Terriermon: Oops…
Kari: What is it?
Terriermon: Well, last chapter, Henry, Rika, and Zoey are playing cards so I was asked to bring the prop back in for this chapter. But… I ended up getting Henry's deck instead.
Henry: *Sighs* How can you possibly mess that up? My deck was in my pocket.
Tagiru: *Raises hand* Actually! I was curious about what kind of deck you used. We learned a lot about Takato's during New Year's, which was that they were mostly useless, but we don't know anything about yours.
Takato: Hey! ...They're only useless in battle.
Terriermon: Ooh! I got this! *Clears throat and pulls in a whiteboard from off screen* Unlike most players, Henry uses a variety deck. This means that he has a wide assortment of types and attributes. He likes to build his decks based on stats. For example, faster Digimon means he will stack strength and defense cards while stronger monsters will get speed and accuracy boosts.
Jeri: Isn't one of his favorite cards to use Substitute?
Tommy: Oh! I know what that is! If a Digimon is in the line of attack, then they can switch with a weaker one in your hand. You take no damage for the attack so it's great for stalling.
Tai: Let me guess… It's a dud in real battle.
Henry: Not true when used in combination with Piedmon's Mirror.
Takuya: Isn't that the card that allows you to draw any card so long as they are the same one's on the enemy's side?
Rika: Exactly. In actual battle, it will create a clone of the enemy Digimon though they're nothing more than a lifeless doll. You can then use Substitute immediately after to get that clone in the line of fire since it will always be weaker. The best part, whatever happens to that clone will happen to the real one.
Ryo: Unfortunately, you'd need the fastest reflexes alive to pull off that combination in time. So while it's technically not a dud, it's not a good idea to use it unless the bad guy is slow.
Terriermon: Another favorite of ours is Manufacturing Error. It's a card that only works on two Digimon, MegaGargomon and MetalGarurumon. Both Digimon are able to use an attack that involves shooting missiles from every part of their bodies. But while my missiles are fiery…
Gabumon: Mine are icy!
Taiki: So in other words, Manufacturing Error allows those two to switch elements for those attacks. But you don't necessarily need them both on the field.
Zero Unit: *Slams a buzzer, confetti starts falling, a banner drops down from above saying "I'm suffering greatly!"* Correct!
Keenan: *Glancing around* Where did you come from?
Zero Unit: My mother's womb. Anyway, I just got back from writing fight scenes and I am pooped. So while I go lie down, I hope you guys enjoy today's chapter. I slaved away to get every detail just perfect. *Mutters under breath* Which is a lie… I was just trying to get it over with.
Sora: You… do realize that all of this is going to be transcribed and everyone will know what you just said.
Zero Unit: ...Enjoy today's chapter! Bye!
-X-
January 24: Kingdom Town, Front Gates — 10:55 AM
"Momentai," Rika repeated before pulling out a card. "Until then, let me and Kyubimon take care of this. Digi-Modify! Doppelganger Activate!"
Kyubimon, while still evading Strikedramon's hits, suddenly split into two. While her stats have halved, the ends of all eighteen tails began glowing brightly, practically blinding the two foes. "Fox-Tail Inferno!" Eighteen will-o-wisps, not very powerful individually, but with so many, they easily overwhelmed Strikedramon and he wasn't able to dodge any of them as he was pelted from all sides.
Turuiemon shot forward, shrouding her presence so that she could sneak up on the two foxes from behind. "Ninja Fist!"
"Digi-Modify!" Rika was already a step ahead. "Formation Beta: Refraction Activate!"
The rabbit found that while her fist should be going straight, she had ended up striking nothing but thin air. It stunned her but she continued to attack, only to find that every one of her hits were bending around Kyubimon's body. The card effect only lasted five seconds but those few moments of confusion were more than enough to set up a counterattack.
"Kodengeki!"
The fox, coated in electricity, smashed her head into Turuiemon's stomach, sending her flying in the other direction. Rika side-stepped out of the way of the tumbling Champion before calling for her partner to look out behind her. Strikedramon had finally recovered from the flame attack.
"Digi-Modify! Double Dose Activate!" Ryo called out.
Strikedramon was charging forward, enveloping himself in red-hot flames. "Strike Fang!"
"Digi-Modify! Formation Delta: Earth Wall Activate!"
True to the card's name, a wall erupted from the ground in front of Kyubimon. The dragon smacked face-first into it, demolishing it immediately but it slowed him down enough for the fox to flip over him. Once she was directly over his head, she began spinning incredibly fast, the flames on her tail covering her entire body.
"Dragon Wheel!"
"Wow…," Gargomon gaped as the attack hit, lighting up the place. "Rika and Kyubimon… they really are a top tier combination."
