(A/N: The next chapter is here. If you recall from last chapter, Daemon was starting to put his secret plan into affect. You know it's not going to be good, whatever it is. And out poor heroes don't even know he's coming. They think They're on their way to fight Lucemon. But things rarely go as planned. Things are really going t start escalating, so get ready.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 172: Fall Of A Demon
"I'm just saying," Takuya explained, "that if everyone rose up against the Demon Lords together, we should be able to take them down. The Demon Lords may be strong, but they're not strong enough to take on everyone."
Shoutmon let out an impatient sigh. "And I'm telling you that it'll never happened. You're right, the Demon Lords can't stop everyone, but they'll be able to literally wipe out thousands with a single attack. No one wants to willingly charge to their death. Each Demon Lord on their own is like an entire army that would be able to take out millions, literally millions, of Digimon before they fall. Think of it like every ant in your world tries to take down an anteater. Oh sure, I'm sure they'll be able to eventually, but how many millions or billions would die before that happens? No one wants to be one of those poor casualties, especially when they know for sure that they're not strong enough to survive if they face one, so they don't challenge them."
Tai glanced at Takuya. "I guess it's like being on the front line in a war where you're greatly outnumbered and outgunned. Even if your side will eventually win, no one wants to be in that position because they know they're going to die. No one is going to line up to die."
Takuya crossed his arms. "There have been many soldiers who died honorable deaths for their country in the Real World who would beg to differ."
Shoutmon snorted. "That's because they don't know what it's like to die. And death isn't an absolute either the way it is for you. And while pretty much every Digimon in existence has died at least once, and let me tell you, it's not fun. It's a horrific and traumatizing experience that none of us ever wants to go through again. But unlike you humans, we don't get that luxury of finding peace in death. We just start over from scratch. And let me tell you, that is not fun. Especially when we spend decades, centuries, millennia even, to get to the levels we're at."
Takato considered Shoutmon's words. "I guess I see what you're saying. And also, since death doesn't mean the same for Digimon as it does for us, it makes sense that they would have a different perspective of it. For us, death is inevitable, but for Digimon, it doesn't have to be something they experience if they can avoid it."
"I think when it comes down to it, everyone is just scared," Davis said thoughtfully. "They'd rather keep their heads down and avoid getting hurt. It's not too unlike the way a bullied victim would submit to the bully and just come to accept their fate."
"But aren't people rising up now?" Takuya asked.
Shoutmon nodded. "Yeah, against the Demon Lords' servants, not the head honchos themselves. Get rid of the problems they know they can handle to make life easier for themselves, not go charging into certain death."
A scoff escaped Ceresmon Medium as she glanced over her shoulder at them. "Interesting you would say that since you're heading for certain death." She faced forward again. "And I'm the fool who's taking you there."
Takuya threw his hands up in frustration. "All I'm saying is that wouldn't you rather try to take out the Demon Lords, even if it means your deaths, especially since you Digimon don't really die, than live indefinitely under their oppressive tyrannical rule? Ceresmon, you're super strong. Why don't you fight back?"
The goddess Digimon let out a despairing sigh. "You don't understand. It's not really even the Demon Lords' immense power that keeps everyone in check. They used their power to get to the positions they're in, but it's the terror they've unleashed during their rule that truly stops anyone from going against them. Fear is their true weapon, and they make sure everyone stays afraid so they're not challenged. And those who do find the courage to fight back are crushed so completely and so horrifically by their incredible power that everyone else, even those who also possess great power, are too afraid to try anything."
Shoutmon sighed. "She's right, that's how they do things. You humans just have the benefit and naivety to not know the true horror and extent of the Demon Lords. That and you have no choice but to fight if want to get home."
Ceresmon looked at her hands. "What you say is true. I am very strong, possibly strong enough that a single Demon Lord will struggle against me. But fighting by myself would still be suicide. And there won't be anyone who will come to my aid. The few of us who can actually cause the Demon Lords real trouble are extremely few and far between, and so they make sure we never gather together to form a true resistance."
She sounded truly remorseful, and the teens exchanged looks. "Well," said Tai, "how about now? You could help us fight Lucemon."
