(Author's Notes: Here's the climactic Chapter 24. Read, review, enjoy!)
Chapter 24: Dance of the Machine God
Chaosdramon continued to fire indiscriminately into his opponents. He launched two beams through the sky, obliterating a Gigadramon, an AeroVeedramon, and a Birdramon to data. The cyborg dragon then fired a missile from his right hand. The missile flew into the sky and exploded against a Waspmon who had been shooting him.
SaviorHackmon watched from a distance as he ran across the southern side of the battlefield towards the captured hill. He watched with angry, gold eyes as Chaosdramon devastated the coalition soldiers. He could vaguely make out the silhouettes of Omegamon, Dukemon, Dynasmon, Craniamon, and Gankoomon contending with him and his allies and bodyguards. He knew that Chaosdramon was immensely powerful. It wouldn't be easy to take him down.
It was hard for SaviorHackmon to watch. As Chaosdramon released brutal attacks that swallowed entire Digimon, SaviorHackmon was forced to avert his eyes. He tried to suppress his feelings of helplessness. His friends and comrades were fighting for their lives against a brutal dictator who was annihilating anything in his path. All he was doing was delivering messages between the various forces of the battlefield. In order to become a Royal Knight, he felt as though he had to help fight in the war.
However, the bipedal dragon man forced himself to focus. He had an important job to do. His current job was vital as well, and he couldn't afford to be selfish. Despite telling himself this, SaviorHackmon still felt conflicted. He hated not being able to help his friends.
But SaviorHackmon pressed on. He was ordered by Leftenant Holsmon to deliver a message from Duftmon to Ouryumon. He knew that communication and adaptation was key on the battlefield.
It wouldn't be that easy, though. As SaviorHackmon dashed across the southern part of the battlefield, he could see the battle raging on some distance ahead of him. The D-Brigade flank at the base of the hill was still loyal to Chaosdramon. They were currently fighting both Ouryumon's Aerial Strike Forces, who were trying to push down from the hill, and UlforceVeedramon and the Scouts, who were flying ahead of SaviorHackmon. They were firing attacks at the D-Brigade in a hit-and-run fashion, using their speed and aerial manoeuvrability to avoid the attacks launched at them.
SaviorHackmon could briefly see Imperialdramon Dragon Mode's large body in the sky. He watched as Peri fired a laser from the cannon on his back towards a black MetalGreymon. The blue dinosaur dodged the vortex of positrons, and promptly fired two missiles from his chest back at SaviorHackmon. Peri flapped his wings strongly and dodged the missiles, which soared past him and exploded into the air some distance away.
SaviorHackmon winced and continued running, his bladed feet dashing across the grass. He hoped that his friend would be alright.
As he neared the combat area, he prepared the crimson blades on his wrist and tail, just in case. He double-checked the buff around his arm, which helped to identify him as a friendly combatant. All of the coalition troops had some sort of identifier in order to avoid friendly fire.
He ran beneath the scouts, who were flying overhead. SaviorHackmon's heart raced, and adrenaline flowed through his body. A stray missile landed nearby and exploded. He was thrown off balance slightly but he quickly caught himself and continued running. His metal body was strong enough to withstand the blast. However, it brought home the fact that he was in the middle of a battle. His senses became extra alert and he focused solely on his immediate goal.
SaviorHackmon dashed over the field towards the hill ahead of him. He could see Ouryumon flying over the hillside, launching energy blasts from his swords into the D-Brigade Digimon below. SaviorHackmon made it to the base of the hill and began to dash up the hillside.
"Captain!" an AeroVeedramon called out to Ouryumon. "If some of the D-Brigade is on our side, how do we know who to attack?!"
"Simple! Attack the ones who're attacking you!" Ouryumon called back.
SaviorHackmon ran up the hillside. It was at this point that he began to be targeted by the D-Brigade. A shell impacted the face of the hill and an explosion erupted dangerously close to him. As SaviorHackmon grunted and carried on running, a Tankmon took aim at him and began unleashing a string of bullets from his arms. "Machinegun Arm!" he yelled, his voice drowned out by the rapid muzzle fire.
