[United Alliance of Omnia's western camp, Nocturian Wastelands, Nadir District...]

Miles from the dense forest shrouded Mydoion Manor was a desolate sandy desert known as the Nocturian Wastelands. The ruins scattered about of times past tell the story of Anubismon, a Digimon comparable to Venusmon herself in terms of roles. They once commanded the small territory within the ancient Nadir District, tasked with overseeing fallen Digimon on the path to rebirth. However, with the subjugation of the Nadir District over the centuries, the existence of such a being was brought into question until, eventually, it became part of Omnian Mythos. As it stood in the modern day, this area was now one of several locations for the joint alliance forces.

Bianca and Dr. Woods—in their Saibatar forms—greeted Justin and the others as the Locomon they rode on approached the camp entrance. Despite being a train, it survived the soft dunes, although it was clear the sentient train was toughing it out.

The doors to the train slid open on its side, and Homura jumped off first, helping Sierra and Raesyl down as well, followed by Bearmon, who climbed down slowly.

"BEARMON!" A young voice shouted from beyond the gate, grabbing the attention of the Digimon.

Looking up, Bearmon took note of Agumon and Guilmon, who frantically jumped, trying to get his attention. It took a moment for Bearmon to process what he saw, and once he did, it was as if a surge of energy shocked his desolate expression to life." AGUMON! GUILMON!"

Raesyl felt the rush of wind from Bearmon as it sped down the path and past the gate. Bearmon tackled its friends, the three rookie Digimon dropping on the ground, rolling, and laughing excitedly, finding themselves reunited again. However, the reunion didn't stop as a giant humanoid Digimon stepped forward from one of the tents. Wearing a panther pelt over the top half of its head and panther-designed pants, Marsmon had a red muscular upper body, a cape, armored gauntlets, and legs. Around his gauntlets lit small transparent flames while the cape on its back flowed about behind him. His sharp red eyes softened upon seeing Bearmon, and when Bearmon caught a glimpse of Marsmon kneeling, its core dropped to his stomach.

"FATHER!" Bearmon dashed from his friends and jumped into the arms of the humanoid giant, the latter clutching tightly to the smaller Digimon for dear life. The pair stood for a long moment, taking every moment possible to clutch onto one another.

Raesyl couldn't pull her eyes from the moment.

And Sierra couldn't take her eyes off her.

"I can't forgive you for what you've done to them..." Sierra said, resting her hand on Raesyl's shoulder. "At the same time, I can't help but feel your pain, either."

Raesyl turned and shrugged her off, walking into the camp. Sierra followed behind her.

"I know that look!" Sierra pressed, "You can talk to me; you know that!"

Raesyl picked up her pace.

"We've already established we're not enemies!" Sierra continued, matching it. "When all of this is over, we'll find a way to fix this!"

Raesyl's wings materialized, and her feet left the ground, only for Sierra to grab her ankle. Raesyl's neck snapped downward, and she hissed, meeting Sierra 's gaze.

"Please...talk to me." Sierra's eyes spoke for her.

Raesyl 's wings dispersed, Sierra released her grip and dropped to the ground. She held onto the glare and replied. "I've hated you..."

Sierra met her gaze to determine if she truly meant it.

"You encouraged them; played house with them...while I was forced to agonize at the thought of never seeing Raelyn again." She made Sierra step back with each word, pushing her into a figurative corner, throwing accusation after accusation at her, all the while fighting to suppress her emotions, "I've killed them because of you; You forced me to!" She grabbed Sierra's collar and pulled her close. "You get it, right? You know the pain I'm feeling right now. You know it, because deep down you know you'll never see them again...! The three of them are gone..."

Sierra began to tear up, not because of Raesyl's words but because of the tears streaming down her face. Before she could speak further, Sierra surprised Raesyl with an embrace. Caught off guard and speechless, Raesyl shoved her back and hissed again. Sierra embraced her again and squeezed harder. Raesyl struggled against her, but Sierra wouldn't release her. Eventually, Raesyl gave in to her emotions, and they crumbled onto the ground.

"That's not fair..." her voice broke. She still tried to push back, but it was significantly weaker.

"I know I'll never see them again. The very thought of that tears in my soul... "Sierra sobbed. "But you've realized, haven't you? That hole in your heart will only grow the more you take from others."

Raesyl cried. "I don't give a damn about this war...I just wanted her back, whatever it took."

"I know...I know..." Sierra continued to console her. "I swear to you, we'll find a way to fix this...somehow."

From that point, the atmosphere in the camp carried a bittersweet tone. Sierra and Raesyl were soon whisked deeper into the camp to recompose themselves, while Homura joined the ODF forces to get more information from Dr. Woods, who had been somewhat absent for most of the conflict.

"I'm sure you have questions, Homura." Dr Woods pulled a stool over and sat before Homura in the tent. Behind them, Vantus and Axel conversed with a mix of Northern and Western troops about what they experienced, while Blanc and Ciel joined in nursing those making it back from the field.

