Above the chamber and back within the ruined Guardian Lodge, Erik and Garen kept their glares upon Tenebran, the undead lizard warrior had his right hand wrapped around the hilt of his axe, lifted the weapon from off of the ground and now rested the overwhelming weapon over his shoulder.

Bringing his left hand up, Tenebran beckoned for his foes to try and strike at him.

Despite having once been friends with Tenebran and having fought alongside him against Noctus in the past, there was nothing left for the two Guardians to say to the traitor, not after his betrayal against the Nature Realm and against them, there was only the need to put the former Guardian down once and for all.

Being the first to move, Garen expelled a feral growl as he charged toward Tenebran, the wolf Guardian using his wrist blades and his claws to try and slash upon his foe, to cut the former Guardian down to pieces.

But with his brute strength and quick movements, Tenebran easily blocked Garen's onslaught, before retaliating and striking the wolf Guardian with the back of his hand, the impact of the attack sending Garen flying across the Lodge and slamming into the wall with a pain filled cry.

Moving to join the fight, Erik then charged at Tenebran.

His blade drawn as he used his agility and smaller body to dodge a strike from the undead lizardman's weaponry, Erik raked his blade along Tenebran's arms and legs as he avoided being bitten by his jaws or swiped at by the undead lizardman's tail.

Despite the slashes and cuts delivered by the samurai-like Guardian, Tenebran remained unharmed due to his rotting body and was unable to feel any pain, before he then expelled a fearsome roar and tried to strike down his former ally with a sense of dark enjoyment.

Quickly recovering from the attack, Garen leapt back into the fray, forcing Tenebran to react and to then block a strike from the wolf Guardian with his axe, while swinging his left hand to strike at Erik, who merely leapt over the undead lizardman's arm and swung his blade, cutting along the brute's left eye and causing Tenebran to snarl from this act of defiance.

Slamming his fist into the ground, Garen and Erik were forced to jump back as a series of spikes suddenly erupted from the ground around Tenebran, which would have pierced through the pair if they had remained close to their foe, before Erik found himself on the defensive as Tenebran came rushing toward him.

Dodging a swing from his enemy's icy axe as it cut through a wooden pillar that helped support the roof of the Lodge, the human Guardian remained on alert, knowing that a single misstep could cost him his life.

"Is this all you two can muster?" Tenebran then questioned with a dark malice within his voice, before a growing amusement tainted his voice which taunted his former allies. "If this is all you can offer, then I made the right choice in siding with Noctus!"

"You betrayed your oath, your tribe and your realm, there is only death in your future." Erik replied with a seriousness within his voice, where he brought his katana blade before him and closed his eyes, channelling Nature Mana within the blade, where Tenebran noticed the green aura forming around his foe's weapon.

About to strike and stop Erik for enacting whatever plan he was preparing to unleash, Tenebran found himself distracted as Garen rushed at him, forcing the undead lizardman to quickly block the wolf Guardian as he jumped around, trying to slash and strike at Tenebran, to bring his foe down and make his pay for all the pain and suffering he had caused to the Pack and the Nature Realm.

With Tenebran distracted, Erik opened his eyes, revealing them glowing with Nature Mana, which he channelled into his blade and then slammed into the ground, which sent forth the energy toward Tenebran.

Feeling the ground beneath him rumbling, the undead lizardman did not have any time to react as a series of rock pillars then surrounded him, accompanied alongside roots and vines that joined the rock formations and restrained the former Guardian.

Struggling as he ripped through the vines from off of his arms, but found the replacing vines quickly wrapping themselves around and restraining his being, Tenebran began to roar with rage as he was forced to drop his axe, the brute raising his head and letting out a guttural scream as he continued to try and break himself free.

As he opened his jaws, however, the undead lizardman was surprised when Garen leapt onto one of the rock pillars and forcefully held his gator mouth open, causing Tenebran to thrash about even more as he tried to snap his jaws closed and take Garen's arms clear off.

With the combination of his brute force and his Nature Mana, however, Garen let out a fearsome roar as he used all his might and pulled Tenebran's jaw wider, snapping it off its hinges as the undead lizardman thrashed about his restraints frantically, his lower jaw now dangling from his mouth as he let out shrieks of rage and pain.

