I do not own anything.


Chapter Twenty-Seven: Devilish Life Pt. 2

Maybe Jun should have added a fear of heights to the list of phobias she'd acquired on this little 'adventure'. She'd come to fear water, the dark, idols, everything even remotely resembling an octopus, shadows, fish, and even the thought of going underground was enough to make her freeze up. The feeling of falling through the air had begun to terrify her just as much as any of those other things did. It brought with it a special kind of fear, something she'd only experienced whenever she was submerged in water. Jun knew what they both shared, in both situations she was at a total loss of control. Control, how strange that seemed to be the thing everyone, including herself was fighting for.

Oddly she didn't feel scared as she free fell through the dark space; if anything she felt a little bored. Though she was no longer dealing with the numbing pain racing through her body she was sure she'd been drawn into someone's else's mental landscape. That, or someone had invaded hers' in a moment of weakness. Instead of terrifying her it was beginning to irritate her. "What's waiting for me at the bottom? Another stupid swamp? A fantasy-induced hallucination? Is Dagomon finally going to grow a pair and face me?" "What kind of god has to keep hiding behind mind tricks!?" She bellowed. "Face me right here right now you stupid squid!"

SPLASH!

Immediately she pushed herself out of the water so she could stand at full attention. The black water was a cold as ever though this time it only came up to her knees. Everywhere she looked she was surrounded by mist. The air tasted of seaweed and she hated it. Her movement was somewhat restricted by the ink-like thickness of the water but Jun wasn't planning on running away. She'd done enough of that.

Bubbles formed all around her before shadowy shapes rose up from the water. Just barely they resembled the conquered Revenants right down to the demonic red eyes. Jun didn't pay attention to what they were saying. "Do you think this is going to scare me?" the maroon haired teenager sneered.

"Of course it will," one of them moaned pointing its webbed finger had her. "Look at you Jun Motomiya, you think you can escape me but you can't, you never will."

Another of them picked up what was being said and continued forward. "You will always fear me just as every living creature does. I am despair incarnate. The only way to be free of me is to give into me. Just do so now," the shadow Revenant offered reaching out its hand. "Don't you understand how this works? What can you do to beat me? What will defeating me accomplish? Do you have any idea what would happen to this place if I were to fall?"

When Jun didn't answer Dagomon decided he'd show her through the water. The ink black water suddenly changed into a shimmering reflective pool. Looking down she saw the Dark Ocean trapped in a never ending storm, portals opening in the sky. Through various ripples the image changed to show Earth and the Digital World, both worlds experiencing rapid shifts in not just weather but in geography. Earthquakes split the earth allowing lava to rise up in towering waves. Citizens of both worlds scrambled back in forth in mass panic at the chaotic changes unfolding around them.

"The Dark Ocean is a counter to the Human World and the Digital World." Dagomon states commanding the images to come together forming an animated photograph of all three worlds. "If something were to happen to this place, all those lost and tortured souls…where do you think they're going to go?" all of the Revenants heatedly questioned Jun.

She gave no physically reaction to the images. Looking up with her hardened eyes she snarled, "Thanks for confirming that this place really is hell."

"Foolish child!" Collectively their roar might have intimidated a lesser being but all it made Jun do was hold her head a little higher. "You've already wrought untold destruction on both worlds! Do you wish to add further damage to them?"

"Oh give it a rest already!" She screamed with the force of thunder in her voice. "My fault!? My fault!? I wasn't the one who decided to recreate the Great Flood on Earth just because someone disagreed with me! You say you're a god but if you are then you're a shitty one!" Pointing at her chest Jun could feel something hot and powerful beating in her breast. It was urging her on and she wasn't willing to turn it away. "Yeah you may rule this place but you're not the center of it! No, all you are is a miserable pile of human and Digimon waste given a God damn form to screw with! This place…I know the truth about it. You turned it into an even worse hellhole than before. Why? Because you're too scared the face the same damn problems life throws at everyone! Give into despair? Of course people do that, it's called giving up! Something you apparently know all about! You want to know what makes life worth living? Having the courage to face whatever shit life throws at you! You don't know how to do that! Instead all you do is hide behind this bullshit philosophy that life is meaningless; it's only meaning if you allow it to be. There's a choice."

"Oh really?" the Revenants chuckled. "Do please tell me, what do you get by not giving up?"

"Finding happiness." She answered putting a hand over her heart. "Of course living life you run the risk of being unhappy…but it's worth it to take the risk. It's always worth it." There was a pause as she locked hated filled eyes with one of the shadows. "Taking the chance is better than ending up like you."

That was it, all the Revenants rushed at Jun screaming the hatred of their puppet master at her. Wisps of flames broke out around the hand from which Jun had put over her heart. "This is my mind, my dominion. I'm the one with the power here. Yes, even if my body is breaking down my mind will still keep going. I'm the one in control here because I have the power to force him out. He's the intruder…and its time I let him know he's not welcomed here!"

There was a blinding orange flash followed by countless cries of pain. Once the Revenants were able to see they were terrified of the sight before them. Through them Dagomon hissed in anger; Jun Motomiya had not been speaking empty words at all, she truly believed in them from the bottom of her heart. That strong belief and courage had manifested itself in her mind as a weapon he was loathed to see.

