Zero Unit: Today, I've got a question designed for the lone wolves of each team, Matt, Ken, Rika, Kouji, Thomas, and Kiriha. And yes, it's Ken because the others don't really fit the criteria needed to qualify as a lone wolf. Now, the question is, if your teammates were stuck in the middle of the sea, who would you save first?
Rika: Jeri.
Kouji: Kouichi.
Kazu: She didn't even hesitate!
Takuya: That's a fair response.
Ryo: That's real cold, Ice Queen.
Zoey: They are brothers, after all.
Zero Unit: Those are pretty good answers from those two. But what about the rest of you guys? Remember Matt, you can't choose TK because he counts only towards the 02 team. And Thomas, Kristy and Relena are not options because they were not official members of your team.
Thomas: Then I suppose I'll choose Keenan. He is the youngest and I'm sure the others are capable of getting themselves out.
Yoshino: I would've chosen the same.
Zero Unit: And the rest of you?
Matt: Uh… Maybe… No… How do you expect the bearer of friendship to decide on this?!
Ken: Being the bearer of kindness also makes this hard to answer.
Kiriha: Taiki or Nene…
Akari: You can at least pretend to deliberate on your answer!
Kiriha: Not Akari.
Taiki: *Holding back Akari* Hey, Zero? I think it's time to go back behind the fourth wall. Let's try to have them answer those questions next time. Or possibly give them a question that won't cause tears, anger, or a rift among friends.
Zero Unit: Please enjoy today's chapter.
-X-
December 21: Water Area – 10:08 AM
Cody and SuperStarmon landed in a clear lake with a big splash but when they stuck their heads out for air, they saw a falling Ankylomon coming down on them. Cody's partner was far from the largest and the heaviest Digimon but the fact remained that he was falling back first and that back was covered in sharp spikes.
"Swim boy! Swim!" SuperStarmon yelped.
With a cannonball, the two males in the lakes were washed ashore, coughing up water as Ankylomon sunk down to the bottom like a rock. Cody quickly raised his D-3 as he was refilling his lungs with air and a yellow light traveled from the lake and into his device. It wasn't long before a dazed Armadillomon floated to the surface.
"Are you okay, Armadillomon?" Cody coughed up.
"Huh… So that's what it's like to be in water and not be Submarimon," the Rookie groaned.
While SuperStarmon fished Armadillomon out of the water, Cody had to strip off his wet clothes to keep himself from catching a cold. Due to the last time he had fallen into cold water, he made sure to be prepared this time around. He brought along an extra outfit kept in a vacuum sealed plastic bag so that it would stay dry even if his entire backpack fell into water.
"Huh, and here I thought you were really skinny," SuperStarmon commented from a few meters away. "But you've actually got some muscle on you."
A lot of people seemed surprised by that fact when they saw the skin under his shirt which made sense seeing as he doesn't appear to be the type to work out. "I have years of kendo training under my belt," he responded while drying himself off with a towel. "My grandpa likes to give full-body workouts."
"It pays off."
SuperStarmon was obviously trying to make small talk since they were stuck in that place together with no way out. It would be painfully boring otherwise but Cody didn't want to talk about something that didn't concern their current predicament.
"We should try to rejoin Yuu or maybe even one of the others," Cody huffed.
"Nah," SuperStarmon waved off.
A frown appeared on the boy's face when he heard this. "Can't you take anything seriously? Suzie and the others are in danger and it's likely that so is everyone else. We can't waste another second on mindless conversation."
The golden Digimon shrugged, the fringe on his gloves flapping around as Armadillomon finally found the energy to stand up. "I'm just trying to be better friends. Even in the direst of situations, shouldn't we try to be friends?"
"Being allies is good enough for me," Cody muttered as he walked over to his partner to make sure he was okay. "And the most important thing right now is regrouping."
SuperStarmon adjusted his sunglasses which gleamed from the unknown light source as he watched his companions walk towards the forest. He had to wonder what they were thinking of finding by mindlessly ambling around in the woods. Another floating eyeball to walk into and end up in some other wacky place?
"You're pretty big on justice," Yuu's partner suddenly stated.
"Is that a bad thing?" Armadillomon inquired though it sounded more like a dare of sorts.
"Depends," SuperStarmon replied. Cody had paused to listen to what this Digimon had to say about him and his nature. "It's great if that sense of justice is that everyone gets what they deserve. But if you're so set on punishing evil based on your definitions, you're going to lose sight of your true purpose as a Chosen Child."
