The Old Ichijouji Hotel
West Shinjuku, Tokyo
11:48 P.M.
"NOOO!!!" screams Kouji, wildly trying to free himself as IceDevimon savors the taste of Renamon's blood, "LEAVE HER ALONE!!"
"RENAMON!!" screams Rika, doing the same on the opposite wall. IceDevimon stops for a moment and sneers at Kouji, his face smeared with blood as rivers of crimson flow from Renamon's wound. The monster ignores the imprisoned digimon's fury as he looks back to his victim's neck and licks his lips, savoring the bittersweet taste of blood.
"INFERNAL FUNNEL!"
A weak blast of heat collides with IceDevimon's back, knocking him off balance for a moment. He releases his grip on Renamon, letting her fall to the icy floor, and turns to face his assailant.
"You leave her alone," says Impmon, a small vortex of energy swirling before him as he charges up to attack again. IceDevimon grimaces as he spreads his tattered wings wide.
"Traitor," he replies, leaping towards the small rookie, pulling his right arm back to deal a devastating blow.
"Impmon!" yells Takato as the monster quickly approaches. Impmon stands his ground, a determined expression on his face.
"INFERNAL FUNNEL!" he yells at the last moment, but misses as IceDevimon easily dodges the attack and grabs his head, thrusting it into the ground. Lifting up the battered rookie between two of his fingers, Impmon stares menacingly at him.
"You fool, did you really think you could defeat me?" he asks, squeezing his neck slightly.
"No . ." gasps Impmon, ". . but he can."
"FIRE BLAST!" yells Kouji as a fireball blasts into IceDevimon's back, sending him skidding across the floor and Impmon into the wall. Using his now free hand, Kouji creates another fireball and melts the ice holding him.
"You fool!" yells IceDevimon, rising into the air and diving back at Kouji.
"YAH!" screams Kouji, jumping over IceDevimon at the last moment and kicking him into the wall next to Shinji, shattering the ice holding him up on the wall. Quickly, without thinking, Shinji grabs the first card in his cardcase and slashes it through the D-Arc in mid-air.
"DIGI-MODIFY! SHOGUN SWORD ACTIVATE!" he yells, landing on the ice below and sliding across the room as a large katana manifests in Kouji's right hand. Kouji jumps back into the air and slashes down at IceDevimon's neck, but the monster pulls himself out of the way a split second before the blade hits. The demon jumps back as Kouji slashes again, just barely missing his chest.
"DIE!" screams Kouji, running after the monster and stabbing at it. IceDevimon manifests a blade of ice in his right hand and quickly blocks, struggling against Kouji's surprising burst of strength. As the two digimon begin to duel with their weapons, Shinji rushes to free the others. Reaching the closest tamer to him, Takato, he quickly looks around for something to break the ice with.
"There! Next to the table!" says Takato. Shinji looks down and sees a butter knife half buried under the ice and shattered wood of an old table. He reaches down, pulls it out, and begins to hack at the rings of ice pinning Takato to the wall.
"YAH!" yells Kouji, slashing at IceDevimon again, who once again blocks. The demon just growls in response as Kouji slashes again and again, the two dueling across the room. Kouji quickly thrusts, but misses and IceDevimon spins around behind him. The monster stabs down, and Kouji looses his balance as he spins to defend himself, falling to the floor. IceDevimon stabs again and Kouji blocks, Kouji pushing back against the ice demon's strength.
"How is this possible?!" yells IceDevimon, jumping back to catch his breath. Kouji does a backflip and gets back on his feet, then raises the sword above himself, awaiting IceDevimon's next move.
_____
On the other side of the room, Impmon regains consciousness and dazedly looks around. Weakly, he gets on his feet, holding his right shoulder in pain and limps over to the motionless Renamon. He vaguely notices the clashing of blades near him as Kouji and IceDevimon duel like ancient samurai. There is only one thing on his mind: Renamon.
"Renamon," he whispers, "I'm coming, don't worry, I'm right here." He stops right next to her and can only stare at her, laying face down in the ice. It is when he sees the pool of blood that he comes to his senses, his fury returning, just like Kouji. He turns to Kouji and IceDevimon, the two furiously slashing their swords at each other, each blow canceling out the other.
"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done," he says, using his still uninjured left hand and slowly powering up his attack. The ball of fiery energy forms in front of him, illuminating his battered face. He doesn't care if this will have an effect or not, he must make IceDevimon pay for what he's done to Renamon. IceDevimon jumps back as Kouji slices at him again, his back now to Impmon.
