Holy War

by Griff4823

The sequel to "A Dragon in Shining Armour". The Royal Knights secured victory, and peace set over the continent, but it isn't to last. The autocratic Metal Empire, a team of amoral mercenaries, and a mysterious Digimon in the shadows; it's up to the Order of the Royal Knights to intervene. Can they stop things from spiralling out of control, all while dealing with their own issues?

30. Chapter 20 Part 2: Betrayal

(Author's Notes: Here's Part 2 of Chapter 20. Be sure to check out the first half if you haven't already. Enjoy!)

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Chapter 20: Betrayal (Part II)

Back in the bar in Saversburg, Black Pincer Company were huddled around one of the wooden tables. GrandisKuwagamon had returned without being seen, but he hadn't been able to find a safe escape route at any of the main exits. It was like Bolgmon said: there was too much security around the entrances to Saversburg, not to mention all of the patrols on the city walls and lookouts. There was also the fact that the Royal Knights' and Saversburg's militaries were everywhere. It was hard for suspicious Digimon like them to get in and out.

"See, Grandis? I told ya you wouldn't find anything, but noooo!" Bolgmon complained, leering at the dark insect across the table from him.

GrandisKuwagamon rolled his crimson eye. "Whatever," he replied uncaringly. "Now, Mister Self-Proclaimed Logistics Expert, how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Shut up and wait," Bolgmon retorted. He looked back down at the table. A long, metal needle was extended from Bolgmon's cannon arm, which he used to draw on the wooden table top. He was drawing a crude map of Saversburg and the city districts, complete with the main roads and landmarks etched in the wood. He continued carving the sharp, steel tip through the wood, drawing the rough outline of the Xuanwumon University near the northwestern outskirts of the city. "Just about done…"

A maroon coloured AtlurKabuterimon walked over to their table and looked at them angrily. As the bartender of the inn, he wasn't particularly happy about these seedy looking bugs vandalizing their tables. "What do you think you're doing? You can't carve stuff into our bar tables!" he complained at them.

All three members of Black Pincer Company immediately soured and turned towards the AtlurKabuterimon with annoyed, threatening looks. Bolgmon raised his cannon arm and pointed the long, metal needle in the AtlurKabuterimon's face. "Oh, I'm sorry! Why don't I just use your shell instead?" he suggested intimidatingly.

The AtlurKabuterimon bartender raised his four hands up and backed away, reluctantly leaving them alone and slipping back behind the bar.

"Smooth," GrandisKuwagamon said with a sarcastic grin.

"Oh, zip it," Bolgmon answered, finishing his rough sketch of the city. "And done…" He then used the needle as a pointer.

The sizeable insect cyborg pointed close to the middle of the city, at a dot right next to a long line that signified the main road leading from the south exit and straight through the city. "So… We're right here," he stated. Bolgmon pointed to the four gaps in the rectangle perimeter of the city, which signified the city walls, with the gaps being the gates. "And these are the four gates leading out of the city in each direction."

"Which are all teeming with soldiers and security," GrandisKuwagamon pointed out. "And there's an order for the guards not to let Digimon fly over the walls. It's a no-fly zone."

"Which means that we either need to fight our way out through the main gates or try to find a way to sneak out," Bolgmon stated.

"Fighting our way out seems like a terrible idea," Blitzmon responded. "But I doubt we'll be able to sneak out any of those exits either. The Order Digimon would recognise us immediately."

"Plus, I saw some of our wanted posters in the city, so if we're not careful, somebody will tip the Royal Knobs off" GrandisKuwagamon pointed out. "There's gotta be another way…"

"Well, I do have one idea…" Bolgmon informed them, a gleeful look in his eyes.

GrandisKuwagamon looked at Bolgmon and folded his arms. "Yeah? And what's that?" he asked him. "If it involves blowing stuff up, forget it. You screwed us over enough times by doing that."

Bolgmon shot GrandisKuwagamon a leer. "Actually, it's a good idea," he retorted. He tapped the northwest portion of the map, where the academy was located. "Here. Xuanwumon University."

GrandisKuwagamon gave Bolgmon a look that asked him if he was an idiot. "…Huh? Don't tell me that your plan is to go there, take a bunch of smart Digimon hostage, and force them to come up with a plan for you, is it?" he asked in a deadpan voice.

"No!" Bolgmon fired back. "The academy is at the corner of the city, but because the gardens are so big, there's no wall around it – just towers on each side and a weak fence around the outer perimeter of the university." He kept tapping the circular spot on the map with the needle pointer. "We should be able to break through there no problem."

"Since it's too far for me to use Zone Black Hole from here, I guess that's not a terrible option," GrandisKuwagamon supposed. "Then once we're out of the city, I can ZBH us somewhere safe." He narrowed his eyes at the map on the table. "It's a long way from here to there though. We're risking getting seen by the Royal Knights just going outside."

"Is it safe going up that way?" Blitzmon asked.

"Yeah!" Bolgmon insisted ardently. "There was barely anybody up near the university last I checked. We'll be fine." He trailed his needle between the buildings on the map. We just need to stick to the alleys and only cross the main roads if we need to."

"We should also wait an hour until it's dark out," GrandisKuwagamon stated.

"I agree," Blitzmon concurred, much to Bolgmon's chagrin.

Bolgmon folded his arms. "Yeah, fine," he reluctantly responded, though he wanted to leave immediately while there was still light. "I'll do a scan to figure out which are the best alleys to take to get to the academy."

"Sure," GrandisKuwagamon answered. The black-shelled insect turned away from the table. "I'll go keep watch outside – make sure the area's clear."

"Yeah, okay," Bolgmon said, glancing at GrandisKuwagamon out of the corner of his eyes. "Don't get caught."

"I won't," GrandisKuwagamon responded, heading towards the exit of the inn. "And no drinking. We need our shit together to pull this off."

"Agreed," Blitzmon spoke.

"Don't have to worry about that. I won't be touchin' a drop," Bolgmon said with a smirk.

GrandisKuwagamon gave them an offhand wave and made his way out of the inn. As the door opened, the deep blue light of the sunset on a cloudy day could be seen outside. Due to the thick clouds, it was already pretty dark outside. GrandisKuwagamon stepped out into the street and then disappeared into the shadows just as a patrol turned the corner of the road.

Meanwhile, Bolgmon was left inside the inn with Blitzmon. The large tank Digimon looked down at his insect comrade, happy that he had a chance to speak with him in private.

"Hey, Blitzmon…' Bolgmon spoke up, prompting the bug man's attention. "This plan to head to the university is pretty good, but I've got another plan too…"

Blitzmon looked at Bolgmon with intrigue. "…You do?" he asked him. "What is it?"

Bolgmon pointed to the map, at about three quarters of the way from the inn to the university, up in the northwest of the city. "Right here, off this busy street," he informed Blitzmon, drawing his attention to that part of the map. "Down an alley next to the road… there's a big utility hole that leads to the sewers."

Blitzmon narrowed his eyes in thought. "…The sewers…" he stated with revelation.

"Yeah… The sewers drain out in the big river to the north of Saversburg. If we escape into the sewers, we can go out that way," Bolgmon explained. "It's a backup plan in case everything goes to shit with our main plan."

"Good idea," Blitzmon replied. "We should tell Grandis about this idea."

Bolgmon grinned at his friend. "Actually… Don't ya think it'd be better if he didn't know?" he suggested innocently.

Blitzmon turned and eyed Bolgmon suspiciously. "…Explain," he said.

"Well… This is a backup plan, right?" Bolgmon began. "If all hell breaks loose and we're getting chased by the Royal Knights or something, it might be useful to have a… distraction." The cyborg Digimon grinned.

"A scapegoat…" Blitzmon mused, considering the possibility.

"Yeah. Say we get spotted, we run up this main road here. We let GrandisKuwagamon go ahead of us, and then we slip down this alley and into the sewers. Then whoever's chasing us will forget about us and go after Grandis instead," Bolgmon explained. "I mean, if it comes down to us versus him…"

Blitzmon nodded. "Yeah… But only in the worst case scenario," he reasoned. "We stick with the main plan. This is just the backup plan."

Bolgmon wore a satisfied smirk in his eyes. "Deal…" he responded, although he was already happy with the way things were going.

Blitzmon eyed Bolgmon. "And I won't tell Grandis about this, for obvious reasons…" he added meaningfully.

Bolgmon retracted the needle on his cannon arm and nodded. "Good… Now… let's get ready for our great escape."

---

Suijinmon and Fujinmon walked along the outskirts of Haganemame City after a few hours of walking. The sun was past setting and there was a blue-grey glow in the clouds that blanketed the sky. The city of Haganemame City was dark and empty. Ever since the D-Brigade took over, there was a curfew imposed on the city, so anybody out past curfew would be considered suspicious and duly apprehended and questioned by the D-Brigade patrols. This made it so that only the members of the D-Brigade could be seen wandering around the city.

Fujinmon, however, wasn't bringing Suijinmon into the city itself. He floated along a road that led along the edge of the city. The aerial cyborg Digimon led Suijinmon away from Haganemame City, towards the factory warehouse that the D-Brigade had commandeered and were refurbishing into a military hangar.

Suijinmon followed Fujinmon obediently, but looked towards the large structure at the edge of the factory with curiosity and confusion. As his heavy steps shook the earth around him, the massive Waterfall Commander decided to speak up. "Fujinmon, why are we going this way?" he couldn't help but wonder.

