Author's Note: I decided to post this chapter right away partly to make up for the long hiatus this story was on before. To be totally honest though, the main reason I'm posting it now is because I couldn't wait to show the second half of the battle from the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

Chapter 9: Elder One

"I'll admit young Kotaro that your Digimon is a bit more impressive," CountMyotismon remarked. "But he's still merely an Ultimate-level. Admittedly I too am only an Ultimate, but my powers surpass those of the strongest Mega-level Digimon. Even the likes of Omnimon and Alphamon have struggled against me."

"Sounds like a lot of big talk if ya ask me," Vic responded.

"Gao and I faced this guy once before," Agu remarked as he spun his giant sword to work the kinks out of his shoulder. "He ain't so tough."

"He's pretty annoying though," Gao interjected. "I say we put him down once and for all."

"You guys are all reading my mind," Kotaro told the three Digimon as he put his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards Vic. "I'll admit I don't know the first thing about this undead bastard, but I'm itching to beat him to a pulp."

"Kotaro, no!" Himeko called. "Just back off, okay?"

"Listen to her, kid!" Yolei told him. "CountMyotismon is real bad news! We all need to fall back and…"

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU FOUR-EYED BITCH!" Kotaro snapped, causing Yolei to flinch. "I'm sick of all of you people! The bad guy, my sister, and you old Digidestined farts all look down on me, saying I can't cut it! You all think I'm trash or that I'm some weak little kid who needs help to wipe his own ass! It's pissing me off! I'm doing things my way, so keep your goddamn mouths shut!"

"Oh man! It's been years since I've seen Kotaro snap like this," Toya spoke. "There's no talking to him when he gets this way."

"He certainly has quite the mouth on him," Cody remarked.

"I'm sorry about all this," Himeko told Yolei and Cody. "Unfortunately Kotaro takes a little too much after my mom. She has a pretty wild personality herself. In fact in high school she was delinquent."

"Was she really that bad?" Yolei asked.

Himeko nodded. "She was the member of a motorcycle gang. In fact she'd probably be in jail today if Detective Matayoshi hadn't straightened her out."

"Wait, is this the same detective Tai and the others have been working with?" Cody asked.

Himeko smiled. "It's a pretty small world, huh? I was totally surprised when we saw him and Tokyo Tower the day you guys fought that big demon Digimon and that crazy woman at Nakano Broadway showed up."

Kotaro took a running start towards Vic and jumped high into the air. A second later he had landed on Vic's back.

"We're taking this guy out together!" Kotaro declared.

"Translocate!" Norn called out.

A second later, Born vanished with a flash of green light. In the next instant she reappeared next to Kotaro on Vic's back.

"Norn, what're you doing?" Kotaro asked.

"I can't let CountMyotismon keep coming after me or my family," Norn told him. "So I'm facing him with you."

Kotaro smirked. "Fine with me. After all, he's your nemesis or something."

"One last thing," Norn spoke as she took Kotaro's arm.

There was another flash of green light, and suddenly Kotaro had on a long black coat with a gold star on the back, and a black hat similar to those worn by police officers or Japanese high school students of a certain time period. Wrapped around the hat was a pair of goggles.

Kotaro took off the hat and looked at it. "I'm not gonna ask how you did that, but what's with the getup?"

"I felt like this attire suited you," Norn explained. "My Uncle Tai has said leaders among the Digidestined should have a pair of goggles, but for you I felt a simple pair of goggles wasn't enough."

A small smile formed on Kotaro's face. "I don't know about the goggles thing, but this hat…it reminds me of the one my late dad used to wear."

"I thought your father was still alive."

"Nah, that's just my stepdad. My real dad was a young cop who worked with that old detective you met at Tokyo Tower the day you vaporized that big demon. He actually helped arrest my mom back in the day. Anyway, my real dad got killed in the line of duty the day after I was born. I never knew him, but when I was a little kid I'd spend a lot of time looking at pictures of him, wondering what he was like. My mom told me loads of stories about him too. Even though I've never met my dad, I've always kinda admired the man he was." Kotaro put his new hat back on. "Anyway Norn, thanks for this. It means a lot."

"Enough of this prattle!" CountMyotismon snapped. "Crimson Shocker!"

The vampire lord fired powerful bolts of lightning from his hands at the three Digimon. Vic swiftly flew into the air and avoided the attack, while Agu and Gao jumped out of the way. The lighting bolts ended up striking empty ground. Gao ran up onto the top of the rock face on the left side of the path leading to the temple and got to a good firing position.

The mechanical wolf aimed the massive cannon on his back down at CountMyotismon. "Zeed Cannon!"