"INFERNAL FUNNEL!" yells Impmon, throwing the ball of energy at the ice demon with whatever strength remains. The monster feels a blast of heat envelop himself as the attack connects, but just smiles at his uselessness. IceDevimon quickly dodges as Kouji slashes again with his katana, turns and grabs Impmon, putting his blade to the rookie's throat.
"You still dare to defy me? It is time you DIE!" yells IceDevimon, turning and throwing the rookie as hard as he could at the wall behind him, sending Impmon crashing through the ice.
"Impmon!" yells Takato, now helping Shinji free Henry.
"You MONSTER!" screams Kouji, his rage getting out of control, as leaps at IceDevimon and stabs his katana at the demon.
____
"Kuso," mutters Yamaki, kicking the pile of ice and rubble. This is the third dead end he's gone down, and its driving him crazy. In the distance somewhere, he can hear the sounds of battle as those kids fight IceDevimon, and he can tell that things are not going well for them.
"If I don't get to them soon . ." he whispers, then shakes the thought out of his head. He won't let them die, no matter what. Yamaki turns to walk back down the way he'd come, when the ice to the left of him suddenly shatters and a small purple thing blasts through and hits the other wall, before falling to the floor.
"Uhh . ." the digimon moans, clutching its right shoulder and trying to stand up. It looks up at Yamaki, who quickly aims his gun at its face.
"Where is IceDevimon?!" yells Yamaki.
_____
The two blades clash with tremendous force as the opponents meet in mid- air, a dazzling display of control as the two leap off the opposite walls and meet again in the center, slashing at each other. IceDevimon quickly spins past Kouji and delivers a kick to the Dark Flamedramon's back, sending him spiraling to the floor below.
"ZERO FREEZE!" yells IceDevimon, launching a hail of spikes down below. Kouji quickly rolls out of the way, but not fast enough as three of the spikes connect, two in his side and one in his leg. IceDevimon dives down at his fallen opponent, ready to finish this fight with one blow.
"PYRO SPHERE!"
The attack collides with the ice demon just a second before he reaches Kouji and sends him crashing into the wall nearby. Kouji quickly looks across the room at the digimon who'd saved him: Guilmon.
"All right, Guilmon, let's end this NOW!" yells Takato, running up next to his partner and grabbing his D-Arc, "Digi-Modify! Hyperspeed activate!" Guilmon immediately disappears and reappears behind IceDevimon, quickly ramming his back.
"ARG! Why don't you infidels DIE?!" howls IceDevimon, spinning around and slashing at Guilmon with his ice blade, but the digimon is not there.
"PYRO SPHERE!" yells Guilmon, blasting IceDevimon with a sphere of energy. The ice demon reels over in pain, this rookie is no push-over. Nearby, Takato slashes another card through his D-Arc.
"Digi-Modify! Hyperwing Activate!" he yells as two glowing white wings form on Guilmon's back and the rookie takes to the air.
"No! I will not be defeated by this fool again!" says IceDevimon, quickly taking to the air and ramming Guilmon into the ice covered ceiling. Before the digimon can react, IceDevimon grabs his throat and throws him to the floor below.
"Guilmon!" yells Takato, "Get up!" IceDevimon dives to the ground and kicks Guilmon's face, sending him sliding across the room toward Henry and Shinji, who are now trying to free Rika. IceDevimon stands over the fallen digimon and raises his blade. Takato runs to them, ignoring the danger, and dives at Guilmon, pushing him out of the way just in time and barely escaping death himself.
"Stop this charade and let me kill you!" yells IceDevimon, as Takato quickly picks up his partner and tries to run. In the corner of his eye, Takato can see Gargomon is now free.
"GARGO LASER!" yells Gargomon, blasting IceDevimon's back with a hail of energy beams. Although the attack had no real effect, it did get the monster's attention.
"Ok, Henry, now what?" asks Gargomon, getting nervous as IceDevimon turns toward them. He never gets to answer as IceDevimon leaps toward them and grabs Gargomon.
"Gargomon!" yells Henry, diving out of the way as the ice demon throws his partner at him, shattering the floor and sending him skidding into the wall before turning back into Terriermon. Nearby, an ice spike clatters to the floor.
"Kuso," grunts Kouji, pulling out the last spike and throwing it to the side. He grabs his sword and jumps to his feet, ready to continue the fight, and just in time to see IceDevimon pounce at Henry.
"NO!" screams Kouji, quickly throwing a fireball at the monster, "FIRE BLAST!" The fireball explodes across IceDevimon's face, jerking its head to the side and effectively getting its attention.