Henry wordlessly agreed with his partner's sentiment before looking over at his fellow Tamer. Now that he thought about, Rika had continued improving herself over the last five years. She discovered new card combinations and practiced against highly ranked players online. Though she hadn't played the game competitively in a while, she would implement those strategies in actual battle to see how well they worked.
It wasn't just in the card game either. If Rika found herself struggling on a subject in school or with a personal project of hers, she would not quit until she got better at it. It usually took weeks before she set aside her pride to ask for help. But until then, you could bet she would do as much research and study as hard as humanly possible to get it done herself.
"The Demon Lords were right," Ryo muttered.
Henry and Rika were shocked to hear him talk so lifelessly. Actually, they were surprised to hear him speak at all considering everything else has been calling out card modifications. But they were more concerned with the four black cards he pulled out from his back pocket.
"You want to use them now," said Suzie. "Well… I suppose it can't hurt." She reached over and took a card from him before sliding it through her D-Power. "Digi-Modify!" Her partner suddenly started glowing purple. "Endless Greed Activate!" She didn't stop there as she slid another card through. "Hyper Chip Activate!"
Weird, garbled static suddenly came from the D-Power as the last card she used suddenly swiped through the device multiple times without her having to do anything. All of sudden, Turuiemon let out a terrifying roar before punching the ground. A fissure appeared as the streets were upturned, buildings toppled, and Kyubimon had turn around to save the humans before they fell in as well.
"What was that?!" Rika yelped.
"It was like Suzie had used Hyper Chip a hundred times," Henry gasped.
Now it was Ryo's turn as he carefully selected one of the black cards to use. "Digi-Modify! Bountiful Wrath Activate."
Strikedramon sprinted across the field, covered in a red glow, breaking right past any rubble that was still uprooting itself from the ground. "Strike Claw!" The group was certain that if that attack connected, they would be done for.
"Digi-Modify!" Henry shouted. "WarGreymon's Brave Shield Activate!"
Gargomon quickly got in the way of the claw, the shield appearing in his hands. But with one impact, it shattered into several pieces. The next thing they knew, Gargomon was flying right into Kyubimon, sending all of them tumbling into a painful pile.
"What is with those cards?" Gargomon groaned.
"The Demon Lords obviously made them based off their sins," Henry huffed.
Ryo and Suzie pulled out two more cards. They seemed ordinary enough. But then, from their fingertips, the cards turned black, much like how the other Tamers would produce a blue or green card. Without letting their opponents catch their breaths, they swiped the cards. The end result became obvious when Strikedramon and Turuiemon returned to their Rookie forms.
"They're going to Biomerge?!" Kyubimon blanched.
Rika pulled out a green card. "We can't waste time. Henry… Will you…?"
Henry nodded, following her lead. "I'll fight. And… I'll win."
"Digi-Modify! Biomerge Activate!"
They had expected to see Justimon in Ryo's place and well, he certainly looked similar to the warrior. This Digimon that stood before them had inverted colors and his scarf was a dark blue. The Trinity Arm, which could change into three different combat types, was on the left instead of the right.
"Unjustimon!"
Digital Analyzer: There isn't much distinction when it comes to appearance between Justimon and Unjustimon. However, their personalities are as different as night and day. Unjustimon is a very selfish warrior who only fights for his self benefit. If it doesn't help him, then he doesn't really care. He will take advantage of the young Digimon that confuse him for their hero, Justimon, to bring himself closer to his goals.
As for the other one, as anticipated, they saw Cherubimon staring at them with a malicious grin and beady eyes. And it wasn't the angel of virtue, one of the faces of the United Xros Heart Army. No, this was the fallen angel of vice, the tainted beast that anyone who had seen the Digimon movie would recognize. From her tattered ears to the ugly veins on her oversized arms.
"Cherubimon!"
Digital Analyzer: Angels of virtue are easily tainted and Cherubimon is no exception. With only minor changes to her appearance, the fallen angel has acquired a taste for negative emotions and casts judgment on those she finds to have the darkest and deepest of such trauma. It'd be wise not to cross paths with this beast when she's hungry.
Unjustimon ran forward, changing his Trinity Arm into a laser blade. "Voltage Blade!" Swinging his limb in a slashing arc, the blade extended and cut into the ground beside Sakuyamon who immediately created a forcefield around herself. As the weapon ran over her, there was an explosion and she was shrouded in smoke, unable to see him change from Critical to Blitz. "Injustice Burst!"
Unbeknownst to the enemy, Rika used an Enemy Sighted card which allows her to keep an eye on the opponent in her mind's eye. So she wasn't caught off guard. "Spirit Strike!"
The two attacks collided with each other, sending up debris everywhere. Both fighters leapt into the air and shot towards each other, foot-first. One covered his entire body in black electricity while the other had her foot covered in golden lightning.
"Injustice Kick!"
"Thunder Kick!"
