"Xros Heart, surrender the Restorers."
They heard countless stories, they've seen the effects of his actions, and they've felt the fear in everyone's voices when even uttering his name. But all of that paled when the Immortal Tyrant—the very Digimon that caused all this madness and destruction—stood before the remains of Xros Heart and demanded the new generation be handed over to him.
They thought Ancient Troiamon was an intimidating force. Yet, even though it was a lone figure standing against an army, one that had a good number of Megas in its own right, all of them instinctively knew their chance at victory was a flat 0 against the conqueror.
You want them, you walking furnace!? Ancient Troiamon aimed all his cannons, including his main one, at Ragna Lordmon. Here's a taste for messin' with my mind for all that time! Epeius Gimmick!
All cannons fired towards the knight, enough firepower to possibly wipe off a part of the island raced towards Ragna Lordmon—
SLASH!
In less than an instant, a single slash cut through all incoming missiles, causing them to explode without even reaching their intended target.
Ah? Ancient Troiamon paused as a tilted line appeared on his neck... and his head slid off and crashed to the ground.
"Ancient Troiamon!?" Coro looked worriedly at their freed friend.
"He'll be fine!" Koji screamed. "His core wasn't hit!"
"Did he just one-shot the guy we spent an army on!?" Marc yelled in disbelief. He and the other Restorers looked ahead to see Ragna Lordmon not even blinking from that show of power and instead continuing to walk towards them.
Tai stepped forward before pointing behind him. "Everyone, run! Get away from here and take the Restorers as far away as possible! Zero and I will hold him off!"
"Tai, wait! No!" Kari cried out before Gatomon and Yoshi stopped her.
"Zero!" "Warp Digivolve to... Blitzgreymon!" As soon as Zero finished, Tai picked up what looked like a colored USB and slotted it into his Digivice. "Cres Garurumon Memory! DNA DIGIVOLVE!"
A shadow of a golden Digimon overlapped with Zero, the red Digimon's eyes glowed before, in another burst of light, a new form appeared: a white knight that exuded legendary power.
"Omnimon Alter-S!" The new knight cried out as Tai's Digivice glowed and sent him on top of Omnimon Alter's left shoulder. The newcomers saw and read the information of Zero's new form. Although Omnimon sounded amazingly strong, was it enough to fight against something that could survive gods and beyond?
"Let's get him, Zero!" "Right, Tai!" Faster than even Koji's light attacks, Zero as Omnimon Alter closed the distance between him and the opposing dark grey knight. Zero swung his right arm, which ejected a golden blade from the mouth and brought it down the seemingly motionless Ragna Lordmon.
However, the opposing knight moved his left arm forward, and a red shield appeared and blocked the golden blade. While the attack was stopped, beyond Ragna Lordmon, the ground behind him was cut in two by Zero's strike. Omnimon Alter's blade, strong as it was, did not even scratch the red shield. However, Ragna Lordmon's other hand opened his palm as a golden blade realized. Zero and Tai sharpened their eyes, as they knew what was about to happen.
"Garuru Sword!" "Zwei Glänze."
The next few moments were akin to a typhoon as hundreds of sword slashes clashed against each other within one second. Golden blades swung beyond hypersonic speed and each stray slash cut chunks of the area down to atomic levels, causing some chunks to spontaneously explode as soon as they were cut.
The intense aura made the rest of Xros Heart move. Koji acted first, grabbing onto Arshan's arm. "Everyone, retreat!"
"What!?" Yuma looked back at Tai and Zero. "You're leaving them alone!? Why not reach Mega and help him!?"
Henry started to push Yuma, showing how urgent the situation was that even he had to abandon Tai and Zero. "Ragna Lordmon has Ancient Wisemon's ability to see the future! He uses it in tandem with his fighting, making it almost impossible to fight him head-on! Tai is one of the very few people in the Digital World who survived and adapted to fighting that!"
"What!? He can adapt to Future Sight!?" Stefania cried out before she too, along with GD, was being pulled away from the fight.
"Tai's battle instincts are incredible! It's why he and Zero are the 100 Percent Combination!" Yoshi cried out as she pulled a struggling Kari to Komondomon. "He'll be fine! He knows he can escape when we all do, Kari!"
"No, please! I can't lose him too!" The younger sibling cried out, but even Gatomon helped Yoshi bring the other humans on top of Komondomon.
"Everyone, flee!" Mermaidmon shouted before a Digimon helped her up on a flying Digimon. "Head to one of the island escape routes! Those that go ahead, activate the Evacuation Alarm in Shadow City! Ragna Lordmon is here!"
Ragna Lordmon glanced in the direction of the fleeing Restorers. In that instant, he let go of both sword and shield. However, instead of the items dropping, they moved in the air, still fighting off Omnimon Alter. Try as Zero might, every attack he made at the knight was parried, blocked, or swatted away by the levitating sword and shield. Ragna Lordmon faced away from Tai and Zero and pointed an open palm at Komondomon.
"Impressive as always, Tai Kamiya and Zero." Ragna Lordmon said before an orb of energy bulleted from his palm towards the Restorers. Yet, before his attack made contact, the decapitated head of Ancient Troiamon shined his eyes and expanded, creating a giant thick wall of wood that took the impact of the bubble meant to capture the runaway Digidestined. His compliment meant that he knew his attempt would fail.
Ragna Lordmon turned to Zero and Tai, who still moved frantically under pressure from Ragna Lordmon's sword and shield. "While Zero was Digivolving, you used your Digivice to send a mental message to Ancient Troiamon. His decapitated head was now a "plant" he could manipulate and expand. And you tasked him to create a wall so that he and the others could escape. I was too focused on Zero's offensive to pay attention."
"However," Even though he moved slowly, the ease with which Ragna Lordmon grabbed his arms while they were attacking Omnimon Alter was frightening, especially since he moved as if he was never still in the first place. "Despite your title, you two are not at 100%. Zero has been fighting non-stop against Ancient Troiamon and Raffliesmon. While Tai has spent the last night with little sleep attempting to ensure the least amount of casualties possible. To fight me, you cannot waste even half a percent to win."
There was a gap in the clash as Ragna Lordmon pressed forward, causing Zero to stagger before the white knight retaliated. However, those fighting could feel the cracks in Zero and Tai's offense and defense growing larger with each swing.
