Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2.
Guard Tamer: Blight of GAIA
By: RB3
Chapter 10: The Kernel Wars
A shimmering distortion of space and time opened at the base of Core Tower in the Kernel Zone. Several Guard Tamer Digibeetles emerged from the portal, securing the perimeter of the tower for the others. Each minute, more and more Digibeetles poured out of the portal. An APC and supplied truck moved some distance away from the main group. Several Guard Tamer soldiers disembarked and moved to the supply truck.
They unloaded several portable buildings and activated a switch, making them grow to the size of a true building. They spared no time in establishing their base, working as though they were possessed. The communications building went up, and the soldiers watched as the sensor dish rotated according to specifications. More buildings went up, including facilities like dormitories, infirmaries, and Digibeetle garages.
Yolei was surprised at the Guard Tamers' efficiency. "Wow, they sure built their base fast!"
The Digidestined walked to over to an infirmary. Veemon gazed at the building, remembering Digivolution chambers. "Looks like we'll get a chance to test our ability to bypass DNA Digivolution..."
"As much as I like DNA Digivolving, we need as many high level Digimon we can get," noted Hawkmon.
Far, in the distance was another tower, Chaos Tower. It had flaps that opened and closed like the petals of a flower. Through binoculars, lookouts could make out several tiny shapes milling about. They were not humans, and clearly were Blood Knight Digimon. Since the enemy were in sight, it was obvious that they had seen the Guard Tamer base and were preparing their attack. Suddenly, the lookouts found a squadron of Megadramon and Gigadramon flying towards the base. They sounded the alarm, and a klaxon blared, warning of an imminent aerial bombardment.
"Incoming bombers!" yelled a lookout.
Several bangs ripped through the air as cannons fired on the incoming Digimon. The Digidestined could see several explosions lighting the sky. The Digimon scattered in evasion, but one of the Megadramon took a hit. He convulsed in pain, until another series of shots blew him out of the sky. He crashed into the ground, tumbling roughly until the friction stopped him.
"Darkside Attack!" The Digimon's arm mounted missile launchers opened and fired a volley of several missiles.
The missiles soared at the target, various buildings, when suddenly, the missiles struck an energy barrier and exploded harmlessly. The Guard Tamers' turrets swivelled around to aim at the enemy. They fired several bolts of energy, lighting the ground with a yellow glow. The trail of shots followed the Digimon bombers, until it caught and shot down a Gigadramon. The other Digimon decided it was wiser to flee and the Guard Tamers ceased their attack after they left firing range.
After everyone settled down, the Guard Tamers held a briefing to plan the attack on the Blood Knight base. All of the Digidestined entered the room and listened intently to the briefing. The targets of their attack were the missile launchers filled with Blight. They would be destroyed by long distance shelling with napalm. A direct attack was too dangerous and would scatter the toxin all over the battlefield. In order to do that, it was necessary to preoccupy and destroy the Blood Knight's defensive army.
This attack was to be spearheaded by Zudokorn's team. This squad included, but was not limited to, the Digidestined, Sheena, Debbie, Bertran, Joy Joy and Zudokorn. This battle was the toughest ever. Unlike in previous battles, the good guys were outnumbered, even with the addition of Digidestined aid from around the world. The briefing ended and everyone prepared for battle.
The air was thick with feelings of anxiety and concern. Tai entered Sheena's Digibeetle along with Matt. Tai decided to break the ice and lighten the mood. "So Matt, we're really going to save the world again... It's just like old times."
"Yeah, the stakes couldn't be more higher. The Blood Knights are the greatest enemy to ever threaten the Digital World. I don't know if we can win," said Matt with doubts.
"Don't think like that, I know we can win. This is just like the other battles we fought against the evil Digimon. Gomamon was right; we never knew how it would turn out when we fought before, but we went into battle anyways. We won each and every time. Why? Because we believed in ourselves and each other."
"Tai's right, you know. I was involved in the war the Blood Knights waged on my home city. Our city was nearly wiped out, but we held on 'til the bitter end, and we won! We destroyed the Blood Knight army and sent them running!" added Sheena.
Matt smiled. "Thanks Tai, I feel confident!" Sheena started the Digibeetle, and drove off towards the front.
In Bertran's Digibeetle, Bertran was wondering about what happened to Akira. "Where is he? I hope he didn't abandon his post!"
Kari remembered her talk with Akira earlier. "He was taken by the Guardians. They needed Akira for some reason. I know that he is fighting with us, but in his own way. We shouldn't be angry at him."
"Whatever he's doing, it better help us or I'm going to be really mad!" growled Yolei.
As Bertran and the other Guard Tamers approached the front, flashes of light could already be seen. "CRASH! BOOM! BANG!" went the Blood Knights cannons.
Explosions rocked the field of battle every second. "SWOOSH!" went a missile as it soared at a Mammothmon. To the Mammothmon, it felt like something had bumped into it.
The squad released their Digimon onto the field. "Okay guys, it's time for battle!" cried Bertran.
"Gatomon, Digivolve to... Angewomon!"
"Hawkmon, Digivolve to... Aquilamon!"
"Demi Devimon, Digivolve to... Devimon!"
Bertran spotted a Skull Greymon. "Okay Digimon, go after that Skull Greymon!"
"Right!"
"Devimon, hang back and protect our Digibeetle!"
"Sure thing, boss!" responded Devimon.
Angewomon and Aquilamon charged on the attack. Angewomon prepared a Celestial Arrow while Aquilamon charged up for a Blast Rings attack. Their combined attack surprised Skull Greymon, smacking him hard in the ribs. Skull Greymon fumbled backwards and once he recovered, he turned to look at his attackers. Angewomon and Aquilamon braced for Skull Greymon's counter attack.
"Dark Shot!" Skull Greymon launched the organic missile loaded on his back.
Aquilamon and Angewomon evaded, and the missile flew off into the distance harmlessly. Skull Greymon continued to launch more missiles, and the two Digimon continued to evade in graceful loops and turns. Aquilamon fired a second set of Blast Rings and bumped the skeletal Digimon back. Skull Greymon retaliated with another Dark Shot, but missed Aquilamon. Angewomon prepped to fire another Celestial Arrow, but suddenly Skull Greymon turned to her.
