As the sun began to set, the heroes and heroines crossed the border between the Thunder Tribe's lands and the Borderlands, the group now following Novicmon as he led them towards the destination ScorchTactimon had indicated on their map, the gathering point for the allied forces to begin their assault upon the Dark Tribe's lands.
As they continued to follow the small mystic Digimon, excitement, anticipation and concern filled each member of the team.
After so long, they had finally completed their goal of uniting the Tribes of Witchelny against the Dark Lady, while also receiving a portion of each of the ten primordial fragments, including the Infinite Dark of the Dark Tribe, the heroes and heroines believing if they used the power of the ten fragments together, then they could have the strength needed to defeat the Dark Lady once and for all.
"There is a clearing at the end of this mountain pass we can use to set up camp for the night." Novicmon then told his friends as he looked upon his map, knowing that the group would have to stop soon for the night to eat and sleep.
"I don't know if I am going to get any sleep, I'm too excited and ready for this fight." Astora said with a confident grin as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, we'll big bang punch the Dark Lady's lights out this time!" Eri declared in agreement with a raised fist, her enthusiasm causing Dokamon to give his own cheer in agreement.
"Try and calm down, guys. This won't be an easy fight." Mikey said in response to Eri and Dokamon's cheering, the Red General expressing his seriousness within his tone, which was shared amongst Shoutmon and the others.
"Mikey's right, this might be our toughest fight yet." Haru then added, causing his fellow Appli Drivers to sigh in response.
"We have no idea how the allied forces will fare against the Dark Tribe's defenses, or what tricks the Dark Lady still has up her sleeve." Davis remarked, the maroon haired Digidestined narrowing his eyes and thinking aloud. "We also don't know what her plan is now that she also has the power of all ten fragments, so we need to keep our guard up."
The other heroes and heroines nodded in reply, each understanding the gravity of the situation, knowing that their true enemy wasn't a foe to be taken likely.
Likewise, the maroon haired Digidestined, along with Veemon, Mikey, Shoutmon and Novicmon knew that whatever the Dark Lady's scheme was, it would require someone from their group, thus leaving the five on alert in the event their enemy struck before they could reach the safety of the allied forces.
Unbeknownst toDavis, as he continued to walk and was deep in his thoughts, Kari was looking upon her beloved with a bright smile, her love, appreciation and worries all reflected in her eyes as she looked upon her beloved.
On one hand, Kari was beyond happy, happy that this adventure had brought her and Davis so close together, while also feeling pride and joy to see the recognition her beloved was receiving, to have their friends, new and old, look up to him and follow his lead, for Davis to receive the respect he deserved, while continuing to show his love and care for her at the same time.
On the other hand, however, there were moments that absolutely terrified Kari, such as the most recent event when Davis and Veemon were turned to stone, or when Morganamon forced Lightbearer Ophanimon and MysticSakuyamon to fight MagnaVeedramon, moments that made Kari fear that something bad would happen to Davis, and that thought alone terrified the Digidestined of Light to no end.
And with their upcoming battle against the Dark Lady, those fears gripped Kari's heart, making fearful of what the leader of the Dark Tribe would do to Davis if she truly held nothing back.
Wishing to express her concerns, Kari turned to speak to Davis, to have him promise her that he would be careful and that he would always be by her side.
But before the Digidestined of Light could speak, each member of the team felt something was off, the heroes, heroines and even Novicmon sensing something dark and evil approaching their way.
Looking up, the heroes and heroines found a massive shadow shooting down from the sky and landed on the path before them.
Recognizing the shadow as a fragment of the Dark Lady's own power, the power used to create many of the monstrosities the heroes and heroines had faced in their journey, the group watched as the shadow grew and took form, turning into yet another horrifying Digimon.
Resembling a DarkHydramon-like being in shape, not only was the new foe twice the size of the multi-headed Digimon, but also made completely out of bones, looking ghostly as six spines came out of its back.
Its eyes and a sphere at its center glowed with an eerie bright red, where the new beast gave terrible and vicious hisses at those before it, looking ready to strike at any moment.
"SpecterHydramon, a Mega Level Digimon!" Sora said in shock as she read the info on her D-Bracer, causing the group to growl at seeing that the Dark Lady had sent yet another of her twisted creations to pursue them.
"Then let's take this creep down!" Marcus' Agumon said in reply, getting nods from the rest of the team as their D-bracers began to glow and the heroes and heroines were consumed in pillars of light.
