"Ragnarok.
A name with a dire meaning…

The End of the World…

And while it was just a name, spoken as a legend…
…it became embodied…a reality…

Ragnarok became a 'living being' with only one goal :

Destruction.

Destruction, in the guise of a human child. Overwhelming madness within…
That is what Ragnarok is now…
And yet…

This beast once…

…originated from another human child…

Regan Astrasz.

One is a beginning…
The other is the end…

Which ones are the true ones?

What Ragnarok really is?
And…
What Regan Astrasz really is?"

Chapter 14 : Regan Astrasz and Ragnarok : Begenning and End, Life and Death…Terror of Chaos

Regan Astrasz just stared in shock and anger toward the one standing some distance in front of them…with a face just so alike his own…and so different at the same time…

Ragnarok…he had returned…

"Ragnarok…how can you be alive? You…died…" Regan started, some uncertainty present in himself.

"You destroyed me, you mean…" the other Regan swiftly replied, his eyes closed with some contempt.
A grin then came on the 'other Regan''s face.
"Of course, it should have been obvious…

You cannot destroy a god, you cannot stop…what is inevitable…" Ragnarok added, opening his eyes, grinning cunningly at Regan and the other children and their digimon.

"You're no god Ragnarok!" Regan replied angrily, taking one step forward. "You're just a monster, a beast that just thinks he has to destroy everything! You just think you're on some 'heavenly' mission to purify everything, but you just want to destroy everything! You can't consider yourself a god in such kind of way at all!"

Ragnarok then started to chuckle darkly. "Then…despite your efforts last time…both in this reality…and in that other one…

Explain to me why I've returned once more?" Ragnarok asked.

"Once more?" Kylee asked uncertainly.
"Ragnarok…We don't know how, but it seems like everytime we destroyed him, he kept returning sooner or later.
It has to be at least five times he got blown up now, perhaps more…And still no end to that thing…" Lizomon answered darkly.
"What? You mean he just keeps reviving? How's that possible?!?" Riza asked.
"If only we knew…" Kari replied worryingly…and scared…

Ragnarok laughed, briefly startling everyone.
"Hah…hahaha…That's just the beauty of it! You kids just don't know how! If that's the case, then how do you think you can even defeat me? No matter how many times you try, I will always be there…for I am inevitable…for I am Ragnarok…" he added, now smiling darkly as he looked cunningly at the Tamers and Digidestined.

"Even so it doesn't mean you're a god!!!" Regan yelled even more loudly than before. All the others stared at him, even more worried.
Regan tightened his right fist, which glowed with crimson sparks.

Ragnarok kept smiling, looking at Regan with some 'interest'. "Then tell me Regan…

What am I then?" he asked evilly, extending his arms.
"Maybe…

I'm you?" Ragnarok pondered with a clearly dark smile as he pointed a finger at Regan.

Regan grunted, then let out what seemed to be a growl…His right fist kept shaking even more.

"RAGNAROK!!!" he yelled, suddenly charging toward his 'dark counterpart'.
Ragnarok kept grinning as he watched Regan run at him, then as Regan raised a crimson fist to punch him, he suddenly moved to the side with an inhuman swiftness.

"Hahaha! I would have expected better from you Regan!" Ragnarok replied, still grinning as he pulled back from Regan than raised his right hand, which began to burst in flames…then he threw a large blaze of flames straight on Regan who had started to turn at him.

"Regan!" Kari shouted as the flames engulfed Regan and exploded on him.

But as the flames dispersed, albeit quicker than they should have…Regan still stood…surrounded in a red shield, his right hand held in front of himself.
"You shouldn't think that I'm a weakling Ragnarok!" Regan taunted from his force field.
"Maybe…Maybe not…" Ragnarok simply replied, both hands covered in flames. He then threw both hands toward Regan, unleashing two blazes of flames on Regan's shield, exploding and engulfing him.
"How long you think remaining there anyway?" Ragnarok replied, laughing. "You know you can't keep that shield indefinitely after all!" he added before laughing again.

His laugher was cut short by a metal clawed fist burying itself in his face, throwing him backward before he went crashing in a building's wall.

And out of the flames, standing where Ragnarok was, stood Regan…transformed…
Bio-Modified as MetalRyumon. A cybernetic-like being, with wings coming out of his back, long claws and two pair of cannons on his hands and wrists while a jetpack-like device was on his back. Regan almost looked like he was going berserk, angered as his now cybernetic eyes gave out a wild glow.

"What should we do? We have to do something!" Kylee said. She turned to Kari. "Kari!"
"Huh?" Kari stood a bit confused, even scared. She looked worryingly toward the angered 'MetalRyu-Regan' who kept glaring at the slumped Ragnarok who started to rise up, smiling…even though his face had been marked all over by five longs claw marks, clearly mangling his face.

"Well…that wasn't nice Regan…" Ragnarok commented as he waved a hand over his face before all the claw wounds faded in smoke. "And from what I see…it seems like your Bio-Modification ability seems to have improved…Interesting…" he added.

Regan only let out a roar as he charged toward Ragnarok, jets blazing and wings wide open.
Ragnarok simply jumped unusually high as Regan crashed in the wall. At the height of his jump, Ragnarok arched his back before his cloak started to rip itself apart, his back opening as two large wings of flames poured out of his back.

"Now, now, now Regan…Do you really think it's wise to just charge in like that?" Ragnarok asked as one of his hands burst in flames before Ragnarok simply threw a large fireball at where Regan was, causing the entire wall to explode in flames and fall apart.

And from the ruins, a metallic form quickly flew up before flying up to Ragnarok's level.
Both Regan and Ragnarok kept glaring at each other, an angered metallic face glaring at a calm, yet mad face which kept grinning darkly.

"Kari! Snap out of it! What are you doing by just looking at them?!?" Kylee asked.
"Uh…" Kari started, still looking unsure.

"Just what is wrong?!?" Kylee asked once more.
"Regan…" she answered. "He's just going all out mad against Ragnarok…I'm still shocked he isn't in a berserk state right now….but there's not doubt he's close to it…"
"Yeah, we can see that…" Riza said worryingly as he watched Regan slash left-and-right at Ragnarok who was countering with wide 'blades' of flames.
"It's because Regan hates Ragnarok." Lizomon answered darkly.
"Uhhh…I think that was kinda obvious…" Impmon replied.
"Well…there's a problem with that…" Gatomon interrupted.
"What do you mean?" Veemon asked.
"Ragnarok…
Has Regan ever told you how Ragnarok ever came to be? To exist?" Kari asked.
The Tamers remained silent, unsure.
"Yeah…" Kylee answered after a while. "Ragnarok originates from Regan…"
"…I guess it does make senses with the fact that Ragnarok has this…'human' appearance so much like Regan's…" Riza said.
"Unfortunately true…" Lizomon added. "And yet…there's still way more…
Regan deeply hates Ragnarok for many reasons, not just because it's a monster that appeared out of him. Okay that's probably his main reason. Anyway, Ragnarok has been able to potentially strike out so many times at what mattered the most to Regan that it has infuriated him at many points.
And even then, originally, Ragnarok didn't have a human form. He was just that 'flame dragon' thing. It's only after a certain incident that he 'accidentally' got one."
"Accidentally?" Kylee asked. "What happened?"
Now Kari, Lizomon and Gatomon looked a bit more hesitant.
"It was…a bit after…Regan had discovered something that had really shaken him…" Kari started. "Ragnarok…he suddenly came out of nowhere to capture all four of us, and succeeded. He wasn't even some sort of flame dragon, only a cloaked form made of shadows, which showed he had been severely weakened ever since his first 'death'.
When we had started to woke up after he had knocked us out, we were chained and trapped to some sort of device Ragnarok had made. He wanted to use it to drain us of all sorts of power that could have been within us to use those powers to create himself a new form, which would be unstoppable.
But when he started the draining, he didn't expect Lizomon to de-digivolve on purpose, which made him too small for the chains, and he got free. After quickly digivolving back to Lizomon, he prepared to attack and destroy the device.

Ragnarok, who was also connected to the device, warned out that if Lizomon was going to attack, he was going to kill both Regan and me…

Lizomon replied that it didn't mattered to him. He replied that he would be sure that both Regan and I would prefer to die rather than 'being part' of Ragnarok. So he shot and destroyed the device.

