Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon
Episode LI
Destroyer of Worlds
I am become death, destroyer of worlds. -- Robert J. Oppenheimer, citing from the Bhagavadgita, after witnessing the world's first nuclear explosion
There was no longer anything mortal about the man standing before TK in that moment. He had cast aside the possibility of his defeat, his very humanity as if it were nothing more than a cloak to be discarded. For a moment TK was aware of the vast powers that Adam, and in some respects himself, represented. It felt uncomfortably like staring into the heart of a star.
Cody was still staring at Ishiguro's remains, but Tai was able to react to the man's presence. His voice picked up as a sudden realization of his situation reached him. You've got to get in here, help the others escape.
Bane was aware of him to, and there were signs of more than uncertainty. Signs of abject fear as the master of dark arts stared down at this tiny diminutive figure that glared at him with such intensity.
Adam, we've got to hurry! Tai yelled. We don't have much time!
There was a ripping sound, and a huge skyscraper not far away ripped out of the ground, moving over the ground at tremendous speed, the crumbling foundations still clinging to patches of earth brushing aside lesser buildings like the refuse they were. Unerringly it hurled itself directly at Adam, standing before the dome.
Adam raised a hand. The tower smashed to a sudden halt as two immeasurably powerful wills warred with it. Then the physical limitations of the structure were surpassed, and the building exploded.
Bane stepped back for a moment, as if perturbed, and then he struck at Adam with lightning. Black tendrils thicker and blacker than even the darkest night uncoiled from his hand and struck downward like clinging serpents, roiling furiously as they hurled earthward. Even TK shied back from the naked power of that attack. But Adam remained unperturbed. He made an obscure gesture with one hand and the lightning blasted almost directly into his hand and stopped, hovering for a moment as if indecisive, before grounding itself in a nearby ruin with a detonation that was so loud it nearly ruptured the eardrums of the spectators.
Then Adam raised his hand and gestured almost negligently at Bane. The air ruptured with a sound wave that shook windows miles away. The building directly behind Bane disintegrated at the force of that blow, the largest particle must have been the size of a piece of sand. Car wrecks were thrown twenty miles by the blast, but Adam seemed almost unaware of the force he had unleashed. Bane staggered as he took this head on, his darkness blowing back from him like a cloak. For a moment he appeared to have overbalanced, but then he slowly regained his posture.
Strands of black energy blasted from Bane's eyes, Adam unleashed a bolt of pure white from an outstretched hand, and the entire world dissolved in the sudden brilliance of the explosion. There were roars in the background, but everyone who was witnessing the titanic event was blinded by the afterglow, spots dancing in front of their eyes. Some cried out as the impact waves tossed them back, but they remained blind, tossed about like stray leaves in an autumn wind.
All over the city, the battle had slowed to a virtual halt. Task Force Lionheart had finally met up with their southern lines, but they were not pressing on. They could not, nobody would move in the face of that titanic battle as the two beings clashed in the middle of Heighton View Terrace.
Tai had a sudden surge of irony flare in him as he saw the much maligned footbridge, lying once again in pieces. When he was little more than a baby, Greymon and Parrotmon had shredded the thing. Then it had gotten shattered by Mammothmon and Garudamon. He had read that it had been slightly damaged in the duel with Daemon, although apparently not enough to close it off. But now it was destroyed again. Digimon had been fighting over this piece of real estate for so long that there was almost nothing left. Once again they would rebuild it. Tai wondered if this time, after so many other attempts, it would last.
Bane struck at Adam with a blast of fire that nearly took Tai's face off even here, the ground was scorched, but it appeared that the dome of light was still protecting them, keeping them safe from harm. Outside, the remains of the city were not so lucky, and Tai watched as a piece of broken metal hit by a fragment of pure flame melted into a puddle and hissed in complaint. The smell of scorched earth flooded his nostrils.
Angewomon collapsed onto her knees and held her hands over her ears as tightly as she could to blot out the painful sensations that were wracking her. Bane was beyond evil, the being that angels had been created to battle, but this close he was too much for her. Despite her connections with the divine, she was only mortal and was aware of that, and aware of the way that the power he wielded dwarfed her own. MagnaAngemon was suffering similarly, huddled against a nearby building as the waves of darkness battered at his angelic self again and again. Exposure to their opposite and superior at this close range resulted in physical pain.
Harmonic symphonies echoed through the city, and the broken and battered skyscrapers ran like a bell. Music, divinely inspired to lift even the gravest of hearts, to set men and women alike to dancing, rang through the ruins like a torrent. With it a blast of a great silvery something uncoiled from Adam and struck at Bane. Bane responded by forming in front of him a shield of sickly green light, but that light buckled under that silver blast.
Then the smoke changed into a great serpent, oily and filled with nothing but the pure filth of human imagination. Intangible jaws opened up to reveal two great fangs, dripping with a torrential poison that melted the concrete it dripped on to. The snake lunged at Adam but the man gestured, and a wall of light rose from the ground halfway to the heavens, the top glimmering with every color in the rainbow. Shadowy and insubstantial, the phantom snake could not survive contact with that wall, and vanished with a horrible scream. Next a great demon of fire both red and green, eyes glowing malevolently as swords of magma and burning brimstone whirled around him, appeared out of thin air. One look nearly collapsed every digimon still within the dome where they stood, and he opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of fire on the wall of light. The wall collapsed, but when the fire faded away, Adam was unharmed within a shimmering and transparent globe of blue light.
Beneath the combatants the ground cracked, and then something grabbed the surface and hauled its way up laboriously, a huge being of rock and earth, the roots of trees still sticking to it. This thing was huge, a titan stepped out of myth and legend, and the roar that echoed from its stubby jaw set that which had not been leveled yet to trembling. The demon submerged the titan in a veritable ocean of fire until it was no longer visible. Yet when the fire subsided, the titan was unharmed, roaring in anger, and the demon found itself ripped apart by those vast hands, each the size of a bus. Then the titan turned its attention to Bane, but Bane sneered at it, and a wave of blackness exploded into the titan, destroying it. Swiftly the darkness coalesced into a horde of smaller creatures, beings cut from the same fabric as the night itself, and they threw themselves, teeth gnashing angrily, at Adam.
Adam threw his hands out and the sphere of blue light expanded. The demons disintegrated under that light and there was a flare so bright that human and digimon were forced to cover their eyes in pain and wait for the glare of the afterimage to fade away before seeing anything. When their sight returned, Bane was trapped in the sphere of blue light and Adam was watching him with cold eyes as the creature of darkness pounded on the inside. Slowly, cracks began to grow in the blue surface, and then there was an explosion of sapphire shards and Bane was free again, already summoning more darkness to him.
But Adam was advancing, sheathed in an incandescent white that almost outshone the sun itself. There was no way to look at him without risking instant blindness, but they could all feel his presence, rock solid and unstoppable within that sheath. Bane's eyes widened in sudden terror and he hurled waves of pure force at his enemy. Ken grasped the ground around him in a futile effort to keep from being thrown like a rag doll as the entire island nation of Japan rocked underneath them. In terms of impact, it must have been almost like having a volcano erupt in the middle of the city, but this did not impair Adam. Lightnings flashed and fires smote and Bane unleashed attacks in a cruel, harsh and biting language that Ken did not speak but recognized vaguely from his worst nightmares. But, through the storm and thunder in his voice everyone could hear the sound of panic beginning to set in. All of them had their eyes tightly shut now, even the redoubtable angels, to avoid the sight of the horrors that Bane was conjuring up, ears closed to keep from hearing the screams and screeches that his summoned phantoms hurled at his unearthly foe. Nobody dared open their eyes, each recognizing in their heart of hearts that this was not a battle of men, and that to glimpse even part of it would be risking madness of the worst type. Slowly, as if it were a badly done movie, the sounds of the clashes began to blend together, until it was one never-ending wave of sound that almost faded into the background as the witnesses coped with the wounded writhing of space itself under that assault.
And then as clear as day they heard Adam speak.
And in the end, a nightmare, like a shadow, is just an illusion, without substance.
They all looked up to see Adam standing there, his glowing light visible at the heart of Bane's panicked darkness, which was now streaming in all directions. He held out his arm straight and then twisted his hand up, palm facing him, and clenched his fingers into a fist. An intolerable burst of light glowed from there, a wave of silver offsetting the darkness, and then there was nothing but a blinding whiteness that they staggered away from.
And, with a final despairing scream, Bane faded into darkness.
Time, which had stopped as if it had not dared continue, started again. Hearts began to beat. Light began to shine in a normal manner. The sense of eldritch and unearthly power faded, and the rocks once again seemed to rest easy on the ground, embracing the relentless touch of gravity. Once again they were in wreckage and ruin, but this at least was a battleground they understood. Of Bane there was no sign but the huge crater of blasted material, fused into a smooth glass, where Adam stood, quiet as if contemplating, in the center. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and his hair and face drooping toward the ground below. His hands, formerly clenched and tightened in preparation for battle, were now hanging loosely at his sides. For a moment he appeared to be mortal again, but those who had watched knew him now for what he was, and mortality would never again color their perceptions of him.
You beat him. TK stood up first, and crossed the ground between him and the staggered avatar in a few leaps.
There will be another. Adam waved a hand almost absently. And another. There always has been and there always will be.
I know, but you know that what you've done is important. TK understood the emotions that must be flowing through a man who had fought for over a century in a thousand different battlegrounds, who found his home surrounded in blood and death despite his best efforts.
It is the way of things. Adam dismissed sorrow and grief and madness as he had his mortality, with only the barest flicker in his eyes.
What next? TK asked.
You must destroy all enemy forces, they will try at any and all costs to prevent you from entering the Utopia complex in West Shinjuku. They know how important it is. Khartan is close to succeeding with his mad plan, and you have less than an hour before he can stabilize the singularity to accomplish his goals.