The dragon man sneered as the bullets began striking the ground around him, kicking up dirt and ricocheting off his metal body. Acting quickly, he jumped into the air and turned his head towards the Tankmon. "Meteor Flame!" he countered, unleashing a string of rapid-fire bursts of flames back at the Tankmon. The blasts impacted the ground in front of the Tankmon before hitting the Digimon himself, blasting him off of his treads.
"Captain Ouryumon-sama!" SaviorHackmon called out, jumping into the air and flying up towards the gold dragon in question.
Ouryumon launched a sickle-shaped blast of energy through a CannonBeemon, which resulted in a massive explosion. As the captain of the Strike Forces flew back to avoid the blast, he saw SaviorHackmon approaching. "SaviorHackmon?" he asked.
SaviorHackmon winced at the sight and heat of the explosion, but he flew up to Ouryumon and saluted. "Sir," he spoke. "I have a message from Duftmon-shishou."
"Yeah? What does the kitty want?" Ouryumon asked, wiping some sweat from his forehead.
"Sir Duftmon-shishou wants the Aerial Strike Forces to meet up with the scouts and launch a joint attack on this flank," SaviorHackmon explained. "He wants you to break the flank in order to help support the attack in the center. UlforceVeedramon and the scouts are on the way to meet up with you."
Ouryumon looked past SaviorHackmon, spotting UlforceVeedramon and the scouts fighting their way over to them. "Yeah, I can see that. Got it," the Strike Forces captain responded. "Anything else?"
SaviorHackmon frowned. "Is… there anything I can do to help, Sir?" he asked, wanting to be of use somehow.
"Nah. We've got enough medical teams moving the wounded already. Go back to Duftmon and see if he has any more jobs for you," Ouryumon told him.
"Sir…" SaviorHackmon complied, although he couldn't help but feel uneasy about just leaving. Nevertheless, he saluted and obeyed.
As the dragon man turned around, he saw Sleipmon and Examon at the top of the hill, firing precise ranged attacks into the ranks of the enemy D-Brigade, disabling and wounding the aggressive Digimon. They seemed so determined and confident – something that SaviorHackmon didn't feel that he was at the moment. He wondered if that's what was separating him from the Royal Knights.
He began speeding away, heading back towards the rear of the battlefield where Duftmon and the bombardment troops were.
SaviorHackmon skimmed through the sky, his crimson cape rippling behind him. He focused on flying back towards Duftmon, but uncertainty began to cloud his thoughts. He couldn't help but look around the crowded battlefield for Peri.
Around him, he saw destruction; pandemonium. Beams and missiles and attacks soared through the air and slammed into Digimon. Swords impacted armour, bullets perforated wings, and claws dragged against flesh. The battle was chaotic. The field was ripped asunder by explosions, and beams and missiles streaked overhead. It was all so intense. SaviorHackmon had been in fights before, but never in something of this scale. It was overwhelming.
SaviorHackmon tried to focus. His heart beat rapidly and his body was trembling with adrenaline. If he wanted to be a Royal Knight, he needed to get used to this. The din of battle… the constant danger to himself and others… the chaos around him… the killing…
A chill crept down his form. Despite this, he frowned and clenched his fists, trying to steel his soul. "Am I too weak for this?" he asked himself, grimacing. "…Is my spirit too weak? Am I lacking in power? In ability?"
A bomb landed nearby and exploded. The deafening explosion and the resulting shockwave pulled SaviorHackmon out of his thoughts. He dug his bladed feet into the grass and skidded along the ground, stretching his arms and tail out in order to keep himself standing. He winced and spun around. "Damn it, SaviorHackmon! Focus, you idiot! You'll get killed if you start feeling sorry for yourself in the middle of a battle! Then you'll never become a Royal Knight!"
