Thanks to all my reviewers!!

Disclaimer: Let's see. I don't own Digimon, the Legendary Warriors, Duskmon/Velgemon, or most of the other elements of this story. I do own Dusk/Twilight, Duskmon's Lunar Plasma Beam and Soul Assimilation attacks, Velgemon's Shadow of Death attack, Lowemon's Shadow Joust attack, and JagerLowemon's Dark Secret and Black Deception attacks. I also own the story. And Zweilemon, who will show up in this chapter only, and his attacks. Don't steal what's mine.

Old Demons

Chapter 16: The Radiance of the Night

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work; you don't give up."
-Anne Lamott

"Kouichi!" Kouji screamed. He wanted to do something, to evolve and fight Duskmon until one of them died or to run to where his brother was – had been – even if it meant dying. But his body was too tired and he was still in shock. So he just stared at Duskmon and the red beam that continued to burn away at the hillside. He can't be dead! Not after everything we've been through! It had to be like a year before. He wasn't dead. He'd be waiting when they got home.

But before, his body had never left the stairwell in the Real World. There was no chance that Kouichi was still at home this time. His disappearance was the whole reason Kouji and the others had come here. No. Koji couldn't come up with any conceivable way his brother could have survived. His eyes began to burn. He had thought he had lost his brother once before. Now he really had.

"Why?" Zoe asked, sounding calm to the point of numbness. Tears were already making tracks down her cheeks as she turned to Duskmon. "Why are you still attacking? He's already DEAD!" Her voice cracked on the last word and she broke down completely.

Duskmon barely glanced at her. "He's proven stronger than I expected before. I won't make any mistakes this time."

Takuya stood up, jaw clenched. When he spoke, his voice was soft, with a slight waver to it. "You're a monster! I don't care what happens to me – I'm going to stop you from hurting anyone else!"

"Stop this." Still sustaining the Lunar Plasma Beam, Duskmon refocused his armor's eyes on the remaining humans. "Deadly Gaze."

Kouji's D-Tector suddenly flared with a fierce light. A barrier of white flames surrounded them all, splashes of red appearing periodically when the lasers hit. Kouji's face remained stoic as he stared at the fire, silently cursing it for not protecting his brother.

When, moments later, Duskmon let out a grunt and the red bursts ceased, Kouji would not even notice.

-

The grass was thick and long, soft to the touch. It could have been a part of any city park or manicured lawn, except for the fact that it was colored a rich maroon. A few chunks of dark bluish dirt lay scattered about. Small black flowers speckled the grass.

The area was small, mostly covered by a boy with pale skin and thick black hair. Those colors were the only normal ones visible. He was wearing black pants and a light green long-sleeved shirt under a reddish tee-shirt.

The entire scene was covered by a dull red dome with a diameter only slightly greater than the boy's height. It was tall enough for him to sit, but not to stand.

Kouichi opened his blue eyes, not quite sure what to expect. Certainly not the scene before him. What's going on here? Kouichi almost anticipated a snide comment in reply, but everything remained silent. He tried to tune in to the darkling's thoughts. Still nothing.

Turning his attention away from that, Kouichi studied the dome. Every so often, it rippled slightly. A soft white light was spewing from his D-Tector. But if, as he suspected, the digivice was the source of the dome, why was it red? And where was he, anyway?

"Lunar Plasma Beam."

Could that be it? When Duskmon had attacked, could the dome have formed to protect him? That would mean he wasn't dead. But how? And why?

"Your friends beat me in the World of Light, but here they are weak."

Kouichi's eyes widened. Those remembered words triggered a wave of other memories.

"How do you like my home?"

"I am the darkling – the one you've been trying to ignore…"

He sat bolt upright. Everything was starting to make sense! A plan formed. It was risky, but he had to try. Grabbing his D-Tector in both hands, he stared at the light coming from the screen. This will work, he told himself. It has to. He kept repeating that, trying to work up the courage to stand. If he was wrong, he'd be incinerated. But he wasn't wrong. He was sure of it. Mostly. And if he was right, then he was just wasting time debating whether or not to stand. Only one way to prove I'm right.