"We're meeting him at the warehouse," Fujinmon explained to his friend.

"Why there?" Suijinmon asked.

Fujinmon looked over his bladed shoulder at the red machine Digimon. "For security reasons."

"Understood," Suijinmon complied, figuring that that was sufficient enough a reason. He lumbered after Fujinmon for a few more minutes before they reached the warehouse.

Once they were there, he noticed a Justimon who had been guarding the warehouse walk over to them. He recognized the Digimon as Fujinmon's junior commander – the one who was supposed to be having trouble in the Dual Chess Monarchy. "Commanders," he greeted with a salute.

The Justimon then took out a key and unlocked with warehouse for the two Digimon. He pushed open the heavy, durable, metal doors of the large warehouse and allowed Fujinmon and Suijinmon to walk inside.

The interior of the hangar was mostly empty. All of the primary contents had been removed in order to make the building as empty as possible. All that was really left inside was a large amount of thick chains that hung from pulleys on the ceiling and lay strewn around the ground.

Fujinmon looked at the Justimon and nodded. The junior commander nodded and saluted with acknowledgement. "Excuse me, Sir. I will just be a few minutes," the Justimon stated to Suijinmon.

Suijinmon looked at him curiously. "Very well," he responded, though he wondered where he was going.

The Justimon turned around and walked out of the warehouse, leaving the two Storm Commanders alone.

Suijinmon turned his attention back to Fujinmon, who stood before him, looking as though he had something to say. "Fujinmon?" he asked curiously.

"Suijinmon…" Fujinmon began, his golden eyes staring at Suijinmon seriously. There was a subtle look of intensity in his refined gaze. "You and I are friends, correct?"

"Affirmative…" Suijinmon answered, frowning at the odd query. "Why do you question that?"

"Because I need to know if you will support me," Fujinmon stated, not taking his gaze off of the Waterfall Commander.

"Of course I will, Fujinmon," Suijinmon stated adamantly.

The slender Digimon shook his V-shaped head beneath the green halo that rested overhead. "Don't say that until you know what I'm going to say…"

"Very well… Then what is it?" the bulky quadruped wondered.

Fujinmon sighed and looked up at Suijinmon. "Suijinmon… how do you feel about Emperor Chaosdramon?" he asked him bluntly. "How well do you think he is carrying out his duties as ruler of the Metal Empire?"

Suijinmon immediately tensed up, becoming defensive and uneasy about Fujinmon's question. He narrowed his red eyes at Fujinmon with a look that demanded an answer. "F-Fujinmon… What is this? Why ask such a question? It is not our place to question the Emperor," he answered with cold firmness, like that of resilient steel.

Fujinmon leered at Suijinmon in response. "That is what Chaosdramon wants us to think: that we are only answerable to him. However, that's nonsense. As the leader of the Metal Empire, he is answerable to the rest of us as well," he stated angrily. "As he is right now, Chaosdramon is nothing more than a dictator."

"Fujinmon! That's treasonous!" Suijinmon exclaimed, his voice becoming animated with shock and frustration. "You can't speak like that!"

"No, I can't. You're completely right. Doesn't that bother you at all?" Fujinmon demanded. "We can't speak our thoughts and feelings freely… not even us, the Storm Commanders: the second most powerful Digimon in the Metal Empire next to Chaosdramon himself. Doesn't that seem ridiculous to you? We're muzzled by fear. Chaosdramon would police our thoughts to root out dissidents if he were able to."

Suijinmon grimaced at Fujinmon's words. "Where… Where did all of this come from, Fujinmon?" he asked him, a faint hint of sadness and worry in his voice. "What happened to you? You should know that these measures are for the sake of security…"

Fujinmon scoffed and shook his head. "You really believe that, don't you…?" he asked him with disappointed resignation, already well aware of the answer. "To be completely honest with you, Suijinmon, I have been feeling this way for a long time… I was never able to express my true feelings without risking being arrested, exiled, executed, or mysteriously assassinated. And don't try to deny that – we both know how we operate when it comes to 'security threats'."

"But why…? Why, Fujinmon?" Suijinmon inquired, needing to know the answer. "What has changed?"

"Nothing has changed. I have had enough with this constant oppression, Suijinmon! Yes, I supported JumboGamemon back during the power struggle, but I am not defined by who I was loyal to!" Fujinmon stated ardently. He glared at Suijinmon intensely. "And neither are you!"

Suijinmon grimaced. "Don't do this, Fujinmon… Chaosdramon is a good ruler…" he tried to reason with him.

"No, he isn't, Suijinmon. Open your eyes…" Fujinmon beseeched. "He oppresses our fellow Digimon, he scares them into staying loyal… He is invading all of our neighbours and he is provoking the Royal Knights. He is power-hungry and paranoid. He doesn't even trust you, the Digimon who is more blindly loyal to him than anybody else. Did you know that he had JumboGamemon assassinated without telling any of us?"

Suijinmon frowned deeply at his words. "But that is… His Majesty must have had a good reason…" he figured. "One needs to be secretive with important operations…"

"Then why didn't he tell you about it after the fact?" Fujinmon pressed.

Suijinmon grunted angrily. "Why are you telling me this, Fujinmon? What do you want?" he demanded.

"I want you to help me, Suijinmon…" the green Hurricane Commander requested calmly. "Help me take down Chaosdramon. Help me change the Metal Empire for the better."

Suijinmon stared at Fujinmon with stunned disbelief. "Fujinmon… You… You aren't serious…" he breathed. "Do you have any idea what you are saying…?"

"Yes, I do…" Fujinmon answered resolutely. He matched his gaze with Suijinmon's wide eyes. "I'm asking you as my friend, Suijinmon. Stand with me."

The Waterfall Commander grimaced and turned on his four legs, staring away from Fujinmon remorsefully. "Do not make me choose, Fujinmon…" he replied bitterly. "Do not do this…"

"Please, Suijinmon… I know that Raijinmon has considered my idea too," Fujinmon pointed out, trying to convince his friend. "I don't want to have to fight you, Suijinmon. Stand with us."

"Do not put me in this situation!" Suijinmon shouted, one of the rare times that the Waterfall Commander lost his cool. He turned and gave Fujinmon a narrow glare. "Chaosdramon is our Emperor. We cannot commit treason."

"You mean like he did against JumboGamemon?" Fujinmon answered pointedly. His stare softened. "Please, Suijinmon… If you agreed, your soldiers would follow you. My soldiers would follow me. Raijinmon's soldiers would follow him."

"Stop saying such treacherous things, Fujinmon!" Suijinmon demanded, glaring at the smaller, emerald cyborg with frustration. "You know what happens to traitors!"

"Yes, I do! That's why I'm doing this!" Fujinmon fired back with passion of his own. "If you don't want me to be arrested as a traitor, then join me!"

Suijinmon growled. "That is emotional blackmail!" he angrily thundered. The Waterfall Commander narrowed his eyes and gave Fujinmon a resolute stare. "…No, I will not help you, Fujinmon. I am not about to lose you or Raijinmon to a reckless plan that will never work! Give up this foolish idea!"

Fujinmon narrowed his eyes into a near wince. He could tell that Suijinmon wasn't giving in. "Please, Suijinmon. Aid me. As your friend."

"It is because I am your friend that I cannot let you go through with this. If you care about that, do not put me in this situation," Suijinmon said, his calm voice containing the subtle undercurrents of passion. "Think about your own wellbeing, Fujinmon. Think about the wellbeing of your loyal soldiers… You, as their Commander, have a responsibility to them. What will happen to them if you rise up against Chaosdramon? You will be putting them in danger. If Raijinmon really did agree to your idea… then what about him? He is your friend too. Think about his wellbeing. Think carefully about these things, Fujinmon."

Fujinmon closed his eyes and bowed his head. He could see that he was fighting a losing battle now. "I know, but…"

"We can figure something out together. We can petition Chaosdramon to change his policies," Suijinmon stated. He gave Fujinmon a sincere look. "Just forget about this whole idea… You don't have to worry, Fujinmon. As far as I am concerned, this conversation never happened. I will not tell Chaosdramon about it. You have my word."

Fujinmon sighed. "I…" he began, but thought better of continuing. "Yes, you're right… I… I don't know what I was thinking…"

Suijinmon released a deep sigh of relief. "So, you will forget about this coup idea?" he asked, needing to hear it in his own words.

"Yes," Fujinmon said, looking Suijinmon in the eyes. "I will…"

Suijinmon sighed with relief. "So… I take it that the problem with Justimon was a subterfuge to get me alone to speak?" he deduced.

"I'm afraid so…" Fujinmon stated slackening his stance and looking over his shoulder towards the large, open hangar door. "Justimon!"

After a few moments, Justimon came into view. He had been keeping watch to make sure that nobody overheard. However, in his hand was a platter with two cups of a black, swirling liquid.

Suijinmon noticed the two cups of oil immediately. "Petrol? Did you have that prepared…?" he asked Fujinmon.

"Yes, I was prepared for either outcome. Either you agreed and we could celebrate… or, as is the case, you disagreed and hopefully you will have a drink with me to show that there are no hard feelings," Fujinmon offered as Justimon walked up to them. He looked at Suijinmon sheepishly. "I hope that there are no hard feelings…"

Suijinmon sighed and reached his giant Accel Arm out to carefully take the large, metal cup gently between his large, metal digits. "There are none," he assured. "…These are non alcoholic, correct?"

