Power is a Black Dog

By Son Rhandi

Chapter 6: 'Blaze, Hero, Blaze'

"Mummymon! Digivolve to…" His leg braces and rifle shattered to pieces. The guarder belt he sported snapped at the straps and the bandages covering his torso and appendages left him in a gust of wind. A carved black jackal helmet trimmed with gold materialized to fit his head and a heavy gold plate necklace with a scarab medal covered his collar. His bare chest was then covered in a magnificent armor of gold and bronze, with silver shoulder guards and four lapis lazuli stones, two for each pectoral. Blue and white stripes wrapped around his waste down to his knees to form a tapered tunic, and his feet were nestled in malleable metal sandals. It was done. Mummymon had become the invincible judging beast, the masterless dog of power, the god of death…

"Anubimon!!"

Everyone looked on in awe at the sight of Mummymon's Mega form, except Burial Vamdemon, who merely sneered scornfully. "So, is that it?" The evil one snarled, almost mocking him. "You didn't even change your size..! What can you possibly hope to do against me?"

Anubimon scoffed. "Evil always looks down on good with contempt. Our sizes merely represent the literal sense of that saying."

Burial Vamdemon opened his mouth wide and laughed maniacally. "'Good'? Did you forget you were made from the darkness of a human heart and myself? There is nothing good about you!"

"Perhaps, but I can change that." Anubimon raised his hand to the sky above. Out of thin air, a golden staff with a jagged saw-like blade appeared, to which he took his grip to and shouted: "Soul Conductor!!" From the blade, now glowing white-hot, an army of Bakemon-looking things rushed out to Burial Vamdemon and pelted him like so many hailstones, leaving large dents in his chest and abdomen.

"Come on!" Shouted Daisuke. "We've gotta help him!" The Chosen Children's digimon opted to assist the Mega and leapt to his aid. For whatever reason, whether it was to protect them or his pride, Anubimon growled for them to stay back, almost being pounded by Burial Vamdemon's massive fist in the process. Actually, it had been the perfect opportunity for the jackal god. The sinister metal vampire plowed his fist so deep into the floor that he couldn't pull his hand back in time to avoid Anubimon's white-hot blade. It seared his flesh and cut clean through. Burial Vamdemon released a bellowing roar, now officially sans mains, and reeled back. In his fury, the jutting turrets attached to his shoulder blades were thrown open and the Crimson Mist was fired from them. Anubimon bounded a great height to evade the bloody cloud. Unfortunately, his staff could not be saved and was caught in the red vapor, melting into a formless puddle of metal. The jackal god swore inwardly. With his staff gone, it automatically eliminated 2 of his techniques.

Arukenimon, having regained consciousness but was too weak to hold her digimon form any longer, slipped back into her gijinka and slowly lifted her pained neck to see what was going on. Though her vision was blurred, she could make out the image of a familiar gray-skinned digimon contrasting itself. "Uhn…… M.. Mummymon..?"

The god of death responded to his predecessor's title and was overjoyed to see his lady in red alive and well and smiled a toothy smile. "Arukenimon! GAAAHKK!!!"

While his guard was down, Burial Vamdemon whipped his scorpionesque stinger across Anubimon's midsection, ripping a deep lesion and throwing him to the floor. The vampire flicked the blood and detached skin from his stinger and snorted. "Hmph. Change, indeed. The only thing you've changed is your clothes. Prepare yourself…"

The metal vampire started towards him again, turrets opened and on standby to unleash Crimson Mist again. Anubimon clutched his heavily bleeding laceration and staggered to his feet, barely able to stand. He was losing too much blood in too short a time. At this rate, he probably wouldn't survive the next ten minutes, much less the battle with Burial Vamdemon. Taking his claw away from the assuredly mortal wound, Anubimon flexed his pecs and shouted: "Lapis Laser!!" The four blue stones emitted a thin beam of blue light, each meeting at a center point, then forming a much larger beam headed straight for the vampire. Unfortunately, the jackal god's aim had been off, and Burial Vamdemon barely had to sidestep to avoid being hit. Looking smug, he shrugged with the remains of his shoulders.

Realizing it was an all-or-nothing situation, Anubimon played his trump card…

"Final Judgement!!"

The atmosphere shifted to the familiar black void his predecessor had seen in those 'nightmares,' though only he and Burial Vamdemon could see it. All else had no knowledge that anything had changed. The metal vampire looked around, not knowing what to make of this strange, dark place.

