Z'dGarurumon chuckled with satisfaction as his mechanical eyes stared upon the sprawled forms of his opponents. Satriamon, Samudramon, Rosemon and D'Arcmon were all defeated and now completely at his mercy. Really, what were they thinking, challenging a Mega level such as him? He had beaten them without having to put much effort. Seeing how Satriamon and Samudramon slowly trying to get up but were too weak to remain on their knees that they again fell on the grounds heads down, Z'dGarurumon decided that he would be merciful to his foes. Yes, merciful, as in he would finish them off with one concentrated killer shot. What was the point in delaying the inevitable anymore? He might as well get this done with once and for all. Bending his legs sideways he raised his massive cannon so that it was pointing down towards his enemies. "Zeed Cannon!!"
A giant ice-green orb was unleashed towards his defeated foes, but at the same time Z'dGarurumon's sensors beeped as several readings registered. His eyes immediately caught the four Digimon enveloped in pure orbs of light and they vanished just a fraction of a second before his energy cannonball hit the ground. A deafening explosion ensued and the earth rumbled; Z'dGarurumon's attack was too concentrated that it had caused cracks to form on the dry earth, forming several crevices leading to a giant crater. Smokes hovered over the crater, blocking Z'dGarurumon's primary vision, which made him switched to his thermal sensors in order to get a clearer reading of the statues of his foes. Were they killed, or had they survived?
"Enough!" a boy's voice cried out. "We won't let you harm our friends again!"
As the smokes cleared, Z'dGarurumon nearly laughed out loud when he registered the presences of the other three DigiWira and their partners, all standing in front of their fallen Digimon friends. To him, they did not look imposing at all. What would make him feel scared of one boy, two girls and three helpless Rookies? They could not even digivolve. What were they thinking, stepping up in defense of their fallen friends? The Mega thought that it was highly amusing.
"You guys…" Satriamon said incredulously, with a weak tone. "What are you doing?"
"Don't endanger yourselves," Samudramon said, shocked upon seeing that Adam and Patamon, Liu Ying and Labramon, and Gayathri and Floramon, standing before them, as if attempting to protect them from Z'dGarurumon. "You can't Digital Access. Get back to the forest where it's safe. We…we can handle it."
"Yes, foolish brats, listen to your friends," Z'dGarurumon said mockingly. "I want to finish them off first for interrupting me last night. Then, it will be your turn."
"I don't think so," Liu Ying said with a triumphant grin.
"We're not going to stand around watching you hurt our friends!" Gayathri said spiritedly.
"On second thought, maybe I'll destroy your friends after I'm done with you," Z'dGarurumon said, as if he had not heard the DigiWira, laughing snidely as he added: "since you look so desperate to meet your doom."
"Hmph. You won't lay a finger on any of us again!" Adam said, and took out his shining Juara Digivice. His female teammates followed suit, much to everyone's surprise, because the Digivices were practically shimmering with white, yellow and pink auras. Powers seemed to radiate from the devices, and this did not go unnoticed by Z'dGarurumon.
'What?' Z'dGarurumon sensed that something was about to go wrong.
"Digital Access!" Adam, Liu Ying and Gayathri shouted simultaneously and slashed the air with their Juara Digivices, causing the devices to spark brighter and brighter as the DigiWira ran their free hands over the Digivices. "Digivolution……HAAAA!!!" White, yellow and pink lights burst out from the Digivices and washed over the three pairs of DigiWira, blinding everybody else in sight.
"Have they…" Satriamon and Samudramon did not dare to believe what they thought was happening. Hadn't their attempt on restoring their friends' Digivices failed?
Three pillars of white, yellow and pink burst forth from the grounds, enveloping the three DigiWira and their partners as the surroundings suddenly darkened, with the only sources of light being the shining pillars of light. Aldiyamon emerged; his light armor glistened with pristine radiance against the dark surroundings as he flexed his silver wings and raised his right hand towards the sky, before the Heavenstar Gladius materialized upon it. Then both Xianamon and Puspamon emerged in swirling energies made out of glittering golden stars and a pink hurricane of fragrant flowers which emphasized the glows from their outfits before ending with the formation of their weapons – Xianamon's Golden Fly Whisk and Puspamon's Black Rose Staff. The three Wira Digital declared their names and hovered impressively over the darkened sky, all three of them radiating with renewed power and vigor.
"They've…Digital Accessed!" Samudramon wheezed in amazement. Satriamon's mouth dropped in shock. Rosemon and D'Arcmon gasped, pleasantly surprised of the sudden turn of event.
Aldiyamon smiled, happy at the success of their evolutions. He beckoned for his female teammates, gesturing with his sword towards Z'dGarurumon. "Let's go everyone!"
Aldiyamon, Xianamon and Puspamon blasted off towards Z'dGarurumon without wasting any more time. Aldiyamon sped ahead as Z'dGarurumon charged at him whilst brandishing his deadly claws, which prompted the royal angelic knight to slam his Heavenstar Gladius against Z'dGarurumon's claws. There was a loud clang ensued, but Aldiyamon then disappeared in swirls of bright orbs which momentarily distracted Z'dGarurumon. This was done to break the tension which resulted due to the collisions of the sword and Z'dGarurumon's claws, but it also caused the fazed Z'dGarurumon to be unwittingly left in the open for attack.
"Diamond World Mandala!"
Before the Mega Digimon regain his bearing, he was blasted with waves of indigo and golden lights, followed by thousands of jewel shards. Snorting derisively as the attack could not damage his strong armor, Z'dGarurumon charged towards Xianamon, but a speedy flash of pink from a distance distracted him.
"Jelita Shocker!"
Z'dGarurumon was forced to stop from pursuing Xianamon when he was blasted with lasers spewing forth from Puspamon's flowers. The pink-clad Wira Digital giggled and sped away before Z'dGarurumon could chase after her, but a blinding flash of light from above forced him to stop and look up, where Aldiyamon was ready to attack with his silver sword.
"Heavenstar Gladius!"
The pillar of white light generated by Aldiyamon collided against Z'dGarurumon, sending him tumbling in midair before he managed to shake off the effect from Aldiyamon's attack. Z'dGarurumon snarled in annoyance and charged up his cannon. He unleashed his Zeed Cannon towards Aldiyamon, but to his surprise the energy cannonball vanished in swirls of white light. There was a moment of suspense; Z'dGarurumon was unnerved when he saw Aldiyamon, Xianamon and Puspamon all floating above him, not seemingly worried. Then he was blinded by a brilliant flash of light, and his cannonball reappeared just a few meters before him. It slammed upon him, and pushed him all the way towards the ground, causing a massive explosion and a burst of smokes.
"Wow…" Satriamon and Samudramon could not conceal their amazement of how quick their three fellow Wira Digital had made quick work of Z'dGarurumon. Seeing their friends winning fueled their own spirits and they forced themselves to get back up on their feet. They might be injured a little, but they were far from being defeated. They saw that Rosemon and D'Arcmon had gotten up as well, both looked in decent conditions.
The smokes cleared and they could see Z'dGarurumon, his gleaming armor chipped off and tarnished in many sites and the cannon perched on his back were broken. But he was not down for the count. He howled in fury as he saw his opponents all getting ready to attack. "Unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!"
"Hey guys," Aldiyamon glided above Satriamon and Samudramon. "Let's finish him together!"
The two Wira Digital grinned and nodded. Rosemon and D'Arcmon murmured their agreement before they soared towards the sky, intending to attack Z'dGarurumon first. Rosemon unleashed her Roses Rapier while D'Arcmon released her Beauty Stunner, but both attacks were warded off easily by Z'dGarurumon, who immediately made the two women his target. But he soon found his movement restricted and was forced to float in midair momentarily while struggling to move as faint vapor of golden light enveloped him – Xianamon had used her Magical Stasis against him, but being a Mega Digimon he was able to shake off the immobilizing attack and changed course, aiming to attack the sorceress Wira Digital instead. However, before he could reach Xianamon a pink hurricane of flowers engulfed him from bottoms-up. Puspamon's giggles could be heard from below, which infuriated Z'dGarurumon even more. Exerting more force he shook off Puspamon's Hibiscus Hurricane and loomed towards the fairy Wira Digital, but a stream of high-pressured water sent him off course. Snarling angrily he looked at the perpetrator of the attack, and saw Samudramon, water spiraled about him. The sky thundered as Z'dGarurumon saw two azure thunderbolts streaking towards him, but he was able to intercept it with his claws.
