Chapter 82: The Destined Hour of Twilight.
Last time, in tales of the Cosmic Wars Ben, Ezan , Hiryuumon and Kira said their goodbyes to Sonic and pals, but not without nearly killing the long lost pal of Knuckles, Mighty! It seems that the Chaotix were able to successfully find there long lost partner on board the Death Egg, even if he had been robotized into a cleaning drone! However, Kira threatened to ruin this happy ending by ordering Ben to destroy Mighty, just in case he was rigged!
Ben, however, was able to spare the poor confused armadillo and pretend to blast him, when he in fact warped him into the ocean to hide him from the Titans. He said goodbye to Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Knuckles, Sliver Blaze, and the others on good terms and was happy to hear that they would be returning to the Enji Castle of Hallowed Bastion, so Kira can report the status of the recent battles to his father and the other Enji Knights.
However, while Ben thought this would be a time for happier events, he was soon in for a rough shock.
While after seeing Moz again, he found out Doug, James, and Cloud were all on other missions. However, he soon saw Lacus, only for her to run away! After seeing Zidane, Lloyd, and the others again, his fellow Enji revealed they knew Ben's affection for Lacus and all hatched a plan to help out. However, it kind of backfired when Lacus told Ben that she thought that it would be better off if they did not talk to each other anymore!
An already stressed Ben took this rather hard, to say the least. And when Brad and his gang of idiots showed up to further drive in Brad's message that he does not want Ben to have anything to do with his girl, his rage exploded! While Brad was expecting to give Ben another beat down, he found out that Ben was far too strong now to be brushed aside! With the amount of hatred Ben has for the muscle filled brawler, things were about to get really ugly!
However, before both Ben and Brad really unleashed there full "armory", Lacus stood between them and told Ben to stop. After releasing that, no matter how much of a selfish, lazy, arrogant jerk Brad is, Lacus would stand by him no matter what, a heartbroken Ben just warped away from the area in a trail of despair and took his now rather large hatred out on the next best thing, dozens of PROXY copy drones copying Brad's appearance and behavior!
As Ben eased his pain by destroying Brad over and over, Kira and the other Enji came to heads when Jade the Necromaster and others caught Kira on something he kept hidden, the fact that his recently created Salvation army was in fact a grand clone army based on Master Chief, created by Jade's former partner Dist, another imprisoned scientist from across space!
Kira then said that his added replica commandos were created because he knew that the other warriors of light were to bound to their ideals, morals, and honor to do what it takes to in his eyes bring true order and justice to the universe. He then drew the line and said that his travels and mastery has made him above any other judgment and that no one would derail his vision!
He then left with his father disturbed and the other Enji worried about just how far his plans really extend to, and what roles might Ben and Ezan play in that plan. What they did not know was that Kira was already moving his plans ahead when he confronted the weary Ben and told him he found the last Crystal shard for his Star Sword!
Kira then told Ben that his sources had tracked the last part of Ben's celestial blade to the isolated and ruined world of Vjun, a fortress world that once was the retreat of the fallen hero Darth Vader . However, Kira then told Ben that two recently discovered Enji traitors were on the way to the world, and Kira ordered Ben to execute them as part of his mission! Where when such an order might have fazed Ben before, in his emotionally wounded state, he seems to have nothing left in his mind but destroying all that stands in his way! With Ben's heart being twisted by darkness day after day, can he still reach his dreams and at last complete the Star Sword? It's time to see if Ben can light the road through the darkness, so let's get this started!
Our chapter begins with Ben already on board Kira's flagship, the Eternal Justice, as it is leaving the planet Corneria and preparing the jump for Hyper space.
Once giving Ben his new mission, he told Ben it was urgent they left at once to secure the planet before the two Enji spies contact either Zeon, the order of dark Enji or the Zannacross Empire. And since Ben had nothing but desiring the power he needs at the moment, he was ready to leave at once. We are now on the command deck of the Titan's flagship once more, as Kira is displaying the world in question on a monitor.
Ben sees the world of Vjun for the first time and sees it is a grey colored world from the surface with little water. Kira then has the hologram zoom in as he starts off with a flat, "The planet of Vjun is officially part of the Lylat Kingdom, but in reality, we don't have much of a presence there.
The reason being is that it's mostly a wasted world, nearly entirely unlivable. Acid rain causes life to be hell for those who would live there. There are signs of a civilizations, but it seems they brought ruin upon themselves a long time ago. Now the only things close to people are crazed native tribes that are nothing more than savages. Perhaps this is why it took so long for my sources to find it, but we have at last located a shrine on this world resembling the ones you found at the Mushroom Kingdom, Mobius, Hyrule, SR-388 and Cetra, in a section of this Bast Castle that was only recently exposed after acid rain eroded away a entire section of a canyon."
Kira then has the image zoom in and Ben saw a spike like castle sticking out in a canyon surrounded by acid like water. Ben sees this before saying, "Sigh, good thing I brought my acid proof boots. So we are sure none of our enemies are laying a trap?"
Kira quickly responds with a analytical, "I am certain that they have not, for now. However, it is all the more urgent to locate the two traitors and serve them the fate they deserve, before they contact anyone. We still don't know just who the two are, but they could be anyone, even Cloud. I want to know right now you won't falter when the time arrives."
Ben just looks deadly serious and says,"Don't worry, I won't let anyone get away with betraying me ever again!"
Kira then slightly smiles and responds with a authoritative, "Glad to hear you have come to terms with your destiny. Remember, no matter how painful the path in front of you is Ben Auro, for the sake of the universe, you have no choice but to march forward! If you can complete today's hurdles, then you will at last be strong enough to be what you need to be. Now, it's time. I will be monitoring all activities around this world and the space around it from here. The mission has now begun!"
Ben then nods and says, "I am ready, let's go Hiryuumon!"
His Digimon pal was besides him the whole time and the dragon nods before they both leave the room. As Kira sees Ben from the monitor enter the elevator, he chuckles, before saying,"Excellent, all the betrayals and trauma has made him completely under my control, his will to resist has been sapped out of him. And it could not come at a better moment. Now that father and the others are beginning to get suspicious, the time is now to make my move. Tsc, even if they know about the replica salvation army, they still have no idea of my true plan, and by the time they do, it will be too late to stop me.
Nothing will stop what must be done. At last, this disorderly cosmos will be smashed apart and rebuilt into its proper form, no matter how many conceited fools try and rebel. Soon the universe will be guided by my hand into the only way it can to break its stubborn behavior, and then at last we will have peace. However, before that peace can be reached, all loose ends must be tied up.
And that is why, Master Chief, bring in Dist now."
The doors open and Kira once again sees the narcissistic man in his hover chair float on in with Master Chief and two other Salvation solders besides him. Dist chuckles and says, "What is it, commandant? Some more clones need to be checked up? Or do you want me to go over the cannons again?"
Kira just looks at Dist and says,"No, I want a full update on our full production of Replica soldiers."
Dist puts his hands up in the air and says,"Thanks to your resources, it's way ahead of schedule! Why, last time I checked, we should have a million or two more troopers ready to fight by the end of the week. Why, we are practically overflowing, he he. It's become so big, it would seem that soon it would become an attraction too big to contain!"
Kira looks at his men and then says,"Funny you would say that, would you happen to know what happened at my last meeting with the Enji Console?"
Dist just looks bored and responds with a detached," Sorry, but those matters bore me."
Kira then walks forward and says," Oh, but I think this event might catch your interest. You see, your old" friend" Jade, and the other Enji somehow seemed to find out about our little secret."