The impact seemed to be suspended in air for a solid minute before they both blasted away from each other. They seemed to have been equally matched in that particular bout which was a little alarming for Sakuyamon. After all, Rika had used a power-up modification prior to the attack. She was unsure if whether or not Ryo had done the same but they were in trouble if he didn't.
"Calm down," Renamon urged. "Remember, Injustice Kick is his finisher. Thunder Kick is a basic move of mine."
Rika nodded from inside. "Right… Momentai, Rika, you can do this. Digi-Modify! Former Force Activate!"
This particular card was a new favorite of the Tamers though it can only be used on high level Digimon. It basically allowed them to tap into the powers of their previous forms. So for example, in Sakuyamon's case, she'd be able to use the movesets from Renamon, Kyubimon, or Taomon. Though the strength would belong to that of her current form and she could only use one attack.
Spinning her staff around, Sakuyamon slammed the end into the ground, shouting, "Thousand Spells!" From the opening at the top of her weapon, talismans began flying out in all directions, surrounding Unjustimon from all sides. With a snap of her fingers, they all detonated, sending up a cloud of mass destruction.
"That's… probably not going to be enough," Sakuyamon assumed.
The smoke and ash seemed to be getting sucked into something from inside and once it was clear enough, they could see that an unscathed Unjustimon was somehow eating the explosion. When he finished, he wiped away at his nonexistent mouth before pointing it at Sakuyamon. He exhaled and suddenly, the talismans were coming right back her!
"Voracious Gluttony," she heard Unjustimon mutter.
"Another Demon Lord card?!" Sakuyamon gasped. It wasn't the time to think about it though as the talismans surrounded her. A second before exploding, she created a stormy dome of cherry blossoms that protected her from the force of the returning attack. "Amethyst Wind!"
"What do we do?" Rika asked. "He still has other Demon Lord cards. Not only are we unaware of the effects but we'll be outmatched if he uses them."
Renamon took a moment before replying. "Chances are, he only has one left. He only pulled out four from his back pocket. Since this battle began, he used two and Suzie used one. There's a chance that Suzie has the other three."
In other words, they could wait it out until Ryo used the last Demon Lord card. If they could avoid whatever damning effect it had, then they might stand a chance. Not only that, but they still had a few trump cards up their sleeve. Quite literally, the Fox Card move. If they timed it right, they could potentially seal Unjustimon's Trinity Arm, leaving him practically defenseless.
Ryo's voice suddenly reached their ears. "Digi-Modify! System Reroute Activate!"
Sakuyamon's eyes widened when she heard that. It's not a Demon Lord card but it is a big risk to take. System Reroute only works on machine and android Digimon, putting all the energy from one part of the body to another. In this case, Unjustimon was transferring all the strength from the Trinity Arm into his leg.
"He plans on finishing us in one move?!" Renamon exclaimed.
Unjustimon leapt into the air with his leg sparking with tremendous amounts of power. "Injustice!"
"No choice," Rika muttered as she pulled out a card. "We'll use our Cosmic Card."
"Kick!"
"Digi-Modify! Saturn—!"
"It's your fault."
The image of Ryo and Monodramon being taken by IceDevimon flashed across Rika's mind as she stood frozen, card halfway through her digivice. She only came back when she felt a foot make impact with her chest. In a catastrophic explosion, she was sent flying into building which crumbled into dust. It took a moment but she was able to dig herself out.
Unjustimon landed with both feet on the ground as he stared back at her. "Injustice prevails."
Rika was hugging herself as tightly as possible, trying to keep herself from trembling. Her breath was shaky and everything in her peripheral vision was blurry. There was only a faint realization that she was human again due to the amount of blood she was clearly losing. It dripped onto the rubble and oozed its way into the cracks but she couldn't bring herself to stop the bleeding.
"Rika!" came a muffled voice. "Rika!"
The Tamer looked down and saw a badly bruised, but still in one piece, Viximon staring up at her. For a moment, she didn't recognize the In-Training Digimon. But the second it struck her that it was her partner, Rika pulled her into her embrace.
"I'm sorry…," Rika coughed. "If I had been stronger… none of this would've happened. We wouldn't even be fighting Ryo right now."
Viximon tried to shake her head but she was being squeezed too tight. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. We can only blame the Demon Lords."
Unjustimon was making the slowest approach towards them possible. It was like he wanted Rika to lament on her failures before taking her life. But almost as soon as he raised his Trinity Arm, he returned to his two base components. Rika looked up, surprised. However, judging from the dead expression the older Tamer was throwing out her, there was no way that he was back to normal.
"Hungry," Ryo murmured. The teenager turned around. "We used up too much energy."
Monodramon nodded in agreement before following behind his Tamer. "Next time… we will defeat you."
They vanished in a black haze just as the sound of what could only be a twenty-story building collapsing reached their ears. As Rika started to calm down, she realized that it was MegaGargomon. The outcome of that battle must've been drawing to a close, she could tell.