Ceresmon didn't respond, nor did she look back. She merely continued to stare ahead as they flew along.
"Ceresmon?" Kari asked.
She still didn't turn around, but she did finally answer. "You ask for my help?"
Takato cocked his head to the side. "Well, sure. We're about to face Lucemon. We could use all the help we can get."
Tai nodded in agreement. "What do you say?"
"Yes," an unexpected voice that did not belong to their group spoke out, "what do you say?"
Everyone turned around and looked up. Standing at the top of the tree on Ceresmon's back was the last person any of them wanted to see on their way to Lucemon's castle.
Daemon's red eyes narrowed within the eyeholes of his hood as he stared down at the teens. Then he sank into the shadows and remerged a short distance away from them.
"Isn't this cozy," he mocked. "A pleasant flight to Lucemon's castle. I'm not sure if I should feel honored that you saved me for last, or insulted."
Ceresmon turned to face. "Get off my back, you beast!"
Daemon's eyes darted towards her, and he suddenly sped over to her. His hand wrapped her neck and he lifted her into the air, tearing her Medium form from the bird's head.
"You were right about one thing," he told her, holding out his clawed hand as it began to glow with magic, "fighting me on your own is indeed suicide."
Shoutmon reached out. "Daemon, don't!"
The Demon Lord ignored him. Using his Double Dust, he punched a hole in Ceresmon Medium's stomach. The teens emitted cried of horror as Ceresmon made a pained gargled noise, and then Daemon ripped his claw upward, shredding the goddess Digimon's inside. A moment later, she dissolved away.
The giant bird body of Ceresmon screeched loudly and began to thrash about. Daemon let out a cruel laugh, repeating his attack. This time he drove his fist into the top of the bird's head, punching his way through.
"Evil Flapping!" he cried, manifesting a tornado of dark fire.
The flames consumed the giant bird body. The teens made a run for it, leaping off Ceresmon before the flames reached them.
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Omnimon Merciful Mode!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Imperialdramon Paladin Mode!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Gallantmon X!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Susanoomon!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Ophanimon C!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Seraphimon!"
"Shoutmon Digivolve to… OmniShoutmon!"
One by one, they landed safely on the ground. Up above, Ceresmon burned, her giant form falling from the sky like a flaming meteor. And when she hit the ground, she erupted into a fiery explosion, sending the data scattering.
The ground began burning from Daemon's flames, and the Demon Lord responsible for the blaze landed in front of them, truly looking like a demon rising from the depths of Hell.
"You bastard!" Omnimon shouted. "You murdering bastard!"
"You have only yourselves to blame," the Demon Lord replied. "You were the ones who dragged her into this. She was perfectly fine just keeping her head down, but you forced her to rise up. All those who rise must fall."
OmniShoutmon pointed. "You see, this is what Ceresmon was talking about. Even if someone does work up the courage to fight, they make you afraid to involve anyone else."
Seraphimon's hands clenched. "You're going to pay for this! You, Lucemon, and Bagramon. Boltboutamon too."
Daemon's eyes narrowed. "Do not concern yourselves with others while I stand before you. It is a most fatal mistake."
Susanoomon stepped forward. "I think the mistake is yours. I know that I'm stronger than you. Shoutmon said I'm even stronger than Lucemon. With my friends fighting with me, you've got no chance."
Daemon stared at him blankly for several long seconds. Then his shoulders began shaking. A low chuckle began to escape him, which soon erupted into full-blown laughter, and the Demon Lord threw his head back as he laughed madly.
Imperialdramon didn't like the way Daemon was laughing, but did his best to maintain his composure. "What's so funny?"
The Demon Lord managed to get control of himself and looked back at the god Digimon. "Your naivety is utterly astounding! Is that what the so-called Digimon King told you? How nice of him to give you that little bit of information, but neglect to mention the reality of the situation."
"And what is the reality?" Ophanimon C demanded.
