Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: We're pretty much coming to the end of this Spirit Chip arc now, and though it was the hardest one to write, it's probably one of my most favorite parts of the story thus far. Once we get back to the human world there will be a couple of chapters for the aftermath that sort of wrap everything up, and from there we will see a bit of a time jump again. I hope you're all still enjoying the story, and of course I hope you all have fun reading this new chapter!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 282: The Fool's Warning

Daichi 'Dai' Motomiya

Net, Northern Hemisphere, Digital World

Even though he had already known about Omnimon's existence, Daichi Motomiya couldn't seem to stop staring at the large mega digimon, despite the obvious danger they were in. Beside him, he could tell that Ryoko and Matty were also having the same problem, and he was pretty sure his own expression was a mirror image of the awe reflected in their tired eyes. There was no denying the fact that Omnimon was an impressive looking digimon, and from the sounds of it he had the strength and power to back up his exalted appearance. In this, Gennai had kept his word, and the Digicore had done what it was supposed to do. The timing couldn't have been better, and since Dai already suspected that the robed man had known all along just exactly how the Ice Caverns worked, the decision to grant them the power of the Digicore had been a wise move.

Though it all made sense, it was still a bit much for his brain to handle, since he was still trying to fully process the fact that Ryoko actually did care about him after all and wanted to be friends, but no matter how elated and happy he felt about finally working things out with the golden-haired Digidestined, he knew he needed to focus. There was still a lot at stake, and though the Spirit Chip of Loyalty was now in their possession, they still needed to find a way to get out of the Ice Caverns without getting captured.

But how? These tunnels are practically a giant underground maze, and after everything that's happened I don't think I can remember the way back to the entrance. Maybe one of the others can? But even if they could...it took us more than a day just to get where we are now, which means if we were to go back the way we came, it would take us at least another whole day to get back. We don't have time for that.

For one thing, they needed to be back at school on time. If all six of them were to miss the same day of school, it would definitely raise some concerns. There was just no way their teacher, Mrs. Hanari, wouldn't find that kind of behaviour blatantly suspicious, and though he didn't doubt for a moment that Mr. Sugiyama would cover for them, he really didn't want to put their principal, who had always been kind and understanding towards him, in that kind of position. Plus, Joe and the other adults needed to be back at work, which meant they needed to find a way back to the human world as soon as possible.

We still have another day, but I think we need it to recover from this mission. Ryoko especially needs it. There's no way he could go to school in the condition he's in now, which is why we need to get back today.

It was a sobering thought, and glancing at the golden-haired Digidestined, who was leaning heavily on his shoulder, he wrapped his arm a bit more securely around the other boy's waist for extra support. Sensing his movement, Ryoko looked at him, and giving him a weak smile, as if to say he was fine, the golden-haired Digidestined settled against him again before closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against Matty's shoulder.

It was a nice feeling, knowing that he didn't have to be afraid Ryoko would try to push him away, and though he wanted very much to indulge in their new found sense of companionship, once again he had to tell himself to set it aside for later and focus on the problem at hand.

We'll have plenty of time to talk when we're home. It'll be safer and a lot more comfortable for him too. Right now I need to figure out a way to get us out of here...

Since the network of tunnels and caverns was so huge, logically speaking there would have to be more than one entrance to get in and out of the place. The question now was weather or not they could find the closest exit without getting captured.

And that's not the only thing. I know he's trying to convince me otherwise, but I'm worried about Ryoko. He definitely isn't looking too good at the moment. Ever since we came to the Ice Caverns, he's been using up a lot of mental strength and physical energy to keep himself going, and that shadow really did a number on his throat and ribs. We need to get him back to the human world as soon as possible so Joe can fix him up.

Which was another reason they couldn't afford to stay in the Digital World for another whole day.

Whatever we do, we need to find an exit that will get us back to the surface before nightfall. Plus, we'll also have to find another gate to the human world, since we've left the one we came through far behind by now...

"Hey now, what's this?" Jestermon complained loudly, hopping up and down on his feet in outrage. "Where did you guys get the power to digivolve to Omnimon again? That's cheating!"

"You can thank one of Azulongmon's Digicores for that," Tai shot back, looking quite pleased with himself over the outcome. "Those things sure do come in handy when we need them."

"Ah yes, the Digicores," DarkAngelicmon murmured, his expression becoming quite thoughtful. "As I recall, Azulongmon gave one each to Gennai and his counterparts to use at their disposal, hence the reason why we wanted to get our hands on them. Gennai must have used the power of his Digicore to help Agumon and Gabumon gain sufficient energy to digivolve to Omnimon once again, and if I were to herald a guess, I suspect that also means we will be seeing Imperialdramon at some point as well. I noticed earlier that Gatomon's tail ring is missing. You have gained the power to DNA digivolve again."