Pushing himself into a crouch, Kouichi slowly stood up. As he did, the dome expanded, both in height and in diameter. A patch in the back began to emerge from the energy stream as the rest of the dome absorbed it. The area enclosed by the dome was the only area that had color; everything else was still gray. Finally, as Kouichi stood straight, he saw the rest of the battlefield. Duskmon was continuously firing his Deadly Gaze attack at where Kouji and the others had been. Now all there was to see was a ring of white fire at least seven feet tall.

Then Duskmon caught sight of the dome. He let out a frustrated and slightly incredulous grunt and cut off both attacks. The two Warriors of Darkness stared at each other, not saying anything or projecting any thoughts, as the white fire flickered out. Duskmon couldn't help but wonder what new power had kept Kouichi alive. The thought scared him. Kouichi just waited.

As for the others, well, they didn't quite know what they were seeing. Just Kouichi standing there, alive, would have been shocking enough. But he was, as weird as they felt thinking it, in color. It seemed to the Legendary Warriors that Kouichi was in a bubble and everything seen through that bubble was it's normal color…Well, normal for this world.

Duskmon glared at Kouichi. "What are you doing alive?"

Kouichi smirked. "Why are you asking me? Everything I know I learned from you."

"Like what?" His voice was laced with annoyance.

"Like the Digital World, and probably the Real World, too, is a 'World of Light.'" Duskmon didn't react for a minute, but then he seemed to make a connection and his eyes widened. "And that this world is a shadow of those worlds. A Shadow of their Light."

Duskmon stepped back, visibly afraid. "No! Duskmon coated this world in darkness. There is no light here!"

Kouichi shook his head. "You're wrong. There is Light here. And what was it you said? That I 'stand in the shadows cast by the Light'? That the Light empowers me? I don't think you realized how right you were. The Light is the source of my power like it is the source of this world. Which is why you can't defeat me as easily as you expected."

Kouji's D-Tector flared once more. Kouichi and Duskmon stared at it, the human curious and the digimon horrified. A beam of light shot into Kouichi's D-Tector, which he still clutched in both hands. As it passed into the dome, it acquired a black outline. Kouichi was instantly surrounded by fractal code. Inside the – oddly – orange egg, the two purified Spirits of Darkness appeared on either side of him. A smile slowly tugged at his mouth.

"Execute: Fusion Evolution!"

When the fractal code cleared, a being nothing short of awe-inspiring was revealed. The dome of color was now more of a starburst shape, and extended much farther into the grayness. There was a thin line around him of "normal" color – green grass instead of maroon; blue sky instead of light orange.

The digimon himself was ten feet tall, covered by a black bodysuit, other than his face, the lower half of which was covered anyway by Lowemon's facemask. JagerLowemon's crest – a roughly diamond-shaped plate of black armor with gold markings – covered his forehead and swept back over his cranium, the flattened bottom tip coming to between and just above his eyes. There was a blue gem on the center of the lower half of the crest. JagerLowemon's rectangular black-and-gold armor covered the sides of his hips, a piston protruding from each, and his shoulders (merging with a pair of black lions' heads, similar to the ones on his knees. All four lions held round blue gems in their mouths.) His breastplate was a gold diamond, proportionately wider than the crest. In the bottom point and along the upper sides were three sapphires, connected into a triangle by black lines. At the center of the triangle, etched in black, was the image of a 10-pointed star.