However, it was in this moment that SpecterHydramon's eyes and core pulsated with a dark red light, causing most of the pillar to disappear before the heroes and heroines could change, leaving only Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon able to change.
"Samudramon!"
"MedievalGallantmon!"
"CrimsonAldamon!"
Upon finishing their transformations, the trio then looked confused to see the others not changed, causing the Digimon of Courage to question. "Um… what's going on?"
Just as confused, Davis and the others looked to their D-Bracers, seeing the light in them had faded, before Renamon looked to SepcterHydramon and its core, where a sudden realization hit the vixen Digimon.
"That red light, it's the same spell from Mortismon's Throne, the one that prevented the D-Bracers from working!" Renamon informed with concern in her tone, her words causing the heroes and heroines to look concerned as they looked back upon their foe, seeing it ready to strike at any moment.
"It must not be strong enough to affect us all, that's why Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon were able to change." Haru theorized, where the trio of heroic Digimon then turned and looked to SpecterHydramon, who then prepared for battle.
"Stay back and let us handle this." Samudramon then said with a seriousness in his tone, getting nods from the others, before the trio charged at their dark foe.
"Cross Slicer!"
"Noble Strike!"
"Blazing Sabers!"
Moving together, the trio went to strike at SpecterHydramon's heads, to decapitate it and weaken their foe so that they could go for its main body.
However, much to the shock and dread of Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon, the three heroes merely passed through SpecterHydramon's being, as though it wasn't really there to begin with.
Turning its heads as its foes went through its being, SpecterHydramon then opened its mouths and unleashed streams of eerie green fire upon the trio, who quickly moved and dodged the inferno, before moving as the heads tried to strike at them, the heads crashing into the rock wall around them and crushing the stone in their path.
"Rinkageki!"
"Rage of the Wyvern!"
"Crimson Force!"
Unleashing their attacks as one, Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon were once again frustrated as their attacks merely passed through SpecterHydramon's being, while the other heroes and heroines moved out of the way as some of CrimsonAldamon's fire blasts shot through the Dark Digimon and struck the ground near them.
"Sorry!" CrimsonAldamon apologized, before the Warrior of Flame was then smacked by SpecterHydramon's tail and sent crashing into the ground.
But acting quickly, the Warrior of Flame moved fast as said tail moved to strike at him once again.
From the side, the remaining heroes and heroines watched on with frustration, each wishing that they could somehow help the trio find a way to help their friends out against this new foe.
'There has to be something…' Davis thought to himself, refusing to just sit back and watch Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon fight SpecterHydramon alone.
It was then that the maroon haired Digidestined noticed that, with each attack sent at it, the red core within SpecterHydramon's form seemed to move, as though it was protecting it from harm.
Likewise, for a ghost type Digimon, SpecterHydramon seemed to remain on the ground, meaning that it lacked the ability of flight.
Looking around, Davis then noticed a series of unstable rocks on top of the ridge above where SpecterHydramon was positioned, which seemed to move with each strike the Dark Digimon gave to the wall, this causing an idea to form in the Digidestined of Miracles' head.
"Wait right here!" Davis called out as he rushed towards the battle, much to Kari's dismay.
"Davis, wait!"Kari cried back in response to see Davis rushing off.
Wanting to chase after him, Kari was then stopped as Sora, Rika, Gatomon and Veemon held her back, each praying that Davis knew what he was doing.
Continuing to battle SpecterHydramon, Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon noticed Davis running toward them, but said nothing.
Lacking the ability to fuse with Veemon, but knowing Davis wouldn't make such a decision to approach the fight unless he had a plan, Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon remained focused on their conflict.
"Hey ugly, over here!" Davis suddenly called as he put his back to the rock wall, keeping his calm as SpecterHydramon turned some of its heads toward him.
Delight filled the Dark Digimon's being to see its target, the Dark Lady's chosen, right there before it, causing the beast to lash out with two of its heads, aiming to strike at the maroon haired boy and grab him, this action causing Davis to duck as the heads slammed into the wall and caused the ground to shake.
From the side, Kari watched on with pure terror in her eyes, her heart racing as her fear of losing Davis was growing to the point that she was about to scream.
Trying to figure out what Davis was doing by taunting SpecterHydramon, Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon then looked up to see the rocks on top of the ridge coming loose, the trio now understanding the maroon haired Digidestined's plan.