"You're not the only ones with a few tricks up your sleeves," Mimi replied, holding her Digivice tightly in her hand. "Now it's our turn to show off a bit!"

Jestermon looked particularly affronted by the rosy-haired Digidestined's words, and pointing an accusing finger at her, he said indignantly, "Hey, those are my lines! I'm going to turn that little flower fairy of yours into a shriveled up compost heap!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Lillymon interrupted, leaping into the air and bringing her hands together in her signature move. "You threaten my partner again, and I'll turn you into a pile of smoking, ugly green data! Flower Cannon!"

Jestermon let out a yelp of surprise as the green blast of energy exploded into his right foot, and ignoring the fool, Spritemon turned to DarkAngelicmon and said rather nervously, "Are we really going to fight Omnimon?"

"Of course we are," the fallen angel said smoothly, his dark spear glittering in the gloomy atmosphere of the cavern. "We must steal the Spirit Chips for our master, Omnimon or no Omnimon."

"You are a fool and a coward," Vampiramon said in disgust, glaring at the little pixie digimon. "Stand here and snivel all you want if that's what you desire, but I will not be joining you. I will take Omnimon down myself if I have to, and once I do, I will be sure to tell our master how useless you are in a fight."

And with that Vampiramon leaped into battle, her crimson ropes of red lightning circling around Omnimon's large body to hold the warrior digimon in place. The crimson bonds began to crackle and spark as they attempted to drain the energy from Omnimon's body, but having just recently digivolved, the mega was at the peak of his game while Vampiramon was already tiring from having to fend off the shadows earlier. Without too much effort, Omnimon was able to break free, and brandishing his large blade, the fused mega shouted, "Transcendent Sword!"

The attack just barely missed Vampiramon, and managing to get out of the way before the blade could slice her, she hissed, "You'll have to do better than that if you want to defeat me. Lamia Transformation!"

Turning herself into a bat, Vampiramon began to rain down bolts of lightning on Omnimon's head, and addressing the large group of humans that Spritemon had abandoned earlier, Ibismon waved a hand to get their attention and called out, "You guys join up with Dai, Ryoko, and Matty. We'll take care of these pests!"

"We'll cover you!" Odonatamon added, hurrying his human friends along as he fluttered over to join Lillymon, who was still facing off against Jestermon. "Corona Beam!"

The purple blast exploded into Jestermon's uninjured foot, sending him hopping onto the one Lillymon had already assaulted earlier, and taking advantage of the sudden chaos, Tai and the others quickly raced across the cavern towards them under Odonatamon's watchful eyes.

Daichi smiled as his father immediately ran up to him, the former leader's arms going around him in a brief hug that somehow managed to contain all of the emotions the older man was carrying inside his heart, and though it was obvious his dad would have liked to hold on to him for much longer, the former leader pulled back to avoid causing Ryoko any discomfort and said with conviction, "You have no idea how proud I am of you right now."

It was a little embarrassing, but Dai appreciated the sincerity in those words, and doing his best to support Ryoko's weight, he smiled at his father and said, "Sorry about making you worry. I just..."

"You did what you had to do," his father said simply, reaching out to ruffle his dark hair. "I can't fault you for that. If it were Ken, I would have done the same thing."

There was truth in that statement, and glancing over at Sam, he wasn't surprised to see the raven-haired Digidestined smiling at him. He was quick to return the smile, and sensing the pressure of Ryoko's hand as the golden-haired Digidestined squeezed his shoulder, he turned back to his father and said softly, "I know. You taught me well."

His father seemed to have no words to respond, and taking a moment to collect himself, the former leader let out a soft laugh and said, "Time to get down to business, I guess."

Dai nodded in agreement, and putting on his game face, he said quickly, "Listen, Dad, we don't have to win this fight. We just need to get out of here and find an exit as soon as possible, am I right?"

"And how are we going to do that exactly?" Sam countered, interrupting before the former leader could answer and standing next to Matty to place his hand on the younger twin's shoulder.

There was a moment of contemplative silence, and to Dai's surprise it was Takara who spoke up, though her words were hesitant. "I think...If you look closely, there's another entrance on the far side of the cavern directly across from the one we came through. It's hard to see because of the huge pit taking up all the space in the middle, but if we circle around the pit, it looks like there might be a giant door on the other side."

Dai frowned, and glancing towards the dark chasm, he said slowly, "Really?"

