(Author's Notes: Here's Part 2 of Chapter 41. Buckle in, people.)
Chapter 41: Brave Heart (Part II)
SaviorHackmon soared through the air at ripping speeds. He kept on following the road north towards Hope's Crest. The clouds hung heavy overhead, like an oppressive brume smothering the sky. There were even a few rogue droplets of rain, but not enough to break into showers. SaviorHackmon made sure to fly at a low altitude because he didn't want to be spotted by the enemy long before he arrived.
He had been travelling for a good ten minutes since leaving the city. He was about halfway there. On the way, SaviorHackmon had seen several Digimon fleeing back towards New Terminal. He had told them to keep going as fast as they could, as they would be safer there. They weren't about to argue with that advice.
SaviorHackmon turned his head away from the fleeing Kakkinmon and Meicoomon behind him, who he had just seen to. Though terrified, they were able to continue running south on their own. After a few moments, SaviorHackmon continued his flight towards Hope's Crest, and he gazed ahead alertly. He was able to see the village ahead of him. It seemed to still be in once piece, at least mostly.
He felt a soft throb of relief in his heart, but it was fleeting. As far as he could tell, the southernmost buildings were still standing, but the sight beyond was less reassuring.
He could see explosions in the distance, on the northern edge of Hope's Crest. The clouds dimmed with flashes of darkness, only for hellfire to plume into the sky. The distant thunder of attacks and the soft whisper of screams reached SaviorHackmon's ears and sent chills down his spine.
The closer that he got, the clearer the destruction became. The air became choked with smoke as it blew downwind from the village. The low-hanging clouds began to glow with traces of orange from the rising fire beneath. SaviorHackmon began to hear the feral roars of the attacking demons in the distance.
SaviorHackmon grimaced and touched down on the road that led towards the village. Explosions sent small tremors through the ground below, causing SaviorHackmon to have to bend his legs and use his tail as a counterbalance to keep steady. A shiver crawled through his scales.
He was only about a kilometer away now. He was close enough to see the buildings clearly. Hope's Crest wasn't a big town. It contained only a few hundred buildings that were made of stone and wood. The roofs were either thatched or wooden. There was no wall, and the buildings weren't made to withstand Digimon attacks; they were so close to New Terminal, they thought they wouldn't need to.
There was one primary road – the Grand Highway - that went through the village from south to north. Connected to it were several, small, dirt paths that led to the various other buildings within the village. If the explosions were anything to go by, Hope's Crest was getting smaller by the moment.
The dragon man looked ahead of himself and saw a Falcomon flying away from the village as fast as he could. He seemed to be another escaping villager.
The Falcomon spotted SaviorHackmon and began heading towards him. He flapped his wings with a panicked, desperate vigor that unsettled SaviorHackmon even more. It was clear that he was beating his wings as fast as Digimonly possible.
"H-H-Hey, you!" the dark feathered owl shouted. His voice was hoarse and out-of-breath, and there was a deep fear in his eyes.
SaviorHackmon held his hands up to show that he was friendly. "It's okay! I'm here to help!" SaviorHackmon reassured the frightened bird Digimon.
The Falcomon soared over to SaviorHackmon and briefly stopped in front of him, but his swift, agitated movements made it clear that he wasn't planning to stay around long. "W-What are you doing here?! Are you alone?! Don't you have any back up?!" the Falcomon fervently asked.
"No, it's just me. I'm with the Royal Knights. I'm here to help," SaviorHackmon insisted, frowning at the scared owl. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, which is more than can be said for everyone else! If you're with the Royal Knights, where are they?!" the Falcomon demanded as he looked around skittishly. "If you're here alone, there's no point! You need to get out of here as quickly as possible. There's too many of them!"
"No, I can't do that," SaviorHackmon stubbornly answered, although perturbed. "What's the situation like? How are the defenders doing? Who's in charge right now?"
"I-It's bad," the Falcomon answered with a grimace, nervously looking over his shoulder. "Tenth Group is getting torn to shreds! I heard that the Ultimate level officers are already dead and now the demons are picking off the rest…"
SaviorHackmon was disheartened to hear the dire news. Was he already too late? Was there anything he could do? "No…" he whispered, clenching his clawed fists.
"The demons have already started entering the Hope's Crest! All that's left are some soldiers and the rest of the villagers. There are no leaders among the soldiers left. It's chaos back there! Some of the other Digimon want to fight to protect our home, but it's hopeless… I told them to come with me, but they wouldn't… They're all going to die!" The Falcomon shut his tearful eyes and shook his head in despair.
"…I'm not going to let that happen," SaviorHackmon assured him. He glared past the Falcomon and stared down the road leading into the village. He could see the colourful blasts and the fiery explosions. His heart raced with fear, but he was committed. He remembered Gankoomon's advice to him. 'Never back down when you see injustice. If you don't stand up and raise your fists to protect somebody, who will?'
"…Keep flying south to New Terminal," SaviorHackmon told the Falcomon, staring at him with sharp, meaningful eyes. "They'll let you in. You'll be safe there. Tell the guards to be ready for more… I'm going to tell any other villagers I see to do the same. Understood?"
"Y-Yeah. Just… get them out of there. There's too many enemies. I saw everything from the air; Demon was leading the force," the Falcomon warned him. "Be careful."
SaviorHackmon breathed in and nodded. Without another word, SaviorHackmon started running down the stone highway. He poised the crimson blades on his wrists and hunched over as he sprinted to cut down on wind resistance. He was almost like a caped raptor, dashing to the rescue.
However, as he began to reach the mouth of the village, he began to realise that things wouldn't be that easy.
SaviorHackmon stopped at the point that the northbound road entered Hope's Crest. Now that the village occupied his immediate surroundings, the dragon man could see the situation more clearly.
The sounds of shrieks and the thunder of explosions were sharp and resonant. As SaviorHackmon gazed up the road, he was able to see the other end of the town. At the far end of the long street he could see an inferno enveloping a pair of buildings. A few buildings away from that, the village hall was partially destroyed and flames were leaking out of the remaining windows. The smoke and uplifted dust created a veil that made it hard to see clearly.
SaviorHackmon wasted no more time. He sprinted down the road, towards the fire and the screams. He pulled his hood over his head as he dashed through the thick veil of smoke. He could hear the cacophony of collapsing stone, snapping wood, and screeching metal. There was a discordant chorus of desperate, adrenalized voices.
As SaviorHackmon emerged on the other side of the black haze, he pulled his hood back down for better peripheral vision. His eyes widened as he quickly took in his surroundings. He was right at the edge of the action.