From a certain point of view the weapon seemed to be a cross between a naginata and a kanabo, the spiked kanabo on one end seemingly inspired by her partner's weapon. On the other was a razor sharp naginata blade that was fully capable of cutting through the thick mist rolling. The weapon was only partially corporal, it being formed from raw emotional energy instead of actual matter. Still, that's what made the weapon so dangerous. Then emotion comprising its being was one of the few Dagomon hated with a passion. His puppets hesitantly began backing away mirroring the small fear within Dagomon himself.

Despite not having a lick of experience in wielding such weaponry Jun swung the hybrid naginata with the skill of a master. Her feet moved swiftly through the water and her weapon rose and fell, cutting the mist apart. The shadows screamed as they were either pulverized or cut down. A twist, a thrust, a swing, Jun went through the whole routine like fighting was entirely natural to her. There wasn't an offense the Revenants could mount, they were out gunned and out classed by the seventeen year-old. Black blood licked down both ends, snorting Jun swung her weapon to the side painting the water. "What's wrong squid-face? Not so tough now are you?"

Roaring in fury Dagomon summoned his tentacles from the bottom of the water and commanded them all to attack Jun. The girl didn't waver. A three-sixty spin either slicing the tentacles or broke them apart. She jumped and leaped over them with stunning grace. Her attacks were fierce and without mercy. With every tentacle she destroyed she felt her confidence grow causing the weapon to burn brighter.

Those tentacles had held her down and violated her in ways too horribly to speak. No doubt they'd done the same to countless others before her. Slaying these wretched limbs wasn't going to undone the damage, but this wasn't about undoing something, it was about paying for something.

Her reward was the constant hisses and howls of Dagomon with every tentacle she destroyed. Every howl gave her a type of satisfaction she didn't existed. The sad part was she knew deep down the tentacles weren't real, if they were Dagomon really would have been screaming. That's something she promised herself, next time they come face to face she was going to chomp off at least one tentacle. Or two-or six.

Jun was too busy fighting to realize the landscape had begun to change as control of it was taken from Dagomon back to the high schooler. The water level grew lower and lower as if it were evaporating as the mist all but faded out of existence. A scorching hot sun began to peak above infinite black clouds further causing the water to evaporate. The darkness was pulling back leaving Dagomon no place to hide. In a matter of seconds the water had gone from knee level to just barely reaching her ankles.

One last tentacle stood before Jun.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Dagomon growled through his last tentacle.

"Your last screw up." Jun growled before charging with her naginata.

SLASH!


Onimon had felt a lot of strange sensations come over his body over the years. What he felt as he fought off wave after wave of Infernmon was definitely one of the weirdest ones yet. It struck him like a bolt of lightning just after swatting one of the mechanical demons away. He felt it in his body, it pulsated through him. The Infernmon noticed the change quickly and accordingly backed off. Their mechanical faces weren't capable of showing fear though the emotion could be sensed from each of them. At once they formed a tight circle around him while a lone Diaboromon sized up the glowing Ultimate. His eyes showed he didn't like what he was seeing one bit.

There was a huff of smoke that came from his lips while energy began to charge in the particle cannon on its chest. Whatever was happening it knew they couldn't allow it to continue, not if they wanted to complete their mission without drawing unwanted attention. "Web Wrecker!"

That was its Ultimate-level brethren needed. "Spider Shooter!" The mechanical Nightmare Soldiers shouted.

The burning orange aura washing over Onimon coiled around his kanabo like a snake. Taking his traditional stance with both hands on the handle he roared, "Rushomon Crash!"

The blast of fire blew the ground apart like a volcanic eruption. It traveled far, either incinerating the Nightmare Soldiers or blasting them back with their bodies wrapped in flames. The Diaboromon had placed both hands up in an attempt to block the attack; in the end it had been thrown back just like the others. Its pain-filled howling led the others in a chorus of cackling flames, burning trees, and pain.

Taking a moment to admire his work Onimon turned his attention to the power surge flooding his system. It made him feel strong and confident, like he could take on the whole Dark Ocean if he wanted to. The feeling that came with it reminded him a warm breeze over a grassy field, just the kind of serene place Onimon didn't mind passing time in. He saw his own hands pulsate as the aura continued growing. The Ultimate-level Nightmare Soldier closed his eyes to listen to the rhythm of power.

"Do you think this is going to scare me?"

"You want to know what makes life worth living? Having the courage to face whatever shit life throws at you!"

"Of course living life you run the risk of being unhappy…but it's worth it to take the risk."

Onimon grinned to himself clenching his fist. "That a girl." He whispered so quietly no one could have heard him. His partner was a fighter, there was no doubt in his mind. Craning his head back to their hut he saw her wreathing and turning to the side. Her face was twisted into a mask of sweat coated concentration; clearly she wasn't just fighting the poison injected into her by Tosamon. "Just take it easy and focus on what's in front of you." He murmured cracking his neck. "If you guys don't mind I'd like to get this over fast, you know my partner needs the sleep."

The Diaboromon chuckled at his statement. "Yes Onimon, there will be sleep. For you it will be a long sleep-an eternal sleep."