"Attacking me one after another," Z'dGarurumon grunted to himself, crushing Samudramon's thunderbolt with his claws. "I'm much more superior, but they have the advantage in number."
Samudramon, who was airborne with aid of his pillar of water, approached Puspamon. The two Wira Digital both pointed their weapons towards Z'dGarurumon as their free hands intertwined together. A thunderbolt-fueled hurricane was blasted from their trident and staff. The Rolling Thunder Hurricane slammed against Z'dGarurumon and further pushed him away towards the sky, where Xianamon and what appeared to be her doppelganger were waiting, both having one hand thrust forward while the other waving her fly whisk, generating waves of energy with it.
"Diamond Matrix Mandala!"
Z'dGarurumon, barely having a moment to recover from the damages he was inflicted previously, was further attacked by myriad of magical waves and gemstone shards which ripped his armor. He was sent tumbling across the air before a burning sensation coursed all over him. His metallic armor heated up; he felt as if the sun was approaching from above. Looking up, he saw the flaming Satriamon looming before him with Aldiyamon's silver sword in his hands. The sword radiated with white flames and Satriamon's roar echoed in Z'dGarurumon ears as the Wira Digital sped forward in form of a fiery comet.
"Firestorm Slasher!"
Everything happened in a blink of the eye and a vicious metallic ripping sound was heard, and for a moment silence prevailed as Satriamon sped to the ground. Then Z'dGarurumon let out a weak yelp before his posterior half of body unattached itself from the anterior half and disintegrated into data particles. A look of disbelief crossed Z'dGarurumon's face as the anterior half suffered the same fate next. Everyone watched in a dazed trance as the data particles of the wolf soared higher and higher towards the blue sky before dispersing throughout the area. They then let out a victorious cry; they had won against Z'dGarurumon.
"My God!" Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Lekiu, Lekir, Kasturi and Princess Tun Teja exclaimed in surprise as the five Wira Digital, Rosemon and D'Arcmon descended from the sky, all of them towering over the teens. They had all come out from hiding when Z'dGarurumon was deleted, and were now staring in wonder at the otherworldly warriors from the future. They found it really hard to believe that these warriors were formerly their friends and their Digimon companions. The Wira Digital all looked very imposing; their heights alone were much taller than normal human beings, from the six-foot-five Puspamon, the seven-foot Aldiyamon and Xianamon, the eight-foot Samudramon and the nine-foot Satriamon. Their appearances also were entrancing, it was not everyday they could see a beautiful fairy, an elegant sorceress, an angelic knight and two dragon men warriors.
"What are you?" Teja rasped in surprise. "By the Almighty…you all were amazing!"
The Wira Digital were about to introduce themselves before the sunny sky became cloudy all of a sudden. From behind the mountains, clouds emerged, all purple with green tinges. It was as dark as night and everyone was surprised even more when cold winds blew out from the clouds, and a gentlemanly voice echoed all over the vicinity.
"So you have beaten Z'dGarurumon. Very impressive!"
Everyone saw a rippling motion over the clouds as lightning streaked all over, made more foreboding by the roars of thunderclaps. They held their breaths as the clouds parted, and a figure with great black and white wings descended down slowly. The metallic boots appeared first, followed by golden knee armors, black thigh-padding over a pair of white trousers which seemed to be joined upwards to form a skintight white shirt under a pair of black long-sleeved coats with crimson linings at the end of the sleeves. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a haughty smirk graced his pale face, as his burnish locks blew haphazardly behind his face as the result of the winds. His face, while good-looking, was also very pale and somewhat harsh. His eyes flashed menacingly, reflecting the lights from the lightning.
xxx
: DIGIMON ANALYZER :
Name: Lucemon
Attributes: Ultimate level, Virus type
Attacks:
Fatal Chaos – Lucemon easily deals with his enemies by deflecting their attacks against each other.
Hellion Deathstrike – Lucemon's dark power takes form in a demonic apparition which can destroy almost any kind of attack.
Paradise Lost – Lucemon unleashes flurries of light-energized punches.
Ultimate Sacrifice – Lucemon traps his enemies inside spheres of light before contaminating the spheres with his dark powers which can destroy the enemies within.
xxx
"Is that…Baron Lucifer?" Teja asked in surprise; the similarities between this creature and the nobleman were striking.
"It's Lucemon, and yes, he's the same person as Baron Lucifer," Rosemon said darkly. "Be careful everyone, he is very powerful. He even defeated Ophanimon and she is a full-fledged Mega Digimon despite having lost the powers the Lost Mountain granted her."
"So that makes Lucemon an Ultimate with the power of a Mega," Aldiyamon said as he stared at Lucemon.
"So what's the problem?" Satriamon said impatiently. "We've defeated Gulfmon, JumboGamemon and Z'dGarurumon by working together. I don't see why we can't beat him."
Lucemon laughed. "You'll find I am much more entertaining than Gulfmon, JumboGamemon and Z'dGarurumon, I assure you," he said with a simper. "In fact, they are nothing against me. Do you think I could earn my Hellion General title – the strongest of all SkullSatamon's generals – if I am just an average Ultimate Digimon?" He glowed with a menacing black and purple aura and grew three times his size, almost reaching half of Mount Ledang in comparison. His fists sparked with black thunder and he let out a wicked smile. "Now, I shall get rid of you once and for all!"
xxx
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WIRA DIGITAL: The Movie – Part VI
Chapter 50 – Wira of Two Worlds
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The fierce battle between Lucemon and the forces of good had begun, and the teenagers from this era and Jackie were currently protected by a dome of telekinetic barrier energized by Xianamon's clone. They tried overwhelming Lucemon the same way they did Z'dGarurumon, by attacking him from many sites, but soon realized that this was not the best strategy, for now Lucemon had gathered all of their attacks around him. Streams of pink energy with a deep fuchsia thunderbolt from Rosemon and D'Arcmon now hovered around Lucemon like a ring of energy, with waves of indigo and golden energy above it and a dozen energy-based tulips below the ring; those attacks were Xianamon's Diamond World Mandala and Puspamon's Jelita Shocker. Above the ring of energy was a couple of blue thunderbolts from Samudramon's Cosmic Thunderstrike, and a fiery dragon and serpent from Satriamon's Shadow Flame Helix. Lucemon chuckled menacingly as he eyed Aldiyamon, the only Wira Digital who had yet to attack him, and the one who still yet to be trapped inside the black orbs generated by his Ultimate Sacrifice.
"Aren't you going to attack me?" Lucemon asked sweetly. "Your friends already did."
"You're up to something," Aldiyamon said and had a look around. The others were trapped inside spheres of black orbs and could not break free; Lucemon had trapped them inside his black orbs after gathering their attacks around him. The way he fought was truly astounding; Hellion General had acted as if he had known of what to expect from his foes even before they attacked him. "Let go of them!" he said.
"Oh, how absolutely predictable of you for saying that!" Lucemon snorted. "I already know you would say that even before you've said that. Heh, does that make any sense to you?" He simpered mockingly towards Aldiyamon.
'He's a psychic?' Aldiyamon thought, and saw Lucemon's wicked grin widening.
"That would be right," Lucemon confirmed, tapping one temple gently as his smile grew wider, seeing Aldiyamon looking somewhat aghast of the revelation. "Yes, don't look so surprised. I can read your mind, Aldiyamon. Whatever tricks you are trying to come up with, I will know beforehand. That was what I used against your friends and looked what happened to them. Perhaps you're thinking of a way to outsmart me right now?"
