface of Alphamon's armor, working to restrict his arms the same way that his legs were kept in place. Alphamon attempted to break free, but Lyseirmon made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to be falling for his struggles as she continued to feed more energy into the seeds on Alphamon's body from afar.
Soon enough, the Royal Knight was trapped in a large cage of vines, and Lyseirmon appeared to be satisfied with her work. She sent a glance over her shoulder, and she tilted her head in Alphamon's direction. "He's stuck where he is, and I don't think he's going to be getting out given how weak he is! We should take him out now!" she cried out.
Aldamon was all too happy to lash out with a fiery attack, but he stopped halfway through. Something was off to him, but he wasn't quite sure of what it was. Aldamon glanced around in every direction to try and figure out what could have changed so suddenly. He knew that he was wasting his time, but his instincts simply refused to leave him alone until he could determine the sudden cause of his flared intuition.
"Sorry we're late!"
A familiar voice caught his attention, and Aldamon felt a smile spreading across his features. He watched as Aethermon flipped to the ground, launching off a nearby tree and landing in a crouch. Her tails stood to attention, ready for the fight ahead. Aethermon herself wore a wide grin that seemed to grow only larger the longer that she stood poised for the rest of the Legendary Warriors to see.
Aethermon wasn't the only new arrival though. Ceruleamon and Rhihimon weren't far behind her, and Ceruleamon had a small cream dog Digimon tucked in her grasp. The Digimon part of Aldamon told him that the creature's name was Salamon, and he recognized that she had to be Ophanimon's reincarnation given that Lopmon had been with his group prior to the reunion of the Legendary Warriors.
Ceruleamon ducked downwards, her watery wings carrying her to the earth, before she dropped off Salamon in Bokomon and Neemon's waiting arms. Patamon and Lopmon both watched in curiosity for a brief moment before turning their attention back to the battle at hand. They watched the scene with determination and resolve that strengthened Aldamon and gave him the confidence to keep pressing forward.
He spared himself one final glance at the newcomers, and he watched as Ceruleamon rose to the skies once again to fly beside Rhihimon. There was something off about the Warrior of Darkness, though he wasn't sure about how to describe it. Aldamon couldn't help but think that perhaps he wasn't fully paying attention to the battle at hand, though that wouldn't make sense in the slightest. Koichi had always been so attentive and observant, and such a truth extended to all of his forms when he was Spirit Evolved as well. Even Duskmon, Velgemon, and Malkakomon had possessed his same penchant for curiosity, though their wonder for the world had manifested in far different ways. It was almost sickeningly unsettling to see Rhihimon looking so blatantly inattentive, and Aldamon made a mental note to ask him about it as soon as he was spared the chance once the battle ended.
For the time being though, Aldamon knew that he had other priorities. The full team of Legendary Warriors was back together, and that meant that they were going to be able to take out Alphamon without any issues. Only nine of them had been able to throw him around without hesitation, so the added strength of the remaining three fighters would only push them closer to victory.
Lyseirmon gave a gesture towards Alphamon once she had caught the attention of Aethermon, Ceruleamon, and Rhihimon. "Go on and take him out! I'm going to keep him there for as long as I can, but it's best if we keep attacking as soon as possible!" she announced.
Ceruleamon was the first to respond, and she turned her attention towards the water nearby. The ocean seemed to immediately pull itself together, ready to listen to any commands that she would give out. Ceruleamon's staff began to glitter, and the seas responded without any hesitation.
The water immediately flooded towards Alphamon, and the Legendary Warriors that were locked to the ground (Daipenmon, Yaiamon, Beowolfmon, and Aethermon) executed a quick retreat, moving backwards through the sand with clumsy yet confident steps. The group watched as the waves began to crash against Alphamon's armor, filing in through the cracks of the cage that Lyseirmon had created.