Homura took a moment to process his surroundings and Dr. Woods' question before answering. All of this seemed too organized to be a spur-of-the-moment type of operation. If he were honest, it seemed more unified than the X-Streamers, who nearly disbanded after Central fell.

"Lord Emeron," Homura kept with formalities, turning his attention back to him. "I just have one. Based on our previous conversation, how much did you foresee?"

"Regarding the situation with Riley—or rather Raelyn—I immediately approached the Northern District, fearing that the situations would somehow intertwine. The reason for Riley's disorder lies with the one who calls themself 'Raesyl.'"

"How so?" Homura inquired.

"Originally, I performed a procedure that allowed Sylvia to be transferred into a Shell. Despite the process being experimental and dangerous, we succeeded in doing so. With Sylvia at that point considered something akin to an AI, she was considered to spearhead Project X-Stream."

"So, in short, you used her for the project?"

"Purely coincidental. We had other candidates lined up, but with Raelyn's unique situation, we could kill two birds with one stone. We would solve the issue with the split personalities and have a candidate for the project who wouldn't succumb to the negative effects that Dr. Whitaker mentioned her team undergoing when first exposed to Omnia's environment."

"So, what explains Raesyl then?"

Dr. Woods exhaled through his nose and slumped forward. "Sylvia found herself hijacked by a powerful Digimon known as Lucemon, though we didn't know at the time, nor do we exactly know how. All our team was able to learn was that her signal went out for a few moments. When it came back, we immediately pulled her out. After that, Riley would point out Sylvia's odd behaviors in private. Eventually, things came to a head and..."

Homura watched as Dr. Woods paused. Homura could guess what had happened.

"After Sylvia's 'death' and Riley's mental break, to save them both, we essentially put Sylvia back into Riley's subconscious, where she remained dormant, thinking that reuniting them would stabilize the situation. Little did we realize that Lucemon went along with her, albeit dormant. After some monitoring, we were able to awaken Sylvia. However, because of the hijacking, her data was irrevocably corrupted. Not only could she only exist in a digital space such as Omnia, but it would only be a matter of time before she would fade so deep into Riley's subconscious that she'd be undetectable…"

"Hence the Graduation Ceremony." Homura deduced. "By that point, her condition was terminal."

Dr. Woods nodded. "As you're likely aware, Sierra was appointed as her caretaker to monitor them both: Riley in the Real World and Sylvia in Omnia. It was her job to ensure that Riley adjusted to a normal life during and after Sylvia would finally disappear from her consciousness. However, as we know, Lucemon used Sylvia and manipulated Riley, weakening her mental state in their attempt to sow chaos."

Homura exhaled, thinking to himself about the burden that Sierra had to shoulder. A caretaker, a representative…he bet she was under orders not to let Riley know about Lucemon—assuming she knew about it. Miranda was on top of her, likely serving as additional eyes to ensure she played her role to a T…

Another question came to mind after the deep thought. Now that he knows that Sylvia was the spearhead for the project… "What exactly was the purpose of Project X-Stream before this conflict? Or rather what I should be asking—!"

"Careful, Homura," Dr. Woods's expression shifted. "Don't dig too deep, or you lose your status as Vermil's Vassal."

Surprised by his remark, Homura respectfully backed down. Dr. Woods stood and paced the tent, "I started the project with good intentions, working closely with SAIBA Enterprise and AEGIS to understand the potential of this mysterious world. Little did I realize at the time the sheer naivety I possessed. When I appointed Noah as my successor and stepped down as CEO of STREAM Corp, I was riddled with guilt as to what I'd done to that poor girl…"

He stopped to compose himself; guilt traced all over. "I ran. I ran into my clinic and acted as the humble neurologist… silently watching as my company went in an entirely different direction." He stared at his palms for a long moment, a teardrop splashing in each. "My inability to see the faults ahead of time has made my hands drenched in blood… physical and digital alike…" he laughed, wiping his eyes. "And I call myself a Representative…"

Homura stayed silent, listening and allowing Dr. Woods to reflect. After a moment, the latter recomposed himself and turned to Homura. "Where's Mr. Grant?"

"The Nadir District's Rep told us that he sensed the presence of the Omni Sword and his ODF Allies emerging from a gate not far from the manor when we spoke with him. If I had to guess, Kaden is a part of that group looking for a way to join the conflict—or even end it."

"Join?" Dr. Woods repeated.

"Mr. Lindberg removed him from the program just before everything back on Earth went south," Homura explained. "And after contacting Dr. Whittaker, Sierra and I worked with her to get the Omni Sword to Kaden. Last we saw him, he was ejected from Omnia with the weapon."

"I see…" Dr. Woods acknowledged. "You said he's likely hoping to end things. Does he intend on fighting the Nadir Rep head-on, or if he's reckless enough, the Zenith?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that he will make a decision that he feels is just—one final question, though: I may already know the answer.