Jetting out with their Network Grenade attack were two Infernmon. Batting them away was extremely easy with his new found power though they were only a distraction. Four Infernmon had dashed around him to form a square-perimeter. A web-like string shot out from each of their mouths biding each of Onimon's limbs. In front of him Diaboromon and four Infernmon lined up with their energy cannon glowing bright with power. Huffing Onimon kicked off the ground taking his four would-be captors with him. Unwilling to let him escape the line of Nightmare Soldiers turned their fire towards the skies.

Onimon struck his legs out bringing the two Nightmare Soldiers that had ensnared his arms into the line of fire. They took quite a few hits before they were destroyed. Gripping the strings connecting the other two to his arm Onimon swung them downward like giant flails. Due to the insane force he put both Infernmon were deleted on impact; however, the damage they did was significant enough for Onimon.

"CABLE CRUSHER!" The Mega's voice blasted through the smoke just as the twin claws jetted out. Onimon used a two-handed swing to parry both claws only to have them wrap around his kanabo. Pulling in close so they were face to face he breathed out, "Web Wrecker!"

In a fit of instinctual fear Onimon stuck Diaboromon with a left hook. The blow had enough force to push him back, giving him enough distance to avoid the attack. The highly volatile sphere of energy wheezed passed his chest making what little chest hair there was catch fire. Still with his arms wrapped around his opponent's weapon Diaboromon reeled him back in then head butted him. In the second he was stunned the demonic creature bit down on the oni's face electing a series of fiery cures. Prying himself free Onimon delivered another left hook at his target, this time biting down on Diaboromon's entire face in retaliation. The two demons scratched, punched, and kicked at each other as they began descending to the ground. Still on the surface the collection of Infernmon watched the fight with keen interest until their commander gave the order to fire. Without hesitation they all began firing, heedless of the damage their Mega-level leader might have taken.

In a cloud of rock and dust the two came down. Diaboromon jumped out of the dust cloud breathing a little hard. "Keep firing! Don't stop until he's nothing but a mangled mass of bones!"

True to his words the machines continued firing until their internal systems told them to stop in order to cool down. One of them crawled forward, "Network Grenade!"

CCCCRRRAAAACCCKKKK!

A magma-like fist upper-cutted the Digimon in the blink of a flesh. "Now that stung a little, next time though you may want to try something a little stronger." Came Onimon's deep voice swatting aside the wrecked Infernmon. Three of them came at him with Diaboromon charging in behind the one in the center. "Hurl Flame!" With a perfectly executed three-sixty spin the three Ultimates were knocked back leaving the Diaboromon within striking distance. The exhaust ports on Tetsuhono sprung open releasing its glorious hellfire.

"Cable Crusher!"

The hellfire infused kanabo repeatedly clashed with the energy infused razor claws again and again resulted in shock waves blasting the ground around the two Digimon apart. For their own safety the Infernmon kept their distance for fear any attempt to intervene would result in their own deletion.

More than that they couldn't understand what they were seeing.

Onimon was an Ultimate, Diaboromon was a Mega; that should have decided the fight right then and there.

Yet the battle continued, with the Mega becoming more winded by the second.

It didn't make any season.

How Onimon had survived up until this point period didn't make any season.

"Why?" They questioned watching a single bar of Chrome Digizoid deflect hundreds of strikes from two snake like arms. "How? Why? How? How? How? HOW!?"

Maybe it was because they were soulless machines that they couldn't understand what the aura around Onimon meant. Or it could have had something to do with the fact such positive emotions were alien to them. Love, courage, strength of will, these were things they couldn't understand nor were they capable of making any effort to understand.

What they could understand was power and power source; for example a lamp being powered by an electric socket plugged in. That was how they viewed the glowing aura surrounding Onimon and Jun Motomiya.

The answer to the dilemma they were in was suddenly clear as day.

All at once they launched themselves at the comatose teenager. "Network Grenade!"

Both combatants quickly took notice of their actions. "No you fools! We need the girl alive!" Diaboromon shouted feeling his digital heart leap into his throat. If Jun perished he knew his masters wouldn't hesitant in ending his life in whatever painful manner they decided on.

Lucky for him Onimon wasn't intent on letting them lay one finger on his partner.

Both elongated arms were knocked to the side, then there was a notable sonic boom that temporarily deafened the Mega. In a flash Onimon standing before the cave, his kanabo pulled back at the ready. There was a quick flash in his eyes before he swung.

"RASHOMON CRASH!"

The flames molded themselves into a giant outline of the already smoldering kanabo. What happened next was a moment that Onimon would remember as one of his greatest triumphs. Jun might have agreed if she was awake to see the spectacular display of power.

They weren't blown back, they were out and out deleted on the spot. Each and every last one of them. The heat and force traveled far beyond Onimon's position, becoming a growing shockwave of heat and force that destroyed anything in its path. Seeing this Diaboromon jumped as high as he could have into the air while the rest of his forces made pitiful attempts to survive the attack. Only three Infernmon managed to while the rest were obliterated. In the end the ground was broken and smoldering like a volcanic eruption had just taken place.

Diaboromon only had a moment to analyze the destruction for a swift breeze told him he was no longer alone. Onimon was speeding through the air towards him, his jet black mane flowing dramatically in the wind. "Grrr. Cable Crusher!"

