(Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 46! The battle is reaching its climax. Stuff happens. People do things. There's drama and tension. Consider yourselves warned!
...On that note, enjoy the chapter!)
Chapter 46: Oblivion
"You're weak!"
Demon pounded his gigantic, clawed fist into Alphamon's crossed forearms. The black armour of his gauntlets shuddered against his skin, bracing the brunt of the impact. Even though he shielded himself, Demon's blow was powerful enough to batter Alphamon's muscles, causing bruises to form under his skin.
As Alphamon was thrown back through the air, he swept out the Seiken Grad Alpha. His holy sword of light hummed as its radiance streaked through the dark sky. Demon pumped his wings forwards just as the blade sliced along his broad chest. The blade glanced along him, but he moved back just enough for the beam blade to shear some of his fur. The Demon Lord of Wrath retreated a few meters to stay out of the range of Alphamon's sword.
"Foolish knight! You lack conviction!" Demon taunted, outstretching his palm towards Alphamon. "Flame Inferno!"
Flames funnelled from Demon's hand towards the black knight. Acting quickly, Alphamon grabbed his cape and wrapped the protective mantle around the front of his body. The flames howled and hissed, licking at his body like they were ravenous for his data.
Alphamon grimaced as the entire surface area of his armour heated up to nearly unbearable levels. His plate armour became like a pressure cooker under the continuous inferno. He knew that it would be a painful mistake to try to withstand the sustained flames, lest they become his funeral pyre.
"My conviction…" he began, his eyes glowing like resplendent rubies. He gripped the hem of his singed cape tightly, and, with a mighty shout, he unfurled his mantle in a mighty sweep. "…is absolute!"
The gust of wind was strong enough to temporarily keep the infernal fire at bay. Alphamon dove to the side, flying out of Demon's field of fire. As he glided across the city skyline, he aimed his own palm at Demon. "You cannot comprehend the depth of my determination when you lay waste an innocent city!" As he shouted, powerful, neon lasers pumped from the crystal in Alphamon's palm.
Demon defended himself by raising his misshapen left hand in front of himself like a glowing shield. His clawed fingertips radiated with a sparkling, violet aura that enshrouded his palm. "Double Dust!" he shouted, unleashing a blast of magic into the Digitalize of Soul, using the attack like a barrier. The emerald beams slammed into the magical field and became disrupted, the first two blasts splitting into green mist, while the remaining two split off in different directions.
The Demon Lord of Wrath snarled as a fifth beam pierced through the fading field and burned along his bicep. Demon whipped up a small gale with his wings and tore towards Alphamon in a determined fury. "Pathetic! You call yourself a commander, and yet you lack the killer instinct to make the necessary sacrifices that war demands! You are a soft-hearted disgrace!" Demon shouted, meeting Alphamon in the smoky sky and barrelling his fist across Alphamon's face.
Alphamon's head jerked to the side with the punch, and a deep fracture emerged in his face plate. He ignored the intense numbing of his lip and the taste of iron inside his mouth. He drove his hand into Demon's furry abdomen in an open-palm strike. As Demon doubled over, Alphamon swung his fist up in a mighty uppercut. His fist connected with Demon's chin, and the devil's head snapped upwards.
Demon lashed out for Alphamon's face with his right hand, but the dark paladin grabbed his hand before it could reach him. "I have made the necessary sacrifices in war. Civilians are never a necessary sacrifice," Alphamon coldly and calmly explained to Demon. "A war should be between the willing. When the unwilling are dragged into it, it becomes a needless slaughter. War is no excuse for the atrocities you have committed in the name of rebellion."
The ireful Demon Lord growled deeply and pushed his hand forwards, starting to bend Alphamon's fingers back excruciatingly, threatening to break metal and bone. "Nrrrgh… You sanctimonious… fool… Your hollow philosophizing and pontificating have no place in a war...! Your idealism and morals are but empty restraints. That is why you Royal Knights are weak. That is why we will crush you where you stand!" Demon clasped his fists together and raised his arms over their heads. "Hammer Knuckle!"
Demon's fists glowed with dark power and he brought them down on Alphamon like a meteor. Alphamon attempted to cross his arms in front of his head, but Demon's strength was too powerful to resist. The arch demon's fists ploughed into Alphamon's face and bashed him towards the ground.
As Alphamon fell, he fired blindly in Demon's direction with a burst of powerful lasers. The salvo of energy lit up the sky with an emerald tint. One of the lasers slammed into Demon's chest, burning against his furry skin, while another grazed the edge of his bat-like wing.
As the crack on his face deepened, Alphamon flipped over and halted his descent by spreading his wings. He looked up to see Demon bring his hands together and aim them at Alphamon. Knowing what was coming, Alphamon responded by raising his own hands.
"Chaos Flare!"
"Digitalize of Soul!"
A torrent of dark power surged towards a concentrated column of light. The darkness swallowed up the light, only for the light to begin to pierce through the shadows as the two forces momentarily battled. The sheer mass of power swelled and burst in an explosion of energy that dwarfed either of their bodies.
They fought against the shockwave and hurdled towards each other, both flying around the explosion in an attempt to outmanoeuvre each other. The knight and the demon lord closed the distance. Alphamon summoned the Seiken Grad Alpha from a glowing magical circle, while Demon's massive fist radiated with black flames. They both thrust forwards.
Demon's fist slammed into Alphamon's armoured torso. The blackish-grey armour fractured as Demon's burning claws stabbed into Alphamon's abdomen. Demon's crimson fingertips pierced his skin and its unholy flames burned the muscle underneath. At the same time, Alphamon stabbed his blade of light forwards and burrowed its tip into Demon's muscular clavicle, just barely missing his neck. The Seiken Grad Alpha burned the unholy Demon Lord with its sacred light.
The pain became excruciating for both Digimon, and they were forced to pull away, sending blood leaking out of each other's wounds. Demon attempted to follow up with a slash from his other hand, but Alphamon was swift enough to dodge it.
As the evading black knight soared to the right, he sliced the Seiken Grad Alpha down Demon's wrist, drawing a spurt of blood.
Demon growled and closed the distance between them. "Double Dust!" he snarled, driving his concussive fist into Alphamon's bleeding gut, deepening his wounds and spilling Alphamon's blood over his fist.
Grimacing with agony, Alphamon looked up to see flames rising out of Demon's throat. The Demon Lord of Wrath meant to use the close range to incinerate him.
Acting swiftly, Alphamon used their close proximity to his own advantage. Too close to stab properly, Alphamon reached up with his left hand and grabbed Demon by the face, closing his mouth shut. Demon grabbed Alphamon's wrist and tried to pry it off, but he was unable to before he saw a blinding, green light fill his vision. Alphamon held Demon's face tightly and the emerald light started pouring out between his fingers.
"Digitalize of Soul," Alphamon growled. Staring coldly at Demon, he pumped an emerald laser point blank into Demon's face.
The laser split around Demon's visage and he was blasted dozens of meters away. With a pained roar, a column of infernal flames spewed from his mouth aimlessly towards the dark sky.
Alphamon used the momentary reprieve to clutch his bleeding chest and briefly take stock of the situation. He looked around and saw that the Demon Lords were gaining ground, and the Republic's army was being pushed back towards the river. It was clear that the Demon Lords were trying to pin the Royal Knights down while the Nightmare Soldiers made the actual gains. Alphamon knew that he had to rectify that and help lead the retreating soldiers.
A dark roar pierced the night like a lightning bolt. It was a howl that chilled Alphamon to his core. He could feel the sheer malice contained within the wail.
He turned to see a black dragon in the distance. It was the unmistakable form on Imperialdramon.
