Chapter Fifteen: The End pt 3: The Darkest Hour
Chapter Fifteen: The End pt 3
The Darkest Hour
(AN: Scavenger Hunt! I make five separate Anime/video game references in this chapter. Three are obvious but two are a little trickier!)
Izzy rang out a damp cloth and continued to dab Mimi's aching forehead. She shivered at the touch as Joe tried to bring the fever down but nothing seemed to be working.
"It's the Crests, Izzy." Joe said. "There's nothing physically wrong with her; the Crests are just…sucking her life force or something…"
Izzy sighed, walking over to one of the park benches and laid her down. After Gomamon had Digivolved to Zudamon, they beat a path across the bay to Shiokaze Park where the Hell Gate still stood. It was quiet now, but MegaGargomon kept a sharp eye on it in case, well, all hell broke loose.
"So…what can we do for her?" Izzy asked.
Joe shrugged, wiping his glasses with the corner of his shirt. "Hope Myotismon goes down before she gets any worse. I don't know how much longer she can-"
"Thanks Joe." Izzy cut him off, looking back across bay to see Beelzemon, Gallantmon, Sakuyamon, ShineGreymon and Beelzemon flying back at them, waving their arms and trying to say something.
"What?" Izzy said, standing up, cocking his head to the side. The five Megas started pointing down in front of them, where a specter of mist was gliding across the water.
"Heads up, guys!" Matt called from MetalGarurumon's back. "Something stinks here…" ustimon and MegaGargomon looked back from the Gate, Justimon leaping over MetalGarurumon while MegaGargomon cocked a missile for launch.
"Get ready!"
"Ready for what?" Justimon said. "Just what are we attacking here?"
"That mist cloud or whatever's in it…" Matt mentioned darkly.
"I thought they took care of him…" MegaGargomon snarled in frustration
"Yeah, well that's what we thought last time…" MagnaAngemon said.
"And the time before that…" Angewomon put in, knocking an arrow.
"This guy just doesn't know how to die!" Justimon said.
Paildramon aimed both blasters at the mist. "Let's teach him then!"
As the mist reached the edge of the water, Justimon stepped in front, holding his Blitz Arm out. "Freeze or I'll-" What Justimon would have done wasn't clear because the mist passed through the Mega, shooting past him and heading straight for Mimi.
"Stop!" MetalGarurumon jumped in front of the mist but the cloud of data paid no mind to the rockets, ice blasts and celestial arrows whizzing through it. Without flinching, it soared right through Izzy, picked the still unconscious Mimi up from the table and slammed her unceremoniously into the side of the Gate.
CRACK! Her vibrant brown eyes flew open as the back of her head connected with the onyx marble, instantly finding Izzy's horrified expression in the midst of her friends. She held his gaze for a moment then her eyes dimmed, fogged over and she slowly slid down the Gate as the mist cloud disappeared.
A icy breeze whipped through the air, catching a stray scrap of a dry, grey, lifeless leaf and tossing it high above the dumbstruck faces of the Digidestined and their partners, flipping through the vapor trails left by the mist, getting caught in a back draft from the beating wings of Phoenixmon and finally sticking to the tear stained cheek of a certain, supposed genius as he watched the only girl he ever loved thrashed into the side of a stone slab like a rag doll.
Izzy was vaguely aware of the shouting, cursing screaming around him, but it was like he was looking at the world through a fogged glass. His friends were scrambling around, looking for the mist but Izzy only wandered over to where Mimi lay on the grass, not really registering Joe yelling for him to get him a wet cloth, that she still had a pulse but it was getting weaker. All he really saw was Mimi; his Mimi.
He reached a hand out to wipe a trickle of blood from her lip, not noticing Joe frantically rummaging through his bag, saying how he needed a splint, tourniquet and a dozen other things he didn't have in order to save her. Her skin was curiously cold; not the rosy, warm, infinitely soft skin he spent months touching, massaging, and kissing. Joe was in a full blown panic, tugging at his hair, glasses askew but Izzy didn't seem to pay attention. His eyes traveled down from her face, towards her neck where there were five ominous black crests noticeably absent.
This strange, disturbing fact awakened the intellectual in Izzy and he couldn't help but voice the question that was on the tip of his tongue.
"Where are the Crests?"
As if the universe had heard him and decided to answer his question, a howl of agony split the air. He turned around to see Beelzemon fighting off the mist cloud that hovered around his back. The mist was taking human form as Myotismon's Fallen Angel body rematerialized in time for him to sink his fangs into Beelzemon's neck.