'That's it,' Aldiyamon said, his heart thumping wildly. 'I'm gonna use my most powerful attack – the powered up form of Heavenstar Gladius. I've never used it before. It should work against Lucemon.' Aldiyamon summoned his sword and charged towards Lucemon, his sword blazing with sacred white flames as a majestic white firebird emerged before him. His metallic wings flexed to his sides.
"Rule number one, little boy," Lucemon said and with a flick of his hand, all the attacks he had gained from the other Wira Digital and their allies condensed into a sphere of dark power on his hand, as large as a tank. "When fighting me, don't ever think of what you are going to do because I can detect it." He then unleashed the dark sphere towards Aldiyamon. "Fatal Chaos!"
Aldiyamon's eyes widened as the dark sphere slammed against his sword. An explosion ensued and Lucemon smiled, knowing that Aldiyamon would be alive still. He would not kill the Wira Digital of Light just yet, not when SkullSatamon had instructed him not to. But then, a melodious shriek was heard and a massive firebird of light emerged from the smokes, shining with purity and radiance, with Aldiyamon hovering within it. Surprised of the sudden turn of event, Lucemon tried reading Aldiyamon's mind, but the firebird shrieked again, disrupting his attempt on doing so. Then he felt his movements hampered slightly, delaying him, as Aldiyamon and the firebird loomed above him.
"Thanks for the lesson, Lucemon, but you know what? I already know that you would say that even before you've said that," Aldiyamon said, mimicking Lucemon's words while swinging his silver sword forward. At the same time, pristine white aura in the form of a firebird of light erupted from his body, with bluish white orbs spiraling around his body. "FINAL PURIFICATION!"
Lucemon stared in surprise as streams of holy power burst forth from Aldiyamon, followed by a dragon and a serpent, both made out of fire, a dozen tulips which shot lasers, waves of energy with diamond shards accompanying them, a couple of thunderbolts, a smaller streak of lightning and a wave of energy with flower petals, all shining with ivory radiance as they coalesced into one massive stream of light slamming upon Lucemon. Lucemon let out a scream as he was pushed by the light onto the ground, and another explosion ensued.
The spheres containing the other Wira Digital and the two sacred ladies disappeared and the detainees escaped. They saw Aldiyamon plummeting towards the ground, and Xianamon quickly used her telekinetic power to stop his fall. Everyone saw that the leader of the Wira Digital was weakened. Slowly Xianamon lowered Aldiyamon towards the ground where Satriamon was ready to retrieve him.
"You were amazing!" Satriamon said as Aldiyamon plopped onto his arms.
Aldiyamon gave his cousin a strained smile. "I used too much power…my power, and yours that Lucemon tried to use against me, and combine them into an all-out Final Purification."
Satriamon grinned. "Ah, but you didn't dedigivolve like you used to when you used it right?"
A blank look crossed the white knight, as if he had just realized about the fact that Satriamon had pointed out. "I didn't? Oh, yeah…I didn't!"
Samudramon approached Satriamon and Aldiyamon, as Xianamon, Puspamon, Rosemon and D'Arcmon hovered around them. "How did you manage to resist Lucemon's psychic power? He should have been able to read your thoughts as he did ours."
"I didn't resist him," Aldiyamon said. "I just gave him a false thought. I wanted Lucemon to use your powers against me so that I can purify them and add them to my Final Purification."
Everyone else blinked, before the four Wira Digital remembered that purifying an enemy's attack before using it against them was another manifestation of Aldiyamon's teleportation power. Adam alone could purify the dark-based attacks from the Puaka Generals; now as Aldiyamon the potency of such attack would be heightened to a greater magnitude.
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Puspamon wondered with a laugh.
"But still," Xianamon said, her voice sounded confused. "Will Lucemon not detect easily that you are giving him a false though? Like you are intending to make him think of something other than what you are really going to do?"
Aldiyamon thought about it as he beckoned for Satriamon to put him down. As a matter of fact, he did not know how exactly he managed to do that. It just came to him naturally, like he knew how to breathe – he didn't have to think about it, he would just do it without much thought. "I don't know," he said truthfully.
"Yet, it was a very smart move," Lucemon's voice rang out. The Hellion General emerged from the smokes, and other than the fact that his outfit was scorched and torn in many sites, he looked relatively in perfect health. He stretched his arms out and gave the astounded Wira Digital and their friends a wicked smile. "Look at what you've done. You've ruined my clothes," he said, shaking his head, sounding as if he was upset if it was not for the mocking tone which was more obvious. "Alas, my clothes will be the only things you managed to ruin, Aldiyamon…with your powers combined with your friends," he sneered, his voice still sounded like a perfect gentleman. "That should give you a hint of how powerful I am. Now, are you scared yet?"
Aldiyamon gasped in shock and fluttered away from Satriamon's arms, his energy returning. "It can't be! I destroyed the Puaka Generals with the Final Purification!"
Hearing this, Lucemon let out a laugh; the Wira Digital were perfectly unaware of the fact that the Puaka Generals had survived the Wira Digital's relentless attack that fateful night. "Oh, that is a funny one, Aldiyamon!" He then decided to leave his sentence just like that, just to entice the Wira Digital. He pretended to think, his smile never leaving his face. "So, does this mean that my clothes are as strong as the Puaka Generals, hmmm?"
"Man, this freak is really getting on my nerves!" Satriamon charged forward and began unleashing a rapid series of fiery punches towards Lucemon, who countered them with his Paradise Lost punches.
"Deflected again, and again, and again," Lucemon said with a bored tone, "until you have learned how to stop me from reading your mind. And now, get lost, but before that have a taste of my Paradise Lost!" Lucemon unleashed a rapid series of punches and kicks which were at first countered by Satriamon, but the angel-demon soon proved to be the quicker assaulter and he soon overwhelmed Satriamon. "Ah, yes, what is this? I seem to have picked up something from your mind, Satriamon," he whispered, stopping his onslaught for a moment. "Why, you've done something to that tattoo of yours. Persiamon isn't going to love hearing about this…heh, heh, heh…"
Hearing this, Satriamon was stunned and this distraction was just what Lucemon needed. He quickly slammed his metallic boot onto Satriamon's chest, sending the fire dragon-man crashing onto the ground. No sooner than that he found himself cornered by Samudramon, Puspamon and Xianamon. They charged up the powered up forms of their signature attacks and soon a glowing pink sprite, an electric-blue dragon and an elegant nine-tailed fox sped towards him. Sneering, Lucemon intercepted the attacks and used them back against the Wira Digital, laughing as the three Wira Digital fell back onto the ground. His grin grew wider as he sensed that the Wira Digital only had enough energy to retain their forms – they had used up their Mega-class powers against Z'dGarurumon, and Aldiyamon's Final Purification had not been able to delete him. He saw Xianamon's doppelganger vanishing into thin air and the force field erected around the friends of the Wira Digital was lifted, making them most vulnerable to attack. 'Now then,' he thought. 'The Master doesn't want the others, only Aldiyamon…'
"Forbidden Temptation!"
"Battement D'Amor!"
"This is getting tiresome," Lucemon said and slapped away Rosemon and D'Arcmon's attacks without much thought. He focused his attentions on the two women, and flicked his hand where a dark aura was radiating. "Time to find myself some Ultimate Sacrifice."
Rosemon and D'Arcmon gasped as all of a sudden they were trapped inside a great black energy orb. Rosemon attempted to tear the orb by launching her Roses Rapier, and D'Arcmon used her swords, but the orb retaliated by electrocuting them severely. They screamed; their powers were failing and soon they felt weak, very weak.
"Stop it! Rosemon! D'Arcmon!" Aldiyamon cried out, attempting to summon the two women back to safety.
"Ah, take them if you want," Lucemon said, and with a flick of his hand the black orb disappeared. Rosemon and D'Arcmon were nowhere in sight, but there were two small Digimon in their place- a pink plant bud with green body and a brown bunny with pink markings and large droopy ears. They disappeared in showers of light orbs and reappeared on Aldiyamon's arms.