Doing so caused it to go wild and overload, sending out everything it had absorbed back wherever it could. However, since Gatomon had also disconnected from the device, just like Lizomon, all the digimon data the device had gotten, it sent it elsewhere…

In our bodies…" Kari finished.

Kylee gasped. "…So that's…that's when it happened…The Bio-Modify…"

"Yes, it's Ragnarok's fault too." Lizomon added. "Regan and Kari fell into a coma when it happened, due to the draining pain, and then the data overload. Fortunately, our friends managed to find us moments after the device overloaded and it was ready to explode.

So we all ran out of the area as the device blew up, taking out Ragnarok with it. And we thought that at least, he would have died at the same time with that. But we were wrong.
Even though the draining failed, Ragnarok still had managed to get some small amounts of power from us, mostly from Regan and me.

Because of that, from the ashes of the explosion…a boy rose up.
A boy that was just like Regan…and different.
Ragnarok's new body. However, the boy didn't seemed to know who he was, but ultimately…Ragnarok reawakened, taking over the body he had 'created', and, using the small amount of data he had gotten from me, he created a new servant : BlackLizomon.

As for Regan and Kari, they had fallen into a coma, and were apparently dying. So we had no choice but to ask someone who expertly knew a lot about the Digital World, and that could save them : Krasus." Lizomon explained.

"Krasus?!?" repeated at once both Tamers and their digimon.
"Are you kidding?!?" Impmon asked. "You mean that wacky old man is the one that made that Bio-Modify thing?!?"
"Yes, it was him…" Gatomon answered darkly. "He did it to save Kari and Regan's lives. Since he couldn't extract the digimon data from their bodies, because it had started to merge with them, he decided to isolate and 'stock' that data in their bodies instead, allowing them to remain 'normal', but it also made them get the power of Bio-Modification.
Can't say it's something that both Regan and Kari really like to have though…
We kinda called it a 'necessary evil'."

"So…That's what it is…
Ragnarok…it's because of him that it happened…
The Bio-Modify…And that 'dark Regan'…" Kylee concluded.

A roar distracted their attention as they saw Ragnarok slash out at Regan with an enormous flaming whip coming out of his hand, striking Regan with enough force to send him crashing down close to the other children and the digimon.

Regan started to rise up, growling with anger.
"Regan! Stop it now!" Kari shouted.
Regan started, 'blinking' twice before he looked slightly around.
"Losing yourself in anger like that isn't really going to help you against Ragnarok." Lizomon added darkly.

"…You're right…" Regan replied after some silence.
Kari sighed with some relief.

"Well…Looks like Regan finally gets a bit more to his senses eh?" Ragnarok spoke from the skies, slowly floating down, and his flaming wings turning back into his red cloak as he touched ground.

"Don't think it's over yet Ragnarok. We're still more than enough ready to fight you." Regan added, glaring at Ragnarok.

"Oh, and I'm only too pleased with that…" Ragnarok replied with a sinister grin. "Especially with what I managed to throw out at you to test you…"

"Test us?…" Riza asked.
"...Parallelmon…and all those strange events…" Kari started.
"Along with those 'black possessing things'…It was you Ragnarok!" Regan finished.

Ragnarok chuckled. "Guilty as charged, once more. Yes! It was me who made use of Parallelmon." He replied.

"Even so, Parallelmon would have never been obeying you. How did you manage to control him?" Lizomon asked darkly.

"Well, after your latest 'victory' over me, I sought to recover more power and more strength to defeat you. However, my actions were noticed by a strong digimon who constantly hungered for power." Ragnarok answered, stating out as if it was obvious.

"Parallelmon…" Regan concluded.

"Hehe…Yes, it was him…" Ragnarok added. "When he found me…let's just say he couldn't resist trying to get me…

So he tried to absorb me…
And let's just say…I let him…partly succeed…"

"What do you mean?" Kari asked. "What did you do to him?"
"He corrupted him…" Regan answered darkly. "By letting Ragnarok absorb him, he let a part of his essence penetrate and corrupt Parallelmon to make him do his bidding."

"Indeed…" Ragnarok simply replied, smiling once more. "However, it seemed like Parallelmon wasn't entirely willing to truly listen to me…

However…he was more than enough susceptible to be 'guided' by me…"

"So you sent him after us…" Regan added darkly.
"But instead, it caused us to be thrown into another reality. Theirs." Kari added as she looked at Kylee and Riza.
"And then after that, you tried to use Parallelmon to cause all sorts of weird dimensional problems in our world!" Kylee added.
"Along with those 'black possessing things'!" Riza added. "These things were you, weren't they?"
"To a certain extend in fact…" Ragnarok replied casually. "I did try to strike out from another realm when I realized I wouldn't be fully able to strike you directly, but that 'green lady' reacted quickly." He added with some anger.

"That Nightmare…" Kari whispered.
"Although I have to say I got really pleased when your feelings dragged you out in the Dark Ocean…" Ragnarok added with a dark smile.
Regan only grunted and glared at Ragnarok after that.
"So, you were behind all of it. All those things that happened here, Parallelmon included, it was you all along Ragnarok?" Lizomon asked darkly.
"Hehe…exactly…
Even so…defeating Parallelmon doesn't mean you might be able to destroy me…" Ragnarok added with a new mad smile.

Regan growled as he stepped forward, glaring hard at Ragnarok, but a hand suddenly held him up on the shoulder. He looked back to see Kari look worryingly at him.

"Regan…This isn't something you have to do alone." Kari added. "We're here to help too."

"Listen Regan, we understand clearly how tough it is for you, to live out with the knowledge of what that thing is, but the fact is, you shouldn't try to always do it alone. Let us help you carry your burden." Lizomon added. "We're with you, always.
Besides, you kinda bear out a part of myself, so I don't exactly want it to go to waste, got it?"

With that, Lizomon started to glow…

"Lizomon, warp digivolve to…UltimaRyumon!!!"

"Let me help you bear your sins!" UltimaRyumon said, stepping forward.
"Ultima…" Regan started. "This isn't your burden…"
"Well I think it'd be ours too since a long while now!" UltimaRyumon replied, looking toward Regan. "I can understand and appreciate the vanity of your desire to deal with these problems on your own, but being a Digidestined doesn't mean to be alone. When you try to do that, it won't end pretty, believe my experience.

So that's why you'll get my help, whenever you want it or not." The dragon knight added before putting a hand on Regan's metallic shoulder. Suddenly, Regan started to glow…and exploded in light...

All the others, digimon and human shielded themselves from the light before they were finally able to see Regan...

...or rather how Regan had changed...

Gone was the cybernetic form...replaced by something that stood really familiar now...

A grey armor over his original clothes, composed of several pieces protecting his lower halves of arms and legs along with protecting his chest...Two orange wings coming out of his back, both marked with the Crest of Life...Two horns coming out from the back of his head, like his previous forms, along with several smaller ones...And a red scarf around his neck...

He had UltimaRyumon's form now...

"Bio-Modified...to Mega?" Kari said.

"This feels nice..." Regan said camly. "Definitively much calmer than being MetalRyumon...Sometimes I wonder how the hell you unleash so much bestiality as MetalRyumon..."

"You'd probably never understand..." UltimaRyumon simply replied with a slight smirk. "But...now with this...don't you think it's time for a new approach?"

Regan simply nodded with a smile as he then suddenly gazed at Ragnarok, who kept showing a dark smile. But UltimaRyumon also gazed hard, as hard as Regan.

Then, as if one, both Regan and UltimaRyumon held out their right hands forward before a flare of energy appeared in their respective hands and stretched out into a long line, taking out the familiar shape of the Mega digimon's sword, before both Regan and UltimaRyumon took the exact battle stance and stood ready, glaring at Ragnarok.

Ragnarok's smile only stretched more as he looked at the pair. "This should be fun..." he muttered before half-crouching and partly crossing his arms and then threw them aside as dark flames spread out on all of Ragnarok's body before it took out a distinct form...

Black shredded wings spreading from Ragnarok's back; Black horns coming out of Ragnarok's head; a darkened armor now spread out on his body, along with a pair of long wicked-looking wristblades on his arms...In other words...

A Bio-Modified version...of ChaosRyumon...UltimaRyumon's antithesis...

"...Really fun..." Ragnarok added as his smile stretched out, to inhuman length, and as his eyes glow of a pure wicked red light.

With that, he threw himself toward Regan and UltimaRyumon, who both began to charge at him.