"Beelzemon!" Sakuyamon cried.
"GET THIS PALE BLOODSUCKING LEECH FREAK OFF OF ME!!" he bellowed, firing his gun over his shoulder in an attempt to hit the Demon Lord but nothing he did was working.
"SHOOT HIM ANGEWOMON!!" Kari cried, biting her lip.
"I can't!" Angewomon cried, trying to get a clear shot. "I might hit Beelzemon! He's a Demon Lord; my arrows will rip him to shreds!"
"Paildramon?"
"No luck; he's moving too fast!"
"GYAHHHHHHHHHHH" Beelzemon slammed into the back of the Gate, trying to get Myotismon off his back but nothing he did was working. Slowly, his wings began to disappear and his arm cannon fell off. His data dissipated until Beelzemon reverted back to Impmon, falling to the ground, rolling over and looking up at Myotismon who was greedily clutching the eight dark Crests.
"All mine…all mine!" He crowed in delight. Opening his foul, festering mouth he swallowed all eight in one go, gagging, choking, spitting up until the lump vanished from his throat and down his gullet.
He smiled, his pointy teeth flashing in the dim light sighing as a thirsty man does after downing a glass of ice water. "Finally…after eight, long years I will finally finish the work I began…and drown this world in my own personal touch of…darkness."
He opened his mouth, chuckling deeper and deeper as a thick, black fog spewed from his maw with every laugh. Blacker than the night, the Gate and the inky black water that lapped against the docks behind him, it consumed Myotismon, swirling, shifting, climbing higher and higher until it took a human shape atop the Gate. As soon as it came, it was gone and in its place, a monster stood.
The handsome, enchanting Myotismon was gone, warped and twisted beyond all recognition. A skeletal face, capped with monstrous ram horns glared down at them with cold, empty eyes. Powerful arms gripped a wicked looking scythe and powerful skeletal legs, wrapped in bare muscle floated above the onyx slab. Its ribs were laid open and in the place of organs and tissue there was a floating black sphere of energy, crackling with electricity. He gave off a foul, cold mist that seemed to drown the world in despair by simply existing.
"Well, Well, Well…" the beast said, eight voices echoing as one. "Not the body I would have chosen but…I suppose it gets the job done." He glared down at the Digimon and their partners. "Finally…after sooooo long…I will have my vengeance…vengeance for all the dark Digimon fallen at you hands…payback for all the wrongs I've suffered because of you…" he raised his scythe high above his head, bony face grinning madly. "Myotismon rises anew with all the powers of Darkness at my disposal…to put an end to the Sovereign's reign and usher in a new era where the scions of Shadows reign supreme…PhantomMyotismon, The Dark Avenger, ruler of both Real and Digital worlds!"
"He sure loves to talk…" ShineGreymon glanced at the other Digimon. "Well…now what?"
"All together!" ShineGreymon looked up to find Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, a teary eyed Lilymon, MangaAngemon, Aquilamon, MetalGarurumon, Ankylomon, Justimon, MegaGargomon, Zudamon and MegaKabuterimon floating behind him, ready to roll.
"He must fancy himself some kind of avenger." Sakuaymon said coolly.
"Avenger nothing." Gallantmon spat. "I thought avengers were supposed to be stronger than their prey!"
"He doesn't give a damn about the other Demon Lords…" Phoenixmon said. "He sacrificed them all to become stronger himself."
"And now the greedy little bloodsucker thinks he's king?" Justimon laughed. "What, just cause he said so?"
"You know something…" ShineGreymon glared back up at PhantomMyotismon before turning to Phoenixmon. "I'm getting a little tired of hearing this guy moan about how acrimoniously unfair the world has been to him every four years."
"I don't know." Phoenixmon cocked her head with a wistful smile. "Evil Digimon have a funny way of keeping our little group together."
"Do you think we'd drift apart without them?" ShineGreymon asked.
Phoenixmon shook her head. "No…not us." ShineGreymon glanced back at her as Tai's human heart skipped a beat. She lit a sword in one hand and looked back up at him expectantly. For a moment, they looked at each other until Sakuyamon nudged her way between them.
"Hi," she said. "Umm, this is really beautiful and touching and I really wish I had a camera so I could treasure this memory forever but there's something you both are forgetting…there…is…a…huge…effing…DEMON THAT IS ABOUT TO KILL US ALL!! SO IF YOU TWO WOULDN'T MIND PUTTING THIS LITTLE CHARADE ON HOLD UNTIL FANGFACE IS GOOD AND DEAD…"
"Okay, Okay!" Phoenixmon held her ear in pain. "Jeez Louise, Takato. You just had to fall for the loud one, didn't you?"
