Chapter fifty, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story up to this point. It means a lot and I'm happy you've followed this story for this long. Last chapter of 2017 so let's get the show on the road!
I do not own anything.
Chapter Fifty-Unravel Pt.2 (Into the Flames)
Matt Ishida was not having a good day, matter of fact, he couldn't remember when his last good day was. Perhaps it was one where he didn't have the fear of death hanging over his head or battle plans swirling around in his head instead of lyrics or band practice. Those times seemed like they'd encountered another life time ago; when he looked in the mirror what stared back at him was an aged veteran instead of a seventeen year-old boy. Before going to bed he'd already notice several grey hairs developing amidst his dirty blond locks. Countless others had assured him he wasn't the only one, it had become something of a running joke over whose hair would turn white or completely grey first. At the rate he was going Matt believed he stood a pretty good chance.
He'd gone outside to do a quick walk around to clear his head. Activities like this was one of the few ways he was able to maintain his sanity. Admittedly walking through Shinjuku felt much like walking through a warzone, one that could suddenly turn hot at any second. Following the back-to-back battles martial law had been implanted, with mixed results. Very few people felt safe walking the streets during the daylight hours, especially if the weather was nasty. Hundreds of shops and malls had been ordered closed with their reopening far, far off in the future, provided the buildings or workers managed to live that long. A few business cared on operations as if the world wasn't coming to an end, Matt and the other DigiDestined took a small bit of pride in that-it meant some semblance of order was being maintained and their efforts weren't being entirely wasted. Law enforcement and armed patrols periodically on the move. That part was unavoidable, with the rampant Digimon attacks and looting by criminals all precautions had to be taken to ensure there wasn't complete chaos.
Crime was a funny thing, Matt had a few run-ins with the criminal elements of Tokyo. Nothing major or that would give his fad a heart attack. After the Battle of Kabukichō the criminal underworld had been dealt something of a crippling blow. Ironically reports claimed a large amount of criminal property had been destroyed during all the fighting. The police would have breathed a sigh of relief if they still didn't have to contend with rampaging Digital monsters. On the other side most crime bosses had suspended their operations or slowed down considerable since by the looks of things, humans were being slowly driven out of Tokyo, either by water or monster attacks. Not helping matters were the string of disappearances that followed each battle or major skirmish; Matt tried not to dwell on which was worse: being taken by Dagomon and converted into a Deep One or falling into the hands of the Seven Deadly Demons. According to his father and some of his co-workers the yakuza bosses were having just as much a tough time trying to keep a handle on their own men and organizations as they were on staying alive. While discussing it with Cody Matt had noted how the apocalypse had almost silenced all the evils of humanity.
"Evil eats evil, once it's finished it'll turn its full attention to good." Gennai had once told them when discussing the early stages of the war. So far they'd been able to use that to their advantage, but Matt had a feeling one side was about to claim victory over the other, and once that was done the victor would turn their full attention to them.
The sky above was overcast as usual. Small rays of sunlight poked through the gray blanket that had seemingly covered all of Asia. Forecasters had long since stopped pretending to know what the coming day held for the people on the ground; most people went to bed expecting heavy rain or a thunderstorm. For that reason Matt always went out in a hoodie, umbrellas were never his style. His choice of fashion did get him a few sideways glances from passing patrolmen as hoodies and the like had become favored by delinquents and robbers. It didn't exactly help that he'd be so riled up he'd often return their suspicious glares giving them another reason to keep an eye on him. Gabumon and Sora had lectured him to no end about it, yet he still found himself doing it totally out of impulse. He'd seemed to have developed some kind of dark aura as whenever he walked some people made it a goal to steer clear of him. Matt couldn't exactly blame them has whenever he went out it was usually to blow off steam. Besides that some people had issues of their own to deal with thus avoided him, who cared a similar feel about himself.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Hm? Gabumon?"
"Matt! Matt!"
Ducking into an alley way he held out his Digivice already feeling a sense of dread overcome him as he stared at the blue screen. "What is it? What happened?"
"Davis! He and Veemon, they're…they're…they're gone!"
Internally Matt cursed. He was sure some mad god was seeing how much crap he could throw his way before he cracked. "What do you mean gone? What happened? Was there an attack?"
"N-No! A-A portal opened up inside of the bass! They went through it and came out near ShogunGekkomon's Castle! After that…Matt, please, you have to come back, now!"
Matt could feel the stones dropping in his stomach. Tucking his Digivice back within his pocket he practically sprinted down the street back to the DigiDestined home base. He had no idea what it was he was running towards, but something in his gut told him it wasn't going to be good. His instincts were confirmed when Gabumon met him at one of the warehouse entrances, his face a dark frown.
"Command room, you have to see it." His voice was grim and his face was dark, without a word Matt followed him through the hallways.
Before the door opened the DigiDestined knew what he was about to see was going to leave him feeling like he'd just been sucker punched. As the doors slid open revealing the frantic command center. Digimon and human were running from one end of the massive room to another, but in the center everyone stood still. The primary projector was showing something, a live video image of the battle unfolding in the Digital World. Matt pushed through the crowd until he was able to see the video fed with his own eyes.
And he wished to God he hadn't done so.
"N…No…No…D…Davis…" Those two words were all he managed to say as all the strength he'd mustered drained out of his body like air out of a balloon.
In all honesty Davis wasn't sure if he wanted to wake up. Chiyo's words still rung through his head like the resounding thunder booming through the skies. Her eyes, her once, clear gentle eyes had turned bloody red and stared back at him without any sense of warmth of affection. He fell through the darkness while she watched on from above with an expression of dispassionate interest. Screaming himself hoarse until she turned her back to him he cursed the Seven Demons and the world for the tragedy, even cursing himself. The choice was prolong that nightmare or awake to the hellish war he'd flung himself into.
ExVeemon made the decision for him.
"Davis! Davis! Come on, Davis, open your eyes! I need you here!"
