Disclaimer:
The Rising of the Shield Hero was created by Aneko Yusagi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. Magic Knight Rayearth was created by CLAMP. Sword Art Online was created by Reki Kawahara. Digimon is owned by Bandai and Toei. Kono Suba was created by Akatsuki Natsume. Gate was created by Takumi Yanai. This story uses reference material from them.
Heroes of Another World
By: RB3
Lucifuge's Lament 2: Fallen Hero
With the withdrawal of the Saderans from Melro, Fourbrey had been left open to invasion by the WDF and the Three-Way Alliance. To exploit this fact, the Spade Mercs flew to the northwest in Yog, bound for the Fouropolis Mountains on the western side of Fourbrey. These mountains stood high above the land, all capped by a frosty peak. They were the source of most of Fourbrey's minerals such as iron.
Yog approached the town of Silvers, one of the major towns which mined silver for Fourbrey. Since the war began, the city had been fortified with guards on regular patrol and manning lookout points on the defensive walls. "Well, here it is, the town of Silvers," said Atsuro.
"I detect at least a thousand soldiers stationed in the town, including twenty Digimon no higher than Champion," reported Abel.
"Let's land over at that mountain and prepare," said Midori.
The Spade Mercs landed on a mountain cliff overlooking the town. As they watched the town, demons from further away lobbed a massive fireball at the guard towers. It roared to its destination and blew them to pieces in a massive plume of flame. Alarmed, soldiers scrambled for buckets of water to douse the flames. Distracted with their emergency, they did not see demons approaching from above.
They came from portals opened by the Spade Mercenaries and consisted of Legions and Rocs to members of the Fairy and Mythos families. Yog and Vidofnir moved above the town, where Yog rained down orbs at a surviving lookout tower. The orb smashed its way through, sending stone crashing to a pile of rubble below. The tower collapsed with a thud and took the redcoats stationed inside with it. Vidofnir spewed ball lightning upon a cannon, turning it into molten slag which oozed everywhere and forced the redcoat tending it to rear back.
The surviving redcoat mages unloaded magical blasts back at Yog, but he weaved around the shots out of harm's way. He retaliated by launching more orbs, bowling them flat in the ensuing shock wave. At that moment, other Spade Merc demons had reached the front gate. Hector dug his fingers into the holes of a portcullis and yanked it out of its hinges. "Hector coming in!" said Hector.
Deeper inside, the town guard came over to reinforce the town's defences at the south gate. Abel appeared on the outer wall in a flicker of blue light. He conjured a blizzard over the soldiers and mages of the redcoats. The cold bit at their faces, making any attempt to see impossible. Ice began to encase some of the guards. Mao charged into the blizzard and began to cut down the redcoats with his sign. A guard shot him, but the bullet deflected off of his chest harmlessly. Mao proceeded to zap him with lightning.
Yuzu sent a tornado blustering down the main street of Silvers. It collected dozens of redcoats and whirled them around, helpless to escape their fate. When the tornado died down, the redcoats got dumped in a pile. Midori came up beside Yuzu. "We've got them on the run!" said Midori, seeing the surviving guards retreat.
With the fall of the guards, the Spade Mercs moved to the town hall. The remaining redcoats made a final stand to keep them from entering and capturing this key site of the town. As they fired bullets and spells at the approaching Spade Mercs, their attacks seemed to do no harm, nor anything to halt their relentless advance. Viola dashed to the redcoats on the front yard and cut them down with a flurry of scimitar strikes. They all collapsed with severe gashes opened on their bodies, bleeding profusely.
Abel teleported into a room on the second floor and sprayed the security officers in the main cubicle area where the functionaries worked. Most officers got bowled over by the water, while those who survived were those who had quickly ducked behind a desk. A redcoat trio stood up from behind a desk further in and started shooting him with pistols. Abel held up his hand and absorbed the shots. He retaliated by sticking an icicle into each soldier's chest, which felled the men. A group of Legion entered the room and occupied the room for their master.