"Of course. I don't approve of drinking on the eve of battle," Fujinmon spoke, carefully taking his own cup between the ends of his two Critical Arms. He raised his glass of oil. "To victory tomorrow."

Suijinmon raised his own glass. "To victory," he agreed, bringing the steel cup up to the gap between his eyes and pouring the liquid down his mouth. He didn't notice that Fujinmon didn't drink from his glass.

Fujinmon calmly watched as Suijinmon finished his drink.

"Thank you. That was refreshing," Suijinmon spoke. After a few moments, he began to frown a bit. "Now... Should we… Uh… Should we…?"

A strange feeling began to overtake the large machine Digimon. Suijinmon started to feel dizzy. His legs felt wobbly and his head began to grow heavy and numb. "W-What…? I feel… strange…" he murmured, wincing as the uneasy feeling began to grow stronger. He looked at Fujinmon questioningly. "You said… they were non-alcoholic…"

Fujinmon stood in front of Suijinmon, placing his drink back on the platter. He looked back at Suijinmon with calm, determined, but mildly regretful eyes.

Suijinmon extended his tail for balance and he leaned forwards on his giant Accel Arms, pressing his large, metal hands against the floor of the warehouse. The heavy sensation grew and Suijinmon began to feel himself having trouble holding onto consciousness. He looked at Fujinmon questioningly, now fully aware that it wasn't alcohol that he ingested. "Fujinmon…? What is…?"

Fujinmon looked away from Suijinmon's hurt gaze. "I'm sorry, Suijinmon…" he apologised. 'If you won't help me, then I at least need you to stay out of my way. I do not wish to have to fight you… Please, don't take it personally…"

Suijinmon thundered and tried to take a step towards Fujinmon defiantly. "Fujinmon… You…!" he growled. However, the strong sedative that was mixed into the drink had already taken effect. Suijinmon felt his legs buckle and he crashed to the warehouse floor.

Fujinmon sidestepped the Waterfall Commander's falling body and watched him collapse to the floor with a booming, metallic crash. He waited for a few moments to make sure that Suijinmon wasn't still cognisant. It was clear that Suijinmon was completely unconscious.

"Good, you got the dosage right," Fujinmon said to his junior commander.

"Sir. What now?" the Justimon asked.

The Hurricane Commander turned to the Justimon in question. "Restrain him and lock him up securely. He's strong, but enough of these chains should do the trick," Fujinmon ordered.

"Yes, Commander," Justimon said, going to collect the thick chains lying around the hanger.

Fujinmon waited and turned to look at the unconscious Suijinmon with a look of remorse.

"I'm sorry, Suijinmon, but I have been waiting for this opportunity for years. I am not about to let it slip by," he thought to himself, observing the large, knocked out, metal beast. "This is for your own good. Don't think too badly of me for this…"

---

An hour later, it was dark out and night was setting in. Since it was turning into evening, the street was considerably less busy. Most of the Digimon who wanted to flee the city had already done so during the morning and afternoon, which was also a contributing factor to the small amount of Digimon around the usually bustling city. There were still many Digimon who dared to remain in the city in the face of the invasion, and several Digimon could still be seen travelling the streets. However, there were just as many night watch patrols wandering around, keeping the peace and making sure that no D-Brigade spies were walking around.

Alphamon walked alongside Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and Omegamon down the main road that passed from the south edge of the city to the north edge. The road bisected the city down the middle, as it was the main thoroughfare. There were a handful of other Digimon walking up and down that same road, and there were a few police and army patrols wandering the street too, but the road wasn't nearly as busy as it would usually be.

Alphamon, Omegamon, and Imperialdramon all walked down the middle of the wide road, heading south towards the Royal Knight camp outside of the city. Flanking them on each side were shops that were closed and securely sealed with chains and heavy duty locks.

"Ahh…" Imperialdramon sighed after taking a swig from a coffee cup that he borrowed from the academy. "Nobody makes coffee like you do, Alphamon."

"That's for sure…" Omegamon mumbled to himself, low enough to go unheard by his two friends.

Alphamon smiled at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted to try something new with that batch. How's the taste?" he asked.

"Salty. It has a good texture," Imperialdramon responded, swirling the liquid in his cup. "That single anchovy definitely brings out the smoky flavour of the coffee beans." He turned and looked at Omegamon with a wide grin. "Are you sure you won't be tempted, Omegamon?"

"No, thank you," Omegamon insisted determinedly. Despite his avid denial, he couldn't help but wonder if there was some sensory revolution which he and everybody else was missing that these two somehow understood.

"He's a purist," Alphamon said. He gave Omegamon a playful smile before looking back at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. "So… Did you make any more progress with the Dark Area research team since we arrived today?"

"Yeah, we did, actually," Imperialdramon responded, taking another sip of coffee. "We're getting into the nitty-gritty of the idea that Xuanwumon proposed and that AncientWisemon elaborated on."

"And what idea is that?" Alphamon wondered.

The blue scaled dragon man looked around to make sure that there were no Digimon around. "Well, it has to do with what started the instability in the first place."

"Ah…" Alphamon stated bringing a hand to his chin. "The Dragon veins… The ley lines flowing beneath the Digital World's surface."

"Yeah… Since Dorbickmon tapped into the dragon veins deep below the Digital World's surface to screw up the barrier with the Dark Area pocket dimension, we figure that the dragon veins may also be the solution," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode explained.

"How?" Omegamon wondered in his light, echoing voice. "It's one thing to break something, but it's another to restore it… How do they propose to fix whatever happened with the ley lines?"

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode smiled and thumbed at himself. "Using me," he nonchalantly explained.

Omegamon was immediately sceptical. He lowered his gaze with the dragon knight. "…How? What is this plan exactly?" he demanded, wanting to know if Imperialdramon was putting himself in danger.

"Okay… I'll try to explain this. I'm not sure if I understood all the scientific and metaphysical nonsense, but I think I got the gist of it," Imperialdramon said, folding his arms. "So… the idea is to involve me and AncientGreymon of the Warrior Ten. Only certain Digimon species can tap into the dragon veins beneath the Digital World… that's why AncientGreymon is needed – his KaiserGreymon form could work too, but he might need to be in his Ancient form so that he has a greater well of power to draw from."

"I see… I suppose Dorbickmon could work too, in that case?" Alphamon asked, rubbing his chin pensively. "Although, given what he's told us, I doubt that he has the sheer stamina required."

"Yeah, that's why we think AncientGreymon's the best choice. He has got stamina for days," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode explained with a smile. "So, once he taps into the ley lines, that is where I come in. I'm one of the few Digimon who has the security clearance and the power to alter the Dark Area. I'm supposed to use the Omega Blade to tap into the data that AncientGreymon is harnessing. Using the ley lines, I'm supposed to reset the Dark Area barrier's reconfiguration data. In theory, that should reset the barrier's data and restore it anew, prison intact."

"'In theory'…" Omegamon mused. "You make it sound so simple."

"I won't lie, Omegamon. It's not simple at all," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode explained, looking at the black and white knights seriously. "This idea is extremely hypothetical - thought up by a bunch of crazy geniuses. I remember how hard it was for us to create the digital code for the barrier in the first place. It's probably going to take everything we have to pull it off, and, if we make a mistake, we might just destroy the barrier completely." Imperialdramon sighed and took a sip from his coffee cup. "But… it might be our best and only option."

Omegamon winced, his blue eyes narrowing. "I see…"

"What is it that AncientGreymon always says? 'Who dares, wins'?" Alphamon asked lightly. "I suppose that or 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' fits in this situation," he mused. Alphamon looked at Imperialdramon Paladin Mode steadily. "Anyway, if anybody can do it, it's you."

"Yes, it is," Omegamon agreed, looking at Imperialdramon reassuringly, despite his misgivings.

"Thanks, guys," Imperialdramon responded, smiling at them. He continued to walk down the dark street. "Anyways…"

Meanwhile, about twenty feet behind the three Digimon, there was movements in the shadows of a dark alley. The movements were silent enough that the Royal Knights didn't notice them, so the trio of paladins continued making their way down the road.

Moving in the darkness of the alley was Black Pincer Company. GrandisKuwagamon was at the head of the group. His ebony carapace blended into the shadows, so he made the best candidate for leading the team. Blitzmon followed behind him, and, taking up the rear was Bolgmon, who rolled down the alley with his engines on silent. GrandisKuwagamon carefully walked along the wall of the shop and stopped once he reached the corner.

He looked across from himself, up towards the north part of the street. That was the direction that they needed to head. It looked clear, from what he could tell. GrandisKuwagamon peered around the corner of the building he was hidden behind, looking down the opposite end of the road, towards the south. His eye narrowed when he saw Alphamon, Omegamon and Imperialdramon Paladin Mode down the road, walking away from them.

GrandisKuwagamon swore under his breath. He turned around and whispered to Blitzmon and Bolgmon. "Be quiet," he said quietly. "It's the Royal Knights."

There was a sly look in Bolgmon's eyes. "Got it. Let's hurry up and cross before that patrol we saw a block away decides to come down this way," he whispered back.

GrandisKuwagamon nodded and turned around again. He looked back around the corner, trying to keep his pincers as hidden as possible. He could see that the Royal Knights still had their backs to him. They continued to walk, and they made no indication that they were going to turn around. The black insect, half-blended into the darkness, slowly raised a hand and made a signal for them to follow on his command.