Ceruleamon gave a brief glance downwards to Daipenmon, and the Warrior of Ice responded with a quick nod before he rushed forward. He swung his axe towards the edge of the water, and ice began to spread from the surface of the blade outwards. It crept up the sides of Alphamon's body, encasing him in a thick block of ice even beneath all of the plants that Lyseirmon had crafted.
Alphamon seemed to realize what was happening with delayed panic, and his eyes went open for a brief moment. He doubled his efforts to escape, but he was only able to thrash against the cage of vines so much without hitting the surprisingly thick stalks that Lyseirmon had summoned. That left his movement options limited, and when he attempted to lash out with his sword to cut his way free, he was ultimately cut off.
The culprit for such separation was none other than Aerismon. The Warrior of Steel teleported in front of the part of the cage where Alphamon's sword could be found, and they reached out with one hand as their rapier fell down to their side. A projection of fingers appeared from purple energy, and it grabbed firmly to the blade part of Alphamon's sword before fiercely pulling backwards with an incredible amount of strength. The hand was clearly an imitation of Aerismon's own appendage, as the armor patterns from the projected hand perfectly matched everything that could be found on Aerismon's arm.
The sword was large, but Aerismon didn't seem to particularly mind. They admired the blade for a moment before flicking their wrist off towards the shore. The sword was sent hurtling through the air before it embedded itself in the nearby sand. The ice from Daipenmon's attack quickly spread to it, and the sword was frozen in place with no hope of escape only a few moments later. Aerismon blew against their fingers nonchalantly, and the purple energy scattered against the wind. A few flecks of it wound up getting stuck to both the cage of vines and the ice Daipenmon and Ceruleamon had cooperated to create.
Aldamon was desperate to rush in with an attack of his own, but he knew that doing so would undoubtedly melt the ice that was keeping Alphamon from lashing out. Instead, he simply turned his attention over to Siriusmon and Aethermon. The two Warriors were giving each other a brief glance, silently concocting a plan for their next action, and Aldamon was sure that whatever they had up their sleeves was going to turn out good for the group as a whole.
Siriusmon rose into the sky and created another rift filled with obsidian skies and bright stars. The heavens distorted around him, waiting for Siriusmon to give the command that it was time to attack. The trails behind Aethermon began to glow in a rainbow of resplendence, and she gave a brief glance up to Siriusmon before the two shared a single nod and got to work.
The stars began to beat mercilessly against the ice, leaving small chunks of it to shatter outwards, though it wasn't enough to completely deteriorate the prison keeping Alphamon tethered to the ground. The stars that hit the ice began to sink deeper into the frozen liquid, their light growing brighter as they merged with what was below them. Aldamon noticed Alphamon's eyes go wide with panic, and he heard a gentle hissing sound that indicated clearly that Alphamon's armor was being worn away thanks to the influence of the stars that Siriusmon had summoned.
Aethermon unleashed a series of twelve attacks that spiraled forward from her elemental trails. They seemed to have the same effect as Siriusmon's attacks, and the hissing noise, which almost reminded Aldamon of what he assumed acid would have sounded like, only continued to grow louder thanks to her added assistance. Alphamon was starting to try to fight back, but there was only so much that he could do between the ice, vines, and acidic burning. The Royal Knight was struggling to hide his pain, and it was clear as could be that he was struggling to maintain his composure under the stress brought by the Legendary Warriors.
Rhihimon raised his staff and sent a sphere of shadow charging through the air towards Alphamon's neck region. The orb made contact in the spot where Alphamon's collarbone was hiding beneath the armor, and the Royal Knight cried out in shock and pain. Alphamon had always been a silent combatant, and Aldamon found himself taking a strange sense of pride from the knowledge that his team was actually making significant progress in defeating someone who was known for being so powerful.
Ceruleamon allowed herself to descend through the air until she was roughly even with the center of Alphamon's body. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that nobody was close enough to her that it could potentially cause problems before she raised her staff into the air once again. The sapphire at the top began to gleam anew, and water slowly shifted forth from the gemstone, creating a the tip of a spear at the top of the staff. The sapphire marked the place where the watery side met the base of the weapon.