Abel vanished from sight, having passed into a Domain and joining it with a second one in Shieldfreeden. His entry into the Domain brought him into a large cavern made of the Domain's material. Soldiers from Shieldfreeden ran past Abel to the cave's mouth and emerged within the Silvers town hall. They spread around the building and secured the area. At the roof, Atsuro pulled down the flag of Fourbrey from the pole, then raised one for the WDF. "The town's ours now," said Atsuro.
"Yep, the Freedenese soldiers just came in to secure the town hall. More should be arriving soon," said Yuzu.
As the soldiers took key positions around the town and fortified it, the Vassal and Cardinal Heroes arrived in Silvers through the Domain. "Hey guys!" said Midori upon seeing them.
"Hi! Glad to see you're fine," said Hikaru.
"Yep. We're ready for the next part," said Naofumi. "Time to sneak in and pay Tact a visit."
After a bit of last-minute strategizing, the combined group travelled to a mine somewhere to the east of Silvers Town. They came upon a derelict mine dug out of the side of one of the mountains. The entrance had been sealed by old boards nailed into place to cover the doorway. After removing the boards and entering, the group passed through a length of tunnel and rounded two corners before they came upon a pit in the ground with a cement staircase leading downward.
Itsuki looked at the walls and the wooden beams which supported the mine. "This mine is in quite good condition for one that's supposed to be abandoned," remarked Itsuki.
"It's not abandoned," corrected Atsuro. "This is one of the Fourbreyan royal family's secret escape routes from their castle. According to former king Aultclay, they regularly kept the place maintained until Tact claimed the throne."
"Now, we're using it to break into the castle rather than out," said Naofumi.
The floor below appeared to be lit by something further in the bottom. Once they descended the staircase, they found a new tunnel with smooth cemented walls and the roof supported by arches placed at even intervals. The tunnel was clearly not a natural phenomenon, but an artificial construct. Magical torches flanking the path provided the light needed for navigation. As the group pressed forward, they had travelled a lengthy path from Silvers Town to underneath the Fouropolis Castle.
Once Abel reached a certain distance from the castle's underground, he held out his arm to stop the group. "What's the matter?" asked Motoyasu.
"The Domain is ahead. It shares space with the castle," replied Abel. "My team will go in first. Unless we're inside to suppress it, the demons will suck you guys in and spoil your attack."
"Wait ten minutes after we go in, before you start charging in," said Midori.
"Okay," said Motoyasu.
"Yeah. Don't blow it like you guys did with the Turtle," said Naofumi.
"Do you have to bring that up again?" asked Ren.
"Good luck everyone. We're going in!" said Yuzu. The Spade Mercs waved to the rest of group, then walked ahead and vanished into the Domain.
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Motoyasu consulted the timekeeping function of the Spear. "The ten minutes should be up right… about… now," said Motoyasu. "Time to move out."
The group continued on its way to the end of the tunnel, where they found a wall with a small rectangular crack near the ground. They could feel a very faint draft coming from the crack. "Oh! There's a button over here!" said Filo, pointing to it on the side of the wall.
Upon pushing it, the wall slid open and the group found itself inside what appeared to be a storage room. It had spare furniture such as cabinets, tables, and chairs. A door at the other end of the room provided access for the servants. If Aultclay's information was correct, the passage would have led them close to the west wall. Naofumi, Takato, and Guilmon exited the room first to draw fire onto them. As they ran ahead, Takato fired Balor Gaze at a group of women, Tact's harem, standing guard around a hexagram on the ground in the courtyard
Two went down instantly before the others raised their defences to block Takato's assault. They returned fire at the duo with assault rifles, but Takato's Barriers blunted the bullets. Behind the duo, Filo and the filorial kids carried Team Bow and Spear up onto the walls. The redcoat guards attempted to shoot them down, but Itsuki lobbed back Charm Arrows with the Cupid Bow. When struck, the minds of three redcoats went blank, then they started shooting at their comrades in arms.
