Matt: We've got a guest review asking a question today. "In chapter 27 what did Knightmon mean by "What about the baths" Cause I can see Shoutmon in a bathtub with a rubber ducky. Does that mean digimon take baths too like humans?"
Kiriha: You people should really pay attention to the context.
Sora: Don't be rude!
Taiki: Well, in the context in which Knightmon said that, we were talking about closing down large sources of water to prevent the Dark Ocean denizens from taking Kari since that seems to be their way of moving between worlds. Furthermore, in chapter 26, Zero writes that we're all herded into the baths which are big enough to fit the whole town.
Shoutmon: Exactly! It's part of our community's bareskin bonding ritual! It strengthens our bonds and cleans our souls. *Under his breath* And our bodies of course.
Lalamon: Speaking of which, what did the commenter mean by their actual question? Of course we take baths!
Kouichi: Even wild animals in the human world take baths. For example, gorillas pride themselves in their cleanliness. Some birds also like to dust themselves into keep clean. It's just that they can't get as clean as humanly possible because they can't reach those hard to get spots and don't have showers.
Renamon: On the other hand, us Digimon do have the capability to build showers and baths.
Kenta: Like Jijimon and Babamon did!
Rika: Ugh, I can still hear your atrocious singing.
Zero Unit: Well, there you go. Digimon take hygiene very seriously.
Veemon: I take hygiene more seriously than Davis. He didn't even brush his teeth today!
Davis: I did so!
Veemon: You calling me a liar?
Davis: Well I ain't calling you a truther!
Jeri: *Stands in front of their fighting as it becomes physical* Please enjoy today's chapter.
Zero Unit: Hold on, that joke isn't trademarked by Nickelodeon, is it?
-X-
January 24: Kingdom Town, Basement Laboratory — 10:55 PM
Shaytan put its full weight into the lab, crushing everything underneath it. Their research, their tools, their technology, and their blueprints were all flattened. They were all scraps to begin with. But it was a sign of their hard work. The number of scientists that had slaved away day after day trying to reach their unified goal. They didn't need those scraps.
But Wisemon couldn't bear to see them thrown out.
The hooded Digimon opened up the Book and mechanical arms flew out from the pages. They had claws, buzz saws, and drills at the end that all striked at Shaytan's black body.
The demon let out a roar before raising a claw and destroying the mechanisms in a single swipe. It then opened its maw and a wave of black energy exploded forth. The blast radius narrowed as it got closer, getting sucked into one of Wisemon's orbs.
"Let me tell you something," said Wisemon. "I may be the strategist and the inventor of Taiki's army, but that doesn't mean I can't fight!"
Shaytan let out an ugly cry as if to say, "Then show me!"
Wisemon raised the orb that held the beast's attack. "This rage that you've sent me. Allow me to send it back tenfold! Pandora Dialogue!"
Shaytan covered the distance between them in less than a second, attempting to devour the smaller creature. But as the rows of razor-sharp teeth showed and the long, slimy tongue whipped out, a burst of energy traveled from the orb. In no time, Shaytan was disintegrated to dust.
Even though this battle was easy for Wisemon, he knew that it wouldn't be true for the others. But he also knew that his priority was saving all of the research. It's what Anubismon was here for most likely. So as the battle raged on behind him, he sucked up their progress into the Book.
Digital Analyzer: The Anubismon carry on the role of the Digital World's judges. They inhabit the Underworld, ultimately passing down verdicts on dead Digimon. If the Digimon's core data is evil, they will be promptly banished into a realm of eternal darkness. But if they are good, then Anubismon can automatically reset their data to that of a Digi-Egg. These fallen angels are said to monitor the deaths and rebirths of every denizen in the Digital World.
Yolei looked back up at the battle with a little grimace. "What a job description."
"Pyramid Power!"
Rhihimon raised his staff and a dense ball of black energy appeared in the center. As four rays of golden light were shot towards him, they were blocked by the explosive dark blast. The other two, Silphymon and JewelBeemon, used the ensuing smoke as their cover and with their superior speed, flanked their enemy from either side.
"Static Force!"
"Spike Buster!"
Anubismon's fingertip glowed brightly as she drew a square in the air. It fell to her feet and the four corners moved upwards, encasing her inside a pyramid. The ball of energy and generated shockwave bounced off of the slanted walls, changing their trajectory and letting them hit the ceiling. Chunks from above fell down towards the two Ultimates.
Silphymon caught the debris in his claws while JewelBeemon slashed through with his spear. But as soon as they were safe from the falling infrastructure, they saw the pyramid expand outwards at a rapid rate. The walls smashed into them and all of a sudden, they were flung backwards.
Rhihimon was the only one who was able to break through the wall, shattering the pyramid in the process. Once that was done, the eyes of the lion on his mask shined. "Rot Kreuz!" Crimson beams shot out from them but Anubismon deflected them with a simple flick of her wrist. Although she wasn't able to defend from the Warrior of Darkness soaring right for her and colliding with her body, pushing her all the way to the far wall.
"Impudent mongrel!" Anubismon snapped. A pyramid appeared in her palm and she slammed it into Rhihimon's chest. In a sudden burst, he was sent sliding across the floor.
"She's pretty strong," Silphymon admitted.