Quickly dodging another strike from the heads, slightly surprised by the attention the Dark Digimon was giving him, Davis braced himself as SpecterHydramon reared its head and lunged once again at the Digidestined of Miracles, causing Davis to duck just in time as the head slammed into the wall, causing a large crack to form and shot up to the top of the ridge, causing a rockslide to occur.
Looking up upon the sound of rumbling, SpecterHydramon let out hisses of surprise as the boulders came down, not noticing as CrimsonAldamon quickly flew down and grabbed Davis' hand, pulling the Digidestined of Miracles out of the way as the ground beneath the Dark Digimon gave way and SpecterHydramon began to fall from the ledge, unable to keep its position as it was swept away.
"Aim for the center!" Davis called after CrimsonAldamon let him off, the command causing Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon to nod in reply as they saw the glowing red center of the spectral Digimon.
"Rinkageki!"
"Rage of the Wyvern!"
"Arcane Inferno!"
Unleashing their attacks together, Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon struck at the red sphere at the center of SpecterHydramon, causing the Dark Digimon to let out a series of hisses, crying out in agony as it dissolved into shadows and faded away.
With their foe defeated, the remaining D-Bracers all lit back up again, now free from the spell that had blocked where power, where Samudramon, MedievalGallantmon and CrimsonAldamon landed around Davis and reverted back to their normal forms as Tai, Takato, Takuya and their partners thanked the maroon haired Digidestined for his assistance, followed soon after by the majority of the group as they rushed over to congrats Davis and a job well down.
Kari, however, remained in place for a moment, her head down so that none could see her eyes and a blank look upon her face, the sight of which worried Gatomon as she looked upon her partner.
Smiling as his friends continued to congratulate him, Davis then turned to see Kari approaching him, the Digidestined of Miracles smiling as he believed she was there to congratulate him herself.
The resounding slap and the sting on his cheek, however, told him otherwise, the sight of which causing the others to stop and look at the scene with worry as the maroon haired Digidestined looked to see the rage within the brunette's eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kari practically screamed, her fear and anxiety getting the better of her as she kept yelling. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"Kari, I…" Davis tried to say, to reassure his girlfriend that he was alright, but was cut off as the brunette continued her rage fueled rant.
"Do you think it's funny to play with my feelings? To make me scared like that?! Do you think it's funny to just rush into danger without even thinking about the consequences?!" Kari asked through her growing rage, before finally saying with pure, raw emotion. "I thought you had changed, but you're still the same reckless and selfish jerk you always were!"
Silence permeated the area as none in the group dared to speak, each fearing that they would only make things worse as Kari took several breaths, calming herself in the process.
But as she did so, the brunette's mind caught up with her words, where Kari was instantly filled with regret, having not meant what she said.
Looking at Davis, Kari saw his head hung low, preventing her from seeing his eyes as the guilt within her grew, where she started to say. "Davis, I…"
"It's alright Kari." Davis merely said, his voice lacking emotions, which only furthered the pain in Kari's heart as Davis moved to grab his bag, telling the rest of the group. "Let's get going, the campsite shouldn't be far."
Watching as Davis walked past her, Kari could feel the tears running down her cheeks, pain and guilt almost overwhelming her for her outburst.
Silence remained within the group as they followed their maroon haired leader, while looking sympathetically between him and Kari, none too sure as to what they could do to help the duo.
.
.
.
Even after setting up the tents and having a meal, silence still hung over the campsite as the majority of the heroes and heroines looked between the tent Kari was sitting in alone, and the direction they knew Davis and Veemon went for some time alone.
For most of the team, there was a belief that nothing could come between Davis and Kari, with everyone believing that Davis made the right decision, but each was also understanding of Kari's feelings.
Refusing to stay silent anymore, Sora rose to her feet and approached Kari's tent.
Seeing Gatomon outside, who nodded and moved out of the way, the orange haired Digidestined entered the tent and found Kari in distress, tears running down her cheeks which caused the Digidestined of Love to wrap her arms around Kari in a warm embrace, to allow the brunette to cry lightly against the orange haired girl's shoulder.
"Sora… I… I didn't mean it… I... I was just so scared… I don't want to lose him… I…" Kari said through her sobs, believing that she had broken Davis' heart and had now driven him away from her.
"I know, Kari, I know." The orange haired Digidestined said soothingly as she rubbed Kari's back, before adding with a confident smile. "And so does Davis. You know him better than anyone, he knows you didn't mean it and was scared, he probably just wants to give you some space to calm down."