Filo and the filorial kids unloaded their passengers onto the wall, where they spread out and started to clear them of redcoats. The redcoats fired upon Motoyasu once they spotted him, but he deflected their shots with the Spear's barrier. He unleashed Ein Soph Aur upon them. It flattened the redcoats, then went on to smash a lookout tower behind them. The tower toppled over and collapsed outside of the castle grounds with a thud. Eclair closed with a redcoat and sliced his rifle in half, then cut down the man with a swift slash through the stomach.
At the courtyard, Tact's harem continued to fire at Takato, unable to penetrate the invincible defences of the Trinket Hero. The Vassal Heroes moved further into the courtyard and came face to face with the girls who had faced them earlier at portal generator in the Fantasy World. "So, we meet again, Vassal Heroes," said Eri.
"We won't forgive what you've done to sister Nellisen and our other sisters!" said Ashiel the griffin girl.
Ashiel immediately transformed into a griffin while Reldia became a towering red dragon. Ashiel ascended, then dove at Hikaru for a deadly strike. Hikaru ducked it, barely moving in time to evade harm. As her foe passed by, Hikaru turned around and sent a Flame Arrow to her back. Ashiel got bumped forward, her back stinging with pain from the burns. She dodged another Flame Arrow, then swooped and raked Hikaru across the shoulder. Hikaru winced in pain as the blood started seeping out.
Nearby, Reldia spewed fire upon Takato, Guilmon, and Megumin. Takato kept the Trinket's Barrier upon himself and his partners, preventing any harm from coming to any of them. Megumin hurled Air Strike Staffs at Reldia, staggering her and keeping her at bay, though doing next to no harm. Reldia flapped her wings, blowing up a large gust which washed over the trio and knocked them down. Reldia dove in to rake them, but the three dove to the ground and eluded her.
When she overshot, Takato slashed a Digivolution card into his Digivice. "Guilmon, Digivolve to… Growlmon!" announced Guilmon.
Growlmon spit a Pyro Blast. The fireball made full contact with Reldia's chest, pushing her back. It did little harm, thanks her high resistance to fire-based attacks. Reldia breathed in deeply, then spewed a roaring torrent of flame. Growlmon covered himself while Takato protected Megumin and himself with Barriers to weather the attack. Once she ran out of breath, Takato slashed a Blue Card through his Digivice. "Digimodify! Matrix Digivolution activate!" announced Takato.
"Growlmon, Matrix Digivolve to…" announced Growlmon. His body became thicker as boxy mechanical armour encased his torso and head. His arms got replaced by mechanical ones and axe-like blades formed from them. "War Growlmon!" announced Growlmon.
Reldia spewed another gout of flame at War Growlmon, who simply flew through them while covering his eyes. He reached Reldia and grabbed her. After a brief struggle, War Growlmon tossed her to the ground. He followed with Atomic Blasters fired into her back, pushing her deeper into an indentation. Megumin cast the Revelation Clinging Morass spell, smearing tar all over her body and filling the crater to trap her inside. Reldia attempted to tear her way out of the tar, but its syrupy thickness was too strong.
Nearby, Ashiel tried to swoop on Hikaru again. The Katana Hero ducked the attack, then hurled Ruby Lightning in return. Ashiel ascended to escape them, but the ball lighting changed course to follow her. "Crap!" remarked Ashiel.
She flew higher, then changed direction to elude them. Below, Sinon kept the Carcano trained on her, trying to find a good opportunity to strike. As Ashiel changed direction suddenly, Sinon fired. The bullet tore through Ashiel's wing, causing blood to burst out and splatter the ground. The wound filled her with agony, staggering her long enough for the ball lightning to catch her. She convulsed in agony before tumbling to the ground, into the Clinging Morass which filled Reldia's crater like a tar pit.