He watched as she shifted into a humanoid form that Alphamon immediately recognised. It was a Fighter Mode. But something wasn't right about it. He knew that instantly. It looked dark. It felt malevolent.
"Imperialdramon…?" he murmured.
"Such ire in that one…" Demon chuckled in a deep rasp. "Her hatred is overflowing. It has consumed her completely, like a moth to a flame."
Alphamon glared softly, watching as Demon emerged from within the vanishing flames. Smoke wafted up from his face and a trickle of blood dripped down his forehead.
"Do not concern yourself with her. You need simply worry about yourself, Alphamon," Demon threatened him, his fists becoming wreathed in black flames. "I will feast on her hatred once I have burnt you to ash."
Alphamon squeezed the Seiken Grad Alpha in his hands, illuminating the darkness like a beacon of light. He pointed his blade towards Demon and beckoned to the soldiers below.
"Hold your ground, soldiers!" Alphamon shouted. "Remember whose city this is! Remember what it is that you are protecting! Remember what it means to stand together for New Terminal!"
Demon smirked with half-amused disdain. "You spout nice words, but you will crumble like the rest. First, the heathen knights and their false god Yggdrasil shall burn. Then, heaven itself."
Alphamon stared defiantly at Demon, showing him the strength of his will. He pointed his blade of light at Demon and stood firm against his rage.
"Revenge may be powerful blaze, but its flames are fleeting," Alphamon said, his eyes burning with controlled intensity. "Demon… you will be extinguished."
With those traded barbs, the two charged and traded blows once again.
"Mode Change…"
"Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode," the Digimon formerly known as Paildramon spoke, in a voice so deep and gravelly that it sounded masculine.
The dragon avenger rose, clad in dark, murky armour. Her scales were stained black and her eyes was like swirling blood. She looked down at her long, jagged claws and raised the cannon mounted on her wrist.
Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode slowly turned her baleful gaze towards UlforceVeedramon. UlforceVeedramon stiffened and began to take a defensive stance. He tried to look her in the eyes, but he saw only hatred and malice staring back at him. He attempted to offer her a friendly smile.
"…Paildra—"
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode surged towards the Royal Knight before he could finish. Within milliseconds, Imperialdramon closed the distance until she was inches away from him.
With lightning fast reflexes, UlforceVeedramon started to bring his V-Bracelet up, but the pain from his wounds pierced up his arm and caused him to falter for a crucial second. In that second, the black Fighter Mode cracked her left claws across UlforceVeedramon's face. She proceeded drive her knee into his exposed abdomen
In a blitzkrieg attack, Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode relentlessly hammered UlforceVeedramon over and over. She brought his face down into her rising knee and followed up with a powerful kick.
UlforceVeedramon staggered back, blood forming at the corners of his mouth. His smile was gone and her stared at his opponent with bitter desperation. "I-Imperialdramon! Stop!" he shouted at her. He extended the Ulforce Sabre from his right V-Bracelet and prepared to shield himself with the left.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode observed him and his drawn sword with wordless persecution. She wasted no time in following up the attack on her enemy. Right now, the only emotion running through her body was pure hatred and the need for destruction. Everybody was her enemy, whether they had been friend or foe. The dark power coursing through her body was crushing her sense of self. It completely overpowered her in its desire for wrath.
Without speaking, Imperialdramon launched herself towards the Royal Knight. She swung her right arm forwards in a mighty punch, stabbing with her claws.
"Tense Great Shield!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, summoning a shield of unfolding polygons around him.
The shield stopped her claws in their tracks, the sharp, golden tips of her armour's talons straining against the transparent barrier. Imperialdramon's crimson eyes narrowed with annoyance and she continued pushing her incredible strength into the surface of the barrier. Sensing that sheer force wouldn't be enough, she began pumping positronic energy into her wrist-mounted cannon.
While straining to hold the barrier up, UlforceVeedramon glanced down as the cannon in front of him began to shine fiercely. His eyes widened when he realised she was planning to fire at point blank range.
"Positron Laser," she hissed. Bluish white energy coursed from her cannon and slammed right into the barrier. The positrons roared as they poured across the entirety of UlforceVeedramon's shield. Dangerous strands of lasers whipped out in every direction as the beam broke against the barrier. Plasmatic tendrils ripped up the stone beneath them, lashing at the shield and Imperialdramon's own armour.
Although the shield was immensely powerful, it wasn't as durable as Craniamon's. The super-concentrated beam, fired at point blank range, was enough to send cracks through the barrier. It was a testament to how powerful Imperialdramon had become under the dark influence of this Mode Change. The energy of UlforceVeedramon's shield began to split under the continuous column of energy, boring into the exact same position.
"Damn it…" UlforceVeedramon growled, having trouble holding his wounded arm in place after Leviamon's bite. Blood trickled out of the holes, agitated by his straining muscles, and the scarlet liquid dripped off of his elbow. Even if his shield wasn't already breaking, he was having trouble holding against the immense power raging against him.
Finally, the laser broke a hole through UlforceVeedramon's guard and he just barely braced himself with his arms as the crushing rays slammed into him.
"Sir!" VictoryGreymon cried out with horror as he watched his hero take the nasty attack. He landed on the ground with his sword in one hand and his shield in the other. He knew that he couldn't just watch from the sidelines, so he began running towards them.
"Shit," GranKuwagamon swore, pulling himself up. He knew that he had to match her strength and speed with his own. He was too big of a target in this form. "Slide Evolution!" The four-legged insect Digimon growled, switching back into his humanoid GrandisKuwagamon form.
"Gah!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, staggering back as the residual lasers seared his body.
Before he could use his speed to react, Imperialdramon pressed her brutal assault. She burst through the positronic mist and slammed her smoking cannon into UlforceVeedramon's chest. With a mighty push, she lifted him off the ground, hoisting the knight against the muzzle of her cannon. Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode held her left arm out and began pumping more of her energy into the throat of her wrist cannon.
With a cold and indifferent glare, she extended her arm and observed the Royal Knight doubled over on her cannon. Without any hesitation, she fired.
The Positron Laser pounded into UlforceVeedramon's chest at point blank range. The blue digizoid metal warped and cracked, the fabric of his suit was burned off, and the blast burned against his white and blue scales. UlforceVeedramon was blown clear off of the cannon.
The column of energy surrounded and crushed the dragon knight's body with devastating pressure. UlforceVeedramon was sent crashing clear through the stone wall of a nearby building. The stone structure crumbled around him and fell on top of him in an explosion of smoke and dust.
As the building collapsed in a massive plume of choking ash, Imperialdramon observed the damage. UlforceVeedramon didn't get back up.
Satisfied, she turned her dark, crimson glare back towards her original opponent: GrandisKuwagamon.
GrandisKuwagamon raised his Gran Killers defensively, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. "She's strong enough to do that to a Royal Knight…?" he muttered, his breath short and his words terse. "Shit…"
"UlforceVeedramon, Sir!" VictoryGreymon called out with fear and worry. When he didn't get a response, his chest tightened. It dawned on him the sheer strength of this dark evolution. He wasn't sure what they could do to stop her.
GrandisKuwagamon clenched his fists inside his Gran Killer gauntlets and he took a step back as Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode began stalking towards him. "We're gonna have to fight her together!" GrandisKuwagamon told the dragon warrior. He began beating his insect wings, doing his best to ignore the pain in his body. "I'll keep her distracted! You use the Dramon Breaker!"
"Th-The Dramon Breaker?! But…" VictoryGreymon hesitated and looked at the hulking broadsword in his hand. It was a specially designed broadsword ideal for anti-Dramon combat. Like some other Ultimate level Greymons, the weapon had increased effectiveness against Dramon data.