Cody's frown grew deeper. "What are you talking about? A Chosen Child protects the worlds and fights the bad Digimon. It's as simple as that."
The shades-wearing Digimon turned to the side so that his profile was what Cody saw. "Is it now? You know, I had a cousin that was a lot like you. He was a sheriff of a dusty old town and he was always about finding some way to punish the criminals and defend the town. But there were times when he lost sight of something else important."
If it was really something so important, why would he forget it? Then again, every other week, Cody would find himself asking his grandfather about how his dad had died. How many times has the young boy heard the travesty that was his own father's death? But in truth, Cody could never forget that day.
"Either way, we should at least find the enemy in this Area," the human broached. "You don't want to be stuck here forever, right? So take our situation seriously."
"I am."
"By making a hammock?"
SuperStarmon finished creating his suspended swinging bed and he pulled himself onto it. The golden Digimon threw his arms behind his head and let out a sigh, as if it was just a few seconds from closing time at his grueling workplace. "We need our rest since we exerted some energy in our earlier fight and besides, it will be better for our enemies to come to us."
Cody resisted the urge to sound bitter but he did narrow his eyes, shift his weight to one foot, and put a hand on his hip. "So they can sneak up on us?"
"I know exactly where the bad guys are going to show up from so they won't be sneaking up on us," SuperStarmon assured him.
Armadillomon rushed over and using his sharp claws, snipped the strings that held up the hammock from SuperStarmon's flashy boots, causing the thing – and the Digimon occupying it – to hit the ground with a thud. "Mind telling us or are you going to sit around all day?"
"Yeesh, and here I thought you were the nicer one," SuperStarmon groaned. "I suppose a lot's changed since that digital Chinatown episode."
The Chinatown episode? That's right; the events from Cody's adventures were made into a television show. If memory served correct, that meant SuperStarmon was referring to the day when his partner had first DNA Digivolved with Angemon. It was very special and again, another unforgettable moment in his life because not only did he become stronger but they were able to protect the final Destiny Stone from being destroyed by BlackWarGreymon.
But why was SuperStarmon bringing this up in the first place?
Before Cody could question the Digimon on this though, there was a sudden pressure hitting them as the lake began bubbling. "Wave of Depth!" Like a volcano, the entire body of water erupted and nearly crushed them under waves of water.
"Uh-oh," Armadillomon grimaced.
While it shouldn't have been physically possible, the entire Area filled up with water until it was all they could see. Thankfully, Cody was quick enough to evolve his partner into Submarimon and climb into the Armor Digimon so he was able to keep himself from getting wet a second time. Safely inside the oxygen-filled Digimon, they floated to the top, with SuperStarmon hanging onto his tail.
SuperStarmon squirted out water from his… mouth. "See, if we had walked into the woods, that tidal wave definitely would've caught us by surprise."
Cody had to admit that SuperStarmon's judgment had been right but instead of acknowledging this fact, he remained silent. They didn't have time to discuss this anyway as their foe surfaced his monstrous head, and then, the rest of his body. It was a mix of an undiscovered sea creature and a merman, creating a rather grotesque and intimidating form.
"Neptunemon?!" Submarimon gasped. "What's one of the Olympos XII doing here?"
SuperStarmon swam over to his ally's side. "Close, but no cigar. While that is Neptunemon, he's no member of the Olympos XII. He's just a copy that Bagramon created out of spare data to join his army and become an overseer of one of the zones. While he's not as powerful as the real Olympian, it would still be wise to be wary as he is still very strong."
"Thanks for the warning, but how did you know he was here?" inquired Cody.
"I was in his zone for a while," SuperStarmon replied. "I'd recognize the pressure he exudes anywhere."
A chilling smirk appeared on Neptunemon's face as he stabbed the air with his spear, pointing it towards Submarimon. For a brief second, Cody wasn't sure of what that had been about, but then SuperStarmon yanked him towards him, and away from the invisible spear that shot into and caused a massive splash in the water.
"Did he move so fast that he stabbed the water without us seeing?" Submarimon gasped.
"Or did he stab the air so hard that an air blade nearly pierced us?" Cody frowned, neither scenario meaning good things for them.