"By all means."

"Which side are you on?" He asked straightforwardly. "Do you support Noah's campaign to silence the Nadir District? Or do you sympathize with the Nadir Rep's vision of a unified Omnia?"

Dr. Woods smiled through his dry tears. "And there it seems you've discovered the tragic reality of warfare. One's justice is synonymous with another's suffering, therefore—!"

A sudden shriek interrupted his train of thought. Before Homura could fully jump, more screams ripped through the camp, mixed with frantic orders and chaotic sounds.

Racing outside, Homura and Dr. Woods grew tense as a mysterious wolf-like Digimon tore through the stationed warriors with ease. Turning towards them, they got a good look through the clouds of binary—a gray and purple-furred hound with red markings across its body, bladed armor on its paws, and bat-shaped collars around its neck and eyes. The beast snarled and lunged for the pair.

Dr. Woods somehow moved faster than Homura, summoning Woodmon to intercept. Woodmon's sturdy body kept the wolf in place, allowing the pair to break away and build distance. They caught sight of Sierra and Raesyl and grouped up with them.

Upon noticing that, the wolf Digimon shrugged off Woodmon and hopped back, scanning its surroundings. Commandramon and Guardromon appeared from all corners, surrounding the group.

"I thought this area was barren…" Sierra noted.

"Yeah, well, guess not," Homura remarked, sizing up the wild beast.

The wolf snarled before revealing its sentience, "Raesyl, let's go…"

Raesyl perked, recognizing the voice. "Dracmon…?"

Sierra and Homura tensed. When they encountered the Nadir Rep in the cellar, they said that Dracmon was dealt with by the Zenith when they confronted them. There's no way he could get free unless...

Sierra produced a thought that she kept to herself to avoid alerting everyone.

"It doesn't take much to understand what happened." The wolf continued, "The Zenith has endowed me unimaginable power, more than I could've ever dreamed of having. More than if I were to seek out Lord Bagramon himself."

"Even though they're your enemies? Guess it's not surprising given that you never had the Nadir's true interest at heart." Sierra remarked.

"As if you humans are any better. The audacity to call yourselves 'representatives…' Humans are to be tamed, not the other way around."

Sierra's gaze narrowed, unsure of what he meant.

"Now then, I won't repeat myself. Let's go."

"That's not—!"

"What do you want with me exactly?" Raesyl asked, almost curious.

Sierra was taken aback. "What are you doing?"

"I want your help in taking Alphamon's head. King Drasil of the Zenith District demands as much. In return, he promised me untold power, and for you...perhaps he can reunite you with your beloved human..."

"Don't listen to him!" Sierra quickly spoke up. "You don't seem trustworthy for someone who flipped so easily."

"Trust is subjective," it growled. "What you humans fail to understand is that this world runs on power and nothing else..." binary code began to stir around it as it began to glow before them." Allow me to demonstrate!"

The wolf howled towards the sky as a pillar of light rained down on top of it, casting more purple light onto it and lighting up the dark area.

"Woodmon!" Dr. Woods ordered, commanding his Digimon to shield them from whatever would appear. Sierra and Homura also got in front to defend, hiding Raesyl behind them. The army of Digimon on standby proceeded to move in.

The light pillar was slashed across and broke, knocking the troops back to reveal a skinny, humanoid Digimon resembling a matador. It wore a black and gold vest, long purple sleeves with knife-like claws protruding from it, and baggy red pants with bladed feet. It also had wild blonde hair, slanted purple eyes, and white faceguards as sharp as its claws. Dracmon's new form had a permanent grin, further unsettling his witnesses.

"Ah..." Dracmon rolled his neck and limbs, adjusting to two legs again. Its knife claws clashed as he moved his elongated fingers about, and after a moment, he felt the naturalness take over. "Well? How do I look?" He asked, his voice going from feral to vivid in tone.

Whether it was fear or defiance, the group let their silence speak for them. The Digimon gave the equivalent expression of a pout, then flexed its claws. "Not talking, huh? No worries, I have my ways after all!" Matadormon launched towards the group, eager to fulfill their master's desire. Suddenly, however, a massive white pillar erupted toward the Manor, halting his attack and redirecting everyone's attention.

"What in the world…?" Dr. Woods uttered.

Matadormon's attention flipped, turning his body about-faced. "Well, well? Lay out the red carpet for me, why don't you?!"

"That's in the direction of the manor…" Homura realized. "Kaden must be there!"

Upon hearing that, Raesyl unleashed her wings and took off, staggering everyone with her abrupt escalation. Matadormon cackled and got ready to take off behind her, "wait for me, sweetheart!"

Before launching, he hesitated, his permanent smile shifting slightly. It widened again before launching. Then, for added measure, Matadormon spun back and unleashed a downpour of knives, forcing the downed Digimon to provide cover while they scrambled back into the tents. Dr. Woods swore silently to himself, realizing the bigger picture, while the younger two contemplated the last few minutes in their ways.