After a moment, GrandisKuwagamon gave a thumbs-up and quietly crept out onto the open road. He moved as quietly as he could as he began to cross towards the shadowy alley on the opposite side. Once there was about two meters between them, Blitzmon followed after him. He was emanating a magnetic field around himself to create an anti-gravity state around them, silencing his and Bolgmon's steps by not physically touching the ground.

Bolgmon watched with a grin as GrandisKuwagamon made it halfway across the road. He waited for a few seconds before it was his turn to go. He rolled after Blitzmon.

As soon as he was out of the alley and into the large, open street, he turned his head to the left and saw Alphamon, Omegamon, and Imperialdramon further down the street. Then, he turned to Blitzmon and GrandisKuwagamon, who had their backs to him as they crossed the street. He smirked darkly. This was his opportunity.

Bolgmon raised his cannons towards the Royal Knights. "Shit!" he suddenly shouted, acting as if he'd been seen. "Ultimate Thunder!"

His cannons spun into a frenzy and released the built of electricity that gathered at the tops of his arms. As the lightning illuminated the street around them, both GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon froze and spun around with dread. They watched as Bolgmon blasted the two electric orbs down the road towards the Royal Knights.

The three Royal Knights heard the voice call out behind them and heard the crackle of electricity. Sensing danger, all three of them pivoted immediately to see the spinning bolas of lightning whipping towards them.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, who was walking behind the two Royal Knights and was the closest to the oncoming attack, turned around and saw the blast first. "Look out!" he called out. Imperialdramon reached over his head and summoned the Omega Blade in a flash of light that illuminated the area around him. He held the massive broadsword horizontally in front of him, one hand on the hilt and one hand on the flat side of the blade.

He braced his golden claws against the street and held the Omega Blade in front of them to block the incoming attack. The Ultimate Thunder blast surged into the sword and exploded on impact with the holy blade. Imperialdramon held against the destructive force of the impact, feeling wind and electricity blowing past his body and kicking up the dirt of the street around them.

"Imperialdramon!" Omegamon called out urgently. He raised his Grey Arm and Garuru Arm, from which the Grey Sword and Garuru Cannon propelled out of.

Alphamon narrowed his eyes and dashed out from behind Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, alongside Omegamon. "That's Black Pincer Company!" he exclaimed, recognizing the three insect Digimon immediately.

Further up the street, GrandisKuwagamon stared at Bolgmon with a mixture of fury, horror, and dumbfounded incredulity. "Bolgmon, what the hell is wrong with you?!" he demanded. "What the fuck are you doing, you dumbass?!"

"I thought they saw me!" Bolgmon explained, lowering his smoking cannon arms with a broad grin evident on his metal face. "Haha, oops!"

"Bolgmon!" Blitzmon shouted at Bolgmon angrily.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye twitched with disbelief, not only at his stupidity, but at the fact that he didn't seem to care at all. His gut instinct had a bad feeling about this. "Damn it! Run!" he shouted, making a break for it up the road.

As soon as GrandisKuwagamon took off in a sprint, Blitzmon and Bolgmon followed his lead. GrandisKuwagamon was several meters ahead of the two blue insects, but they were running and driving right behind him at full speed.

"After them!" Alphamon shouted as he pulled the Seiken Gradalpha from a glowing, magical circle in the air. As soon as the glowing blade of light was in his hand, he began running up the road after the three insect Digimon.

Omegamon grunted and began ripping up the street alongside Alphamon.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode gripped his blade and spread his grey-white wings. "Alphamon!" he called out to the black knight.

"Go and get the others! They're heading north towards the university!" Alphamon called back to Imperialdramon, not ceasing his pursuit.

Imperialdramon nodded and flapped his wings, lifting himself into the air. He soared over the nearby buildings and went to try to find as many available Royal Knights as he could.

Alphamon spread his wings and skimmed along the street beside Omegamon, trying to close the distance between them and Black Pincer Company. He raised his hand in front of him, and his palm began to emanate with a bright, greenish light. "Digitalize of Soul!" he shouted, unleashing the beam from his hand.

The beam tore through the air and streaked towards Black Pincer Company. He was careful not to hit any buildings.

Blitzmon glanced over his shoulder and saw the incoming attack. "Watch it!" he warned the others, dashing diagonally to the right to get out of the way of the beam. Bolgmon drove to the left while GrandisKuwagamon swerved to the right, allowing the large, emerald beam to pass between them. The shining green laser cast an eerie green long across their forms and the buildings as it skimmed along the road and exploded in the center of the road a ways in front of them.

"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon shouted, launching his own attack from the Garuru head on his right hand. The cannon launched a high pressure, whitish-blue blast that sailed in the direction of the fleeing mercenaries.

"Here comes another!" Blitzmon called out, looking over his shoulder as he ran up the dimly-lit road.

GrandisKuwagamon hissed and slammed his black foot into the ground, shooting up from the ground and flying along the street for improved mobility. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the swiftly approaching blast and predict where it would hit. Blitzmon saw what GrandisKuwagamon was doing and followed suit, beating his insect wings and veering to the side.

As the icy blast closed in, Bolgmon swore and was forced to sharply jerk to the side, just meters before the beam shot could hit him. The blast impacted the ground with an explosion of ice that coated the ground with the slippery solid and sent icicles and shards of shooting up from the point of impact.

Bolgmon's treads screeched as he forcibly turned his bulky, metal body and he drifted along the street for a few meters. As he skidded, he suddenly put his gears into reverse and began driving backwards, facing the Royal Knights as he drove away from them. He scowled at his pursuers and raised his cannon arms towards them. "I've had enough of you pricks!" he shouted. "Ultimate Thunder!"

A pair of electric blasts pulsed from the two cannons and began shooting towards the two Royal Knights. Alphamon grunted and flapped the wings that protruded from his back, taking into the air and shooting towards, in front of Omegamon. He swiped the Seiken Gradalpha forwards with a mighty heave, sending the blade cutting through the two blasts of electricity. The concentrated lightning exploded and parted on contact with the blade, sending tendrils of lightning across Alphamon's armour.

Alphamon grunted as the electric residue of the attack streaked across his body, but he fought through it and continued to give chase.

"Alphamon!" Omegamon called to him, deciding to take flight as well. "We need to be careful of the buildings!"

Alphamon frowned. "We can't give up this opportunity… We may have to do a bit of damage to the city in order to stop them," he mused. He thought about it for a few seconds. "But maybe there's another way. Maybe we can corner them in the university gardens."

Omegamon nodded and continued to speed through the air, soaring up the street below roof-level.

Seeing that the two Royal Knights were still giving chase, Bolgmon hissed and expelled a lot of steam pressure from under his body. After lifting up from the ground, he spun around on his treads with a quick manoeuvre so that he was facing forwards again. He accelerated and drove up beside Blitzmon, who was flying several meters behind GrandisKuwagamon.

Blitzmon glanced over his shoulder towards the Royal Knights and then looked at Bolgmon purposefully. "…Where?" he asked Bolgmon fiercely.

Bolgmon grinned, knowing what Blitzmon was referring to. "Two blocks from here. Alley on the left," he said as lowly as he could so that GrandisKuwagamon wouldn't hear.

GrandisKuwagamon, however, couldn't hear them over the sound of his wing beats and Bolgmon's roaring engine. He was too lost in his own adrenaline and instincts to care about anything other than the Royal Knights chasing them anyway. He flew in an irregular pattern as he flew up the street, trying to throw the Royal Knights off as he headed for the university gardens at the edge of the city.

Blitzmon glanced ahead at GrandisKuwagamon, who didn't seem to notice. He turned to Bolgmon and nodded. "Tell me when."

Bolgmon nodded and glanced over his shoulder at the Royal Knights behind them. They seemed to be getting closer to him, thanks to his relative weakness in mobility. That was a mixed blessing for him. The tank Digimon kept his sights on the buildings to his left, mindful of all the landmarks. He activated the tracking system on his back and began to use that to try and pinpoint the desired escape route in the darkness.

He grunted and focused all of his energy into driving as fast as he could, not wanting to be caught by the two Royal Knights whose attention he purposefully grabbed. Dirt whipped up behind his tank treads as he drove at full throttle. Bolgmon looked forwards and could see a large maintenance alley a block ahead of them. He could also tell that the university was about three blocks away from where they were, judging from the silhouettes of the city wall and guard towers against the cloudy night sky.

"Lightning Blitz!" Blitzmon shouted, turning his head and looking behind him towards the two Royal Knights, who were about fifteen meters behind them. His long, blue horn crackled and glowed with concentrated electricity that flashed within the night. The horn then unleashed a bolt of lightning towards the Alphamon and Omegamon.

Alphamon and Omegamon divided to avoid the attack, which flashed by them and sent the feeling of static across their forms.

Bolgmon looked ahead. They were nearing the alley. The dark corridor between the buildings was in eyesight now. He briefly glanced ahead at GrandisKuwagamon. He also took a second to check on the two Royal Knights tailing them.

He decided that it was time to make his move.

After a few meters passed, Bolgmon suddenly shifted gears and skidded to a stop in front of the alley. He grabbed hold of Blitzmon's arm and roughly pulled him. "Now, Blitzmon! Go!" he shouted, suddenly blasting his engines and making a hard left towards the dark maintenance alley.