Water, black, salty, bloody, water gushed out of his mouth. It felt like he was attempting to throw up his internal organs. At this point doing so actually seeming plausible as it felt like he had sewer water and seaweed inside of him. His vision was blurry and disoriented with only a few burst of color breaking through the blurred mess. Every inch of his body felt like lead making even raising his head a struggle, if not for ExVeemon cradling him he wouldn't have been able to move at all.
"Wh…Wha…What…"
"We got thrown overboard." ExVeemon grimly answered. It was clear by his voice that he too was still struggling to process what had just happened to them. Chiyo's transformation and her harsh words had been just as hurtful to him as they'd been to Davis.
"C…Ch…Chi…yo, wh…where is she?" He managed.
Immediately the look of anger on the Champion's face transformed into shame. Using what little strength he'd regained he followed his partner's figure to the open sea. It was next to impossible to make anything out too far away in the distance, but he could see the shapes, monstrous figures illuminated by explosive flashes of light. His ears heard the echo of Leviamon's thunderous roar overpowering almost all other sounds. Even amidst the heat of battle the Terror Beast's demonic roars couldn't be entirely drowned out. The powerful shockwaves he released when he thrashed about in the water traveled all the way to the coastline where Davis and ExVeemon lay more than proving a point of how powerful he was.
Grimacing he summoned the energy needed to stand on his own. Just seeing the red-scaled Digimon seemed to feel him with a blazing anger he never knew he possessed. Because that…demon Chiyo was gone, lost in the darkness and now hell-bent on making everyone around her suffer. He had to get to her and stop her before she things spiraled too far out of control.
"I…I need you to-"
"Davis, we can't!" Snapping to him ExVeemon realized the time had come for him to put his foot down. Grabbing his partner by the shoulders he looked down at him. "I know you want to tell Chiyo! I know you want to save her! But Davis, look at us, neither of us are in any shape to go marching through that. Even if we could get to her we'd have to drag her kicking and screaming back with Leviamon hot on our tails! I don't even know if we have any forces in the area left! I'm sorry but it's too-"
"Late? That's quite an accurate summarization of your current situation. It seems both of you seem to possess a functioning brain after all."
The moment his ears picked up the sound of the Demon of Wrath's voice ExVeemon spun in that direction, already concentrating energy into his chest for his V-Laser. The gleaming bright orange blast completely blew apart the ground where he suspected the voice of coming from. With the continued laughter ringing in his ears ExVeemon dragged the energy blast across the ground, leaving a smoldering patch of ruin in his wake. Rain droplets turned into steam on contact.
A solid line of molten ground lay before the two when ExVeemon ended the attack. Davis had become so used to the smell of burnt soil he barely bat an eye during his partner's attack. His fists tightening he searched for Daemon, already having a feeling it was a futile effort. "You know I'm starting to get real tired of this little mind trick of yours.' Is it too much to ask for you to come out and face me like a man!"
"Again, I'd gladly do so if I could, would save me so much time manpower, but…" Just like with the base a sudden collection of flames appeared before them. It swelled up then took the form of the Demon Lord of Wrath. Standing out amongst the mass of flames were the blood-red eyes that all demons carried. "I'm still on house arrest." Holding up his hands a coral-like mass of gray matter materialized. "If you want to settle things mon to man than free me, I'll march into Shinjuku and we can settle things face to face. You and your partner will at least be able to die with some shred of dignity."
"Go blow yourself." Davis snarled throwing his hand out. "Listening to you is what got me into this mess! Listening to you corrupted Chiyo!"
"It appears I was wrong, you're not a man, you're still a bratty child. One unable to take responsibility for his actions." Daemon calmly fired back.
"Shut up! This is your fault!"
"How? I'm not the one who ignored Chiyo's feelings for years on end. I'm not the one who abandoned her when she needed help."
"Bullshit! I know you did something to her during that battle in Shinjuku! I was looking for her, I searched until I collapsed!"
"Then you should have convinced her of that, boy!" Without warning the flames shot outwards forcing Davis to step back least he be burnt. Orange and crimson embers licked from his bloody eyes as they rooted Davis to the spot. Daemon's voice dripped with toxic venom, "I told you I'd bring you here! I fulfilled my end of the bargain! I told you I would not be responsible for what happened next, that you would be the author of the events that followed! Just because she's changed doesn't put me at fault!"
"You're the one who changed her! You twisted her and warped her until…until…"
"I had no hand in what was done to Chiyo, all I did was push her along until she saw the truth of the world. It appears I'm going to have to do the same for you." Holding out his hand he telekinetically pulled Davis towards him putting the boy in a chokehold. ExVeemon sprung off his heel reeling his fist back only to be stopped by a collection of flaming chains. The winged Champion struggled against the boiling-hot metal but alas, he fell to the ground wreathing in pain at the flaming barbs digging into his skin. Turning his attention back to Davis he brought him so close Davis could feel the sweat beginning to form on his skin. "Is it me you're angry at, or yourself for being too stupid to notice? You're blaming me because she realized how shitty her lot was, for doing something to change it. Are you angry about that…or are you just jealous?"
"Okay, now you're just trying to play mind games with me." Davis choked.
"No, if anything I'm just trying to get to the heart of the problem." Daemon jabbed. "I can see it inside of you, that smoldering flame called anger. How long do you think you can keep that flame inside? You can fight as much as you want, but eventually the fire will be unleashed."
"Great, so long as you get burned too I'm all for it."
