I do not own anything.
Chapter Thirty-One: Devilish Life Pt.6
The speed in which Yigmon released the Kamiyas was almost as fast as his grabbing of Ken. All of it happened in less than a second, so fast no one knew what had happened until they saw Ken being lifted into the air before them. After blinking twice they scrambled to find the unconscious Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya; they found them lying face flat on the ground. Despite his broken arm Tai dashed his way forwards to collect them with Joe hot on his heels. The minute they had a grip on each of them they began pulling them back while overhead their allies kept careful watch over them, fully expecting a double cross. Perhaps unfortunately Yigmon was taking more pleasure in showing off Ken's struggling form to them like some sick trophy. Almost a mile above their heads Ythomon's demented laughter shook the very air.
Momentarily taking his eyes off of the struggling blue-haired youth the snake god gave the DigiDestined a sideways smirk. "SSSSSSuuuucccchh good obedient children you all are, for that you deserve s reward. A sssssppppppeeecial one indeed." He finished with an unsettling chuckle only a snake could have made. Bringing Ken to the forefront Yigmon raised him high enough for all the DigiDestined to see the boy's struggling. He futilely clawed at the monster's scaled arm which was wrapping around him much like how an anaconda did its prey. Yigmon slowly tightened his grip taking care how much pressure he applied to Ken's throat. In the span of a minute the DigiDestined's face had begun matching the color of his damp hair, slowly but surely on its way to out darkening it.
As it turned out watching a killer snake suffocate its prey in person was radically different from watching it on a documentary. It was nerve wrecking and horrifying in that each second seemed to last an entirety. Not at all helping things was the fact the prey in question was one of their own.
"KEN!" Yolei screamed immediately stepping forward only for Shurimon to tightly wrap his arms around him, practically force her to look away. "Let me go! Damn it Shurimon let me go! I can't-don't tell me to stand here and watch him die!" She kicked and screamed, pleaded but her partner didn't release her. Tears streaming down her cheeks she fruitlessly pulled and tugged against Shurimon's arms but to no avail. The Armored Digimon refused to let her pass even as she pleaded with him to. What Yolei couldn't see because she was too busy crying were the tears forming in Shurimon's own eyes. The tears of betrayal he felt for both his partner and his friends.
While Yolei needed to physically be restrained it didn't take much to stop Davis-thanks in part to the fact he could barely stand on his own. All Davis did was take one step then he rolling down the heap of rubble, and crawling towards Ken. Every inch he crawled caused him visible pain that manifested in the pained groans and blood splattering from his mouth. Stopping him did just as much harm as attempting to let him keep going.
Ken's face was rapidly becoming a sure fire look alike for an inflated balloon. Any second he was fully expecting the contents of his head to burst from the massive pressure build up. He could already it in his head. As it stood Yigmon could have done a few things to him: keep up the squeezing slowly suffocating him to death, applying superhuman force to snap his neck like a twig, completely wrap his body and break every bone he had all at once, or he could keep putting the pressure Ken's throat until his head exploded like a grape. Though the last one sounded cartoonish Ken knew it could be done as he'd learned during his countless hours of medical studying. Call it foresight but he had a feeling Yigmon wasn't going to go for that nor any of the other ones that involved breaking his bones-because they were too quick for his or Ythomon's tastes. Though his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets and his ears clogging up by the second he could just faintly see Ythomon standing over him as well as hear his laughter. Honestly Ken thought nothing short of death would give him silence from that thunder like sound.
He knew Ythomon and Yigmon well because at one point he had been just like them. He was at their mercy, and so were his friends. They wanted to break their spirits and they knew just how to do that.
Frankly though what they were about to do wouldn't just breaking their fighting spirit, it'd break off a piece of their sanity as well. None of them would ever be the same after witness such a horrific and brutal death, especially since it would be one of their own.
As he continued to claw at the iron-like scales cutting off his oxygen supply his increasingly red eyes drifted over each of his companions. Tai couldn't bear to look at him, out of both shame and fear at his perceived responsibility in Ken's death. The same went for the other senior DigiDestined who couldn't do anything but watch as one of their successors was slowly choked to death by the likes of which they vowed to defeat. If he had any air left Ken would have told them his death wasn't their fault and that he was happy to give his life to save that of Tai's parents. He only wished Kari had been released as well. T.K. was looking at him with a strange mix of horror and shock. In the back of his mind he could hear himself laughing a humorless laugh. "We started off hating each other's guts and this is how it ends eh? You actually crying for me? Who would have thought it T.K.? I sure as hell didn't…and I'm the genius. Do you feel the same way…Cody?" The youngest of their brood was doing his best to shield Noriko from the nightmarish scene playing out before them, even as he too was having to force himself to look away at the slow death of one he had finally come to consider a friend.
It was a good thing he couldn't see Yolei's face nor could she see his. For that he silently thanked Shurimon for shielding her. To see the face of the girl he had come to love just before the end should have been every man's dying wish, but for Ken who was dying such a miserable death he had no desire for Yolei to see him like this. No, he'd be damned to the darkest pits of hell before he caused her any more pain and grief. "She's already gone through enough of that having a…idiot like me for a boyfriend. I…wish…oh God Yolei I wish it could have been….different." Her smiling face was the thing that brought the first tear to his face.
Seeing ExVeemon and Angemon having to literally hold down Stingmon as he tried to tear himself free made Ken almost wish Yigmon would just get it over with. Rivers of tears were flowing from his insectoid eyes, silently pleading for him to keep fighting, to not leave him alone. "I'm so sorry for all the hell I put you through Wormmon. So many times you deserved a partner…better than me. I hope after this…you finally get one. God knows you deserve one. You're strong and loyal and so…kind. I…"
By the time the genius's now red eyes fell on Davis and ExVeemon Ken was sure his time was almost at its end. His vision was growing increasingly dark and hazy. His inflated ears could hear his own heartbeat coming to a dramatic halt. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! It went every few seconds growing quieter and quieter. Ken was sure Davis and ExVeemon could hear his heart growing weaker based on the desperate expressions of fear on their faces.