A single shell fired from Gao's cannon down at the vampire. CountMyotismon jumped out of the way and avoided the cannon round, while at the same time a sword made of crystalized blood formed in his right hand. Immediately afterwards though, Agu rushed in and swung his massive sword down towards the top of CountMyotismon's head. The vampire lord just barely managed to parry the attack in time, and the act of blocking the blow also caused CountMytotismon's sword to shatter. In the next instant Vic came down from above with Kotaro and Norn still standing on his back.

Two blades of blue energy formed from the tip of the horn on Vic's snout and connected to the edges of his great wings to form a glowing V. "V-Wing Blade!"

CountMytoismon attempted to jump out of the way as Vic flew towards him, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The vampire's left forearm was severed by one of the blades of light generated by the dragon. CountMyotismon cried out in pain as he held his stump of an arm, the end of which was smoking.

"Hold on! Shouldn't CountMyotismon's arm be growing back by now?" Yolei asked.

Cody nodded. "According to what Tai told us, CountMyotismon has near-instant regeneration."

"Wait, you're saying this guy can recover from just about any fatal wound?" Noir asked.

"Almost, except for attacks from Seraphimon, Ophanimon and Norn's two Digimon. Kari, T.K. and Norn all seem to have some sort of power CountMytoismon is weak to."

"Wait, maybe the reason Vic was able to do so much damage to CountMyotismon is because Norn's riding on him," Yolei theorized.

Meanwhile Vic grinned as he looked down from the sky at the wounded vampire. "We really took him down a peg."

"I see. Kotaro, it seems you possess a power very much like the kind my parents and I possess," Norn realized. "At the moment I don't really understand it, but this power we possess is poison to CountMyotismon."

Kotaro smirked. "I get it. So all we gotta do is hit him a few more times with our Digimon and he's toast."

Norn nodded. "We must finish him quickly though. If CountMyotismon is backed too far into a corner, he'll likely try to escape. As much as killing a Digimon pains me, I cannot let him continue his evil."

"Don't worry Norn. No way are we letting this asshole get away. Right Vic?"

"You said it, pal," Vic responded. "Let's finish him before before he knows what hit him!"

CountMyotismon's arm finally grew back, though it was sparking with electricity. "You wretched brats! I'm going to make you scream with agony when I kill you! Mode Change!"

CountMyotismon's cape transformed into a red blood-like substance and covered him like a cocoon. Seconds later the cocoon became a pair of red bat-like wings that unfolded to reveal the vampire in a much more hideous form. His jaw had become more pronounced, revealing a mouth full of fangs. His ears had also become larger and pointed while his nose had become like that of a vampire bat. The vampire's eyes had also become yellow and his blonde hair had become longer and much wilder than before. Much of his now muscular body had become clad in a strange red armor, with a white bat-like symbol emblazoned on the front of the chest plate. His large hands and feet had gained sharp red claws, and his legs had become double-jointed.

"This is not good, is it?" Toya realized.

Cody shook his head. "This must be CountMyotismon's Savage Mode. From what we've heard, his attacks in this form are much stronger."

CountMyotismon took off into the air to face Vic and flapped his wings at the dragon. "Crystal Blood Shards!"

A barrage of massive red crystals flew from CountMyotismon's wings at the dragon. Vic easily flew out of the way though, and with incredible speed the dragon circled around behind the vampire lord.

Vic's right fist began to glow as he came near CountMyotismon. "Magnum Punch!"

The dragon's fist struck CountMyotismon's back, knocking the wind out of him and sending waves made of blue light through the monstrous vampire's body that caused him even more pain.

"Save a piece for me!" Agu called out as he jumped high into the air with his sword. "Dramon Breaker!"

With one swing of the dragon man's massive blade, CountMyotismon's left wing and arm were cut clean off. The wounds smoked and glowed with an orange light.

"Don't forget about me!" Gao called out from atop the rock face below. "Full Metal Breath!"

The mechanical wolf fired the massive cannon on his back along with every other weapon built into his body at the vampire lord. The laser beams and projectiles Gao fired blew off CountMyotismon's remaining wing and arm, along with both his legs.

"Whoa! Not sure if he can regenerate from that," Noir remarked.

Blanc nodded. "Maybe you people overestimated this guy."

"Damn!" CountMyotismon cursed.

Suddenly the vampire's wings grew back, though they were imperfectly formed and seemed to be melting. As unstable as the wings were though, they were stable enough to allow CountMyotismon to fly away from the battle.

"No! He's getting away!" Norn realized.

Kotaro took Norn's hand and glared at CountMyotismon. "Like hell he is! Vic! Let's blow him outta the sky!"

A golden-white aura began to shine from Kotaro's body and traveled into Vic. Vic's body soon began to shine as well as blue flames sparked to life inside his mouth.

"Dragon…Impulse….Overdrive!" Vic called out as he spewed a stream of flames from his jaws.

The head of the blue and gold flames took the shape of a massive dragon and enveloped much of CountMyotismon's body as he continued to flee. In seconds the vampire's makeshift wings burned to ash and his torso began to melt as well.

"NO!" CountMyotismon shouted as he continued to burn. "I HAD SUCH PLANS! SUCH! PLAAAANNNS!"

The burning vampire fell into a large crevice in the side of the mountain not far from where the temple was. Norn, Kotaro and Vic watched as CountMyotismon dropped down into the darkness and vanished from sight.

"No way!" Yolei explained. "Did they actually kill CountMyotismon?"

Vic landed near where the others were standing, and a moment later Agu and Gao joined them. As soon as Kotaro and Norn dismounted, Vic regressed back to his rookie form along with Gao and Agu. Soon after, Vic suddenly winced and fell to one knee.

"Whoa! Vic, you okay?" Kotaro asked.

"I think so," Vic responded with one closed eye and a pained smile. "Probably just pulled something is all."

"What you did was very reckless!" Gennai declared as he finally stepped out of the temple. "The reason your Veemon is in pain is because the power of his Ultimate form is a double-edged sword. AeroVeedramon has powers comparable to a Mega-level Digimon, but it's too much for his body to handle! If that battle had gone on any longer, Vic might've just died alongside CountMyotismon."

"Then I guess it's a good thing we finished off the bastard quick," Kotaro responded.

"That was our plan to begin with," Vic added as he got back to his feet.

"That's not the only issue here, kid," Yolei added as she came up and put her hands on her hips. "What the hell were you thinking taking Norn into battle like that? You know she could've gotten hurt!"

"It was Norn's idea to tag along," Kotaro told her. "Will you people stop treating her like some helpless little princess?"

"Kotaro, you have to admit it was pretty dangerous to take Norn into the line of fire like that," Toya added. "I certainly wouldn't have done it."

"Good grief, Toya! You too?"

"And Norn, I think I understand why you felt the need to go with Kotaro," Cody spoke. "You thought that by adding your power to his Digimon's you could defeat CountMyotismon. Your strategy worked, but do you realize what might've happened to you if things had gone wrong?"

"But it was not my power that added to Vic's attack, it was Kotaro's," Norn told him. "He possesses the same type of power my parents and I possess."

"Wha? How can that be?" Yolei asked.

"It can't," Gennai declared. "Surely you must be mistaken."

Kotaro pulled on the brim of his hat. "Let me guess. The reason you don't think I have the power we're talking about is because you refuse to buy that prophecy about me and Norn in the temple. You think I give a shit about what some Star Wars cosplayer thinks of me?"

Gennai scowled. "Look you…"

Suddenly Dianamon and Lotosmon arrived on the scene. As soon as they arrived, the two Digimon split into the pairs of Artemis and Lunamon, and Cindy and Lalamon.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but you know we could've used you guys like five minutes ago," Yolei declared. "Weren't you two supposed to be keeping an eye on Norn?"

"Sorry. We followed Norn and saw her go into the Mikiharas' apartment and assumed everything was okay," Artemis explained. "We didn't realize anything was wrong until Kari called us and told us about the text Norn sent her."

"Norn, going off to the Digital World like this without asking permission from your parents was a bad idea," Cindy told her. "You have any idea how worried they are about you right now?"

"…I did not mean to cause them concern," Norn responded. "But if I had not come, CountMyotismon might have serious hurt the others, or at the very least might've escaped again."

"Seriously? CountMyotismon was here?" Artemis exclaimed.

"Yeah, but Norn and I took care of him," Kotaro told her. "Thanks to Vic, Agu and Gao, that undead bastard's burned to a crisp."

"Dang right!" Agu declared. "We've totally seen the last of that guy."

Gao crossed his arms. "The three of us made a pretty unstoppable team."

"They really took down one of our worst enemies?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, but the way they did it was pretty stupid," Yolei told them.

Kotaro let out a heavy sigh and put his hands in his pockets. "Gimme a break. Norn and I take down the big bad guy everyone treats me like dirt. Even my own so-called family. I've had it with all of ya."

Suddenly the sky darkened and thunder rumbled from above. Soon after the air was filled with the sound of evil laughter.

"Oh great! Another bad guy?" Himeko asked. "Can't he come back tomorrow or something?"

