"Do any of you known where Renamon is? I can't seem to find her anywhere."

In response to Salamon's question, Gabumon tilted his head towards Dorumon. Dorumon shook his head and looked at Biyomon. Since she hadn't seen the fox either, Biyomon shrugged. Salamon let out a huff and sat down, her ears drooping. Half an hour and searching the castle and she had yet to be able to find Renamon. It had been hours since anyone had seen her. While she was prone to disappearing to get time to herself, she rarely did so for so long. The last time she had left the group to be by herself had been shortly after everyone had met each other.

Something had to be bothering her.

Dorumon frowned. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen her at all today."

"I haven't either," Gabumon said.

"You don't think something's wrong, do you?" Biyomon asked.

"I'm just worried," Salamon admitted. "When she has something on her mind, she usually refuses to stop thinking about it and letting it bother her."

"Good point. It's hard telling what she's stewing over this time."

"I doubt she'd be inside the castle…," Gabumon mumbled as he scratched his chin. "Did you check to see if she was on the wall?"

"Not yet. You're right, though. That's probably where she is." With a nod, Salamon stood up and turned around. "Thank you."

"Want us to come with you?" Dorumon asked. "We've got nothing better to do."

"Yes," was her immediate response, though a beat later she added, "if all of you want to."

Biyomon and Gabumon glanced at each other and then nodded.

"Dorumon's right," Gabumon said, rubbing the back of his head. "We're not doing much of anything right now."

"Yeah. I don't mind tagging along."

Renamon, meanwhile, was sitting on the edge of the parapet, staring up at the sky. Her encounter with Sandiramon had made its way back into her thoughts. What had he meant? Had he been telling the truth about the Royal Knights? He had seemed that he sincerely believed in what he said. He had even gone so far as to call her misguided. Still, she found it difficult to believe the Royal Knights had done anything worse than what Laylamon was currently doing. Nothing short of actual genocide could justify starting a war that caused innocent Digimon to lose their lives.

Hearing the door, she turned her head to the side long enough to see Salamon and the others walking towards her. They gathered around her. Salamon stretching up to stand on her hind legs, placing her forepaws against the stone.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Simply thinking."

"About?"

"When I faced Sandiramon, he mentioned the Royal Knights. I had brushed it aside at the time, but Gallantmon's sudden appearance during the battle reminded me of it." She lowered her gaze and crossed her arms. "He accused the Royal Knights of bringing harm to the world."

"Weren't they the ones who kept the peace? What could they have done to hurt anyone?" Biyomon wondered.

"I can't say. It seems odd that so many of the Devas would align themselves with Laylamon. Every story I ever heard portrayed them as a force of good. Yet…they did such terrible things. What could possibly have warranted their actions?"

Gabumon hummed. "Do you think Gallantmon would be willing to tell us anything?"

"If he even remembers. A lot of Digimon don't keep their memories when they're reformatted," Biyomon pointed out.

"Well, if there's even a chance that he does, shouldn't we ask him?" Dorumon asked

"No." Before any of them could speak up, she decided to explain. "There is no need for us to know whether or not Sandiramon was telling the truth. At least, not at the moment. If he does remember, I doubt he would tell us. After all, if the Royal Knights were the reason for what Laylamon is doing, there would be a trust issue that would be detrimental to us. If he doesn't remember, then he would most likely think he is guilty of something that may not be fault of the Royal Knights. The best thing to do is push it aside. We can find out the truth once this is all over."

"I guess you're right, even though it would be nice to know…"

"I agree. It would be comforting to know, but it serves us no purpose." She got to her feet and hopped off the edge. "Let's go back inside."

They stared for a moment before scrambling to catch up to her.

As they headed for the foyer, Shoutmon came running up to them. Renamon was about to ask what he wanted when he bent over and held up his hand. Once he caught his breath, he stood straight.

"Sorry. BanchoLeomon wants to talk to you about something important. Your partners are already in the conference room."

"Alright. Thank you for letting us know."

Shoutmon grinned before dashing away.