"Kaden and the others are in danger." Sierra found herself fixated on that. "And Raesyl…why?"

She looked at Homura, desperate for an answer, though he couldn't give her one. Unlike Sierra, he didn't know Riley, Sylvia, or Raesyl. However, part of him was stuck on a response he was reluctant to admit.

"Lord Emeron, Lady Azurena, Gurenmaru, do you copy, over?" Miranda's voice suddenly came through each of their communicators.

"It's Miranda…" Sierra's tone spelled dread.

Dr. Woods answered. "Executive Sakurai, this is Lord Emeron, over."

"Thank goodness. You three have been ordered to evacuate Omnia immediately under orders of the Zenith District."

"Evacuate?! At a time like this, are you insane?!" Sierra snapped onto the mic.

Miranda chuckled on the other end, "Well, if you insist on burning with the Nadir, then be my guest. Everything is in place to end this war once and for all. It would be in your best interest to comply."

Homura looked to Dr. Woods, the latter's face looking grim. For as long as the Zenith's stayed on the sidelines, it looked as if they were officially throwing their hat in the ring rather than roping others to do their bidding.

He wondered if Dracmon willingly accepted his fate as fodder.

"Clock's ticking. I'd suggest you move it." the communication cut. Dr. Woods looked to the ODF forces, who couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation.

"We are not leaving." Dr. Woods told them, defiant of the orders. "Right?"

Sierra nodded. "I promised I was going to help Raesyl."

"We need to stop Dracmon from getting to them. And afterward, we'll deal with the Zenith."

Dr. Woods stood, "Even if it means forsaking your roles?"

Sierra and Homura joined him. Their actions answered his question.

He felt proud.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Justin whistled, drawing their attention to himself as Bianca at the entrance.

"Locomon won't be able to get us there fast enough, will it?" Sierra questioned as they moved outside the camp's entrance.

"Locomon can't, no," Justin said, taking a card from his collection. "Which is why we're taking the express." He played the card, summoning a massive train Digimon clad in blue, yellow, and chrome-colored metal. Its front wheel was covered in spikes, as was the metal facemask on it.

"All aboard GroundLocomon!" Justin ordered, followed by everyone boarding. Bianca was the last to board before Justin, the pair flashing smiles at one another. Justin hung from the side as the train whistled and drove off, picking up incredible speed until it practically vanished from sight.

The indigo sands fell silent afterward.

"Oh... come on now..." Kaden's voice sounded hollow for a moment while Milo worked to regain his hearing. The blast from Magnamon X knocked everyone back and left their ears ringing. Milo looked behind him, hearing Melanie's coughing clearly. The pair acknowledged one another, then looked forward to Kaden, who was already on his feet...

...and reacting to the Option Card that left his field empty.

"…was that all you can muster?" the Nadir Rep asked as the smoke cleared and revealed the glistening trigger. Not only did he withstand the blast, but he stood triumphant. "Security Trigger: Metal Impulse; discarding Junkmon and Sunarizamon, I de-digivolved your Digimon back to Veemon before deleting it."

"Wait? Milo realized. "Not even the X-Antibody worked?"

"Alphamon is the originator of the X-Antibody," Ryusei replied reluctantly. "Naturally, it wouldn't faze him."

"So… then what?" Milo looked across at him. "We can't just give up here… right?"

The Nadir Rep drew, Kaden too shaken to proceed. The counter set itself to 3.

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Nadir Rep)

"I will give you credit for surprising me like that. However, as it stands, you can't possibly hope to defeat the Zenith." He hatched and digivolved his egg into Ryudamon. Meanwhile, Dorugoramon bent its knees and snarled. "I'll be taking the sword back."

Hearing that made Kaden tense as Dorugoramon pounced. Reactively shielding himself, his Security appeared to intercept.

The Nadir Rep slid the last card in his hand, another DoruGreymon, giving Dorugoramon the power to eradicate the final 3 Security on Kaden's side and flying like a horizontal meteor, the two opposing forces made contact, shaking the room, sending raw power spewing everywhere.

"KADEN!" Milo screamed out for his friend.

Kaden was overwhelmed by the attack, on top of the emotional weight pinning him. Omnia…Riley…Syl… their fates were riding on this fight. He couldn't screw up now of all times! He…he needed to save them, or else…

…how could he consider himself a hero?

Kaden:

Security 3-0

The silhouettes of Paildramon and DinoBeemon shone through the attack, unable to withstand Dorugoramon's attack. However, at the final Security, Dorugoramon suddenly felt immense pushback, being sent into the air and through the rooftop, shocking everyone. The Nadir Rep was speechless as the mysterious silhouette, shining with a blend of red and blue, went after Dorugoramon and used its flaming blade to bisect it. It's freezing cannon to eviscerate what was left. The fighters outside the domain—whoever was left—paused their conflict to witness the sudden spectacle that lit the eternal night sky.