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, SaviorHackmon was able to see into the embattled sky again. He watched as the Aerial Strike Forces and the Scouts linked up and began raining attacks down on the D-Brigade. UlforceVeedramon was visible leading the attack, cutting down a Mugendramon as he passed before spinning around and unleashing a beam from his chest into the enemy.
SaviorHackmon watched with bated breath as the D-Brigade returned fire, launching lasers and ordnance into the sky. The attacks swept through the tumultuous airspace. The Order forces did their best to maintain an orderly formation, but they were forced to evade when beams and missiles came barrelling towards them.
It was in that moment that SaviorHackmon saw Imperialdramon Dragon Mode. He watched as Peri pitched his body forward and angled the giant cannon on his back. "Positron Cannon!" Peri's deep voice echoed as he launched a beam from the dorsal cannon. The spiralling beam strafed the ground before enveloping a LoaderLiomon.
Imperialdramon flew upwards and then observed the damage that he had caused. He panted heavily and remained fixated on the spot that he had fired at, staring at the smoking crater where the enemy LoaderLiomon had been. He gritted his jagged teeth, becoming distracted by his thoughts. Peri didn't notice that a MetalGarurumon X-Antibody had sent a series of missiles streaking through the air towards him.
As the sound of whistling grew louder, Peri turned his head at the last second to see the salvo of missiles descending on him. "Crap!" he snarled with panic, trying to flap his wings to escape. The missiles were too close. The slammed into his armoured side and exploded.
SaviorHackmon's gold eyes widened as the explosion enveloped Imperialdramon and knocked him out of the sky. He watched, stunned, as his friend plummeted out of the icy explosion and fell to the ground with a crash.
"…IMPERIALDRAMON!"
No later than the yell left his lips did SaviorHackmon act. He began dashing across the field towards Peri. In that moment, he completely forgot about his intentions to return to Duftmon. He was focused solely on getting to his friend.
SaviorHackmon sprinted across the field, ignoring the explosions erupting around him. He growled and veered to the side to avoid a beam that tore across the ground where he had been running. Undeterred, SaviorHackmon ran towards the large, wounded dragon Digimon that lay on the ground.
A D-Brigade Crossmon flapped his wings and began speeding towards Imperialdramon, attempting to take advantage of the scout's injuries. The metal gryphon skimmed across the ground, planning to ram the dragon with his metal beak and talons.
Seeing this, SaviorHackmon growled and lunged high into the air. He extended his leg and aimed his bladed foot as he descended towards the Crossmon. "Rage Streit!" he shouted, unleashing a dive kick that connected with the Crossmon's collar, hard enough to send the eagle skidding across the ground. The Crossmon shook his head and flapped his wings, instead, deciding to fly back and consolidate the loyalist's lines.
SaviorHackmon landed and began running again. He finally made it over to Peri, who was lying on his side, wincing and groaning with pain. SaviorHackmon came to a skidding stop beside Imperialdramon. He rushed over to his side and kneeled down, looking at large dragon with wide, worried eyes. "Peri! Peri! Are you alright?!" he asked, panicked.
Imperialdramon's face was tight with pain. He looked up at SaviorHackmon. "SaviorHackmon…?" he asked, his hoarse voice indicating pain. "Urgh… I'm fine… It's just my wing…"
SaviorHackmon looked at Peri's large, red wing. He could see several small holes in the wing from which blood trickled out of. Much of the leathery fabric was also numb and frozen with the ice from the MetalGarurumon X-Antibody's missiles. "You can't fly like this…" SaviorHackmon spoke, releasing a relieved breath that he had been holding. He was glad that the damage wasn't worse. "We need to get you back to the rear."
"N-No, I can still fight," Peri insisted. "I can't let everyone down."
"You won't be," a calm voice spoke.
Both Peri and SaviorHackmon turned their heads to see Zero ARMS: Grani floating nearby. "C-Captain Grani, sir!" Imperialdramon spoke. He tried to salute with his forearm, but pain wracked his form." Rrgh…"
"Go with SaviorHackmon, Imperialdramon. That is an order," Grani stated. "You are no good to us if you cannot fly. You can best help us by getting to the rear lines where you can get patched up. Alright?"
