The Defenders
Chapter 7: Battle with the Demon Lord
"You will not kill me so easily." Ryo stated.
"That is exactly what your father said before he died." The Demon Lord stated pulling out his broadsword.
He ran his tongue along the sharp edge. "He was quite tasty."
"They aren't dead! They can't be!" Ryo said unbelievingly. "You have to be lying!" He added pulling out his saber.
"Ryo, you don't honestly think you can take him alone do you? He's as big as Cyberdramon easily!" Takato asked.
Ryo glanced back at them.
"I'm not sure what to think anymore." He answered.
"We won't let you. We're a team now." Jenrya stated.
Before Ryo could tell them not to the other children and the digimon ran at the Demon Lord with their weapons and attacks ready.
"Stop! Don't!" Ryo called after them.
They were thrown backwards as he released a blast of energy at them.
"Don't hurt them!" Ryo pleaded with their enemy.
"And why not? They interrupted our game." The Demon Lord queried.
"They are only children."
"So you wish to gamble with their lives? That is fine with me." He said as he entrapped the children and digimon in a force field. "We fight to the death." He said charging Ryo.
Ryo quickly thought back to his training.
(Flashback)
Ten year old Ryo was sparing sword to sword with the Weapons' Master, when the sword was knocked out of his hand and was tackled to the ground.
"If this were a real battle you'd be dead by now." The Weapons' Master told the young boy as he helped him up "Remember, you to have draw out your power from the earth and let loose the fire of your wild nature to stay alive in a real fight. Your enemy won't expect you to fight like a wild animal. And always vary your attacks."
"But I don't understand. Why fight?" Ryo answered.
"Listen, I have battled many enemies. There are many battles that must be fought. I've learned during such battles that you can't hesitate. If you do, you lose, or die, or even both."
"Okay."
"There was one other problem to your technique. You turned your back to me. I could've killed you, if I wanted to. You must never turn your back, and in a real battle show no mercy. That is as bad as turning your back. Let's go again."
(End Flashback)
The Demon Lord was nearly upon him.
Ryo ran at him and jumped over him at the last second.
The Demon Lord was confused at what happened. Ryo took this time and stabbed his saber into the middle of his back. He howled in pain and reached back to remove the weapon.
Ryo jumped on the protruding weapon and grabbed onto his shoulders. With a dagger he tried to slash his enemy's throat.
The Demon Lord reached up, grabbed Ryo and threw him across the room. The dagger skittered out of reach on the floor
"You made a big mistake by attacking me like that." He growled.
"Why? Is it because you haven't seen such fighting before? I don't fight like my father, or anyone else." Ryo smirked
"No. Because you have no weapon, and you are doomed to die now." He laughed.
"Then kill me if I'm so defenseless."
"It will be my pleasure!"
He swung his sword at Ryo and missing because Ryo rolled away. Ryo grabbed the dagger and ran at the Demon Lord.
He expected Ryo to jump again as they neared, but this time Ryo slid under him between his legs.
Ryo slashed the dagger on the inside of his knee, causing him to fall backwards onto Ryo.
Luckily for Ryo, the Demon Lord only landed on his right arm, and could slip it out of the gauntlet.
Ryo ran towards his trapped friends.
"So. You are the poisoned one I was told about. Not that it matters. You will die sooner or later either way." The demon Lord said seeing the marks the poison left on the boy.
He stood up to face Ryo again.
"How can you still be alive?" Ryo asked when he saw the saber protruding out of his enemy's chest.
"You thought I'd die so easily? It takes more than some metal sticking through me for me to die. I am immortal."
"That's what your former slave Youma said as well." Ryo responded and grabbed the broadsword the Demon Lord had dropped. Ryo ran toward the Demon Lord.
"I know all of your moves, and I will stop you." He stated.
"So you believe." Ryo mumbled.
Ryo jumped as he'd done the first time, but this time grabbed a handful of the Demon Lord's long black hair. He swung around his neck on the hair and cleanly decapitated the Demon Lord.
The head and the body both crashed heavily to the ground.
The children and digimon were finally free.
Ryo pushed the head, which had landed on him, aside and sat up. He was soaked in his enemy's blood.
"I am never going to do that again." Ryo promised himself.
"Are you okay?" Cyberdramon asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." He said slowly looking around. "I beat him."
"You have to teach me those moves some time!" Ruki said in awe.
"Maybe later. I have to find my parents." Ryo said then ran out of the room.
"What if what that guy said about them being dead is true?" Jeri asked.
"Then my heart goes out to him. No one should have to lose their family or friends with such harsh words between them." Leomon added.
When Ryo didn't come back for hours the others went looking for him. They found the demolished courtyard, which once held the castle's garden. He was sitting by two statues, King Kokoro and his mother, the only structures that survived in the garden.
"When you didn't come back we got worried." Suichion said.
"Did you find them?" Kenta asked.
"They are dead."
"How do you know?" MarineAngemon asked.
"My mother was writing down what happened before they came in here and killed her. I found this in her room"
"What does it say?" Asked Guardromon.
"'I can hear them clawing at the door. I know I will soon meet my Maker. They have already killed my beloved Kokoro, and probably Ryo as well. I just wish that there was some way to see my son one last time. We miss him so much. They are getting through now. Lord forgive and help-' And then it ends. If only I hadn't been so stupid. I could've seen them one last time. I should've swallowed my anger instead of lashing out like I did. I might've prevented their deaths."
"Ryo. Do not dwell on what could have been. What you do always seems like the best idea at the time, don't regret what you did. You didn't know any better at the time." Cyberdramon said to his partner.
"I failed my family. I have no reason to live anymore. Maybe it would be best if I ended my life now. Maybe in Heaven I'll be able to tell them how sorry I am." Ryo sadly said.
"You have to live, if not for yourself, then for Akiyama and Shinjuku. And your friends." Hirokazu said.
"I guess your right, besides, what would Akiyama be without a king?" Ryo smiled, as he lay two white roses at the base of the statues.
The End