"You are strong!"
All eight of Zhuqiaomon's wings flared, lighting up with mystical fire.
"But if you really think that will be enough to fight the True Enemy, then you are foolish beyond measure!"
His wings shot forwards, the aura of fire following. "Crimson Blaze!"
Bursts of flames shot upwards, targeting Sakuyamon, who, instead of shielding herself, shot to the side, moving further away from the mountain.
The thrusters on MegaGargomon's back activated, and the cyborg quickly joined Sakuyamon in the air, hovering a respectable distance in away.
"So, can we go now?" Takato asked.
"Just a few moments, Takato."
"But, they're fighting and I want to help them!"
"I know." I turned to Azulongmon. "And I won't stop you. Azulongmon, I have to say that what they become is frightening. Very, very frightening."
"I sincerely doubt that." He commented. "But you were not wrong before. What Digimon is it that you believe will scare even one such as I?"
Takato pressed the D-Power to his chest, a column of red light promptly consuming both him and his partner.
"Well, it's a Digimon that you might know." I said. "It's called Megidramon."
For a second, he stared at me.
And I could see the exact moment that he registered what I had said.
That spike of primal terror was indication enough.
His eyes shot towards the pillar of light right as it burst, Megidramon appearing in all of his terrifying glory.
Azulongmon's eyes widened, horror and fear running through his Heart. He backed up, his form seemingly writhing as he did so.
"I told you it would be frightening."
His eyes shot to me for a second, before coming back to rest on Megidramon. It took a few moments for him to respond. "Yes. You did."
His fear was still present, but the horror was fading- not quickly, but fading.
"Relax." I told him. "If you're worried about the normal... consequences of Megidramon's existence, then I can tell you that they're not happening." Although I can tell that it's not just that he's worried about.
Another spike of fear and terror came as Megidramon's wings flapped, taking him into the air, joining MegaGargomon and Sakuyamon.
"Me-Megidramon..." Zhuqiaomon whispered in horror, the gamut of emotions running through his Heart telling me all I needed to know about what he thought of Takato's and Guilmon's merged form.
"Zhuqiaomon." Megidramon rumbled.
Zhuqiaomon's eyes fixed on Megidramon, watching him for any single moment.
"Dodge." Megidramon took a deep, slow breath, inhaling.
Zhuqiaomon blinked, and then shot backwards, moving far faster than anything his size had any right to be moving.
"Megiddo Flame!" Megidramon's mouth opened.
And out came the thin beam of doom.
The red beam lanced out towards Zhuqiaomon, only barely missing him.
By so little that I couldn't help but wonder if it had been done on purpose.
It kept going, past Zhuqiaomon, and out to the water that took up the majority of the Sovereign's domain.
Megidramon swept his head, the beam following closely after Zhuqiaomon as he frantically flew away, desperately trying not to get hit.
After a few seconds, it ended, the last of the beam exhaled as a small gout of flame.
Zhuqiaomon came to a stop, turning around and spinning in mid-air, his wings fully extended.
I looked down, staring at the water- or, rather, the massive line of steam that was jetting upwards into the air, around where the beam had hit the water.
I could see the ground, glowing cherry red, sizzling as water poured over it and violently evaporated.
Even in only a scant few seconds of exposure, there was an entire streak of molten stone where the Megiddo Flame had hit.
"How thoughtful." I said aloud. "Zhuqiaomon would have been in a much worse state if that had hit him." I looked up. "Perhaps you should stop this before it gets too far out of hand."
"Yes..." Azulongmon sounded remarkably weary as he said that.
"And do calm down, would you? The fact that they turn into Megidramon aside, Takato and Guilmon are both perfectly nice." I looked back at them. "In fact, it may be because of that..."
"What?"
I shook my head. "Nevermind. Just... thinking."
Azulongmon stared at me for a seconds, before slowly, hesitantly, moving forwards.
I shook my head.
They were so afraid. The sheer, raw, terror that they exuded...
Their fear was like the Kyuubi's hate. So powerful. So undeniable. So utterly omnipresent that it was impossible to ignore it.
They were afraid- and for good reason, that much I would admit. Megidramon was terrifying, in the sheer power he wielded, the malevolence that he exuded, the underlying eager violence just waiting to be unleashed... Yes, Megidramon was Terrifying.
But that did not change the fact that, underneath that violent, powerful, malevolent Digimon, there was a pair of children. One Human, the other Digimon. One the scant age of ten, the other mere weeks.
Two beings that were now so similar that it was only the subtle differences in their Hearts that told me which one of them was Takato, and which one was Guilmon.
I shook my head again.
I probably shouldn't get caught up in the philosophical. Especially not right now.
I twisted and bent space, warping over to just in front of Azulongmon's horn.
"I hope you don't mind if I catch a ride on you for the moment." I said.
His eyes briefly crossed, looking at me, before focusing on Megidramon again. "Hmph." He grunted.
He took a breath, before shouting. "Enough!"
Zhuqiaomon turned slightly, glancing at us.
"Has your curiosity been sated, Zhuqiaomon?" He asked. "They have proven their strength."
"And proven their danger!" Zhuqiaomon shouted back. "Megidramon, Azulongmon! That thing will bring nothing but ruin! Megidramon is a threat on a level that even the True Enemy could hardly reach! We cannot allow it to exist! We must destroy it before it destroys our world!"
Oh boy, here we go.
"You opinion is noted, and denied." Sakuyamon interrupted. "Megidramon is no threat to your world."
He rounded on her, angrily growling.
In response, her Khakkhara began to glow, lighting up with ethereal energies.
"Open your eyes, Zhuqiaomon." Azulongmon called. "And notice how the Digital World isn't degrading! It is your own paranoid blindness that prevents you from seeing that this so-called threat is no such thing! The True Enemy is coming, and here we are, wasting our time and our energy and our strength on pointless efforts that will bear no fruit!"
His body began to crackle with lightning, the energies seemingly responding to his anger.
"You arrogant fool! Why can't you see the magnitude of the threat that we face?!" Zhuqiaomon swept his wings back. "Desolation Blast!" Then he swept them forwards, loosing a multitude of fireballs from them.
Azulongmon reeled back in anger.
"You... to attack even I!" Azulongmon growled. He shot upwards, moving further away from the fireballs.
"Lightning Whip!"