Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, the Chosen Digi-Destined, V-Tamer characters, the Tamers or the Frontier Digi-Destined. I also don't own the rights to the Dragonball GT, Yu Yu Hakusho or Digimon Frontier storylines. Dorothy Kaimodosu and Avengemon are character rights of Dark Warrior. Max, Keke, Kara, Tike, David, Sam and Pikkan are rightful characters of D3 creator, Max Acorn AKA MA. Wyveemon, Mega Veemon and Ultima X are characters contributed by Alan Wilkinson. Lamiamon is a character contributed by Youkai Youko. Saber Veemon, Saitou, Artificial Jax, Sonja, Virus, and Burizalor are characters I've created for this story.

Hello again, everyone. I hope everyone is having a safe holiday and stuffing themselves. Anyway, I've been using this time to catch up on my fics. I don't know how far I'll intend to reach, but I certainly hope not to get too behind.

So far, two monsters have been removed. But, now we'll get a glimpse behind Saitou's shady past. Loyal reader, Youkai Youko, has contributed the third monster. Thank you, Youko. The monster is named Lamiamon and you'll get plenty of her in this chapter. Not only has she allowed me to use Lamiamon but she also contributed some scenes to be added. Thanks a lot, Youko! Now, let's get on with the fic. Enjoy the read!

After Tai and his friends defeated Dr. Myuumon, Earth became bombarded by an array of natural and unnatural phenomenon. Millenniumon tainted the digicores with his evil essence to create the seven monsters of destruction. It was now learned, the digicores were split and embedded in each monster to grant them tremendous powers. Our heroes split into four groups across the planet to search out for the seven monsters. First, Takuya and his comrades spirit evolved into the warriors to face off with Haze Frogmon, the weakest of the seven monsters. With the aid of Kaiser Greymon, Haze Frogmon was exterminated and a digicore was taken. The Tamers fought a tough battle with Rage Archaeopteryxmon. Gallantmon Crimson Mode and his allies successfully defeated the reptilian-bird to capture the second half of a digicore. Things are looking up for our heroes worldwide, but there now remain five monsters. Next on the hit list is Lamiamon in Paris, Frace. Hikari! Takeru! Dorothy! Henry! It's up to you to gain the digicore half piece!

Meanwhile, convinced that mankind is evil, Rei Saiba AKA the Ice Maker, displayed anger towards Max, who was risking his life to save his friends and family. With only a limited arsenal of attacks, Max was caught in the crossfire of Ice Maker's ice monsters. However, on the verge of death, Max exhibited a new power, that of slicing through dimensions and defeating the Ice Maker. Awakening in bed the next morning, Rei Saiba was bewildered as to what to do. He then told Tai and the others that the reason for this was a top-secret CD from the Holy Realm. And so, pressed for answers be Tai, X revealed some unexpected information on the mastermind.

"The name of the mastermind of this operation is Himo Saitou. He was my apprentice before you came along, Tai."

(Digimon Frontier Opening theme "Fire!!" plays)

Lamiamon Steals Takeru's Soul! Prelude to the Destined Battle, Taichi and Saitou Face Off!

Paris, France

The city of Paris has been clogged up with a tremendous amount of fog recently. This was probably another indication of the climatic changes caused by the tunnel's opening. In this exact French city, the third monster is hiding within the wings.

TK and Kari had split their team up into four groups. Kari and Gatomon searched around within the northern sections of Paris. Over at the western portion of the city, Dorothy led Tike and Kara through. Henry, Terriermon, Lopmon and Suzie checked around in the eastern side. Checking around the southern post, TK and Patamon were searching for any clues to the whereabouts of the monster.

The blonde-haired young man sat down on a sidewalk and lets out a deep sigh. The fog was getting thicker and harder to see through. However, Patamon was able to sniff out for anything peculiar.

"TK. Let's not give up. We're on the right track. My nose is picking up a scent."

"Does it happen by any chance be the monster we're looking for?"

"Well… Not so far…"

"Be sure to point out the monster's location."

"I wish I could, but the fog is getting thicker and I still can't pick up on its energy signal."

"Man, I hope Kari and the crew already found clues by now," TK sighed.

"Let's hope so, TK. For our sake."

Western section of Paris

The laughter of the Takaishi children echoed through the empty streets. Dorothy sat down on a dumpster and watched the children pair fly around aimlessly around each other.

"You're it, Kara!"

"No, you're it, Tike!"

"Take it back!"

"No! You take it back!"

"No, you!"

"You!"

"Cut it out you two!" Dorothy snapped. "Don't make me put you two to sleep, because I can do just that with my powers."

"Eep! She's right! Remember, Dorothy was once the D-Reaper," Kara gulped.

"Yeah. Don't want to piss off the D-Reaper's reincarnation," Tike said.

The teen girl chuckled to herself and made an evil look towards the children. They crept back as she held a hand out in front of them.

"That's right, kids. From what your Uncle Tai told me, I pretty much messed everyone up. I even absorbed your loving parents to add more power to my being. If you make me mad enough, well… Let's just say that old D-Reaper will reawaken stronger than ever. You don't want that do you?"

"Um, no ma'm!" they blurted out in unison.

"chuckle You don't have to call me, ma'm. I'm only a teenager. That only makes me sound old.'

"Okay, Dorothy," Tike replied. "By the way, we still haven't any clues on the monster's tracks."

"I'm not able to pick up on its ki," Dorothy said. "It's doing a really good job concealing not just its energy signal but it's appearance within this thick fog. Let's be sure to stay alert, kids."

The twins nodded and stayed close to the teen. Dorothy leaps off from the dumpster and launches herself across onto a rooftop. She looks out towards the Eiffel Tower.

"At this point, the monster will already have collected enough human souls. No wonder I'm sensing a lot of energy signals rapidly fading away by the masses. I hope everyone else is having better luck than we are."

Eastern section

With Terriermon bickering about the fog, Henry ignored his partner's whining. Accompanying them was Suzie and Lopmon.

"Henry! This fog is not doing us any favors! If only we had ourselves one of those windshield wiper hats, what do you think?"

"I wish…"

Suzie runs across the street but not long before Lopmon was catching up to her.

"C'mon, Suzie. Lets stick together," the brown-furred rabbit said.

"To make matters worse, we still haven't found that dang blasted monster! If it had shown up, I would have stood up to it and proceed to layeth the smacketh down on his candy ass!"

"That's big talk coming from a little guy. You think you back up those threats, pal?" Henry laughed.

"Them no threats, Henry! Them not fighting words either! I'm really serious about this."

"Oh really? Would you really say it directly towards the monster's face?"

"I'll clue in you on that one, later. I need to memorize a really good threat speech. Let's see here…"

"Once the monster shows itself, Terriermon won't even have time to think of a good threat. What matters is that we find this monster, defeat it and take the digicore piece to restore every human soul in this city. It's not hard to imagine that a monster of Millenniumon was able to successfully absorb every human soul within an entire day. TK. Kari. I hope you two have found it's whereabouts by now… I don't want to spend more time in this eerie ghost city…"

Northern section

Much like everyone else, Kari and Gatomon found no traces of the monster. The young woman grew frustrated and looks out towards the Arch of Triumph. She was also worried for the well being of her husband and children.

