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. Saber Veemon/Ultima X, Novadramon, Eisdramon, Himo Saitou, Artificial Jax, Sonja, Virus, and Burizalor are characters I've created for this story.

Is this some sort of miracle? Another update already and we're getting set for the holidays. I hope everyone is safe at home and taking it easy. This chapter will be action-packed plus Matt finally gains the rare fourth digital level. Will he end up fighting Tai for the sake of his own desires?

Plus, there's the matter of two monsters along with a captured Max. The tunnel will be close to opening up within days. The race is on for the safety of humanity. Want to know how our heroes will succeed? Read on to find out.

Well…? What are you waiting for Christmas? Oh yeah. Forgot. Tomorrow will be Christmas. Anyway, enjoy the fic chapter!

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With three monsters defeated, manifested from Millenniumon's shadow, our heroes have collected the digicore pieces needed to restore Azulongmon's items. The mighty Lichidramon challenged Davis and his group. However, Ultima X, who received strength from Ken's spirit, cleared Lichidramon's super cowardly schemes away. The Digimental of Miracles was revived and needed to vanquish the fourth monster. With another digicore piece collected, Ken's body was sent to a local hospital in Odaiba where Yolei and her family remain at his side. Meanwhile, Davis and his team arrive back in Odaiba along with Kari's group in hopes of reuniting with the others.

Back in Odaiba, Keke and BW were on hot pursuit for Saitou's hovercraft until Hideto the Sniper intervened. With another accomplice, BW was distracted to deal with the problem. Keke was left alone to become the Sniper's prime target. Can she escape his territory and save Max in time?

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

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The Elemental Dramon Brothers, Novadramon and Eisdramon! Super Metalla X Achieves the Fourth Level!

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Many miles off from the Odaiba District. Forest area.

"Come on out, Hideto! These kinds of attacks won't work!"

Almost suddenly, another array of projectiles were raining down from the heavens. Keke quickly was proclaiming them as another swarm of rocks.

"A third wave, huh? It's no use, no matter how many times you try it."

However, her eyes widened in shock as a swarm of kitchen knives, blades and other deadly kitchen utensils were raining down on her.

"OH CRAP!!"

The knives came closer and closer until Keke quickly put out her fists. She slammed her fists together and unleashed a massive ki blast to complete disintegrate the deadly kitchen utensils effortlessly. However, she did not manage to blast away every utensil as a pair of knives was still aiming for her. For a second, the knives nearly made their target and stabbed through the girl's skin. When it reality, Keke had caught the knives with her fingers. She let out a sigh of relief as the knives were close to killing her.

"Whew, that was a close one. That damn coward won't even come out here and fight me. He knows I'll whoop his ass!"

Meanwhile, Hideto wasn't exactly enjoying this either. He cursed to himself at the sight of Keke surviving the knives assault.

Keke threw the knives down as they fell through the earth ground.

"He wants this to be a contest of endurance, while keeping his distance from me. He's planning on repeating the same attacks and waiting until I either get worn out or miss.

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Back in Odaiba

The higher digimon, Shintomon, was kneeling down beside a fountain as he was gathering a telepathic message from both Kari's and Davis' group. He had just finished through getting in touch with Hikari.

"Ok, everyone. I just got through to Kari's and Davis' groups. They will meet us at Mushiyori shortly."

"It makes me wonder if Saitou and the others already arrived at the cavern site," said Sora.

"They should have by now," replied Rei. "My brother, Neo, said that the hole would soon be opened."

"Is that right?" Biyomon asked.

"Yes. When that happens, they're going to need Max's powers, which is why they took him."

"Well, in any case, there's nothing we can do if we stay here," Shintomon informed the group.

"Then, how do we keep in contact with Tai and the others?" Sora asked.

"Through telepathy of course, I thought you already knew that," the higher digimon sighed. "Look, we're already going to be heading to the same location anyhow. He'll be there, unless something came up and he was thrown off his track. Let's go."

However, X walked out towards the opposite direction and past Sora.

"Sora. I'm going back to my world," the masked man said to the redhead.

"What?"

"The tunnel intersecting between the Dark Realm, the Digital Worlds and the Human world is about to be completed. If and when Max is able to exhibit the ability to cut through the barrier field, it will be all over. It is a grave situation. I have to come up with some countermeasures. Listen to me, Sora. I'm leaving the rest up to you. You must go with Shintomon."

"I will. Anything to save my son."

With a nod, X starts walking off into the distance leaving Sora and Biyomon with Shintomon. Thoughts were lingering in X's unpredictable mind.

"Sora. I'm sorry for making you hold this large burden on your shoulders, but I must return back. I have already violated the rulings of the higher digimon echelon authority. I wasn't even supposed to interfere with Tai and his group had their run-in with Doctor Akira and his viral insects. Luckily, they let that one slide, but if I get careless again, I'll never return back to my original body and be sent to protect my own home universe. My friends… I'm sorry it has to come down to this but I have to correct my own mistake. Saitou, I know you're out there and only I can try to get through to you."

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Miles from Mushiyori

The hovercraft had already left the Odaiba district and was close to reaching Mushiyori. On board, Mari was driving much calmer than before since no enemy was on their trail. Sigma kept his barrier intact around Max. The boy couldn't stand being contained and screamed out at the top of his lungs.

"Kill me! Kill me right now! Just get it over with and kill me!"

"Shut your mouth or I'll eat you!" Sigma threatened the boy.

"Let the boy shout, Sigma," Saitou replied.

"Huh? But…"

"By amplifying his anger, his ability will likely awaken."

"Ugh! What ever state that I may have been reduced to now, I am still me! I'm Max Kamiya, son of Taichi Kamiya! He's going to come and kick your sorry asses!"

"Oh yeah. We heard that one before," Mari said with sarcasm in her tone.

"I'm not about to bring such a miserable disgrace upon myself!" snapped the boy.

"Damn! Mr. Saitou, are you sure this idiot kid is really the one with the ability to cut through the barrier?"

"In time, Mari, he will come to demonstrate that ability."

"Damn it! Just kill me already! DO IT NOW!!"

As his screams echoed throughout the exact area, the hovercraft was nearing the cavern site. Inside would be the tunnel that would open up mankind's Armageddon. The hover unit makes its stop at the entrance. Sigma kicks the barrier ball containing Max out of the vehicle's backseat.

"Here's our stop, kid!" snickered Sigma.

"Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"Oh, we have something wonderful to show you, dear Max."

With that said, Sigma carried the sphere containing Max into the cavern. Mari and Saitou soon followed along to join him deep into the cavern where Neo Saiba awaits. Also with Neo would be the tunnel itself.

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Forest area outside of Odaiba/Mushiyori

Frantically flying through the canopies of the forest, Keke was doing everything she could to avoid anymore of Sniper's assault. She looked around like a prey being stalked by a predator.

"I don't know how big his territory is, but there's no doubt he's someplace where he can keep watch over me. Like some kind of observatory tower, yet I don't see one anywhere."

There was an open space across the forest leading to what looked like a highway road ahead. She makes a quit get away and flew without warning.

"Whatever the case maybe, I've got to get outside of his territory!"

Keke lands on the middle of the empty highway and looks ahead to find a diesel fuel truck coming.

"Well, there's a truck. This highway seemed pretty quiet today. Maybe I should tell them about directions home, but damn they'll probably think I'm some kind of freak with these markings on my body."

Suddenly, something strange had caught Keke's eye. She looks on ahead at the driver's seat of the truck. There wasn't anyone present to drive the diesel truck.

"What?! There's no driver! Don't tell me that's a projectile too!"

As the truck came closer, Keke leaps off of the highway and flies off into the air. Little did she realize that the diesel truck was somehow being levitated from the ground and following her exact move? She panicked and continued across the heavens.

"Ugh! You are serious, aren't you?!"

Looking on from on top of a rock ledge was Hideto with a pair of binoculars. He nods his head in shame.

"Let's see her try to counter that. I told her that they would follow her anywhere she goes. Yet she doesn't realize that flying won't do her any good either. But, I may have been too rush in imparting all that ki into the truck."

Hideto took out a revolver pistol out of his pocket and loads a magazine into it. The Sniper obviously has a plan in store for Keke, but would even shooting her be effective. Keke would know better to use her speed to dodge bullets, plus her skin is said to be tough as steel just like Max. Hideto looks over at the diesel truck and sets his target on it.

Back across the heavens, Keke was frantically doing everything she can to avoid getting crushed by the hovering truck.

"Damn it all! Endurance contest, my ass! He's set to kill me! I can just hear the fat lady singing now!"

Keke powers up an aura and travels out faster across the skies in hope of leaving the truck in the dust.