When the battle between the two colossal Digimon started, MegaGargomon wanted to minimize the damage they would bring to the town. So the massive robot immediately took to the skies, leading his foe away from the buildings and the castle and the innocent civilians. But he didn't make it very far. The moment he was at the outskirts, dark clouds started gathering over his head.
"Storm of Judgment!"
"Uh oh…," Terriermon mumbled.
Lightning began falling from the sky like raindrops in a storm. Since MegaGargomon was such a huge target, it was near impossible to avoid the bolts. As he swerved from left to right, trying to stay airborne, his back still facing Cherubimon, he found that he had made a grave error.
"Lightning Spear!"
Hitting him square in the back, MegaGargomon arched in pain just as he was struck by multiple strikes from above. Everything seemed to burn as thousands of volts coursed through the entirety of his body. When the storm finally subsided, he dropped to the ground, looking like melting scrap metal.
"What am I doing?" Henry grunted. "Have to… get up. Gr… Digi-Modify! Maintenance Activate!"
As his wounds started repairing themselves, he thought back to how angry he had been while traveling to the Kingdom Town. How he had lashed out at the other Chosen Children who were only trying to help him. How he was told by the enemy that he was a danger to his own friends and how he almost proved it when he was about to punch Kiriha. He couldn't take back those actions. But he had to take back his sister.
Without anymore hesitation, every port on MegaGargomon's body opened up as he turned to face the approaching foe. "Mega Barrage!"
Suzie didn't hesitate either in using a Demon Lord card. "Digi-Modify! Abundant Envy Activate."
Despite the fact that Cherubimon was not a machine in any way, gun ports began opening up in her like the mouths of predatory pythons. Black missiles were docked inside those ports, ready to be fired when she said the word. It was pretty clear what this particular sin card did. "Mega Barrage!" Both attacks exploded in midair, going off like thousands firecrackers.
"No more holding back!" Terriermon reminded Henry.
"Right," Henry nodded. "Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed Activate!"
MegaGargomon sprinted forward, breaking through the cloud and throwing a rapid right jab. The fallen angel barely had the time to react as she attempted to block the blow by raising her arms. The giant wasn't finished with his onslaught though as he swung his left leg and delivered a powerful roundhouse into Cherubimon's side, sending her soaring.
No hesitation. "Gargo Missiles!"
Cherubimon halted her descent towards a crash landing. From the inside, Suzie pulled out another black card. "Digi-Modify! Spreading Sloth Activate." From the center of the Mega's chest, a dark field expanded, enveloping a wide area. The moment the missiles entered the circle, they suddenly started malfunctioning, harmlessly dropping like stones to the ground.
"Wh...What is this?" MegaGargomon huffed. His entire body grew heavy and it was almost like a lullaby was playing over and over in his head. Henry recognized it to be a song that was sung to him when he was a baby. Even back then, he would go ballistic but the moment this song played, he calmed down.
The moon is bright, the wind is quiet~
The tree leaves hang over the window.
My little baby, go to sleep quickly~
Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.
Cherubimon raised her giant arms as electricity sparked to life from her fingertips. "Thousand Spears!"
"Henry!" Terriermon shouted.
The Tamer jolted upright mere seconds from being electrocuted once more. As quickly as possible, he pulled out the one card he was told never to use unless he absolutely had to. No more hesitation. "Digi-Modify!" If he wanted to save Suzie, he couldn't hesitate. "Uranus Heavens Activate!"
A white, almost silver, light covered MegaGargomon from head to toe as he suddenly vanished, the lightning strikes flying right into the sky. Cherubimon paused as she tried to figure out where her foe went. But then he reappeared behind her, slamming into her back with a side kick. Once more, he vanished as Cherubimon tried to backhand him.
Uranus Heavens, one of the nine Cosmic Cards, allowed the user to gain speed that far surpassed any creature known to man or mon. Furthermore, it gave every physical attack an extra blow. Essentially, every time MegaGargomon will punch or kick or chop his opponent, the enemy would feel two impacts, one from the attack and the other from the sonic boom that the strike created. Janyu felt that this card would be most useful in the hands of his martial artist son.
Cherubimon was incapable of keeping up as she was hit over and over again from all sides. A solid minute of a beating passed before she was given an axe kick to the head, sending her straight down. A crater was formed where she lay as MegaGargomon opened up every gun port in his body once more.
"Mega—!"
"You want to hurt me again?"
The sound of a little girl crying hit Henry's ears and went off like a bomb. Even though he wasn't even on solid ground, Henry felt like he was teetering back and forth on a tightrope, hanging over a floor of spikes. Looking down at his body, he saw that his bare hands and feet were dyed dark red. Horrified, he let out a wail that shook the few buildings that were still standing.
Cherubimon, badly injured, slowly made her way back up to the sky. Electricity crackled in her hand which she placed it on MegaGargomon's chest. "Lightning Blast."