Imperialdramon winced but nodded. "Yes, Sir," he replied.
Grani nodded. With no time to waste, the Recon Captain shot off to meet up with the rest of the scouts.
"Come on," SaviorHackmon spoke, lifting Peri to his feet with a grown of strained effort. "Can you walk?"
"Should be able to…" Imperialdramon murmured, standing on uneasy footing.
SaviorHackmon helped keep Peri steady and aided him as they began walking east to the rear of their lines. As he walked, he looked around the battlefield in order to make sure that they weren't attacked from behind. He couldn't help but observe the carnage around him.
As his gold eyes gazed across the battlefield, he began to take in the violence and brutality of battle. He looked into the distance and watched Chaosdramon stab his claws through a GrappLeomon that tried to attack him. The cyborg dragon then fired two beams from his shoulder cannons that obliterated three Digimon in an instant.
SaviorHackmon grimaced and looked away, but he soon found himself watching as a Cyberdramon tore his claws through a Megadramon. Explosions erupted across the battlefield, sometimes indiscriminately. Fire and positrons and lasers tore up the plain, sending dirt flying into the air. Digimon lay wounded on the ground, clutching their injuries. Every so often, SaviorHackmon could see a Digimon's body disintegrate into data.
SaviorHackmon turned forwards bitterly and shut his eyes, deciding that he had seen enough. He quietly helped Imperialdramon walk towards the rear of the battlefield.
"…Is this really alright, Peri?" SaviorHackmon asked him.
Imperialdramon turned his head slightly and glanced at his friend. "Huh…? Is what alright…?" he inquired despite his pain.
SaviorHackmon looked down as he walked. "…War…" he responded. He glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the chaos behind him. He winced at what he saw. Fire, blood, and parting data. "So many Digimon are dying right now… Do we really have to kill each other?"
Peri grimaced and glanced off to the side. "…It's war, SaviorHackmon…" he explained guiltily.
"Does that make it alright?" SaviorHackmon countered, glaring at the ground with every step. "Can we really justify all this death and destruction by just saying it's war…?"
"What else can we do?" Peri asked him in response. "Let the Metal Empire take over Saversburg and turn all of these Digimon into their subjects?"
SaviorHackmon winced and shook his head. "I… I know you're right about that, but…" He tightly clenched the fist that wasn't holding onto Imperialdramon. "It's just…" He paused and shut his eyes. "I… never thought about what a battle would really be like… I thought it would be good combat experience. Whenever I pictured a battle in my mind, I always thought it would just be the Royal Knights coming in to save the day. They would swoop in and defeat the bad guys… but… I guess it's not that simple…"
SaviorHackmon opened his eyes and looked down sadly. "I never thought it would be like this…" he admitted bitterly. "I was naïve, I guess… War is a lot more brutal than I ever expected…"
Imperialdramon looked at SaviorHackmon carefully. "The Royal Knights have to do stuff like this… It isn't always clean or glorious…" he explained, his voice heavy. "Knowing this… do you still want to be a Royal Knight?"
SaviorHackmon sighed and didn't respond immediately. "…GrandisKuwagamon told me that my heart is too big… Am I too weak to become a Royal Knight? Is my spirit too soft? Do I not have the determination…?" he wondered aloud.
Peri smiled at his friend. "…If anybody has the determination to do the right thing, it's you…" he assured him. "Besides, I'm sure most of the Royal Knights have the same ideals that you do. They want to protect Digimon and prevent them from getting hurt, just like you do. Sometimes, standing up for those beliefs means doing things like this."
"I know…" SaviorHackmon said with a sigh. "I do still want to be a Royal Knight…" The dragon man looked up at the sky wistfully. "I just… wish there was another way. …I hate this…" He closed his eyes and just listened to the sound of the battle. The explosions, the yells, and the cacophony could still be heard, even if he closed his eyes to it.