"She's too strong, Vic!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted angrily at him. "We can't reason with her! The darkness is too strong! The only way we can win is by defeating her!"
VictoryGreymon grimaced at GrandisKuwagamon's implications. "I… I don't want to kill her, Grandis! She's my friend!" he yelled back desperately.
"You saw what she did to that Royal Knight! We can't fight her half-assed! If we don't fight her like we mean to kill her, she's going to kill us!" the mercenary protested. "This is the only way we can save her!"
The emotions inside VictoryGreymon's heart twisted. His heart raced and his mind was alert and panicked. He had to make a decision. He realised the truth behind GrandisKuwagamon's words. If he fought her half-heartedly, she might kill him. But… could he do it? Could he bring himself to kill? Could he bring himself to kill a friend that was dear to him?
As he hesitated, Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode launched herself towards GrandisKuwagamon, sweeping through the sky faster than he anticipated.
"Don't just stand there, damn it!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted to his comrade as the black dragon woman tore through the air towards him. He began to climb into the sky, but she followed him. She beat her dark red wings and rose to intercept him. Although he was slightly faster, she was able to counteract that.
"Positron Laser," she growled, firing a beam into the dark sky directly in front of GrandisKuwagamon.
The scarab swordsman swore and came to an abrupt stop as the column of energy cut in front of him at a diagonal angle, preventing him from rising any further. He spun around and saw the shadowy dragon fighter closing in on him. He was about to speed downwards, but he had lost his lead, and Imperialdramon closed in on him.
Forced to face her, the beetle Digimon spun around and crossed his blades just in time to block her glowing, golden claws from cleaving his head. The metal screeched against metal and sparks bounced off his face.
"Hurry!" he shouted before driving his foot into her abdomen and booting her away. "Vic! This isn't her!" GrandisKuwagamon hissed frustratedly and veered to the side, right as Imperialdramon fired a beam towards him. The beam howled as it passed by him, searing the surface of his bicep and shoulder armour, before ploughing deep into the fractured road. "Ngh…! She wouldn't want to be doing this! You know her! She'd want us to stop her! She'd hate doing this more than anything! The real Paildramon would!"
"I…" With a trembling hand, VictoryGreymon gripped the Dramon Breaker's handle and turned towards Black Imperialdramon. He steeled himself and summoned his courage. For as strong and out-of-control as she was, she was still his friend. He wouldn't turn his back on his friends. That was part of the Royal Knights' code, after all. She was his friend, and he had to save her. His worried gaze hardened with resolve. "…I'm with you, Grandis!"
VictoryGreymon jumped off the ground and sailed towards Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode.
As he did, the dark dragon backhanded GrandisKuwagamon across his face. The scarab turned towards her and thrust his space-cutting Gran Killers towards the dark dragon. She deftly caught the Gran Killer's claws between the golden talons of her own gauntlets. She sharply and brutally twisted GrandisKuwagamon's arm and smashed the muzzle of her cannon into his face, right between his mandibles.
Despite the cracks that formed on his brow and lip, GrandisKuwagamon snapped his pincers shut around her arm. The penetrating scissors crushed the wrist of her gauntlet, penetrating the shadowy metal enough to distort the metal inwards and hold her in place. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw VictoryGreymon approaching.
Grimacing through the blood running down his face, he shouted, "Now, VictoryGreymon! Do it!"
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode turned and saw VictoryGreymon descending towards her from the sky, his Dramon Breaker raised high over his head.
VictoryGreymon fell towards her, his claymore poised and ready to strike. He closed in on her. He prepared to swing his sword down with all of his might. All he had to do was slash her with his sword. He told himself that he wouldn't hesitate. He couldn't think about the consequences…
However… as she turned to look up at him, the moonlight reflected off of her dark crimson eyes. For a second, he thought he saw a shimmer in her eye. A trace of emotion. A faint sign that she was still in there.
...And he hesitated. He couldn't do it.
VictoryGreymon brought his sword down, but stopped it mid-swing, with all of his strength. The blade stopped just above Black Imperialdramon's head. Her eyes hardened coldly as they rested on VictoryGreymon.
GrandisKuwagamon's eye widened as he stared down the muzzle of Black Imperialdramon's cannon. He watched as the plasma chamber released and began flooding particles into the throat of the cannon. "VICTORYGREYMON!" he shouted, releasing his grasp.
Their chance gone, the mercenary began to try to escape the close proximity, but she grabbed GrandisKuwagamon's ankle and crushed it in her hand. With a mighty heave, she swung GrandisKuwagamon straight into VictoryGreymon's body. As the pair tumbled through the air, she took aim and launched a Positron Laser at their entangled bodies.
Seeing the beam hurdling towards them, VictoryGreymon was able to react quickly enough to put his sword arm around GrandisKuwagamon's body and raise his Victory Shield with his left. The beam pounded into his shield and engulfed the silhouettes of their bodies. Thanks to his quick reactions, they were spared the brunt of the attack. Still, the chrome digizoid burned hot against his arm, and the shield's surface warped slightly underneath the powerful beam.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode flapped her powerful wings and rose several meters above the pair as they were sent reeling back from the intense blast. As she flew directly above them, suddenly the dragon mouth breastplate that covered her chest began to open. The draconic snout opened up, and from within emerged a black, spiked cannon with a clear lens right in the center of the weapon.
The lens shimmered sinisterly as ions started gathering inside the cannon. "Ion Blaster!" she shouted as the bladed cannon surged with blue light. The mortar fired a massive blast of power at blank range, immediately swelling outwards and engulfing the two Digimon below her.
VictoryGreymon and GrandisKuwagamon were blasted away from each other and sent crashing into what was left of the main street. They both crashed into the road, hard enough for further cracks to appear in the fractured stone.
GrandisKuwagamon coughed and stirred, his winged back throbbing numbly from the impact. He forced himself to sit up and he spat out blood onto the stone beside him. He grimaced and looked over at VictoryGreymon. "What… the hell… was that?" he demanded.
"A laser, Grandis…" VictoryGreymon responded, sitting up and rubbing his sore neck with a wince.
"I mean why didn't you hit her?!" GrandisKuwagamon irately clarified, getting to his feet shakily.
VictoryGreymon grimaced. He looked over at the Dramon Breaker lying on the ground beside him. He tentatively put his hand on its hilt. "…You know why. She's my friend. I can't kill her," he mutedly explained.
"Do you think I want to?!" Grandis snapped at him, causing the dinosaur man to wince. "I care about her too, damn it! That's why we have to do this! We have to save her from herself!"
"I know we do… but there has to be another way," VictoryGreymon answered, using his sword as a support to stand to his feet. "You said I can't fight her half-butted, so I've decided… I'm not going to fight her at all."
The mercenary was dead silent for a few moments. GrandisKuwagamon slowly looked at him with a look of pure incredulity. "What…?"
VictoryGreymon shot GrandisKuwagamon a small, optimistic smile. "I'm going to talk to her. I know I can get through to her."
"…You can't, you idiot," GrandisKuwagamon bitterly replied, staring up at the dragon aggressor.
"I need to try… That's what a hero would do," VictoryGreymon insisted, smiling with resignation to his decision. There was a glisten in his green eyes as he stared up at the dragon.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode loomed over them from above. Her silhouette was dark against the backdrop of the moon, which was just visible through the cloud-punctured sky. It was as if she was an angel of wrath, come down to pass judgment.
And judgment she would pass.