"Dark Shot!" The explosion of the missiles sent her crashing to the ground.
"Angewomon, are you alright?" asked Kari in concern.
Angewomon recovered and leapt back to her feet. "I'm ok!"
"Devimon, Digivolve! Get in and fight Skull Greymon!" ordered Bertran.
"Devimon, Digivolve to... Myotismon!"
"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon whipped a stream of red energy around the leg of Skull Greymon.
Myotismon used all of his strength in an attempt to pull Skull Greymon down. However, the skeletal Greymon proved to be too heavy and too resistant. Skull Greymon was angered by Myotismon's attack and repeatedly fired Dark Shots at his enemy. Myotismon dodged left and right, but made sure to maintain his tether on Skull Greymon. The Crimson Lightning tether kept Skull Greymon preoccupied and left him open for an enemy attack.
"Angewomon, Aquilamon, now's your chance! Hit him now!" shouted Kari in desperation.
Angewomon took the stance of an archer prepared to fire an arrow. Aquilamon dove at Skull Greymon, readying himself for a Grand Horn attack. His horns enlarged and glowed red with power. Skull Greymon's movement was restricted by Myotismon, and had no way of evading. The combination attack slammed Skull Greymon right in the head, making him stumble backwards again. It disoriented him enough so that Myotismon was able to give his Crimson Lightning a sharp tug. Skull Greymon was surprised and fell flat on his back.
"Ok team, let's finish him off!" cried Bertran.
"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon loaded a bolt of holy energy and released it.
"Blast Rings!" Aquilamon opened his mouth and rings of crimson energy erupted forth.
"Grisly Wing!" Myotismon fanned his cape, opened his arms, and a cloud of black bats swarmed forward.
The three attacks made their way unerringly to Skull Greymon's fallen body. Yolei fired the Digibeetles cannon to support the attack. All these incoming attacks blew Skull Greymon to pieces and they crumbled into data and dispersed. The enemy was defeated. Kari and Yolei cheered their Digimon's teamwork.
"Yeah, we won!" exclaimed Yolei.
"Nice work girls! We're gonna show the Blood Knights what we're made of!" added Bertran.
The battle went well for the Guard Tamers. In the initial skirmish, the Blood Knights fought hard, but the Guard Tamers gained the upper hand. They neutralized several enemy Digimon, and it looked like the strategy was working wonderfully. However, an unexpected event soon turned the tide of the battle... Joy Joy, TK and Cody's Digimon fought as hard as they could. They were fielding Seraphimon, Shakkoumon, and Ophanimon as their active Digimon.
"Seven Heavens!" Seraphimon cupped his hands. Seven spheres of pure holy energy formed in a circular pattern and shot forth.
The spheres seared the flesh of an enemy Daemon painfully. The attack disintegrated Daemon, making him melt into bits of data. TK began to celebrate Daemon's defeat, but his happiness was short lived. Daemon reintegrated himself in a small burst of energy. TK and the others were shocked to say the least.
TK was incredulous. "What? How can he come back to life? We just destroyed him!"
Daemon capitalized on his foes' surprise. "Evil Inferno!"
Daemon cupped his own hands and a ball of flame gathered. He thrust his hands forward and an enormous gout of flames erupted forth. The flames engulfed Seraphimon, Ophanimon, and Shakkoumon and burned their bodies painfully. The three Digimon collapsed and laid on the ground wounded by Daemon's attack. They struggled to stand as Daemon simply mocked their misfortune.
The same scene played itself out in other smaller skirmishes. Zudokorn's Mega Seadramon, Akagi, killed a Piedmon with a mighty River of Power. Just like Daemon, Piedmon restored himself from his own broken data. This scene replayed itself again and again when several other fallen Blood Knight Digimon resurrected from the dead and continued their attack. They were soon surrounded by the newly resurrect enemies.
"Akagi, pull out! There are too many of them! Get out while you can!" screamed Zudokorn.
Akagi was dodging attacks as best he could, bobbing his head left and right. Eventually, he was struck by Piedmon's Trump Swords and stunned. A missile smacked him in the head, whipping the Sea Serpent Digimon to the ground. War Greymon was struggling to get up. His armour was cracked and dented from his futile battle with a Diabolomon. Another blast of energy came from the enemy and flattened him.
In the chambers of Chaos Tower, Overlord GAIA laughed at his inevitable victory. "The Guard Tamers are such fools! They should have known they had no chance, even with the help of the Digidestined. My forces have the power of the Kernel Zone itself!" Overlord GAIA turned to a nearby operator. "How goes the launch?"
"We are within range, sir!" replied the operator, who continued working on his console.
Overlord GAIA was pleased. "Good, launch the missiles immediately! Soon, the Real World will be wiped clean, and the Digital World will fall soon after. None shall stop me in my moment of triumph!"
**************************************
Meanwhile in Core Tower, the signs of fatigue were evident on Akira's face. He was looked exhausted and sweat was dripping from his brow. Akira had lost track of how far he climbed, but knew that he was very high above the ground. He was huffing and everyone stopped on a platform to catch his or her breath. Akira looked up to see a large mural painted onto the far wall. The Crest of Memories was emblazoned at the top of this very wall.
This mural contained a very disturbing picture of war and fighting. On the left side was a depiction of a green gas cloud above a large modern city. Several people were dead on the ground, obviously poisoned by the gas. In the sky was a dark disk blotting out the sun. Several objects shaped like missiles were flying from this disk to the ground below. As Akira scanned right, the mural became more violent. There were several giant inhuman figures fighting a human army consisting of tanks, planes, and foot soldiers.
Akira recognized the inhuman figures as being Digimon of various species. The mural depicted the Digimon as being very ferocious and bloodthirsty. Several small lines were drawn between the two groups; an obvious indication of bullets or lasers being fired. The city was in flames and many soldiers laid dead on the ground. Above it all, a dark, evil shadow loomed above the carnage. Its face was contorted into a sadistic grin, as though he relished every moment of suffering. It was clear this figure was responsible for all the devastation.