They made their way into the conference room. Their partners, gathered at the end of the table, looked over their shoulders at the Digimon with varying expressions of annoyance. BanchoLeomon was pacing the length of the room, going from one side to the other. Renamon looked at Daiki in expectance, but the teenager rolled his eyes instead of answering. When BanchoLeomon finally stopped, he leaned against the table with a scowl on his face.

Daiki put his hands on his hips. "Why'd you call us in for another meeting?"

"Laylamon's troops have been spotted in both the Rock Zone and the Desert Zone," BanchoLeomon said in a tense voice. "I doubt they will attempt another attack on the castle, but I am worried that they will target any villages they encounter. Gallantmon and I were speaking about the situation and decided that it would be best for you to deal with the group in the Desert Zone. Currently they are making their way southwest from the northeastern corner."

"Sure thing."

"Who's going after the ones in the Rock Zone?" Gabumon asked.

"Gallantmon is going to lead a group there."

Renamon narrowed her eyes. Daiki noticed, tilting his head enough to look at her, but said nothing.

"However, I want you all to be prepared to provide them assistance if necessary. The force in the Rock Zone is noticeably larger than the other one."

"Of course," Renamon said with a nod. "Is there any other information we should know?"

"A Mega is leading them. Please exercise extreme caution when confronting them. I would go myself, but..."

"You are needed here. We'll be sure to handle the situation. No need to worry."

"I want you to take these." He motioned to the three devices on the table. "Since you all have a tendency of being separated, it would be best if you took all three. I will leave it to you to decide who gets one."

Scratching the back of his head, Judai chuckled. "Right. That's a pretty good point."

"We'll decide later. We should get moving now so we can take care of them before they hurt anyone."

~0~

He dug the tips of his boots into the sand and glared upwards into the sky. There had been no doubt in his mind when he had first made the decision to do this, but the longer he waited to see his target appear on the horizon, the more anxious he became.

Why was he doing this?

What could he possibly hope to accomplish?

There were no benefits for him. Win or lose, he gained nothing.

Yet he felt the need to fight.

He could always turn around and run away, but what good would that do him? It would be impossible to hide. Either the Resistance would find him—and he very much doubted they would be willing to forgive him—or Laylamon would. She would be even less forgiving. Even if the Resistance was willing to trust him to fight alongside them, he would still risk having to face Laylamon. Betrayal was a matter she took very seriously. No mercy would be shown towards him in a battle against her.

No matter what path he chose he would be on the losing end.

So what was the point?

To avoid dying like the coward he was?

As a dark shape began to approach, Beelzemon stepped back to hide in the shadows cast by the giant rocks. When he could see Birdramon, he drew both of his guns and pointed them upwards. He aimed for her wings and pulled the triggers. There was a set of loud bangs, followed by a shrill shriek from the bird. Her entire body tilted slightly, having been thrown off by the attack, yet she stayed in the air. Several more shots injured the bird further. No longer able to fly safely, she landed on the ground in a plum of dust and sand a short distance away.

Beelzemon peeked out from behind the rock and watched the group as they argued.

This was a mistake.

But he was going to go through with it.

Steeling himself, he left the cover of the shadows and walked towards the group. It was Mikami who saw him first, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Beelzemon," Mikami muttered.

The name drew the attention of her friends, who turned their gazes to him as he approached.

"Mikami," he greeted in a calm tone.

He stopped and raised his head, doing his best to keep an emotionless expression. Several of them were ready to say something when Mikami began to speak again.

"It was you, wasn't it? You were the reason the Resistance headquarters was attacked."

"…Yes."

"I knew it. You lied to me and tricked me." She let out a sour laugh. "Here I thought you were better than the others, but you're even worse. Bet everything you said to me was a bunch of lies too."

"No," he said, his voice low. "I meant what I said."

"So why?"

"I had to."

"Bullshit! You could've turned your back on Laylamon, but you didn't. Instead you kept listening to her orders and doing what she told you to do. How many more Digimon have to get hurt before you finally see the truth?"