She stared down at GrandisKuwagamon and VictoryGreymon. The ion cannon protruding from her chest disappeared. In its place, a much larger turret emerged. A massive, black cannon, nearly as long as her arms, formed within the draconic mouth on her chest. The howitzer was large enough that it required two handles just below the muzzle in order to be held steady.
Imperialdramon stared down the length of the gun and briefly took aim, pointing the cannon at the general vicinity of her two enemies. Her baleful eyes glared at them, and she gently squeezed the weapon's handles as dark matter began coursing through the cannon. The dark energy surged within the weapon until it brimmed at barrel's muzzle, black vapour seeping from its maw.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode spread her wings and braced herself. Her eyes narrowed and she released the chaotic energy gathering inside her chest.
"Giga Death."
The dark power surged out like a burst dam. A massive beam coursed out of the cannon in a gigantic column. It was nearly double the size of Imperialdramon in thickness. The enormous mass of energy swirled and roared like an abyssal beast as it hurdled towards the center of the street.
VictoryGreymon's eyes widened as the giant wave of energy flooded towards them. It was a pillar of sheer destruction – the judgment of a vengeful god seeking to annihilate them all. "Grandis!" he yelled.
"I know! Let's go!" GrandisKuwagamon yelled.
The pair both split off in opposite directions. The pillar of light smashed into the middle of the road, drilling right through the surface and deep into the depths of the ground. The light thinned out and there was a brief pause.
Then, there was a massive detonation. An explosion surged out from the epicenter of the impact. A city-shaking, semi-spherical blast swelled and rushed, tearing the streets to ash. All of the surrounding buildings were swallowed up and obliterated completely. Not even data fragments remained. The blast swept across the city block like a tidal wave. It washed across the roads and the rubble, causing the streets to disappear in a torrent of destruction. It was like a bomb had exploded in the center of the city. The entire northern half of the city was illuminated the gigantic blast.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode watched with dark stoicism as she obliterated a large chunk of her home. She simply held the cannon in her chest as its gaping muzzle breathed out positronic breath.
The sheer force of the blast slammed into their backs and sent them hurdling faster than they could control. VictoryGreymon winced and growled as he felt the humungous explosion licking at his heels. He swung the Dramon Breaker around and caused its blades to separate. "Victory Charge!" he shouted in a desperate attempt to shield himself from the force of the blast.
GrandisKuwagamon was swept up in the concussion of the explosion. His body slammed into the building with a sickening crack and he felt the exoskeleton along his left arm split open. The explosion crushed him into the building before the sheer force of the blast, made it collapse around him. The black beetle clutched his bleeding arm and zigzagged around the falling debris, desperate to escape the hellish blast behind him.
He ignored the rocks pounding his armoured back. The sheer heat and pressure of the Giga Death explosion threatened to consume him. "Damn it…!" he shouted, watching as the top half of the building began to fall in front of him. "Grandis Scissors!"
The whole building suddenly split in two, chopped in half by GrandisKuwagamon's space-warping pincers. He burst through the other side and rose into the air as the explosion died down behind him. The mercenary felt the pressure lift and he spun around to observe the damage.
His jaw nearly dropped at what he saw. Where there was once a huge road that served as the main artery through the city, there was now nothing but a smoking crater. The attack had obliterated an entire city block. The ground had been torn asunder all the way down to the sewer system, which was half exposed within the dirt and stone-filled depression. The main street buildings were destroyed, and the adjacent structures crumbled into the crater.
GrandisKuwagamon looked around, trying to regain his vision after the night had turned to day for several long seconds. He tried to readjust to the darkness, while also looking around for Imperialdramon and VictoryGreymon.
"Vic! Where are you?!" he shouted.
"I'm okay!" VictoryGreymon yelled back from the other side of the crater. "I'm going to—look out!"
The huge explosion drew the attention of both armies to the north of them. The resulting shockwave had washed across the fighting forces positioned further up the northern thoroughfare, stunning them both and causing many on the ground to lose their balance. With a momentary breach in the lines, several opportunistic Nightmare Soldiers managed to break through the front lines and began charging down the main boulevard.
"With me! Break through them and move to the river!" a Piemon of the Baron rank commanded to a handful of Perfect level Nightmare Soldiers as they made a break through the gap in the Republic's lines. "Slaughter those ones ahead of us while they fight among themselves!"
GrandisKuwagamon spun around and threw his Gran Killer up just in time to deflect one of the Piemon's Trump Swords. "You've gotta be kidding me. That guy again?!" he hissed, swerving out of the way as the sword circled back around and tried to catch him from a different angle. "Don't have time for this shit!"
"Rrrgh! Nuts!" VictoryGreymon growled as a Mummymon began shooting an energy blast towards him from its gun. He jumped out of the way as an erratic stream of necrotic particles tore along the edge of the crater.
Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode turned her simmering glare towards the four Nightmare Soldiers. Without any hint of emotion, she swept her arm out and fired a Positron Laser from her wrist.
The spiralling beam swept through the night and ploughed into the Mummymon as he was distracted trying to kill VictoryGreymon. The laser tore through his body in an instant, causing him to evaporate into fragments. As VictoryGreymon watched the undead Digimon vanish, he gripped his sword tighter and looked up at Black Imperialdramon with wide eyes.
"Kill them, you fools!" the Piemon shouted, hurling two of his swords at GrandisKuwagamon and the other two at Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode.
GrandisKuwagamon parried the two swords with his Gran Killers, but his guard was weak. His arm was bleeding and wracked with pain, so his response time of his left was sluggish. He knew that they had to deal with the interloping demons quickly. He didn't think he and VictoryGreymon could handle fighting both Black Imperialdramon and demons at the same time. If the Republican army didn't close the holes in their lines, things were going to get very messy. It was all he could do to keep her away from them.
"We've gotta deal with this fast!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted, speeding through the darkness towards the charging demons.
He dextrously evaded an arc of light as a Phantomon launched the sickle of energy towards him. Despite the pain in his body, he zigzagged back and forth erratically, closing in on the phantom Digimon.
The Phantomon swung the ball and chain on the end of his scythe around, attempting to hit the mercenary as he got near. GrandisKuwagamon ducked under the flail and managed to hook the chain in the Gran Killers. The ball wrapped around his claws and held the Phantomon in place.
The sound of an incoming beam howled from behind him. With his instincts working over time, GrandisKuwagamon looked over his shoulder to see Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode launching a laser straight at them. Even as she fired the positronic maelstrom, she batted one of the incoming Trump Swords away like it was an annoying fly.
As the stream of light hurled towards him, GrandisKuwagamon hissed. He looked back at his hooked claws and the Phantomon who sped towards him to try and slice him in two as he was distracted. GrandisKuwagamon grunted and began speeding in the opposite direction, straight towards the beam. The chain suddenly became taut, and the slower Phantomon was suddenly towed behind the zipping insect.
The beam closed in, and as it reached a dangerous distance from him, GrandisKuwagamon suddenly veered hard to the left. When he did, he wrenched the chain to the right and swung the Phantomon straight into the beam.
"Better you than me," he said as the beam obliterated the ghost.
Meanwhile, Black Imperialdramon bashed another of the clown demon's swords away with her tail as it tried to stab her in the back. She ignored the cut that opened up on the black appendage. The other sword raced towards her magically from the front, speeding towards her face.
The sword closed in and she caught the sword with her bare hand. The metal tip stopped centimeters away from her eye, and she squeezed the blade up to its crossguard. She didn't react, even as blood oozed from her palm and trickled down her black scales. She glared past the sword at the Piemon and GrandisKuwagamon, who weren't far from each other now.
Meanwhile, VictoryGreymon used his shield to block a barrage of explosive spell tags that were thrown from a Doumon. As the explosions let up around him, he watched as the dark dragon began speeding towards GrandisKuwagamon. "Grandis! Look out!"