When they locked eyes he could see the tears streaming from Davis's eyes.
"I….'m….so…so…r-rry…" came the boy's broken voice. "Mom…dad…I'm so…I…don't want to say goodbye…t-to ei-either of you but…it…looks like…I'm…about to…g-go…j-join…Sa…Sa…"
"Is this your atonement? Death at the heads of some man-snake sent by some mutant reject?"
"Th…T…They…d…a-are…ca-called gods…"
"Gods? Heheheheh!" The ethereal voice laughed in Ken's clogged ears. "Okay then, but let me ask you, is Dagomon the 'God' you believe deserves to carry out your divine punishment? If so then you're even more deluded than I thought. You and I both know this place isn't where you want to die, not with so many regrets weighing you down." The voice seethed breathing an invisible breath down on his neck. Despite the lack of feeling Ken could still feel a jolt of electricity run up his spine. "This place…this beast will not be your executioner. You will be his. You are a king, a ruler! Now stand! Stand and show this vermin what happens when you challenge a true god! Show them what 'God's fury' really looks like! Give them a reason to fear attempting to steal from you!"
So engrossed in the horror show was everyone that they hadn't noticed the oversized bird of prey zeroing in on them. The gusty flapping of his wings were unheard until his dreadful voice cut through the wind like a bolt of lightning in the night.
"Think you're so cleaver don't you Yigmon?" Stolasmon seethed as he rapidly approached the snake god suffocating his future master's master. Even from a distance the sight of Yigmon's devilish smile was sickening to Stolasmon. He was almost a mile out when he saw the twisted smirk fall from Yigmon's face and replaced by a confused frown. "Thought your little worms could finish me off? Hah! I serve Lord Barbamon himself! The Lord of Greed! The King of the Wicked! It would be a disgrace to his name to lose to a creature as lowly as you! Quantum Onyx!"
The twin meteors were bounded by a series cackling chains of electricity as they spiraled towards Yigmon. Silted red eyes widened in enormous shock as the two orbs rapidly closed in on him with the speed of lightning. He barely had time to open his mouth when the magnetically charged projectiles tore through parts of his scales. Then they exploded filling his whole body with a roaring pain.
Boom!
"KEN!" Stingmon, Yolei, Davis, and ExVeemon cried at once surging forwards.
Being the fastest as well as the least injured Stingmon located him first then took off like a jet fighter. Through the smoke he Ken's barely breathing body get flung to the side leaving him totally defenseless. In his wake he left a trail of tears. Before those tears could hit the ground he caught his partner in his arms and held him close to his chest.
Ythomon was a second from sending his tentacles to attack Stolasmon when his own sixth sense sounded the alarm to the highest degree. "Damn…" He had just enough time to mutter as he began raising Yilla.
Before him the amassed Ghoulmon stared intensely at the Cthulhu-like Digimon they had been ordered to destroy at all costs. "Explosions Eye." Came their unified demonic cry.
A series of red and orange flashes lit up over Ythomon's body followed by the earthshaking explosions that went with them. The numbers were so great that the blasts actually merged together right on top of Ythomon's body. As the explosion rolled over his body he stumbled backwards crashing into the buildings behind him. Pieces of his charred flesh were scattered to the howling wind along with the repulsive smell that came with flesh being burnt to cinders.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Smashing his left foot against the ground, practically causing a fissure in the process, Ythomon regained his balance with a fierce growl. So great was the force behind his swinging of Yilla that onlookers could actually see the air itself cleaved in half as the gigantic sea-man counter attacked. Only a few of the Ghoulmon were killed in the attack, and that was because of the intense force that went along with the sword rather than its cutting edge. As soon as they had sensed the danger had passed the Ghoulmon reassembled into their flock to continue their attack. Yigmon swung Yilla again only to receive the same result: few kills and even more flying eyeballs bombarding him with energy blasts.
One by one the tentacles concealing Ythomon's face began to rise up at least at least revealing the face of Dagomon's "son" to the world.
There was indeed a mouth filled with teeth the size of sailboats with jaggedly sharp edges that could have easily taken a bite out of any of the skyscrapers and crushed them like twigs.
Second by second the singular red eye opened to reveal a silted pupil as black as the night itself. Dozens of red veins connected it to the outer layers of the eye. A sparking red light was building mere centimeters from the eye; moreover, it was growing stronger and stronger as the red veins continued to shine. The tentacles around Ythomon's head suddenly arched forward and aligned with the blast. Now that they had pulled back the curtain was a lion's mane, one that perhaps only boosted Ythomon's horrifying appearance. "Jagan…"breathed out Ythomon creating a block sized cloud of greenish air. "Of the Abyss!"
The red spark transformed into a near featureless blast of red colored energy. Within seconds of being fired the blast deafened all forms of sound within a mile radius.
SSSHHHHHHRRRRRRRR!
The energy blast did what his sword couldn't in breaking the flock of Ghoulmon. Countless numbers of the demonic creatures were caught in blast and disintegrated in seconds. Everything including their data was obliterated in the short span they were caught in the energy blast, including their own attacks.
SSSHHHHWWWWWWRRRRRR!
The neighboring skyscrapers of Shinjuku barely lasted a second when coming into contact with the supernatural energy. Just like with the Ghoulmon there was nothing left for them as Ythomon dragged his energy beam across the landscape.
The first sign the attack was ending came when the first of Ythomon's tensed tentacles began to relax. As soon as the last one fell the energy beam came to an end, but by then the damage had been done.
Half the Ghoulmon were dead and half of Shinjuku had just been leveled.
"Hm, so you sea-dwelling worms actually do have some power? A pity it's nowhere near enough to defeat us." Criticized hate-filled voice.
SLISH! SLASH! SLIIIIISSSHHHH!