Do you know their plan? TK asked, hoping against hope that there would be some reprieve for his band of tired warriors.
Yes. And it is once more imperative that you stop it. We are engaged across fifteen worlds, in a running battle that has never seen equal, at least since the Great War. This you must stop, and stop alone. I am sorry, but that is the price you must pay for this world to survive.
I understand. And TK did, and understood that had their positions been reversed, he would be using Adam as mercilessly as Adam was using him.
Listen closely then. The Gate that you saw on the way to the power room in the Utopia complex is a deathtrap. You cannot enter there. You must proceed down into the depths of the building. I found the singularity room when I left you in that raid, but I was unable to enter without triggering certain alarms. Now that the singularity is no longer there, those alarms and defenses are inactive. In that same complex however is a tap onto the Tokyo gate, the one that BlackWarGreymon sealed. You must enter that gate. Together there exists a chance that you may win. Beyond that I cannot say.
You have to go? TK guessed.
Yes. My place is elsewhere, not here anymore. The war rages on, and there are other battle I must fight. Adam's tired eyes took in the surrounding, blasted landscape, and he gave a very exhausted smile. And then he simply vanished, fading like a television image in a blip of light.
Everyone started moving.
Several people began.
Some others started.
EVERYBODY SHUT UP! Tai roared at the top of his lungs, causing Matt to fall away from him clutching an ear painfully.
Listen to me on this. Tai began. I don't think that there's any denying that Adam was more than what he seemed, but I think that it would be foolish to ignore his advice. We need to get to that Gate under the Utopia complex, and we need to do it less than an hour. I don't want to know if it's possible, I want to know how we're going to do it.
We're exhausted and tired Tai. Izzy pointed out. Even with everyone we've got, and with Bane destroyedeven if Khartan has passed through the gate, we've got fanatical humans and digimon to wade through, and I don't doubt that they'll fight to the death. We need more time.
Then I say we burn through them. Davis turned to face the group, still standing over his sister's cold body and there was a fire in his eyes that made the others shy instinctively away from him. Who's with me?
Before anyone could answer him there was a sound like the tidal surf coming in to pound on the shore, a roar that built and built in volume until they could only hear a colossal roar. And with that, a tsunami consisting of a million very angry residents of Tokyo crashed over the hordes of darkness like an all-consuming tide.
The tide had actually been building for some time. Even before the fatal message had been broadcast from the communications center at the University of Tokyo, groups of citizens, incensed at the actions of the otherworldly troops garrisoning their home districts, had begun to gather. The small vigilante groups were not a real threat to the enemy, they were too scared of the dark digimon to do more than ambush the occasional lone Utopia trooper. But slowly they had started to gather into larger and larger groups. When the Battle of Tokyo had finally begun, dozens of groups saw their opportunity to get rid of their hated overlords and had entered the streets in a huge running battle that had distracted enemy troops at the worst possible moments.
But the continued battle, the chance of freedom, the national pride of their people, and Ishida's inflammatory message had combined to motivate even those that were lacking in courage to leave their houses and begin a general uprising. Now, for the Utopian forces, it was almost more dangerous behind their lines than it was at the front, because loosely organized groups of citizens were hunting them down, one at a time, wherever they could be found. Wielding weapons from baseball bats and impromptu clubs to hundred year old swords, the tide of citizen-soldiers broke over their enemies in a flood. Even those thousands of soldiers that had landed with the digidestined were nothing compared to the sheer weight of numbers that the populace could bring to bear.
To complicate matters, they knew the territory. Long forgotten maintenance and subway tunnels were rediscovered, utility workers leading gangs of disparate individuals in desperate strikes against positions in buildings that their enemies had thought secure. Sometimes the enemy entered the tunnels under the city themselves, and then battles erupted in ground so narrow and confined it was even worse than a jail cell. Gunfire broke the silence and darkness of the city's underground, and the flash of steel ended many lives on both sides in a shower of blood.
Adam's fight, the final confrontation between good and evil, had drawn these groups of angry citizens like moths to a candle flame, and the roar of the tide would have deafened anyone whose ears were still intact to listen. Now they blasted open the enemy lines from behind, opening a huge corridor, from the climactic battleground at Highton View Terrace all the way to the Utopia complex in West Shinjuku.
Through that hole roared the digimon fresh from the Digital World, a force powerful enough to turn the tide against their enemies. Behind those digimon trailed out the remnants of the proud forces that had held off the end for so long. Banners streaming in the wind, faces flushed with anticipation, they charged, voices roaring as one, and the battle was joined once more.
General Alexander was finally able to breath a sigh of relief. From the reports coming in, whatever tremendous showdown had taken place had broken the enemy's resolve, and they were fleeing the city in droves, helped along by the now unified forces of the IDEF. For the first time in the longest day of his life, he had nothing to do except to acknowledge various reports of troops in pursuit of a fleeing enemy.
Absently he wondered if they had truly won this battle, and how he was going to explain this to the Ministry.
WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon blasted through the heavily reinforced steel doors that blocked off access to the innermost areas of the Utopia complex. Polished metal filled the air with a storm of shards in an instant, and the most valiant of the defenders, grouped to fend off a conventional attack, were sent sprawling as the charging digidestined cut right through them.
Within the first five minutes, at least five hundred digimon and a thousand humans with the IDEF were inside the complex, engaged in a one-sided battle with all the Utopia Corporation personnel who had not already abandoned the city as a lost cause. In these close quarters digimon were even more deadly than they were outside, and dozens were falling to their concentrated attacks.
But the Odaiba team had already accelerated ahead of the onrushing tide, and was busy trying to get their bearings.
Time's running out. Tai muttered. Which way?
I don't know. WarGreymon looked around hurriedly but could arrive to no complete conclusion. This whole place feels wrong. I don't know what's going to happen next, but it could be anything, and it could come from anywhere.
The secret passage! TK exclaimed.
Ken asked, confused.
Of course! Tai yelled. That passage that you found the last time we were here! Do you know where it is?
That way somewhere. It was Kari pointing. But I don't know exactly where.
Digi-Armor Energize!
Armor Digivolves to
Cody yelled, pointing. We need to go that way!
Before he had even finished speaking, the corridor was filled with flying debris, and the mouth of a brand new tunnel through the nearest wall had appeared. The digidestined followed the gold-backed digimon as he almost casually demolished walls and offices in his haste to reach that promised hallway.
Well, that's one way to do it. Matt still managed to sound sarcastic and unconcerned as they pounded away in Digmon's wake. Nobody noticed the dark man that followed them.
This is the door! TK yelled loudly as they emerged into a familiar corridor.
There must be a lock mechanism here somewhere. Izzy darted forward but was interrupted by a streak of crimson and gold.
Mega Claw! The cleverly disguised portion of hallway was blasted off his hinges by a single claw of the Mega, and sailed away behind them. There was an unpleasant whirring sound, like that of some machinery starting up, followed by a horrible wrenching and cracking sound. Then there was the smell of ozone and electrical fire wafting through the building.
Let's get going somewhere. Tai gestured, ignoring the mangled remains of a pair of automatic weapons that had been arranged to scan the entryway, and presumably to eliminate unwelcome visitors. Smoke now filled the corridor, but once they were past that problem, normal fluorescent lighting took over to illuminate the plain, undecorated walls.
Fortunately, as they darted into the darkened corridor, it became evident that the paranoia of Utopia had not been too extreme. Besides a few locked doors, and the navigational hazards of the flickering lights, there were no obstructions to impede their progress, and they charged headlong into madness, sloping ever downward into the bowels of the Earth. Sometimes there would be strange diagrams without description, or characters that seemed to have no meaning on the side of the walls, the only way to track progress in a never-ending descent.
How deep are we? Yolei asked at one point, panting from the effort.
Pretty deep. Izzy replied instantly. Way below ground level. Probably even below the level of all the subway tunnels.
That is deep. Yolei acknowledged.
Why is whatever this is hidden down here? Biyomon grumped, upset at having to turn back into a Rookie to fit in the small corridor.
The earth acts as a shield. Izzy panted in response. It prevents them from being discovered.
How much more time do we have? Tai asked.
Nine minutes. Ken looked briefly at the watch that had miraculously managed to stay on his arm. I think. I don't know the exact time he told us to hurry.
Well then we better step on it! Tai yelled.
No problem! MagnaAngemon had been surfing ahead, and suddenly he came up, his wings flaring in the purple glare of his sword. I found the end.
There was no question about that. The hallway, all polished plastic and steel, ended abruptly in a huge, sealed door that looked as if it had been taken from the hull of a battleship. Even from this side they could glimpse some of the workings of the huge locks, metal bolts the size of oil pipelines sealing the door together.
We need a way to get through this. Tai murmured.
MagnaAngemon did not respond. He simply floated closer and ripped straight through the plate of the door with his glowing purple sword. Steel and Titanium parted as easily as if they were spaghetti or some such. Another swipe carved away another layer of protections with almost pathetic ease, and then there came the circular stroke, and a massive portion of the door fell outward. The disc hit the ground with an almighty crash that reverberated throughout the narrow confines, and from inside the darkened room, shadows erupted.
They rushed forward, not threatening, but pathetically eager to escape, to get free. Then they were gone in a rush, and everything was quiet.
Tai took a deep breath, and then took the first step into the room. There was nothing there except what looked like a huge, hi-tech well in the middle of the floor, the lip glowing brightly with suppressed light. There was a man standing next to the well.
When Tai saw who it was, it took his breath away.
Where's the old man? Hiroaki Ishida was recovering from an injury in the middle of a crowd of concerned wellwishers. A few of the faces pressing down on him looked familiar, but his head hurt so much that he could barely see them. The faces blurred sometimes, occasionally moving in and then moving out of focus just as quickly. Sometimes they faded right in front of his eyes.
You all right boss? You should rest. That nervous and hyperanxious voice was easy to recognize. That was Charley from work, and Ishida did not have a clue what he was doing here. Last he had seen the man had been at work in Odaiba before the storm had erupted over the neighborhood.