Tai typed in commands to His Digivice as he kept track of both blade and shield, and shouted, "We've beaten you before, and we can do it again!"
"Beaten? Yes. However, to win? You must kill me to do that, and you know not how to." Ragna Lordmon stepped forward slowly, pressing Zero's weakening defenses. The three of them knew Tai was faking his bravado.
Another timed swing made Zero dodge a deadly swipe. However, his dodge imbalanced him, giving Ragna Lordmon the opportunity to kick Omnimon Alter with enough force to crash through the theater.
"Rise, 100 Percent Combination," Ragna Lordmon strode forward, his eyes glowing with static. "I will allow you a warrior's death."
[With the escaping group.]
"We have to go back! My brother can't fight that monster alone after all the fighting!" Kari screamed. "Please, Gatomon, Digivolve!"
"We'll only get in Tai's way!" Gatomon shouted back, but even her voice looked like she was on the verge of cracking.
"There has to be something we can do!? We're just leaving him after everything we've done?!" Yuma was furious that everyone, even the "headless" Ancient Troiamon, was running away from Ragna Lordmon. "We can outnumber him!"
"You weren't there!" Koji turned to Yuma with anger, fury, and frustration. "You didn't see him slaughter a thousand Digimon—from Champions to Megas—as if they were dust! Only the strongest could fight him, and THEY! ALL! LOST!" For once, Yuma backed off, looking scared that Koji could give such an outburst. The Warrior of Light saw the fear in the younger teen's face and he looked away in shame and gripped his fist. "You are all our last hope... We can't lose you; Tai knew that."
After his outburst, the only thing everyone could hear was the stampede running away from the fierce clash beyond the giant wall of wood created by Ancient Troiamon.
However, Arshan hated it. He could feel everyone's fear, frustration, desperation, sadness, and resignation. It hurt. It wasn't fair! He was here to save this world, right? How could he not save the one person that welcomed him in this dangerous place!? Logic and facts screamed at the teen's subconscious. There was no way Tai could be saved. Ragna Lordmon was as powerful as he was immortal. What could he, a coward who couldn't even evolve his Digimon, do?
"Arshan! Please," Coro whispered as his eyes looked like they were on the verge of tears. "W-We gotta save them! I don't want to lose them!"
The teen felt his soul rip. Coro was so brave and happy, to see even him lose hope...but WHAT COULD HE DO!? HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING...
Wait...
Arshan got his Digivice out. He suddenly remembered what Henry and Karatenmon said: he was an empath who could FEEL what others could.
His mind went back to when Kari talked about Digivolution.
"Sorry, Arshan. It is all about feelings, so it's hard to teach,"
Arshan didn't know much about HIS feelings...
(Arshan watched Tai evolve Zero multiple times. There was a warmth and burst of courage the skittish teen always wanted to have.)
He didn't know much about anything!
(As he was dragged away, Arshan looked once more at Tai. That fire that drove him flared... in the same way a firework knows it must destroy itself to look beautiful. There was resignation in how Tai and Zero launched themselves at the Invincible King.)
But Arshan Dillon knew! He FELT!
(Young Arshan would always remember the bloody wall from the hungry coyote. The memory of his inaction would haunt him forever.)
There was too much loss already! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Spurred by a force he could never explain, Arshan screamed in a way that sounded like a roar. "Coro, follow me!"
His partner didn't hesitate while everyone watched in utter shock as Arshan and Coro... JUMPED OUT OF KOMONDOMON AND OFF A CLIFF!?
"I don't know how to use my emotions for Digivolution!" Arshan yelled as he and Coro started falling. "But let's see if I can use SOMEONE ELSE'S emotions!"
Arshan tapped into that feeling, the one Tai used whenever he Digivolved Zero. Courage welled up with him like never before and exploded akin to a dam breaking.
Everyone watched as Arshan... was enveloped by a pitch-black aura!?
"DNA CHARGE!" Arshan roared as he slammed down his aura at the top of his Digivice. "OVERDRIVE!" A black light shined from his Digivice before Arshan launched the converted energy at Coro.
"Coro Warp Digivolve to...!"
[Back in the fight with Ragna Lordmon.]
Try as Zero and Tai might, fatigue wore down both of them. Their attacks were slower, and Ragna Lordmon capitalized on their sloppy combat prowess.
Tai messaged Zero. Omnimon Alter barely parried Ragna Lordmon's sword, but it was a feint to allow Omnimon Alter a perfect position to aim his Grey Cannon right in the face of the Immortal Tyrant.
"Grey Cannon!" Zero yelled as a laser blasted point-blank into the face of Ragna Lordmon—no. The opposing knight tilted his head away at the last second, creating an afterimage that was swallowed by the starting point of the laser. Ragna Lordmon used a sweeping kick to knock Zero off his feet and crash into the ground.
Ragna Lordmon did not hesitate, bringing his sword down on the white knight—TheImmortalTyrant'sEyesSnappedOpenAsHeFeltASpikeOfEnergyRocketingTowardHim.
At the last second, Ragna Lordmon brought up his shield. However, even though he did so, a blow with enough power and force sent the Invincible King sliding a good distance away.
Tai and Zero opened their eyes.
"Sensei Zero!" "Tai!" Two different voices shouted before they both said the next line together. "Are you alright!?"
The 100 Percent Combination looked up. Both Zero and Tai were shocked to see a new Digimon in front of them: one that looked like it was a combination of the sun, a lion, and even a god. However, something was off: the Digimon before them was styled in black and gold.
[Back with everyone else.]
"What was that!?" Yoshi screamed in disbelief as she looked at the giant burnt hole in Ancient Troiamon's wall, signaling the direction Arshan and Coro went. "Did that kid just pull off a Mega Digivolution!?"
"That's impossible!" Gatomon screamed. "Arshan and Coro haven't reached Champion level! There's no possible way he'd be able to get Coro to Digivolve straight to Mega first! Not to mention that they haven't even been together for more than half a week! I don't care how close those two are, that kind of bond shouldn't have been reached!"
Marc thought back to what Arshan screamed. "Wait. Arshan's an empath, right? Didn't you guys say that Digivolving was all about strong feelings? And as an empath, Arshan could sense and recognize those feelings, like when you Digivolve your partners to Mega?"
