Takuya had seen too many flashes of consolidated white data to properly count, and he couldn't help but wince as yet another egg appeared in his field of vision. They had been moving towards the Dark Heart of the Digital World for a few minutes, but everything had already gone terribly wrong. Takuya felt as if anything that was left in his chest had been torn out and then stomped on without any sense of mercy.
The three moons had crumbled not long ago. Takuya had watched with wide, stunned eyes alongside the rest of his companions as Rubrum, Caeruleum, and Flavo all disappeared from view, sucked towards the Dark Heart without a moment of hesitation. Eggs had started to swarm after Flavo vanished, and Takuya felt his heart snap in half. He prayed that Swanmon was alright, but there was something deep inside of him that said Lucemon's actions had already caused too much damage for her to escape.
Without any place to return to, the eggs of the Digimon who had perished in the suction of the Digital World were left to float aimlessly in space. None were drawn in by the gravity of the Dark Heart due to how far away they were, and the core of the Digital World was simply too small to pull anything too close. The horizon was dark aside from the presence of the Light Heart, and Takuya couldn't help but feel sick as he realized just how endless the vast expanse of space was. He could see nothing but purple and blue swirling with the blackness as far as his vision could reach, and it was absolutely petrifying.
"We're here," came Saki's voice, cutting through Takuya's silent trance. He turned towards them and saw that the Dark Heart had grown far closer than it had been before. The surface was constantly shifting with an ominous sense of terror that struck Takuya to his core. There was a single flashing light on the far left side of the Dark Heart, but it was too far away for Takuya to properly identify it. He decided to not bother, and his attention had been pulled away from it the instant that he focused on the Dark Heart itself again a few moments later.
"How are we going to get inside?" Izumi questioned. "The Dark Heart looks awfully solid, and I don't know if we're going to be able to break through that... I don't think it would be a good idea for us to wait until Lucemon breaks out of there himself, but..." Her voice trailed off, and Takuya saw her arms snaking around her stomach. She seemed far paler than usual all of a sudden, and he glanced away to keep his own nerves from getting worse.
"The Digital World isn't keeping the Dark Heart stable anymore. If we breach the surface with our current cube of energy, we should be able to get inside," Saki explained. "That's what I'm hoping for, at the very least. I agree that it would be a poor plan on our part to leave Lucemon unattended until he breaks through the barrier, so we'll just have to take the fight to him. That would put us in the advantageous position anyways."
Takuya nodded to himself, and he reached out to touch the cube's surface. The energy had been warm and refreshing up until then, a gentle filter that kept out the terrors of the outside world, but the face of the shape that was closest to the Dark Heart had gone eerily cold. It was a chill that sunk deep into his bones, breaking through the natural heat that he gave off as a result of his element. For the first time since arriving in the Digital World, he felt cold, and he absolutely hated it.
The cube moved forward, and Takuya's hand found his D-Tector once again. They were so close to Lucemon. Part of him could sense the presence of their foe, and it was nauseating in a way that he hadn't anticipated. That didn't mean that he was going to back down, but it was still upsetting. He had made up his mind quite some time ago, and Takuya refused to surrender no matter what happened. He simply wished that the battlefield was in a more favorable location.
The Celestial Three ducked into the cube, managing to pass through weak spots in the barrier that Takuya hadn't even realized were present. They pressed on once again, and the surface of the shape brushed against the Dark Heart. It appeared that the core of the Digital World was made of a liquid of some sorts, and it parted for the group as they began to move through its writhing outer layer.
The inside of the Dark Heart was much like Takuya's original expectation. It was a shadowy space that held the same shifting pattern as the outside, though it seemed to be a bit more fragile when viewed from the other side. Takuya examined the area around him before his gaze fell upon the figure that he knew was the target of his animosity. There was only one person to be found in the area, and the explanation of who he was came easily to Takuya.
The Celestial Three allowed the cube to disperse, and the D-Tectors absorbed the light that they had previously released. The Legendary Warriors were allowed to fan out in a sense, though Takuya had to admit that there was one thing about the Dark Heart that he hadn't expected. Rather than standing on any sort of ground, all of them were simply floating, suspended in midair as if they were puppets to some unknown mastermind who existed beyond the horizon.
All of the Legendary Warriors fell silent, and they reached for their D-Tectors if they didn't already have them gripped firmly between their fingers. Takuya's eyes narrowed, and he took in the full appearance of his foe. At long last, he had crossed paths with Lucemon for better or worse.
When Takuya heard tales of an ancient puppet master who wove schemes that would lead to his resurrection, he didn't know what he was expecting. However, he wasn't anticipating what he got, and he frowned at the sight of someone who appeared to be only a young child. Lucemon was pale, almost to an unnatural extent, and the left half of his body between his torso, shoulder, and arm was covered in elaborate purple markings. He wore golden rings around his wrists and ankles that almost swallowed his small appendages. A white sash stretched from his right shoulder down to a wrapping of delicate silk at his waist. The fabric continued to flow freely over his left leg, and it rustled in an unknown breeze.
Lucemon's eyes were bright blue in color, somehow even more striking than Hinoka's own sapphire gaze. His hair was a pale blonde shade, and it was trimmed close to his face in gentle curls that seemed far too innocent for someone who was guilty of so many unspeakable crimes. Four pairs of wings fanned out behind him, and yet another set curled around his hips. Two more wings sprouted from either side of his head, bringing the total to twelve. The white feathers were splendid and demanded the attention of everyone in the area. Everything about Lucemon was so angelic and precious that, had Takuya not known better, he would have assumed that Lucemon could have never been responsible for the wars that he had started for his own sense of pleasure.
"You have arrived," Lucemon said simply. His voice was soft and gentle yet detached at the same time, and his gaze hardened into something oddly stony given the rest of his beautiful appearance. The superiority complex was palpable even from across the Dark Heart, and Takuya felt another shiver run up his spine. This time, it had nothing to do with the cold of the surrounding area.
"Your life ends here, Lucemon!" Takuya cried out. His finger hovered over the activation button of his D-Tector. The instant Lucemon did anything, he was going to know about it, and he would do everything in his power to respond accordingly and put this angel down for good.