"Come on! Let's help him!" Kylee added. "Impmon!"
"Right!" Impmon replied.
But suddenly, the ground around all the other three digimon and Tamers started to grow black at its edges, before large teeth-like spikes poured out of it, seeking to engulf all of them.

Regan and UltimaRyumon had barely time to notice as they saw their friends being engulfed. "No!"

But, as soon as the spikes had closed up on their friends, the sphere of darkness started to crack...and exploded.

"Ragnarok...you should have been expecting better from us..." Kari spoke, her expression stern...while emitting an immense glow coming out from her whole body. The Tamers and their digimon looked a bit shocked at Kari's sudden actions.

The 'broken darkness' that splattered down on the ground suddenly retreated a bit farther from the Tamers, Kari and their digimon before rising up from the ground and taking a humanoid form of darkness that clearly reminded of Ragnarok...only with much more demonic features.

"Come on little angel...Do you truly think that I wouldn't be aware of your little skills?" the black demon Ragnarok version spoke, bearing fangs as it spoke.

"And you should be keeping up your guards too Regan..." Regan barely turned forward in time to see the Bio-Modified version of Ragnarok that closed on him, and quickly brought up his sword to block that Ragnarok's wrist blades.

"There's two of them?!?" Riza asked.
"Or maybe, it's the same one...but could he manage to split himself up?" Veemon replied.
"That's probably the case." Gatomon added with an angered look. "It looks like Ragnarok was never able to fully enter this world. Maybe that some sort of barrier was put up in this world after he got destroyed, so, in order to act here, he instead sent out small parts of himself, trying to break out the dimensional barriers around to infiltrate this world and make his attacks.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it...All from the beginning with those possessions, then the attack in the Nightmare of the Emerald Dream, up to that other attack in the convention center, along with the gateways to the Dark Ocean...
...and finally Parallelmon that was used to fully break out the blockings so that Ragnarok could come in full force here..."

"Not bad for a small little cat..." the black demonic Ragnarok said as Regan suddenly leapt upward, followed up by UltimaRyumon as the Bio-Modified 'copy' of Ragnarok went after both of them.
"But you don't have to worry...I'll be busy with you as well...Can't exactly let dear Regan's little friends stay on the sidelines to watch their precious friend clash with me...riiiight?" the black Ragnarok said, showing out a horrifyingly wide fanged smile that sent out shivers running in the others' spines.

Only Kari and Gatomon actually seemed less affected by that little display. "Do your worst Ragnarok. We'll fight back to help Regan." Kari answered.
"You can be sure we ain't gonna be doing nothing to help out Regan, because he deserves our help." Gatomon added.
"...Yeah that's right!" Riza added. "We beat you before, we'll do it again!"
"Not just for our sake...but for everything else you've been trying to threaten Ragnarok...We'll bring you down, and it's a promise!" Kylee added.

"As always....you're so easy to show out those words of courage...
...let's see how long it'll last before your faces will be overwhelmed...by despair..." the black Ragnarok added, wickedly smiling once more.

With that, the black demonic double of Ragnarok charged at Kari, the Tamers and their digimon. As it did, it started to grow in size before splitting itself into smaller forms.
Gatomon quickly rushed foward as she yelled. "You aren't going to scare me like that Ragnarok!" And with those words, she glowed, out from the light Kari kept emitting.

"Gatomon, warp digivolve to...Magnadramon!!!"

The black 'mass' closest to Magnadramon suddenly veered out toward the pink dragon, suddenly growing out in size and changing out in form...before it collided with Magnadramon, and both the digimon and the black mass were pushed back by each other.

"Magnadramon, are you okay?" Kari asked, a bit worryingly.
"Yeah, I'm okay. You can bet I won't let him even try to possess me like he did to all those he has tried on." Magnadramon replied.
"L-Look..." Kylee said with a gasp, as she pointed at what Magnadramon had collided with...
As the others look, shock spread out on their faces.

What had been struck by Magnadramon had taken position, standing in front of Magnadramon...but what was the most shocking...
...was that it looked alike Magnadramon...
Except that it was entirely black, with pure red glowing eyes, and its features were far more demonic, with longer and wicked-looking horns, fangs and claws. It clearly looked like a far more twisted version of Magnadramon.
And as the other black masses landed, they merged up to form up two other forms...which were none other than black demonic versions of Impmon and Veemon, both of them showing out terribly mad grins, easily reflecting of Ragnarok's own massive madness...

"...So...he's gonna fight Digimon versus 'pseudo-Digimon'?" Impmon asked, looking disturbed.
"Hey, it's not like we're going to lose to them. As the originals, we're way better than them." Veemon added, trying to sound less disturbed than Impmon.
"Anyway..." Riza added. "Give it out everything guys..." Riza added. "We can't lose now."
"If fighting them can help Regan somehow, then let's do it." Kari added, her glow having faded somewhat.
"Yeah...We'll end this, Ragnarok...Go for it Impmon!" Kylee added as she took out a card from her pocket. Seeing the card, Riza took out the same one from his pocket.

"Digi-Modify! Mega Digivolution, activate!" both Tamers yelled as they digimon charged foward, glowing...

"Veemon, warp digivolve to...Imperialdramon!!!"
"Beelzemon, warp digivolve to...Beelzemon!!!"

In response, the two dark 'copies' of Veemon and Impmon changed, transforming into Mega versions instead, copying on their two respective 'originals'. And then both went straight for their opponents, followed out by the two Magnadramons going after each other.

While the confrontation had begun between Kari and the others against the other 'half' of Ragnarok, Regan and UltimaRyumon were still quite busy in their battle against the Bio-Modified version of Ragnarok.
Most of the time, Ragnarok only went for Regan, often ignoring UltimaRyumon.

The blades of the two Bio-Modified clashed out several times as Ragnarok kept slashing out at Regan who blocked out Ragnarok's assaults until UltimaRyumon charged in, unleashing out a large sword swing, and Ragnarok quickly pulled back. UltimaRyumon then quickly pursued Ragnarok as he raised his sword high then brought it down on Ragnarok, who quickly leapt sideways to evade the sword that crashed down in the ground, easily cutting out the ravaged concrete.
Ragnarok quickly moved behind UltimaRyumon, with the obvious intent of striking out at the Mega digimon's blind side, but UltimaRyumon quickly lowered himself down as he threw a large kick behind himself, then pulled out his sword from the ground and thrusted it behind him, causing Ragnarok to move away once more.

"Heh...don't think you can catch up a warrior like me off-guard, Ragnarok...If you know how potent your own little minion was, then I'm pretty sure you should know that I ain't cheaply made." UltimaRyumon stated as Regan came up near him.

Ragnarok only grinned. "Of course I wouldn't have forgotten..." he added, smirking darkly. "Although I do have to owe you about the fact that you're the one who permitted me to have the possibility of creating my little Chaos, along with that other Regan body I've been using often..."

UltimaRyumon tightened his grip on his sword, Regan looking at him a bit worryingly.
"I know..." UltimaRyumon replied, eyes closed.
"And that's what I mean by the fact that Ragnarok isn't something only Regan has to deal with. You're a monstrosity that has been affecting many persons. At first, it was only limited, with just mainly Regan, Kari, along with me and Gatomon...but as time when on, you spread out on many other peoples, attacked, possessed and corrupted many digimon...
You ain't just some sin of Regan! You're just an incarnation of the ever-existing chaos that tries to destroy order!" UltimaRyumon added, thrusting a tightened fist with a finger at Ragnarok.

"It's an interesting concept..." Ragnarok replied, smirking as he rubbed his chin.
"Don't lie to us Ragnarok! We know you've just been causing a lot of pain and attempting to unleash a lot of destruction in the Digital World, that it ain't something you can lie about!" Regan added.
Ragnarok chuckled. "Why should I even deny about my magnificent work that I've done up to now eh?!?" he added, smiling out wildly.
His smile then darkened, growing cunning. "Haven't you understood at all?

I'm doing all of this because it's what must be done..."
"Stop saying that you're actually doing us a favour!" Regan yelled out even more loudly.
Ragnarok chuckled again. "Regan, Regan, Regan..." he replied with a seemingly tired sigh. "You should have realized that already...