Koji looked at Marc as he understood where he was coming from. "Are you telling me that idiot copied Tai's emotions in order to get Coro to Digivolve to Mega!? You can't cheat Digivolving like that! ... Right?" As soon as the words left Koji's mouth, everyone was utterly baffled at the thought that something as deeply entwined as the Digivolution process had a loophole that someone just exploited.
"Uhh, guys?" Everyone turned to Mimi. Even though she was of the same generation as Tai, her Digivice lit up a screen to show a Digimon she had not seen before. "You might wanna look at the scanner."
It wasn't just her, all the other Digivices, old and new, revealed the new Digimon they "saw".
Stefania read aloud the name.
[Back with Tai and Arshan.]
"Apollomon: Whispered Mode. Mega Level." Miles away from Stefania reading aloud the new form, Coro stood tall in his new form before he kneeled forward and offered a hand to Zero.
"Come on, Sensei! You taught me better than that!" Still in disbelief, Omnimon Alter took the black claw as the Black Sun Digimon helped him back to his feet.
Tai also was just as shocked as he saw, on the black Apollomon's right shoulder was the skittish teen that started all of this. "Arshan!?"
"H-Hey, Tai?" The brunette laughed nervously. "I... uh... We're here to rescue you!"
"R-Rescue me!? Arshan, you should have left with the others—HOW the HELL did you get Coro to reach Mega Level!? You never even reached Champion!" Tai only got more confused with each passing second.
"I told you Arshan was amazing, Senzei Zero!" Coro pumped his fists in excitement as his eyes shined like stars.
A sound made the two Megas shift into a combat stance. When they turned, they saw Ragna Lordmon moving away his shield and his eyes falling on Coro and Arshan.
"... Impossible... the future of you two... reaching Mega Level at this moment... was a fraction of a fraction!" For the first time, the Invincible King looked utterly shocked at the fact that Arshan and Coro were in front of him.
"I guess?! To be honest, I kinda cheated!" Arshan was still nervous and scared, as such, he started to gab.
"What do you mean, "cheated"!? How do you cheat at Digivolution!?" Tai turned to Arshan.
"I used your emotions! Not mine!"
"YOU WHAT!?" Tai shouted in complete disbelief mixed with anger.
Ragna Lordmon shook his head. "Regardless, I will take this Restorer with me..."
"Ignition Burst!" The idea of Ragna Lordmon taking Arshan spurred Coro forward. The back of his heels and the back of his hands ignited in a burst of black flame, propelling him forward at high speeds like rockets. Coro punched forward, making Ragna Lordmon raise his shield.
"Shielding Dome!" An energy forcefield covered Ragna Lordmon. Coro's fist slammed into the dome, but the impact dispersed into the forcefield before quickly returning to the point of the strike. Coro's instincts made him use Ignition Burst once more to speed out of the way as the force of his own attack was sent back.
Arshan saw something interesting as he spotted the forcefield. What he felt...he could feel Coro noticing it as well. The power of a Mega was amazing! It was like Arshan and Coro was almost of one mind. Regardless if that was true or not, it didn't stop the teen from shouting what both were feeling, "Get him, Coro!"
"Eclipse Strike!" The Black Sun Digimon punched the ground, and an instant later, the ground beneath Ragna Lordmon erupted as a blast of black sunlight bypassed his forcefield and struck the knight's chin.
The forcefield shattered and Coro launched himself at Ragna Lordmon again. However, even when imbalanced, Ragna Lordmon let go of his blade, which flew right at the black Mega.
"Did you forget about us!?" Zero came in and used his Garuru Sword to parry the opposing golden blade.
"Arshan, Coro! Be careful! His weapons can move independently from him!" Tai shouted. However, Tai felt something... off... was it him, or was Ragna Lordmon... hesitating... when fighting Coro and Arshan?
The sword flew back to Ragna Lordmon's hand before his eyes shined in static. "Enough of this. Fall."
[Back with the others.]
With Arshan and Coro acting recklessly, the Chosen hurried back towards the battlefield while everyone else continued their escape/evacuation. As they got closer, they could see stray attacks of black flames, sword slashes, and cannon fire flying all over and completely terraforming the musical graveyard. Streaks of black and white clashed against gray and static, crossing great distances within a short amount of time.
"Holy crap! The newbie pulled off a Mega Evolution for his first time after all!" Terriermon shouted with his ears propped up.
"Even if he somehow did that, 2 megas aren't going to change the flow of the fight! If anything, we just gave Ragna Lordmon a Restorer!" Koji shouted as his palm activated several rings of Data. "Execute! Beast Spirit Evolution!" The Warrior of Light jumped out of Komondomon as data transformed his body into an armored Wolf of Light. "Kendogarurumon!"
The Restorers saw a brief flash of data as Koji transformed once more. However, the Beast Spirit of Light suddenly gasped when he looked ahead.
"What!?" Kari asked as she looked at Koji.
With Koji's sharpened senses, he could see the fighting even from their distance. "T-They're... winning?"
[With Coro and Zero.]
Zero and Coro rushed forward to meet with Ragna Lordmon. Coro punched forward, sending a beam of concentrated solar energy at Ragna Lordmon, who used his shield to block the blow. Wanting payback, Zero sped forward and swept-kicked Ragna Lordmon's leg while he was running, making his body fall. However, the knight with a fire cape moved with the fall, his blade ready to slash Zero and Tai—until Coro rushed in first, both fists holding two compressed orbs of black solar energy. The sword changed angles and went down on Coro and Arshan instea—no. Ragna Lordmon stopped his attack, which allowed Coro to unleash two palms of condensed black fire into the chest of Ragna Lordmon, sending him crashing through a good chunk of the battlefield.
Tai's eyes widened as he also saw that. "Wait a second! That's why he's sloppy!"
[With the others.]
"Ragna Lordmon needs the Restorers alive! He's not even trying to harm Coro and Arshan!" Koji yelled as he saw Ragna Lordmon hesitate in attacking the two.
"Then we can get them out of there!" Karatenmon shouted. "As long as Arshan and Coro keep up their Digivolution, we can go back and rescue Tai!"
Kari stood up. "Then let's hurry up and—" "WAIT!"
Everyone turned to Yoshi, who had this look of realization. "I was so engrossed that I only now noticed: but did that kid do a DNA Charge!?"
"The newest Generation has Digivices from the older generations," Henry answered her. "Arshan has a 5th generation one like Stefania over here."