He was at the northern edge of Hope's Crest, where the road exited the city. There were about two dozen Digimon scrambling around the wide road and the branching side streets that formed a crossroad. None of them were demons. Very few of them wore the crest of the Republic's military on their bodies. Most of the Digimon were Adult levels, with only a couple Perfect levels like himself. It was a chaotic scene. It was clear that all order had broken down and they were fighting for their lives.
The northern entrance was blocked by a crude barricade – two wooden carts that were flipped onto their sides, reinforced with heavy barrels, crates, anything that the villagers could get their hands on. A blast of darkness blasted one of the carts to splinters. It wasn't going to hold. A strong gust could probably push it over.
SaviorHackmon looked around agitatedly. The northern-most buildings were detonating and collapsing, forming new holes from which the demons could seep through. It was hard to see past the smoke, but SaviorHackmon could see several dozen demon Digimon charging towards Hope's Crest. It was clear that there were no longer any soldiers outside of the village. SaviorHackmon grimly guessed that they were all dead.
One of the few remaining soldiers, a Gorimon, turned his head and spotted SaviorHackmon standing behind the thirty-odd defenders. The hulking, white ape, who wore an identifying, golden banner around his muscular bicep, raised his cyberbiotic cannon arm at SaviorHackmon. "You! Who are you?! Are you one of the villagers?!" he demanded in a deep, strained voice. Parts of his fur were matted with dark, blackening blood, brought on by brutal scratches.
SaviorHackmon raised his hands. "No! I'm here to help! I can help fight!" he explained hurriedly.
"Then you must be damn crazy!" the Gorimon shouted back at him, lowering his cannon. "If you have any sense, you'll go back the way you came! But if you're stubborn like the rest of us, we're in no position to turn down your help! We need every Perfect level we can get. Welcome aboard, lunatic."
SaviorHackmon nodded and ran over to him. "You're with the Tenth Group?" the dragon man asked, looking at the Gorimon's military insignia. "Who's in charge?"
Gorimon turned back around, not even sparing the time to grimace. "Tenth Group is gone. Eviscerated. We didn't stand a chance. They ripped us apart…" the Gorimon heavily stated, nodding past the blockade. SaviorHackmon looked and saw pillars of smoke drifting up from the field on the other side. "All that's left are me, Panjyamon and Rapidmon. We managed to retreat back here to set up a last line of defence, but… nobody's in charge. None of us even remotely are. We're just grunts… Everyone else here are volunteer militia. We even had some volunteers tag along with us from New Terminal, but…" He trailed off bleakly, leaving the SaviorHackmon to guess the unspoken words.
"…Villagers? You didn't tell them to flee?" SaviorHackmon asked.
"We did, but they won't listen," the Gorimon replied. "There's still some Digimon in the village, not to mention the ones escaping to the city. We're going to make sure that as many of those Digimon escape as possible. Tenth Group might be gone, but we have our orders; if we're going to make our last stand here, we're going to go down swinging. Hopefully we can at least buy everyone in New Terminal enough time to evacuate the civvies."
SaviorHackmon grimaced, but stared up at the Gorimon with his unwavering determination. "Then I'm going to help. Call me SaviorHackmon."
Gorimon managed a slight smirk. "Well, SaviorHackmon, you've got balls. As long as you know we probably won't—"
The pair ducked as a black sphere of dark energy came sailing in and detonated against the blockade. Shadows exploded outwards and completely obliterated the hastily constructed barrier, reducing it to smouldering shards of wood and metal.
Quickly recovering from the raucous blast, the defenders looked over and gazed through the smoke. They could see numerous forms of demon Digimon dashing forwards, intent on pushing into the village. As the powdery haze thinned, SaviorHackmon could clearly see twenty demons assaulting the main street.
"Here they come!" the Gorimon shouted, raising his cannon.
SaviorHackmon's eyes grew wide at the sight of demons teeming into the pass. He became daunted, terrified. His hands trembled with adrenaline. Seeing the swarm of snarling demons rushing them struck fear into his heart. The fear, the desperation, the anger, and the sorrow gathered into a ball that made SaviorHackmon weak at the knees.
However, he didn't turn and run. He stood where he was. More than that, he stepped forwards, defiantly.
Something clicked inside of him. His eyes suddenly narrowed and he glared at the demons courageously. It was as if his determination morphed all of his doubts into instinctual, positive energy. Without wasting even a moment on doubt, fear, or uncertainty, SaviorHackmon sprang into action.
SaviorHackmon spun around and pointed at two of the scared, nearby villagers, a Tankmon and a Growmon. "You two, lay down a base of fire at the mouth of the road!" he ordered them. Without thinking, he turned to Gorimon beside him. "You too, Gorimon! And you, Starmon, call down a meteor shower on top of them!"
Without even stopping to take a breath, SaviorHackmon dashed down the branching street to the left. He sprinted towards the rest of outnumbered and outclassed defenders, screeching to a spark-flourished stop. "Panjyamon! Stay with the militia and watch the north buildings! The demons will break through them to avoid a bottleneck!" he shouted to the ivory snow lion. He looked directly above him, where the green, rabbit form of the Rapidmon was hovering above them. "Rapidmon! Use your missiles to take down the fliers! Fire as many as you can!"
The Rapidmon frowned at the sudden direction from the newcomer, but he complied, shifting the aim of his arm cannons away from the street. "Understood!" he replied.
"What about you?!" the Panjyamon shouted back to SaviorHackmon, gripping his blood-stained blade in his clawed hand. The Panjyamon soldier was sporting a bloody wound on his left arm, but he seemed determined to power through it.
"I'm a Perfect level; I'll meet their charge when they break through!" SaviorHackmon responded, running back up the street to get behind the makeshift fire team. He got behind the Gorimon and Starmon, resuming his defensive position. He wasn't thinking about it at all, but his intrinsic knowledge of squad level tactics from watching Gankoomon, the Royal Knights, and the training lessons he received were kicking in. SaviorHackmon's eyes were wide, his steel chest was heaving, and his numerous blades were ready and prepared to strike. He watched the pack of snarling, blood-frenzied demons charging through the remains of the barricade. As they funnelled between the charred skeletons of the adjacent buildings, SaviorHackmon knew it was time.
"Fire!" SaviorHackmon yelled. He opened his mouth wide as intense, concentrated flames swathed inside his throat. "Meteor Flame!"
Gorimon steadied his cannon arm with his free hand, bracing for recoil as a laser brimmed in its muzzle. "Energy Cannon!"
The Tankmon raised his high calibre, belt-fed, machine guns and pointed them towards the assaulting demon Digimon. "Machine Gun Arm!"
Likewise, the Growmon gathered flames in his mouth before spewing them out in a high concentration inferno. "Exhaust Flame!"
