Chapter 19- The Sound and The Fury
Kari and TK landed with their respective partners in the inner bastion of the Codec Ruins, where the Digimon Sovereign had been residing since the battle had begun. All around them the sounds of fighting could be heard, and every few seconds the ceiling would shake with the impact of another explosion. When they had been forced to evacuate the North Wall, Ophanimon and MagnaAngemon had provided cover to many of the smaller and less capable Digimon from the skies while the tamers had continued their battle with MetalSeadramon and the rest of Daemon's army, but once the last group of rookie Digimon had been shepherded to the relative safety of the lower levels it was Kari who had given them their next task. "We need to go to the Sovereign, maybe they can stop all this bloodshed if they join the battle!". Though TK had wanted more than anything to rejoin the fight himself and help his brother, he knew by now that when Kari had an idea, it was a clever idea to listen.
It was not long before the four of them arrived at a large stone archway decorated in carved symbols TK and Kari knew all too well. "Courage…friendship…love…light…hope, TK these are the symbols of our crests!" Kari said, pointing to the five symbols adorning the highest point of the archway. Turning, TK gave a questioning glance at Ophanimon. "Don't look at me…" she said with a shrug, "I suspect this place was built long after my time." They walked on past the archway and made their way into a great and cavernous room, a room which TK realised must sit at the very centre of the hill on which the ruins were built. The floor was tiled in cracked and discoloured stone slabs and the roof the structure was a dome, but otherwise there was nothing there except the four Digimon Sovereign, who held court in the centre of the room.
The four Sovereign's had turned to acknowledge their entrance but otherwise said nothing as TK and Kari approached. Closing the remaining distance at a jog, Kari wasted no time, yelling "Sovereigns, we need your help, innocent Digimon are dying out there.". In response there was only silence, as the four Sovereign's looked down at her with sad and distant eyes. "B-but aren't you going to do something?!" she asked, her voice raising in pitch. "I'm sorry my child, but no…" Azulongmon said, his long trailing beard floating through the air around him as he spoke. "But…I don't understand…are you just going to let other Digimon be destroyed for you…" Kari said, looking at each of the Sovereign in turn. "It was only our role to bring this conflict into being, it is you who must fight it." Baihumon said with a scowl. "What do you mean?!" TK asked angrily. "Long ago it was foretold to us that a great reckoning would come to pass, and that it would be our mission to prepare The Chosen Ones for the final battle." Said Ebonwumon. "But what happens next is not for us to decide. If the enemy wins the day- then so shall it be." Zhuqiaomon said harshly. Though the great bird's words offered no reassurance, there was a definite undercurrent of melancholy about them.
"But…but you're a part of the Digital World- surely you don't want to see it end…surely you don't want to die!" TK said desperately. "No, we do not. But if that is our destiny, we must accept it." Azulongmon said with a sigh. "We came here to ask your help…to ask you to save us!" Kari said, a single tear trickling down her cheek. Azulongmon's huge face drifted down to be closer to her. "No child. You must find the strength to save us. That is how it must be." He said, his deep booming voice filling with warmth and sympathy. Drying her eyes, Kari looked at the great dragon's wise ageless face and asked the one question on her mind, "…How?"
Returning her gaze, Azulongmon said softly "How the Digidestined always have Kari Kamiya- together!".
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Down at the forest lake, the battle was beginning to wear on both Wargreymon and AncientGarurumon. Tai's partner had lost his left gauntlet in his last wrestle with Dreadflaremon, and his armour now bore numerous cracks and scuffs from their fight. Though AncientGarurumon was undoubtedly faring better, he too was beginning to tire, unable to gain a clear advantage over Carcaramon. He simply found himself unable to knock the shark Digimon off-balance long enough to do any real damage, finding that Carcaramon had limitless reserves of stamina and excellent fighting instincts. And so, the battle raged on.