"I have already sullied the name of the Bagra Army for my failure at securing the Code Crown of the Island Zone," Neptunemon stated, swinging his spear around so that it rested by his side. "I shall not dirty the name of the Demon Lords by failing here."
"It doesn't look like you've got your troops with you though," SuperStarmon smirked.
"They were reconfigured and given a new lease on a different life after all the Code Crowns came together."
That's right. Cody had heard from Yuu that after the Xros Heart Army had collected all the Code Crowns, they were allowed to have one wish granted. Not only were they able to make Shoutmon king of the Digital World, but every enemy they fought and deleted were reborn as their good counterparts. But if that was true, why was Neptunemon…?
"Remember, he's a fake," SuperStarmon muttered. "Bagramon created a lot of the members in his army that way. So don't worry about deleting him permanently."
Fake or not, could they really win a fight against such a powerful enemy? After all, he had the advantage in this Area and it was obvious that SuperStarmon would have trouble evading attacks if he were to remain in the water the entire time.
"Let's strike first!" Cody commanded.
"Roger that!" Submarimon nodded. "Oxygen Torpedo!"
Air missiles rocketed out from the submarine and towards the merman. But obviously, judging from Neptunemon's one attack from before, he was much too skilled to be hit by such an attack as he swerved out of the way. Submarimon launched waves of torpedoes but each one missed its target.
"At least we can see his silhouette in the water," SuperStarmon pointed out. "It makes it easy for us to spot him."
Neptunemon's laugh traveled from beneath the surface and into their ear canals. "That may be so, but can you see my attacks?"
SuperStarmon hung onto Submarimon as they submerged, zigzagging through the water in order to keep themselves from getting stabbed by invisible spears. While it was an effective method, it was not one-hundred percent perfect as they were scraped multiple times by the speeding weapon. Cody was being rocked about and it was hard to keep his eyes open to see where he was steering, he might as well have been wearing those drunken goggles they used in health class.
"It's hard to look for our opponent like this!" Submarimon yelped.
"Blub blub blub," SuperStarmon added.
"I think he needs air!" Cody shouted over the roaring and rattling in his ears.
Submarimon surfaced for a few seconds so that the passenger that was not inside of him could take in a couple of gulps of air before going back underwater. He had to move quick if he wanted to avoid the wrath of their enemy. But when they submerged for the second time, they had to make an abrupt stop as they found themselves face to face with their very enemy.
Neptunemon slashed with his spear but it was caught by SuperStarmon who jumped off from the Armor Digimon and let the blade strike his shoulder. This forced the star-shaped Digimon to shout despite being underwater, accidentally filling his lungs with the wrong substance. Cody's eyes widened in shock when he saw his protector in pain and in danger of drowning as evident from his flailing about.
However, even Digimon that were not indigenous to water were resilient and someone like SuperStarmon was stubborn. There was no way he was going to go down without a fight, especially not when he hadn't even said a proper goodbye to his partner yet.
"I won't lose here!" SuperStarmon grunted. "Super Star Fist!"
Despite being underwater, the sound of a fist making contact with Neptunemon's scales still resounded in Cody's ears. But when the golden glow faded away, they could see that the Olympian had blocked the punch using his free hand.
"Do you honestly believe you can defeat the God of Water in his domain?" Neptunemon grinned. "Die, you cur!"
SuperStarmon was nearly impaled by the spear but Submarimon propelled himself forward and blocked it with his horn. While Cody's partner was renowned for his tough skin in any form that he took, it was obvious that this position was hurting him.
Cody ejected himself from his partner and that's when he revealed the item he had secretly brought along with him to the Digital World. Strapped beside his backpack was a long rod wrapped in gauze, unwrapping it here, he produced a Japanese sword which he unsheathed and cut into Neptunemon's arm, forcing him to release his captive.
"Blub blub!" the freed Digimon exclaimed.
Cody grabbed his comrade's elbow and swam up to get air while his partner kept the enemy busy. Once they broke through the surface, the brunet could speak. "Yes, I know I shouldn't have a real weapon with me. It's one of my grandfather's decorations, a real dangerous one at that. Putting that aside, are you crazy?!"
"For what?" SuperStarmon chuckled, a hand over his injury. "You've got to admit, between us, I'm the stronger one. But I never imagined you'd be the more reckless one."
"What if you had gotten killed? Think about how Yuu would feel!" Cody chided.