"Gatomon. Anything yet?"

"Not a chance. I'm not sensing anything. We might as well find a needle in the giant haystack."

"I hope the kids are doing all right, but I'm sure Dorothy is watching them as we speak. These poor people. They didn't deserve such a horrible fate."

"Their souls were extracted by the monster. There's no doubt about that."

"I can't wait to give this monster a piece of my mind," growled Kari. "Two monsters have already been beaten according to Gosenzomon. All we need to do is take down five more and we have all the digicores together. Monster, you better show yourself now and quit hiding like a cowardly snake."

Southern section

Back within the southern section, TK and Patamon were alone on the streets. The skies were becoming darker and quieter by the minute that passes by. TK certainly did not like the idea of being out alone in a totally silent, dark environment.

"I'm beginning to not like this place. Paris is supposed to be romantic but this is not my idea of a romantic vacation," TK sighed.

"You're right. It's too quiet if you ask me," Patamon commented.

"Me too, buddy. I wonder what happened here in the first place with these people. I can't even feel a single soul here."

"That's because a monster stole the souls of people here," a voice calls out from out of the fog.

The young man and his digimon turned around to find a young man walking out from the thick fog. She has long, silver hair with red bangs highlighted. She has pale skin and amber eyes. The woman's attire consisted of a black jacket, with a pink shirt and black short pants. Noticeable around her neck was a necklace with a red stone embedded in it. She was had quite the magnificent figure and was simply a beauty to behold. She was a rare beauty yet very mysterious.

"Who are you?" TK asked.

"I am Lana. The streets of Paris have been like this since a monster came here and stole the souls of the people here."

"Monster?!" Patamon growled. "Tell us something we already know."

"Tell me. What does this monster look like? It's supposed to be one of Millenniumon's seven incarnations!"

"It's a horrible monster," replied Lana. "It was a half woman and half black leopard creature. She looked like a feline version of the legendary centaur. It killed my family and I'm left alone! It's been chasing me!"

Lana cried out and buried her face onto TK's shoulder. The young man didn't know what to do but he put a hand over her back to calm her.

"Calm down, miss. Can you show us where this monster is? You can bet we will defeat her."

Lana removed herself from TK and looked directly into his blue eyes. Her expression changed from a sad frown into a smile. She steps away calmly and giggled.

"Is there something wrong, miss?"

"No. But, you said you would defeat the monster yourself?"

"If I have to, yes I will."

"Oh really? That's nice but I have to let you in on a little secret," Lana chuckled. "Want to know? Dearest human. Your search is over. You've already found it."

With that said, Lana's eyes glowed a crimson flare. A whip materialized in her hands and she immediately takes it out. Lana uses the whip to strike both TK and Patamon unknowingly. The young man is sent scaling backwards with a cut across his right hand. Patamon lands on the ground with an injured wing.

Even before the pair had a chance to call out a fusion, Lana takes the time to snatch them both by their necks. The woman's form quickly started to undergo a quick metamorphosis. TK gasped as he saw Lana in her true form. She now has long, pointed ears like and elf's. She was wearing black armor covering her chest and a pair of black gloves. From the waist down was a body of a black leopard and her upper hand was that of a human woman. Her eyes were completely crimson in color like blood. Lana had now become the third monster of Millenniumon. On her forehead was a half piece of a digicore.

"Allow me to introduce myself, cutie," the female beast spoke. "I am Lamiamon, one of the seven monsters."

Lamiamon. Type: Demon-Man Digimon. Level: Mega. Special Attacks: Thunder Whip, Darkness Lighting Claws and Darkness Huntress

Lamiamon inches closer to TK and plants a seductive kiss on his lips. The blonde struggled to break free but he felt portions of his life energy being drained away. His eyes widened further once he noticed his soul beginning to depart from his human form. Once extracting his entire soul, Lamiamon drops TK on the ground and turns her attention over Patamon.

"Now my little friend. I'm going to use you as bait. I want to see how strong this child of light is," Lamiamon laughed. "I want to gaze upon the eyes of the very individual who defeated the artificial Virus. Hikari, I know you are here. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

As Lamiamon steps into the fog cloud with Patamon hostage, the lifeless body of TK remained sprawled on the ground. There was no hope for Takeru for the moment. It was now up to Kari and the others to stop Lamiamon and release the souls of the people she has stolen. The monster sought only to battle Kari and that she will soon receive.

Northern section

Kari immediately stopped at her tracks and felt her heart pump faster than normal. A cold chill rushed past her. It was as if something wrong had occurred and she knew too well that an evil presence has caused harm to one of her family members.

"Kari…? What is it?"

"Strange. My heart is starting to beat really fast. It's almost like something terrible has taken place. No! Something wrong must have happened to the children or even TK!"

"Are you sure?!"

"If my assumptions are correct… I have a very strong connection with those three as you should know already. C'mon, we have to get back and check with TK first."

"What about the children?"

"They'll be safe with Dorothy. C'mon, let's go find TK!"

With an approving nod, Gatomon follows Kari down the streets leading towards a bridge. On the other side, that was where Lamiamon was last seen. Kari hopes to find TK, but little does she realize that he has already been drained of his soul.

"TK! I'm on my way!"

Back in Odaiba. Kamiya Residence

Later that day since the stunning announcement made by X, the masked warrior arrived in time to be confronted by Tai. He calmed his apprentice down long enough for him to give a full explanation behind Saitou's dark past.

Tai gathered Shintomon, Sora, Izzy, BW, Agumon and other remaining digimon. X sits down on a chair next to the dining table to prepare for his explanation.

"An enemy just like you, Tai? I certainly wasn't expecting that," said BW. "Sucks to be you."

"Tell me about it. Ok, Shintomon. No more games. What the hell is this about?"

"Don't look at me. I never even gave this Saitou character any background check. He never even seemed like a threat because my hands were tied with the D-Reaper fiasco."

"You don't know? Yet you call yourself watcher over the many digital worlds."

"Tai. That's enough!" Sora snapped.

"Let's just stick to business," Shintomon sighed. "We are here to discuss Saitou."

Back on the other side of them apartment home, Keke and Mimi were putting more bandages over Rei's back. Dimitri stuck by to guard the room just in case of any intruders, including anymore of Saitou's accomplices.

"Now, that should do it," Keke said. "I wish Kara were here. She's better at taking care of the sick and injured."

"Darn. We're almost out of bandages," Mimi said. "Palmon, go find some more."

"I'm on it!"

As Palmon left the room, Max stepped out of the bathroom and joined everyone else in the dining room. X was prepared to explain to the group about Saitou's dark past.

"Ok, I was overhearing your conversation, guys. Can't a kid get his beauty rest?" Max said.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head. Did you get a full rest?" Sora giggled.

"I'm fully energized and ready to go! Let's hear this story on this Saitou character. I was hearing that he was a former apprentice of yours, X. He was the one before my dad?"

"Yes. What kind of a dirty bastard was he?" BW wondered.