"What happened to you?" Aldiyamon asked the two unfamiliar Digimon, knowing that they were once Rosemon and D'Arcmon. "You…changed…"
"We've lost our powers," the pink and green vegetation Digimon said desolately. "I'm Lalamon now. No longer Rosemon…"
"Lopmon," the bunny moaned, her voice equally as sad and weak as Lalamon's. "Lucemon's drained all our powers."
"Oh no…" Aldiyamon said, as Lucemon's laughter rang all over the area. The Hellion General had chosen not to gloat, but instead he seemed to be charging up his power. An apparition of a green demon materialized behind Lucemon, much larger than him that the horns on his head almost reached the clouds. The demon's eyes glowed scarlet as it howled, and red lightning sparked out from its eyes, shooting haphazardly towards the ground which shook with such force that it sent everyone tumbling, before they blasted upon the five Wira Digital. The attack however seemed to be not fatal, for the Wira Digital managed to shake it off after only a brief moment of struggle. Was Lucemon toying with them?
"What do we do now?" Puspamon said, gasping for breath. "We're down to five fighters."
"I don't now how long we can take this anymore," Samudramon said, clutching his abdomen in pain.
"We have to try again," Xianamon said. "For the sake of this time and world, and ours…"
"Right! Let's do it. We'll attack that blasted general over and over again if we have to!" Satriamon roared.
Aldiyamon nodded. "Let's give him all we've got." The white knight passed Lalamon and Lopmon to Teja and Tuah, and raised his sword where sacred flames of light burst forth. Winds burst forth from under him, causing his shining wings and dark hair to flutter as he said with a clear voice, "Heavenstar Gladius…"
Xianamon stepped forward to Aldiyamon's right side and raised her fly whisk, and crossed it over Aldiyamon's sword. Glittering golden stars erupted from it and spiraled around it and the sword and the winds from Aldiyamon caught on her too, causing her long black hair and flowing robes to flutter. "Diamond World Mandala…"
Puspamon followed suit, standing on Aldiyamon's left and positioned her staff over the sword and the fly whisk. Pink flower petals erupted from the staff and spiraled around the three interlinked weapons, blowing her dark red hair and the edges of her dress about her. "Jelita Shocker…"
Lucemon stared at what the Wira Digital were doing with interest, but that soon turned into bafflement when he could not detect anything from their minds. 'They're not thinking about this! They're just doing it, and I can't recall having seen this kind of attack before!'
The taller Samudramon and Satriamon approached their smaller teammates from behind, and placed their metallic trident and golden gauntlet at the sides of the three interlinked weapons, both bursting with crackling thunderbolts and raging flames.
"Double-Edged Thunderblades…"
"Dragonforce Striker…"
The five interlinked weapons shook wildly as the powers of all five Wira Digital merged. Five energy-based creatures burst forth from the weapons: white firebird, golden kitsune, pink sprite, and blue and red dragons, all of them shot towards Lucemon in kaleidoscopic streams of rainbow as the Wira Digital cried out, ""…POWERED UP MODE! FIRE!!"
A powerful explosion resulted from the collision of the Wira Digital's combined attacks and Lucemon, and everybody was blinded by a magnificent flash of light which ensued. Silence prevailed as the smokes which erupted after the explosion began to clear up. Everyone waited in anticipation, wondering whether the Wira Digital had done it. But then, one by one, the Wira Digital fell on their knees; they had used up almost all of their powers, and it was a miracle that they could still maintain their Digital Accessed forms, whereas in their previous battles, using a Mega-class attack alone would strip them out of their Ultimate forms for they required an excessive amount of energy in their part.
"Oh, my God! Look…" Teja's panicked voice caused everyone to look up, as a shadow took form within the clearing smokes. A loud grunt was heard and the smokes dispersed, revealing Lucemon.
"How did he…?" Aldiyamon said with disbelief.
The Hellion General had definitely seen better days. The attacks he had been inflicted upon had ripped apart his clothes; the only thing remained was his trousers with the edges torn held by bands of gold around his waist. His body and arms suffered multiple bruises and cuts, blood trickling down. His burnish hair frazzled, no longer sleek like it used to, and had trails of soot and dust on it. Angrily he shook off his boots and flexed his wings, his chest heaved up and down as he eyed the drained Wira Digital, before to their horror, the wicked calm smile which usually graced the angelic demon's face returned.
"Heh, heh, heh…" Lucemon chuckled and wiped the blood from his mouth, and his voice still remained as perfect and gentlemanly as it was. He did not seem to be affected much, despite having just been attacked by the most powerful attack combination the Wira Digital could have mustered. "So this is the powers from the heirs of Grademon. Very impressive. Very, very impressive. Not even Grademon can inflict such injury on me, and look at what you five have done! Give yourselves pats on the backs for your wonderful achievement, why don't you?" However, Lucemon's calm tone was only for show; inwardly he could sense how much injury he had gotten, and it infuriated him. It was lucky for him that the Wira Digital too seemed to have suffered a serious loss of powers due to their attacks on him. Then with a flick of his hand he generated five black orbs and blasted them towards the Wira Digital. The five warriors countered them with their weapons, and to their horror they were electrocuted by the orbs.
"Say goodbye to your precious power weapons," Lucemon smirked as he let out a cough and spat out blood from his mouth, but he wiped it out immediately, enjoying the sight of the horrified Wira Digital as the orbs destroyed their five main weapons. For a moment he had forgotten about his own injury as the five Wira Digital fell on their faces onto the ground, and could not care less that blood kept trickling out from the corners of his mouth.
"He is lying," Tuah said under his breath, towards the teens around him. Jebat, Lekiu, Lekir and Kasturi gawked at him in surprise, but Tuah looked adamant. "That Lucemon guy is lying! See how blood keeps trailing out of his mouth?" he whispered, and beckoned for everyone to look at Lucemon. With a grunt he took out his keris, holding it firmly in his hand. "We're going to help our friends! We have to!"
"What in the world…" Jebat stopped, and grinned as he took out his keris. "You're right, brother. Better to face death bravely rather than wait for it to come for us, right?"
Tuah and Jebat's fiery determinations fueled the spirits of Lekiu, Lekir and even the injured Kasturi, as they too took out their keris. Teja gasped, but was rendered speechless by a reason she could not comprehend. There was something grand about seeing these five ordinary-looking boys working together as a team, and she involuntarily let out a nod. A hand was placed on a shoulder, and looking up she saw Jackie smiling at her while giving her a discreet signal not to interrupt, as the boys closed their eyes and let out a long exhale as they fell into meditative stances, channeling their inner powers into their keris.
Not long thereafter, with loud grunts coming from their mouths as they opened their eyes again, one by one, the five keris radiated with navy blue, crimson red, yellow, light red and sky blue auras – the color signatures worn by the five boys. As if guided by an unseen force, they raised their keris towards the heavens and let out a simultaneous battle cry. "HAAAAA!!!"
"This is interesting…" Lucemon said sneeringly, "even these peasant boys have the intentions to fight me? What a nuisance." With a flick of his hand he caused the black orbs to rain upon the five boys, but when the spheres were about to reach the boys, the five keris vibrated and the orbs were suddenly steered off course and landed a few yards behind the boys, causing an explosion.
"HAAAAA!!!" The boys exclaimed, unaffected by Lucemon's attempt on their lives as well as the shockwave resulted from the explosion – somehow the smokes seemed to deviate away from them. The glowing auras from their keris concentrated into the blades, coating them all over with a thin layer of glimmering radiance, making them appear as beckons in the dark. The keris vibrated again, now as if wanting to break free from their masters' grasps. The five boys released their keris into the air and the five weapons immediately shot in a straight motion towards Lucemon with lightning speed, before piercing through his great wings and left glaring holes on them.
"Curse it!" Lucemon winced in pain. Five holes were burned on his wings, each was large enough for Lucemon to fit in his fist. He turned around in surprise and saw the blades making a perfect turn and dispersed, now aiming for his unprotected body. They seemed to possess minds of their own and Lucemon's attempt on avoiding them failed, for they were too quick for the Hellion General. They grazed his arms, body, shoulders and legs, before plummeting towards the Wira Digital. "What is going on here? How did those powerless, snot-ridden brats able to do this?" He shot black energy orbs towards the keris, wanting to destroy them, but to his annoyance the orbs were steered away when they got closer to the five keris.