"But we won't lose," JewelBeemon huffed.
Ken and Yolei had to steer clear of the destruction as live wires came down on them from all sides, like the tentacles of an octopus looking for prey. There was also rubble falling from overhead and broken glass littering the ground. The escape route caved in as well during the fight so they couldn't hide out there either. Not that they would leave their partners behind.
Anubismon created two more pyramids that stretched and elongated, becoming jousting lances. She then raised them to block JewelBeemon's oncoming spear.
Silphymon flew in from behind, building up white-hot energy in his core before releasing it all at once. "Static Force!"
The winged canine slammed the hilt of one of her weapons into the humanoid insect's stomach, causing him to double over. She then whispered an enchantment and a square appeared at their feet. It rotated one-eighty degrees, switching their places and JewelBeemon was suddenly hit with his own ally's attack.
Anubismon tossed him aside before drawing a triangular pyramid. It broke apart into its four individual sides and started spinning towards Silphymon. He had to dodge them in midair but they just coming back around, slicing into his skin and sending feathers falling everywhere until one of the blades cut right through his stomach. In that moment, he crash landed, returning to his Rookie form.
"Hawkmon!" Yolei called out.
Anubismon then directed the blades to finish the job. The spinning triangles were coming right for the immobile avian.
"Rot Kreuz!"
Two of the triangles shattered as the hybrid Warrior flew in to destroy the last ones with his spear. His next move was to charge up black energy at the end of his weapon. Releasing it all at once, the dense energy pulsed towards Anubismon.
"Hmph," she scoffed. "How pointless."
She put up another barrier but then the blast split off into several thinner beams. They went around the shield and struck Anubismon in the back. As she was caught off guard, this gave Rhihimon the chance to fly in for close-quarters combat. Although she was able to recover pretty quickly and parry the blow from his staff with her own weapons.
At close range, Rhihimon decided to bring out the big guns. "Black Theorem!"
The world seemed to tilt and everything became pitch black. Although this could only be seen between the two fighters.
"What?!" Anubismon gasped. "What is this?!"
Rhihimon bent his legs, pressing his feet up against his opponent before kicking off. The Warrior back flipped into the air, seeming to hover without the use of his wings. Then with a snap of his fingers, the blackness that surrounded them abruptly closed in around the enemy. She was suddenly wrapped up in what could only be described as a bodysuit.
The Legendary Warrior landed with a thud. "The darkest black… a void." He then pointed the end of his weapon at the struggling, floating lump. "The End!"
The figure that was Anubismon seemed get sucked into itself before their very eyes. With a sound of a whoosh, she seemed to vanish completely. But before anyone could sigh in relief, she reappeared behind Rhihimon. It was like she could fabricate her own way out of there just as easily as he could send her away.
"Behind…!" Hawkmon coughed.
"Look out!" Yolei cried out.
Anubismon created a triangle with her hands. "Pyramid Power!"
Rhihimon spun around, spreading out his palm and letting a black sheet trail behind as he made his own barrier to protect him from the attack. It wasn't as strong as his opponent's defensive abilities but it was enough to keep him from taking the whole brunt of the beams. Immediately afterwards, he launched a counterattack by firing a concentrated beam of dark energy from the end of his spear.
Anubismon drew a square in the air which caught the blast. Then she swiftly added triangles to each side that captured the energy inside a pyramid. Then, by swinging her arms forward, the ball of energy hit the Legendary Warrior in the chest, exploding on contact.
"JewelBeemon!" Ken called out. "Now!"
A golden flash appeared behind Anubismon. "Shot Claw!"
Anubismon slid out of the way of the spear, latching onto the polearm in between her arm and body to keep JewelBeemon still. The insect tried to punch his way out, using the claw attached for extra damage. But the canine Digimon was able to easily avoid getting slashed simply by moving her head to the side. Anubismon then pursed her lips and blew, creating a powerful wind that pushed her foe backwards.
"This is a very nice weapon," Anubismon grinned to herself, still holding JewelBeemon's spear. "It's quite a beautiful thing."
Rhihimon was still injured but he knew that he was the only one who could keep up with the enemy's strength at this point. So he readied his own polearm and charged forward. The pair exchanged blows as they sent sparks flying everywhere with each strike.
Wisemon finished packing up their things but he couldn't leave without the Chosen Children nor could he leave without helping them defeating the enemy. "At this point, she's come to understand these surroundings better and her speed is allowing her to move around this space with ease. We've wasted too much time."
"You mean we can't beat her now?" inquired Yolei.
The Book opened up to a spread of an image Anubismon fighting something. They couldn't really tell because the accompanying page was torn out. But there was at least a transcript of the battle written down below. It seemed that this fight had been between Anubismon and one of the original Chosen Children.
"I wonder why my memories are so faulty of that time," Anubismon remarked. "Well, if we can restrict either her senses or her movement, we can win."
"Paildramon!" Yolei and Ken said simultaneously.
"Glare gave you ExVeemon's data?" Wisemon blinked.
If they were lucky, they could use Cable Catcher to constrict Anubismon and that would make it a clear shot for Rhihimon to take her down. But of course, the question was whether or not she'd stand still long enough for this to work. Which was why they were going to need additional help. JewelBeemon fetched Hawkmon who was raring to go for another round before returning to Wormmon.