This time Onimon was ready for what his opponent had in store for him. Twirling Tetsuhono like a propeller he put the weapon front and center. The elongated arms did indeed make contact with the kanabo only to be caught up in the heated metal. The feeling of his arms being bound to the heated piece of metal was enough to cause Diaboromon to cry out in pain. Not missing a beat Onimon brought him in close so he could bring his fist down on top of his head. Diaboromon could only scream his frustration and pain at being made a fool of by a lower level Digimon as he crashed into the ground leaving spider-web cracks all over the place. Once Onimon came down he found himself facing a charging Infernmon. Calmly he held out two fingers; that was all he needed to stop the incoming Ultimate. There was a loud hiss from the Digimon was it struggled to free itself from Onimon just as much as it was screaming in pain at having both its eyes impaled. To Diaboromon's surprise he gripped the face mask like a bowling ball then came at him holding the Infernmon like some kind of mace.

Quickly evading the attack he watched with disturbed awe at how the trapped Infernmon was broken apart in one downward swing. If he hadn't been fast enough Diaboromon was pretty sure he would have been destroyed himself.

Under the cover of dust Onimon clapped both his hands together. "Kimon Blast!"

In unholy displays of light he prayer beads around Onimon's neck broke apart and zoomed all over the battlefield, hellfire encasing each of them while a Kanji blazed to life one on each of their shiny surfaces. The remaining Infernmon barely lasted a minute with the orbs tearing into them like birds of prey. Diaboromon flailed both his arms in wild dances to deflect each sphere. There was a slight sting whenever one of the stronger orbs came into contact with him. His lightning fast movements did their job in keeping the demonic orbs at bay, and leaving Diaboromon wide open to attack.

Onimon sped right up to him, his right fist reeled back. An earth-shattering crunch followed as the Ultimate delivered a powerful upper cut. Diaboromon was lifted twelve eight feet into the air before the orbs plowed into his underside raising him even higher while burning his innards with their unholy power.

The orbs retreated back to form a rotating circle in front of Onimon while Diaboromon picked himself up off the ground. "I wanted this to be as painless as possible but clearly you don't." It seethed gathering energy in its chest cannon. "Paradise-"

"Kimon Blast!" The partnered Ultimate shouted thrusting his palm forward. A single orb jetted out ramming itself directly inside of Diaboromon's chest cannon. The lock of shock on the Mega's face was enough to make Onimon crack a thin smile. "Ki!" He yelled closing his palm.

The kanji on the orb burned bright with the symbol for death moments before hellfire exploded from it. Diaboromon's frantic attempts to claw the orb out ended with a terror-filled scream as the explosion incinerated every part of his body.

Onimon stared at the crater where the Diaboromon had once stood with a bemused expression. His attack had destroyed the Digimon's data meaning Onimon couldn't absorb it to replenish his own energy, then again somewhere inside he felt like he didn't need it. The battle was over and with it came the loss of the aura of power that had been fueling him for the entire fight. Suddenly Onimon could feel his knees bucking under his own weight nearly bringing him face to face with the ground. The exhaustion the power surge had been keeping at bay returned had returned with a vengeance. He couldn't say it because he was too busy panting but Onimon hoped like hell there weren't any witness to the battle, he didn't have it in him for another battle. Closing his eyes to feel the environment he was relieved to find he and his partner were alone for the time being. However long it was they needed that time to rest.

"H…H…He….Hey…"

That voice was like a melody to him. Chuckling as he dragged himself over to the little cave of roots and leaves he thanked the Sovereigns his partner was still alive. "Enjoy your nap?"

Even with the overall lack of color it was obvious how pale Jun's face was. Her eyes had veins visibly in them as did the rest of her body. Sweat nearly coated her entire face causing her maroon hair to stick to her forehead in unsettling ways. In spite of that her eyes still shined with the same fire Onimon had come to admire. "It…co…could have…been better." She wheezed with a smile. "You…made…a…lot of noise."

"Sorry about that." He laughed whipping the sweat off her forehead with one of his spare clothes. He took a minute to check her pulse, to his relief it was racing but no longer life threatening. Sizing up her condition told him the anti-toxin had done its job and her body was on its way to recovery. Until then she couldn't be moved from this spot. "Some friends of ours from the Anti-Squid Face fan club came by, sadly I had to turn them away."

"Did you…at least give them…a parting gift?" She asked.

With a soft smile he pointed to the prayer beads around his neck. "Only the best kind."

"Go…Good. Now…if you…don't mind…I'm going to take a nap now." She said before her eyes fluttered close. If it weren't for the steady rise and fall of her chest one would never have known the difference between her and a fresh corpse.

Content now that his partner had fallen back to sleep Onimon placed his hand on the ground. "Hidden Oni." He whispered causing a series of black letters to spread along the ground. They multiplied into the thousands covering entire cave. From the outside nothing but another mass of roots and leaves would have been seen. "Maybe two days' worth," The kanabo wielder muttered making himself comfortable. Jun wasn't the only one in need of rest. "After that we'll beeline for Innsmouth-and get the hell out of here."