"That's how I knew I'd survive," SuperStarmon grinned despite not having a visible mouth. "I want to have more fun with my partner, more laughs, more silly banter; more of that kind of stuff. I couldn't care less about justice or saving the world. But if it meant getting to spend another day with my best friend, then I'll do it."
As sweet of a sentiment as that was, Cody couldn't help thinking that it was selfish. "Just because our sense in justice is so different doesn't mean you should disregard it like that. Our worlds need heroes because without us, we'd lose everything."
"Yuu is everything to me," SuperStarmon responded to the boy. "If you keep thinking about what the whole world needs, you'll forget what your everything needs. For you, isn't that your friends, your family, and Armadillomon? And if they lost you, they'd be upset too, right?"
The pieces fell into place here. "You threw yourself into danger to teach me a lesson?" Cody half-smiled. "To tell me that I'm disregarding my own life by thinking justice only meant punishing the guilty. Protecting the innocent…"
"It doesn't only mean their lives," SuperStarmon continued. "But their happiness. And you are part of that."
So the reference to the Chinatown episode was referring to not letting the fight against evil detract from enjoying life. When he had been so focused on stopping BlackWarGreymon, the others were thinking about getting some grub at Digitamamon's restaurant. It was a lot like that day four years ago. How could he forget?
"Submarimon!" Cody gasped when he saw his partner fly out of the water with a splash.
The aquatic Digimon returned to his Rookie form, landing close enough to Cody to hold in his free arm. He ended up floating away a bit when Neptunemon resurfaced, causing giant ripples to form from his body and push away the Chosen Child and his allies.
"Sorry Cody," Armadillomon groaned. "He's just too strong for me."
The boy rubbed his partner's head. "Don't be. I'm the one who pressured you into rushing into battle to end things as quickly as possible. It was wrong of me."
Before the moment could get mushy, Neptunemon pointed his dangerous-looking spear down at the puny beings in front of him. If he wanted to, he could have a kebab. "I'll be sure to end this quick though I can promise you that it won't be painless. After this, the Demon Lords will grant me a chance to take revenge on that damned Red General."
"I can't let you do that," Cody glared. This wasn't about protecting the world because it was the right thing though it was part of it. If this guy was targeting Taiki, a friend of his, then he couldn't just stand by. "There are people back home waiting for me and Taiki and everyone else to come home. I won't let you break their hearts by dying here."
"Big talk from a small boy," Neptunemon scoffed as he reeled back his weapon. "Die!"
What Cody needed right now was to protect his partner and Armadillomon felt the same way. So right before the spear could be jabbed in their direction, a bright yellow glow burst out from the boy's chest, blinding their enemy and bathing everyone else in the Area in warmth. There was a symbol shaped like an uppercase T with triangles hanging from each end, making it look like a child-drawn scale. One word came to mind here, justice.
"Angemon Data: 100%," a voice from inside one of SuperStarmon's pockets chimed. A holographic image of the angel Digimon appeared; performed one rotation before breaking apart into data particles and flowing into the yellow D-3. "Transfer complete."
"Whoops, I forgot I had that in there," SuperStarmon remarked. "I found it during my travels in the Digital World. Heard he used to be a friend of one of Nene's partners and he told me that he wanted to help protect the world one day. Stubborn fellow, refused to die completely so I decided to just bring him along."
Cody didn't really need that explanation at that moment. But either way, he knew exactly what to do now that he actually had Angemon data with him. "Armadillomon!"
"Right!" the Rookie nodded before being enveloped in the glow. "Armadillomon DNA Digivolve to…" From the hard-shelled mammal Digimon, he grew in size exponentially until he became a massive, floating clay doll that hovered just above the water's surface. It's been so long since Cody saw his partner in this form that it nearly surprised him to see him so big again. "Shakkoumon!"
"Just because you've reached a higher level doesn't mean I'm going to lose!" Neptunemon snarled. "Wave of Depth!"
"Let's get out of here!" SuperStarmon yelped as the tidal wave came towards them.
Shakkoumon raised his arms so that they were perpendicular to his body as his torso started rotating wickedly fast. Since this was a tidal wave and not an energy based attack, he would have a hard time absorbing it so instead, he just let the wave blast through him, not even making a dent on his hardened body and because of his rotations, there was no harm done to his comrades.
"You blocked it?!" Neptunemon gasped.