The Wira Digital got back up on their feet as the five keris hovered before them, pulsing several times as if communicating with them. They seemed to be encouraging the Wira Digital to take them in their hands, to be their wielders. As if possessing minds of their own, the keris floated close to the Wira Digital when they opened up their hands. And when the blades were firmly grasped in their hands, the lights from the weapons washed over the Wira Digital, invigorating them greatly. Waves of light erupted from the Wira Digital's bodies and concentrated on the five keris, before…
"Whoa…" Aldiyamon said as all of sudden, the keris he was holding elongated and transformed into a sword with a curved blade – a saber – white in color with navy blue linings and hilt. The edges of the interior side of the blade were smooth while the outer edges were jagged. The size and contour of the blade seemed to be made just for him; it fitted nicely in his grasp similar to the Heavenstar Gladius. Awed and mystified, Aldiyamon turned to look at his friends, and saw that the same thing happened to them as well. Each Wira Digital was now holding the same sword as he; each sword seemed to be perfectly sized for each Wira Digital; Aldiyamon, Xianamon and Puspamon's sabers were relatively smaller than the ones wielded by Satriamon and Samudramon, for the latter two were bigger in size than their three friends. They marveled at their new weapons, and a name crossed their minds, as if it was second nature. "Legendary Blades…"
"Amazing…" Samudramon said, inspecting his ultramarine and azure saber, looking very pleased with it.
"A new power," Xianamon said, running her fingers over the smooth edge of her golden-chartreuse saber.
"Wow, it's pink! This seems to be custom made just for me," Puspamon giggled, admiring her rosy pink and pale red saber.
"I've always wanted one of these," Satriamon smirked, testing the red and burgundy saber by swishing it from one side to another.
The Wira Digital were not the only ones amazed with the sudden manifestation of the Legendary Blades. Jackie, Lalamon and Lopmon were rendered speechless due to this unexpected awakening of power. Having seen so many things before, and having mentored several DigiDestined teams before the DigiWira, Jackie had never expected these five boys to be able to contribute something for the Wira Digital to use in the nick of time. He had a feeling that the new weapons could aid the Wira Digital to victory. 'How fitting; the heroes of the past helping the heroes from the future,' he thought with a smile.
The five boys from the Malaccan Sultanate era were also astounded, as well as the princess.
"Would you look at that?" Teja said excitedly. "It's a miracle!"
"Our keris…" Lekiu, Lekir and Kasturi said in awe.
"Became their weapons!" Tuah and Jebat exclaimed, fists hoisted up, proud of what they had achieved for their friends. "There's no way we're going to lose now, with the forces from now and the future combined!"
Lucemon, startled of what was happening to his foes, flicked his hand, causing the black spheres he had generated to rain down upon the Wira Digital. However he was surprised when the Wira Digital were able, no thanks to their new Legendary Blades, to practically destroy the orbs into data particles; they just slammed their sabers upon the spheres and the spheres degenerated into bits of data. Lucemon waited for the Wira Digital to attack, wanting to use their attacks against them, but the Wira Digital did not attack. They remained on the ground, not even flying towards him. Lucemon wondered what they could be up to, before he heard Aldiyamon spoke up.
"Lucemon, you're so high up," he said with a chuckle. "How about joining us on the grounds?" With that said, Lucemon found himself enveloped inside light orbs. Realizing what would be taking place, he struggled to nullify the attack, but since the Wira Digital's powers had just been restored and he was still injured, he did not stand a chance. He reappeared in the middle of the circle formed by the five Wira Digital, all ready to strike with their Legendary Blades which were glowing with power from their ten wielders – the Wira Digital, and the five soon-to-be heroic warriors of their era.
"Legendary Blades, Final Strike!"
Lucemon snarled, ready to manipulate the Wira Digital's attacks, but to his surprise he found himself unable to do so. There was a certain limit of how much energy he could control at one time, and that was when he was at full power. And now he was not at his best, weakened after the Wira Digital's relentless assaults. There was no way for him to escape. He closed his eyes, refusing to show any sign of weakness as five powerful energy torrents blasted him from five different sides. Various sensations of pain erupted all over his body, as if he had been burned, drowned, pricked, poisoned and ripped apart all over, all at the same time; the pain he was feeling was unimaginable. For the first time in a very long while, Lucemon let out a scream as a blinding explosion of light ensued. He shrank to his normal size and plummeted onto the ground, defeated, but yet to be destroyed – a faint black aura coated him from head to toe, and that was what had protected him from being deleted by the powerful finisher attack. Smokes crawled out from the sides of his body, legs, arms; his whole body was covered with dirt, bruises and blood, his handsome face tarnished with wounds and dirt and his wings ripped apart in many places. For the first time, Lucemon realized that, impossible it might sound to him, that he had been beaten. Beaten. The Hellion General, SkullSatamon's strongest general, beaten. Not even Grademon had brutally and humiliatingly defeated him like this.
"One battle," Lucemon said venomously as he stood back up on his feet, and spat out blood derisively, before continuing, "does not win a war, Wira Digital!" Then he silently summoned the mantra to return him to present time and vanished before the Wira Digital's very eyes.
xxx
xxx
With the defeat of Lucemon, the spell he had placed on the Malaccan men had been lifted. They had no recollections of what had happened to them and only found themselves in the middle of the forest. From afar, well-hidden from sight, the DigiWira and their friends observed as the men returned to Malacca before making their journey towards the beach where Adam encountered Tuah, for it was also the place where JD, Manny, Jackie and the Digimon accompanying them had arrived from the year 2005. Throughout the journey, the teens from the Malaccan Sultanate era made good use of their remaining time with the DigiWira, asking them several questions in order to get to know of them better, both realizing that the closer they were getting to the beach, the less time they had with each other.
And finally, when it was nearing sunset, they had reached the beach. By this time, the girls could no longer contain their emotions. Teja and Gayathri were both crying as they hugged each other, and even the strong-willed Liu Ying was red-eyed as she talked to Lekiu, Lekir and Kasturi.
"Take good care of yourselves," Liu Ying said somberly towards the boys, mostly towards Lekiu. "I'll always remember you guys. You especially, Lekiu, for trying to save me from Strabimon."
Lekiu blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head, as Lekir poked him on the back and Kasturi giving him knowing look. "Well, uh…you too, Liu Ying. It's been great, these two days," he said, as his cheeks grew as crimson as the dusk sky. He cast a look towards Lekir and Kasturi, who seemed to understand as they backed off, Lekir requesting to talk with Labramon. He fidgeted shyly towards Liu Ying. "You know, I think you must have noticed, and you must be thinking, how silly of me…" Lekiu frowned, trying to find the right words, his cheeks now burning. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that…uh…umm…." He faltered for a moment before rapidly saying, "we're wearing the same colors!" From the background, Kasturi, Lekir, and Labramon slapped their foreheads.
"The same color?" Liu Ying raised an eyebrow before smiling gently towards Lekiu, knowing what exactly the boy was trying to say. Lekiu looked alarmed, but Liu Ying halted him. "I know what you're trying to say, Lekiu…and you weren't really being too discreet about it. But, I guess…" she cast a long look towards her fellow guy friends, and smiled wistfully as she returned her attention back towards Lekiu, thinking of what to say exactly, since she did not feel the same way towards the boy, although she did admire him for his bravery. She had to be tactful on this. "I guess it's not meant to be."
"I suppose," Lekiu said glumly and kicked the sands softly. "Take care."
"You too, Lekiu."
From afar, Labramon shook her head as she glanced towards Lekir. "That didn't go really well, did it?" Labramon asked him.
"Oh, I don't know. It could be worse," Lekir said with a small smile. "Don't worry too much about it, Labramon. Lekiu will get over his feelings over Liu Ying after some time."
"Yeah. Lekiu is tough," Kasturi said.