"You can't see it from this angle, but it's visible from over there where Spritemon was keeping watch over us," Takara mumbled, refusing to look at him. "The darkness hides it a bit, but because it's so huge, you can still make it out."

"That's great and all, but what if it doesn't lead to an exit?" Matty replied, breathing heavily under Ryoko's weight. "It won't do us any good if it leads to a dead end or something. We'll be in big trouble if we end up getting trapped and can't find a way out."

Ryoko was slim and only about average height for his age, but it was obvious having to help hold the golden-haired Digidestined up was taking its toll on Matty. Like Ryoko, the younger twin had used up a lot of his strength by this point, and Dai wasn't sure how much longer the other boy would be able to hold on. Matt must have sensed his nephew's discomfort as well because he quickly came over to relieve Matty of his burden, and easing Ryoko's head off the younger twin's shoulder, he handed Matty over to Mickey before taking the younger twin's place.

Mickey was quick to put his arms around the younger twin, who sagged against his brother in relief, and holding onto the older twin for support, Matty said, "So what? Do we go back the way we came?"

"Going back won't help us any either," Matt pointed out, looking serious. "I don't know about you guys, but with so many twists and turns in this place I can't remember the path we took to get here, and even if we could, it would still take us too long to reach the surface. We would be caught long before we got to the entrance."

"Vampiramon and the others look like they might be losing a lot of their steam," Tai countered, glancing towards where the battle was taking place. "Compared to our digimon, who have all kinds of energy, I doubt they could keep up with us."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to take that chance. Not when my son's life is at risk," Matt said quietly, glancing at the golden-haired Digidestined, whose head was resting weakly against his shoulder.

Tai's dark gaze fell on Takara for a moment, and looking back at his best friend, the former leader said, "I figured you would say that, not that I blame you."

"It's lighter that way," Kara said meekly, having sensed her father's eyes on her. "I mean, it looks a bit brighter through the door on the other side. It's really faint, but I could still see the slight change in the lighting when I was tied up over there. It...it looks like that door might eventually lead to natural sunlight. It's definitely not the weird pink light of the crystals that I saw or anything like that. If we follow the path, I think that way might lead us closer to the surface."

Takara's normally strong voice sounded unusually subdued, and as Matt and Tai looked at each other, the former leader said slowly, "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm sure," Takara replied, her voice barley above a whisper.

Something unspoken seemed to pass between the two old friends, and giving the female Digidestined a searching look, Matt nodded his head and said calmly, "If you're sure then I have no reason to doubt you."

"Maybe we can use the Digivices for help," Mickey suggested, holding tightly to his twin as he pointed his Digivice towards the giant chasm.

A moment later, the older twin's D-Coder started to glow, and a beam of orange light shot straight across the cavern to where Takara had indicated she had seen a door leading to an exit.

Upon realizing the significance of the light, DarkAngelicmon avoided an attack from Ibismon and shouted, "There are two exits out of this cavern. Do not let the Digidestined escape from either door!"

"Now you tell us!" Spritemon grumbled, making a face. "Well fine then! I'd better even the odds a little bit. Pixie Dust!"

Angewomon, ExVeemon, and Ibismon were all unfortunate enough to get caught in the emerald sparkles that were raining down upon their heads, and crying out they all tumbled into a heap on the cavern floor.

Wincing at the sight, Dai glanced at Kara, and motioning for her to join him at his side, he said, "Are you okay?"

Takara nodded, and reaching out she took his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Despite the tension in her expression and the pain circling around her eyes, her face looked beautiful in the glowing flashes of light coming from the battlefield. It was strange, but all of a sudden he felt a strong desire to kiss her, and giving himself a mental shake, he could feel his face starting to turn red.

What was that? I've never thought of something like that about her before...

It was tempting, though, and the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.

"We need to wait for a good opportunity to make our way around to the other side of the chasm," Joe said slowly, looking towards the previous Digidestined leader. "That is if everyone's okay with Takara's idea of heading for the far entrance."

There was a chorus of nods, and glancing at his father, Dai said, "What do you think?"

The former leader shrugged his shoulders in response, and making a face, he said, "If we try to escape now it will cause too much of a distraction for our digimon partners, and that could mean the difference between whether we win or lose this fight. I might be a bit stubborn and rash sometimes, but even I've learned a few things growing up. Like Joe said, we need to wait for the perfect opportunity to make a run for it while our digimon have DarkAngelicmon and the others distracted. That way we have a better chance of escaping, and we won't be a hindrance to our partners."

Dai nodded, and glancing at Ryoko, he said hesitantly, "How are you holding up?"

Ryoko's head was still resting on his father's shoulder, and managing a weak smile, the golden-haired Digidestined said softly, "I'll survive. Don't worry about me. Let's just focus on getting out of here in one piece."