Blitzmon, although being pulled by Bolgmon, beat his wings and flew after him as well, speeding towards the secret escape route.

GrandisKuwagamon heard Bolgmon's words and suddenly noticed his two comrades disappear from behind him. He stopped buzzing his wings and spun around, still being carried by his momentum. To his shock and confusion, he saw Bolgmon and Blitzmon breaking away from him towards an alley that was ten meters behind him.

"What…?" he asked, stunned and dismayed by their actions. "What the hell are you two doing?!"

"Hahaha!" Bolgmon cackled, turning and giving GrandisKuwagamon a victorious smirk. "Good luck, Grandis!"

Blitzmon looked over at GrandisKuwagamon as well, shrugging as he zipped through the air. "It's nothing personal!" he called out.

GrandisKuwagamon stared incredulously as his two teammates escaped into the darkness of the alley, leaving him alone on the open street. It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on. "You… You fucking traitors!" he shouted after them, hovering in place. He would have shouted more – much more – but he was immediately aware that Alphamon and Omegamon were catching up. They would be on him in seconds if he didn't move.

The ebony insect man released a long, bitter hiss. He initially tried to go after Bolgmon and Blitzmon towards the alley behind him, but he quickly realised that he would never make it. The Royal Knights were closing in on him too fast. If he tried to go back, he'd be handing himself to the Royal Knights. Instead, he course-corrected his flight and went with the only option he had; he continued up the street, heading to his original destination of the academy.

Behind him, Alphamon and Omegamon watched as the GrandisKuwagamon went straight, while Blitzmon and Bolgmon escaped in the large alley to the left. "Omegamon," Alphamon stated. "Follow them. I'll go after GrandisKuwagamon."

Omegamon nodded. He came to a stop in the air for a moment before shooting off towards the alley, speeding into the shadowy passage. Meanwhile, Alphamon soared past the alleyway, tailing GrandisKuwagamon. He gained some ground when GrandisKuwagamon stopped, but the black insect was swift.

GrandisKuwagamon glanced over his shoulder as he flew up the long road. He was relieved that the second Royal Knight was gone, but still furious at Blitzmon and Bolgmon abandoning him. He was also annoyed that he didn't have any ranged attacks to throw Alphamon off. He couldn't slide evolve to GranKuwagamon because he'd lose speed and the ability to manoeuvre in these relatively tight streets.

He saw a large side street up ahead. The mercenary remembered that this street led up towards the academy. He knew that he was almost there. He just needed to go a few more blocks.

GrandisKuwagamon suddenly swerved sharply in the air and shot down the street to the left. The intense beating of his wings caused a low, fluttering behind him.

Alphamon watched the black insect turn suddenly, prompting Alphamon to react quickly during his flight. He too managed to turn down the side street, although not with the same agility that GrandisKuwagamon had. Nevertheless, Alphamon continued pursuing the insect. He wouldn't let him slip through his grasp again.

GrandisKuwagamon shot down the street, swerving from side to side, but not so much that it hindered his speed. At the end of the street, he could see the wall of the city. He briefly scanned the ramparts of the wall, wondering if it was a good idea to fly over it. However, he could clearly see guards on top of the wall, their silhouettes clear against the clouds. He decided he didn't need more Digimon after him, so he continued on his original course. At the base of the wall was another large road that ran parallel to the wall itself. GrandisKuwagamon knew that that road led up to the Xuanwumon Academy.

He glanced over his shoulder to check on Alphamon. He could see the Royal Knight hot on his tail. GrandisKuwagamon prepared his Gran Killer claws. He slashed one of his clawed gauntlets through a tree on the side of the road, slicing right through the trunk. The tree began to fall as he passed it, teetering over and slowly crashing across the street.

Alphamon narrowed his red eyes as the tree fell in front of him and blocked his path. Instead of stopping, he swiped out the Seiken Gradalpha and slashed the bright blade straight through the tree, cleaving it in two. With the trunk parting in front of him, Alphamon flew through and continued speeding after GrandisKuwagamon. "Stop at once!" he shouted to the mercenary.

"Bite me, tin can!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted back. Upon reaching the end of the street, he took a hard turn to the right. His black form disappeared around the corner and continued shooting up the road beside the wall. The insect man looked ahead of him.

The street was semi-lit by street lamps. At the very end of the road, he could make out a large gap between the walls at the corner of the city. In this space, there was a lot of green foliage from the academy gardens. That would be the perfect place for GrandisKuwagamon to escape.

GrandisKuwagamon accelerated his flight as much as he could, digging deep into his reserves. His lithe, insect body zipped through the air, heading between the wall to his left and the buildings to his right. He was getting closer to the academy. He could clearly see the foliage of the trees. The mercenary glanced over his shoulder and saw that Alphamon was still trailing him. He knew that the Royal Knight wouldn't give up that easily. He also knew that once they got into the academy gardens, there would be more opportunity for Alphamon to use his attacks, due to all the open space. He wondered if he should have taken advantage of the city and Alphamon's personal moral restrictions more, but now wasn't the time for second-guessing.

The mercenary bug pressed his arms to his sides and pulled his legs together to cut down on wind resistance. He increased his speed and shot up the stone road towards the gardens. After thirty tense seconds, he passed by the gap in the wall and flew up the stone path leading into the grounds of Xuanwumon University. He flew into the gardens, zipping over the flowers and foliage.

Alphamon grunted as he flew after GrandisKuwagamon. It was harder to see his body now that they were away from the lights of Saversburg, so he had to track him carefully.

GrandisKuwagamon smirked. He was deep in the garden now. This was his chance. "Slide Evolution! GranKuwagamon!" he spoke, his body flashing brightly for a brief second as his form shifted and grew into his much larger, beetle-like form. Despite his transformation, he continued flying forwards.

In the darkness of the night, he could see a massive tree some distance in front of him, but not much else. The tree was illuminated by twelve, glowing orbs that floated around the trunk of the tree – GranKuwagamon assumed that these were for lighting purposes. In fact, he never remembered seeing a tree that big in the gardens before. Unable to slow down, GranKuwagamon flew towards it. He began to realise that the closer he got, the bigger the tree was – and he had deeply underestimated the scale. After several seconds of flying, the giant bug was forced to come to a stop.

He stared in front of him, incredulous at what he saw. The giant tree was blocking his path. Its trunk was around fifty meters wide, and it had a massive, thick, impenetrable canopy. More than that, the colossal tree was resting on the back of the giant shell of a Digimon. An enormous dragon-tortoise Digimon was resting the middle of the academy gardens, actually asleep in the scenic landscape. Two, golden serpentine heads protruded from the giant shell and rested on the nearby stretch of grass. The twelve orb floating around the tree weren't lights, but digicores. The Digimon in question was Xuanwumon, the namesake of the academy, and one of the Digimon who had been attending the secret Dark Area discussions.

GranKuwagamon floated in place, his eye twitching with seething frustration and disbelief. The massive Digimon was inadvertently blocking his exit. Due to the giant tree, he wasn't even able to fly over him easily. Finally, GranKuwagamon's anger boiled over. "Why the hell is this giant, fucking, so-called 'god' passed out in the middle of the garden?!" he demanded.

Xuanwumon stirred and grumbled deeply, the eyes of his two heads wincing at the noise.

GranKuwagamon cursed up a storm inside his head. Aware of Alphamon immanently closing in on him, he knew that he had to act fast. He hissed and slashed his pincers into the air in front of him. As the jagged scissors moved, they tore into the fabric of space. "Zone Black Hole!" he shouted, ripping open a portal in front of him.

Alphamon glowered with frustration and urgency as GranKuwagamon prepared to escape. He rushed towards him to stop him, but was unsure if he could make it in time.

GranKuwagamon beat his wings and began to fly towards the abyssal rift in the air.

"I don't think so!" a voice shouted from nearby. "Tekken Seisai!"

Gankoomon lunged over Xuanwumon's giant leg and blazed towards GranKuwagamon. Just as the giant insect began to enter the portal, Gankoomon lashed out with his burning fist, throwing a heavy punch right into the side of GranKuwagamon's carapace.

GranKuwagamon let out a shout of pain as the fist impacted his exoskeleton. The force of the punch pulled him out of the portal and sent him flying through the air. His large, insect body soared for several meters before he was able to beat his wings and collect himself. GranKuwagamon narrowed his red eyes and glared at Gankoomon, who landed in front of the portal. "You…"

Alphamon came to a stop beside Gankoomon. "Gankoomon…" he said, half-surprised to see him there. "Good timing."

Gankoomon gave Alphamon a grin before turning to GranKuwagamon. "Going somewhere?" he asked the mercenary. "I've got a score to settle with you, bug."

GranKuwagamon hissed. "I don't have time for this," he spoke. "Zone—"

"Ulforce Sabre!" UlforceVeedramon called out from behind GranKuwagamon, seeming to appear out of nowhere. He slashed his glowing beam sword down the beetle Digimon's large back, sending a streak of burning pain shooting down his exoskeleton.

GranKuwagamon snarled with pain, but his sharp instincts and reflexes allowed him to react quickly. He kicked his large, hind leg back and drove the clawed appendage into UlforceVeedramon's chest, throwing the cobalt Royal Knight away from him.

He also noticed movement from above him. He looked up and saw Craniamon descending from the sky, pointing his Claiohm Solais lance down so that it was poised to stab. GranKuwagamon swiftly swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding being struck by Craniamon.