"You shall die soon, my friend," says the demon, tightening his grip on the blade of ice and charging at Kouji, who does the same. They slash at each other and the blades connect in a shower of sparks, the blows canceling each other out. Kouji and IceDevimon begin circling each other, their blades still connected and their teeth gritting with frustration as one can't overpower the other. Both combatants pull their blades back simultaneously and IceDevimon quickly slashes again. Kouji does a backflip to avoid the blow, then pulls his katana close to block a thrust by IceDevimon, barely deflecting the tip of the blade. IceDevimon thrusts again, but Kouji isn't fast enough to fully deflect the assault, the blade slicing a gash across his left arm.
"Kuso," he mutters in pain, jumping back and grabbing his now bloody arm. IceDevimon laughs at the sight, savoring the pain and hatred in his opponent's eyes.
"This has been quite amusing, but it is time to end this fight," says IceDevimon, stretching his arm towards Kouji. Rika, from her place next to the still unconscious Renamon, realizes what is about to happen.
"Get out of the way!" she yells, but it is too late as the Dark Flamedramon floats into the air and flies into the wall behind him, the katana getting tossed from his hands as he falls to the ground.
"Kouji!" yells Shinji, unsure of what to do as his partner is psychically thrown through the air again, and is caught by IceDevimon, who tightly grips his throat.
"Welcome to the end of your life, peon," says IceDevimon with a smirk, squeezing the young digimon's throat with his left hand. Shinji begins to panic, his partner, no, his friend is being murdered right before his very eyes. He looks around him for something to grab, something to use to stop that monster before it completes its task, and grabs the closest thing to him. Without thinking, he charges at the ice demon and swings his weapon . .
"AAAUUGGH!" screams IceDevimon, as the katana slices through his left arm, severing it just below the elbow. Kouji falls to the ground and gasps for air as the hand is deleted. Shinji quickly runs to his side.
"Are you all right?!" asks Shinji, almost yelling in his face.
"Yes," he replies, "You saved me."
"Of course, I'm not going to let that monster kill you or anyone else," says Shinji, helping Kouji to his feet, "Not anymore. I stood idly by while you risked your life, but that time is now over. I will never watch from the sidelines ever again." He looks back at IceDevimon, his eyes determined as he expertly swings the katana and points the blade toward the monster.
"KYAA!" screams Shinji, charging the demon again, while it still clutches what remains of its arm.
"You shall pay for this, human!" yells IceDevimon, easily dodging the boy and stabbing at his back. Effortlessly, Shinji spins on the ice and knocks the blade away before delivering a surprisingly strong side kick to the monster's gut.
"No, YOU will pay!" he replies, slashing at IceDevimon and cutting a large wound across its chest.
"AARRR!!" screams IceDevimon, reeling in pain and seething with fury, "DIE!" By sheer will, IceDevimon throws Shinji across the room and into the wall, but the Tamer's determination overcomes and he gets back on his feet. Shinji smirks at IceDevimon's fury, making the demon's rage rise even higher.
"You thought you were the perfect digimon," says Shinji, wiping some blood from his cut lip, "But you are nothing."
"WHAT?! YOU PUNY IMBECIL, YOU AREN'T EVEN CAPABLE OF COMPREHENDING THE DEPTH OF MY POWER!!" howls IceDevimon, his voice shaking the room. But Shinji just continues to smirk at the beast, oblivious to his rage.
"Is that so? Then how is it that a puny human has done so much damage to you? You are nothing more than a fraud, a lunatic digimon with delusions of grandeur," replies Shinji. IceDevimon is speechless, his rage nearly beyond control, especially since this fool was RIGHT.
"No . . I AM PERFECT!" screams IceDevimon, throwing his blade at the Tamer. But Shinji simply moves his head slightly to the left, while the blade hits that very spot his head was in before.
"No, you are not perfect, because you have fallen right into my trap," replies the Tamer, his smirk growing into a full smile.
"Wha . . ?!" replies IceDevimon, suddenly realizing what he means all too late.
"MAGNA FLARE!" yells Kouji, the beam of golden energy blasting into IceDevimon's back at point blank, easily slicing through the demon's abdomen. The beam subsides and a gurgle escapes IceDevimon's throat before he collapses to the icy floor. Shinji throws the katana to the floor.
"Its over," says Henry, holding the unconscious Terriermon in his arms nearby. Kouji hears a light tap on the ice behind and slowly turns to face . .