Scanning further up, the mural turned into a picture of two figures in mortal combat. The left one had a dark aura and shape similar to the evil figure. He had a metallic, harlequin-like face that made him look like a robot or android. The evil and malice was plain to see in its face. The other had a virtuous aura and resembled an angel, but was as robotic as its foe. This angel bore a great sword with a black blade surrounded by glowing darkness. They were standing on a metallic sphere floating in the sky.
"What could this picture mean?" asked Darkfryer.
"I don't know, and yet, it seems so familiar," said Akira.
Lillith looked below the mural. "There's an inscription below, let's see what it says..." The inscription read as followed:
From a world of hope and vibrant life
Come winds of change and violent strife.
Fourscore hours shall last his Blight,
And worlds fall to tyranny and might.
Akira's eyes lit up in remembrance. The inscription was, word for word, the same as the first quatrain of the Guardians' prophecy. "The Prophecy of GAIA!"
Just then the Crest of Memories flashed! Its intense light blinded everyone. "Argggh, what's going on?" demanded Darkfryer.
When the light subsided, they were standing in the middle of a busy city street. This street looked like it belonged to a city from the Real World. "Where are we?" asked Lillith.
Akira noticed a cameraman filming the sky and narrating his video. He was creating a documentary about the city didn't notice Akira and his Digimon. Akira went up to tap the man on the shoulder to draw his attention. To his surprise, Akira's hand went right through the man's body! Akira's bulged wide open in astonishment.
"They must be illusions," noted Darkfryer, dismissing what he saw.
Akira followed the man's line of vision to the azure skies above. He noticed the sky darkening as a solar eclipse veiled the sun. Hundreds of thousands of sparks of light soared from the darkness to Earth. One of the sparks went towards the city. Upon reaching the Earth's atmosphere, the object turned out to be a missile! It exploded in the air, and sprayed forth a noxious cloud of green vapour. Soon, a chorus of people screaming in terror filled the air.
Darkfryer was shocked. "That stuff's Blight!"
A stampede of people fled from the cloud for their lives. Akira and his friends were very fortunate indeed. Since everything was just an image, the gas had no effect on Akira and his Digimon. If it was real, all of them would be infected. One of the fleeing men approached Akira; the signs of fatigue clear on his body. The man lurched forward before keeling over. Akira got a good glimpse of his face.
Akira turned as white as snow and his eyes bulged. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, ZOMBIE!" He was completely paralysed by terror.
Greenish spots covered the man's face. They resembled the mold that formed on old bread. His face was wrinkled and shrivelled as though all the water had been drained from him. They were the symptoms of Blight infection just as the Guard Tamers described. The man passed through his body harmlessly and fell to the ground.
"Akira, snap out of it!" urged Lillith. "It's all fake! None of it is real!"
Akira calmed down and regained control of himself. Everyone watched the infected man as he turned around to lie on his back. After seeing his face, they promptly turned their heads away in disgust. Now everything made perfect sense. This scene was exactly as the mural depicted. The gas cleared quickly and suddenly, several Digimon and human war machines appeared. Several bullets and missiles flew through the trio's body as the groups exchanged fire.
A Skull Mammothmon charged into a building and tore it asunder. Elsewhere, a Machinedramon ruptured a hole into another building. He began to haphazardly blast every building in his sight with his Giga Cannons. Humanity's tanks laid heavy amounts of firepower on the Digimon. They fire round after round of shells only to have them hit the Digimon harmlessly. Their weapons proved useless, and instead, served to anger the Digimon and draw their attention to the war machines.
Machinedramon turned to a tank and blasted it with his Giga Cannons. The flaming wreckage of the tank flipped six feet into the air before landing upside down. The other tanks continued to attack, but their ranks were decimated one after the other by Machinedramon. The tanks were like sheep heading to the slaughter. It wasn't long before all that remained of the city was a pile of rubble. Several dead bodies were strewn around the wreckage of tanks.
A bright flash of light engulfed Akira and his Digimon, and they were back in Core Tower. Everyone felt refreshed. "I don't feel tired anymore!" proclaimed Darkfryer.
A strange sensation overtook Akira. It was the feeling of something hidden now resurfacing after a long absence. "Akira, what's the matter?" asked Lillith.
"I don't know... Suddenly, I feel as though a hidden part of me has suddenly became known."
"What do you mean?" asked Darkfryer.
Akira told his Digimon about what had resurfaced. He remembered walking along in the same city during the day. He was happy because he was going to a newly opened fair. He looked up into the sky and saw a plane release a Blight bomb onto the city. Akira also remembered the pain and suffering of being infected by Blight. It was as real as any memory a person could have.
"I think that I am remembering my life before I became a Guard Tamer," realized Akira. "I never really gave it much thought before, but now, I think that my past holds the key to all that is happening now..."
Indeed, Akira would soon realize that he was right. Akira and his Digimon continued ascending the flights of stairs that led ever upwards. When they reached their next floor, Akira collapsed onto the ground from sheer fatigue. Darkfryer was exhausted himself, though not as much as Akira. Akira looked up to see a second mural, which brought him hope.
Just like the first one, this mural was underneath a copy of the Crest of Memories. This second mural contained a picture of a Japanese city. Again, there were the figures of Digimon on the mural. However, the Digimon were divided into two groups on opposite sides of the battlefield. The left side was dark, and the monsters looked much more evil and vicious than the ones on the right. A large, spherical object dominated the dark area of the mural.
This was the same object depicted in the first mural, where the two robots battled. It was in front of the sun and blocking its rays in a manner similar to a solar eclipse. The same evil robot of the first mural was looming over the darker areas of the mural. On the other hand, the monsters on the right seemed more noble. There was a red haired figure that was prominent on the "light side."
Lillith looked closely at the red haired figure. "Hey, he looks a lot like you, Akira!" Lillith pointed to the two black monsters near Akira's image. "Those two look like us! They really caught my good side, don't you think?" She admired her effigy on the mural.
Darkfryer read the inscription on the plaque near the wall. "There's writing down here!" Darkfryer recited the words on the plaque:
So comes a Hero who tames the beast;
To find the Avenger and free the East.
So returns the Dark Lord, scourge of all,
Veil'n the light in an eternal pall.