Daemon pointed at Suanoomon. "While it's true that at the start your friend there is stronger than either myself or Lucemon, that would be the, shall we say, default settings of our power." His hand curled into a fist. "But Lucemon and I have been absorbing data for countless millennia, growing stronger and stronger over time. The two of us are in fact much more powerful now than we were at the time of our initial Digivolution, the time Susanoomon would have been stronger than us. But now," he chuckled again, "that time has long since passed."
"Oh… crap…" Gallantmon X muttered, catching on to what the Demon Lord's was saying.
Omnimon glanced back at OmniShoutmon. "OmniShoutmon?"
The dragon Digimon hesitated. "There is… a certain level of truth to that."
Daemon laughed again. "I wouldn't want you to have any illusions of your chances, so it's time I showed you my true power. You didn't get to see it the last time we met, but it's time for you to see what you're really dealing with. Daemon Mode Change to… Daemon Beast Mode!"
It was a staggering transformation. Daemon had grown nearly three times in size. His priest robes were gone, and he now stood with the hideous appearance of a demonic ogre. He had been intimidating and unsettling before, but now everything about him screamed savagery and danger.
The DigiDestined all took a step back as they took in Daemon's new form. "Whoa, what is this?" Seraphimon exclaimed. "Was he capable of this the whole time?"
The Demon Lord chuckled. "Since long before you ever came to this world, human. What you've seen of me up until now was my Mantled form. But this is my real, true Beast form. There was simply no need to assume it before. But you see, I don't just like crushing my opponents, I like utterly breaking their spirits. And so, I want you to know the full extent of my power and accept the futility of your misguided quest before I annihilate you."
Imperialdramon pointed his sword at him. "In that case, we have no worries. If you won't kill us until we admit defeat, then we won't ever lose to you, because we'll never give up."
Daemon sneered at him. "So you say now. But you'll break eventually. They always do." He crackled his knuckles as he ran his tongue over his long sharp teeth. "I'm going to enjoy this immensely. Flame Inferno!"
He unleashed a stream of fire at the DigiDestined. The flames completely disintegrated everything in their path, leaving a deep groove behind. The DigiDestined flew up to avoid it, except for Gallantmon X, who pointed his lance at the approaching flames and used his Zeig Saber. His energy lance extended outward into a beam, meeting Daemon's flames. The fire was stopped for a brief moment before Daemon's attack pushed the beam back, forcing Gallantmon X to take to the air as well before he was incinerated.
"You're not the only one with the power of fire," Ophanimon C declared. "Volcano Napalm!"
She threw handfuls of fire that struck the ground beneath Daemon. He looked down, and a moment later, a pillar of fire rose up over him. Ophanimon C gave a small cry of triumph, but the Demon Lord casually stepped out of the flames.
"That is your idea of having control over fire?" he asked mockingly. "Allow me to show you the real thing. Chaos Flare!"
A tower of fire rose up towards Ophanimon C. She pulled back, avoiding the flames, and Daemon was suddenly there. He used his Slash Nail, lashing out with the extra-large claw on his left hand. Ophanimon C used her Unicorn Shield, but his attack shattered her barrier, and his claws shredded into her shield, the impact of the blow sending her crashing to the ground.
Daemon chuckled, but was then struck from behind by OmniShoutmon's Victorize Banking and Omnimon's Giga Fire. Daemon turned to them, and Omnimon followed up with his Fearsome Blade.
Daemon charged at them, swerving about to avoid Omnimon's whipping energy blade as the knight Digimon swung it about. He reached them, and his arm shot out, grabbing Omnimon by the face. OmniShoutmon attempted to use his Hard Rock Spirit, but Daemon reached out and grasped his face as well, then brought them both down, slamming them into the ground.
"Imperial Kick!" Imperialdramon cried, flying at the Demon Lord.
His foot collided with Daemon, sending him flying. Seraphimon flew after him, firing his Strike of the Seven Stars, then followed up by repeatedly using his Hallowed Knuckle. The first attack hit, followed by several hits from the balls of light Seraphimon punched out. Daemon did a flip, landing on his feet in a crouching position, his claws digging into the ground to stop his momentum.