"There's no way I can shoot that thing so close. Besides, I've never had a fuel tank blow up in my face and I don't even want to try either."

Just then, another object caught the girl's attention. She gasped in utter horror as a jet came falling across towards her. Like the diesel truck, there was no driver or passenger inside.

"CRAP! HE'S EVEN USED A FREAKING JET PLANE?!"

The girl found herself in a tight pinch with the two fuel-powered vehicles set to collide with her. She immediately put up an aura barrier, in hopes of protecting herself from the collision. Keke looks across to find Hideto pointing his revolver towards her from a long distance range.

"That rat turd! He's going to take things that far?! Please, I can dodge bullets. Unless…"

Once the fuel-powered vehicles were close to collision, Keke erected her ki barrier. Hideto saw this as an open opportunity and pulls the trigger. The bullet traveled out across and hits the truck's fuel tank. The girl saw this as her chance to escape. She moved away once the diesel truck exploded in collision with the jet. A massive explosion erupted across the heavens with its impact sending Keke sailing across.

The Sniper watched the fireworks display grow and smiled in delight to listen to the girls' screams.

"Mission accomplished."

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Mushiyori City.

After having being transported to Mushiyori, Shintomon took Sora and Biyomon to an empty soccer arena. There they had met with Kari's and Davis' group. They had seen them the digicore pieces collected. Shintomon had informed them about the recent occurrences, including the kidnapping of Max.

"What do you mean Max has been kidnapped?!" Davis screamed. "Tai wouldn't let anything like that just happen!"

"Oh my god… What on earth is going on here?" Kari asked worringly.

"Great just when we gain an advantage, we come up with this bearer of bad news," sighed Gatomon.

"Poor, Max," said Veemon.

"Look, everyone. We'll tell you on the way there. I'll have to transport us from a longer distance since there's a barrier that prevents me from entering inside the cave," Shintomon said. "If you recall, they have a spell caster who is not only widening the tunnel radius but also is preventing teleportation to being a key factor."

"Luckily I was able to bring us a map of the area," TK said. "Take a look. This is where we are now."

TK pulled out a white sheet of map with a map of the Mushiyori district, including the outskirts. A red mark was labeled to where the caverns were positioned.

"That is the entrance to Demon's Cavern," TK pointed out.

"Wow, that's a pretty good map there, Takeru," Sora said. "How did you manage to snatch one?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, TK and myself made it ourselves," Patamon mused. "Aren't we geniuses?"

"That's some talent. Never thought you could construct maps," Biyomon said.

"It's some hobby my dad has," said Tike. "He likes drawing maps when he's bored from time to time."

"You ought to check out his collection sometime. They are neat," Kara giggled.

"Anyway, we should get going," Henry suggested.

"Hold on a second. Hey, I don't think we've never met you," Terriermon sniffed Rei Saiba.

"Oh everyone. This is Rei Saiba," Sora introduced her to the teams. "You haven't met them but these are some of our friends. Guys, this girl used to work for Saitou but has now joined our cause."

Suddenly, Veemon, Gatomon and the other digimon excluding Biyomon hissed at the girl. She hid behind Sora since the others don't exactly trust her.

"Sora, somehow I don't think they are happy to see me."

"It's okay. Please, everyone. Rei has seen the error of her ways. Just give her a chance. Besides, only she knows exactly what Saitou has planned for the tunnel. What matters is to save Max. Please, for me. My son's life is in jeopardy."

"It's understood, Sora. We can trust her," Dorothy assured the woman. "I don't sense darkness in this girl's heart."

"How can you be so sure?" Henry asked.

"As D-Reaper's reincarnation, I was able to sense through a person subconsciously. I can look through her like an x-ray. It's okay, guys. We can trust her."

"Wow, Dorothy. You're incredible," Suzie said.

"It's nice to meet you all," Rei said with a bow.

"This is Rei Saiba, a spell caster with the code name Ice Maker," Shintomon explained. "The spell caster who is attempting to open the tunnel is her brother. His territory can somehow also block any teleportation and prevents us from infiltrating the cavern."

"Wow, his powers must be strong then," said Lopmon.

"Physically, he's weak, but it's his territory that gives him the edge," replied Sora. "Look, there's no time to waste guys. We have to get there as soon as possible."

"Brace yourselves. There's just one telling what is in store for each of us," the higher digimon warned the group.

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Miles away from Odaiba/Tokyo. Abandoned water facility

After traveling out across many miles from the city, Omega X found himself alone in an abandoned water facility. The creature he was chasing a while ago had somehow disappeared without a trace. He explored his surroundings and, at the same time, traced through on the monster's ki.

"All right. You have to be here somewhere. I just saw you land here, but you're obviously hiding. Where could you be?"

His question was soon answered as the heat temperature started to suddenly rise. Omega X felt the changing climate and wiped his forehead.

"Is it just me or has it gotten hot all of a sudden?"

Omega X looked up towards the skies to find that the sun was 'growing'. This was an abnormal turn of events considering that natural disasters were becoming quite common across the planet already.

"Huh? There's no way the sun can get bigger. Or maybe I'm just losing it. The heat can really screw up your head."

Suddenly, his questions were soon answered as an orange figure emerged out from the skies and dove down towards Omega X. The warrior was quick to see it and phases out of the way. The creature slowly rose to his feet. He looked like a mix between a dragon and gargoyle. His skin was red with an orange heat aura radiantly covering his body. The lips on his face were purple decorated with a pair of fangs.

"Hey! I've been following you since you distracted me from saving Max! So, tell me. Who are you?! Are you one of the seven monsters?"

"Heh. Impressive, Taichi Kamiya."

"My name must be really popular with you guys lately."

"I am Novadramon and I've been waiting for fight you."

"Novadramon, huh? Pretty nifty name you've got there."

(Novadramon. Type: Dragon Warrior Digimon. Level: Mega. Special Attacks: Sun Barrier, Heat Wave Blast & Lava Fists)

"Hold on a second. From what my friends have been telling me, the other four monsters had digicores embedded somewhere on their body. I don't see yours!"

"Why don't I give you a closer look, then?"

With that said, Novadramon held out his hand and a digicore piece emerged out through his skin. He took a look at it and confirmed it.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Now give it to me."

"Finders keepers, Taichi. If you want it, then you will have to fight and defeat me."

"Fine by me."

"How about we see who will outlive the other in the ultimate survival game?"

"Sounds like fun, Novadramon. You seem to be sure of your abilities. Great, I accept!"

Novadramon responds as his left fist started to radiate with a neon green aura. Somehow, there is more to this monster than meets the eye. Omega X was in for a different kind of one on one encounter.

"This guy has a strange bit of ki within him," Omega X thought.

"Listen up. When that statue falls, that will be the signal for us to begin."

"Cool. I'm ready whenever you are. By the way, were you manifested from out of Millenniumon's shadow?"

"Yes, just like the rest of the other monsters."

Novadramon shoots out an energy blast at a water fountain statue. The pair looks on as the statue fell off from a ledge. Slowly but surely, they clenched their fists and were ready to go at it. As soon as the statue shattered on the ground, they instantly vanished out from sight.

(Play Full Metal Alchemist theme READY STEADY GO!)

Like streaks of light, the warriors flashed across the smoke debris. Novadramon appears at the center of the smoke cloud along with Omega X. Novadramon was the first to strike and plowed a fist through a statue debris.

"Lava Fist!"

The heat-coated fist burned through the debris and melted the statue piece. Omega X flies out at Novadramon and goes for a punch, but Novadramon's body radiated a heat barrier. The swift dragon maneuvers to the side.

"Sun Barrier!"

Suddenly, Omega X noticed his hand was caught on fire as he made contact with Novadramon's heat barrier. He screamed out and wailed frantically.

"Crap! My hand! Ow! Ow!"

He walked over towards the water fountain and placed his hand through. As the hand was relieved of the heat, Omega X let out a sigh and felt Novadramon levitating behind him.

"Damn! I didn't even touch you just now!"

Suddenly, Novadramon put out a hand and formed an orange ki ball. However, rather than blasting it in one attack, the ki ball condensed and shot out an array of heat beams at once.

"Heat Wave Blast!!"

"Aw, damn! Here we go!"

The heat beams shot across at Omega X, who used his speed to dodge them frantically. He cursed and hollered while trying to escape being shot at. There was an alleyway for him to hide behind to recuperate.

"I am capable of momentarily rising the temperature of my body to be the same as about the surface of the sun, which is about six thousand degrees."

"Like the sun's surface?! Six thousand degrees?! You've got to be kidding!"

But just as Omega X stepped out of the alley, he found no trace of Novadramon. The monster had instantly vanished without Omega X detecting a ki signal. He walks out into the open and looked for his adversary.

