46

Defeats

"He held the lily toward me, and I took it in my hand. It had turned to stone, to the purest marble." – Robert W. Chambers, "The Mask"

Mimi looked at her tormentor with horrified fascination. Up close, Phelesmon looked even less human than from a distance. Now she could see the horns growing from his wide red forehead, and similar growths in his upper arms, emerging from rents in the flesh like stalagmites. The teeth in his mouth had been sharpened to points. What held her attention most were the eyes, which were yellow, protruding, with a small black pupil in their very center. It was a while before she found her voice.

"What do you want?"

"Ah, yes, where are my manners?" It didn't seem right that such a pleasant voice could issue from such a grotesque source. "I am something of a collector, you see. Whenever I find something I would like, I make a deal with its owner, providing whatever service they require in order to get my hands on it. Usually…"

He raised a hand, covered in a glove of black rubber, a gold ring glittering on each finger. He spread it open, palm upward, and a purplish light wavered into existence above it. Mimi looked into that light, and after a few moments could see that it wasn't shapeless. The light was made up of faces, both human and Digimon. Their expressions were painful to watch, portraits of despair. Eventually it seemed that she could hear sounds in the light; ghostly groans and wailings drifted out of it. Then the light shrunk as Phelesmon closed his hand, and vanished inside his fist.

"Souls," he explained. "Payment for services rendered. I dare say that I always get the better deal."

"You want my soul?" Mimi's eyes widened, and she took a step back. Lilimon redoubled her efforts, but by now her limbs were completely petrified, and she could only turn her head and wriggle her torso.

"No, no," Phelesmon said. "You misunderstand me. My colleagues would like to have the whole of you. That's the real reason I'm here." He hurried on. "Rest assured, I would never take you anywhere against your will, but with the situation as it stands perhaps I can persuade you to come for some favor in return."

"You…" Lilimon spoke up. "You don't mean –?"

"Black Statue will eventually consume your friend," Phelesmon told Mimi. "However, it is within my power to halt or even reverse the process… for the proper price."

Mimi said nothing at first. Her expression was still frightened, but growing indignant.

Phelesmon shrugged.

"But then," he said, "Perhaps you would prefer something else." He placed a hand upon Lilimon's shoulder, and the moment he touched her, the creeping purple mists more than doubled their speed. Soon almost her entire body was stone, and the contagion began to work its way up her neck.

"Stop!" Mimi cried.

"As you wish."

Phelesmon removed his hand from Lilimon's stony shoulder. The mist slowed considerably, but did not stop entirely.

"I won't forgive you," Mimi said. Her hands were clenched and she was shaking with her anger.

"And I will have to live with that knowledge," Phelesmon said. His tone was grave, but there was mockery behind it.

"If I go with you, you'll leave Lilimon alone?"

"If that is what you truly wish."

Lilimon couldn't listen and remain quiet.

"Don't, Mimi! Don't go with him!"

Mimi closed her eyes and shook her head sadly.

"It's okay, Lilimon. I know you and the others will find me."

"But what if he's lying?" Lilimon pleaded. "What if—?"

Signs of annoyance flashed over Phelesmon's face. He raised a hand, and the petrification process quickened again. Lilimon felt the stone rise up to her chin, and quickly shut her mouth lest it spread down her throat and coat her insides. Phelesmon lowered his hand and the process stopped entirely, but not before his opponent's mouth was covered in black stone, and she was rendered mute.

"Now," he said, turning once more to Mimi. "What do you wish for? What must I do for you to accompany me?"

"I want you to let Lilimon go," she answered. "Then I'll come with you."

"But if I were to simply let her go now, she would doubtless attack me again. Perhaps I should leave her in her current state until the two of us are safely away."

Mimi hesitated. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. But another look at her partner resigned her.

"All right."

Phelesmon offered his hand, but Mimi did not take it. She refused even to look at him. Phelesmon allowed himself a surreptitious smile, then placed his hand against Mimi's back and guided her forward. Behind them, tears flowed from Lilimon's dark eyes, dripping down from her chin like raindrops falling from a beautiful gargoyle.