"Renamon," he says coldly. Her fur is now matted with dry blood from her wound, while her eyes glow a bright shade of red. She just stands there, quietly staring at him.
"What's wrong with her?" asks Takato, kneeling next to Guilmon behind Henry.
"When IceDevimon bit her, he must have transferred some of his data into her," he replies.
"You mean he's corrupted her data, like Guilmon?" asks Takato.
"Sort of, only she has no conscious entity guiding her, its like she's on autopilot," replies Henry, as the two digimon silently stand off.
"I will not fight you, Renamon," says Kouji as Renamon pull her fists to her waist. With a hiss, she charges at the Dark Flamedramon, who stands unflinching and unmoving.
"KOUJI!" yells Shinji, when suddenly Renamon contorts in mid-step.
"AAIIIEE!!" she screams, the glow fading from her eyes as she collapses.
"Renamon!" yells Kouji, diving to catch her. He falls to his knees, resting her face in his chest and notices the card stabbed into her back. A blue card. Kouji looks up at Rika, who gives him a small smile as the card disappears in a spray of pixels, along with IceDevimon's evil.
"Are you all right?" asks Shinji, putting his hand on his shoulder. Kouji silently nods his head and gently puts his hand on the back of Renamon's head. Shinji looks up at Rika, and is puzzled by the expression on her face. Rika's eyes are wide with terror, her face pale with shock or fear. A sudden realization comes over him, but he refuses to believe it.
"I am the fallen angel of ice and death, my time is finally come . ."
Shinji spins around and takes in the horror that is IceDevimon, a monster that refuses to die. Despite the mortal wound he's received, a blast right through his abdomen, the demon lives.
". . And shall NEVER DIE!!" screams IceDevimon, leaping at Shinji and swiping with its remaining bloody hand . .
"SHINJI!!"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"RRAAHHRR!!" howls the demon, howling in pain as the bullets tear through its arm. Every turns towards the source of the sound, the double doors at the end of the room, and stare in shock at the last person they ever thought they'd see.
"I-its him!" yells Henry, immediately recognizing the man.
"Yamaki-san!" yells Shinji, as Yamaki quickly loads a new clip into his gun.
"Shinji! Get out of there!" he yells, firing another shot at IceDevimon as Impmon limps into view behind him. The demon ignores the pain and leaps at his new enemy, finally losing his last shred of sanity.
"RRRRWWWWAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!" howls IceDevimon, flying head first toward the government agent. Yamaki quickly aims his handgun as the demon rushes towards him at horrific speed.
"Sayonara, BAKA!" he says, pulling the trigger when the monster is only inches from the muzzle of his gun.
BAM!
The bullet passes through IceDevimon's skull, jerking its entire body backwards as Yamaki unloads the entire clip into its head. The demon's skull implodes in a spray of crimson and the demon is no more, exploding in shower of pixels before hitting the ground. Just as IceDevimon is deleted, so is the ice he created within the hotel, everything vanishing in a flash of light. Yamaki falls to his knees breathing heavily as his heart slows back to normal.
"Yamaki-san!" yells Shinji, running to his side.
"I thought . . I told you . . to stay in your room," gasps Yamaki, catching his breath.
"Like my father says, duty calls," he replies, helping him to his feet. Suddenly, the entire building begins to shake, dust falling in gigantic clouds from the ceiling.
"Wha . . ?" says Takato, looking around as pieces of the ceiling start falling to the floor.
"The building is collapsing!" yells Rika. Takato throws Guilmon over his shoulder and makes a run for it, with Henry carrying Terriermon right behind him, quickly running past Yamaki and Shinji. Kouji picks up Renamon in his arms and jogs for the doors, right behind Rika, who grabs Impmon as she runs out the door and down the hall. Shinji turns and starts running down the hall, but stops when he realizes neither Yamaki nor Kouji are following him. He looks back to see that they're staring at each other coldly.
"There's no time for this! We've got to get out of here, NOW!" yells Shinji. Both remain silent for a few seconds more, then Yamaki motions his head toward the exit.
"Get out of here," he says, standing aside to let the digimon pass. A quick nod of thanks and Kouji runs off, right behind his partner. Yamaki takes one more look at the large room and turns to run, just as the entire room collapses behind him. The Tamers, their digimon, and the mysterious man one of them knows flee the area, just moments before the Old Ichijouji Hotel collapses in a cloud of dust.
_____
Damn, that was one REALLY long chapter, it took forever for me to write! There was actually more, but I'm saving that for the next chapter. It should be up before Christmas, so expect it in the next few days.