No matter how many times there have been Digidestined, Arcanes, Tamers, or whatever other sorts of 'Chosen Ones' coming out in the Digital Worlds...No matter how many times...there is still chaos going on...There are still many instabilities in these worlds, as the so-called 'forces of good and evil' keep clashing out at each other, only adding out more fuel to the fire...
How can you say that what you're doing is alright? That there's order?"
"There is still also order going on." UltimaRyumon replied strongly. "The Digidestined and other Chosen are just part of all that seeks to bring out peace and order, trying to constantly stop out the terrible works of darkness and chaos as they seek to engulf our worlds..."
Ragnarok laughed. "Of course! Of course...That's what you'd be saying...

But haven't you realized you've failed?
Or rather...that everyone failed?" he asked with a dark smile.
Both Regan and UltimaRyumon kept glaring.

"No matter how many times 'order' has sought to intervene in the Digital World, or elsewhere, for that matter...There has still been chaos going on.
The reason is simple...
That 'order'...those worlds...They have failed in their purposes...
They have succumbed to the true evil that now exists in all of these pitiful creatures' hearts...
And because of this...that evil must be purged...
All worlds must be purged out from that evil...
All worlds must be purified...so that a true, perfect world...can be remade!!!" Ragnarok added, raising his hands in the skies, as his eyes widened, his irises growing smaller, and his mad smile only growing even wider.
"Don't you see now? Haven't you understood yet? I'm only seeking to destroy evil...and bring out the true good, the true perfection that even the Creators were never able to make..." Ragnarok added, looking back at Regan and UltimaRyumon.
"So come on...let's stop this meaningless fight...and at least join me instead, in recreating what has been lost. Surely, all together, creating perfection will be far less hard...
...especially if we were to unite our powers Regan...if we were to return to what we were..." Ragnarok finished, smiling madly again as his gaze as fixated on Regan.
Regan only glared at Ragnarok.
"Regan..." UltimaRyumon half-whispered. Regan remained silent.
"In a sense...it's an odd thing...about this whole 'imperfection' thing you've been pulling out..." Regan started. Ragnarok started to look curious and frowned.
"Those kind of thoughts never truly came out from you Ragnarok...After all...it's all connected to what we once were...right?" Regan asked, smiling a bit darkly.
"But...we aren't that anymore...we ain't the same things anymore...We're different. I'm human Ragnarok, and it's something I'll always believe I am, even if circumstances could show otherwise!" Regan finished strongly, glaring hard at Ragnarok.
Ragnarok kept frowning for a while...before his mouth twisted into a smile...and stretched further as his mouth opened...and he laughed. Hard. And mad.

Ragnarok kept laughing for a good while before he stopped, gazing at Regan with a pleased and maddened expression. "You can just make me laugh so much sometimes, don't you Regan?" he said. "You? Saying those words...

That you say that no matter what, you're a 'human'...
Hehehehe...It's just so funny...ironic...and foolishly stupid..." Ragnarok added, his expression turning yet into another dark smile.
"No matter what you think you are now Regan...
Can you even call yourself a true human?
You know it within yourself...
No matter what...it'll still haunt you, always...
You've got that 'old wyrm' to thank about it after all..." Ragnarok finished.

UltimaRyumon looked at Regan with some concern. "Regan...remember...It doesn't matter about that...what you might 'be'...To me, you're still Regan...And I think you can really call yourself a human being...no matter what..."
"Yeah..." Regan muttered. He looked again at Ragnarok. "This is just getting us nowhere Ragnarok. I don't get it why you'd ask us to help you, when it's obvious what would be our answer."
"Ahhh, but aren't we obstinate after all, eh Regan?" Ragnarok asked with a grin. "It's in our 'blood' after all…"

He then leapt at Regan, his wrist blades glowing before slashing them forward, sending out two cutting waves of dark red energy at Regan and UltimaRyumon. Both leapt out in the air before they looked out at each other and nodded. Both raised their swords, which started glowing, and then they slashed down at Ragnarok, sending out a multi-colored cutting wave from their swords each.

Ragnarok quickly pulled back, letting the cutting waves struck down the ground, just as Regan dived down at Ragnarok, who quickly leapt at Regan when he saw him. Their blades clashed once more as they struggled against each other.

Then, at once, both swung their wings, which had started to glow, and sought to strike the other.
The result was a powerful shockwave that blasted both Bio-Modified away from each other, sending Regan crashing in a building's wall while Ragnarok struck the ground.
As Ragnarok quickly rose up, UltimaRyumon quickly met up with him again. Ragnarok quickly crouched as UltimaRyumon made a wide swing with his sword which would have cut through Ragnarok if he hadn't lowered himself. Then Ragnarok rammed himself straight into UltimaRyumon, sending both of them into another building's wall.

"Heh…for a so-called 'guardian', you seem to be lacking out some skills UltimaRyumon…Where did all your mighty fighting skills that you superbly showed up against Beelzemon went eh?" Ragnarok said as he kept UltimaRyumon pinned against the wall.

"You give me too little credit Ragnarok. It's just that, in a sense, you're a bit pitiful." UltimaRyumon replied, gazing strongly at Ragnarok.
"…What?!?"
"At least Beelzemon truly was a worthy fight…" UltimaRyumon replied, slightly closing his eyes.
Ragnarok looked completely disturbed. "You're saying you're holding back on me?!? That's just foolish!" Ragnarok yelled, then his expression turned to a dark grin. "However…I'd say that's a mistake you've made…"
"Oh really?" UltimaRyumon replied with a now cocky grin.

Ragnarok's back suddenly exploded in a blaze of multi-colored energy, compliments of a 'Strato Force' from Regan, who was standing further back, one hand held up toward Ragnarok.
Because he got distracted, UltimaRyumon quickly buried a punch hard in Ragnarok's face, only adding up more insult to the injury before he grabbed Ragnarok by a leg and then started to fling him wildly above his head, making him spin like a ball on a chain. UltimaRyumon didn't hesitate to spin Ragnarok a few times into the nearest building's wall before he released his hold and threw Ragnarok with immense force toward the building on the opposite side of the road, sending out Ragnarok crashing headlong in the wall.

"You know Ultima, I would have kinda wanted to do that to him…" Regan said, looking slightly annoyed.
"There's still a lot left of him so that you can do what you want with him, so you don't need to worry…" UltimaRyumon said with a wry grin as he summoned his sword again.

"Heh…So…trying to lighten up the mood eh?" Ragnarok said as he started to get out of the debris of the building that had crashed on him. Despite having undoubtedly suffered a few heavy injuries, he still rather looked mostly uninjured.
"Heh…it won't matter in the end…" Ragnarok added as he gave out a mad glare at Regan and UltimaRyumon before charging at them once more, wrist blades glowing…

Ragnarok's 'pseudo-Digimon' were proving to be much harder than probably originally expected by the Tamers and the others, as they were giving out a very serious fight to their original counterpart.

Both Magnadramons were struggling against each other, while the two Imperialdramons were locked in an aerial duel of Positron Lasers and the two Beelzemons kept jumping and shooting out at each other.

"Still thinking that these would be pushovers?" the dark Magnadramon said after swiping out long claws at Magnadramon.
"Clearly, you're still as foolish as ever…" the dark Imperialdramon added as he evaded a Positron Laser from Imperialdramon.
"Always believing you can succeed…when it is…inevitable…" the dark Beelzemon added, smiling as he shot at Beelzemon.

"Fire Tornado!" Magnadramon yelled, breathing out a large blast of flames at her dark counterpart, which retaliated by spitting out black flames of its own. The flames exploded wildly in the middle, spreading out around as both digimon kept on with their attacks.

Regan quickly raised his sword before lowering it down as he parried Ragnarok's wristblades twice before making a full spin on himself, sword extended to strike out Ragnarok who jumped back.

"Let's end this..." Regan muttered, glaring hard.

His sword started to glow out with many colors as Regan raised his blade high...then slammed it down on the ground, releasing a large multi-colored cutting wave toward Ragnarok who brought his hands behind him as dark energy gathered on his wrist blades before bringing his hands foward, unleashing two double dark cutting waves toward Regan's 'Strato Blade' attack.

The shockwaves met before exploding with a powerful bang as Regan brought his free hand up to his face to cover up himself, his eyes narrowing as he gripped his sword with his right hand.

And right in front of him, out of the smoke, came Ragnarok, a far too wide and maddened grin spread on his face.