All the pain, sorrow, cruelty and unnecessary death—Laylamon had no qualms about ordering such atrocities to be done and doing them herself. The cause she had adhered to when she began all of this had been lost in the enjoyment of slaughter. The only thing Beelzemon had ever done was do her bidding. He had allowed himself to be a puppet, pulled by the strings to do his best to please her. How many lives had he ruined? How many had he taken? So many had suffered at his hands for no reason whatsoever. Yet he continued to follow orders to save himself.

He wanted nothing more than to be done with it all.

What better way to put an end to it than to face the justice he deserved for his actions?

"I have seen the truth. That's why I'm here."

She turned to look at Birdramon before turning back to Beelzemon. "To fight? Is that it?"

"Yes."

Anger was the immediate reaction from the other DigiDestined. It was understandable. Who could blame them?

Mikami vehemently shook her head and didn't give any of them a chance to speak.

"We don't have to fight! Don't you understand that? You have a choice. You can stand up to Laylamon!"

No, he couldn't.

"If you refuse fight me," he stated calmly as he pointed his guns forward, "I'll simply kill all of you."

Mikami recoiled and then gasped when Daiki pushed her back with his arm. The others stepped in front of her as well. Birdramon hovered behind them, glaring down at Beelzemon.

"Since you want a fight, we'll give you a fight!"

"Daiki, please. If you fight him, he'll…"

"We don't have a choice. The only thing we can do is try."

Each of them pulled out their Digivices. Their partners Digivolved one by one. Taomon, WereGarurumon, and DoruGreymon positioned themselves at the front; Angewomon hovered above the trio with an arrow at the ready; Garudamon, standing behind everyone, towered over all of them. Her eyes as wide as a deer caught in the headlights of a vehicle, Mikami could only watch as all five moved forward.

WereGarurumon was the first to reach Beelzemon. He reared his arm back and, aiming for Beelzemon's head, threw a punch. Beelzemon, shoving his guns into their holsters, stepped to the side and kneed WereGarurumon in the stomach. The hit knocked the breath out of the werewolf and caused him to attempt to wrap his arms around himself. Instead of letting him, Beelzemon grabbed him by his arm and tossed him into the air. Just as he began to fall, Angewomon swooped down to grab him.

A metal sphere hit the ground close to him, knocking sand into the air. Beelzemon's eyes landed on DoruGreymon at the same moment the dragon launched more. Each sphere kicked up more sand and dust until the gunman was obscured from vision. He sprang out of the dust cloud and drove his heel into the side of DoruGreymon's head. Disoriented, he stumbled a bit and shook his head. Just as Beelzemon landed, DoruGreymon regained his balance and lunged. Beelzemon rolled out of the way, causing the dragon to go past him. He leaped forward and raked his claws down DoruGreymon's side.

Taomon dropped down and swung her brush at him. He jumped onto DoruGreymon's back and then into the air. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention; he turned his head to see Garudamon swinging her fist at him. He raised his arms and curled his legs inward to shield himself.

The punch sent him straight into the ground. He rolled onto his feet and crouched, but had to jump to the side when an arrow whizzed by. The cut it left on his right arm stung.

WereGarurumon was charging again. Behind him, Taomon and DoruGreymon were readying their attacks. Angewomon, with an arrow nocked, was waiting for an opening.

A paw swung up towards him. Beelzemon reached a hand out to grab WereGarurumon's ankle. He threw the werewolf to the side. As Taomon and DoruGreymon launched their attacks, Beelzemon jumped forward and rolled. The sphere landed where he had been a moment before and exploded when Taomon's attack hit it. He slipped past the duo and kept running even as a plethora of arrows rained down around him. He turned on his heel and dashed towards Garudamon.

Seeing him coming for her, she swung her foot. Beelzemon jumped to the side to avoid the kick. She slammed her foot down just as he propelled himself upwards. Holding onto her leg with one hand, he used the other to claw into her. Angewomon shot off an arrow to knock him off, but he jumped off. The arrow plunged into her leg, causing her to squawk and stumbled. Beelzemon ripped through the back of her other leg. He then pushed off and drew his guns to shoot both injuries multiple times. With a shriek she toppled over onto the ground. He jumped into the air, spun, and drove his heel into her head.

