47

Sound and Fury

"The darkness always teemed with unexplained sound – and yet he sometimes shook with fear lest the noises he heard should subside and allow him to hear certain other fainter noises which he suspected were lurking behind them." – H. P. Lovecraft, "The Dreams in the Witch-House"

After what seemed an eternity, the final barrier gave way, and Gennai's program was complete. Though the effort had been purely mental, Koshiro felt exhausted. But he knew that there wasn't time to relax.

Go and help the others, Gennai told him. I'll be watching for the appearance of more Dark Towers.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out!" he called.

His parents, who were aware of the situation, let him go, but not without many reiterations as to how careful he should be. Soon Koshiro and Tentomon had emerged from the apartment building, and with the extra space came evolution.

The two of them were quickly airborne and approaching the apartment complex, and were in time to see the flare of the last Shadow Wing. The situation became clearer as they approached.

Police vehicles had begun to arrive, though their drivers and passengers had wisely kept their distance during the duration of the battle. Having monitored police activity, Koshiro knew that they were instructed not to engage Digimon unless absolutely necessary. If there was a battle between two monsters, they would merely set up a perimeter and wait for things to play out.

Taichi's apartment building was the closest of the three to Kabuterimon's position. Stairs led up from the street to the plaza on which the three buildings fronted, and Koshiro was surprised to see a pair of figures making their way down those stairs. In a moment the identity of at least one of the figures became clear.

"Kabuterimon, isn't that Mimi-san down there?"

"But who is that with her?"

Not her partner. Something was wrong. Kabuterimon descended until he was hovering just in front of the two.

"Koshiro-kun!" Mimi cried out, glad to see him. Phelesmon, on the other hand, was irritated. With Lilimon incapacitated and Mimi relatively docile, he had considered the night's work already a success. To have this new nuisance appear at the last moment was galling.

"What inopportune timing," he said. "If you wouldn't mind moving out of the way, I have somewhere to escort this young lady."

Koshiro had had a passing interest in the occult, and he knew a demonic Digimon when he saw one. This would be another agent of the enemy.

"Where's Palmon?" he asked, raising his voice over his partner's buzzing wings. Mimi's expression darkened at the question.

"Lilimon is…"

"She is indisposed," Phelesmon interrupted. "Now please move or you will find yourselves likewise."

He had stepped forward, ahead of Mimi.

"Kabuterimon, let me down," Koshiro said softly.

His partner landed, crouching on the steps as Koshiro made his way to the ground. Phelesmon looked at the boy and gave a winning smile.

"Of course," he said, "If you would like to come with us, you need only say so. Forgive me for being short with you, but it has been a long night."

"No," Koshiro said, his voice firm. "I think you had better go alone."

"I cannot do so in good faith," said Phelesmon. "I have made a bargain which must be upheld at all costs. Now, if you will neither move nor accompany, I think we have nothing left to talk about."

The demon began striding down the steps towards Koshiro and Kabuterimon.

"Kabuterimon, Super Evolve! … AtlurKabuterimon!"

Phelesmon stopped as the evolution took place. Placing his arms behind his back and his feet widely apart, he opened his mouth to its full extent and let loose with his powerful voice. AtlurKabuterimon stumbled back as the waves of purple sound struck him, scrabbling at the steps to keep from falling backward.

Phelesmon next rose into the air, summoning his pitchfork in one hand. He pointed the weapon at his opponent, but did not throw it.

"Black Statue!"

A twisting stream of mist emerged from the trident and sped down towards AtlurKabuterimon. It struck one of his outstretched foreclaws and widened, engulfing the limb and leaving black stone in place of red exoskeleton.

Koshiro was running up the stairs as Mimi came down to meet him, and Phelesmon turned from the Digimon to the humans he was responsible for bringing back to headquarters with him.

"And so now you are reunited," he said as the two Chosen Children reached each other. They looked up at him, their expressions determined. "But how do you envision the rest of the evening to go? Your actions have been valiant but uncalled for."

He spread his arms.

"Come along, now. We have so much to look forward to."

"Horn Buster!"

Phelesmon was blasted from behind. His pitchfork flew from his grasp and disintegrated. Though the lower parts of AtlurKabuterimon's body were petrified, he had had enough time before his head was immobilized to launch his attack. Now that Horn Buster had found its target, the black stone encasing him was already growing brittle, cracking and flaking as he flexed his muscles.

"You—!"

Steam was rising from Phelesmon as he spun around. His veneer of amiability was gone. The yellow eyes bulged outward, and the pointed teeth gnashed together. "Why won't anyone cooperate! Demon's Shout!" The last word didn't end, but was instead drawn out, buffeting AtlurKabuterimon with an unending stream of violet-tinted sound.