GranKuwagamon scowled and tried to fly back towards the city, but he had to come to a sudden halt when he saw a shimmering, green pillar of light shooting down from the sky.

"Pendragon's Glory," Examon spoke, unleashing an emerald laser from the Ambrosius as he hovered in place in the sky, looking down at the gardens from a high altitude.

As GranKuwagamon came to a sudden stop, the laser tore through the air in front of him, blocking his escape. He swore under his breath and reversed through the air. "Damnit! There's too many of these damn Royal Knights! Where the hell did they all come from?!" he wondered agitatedly. He looked all around him. There were now five Royal Knights to contend with. GranKuwagamon was in a hyper-alert state; he couldn't let himself leave a single angle unchecked. His mind worked fast as he tried to think of a solution.

He turned towards Alphamon and Gankoomon with a frustrated wince. Maybe if he could get past them, he could get around Xuanwumon. He decided it was worth a try.

The giant insect began slicing through the air towards them. As he flew through the sky, he began spinning his body rapidly during his flight. The circular rotations picked up speed, and soon his body was that of a ferocious, black, horizontal tornado. "Grand Death Screw!" he shouted, tearing towards the two Royal Knights like a cyclone.

Alphamon and Gankoomon glowered and both prepared themselves as the spinning, dark vortex of jagged pincers and claws. They were about to try and jump out of the way, but Craniamon acted first.

The violet Royal Knight jumped in front of his two comrades as raised the Avalon shield right as GranKuwagamon closed in on them. "God Bless!" he shouted. The Avalon pulsed with energy and unleashed a transparent, bubble-shaped barrier that engulfed the three Royal Knights and protected them from all sides. GranKuwagamon slammed into the barrier and tore against it, though he was unable to get through.

Craniamon narrowed his eyes as he held the barrier up. He watched as the barrier flickered brightly as the tornado-like bug kept up his attack and tried to drill through. As impenetrable as the barrier was, it had the disadvantage of only lasting for three seconds, so it had only limited effectiveness against prolonged attacks. He readied his shield and spear, ready to act as soon as the barrier dropped. "Get ready," he told the others.

"Leave it to me," Alphamon spoke, stepping up beside Craniamon and raising his hand. His palm brimmed with green power. "Digitalize of Soul!"

As soon as final word finished, the barrier dropped and GranKuwagamon surged towards them. Alphamon unleashed a bright, emerald beam from his hand, right as GranKuwagamon broke through and swept into them. As the beam fired, the black tornado began to drill against Alphamon's extended hand, scratching up the palm with sparks and tendrils of energy. Alphamon winced with pain but held steady, continuing to pour his energy into his prolonged beam attack.

The beam parted around GranKuwagamon's body; it burned against his thick, outer coating but didn't get past it due to his defences and momentum. However, the beam had enough strength and pressure to push GranKuwagamon back, and ultimately slow his attack. Once the screw attack was slowed enough, the beam slammed into GranKuwagamon and blasted him away.

GranKuwagamon caught himself in the air and hissed as his body smoked from the impact. Despite the heat still against his body, he took the opportunity to think about his situation. "This is bad. I'm in deep shit. They have me surrounded… My body's too big of a target. Gonna have to evolve back and fight my way out. I'll never get a Zone Black Hole out like this."

"Slide Evolution! GrandisKuwagamon!" the dark insect called out, his body shining brightly. His form shrank back to his slender, agile, and close-quarters-oriented GrandisKuwagamon body.

GrandisKuwagamon looked around attentively. He flew from spot to spot, not wanting to remain in the same spot for too long and make an easy target for Examon.

Meanwhile, Xuanwumon was finally awoken by the sounds of battle. He opened the eyes of both of his serpentine heads and looked around with confusion. "What's going on…?" he wondered drowsily.

"Very sorry to disturb you, Xuanwumon," Alphamon apologised, although not taking his eyes off of GrandisKuwagamon. "We have a bit of a situation."

Xuanwumon raised his two heads and looked to his side, seeing the Royal Knights standing off against GrandisKuwagamon. He shook his two heads disappointedly. "Fighting in such a beautiful, serene place… What is to be achieved by that?" he asked.

"My apologies, but I'm afraid it can't be helped," Alphamon responded, flying into the air and moving towards the city to cut GrandisKuwagamon off from Saversburg. "You may want to get out of here."

"Oh, I will be fine," Xuanwumon's other head stated nonchalantly. "Though I'm afraid I can take no part in this, apart from protecting the university from attacks."

"I understand," Alphamon responded, gripping the Seiken Gradalpha in his right hand while aiming his left at GrandisKuwagamon. "We will try to finish this quickly."

GrandisKuwagamon shot Alphamon a defiant glare. "Don't underestimate me, you sanctimonious pile of armour! I can still take all of you on!"

"It's five against one, hot shot!" UlforceVeedramon pointed out to the insect Digimon, flying to GrandisKuwagamon's other side to flank him from the right as well. "We're Royal Knights. You should just give up."

"'Royal Knights'… That's nothing but a title," GrandisKuwagamon countered. "It counts for shit in combat. Who cares if you're the so-called 'Defenders of the Digital World'?! I've fought bigger, badder guys than you before, so don't flatter yourself. Come at me, if you're so confident!"

UlforceVeedramon narrowed his eyes and smirked, accepting his challenge. "I highly doubt that, buddy, but you got it!" he spoke, flapping his wings and speeding towards GrandisKuwagamon in a blur. It was seconds before he was upon the mercenary, slashing his glowing blade down.

To the Royal Knight's surprise, GrandisKuwagamon was deft enough to dodge him. He swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding the vertical swipe as the Ulforce Sabre hummed beside him. This prompted both GrandisKuwagamon and UlforceVeedramon to retaliate.

UlforceVeedramon spun around and extended his wings to stop himself. He raised his left V-Bracelet and extended a second Ulforce Sabre from it. He stabbed it towards GrandisKuwagamon.

GrandisKuwagamon pivoted in the air and stabbed his right Gran Killer forwards. The long, black claws hooked UlforceVeedramon's beam sword and contended against it as they battled for supremacy. Seeing an opportunity, GrandisKuwagamon smirked. "You idiot. It doesn't matter how fast you are if you're right in front of me!" he chastised his opponent. Partially holding UlforceVeedramon in place, GrandisKuwagamon lashed out with his leg. "How's that leg of yours?" he asked as he slammed his foot into UlforceVeedramon's left leg – the leg he remembered had been injured.

UlforceVeedramon shouted sharply as pain shot up his leg from the impact. Although the leg was largely healed, it was still sensitive. It caused UlforceVeedramon to pull away from GrandisKuwagamon and momentarily lower his arms.

GrandisKuwagamon took advantage of the moment to lunge forwards, fully intent of stabbing the Royal Knight.

UlforceVeedramon acted quickly. Since they both had the same reach, he didn't want to try counter-stabbing him. Instead, he deactivated the second blade and activated his defence barrier. "Tense Great Shield!" he said, extending the multidirectional shield from his V-Bracelet.

The black insect's Gran Killers stabbed into the geodesic dome and was stopped in their tracks. As the sphere grew and extended outwards, it slammed into GrandisKuwagamon and sent him flying away.

"Avalon's Gate!" Examon called from above, firing a shell out of his lance as he watched what happened. The container shot vertically downwards, breaking apart in midair. The shell released a series of metal ball bearings, which showered down on GrandisKuwagamon, as well as UlforceVeedramon's barrier, which protected him from the attack. The balls pelted GrandisKuwagamon's black body and tore up the ground below him. They weren't strong enough to get through his thick carapace, but they did enough damage to cause bruising and distract him.

Once the attack was over, Gankoomon sailed through the air with his arm coiled back. He closed in on GrandisKuwagamon and unleashed fury onto the bug. "Tekken Seisai!" he roared, slamming his fist, brimming with rage, square into GrandisKuwagamon's jaw.

GrandisKuwagamon released a grunt and was thrown through the air by the savage punch. He skidded across a bed of flowers, tearing up and crushing the colourful flora beneath him. However, he refused to stay down for even a second. He flipped himself to his feet and saw Craniamon lunging towards him. Craniamon swiped his double-headed spear down on him, but GrandisKuwagamon dashed out of the way. The blade embedded itself in the ground where he had been standing, sending a fountain of dirt shooting up.

The insect man tore through the wave of dirt and stabbed towards Craniamon, but the Royal Knight was ready. He raised the indomitable Avalon shield and blocked his vicious stab cold. Craniamon then lashed out with the Avalon, bashing GrandisKuwagamon back.

GrandisKuwagamon flew backwards and then swerved to the side, narrowly evading Examon's green laser as it fell from the sky and pierced deep into the ground. The mercenary then agilely flew down, ducking under an emerald laser from Alphamon this time. The Digitalize of Soul attack went over GrandisKuwagamon's head and streaked diagonally into the sky.

"Hahah!" GrandisKuwagamon laughed insolently, adrenaline flooding through his system. "That's the best you can do?! It's five against one, and the mighty Royal Knights can hardly even touch me!" he taunted, half-pissed and venting, and half trying to provoke them into making mistakes. "You Royal Knights talk about honour and that BS, but here you are ganging up on me. I always knew you were full of shit!"

"Okay then," Craniamon answered, leering coldly and stepping towards him. "Face me one-on-one."