"That would probably be the best thing to do at this point," Kari agreed, glancing anxiously towards her partner. "I know Vampiramon and the others may not be at full strength the way our digimon are, but that doesn't mean they're not still perfectly capable of defeating us. They're powerful digimon, even if they don't always act like they are. We can't underestimate them, no matter how confident we are in our own skills. One mistake could be our downfall. They might now always cooperate or act very professional, but with the exception of DarkAngelicmon, they're still megas. Best not to forget that."

"Best to get this over with then," Sam agreed.

"Rest assured, we shall end this as quickly as possible!" IceTirimon called out, leaping into the air and going straight for Spritemon. "Aurora Blast!"

Spritemon squealed in pain as the colourful beam of light caught her right in the rib cage, sending her sprawling back towards the dark pit, and taking advantage of the situation, he immediately followed up with a second blast, which created a small explosion of light that truly did seem to resemble the aurora borealis in all its glory.

It was a beautiful sight, and adding to the colour, Gabrielmon held out his staff and shouted, "Holy Sceptre!"

"Hey guys, save some of the action for the rest of us!" ExVeemon called out, joining IceTirimon in the air.

"By all mean, have as many turns as you want," the fox digimon replied, giving the champion a friendly pat on the shoulder before handing over the stage with a flourish.

By this time, ExVeemon had managed to recover from the effects of the pixie dust, and getting into position, he shouted, "Vee Laser!"

The third blast of light nearly sent Spritemon sailing over the edge, and before Gabrielmon could follow up with his Heavenly Vortex attack, the little pixie quickly took to the skies and launched another cloud of emerald dust at the three digimon. IceTirimon was quick and agile enough to avoid it, but the other two were caught an ended up hitting the cavern floor with an echoing thump.

"And just how do you expect us to steal the Spirit Chips if these meddlesome digimon won't even let us get close to the humans?" Jestermon complained, dancing around FireDragermon's flaming bullets and countering with his dark spheres. Ondonatamon had to duck out of the way to avoid the attack as one of the black balls almost collided with his skull, and avoiding two more, the dragonfly digimon shouted, "Corona Beam!"

Jestermon managed to avoid the blast, but much to the fool's dismay, it knocked off his hat in the process. Letting out a yelp of surprise, the court jester dived for the wayward article of clothing, which gave Ogremon the perfect chance to attack.

Lifting the club he often carried over his shoulder, he took a swing at the court jester and shouted, "Bone Cudgel!"

The force of the blow sent Jestermon rolling towards the pit, and giving the ogre digimon a thumbs up, Lillymon said, "I'll take it from here. Flower Cannon!"

Jestermon disappeared in a flash of green light, and distracted by the blast, DarkAngelicmon said in contempt, "Well, you're certainly not going to reach the humans with that kind of technique."

The fool emerged from the blast coughing and sputtering, and giving the fallen angel a dirty look, he said, "It's your fault, you know. You're the one who made me fight all those shadows."

DarkAngelicmon ducked to avoid his holy counterpart's golden spear, and sending a blast of dark light at the celestial champion, he said calmly, "It is not very becoming to blame one's incompetence on others."

"Your allies aren't exactly the most reliable now, are they," Zudomon snorted, swinging his large weapon with the intent to use it. "Which works in our favour! Vulcan's Hammer!"

DarkAngelicmon quickly leaped into the air to avoid the shock wave, and frowning in disapproval, the fallen angel said, "It is rather unfortunate that my subordinates are quite useless, but even so I cannot allow your human partners to leave these caverns with their Spirit Chips. Wrath of Hades!"

The force of that giant wave of darkness sent Zudomon tumbling backwards onto the ground, and quickly moving into position, Angewomon pointed her bow at the fallen angel and said quietly, "The darkness is strong in you, but that only makes our attacks that much more potent. Come, Angelicmon! Let us immobilize our fallen friend so we can be on our way."

"Sounds good to me. Litany Spear!" Angelicmon shouted, tossing the glowing weapon at the fallen angel.

It went hurtling through the air at top speed, and at the last second, DarkAngelicmon was able to avoid the attack, though it did graze the feathers on his left wing.

As Dai watched in silence, he could tell the fallen angel was tired from having to fight all of those shadows earlier, and as Angewomon's Heaven's Charm attack came surging towards him in a wave of pink light, it was obvious there was no way he was going to avoid it. Instead, he managed to bring up his dark spear to avoid most of the impact, and reeling backwards in the air, he tumbled to the stone floor as Ibismon's Emerald Flare attack caught him in the chest.