Just as he neared his target, Regan leapt in the air...
...and right behind where Regan was standing came out UltimaRyumon, sword glowing with power as he swung it at Ragnarok, who quickly brought up his wrist blades to pary them.

However, Regan quickly raised his free hand, gathering up multi-colored energy in it before throwing it toward Ragnarok, just as UltimaRyumon had his own free hand behind him, energy charged in it before throwing it foward, toward a point-blank ranged Ragnarok, yelling out "Strato Force!".

Both Regan and UltimaRyumon's Strato Forces struck out, exploding on Ragnarok who yelled out, whenever in anger or pain, it was unknown, however, as it happened, UltimaRyumon didn't let up.

As Ragnarok was thrown back by the blast, UltimaRyumon gathered energy in his blade before charging at Ragnarok, yelling out "Strato Blade!" before he swung...and struck...

A huge energy gash spread out across Ragnarok's chest as he was now flung backward with enormous force, crashing into the remains of a building.

As Ragnarok started to recoup, and even regenerate, a yell quickly warned out of the coming of someone else...

And before Ragnarok reacted...Regan came in from the front, rushing at his 'opposite' before rushing his sword foward...

...stabbing Ragnarok with it...as the large blade not only struck through the weakened armor, but pierced right through it, striking the flesh beneath...and exited right out from the back, pinning Ragnarok to the wall.

Ragnarok unleashed a loud wailing sound that seemed to be of pain, and all the shadowed copies of the other digimon suddenly started to freeze before they wailed in pain as well, all of them looking totured, holding themselves. Beelzemon, Imperialdramon and Magnadramon stopped their attacks, looking surprised at the new events, before they looked toward Regan and Ragnarok, just as their partners did.

"Yay!!! He did it!!!" Kylee yelled.
"Way to go Regan!" Riza added.
Kari looked only worried and concerned as she looked toward Regan and the impaled Ragnarok.
Regan kept a dark gaze as he still held on his sword which had clearly gone through Ragnarok.

And despite his clear pain, Ragnarok slowly laughed...

"Heheheh...Regan...Do you think it can really be over like that eh?" Ragnarok said, smiling slowly, despite looking pained.

Regan kept only a dark gaze.

Then Ragnarok grinned fully...and in a sudden burst of energy, reached forward with one of his hands, seeking to get Regan.

But Regan reacted first, his own right hand reaching toward Ragnarok, and his open palm struck Ragnarok in the face...

A brief red glow came out of Regan's hand...before Ragnarok exploded in a blaze of flames, propelling Regan backward as he crashed on the ground.

"Regan!" Kari shouted. She and the others quickly started to run toward their friend, as UltimaRyumon got to his partner first.

"You're okay?" UltimaRyumon asked.
"Yeah..." Regan answered, rising up.
"Guys..." Kylee said as she neared them. She was pointing at the flames...

They were growing...and were spreading a large amount of smoke before it seemed to concentrate itself...

"Darn it...Ragnarok's doing that again..." Riza said.
"Looks like it's going to be Round 2, versus the big flame dragon freak again eh?" Beelzemon said.
"Seems so..." Regan said. "There's no doubt Ragnarok will make himself stronger..."
"But we can be stronger too now!" Imperialdramon added.
"Then let's do it. Time for Bio-Merge." Magnadramon finished. The Tamers and Digidestined nodded as they took out their digivices, Regan also reverting to normal.

"Bio-Merge, Activate!" yelled all four children at once.

"Lizomon...
"Gatomon...
"Veemon...
"Impmon...

Bio-Merge to

AtmaRyumon!!!"
OrahAngewomon!!!"
AmaKaisermon!!!"
EosSandhyamon!!!"

All the four Bio-Merge digimon stood their grounds, facing the dark smoke and flames that kept remaining focused...until...

...one large clawed paw came out...

...but it was not made of flames...
It looked like it belonged to a real being of flesh and blood, as it was completely black, covered in fact by black scales...

And another paw came out...before the rest of a dark form walked out of the smoke...

It was indeed, once again, a dragon...But he did not stood on his rear legs like the flame dragon beast...Instead, he was standing on his four limbs.
And he was not made of flames...but of flesh, covered in black scales. Crimson red eyes glared out from the draconic head as a large crest covered the head, coming down to the shoulders, as two large horns, that were pointing forward, came out from the sides of the head, behind the eyes. And decorating the top of the maw was another horn. Standing tall close to 10 meters in height, the large dragon gazed down on the digimon...

A large reptilian smile revealed itself on the face of the black dragon...revealing many teeth...

"Heheheheh...I must say...Thank you Regan..." the dragon spoke with a dark voice...yet still similar...

"...Ragnarok?" AtmaRyumon said.

"Indeed..." the black dragon said, smiling more wickedly. "But in the true form I possess! Now...I am invincible!!!" he uttered before opening his large wings and his maw opened wide, releasing a powerful roar.

"In your dreams!" AtmaRyumon replied as he charged at the transformed Ragnarok, soon followed by the others.

Ragnarok pushed himself on his limbs, leaping in the air before taking off to the skies, and the four digimon soon went after him.

Ragnarok pulled back his head as he inhaled deeply...before throwing his maw wide toward the four digimon...spewing out a large stream of molten-like flames.

All four digimon scattered on the sides as they evaded the flames which fell earthward...before splattering out on the ground, but not like ordinary flames...
...and AtmaRyumon quickly realized what it was...

"He's breathing out lava! Watch out!" AtmaRyumon warned out.

Ragnarok only laughed sinisterly as he dove down upon AmaKaisermon.

AmaKaisermon quickly started to pull back, flinging his large wings back before throwing them forward, sending out a huge wind blast at Ragnarok, slamming on him as it briefly pushed him back, immobilizing Ragnarok in the air.

"Now everyone! Shoot!" AtmaRyumon yelled.

"Tempest Rend!" AmaKaisermon shouted, swinging his wings foward as he launched two cutting blades of wings.
"Trident Desperado!" EosSandhyamon shouted as she aimed her gun at Ragnarok, unleashing a trio of bullets at him.
"Destiny Arrow!" OrahAngewomon yelled as she released a golden arrow at Ragnarok.
"White Flame Waves!" AtmaRyumon yelled as he breathed out white flames toward the black dragon.

All four attacks struck Ragnarok from all sides...
Explosions shook up the black dragon from all sides...
...only to exit out...completely uninjured...

"He's not even damaged?!?" AmaKaisermon said, astonished.
"It can't be...We all hit him!" OrahAngewomon added.

Ragnarok only laughed sinisterly as the four Bio-Merged digimon were starting to recover from the shock.

"Heheheh...do you see now? How futile your attempts are? You cannot destroy a god!" the black dragon rumbled.
"Don't even think that you can be one!" AtmaRyumon replied loudly as he charged at Ragnarok.

The black behemoth opened his wings wide, claws and teeth bearing as the dragon knight digimon charged at him before rushing to meet his opponent.

As they neared, Ragnarok breathed out another stream of molten lava, which was quickly evaded by AtmaRyumon, but the black behemoth quickly swiped out long claws at his opponent, yet they were evaded once again as AtmaRyumon quickly flew above Ragnarok's head.

And just as Ragnarok turned his head upward, AtmaRyumon brought his sword down, yelling "Atma Blade!"

The long red glowing sword went swiping down, leaving a red trail as it struck at Ragnarok's scaled flesh...and a long red gash spread out across the top to the bottom of Ragnarok's head.

"He did it! Nice hit AtmaRyumon!" EosSandhyamon said.

But as soon as the red gash was visible, it started to fade away in smoke...leaving no traces of any wounds...

"Hehehe...what were you saying earlier little Regan?" Ragnarok said as he now eyed a shocked AtmaRyumon.
With one large swipe, Ragnarok battered AtmaRyumon away, sending him crashing into a building.

"Regan!" OrahAngewomon shouted.
She and the other two digimon quickly went after Ragnarok as he started to fly toward where AtmaRyumon crashed.

OrahAngewomon quickly prepared another golden energy arrow as she yelled "Destiny Arrow!" launching it at Ragnarok's back. The arrow struck with a blaze of light, but whatever damage it did quickly vanished in fading smoke...

"That's impossible...Somehow...Ragnarok seems to instantly regenerate all damage!" AmaKaisermon said
"There's got to be a way to break him apart, even with his regeneration!" EosSandhyamon replied as she aimed her tri-barrelled gun at Ragnarok. "Twilight Blaster!" she yelled as her gun transformed into a larger cannon before shooting one black and white energy ball at Ragnarok. The ball exploded on the black dragon, but just like with OrahAngewomon's Destiny Arrow, all the damages that were done disappeared in smoke...