"No, Craniamon," Alphamon spoke, trying to keep the Royal Knight's pride from taking over. "That's what he wants." For emphasis, Alphamon flapped his wings and tore towards GrandisKuwagamon from behind. "We aren't giving up this chance!"

GrandisKuwagamon spun around to see Alphamon descending on him with the Seiken Gradalpha, slashing the sword down vertically. Acting quickly, GrandisKuwagamon crossed the Gran Killers over his head to block the mighty sword strike. With his arms occupied, he kicked Alphamon between the legs.

Alphamon grimaced and felt his knees threaten to buckle. He was forced to weaken the strength behind his attack. He let go on the Seiken Gradalpha to hold it with one hand, and used his free hand to drive his fist across GrandisKuwagamon's face, around the bug's raised arms.

The bug Digimon's head jerked to the side and he spat out a glob of blood. His defence broke, and the sword came slashing down, but he was quick enough to shoot to the side and avoid the descending sword. GrandisKuwagamon spun around as swiped his Gran Killers across Alphamon's face. The helmet took most of the damage and sparks shot out from the screeching stroke. Alphamon spun around delivered a mighty back kick into GrandisKuwagamon's chest. As the insect Digimon flew back, Alphamon followed up by turning and extending his left arm. "Digitalize of Soul!" he shouted, unleashing a beam that engulfed GrandisKuwagamon.

GrandisKuwagamon's braced himself with his Gran Killers, but his chest armour began to fracture under the immense pressure. He hissed with pain and flew out of the laser as it began to dissipate. He flew upwards into the sky and then stopped in night air, heaving.

"You idiotic Royal Knights!" he shouted, brimming with anger. "What the hell are you even doing here?! What are you trying to prove?" He spat out some more saliva mixed with blood. "You're here in Saversburg to - what? Fight a war with the Metal Empire? Do you even know what the hell you're doing?!"

Gankoomon gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles. Hinukamui emerged from Gankoomon's back in a swath of golden energy. "What the hell are you getting at, bug?" he countered.

"You're being taken for idiots!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted, a smug smirk on his face. He didn't care about the contract anymore. Blitzmon and Bolgmon had sold him out. He knew that Black Pincer Company was over. All he cared about now was inflicting as much damage as possible, and hopefully getting out alive in the process. "You don't even realise it do you? It was Black Pincer Company that attacked your castle! We're the ones that have been attacking your patrols! We were hired to make you think it was the Metal Empire. Somebody's been playing you and the Metal Empire off one another, and you fell for it! I mean, you're about to go to war with them now, you poor, idealistic idiots!"

Gankoomon scowled with anger at his taunting. "Why you…"

Alphamon narrowed his eyes at GrandisKuwagamon. It was true that they had fallen for their tricks before, but Dorbickmon had already told them this information. However, there was more pertinent information that he wanted to know. "Who hired you?" he asked GrandisKuwagamon firmly.

"As if I'd tell you that!" GrandisKuwagamon fired back, pretending that he really did know who their client was. He figured that if they thought he had valuable information, they would be less likely to go fight him to their fullest "I've still got a paycheck to pick up!"

"So, you do know?" Alphamon asked, probing for further information.

"Why do you think that I was here in Saversburg? Maybe if you're fast, you can go and catch him," GrandisKuwagamon suggested, shrugging.

Alphamon assumed that this was a lie, but he thought it was plausible that GrandisKuwagamon knew the identity of who hired them.

UlforceVeedramon used the opportunity to shoot through the sky like a meteor. Although GrandisKuwagamon tried to react, UlforceVeedramon was too fast. The dragon knight cut along GrandisKuwagamon's winged back with his laser blade. The sword cut into GrandisKuwagamon's wings and sent him crashing to the path below.

GrandisKuwagamon crumpled upon hitting the dirt, but he quickly rose to his feet again, just in time to see Gankoomon ready to attack. "Jishin! Kaminari! Kaji! Oyaji!" Gankoomon shouted, causing Hinukamui to surge towards GrandisKuwagamon. The dragon swept across the garden and descended on GrandisKuwagamon, clapping his giant pair of claws together and trying to crush GrandisKuwagamon between them.

GrandisKuwagamon let out an intense shout of effort as he threw his arms out and stabbed his Gran Killers into Hinukamui's palms, keeping them from crushing him. "Damn it…!" he hissed under the roar of the violent aura around him. He tapped into his inner reserves of energy. His crimson eye burned as he used all his strength to hold Hinukamui back, the power of whom was tearing up the grass around him.

Unfortunately for him, this left him exposed. Gankoomon burst through Hinukamui's semi-incorporeal body and levelled a punch straight into GrandisKuwagamon's face. As GrandisKuwagamon staggered backwards, Hinukamui lessened his grip and drifted back onto Gankoomon's shoulders. Gankoomon dashed forwards and tried to follow up with another punch.

This time, GrandisKuwagamon was ready. He stabbed towards Gankoomon, attempting to skewer him with his greater reach. Gankoomon deftly swerved to avoid the stab, and closed in to deliver a painful blow to the bug's abdomen. GrandisKuwagamon hissed and fought through the pain. "Grandis Scissors!" he shouted, shutting his pincers towards Gankoomon's neck with tonnes of pressure.

Gankoomon ducked under the deadly chop, losing a few strands of red hair in the process. He prepared to deliver another punch to GrandisKuwagamon, but he was too slow. GrandisKuwagamon drove his sharp knee up into Gankoomon's face. When the Royal Knight was forced upwards, he grabbed hold of Gankoomon's face and then head-butted him with the solid ridge of his forehead above his eye.

GrandisKuwagamon released Gankoomon and allowed him to stagger back. He then kicked Gankoomon in the chest and then followed up with a swipe from his Gran Killer for good measure, drawing a small cut across Gankoomon's cheek.

"Shining V Force!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, unleashing a ray from his chest that surged into GrandisKuwagamon as soon as Gankoomon was out of the way.

The beam exploded on contact with GrandisKuwagamon and sent him crashing through a stone fountain. The rock water feature crumbled with a large splash. GrandisKuwagamon winced, heaved and swore as he pulled himself out of the wet basin, his body smoking, dripping, and cracked. It was clear that the fight was starting to take its toll on him. He gritted his teeth and glared at the Royal Knights.

"You… Royal Knights think you're really fucking special… The so-called 'Guardians of the Network'! You try to save the Digital World and look after Network Security. Good for you!" he sarcastically taunted, swiping his Gran Killer out for emphasis. "You fight some giant asshole who wants to destroy stuff every so often – you know, that big, important stuff that gets mentioned in all the history books. Some ass-ugly Armagemon or Apocalymon who's trying to destroy the Digital World or make holes in the Dimensional Wall…"

He narrowed his eye at them. "Where the hell are you the rest of the time? Where are you when other Digimon need you? Low-key bandit attacks, small-time raiders… You don't stop them… Somewhere, there's a village burning and you're too busy playing the big heroes of the Digital World to realise it! Hell, you probably don't even notice! You only step in during big events like wars or cataclysms. You just do all this hero crap to make you feel good about yourselves! You're self-serving, just like the rest of us. That's the way the world is…"

UlforceVeedramon glowered at the cynical accusation. "What?" he asked incredulously. "That's not true…"

GrandisKuwagamon scoffed. "Tch… For all your lofty ideals, you Royal Knights are just worthless. And that so-called god you worship is just as worthless as you are!" he declared, shooting into the air with a returned vigor. "Yggdrasil, 'God'. They're just made up stories." He turned and pointed his Gran Killers at Xuanwumon. "And the so-called Four Holy Beasts are just ordinary Digimon. It's all a big sham!"

"It is not a sham," Xuanwumon spoke calmly, eyeing the bug as he continued to fight. "Perhaps you simply do not want to believe?"

GrandisKuwagamon released a laugh. "Funny! Since nobody can seem to agree on who the real 'god' is. Is it Yggdrasil? Huanglongmon? The Being of Goodness? All of the above? Hah! Make up your damn minds! Somebody's gotta be lying!" he declared. He grunted with effort as he circled around in the air to dodge a beam shot fired from Examon overhead. It skimmed his black feet, but didn't do any direct damage. When the beam faded, he stopped and raised his Gran Killers, ready to defend against any attacks levelled at him. "Or maybe, if by some cruel, illogical chance, there is some sort of entity that created the Digital World… then they just don't care. They let the Digital World be as brutal and terrible as it is without lifting a finger or claw or whatever to stop it."

"That's not true," Alphamon spoke. "We Royal Knights are the agents of Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil bears no ill-will towards the Digital World. We serve for the good of the Digital World."

"Yeah? Do you sit down and have tea-time chats with Yggdrasil then? What does he - she, it, whatever – look like?" GrandisKuwagamon challenged.

Alphamon frowned. "It isn't that simple, GrandisKuwagamon…" he calmly responded. These weren't questions that he could answer in a pithy response.

"Uh huh. Whatever. And awfully convenient response," GrandisKuwagamon dismissively said.

"He exists, GrandisKuwagamon," Alphamon stated firmly. "I assure you that Yggdrasil exists."

He glared at the Royal Knights, not wanting to hear their opinions on belief. "You can believe whatever bullshit you want. I don't care anymore. Just get your holier-than-thou butts out of my damn way!"