The biomerged Digimon crash landed and by then, the time limit for the effects of the Cosmic Card had ended, forcing him to split into two. Henry attempted to sit back up but the side effects from the modification were already kicking in. A sonic boom smacked him right in the face. The rest of his body was later hit as well, the equivalent to the number of times he had done to Cherubimon. As it went on and on, Henry couldn't help thinking that he deserved it.
Suzie softly landed with Lopmon on her shoulder. "Hungry." All of her injuries which she should've sustained after returning to normal had disappeared. In her hand was a Former Force card. She must've used it and tapped into Antylamon's healing power, Meditation Cure, to repair herself instantaneously before returning to normal. "I want to eat."
The sonic booms finally ended but Henry wasn't able to hear anything that his sister said. The only thing he could hear was his own sobbing and her footsteps getting farther and farther away. The scent of blood overwhelmed his senses as he kept his head down, forehead in the dirt. All he wanted was to save Suzie but it just didn't seem possible for him.
Gummymon crawled over to his partner, already losing consciousness. "Mo… men… tai…"
"How?" Henry weeped. "How…?"
January 24: Kingdom Town, Chamber of the Celestial Angels — 10:55 PM
The Legendary Warrior of Thunder had asked Gokuwmon and Sanzomon to allow him to take on the two Ultimates on his own. As Beetlemon, he flew around the room, easily avoiding getting hit by their Spider Thread and Snake Bandage attacks. The armored battle paused directly above them, coating his fist in thunder.
"Thunder Fist!"
The Warrior shot a bolt at the ceiling which split into multiple rays and started raining down like hail. Arukenimon quickly shot a thread at the far wall, using it to yank herself out of the way. Mummymon wasn't able to do that so he was forced to take the full brunt of the attack, being zapped by a couple hundred volts of electricity.
In the meantime, Arukenimon crawled up the wall and onto the ceiling. As soon as she was facing the humanoid bug, she exhaled a poisonous green gas. "Acid Mist!"
The fog immediately started corroding any part of the ceiling that it came into contact with, causing it to sizzle, melt, and drip to the floor. So there was obviously no use in creating a makeshift shield from anything in the room. So instead, Beetlemon just took off at top speed, going around the mist and slamming an electrified foot into Arukenimon's back, sending her through her own attack and into the fried arms of Mummymon.
"Oh my, how forward!" Mummymon exclaimed.
"You idiot!" Arukenimon snapped, smacking him across the cheek and standing up. "How can we not take down a single Digimon?!"
Mummymon stood up, rubbing the bruise on his face. "We'll just change tactics then, darling." He raised a hand and a bunch of Bakemon suddenly started rising from out of the floorboards. "Necrophobia!" They darted towards the Legendary Warrior with huge grins that were wiped off almost immediately.
"Thunder Fist!"
Like sending a bowling ball straight down the center of an alley, Beetlemon struck the Bakemon taking point directly in the face and shot him straight through the rest. It was a perfect strike and as an added bonus, the ghost ended up hitting Mummymon directly on the forehead, knocking him out immediately. Arukenimon let out an exhausted sigh, hanging her head and wondering how she got into this mess.
"You are so useless…"
"You two aren't very strong for Ultimates, are you?" Beetlemon chuckled. "Not to mention, you're completely out of sync with each other."
For some reason, this remark was what spurred the duo to react angrily, springing right back into action. "We'll show you out of sync!" They simultaneously released an attack on him.
"Spider Thread!"
"Snake Bandage!"
This time, Beetlemon made no move to get out of the way. Instead, he grabbed both of their attacks with his palms covered in electricity and sent lightning running down them like wires. They reached the Ultimates and they were sent into a world of pain. The scent of burning bug and gauze instantly filled the room as they had their faces pressed to the floor, trying to cope with the stinging sensation in their bodies.
Beetlemon let out a sigh as he landed a few feet away from them. "I guess I should put you guys out of your misery." His horn became coated in yellow electricity as he crouched low, ready to lunge at them at full power. "Lightning—!"
Gokuwmon frowned, looking up. "Who is playing that music right now?"
"Blitz!"
The gorilla turned back just in time to see Beetlemon charging right at him with electricity running from his horn to his toes. The ape raised his hands to absorb the blow but because he was caught by surprise, he ended up getting shoved and he crashed into the wall behind him. Gokuwmon struggled for a bit, grunting as he was finally able to throw off the opposing Digimon by judo tossing the Warrior over his own head.
All the while, Sanzomon stood perfectly calm as she raised a slender hand to point at Arukenimon who had returned to her human form. "It would appear that the flute she possesses carries a tune that is favorable for insect Digimon," the priestess explained. "The moment she started playing, Beetlemon fell under her control."
Gokuwmon rubbed at his cheek as he got away from the brainwashed ally. "Master! You should've said something earlier!"