Dreadflaremon and Wargreymon were now flying low in the forest, weaving between trees and taking shots at one another. Turning as he flew, Wargreymon spoke to Tai, "Do you trust me Tai?" he said half-seriously. "Do you even need to ask?" Tai shot back with a smile. "Good," Wargreymon said. ", When we leave this treeline, I want you to jump off my back, it'll free me up to hit him in a way he won't be expecting!". Tai winked at his partner and said, "When did you become so sly?" and with a chuckle Wargreymon said "I must have learnt it from you. Are you ready?". Tai could see the end of the tree-line fast approaching, and just before they broke out of it Wargreymon slowed for a moment and dipped down low enough for Tai to jump off his back and roll onto the grass below.
Unencumbered now, Wargreymon burst into the clearing at the same moment that Dreadflaremon rose from the treetops roughly forty feet away. With a roar the dragon Digimon let loose a burst of black flame at his opponent, but Wargreymon quickly responded by shouting "Great Tornado!". Throwing his body into a spin he formed a fearsome tornado in the air and flew right through Dreadflaremon's attack, dissipating the black fire and continuing until he collided with the dragon's body. The force of the tornado spiralled into Dreadflaremon's chest and formed a huge crack in the dragon's armoured hide. Rearing back and screaming in shock and pain, the black dragon lashed out with his tail and caught Wargreymon hard in the side, sending him barrelling into the dirt below. Rising slowly to his feet, Wargreymon was quickly joined on the ground by AncientGarurumon. The two stood back-to-back, each facing their enemy head-on. From the cover of the trees, Tai watched as Carcaramon and Dreadflaremon readied themselves for another round, growling and snarling at their opponents. Then like a flash, the dragon and shark charged forward, and the battle began again. Tai watched in awe as Wargreymon and AncientGarurumon fought in perfect synchronisation, whenever it seemed like their opponent might gain the upper hand they would be forced to defend against an unexpected blow from the other's ally. Then the two did something truly impressive- at a moment when Carcaramon and Dreadflaremon were both preparing to attack, Wargreymon and AncientGarurumon side-stepped each other and deftly switched places. This surprise manoeuvre proved to be quite effective as it allowed Wargreymon to take a slash at Carcaramon's face with his remaining gauntlet, destroying one of the shark's eyes and making him howl in pain. Capitalising on this advantage, Wargreymon lashed out with his other arm and punched Carcaramon squarely on the jaw, sending him flying away. "That's for biting me fish-boy!" he yelled with a snarl.
Rising again, Carcaramon furiously screamed "Thresher Barrage!" sending out yet another wave of energy from his hands. Anticipating this however, both WarGreymon and AncientGarurumon leapt out of the way. Dreadflaremon on the other hand had anticipated nothing and took the full brunt of his ally's attack. Carcaramon's Thresher Barrage struck Dreadflaremon mercilessly in the weak spot of this chest and sent him flying backwards into the forest. Dozens of trees were ripped from their roots as he smashed through the forest floor before colliding with a large rock that his armoured body instantly turned to pebbles with its impact. For a few moments Dreadflaremon slowly rose drunkenly again on unsteady legs, and watching this spectacle Tai began to fear that these Digimon were simply too powerful to be put down, but in the next moment Dreadflaremon fell forwards and was consumed in a ball of light, before hitting the ground as a BlackAgumon. The small Digimon shuddered on the ground for a few moments, and then lay still.
Carcaramon watched his ally de-digivolve with his one remaining good eye, his face a mask of unrivalled horror. Internally he was paralysed. Across the clearing, Wargreymon and AncientGarurumon now both turned back to their remaining foe, their weapons raised. "Carcaramon, wasn't it?" AncientGarurumon said finally. Carcaramon eyed him suspiciously but said nothing. "You're injured and outnumbered. Surrender now and we won't hurt you.". Carcaramon laughed, "Nice try human, but no chance I trust your word!". Wargreymon spoke up "You should. You can't win, and if you try to run Daemon will destroy you. The only way out of this is by accepting our help." For a moment these words seemed to reach Carcaramon, whose shoulder sagged slightly as he seemed to realise Wargreymon was right. Tai studied the shark Digimon closely from the treeline, watching him silently weigh his options. But as Carcaramon did this, he turned his attention to his left and something entirely unexpected happened. He spotted Tai. An evil glint instantly appeared in his eye and before anyone could intercede, it was too late. Turning to Tai, Carcaramon opened his gargantuan jaws wide and screamed "Mako Bomber!". A massive ball of bluish-white energy exploded from out of his mouth. Tai knew in that moment that there was no use running. All the trees around him cast shadows on the ground as this tsunami of light rocketed towards him, taking over his entire vision. Tai closed his eyes.