"He's not here. Where could he…"

He looks up towards the skies to find the sun suddenly rising temperature wise. He also noticed the sound effects of a ki shot preparing to fire. An array of heat blasts came raining down from the heavens, which caught Omega X completely off guard. He jumped around frantically to dodge the heat blasts.

"At this rate, I'll become barbeque!"

Novadramon kept his attack targeted on Omega X, who flew out inside the water facility. The sun-coated dragon walked down towards the entranceway and melted down a wall. He stepped inside to find no ki tracing of Omega X.

Hiding behind a desk, Omega X lowered hi ki until he could gather enough to ascend to his fourth level form.

"Geez, I can't even make physical contact with him. I'll just have to wing it out with ki instead. If I continue attacking with fists, his skin will just melt my hands off! Damn, what a rush!"

Just then, Omega X heard a faint noise and watched as a heat blast torched down the desk. The warrior flies out away from the devastation. Novadramon came out into the open and spotted his adversary.

"He can mask hi ki, too?! Man, I'm way over my head!"

Omega X makes a u-turn into another side of the hall and finds a window just ahead of him. He set on blasting through the window to escape out to ascend to his ultimate form. However, Novadramon busted through the wall and stopped him at his tracks. Omega X immediately halted and dodged every fist thrown by Novadramon. The warrior slid under Novadramon's legs and shot his way through the window. Omega X made his grand exit from the building and into the outside.

"I've got to find time to ascend to my fourth level stage and give him the fight he wants. Otherwise, I'm cooked!"

Suddenly, Omega X stopped to find Novadramon standing out on top of a water tower. The warrior maneuvers away to the right in hopes of escaping. But he saw Novadramon instantly reappearing every corner he turned. Omega X looks out into the forest and hides through the brushes. Novadramon follows through after his adversary and searches for me like a stalking predator.

"Hehe. I'm going to get him good."

Novadramon looks across and finds something rustling behind the bushes. He puts out his hand to send a heat blast, until a blue energy beam came shooting out of another corner. Novadramon was caught off guard and sent sailing across out of the forest. The warrior of courage emerges out with a sly grin.

"Ha! Never saw that one coming huh?!"

The warrior's celebration was short lived as he saw Novadramon rising out of the smoke. Forming in his hands were a pair of heat balls. He condensed them and sends out twin heat beams directly for Omega X. He panicked and dodged the blasts only by a small margin. Omega X takes off across the forest canopy in hopes of leaving Novadramon in the dust. He stopped to find Novadramon phasing out in front of him.

"What's it going to take to put your stubborn ass down?! Hmmm… I've got it! Hope, you're ready for this one!"

As soon as he said that, Omega X put his hands together and sends out his most patent attack.

"Terra Beam!!"

The energy blast aimed directly for Novadramon and smashed into him with impact. A slight explosion occurred with Omega X smiling at his accomplishment.

"That should do it. I hope…"

His hopes were soon shattered. The heat dragon emerged from out of the smoke with a protective barrier. He forms another ki ball and forces an array of blasts across. Omega X screamed out frantically while avoiding the heat blasts frantically.

"Ow! Not this again!"

Omega X sails across the water facility and lands at the center of an empty damn. He levitated down to the waterless damn surface to catch his breath. He knew that any of his fusion levels would prove useless, including his powerful third level form. He would have to go all the way and ascend to his fourth level form.

(End theme)

"I'll have to go all the way if I hope to even the odds."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Taichi."

He froze in place as he felt Novadramon landing down on the surface.

"What do you say we get serious? I'm sure you're tired of this game of cat and mouse. Am I right?"

"You bet your ass, Novadramon. Now I can go all the way to my fourth stage level form."

"Then, by all means, go for it."

"With pleasure…"

As soon as he said that, Omega X tensed up with his muscles bulging in size. He lets out a deafening scream before becoming engulfed by a bright aura. Novadramon watched as his adversary ascended past his previous level stages and eventually emerged as the reptilian-man beast. Omega X was now currently in his fourth stage level.

"Sorry, about that. I should have done this from the start."

"Likewise…"

The heat dragon's outer skin exterior shattered away into shards before emerging as his true self. His skin was now golden rather than bright orange.

"I take it that's your true self?" Omega X asked.

"Yes and I see that you've ascended into your fourth level stage. Omega X Level 4, I presume?"

"That's right. Now that I've become a level four fusion warrior, your six thousand degree body temperature won't do any considerable damage to me!"

With that said, a bright golden aura radiated all across Omega X's magnificent form. He unleashed his power and created a crater under his feet.

"Yes, this is the way our battle should commence. No more hide and seek. It's all out war, Taichi."

"Then, let's get ready!"

Suddenly, the warrior froze in place while feeling out the explosion from where Keke was being attacked. He could even hear the girl's cries through his mind and began stepping away. Novadramon took notice of this and questioned the warrior's motives.

"What's wrong, Taichi? Why aren't you going to start us off?"

"Novadramon… There's trouble. My son's friend, Keke, is being attacked by one of Saitou's accomplices. I have to go out there and save her before she dies. My son and Matt would never forgive me if anything were to happen to her."

"No, our fight comes first."

"Please, Novadramon. I'm sure if she were your daughter, you'd do the same. You'd pause our fight and rescue her in anyway possible."

The heat dragon began to have second thoughts and let out a sigh.

"Ok, Taichi. But you've got ten minutes. Be back to finish this fight or I will hunt you down myself."

"Thank you, Novadramon. I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Save her, stop this enemy and return back. You don't seem too focused to fight right now. That is why I'm giving you ten minutes. Use them wisely and efficiently. Now go."

"I won't forget this, Novadramon. I'll be back!"

Omega X placed two fingers over his forehead an instantly phases out from the water facility. The warrior left Novadramon to wait this out for the next ten minutes.

"The Time Warp. Not a bad trick, Taichi. Remember, ten minutes. That's all you have to take care of this problem."

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Forest area outside of Odaiba/Mushiyori

Back at the site, Hideto was gazing upon the explosion that had just occurred a little while ago. The fires fell down upon the forest with smoke rising. Keke's screams had somehow faded into obscurity. He nods his head and was set to make his exit from the forest area to report back to Saitou.

"Time to head out. My job here is-"

"Not through."

Hideto was quickly cut off by a low voice and quickly turns around to find a lone figure standing over a small child. It was Keke along with a mysterious individual with blue metallic armor and the symbol of friendship embedded on his chest.

"What?! The girl survived?!"

The lone figure was actually revealed to be Metalla X, who now bore a serious demeanor on his face.

"Who the hell are you?!" asked Hideto.

Keke coughs out spit after having swallowed some fuel smoke. She looks up to find her father, who already has transformed into his fused warrior status.

"Daddy…?"

"Are you all right, Keke?" Metalla X asked without giving her eye contact.

"Yes. Of course, I am. I would have survived that."

"You got too careless. Luckily I was able to save you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Thank you, dad."

Metalla X gives a nod and keeps complete eye contact with the boy who tried killing his own daughter. One should know that anyone who messes with one of Yamato's loved ones would not live to see the next sunrise. It would be eternal darkness for that poor, worthless soul.

"Besides, you can't die when Max is out there captured."

"You're right."

The warrior of friendship steps forward, which provoked Hideto. He pulls out his revolver and points it at Metalla X without even thinking.

"I have no quarrels with you. I will not allow anyone to interfere with our objective."

The warrior did not step away and continued his silent path towards the Sniper. He was going to make this worm pay for trying to kill his daughter.

"I'm warning you! Get lost!" Hideto snapped. "If you don't comply, I will be forced to execute you!"

Metalla X was defiant against his warnings and walked. Pulling the trigger, Hideto shoots with his revolver and aims directly for Metalla X at a close range. However, the warrior phases away. Hideto looks around his surroundings to continue firing more shots. Metalla X was quick to dodge each bullet effortlessly.

For a moment, Hideto was prepared to get serious. That is until Metalla X phases in front of him. The Sniper was frozen in place with his mouth gaping open. His eyes nearly went blank and Keke gasped at what she considered gruesome. Metalla X had shot a tiny ki beam through Hideto's chest. The gaping hold on his chest was sickening with blood pouring from the wound.

"Dad!"

"I avoided anything critical, Keke."

Suddenly, Hideto had put his hand around Metalla X and still aimed for Keke.

"What is the freaking point?!" Keke growled with frustration.

"No one will interfere with Saitou-san's plans. No one…"

Metalla X finished this off by shooting another tiny ki beam through his heart. The Sniper's eyes went blank and his body collapsed on the ground. As a result of his death, his territory's effects worn off. Keke looks across her body to find that the targets were erased.