"...," Sanzomon glanced over to her pupil and cocked her head to the side. "Was I too slow?"
Gokuwmon let out a sigh before quickly jumping back to avoid a Thunder Fist. But as he was about to draw out his weapon, his arms were suddenly wrapped in electrified gauze. It kept him from taking action as well as damaging him, burning any part of his body that had gotten wrapped up.
"Nice work, dear," Mummymon grinned.
A vein appeared on Arukenimon's forehead but she couldn't yell at him or hit him since she was busy playing the flute. So instead, she just glared daggers at him over her glasses. Mummymon shrank away a bit when he noticed.
"Thunder Fist!"
Gokuwmon, unable to move, was punched in the face. He was sent flying into another wall where he became dazed and unfocused. That was when Sanzomon finally did something. While Beetlemon was turned away, she placed a gold ring over his head and started muttering some sort of prayer under her breath.
Beetlemon suddenly froze on the spot, hands flying to his hand as he doubled over in pain. When Arukenimon saw this, she started to play her flute more aggressively, if that was even possible. But she could no longer make Beetlemon do her bidding.
Gokuwmon pulled out out his staff and broke it in half, pointing the pistols at Mummymon who tried to counter with his own prized firearm. Unfortunately, as the bullets hit each other in midair, the undead Digimon came to the realization that he couldn't produce as many as the enemy so he was pelted over and over again. Once he was knocked down, Gokuwmon reattached his weapons and pointed his staff at Arukenimon. "Super-Electrified Lightning Cannon!"
The arachnid, still trying to take control of Beetlemon and force him to become her living shield, was unable to dodge the attack in time. It exploded and she found herself flying out one of the holes that had been created by her fakes. Mummymon, in a panic, grabbed her, throwing the limp body over his shoulder and fled the scene as fast as he could.
"We will remember this!" he called back.
Sanzomon stopped her prayer. "Good riddance."
The Legendary Warrior was no longer experiencing the worst migraine in his life as he returned to his human form. "You know… you probably could've fooled them into making me slide evolve into my beast form. MetalKabuterimon's more machine than bug."
"I wanted to see my pupil fight again," Sanzomon stated. "He's been getting lazy."
"That was your reason?!" Gokuwmon and JP snapped.
A tremor nearly made the men lose their balance and they realized that while they got rid of two nuisances, there were still two more. Unfortunately, they were also aware that they would probably get in the way if they were to try and help. Then again, it wasn't likely for the Olympians to lose this fight in the first place
"We should continue protecting the castle," said Sanzomon.
JP nodded in agreement. "I'll see if I can free any enslaved civilians."
"Good luck and godspeed," Gokuwmon told him before they split off.
As they left the room, they took one last look at the massive holes in the high ceiling. They had been created in the beginning of the battle. Looking up at the sky, they could see the blazing glow of the sun and the soothing shine of the moon. It was impossible for both to be up there at the same time yet there they were. And attempting to eclipse them were two black angels of death.
"Shadow Shockwave!"
ShadowSeraphimon flicked his wrists and an invisible pulse travelled through the air. The God, not knowing where it would come from, leapt high into the air. The rooftop he had stood upon just moments ago peeled away like an orange, row after row of tiles flying off in various directions. But it seemed like this worked in the angel's favor as well since Apollomon would have difficulty maneuvering in midair.
"Tch, how annoying," Apollomon said under his breath as black bolts started flying towards him. With a wave of his hand, a wall of flames protected him from every bolt. The shining jewels on his hands started glowing brightly as he pointed them in the general direction of the enemy through the fire wall. "Arrow of Apollo!"
ShadowSeraphimon flew upwards, skillfully avoiding the arrows. He may be made up of Control Spires but he certainly fought like the real deal.
The Olympian raised a hand and blocked a powerful punch delivered by ShadowSeraphimon although it wasn't as impressive as his own strength. However, landing a blow wasn't the goal of the angel as he used his other hand to grip onto Apollomon's wrist. Lightning began coursing through the enemy's body and into Apollomon's own.
"Shadow Starburst!"
Koh watched from below, his sword sheathed on his belt. If a member of the Demon Lord's forces would get to close, he would knock them back with a DigiSoul filled hit from the scabbard. But right now, he found the fight between his partner and the fake Digimon to be far more interesting.
"It'll take more than that to take down a God," the Tamer said to himself.
"Is that all?" Apollomon asked once all the electricity had been poured out. "Now… Let me show you a real punch. Phoebus Blow!"
Koh smiled as he watched the enemy fall like a meteor, crashing into the ground and making a crater the size of the castle. Well, that was an exaggeration. But Apollomon's still steaming and slightly glowing fist should've been evidence enough that his partner was not to be trifled with.
In between the God's hands, a miniature sun burst into life before being flung towards the enemy. "I'll end this now! Solblaster!"