"What's more, as your former apprentice, he's supposed to be defending mankind," Shintomon said. "Why would Saitou change his position 180-degrees, and come to threaten mankind?"

"Sounds like a preverbal nut who needs a life," Izzy commented.

"Sshh, let's give X to explain his side of the story," Tentomon said to his cynical human friend.

"Exactly! How did you get him so messed up so much to put our planet in danger?" Max asked. "Tell us!"

Finally, X gives into their demands and cleared his throat. He lets out a sigh and proceeds to explain.

"Himo Saitou was born with strong spiritual powers. As a result, from the time he was a child, he has survived, while constantly having his life sought after by invading digimon from digital breeches."

Flashback

Fast forward to five years before Tai saw his first digimon, Saitou as a five year old was being ambushed by a clan of Ice Devimon. He quickly puts up a barrier and disintegrates them easily.

"Hypnos wasn't exactly around to control the digimon numbers. So, Saitou played the role as digimon exterminator and protected the lives of those threatened by these dark digimon. At the tender age of five, he could even slay Devimon or even Myotismon effortlessly."

Fast forward five years later… Ten-year old Saitou was standing off with a Piedmon. This was an entirely different Piedmon from the one the Digi-Destined are familiar with. The dark jester charges forward with his twin swords. As soon as he went to slash the boy, Saitou simply waved his hand through Piedmon's neck. As a result, he decapitates Piedmon in the process.

"Impossible… How could a child defeat me without a digimon…?"

Saitou picks up the Piedmon head and holds it up as a newly acquired trophy.

"The very existence of these virus-types is evil. Just like the others, you have become judged, Piedmon."

As soon as he said that, Saitou uses his ki energy to disintegrate Piedmon rather easily.

End of Flashback

"He had a strong sense of justice. But there was one incident that made him reverse himself, and distrust humanity."

"What was it?" Sora asked.

"He saw the universe as black and white. Ying and yang. Light and darkness. He saved the good and judged the evil. But, he soon realized the shades of gray. It came about because of an order I gave him. As it stands, it was the last order I gave him."

"What kind of case?" Max wondered.

"The orders were to close up a tunnel that connected to the Dark Realm," the masked man explained.

"What?! That's the same thing we're doing now!" Tai exclaimed.

"It was on a different scale. The entrance to the tunnel back then wasn't the large-scale one that is now. It was a small-scale tunnel, 10 meters in diameter at most, for summoning low-level dark beasts like Devimon, his icy counterpart and many ultimate-level monsters. It was conducted by a group of sinister human fanatics. The digimon captured were summoned to process into showcase and exhibits. Some were even released to spring terror on innocent bystanders. Ever hear of the old tales of the Jersey Devil? I believe it's a Devimon. Or how about Bigfoot? Or the Lochness monster? Yes, there's a good chance that they are the dark digimon that either migrated or were released by the fanatics to scare the masses."

"Jersey Devil?! Lochness? So there were digimon here long before I was born?!" Tai exclaimed. "Unbelievable…"

"Those conspiracy theorists are going to have a field day when they find out that those urban legend creatures are actually digimon," Izzy stated. "I'll have to post up a website on the matter."

"Yes, these fanatics were given help in the process. There was only one sinister individual responsible for releasing the dark digimon onto Earth in the first place: Burizalor."

"That monster?!" BW cried out.

"Him?! That bastard! So he was doing this before I was ever born?!" Tai asked frantically. "So he knew about Earth, but why didn't he destroy it in the first place."

"He had other priorities then. He was more of a trader and merchant before proceeding to becoming a terror," X explained. "Burizalor was given a word from a dark god himself to release these digimon and to sell them to these fanatics. He and the dark god started it all."

Flashback

Proceeding with their mission, Saitou and another colleague dashed off towards the compound leading to a military base. Saitou and his partner leaped over the security fences while escaping the blasts from the machine guards.

"We came by some information that a large trade of Corrupt digimon was taking place in a private military base. I sent Saitou and a partner named Tetsuo after them. At the time, Saitou employed a group of Corrupts that were so weak, that were nothing in comparison to the Demon Corps, Burizalor himself or even Datamon's artificials."

The partners plowed their way through Corrupt digimon guards. They headed down the hall with Saitou taking the lead. He makes a u-turn and headed down towards a pair of massive doors.

"The raid was a success, and they pursued Burizalor and the other corrupt organizations until they were just one step away…"

As soon as Saitou blasts his way through the doors, he immediately froze in place. His eyes gazed upon perhaps one of the most horrifying images he has ever witnessed. Shades of gray buried every ounce of black and white.

"Unfortunately, Saitou saw something she shouldn't have seen"

End of Flashback

"What?! Something he shouldn't have seen?!" asked Biyomon.

"I'm not liking where this is going," said Agumon.

"Tell me about," Max replied.

"What the hell was it? Don't joke around, X," Tai stated promptly.

"What you might call the ultimate in the evil workings of mankind. In other words, it's the reckless show of indulgence in humanity's darkest side," said X.

Flashback

The room was exposed to be a living slaughterhouse. Blood and data were splattered across the walls. There were agonizing screams coming from helpless digimon. Human laughter was heard. Saitou had gazed into what is described as a doorway to hell itself.

"It was an orgy of wickedness, unthinkable in either worlds…"

A group of humans and human-like beings gathered together in a ritualistic feasting of helpless digimon. There was a pool of blood in the middle of the ritualistic event. Saitou's eyes were glimmering with the same thick red of the blood itself. He was in a immediate state of shock.

"There, the good digimon that had been summoned by humans were being made sport of, and then finally slaughtered. The humans did it for their own twisted pleasures."

One by one, each digimon were hacked down. Others were crucified and dismembered as if they were cattle. Their pleas and screams echoed throughout Saitou's head.

"As he saw this carnival of lust held by humans, who were thirsting for blood and steeped in hedonism, Saitou found them to be even more cruel and barbaric than the virus-type evil digimon he grew to detest for so long. His mind wasn't big enough to hold the change."

As Saitou dazed off into a state of shock, Burizalor was seen looking on with a grin. He walks off through a door with his colleagues by his side. The teen held his head and completely lost his composure. Saitou lets out a loud cry.

"Saitou saw something that completely went contrary to the sense of values he held there. You guys would have been angry, but Saitou had a different reaction."

Saitou charges forward in a maddening rage. He unleashes his attack onto the barbaric humans and quickly dispatched them one by one. Blood splattered across the room, including onto Saitou himself. He went to avenge the deaths of every good digimon that had their lives taken away by these human monsters.

"At that moment, Saitou went into a maddening rage. He took all of the humans that were there… and murdered them."

As soon as Tetsuo arrived, he found a large pool of blood where the remains of the humans once laid. Saitou reduced every human flesh into a pool of crimson mass. His clothes were covered by the crimson mass and the stench was simply grotesque. Saitou looks over at Tetsuo with his eyes swelling with tears of shame.

"Tetsuo. There weren't any humans here. Not a single one."