Where's the old man? Mr. Ishida asked again. Hida's disappearance before the broadcast had really started going had disturbed the newscaster, and he was worried. Where's everybody else?
You need to rest. That was Professor Takenouchi. You took a nasty blow to the head when we were fleeing the broadcast center. It looks like with whatever happened out there, that we're winning, whatever that means. I'm pretty sure that the kids are all right, the chaos over in that end of the city seems to indicate that they're still fine. It's just like them to make that much noise.
And the old man? Mr. Ishida asked again.
I don't know. Mr. Ishida's eyes could not resolve the face of Professor Takenouchi with any clarity, but he did not need to in order to recognize the look of worry that would be passing over the professor's face.
I guess he can take care of himself. Well, if we're winning, we might as well get most of you, however many of you there are, out helping us And with that, Mr. Ishida surrendered to unconsciousness.
Willis! What's happening? Rapidmon staggered through the air, barely able to stay upright in the sudden rush of buffeting wind that was gone just as suddenly. For the second time that day the fighting began to trail off.
I don't know. Willis answered truthfully. But I think the final battle is about to begin.
Tai nearly exploded in surprise and released suspense as he recognized the tall figure with the long black hair and the flowing overcoat.
Oikawa snapped. We need to buy time for a moment. Even as the words came out the digidestined were aware of the deep shadows around them, only illuminated by the fountain of light that was the Gate. They had assumed that those shadows were just that, figments of darkness that masked banks of machinery, but now they began to move. There was motion within those shadows, a deep and dark form of life that was now struggling up toward consciousness. It had become aware of the presence of the digidestined, and it was definitely NOT happy to see them.
Oikawa yelled.
Ken understood intellectually. With a brief feeling of detachment that he would not have been able to summon just days before, he shoved away his fear and doubt and insecurity, and reached out into the great beyond. A hole in the universe, as dark as the shadows surrounding them, reached out for them, and then they were gone swirling into the beyond.
What the hell is that!?! Michael bellowed, staring at the monstrosity. It was something huge, unimaginably huge. It had uncoiled like a monster. It was a monster, as tall as any skyscraper. The massive tower of the Utopia Complex had exploded into shards, glass and steel flying through that air as it uncurled from the ground below, roaring. Tentacles writhed from where the mouth of its monstrous head should have been, claws the size of barges waved in the breeze. Four arms lifted as it roared in fury, but the two malevolent slits of eyes were focused on the ground. This was a king of nightmares and it's voice was horrible, the mere sound of it driving strong men near to a faint. Even to see its shape was to experience the unsettling feeling that you were once again five years old, and the monster that lived in the dark was rising to devour you. It howled again, and warriors on both sides turned tail and ran.
So how do we fight that? Willis asked quietly.
You brought us HERE? TK exploded the moment that the world stabilized around them enough for them to see the dull and dark beaches and cliffs around them. Of all places, with HIM standing right outside the door! You must be mad! Kari had gone so white even snow would look colorful by comparison.
No. He has no influence in this place once he leaves it. That is why he so rarely does. He cannot sense or feel anything within while he lies without. It gives us a moment to gather ourselves before he can react. Oikawa looked thin here, stretched. He was almost transparent so gaunt had he become. His pale complexion was heightened by the vast expanse of grayness around them.
Isn't there any color around here? Mimi asked. Where are we anyway?
The Dark Ocean. Yolei responded shortly, pulling Ken back up. The boy had collapsed into a ball, panting with the exertion that traveling here had created.
You took us here? Tai's shout almost echoed TK's. And who is this guy TK was talking about?
The Monarch of the Dark Ocean. TK murmured. The ruler of the dark domain in this part of the cosmos, where every fear comes to life. A being made of pure nightmare who wields almost unimaginable power. He came through.
Why did he do that? Matt's eyes were very wide.
He wants Kari. Gatomon replied succinctly. And now, with the Gate weakening the barriers between worlds, he can finally get her.
Not really. Oikawa gave them a tight smile. He isn't quite sure where we are.
So what do we do about that? Tai asked. We can't sit here forever, can we?
We go up. TK was staring at a rocky path that led off into the distance, sloping upward.
That's going to be fun. Kari murmured.
I don't want to hear that from you. Gatomon murmured back.
So I don't get it. What's going on? Joe asked finally.
The Monarch came through the Gate. The very presence of an artificial Gate must have weakened the walls between worlds. So Khartan made a deal. If we got to the Gate, the effect we would have had would have awakened the Monarch, and he could have come through. Oikawa spoke like he was very far away.
So what kind of Digimon is he? Or is he one? Biyomon wanted to know.
He's not. He isother. At one and the same time both Digimon and beyond. But there is something else. He is vulnerable. Oikawa continued.
You mean he's got a vulnerable spot? Yolei pushed her glasses up her nose. Like dragons do in fairy tales or something?
No. I just mean that he's vulnerable. In the realms of nightmares he is without proper substance, composed only of fear. He is immortal here, although he can be held at bay by a strong will indefinitely. But he has put on flesh to go to the Real World, but that flesh makes him vulnerable. It is a strong body, but it is a mortal body, and while he wears it he can be killed.
And if we avoid him? Tai asked.
We could, but that wouldn't be a good idea. TK replied. You see, we entered this universe sort of sideways, so time is stopped in ours while we have this conversation. But once we go through we will have to confront Khartan. We cannot afford for him to win, and I suspect that it might affect our world more than he thinks. Citadel might very well have defenses against this, something that cannot totally prevent the detonation, but might reflect some of it back. If it passes through the Void, it will erupt onto Earth, and there will be fire and death in two worlds. But if we leave to confront Khartan, we leave the Monarch alone, and he will wreak havoc on the Real World. He will possibly destroy the entire city of Tokyo if left alone.
So why are we going up? Where does that take us? Sora stared skywards.
It's a metaphor. Everything in this plane is a metaphor. Kari stared upwards as well, watching a huge mass of gray fog move between themselves and the upper heavens. We associate evil, fear and depression with down. So if this is down, this place where all of our fears come true, and are born, what is up?
Cody snapped his fingers. That world we visited before, where all of our hopes and dreams can come true.
That's the one. That's where we're going. From there, we will have the drop excuse the pun on the Monarch and on Khartan both. Kari smiled.
Well, let's get going. Davis's voice was harsh, and his visage was red from where unshed tears still gathered beneath his eyes, but at least he looked steady now. The others started as his unexpected voice shattered their conference.
He has a point. Oikawa faded a little before speaking again. I also am a creature of dreams. I grow weaker just standing here.
TK stepped out onto the trail and set one foot in front of another.
Where are you? Sora's voice called, echoing uncannily through the fog. The gray wall had intersected the line of digidestined and digimon, doing its best to choke all of them into individual obscurity. Sora could not see anybody no matter how hard she peered into the mist.
I'm here somewhere! That sounded like Tai.
We're lost in the fog. Palmon probably, judging from the sound, somewhere behind her.
What do we do? That sounded a bit like Joe forcing down a panic attack.
What we always do. TK's voice, strong and calm, emerged out of the nearby air. We keep going upwards.
Sora braced herself. The terrain was climbing steadily upwards, she had to admit that. It told her which way she was supposed to be going.
All roads lead to heaven. Kari sounded like she was smiling right next to Sora's head.
That makes sense. That sounded more like Ken than anyone else.
But I can't see anyone. Mimi complained suddenly. How can I make comments about the latest fashions if I can't see anyone? I spend all this time learning how to act like a ditz, and there aren't any opportunities to use it.
There were a few chuckles and a single guffaw that sounded suspiciously like Matt.
I would just like to state for the record that the moment I saw those blasted digivices descend from the sky, I just knew that this was all going to lead to trouble. That was definitely Joe. But would any of you listen? NO! So now I'm warning you, when they come to take us away to the funny farmwho's going to be laughing the hardest? Me, that's who! Why? BecauseI'm crazy for you baby! And with that Joe broke into a cracked-voice rendition of one of Matt and the Teenage Wolves's most popular hits.
Don't diss my music man! Matt chortled back from in front.
Mimi started to sing nursery rhymes in a high soprano.
Somewhere in the midst of the swirling fog, Yolei started to sing the Macarena under her breath.
Suddenly everyone was bursting into song. Matt was trying to out-sing Tai, an easy task that was made difficult only by the interspersed fits of laughter that Matt went through every time Tai deliberately mangled the song. Ken and Cody were singing a duet. TK was singing something from some opera he had once heard, but from the sound of what he was saying, he had forgotten the words. Kari was backing up Mimi on the nursery rhymes. Even the digimon were singing a dozen different songs, and growling at each other whenever they mismatched.
I'm warning you guys! Izzy roared over the cacophony. I know seventy-three verses of 'What can you do with a Drunken Sailor' and I'm not afraid to use them!
I think I broke a nail. Mimi shouted gleefully in the wind.
Joe cheerily sang back something that sounded suspiciously bawdy, but Tai could not hear it. Sora, somewhere below him, broke off her song with a choking fit, so she probably was within hearing range.
They had reached the hardest barrier, according to TK. A huge, vertical cliff, with few handholds to help them up it. It would have been almost impossible to master had it not been for the continued singing. The fog still prevented them from seeing anything except the rock face directly in front of their noses. Still, hanging precariously from smooth rock, searching in the blinding mist for the next handhold, was made easier somehow by the tuneless choruses that filled the sky with their echoes.
Where are we going? Veemon yelled in a complaint that was as familiar as the answer that floated down from above.
Up and Out!
A dozen voices broke in to this. All roads lead to Heaven!
Tai felt the rock try to break on him but he grinned and switched handholds. Here he was, courting sudden death, but with everyone around him he felt like he could never be conquered. He was pulling himself a little farther with each surge of energy.
Almost there! TK yelled after a moment.
