Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

On a note, I pulled a whole day working on this chapter practically at the edge of my seat in some weird twist featuring adrenaline and zipfizz. I felt like I was in an action movie of sorts. The whole concept of being one step ahead of your enemy plays a major part and Rei has a big chip on his shoulder from being bested by the Digital Creator. Anyways, I'll leave you to it. It's going to be 'earth shattering'. Pun absolutely intended.


Chapter Thirty-Five: The Crumbling Heavens, The Shattered Deception

The symbols all lit up bright vivid colors, Rei not being able to help being captivated by them. Vaguely he could recall seeing some of them on some of the Digivolved Digimon such as on the armor of Noblemon, or the second round of children after like Daigo or Himekawa. But seeing so many it only made Rei wonder if by chance he had stumbled onto Homeostasis's secret plans to try to defeat him next.

The bizarre light burst forth life from the statues each of them giving shape to what appeared to be armored Digimon. Rei staring in at them attempted to see what the digital compositional formula of them was, but even with his analytical abilities it seemed the armor prevented them.

"So I can't even see there level huh?" he chuckled grinning with his teeth.

"It doesn't matter my Lord," Piedmon said. "We'll still butcher them into tiny digital bits," he quipped.

Rei noticed the seriousness in his eyes, the intimidating armored Digimon, and the tension he felt seemed inconsequential. This was after all his entertainment.

He placed his hand and ruffled it through his hair. "Do as you wish," he gave permission as Piedmon and the other Dark Masters attacked.

Rockets of Fire and a Blueish sparkling thunder emitted from two of them, Piedmon flipping over instantly dodging.

"Oh goody," he smirked throwing two of his knives, but they bounced harmlessly off of them.

"They must be mega level Digimon," Cthulusmon peaking inside.

"Not necessarily," Rei said still observing the battle. "Piedmon, just as the previous one all of you attack at once."

"But there are so many Lord. They flit about like flies."

"Is that disobedience?" he questioned, Piedmon immediately apologetic.

"No my Lord!" he said shaking. "Machinedramon!" he turned snapping at him.

The big tyrannosaurus deuce machine Rex had been growling blasting the armored Digimon but having little to no success.

"Are you giving ME orders?!" he barked. "My aim is true, but death does not find them."

"We're all going to attack together then," Piedmon said. "Puppetmon, Metal Seadramon! Altogether!"

With that they unleashed their signature attacks at both the armored blue dinosaurs with armor, their counter attacks easily overpowering them and blasting them severely, their armor cracking a bit, but both of them still in one piece.

"That got 'em!" Puppetmon laughed. "Couple of chumps!"

"Fish fried," Metal Seadramon agreed. "Though I'm sure roasted Digimon with cracking armor would add a satisfying crunch."

"Why don't you try it then?" Piedmon taunted.

"Don't think I won't," he grinned flying his way over towards the fire one, the Digimon covering it's whole body in a flame shield barrier. It rushed at him, Metal Seadramon rushing full force. The black armored one sent out a shock of lightning covering him as if sensing danger, but even with such electrifying protection it was no use. Metal Seadramon clamped down on the fiery Digimon, the Digimon roaring out in pain as it's strength gave out and was mashed in his mandibles.

In a rage, the black armored Digimon summoned torrents of thunder towards them all, Machinedramon carefully aiming his cannon and blasting it into bits.

"Target annihilated," Machinedramon confirmed.

"How does it taste?" Puppetmon asked.

"Delicious!" Metal Seadramon replied. "The armor gives the Digimon a pleasant 'crunch.'"

"We best finish off the others," Machinedramon growled, steam coming out of his mouth. "Set all together for annihilation."

"If only that would be so easy," Piedmon said crossing his arms after failing to pierce one through with one of his trump swords.

From above them shurikens and blazing red eye beams attacked him from behind, Piedmon holding out his hand bouncing it back at them with his clown trick attacks.

"These ones are mine!" Puppetmon laughed heartily slamming his hammers down onto them slowly cracking the armor. "This is a lot of fun! We should play-"

"-No games," Rei said interrupting them. "If you don't finish the mission I will feed you to Ygdrassill. So quickly take them out and find out what that witch Homeostasis is hiding in the center.