"It was after that, you see, that Saitou became interested in The Human Armageddon, the CD with the worst crimes of mankind recorded on it. After that, both were gone. Tetsuo died by a unknown brain disease but Saitou went into hiding for the next twenty years.

End of Flashback

X lets out a deep sigh and rubbed his head. The story was simply too stunning and revealing for the group. Even Tai couldn't believe how one event could have changed a person's views completely.

"He apparently started having doubts about mankind as a whole," X said. "Perhaps Saitou had an overly strong sense of duty. He had a strong sense of justice and was too hard of a worker. He sensed evil in the very existence of humanity. Now, he wants the life of every human as atonement for their sins."

"And that's why he wants to open the tunnel to the Dark Realm," replied Sora. "He wants to unleash the ultimate Armageddon."

"See?! That's why those ultra-serious types are so hard to deal with!" Tai muttered. "They always change their minds from one direction to another."

"Yes, that's precisely why I chose you to be my new apprentice," X explained. "I wanted someone who didn't think too much."

"Ah, that makes sense!" Shintomon exclaimed.

Tai turns around and gives another menacing glare towards the higher digimon.

"Hey! Don't be quick to defend me pal! You've struck out twice today!"

"Heh, sorry… My apologies, Taichi."

"Well, I don't exactly know what Saitou has been doing for all these years," X stated. "There's no telling what he could have schemed. The only thing I can say is that once Saitou starts acting, there's no stopping him. Not until he achieves his objective."

"So, what brings Millenniumon to the picture?" Max wondered.

"I have no information on that matter. My guess was that Millenniumon found Saitou and wanted to help his cause. I know very little about Millenniumon, except that he is the dark god from the Dark Realm. He along with the Synisters have been trapped because of the barrier to keep them at bay. However, Millenniumon's shadow managed to possess Cyberdramon in another alternate universe. Now his shadow has take refuge in the digicores, manifested them with darkness and thus created the seven monsters. With Millenniumon on his side, Saitou will be very difficult to defeat. This will prove to be your ultimate test, Digi-Destined. If any of you want to back out, now would be the perfect time. However, we will require almost everyone to participate. By working together, we can hope to being those two down."

Suddenly, Tai, Agumon, BW, X and Shintomon were all quick to pick up on an intense ki signal coming from outside the apartment. Tai gets up from his seat along with Shintomon to realize that they were being watched upon. Yes, indeed they were. Saitou was standing on top of another balcony on the other side of another apartment building. Accompanying him was Hideto the Sniper.

"Tai! What is it?!" Sora asked.

"It's him, mom!" Max replied. "It's Saitou!"

"Is this true?!"

"Yeah! He's found us!" Tai exclaimed. "No surprise. Finally, you've shown yourself again, you bastard."

Saitou looks down from the high altitude and makes complete eye contact with Tai. The heat was set to intensify between X's two apprentices.

Paris, France. Southern Section

Arriving at the scene of the crime, Kari and Gatomon looked around the exact spot where TK was last seen. She was sure that this was where she last departed from the team. The fog was getting thicker and did neither duo any favors.

"Takeru!! Patamon!!"

"Patamon!! Can you hear me?!"

"Strange. They would have reacted to us by now. Not to mention that Patamon would have picked up on your energy signal, Gato…"

"I'm willing to bet that the monster has gotten to them. It was through some kind of ambush to catch them off guard."

"But they ought to have time to fuse and fought it off."

"No, Kari. It ambushed them. We're going to get to the bottom of this, but first let's go meet up with the others."

"Right. Be sure to send a distress signal at once."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a sly, female voice said.

The female pair reacted and turned around to look around their surroundings. Gatomon was the first to pick on a dark presence and turned to find a centaur-like creature emerge from out of the fog. Kari turns around and gasps in horror at the sight of Lamiamon. However, it wasn't just the monster she was startled by but the hostage she held in her grasp. Little Patamon was struggling under the monster's grasp.

"You! So I take it you're the monster we're looking for!" Kari snapped.

"Let go of Patamon, you wench!"

"Where's TK?! I demand to know where he is!"

"Oh, you sweet little girls. You'll get what you want soon enough. Child of light, I demand a one on one duel with you."

"So I take it you know about my reputation…?"

"I was created from out of the digicores. So, yes I do have knowledge on your background. It was nearly twelve years ago that you alone defeated Datamon's ultimate artificial, Virus."

"How can I forget…? Why bring that up? You know how much I hate to remember that bastard…"

"Ah, yes. I struck a nerve did I? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't D-Reaper humiliate you?"

Kari was not taking any of this verbal abuse and clenched her fists angrily. She certainly did not want to be reminded of Virus and being humiliated by the D-Reaper. Lamiamon toys around with Patamon while licking his stomach.

"What do you say, Child of Light? Will you battle me or will I have to devour little Patamon?"

"Kari… Don't let her toy around with you," Gatomon whispered to her partner.

"Sorry, Gatomon, but she's already getting on my nerves. How dare she bring up painful memories? Monster, I accept your challenge, but I want something in return."

"I do have a name. It's Lamiamon," the monster sighed. "What is it?"

"I demand to see my husband right now! If you had laid one hand on him, I'll…"

"Destroy me? Well, I have to be the bearer of bad news, but… Oh, what the hell! Let's see what's behind door number one!"

As she said that, Lamiamon snaps her fingers and blows the fog away to reveal a motionless form on the ground. Kari gazed through the dissipating fog and her eyes widened in shock. Right before her very eyes was the lifeless body of TK. He, like the many citizens of France, was stripped away of his human soul. The young woman fell to her knees with tears in her eyes.

"TAKERU!! NO!!"

"Ah, I didn't realize this handsome hunk was your husband. I don't understand. He has no taste in ladies. Why he chose a flat-chested broad like yourself over a beauty like me… I'll never understand. I mean I've got a much prettier figure than you ever will have, sweetie."

"You had no right to take away his soul! Why did you even bother?! Answer me!"

"Why? Because I want to keep him for myself and refuse to give him up to anyone else. Understand? Takeru forever belongs to me and I will not relinquish him without a fight. So, you have accepted my challenge and we shall duel to determine Takeru's true love."

"Fine…"

Kari immediately stopped sobbing and stand son her two feet. She wipes the tears from her eyes. The eyes of determination now were plastered on her face.

"Ooo, that's a really scary look for you, Child of Light. So, shall we get started?"

"I'll never forgive you for taking my husband's soul! I will fight to save him! Gatomon! Let's teach this wench a lesson!"

"You got it, Hikari!"

"At last, I finally get a chance to show off my full potential against the Child of Light. We'll see if she was worth the hype."

Kari takes out her D-3 and motions over to Gatomon. A bright pink column of light engulfed the duo as their fusion process was well underway.

Play Digimon Zero Two theme BREAK UP

"FUSION EVOLVE!!"

The female monster watches on while Kari and Gatomon infused with each other to form their ultimate fused form. A woman emerged in her place and she was simply the most gorgeous sight anyone has ever laid eyes upon. Celesta X stood before Lamiamon with an Amazonian outfit and long-blonde hair flowing behind her.

"Curse this wench! Her beauty surpasses mine?! Unforgivable!" Lamiamon hissed in thought.