GrandisKuwagamon winced as one of the swords sliced along his injured arm. Blood was dripping down his arm, his back, and his face from the collective injuries he sustained. Fighting through the pain, he remained vigilant. He saw Imperialdramon soaring towards them with murderous intent. Taking stock of the situation, he began speeding away from the Piemon and towards the Doumon, hoping that she would go after the demon clown first.
"Get back here!" the Piemon shouted, beginning to fly after him.
She took the bait.
Before the Piemon could get any further, a metal cannon slammed into his face and spiked the clown onto the shattered road. Not long after his back impacted the ground painfully, a heavy, metal boot slammed down onto his ribs.
Wincing, the Piemon looked up to see Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode towering over him. With the moon at her winged back, all he could see was her black silhouette and a pair of glowing, red eyes. The baron clown's expression dropped with horror as she slowly pointed her arm-mounted cannon at his face.
"Positron Cannon," the shadowy face spoke against the lunar backlight.
VictoryGreymon and GrandisKuwagamon both spun around to see an eruption of light in the middle of the road. Both the Piemon and Imperialdramon vanished within the blinding flash.
"Shit…" GrandisKuwagamon hissed, flying towards VictoryGreymon and the Doumon.
The Doumon, seeing that all of his companions were dead, did the prudent thing and began to flee. The demon fox tried to fly back to the front lines as quickly as possible, knowing that he was far too exposed on his own.
"I don't think so!" GrandisKuwagamon growled, his pain-fuelled adrenaline getting the better of him. He raced after the retreating demon and began to close the distance.
"Grandis, stop!" VictoryGreymon shouted after him.
"You're too soft!" GrandisKuwagamon fired back, brandishing his Gran Killers. He slowly began to catch up with the mystical fox, who looked over his shoulder at GrandisKuwagamon with fear in his eyes. He raised his honed gauntlets, which began to shimmer with reflected light
"No! I mean, look out! Above you!"
Before the dragon man could finish warning him, a pillar of light descended right in front of the Doumon. Not looking where he was going, the Doumon slammed head first into the Positron Laser. As the Doumon vaporized, GrandisKuwagamon wrenched his body backwards and beat his wings furiously to stop himself from sharing a similar fate.
As the light faded into darkness, Black Imperialdramon descended on GrandisKuwagamon with shining claws. She slashed down the length of his chest with unhallowed radiance.
"Grah!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted as his chest burned with pain. He stabbed his Gran Killers forwards, piercing Imperialdramon below her shoulder.
Even as the Gran Killer burrowed into her black scales and drew blood down the three blades, she didn't respond with anything other than menacing hatred. She simply reached up, grabbed the Gran Killer embedded in her shoulder, and pulled it out. As soon as it was out, she began bending GrandisKuwagamon's hand back painfully. After a few seconds, GrandisKuwagamon's wings nearly buckled; it felt like she was pulling his hand out of its socket.
He drove his foot into her abdomen hard enough for her to let go. She stabbed at him with her claws but he was able to block her strike. As he made to slash her, she suddenly spun around and slammed her tail into his side.
The tail bashed the seeping wound in GrandisKuwagamon's exoskeleton hard enough for him to falter in his slash and end up striking her armour. At this critical moment, he was exposed.
"Die," she spoke with in a deep menace.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode slammed her wrist cannon across GrandisKuwagamon's face. She then grabbed his hard mandible and started beating him repeatedly with the cannon. She raised her hands above her head and then smashed them down onto GrandisKuwagamon's head, spiking him towards the crater.
Too stunned to brace himself, he plummeted in a free fall towards the ground. As he fell, Imperialdramon aimed her wrist cannon and began firing blast after blast at him. The bursts of positrons rained down around the falling scarab man, one pelting his back and increasing the speed of his fall.
GrandisKuwagamon slammed into the soil around the edge of the crater. He tumbled down the hill several times, before forcing himself to stab the ground in an attempt to weakly stop himself. He rolled over onto his back just in time for another Positron Laser to drill into the ground beside him. The explosion blasted his ebony frame and sent him flying out of the crater, where he crashed on the fractured remains of the road.
He lay there nearly unmoving. His chest was heaving, his armour and exoskeleton had fractures throughout, and smoke drifted up from his fresh burns.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode landed nearby. As she began to level her cannon towards the fallen bug, she heard something behind her.
"Stay away from him!" a voice yelled desperately.
She methodically turned to see VictoryGreymon barreling towards her. She spun around and fired her wrist cannon at him.
VictoryGreymon clenched his teeth and raised his broadsword in front of him. "Victory Charge!" he shouted, snapping the sword open and creating a barrier in front of him.
The burst of positrons slammed into the sword and rebounded back. VictoryGreymon angled his sword precisely, aiming it so that the sphere of concentrated power sailed right past Imperialdramon's face. Her features were cold and sinister as the blast blew past her flowing white hair, hardly reacting as it careened into the opposite side of the crater behind her.
VictoryGreymon continued charging her. With the momentum of a locomotive, he closed the distance and ploughed into her. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight, restrictive hug.
"Imperialdramon! I know you're in there! You need to fight it!" VictoryGreymon cried out, staring into her eyes ardently. "I'm… I'm so sorry! I can't imagine how much pain you're in right now. I'm so sorry about ExVeemon!" Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he pleaded with her. "I know you don't want to do this! I know that this isn't you! You need to fight the darkness that's filling your heart!"
Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode narrowed her eyes menacingly as she observed VictoryGreymon. She strained her arms, trying to break free from his crushing hold, but his sheer strength was a match for hers, even in this form.
VictoryGreymon smiled sadly. "I know a bit of the pain that you're feeling right now… My father… he's really hurt right now. I know that you want to blame GrandisKuwagamon and the Demon Lords. I know that you want to hurt them like you're hurting. But… it's not going to bring anybody back. I don't think that ExVeemon would want to see you doing this, do you? Would he really want you doing this for him…?"
The dark shadow of Imperialdramon stalled for a moment. She ceased struggling against his hold, just for a few seconds. She looked down and stared into VictoryGreymon's eyes.
"You're not like this, Paildramon. I know this isn't you. You're kind… You're always helping others. You're always calm and you know exactly what to do. You always do what's right, and you never disobey orders. You've got a big heart, even if you act professional all the time," VictoryGreymon told her passionately. "These are the reasons why you're strong! It's not because you're a super powerful Ultimate level who can take on the Demon Lords! Strength comes from the inside, not the outside!"
The black dragon warrior's eyes widened. His words touched something inside of her. There was a faint flicker of warmth in the cold abyss that was her heart.
VictoryGreymon smiled warmly at her. "You're one of the strongest people I know… Come back to us… please…"
Black Imperialdramon closed her eyes gently and she seemed to slacken a little. A single tear rolled down her face.
And then VictoryGreymon felt hot metal press against his abdomen. He looked up to see Imperialdramon open her tearful eyes and reveal the same, baleful, blood red glare.
"Positron Laser."
She fired her cannon point blank into VictoryGreymon's gut. The beam washed over his body and split around him. The dragon man was blasted several meters away from her. What remained of his fractured, chrome digizoid breast plate was torn to metallic shreds. He roared with pain and cleaved the Dramon Breaker into the ground to stop himself and remain standing.
He skidded along the earth, his sword cutting along the soil and stone. He dug his clawed feet into the ground and eventually dragged himself to a stop.
VictoryGreymon lurched forwards on the Dramon Breaker like a crutch. His stomach wafted with smoke. The armour fell away and revealed his bare chest, which was scarred with several bloody cuts from GrandisKuwagamon's previous assault. His firm abs were heaving up and down from physical exertion. Sweat drenched his body, and mingled with the several trickles of blood that stained his chest.