"What?" Sakuaymon said, looking between Gallantmon and Phoenixmon. "Come again?"
"Umm…" Gallantmon mumbled.
"Hey, no, put this little charade on hold until later!" Phoenixmon said. "There's a huge effing Demon trying to kill us all!"
"Right, ready?" He looked back at his friends, past the Digimon to where the humans had formed a small semi-circle behind Izzy and Mimi. "We'll be back." He turned back to PhantomMyotismon who had finally decided to take notice of them. "ATTENTION YOU BLOODSUCKING PARASITE!!" He cupped his hands and shouted up at him. "YOU…ARE REALLY GETTING OLD AND I'M AFRAID TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE ARE GOING TO PUT UP WITH YOU!!" A flaming circle appeared on the ground. "YOU CAN SUCK UP ALL THE DARK CRESTS YOU WANT AND YOU'LL STILL NEVER BEAT US!"
Phoenixmon moved to stand by his side. "We're a team…a family. And all the powers of Hell can't compare to that." PhantomMyotismon somehow managed to roll his empty eye sockets
"Corny as that just sounded," Sakuyamon earned a glare from Phoenixmon. "She's right. All you're fighting for is power and petty revenge. We're fighting for our friends, our homes…the people we love." She turned her head ever so slightly to her left where Gallantmon stood. "We didn't come all this way to lose to the likes of you!!"
"And how do you plan to defeat me, hmm?" PhantomMyotismon sneered. "I could sweep my scythe and destroy you all!"
"I hate to say it but he's right…" Justimon said. "By my readings, he's gone beyond Mega level."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah…he's like…Super Mega or something…"
"Super Ultimate." MegaGargomon corrected. "It's a phase my dad and the others mentioned to me…it only occurred a couple times and never alone…"
"He has to pull the data from the other Demon Lords…he's DNA Digivolved with all Seven Demon Lords plus Beelzemon's Crest." Justimon explained. "He's quite literally got the power of Eight Mega level Digimon."
"Magnificent." Sakuaymon sighed.
"But…it's not just about the level, right?" Gallantmon said. "We've taken on tougher marks, right?"
"The level and title isn't what worries me…" MegaGargomon said. "This guy just broke about fifty natural laws of Digivolution by using corrupted codes as his basis of reality."
"Right!" Gallantmon cried. "Er…what?"
"Picture a castle built without cement to save time. The Dark Crests he's using are making his data even more unstable. By creating a new Digimon, he sacrificed security for raw energy; he can't control this form for long and when his control runs out…"
"Boom." Justimon said, grimly
"Everyone, stay back except for Gallantmon, Sakuyamon Phoenixmon and me." ShineGreymon whispered. "Protect the humans."
"What?! That's your plan?" Phoenixmon said incredulously. "Decrease our ranks?"
"We'll need all the help we can get, Tai." Sakuyamon insisted. "They can help; they need to help. They-"
"They don't stand a chance against Myotismon or whatever that thing is! They'll get slaughtered in a heartbeat and we'll be the only ones left anyway! That way we'll have a Mega reserve team in case…well…"
"We get the picture." Justimon said, dryly. "I'm flattered by the confidence you have in all of us... Just come back in one piece, will ya? I don't want to have to be the one to explain to your parents that you got splattered all over Tokyo by a Demon from Hell."
"Ryo, your confidence in us is an ongoing source of encouragement." Gallantmon muttered.
"I do what I can." Justimon said with a mock salute before turning on his heel to face the other Digimon and the humans. "Let's go, folks. We need to get out of here before things get loud."
"Absolutely not." Joe said, stepping forward. "Mimi is in critical condition. As a medical student, in my professional opinion, moving will probably kill her."
"Well…in my professional as a Mega Digimon superhero, staying here will definitely kill her." Justimon said, crossing his arms. "In our Tokyo, Tojo Memorial Hospital is just three blocks that way. We can get you the supplies you need to treat her there or we can stay here and hope Myotismon doesn't vaporize us. Take your pick."
Joe bit his lip, thinking it over while ShineGreymon glared up at Myotismon. "Let's go, then…we'll carry her between MagnaAngemon and Angewomon, let's go!" He nodded at Izzy who glanced up at the skeletal reaper nervously.