Instead of howling Ythomon only grunted in pain as several of his thick tentacles were sliced off almost back to back. Immediately sensing where his enemy was coming from he sent his remaining tentacles after the culprit.
Gadreelmon flew into the clouds to avoid the colored appendages heading for him. As he was not "alive" in a certain sense the poison exuded by the tentacles had little to no effect on him. That didn't mean he could one-shot them however; a direct hit by one of those spear-like ends and even he would be vulnerable long enough for Ythomon to kill him. Tightening his grip on Solanum he resolved not to let that happen. He'd made a promise he wouldn't leave this world until he was able to gaze upon his master's beloved face one again. "You're a fool Ythomon! A fat disgusting fool no different from your father!" he cried slashing at the first tentacle with his broadsword. "If you believe you will win this war then you are dreaming! Allow me to be the one to wake you from it!" The six-foot black sword became wreathed in blood red energy with black lightning cackling around it. Proudly spreading his wings he suddenly changed directions and dived straight for the Mega's single eye.
SWOSH! SWASH! SWOSH! SWASH! The tentacles sounded as time after time they failed to capture their prey.
From behind his curtain of tentacles Ythomon saw Gadreelmon heading straight for his head. With an annoyed breath he said, "You remind me of my sister, Tosamon, she's hotheaded too."
THLIIIICCCCKKKK!
"DAMN YOU, YOU OVERGRWON SQUID!" Gadreelmon roared seconds before he plowed into the nearest building.
The moment Ythomon turned his attention turned his attention towards the DigiDestined he got a face full of thermal missiles and thunder. "GAH!" He roared stumbling backwards. Unfolding his tentacles he began charging up energy for his Jagan of the Abyss attack. "Jagan-"
"Grace Cross Freezer!"
"Vulcan's Hammer!"
"Kusanagi!"
"King of the Fist!"
"Hand of Fate!"
Beyond the red spark each of the attacks were reflected in Ythomon's single eye. "Shit." He had time to say before they made impact.
Boom!
"AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Ythomon's free hand shot up directly to his wounded eye. Pieces of flesh and rivers of fluid cascaded downwards as the heavy smoke began clearing. Roaring and shaking his head the Mega-level Mutate Digimon screamed hundreds of curses into the sky. Without Stabbing Yilla into the ground he hutched over to cradle his bleeding eye. Pure rage radiated from the towering monster as the blood and data continued to seep through his gigantic hands. "Fine then! If that's how you want to play it then so be it!" Taking his head away to reveal the blood soaked eyeball Ythomon suddenly reared up, Yilla rising into the air with him. "One way or another everyone in this city is going to die, including all of you! Eldritch Edge!"
SWWWOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!
Ducking their heads the DigiDestined waited patiently for the air to return to their lungs except it never did. One by one they each looked up to see the ethereal blue aura around the jagged single-edged sword hadn't dissipated. Collectively their eyes widened as they realized Ythomon wasn't done swinging his sword.
He was only just getting started.
SSSSWWWWOOOOOSSSSHHHH! The black slash traveled further out destroying a set of buildings disappeared in the background.
SWWWOOOOOSSSSHHHH! The entire street the DigiDestined was nearly erased from existence.
SWWWOOOOOSSSSSHHHH! A man-made valley of skyscrapers were bisected cleanly in half.
"EVERYONE KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!" Joe frantically screamed from below Zudomon's hands.
"HAS HE LOST HIS MIND!?" Matt cried keeping T.K. huddled beside him while Angemon and MetalGarurumon did their best to protect them.
Everywhere they looked they saw gaping black holes leading into infinite darkness.
THUNK! THIIIIICCCKKKK!
CCCCCRREEEAAAACCCCHHHHHH!
As soon as the rifts closed the sound of metal breaking dominated the airwaves. The cacophony made their ears, human and Digimon alike bleed. Steel and glass came crashing down like leaves on a tree crushing whatever lay beneath them.
SSSSSWWWWOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!
SSSSWWWWWOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!
SSSSSWWWWOOOOSSSSHHHH!
SWWWWOOOOSSSSHHHH!
"SOMEONE GET THAT SWORD AWAY FROM HIM!" Came Tai's terrified voice over their Digivices.
If anyone heard him then they couldn't give a response over the howling gusts or the crashing steel. Rather than hear it the DigiDestined glanced upward, away from the precious ground they clung to catch sight of two blurs moving towards Ythomon.
The aquatic monster raised Yilla up for another swing when he saw ExVeemon and GrapLeomon bravely charging him
ExVeemon was encased in a brilliant aura of blue energy that raged with the intensity of fire. How the dragonoid was able to manifest such an aura was a mystery to Ythomon, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the stubborn resilience of his partner. The aura of energy gathered around his leg as he twisted his body so he was in the position of a diving kick. "VEE-KICK!"
GrapLeomon was being propelled by a series of kicks that quite literally turned the air itself into a stairway for the Vaccine-type Digimon. After one last kick the turbines on his legs began spinning at breakneck speeds forming a whirlwind around him. "CYCLONE KICK!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as he became sheathed in a literal cyclone of silvery-white wind.
KA-BOOM!
"RRAAAGGGAARRRRHHHHHH!"
KA-THUNGGGGGG!
From what could be seen the two bestial warriors had succeeded in breaking Ythomon's wrist as well as pushing him far beyond his rage breaking point.
"YOU BASTARRRRDDDDS!" He screamed swinging his wounded arm forward while simultaneously sending all his poisonous tentacles at the two Digimon.
SSSPPLLLLAAAATTTT!
"Victory Song of the August Star." Came Gadreelmon's cold voice appearing beneath the clouds. In his right hand his six-foot long bastard sword dripped red and green with the blood of Ythomon. The knight watched with grim satisfaction as Ythomon roared and raged at the bloody mess his right hand had become. Because his time was limited he hadn't been able to sever the limb but he had left cuts so deep even Ythomon would have to withdraw from the battle to heal, and that was saying nothing of his countless tentacles. "There's still his body's ability to produce poison to worry about, but with so much dust and fire being kicked all around that shouldn't be an issue." "Kill all of them save for Ken Ichijoui." He commanded to the Ghoulmon amassing behind him.