Ceruleamon adjusted her grip on the spear, pulling it over her shoulder like it was a weapon made to be thrown. She closed one eye and began to aim for the place where Alphamon's chest was waiting. Alphamon's struggling continued, but he was unable to escape the ice, and the vines parted to make way for Ceruleamon's coming attack. Lyseirmon pulled her hands in close, and the plants started to restrict Alphamon's motions further. All the Royal Knight could do was stare up at Ceruleamon with mounting panic in his once emotionless eyes.
Ceruleamon allowed the spear to fly free once she was finished aiming, and it launched through the air before slamming straight into Alphamon's armor. The ice around the impacted spot shattered immediately, and Alphamon's eyes went wide in horror. He stopped moving a moment later, and the spear of water was left embedded in his darkened armor. The sapphire and all of the water above it had been left to sit completely inside of Alphamon's chest, and it was clear as could be that there was no way the Royal Knight had been able to survive something so impactful.
The response was immediate, and Aldamon realized without a shadow of a doubt that his assumption about Alphamon's failure had been correct. The outline of Alphamon went dark, leaving behind only a shaded silhouette where a great soldier had been a moment before. A ring of Fractal Code formed around the center of his body, and Ceruleamon held out one hand, allowing her eyes to slip closed as the data began to flow towards her palm.
"May the Digital World see peace with your defeat," Ceruleamon whispered, and the last of Alphamon's data disappeared into her hand. Ceruleamon allowed her hand to clench into a fist as the Royal Knight's shadow began to disintegrate from the inside out. A simple sphere of white data was left behind, and Ceruleamon's spear of water fell to the ground, kicking up sand as it made impact with the space below.
The ice and vines that had been surrounding Alphamon in the moments leading up to his death began to disappear as well, vanishing like nothing more than ash on the wind. It gave the area an almost ethereal aura, a stark contrast from the empty void that waited a short distance away. Aldamon watched as snowflakes and petals peeled away from the empty prison, hanging in the air before landing inoffensively on the ground. As soon as the snowflakes and petals hit the sand, they disappeared completely.
The flying Legendary Warriors took this as their cue to land on the ground once more, and there was no hesitation as they took to the sand. Aldamon landed in a crouch before he rose back to his full height, shoulders pressed back in perfect yet relaxed posture. He closed his eyes, taking in the remaining glory of the moment, before focusing once again on the situation at hand.
Ceruleamon allowed herself to land on the sand near her spear, and she reached down before taking the weapon into her hands. Ceruleamon allowed the water to fall away from the top of the staff, and it dropped into the sea nearby before vanishing with the gentle rhythm of the tides. She didn't seem to mind though, and Ceruleamon pulled the staff in close, pressing the sapphire against her cheek, as the familiar glow of Fractal Code consumed her body. Aldamon could see her watery wings disappear and return to the nearby ocean as well halfway through the shift.
Hinoka was left in Ceruleamon's place, and the rest of the Legendary Warriors took to following her example a moment later. The Digimon forms disappeared, replaced instead by human bodies that were exhausted yet victorious from the previous battle. Hinoka smiled gently at the group around her, looking weary yet triumphant over what she had just accomlished.
Takuya allowed himself to reach towards his D-Tector, and he glanced down at the radar after pressing the button to bring it up. He smiled upon seeing that all twelve of them were back together once again. He could see quite clearly physically that they were reunited, but it was nice to have the D-Tector as reassurance that he didn't need to fear their division any longer.
"That leaves only one Royal Knight for us to battle, right?" Haroi suddenly asked, pulling Takuya away from his thoughts. The Warrior of Cosmos was glancing down to the void nearby, and Takuya wondered what he could have been staring at.