As Seraphimon's balls of light continued to explode against him, Daemon charged forward, laughing. He jumped up, doing a flip in the air over the angel Digimon's head, sneering down at him as he passed over, and lashed out with his Slash Nail, his claws shredding through Seraphimon's helmet, exposing traces of his face beneath it. But Daemon spent no further time on him as he spread his wings and flew at Imperialdramon.
"Hammer Knuckle!" he cried, and brought his balled fists down on the dragon Digimon's head.
Imperialdramon's upper body practically dropped downwards as the blow forced him to do a half flip, his legs shooting straight up into the air, and the dragon Digimon shot to the ground.
Susanoomon hovered in the air a distance away. "I've had enough of Demon Lords. ZERO-ARMS: Orochi!"
His giant sword-cannon appeared, and he aimed it at Daemon. Red and blue spheres of energy appeared at the end and came together as Susanoomon prepared to fire. The Demon Lord turned to him, then quickly flew at the god Digimon, his fist glowing with magic.
"Double Dust!" he cried, punching outward.
His fists slammed into the end of the Orochi, breaking it apart as the Demon Lord punched his way through the length of the weapon, and his fists slammed into Susanoomon's face, knocking him back. Daemon went on a rampage, savagely slashing with his Slash Nail again and again, his claws slicing at Susanoomon all over.
"Texture Blow!" Susanoomon managed to cry, throwing a punch as pixilated data swirled around his fist.
Daemon caught his fist, the pixilation failing, and used his Flame Inferno, the stream of fire he unleashed flowing over Susanoomon and carrying him off. Daemon hovered in the air, laughing, then caught something out of the corner of his eye and pulled back as Gallantmon X's energy lance extended from his Zeig Saber, grazing the side of Daemon's body.
Turning to him, Daemon used his Flame Inferno, shooting more fire. Gallantmon X flew up to avoid it until he was level with Daemon and aimed his shield at him.
"Final Elysion!" the knight Digimon cried, firing a beam from his shield.
Daemon brought up his hands to cover his face as the beam flowed over him. Gallantmon X fired with everything he had, but soon noticed a silhouette moving through his beam towards him. Daemon suddenly burst out of Gallantmon X's beam, right in front of him, and used his Slash Nail. Gallantmon X stopped firing and raised his shield higher to block. Daemon's claws tore clear through the shield before knocking it away. Then Daemon used his Double Dust to knock Gallantmon X away.
Omnimon, Ophanimon C, and OmniShoutmon rose up around Daemon, surrounding him. The Demon Lord considered them for a moment before grinning and spreading his wings. "Evil Flapping!"
A tornado of fire appeared around him and began to flow outward. Ophanimon C launched her own flames at the fiery tornado, but they seemed to be absorbed into it. OmniShoutmon used his Heavy Metal Vulcan, but Daemon's flames went over, around, and under the flaming barrier he created before absorbing them as well.
Omnimon tried a different tactic. Using his Fearsome Blade, he sliced the fiery tornado open. Daemon glanced at him from inside as Omnimon aimed his cannon at him through the opening. Daemon suddenly shot out of the fire tornado and appeared in front of Omnimon, raising his clawed hand to strike.
Omnimon adjusted the position of his cannon slightly and fired. Daemon was blasted back, and Omnimon used his Inferno, firing repeatedly before pointing his sword at him as well and using his Double Torrent, shooting blasts of fire and ice from both hands.
"Omni Core Fusion!" OmniShoutmon cried.
"Shining Laser III!" Ophanimon C cried.
Their attacks hit Daemon as well, and the Demon Lord recoiled. He seemed to be in pain, but then a snicker escaped him, and he rose back up to his full height. "Chaos Flare!"
Towers of fire rose up beneath the three DigiDestined. Omnimon fired his Cross-Counter down into the rising flames, but not even his countering move helped as it merely caused an explosion that sent him flying. Ophanimon C used her Unicorn Shield to defend herself. She deflected a portion of the flames before her barrier shattered and the fire overtook her. OmniShoutmon had been luckier, using his Omni Torpedo for an extra boost in speed to avoid the flames.