"We're ready!" the two Rookies nodded.
"DigiArmor Energize!" "Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to… Shurimon! The Samurai of Sincerity!"
"Wormmon Digivolve to… Stingmon! DNA Digivolve to…" The bug grew legs and stood up but to their surprise, he hunched over and four transparent wings sprouted out. Muscular, blue arms with large claws appeared on either side and compound eyes glinted on his face. "Dinobeemon!"
The Book flipped to another page. "It would appear that when Stingmon is the base for the fusion, they don't become Paildramon…"
"We see that!" Yolei snapped.
Digital Analyzer: Dinobeemon is a chimera between a dragon and an insect. He soars through the skies using his four wings and with his powerful claws, he can tear through Chrome Digizoid with ease. His compound eyes allow him to keep track of enemy movements no matter how fast they are. And once he has their foe in his sights, he won't stop until he's choked the life out of them.
Shurimon looked over at the humans. "Does this mean the Cable Catcher method is out the window?"
"Actually," said Wisemon, "this might work in our favor."
Ken looked up from reading the encyclopedia entry on his D-3. "Agreed."
"Masquerade!"
Everyone saw the new Digimon take a single step. After that, it was like there were twenty of him, all sprinting forward. Some lagged behind while others worked side by side. One thing was the same for all of them, they were fast.
In the blink of an eye, Dinobeemon covered the distance between himself and the enemy. The hybrid Digimon got in between the two combatants, slashing at Anubismon before running off. The attack was easily evaded but the lapse was all that was needed for Rhihimon to use Rot Kreuz right in the canine's face.
In the meantime, Shurimon made a small twister around himself, turning into a bunch of leaves fluttering to the ground. He reappeared on the other side of the room, pulling two massive stars from his back. "Double Star!" They were sent whizzing through the air around the time Dinobeemon made his assault.
Anubismon was forced to move in a way that would keep her from being cut. Whether it be with the sharp projectiles or claws. But it put her in a place where her eyes were struck by the red beams of Rot Kreuz. She should've known it was coming. After all, when Dinobeemon passed by, he whispered to his comrade, "Eyes." It was a signal to Rhihimon for where to strike.
"I can't see!" Anubismon screeched.
Yolei jumped onto one of the tables before anyone could stop her. The stars were coming right for but she hooked her fingers into the holes in the centers, stopping them although they still yanked her arms in the opposite direction. Then with all the strength she could muster, she sent them flying back towards Anubismon.
The canine's ear twitched to the sound of the whizzing. She quickly swerved right in between the points. Not that Yolei was aiming to get a hit. She wasn't aiming at all.
"Irritant Buzz!"
The whizzing of the stars was immediately replaced with a supersonic buzzing, causing Anubismon to cover her ears and double over. The only people unaffected by this atrocious sound was those stuck inside a dark space made by Rhihimon. The energy around them began slowly gathering at the end of his spear which was pointed at their enemy's chest. Directly above her head was Dinobeemon, furiously flapping his wings, creating the sound..
"Whether it be your movements or your senses," said Ken. "So long as we can restrict one of those…"
"You're done for!" Rhihimon bellowed. "Darkness Bluster!"
Anubismon tried forming barriers but without her vision or hearing, she couldn't tell which direction the attack would come from. Even the whizzing from earlier, which had already passed right by her ears felt like they were still there. So with her back facing the black wave of energy, she was struck and eliminated, a Fractal Code floating where she was before.
"Alright!" Yolei cheered, pumping her arms and then wincing.
Shurimon appeared beside her. "Are you okay? Did I throw the shuriken too hard?"
"A little bit," chuckled Yolei. "But we pulled off that combination rather well for our first time in battle."
Rhihimon pulled out his D-Tector, taking the code. "Let the safety of the darkness return you to your true self! Fractal Code Digitize!"
As the Legendary Warrior dropped to the ground in his human form, he could see Ken and Hawkmon fussing over Yolei. The pair were trying to make sure that the girl hadn't dislocated her shoulders in the process of throwing those enormous and extremely heavy projectiles. At some point, Wisemon got in between the two males, pushing them away and pulling out a magnifying glass to inspect her.
"I'm fine!" Yolei huffed, finally getting away from them.
"She is," said Kouichi. "I can sense it." The others seemed to take his word for it. Then with a chuckle, he added, "Your shoulders will probably be sore in the morning though."
January 24: Kingdom Town, Courtyard — 10:55 PM
The entire west wing exploded as the Olympian, Merukimon leapt out, quickly followed by a number of partnered Digimon. Outside, there was a lot more room for them to move around. But there were also a lot more enemies. Hundreds of enslaved townsfolk were slumping into the castle.
Monitamon's voice traveled out from Nene's X-Loader. "We'll handle the small fry!"
"Right," Butterflymon agreed, "leave it to us!"
The General nodded before releasing every other member in her X-Loader. They went right for the brainwashing devices with the help of the royal guard, led by Knightmon. In the meantime, the rest of them had a much larger fish to fry.
Shakkoumon and RaptorSparrowmon tried the pincer tactic on Merukimon, firing laser beams in an attempt to strike him down. But with unparalleled speed, the warrior deflected each and every single one of them with his knife. Then, with a spin, he generated a strong enough wind that blew his opponents away. They ended up crashing into ground.