A bright flash of light blinded the trio. "They really need less intrusive ways of doing things..." grumbled Akira.
Akira looked around his environment. He was inside a chamber surrounded by holographic, gold coloured circuitry. They could see a robotic being in front of them that was no taller than Akira himself. This being was made of a bluish metal that was like armour. The chamber glistened in the light of a ring of gold fire that hovered above the being's head like a halo. This being resembled an angel right down to his golden hawk-like wings, only mechanical.
"Take this program. It will be your weapon against GAIA," said one of the scientists.
A large black sword materialized in the chamber. It glowed with a deep darkness and radiated great power. The angel grabbed the sword, and made a pair of test swings. With each swing, a rumbling sound emanated from the sword. Suddenly, the circuitry faded and everyone found themselves in a coliseum-like structure. Several Digimon materialized in the arena, and all of them had auras of hostility. The angel tried his best to fight back, but didn't have the skill and was defeated.
The scene replayed itself over and over again. However, each time the angel improved his performance. He was becoming more powerful, and began to attack the enemy with bolts of various types of energy. Soon, the Digimon were no match for him. In one test battle, a War Greymon lobbed a gigantic sphere of orange energy, Terra Force, at the angel. In response, the angel held the flat of his sword to the sphere and absorbed the energy. He threw his sword at War Greymon in response.
Once the sword was near its victim, it gained a life of its own and began to slash War Greymon by itself. Eventually, a slash broke past War Greymon's defences, and he was sent plummeting to the ground. The sword vanished and then reappeared in the angel's hand. The angel sensed more attackers and fired a blast of energy, killing a charging skeletal Mammothmon and a gigantic insect Digimon with an explosion.
A Gryphonmon swooped at him, but the angel caught on. The angel shot a beam of darkness from his index finger and blew the Digimon out of the sky. The angel scanned around for more attackers, preparing himself for any furhter attacks. The testers were pleased with the angel's performance. His combat abilities have improved exponentially since his activation. It was time now for the angel to begin his mission.
"You have trained well, True GAIA, and are now ready to face Overlord GAIA. The fate of the world is in your hands!"
"I understand. Overlord GAIA will regret everything that he has done. I will destroy him once and for all!"
The angel waved his hand and a swirling vortex of energy appeared before him. The angel entered the portal and vanished. At the same time, Akira and his Digimon were flashed by a bright light and blinded. When the light cleared, they back in the mural room. Akira was left with a strange new memory; in it he was the angel himself. Akira was navigating the twisted paths of the world's communication net. His vision ended with him finding the Kernel Zone in "Netspace."
Akira continued the arduous climb, until he finally reached the top. The top consisted of a large chamber with the same circuitry as the rest of the tower. There was a large pedestal in the middle, and above it floated a Crest of Memories. Its eerie light reflected off the walls and illuminated the room with the colours of gold, black, and blue. As expected, there was another mural on the wall behind the pedestal, and near this mural was another plaque. The plaque read:
Ere the Avenger's time comes nigh,
Born of a Child doomed to die...
With Memories of an age long ago,
A Hero's destiny he will know.
The mural itself contained only one image. It was an effigy of the angel from the visions everyone had witnessed. The angel held his black sword triumphantly above his head, as though he had vanquished a mighty foe. A bright flash of light came from the Crest of Memories on the pedestal, and blinded Akira and his Digimon. When the light vanished, they were all on the surface of the Kernel Zone.
Suddenly, a large object crashed onto the ground from the sky! Akira and the others covered their ears to muffle the deafening loudness of the impact. The object looked like a gigantic robot with a face filled with hatred and contempt. It was badly damaged and sparks of electricity jumped from exposed wires. Scorch marks and slash marks scarred the robot's metal chassis. The angel descended from above to taunt his opponent. He too, was badly injured. Scorch marks and dented metal marred his once elegant metal body.
"So, your attack put me down, but it seems you used up much of your own power," smirked Overlord GAIA. "Face it, you can't defeat me! I will recover, and then I will destroy you!"
The angel laughed out loud at GAIA's empty threat. "I may not be powerful enough to defeat you now, but in the future I will be! Until that time, you will be sealed away!"
A wave of violet energy emanated from the angel's hand. Overlord GAIA screamed as the last of his energy was violently rasped from his body. Overlord GAIA's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground and cables of metal wrapped around his body. Without the power of the Kernel Zone, Overlord GAIA was nothing but an empty shell. The wires entwined around his body to form a cocoon of metal; Overlord GAIA's prison. A great tower formed from the ground over Overlord GAIA's cocoon, and he was sealed within.
The angel realized that he had used the last of his power. As his final act, he split himself into two shimmering lights. The first flew into sky and soared to the Digital World as a shooting star. The other fell onto the metal ground of the Kernel Zone. A massive tower, Core Tower, arose from the ground beneath the second light. On the roof, the shimmering light died down, and transformed into the Crest of Memories itself. With another bright flash of light, the images faded.
A mysterious, disembodied voice spoke: "Greetings, Akira." The voice sounded exactly like Akira's!
Akira and his Digimon scanned the room to find the speaker. "Where are you? Come out!"
"I am on the pedestal," responded the voice.
"Akira, the voice is coming from the Crest!" said Lillith.
"Then tell me, who are you?"
"I am your divine half. Together, we make the Avenger of Humanity, True GAIA."
Akira was incredulous. "Divine half?"
"Indeed, as True GAIA we are effectively a god when in the Kernel Zone. We were the ones who sealed away Overlord GAIA. Do you remember what caused our split?
Akira remembered the vision he had about the battle between the GAIA AIs. "Yes..."
"I remained here, while you went to the Digital World. You became Akira when you emerged in the Digital World. The visions you witnessed were our collective memories."
"I realize that now," responded Akira. "What must we do now?"
"We must reunite once again! Despite our sealing of GAIA, the Blood Knights were able to free him and now he threatens the world. We must finish our mission from long ago! We must destroy Overlord GAIA for good! At this very moment, GAIA is infusing his followers with the energy of the Kernel Zone. Your friends can not defeat an enemy who can restore himself endlessly."
"How do we reunite?"
"Close your eyes and concentrate."