"I won't forgive anyone who threatens my partner," Shakkoumon stated. "Prepare to face justice! Kachina Bombs!"
As explosive clay disks were rapid-fired at Neptunemon, Cody and SuperStarmon swam towards a tree that had not been completely submerged in the water. They did keep one eye on the fight that was occurring behind him. After all, a powerful ally did not mean a guaranteed victory.
This was proven as Neptunemon began making multiple strikes in the air with his spear, destroying the disks before they could even reach him. The final stab was aimed for his opponent. "Vortex Penetrate!" The weapon came flying like a sentient projectile, as it chased Shakkoumon around no matter where the holy Digimon flew.
Shakkoumon rotated only his head 180 degrees so that he could look backwards at the biting spear while simultaneously flying forward. "Justice Beam!" From his eyes, he fired powerful lasers that blasted the weapon away, sending it buzzing back to its owner… who was no longer where they thought he was.
"Above you!" Cody cried out.
Shakkoumon had no time to look up or move out of the way as Neptunemon came crashing down, tail first, on top of the clay doll, smashing down on his head. The Olympian was now pushing him deeper underwater to keep him from resurfacing which was definitely bad news for them. While Shakkoumon could go hours without air, underwater was not his strong suit and he would certainly lose if he stayed under for too long against a sea creature like Neptunemon.
Shakkoumon was doing his best to get back onto the surface but it clearly wasn't working when he had Neptunemon's hands around his massive throat, holding him in the water. However, Cody's partner was able to keep part of Neptunemon above the surface, leaving his back exposed.
"He'll be able to sense an attack from me," SuperStarmon grimaced. "If I launch a Halley's Squall and he dodges, it'll only hurt Shakkoumon."
Cody took a moment to think about it. After all, while he had the crest of justice, he had inherited the crests of knowledge and reliability before that. "SuperStarmon… I weigh approximately fifty-two kilograms." This was met with a puzzled expression which was an impressive feat for someone whose eyes were covered. "Throw me."
"Excuse me? What did we just talk about?"
"Just trust me."
This plan was absolutely nuts which were usually SuperStarmon's favorite kinds of plans. But this was a really bad kind of nuts. Still, they didn't have many options so with his good arm, he grabbed Cody's wrist and flung the boy over the body of water.
Neptunemon couldn't sense the presence approaching him nor could he hear it because of all the splashing. So he didn't even realize Cody was there until the boy landed on his back, sword drawn. The merman quickly turned his body to fling the boy off but as Cody fell, he threw the blade right into one of Neptunemon's eyes.
"Now!" Cody shouted a second before he hit the water.
"Halley's Squall!"
"Justice Beam!"
Neptunemon was pelted from the front and the back before bursting into data. "I will have my revenge on the Xros Heart Army one day! Mark my words!" He yelled as the water levels dropped, slowly returning the Area to how it looked before the flood.
"That… was crazy…," Shakkoumon huffed.
"Uh… guys?" SuperStarmon called out. Turns out that the tree he had been on was skyscraper tall. "How do I get down?"
After getting him back down, they took a moment to catch their breaths after the hectic time they had in that Area. Cody was glad that his partner was stronger because it meant he would be able to protect everyone better. But not just because it was something he had to do, but wanted to do.
"Hey, SuperStarmon, whatever happened to that cousin of yours?" Cody inquired.
SuperStarmon shrugged. "Not sure. The mass of land that I was on broke off and I was separated from him. But I'd like to think that he learned that justice should be something you want to take part in, not something you have to."
The trio noticed another eyeball appear but they weren't forced into it like they had been before. When they looked out of it, they could see a snowy landscape awaiting them. Was this… the outside? Had they already completed their trials?
December 21: Darkness Area – 10:08 AM
Yuu and Damemon found themselves in pitch black darkness so they couldn't tell if they were even standing on a floor or if they simply weren't falling down a bottomless pit. They had no idea where they were but they did know that it was chilly there.
"I'm guessing this is the Darkness Area," Damemon mumbled.
The human thought back to the tales that the Warriors had sewn together about their adventures. This place had a very special spot in Kouji's heart because this is when he had first fusion evolved and where he had a near final showdown with Duskmon, Kouichi at the time. So who was the enemy this time? Well, the chill running down his spine was a good enough answer as any.
"NeoMyotismon," Yuu called out. "I know you're here. Show yourself!"