Lucemon's expression twisted into a sneer, and his eyes grew sharp and irritated, almost as if he had seen a pest that he yearned to get rid of. "You have no idea who you're dealing with," he told the group. He allowed his hands to rest in front of him, and he created an orb of swirling white, purple, and blue data. Takuya knew that it had to be the Fractal Code of the Digital World, and anger began to boil at his core.
Lucemon held the sphere above his head, and he began to glow with an excruciatingly bright white glow. Takuya raised his free hand to block it out, but his vision still swam with spots after the fact. He could see vaguely that Lucemon's shape was starting to shift, and Takuya prayed that this didn't mean what he feared it did.
Takuya's wishes were left unanswered, and the light faded to show Lucemon in a new form. His hair was still blonde, though it had shifted more to being yellow as opposed to the previous platinum color. A purple marking dotted his left cheek. He wore primarily black armor on his arms and upper legs, but white covered his torso and calves. Gold lined the space between, creating markings at his knees, ankles, shoulders, and chest. Red streaked down his arms before cutting off abruptly just above pure white gloves.
Four sets of wings once again curled around the backside of his body, but they weren't all as pure as they once had been. Instead, all of the wings on the left half of his body were black and sleek, taking on the appearance of something demonic. His right side contained angelic feathers that matched his past incarnation. Another set of wings sprouted from either side of his head, and a final pair curled around his neck. They maintained the pattern of being split down the middle like the rest of his outfit.
"This is my true form," Lucemon replied, spreading his arms outwards in a grand display. His hair shifted gently, and Takuya noticed that the data sphere had disappeared. "I took on this body in the war against the original Legendary Warriors, but they drained my energy and forced me back to my previous level. That will never be an issue again. After all, they are dead and gone, and nothing will bring them back to the land of the living. You are pathetic imitations of the fighters who once toppled me, and they were weak enough as it was. You are nothing to me, but if you insist on putting up a fight, I won't hesitate to give you the beating of a lifetime."
That was as good a cue as any for Takuya to press down on the activation button of his D-Tector. He and the rest of the Legendary Warriors all shifted shape immediately, and all twelve of the Hybrid Warriors were left to replace the humans that had been there a few moments prior. Bokomon, Neemon, and the reincarnations of the Celestial Three all retreated to the back of the group to keep from being in the direct line of fire. The group fell into combative stances, ready to fight back against whatever Lucemon had to throw at them.
Rather than offering a true first strike, Lucemon simply laughed and shook his head. "You coming here is certainly a display of confidence... But I can't say that it counts for much else. If you wish to march to your deaths, then that is your decision. However, I will show you the full extent of my power if you continue to choose to stand against me. I know what position I am meant to occupy in this world, and it's only fitting that a king suppress any rebellions that threaten his rule," he continued.
Lucemon turned one hand over so that an orb of crackling fire appeared. He clenched his fingers into a fist before opening them once again to show a seething tempest of wind. "When I absorbed the various continents of the Digital World, I gained the power that they contained. Before, I only had the power of the Warriors of Energy and Cosmos due to their betrayal of their allies, but I have every element at my disposal now. There is nothing that you can do to stand up against such immense strength, and you will realize soon enough that such resistance is futile," Lucemon declared.
The angel shifted his attention back up, and he finally glanced away from the elements that he had conjured. His gaze seemed almost bored, as if he had forgotten that the Legendary Warriors were there at all for a brief moment. Lucemon's sneer returned, and he allowed the gale of air in his hand to fly forwards. A large tornado was created, and it threatened to pull all of the Legendary Warriors inside.
Aeromon reacted immediately, and she threw up her hands to create a barrier of sorts between the rest of the group and the twister. The two currents of air slammed against one another, both struggling to find purchase, before Daipenmon held up one hand and blew forward, allowing his palm to guide the air in the right direction. The tornado froze over immediately, and all it took was a single punch from Yaiamon to shatter the fragments of ice. The shards scattered all over the Dark Heart in a grand shower that threatened to slash at any pieces of exposed skin, and Aldamon thrust one hand upwards to create a barrier of fire that evaporated the ice on contact.
Lucemon let out a laugh, and it was a low rumbling sound. "It's nice to see that you won't be a complete waste of my time," he remarked. "I believe that we all know how this fight is going to end, but it certainly won't hurt for me to at least have a little bit of fun before destroying you and leaving your ashes to scatter through the remains of the Digital World. You won't live to see tomorrow."
Lucemon sent forth a large strike of thunder next, and Yaiamon slammed their hands together since they were still at the front of the group from their previous action. Stones appeared from nowhere to create a mighty barricade, and Aldamon expressed silent relief that Yaiamon's manipulation of earth still operated even if the ground of the Digital World had been stolen and absorbed by the fallen angel before him. He watched with silent and grateful awe as the electric attacks continued to slam into the rocks, but Yaiamon refused to let up. Their expression was knit into pure stubborn determination, the same traits that Aldamon had come to be so fond of in them.
When the rocks dispersed and Lucemon's attack drew to a close, Lucemon's expression was knit in a detached frown. "You're far more powerful than I initially gave you credit for," Lucemon commented. He shook his head and let out a scoff. "However, it will all amount to nothing. Allow me to show you the power that I came to possess when I absorbed the data of the Digital World."
Lucemon allowed both of his hands to change position until his palms were facing the air above. In his right hand, a sphere of swirling white light appeared. His left hand contained an orb of pure darkness that matched the pattern of the Dark Heart itself. Lucemon watched both of the concentrations of energy with a craze for battle, and while it only lasted a few moments, it seemed as if he was gazing upon them for an eternity before allowing the magic to fall away. "You see, the power of the elements of Light and Darkness is far beyond what any could have originally anticipated. One cannot exist without the other, and they absolutely detest one another when merged improperly," he explained.
Lucemon gestured to the Dark Heart that surrounded them, and he shook his head as a small yet sickening grin festered on his features. "The elements of Energy and Cosmos act as a buffer between the opposing pairs of elements, but Light and Darkness are the ones that need it the most," he continued. "If placed together without the proper sense of separation, they have the power to destroy everything in their path. Why do you think that the Dark Heart is hidden beneath the ground while the Light Heart is in the sky above the Digital World? If they were any closer, they would completely eviscerate everything that dared to exist in their vicinity."