"Whoa…!" Jesse and the others gathered as they watched the silhouette shift about in the distance. Axel and Vantus were the most tense, recognizing power and more. A shift of their cannon was enough for Axel to react.

"EVERYONE, GET DOWN!" Axel exclaimed, waving his cape and sending a wave of glittering specks as far as possible.

The silhouette fired its cannon into the sky, sending a blanket of white energy upward. That energy then fell, raining down on the battlefield, indiscriminately hitting everything in sight. The group and anyone else nearby scrambled to get under the diamond-filled airspace, where the energy reflected and ricocheted in other directions. After the battlefield fell silent, the silhouette ceased its action…

"…Just now that…" Melanie spoke, the group inside the castle realizing the abrupt assault settled the noise outside.

"Omnimon." The Nadir Rep confirmed. "The source of power of the Omni Sword is indeed the legacy of the Omnimon of Old."

"Omnimon…of Old?" Kaden repeated.

"Axel, Garretson?!" Ryusei spoke into his coms frantically.

"We're alive…" Axel replied, coming through after a minute. "Whatever that was just now…it ended the fighting."

"Ended the…be specific." Ryusei insisted. As they looked up, Omnimon's Silhouette descended into the throne room and hovered before Kaden. Before them, the ghostly being reformed, transforming itself into the blade once again.

"I see…" the Nadir Rep acknowledged, deactivating his device and relaxing his arm. "My opinion holds no weight regarding who the blade chooses as its wielder."

Kaden blinked. "So…does that mean…?"

"The Nadir District concedes in this conflict…" The Nadir Rep approached Kaden and took a knee, surprising everyone further. "Kaden Grant—Cobalius the Imperial Knight—as King of Omnia… I beg of you… use this power to reshape Omnia, to preserve the future for both humanity and Digimon alike."

Adrenaline wearing off, Kaden suddenly felt the weight of his request tenfold. Staring down the blade, Kaden took a deep breath and reached out, coming to terms with the situation. This was what he was fighting for, after all. Now wasn't the time to back out.

"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Raesyl's voice screeched from above, startling everyone. The slight hesitation allowed her to dive down and retrieve the blade while crashing and bouncing across the floor until sliding to a stop. Kaden was speechless as the latter forced herself up, their eyes meeting.

"Rae…?" Kaden uttered, unsure how to address her.

"Don't…take this chance from me." She heaved, failing to recompose herself. She staggered, causing Kaden to start running reactively. "STAY AWAY!"

Kaden stopped, gritting his teeth while she hugged the sword. The Nadir Rep walked over to her and knelt.

"The fighting is over." He said flatly. "Cease this immediately."

"Do you see Raelyn here?" Raesyl hissed. "How can you say it's over if I don't have her beside me?! You promised to help—!"

"The fighting… is over." The Nadir Rep repeated sternly, his tired eyes driving the point.

Raesyl continued to hold her stare, only to break down instead. She accepted there was no getting her point across. Her arms relaxed, and the blade slid onto the floor.

The Nadir Rep stood. He's felt himself growing weaker over time. Even now, his body felt drained and heavy. The 'curse' was dealing all it was worth on him. He felt his arm yanked and pulled, falling back into Melanie's arms. The woman embraced him tightly, the warm feeling almost foreign to him after so long.

"I don't know if I'll get another chance," she said, resisting tears. "So don't you dare move."

The Nadir Rep didn't answer, complying with her demand. "I'm sorry to have put you through all of this."

"Don't apologize…I've gotten over it." she pulled back a bit. "Eve and I would've done the same anyway."

"This is why I've taken the burden onto myself."

"If you were honest from the start, we could've done more," Ryusei said.

"I lost Mikayla for revealing too much," he admitted.

"Even so," Melanie insisted. "We all love you. You should've known better, idiot."

"I know…I'm sorry."

Milo ran past the trio and up to Kaden. Together, they approached Raesyl, the latter looking at them with wet eyes.

"I don't need your sympathies." She said, wiping her eyes.

"It's not sympathy as much as it's…" Kaden admitted to finding the word.

"I was Sylvia's biggest fan," Milo admitted, sitting. "I watched every stream, whether she was battling, doing song covers, collabs with other V-Streamers," he looked to Kaden briefly. "She was beautiful, always happy, selfless. She loved being a shining star for those looking for a break…"

"Riley was a pain in the butt to deal with sometimes," Kaden said, picking up Milo's intention. "Actually, scratch that, she was always a pain. She was always shy, snappy, and dishonest with her feelings. Even so, meeting her helped me accept my own dishonesty. She helped me realize that I wasn't a hero in a true sense. I thought I acted out of it being the right thing, and my recklessness would be accepted as a means to an end. But that kind of thinking is egotistical and selfish. It was true; feeling like a protector made me feel so great, it was…"

"…your form of escape, right?" Raesyl asked, her tone relaxing some.