For a long moment, there was silence. And then, it was broken by a slow applause. When the teenager turned to the direction of the clapping, he had to cover his mouth to keep from vomiting. Suzie, Kazu, and Yutaka greeted him on crucifixes, stripped half naked and bleeding from almost every part of their body.
"They lost consciousness after losing so much blood," NeoMyotismon stated, appearing behind the captured humans. "Surprisingly, the little girl survived the longest."
That also meant that she suffered the most which was evident from the fact that it looked like Suzie was dipped into a vat of dark red paint while the others were still recognizable. "How could you do something like this? It's… awful…"
The vampire cocked his head to the side. "Well, then they shouldn't have tested my patience. It was annoying, you know. Listening to them talk about how the other humans would come to save them. I've never had such rambunctious prisoners."
Damemon was clenching down on his teeth so hard that they could've shattered. "You monster…"
"I'll get you for this!" Yuu snapped as he produced his X-Loader. "Damemon Super Evolve!"
Without even waiting or calling out his name, Tsuwamon just shot forward as soon as the evolution process had been complete. The mantis Digimon drew his sickles and slashed with them in an X shape but his blades were deflected. Not by NeoMyotismon, but by the axe of Antylamon and the spinning blade of Andromon.
"What?!" Tsuwamon gasped in English. "NeoMyotismon, what did you do to them!"
The Dark General's shoulders bounced up and down as he started cackling. "Oh, nothing much. I just did a little reprogramming; the influences of this Area did the rest."
"You dirty scoundrel!" Tsuwamon scowled.
"Reload Allomon and RookChessmon!" Yuu called out, bringing out his other allies to assist in the battle. His army wasn't nearly as big as the others since he didn't like doing a lot of Hunting but he did have one more powerhouse on him. "Digi-Xros! Tsuwamon! SkullGreymon!"
Like that time at the graveyard, Tsuwamon took up some skeletal armor before charging forward, once again skipping his new title in favor of taking down NeoMyotismon. Antylamon attempted to get in the way but her axes were stopped in their tracks by RookChessmon. And when Andromon tried to use his Lightning Blade attack, it was countered by the fireball that Allomon produced. So there was nothing but a clear shot at his target for Tsuwamon.
"Skeleton Mantis Dance!"
NeoMyotismon was slashed over and over again until he was chopped limb from limb. It was a rather sickening sight but what made it worse was knowing that even this would not be enough to defeat the undead Digimon as he repaired himself in an instant.
"Was that all?" NeoMyotismon smirked, fangs gleaming despite the lack of light. "Blue Obliteration!" His claws extended and grabbed the golden ninja, tearing him right in half much to the horror of onlookers. Granted, he would never go down that easily as he suddenly appeared, in one piece, right over his foe's head.
"Did you forget about my substitution ninjutsu?" Tsuwamon stated before producing cloth from out of nowhere. "Digi Ninja Art: Furoshiki Wrapping!" Once he had his enemy tied up in a cloth sack, he knew he had to act quickly and finish this in one move or else NeoMyotismon would just end up regenerating once more. "Digi Skull Art: Hermit Restoration!"
Compared to the partners of other Hunters, Tsuwamon was unique in the fact that he could undo his Digi-Xroses without the help of Yuu. So in a flash of white light, SkullGreymon suddenly appeared over the head of the vampire, aiming the missile on his back downwards.
"Double Dark Shot!"
Yuu covered his eyes and mouth to keep the dust and debris from flying into them though he had to say that he was grateful for having such wonderful partners. They were not only able to subdue Andromon and Antylamon easily (would've been harder if their Tamers were actually being manipulated as well) but Tsuwamon was able to think of an excellent plan to corner and obliterate the Dark General. But there was one thing troubling him…
"How is he able to regenerate at all?" Yuu wondered aloud. Three years ago, the reason why NeoMyotismon could regenerate was because of absorbing… Lopmon!
From the dust cloud, NeoMyotismon's claw stretched out and grabbed SkullGreymon by the face, throwing the dark dragon into the ground along with Tsuwamon. The undead Digimon's laughter echoed through the room as he rose like a phoenix. Not only that, but Antylamon escaped her restraints and landed a kick right under RookChessmon's jaw, sending the giant chess piece flying.