Further away, Eri unloaded bullets at Arpeggio. The Pendulum Hero kept up her barrier in defence, but the bullets kept coming. One slipped pierced through the barrier, hitting her in the right shoulder. Blood splattered out, leaving Arpeggio gritting her teeth. Eri continued to fire, but found her gun clicking. She had no more ammunition. She tossed the gun aside and pulled out a knife to rush the Pendulum Hero. Arpeggio evaded the first stabbing attempt and even the second. The third nicked Arpeggio below the ribs, causing a stinging pain.
"You'll pay for killing Nellisen!" cried Eri.
She rushed in with a stabbing motion, but the Pendulum Hero sidestepped suddenly. Arpeggio hurled the Kater into Eri's stomach, impaling her with it. She activated its gravitational powers to lift and spin Eri in a circle, then toss her to the ground. "Fast Stone Gas!" announced Arpeggio, causing a brown gas cloud to burst around Eri, turning her arms and stomach to stone.
"Yes! You got them all to hold still! It's time to finish them!" said Megumin. "Darkness blacker than black..."
The girls of Tact's harem could see and feel the immense power Megumin began to channel in preparation for her signature spell. They frantically renewed their struggle to escape the Clinging Morass, but the tar kept Reldia and Ashiel trapped within its syrupy strands. Eri also tried to wrench her limbs free from the stone, but they were cemented to the ground and simply would not move. Their hearts sank as she finalized her chant and time ran out.
Megumin's Explosion spell burst out in a torrent of fire. "AAAAAARGH!" screamed the girls in terror as the flames washed over them.
The crater had been doubled in size by Explosion and charred black by its hellish flames. The core of the castle's barrier, the magic hexagram, had been destroyed in the wake of the spell as well, as was the entire southeast corner of the castle's outer wall. It left a massive gap which their invasion force could use to get inside. Megumin slumped to one knee, winded from casting so many powerful spells in a row.
"Here," said Takato, who passed Megumin a magic potion to drink and restore her reserves.
"Thanks Takato," said Megumin.
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Meanwhile, Teams Bow and Spear had entered the keep's second floor. Upon seeing them, the redcoats inside fired at Motoyasu, who held the Spear before him defensively. The enemy's shots got blunted by its crimson barrier. Motoyasu closed and slapped the soldiers down with the Spear. Eclair met with a group of redcoats coming from the floor below. They fired at her, but she deflected the bullets with her sword. Once they exhausted their ammunition, they charged at her with bayonets. Eclair evaded right and let a thrust attempt overshoot her. She thrust back and drew copious blood from piercing the man's stomach.
As the group approached the central stairwell, they heard explosions and metal objects clanging against each other further down. "Looks like Ren and Naofumi are busy down there," remarked Motoyasu.
"They've got the place covered. We should head to the throne room and find Tact," said Itsuki.
"Let's go," said Motoyasu.
Motoyasu and Itsuki moved further into the keep, to a large pair of double doors at the keep's heart. "This is it," said Itsuki.
The two heroes heard footsteps approaching the area. A group of redcoats rounded a corner and fired at Eclair, which forced her to adopt a defensive stance and parry the bullets. "Looks like this is your lucky day! Go and be a hero, Itsuki," said Motoyasu.
"Thank you," said Itsuki. He and Team Bow opened the throne room doors and entered the largest chamber in the keep. A red carpet ran all the way up to the rear, where Tact himself stood in front of the king and queen's throne. "I'm here to stop you Tact. You bring shame upon that Vassal Weapon with your actions. Even now, I can feel the Projectile's revulsion. It's disgusted with what you've done."
"I've simply chose the best course of action for the world. There's no way you'll be able to defeat Lucifuge. None of us can. It would be best to let him to harvest the souls he needs to complete his plan," said Tact. "That's why I've agreed to help him. In exchange, he'll leave this world alone."
"So you had the Spirit Turtle possessed and sent it rampaging across the land?" asked Ost.