Daemon sped after him, and it didn't take him long to catch up. He flew above the dragon Digimon, using his Hammer Knuckle, bringing his balled fists down on OmniShoutmon's back, sending him crashing to the ground. Daemon landed beside him, then reached down and grasped OmniShoutmon by the top of his head, lifting him into the air.
"Would you like to feel what Ceresmon felt before she died?" he asked mockingly.
He held out his other hand, and it began to glow with magic. Daemon sneered and made to attack, but was suddenly struck from behind by Seraphimon's Strike of the Seven Stars. He dropped OmniShoutmon and turned to the angel Digimon, just as Seraphimon brought lightning down on him with his Hallowed Ascension.
"It makes me sick to think my data shares any semblance of your code," Seraphimon growled. "To think that you were once a Seraphimon too."
Daemon was smoking from the angel Digimon's attack, but then he just grinned. "I know, it's hard to imagine that I was ever so weak. Flame Inferno!"
"Strike of the Seven Stars!"
The attacks collided and exploded. Daemon's attack was stronger, and the explosion moved in Seraphimon's direction, blasting him off his feet. Sneering, Daemon turned back to OmniShoutmon. This time though, he lifted his foot and brought it down on the dragon Digimon's back, making him cry out.
"Any time you fools want the pain to end, all you have to do is tell me," he taunted as he dug his heel in. "If you beg for death, I might even make it painless." He hesitated before grinning. "Well, maybe I won't drag it out too long at least."
"Glory Thunder!"
A bolt of lightning struck Daemon, and he stumbled off OmniShoutmon before turning to his attacker. A badly burned Susanoomon was making his way over to them.
"I thought we told you from the beginning," the god Digimon told him. "We won't ever give up. Purification!"
He healed his injuries, then rose to his full height as he stared the Demon Lord down. Daemon turned to face him, holding out his arms welcomingly. "Come then, little human. Show me how long your resolve will last. I do so love breaking my prey."
With a battle cry, Susanoomon charged at him. Using his Fist of the Gods, he began throwing a flurry of punches at the Demon Lord. Daemon backed away, dodging and blocking as the punches came at him, but he was smiling all the while.
"Royal Slash!" Susanoomon cried, slashing at Daemon with holy fire.
The Demon Lord pulled back, avoiding the strike, and took to the air. Susanoomon manifested his sword and flew after him. As he approached, Daemon sent a stream of fire at him. Susanoomon avoided it and swiped his sword at Daemon, who dodged and shot more fire at him as Susanoomon moved to avoid it.
Seraphimon struggled to get to his feet, and his friends came over to help him stand. He took in their battered appearances and reluctantly admitted that this wasn't looking good for them.
"Well, we've looked better," he tried to joke. "Perfect Revival! Final Heal!"
He healed his friends, then himself.
"Thanks for the heal," said Gallantmon X, "but next time don't bother with me; I have my own self-healing ability; should have mentioned that."
They all looked up as Daemon proceeded to shoot streams of fire at Susanoomon while the god Digimon would fly in and attempt to slash or stab the Demon Lord with his sword before putting some distance between the two again.
"Hey, OmniShoutmon," said Gallantmon X, "is what he said really true? You told us that Susanoomon is, by default, even stronger than Lucemon, but have the Demon Lords become too powerful for even him?"
The dragon Digimon closed his eyes and sighed. "Unfortunately, it is. Had both their previous forms Digivolved into Lucemon and Susanoomon at the same time, then yes, Susanoomon would have been stronger, but the Demon Lords have absorbed so much data since they rose to power that they've all greatly surpassed him."
"Then why were you so happy and relieved when Takuya first became Susanoomon?" Imperialdramon demanded. "You almost made it sound like we could win."
OmniShoutmon gave him a serious look. "Because in that moment, I had real hope. I believed that we could win." He looked up at Daemon. "And I still believe that."
Omnimon watched the battle as well. "Then if you have any advice, we'd sure appreciate it."
The dragon Digimon considered this. "Well, this may be helpful. I'm sure you've already figured this out, but Daemon really enjoys breaking his opponents' spirits. He'll try not to kill them if he can help it until he utterly crushes them."
Behind his helmet, Seraphimon's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I had noticed that."