Continuing with his attack, however, Garen transferred the Nature Mana within him, through his wrist blades and his claws, before he then leapt into the air and lunged down toward his former ally, his attack slicing Tenebran into pieces.

Still alive, however, Tenebran watched as his vision began to change, his body sliding apart as he saw Erik rushing toward him with his blade drawn, Nature Mana coursing through the weapon as the human Guardian swung his weapon and sliced through what was left of the undead lizardman, where the Nature Mana began to eat away at the fallen Guardian.

As what was left of his body began to dissolve into nothing, Tenebran's last thoughts were of shock, disbelief and rage, before the Nature Mana consumed the rest of his form, which left nothing but a small pile of ashes in his place.

Panting from exhaustion, Erik looked toward Garen and asked his fellow Pack member with some concern in his voice. "You good?"

Looking toward the rock pillars and vines where Tenebran was restrained, Garen merely nodded his head in response, his eyes narrowed as he was lost in deep thought for a moment.

Though he felt some pride in the knowledge that the traitorous former Guardian had been dealt with, Garen felt more pity toward the beastkin, to whom Tenebran used to be.

"I'm good, but Davis needs our help." The wolf Guardian then said, his words gaining a nod from Erik, who knew that he would talk to his fellow Guardian about this issue later on and after Noctus was dealt with.

Pushing their fatigue aside, the duo then moved toward the stairwell in order to descend them and aid the Grand Guardian in his battle with the Eternal Lord.

But as they drew closer to the entrance, Erik and Garen came to a halt as a barrier of Dark Mana sealed the staircases, a powerful spell to keep anyone from reaching the battle that was raging down below.

Looking upon one another, Erik and Garen held a shared concern for Nature Davis, the pair knowing that the Grand Guardian and Jiraiya would have to face the Eternal Lord alone.

.

.

.

During the time Erik and Garen fought and defeated Tenebran, Nature Davis and Jiraiya stood before their enemies, the Eternal Lord Noctus and his partner, Mortis, as the two groups prepared themselves for their battle, a battle between life and death that would decide the fate of the entire Nature Realm.

On board Miracle's Reach, Kari, the other three Davises and the rest of the group watched on with mixed emotions, some with concern for the Grand Guardian and his partner, while others were interested in seeing now the nature variant of the Motomiya would stand against the embodiment of Death itself.

It was Mortis who acted first, the ancient Dark Reaper expelling a bone chilling shriek as he brought his scythe upward and swung the blade across his path, the action causing both Nature Davis and Jiraiya to leap out of the way, before the Nature Dragon moved forward in order to retaliate against at the dark being.

Rushing toward Mortis, Jiraiya then sensed the darkness within his foe growing, where the Nature Dragon quickly acted and moved as the smaller heads upon the Dark Reaper's shoulders opened their mouth, expelling streams of dark energy that chased after Jiraiya like a series of dark tendrils.

Turning quickly in the air as his claws were filled with Nature Mana, Jiraiya then swung his arms and sent forth the energy as a shockwave, which collided with the dark tendrils and caused a massive explosion, one that caused a massive smoke cloud to fill the chamber.

From the clearing smoke, over a dozen copies of Jiraiya emerged, the Nature Dragons duplicates surrounding Mortis from every angle as the Dark Reaper looked around at his numerous foes.

Working together, the numerous copies of Jiraiya then unleashed streams of emerald coloured flame upon the Dark Reaper, covering the dark being in a twister of Nature Mana that would destroy any normal foe.

But Mortis was no ordinary foe and Jiraiya knew this, which is why the Nature Dragon and his illusionary clones then quickly spread out as hundreds of skeletal hands emerged from the flames, some grabbing a few of the duplicates and crushing them, their bodies disappearing on puffs of smoke as the Dark Reaper then swung his blade, dispersing the green flames and showing that there was no damage done to his form as he looked around at the remaining Nature Dragon copies.

Acting as one, several of Jiraiya's copies formed spheres of Nature Mana within their hands, before rushing toward Mortis from different angles, each throwing the spheres at the Dark Reaper and causing a massive explosion around the dark being.

However, and before the clones could react, Mortis' scythe rushed through the smoke, destroying all but the real Jiraiya, who quickly moved out of the blade's path as his remaining clones were wiped out by the Dark Reaper's overwhelming might.