Not too far from them, Gayathri and Teja let go of their tearful embrace as Floramon watched them from a stone by the beach. "I wish I could say that we could keep in touch, but even that's not possible," Gayathri said amidst her sobs.
"I know," Teja said, wiping her tears with the sleeves of her robes. "But I'll never forget you and Liu Ying and your other friends. You and Liu Ying have proven to me that even girls can be as strong as boys. I wish you good luck in protecting your world against the bad guys," she said. Then, she cast a swift look on the DigiWira guys and the Hang brothers. "One last thing, Gayathri," Teja said. "Are you sure you can't tell me who I'll end up marrying?"
"Sorry, I can't do that, Teja," Gayathri said.
Teja pursed her lips glumly. "Well, between you and me, I hope it's Hang Tuah," she whispered and cast her glace away from the Hang brothers when Tuah looked up and caught her eyes. Gayathri merely smiled at the remark, while making a mental note to check any available resources back in the future for Tun Teja's history. They saw Liu Ying, Labramon and Lekiu, as well as Kasturi and Lekir, coming towards them, wanting to exchange goodbyes with them as well.
"We're going to miss you all," Liu Ying said, blinking slightly as a tear escaped her eyes. "We won't forget you. Thank you…for everything."
"If we have another chance in doing it all again…" Kasturi said, longing evidence in his voice.
"We'll do it again," Lekiu said with vigor and sadness at the same time.
"In a heartbeat," Lekir affirmed, his voice quivering.
"Take care, all of you," Teja said as she hugged Liu Ying, and again to Gayathri. She then patted Labramon and Floramon and eyed another group of people who was exchanging their own farewells.
"So…what are you going to do after this, Tuah, Jebat?" Adam asked the two boys whom had helped him a lot for the past two days. "More adventures?"
"Nothing we're going to face in the future will be the same as the ones we have faced with the mighty DigiWira," Tuah said with a grin and patted Adam's shoulders. His eyes darted to Teja momentarily, before moving on towards her three personal guards. "I think, if the three of them agree about this, I'd like to bring them to see Tuk Guru Adiputra. It's a pity their Silat master has passed away; maybe Jebat and I can convince Tuk Guru Adiputra to take Lekiu, Lekir and Kasturi in as students and impart whatever skills they haven't…had…." A knowing grin suddenly crossed Tuah's face as he stared at Adam. His dark eyes lit up, reflecting the setting sun's light. "Hey, wait a minute. I just remembered something," he grinned impishly, wiggling his index finger towards Adam. "Didn't you mention something about five Hang brothers when we first met? Famous warriors and all?"
Adam gulped as Tuah and Jebat looked ready to drill him with some questions. "Umm…" He glanced at JD and Manny who were standing side by side away from the three of them, silently imploring for them to intervene, but to his annoyance they just shrugged. Adam thought that even the two former ShadoWira looked somewhat strained on their faces, and assumed that they must be dealing with the separation their own way. Or perhaps they hadn't gotten to know the teens from this era close enough, not as close as he and the girls had.
Jebat chuckled. "Well, you don't have to tell us that, kid, so don't look too worried. Although, judging from how things had been going, were going, and will be going….you probably will get your five famous Hang brothers," he said and ruffled Adam's hair. "You know, it's just too bad that you can't stay longer, Hang Adam… both of us has grown rather fond of you these two days." He grinned upon looking at Adam's annoyed look. "Well, it's been fun, and an honor, to fight alongside you and your friends. If you're going to stay here…perhaps in your time the people will hear of six Hang brothers."
"Ever thought about it?" Tuah grinned.
Adam blinked. He couldn't tell whether Tuah and Jebat were only joking or that they were serious. They looked like they were both serious and joking, in Adam's opinion, so Adam decided to just respond with the truth. "I…I…" He took a deep breath and looked at the setting sun. "I can't," he said, as politely, yet also as firmly. "Lucemon was right," he said, turning his attentions back to the two older boys. "One battle doesn't win a war. And my world, my time…is still in great danger. I'm needed back there," he said empathically, before breaking the seriousness of his statement with a soft smile, his gray eyes twinkling. "I may be gone back to my own time, but there'll be Hang Lekiu, Hang Lekir and Hang Kasturi for you to…uhh…"
"To bully!" Tuah and Jebat exchanged conspiratorial grins and Adam sweatdropped. Suddenly, his heart ached with sorrow upon seeing how close these two disciple brothers were with each other, when in the future when they were full-fledged warriors; something would made them turn against each other. He knew perfectly well about Tuah and Jebat and what would happen to them, and it was a battle of wills within him – one screaming loudly from the insides to just tell the two disciple brothers of what was in store for them so that they could avoid it from happening, the other straining him from divulging things prematurely as not to change the course of history. Finally the latter side of Adam won, against his wishes, and this was reflected by a trickle of tear that escaped his eyes. This did not go unnoticed by Tuah and Jebat.
"Hey…why are you crying?" Tuah said. Alarmed, Adam quickly wiped his tears.
"Aww…you're jealous that it's not going to be you we're going to bully?" Jebat teased.
"It's not that," Adam said with a broken voice. He had to divert their attention quickly before they guessed what was causing him to be sad. "It's just…I hate partings."
"I've heard from some elderly people that for every meeting there's a parting, and that parting is such a sweet sorrow," Tuah said with a wistful tone. "We're sad that you have to go too, Adam. We're just hiding it better. Come on, one last embrace." Adam and Tuah embraced, and Tuah pulled the somewhat-unwilling Jebat along with it.
"Oh…isn't anyone gonna miss me?" Patamon said, wiping tears from his eyes too as he floated close to Adam, Tuah and Jebat. "I might appear as a flying guinea pig to you two," he said to Tuah and Jebat, "but I'm as human as they come, deep down."
Tuah laughed and pulled Patamon in the embrace too. "Of course, Patamon. You take care of Adam here alright? These two days, we're beginning to think of him as a little brother of ours. It's been great meeting you two." Patamon happily chirped out his response – always will, always will. Then Tuah's eyes caught JD's and he whispered to Adam. "And Adam, take care of your cousin brother too, alright? He needs you more than you think. You and your friends." That much Tuah could give to Adam for him to still honor JD's request.
Adam blinked at Tuah in confusion as they let go of their embrace. He was about to ask about Tuah's cryptic words, before Tuah beat him to it. "I think I'll have a few words with JD and Manny," Tuah said and quickly went towards JD and Manny. Adam was going to ask Tuah what exactly he had meant with his request – of course he would care for JD, JD was his family and they were very close after knowing that they were related. But perhaps he was thinking too much about it. Maybe Tuah too was overcome with emotion things he said did not come out as he had wanted. 'Maybe that's it,' Adam thought as he watched Tuah approaching JD and Manny, who along with their partners were staying a distance away from the others. They looked somewhat tensed; Adam wondered again why, before Jebat caught him and Patamon in another quick conversation.
"I hope you didn't break your promise," JD said when Tuah approached him and Manny.
Tuah nodded, his face grim. "Don't worry, I didn't. Although I think you really should tell…"
"Out of the question. They're better off not knowing," JD said quickly, casting a long look on Adam's back as the boy was talking to Jebat.
Tuah sighed. "I hope you'll find a cure for that curse mark, JD."
"I hope so too," JD said slowly.
"We'll do our best to find it," Manny said, his low voice intense with determination.
"I'll pray for your safeties, my friends," Tuah said and shook their hands before turning away.
"Tuah, wait," JD said, seemingly struggling to find words to say. "I'm not good at saying goodbyes, Tuah, but I guess this is it. Thanks, you know, for looking out for Adam and Patamon, and… for trying to cure me last night," he said finally, and held out his hand again. Tuah nodded and clasped it.
As the DigiWira and the teens exchanged their final farewells, Jackie looked from a distance, away from the waters, with a pensive look on his face. Lalamon was hovering beside him, and Lopmon was perched on his shoulder. Beneath him was a circular rune he had drawn with a stick over the sandy beach. In his hand was a semi-transparent pouch full of golden dusts from TobuCatmon. He waited patiently, knowing that Adam, Liu Ying and Gayathri were especially attached to the teens of this era, having been trapped longer here than JD and Manny.