It was the taste of sea water that jolted Tai awake from the miniature coma he'd been in. After almost two months he'd subconsciously trained himself to associate sea water with danger. It had become something of a call sign for Dagomon. His body had learned how to react, his mind had learned to start analyzing and calculating at the smell of it. Always ready to act, to move. Unfortunately that was a problem as when he awoke to the waking world he was hit with wave after wave of pain. What first registered in his mind was the fact he was lying face down in eve growing water, the second was the mind numbing pain in his right arm. Coughing out the water he turned over on his back with a groan. Painful he craned his head to the right, he cursed. His right arm was broken, twisted at an odd ball angel like some bent piece of metal. "That explains the crack I heard before I blacked out." The older goggle head concluded grimly. With great pain he pushed himself upward, minding his now useless arm. "It's a good thing I won't be having soccer practice for a while otherwise this would be worth a scream." One wrong move later and Tai was screaming.

Of course it had to be raining, and if his ears weren't still ringing he was sure there was thunder booming somewhere in the background. "T-Tai?" Came the pained voice of MetalGreymon. "A-Are you alright? Are hurt?"

Grunting he finally found the downed form of his partner lying just a few feet from him. "Besides my arm and maybe a cracked rib I'm okay." It truth Tai suspected he might have two cracked ribs but he didn't want to worry MetalGreymon more than he already was. Inside he berated himself for so carelessly walking into a trap. "Where's Gatomon? Do you have her?"

Grrrgggggrrrrggggrrrgggrrrhhhh!

At first Tai and MetalGreymon thought what they were hearing was a chainsaw firing up, a minute later they realized it was laughter. No sane creature could make such a sound meaning one of Dagomon's flunkies had found them. Knowing that MetalGreymon quickly got back on his face, beckoning Tai to be by his side. All the sensors in his head were screaming danger while they searched the water for the owner of the wretched sound. He wasn't concerned about the dozen are so shark like fins popping up out of nowhere around him, what he was worried about was the absurd energy reading he was tracking. A reading like this could only have belonged to a Mega which didn't bode well for them. MetalGreymon knew he was going to need back up, either in defeating whatever this creature was or in holding it off.

Slowly the mist pulled back giving the brown haired teenager a good view of the various shark fins swimming through the shin level water. Tai knew ordinarily such a thing was impossible, but when it came to dealing with Digimon or digital life period, very few things crossed the realm of impossibility. Were this things really sharks? How well would he be able to fight them with just one arm? These were all questions he was trying to answer while putting on the bravest face he could.

In front of them the gritting chainsaw like laughter grew until its source manifested itself. A cage like mass of coral rose from the water holding a weakened Gatomon in its grasps. Beside it sitting on a rock was perhaps one of the most vicious looking Digimon Tai had ever seen.

Its blood soaked mouth grinned wide giving him a perfect view of the saw like teeth within the beast's jaws. "Want a bite?" A masculine voice cackled holding up a half-eaten corpse for both to see. At their disgusted looks he broke off into a fit of maniacal laughter that sounded like a cross between metal grinding and humans screaming. "Come on guys I know it's late but give it a try! Don't knock it 'til you try it is what I always say."

In Tai's eyes the worst thing about the Digimon was that it was humanoid in form, it was a human body that had been fused to that of a great white shark with the fashion choice of some lunatic hunter. At eight feet the beast man easily towered over Tai and the rest of humanity with muscles he could only dream of having. A pair of jet black camou pants covered its thick legs, straps filled with hunting knives and combat knives were adorned on both legs. Clearly the shark's influence shown through when looking at the color of the body: white, gray, and a hint of dark blue were the only clear colors on any patch of skin. Behind the legs an unmistakable shark like tail playful swooshed back and forth much like a dog's. All of his fingers were clawed and webbed in the same way of the feet, each arm looked like they were tick enough to be an even match for tree trunks. On the undersize were thirty inch long fins that gleamed with almost metallic light. Crimson DigiCode hadn't just been painted onto the body, it had been carved into it, rather by hand or weapon neither Tai nor MetalGreymon wanted to find out. Strapped across the back in an X-style were a collection of harpoons that cackled with crimson energy. A set of skulls and claws hung around the neck in a loose necklace along with a bone carved idol of Dagomon. Lastly the head was just…terrifying to behold. First off it was a flat out shark's head, one whose jaws were still fresh with the blood of a recent kill. The second was the abnormal number of fins he seemed to posse, there were slightly more than usual. A dozen or so scars covered the base of the neck stretching up to the face creating an even more horrid image.

MetalGreymon searched his database for information on their adversary though he kept coming up with nothing. He intensified the search while stepping protectively in front of Tai. "Let Gatomon go now."

The shark-man cackled that same metal grinding laugh that chilled Tai to the bone. "Oh come on? What do you say we split the feline? Bet you've never had it before, I have and boy was it delicious." Cracking his neck he shot them a toothy grin before throwing away the corpse. It quickly disappeared beneath the waters while four shark fins converged on it. "Oh yeah, manners. Yigmon's always telling me I forget so here goes. I'm Raandaimon, and I'll be your executioner tonight."

MetalGreymon finally found a match in his database just as Tai's Digivice was finally able to get a lock on the monstrosity.

Name: Raandaimon

Level: Mega

Attribute: Virus

Description: A ravenous Beast Man Digimon that that's guided only by his hunger and devotion to Dagomon. When it comes to enforcers you can't get much nastier than Raandaimon. His hunger for data has led him to consuming entire network servers, including their occupants. If Yigmon is the sly serpent of Dagomon's inner circle than Raandaimon is the savage shark that destroys everything his master sets him on. His performed form of fighting involves literally taking chunks out of his opponent with his Chaotic Frenzy and Infinite Ripper attacks. If you don't fancy being torn apart then maybe you'd prefer his Hell Harpoon attack, impalement is a good way to go right?