Yoshi only looked more alarmed. "What type was his!?"
Kari suddenly remembered Arshan showing his device to Tai. "W-Wait! His isn't the Burst one! It's the Data Link!"
"Oh no!" Yoshi cried out. "We need to get Arshan, now!"
"Huh?!" Stefania took out hers, which Yoshi saw it was a Burst. "I thought we were the same!"
The red-haired young lady explained. "You don't understand! Data Links are supposed to be the WEAKER versions of the 5th Generation Digivice. They're supposed to evolve into Burst once reaching Mega level! His Digivice can't handle the Mega Level! It will break soon, and more than likely, leave him and Coro sitting ducks against Ragna Lordmon!"
Everyone panicked.
"WHAT!?" Then, they all turned to Koji, who looked at the fighting ahead. Without warning, he used his power to speed forward, obviously racing to get to Arshan and Tai.
Kari turned to Gatomon. "Digivolve, now! That wasn't a good reaction!"
[In the battle.]
Tai had to admit, even with Ragna Lordmon purposely holding back, Coro's battle instincts were impressive. This was the first time he and Zero were working together, but the newbie was pulling his weight in the fight, possibly being their win condition despite Ragna Lordmon's ability to see the future.
Tai turned to Arshan, wanting to tell him of a plan he was concocting. But froze when he spotted the newbie.
"Arshan!?" Tai yelled.
"Huh?" The younger teen turned to Tai in confusion. When he did so, he noticed Zero turning and looking equally alarmed right at him. Why?
Wait. Arshan felt his eyes were wet. Was he still crying? However, as his hands reached his eyes, he noticed the liquid wasn't clear, but fresh red.
"Why are you bleeding through your eyes?!" Tai screamed in alarm as he saw blood flowing out of Arshan's right eye.
"So that's how it works," The four turned to Ragna Lordmon as he healed from the wounds that Zero and Coro inflicted on him. "It appears you were reckless... Arshan... even if it was positive emotions, you cheated in Digivolving. To compensate, your Digivice must have made... your partner... Dark Digivolve. However, it seems instead of your Digivice breaking from the stress, it goes straight to your body. The longer the False Mega State, the weaker you become."
As soon as he said this, Arshan felt a spike of pain in his bleeding eye that forced him to close it. However, he winced as he did so, making Coro notice it too. "Arshan!?"
"Orb Net!" While everyone's attention was on Arshan, Ragna Lordmon closed the distance and threw his shield at Coro, creating an energy barrier to trap the two. "And that's one Restorer."
"NO!" Zero and Tai yelled as they rushed to clash with Ragna Lordmon again.
Coro gathered energy— but stopped when he heard Arshan coughing.
"Arshan!" Coro looked at his partner. "You have to change me back!"
"N-Not yet...!" Arshan leaned himself on Coro's neck as he looked back up. His eyes and mouth started to bleed. "Coro, trust me...I have an idea..."
Ragna Lordmon continued to battle against Zero. But with Coro and Arshan contained, there was no longer a reason for the Immortal Tyrant to hold back. Even with only his sword, Ragna Lordmon's skill with it was immaculate. Each strike led to a better position, turned his stance to a solid form, and kept Omnimon Alter from relaxing.
"Solar Laser!" Ragna Lordmon stepped back to avoid a beam of light from blowing his head off. He glanced for a second to see Koji, as KendoGarurumon, landing on top of the dome that housed Coro and Arshan.
"If you weren't dying, I'd beat you to near death for doing something that incredibly...!?" Koji didn't have enough time to chide the two as he sensed Ragna Lordmon turn his gaze at him. If he was not one of the fastest of the Beast Spirits, he may not have been able to dodge that slash that aimed to split him in twain.
Ragna Lordmon spotted more Megas heading his way. He jumped into the air, flying as he did. He motioned his free arm upward, making the orb holding Coro and Arshan fly up to him.
"Zero! We can't let him get Arshan and Coro!" "On it!" Omnimon Alter chased after Ragna Lordmon, starting their fight in the sky. Koji followed after them using KendoGarurumon's jets and blade wings. He landed back on the dome, specifically the shield.
"Tch!" Koji cursed under his breath. The only time Ragna Lordmon's shield ever "broke" was under the heaviest of attacks from the likes of Shoutmon's Ultimate Fusion and Susanoomon. There was no way The Warrior of Light was even denting it as he was. Luckily for Koji, a barrage of missiles, divine light, and petals raced passed him and the two captives and aimed for Ragna Lordmon. Without his shield, the Invincible King swiped his blade, creating a sword beam that clashed with the incoming attacks.
Ofanimon, 2 Rosemon, Megagargomon, and Karatenmon carrying DarkSuperstarmon reached Arshan and Coro's orb as Tai and Zero resumed fighting against Ragna Lordmon. Karatenmon knew he couldn't read Ragna Lordmon's mind to find a way past the container, not without exposing himself to a billion or possibly more alternate pasts and futures and blowing his mind trying to process even a fraction of that information.
"We gotta get him out of there!" Megagargomon screamed.
"I remember this stupid shield! It's more unbreakable than Craniamon's shield! And unlike his, in the times it does break, it fixes itself!" Yoshi cried out while being carried by her Rosemon.
"Then we push the orb back!" Ofanimon shouted. "The shield won't break, but the forcefield should weaken the further away it is from Ragna Lordmon!"
"Right! Everyone, push!" Koji used his rockets as everyone started to use their powers to push away Coro and Arshan's orb.
Ragna Lordmon saw this and unleashed a fearsome scream. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HIM FROM ME!"
However, Tai and Zero went on the offensive, tackling the opposing knight further away. "You're the one not taking them!"
"I can feel it weakening!" MegaGargomon ignited his boosters as he felt the barrier starting to weaken.
"Arshan! Drop the Digivolution!" Yoshi cried out to the teen inside. "You can't keep the mega form for too long!" However, even though she said this, Arshan and Coro didn't seem to react. In fact, what was Coro doing? He looked like he was palming his hands together and crushing something.
Ragna Lordmon unleashed a powerful pulse that forced Zero and Tai away. He let go of his golden blade as it flew to fight off to battle against the opposing white knight. When Tai and Zero struggled, the Invincible King turned his gaze to his shield and raised his palm. The orb stopped moving and began to turn in the opposite direction the 4 megas, Karatenmon, and Koji were pushing.