Akira did as he was told. All of a sudden, he felt a great power surging within himself! His eyes began to glimmer with golden light. His body was consumed in a blue glow and transformed into blue metal armour. Wings of golden flame erupted from his back, lighting the room with a brilliant gold. A black sword magically formed in his hand and began to rumbled with power. Thus, True GAIA was reborn!
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2.
Guard Tamer: Blight of GAIA
By: RB3
Chapter 10: The Kernel Wars
A shimmering distortion of space and time opened at the base of Core Tower in the Kernel Zone. Several Guard Tamer Digibeetles emerged from the portal, securing the perimeter of the tower for the others. Each minute, more and more Digibeetles poured out of the portal. An APC and supplied truck moved some distance away from the main group. Several Guard Tamer soldiers disembarked and moved to the supply truck.
They unloaded several portable buildings and activated a switch, making them grow to the size of a true building. They spared no time in establishing their base, working as though they were possessed. The communications building went up, and the soldiers watched as the sensor dish rotated according to specifications. More buildings went up, including facilities like dormitories, infirmaries, and Digibeetle garages.
Yolei was surprised at the Guard Tamers' efficiency. "Wow, they sure built their base fast!"
The Digidestined walked to over to an infirmary. Veemon gazed at the building, remembering Digivolution chambers. "Looks like we'll get a chance to test our ability to bypass DNA Digivolution..."
"As much as I like DNA Digivolving, we need as many high level Digimon we can get," noted Hawkmon.
Far, in the distance was another tower, Chaos Tower. It had flaps that opened and closed like the petals of a flower. Through binoculars, lookouts could make out several tiny shapes milling about. They were not humans, and clearly were Blood Knight Digimon. Since the enemy were in sight, it was obvious that they had seen the Guard Tamer base and were preparing their attack. Suddenly, the lookouts found a squadron of Megadramon and Gigadramon flying towards the base. They sounded the alarm, and a klaxon blared, warning of an imminent aerial bombardment.
"Incoming bombers!" yelled a lookout.
Several bangs ripped through the air as cannons fired on the incoming Digimon. The Digidestined could see several explosions lighting the sky. The Digimon scattered in evasion, but one of the Megadramon took a hit. He convulsed in pain, until another series of shots blew him out of the sky. He crashed into the ground, tumbling roughly until the friction stopped him.
"Darkside Attack!" The Digimon's arm mounted missile launchers opened and fired a volley of several missiles.
The missiles soared at the target, various buildings, when suddenly, the missiles struck an energy barrier and exploded harmlessly. The Guard Tamers' turrets swivelled around to aim at the enemy. They fired several bolts of energy, lighting the ground with a yellow glow. The trail of shots followed the Digimon bombers, until it caught and shot down a Gigadramon. The other Digimon decided it was wiser to flee and the Guard Tamers ceased their attack after they left firing range.
After everyone settled down, the Guard Tamers held a briefing to plan the attack on the Blood Knight base. All of the Digidestined entered the room and listened intently to the briefing. The targets of their attack were the missile launchers filled with Blight. They would be destroyed by long distance shelling with napalm. A direct attack was too dangerous and would scatter the toxin all over the battlefield. In order to do that, it was necessary to preoccupy and destroy the Blood Knight's defensive army.
This attack was to be spearheaded by Zudokorn's team. This squad included, but was not limited to, the Digidestined, Sheena, Debbie, Bertran, Joy Joy and Zudokorn. This battle was the toughest ever. Unlike in previous battles, the good guys were outnumbered, even with the addition of Digidestined aid from around the world. The briefing ended and everyone prepared for battle.
The air was thick with feelings of anxiety and concern. Tai entered Sheena's Digibeetle along with Matt. Tai decided to break the ice and lighten the mood. "So Matt, we're really going to save the world again... It's just like old times."
"Yeah, the stakes couldn't be more higher. The Blood Knights are the greatest enemy to ever threaten the Digital World. I don't know if we can win," said Matt with doubts.
"Don't think like that, I know we can win. This is just like the other battles we fought against the evil Digimon. Gomamon was right; we never knew how it would turn out when we fought before, but we went into battle anyways. We won each and every time. Why? Because we believed in ourselves and each other."
"Tai's right, you know. I was involved in the war the Blood Knights waged on my home city. Our city was nearly wiped out, but we held on 'til the bitter end, and we won! We destroyed the Blood Knight army and sent them running!" added Sheena.
Matt smiled. "Thanks Tai, I feel confident!" Sheena started the Digibeetle, and drove off towards the front.
In Bertran's Digibeetle, Bertran was wondering about what happened to Akira. "Where is he? I hope he didn't abandon his post!"
Kari remembered her talk with Akira earlier. "He was taken by the Guardians. They needed Akira for some reason. I know that he is fighting with us, but in his own way. We shouldn't be angry at him."
"Whatever he's doing, it better help us or I'm going to be really mad!" growled Yolei.
As Bertran and the other Guard Tamers approached the front, flashes of light could already be seen. "CRASH! BOOM! BANG!" went the Blood Knights cannons.
Explosions rocked the field of battle every second. "SWOOSH!" went a missile as it soared at a Mammothmon. To the Mammothmon, it felt like something had bumped into it.
The squad released their Digimon onto the field. "Okay guys, it's time for battle!" cried Bertran.
"Gatomon, Digivolve to... Angewomon!"
"Hawkmon, Digivolve to... Aquilamon!"
"Demi Devimon, Digivolve to... Devimon!"
Bertran spotted a Skull Greymon. "Okay Digimon, go after that Skull Greymon!"
"Right!"
"Devimon, hang back and protect our Digibeetle!"
"Sure thing, boss!" responded Devimon.
Angewomon and Aquilamon charged on the attack. Angewomon prepared a Celestial Arrow while Aquilamon charged up for a Blast Rings attack. Their combined attack surprised Skull Greymon, smacking him hard in the ribs. Skull Greymon fumbled backwards and once he recovered, he turned to look at his attackers. Angewomon and Aquilamon braced for Skull Greymon's counter attack.
"Dark Shot!" Skull Greymon launched the organic missile loaded on his back.