West Shinjuku, Tokyo
11:48 P.M.
"NOOO!!!" screams Kouji, wildly trying to free himself as IceDevimon savors the taste of Renamon's blood, "LEAVE HER ALONE!!"
"RENAMON!!" screams Rika, doing the same on the opposite wall. IceDevimon stops for a moment and sneers at Kouji, his face smeared with blood as rivers of crimson flow from Renamon's wound. The monster ignores the imprisoned digimon's fury as he looks back to his victim's neck and licks his lips, savoring the bittersweet taste of blood.
"INFERNAL FUNNEL!"
A weak blast of heat collides with IceDevimon's back, knocking him off balance for a moment. He releases his grip on Renamon, letting her fall to the icy floor, and turns to face his assailant.
"You leave her alone," says Impmon, a small vortex of energy swirling before him as he charges up to attack again. IceDevimon grimaces as he spreads his tattered wings wide.
"Traitor," he replies, leaping towards the small rookie, pulling his right arm back to deal a devastating blow.
"Impmon!" yells Takato as the monster quickly approaches. Impmon stands his ground, a determined expression on his face.
"INFERNAL FUNNEL!" he yells at the last moment, but misses as IceDevimon easily dodges the attack and grabs his head, thrusting it into the ground. Lifting up the battered rookie between two of his fingers, Impmon stares menacingly at him.
"You fool, did you really think you could defeat me?" he asks, squeezing his neck slightly.
"No . ." gasps Impmon, ". . but he can."
"FIRE BLAST!" yells Kouji as a fireball blasts into IceDevimon's back, sending him skidding across the floor and Impmon into the wall. Using his now free hand, Kouji creates another fireball and melts the ice holding him.
"You fool!" yells IceDevimon, rising into the air and diving back at Kouji.
"YAH!" screams Kouji, jumping over IceDevimon at the last moment and kicking him into the wall next to Shinji, shattering the ice holding him up on the wall. Quickly, without thinking, Shinji grabs the first card in his cardcase and slashes it through the D-Arc in mid-air.
"DIGI-MODIFY! SHOGUN SWORD ACTIVATE!" he yells, landing on the ice below and sliding across the room as a large katana manifests in Kouji's right hand. Kouji jumps back into the air and slashes down at IceDevimon's neck, but the monster pulls himself out of the way a split second before the blade hits. The demon jumps back as Kouji slashes again, just barely missing his chest.
"DIE!" screams Kouji, running after the monster and stabbing at it. IceDevimon manifests a blade of ice in his right hand and quickly blocks, struggling against Kouji's surprising burst of strength. As the two digimon begin to duel with their weapons, Shinji rushes to free the others. Reaching the closest tamer to him, Takato, he quickly looks around for something to break the ice with.
"There! Next to the table!" says Takato. Shinji looks down and sees a butter knife half buried under the ice and shattered wood of an old table. He reaches down, pulls it out, and begins to hack at the rings of ice pinning Takato to the wall.
"YAH!" yells Kouji, slashing at IceDevimon again, who once again blocks. The demon just growls in response as Kouji slashes again and again, the two dueling across the room. Kouji quickly thrusts, but misses and IceDevimon spins around behind him. The monster stabs down, and Kouji looses his balance as he spins to defend himself, falling to the floor. IceDevimon stabs again and Kouji blocks, Kouji pushing back against the ice demon's strength.
"How is this possible?!" yells IceDevimon, jumping back to catch his breath. Kouji does a backflip and gets back on his feet, then raises the sword above himself, awaiting IceDevimon's next move.
_____
On the other side of the room, Impmon regains consciousness and dazedly looks around. Weakly, he gets on his feet, holding his right shoulder in pain and limps over to the motionless Renamon. He vaguely notices the clashing of blades near him as Kouji and IceDevimon duel like ancient samurai. There is only one thing on his mind: Renamon.
"Renamon," he whispers, "I'm coming, don't worry, I'm right here." He stops right next to her and can only stare at her, laying face down in the ice. It is when he sees the pool of blood that he comes to his senses, his fury returning, just like Kouji. He turns to Kouji and IceDevimon, the two furiously slashing their swords at each other, each blow canceling out the other.
"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done," he says, using his still uninjured left hand and slowly powering up his attack. The ball of fiery energy forms in front of him, illuminating his battered face. He doesn't care if this will have an effect or not, he must make IceDevimon pay for what he's done to Renamon. IceDevimon jumps back as Kouji slices at him again, his back now to Impmon.