"I repeat: am I really the one you're angry at?" A deep feral snort left the demon's throat. "Am I the one at fault for your sister being taken? Is it my fault she's wondering through a desolate rainforest with a slim chance of survival? Now I may be a Digimon and a loner, but it is my understanding human siblings look after each other. Where were you when your sister was taken? Where were you when she was lost and alone and scared in the darkness? Oh yes, that's right, you were sitting on your ass…doing nothing. In the absence of the eldest child does it not fall to you, the remaining one, to protect the rest of the family? Where is your family now, Davis?" The fire he saw within the young teen roared brighter than ever. Even if it was by just a fraction Daemon felt Davis' grip on his arm tighten. "According to my sources they're lying in a hospital room, both in comas from attacks you weren't there to prevent. An attack born from enemies you should have slain when you had the chance. It gnaws at you at night, doesn't it? How you didn't take Kari seriously when she mentioned the Dark Ocean to you…or when you and your little friends encountered me. If you'd done your job as a leader…this wouldn't have happened, would it?" Titling his head Daemon's left eye expanded a little as he leered at the helpless teen. "If it'd been Tai…maybe things would have been different. If you were half the leader he was or half as smart as T.K. or Ken maybe this whole war could have been avoided, but you weren't. You remained the knucklehead hero who stumbled his way into one victory after another. So in closing…is any of this really my fault?"
His red spiky hair fell over his eyes, but Daemon didn't need to see his eyes to know what he was feeling. Davis' struggling had stopped completely leaving him still as a statue. The fire within his chest had been reduced to little more than a spark, one that kept flickering like a dying light bulb.
ExVeemon ceased his struggling and stared at the two with moon-sized eyes. Though the chains were restricting his movement the pain of the spiked barbs digging into his skin seemed to vanish. He could feel something in his bones, like the calm before the storm. What frightened was the source of this unease wasn't coming from Daemon's projection….it was coming from Davis.
His right hand struck out like a viper gripping the demon's wrist. "S…Sh…ut…your trap. Just…shut up…you…don't…understand a damn…thing. You…think…I need you to tell me that? You think I need you to tell me…how much of a screw-up I've been? Get in line. It's shit like that…that keeps me awake every night. I see…every failure in front of me, laughing at me in the face. You can see it, can't you? From that little bunker in the Dark Ocean…do you get off on it?"
"…Yes, yes I do. Seeing one of my most hated enemies tearing himself apart, nothing quite like it in the world."
"Yeah…I thought so. See, that's something about you I hate almost as much as I hate myself. The world's going to shit, thousands of people and Digimon are dying…and you're getting off on this." His grip tightened, inside of him the fire suddenly exploded into a brief shower of sparks. When the shower ended it'd had grown brighter. "It makes you feel good doesn't it, watching all those people sit in the dark scared about what's going to happen next? Where you happy when Chiyo finally snapped at me? Were you proud when she finally jumped off the deep end?" Finally a lone eye made contact with the demon, an eye brimming with violent rage.
"I don't enjoy the fear, I enjoy the anger and hatred that blooms from it." Daemon clarified relaxing his grip somewhat. "I see those fools shivering in the darkness and I want to ring the life out of each and every last one of them with my own two hands, but when I see them scream out their hatred…plunge their blades their enemies, pull the triggers on their weapons," An almost orgasmic shiver ran up Daemon's spine slightly unnerving Davis and ExVeemon who had an up close view of it. "With Chiyo, why yes, I did enjoy seeing her finally let that anger out. All that bottled up frustration at the world, at her parents, at her classmates, and most of all…at you." By now both of Davis' hands were gripping Daemon's arm with enough strength the demon could actually feel his hologram beginning to come apart. The human was actually exerting enough force he could have broken a grown man's arm if he wanted to. "Tell me Davis, when you see me and Dagomon…what will you do? How much do you hate us?"
ExVeemon felt something stirring in his stomach, something hot and powerful. His mind went almost entirely blank as his attention remained focused slowly on Davis, his body encased in a flame-like aura that rivaled Daemon's.
"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU BOTH APART! THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO! I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES! I DON'T CARE WHAT I HAVE TO DO, I WILL DESTORY BOTH OF YOU!" The young DigiDestined leader roared causing the flame inside of to erupt into a mighty blaze that manifested as an aura of black and red flames.
Daemon laughed as the fire consumed him, he threw back his head and laughed as his orange and red flames were swallowed up by Davis. In seconds the once satanic figure of Daemon was gone, swallowed whole by the inferno that was Davis' unchained wrath.
"Heheheh…hehehe...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's right Davis, let it all out! No more holding back! Embrace it, that rage that has smoldered so deep inside of you, release it and let it burn this accursed world to cinders!"
"RRAAAAAAAGGHHH!" The same hellish flames that had engulfed Davis had spread to ExVeemon as well. The reptilian Digimon stood up on both legs screaming bloody murder as the flames tore at his skin. The X-shaped crest on his abdomen burned, his feet skunk into the ground as his body weight had just tripled. Metal cracking and breaking echoed from the chains that kept his arms and wings bound. ExVeemon's muscles bugled as veins formed all across his body, his roars grew more and more monstrous as the aura of black and red flames around him magnified.
"BURN IT ALL DOWN, DAVIS, EXVEEMON! THIS PUTRID REALITY THAT HAS ROBBED YOU OF THE THINGS YOU LOVE! TAKE YOUR REVENGE AND LEAVE THOSE WHO CROSSED YOU NOTHING BUT BURNING CORPSES!"
With joint screams the two howled to the storm sky causing a cloud of black and red flames to envelope both of them. From ExVeemon the sound of metal shattering like glass. Two draconic wings sprouted from the flames which condensed into a solid shape. As they did so a feral growl pierced the surrounding coast like the predator awakening from a long slumber.
"RRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"
Shattering the ground as if it were a tea cup the flaming figure took towards the sky. The flames around Davis condensed into a flaming coat that stuck to his frozen form.
From beyond the rumble came humans and Digimon, their faces tattooed with corrupt Digital code that gave away their allegiance to Dagomon.
"Human…DigiDestined." One of them growled taking a step forward.
Davis turned back revealing a face completely obscured by darkness save for his eyes, bloody red orbs that burned with unholy rage and malevolence the likes of which belonged to a devil. The minute he saw the DigiCode that ran over their bodies he ran at them, completely disregarding their attacks. From deep within a barbaric war cry went up sending terror into the hearts of the Deep Ones, moments before he was upon them and ripping them apart with his flaming hands.