"How's that for teamwork!" Zudomon said triumphantly, once again lifting his weapon. "Vulcan's Hammer!"

This time the fallen angel was unable to avoid the massive amount of energy Zudomon's hammer could generate, and as the dark champion disappeared in a shower of sparks, Ibismon took the opportunity to launch another attack at the fallen angel. Twirling in the air, she said in a voice that was rather apologetic, "Sorry to do this, but we can't let you take our Spirit Chips. Cyclone Fury!"

A large tornado of pink fathers engulfed DarkAngelicmon, and as he disappeared from sight, Dai heard a soft sound from somewhere off to his right. Turning to identify the source of the noise and realizing it had come from Mickey, he said quickly, "You doing okay?"

"Just don't look," Matty said quietly, giving his twin a comforting squeeze.

It was clearly causing Mickey a lot of pain and sorrow to have to fight DarkAngelicmon, and turning his face into Matty's shoulder to avoid having to watch the battle, the older twin managed to nod his head, though his response wasn't very convincing.

Back on the battlefield, Omnimon was facing off against Vampiramon all on his own, and as the female digimon continued to launch bolts of lightning at him in her bat form, he continued to thrust his sword at her in an attempt to knock her out of the air. The lightning bolts were causing his armour to smoke wherever they made contact, but despite the obvious signs of damage to his knightly attire, the energy from the vampire digimon's attacks didn't seem to be affecting the large mega all that much. Vampiramon was incredibly fast and agile in her bat form compared to Omnimon, whose heavy armour and long cape slightly impeded him in the speed department, but despite the disadvantage, several times he still came very close to slicing off her wings.

Even in her bat form, there was a hint of madness in her glowing red eyes, and snarling in rage, she said, "You may be powerful, but that power is useless if you cannot catch me!"

"You intend to wait it out until I lose enough power and energy to maintain this form?" Omnimon demanded, his cape swirling around his large body as he attempted to fend off the lightning bolts with the hilt of his sword. "On the surface that seems like a sensible plan, but though my power may run out eventually, the same is true for your stamina. Thus, the question remains. Which of us can hold out longer before the other falters? I am newly evolved, and you have tired yourself fighting the shadows. The answer is clear. Supreme Cannon!"

There was a shriek of pain as the frigid blasts from his Garuru Cannon made contact with the bat fluttering around his large body, and falling to the ground, Vampiramon hit the ice so hard it cracked beneath her small bat body and sent a shower of snow raining down from the icy ceiling. The force of the impact caused her to turn back into her human looking form, and struggling to sit up, she hissed, "I will not lose to the likes of you. Dark Stiletto!"

The glowing dagger came hurtling through the air, its point aimed at the vulnerable spot near Omnimon's neck where the armour on his head met the armour covering his body, but the large mega deflected the small knife with a mere swipe of the hand, sending it clattering to the floor with an echo before it exploded into data.

"You may have more mega digimon on your side, but our powers are still far greater than yours," Omnimon said in a commanding voice, brandishing his sword. "As long as we have the support of our human partners, you will never defeat us."

"The humans are a curse," Vampiramon hissed, climbing unsteadily to her feet. "This world does not belong to them, and I will not stand by and let them sabotage my master's plans for the future of all digimon and humans! Crimson Lightning!"

As the vampire digimon raised her hands towards the ceiling, a chaotic mass of blood red energy rained down upon Omnimon's head, sending a current of crackling red sparks surging through his armour. More bolts of electricity shot up from the icy ground to strike his legs, and Dai gasped as the warrior digimon disppeared in a huge explosion of energy.

"Omnimon!" Ryoko cried, looking shocked.

"He's fine," Matt said, placing a reassuring hand on his son's golden hair. "You need to rest now."

Dai was still supporting Ryoko's weight, along with Matt, and frowning at the former musician, he said, "How can you be so sure?"

"Omnimon can handle a lot more damage than that," Tai spoke up, interrupting before Matt could answer. "Just watch and see for yourself."

Sure enough, when the smoke cleared Omnimon was still standing calmly in place, his sword held at the ready, and looking down upon Vampiramon with obvious pity, the warrior digimon said quietly, "You shall return to the darkness that spawned you. Leave my friends and allies in peace. Transcendent Sword!"

Vampiramon's piercing scream of agony echoed off the cavern walls, and as Omnimon's giant sword collided with her small body, it sent her tumbling over the side of the dark pit with no way to defend herself. Her screams faded as she disappeared into the black abyss, and as a stunned silence filled the cavern, Jestermon paused in the middle of throwing one of his spheres and said stupidly, "Well, that's not good."