Despite all this, VictoryGreymon slowly looked up. He gripped his sword tighter and he dug his toes into the soil. He stood firm, like an unyielding wall. Despite his tears, his emerald eyes hardened, not with anger or pain, but with determination. No matter how much he was beaten, no matter how much he suffered, both inside and out, he refused to back down. He refused to give up. He refused to take the easy route if it would cause pain. Instead, he chose to believe in hope.
He chose to believe in himself.
"Paildramon!" VictoryGreymon shouted. Emphatically, he ripped the Dramon Breaker out of the ground, carrying earth with it as he drew the blade. And then, he threw the blade aside.
The Dramon Breaker fell to the ground with a deep crash. VictoryGreymon held his arms out wide, exposing himself and showing his peaceful intent. "I won't fight you, Paildramon!" he declared.
GrandisKuwagamon weakly raised his head and looked over with a pained grimace. "Victory… What are you doing…?" he grievously asked.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode observed VictoryGreymon with a sideways tilt of the head. Regardless, she began to slowly stalk towards him.
"I'm not good for much… I'm not a good soldier. I can't bring myself to kill her," VictoryGreymon admitted. "Maybe that's why I'll never be good enough to be a Royal Knight. I do stupid things a lot of the time. You're right, Grandis… I'm an idiot. But I'm an idiot who doesn't want to give up! If I can just be kind to people, even to people who won't listen or who think I'm naïve… well, maybe kindness will be enough. If I can get through to you, maybe I can get through to her too…"
"No, don't…" he hissed, struggling to fight against the pain wracking his body.
VictoryGreymon began slowly walking towards the dark marauder. He made no motion to attack her. His arms hung passively by his sides. He refused to break his gaze with the ebony Fighter Mode.
"Imperialdramon… listen to me. I'm going to save you," VictoryGreymon smiled weakly. "Because that's what a Royal Knight would do."
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode skulked forwards at a steady pace. She stopped several meters away from the passive dragon man. She pointed her arm cannon towards VictoryGreymon, who stood opposite her with arms outstretched. She made to fire.
"You're strong enough to fight this… There's an inner strength inside you stronger than any power you have right now. I truly believe that," VictoryGreymon explained, smiling hopefully.
Black Imperialdramon tried to fire. However, she hesitated. She looked down to see that her arm was trembling. It was as if something inside her was trying to stop her.
The shadowy Fighter Mode, growled in a deep, masculine snarl and gripped her elbow, pointing the cannon squarely at VictoryGreymon's chest. She clenched her extended hand. As positrons built up in her wrist cannon, she once again felt hesitation.
Frustrated, she abandoned that tactic and decided to charge him headlong. With a powerful blast of her wings, she closed the distance between them. With a pained snarl, Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode's claws shimmered in the darkness with deadly light. She slashed her Splendor Blade down on VictoryGreymon.
VictoryGreymon raised the shield over his left arm and blocked the strike in a cascade of sparks. However, his right side was exposed without his sword. Black Imperialdramon slashed with her left, and bashed VictoryGreymon's arm to the side, exposing his chest. The corrupted dragon grabbed his shield and threw it away.
VictoryGreymon winced, but refused to attack her. "Paildramon…!"
Black Imperialdramon, a tear running down her face, slashed her claws across VictoryGreymon's chest. Her talons dug through his scales, drawing blood.
The dragon man's face tightened into a pained grimace. Nevertheless, he continued to hold his ground. "I promised… Not to let anyone die…"
She tore her claws down his chest, from his shoulder to his abdomen.
"Rnnngh! I… know you can hear me… Fight it… I believe… you can…" VictoryGreymon sputtered stubbornly, crossing his arms in front of him.
She fired her cannon into his protective arms, blasting his armoured bracers apart and singing the scales beneath.
"You're a… good Digimon, Paildramon… You can… do it!" he weakly shouted, taking a step back under the vicious assault.
Imperialdramon broke through his guard, tearing her claws across his arms. With her enemy exposed, she continued a slashing his chest. Her claws left red streaks down his body with every swipe. She kept slashing away at him mercilessly, desiring only to kill.
"Pa-Pail…dramon…" he choked in agony, staggering backwards. Despite the blood flowing down his chest, he reached out to her. "Let me… save you…"
Black Imperialdramon drove her claws into his midsection and then kicked him off. The blood dripped off her claws as she raised her arm and fired a Positron Cannon blast at him. The beam clipped his shoulder and tore his armoured pauldron to shreds. She then lunged forwards and dragged her claws down VictoryGreymon's chest once again.
VictoryGreymon lurched forwards, blood leaking off his body and dripping to the ground all around him. Still, he remained standing, clutching his aching form with a bloodied hand. He slowly looked up in time to see Imperialdramon reach for him.
"Paildramon…"
She tightened her hand around VictoryGreymon's neck and lifted him off the ground, squeezing his throat. The dark dragon held him at eye level, glaring into his fading, half-lidded eyes.
Defiantly… Stubbornly… VictoryGreymon weakly raised his arm and he placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Pail… dramon…"
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode's eyes rested on the hand on her shoulder. For a moment, she loosened her hold. But the darkness within her surged and took over once again. She had had enough. She extended the bladed cannon from her chest and placed it against VictoryGreymon.
"Ion Blaster."
VictoryGreymon's chest exploded with light and he was swallowed by its crushing folds. He was sent crashing across the dirt, a dozen meters away. He tumbled across the ground, covered in dirt, until he came to a stop on his back.
VictoryGreymon was a shredded mess. Blood leaked out of the numerous gashes in his chest. His body was burnt and smoking. His arms were bruised and matted with mud. This time, he didn't get back up.
His haggard breaths were weak and shallow. He was barely able to suck in the oxygen that he needed. The blood dripping from his chest began to stain the stone around his body. The pain he felt was unbearable, as if his entire body had serrated knives sticking out of it. VictoryGreymon couldn't move. He was too weak and in too much agony. All he could do was lie there and feel the life slowly draining out of him.
His tearful emerald eyes stared up at the stars. He wasn't sure why, but the oppressive darkness of the night seemed to fade away. Instead, his vision began to go white. It was like the night had turned to day. The clouds became an intense pearl hue, and the black sky became a dark blue. The colours were so sharp, so vivid. His face began to feel numb, and his mind became disoriented and foggy. VictoryGreymon barely realised it, but he was growing light-headed from blood loss.
He weakly raised his horned head and stared past his bleeding, heaving chest. The only thing he could see through his clouded vision was Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode strolling towards him. He couldn't move at all. He was completely vulnerable. He realised he didn't have much time left.
VictoryGreymon slowly raised his hand and outstretched it towards Imperialdramon. Desperate to get through to her, he tried to reach for her. But she was too far away. Despite everything he did, he had failed. She remained just out of his reach…
A data particle floated up from the gashes in his chest and ascended towards the stars. A few seconds later, one more particle drifted away. It was like the very start of a gentle snow, like the ones he sometimes saw in Greyheimr during the winter months.
VictoryGreymon slowly rested his head against the ground. The particles were bright and intense in his eyes. They reminded him of the solar particles that ShineGreymon emitted from his wings. He always thought that they were pretty.
A tear rolled out of the corner of his eye as he remembered his friends. "ShineGreymon… I'm so sorry…" he thought to himself as felt his mind drifting. "I didn't mean to make you guys sad… I just… All I wanted…"
Memory data began flashing through his mind, scrolling like moving pictures.