The weight of the attack was suffocating. AtlurKabuterimon was pressed against the pavement beneath him, the pressure sending massive cracks up and down the stairs as he tried in vain to push back against the onrushing roar. The sound only grew louder, filling his head and emptying his mind, crushing his sanity as it would soon crush his carapace.

Higher on the stairs, the Chosen Children watched. Their hands covered their ears. Koshiro was shouting his partner's name, but his voice was lost completely in the noise. Mimi glanced up at Phelesmon, wondering how his lungs didn't burst, and it was while looking up that she saw their salvation.

A shape of pink and green darted into sight. Just as Horn Buster had put an end to the effects of Phelesmon's magic on AtlurKabuterimon, it had weakened Lilimon's stone casing to the point where she could break free and rejoin the battle. She brought her arms together in front of her, and fired the Flower Cannon into Phelesmon's back at close range.

The demon's head was thrown back by the force of the blast, and the intensity of the vapors he spewed faded as his shout became one of pain. There was a gaping hole in his back. The disintegration of his body began there, and spread out towards his extremities. Soon the night was once again quiet.

Cloaked in the darkness above Sora's apartment building, Lilithmon had watched the various battles play out. Things had begun deceptively well. Baalmon's surprise attack was ingenious, and she had paid especial attention during the time he had been using the one boy as a shield. Phelesmon's strategy of isolating his target was also a joy to watch, and Lilithmon had smiled seeing his methodical attacks and imagining his subtle cruelty.

Then, in the space of a few minutes, everything fell to pieces. The tables turned, and her three remaining followers had been destroyed in rapid succession. It was over now. If Lilithmon had been in an observant state of mind she could have taken note of AtlurKabuterimon reverting to Tentomon, his partner's struggles to bring the Digimon back to his senses, the group of five Chosen Children and their partners moving to investigate the noise from the steps. But Lilithmon was not in an observant state of mind.

She was angry. No, she was beyond angry. Her hand-picked minions had failed, and that infuriated her. For a while she could do little more than stand with her fists clenched and her face, beautiful when placid, contorted into grotesque expressions of rage. A sickly light began to emanate from her body, spilling across the rooftop like poisonous gas. In a moment, she found the strength to fling herself off the building and dive down toward where her enemies were gathered at the top of the steps.

"Look up, Chosen Children!" she shouted at them. "A goddess stands before you!"

Startled, they obeyed. Lilithmon was stationary several meters above them, limned in gray light.

"You have killed a few of my subordinates, but can you fare so well against me?"

"Another one!?" Yamato exclaimed.

With the exception of Lilimon, all of the Chosen Digimon had reverted to their normal states, so Mimi's partner was alone when she rose to meet this new threat.

"Flower Cannon!"

Lilithmon made no attempt to dodge. A fierce smile flashed across her face as she waved her hand in front of her. The passing hand left a trail of blackness behind it, and Lilimon's attack shot directly towards it, then through it, drawing a gasp from the assembled Chosen – because although the projectile continued on, it did not strike Lilithmon, but grew gradually smaller with distance as if the black smudge in the air were a tear in the world, just a window on an endless void. In another moment the rent in reality had closed, leaving Lilithmon untouched.

Her hand came up again, and they could see her holding something like a dark, roiling cloud. This she threw as hard as she could in Lilimon's direction, and as it went forward it expanded rapidly. Lilimon, still somewhat shocked at the ineffectiveness of her attack, was too late in trying to evade it. The projectile slammed into her, engulfed her, and exploded with a sound like thunder. Mimi's partner was Palmon again by the time she hit the ground.

Lilithmon smiled again, more serenely this time. Her peace of mind was coming back to her. Though her soldiers had been destroyed, there was only their own misjudgment to blame. She was an Ultimate-level Digimon, and she, at least, would never be defeated by these brats. Her initial rage gradually subsided. She looked down at the Chosen Children, relishing their expressions. They knew that with their partners tired out from long, difficult fights, they had no chance of matching her power.

If she so wished she could wipe all fourteen of the insects before her from the face of the earth in an instant. That had been her original plan when she left the rooftop; her employers wanted the Chosen Children alive, but no one made her look like a fool and lived to tell about it. Now a new idea was taking shape in her mind. She had a unique opportunity. Blasting them where they stood would not be nearly as satisfying as taking her time with them, in a place that followed her rules. The idea was so delightful that she could hardly keep from laughing. When she was quite certain she would be able to contain herself, she spoke.