"What's with that?" Shakkoumon huffed.
"He's strong," RaptorSparrowmon grunted. "And he didn't even hit us directly."
Inside the building, the three humans were forced to duck down in the hall in order to avoid getting crushed by the rubble. Sealsdramon reacted quickly, using his own incredible speed to gather them up and cover them, shielding them with his body. Looking out of the hole, they could see that their other partners were having trouble.
"Scouter Monoeye!"
The armored soldier tried to find a weak point but either Merukimon moved too fast or there weren't any to be detected. There was also the possibility that the disparity between their power levels was just too great. Any of these possibilities were troubling in and of itself.
RaptorSparrowmon upped her speed, trying to reach the Olympian's level. "Laser Razor!" Her wings shined as she swirled around their enemy, letting her sharp feathers dig into Merukimon's skin. That had been her intention at the very least. But somehow, Merukimon was able to counter each slash with his knife and without moving any other part of his body. He was able to keep up easily.
Shakkoumon got back up, deciding this was his chance. "Justice Beam!"
The timing was much too convenient for Merukimon. "Thousand Fists!" In the blink of an eye, he was gone and the clay doll's eye beams struck RaptorSparrowmon, sending her crash landing. Then, he was standing right in front of Shakkoumon, landing blow after blow against the DNA digivolved monster. Cracks were even beginning to form in various areas of his body.
"Shakkoumon!" Cody yelled.
"Tch, no choice," Sealsdramon grumbled. "Death—!"
Shinya grabbed his partner's hand. "Wait!"
Cody and Nene, who stood to either side of the duo, knew what this was about. Merukimon showed power beyond anything they'd ever fought before. At least, on their own. Some of their tougher challenges such as Armageddemon at least involved even stronger Chosen being by their side. This time, they were up against a member of the Olympos XII with someone who was still new to being a DigiDestined.
"Shinya…," said Sealsdramon. "I can't let the others fight on their own."
Merukimon finished his onslaught just in time to see the mechanical avian recover from the previous attack. She charged at him, talons-first. But he absorbed the attack in his palm before closing his hand around the bird, slowly crushing her.
Nene took a step forward, eyes wide. "RaptorSparrowmon!"
"But if you go out there at this point…," Shinya gulped. Last time, he had Tommy by his side and their enemy was already weakened. But this time…
Sealsdramon had to admit that he didn't like his odds either. "I know the circumstances are vastly different but… I'm a soldier of the United Xros Heart Army! I can't let fear or low odds be the reason why I don't fight."
The small, circular port slid open on Shakkoumon's pelvis, releasing a bunch of explosive discs. "Kachina… Bombs…" He was still in a lot of pain though.
Merukimon spun his knife around in his free hand. In a single movement, he slashed through his captive's body, returning her to her original form and generated a wind that sent the bombs flying backward. Shakkoumon was pelted repeatedly before tumbling down as Upamon.
"They were defeated just like that?" Cody gasped.
"Not good," Nene muttered, raising her X-Loader.
The Olympian was ready to finish them off when Sparrowmon returned to the safety of the digivice. So he set his sights on taking down Upamon when a blur of a figure moved into his field of vision. Twirling a knife between his fingers, the new combatant made to stab the God in the eye. But Merukimon swatted him away like an irritating fly.
"Sealsdramon!" Shinya yelled.
"Did you really think any of you could defeat me?!" Merukimon roared. "I am Hermes! A proud member of the Olympos XII!"
"How did Keenan beat this guy?" Nene grimaced.
"He went easy," muttered Cody. "That guy got caught on purpose so that he could lead the Demon Lords right to us."
Merukimon seemed to be taking his time trying to figure out which one of his opponents he should destroy first. He finally decided on the closest one. That being Commandramon who tried to shoot at the giant with his firearm but the bullets did nothing more than bounce off. The pieces of metal dropped to the ground with tiny, almost inaudible clinks.
"No!" Shinya screamed, racing across the courtyard. "Stay away from—!"
Merukimon brandished his blade before preparing to impale the Rookie's entire torso with it. As he swung downwards, two figures dashed right past Shinya. They screeched to a stop directly underneath the knife and each pulled out a sword that was about the same size as their individual heights. Crossing them together, they were able to stop the weapon from cutting into Commandramon.
Nene recognized them immediately. "Mervamon! Minervamon!"
The Goddesses pushed back against the giant, actually throwing him off balance. They then leapt into the air and in perfect sync, they slammed their feet into Merukimon's chest. Twenty kicks were made in rapid succession, pushing the God backwards until he crashed into the opposite wing.
Minervamon stuck out her tongue. "I always wanted to see who was the stronger one between us."
"Nene!" Mervamon called out, seeing her partner running over. "You need to stay back!"
The General paused mid-step. In the corner of her eye, she could see Cody running to retrieve his partner. In the meantime, Merukimon was already recovering from the repetitive impacts he took so Nene turned tail and fled back to safety. She could always have a reunion with Mervamon later. More importantly, she raced over to Commandramon and carried him back.
Shinya quickly went over to the soldier's side. "Commandramon, are you okay?"
"I've had better days," he replied.