Grunting, AtmaRyumon quickly pulled himself up as Rangarok's enormous maw came down on him, then he breathed down white flames on the black dragon, but unfortunately dealt no damage.

Ragnarok did not lost any time after as he pulled himself upward before proceeding to slash left and right at AtmaRyumon with a clear ravenous frenzy.

AtmaRyumon quickly started to evade the first swipe, then used his shield to protect himself against another series of assault, and then quickly moved on Ragnarok's side to strike him there...

...but Ragnarok's large tail struck him, swatting him away upward as the black dragon twisted his neck, breathing out a large stream of lava toward AtmaRyumon.

"Watch out!" AmaKaisermon yelled before flinging his wings wildly. "Tempest Rend!"
A large cutting wave of wind was launched at the lava, before it struck it, the wind forming a large barrier which disrupted the molten flow, causing it to spill in the air and falling earthward.

"Thanks..." AtmaRyumon replied, grunting slightly as he eyed Ragnarok. The dark dragon still held a hungered and anticipating look.

"Darn it...I don't understand...How can he has gotten invincible?" Regan wondered, wincing slightly, within AtmaRyumon's digi-matrix.
"He's not really invincible Regan...But he's seemed to have gotten some crazy super regenerative powers, as if he's near-instantly healing up all wounds he gets whenever he's damaged." Lizomon replied.
"Then we have to find a way to break through his regeneration! Maybe if we could focus up all our strength into one attack..."
"Maybe that could be enough...but we'd need him to get really close if we'd want to get sure he won't evade it and to get a maximum effect..."

AtmaRyumon started to gather up his strength, and at the same time, readied himself...and partly ceased moving...
With a powerful roar, Ragnarok flew straight toward AtmaRyumon. Seeing that AtmaRyumon had seemingly slowed down showed up that the dragon knight digimon was weakening...It was time to end it...

The black dragon drew closer to AtmaRyumon, his claws bearing, mouth opening...

And just as he had started to open his maw wide, AtmaRyumon yelled.

"Atma Crusher!!!"

Suddenly, AtmaRyumon seemingly exploded in a blaze of red and white flames before a massive blast of white and crimson flames poured out of him, engulfing Ragnarok's entire mass...

OrahAngewomon gasped as she saw the sudden act.

A loud roar was then heard through the flames...

...and falling down from the flames...came AtmaRyumon...Apparently looking far too weakened to be able to continue fighting...

...and he was soon followed by an entirely burnt Ragnarok...which was bursting in smoke...already regenerating all the enormous damage he had suffered...

"...No way!!!" EosSandhyamon yelled.
"...Even AtmaRyumon didn't managed to get through his regenerative powers..." AmaKaisermon muttered.
"Regan!!!" OrahAngewomon yelled as she flew right at the falling digimon knight, with the large black dragon that was nearing on him...

"It's over!!!" Ragnarok roared as he neared the falling AtmaRyumon. His claws started to burn of dark flames...
And just as he swiped his flaming claws at AtmaRyumon, the digimon flared up for a moment as the claws went right through him...but there was then no AtmaRyumon in the way of the claws...

...Only UltimaRyumon that seemed to have thrown himself away from where AtmaRyumon was just a moment ago.

"What?!?" Ragnarok replied, looking completely surprised.

"What just happened?" EosSandhyamon asked to OrahAngewomon as she caught up to her, alongside AmaKaisermon, as they charged at Ragnarok again.

"...I don't know...But...I think Lizomon must have forcefully stopped their Bio-Merge, causing them to separate, so they could evade Ragnarok's claws..."
"Then...if that's the case...where's Regan?" AmaKaisermon asked.

"I will deal with this matter children..." a voice spoke in their mind...
Krasus' voice...
"Continue fighting him for now...I may have a plan to stop Ragnarok and his powers. But I will need some time...
Please, hold him long enough for me to be successful..." the elder mage added.

"Where is he?!? Where is Regan?!?" Ragnarok roared angrily as he looked around wildly, obviously bursting in anger. Then he gazed fixed itself on UltimaRyumon and the other three Bio-Merge digimon.

"Heheheh...no matter...I know Regan won't really try to play hide and seek with me...especially when he'll be hearing his dear friends screaming in death..." the dark behemoth added with a sinister smile.

As he let out another roar, he charged on the digimon...

---

Regan opened his eyes...and realized he was on the ground...
Rising up, although feeling some clear pain and aches throughout his body, he looking around...and with surprise...he realized he was standing in the middle of Kylee and Riza's school's courtyard.

"Regan..." a voice seemingly spoke from the empty air. An all too familiar voice as its speaker appeared out of nowhere, standing some distance in front of Regan...

"Krasus..." Regan replied, eyeing the wizard darkly. "What did you do?!? Do you realize what's going on right now?!? Ragnarok is going to kill the others! I got to go help them!" he added, yelling angrily at the gray cloaked sorcerer.

"Yes, I know..." Krasus answered. "However, it would be futile from you to attempt to help them...You cannot defeat Ragnarok in his present state..."
"Yeah...that weird regeneration..." Regan muttered.
"It is far more complex than that..." Krasus added. "Ragnarok has made himself near invincible, and just through any means...

He has used some ancient type of magic...as ancient as my own kind...perhaps even older than my own kind...
But I am also very familiar with that sinister type of magic...
Because it is very similar to the spell matrix that was used in the creation of a dark artefact...a matrix that made the artefact indestructible...

An artefact which I am sure you know well...by the name of...The Demon Soul..." Krasus explained, his gaze darkening to a level Regan had never, ever seen from Krasus before...

The simple dark look that Regan saw from Krasus made him shiver within...And from many reasons...
One being how really angered Krasus sounded when he pronounced the word of the dark object...
The second being...something else...He couldn't explain it...but he knew what it was...

"The Demon Soul..." Regan repeated, seemingly loosing himself in Krasus' words...
"But...hold on a minute...the Demon Soul was destroyed...And yes, even if the Demon Soul was seemingly invincible, it had one key weakness!"

"Yes..." Krasus replied. "While no powers, no weapons could even scratch the Demon Soul...there was only one thing that could destroy it...
Its creator..."

Regan merely nodded. He knew what Krasus was talking about. "I think I know that as much as you Krasus. He could have easily squashed the Demon Soul in his hand like nothing...And in the end...it was one of his own scales that were the source of the Demon Soul's destruction."

"True...But like I said, Ragnarok has created a similar spell matrix of its own...on himself..." Krasus ended.

"What?!?" Regan gasped. "Ragnarok made himself like the Demon Soul was?"
"In a similar fashion, yes." Krasus replied. "He has made himself invincible..."
"Except...to himself..." Regan muttered. "Since he's the one that created the spell matrix...his only weakness...is now him..." Regan added as he slowly realized how Ragnarok had carefully planned his actions against him...
Now...there might be no way to beat Ragnarok...

"No. Ragnarok did establish the spell matrix, but he was not the one that triggered, and thus, created the spell matrix. It was another one that thus created it. And that one has become his only weakness."

"Another one?!? Who?!?" Regan asked. Those news gave him hope. A chance to destroy Ragnarok!

"You!" Krasus answered, pointing straight at Regan.

"W-What?!?" Regan asked, stepping back, completely confused. "That's impossible! How can it be me?!?"

"When you reached out on Ragnarok himself with the power of your crest, right before he achieved his draconic form...that moment was when you triggered and created the spell matrix he had laid out." Krasus darkly answered.

Regan recalled...How Ragnarok had suddenly tried to attack him when he had been impaled on Regan's sword, and, instinctively, Regan had struck him with his crest's powers...

"But...I don't get it!" Regan added. "If I'm his weakness, then AtmaRyumon would be-"
"AtmaRyumon cannot destroy Ragnarok, neither can you in Bio-Modify state, for one reason.

Because it is not truly you...as you are using Lizomon or Lizomon's data in those conditions..."

Regan realized what Krasus meant. A thought came to him... "But then...I would have to use..."

"Even that might be far too risky Regan. Yes, in a sense, it would draw upon the powers you hold at your very core, but it would make you far too vulnerable when you would attack Ragnarok..." Krasus replied.