"Don't worry." Sakuyamon said, looking back. "We'll keep him busy." Justimon nodded, looking back before motioning to his comrades. One by one they surrounded MagnaAngemon and Angewomon, carrying the unconscious Mimi and slowly made their way away from the park and around the block. All the while, Myotismon was leering at them, fidgeting with his scythe but making no motion to stop them.
"You're not going to try and follow them?" Phoenixmon asked. "Seriously? My, my…that's quite some restraint you're showing."
"Aww…" ShineGreymon said in mock mollycoddling tone, looking fondly at Phoenixmon. "Our little Demon Lord is all grown up!"
PhantomMyotismon flashed his mouth full of yellow fangs. "I will attend to them in due time…but first…" He vanished.
"Wha-" Gallantmon said. "Where did he-"
"He he he he…"
Gallantmon froze in mid thought, turning slowly to see ReaperMyotimon behind them, scythe behind him and looking at them with a look of cold amusement in his eye sockets. "First I'll finish what I've started…"
"Amethyst Wind!" A hailstorm of purple crystals loosed themselves from the end of Sakuyamon's staff, ripping through the air and hurling at the grinning Digimon. A black mist seeped up through the ground, swirling around the jewel shards and halting them in their tracks. They fell to the ground with a series of dull clinks as the mist retracted, revealing a grinning Demon Lord.
"Try again my dear." PhantomMyotismon taunted, hefting his scythe up and spinning it around, experimentally. Faster than any of them could see, he ripped across the ground, hooking Sakuyamon around the back and twirling her around before launching her into the air. Before Takato could register this new and terrible fact, PhantomMyotismon jumped into the air after her, catching her around the back again before bringing the staff of the scythe behind his head and with all the strength of eight Demon Lords, he brought Sakuyamon crashing down onto the cold, hard pavement.
"RUIN IMPENDANT!" He cried as a crescent of white hot energy shot from the blade of his scythe, ripping into Sakuyamon in unnatural force.
BBOOM-CRRRACK!!
The shockwave resonated through the ground, causing the pavement to ripple and crack all around them. Water flew up everywhere as Sakuyamon's body cracked the water line and released a torrent of frigid water. Sakuyamon stirred for a moment and then was still, her data flickering as if it were coming through on a bad TV station.
"S-S-S…" Gallantmon stuttered. "S-Sakuyamon…" Without bothering to look at PhantomMyotismon or the other Megas he dove in after her.
"Takato, wait!" Tai called out but PhantomMyotismon was already on him, scythe cocked back over his shoulder ready to strike. He frantically raised his GeoGrey Sword, blocking, feinting and ducking the whirling scythe strike yet somehow PhantomMyotismon stayed one step ahead of him, dragging the burning blade along his shining armor, leaving dents and scratches where Lucemon couldn't.
Tai's eyes burned as sweat ran down the front of his face. He was fast, with the strength to make every rapid blow count. Every time he tried to gain the upper hand, PhantomMyotismon would redouble his efforts and put him on the offensive once again. Phoenixmon tried several times to get a blast of flame in but in the end, Myotismon would always be just out of her reach.
"Hmm…Not bad for a stinking ape." PhantomMyotismon taunted.
"You're pretty good too…for a bloodsucking freeloader…"
PhantomMyotismon snarled, leaping away from him and holding his scythe out in front of him. "For that…Let Hellfire consume your soul…" the scythe twirled out in front of him, burning hot as it did until it erupted in a blaze of spinning fire. "FLAME PURGE!!" A helix of flame shot from the spinning scythe, narrowly missing ShineGreymon and destroying a neighboring building.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tai saw Phoenixmon flitting back and forth nervously. In that moment of lax concentration, PhantomMyotismon flicked his sword aside and kicked him back. Charging a burst of power in his spiraling orb, he crossed his arms, opening them to release a burst of smoking purple energy.
"FULMINATING DARKNESS" He cried as the torrent of black energy hurled through the air towards ShineGreymon. Tai shut his eyes, waiting for the blast to consume him.
"TAI!"
Tai felt a cold hand of fear grip his heart as he opened his eyes. The blast had stopped, surrounding a figure that threw itself in front of him to absorb the blast.
"No…SORA!" But it was too late. The energy tore through Phoenixmon's body, tearing chunks out of her wings and sending feathers flying back. All at once the energy erupted, sending the now flightless Phoenixmon on a collision course for Gallantmon and Sakuyamon. ShineGreymon dove out of the sky, racing faster and faster in order to catch the falling bird Digimon.