"Indeed, this is a turn of events I had not anticipated," DarkAngelicmon said slowly, breathing more heavily than usual as he once again climbed slowly to his feet. "Hurry, we must steal the Spirit Chips and be on our way!"

"Is...is she really gone?" Takara whispered, staring at the pit in horrid fascination.

Dai gently took the female Digidestined's hand, and speaking in a low voice, he said, "Let's not worry about that right now. First things first, we need to focus on getting out of here."

"Dai's right, we need to concentrate on what's important right now," Joe agreed, adjusting his glasses. "For us, our first priority is to get back to the human world so I can give Ryoko some much needed medical attention. Once we've done that, then we can ponder and speculate over Vampiramon's fate with Izzy as much as we like."

The doctor's words caused both Matt and Mimi to look at him in alarm, and voice trembling, the rosy-haired Digidestined glanced sharply at her son and said, "Is he really hurt that badly?"

"He's not in any immediate danger, but I'd like to have a look at him before any further damage can be done," Joe said seriously, placing a reassuring hand on Mimi's shoulder. "I think he's had enough excitement for one day, wouldn't you agree?"

"Then let's hurry this up," Matt said sharply, turning to Davis. "What do you think of our chances?"

Dai watched his father frown, and surveying the battlefield, the former leader said, "If our digimon could just take out one or two more, that should give us the opportunity we've been waiting for."

"Angewomon!" Kari suddenly called out, waving a hand to get her partner's attention. "I know it's hard, and I know it's not what you want to do, but you need to be aggressive. Take DarkAngelicmon down, and do it quickly!"

"Mom!" Mickey gasped, jerking his head up from Matty's shoulder to stare at the female Digidestined in shock.

Kari's expression was full of sorrow as she stared back at her son, and giving the older twin's shoulder a gentle squeeze, she said quietly, "Angewomon won't hurt him, but she needs to put him out of action to give us a chance to escape. I think...he will understand, even if it goes against the will of his master."

"Angelicmon will help," Matty added, struggling to both hug his brother and give his mother's hand a quick squeeze. "My partner would never do anything to hurt you, Mickey. You know that."

"Of course I do, but I..."

"So you intend to take me out then?" DarkAngelicmon said quietly, fluttering into the air to avoid Zudomon's hammer, which just missed his head.

"Temporarily at least," Angelicmon replied, once again launching his golden spear at the fallen angel.

The dark champion was able to avoid it, but before he could fully recover, Ibismon shouted, "Feather Darts!"

A storm of razor sharp pink feathers slammed into the fallen angel's slim body, and taking advantage of his counterpart's momentary blindness, Angelicmon cried, "Celestial Star!"

The golden comet shot straight through DarkAngelicmon's wings, and unable to stay airborne, the fallen angel hit the ice with a painful crunching sound, making Dai wince in sympathy. A little further away, he heard Mickey's soft moan, and despite his strength, even Matty had to turn his face away from the sight.

Having lost so much energy from fighting the shadows earlier, DarkAngelicmon was unable to climb to his feet again, and barely managing to lift his head, the fallen angel said quietly, "Do it then. This battle means nothing in the end. It is what the future holds that will determine the balance between light and darkness."

"Rest now," Angewomon murmured, pointing her bow at the fallen angel. "Be at peace. Celestial Arrow!"

The golden arrow was a direct hit, and as it pierced the fallen angel right between the eyes, he collapsed in a flash of light, his body going limp.

Landing next to his dark counterpart, Angelicmon knelt beside the fallen angel to make sure the other champion was okay, and satisfied with the results, he went to join Ibismon, Zudomon, and Angewomon, who didn't look all that happy about the victory they had just earned for themselves.

The pain in Mickey's eyes was hard to stomach, and squeezing her son's hand, Kari said softly, "He's fine. He'll be out for a little while, but eventually he'll wake up again."

"Two left to go," Sam said, doing his best to change the subject to distract the older twin. "Come on, Odonatamon. Show them what you're made of!"

Upon realizing that DarkAngelicmon had been rendered unconscious, Spritemon let out a squeak of protest and cried, "Oh no! First Vampiramon and now that dumb angel too? I am so not taking you guys on by myself! That's like so uncool, not to mention completely unfair!"

"Nobody ever said life was fair," IceTirimon growled, his tail beginning to glow. "Frozen Shockwave!"

Spritemon managed to dart out of the way just in time before she ended up completely engulfed by a frigid blast of air, and looking indignant, she said, "That's like super cheating. I thought you lot were supposed to be the good guys!"

"Good guys deserve a break once in a while," ExVeemon shot back, leaping into the air. "Vee Laser!"

