Chapter 8
"At least most everything is still here," Ryo commented as the three humans and their partners milled about the ruined interior of the massive wreck. Parts of walls were missing, the floor was scattered with ruble and debris, while several charred silhouettes against the main hull showed the gruesome way that many digimon had apparently meet their end. Ken shuddered and looked away from the grizzly displays.
"Who ever decided to fill your shoes didn't use anything from here," Ryo continued.
"I'm not so sure," TK replied, crouching over a piece of equipment and lightly brushing his fingers over the surface. "There's no dust." He held up his fingertips, totally devoid of dust or grim of any kind.
"Squatters?" Ryo wondered, glancing at Cyberdramon. The massive behemoth shook his head.
"There's nobody here," he growled, his voice low and metallic. His jaws snapped together, his entire body rumbling slightly as he snorted. "Someone's been here, though. Their scent's not too far gone. No one I recognize, though. He wasn't alone. He had a pair of digimon with him, I'd say Ultimates, both of them. I don't really recognize them, though."
"Arukenimon and Mummymon, probably," TK ventured, pushing himself back up into a standing position. "Kari mentioned that they seem to serve this new pretender. Keep those scents in mind. We might want to hunt them down. They can probably lead us to this would-be Emperor."
"We should at least give the others a call first," Ken protested.
"Probably," TK sighed. "I just want to get this over with."
"What's the matter?" Ryo asked, concerned.
"I had a dream last night," TK admitted. "It felt like when I was honing my powers."
"You think it might be a vision of the future?" Ryo wondered.
"Maybe," TK admitted, "but it couldn't have been. Myotismon was in it, but he was different, somehow. Stronger. In command. He was ruling the digital world, with all beings bowing to him."
"What else," Ryo prompted.
"Kari was by his side," TK answered, his voice quiet. "She was his queen."
"No wonder you woke up screaming," Angemon whistled. "That'd make Tentomon's hair stand on end."
"Tentomon doesn't have hair," Wormmon pointed out.
"Thus the irony," Angemon sighed. "Or at least, the irony I was TRYING for." Without warning, TK's head shot up, his eyes alert and his ears perking slightly.
"What is it?" Ryo demanded, standing.
"Something's wrong," TK replied, tersely. "There was a massive surge for a second, and then it vanished. I think Kari's in trouble. We need to get out there, get away from the darkness in here so I can focus better." The others nodded and followed TK outside. There, he closed his eyes and let his mind race outwards, something that was all too familiar to the others.
"Well?" Ryo finally demanded.
"She's under attack," TK replied, anger seeping into his voice. "Let's move."
The others didn't stop to question their friend, know all too well the bond he shared with the child of light. If TK thought she was in trouble, she was. There was no uncertainty about it. The three broke into a run as they headed toward the battle they knew was happening. All of a sudden, TK stumbled, clutching his head.
"She's been hurt," he growled. "Angemon! We need to get there now!" The angel nodded once and swooped down, plucking TK from the ground and shooting off. Cyberdramon grabbed Ryo and Ken, while Wormmon remained in Ken's arms. They made good time, and quickly reached a large sand dune overlooking the battlefield. Beneath them, the battle was decidedly one-sided. Kari, Yolei, Angewoman, and a green-clad ninja with leaves for a cap and slinky's for arms and legs and a massive four-point shurken on his back fought in the center of a circle of massive, dark grey-skinned dinosaurs, similar to T-Rexes, their arms and legs covered in various red slashes.
"Master Tyranomon," Angemon replied. "Ultimate level, dinosaur digimon. Pretty fierce one-on-one. Five-to-one is just ridiculous. They can be fairly territorial, but I don't know why twenty of them would suddenly attack a pair of Chosen."
"My guess would be them," Ken replied, pointing at a pair of humanoid shapes on a far dune, watching the fight bellow them. One was a woman with long, white hair in a red dress and hat, sunglasses covering her eyes. Next to her stood a tall man in a blue overcoat and top hat, leaning on a walking stick. "Arukenimon and Mummymon," Ken identified. "These are their humanoid forms."
Ryo glanced up at Cyberdramon, a curious look in his eyes. The enormous cyborg shook its head. "I can't smell them from over here," he growled. "I can tell they're strong though. Let me fight them," he demanded to Ryo. Ryo shook his head in response.
"Our first priority should be protecting Kari and Yolei," he chastised.
"Fine," Cyberdramon sighed. "I'll fly down and protect the females. After I crunch all the Master Tyranomon, then can I fight them?"