"I take it you're quite jealous of my appearance. Don't be. This will be the last sight you will ever lay your eyes upon because you will be dead soon. On second thought, allow me to ascend further. I call upon my… MYSTIC FORM!!"

With that said, Mystic Celesta stood in place with fully body armor and better protection. A sword was attached to the female warrior's back. Mystic Celesta takes out the sword and wields it.

(End theme)

"How do you like me now?" Mystic Celesta asked with a grin.

"Damn you! Your beauty! How is it that your beauty surpasses mine?!"

"I have no idea. Maybe you ought to look yourself in the mirror and compare us. Though, did you say that I was just a flat-chested broad?"

"Shut up! I know what I said! Let's just get to the point! We shall battle to determine who claims Takeru's soul. The winner will take possession of it."

"And I will take back his soul. Besides, I've already been reading on your ki level. Our powers greatly contrast with each other. I could easily vaporize you in one blow."

"Maybe so, but you're forgetting one important detail. I have Patamon in my grasp. Now, would you really destroy me and Patamon at the same exact time?"

Mystic Celesta stood frozen in place. She had completely forgotten that Lamiamon still held Patamon hostage. The beast twirled Patamon around like a toy and chuckles at her adversary.

"Awww, you don't want to kill poor little Patamon, do we? Takeru would be very upset if you did. Then, he'd abandon you and become my love slave. He'd rather have a strong lady like myself rather than a weak-hearted fool like yourself, Hikari. Face it. I'm more woman than you ever will be."

"No… You're lying… You're just playing with my mind… TK and I are married! We've known each other since we were children! We grew up as Digi-Destined and we will forever be Digi-Destined. I've grown to love him and now we have our own children. Tike. Kara. We love them so dearly…"

"Don't you worry about those two tykes, Hikari. I'll be sure to raise them to be efficient warriors to honor my good name."

"Be silent, demon! Just for kidnapping Patamon and stealing my husband's soul, I won't hesitate to slay you myself! I am the Child of Light!"

With that said, Mystic Celesta powers up with a bright aura covering her form. She held the sword tightly and points it out directly at Lamiamon. The beast started to slowly retreat back with Patamon in her grasp.

"I'm going to have to fight with only half of power, or else Patamon will be caught in the line of fire. Takeru, if only you were here. Your spirit has been absorbed by that monster along with many others. You don't deserve this kind of fate. Lamiamon, you've pushed this too far."

Mystic Celesta encircles Lamiamon cautiously while trying to get Patamon off of her mind.

"The wench isn't planning to attack me. How unfortunate… She doesn't want to risk harming this little rat. If I were her, I would attack me right away. My grasp on her husband's soul is getting stronger and it will be difficult to save him. Hikari, you've disappointed me. Show me your full power! Display the same power you used to destroy Virus! I need to see it!"

Suddenly, the pair felt a large number of powers arriving from every direction. Mega Gargomon arrived alongside Antiramon and Suzie. Mystic Celesta turned to see Kara, Tike, and Dorothy arrive at the same time.

"Kari!" Dorothy calls out to the woman.

"Mom! She's engaged in a battle!" Kara exclaimed.

"Kick her ass, mom! Then, we can take that digicore from her!" Tike encouraged the female warrior.

"Mind if we give you an assist?"

"That won't be necessary, Mega Gargomon. This wench has stolen TK's soul!" Mystic Celesta replied.

"No! Not dad! Don't say it's true!" the children cried out in unison.

"She's right. I see his body," Dorothy stated. "I'm not picking up on any life energy through him."

"Not to mention that I can't attack with my full potential as long as that witch is holding Patamon captive."

Dangling the winged rookie like a slab of meat, Lamiamon twirled Patamon around and widened her mouth. Mystic Celesta couldn't stand the monster's taunts any longer. She grasped her sword tightly and instantly phased out from sight. This caught Lamiamon by complete surprise and the monster searched around her surroundings to detect Mystic Celesta's whereabouts.

"Damn! Where did she go?!"

"Over here!"

Before Lamiamon could even react, she felt a tremendous force delivering a devastating blow into her gut. Mystic Celesta reappears with an elbow directly jammed into Lamiamon's gut. The beast had the air knocked right out of her. However, she did not release Patamon.

"Witch! You shall not force me to relinquish this little rodent!"

"Sorry, Patamon. I have to think of how I can get Patamon out of her grasp before I can deal heavy damage to her."

"You bitch! How dare you put your filthy hands on my body! I'll make you pay!"

With that said, a whip materialized in Lamiamon's other hand. She sends out the whip and wraps it around Mystic Celesta's neck.

"Thunder Whip!"

The whip created a massive surge of electricity and channeled it into Mystic Celesta's body. However, Mystic Celesta instantly puts up a barrier to protect herself from the electrical surges.

"Let's take this to the skies!"

Mystic Celesta takes off into the skies above the French city and this allowed Lamiamon to follow her out. Both of them blitzed through the heavens before meeting with one another above the dark clouds. Lamiamon extracted her claws and brings them forward to attack her adversary. Mystic Celesta puts up her sword to shield herself but Lamiamon phases out behind the angelic warrior.

"Darkness Lighting Claws!!"

The dark demoness slashes across Mystic Celesta's back as her dark aura penetrated through the holy barrier. Mystic Celesta screamed out while clutching her back.

"I can't allow myself to hold back. But, Patamon… If I unleash my full power, I'll not only kill Lamiamon but Patamon also. I can't risk it. Takeru will never forgive me. Lamiamon, you'll never hope to defeat me by resorting to these cowardly acts."

"Aww, what's the matter, Hikari? Have I struck a nerve again? You really must hate me. Enough to the point to want to slaughter me? Why don't you go ahead and do so? What's holding you back?! Oh, I forgot. Patamon. If you kill him, then Takeru will never consider you his beloved. You'll be all alone by the time this is over. Everyone will despise you for taking poor Patamon's life away."

The angelic warrior maintained her position while not giving into Lamiamon's taunting demands. Could she even risk going all out just for the sake of Patamon's rescue attempt? There was only one strategy Mystic Celesta can think of for the moment.

"I'll just have to play this one out. I'm going to hate doing this…"

The angelic warrior lets out a sigh and puts her sword away. Lamiamon was surprised by the turn of events. Has Mystic Celesta finally surrendered and given into Lamiamon?

"All right, I forfeit. I can't defeat your all mighty beauty, Lamiamon. Takeru is not worth it."

"Wha… What? Excuse me? Did I just hear you right? You're giving in? No! You can't be the same warrior that destroyed Virus! You couldn't be. If so, then I've finally succeeded in breaking your spirit. Is this rodent that important to you?!"

"To the Gatomon side of me, yes he is. Gatomon could never forgive me if I destroyed him in the process."

"My, isn't this convenient?! The Child of Light is giving up! Now, let's have some fun with your friends!"

With a snap of her fingers, Lamiamon proceeded to summon forth several minions from out of the ground. Dorothy, Mega Gargomon, Antiramon and the children found themselves in the receiving end of a massive tremor. Mystic Celesta looks on to find a massive surge of kis popping out of the ground. Several miniature creatures came out of hiding and were revealed to be Virus Jrs. These little imps brought back painful memories for Mystic Celesta.