And just like before, when the smoke cleared, there was no sign of any physical damage to Mortis, the dark being looking toward the real Jiraiya, who grit his fangs in frustration.

The Nature Dragon had long heard of this Mortis and his reputation, where he could now see that his power was not exaggerated and that he would have a tough time against the partner of Noctus.

But just like his partner, Jiraiya was determined to stop Mortis and the Eternal Lord, knowing that if he failed, his home would die and the future of the world would be at stake, and the Nature Dragon would sooner die before he would allow that to happen.

Watching as Mortis brought his scythe up once again, Jiraiya moved to counter the attack, forming a sphere of Nature Mana within his right hand, before he met the attack head on, slamming the sphere into the tip of the dark being's weapon as the clash caused a powerful burst of energy.

Struggling against the might of the Dark Reaper, Jiraiya expelled a loud battle cry as he pushed against Mortis' might, while the dark entity, however, seemed more amused than disturbed by the attack.

After a short struggle, however, Mortis pushed through Jiraiya's attack, the force sent against him sending the Nature Dragon flying backwards with a loud cry before he slammed into the rock walls of the chamber.

Growling to himself, Jiraiya attempted to pull himself out of the impact crater he created upon the wall, only to feel a pair of skeletal hands grab him and press his being back against the wall.

Looking upward, Jiraiya's eyes widened to see Mortis holding him down, the Dark Reaper bringing his scythe up in order to finish off his foe once and for all.

Struggling within the Dark Reaper's embrace, the Nature Dragon tried to think of a way to escape his enemy's death grip before it was too late.

At the same time Jiraiya and Mortis began their battle, Nature Davis began his own fight with Noctus, the Grand Guardian having his hammer at his side as he rushed toward the Eternal Lord with a great and mighty battle cry.

Swinging his hammer toward the Eternal Lord, Nature Davis found his strike blocked by Noctus' scythe, who held the Grand Guardian back and stared down at him, just to show the differences within their strengths.

Breaking from the struggle between himself and the Eternal Lord, Nature Davis began to block and parry an onslaught of strikes between his hammer and Noctus' blade, before ducking as the skeletal being tried to smack his face with the back of his hand, the action forcing Nature Davis to jump back, just as Noctus attempted to grab at his face.

Looking back upon his dark foe, the Grand Guardian's eyes then widened as a darkness began to surround Noctus' form, this causing Nature Davis to withdraw the Shield of Unity and place it before him, just before the Eternal Lord unleashed the darkness toward the Grand Guardian, which took the shape of a shadowy skull.

As the darkness collided with the Shield, a barrier of Nature Mana formed around Nature Davis in order to protect him from the blast, while the Grand Guardian groaned as he felt the strain of the powerful darkness pushing against his own energy.

But just as he felt the dark energies subside, Nature Davis remained with a great surprise as a skeletal fist then punched clean through the barrier and slammed into his being, the impact smashing his face, shattering his helmet and sending the Grand Guadian flying backward, where he then skip a few feet along the ground.

Regaining his balance and panting from the pain he felt from the impact, the Grand Guardian looked to see that his shield and hammer were on the ground before him, while Noctus slowly approached, his scythe remaining drawn as a glimmer of dark purple energy within the Eternal Lord's hollow eyes.

Refusing to back down, however, Nature Davis rushed forward, grabbing his hammer along the way as he charged at Noctus, before the pair began to once again trade blows, the Eternal Lord showing off his great speed and strength as he seemed to be dominating the battle.

Dodging the scythe as it swung closeby, Nature Davis clenched his right fist and slammed it into the side of Noctus' face with all his might, an action that would send any normal foe flying backwards in pain.

But being no ordinary foe, the punch barely affected Noctus, who seemed more annoyed than anything.

Expelling an aggressive growl, Noctus backhanded the Grand Guardian, the attack sending Nature Davis flying backwards once again.

Regaining his footing after such an attack, Nature Davis remained clutching onto his hammer tightly, his fighting spirit unbroken.

Watching as Noctus pointed his scythe toward him, Nature Davis then quickly reacted as the darkness around the Eternal Lord rushed toward him like a series of tendrils, the action causing the Grand Guardian to dodge and moved about the chamber as he grabbed his shield, using its power to block some of the tendrils, while using his hammer to take down the rest.