"Crap! He's pulling us in!" "Push harder!"
"Guys!" Those trying to free the two were surprised they heard Arshan shout, more so when he said the next words. "Let go!"
"Are you insane!?" Yoshi's Rosemon screamed aloud.
Arshan raised his head, making everyone gasp as they saw both his eyes bleeding. He looked weaker by the second, but even so, the light in those weakened eyes was fierce and defiant—a far cry from what many knew of Arshan.
"Trust me! I have an idea!" Arshan cried out.
"Are you asking us to just let you get caught by Ragna Lordmon!?" Ofanimon shouted.
Karatenmon looked at the teen. "Arshan, are you even sure it will work!?"
"I dunno! I'm really just making it up as I go along!" The words made the humans and their partners shout and scold Arshan. But Karatenmon quickly used his powers to read the teen's mind. He was unsure, but he could feel a rush of emotions and ideas swirling through the teen's mind. For someone who claimed to have no idea, Arshan saw things everyone else missed about Ragna Lordmon! Not only that, the Ultimate's eyes widened as he looked back down as to why Coro was silent: he was concentrating.
Karatenmon felt the pull of the orb get stronger as he looked to see Ragna Lordmon heading towards them with Zero and Tai still fighting and failing to stop his blade. "Everyone, trust him! Let go!" Karatenmon flew out, much to the shock of the other Megas. However, feeling the pull getting stronger, they had no choice but to fly away.
Arshan gulped as his orb bulleted towards Ragna Lordmon. "I hope I didn't just kill us!"
"I trust you, Arshan! You can do it!" Coro screamed as he kept his eyes lasered on the incoming knight.
Just as the orb was about to reach Ragna Lordmon, Arshan pulled out his Digivice and pointed it toward the Invincible King... then activated the Restoration Program.
During the fight with Ancient Troiamon, Arshan felt this alien presence whenever he saw the energy of static. When the Restoration Program purified that corruption, it removed the core of that energy. So, as Coro fought Ragna Lordmon in close range, Arshan noticed the even heavier and more oppressive "static" energy exuding from the Invincible King. Putting that all together, a thought occurred to him in the same way he had a realization about his Digivice: if his Digivice could purify that energy from Ancient Troiamon, what would it do to Ragna Lordmon?
"Ha!" The golden light shined on Ragna Lordmon's forcefield, causing a hole to rip through with a small beam of light. The opposing knight's reflexes were fast; as the melting of the shield gave it a moment to dodge the purifying beam.
But, that wasn't all Arshan planned. "Now, Coro!"
"Rising Sun of All Sorrows!" Coro... stood and threw in a pitcher's stance!? The black Mega threw something small out of the hole Arshan created right at Ragna Lordmon—only for the Invincible King to realize that it was a super condensed sun—
Everyone, even those still left behind with Komondomon, looked away when a giant sun laser unleashed itself point-blank at Ragna Lordmon. The force of the attack sent the Immortal Tyrant flying, making the shield and the sword instinctively fly after their master.
"Hey... it worked..." Arshan smiled as his gut feeling worked, but felt his eyelids close as he fell forward. The energy of Coro's Mega form shut off, instantly turning Coro back into a rookie. However, this meant the two were now falling to their demise. Or at least, they would have, had Zero not flown in and caught the two.
"Everyone, let's go! That attack won't hold him off for long!" Tai screamed before he and Zero rushed forward, all the other Megas following after him.
...
"You sense he's already making his way back here, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"They could probably escape. Or not. That rustbucket is basically Super Ultimate Level even without that immortality."
"The Digital World needs them. More than they need a random Ultimate." Karatenmon turned away from the escaping Megas. "But I am surprised. You also wish to stay? I can drop you from here and you'll survive to escape most likely."
"Nah." Dark Superstarmon gathered every ounce of his energy. "If I'm going down, it's gonna be fighting the Eternal Conqueror himself!"
A shine in the distance made the two black Ultimates see Ragna Lordmon already coming back from Coro's attack.
"Let's get him!" "For once, we are in agreement!" Karatenmon flew with all his power at the incoming king.
Ragna Lordmon squinted his eyes as he saw the two Ultimates. Visions came to him and then his eyes widened. At that instant, Karatenmon threw Dark Superstarmon at the Mega with every ounce of his strength as the Star Digimon held energy in his hands.
"Dark Hole!" The star Ultimate unleashed all his power to create a black hole right as Ragna Lordmon flew at him.
The attack made the older Chosen turn back. "Wait! Is that Dark Superstarmon!? Ah! Sensei Karatenmon!?" Ofanimon shouted.
"No!" Tai yelled, making everyone turn to him. "... Keep going! We need to get Arshan and the others out!"
"What!?" Coro shouted.
"Don't you dare try a rescue again!" Tai and Zero yelled at the Rookie, who winced as he held an unconscious and injured Arshan. "Everyone, move! Pick up Komondomon!"
Even as they all sped away, Koji looked back to the sky. With his senses, he could see Karatenmon... smiling back at them as he bowed in gratitude towards them... before turning around and taking out both his blades.
Koji gritted his teeth but continued to run. A lone tear shined as it fell from Kendo Garurumon.
Several slashes broke through even a black hole, revealing Ragna Lordmon unscathed. However, the same could not be said of Dark Superstarmon's body as it was torn to shreds...
Ragna Lordmon looked up. Only to see a flare of purple form into two giant, blazing wings. "DNA Charge?"
Karatenmon screamed as he put his entire life essence into charging at Ragna Lordmon. The Invincible King slashed downward, but somehow, he misjudged the timing as he swung too fast, allowing Karatenmon to tackle and grab the Knight's waist and geyser up into the sky... higher and higher... reaching the Digital World's Exosphere.
Ragna Lordmon regained his senses and powered through the embrace. But it was too late, Karatenmon had expended his life force to bring the Immortal Tyrant away from the Chosen ones. Karatenmon could only smile as he saw Ragna Lordmon raise his blade...
Huh?
That was odd. Are Karatenmon's failing eyes tricking him?
Why was Ragna Lordmon crying—
A giant slash filled the sky.
...
All alone, in the darkness of space... no one saw the Eternal Conquerer, the ruler and destroyer of the Digital World, Ragna Lordmon... let go of his weapons, cup his face... and weep.