They all said at once 'Yes Lord,' and proceeded to attack the enemy.

Rei put his knuckles in his eyes annoyed by his generals. "If I could have gone in there I would have deleted the enemy in seconds. I'm sure over time they will mature into their roles."

He then got up and walked back stretching his arms and legs. "This has gotten rather tedious," he sighed.

"Not to worry My Lord," Cthulusmon said smiling confidently. "You're victory is assured."

"Oh, I know," Rei said walking away. "And yet, even knowing this, I still feel like I am being toyed with. And that," he said, the skies around starting to briefly turn dark around them, "..pisses me off."


After clearing his his mind and having another beverage Rei returned a bit refreshed back to the war. Since his generals had not made much progress he focused back in appearing through the eyes of another Mekanorimon hoping to see the Digimon Sovereign down to their last breath.

The Digimon Sovereign also seemed to be in a slowly losing stalemate with King Ygdrassill. No matter how many appendages they took down more kept springing up in their place. The wings of Zhuqiaomon had been plucked. More claw slashes moved up and down the coiling frame of Azulongmon, even his antennae bent. Baihumon had been reduced to ruffled fur and barely able to howl out, his throat dry and rasped and also a fresh cut over his left eye. And lastly the tortoise surprisingly had been nicked and scratched but most of the damage had gone to his shell with great swathes of claw marks all over it.

"I'm a bit 'shell-shocked' over this, I am!" Ebonwumon laughed, much to the other head's chagrin.

"This is no laughing matter," Azulongmon groaned. "I fear that our power by itself is no match for that thing," he said dodging a claw, and blasting out ice and lightning towards ten oncoming appendages.

"Then what do you suggest?" Zhuqiaomon scoffed masking itself in a blistering hot fire, many appendages burned up upon trying to attack him.

"Homeostasis would be displeased with us if we required her aid," Baihumon scoffed. "My pride won't allow for her to lower her hand to aid us. We are her Sovereign!" He snarled savagely chewing and slashing a host of appendages that came his way despite taking a couple slashes against his fur.

"Yeah we might get demoted or somethin'!" Ebonwumon agreed.

"We also have already used most of our Digicores to regenerate," Zhuqiaomon said unleashing fiery feathers towards a few stragglers that came his way. "If we have to use them all without them being restored we'll obviously be deleted!"

"I understand your concern Zhuqiaomon," Azulongmon replied snapping five approaching with his tail and flinging them away. "However we only have one way to stand a chance against her. We have to use it no matter the consequences."

"That is forbidden!" Zhuqiaomon snapped. "Homeostasis only let us have that power but we could only use it with her blessing! If we use it without her present we'll have to sacrifice one of our precious Digicores! And I refuse to! I refuse to become weaker!"

"Unfortunately we do not have much of a choice," Azulongmon said closing his eyes. "No matter the consequences we must stop that THING from entering the Digital World. It will be the end of all life as we know it."

The last of the appendages came at them all, each Sovereign unleashing a vicious attack to destroy the appendage, the last bits of digitization thrown to the winds as the menacing cloud of Ygdrassill still hung as ever looming a threat as ever in the sky, the next batch slowly coming towards them from a distance.

"We must choose," Baihumon acknowledged. "Even with our pride as Sovereign if the next wave of those things attacks us we won't have another chance like this. We have to use it now!"

"For the sake of our creator! Of our territories! Our residents!" Ebonwumon encouraged as if trying to get through to Zhuqiaomon.

Zhuqiaomon gritted his beak, his body shaking from fury and flame as if just agonizing over having to make the decision.

"Please Zhuqiaomon!" Azulongmon groaned, barely able to hold himself up from all the damage he had taken.

They all stared at him, Zhuqiaomon groaning out closing his eyes in rage.

"Fine!" he bellowed, a shock wave emitting from his voice. "I'll set aside my pride just this once!"

"Thank you Zhuqiaomon," Azulongmon said closing his eyes. "All right everyone. Release one of your Digicores!"

With that each of them held up a glowing core as if the core itself was alive. It appeared to be heart-like beating as if was the very essence of each of the Sovereign.