"It's time," Jackie murmured as the sun vanished from the horizon – it was now night and the moon had peaked out from behind the peak of Mount Ledang, well visible from the beach. The air grew colder, now to the point of chilling. It was time to get back to their time – the enchantment TobuCatmon had used on the runes to take them to this era could only sustain them in this time for another hour. He knew the risk, Lalamon and Lopmon knew the risk, and JD and Manny, and Agumon and Penguinmon, were aware of it too. It was just lucky of them that they had managed to beat Lucemon and Z'dGarurumon as quickly as they had done this day. TobuCatmon had warned them that should they not appear at the same spot where they had been brought to within twenty four hours after they had arrived, they would remain there forever. 'It's an hour before the time-travel enchantment stops working, but there's no point in delaying the inevitable,' he thought as the DigiWira exchanged final goodbyes with their friends.
With heavy hearts the DigiWira went to gather at the runes Jackie had drawn, while the six teenagers from this era looked on, all solemn and the princess teary-eyed. Jackie opened the pouch as a gust of wind from the sea blew gently towards their direction, and the golden dusts flew out from the pouch. The golden dusts swirled around the runes as multicolored orbs of lights and stars erupted from the runes. The winds grew more intense as the runes shone with greenish-white hue and a faint pillar of light emerged from the runes and soared all the way to the dark heavens, engulfing the DigiWira and their allies within it. The DigiWira waved their final goodbyes towards their friends before the runes' lights fully enveloped them.
"Well…goodbye." And they were gone.
xxx
xxx
"Wow," Persiamon whistled as Lucemon stomped inside the main hall of the Onyx Pyramid, looking at him from up and down. "Get a load of you. You're injured all over, I hardly recognized your usual handsome self."
Doumon, Shawujinmon and Astamon all kept their opinions to themselves, despite the sight of the Hellion General severely injured was very strange to them. In fact, none of them ever remembered seeing him in such condition. The four Darkshadow Brethren seemed to think along the same lines; the Wira Digital were definitely powerful if they could inflict such injury on Lucemon. They watched as Lucemon, completely disregarding his tattered wings and wounded body and messy hair, sat on the stone throne that was his usual spot, and much to their surprise, laughed.
"Such irony!" he said amidst his laughter. "I sent them back in time to render them powerless, and the opposite thing happened!" He laughed again, shrill and echoic, as the others watched on, not knowing what to expect from their team leader, who was usually so calm and poised in every situation. Lucemon continued to laugh and laugh, ignoring the baffled looks on his fellow generals' faces, and their equally confused thoughts he had picked up telepathically. He took out from the pocket of his trousers the Obsidian Gem, watching it with fascination as the gemstone glowed with black aura. 'If it weren't for this gem, I might not be here,' he thought. 'Those blasted Wira Digital…just wait until the time for my master plan arrives!' He guffawed again upon thinking of the prospect of his master plan would have on the Darkshadow Brethren and the Wira Digital.
"That's it, he's gone cuckoo," Astamon whispered to Shawujinmon. "Poor guy got beaten so badly for the first time that he's gone mad."
"Watch what you're saying, Astamon," Shawujinmon whispered back urgently. "Doumon just told me that Lucemon can read minds."
"Uh oh…" Astamon sweated nervously when Lucemon's icy blue eyes landed upon him, but heaved in relief when they darted away, as footsteps from the doorway to the inner chambers were heard, heavy and steady.
"Looks like someone has lost his mind due to his terrible defeat by the hands of the mighty Wira Digital," said a deep voice sarcastically. The other four Darkshadow Brethren gasped upon the audacity of the remark and looked at the doorway. A great winged satyr and a scarlet demon stood there side by side.
Lucemon's laughter halted abruptly, but his grin never faltered. "Ah, finally…you two have regained your Ultimate forms. This is indeed good news. Gather round, my brethren, gather round," he beckoned for the other six Darkshadow Brethren and let the Obsidian Gem hover away from his hands. The half-arrowhead-shaped gemstone hung in the middle of the circle formed by seven Darkshadow Brethren, blinking out black lights which washed upon each general. "Let's forget about my failure, and focus on the master plan I have been concocting for a long time already…"
xxx
xxx
"Here goes…" With a heavy sigh, Adam opened a thick book he had taken from the History section of the National Library, with Gayathri sitting beside him, holding a notebook. The other three DigiWira sat across their table, ready to listen to what Adam was going to read out.
"Hang Tuah and his friends were first noticed by the Bendahara – Prime Minister – Tun Perak, when a band of pirates invaded and wrecked havoc in a local village. Tun Perak and a group of royal guards attempted to stop the unrest caused by the pirates, but the pirates proved to be too strong for them to handle. The guards were forced to flee while the pirates had the Bendahara cornered. It was then that Hang Tuah and his friends charged, and successfully killed the pirates as well as saving the Bendahara's life. Impressed by their skills and courage, the Bendahara recruited them to serve the Sultan and the palace, and it was there that these five friends rose in ranks until they eventually became the most respected and feared royal guards of the Sultan."
"So that's how they got noticed," Gayathri said, jotting what Adam had read in her pink notebook, for their presentations the next day at school.
Adam scanned the following entries, tracing them with his finger. "There's not much about the others; only Tuah is featured most prominently. Okay, Gayathri, take this down."
"Hang Tuah was well-known for his unfaltering loyalty to the Sultan. Due to this he became the Sultan's most trusted and constant aide, sometimes even acting as his ambassador to travel to other countries on the Sultan's behalf. One visit to the kingdom of Majapahit Hang Tuah was challenged to a duel against a famous Majapahit warrior called Taming Sari. An arduous battle ensued and Hang Tuah emerged as the winner. This entitled him to Taming Sari's keris, named after the original owner. It was said that this keris was mystical which could give its wielder supernatural powers, such as invincibility. Some said that the keris was the source of Hang Tuah's alleged abilities."
"Supernatural, huh?" JD said as he idly flipped the pages of another history book which the DigiWira had brought to their table. "Well, we know better." He was reminded of how Tuah had managed to contain the poisonous tattoo with his power – that was a feat that amazed even TobuCatmon when JD had gotten around in showing the mentor about the tattoo. Two days had passed since their journey to the past, and JD had tried straining himself by a series of advanced workouts which he rarely attempted, and the pain never came. But the fact that it still remained there reminded JD that the curse had not been lifted yet. A cure still needed to be found, and he knew that TobuCatmon, Ophanimon, Lalamon and Lopmon were working on it right now.
"How they helped us in that last battle against Lucemon….it's amazing isn't it?" Manny said softly. "It's too bad that they needed their keris – we could use the Legendary Blades in our future battles with the Darkshadow Brethren."
"Yeah," JD grinned. "We could kick those Darkshadows' butts with those awesome sabers."
"TobuCatmon says that we'd get back our weapons when we Digital Access again," Liu Ying, who was also taking notes for her own purposes, reminded, before looking at Adam and Gayathri with earnest. "Any entries about Teja?" she asked.
Gayathri scanned the entries in the book Adam was holding and saw Teja's name. "Ooh, here it is. Read it, Adam."
"There's not much about her; Teja is only mentioned in this particular paragraph," Adam said and took a deep breath before reading again.
"One such profound loyalty demonstrated by Hang Tuah involved his visit to Pahang for the Sultan. The Sultan sent him there with the task of persuading Tun Teja, the princess of Pahang, to become the Sultan's queen despite the fact that she was already engaged. Tun Teja however fell under the impression that Hang Tuah had wanted her to marry him, and agreed to elope with him to Malacca. It was when they were reaching Malacca that Hang Tuah revealed to Tun Teja his deception. It was not known whether Hang Tuah and Tun Teja had a relationship prior to this, but Tun Teja did eventually marry the Sultan of Malacca."
"Oh dear," Gayathri said sadly. "Before we got back, Teja did confide in me that she likes Tuah. How come…how dare…how dare Tuah deceived her like that. She didn't even like her cousin…who I presume, was the Sultan who wanted her."