"INFERNAL FUNNEL!" yells Impmon, throwing the ball of energy at the ice demon with whatever strength remains. The monster feels a blast of heat envelop himself as the attack connects, but just smiles at his uselessness. IceDevimon quickly dodges as Kouji slashes again with his katana, turns and grabs Impmon, putting his blade to the rookie's throat.
"You still dare to defy me? It is time you DIE!" yells IceDevimon, turning and throwing the rookie as hard as he could at the wall behind him, sending Impmon crashing through the ice.
"Impmon!" yells Takato, now helping Shinji free Henry.
"You MONSTER!" screams Kouji, his rage getting out of control, as leaps at IceDevimon and stabs his katana at the demon.
____
"Kuso," mutters Yamaki, kicking the pile of ice and rubble. This is the third dead end he's gone down, and its driving him crazy. In the distance somewhere, he can hear the sounds of battle as those kids fight IceDevimon, and he can tell that things are not going well for them.
"If I don't get to them soon . ." he whispers, then shakes the thought out of his head. He won't let them die, no matter what. Yamaki turns to walk back down the way he'd come, when the ice to the left of him suddenly shatters and a small purple thing blasts through and hits the other wall, before falling to the floor.
"Uhh . ." the digimon moans, clutching its right shoulder and trying to stand up. It looks up at Yamaki, who quickly aims his gun at its face.
"Where is IceDevimon?!" yells Yamaki.
_____
The two blades clash with tremendous force as the opponents meet in mid- air, a dazzling display of control as the two leap off the opposite walls and meet again in the center, slashing at each other. IceDevimon quickly spins past Kouji and delivers a kick to the Dark Flamedramon's back, sending him spiraling to the floor below.
"ZERO FREEZE!" yells IceDevimon, launching a hail of spikes down below. Kouji quickly rolls out of the way, but not fast enough as three of the spikes connect, two in his side and one in his leg. IceDevimon dives down at his fallen opponent, ready to finish this fight with one blow.
"PYRO SPHERE!"
The attack collides with the ice demon just a second before he reaches Kouji and sends him crashing into the wall nearby. Kouji quickly looks across the room at the digimon who'd saved him: Guilmon.
"All right, Guilmon, let's end this NOW!" yells Takato, running up next to his partner and grabbing his D-Arc, "Digi-Modify! Hyperspeed activate!" Guilmon immediately disappears and reappears behind IceDevimon, quickly ramming his back.
"ARG! Why don't you infidels DIE?!" howls IceDevimon, spinning around and slashing at Guilmon with his ice blade, but the digimon is not there.
"PYRO SPHERE!" yells Guilmon, blasting IceDevimon with a sphere of energy. The ice demon reels over in pain, this rookie is no push-over. Nearby, Takato slashes another card through his D-Arc.
"Digi-Modify! Hyperwing Activate!" he yells as two glowing white wings form on Guilmon's back and the rookie takes to the air.
"No! I will not be defeated by this fool again!" says IceDevimon, quickly taking to the air and ramming Guilmon into the ice covered ceiling. Before the digimon can react, IceDevimon grabs his throat and throws him to the floor below.
"Guilmon!" yells Takato, "Get up!" IceDevimon dives to the ground and kicks Guilmon's face, sending him sliding across the room toward Henry and Shinji, who are now trying to free Rika. IceDevimon stands over the fallen digimon and raises his blade. Takato runs to them, ignoring the danger, and dives at Guilmon, pushing him out of the way just in time and barely escaping death himself.
"Stop this charade and let me kill you!" yells IceDevimon, as Takato quickly picks up his partner and tries to run. In the corner of his eye, Takato can see Gargomon is now free.
"GARGO LASER!" yells Gargomon, blasting IceDevimon's back with a hail of energy beams. Although the attack had no real effect, it did get the monster's attention.
"Ok, Henry, now what?" asks Gargomon, getting nervous as IceDevimon turns toward them. He never gets to answer as IceDevimon leaps toward them and grabs Gargomon.
"Gargomon!" yells Henry, diving out of the way as the ice demon throws his partner at him, shattering the floor and sending him skidding into the wall before turning back into Terriermon. Nearby, an ice spike clatters to the floor.
"Kuso," grunts Kouji, pulling out the last spike and throwing it to the side. He grabs his sword and jumps to his feet, ready to continue the fight, and just in time to see IceDevimon pounce at Henry.
"NO!" screams Kouji, quickly throwing a fireball at the monster, "FIRE BLAST!" The fireball explodes across IceDevimon's face, jerking its head to the side and effectively getting its attention.