Garudamon propelled herself forward, the talons on her scaly feet attempting to close on SkullSatamon, but he made a deft dodge, controlling his aerial movement without any motion of his wings.

"Guess you won't be any tougher up here," he called. "Let's just end this crap." He pointed his staff. "Nail Bone!"

Had SkullSatamon not made his little speech, the battle might have been over for Garudamon, and of course, for Yamato and Sora, who knelt beside Gabumon's motionless body. But the enemy's words had given her a warning of what was to come, and she was just able to shove herself out of the line of fire with a flap of her great wings.

SkullSatamon hadn't expected to miss, but with his reflexes it wouldn't be long before he had her in his sights again. As he adjusted his aim, however, Garudamon lost altitude, falling back towards the world below. The staff dipped, but even as she fell Garudamon was launching her attack.

"Shadow Wing!"

Her speeding flames soared upward, engulfing SkullSatamon's entire form. He let out a hoarse yell and fired Nail Bone blindly. The beam was off somewhat, but did clip one of Garudamon's wings, burning the feathers and speeding her descent. As she touched down once more on the pavement, she looked up through her pain to see what her opponent would do.

However, SkullSatamon wasn't moving. WereGarurumon's rents in the dark core had been joined by a network of cracks, and out from them welled plumes of pitch-black smoke. The demon's grip on the staff slowly loosened, and it fell, clattering to the roof of Yamato's apartment building. He saw Garudamon looking up at him, and gave a mindless chuckle.

"I was careless," he said, and dived towards her, laughing loudly, one fist out before him.

"Shadow Wing!"

SkullSatamon was swallowed up by her attack, which continued upwards, into the darkness of the night sky. It left nothing in its wake.

XV-mon turned as Baalmon's projectiles approached and threw his arms around Daisuke. He was able to shield his partner, and the blades tore into his back. MetalGreymon also took his share of the attack, the knives embedding themselves in the fleshy parts of his body.

Of the demon's targets only Angewomon managed to emerge from it unscathed. Her eight wings folded in front of her, creating a barrier of pink light which dissolved the transformed talismans as they hit it.

Another light had announced XV-mon's devolution to V-mon, who now lay limply, half unconscious, supported by his partner. Somewhere behind them, MetalGreymon slumped forward. He was not yet at the point of losing his current form, but the repeated attacks had taken their toll, and his legs were struggling to support him.

Baalmon's attention was focused on Angewomon.

"Think you're clever, do you?" He said, irritated. "None of you know when to quit." His arm flew back over his head, then swung forward as Dashenbian lengthened, trailing venomous darkness. "I'll whip the flesh from you!"

Angewomon would not have time to avoid that swing. Baalmon had ceased to consider Daisuke and Taichi's partners a threat. There was only this hated angel left to stand up to him. Dashenbian, the ultimate weapon against holy Digimon, would have no trouble with any shield she created. He had only to knock her out of the sky and keep lashing until there was nothing left.

When something rushed in from the side, tangling itself in the whip, it took Baalmon a moment to snap out of his daydream and realize what had happened. It was MetalGreymon's Trident Arm, extended at the end of its cable, which had ruined his plan. The metallic claw fell to the earth, pinning the whip beneath it. Baalmon tugged at it, trying to ready his weapon for another strike.

But already Angewomon was flying forward, landing just ahead of him, bringing her arms up before her, palms together. Then she spread them wide, and a cruciform shape of searing light took form.

"Heaven's Charm!"

Baalmon remembered his gun too late to make any use of it. The light advanced inexorably. It enveloped Baalmon and stopped, hovering in place until he had burned away entirely. Writhing talismans detached themselves from his cape, but could not escape, and disintegrated in the glare.

Finally the light faded. Nothing was left of Baalmon or Dashenbian. MetalGreymon finally relaxed, devolving to Agumon, and Angewomon reverted as well to Tailmon.

"Taichi! Hikari-chan!"

Sora was calling, coming over with Piyomon in her arms. Yamato followed behind her at a slower pace, helping Gabumon along. In another minute, five Chosen Children and their partners were gathered, most of them smiling with relief to see their friends safe and the enemy defeated. None of the others noticed how subdued Daisuke was as he sat with the recovering V-mon.