It was hard to describe, on one hand it looked like ExVeemon, but it packed the destructive power of Magnamon with one key difference-this creature was undoubtedly a being of pure evil and destruction. It trailed fire everywhere it flew, which was everywhere. Matt blinked once and by then hundreds of Digimon had been deleted in that time or were wreathing in agony at their wounds. With amazing speed and deadly power the demonic dragon that used to be Veemon sped through the skies leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. And that was just with Veemon himself.
Matt had heard humans could be empowered by Digimon, gaining superhuman abilities that more often than not came with a cost. First he knew of Kari, who while practically a walking holy hand grenade, still lived life with a target on her back. What he was seeing was Davis empowered by a force opposite of the light Kari possessed.
His fists created whirlwinds with mere glancing blows, direct hits shattered bone while burning away skin and armor. A single leap carried Davis almost twenty feet, a ground stomps and pounds split the earth and caused fiery eruptions. When Davis roared it was a sub-human sound that sent shivers down Matt's spine, and that was when he wasn't literally spewing fire. He showed no mercy to his targets, the Deep Ones. While Matt didn't particularly feel sorry for them, he shuddered seeing Davis dispatch both humans and Digimon with such ferocity; he'd become little more than an animal in human form, one with an aura of black and red flames that reminded Matt too much of the demons they'd been fighting for the last month.
Stunned silence surrounded Matt as the others watched the savage display of power. Davis had been reliable, he'd been friendly, he'd been someone they knew could use a break. And now they were watching him ruthlessly tear through entire legions like they were tissue paper.
Beside him Katsumi held a hand over her mouth, she was too stunned to speak. Farah looked on with dark eyes, God only knew what was going through her head.
"He's possessed." The Libyan girl finally said after a prolonged bout of silence. "Daemon's sunk his claws into him."
Matt looked down at Gabumon. The silent conversation that went on between the two of them lasted less than a minute.
"Fire up the portal." The dirty blonde said pushing his way towards the hallway that lead to the DigiPorts.
"Matt!" Farah shouted grabbing him by the shoulder. "You are not-"
"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM LIKE THAT! I CAN'T!" His voice bounced off the metal walls seemingly shocking everyone out of their trauma-induced daze. All eyes were on him but he didn't care. Turning around to face his North African comrade he struggled to contain the intense emotions swelling up inside of him. It wasn't until Gabumon took his hand did he find the strength to speak without his voice completely cracking. "I…I just can't lose him, Farah. I already let Jun down once…I…I can't do that again. Please."
Farah's face became cross as she buried it in the palm of her head. Beside her other teens whispered looking back at Matt while pointing towards the projector. Silencing them with a Libyan curse she met Matt's eyes. It was hard to tell who she was more angry at, him or herself for what she was about to say. "We're pulling out, you drag Davis and Veemon through that portal or all four of you are walking to the nearest allied outpost. That clear?"
"Thank you."
"Just try to come back alive you two."
As they stood on the platform waiting for warp Matt looked at his partner. "Sorry I keep getting you into these messes. I guess when it came to partners you really…"
"Hey," He said playfully hitting his leg. "You're about to go wade into a warzone to help a friend. As the Digimon bearer of the Crest of Friendship that's the kind of behavior I approve of, besides," Gripping his hand with his palm Gabumon nodded. "No wolf leaves a pack-mate behind."
Just before the light engulfed them sending them from the Human World to the Digital World the rocker had just enough time to pull his partner into a tight embrace. Around his neck the Crest of Friendship shimmered with an icy blue light.
When they came out of the portal Gabumon had double warped Digivolved to MetalGarurumon. If he hadn't there was a pretty good chance both human and Digimon would have been torn to shreds by the crossfire.
Hitting him right in the face were gale-force winds that forced Matt to shut his eyes tight. His bones groaned in agony as it felt like his very blood was being frozen. If it weren't for his partner's protective energy flowing into him through physical contact Matt was sure he would have gone into hyperthermia.
Almost as fast as the cold sensation took hold of him a blazing heat wave pushed it away and left Matt feeling like he was standing beside an incinerator. An explosive boom nearly shattered his eardrums near seconds after he thought his ears would freeze and break off. Fighting through the sweat and shock he cracked his eyes open, an reddish-orange blimp was moving across the skies destroying everything it came into contact with, then it made a breakneck turn and sped towards them.
MetalGarurumon performed a textbook barrel roll, just barely avoiding the human-projectile that rocketed towards them. According to his sensors the level of heat produced by the object was clocking in at almost three thousand degrees Celsius, close to that of a volcano. Even MetalGarurumon's own armor got a little warm despite cleanly dodging the attack. He didn't have much time to dwell on it as the object turned around and came at them again forcing him to dodge. This time he released a handful of missiles to counterattack. A thin red line appeared in front of the flaming mass, then each missile exploded. Through the fire MetalGarurumon saw a draconic jaw open causing a two-foot wide-wide fireball to take shape; immediately he began charging power for his Cocytus Breath attack.
The two attacks collided against each other releasing tremendous shockwaves through the sky. Neither fire nor ice could overpower the other resulting in a mighty explosion that rattled teeth and armor alike. Both combatants knew the other would use the resulting smokescreen to attack thus they dived headfirst into the fray. MetalGarurumon extended his laser blades while keeping his body straight as an arrow.
KINLG!
Whatever their attacker's blades were made out of, they were sturdy as hell. MetalGarurumon calculated the strength of their foe's blades to be strong enough to bisect a hill top, especially when combined with their deadly speed.
Just as he turned around for another attack a sudden burst of blue-colored gas enveloped the flaming figure.
"Attack now, you stupid mutt!"
"MetalGarurumon didn't have to be told twice. "Grace Cross Freezer!" All the ports on his body opened up releasing hundreds of cryogenic missiles that sped towards the gas cloud like lightning.
A deafen hush fell over the figure as the gas cloud condensed into a mass of bluish-purple ice that dropped down towards the dark water below.