"Burial Vamdemon!" The jackal god called to attract the evil one's attentions. "…It ends here…" He extended his arm and made a squeezing motion with his hand. Suddenly, the giant bloodsucker jerked violently, grimacing in pain. Anubimon 'squeezed' a second time, then pulled his arm back. With a horrible, ear-piercing scream from the vampire, a softball-sized pulsating orb emerged from his chest and floated to the death god's hand. He raised his free hand in the air, and brought it back down with a free-floating golden scale, balanced by a small, white feather. The jackal rolled the glowing ball- Burial Vamdemon's DigiCore, his heart, his soul—onto the opposite end of the scale. As expected, it outweighed the feather. Anubimon shook his head.

"Your heart is heavy with evil and darkness," he spoke in an ominous tone. "I'm afraid you can no longer be allowed to exist in this life."

Before the metal vampire could even open his mouth to protest, Anubimon extended his arm once again, and placed his palm over the dark DigiCore, vaporizing it. With the destruction of his soul, Burial Vamdemon disintegrated into data, and the dark void dissipated back into reality.

The Chosen Children, their digimon, the children harboring Dark Spores, and even Arukenimon, cheered. The evil which cast a shadow over both worlds for such a long time was final destroyed. Anubimon allowed himself a brief smile- a hero's smile-, then fell face down and his form vaporized to reveal Mummymon, on the verge of death. Gasping, the children, both Chosen and not, started towards him, but were quickly blocked by the digimon, simply gesturing towards Arukenimon as the reason why. Though still disoriented somewhat, she staggered to him as quickly as possible and kneeled at his side. He did not hear her approach. It was getting hard to hear much of anything now.

"Mummymon… You idiot…"

"Hmm..?" He opened his eyes to behold the sight of his beloved. "Oh… Arukenimon… I'm so glad… you're all right…" He breathing became shallower with every word.

"You just had to go and fight with Burial Vamdemon, didn't you..? Had to go and be the big hero, didn't you? You… idiot…" Her voice was shaky now, as she fought back tears of anger, sorrow, and regret. Mummymon chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it was rather stupid of me… It's my own fault… for not being… more careful. I'm sorry. Gah…" He winced, the wound of his undoing shouting out its existence once again as it bled rivers.

Arukenimon clenched her fists and trembled. "No!" She shook her head. "Sorry isn't good enough! Why did you do it, Mummymon?! Why, why, why?!?"

With the final shake of her head, the lady in red's dark shades flew off her face to reveal a clouded pair of tearful violet eyes, threatening saline floods. Mummymon's eyes widened in awe. "Your eyes…" He used what strength he had to bring a gentle paw to her face. "They're beautiful, but… those tears… Are they for me?"

"Baka," she hissed, allowing herself to lean into his touch angrily. He smiled almost sadly and breathed, "I'm honored…" Her heart broke, and the silent tears streamed down her pale face, moistening her skin and her withering companion's, as well. When she opened her eyes, she was horrified to find that he had begun disintegrating into data. His feet had already gone, and his legs were soon to follow.

"Listen, my Arukenimon," the mummy began in his final moments, talking as swiftly as his breathing would allow. "Please… don't cry for me. I knew this would happen, but… this is… what I wanted. …I don't have any regrets, and… I don't mind dying… if it's for you. But, please… don't be sad… If you wait a while… I'll be back, and… things will be… how they were before… just you… and me… together." There went his hands, his arms… "…Good-bye, my dear… I love you, always…" His eyes shut, and his head fell, and then went him. Where once there laid a Mummymon now laid nothing but a river of blood.

Arukenimon knelt there, not comprehending fully what had just transpired. But then, it hit her as hard as Burial Vamdemon had, and she took her face in her gloved hands and wept. All in that dimension felt the womon's sorrow, but none could understand it, appreciate it. Or perhaps they could. He did save them all, however unintentionally. Still, they would never know what had been shared, what hadn't been shared, how many wrongs she had done him, how many times she had heard those three magic words from him, and how many times she wished she could bring herself to say the same. All she could do was mourn now…


Thanks to Anubimon's misguided laser assault, a hole had been blasted in the strange dimension they were trapped in which uncovered the Digital World on the other side, a fact brought to their attention by the young Gennai, who, by no explanation, managed to drop in on them. After dealing a few more hits to the breach, courtesy of the Chosen Children's digimon, they all entered the barren and bleak Digital World. After an inquiry as to what that other world had been from little Iori, it was brought to light that that world had been the power to wish. Oikawa, feeling anguished for causing such trouble, wished to use what strength he had left to replenish the Digital World and watch over it, always. The children- Chosen and not- returned to their own world, and as for Arukenimon?

Many, many moons passed since the events of that time…