A crack spread across her helmet just before light enveloped her. Once the light faded, Biyomon laid unconscious.

WereGarurumon dropped down behind him. Beelzemon leaped over him and spun in mid-air to land facing him. Before the werewolf could turn around, Beelzemon punched both sides of his head. He reverted back to Gabumon before he hit the ground.

He turned to watch the three remaining fighters whispering frantically.

Whatever their plan was, it was going to fail.

DoruGreymon flew towards him and dropped down, forcing him to drop his guns and roll out of the way. The dragon attempted to bite Beelzemon, but his jaws snapped shut just short of the gunman. Beelzemon swung his leg up to knee the dragon in the chin and then brought both hands down onto his head. Before DoruGreymon lost consciousness, Beelzemon grabbed him by the tail and threw him through the air. When he hit the ground, he was Dorumon.

Beelzemon's head snapped to the side in time to see a ray of energy heading towards him. He jumped back, narrowly dodging the attack, and covered his face as the energy exploded in a burst of blinding light. The spots in his eyesight faded before the dust had a chance to settle. In a heartbeat he shot upwards and hooked his arm around Angewomon's neck. He threw her to the ground. A moment later, he dropped down onto her stomach. He stepped off her and watched her change into Salamon.

Taomon was the last one standing.

He circled around her, putting distance between himself and the downed Digimon. Along the way he picked his guns back up. With no concern for her own well-being, Yoko slipped past each of her friends to run forward. She dropped to her knees and scooped Salamon into her arms. Cradling the pup, she looked up at Beelzemon. He regarded her for a second and then looked away. Noticing his disinterest, the other humans were quick to gather up their partners. They backed away quickly, each keeping their eyes on him as they did so.

Taomon found it suspicious. It only added to her anger towards him. He was toying with them.

"You claim to have learned the truth, yet here you are, fighting against us!" Taomon shouted. "Don't you understand that we're trying to protect this world against Laylamon? Her plans will do nothing but lead to ruin!"

"I do know."

"Then why? What reason could you have for doing this?"

He raised his voice enough for the others to hear. "If you can't even defeat me, how do you expect to ever defeat Laylamon?"

The question caught her off guard, leaving her standing there with her mouth agape. "What?"

"Right now none of you would be able to even scratch her. Fighting her would be suicide. You're too weak."

Taomon felt a searing rage hearing those words. Just as quickly as it began, however, it faded. Whether or not she—or any of her friends for that matter—wanted to admit it, it was the truth. They weren't strong enough. Though they struggled at times, many of their battles up to that point had been won rather easily. Because of that, they had become disillusioned. While they stayed the same, their enemies had found their own ways to become stronger. They were simply outmatched.

And Laylamon was the strongest of all of them.

What could five Ultimates hope to do against her?

She squeezed her brush.

They needed to become stronger.

At that moment she felt it, and she knew Daiki felt it too: a passionate fire ignited inside her chest.

They would become stronger.

"Since you want to see just how strong we are, we'll show you," Daiki said. His voice was calm, but it carried power behind it. "And then we'll put a stop to Laylamon once and for all."

A golden light spewed forth from his Digivice. It surrounded Taomon in an ethereal glow.

"Taomon Digivolve to…Sakuyamon!"

The light dulled enough for her to visible. The tall humanoid wore a golden breastplate, a black and white skin-tight garment, and a helmet in the shape of a fox's head.

Flinging his arm upwards, he shot off one of his guns at Sakuyamon. It took only a moment for her to react, throwing up a shield that reflected the bullet. She could tell that he realized long ranged attacks would be pointless. He holstered the two weapons and raised his fists instead. Running forward, he threw a punch at her. She raised her arm to block it and retaliated with a swing of her own.

Soon the two were trading blows, throwing and blocking punches. It seemed to go on for an eternity until she found an opening. By sidestepping, she caused him to lose his balance and lean forward too much. Fire wrapped around her foot, which she then slammed into his stomach. He let out a loud 'oomph' as he slid backwards.