The energy wave from the X on his chest caught the little pixie digimon's left foot, and faltering in the air, she fought back with her Fairy Cannon attack. It missed ExVeemon by several inches, and joining him on the battlefield, Angewomon and Angelicmon's attacks caught the pixie digimon in the back, sending her falling out of the sky flat on her back. As she disappeared in a chaotic cyclone of pink feathers, thanks to Ibismon, there was no way she could avoid Zudomon's Vulcan's Hammer attack. The shock wave sent her sprawling back even further towards the edge of the pit, her small body disappearing in a shower of sparks.

With a final flourish, IceTirimon leaped into the air and shouted, "Icicle Storm!"

A barrage of icy daggers flew from his metal wings, and careening into Spritemon they exploded on impact, sending a blinding cloud of snow bursting into the air.

When the flakes settled, Spritemon was left lying on the icy ground in a state of unconsciousness, and having witnessed the scene, FireDragermon said boldly, "Our turn now! Let's take this fool down. Dragon Pistols!"

Jestermon yelped in protest, and dancing around the flaming bullets slamming into the ice all around him, he said wildly, "This isn't supposed to be the grand finale yet!"

"Cool your jets would you?" Lillymon scoffed, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "You're so noisy all the time. Let's see how you like being forced into silence the way you did to us! Flower Cannon!"

"Gemstone Barrage!" Odonatamon shouted, adding his glowing jewels to the fairy digimon's energy blast. The two attacks combined together and exploded on impact, and leaping in to take advantage of the unsuspecting fool, Ogremon shouted, "Just wait till I tell Leomon I took down a servant of the Ruler of Darkness. He'll be jealous for sure! Pummel Whack!"

Jestermon was sent sprawling backwards as the dark energy from Ogremon's fist exploded into his face, and the direct hit was followed up by Gabrielmon's Holy Sceptre attack.

The fool managed to avoid the holy blast, and capering away from the edge of the pit, Dai wasn't surprised to see that Jestermon wasn't laughing anymore. Instead the fool's crimson red eyes had narrowed into angry slits, and his wrinkled green face looked downright mean and dangerous.

"Ready to give up now?" Omnimon asked, his sword held at the ready. "You are the only one left standing. I think it would be wise if you conceded defeat and let us pass."

The large mega had been crouching next to the pit only moments ago, obviously watching to see if Vampiramon would reemerge, but when it became clear the female mega wasn't going to come back any time soon, he had abandoned his position to join up with the rest of the digimon.

With Vampiramon gone and both DarkAngelicmon and Spritemon visibly unconscious, indeed that left Jestermon as the only one standing. The fool was breathing heavily, and though he looked as if he was starting to run out of energy, his red eyes were seething with hatred.

He's thinking something pretty nasty, and somehow I doubt that's probably a good thing for us.

Dai jumped slightly as Jestermon suddenly turned in their direction, and with a flash of uneasiness, he realized the fool was looking directly at Mickey and Matty.

Ignoring Omnimon's words, Jestermon glared at the twins and snarled, "This is all your fault. All of my bad luck started with you two. With you and those cursed angel digimon of yours. Ever since Celestimon digivolved into Angelicmon, nothing has gone the way it should. If I had killed you both then, none of this would have happened!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Matty shot back, looking indignant as he wrapped his arms protectively around his brother. "If you hadn't tried to hurt Mickey that day then we would have had no reason to come after you! If you weren't so insistent about following the path of darkness and stealing what doesn't belong to you then you wouldn't be in this situation right now! You can blame yourself for your own bad luck!"

"I should have killed your brother right then and there, and you right after him when I still had the chance," Jestermon hissed, his wrinkled green hands turning into tight fists. "I've never liked celestial digimon, not even that pompous, arrogant, human-loving DarkAngelicmon. He'll meet the same fate as all of you when my master, the Ruler of Darkness, destroys you all! Shadow Spheres!"

The attack came without warning before any of the digimon could intervene, and Dai stared in horror as the dark spheres shot directly towards Mickey and Matty, who were both frozen in fear and unlikely to get away in time. There was just no way those black orbs of destruction were going to miss, and as he struggled to process what was happening, the twins were suddenly engulfed by a giant sphere of icy blue light. Jestermon's dark balls bounced harmlessly off the glowing circle of light, and they quickly exploded into small particles of data, as if the light had completely stripped away all the components that had given the spheres shape and substance.

That...that light...

