A/N: Here we are. As we shift away from the Merged Zamasmon/Black Gaiamon X conflict, let's take a look at how our other heroes are dealing with R. Homura & Soma Saitou in Yog-Sothoth's realm.
Enjoy!
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Digimon Fusion Ascendancy
Act VI: Black Rebellion
Chapter LIV: Clash Inside Yog-Sothoth's Realm
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Outer Chambers/Dimension: Yog-Sothoth's Realm
(Cue Castlevania Judgment – Time Reaper)
Galakadi X swung his huge scythe at Ayase and her cohorts, but all of the heroes evaded with some receiving injuries from a devastating energy wave caused by the scythe. Galakadi X raised the palm of his hand and fired light purple lasers and small sickles. Most of the heroes evaded and took cover, some taking damage while others blocking them.
"Let's power up with new forms we got!" Sigrun cried out.
With that, Sigrun and Gondul powered up to their titled forms.
Gondul's white hair gained distinctive streaks of yellow highlights. She also gained African light gray tribal tattoos on her face. The lower part of her body has a topaz shaman dress with brown silhouettes of Geri and Freki. Her helmet is replaced by a tribal taupe cheetah mask with yellow spots on the left side of her face. Her white wings have yellow artistic cheetah spots. She became the Topaz Valkyrie.
Sigrun's pink hair had some parts of her blonde hair highlighted as if her human and Valkyrie hair color somehow merged. The lower part of her body had an amethyst dress with pink silhouettes of Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. Her helmet is replaced by a pink diadem mixed with an Australian ceremonial caramel headdress shaped like kangaroo ears. She became the Amethyst Valkyrie.
"You fools are such gluttons for punishment! So be it then!" Galakadi X raised his hands, launching a bombardment of purple lasers and sickles that rained over the chamber.
However, the Valkyries hastily dodged the incoming energy wave storm. Galakadi X scowled and flew over to attack the duo. He reached for Sigrun, who jumped away at high speed. Gondul intercepted Galakadi X and stopped his scythe with both hands. Gondul then lifted the scythe and kicked it out of Galakadi X's grip.
Galakadi X unleashed purple lasers on the group, but Sayaka defended against the Digimon's destructive blasts. Sayaka and Ayase then landed a double attack; the former shoved her cutlass through Galakadi X's side.
"Damn you…!" Galakadi X gritted, feeling the sword being driven into his body. He continued firing lasers, which Sayaka stopped with a magical water barrier.
Ayase managed to kick away several stray blasts heading for Shibungi, Argo, and Nagisa.
"Whew, that was close! Thanks, Ayase!" Argo called out.
Sigrun and Gondul rushed Galakadi X head-on. Sigrun transformed into a streak of pinkish purple light. Gondul became a streak of pure white light. They shot forward and slammed through Galakadi X. The combined force of the Valkyries obliterated Galakadi X in short order.
Having exhausted their powers to defeat Galakadi X, Sigrun and Gondul both regressed to their civilian forms.
(End theme)
"Hell yeah, we kicked his sorry ass to oblivion!" Ayase boasted their victory. She, Sayaka, and the others checked with the two Valkyries.
"Damn, you two look worn," Argo remarked.
"Enough so you're back in your human forms," Shibungi noted.
Kara, once Sigrun, chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. We didn't lose our powers completely. We just need to recover our energies."
Ayanna, once Gondul, added. "Yeah, that beast was immensely powerful. We had to sacrifice our forms just to beat it. Give us a day or two and our Valkyrie powers will return to us. For the moment through, we can't exactly fight. So, we're liabilities."
Ayase helped up Kara. "Don't worry, we've got your back."
Kara smirked. "Thanks."
Ayanna sighed hard. "That sure took a lot out of us. I feel drained."
Sayaka giggled. "A little rest wouldn't hurt! You two earned it!"
"That's one adversary down." Shibungi stated.
"That freak was a tough one to beat, but it all worked out in the end." Sayaka said.
Ayase added. "I hope the others were able to find Mana in time."
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(Cue Castlevania: Curse of Darkness OST – Dracula's Castle)
At the outer chambers, the process began with Mana's prison glowing. The tendrils' energies flowed into the inner chambers.
Having sensed the demise of his Digimon, Saitou's face contorted with dismay. You fought well, Deathmon and Arkadimon. I won't let your deaths be in vain.
"Saitou, you don't know what you're doing!" Max yelled. "Opening the gate will bring total calamity to the Nexus!"
"How could I care less about that? I'm fulfilling our intended goal!" Saitou boasted.
"Goal? You call this shit a goal? You really have no idea what you're tampering with, buddy." Mana mockingly smiled.
Suddenly, Saitou and Kyubey turned to see intruders coming. Max and Mana noticed them as well.
Celesta X, WarAngemon, Ultima X, Zodiark X, Keke & Mosuramon, Gojiramon, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, Shaka, Shu, Inori, and Gai stormed inside the chamber.
"Heh, welcome. I was expecting you all to be here." Saitou glanced at the group.
"Whew, I'm lucky Homura is not there to see me." Kyubey quipped.
"Homura's not here, but you're dealing with us now!" Shu yelled at Kyubey.
"Shu! Gai!" Mana called to her brother and boyfriend. She gave a sly grin. "What take ya so long? Though, Max did keep me in good company."
Gai looked toward Max. "Is that right?"
Max sighed. "Just some friendly chats to keep us from going insane being in this place."
"How could you do this, Kyubey?" Inori queried, dismayed by the creature's apparent change of allegiance.
Gai scoffed. "Kyubey has no true loyalty to anyone but himself."
"MAX!" Gojiramon teared up as he and Max exchanged glances.
"About time you all got here!" Max exclaimed.
"Of course, why would I abandon my guy?" Keke remarked.
"Now, let our friends go now!" WarAngemon demanded from Saitou.
"Yeah, buddy, you're dealing with all of us and you're just one guy!" Ultima X threatened him.
"Just let our friends go and we won't have to fight," Celesta X proposed.
Saitou chuckled. "Sorry, but it's not quite that simple. You see, your friends are necessary for our goal." He then pointed to the gate slowly opening. "Their energies are what's going to open the gate. Once the contents are released, they'll be unleashed into the Nexus and wreak havoc. By destroying the current Nexus, a new Nexus will take its place. One ruled by the beings behind these gates."
"Man this is starting to sound like Sensui and the Demon Tunnel all over again," Kuwabara realized the deja-vu they were experiencing.
"Yes, but this impending disaster will be on a grander scale that extends beyond our universe," Kurama informed them.
Yusuke raised a fist toward Saitou's direction. "Hey, we've faced and stopped a maniac like you before, and we're gonna do it again. So, how about we kick your ass and take back our friends by force, Sensui Jr.?!"
Saitou chuckled. "You're quite amusing, little man. Fine there's still some time before the gates fully open, I can humor you." He jumped down from his high pedestal and landed in front of the group. He dropped into a kickboxer's stance.
Recognizing his stance, Yusuke smirked. "Yep, just like Sensui."
"But this power exceeds that of Sensui, Yusuke. Be vigilant," Hiei warned him.
"Don't worry he's dealing with all of us now," WarAngemon firmly said.
Shu quickly brandished his Singer's Sword. "Ready, Gai?!"
Gai readied his Dancer's Sword. "Of course!"
"And I'm ready as well," Inori said as a pink aura bathed over her. Her regular clothing was replaced with a reddish orange dress coupled with two flower patterns on the waist made of pure crystal. She now wore a pink crown with a crystallized hairpin. She turned into her Genesis Inori form.
"Don't you get too overconfident. It shall be your undoing!" Saitou declared as he dashed forward to attack, but he vanished quickly out of plain sight.
Everyone was taken aback by his speed and prepared to anticipate his moves. Before they can even react, the whole group were met with quick attacks.
Whoosh!
The whole group were swept back and knocked away into different sections of the chamber. Saitou reappeared standing in the center looking relatively unfazed.
"Your perceptions to my attacks were slower than I anticipated. This won't last long I'm afraid," Saitou sighed out of disappointment.
Zordiark X exclaimed. "He's much faster than I thought him to be!"
"Did anyone see him move?!" Shu exclaimed. "'Cause I couldn't!"
"Neither could I I'm afraid," Gai said.
"I could, but only briefly," Hiei admitted.
"Yeah, he's a lot faster than Sensui, I'll give this bastard his due," Yusuke said.
"Yeah, I was only barely able to keep up until he picked up the pace and attacked us," WarAngemon added.
"Max, could you see him?!" Keke asked him.
"Yeah, I was," Max said. "Actually I was able to see the whole thing."
"You saw him pretty much wipe us out?!" Gojiramon yelled out.
"I did. Don't let your guard down, guys! Stay on him!" Max said. "You'll better perceive him if y'all power up and enhance your senses!"
Ultima X nodded, facing WarAngemon and Zordiark X. "How about it, TK, Ken? Let's power-up to level 2 and see if that works."
"Kari, you ready?" WarAngemon asked her.
"Yeah!" Celesta X declared as she powered up into Mystic status.
WarAngemon, Ultima X, and Zordiark X powered up to their level 2 states.
"Saitou, you won't be so cool and collected for much longer," Keke gritted as she, too, powered up into Ascendant level 2 status.
"Why don't you bust out and help us, Max?!" Gojiramon asked his partner.
"Wish I could, but being inside this thing suppresses my powers," Max said, punching his prison wall. "You guys will have to fight hard and hope one of y'all can destroy our prisons."
Mana pouted as she sat down. "Poo, this is gonna take a while. Don't keep us waiting."
"Don't worry, you two won't be leaving here as long as I'm here," Saitou smirked as he faced his opposition. "Shall we continue this?" He powered up as a similar golden aura enveloped him like an Ascendant, but unlike an Ascendant his hair didn't spike up and turn yellow. He clenched his fists, calmly smirking down his adversaries. "What? You were expecting a hair color change?"
"Kinda, but we could care less," WarAngemon replied.
"You'd look lame any hair color change, dude," Ultima X said.
"I already fought a guy like you who had this similar gimmick," Yusuke quipped. "What next? You gonna bust out some gaudy ass-looking armors, too?"
"You know me too well even if we haven't met before, but it doesn't matter. You'll be the first to go down," Saitou declared as he hastily dashed at Yusuke and the Spirit Detectives.
(Cue Castlevania: Curse of Darkness – A Toccata Into Blood Soaked Darkness)
As he reached for Yusuke, Shaka interceded Saitou and launched a Spirit Wave his way. Saitou narrowly dodged Shaka's spirit blast and turned as Kurama threw a Rose Whip. Saitou hopped over Kurama's thorny vines. Kuwabara whipped out his Spirit Sword and slashed at Saitou. Saitou caught the spirit-imbued blade and dissolved it with his energy.
"Are you ok, Yusuke?" Shaka asked him.
"Sure. Thanks, Yui. I know a way to break this guy's psyche," Yusuke said. "Hey, Sensui Jr., I bet you got other personalities in that noggin of yours! Why not bring 'em out and introduce them to us?!"
While Yusuke kept him distracted, Saitou started to unravel and attack more viciously. He kicked Kuwabara back and blocked Hiei's sword. When Shaka rushed over to attack him, Saitou jumped over her and charged up a purple Ki sphere in his hand. He kicked the sphere toward Shaka, who dodged it.
"Y'know what? Dodgeball was Sensui's favorite game, too! And he had better play than you, Jr.!" Yusuke taunted Saitou to the point where it was getting under Saitou's skin.
"Silence!" Saitou hissed, kicking another energy sphere toward Yusuke, who jumped out of harm's way.
"Almost had me, Jr.!"
"Shut up!" Saitou gritted as he flew down and grabbed Yusuke. He quickly slammed the Spirit Detective through a chamber wall.
With Saitou's back turned, WarAngemon and Mystic Celesta rushed him from behind. They grabbed and slammed Saitou through thin lens-looking wall interiors. Saitou fell only to recover and jump back to his feet. WarAngemon charged and went for a Seraphi Fist, but Saitou caught WarAngemon's hand.
"Why don't you take a break?" Saitou asked as he punched WarAngemon's arm, snapping it in two.
"TK!" Mystic Celesta cried out, watching in disgust as Saitou broke WarAngemon's arm.
"We've got this, TK! Hey, jerk, come and try breaking our arms!" Ultima X goaded as he and Zordiark X double teamed Saitou.
Saitou easily danced around Ultima X and Zordiark X's attacks. He landed a roundhouse kick to Ultima X, knocking him down. He turned and sidekicked Zordiark X.
"TK!" Mystic Celesta tended to WarAngemon.
"Get him, Kari… I'll be ok…"
Mystic Celesta glanced over her shoulder as Saitou phased behind her. As she turned to attack, Saitou caught her hand and repelled her with his aura. Mystic Celesta hit a wall. Saitou dove at Mystic Celesta, but the Bearer of Light barely dodged. Mystic Celesta jumped up high and cupped her hands together.
"Too slow…" Saitou stopped until WarAngemon, Ultima X, and Zordiark X slipped behind and restrained him. "Damn it!"
"Blast him, Kari!" WarAngemon encouraged her.
"And leave nothing left of this jerk!" Ultima X yelled out.
Letting go of her restraints, Mystic Celesta fired her Holy Beam. As the beam headed closer, Saitou's aura expanded, brushing away the three Ascendants. He then raised his aura, which guarded him and nullified Mystic Celesta's attack.
"A valiant effort, but not enough to break through my Saint Light," Saitou boasted. "My light transcends anything your pathetic light can dish out!" With a wave of a hand, he unleashed a sample wave of his Saint Light.
Before Mystic Celesta had time to react, she felt her whole body being pummeled as if a hundred punches pounded her. She was pushed away and sent crashing into a wall. Mystic Celesta coughed and gagged having been physically pulverized by Saitou's light. It was enough to knock her out of her Mystic state as she fell on the ground.
"KARI!" WarAngemon called out worryingly to her.
"He just took out Kari and knocked her out of her ultimate state!" Zordiark X was flabbergasted.
"Bastard, you're gonna pay!" Ultima X growled.
"Wait, Davis, we can still use Meta-Fusion!" Zordiark X suggested to him. "TK, you've at least taught Kari the Meta-Fusion, right?"
"Yeah, but she's in no condition…"
"Remember we've packed enough Digi-Vitamins before coming here," Zordiark X reminded him.
"We could've used Keke's help. Where the hell is she?!" Ultima X wondered, scanning the chamber.
"Look! Over there!" WarAngemon pointed across.
Keke was seen with Gojiramon and Mosuramon. The trio prepared to break open Max and Mana's prisons. Upon seeing this, Saitou phased out and reappeared near Keke.
"Sorry, but I'm going to need those two to remain where they are!" Saitou interjected, sending energy spheres at Keke, Gojiramon, and Mosuramon.
The trio dodged Saitou's attacks. Keke launched herself at Saitou and threw a punch. Saitou caught Keke's punch and smirked.
"I've beaten your friends. What makes you think you stand a chance in hell?" Saitou taunted her.
"I have someone waiting for me to save his ass!" Keke retorted, firing a Ki blast into Saitou's gut.
Saitou's Saint Light absorbed the impact of Keke's attack. As he went for a kick, Keke narrowly dodged and tossed her Rosemary Discs. The pink discs dissolved as they touched Saitou's aura. He flew up and kneed Keke's gut.
"Keke, stop! He's stronger than you!" Max urged her to cease resistance. He pounded against the prison wall.
Saitou grabbed Keke's neck and headbutted her. He then knocked her away with a kick. Seeing her partner in distress, Mosuramon evolved into Mothramon and flew straight into Saitou, pinning him against a wall.
"I've got ya, Keke!" Gojiramon caught her.
"Thanks, Gojiramon!" Max said.
"Don't worry, I'm gonna bust ya out, Max!" Gojiramon fired his Atomic Flame at Max's prison seal first.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Mana yelled to Gojiramon.
"Don't worry, sis! We're coming!" Shu cried out as he, Inori, and Gai climbed up to reach Mana.
Mothramon kept ramming her head into Saitou. As she went for another body slam, Saitou's aura pushed the Kaijuu Digimon back. Saitou put both hands out, producing a Saint Light Barrier, protecting him and pushing Mothramon back.
"Nice try, my giant friend, but nothing is going to keep me from opening that gate! I want Max to see it all when a new order is brought upon the Nexus!" Saitou declared, using his aura to overpower and push away Mothramon. "I can't let you set them free!"
"Yeah? Well, too bad! Our Max isn't your friend and he wants nothing to do with ya!" Gojiramon protested as he blew another Atomic Flame. This time, and motivated to save Max at all costs, the flames pounded the prison walls hard enough to crack them.
"Damn it!" Saitou cursed as he witnessed Max's prison seal shatter before his eyes.
As if that wasn't enough, Shu and Gai used their swords to break Mana's seal. Genesis Inori finally shattered it using her crystal shard attacks. These attacks were enough to break the seal, freeing Mana.
"Oh yes, I'm free," Mana grinned sadistically as her powers returned to her.
"Mine as well!" Max powered up into Super Ascendant Blue.
Upon seeing Max in his full glory, Saitou couldn't help but smile.
"Max, your power. Your aura. It's so intoxicating. I'm drawn to it like a moth to a flame," Saitou muttered, finding himself entranced by Max's divine blue light. "The Max I knew never possessed this incredible energy. If he were here, he'd be drawn to you like I am now."
"I somehow doubt that. The other me likely never wanted you to go down this path, Saitou," Max said. "You chose poorly siding with these people and helping further their agendas."
Realizing this, Saitou reflected to memories of his friendship with his universe's Max Kamiya. He remembered their brotherly relations and their respect for each other's strengths.
Is it true, Max? Is this one right to tell me I chose poorly? Am I fighting for the wrong side…? No! You and my world were taken from me, leaving me alone to nearly die! It's thanks to those people that I've been able to reunite with another Max, so I may be able to start over! Saitou's fractured mind became conflicted between right and wrong. Ultimately, his poor decision would be his final one. "No, I made the right choice. You and I are together once again, Max! Nothing will keep us apart. Not ever again!" He hastily shot up past Gojiramon and reached for Max.
"MAX!" Keke and Gojiramon cried out together.
Bam!
Max caught Saitou with a fist to the face. He sent Saitou sailing far back as the Saint Light wielder bounced off a wall and landed on his feet. He then bounced off and flew at Max. Max was more than prepared and hit Saitou with a spinning heel kick. Max then followed with a barrage of punches that was able to match. Saitou went for a gut punch, but Max caught his fist headbutted him. Max then grabbed Saitou's arm and tossed him around before throwing him to the ground.
"Yay! Ya tossed him like the piece of trash he is!" Gojiramon cheered his partner on.
As slowly stood, Saitou scanned the chamber as his opposition surrounded him.
"I'm sorry about the Max you called a friend and a brother, but I already have friends on my side," Max chided him while helping Keke up.
Mothramon recovered and awoke to see Keke safely in Max's embrace.
"Good to have you back, Max," Shu said, assembling Gai, Genesis Inori, and Mana with him.
After eating Digi-Vitamins, WarAngemon, Celesta X, Ultima X, and Zordiark X regrouped with the Spirit Detectives. They headed over where Max and company confronted Saitou.
"Party's over, Jr.," Yusuke scoffed, charging spirit energy in his index finger.
"Understand you can't win now, Saitou," Max plainly told him.
Despite being grossly outnumbered, Saitou calmed his tense emotions and palmed his face. He chuckled and then laughed loudly. His laughter filled the chamber and sent bad vibes to his opposition.
"Um, why isn't he scared? Like running scared?" Kuwabara asked nervously. "Wait, don't answer that."
"Might be for the best since we're still in for a fight," Kurama said.
"Don't worry, we still have Meta-Fusion," WarAngemon said, motioning over to Celesta X, Ultima X, and Zordiark X.
Max analyzed Saitou's behavioral shift. He already started to pick up on Saitou's mental state fracturing.
Saitou recollected his composure and scanned his opposition, especially Max.
"Even if you kill me, you can't stop the gates from opening."
Max rebuked. "We'll see once it comes to that." He and the others readied themselves for Saitou.
(Cue Castlevania Judgment – Dance of Illusions)
Shu and Gai charged into Saitou, attempting to double team him. Saitou caught their swords and knocked them back with his Saint Light aura. Yusuke and Shaka jumped Saitou from behind. The two Spirit Detectives fired off dual Spirit Gun shots. Saitou dodged the spirit attacks and swung his right arm forward, sending an immense force that swept Yusuke and Shaka back.
As Genesis Inori prepared to hit Saitou with crystals, Kyubey jumped down and mounted her face. Inori tried to pull Kyubey off, who attempted to smother Inori and obstruct her plain sight view.
"Hey, ya backstabbing jerk! Get off my sis's face!" Mana quickly yanked Kyubey off Inori and tossed him aside. "You ok, Inori?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Ok, time for me to get serious!" Mana declared as a pink light formed over her. Her regular clothing was replaced with a short black dress that looks like Inori's glowing orange suit alongside two crystallized flowers. Red threads formed on her arms, legs, and chest. Crude purple wing crystals shaped like a tiara formed on her left side. Purple crystal shoulder spike pads formed on her shoulders. She transformed into Apocalypse Mana.
Kyubey slowly stirred. As he tried to escape like a thief, Apocalypse Mana pinned the Incubator under her barefoot.
"Going somewhere, you little shit?" Apocalypse Mana smirked coolly. She formed a crystal in her right hand and shoved it through Kyubey, killing him.
"Sorry, but you can't get rid of me that easily," Kyubey's familiar voice chimed in.
Genesis Inori and Apocalypse Mana looked up as another Kyubey appeared on a chamber wall. His lifeless red eyes scanned the other battles taking place.
"He's going to be more trouble than he's worth," Genesis Inori said.
"So, what? I'll just keep killing the jerk until he concedes to me!" Apocalypse Mana tossed a barrage of crystals at Kyubey, who hopped up and bounced around the chamber. "Man this is annoying!"
Meanwhile, Hiei gathered dark flames and imbued it in his sword. He attempted to cut Saitou with his Sword of the Darkness Flame. Having transformed into Yoko Kurama, the silver-maned warrior aided Hiei and summoned a man-eating plant to devour Saitou. Saitou unleashed his Saint Light aura, neutralizing Hiei and Yoko Kurama's attacks. He swiftly attacked and took down both demons.
Max rushed Saitou and attacked him with a flurry of punches. As Max kept Saitou occupied, the others were given time to recover. As Max and Saitou locked, the former's blue aura and Saitou's Saint Light clashed against the other. Max jumped up and kicked Saitou's face, sending him flying back As Max ran up at him, Saitou launched a barrage of Ki energy orbs with his right foot.
Max dodged the incoming orbs and batted a few away. He phased out and reappeared in front of Saitou, catching the Imaginalist off guard. Max swiftly punched Saitou's gut and then uppercutted him into the ceiling. Saitou crashed into the ceiling.
"Well done, Max. Indeed, you're a formidable opponent! Keep it up! Bring me pain, Max!" Saitou yelled out as if he were gleefully being beaten by Max.
Channeling blue ki into his right hand, Max flew into Saitou. He aimed for another gut crunching blow, but Saitou barely managed to slip away and unleashed an energy projection. This attack came in the form of a wave that repelled Max and sent him crashing to the ground. Saitou flew down sent another barrage energy balls that pummeled him.
"MAX!" Keke cried out as she, WarAngemon, Ultima X, and Zordiark X ran at him, but were quickly brushed away by Saitou's aura.
Max rolled away and prepared to make his next move. He cupped his hands and fired a quick Tsunami Wave. In response to the energy wave, Saitou readily formed a purple energy ba and kicked it into Max's wave. The two attacks canceled each other out.
Saitou and Max ran into each other and unloaded with fast-paced kicks and punches. Saitou landed a kick to Max's head, but Max managed to hit Saitou's stomach. The two warriors were knocked away and hit the nearest cavern walls. Saitou recovered first and eyed Max's direction.
"Wait for me, Max. You and I are going to open that tunnel together using your energies," Saitou stated as he purposefully walked toward him.
Watching each member being taken down, Celesta X had enough.
No, I can't… no, I won't stand by any longer! She closed her eyes and tapped into Homeostasis' powers within her. She started to flashback to her training with Kensuke/Dramon X, who took her in for private training. She recalled it was her most grueling and physically abusive she ever endured. Kensuke lent her a portion of his own Ascendant God energy, which bonded with her Ascendant and Homeostasis energies. With all three powers now instilled to her, her body would constantly reject and react by nearly destroying Kari's body, pushing to her absolute brink to near death.
After a whole day of torture, Kari's body finally accepted the Ascendant God-like essence. And as a result, this allowed her to tap into a form beyond Mystic. Her mortal body, coupled with Homeostasis' essence, ascended into a divine body.
It's time I put that new power I've been meaning to use! Now is the best time! Celesta X mentally thought.
Celesta X's body became consumed by a white aura. This white aura converted to pure silver and gold. Once the silver and gold light bathed over her, her dramatic transformation was complete. Her outward appearance and clothing changed dramatically. She wore an ankle-length white gi with some lined patterns. Her outfit now has long, wide sleeves. Two long, flowing golden ribbons tied at her back. On her chest is an embellished Crest of Light emblem. Her hair became snow white. A broadsword, her D-Sword, was seen hanging on her left hip. The Bearer of Light at last unlocked her Ascendant God form: Celesta X Holy Mode.
To her friends, this was their first time seeing it. Needless to say, it marveled them. Even Max and Saitou ceased their fight to witness the new Ascendant God awakening.
"Aunt Kari, well done." Max smiled with satisfaction. "Now you're able to control your power better. Thank Kensuke for that."
"This light permeating from this woman. Her light is… almost as divine and strong as my own!" Saitou was mesmerized by Celesta X Holy Mode's power.
"Yeah! Let him have it, Kari!" Ultima X cheered her on.
WarAngemon nodded approvingly. "Take him down."
Celesta X Holy Mode focused her sights on Saitou. "Max, you might want to move."
"Sure," Max hopped away, leaving Saitou to face down Celesta X HM.
"You think your light can match my Saint Light aura? Try your worst," Saitou responded to the new power, enveloping his golden sheen all over him.
"I can only hold this form for a short time, but I'll make this count!" Celesta X HM raised her D-Sword and took on a swordswoman stance.
"Your move, light wielder."
With eyes glowing intensely, Celesta X HM responded with a mix of hers and Homeostasis' voices. "After you."
With that, Celesta X HM and Saitou simultaneously bumrushed each other . Saitou sent a wave of his Saint Light to engulf and overpower Celesta X HM. However, Celesta X HM's D-Sword hacked and slashed through his Saint Light aura like a wet paper towel.
"WHAT?!" Saitou blanched in shock as Celesta X HM not only cut through his defenses but landed a critical strike to his body. He watched as she cut into his body and gave him a gaping chest wound.
Celesta X HM's D-Sword unleashed an immense white energy wave that engulfed Saitou. Her Hikari Purgatorial Maelstrom further damaged Saitou, leaving him gravely injured but not yet slain.
Saitou landed on his feet while struggling to maintain his Saint Light aura. He glanced over and saw Celesta X HM readying her D-Sword for another strike.
"Well done wounding me, woman… I concede your light is superior, but…" Saitou forged a purple sphere and kicked it her way. "Your light burns out quicker than mine!"
Preparing to block the incoming sphere, Celesta X HM caught it with her D-Sword and sliced it in two. This gave Saitou enough time to cut the gap between them. He was already right in her face. He disarmed Celesta X HM and prepared to kick her. Celesta X HM seized Saitou's leg and tossed him aside, slamming him into a chamber wall.
"YES!" Ultima X cheered for his former crush.
"Nicely done, Kari," Max nodded in approval. "You're back to your prime."
As Celesta X HM turned toward Saitou, she cupped her hands together and prepared to blast him with a Holy Beam. As Saitou came to, Celesta X HM flew up to meet him and unleashed an immense white beam of light. Her Super Holy Beam collided with Saitou and slammed him hard into a wall. Saitou buckled under the force of Celesta X HM's attack and fell to the ground . He gingerly tried standing, but was critically injured.
"You've got him, Kari! Finish him off!" WarAngemon yelled out encouraging her.
"C'mon! You've got him!" Ultima X cheered her on.
Celesta X HM raised a hand and focused on building up power to finish him off. However, her limit came and Celesta X fell out of her Holy Mode state. This alarmed the others.
"No, she's hit her limit! Those last attacks took a lot out of her!" WarAngemon exclaimed.
"Actually, this is good! She wounded him for us!" Max said.
"Then, we'll have to resort to Meta-Fusion!" Zordiark X declared.
"Good idea!" Ultima X added.
"Kari, let's fuse!" WarAngemon flew over to her.
Keke grabbed Max's hand. "C'mon, you and me!"
"Wait, hold on…!" Max called out as Keke quickly dragged him to her.
As he recovered, Saitou walked forward critically hurt, but he had enough Saint Light reserves to heal himself.
Three beacons of light flared before Saitou's eyes. He watched as the Meta-Fusion dances were completed.
"Yeah! This is gonna be so awesome!" Gojiramon exclaimed gleefully. "Check it out, Mothramon, our partners are about to fuse!"
"Tell me, are they gonna…" Kuwabara gawked.
"Yes, and this happened to us before when Aoshi's Moon Heart Crystal granted us the power to merge," Yoko Kurama reminded him.
"That's right! I remember that!" Shaka recalled that one instance.
Yusuke laughed genuinely. "Yeah, that was cool, wasn't it?!"
Hiei mumbled. "Don't remind me. I fused with that woman Mizuno after all."
Shu turned to Gai. "Well? What do you think?"
Gai sweatdropped. "No, we're never doing that."
Apocalypse Mana watched while choking Kyubey. "Hey, we should do a dance like that, Gai! Or, maybe we could fuse, Inori?"
Inori smiled nervously. "Um, really? Us?"
Upon seeing the Ascendants about to fuse, Saitou decided to take drastic action. He ran up to interrupt Max and Keke's fusion, but Gojiramon stepped in front of him.
"Don't interrupt their fusion, jerk! You want them? You go through me!" Gojiramon snarled as he lunged at Saitou and fired an Atomic Flame at him.
Saitou easily brushed away Gojiramon's flames and went to kick the Kaijuu Rookie. Then, Max's Digivice glowed with life.
"Let him have it, Gojiramon! Show him you're king!" Max called out as he and Keke went to perform their Meta-Fusion.
As Gojiramon evolved into Godzillamon, the titanic dinosaur rushed Saitou and swung his mighty tail. Saitou jumped up and evaded Godzillamon's tail. Bellowing angrily, Godzillamon swiped at the and knocked Saitou away, sending him crashing into the ground. Godzillamon raised a foot over to crush Saitou like an insect. Saitou quickly unleashed his Saint Light aura to repel the Kaijuu Digimon back.
Saitou sprang up and saw Mothramon heading his way. He tossed a few Saint Light energy waves to neutralize and push Mothramon back. He turned as the Shu and Gai took turns slicing at him with their Void swords. Saitou casually dodged their attacks. He kicked Shu back and elbowed Gai's face. The Spirit Detectives immediately took on Saitou.
"You remember how the dance went, Keke?" Max asked her nervously, fearing for the worst case scenario.
"Yeah, yeah, I've seen it done before when Tai and Matt did it," Keke reassured him.
"Ok, are the rest of you ready?!" Max turned to Celesta X, WarAngemon, Ultima X, and Zordiark X.
The other four Ascendants nodded in response.
"Ok! Let's do this!" Max called out.
"Fuuuuu-sion! Ha!"
Max and Keke performed the Meta-Fusion dance technique with perfect synchronization. Likewise, Celesta X & WarAngemon and Ultima X & Zordiark X did the same with no flubs.
Right in the middle of fighting the Spirit Detectives, Saitou turned and saw three glowing beacons of golden light flashing before his eyes.
"Damn it all," Saitou scowled.
The Spirit Detectives and Shu & Gai's group were flabbergasted with what they saw.
Celesta X and WarAngemon fused into WarCelesta X, a female Ascendant with a mix of Kari and TK's hair. She now has TK's eyes and Kari's face. She wore the baggy white pants, yellow shoes, and a black vest coupled with sports bra and yellow shoulder paddings. She immediately powered up into Mystic state.
Ultima X and Zordiark X fused into Ultimark X, who had a mix of Davis and Ken's hair colors. He has Ken's eyes and Davis' face. He wore a similar Meta-Fusion wardrobe, except no sports bra to cover his chest. He powered up into full Ascendant state.
Finally, Max and Keke fused into Maxeke, a male Ascendant with a mix of Max's dark brown hair and Keke's strawberry blonde hair. He had Keke's eyes and Max's face. He powered up into Super Ascendant Blue state.
"Our fusions are complete. I hope you're ready for a beating, Saitou!" Maxeke threatened in a voice mix of Max and Keke's.
Godzillamon and Mothramon let out a loud roars as their way of approving their partners's successful merger.
"Hell yeah! This is sweet!" Yusuke hollered.
"Perhaps we should fuse, too, Hiei?" Yoko Kurama teased him.
"I'd rather be caught dead than perform those ballet moves!" Hiei angrily spat.
"Hey, ballet is one of the best forms of physical training!" Shaka added.
"Don't bother with him, Yui. He just doesn't get real men can dance and wear tights," Kuwabara snubbed at Hiei.
Overhearing their conversation, Mana scoffed. "That jerk. Don't you go diss ballet."
Shu turned to Gai. "Still want to try…?
Gai plainly replied. "No."
The three Meta-Fused Ascendants surrounded Saitou. Having assessed their individual powers, the imaginalist smirked and dropped his hands.
"It's over, Saitou. Surrender now and help us take down your group's operation or end here," Maxeke demanded compliance from the Imaginalist.
Saitou smirked. "...sorry, but I can't do that." In one last act of defiance, he forged a purple orb in his hands and split it into three. He kicked the three orbs at the Meta-Fused warriors. They casually backhanded Saitou's blasts.
"That's unfortunate," Maxeke frowned.
"So, this is how it ends…" Saitou muttered, seemingly ready to accept his fate. "Then so be it."
"Farewell, Saitou." Maxeke declared as he cupped his hands together and unleashed a Super Tsunami Wave.
Likewise, WarCelesta X and Ultimark X released their attacks. WarCelesta X fired off her Seraphi Beam. Ultimark X unleashed his Ultima Wave.
The three attacks converged into a single combined blast and slammed head-on with Saitou, who was thrown back. His face didn't exude any fear of defeat. A tiny smirk curved on the man's features. His entire life flashed before his eyes, including his memories with his world's Max.
(End theme)
Saitou could muttered, "Looks like I'll be joining you, Deathmon and Arkadimon. It was good to see you again Max... even if you aren't the same one I knew..."
His last words were then snuffed out as the beam eradicated him. Nothing was left of Soma Saitou.
"Yeah! Take that, Jr.!" Yusuke spat out.
"Whew, we managed to survive that," Shu sighed with relief.
"But no doubt we still have some ways to go," Gai reminded them. "We have to find our way out of the chamber and regroup with the others."
"Hey, I bagged us a traitor in our mists!" Apocalypse Mana said, tying a crystal collar around Kyubey's neck. "No worries, I got him on a leash!"
Genesis Inori nodded. "Let's go find the others. I sense they managed to beat those two monsters."
"Yeah, we sensed it, too," Maxeke said. "And don't worry these fusions will wear off as we're exploring so let's get going!"
The group headed out of the Outer Chamber to find Ayase and company.
xxxxx
Inner Chambers/Dimension: Yog-Sothoth's Realm
The process has already started with the gateway glowing and opening. The energies from Yog-Sothoth sphere (and the amount from Mana) are transferred to the gate, yet the prisoner don't feel pain.
Having sensed the Imaginalists' energies fade, R. Homura worked tirelessly to finish the gate opening process. She stopped to gaze at the sealed ancient god and eyed her other captive, Jessica, who is the reincarnated Valkyrie Skogul from dimension YYGDM-01. Jessica was sealed in an orb next to Yog, who looked just about out of it.
Suddenly, R. Homura turned and spotted intruders storm into Yog-Sothoth's Inner Chambers.
The intruders reveal themselves: Sailor Pluto, Volodramon, Homura, Sailor Venus, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Gao Pluto, Carmen/Songblade, and Nick/Surgebinder.
(Cue Castlevania: Curse of Darkness OST – Dracula's Castle)
R. Homura turned and faced her opposition. "I shouldn't be surprised you'd make it this far." She shifted her cold gaze toward Homura. "Hello, other Homura."
Homura retorted. "It's over. Our friends have already beaten your cohorts. Cease your operations this instant."
Pluto pointed her Garnet Staff toward R. Homura. "I know full well you just any Homura. You're that Homura from the GCLR-1113 dimension! It's the alternate timeline that diverged from dimension GCLK-1113!"
"Very astute of you, Mistress of the Time Gates."
Homura shot a fierce glare at her alternate self. "Let these two go now!"
"Hear me out, Homura. Before we fight, I shall tell you about my past." R. Homura announced while showing her right hand, is a blackish-purple dark Orb symbol glowing. "Like what Pluto mentioned, I originated in an alternate timeline that diverged from dimension GCLK-1113. In the final stages of the war against GHQ, I took the final Void Genome and became its wielder instead of Shu. Events played out differently in the final battle, to which I then became the ruler of the utopia created by that world's Crystal Tokyo. But….a universal pandemic of black crystals destroyed everything. My home dimension! I'm the sole survivor with my failures coming back to haunt me! So that's why I worked with the forces behind these agents that affect the Nexus, because I have nowhere to go… yet. If I were to find the one responsible for destroying my world and my Madoka, I will kill that being slowly and painfully. But, I can't. Someone has forced my hands to do their bidding… and now I've been ordered to get rid of you all. I'm sorry!"
R. Homura then brandished two familiar void swords from her hands: The Singer's Sword and the Dancer's Sword. The Rebellious Witch stood in a swords wielder's stance.
"Then, we'll have to stop you through force," Homura took out her guns.
Realizing they have no other choice, Pluto's group readied themselves for a tough battle.
(End theme)
(Cue Pokemon D/P Remix: Giratina – PokeRemixStudio)
Homura fired off multiple magic rounds at R. Homura, who quickly stopped and sliced them up with her Singer's and Dancer's dual swords. She quickly flew right into Homura and slashed at her. Homura barely dodged getting bisected by R. Homura, who then kicked Homura away.
"How pathetic. Your reaction times are pitiful compared to mine, Homura Akemi," R. Homura demoralized her. "With the years of pained experience and power I've accumulated, I've hardened myself into a ruthless warrior. I've struck down every single foe that's dared to challenge my authority!"
Pluto chastised her. "You're no better than a dictator in your world. You couldn't save it because you lost the trust of your friends there."
"What do you know, Time Guardian? Your counterpart there never dared to challenge me since she knew her place."
"But I am not her, Homura," Pluto rebuked to R. Homura. "If I must defeat you to prevent you from opening these gates, so be it." She flew toward R. Homura and drove her Garnet Staff into R. Homura.
R. Homura instinctively stopped Pluto's staff with her dual swords. Two black angelic wings popped from the Rebellious Witch's back. These wings flapped hard, sending a powerful gale force that casually knocked Pluto away.
"Pluto!" Volodramon jumped up catching her.
"That's it!" Venus declared as she flung her Venus Love Me Chain. Attempting to ensnare R. Homura, the Rebellious Witch sliced the chains in two.
"Is that all you have, Senshi of Love?"
"Not even close!" Venus defied R. Homura. She took to the air and unleashed a barrage of Crescent Beams.
R. Homura crossed her swords, blocking the beams. R. Homura prepared to attack, but Saturn intervened and summoned her Silence Wall, protecting her and her allies from R. Homura's attacks.
"Go now!" Saturn called to Carmen and Nick to break up Jessica's prison.
Seeing this, R. Homura sent a cross slash attack with her Singer's and Dancer's Swords at Nick and Carmen's way.
Witnessing this, Volodramon (YYGDM-01) took a chance and threw himself into R. Homura's attack. After stopping her attack, Volodramon went on the offense. He parried R. Homura's swords and fired a Temporal Exaflare into her. Catching the fiery wave in the gut, R. Homura left herself open for a repeated attack. As Volodramon charged energy into his claws, he attempted to slash her, but R. Homura phased behind him. She kicked Volodramon from behind and hit with him a double-bladed slash with her Void swords.
He was quickly felled by R. Homura. Pluto and Gao Pluto hurried over to tend to Volodramon. R. Homura set her sights to attack the Time Guardian and the child, but she saw time around her freeze. She took note and saw Homura using her time stop ability, which made R. Homura casually smirk.
"Nice try, but I can undo time spells and any time-related ability you can do, I can utilize better." With that, she easily undid Homura's time stop and raised her swords to attack Homura with.
"My intent wasn't to stop time to attack you," Homura responded. "No, it was to give them the time to make their move!"
Upon realizing what Homura referred to, R. Homura saw Pluto, Venus, and Saturn transform into Dai-Valkyries. Venus and Saturn quickly flew into and pushed R. Homura back. While the two Senshi fended off the Rebellious Witch, this gave Nick and Carmen time to free Jessica and Yog.
"Oh my god, thank you!" Jessica frantically cried out, hugging Carmen and Nick. "Ok, it's payback time!" With that, she invoked her Valkyrie Maiden transformation and became Skogul.
Nick pumped his fist up, cheering Skogul. "Dudes, I bet that crazy dark magical girl is getting scared now!"
R. Homura unleashed an immense aura wave that repelled the two Senshi.
Overhearing Nick's outburst, R. Homura chuckled in amusement. "Not really, little boy, but nice try." She wasted no time and flew toward Skogul.
R. Homura slashed at Skogul, who barely dodged and rolled away.
Suddenly, Skogul summoned a spell circle to stop R. Homura's attack. R. Homura's swords bounced off Skogul's spell seal.
Dai-Valkyrie Venus tossed a chain of hearts that clashed with R. Homura's swords. As Venus distracted the Rebellious Witch, Nick took immediate action.
"Yo, the psycho magical girl is coming our way!" Nick warned as he popped open his canteen and sent a water wave toward R. Homura.
R. Homura effortlessly cut through Nick's water blast. However, Nick utilized waterbending tricks to pull the water back and wrapped it around R. Homura. The water formed ropes and binded R. Homura.
"Hah! Bet ya didn't see that coming, lady!" Nick boasted tying up the Rebellious Witch. "Never look down on the little people! 'Cause we tend to surprise the Big Bads."
R. Homura struggled to break loose from Nick's water binding trick.
"Great work, Nick! Hold her!" Carmen encouraged him.
"Yep, looks like I stopped the bad guy. Wait 'til I tell the dudes back home that I single handedly stopped a bad guy all on my own!" Nick said, tightening the water bondage ropes around R. Homura.
(End theme)
Dai-Valkyrie Pluto and Gao Pluto helped replenish Volodramon (YYGDM-01)'s powers, who was still recovering from R. Homura's attack.
"Take her down now!" Homura declared, taking out a magical RPG. She crouched and readied the magic rocket.
Taking no chances, Homura, Dai-Valkyries Venus & Saturn, Skogul, and others attacked R. Homura at once.
"No, this won't do," R. Homura murmured as her eyes shot open and a wave of purple light spread over the area.
(Cue Madoka Magica: Rebellion OST - The worst ending)
Suddenly, a purple pillar of light formed over R. Homura, breaking her free from Nick's water bondage. Then, R. Homura summoned light purple whirlpool-like vortexes from the ground. The water vortex attempted to suck the group like a vacuum and unleash continuous damage to her opponents. Most of them attempted to move away, but were struck down. However, Pluto and Volodramon dispelled the vortexes with their time counterspells.
Seeing this, the agitated R. Homura was about to strike down Pluto & Volodramon with her void swords.
"I'm ending this now! Starting with you two!" R. Homura yelled, her once cool exterior gone and replaced with an unhinged look. If struggling against mortals wasn't enough, a Metahuman with waterbending abilities being able to ensnare her pushed her to the breaking point. As she raised her sword, a green aura exploded behind her.
The Rebellious Witch turned around and saw Skogul transform. Seeing her friends being hurt was enough for Skogul's final push.
Skogul's blond hair gained distinctive streaks of dark green highlights. She also gained native face dark green tattoos on her cheeks. The lower part of her body has an emerald dress with black silhouettes of Huginn & Muninn. Her helmet was replaced by a Native American war bonnet with white & golden feathers and dark green at the end of each tip. Dark green highlights are added on her golden wings. She became the Emerald Valkyrie.
Before R. Homura could attack, the Emerald Valkyrie conjured a magic circle that hit the Rebellious Magical Girl. Not surprisingly, R. Homura took no damage. She was impressed with Skogul's awakening.
"I won't give up. I'll fend you off to defend my friends." Skogul declared.
Skogul then summoned three large floating magic circles behind her. These frames are shaped like three maiden statues each, totalling to nine and symbolized Heimdall's nine mothers. They are called Heimdall's Circles, a technique unique to her. The Valkyrie readied her fighting stance with her two smaller circles from her hands.
As Skogul valiantly attacked R. Homura, the Rebellious Witch effortlessly countered her attacks.
"Can you stand?" Dai-Valkyrie Pluto asked Volodramon.
"Yes, thanks to you two," Volodramon gratefully replied.
"Your welcome," Gao Pluto replied. "Oh no, look!"
As the trio looked ahead, they witnessed R. Homura spreading her feathered wings. From these eyes, multiple red eyes and demonic visages appeared. From these demonic eyes and faces, red beams poured out and blasted the whole area they are in. R. Homura invoked her Rebellion Devil Eyes.The heroes managed to scatter to avoid getting caught in beam barrage. Dai-Valkyrie Saturn forged her Silence Wall, nullifying some beams heading her way. Others, namely Venus, Skogul, Nick, and Carmen, took cover.
"Gao Pluto, take over. We'll handle this!" Dai-Valkyrie Pluto beckoned Gao Pluto to hide.
As Gao Pluto hid behind some rocks, Pluto and Volodramon flew up to attack R. Homura. The Rebellious Witch sent more beams toward them. Pluto and Volodramon flew out of the way. Pluto swung her Garnet Staff and batted away beams heading her way. Likewise, Volodramon wiped out beams with his Temporal Exaflare. R. Homura prepared to use time stop on the duo, but Skogul flew up to take her revenge on the woman who captured her.
R. Homura hastened another barrage of beams, which collided with Skogul.
"JESSICA!" Nick yelled out.
"No, Skogul!" Pluto shouted.
This distraction allowed R. Homura to blast away Pluto, Volodramon, and Skogul. The Rebellious Witch imbued her Void swords with energy and unleashed a shockwave made of destructive energy that cleansed every rock formation, exposing Gao Pluto, Nick, and Carmen. As the two Metahumans were knocked away the ensuing shockwave, Gao Pluto whipped out her Garnet Wand. Two long ribbons shot out of the wand and ensnared the two Metahumans, saving them in time.
Saturn once again forged her Silence Wall, protecting herself and Pluto.
(End theme)
However, Pluto, Volodramon, and Skogul hit the ground in a heap. R. Homura descended over her fallen victims and raised her Void swords.
"It's time we finish this…!" Before she could strike them down, someone stood in her way and took a sword into her gut. "What?! You…!"
(Cue Madoka Magica: Rebellion OST - Gonna Fight With Me)
R. Homura stabbed Homura, who stood in her way holding the Rebellious Witch's Singer's Sword. A trickle of blood dripped from her lips.
"HOMURA!" Pluto shouted.
"You… but, why?!" R. Homura blinked in confusion.
As she raised her eyes to R. Homura's, Homura smirked darkly as black wings sprouted from her back. The demoness magical girl plainly answered. "So, now we can duel it out: demon against demon!"
xxxxx
Next chapter: The Divinity of Justice
xxxxx
A/N: Well, that's one hell of a cliffhanger, but you'll see what happens come Chapter 56. Sorry gotta wait until then.
Pretty straight forward chapter. The captives have been rescued. Galakadi X gets taken down by Ayase's group much thanks to Sigrun and Gondul. Kari finally gets to show off her exclusive God form: Holy Mode. For such a limiting form, it proved a difference maker and critically weakened Saitou. Saitou shows he was one tough SOB that it required not just Holy Mode, but three Meta-Fusions, including an Ascendant Blue fusion, to beat him. If that hadn't come into play, our heroes would still be fighting him and be beaten. He ultimately ran into bad luck.
Just like Yamakins (and Vegeta), Hiei is not a fan of any Fusion Dance. Heheh.
R. Homura is the greater enemy and already she's made short work of most of Pluto's group. Homura taps into her devil power to take the fight to the Rebellious Witch.
Not much else to say. Next chapter, we return to our other heroes and Merged Zamasmon battle. Until the next chapter, send a review and see you soon!