Merukimon took a deep breath and the world seemed to pause, awaiting his next move with baited breath. He held his knife, Aztec, close to his chest before moving at top speed.
The two women quickly raised their swords over their head, clashing against their foe's blade. They stood side by side, covering for each other. The only reason they could even keep up with his speed was simply due to the fact that it was two against one. Even then, they were the ones being backed into a corner.
"Let's go wild!" Minervamon shouted.
Mervamon smirked. "You read my mind!"
"Madness Merry-Go-Round!
Merukimon avoided the slashes by leaping into the sky, right over their heads. Their blades sliced through the air as he landed behind them, sending a tremor through the ground. Immediately afterwards, the God made a small cut in the palm of his hand, then slamming it down, a magic circle appeared.
"Spiritual Enchant!"
Ghostly figures began rising from the ground. The moment they took a more tangible form, they started running towards the Goddesses.
"Ugh, I hate these things," Minervamon groaned. "Dominion Blade!" With a single swing, she decimated a portion of the apparitions. But not a second later, they reappeared and the Olympian was forced into defensive maneuvers.
Mervamon ducked under a kick from an apparition. "I can see why. Leave them to me! Night Stalker!"
Medulla, Mervamon's serpentine arm, extended outwards, jaw open. It bit down on one of the ghosts and surprisingly, it didn't return. The snake continued, slithering across the battlefield and swallowing more and more of the summonings whole. Since they were nothing more than apparitions, there was always room in the snake for one more.
The other woman nodded before sprinting forward. She meandered through the army of phantoms with grace, screeching to a stop at Merukimon's feet. She raised her circular shield to block the end of Aztec before smashing her own blade, Olympia, into the ground.
"Strike Roll!"
A fissure formed in the earth, causing Merukimon to lose his balance once again. This allowed the Goddess a chance to throw the opposing weapon out of her face. Shooting into the sky from where she stood, she raised her leg above her head, performing a powerful axe kick on Merukimon's head. The sound of the impact traveled throughout the courtyard as Merukimon fell forwards and dropped into the abyss.
The Goddesses quickly returned to each other's side, raising their swords above their heads. "Madness Merry-Go-Round!"
Their blades were stopped with just three fingers. Merukimon rose from the crevice after flicking his wrist, flinging their weapons out of their grasps and across the courtyard. Once he was out of the hole, he held each one of his foes in a hand, crushing their comparatively diminutive bodies.
"I will not be bested by two half-baked Olympians!" Merukimon snarled.
"Half-baked?!" Mervamon snapped.
"We'll show you who's half-baked!" Minervamon growled, before addressing the group of humans. "Girl, Xros us!"
There was a moment of confusion before Nene realized what she meant. "Eh? Oh, uh, Minervamon!" She was planning on using her actual partner as the base but in her rush to do what she was told, she misspoke. "Mervamon! Digi-Xros!"
Mervamon's data seemed to disperse before gathering around Minervamon. Unlike other fusions, there weren't any notable changes to the Digimon in general. But then the Goddess reopened her eyes, glaring at Merukimon, emitting a rather intimidating aura. With a shout, she began to slowly pry herself out of the giant's fingers. He tried to close his other hand around her but she'd already slipped out of his grasp by then.
Minervamon landed on the ground, tucked her body in and then tumbled her way underneath the enemy's legs. She threw her shield like a frisbee, letting it hit Merukimon in the back of the head, rendering him unable to turn around to face her. Once she grabbed onto both swords, they fused into one.
"Madness Merry-Go-Round!"
In a wild swing, the backs of Merukimon's legs were suddenly sliced open. He fell to his knees, knuckles popping and teeth bared, as he tried to resist crying out in pain.
"Insolent insect!" Merukimon roared. "I'll make you pay for that!"
Minervamon grinned before surrounding herself in a data cocoon. "Slide Evolution!" She reappeared as Mervamon. "You'll have to hit me first!"
Suddenly, Merukimon whispered an enchantment under his breath and the remaining apparitions gathered around his wounds. They melded into his skin, repairing the broken data until it was good as new. He then rolled forward, using the momentum to get back onto his feet and putting some distance between himself and the enemy.
"She's at full power now," said Cody.
"A battle between the Gods," Upamon huffed. "This won't end well for the castle."
Mervamon charged forward, raising Medulla. "Trying to run? Love Poison!"
Merukimon swung his knife, using the flat side to create a wind that immediately blew away with the poisonous mist. He then lowered the blade to protect his kneecaps from being cut. The pair exchanged blows, whether it came from fists or blades. Each moment of contact seemed to cause another window to shatter or brick to come loose and fall as they circled each other in the courtyard.
"This match will end in a stalemate at this rate," Nene remarked.
Commandramon pushed himself away from Shinya. "Then we need to find a weak point. Shinya… evolve me again."
"There's no point," Cody argued before Shinya could. "Your skill level even as a Champion is too low to find a vital point in Merukimon."
"But Mervamon isn't," Commandramon retorted.
"That's right!" Nene gasped. "If you fuse with her, she'll be able use the Monoeye herself! But…" She looked over at their youngest member. "I'll only do it with your permission."