Dai turned to stare at Ryoko, whose weight he was still supporting, and mouth falling open, he shook his head in amazement at what he was seeing. Despite the fact that the golden-haired Digidestined didn't have much left to give, Ryoko's D-Coder was glowing again, the icy blue light streaming out of its surface having just saved the Takaishi twins from certain death. The fatigue on the blond's pale face was obvious, but despite being barely able to hold himself up, Ryoko's sapphire eyes were sparkling with life and fierce determination. That burning gaze was focused on Jestermon, and speaking in a voice that was surprisingly strong and clear, the golden-haired Digidestined said, "I'm tired of standing back and doing nothing while you treat human lives like they're meaningless. You tried to hurt my cousins and failed, and if you thought I was going to let you get away with it a second time, then clearly you've underestimated the strength of humans. Your time has finally run out, Jestermon. You're going to answer for what you did to Mickey and Matty, and I'm never going to let you threaten them or any other human or digimon I care about ever again! Get him, IceTirimon! Send him back to Primary Village where he belongs!"

"You too, Omnimon," Matt said quietly, glancing fondly at his son before turning to look at his shared partner. "Let's get back home to our friends and families. I think we're done here now."

"My thoughts exactly," Omnimon replied, lifting his sword. "Prepare to be deleted, Jestermon."

"Time to go to sleep!" IceTirimon growled, his metal wings stirring up a current of wind. "Icicle Storm!"

Jestermon hit the ground as the sharp chunks of ice exploded into his body, and though he struggled to his feet again, it was obvious the fool had run out of energy.

The last of his strength had been put into the attack that was supposed to have killed the Takaishi twins, and before the fool could regain his balance, Omnimon lifted his arm and shouted, "Supreme Cannon!"

The frozen shots hit Jestermon directly in the chest, and as he staggered backwards, the colourful beam from IceTirimon's Aurora Blast attack exploded into his face.

Jestermon hit the ground again with a painful thump, and though the rest of the digimon could have joined in, they remained content simply to bear witness, as it was obvious the end was near.

Unable to move anymore, Jestermon stared up at the two digimon that had attacked him, and with glowing red eyes full of hatred, he let out a deranged final cackle and shouted, "Prepare yourselves. You will all lose yourselves to the darkness once my master has his hands on you!"

"Save your breath. Your threats are meaningless to us," IceTirimon called out, his body beginning to glow with the light from Ryoko's D-Coder. "Frozen Shockwave!"

The frigid blast of air slammed into the fallen mega, and lifting his weapon to executed the finishing blow, Omnimon shouted, "Transcendent Sword!"

As the blade pierced Jestermon's heart, the fool exploded into bits of dark data, and all around them silence filled the air.

The blue light coming from Ryoko's Digivice slowly faded, and staggering slightly, the golden-haired Digidestined mumbled, "I...think...I'm done now."

With that, Ryoko promptly fell unconscious, and thanks to his quick reflexes, Dai was able to catch the blond before he could hit the ice.

As Ryoko slumped heavily in his arms, Dai gave the blond a worried look before turning to his father and said, "What now?"

The former leader nodded towards the pit, and shaking his head, he said, "As much as I'd like to take Spritemon out too, it looks like she's starting to regain consciousness. We've been lucky so far, but sooner or later our luck is going to run out. I think we'd better just get out of here before something else stops us from making an escape."

"This is the opportunity we've been waiting for," Joe said firmly, nodding to him. "Better have FireDragermon dedigivolve to Dragermon. Let's find that entrance that Kara noticed earlier."

Dai glanced at the unconscious blond in his arms, and kneeling next to him, Tai said, "Here, I'll take him so Matt can support Mimi. You do your thing."

Dai was reluctant to let go of Ryoko, knowing how hurt the blond was, but Tai was physically stronger and bigger than he was, and in his own state he knew he didn't have the energy to support Ryoko for much longer. His wrists, legs, arms, and ankles were screaming in pain from his ordeal with the shadows and the dark chasm, and holding out his Digivice he had FireDragermon revert back to his champion form.

Tai was able to lift Ryoko easily over his shoulder to carry the blond, and as they managed to get onto Dragermon's back, their remaining digimon who could still fly provided an escort in case anything were to happen.

Once they were all settled, with Tai supporting Ryoko's unconsicous body, they set off over the giant chasm towards the huge cavern door on the other side. From what Dai could tell, it did indeed look lighter in that direction, as if the path would eventually lead to natural sunlight.

Below him, Spritemon was just rolling over onto her knees, and it was with some regret that he glanced at DarkAngelicmon's limp body. The fallen angel was still sprawled out on the ice, and though he was unconscious, his body was still glowing with faint yelow light.

It's like he's just waiting to be set free...

Somewhere in that dark body, Dai was convinced a spark of light remained. It would be interesting to see who would eventually bring that spark to life again.