Imperialdramon swiped his sword through the air. "So basically, we don't need to worry about dying so much because he'll try not to kill us until he breaks us. Good to know. Now let's get him."
He led the charge, and the others followed. Susanoomon was in the process of rushing at Daemon again, swinging his sword. The Demon Lord countered with his Slash Nail. His claw collided with Susanoomon's sword, and the blade shattered. The god Digimon inhaled sharply as shards of his broken sword flew past him. Daemon laughed and moved to strike again, only to be blasted and carried off by Imperialdramon's Super Positron Laser.
He turned around as the beam pushed him along. Resisting the beam, he turned around as the DigiDestined came at him. Omnimon fired his Graceful Cannon, firing a cutting beam. Daemon pulled out of Imperialdramon's attack as Omnimon's came at him, the beam actually managing to cut him.
"Royal Saber!"
"Air Sefirot Crystal!"
"Justice Genome! Hallowed Knuckle!"
"Twin Fireball Strike!"
The attacks struck Daemon one after the other. Daemon was jolted back with each hit, but in the end, he just ended up laughing. He held up a hand, and it began glowing with dark magic, then made to attack the DigiDestined.
He was cut off as a stream of lightning in the shape of a dragon came down from the sky. It was joined by several others as Susanoomon unleashed his Heaven's Thunder, the dragons of electricity coiling around the Demon Lord.
"Double Torrent!"
"Hyper Prominence!"
"Final Elysion!"
"Holy Destroy!"
"Strike of the Seven Stars!"
"Flame Cannon!"
The attacks simultaneously collided with the Demon Lord as he was held in place by the electric dragons, becoming obscured by a cloud of smoke from the blasts.
"I always hate this waiting part," Imperialdramon grumbled. "Wish we could just keep blasting until we were sure he's been defeated."
"No choice if we can't see our target," Omnimon replied. "We don't want to waste energy attacking someone who isn't there, or missing the target because they're hidden by smoke."
Gallantmon X scoffed. "I don't know why we bother. Whenever the smoke clears, whoever we're facing is always still alive."
"Evil Flapping!"
A tornado of fire erupted from the cloud of smoke and flowed outward, causing the electric dragons to disperse as the flames flew towards the DigiDestined. Gallantmon X pulled back. "See, what'd I tell you!"
"Hit the flames!" OmniShoutmon shouted. "Hard Rock Spirit!"
"Cross-Counter!"
"Giga Crusher!"
"Zeig Saber!"
"Glory Thunder!"
"Call Dramon!"
"Strike of the Seven Stars!"
The attacks tore a hole in the vortex of fire coming at them, providing an opening for them to stay in as the attack passed them by. Daemon hovered in the center of the fire tornado, laughing as he looked at the DigiDestined.
"Have you yet realized the folly of your pathetic quest?" the Demon Lord asked. "You must know that you have no chance. It just took all of you to deflect a portion of my attack." He sneered at them. "Tell you what, let's make this interesting. Whichever one of you surrenders to me first, I'll give you the option of either dying last, painlessly, or choosing which one of your friends I will kill last, but you will suffer a most horrible death. If you surrender as a group, then I'll do you the courtesy of letting you all die together. I'll even make it quick."
Despite Daemon's cruel ultimatum, Seraphimon couldn't help but to let out a laugh. This earned him confused looks from his friends and a raised eyebrow from the Demon Lord.
"And what may I ask is so funny?" Daemon asked. "Has the thought of facing your doom addled your brain?"
Seraphimon shook his head. "I don't mean to laugh. And no, it's not funny at all. I just find your antics to be, well, pretty pathetic."
A growl escaped the Demon Lord. "Pathetic? In what way?"
The angel Digimon shook his head again. "It's just like OmniShoutmon said. You don't just want to defeat your opponents; you want to destroy them completely. You can't be satisfied otherwise, can you? It's like some compulsive need to validate yourself. You can't bring yourself to kill us unless you know that you've completely crushed our spirits."
Daemon's eyes narrowed. "You think I can't kill you?"
"Oh, I'm sure you can, it's just that you won't. You want us to admit defeat first."