"Bunny Blades!" Antylamon changed her target to Allomon, cutting into the dinosaur throat and he would've been deleted if Yuu hadn't reacted quickly and returned him to his digivice. But he should've known it wouldn't be easy to restrain the Digimon Princess's partner.
"Lopmon have special healing properties so they can help me repair my wounds incredibly fast," NeoMyotismon laughed as he stood next to the bunny. "But Antylamon are even better! But to make this the best deal ever, this one happens to be the Deva! Oh, how rich! One of the loyal servants of the Sovereign has started serving me!"
"You've connected yourself to Suzie's partner?" Yuu shook.
Tsuwamon pushed himself out from underneath the heavy SkullGreymon. "But this means… if we destroy NeoMyotismon enough…"
"We'll be destroying Antylamon," Yuu finished.
December 21: Wind Area – 10:17 AM
EmperorGreymon joined Ophanimon in the sky, drawing his broadsword and clashing with Darkdramon in the sky. But this foe had been confident in his victory for good reason, he had enough speed to keep up with both of his opponents despite the fact that they should be directly below the combat level of a Royal Knight. Not only that, but he possessed the raw power to knock them back with a single kick to the gut.
"And Mr. McCoy fought this guy way back when?!" EmperorGreymon grunted.
"Janyu was actually the person who fought him!" Glare corrected. "And he wasn't nearly as powerful back then!"
The Legendary Warrior didn't really need any clarification, what he needed to know was this guy's weak point. "Let's try this! Dragonfire Crossbow!"
White hot arrows were fired from EmperorGreymon's weapon but Darkdramon countered using his Dark Roar attack which deflected all the projectiles before they hit him. But this gave Ophanimon an opening as she rocketed forward and downwards with her javelin. Unfortunately, her holy lance was blocked by his blade.
"Try that again, I dare you," Darkdramon smirked before digging his knee into the angel's exposed stomach. EmperorGreymon tried to assist but by the time he had reached the pair, their enemy had already slammed his elbow into the back of Ophanimon's head, sending her straight down to the ground.
"Ophanimon!" Glare gasped, concerned for his partner.
"You'll pay for that!" EmperorGreymon roared. "Dragon Soul Sword!"
"Gigastick Lance!" Darkdramon leered, blocking the blade. "Shall we see which of our weapons is superior?"
The Legendary Warrior didn't need to nor did he want to know. After all, supposedly, Darkdramon's blade rivaled that of the Royal Knight's, Gallantmon. According to Marcus, the paladin was probably, at most, the fourth strongest among the Knights. Seeing how much trouble he had just taking on one of the weaker ones, Dynasmon, three years ago, was enough evidence to show who was stronger between Darkdramon and EmperorGreymon.
"The strength of your weapon doesn't matter here," EmperorGreymon stated as they pulled back so that they were a few meters away from each other. The dragon jabbed a thumb at his chest. "It's about the strength of your convictions and that's what'll determine the victor in this match."
Darkdramon scoffed, not buying it. "We'll see about that."
Glare helped Ophanimon back to her feet as they watched the scene unfold above their heads. Both fighters were slowly circling around, silently daring the other to make the first move as they kept their weapons at their sides. The tension in the air was enough to make anyone feel nervous about the outcome.
"I hope he didn't get overconfident from that power boost," Glare gulped.
"Don't worry, he seems like a trustworthy character," Ophanimon huffed.
As if someone shot a pistol to signal the start of a race, EmperorGreymon and Darkdramon twisted their blades and shot towards each other. However, when Darkdramon slashed thin air, he realized that the Warrior's aim was not, in fact, him.
EmperorGreymon landed on the ground beside Glare and stabbed the soil with his sword. The Area became hot as eight lines expanded outwards from his weapon, cracking open the ground and taking the shape of flaming dragons. "Pyro Dragons!"
Ophanimon quickly raised her hands so that one was right above her pelvis, palm facing up, and the other was at her bosom, palm facing down. Ten crystals appeared in a Sephiroth formation, the same shape that was Sukkakumon if each sparkling gem was an Area. "Sephiroth Crystals!"
Each gem took a place on one of the nine flaming dragon's foreheads while the tenth exploded like a flash bang, temporarily blinding Darkdramon and stunning him. That moment was all that was needed for all nine dragons to pass through his body one by one until the last one, EmperorGreymon himself, soared through with his broadsword swinging. The final slash cut open their foe and left behind a silhouette and a Fractal code.