The Tankmon's bullets tore through the first row of demons. Two Devimon and a Boogeymon were cut down as the metal slugs tore through their slender bodies. As the three fell, they were immediately replaced by the several demons behind them, leaping over their corpses before the data could even leave their forms. However, they were met with a pair of beams that surged through the demons' clustered ranks. The combined force of Gorimon's and the Growmon's combined attacks obliterated no less than six of them.
As the fire and light energy pierced through the dozen of demons and their roars and screeches filled the air, the determined foes continued to fill the holes created by the previous attacks. However, as the demons did so, they were met with a ceaseless barrage of fireballs that exploded around their bodies and cut them down.
SaviorHackmon's golden eyes were tight slits as he poured his concentration into the machine gun-paced barrage of fire that he unleashed from his mouth. He could feel his muscles tingle and his mind numb with adrenaline as he bombarded the demon force with his flames.
Finally, SaviorHackmon had to cease the attack in order to take a breath and recharge the fire in his body. He took the brief moment to survey the damage that they had caused. A part of his heart panged as he saw the rows of dissolving bodies littering the street, but his combat instincts were such that he wasn't able to address it. He was too focused on the seemingly endless supply of demons that continued to pour down the road. Even as embers and smoke continued to dance upon his lips, SaviorHackmon already turned towards the Starmon and gave him the signal. "Now! Do it!"
The Starmon swallowed and raised his hands towards the pallid sky. "M-Meteor Squall!" he shouted, calling forth a barrage of space debris from the firmament. He brought his hands down in front of him, directing the squall into the bottleneck that the demons found themselves in.
The salvo of meteorites rained down and started smashing into the ranks of the demons. The sounds of their howls were drowned out by the sounds of the meter-thick fragments smashing against the road and the surrounding buildings. Fire, rock, and dust began detonating all over the street. The surrounding buildings collapsed in on themselves in a massive haze of smoke and dust. The Tankmon continued firing wildly into the smoke until his ammunition belts reached their ends.
As the patter of gunfire ceased, for a few seconds, there was absolute silence. The mouth of the village was cloaked in a smoky veil, and the road was battered with craters. However, no demons emerged through the dust-choked haze. SaviorHackmon took a tentative sigh of relief. Had they pushed them back? If only for the moment?
"Did we get them all?" SaviorHackmon asked, panting.
"Don't be stupid," Gorimon spat, not dropping his guard for even a moment. "You think I lost my whole unit to that? …That wasn't even the beginning, SaviorHackmon. I meant it when I said this is our last stand."
These words served to sober SaviorHackmon back to reality. He knew it wouldn't be that easy. He readied his guard and prepared for whatever was next.
As SaviorHackmon continued to watch the outbound road with bated breath, the Rapidmon soldier ascended above the roofs of the buildings to get a better view of the enemy. As the emerald armoured rabbit soared into the sky, he suddenly stopped. His eyes widened at what he saw.
On the other side of the destroyed buildings, he saw the rest of the demonic Sixth Legion charging towards Hope's Crest. There were well over fifty winged demon Digimon soaring through the air, their black forms blotting out the sky. The rest of the demons were charging behind them on land. It was clear that the group that SaviorHackmon and the others had hit was no more than an advance force.
At the head of the legion was Demon, who barrelled towards the village with savage determination. "You rank amateurs!" Demon lambasted, glaring at the smoking craters where the platoon of demon Digimon had once been. He turned his head towards one of the demon officers in charge of the Sixth Legion, an Astamon. "Get your soldiers in order! We eviscerated their main force, but you just lost a whole platoon to a bunch of stragglers and civilians?! Tear through those buildings and open up new paths to attack from multiple angles! Crush them with unrelenting numbers and force!" he commanded.
"There's more coming! About a hundred of them! Get ready!" the Rapidmon warned his comrades, SaviorHackmon, and the others. He unlocked the missiles within the pair of revolver-shaped ports on his back. "I'm firing! Rapid Fire!"
SaviorHackmon looked up as smoke puffed out of Rapidmon's various gun ports. Twelve missiles surged out of his back and then curved around, steaming towards the horde of flying demon Digimon. He then followed up with a rapid fire burst from the two cannons that made up his arms, sending another six missiles after the first fusillade.
"Okay, everyone! Get ready!" SaviorHackmon ordered to the others. "Let's start retreating further into the village! We'll set up a new line of defence! Make it a firing retreat!"
Gorimon looked over at SaviorHackmon, slightly impressed at his leadership in such a desperate situation. "Got it. Come on! Follow me and Panjyamon!" he shouted to the civilian militia. As the couple dozen civilians hastily complied and began to run down the pair of roads, Gorimon turned to the steel dragon man. "Are you an officer or something, SaviorHackmon?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Uh… Actually, I'm a recruit in the Order of the Royal Knights," SaviorHackmon sheepishly said.
Gorimon blinked. "…A recruit?" he questioned in exasperated disbelief. "Are you kidding me…?"
Meanwhile, Rapidmon's barrage of homing missiles screeched as they descended through the air. The firestorm of munitions closed in on the assailing legion of demons.
"Spread formation!" Demon ordered, charging forwards dauntlessly into the onslaught of missiles.
The homing missiles crashed into the collection of fallen angels, erupting in a patchwork of fiery explosions and shrapnel. Four of the lesser demons were caught up in the blast, either getting blown apart or falling out of the sky in a wash of flames. Demon was consumed by the blasts as well. The thunder of explosions cracked through the air, and a chain reaction of fiery, smoky blossoms filled the sky.
Rapidmon floated in the air, staring at the cluster of destruction and wondering how many he was able to kill. He locked his next row of missiles into place and prepared for his next attack.
Before he could even react, a dark figure burst out of the lingering explosions. Demon surged forwards, flames and smoke still clinging to his form. However, he looked completely untouched by the attack, apart from a few singed strands of fur. Demon ripped through the sky, a soft snarl tracing his breath. "Attack… Attack!" he shouted to the Sixth Legion behind him.
Rapidmon swore and pointed his cannons at the Ultimate level enemy that tore towards him at ripping speeds. He fired a pair of missiles at Demon, hoping desperately to stop him in his tracks before he could get any closer.
Demon's violet eyes glinted with baleful hatred. As he flew over the remains of the northernmost buildings of the village, the pair of missiles closed in on him. He didn't falter for a moment. Demon merely released a grunt and raised his elongated hand towards them.
"Flame Inferno," he spoke in a deep husk. A stream of infernal flames burst from his hand and consumed the pair of missiles, causing their metal casing to bubble and melt before bursting in a cacophonous duo of explosions.