Phoenixmon winced as ShineGreymon's cold, steel gauntlets touched her raw, burned skin. Wearily, she opened her eyes to see him looming over her.
"Hey…" she managed to squeak out. Already Sora could feel her little light bubble beginning to crack and dissipate. The night air and roaring fire registered on her exposed skin as Phoenixmon's data began to break up. Already she could feel lighter, as if her feet were turning into tiny little bubbles and floating off into the air.
"Why?" was all the dragon could say. 'Why did you do that?"
"Because…" she managed to gasp out. "You…were going to get hurt…that blast would have…killed you."
"So you let it kill you instead." Tai's arms were shaking inside the metal shell he was wrapped in. "Sora…don't…please hold on…I can't…I can't even begin to think of life w-w-without you." He pressed the small, broken warrior against his chest. "Matt was right; I am hopelessly lost without you…I…I…I need you Sora! I can't live without you!"
She raised a hand, laying it lightly on his armored chest. "Neither…can…I…"
Gallantmon cradled Sakuyamon's head against his chest, feeling her data begin to break up. "Hang on there Rika…you and Renamon can pull through this…I know you can…" Takato felt tears sliding down his human cheeks as he pressed his head against hers. "I don't know if I can beat him without you…I'm so much stronger for having known you that I don't know if I can fight without you…"
Sakuyamon laid her hand on his armored shoulder. "Of…course…you can…you have to…you have to keep fighting…"
"I'm fighting for you." ShineGreymon whispered.
"You keep me going when I feel like quitting." Gallantmon spoke.
Sakuyamon smiled up at him. "Then…we'll do this together…"
"We're…unbeatable…" Phoenixmon said, shakily. "Love…and Courage…"
"You…" Sakuyamon said. "And me…"
Sakuyamon and Phoenixmon began to glow brighter. Tai squeezed his eyes closed as he felt Phoenixmon get lighter and lighter in his arms. Gallantmon clung to Sakuyamon's vanishing frame, pressing her tighter and tighter into his chest, as if by force he could press her through cold steel and into his human arms.
Then, just as the last of their data disappeared, something warm and soft fell into Tai's arms.
He opened his eyes to find himself buried in a head of auburn colored hair. He pulled back, looking into a pair of surprised ruby colored eyes.
"S-Sora…" He said.
"Rika…" Takato managed to choke out as Rika looked back at him, violet eyes brimming with happiness. "How…how did this happen?"
"I…I don't know…" Rika said, blushing at the sudden feeling of his arms around her waist.
"We're stronger together…" Sora said, laying a head on Tai's shoulder.
"You're finished without me." Takato laughed, holding Rika closer, not bothered by the sudden contact of her skin on his
"You've always played off each other…in a way you complete each other" Renamon's voice said from somewhere in the light around them.
"Even when you were kids, we could tell." Biyomon's voice called to Tai and Sora
"It's no surprise you have such a strong connection." Guilmon said, sounding remarkably wise. "That is why we came together."
"Your love for each other bound our data together." Agumon said smugly to the astonished Tai and Sora who looked at each other with sudden realization, confusion and (somewhere deep down) happiness. "And made us stronger than we were apart!"
"L-love?" Takato stammered out. "Me?"
Sora bit her lip, shifting slightly Tai's arms. "Well...yes…"
For a moment, Tai forgot how to speak. Several times his mouth opened and shut and Sora began to feel stupid for even saying anything. Finally Tai found his voice. "Wha…me…what about Matt?"
"He broke up with me, remember? Besides…I moved on to Matt because…I…I waited so long…and when you just...just…showed up all those Christmases ago I was…I never thought you'd notice me, like that…" She looked aside, fingers fidgeting with her hair.
"Why would you think that?"
Rika looked down, blushing quickly before looking back up at Takato's confused face. "All those times…I attacked you guys; called you weak…pretty much since I was a total bitch to you…"
"I…did notice you…" Tai said, cupping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. "I was just…stupid; you should know that by now!"
Sora laughed shakily. "R-Really?"
"How could I not?" Tai said, feeling braver. "You're beautiful, smart, loving…"
"…Clever, brave, supportive…" Takato listed,
"…generous, caring, loyal…"
"…tough, passionate, resourceful…you've always been there for me…"
"You were there to help me when I needed it." Sora said
"You never gave up on me, you stupid Gogglehead, even though anyone else would."
"You're my best friend," Tai said
"You're my best friend," Rika said
"You're mine too," Sora replied
"You're mine too," Takato replied.
"I guess…we're both a little stupid…" Sora said, chuckling.