Almost where? Sora shouted back.
Disneyland, you dolt! Yolei shouted somewhere in the fog.
Tai grinned at them, found a purchase with both of his hands, and heaved his body upwards. There was a moment when he realized that the grayness around him was growing white, and then his head breached the top of the clouds. It was like coming up for a breath of fresh air, and the sunlight hurt his eyes, nearly blinding him. As he blinked away the spots he stared around him. Behind him as far as he could see there was an endless sea of gray fog, but in front of him, he could actually see the rockface.
A gloved hand reached down and effortlessly pulled Tai up to the top of the cliff. Angemon lowered the leader of the digidestined to the soil.
I did mean it. TK was sitting there, smiling. They were on a peninsula of land jutting out into a gray sea, and the peninsula itself was covered a bit inwards by a thick forest that stretched off as far as Tai could see, forming a landscape that met the gray fog evenly. But here there was soft green grass, and Tai collapsed on it.
Where's Kari? He asked after a moment.
She was bringing up the rear. She'll be up after everyone else. TK smiled and lay back, staring at the sky.
Angemon picked Agumon out from below by the scruff of his neck and deposited him in front of Tai.
So we're at the top? Tai stared at his hands, which were bleeding.
As close as we're allowed to go. TK shrugged. There's power here, and I think we can use it.
Good. Because I'm beat.
Only if you think so. TK replied as Ken was lifted over the edge of the cliff.
Tai tried to feel refreshed, and was slightly amazed when the exhaustion was swept from his body. Then he relaxed and watched as the others were lifted by Angemon from their cliffside journey onto the top of the world.
It's beautiful. Sora remarked, looking at the never-ending forest of trees that filled the horizons.
Much better than that yucky old fog. Biyomon agreed.
Not that you could get much worse than that. Veemon commented.
Davis laughed, a cautious sound as if he had not expected to ever do that again. This is a calming place.
Well, let's be going. TK snapped his fingers, and suddenly they were once again in that world of strange dimensions and twisted figures. It looked like they were resident in a modern art gallery, and strange shapes in bright fluorescent colors drifted past them aimlessly.
This is the world of dreams? Tai asked, who had never been in it before, only having glimpsed the crazy patterned geometrics through the gash in space.
This is it. Ken looked around. He could already feel the strength flowing through his bones, and we was not about to keep it out. It swept through him, whispering secrets into his ears, nourishing and healing him, heart and soul.
It looks weird. Palmon remarked.
To be expected. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Kari poked a pink balloon carefully, and it let out a sound curiously like a giggle, and wafted off in search of other company.
So what's the plan, oh fearless leader? Matt asked, letting the sarcasm drawl from him.
We attack. TK looked around, as if trying to find something. Isn't that right? A cloud of butterflies appeared from behind where the pink balloon had disappeared, and waved their way towards them, forming as they did into a solid object. A moment later Oikawa stood next to them.
Oikawa shrugged as if uncomfortable with his body.
Our digimon cannot digivolve in the Void. They will return to their natural state. TK reported.
Sora exclaimed.
You could have told us that earlier. Tai murmured.
You just would have worried about it. Kari grinned cheekily.
I'll take the sass out of you later. Tai threatened under his breath.
So we have a choice. I think that we should let our digimon digivolve themselves, and then leave them here in the Real World to fight the Monarch while we enter the void and confront Khartan. TK looked around at each of them as if measuring them.
Can we really beat him without our digimon? Joe asked.
Feel the power around you and ask that again. Izzy replied calmly.
Joe smiled.
So what are we waiting for? Tai asked, clapping his hands together with a sound that was not unlike a gunshot. Let's get going! Errhow do we do that?
Brace yourselves. Ken smiled at them, and snapped his fingers.
Time started again.
Then it all got complicated.
For a moment they were indeed falling, and the clouds split away beneath them. Shadows and sunlight played next to them, and odd shaped constructs, the product of a thousand thousand imaginations chased each other over the landscape. Voices echoed too, in a hundred thousand languages, some whispering, some shouting and some singing. But Ken would always remember the feeling, the sound and the action. People were speaking to him, through the ages, from worlds far removed from his own.
Save us from horror, from terror, from pain, a voice whispered in his ear.
Protect us from the flood. A young girl prayed to something above him that did not reply.
I wish that we had someone to save us
To guide us
To lead us
And then one young boy spoke, something that later they all agreed on, one thing they heard that they never forgot. For the boy was speaking to them all.
My daddyhe said that there weren't any heroes anymore, that nobody can save us. I think that the scary monsters might eat us, or that the bad stuff might get us, but I know that there are still heroes. I know that they are hiding somewhere, on the street or in houses or something. So I was wondering if you could come out and save us, because I'd be really grateful.
The voice faded. There was a rushing wave of light and they could feel their bodies changing, becoming unearthly and filled with a power that they were not equipped to understand. Under the impetus of that strength the universe tilted slightly in the sky, as if the axis had been perturbed for one vital second by the emergence of something that could outshine its brightest stars. Here they floated through dreams, and the dreams floated with them and they understood.
This was the second time some of them had floated through here, but the last time they had just been guests passing through. In that respect they had not belonged, and there had been too many barriers in their hearts. Their own insecurities, their failure to understand who and what they were, had closed them to the true heartbeat of this place. But now they came to renounce their mortality. It was a decision made in an instant that would wrench at them mightily in the nights and evenings to come.
For it was only in that moment that they became the heroes that the digidestined had once been prophesized to become, and that the message they received once, long ago on File Island, came to pass. It was here that they finally left behind enough of their mortality that they could assume the mantle of protector and defender. In a moment they were no longer children playing at being heroes, or warriors of the Light, but they were merely vessels for a greater power than themselves, glowing within and without with the fires of the stars.
Unconsciously it was understood, when they thought about it, what this meant. That they would change in ways that normal humans would not be able to. That their parents would grow old and depart this life long before they would; ; that their children would do the same. That eventually they might be alone and lonely, the last warriors in a war that their people had forgotten. That, for now and forever, the warm hearths that humans enjoyed were theirs only as guests, that they would never be sheltered, but would always be the sentries, guarding the gates in the fiercest of weather. It was promised in that instant that their path would not be easy, and that it would be a lonely one. They could protect the world and all that they held dear, that was easy to promise, but the price was almost beyond bearing.
In fact, had any of them been faced with this cost alone, they might have balked at the thought of being forever outside humanity, forever an outsider looking in. But there were twelve humans and twelve digimon, and they were together in this moment, understanding that whatever happened, this moment would last forever and ever even if it was over before they could blink.
So they fell from heaven, and the powers of the Light within them all awoke.
Below them, the Monarch of the Dark Ocean looked up and waited for the final battle.
Twelve dots dropped out the clouds. They were already glowing.
warp digivolve to
warp digivolve to
Mega DNA Digivolve to
digivolve to
digivolve to
DNA Digivolve to
Mega Digivolve to
mode change toFighter Mode!
Then the surprises started.
warp digivolve to
The pink bird glowed with a sudden golden light, which erupted into a nova of gold and crimson flames. From out of it flew a bird that seemed to be crafted from the living sun, a mass of golden feathers surmounted by two piercing eyes which seemed to leave trails of fire in their wake. Tailfeathers drooped fire over the crowd below and a piercing scream interrupted the Monarch's unearthly, bone-shaking wail.
warp digivolve to
Palmon glowed a deep green and then changed shape into something that looked like a blossom, which slowly opened into a brilliant crimson flower. The flower deepened in color until it was a very dark pink, and then it opened by itself, revealing inside of it an unfolding creature of rose-colored armor, carrying a saber in one hand, and smiling ferociously.
warp digivolve to
There was a swirl of white in the sky, as if a small patch of heaven were being blanketed by a fierce snowstorm that threatened to obscure the world. Out of it came something small, speeding like a dart and accelerating toward the earth faster than a falling star. Two small wings lifted a creature that looked almost comically mismatched, but whose eyes were brimming with strange unearthly power.
warp digivolve to
Hawkmon's dive was instantly covered in a glowing whirl of red and blue. Then the light began to take shape almost as if there was some sort of ghostly specter hurtling toward the earth. Then, slowly, the light began to solidify, becoming more solid by the second until it looked almost harder and more solid than the Earth itself. This figure was fully armored, and looked sharp, hard and competent, a fit warrior to send to the end of time to wrestle with eternity.
warp digivolve to
This time there was a rush of something gray that obscured the view, and then slowly it faded. Erupting from beneath the earth came something new, a huge hulking monster of a digimon, roaring with a voice that could have shattered windows had there been any left. A massive double-headed battle-axe gleamed in one hand, and the short-cut fur moved back and forth slowly in the wind.
warp digivolve to
The insect simply grew, each shell exploding to give rise to the next creature within, until finally something so gargantuan emerged that it shaded huge portions of the city of Tokyo. This beast glowed golden like the sun, appendages and arms swinging down below like they were battering rams to be released against the enemy. Impossible strength and resilience shown from every possible burnished surface of the massive body in a rainbow cascade.
warp digivolve to
The massive armored angel took his position in the sky.
warp digivolve to
A huge glowing pink dragon swam smoothly into the sky, a harbinger of things to come.
Beneath them, twelve dots of light, each one a digidestined, dropped from the sky like homesick meteors and plunged into the glowing light of the gate at the Monarch's feet.
I was waiting for you. Khartan remarked as the twelve bodies plunged into the void and slowed to a stop as if they had merely jumped into deep water. All around them was a nearly blinding whiteness, in which Khartan and the singularity box were visible, starkly outlined against the non-existent landscape.
And we've been waiting for you. TK responded promptly, eyes shrewdly surveying the now motionless singularity box. Three rings of super-condensed matter waited for activation, all of it suspended inside of a glowing red stasis shell to prevent it from being activated prematurely.
And so Khartan smiled grimly. on two worlds, the final showdown begins.