He remembered standing with his friends as a Greymon. He had just defeated a bandit charge single-handedly.
The method of victory was launching Mega Flame attacks at the charging Rhinomon again and again... and again. By the time the Rhinomon had reached him, he had been slowed enough for Greymon to recklessly headbutt him. He then followed it up by tackling the Rhinomon to the ground until he gave in. As he sat on the bandit, he was smiling proudly.
"Gee, Greymon. That was real creative," his friend teased him. "Real outside the box tactics there."
"Wow, you're a real hero," another of his friends wryly added.
"Haha. Yeah, nice one, Greymon. Nobody gets past you. You're like a stone wall," ShineGreymon's younger voice said between stifled snickers and furtive nudging. "No, no, wait. A hero needs a nickname… The Brick Wall of Fire! It's perfect for you, dude!"
"The Brick Wall of Fire, huh…?" he remembered, his younger self swelling with pride at the moniker.
VictoryGreymon remembered fondly. He had always wanted to be a hero. Ever since that day. The day that changed his life forever.
He remembered looking up at Alphamon and the other Royal Knights with pure awe and adulation. Setting his eyes on the group of powerful and heroic Ultimate level Digimon, his body clad in majestic plate armour, his glorious mantle rippling in the wind, a hero of countless tales of adventure… Yet, there they were, in his father's tavern, willing to take the time to talk to a young child such as himself. They were willing to put their lives on the line for other Digimon. He wanted to be just like them…
"Do you think I can I be a hero like you?" his younger self had worked up the courage to ask.
Alphamon gazed down at him with a warm and encouraging smile that made him feel like he could do anything. "That look in your eyes… I see a lot of potential in you. That look says that you want to help people. Agumon, isn't it…? With enough hard work, determination, and a good heart, you can do anything. You could even come and join our Order one day. I'm expecting great things from you."
Despite the immense agony that wracked his body, VictoryGreymon managed a small smile. Another data particle drifted up from one of his tears. He weakly glanced down at Black Imperialdramon Fighting Mode, barely able to make her out through his blurry, swirling vision. The dragon knight turned his eyes towards the sky, reaching up.
"Did I do a good enough job…? Did I become a hero…?"
With those fleeting thoughts, VictoryGreymon's mind faded into darkness. His hand dropped. His head fell to the side and he succumbed to unconsciousness.
As the dragon man lay there, unmoving, Black Imperialdramon approached.
The dark paladin stalked forwards, slowly and methodically. She was like a predator, prowling towards her helpless prey. Despite the lingering tears on her face, her features were devoid of any emotion but aloof hatred.
Her body was shaded completely black, barely visible within the umbrous night. She was like a skulking shadow. Her eyes seemed to bleed with ruby light against the dark atmosphere as she stalked towards VictoryGreymon.
Finally, she stopped, ten meters away from her target. She stood there for a few moments, beholding his ravaged body. And then, she raised her right arm, pointing her cannon right at VictoryGreymon. She clenched her fist and took precise aim.
Positrons began surging into the breath chamber of her wrist-mounted cannon. The intense, white power flooded through the cannon's breech. As she charged her shot, the muzzle brimmed with light, brightly enough to illuminate her terrifying form.
The darkness around them vanished as her light illuminated the street. Her claws dug into her palm and drew blood as she clenched her fist and aimed. The positronic energy wafted from her cannon and she prepared to fire. Despite the tears resting in her cruel, blood red eyes, her gaze hardened. The darkness of her form quashed her, and it steeled its resolve.
Her eyes relaxed and she calmly glared at the VictoryGreymon's body. Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode was in control, and it was ready to finish him off.
"…Positron Cannon."
A light blue beam ripped from the muzzle of her cannon, piercing the darkness. The torrent howled with all of her rage and pain as the concentrated laser ripped through the night sky towards VictoryGreymon.
VictoryGreymon lay still, his eye sparkling as the light approached. His features glowed an intense white as the beam threatened to consume him. The laser surged forwards, eating up the ground in front of him, tearing the stone to pieces. It closed in on him, and his body grew bright.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode lowered her cannon as the beam faded from her cannon. She stared in front of her, waiting for the light to clear. As it faded back into its natural state of darkness, she eyed with desolation before her, not with any satisfaction, but with cold emptiness. She leered at the place that she had aimed for; the spot where VictoryGreymon had been lying. She expected to see a large crater of ash.
She froze.
A dark shadow stood before her, several meters away. It threw itself right in front of the place that she had aimed. It stood right in front of VictoryGreymon, right in the path of her blast.
GrandisKuwagamon stood before her, his crimson eye blazing as he glared back. Smoke drifted up in front of his face.
He slowly looked down, watching as azure smoke wafted from his midsection. There was a gaping hole in the center of his chest where the Positron Laser had impacted. The beam had shattered his exoskeleton inwards, puncturing his carapace and ripping a hole inside of him. Blue smoke poured out of the gaping cavity, and blood began seeping down his chest.
After a stunned moment, he lurched forwards and placed his black hands over the large hole, keeping his exposed insides in. In the center of the bleeding cavern was a glowing, blue sphere, almost crystalline in nature. It was GrandisKuwagamon's digicore, and there was a deep fracture running through the center of it.
GrandisKuwagamon slowly glanced behind him. He saw VictoryGreymon lying behind him. He was in a critical condition, but he was still alive. He had managed to take the full force of the attack in time.
The black mercenary coughed and insect blood formed in the corners of his mouth. He could feel the taste of iron on his tongue, and he knew that it wasn't good.
"Heh… Fuck…" he laughed with bitter irony at himself through his immeasurable pain. "What the hell is wrong with me…? Damn legs… moved without thinking…"
He clutched his cavernous wound tightly, feeling the warm blood running down his fingers and Gran Killers. He was barely able to think through the agony. "Looks like… I'm as big… of an idiot as you are, Vic…" he wheezed. "Must be going s-soft… Can't believe… I just saved the life of s-somebody like you…"
"D-Damn it…" he sputtered, wobbling forwards. It took all of his concentration not to collapse to his knees. "I've fucking done it now… Think this is pro'bly it…"
He grimaced and slowly raised his head to glare at Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode stood there, her Positron Laser still pointed at them. In a rare display of emotion, she looked visibly stunned. Her crimson eye twitched, and there were conflicting emotions on her face.
GrandisKuwagamon's face darkened, and he took a shaky step towards her. "P… Paildramon…" he addressed her, taking another step forwards as he kept himself together. "You got what you wanted… Revenge… I know it's the darkness d-doing this… but even this form should… know how hollow it is… I've… I've be-been there before…"
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode struggled to regain control of its form. Starting to beat the resistance inside it down, it opened the draconic maw on its chest and summoned a giant cannon within its abyss.
"After my village… all I wanted was to kill the bastards who did it… I didn't realise it 'til now… but… I died that day... I turned… into something else. I just kept killing… Never could fill that void inside me… I accepted it. Accepted the feeling of falling into darkness. Wi-Without realising it, I ended up becoming as bad as them… But… you're better than us… If you can't… break free… I won't let you become as bad as we are…" GrandisKuwagamon explained through bloody heaves, pushing himself forwards despite the cannon.
Black Imperialdramon aimed the cannon at GrandisKuwagamon and VictoryGreymon. The Giga Death blast would be strong enough to obliterate them all. She placed her clawed, ebony hands on the cannon's handles and gripped tightly.
GrandisKuwagamon's grimacing face hardened with determination. "If I… have to die here… I'm sure as hell… not leaving you like this…" he promised her. As GrandisKuwagamon stalked towards her, he could see the faint glow of light in the depths of Imperialdramon's chest.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode readied her attack, preparing to fire as GrandisKuwagamon skulked up to her. Her hard eyes suddenly grimaced with extreme, inner pain.
