Examon and Medieval Dukemon charge towards Vamdemon, with the intention of fighting and beating him. Vamdemon merely stood where he was for a moment, mocking, watching them come for him. After a long moment, he reacted by raising his hands. Red energy whips burst forth and he directed them at the two newly evolved Ultimates.
"You are forgetting your place in this world. I have far more experience as a Perfect because I am older. Kneel before your elder." Vamdemon declared, bringing Bloody Stream down on their heads again.
The Royal Knight and Dukemon variant felt the sheer strength behind the whip-like attacks. They felt their energy starting to slowly wane, but they weren't going to give up just yet.
Examon hefted up his weapon and fired a high powered laser from Ambrosius. At the same time, Medieval Dukemon swung her lance as she tried to at least injure Vamdemon. Expecting to at least get a scratch on the vampire, Medieval Dukemon was caught off-guard when he did not sustain any wounds whatsoever.
Well, um… This was going to change things . Medieval Dukemon thought as she stepped back, bringing her axe closer to herself. How were they going to win?
Examon tried again, but his attack was blocked by Vamdemon who countered first by crossing his arms in a cross formation. Then he unleashed Bloody Stream on their heads once more and that was the tipping point. Both Ultimate levels let out a pained groan as they devolved back to Child.
There was no way they could continue to fight back at this level. They weren't strong enough anymore. Vamdemon turned to Miyuki and Hikaru, his smug grin aimed in their direction.
"… Um…" Miyuki murmured under her breath, taking a step back. She had definitely not been expecting this.
"!" It was then Hikaru knew they had to run for their lives. Staying would likely only end with their deaths. They could double back to the Chosen and rescue them later. For now, he moved forward quietly and took Miyuki's hand. "Miyuki, come on. We will come back later, okay?"
Miyuki acknowledged him grabbing her hand by nodding in response, before she turned around and fled. "Dracomon, let's go!" She called.
"You too, Plotmon X." Hikaru added, hoping his partner came with them.
Miyuki's brain whirled at the revelation of not being able to beat Vamdemon. Just how strong was he if their partners couldn't weaken him at all? Was Taichi's team even going to have a chance? She mentally shook her head. It was hard to wrap her head around, if she was honest.
One of the Baalmon sighed as the warrior watched the children run. "Protect yourselves, children. Don't worry about us. We'll hold him off." The Baalmon then shared a glance with a Meicrackmon that plainly said: We're going to die .
The Meicrackmon looked sad as they nodded back to their comrade before they rolled their shoulders and exhaled in preparation for their looming death. "It's now or never."
Miyuki could feel the stares of the enemy as they ran out of the holding room and found themselves in a hallway where the rest of the troops were preparing for the fight. Several Baalmon and Meicrackmon had created an underground tunnel that served as their escape out of the castle and to the holding room. However, after their unfortunate meeting with Vamdemon, more Virus Digimon and other Digimon the vampire had threatened to serve him, filled the hallways with weapons in their hands and eyes searching for the intruders. They had to find another way to save the other team now.
As they met up with the others, an elderly Baalmon spoke up. "I see you ran into Vamdemon." The two Chosen grimaced as their partners groaned, trying to shake off their pain and return to the fight. "He is not an easy foe. Despite only being at the Perfect level, he has been around since the Demon Lords walked his world. He has many years under his belt."
"I can see that," Plotmon X said as she gazed at her companion, who seemed a bit more dazed than she was. Babydmon seemed more than a little dazed as his partner held him. In fact, he couldn't seem to focus on what was right in front of him.
"Agh, we probably should not have instigated the attack, but the jerk was threatening my partner. I had to protect her!" Miyuki didn't comment on the subject, but she could feel her friend's gaze on her. He had so many questions about what had transpired, but chose to keep his mouth shut for now.
"What do we do?" she asked instead. "There's a lot of Digimon roaming the halls now. I doubt they would let us back into the holding cell to free the Chosen."