With the arrival of the Goddess, their chances of victory skyrocketed. But Shinya knew that they needed an extra push to ensure that. Still, seeing how easily everyone was being tossed around earlier had instilled an intense feeling of fear in the boy's chest. He opened his mouth to give his approval but nothing came out except for a pitiful sounding croak.
"Shinya," said Commandramon. "I know we've been partners for a short time and I know you're scared right now, but I told you before… I am too."
The boy remembered the conversation they had on Miracle Sea. About how Commandramon feared for his life every time he entered battle despite not showing it. It was okay to be scared. But to let it take control was where you had to draw the line.
"Yeah," Shinya nodded. "Nene… Let's do this."
Nene nodded. "Ready when you are."
"Digi-Modify: Digivolution Activate!" "Commandramon Digivolve to… Sealsdramon!"
"Mervamon! Sealsdramon! Digi-Xros!"
The Goddess didn't even pause for a millisecond in her movements as new gear attached to her body. The most important aspect being the scouter that appeared over her eye. It scanned the enemy as she swung her blade around but it couldn't lock on while Merukimon was moving so fast.
"Tch," Mervamon scoffed.
That second of irritation was a mistake on her part. She received a deep cut in her side so she quickly ran backwards, putting distance between them. Medulla bit down on the general area of the wound, slowly sewing it closed.
"Cards," Cody remembered. "Shinya, you're a Tamer, right? That means there must be a card to increase accuracy!"
Shinya quickly pulled out his deck but as he fumbled through the cards, he accidentally dropped them, scattering them at their feet. But all three humans began rifling through them in search of anything that could be of use to them. It wasn't long before Shinya found exactly what they needed.
"Digi-Modify! Wide Scope Activate!"
Without doing anything, Mervamon saw that everything in the scouter seemed to expand. She was able to see all of Merukimon all at once. As she continued clashing with him, blade to blade, her eye began zeroing in on various body parts, trying to pinpoint a weak point. Anything. It could be moving slower than the rest of his body or a scar from an old wound. Anything.
Then she found it.
"The lower right side of his torso!" Mervamon realized. In an instant, she covered herself in a cocoon. The abrupt light caused Merukimon to misstep as he made a rather wobbly slash. As Minervamon, she blocked the blade with her shield and then swung Olympia with all her might, cutting into the God's abdomen. It got wedged in there but with a war cry that echoed through the kingdom, she pulled it straight through, slicing him in two. "Madness Merry-Go-Round!"
"She did it!" the onlookers cheered.
The data didn't seem to break apart though. Instead, the fallen God turned pitch black and a data ring appeared around him. At this point, everyone knew what that meant but without the presence of a Legendary Warrior, they couldn't do anything about it.
"If the data isn't purified, won't Merukimon just come back as our enemy again?" Cody muttered.
Just then, Beetlemon flew into the courtyard, D-Tector at the ready. "Sorry I'm late. But it looks like I'm just in time to do this at least. Fractal Code Digitize!"
The God was left in the middle of the courtyard, eyes closed and body still. But the rise and fall of his muscular chest was a sign that he was alive at least. In the meantime, the group convened to protect what was left of the stronghold. Once things seemed to settle down, Merukimon had woken up and he seemed to be back to his original state, if a little depressed.
"You know that little wall of yours gave us some trouble," said Minervamon. "It could've been used by the Demon Lords to track us down."
Merukimon grimaced. "My apologies. But my job as messenger requires me to know your locations at all times in case."
"But not all of us were on that wall," Mervamon remarked. "Demeter, I noticed, wasn't there at all."
Unfortunately, Merukimon wouldn't know this. His previous life ended prior to the convergence of the multiple Digital Worlds. So if any of the Olympians were on any of the other worlds, then they wouldn't have appeared on the wall. Although it was rather strange. Now that all the worlds were together, that meant all the Olympians should be there now. So why was one missing?
Nene didn't quite understand what they were talking about, she was just grateful to see that her partner had returned. "Mervamon, I'm glad you showed when you did but… why? More specifically, why is Minervamon with you?"
"Oh, that," said Minervamon, coming forward. "On our little journey, I was persuaded to give human beings a chance." She then looked up at Merukimon. "So you kind of have that boy to thank for me even showing up. What was his name? Keenan. You… did quite a job raising him. The way he talks about unity among people… reminded me a lot of you."
"Keenan…," said Merukimon. "Does that mean… he's here with you?"
Minervamon nodded. "I'm sure you'll want to see him."
Cody had a question of his own although he wasn't sure if it was appropriate to bring up now. Still, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. "Merukimon, forgive me if I'm overstepping my bounds," he said, "but why was that your weak point?"
Merukimon touched his wound. "This… was where a Gizumon hit me in my past life…"
Everyone went stiff, reminded of how he had been killed in the first place. It had been an extremely traumatic experience for Keenan.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up," said Cody. He knew what it was like to be stuck on something terrible from the past. "It's painful…"
January 24: Kingdom Town, Town Market — 10:55 PM
Eleven Ultimates appeared from all sides attempting to ambush the Chosen Children. But they hadn't expected on facing someone with extraordinary hearing so they were found out mere moments before attacking. Now that the element of surprise was no longer a factor, the DigiDestined were able to stand on somewhat equal footing.
"Digi Ninpou: Furoshiki Wrapping!"