"Do you realize what he wants? He'll use those souls to revive Lucifer, an even worse demon! Think of the harm he will cause if he's brought back!" said Itsuki.
"Maybe, but our world will be spared," replied Tact. "With his plan in our world complete, he will no need to harvest souls. He will direct Lucifer's ambitions to the other planes."
"You really believe that?" asked Itsuki incredulously. "I've heard enough. You must be stopped."
Itsuki raised the Bow, an act his companions echoed by readying their weapons. Tact readied the Projectile. Itsuki made the first attack by lobbing an arrow at Tact, which the Fourbreyan king deflected with the Projectile. Lojir and Abazure charged at him during the distraction, but Tact spun the discus-like Projectile on his arm, creating wind which blew them into the wall behind and knocked them out. During this time, Ost had completed the casting of a Dreifach Gravity Well. It formed a dark violet dome over Tact and forced him down with its crushing force.
"Dreifach Anti-Gravity Well," announced Tact.
Upon utterance of the spell, Ost's spell vanished. He then hurled the Projectile at Itsuki, who blocked the spinning discus with the Bow. Instead of getting knocked back, it veered to the right towards Ost. She barely had time to back away as the discus grazed past her torso, then returned to Tact's forearm. Ost winced as blood seeped from the cut made into her. Her chimera familiar approached Tact and breathed fire at him. Tact simply spun the Projectile in the air like a fan, blowing back the fiery breath weapon and burning its sender.
Tact hurled the Projectile again, bouncing it off the wall towards Ost. She attempted to evade it, but the discus sliced into her leg and toppled her. It went at Itsuki, who quickly leapt over to escape it. He fired an arrow midair, sticking it into Tact's right shoulder. "Damn!" cursed Tact as his shoulder bled.
Itsuki fired another arrow, but Tact blocked it using the returned Projectile as a shield. In retaliation, he hurled the Projectile at Itsuki, who deflected it with the Bow. It flew away and bounced off the right wall, then the one behind Tact, then the left wall. It came back at Itsuki, who quickly moved left and let it overshoot. The Projectile bounced off the throne room door, then back to the right wall. It suddenly stopped, then turned until it was hovering vertically and emitted a golden beam. Itsuki took the beam fully and got slammed into the wall behind.
Rishia was the only one left standing at this point. She dumped her backpack on the ground and drew a sword to battle Tact herself. When the Projectile returned to Tact, he hurled it at Rishia. She sidestepped right, allowing it to overshoot. It bounced off the door and headed to the left wall. During this time, Rishia had cast a Fast Fire Shot at Tact. Realizing he was in danger, Tact recalled the Projectile to block it, but was too late. He got nailed in the chest and launched into the throne, crashing through it as he landed on the ground. The Projectile went into the rear wall and embedded itself into it.
"Crap!" said Tact as he got off the ground.
"If Itsuki and the others can't fight. I will take up arms if I have to!" said Rishia.
He hurled the Projectile at the left wall, bouncing it off the wall towards Rishia. She evaded it, then prepared to cast Fast Fire Shot as it bounced off the rear wall to the right one. It suddenly stopped midair and flipped vertically to emit a golden beam. Rishia stopped her spell and quickly ducked the beam. As the Projectile flew back, she retried the spell. Tact blocked the Fire Shot with the Projectile. He retaliated by casting a Fast Wind Shot which exploded on the ground near Rishia and staggered her.
Tact hurled the Projectile at her, which grazed her leg as she tried to escape, splattering blood all over. She crumpled to the ground on a single knee, on the verge of collapsing. "You say you'll fight for them, but what can you do with that battered body of yours? You're no match for me," said Tact.
"Even if that's true, I won't stop! I fight for Itsuki, the one who saved my life, a man who is twice the hero you'll ever be!" said Rishia, which elicited a scowl from Tact.