"…I hate war."
Imperialdramon gazed at SaviorHackmon, hearing the pain and sincerity in his words. He sighed and nodded. "…So do I."
"How can all of this suffering be a good thing?" SaviorHackmon asked, more to himself than to Peri. "I need to do something to stop it…"
"To stop it…?" Imperialdramon asked him sceptically. "What can you do? Don't be reckless, SaviorHackmon…"
"I won't," SaviorHackmon assured him. Despite his words, a frown of determination formed on his face. "I just need to do something to help… I can't let all of these Digimon suffer… I'll find a way to help…"
Peri frowned reluctantly as they began to reach the rear lines of the battlefield. The sizeable dragon watched as physicians quickly made their way over to them. "…Be careful, SaviorHackmon."
SaviorHackmon gently released Imperialdramon and smiled at him. "I will, Peri…" he insisted.
The dragon man turned around and faced the battlefield. His crimson cape fluttered in the breeze. SaviorHackmon took a deep breath to help calm himself.
"I… I have to do something to stop this… If I can just help a little… If I can somehow make a difference for the better…"
SaviorHackmon hardened his eyes and took off in a sprint. He dashed towards the fray, fully intent on making good on those words.
"I have to help…"
"Hyper Mugen Cannon!"
Chaosdramon unleashed blasts of energy from his shoulder cannons towards the rebelling D-Brigade soldiers.
Seeing this, Craniamon lunged in front of the two beams and raised his shield in order to protect them. "God Bless!" he spoke forcefully. The Avalon shield pulsed with energy and released a thick, transparent barrier in front of himself, right as the beams descended on him and the Digimon behind him. The blasts slammed into the barrier and deflected off, ripping deep into the ground in front of the Royal Knight.
When the energy faded, Craniamon dropped the shield and glanced over his shoulder at the D-Brigade Digimon that he just saved. "Never thought I'd be doing that…" he muttered to himself. Craniamon quickly turned and looked over at Leftenant Grade of the Ground Strike Forces, who was pushing forward alongside the allied D-Brigade. "Grademon! Move over to the north and attack there! Help cover Alphamon and the others as they approach!"
"Yes, Sir!" Grademon complied. He looked over his shoulder and pointed his sword. "This way, everyone!" he announced. Leading the charge, he dashed across the ground, straight towards a MetalTyrannomon who was unleashing beam blasts from his palms.
Craniamon looked forward, trying to spot the rest of the Royal Knights. He saw Gankoomon slugging a Darkdramon bodyguard in the face and subsequently dodging a counter-stab from his lance. Dynasmon was busy fighting a ZekeGreymon, dodging the beams that the giant, gold digizoid clad dinosaur fired at him. He responded by unleashing blasts from his hands towards the ZekeGreymon, but had trouble getting through the Digimon's armour.
Meanwhile, he saw Dukemon and Omegamon both fighting with Chaosdramon. Dukemon tried to lunge forward and stab Chaosdramon in the stomach with his Gram lance, but Chaosdramon lashed out with the vice-like claws of his right hand. Dukemon brought up the Aegis to block the blow and was sent flying back. As that happened, Omegamon unleashed beam blasts from his Garuru Cannon while performing a sideways aerial flip. After the first barrage flew towards Chaosdramon, he hovered in the air upside down and then pumped another volley out of the cannon.
The blasts flew towards Chaosdramon and pummeled his thick, metal body. Explosions erupted against the colossus' side, and smoke wafted around his form. Omegamon narrowed his eyes and grunted. He seemed only barely damaged from the attacks.
"Dukemon! Cover me!" Omegamon called out.
"Got it!" Dukemon responded, raising his lance towards Chaosdramon. "Royal Saber!"
Power gathered at the tip of the Gram before a ray of holy energy poured out and burned into Chaosdramon's side, prompting the emperor to turn towards Dukemon.
Omegamon used the opportunity to speed forwards and close in on Chaosdramon. He swerved in front of Chaosdramon's face and coiled his left arm back. He then thrust forwards, aiming to stab his Grey Sword right into the end of Chaosdramon's snout. As soon as the tip of the blade struck the red digizoid, it stopped cold and slid along the face of the metal, unable to pierce through the sturdy alloy. Omegamon sneered and recoiled, instead aiming his Garuru Cannon. He unleashed two, point-blank blasts from his cannon into Chaosdramon's mouth, which tore a garbled roar of anger and pain from the reptilian cyborg Digimon.
Chaosdramon reached up and grabbed Omegamon's arm with his claws. With a powerful heave, Chaosdramon threw Omegamon towards Dukemon, sending the white knight crashing into him.
Dukemon grunted as they fell to the ground. The crimson knight quickly helped Omegamon stand back up. "Are you okay?" he asked Omegamon.
"I'll be fine, thanks," Omegamon responded. "But…" The white Royal Knight frowned. Even his most concentrated attacks were having trouble getting through Chaosdramon's red digizoid armour. Against such a durable metal, even chrome digizoid weapons were at a disadvantage.
Craniamon began to run over to help, but a HiAndromon stepped in his way and began to activate the turbines on his shoulders. The Royal Knight watched as the HiAndromon prepared to fire a beam at him. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" he asked, flipping the Claiohm Solais in his hand and taking a battle stance. "Fine."
Craniamon looked into the sky. "Fujinmon! Help Omegamon and Dukemon!" he told the Hurricane Commander.
Fujinmon nodded. "Right!" he responded. He turned in the air and looked at his own D-Brigade soldiers. "Formations A and B, direct your focus south and deteriorate that flank! Formation C, lay down a suppressive barrage but check your fire!"
When Fujinmon was finished issuing orders, the Hurricane Commander turned and started soaring down towards Chaosdramon. "Emperor…!"
Chaosdramon swept his arm out and bashed Fujinmon back, right as Fujinmon plunged his Critical Arms into his claws. The metal became superheated, but Chaosdramon ignored it and fired a missile towards Fujinmon. The Hurricane Commander agilely flew to the side and unleashed a super-compressed blast of wind into the missile detonating it.
"Your Majesty!" ZekeGreymon shouted as he got pushed backwards along the ground by Dynasmon. "What are… your orders!?"
"Exterminate everybody!" Chaosdramon shouted in response, firing two beam blasts into Formation C of Fujinmon's D-Brigade.
"B-But Emperor, Raijinmon and Alphamon's northern flank is closing in on us!" ZekeGreymon protested, grunting as he fired a linear plasma shot from his cannon towards Dynasmon. "We won't be able to hold them off like this!"
"I said to exterminate everybody!" Chaosdramon yelled, his logical mind becoming increasingly mindless as the battle deteriorated and he began using more and more of the Dark Area's power. "Level the entire battlefield! Fire all ordnance until there's nothing left! Destroy the traitors and our enemies all at the same time!"
"S-Sir!" ZekeGreymon shouted obediently despite his uncertainty. "Plasma Railgun!"
Chaosdramon snarled mechanically and angled his smoking cannons forwards. "All opposition will be exterminated…" The cracks around him swelled as dark vapour aggregated into his metal backpack. The dark energy swirled inside his cannons as they prepared to fire once again.
Suijinmon ran along the grassy plain as the battle raged on. He moved as fast as his large, crimson body could carry him. He tried to get to the battlefield as quickly as possible. The Waterfall Commander just hoped that he wasn't too late.
Once he had crossed the Champion River that separated the Mamemon Kingdom from Saversburg's territory, it wasn't hard to find the battle. All he had to do was follow the flashes of light in the sky, the smoke, and the sounds of explosions in the distance.
Suijinmon grunted as he ran towards a large hill. It was all that was left that stood between him and the battlefield. He knew the battle was going on at the other side, judging from the volume of the combat and the rumble of explosions in the ground beneath him.