On his right arm was a gold armlet, from his wrist to his elbow, with black markings around the piston in the middle. His left arm bore a full gauntlet: segmented gold armor covered his hand, connecting to an armlet identical to the one on his right arm. A large sapphire was embedded in the armor plate on the back of his left hand. Unadorned black boots covered his feet and shins. Brown leather bands wrapped around his thighs, left bicep, and right hand, down the fingers to the first knuckle. His tail was long, black, and segmented, ending in a fifth piston. Two pairs of large black-and-gold-feathered wings sprouted from his back. The upper pair stretched upward at a 45-degree angle for four feet; the lower pair stretched straight out for six feet. A short mane of blonde hair protruded from the back of his head. Finally, a brown leather strap, under his armor, held a black scabbard to his back on the left side of his wings. All that could be seen was a silver hilt, shaped like a crescent moon.

In a soft, solemn voice, he introduced himself: "Zweilemon."

Duskmon scowled, shaking himself out of his shock. "You may think you have the advantage now, but that won't last long. Without the Light, you are still weak." Extending his second sword, Duskmon charged Kouji. Zweilemon was there in an instant, sword effortlessly parrying both of Duskmon's. The blade itself was gold, double-edged, with silver runes on both sides.

"Face it, Duskmon. You've lost."

Duskmon leaped back. "We'll see. Duskmon: Slide Evolution…Velgemon." Velgemon glared at Zweilemon. With a strong gust of wind, the Beast Spirit took to the air. The humans shielded their eyes from the whirlwind of dirt and grass. Zweilemon glanced at them and rose to where Velgemon waited. I will protect you, he vowed silently.

"You're wasting your time," Velgemon hissed. "It took two Fusion Warriors to defeat this form in a weakened state and without me. You alone won't match my strength."

"We'll see." Zweilemon's voice remained even. He seemed completely prepared for the coming fight.

Velgemon fumed at the fused digimon's apparent indifference. Moments ago, he had been scared and despairing. What had happened? Where was this new power coming from? Duskmon's dark seal on this world should have prevented this. He narrowed his eyes. He would still win. He was still more powerful than his other half, especially since Kouichi insisted on holding back. "Dark Vortex!" Velgemon dove down at Zweilemon, lasers erupting from his eyes. Zweilemon dodged just in time, but Velgemon's talons came down on his back. The sharp appendages dug into the Fusion Warrior's wings. Spinning him around, Velgemon let go. Zweilemon crashed into a hillside.

Takuya's eyes widened as he took a shaky step toward the dust cloud. "Oh, no!" he cried. "He's still not powerful enough!"

Kouji turned on him. "Don't say that! This isn't even close to being over! Zweilemon will pull though somehow."

"Kouji's right," Zoe said, albeit more calmly. "We have to believe in him. He won't let us down."

"Just like when you two were fighting Cherubimon," Tommy said. "We believed in you, even though we couldn't fight."

"The kid's right," JP added, earning an amused glance from Zoe at the use of the word "kid." "It's the least we can do."

Takuya rolled his eyes. "So what, we just scream hysterically and hope it gives Zweilemon strength? Do you even realize how crazy that sounds?"

Zoe laughed. "Look around, Takuya. We're in a gray world, fighting digimon…Heck, we turn into monsters on a regular basis! Since when is anything we do sane?"

"Good point," Takuya grinned, sweatdropping. "But still. I'm not screaming."

"You don't have to," Tommy said. "Just believe."

Velgemon stayed in the air during the exchange, waiting for Zweilemon to emerge. A sudden wind cleared the dust from the impact site. Nothing was there.

"Behind you." Velgemon turned around to face Zweilemon. The pistons on his hips and wrists were extended, glowing with a golden light. "Moon Effect!" The pistons released their energy, which converged into a single golden comet. The energy crashed into Velgemon, driving him down. All too easily, Velgemon righted himself and the gold orb dissipated.

"Powerful," Velgemon admitted. "But not versatile. Unlike my attacks, you can't alter how you use your energy. Allow me to demonstrate. Dark Obliteration!" Six rings of red appeared around Zweilemon, crisscrossing to form a sphere. All at once, the flashed to black and detonated. Black tendrils of energy writhed in all directions, blocking Zweilemon from view.