"So," Tai started switching between Raandaimon and Gatomon. "Is this it? This Dagomon's big end game? His final plan to wipe us off the board so he can focus on Daemon and the Daemon Corps? Or is it a diversion for something bigger?"

"Master was right, you are a smart one." Raandaimon grinned reaching for Gatomon despite the heated snarls he got from Tai and MetalGreymon. "Well you're half right, this operation is meant to take care of a game changers. You're one of them." A sadistic grin manifested on Raandaimon's face as he saw the shift in Tai's eyes. The boy was smart, smart enough to be called leader. It was a far cry from the little brat he'd watched in the reflecting pool back in the Dark Ocean. The hotheaded idiot that thought he was living inside a video game. "Oh I know what you're about to ask, who else? If I'm one of the game changers then who else is on your list? Sorry kid but this isn't a game of hang man. This is war." Still wearing that grin he ran one of his clawed fingers over his neck then his chest. "And war, in case you haven't noticed yet, is something I'm very good at. It's nothing personal but," His tail flashed once and the next thing the duo knew he was lunging at MetalGreymon. "I'm going to have to eat both of you. Don't worry, the pain won't last long."

CLLLLLIIIINNNNGGG!

To MetalGreymon's credit he was still standing after taking the punch though a notable dent had been left in his chest armor. He stumbled back keeping his enemy locked in his sights.

Raandaimon grinned to himself watching MetalGreymon lung at him with his Trident Arm. At last these two were actively trying to do something instead of standing around like idiots. He tracked Tai's mad dash to catch Gatomon out of the corner of his eye. "Good little prey." He giggled.

Tai caught Gatomon just in time to realize for the second time that night he'd walked into a trap. He saw two distinctive fins approaching him and heard many more surrounding him. "Idiot!" With Gatomon wrapped in his good arm Tai desperately clenched his crest. He focused all his willpower into the orange colored plate around his neck. In his mind he saw a brilliant sun burning strong, he pictured it growing brighter and brighter until he could almost feel the heat searing his skin.

In reality a barrier of flame appeared around the injured DigiDestined and Digimon, protecting them against the countless mows of the digital sharks pressing down on them. The righteous make-up of the barrier of the barrier combined with Tai's own willpower was too much for the sharks and they were blown back into the water as half-disfigured masses of data. Just as the barrier came down Tai found himself staring into the blood crazed eyes of Raandaimon. Tai believed in those short seconds, if he ever met Jack the Ripper, H.H. Holmes or any other famous serial killer their eyes would have looked exactly the same.

"Prompts on learning how to use the crests and Digivices as more than fashion accessories. That makes the hunts even more fun." He said moments before throwing his fist out.

Years of being an older brother had installed in Tai a protective instinct only an older sibling would have. For him, any being, human or Digimon smaller than him was enough to awake that protective instinct. That was the reason he twisted his body in a way that she was shielded from the attack. That was the reason why he took Raandaimon's punch nearly head on.

The pain was unlike any he'd ever felt in his entire life. Tai heard it, the sharp crack! Crack! Signifying his ribs breaking under the force of Raandaimon's punch. He tasted the blood welling up in his throat while he flew at least three feet above the water. He could barely stand when he came back down leaving sea water to fill his nostrils. Tai could faintly smell his own blood mixing in with the salt.

"TAI!" MetalGreymon and a reawakened Gatomon shouted at the fallen teenager.

Raandaimon stood over the brown haired teenager and shocked Gatomon hosting two harpoons in each hand. His grin widened as he drove them downward. "Dinner time!"

"POWERFUL FLAME!" Boomed the thunderous voice of the cyborg dinosaur.

Raandaimon was knocked away with flames licking at his aquatic skin curtesy of the enraged Ultimate standing before him. Red hot fire had consumed MetalGreymon's trident arm causing it to glow brightly in rain. Under normal circumstances this would have been enough to terrorize any creature but for Raandaimon, he felt pure excitement fill his veins.

MetalGreymon struck out again with his emblazed Trident Arm. In retaliation the fins on Raandaimon's body grew to absurd proportions. Right there they seemed to transform from flesh to razor sharp metal that glowed with dangerous blue and red light. Raandaimon's grin grew and grew until nearly all of his mouth was visibly. His saw like teeth then began to hum like an actual saw being fired up. "Infinite Ripper!" He shouted launching himself towards the oncoming attack.

The sound was beyond horrific, all beings capable of hearing it did their best to tune out the sound yet somehow it still managed to reach their brains. Metal being torn apart, the very air itself being sliced, the pain-filled howling of a titanic defender, and the insane laughter of an inhuman monster. All in all it was nightmare worthy.

Pieces of MetalGreymon's Trident Arm flew out in all directions showering the landscape with scrapes of metal and oil.

In spite of the shock and pain MetalGreymon held strong. Stomping his foot in protest he swung around his organic claw, hoping at least that would be enough to catch his opponent off guard. Raandaimon stopped in his attack then changed direction. A spiraling mass of teeth and metal knocked MetalGreymon off his feet resulting in data, and Chrome Digizoid cascading into the water. When the hulking form of MetalGreymon came down he was encased in a yellow light that shrunk him back down to his rookie form.