"…yeah, something like that."

Raesyl looked at her hand for a long moment, thinking about Raelyn. "I was her escape; Raelyn, I mean. In our old reality, she was a rising star in the entertainment world. She was the daughter of a famous actress and was pushed to carry on that lineage, with no exceptions. She was exceptionally talented in everything she did…so naturally, she'd have equal parts adoring fans and vicious predators. Then, one day, she fell into my world out of the blue. I, a simple AI, grew to learn and adapt to this girl seeking escape. I became the object of her endeavors. That was all I knew. I existed for her sake and nothing more.

The trio all sat in momentary silence, reflecting on their loved ones and the impact on their respective lives. No further words were necessary.

"Ahem!" Matadormon's voice echoed from above them, drawing everyone's attention. "I hope I'm interrupting the sentimental moments here; some of us have deadlines to meet.

Raesyl snapped up. "My liege, run for it!"

Kaden reacted by lunging for the blade, only to feel an ominous wind glide with a whisper that froze him.

"Too slow, human…"

By the time Kaden turned, the discomforting sound of slicing pain screeched into his senses. Silence fell as he turned, and horror overtook his senses.

Raesyl's shaky hands reached for Matadormon's hollow sleeves; his knife fingers dug deep into her midsection. Cackling, Matadormon pulled back, sending Raesyl collapsing in the Nadir Rep's arms.

"RAESYL!" Kaden screamed, taking the blade and coming down on Matadormon. The latter swung back to block, only for the blade to glow at the last second and shatter his knives. Shocked by this, Kaden slashed the Digimon vertically, causing Matadormon to scream in agony. Unrelentingly, Kaden swung with all his might, cutting through Matadormon again, causing the Digimon to collapse and disperse where he stood, leaving a Core behind, unable to deliver final words. Raesyl's hoarse breathing snapped him out of his rage, dropping the blade and down to her side.

"Hey!" The Nadir Rep shook her. "Stay with us!"

"Rae!" Kaden additionally pleaded, despite the fading light in her eyes. "Rae!"

"Rae…lyn…" Raesyl uttered, drawing tears. "I'm…sorry…"

"Raesyl!" The Nadir Rep felt his tears growing, as did Kaden. However, Raesyl's eyes rolled back, and her body began to glow, her human form reverting to Lucemon and then into a glowing Core. The cold atmosphere settled, leaving the group to process the few moments spent. The Nadir Rep gritted his teeth and roared. "DRASIL!"

"KADEN!" Sierra's voice cried as she finally made it. Leaving the others outside, she found the destroyed throne room and those remaining. She ran to embrace her boys.

"Thank god you're alright!" She cried. When she could get more words out, she continued, "The Zenith is about to purge the Nadir District in its entirety."

"What? But the fighting is over; the Nadir have surrendered." Ryusei stated.

"Drasil wouldn't be satisfied with that," The Nadir Rep rose, "They'd much rather see it eradicated before acknowledging its existence. It won't stop until Omnia is in complete control."

"So how do we stop the Zenith then?" Kaden took the blade and stood.

"You don't," Matadormon answered, sending chills down his spine.

The group turned and watched as Matadormon's core rose from the ground and regenerated the body. Matadormon rolled his neck again, readjusting to its form again.

"You're…"

"Undead." Matadormon clarified before Kaden could finish his sentence. "Immortal, All-powerful, and very, very pissed off…!"

Binary code wrapped around Matadormon as he roared, igniting a massive power spike. The shock blew everyone back in different directions, with the Nadir Rep losing Raesyl's core. The core soared through the air and into the claw of the reforming Digimon. As the light dimmed, the new form took shape. A centaur-like build, the lower body bestial, with maroon fur, bat wings, and black paws, the two front legs sporting a pair of gray-toned, elongated jaws. Its upper half was a well-built torso, the lower part covered with red belts, and the upper part had light blue bat wings covering the shoulders and chest. A matching mask covered his gray-skinned face, and he also sported long blonde hair.

Upon exhaling, the Digimon flexed his free claw, and the Nadir Rep's body tensed as if constricted.

"ZACK, NO!" Melanie screamed as the Nadir Rep was hoisted upward.

In an elegant, well-mannered tone, the Digimon spoke, "I am Grandracmon, Master of DeathXDigivolution, Agent of King Drasil, and most importantly…" he flicked his wrist, causing purple energy to eject from the Nadir Rep's being. He screamed through the brief process, the energy ripping out of him and flowing into Grandracmon as if returning to the source. As the flow slowed, he cast his hand off to the side, flinging the weakened rep across the room. The power resonated with him as he finished his introduction. "The true representative of the Nadir District…"

Melanie's body ached, paralyzing her briefly from making her way to the Nadir Rep. As the others came to, their attention was directed towards Grandracmon, who raised Raesyl's core and redirected part of the DeathXDigivolution energy extracted from the Nadir Rep into it. As a result, the Core pulsated violently, reacting to destructive energy.

"What is he doing...?" Milo sat up. Quickly piecing his actions together, a grim realization hit him. "We need to... stop him!"

Kaden tried to move, but he, too, felt disorientated. No one in the room could stand up to him, and they were left powerless to watch him cast the infused core into the air.

"Go forth and fulfill the ideal of the Zenith..." Grandracmon uttered. "Subjugate those who defy the Will of Drasil..."

[Ground Zero, Central District...]

A digital gate appeared over the digital void of the Central District. Miranda and Adara, Lucas, and other X-Streamers descended, hovering safely alongside their X-Antibody Digimon. The connection to the Central District remained miraculously intact despite being destroyed, allowing them to enter Omnia from that point. They were to head to the Nadir District from this entry point and await further instructions.

"Yikes," Lucas commented as his partner MetalGarurumon X hovered. His partner was a bipedal Garurumon variant, moreso resembling a mecha than its typical incarnation, especially considering the heavy artillery on its person.

The void below looked like a black hole, or an abyss even. Energy pulsated in random places, indicating intense power within. But to think that black hole was all that was left of Central District, a hub bustling with activity not even weeks before…

"Don't let yourself get distracted," Adara told him as she and WarGreymon X joined them. WarGreymon X likewise took a more cybernetic approach, glowing cyan lights on his signature claws, chest, and leg armor. The equipped vernier allowed it to move fluidly for sky combat.

"Kinda hard considering we were there when everything went down, ain't that right, Brandon?" Lucas turned to the boy, lost in thought. The latter's Gallantmon X's most notable feature was the redefined shield and energy lance. Like its two counterparts, the armor was jagged and angular while retaining the appearance of its original incarnation.

"Yo, earth to Brandon!" Lucas called out to him. Alas, he still ignored him. "Dude!"

"Shut up, will you?!" Brandon snapped.

"Learn to listen when people talk to you then."

"Look, I have nothing to say to someone who threw me under the bus before."

"Well, sorry, but orders were orders. Besides, it's water under the bridge now. Unlike the others, you decided to stick around."

"Because, unlike you, I still have a debt to pay."

"Right…still in your redemption arc, it looks like." Lucas cracked.

"You three!" Captain Rex's voice barked, belonging to a muscled bald man with a gray-speckled goatee riding on the back of a DinoRexmon, "Cut the chatter and focus! We have hostiles incoming!"

The three X-Streamers and the remaining dozen alongside them all turned their attention ahead of them. Taking the lead alongside Rex, Miranda held her fingers to her Com.

"Noah, what's our move?" she asked, considering Rex's declaration. "…Noah?"

"This…this doesn't make sense." Noah's voice came through. "Everything was flawless, so why…?!"

"Up there!" An X-Streamer pointed to a shimmering light in the sky.

"Only one…?" Brandon questioned, not noticing any of the following entities.

"Noah, answer me!" Miranda snapped, her voice beginning to tremble. "What's our next move?!"

As the mysterious purple comet came close, it made an arc and turned downward. Captain Rex realized what was happening at that moment. "ALL UNITS STOP THAT THING!"

A startled Miranda hesitated as their small band all dove after the comet. Lucas and Adara began to descend, but a quick-thinking Brandon intercepted and held them back from their shock.

"NO! MIRANDA, ABORT THE MISSION NOW!" Noah screamed desperately.

Miranda felt herself suddenly lose control of the situation. Not knowing what to do, fear paralyzed her into watching the squad of troops attempt to reach the object. However, the void swallowed the object, and moments later, a violent pulse erupted, blowing everyone skyward. Gallantmon X, WarGreymon X, and MetalGarurumon X being the furthest away, shielded their Tamers and moved back as far as possible from the shockwaves; however, screams of terror and pulsations ripped the sky apart as Miranda watched Captain Rex and the remaining X-streamers fall into the void one by one before her eyes.

"…dear god," Miranda uttered, speechlessly.

"Something was off with that void…" Brandon admitted, allowing Lucas to realize why Brandon had ignored him before.

"What was that thing that flew into it?" Adara questioned.

"Something bad!" Lucas pointed out that more activity took place.

The four remaining X-Streamers watched as the pulsating void twisted about into a vortex, ejecting yellow and purple streams of binary from the mouth. Like an ascending river of data, the streams grew in volume, touching the darkened sky above. As it continued, an eerie whining sound echoed, the river of binary code beginning to take shape. The outer corners of the void drew in and rose, connecting to the pillar until they began to solidify. Eventually, the X-Streamers appeared to be mere ants in comparison to the colossal concentration of energy, as the solid parts revealed themselves as obsidian wings. The pillar reformed into a feminine figure, its white body becoming visible as the moments passed. Lacking hands and feet, this entity had strands of rainbow-colored tendrils coiled around one another. Tendrils acted as hair, the bangs covering its eyes, and its lower jaw split open to reveal rows of sharp teeth, accompanied by a screeching, ear-piercing wail announcing its birth, causing the quartet to block the noise as best they could.