Aldamon already had a feeling that he knew where this was going, and he felt himself grow tense as Lucemon once again went on. The angel moved a hair closer, and Aldamon's body seemed to pull away on its own. "In absorbing the Fractal Code of the various continents of the Digital World, I have gained the strength to manipulate each of the elements. My immense strength will allow me to merge the power of Light and Darkness as I see fit, and currently, I only have one purpose in mind for such destructive energy... I'm going to use it to destroy all of you," he declared, and his eyes narrowed as a laugh that seemed far too contained for a creature so unhinged rattled through his lungs. "I do hope that you can enjoy what is to come knowing that the outcome will be so grueling... Then again, it isn't as if you're unused to making poor decisions. It's your unwillingness to give in that has brought you here, and such determination is going to lead to the end of both your worthless lives and the Digital World as a whole."
Lucemon created a sphere of light energy and threw it in the direction of the Legendary Warriors. The twelve immediately scattered, flying in different directions and using the lack of gravity to their advantage. Patamon, Salamon, and Lopmon all concentrated their energy to create a barricade that prevented themselves and Bokomon and Neemon from getting hit. They retreated as far away from the scene of the fight as possible while still remaining in view of the battle so that they could witness the historic outcome.
Beowolfmon was the first to react, and Aldamon inwardly wondered if perhaps this was his way of getting revenge on Lucemon for using his element in such a twisted way. He raised his sword to the sky and allowed the aura of a white wolf to surround the twin blades before he thrust it forward. The energy released a howling sound before slamming into Lucemon's arm.
The angel had raised his wrist to keep from getting hit on the torso by the attack, and his gaze was so passive that it appeared he hadn't noticed at all. His gaze was borderline emotionless as he let out a low, rumbling chuckle. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. I have existed since long before any of you were even born. The Digital World has a lengthy history, and I have been using all of it to grow stronger and increase my power levels. You don't understand how much experience I have in combat, and you're fooling yourself and delaying the inevitable if you believe that you can stop me," Lucemon said.
However, Aldamon wasn't about to give up, and he could tell based on the gleam of determination in the eyes of his allies that they all felt the same way. The Warrior of Fire clapped his hands together, and flames began to swirl across the surface of his body. He punched at the air, creating a blast of fiery energy that streaked through the sky so quickly that it whistled. It eventually made contact with a few of Lucemon's demonic wings, but it didn't leave behind any markings. There wasn't a scorch to be seen despite the raw strength that Aldamon had poured into the attack, and the Warrior of Fire felt his eyes go wide in pure surprise. Could Lucemon truly be that powerful?
Yaiamon extended their arms out to either side before reaching one above their head and punching downwards. The rocks that they had created before to block Lucemon's thunderous attack reformed, and they immediately began to pelt the angel with countless tiny shards of stone. The earth slashed at his wings, not leaving anything behind on the devilish half but releasing a few feathers from his body from the angelic side. However, the feathers were few and far between, and Lucemon didn't appear to have felt most of the damage dealt in the first place. His trademark sneer never left his face, and Aldamon found himself wishing that he could tear away such a disgusting image at the soonest possible opportunity.
Aerismon held their rapier up in front of their face, and the blade acted as the diving line down the center of their body. It began to glow with purple energy that only grew stronger as the seconds passed by, and Aldamon could practically feel the air buzzing not long afterwards. He watched as Aerismon pointed the sword forward, releasing a barrage of small lasers made of a pure amethyst color. Aerismon held up their other hand as well, and an outwards ripple of invisible energy passed through the Dark Heart. Aldamon felt his body grow tense as it passed through him, though it didn't do any damage beyond that since he wasn't the target in question.
Unfortunately, Lucemon didn't seem to care much for any of the blows being sent in his direction. He waited until the current set had worn out before punching at the air, creating another large clap of energy that seemed to push outwards with far more force than Aldamon had anticipated. This time, he did feel the full force of the strike since he was the one that it was meant to hit, and the inside of his body seemed to twist with the sudden pain that struck him down. His wings stopped working for a crucial moment, and Aldamon was relieved that he didn't need to rely on his flight abilities to remain sustained in the Dark Heart due to the lack of gravity that impacted the core of the Digital World.
Daipenmon managed to recover from the attack first, and he pointed his axe in Lucemon's direction as a series of snowballs were fired free from the space between the separating blades. Once he had released enough snow, Daipenmon slashed at the air, creating a jagged pattern of icicles that spread rapidly until they were poking at the air just in front of Lucemon, creating a wide link between the Warrior of Ice and the Angel of Hell.
Thundramon swept up next, and he delivered a swift kick to the ice, sending electricity rocketing through the frozen fluid at rapid speeds. Lucemon had no time to react before the lightning was dancing across his armor, but his expression barely shifted from its typical apathy. He didn't seem to care in the slightest, and this lack of thought extended to his next action as well.
Lucemon held up one hand, and fire was immediately unleashed from his palm. The ice was melted in the blink of an eye, and the water was disintegrated before it could even float around the Dark Heart. The electricity vanished as well, and the fire began to spread in its place. The flames moved forward at breakneck speeds before hitting both Daipenmon and Thundramon with surprising force, and the Warriors of Ice and Thunder were both forced backwards before they had a chance to guard or retaliate.
The fires threatened to fan out from there, and Ceruleamon raised her staff in an attempt to stop it. The sapphire at the top started to glow with a passionate blue light, and a tidal wave of water burst forth soon afterwards, dousing the flames before they could grow any worse than they already had. Steam was left behind, but it quickly evaporated and dissipated.
Ceruleamon didn't stop there though, and she closed her eyes as yet another impressive outburst of water appeared from the gem. It flooded towards Lucemon, and Aldamon was thankful that all of the Legendary Warriors had retreated to the space behind her so that none of them were hit. After all, the attack managed to knock Lucemon around briefly, and the angel was forced downwards closer to the bottom of the Dark Heart where the shadows converged at a single point.
It seemed that the force of the attack had done more damage than the attack itself though, as aside from his hair being stuck to his face from the liquid and his wings shining with the lingering droplets of water, Lucemon appeared to be completely unharmed. He sent a glare in Ceruleamon's direction and prepared to send an attack in her direction, but he was cut off by another figure intervening.