Agumon floated helplessly alongside his partner; just as he'd broken his right arm Agumon's left arm was covered in dozens of lacerations from which data continued to spill out. Gatomon stared at the two in pure horror. Neither of them were in any condition to defend themselves much less help her rescue Kari.

She'd known this kind of helpless fear once before, when she'd been a servant of Mytoismon. That time seemed so long ago yet every detail of those years slammed back into her staring at the broken forms of her friends. What? What had she done to relive this horrid nightmare all over again? And why did it have to be two people she trusted with her life?

"It's not too late to run Kitty-Cat." Came Raandaimon's vile voice. "Run now and you might be able to get away before I finish with these two."

His voice sounded so similar to Mytoismon. That's what set Gatomon off. It didn't matter if he was two levels above her or that she couldn't digivolve. She just wanted his blood. "YOU BASTARD!" She screamed flashing her claws in all her glory.

SMACK!

"You got spirit Gatomon, I like that." Raandaimon cackled at the three now limp bodies. "Don't worry guys, hehehehe! It's only going to hurt for a second then you'll never have to worry about a thing." With every step he took his jaw opener wider revealing his spinning teeth which had come to resembling chainsaw blades. "Yes! Yes! The data of courage! The flesh of courage! It's mine! It's all m-"

"FIRE PUNCH!"

The force was nearly four times that of MetalGreymon's Powerful Flame; it was enough to make Raandaimon scream in pain. He hadn't seen much besides a fire red blur coming at him with the speed of a jet fighter. He felt it, new data, data that had been empowered by an emotion he couldn't identify. Some of his teeth had been knocked out but it wasn't a problem, in a minute or so they'd be replaced. What intrigued him was the towering mass of scarlet red power glaring him down. Beside the humanoid bird was a human girl, with a look of quiet fury on her face. Around her neck glowed a red emblem he recognized as the Crest of Love.

"Get. Away. From. Them." Sora grounded out tightening her fists so tightly she could feel the blood sipping through her fingers. "Now!"

Wiping the blood from his lips he shot her the same mad grin he did Tai and MetalGreymon. In a similar manner to her other Sora didn't back down from his smile. She looked like she wanted to personally rip all his teeth out. "You're like a human form of Tolhumon." He stated.

Gatomon had no idea what to say to the handful of kids gathering around her, Tai and Agumon. These were the rookies, the newbies who'd gotten their Digivices less than a year ago. How Sora had managed to round them up she had no idea but she was grateful for their appearance.

"Take Tai and Agumon to the hospital. Don't stop for anything, just keep moving." Sora commanded not turning around to face them. "I'll handle things here."

"But Sora!" Gatomon called getting to her feet. "They have Kari! I can't just-"

"GATOMON!" The brunette near shouted with such force it stunned the newbies attempting to carry Tai and Agumon away. "I know Gatomon, believe me I know." She turned to face her with determination in her eyes. "I'll rescue Kari. For now we have to keep you safe too because if they get both of you we're screwed."

There was no fighting the iron ill in Sora's eyes. With her head hung low Gatomon replied, "Please Sora, I'm begging you."

"I won't Gatomon." Sora said with a hint of her old softness.

"We give you our word." Garudamon added spreading her wings.

Once Gatomon had been ferried away along with the others Raandaimon burst out in laughter. "That was some promise you made there Sora! You? Make it pass me? Funny! Just flat out hilarious!"

"We'll see how long you're laughing after I've ripped all your teeth out." Garudamon threatened with hate in her eyes. "You've eaten your last meal."

"A lot of creatures have said that." Raandaimon laughed. "And they're all in here." He finished pointing at his belly. Suddenly his grin fell.

Garudamon and Sora felt the sudden weight on their shoulders. Something evil was in their presence, something even Raandaimon had to take notice off.

Raandaimon jumped away from where he was standing just as a solid red beam cut through the city sky.

"Death Arrow."

The explosion was blinding. Garudamon quickly wrapped Sora inside her wings while taking to the skies. She knew exactly what they were dealing with and at that a cold sweat ran down her forehead. "This just got ten times worse."

Sora saw the skies clearing to reveal the pale light of a full moon overhead. Within the light she saw four floating figures. They looked like something out of a horror story, a hunch backed winged body and an insanely large eye.

"Oh why can't this ever get easier?" Sora sneered tightening her grip. "What else is going to come after us tonight?"


The moment his Digivice started beeping Joe knew things were about to go from bad to worse. It might have been a good sign that the rain had ceased to reveal the glow of the full moon but Joe could feel it in his bones. The moon's light wasn't fortunate, to him it was ominous. Truthful Joe and Gomamon were expecting wolves to howl and bats to spontaneously burst from every shadow. The bats never came but they did get the howling of wolves.

And do they wish they hadn't.

Everyone on the street froze where they were as the howling pierced the night air. In the city the only place such haunting howls would have been heard was from a TV screen. No canine, domestic or not, was capable of making such a sound. All eyes looked to the rooftops for the source of the noise.

Joe wished like hell he had a can of dog repellent, or a couple dozen digital dog bones because they were going to need them.