"Saitou-san…"

Those were the last words of Hideto before he passed away from the world. Metalla X walks away from Hideto's corpse and kneels in front of Keke.

"Keke. We're going to rescue, Max. I promise."

"Thank you, dad."

Just then, Metalla X felt an approaching strong ki and turned around. Omega X had just finally arrived in time using his Time Warp technique. He looks across to find Hideto the Sniper and didn't feel a life source from his body.

"What just happened here? Who killed this guy?"

"You should be thanking me, Tai."

"Ma- MATT?! YAMATO?! You're back!"

"Of course, I couldn't let that bastard harm my daughter. Yes, in fact, I was the one who killed that fool."

"But that was a human life…"

"He tried to kill my daughter and I couldn't let him get away with his crime. Our enemies will mostly consist of humans. Don't you forget that."

"I just came back to halt my fight with another one of the seven monsters."

"I know. I could feel out the two monsters' kis. They are strong and will prove to be difficult to defeat."

"Yeah. I came here to rescue Keke until you intervened."

"She's my daughter, Tai. Besides, Max has already been captured by the enemy. You should have halted your fight to save him and not my daughter. Think before you act."

Omega X lets out a depressing sigh until Metalla X walks past him. The warrior looks out towards the horizon with Keke by his side.

"Taichi. The wind blows wistfully. It's pleasant and calming."

"Huh? What are you trying to get it?"

"It is the wind coming from the Dark Realm. I smell the stench of rottening flesh and blood."

"Oh no. You can smell it, dad?"

"Take a look ahead. The gateway to Hell itself is being opened."

As Omega X turned around, he saw a dark cloud looming over the horizon. Bolts of lighting were surging all around the gaping hole from the heavens above. It was almost as if God himself was preparing to strike down upon the earth for the finishing blow. The hole itself was opening up, another passageway from out of the Dark Realm. Omega X could only look on with horror. It would only be a matter of two days until all the doorways open up for the Synisters to rampage across the human world, along with every Digital World in the digital universe.

Indeed, Armageddon was being realized with the calm before the storm on the horizon.

"I've been watching it grow for the past few days. I tried to enter through the caverns with little luck. X was right about a barrier preventing me from entering. Somehow, the enemy will let us through when they feel the time is right. Now just maybe the time if we act quickly."

The warrior of courage viciously slams his fist through the ground. This caught both Metalla X's and Keke's attentions.

"Tai?" Keke whispered.

"This makes me so damn sick! It's so hard to deal with all these tough enemies at once! They won't attack me head-on!"

"We didn't think these people were going to be trouble either," Keke replied.

"Damn it! Max! I'm sorry! This is no time for me to be griping! I've got to hurry!"

"Hurry? Where do you think you're going?" the warrior of friendship asked.

"It's obvious isn't it, Matt?!" Omega X spat out. "I'm going to rescue my son! Those bastards took him to that cave. I can feel him. He's crying out for me. I'm not going to let those monsters harm him! Then-"

The warrior stopped and smashes his fists together.

"Then, I'm going to tear them apart one by one!"

Just as Omega X was about to set off, Metalla X quickly phases out behind his ex-rival. The courage warrior turns around and watches as he throws out a kick. Omega X was quick to dodge it and jumps away to the other side of the rock ledge. However, Metalla X phases behind him with his hand held out over him.

"Dad! Tai! This isn't the time for this!" Keke pleaded.

"You heard your daughter, Matt. This isn't the time for us to resolve our differences. You said yourself we had little time left. If we end up killing each other, then this world is history. Not to mention every digital world in existence."

"I still hold the fate of your life in my hand, Tai," chuckled Metalla X. "No one has any right to defeat you but me."

"Dad! That's enough! Mom's going to lose it when she hears this!"

"Keke. That's enough out of you. This is between us, men."

"Listen to your daughter, Matt."

"I am. It's you that I'm directing my anger towards."

"What?!"

"So. Is this how you're going to defeat them?"

"You're losing me here…"

"Your son was foolish for getting himself carried off by them. Like father like son… He's just as naive, careless and hard-headed like you."

Those words alone set off Omega X. He wasn't about to let anyone, not even Matt, talk down on his family like that. He quickly gets up on his feet and clenches his fists. He was ready to tear a poor helpless soul apart and that soul was unfortunately, Yamato. This is exactly what Metalla X was hoping to see. Anger and resentment built up within his ex-rival.

"SHUT UP! DON'T YOU EVER TALK DOWN ON THE KAMIYA NAME!"

"Well then, should I be forced to kill you, right here and now?!"

"You just might, Matt. You've pissed me off enough!"

With the two ex-rivals facing each other off, Keke was left to wonder what she could do to pull them away.

"Father? Tai? This isn't the time! Max needs us!"

The two warriors screamed out with powerful auras flaring through their bodies. They immediately ascended toward their second level stages. Metalla X's eyes became radiant with a pair of red flares.

"It's been too long since our last fight, Tai!" exclaimed Metalla X. "Too long for my tastes. What do you say we settle this like old times?!"

"I was just going to suggest the same thing!"

"Why don't you do me a favor and go all the way? Reach your level four status."

"You must have lost it, Matt. That form alone will make me too strong for you to handle. You'll die if I fight you in that state. It's not fair."

"Not fair, huh? I guess I have to reveal you on a little secret."

"What do you mean?"

"Heh. I, too, can reach the level four status!"

"Since when?!"

"SINCE NOW!! HA!!"

Omega X gasps in shock as he felt a tremendous force flowing through his ex-rival's body. As he arched his head back, Metalla X's form became enveloped in a blue metallic column of light energy. His screams quickly became that of a ravage beast's roars. Looking on from a far distance, Keke could only look on with astonishment.

"Wow! My dad's already achieved the fourth level! Cool! Now my dad is just as strong as Max's father!"

"Damn! I didn't expect Matt to pull this one off. His power is overwhelming. Looks like Lady Moinenea gave you some assistance, like say maybe a spirit?"

The warrior of friendship levitated inside the aura as his muscles started to enlarge. The hair on his back became spiked-up and streaked across down to his back. No longer was his hair golden blonde but it was now jet-black with a silver streak in the middle section. The young man's eyes turned wolf-like with golden pupils and thin irises. His chest became well chiseled and defined with a muscular appearance. Around his body, except for his chest, was dark blue fur. His claws were equipped with red claws with gray gloves covering them. A pair of black army boots now replaced the feet. Black leather pants covered his legs. A long bushy wolf tail sprouted from his posterior. His mouth stretched into a wolf-like snout equipped with deadly, sharp teeth. A metallic blue aura radiated over his newly evolved body.

Omega X and Keke were stunned beyond belief. The warrior had gained the rare fourth level digital fusion stage. It was once believed that only Taichi could do it, but destiny was also reserved for another.

"Yamato. Unbelievable," Omega X whispered. "You finally did it."

"Yeah! Now that's the father I grew to love!" cheered Keke. "See, Tai? I told you my dad would keep up with you. It was only a matter of time."

"A wolf, huh? No surprise there, Matt. So, what now? You still want to go another round?"

"C'mon, you two! We don't have the time for this quarrel," Keke pleaded to the warrior pair.

"Want to know how I achieved this stage, Tai?" chuckled Metalla X. "I just read through your thoughts. You mentioned Lady Moinanea. Well, you are partially right."

"Do tell."

The wolf warrior takes a battle stance while his ex-rival did the same. Before he made his first move, Metalla X went about to explain his recent achievement.

"This one's going to be brief. I'll make this short and sweet. It all started as soon as I left you behind…"

-

-

Flashback

"Little did all of you realize was that I was given a message from Lady Moinanea. That's the reason why I bluffed an excuse and did not want to reveal to any of you that I would be desperately preparing myself for the upcoming apocalypse. So, Lady Moinanea saw me as another last resort."

"Matt! That's enough!" Omega X snapped. "Where are you going?!"

Metalla X turns away from the group and looks out towards the heavens. The warrior turns and faces them with an angry glare.

"Whatever happens to this world is of no concern to me," Metalla X snorted. "You have your band of merry men and women, Tai. I'm a moot point."

"So! You're just going to walk away on us?!" Ultima X exclaimed. "If you didn't notice, Ken was just slain and the Digi-Cores are gone!"

"Please, Mr. Ishida! We need you," Max pleaded.

"Poppa!" Keke cries out. "Don't go!"

"Yeah, dad"! the younger Dimitri calls to his father.

"Just what has gotten over you?!" snapped Mimi. "Don't you walk out on your own family, too!"

"You can do whatever you want from here on," the ice cold warrior spoke up. "I have no intention of interfering with you! Neither do I intend to help you!"