"Virus Jrs?! But, how?!"

"I take it you know these guys very well. You really didn't have a great childhood. Cheer up. They are here only to keep your friends preoccupied. You just concentrate on me."

"Damn you. Stooping as low as using minions to carry out your wishes. I just remembered X telling us about leftovers from the hell fighter invasion."

"How perceptive of you, Hikari. Now, will you fight me?! If you don't then, my little friends will dispose of your comrades. What's it going to be?"

Lamiamon lets out another deep sigh and snaps her fingers. The Virus Jrs immediately sprung forward to attack the team. Dorothy quickly flew out to take Suzie out of harm's way. Tike and Kara were left to avoid the wrath of the miniature imps. Mega Gargomon was caught in a crossfire with three Virus Jrs. Antiramon attempted to put up her guard but she was being overtaken by the imps. Dorothy creates a ki barrier and places Suzie within it.

"Little monsters! You want a fight?! You've got one!"

With that said, Dorothy takes off towards the Virus Jrs. She unleashes an array of ki blasts to take out several of the imps rather easily. This did not go well for Lamiamon.

"Big mistake, Lamiamon. You shouldn't have relied on such outdated minions. Even Dorothy can take them apart. She won't even need my help. Lamiamon! You're guard is off!"

As Lamiamon had time to react, she turned and was struck across the face by Mystic Celesta's right hand. The angelic warrior takes her sword and slashes the beast across her chest. Lamiamon screamed out while grasping her massive wound. She released Patamon at the same time. Mystic Celesta quickly intervenes and snatches Patamon.

"Wench! That was cheap! How dare you take advantage of me like that?!"

Mystic Celesta quickly dives down towards TK's fallen form and puts Patamon near his corpse.

"Thank you, Hikari. Thanks, Gatomon."

"You just leave this bitch to me. Everyone! Now's your chance! Take care of the Virus Jrs! We're close to victory!"

(Play Gundam Seed opening theme INVOKE)

Mystic Celesta looks up towards Lamiamon, who was now in a more vulnerable position. The angelic warrior takes out her sword and phases out the monster's sight.

"No! Where did she go?!"

Suddenly, Lamiamon felt a rush of wind flowing past her. Within a split nanosecond, she realized a cut was forming across her right cheek. It wasn't long until she felt Mystic Celesta jamming her sword through her torso. Lamiamon spat out a large quantity of crimson mass. She turns and attempts another attack with her whip. However, Mystic Celesta easily saw the offensive coming and slices the whip in half. Lamiamon now found herself at the mercy of Mystic Celesta. Mystic Celesta reappears in front of Lamiamon. The female warrior unleashes an array of fists all across the demoness.

"This one's for Patamon! For TK! For my kids! And this one's for me!"

She delivers a painful elbow shot directly into Lamiamon's chest cavity. The force of the blow sent Lamiamon sailing across the heavens. Mystic Celesta follows her out as she prepared to unleash her finishing technique.

Back at the battleground, Dorothy had made short work of the remaining Virus Jrs. Tike and Kara helped tend to Suzie and the others. Suddenly, two more Virus Jrs emerged from where Dorothy stood.

"Kikiki!!" the Virus Jrs screeched.

The villainous pair launched themselves towards Dorothy to attempt a double team attack effort. The former D-Reaper quickly maneuvered away to her left side. Dorothy turns around and stands on her two hands. She quickly spun herself around to knock the Virus Jr pair away. Dorothy phases out and reappears behind the retreating devils. She puts out both of her hands and instantly vaporizes them with a double ki blast.

"That should be the last of them," Dorothy said. "Kari! It's all on you!"

Mystic Celesta prepares to unleash her attack but not long for Lamiamon to charge forward.

"I'm not about to give in so easily! Darkness Huntress!!"

The demoness launches herself forward and transforms into a flaming beast of darkness. Just as she was ready to engulf the angel warrior, Mystic Celesta pushes forward to unleash her full powered blast.

"HOLY BEAM!!"

The two powers collided with each other into a short stalemate until Mystic Celesta's light overcame the demoness' darkness. Lamiamon screamed out in horror as her body quickly became vaporized within the heat of the blast.

"NOOO!! MY BRETHREN SHALL AVENGE ME!!"

Once Lamiamon's body broke down into data, the half digicore piece fell into Mystic Celesta's grasp.

"Yes! We've got a digicore! Now, these people should return to normal!"

(End theme)

With Lamiamon destroyed, her territory faded along with its devastating effects. The fog clouds all across the city dissipated. The people were being restored once their souls were returned. Paris was returning to the way it was before Lamiamon arrived.

As Paris was restored, this meant that Kari and her team would depart from the city. TK woke up to find himself out of the city and on a grassy field. He sits up to find Tike, Kara and the whole gang standing over him.

"What just happened? Last thing I remembered was some mysterious girl and the… the monster! Where's the monster?!"

"Don't worry about that, TK. Kari already took care of her," Patamon assured the young man.

"Yep! You should have seen mom kick that witch's ass!" exclaimed Tike.

"You were awesome, mom," stated Kara.

TK sits up and realizes Kari was kneeling next him. She gives her husband a friendly smirk and inches closer to him. She holds out her hand and shows him the half piece to a digicore.

"Kari, is that what I think it is?"

"Half of a digicore? That's right. It was a really challenging battle of wits, but I managed to overcome the monster. TK, let us make sure nothing separates us. Ok?"

"That's a deal."

Kari presses herself against TK and plants a kiss on his lips. Tike and Kara gagged at the sight of their parents kissing.

"Yuck! How can grown-ups do that?!" the children exclaimed in unison. "That's so sick!"

"Oh. You'll definitely be changing your minds once you kiddos grow older," Dorothy giggled. "Ah, I'll need to find my true love. What do you think, Henry?"

"Um, don't ask me."

"Ah-ha! How about you pair up with Dorothy, Henry?!" Terriermon teased his partner.

"Terriermon…!"

Dorothy rolls her eyes and laughs at the dog-rabbit's crazed antics. Has she developed an interest in Henry? Only time will tell. However, three monsters have been slain. The Digi-Destined are close to gathering up the remaining digicore pieces. There were now four remaining monsters still across Earth. They will prove to be more formidable than the first three.

However, another danger was taking root in Japan. Yes, Saitou has found the whereabouts of Tai's group and was ready to launch an attack on them.

Odaiba District. Kamiya Residence

Saitou and Hideto the Sniper were looking on from another side of the apartment complex. It seemed as though Tai was their main target, however, they turned their attention over towards the room where Rei was in. Max immediately took realization to this and heads back to his parents' bedroom.

"Oh no! They're after Rei you guys!" Max exclaimed.

"What are you sure?!" asked Tai.

"Positive!"

As soon as Max opened the door, he found Rei sitting on the bed. Mimi, Palmon, Keke and Dimitri were in the room as well.