[Two days later.]
Arshan groaned as he regained consciousness. Unfortunately for him, his brain was working properly, which told him his body was not. And the teen learned this by how his entire body ached.
"So, apparently pushing myself when I was bleeding through my own eyes WASN'T a good idea. Who knew?" The brunette forced himself up. He supposed he was lucky he could still see... where was he?
"Ahh! You're awake!" He looked to his right in time for Coro to hug Arshan and begin crying. "I knew you'd wake up!"
"C-Coro!?" As he tried to calm down his partner, Arshan spotted that he was in a wooden room, sleeping on... a mushroom? It was soft and comfy, but why a mushroom?
"You're awake!" Arshan looked up to see a piece of the wooden wall open up to reveal Kari. She turned out and shouted, "Guys! He's awake!"
I'll get 'em. I'll get 'em.
Arshan blinked as he heard that voice around them. "Wait. Ancient Troiamon?!"
Morning sleeping beauty! Hey, Kari. Instead of bringing all over to yous, I'll bring you four to them. They're all gathered at the top deck.
Arshan blinked as his mind processed those last words. "Wait. Deck? As in, ship deecccckKKKKK!?"
The floor beneath Arshan lifted with speed he wasn't expecting. When he finally stopped, he looked up to see... dark clouds and snow? Climbing off the mushroom, Arshan looked out to see dark waters surrounding them. He saw things he wasn't expecting: such as coral reefs in the sky, upside-down waterfalls, and rivers that looked like they flowed and twisted up and down to the clouds above. But Arshan then realized that at the bow of the "ship" he was on was Ancient Troiamon's head. The more he looked, the more he saw a large population of Digimon moving around, carrying supplies and other goods all around. He could even spot Loaderleomon and Scorpionmon managing some of the groups.
"Arshan! You're awake! I'm so glad you woke up! We were so worried about how we found you bleeding! But then we were also molto colpito that you reached mega! Especially with how everyone..." Stefania yelled over and ran up to the teen excitedly and hugged him. Said hug was just as strong as when they first met, which almost choked out the teen, and was doing so again since he was still recovering.
"Stefania, you uh, you should let go of the guy," Marc walked forward with everyone else. "We don't want him to get unconscious again."
"Ah! Scusa!" The young woman let go, and Arshan began to breathe again.
"It's fine," Arshan gasped before he stood up. "W-What happened?"
Tai sighed, knowing there was a lot to catch Arshan up on. "Well..."
Arshan frowned as he heard what had happened after he fainted. He heard about Karatenmon and Dark Superstarmon's sacrifice to save them. Then, he found out that when everyone left, Nanami escaped Dorulumon's notice, meaning she could be out there somewhere. But there was some good news. Shadow City was able to evacuate on Ancient Troiamon. However, Wizardmon and some remainder of Xros Heart decided to stay behind on Tab Island to protect the last Primary Village. Tai and the others told Arshan not to worry as he created a camouflage spell that even Megas had trouble detecting.
However, hearing about the loss of Karatenmon, a kind and patient Digimon who welcomed him and others without question, saddened Arshan. "I'm sorry. I wanted to help, but people still died anyway because of me."
"We all make mistakes, Arshan," Tai walked forward and patted his shoulder. "You were reckless, but... Zero and I might not be here if it weren't for you."
"Arshan," Kari said in an appreciative voice that came deep from her core. "Thank you for saving my brother."
"But Karatenmon and Dark Superstarmon?" Arshan asked.
"They chose to stay behind. They knew what they were doing, just as Tai thought the same. You can't blame yourself for something they chose with a clear mind." Yuma stepped forward. Arshan was half-surprised Yuma said this. However, many agreed with the formal teen.
"If you didn't go and help fight Ragna Lordmon, Shadow City might not have evacuated in time," Mimi said. "You did everything you could to help people you barely knew. That's a mark of a great Digidestined!"
"Not to mention," Henry spoke up. "You were the first to reveal that Ragna Lordmon needs the Restorers ALIVE with how he hesitated to fight you and Coro. Not only that, the Restoration Program your generation has can affect Ragna Lordmon. It broke through his forcefield and made him dodge its light. He wouldn't have done that if it didn't affect him. For once, we found a weakness in him!"
Arshan couldn't believe hearing all of those things. A tug on his pants made him look down on Coro. "See! You are amazing, Arshan! You sent Ragna Lordmon packing!"
"I will say though," Tai narrowed his eyes. "Save the reckless things to me. There are far too many guys stealing my schtick every generation, and I didn't expect it from you!"
"W-Well, I-I just didn't want..."
"Arshan," Tai's tone became serious. "I mean it. Or at least, DO NOT cheat to Mega level again. I told Yoshi what Ragna Lordmon said. Your Digivice transfers the stress of Mega to you. Until we can find a way to properly upgrade or get you to NATURALLY reach the Mega level, you will not use other's emotions to make Coro reach Mega."
"I don't wanna hurt you, Arshan," Coro looked up at his partner.
Arshan sighed. "Right. I-I uh. Don't wanna wake up sore again..." He rubbed the back of his head. "So, where are we going now?"
Tai nodded. "That's the reason why I gathered all the Chosen here. With you up, it's the perfect timing."
He took a moment for everyone to look at him. Even some of the Digimon passing by stopped to look over.
Tai spoke again. "We decided to split you four up."
"What!?" "Excuse me?" "Why!?" "HUH!?" Yuma, Arshan, Marc, and Stefania shouted at the same time.
Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know we just drilled you to work as a team, but Ragna Lordmon himself hunting you has changed our plans dramatically. As all of you know, he has Ancient Wisemon's power. That means he can see many possible futures. The only way we can keep all of you safe is by making more possible futures for him to choose from. If we all traveled as one, Ragna Lordmon could intercept us with an even greater force than just himself. Splitting up is the best way that in the worst case scenario, he can only get one Restorer."
"We won't get to travel with each other anymore?" Coro looked to Bibi, GD, and Funbeemon. The others looked equally sad they couldn't be with each other, even the two who always clashed.
"If things work well, you'll all see each other again. But your safety comes first." Koji spoke up.