Aquilamon and Angewomon evaded, and the missile flew off into the distance harmlessly. Skull Greymon continued to launch more missiles, and the two Digimon continued to evade in graceful loops and turns. Aquilamon fired a second set of Blast Rings and bumped the skeletal Digimon back. Skull Greymon retaliated with another Dark Shot, but missed Aquilamon. Angewomon prepped to fire another Celestial Arrow, but suddenly Skull Greymon turned to her.
"Dark Shot!" The explosion of the missiles sent her crashing to the ground.
"Angewomon, are you alright?" asked Kari in concern.
Angewomon recovered and leapt back to her feet. "I'm ok!"
"Devimon, Digivolve! Get in and fight Skull Greymon!" ordered Bertran.
"Devimon, Digivolve to... Myotismon!"
"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon whipped a stream of red energy around the leg of Skull Greymon.
Myotismon used all of his strength in an attempt to pull Skull Greymon down. However, the skeletal Greymon proved to be too heavy and too resistant. Skull Greymon was angered by Myotismon's attack and repeatedly fired Dark Shots at his enemy. Myotismon dodged left and right, but made sure to maintain his tether on Skull Greymon. The Crimson Lightning tether kept Skull Greymon preoccupied and left him open for an enemy attack.
"Angewomon, Aquilamon, now's your chance! Hit him now!" shouted Kari in desperation.
Angewomon took the stance of an archer prepared to fire an arrow. Aquilamon dove at Skull Greymon, readying himself for a Grand Horn attack. His horns enlarged and glowed red with power. Skull Greymon's movement was restricted by Myotismon, and had no way of evading. The combination attack slammed Skull Greymon right in the head, making him stumble backwards again. It disoriented him enough so that Myotismon was able to give his Crimson Lightning a sharp tug. Skull Greymon was surprised and fell flat on his back.
"Ok team, let's finish him off!" cried Bertran.
"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon loaded a bolt of holy energy and released it.
"Blast Rings!" Aquilamon opened his mouth and rings of crimson energy erupted forth.
"Grisly Wing!" Myotismon fanned his cape, opened his arms, and a cloud of black bats swarmed forward.
The three attacks made their way unerringly to Skull Greymon's fallen body. Yolei fired the Digibeetles cannon to support the attack. All these incoming attacks blew Skull Greymon to pieces and they crumbled into data and dispersed. The enemy was defeated. Kari and Yolei cheered their Digimon's teamwork.
"Yeah, we won!" exclaimed Yolei.
"Nice work girls! We're gonna show the Blood Knights what we're made of!" added Bertran.
The battle went well for the Guard Tamers. In the initial skirmish, the Blood Knights fought hard, but the Guard Tamers gained the upper hand. They neutralized several enemy Digimon, and it looked like the strategy was working wonderfully. However, an unexpected event soon turned the tide of the battle... Joy Joy, TK and Cody's Digimon fought as hard as they could. They were fielding Seraphimon, Shakkoumon, and Ophanimon as their active Digimon.
"Seven Heavens!" Seraphimon cupped his hands. Seven spheres of pure holy energy formed in a circular pattern and shot forth.
The spheres seared the flesh of an enemy Daemon painfully. The attack disintegrated Daemon, making him melt into bits of data. TK began to celebrate Daemon's defeat, but his happiness was short lived. Daemon reintegrated himself in a small burst of energy. TK and the others were shocked to say the least.
TK was incredulous. "What? How can he come back to life? We just destroyed him!"
Daemon capitalized on his foes' surprise. "Evil Inferno!"
Daemon cupped his own hands and a ball of flame gathered. He thrust his hands forward and an enormous gout of flames erupted forth. The flames engulfed Seraphimon, Ophanimon, and Shakkoumon and burned their bodies painfully. The three Digimon collapsed and laid on the ground wounded by Daemon's attack. They struggled to stand as Daemon simply mocked their misfortune.
The same scene played itself out in other smaller skirmishes. Zudokorn's Mega Seadramon, Akagi, killed a Piedmon with a mighty River of Power. Just like Daemon, Piedmon restored himself from his own broken data. This scene replayed itself again and again when several other fallen Blood Knight Digimon resurrected from the dead and continued their attack. They were soon surrounded by the newly resurrect enemies.
"Akagi, pull out! There are too many of them! Get out while you can!" screamed Zudokorn.
Akagi was dodging attacks as best he could, bobbing his head left and right. Eventually, he was struck by Piedmon's Trump Swords and stunned. A missile smacked him in the head, whipping the Sea Serpent Digimon to the ground. War Greymon was struggling to get up. His armour was cracked and dented from his futile battle with a Diabolomon. Another blast of energy came from the enemy and flattened him.
In the chambers of Chaos Tower, Overlord GAIA laughed at his inevitable victory. "The Guard Tamers are such fools! They should have known they had no chance, even with the help of the Digidestined. My forces have the power of the Kernel Zone itself!" Overlord GAIA turned to a nearby operator. "How goes the launch?"
"We are within range, sir!" replied the operator, who continued working on his console.
Overlord GAIA was pleased. "Good, launch the missiles immediately! Soon, the Real World will be wiped clean, and the Digital World will fall soon after. None shall stop me in my moment of triumph!"
**************************************
Meanwhile in Core Tower, the signs of fatigue were evident on Akira's face. He was looked exhausted and sweat was dripping from his brow. Akira had lost track of how far he climbed, but knew that he was very high above the ground. He was huffing and everyone stopped on a platform to catch his or her breath. Akira looked up to see a large mural painted onto the far wall. The Crest of Memories was emblazoned at the top of this very wall.
This mural contained a very disturbing picture of war and fighting. On the left side was a depiction of a green gas cloud above a large modern city. Several people were dead on the ground, obviously poisoned by the gas. In the sky was a dark disk blotting out the sun. Several objects shaped like missiles were flying from this disk to the ground below. As Akira scanned right, the mural became more violent. There were several giant inhuman figures fighting a human army consisting of tanks, planes, and foot soldiers.