Hearing a loud slam, however, the Grand Guardian then looked upward in shock to see Jiraiya now pinned to the wall, with Mortis looking ready to finish off Nature Davis' partner with his tri-bladed scythe, a sight that caused the nature variant of Davis to growl as he tired to figure out a way to help Jiraiya out of his predicament.

Too distracted by Jiraiya's dilemma, however, Nature Davis barely had time to react as Noctus closed the distance between them and then slammed the hilt of his scythe so hard against the Grand Guardian's chest, the impact sending Nature Davis flying backward once again, his armour cracking apart as he dropped his hammer and shield, before skidding a few feet across the chamber's floor in great pain.

Back upon Miracle's Reach, Kari continued to observe the conflict with a growing concern, a growing part of her willing to now defy Noctus, the Dark Realm and any who stood against her in order to save Nature Davis, while Fire Davis, Dark Davis and Water Davis watched on with shared concerns for Kari and for their nature variant.

As the group watched the screens, their attention turned upon Noctus as the Eternal Lord expelled an amused chuckle.

"Now that was a good game." The dark being remarked with a growing amusement, looking down upon his foe with a sense of dark enjoyment as he watched the Grand Guardian struggling to push through his pain.

Refusing to just give up, however, Nature Davis painfully returned to his feet and turned to face Noctus.

Taking a step forward, before a great pain within his body consumed him once again and caused the Grand Guardian to fall face down once again before the Eternal Lord.

"Aw, he fell down." Noctus than said, his tone expressing amusement and mocking, which only grew as the Grand Guardian moved to stand back up, panting lightly from the pain he felt and doing all he could to stay upon his feet.

Bringing his scythe up and ready to strike the annoyance known as the Grand Guardian down once and for all, Notcus then told Nature Davis with a further darkness within his voice. "I am going to break you, kill your partner, ruin this realm and drag your broken body before your fucking girlfriend."

"I am death, I am the end and you are nothing but a human being." The Eternal Lord went on and declared with a seriousness within his voice, where he then began to bring his scythe down in order to injure his foe even further, a sight that caused many onboard Miracle's Reach to begin to panic.

Keeping a fiery determination within their eyes and refusing to give up, with so much on the line, Nature Davis and Jiraiya refused to give up, not without giving it their all, and the Grand Guardian still had one more trick up his sleeve.

Just before Noctus could strike down his foe, the Eternal Lord was then shocked as Nature Davis' eyes began to glow with an intense green energy, one that soon encompassed his entire form and caused the skeletal being to shield his eyes due to the immense power now radiating around the Grand Guardian, while Mortis found himself distracted as he looked down to see what was happening.

A shockwave of Nature Mana then pushed the Eternal Lord a few feet backwards, an action that infuriated Noctus, who then glared upon his enemy, only for his shock to return as he took in the change within the Grand Guardian.

Now towering a few feet above the Eternal Lord himself, Nature Davis' entire being seemed to be made out of stone, with veins of Nature Mana coursing through his being to an orb upon his chest and several tassels draped down his shoulders.

A robe of green leaves had been wrapped around his stone armour, while a series of stone spikes emerged from his back and shoulder pads.

Finally, the new form of the Grand Guardian was complete as his head was encased in a helmet of stone which bore stone antlers and a single eye slit that was filled with a green glow from the Nature Mana flowing through his being, the new form giving Nature Davis an imposing and powerful appearance.

"Yes, he's using his Mana Form!" Fire Davis said with excitement, before placing his hand back comfortingly upon Kari's shoulder and to allow the brunette to know that this fight wasn't over just yet.

Feeling his rage boiling to see the Grand Guardian now within his fabled Mana Form, Noctus' then felt a growing power emanating from behind him, this causing the Eternal Lord to turn and see Nature Mana coursing through the door to the Spark of Karnus, filling each of the carvings as the image of the Nature Dragon began to glow brightly.

Realizing that the Spark was now resonating with his foe's Mana Form, both Noctus and Mortis turned their attention upon Jiraiya as the Nature Dragon was consumed in a cocoon of Nature Mana, the surging natural energy causing Mortis to shriek in pain as he released his foe and staggered back a little, before the Dark Reaper looked on as the cocoon dissolved and revealed that Jiraiya had also gained a new form.