He finally reached the base of the hill and began slogging up the incline. He carried the weight of his heavy, metal body with purpose and resolve. The hill prevented him from seeing what was happening on the battlefield, so he needed to get to the hill's crest in order to take stock of the situation. As Suijinmon approached the hilltop, he began to feel a sense of unease and worry inside of him. He hoped that Fujinmon and Raijinmon were alright.
The Waterfall Commander reached the top of the hill and panted. As he caught his breath, he used the opportunity to look across the battlefield. He was stunned at what he saw.
The formations were not what they should have been at all. The majority of the D-Brigade were not facing off against the allied coalition of the Royal Knights, Saversburg, and the Republic of Node. Instead, they were standing side by side with them against Chaosdramon and the rest of the D-Brigade. These tactical formations were not what they should be. Suijinmon knew that there was no way that their formations could go into such disarray without a good reason. It didn't take him long to understand what was going on. There was only one logical explanation.
It was as he feared. Fujinmon must have switched sides during the battle, along with his troops. Suijinmon grimaced and dug his metal fingers into the grass of the hill. He looked around the battlefield swiftly, trying to take stock of the whole situation.
To the south, he saw the D-Brigade's southern flank surrounded on each side by the Order's army and Formations A and B of the D-Brigade respectively. To the north, he could see Raijinmon's flank attacking the D-Brigade's rear lines along with Alphamon, Magnamon, RhodoKnightmon, the Order's Defence Forces, and the Republic of Node's military. In the center, he could see his direct subordinate, Darkdramon, leading Suijinmon's troops in an attack on Chaosdramon.
There was no longer any doubt in his mind: a civil war within the D-Brigade was taking place. Suijinmon shut his eyes. The dirt and grass within the palms of his Accel Arms was crushed into data. He cursed himself for not getting here sooner. A feeling of dread, loss, and helplessness washed over him. He had been unable to stop Fujinmon and Raijinmon from turning on Chaosdramon. Now, he was caught in the middle. Did he have to choose a side? Did he have to choose between his friends and his Emperor? Could he just sit on the sidelines and watch as they destroyed each other? His own, loyal soldiers were attacking the Emperor. Suijinmon didn't know what to do, and it manifested in frustration.
Suijinmon opened his furious, red eyes and stared down from the hill at Chaosdramon. He saw that the emperor was fighting hard against the Royal Knights and the D-Brigade. He noticed that he saw surrounded by deep, swelling, black fissures.
Before he could think about it further, Suijinmon saw Fujinmon soaring through the air, circling around Chaosdramon from behind. Fujinmon unleashed two blasts of wind that sailed down and slammed into Chaosdramon's red-digizoid covered back. Seeing Fujinmon, the Digimon who had caused this, caused Suijinmon's bubbling anger, sorrow, and frustration to amplify. The green Hurricane Commander became the object of Suijinmon's woes.
"FUJINMOOOOOON!" Suijinmon bellowed, grabbing a large clump of grass and soil from the hill. He swung his Accel Arm forward and hurled the giant mound of dirt towards him.
Hearing the bellow and sensing a presence behind him, Fujinmon swung around to see the cluster of earth flying towards him. He swept his Critical Arm out and cut through the mass. It spared him the impact but sprayed dirt across his body. Fujinmon summoned a small gust of wind to blow the dirt off of him. The Hurricane Commander flew forwards to see who had attacked him. He was stunned to see Suijinmon on top of the hill, glaring at him deeply.
"S-Suijinmon…" Fujinmon whispered.
At first, he was stunned to see him. But soon, a sense of dread washed over him. Suijinmon could ruin everything if he wanted. He could tell his troops that Fujinmon had been lying about Chaosdramon arresting him. He could turn them against him. In the worst case scenario, he might have to fight against Suijinmon. However, the situation was still salvageable. He just needed to earn back Suijinmon's trust and show him what is going on.
Fujinmon swooped downwards, withdrawing the beam blades of his Critical Arms as a show of good faith. He landed on the crest of the hill and turned towards Suijinmon. "Suijinmon… You escaped…" he remarked.