Aethermon dove into view, and the twelve trails of the elements that hung behind her body began to glow with their respective colors. She drew a circular pattern in the air before punching at the space in between the border, creating a column of white that shot towards Lucemon. Comets of the dozen colors swirled around the center of the attacking stream, and they all held a merciless aura that almost took Aldamon by surprise.
Aeromon was the final Warrior to unleash an attack in quick succession with the other two, and she raised her hands into the air to create a series of thin twisters that danced along her fingers. Once she had created them, she spun in a quick circle, creating a larger tornado that moved towards Lucemon slowly yet grimly. It was on a mission, and its solemn march towards the fallen angel Digimon was something that refused to by contested by the interference of any outsiders.
Both the tornado and column of energy certainly made contact with their targets, but Lucemon didn't seem to mind in the slightest. In fact, he almost seemed happy to see that the Legendary Warriors had abandoned all potential notions of holding back on him. He let out a small chuckle, but the sound was hollow and lacked any sense of emotion. The wind from Aeromon's attack had dried out his previously wet hair, and the strike from Aethermon had left little more than a small mark across his cheek. When Lucemon raised his finger to touch it, the scratch came away easily, and Aldamon realized that it was likely simply a piece of a singed feather that had fallen off of one of Lucemon's wings earlier in the fight. Even Aethermon's attack, which had seemingly been the most powerful thus far, hadn't been able to so much as scratch him.
Lucemon shook his head, and his hair moved stiffly with the motion, showing Aldamon that it hadn't been completely released of the water that Ceruleamon had previously unleashed. "You should simply give up," he said simply. He held up one hand before clenching his fingers into a fist, creating a large twister that enveloped his body and rustled his wings gently. He seemed so calm despite being at the center of what appeared to be a storm in the making.
Those who were outside of the tornado's eye were nowhere near as lucky though. Aethermon, Ceruleamon, and Aeromon, who had been the closest to Lucemon thanks to being the most recent attackers, were all knocked backwards immediately. The other Legendary Warriors were forced to retreat until the storm's final winds died out due to the massive size of the twister. Aldamon was lucky to escape most of the damage, but he could still feel a cut forming on his cheek from a particularly brutal breeze that had brushed against him in the process of the storm's conclusion.
"I don't know why you continue to fight when there is no point. If there is a battle that you can't win, you should simply surrender. I have the upper hand, and there is nothing that you can do to defeat me. No matter what you try or how many times you attack me, you will never be able to knock me down. The previous Legendary Warriors barely managed to defeat me, and you are a mere shadow of their potential. I have the full strength of the Digital World at my side, and it will continue to push me forward until every world is under my full control," Lucemon went on. His voice was so casual that Aldamon never would have expected Lucemon to use such a tone to describe the way that he had murdered Digimon in the past. His ambitions were most certainly impressive, but that was all that Aldamon could say, and even the idea of admitting that much made him feel like he had to punch something. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to get anywhere near his target to land a hit, so he settled for fuming from afar.
"I believe in you! I know that you can do it!" Bokomon's voice suddenly cried out, and Aldamon glanced over to see that the small white Digimon was standing alongside Neemon and the reincarnations of the Celestial Three. He was cheering with everything that he had in an attempt to raise morale, but it was still blatantly obvious that Lucemon's power was rattling him as well. Patamon, Salamon, and Lopmon also appeared to be growing tired, and Aldamon realized that they wouldn't be able to keep guarding from Lucemon's attacks forever given that none of them had the strength and experience that came with the combat that the Legendary Warriors were used to.
Siriusmon allowed the encouragement from Bokomon to push him onward, and he raised his staff into the air. A large hole opened in the sky, and the pattern of starry skies that he had come to be synonymous with appeared in the space behind him. He pointed towards Lucemon, and countless tiny comets began to streak through the air towards the fallen angel. They threatened to leave singes across his armor, and light flashed in displays of bright colors. If not for his enhanced sense of sight, Aldamon was positive that he would have seen stars for ages afterwards due to the sheer magnitude of the illumination that Siriusmon had conjured.
Lyseirmon unleashed the next attack, and she fired an arrow in Lucemon's direction. A seed planted itself against his armor, and vines began to stretch outwards around his body. Lucemon was unable to do much more than simply stand there waiting for the attack to run its course, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest. It was typical for him to not care by this point, and while Aldamon wasn't shocked, he absolutely detested how uncaring the fallen angel was.
It wasn't until after Lyseirmon's attack had finished that Lucemon let out a small laugh. It was a bark of a chuckle, and he raised one hand despite the firm green plants that were attempting to keep him in place. Aldamon could feel the fire crackling before it even came into view, and he was unsurprised when the flames began to spread outwards along the surface of the plants, leaving nothing behind but mere cinders. A moment later, even the remnants of the vines were eaten away by the flames, and no traces remained that Lyseirmon had even attacked in the first place.
Lucemon slashed one arm out sideways, and the resulting wave of air that was formed knocked both Siriusmon and Lyseirmon far from the scene. There was a wide area of vast, empty space surrounding Lucemon, and anyone who got much closer was bound to sustain the damages of his full melee strength. His power wasn't something to be contested, and if ranged attacks were barely doing anything, close-up blows stood no chance of doing anything to him.
Rhihimon was the only one who dared to breach the distance, and he pulled his staff back before diving towards Lucemon. He slashed sideways towards the angel, and a strike of powerful dark energy burst forth from the top of the staff. Like all other attacks sent in Lucemon's direction, this did no damage, and it simply bounced off the fallen angel's armor without any issues. Lucemon scoffed in his direction and flew forward quickly, one hand outstretched. He curled his fingers around the top of Rhihimon's staff, and the Warrior of Darkness stared at him in surprise. For one terrifying moment, Lucemon and Rhihimon met one another's gazes, and the angel sneered before he lashed out once more.
All it took was a single motion for Rhihimon to be sent flying backwards. As soon as Lucemon's grip released his staff, Rhihimon was allowed to fly freely through the air. He only slid to a stop after his momentum had run out, and his wings curled in firmly around his body in an attempt to prevent any further damage. He was left breathing heavily when the sudden toss knocked all of the air from his lungs, and his expression was left strained. Aldamon found himself longing to fly closer to see if Rhihimon was alright, and he began to prepare his route around Lucemon to keep from being hurt along the way to rescuing Rhihimon from the imminent danger that the fallen angel posed.