"Then...How?" Regan desperately asked. "If you know another way, tell me! Show it to me! I'll do anything, ANYTHING, so that we can beat Ragnarok!" Regan replied, an ancient rage seemingly fuelling him.

"Yes...there is a way..." Krasus answered...but Regan also heard some uncertainties in the wizard's voice...

"What's wrong?" Regan asked darkly, almost sounding a lot different. "What's wrong Krasus? I thought you didn't mind using your pawns like you want? If that way would affect me in some different way, then do it then. I thought you didn't care for your little pawns..."

Krasus suddenly seemed to snap, his uncertain eyes instantly fixing on Regan with such raw and unbridled fury unlike anything Regan had ever seen...
It was raw anger...pure power...

And it was making Regan really scared...

"You understand...you know so little, Regan Astrasz..." Krasus spoke, on a darker tone, a considerably darker tone, which sounded different...

...less human...

"You should not dare to judge others when you do not know everything..." the wizard added. "Even with all you know...there is still so much that you do not know..."

With that said, Krasus raised his right hand, palm upward, then spoke one single unknown word.

A huge flash of red light flared, floating above his palm before it started to grow...and then started to diminish...no...It was concentrating...

Regan couldn't look at the light for a moment...and when it was finally tolerable...his eyes widened when he saw what it was...

A red crystal, as red as blood and flames, as big as a heart floated, inches above Krasus's opened hand...
...but this crystal was not perfect...Yes, it actually looked as if it was perfect...but there was a large part missing...as if the crystal had been broken in several, or just two parts...

And when Regan saw the crystal...all his 'confidence' he was showing completely faded away...as he felt something stir in him...

Something that was stirring up at the deepest parts of his soul...

"I think you know now what it would take to defeat Ragnarok..." Krasus spoke solemnly.

"Yes...I see now..." Regan spoke...a bit calmer.
"But...I...do not want to do such a thing..." Krasus added, his seemingly always neutral composition seemingly starting to break...

The way he had just sounded...
...it's as if he was caring for Regan...as if a father cherishing his child...

"Go on...Do it..." Regan then spoke, sounding much more determined.
"Regan...there is no certainty of anything that it could be reversed...Once it is done...you..." Krasus started...then stopped. His words clearly showed enough about what he was meaning...

"Like I said, I thought you didn't care for your pawns..." Regan replied.
"You are wrong Regan...Deeply wrong...
I do care for those you call 'my pawns'...
It pains me to have to do such things to all of you...and yet, knowing that I have no choices but to do so...
And I did not found another way...It is the only way I have found to defeat Ragnarok..."

"I know..." Regan muttered. "Still...Do it..."

Krasus remained silent... "...You are certain of this?" he then asked.

"Didn't I say that I would do anything?" Regan then asked.

Seemingly defeated, Krasus nodded slowly. "Very well..." Krasus added, as he started pulling back the crystal slightly...

"Wait..." Regan muttered. The cloaked wizard paused.
"...Could you...Could you tell..." Regan started, then paused hesitantly.
"Yes?" Krasus asked. Regan sighed.
"Could you tell Kari..." Regan added...hesitating...

"...Tell her what?" Krasus asked again.
"That I...I..." Regan muttered, constantly hesitating.
"...I'm sorry..." he then said, looking slightly down.

Krasus remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. I understand. I shall tell her."
Regan then looked at him with a strong gaze, taking a deep breath...

And suddenly, with inhuman speed, Krasus lunged forward with his hand holding the broken crystal...
...and stabbed Regan right in the middle of his chest, in his heart...

The crystal struck right into Regan, and with enough force it had easily penetrated...
...yet even if it had penetrated deep enough...it hadn't broke through Regan's back...
...as if the crystal had instead 'entered' Regan's body...

Krasus started to release the crystal as he started to pull back...and watched as the crystal 'sucked' itself right into Regan's chest, the wound sealing itself up...as Regan started to shake uncontrollably.

"It's not only you Regan...
I am sorry too..." Krasus muttered as he watched Regan quiver as if he was somehow possessed by something...

Looking away, Krasus stepped back once more before he vanished...

Burning pain had engulfed Regan. His whole body was shaking, he couldn't control it anymore.
The pain seemed to grow, to spread. It wasn't just his body anymore...
Regan screamed. He knew he screamed, but he didn't knew what it was...
Then...the pain ceased...There was nothing now...
The darkness...the emptiness...it was just so comforting...
And Regan let him swallow him...swallow him whole...
It was over...

"Kari...
I'm sorry..."

---

The battle against Ragnarok was going badly. Really badly. Even with UltimaRyumon's skills and speed, all of them had started to bear bad wounds from Ragnarok's attacks.

OrahAngewomon panted, trying to catch her breath as she watched Ragnarok, who was surrounded by the four of them. And by the looks on the black dragon's face, he was clearly looking for his next target...

Suddenly, OrahAngewomon jolted. Something wasn't right...

"Kari? What's wrong?" Gatomon asked within OrahAngewomon.
"I...I don't know..." Kari replied. It was her that had just felt something...
She didn't knew what it was...it didn't felt right...
It had felt like some kind of pain...of sadness...

Her current thoughts were cleared away as Ragnarok roared, going up for his target : EosSandhyamon.

"No!" AmaKaisermon shouted, going for Ragnarok, soon imitated by OrahAngewomon and UltimaRyumon.
As Ragnarok neared EosSandhyamon, the digimon quickly moved back before pulling her gun and shooting several volleys right into Ragnarok's nose...with no effect...

"Eos! Watch out!" UltimaRyumon yelled out.
Too late. One of Ragnarok's wing struck EosSandhyamon, sending her spiralling out of control, but not before she met a large clawed black fist from Ragnarok...
And as she tried to regain control...she was engulfed in a blaze of molten lava...

"Kylee!!!" AmaKaisermon yelled.

EosSandhyamon screamed...before her burnt body fell on the ground below with a thud...and then glowed before separating into a badly wounded Kylee and Impmon.

AmaKaisermon's hands shook...before he yelled. He yelled so loudly that Ragnarok actually looked surprised for one second...

And it was enough so that AmaKaisermon's blast sent the large dragon crash right through a half-razed building, abandoned thanks to the ensuing battle.

"Not bad..." UltimaRyumon muttered. "But we're one fighter short now..."
AmaKaisermon looked down toward Kylee and Impmon.
"She'll be okay..." OrahAngewomon started hesitantly.
"If we can get through this that is..." UltimaRyumon interrupted.

"Heheheheh...impressive hit...but it's nothing to me now..." Ragnarok spoke as he started to fly back toward the three remaining digimon.

"There is nothing you can do to save yourselves any-"

A giant crimson form suddenly crashed right into Ragnarok, sending the black beast tumbling around, caught up by the new form. Ragnarok was then thrown away in the air before he was able to recover himself.

And when he looked toward what had just attacked him...Ragnarok's eyes actually widened from surprise...and fear?!?

"YOU?!?!?! That's impossible!!!!!" Ragnarok yelled, sounding completely lost.

The three digimon, and Kylee and Impmon on the ground looked at the newcomer...

It was a dragon...A red dragon that stood as immense as Ragnarok himself. His bearing and demeanour made him look considerably more awe-inspiring than Ragnarok's terrifying appearance. Unlike Ragnarok, his horns came out from the back of his head before they continued behind, and a smaller pair was below, and a few others came out from the top of his head, pointing backward, as they 'started' the red dragon's own crest. Like Ragnarok, he also had a horn on the top of the front of his maw.

"Another one?" AmaKaisermon asked.
Both UltimaRyumon and OrahAngewomon looked in silence in surprise at the red dragon.
"It can't be...
No...it isn't...then who it is?
It can't be...'him'?" Kari desperately thought within OrahAngewomon.

"You can't be here!" Ragnarok roared. "You should be dead!!!"
"So you should be...but it looks like the circumstances are otherwise..." the red dragon rumbled.

The way it talked made both OrahAngewomon and UltimaRyumon frown.
Something wasn't right...

Ragnarok caught himself back, clearly having reminded himself of his invincibility.
"Heh...maybe you're somehow alive...but you won't stay alive long! I am not invincible! You will never be able to defeat me!"
The red dragon only stared hard at Ragnarok.
Then, both launched a powerful roar before charging at each other.