Tsuwamon produced a cloth sack and captured Makuramon. But not even a fraction of a second later, the Treasure Ball tore through the fabric, freeing the Monkey Deva. Slithering in from the other side was the Snake Deva, Sandiramon, who wrapped himself around Tsuwamon.
Makuramon smirked. "Did you really think you stood a chance against the Deva? Primal Orb!"
The bipedal Digimon pitched his weapon but he was still able to control it remotely. It charged right for the ninja but as it would turn out Tsuwamon had been long gone since the beginning. It was actually a balloon dummy in his place. So the orb ended up popping it and impacting Sandiramon right underneath his jaw, knocking him out almost instantly.
Yuu felt a smug grin forming on his face. "You shouldn't underestimate my partner."
Makuramon quickly tried to create another orb but his body was suddenly constricted in an electrified web. Lightning coursed through his data while Tsuwamon reappeared behind Sandiramon. Doing quick work with his sickles, he minced the entire length of the snake, slicing him into several pieces.
"Mantis Dance!"
Without stopping, Tsuwamon quickly cut the simian in half. In just that one instant, both Deva were Hunted.
Back with Sakkakumon, Takuya explained that the majority of the Digimon inside of the orbs were fake. They were simply reflections made from data that the corrupted Legendary Warrior had collected over time. That was why Yuu was unable to Hunt any of them. So that meant he should be able to now.
"They're victims," said Yuu, looking down at his X-Loader. "We can't let them be destroyed so easily."
Nearby, SuperStarmon was dancing around the axes and bolts coming his way. It was beginning to seriously get on the nerves of Vajramon and Pajiramon. Which meant the golden Ultimate was having even more fun to mess around with them. But that didn't mean he wasn't taking this fight seriously as he dropped little light from the inside of the gloves.
"We've got you now," Vajramon growled from one side.
"You can't escape," Pajiramon added from the other.
SuperStarmon looked left and right, seeing that it would certainly be difficult to get out of his current predicament. But with a chuckle and a snap of his fingers, the world darkened around them. The Ox and Ram Deva paused before noticing that they were the ones surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of stars, the lights dropped by the star. In the blink of an eye, they were pelted repeatedly until they were Hunted.
"Four down," SuperStarmon chuckled. "The Deva aren't what they're hyped up to be, are they?"
"Rook Gatling!"
"Dino Burst!"
With a loud squawk, Sinduramon the Rooster Deva was also defeated, bursting into flames due to the combined might of RookChessmon and Allomon. Yuu had to admit that this was feeling easier than he had expected as well. Granted his partners were stronger than most but the same could be said about the Deva. So why did they all seem to be pushovers?
The wicked laugh of SkullGreymon yanked the Hunter out of his thoughts. He looked up to see his more psychotic partner plucking Catsuramon and Mihiramon from the ground. They both tried to escape his bony grasp but the look he gave them seemed to make them freeze up in fear. He then proceeded to throw them at Majiramon who had made an attempt to rescue his comrades. Not a second later, while all three were clustered together in the sky, SkullGreymon released the missile on his back.
"Dark Shot!"
It whistled through the air and exploded on impact, effectively finishing off the Dog, Tiger, and Dragon Deva. Although it seemed like SkullGreymon was hungry for more as he quickly set his sights on his own allies. Yuu had to return the undead Digimon back to his X-Loader before someone else got seriously hurt.
In the meantime, Kazemon was keeping busy with the remaining Deva. Vikaralamon was the main issue as he was rampaging through the town, chasing after her. Riding on top of the behemoth was the miniscule Kumbhiramon. And appearing with a small gust of wind in front was Indramon, cutting off the Legendary Warrior of Wind's escape route.
"Great," Kazemon grumbled. "I get stuck with two of the strongest."
Indramon reached for the conch on his back and swung it like a club. Kazemon quickly looped around the melee weapon to avoid being crushed. Almost as soon as she thought she was safe, she heard six high-pitched voices announcing that they were going to claw into her while she was distracted.
"Treasure Pestle!"
Without even turning around, Kazemon produced a powerful wind to circulate her entire body. As each Rat Deva clone entered the wind stream, they were blown around her body. They continued on this path, crashing right into the Horse Deva's face.
"Get off of me!" Indramon bellowed.
"Hey, it's not our fault!" Kumbhiramon squeaked. "You're a big target!"
An ear-splitting squeal caught Kazemon's attention as she spun around to see Vikaralamon opening up his maw. "Treasure Wheel!" This was perfect.
Black goop was spit out from his mouth as Kazemon quickly slide evolved into Zephyrmon. With a much greater control of her element, she was able to make a downcurrent that redirected the slime so that it fell around Indramon's weapon. The equine's weapon was soon stuck in the substance, unable to pick it back up.
"You idiot!" Indramon shouted.
"Don't worry, we got this!" Kumbhiramon squeaked, leaping off once more.
Zephyrmon, of course, took advantage of this by once more blowing them forward and avoiding them completely. They ended up falling into the Pig Deva's fur, getting themselves entangled. Though small, their claws were digging into the giant's skin so he was starting to shake violently, squealing in pain.
"Tch," Indramon uttered before vanishing into thin air. Only his voice hung around. "Do you really think you can defeat us, puny Warrior?"