"At least we can be a couple of idiots…together." Takato said, hesitantly
Outside, oblivious to those inside Gallantmon and ShineGreymon who were lost in the stunning revelation that had just washed over them, a change was taking place. Gallantmon and ShineGreymon glowed brightly, casting shafts of light out into the darkness that PhantomMyotismon had cast. An egg like shield of light surrounded them, pulsing and glowing brighter than any star in the sky.
Three blocks away, Impmon looked out from his spot on the hospital balcony, shaking his head in amazement while everyone else in the room huddled around a recovering Mimi.
"You stinking apes will never fail to amaze me, will you?" he said, softly.
"Sora…"
"Takato…"
"I know this may sound stupid and foolhardy and…"
"It may be presumptuous of me to say…"
"And I don't expect you to feel the same way,"
"But I just have to let you know that…" Rika took a deep shuddering breath.
"I-mph!"
"I-mph!"
Tai and Rika barely got the first part of their declaration out before a pair of arms wrapped around their waists and a pair of lips gently pressed against theirs. Though they never got to say what had been eating them alive for years, neither of them really cared as they finally tangled their fingers in their lover's hair. They didn't care that a Demon Lord from hell was ready to pulverize them with a swing of their scythe. In that one moment, nothing else mattered. Rika and Tai were especially surprised that Takato and Sora had kissed them; they had expected a smile, nod and maybe a gentle let down, but never in a thousand years had they expected this...this feeling of warmth flooding throughout their bodies. They clung so tightly to each other, venting years of suppressed emotions that soon it became impossible to tell one from the other; as if they had merged into one being.
Outside, PhantomMyotismon was blinded by the flash of light created by both eggs shattering, revealing the Digimon inside.
TK looked up at Impmon as the little Rookie chuckled to himself. "What's so funny?"
Impmon looked back, smirk still plastered on his face. "You guys might want to see this…"
Gallantmon stood tall in the center of the pit, armor gleaming in the light it projected and a crimson cape billowing behind him. He was slimmer, more elegant than either of his other forms. His armor was pure white, capped with crimson greaves and shoulder guards. Emerald jewels glowed in the center of his chest and the tip of his helm with two red wings going back. His right hand leaned against a wicked looking poleax; red shaft, gold blade and glistening emerald counterweight opposite the blade.
ShineGreymon had vanished, replaced by a fearsome looking dragon knight. Its armor glistened in its partner's light, casting hues of red and gold off the thick, ornate plates that covered its body while a matching cape billowed in the wind. Its shoulder and knee guards resembled dragon heads, embossed in red and gold and capped with dangerous looking spikes. Its gauntlets were folded lightly on the hilt of a massive claymore while it leered at PhantomMyotismon from under its dragon shaped helmet.
"MedievalGallantmon" Ryo said, looking down at the Royal Knight in awe
"And that's…EmperorGreymon" Henry said, unable to keep the stupid smile on his face from leaking out.
The two of them shared a poignant look before turning to the dumbstruck PhantomMyotismon.
"An interesting trick…but it matters little." PhantomMyotismon finally said. "The power of the night is pure darkness! I am in my element with Seven Demon Lords behind me!" He cackled somewhat nervously. "You…are…finished! Mankind's Darkest Hour is at hand!"
MedievalGallantmon let out a four part laugh from Takato, Rika, Renamon and Guilmon, rolling their eyes. "A tad overdramatic, don't you think?"
Tai, Sora, Agumon and Biyomon nodded through EmperorGreymon "He always did have a penchant for the theatrical…" Tai smiled as Sora wrapped her fingers around his, leaning a head against his shoulder. "You ready, Gallantmon?"
Takato nodded looking over his shoulder into Rika's burning wine colored eyes. She gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Ready to go!"
"Alright…you know what they say about darkness, right?" EmperorGreymon twirled his weapon in an arc, bringing it down in front of him in a defensive stance. "It's always darkest…"
"Just before dawn…" MedievalGallantmon finished, driving his lance into the ground.
AN: Ooh...that was kinda sugary...I listened to "Cloud Smiles" on endless repeat while writing that fluffy little exchange... Final Chapter and the Epilogue on Sunday!! If you're wondering how EmperorGreymon came to be sans any Legendary Warrior involvement, four spirits (Tai, Sora, Biyomon and Agumon) still consolidated into one being. MedievalGallantmon just seemed like Sakuyamon and Gallantmon (The staff to the poleax and a slimmer, more elegant design) Rock and Roll!