Demon wasn't slowed even for a second. His furry, muscular form burst through the flames, making a direct course for the Rapidmon. Rapidmon's eyes widened with fear and he raised his arms, getting into the position from which to release a Tri Beam. He couldn't move quickly enough.
Before he could even react, Demon had closed the distance, and his hulking body loomed over Rapidmon. For the briefest of moments, he stared into Rapidmon's eyes, showing him his murderous intent. Demon raised his arms over his horned head and clasped his asymmetrical hands together. "Hammer Knuckle," he hissed.
Demon brought his massive fists down on Rapidmon's body with immense strength. The impact was so strong that the soldier was immediately spiked into the road below. The Rapidmon crashed into the ground, the stone pavement and earth breaking apart around him. A pained cry escaped his mouth as parts of his armour fractured from the impact.
The Demon Lord of Wrath gazed down at the Rapidmon with quiet contempt. He raised his right hand and aimed it down at the soldier. "…Chaos Flare."
Infernal flames coursed from his palm and poured down onto the helpless Rapidmon. The soldier's body was consumed with hellfire. Rapidmon unleashed an unearthly scream as his body was burned to ash and molten metal within seconds. The munitions on his back ignited and the middle of the street exploded with flames and shrapnel.
"Rapidmon!" Gorimon shouted, spinning around and watching with terrified and furious eyes as his comrade was immolated.
SaviorHackmon turned and watched with horror as Rapidmon's twisting and writhing body was obliterated amidst the flames that engulfed the street. His stomach tightened and sunk to his feet. His blood drained from his white face as the soldier was brutally killed. As much as the sight horrified him, his terror turned to the one who had killed him. SaviorHackmon raised his head and saw Demon looming over the pyre, his dark, bestial features highlighted by the inferno below. The beast of hell slowly turned his head and observed his surroundings with cold dispassion. Fear flooded into his rapidly beating heart, sending his instincts into overdrive.
This was the first time he had ever directly laid eyes on a Demon Lord. He only knew them as the evil monsters who dropped the Sky Colony that destroyed his home. He had heard the horror stories - the tales of their vice and brutality. Demon was less a Digimon and more a nightmare.
And there he was, hovering several meters away from SaviorHackmon. Demon turned his attention towards him and Gorimon, as well as the retreating civilians behind them. As Demon's cruel and baleful eyes locked with SaviorHackmon's, the dragon man felt his legs tremble. Demon was no longer just a nightmare, he was a reality; he was right there in front of him, staring at SaviorHackmon with murder in his eyes. SaviorHackmon had never known fear like the terror he felt now.
"You bastard!" Gorimon yelled angrily, enraged by his comrade's death. He aimed his cannon at the Demon Lord and fired. "Energy Cannon!"
Demon casually raised his enlarged hand and blocked the blast with his palm. The beam split apart against his skin and poured through the gaps between his fingers, harmlessly shooting around Demon. The Demon Lord of Wrath lowered his smoking hand and looked over his shoulder. "Move in," he told the Astamon officer who flew over the destroyed buildings with the rest of the legion. "Massacre them all."
SaviorHackmon took a step backwards. He turned and let out the loudest cry that he could. "Retreat! Fall back!" he told the others desperately. "Regroup in the middle of—"
Before SaviorHackmon could finish, Demon barrelled towards him. Within seconds, the Demon Lord of Wrath landed directly in front of SaviorHackmon. The dragon man gasped and he stared up at Demon with daunted eyes and a blanched face. Demon stared down at him with cold and unrelenting malice. He raised his hand.
"Die!" Gorimon shouted, lunging at Demon from SaviorHackmon's side. "Power Lifting!"
As Gorimon closed in on Demon and prepared to pummel him with his heavy fists, the archfiend merely swept his arm out and bashed Gorimon away. The Republic soldier was sent careening across the street and slamming through the wall of a burning building.
"No!" SaviorHackmon shouted, regaining his courage as his fear was replaced with anger and resolve. He brought of the blades on his wrists and poised his bladed tail to strike. "Trident Sab—?!"
Demon closed his fingers around SaviorHackmon's neck and squeezed. Slowly and methodically, he lifted the metal dragon off of the ground until he was at eye level with the Demon Lord.
SaviorHackmon let out a choked sputter and grabbed hold of Demon's wrist, wincing as he struggled to get free. "P-Please…! Stop… this…" SaviorHackmon pleaded with the Demon Lord. "Please let… the civilians go…! They didn't… do anything to you… Stop this attack… You don't… have to…"
Demon stared into SaviorHackmon's eyes coolly. His grip tightened around the dragon's steel neck.
"Perish…"
With a mighty swing of his arm, Demon hurled SaviorHackmon as hard as he could into the building behind him. SaviorHackmon crashed through the stone wall and continued flying with such force that he burst through the other side. Then he felt his metal back collide with the wall of a second building behind it and he continued careening through the small hut.
SaviorHackmon burst out the other side of the stone house and tumbled across the adjacent dirt street. He rolled to a stop of his back, coughing violently. His vision was blurry and spinning and he saw black dots everywhere. Lying stunned on the road, he just barely noticed Panjyamon and the remainder of the militia gathering on both ends of the street. They were fighting violently as the legion of demons closed in and engaged them.
He watched as he saw an IceDevimon plunge his frigid claws into the abdomen of a Fugamon. Nearby, he could see a Devidramon tearing through the chest of a Cockatrimon with his blood red claws.
As the two villagers collapsed and their dying bodies began to break apart into data, SaviorHackmon was bitterly reminded why he was here. Despite the pain that wracked his aching body, SaviorHackmon rolled onto his hands and knees. He let out several more haggard coughs and emptied some of the contents of his stomach onto the road. Grimacing and wiping his mouth, he stubbornly pulled himself back to his feet.
SaviorHackmon turned around and snarled. He fought past the pain that constrained his muscles and began running down the street. "Don't scatter! Form a defensive line at that intersection! Tankmon, lay down a heavy base of fire!" he shouted. The humanoid dragon lunged in the air and extended his right leg. "Rage Streit!" he shouted, performing a flying kick into the side of a SkullGreymon. His bladed foot cut deep into the undead dragon's calcified humerus, slamming into it with enough strength to send it crashing into a house.
As the skeletal titan was knocked into the middle of the building, SaviorHackmon flipped backwards and landed on the street. He opened his mouth and began propelling a series of fireballs from his mouth. The flames crashed into the SkullGreymon and set his bones alight. SaviorHackmon turned his head and unleashed the next burst at the NeoDevimon that was charging them.
The fireballs slammed into the NeoDevimon's chest, the first blast stopping him in his tracks, and each subsequent blazing orb throwing him back in a flurry of embers.