"Oh, what is it, Max? Hey, Rei's been telling us that she has a brother in the group," Keke replied. "Hey, Max? What's wrong?"

"Every get down!"

The Sniper opened his left hand and revealed tiny ki balls. He used his right hand to flick each ki ball directly towards the apartment room. Max saw these coming and pushes Rei to the side. The balls blasted through the window and created holes within the walls. Rei gasped in horror at what had just transpired.

"What is this?! Are we being attacked?!" Mimi screamed.

"Yeah! It's him! He's found us!" Max said.

Just then, Rei felt a sharp object stabbing at her right hip. She takes it out of her pocket and examined it closely. It was a tracking device.

"Oh no! I was bugged!" Rei cries out.

"You mean he put a tracker on you? That punk knew where to find you," Dimitri growled.

"Hey! How could you do that to your own team mate?!" Mimi snapped.

Another ki ball came shooting through the window and barely nicked her in the face. Palmon pulls her away just in time before she became a victim of the Sniper's attacks.

Saitou gazed directly at the room where Tai's friends were protecting Rei.

"Rei Saiba, I've just spoken with your friend. You let us down, but your frailty was part of my equation," Saitou said. "I knew you would go to their side. I've been checking in on everything you've been saying and doing until now. Now you can die with the humans you couldn't detach yourself from."

"That bastard! He's talking about Rei! How can he just do that to her? She did no wrong," Tai growled.

"He used her like a diseased dog and no longer has any use for her," Shintomon replied.

"This is our chance to confront him now before he decides to blow this place into rubble," BW suggested.

"But who would have thought, Hideto?" Saitou spoke once again. "Who would have thought the person with the ability to we've been looking for was among our enemies. It's ironic, but it feels like it was destined. Destined that Taichi and myself right each other, that is…"

"He's saying that the person with the ability they're looking for is…"

"Is what, Shintomon?"

Max growls angrily at the villains' actions and sits up from the floor. He made eye contact with Saitou and his accomplice.

"Maggots. He kills his own teammates if they get in his way! I'm coming for you, you monster!"

With that said, Max fled out the room. Keke calls out to her friend.

"No, Max! Get back here!"

"Hey, wait!" Rei exclaimed. "That's what they want you to do!"

Max headed out through the front door and plowed through it. However, Tai and Agumon were the first to see him fly out. The father and his partner headed off to chase the boy off.

"Get back here, Max! You still need rest!"

"Yeah, besides you're low on ki and can't afford to fight right now!" Agumon calls out to Max.

"Hold on you guys, but I haven't told you yet! Thanks to Rei, I've been powered-up and returned to normal!"

"Powered-up?!"

"I don't understand it that well myself, dad. Some kind of ki-based sword materialized in my hand, so it has to mean that I've greatly powered-up."

"Wow, really?!"

"Yeah and I defeated Rei's power in one swing."

Meanwhile, Saitou was listening through to their conversation by probing their minds. He heard Max mention the ki-sword.

"It's called the Jigen-to, or better known as the Dimensional Blade, Hideto. With his ability, we can break down the peripheral field. The subspace peripheral field, set up between the Real World and the Dark Realm. First, seize Max Kamiya. You may dispose of the others, I don't care."

"Yes, Mr. Saitou."

"Let's go."

With that said, Saitou and Hideto fled out of the scene. They leapt off the roof to land onto the streets below without taking any damage on their fall. They both landed on their feet like cats. Max flies out into the open with Agumon and Tai behind him. They were facing off with the sinister duo.

"Whoa, that was fast," Agumon said. "I couldn't even pick on their energy signals."

"Saitou…" Tai growled deeply to himself.

Saitou puts out his hand to make a 'peace sign' with two fingers. The trio was taken back by his hand gesturing.

"What's this?" Tai wondered.

"Jerk! You just had to flash the V-sign already," Max snapped. "Don't you go messing with us!"

"No, you simple-minded twits. It means only two more days until the hole is completely open."

"What the hell?! That can't be!"

"That's a surprised look on your face, Taichi. Did you think it would be later?"

"You mean it's not going to take another week to open up?"

"That's how much the speed of opening the tunnel has increased."

Suddenly, Tai, Max and Agumon were immediately accompanied by most of their friends. BW, Shintomon, Dimitri and X arrived just in time. X looks across and quickly recognized his former apprentice.

"Hey, Saitou!"

"It's been a long time, X."

"Is that any way to greet me? Your former teacher?"

Back inside the apartment bedroom, Mimi and Keke struggled to pull up Rei back on her feet. The girl was struggling to sit up while thoughts were running through her mind.

"Are you all right, Rei?" Keke asked the girl.

Rei looks back to the same conversation she had with Saitou about finding the individual with the power to cut through the barrier field.

"We need someone with the ability to cut through dimensions."

"But, I'm not ready for this, Mr. Saitou!"

"No one has ever helped you, Rei Saiba. They all took part in humanity's darkest indulgence: torture. You've seen it. That is the true nature of mankind."

"He can't mean…"

"You guys! It's a showdown!" Palmon stated. "They're about to rumble out there."

"But why would they fight out in the middle of the street here? They're going to make a mess of things again," Mimi wondered.

Back outside on the streets, Sora and Biyomon arrived to find the crew facing off with Saitou. As she inched closer to Tai, he puts a hand out in front of his wife.

"Get back, Sora. I'm not sure how ugly this is going to get."

"Right…"

With Sora and Biyomon backing away, Max steps up and declared to fight with Saitou first.

"All right, dad! I'm going first! Leave this dirt bag with me!"

"Don't be stupid, Max. You stay back."

"But…"

"I can't risk you going out there and getting yourself killed. This fight is mine."

"He's right, Max. You're still recovering," Shintomon ordered the boy. "You should stay out of this."

Tai and Agumon walked up onto the middle of the street. Suddenly, X calls out to them immediately before they had a chance to attack.

"Tai! Don't get any closer to him!"

Tai makes eye contact with X as if he were preparing to question the masked man.

"I started him up just like you. He can store up his ki and shoot it out, just like you. He even has the Life Bomb as his ultimate weapon."

"So, our opponent is basically an exact copy of my dad?" Max asked. "Only except this guy trained hard before dad saw his first digimon."

"How strong is his power?" Dimitri wondered.

"No telling," X replied. "I don't know how much he has changed it over these past eighteen to twenty years."

"It's a dangerous game, then isn't it?" Shintomon said.

"You got this, dad? He's more dangerous than he appears, but I know you can beat this guy!" Max encouraged his father.

"Sounds like fun. Ready, Agumon?"

"Ready whenever you are."

"Tai! Please, be careful."

"We'll handle this, X."

After turning away from the group, Tai and Agumon slowly walked across the street towards Saitou and Hideto. The two apprentices made eye contact with each other while reading off each other's ki.

"How's it going, long-timer?" Tai spoke. "From what I heard, you've gone around the bend, haven't you?"

"That is a misunderstanding. I have been reawakened to the truth."

"I'll stop you!"

"Try me."