You started this long ago. Tai replied firmly, eyes boring into the darkness in front of him. I think it's time we finish this.
Indeed. Let us now commence the last battle.
Destroyer of Worlds
I am become death, destroyer of worlds. -- Robert J. Oppenheimer, citing from the Bhagavadgita, after witnessing the world's first nuclear explosion
Cody was still staring at Ishiguro's remains, but Tai was able to react to the man's presence. His voice picked up as a sudden realization of his situation reached him. You've got to get in here, help the others escape.
Bane was aware of him to, and there were signs of more than uncertainty. Signs of abject fear as the master of dark arts stared down at this tiny diminutive figure that glared at him with such intensity.
Adam, we've got to hurry! Tai yelled. We don't have much time!
There was a ripping sound, and a huge skyscraper not far away ripped out of the ground, moving over the ground at tremendous speed, the crumbling foundations still clinging to patches of earth brushing aside lesser buildings like the refuse they were. Unerringly it hurled itself directly at Adam, standing before the dome.
Adam raised a hand. The tower smashed to a sudden halt as two immeasurably powerful wills warred with it. Then the physical limitations of the structure were surpassed, and the building exploded.
Bane stepped back for a moment, as if perturbed, and then he struck at Adam with lightning. Black tendrils thicker and blacker than even the darkest night uncoiled from his hand and struck downward like clinging serpents, roiling furiously as they hurled earthward. Even TK shied back from the naked power of that attack. But Adam remained unperturbed. He made an obscure gesture with one hand and the lightning blasted almost directly into his hand and stopped, hovering for a moment as if indecisive, before grounding itself in a nearby ruin with a detonation that was so loud it nearly ruptured the eardrums of the spectators.
Then Adam raised his hand and gestured almost negligently at Bane. The air ruptured with a sound wave that shook windows miles away. The building directly behind Bane disintegrated at the force of that blow, the largest particle must have been the size of a piece of sand. Car wrecks were thrown twenty miles by the blast, but Adam seemed almost unaware of the force he had unleashed. Bane staggered as he took this head on, his darkness blowing back from him like a cloak. For a moment he appeared to have overbalanced, but then he slowly regained his posture.
Strands of black energy blasted from Bane's eyes, Adam unleashed a bolt of pure white from an outstretched hand, and the entire world dissolved in the sudden brilliance of the explosion. There were roars in the background, but everyone who was witnessing the titanic event was blinded by the afterglow, spots dancing in front of their eyes. Some cried out as the impact waves tossed them back, but they remained blind, tossed about like stray leaves in an autumn wind.
All over the city, the battle had slowed to a virtual halt. Task Force Lionheart had finally met up with their southern lines, but they were not pressing on. They could not, nobody would move in the face of that titanic battle as the two beings clashed in the middle of Heighton View Terrace.
Tai had a sudden surge of irony flare in him as he saw the much maligned footbridge, lying once again in pieces. When he was little more than a baby, Greymon and Parrotmon had shredded the thing. Then it had gotten shattered by Mammothmon and Garudamon. He had read that it had been slightly damaged in the duel with Daemon, although apparently not enough to close it off. But now it was destroyed again. Digimon had been fighting over this piece of real estate for so long that there was almost nothing left. Once again they would rebuild it. Tai wondered if this time, after so many other attempts, it would last.
Bane struck at Adam with a blast of fire that nearly took Tai's face off even here, the ground was scorched, but it appeared that the dome of light was still protecting them, keeping them safe from harm. Outside, the remains of the city were not so lucky, and Tai watched as a piece of broken metal hit by a fragment of pure flame melted into a puddle and hissed in complaint. The smell of scorched earth flooded his nostrils.
Angewomon collapsed onto her knees and held her hands over her ears as tightly as she could to blot out the painful sensations that were wracking her. Bane was beyond evil, the being that angels had been created to battle, but this close he was too much for her. Despite her connections with the divine, she was only mortal and was aware of that, and aware of the way that the power he wielded dwarfed her own. MagnaAngemon was suffering similarly, huddled against a nearby building as the waves of darkness battered at his angelic self again and again. Exposure to their opposite and superior at this close range resulted in physical pain.
Harmonic symphonies echoed through the city, and the broken and battered skyscrapers ran like a bell. Music, divinely inspired to lift even the gravest of hearts, to set men and women alike to dancing, rang through the ruins like a torrent. With it a blast of a great silvery something uncoiled from Adam and struck at Bane. Bane responded by forming in front of him a shield of sickly green light, but that light buckled under that silver blast.
Then the smoke changed into a great serpent, oily and filled with nothing but the pure filth of human imagination. Intangible jaws opened up to reveal two great fangs, dripping with a torrential poison that melted the concrete it dripped on to. The snake lunged at Adam but the man gestured, and a wall of light rose from the ground halfway to the heavens, the top glimmering with every color in the rainbow. Shadowy and insubstantial, the phantom snake could not survive contact with that wall, and vanished with a horrible scream. Next a great demon of fire both red and green, eyes glowing malevolently as swords of magma and burning brimstone whirled around him, appeared out of thin air. One look nearly collapsed every digimon still within the dome where they stood, and he opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of fire on the wall of light. The wall collapsed, but when the fire faded away, Adam was unharmed within a shimmering and transparent globe of blue light.
Beneath the combatants the ground cracked, and then something grabbed the surface and hauled its way up laboriously, a huge being of rock and earth, the roots of trees still sticking to it. This thing was huge, a titan stepped out of myth and legend, and the roar that echoed from its stubby jaw set that which had not been leveled yet to trembling. The demon submerged the titan in a veritable ocean of fire until it was no longer visible. Yet when the fire subsided, the titan was unharmed, roaring in anger, and the demon found itself ripped apart by those vast hands, each the size of a bus. Then the titan turned its attention to Bane, but Bane sneered at it, and a wave of blackness exploded into the titan, destroying it. Swiftly the darkness coalesced into a horde of smaller creatures, beings cut from the same fabric as the night itself, and they threw themselves, teeth gnashing angrily, at Adam.
Adam threw his hands out and the sphere of blue light expanded. The demons disintegrated under that light and there was a flare so bright that human and digimon were forced to cover their eyes in pain and wait for the glare of the afterimage to fade away before seeing anything. When their sight returned, Bane was trapped in the sphere of blue light and Adam was watching him with cold eyes as the creature of darkness pounded on the inside. Slowly, cracks began to grow in the blue surface, and then there was an explosion of sapphire shards and Bane was free again, already summoning more darkness to him.
But Adam was advancing, sheathed in an incandescent white that almost outshone the sun itself. There was no way to look at him without risking instant blindness, but they could all feel his presence, rock solid and unstoppable within that sheath. Bane's eyes widened in sudden terror and he hurled waves of pure force at his enemy. Ken grasped the ground around him in a futile effort to keep from being thrown like a rag doll as the entire island nation of Japan rocked underneath them. In terms of impact, it must have been almost like having a volcano erupt in the middle of the city, but this did not impair Adam. Lightnings flashed and fires smote and Bane unleashed attacks in a cruel, harsh and biting language that Ken did not speak but recognized vaguely from his worst nightmares. But, through the storm and thunder in his voice everyone could hear the sound of panic beginning to set in. All of them had their eyes tightly shut now, even the redoubtable angels, to avoid the sight of the horrors that Bane was conjuring up, ears closed to keep from hearing the screams and screeches that his summoned phantoms hurled at his unearthly foe. Nobody dared open their eyes, each recognizing in their heart of hearts that this was not a battle of men, and that to glimpse even part of it would be risking madness of the worst type. Slowly, as if it were a badly done movie, the sounds of the clashes began to blend together, until it was one never-ending wave of sound that almost faded into the background as the witnesses coped with the wounded writhing of space itself under that assault.
And then as clear as day they heard Adam speak.
And in the end, a nightmare, like a shadow, is just an illusion, without substance.
They all looked up to see Adam standing there, his glowing light visible at the heart of Bane's panicked darkness, which was now streaming in all directions. He held out his arm straight and then twisted his hand up, palm facing him, and clenched his fingers into a fist. An intolerable burst of light glowed from there, a wave of silver offsetting the darkness, and then there was nothing but a blinding whiteness that they staggered away from.
And, with a final despairing scream, Bane faded into darkness.
Time, which had stopped as if it had not dared continue, started again. Hearts began to beat. Light began to shine in a normal manner. The sense of eldritch and unearthly power faded, and the rocks once again seemed to rest easy on the ground, embracing the relentless touch of gravity. Once again they were in wreckage and ruin, but this at least was a battleground they understood. Of Bane there was no sign but the huge crater of blasted material, fused into a smooth glass, where Adam stood, quiet as if contemplating, in the center. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and his hair and face drooping toward the ground below. His hands, formerly clenched and tightened in preparation for battle, were now hanging loosely at his sides. For a moment he appeared to be mortal again, but those who had watched knew him now for what he was, and mortality would never again color their perceptions of him.
You beat him. TK stood up first, and crossed the ground between him and the staggered avatar in a few leaps.
There will be another. Adam waved a hand almost absently. And another. There always has been and there always will be.
I know, but you know that what you've done is important. TK understood the emotions that must be flowing through a man who had fought for over a century in a thousand different battlegrounds, who found his home surrounded in blood and death despite his best efforts.
It is the way of things. Adam dismissed sorrow and grief and madness as he had his mortality, with only the barest flicker in his eyes.
What next? TK asked.
You must destroy all enemy forces, they will try at any and all costs to prevent you from entering the Utopia complex in West Shinjuku. They know how important it is. Khartan is close to succeeding with his mad plan, and you have less than an hour before he can stabilize the singularity to accomplish his goals.
Do you know their plan? TK asked, hoping against hope that there would be some reprieve for his band of tired warriors.