On the ground Yigmon rose from his safe crevice in the earth. Seeing the many red blasts heading for him he gave the word to all his subjects. "Brrrrrinnnnnnggg ttthhheeemmmm to their knees!"
SSSSSKKKKKAAAAAAAHHHHH!
Hundreds of overgrown snakes exploded from the fissures the battle had left in the streets. Like thrown spears they headed straight for the demons overhead.
"GET T.K. OUT OF HERE!"
Davis couldn't remember how or when he was separated from the others. What he was aware of was the fact he had to keep moving if he wanted to stay alive. As it stood he was just barely holding onto life as it was. Despite Ken's best work Davis could feel the stitches on his back threatening to come undone, already he could feel the blood beginning to sip out of the leaf-like bandages that had been plastered onto his back. Standing was both ill advisable since there was every manner of projectile flying across the broken street. Pushing himself upwards nearly brought him down to his knees in pain, the flare up in his sides almost too much to handle. He had almost zero visibility due to the dust storm and raging flames that had been created through the intense fighting.
The spatial rifts Ythomon had created had closed but the damage had been done. Entire blocks of the city of Shinjuku had been erased. What once had been a sea of artificial stars was now a series of smoking gravestones that were still being fought over. In the far off distance the outlines of jets and helicopters. "Great, more bodies to add to the list." He miserable thought calling out Ken's name. "KEN! YOLEI! EXVEEMON!" TAI! T.K.!" His lungs screamed for air and every time he gave it to them he used it back up.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOMMMMM!
A couple yards away Davis saw a gigantic snake erupt from the ground then attempt to lunge at one of the Ghoulmon. It held out is eyeball palms, there was a yellow flash then the snake's entire head went up in flames. The headless creature collapsed onto the ground breaking apart in countless data blocks. Hundreds of feet in the air the Ghoulmon dodged and returned fire coming from the ground, for every half a dozen that went down another one filled the gap.
SSSHHHHHHHEEEEEWWWWWW!
A collection of bright lights exploded in the sky blinded Davis. Dropping to his knees he found himself hugging the ground again as the earth began to shake beneath his feet. Overhead he heard the sound of steel giving away, thus he began crawling in the opposite direction. Behind him came the resounding crashes of steel and metal. Davis could have sworn he heard ice cracking and feel a major drop in temperature.
"Keep moving! Keep moving! Keep moving!"
THUMP!
What Davis saw when he looked up were a pair of gleaming emerald eyes that put his body on immediate guard. The kind of light dancing in the young man's eyes was all too familiar to him; he'd seen it in Ken during his days as the Digimon Emperor, he'd seen in Owikawa at the height of his possession, he'd seen it in MaloMytoismon, and in the eyes of convicted criminals who had been given life imprisonment or the death penalty. They were the eyes of pure evil, of sadist whose only goal in life was making others miserable. That light was all Davis needed to look at to tell this man in his late teens was pure evil. He didn't need his Digivice beeping in his hands to tell him he needed to get as far away from him as possible.
"You know," he began with a wide smile that made Davis's skin crawl. "This is exactly how I pictured us meeting-you on your knees at my feet."
"Go screw yourself." Davis sneered trying to raise his body. The most he could get was some poor ark that left him constantly biting his cheeks in pain.
To his ire the man chuckled light heartedly. "That's a rude thing to say. I thought you Japanese were supposed to be a respectful people."
"Standing right behind you, presumable at your command, is a Ghoulmon and you're smiling like a megalomaniac in the middle of a warzone. What the hell do you expect me to think?"
"Hm, fair point. Maybe you're not as stupid as I thought you were." He affirmed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Moving on, I'm here for you Digi-Eggs."
Finally he found the strength to get to his legs. The burst of pain was intense but he used it to fuel his rage-fueled dash towards the teenager. "You're here for an ass-kicking! One I'm more than willing to give you!" He screamed rearing back his right fist.
Valére's face twisted into a devilish smirk Davis had just enough time to note. He held up his hand and snapped his fingers.
THUNK! THUNK!
The first thing Davis immediately noticed about the two demonic statues were the bodies they held in their arms. At first his mind couldn't focus in on the features but within seconds he recognized both of them. The second generation DigiDestined came to a complete halt in the middle of his war charge, his mouth hanging open as blood dripped down the sides of it.
Both of his parents were still garbed in their hospital clothing and thankfully still unconscious.
Staring at their motionless bodies Davis sorely wished he could write off the sight before him as nothing but a nightmarish dream. He blinked five times only to find the sight before him was very much harsh reality.
"It's totally understandable if the answer is still no." Valére off handedly said throwing off his rain jacket. Underneath it was a violet design brand button up shirt with red crisscrossing triangles. Underneath that was a plain white V-neck with some smidges of blood.
Everything around Davis seemed to fade into black leaving only his parents and Valére standing before him. As he'd found out the hard way predicting the movements of a LithoRosemon were anything but easy. In a flash they could strike with bone crushing force then move on to the next target in the span of a minute. And they could do it bare-handed. The LithoRosemon holding his father had a sword in its free arm while the one holding his mom kept a mace fastened to its hip.
Valére smirked as the rest of the DigiDestined assembled behind Davis who remained completely unware of them. Not surprisingly he saw Kari carrying her one-armed brother alongside Sora. The younger Kamiya's skin was as pale as the moon and her eyes were already wide with fear before they found the captive Mr. and Mrs. Motomiya. "Good," He thought briefly flicking his eyes to the remains of the skyscrapers. No longer did they reach towards the clouds but they were still high enough one could hide in them and remain hidden from view. He could sense Chiyo hiding somewhere to his far left. "All the pieces for our little production are here, the lead actors and actresses. Now then, heheheh, it's time to let the show begin!" Seeing he had yet to respond Valére reached behind his waist. "Maybe this'll help get my point across." On his mental command the LithoRosemon holding Mrs. Motomiya lowered her down so Valére could press his pistol directly against the side of her skull.