"We've taken care of Crusadermon, Dynasmon, Jesmon, and now Alphamon," Saki murmured. They were watching the chasm as well, and Takuya felt his stomach twist as he remembered what had happened after Dynasmon was first defeated. The Royal Knight hadn't gone towards the Village of Beginnings like he should have, instead hurtling towards the Digital World itself and vanishing into the darkness left behind by the actions of Lucemon and his allies. Takuya hadn't been paying attention to see if such a pattern repeated, but given the way that Haroi and Saki were acting, it certainly wouldn't have surprised him.
"We defeated Leopardmon on Rubrum too," Mayumi piped in, a wide grin on her face. "If you guys took care of everybody else while we were split up, then... That means that Alphamon was the last one left out of the Royal Knights, and we just took him out. We've defeated all of them, and the Digital World is still standing! Lucemon wasn't revived!"
"We can't celebrate yet," Saki announced, not looking up from the void below. "I can tell that there's something else going on here. All of the Royal Knights' data likely traveled towards the center of the Digital World. It's a pattern that we can't ignore. Did anyone see an exception when fighting against them?"
Silence fell over the group, and Takuya had to resist the urge to cringe. It appeared that Alphamon and Dynasmon weren't the only ones who had been sent towards the heart of the Digital World, and he absolutely hated that. If the data was going there, following the whims of the Royal Knights in their final moments, the chances were high that Lucemon was waiting for them at the core of the Digital World. At the bottom of the empty blackness, there was an angel of death watching and waiting for the time that he would be allowed to return to life.
"That's what I expected," Saki muttered, their voice tinged with bitterness towards their unseen foe. "We managed to stop the Royal Knights before they could completely tear the Digital World apart, but that doesn't mean that we're out of the woods just yet. Lucemon could have other allies waiting to take over with the loss of the Royal Knights. If he's really been consciously influencing events from behind the scenes for so long, since before we first arrived in the Digital World, then he must have created a backup plan in case the Royal Knights went down."
"He certainly did that with Cherubimon," Koji said quietly, though it was clear based on the masked upset in his voice that he didn't want to believe that this could possibly be true. "If the Royal Knights are all gone for the time being, then I suppose that we can take a moment to relax. After all, we aren't going to be able to hold our own against a potential new wave of foes if we're still exhausted from fighting against Alphamon. We were able to take care of him easily as a group, but I know that we would all be lying if we said that it was easy."
Takuya couldn't help but agree, and he allowed himself to sit down on the sand below, cupping his chin in one hand as he slid his D-Tector back into its original place. If he was being honest, the theory that Saki proposed was absolutely dreadful to him. He detested the idea that something else could happen involving Lucemon, but he knew that it was too early to discount such a concept. Lucemon was clearly smart, always playing a few steps ahead. He was a dangerous adversary that they couldn't afford to underestimate.
This was most certainly something that Lucemon had been planning for many years. He had taken advantage of a known weakness in Cherubimon's disposition, an insecurity that had likely existed for decades prior to its exploitation, and timed it perfectly with the point where the Royal Knights would be beyond their previous levels of strength. The Royal Knights had trained for ages to be ready for Lucemon's wishes to finally put the plan in motion, and they waited in the wings in case Cherubimon failed, a constant backup plan that none of them had seen coming until it was too late.
Then there was the matter of the Legendary Warriors themselves. Their presence had shifted Lucemon's initial scheme, adding in a few extra players to the chessboard of his revival. Even with the arrival of these new faces though, Lucemon had been able to adapt, and he pitted them against one another as the rest of Cherubimon's army, drawn in by the charismatic promises of an end to conflict with Human Digimon, continued to eviscerate the Digital World. The hostility from the times where he had reigned still lingered in the air, and he was fully aware of the chaos. Lucemon had turned the tides into a place where he always had the upper hand, and he was planning to bring down his iron fist as soon as the chance came.