"Matt! Just hear what you're saying!" War Angemon exclaimed. "You're losing it!"

"Let him be, TK! You coward, Matt!" hissed Ultima X. "Real men help when they're needed!"

"Feh. Save that damn idealism for your freaking fairytales," Metalla X bellowed.

With that said, Metalla X takes off into the heavens immediately and leaves everyone behind to look on. Omega X didn't even bother trying to stop him. Once again, Yamato has left his friends hanging out to dry to recollect his thoughts, but many wonder if he'll ever return when needed.

"Some of you branded me as a traitorous coward for walking out on you like that, but it didn't matter to me. I was going to take the chance to battle these new stronger adversaries. I wasn't going to be left out behind Takato, Davis, the legendary warriors or yourself. I was once stronger than you, Tai. I wanted to relive that moment once again."

Metalla X later found himself surrounded by a bright, heavenly aura while meditating his thoughts at the city's outskirts. He looks across to find a beautiful young woman with turquoise hair and a beautiful white gown. Her gown was decorated with green shoulder padding and her dress was lined with an array of gorgeous gems.

"Lady Moinanea. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, Yamato."

"For what? To spout more crap about how great Taichi really is? You should be with Shintomon since there's a no conflict on the horizon."

"With the tunnel, I know. However, I've recently had some premonitions."

"Premonitions?"

"Yes. I've had some horrible yet cryptic dreams about the fate of the human world. It is said the One warrior would have overcome all the seeds of evil until he comes across the Dark Angel. The Dark Angel seeks to open the mouth of Hell's gate and spread chaos over the realm of flesh and blood. The worlds of the data will also suffer."

"What are you getting at? You know I'm in no mood for your fairytales."

"Hear me out. These are prophecies I have been reading upon and it has been passed down my bloodline for generations. Shintomon is aware of it. So is X. However, we never would have thought Taichi would be the One."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"A lot. Because of you, the One's greatest rival would be his closest ally. That's you, Yamato. The two rivals would possess the two ancient spirits of courage and friendship. It was thought that only one would emerge. However, that part of the prophecy is false. The other one would eventually find his spirit. You, Yamato, are that individual. Congratulations. Today is your lucky day."

As Lady Moinanea finished her sentence, she pulls out a small artifact. This one, unlike Tai's, has a wolf beast with ancient warrior armor. The symbol of friendship was embedded on its chest.

"Is that what I think it is…?!"

"Yes, Yamato. It is yours for the taking. You are the One's greatest rival who has earned it."

Metalla X didn't hesitate for a moment and took the artifact. He studied it for a moment until he laid his eyes on the demigoddess.

"Tell me more about this prophecy."

"I will. As you know, the One would be the individual bearing the original heart of courage. However, the once omnipotent Overlord crushed that prophecy by sending a Meteor of death through the data planet of the Northern section."

"Burizalor destroyed the planet from the Northern sector. So, there was supposed to be someone before Tai to fulfill this prophecy?"

"That is until he died. That honor was passed along to Taichi without him knowing. The One would first face up against his great rival, which would be you. The One would triumph with the help of the Angel of Hope to crush the great rival. Only for the great rival to have his life sparred."

"I remember. They spared my life."

"Yes. Had they not sparred your life and forgive you, and then the Overlord would have not come into play. Alas, you were sparred and the Overlord set his ambitions to finding the Orbs of Light. Those would be Azulongmon's digicores. They have the power to restore life from death."

"Tell me something I don't already know. I've been brought back to life twice with them. Death's a pain."

"The One and his rival would form the holy alliance while putting aside their animosities. Only one of them would achieve the true status as the One warrior. The angel of death strikes the rival while the One would suffer the pain of the loss of the maiden who bears love. To avenge his loved ones, the One achieves legendary status to defeat the Overlord. Thus, one reign of terror was subsided."

"Sora and I were killed by Burizalor. Tai became enraged over the losses. His emotions became too extreme for him to endure and thus he evolved into Omega X. He battled Burizalor to the death. Tai emerged victorious."

"Only for the One to become trapped in a realm of darkness. The realm would then implode as a form of a Supernova."

"Omega X found himself in an alternate world outside anything within the boundaries of the digital universe. We thought he had died within the explosion until we learned he survived."

"The One survived the Supernova through a miracle. He would remain dormant for a few calendars."

"Years later after that, he could return back to us."

"The One would return home to meet with the Messenger from the Future. The Messenger had slain the Overlord beforehand."

"The future version of my present day son, Dimitri, came to warn Tai and us about the upcoming threat. Dimitri himself finished off Burizalor where Tai left off."

"The Messenger would warn the One and his loved ones about the upcoming Cyborg Men, whose powers transcend the Overlord's. These Cyborg Men destroyed the future period of the Messenger's. It was realized that a part of the prophecy became false according to the text. The Messenger's arrival changed the appearance of the Cyborg Men. Those false Cyborgs were easily dealt with until the real Cyborgs were awakened."

"There were three sets of artificials we dealt with. Three of them were not the ones that Dimitri warned us about. Eventually, we would have faced off against two of the three true artificials."

"During the Cyborg threat, the One would fall to a flaming heart and his rival would ascend to legendary status."

"Ha, how could I forget that? I became Metalla X during the Cyborg threat. The flaming heart you're referring to would be the viral disease that attacked Tai's heart. Yeah, it sucked to be him, but I remember that moment where I surpassed him."

"With the Cyborg threat dwindling, another Messenger from the future would arrive. This one is actually the Bio-Weapon of Destruction."

"Virus…"

"By assimilating with two of the three true Cyborgs, the Bio-Weapon would achieve the status of a god. It would be then that the rival and the Messenger would ascend to the next level of legendary status. Even that would not be enough to bring down the Bio-Weapon. The hopes were laid on the shoulders of the recovered One and the Angel of Light."

"Hikari surpasses myself and Taichi as Celesta X."

"By holding an unholy tournament, the Bio-Weapon would look for the greatest challenge. The One would surrender and allow the Angel of Light to take his place. The Angel would cry over the pain and torment committed by the Bio-Weapon. The last of the true Cyborgs would be destroyed by the Bio-Weapon, which leads to the awakening Amazing Grace of the angel. Holy light and purity manages to destroy the evils of corrupted science. The Bio-Weapon falls after the Angel of Hope dies and the Angel of light stands triumph. The Hope is then restored to fall in love with the Light."

"My brother and Hikari eventually become the holy couple who saved the planet from Virus."

"Seven calendar periods later, a new generation of heroes would bear the cards of light. One of which will carry the Bio-Hazard."

"Takato…"

"The Bio-Hazard and his allies align themselves with the One's army to fight off the corrupted Exalted beasts."

"Devas…"

"Only to find out from the Oracle that the Reaper of Death would reawaken to bring chaos to the worlds."

"Shintomon warned us about the D-Reaper's awakening."

"The wicked Sorcerer would corrupt the mind of the One's rival to destroy the One."

"False. I allowed Dark Magimon to control me so I can further my strength and surpass Taichi."

"It was all a ploy for the Sorcerer to use the time needed to reawaken the Reaper of Death. At the same time, the Bio-Hazard nearly brought forth a cataclysmic eruption when the Beelzebub nearly killed the Amazon Queen. The Southern Data world would have been destroyed had the Bio-Hazard not control it's fury."

"Takato went nuts when he saw Beelzebumon nearly kill Rika and forced Guilmon to digivolve into Megidramon."

"Only for the Bio-Hazard to reverse its destructive effects and become the exalted knight. Their greatest enemy was still the Reaper. The great rival gave his life up and walked death's doors for a second time."

"I died a second time and that was just a heart warming moment. It was the first time I knew that I had no chance of surviving. I gave my life up by blowing myself up along with D-Reaper. The monster survived and my sacrifice had gone in vain."

"The One would emerge to ascend into another godly status to battle the Reaper. With night comes another day; the sun arises over the planet. The Reaper splits itself into two halves: an angel and a devil. The devil triumphs and destroys one data world. With death, comes hope. A new generation of heroes arose to battle the Reaper to the very end. It was not enough. The One and his great rival used the earrings of the Oracle's predecessor to form a god-like entity. In fact, the god-like entity transcended even the Reaper."

"Kaiser X sure kicked some ass, but it was thanks to my tactical mind. D-Reaper didn't stand a chance."

"By entering inside the Reaper, the One and his rival cut the source of the Reaper's infinite power. However, it only led to the Reaper reawakening as the Death Reaper. Without a single thought, the Death Reaper vanquished the realm of the flesh."