GrandisKuwagamon flew forwards, trying to soar over Xuanwumon and attempt to escape. He knew his limits, and he was aware that he couldn't take on five Royal Knights on his own, despite his bravado suggesting otherwise. He knew that his only way out of this was escaping.

However, as he tried to get past Xuanwumon, UlforceVeedramon appeared as a blue blur. The dragon knight stopped several meters in front of him, the V on his chest brimming with holy power. GrandisKuwagamon hissed and shot to the side. He ducked behind Xuanwumon's digicore, using it as a shield. "You won't attack his Digicore! Or do you want to try it?!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted out to the Royal Knights. He began flying again, weaving around the twelve digicores that surrounded the massive tree on Xuanwumon's back.

Xuanwumon eyed GrandisKuwagamon with annoyance at being used as a shield. "Never use a shield that contains a barbed edge," Xuanwumon's left head warned. "Mugen!" The god Digimon's eyes flashed and he released a dark mist from his mouth that billowed through the night sky and consumed GrandisKuwagamon.

"What?!" GrandisKuwagamon asked, trying to beat the mist away with his wings. He tried to fly forwards but found himself confronted by a wall of raging fire. The insect Digimon halted immediately and stared into the flames with a wide eye. He hissed and tried to fly backwards. However, when he looked over his shoulder, there was a billowing inferno behind him as well.

He gritted his teeth and looked around desperately. The fire was all around him, licking at his body. The burning flames and suffocating smoke were all around him. It threatened to consume him. His insides tensed up and he tried desperately to swipe the flames away with his Gran Killers. A cold shiver pierced down his body when he could hear screams and a deep, maniacal laughter echoing around him.

Little did GrandisKuwagamon know, there was no fire at all. It was simply an illusion created by Xuanwumon's mist. He was swiping his Gran Killers at air.

Alphamon narrowed his eyes and flew up, circling around and stopping several meters in front of GrandisKuwagamon. He raised his hand towards him. "Digitalize of Soul," he spoke, unleashing a powerful green laser into GrandisKuwagamon that burned at his form and blasted him through the air.

As GrandisKuwagamon was thrown out of the mist, he began to regain his senses. The flames around him were suddenly gone and he was pulled back into reality. "W-What?!" he demanded, wondering what exactly happened. He tried to right himself in the air, but the Royal Knights were ready.

"Shining V Force!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, unleashing a beam blast from his chest. The golden rays burned into GrandisKuwagamon's side and threw him through the air.

"End Waltz!" Craniamon followed up, spinning the Claiohm Solais over his head, right as GrandisKuwagamon was tossed over him. As he rotated the weapon rapidly, electricity and wind built up in the blades, immediately creating a violent cyclone that enveloped GrandisKuwagamon within it.

GrandisKuwagamon attempted to escape the folds of the wind, but he found himself getting sucked into the vortex. He was thrown around violently, tossed back and forth within the high-pressure wind and lightning. His already beaten body was hammered mercilessly.

When the tornado finally faded, GrandisKuwagamon was somehow still flying in the air. His body was fractured and weary. He heaved and panted, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. The only way he was able to keep himself airborne was out of pure stubbornness and adrenaline.

He levelled a baleful, insolent stare at the Royal Knights. "…That the best… you can do…?" he taunted between haggard breaths. "Well… Oh great Royal Knights…? Maybe you should get… the rest of you to come and finish me off… if you guys can't…"

"Capture him," Alphamon commanded the Royal Knights. "I want him alive."

GrandisKuwagamon released an exhausted, taunting laugh. "How generous… I knew you guys don't have the balls… But hey, I'm not complaining…" he spoke. His face grew serious. "Still… won't be that easy…"

High above the academy gardens, Examon hovered in the night sky. He took careful aim with the Ambrosius. He knew which shell was locked in the chamber now. "Avalon's Gate," he spoke, pulling the trigger with his claw and firing the ordnance.

The shell burst from the Ambrosius' muzzle and shot down towards. It collided with GrandisKuwagamon's back and burst open, sending viral fragments into his carapace. Electricity suddenly started surging through his dark, armoured body.

GrandisKuwagamon howled with pain as a constant wave of electricity tore through him, causing his muscles to go numb. His wings stopped moving and he dropped out of the sky. He fell dozens of feet before crashing into the grass. When he landed, his body still twitched with electricity, which served to incapacitate him.

After a few moments, the electricity subsided. When it did, Examon fired a second shell into GrandisKuwagamon's back for good measure. This shell burst on contact with the bug Digimon and unleashed a paralyzing agent.

The mercenary winced with pain. He swore and cussed as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees. His arms and legs trembled as he tried to hold himself up, but the paralyzing agent was already taking effect. His limbs began to go numb, and his limbs buckled, causing his body to lurch forward in a bowed, kneeling position.

Gankoomon walked towards GrandisKuwagamon, cracking his knuckles. "I got this, guys," he told the others, planning to finally put GrandisKuwagamon out for the count.

He stepped up in front of GrandisKuwagamon and coiled his fist back. "Huagh!" he shouted, letting loose his punch.

Before the punch could connect with GrandisKuwagamon's head, it was caught by a black hand, much to Gankoomon's surprise. In a final act of defiance, GrandisKuwagamon had pushed himself up to catch the fist in his hand before it could hit him. He glared up at Gankoomon rebelliously. However, that was all he could do.

GrandisKuwagamon's body and consciousness gave way, and he fell forwards, crashing to the ground at Gankoomon's feet.

Gankoomon retracted his fist and looked down at the unconscious insect Digimon. He nudged his motionless body with his foot. "Finally…" he grunted. "He's stubborn, I'll give him that…"

Alphamon sighed and relaxed, pleased that it was finally over. He flew over and landed on the ground beside Gankoomon. Craniamon walked over, shouldering his spear. Examon and UlforceVeedramon flew over as well.

"We've been after this guy for awhile," Examon pointed out, looking down at GrandisKuwagamon.

"He sure wouldn't go down easy," Craniamon mused, prodding his unconscious body with the side of his spear.

"I can respect that," Gankoomon stated, raising his hand and wiping some blood off of his cheek with his thumb.

Alphamon looked down at the insect Digimon. "Maybe he can tell us who has been working behind the scenes."

"I doubt he'll give up that information easily either," UlforceVeedramon pointed out.

Xuanwumon looked at the Royal Knights with one head. His other head looked up into the sky. "Ah, hello, Imperialdramon," his right head greeted, looking up at the white armoured dragon man.

Imperialdramon Paladin Mode gave him a slight smile. Flying beside him was Dukemon, who stood on top of Grani. "Hello, Xuanwumon. I hope it wasn't too noisy," Imperialdramon said good-naturedly.

"It was nice to have a bit of excitement," Xuanwumon responded light-heartedly.

Alphamon looked up and saw Imperialdramon Paladin Mode and Dukemon descending towards them. "Imperialdramon, there you are," he acknowledged as the two Royal Knights stopped beside them.

"Sorry I'm late," Imperialdramon replied sheepishly. "I managed to get all these guys, but trying to wake up Dynasmon and RhodoKnightmon was a lost cause. Seems like you guys did well enough though. I didn't think you'd need more than five to take down this guy."

"You weren't here," UlforceVeedramon said with a laugh.

"GrandisKuwagamon, huh?" Dukemon said, hopping off of Grani. He observed the unconscious mercenary. "What about the other two?"

Right as Alphamon was about to respond with uncertainty, a voice called out from nearby.

"Alphamon!" a familiar voice spoke up.

The group of eight turned and saw Omegamon walking out of Saversburg and into the academy gardens. He approached them, but there was no sign of Blitzmon or Bolgmon.

"Omegamon," Alphamon greeted. "Are you alright? What happened?"

As Omegamon walked up beside him, UlforceVeedramon's expression soured. "Huanglongmon. You stink, Omegamon. Where were you?" he said with a half laugh.

Omegamon gave him a look. "I was scouring the sewers for the past half an hour," he informed him. "The Numemon down there were not helpful."

"Well, you should learn to be more sociable," Imperialdramon Paladin Mode teased him with a chuckle.

Omegamon wasn't amused.

"Did you find the other two?" Alphamon asked curiously.

"I'm sorry," Omegamon apologised. "I lost them."

"It's fine," Alphamon assured him. "The Saversburg sewers are like a labyrinth. It's no wonder they were able to escape down there." He looked down at GrandisKuwagamon. "Besides, we managed to get their leader."

"It seems they were all too pleased to give him up," Omegamon pointed out, remembering how Blitzmon and Bolgmon left GrandisKuwagamon to save themselves.

"That's mercs for you," Dukemon stated. "They always look out for number one."

Alphamon looked at Grani. "Grani, can I borrow one of your scouts?" he asked the recon captain.

"Of course, Alphamon," Grani responded.

"Thank you. Could you get them to go to Havelock Prison and inform Reapermon to come here?" Alphamon inquired. "We have a high priority prisoner who needs restraint, transport, and medical attention. I would like to take him to our castle dungeons for the time being."

"Our dungeons?" Gankoomon asked curiously.

"Yes, I would like to speak with him when we finish up here," Alphamon responded. He looked down at the beaten down insect. "If we are fortunate, he might have some useful information for us."

UlforceVeedramon nodded and folded his arms. "Well, that's one thorn in our taken care of," he stated. "Now, we just have the Metal Empire." He turned to the Royal Knights with a grin. "Easy enough, right?"