The Appendages of King Ygdrassill came closer about ready to snare them, but suddenly each of the Sovereign lit up, each of them calm as their lights merged together.

"My Lord!" Cthulusmon shouted. "What is happening?"

"No need to get excited," Rei said a bit stunned. "I'm very curious to see what will happen. You can't pay for entertainment like this Cthulus-"

-Rei froze. Within that light, ever so vaguely he could make out the effervescent Homeostasis. She held the outline of a head against the morphing light, Rei feeling infuriated by her presence. The outline then turned towards him as if staring directly at him.

"Sister!" a garbled voice shouted from the clouds, Ygdrassill roaring out "Sister!"

"Remain calm Ygdrassill!" Rei ordered. "Whatever that Digimon is tear it to pieces! Then should we be successful I will personally see to it you get an audience!"

"Really?" she said monstrously giddily. "Yay!"

The light remained ever so bright as a thunder shock rained down on it, each of the appendages instantly vaporized in a searing light.

And in the place of the light stood a Digimon Rei had only seen once ever so briefly before he had to resort to destroying his own territory as a last resort. The beast look different, though it resembled all four of them.

The Digimon appeared majestic, golden gleaming scales, vicious fangs, and from the crown of his head protruding gleaming horns with smaller horns going down it's ridged back, two rows of the larger horns on each side as if illuminating itself in flame. It's tail stretched out thumping the ground causing the ground to shake, it's golden legs digging into the ground. But more than anything the eight eyes of the creature penetrated all with it's red stare.

Rei wanted to glance to the other side of the battle to see how it went, but he couldn't tear it's eyes away from the creature just like the last time.

It didn't say a word as it roared out challenging King Ygdrassill.

"You hear that Ygdrassill? It sounds like he wants to play with you," Rei chuckled. "You will oblige, won't you?"

"This is going to be fun!" she said demented-like unleashing a fresh set of appendages with hungry mouths towards the Digimon.

They tried to bite into him with their appendages, but despite their furious attack they could not penetrate through the golden gleaming armor no matter how many attempted to.

"Go for the eyes," Rei countered, King Ygdrassil immediately adjust her attack for the feelers to go towards them, but they instantly dissolved.

"I have never seen armor like that before," Cthulusmon noted. "Where did a Digimon like that come from?"

"I'm not sure," Rei mused. "But if King Ygdrassill can't break through his defenses she's going to be in real trouble."

"But she'll never run out of them," Cthulusmon said. "She brings the appendages I can use to shame. I have quantity but she has quality."

"To each their own," Rei said sidestepping his comment. "Let's just keep this up to see when he will make his move, he said ready to call her.

"King Ygdrassi-"

"-Taikyou!" the Digimon declared unleashing with speed and ferocity a beam of darkness and light that cut through all of the approaching appendages tearing them into pieces and into the cloud, King Ygdrassill forced to use all of her remaining one's ready as a shield and then just barely hovering away as the attack blasted out into the upper heavens.

She winced growling out, Rei noticing part of the attack had hit part of her main body. "You hit me!" she shouted in pain. "You hit me! You hit me! How could you?"

The golden dragon Digimon seemed to ignore her, gleaming golden as it's eyes lit up again.

"Don't let that thing unleash another one of those!" Rei declared. "There is something odd about them. Something I have never seen before. Use your strongest attack!"

With that Ygdrassill winced, a dark aura surrounding the cloud. "I am going to be so hungry," she growled. "I will eat all of the Digimon once I'm done with you!" she shouted. She created a large tearing force around herself that had afflicted the Sovereign before, but this one seemed so much more powerful and deadly, her phantom-like claws hovering out of it, an equally dangerous looking head of a demonic head on top of it as if the twister was the body of a new being.

"Now Phantom Maelstrom! Tear! Tear it all apart! All of it!" she shouted, her voice garbled with laughter and violence.

The golden dragon unleashed more powerful Taikyou attacks, but they were batted down and torn apart in the tearing claws of darkness and wailing. It slowly advanced towards the dragon, the dragon gritting his teeth.

"There's nothing more to do than be demolished," Cthulusmon said.