Dist just sighs and responds with a wry,"Oh, really? Well I suppose the cat's out of the bag. It's always annoying when the party is spoiled, but, then again, that pesky Jade always was good at sniffing out things . I suppose it was inevitable, since this was his specialty."
Kira then raises his hand and has it glow with magic energy before harshly saying,"I would not go that far. I made sure that there was not a single screw up in hiding my operation. I went over all the details and in the end there was only one outcome that came to mind."
Dist then says, "Oh, really? What did your grand vision bring to you my, AH!"
Before he can even finish his sentence, Kira has fired a powerful bolt of lighting to blast Dist into the wall! Dist then struggles to gasp out a frantic,"What are you doing? You're making a mistake!"
Kira just continues to blast Dist as he coldly says,"Spare me your pitiful denial, I know you leaked the data to Ben Auro and instructed him to give it to Jade! Did you really think I would not be aware of Jade uploading your disc into the main databanks of Hallowed Bastion? You forget, I am aware of all data transactions in the entire Lylat Kingdom, nothing gets past me! How irritating, I did not think you would give up our aims so easily. Even though you turned against Van for your own agenda, I thought you would be wiser than to think you could trick me, Dist. A pity, for that will be your last mistake."
Dist just laughs and says,"It's you who should be wiser than to think this plan of yours can be pulled off. As wacky as Van's plan was, it at least was the logical choice when all things were taken into account. But you, Commandant Kira, you really think you can not just reshape the structure and nature of the entire cosmos? And they say I am crazy. That is why I tipped Jade off, he, Luke, and all those other perky Enji seem better off in charge than you and, maybe it was one last moment of help for a friend."
Kira stops his electrical assault and begins to laugh before saying,"
After everything you have done and hated Jade for so long, now you have a guilty conscious? How pathetic. You're just another worm that will crawl to whoever will feed him."
Dist laughs and says," Even a worm has his pride, and while I still detest Jade for ruining my plans to revive professor Nebilim, I still would rather not see him and the others be tricked by your little plan. For you see, for all our differences, I will give Jade credit for forcing me to see that not all people are the same, even those made to be replicas of another. You will never be able to pull it off, Kira; the universe will never rally behind your ideals."
Kira just begins to look furious, as he says,"How sad, clearly you lost what is left of your mind. Of course, people will never understand. They are too foolish and weak too and that is why the only choice is for them to be forced to deal with it and then understand later! Only I, the one who has come to understand what is truly best for this universe. As long as weak minded people like you who let their emotions interfere with their judgment are around, things will never change. And that is why Dist, despite the great contributions you have done to speed up my goals, I am afraid that you are no longer needed!"
Kira's energy flares up as he then fires a powerful dark energy blast from his hand to disintegrate Dist and his chair into dust! As the blast goes through a few walls, Master Chief and the others step back, shocked, but Kira just calmly turns around and darkly says," Inform King Atem and the Grand Master that Dist was caught betraying us and has been promptly executed."
He then sees what remains of Dist's glasses, and walks over to crush them with his boots, before activating his wrist communicator and saying, "Gin, I have a new assignment for you. Go over all staff on the Titans and monitor their recent movements. You have my permission to bring judgment on anyone with suspicious activity."
He then looks outside to look down on the planet before him, and says, "I have come too close to putting my plan into action for any weak-hearted fool to stop me now. But now I must make sure everything goes down perfectly. Luckily, I have planned for all possible outcomes. All that remains is for Ben Auro to complete his mission, and I doubt he will fail. After all, the stage is set for him. Now, time to dress up the actors for their roles. You can send them in now."
Kira turns around and the doors open, as two new men enter. It's none other than the two new punks following Brad that both got one-shotted by Ben, Ryan, and Alex! Both of them were ordered to report to Kira's ship as soon as they woke up from Ben's punch, and at the moment they both salute Kira, as he says," Ah, Ryan Gravamen and Alex Princeton. Both of you have joined a month ago."
Alex then tips his hat and says, "I heard about how hardcore you are, Commandant Kira. I just want to say we are grateful you noticed the aces in the holes and chose us!"
Kira then says, "Yes, I do have a knack for spotting key players when I see them."
Alex then grins and says, "That is for sure, once you teach us your secret killer moves, we will be unstoppable! Hey, most of all, I can't wait to give that cocky punk, Ben, some medicine for his behavior!"
Kira then chuckles and responds with a shrewd"Medicine, I doubt that. However, you may be able to give him something that is needed for him to fully embrace his true nature."
He then takes out his sword and when the two see it glow they both back up, and Ryan widens his eyes before he tensely emits,"Hey, what's the deal?"
Kira looks emotionless as he responds with a plane, "To sum it up, looking over the talents of you two, it would be a miracle for you two to be Enji . That is why I will show you my generosity and give your lives some purpose!"
A large flash of light breaks out of Kira's blade!
The light is so bright that as Ben and Hiryuumon land down on the surface of the planet, he can see the light all the way up there! Hiryuumon then says,"What do you think that was, boss? Looks like it came back from the ship."
Ben just looks at the swampy jungle path they are in, and looks at the hologram map Kira gave him with his destination locked. He then moves forward and says," Whatever it is, it's meaningless to us. All that I am concerned with is finding the shrine. Then at last I will have my full power, and I will have the power I need to reach my dream. Let's get moving, Hiryuumon."
Ben then pauses before he adds," In any case, let's get moving, this place smells horrible. There does not seem to be any clear path, but I guess we will just have to make our own, before we get the attention of, huh? Sigh, never mind, it is too late. "
Ben then hears a roar and begins to see the swamp in front of him have a large amount of bubbles come out of it. Soon enough, a house sized Rancor emerges, and looks angry at Ben! It roars right at him, but Ben just takes out his Star Sword and says,"Great, it smells even worse now. Move aside, I have no time to play games."
The Rancor then prepares to swing its massive claw at Ben, and our hero just sighs, as he catches the massive claw with ease, before throwing the Rancor sky high! He then says, "Sigh, why do I bother warning stupid monsters? Come on, let's move on, before we get even more side shows."
His Digimon pal nods and they begin to move out through the swampy jungle. On the way, Ben sees many more monsters waiting for him like more rancors, creepy one eyed winged Ahriman monsters, the slimy Flans and the very ugly and dangerous Malboro monsters among many others.
However, no matter what stands before Ben, he shows he is in no mood to play monster rancher, as he destroys them all with one swift strike and keeps moving forward! After a half hour of this, Ben and Hiryuumon at last find a clearing under some trees that look like it leads to a cave. Remembering that Kira told him the shrine was underneath a cave, Ben shrugs and says,"Good, Kira for once was straight with us."
Hiryuumon then adds a eager, "Glad to see things are going smoothly, this place makes me feel weird, boss. And it's more than just the smell! I had this creepy feeling ever since we landed on this planet."
Ben looks around and retorts with a grave, "That must because of the heavy amount of darkness this world is filled with. It's nothing to fear, right, Hiryuumon? After all, I am the destroyer of the darkness, and even an entire planet drenched with the energy of the dark side will not scare me! You think that they would learn that it's pointless to stop me, but then again bad guys are pretty stubborn. Ah, and it looks like here is more proof of that, smell that, Hiryuumon?"
Hiryuumon takes a waft with his good nose and growls before saying, "Oh yeah, whoever is trying to sneak up on us is in for a nasty surprise!"
Ben then sees the figures he was sensing step out of the shadows. The figures look like green humanoid beings and Ben guesses that they are the natives of the planet. Ben then also sees that Kira was correct calling them savages, as they all are wearing what looks like tribal outfits and holding large spears and knives. One of them that look like the leader steps forward and begins to speak in a language not known to Ben. Luckily for the Enji, the built in translator on his wristband is able to translate it, and from it Ben hears,"Trespasser, you are stepping foot on our forbidden grounds. For defying our scared ground, we shall feast on your bones."
Ben sees the others all yell out in excitement, before they begin to jump up and down. Ben just raises a eyebrow before he quips out a sarcastic, "You want to eat me? That is rather rude for an introduction, but that will explain all the bones I saw lying around here. Tsc, I don't know if you can understand me, but I will give you one warning, lay a finger on me and you're going to pay. I don''t want to fight you so just get out of my way and no one will get hurt."
It seems that either the man did not understand him or did not care, and motions his large spear at Ben. Our hero then sees four of the men charge at him and he powers up his magic energy before having the Star Sword glow and saying,"Fine, if you don't understand my words, then I'll just have to make it VERY clear what my actions will be!"
He then has his energy surround him and unleashes a crescent shaped energy sword wave, carving up the ground so deep that the bottom can't be seen! This causes the attackers to stop in their tracks and the chief then begins to say,"What, you use magic, trespasser? You must be an evil spirit!"
Ben just rolls his eyes and responds with a sour, "You really all don't get out much. Oh well, I still won't accept your ignorance as an excuse to try and eat me."
The leader just responds by barking a loud, "Fine, then, we will just have to kill you with our full power!"
He then takes out a horn and blows it hard. Ben then hears another large roar and hears the ground shaking. He turns to the right and sees an enormous grey dragon called the Krayt Dragon emerge, being ridden by a sort of tamer! As Ben sees the dragon charge at him, he looks at the cave entrance and says, "I don't have time for this. Hiryuumon, do me a favor and get rid of these guys for me?"
Hiryuumon nods and says, "Not a problem, boss! Alright guys, I'll show you who is the top dog! Err, I mean dragon! Hiryuumon Digivole to, Wyrmmon!"
The digimon then glows with light, before once more transforming to his champion stage level and emerging in his much larger form! Wyrmmon then roars himself and flies into the air before saying, "Alright, it's fighting time! Let's see if I can blow some of that bad smell out of here! Magma Cyclone!"
Wyrmmon then fires a powerful fire storm at the larger dragon that causes the Krayt dragon to respond by blocking with its wings and causing the deflected fire to rain down on the other savages!
As they all run in panic from the fire rain, Ben calmly walks to the cave. As he is about to walk in, a burned off tree branch is about to fall on him, but he calmly holds out his free hand and uses his magic energy to stop it in mid air and hurl it at one of the tribesmen!
He then cynically mutters, "I don't like harming the environment much, but it's their fault for being so stubborn. All the more reason to get off this dump of a world as soon as possible. Just hope this is the last batch of brainless natives that get in my, AH!"
Just as Ben walks into the cave, all of a sudden the ground falls underneath him and his legs are caught in a kind of bear trap, as his legs get hit by spikes! Ben uses his magic aura at the last second to avoid critical damage, but he still feels pain and he says to himself,"Damn it, I was careless! Even savages know how to be sneaky, huh?"
He then sees four more of the tribesmen as well as the leader from before, all rushing to impale him at once and Ben's anger explodes, before his eyes widen to have a enraged look and he screams out a furious ,"Don't touch me! RAH!"
He then creates a shock wave using his magic aura to blow the would be attackers into the wall of the cave hard, and at the same time blast apart the metal trap on his legs! He then sees the five holes in the cave wall he made and breathes hard before saying,"Why does everyone have to always stand against me? No matter what it seems, I am destined to get the rough end of the stick, that is until I at last have the power to change my destiny! Well, at least this cave is sturdy."
Ben then turns around to see Wyrmmon still fighting against the Krayt dragon and as he sees his partner slash back the attackers tail with his Dragon's fury attack, Ben says, "Wyrmmon seems to have that fight under control, so I guess I can leave it to him to wrap things up here. Alright, hope you laid out the welcome mat, Gilgamesh, because any minute now I'll be ready for another test of yours!"
Ben then dashes at full speed through the cave and is relieved when, after only a minute of moving at full speed, he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. Ben slows down as he walks out of the other end, and sees a much different area than when on the other end.
Ben sees the giant cathedral like shrine Kira described right in front of him, the hidden area of Bast Castle. Even though it's clear it's ancient, it still manages to maintain a strong presence. Ben sees to the sides of the shine what seems like a Mausoleum of sorts as Ben notices giant statues of various impressive looking figures and as he walks forward he says, "Well, it seems even if it's ruins now, this used to be a big place. It's odd though, I thought that a place holding something of the light side would not be surrounded by the darkness so heavily. Oh well, must have had something like a meteor impact or a great war to change it.
Whatever, I'll look into it next time I am looking up history, now it's time to make my own! Now hope the door is unlocked, but even if it's locked, I'll just use the Star Sword to open it up, like last time. Ah, looks like that will be the case, so it's time for some déjà vu."
Ben then sees a platform in front of the large doors that resembles the ones he used his Star Sword on to open a path before, so once again he takes out the celestial blade and holds it in front of the door. He then sees a red light glow, but the only response after that is a dark fog enveloping the area! Ben then hears a deep voice come out of nowhere and says, "Warrior of light, what is your purpose ?"
Ben tenses up before he responds with, "What are you, a part of the system or another idiot who wants to be sent flying? Not going to say, huh? Very well, I'll play your game. I am Ben Auro, in case you have been living under a rock, I am the one chosen by the celestial ones to wield the Star Sword and save the cosmos by defeating the forces of darkness.
I have gathered the other crystal shards of the Star Sword that let it reach its full power from places like this throughout the galaxies. And now I have come here to at last complete the sword and fulfill my destiny." Ben is caught off guard when he hears the voice chuckle as it says,"Your confidence is amusing. Tell us; just what is your greatest desire if you would possess the power that would make you the strongest in the universe?"
Ben then says, "I just told you, I am going to use it to save the cosmos, prevent the supreme god of darkness Chaos Zannacross Necron from being resurrected by his demonic zealots, and become the greatest hero of all!"
The voice laughs again and responds with a dire,"Is that really the true desire of your heart? You cannot deceive us, Ben Auro, we can sense darkness from everything and we can surely sense your deep dark wish, no matter how hard you suppress it!"
Ben then powers up his aura again and says,"Again with the mind games? I am tired of everyone trying to trick me! You can't fool me, now are you going to open up, or do I have to cut my own entrance?"
The voice then laughs again and retorts with a vindictive," Fine then, if you will not admit your true desire, then you will just have to be swallowed up by the darkness regardless!"
Ben then has his blade glow again as he says," Pretty tough talk from a voice with no body. Nice try, but I've dealt with much more powerful and intimidating beings, so if you don't mind, I think I'll just go along and ignore you. Huh, what the, the darkness, its energy is spiking!"
Ben then sees all the statues in the Mausoleum glow with red energy before beams of energy blast out of them, before merging together in front of Ben!
The energy then takes shape into what seems like a man. This man is covered entirely in black armor and a cape. His face is covered with both a helmet and an evil samurai style mask. Ben sees that the man has some machinery on his chest and can also hear some kind of mechanical breathing from the man. Ben does not know who this man is, but any Star Wars fan will!
Ben does not know it, but he is looking at a phantom of the most renown and feared dark lord of the sith, Darth Vader himself!