Unlike his original form, the Nature Dragon was now a bipedal dragon which was also clad in wooden armour, its appearance quite similar to that of a samurai, which covered his chest, arms, legs and tail.

A wooden helmet rested upon his head, its design allowing Jiraiya's horns, mouth and eyes to be seen, while a large katana was now within his grasp, all of which gave the Nature Dragon a mighty and regal appearance.

While shocked to see the change in the Nature Dragon, who took a moment to examine himself after his Evolution, Nature Davis mentally deadpanned as Jiraiya then exclaimed with a clear excitement within his voice. "I have legs! YES!"

Growing to the increase in his enemies' power, Noctus then turned as Nature Davis rushed at him, the attack causing the Eternal Lord to move forward and to strike at his foe with his scythe as dark energy coursed through the blade.

But to Noctus' great surprise, the Grand Guardian grabbed the blade with one hand and snapped the scythe into pieces, before slamming his right fist into the Eternal Lord's face, where the increase in Nature Davis' power could be seen as Noctus was then thrown backwards, his body skidding a few times across the ground.

Regaining his footing, Noctus expressed a sense of shock and raged to find that his foe seemed to be able to harm him now, where the Eternal Lord let out a rage filled cry as his hands were covered in darkness.

Charging at the Grand Guardian, Noctus watched as Nature Davis mimicked the Eternal Lord's actions as his hands began to glow with Nature Mana.

In response to the Mana coursing through his hands, stone around the chamber began to levitate and fly toward the Grand Guardian, which formed into a pair of stone fists just above Nature Davis' own as he began to clash with Noctus' dark infused fists, the pair moving at blinding speed as they traded blows with one another in their continued battle.

"Holy crap, this is amazing, he's keeping up with him now!" Terriermon said with a great amazement within his voice as he and the others watched the Mana Form of Nature Davis now going head to head against Noctus on what appeared to be even grounds.

"Man, those Mana Forms you guys use are something else." Takuya remarked as he continued to watch the battle, a statement most of those from the Digital World agreed with as they continued to view the conflict between the Grand Guardian and the Eternal Lord.

Dodging a trike from Noctus' left fist, Nature Davis then delivered a blow with his right fist into the Eternal Lord's face, an action that enraged the skeletal being, before the larger stone fist then slammed into the Eternal Lord and sent Noctus flying across the chamber.

At the same time and as the battle continued between Nature Davis and Noctus, so too did the fight between Jiraiya and Mortis.

Bringing his tri-bladed scythe up once again, the blades consumed in darkness as the dark being swung his blade down in order to finish off Jiraiya in one final strike, the Dark Reaper continued to show his great power and fury.

Feeling his connection to the Spark of Karnus continuing to fill him and fueling his strength, however, Jiraiya's eyes began to glow with a bright green light, as did his blade, which he then swung so he could counter Mortis' attack, the two blades clashing as a powerful shockwave of energy erupted throughout the chamber.

However, and much to Mortis' shock, Jiraiya's blade then cut clean through the scythe, causing the Dark Reaper to drop the remains as they dissolved into shadows and further enraged the dark being, whose smaller heads unleashed another series of dark energy blasts upon the Nature Dragon.

In response to the attack, Jiraiya's wings then began to glow with Nature Mana, which he then expelled open, causing a rush of nature infused wind to cancel out Mortis' attack, before several copies of the Nature Dragon appeared around and encircled the Dark Reaper.

Reacting to the illusionary copies of his foe, Mortis then sent forth his numerous skeletal hands in order to grab at and to crush his enemies.

Moving as one, however, the copies of Jiraiya then swung their Nature Mana infused blades toward the approaching hands, cutting them into pieces and causing Mortis to shriek in rage and pain.

Gathering the overwhelming Nature Mana they felt within them and into their mouths, the small legion of Jiraiyas then unleashed a series of powerful and overwhelming blasts upon Mortis, consuming the Dark Reaper in a pillar of Nature Mana and causing the dark being to shriek from the intense levels of pain.

So damaged by the attack, Mortis quickly reverted into dark energy and returned to the gem upon Noctus' forehand, a sight the Eternal Lord took notice of as he pulled himself out of the crater he formed when he slammed into the wall from Nature Davis' punch.