Like a lock had been turned all signs of emotion and life flooded back into the Miracle Child. "NO! NO! PLEASE DON'T!" The pain racking his body didn't matter as the goggle head fell to his knees with his hands out stretched. "I"LL DO IT! JUST PLESE DON'T HURT EITHER OF THEM!"
Twisted proud swam through Valére at the sight of the mighty Daisuke "Davis" Motomiya on his knees before him. "Beg me." He laughed.
"W-What?" Davis questioned feeling his heart skip a beat.
"Get down on your knees and beg me not to kill your mother or your father. I mean you can always refuse and I'll just put both of them out of their misery." He casually responded with a shrug.
A tense second passed as Davis looked from his sleeping mother then to his father. The fear in his eyes was real. This was what none of their other enemies, not even MaloMyotissmon was able to get out of the iron-willed Child of Miracles.
To add more to his achievements Davis did just as Valére instructed as his friends watched on in dismay.
All night Valére's shoes had been collecting ash and blood from all over Shinjuku and now they were getting the cleaning of a lifetime. The Advent of Greed didn't even try to suppress the laughter that fell from his lips as Davis licked and kissed his dirt covered boots. His blood tinted saliva dripped from his shoes onto the earth. Every few seconds Davis stopped to cough up both blood and the disgusting build up in his mouth he had gained. Momentarily taking his eyes off the young leader his emerald eyes rolled over the assorted DigiDestined watching them.
None of them had returned to the battlefield and would until they were sure Davis and his family was safe.
That or Valére's head no longer rested on his shoulders based on the burning death glares he was being given. Apparently ExVeemon had never willingly killed a human being, but going off the look of pure hatred developing on his face Valére had a feeling he would be the first one to make him do so. Yolei had a very similar look on her face, like nothing would have made her happier then ripping his face off with her bare hands. Kari, oh dear sweet Kari, she'd buried her head in her brother's shoulders to avoid looking at the disgraceful scene. To his credit Tai looked the most composed of the bunch, in other words his fury was the most concentrated of the group. If looks could kill Valére as well as all his Ghoulmon and LithoRosemon would be nothing but charred corpses on the road.
His smirk growing he looked back down at Davis who'd shut his eyes tight in an attempt to lessen the humiliation.
Without any kind of warning Valére withdrew his right foot then brought it down on Davis's unsuspecting head.
THUNP!
"Aaaaarrggghhhhh!" The younger goggle head screamed immediately covering the bruised spot.
It was a bad move as Valére brought his foot down again, this time his fingers were forced to take the brunt of the blow. Once those fell to the side Valére was free to continue after his original target.
THUNP!
THUNP!
THUNP!
THUNP!
THUNP!
THUNP!
"Hehehehehehe…" The Frenchman laughed as he glanced upward to see Kari, Yolei, and even T.K. had tears racing down their faces. "I gotta say Davis," he cackled turning back down to the fourteen year-old at his mercy. "I thought killing Dagomon's flunkies would be the highlight of my evening but I was wrong! You've given me something much more memorable to recall this night! I owe you one! As payment I'll let you watch as I kill T.K.! He'll finally be out of the way for your little get-together with that sniveling little cunt you've been so loyal to!" His grin widened upon sensing the fire inside of Davis suddenly roar back to life. Never breaking in his laughter he brought his foot down on top of his head and kept it there. The fire had snuffed out and now there was no way of reigniting it.
THUNP!
THUNP!
THUNP!
He tried with all his might to replicate the mental feat he'd pulled barely an hour earlier, but no matter how much Ken tried he couldn't get the LithoRosemon to obey him. He poured all he had into making them: to drop the Motomiyas, to kill Valére, to free Davis or even so much as wiggle their figures. "God damn it why!? I did it before when we needed it so why can't I do it now!? Now when my best friend needs me!? When he's being humiliated like a dog! When his parents are being held hostage! When I need it! Why damn it!? WHY!? WHY!?"
"Because as you are now you're too weak. Why should they listen to a master who can't protect himself let alone his own subjects?" Suddenly came the sarcastic reply.
All the air left Ken's lungs as his shocked blue eyes met Valére's emerald eyes. Fear, panic, and shock completely filled up his heart turning him into a statue just like his companions.
THUNP!
THUNP!
"Hahahahahah…"
!
With an intensity rivaling that of a monsoon the wave of killing intent fell over the entire street. In a word it was…overwhelming. The moment it fell over the battlefield everyone froze for the sheer presence of it was almost suffocating. Actually it was pretty suffocating- so much that Noriko and Cody felt like they were being repeatedly pushed under a body of water. Yolei out and out collapsed to her knees feeling a never ending chill running wild across her body. Kari was on her knees as well though instead of the chills Kari felt like she was slowly being frozen alive. Everything from her sweat to her blood were as cold as ice; a gaping black hole began to form in the middle of her heart.
Kari wasn't alien to this feeling, but this time there wasn't something different about it.
Kari felt she wasn't the target of this near psychotic killing intent, that honor went to Valére. A cold fist seized her heart right inside her chest, "Coming…it's…it's…"
His laughter had ceased and the devilish smile on his face had been wiped clean off. Confusion blossomed in his eyes as his mouth hung open for a span of thirty seconds.
CCCRRRRIIICCCCKKKK!
There was a shift in the LithoRosemon, one that they could feel more than see. A blue outline briefly flashed over them before they began moving on their own. The one holding Mrs. Motomiya swung out with its free hand smacking Valére across the face. Within seconds it raised the unconscious woman and hurled her the entire eighteen feet that separated them and the DigiDestined. Not a heartbeat later and Mr. Motomiya was following his wife's airborne journey.