"Our home planet was destroyed by the D-Reaper. I could never forget that. That was unforgivable. Our families died on that planet, but then…"

"The One and his warriors battled the Death Reaper on the Oracle's home world. It was a bloody, yet a tiring war. Perhaps the most devastating battle to occur. Blood and fire spread across the planet. A glimmer of hope came when the One formed the sphere of purity. This gigantic source was collected from the spirits of the resurrected ones of the flesh world. The Orbs of Light helped process the hopes of these souls to help the One. Eventually, the One handed the sphere to the Bio-Hazard."

"Tai gave the Life Bomb to Takato."

"With one mighty swing, the Bio-Hazard slayed the Death Reaper. Before the last amount of particles faded from the Reaper, the One asked for the Reaper to be resurrected into an innocent child of a pure heart."

"Dorothy was born and grew up quickly into a ten-year-old girl. She in fact is the reincarnation of the D-Reaper."

"Yes, indeed. Five calendar periods later, the One and his warriors would meet the spirit warriors."

"Tai and his group met the legendary warriors."

"The spirit warriors defeated the corrupted Cherbui angel, the Knights of royalty and Lucifer himself."

"Cherbuimon, the Royal Knights and Lucemon…"

"When these two teams united, they had to overcome the great machine empire. Before doing so, they freed the Great Dragon out of her slumber and released the Goddess. That is I. Within this empire was a deadly mastermind. The creator of the empire was the Vengeful Soul."

"Bebimon. That bastard took over my body!"

"By possessing the great rival, the Vengeful Soul sought to avenge his followers slain by one of the original humans. He started off as an avenger but soon became possessed for the need of power. The One would gain an artifact and become possessed by the beast. The Beast would cause rampage across everything that he touches until his Son pleaded to stop. The Beast would see the error of his ways and ascend to the next level of divinity."

"Tai reaches level four status. He would then beat the crap out of Bebimon."

"The One would free his rival of the Vengeful Soul, destroy the this enemy, and liberate all those who supported the Soul. Peace did not last as the Hole opened over the heavens to release the demons from their prisons within Limbo. The One and the Bio-Hazard are reacquitanted by the Overlord and the Bio-Weapon. The heroes of light escape only to battle the Ultimate Cyborg. Every warrior had fallen until the Noble Knight intervened to destroy it."

"Davis became Ultima X and defeated the Super Artificial."

"However, the Hole was merely a foreshadowing of the events yet to come. The Hole pales in comparison to the Tunnel, which the Dark Angel is hoping to open. There's one last piece to this whole prophecy, you need to know…"

"What's that?"

"For the One to become the Messiah, the Dark Angel will need to…"

End of Flashback

-

After listening to Metalla X's explanation of Lady Moinanea's story, the warrior of courage became even more interested. He didn't want to be left out in the suspense.

"Will need to do what? What does the Dark Angel need to do? C'mon, Matt. Spit it out!"

"Sorry, but I cannot say."

"Tell me how you reached your level four status."

"Talk later. I'm ready to finish off where we last left off! What do you say? Just like old times if you ask me!"

"Whatever you want, Matt. But remember, if we manage to live through, you will tell me how you even used the spirit."

"Fine, but you better hope we survive kicking each other's asses."

(Play The Matrix Reloaded theme Chateau)

With that said, the warriors became radiated by bright auras of light. Their auras bounced off one another and crushed the ground under their sheer power. Keke couldn't even attempt to interfere since she would only get in the way. Metalla X was the first to step forward. He charges out ahead towards Omega X with his fists being drawn out.

"You ready, Taichi?! I'm going to kill you!"

"Bring it on, bitch!!"

The warriors collided with one another, while in turn sending out a massive explosion of energy. The rock ledge, which they stood on, was crumbling under their feet. Keke was forced to take off to take refuge over the forest. Omega X and Metalla X traded strong blows with each other. Fists were thrown out with extreme force but they were able to counter each other.

Omega X delivers an elbow shot into his ex-rival's torso. However, Metalla X saw through to this and kicks him in the face. The warriors pulled themselves away from each other and proceeded to throw out ki-coated fists. Their fists met their faces simultaneously. After a few moments, Metalla X took advantage of his adversary with an uppercut, which Omega X successfully avoided contact.

"That does it! Here I come, Yamato!"

Omega X phases out and reappears before Metalla X. They once again traded rapid blows, including slamming their fists with each other. Omega X was taken back by his ex-rival's battle aura and thrown off his guard. Metalla X once again took advantage. He delivers vicious kicks into Omega X's ribs and then punches him the gut multiple times. Each blow took their toll on Omega X as he spat out blood from his mouth.

"This isn't the time for this! I could stop them but I'll only get in the way. Plus, their battle auras would most likely kill me."

The warrior of friendship lands more punches across Omega X's face. One punch had enough force to send Omega X sailing across the landscape. He is sent plowing through a small mountain ridge. From there Metalla X caught up to his fallen adversary only to find that he was missing. He immediately picked up an incoming ki and found Omega X diving down at him. Metalla X dodged but only to be punched in the face. Omega X follows it up with an elbow shot to his gut and a kick to his chin. The deafening blows sent Metalla X skidding across the landscape.

"Is that all you've got to offer, Yamato?!"

"Likewise, Taichi!"

The stubborn warriors once again charged each other. They traded more punches across their faces. The intense energy of their auras was staggering. Calling them strong would be a severe understatement. They have already transcended past their normal limitations. They have exerted more power through their fists alone than by firing away excessive ki blasts.

Omega X slams a fist against Metalla X's face, who in turn retaliated. More punches and kicks were delivered at a rapid speed. Even Keke couldn't keep up with the two. The warriors take off into the heavens above and separated themselves from each other. Like a pair of comets, the pair slammed into each other several times until the heavens trembled under their sheer might. Omega X cupped his hands together while calling forth his ultimate attack. Meanwhile, Metalla X put out his hands in front of him to summon his finishing blow.

"Oh crap! I better get the heck out of dodge!" Keke shrieked.

"TERRA-"

"ICE BARRIER-"

"BEAM!!" the warriors cried out in unison.

Their attacks slammed into each other into a tight struggle. Both were exerting all of the power within their fiber digital bodies could even muster. Both attacks were ultimately detonated on impact as the warrior pair phased out from sight. The earth's heavens trembled even more than even the biggest earthquake known in recent times. The warriors reappeared behind each other. Omega X realized that he had his back against Metalla X. They both turned around to meet each other's fists. They were sent skidding back with little fatigue in their bodies.

(End theme)

"Wow! They did all that and they haven't even come close to showing fatigue!" Keke exclaimed. "Unreal… I wish I could ascend like them."

With the warriors staring each other down, Metalla X held out his right fist. The warrior of courage was ready to take anything his ex-rival was set to deliver. However, Metalla X merely licked the blood from his right hand and spat the blood out.

"Well, that's mildly disgusting, Matt."

"I'm relieved, Tai. It appears your current power status haven't gone weak on you."

Omega X was a bit taken back by this comment until he realized that his ex-rival had just nearly killed him to 'test him'. He stomped his foot down and went on a tirade.

"You son of a-! You just provoked me just to test me?! Right?! Am I right?!"

"You just needed a good kick in the ass."

"Well, that was inappropriate…"

"How did it feel, running wild with everything you've got, after all this time?" Metalla X asked while spitting more blood. "Up until a moment ago, you had a look of frustration all over your face."

"Say what?! You mean you just testing Tai, dad?" Keke said. "Wow, I thought you were actually serious about fighting him."

"In a way, yes. I had to do it because this Saitou character will just be even more ruthless than I have ever been. Our fights will be child's play compared to when Tai has to eventually face Saitou."

"I see."

"Besides, Tai. These guys came at you with a clever tactic. Their strategy was to suppress your power down to it's minimum, while utilizing their own abilities at their maximum levels."

Metalla X stepped forward and bandaged his right arm with a cloth sheet. He continued giving his warning to his ex-rival.

"With your head in an uproar as it was, no matter how much you fought them, Saitou would have overcome you."

"Matt… I…"

"Fight with a cool head, Tai. You can't go exerting your brawn in this matter. Though knowing you, I'm probably wasting my time telling you this."

Suddenly, Omega X was slightly chuckling only to give an outburst of laughter. The warrior of friendship was a bit taken back by his laughter.

"I missed the joke, Tai. What's so funny?" Keke wondered.

"Yeah, I don't remember even humoring you."

"Oh, nothing! Ha! Ha! It's just that- I never though that I'd be told by you to cool my head. It's a bit too much and unexpected. No, really. You never saw this coming! Ha!"

"Grr. You idiot. Maybe I should have been serious and killed you when I had the chance."

"But, no, seriously. Thanks, Matt. That was what I needed."