"You shall die soon, my friend," says the demon, tightening his grip on the blade of ice and charging at Kouji, who does the same. They slash at each other and the blades connect in a shower of sparks, the blows canceling each other out. Kouji and IceDevimon begin circling each other, their blades still connected and their teeth gritting with frustration as one can't overpower the other. Both combatants pull their blades back simultaneously and IceDevimon quickly slashes again. Kouji does a backflip to avoid the blow, then pulls his katana close to block a thrust by IceDevimon, barely deflecting the tip of the blade. IceDevimon thrusts again, but Kouji isn't fast enough to fully deflect the assault, the blade slicing a gash across his left arm.
"Kuso," he mutters in pain, jumping back and grabbing his now bloody arm. IceDevimon laughs at the sight, savoring the pain and hatred in his opponent's eyes.
"This has been quite amusing, but it is time to end this fight," says IceDevimon, stretching his arm towards Kouji. Rika, from her place next to the still unconscious Renamon, realizes what is about to happen.
"Get out of the way!" she yells, but it is too late as the Dark Flamedramon floats into the air and flies into the wall behind him, the katana getting tossed from his hands as he falls to the ground.
"Kouji!" yells Shinji, unsure of what to do as his partner is psychically thrown through the air again, and is caught by IceDevimon, who tightly grips his throat.
"Welcome to the end of your life, peon," says IceDevimon with a smirk, squeezing the young digimon's throat with his left hand. Shinji begins to panic, his partner, no, his friend is being murdered right before his very eyes. He looks around him for something to grab, something to use to stop that monster before it completes its task, and grabs the closest thing to him. Without thinking, he charges at the ice demon and swings his weapon . .
"AAAUUGGH!" screams IceDevimon, as the katana slices through his left arm, severing it just below the elbow. Kouji falls to the ground and gasps for air as the hand is deleted. Shinji quickly runs to his side.
"Are you all right?!" asks Shinji, almost yelling in his face.
"Yes," he replies, "You saved me."
"Of course, I'm not going to let that monster kill you or anyone else," says Shinji, helping Kouji to his feet, "Not anymore. I stood idly by while you risked your life, but that time is now over. I will never watch from the sidelines ever again." He looks back at IceDevimon, his eyes determined as he expertly swings the katana and points the blade toward the monster.
"KYAA!" screams Shinji, charging the demon again, while it still clutches what remains of its arm.
"You shall pay for this, human!" yells IceDevimon, easily dodging the boy and stabbing at his back. Effortlessly, Shinji spins on the ice and knocks the blade away before delivering a surprisingly strong side kick to the monster's gut.
"No, YOU will pay!" he replies, slashing at IceDevimon and cutting a large wound across its chest.
"AARRR!!" screams IceDevimon, reeling in pain and seething with fury, "DIE!" By sheer will, IceDevimon throws Shinji across the room and into the wall, but the Tamer's determination overcomes and he gets back on his feet. Shinji smirks at IceDevimon's fury, making the demon's rage rise even higher.
"You thought you were the perfect digimon," says Shinji, wiping some blood from his cut lip, "But you are nothing."
"WHAT?! YOU PUNY IMBECIL, YOU AREN'T EVEN CAPABLE OF COMPREHENDING THE DEPTH OF MY POWER!!" howls IceDevimon, his voice shaking the room. But Shinji just continues to smirk at the beast, oblivious to his rage.
"Is that so? Then how is it that a puny human has done so much damage to you? You are nothing more than a fraud, a lunatic digimon with delusions of grandeur," replies Shinji. IceDevimon is speechless, his rage nearly beyond control, especially since this fool was RIGHT.
"No . . I AM PERFECT!" screams IceDevimon, throwing his blade at the Tamer. But Shinji simply moves his head slightly to the left, while the blade hits that very spot his head was in before.
"No, you are not perfect, because you have fallen right into my trap," replies the Tamer, his smirk growing into a full smile.
"Wha . . ?!" replies IceDevimon, suddenly realizing what he means all too late.
"MAGNA FLARE!" yells Kouji, the beam of golden energy blasting into IceDevimon's back at point blank, easily slicing through the demon's abdomen. The beam subsides and a gurgle escapes IceDevimon's throat before he collapses to the icy floor. Shinji throws the katana to the floor.
"Its over," says Henry, holding the unconscious Terriermon in his arms nearby. Kouji hears a light tap on the ice behind and slowly turns to face . .