In that moment, the baleful wrath in her eyes faded. They were replaced with a soft, pleading gaze. Imperialdramon stared into GrandisKuwagamon's eye, silently asking him a request that he implicitly understood.
"G… Gra…" she stammered, putting all of her effort into fighting the immense and wild power. In a moment of lucidity, her eyes softened and became gentle and calm, like they used to be. She quietly nodded at him, giving him permission.
And then, the darkness of Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode overtook her again. Her eyes became sharp and callous. She gripped her cannon and sent dark energy pouring through it.
"G…"
GrandisKuwagamon stalked up to her, blood trailing on the ground behind him. As he closed in on her, he released his hands from his grievous wound and readied his Gran Killers. His crimson eye flashed and locked with Imperialdramon's.
"Paildramon…"
Imperialdramon's energy howled as the destructive mass reached its apex with her cannon and started pouring out.
GrandisKuwagamon calmly stepped up to her. He coiled his arm back and drove it forwards.
"Giga Death."
"Gran Killer."
GrandisKuwagamon thrust his Gran Killers forwards, right as the beam fired. The dimension-cutting blades stabbed right into the muzzle of the cannon and pierced through the laser right before it fired. Slicing through the brimming, destructive energy, they stabbed down the length of the cannon, splitting the weapon in two. With a mighty push, the claws continued penetrating.
As the beam tendrils split around his arm, GrandisKuwagamon kept pushing, all the way through the dragon mouth in Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode's chest. Sparks erupted and metal screeched as the metal dragged against armour. The three blades burst out of Imperialdramon's back, covered with blood.
And then, the Giga Death fired.
With the energy chamber split open, the beam exploded wildly. GrandisKuwagamon's Gran Killers became encased with light as the beam exploded around his arm and burned his body. The Giga Death fired manically from her draconic mouth, bursting out of the holes in Imperialdramon's back. Two streaks of light pierced the sky and eviscerated the ground around them as Imperialdramon was exorcised from her darkness.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode's arms and legs trembled, and she staggered in place, stunned. She looked down at the half-melted Gran Killer embedded her chest. It remained jutting out of her back, dripping with blood and smoking with residual power. Dark energy seemed to gush out of the wounds.
Weakly, she stared at GrandisKuwagamon in front of him, his wound still hemorrhaging and arms burned. With a single motion, GrandisKuwagamon pulled the Gran Killer from her upper body. There was a spurt of blood, and the shadows began pouring out more fully.
Black Imperialdramon Fighter Mode became engulfed in a coruscating white light, like a radiant star. Her form shrunk and vanished, the darkness finally melting away. She reverted back into her Paildramon form, the three wounds in the center of her chest still leaking crimson.
Paildramon began to collapse, but GrandisKuwagamon reached forwards. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in a weak embrace. Barely able to hold himself up, let alone Paildramon's weight, he collapsed to his knees, doing his best to hold her against him.
Slowly, he leaned forwards and whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry…"
After a few seconds of holding her with care, his arms gave way. Paildramon crashed to the ground, her vision blurry and fading. GrandisKuwagamon fell onto his back, clutching his mortal wound.
Paildramon felt searing pain through her body. She felt her consciousness slipping as blood began to stain the ground beneath her.
The mortal shock to the system was enough to bring her back to reality. She turned her head weakly and stared over at VictoryGreymon. He wasn't moving. The pain of guilt hurt far more than the physical pain that she was feeling right now. She wanted to help him, though she couldn't move.
Paildramon slowly looked around. The entire commercial district around where they had been fighting had been levelled. The buildings were rubble. Small fires burned amidst the hollowed-out ruins. In her fading consciousness, she knew that she was responsible.
As her field of vision began to cloud over, she turned her head to the side. She stared down the street, towards the north. Within her blurry vision, she could see a faint hint of blue and white emerging from the stifling darkness.
Although it barely registered at first, she could swear that she saw ExVeemon running towards her, almost in slow motion. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was an ExVeemon, blood running down his shoulder, desperately reaching out to her as he ran towards her. Any words that he tried to say were muffled.
As her eyes slowly closed, SaviorHackmon caught up to the blue dragon, grabbing his arm and trying to hold him back.
"ExVeemon…?" was her final thought before her mind went black.
Meanwhile, GrandisKuwagamon lay on his back, staring up at the night sky. Before him was a great hole in the clouds, leading to the abyss of the night. He felt like the great void was greeting him.
He had always been a Digimon of the void. He flew through it, harnessed its energy, and manipulated it. And now, he felt as though his balance had to be paid. He felt as if it was time for him to become a part of the void permanently. That was the only future for somebody like him. After all, when it came time for Anubismon to balance his scales, GrandisKuwagamon didn't have high hopes for his chances. He had always told himself that he accepted that. Right now, he began to ready himself.
…However, a hint of rebellion still flickered within the dying mercenary.
"I'm dying… I thought I'd be ready. But… I'm not," GrandisKuwagamon weakly thought as his blood soaked the ground. "Is this really it? Why should I die…?"
The scarab mercenary lowered his hand and dug his bloody fingers into the soil. "After all this… after everything I've done, after everything I went though. What good is dying right now if I haven't accomplished anything? I didn't survive the night that my village was destroyed for nothing. I didn't crawl, and fight, and claw my way through hell just to die here. …Not when I can still do something. Not when I can try to do something half-decent for a fucking change. I'm not going to make this my last stand…"
GrandisKuwagamon clenched his fists tightly, his hands trembling. "I'm not going to be like those X-Antibody MetalTyrannomon. Just… Just because I'm like them, it doesn't mean I have to die like them. Just because I absorbed them, I'm not defined by them. I'm not defined by it. I can choose to be more… I can change…"
His crimson eye shimmered for a moment as he stared into the gaping abyss above. He saw his data beginning to float up, mingling with the stars in the astral void. "I don't want to die, damn it… I want my life to have meaning. Otherwise, I might as well have just died back in Manu village with my family. I still… have things I need to do… Maybe I can even… save someone…"
As GrandisKuwagamon fought for his life, the fractured digicore in the exposed cavity in his chest began to glow weakly.
"Damn it…" he choked out, gurgling on blood. "I refuse… to die…"
The exposed digicore glowed intensely and brilliantly, coating his body in warmth.
"I'm going to live, damn it!" he shouted with a spatter of blood. He suddenly released his emotions. The years of careful tempering… the constant discipline… He had learned to hold it back like a dam with ease. Restraining the X-Antibody had become second nature to him now.
But now… he was ready give up control. He allowed himself to succumb to it. He allowed himself to change.
"XAI System! Activate!"
GrandisKuwagamon's exposed digicore suddenly burned a brilliant blue. A blue 'X' appeared over the whole of his digicore. Then, seven crimson dots appeared with the crystalline sphere along the X. The digicore began to seal and flicker, and the base data of GrandisKuwagamon's core began to be overwritten.
He was already in immense pain, but his body began to wrench and jerk in a sudden, abject agony. A sharp, constant pain surged through his writhing body, as the data of his entire form started being overwritten at a particle level. A bloody howl ripped from his throat as his chest became engulfed in blinding light.
And then, the dark insect's body was consumed in a shine of radiance.
A spark of light within the desolate void.
(Author's Note: ...Whew. Things are looking pretty grave for our heroes (and anti-heroes). Will they be able to pull through? Find out in... two chapters. Because the next chapter focuses on other characters. Sorry to keep you hanging over this crumbling cliff with an unravelling rope! Thanks for reading, and hang in there.)