Ragnarok stopped himself in mid-air before suddenly throwing his tail forward, battering the other dragon in its face. Taking advantage of the distraction, Ragnarok lunged forward...
But the other reacted faster. He barely avoided the maw as he swiped his claws at the left side of Ragnarok's face...leaving several bloody marks...

...and this time, Ragnarok actually screamed, or roared...from pain!!!

"Huh?!?" All three digimon were suddenly shocked to see that the dragon had just done the impossible...He had managed to harm Ragnarok! And the regeneration power seemed to be gone.

"What have you done to me?!?" Ragnarok asked, looking at the red dragon with complete shock as he pulled back from him.
"Only the beginning of what should be done." The red leviathan answered.

"Strato Force!"
"Celestial Strike!"
"Tempest Rend!"

All three attacks struck the side of Ragnarok...leaving wounds...which started to fade...but somewhat slower than usual.
And yet the marks the red dragon had done still remained.

"No...Somehow, that dragon can tear right through that regeneration power...and his attacks are weakening Ragnarok's regenerative powers..." UltimaRyumon said. "We'll have to support him to make sure he can bring down Ragnarok!"
"Right!" AmaKaisermon nodded.
But OrahAngewomon kept staring at the red dragon with a strange and worried look...
...or rather...Kari was...

Ragnarok growled slowly at he stared at the red dragon before unleashing an outraged roar before breathing out a stream of molten lava, but the red dragon was quickly able to avoid it.

Ragnarok quickly charged on his opponent, however, his aim went completely off as he received a fist on the side of his face, compliments from UltimaRyumon.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the red dragon inhaled deeply before launching out a long stream of flames right at Ragnarok. He struck, engulfing whole parts of Ragnarok in flame. The black dragon roared again in pain.

"Omni Sword!" AmaKaisermon yelled as he slashed down on Ragnarok's back. He cut out a long mark through the scales, but they started to regenerate...even slower than before...

"We're doing it..." OrahAngewomon muttered.

With deep breaths, Ragnarok looked at the red dragon as if he had gone mad. "No...No, no, no, NO! I won't allow you to win! I am the one that will be victorious!" he roared.
"Come out Regan! I know this is your doing! Where are you?!? Too scared to face me directly?!?" the black dragon roared again before he started launching wild bursts of lava all around.

The red dragon didn't react in that sudden burst of madness from his adversary, aside from starting to move to evade the lava bursts.

"I have absolutely no idea of anyone calling himself Regan. But what is certain is that I will bring out an end to you." The red dragon added as he glared at the mad Ragnarok.

OrahAngewomon gasped.
Now Kari recognized it...
But...he shouldn't be here...
It wasn't right...

With a defiant roar, the red behemoth launched himself once more at his enemy. He launched two quick stunning bursts of flames at Ragnarok. One caught the black on a wing while the other struck in his face.

And just as the red neared, Ragnarok suddenly slashed out at the red dragon...only to have his claws blocked by the red, having thrown his own claws.

"Strato Force!"
"Celestial Strike!"
"Tempest Rend!"

The attacks from the three digimon struck Ragnarok at the face, hitting out hard. And despite the fact that Ragnarok was still probably affected by his regenerative powers, he couldn't ignore the pain anymore, as it briefly distracted him...
...but it was an opportunity the red was waiting for.

With a sudden and immense fury, the red lunged forward at Ragnarok, his maw biting hard at Ragnarok's neck as the red dragon then started to stab and slash at Ragnarok's body repeatedly with his front and rear paws.

He struck with clear force that it seemed that all semblance of intelligence from the dragon was gone...Only raw and pure fury, as if it was instead one of the most savage beasts ever that was dealing the blows on Ragnarok.

Ragnarok was unable to escape the other's death-like grip as the red continued to rip through the other's body, and yet after one immense roar...the red dragon released his hold on Ragnarok.
For a brief moment, Ragnarok pulled back, ready to escape, but the second after, he sought to lunge again.

He never got the chance.

One of the red's large paws tore right through what might have been his heart pulling it back, as now flames started to pour out of the wound.

Ragnarok jolted before he started to quiver. Red cracks started to appear out everywhere on his body.

The red dragon raised one red paw, with started to glow with energy...then brought it down on Ragnarok with earth-shattering force.

The black dragon went down, seemingly crumbling as he kept tumbling and spinning in the air, wailing at the same time.

Ragnarok fell...

"He did it..." OrahAngewomon muttered.

"Kylee, watch out!" UltimaRyumon warned out.

True enough. While Ragnarok was dying, he had started to fall...right where Kylee and Impmon were...

But even if she had managed to get up to a sitting position while watching the fight, she was unable to move away, as she saw the massive black form grow bigger...bigger...

...and just as it seemed Ragnarok struck the ground, crushing everything beneath it...he exploded...in smoke...

Black smoke spread out everywhere on the ground before it slowly faded...leaving no traces...

AmaKaisermon let out a long breath. "Whew...It's over..."
"Maybe..." UltimaRyumon muttered.

As the three digimon landed near Kylee and Impmon, AmaKaisermon kneeled close to Kylee.
"Are you okay Kylee?" he asked.

Kylee nodded, catching up her own breath. "Y-yeah...I think so...
But...is it over?" she asked.

She was looking at OrahAngewomon and UltimaRyumon. Both of them were looking upward at the red dragon.

"No..." OrahAngewomon muttered.
"It does look like it's him...Why didn't I recognize him earlier?" UltimaRyumon said.
"You know that dragon?" Kylee asked.
"It doesn't make any sense...he can't be here...Not like this..." OrahAngewomon added, almost lost in her thoughts. But she was speaking on a very worried tone...

The red dragon looked at them for a while...before he turned and flew away.

"No, wait!" OrahAngewomon yelled. And just as she started to leap up in the air, someone interrupted her.

"He will not listen to you." Krasus said as he appeared out of nowhere, in front of the digimon and Kylee.

"W-What's going on?" A battered Impmon asked.

"Krasus...what did you do?" OrahAngewomon asked, 'looking' at Krasus with an insistent look.

Krasus closed his eyes as he spoke. "The only thing that I was able to find to destroy Ragnarok...It was the only way..."
"But, hold on...where's Regan?" Kylee asked.

Krasus remained silent. And it seemed the silence was partly communicating what he might just have done...

"What did you do to Regan?!?" OrahAngewomon asked, stepping forward.
"There is no way that dragon could be there...not that way..." UltimaRyumon said.
"He should have been only a ghost...and yet right now, he looked as if he was of flesh and blood..."

"A ghost?" AmaKaisermon asked. "He's supposed to be dead?"

"Ragnarok did spoke the truth." Krasus interrupted. "That red dragon in fact died a long time ago.

And his name...is Ragnarastrasz..."

"Ragnarastrasz?" Kylee slowly repeated, having a slight difficulty at repeating the name.
"Hold on a minute..."Impmon muttered. "It sounds a lot like..."

"Regan...Astrasz?!?" AmaKaisermon continued.

UltimaRyumon did not seemed to be much surprised by that...and neither was OrahAngewomon. But AmaKaisermon, Kylee and Impmon stared with wide eyes at Krasus.

UltimaRyumon's eyes dangerously narrowed. "Tell us...
What exactly did you do to Regan? How can Ragnarastrasz be here like that?"

"Ragnarastrasz was the only one that could tear through the spell matrix that had made Ragnarok invincible...There was no other choices..." Krasus said.
"Stop turning around the subject Krasus!" OrahAngewomon shouted...angrily. "What happened to Regan?!?"

"In order for Ragnarastrasz to return...
His...'other half'...had to be...'removed'..." Krasus said. He took one breath before he went on...

"Regan Astrasz...has ceased to be..." he added darkly.

"...What?" Kylee muttered. "You can't mean Regan's..."

"Regan Astrasz is not dead. He has ceased to exist.

In order for Ragnarastrasz to fully exist, Regan had to be gone...
And Ragnarastrasz could not truly exist when Regan exists...
Which means that Regan is no more...
He is gone..." Krasus darkly explained.

Parts of the things Krasus had just said made no sense to AmaKaisermon, Kylee and Impmon. Maybe even to UltimaRyumon and OrahAngewomon...
...but the final meaning in those words had been very clear...

"No..." Kari muttered within OrahAngewomon, slowly shaking.
"No..."

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Her scream echoed throughout only OrahAngewomon's body and digi-matrix...

TO BE CONTINUED...