Yes. And it is once more imperative that you stop it. We are engaged across fifteen worlds, in a running battle that has never seen equal, at least since the Great War. This you must stop, and stop alone. I am sorry, but that is the price you must pay for this world to survive.
I understand. And TK did, and understood that had their positions been reversed, he would be using Adam as mercilessly as Adam was using him.
Listen closely then. The Gate that you saw on the way to the power room in the Utopia complex is a deathtrap. You cannot enter there. You must proceed down into the depths of the building. I found the singularity room when I left you in that raid, but I was unable to enter without triggering certain alarms. Now that the singularity is no longer there, those alarms and defenses are inactive. In that same complex however is a tap onto the Tokyo gate, the one that BlackWarGreymon sealed. You must enter that gate. Together there exists a chance that you may win. Beyond that I cannot say.
You have to go? TK guessed.
Yes. My place is elsewhere, not here anymore. The war rages on, and there are other battle I must fight. Adam's tired eyes took in the surrounding, blasted landscape, and he gave a very exhausted smile. And then he simply vanished, fading like a television image in a blip of light.
Everyone started moving.
Several people began.
Some others started.
EVERYBODY SHUT UP! Tai roared at the top of his lungs, causing Matt to fall away from him clutching an ear painfully.
Listen to me on this. Tai began. I don't think that there's any denying that Adam was more than what he seemed, but I think that it would be foolish to ignore his advice. We need to get to that Gate under the Utopia complex, and we need to do it less than an hour. I don't want to know if it's possible, I want to know how we're going to do it.
We're exhausted and tired Tai. Izzy pointed out. Even with everyone we've got, and with Bane destroyedeven if Khartan has passed through the gate, we've got fanatical humans and digimon to wade through, and I don't doubt that they'll fight to the death. We need more time.
Then I say we burn through them. Davis turned to face the group, still standing over his sister's cold body and there was a fire in his eyes that made the others shy instinctively away from him. Who's with me?
Before anyone could answer him there was a sound like the tidal surf coming in to pound on the shore, a roar that built and built in volume until they could only hear a colossal roar. And with that, a tsunami consisting of a million very angry residents of Tokyo crashed over the hordes of darkness like an all-consuming tide.
The tide had actually been building for some time. Even before the fatal message had been broadcast from the communications center at the University of Tokyo, groups of citizens, incensed at the actions of the otherworldly troops garrisoning their home districts, had begun to gather. The small vigilante groups were not a real threat to the enemy, they were too scared of the dark digimon to do more than ambush the occasional lone Utopia trooper. But slowly they had started to gather into larger and larger groups. When the Battle of Tokyo had finally begun, dozens of groups saw their opportunity to get rid of their hated overlords and had entered the streets in a huge running battle that had distracted enemy troops at the worst possible moments.
But the continued battle, the chance of freedom, the national pride of their people, and Ishida's inflammatory message had combined to motivate even those that were lacking in courage to leave their houses and begin a general uprising. Now, for the Utopian forces, it was almost more dangerous behind their lines than it was at the front, because loosely organized groups of citizens were hunting them down, one at a time, wherever they could be found. Wielding weapons from baseball bats and impromptu clubs to hundred year old swords, the tide of citizen-soldiers broke over their enemies in a flood. Even those thousands of soldiers that had landed with the digidestined were nothing compared to the sheer weight of numbers that the populace could bring to bear.
To complicate matters, they knew the territory. Long forgotten maintenance and subway tunnels were rediscovered, utility workers leading gangs of disparate individuals in desperate strikes against positions in buildings that their enemies had thought secure. Sometimes the enemy entered the tunnels under the city themselves, and then battles erupted in ground so narrow and confined it was even worse than a jail cell. Gunfire broke the silence and darkness of the city's underground, and the flash of steel ended many lives on both sides in a shower of blood.
Adam's fight, the final confrontation between good and evil, had drawn these groups of angry citizens like moths to a candle flame, and the roar of the tide would have deafened anyone whose ears were still intact to listen. Now they blasted open the enemy lines from behind, opening a huge corridor, from the climactic battleground at Highton View Terrace all the way to the Utopia complex in West Shinjuku.
Through that hole roared the digimon fresh from the Digital World, a force powerful enough to turn the tide against their enemies. Behind those digimon trailed out the remnants of the proud forces that had held off the end for so long. Banners streaming in the wind, faces flushed with anticipation, they charged, voices roaring as one, and the battle was joined once more.
General Alexander was finally able to breath a sigh of relief. From the reports coming in, whatever tremendous showdown had taken place had broken the enemy's resolve, and they were fleeing the city in droves, helped along by the now unified forces of the IDEF. For the first time in the longest day of his life, he had nothing to do except to acknowledge various reports of troops in pursuit of a fleeing enemy.
Absently he wondered if they had truly won this battle, and how he was going to explain this to the Ministry.
WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon blasted through the heavily reinforced steel doors that blocked off access to the innermost areas of the Utopia complex. Polished metal filled the air with a storm of shards in an instant, and the most valiant of the defenders, grouped to fend off a conventional attack, were sent sprawling as the charging digidestined cut right through them.
Within the first five minutes, at least five hundred digimon and a thousand humans with the IDEF were inside the complex, engaged in a one-sided battle with all the Utopia Corporation personnel who had not already abandoned the city as a lost cause. In these close quarters digimon were even more deadly than they were outside, and dozens were falling to their concentrated attacks.
But the Odaiba team had already accelerated ahead of the onrushing tide, and was busy trying to get their bearings.
Time's running out. Tai muttered. Which way?
I don't know. WarGreymon looked around hurriedly but could arrive to no complete conclusion. This whole place feels wrong. I don't know what's going to happen next, but it could be anything, and it could come from anywhere.
The secret passage! TK exclaimed.
Ken asked, confused.
Of course! Tai yelled. That passage that you found the last time we were here! Do you know where it is?
That way somewhere. It was Kari pointing. But I don't know exactly where.
Digi-Armor Energize!
Armor Digivolves to
Cody yelled, pointing. We need to go that way!
Before he had even finished speaking, the corridor was filled with flying debris, and the mouth of a brand new tunnel through the nearest wall had appeared. The digidestined followed the gold-backed digimon as he almost casually demolished walls and offices in his haste to reach that promised hallway.
Well, that's one way to do it. Matt still managed to sound sarcastic and unconcerned as they pounded away in Digmon's wake. Nobody noticed the dark man that followed them.
This is the door! TK yelled loudly as they emerged into a familiar corridor.
There must be a lock mechanism here somewhere. Izzy darted forward but was interrupted by a streak of crimson and gold.
Mega Claw! The cleverly disguised portion of hallway was blasted off his hinges by a single claw of the Mega, and sailed away behind them. There was an unpleasant whirring sound, like that of some machinery starting up, followed by a horrible wrenching and cracking sound. Then there was the smell of ozone and electrical fire wafting through the building.
Let's get going somewhere. Tai gestured, ignoring the mangled remains of a pair of automatic weapons that had been arranged to scan the entryway, and presumably to eliminate unwelcome visitors. Smoke now filled the corridor, but once they were past that problem, normal fluorescent lighting took over to illuminate the plain, undecorated walls.
Fortunately, as they darted into the darkened corridor, it became evident that the paranoia of Utopia had not been too extreme. Besides a few locked doors, and the navigational hazards of the flickering lights, there were no obstructions to impede their progress, and they charged headlong into madness, sloping ever downward into the bowels of the Earth. Sometimes there would be strange diagrams without description, or characters that seemed to have no meaning on the side of the walls, the only way to track progress in a never-ending descent.
How deep are we? Yolei asked at one point, panting from the effort.
Pretty deep. Izzy replied instantly. Way below ground level. Probably even below the level of all the subway tunnels.
That is deep. Yolei acknowledged.
Why is whatever this is hidden down here? Biyomon grumped, upset at having to turn back into a Rookie to fit in the small corridor.
The earth acts as a shield. Izzy panted in response. It prevents them from being discovered.
How much more time do we have? Tai asked.
Nine minutes. Ken looked briefly at the watch that had miraculously managed to stay on his arm. I think. I don't know the exact time he told us to hurry.
Well then we better step on it! Tai yelled.
No problem! MagnaAngemon had been surfing ahead, and suddenly he came up, his wings flaring in the purple glare of his sword. I found the end.
There was no question about that. The hallway, all polished plastic and steel, ended abruptly in a huge, sealed door that looked as if it had been taken from the hull of a battleship. Even from this side they could glimpse some of the workings of the huge locks, metal bolts the size of oil pipelines sealing the door together.
We need a way to get through this. Tai murmured.
MagnaAngemon did not respond. He simply floated closer and ripped straight through the plate of the door with his glowing purple sword. Steel and Titanium parted as easily as if they were spaghetti or some such. Another swipe carved away another layer of protections with almost pathetic ease, and then there came the circular stroke, and a massive portion of the door fell outward. The disc hit the ground with an almighty crash that reverberated throughout the narrow confines, and from inside the darkened room, shadows erupted.
They rushed forward, not threatening, but pathetically eager to escape, to get free. Then they were gone in a rush, and everything was quiet.
Tai took a deep breath, and then took the first step into the room. There was nothing there except what looked like a huge, hi-tech well in the middle of the floor, the lip glowing brightly with suppressed light. There was a man standing next to the well.
When Tai saw who it was, it took his breath away.
Where's the old man? Hiroaki Ishida was recovering from an injury in the middle of a crowd of concerned wellwishers. A few of the faces pressing down on him looked familiar, but his head hurt so much that he could barely see them. The faces blurred sometimes, occasionally moving in and then moving out of focus just as quickly. Sometimes they faded right in front of his eyes.
You all right boss? You should rest. That nervous and hyperanxious voice was easy to recognize. That was Charley from work, and Ishida did not have a clue what he was doing here. Last he had seen the man had been at work in Odaiba before the storm had erupted over the neighborhood.