Suddenly, there was a thud beside SaviorHackmon. He turned to see the infernal form of Demon looming over him once again. This time, SaviorHackmon was ready.
"Trident Sabre!" he shouted, quickly swiping his crimson blades across Demon's chest. As soon as he performed a one-two slash from his wrists, SaviorHackmon jumped into an aerial back flip, allowing his tail to swipe upwards along Demon's chest.
Three shallow cuts formed on Demon's furry chest and a small amount of dark blood dripped out. However, Demon barely reacted. Instead, he responded by grabbing SaviorHackmon's face with his hand. He lifted SaviorHackmon off of his feet. The dragon clawed at his hand and kicked at his arm with his bladed feet desperately. He also tried pelting the interior of Demon's palm with his flames, but none of it was enough to deter the Demon Lord.
Demon flung SaviorHackmon high into the air, releasing him from his grip. As SaviorHackmon sailed into the air, Demon flapped his wings and rose with him. Before SaviorHackmon could even reach the apex of his ascent, Demon outpaced him and appeared above the dragon. "Hammer Knuckle," he rasped hollowly. Demon slammed his fists down on SaviorHackmon's caped back, causing his body to arch back before he was bashed back towards the ground.
SaviorHackmon impacted the ground like a meteor. His face and chest went numb as he slammed into the street. He let out dry, raspy, flurries of coughs as his breath exited his body. As soon as he began to pull himself up, Demon descended on him again.
"Slash Nail."
The ireful Demon Lord fell upon SaviorHackmon. The long, jagged claws of Demon's left hand thrust down onto the fallen warrior. The talons tore through the fabric of his cape and punctured SaviorHackmon's armoured body, sending fractures through the steel and digging a few centimeters into SaviorHackmon's shoulder.
SaviorHackmon let out a sharp cry of pain. He lashed out with his tail and raked the crimson blade across Demon's arm. Demon grunted and took a few steps backwards. He narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand, preparing to unleash a powerful blast of flames.
"Die, villain!" a voice shouted off to Demon's side.
Demon turned and saw the Panjyamon soldier lunging towards him, his sword poised and ready to cut Demon down. "Pitiful," Demon whispered, turning to face the new foe. He redirected his hand towards the attacker. "Chaos Flare."
A hellish maelstrom coursed from Demon's hand and swept towards the Panjyamon. The white lion soldier growled and watched as the torrent of black flames rushed towards him. There was no time for him to escape, so all he could do was cross his sword and arms in front of his body. The hellfire swallowed up the Panjyamon and obliterated him in an instant. All that was left was the fractured blade that crashed across the ground.
As SaviorHackmon pulled himself to his knees, he had watched as the Panjyamon sacrificed himself against the unholy might of Demon. Despite the pain that coursed through SaviorHackmon's body, he was driven by the soldier's sacrifice. Not just Panjyamon's, but all of their sacrifices and courage.
He watched as the demons started to mow down the ill-prepared volunteers. A Phantomon rushed forwards and hacked his scythe clean through the body of an Allomon. A Boogiemon stabbed his pitchfork into the side of a Reppamon, pinning the writhing creature to the ground and cackling all the while. The Growmon lay bleeding on the road. He looked up to see the Astamon officer standing in front of him. "Please, wait—" he tried to beg, but he was interrupted by a silencing burst from the Astamon's submachine gun.
SaviorHackmon panted and rose to his feet. His armour was fractured in a few places, and blood trickled down from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth. Anger and sorrow and stubborn defiance coursed through his blood. He pushed himself past his limits. He had to. For everybody's sakes. For his own sake. His mind went numb with primal fighting instincts and his muscles trembled with adrenaline.
"Don't give in!" SaviorHackmon called out to the soldiers, his eyes stinging as he watched the demons pile into them. "Hurry! Try to retreat! I'll cover you!" he desperately told them. "I'll make an opening!"
SaviorHackmon shut his eyes and released a roar. He dashed forwards and charged headlong towards Demon. "You'll pay for this! Trident Sabre!"
Demon turned around and saw SaviorHackmon rushing towards him with unrelenting vigor and fighting spirit. SaviorHackmon lunged above Demon. He thrust his arms downwards and pierced the muscles of Demon's wings with his blades. As blood oozed out from the cuts, SaviorHackmon landed behind the Demon Lord and lashed out with his tail, swiping the ruby sword across Demon's winged back.
Demon grunted with pain and spun around, driving his claws towards SaviorHackmon. However, SaviorHackmon acted quickly. He jumped high into the air again and sent fire welling up into his mouth. "Meteor Flame!" he cried out passionately. From his throat came an intense firestorm of flames that showered down onto the ranks of the demonic legion. The demon Digimon howled as their bodies caught fire, but it wasn't enough to stop them.
The ranks of the demon Digimon continued to overwhelm the doomed militia. The Tankmon was engulfed in flames, causing his munitions to explode in a series of bursts that sent sparks and shrapnel everywhere. A Birdramon turned and tried to escape, but she was tackled and dragged down to be stabbed. The buildings were awash with flames and the caliginous smoke clotted the air.
SaviorHackmon hovered in the air and watched as the villagers were slaughtered before his very eyes. Their screams filled the air, shortly followed by their data. Their blood trickled onto the road and down the weapons of the demon attackers.
SaviorHackmon's tearful eyes softened. His heart sunk and his stomach churned. As much as he tried, there was nothing he could do. No matter how hard he attempted to save them, it was too late. It wasn't enough. As he watched the militia being cut down on the streets, the sense of helplessness became reality.
"Stop it…" he whispered, his words no more than breaths of heartfelt sorrow. "Please… stop it…"
"Your suffering will end soon enough," a deep voice spoke from behind him.
With a savage snarl, SaviorHackmon spun around and plunged his blade towards Demon's heart. Demon caught SaviorHackmon's arm and twisted it. His bones and muscles were pushed past their limits and an excruciating spike of pain shot up SaviorHackmon's quivering arm.
SaviorHackmon unleashed a draconic roar that was intertwined with pain, rage, and sadness. He lashed out with his left arm and his blade sliced across Demon's cheek.
Ignoring his own pain, Demon merely twisted SaviorHackmon's arm further until there was a pop, which tore a cry of anguish from the dragon's throat. The Demon Lord of Wrath smirked faintly and swung around. He hurled SaviorHackmon down the street, sending the dragon crashing and tumbling through the dirt and rubble.
"Slaughter the remainder!" Demon called out to the Sixth Legion.
SaviorHackmon groaned and stirred, his ravaged and beaten body squirming on the ground. The dragon man rolled onto his back and panted weakly. He could taste the metallic flavour of blood in his mouth. His whole body ached with a numb, persistent pain. His adrenaline was wearing off and his exhaustion and trauma was setting in.