Before he had the chance to do so though, Aldamon was pinned in place by his own surprise as Lucemon's voice rang throughout the Dark Heart. "I'm afraid that I grow tire of our little game," he announced. He unfurled one of his fists, and an orb of pure white light appeared atop his palm. "Let's end this here and now, shall we?"
Lucemon threw the sphere of light forward, and it traveled silently through the air before exploding outwards in a defiant burst. The illumination created a large trap of sorts, and it seemed to have a pull that threatened to drag Aldamon inside regardless of his own wishes. The Warrior of Fire was so surprised to suddenly be influenced by the strange force of gravity that he didn't have time to start moving until it was too late.
"The powers of Light and Darkness destroy everything in their path when combined without a buffer," Lucemon reminded the team. He chuckled and shook his head. "First, allow me to show you the true shadow that comes with the power of light that you have been claiming to fight alongside for so long. Remember that this is the same strength that you once believed to be your ally as it tears you limb from limb."
Aldamon felt himself be swallowed by the light, and he glanced around to see that there was only white space around him. He could see the outlines of most of the rest of the Legendary Warriors nearby, and the only one that appeared to have escaped Lucemon's grasp was Rhihimon because of how far away he was from the point of impact. Aldamon swore under his breath, feeling his stomach twist into a knot at the realization that there was no potential for an outside team to swoop in and save those trapped from the full brunt of Lucemon's power.
That was when the pain set in.
Aldamon barely had time to process what was happening before everything started to hurt. He let out a cry of pain, and his vision began to grow blurry. He couldn't tell if it was due to the raw agony that had overtaken him or the tears that were undoubtedly starting to form in his eyes. He did his best to struggle against the power that was pulling at every part of his body, but he couldn't escape it no matter how hard he tried.
"Now, allow me to present to you the power of darkness," Lucemon continued. His voice sounded so strangely faraway while being simultaneously close and uncomfortable. The true Lucemon was distant, waiting outside the orb of light, but echoes of his voice reverberated mercilessly in Aldamon's head. It felt as if his mind was being ripped in half, and all he could do was stand there and take it.
The sphere of shadows that Lucemon had conjured with his other hand flew in the direction of the white orb that Aldamon and the other Legendary Warriors were waiting inside. Darkness began to blend with the light, and everything began to blur together into an unrecognizable mess. Aldamon's vision failed him, and all he could see were flashes behind his closed eyes, aftermath of the pain that was wracking his body. He knew that he was screaming, but he could barely recognize the sound. Some part of him said that the other members of the Legendary Warriors were struggling in such a way as well, but Aldamon couldn't bring himself to do much of anything to change such a truth. His body had long forgotten how to listen to the commands of his mind, and all that was left behind was a primal urge to find a way to survive. He had to weather this storm, but he didn't know how he was even meant to start considering such a fact.
It felt as if Aldamon was suffering in his own agony for a thousand years before everything finally drew to a close. The darkness and light subsided, leaving behind only the swirling core of the Dark Heart. Aldamon was breathing heavily, but it never felt as if enough air entered his lungs. When he attempted to pry his eyes open, he was met with an unpleasant sight.
His hands. His human hands. He had shifted back into Takuya without even noticing because of the sheer damage that he had taken. It was too much for him to take, and he had fallen apart under the weight of it all. As soon as he realized this truth, the world seemed to fall away, and Takuya was left in a pocket of weightlessness and shadow. He recognized dimly that this was what it felt like for his Fractal Code to appear, and his thought process slowed to a crawl as panic was overtaken by pure exhaustion. He was terrified, but above all that, he was simply tired.
Takuya didn't return to reality in full until after he managed to tear his eyes open when his Fractal Code retreated back into his body. His outline was allowed to fill with colors once again, and the darkness subsided to give way to muted shades that illustrated the depth of his exhaustion. Takuya could tell that he was covered in bruises and cuts, but he struggled to truly measure how much damage he had taken. Did he even want to know? The numbness that had sunk into his mind was a blessing in his opinion, and Takuya was positive that it was protecting him from understanding just how hurt he was after that single attack.
It took far more energy than he expected to glance over his shoulder and see that the other Legendary Warriors were all in a similar condition. He could see blood smeared roughly across Saki's cheek. Chihiro's eyes were hidden from view, but they had fallen limp in the aftermath of Lucemon's strike. Koji had one hand curled around his stomach, and a bruise marked the right side of his neck. It was an atrocious sight, and Takuya felt as if he was going to be sick. They weren't going to be able to Spirit Evolve in this state. They had simply sustained too much damage, and Takuya didn't even think that he still had the strength to raise his D-Tector.
"I'm impressed that you managed to survive even that first attack," Lucemon commented with a shake of his head. "However, it matters not. I won't be allowing you any mercies this time, and you will die within the next few moments. Make your peace with your king. This is the last time that you will ever behold the land of the living. Goodbye, Legendary Warriors. Burn in hell."
Lucemon stretched out his hands once again, and an orb of bright illumination appeared in one palm while shadows festered in the other. Takuya felt tears began to stream down his cheeks, and he wished that he remembered how to speak. Was this truly the end? Were they all destined to die here? After trying with everything they had to prevent Lucemon's resurrection, were the Legendary Warriors going to die at his hands? They had failed, and Lucemon was going to destroy every scrap of hope that they still held to with desperate, exhausted fingers.
Takuya closed his eyes, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he surrendered to the darkness around him and allowed abandonment to creep in and swallow him whole.
No.
Rhihimon could hear the screaming from across the Dark Heart, and he saw the rapidly shifting bodies of the Legendary Warriors as they reverted back to human form. His eyes went wide, and all of his previous surprise was forgotten. The strain from being thrown around by Lucemon had faded quickly due to his lack of a body, and he felt as if he had been returned to top condition already. If he needed any further proof that he lacked the physical form that the other Legendary Warriors possessed, this was most certainly solid evidence that he was unable to dispute.