As soon as they finished their short introduction, Tai and Agumon quickly became engulfed in a bright aura. They were then fused together to form Omega X. The fused warrior quickly puts up another bright aura and gathered his ki. Accordingly, Saitou did the complete opposite. He didn't transform, but he did create his own ki aura. Both were flaring up with tremendous ki.

"Wow! Did you see that?! Saitou didn't even transform! Now that's talent!" Shintomon exclaimed.

"So, this is what he's been doing this past decade?" X wondered. "If he doesn't need to transform, then I fear how much power he's managed to manifest."

"Who cares?! My dad is going to mop the floor with this guy!"

Omega X faces off with Saitou. They were just a few short moments from colliding with each other to attack.

"I can't just tell by listening to X's stories," Omega X thought. "I'm going to see for my own eyes just how much power he has."

Mimi and Palmon were keeping an eye out on the showdown. They were amazed at the auras flaring around their bodies. Palmon couldn't believe the amount of ki emerging from the two.

"It's getting started," Mimi said.

"On, no… Safety! Bring him to safety!" Rei Saiba screamed.

"Him? Do you mean, Max or Tai?!" Palmon asked.

"Who are you talking about, Rei?" Keke demanded. "Tell us."

Omega X shoots off his ki aura and immediately flew out at Saitou to begin the showdown.

"Here we go! Heads up, Saitou!"

Just as Saitou prepared to put up his guard, Omega X quickly blitzed to his right side. The veteran was taken back by his successor's speed. Omega X was set to throw out a single punch to his right side.

"That's it! I caught him off guard. I'll punch him and blast him away with a Terra Beam!"

Once Omega X threw out a punch to land his mark, Saitou throws out his left hand and immediately blocks it out to the side. The veteran took advantage of the situation and delivers a spinning kick to Omega X's side head. Omega X is sent skidding back across the street. The impact caused a cut to open up on his forehead. The warrior wipes the blood away.

"Heh, try that again!"

The fused warrior uses his teleportation and reappears in front of Saitou. He attempts a punch coated with ki energy. Once again, Saitou saw this coming and sidesteps Omega X. Saitou sees an opening and executes another kick. This time it was across Omega X's face. The force was enough to send the warrior sailing across through a building wall. Max and the others ran off in order to give aid to Omega X.

"Get yourself up, dad! You can flatten this guy!"

Omega X plows out from under the heavy pile of rubble. He wipes his bloody forehead and looked back to the strategy he used.

"What the hell?! I put my full power into that second punch! I would have killed him for sure! It's almost as if I'm fighting a willow tree. Like my attack was turned aside!"

"This is bad. He's the kind of opponent Taichi is weakest against," Shintomon informed the group. "He doesn't avoid Taichi's punches, but he doesn't take them square-on, either. Without giving up his own balance, he changes the arc that are of Taichi's punch and then counterattacks."

"That's right, Shintomon. That is the Resshu-Ken style," X stated.

"Resshu-ken style?" Omega X thought in question.

"Yes, Resshu-ken is a style of martial art based mainly on footwork," Saitou explained. "The upper body defends in order to shift the course of an attack, while a destructive kick devastates the opponent."

"Resshu-ken, which one is not allowed to be taught until they have mastered all other forms, is said to be the most powerful style ever when compared to other barehanded fighting techniques."

Back in the apartment, Rei Saiba was thrashing about to break free from Keke's grasp. She headed out through the door.

"Max Kamiya must not be left alone!" Rei screamed out.

"He's not alone. Everyone is down there with him, including his father," Keke reassured the frantic girl.

"Max is the one Mr. Saitou has been searching for, the one with the ability to cut through dimensions…!"

"No, you have the wrong guy," Keke stated promptly. "Max is not the type to want to join those monsters."

"Mr. Saitou's goal is to capture Max Kamiya. There's no doubt about it."

"Then, we have to warn them!" Mimi exclaimed.

Mimi steps out onto the balcony and noticed the crew had already moved out onto a different location.

"Hey, guys! Rei knows who the one with the dimension cutter is!" Mimi screamed out.

Suddenly, little did she realize, Hideto the Sniper reappeared on the neighboring apartment building on the other side. He holds out his hand and shoots off more ki balls directly at the woman. Palmon pushes her away from being shot. Keke puts up a ki barrier around herself and Rei to block out the blasts.

"That was close! They are after you, Rei!" Keke growled.

"Hideto trying to prevent us from warning them! We'll never get the chance to warn them!"

Hideto made certain Rei and the others would not get the chance to warn them. He looks back to the battlefield.

Saitou held out his hand and almost immediately a large ki ball formed.

"As you can see, I use the Resshu-ken style, but what's more… By mixing my own ki powers in with the Resshu-ken style techniques, I've created my own personal martial art. I call it the Kiresshou-ken"

"Amazing! Ki energy mixed with style!" Dimitri exclaimed.

"Saitou, is this how far you've gotten during these many years?" X thought.

While tossing up the ki ball, Saitou takes to the air and prepares to send the ki ball away from the battlefield. What could he exactly be thinking?

"What the hell is he planning to do?!" Omega X cried out.

"It's time to judge your allies, Taichi! Resshu kokyu-ha!"

"Oh no! He's aiming for my apartment home! Keke, Rei and the others are still in there!"

As soon as he called out his technique, Saitou delivers a swift kick to send the ki ball sailing across the city block. It was aimed directly for the Kamiya apartment residence. Max, Sora and Omega X gasped in disbelief. However, Omega X and Max took off to divert the ki ball away from the apartment complex.

"Let's see if you can save them now, Taichi."

The third monster has been defeated and another digicore half has been captured. Only four monsters remain worldwide. Saitou has exposed himself to Tai and his friends. With his background already covered, it will be interesting to see how far Saitou will go to defeat our heroes. The former apprentice has launched a Resshu kokyu-ha and plans to destroy Tai's friends in his apartment home. Can he make it in time to stop the attack?

(Digimon Frontier second ending theme "an Endless Tale")

(Preview)

Davis: Hey, guys! It's me, Davis! It's our turn to find the next digicore. We explore Shinjuku cemetary to find out the whereabouts of the fourth monster.

Sonja: There he is!

Necromon: Greetings, Digi-Destined. I'm glad we've finally met. Now, you have entered my graveyard territory. I also have myself a little meal. Does this fellow like familiar?

Veemon: It's Ken!

Davis: Let him go!

Necromon: You'll have to defeat me first. Let's see if you are capable of destroying your own best friend! Behold my power of necromancy!

Omega X: Meanwhile, the rumble with Saitou continues. Guys, what exactly is he after?

Max: They're after me!

Saitou: Once we capture Max, we shall return to the tunnel to proceed with objective C.

Omega X: Not on your life, pal! Bring me back my son!

Sora: Next chapter is entitled…

Taichi vs. Saitou, Round One! Necromon's Torturous Necromancy!

Davis: Don't miss out on it!

Well, I hope those were some worthwhile chapters. Plenty of action and we get to see a prelude to Taichi's upcoming fight with Saitou. Necromon is another monster contributed by Youkai Youko. Thanks a lot, Youko! You're the best. This weekend, I'll work hard to get the next Pharaohmon chapter up. Until then, happy holidays!