"Renamon," he says coldly. Her fur is now matted with dry blood from her wound, while her eyes glow a bright shade of red. She just stands there, quietly staring at him.
"What's wrong with her?" asks Takato, kneeling next to Guilmon behind Henry.
"When IceDevimon bit her, he must have transferred some of his data into her," he replies.
"You mean he's corrupted her data, like Guilmon?" asks Takato.
"Sort of, only she has no conscious entity guiding her, its like she's on autopilot," replies Henry, as the two digimon silently stand off.
"I will not fight you, Renamon," says Kouji as Renamon pull her fists to her waist. With a hiss, she charges at the Dark Flamedramon, who stands unflinching and unmoving.
"KOUJI!" yells Shinji, when suddenly Renamon contorts in mid-step.
"AAIIIEE!!" she screams, the glow fading from her eyes as she collapses.
"Renamon!" yells Kouji, diving to catch her. He falls to his knees, resting her face in his chest and notices the card stabbed into her back. A blue card. Kouji looks up at Rika, who gives him a small smile as the card disappears in a spray of pixels, along with IceDevimon's evil.
"Are you all right?" asks Shinji, putting his hand on his shoulder. Kouji silently nods his head and gently puts his hand on the back of Renamon's head. Shinji looks up at Rika, and is puzzled by the expression on her face. Rika's eyes are wide with terror, her face pale with shock or fear. A sudden realization comes over him, but he refuses to believe it.
"I am the fallen angel of ice and death, my time is finally come . ."
Shinji spins around and takes in the horror that is IceDevimon, a monster that refuses to die. Despite the mortal wound he's received, a blast right through his abdomen, the demon lives.
". . And shall NEVER DIE!!" screams IceDevimon, leaping at Shinji and swiping with its remaining bloody hand . .
"SHINJI!!"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"RRAAHHRR!!" howls the demon, howling in pain as the bullets tear through its arm. Every turns towards the source of the sound, the double doors at the end of the room, and stare in shock at the last person they ever thought they'd see.
"I-its him!" yells Henry, immediately recognizing the man.
"Yamaki-san!" yells Shinji, as Yamaki quickly loads a new clip into his gun.
"Shinji! Get out of there!" he yells, firing another shot at IceDevimon as Impmon limps into view behind him. The demon ignores the pain and leaps at his new enemy, finally losing his last shred of sanity.
"RRRRWWWWAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!" howls IceDevimon, flying head first toward the government agent. Yamaki quickly aims his handgun as the demon rushes towards him at horrific speed.
"Sayonara, BAKA!" he says, pulling the trigger when the monster is only inches from the muzzle of his gun.
BAM!
The bullet passes through IceDevimon's skull, jerking its entire body backwards as Yamaki unloads the entire clip into its head. The demon's skull implodes in a spray of crimson and the demon is no more, exploding in shower of pixels before hitting the ground. Just as IceDevimon is deleted, so is the ice he created within the hotel, everything vanishing in a flash of light. Yamaki falls to his knees breathing heavily as his heart slows back to normal.
"Yamaki-san!" yells Shinji, running to his side.
"I thought . . I told you . . to stay in your room," gasps Yamaki, catching his breath.
"Like my father says, duty calls," he replies, helping him to his feet. Suddenly, the entire building begins to shake, dust falling in gigantic clouds from the ceiling.
"Wha . . ?" says Takato, looking around as pieces of the ceiling start falling to the floor.
"The building is collapsing!" yells Rika. Takato throws Guilmon over his shoulder and makes a run for it, with Henry carrying Terriermon right behind him, quickly running past Yamaki and Shinji. Kouji picks up Renamon in his arms and jogs for the doors, right behind Rika, who grabs Impmon as she runs out the door and down the hall. Shinji turns and starts running down the hall, but stops when he realizes neither Yamaki nor Kouji are following him. He looks back to see that they're staring at each other coldly.
"There's no time for this! We've got to get out of here, NOW!" yells Shinji. Both remain silent for a few seconds more, then Yamaki motions his head toward the exit.
"Get out of here," he says, standing aside to let the digimon pass. A quick nod of thanks and Kouji runs off, right behind his partner. Yamaki takes one more look at the large room and turns to run, just as the entire room collapses behind him. The Tamers, their digimon, and the mysterious man one of them knows flee the area, just moments before the Old Ichijouji Hotel collapses in a cloud of dust.
_____
Damn, that was one REALLY long chapter, it took forever for me to write! There was actually more, but I'm saving that for the next chapter. It should be up before Christmas, so expect it in the next few days.