"Indeed," Rei agreed smugly. "And if this Digimon decides to evade the attack the rest of the castle and the enemy forces will be ripped into pieces"

He glanced to the other battle, a bit annoyed the dark masters were having a hard time with these Digimon that did not seem very strong. Yet, to his delight, odd phantom-like claws emerged slashing and grabbing the enemy, some of them squeezed apart, and some of them pulled in to the Maelstrom.

"We barely had to lift a finger," Piedmon chuckled. "Now then-"

"What's that?" Metal Seadramon asked as each of the places where the armored Digimon had been set up lit up with the symbols that were on them.

"My Lord! It seems the crests are doing something!" Cthulusmon said as if he was about to pass out from an anxiety attack.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," Rei said fascinated by it. "They are not the symbols of the ones we have defeated in the past," he noticed his index finger and thumb resting on his chin. "Very interesting."

No sooner had he said those words the placements turned into strange colored eggs and shot out from the location.

The lights then having disappeared triggered an explosion from their placements, a strange barrier slowly becoming visible and shattering like glass around all of them revealing yet a third tower.

"My Lord!" Piedmon shouted. "This must be it! Homeostasis must be hiding something there!"

"Very good," Rei said glancing back and forth between his forces and the enemy'. "Piedmon take the Mekanorimon and infiltrate the tower. The rest of you are on standby."

"But I want to go in to!" Puppetmon complained.

"Why should Piedmon get all the fun?" Metal Seadramon also fussed.

"Fools," Machinedramon growled. "We're on standby to protect the tower while Piedmon is in it. The plan is still in motion. Just do as your told."

'Fine," Puppetmon huffed crossing his arms.

Rei could not help but grin noticing them. Despite his appearance Machinedramon always turned out to be the most capable.

"What Machinedramon said is aligned with my will," Rei said. "Now take your positions," he said as Piedmon ran holding out his trump sword like a psychopath charging into the tower.

"Find out Homeostasis's secret and eliminate the enemy!"


Piedmon infiltrated the tower with Mekanorimon and surviving Guardromon eliminating all the cloaks in sight Many of them seemed to be working on Machines as if assessing with damage control, but Piedmon with a few deadly knife throws handled quite a few of them.

To Rei it did seem strange that they kept working not knowing if they were aware of the danger. He paid it no mind as Piedmon navigated through what appeared to look like the inside of a combined factory and power-plant. Large wires ran through the complex tower, Piedmon having no choice but to split his forces up towards other corridors as he followed the wires.

"There defenses are nearly non existent," Rei noticed.

"They might just be afraid of yours truly," Piedmon jested taking down another cloak with ease.

The wires curled through an outlet together no longer curling once he followed a coiling staircase to the top floor.

A pair of double iron barred doors blocked the entrance.

Piedmon opened up his hands, a tricky bright emanating from them. "Open Sesame!" he chortled as the doors unhinged blasting cloaks that must have been on the other side of the entrance.

He hovered forward in the room, two strange cabinets placed directly in the center of it.

"Mmmmm," Piedmon smirked. "Lookie, Lookie. What do we have here?"

Rei stared in, noticing the coiled wires had been attached around the cabinet like an incubator, strange items held within them.

"It's not all of them," Rei said looking at them closely, "but I recognize these symbols from the previous battle. These crests have tags with them as well. And then of course we have digi eggs."

"Are these the ones we saw from before?" Piedmon asked. "Maybe it was an illusion the eggs spread out far and wide."

"No, this is something else entirely different," Rei said entertained. At last he had found out what Homeostasis and the Digital Creator had been up to. And now that he had them he could use this to his advantage. "Grab them all," he said, Piedmon breaking the glass and holding the crests up in his hands.

"Piedmon!" A cloak yelled rushing forward with what appeared to be a sword of light. "Get your hands off those crests!" he yelled slashing at him, Piedmon dropping all of the items, Piedmon glancing back annoyed.

"Gennai?" he said not at all amused.

"He seems to be more important than the others," Rei said noticing something different about him. "Use it Piedmon."

With a mighty cry Gennai slashed at him, Piedmon dodging to the side placing the orb Rei had given from him Ygdrassill in the back of his neck, Gennai wincing.

"Hmm, hmm hmm," Piedmon chided, Gennai still pointing the sword at him, Piedmon in complete control.