Once the two parents were free the cursed statues turned to the downed Valére with their red eyes glowing blood red. A multitude of cracks appeared in their bodies as they dived for the French national.
"WHAT?" He screamed throwing up his hands in sudden defense.
BOOM!
Shards of bloodstained shrapnel exploded from the area where Valére and his AWOL LithoRosemon leaving it obscured from the naked eye.
On their end Joe and Matt acted quickly to catch the flying Motomiyas. Though both boys went down the parents were caught safe and sound.
That left only one person out in the open, and it was just as they all noticed the landscape was bathed in red light. Simultaneously they all turned to the rear to see Ythomon looming over the landscape, his right arm dangling by a hair's breath.
"Jagan of the Abyss." He called unleashing the red beam of energy.
"INCOMING!" Sora screamed grabbing onto the stirring Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya.
Tai, Kari, and Ken weren't paying attention to themselves. Even as they were being dragged away by their partners and friends their eyes and voices were aimed at only one person. "DAVIS!" All three screamed in perfect unison.
Somewhere inside Davis knew this was it, this was the end he'd been able to avoid for almost three years. So…this is it. After all the monsters…and psychopaths…this is how it all ends. Davis felt…calm thinking those words. It might not have been a scratch to say a part of him even felt relief. It felt like a huge weighted was being lifted from his shoulders as the light continued to grow brighter. There was no heat, but there was a certain force that he could feel pressing against his skin. At first it didn't hurt however that didn't last long. "I wonder if it works look those particle beams in the movies. Maybe I'll get a…second of pain and that'll…be it. That doesn't sound so bad, except for the part about not leaving behind a body. Or becoming the best noodle cook the world has ever seen. Or asking…" The thought trailed off as Davis took in one last steady breath. The unknown forcing pushing against his skin no longer simply tingled, it was now hurting like someone was pressing a hammer against him.
Though a part of Davis Motomiya had made peace with dying a certain other person hadn't; that person as a matter of fact took great issue with the thought.
A handful of the Digimon saw the deep blue blur rocket towards Davis, sweeping him up then disappear from their sight entirely.
ExVeemon didn't know what it was but he was grateful to it because it had just saved his best friend. With that thought he was able to divert what little energy he had left into fleeing with the others.
BBBBOOOOMMM!
Chiyo's tears were the first thing Davis noticed as he stared at her face. He followed them to her wide blue eyes which shined with fear, desperation, and pain. The goggle head didn't notice the cuts or bruises that matted her face or covered her hands. The only thing he cared about was her hot breathing against his face and her azure eyes staring into his own.
"I'm sorry Davis. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She cried into his chest unknowingly further aggravating his wounds. His head was still ringing like a church bell from Valére's beating. Her voice was all he could hear bouncing around in his head like a rubber ball.
"…Chi…yo." His tired voice wheezed bringing one arm around her. He didn't know what it was she was apologizing for but he did his best to comfort her, something that had become increasingly natural for him as had protecting her. Seeing Sthanomon's shadow stalking towards him in the smoke triggered his in-built fight-or-flight response. "R-RUN!" He yelled wrapping his arm tightly around her before spinning them in the opposite direction.
"How…pathetic." Sthanomon mused watching the teenagers' desperate attempts to flee him. If he had a heart he might have felt some pity for them, but pity wasn't something an assassin like him possessed. What he did posse was a pragmatic mind that had served him well. His original target was Davis Motomiya, the Advent of Envy was simply extra prey that had stumbled into his hunt. He knew his target well just as he knew his enemy. He'd always found love to be s sickening concept, except when it served him in his missions. This was one such case. "Tsunami Scorcher." His aim was carefully and precise, the tornado of fire and water barreled its way towards the exposed backside of the Child of Miracles with the distance between them rapidly decreasing.
Chiyo knew her choices weren't just limited, they were almost nonexistent. Even if she did throw up a barrier there would still be blow back that Davis wouldn't be able to survive. It was a miracle itself he was even standing on his own two feet. And all that was if her shield up past the point of impact. The only safe option, the only option she had was the one that might have ended in her death, but Davis would live. Breaking out of a weak fourteen year-old's grip was easy even without her powers. She focused her energy into her arms, spun on her heels, and with short grunt pressed against his torn chest. There was a lightning quick flash and Davis was quietly through the air far out of the path of the elemental blast.
In the ten seconds the teenagers locked eyes they were able to take in every detail of the other.
Davis's left eye had been swollen shut as a result of Valére's brutal curb-stomping and would likely take weeks to heal. Blood cascaded down the sides of his face reaching his chin, it looked like someone had taken a fat brush of red paint to both sides of his face but decided to leave the middle portion free. Almost the entirety of his light blue t-shirt had been torn to shreds as well as stained crimson red by his own blood. It was only by a single strand that the article of clothing was holding onto the fourteen year-old's broken body. The same went for his pants, almost the entire length of his right knee was exposed. There hadn't been any time to put on any kind of house shoes thus he had gone the last two hours bare-footed. The constant running, crawling, jumping, and dodging had left their mark on his bloodied feet which also looked like they were going to be in the need of a few stitches.
"If I could…maybe I could at least heal his feet. This accursed power…should at least be able to do that much good."
She had had a long nigh just like he had. Her raincoat was almost gone leaving her to bear the spring night air with nothing but a black sweatshirt with a black t-shirt under it. All the way up to her waist her pants were stained a darker shade of blue with patches of red splattered all over them. A gaping hole on her left pant leg existed with a stained trail of blood. It wasn't just tears and claw marks that had eaten away at her navy blue pants but from what Davis could deduce there had been multiple slash or stabbing attempts made on her. Unlike him she wasn't bare-footed, at least she had on a pair of hard worn sneakers that were a breath away from falling apart. With his one good eye Davis could see her chocolate brown hair had turned a shade darker, matter of fact, it looked like the darken tone was spreading up from her bangs to the rest of her head. Her deeply tanned skin was almost red due to both exhaustion and the cuts and bruises on her face. A nasty purple sore had begun forming on her right side cheek as opposed to Davis's own swollen eye.