The group was silence before Liu Ying reached out to pat Gayathri's hand. "Perhaps he had no choice," she said consolingly. "Remember; they believed that the royals carry divine mandate and if they dared disobey the Sultan, the Sultan could place a curse on them."
"But still," Gayathri said, "it's not fair."
Adam's face darkened as he read the next entry: "Another example of Hang Tuah's unwavering loyalty to the Sultan, which is also the most memorable, related to the ultimate duel between Hang Tuah and his closest childhood friend, Hang Jebat. Due to his popularity in the palace and with the Sultan, his jealous rivals had spread rumors around saying that Hang Tuah was involved in an affair with one of the Sultan's companions…"
The pen Gayathri was using to jot down what Adam was saying slipped, forming a long line of scribble past her previous notes. "Was it with Teja?" she asked breathlessly, eyes widened.
Adam scanned the entry. "It doesn't say with whom. I sure hope not…but from how they're making this…" He cleared his throat and continued. "Upon hearing the false allegations, the Sultan ordered Hang Tuah to be killed without first investigating about it and ordered Bendahara Tun Perak to be Hang Tuah's executioner. However, perhaps out of profound gratitude towards Hang Tuah for saving him, the Bendahara secretly spared Hang Tuah and told him to run away in hiding and informed the Sultan that Hang Tuah had been killed. The news reached Hang Jebat, who out of loyalty and support for his close friend, revolted against the Sultan, believing that Hang Tuah was innocent and unjustly punished. He infiltrated the royal court and wrecked havoc there, deeply affected by Hang Tuah's alleged death. Nobody, not even the other royal guards or the other three friends of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat managed to restrain the more skilled and ferocious Hang Jebat. It was at this time that the Bendahara revealed to the Sultan that Hang Tuah was still alive, and that he was the only one who could match Hang Jebat's skills. Hang Tuah was immediately recalled and the Sultan bestowed him amnesty. However the Sultan then ordered Hang Tuah to kill Hang Jebat for being a traitor. And…after seven days of gruesome fighting, Hang Tuah managed to kill Hang Jebat."
Adam's voice wavered as he uttered the last sentence, still finding it hard to believe that the two disciple brothers he had encountered and spent time with had such terrible fate. He could still hear Jebat's voice, teasingly calling him 'Hang Adam', echoing in his mind.
"Man, that seriously sucks," JD muttered, clenching his hand tight, picturing Hang Jebat's keris which he, as Satriamon, had used as his Legendary Blade. He then let out a derisive snort and leaned his back against the chair. "That Sultan doesn't sound like a competent one; why in the world would Tuah and the others obeyed him blindly like that? If it were me, I'd do what that Tun Perak do. What happened to the Bendahara anyway? Didn't he directly disobey the Sultan when he spared Tuah, and seems to me that nothing happened to him?"
"Perhaps he was given amnesty as well," Liu Ying reasoned.
"I can't imagine how Teja can live with a husband like that Sultan," Gayathri said sadly. "She deserved someone better. I for one, hoped that somehow after the whole thing, she'd elope with Tuah."
"I don't think that ever happened," Manny said with a low tone. "And JD, according to a reading I've made, the Sultan had been an incompetent one, although he did change for the better later on. The kingdom of Malacca thrived only because the Bendahara, Tun Perak, was excellent. And another interesting discovery I've made was about Tun Fatimah, the younger wife of the same Sultan who married Teja, maybe somewhere towards the end of the Malaccan Sultanate as it was stated that the Portuguese even feared her than her Sultan husband. And we all know that the Portuguese was the force which invaded and conquered Malacca, and Sultan Mahmud Shah was the last one to rule Malacca."
Manny's revelations did so little to appease JD's dissatisfaction of how Jebat had died.
"Where was Tuah and the other remaining Hang brothers when the Portuguese invasion on Malacca occurred?" Liu Ying asked.
"We're getting there," Adam said as he scanned another paragraph. "This seems to be the last one, all others after this one are references and several cultural stuffs which were inspired by Hang Tuah."
"After the death of Hang Jebat, Hang Tuah continued to serve the Sultan. Later in his years, he was ordered by the Sultan to court a legendary princess on the Sultan's behalf. The princess was called the Princess of Mount Ledang (Puteri Gunung Ledang) for she resided on Mount Ledang. According to legend, the Princess had agreed to marry the Sultan if the Sultan successfully fulfilled a list of impossible requirements as pre-wedding gifts, such as golden and silver bridges connecting Malacca with the top of Mount Ledang, seven trays of mosquito livers, seven jars of tears from virgins and a bowl of the blood taken from the Sultan's first-born prince. Hang Tuah realized that this was the Princess's indirect way of refusing to marry the Sultan. He was said to be overwhelmed by the prospect of not being able to fulfill what the Sultan had assigned to him that he flung his Taming Sari keris into a river and vowed to only return to Malacca if it resurfaced, which it never did. And thus, Hang Tuah never returned, and nothing was recorded after this moment."
"The movie Puteri Gunung Ledang has a romantic way of retelling the whole story though," Gayathri said. "In it, it's Hang Tuah who falls for the princess, and the princess to him, but they can't marry because of the Sultan wanting her as well. When the princess refuses the Sultan's proposal, the humiliated Sultan curses her so that whoever sees the princess's face starting from the following day's daybreak would end up with a horrible death. Tuah, out of love for the princess, pursues the princess but can't find her…although at the end of the movie it seems to me that the princess does reveal herself to Tuah, but what happens after that remains a mystery."
"I was just thinking of renting the DVD before you go and spoil the whole story," JD pointed out with a wry smile. Gayathri looked alarmed.
"I did? Sorry."
This earned soft chuckles from the other DigiWira, and the solemn mood that formerly dominated their table seemed to have lifted. Adam closed the history book, looking pensive, while Gayathri jotted down some extra notes in her notebook before she was done. JD stretched his arms, Liu Ying propped her head on her hand with a thoughtful expression on her face, and Manny took the time to double-check what Gayathri had written.
"It's too bad that they can't remember anything about us," Adam said finally. According to Jackie, when the runes he had drawn transported them back to present time it would also magically erased the memories of the locals of Malacca so that whatever damage Lucemon had done to the kingdom of the past would not be remembered, and thus, would not affect or disrupt history. But Jackie had told them that while his memory charm would work on practically everyone, he also suspected that the five Hang brothers and Teja would retain some lingering memory about the DigiWira and the Digimon battles because of their close friendship with the DigiWira; Jackie's memory-alteration spell would not work as efficiently because of it.
"It can't be avoided," Liu Ying said consolingly, knowing that Adam was feeling down because of the fate of Tuah and Jebat. "Maybe it's for the best too."
"Maybe…it's just that, I can't help thinking, what if…" Adam paused, all of a sudden remembering what Grademon had mentioned to him during their encounter in his minds. 'It's unwise to dwell in what-ifs and if-only…' He looked at Liu Ying and gave her a slight smile. "You're right, Liu Ying. Perhaps it's for the best."
They knew that there was nothing they could do to change the course of history; they did have their chance but who knows what would happen if they did. Thus, they chose to remember their friends as how they had seen them, not as how legends had portrayed them. Though their paths had crossed only briefly, it was a memory of an adventure and friendship that they would treasure for a lifetime.
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Author's Notes:
Firstly, the legal disclaimer for this arc: While some of the characters and events depicted in this Wira Digital: the Movie Arc are inspired by well-known historical figures and events, the portrayal of such characters and the depiction of such events surrounding them in this arc are fictional. The explanation in italic given in the final scene of this chapter relates to events that have been said to take place in legends, and I credit Wikipedia for the main source of reference, since I live outside of Malaysia and can't get my hand on books or any kind of sources that might be more informative.
There you go, the final chapter of the Movie arc, closing in Wira Digital's 50th chapter. Hopefully it closes the arc adequately. More explanation about this chapter is given in my blog. The brief scene with the Darkshadow Brethren should give you an inkling of what's going to happen next.