Without a word Gennai turned around face to face with a Mekanorimon. Quickly he dispatched the rider of it, got inside and snatched up the Digital Eggs and crests, and tags.

"Follow up him, do not let him out of your sight!" Piedmon ordered, Gennai flying towards the back of the room. "Digiport open!" he shouted flying away into it.

Before Rei realized what was happening Piedmon and the Mekanorimon headed off into it.

He tried searching for him, but realized no matter which Digimon he looked through he had gone beyond his reach.

"Piedmon, you foolish jester," Rei clenched his teeth. There was no way for him to find out what was happening anymore.

"Boss!" Puppetmon shouted.

Immediately Rei held back his frustrations and peered through Puppetmon.

"Boss!" he shuddered, his wooden teeth clattering.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"L-look!" he pointed towards the golden dragon.

The golden dragon had emitted some kind of large yellow circle around himself, Rei curious about it. He could not help but notice a huge amount of pressure in this circle, to such a degree even the Dark Master's shuddered even more than Ygdrassill's attack. The phantom maelstrom had slowly moved closer towards him ready to pull him in, but Rei could not believe how slow it moved.

"What's taking so long Ygdrassill? Finish that beast off," Rei commanded.

"Oh I will completely devour him," Ygdrassill replied making lip slurping sounds.

With that she formed a bunch of appendages and pushed the thousands of them against the Maelstrom, instantly being torn apart, but others replacing it giving the nudge a powerful boost.

The golden circle started to glow, Rei knowing that something seemed off now. In fact, he thought he heard a crunching sound though he could not tell where it was coming from.

"What is that sound?" Cthulusmon said. "What is-"

"-The earth!" Metal Seadramon cried noticing splits had started to appear all around them in quick succession as if it was being divided. "The surface is cracking!"

Rei glanced at the ground, a million thoughts crossing his mind how to deal with the Digimon, but suddenly the beast roared out, Rei focusing back on him.

"Yellow Circle!" the golden dragon shouted. Immediately the ground started breaking apart swirling together, spreading faster and faster. Good Digimon and bad Digimon seemed like they would fall through, but the clumps of earth and debris started clumping together, many digimon being smashed by the sediment inside, others squashed in-between giant stones. Even the tower started to creak and wobble, Rei realizing this had all gone out of his control.

He looked around towards any surviving Digimon in his sight witnessing as the portal they had came through had been completely demolished by the whirlwind of earth. He had to act fast.

"Quickly," he said. "Any surviving forces enter into the tower to the top floor. There is a portal there. Escape while you can!"

"Agreed," Machinedramon exhaled smoke turning around and running away into it breaking the frame down, Metal Seadramon and Puppetmon hot on his heels.

"Wait for us!" a Lady Devimon cried trying to follow in, but the ground beneath her emitted a large amount of pressure, her body thrown into the Geo Vortex mangled to Digital Bits. The other Digimon behind her met a similar fate.

"Keep climbing! Don't turn around!" Machinedramon barked, Rei hoping that he would not lose visibility through their eyes which would only mean they were deleted.

They hurried to the top floor, Puppetmon jumping onto Machinedramon's back bashing away and falling debris that would have stopped them.

A large piece fell near the front of the portal thankfully not crushing it.

"Ultimate Stream!" Metal Seadramon shouted, all three of them not hesitating to jump into the fiery aftermath.

"I see it! The portal's just right there!" Puppetmon said elated.

Falling debris started to come down on them, Machinedramon shooting bullets of giga canon's as he ran barely holding them up as they barely escaped through the portal, Rei losing contact with them as the roof completely collapsed.

He looked through the eyes of a dying Digimon in the Geo Vortex, the tower completely demolished, the remains thrown into it.

He hesitated immediately turning back to Ygdrassill's attention as both of the swirling forces slowly came closer, colliding into each other.

The outstretched phantom claws slashed through debris, but the chunks were so large they took out many of the claws as well, the sheer density of the swirling cracking the foundations of the entire surface of the dimension.

The phantom beast's head on top roared out as despite it's efforts a huge chunk of debris smashed into it, knocking the head clean off.