With a burst of hot light that rivaled the most intense of wildfires, ShadowSeraphimon was deleted and there was nothing to show that he had been there to begin with. Koh had to rub at his eyes to make sure he hadn't gone blind from the final attack as his partner landed beside him. The God reached down and lifted up his partner in his hands.
"That felt too easy," Koh remarked. "Somehow, I doubt that the Demon Lords would only send that much firepower to bring down the Celestial Angels."
"Do you think there's someone else?" Apollomon inquired.
The Tamer couldn't be sure to say the least. "For now, we should meet up with Sayo. Chances are, she's done with her match as well."
The ladies were in a match of blades, sparks flying with each slash from their weapons. Dianamon's harken spun around her body elegantly as they countered against Ophanimon's flame-ridden scythe. It wasn't just sparks that flew either, every impact seemed to bring about a loud hissing noise and steam billowing out from the point of connection. It would appear that in order to counter the flames, the Goddess was constantly covering her weapon in ice.
Sayo glanced between the battle and the encyclopedia entry on her digivice. "Ophanimon Falldown Mode… Her stats are higher than that of ShadowSeraphimon. They're even more impressive than any of the Celestial trio individually."
Dianamon pulled back and stretching the quill-like structures on her body, started forming crystalline ice arrows. With the grace of a highly trained archer, she released a flurry of projectiles flying at her enemy. But with a single arc of the scythe, the arrows evaporated instantaneously.
"Okay…," the Goddess muttered. "I see I'll have to try something else." A moon began to make an appearance from behind her, shimmering brilliantly. "Goodnight Moon!"
Ophanimon flew right into the light, completely undaunted as she pulled her scythe back. Dianamon flew out of the way of the slice but not fast enough as it cut into her arm. She felt herself losing some data but didn't let it distract her as she slammed her boot into the angel's stomach, putting some distance between them.
"It didn't work," said Sayo, eyes wide.
"Could it be because she's made out of Control Spires?" Dianamon theorized. "But if that's the case…"
Her Tamer already pieced it together. "Then other mental or psychological attacks won't work on her. That means she's invulnerable to two-thirds of our attacks." Actually, now that she thought about it, Dianamon already tried using her third attack, the ice arrows, but they clearly didn't work either. "Don't tell me we can't win unless Koh is here…"
Both she and Koh had decided to hand over their other partners over to Taiki and Kiriha, think that the two of them would need the assistance of Olympians more than they. They also felt that Marsmon and Venusmon had a deeper connection to the Generals than they did to the Tamers. Besides, for them, there was no partner as dependable as Coronamon and Lunamon. But now, seeing her partner struggle, Sayo was starting to regret her decision.
"Sayo!" Dianamon grunted, parrying another deadly blow. "This is not the time to be getting distracted."
The Tamer jolted and quickly pulled out her crossbow. Her partner was right. The only way they could win, aside from waiting for Koh, was if she did something as well. So taking aim, using her forearm to keep stable, she pointed an arrow for Ophanimon's wing. If she could shoot down just one of them, it would tip the scale a little more in their favor.
Just before she could let an arrow fly, a gunshot caught her attention. Voidlings were making their way into the castle grounds and a few were shooting at the human girl. They were also accompanied by legions of possessed Digimon. So the girl quickly tucked and rolled out of the way before pulling out her pistol. Popping her head out from behind her stone cover, she let loose a flurry of bullets and arrows, taking out Voidling after Voidling. The controlled Digimon were a different issue as she would have to aim right for the thing taking control of them.
All of a sudden, another gunshot rang through the air. Her head jerked over in the direction just after a Dark Ring shattered off the wrist of a Veggiemon. On one of the castle towers, there stood a human sniper with spiky brown hair. The very fact that he was human ruled out the thought that it was one of the Commandramon soldiers. So who was this person?
"Lightning Blade!"
An Andromon suddenly ran out from behind her, halting right before the enemy advances. Swinging his arm module left and right, a blade of energy sliced through Chains, Rings, and Gears. With the possessed Digimon covered, Sayo focused her shots on the Voidlings.
"Demon's Crystal!"
A scream pierced through the air and a twin-sided pickaxe dropped with a clang to the ground behind Sayo's feet. The Tamer recognized that this weapon belonged to her partner and looked up to the sky, eyes wide in horror upon what she saw.
Dianamon was restrained by a dark, smoky, serpentine spirit that seemed to be strangling the Olympian's entire body. Completely immobile, it was impossible to escape Ophanimon's next move as the harbinger of death raised her scythe over head. With what could only be described as a war cry, the blade was brought down.
Without hesitating, Sayo raised her crossbow and fired. The arrow pierced through the air and cleanly shot through Ophanimon's wing causing the fake Digimon to lose concentration. The attack was delayed and Dianamon broke free from the evil apparition though she was too fatigued to move. Thankfully, she had another savior.