Without answering Omega X, Metalla X walks away over to Keke and prepares to set off.

"Hey, Matt. Go meet with everyone else. They should be miles from the caverns."

"Why aren't you going to come along?"

"No. I left behind a monster that is waiting for me as we speak. I promised him that I would return to resume our fight after I came here to rescue Keke. Then, you showed up unknowingly."

"I see. So you left him behind just to save my daughter? Is that why you left Max to be taken away?"

"I couldn't do anything. This monster wouldn't let me go and save him. He would have stopped me the whole way through. I have to go back and resume our fight."

"Then, go. When you're through with him, then come back."

"Also, the tunnel is set to be opening in two days. No, make it by tomorrow. The hole will have been completely open. Even if it's just until we get Max back."

"Don't try sweet-talking me, Tai."

"C'mon, dad. We have to go and rescue, Max! Please, for me!"

"You'd better listen to your daughter. You should do it for her. She has a deep bond with my son."

"Is this right, Keke?"

"Yes, very much."

"All right. But if we're too late to stop the tunnel from opening, then there's nothing I can do. What's done is done. You should be thinking about that too, Tai. If Armageddon comes tomorrow, then so be it."

"Just, curious. Wouldn't you be interested in The Human Armageddon CD?" Omega X asked with curiosity.

"The Human Armageddon?"

"You know. The cd that shows all of the crimes and atrocities that we humans have ever done. They say Saitou must have swiped it from the Holy Realm under the Sovereign's noses. Even Shintomon knows about it. It's apart of their top secret files. Once he's defeated, maybe I can show it to you."

"But that's the Holy Realm's top secret material."

"Yeah, I don't want my dad is lose it like Saitou did!"

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about you dad, Keke. He'll probably think its rubbish."

"Besides, I doubt they let you get away with taking it either, Tai," Metalla X scoffed.

"Doesn't matter. It's a small sacrifice to pay for a larger victory. Besides, I never even ordered to get the footage back."

"This is starting to get interesting, Tai."

"Ok, now tell me that last part Lady Moinanea mentioned in the prophecy about what the Dark Angels needs to do with the One?"

"I don't know. She even left me in suspense. Looks like we will have to find out for ourselves."

"A Messiah, huh? Wonder if it's true."

"Well, if the events of the prophecy have so far been eighty-five percent accurate, then it could happen."

"I'm really interested to know. But, I've got another question. How did you manage to use and control your spirit?"

"Oh that… As soon as I received my spirit, I was told to go see Yamaki and the Hypnos team. They had a device called the Brutes Wave. I still have some memories during the time Bebimon possessed my body. The Hypnos team used it on him and my body to transform into that gigantic wolf beast."

"Yeah, how could I ever forget that?!" Keke exclaimed. "You… Well Bebimon killed us all."

"I'll never forgive that worm for taking my body as his tool. As soon as I arrived the Hypnos HQ, I found it to be abandoned. Then, Yamaki himself approached me. He informed me that they had relocated to an underground facility and moved all of their equipment there after the whole incident with the Super Artificial. With another danger looming in the horizon, they made priorities with their move. I was taken to their underground facility to become a test subject for the Brutes Waves. My guess was that Lady Moinanea felt that the Brutes Waves would be the much needed boost to activate the spirit…"

-

-

Flashback

Being contained inside of a capsule, Metalla X was laid with wires attached to his body. They were used to track down on his heart rate.

"Ok, Riley. We're going to give the Brutes Waves another go," the head of Hypnos ordered.

"But, sir. The last time we even used it was on Bebimon. What are the chances Yamato won't turn into a monster again?"

"It's worth it if we are to survive the attack by these monsters Lady Moinanea warned us about."

"Systems are set and operational," Talley stated.

"Good! Now run the Brutes Waves project!"

With that said, the team activated the generator to the Brutes Waves and opened the surface hatchet. The satellite rose to the surface and positioned itself directly towards the moon. After a signal given by Yamaki, Riley activates the satellite to send out the waves directly with the moon's radiant light. The rays synchronized with one another and bathed their light over Metalla X. The warrior seethes under the pressure from the light and felt the artifact pulsating with energy. He immediately sat up and his heart rate was immediately going off the scale.

"Sir! His heart rate is increasing! If he strains himself too much, he'll die!" Riley warned Yamaki.

"We're close to accomplishing our task, Riley! Just a few more seconds should suffice!"

Within a few moments, Metalla X's armor shattered from his body and he grew to a gigantic werewolf creature. He ripped his way through the capsule and unleashes an unforgiving roar. The Hypnos team panicked at the sight of the werewolf until it's body started radiating. The beast eventually shrunk down and became engulfed in a bright column of light.

"We did it. He's undergoing the transformation as we speak," Yamaki said. "Lady Moinanea. We did it. After many failures, we have finally gotten Yamato merged with the spirit."

As the column of light started to fade, a pair of crimson eyes was peering through the light. A long figure was standing out with electric streaks coursing through his form. Yes, it was indeed a reality. Yamato has finally achieved the rare level four stage of digital fusion.

"At last, I gained my fourth level form and became the warrior you see before you. I was once again reborn."

End of flashback

-

"Wow, that's a pretty crazy story, Matt. So you were able to control it?" Omega X asked.

"Yes. Unlike you, I'm able to control my form with a great disciplined mind. As a singer and a lover for music, I sung a song to myself to help contain the beast from within."

"Sort of like singing a lullaby," giggled Keke.

"Yeah, sort of."

"Well, Matt. It's good to know we have another fourth level warrior on our team. Now we're ready for anything."

Suddenly, Metalla X felt an approaching ki coming from beyond the distance. Even Omega X was picking up on this sudden movement of wicked ki.

"Heh. Like now, huh, Tai?" Keke teased him.

"Well, it looks like we have some company," said Metalla X.

Flying down from the gaping hole were two gigantic figures. One of which was a large black-clad devil-like creature with an orange bat symbol printed on his chest and the other was a sinister-looking samurai warrior. Behind them was a massive white armored beast with purple gliders sprouting on it's back. His face was covered with a red mask and yellow eyes underneath the mask. His limbs were long, skinny and his fingers were sickly in appearance. A lump of yellow shaggy hair covered his head on top of the red mask.

"Well, looks like someone needs to brush and floss!" Omega X made a comment to the larger beast.

"Those guys must have come from out of the hole!" Keke said.

"Devimon. Musayamon. Belial Myotismon," Metalla X stated each digimon's identity.

"Well, well. Look what we have here, boys," Musayamon snickered.

"Here we are, beckoned by the scent of delicious morsels," Belial Myotismon spoke in a thunderous tone. "I smell the stench of digimon off of them."

"Interesting, a pair of hybrids and a human girl together?" Devimon said. "This is quite a sight to behold, but it's a shame they won't be together for very long."

"Looks like we're already in phase three," Metalla X informed his comrades. "That means our home planet is going to start crawling with these kind of low level idiots."

"Idiots you say?!" Belial Myotismon laughed.

"That does it! You might not look good, but I'm going to dlice you up into chowder!" Musayamon said while pointing to Metalla X.

"Tai. Now here's a really good reason why I now decided to join you guys again," Metalla X stated. "If we don't act now, then I'll be forced to do deal with these naive scumbags constantly. Believe me. It's going to be a pain in the ass for me."

"That would be very unpleasant," Keke said nodding.

"Absolutely," replied Omega X.

"Bah! We're the ones who find you unpleasant!" Devimon hissed. "Take this! The Touch of Evil!"

"Crimson Mist!!"

"Time to dice you fools up!"

Within a split second, the trio quickly moved across and made short work of the three viral types. Keke sends out a ki blast to destroy Musayamon. Omega X punches his away through Devimon without breaking a sweat. Lastly, Metalla X easily disposed of Belial Myotismon with his claws. The giant was cut down in half before breaking down into data.

The trio was completely unscathed while a large data cloud streaked past them.

"We don't have time to be goofing with idiots like those fools," Metalla X sighed.

"Well, Matt. I really have to get back with my fight. You make sure to tell everyone else about my whereabouts."

"Ok, but you come back. Got it?"

"Hey, I've never abandoned you guys before. If things get messy, just use telepathy to reach to me. Hopefully my fight doesn't last too long."

"Good luck, Tai!" Keke said with encouragement.

With a nod, Omega X placed his two fingers on his forehead to teleport out using his Time Warp. Metalla X was left behind with Keke.

"Ready to go, Keke?"

"You bet, dad!"

-

-

Back at the Demon's Cavern

The cries of Max echoed from throughout the cavern. Saitou's crew was gathered around the sphere containing the boy.

"Just go ahead and kill me already! I don't want to live through this!" Max screamed.