Baalmon and Meicrackmon already had the answer to their problem. "Here, take this," Baalmon gave them a crystal orb. The orb felt warm as it rested in her hands and for a brief moment, she could see images appearing within. "This was the last gift I received from Lord Barbamon before the Royal Knights sealed him away. "This orb will allow you to teleport anywhere in the Digital World. Just focus on a single location and you are there. But be warned, my friends, the orb does not protect you from attacks. If the orb is to ever be broken while in teleportation, you could very well end up somewhere you wish you hadn't."
"Are you talking from experience?" Hikaru asked, curious about the gift they had been given.
"I have been around for a very long time, my friends. Back before many of you were born, I was one of three disciples of Lord Barbamon. This castle," he said, "was once the home of my master. Vamdemon might be the lord of this castle now, but he does not tell everyone what this castle hides underneath the surface."
"Are you ready?" Hikaru asked as they stared at the orb. Some form of magic could be seen from within the sparkling crystal. They watched as the magic swirled around, beckoning them to think of the location that they desired. Miyuki nodded as they had their partners evolve once more. Two Meicrackmon nodded.
"We will distract the guards," one of the Meicrackmon said. "While you four and Elder Baalmon take down the cells and free Wizarmon and the Virtue Chosen."
Hikaru gave the Digimon a thumbs up before taking a deep breath, focusing on a single thought. Miyuki nodded before clearing her mind of all conflicting thoughts, focusing on the holding cell that the other children were trapped within.
As soon as they all focused on their desired location, the small group found themselves in the hall of the huge doors. In the distance, they were able to see two Black Growmon and an Orgemon standing in their way. They were preparing for their arrival. At their feet were the clothing and personal effects of Baalmon and Meicrackmon's brethren. The Meicrackmon screamed in bloody vengeance and charged.
Baalmon did not move, knowing the children were still a bit rattled on how easily Vamdemon had beaten them. While the enemies were distracted, Baalmon placed a hand on the wall and a secret passage opened up.
"Whoa." The Chosen whispered as they disappeared into the wall, which opened up within the cell. "You came back for us!"
Miyuki gazed at the girl with the cowboy hat, noticing the sparkle in her eyes. She looked a little beat up. They all did, but they seemed relatively fine. Wizarmon was her primary concern, though.
The poor mage looked like he'd seen better days. His clothes were tattered and torn. He had a deep cut on his forehead and was being cleaned by one of the female Chosen and he seemed to be unable to stand on his own either.
"Hikaru-san? Well, this is certainly a surprise." A boy with red hair, carrying a laptop, said.
Hikaru rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his features. "It sure is. I didn't realize you were a Chosen, Izumi-kun."
"Guys, we can make formalities later. We need to get you all out of here before mister batty gets back."
Taichi Yagami, the leader of his group, was the one to nod. "Agreed. Lead us the way."
Everyone was quiet as they made their way out of the cells. Baalmon and Taichi Yagami were the first to leave the cell, with the last being Sora and Miyuki, who were helping Wizarmon out of the cell. Miyuki was grateful Vamdemon hadn't killed him; but to see Wizarmon so hurt, despite not really knowing him, hurt her for some reason. Maybe it was because she saw a part of herself in him, or perhaps she was just being a "stupid child" as her uncle always put it when she did something he didn't like.
Miyuki frowned at her own thoughts as Baalmon opened up another passageway.
She was, however, grateful that they could get out of here now. Miyuki helped Wizarmon closer to where Hikaru and Taichi were standing, with Sora's help. The one-eyed girl waited for the orb to activate from someone's thoughts.
The next thing she knew they were in the room where the Digital Gate was. Thank god for the orb. It really came in handy for avoiding enemies . Miyuki thought as she studied the room. She glanced in Hikaru's direction and saw he was giving the orb back to a Baalmon.
"Thank you for helping us with that."