Demon was too strong. He couldn't even hope to compare with the strength of a Demon Lord. It was clear that Demon viewed him as nothing more than an annoyance. He was in over his head.
He weakly turned his head and saw Demon stalking towards him. SaviorHackmon grimaced and attempted to sit upwards but he found himself unable. Instead he opened his mouth and unleashed a salvo of meteoric fireballs from his mouth. "Meteor Flame…"
Demon grunted and raised his hands. "Chaos Flare." A tornado of dark power coursed out and snuffed out SaviorHackmon's flames like candles. The umbrous embers surged forward and slammed into his armoured body, burning his form and tearing a weak roar from his throat.
"Enough!" a voice shouted.
Gorimon burst out of the rubble of a destroyed building and lunged high into the air. As he flew, he aimed his cannon down at Demon. Even as blood streaked down his face from a cut on his forehead, Gorimon snarled and took careful aim. "This is for the Tenth!" he declared savagely as energy pooled into his cannon arm. "Energy Cannon!"
He fired three consecutive shots from his cannon. Three powerful beams of light rained down on Demon. The blasts engulfed the Demon Lord and forced him to cease his attack on SaviorHackmon. The ground around him erupted in light and fragments of stone and dirt.
SaviorHackmon grimaced and raised his head. He watched as Gorimon landed with a heavy thud between himself and where Demon had been. Gorimon gave SaviorHackmon a brief glance to make sure that he was okay before approaching the swell of dust caused by the impacts.
As the light and dust began to fade, Demon emerged from the earthy haze. Gorimon snarled and clenched his fist. He began bounding up the street. As Gorimon closed in on Demon, he reeled his mighty fist back and drove it towards Demon's face.
SaviorHackmon could only watch in horror as Demon met the Gorimon's passionate attack. Before the Republican soldier could get close enough to hit him, Demon thrust his long arm into him. His ruby claws stabbed through the center of Gorimon's chest and pierced out his back.
Gorimon stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were wide and his arms went limp. Blood laced his lips. Demon had impaled him straight through his digicore.
"NO!" SaviorHackmon shouted. As hard as he tried to sit up, his body wouldn't respond. His fractured chest heaved and limbs quivered with pain.
Demon tore his hand out of Gorimon's chest and allowed the final member of Tenth Group to collapse to the ground. He began to disintegrate into data as soon as he hit the road. The Demon Lord then continued stalking towards SaviorHackmon.
SaviorHackmon watched with wide, sorrowful eyes as Demon slowly wandered towards him. He tried desperately to sit up, to roll over – to do anything. He couldn't move.
He was helpless… He was helpless to save Tenth Group. He was helpless to save the villagers. He was even helpless to save himself.
As he watched the harbinger of his death walk closer and closer, fear and regret filled SaviorHackmon's heart. The burning houses around him, the carnage, the death… It was just like the night that his home was destroyed. The Demon Lords had wreaked havoc on the Digital World. They had destroyed everything dear to him. Demon was one of the ones who caused it, and he was standing right in front of him. SaviorHackmon began to wonder if he was supposed to have died that night, and Demon was just here to fix that mistake.
GrandisKuwagamon's words to him echoed in SaviorHackmon's mind. "Your heart's too big… If you're not careful, then one day you're going to end up dead."
SaviorHackmon grimaced as tears stung his eyes. GrandisKuwagamon was right. He had come out here to save people, but all he succeeded in doing was getting himself killed. He had thought that he was doing the right thing, but now he was going to leave behind Gankoomon, the Sistermons, his friends… He hated that he was going to cause them pain.
He had acted recklessly… but he really wanted to help these people. All of the soldiers and militia had been slaughtered. Had he failed…? He began to wonder if his death was worth it if he was able to save even one Digimon… Had he saved even one Digimon's smile?
SaviorHackmon opened his eyes, staring up at Demon as he stopped a few meters in front of him. A single tear rolled down his cheek, but he stared at Demon with pride. He didn't want to die… not before being able to become a Royal Knight. But if he had to, he hoped that he had been able to make at least one Digimon smile…
He could be satisfied with that.
Demon stared down at SaviorHackmon and extended his hand towards him.
"You… destroyed my home… my family…" SaviorHackmon spoke, his voice trembling.
"Hm… Did I now? Then why do I not sense your anger?" Demon responded, narrowing his eyes with SaviorHackmon quizzically. "Surely you wish to kill me."
SaviorHackmon stared up at the Demon Lord of Wrath with defiance. "Because… despite all that the Demon Lords have taken away from me… I've found something to live for…" SaviorHackmon explained. As he spoke his sincere words, there was a soft flicker of light within his glossy eyes.
Demon's palm ignited with the dark flames of hell. They gathered in his hand and he prepared to fire them at SaviorHackmon to finish him off. "Not for much longer…" he coldly replied.
"Chaos…"
"CHABUDAI…"
Demon paused and looked to his left. "What…?"
"…GAESHI!"
Right as Demon began to pivot, a wall of rock flipped through the air at unstoppable speeds and mowed Demon down like a freight train.
"Grah!" Demon shouted as the meter-thick wall of rock collided with him with the strength and durability of chrome digizoid. He was thrown off of his feet and the tabular hunk of earth carried him down the length of the road and into a heap of burning ruins.
SaviorHackmon's eyes widened. That voice. That attack. It could only be…
He weakly turned his head in the direction that the slab of rock came from. The outpouring of joy and relief that filled his heart was unparalleled.
Gankoomon dashed up the street towards him, while Hinukamui slashed his claws through a squad of demon Digimon and sent them flying meters into the air. Sistermon Blanc was running at his heels.
Meanwhile, Sistermon Noir performed an acrobatic flip through the air while firing her machine pistols into the demons that Hinukamui missed. Sistermon Noir landed gracefully in the middle of the road with one leg bent and the other extended outwards.
Lastly, Alphamon emerged over the row of buildings behind them. With his wings extended and his cape flapping in the wind, he descended towards SaviorHackmon. Under Alphamon's arms was the bloodied form of a Gaogamon. SaviorHackmon recognised him as one of the civilians.
"S-Sensei… A-Alphamon… shishou…" SaviorHackmon barely managed. He was unable to control the tears that filled his eyes.
Gankoomon came to a skidding stop in front of SaviorHackmon. There was a massive scowl on his face and his clenched fists were trembling. The red-headed Royal Knight looked down at SaviorHackmon with a glare. "You damn idiot! What were you thinking?!" he shouted at him. Without giving SaviorHackmon a chance to answer, Gankoomon recalled Hinukamui to his body and turned his attention back towards where Demon had been thrown.