"They hurt her," TK growled, looking down at Kari, lying in Yolei's arms as she tried to cover a nasty gash on her arm. Angewoman and the unknown digimon moved around the haphazard circle, fighting off any Master Tyranomon that got to be too bold and tried to continue attacking. "Ken, that's definitely Arukenimon and Mummymon?" Ken nodded. "Fine. Ryo, let's send a message to our would-be Emperor. Wormmon, go Stingmon and head down there. Try and clear a path that they can use to get out. Ken, go with him and help Kari. Make sure that they get out of the way. Ryo? Flanking maneuver. I'll bring Magna Angemon down on their Eastern flank, by the ugly pair, you take their Western flank."
"Basic pincer maneuver?" Ryo wondered.
"Not quite," TK grinned, viciously. "After Ken gets the ladies out of the way, we implement Leomon's first rule of war."
"Overwhelming force is always an option," Ryo quoted, grinning. "Let's do it."
The Master Tyranomon were beginning to gear up for another attack as Stingmon shot through them, punching left and right to clear a path through the hoard. Ken dropped down from Stingmon's shoulder next to Yolei.
"Ken! Am I glad to see you," she smiled. Her smile quickly faded, however, as she gestured down to the injured Kari. "She's hurt, we need to get her out of here."
"Already taken care of," Ken replied, just as a massive roar echoed through the dessert. Yolei looked up in awe as Cyberdramon shot down into the mass of Master Tyranomon, slashing left and right, tossing them to the side, but not actually harming them. On the other side, Magna Angemon floated down, his very presence pushing back the hoard of digimon. "We need to get out of here," Ken continued, helping Kari to her feet. Only now, there were more. More Master Tyranomon came up out of the sand to join those already in the battle. Soon, they numbered close to forty and Cyberdramon and Magna Angemon were beginning overwhelmed. Stingmon, Angewoman, and Shurimon had joined in the fight in short order, but even then, things were beginning to get tight.
"So, are you little brats enjoying the entertainment we worked up for you?" Mummymon laughed as TK shot him a lethal glare.
"We figured there would be more of you little pests besides just the Light child and her companion," Arukenimon smirked. "So I thought I'd bring along some extra friends to make sure that the odds are entirely in our favor. It's going to be such a nice extra, though, killing Hope and Light in the same moment. Something for the history books, I suppose. The Digimon Emperor will be pleased that you're not going to be a thorn in his side for much longer."
"Ryo!" TK called. "Plan B!"
"We had a plan A?"
"The old plan B!"
"Oh, that plan! Why didn't you just say so? Cyberdramon! Bio-merge activate!"
"Magna Angemon, let's go! Bio-merge activate!"
Magna Angemon flew back to TK and a yellow glow encased the pair. They both began to break into bits of data that began to merge together in a field of red light. In a brilliant explosion of light, the field flew apart, revealing a new humanoid angelic-digimon. He stood nearly seven feet tall, covered in blue and white armor with yellow markings covering it. A full helmet covered his head, allowing no flesh to show. A white cross was embedded in the center of the helmet, by where the eyes should have been. Ten massive golden wings from his back held him aloft, and in the center of his chest armor glowed the Crest of Hope.
"Seraphimon."
Cyberdramon flew back to Ryo and a deep blue glow encased them. They also turned into bits of data and merged together in a flash of light. The digimon that emerged was also humanoid, slightly over six feet tall. He was clad in a cybernetic white and blue jumpsuit, with a flowing red scarf wrapped around his neck. His head was fully covered by a metal helmet, but this one was made of smooth metal. His right arm was fully cybernetic, and small whirring sounds came from it as he moved it.
"Justimon."
"What the hell?" Mummymon screamed. "Where did these guys come from?"
Seraphimon looked down on the massed Master Tyranomon for a moment and then his image flickered and vanished, only to reappear a moment later, facing one of the digimon. Before anyone could even react, he simply raised his hand and placed it on the massive dinosaur's chest. In a brilliant flash of light, the Master Tyranomon was reduced to free-floating bits of data. Justimon's cybernetic arm whirred and altered form, transforming into a blaster. He then casually fired a shot through the nearest Master Tyranomon, reducing it to data. He and Seraphimon then began to fire at will. Within seconds, the entire hoard of Master Tyranomon were deleted, leaving behind only a mass of floating data particles. Arukenimon and Mummymon stared in horror at the slaughter beneath them, then turned and ran.