"Prepare to be purified in the flame!" said EmperorGreymon, taking the code into his D-Tector. And finally, the fight was over.
When the Legendary Warrior landed on the ground, returning back to his human form, they noticed that two eyeballs had appeared nearby. One of them revealed nothing while the other showed the outside world where Cody, Keenan, a woman he'd never met, and a couple of Digimon were staring up at them.
"Julia!" Glare blinked, looking out the eyeball.
"Ah, I figured she was a comrade of yours," Takuya chuckled breathlessly. He had a lot of questions for this stranger and he knew in his heart that he shouldn't trust this man so easily. But there really wasn't much of a choice here. "I need you to do me a favor."
December 21: Blizzard Fields – 10:23 AM
When Keenan and Julia flew out of Sakkakumon on top of Crowmon, they saw Cody, Armadillomon, and SuperStarmon all plummet several meters into the cold snow. What was worse was that they were all wet so landing in these freezing temperatures could not have been good for them. That made their first priority to warm them up.
As they were snuggling into the blankets from Keenan's bag, they spoke to Julia about information they didn't have. Apparently, after Robert McCoy's travels thirty to forty years ago, Glare and Julia had to be recalibrated and they weren't reborn until thirty-two years ago, which was their current age.
Despite being humans, they lived in the Digital World, a place known as Digital City specifically. Supposedly, there was a fifth version of the Digital World that had not been ruled by any Sovereign though it is believed to be the resting place of Huanglongmon.
City was divided into two factions, Light Fang and Night Crow, with Glare and Julia serving as chiefs respectively for the last twenty years. Five years ago, right after the defeat of Yggdrasil, remaining data of this digital god found itself in City, becoming a fearsome creature that threatened everyone in City and their way of life. Koh and Sayo, novice Tamers of opposing factions, joined forces to drive out the evil force taking over Night Crow, slowly making names for themselves as the best.
"This is way too elaborate to be made up," SuperStarmon muttered.
Cody was still a little skeptical but he had to agree. The story was so specific in some places where Julia had personal experience that it was hard not to believe her. "So why are you here?"
"City was destroyed by Belphemon," Julia explained. "There were few survivors. We took refuge at Shoutmon's Kingdom Town where we were asked by the Celestial Angels to find the Chosen Children who would be arriving in this world soon. However, Glare and I got caught up in Sakkakumon's Thunder Area. We eliminated the hordes of Thundermon though and then proceeded to find you guys."
Keenan blinked, pointing his head up towards Sukkakumon when he noticed something from his periphery. "Hey, it's Risa!"
In the arms of Ophanimon, Glare floated down to meet the others with an unconscious Risa accompanying him. Once they were all together, they were told that Takuya had chosen to remain inside in order to confront the Warrior of Steel who should be waiting for him in either the Steel or Light Areas. But SuperStarmon and Cody were concerned about Yuu, where was he?
But when they looked back up, at the center orb with the crest of light emblazoned onto it, they let out a gasp. Yuu stood there with his partners by his side, facing NeoMyotismon and two very familiar Ultimate Digimon.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Behind the dark general were three wooden boards shaped like crosses, and bound to those crosses by chains digging into their skin, were three bloody humans. It was a horrendous sight, especially knowing that Suzie was one of the youngest people to come with them to the Digital World and she was the one who was hurt the most. Not to mention the fact that Yutaka shouldn't have even come to this world in the first place.
"What did that jerk do to them?!" Cody trembled. A raging fire burning in his soul.
"Yuu can't win against NeoMyotismon by himself!" SuperStarmon added, panic rising in his voice which was unusual for the usually laidback Digimon. "We have to help him!"
But how? As far as they knew, Yuu and his partners were on their own. Just like how Takuya was going to be on his own when he went up to take on the Warrior of Steel. And even if those two humans succeeded in their individual missions, they all knew that Sakkakumon was going to come alive with data on each and every one of them. This was likely their toughest battle ever.
-X-
Shakkoumon has made his appearance! But things aren't looking so good with our captives or with Yuu. Will Takuya and Yuu be able to survive their final trials? And even if they do, will the brought-together group be able to take down Sakkakumon? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, more to come soon. I know it's an early update but that's what happens when you're home for summer vacation! I've got a lot of free time on my hands while my sister is at school. Anyway, don't forget to leave a review and I will see you guys in the next chapter! Later, my peeps!