Alphamon landed beside them and placed the Gaogamon down beside SaviorHackmon. "Sistermon Blanc, see to SaviorHackmon. Sistermon Noir, open fire on the enemy and keep them busy."
"Y-Y-Yes, Alphamon-sama!" Sistermon Blanc obeyed.
"Gladly!" Sistermon Noir willingly agreed, smirking as she pointed her pair of Antony guns at the angry demons. "I am so ready to let loose! Bless Fire!"
Her pistols opened up with flashes of semi-automatic fire. Her bullets tore down the street and embedded themselves into the bodies of a Devidramon, a Devimon, and a Soulmon. The demon Digimon began to turn their attentions towards the group of newcomers and they started to charge up the street towards them.
A MetalPhantomon unleashed a barrage of energy blades from his scythe towards Sistermon Noir. The dark-clothed Sistermon merely smirked and waited until the last moment before dodging the first of the four blades. She lunged into the air, performing a double somersault, before twisting her body and planting her feet on the still-standing wall of a ruined building nearby. She propelled herself off of it and lunged above the remaining arcs of energy. "Mickey Bullet!" she shouted enthusiastically, spinning her body and firing her pistols in an impressive display of gunplay. The Antony guns fired bullets at an automatic rate of fire, wildly spraying the platoon of demons with almost random aim. Four Adult level demons crumpled as their bodies were riddled with bullets.
Meanwhile, Sistermon Blanc knelt down beside SaviorHackmon. "SaviorHackmon!" she said to him, staring down at the injured dragon with immense worry in her grey eyes. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"
"E-Everywhere…" SaviorHackmon breathed.
Alphamon stood beside Gankoomon. They watched as Demon stalked out of the ruins of the building and back onto the intersection of the street. Demon stared at the pair of Royal Knights with a baleful gaze.
"Royal Knights…" he growled. "I should have known that you would interfere again. You must be eager to die."
Gankoomon growled and took a step forwards. "I'm eager to kick your ugly ass!" he shouted furiously.
He was about to raise his fist, but Alphamon placed his left hand on Gankoomon's shoulder, halting him. "We have nothing to gain by fighting here, Gankoomon," Alphamon reminded him. "Their reinforcements are too close. We must retreat with SaviorHackmon and the other survivors."
"Tch…" Gankoomon reluctantly grunted. Although frustrated, angry, and wanting to vent, Gankoomon wrenched his shoulder from Alphamon's hand and spun around. "Blanc! You know what to do!"
"R-Right!" Sistermon Blanc agreed. "Protect Wave!" She raised her Cross Barbée trident and slammed the butt of the weapon into the ground between SaviorHackmon and the Gaogamon. A transparent, bubble shaped barrier suddenly appeared around both of their bodies, shielding their wounded forms.
"Take them, Gankoomon. I will keep Demon busy," Alphamon told him, taking a few steps towards the Demon Lord.
Gankoomon grunted and reached down, picking the two Digimon up, under his arms. "Fine, but if you're not with us in a minute, I'm coming back," he responded. He turned and looked over his shoulder. "Come on, Noir-chan! We're retreating!"
"Hahaha!" Sistermon Noir laughed as she dove into a somersault across the ground before coming to a stop and plugging a Bakemon full of heated metal. "Just one more minute!"
"NOW!" Gankoomon barked, holding onto SaviorHackmon tightly. Gankoomon started running down the street with Sistermon Blanc running behind him.
"Aw… Fine…" Sistermon Noir reluctantly complied.
She sighed and stood up straight, turning around and preparing to run to Gankoomon and her younger sister. As she did, a Devidramon saw an opportunity. The demon dragon lunged at her from behind, claws raised and ready to eviscerate her. Sistermon Noir sighed and casually pointed her pistol over her shoulder. Without looking, she fired off a single shot. The bullet shot up through the Devidramon's chin and exited his skull. The beast fell and landed at her heels with a crash. "I'm coming~," she chimed blithely, before running over to Gankoomon and Blanc.
Demon growled lowly, glancing between Alphamon and Gankoomon. "This village is just a taste of what is to come, Alphamon… You will not be able to save New Terminal. The streets will be awash with blood, and the air ignited with hellfire. Such is the fate of those who stand in the way of our crusade," he warned him.
Alphamon narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand. "We shall see, Demon…" he calmly answered as he formed a twisting magic circle in front of his palm. "Digitalize of Soul!"
The glyphs gleamed with light and emerald beams coursed out of the gem in Alphamon's palm. The beams amplified as they passed through the magical circle, and they pulsed towards Demon in a storm of energy.
Demon grunted and flapped his wings, crossing his arms in front of his chest as the beams pummeled the ground around him. The explosions tore up the street and pushed the Demon Lord back, suppressing him.
Alphamon continued firing his flurry of beams through the smoke towards where he expected Demon to be. As the indomitable salvo ceased, Alphamon spread his wings and used the chance to retreat.
He soared over the demolished buildings and surveyed the area. There was virtually nothing left of Hope's Crest. Nearly all of the buildings had been destroyed and torn apart by the carnage of battle. The buildings that were still standing would certainly be destroyed soon. The smoke and dust made it hard to see clearly, but the death and destruction was obvious to him. Now that they had SaviorHackmon and the Gaogamon they had found, he knew that there was nothing left to save.
Alphamon glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Demon wasn't following him. The Demon Lord of Wrath wasn't. Alphamon knew that Demon was smart enough to know that trying to follow them and attack them would be a mistake.
The Royal Knight reached the southern edge of the village. He flew through the haze of smoke and out into the clear air. To his relief, he saw that Gankoomon and the Sistermons had made it out of the village. Alphamon flew down after them.
"Gankoomon!" he hailed.
Gankoomon grunted as he lugged SaviorHackmon and the Gaogamon under his arms, but he glanced over his shoulder. "Alphamon…"
Alphamon landed beside him. "I'll take the Gaogamon," he offered, taking the large, lupine Digimon from under Gankoomon's arm.
Gankoomon took the opportunity to lower SaviorHackmon to the ground, making sure that he was standing first. "Get on my back… You can do that, right?" Gankoomon asked his apprentice.
SaviorHackmon grimaced but quietly nodded. He slowly ambled behind Gankoomon and leaned against his back, wrapping his left arm around Gankoomon's collar, since he couldn't move his right. Gankoomon hoisted SaviorHackmon up and placed his arms underneath SaviorHackmon's knees to make sure he was secure.
"I think his ri-right arm is d-dislocated, Gankoomon-sama…" Sistermon Blanc explained with a wince. "Please be careful…"
"Yeah…" Gankoomon lowly said. He carried SaviorHackmon along at a brisk walking pace.