"Then die!" replied Tact. He hurled the Projectile at Rishia for the fatal blow. Instead of slicing her to ribbons, the Projectile flew to her left forearm and attached itself to it. "What? Are you betraying me?" he asked, furious at his Vassal Weapon's actions.
The Projectile sent its power surging through Rishia, healing all of her wounds and restoring her stamina. With it choosing to make her its new rightful mistress, Rishia had become the Vassal Projectile Wielder. "Oh yes, it is. The Projectile is telling me it has had enough of your crimes and false justifications. It's time to end this!" replied Rishia.
She hurled the Projectile into Tact's chest, cutting a massive gash into it. The former Vassal Hero collapsed as the blood seeped out of the wound, flowing endlessly to the ground. At that moment, the other Cardinal Heroes and their teams rushed into the room. They saw the carnage in the room and the wounded members of Team Bow strewn everywhere, as well as Tact lying dead in a pool of his blood. Team Shield scrambled for potions to feed to them while Naofumi started casting Fast Heal spells to stabilize them.
"OW!" gasped Itsuki as he regained consciousness.
"He was too much for us," said Ost, as Raphtalia poured potion over her wounds.
"Don't worry, Rishia won the battle for you. It's all over," said Raphtalia. The filorial kids transformed into sovereigns and allowed Team Shield to load the wounded Team Bow onto their backs for extraction from the castle.
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As Team Spear evacuated Team Bow, they found the Vassal Wielders in the courtyard, speaking with the Spade Mercenaries. "Abel, we've got wounded. We're taking them back for medical attention," said Motoyasu as Team Spear approached.
Abel nodded. "What about Tact? Is he still inside?" he asked.
"No. He's dead. The Projectile went to me and made me the new Projectile Hero," replied Rishia.
"I see. It must have rejected him for not following its imperative to stop the Waves," remarked Abel. "Go right ahead and take them home."
Yuzu summoned a Roc to their side, allowing Team Spear and Team Bow to board. "Thank you Abel," said Rishia. It flew them away, back to Silvers Town.
"There's only the matter of the new Megas left. We must stop them!" said Abel. "Takato, Hikaru, please join us in the fight against the Megas with Gallantmon and Rayearth. The rest of you, help the other heroes secure the castle."
"Right!" said Sinon.
"You can count on us!" said Megumin.
Yog pulled in the Spade Mercs, Takato, Guilmon, and Hikaru. He flew them all the way south, to the Windham Region. They caught a glimpse of the eight Mega Digimon. The first was a mechanical creature which resembled a turtle, but with guns for its front limbs. The second resembled a short king in white and a golden crown. The third was the king's counterpart, a queen in black and pink armour armed with a cricket mallet. The fourth resembled a centaur in red armour with an arm-mounted crossbow.
The fifth was a raven demihuman in dark blue armour. The sixth was another Rosemon. The seventh was a biped wolf in blue armour with claws mounted on his hands. The last was a winged mechanical dragon demihuman with a red upper half and a white lower half. The eight creatures were Jumbo Gamemon, King Chessmon, Queen Chessmon, Sleipmon, Ravemon, Rosemon, Mirage Gaogamon, and Shine Greymon respectively. The Mega Digimon travelled down the Windham Region, blasting the assorted demons which the Spade Mercs had sent to stall them.
"Wow! I've never seen Digimon like them before, except for Rosemon," said Takato.
"Me neither. It's the first time I've seen them too," said Guilmon.
"They're moving towards the Melromarcan army. If they reach them, they'll wipe them out!" said Yuzu.
"We're going to stop them!" said Hikaru.
Yog released the Spade Mercs onto a verdant grassy field, where they unleashed their demons. Takato Biomerged with Guilmon to become Gallantmon, the knight Digimon. Hikaru called and boarded Rayearth. The group ran at the Megas with Abel meeting Jumbo Gamemon. The Digimon noticed him and responded by spewing water. His attack struck Abel head-on, only to be absorbed into his being without causing any harm. Jumbo Gamemon attempted to shoot him with its arm-mounted laser cannons. They hit Abel and he simply absorbed the attack again.