"Yeah, he's right," Imperialdramon declared. "You want it so much that you'll let this battle drag on until you get what you want. And that's going to give us the chance we need to defeat you."
Daemon stared at them for several long moments. Then he began to emit a chuckle that evolved into full-blown laughter. "You foolish humans. You actually think you have any kind of chance against me? This whole thing has been nothing but a source of entertainment for me. I have yet to truly get serious." He sneered. "But perhaps it's time I stopped fooling around and showed you what I've actually got up my sleeves."
He snapped his fingers, and a large portal opened behind him. From it emerged a large hideous creature that looked like some strange demonic combination between an insect and an alien creature one would expect to see in a Science Fiction movie. Daemon let out a chuckle as OmniShoutmon sputtered at the sight of it.
"Yes," Daemon replied. "You know exactly who this is, don't you, OmniShoutmon? And you know exactly what he's capable of. Why don't you enlighten your ignorant friends."
Ophanimon C glanced at the dragon Digimon, who did indeed look incredibly nervous. "You're about to give us some really bad news, aren't you?"
OmniShoutmon couldn't tear his eyes away from the newcomer. "You have no idea. That's Arcadiamon Ultimate, the Ultimate level of Arcadiamon."
"The Ultimate level?" said Susanoomon. "Does that mean…?"
OmniShoutmon nodded. "His name doesn't change when he Digivolves, possibly because he has no will of his own."
"No will?" Gallantmon X repeated. "Then he can't be that much of a threat."
This time the dragon Digimon shook his head. "You're wrong. Arcadiamon is one of those rare, unique Digimon whose power is massively greater than what it should be for the level he's at. At the In-Training level alone, he's already stronger than Piedmon."
Imperialdramon's eyes widened. "Bull! No one can be that strong that early on!"
Daemon chuckled. "Ah, but he is. And I should know; I was the one who created him."
Omnimon inhaled deeply. "You created…?"
"Indeed. And it took such a long time. His Baby form is standard, but it took over a 1,000 years to get him to Arcadiamon In-Training, so you could imagine how long it took to get him to the Ultimate level."
"With as strong as he is, no kidding," Gallantmon X muttered.
"And getting him to Digivolve was no easy feat either," Daemon continued. "It takes an unbelievably tremendous amount of data for each of his Digivolutions. Fortunately, Arcadiamon has the ability to completely absorb other Digimon and use their power in order to become stronger and Digivolve. A far more effective method than having to constantly destroy other Digimon and gaining the measly amount of strength one would get by absorbing the data they leave behind."
Arcadiamon moved in closer, coming to stand behind Daemon. His claws were twitching, as if eager to bury themselves into something. He looked ready to dive into battle at any moment.
"Even so," said Daemon, "it still took me ages to get him to the level he's at now. But with Arcadiamon, nothing will stand in my way." He raised a hand. "Now, Arcadiamon, give them a taste of you power!"
Arcadiamon turned his attention to the DigiDestined. "Dot Matrix!"
He fired a beam. The DigiDestined scattered, and the beam struck the ground. The energy from the beam spread across the ground, lighting it up, before it suddenly broke down into a puddle of Fractal Code, from which a series of 1s and 0s floated out of and into the air before disappearing. The puddle of Fractal Code faded away soon after, leaving a large crater in its place.
"Yikes, that doesn't look like it will be much fun," Gallantmon X muttered.
Daemon laughed. "This is merely the tip of the iceberg. Arcadiamon, attack!"
The bewitching beast Digimon made a strange sound as several tentacles suddenly protruded from his body. "Freeze Tentacles!"
His tentacles flew out. Omnimon, Gallantmon X, and Susanoomon dodged the ones that came at them while Ophanimon C used her Unicorn Shield. She couldn't get her defenses up fast enough in time, and the tentacles penetrated the barrier that manifested and struck her actual shield. A moment later, her shield turned to ice.
Imperialdramon experienced something similar as he swiped at the tentacle that came at him. He severed it, but upon bringing his sword in contact with the tentacle, a portion of his blade turned to ice. "Don't touch these tentacles!"