The impact was deafening, louder and more destructive than any war movie Tai had ever seen. The shockwave threw him to the ground and in the aftermath, he felt as if he might be buried by the amount of dirt and dust which was kicked up by the wind. But he was still alive. Slowly, Tai opened his eyes. Though stripped of their bark, the trees around him still stood. The ground in front of the trees was now bare and carved with deep furrows, leading all the way to AncientGarurumon, who had jumped in front of Carcaramon's attack. His formerly pristine armour was now cracked and smoking, and from beneath it he was breathing heavily. In shock, Tai ran forward to his friend's side. "Matt-matt a-are you ok?" he asked, his voice shaking with every word. "…I've been better…" Matt said from inside AncientGarurumon. With that he fell forward, and his form was consumed in a flash of light, instantly turning him in the air back to Yamato Ishida and Tsunomon. Tai cradled his friend, tears beginning to well in the corners of his eyes. Watching on, Carcaramon began to laugh.
With a roar of fury, Wargreymon launched himself at the fiend. Carcaramon was ready for him, sending a flurry of slashes and jabs with his claws. This time however, there was no clever techniques or deft dodging from Wargreymon. The first slash cut across his chest armour, but Wargreymon moved forward. Next, Carcaramon made a series of jabs at his enemy, each one puncturing Wargreymon's skin, but still he advanced. Carcaramon now became unnerved and said, "Take this!" raining down a series of slashes which tore away at Wargreymon's armour and injured him, yet all the same he moved forward. Beginning to exhaust himself, Carcaramon roared in anger "Why won't you just die?!" Raising his right claw, he struck out again with another slash, but this time Wargreymon grabbed him by the wrist, intercepting the attack. "You first." said the lizard Digimon simply, and with that he drove his remaining gauntlet straight into Carcaramon's stomach. For a moment the two stood frozen, and then with an almighty wrench Wargreymon pulled his gauntlet upwards, making the three blades travel up the length of Carcaramon's body before splitting his face and exiting out of the top of his head.
In a burst of data Carcaramon was destroyed, and mere moments later Wargreymon collapsed before de-digivolving to Koromon. The battle was over, but out there in the seclusion of the forest, only Tai was left standing.
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On the western wall, the loyalist forces were beginning to be overrun. After Leomon was destroyed, many of the lesser Digimon had ran, and now the only thing stopping the enemy forces from pouring through the gap in the wall was Cannondramon, who blasted anything that tried to force its way through that gap. With his two cannons pointed squarely at the space, he destroyed masses of Goblimon, Fugamon, Raremon, Redvegimon, and even blasted the head off a huge Deltamon- but still the enemy kept coming as if there was no end to them. In the sky above, Valkyrimon fought a pitched battle against Nocturnismon, slashing wildly with his sword while the black creature dodged each attack effortlessly. "Come now, are you even trying to hit me at all?" Nocturnismon shouted mockingly before lashing out with his own tail, an attack that came with such speed and unpredictability that Valkyrimon was barely able to repel it with his shield. Nocturnismon's hooked tail sparked against the shield with a terrible screech before whipping backwards and rejoining its owner all too quickly. That tail had a mind of its own, Valkyrimon thought wearily.