Zephyrmon could hear it. The faint wind that the Horse Deva produced whenever he came and went. So it was easy for her to detect the spot he would appear next before he even did so. Simply by flying left, she was able to avoid getting hit with his swinging hoof. Then, soaring all the way to the back of Indramon's head, she lit up her claws with red energy.
"Plasma Paws!"
Indramon toppled like an unstable tower, falling on top of Vikaralamon who squealed again in pain. As for the Rat Deva who ended up getting caught in between and crushed, he became nothing more than a silhouette and a Fractal Code. But of course, Zephyrmon wasn't done yet as she produced a strong enough gale to force the Treasure Wheel on top of the two Ultimates, sticking them together in the slime.
"Bested by a tiny fairy?!" Indramon grunted. "This is by far the most embarrassing fight I've ever partaken in!"
Zephyrmon stood on the corner of a rooftop. "In your defense, you were tripping all over each other. Hurricane Gale!"
Zoey quickly reunited with the younger humans with her forehead creased and eyes narrowed. At this rate, she was going to wrinkle prematurely. Of course, that was the least of her worries. When she got back, she saw that Ai and Mako were still insisting on trying to find Impmon.
"Zoey," Yuu whined. "Help me out here."
Zoey pinched the bridge of her nose to think about it. "It should be fine if you stay with them. But before that I need to ask you something."
"Hm?"
"Did you Hunt the Deva?"
Before the boy could answer, SuperStarmon piped up, "They're not in here… even though we Hunted all of them to…"
"Eh?" Yuu blinked. "But… that doesn't make sense!"
Zoey figured this would be the case. Right after nabbing the three Fractal Codes, the rest of their data completely vanished. Her theory was that since they were deleted by the Demon Lords, they couldn't be reconfigured anymore. Not unless they were something special like a member of the Olympos XII who only needed the belief of others to stay alive.
Once she voiced this out to them, they ended up separating. The young trio going off in search of Impmon and the teenaged girl thinking about what her next move should be. The Legendary Warrior faced the sky, seeing the CITY Chiefs battle it out with the air raids.
"I should help out," said Zoey. She threw her D-Tector into the air and caught it after spinning around to look at Kuzuhamon. "But I suppose I should take care of you first."
The sorceress knew that the human girl would detect her right away. After all, she didn't exactly shroud her presence. Even if she did, her breathing and the slight jingling of her staff would've given her away anyway. Although she had no idea just how much sound was being blocked out by Zoey's headphones.
"You will be my Akumako," Kuzuhamon stated.
"Huh?" Zoey blanched. Somehow, she knew it was another word for partner. Except not as nice a term. "Where is this coming from?"
"I was defeated because my enemy had a human with her," Kuzuhamon explained. "And the two strongest Demon Lords are part human as well."
Now that Zoey thought about it, in the origin stories she heard, both Lucemon and Daemon were comprised of a Digimon and a human. Those humans being Hikaru and Kurogane, the very first to come into contact with the Digital World. So that meant the tale was true. Somehow that just made the reality so much more terrifying.
"So? Why me?" asked Zoey.
The moment Kuzuhamon decided she needed a human partner, she began looking over the Chosen Children one by one to see who would be the best candidate for the position. The Legendary Warriors already proved that they were capable in combat so she knew it had to be one of them. After much deliberation, she finally settled on Zoey.
"Your fighting style is closest to mine," Kuzuhamon explained. "I think we will be a combination that truly enhances each other's skills and abilities."
"Don't the Demon Lords hate human-Digimon relationships?"
"They hate when the humans are always in control."
Zoey didn't exactly feel like going into another spiel about how that wasn't the case when it came to partnerships. Humans and Digimon can share a symbiotic relationship if they actually tried to see one another as equals. But if someone wasn't able to understand that, then Zoey would just have to show them herself.
A data ring burst around the human's hand. "Sorry, I'm flattered but I've already got a partner."
"Then I will just have to make you my Akumako," Kuzuhamon stated coolly.
Even with the noise-cancelling headphones, Zoey could hear the destruction that was going on from all sides. She didn't like the fact that she couldn't help out the others. Especially when it didn't seem like Kuzuhamon was planning on adding to the wreckage. But at the same time, she couldn't just ignore an enemy standing right in front of her.
"Execute Spirit Evolution… Kazemon!"
-X-
One by one, each showdown is coming to a grand conclusion. But the aftermath is still going to be ugly and it even seems like new battles are starting up as well. It's a showdown between Zoey and Kuzuhamon. For the human, she's never had to take on a Mega level Digimon by herself. Will she succeed or will this be the place she falls? Find out on the next Digimon: Children of the Future!
I know the wait for this chapter was just a little bit longer than usual. This is because I wrote and finished the chapter that was originally going to be in this place two weeks ago but hated it. I'm still going to use it but the content felt too early to be placed here. Thus, I decided to save it for later and hash out this new chapter for you guys! Now, I hope you all enjoyed and please leave a review down below!
P.S. During JewelBeemon's debut chapter back in Present, someone remarked that that wasn't supposed to be his Ultimate form. Well, now you know that there was a reason why I didn't choose DinoBeemon as the Ultimate form. Every evolution line I select takes serious deliberation so do not doubt that I have a plan in my decisions.