"Moon Effect!" The cry was muffled and echoed faintly. A growing globe of pale yellow incinerated the dark tendrils and continued, past Velgemon, though it did no harm to him. As it expanded, it grew lighter in color, slowly fading to an imperceptible glimmer. Zweilemon hovered at the epicenter, relatively unharmed despite numerous new dents and scratches on his armor. "Who says it isn't versatile?" His tail flicked to the side, demonstrating the Warrior's smug demeanor.

Velgemon did not reply. In fact, it didn't look as if he had heard the rhetorical question at all. He flickered out of sight, only to reappear directly below his counterpart. "Dark Vortex!" Zweilemon's eyes widened in surprise. How could he have moved so quickly? The Fusion Warrior barely managed to dodge in time. Velgemon followed up the laser with a physical attack. Zweilemon moved to block to headbutt aimed at his chest.

A talon to his back sent him rocketing forward, through Velgemon, who dissolved in a static cloud. The attack agitated the wound on his wings from earlier, causing pain to blaze across his back as he flared his wings to steady himself. Zweilemon clenched his jaw against the pain as he turned around. A section of the sky itself was also dissolving, revealing the real Velgemon. An illusion!

Velgemon laughed. "What you said before, about strength not being the deciding factor in this fight? You were right. Our strength is nearly equal, as is our ingenuity. But you aren't superior in other areas. You may have created a small patch of shadows to supplement your strength, but I have a whole world of true darkness strengthening me. And you are weak in other ways. Ways I plan to use to my advantage."

"You have weaknesses, too, Velgemon. You're not as infallible as you think."

"But my weaknesses are much harder to manipulate. Shadow of Death!" The dark whirlwind formed again, but this time what came out of it was in the shape of a bird with what looked to be flaming wings. The eyes were bright red. The shadow bird tore at Zweilemon, slightly weakened by the "patch of shadows," as Velgemon had called it, but still strong enough to do damage. The bird clawed away at Zweilemon's breastplate while the flames from its wings burned at his own wings and his arms.

With a roar, Zweilemon drew his sword. "Silver Bolide!" The silver runes glowed, gathering so much energy that it literally leaked into the air around the blade. The Fusion Warrior swung it, cleaving the bird into two halves, both of which dissolved instantly. A silver tail of energy, left behind by the glowing runes, took on a life of its own and attacked Velgemon. The energy whipped against his chest, disappearing in a flash that sapped Velgemon's energy. Zweilemon silently sheathed his sword.

Growling in fury, Velgemon rammed into Zweilemon, who caught the advancing Warrior in his hands. The impact, though absorbed somewhat by Zweilemon's hands and arms, still elicited a slight grunt from the Fusion Warrior. A gold-armored fist connected with Velgemon's face. The Beast Spirit retreated momentarily, folding his wings in front of him as he continued to drift away.

"Shadow of Death!" The shadow this time was shaped like a large cat with wings. It had no eyes. In an instant, the cat swooped down on Zweilemon. It was fast; much faster than the previous shadows. As it approached, it lost its form, becoming a long wisp of fog that swirled around him, locking together into a slowly contracting mass. The only parts of his body not caught in the deadly hold were his head and his tail. Releasing his pent-up frustration on his immobile target, Velgemon swiped at his pure half. His talons tore at Zweilemon's breastplate furiously until, with a heavy ringing, it broke. Barely noticing the damage he had done, Velgemon continued his assault, shredding the black bodysuit on the others' sides. Zweilemon winced with each blow.

Finally Velgemon stopped. "Look at you. You're helpless. I can kill you whenever I want, and I've only unleashed three Deaths on you: true Death, symbolic of old age; the Phoenix, nature; and now the Sphinx, fate. There are three more just waiting to surprise you. You can't hope to defy what I have yet to reveal to you."