Below, Shinmonzaemon had transformed his right arm into a hammer and was bashing against a wall of magically amplified chains which Necroshademon had surrounded himself with. The undead Digimon seemed to be devoting little attention to this however, instead only watching Nocturnismon's fight above them. Though his features were little more than a bare skull and betrayed no emotion, inside he was quite amused. Cody Hida watched this all play out, his brow furrowed in worry. Looking up at his partner, Cody yelled "Cannondramon, you need to fire on those chains!" but with his continuous suppressing fire, Cannondramon could only say "I'm a little busy here Cody." As if to emphasise this he blasted through Triceramon who had been making its way into the bastion. A Tankmon trundled in next but was immediately struck by a flurry of missiles and arrows. Turning, Cannondramon watched as Sagattarimon and Rebellimon took supporting positions in front of him and took over defending the wall. "We can handle this, destroy that skeleton!" Saggatarimon shouted. Nodding, Cannondramon turned his attention towards Necroshademon. "You might wanna get out of the way ShinMonzaemon- Dynamon Cannon!" he yelled, sending two powerful energy streams rocketing out of the end of his cannons.
The lasers exploded against Necroshademon's chains, and for a second Cody worried that they were going to survive the assault- but moments later to his shock and joy the chains shattered and dissipated away to nothing. Smoke and dust were kicked up in the aftermath, and in the dim light Cody and Cannondramon could only see Necroshademon's three glowing eyes staring out from shadows. But when the dust cleared, the skeleton stood there with his arm raised. "Soul Chain" that horrible voice said, and instantly two sets of chains separated from his arm and flew away from him. Before Cannondramon could do anything, it was already too late, as in the next moment the two sets of chains wrapped tightly around Saggatarimon and Rebellimon.
Necroshademon closed his fist tightly and at the same moment, the two sets of chains wrapped all the tighter around the two devas, before igniting with a malicious purple aura. Everyone could only watch as Saggatarimon and Rebellimon began to scream in terrible pain, their faces contorted as if the very life was being sucked out of them. And indeed, it was, for soon they both collapsed to the ground and de-digivolved all the way back to their in-training states. The chains which had been bound them loosened and flew back to Necroshademon, who began to glow with the same dark energy. Rather than scream though, he only laughed. Frozen in fear, Cody and Yolei watched as the evil lich Digimon began to grow in size, subtly at first, then exponentially- until he was just over twice his original size.
It was at this moment that Valkyrimon slammed hard into the ground, having been kicked there by Nocuturnismon. He had only been toying with Valkyrimon, and in the last few moments had begun to beat him severely. "You forgot your sword pretty boy!" the evil Digimon said, throwing the weapon down so it skittered along the floor and stopped at Valkyrimon's side. At the rift in the wall, more Digimon had begun to poor in. ShinMonzaemon attempted to beat them back, but quickly found himself being overwhelmed. "Digidestined-run!" he said, firing a laser from his left eye to beat back the advancing horde. Turning on his heel, Cannondramon began to run away with Cody and Yolei on his back. "We can't leave him!" Cody said with a roar. Valkyrimon was now flying beside them, "I'm sorry, we have to…" he said with regret. Up ahead there was a heavy stone archway built into the very rock of the hill. "Cannondramon, block it!" Valkyrimon shouted. As they ran under the archway Cannondramon fired his cannons directly overhead and caused an avalanche of rocks to fall, closing the way behind them.
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On the other side of the bastion, Kari and TK were running with Ophanimon and MagnaAngemon behind them, trying to make their way back out to the battle to help their friends. But little did they know that they were already far too late, for it was in the next moment as they rounded a corner that the wall next to them would shake and then burst apart as the body of Vikemon was thrown through it. The giant behemoth's body was bruised and battered, one of the horns on his helmet was broken and one of his eyes swollen shut. TK and Kari watched with a horror as for a moment their friend shuddered slightly before ceasing to move. They heard footsteps coming from the hole in the wall and ran towards it, their faces a picture of fury. But those faces dropped instantly at what they saw. For it was ChaosGallantmon they heard walking towards them, carrying Rosemon by the throat. "Oh my god…Takato, is that you?" Kari said, horrified. Saying nothing, ChaosGallantmon simply threw Rosemon down on the ground before him, before stepping over her prone body. "Get away from his Kari!" Ophanimon said, landing between Kari and the black knight. ChaosGallantmon's eyes were cold and empty, but they seemed to focus in on Ophanimon particularly. "You…" came a voice that was neither Takato's nor Guilmon's. Without another word ChaosGallantmon summoned his lance and shield.
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