Expelling a scream of blind vengeance, Noctus brought up his hand as his gem began to glow with a dark purple light, the energy consuming him as the Eternal Lord grew in size, towering to be around Jiraiya's height as Noctus' scythe reformed within his skeletal fingers.

Acting fast, the Mana Form of the Grand Guardian then slammed his fist into the ground, causing it to split and for a series of rock platforms to float into the air, where Nature Davis then leapt on to them one at a time as he rushed to confront Noctus.

Seeing his enemy leaping between the floating rock formations, Noctus swung his scythe around, cutting several of the blocks to pieces, while also reaching with his hand to grab at the Grand Guardian, whose speed allowed him to dodge Noctus' hands and scythe.

Bringing his scythe up again for another attack, Noctus was taken off guard as Jiraiya blocked his attack with his own blade, pushing the Eternal Lord back and delivering a powerful kick to his torso, the action causing Noctus to stagger backwards a bit.

"Davis!" Jiraiya then called as he threw his sword in his partner's direction, the Grand Guardian sharing the same thought as the Nature Dragon as he leapt toward the blade.

Bringing his hands out, Nature Davis focused on his power as all the floating rocks came together to form two massive hands, which grabbed the hilt of Jiraiya's blade, which was then consumed within a great green light.

Refocusing after the Nature Dragon's attack, Noctus then looked on with shock to see the large blade heading toward him, the Eternal Lord bringing his scythe up to block the attack as Nature Davis expelled a mighty battle cry.

Bringing the blade down, the Grand Guardian not only cut through the hilt of Noctus' blade, but slammed the weapon straight through Noctus' chest, much to the shock and horror of the Eternal Lord as he felt the Nature Mana coursing throughout his being and breaking his form apart.

Screaming in rage and defiance as his body continued to crack and break apart from the energy flowing through his form, Noctus was soon overpowered, where his body exploded and then dissolved into dust.

Landing back on the ground and with Jiraiya retrieving his sword and landing next to him, Nature Davis and his partner looked toward the mass of darkness that seeped out of Noctus' broken form.

Forming the face of the Eternal Lord, his spirit then expelled one final scream of rage, expressing his further hatred and defiance, the darkness then shot out of the chamber and up the stairwell, the action startling Erik and Garen as the darkness shot out of the now dispelled barrier and out of the Lodge.

All across the city, the fighting came to a halt as all heard Noctus' scream of rage and saw the shadow shooting from out of the base of the Great Tree and toward the floating dark fortress, where it entered a chamber within a sarcophagus-like device which had been set up beforehand, one the darkness entered before it was sealed shut and a group of Bone Guard moved around it for protect.

Through time, Noctus would reform, regain his great power and would continue his work for the Dark Realm, but for now, the Eternal Lord needed to rest.

Seeing that their Master had been defeated, the Wightborn and other Dark Realm forces found themselves in disarray, which increased when a series of horns began to blow as legions of beastkin, both from the Beast Confederacy and the Wild Horde, began to charge at the dark invaders' lines.

Unable to quickly react to the changes and enraged over his Master's defeat, Argoth gave the order for the Dark Realm forces to retreat, with Noctus' citadel returning to the dark clouds alongside the armada as the dark invaders began to flee the city.

Letting out their own rage filled roars, the Dread Wyrms also took off, ignoring the Grovewarden as it released its own roar toward the retreating Death Dragons, while the defenders of the city began to cheer and celebrate their victory, much to Celine and Ungala's delight.

Back within the chamber and drained a little himself, Nature Davis returned to his normal form, the Grand Guardian panting as he looked back toward the doorway that led to the Spark of Karnus and saw that the Nature Mana then faded, the nature variant of Davis sensing the energy behind the door disappearing as the Spark moved on to another location somewhere within the Nature Realm for its protection.

Sighing in relief to know that the battle was over and that Noctus was stopped, Nature Davis looked toward the stairwell and barely registered as Erik and Garen came rushing toward him.

Exhaustion finally getting the better of him, the Grand Guardian fell forward, the last thing he heard was Jiraiya and his fellow Pack members expressing a clear concern as consciousness was taken from him.

.

.

.

Uncertain of how much time had passed as he returned to his senses, Nature Davis slowly opened his eyes, the first sight being that of Kari's endearing and smiling face.

'Am I dreaming again…?' The Grand Guardian mentally questioned himself for a moment, before the memories of what happened returned to the forefront of his mind, this causing Nature Davis to quickly sit up.

"Easy, easy, everything is fine now." Kari told Nature Davis soothingly, and with a loving smile as she didn't want the Grand Guardian to push himself too hard after his conflict.

Taking in his surroundings and finding himself on a bed within one of the chambers of the Great Tree, with his present variants, his Pack members, everyone from the Digital World and those travelling with them around him as well, while Cerine and Ungala were speaking with Tichalla and Tigris Khan off to the side, the Grand Guardian held a soft smile toward his friends, allies and loved ones.

Seeing Nature Davis awake, everyone then moved toward the bed as Erik said with a hint of amusement within his tone. "You had us scared there for a moment, but it figures the Grand Guardian could take on death and win."

"Hey, I helped!" Jiraiya commented from within his gem, the remark causing a few to chuckle as Cerine moved closer beside Nature Davis.

"Thank you, Grand Guardian. Your actions not only saved my kingdom, but the Nature Realm as a whole." The fairy queen said with a growing respect within her voice. "We will focus on reinforcing the entrance to the Spark's Chamber so that this access point can never fall into the enemy's hands ever again."

Nodding in reply to what Cerine had told him, Nature Davis then looked toward Tichalla, who approached the bed and told his friend with his own pride . "Your friends told us of your battle with Noctus. It sounded like it was an impressive battle."

"Still, you couldn't have waited to kick his ass until he paid back all the favours he owes me?" Dark Davis then inquired with a hint of annoyance within his tone, his questioning causing many within the room to send glares toward the Shadow.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, favours from an Eternal Lord come in handy, and now I have to wait until he reforms in order for him to return them." The Shadow then remarked, which caused several amongst the group to roll their eyes, while others took in the latter of his words and understood their meaning.

"So… Noctus will be back then?" Yolei questioned with an understandable concern, which grew as Dark Davis then nodded in reply.

"They are all called Eternal Lords for a reason, they cannot die. Noctus' body is broken, but his spirit is eternal." Dark Davis explained, his tone remaining serious as he then told the purple haired Digidestined. "It will take time for him to reform his body, however, thus allowing these lands a chance to heal before his return."

Nodding in understanding, the group then remained silent as they processed the information, while Kari looked back upon Nature Davis with a continued endearing smile.

With Noctus gone for now, the group could finally continue their journey, they could finally meet up with Light Davis and figure out what to do next, they could…

The sound of hurried footsteps then broke everyone from their deep thoughts as they saw a fairy warrior quickly enter the room, a look of panic upon his face as he bowed toward Cerine.

"My Queen, Noctus' forces are regrouping, it looks like they are preparing for another attack!" The soldier then told Cerine, his words causing many within the room to panic.

"That's Argoth." Dark Davis just said, gaining everyone's attention as he told the others. "To make up for his failure to Noctus, he will burn this kingdom to the ground and any who opposed Noctus. Even if they cannot claim the Spark, Argoth will make sure to make examples out of all of you."

Clenching his fists, Nature Davis then got out of the bed, gaining everyone's attention as he looked toward his fellow Pack members and commented. "It looks like we still have work to do."

Looking back toward Kari and the others, the Grand Guardian then said with a small smile. "Wait on Miracle's Reach, this won't take long, not with Noctus out of commission and the Beast Confederacy and Wild Horde here to aid us. We'll be back soon."

Nodding in understanding, Kari and the others watched as Nature Davis, the Pack, Cerine, Ungala, Tichalla and Tigris Khan left the room in order to continue to defend the city, while Kari mentally sighed as she wondered what else could possibly go wrong.

She would come to regret that thought very soon.

.

.

.

Author's Note: Noctus has been defeated for now, but his soldiers still fight on in his name. What will happen next? Stay tuned as the adventure continues.

PS: For a while now, I have been hinting toward something, an unknown force at work within Nexus, often referred to as They or Them, and leaving many to wonder who or even what They are? I could use the memes of "winter is here" or the likes, but all I can say is look forward to the next chapter and what it will bring to the story.