"Phase two has now already been set," Saitou said. "Now we do everything we can to draw out the boy's secret power. We're only a few short moments before the tunnel is open."

-

-

Miles away the water facility

Another hunt was ensuing with BW searching the forests for the other winged monster. He suddenly felt a cold breeze around the temperate forest but managed to concentrate to find the monster's ki. So far, he had no luck.

"He's got to be here somewhere," BW growled in frustration. "Where ever he is, he's really good at masking his ki. Hey, why don't you show yourself you bastard?!"

He received no response from the ice dragon and continued his walk through the forest. Just then, he saw a sudden swift movement within the brushes. BW stopped and picked up on slight vibrations from within the air.

"What was that just now…?"

Suddenly, BW turned to find a swift hand movement strikes him across the face. The former Black War Greymon is sent skidding across the forest. He immediately responds by sending out a double ki blast. His attacker flew up into the air and shoots down an icy projectile. BW retaliates with a ki beam to knock the ice blast out of its course.

"Show yourself!"

"As you wish," the ice dragon hissed.

BW stepped into a battle stance while the creature landed on the ground with its arms crossed. The monster looked exactly like Novdramon with the same body structure except that it's skin was light blue and his lips were pink.

"You must be one of the seven monsters, right?"

"Wow, you're a fast one. Aren't you?"

"Very funny. Now identify yourself because I'm the last person you'll ever lay your eyes on."

"Call me Eisdramon."

(Eisdramon. Type: Dragon Warrior Digimon. Level: Mega. Special Attacks: Arctic Barrier, Subzero Breath & Icicle Spears)

"Eisdramon? Well, my name is BW. That will be the last name you will ever hear because I'm ending your life right now."

"Oh, such idle threats. Do you think you can carry out your threats?"

"Try me."

"As you wish-"

Before words could even come out of BW's mouth, Eisdramon had just already phased out from sight. He paused for a moment and felt a driving force being exerted into his gut. He lets out a deep gasp and saw Eisdramon with an elbow driven in his gut.

"Not so easy, am I?" Eisdramon snickered. "So you're the former Black War Greymon? Just how many years ago was that?"

BW immediately responds with a fist smashing against Eisdramon's face. The force wasn't enough to even push the ice dragon. Eisdramon responds by creating an ice barrier would his body and encasing BW within an ice sculpture. BW cried out before his voice was silenced by the time the cold breeze froze him completely from head to toe.

"There. That should keep you encased. You weren't even worth the time. Maybe I should have asked you for Taichi's whereabouts. But I'll simply find him by reading on his ki. Oh well. Now, it's onto finding Taichi and finishing him before my brother does."

With that said, Eisdramon flies out into the distance to begin his search for Omega X. Little does he realize is that Novadramon is already beginning to commence battle with the warrior of courage. BW remained frozen in place but his thoughts were still in effect.

"Good. I can still use telepathy despite the condition I'm in. Tai's in trouble if he has to fight two monsters at once. I'll have to call on the others. Tai will need help and it's going to take some time for me to break out of this damn ice shell. Ok, time to start cranking that ki."

-

-

Abandoned Water Facility

Ten minutes has officially passed and Novadramon had patiently waited. He had assumed a meditation position to conserve his energy. Suddenly, Omega X had returned using his Time Warp teleportation. Without turning back around, Novadramon sits up from his meditation.

"So, Taichi. Did you save the girl?"

"Yeah, but I did have a run-in with Yamato. I hope my power didn't actually weaken after I was dealing with him."

"Yamato? Yes, I felt his power. You and him were very much even in power and strength."

"I'd like to thank you for allowing me to help Keke and her father out."

"Good, because now is time we settle our fight. We shall determine which of us is the better warrior. I will give everything I've got."

"Likewise, Novadramon."

Both warriors raised their ki and sported auras radiating over their bodies. Omega X steps into a battle position just before Novadramon did the same.

"Taichi. I'm ready."

"Good. What do you say we get started?" Omega X said with a grin. "As soon as I beat this guy, he'll give me the digicore and I'll ask him if he can help me to save Max. If this guy is anything like Pikkan and BW, he'll have an honor code. But, first things first. I'm going to give him the honor to fight me one on one."

-

-

Miles away from Demon's Cavern

Elsewhere, just many miles across from Demon's Cavern, Shintomon had transported himself and the group party at the area where Demon's Cavern was positioned. The higher digimon chose a spot miles away from the cavern since the barrier around the cavern prohibits any form of teleportation to enter through it. That includes Shintomon's own teleportation.

Sora, Kari and TK looked across to find Metalla X and Keke flying across from the distance. They waved out to the pair.

"Look! There's Matt and Keke!" Sora calls out to the group.

"Great! We're all together again!" TK said.

"Except for my brother. Where is Tai?" Kari wondered. "Hopefully, he gets here soon."

Shintomon gives a nod to everyone to remind them that they would be ready to set off through the forest to Demon's Cavern.

"Taichi. Where ever you maybe, we will need you if we come across Saitou. But for the time being, we'll just have to wing this one out. With Yamato also possessing the ability to ascend to the fourth level, we have a chance. I just hope we aren't too late to save Max… For Taichi's, humanity's and the digital universes' sakes."

The two monsters have revealed themselves. One of which possesses the elements of the sun. Novadramon has the code of a true warrior. On the other hand, his brother, Eisdramon is quite opposite and a cutthroat. He chills his opponents with his ice powers, just as he demonstrated on BW. Hideto the Sniper has been slain by Metalla X, who had just now achieved the level four digital fusion statuses. He and Tai had their little fun but now they must be aware of the dangers that loom in the horizon. With the team nearly reunited, they set off to Demon's Cavern to rescue Max. Can Tai settle the fight with Novadramon to rejoin his comrades or will Eisdramon prevent him from doing so? Armageddon looms within the horizon and there is only little time left.

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

(Preview)

Tai: Hey, everyone! It's me, Tai! The next episode will feature myself and Novadramon laying the smackdown on each other. This guy is more than meets the eye! He's already giving me a run for my money and proves to be at a higher level than the previous four monsters. Everything's going smoothly until Eisdramon interferes.

Novadramon: Brother! What do you think you're doing? This is a one on one battle I promised Taichi!

Eisdramon: Promises are meant to be broken, dear brother. It's best to kill your enemy while they're down. Allow me to have the honor to kill him before he gains an upper hand.

Novadramon: Not like this. I will not allow it, even if I have to eliminate you brother.

TK: Meanwhile, my brother reunites with our team once again. We head out to Demon's Cavern to find ourselves in another territory set by Saitou's minions.

Kari: We enter Mari the Game Master's territory.

Dorothy: Rules are set that only six humans and five digimon can enter.

Saitou: We're just under an hour away from the time the tunnel opens. Max, let's just see if they can save you in time.

Max: Don't underestimate my family and friends! They will come!

Shintomon: So, that makes it myself, Veemon, Gatomon, Patamon and Terriermon to enter. Davis, Metalla X, Kari, TK, Henry and Dorothy will enter too. Fair enough. We'll win this ridiculous game and pass through.

Henry: Who would have ever thought we'd be playing games before the end of mankind?

Terriermon: Crazier stuff has happened to us before.

Omega X: Is there more to the prophecy said by Lady Moinanea? I supposed to be this 'One' who eventually become a Messiah? But what role does Dark Angel play in this? What is he supposed to do to me, in order to reawaken this Messiah?

Keke: The next episode is entitled…

-

-

Enter Mari's Gaming Territory! Omega X's Dilemma with the Elemental Dramon Brothers!

-

Ryo: What? You mean 'he' is about to emerge in this world? I have to get to those caverns and find out for myself.

-

-

Look at all these conflicts! Damn, our heroes are way over their heads. But we have now seen Matt finally even out with Tai as he reaches the fourth level. We're getting closer to the arrival of the last, final monster. I hope you're ready for that one, Ninetalesuk. ((wink)) Not to mention the second round between Tai and Saitou. Will the actual Millenniumon appear? He will but give it time.

If you noticed, I added an interesting twist with this whole prophecy that deals with the events of the entire series, huh? While it has some religious meaning, I am no way a religious person and do not mean to add any of that to my story. It's just a little twist to make my entire series more meaning. Just what will the Messiah look like and how he will appear? You'll just have to continue reading to find out. ((wink))

I hope everyone is having a safe Christmas Eve. Incase I don't post a chapter by tomorrow, I wish everyone a Happy Holiday. Let's hope 2005 will bring bigger things for my D-Fusion series, including its inevitable conclusion. The Pharaohmon series is still going strong and there are many stories I hope to write before my retirement from Happy holidays to all and all a good night!