"I can't control it!" Ygdrassill shouted helpless watching as the phantom maelstrom itself was engulfed by the giant Geo vortex, a cloud of dust starting to blur her vision. The two forces whirled ferociously, the sheer force of pressure pressing Ygdrassill down, barely able to keep herself from becoming a magnet towards whatever boundaries existed with most of the ground no longer there.

"I can't!" she groaned, her body no longer able to sustain itself transforming back into her humanoid appearance.

The force of the Geo Vortex threw her into the wind, Rei at a loss as he lost vision through her eyes, which unfortunately could only mean one thing.

He glanced at the screen, hollow, only seeing darkness on all of the screens. His generals were beyond his reach. The dimension was destroyed, and he had last his most valuable piece.

He took a step back as if suspended in disbelief and collapsed on his throne.

"My Lord!" Cthulusmon said at a loss of words.

Rei said nothing, emptiness filling the area around him. His army, gone. All of his careful planning, gone. The nurturing of King Ygdrassill, gone. Perhaps the only saving grace to all of this was perhaps the Dark Master's were still alive, but as far as where they were he had no idea.

He stared hollowly at the screen contemplating everything trying his best to not to think too deeply. Or perhaps he was in shock from what happened.

"Can I get you anything Lord?" Cthulusmon asked.

"My silence," he said listlessly staring at the screen, wondering just how bleak the future looked now for him. Just what hope did he really have in overthrowing the Digital Creator and Homeostasis? If it wasn't for them he would not have chosen such a path. But having become a Digital Entity himself those heavy hitting emotions he felt before seemed to slip away. Not that he had empathy or wanted to relate to others. And to think he had the tedious task of starting all over for a third time was just-

-before another thought crossed his mind static appeared on the middle left of the screen. Rei stared at it getting off his throne practically embedding himself into the screen. The static rang out, but staring at it, little by little, it started to clear up.

"Ygdrassill," he said, his voice hushed.

He could hear her breathing albeit labored which miraculously could mean that she had survived that devastating attack. Looking around she seemed to be on the ground somewhere, perhaps knocked farther than the yellow circle attack could have reached.

The screen vibrated slightly as she looked up, the golden Digimon from before standing a few feet away from her, it's eyes ready to finish her off.

"I...I didn't get to see her," Ygdrassill whimpered. "My sister. I wanted to see her so badly."

Rei had no words to say to manipulate her. She was at the end. A good word to feel better would only be wasted if she could not live up to the task he had for her. Yet it would be impossible to recreate her. Homeostasis and the Digimon Sovereign would not fall for the same trick twice so he could get their data.

The golden dragon Digimon opened it's mouth, Rei helpless to do anything to stop him from deleting Ygdrassill.

In the light of the attack, the screen started to get fuzzier, Rei realizing her demise quickened just being in striking distance of his Taikyou attack.

The attack lit up, King Ygdrassill fearful as the light filled the periphery of her vision...and did not land. An unseen force, though not really unseen manifested in front of Ygdrassill holding out it's arms and took the attack diminishing it into nothing.

"That's enough Fanglongmon," she said, the beast bowing it's head to her. She walked forward to it, both Rei and Ygdrassill noticing the outline of her backside, an illusionary hand stroking the head of the dragon. "You have done well. Take your rest," she said. The dragon lit up in a shining light separating into four orbs and spread apart into the four territories.

The illusionary image then seemed to move forward, Rei noticing her influx of particles constantly moving. She seemed to bend down, Rei taking in the outlines of a face, the first time he had seen Homeostasis so clearly.

"S...sister," King Ygdrassill said weakly coughing. "At last we meet. At last I-"

Her hand went forward and caressed the outline of her hair, the outline of a head pressing against it.

"It will be all right," she said, her form starting to go in and out of frequency. "You...you will...survive...Thaelia."

With that her light covered King Ygdrassill, her grievous wounds healing from the attack. Homeostasis then pointed to her, and, if Rei did not know any better he thought he had seen a smile cross her illusionary face. A light swirled around King Ygdrassill, her hand outstretched for her.

"No, sister!" she cried. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me again! Don't let me watch you die ever again!" she cried, tears pouring down her face, Rei at a loss for words.