Davis's mouth had barely opened into the scream when Sthanomon's attack hit the empty ground where Davis would have been. Every aspect of his body was frozen as the blast ripped through the earth consuming everything including Chiyo in a hailstorm of fire and steam.
As silent as a leaf he landed on the ground almost ten feet from the smoking crater where they had been. "Chi…Chi…Ch…i…Chi…CHIYO!"
With sudden haste he stumbled towards the crater only to fall on his knees barely two feet from his original position. He stared numbly at the blast site waiting for the smoke to clear. He called her name over and over again but as the smoke and steam began to part he saw nothing but a sizzling empty hole in the concrete.
"N…no…no…no. No. No. No…"
The unheard heavy footsteps came to s halt right beside Davis. The young leader's entire body was overshadowed by the fearful figure of Sthanomon who merely stared down at him with his four slated eyes. "How many times is it going to take to get you to realize how stupid this whole thing is? Quite gawking and open your feeble little eyes-this isn't a game Davis Motomiya. Look around you." He seethed sweeping his hand around them. "Do you see this? This is reality. This isn't a game where you can just reset things or alter the difficulty because it's too hard. The people that die aren't just pieces of data, they're living breathing creatures just like you. Just like you they have a mother, a father, maybe some siblings, and a story. Just like you…there's not a thing they can do to change their fate. Did you ever stop to think about what happens to the hero? Just what's going on inside his head as he's fighting the big bad monster? Fighting for his life? He's scared like all you humans are on the inside. You're all sacred of what you know is the inevitable end waiting for you. The road of the hero is one of justice and purity?" For once the Dark Ocean assassin laughed, a humorless mocking sound that was as inhuman as it was cold. "Sometimes Davis you can fight as hard as you can, you can fight until your limbs are shattered and your legs are nothing but broken sticks barely connected to your body, you can fight until your body literally crumbles away into dust…you can do all those things and in the end it won't matter for a damned thing. You think if you try your best you'll get the happy ending you deserve? There are no happy endings in this world, only one nightmare after another. That is a hero's path! A long road of suffering and despair that can only end in one way: death in all its forms!" He raved concentrating fire into his left hand as his rage reached a hallmark. "What's sad is you aren't even that. You're not the hero of some epic Davis, none of you are. You're the second leader of a band of overactive, pathetically naïve brats who believe they're saving a world that's worth dying for. This world…is worthless…and so is the Digital World. What have either of them given you but fear and pain? Can you forget the hell you saw in the Digital World? Can you ignore the evil your own race excels in?
"You've already lost your sister, and now your parents. That…bitch that just wasted her life for yours…if only you knew. Garbage for garbage, one useless life for another. That is the story of you Davis Motomiya. Always so loud and abrasive; it's nothing but a shield to hide the fact that you despise yourself more than you do your enemies. Always the fool, the brave dim-witted fool who believes he's doing the right thing. Did you think playing the part of the hero would give some meaning to your life? Frankly I pity you because only a weakling would do such a thing. That's why you're always the first one to fight, the last one to give in. Well then…go ahead and refute me, say that I'm wrong." Sthanomon snarled dispelling the flames in his head. "But let me ask you something: what kind of hero can't even protect his family? Or the girl who's chased after him for two years, and was never once given a second glance because he was too busy chasing the moon?"
Sthanomon felt the pull of his home world immediately and unexpectedly. He welcomed the call like any creature longing for home. As much as he enjoyed the thought of returning to his watery world he knew the call was not for him; it was for the poor fool he'd been forced to liberate from his own delusions.
The pool of black water slowly began to form beneath Davis like a pot of boiling water, bubbles rising up and piping. It sipped over the ground around him completely covering the broken earth. In seconds a small puddle of the ink-like liquid had formed around Davis.
He was sinking, slowly, and unknowingly into the black abyss.
"DAVIS! DAVIS! DAVIS! DAVIS!" Came the screaming but none of it reached the young goggle head.
No light was reflected in his eyes, no signs of life could be located.
"DAVIS!" Kari screamed breaking off into a run after him with Gatomon held tightly in her arms. "DAVIS! DAVIS MOVE NOW!" She could feel the darkness closer than ever only she wasn't its target. What it wanted more than her was the Child of Miracles, the core, the leader of their team, as well as one of her closest friends. "DAVIS! DAVIS!" Kari frantically screamed as his knees disappeared below the black water. "DON"T GIVE UP ON US!" From somewhere behind her she could hear her name being called but she ignored it. Death and carnage were dancing all around her in grotesque forms that made her stomach churn; however, she pushed past it towards her defeated friend.
They all saw the tentacles rise out of the black liquid with a collective shudder. The water rand down the fleshy limbs that twitched and twisted in the open air. One by one they began to coil around Davis, first his shoulders then his limp arms. From what they could see their grip wasn't tight because there was no need for them to be. They didn't drag Davis down so much as lightly pull him further into the black pit that had formed around him. He was blind to the ghostly limbs just as he was blind and deaf to the battle raging around him.
For the once Tai tore his eyes away from his parents and forced himself up to no objections from his partner or friends. With a booming voice that belonged to a seasoned leader he shouted, "SOMEONE ANYONE, GET DAVIS OUT OF THERE NOW!"
One of their number was already following after Kari just as the words finished leaving Tai's mouth.
T.K. had broken off from Matt's side with Angemon following close behind him to give him cover. The fear and desperation in his eyes matched that of Kari's and Tai's. His chest rose and fell causing him pain each time. Every moment of contact his feet had with the ground sent a lightning bolt of pain arching up his legs. Tightening his fists and twisted his mouth into a determined snarl he pushed over, under, and through the overturn pieces of earth and burning vehicles. "DAVIS! YOU AREN"T GIVING UP NOW ARE YOU! DON"T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT YOU HEAR ME!"