"What the hell…?!" Miranda's throat was tight out of fear. She side-eyed the beast, barely catching a glimpse of one of its tendrils impaling Angewomon X and grabbing her out of the air. Immediately, she screamed frantically. "AHHHH! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Reactively, Brandon dove to help, Gallantmon's lance charging to break the connection. It struck, sending a wild blast of electricity across the appendage. However, the beast ignored it, using another tendril to knock Brandon and Gallantmon X away.

"BRANDON!" Adara screamed, with Lucas holding her back.

Brandon and his Digimon free-fell into the orbit of the monster, landing in the miasmic void and immediately becoming disoriented. His vision is fuzzy; he cursed under his breath, convincing himself that he was dying with the sins on his conscience still…

Miranda, meanwhile, finding herself just as fated, twisted around to Adara and Lucas. "YOU TWO DO SOMETHING! PLEASE!"

Lucas ignored Miranda's pleas and tried harder to hold back Adara. Miranda drew tears before being yanked forward, screaming all the while. Being brought face to face with the monster, Miranda tried desperately to break free.

"Mi…ran…da…" The monster uttered, causing Miranda's blood to run cold.

Miranda slowly turned to the monster, only to see the monster widen its jaw. Fearing the worst, Miranda screamed as hard as she could. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! PLEASE! NO, NO, NO, NO!"

Miranda was raised over the monster's mouth, and the constriction loosened…

Lucas shielded Adara's eyes while enduring Miranda's screaming.

An audible gulp afterward made them both want to vomit.

"...We need to go." Lucas forced himself to say.

Adara was in no place to argue. Pulling away from him, the pair began to fiddle with their D-Streamers to eject, praying it wouldn't catch wind of them. However, their D-Streamers weren't responding—at all.

"Why…why won't they work?!" Adara cried, trying to force her device to work.

"Don't tell me that thing's a walking EMP!" Lucas yelled, equally frustrated.

"What are we going to do?!" She turned to him, desperate.

"I don't know!" Lucas barked.

The monster cried out again, forcing them to turn their attention to them again. Noticing them, the monster slowly raised its arm and allowed its tendrils to extend.

"RUN!" Lucas exclaimed, their Digimon turning and blasting off as fast as possible. Despite the overwhelming size, it was better than standing idle. They awaited their inevitable demise as they moved, feeling its shadow swallow them overhead.

But then, as the tendrils inched closer to their targets, a sudden wave of light zipped overhead the pair and sliced the ends off, causing the monster to react and pull back in pain.

Lucas and Adara whipped back around, watching as the beast was writhing.

"I expected more out of you two…" A voice overhead announced to them.

Looking ahead was an Omnimon; its body was jagged and fierce, indicating it was an X-Antibody Digimon. A man with jet-black hair, circle-rimmed sunglasses, a long white and red coat, a black undershirt, and pants stood on his shoulder. Lifting his glasses, Lucas and Adara felt a surreal wave of reassurance hit them.

"Executive Ward!" Adara exclaimed, recognizing him as Mason in his Saibatar form. "Is it you?"

"There's a chance we're dead already and are hallucinating…" Lucas said, somewhat skeptical.

Looking ahead, Mason took note of the titanic beast emerging from the void below. Narrowing his gaze, he ignored the bitter taste in his mouth, steeling his resolve. "You two, fall back."

"What? Don't tell us you're going to fight that thing alone?!" Adara protested.

"She's right; that thing took out Captain Rex and the others and even ate Executive Sakurai for a snack!" As Lucas finished, several digital gates opened, and one by one, AEGIS Agents and their respected Digimon began to come through in droves. Soon, behind Mason, was a sizable group of individuals ready to take on the threat before them.

"There's only one thing that can take that out," Mason said. "Our job is to buy enough time for them to show up."

"But…what about the CEO? Where's Mr. Lindberg?" Adara asked.

"Oh, that guy?" An eavesdropping AEGIS Agent responded, hovering on a BlackWarGrowlmon. "Our Director had a few words for him. We hope to be done by then."

"…A Nadir Digimon…" her gaze narrowed.

The Agent noticed her discomfort and scoffed, "Don't knock them till you try them." He patted his partner on the back, the latter showing their eagerness to fight.

As the agent pulled away, Mason said, "Now's your chance to fall back."

Adara and Lucas looked at one another, then back at Mason.

"We were sure we were gonna die a minute ago…" Lucas admitted.

"What he means is, we're already deep in this mess; may as well see it to the end."

Mason acknowledged their reasoning. "In that case, eyes up, and follow my lead."

"Yes, sir!" Adara and Lucas synchronized, falling behind Mason as the small army stared down at their target. The Monster roared in defiance of them as the army of AEGIS agents dove in for the attack…