The idea of taking a break was beyond appealing though, and Takuya was positive that they were going to need it as soon as Lucemon's next attempt at bringing down justice upon the Digital World was put into motion. The only way that Takuya could think of this issue ending without too much further strife was to charge straight into the place where Lucemon was sealed away and kill him before anything else could happen.
Of course, Takuya wasn't about to indulge his ridiculous fantasies regarding the fall of Lucemon. He knew better than to allow himself to be swept away by the whims of his own imagination. Fighting against Lucemon would be a last resort, only if the angel somehow wound up being resurrected despite their best efforts. He would be an impossible foe, and Takuya knew that he would rather fight against the Royal Knights a dozen times more before raising a hand to Lucemon.
The rest of the team fell silent as they sat down on the sand around Takuya, but he barely gave them a glance. He was too wrapped up in his curiosities regarding Lucemon's next move, though he found himself desperately yearning to escape the dreadful cycle of attempting to follow Lucemon's twisted thought process. He could worry about that when the time came for him to offer his full attention to such a subject. However, he needed a break before then, and Takuya knew that working himself up over things he had no way of understanding wasn't going to help him in the potential third wave of conflict.
Takuya glanced out over the rest of his team, feeling a smile appear on his face. He was relieved to have everyone back together once more, and he found himself positive that it was going to stay that way for quite some time. They had managed to stand up to even the Royal Knights without falling into disarray. No matter what Lucemon had to throw at them, they were going to remain strong and united.
After all, they were the Legendary Warriors, and it was par for the course for them to follow in the footsteps of ancient heroes.
And so, the fourth arc of this story draws to a close!
This chapter obviously contained the final battle against the last of the Royal Knights, so that leaves only one thing left. Things are a bit slower paced than the show from here on out since there's a few lingering pieces of business to be wrapped up before we can truly get into the final battle against the big bad of the story, but I'm looking forward to what the remained of this story has to offer, and I hope that you are as well.
There really isn't that much to say about this chapter given that it was mostly battle-based, and I don't have many details that slide their way in when a chapter is primarily focused on combat. However, I do have one little fun fact that some of the particularly observant readers might have picked up on. Every single member of the cast has defeated a major enemy at this point, whether it be a Royal Knight, Fallen Warrior, or Cherubimon. That's just a little thing that I decided to slide in for the sake of keeping things relatively equal between the different members of the cast.
For clarification, the story has the following pairs of victories over notable foes: Takuya/Cybelemon, Koji/Malkakomon, Tomoki/Fioremon, Izumi/Ceruleamon, Junpei/Onyxmon, Koichi/Duskmon Shadow, Chihiro/Jesmon, Yumiko/Crusadermon, Hinoka/Alphamon, Saki/Cherubimon, Mayumi/Leopardmon, and Haroi/Dynasmon.
This is another little piece of clarification on minor lore. It's a small difference in the grand scheme of the story of Frontier, but it's pretty significant when you compare the different incarnations of the Royal Knights arc. In the canon of Frontier, the only Fractal Code that the Royal Knights go after is stated to be in terms of continents. The start of Frontier seems to contradict this, implying that smaller regions have Fractal Code that contributes to a greater whole. I decided to go with the latter definition, so the Royal Knights didn't steal multiple continents worth of data here; instead, they took small chunks of greater landmasses and sent said energy towards Lucemon. It's a change I didn't even realize was necessary to point out until I started rewatching Frontier (this is my fourth time watching it), but I want to clear that up for anybody curious about why this version functions so differently on that front.
It's so crazy to me that I'm already so close to the end of this story. I started writing this just a few months ago, but it's so close to being finished already (I'm writing this in late December even though it's going up more than four months after the fact). As we get closer to the end, I want to offer early thanks to anyone who has stuck around and read this far. It really does mean a lot to me (and you're going to be hearing that a lot more after the story ends).
Next time, we'll be diving into the final act of the story with some last minute character stuff. Until next week, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital