Okay, everyone, let's get this story started. If you can believe it, we're only a few chapters away from the finale. So let's not waste any more time, shall we?
Disclaimer: I, comicfan616, have no intention of claiming Digimon as my own intellectual property, as doing that would imply that I have paid the guys who do own Digimon, and such implication is an act of perjury.
LAST TIME:
ISAMU: We left Daichi to battle CannonBeemon while he took out SkullGreymon. Despite being an ultimate, he was able to overwhelm even GranKuwagamon. Daichi came up a while later with an in-training Babydramon. We managed to get his strength back up to allow him to Digivolve to the mega level Slayerdramon, whose defenses and offensive prowess allowed us to beat CannonBeemon. It also means that Searchmon's signal is back, and according to him, we don't have much farther to go.
Chapter 45
Demon
"Giant Desert, huh?" Dracomon said as they walked across the sand. "They got that right." The desert around the Digi-Destined was indeed massive. Adding to the perceived size was the lack of any landmarks or change of elevation; everywhere they looked appeared exactly the same. They must have been walking for a long time too, because they could no longer see the city of Mechani-Ville behind them. The only positive thing about Giant Desert was its surprisingly mild temperature.
"Better get used to it, Dracomon," Searchmon said. "We may be closer than ever to the Unifier, but it's still a ways from here." Dracomon just sighed.
"Doesn't matter how far it is," Kiyoko said. "Once we find that Unifier, he's toast."
"Our chances do look better," Daichi added. "With Dracomon gaining the ability to become a mega, that makes two megas on this team."
"Don't forget, though," Isamu pointed out. "Level doesn't necessarily indicate advantage. If nothing else, the show taught me that much. And I can't count how many times you've beaten me at Digi-Battle with a rookie to my ultimates, Daichi."
"We still have another advantage on our side," Gatomon put in. "Teamwork. There are three Digimon on our side, each paired up with a human partner that makes us stronger. The Unifier's all by himself, staying hidden from even most of the other Agents."
"Gatomon's right," Kiyoko said. "We shouldn't have too many problems trying to take him out."
"Perhaps," a voice said, one nobody recognized, causing everyone to stop. It sounded dark and slow. "But unless you have one more power, you will never survive." Everyone noticed a glow on the ground. They all looked down and saw a ring of some kind, its orange coloration almost blending in with the sand. Inside the ring was a strange design made of horizontal and vertical lines; the best anyone could describe it as was a dragon with a crown. Suddenly, a wave of fire shot up from the ring's edge. Everyone stood back and shielded themselves from the heat with their arms.
The flames stopped and the Digi-Destined dared to look back at the ring. The ring and symbol were gone, but in their place stood a humanoid Digimon. It wore a red cloak with a white, gold-trimmed banner running down the front. Both the banner and white strips on the sleeves each bore a gold, upside-down pentagram. The sleeves opened wide enough at the bottom to conceal all but its fingers. There were two wings coming from its back, black in color and sporting four red claws on the top joint of each wing. It wore a gold pendant around its neck. Its face was covered by a black hood that concealed everything but its eyes and horns, which stuck out from the sides of its head and curved upward. The hood also had a pentagram above the eyes, similar to the others. Its whole appearance frightened the Digi-Destined.
"Uh," Kiyoko started apprehensively, "what is that?"
Daichi slowly took out his Digi-Analyzer. "Daemon," he said solemnly, "mega level virus type Digimon. Said to be one of the Seven Great Demon Lords."
"That's encouraging," Dracomon whispered sarcastically.
"Relax," Daemon said, holding a hand up. "I mean no harm to you." He never raised his voice nor sped up. "I merely wish to aid you." The Digi-Destined relaxed their defensive stances a little. "We both have a common enemy. Allow me to join forces with you and we will crush this enemy effortlessly."
There was a long silence until Gatomon spoke up. "Why would you help us?" There seemed to be a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"I understand your reluctance, especially you, little creature of the light," Daemon answered, directing this last part to Gatomon. "Perhaps my appearance is rather unsettling, and my supposed origins do me little credit. I assure you, though," he asserted, "if we become allies, the future of the Digital World will finally be secure."
Daichi and Kiyoko still weren't sure what to make of the situation, and the Digimon were even less confident. However, Isamu, who was silent and in thought the whole time, finally walked up to Daemon.
"You're lying," he said, almost as quiet as Daemon's voice.
"What?" Daemon asked. He seemed to show more emotion.
"You're supposed to be an all-powerful Digimon," Isamu said. "Why do you need us? With your power, you could burn the Unifier to ashes before you could say, 'Extra crispy.' You need us for something all right, but I doubt it's helpful to us." There was a short pause.
Daemon just stared at Isamu. "I was hoping to eliminate all my enemies in one fell swoop," he said. He held his hand up and a fireball appeared in it. "But it seems I'll have to do this the hard way," he finished with more anger in his voice. "Evil Inferno!"
"Silk Thread!" Something latched onto Isamu's back and pulled him away before Daemon's hand lowered and the fire in his hand blasted out of it. Isamu landed on his rear and turned around. Wormmon was already reeling the string back into his mouth.
"When did you De-Digivolve?" Isamu asked.
"About the same time you went up there," Wormmon answered. "Just in case." Everyone turned their attention back to Daemon.
"So," Kiyoko said, "you're one of the Digi-Agents, huh?"
"I may have lied about wanting to help you," Daemon said, "but if there was one truth in my entire discourse, it is that the driving force of the Digi-Agents is also my enemy, alongside all of you."
"Well then," Dracomon said mockingly, "that might cause a few problems."
"You really expect to take on the powers of one of the Seven Great Demon Lords?" Daemon asked.
"It's either that or just stand here," Gatomon said, "and personally, I like the idea of fighting back better." The humans nodded in agreement before taking out their Digivices.
Wormmon Warp Digivolve to… GranKuwagamon!
Digi-Modify! Secret Digivolution, activate! Dracomon Warp Digivolve to… Slayerdramon!
Digi-Modify! Crest Digivolution, activate! Gatomon Crest Digivolve to… Angewomon!
All three Digimon stood before Daemon, serious looks on their faces. "Very well," Daemon said. "Let's see if your theory about burning my enemies to ashes is correct. Evil Inferno!" "Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon raised her arms and created her barrier, protecting them from the flames that shot out of Daemon's hands.
Slayerdramon moved to the side until he could run past the barrier. "Biting Blade!" He swung his sword and it wrapped around Daemon before engulfing him in flames. The flames soon dissipated, but Daemon was virtually unharmed. Slayerdramon gasped.
"Did you really think your power could match mine?" Daemon asked. "Especially when my element is fire?" He spread his wings open. "Chaos Flare!" A wave of fire poured out of them and forced Slayerdramon to back away and let go of Daemon. The demon Digimon grabbed the sword and, with Slayerdramon still holding it, flipped the warrior on his back behind him.
"Dimension Scissor!" GranKuwagamon closed his pincers, releasing his attack. Daemon turned in time to have the attack strike him square in the chest. Daemon shifted back a bit, but quickly regained his composure.
"Better," he said. "Not good, but better." He held up his hands. "Evil Inferno!" Two balls of fire shot out of his hands and flew toward GranKuwagamon. The insect Digimon flew out of the way just in time.
"We're going to need more power to battle this guy," Isamu said. He held up his D-3
GranKuwagamon Mode Change to… GrandisKuwagamon!
GrandisKuwagamon looked at Slayerdramon, who was just now beginning to stand. "You alright?" he asked.
"Been better," Slayerdramon answered, "but I think I'll be okay."
"A situation," Daemon added, "that I hope to take care of soon."
"Slayerdramon," GrandisKuwagamon said, "follow my lead. I'll take the front, you the back." Slayerdrmaon nodded and walked until he and GrandisKuwagamon were on opposite sides. "Now!" the insectoid Digimon shouted. "Grandis Scissors!" "Sky Ripper!" Both sides charged in and unleashed their attacks on Daemon, claws from the front, sword on the back. They could hear Daemon wince in pain.
But then he chuckled. "I'll admit," he said, "your best attempt thus far."
"And it's about to get better," they all heard. Angewomon was flying above Daemon. "You didn't forget about me now, did you? Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon shot a light arrow at Daemon and it stuck into his shoulder. His pain was much more noticeable as it disappeared.
"Huh?" Kiyoko wondered. "How come her attack did more damage when your Digimon barely tickled him?"
Isamu answered this. "Daemon's a being of pure evil and darkness. Angewomon's a holy angel. You tell me."
"Ready for round two?" Angewomon asked as she prepared another arrow. Daemon held his hands up. "Evil Inferno!" Two more fireballs appeared and headed for Angewomon. She tried to avoid them, but as she dodged the first one, the second grazed her body. Angewomon fell and hit the sandy ground.
"As holy as you are," Daemon said, "you are still just an ultimate level." Angewomon tried to get up. "This should discourage you," Daemon continued. "Chaos Flare!" He spread his wings again and released a wave of fire. GrandisKuwagamon and Slayerdramon were blown back, but Angewomon got it the worst; although she was the farthest away from the flames, their power was enough to weaken her down to champion level. Kiyoko ran over to Gatomon as the other two Digimon, still in mega form, stood back up.
Both Digimon charged at the Demon Lord with their weapons ready, but Daemon, with expert moves, was able to avoid and weaken them both, leaving the two toppled on one another. "It would appear you are beaten," Daemon said.
"Not quite!" Kiyoko said. "Digi-Modify! Butenmon Sword of Light, activate!" Gatomon stood up as a sword with a large blade appeared in her hands, she spun around and slid along the surface of the sand, heading toward Daemon. The Demon Lord didn't know what to expect and stood there long enough for Gatomon to strike him. The sword disappeared upon impact, but Daemon was still damaged greatly. He got back up and swatted Gatomon away from him to Kiyoko.
"How can you still fight," Daemon asked her, "even when you know it's hopeless?"
"Hopeless?" Kiyoko repeated. "What on earth do you mean?" she asked playfully.
"Two of your strongest fighters are not able to stand," Daemon answered, "and your own Digimon is only at champion level."
"And yet, she can still kick your sorry butt," Kiyoko retorted. "Listen, flame-brain, we've been in worse situations before and I still have yet to find any reason to give up."
"That goes double for me," Gatomon said, standing near Kiyoko.
"Does it look bad?" Kiyoko continued. "Yes. Will I lose? Very possibly. Will I stop fighting? Absolutely not. As long as Gatomon and I are alive and kicking," she looked down at the cat Digimon, "and together," she looked back up at Daemon, "you can bet we'll keep going till there's no place left to go to." Soon, a pink glow appeared on Kiyoko's chest. She took out her D-Power, closed her eyes, and whispered, almost trance-like, "Willpower, give us the power we need to keep fighting." The pink light shot into the D-Power and Kiyoko opened her eyes. She looked down at Gatomon. "You ready?" Gatomon merely nodded.
Kiyoko held her D-Power up to the sky. "Bio-Merge, activate!" Two streams of light shot out of the screen of the D-Power and came back down in two spirals surrounding both human and Digimon. Both of their bodies changed to look like some form of energy.
"Gatomon Bio-Merge to…" The two floated toward each other and there was a moment in which images Gatomon and Angewomon could be seen, much like the other Digimon's transformations to mega, followed by an image of Kiyoko. After that last image, a solitary figure appeared. As would have been expected, the figure was feminine, with the appearance of an adult human, except taller. She wore blue-green armor adorned with gold and a white dress that covered her legs entirely. She also wore a helmet that, like Angewomon, covered her face from the mouth up. The helmet had a four-pointed star in the center. She held a weapon that looked very much like a javelin in her right hand and a shield, decorated with a unicorn and an actual horn, on her left arm. She had a total of ten wings; the bottom pair being made of feathers and the other eight made of metal. Long blond hair flowed from the back of her helmet to her ankles. "Ophanimon!" When she spoke, her voice seemed to resemble a combination of Angewomon and Kiyoko.
Daichi, Isamu, and their Digimon stood in amazement. "Didn't see that coming," Isamu said.
"To be fair, though," Daichi added, "she didn't exactly have any other means to achieve mega level."
Ophanimon faced Daemon, her face stoic. Daemon said nothing. "Daemon," Ophanimon called out, "your evil has finally reached its end."
"I don't know what has happened," Daemon said, "but that doesn't mean I won't destroy you. Evil Inferno!" He shot out two fireballs from his hands. Ophanimon just stood there, raising her shield. The balls hit and exploded furiously, but the blast never even touched her.
"Your powers of darkness hold no threat for us," Ophanimon said. She moved her javelin behind her back and stuck it there. She then placed her hands about a foot apart from each other. "Sefirot Crystals!" Ten points of light appeared, eight forming a tall hexagon and the remaining two fitting inside it. Each of the lights sped toward Daemon in rapid succession, each hitting him with the force of a concussive blast.
"If my powers as an ultimate hurt you before," Ophanimon said, "then imagine what we can do as a mega." She reached behind her back and took the javelin she had placed there.
"I will not be defeated," Daemon said angrily, "not by some human-Digimon hybrid freak! Chaos Flare!"
"Eden's Javelin!" Ophanimon threw her javelin into the oncoming flames. The point glowed with holy light and the flames seemed to part at the javelin's touch. The weapon flew until it finally pierced Daemon's body.
He screamed in rage, "No! I was meant to kill him! And you would have been destroyed along with him!"
"Then here's a word of wisdom from this 'freak'," Ophanimon said. "Don't count your Digi-Eggs before they're hatched." Daemon sreamed in rage once more as his body dispersed into tiny fragments. Ophanimon flew over to her javelin and picked it up.
"Sure," Slayerdramon said disdainfully. "Let her have all the fun."
"You couldn't even stand up," GrandisKuwagamon countered. Both he and Slayerdramon glowed and returned to their partners' sides as in-training Digimon. Ophanimon also glowed and split into Kiyoko and Salamon. Both of them landed on the ground, almost in a heap. The others ran up to them.
Daichi knealt down to Kiyoko. "Kiyoko, you awake?" He shook Kiyoko until she began to stir.
"Unh, what happened?" she asked, holding her head. Salamon was also getting up thanks to Isamu. Kiyoko looked up and realized Daemon wasn't there. "Did all that… with Gatomon… and me… and Daemon… really happen?"
"You mean you turning into a Digimon and wiping the desert floor with him?" Babydramon asked. "Yeah, it happened."
Kiyoko smiled. "Hey Digimon, hey Digimon."
"Okay, now I'm beginning to see why it's annoying," Isamu responded.
"Only now?" Salamon asked.
"So, what now?" Minomon asked.
"Well, unless you feel like Digivolving, we can't get Searchmon online," Isamu said. "And we lost our place when we were fighting Daemon; I can't tell which way we were headed."
"So I assume we wait until we're all feeling fit again?" Kiyoko asked.
"That's the gist of it," Isamu replied.
"Somehow," Babydramon continued, "Digivolving to mega seemed a whole lot better without the handicap."
"Call it a trade-off," Daichi said as he sat down.
Sweet! Now everyone can reach mega. But will it be enough to take out the Unifier? To find out, keep watching Digimon: Digital Monsters!
This is CF signing out.