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Kari kept repeating, where Sora pulled the brunette out of their embrace and looked the young girl in the eyes with a sympathetic look.
"I'm not the one you need to say that to." Sora told the brunette, who smiled lightly through her tears as she nodded her head in agreement.
"You're right, I need to apologize to him." The Digidestined of Light said as she wiped the tears from her eyes, the brunette was now determined to make things up with Davis and let him know that she truly loved him.
.
.
.
Not too far off in a clearing, Davis and Veemon sat on the ground, with the Digidestined of Miracles looking up at the sky as he let out a small sigh.
"Davis." Veemon said to break the silence, getting his partner's attention as the V marked Digimon then questioned. "You know Kari didn't mean what she said, right?"
"I know, she was just scared." Davis said in reply, the maroon haired Digidestined keeping his gaze upon looking back up at the sky as he then said. "But she was right, I was reckless, I didn't even think about her when I rushed in there."
"But you saved Tai, Agumon and the others." Veemon reminded his partner, the Digimon of Miracles not wishing for Davis to think that his actions were wrong.
"Doesn't matter, I should have thought about Kari's feelings." Davis replied, realizing that he had been placing himself in dangerous situations to protect the girl he loved, while not considering how his actions might affect her.
"Head on back, Vee, I'll be there soon." The maroon haired Digidestined then said with a caring smile toward his partner, this causing Veemon to sigh as he got up.
Knowing that Davis wanted some time to himself, Veemon patted his partner's back a little, before turning and heading back to the campsite.
Keeping his eyes upon the sky, Davis let out a sigh as he let all the events of what had happened since they arrived at Witchelny run through his head, before letting the battle from earlier fill his mind.
'I'll apologize to Kari.' Davis mentally told himself, the maroon haired Digidestined always willing to do anything to fix their relationship and make the love of his life happy.
Feeling a presence behind him, Davis believed Veemon had forgotten something, where the Digidestined of Miracles started to turn his head as he began to ask. "Something else on your mind, Vee…"
However, Davis cut himself off as his curiosity turned to sheer horror to see the Dark Lady herself standing before him, the sight of the wicked being causing the maroon haired Digidestined to quickly get to his feet, mentally cursing himself.
With Veemon not close enough to aid him, Davis could not become MagnaVeedramon, and there was no way to warn his friends before she could attack him.
"If I wanted you to kill you, you would already be dead." The Dark Lady merely said, her words causing Davis to realize that she was telling the truth.
"What do you want?" Davis asked cautiously, keeping an eye on his enemy as she began walking around him, the maroon haired Digidestined making sure she didn't try anything funny.
"Do you know what I see when I look at you?" The leader of the Dark Tribe then questioned, her words causing Davis to look upon the Dark Lady with a confused expression.
"A hero who is greatly underappreciated." The Dark Lady then stated, her words adding to Davis' growing confusion as he tried to figure out her plan.
"Tell me, when you saved the Digimon Emperor from himself, were you ever thanked? When you rallied your 'friends' against MaloMyotismon and ended his evil, were you celebrated for your achievements? No, everyone moved on the next day and you were left in the shadows once again." The dark being stated as she continued to walk around Davis.
"How do you know all this?" Davis questioned, the maroon haired hero wanting to know how his foe knew so much about him and his friends, about how she knew who their enemies were, or that Shoutmon was king in his world.
"It doesn't matter." The Dark Lady replied, looking at Davis as she continued. "Your whole life, you have stood against what is wrong, have helped those in need and have been ignored and forgotten, called reckless and selfish, cast into the shadows while others claim the glory that should be yours."
"But I can give you the power to have all you have ever desired, to have the ability to stand above all others, to be recognized and praised for your actions." The Dark Lady then stated, her words causing Davis to narrow his eyes as he believed he knew what the Dark Lady was after.
"Let me guess, as long as I betray my friends?" Davis questioned back, believing that his enemy was trying to turn him against his friends.
"Only if you desire." The Dark Lady said in reply, her words confusing Davis as she continued and said. "This is about you, not them."
Thinking for a moment, Davis' mind was filled with imagery on how he was looked down upon, viewed as Tai's shadow, and ridiculed for doing what he believed was right in the past, almost feeling tempted by the Dark Lady's offer.