Where's the old man? Mr. Ishida asked again. Hida's disappearance before the broadcast had really started going had disturbed the newscaster, and he was worried. Where's everybody else?
You need to rest. That was Professor Takenouchi. You took a nasty blow to the head when we were fleeing the broadcast center. It looks like with whatever happened out there, that we're winning, whatever that means. I'm pretty sure that the kids are all right, the chaos over in that end of the city seems to indicate that they're still fine. It's just like them to make that much noise.
And the old man? Mr. Ishida asked again.
I don't know. Mr. Ishida's eyes could not resolve the face of Professor Takenouchi with any clarity, but he did not need to in order to recognize the look of worry that would be passing over the professor's face.
I guess he can take care of himself. Well, if we're winning, we might as well get most of you, however many of you there are, out helping us And with that, Mr. Ishida surrendered to unconsciousness.
Willis! What's happening? Rapidmon staggered through the air, barely able to stay upright in the sudden rush of buffeting wind that was gone just as suddenly. For the second time that day the fighting began to trail off.
I don't know. Willis answered truthfully. But I think the final battle is about to begin.
Tai nearly exploded in surprise and released suspense as he recognized the tall figure with the long black hair and the flowing overcoat.
Oikawa snapped. We need to buy time for a moment. Even as the words came out the digidestined were aware of the deep shadows around them, only illuminated by the fountain of light that was the Gate. They had assumed that those shadows were just that, figments of darkness that masked banks of machinery, but now they began to move. There was motion within those shadows, a deep and dark form of life that was now struggling up toward consciousness. It had become aware of the presence of the digidestined, and it was definitely NOT happy to see them.
Oikawa yelled.
Ken understood intellectually. With a brief feeling of detachment that he would not have been able to summon just days before, he shoved away his fear and doubt and insecurity, and reached out into the great beyond. A hole in the universe, as dark as the shadows surrounding them, reached out for them, and then they were gone swirling into the beyond.
What the hell is that!?! Michael bellowed, staring at the monstrosity. It was something huge, unimaginably huge. It had uncoiled like a monster. It was a monster, as tall as any skyscraper. The massive tower of the Utopia Complex had exploded into shards, glass and steel flying through that air as it uncurled from the ground below, roaring. Tentacles writhed from where the mouth of its monstrous head should have been, claws the size of barges waved in the breeze. Four arms lifted as it roared in fury, but the two malevolent slits of eyes were focused on the ground. This was a king of nightmares and it's voice was horrible, the mere sound of it driving strong men near to a faint. Even to see its shape was to experience the unsettling feeling that you were once again five years old, and the monster that lived in the dark was rising to devour you. It howled again, and warriors on both sides turned tail and ran.
So how do we fight that? Willis asked quietly.
You brought us HERE? TK exploded the moment that the world stabilized around them enough for them to see the dull and dark beaches and cliffs around them. Of all places, with HIM standing right outside the door! You must be mad! Kari had gone so white even snow would look colorful by comparison.
No. He has no influence in this place once he leaves it. That is why he so rarely does. He cannot sense or feel anything within while he lies without. It gives us a moment to gather ourselves before he can react. Oikawa looked thin here, stretched. He was almost transparent so gaunt had he become. His pale complexion was heightened by the vast expanse of grayness around them.
Isn't there any color around here? Mimi asked. Where are we anyway?
The Dark Ocean. Yolei responded shortly, pulling Ken back up. The boy had collapsed into a ball, panting with the exertion that traveling here had created.
You took us here? Tai's shout almost echoed TK's. And who is this guy TK was talking about?
The Monarch of the Dark Ocean. TK murmured. The ruler of the dark domain in this part of the cosmos, where every fear comes to life. A being made of pure nightmare who wields almost unimaginable power. He came through.
Why did he do that? Matt's eyes were very wide.
He wants Kari. Gatomon replied succinctly. And now, with the Gate weakening the barriers between worlds, he can finally get her.
Not really. Oikawa gave them a tight smile. He isn't quite sure where we are.
So what do we do about that? Tai asked. We can't sit here forever, can we?
We go up. TK was staring at a rocky path that led off into the distance, sloping upward.
That's going to be fun. Kari murmured.
I don't want to hear that from you. Gatomon murmured back.
So I don't get it. What's going on? Joe asked finally.
The Monarch came through the Gate. The very presence of an artificial Gate must have weakened the walls between worlds. So Khartan made a deal. If we got to the Gate, the effect we would have had would have awakened the Monarch, and he could have come through. Oikawa spoke like he was very far away.
So what kind of Digimon is he? Or is he one? Biyomon wanted to know.
He's not. He isother. At one and the same time both Digimon and beyond. But there is something else. He is vulnerable. Oikawa continued.
You mean he's got a vulnerable spot? Yolei pushed her glasses up her nose. Like dragons do in fairy tales or something?
No. I just mean that he's vulnerable. In the realms of nightmares he is without proper substance, composed only of fear. He is immortal here, although he can be held at bay by a strong will indefinitely. But he has put on flesh to go to the Real World, but that flesh makes him vulnerable. It is a strong body, but it is a mortal body, and while he wears it he can be killed.
And if we avoid him? Tai asked.
We could, but that wouldn't be a good idea. TK replied. You see, we entered this universe sort of sideways, so time is stopped in ours while we have this conversation. But once we go through we will have to confront Khartan. We cannot afford for him to win, and I suspect that it might affect our world more than he thinks. Citadel might very well have defenses against this, something that cannot totally prevent the detonation, but might reflect some of it back. If it passes through the Void, it will erupt onto Earth, and there will be fire and death in two worlds. But if we leave to confront Khartan, we leave the Monarch alone, and he will wreak havoc on the Real World. He will possibly destroy the entire city of Tokyo if left alone.
So why are we going up? Where does that take us? Sora stared skywards.
It's a metaphor. Everything in this plane is a metaphor. Kari stared upwards as well, watching a huge mass of gray fog move between themselves and the upper heavens. We associate evil, fear and depression with down. So if this is down, this place where all of our fears come true, and are born, what is up?
Cody snapped his fingers. That world we visited before, where all of our hopes and dreams can come true.
That's the one. That's where we're going. From there, we will have the drop excuse the pun on the Monarch and on Khartan both. Kari smiled.
Well, let's get going. Davis's voice was harsh, and his visage was red from where unshed tears still gathered beneath his eyes, but at least he looked steady now. The others started as his unexpected voice shattered their conference.
He has a point. Oikawa faded a little before speaking again. I also am a creature of dreams. I grow weaker just standing here.
TK stepped out onto the trail and set one foot in front of another.
Where are you? Sora's voice called, echoing uncannily through the fog. The gray wall had intersected the line of digidestined and digimon, doing its best to choke all of them into individual obscurity. Sora could not see anybody no matter how hard she peered into the mist.
I'm here somewhere! That sounded like Tai.
We're lost in the fog. Palmon probably, judging from the sound, somewhere behind her.
What do we do? That sounded a bit like Joe forcing down a panic attack.
What we always do. TK's voice, strong and calm, emerged out of the nearby air. We keep going upwards.
Sora braced herself. The terrain was climbing steadily upwards, she had to admit that. It told her which way she was supposed to be going.
All roads lead to heaven. Kari sounded like she was smiling right next to Sora's head.
That makes sense. That sounded more like Ken than anyone else.
But I can't see anyone. Mimi complained suddenly. How can I make comments about the latest fashions if I can't see anyone? I spend all this time learning how to act like a ditz, and there aren't any opportunities to use it.
There were a few chuckles and a single guffaw that sounded suspiciously like Matt.
I would just like to state for the record that the moment I saw those blasted digivices descend from the sky, I just knew that this was all going to lead to trouble. That was definitely Joe. But would any of you listen? NO! So now I'm warning you, when they come to take us away to the funny farmwho's going to be laughing the hardest? Me, that's who! Why? BecauseI'm crazy for you baby! And with that Joe broke into a cracked-voice rendition of one of Matt and the Teenage Wolves's most popular hits.
Don't diss my music man! Matt chortled back from in front.
Mimi started to sing nursery rhymes in a high soprano.
Somewhere in the midst of the swirling fog, Yolei started to sing the Macarena under her breath.
Suddenly everyone was bursting into song. Matt was trying to out-sing Tai, an easy task that was made difficult only by the interspersed fits of laughter that Matt went through every time Tai deliberately mangled the song. Ken and Cody were singing a duet. TK was singing something from some opera he had once heard, but from the sound of what he was saying, he had forgotten the words. Kari was backing up Mimi on the nursery rhymes. Even the digimon were singing a dozen different songs, and growling at each other whenever they mismatched.
I'm warning you guys! Izzy roared over the cacophony. I know seventy-three verses of 'What can you do with a Drunken Sailor' and I'm not afraid to use them!
I think I broke a nail. Mimi shouted gleefully in the wind.
Joe cheerily sang back something that sounded suspiciously bawdy, but Tai could not hear it. Sora, somewhere below him, broke off her song with a choking fit, so she probably was within hearing range.
They had reached the hardest barrier, according to TK. A huge, vertical cliff, with few handholds to help them up it. It would have been almost impossible to master had it not been for the continued singing. The fog still prevented them from seeing anything except the rock face directly in front of their noses. Still, hanging precariously from smooth rock, searching in the blinding mist for the next handhold, was made easier somehow by the tuneless choruses that filled the sky with their echoes.
Where are we going? Veemon yelled in a complaint that was as familiar as the answer that floated down from above.
Up and Out!
A dozen voices broke in to this. All roads lead to Heaven!
Tai felt the rock try to break on him but he grinned and switched handholds. Here he was, courting sudden death, but with everyone around him he felt like he could never be conquered. He was pulling himself a little farther with each surge of energy.
Almost there! TK yelled after a moment.
Almost where? Sora shouted back.
Disneyland, you dolt! Yolei shouted somewhere in the fog.