"Wasn't planning on it," OmniShoutmon declared. "Heavy Metal Vulcan!"
His wall of fire appeared as a tentacle came at him. Somehow though, the wall of flames that made up his barrier also turned to ice, and then shattered as the tentacle worked its way through, forcing OmniShoutmon to dodge.
"These things can even freeze fire!?" Seraphimon exclaimed. He looked at the tentacle that came at him. "Then let's try lightning. Hallowed Ascension!"
He summoned down lightning that struck the tentacles, and they retracted back to Arcadiamon. Daemon just laughed, apparently pleased with the display he had seen.
"Do you see?" he taunted. "With Arcadiamon by my side, I can't be stopped. You were already doomed to fail when it was just me, but now that I have Arcadiamon you don't stand a chance. However, I'll give you one final chance to-"
"If you're about to tell us to surrender to you, then you can forget it," said Imperialdramon. "It doesn't matter what we're up against, we won't give up. We humans are stubborn that way."
Daemon's grin widened. "Then it's time you saw what Arcadiamon and I are truly capable of." He raised his hand. "Arcadiamon, attack!"
The bewitching beast Digimon's tentacles emerged once more. Using his Tentacle Freeze, he lashed out with them. The DigiDestined got ready for a second assault, but it never came. Instead, Daemon's battle cry turned into a howl of pain as Arcadiamon's tentacle stabbed him in the back.
Shocked gasps escaped the DigiDestined as they watched the Demon Lord begin to freeze. His cried soon died out as he completely iced over and was frozen solid.
"What! The! Hell!?" Gallantmon X exclaimed.
Seraphimon would have rubbed his eyes had they not been behind his helmet. "Did Arcadiamon just attack Daemon?"
"Hell yeah he did," said Imperialdramon. "Attack nothing, he completely put the guy on ice."
"And so easily too," Susanoomon noted uneasily. "After how much we struggled with him, Arcadiamon does it just like that."
Ophanimon C's eyes narrowed behind her helmet. "Well, OmniShoutmon said he had no will of his own. Daemon didn't exactly tell him who to attack, so he just went after the one closest to him."
"So what now?" Omnimon wondered out loud.
Arcadiamon seemed to have an idea about that. Brandishing his claws, he buried them into the ice sculpture he had reduced Daemon to, and lifted the Demon Lord into the air. "Dot Matrix!"
He fired a beam, and Daemon's entire body began to convert into a mass of Fractal Code as a series of 1s and 0s began floating out of him. Instead of disappearing though, the 1s and 0s began floating into Arcadiamon's body, while at the same time, the Fractal Code that Daemon had been converted into began to be drawn into the bewitching beast Digimon's claws.
OmniShoutmon, who had been staring at the scene in open shock, suddenly snapped out of his stupor. "Great Sovereigns, no!"
But it was too late to do anything about it as Arcadiamon absorbed the last of Daemon, and was now coiling in on himself.
"Did he…?" Gallantmon X began. "Did he just absorb Daemon?"
OmniShoutmon's fists clenched. "He… He did. And it wasn't like gaining a mere power boost by absorbing his data. He absorbed Daemon himself. He now has all of his power."
A nervous bead of sweat ran down Susanoomon's head. "And what exactly does that mean?"
In answer to his question, Arcadiamon began to glow. "Arcadiamon Mega Digivolve to… Arcadiamon Mega!"
OmniShoutmon's eyes narrowed as the light began to fade. "That. It means that."
(A/N: Ok, so, good news and bad news. Good news is that Daemon is gone. Bad news, his secret weapon that turned against him now has all of his power. I know that may have seemed sudden, but this was always the plan. And if you don't know, I really can't stress enough of ridiculously OP Arcadiamon is. And now our heroes need to face him. This does not bode well for them. Stay tuned to see what happens next.)
(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)
New Digimon that appear or are mentioned. Replace the DOT in the link(s) with actual periods.
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Daemon
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Arcadiamon_(Ultimate)
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Arcadiamon_(Rookie)
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Arcadiamon_(disambiguation)
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Arcadiamon_(In-Training)
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Arcadiamon_(Mega)