Akira recognized the inhuman figures as being Digimon of various species. The mural depicted the Digimon as being very ferocious and bloodthirsty. Several small lines were drawn between the two groups; an obvious indication of bullets or lasers being fired. The city was in flames and many soldiers laid dead on the ground. Above it all, a dark, evil shadow loomed above the carnage. Its face was contorted into a sadistic grin, as though he relished every moment of suffering. It was clear this figure was responsible for all the devastation.
Scanning further up, the mural turned into a picture of two figures in mortal combat. The left one had a dark aura and shape similar to the evil figure. He had a metallic, harlequin-like face that made him look like a robot or android. The evil and malice was plain to see in its face. The other had a virtuous aura and resembled an angel, but was as robotic as its foe. This angel bore a great sword with a black blade surrounded by glowing darkness. They were standing on a metallic sphere floating in the sky.
"What could this picture mean?" asked Darkfryer.
"I don't know, and yet, it seems so familiar," said Akira.
Lillith looked below the mural. "There's an inscription below, let's see what it says..." The inscription read as followed:
Come winds of change and violent strife.
Fourscore hours shall last his Blight,
And worlds fall to tyranny and might.
Just then the Crest of Memories flashed! Its intense light blinded everyone. "Argggh, what's going on?" demanded Darkfryer.
When the light subsided, they were standing in the middle of a busy city street. This street looked like it belonged to a city from the Real World. "Where are we?" asked Lillith.
Akira noticed a cameraman filming the sky and narrating his video. He was creating a documentary about the city didn't notice Akira and his Digimon. Akira went up to tap the man on the shoulder to draw his attention. To his surprise, Akira's hand went right through the man's body! Akira's bulged wide open in astonishment.
"They must be illusions," noted Darkfryer, dismissing what he saw.
Akira followed the man's line of vision to the azure skies above. He noticed the sky darkening as a solar eclipse veiled the sun. Hundreds of thousands of sparks of light soared from the darkness to Earth. One of the sparks went towards the city. Upon reaching the Earth's atmosphere, the object turned out to be a missile! It exploded in the air, and sprayed forth a noxious cloud of green vapour. Soon, a chorus of people screaming in terror filled the air.
Darkfryer was shocked. "That stuff's Blight!"
A stampede of people fled from the cloud for their lives. Akira and his friends were very fortunate indeed. Since everything was just an image, the gas had no effect on Akira and his Digimon. If it was real, all of them would be infected. One of the fleeing men approached Akira; the signs of fatigue clear on his body. The man lurched forward before keeling over. Akira got a good glimpse of his face.
Akira turned as white as snow and his eyes bulged. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, ZOMBIE!" He was completely paralysed by terror.
Greenish spots covered the man's face. They resembled the mold that formed on old bread. His face was wrinkled and shrivelled as though all the water had been drained from him. They were the symptoms of Blight infection just as the Guard Tamers described. The man passed through his body harmlessly and fell to the ground.
"Akira, snap out of it!" urged Lillith. "It's all fake! None of it is real!"
Akira calmed down and regained control of himself. Everyone watched the infected man as he turned around to lie on his back. After seeing his face, they promptly turned their heads away in disgust. Now everything made perfect sense. This scene was exactly as the mural depicted. The gas cleared quickly and suddenly, several Digimon and human war machines appeared. Several bullets and missiles flew through the trio's body as the groups exchanged fire.
A Skull Mammothmon charged into a building and tore it asunder. Elsewhere, a Machinedramon ruptured a hole into another building. He began to haphazardly blast every building in his sight with his Giga Cannons. Humanity's tanks laid heavy amounts of firepower on the Digimon. They fire round after round of shells only to have them hit the Digimon harmlessly. Their weapons proved useless, and instead, served to anger the Digimon and draw their attention to the war machines.
Machinedramon turned to a tank and blasted it with his Giga Cannons. The flaming wreckage of the tank flipped six feet into the air before landing upside down. The other tanks continued to attack, but their ranks were decimated one after the other by Machinedramon. The tanks were like sheep heading to the slaughter. It wasn't long before all that remained of the city was a pile of rubble. Several dead bodies were strewn around the wreckage of tanks.
A bright flash of light engulfed Akira and his Digimon, and they were back in Core Tower. Everyone felt refreshed. "I don't feel tired anymore!" proclaimed Darkfryer.
A strange sensation overtook Akira. It was the feeling of something hidden now resurfacing after a long absence. "Akira, what's the matter?" asked Lillith.
"I don't know... Suddenly, I feel as though a hidden part of me has suddenly became known."
"What do you mean?" asked Darkfryer.
Akira told his Digimon about what had resurfaced. He remembered walking along in the same city during the day. He was happy because he was going to a newly opened fair. He looked up into the sky and saw a plane release a Blight bomb onto the city. Akira also remembered the pain and suffering of being infected by Blight. It was as real as any memory a person could have.
"I think that I am remembering my life before I became a Guard Tamer," realized Akira. "I never really gave it much thought before, but now, I think that my past holds the key to all that is happening now..."
Indeed, Akira would soon realize that he was right. Akira and his Digimon continued ascending the flights of stairs that led ever upwards. When they reached their next floor, Akira collapsed onto the ground from sheer fatigue. Darkfryer was exhausted himself, though not as much as Akira. Akira looked up to see a second mural, which brought him hope.
Just like the first one, this mural was underneath a copy of the Crest of Memories. This second mural contained a picture of a Japanese city. Again, there were the figures of Digimon on the mural. However, the Digimon were divided into two groups on opposite sides of the battlefield. The left side was dark, and the monsters looked much more evil and vicious than the ones on the right. A large, spherical object dominated the dark area of the mural.
This was the same object depicted in the first mural, where the two robots battled. It was in front of the sun and blocking its rays in a manner similar to a solar eclipse. The same evil robot of the first mural was looming over the darker areas of the mural. On the other hand, the monsters on the right seemed more noble. There was a red haired figure that was prominent on the "light side."
Lillith looked closely at the red haired figure. "Hey, he looks a lot like you, Akira!" Lillith pointed to the two black monsters near Akira's image. "Those two look like us! They really caught my good side, don't you think?" She admired her effigy on the mural.
Darkfryer read the inscription on the plaque near the wall. "There's writing down here!" Darkfryer recited the words on the plaque:
To find the Avenger and free the East.