Rhihimon saw Lucemon turn his hands upwards once again, and orbs of starlight and shadow formed without a moment of hesitation. The Angel of Hell offered his promise of defeat to the Legendary Warriors, and he carelessly tossed the orb of light toward the weakened forms of Rhihimon's comrades. He knew that they wouldn't be able to escape. All of the time in the world wouldn't have been able to save them.
No.
Rhihimon dove forward, using the lack of gravity in the area to his advantage. He reached out one hand towards the orb of light until it was within his range, and he allowed himself to be swallowed by the illumination. It briefly stole his vision, but his body felt no pain. The screams that he had heard echoing from the rest of the Legendary Warriors were foreign to him, and he remained completely still, uncaring as to what was happening around him.
"Koichi!" came the strangled cry of Koji from somewhere down below. Rhihimon wasn't sure where it had originated from specifically, but he knew that it wasn't particularly important to pinpoint the exact location. He had far more important things to focus on in that moment. He needed to defend the rest of his companions. The fate of the Digital World rested on their shoulders, and if they perished, there was no hope for this realm or any other universe that rested beyond the barrier.
Lucemon only scoffed, and the sound was a brief huff in Rhihimon's ear despite the distance between them. "So be it," he whispered, not seeming to care in the slightest that the Warrior of Darkness had intervened. He threw the sphere of dark energy downwards towards Rhihimon, and the Warrior of Darkness glanced up. He could see a small pocket of shadow among the excruciating white glow that surrounded him, and it grew closer as the seconds passed by.
He braced himself for impact, but the pain never came. Instead, Rhihimon was merely allowed to suspend himself in midair. Even though he felt no outward pain, he knew that something was changing. He felt as if his body was being torn apart, but it was on a far deeper level than simply suffering from the agony that the others had endured. Rhihimon's body had been created as a result of mistranslated data and a gift from his predecessor. It was a temporary blessing, and Rhihimon believed that in taking this attack for the rest of the Legendary Warriors, he had pushed his body, the illusion of a physical form, far beyond its limitations.
And yet, he was ready.
When he was waiting there amidst sun and shadow, Rhihimon realized that he was going to die. The scythe of death whistled over his shoulder, and he knew that it would strike true in a matter of moments. Even though he was unaware of what was set to come next, Rhihimon felt as if everything would be alright. His previous fears melted away, and gratitude was left behind instead. No matter how much time he had left, he would at least pass on with the knowledge that he had made a difference. He had found a second home, a new family, even if it was only for a brief time. The thought of how temporary this had been was tragic, but Rhihimon found himself thankful that such beauty had existed in his life at all.
It was only after the orb of light and darkness was convinced that it had dealt enough damage that it finally dispersed. Rhihimon felt something shift, and he realized that he had reverted back to his human form. However, there was something different this time. His skin, regularly pale but still somewhat tinted with human color, had gone completely white, and the light haze of periwinkle and violet Fractal Code passed over his body. His eyes were still the same piercing sapphire color as ever, and his obsidian hair flowed around him freely, no longer bound by the laws of the mortal plane.
The Legendary Warriors were all watching him in shock, and the same applied to their Digimon guides. None of them seemed to want to believe that what they were seeing was true, but they had no choice but to come to terms with reality. Koichi felt a somber smile appear on his face, and he wondered if they were as glad to know him as he had been to have them in his life. If he had still possessed the loose data that resembled a body, he knew that he would have been crying.
"Koichi!" came Koji's strangled cry, and Koichi realized that his brother had gone unnaturally pale in his terror. He appeared to be frozen to the spot between his fear and injuries, unable to claw his way forwards no matter how hard he tried. Tears were starting to well in his eyes, and they were on the verge of spilling over as Lucemon laughed chillingly nearby.
"I wanted to repay you all for the kindness that you have shown me," Koichi began, still smiling gently. "Please... Save the Digital World. Use the hope that you hold inside and show this realm true peace. Rescue those who have already fallen. I beg of you."
Koichi's gaze shifted to Koji next, but he could feel the eyes of the rest of the group on him even still. "I... I want you to visit our mother back home," Koichi told Koji. If he regretted anything, it was the fact that he had been forced to leave his mother prematurely. Koichi had been anticipating his return to the apartment that he shared with his mother, but he would never be able to greet her again. He had been hoping to introduce her to Koji with the firm belief that it would ease her agonizing burdens, but such simply was never meant to be. However, he could at least send Koji to their mother on his behalf. It was what Tomoko would have wanted, and it was what Koichi desired just the same.
"What about you?" Koji questioned, his voice edging on the fine line between panic and pure desperation. Had he had any strength left from Lucemon's attacks, he certainly would have been attempting to move towards his brother. Instead, he remained suspended in the Dark Heart, unable to do anything but simply watch as his life crumbled before his very eyes.
Koichi's expression faltered. "I... I'm afraid that I... I..." Even at the end, Koichi couldn't bring himself to say that he was likely dead back on Earth. The word simply refused to form, so he instead allowed the silence to hang in the air. His companions were surely capable of putting the pieces together even if he refused to voice the terrifying phrase that had come to apply to him so recently.
Koichi did his best to shake himself free of such concerns, and he pulled his hands in towards his chest in an almost instinctive motion. When he moved his palms away, the Human and Beast Spirits of Darkness were resting in the air. An outline of his Hybrid form could be seen between them, though it was hazy due to not having a traditional physical presence. In that respect, Koichi and Rhihimon were alike. It was almost fitting that he faced death when he had been shifted into the form of Rhihimon a mere few moments prior.
"Take the Spirits of Darkness," Koichi instructed. He watched as the small shrines moved towards Koji, and they manifested in the shape of Koichi's D-Tector. He hadn't even realized, but it had been stolen from him when his imitation of a body finally fell apart. After all, it didn't have a true physical form either, and that left it prone to the manipulation of the Spirits, the one thing that had granted both Koichi and his D-Tector purchase in the Digital World.
Koji's hand moved forward, and he took the D-Tectors between his fingers. He looked at the screen of the device for a long moment, terrified of the hollow reflection that stared back at him. When Koji shifted his attention back up to Koichi, his eyes were filled with such grief that it was almost overwhelming just to witness from the outside. He appeared to be on the verge of falling apart completely, and Koichi found himself apologizing silent for inspiring such sorrow in his comrades.