With the threat neutralized, at least for the moment, Matt looked up to find a winged mutant creature staring down at him and his partner.
"I wasn't saving either of you two, I was merely taking care of the larger threat." Tosamon grunted raising one of her tentacle hands. "Make no mistake, your heads will be mine before this day is done!" Not sparing them another word the daughter of Dagomon flew off towards another series of distant battles leaving the duo alone.
"Great, we really stepped into the fire this time, didn't we?" MetalGarurumon snorted.
"Yeah, no use in crying over spilled milk though." The blond stated shaking his head. "Take me to where Davis is, I gotta talk to him."
Keeping his thoughts to himself MetalGarurumon flew towards the shoreline, or at least what was left of it. Seeing it Matt thought this was what the beaches of Normandy and Okinawa looked like during the Second World War. Having seen cities and urban centers turned into battlefields he was able to handle things a little better, but it still threw him for a loop seeing miles upon miles of scorched earth littered with craters as big as soccer fields. Looking ahead to the far off distance he could make out a lone mass of flames standing amongst the carnage.
Hopping off the cyborg wolf Matt steadied his breathing. "We both know that combo back there isn't going to be enough to stop ExVeemon, I need you to go stop him before he starts attacking our people."
"Matt,"
"No, trust me, this is one battle…I've had coming to me for a long time. I need to do it alone." The human calmly replied.
MetalGarurumon knew that voice all too well, in other words any argument he could have given was mute. "The minute I smell trouble I'm flying back here." Even though he vastly outclassed him in size and power, he still patted MetalGarurumon's snot with affection. Some things he supposed he'd never outgrow.
Once his partner departed back to the battlefield Matt began walking, slowly trying to figure out what he could say to calm Davis down. At current he was coming up with nothing.
"This is so going to hurt in the morning."
Tosamon had not been having a good day. First starters immediately after he injuries from the Battle of Clooloo completely healed she was called out here, to ShogunGekkomon's Castle. Sure she'd liked the place and surrounding scenery, but this? Fire and demons everywhere? To her this was hell, and hell was winning the battle. She was exhausted having used up almost seventy percent of her energy in attempting to turn the tide of the battle. Hundreds of demons had been slain by her hand, many of which in terribly gruesome ways, but it just wasn't enough. Making matters worse she couldn't even drag out their torture like she could usually do in battles.
Then that blazing thing came in and made things twice as difficult. Tosamon was really beginning to share her father's hatred for the Motomiya family, they were cockroaches, ones with an annoying bite to them.
It exploded from the ocean water with all the force and fury of a bomb, blasting away anyone unfortunate enough to be that close to the water. The scalding hot temperatures seared their flesh like hot pokers. They would have screamed had they not been pulverized by the force of the newly Digivolved creature burst forth to continue its rampage. It attacked indiscriminately putting all combatants on guard.
The newly born creature was something of a bastard mix of ExVeemon and the Exalted Knight Digimon UlforceVeedramon, with an obvious demonic twist. Instead of shining blue Chrome Digizoid armor its body possessed jagged volcanic patches, almost as if it were natural borne. Going along with this appearance the wings were large and satanic resembling that of a demon's more than some noble dragon. In the place of Ulforce's metallic bracers were rocky gauntlets that seemed to have fused with the arms of the Demon Dragon Digimon. The claws were burning orange, and still dripping with the freshly split blood of its victims. Almost cartoonish it had kept the stylized X-shape of ExVeemon, but now the crest was made with rocky protrusions that carried multiple spikes to them. On either side two blazing circles that resembled eyes stared back at all opponents, and in the center a single blazing core where all the magma veins connected.
Finally there was the head, no doubt ExVeemon's, but far more feral and draconic. The roars it released traveled for miles telling all that an evil beast had been introduced into the battlefield, and it would have blood.
Name: IraforceVeedramon
Level: Mega
Attribute: Virus (Corrupted)
Description: It is said should the shining Exalted Knight Digimon UlforceVeedramon ever succumb to the power of darkness, more specifically the power of hatred and rage, this vicious dragon will be born. Unlike the shining light of UlforceVeedramon this creature exudes burning heat that scorches all it comes into contact with. Combining immense speed with earth shaking power IraforceVeedramon is able to blitz and outright defeat entire legions of Mega-level Digimon, of course it does so out of animalistic fury. A rage-driven beast it is unable to strategize or think rationally meaning all who stand before it are enemies to be destroyed with extreme prejudice. Its four main attacks are Ray of Destruction, Iraforce Saber, Crimson Guard, and last but not least, Demon's Impulse X.
The first of the listed attacks was put to great effect as IraforceVeedramon gathered strength into its chest area. The X-shaped crest on its body burned with volcanic light seconds before a concentrated blast of fire erupted forth, cutting through armor and skin like a hot knife through butter. Throwing back its head in a primal roar it moved the beam around completely incinerating anything caught in the blast.
Tosamon herself had come within a hair's breath of being destroyed by the same attack. The heat of the move was so intense she felt all the moisture on her body being evaporated and her skin beginning dry up and crack. Diving into the water was her only defense, and event that was temporary at best.
Even underwater IraforceVeedramon's flames were extinguished, much to the horror of many marine Digimon. He came at them without mercy, shredding them to pieces with his claws and teeth as easily as if they were tissue paper. Attempts to hold him back resulted in limbs being sliced and diced into hundreds of pieces, followed by their owners. More than a few octopus and squid-like Digimon found themselves rather brutally turned into flaming sushi when they moved to restrain the out of control dragon. Attacks of all shapes and sizes were nimbly dodged, then the attackers were bisected, sometimes into multiple pieces.
Tosamon came up to the surface after having time to reimburse herself in the water. All around her a collection of Digimon assembled charging up their strongest attacks where she protected their enemy would come up. Sure enough they all felt the rise in energy and fired on her signal.
BOOOM!
They all waited for the mist and smoke to dissipate, when it did they saw a flaming glass-like barrier, and inside of it was IraforceVeedramon.
Seeing the signs Tosamon fled while the others remained where they were and continued firing, their attacks doing absolutely no damage to the barrier. Snarling IraforceVeedramon charged forward, closing the distance between him and his attackers in seconds.
The crimson barrier exploded outwards in a shockwave of blazing heat and raw kinetic energy that seared flesh and broke bones. As quickly as it began it was over and IraforceVeedramon was searching for his next target, he found it the minute he caught Tosamon's scent.
She knew the Demon Dragon was coming up behind her, and there was nothing she could stop it. Countless of heat-based sword slashes cut through the air as they sped towards her. Dodging them wasn't easy, but it was preferable to trying to block them, if she did then that meant slowing down.
"Garuru Tomahawk!"
Both Digimon masterfully dodged the missile oncoming supersized missile whose blast would have engulfed both of them. To their surprise the singular missile opened open releasing several smaller ones, which then proceeded to explode all around them.
"Metal Fang!"
CLENCH!
IraforceVeedramon's armor was thick, but not impenetrable. The taste was absolutely disgusting and made MetalGarurumon's systems freeze for a moment; when he spit the fragments out he almost felt tempted to dive down into the water to wash the taste out. He got lucky with that one hit, he'd have to work to score another on the malformed Veemon.
"You damn mutt! You will suffer for this!" Tosamon's enraged voice screeched lashing out with her tentacles.
Easily dodging the attacks MetalGarurumon snorted. "You'll have to catch me first, princess."
All the ice evaporated as IraforceVeedramon exploded out of the smoke cloud. Throwing his arms out he fired another heat blast from his chest crest. The cyborg and mutant broke off their engagement to avoid the energy blast. The flames condensed around IraforceVeedramon's claws which he flattened, what had once been two sets of claws had become five-foot long heat blades MetalGarurumon was sure could cut through his armor if he wasn't fast enough.
"You think I'm scared you, uh, you overgrown iguana? Don't make me laugh! Violet Regret!"
SLIIISH!
The pain came so fast and was so intense Tosamon didn't really feel it, not at first anyway. The severed remains of her tentacles fell downwards while IraforceVeedramon charged forward, slamming into her head-first. His lone horn dug deep into her flesh further adding to the agony she was experiencing. Together they sailed through the air leaving MetalGarurumon forgotten about to the side.
Coughing up blood Tosamon regenerated her tentacles then raised them above her opponents flaming body. "I'll give you a taste of what I gave that loser's bitch of a sister! True Blue!" Each spear penetrated through the dragon's body, barely. IraforceVeedramon's body bulked for a second as the tetrodotoxin began to slowly take effect. "Feel that, that pain? It's the last thing you're ever going to-"
BOOM!
At point-blank range the fireball did monumental damage. Severe third degree burns peppered the entirety Tosamon's chest She screamed the entire way down until she hit the water were she disappeared beneath the surface, meanwhile in the air IraforceVeedramon snarled like a creature in pain. Fire exploded from all the volcanic veins completely obscuring the dragon from visible view.
"Great, so poison doesn't work." MetalGarurumon noted running over the information his sensors were giving him, everything from the temperature of the flames to their chemical makeup. "Veemon, you're really not going to make this easy for us, are you?"
With his aquatic foe vanished IraforceVeedramon turned his focus towards the cybernetic wolf. A bestial growl left his lips before he sped towards MetalGarurumon, his blazing blades ready for the kill. MetalGarurumon howled in response and met his wayward comrade's challenge.
"Davis…Davis." Maybe he shouldn't have started calling the younger teen's name the minute he saw him, but then again something told Matt Davis already knew he was there. If he wanted to attack him than he'd already had his chance; given what he'd seen earlier he could have easily ripped Matt's head off in a second. He'd found him standing amidst a field of burning wreckage, the smell of blood and burning flesh was so thick Matt thought he was going to choke on it. Davis made no movements or sound as he approached him. The aura of flames that he'd seen earlier had cooled down a little, mainly confining itself to his body. He looked like a man caught in the rain, not dissimilar to some of the people Matt had seen on the streets of Tokyo in the last few weeks. "Davis…"
"What do you want?"
It didn't surprise Matt his usually cheery voice had done a complete one-eighty. If anything, the fact Davis had gone this long without cracking was something of miracle in itself. "I'm here to take you back."
"To what?" Davis spat.
"To Tai, Sora, your parents, Yolei, and Cody, they're all worried about you." Matt calmly responded feeling sweat forming on his brow. Despite the still heavy rain he felt incredibly hot and overdressed.
"You mean they're actually worried for a loser like me…shocker." The following laugh was humorless and not at all like Davis. "I'm not going back Matt, not until I've killed every last one of them."
"Davis, Jun wouldn't have-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME! IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S GONE!"
Sudden and violent as a volcanic eruption Davis spun around, revealing a face stricken with tears. The fire surrounding him spontaneously magnified becoming a mighty blaze that dwarfed Matt leaving him little more than an ant facing a lion.
But it didn't scare him.
"I know, Davis, I know it's my fault, but I can't let you do this."
Davis' right fist tightened, and then like a rocket he blasted off.
THUMP!
By far it was the hardest punch Matt had ever taken, and by God did it hurt. "You…can't…lose yourself to that rage. I…I know giving in to your anger…may seem…like a good idea, but it won't change anything. All you'll end up doing…is making decisions you'll regret for the rest of your life." The flames nipped at his arms and shoulders like hundreds of rats or crows over a carcass. In spite of that pain he wrapped both arms around his younger comrade and held him close, his fist still buried in his stomach. "Jun…she wouldn't want you rampaging through the Digital World…killing everyone you come across."
"How the hell would you know! You never cared about her, never gave a damn about her!" Davis screamed having practically entrenched himself within Matt's arms. "You barely gave a damn about her when she was here, and you only care now that she's gone because you feel guilty about it!"
Jun Motomiya had been many things to Matt in the months before the war began, classmate, admirer, fangirl, and a great many other things that would have taken too long to explain. But if there was one thing he'd never do, it was leave her for dead, he'd never do that for another human being, no matter who or what they were to him. "Davis…I know…you've got no reason to believe in me, I know…you've probably hated me ever since Jun was taken to the Dark Ocean…but I promise you…even if it takes every breath of life in my body I will get her back." The flames flared up increasing the pain, but Matt powered through it knowing too much was on the line. "What you're going through…I've been there before, that feeling that you've failed as a sibling, as a brother. The pain can be…unbearable, almost like you've got the entire weight of the world crushing down on top of you. You…can't let it get to you, if you do…then you've already lost."
Davis' screaming was expected, him lashing out and beating his arms against Matt like angry child was expected. He kept his hold on him as his fists continuously bashed against his sides, bruising his ribs. He could handle the pain, he would bear it, no matter how long it took.
They were evenly matched despite both their powers being designed by nature to cancel each other out. Fire and Ice. Stone and metal. Reptile and mammal. Their clashes shook the air and sea like two deities caught in a fierce clash of raw power. She hated it from the bottom of her heart.
She would probably lucky after she'd been blasted into the water IraforceVeedramon had forgotten about him. It had given Tosamon time to prepare and concentrate. She hated both of them- the wolf and that accursed dragon. From what she heard Jun reportedly had a thing for the wolf's human partner. That was good, once she deleted the two Megas she could go after their human counterparts, Jun's little brother and her crush, that would no doubt break her as her father had wanted.
Red markings trailed up her slimy body while dark energy gathered around her. The sea water swirled around her like a giant cyclone that slowly began to push itself upwards. Her preparations were completely, now all that remained was the execution, no, executions.
"THIS WILL TEACH YOU FOOLS NOT TO SCREW WITH ME! I AM THE DAUGHTER OF THE SINFUL PRIEST OF THE OCEAN FLOOR! TOSAMON!"
By her will the twister spiraled upwards, pushing a massive amount of sea water towards the sky where it began to take shape. All fighting in the immediate area ceased as combatants stopped to stare at the forming construct. Almost all of them.
"What the hell is-GAH!" MetalGarurumon should have just kept his puzzlement to himself. It would have saved him from a vicious uppercut that sent him spinning along the sky like a kicked football.
IraforceVeedramon paused as it felt itself the target of the sudden negativity coming from the water blob. Right before his eyes the blob began to take a solid shape, an enormous humanoid entity with tentacles and wings. The face was unmistakable, baring Dagomon's likeness in all its hideous glory. Casting a shadow over him and countless other Digimon the watery avatar was a titan on the battlefield, one with a single target.
"END OF THE LINE, REPTILE!" Tosamon's voice boomed from the black core of the water titan. Its red eyes flashed with murder before it lunged towards IraforceVeedramon, not caring if anyone else was swallowed up by its attack.
While others fled IraforceVeedramon roared in acceptance of the challenge. Around it an aura of blackish-red and orange flames exploded into existence, growing rapidly while the bony crest on the dragon's chest glowed with power. The flames twisted and wrapped themselves into a shape just as the infected water had done.
MetalGarurumon watched slack-jawed as the watery avatar of Dagomon clashed against the flaming vintage of a winged, horned dragon of equal size. Their roars were like night and day, one hollow and otherworldly, the other fierce and hellish. Steam and wind were blasted outwards in all directions while the waves turned even choppier. Like many others he pulled back knowing a battle like this was only going to end in one way.
The various tentacles of the Dagomon avatar attempted to wrap around the fire dragon, but to no avail. The flames produced by IraforceVeedramon grew hotter and hotter by the second, slowly evaporated the virus-infected water that made up Tosamon's constructed water giant. Digging its claws into the body and its fangs into the neck of the giant it became apparent who held greater strength. What had begun as collision of two god-like powers had become a slow execution.
"NO, NO, NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Tosamon screamed from within the center of the giant. Simply keeping its form was taking more power than she could provide, and the pain of it being evaporated was being transferred to her. Her outstretched arms had multiple blistered and burns forming while every droplet of moisture on her body dried up. "I AM TOSAMON, I AM THE DAUGHTER OF THE BEING WHO WILL DROWN OUT THE DIGITAL AND HUMAN WORLD! I AM SHE WHO WILL STAND ATOP THE RUINS OF MAN AND DIGIMON ALIKE! PROFESSING THE TRUTH OF THIS WORLD! I AM…I AM…I AM-"
Whatever Tosamon was shouting, it was drowned out by the volcanic eruption created by IraforceVeedramon, bringing the battle to a swift and decisive end. In the span of three seconds the fire dragon overpowered the water titan. The dragon continued advancing even as its enemy was vaporized leaving a drained and scorched Tosamon alone to face the oncoming threat. Her arms lay outstretched and her mouth was frozen in an eternal scream that was quickly overcome by the literal wall of hellfire that slammed into her.
The Daughter of Dagomon screamed and screamed as her body was completely incinerated by the demonic flames from the legs upwards. Even as her body vanished her DigiCore remained, a black and red orb-like item that quickly caught fire, and then followed Tosamon's body on its journey into fiery oblivion.
As the rain and steam eclipsed the battlefield MetalGarurumon readied himself for when IraforceVeedramon went back on the attack. Sure he'd eliminated Tosamon, but he doubted that would do anything to dissipate the dragon's anger. No, the deletion had more than likely empowered him furthering his destructive power. He watched IraforceVeedramon sit huddled in the steaming crater it'd blown in the ocean with its Demon's Impulse X attack. While he did believe he was strong enough to counter it, the cost would more than likely be great leaving him little time to deal a finishing blow.
A piercing roar shattered the tenuous silence Tosamon's deletion had created. In yet another burst of fire and light the demonic dragon zoomed out of the water leaving a fiery orange trail in his wake. It took less than a second for MetalGarurumon to realize where he was heading. "I won't let you!"
Blades extended and clashed, MetalGarurumon and IraforceVeedramon became blue and orange-colored bullets that raced across the shattered sky towards the shore. From their repeated clashes came gale-force winds and energized sparks. Their conflict-filled race went relatively undisturbed as all around them the battle entered its final stage. Deep Ones were on the run and demons weren't letting theme escaped, thousands of death cries went up as the latter deleted the former with as much pleasure as possible. It was no longer a battle, it was a slaughter.
Almost fifty meters ahead MetalGarurumon saw Matt and Davis huddled together in the center of scorched field. He knew IraforceVeedramon saw the same thing as he let out an enraged roar. A familiar fiery aura quickly manifested around the dragon as the distance between the two pairs decreased by the second.
"Veemon, I hope one day you'll forgive me for this. GRACE CROSS FREEZER!"
The amount of ordinance MetalGarurumon released in that moment would have been enough to put a battleship to shame. Leaving trails of frigid air in their wake each missile, no matter how big or small, froze the rain droplets while they zoomed towards their target. Several exploded on impact upon hitting the fiery shadow while just as many pushed through eventually coming within blasting rage of IraforceVeedramon himself, then they detonated.
Neither Matt nor Davis gave much attention to the mountain-sized explosion that occurred behind them. Nor did they seemed to care too much about the arctic wind that flash froze almost everything around them, turning the ground from scorched black to icy white. The ground beneath the two boys shook as an enormous block of ice smashed into the ground almost twenty feet from them, IraforceVeedramon encased inside of it. His imprisonment was short-lived, a flash of orange and red then the dragon was free of his icy prison. Eying the blond rocker he prepared to dash over him, but MetalGarurumon beat him to the punch.
With all his power routed into his claws the cyborg wolf had the power needed to bring IraforceVeedramon down, literally. The dragon kicked and screamed beneath him, but MetalGarurumon kept his grip on him, slowly exuding sub-zero energy to counteract the raging flames the Demon Dragon continued to exhume.
It had taken some time, but eventually Davis lost strength in his arms. The aura of fire around him began to fizzle then at last it died out completely. In his arms the young leader fell into an exhausted sleep. Matt breathed out a quiet sigh of relief before turning over to see MetalGarurumon still keeping his hold on the transformed Veemon. Minutes passed and the roars and snarling grew weaker and weaker as did the flames. He couldn't see far enough, but he saw the flash of black and gold light, then he heard the exhausted sigh of relief from his partner. Hosting Davis up in his arms he walked over towards his partner, ignoring the pain in his abdomen and chest.
Instead of Veemon he found DemiVeemon laying still, slightly snoring away the rain storm. Gently picking up the In-Training Digimon MetalGarurumon deposited him on top of Davis' chest. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I am now." He grunted climbing on top of his Mega-level partner. "Let's go meet up with the others."
Without another word MetalGarurumon jetted off from the spot racing along the ground. They stayed close to the shoreline where they saw the remaining battles close up. In the far distance they saw the collapse of ShogunGekkomon's Castle. The hellfire eating away at it continued to do so even as the entire structure sunk into the black and gray ocean waters.
"Shit!" MetalGarurumon suddenly cursed accelerating to Mach speed.
Matt didn't need an explanation as to what was wrong. Behind him the satanic laughter of demons and devils chilled his bones. Throwing himself over Davis while keeping DemiVeemon huddled against his chest he prayed MetalGarurumon had enough strength left to get to them to evacuation point.
Once more MetalGarurumon became a blue bullet that crossed miles of earth and water in seconds. The speed boost managed to shake more than a decent number of their attackers, but a handful remained. Ghoulmon lined the cybernetic wolf up in their sights and fired, when they missed they fired again and continued the pattern not caring if they hit any of their own in the crossfire. All of it was meaningless as despite his load MetalGarurumon remained just as agile and nimble as a dancer on ice. Demons cursed and screamed as their attacks continued to fail leaving them more and more frustrated.
"REMNANT OF ATLANTIS!"
Even as hundreds of missiles exploded across the battlefield creating massive fire domes MetalGarurumon kept his mind clear and focused. The distance between them and the last of their forces gradually began to come into view. A few dozen or so squads hurrying themselves through a shrinking portal they had to get through.
"Seventy meters…thirty meters…twenty meters!"
His sensors went crazy alerting him to three missiles that had locked onto his signature, but he didn't care. Throwing all his power into his thrusters MetalGarurumon floored it cutting a blue path over land and sea towards the portal. Those few remaining Digimon on the ground saw on the oncoming missile and did likewise, cramming into the portal like a frightened horde.
Though they passed through the portal the missiles exploded on command sending a rumbling shockwave through the dimensional tunnel. MetalGarurumon felt his body seized up and breaking apart, were it not for his ironclad will he knew he would dissolved into data right there. He kept going and going towards the white light until finally he heard voices, human voices shouting at him. Only after hearing them did he pull the internal breaks, but by then it was already too late.
Matt went sailing across the room clutching Davis and DemiVeemon in his arms. The moment his back hit the ground all the pain he'd been holding back exploded outwards leaving him tired and immobile. Blurred figures crowed around him and panic-stricken voices filled his hearing. He was too tired to make out any of them, all he knew was that they were human, friendlies.
"Davis…I promise you I'm going to make this right. I…promise." Matt thought before his mind finally blacked out from the pain and shock of his cheating death.
That's it for the year of 2017. I'll admit I feel a little bad about this chapter. Davis is one of the few heroes who managed to avoid having his partner Dark Digivolve, and I went and did this. To explain IraforceVeedramon is a completely made-up creation, a dark deviation of the Veemon line like SkullGreymon, Megidramon and ShineGreymon Ruin Form. Ira is the Latin word for "anger" so there's Daemon's fingerprint if you will. How will Davis' little rampage affect the DigiDestined? How's Dagomon going to react to the murder of one of his daughters? Will anyone be able to break Daemon's winning streak? Find out in 2018!