The voice behind the laugh began to speak. "You Digitesined truly are amusing. I'm beginning to think I may have overestimated all of you. Though I will admit the Child of Radiance and the Child of Defiance could prove to be a thorn in my side."

"Hey! Who the hell are you?" Kotaro asked.

"Apologies. I should introduce myself," the voice responded. "CountMyotismon and the others I sent to kill you today all referred to me as the Elder One, but you can call me GranDracmon."

Gennai became filled with terror. "It…can't be! GranDracmon is only a myth!"

The voice of GranDracmon laugh. "I can assure you I am anything but. Though I can understand why you'd wish to believe I'm nothing more than a scary story told around the campfire."

"It would explain why that CountMyotismon guy showed up with a Matadormon and a pack of Sangloupmon," Noir admitted. "According to the legends, they're supposed to be offshoots of GranDracmon."

"So you were somehow behind CountMyotismon?" Cody asked.

"Indeed. I chose to give him support thinking he might be the future of my kind," GranDracmon responded. "Though clearly I overestimated him the way I overestimated all of you. In any event, it looks like I'll have to rely on my plans with dear Meiko to finish you all off."

"So you're behind the crazy bitch who's been coming after Norn and her family?" Kotaro asked.

GranDracmon chuckled. "I decided to take her in years ago when I discovered what sort of power she and her Digimon possessed. They shall be the instrument of your destruction, as well as the destruction of all humanity!"

"And why do you want to kill humans so badly?" Toya asked.

"Because no more humans means no more potential Digidestined and thus less power to oppose me. Once humans are out of the way, I shall slay both Homeostasis and the Harmonious Ones and become the supreme power in the Digital World!"

"I cannot allow that!" Norn declared. "Though my time as the Digital World's god is over, I will not simply stand by and let you destroy two worlds!"

"Same here!" Kotaro declared. "Norn and I are gonna find you and beat the shit outta you just like we did with CountMyotismon!"

Again, GranDracmon chuckled. "You're welcome to try. That old prophecy states the Children of Radiance and Defiance will lead to my downfall, though I've never believed in such foolishness. Come after me if you wish, but know that only death awaits if you do. Then again, if my plans with Meiko succeed, you may not even get the chance."

GranDracmon's laugher filled the air again as the sky rumbled once more. In a matter of seconds the sky had totally cleared.

Himeko let out a heavy sigh. "Oh man! This is just way too much."

"We should probably head home for now," Cody suggested. "We can talk about what to do next later."

Yolei nodded. "Kari and T.K. are not going to believe this."

Meiko was asleep in the middle of the floor of her abandoned house with Meicoomon when the computer in the room blared to life and cast the room with a crimson light from its screen. Both Meiko and the feline Digimon awakened to the sound.

"Meiko, dear," GranDracmon's voice spoke from the screen. "I'm afraid CountMyotismon has fallen."

Meiko got onto her knees. "So what? I never liked the guy anyway."

"I misjudged him as well, but he did leave us a good plan to help us carry out our goals."

"So we're still going through with that, huh?"

"I will provide you with any henchmen you'll need to carry out the plan."

Meiko sighed and got to her feet. "Fine! We'll get started to tonight."

"There's one little addition I'd like to make to the plan," GranDracmon told her. "The Child of Defiance has an older sister. I believe she might prove to be an excellent pawn."

Author's Note: I've found that many times when I walk away from a project for a while to later come back and look at it with fresh eyes like I've done with this story, I end up questioning and rethinking my original ideas. One of the things that ended up changing with this story was CountMyotismon. Originally I hadn't planned to get rid of him in this story, but after reviewing what I had done already I decided CountMyotismon's presence was just keeping too many other things from progressing, such as the reveal of GranDracmon as the mastermind behind Meiko. I realize this changes things with the eventual reboot of the Sakura Knight story, but a lot of other things were already going to have to be changed with that story as it is.

Incidentally, Vic used a jazzed-up version of his species' Dragon Impulse attack to slay CountMyotismon called Dragon Impulse Overdrive. It's basically a version of Dragon Impulse that also channels Kotaro's power. The name of the attack was inspired by the first two arcs of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Truth be told, I based a large part of Kotaro's personality on one of the protagonists of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Jotaro Kujo. I couldn't help myself from doing so since two of the major antagonist from this part of the Radiance Mythos are powerful vampires (one of whom has a knack for cheating death). The thing about Kotaro's biological father being a cop who was killed in the line of duty was an idea that came to me on the fly while writing this chapter. Though I didn't realize it at the time, I think that part may have been subconsciously influenced by the backstory of another JoJo protagonist, Joseph Joestar.

Please review and let me know what you think.