Alphamon carried the Gaogamon in his arms carefully, walking beside Gankoomon. For several moments, things were quiet…
SaviorHackmon snivelled and finally spoke up. "…Alphamon-shishou… Sensei…" he said in a near whimper. His voice was choked and his words were uneven. "I'm… I'm so sorry…"
"You really did it this time, Hackie…" Sistermon Noir murmured, nonchalantly spinning a gun around her finger.
Alphamon turned his head to face SaviorHackmon. Alphamon saw the guilt and the sadness in his eyes, and the tears running down his face. "SaviorHackmon…" he said gently. "What were you thinking…?" As the Royal Knight spoke, there was no anger in his words. There was no judgment or rebuke. He simply wanted to know.
"He wasn't thinking…" Gankoomon spoke.
"I… I heard that Tenth Group came up here to defend the city… That they weren't going to have reinforcements… I heard that the Demon Lords were going to attack this village and that they were probably going to slaughter everybody inside…" SaviorHackmon explained through choked words.
"I see…" Alphamon responded, sighing and deliberating quietly. "You wanted to protect the village…"
"I… I couldn't just stand by… I wanted to help save as many people as I could… I'm sorry that I disobeyed orders again… I just wanted to help these poor Digimon…" SaviorHackmon shut his eyes as more tears leaked out and dribbled down his face. "But I didn't… I… I failed… And now they're all dead… I… I couldn't do anything…"
Gankoomon closed his eyes as SaviorHackmon began gently sobbing on his back.
"S-SaviorHackmon-kun…" Sistermon Blanc mumbled, looking at the dragon with sad, sympathetic eyes. She went and gently placed her hand on his back.
"It's a tragedy…" Alphamon solemnly said, gazing at SaviorHackmon. "But it isn't your fault, SaviorHackmon… You are just lucky to be alive."
"If we hadn't shown up when we did… you'd be dead right now," Gankoomon said with a soft growl. "Do you understand that, SaviorHackmon?!"
"You really shouldn't have gone off on your own…" Alphamon agreed. "You exercised poor judgment."
SaviorHackmon sniffled but weakly nodded, trying to rein in his tears in front of Alphamon. "I… I know… I'm… deeply sorry…" he managed to speak in a choked voice. "I understand… if you want to eject me from the Strike Forces…"
Alphamon exhaled and closed his eyes. "…You have made a few bad decisions now… However, your heart was in the right place. You are young, but you realise when you have made a mistake, and you are always trying to learn from them…" he softly answered. "I wish that you would be more thoughtful in your decisions from now on. Think about the consequences of what you are going to do before doing it, and stop trying to do things on your own." Alphamon turned and gave a sly glance to Gankoomon. "Although, I think I know where you get some of that from…" he gently teased. Alphamon glanced back at SaviorHackmon. "Will you take my words to heart, SaviorHackmon?"
"…Yes, Sir Alphamon…" SaviorHackmon answered earnestly and sincerely.
"Then I don't think that any disciplinary action is required at this time… Even if you were short-sighted and foolhardy, I won't punish you for saving Digimon," the Knight of the Empty Seat explained.
"Thank you…" SaviorHackmon tearfully replied. He pushed his snout down and buried his tear and blood stained face into the collar of his cape. "But… I didn't save anyone… They all died… Gorimon… the soldiers… the militia…"
The Gaogamon in Alphamon's arms weakly lifted his head and gazed at SaviorHackmon.
"I… I failed again…" SaviorHackmon mournfully explained. "I failed to stop GrandisKuwagamon… and I failed to save the Digimon of Hope's Crest…"
"You tried…" Alphamon gently spoke. "That takes courage… All of us Royal Knights have failed at some point… What's important is that you tried your hardest."
"He… did more than that…" the Gaogamon spoke up, his voice dry and haggard. "SaviorHackmon… gave us more of a fighting chance… Things were in chaos… before he arrived. He directed us… gave us a leader to rally behind… We held out longer than we should've" The Gaogamon smiled weakly. "If it weren't for him… there would be fewer survivors than there are now…"
Gankoomon glanced over his shoulder at SaviorHackmon. "Yeah…? Good."
"Is that so…?" Alphamon mused, gazing at SaviorHackmon with interest.
SaviorHackmon frowned. "I… I don't know about that… I just tried to help as much as I could… I wasn't even really thinking at the time…" he diminutively explained. "I… still failed."
The dragon man shut his eyes and tried to blink back the tears that still stung him. "But…" He hesitated. "…Even so… I'm never going to stop trying. Even when I fail… I won't just give up on helping other Digimon because I feel bad about myself."
SaviorHackmon opened his eyes and stared ahead of him with resolve. Despite all the pain that he felt in his body and his heart, he had realised something important today.
"…No matter how many times I fail… no matter how much pain I feel in my heart… I'm never going to give up on other Digimon. I want to believe in other people… and I want to keep trying to help them. I… I want to take my failure here today and use it to make myself stronger. And I'm going to do it while working together with other Digimon…"
"…Heh," Gankoomon chuckled. There was a smile on his lips… A smile of pride.
"I'm glad to hear that, SaviorHackmon…" Alphamon answered with a gentle smile. "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for."
SaviorHackmon looked down. "I… just don't lose my belief in other Digimon. I never want to give up, even when it's really hard. …Sleipmon reminded me of what's important to me," he explained sheepishly.
Alphamon smiled warmly at the younger knight. "Sleipmon is a wise Digimon… Never give up your spirit, SaviorHackmon."
SaviorHackmon smiled weakly at Alphamon before leaning forwards onto Gankoomon. "I won't, Alphamon-shishou…" he responded, closing his eyes as his exhaustion set in.
"I'll make sure he doesn't," Gankoomon said with his usual stubbornness.
"I don't doubt that. That must be one of your positive qualities that you passed to him," Alphamon teased him.
"Hmph," Gankoomon grunted, increasing his walking pace. "Come on. We don't have much time."
Alphamon nodded and continued carrying the Gaogamon survivor. "Yes, let's get these two to hospital before sunset… I think we have time before the gate master locks the entrance for good."
Alphamon, Gankoomon, and the Sistermons continued their trek southwards, back towards New Terminal. Alphamon looked over his shoulder and beheld the fiery destruction of the tiny village of Hope's Crest. As the sun dipped towards the horizon, Alphamon began to fear that Demon was right. The flames and the smoke were a precursor of what was to come.
As the night neared, so did the impending destruction of New Terminal. The Demon Lords would make their move tonight. Only time would tell if New Terminal would be able to survive the attack… or if it would meet the same fate as Hope's Crest.