Name: Sangloupmon

Level: Champion

Attribute: Virus

Description: An X-Antibody Digimon that's been called the bane of many hunters. This blood-sucking beast is said to have survived since the Genesis of the Digital World, eluding even the most skilled of hunters since then. All those who hear Sangloupmon's howl will know that their time is up either by its Sticker Blade attack or its Black Mind move.

Dozens of flashes of silver followed, then came the screaming.

The image of hundreds of people dying around him would be carved into Joe's mind for as long as he lived. There was nothing he could do but gap in horror at the carnage around him. All the red spilling the streets and the pieces of flesh splattering across the ground.

Then just as quickly as it began it was over.

The Sangloupmon pack was standing all around Joe who only dumbly stared at the bodies lying around him.

Once he regained his motion Joe took one look around him. "They're after Mimi and the others. Us too probably."

"Daemon." Gomamon growled. "This isn't a capture mission is it Joe?"

"No Gomamon." The glass wearing teen replied feeling his own legs beginning to weaken. "You know what this means."

In an uncharacteristic moment Gomamon growled, not a cartoonish or even playful growl, but a predatory noise that would have terrified any human being. "Damn right I know what it means."

One of the Sangloupmon noticed the light from Joe's Digivice. It gave the order to attack and all at once the demonic wolves did so.

"Thor's Hammer!"

"Assault of Arrows!"

The demonic rapiers easily bounced off of Zudomon's shell with loud clings. Standing tall in the moonlight the Ultimate-level mammal faced his newest adversary.

On top a streetlight stood a colorfully dressed Digimon with blades protruding from nearly every part of its body. What drew the attention of onlookers though were the glowing purple blades attached to the creature's feet.

Name: Matadormon

Level: Ultimate

Attribute: Virus

Description: If you thought Sangloupmon was a bad dog then you oughta meet his Ultimate form, Matadormon. Don't worry he won't drawl over you, just cut you into a thousand pieces with his Burudoggu fighting style. His movements posse all the grace of a swan and the lethality of a cobra. The countless blades housed within his sleeves are used for his Assault of Arrows attack and those on his feet well, let's say his Earth Shattering Stomp attack will make you wish for door number one.

Joe knew in just one look this guy was going to be trouble, the last thing he wanted was a colorful outfit to look at. "No matter what happens we've got to keep them focused on us. We can't let them get past this street."

"You don't have to tell me that." Zudomon rumbled twirling his hammer. "What do you say twinkle toes?"

Zudomon sensed the shift in his opponent's mood immediately. "…Burudoggu."

"Thor's Hammer!"

Instead of focusing on finding some weakness for his partner to exploit Joe was busy trying to figure out why the strange feeling in his gut still hadn't gone away. "Think Kido, we're in Shinjuku, one of the most active places in all of Tokyo, scratch that Japan. There's got to be a bigger play here." A mental map of Shinjuku came up in Joe's head, the homes of each of his friends highlighted. "Dagomon and Daemon want us off the board. Jun told us Daemon needs Ken to revive Lucemon so he won't risk harming him. Dagomon knows that so that means he'll do everything in his power to…" Joe was already too caught up in his thoughts to let the realization shock him. That was a good thing that came out of his intense thought process, he didn't panic most of the time until it was over. "If Daemon wanted sin this is the prime place to set up a Control Spire. He could have used that as a division because there's no way Dagomon would let him get that kind foothold so close to us. On the other hand…Kari's a major threat to Daemon so he wouldn't ignore her, more so since Dagomon wants her. Kari, T.K. and Ken…those are the three everyone wants." Joe's hand tightened as the pieces continued coming together to form a more horrid picture. He saw the dots connecting, especially those involving Ken. "Ken needs to be prideful in order to awaken Lucemon, and the only way that can happen is if somehow he's able to turn him back into the Digimon Emperor. I wouldn't put it past Daemon to do some mind raping in order to do that. But all this time Ken's stuck to…" "Davis." Joe finished in shock. Davis whose sister has been M.I.A in the Dark Ocean for going on two months. Davis whose parents are lying in a hospital, their lives ripped apart at the seams. Davis whose best friend is at the center of this. Davis who could never sit still because he was a man of action and emotions. Davis who has spent this last few weeks seething in near constant rage and despair at his inability to do protect the people closest to him. "Davis…" "Is the fourth key."

As soon as the revelation dawned on Joe he heard the sound, the demonic sound of some twisted priest.

It was then that he felt most of his bodily functions beginning to shut down.


And Joe puts the pieces together just as the battle of Shinjuku reaches its second stage. Raandaimon, the latest in Dagomon's psycho-line up is based on Raandaii-B'nk, a shark like humanoid that's Cthulhu's stand in in the story Father of All Sharks. To be honest this part of the story's probably going to go on for maybe another three chapters because of the number of things that're going to happen; none of which will be pleasant for the cast. It's fun writing such a scene with so many players going at, especially when their goals are total opposites of each other. Joe's deduction gave away a good deal about what everyone's got planning and hinted at what's going to happen in the future. Kari, T.K., Ken, and Davis are not going to have it easy for the next couple of chapters, neither is Jun whose going to run into some serious trouble in the form of an old canon character. Any predictions? Guesses? Leave them in Reviews!