SSSSSSSSSSSS!
"T.K. keep going to Davis!" Angemon yelled jumping to cover his right side. From one of the crevices came an overgrown serpent that tackled Angemon to the ground and wrapped around his left arm. "Keep going!" He yelled struggling to pull the accursed reptile off.
T.K. did just that, if possible his speed seemed to have increased the moment his partner went down. Sweat rained down his brow onto his shirt and lastly against the hard earth.
In what seemed like a flash he was right beside Kari, and in another they were standing over the ebony puddle that the younger goggle head had disappeared into.
"DAVIS!" The two screamed plunging their hands into the black water. It was hot and cold, sludge-like and entirely free-forming at once. At first they weren't able to grasp anything but the disgusting liquid. "DAVIS! DAVIS! PLEASE DAVIS DON'T GIVE UP ON US!"
"I'd advise you to step away from there worm." Sthanomon directed towards T.K. "You've caused quite enough damage today."To his surprise the boy didn't stop digging into the darkness, not even when one of his jawed tentacles tore a chunk out of his right shoulder. The jaw pressed down, then on Sthanomon's command, released its payload of raw heat and cold energy crippling the boy.
Beside the heavily wounded boy Kari didn't stop trying. She continued calling Davis's name even as Sthanomon advanced towards her.
Again surprising him Gatomon stood in his way hissing at him like a cornered cat.
"Why do you people keep doing this? Can't you see you've lost? Davis Motomiya's life is as good as gone so why do you keep struggling?"
"Because he's our friend!" The feline hotly retorted readying her claws for the short combat that was to come.
"You…wouldn't understand it." T.K. snarled somehow finding the strength to sit up right. His right arm was totally useless so he began to focus on the left. "Davis…may be a lot of things…but he's…one of…the strongest…out of all… of us. No…matter…what happens or who we're facing…he's…never given up, and…because of him we've never given up! We've lost? Bullshit! It's not…over, not as long as we've still got the strength to get up…and fight! That's why we're not going to give up on him! He taught us that! He was always there for us…no matter the jokes or pranks, and now it's our turn to be there for him!" The Child of Hope defiantly proclaimed not turning his back.
In the fraction of a second Sthanomon struck, but he had waited too late. The aura of golden light had grown brighter and brighter with every word the teenager spoke. Though she hadn't noticed it a similar aura of pulsing light had been formed around Kari.
Sthanomon felt a sliver of fear dash up his spine. "Devourer of the Abyss!"
Though all the tentacles came at the two the twin auras fused together into a shimmering sphere that not only reflected the tentacles but incinerated them on the spot. Hissing in pain the assassin instinctively jumped back as the sphere of light grew larger and brighter. It was like a miniature star had been formed around the dark portal.
From across the battlefield a radiant golden light erupted temporarily blinding the demons and monsters wreaking havoc on the city.
Angemon Digivolve to…
Catching sight of the golden light the wounded Ythomon trudged over to the scene. The light was blinding to his single eye yet for the sake of his mission he cracked it open. He had to destroy it before the transformation was completed. "Jagan of the-"
"HORN BUSTER!"
"HALBERD HYDRA!"
For the umpteenth time Ythomon's was caught right in the middle of a surprise attack, only this time the attack was his elemental weakness times two.
"GAAAHHHHH! WHO IS IT THIS TIME! SHOW YOURSELVES!"
"Gladly!" Answered a powerful female voice. "Show him who we are!"
The wall of energy blasts, fireballs, projectiles, spears, and boulders completely covered Ythomon's eye. The gigantic creature had just enough time to curse before they slammed into him with the force of a meteor. Like a pillar that had lost its base Ythomon went crashing to the ground; since most of the buildings prohibiting his movements before were gone his fall was loud, quick, and relatively free of road bumps. His earthquake-inducing crash halted the battle in its tracks.
"YOOOOO!"
The voice was human, that of a teenager's.
With baited breath the all eyes went to the lone building that housed Ythomon's attackers. Above it stood the red shell of MegaKabuterimon, right beside him floated a feminine water elemental. Her body was literally a constantly shifted mass of water contained by golden pieces of armor that sharply reflected the moon's light.
Bravely stepping out from the shadows of their partners were Izzy and an African girl with determined hazel eyes that scanned the battlefield. In moments they were joined by a familiar brown haired beauty who made Joe feel like he'd just been swept off his feet. Lilymon casually stood on top of MegaKabuterimon's shell with a serious frown on her face. Behind them rows of other Digimon rose up, their expressions the same.
With an uncharacteristic grin Izzy called out, "Sorry we're late guys!"
Taking into account the new arrivals Yigmon and Gadreelmon screamed at once, in perfect unison. "KILL ALL OF THEM!"
One chapter of Devilish Life left baby! Honestly while writing this part of the story has been fun I'm very eager to get back to Jun's side of the story. Of course when I do you know all this is going to have a major effect on all the characters in the Dark Ocean. Izzy arriving with back-up was originally supposed to be how the last chapter ended but time and writing constraints intervened. Now things are going to be just a little bit more even since it seems like everyone but the DigiDestined have brought in some kind of game-changer to tip the war in their favor. As some of you might have guessed Patamon and Gatomon will be Digivolving to their Mega forms at some point; for Gatomon she'll be Digivolving into both Ophanimon and Magnadramon at one point to form the Miracle Four. Here's hoping at the end I was able to get most of the emotion just right. It wasn't easy writing Davis taking a physical and emotional pounding this chapter since he's one of my favorite characters. Truth be told I when I first watched A02 almost ten years ago he was one of my favorite characters because like T.K. stated he never gives up even when times are tough. Ah that's enough personal rabbling! Please leave a review and have a nice day!
And before I go…R.I.P Prince, he was before my time but like so many I was touched by his music and was sad to see him go.