"Hope is exactly what I plan to do. Moon Effect!" The fog quickly enveloped Zweilemon's hips and wrists, but the golden orb connected anyway. A small, concentrated blast from a single piston burned at Velgemon's side, driving him away. Zweilemon's tail twitched slightly as its piston cooled down. The fog slowly faded.

Velgemon roared, the irate sound echoing in the distance. "What is it about you? Why do the pathetic and the weak always rely on hope?"

Zweilemon leveled his gaze at Velgemon, somehow coming across as formidable despite his wounds and the horrendous crack in his breastplate. "You can't understand it unless you've seen despair. You come to a point eventually when you either give up and adopt a mindset that anything is better than sitting around and waiting for your own death. Or you hope."

"Hope is an illusion. It cannot win battles."

"Maybe. But illusions are powerful things. If someone believes that things can get better, they may just find a way to make it happen."

"Why now though? You said hope had deserted you."

"I guess I just wasn't looking hard enough. But now that I have hope, I'm not about to let it go. Besides, I think you're forgetting what else I said. That there had to be someone out there who could stop you. It's starting to look like I am that person after all."

"Fine. Hope all you want. It will do you as much good as luck." Velgemon called up another illusion, which dropped in front of him like a curtain. Seconds later, two Velgemons appeared, one on either side of Zweilemon. The corrupt Warrior and his illusion spoke in unison. "Shadow of Death!" Two whirlwinds. Two shadows, both in the shape of a massive serpentine creature with green eyes. "The wise Dragon; the Intentional Killer. The only Death that acts and reacts of its own will. Unlike the other ones, this does not exist only to serve a purpose. You will have to face him and defeat him like you would any other opponent. But which one is the real one? Choose well."

The two shadow-Dragons wound through the sky, always on opposite sides of their opponent. At first they circled, seeming to study his movements. With perfect coordination, they changed course, almost reversing, and attacked. Zweilemon folded his wings and dropped at the last second, hoping to force a retreat. Instead, they corrected their paths, flying down after him and attacking again, sill on opposite sides. Again Zweilemon dodged and again the Dragons recovered instantly. As they came at him, he admitted to himself that he couldn't dodge forever. He would have to take his chances and defend against one. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about the illusion any more.

Turning to the left, Zweilemon drew his sword again. He sliced through the Dragon, faltering at the lack of resistance. His momentum carried him forward, into a cloud of static. The real shadow crashed into his back painfully. Before he could right himself, he was attacked again, from below. As the Dragon attempted to ram his side, Zweilemon whirled. Shreds of black dispersed in the wind.

"Shadow of Death!" Zweilemon whirled, ready to attack or defend as necessary. A horse-like shadow reared in the air over Velgemon. It had a single horn on its head and white eyes. "The Unicorn," Velgemon confirmed. "One of my personal favorites. Death by Good Intentions." The Unicorn wheeled and galloped down at the humans. Having expected it to attack him directly, Zweilemon froze for a moment. In that time, he saw the shadow's departure in its entirety. Like a cloud of dust, a thin screen of static trailed behind the galloping unicorn. A revelation caught his breath in his throat. Could it be an illusion? Even if it was, he wasn't about to risk his friends to find out.

As he dove after the Unicorn, the edge of his vision flickered. He faltered momentarily and looked to the side. Another faint screen of static. With a desperate burst of speed, Zweilemon positioned himself below and to the left of the Unicorn.

"Silver Bolide!" The glow of the runes began dispelling the shadow-Unicorn before the sword even cut through it. Only static remained. Overhead, Velgemon, too, vanished. When the silver tail came alive, Zweilemon willed it towards the second screen of static. The real Velgemon careened backwards as the tail collided with his chest, disrupting the illusion. Regaining control, he glared at Zweilemon. He couldn't for the life of him fathom how the Fusion Warrior had seen through his illusion. It had to be luck.

"Luck came through for you this time, but that can't last," Velgemon growled.

"What makes you think it was luck?" Zweilemon sheathed his gold blade and positioned himself between Velgemon and his friends.

Velgemon called up another whirlwind, his anger showing in his jerky movements. "Shadow of Death!" The shadow this time had yellow eyes, and could have passed for a lioness, other than long talons on its front legs, a sharply curved beak, and a large pair of wings sprouting from its shoulder blades.

"A griffin?" Zweilemon could not prevent a groan from escaping. "You know, this attack is really starting to get old."

"Death by Sacrifice," Velgemon mused, pretending not to notice Zweilemon. After a moment, he met the Fusion Warrior's eyes. "How is this getting old? I have yet to repeat an attack. You can't defend against what you don't know." The Griffin spread its wings with a hollow screech. Pumping them, it stirred up a powerful gust of wind. Zweilemon crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to absorb some of the force, but was flung into a hillside anyway.

As Zweilemon emerged from the dirt cloud, he was greeted by two Velgemons. The Griffin was gone. The digimon plunged at him, the one on the left leaving a faint stream of static. "Moon Effect!" All five pistons contributed to the energy comet, which halted Velgemon's assault. The illusion continued on, unnoticed, and dissolved as it crashed into Zweilemon's shoulder.

"You're loosing your advantage, Velgemon." Zweilemon's voice sounded slightly strained, having risen slightly in pitch, but still maintained its original calm tone. "Your illusions are useless, and you've gone though all six Deaths. I seriously doubt you have any more surprises in store. Me, on the other hand…" Suddenly starburst of colored "shadows" around Zweilemon flared and expanded, brining color to the entire landscape. Zweilemon retained the thin "normal"-colored outline, and Velgemon had a similar grayscale aura. Everything else became, unbeknownst to the humans below, its true twilight color: orange sky, dark blue-violet sun, maroon grass, puffy bluish clouds… Down below, the children's skin, hair and eyes stayed their Real World color, but their clothes changed.

Velgemon drew back from Zweilemon. "What is this?" he whispered, horrified. "You can't create an illusion of this scale!"

Shaking his head, Zweilemon chuckled softly. "Don't apply your rules to me. I'm not creating an illusion. This is what Twilight is really like. Your "true darkness" only strengthens you superficially. You've nearly exhausted that power already, while I've only just tapped into it."

"That doesn't matter anymore. You're in much worse shape than I am." Zweilemon's armor was indeed scuffed and dented. His breastplate was cracked down the center, only held together because the crack and ended at the lowest sapphire. The black bodysuit was torn to shreds, revealing the bloody flesh of his sides. It didn't look good. "One or two more hits and you're done for."

"I'm not beaten yet," Zweilemon said. "And unlike you, I haven't revealed all my secrets." The five pistons charged again, but didn't release. Instead, a golden sphere formed around him, originating from five golden cables that sprouted from the pistons and spread out to merge with the sphere. The gems in the lions' mouths glowed dark blue. "Onyx Nebula!" The lions spewed small black pellets outward, shattering the luminescent orb. Black shards flew in all directions, embedding in every exposed surface. A soft yellow-orange aura enclosed Zweilemon's body, as well as those of the humans. The shards melted harmlessly on contact.

By the time the attack ended, the Legendary Warriors' cuts and bruises had disappeared. Zweilemon's armor was in much better condition, though a hairline fracture still ran down the center of the breastplate. The bodysuit had been restored, and his wounds – on his ribs and wings – had healed.

Velgemon, on the other hand, was on the ground, still upright, but growling in pain. His form disintegrated into tiny data particles, which scattered in the wind. Duskmon remained, in better condition physically, though his eyes showed his fatigue. Zweilemon landed softly before the corrupt Human Spirit and folded his wings.

Duskmon glared at the Fusion Warrior. "You may be more powerful than me, but that won't matter in this fight." He extended his right sword. Zweilemon responded by drawing his own sword. "Let's see how you fare at swordplay." He charged, bombarding Zweilemon with a rapid series of thrusts and cuts. Zweilemon parried each blow, allowing himself to be driven back. He needed to gain an understanding of Duskmon's skill and technique. The strength behind each attack was astounding; it was far weaker than Velgemon's raw power, but it was focused in such a way that Zweilemon felt the jolt in his jaw.

Gradually guiding the fight to a section of downward-sloping ground so that he had the upper ground, Duskmon began to slow his attacks. He aimed each one deliberately, alternating sides, until Zweilemon was lulled into the pattern. Duskmon brought his sword back on his right side and swung. As he expected, his opponent moved to parry. Keeping his left foot planted, Duskmon brought his right foot around so his back was to Zweilemon. Before the blades could meet, Duskmon reversed his sword's direction. It spliced the air in a wide arc, connecting with Zweilemon's back and cutting deep into the base of his lower wings. Duskmon used the point of impact as a fulcrum – he whirled again so he was facing Zweilemon's back.

As Duskmon lunged at his back, Zweilemon went on the offensive. He dodged to the side, the pain in his wings and back lancing up his spine. Zweilemon ignored it as best he could. He couldn't miss a beat now. He thrust his own blade at Duskmon's side, but the Warrior managed to parry. Hoping to overwhelm Duskmon with his strength, Zweilemon launched into a frenzy. He attacked the corrupt Spirit's chest, neck, and sides ferociously; Duskmon didn't even parry. Instead he ducked, twisted, and leaped back when necessary, neatly avoiding every strike.

On the last blow, one aimed at his neck, Duskmon brought up his sword. Rather than disengage and launch his own attack, he leaned forward, forcing a deadlock. The two digimon pushed against each other. Zweilemon may have had the advantage, but Duskmon knew how to handle his blade. They stayed like that for only a second before Duskmon raised his left arm, extending his other sword. He swung it at Zweilemon's neck.

There was one thing Duskmon would have liked to know earlier: the gauntlet on Zweilemon's left hand was not just for show. His right hand had to be free to use his sword well. But his left hand was geared towards defense.

As Duskmon's sword whistled through the air, the blue gem on Zweilemon's gauntlet began to glow. The light it emitted formed itself into the shape of a shield, nearly the size of his breastplate. It took on a black hue, speckled with pinpoints of almost bluish light.

Zweilemon steeled his left arm, using the newly-formed shield to hold off Duskmon's right blade, while his right hand held the sword that was now crossed with Duskmon's left blade. Duskmon snarled. Yet another unexpected twist. Zweilemon had too many advantages. Unless he leveled the playing field, he was going to lose.

Duskmon drew back his left sword and swung it again, this time at the shield. It collided with such force that Zweilemon stumbled back. Clanging against the shield, the successive impact of Duskmon's right sword wrenched Zweilemon's shoulder back. The next blow caught him off-guard, throwing his balance off and sending him to the ground. Pain shot through his wind as he landed hard on the wound. Another blow to the shield. This time his wrist twisted awkwardly under the force. Zweilemon used his right armlet to brace the lower portion of the shield. Duskmon swung his left sword. Neither one wavering on the impact, an audible groan sounded, cut short as Duskmon's blade shattered.

The shock lasted only a second before both combatants were on their feet fighting again. Shield holding Duskmon's sword at bay, Zweilemon made a low swipe at his knees. Duskmon saw it coming. He leaped backwards, charging once more almost immediately. The crooked blade this time came at Zweilemon's neck; the golden sword was there to meet it. Falling back, Duskmon tried again, now aiming low on Zweilemon's side. Sword met sword. Zweilemon rammed his shield into Duskmon's face.

Duskmon staggered back. "I am getting tired of this petty fight. You have done well, but I am the superior swordsman, a fact which I intend to prove." In the blink of an eye, Duskmon's sword shattered the gem held in the lion's mouth on Zweilemon's right shoulder. The next instant it deepened the fissure on his breastplate. Then his left hip armor. His breastplate again. His right armlet. All this happened before Zweilemon could react.

When he did, he brought his shield up to cover his left side and unprotected neck. With his sword, he attempted to block the remainder of the blows. More than half got through anyway.

Duskmon's sword never stopped moving. With each attack, he launched into another whirl, thrust, or cut. It all seemed to be one long motion. Zweilemon found himself backing up constantly just to keep Duskmon in front of him.

The air filled with the chink of sword meeting sword, the clang of sword meeting shield, and the crack of sword meeting armor. And beneath each collision was what sounded like aluminum foil being crumpled.

The humans had moved to the top of a hill to get a better view of the battle, which was now approaching them. They could tell Zweilemon wouldn't last much longer against Duskmon's frenzy. His armor was in bad shape – two of the gems in the lions' mouths had shattered, another lion head had broken in half entirely, his breastplate was very nearly useless, and one hip guard was severely dented.

What they didn't see was that Duskmon was actually in much worse shape. Physically, he was in near-peak condition. He could push himself much farther. But his soul was nearing its limit. He had already been defeated as Velgemon, severely inhibiting his will to fight. Kouichi had somehow found new strength. His fear had turned to confidence, his despair to hope. As much as the darkling hated to admit it, it was weakening him.

Duskmon's attacks slowed. He stood, panting, for a moment, then roared and put his full weight behind another swing. Zweilemon parried, not about to give up. That one final collision was all it took. The tiny fissures that had been forming along Duskmon's sword with each blow now compounded, shattering the brittle blade. Faced with a sudden lack of resistance, Duskmon stumbled and Zweilemon's sword jerked forward. The blade pierced Duskmon's armor. Both Warriors stared at the wound in disbelief, even as Duskmon's form began to dissolve. Slowly, Zweilemon drew back, sword limp at his side.

He now stood over the darkling, who, though once again in decent physical condition, was barely half his height. It wouldn't take much effort to kill him. To be rid of him forever. He and his friends wouldn't have to worry any more. And besides, this was a battle. He had basically killed Velgemon and Duskmon already. Shouldn't he finish what he had been attempting all along?

Why was he rationalizing already? He needed to just do it and justify himself later, if need be.

An image flashed through his head. His friends, scrambling away. Transparent blasts hitting the ground mere feet from them. He had enormous potential for destruction. And he had already come close to unleashing that power on his friends. He couldn't be careless anymore. After all, as evil as the darkling was, he was still human. He couldn't defend himself for long against a Human Spirit, much less a Fusion Warrior.

Zweilemon devolved. As soon as the fractal code surrounded him, the landscape returned to gray hues. As the code peeled away, only a much reduced starburst of color remained. Kouichi carefully studied the darkling's face. What could he do? Would he just have to deal with the darkling forever? Or did the evil being know of something that was truly defeat him?

Feeling something heavy in his hand, Kouichi looked down. There, leather-wrapped hilt fitting snugly in his palm, was a small dagger. Maybe killing the darkling was the only was to end this…

Wow. This took me FOREVER to type! And the words just kept coming! Seriously!

Oh, by the way, I also own the new version of Velgemon's Dark Obliteration attack. Don't use it without asking me.

Okay. Moving on…

And Then There Were Ten: I guess I don't have much to tell you….But I can tell you the colors of the new D-Tectors. Not that it's really all that important in the grand scheme of things… Okay, the Water D-T (I know, I'm too lazy to actually type out the whole word!) is light blue with teal accents (the grip and around the screen). The Earth D-T is tan with dark brown accents. The Wood D-T is green with brown accents. And the Steel D-T is silver with dark gray accents.

One chapter left! Review!

-Child of Healing

Word count: 5762 (Wow. And I was worried about getting to 5000… o.o)