At once the dark lord takes out his light saber and as a pillar of red energy appears, he points the blade at Ben and says,"You don't know the power of the dark side. If you will not embrace your destiny, you will be destroyed!"
The dark foe lunges at Ben to strike and our hero dodges just in time, as Vader slashes a pillar in half! Ben then gets into fighting stance and stands his ground as he firmly says,"So, that is your true form, huh? Very well, looks like I have another test to crush!"
Vader then gets into his own fighting stance and says,"You are foolish to think you can so easily defeat the darkness. But I will now erase your annoyance."
Ben then snaps back with a exasperated, "When will people finally stop underestimating me? Do I have to beat a planet full of you freaks? If that is what it takes, then so be it!"
Ben then charges at Darth Vader and goes to strike, but his blade is quickly blocked by Vader's light saber. Despite his clunky appearance, the villain is faster than he looks, and meets Ben blow per blow!
( In case you've forgotten I'll just remind you all that in this dimension warriors can use their magic energy to power up their weapons with enough power to match the power of light sabers and the sort, just in case you're wondering why Vader 's strikes won't just cut Ben's blade in half, anyway, back to the show! )
Ahem, Ben and Vader exchange blows for a minute and so far land in the range of a stale mate. However, after that Ben gets frustrated and backs up before channeling his power and saying," Bah, some ghost is not going to slow me down. You're so big on darkness, but let's see how well you deal with the light!"
Ben then jumps into the air and fires a barrage of light blue energy blasts at the Sith lord.
However, Vader simply deflects the blasts heading his way and then motions his free hand to begin to lift stray objects from around the area and hurl them at Ben. Ben sees a giant pillar and a bolder dashing for him and throws his Star Sword like a boomerang at them to cut apart them both! However, then Ben sees Vader knows how to flash step as well, as he is right above him in midair ready to slice off Ben's head!
Ben just manages to move aside as Vader hits the ground so hard that Ben witnesses the ground before him shatter!
As Ben re summons his Star Sword into his hand, Vader says, "Your skills are strong. But it takes more than mere power to survive. A confused divided heart, no matter how strong, will never amount to anything."
Ben then responds with a determined, "That is what you think, but giving into the darkness is only for weaklings. And as you are about to learn, I am not weak! Shining Flare Slash!"
Vader then sees Ben charge up his Star sword with magic energy before he charges at him. Vader then reacts with a coy, "Impressive, but you're wide open."
Vader then holds out his hand again and uses his power to immobilize Ben! He lifts Ben into the air and then throws his Light saber at Ben, and it slashes right into him! However, as Ben lands on the ground, the dark lord is in for a shock, as he sees Ben's figure turn into an impaled pillar, revealing that Ben used the substitution magic beforehand!
Ben then makes his presence known and jumps out of a nearby statue, before charging up his energy and saying,"Oh yes, did I mention I am also craftier than I look? Too late, Shinryukenha!"
Ben fires off his now trademark energy beam right at Darth Vader, and the foe sees the attack coming before saying,"Most impressive." Vader does not have time to dodge or deflect the blast and is hit dead on as it causes a massive explosion with him at the center! Ben lands on the ground and sees the smoke rising and remains on guard before saying,"
So, I wonder if he got the message? Huh, oh well guess not."
Ben then sees from the fire his opponent walking out. Ben sees his foe did not escape the blast unharmed, as his armor is burned and his cape is torn up. However, he acts like nothing has happened, and says,"You have great power and talent. However, even so, you cannot outrun the darkness. Nothing can."
Ben then looks annoyed before he responds with,"Why should I believe yet another slave of evil? It's not like your sales pitch is that enticing anyway."
Vader continues to walk forward and says,"Be that as it may, it's the truth. The dark side covers the entire cosmos's actions, even yours."
Ben then charges at Vader again and goes to attack while saying, "You sound just as much in love with darkness as Xehamaru, but you can't fool me, my actions are to bring justice and happiness to all those suffering under your kind!"
Ben then thrusts at Vader, but is shocked to find the dark lord grab the tip of the sword with his hand and lift Ben into the air! Ben sees right into the blank eyes of the foe as he says,"Oh really? You may say that to others, but I can see deep down into your soul. You claim to want to be a hero and defend others, but deep down all you really wanted was the power to have a life of importance that would get others to notice your existence. You wanted the power to destroy those that wronged you and others like them, hardly a selfless dream."
Ben then tries to break out of Vader's hold and says, "Shut up, you're wrong. I am fighting for the side of justice and light! Sure, I have my own reasons, but so does everyone!"
Vader then responds with a dark,"You can continue to deny your true nature or embrace the truth and unleash your true power! It's foolish to think you can fool anyone any longer." Ben then says," Enough!"
He then digs down and unleashes all of his power to blow Vader off him, and before his foe can move, he dashes in front of Vader and punches him hard, so hard he shatters the dark lord's mask! As Ben ends his combo with a kick to hit Vader back, he then says,"You think you know me? You don't know anything about me!"
Ben then hears Darth Vader laugh, and the laugh is much different with his mask destroyed. He then emits a deranged,"Of course I know, you fool. Do you want to know why?"
Ben then gets his answer when he sees the true face of his foe, and is horrified to see it's his own face, but with his eyes yellow and the man laughs madly before saying," Because I am you! HAhaha! You can't hide from me; I am your true nature, your true desires! Accept me, accept what you really are, and stop fooling everyone!
Ben then is shocked before beginning to freak out and saying,"No, I am not you! There is no way I will ever degrade myself to become like you! No matter how bad things get, I won't turn to the dark side. I am a hero, and not evil! Now DIE!"
He then fires another powerful energy blast from his hand to consume the ghostly fusion of Darth Vader and himself and the figure is propelled in to the air before it blows through the two large temple doors and causing an even larger shock-wave! Ben then trembles a little before griping the Star Sword hard and saying, " No matter what, I won't fail my dreams. I can't allow myself to become a bigger failure then I all ready am. Anyone that tries to get in my way will. Huh, think you can sneak up on me!"
Ben prepares to fire another blast, when he sees that it's his pal, Wyrmmon! Wyrmmon looks surprised and says, "Whoa it's me, boss! Sorry I was late, it took a while, but those creeps got the message that you can't mess with us! What is going on? You encounter those traitors?"
Ben takes a deep breath and says, "No, just some odd figure that must have been a sort of security. For what was some ancient fog hurdled together, he was powerful. I am surprised you did not sense him with all his power."
Wyrmmon looks confused and smells around before saying," What kind of guy was he? He must have been a machine, Ben, the only one I smelled here was you. In fact, when I got here, you're the only one I saw!"
Ben then looks puzzled for a second before responding with a baffled,"Oh, really? That is strange, well maybe you got here just as I beat him."
His friend looks worried and says,"After this, you need a vacation, boss. You have been way too stressed out lately."
Ben then laughs sadly for a second, before bitterly responding with, "Oh, I wish so, Wyrmmon. But evil won't wait while I rest. I have to keep fighting, until the end.
Come, I made an opening, so let's get out of this annoying humid weather and come for what we need."
Ben then dashes into the shrine, with Wyrmmon right behind him.
Ben enters and sees that at first it looks like nothing special. He then senses a power and sees it's from a path that leads to the basement floor so he promptly goes down for him. On the way, Ben runs into various traps, but like before, whether it's a collapsing ceiling, poison gas leaks, or a barrage of hidden spiked arrows, Ben has come too far back to be stopped now and breaks any obstacle before him. After a while, the duo makes it to the deeper part of the shrine and Ben soon sees a room full of mirrors. Wyrmmon then sees this and says," Did they misplace a room that was supposed to be in a carnival or something? Because if so it's not fitting the mood."
Ben looks around and sees that the ceiling is a giant mirror as well and says, "Maybe they are trying to confuse us? In any case, it's most likely a trap, so be on guard for any monsters that might try and launch a sneak attack. Also, look for anything that might be a key out of this maze. Ah, like that!"
Ben sees a larger mirror stand out from the others and walks over to it, he then takes out the Star Sword again and says,"Hey, after all the other crazy tests, they think a few mirrors can scare me? Oh well, time to reach the final test! Huh, what is that? A monster? No, it's more like a voice, but where is it coming from?"
Ben then hears what seems like a whisper turn into laughter. And soon Ben hears the laughter get louder, until a light flashes by and all of a sudden takes shape on the mirrors in front of him! Ben is shocked as he sees the images of Larxene, Rick, and Max all take form!
Wyrmmon then responds with a disturbed, "What the, isn't that guy the one who Max killed, your former friend?And what is he doing with Lisa and Max?"
Ben is startled for a second before laughing and saying,"Hah, pretty clever, but not very well thought out. It seems this mirror can reflect memories. However, it's nothing but an illusion of traitors. And if whoever is being a wise guy thinks illusions can fool me, they are wrong!"
The image of Rick then laughs and cackles out a sarcastic,"That's a good one, Ben! Accept that you were always pretty naive, you always were oblivious to what was around you. No wonder Bruce and Moe got fed up with you. Hell, you were not even aware how bad I was fooling you till death was staring you in the face!"
Ben then gets mad and snaps back with, "You think you're funny? Because you're just being annoying!"
The image of Larxene then laughs and adds a sultry,"Oh, the only thing funny around here is you, darling! It was a riot how badly you wanted to make things work between us, even when you had no shot from the get go! You thought you finally found someone that loved you? Ha! All you found was someone who knew how to play you like a fiddle!"
Ben gets even madder and says, "You think you're so great, then come out of your hiding place, so we can finish that fight you ran away from!"
The image of Max laughs at this and "You were always the same. You can never see anything accept for what is right in front of you. With such a naïve mind, it's no wonder you will continue to be betrayed over and over again! You will never be able to truly be my equal! After all, anyone who is not a man but a dog could never hope to be on the level as me!"
Ben then grasps his fist tightly before he rasps out a defensive,"Max, even you were a liar. But I don't need you! I'll show you that I have surpassed even you! And then I will at last show you and everyone else that I am truly worthy of being the greatest Enji Knight!"
Ben then hears another laugh, and to his great annoyance, the image of Brad appears above them and he bellows out a rowdy,"Oh, shut up already! No one cares about your pathetic dreams! Your loser talk won't impress anyone! You're just trying to act tough to try and hide how pathetic you are! "
Ben is clutching his teeth at this point and as his face turns red he seethes out,"Brad, your day is coming. I can't wait for our rematch to show you that no matter how much brute strength you have, next time it won't be enough to save you! Huh? No way!"
Ben then sees an image of Lacus appear above all of them and she just gives Ben a cold look before she says,"Ben, you keep thinking all you have to do is get stronger. But when will you learn that no matter how much stronger you become, it will never change how I feel? No matter what you do, you are who you are. And the path you have chosen is one you will walk alone."
Ben is taken aback, before getting even more upset and says,"Lacus, no, this is enough! I had it with this trick! No matter what you try to do, you're not going to stop me! I'll show you all what I can do! Huh, now what?"
Ben then hears a new sinister laugh and a new image appears in the center, and it's none other than Xehamaru! The dreaded deceased villain laughs madly and says,"After all this time, you still fail to see how pointless your struggles are, Ben Auro? It's like I have said all along! You will never achieve anything, but misery in your vain little struggle! No matter how hard you try, you cannot change your destiny. You only have two choices, Warrior of light. Submit to the new era of darkness, or die a miserable lonely death!"
Ben then can't take it anymore and as he sees everyone laughing at him at once, he screams out a frantic,"QUIET! All of you are laughing at me, but I'll show you all! I am not a failure; I am an Enji, a hero! No matter what anyone says, you're all just trying to trick me. And I won't forgive anyone of you for trying to hurt me! NO matter how many of you doubt me, I'll show you all what I can really do! RAH!"
Ben's anger explodes and his magic aura goes out of control, as he causes it to create a massive shock wave that shatters all the mirrors! The images of everyone are gone, and with that, Ben sees a spiral staircase! Ben sees this and takes a few jagged breaths before he says,"Enough, I had it with everyone thinking I am trash. Ill show them all, who I really am."
Ben is about to move forward when he hears a snicker in front of him before a gruff voice says," You got it all wrong boy, its not everyone who won't see you, its you who won't admit who you really are!"
Ben tenses up as he hears footsteps, but then just gets baffled as he sees that its his father! Ben just rolls his eyes at this point before he seethes out," Give me a break, no way for a second that you can pass off that my dad is here. Someone like him could never pull this off."
Ben's father, or at least who ever is mimicking his father just snorts before he leans forward and says," What's the matter son, its just that hard to give your old man any credit? God damn it boy, I am sick of your lack of respect! Your my son, you have my DNA so what ever you can do I can sure as hell do!"
Ben grasps the Star Sword as he jabs it back with," Oh please, I have your genes but its mixed with mom's and that combo means I am not fated to be like you! No matter what, ill prove I can do more then you."
Ben's phantom dad just grins widely before he says," Damn it Ben, your just hurting yourself by defying fate. Just admit it, your my son, and your fate is the fate of the Auro family. I always told you that you would just make things worst by struggling to resist. Your not special, your just a everyday kept trying to win over Lacus when she was out of your league. Face it boy, you should just be happy with what you got. "
Ben's fury escalates as he jabs his finger and says," How many times do I have to tell you that I will never expect that! I know that I don't have to settle like you dad. God damn it I don't even know why I am even arguing this, I all ready proved I am a hero, and that I can go a lot farther then you!"
Ben's dad just laughs even louder as he reacts with a crass," I thought I could go further then my pops to but you saw how that turned out eh boy? Face it, you can spend your life trying to reach what you will never have or you can just expect what you got. Those big fancy dreams and hopes you have are just wasting your time Ben. Just give up with the big hero act, and just settle for being a normal guy. When you just expect that your life is what it is, everything feels better, the tension just floats away, because there is no future to aspire to, just the moment. Just expect it son, expect the moment that is your life and you will be a lot happier.
Ben gets right at his fathers face as he responds with a furious," Never, I can never expect that, because I hated my life as it was! I hate being a nobody, I hate being nothing. I am not nothing any more though, I just have to push a little harder and ill be able to prove to everyone in the universes that my destiny to be the savior is legit." Ben's dad responds with another sneer before he lashes back with a jaded,"You can fight all you want Ben, but your just a guy like me, your my son. Face it, expect who you are, and just embrace what your life is and then you will be happy. After all, you can fight it all you want but you can't fight fate."
Ben's anger is at its boiling point and the owner of the Star Sword expresses this by yelling out and suddenly grasping his dad by the throat and lifting him up with one hand! Despite this whatever entity is mimicking Ben's father just looks amused as he rasps out," You can throw whatever tantrum you want boy, but your just a child who refuses to expect things. Like I keep saying, no matter how hard you resist your still you. If others don't like what you are then you will just have to deal with that, and find where you belong.
When you give up all theses pointless dreams of yours and expect that your a normal guy and enjoy just having a normal life where you talk with normal folks and do normal stuff for most of your life, even if you suffer you should just enjoy that this is what you were suppose to be. After all, its better knowing where you stand then just wasting time with stupid hopes that will never go anywhere right boy? Now stop with this hero and love nonsense and help me run the god damn business all ready so you can be what your suppose to be, a every man grunt!"
Ben's dad laughs again and the Enji shows he has reached his limit with this as his aura explodes and he says," Shut up, SHUT UP!"
With that Ben slashes the Star Sword right through the image that is his father, and even as the being shatters in to thousands of glass fragments Ben's father's laugh echo's across the area! Wyrmmon sees this and just gulps before he says," Man what the hell is up with this place? You ok boss? Good thing that was not really your dad right? You almost looked like you wanted to kill your dad there!"
Ben just glances at the digimon and sweeps some glass fragments off his shoulder before he responds to his Digimon partner with a dark," Real or not, time to forever prove to my dad and all other doubters on just what I can do. I am sick of theses games, good thing I can feel immense energy close by. That has to be the fragment. At last, the path to the end awaits. They are all wrong. I am not alone, I have real friends. Those that fought alongside me, those that still have not turned against me, that is. They are the reason I still have something to believe in, that all my pain was not just to amuse a bunch of people that are mocking me. In any case, I have come this far, I won't turn back now. Come on Wyrmmon, I have a sword to complete."
Wyrmmon nods and the two walk up the stars and saw some sort of throne. Ben saw a cracked light, looked around, motioned to Wyrmmon before he pressed it. It flickered for a few moments before a hologram popped out, leaving the static image of a old man who's face was covered in a dark hood. Ben paused, and noticed instantly how intense the man looked despite his age before the hologram said," Raise Lord Vader."
Ben blinked, looked around and realized this was a recording before he braced himself as the imperial looking man continued." I know you been tested by Xior's insolence, but I wanted you to be rewarded for your efforts. With Xizor dead a associate of his and Black Sun, A Belphagos, provided this gem to me as a apologize for not seeing Xizor's treachery. So far nothing indicates he was involved with the plot so I"ll allow him to monitor the remains of Black Sun for us.
This gem, is no mere kyber crystal, it might be related to the notes Darth Plagueis left behind. Guard this well...for this will lead us closer to the Sith's ultimate victory then the Death Star ever will. We will discuss this more on Endor my friend, and soon this galaxy, and all others will forever see ruler and Palpatine as one and the same. "
Emperor Palpatine let out a cackle full of malice before the hologram cut off. Wyrmmon saw the door open and winced before he wagged his tail." Are we sure this is a good idea boss? If a creepy guy like that wants this then something's really creepy here!"
Ben paused before he grasped his fist." It just means that he was trying to keep something from Luke Skywalker or something. Either way, I come this far to turn back now Wyrmmon, lets go."
Ben then enters through the door and sees a room that looks familiar to him; he has entered the central chamber of the shrine, the crystal room at last! However, Ben sees that this chamber is different than the others, this room has all the panels that have an eerie red look to them, making for a darker atmosphere. Ben then looks around and says, "At least this place looks the same, except for the different color. Alright, let's do this. Gilgamesh, you here?
Come on, come out already, I am tired! It's been a while, maybe he is doing something. Well, this summoned him before."
Ben then points his Star Sword at the altar and it begins to glow. But Ben does not get the reaction he is aiming for, when all of a sudden, the crystal wall in front of him explodes! From the smoke, Ben all of a sudden senses two power levels and he hears a voice brashly say, "Well, looks like we did not make it in time after all, oh well, guess I'll have to get my hands dirty after all!"
Ben then hears the new arrivals laugh and gets on edge as he mutters, "What the, that's not part of the trial! So, you two are the two who thought you could get away with betraying the Enji Knights? Whoever you guys are, you better surrender now, or otherwise I am going to, what the? No, no it can't be! "
Ben then sees the two figures emerge out of the smoke, and is horrified when he sees they are Doug and James! Doug then cracks his knuckles while he gives a lopsided smile and casually says,"Hey buddy, what's with the long face? Don't tell me you're not excited to see us!"
Ben steps back and is shocked while reacting with a mortified,"Doug, James? You were the traitors? No, this is impossible! You were planning behind my back with Larxene all this time?"
James then laughs and responds with a wry, "Don't put us in the same league with her. We had a much better plan. We joined the Enji Knights in pursuit of power, and waited for the right moment to make our move. Me and Doug were in league from the start, we just kept it a secret from everyone till we made our move. And now that time is at hand. With this power we will make ourselves a force to be recognized with, and force the Zannacross Empire to make us a part of the glorious new era of darkness!"
Ben's shock is grown even larger as he says,"Are you guys nuts!? You want the last crystal shard for yourself? It won't even work for you, it only responds to the chosen wielder, me!"
James then takes out his Quincy energy bow and responds with a cold,"That is simple enough. All we have to do is kill you and become its new owners!"
Ben then sees the two power up their magic energies and Ben feels a lump in his throat as he says, "Guys, are you kidding me? This has to be a bad joke, right? Whoa!"
Ben then gets his answer when he sees a barrage of energy arrows head his way! Ben at once dodges them only to see Doug right above him saying, "Sorry Ben, but it's the cold hard truth! Looks like you got played again! Thousand Steel Hurricane kicks!"
Ben is barraged with a furious storm of kicks that hit Ben hard! The end result of Doug's combo hurls Ben to the floor with a big thud, and Doug lands on the ground smiling evilly, while responding with a sarcastic,"What can I say? I guess you're just fated for betrayal. It would almost be sad if it weren't so funny!"
Ben coughs up blood as he stares at Doug and James trying not to have tears come out of his eyes as he says," Even, even you guys were just using me? Is, is there anyone who was not lying to me? Is there even any meaning behind friendship?"
James then laughs wryly and answers with,"As you keep saying, you're the hero who is supposed to be the savior of the cosmos; it's your fate to be alone."
As Ben deflects James's energy arrows, Doug once again closes into kick him and Ben blocks his armored kick as Doug says," Heh, after all, why bother being loyal to someone who is going to end up dying, to take down the ultimate evil! You wanted to be a hero, then die as one! But we are going to live and thrive with power! Hammer of Might!"
Doug channels his energy into his fist and prepares to hammer his former pal. However, Wyrmmon reminds everyone he is here when he head butts Doug into the wall! He then says," Doug, boss, stop it! We are all friends! We should not be fighting!"
Doug rebounds and says, "Sorry man, it's been fun. But it's survival of the fitness! You would be wise to side with the winners, Wyrmmon."
Wyrmmon then bares his fangs before he snarls out,"No! I will stand by the boss, no matter what! Wyrmmon digviole to, Geno Wyrmmon!"
As he transforms into his next stage, James sees the now larger armored dragon staring them down, he then re-positions his glasses before he says, "Even with these odds, we hold the cards."
Ben then powers up his aura and says, "If you really want to go down with this, then bring it on, I won't let anyone beat me!"
He then charges at Doug to slash at him and Doug then finds himself avoiding several powerful slashes. Geno Wyrmmon then flies above him and says, "I am going to smash some sense into you! Striking Crusher Claw!"
He then hits Doug hard and sends him through a pillar! James fires a powerful pricing energy arrow to blast the Digimon while his back is down, but Ben then flash steps in front of him and kicks him hard in the head to send him into the other backstabber! As the smoke clears, Ben remains on guard, and says,"Give it up! There is no way you can win. Just give up now, I don't want things to end any worse than they have to. If you surrender now, just maybe you can avoid your judgments' being death."
From the smoke, the rubble is blown away by Ben's former squad mate's magic energy, and they both laugh as they emerge from the rubble. Doug then cracks his neck before he says,"I don't think so, the only judgment being brought down is on you! No one is ruining our plans, and not even you can stop us. Time to get serious, fury aura!"
Doug's magic aura explodes as energy forms around his gauntlets and grieves. James then grins and says,"Yes, it's time we cut apart the ties that bind us! Ginrei Kojkyak!"
James then unleashes his full power as well and Ben sees this and says, "Guys, stop this! I don't, want to fight you!"
Doug then charges at Ben and retorts with a vicious, "Too bad, because we don't mind at all! Bursting Machine Gun punch!"
Doug then launches a barrage of powerful punches at Ben, but Geno Wyrmmon gets in the way and blocks the strike with his armored arms before charging up for his own strike and saying,"If you think we are just going to roll over and let you guys beat us, you have another thing coming! Trinity Fury Cannon!"
The Digimon fires off his powerful energy attack, but Doug just uppercuts it into the wall before saying,"That level of attack is not going to slow me down! Time you take a nap! Acrobat locus!"
Doug then unleashes a barrage of punches and kicks that strike so fast that his target can't even move, before Doug blasts him through a wall! As he comes crashing down, Ben says, "Geno Wyrmmon! AH!"
He then gets blasted in the shoulder by an energy arrow and, as he falls to the ground, James is in front of him, aiming his evolved Quincy bow at Ben's head, while saying,"
You know what they say, Ben, nothing lasts forever. Things change and trying to hold on to anything is pointless. The only thing that really matters is strength. And since you're too weak, you will never be able to hang on to anything. If anything, hate yourself for being so weak that no bonds can stick to you."
Ben then tries to get on his feet as he says,"No, I won't let it end like this!"
From the side Doug begins to power up again and charges at him while saying,"Sorry buddy, but this is the end of the line! Don't feel too bad, after all, it's all you could amount to anyway! Sanjuu no Kiwami!"
James then powers up as well and adds," Good night, hero. Steel Shinder!"
Doug and James then prepare to do Ben in with their trademark attacks! However, Ben then hardens his resolve and powers up, while saying, "No, I won't die! I will never forgive you two, for betraying me! Bankai!"
He unleashes his full power and blows the two back with the resulting shock-wave. He then emerges with his sword transformed and his aura now golden and stares down at the two before saying, "This is your last warning, guys! Doug, James, was our friendship a lie? Were all the battles we fought together, meaningless?"
Doug chuckles and says," Of course not! After all, fighting beside you for so long made sure we knew all the flaws in your attacks! And now Bankai or no Bankai, you can't beat us!"
Ben's fury surges and he looks down at the ground before he quietly says, "I see, so you made your choice. If that is the case, then I won't show you mercy! I won't let anyone that tricks me get away with it!"
Doug then charges at Ben and responds with a dismissive," Big talk, but let's see how far you are willing to go to back it up! Shitenshuu!"
Doug then prepares to finish Ben with his ultimate ability! However, Ben powers up as well and shows Doug he is not playing around when he dodges the blow and appears behind Doug, while saying,"I'll show you just how far my will to survive is. This is the end, traitor! Divine Flare Edge!"
Ben unleashes all his energy as a powerful energy infused stab! Doug tries to block it with his gauntlet, but Ben's attack is so powerful that it slices right through it, and slashes into Doug in the chest hard! Doug is blown back with the massive wound and James at once aims his bow before saying,"You really are serious. Figures that in the end, all you really care about is yourself!"
He then fires a barrage of energy arrows at Ben, but the wielder of the Star sword then surrounds himself with power and looks full of murderous rage as he says,"Thanks to you guys, I finally learned the lesson everyone has so thankfully been drilling into my head. In the end, we are all alone and the only one that someone can truly depend on is yourself. I won't let anyone stand in my way.
And certainly not lying backstabbers like you! Final Atonement Slash!"
Ben fires off a beam that fires an endless barrage of energy swords from the ground that blasts through everyone of James's arrows, before consuming both him and Doug! The two are blasted into the ceiling as the blast keeps going forward until a massive explosion covers the sky! A few moments later, Hiryuumon, who was knocked out of being Geno Wyrmmon from Doug's blow, manages to get himself back up to the room and sees the smoke in the sky and says, "What did I miss? Were you able to convince them to come to their senses? Whoa!"
The two then see both a broken part of James's bow and what is remaining of Doug's Gauntlets fall to the ground before they both shatter in to dust! Hiryuumon then looks horrified as he looks at Ben and whimpers out,"They, they both died? Boss?"
Ben then can't hold it back any more and falls to his knees before holding his head and screaming out in misery! As tears fall from his eyes, he emits a broken,"Why!? Why does this keep happening to me? Was any one ever telling the truth, did anyone ever mean what they said to me? I guess, trust is only imaginary after all? Why does all the work I do just bring me more suffering, betrayal, and misery?
In the end, in the end, they, they are all liars! I won't, I won't forgive any of them! They all want to destroy me, but I won't let them! I'm not going to die; I won't let them kill me! I'll kill them first! Yes, I'll keep getting more powerful, until I can truly evolve in to someone who no one will think they can just throw away, someone that no one can ever hurt again! And now, it's time I finalize that power!
Gilgamesh! Stop hiding and show yourself! Did you turn your back on me to? Show yourself and give me the last crystal shard already, so I can at last complete my destiny! Huh?"
Ben then hears a large vibration, and then all of a sudden a large red crystal breaks out of the ground! While Ben already has a red crystal shard as part of the Star Sword, this one is different. This one is a blood crimson color. It's also radiating energy and Ben says," Is this, the final part?"
Hiryuumon then looks at it and says, "I don't know boss, it looks kind of evil looking."
Ben looks at it closely and says,"It does not look like the others at all. Maybe because it's the final part?"
Hiryuumon then says, "But what if there was another guy working with Doug and James and took the real Crystal shard and this is just a trap?"
Ben begins to look convinced, when all of a sudden he hears Kira 's voice say, "That is the object you must obtain, Ben Auro, there is no doubt about it."
Ben looks around and says, "Commandant? I don't see you?"
He then hears the voice respond with, "I told you I would call in through Codec, remember? There was a lot of interference before, but I have a clear transmission. There is no time to waste! Touch that object and stab it with the star sword now to obtain your true power!"
Ben looks confused and says, "But, it does not really look like the others and,"
Kira then yells at him with a sharp,"Don't question my judgment, analyses proves its your final piece! Look, I know you have just killed two of your comrades. But you must strive on! Take that pain and use its power to crush all that try to defy true justice!"
Ben then looks at the Star Sword and says, "Oh, alright already! Ben then walks to it and Hiryuumon tenses up before he runs up to Ben and grasps his right arm before saying,"Wait, Ben! I really have a bad feeling about this!"
Ben just takes out the Star Sword again and has a deadly serious look form on his face before he darkly says,"No, its like Kira said. This is my destiny! Now, no one will ever be able to mock me again! As great as heroic warriors like Cloud's friend Zack and others like him are, I don't plan to be like them and have a tragic ending. I will survive, no matter what! I will show them all, that Ben Auro is truly the most powerful warrior in the cosmos, that I am the true chosen hero that will bring salvation to this broken universes of liars and scumbags. And at last, I will be so powerful no one will be able to hurt me again!"
He then stabs the crystal with his star Sword, and it shines! Ben is puzzled and says, "This, this can't be right. What the?"
Ben then sees a symbol begin to form on the crystal, and Ben's head explodes in pain! He holds his head with his free arm and says," AH! This pain, is this supposed to be power? I feel, like my head is on fire! RAHHH!"
All of a sudden a large flash envelopes the area and consumes Ben! Hiryuumon then reaches out for his pal and says," Oh no! Ben! Whoa!"
The light continues to surge and expand, before it envelops the Digimon as well! Soon the light consumes the entire shrine, and Kira can see it from his ship as the light turns into an explosion! Mara Hill is here as well and after getting a report she looks alarmed before she says,"Commandant! We are getting a power reading that's off the scale!"
Kira just grins and says, "Exactly as planned. Yes, I can feel it! Ben Auro, it's time. Time for you to show me what you can really do! Ah, this power, it seems it was worth pursuing this project after all. For despite the time it took, at last I have the power to thrust forward the key that will move the new era into creation! Now, father, and the rest of my fellow misguided warriors of light, I will now show you the only true path this cosmos can follow."
As Kira sees the light cover half the planet, the shock-wave from that explosion is enough to push the Eternal Justice back! Kira is not the only one to feel this tremendous energy!
In fact, at the moment we briefly turn back to Hallowed Bastion, where Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, and the others have just got off the Neo Highwind! After completing another mission, Cloud was ready to call it a night. But just as he steps on solid ground, he feels an odd feeling and stops in his tracks. Tifa sees this and says, "Cloud? Is something wrong?"
Cloud looks at Tifa and responds with a uneasy, "It's nothing serious, but, I just felt this odd feeling. Like an outburst of fury that changed into something. And the oddest part is that it felt like Ben for some reason."
Tifa shakes her head and says, "I think you have been worrying too much about Ben, or maybe you have just been worrying too hard, or just both, heh. I know you're worried about Ben, but no sense causing yourself more stress over something you have no control over. Let's have some dinner and then how about let's check the Titan's movements to see where Ben is at, if it will make you feel better."
Cloud then smiles and says, "That sounds like a plan, thanks, Tifa. Ah, I know Doug and James have been even more worried about Ben's training under Kira. Oh, speaking of them, looks like they just got back too."
Yes, you heard me right, Cloud an co turn to the left and see Doug and James walking up to greet them, despite the fact that Ben apparently just killed them! The three former members of Squad 7 meet and Doug says,"Hey Captain! Looks like you just came back from delivering some ownage as well!"
Cloud and Tifa smile and Vincent says, "So, from your remark, I suppose your mission was a success?"
James straightens his glasses and says, "Correct. We and Captain Bartz were able to end the threat the forces led by Sigma's lackey, Vile, before they could destroy the people of the space colony around the world of Karps. On top of it we were able to stop Sigma's new creation, the Vision from killing Polaris and the other Mutant prisoners. I am glad that my uncles will can still live on, and that Polaris can hopefully guide the Mutants to a path to peaceful coexistence. "
Doug chuckles before he cracks his neck and brashly adds," That Vision robot thought he was a hot shot just because Sigma called him his " Vision of the new world" but in the end he was just another blowhard that talks to much. "
James looks amused as he reacts with," You sound composed now Doug but I recall you were getting quite frustrated thanks to the Vision being able to control his mass. Between his power to go through the ground and increase his mass and density to extremely high levels he was proving to be quite a problem till I figured a working battle plan to get around that."
Doug cocks a eyebrow before he snorts back with," Oh getting cocky are we four eyes? Yah sure your the one who figured out how to take down that red faced robot freak but it would have not worked without me pulling that plan off! Eh, whatever its cool. Heh, point is it was good to smash his face in and screw the bad guys over once more! "
James nods and adds," Indeed. And with such a victory, Doug and I thought a big dinner would prove sufficient."
Tifa smiles and responds with,"Ah, looks like great minds think alike. Cloud and I were going to do the same before we tried and see how Ben's doing."
Doug then says, "Ah, good thinking! I seem to keep missing when our buddy's around. Man, that Kira has been working him like a dog!"
Cloud looks down and responds with a frustrated,"Yes, you're not the only one who thinks Kira is pushing Ben a little too far. In fact, some things have come up that I think we should discuss. I heard that, oh, who is that? Oh, hey Aeris."
Cloud turns around, as does everyone, to see the former flower girl walk up to them, with Moz beside her! The last Cetra smiles and says,"Cloud, everyone, I am glad to see you all came back safely again. Sorry I could not fight by your side, but I it was my turn to defend Neo Arcadia, I suppose. Oh good, and you're all here at the same time as well, that will save time."
Cloud looks puzzled and says, "What do you mean, Aeris? Has something happened?"
Aeris looks down and says,"Yes, a lot of events have just transpired while you were gone, about both Ben and Kira."
Doug then says, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Aeris then begins to go over both what she heard from Garnet that happened between Ben, Brad and Lacus, and also the revelation about Kira and his clone army as well as his ambitions behind it.
However, what none of them realize is that an even bigger event is going on right now! We now go back to the shrine on the swampy planet. The explosion that consumed Ben was powerful enough to level the entire shrine! It's not clear what happened to Ben, but the few surviving natives have gathered around the rubble of the shrine. And just as they are about to approach it, a massive shock wave blasts the rubble away, along with the natives! A large very powerful magic aura then emerges and it's so massive, it nearly blots out the planet's moon in its size! From that aura a man is controlling it, and as he steps down on the surface he says,"Hehehe, yes, it feels so good! Now, better get ready for a game, boys and girls. It's my time, to PLAY! HAHAAHAH!"
Well, talk about a cliff hanger ending, but that's how it goes! Who is this new figure that has emerged! Has he taken out Ben and Hiryuumon? And most of all, if Doug and James were never really traitors and are just fine back at the Enji castle, then just what did Ben kill? To find out all these answers, don't dare miss the next chapter of tales of the cosmic wars!
In the next chapter, Cloud, Doug, James, and the others are dismayed when they find that Kira reports that he has lost contact with Ben and can't find him on the planet of Michtam ! However, as much as Ben's friends are worried about Ben's fate, a new twist forces their attention elsewhere in the Universe! At the same time, Enji Captains Basch and Kota have been leading Lylat forces to liberate the world of Taris from a Zeon fleet. All of a sudden, a figure makes his sudden appearance and begins to kill everything in his sight, no matter whose side he is on!
This mysterious being, riding his demonic dragon lays waste to everything with an extreme display of power that no one can match. And it even destroys the planet Taris itself, in a display of the figure's carnage! How does this new arrival shape the fate of the missing Ben and the universe itself? And most of all how does Kira explain himself for these events?
Don't miss, Chapter 83: The Descent of the Embodiment of Carnage!
Before we depart, another round of author's notes, just in case you're wondering, Ben fought against the ghost of Darth Vader in the same way Luke himself fought the ghost of his father the first time on that test during the Empire's Strike Back movie. In my story, the Star Wars timeline was part of the ancient race during the time of the war between Chaos Zannacross Necron, as well as the people of Dragon Ball Z, but that will be fully explained at another time, lol.
Also, for those not aware Vjunand and Bast Castle have both been in many parts of the Expanded Universe of Star Wars. In the Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy video game you confronted the traitor to the Jedi, Rosh Penin their, and in time decide to spare him or kill him, finalizing if your Jedi will go to the Light Side or the Dark Side, and it felt like a proper moment to mirror here and all.
Till next time! Like always, thanks for the reviews!