"More importantly, there are 4 places we need to go too," Henry stepped forward. "Originally, we were all going to visit these places one by one. But with Ragna Lordmon after us, we're splitting up and bringing one of you to each location. The first area is the northern part of the Digital World. Our friend, Izzy, is hard at work researching about potential weaknesses of Ragna Lordmon's immortality. Getting one of you to him, so he can get a better understanding of how your power is related to his immortality is critical."
"The east of the Digital World is another critical area we wanted to bring you to," Yoshi stepped forward. "He's another Digivice Expert, but in a more practical manner: Spencer Damon, Marcus Damon's father. He's mastered DNA charge and human emotions connected to the Digivice. If we can get one of you to him, he'll be able to help you reach the higher levels of Digivolution."
Kari spoke next. "For the West, it's a different purpose, but it's still as critical. Before Xros Heart had its final battle against Ragna Lordmon, Taiki tasked three other DigiDestined to go in search of a Digimon that can "bypass" immortality. Digimon have a plethora of abilities ranging from simple to extreme, so he sent this team to find a Digimon that—instead of beating Ragna Lordmon in a fight or trying to kill him—could incapacitate him in a different way. He set them up as his own failsafe in case Xros Heart lost, and we haven't heard from them since. That group, along with the Restorer going with them, will have to help hunt them down and see what they've learned in finding a Digimon that could help."
Tai spoke next. However, his tone was serious. "I hesitated to bring others to the south for this one. But Ragna Lordmon forced us to reconsider. This is the one path that I—for sure—had to go along with. It requires me to head into an area of the Digital World where an old enemy of mine is. Ragna Lordmon crippled his power and is always limiting his military might. But the reason why I needed to visit him was that he's the only one with the spy network still capable of rivaling Ragna Lordmon's control. If there are other Restorers, he'll know where they are. And we are going to need the rest of your generation to save the Digital World and protect them from Ragna Lordmon."
Yuma was the first to speak. "How will we decide who goes where?"
"The same way we made the teams: with this," Tai took out his Digivice and activated a screen. His Digivice showed a hologram of a 4-sided dice.
"Wait. Is that a dice? You leave it to chance?!" Marc and the others were surprised that all this careful planning was left to a roll of a dice.
Koji answered him calmly. "It's ironically the best way to stop Ragna Lordmon from his future sight. Think of it this way: you have four paths ahead of you, and you choose one. Ragna Lordmon will see you choosing that path and get you. Now, replay that. You have four paths before you, instead of choosing, you let the dice pick which path you need to go. Now, Ragna Lordmon has four different visions of you picking four paths. But he can only be there in one of them, giving you a 1 in 4 chance of getting caught by him instead of a 100 percent chance."
Stefania nodded as she started to understand why everyone used dice. "That means since there's 4 of us, there are more futures for Ragna Lordmon to witness and be unsure about."
"Don't forget us! We had to roll the dice too!" Mimi said. "If Ragna Lordmon is searching for answers on how to find us, the only way to stop him is to overload him with more answers than he expects!"
Arshan had a thought as he asked, "Wait, but aren't our endpoints all the same? Can't Ragna Lordmon forsee us at the end of our paths?"
"Lucky us, we're also using dice to choose the routes we're taking," Koji answered. "Even if the area is the endpoint, we have multiple ways on how we're getting there. And that's not even including the nature of the Digital World, which is better explained on the road."
Tai pressed something in his Digivice. "Alright, you four, point your Digivice to mine. Since you technically have Digvices that are lower than the 6th Generation, that means I can send this Dice app to all of you. For now, I'll also set up a special 4-sided dice so all of you can roll a number different from one another."
The 7th generation shared their Digivice with Tai's. Soon, they saw their devices show a hologram of a dice.
"1 is north, 2 is west, 3, is east, and 4 is south," Tai took back his Digivice. "Press any of your buttons to roll and we'll see who goes where."
The Restorers all looked at each other and nodded. With that, they let chance choose their futures...
[Elsewhere]
In an unknown location, beings nearing a dozen came together.
A commanding voice began, making everyone turn to him. "So, I'll get straight to the point with this meeting: we've all heard the rumors. Some of the scouts have confirmed it as well: Ragna Lordmon is hunting down the 7th generation. He even came into contact with the last of Xros Heart. And if their records are to be believed, one of them has done the impossible: reach the Mega Level within less than a week and exposed a potential weakness in Ragna Lordmon with the dormant power of their Digivices."
"Hmmm," A second voice, belonging to someone calm, mused aloud. "As amazing as that sounds, it brings up an odd question. If the 7th generation was capable of affecting Ragna Lordmon, why has the Digital World not sent them first against him instead of us?"
A scoff made everyone turn to the 3rd voice. "You think the Digital World still works around logic? If anything, it's about time they finally got people who can stop the Tyrant's immortality."
"Don't be too hasty," An emotionless 4th voice turned to the 3rd voice. "According to the reports, Ragna Lordmon dodged the effects of the 7th Generation. We do not know what effect their powers have on him—if they can."
"Haste. No Haste," A younger 5th voice, one that spoke in a broken language, slammed his hand on the table. "Matter not! If Tyrant dodge, he not want to get hit!"
"He's not wrong," The 1st voice said. "But on to another matter that caught my interest. If Xros Heart, led by Tai Kamiya of all people, were able to beat back Ragna Lordmon, purify a Titan, and expose a weakness in Ragna Lordmon, that means we can do so much more."
The 2nd voice turned to the first. "You don't believe Tai Kamiya to be a good leader?"
"He's an excellent warrior; I won't deny him that. However, he's mediocre as a general. If anything, he'd be better joining me after Xros Heart fell. That reminds me, our scouts spotted Koji Minamoto with them. I may be jumping ahead, but if any of you meet him in the future, offer him to join us again, especially with our next operation. Having one of the last of the 4th generation will be a great boon for us."
The 3rd voice folded their arms. "I suppose that means we're also going after Titans then?"
"Not just them. I have suspicions about where Tai will send his Restorers. If I'm right, which I have a hunch that I am, it's also the direction some of the other Titans have been moving towards. I want you all to convince their Restorers to join us and abandon Xros Heart, especially the one that reached Mega Level so quickly. Their talents are wasted on a failed army." The 1st voice smiled.
"Does that imply?" The 4th voice asked.
"Yes, if Xros Heart was able to do so much with a fraction of its former glory, then Blue Flare will show Ragna Lordmon that he will rue the day he dismissed us! Gather and prepare OUR 7th Generation!"