Seeing no other recourse, Jumbomon Gamemon tucked his limbs into his shell and prepared to perform the Jumbo Jetter. Once he fired his laser cannons, he sped towards Abel and passed through his body. When Jumbo Gameon recovered, he was shocked to see that Abel was still unaffected. At that moment, Abel projected lightning. The attack shocked the Digimon into immobility. Mao leapt at him and plunged the sign into his head, then called lightning to strike it. The combined powers of his and Abel's lightning broke Jumbo Gamemon into motes of black data.
"Purrfect!" said Mao.
"Didn't even break a sweat. Good work, Mao," said Abel.
Rayearth hurled Flame Arrows at Mirage Gaogamon, who quickly weaved around them. Mirage Gaogamon gathered energy in the Full Moon Blaster on his chest compartment. Upon releasing it as a beam, it swept Rayearth away. After the beam dissipated, Mirage Gaogamon rushed in to continue the attack. His foe vanished from sight, then he sensed Rayearth coming from behind. Mirage Gaogamon moved out the way, evading a slash. As Rayearth flew past, he turned around and released Flame Arrows, which Mirage Gaogamon evaded.
Upon sending Ruby Lightning to follow, Rayearth's attack homed onto Mirage Gaogamon and staggered him as the electricity filled his being. Rayearth charged in for the attack, but Mirage Gaogamon shifted right. He came back with a claw swipe, forcing Rayearth to parry. Mirage Gaogamon quickly back away and avoided a retaliatory swing. He weaved around the following Flame Arrows, then came in for a flying kick. Rayearth moved right, causing him the Digimon to overshoot. Rayearth turned and charged at his back, thrusting the Katana all the through. Having suffered mortal wounds, Mirage Gaogamon crumbled into data particles.
Gallantmon and Shine Greymon stared each other down for a few seconds, trying to size each other up. Shine Greymon moved first by firing a Shining Blast from his wings. Gallantmon blocked the twin beams with his shield, then retaliated with Lightning Joust. Shine Greymon moved right and let the electrified beam sail past. He gathered power, then unleashed a Glorious Burst. Dozens of orange beams went at Gallantmon, who had raised the Barrier to take the attack. The sheer power and volume eventually shattered his defences and knocked him down.
Gallantmon got up, then raised the Shield of the Just. After glowing with power, it unleashed its stored energy as a powerful crimson beam. It caught Shine Greymon directly in the chest and swept him back. He could take no more and broke into data particles. "We make a great team, Guilmon!" said Takato from within Gallantmon.
"We sure do, Takatomon!" said Guilmon.
Atsuro hurled a punch at King Chessmon, who evaded the blow. Realizing that he was the last remaining of the Megas, King Chessmon bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him. "Get back here!" cried Atsuro as he began pursuit.
After gaining some distance, King Chessmon used his sceptre, the King Stick, to create a clone of himself. Atsuro stopped as the two King Chessmon used the Checkmate ability to empower their King Sticks in an aura of blue. They rushed at Atsuro, who stopped and prepared for their attacks. The first hit surprisingly hard and had bumped him back from sheer power. The second broke his guard completely and sent him to the ground. Suddenly, Tulzcha appeared behind them and blocked their way.
Soon after, Viola ran in and and plunged her scimitars into the head of one of them. That King Chessmon vanished, revealing that it had been an illusion. The other tried to flee through the side, but Atsuro got up and rushed over, scoring a haymaker to the right side of the head. That King Chessmon turned out to be real as he crashed to the ground, then fragmented into data particles. "Thanks Viola!" said Atsuro.
Viola wrapped her arms around Atsuro. "Hey boy toy! You can thank me by joining me for some fun tonight," replied Viola.
"Sure!" said Atsuro.
"Great! See ya then," said Viola. As she walked by, she gave Atsuro an affectionate pat on the butt.
END OF CHAPTER