So returns the Dark Lord, scourge of all,
Veil'n the light in an eternal pall.
Akira looked around his environment. He was inside a chamber surrounded by holographic, gold coloured circuitry. They could see a robotic being in front of them that was no taller than Akira himself. This being was made of a bluish metal that was like armour. The chamber glistened in the light of a ring of gold fire that hovered above the being's head like a halo. This being resembled an angel right down to his golden hawk-like wings, only mechanical.
"Take this program. It will be your weapon against GAIA," said one of the scientists.
A large black sword materialized in the chamber. It glowed with a deep darkness and radiated great power. The angel grabbed the sword, and made a pair of test swings. With each swing, a rumbling sound emanated from the sword. Suddenly, the circuitry faded and everyone found themselves in a coliseum-like structure. Several Digimon materialized in the arena, and all of them had auras of hostility. The angel tried his best to fight back, but didn't have the skill and was defeated.
The scene replayed itself over and over again. However, each time the angel improved his performance. He was becoming more powerful, and began to attack the enemy with bolts of various types of energy. Soon, the Digimon were no match for him. In one test battle, a War Greymon lobbed a gigantic sphere of orange energy, Terra Force, at the angel. In response, the angel held the flat of his sword to the sphere and absorbed the energy. He threw his sword at War Greymon in response.
Once the sword was near its victim, it gained a life of its own and began to slash War Greymon by itself. Eventually, a slash broke past War Greymon's defences, and he was sent plummeting to the ground. The sword vanished and then reappeared in the angel's hand. The angel sensed more attackers and fired a blast of energy, killing a charging skeletal Mammothmon and a gigantic insect Digimon with an explosion.
A Gryphonmon swooped at him, but the angel caught on. The angel shot a beam of darkness from his index finger and blew the Digimon out of the sky. The angel scanned around for more attackers, preparing himself for any furhter attacks. The testers were pleased with the angel's performance. His combat abilities have improved exponentially since his activation. It was time now for the angel to begin his mission.
"You have trained well, True GAIA, and are now ready to face Overlord GAIA. The fate of the world is in your hands!"
"I understand. Overlord GAIA will regret everything that he has done. I will destroy him once and for all!"
The angel waved his hand and a swirling vortex of energy appeared before him. The angel entered the portal and vanished. At the same time, Akira and his Digimon were flashed by a bright light and blinded. When the light cleared, they back in the mural room. Akira was left with a strange new memory; in it he was the angel himself. Akira was navigating the twisted paths of the world's communication net. His vision ended with him finding the Kernel Zone in "Netspace."
Akira continued the arduous climb, until he finally reached the top. The top consisted of a large chamber with the same circuitry as the rest of the tower. There was a large pedestal in the middle, and above it floated a Crest of Memories. Its eerie light reflected off the walls and illuminated the room with the colours of gold, black, and blue. As expected, there was another mural on the wall behind the pedestal, and near this mural was another plaque. The plaque read:
Born of a Child doomed to die...
With Memories of an age long ago,
A Hero's destiny he will know.
Suddenly, a large object crashed onto the ground from the sky! Akira and the others covered their ears to muffle the deafening loudness of the impact. The object looked like a gigantic robot with a face filled with hatred and contempt. It was badly damaged and sparks of electricity jumped from exposed wires. Scorch marks and slash marks scarred the robot's metal chassis. The angel descended from above to taunt his opponent. He too, was badly injured. Scorch marks and dented metal marred his once elegant metal body.
"So, your attack put me down, but it seems you used up much of your own power," smirked Overlord GAIA. "Face it, you can't defeat me! I will recover, and then I will destroy you!"
The angel laughed out loud at GAIA's empty threat. "I may not be powerful enough to defeat you now, but in the future I will be! Until that time, you will be sealed away!"
A wave of violet energy emanated from the angel's hand. Overlord GAIA screamed as the last of his energy was violently rasped from his body. Overlord GAIA's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground and cables of metal wrapped around his body. Without the power of the Kernel Zone, Overlord GAIA was nothing but an empty shell. The wires entwined around his body to form a cocoon of metal; Overlord GAIA's prison. A great tower formed from the ground over Overlord GAIA's cocoon, and he was sealed within.
The angel realized that he had used the last of his power. As his final act, he split himself into two shimmering lights. The first flew into sky and soared to the Digital World as a shooting star. The other fell onto the metal ground of the Kernel Zone. A massive tower, Core Tower, arose from the ground beneath the second light. On the roof, the shimmering light died down, and transformed into the Crest of Memories itself. With another bright flash of light, the images faded.
A mysterious, disembodied voice spoke: "Greetings, Akira." The voice sounded exactly like Akira's!
Akira and his Digimon scanned the room to find the speaker. "Where are you? Come out!"
"I am on the pedestal," responded the voice.
"Akira, the voice is coming from the Crest!" said Lillith.
"Then tell me, who are you?"
"I am your divine half. Together, we make the Avenger of Humanity, True GAIA."
Akira was incredulous. "Divine half?"
"Indeed, as True GAIA we are effectively a god when in the Kernel Zone. We were the ones who sealed away Overlord GAIA. Do you remember what caused our split?
Akira remembered the vision he had about the battle between the GAIA AIs. "Yes..."
"I remained here, while you went to the Digital World. You became Akira when you emerged in the Digital World. The visions you witnessed were our collective memories."
"I realize that now," responded Akira. "What must we do now?"
"We must reunite once again! Despite our sealing of GAIA, the Blood Knights were able to free him and now he threatens the world. We must finish our mission from long ago! We must destroy Overlord GAIA for good! At this very moment, GAIA is infusing his followers with the energy of the Kernel Zone. Your friends can not defeat an enemy who can restore himself endlessly."
"How do we reunite?"
"Close your eyes and concentrate."
Akira did as he was told. All of a sudden, he felt a great power surging within himself! His eyes began to glimmer with golden light. His body was consumed in a blue glow and transformed into blue metal armour. Wings of golden flame erupted from his back, lighting the room with a brilliant gold. A black sword magically formed in his hand and began to rumbled with power. Thus, True GAIA was reborn!