"I think... I think I'm ready," Koichi whispered, and his eyes began to flutter shut. He could feel the data that comprised his soul starting to dissipate. There was a buzzing sensation that started in what appeared to be the outline of his foot, and it slowly began to spiral outwards. His shoulder trembled as well, and then his cheek joined in. A sad smile appeared on his face as he opened his eyes once again, taking in one final glance of the Legendary Warriors before the end inevitably arrived. In his last moments, he wanted to be able to relish in the glory and splendor of those who had given him such beauty in the first place.
"Thank you," Koichi continued, and he began to splinter away into nothing. His vision grew dark at the corners, and he shadows slowly spread outwards. The darkness, his eternal element and constant companion, brought him a strange sense of comfort, and he wondered if perhaps the shadows were attempting to console him. He recalled the face of AncientSphinxmon and found himself thanking his previous incarnation for everything. In his final moments, all he had was gratitude for those who had changed his life in such incredible ways.
"Goodbye."
The darkness fully closed in around him, and Koichi felt nothing as death finally took him in its calming embrace.
Anger.
Takuya was growling and snarling before he even recognized the sound. Every part of him had been consumed by a rage that seemed borderline inhuman, and he screamed with the endless pain that wracked his core, taking hold of his ribcage and crushing through bone and blood to pierce his heart. Nothing was left inside of him but anguish and grief, and one thought echoed through his mind on repeat, a dizzying cycle that brought him a twisted sense of comfort as everything inside of him began to rattle.
Lucemon must die. Lucemon needs to pay. Lucemon murdered Koichi.
He could move again. Takuya found himself staring downwards, and he saw fire blazing around his palms, an endless inferno that consumed everything he was, rending through flesh effortlessly. The flame that thrived in his core shrieked and whistled, longing for release, for bloodshed, against the one who had caused this.
Lucemon. Murderer. Koichi. Gone. Anger. Rage. Kill. Destroy. End. Die.
Takuya let out a fierce scream, and he shoved one of his hands forward. He would have been surprised at the crackling flames that burst forth from his body and spiraled towards Lucemon had he not been so consumed by his own sorrow and anger. Fire was passionate and confident, but it was also destructive and agonizing. Such was the paradox of Takuya's existence as the Legendary Warrior of Fire, and it pushed him to violence wishes that he had never experienced before.
Tear Lucemon's wings from his spine. Pluck every feather from his damn body. Make him pay. Relish in his screams. He must die.
Other tidal waves of elemental strikes flew forwards, and a gale like a hurricane slammed into Lucemon's body. He could hear Izumi sobbing somewhere faraway, and a scream of electric rage echoed in his mind as thunder clapped endlessly. Ice spread until the Dark Heart's temperature had dropped far below what it regularly was. Plants and greenery writhed with the wrath of nature itself. The earth, or whatever was left of it following Lucemon's conquest, trembled and shrieked. Water flooded towards Lucemon and drowned him in the sorrow of endless grief. White lightning stole the energy of the Dark Heart, and it felt almost as if the realm itself was contorting. Comets streaked through the air with sudden vibrance and agony. The Digital World seemed to double over in pain as a percussive explosion of telekinetic energy sent rage rocketing through Takuya's body all over again.
The only elements that weren't actively slamming into the Angel of Hell were Light and Darkness. The latter had fallen and would never rise again, leaving grief to thrive in the heart of the former. Takuya felt an almost animalistic rage as he whirled to face Koji, who was undoubtedly suffering the most under the weight of Koichi's sacrifice. He was almost ready to incite further violence in Koji's heart, knowing that the Warrior of Light deserved more than any of them to tear apart every pathetic atom that made up Lucemon's body.
Instead, Takuya was met with a scream of pain.
It wasn't emotional agony like he had anticipated. He could see Koji's eyes go wide as his exhaustion and rage snuck up on him, and both of the D-Tectors in his hand, one for Light and one for Darkness, began to practically vibrate with white and black energy respectively. The longer that he held tightly to them both, the stronger the power got, and Koji's shrieks only grew louder and more excruciating to listen to.
Something was wrong.
Takuya only let up in his attacks on Lucemon when Koji began to change shape. It looked like a Spirit Evolution, but this was far from being like any shift of form that Takuya had seen before. There was something twisted to it that made the air buzz with malice. This was not what he was used to, and he could tell.
The D-Tectors disappeared as they regularly did when Spirit Evolution took place, and they seemed to melt into Koji's skin. Takuya glanced up to Lucemon, almost as if he wanted an excuse to not look at this sudden, horrifying transformation. The Angel of Hell was simply laughing, and his eyes, previously passive and uncaring, had been taken over by a maniacal sense of triumph. He knew that he had won. In murdering Koichi, he had earned the ire of all of the Legendary Warriors, and he was going to pick them off one by one until he was the only one left.
The screaming began anew, and Takuya laid his eyes upon the monstrosity that Koji had become.
No.
Koji didn't want to believe it. No matter how many times the vision replayed in his mind, he refused to accept that Koichi was gone. It felt as if something inside of him had been hollowed out, his heart torn forcefully from his chest and crushed until only a bloody pulp remained. He was empty, and he was angry unlike anything he had ever understood before that moment. His previous issues with rage felt like nothing compared to the grief that screamed inside of him like the sun imploding and dragging everything else in the universe down with it.
Only one part of his body seemed to accept hope, but it was such a small flicker that it was easily overwhelmed by everything else. Koji was screaming, but he didn't care in the slightest. He barely registered that he had opened his mouth to begin with. Everything was secondary to his desire to destroy Lucemon and everything that damn angel had ever attempted to create.
The light inside of him was wild and unchained, rattling around against the chains of its lost incarceration. Koji had learned how to keep himself calm, to keep from losing everything to his anger, thanks to the Legendary Warriors. All of that was undone in an instant as he remembered the fact that Lucemon had killed his brother. There were no goodbyes, and no time had been offered to prepare. There had simply been the inferno, tears, and then nothing.
Koji and Koichi's D-Tectors both began to merge with the skin beneath, and his body started to change. Part of him was growing while other areas remained stagnant. The previous pale tint of his flesh disappeared, leaving behind only white and black. The white spread rapidly, eager to devour everything in its path, while the darkness pulled back, retreating in on itself as if it could sense the loss of its keeper. Spirits regularly could not be torn away from their hosts, and with the Digital World gone, they were unable to return to the realm itself. That left only the one who was connected heavily by flesh and blood to the incarnation of Darkness, and Koji absorbed both his own Spirits and those that his brother had left behind.
His eyes were blue, the only color to be found on his body. His skin was covered in white and black, haphazard patches that showed just how destructive and shattered he felt on the inside. Some of his hair remained long and flowing the way that it did when he was Koji while other chunks fell away and disappeared like ash on the wind (like Koichi just had), leaving the short hair of his darkened brother behind.
To put it simply, he looked like an atrocity, a beast who had been transformed into grief and rage personified. He was hardly human in appearance anymore, and all those who glanced upon him were surprised. The assaults on Lucemon had drawn to a conclusion, and all eyes, Legendary Warrior and Digimon, were solely on Koji. Was that even his name anymore? He didn't believe that it was.
Erociamon.
His human title had long been abandoned. He was only a monster of Light and Darkness, a creature writhing under the weight of his own hatred. His eyes gleamed with something hollow and monstrously destructive. He possessed no other wishes aside from violence, and his fingers had elongated themselves into claws. He longed to use those talons to tear Lucemon apart and leave the pathetic bastard of an angel screaming for mercy after all of the sins that he had committed.
Lucemon murdered Koichi.
Lucemon will die.
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.
Oh boy. Here's the chapter.
Fans who have seen the original anime knew that this was going to happen, and man, I've been both looking forward to and dreading this chapter for a long time. On one hand, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it, so the pieces just fell into place. On the other hand, Koichi is my favorite character from Frontier and in my top five characters from Digimon as a whole, so killing him is painful for me. Still, I think that this chapter turned out rather well overall.
The first part of this chapter really does speak for itself. The first half is simply the fight against Lucemon, and the Legendary Warriors get absolutely trashed. That's pretty similar to how things are in the actual canon of Digimon Frontier, so there's not much to say here. The primary difference is that the Hybrid Spirits were used as opposed to Human Spirits like in canon. I always found it strange that the group opted out of using their most powerful forms, so that's how things ended up here.
Now, let's get into the elephant in the room: Koichi's death. This has been foreshadowed for a long time, and all of the clues have been there regarding the fact that he doesn't have a physical form. It just hit a boiling point here when he put his false body through the final bit of stress that it could handle, and now he's gone. Like I said before, I was both looking forward to and dreading this chapter because of how much I enjoy Koichi as a character, but the seeds for this have been planted throughout the book, so there was no way for me to back out of it now.
The next notable thing is the Legendary Warriors using their elements against Lucemon while in human form. I'll be elaborating more on this in the next few chapters, but since they've been changed and are half Digimon and half human at this point, there are lots of lingering effects when they're in human state. One of those effects includes the power to influence their elements, though this didn't become a thing they could do until very recently since it required so much bonding with their Spirits first.
Then there's the matter of Erociamon. I only called him by name once this chapter, but the name of Koji's new form is Erociamon. Again, this will be elaborated more on in the next two chapters, but the Spirits of Darkness were unable to return to the Digital World since the realm was destroyed by Lucemon. They went to the closest thing to their host, Koji, since he shares blood with Koichi. Of course, the Spirits of Darkness aren't exactly compatible with Koji, so when his anger got the better of him, they fused in a very ugly way and created Erociamon, who is essentially Koji's grief and rage personified.
Erociamon is meant to replace the first appearance of Susanoomon in this iteration. I never really saw much of a reason for Susanoomon to show up the first time, so everything is being shifted around to accommodate. I didn't think it made much sense for Takuya and Koji to be the only ones behind Susanoomon the first time either, so I created a new Digimon to fill the gap left behind. Erociamon is an unhealthy blend of the Spirits of Light and Darkness, and I think this is a nice way of reflecting Lucemon's previous words about how mishandled fusion of Light and Darkness is so dangerous. This also harkens back to the reason behind the existence of the Spirits of Energy and Cosmos; without that buffer, the Spirits of Light and Darkness created something volatile and monstrous. I don't remember exactly where I found the name for Erociamon, but I can say that I'm pretty sure Erocia means a blend of light and darkness in some language, hence its application here.
Koichi's lack of a body is something that I've been building up for a long time because I wanted there to be clues along the way. In canon, there isn't really much to look at aside from simply him not getting hurt in battle, so I ramped that up to eleven here. Having both Takuya and Izumi experience soul and body separation was meant to add to the foreshadowing, and I loved throwing both of those in. It added a better explanation to the Dark Trailmon segment and gave more context to just how bad Koichi's experiences truly are.
On the subject of soul and body separation, I want to drop in and offer a quick fact about Zephyrmon. This didn't exactly fit in with the drop of miscellaneous information in the previous chapter's author's note, but it certainly applies here. Zephyrmon is the most powerful out of the Beast Spirits by a long shot, hence why she was able to defeat Ceruleamon where others could not. The reason for this is twofold: first off, Izumi doesn't have her Hybrid for a long time, so that gives her the chance to grow experienced as Zephyrmon. Second, the nature of Izumi's soul falling asleep while Zephyrmon was in control caused a serious spike in strength as well as increasing the connection between them. Zephyrmon took control when Izumi was exhausted as a way of saving her from drowning when the whirlpool her Beast Spirit was in collapsed. Zephyrmon fed off Izumi's nightmares rather than using Izumi as a conduit the way that most Spirits do with their vessels, hence the strange properties of Zephyrmon's existence compared to others. This information isn't exactly necessary to the story like the facts offered in the previous chapter, so I'm dropping it here as a bit of extra lore in case anybody is curious even though it doesn't have any consequences on the plot.
This chapter overall is a very punchy one as far as emotions are concerned since all of the clues are there to say that something is going to happen. One little detail that I particularly like is the exclusion of Koichi saying that he believes his body is dead, instead leaving it ominous and open-ended for everyone else to figure out. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter even if it ended with hurting Koichi. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I had started, and I love how it turned out.
Next week, we'll be getting into the second-to-last chapter of this story as Erociamon runs his course. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed. Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital