With the Urgothian threat ended, at least for the moment, the combined forces of Nexus and of the Digital World took their chance to relax, those newer to Nexus meanwhile tried to contemplate what they had witnessed.
Able to relax themselves, the five Davises allowed their helmets to dissolve into their armours and to allow Light Davis to finally show his face for the first time since he stepped upon the battlefield alongside the Host of Justice, the Archon then turned and looked toward the one person he desired to see above all, Kari Kamiya.
Allowing her Dark Lord armour to melt into shadows and for her more casual attire to reform upon her being, and after Faustian returned himself within her gem, the Dark Empress looked at the sight before her with teary eyes and a loving smile, to finally see all five of her Davises before her.
The former Digidestined of Light approached the Davises in haste, ignoring the sight of their partners changing into energy and entering the champions' gems, those close to the five variants of the Motomiya and the Dark Empress smiled at the group to see that this moment was finally happening after all they had been through, while Fire Davis, Dark Davis, Water Davis and Nature Davis were certain that Kari would now hug and kiss Light Davis, a situation they were alright with after everything that they had just been through.
However, no one anticipated what happened next, even astonishing the Davises as four more Karis then materialized around the Dark Empress.
Coming into existence and taking form, the various Karis each moved closer toward the Davis variants, hugging them tightly.
Copying the actions of the newly formed Karis, the main Dark Empress wrapped her arms around the Archon, her eyes beaming with pure love that could be seen within the eyes of the other Karis.
"I've been waiting to do this until you were all together." Kari told the five Davises, her duplicates speaking in unison as the five Karis then told her beloveds. "I can't do this for long, so I waited until I could hold all five of you once again."
Hearing this explanation, Rika and Sora expressed shared sighs of relief, the two Digi-girls remaining hopeful that Kari would call upon them again in order to help please the five Davises in the future, but they too were happy to see the growing love shown amongst Kari and her loves.
Smiling toward Kari's words and to finally have the love of his life back within his arms, Light Davis leaned his head down and met the brunette's lips in a loving and passionate kiss, one Kari eagerly returned, the Dark Empress filled with joy and bliss to finally have all five of her Davises with her, despite the dire atmosphere around them.
Likewise and guided by their own love for the woman they love, the other four Davises held their copies of Kari in loving embraces.
Smiling to themselves from the love and devotion their beloved held for them, before the various Davises each released themselves from their respective embraces when the four duplicates of the Dark Empress slowly faded away, leaving only the real brunette, who broke her kiss with Light Davis and stepped back a little, a bright, pure and joyous smile gracing her face for the first time in a very, very long time.
At long last, all five of her Davises were with her and Kari would never let them go again, no matter who or what stood in their way, she would face it at their side and remain with them forevermore.
Stepping back, Kari allowed Jun and Veemon their own turn for their heartfelt reunion with the last variant of Davis.
Hugging her fifth brother with joyous tears, the older Motomiya sibling remained overly joyous to be fully reunited with her brother, before stepping back and allowing Veemon to all but to leap himself within Light Davis' arms.
Holding his old Digimon partner tightly, the Archon remained with a soft smile on his face as he allowed the joy of being reunited with those of his old life to flow through him.
However, despite the loving moment, the atmosphere around the area then changed, causing those newer to Nexus to look around and see the forces of the five Realms of Nexus all glaring at one another, the tensions and old hatreds returning now that the Urgothian threat had passed for the moment.
Looking to the side, Dark Davis saw Desred and Argoth approaching, with the servant of Noctus giving the Shadow a look as though he wished to speak to him.
"It seems we need to get things in order, then head for the usual meeting place." The dark variant of Davis then said to his counterparts, who all nodded in understanding. "Excuse me while I see what I can get out of this for our use."
With his words said, Dark Davis then turned and walked over to his right hand and his ally, where Kari and the others saw the Shadow and Argoth begin in an animated conversation.
"I'll go talk to the commander of the Fire Fortress." Fire Davis then offered as he left to speak with the forces of his realm.
"I shall do the same with the Cyber Fortress' commander." Water Davis then informed as he disappeared in a blue light, having teleported himself upon the Cyber Fortress in order to speak to the leaders of the Water Realm forces that came to their aid and to assess the damage.
Seeing three of the Davises depart to speak with their allies for the time being, Kari and the rest of those newer to Nexus then looked toward Nature Davis, who looked back toward the group and then told them. "And I need to speak with Ungala, Tichalla, Khan and the Nature Empress. We need to start preparing for what is coming."
Nodding toward Kari and the others, the Grand Guardian and his Pack took their leave as they moved toward the Nature Realm forces in order to speak with their Empress and allies, leaving the Dark Empress and those of the Digital World alone with Light Davis.
Feeling their concerns and worries growing, the group turned their attention back upon the Archon, Tagiru found himself asking through his growing dread. "Things aren't that bad, are they?"
"The Urgothians have created a permanent solar eclipse, which means that Breachs can form anyway in Nexus at any time." Light Davis replied with a serious tone, his words causing many in the group to widen their eyes as they realized that the Urgothians could attack at any time now.
Sensing several familiar presences then approaching them, Light Davis and the group turned to see Demezel and the human high priestess approaching, this allowing Kari and the others to get a better look at the religious figure that seemed to boost the morale of the Host of Justice in their fight.
Looking the priestess over, the Dark Empress and those of the Digital World noticed that she was a young woman, who was covered from head to toe in white robes which was decorated with golden trimmings, her face somewhat concealed by the hood she wore over her head, which bore the symbol of the Light Realm upon the forehead.
Taking in the woman's face as she lowered her hood, the group could see that she had blue eyes and fair skin, but also had her head shaved and religious text tattooed upon her face, which added to her appearance as a religious figure.
Gesturing toward the approaching pair, Light Davis then looked upon Kari and the others as he made his introductions. "You have already met my second in command, Demezel, while this is Hierophant Paraz of the Church of Alpharius and the Keeper of the Faith within the Host of Justice."
"It is an honour to meet the heroes told to us in tales by Lord Motomiya, may the Light smile upon all of you." Paraz said with a great respect toward the group as she bowed lightly, the actions of the priestess the group mirrored in reply.
Turning their attention back toward Light Davis, Kari and the others watched as the Archon brought his right hand up, showing the golden gem upon it and then told his beloved, his sister and their friends. "And this is my partner, Alcadeias, Arch Angel of Alpharius."
"In Alpharius' name, I greet you all." The Arch Angel said through the gem, with Kari and the others nodding in reply, happy to meet the powerful Light being after seeing him in action against the Urgothians.
Regaining a serious expression, however, Light Davis then turned toward Demezel and Paraz, where he then told the pair with an authority within his voice. "Tend to the wounded and regather the Host, we will be joining this… armada as we make our way to the Infinite City in order to meet with reinforcements and plan the defense of Nexus."
"Yes, Archon!" The pair said in unison and with a respectful bow, while Kari and the others were surprised to hear that they were now heading to the Infinite City, the one true neutral place in Nexus, the place where Davis had been split into five beings upon arriving within this world.
"I will be travelling onboard the non-aligned airship during this journey." The light variant of Davis then informed his two allies, who looked at one another briefly, before Paraz addressed the Archon with concern.
"My Lord, is that a wise action?" The Hierophant questioned, concerned that their enemies in the Dark Realm or the Fire Realm would use this opportunity to rid themselves of the Archon once and for all.
"Yes, I will be travelling with my counterparts and the truce remains in effect." Light Davis said reassuringly to the Hierophant.
"As long as the Urgothians remain a threat, the Light Realm must put our differences with the other realms aside for the time being." He then added with a remaining seriousness.
Turning his gaze back upon Kari and the others, the Archon then said to his two allies. "Besides, they need to understand what we are dealing with now and why it's not just a threat to us, but to all of creation as well."
Feeling a slight dread toward Light Davis' words, those from the Digital World began to wonder just what they had gotten themselves into with these Urgothians.
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Two hours later on, Miracle's Reach found itself floating in the middle of a vast armada, the Dark Citadel taking the lead with its fleet, while the fortresses and ships of the Fire Realm, the Water Realm as well as the Light Realm moved together with the non-aligned airship.
On the ground below, the vast numbers of the Wild Horde, accompanied by a small number of warriors from the Beast Confederacy and from the Faelands, who moved to keep up with the armada in the skies above.
Winged creatures and spirits flew alongside the ships above as the combined forces of Nexus made their way toward the Infinite City to prepare for the great war that was to come.
Back aboard Miracle's Reach, Kari, TK and the others of the Digital World once again found themselves within the briefing room, only now, Light Davis stood before the large screen as the rest of those of Nexus were positioned around the room.
Fire Davis stood alongside Julie, Caleb, Victor and Kenji, Water Davis leaned against the wall a few feet from them, while on the other side of the room, Dark Davis stood alongside Henry, Desred, Orphiais, Cyoton and Sythial.
Meanwhile and in the back, Nature Davis stood with Alicia, Sakuya, Shinon, Lyna, Erik and Garen, each of whom held serious expressions as they knew what the conversation topic would soon be.
As the Dark Empress and those of the Digital World kept their focus upon Light Davis, the Archon looked amongst the group with a trusting smile.
"Words cannot describe how I feel to see you all again after so long, to know that time moved differently for you and that you were all still alive after all this time, it has brought a hope to all five of us that we thought lost a long time ago." He commented.
Turning his attention upon the Appli Drivers, their Appmon partners and alongside Team Lirurun, Light Davis said with a further kindness within his voice. "And I am pleased to meet our new friends and allies. I am eager to hear about your adventures when we have the time."
After seeing the two groups of Digi-heroes and heroines nod toward him with a smile, Light Davis then turned his attention back upon the entire group, the Archon expelling a tired sigh as he told them. "I wish things had gone as intended, that we would all meet up and discuss what we needed to go forward, but that plan is now in ruins, especially with this threat that now hangs over the world."
"Before we explain the enemy to you, there are some quick things that need to be discussed." The Archon went on to say, before he looked toward Dark Davis.
"What is happening on the Dark Realm's end?" He asked.
"Argoth is taking the majority of Noctus' forces back to the Dark Realm to protect the sarcophagus until he is revived, they will not be able to aid us until then." The dark variant of Davis said in reply, his words causing a few within the room to growl, before the Shadow added with a slyness within his voice. "That said, the Dread Wyrms stand with us and the Dark Council is gathering an army to join us at the Infinite City, with Azaghast, Ainz and Hades at the lead."
Nodding in response to Dark Davis' reply, Light Davis then looked toward Fire Davis, who knew it was his turn to speak, the fire champion then telling his Light variant. "Fire Lord Cameron is leading an armada that will link up with us at the Infinite City, over five hundred thousand soldiers will be at his command."
"A force of equal size will be leaving our territory and will rendezvous with us at our destination." Water Davis informed, his words earning another understanding nod from the Archon, who then looked upon the Grand Guardian and his Pack.
"The Nature Empress of course cannot join us, she will be protecting the Realm, Ungala with her. Likewise, Tichalla had to return home to prepare his people, but he sent warriors to aid us. The Wild Horde stands at our side and the call has been signaled, so more will come." Nature Davis said as to allow those within the room to know the situation in regards toward the Nature Realm and the forces coming to their aid.
Nodding his head toward the information given to him, the Archon then told his variants and their allies. "Along with the Host of Justice, the Host of Hope and the Host of Valour are coming to our aid, while the Host of Wisdom and the Host of Purity will keep the Light Realm protected."
At the mention of the Host of Valour, Kari and the others could hear the other four Davises growling with a small and shared annoyance, before Dark Davis then said to his light variant. "Fine, but is that zealot, Imperious, so much as tries to lay a finger on Kari, I will end him."
"You'll have to wait in line." The Archon said in reply, sharing in his variants' disdain for the Arch Arbiter of the Host of Valour and his obsession with the destruction of all Darkness.
Turning his focus back upon those of the Digital World and seeing the confusion and curiosity over everything that was happening that expressed itself all along their faces, Light Davis then told them with a smile. "Now then, we promised to explain this new threat to you, but before we begin, please understand, we didn't say anything earlier because we were hoping that they would not cause trouble while you were here in Nexus. In our twenty thousand years here, we have only encountered them twice, thus we decided to wait until such time to inform you all about the Urgothians."
"Furthermore, this is not all of yours' first encounter with them." The Arch-Savant then said, his words getting everyone's attention, who informed them. "The aberration we fought in the Water Realm was created by the black blood, thus the creature was an experiment of theirs that either escaped or was set loose."
Gesturing toward Kari, Water Davis told the brunette. "Furthermore, Kari had brief contact with one of their rulers through a mind link, one that was quickly severed."
Shocked and horrified to hear all of this, those newer to Nexus then looked back at Light Davis, who nodded his head toward one of the technicians within the room, signaling him to begin the presentation as the Archon began to explain the threat of the Urgothians.
Upon the monitor behind the Archon, the image of a familiar dragon to most appeared upon the screen, where Light Davis started his explanation as he told the group. "Long ago and before even our universes came into existence, in the void between realities, a cosmic egg formed, and from it, Arkoth, the Dragon of Order, came into existence."
"Um, we already heard this part before." Kazu interrupted, before the Digimon Tamer gulped nervously as Dark Davis glared upon him, saying with a cold chill in his voice. "Then shut up and listen to what you didn't hear."
Ignoring the banter between his dark variant and Kazu, Light Davis then said. "As the Dragon of Order, Arkoth was a being of cosmic balance and harmony, representing creation's desire for order and stability."
"However, where there is Order, there is also Chaos." The Archon went on to say, where the image behind him then changed, the sight before them causing many of the Digi-heroes and heroines to leap up from their chairs as they took in the sight before them.
Upon the large screen behind Light Davis was an ancient drawing that depicted Arkoth fighting another dragon, one that had the standard arms, legs, tail, wings and long neck of its draconic kin, however, this dragon's body seemed to be made of the same scale-like material as the Urgothians, which was white in colour and appeared to have a series of tendrils extending from around the creature's body.
Meanwhile, the head of the monster reminded many of the Digi-heroes and heroines of Cthulhu, with the tendril mouth and six glowing red eyes, three on each side of the head as it battled Arkoth.
"Urgoth, the Dragon of Chaos and Arkoth's twin." Light Davis told the group. "A being of pure hatred and destruction, Urgoth sought to kill his brother and make reality in his own twisted image, leading to the two divine dragons battling for eons."
"Eventually, Arkoth delivered a devastating blow to Urgoth, but refusing to kill his own brother, the Dragon of Order instead imprisoned Urgoth, a prison that would eventually become known as Nexus." The Archon remarked, his words causing many to look at him with pure shock.
"Wait, are you telling me that that thing is at the centre of this world?!" Thomas questioned in disbelief, which grew as Light Davis nodded in reply.
"The five Dragon Gods and their creations were tasked by Arkoth to be the wardens of Urgoth, less his evils were to escape and bring about the end of existence as we know it." He said, before turning his attention upon his fiery counterpart, signalling for Fire Davis to continue to tale.
"Meanwhile, within his prison and wounded, Urgoth fell into a deep sleep as his blood, the black blood, the Blood of Urgoth, seeped from his body, where it took new forms and manifested his will, creating a deadly race, the Urgothians. Twisted parodies of the Five Realms, the Urgothians represent the worst traits of Nexus mixed with the attributes of Urgoth himself, all driven by his will, but hating each other enough that they still fight amongst themselves, while using their God's slumbering form to build their territories." The fire champion said, his words only adding to the shock and awe of those newer to Nexus.
"So, in the vision I saw, that landscape was Urgoth's body?" Kari asked with her own surprise, especially as the other Davises nodded in reply.
"Normally, they are trapped within their realm below Nexus, but however, whenever a solar eclipse happens, the barrier keeping the Urgothians at bay weakens, and the abominations surge to the surface, usually uncoordinated, seeking to bring ruin this world and all beyond as they reshape it in Urgoth's image." Dark Davis then informed those present, before Water Davis took over.
"Using Urgoth's Blood, the Urgothians can convert other species into more of their own, twisting the minds of those infected by the substance and making them apart of the hive mind mentality of each of the factions." The Arch-Savant remarked as he looked around the room and said with a further seriousness in his voice. "If possible, they would spread the black blood across the stars until all was remade in their twisted image."
"This is why they are such a threat, one that forces the Realms to halt their own conflicts and work together, less they find a way to escape from their prison and get past the Veil. And after what we just witnessed, it seems that the Urgothian factions are now working together, and if that is true, then this battle will determine the fate of all." Nature Davis then said with his own sense of duty, which was highly agreed by Veemon, Kari and the others.
It was then that the imagery upon the screen then changed into a photo of Velgoth and the green scaled Urgothians that were fought only a few hours ago, the sight of the foul abominations still sending shivers down the spines of many throughout the Digi-heroes and heroines present.
"The Nature Urgothians, led by their alpha and tyrant, Velgoth. They are living embodiments of Urgoth's primal hunger and his belief that the strong devour the weak. If fully unleashed, they would devour all of Nexus and every world beyond the Veil." Nature Davis told the others, his eyes narrowing as he looked upon the creatures that represented the Urgothian mockery of the Nature Realm.
After Nature Davis' words, the imagery upon the screen then changed, which caused Kari to look on with a fair intrigue to see the blue creatures from her vision, which included the multi-tendriled creature that spoke to and promised her the power to tear down the Veil.
"The Water Urgothians, led by their Emperor, Gixar, are a mockery of the Water Realm and what it stands for." Water Davis remarked with a hint of rage in his tone, which many took notice upon.
"They take science to dangerous and inhuman levels, cutting through flesh to reach their desired goals. To them, Nexus and the rest of creation exist only for their twisted experiments and if Gixar's words to Kari are true and he knows how to bring the Veil down, nothing is safe from their tendrils and claws." The Arch-Savant then continued.
As those newer to Nexus shivered again at the ideas of what horrible experiments the Water Urgothians have done in the past, the image then changed and showed the fiery metal creatures Kari also saw within her vision, only now, there was a beast leading them, one slightly smaller than Velgoth, made of the same molten steel as its followers and was shaped like a bipedal dinosaur, which had long, claw-like arms, two smoke stacks coming out of its back and no eyes, its mouth being large and gaping.
"The Fire Urgothians are destruction incarnate." Fire Davis then said, the fire champion looking amongst those gathered and told them. "They are led by their ruler, Infernir, they are the living embodiment of Urgoth's desire to destroy everything touched by Arkoth and remake creation from steel and fire."
"Next, the Dark Urgothians." Dark Davis said as the imagery on the screen then changed, where Kari, Veemon and the others paled to see horrid abominations upon the monitor, some looking like skeletons with black scales along their beings, while others looked like humanoid torsos attacked to monstrous constructs of flesh and bone.
In front of the beasts, meanwhile, was a slender woman with pale skin, covered almost completely in the black scales, with only her mouth showing as spider-like appendages emerged from her back, her wrists and her legs, while the rest of her head was concealed in a black mask that showed six glowing red eyes and six horns protruding around the mask.
"Led by their Empress, Shelog, there are only a few words that fit the Dark Urgothians, carnage, slaughter and mayhem." The Shadow then remarked with a fair growl. "What they lack in discipline and traditions, like the Dark Realm, they make up for in their savagery, seeking to drown Nexus and all of creation in blood and leaving mountains of dead in their wake."
With some within the group of Digi-heroes and heroines shaking with fear upon hearing about four of the five groups of Urgothians, Kari and the others then turned their attention back toward Light Davis, to see the rage within his eyes toward the topic he too was to talk about.
"Last, but sadly not the least, there are the Light Urgothians." The Archon said with his own growl, where behind him, the imagery changed and showed an image of the last group of Urgothians.
For Kari, TK, Gatomon, Patamon and many amongst the Digi-heroes and heroines that are or were once affiliated with the Light, to call the creatures before them beings of the Light felt like a mockery.
Among those displayed within the image were humanoid and elephant man like beings, with red skin clad in white scales that even covered their eyes and left only their mouths showing, while in the skies, horrid, winged creatures that appeared to be the Urgothian idea of angels could be seen, resembling demons more than they did celestial beings.
Finally, at the centre of an image was a throne, one that seemed to be made of stone figures all carved together within it, while standing before the throne was a feminine figure, clad from head to toe in the white scales.
She had clawed fingers, six red horn-like protrusions which extended from the helmet that covered the rest of her head and left the being looking between nobility and alien at the same time.
"Though they are legion, if you were to ask a Light Urgothian how many of them there are, they would all answer the same, one, for they are all hollowed shells, nothing more than extensions of their Empress, Elezar's, will." The Archon stated as he then turned and looked at the image of the ruler of the Light Urgothians, where he then continued in his explanation. "Elezar is the self-proclaimed Voice of Urgoth, the interpreter of his will and sees herself as the embodiment of perfection. Her goal is to spread Urgoth's will across creation until all there is left is Urgoth and nothing else."
Turning back and facing his friends, allies and variants as the screen turned black, Light Davis looked around the room and told everyone with a continued seriousness. "With Elezar able to command Velgoth like she did earlier and Gixar unleashing that device during a Nature Urgothian invasion, we must assume that the enemy has united and can strike whenever they desire. We need to prepare for the worst, but for the rest of you, take the time you need to process all this information, we'll be at the Infinite City in three days, after that and until the threat of Urgoth is contained, it will be nothing but war."
As TK, Patamon and the others all sat in silence and absorbed the information they had just learned, Kari did her best to keep her emotions in check, to no allow herself to be consumed in rage, rage at the Urgothians for threatening her future and rage at Nexus for pitting her beloveds against such monsters.
Clenching her hands together and narrowing her eyes, the Dark Empress silently vowed to wipe the Urgothians from existence and make sure that they would never, ever harm any of her Davises again.
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Meanwhile and within the twisted realm of the Urgothians, Velgoth stood alongside Shelog, Gixar and Infernir as they watched Elezar descend from her throne toward them, the four other rulers glaring at the so called Voice of Urgoth as she looked down upon them like she was their superior.
"The Great Work has begun. Soon, great Urgoth's will shall unfold, thanks to our unity." Elezar declared as she looked over her lesser counterparts.
"Temporary unity." Shelog then said with a small grin as she wanted nothing more than to cut her light counterpart to pieces, but she also knew she had to wait until the Great Work was done.
Ignoring Shelog for the time being, Elezar continued her speech as she outstretched her hands and said with devotion and conviction within her voice. "Once the Catalyst is within our grasp, the final stages of the Great Work can commence. In the end, Urgoth will be all and all will be Urgoth!"
As the Urgothian rulers expressed inhumane shrieks of praise to their Master, above the fortress of Elezar and with what passed for a sky within their realm, the fiery outline of Urgoth's face surveyed his realm with a twisted and wicked glee.
At long last, vengeance would belong to the Dragon of Chaos.
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Author's Note: Now that the threat of Urgoth and his children have been revealed, a major war is coming to Nexus. Will our heroes pull through and win? Stay tuned as the adventure continues.
PS: OK, so my recovery is still going, and thus, with this chapter, I am taking a short break, not only to focus more on said recovery, but to also plan out the upcoming chapters better in order to better lead you all to the epic conclusion I have planned for this story. Now that does not mean this story is on hiatus, just that the chapters won't be posted as quickly, so as before, I ask only for your continued patience as I continue this recovery and work to bring you more of this story.
Urgothians are all based on the Phyrexians of Magic the Gathering of the same colour types, with leaders based on the Praetors.