"Phoebus Blow!"
Ophanimon was punched across the face and flung across the sky. She crashed into the castle wall, sending dust falling down onto the heads of the onlookers.
"Ugh…," Dianamon groaned, falling into Apollomon's arms. "How pathetic of me… one of the Olympus XII… to be reduced to this state by a fake Digimon."
Apollomon shook his head. "Your abilities are just a bad match against her. The same could be said about Venusmon. Against me or any other member of the Olympus XII, we would fall at your feet because of your skills."
"Apollomon!" Sayo shouted from down below. "Ophanimon's not down yet!"
The God spun around and caught the blade of the flaming scythe in between in his palms. Being a fire attribute, he wasn't affected by the flames. But he was a dual attribute Digimon, and the light element in him was starting to break down from the miasma-like darkness that the weapon exuded.
Dianamon pushed herself away from her comrade. "Let me pay you back for what you've done to me!" Reeling back, she delivered a punch to Ophanimon's face that made a resounding crack that hung in the air for everyone to stare at in shock.
"Whoa," said Koh, who had finally made it onto the scene. "Dianamon… isn't a physical fighting Digimon. Since when did she have that much power?"
Sayo shrugged. "I guess a God isn't a God for show. But… it's still nothing compared to Apollomon."
Apollomon was the only one who wasn't stunned by that show of strength. Granted, he's known the female Digimon for a couple of millennia at this point. So without pausing to clean his hands from the darkness tainting them, he formed a golden arrow while the goddess created a silver one.
"It's been a while since I saw this combo attack," Koh grinned.
"Eclipse Arrow!"
Both their arrows spiralled around each other as they were shot forward, creating a single, powerful projectile that seemed to rocket through the air. It moved so fast that you'd miss it even if you weren't blinking. In a split second, it shot right through Ophanimon's stomach, creating a crack that expanded outwards as the arrow disappeared with a bright flash.
"Never underestimate the Gods," the Olympians stated in unison as their foe crumbled before them.
Once they had fully ascertained that they had defeated the worst of the bunch, they focused their attention back onto the advancing troops. Now that Sayo thought about it, she remembered that one of the Chosen Children had an Andromon for a partner. Glancing back up at the stranger on the tower, the pieces were starting to come together.
After what felt like hours, things finally settled down. The state of the castle was in shambles and each of their digivices were emitting static as various voices called out to each other. Finally, one of them said to meet the Celestial Trio in the bunker with the rest of the evacuated citizens.
"We should head over there," said Koh.
Sunmon was trying to fall asleep in his partner's arms. "Eh? But I can't walk anymore… I can't even feel my legs."
"You don't have legs," Moonmon bemoaned from Sayo's arms.
The humans were seated side by side, backs against the crumbling remains of a wall. The Digimon they had freed were trying to tend to each other's wounds. A few were mourning the deaths of their lost brethren that had been taken from the initial air raid. Speaking of which, it seems as though the CITY chiefs along with their partners had taken out the Airdramon, Megadramon, and Gigadramon from above.
The sniper made his way down to the others. Andromon had degenerated to BlackToyAgumon so Sayo knew that her theory was correct now. The boy was in a thick overcoat and a white scarf was wrapped around his mouth, the firearm slung around his shoulder.
"You're Kazu Shioda, aren't you," Sayo stated.
The boy didn't say anything at first. But then he removed the scarf and let it fall onto the shoulders of his partner. "Yeah, that's me," the boy replied. He put his hands on his hips and started examining his surroundings for a bit. His eyes fell upon two figures in the distance, both of them cradling something in their arms. "Henry… Rika…"
Koh glanced over the wall, noticing two drooping figures getting closer and closer in the slowest way possible. "Looks like they had a bad time."
"You're part of their original team, right?" Sayo remarked, glancing over to the newcomer. "You should probably go down to cheer them up or something."
Kazu shook his head. "I'm not good at that type of thing." He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and pivoted around on his heel, heading back inside. "That being said, I don't plan on leaving them alone. I'll let them know… that I'm here if they need me."
-X-
Our heroes are fighting battle after battle and it seems like some aren't able to win theirs. Henry and Rika have both fallen into pits of despair due to their losses. Ryo and Suzie are still under the evil control of the Demon Lords. But it would appear that one Tamer has returned to the rest of the group. However, while things have gone relatively well for JP, Koh, and Sayo, what about the other Chosen Children? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
Honestly, not my best fight scenes. I mean, I suppose they could be worse. But then again, they could also be better. They can always be better.
Also, I haven't been feeling so great. Aside from the constant mortal peril that my paranoia has filled me with, I recently got some bad news that is too personal to share. On the other hand, I am currently working on my novel which has been stalled for the last two years. It's actually going pretty well. But this means I might not update as frequently as some of you would like. So bear with me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review.