Tai grinned at them, found a purchase with both of his hands, and heaved his body upwards. There was a moment when he realized that the grayness around him was growing white, and then his head breached the top of the clouds. It was like coming up for a breath of fresh air, and the sunlight hurt his eyes, nearly blinding him. As he blinked away the spots he stared around him. Behind him as far as he could see there was an endless sea of gray fog, but in front of him, he could actually see the rockface.
A gloved hand reached down and effortlessly pulled Tai up to the top of the cliff. Angemon lowered the leader of the digidestined to the soil.
I did mean it. TK was sitting there, smiling. They were on a peninsula of land jutting out into a gray sea, and the peninsula itself was covered a bit inwards by a thick forest that stretched off as far as Tai could see, forming a landscape that met the gray fog evenly. But here there was soft green grass, and Tai collapsed on it.
Where's Kari? He asked after a moment.
She was bringing up the rear. She'll be up after everyone else. TK smiled and lay back, staring at the sky.
Angemon picked Agumon out from below by the scruff of his neck and deposited him in front of Tai.
So we're at the top? Tai stared at his hands, which were bleeding.
As close as we're allowed to go. TK shrugged. There's power here, and I think we can use it.
Good. Because I'm beat.
Only if you think so. TK replied as Ken was lifted over the edge of the cliff.
Tai tried to feel refreshed, and was slightly amazed when the exhaustion was swept from his body. Then he relaxed and watched as the others were lifted by Angemon from their cliffside journey onto the top of the world.
It's beautiful. Sora remarked, looking at the never-ending forest of trees that filled the horizons.
Much better than that yucky old fog. Biyomon agreed.
Not that you could get much worse than that. Veemon commented.
Davis laughed, a cautious sound as if he had not expected to ever do that again. This is a calming place.
Well, let's be going. TK snapped his fingers, and suddenly they were once again in that world of strange dimensions and twisted figures. It looked like they were resident in a modern art gallery, and strange shapes in bright fluorescent colors drifted past them aimlessly.
This is the world of dreams? Tai asked, who had never been in it before, only having glimpsed the crazy patterned geometrics through the gash in space.
This is it. Ken looked around. He could already feel the strength flowing through his bones, and we was not about to keep it out. It swept through him, whispering secrets into his ears, nourishing and healing him, heart and soul.
It looks weird. Palmon remarked.
To be expected. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Kari poked a pink balloon carefully, and it let out a sound curiously like a giggle, and wafted off in search of other company.
So what's the plan, oh fearless leader? Matt asked, letting the sarcasm drawl from him.
We attack. TK looked around, as if trying to find something. Isn't that right? A cloud of butterflies appeared from behind where the pink balloon had disappeared, and waved their way towards them, forming as they did into a solid object. A moment later Oikawa stood next to them.
Oikawa shrugged as if uncomfortable with his body.
Our digimon cannot digivolve in the Void. They will return to their natural state. TK reported.
Sora exclaimed.
You could have told us that earlier. Tai murmured.
You just would have worried about it. Kari grinned cheekily.
I'll take the sass out of you later. Tai threatened under his breath.
So we have a choice. I think that we should let our digimon digivolve themselves, and then leave them here in the Real World to fight the Monarch while we enter the void and confront Khartan. TK looked around at each of them as if measuring them.
Can we really beat him without our digimon? Joe asked.
Feel the power around you and ask that again. Izzy replied calmly.
Joe smiled.
So what are we waiting for? Tai asked, clapping his hands together with a sound that was not unlike a gunshot. Let's get going! Errhow do we do that?
Brace yourselves. Ken smiled at them, and snapped his fingers.
Time started again.
Then it all got complicated.
For a moment they were indeed falling, and the clouds split away beneath them. Shadows and sunlight played next to them, and odd shaped constructs, the product of a thousand thousand imaginations chased each other over the landscape. Voices echoed too, in a hundred thousand languages, some whispering, some shouting and some singing. But Ken would always remember the feeling, the sound and the action. People were speaking to him, through the ages, from worlds far removed from his own.
Save us from horror, from terror, from pain, a voice whispered in his ear.
Protect us from the flood. A young girl prayed to something above him that did not reply.
I wish that we had someone to save us
To guide us
To lead us
And then one young boy spoke, something that later they all agreed on, one thing they heard that they never forgot. For the boy was speaking to them all.
My daddyhe said that there weren't any heroes anymore, that nobody can save us. I think that the scary monsters might eat us, or that the bad stuff might get us, but I know that there are still heroes. I know that they are hiding somewhere, on the street or in houses or something. So I was wondering if you could come out and save us, because I'd be really grateful.
The voice faded. There was a rushing wave of light and they could feel their bodies changing, becoming unearthly and filled with a power that they were not equipped to understand. Under the impetus of that strength the universe tilted slightly in the sky, as if the axis had been perturbed for one vital second by the emergence of something that could outshine its brightest stars. Here they floated through dreams, and the dreams floated with them and they understood.
This was the second time some of them had floated through here, but the last time they had just been guests passing through. In that respect they had not belonged, and there had been too many barriers in their hearts. Their own insecurities, their failure to understand who and what they were, had closed them to the true heartbeat of this place. But now they came to renounce their mortality. It was a decision made in an instant that would wrench at them mightily in the nights and evenings to come.
For it was only in that moment that they became the heroes that the digidestined had once been prophesized to become, and that the message they received once, long ago on File Island, came to pass. It was here that they finally left behind enough of their mortality that they could assume the mantle of protector and defender. In a moment they were no longer children playing at being heroes, or warriors of the Light, but they were merely vessels for a greater power than themselves, glowing within and without with the fires of the stars.
Unconsciously it was understood, when they thought about it, what this meant. That they would change in ways that normal humans would not be able to. That their parents would grow old and depart this life long before they would; ; that their children would do the same. That eventually they might be alone and lonely, the last warriors in a war that their people had forgotten. That, for now and forever, the warm hearths that humans enjoyed were theirs only as guests, that they would never be sheltered, but would always be the sentries, guarding the gates in the fiercest of weather. It was promised in that instant that their path would not be easy, and that it would be a lonely one. They could protect the world and all that they held dear, that was easy to promise, but the price was almost beyond bearing.
In fact, had any of them been faced with this cost alone, they might have balked at the thought of being forever outside humanity, forever an outsider looking in. But there were twelve humans and twelve digimon, and they were together in this moment, understanding that whatever happened, this moment would last forever and ever even if it was over before they could blink.
So they fell from heaven, and the powers of the Light within them all awoke.
Below them, the Monarch of the Dark Ocean looked up and waited for the final battle.
Twelve dots dropped out the clouds. They were already glowing.
warp digivolve to
warp digivolve to
Mega DNA Digivolve to
digivolve to
digivolve to
DNA Digivolve to
Mega Digivolve to
mode change toFighter Mode!
Then the surprises started.
warp digivolve to
The pink bird glowed with a sudden golden light, which erupted into a nova of gold and crimson flames. From out of it flew a bird that seemed to be crafted from the living sun, a mass of golden feathers surmounted by two piercing eyes which seemed to leave trails of fire in their wake. Tailfeathers drooped fire over the crowd below and a piercing scream interrupted the Monarch's unearthly, bone-shaking wail.
warp digivolve to
Palmon glowed a deep green and then changed shape into something that looked like a blossom, which slowly opened into a brilliant crimson flower. The flower deepened in color until it was a very dark pink, and then it opened by itself, revealing inside of it an unfolding creature of rose-colored armor, carrying a saber in one hand, and smiling ferociously.
warp digivolve to
There was a swirl of white in the sky, as if a small patch of heaven were being blanketed by a fierce snowstorm that threatened to obscure the world. Out of it came something small, speeding like a dart and accelerating toward the earth faster than a falling star. Two small wings lifted a creature that looked almost comically mismatched, but whose eyes were brimming with strange unearthly power.
warp digivolve to
Hawkmon's dive was instantly covered in a glowing whirl of red and blue. Then the light began to take shape almost as if there was some sort of ghostly specter hurtling toward the earth. Then, slowly, the light began to solidify, becoming more solid by the second until it looked almost harder and more solid than the Earth itself. This figure was fully armored, and looked sharp, hard and competent, a fit warrior to send to the end of time to wrestle with eternity.
warp digivolve to
This time there was a rush of something gray that obscured the view, and then slowly it faded. Erupting from beneath the earth came something new, a huge hulking monster of a digimon, roaring with a voice that could have shattered windows had there been any left. A massive double-headed battle-axe gleamed in one hand, and the short-cut fur moved back and forth slowly in the wind.
warp digivolve to
The insect simply grew, each shell exploding to give rise to the next creature within, until finally something so gargantuan emerged that it shaded huge portions of the city of Tokyo. This beast glowed golden like the sun, appendages and arms swinging down below like they were battering rams to be released against the enemy. Impossible strength and resilience shown from every possible burnished surface of the massive body in a rainbow cascade.
warp digivolve to
The massive armored angel took his position in the sky.
warp digivolve to
A huge glowing pink dragon swam smoothly into the sky, a harbinger of things to come.
Beneath them, twelve dots of light, each one a digidestined, dropped from the sky like homesick meteors and plunged into the glowing light of the gate at the Monarch's feet.
I was waiting for you. Khartan remarked as the twelve bodies plunged into the void and slowed to a stop as if they had merely jumped into deep water. All around them was a nearly blinding whiteness, in which Khartan and the singularity box were visible, starkly outlined against the non-existent landscape.
And we've been waiting for you. TK responded promptly, eyes shrewdly surveying the now motionless singularity box. Three rings of super-condensed matter waited for activation, all of it suspended inside of a glowing red stasis shell to prevent it from being activated prematurely.
And so Khartan smiled grimly. on two worlds, the final showdown begins.
You started this long ago. Tai replied firmly, eyes boring into the darkness in front of him. I think it's time we finish this.
Indeed. Let us now commence the last battle.