Why isn't he trying?

Claws glowing purple, he lunged at her. She dropped down and then sprang forward to hit him in the chest with her hand. She then grabbed his arm with both hands. Eyes wide, he was unprepared for her to fling him over her shoulder and onto the ground. Still holding his arm, she spun and tossed him. She leapt up and punched him in the stomach. After delivering several more punches, she gripped his arm once again and threw him to the ground.

Rings of pink energy formed around her, circling her at an incredible speed as she landed. The two rings slowed, the energy breaking apart to form cherry blossom petals. Just as he got to his feet, she unleashed the petals. He raised both of his arms to shield his head and chest. The petals raged around him, slicing through his clothes and leaving cuts all along his body.

When his arms dropped, she could see the pain written across his face.

She watched him stumble over his own feet as he struggled to remain standing. When he finally collapsed, he moved his hands in front of him to catch himself, though his arms almost gave out. Staring down at him, she realized that she felt pity for him. Nothing she or Mikami said had been able to convince him to stop fighting against them. All of this could have been avoided if he had simply listened to them. She paused in her thoughts to spare at glance at her friends, her eyes landing on the unconscious Digimon the humans were holding. He had chosen to fight them, yet he hadn't even attempted to kill any of them despite having the opportunity to do so—even after saying that he would. What goal had he hoped to achieve by antagonizing them in such a way?

Unless...

"You wanted to lose."

He shakily raised his head to meet her gaze. That alone made her sure that she was right.

"That was what this was all about, wasn't it? You were never going to kill us. You were simply egging us on, hoping that we would prove strong enough to beat you."

He let his head drop once more. "Make it quick," he requested, his voice hoarse and barely audible.

His strength finally gave out as he fell over. What should she do? Kill him like he wanted her to do, or spare him? Killing him would assure that he no longer posed a threat, but…

"Wait!"

She turned. Mikami pushed her way through everyone, dodging Daiki's attempt to grab her, and ran forward. Sakuyamon stepped to the side to let the brunette approach Beelzemon. Kneeling beside him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Sakuyamon.

"Don't kill him."

"You think I should spare him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I…I can't really explain it. It's just a feeling I have," Mikami admitted, rubbing her arm. "Please, Sakuyamon."

"Do you really believe we can trust him? That you can win him over?"

"If I can just talk to him I think I can."

With a sigh, Sakuyamon lowered her staff. "Alright. I trust you."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. Just know that I won't show him the same mercy should he attempt such a thing again."

"That's fair. Thank you."

"Daiki!" Sakuyamon shouted, turning on her heel. Her partner stared at her expectantly. "Contact the Resistance. Tell them send a healer. We'll meet with them at the abandoned village to the southeast."

"What about him?" He asked, glaring at Beelzemon.

"We'll be bringing him with us."

Just as she expected, he, Shizuka, and Tadashi all raised their voices in protest. She tuned them out and turned back to Mikami. The girl's attention had been drawn away from Beelzemon. Instead, her eyes were focused on her friends. Sakuyamon raised a hand and motioned for her to ignore them.

"How are we gonna get there? It's a bit far," Judai said.

He did have a point. She closed her eyes, let out a breath, and reverted back to Taomon. Everyone shuffled over to her. Shizuka shot a small glare at her but said nothing.

"I don't like this," Daiki grumbled. "Why are we letting him live?"

"I promise I'll explain later."

He harrumphed and pulled out the communication device. It lit up and displayed a hologram of BanchoLeomon. The lion looked surprised, but Daiki spoke before he could say anything.

"Hey, BanchoLeomon, can you send a healer to meet us?"

"Yes, I can. What happened? Is everything all right?"

"We ran into a bit of trouble, that's all. There's an abandoned village nearby that we're heading to."

"I will have her sent there."

"Thanks." He shut off the device and sighed. "This is a big mistake."

"Maybe it is," Taomon said. "Maybe it isn't."