[Blue Flare Base.]
The hiss of metal spiked in tandem with the hammering of 100-ton compressors. Metal gears turned without stopping as molten liquid spilled into special forges. Machine Digimon, along with a collective assortment, worked tirelessly on weapons and other materials.
In one corner of this military factory, four humans and their Digimon partners spoke of recent rumors.
"Can you believe what everyone's saying? Someone in our Generation already reached Mega and fought Ragna Lordmon." The first one to speak was a 17-year-old man with lightly tanned skin, black curly hair, and purple eyes. His clothes were fairly normal, consisting of a grey jacket with a plain black shirt, beige pants, and black and red sneakers. But it didn't stop him from kicking his feet up on a box and leaning on a wall to keep himself comfortable. "Yeesh, I kinda wanna meet this guy."
"I admit," Near him, a small rookie wearing a kendo uniform and holding a wooden sword walked near the young man. "He too piques my interest, Kentaro. I may seek to test myself against his partner if he could already match the Eternal Conqeror's prowess." The rookie, known as a Kotemon, addressed his partner, Kentaro Akiyama.
"I don't know if we should meet that one. After what everyone said about Mega level, it feels wrong to hear it be reached so suddenly," She was tall, reaching just above 6 feet tall despite only being 16 years old. But her height was the only thing that stood out about her as the rest of her appearance was plain. She had long, straight blonde hair that reached her torso. Black eyes in a rounded face. She wore a small jean jacket over an orange shirt while styling it with a white skirt that reached her ankles. Her footwear consisted of open-toe sandals and she also fashioned an orange headband. Her name was Nicole Davids, but many, including her partner, Mikemon, called her Nikky.
"I'm actually with Kotemon on this one, Nikky," Mikemon, or the calico cat-like Digimon looked nearly identical to a Gatomon, sans the holy ring Gatomon wore and the style of their fur. They also shared a similarity in being a Champion-Level Digimon despite looking like a rookie. But it didn't stop Nikky from holding the cat Digimon in her arms close to her chest. "If one of our own can already throw down with the ruler of this world, I wanna see how he stacks up!"
"Cleo..." Nikky sweatdropped as her Digimon punched the air excitedly.
"Uhhh," The groan made everyone turn to a younger female, 12 years old, and looking around nervously. She was white-skinned, brown-eyed, and had long brown hair in a ponytail. Like the previous two humans, she also wore common clothes blue jeans, a white shirt, and a red jacket. "How did someone from our Generation face the Indestructible Warmonger already!? D-Does that mean we have to do the same too!? No! I can't do it!" The poor girl's name was Isabella Fletcher. She started to panic at the thought of even confronting someone as fearsome as Ragna Lordmon.
"Relax, even our seniors aren't crazy enough to send us against that monster right now," Isabella's partner was an Impmon, a purple-ish rookie Digimon known for their mischievous nature. "Really gotta figure out how to fix that glitch in your system..."
"I-It's not a glitch, Impmon!" Isabella said through sniffed tears.
"Well, Impmon might be wrong. I don't think they're going to send us against Ragna Lordmon. But after hearing what even one of us could do, Blue Flare is more than likely gonna put us out on the field," The last of the humans to speak was a 15-year-old male with blue hair and hair bangs grown enough to cover his right eye. His left eye was at least violet and he had light brown skin. He wore a navy blue hoodie with no sleeves that fashioned had a mouth cover. His pants were long and fairly stylish while he wore a shirt with a skull wolf design on it while he kept wireless blue earbuds in his ears. His shoes were black and high-top converse. With his face mask down, he looked fairly handsome. His name was Rikku Tokunaga.
"Hahahaha!" A hearty laugh came near Rikku in the form of a Bulucomon, a cold-themed reptilian rookie. "Then that is good, koreshey! We will finally stretch our legs and see what the Digital World can offer us!" Rikku's partner spoke in a thick Russian accent.
"I suppose, Blue." Rikku was still unsure about his Digimon calling him that, but he appreciated his partner's enthusiasm.
As soon as the new 7th Generation Restorers finished their conversation, they all received a call to head into the command room.
[In another place...]
Armies of powerful Digimon swarmed to bow as Ragna Lordmon graced their presence. Many did so out of fear, out of adulation, or simply because some were designed to as they were nothing but husks of power to be wielded by the current ruler of the Digital World. But Ragna Lordmon paid them no mind as he climbed into his giant tower, reaching a room with nothing but screens.
He motioned his hand, making the screens show pictures of beings both Digimon and Human.
"Paladins! Your Lord calls." He declared.
"Speak, our Lord," All those on the screen bowed even though they were miles away.
"I attempted to take the Restorers found by Xros Heart. However, they reached an outcome I was not prepared for. Therefore, I send you, my Paladins to hunt them down and capture them. Be warned, the last strongest of Xros Heart will protect them. And among those you must capture... is the Restorer known as Arshan Dillon. He has found a loophole in the Digivolution process and has reached the Mega Level within less than a week. You must capture him ALIVE, for his aptitude is the strongest for what I have planned."
"Yes, my lord!" All the beings behind the screens declared at the same time.
Ragna Lordmon's eyes flared in static. "The hunt begins."
[Author's note]
Special chapter number 5! We finally see the Big Bad Ragna Lordmon in action, make some discoveries, lose some dear friends, and see more of this Digital World.
I'm so glad I can finally introduce some new characters!
Kotemon and Kentaro Akiyama are from another familiar friend in Ventus Knight 2!
Isabella Fletcher and Impmon are from Signofffan!
Rikku Tokunaga and Blue, the Bulucomon, are from another familiar friend of mine in zetsunaflames!
Last but certainly not least, are the pair of Nicole "Nicky" Davids and her Mikemon, Cleo! They're made by Litini!
That's another 4 OCs introduced but I'm not quite done yet! We're slowly going to meet the other OCs as the Xros Heart group splits up to the far corners of the Digital World! I have a lot of ideas and I genuinely hope I can pull them off in a fun manner!
One of them is technically splitting the story into segments. I have a lot of ideas about all these teams and their paths. What better way than to give it a go!
Thank all of you for your patience. And I think I'm starting to slow down on my initial energy when making this fic, so updates may finally be slower. (And other responsibilities.)
But regardless, thank you all for reading. Please support the story with reviews!