With that, she disappeared, Rei's screen going black, only seeing the outline of Homeostasis before the transmission cut. Suddenly King Ygdrassill appearing right beside Rei in a mystical light, her tears still fresh on her face.

"What was that?" she asked turning to him. "That was my sister? That was Homeostasis?"

"Yes, it was," Rei said glad to have his tool back, but annoyed at her emotions.

"I'm...so…" she said, Rei anticipating a huge headache from tears and "-Hungry…." she said deeply. "I'm starving," she said staring up at him expectantly."

"Then perhaps we'll have a feast for your survival," Rei said. "Aside from my chosen you can feast on anyone you want."

"Really?"

"Of course. And, while I have you here here's a little present," he said placing his hand on her head flooding her with information.

"What is all this?" she said wonderfully. "It all looks so good."

"Since we confirmed your data is that of a collective of human conscience manifested from Homeostasis I think you'll enjoy being able to turn your snacks into more than just suckers. Now go feast to your heart's content and regain your strength."

He walked past her not saying a word.

"Are you going somewhere my Lord?" Cthulusmon asked.

"Just checking on something," Rei said, a bit unsettled of Homeostasis's appearance. Perhaps she was more human than he had thought. Sure she was a program, but like Ygdrassill and like him maybe the human consciousness, no the collectivity of the combined human consciousness outweighed the desire for an orderly program. And if that was the case, The Digital Creator gave her more free reign than Rei had first believed.

Still though, for Homeostasis to show up and spare Ygdrassill seemed impossible, and yet it happened. And why did Homeostasis show up at the end?


Rei Kurenada kept to himself as time passed. As King Ygdrassill converted hapless dark digital beings into sweets and stuffed her face, Cthulusmon regulating to her being well mannered, Rei went off taking the portal back to earth through the abandoned office. He made his way down, stopped by a café and sat down at a counter stool thinking about just how far things had progressed.

He ordered a coffee and immediately took a deep drink.

So many uncertainties hung in the air. The Dark Masters. The Tags and Crests. Homeostasis's bizarre change in behavior towards King Ygdrassill who she calls Thaelia. And-

"-We interrupt this broadcast to update you on the bizarre terrorist attack that happened yesterday," a news anchor on the television said, Rei immediately perking up his head.

"Turn that up," he said, the Shop Owner increasing the volume of the television, Rei hearing the news anchors garbled voice becoming clearer.

"The Residents of Heighton View Terrace have been interviewed about the strange attack, but strangely none of them can recall any armed men or threats of bombs, but do recall seeing fiery explosions. However, some of the children claim that these were not terrorist attacks, but two giant kaiju-like monsters attacking each other. Reports indicate from a consensus between them one of them was a giant green parrot and the other was some kind of orange tyrannosaurus with an armored horned helmet, but this has been yet to be determined and is speculation at best. No adults recall seeing such activity."

Rei listened in, reached out for his coffee, and spilled it, the contents dripping all over the floor.

"I'll get someone to clean that up," the shopkeeper said, immediately making him another one.

Rei stared incredulously at the screen, then at his coffee. The battle yesterday, the timing, Maki Himekawa telling him from Homeostasis about the focus in Isai where Homeostasis would be setting things in motion-All of it. The whole thing. This was what he couldn't shake yesterday. Despite his ardent fervor to beat them, he had been played once more for the fool. After all time flowed differently in the Digital World. Even though it had not been that long, it was long enough for Rei to miss such an important event.

He stared at his trembling hand and pressed it against his face grinning.

"Well played."

All of it was a diversion to get him focused on fighting the Digital Creator and Homeostasis. Somehow they knew he would be coming and wanted to make sure he was occupied while the 'Terrorist Incident' at Heighton View Terrance took place.

He tried to mask his anger with a smile, but he was absolutely livid. Even the coffee tasted more bitter than what it should have been.

He narrowed his eyes staring intensely at his coffee as if it would melt from him glaring at it. Even now they still outwitted him. Even now, they still plagued him. Rei Kurenada curled a smile to mask his anguish, but that quickly faded back unable to mask his utter hatred for them.

"Curse you...Digital Creator," he growled. "Curse you...Homeostasis!"