'Davis…' Kari's voice rang in his mind, where the maroon haired Digidestined remembered their times together and the love that they shared, causing Davis to close his eyes for a moment, before looking back upon the Dark Lady.
"Those aren't things that I want." Davis said back, adding as he looked upon the dark being. "I have my friends and the one I love, I don't need anything else in my life."
"How noble." The Dark Lady remarked, causing Davis to smirk as he thought that he had won, before the leader of the Dark Tribe then went on to say with a further darkness. "Noble, but foolish, and this was not an offer, this is what will be happening."
Upon the Dark Lady finishing her statement, a circle of dark purple energy formed beneath Davis' feet and dark energy chains emerged and wrapped themselves around Davis' being, restraining the Digidestined of Miracles as a dark portal opened up behind him.
"Know that what will happen from this moment on is for your own good, Davis Motomiya." The Dark Lady then said, her words causing Davis' eyes to widen as realization hit him.
He remembered all their past battles, how most of the Dark Generals seemed to target him the most, the way Charonmon seemed to eye him, how Wraithmon had struck at him during their last battle and the way the Dark Lady seemed to toy with him.
It was at that moment that the horrible truth came to Davis, he was the Dark Lady's chosen.
Unable to speak, Davis could only watch as the dark portal moved and consumed his bound form, closing afterwards and leaving the Dark Lady alone in the clearing.
"NOOO!" A voice screamed from behind to the sight, causing the Dark Lady to merely move to the side as the enraged form of Lightbearer Ophanimon swung her blade at her, while the rest of the heroes and heroines quickly chased after her.
Having turned back to see if his partner was alright, Veemon saw that the Dark Lady had approached Davis, and quickly rushed to the camp to inform the others, where in a panic, Kari quickly merged with Gatomon as Lightbearer Ophanimon rushed to save the Digidestined of Miracles from their foe.
"Where is he, where is he?!" The Digimon of Light all but screamed as she continued to try and strike the Dark Lady.
"His fate is no longer any of your concern." The dark being replied, seeming to enjoy toying with Lightbearer Ophanimon as she continued to merely dodge her strikes.
"Lightbearer Ophanimon wait!" Tai called in worry, knowing that Kari had every right to be upset, but also knew that the Digimon of Light stood no chance against the Dark Lady, especially without the powers of the primordial fragments.
After seeing Davis taken away, Veemon, Mikey, Shoutmon and Novicmon each paled as they realized that it was Davis all along that was the Dark Lady's chosen.
As she continued to swing her blade in a blind rage, which the Dark Lady merely dodged and ducked with ease, an internal battle was raging with Lightbearer Ophanimon's being, with the part of her that was Gatomon trying to calm her fused form down, while the part of her that was Kari was in a blind rage.
The Dark Lady had taken Davis, Davis was now in danger, and she could not apologize for her action, she needed to save Davis.
As the others watched on with concern and dread, Lightbearer Ophanimon swung her blade up, where the Dark Lady merely stepped back to avoid the blade.
However, the tip of Lightbearer Ophanimon's blade managed to cut through the bottom of the Dark Lady's mask, not enough to scratch her face, but enough to cut clean straight up the mask, causing the left half to fall off and to the ground.
Still in her blind rage, Lightbearer Ophanimon then spun around to send her blade straight through the Dark Lady as she moved to strike.
But upon seeing half her enemy's true face, the Digimon of Light came to a halt as her rage was quickly replaced with shock, horror and disbelief, a feeling every member of the group felt upon seeing the Dark Lady's true face.
"What the hell?!" Marcus and Tagiru questioned in shock, with most of the other guys looking on in disbelief and horror, while Sora, Jeri, Zoe, Nene and Eri had their hands over their mouths as they felt like they could scream at any moment.
"What… what is this…?!" Tai could only say in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
Dropping her weapon, Lightbearer Ophanimon backed up as horror and confusion filled her being.
Meanwhile, within the celestial Digimon's being, the part of her that was Kari Kamiya was perhaps the most horrified and shocked, for despite being a few years older, the face before her was one she recognized all too well.
Her own reflection.
.
.
.
Author's Note: It has been a long time coming, but we have finally gotten to this point. Yes, many had already guessed it, but the Dark Lady is indeed the Digidestined of Light, Kari Kamiya. The question of who is out of the way, but the questions of how and why remain. Stay tuned as the adventure continues. We are about to be entering the Endgame.