Suijinmon sneered and lashed out with his Accel Arm. He grabbed hold of Fujinmon's collar and upper body, and lifted him off of the ground. "Yes, I did," Suijinmon told him bitterly, glaring at Fujinmon at eye level.
Fujinmon winced at the tight grab, but didn't resist. "I'm sorry about that, but it was for the best," he insisted, his legs dangling in the air as Suijinmon held him up.
"You fool! Can you really say that this is for the best?!" Suijinmon demanded, looking out across the battlefield. He turned his Accel Arm and made Fujinmon look out at the chaos and carnage, showing him the battlefield as the D-Brigade fought each other. "I warned you not to do this… but no… you know best, don't you? Fujinmon always knows best…"
Fujinmon took in a breath and looked at Suijinmon calmly. "Yes, this was my plan… but we didn't make the first move…" Fujinmon explained. He extended one of his metal arms out and pointed down at Chaosdramon. "You see those black fissures down there? A single soldier was apparently corrupted by the data coming from it. He turned around and attacked Chaosdramon, and that was all that it took for Chaosdramon to start decimating Raijinmon's flank. He turned on us in an instant. You see? That was how this all started."
Suijinmon looked at Fujinmon sceptically. "What?" he asked him firmly. "What do you take me for…? How many times have you lied for your ambitions? How many times have you lied to your friends? I trusted you, Fujinmon…"
Fujinmon sighed. He realised that it would be hard to make Suijinmon trust him again, even if what he was saying was technically true. "I'm telling the truth… I admit that I fueled the fires in order to make the soldiers more pliable to turning on Chaosdramon… but even if I didn't, Chaosdramon would still be obliterating them." Fujinmon pointed at Chaosdramon as he prepared to fire another pair of beams from his shoulders. "Look, Suijinmon. Look at what he's doing to his own D-Brigade! Those are your soldiers there!"
Suijinmon turned to look at Chaosdramon and the soldiers facing him. He definitely recognised his soldiers. He could identify each one. Every single one. They were launching attacks at Chaosdramon from both the ground and the air.
"Hyper Mugen Cannon," Chaosdramon spoke. Two beams tore from his shoulder cannons and swept across Suijinmon's soldiers, enveloping the ground and leaving nothing in their wake.
Suijinmon's eyes widened when he saw a dozen of his soldiers be deleted in an instant. He dropped Fujinmon to the ground in utter shock. The Waterfall Commander slowly turned on the hill, facing Chaosdramon fully. His limbs tensed up and he dug his metal claws deep into the ground, gripping hard enough to cause the earth to tremble.
He continued to watch Chaosdramon fighting against his troops. Suijinmon was stunned when he saw Chaosdramon fire a missile into the ranks of his Formation C. His crimson eyes narrowed tightly with emotion as he watched an explosion tear through a Tankdramon and a Z'dGarurumon.
Suijinmon's junior officer, a MetalGarurumon X-Antibody, sneered and unleashed a barrage of missiles from his body towards Chaosdramon. "Concentrate your fire, everyone! This is for Commander Suijinmon!" he shouted "Grace Cross Freezer!"
The missiles, blasts, and lasers pounded against Chaosdramon's metal body, sending explosions ripping against his thick, red digizoid armour. Smoke wafted around his giant body, and the metal began to bend under the immense pressure.
Chaosdramon growled and aimed his cannons through the cloud of smoke. "Perish, you traitors."
Suijinmon watched as two beams pierced through the smoke and engulfed his junior officer. MetalGarurumon X-Antibody's chrome digizoid armour melted under Chaosdramon's power, and he was reduced to data. The resulting explosion swallowed up both D-Brigade and coalition soldiers.
Fujinmon winced at the sight and turned to Suijinmon. Although Suijinmon looked calm, his body was tense and the fingers of his Accel Arms trembled as they dug into the earth. He could tell that rage and sorrow were brimming just below the surface.
"…Suijinmon… Your soldiers are fighting for you…" Fujinmon explained sadly. "Chaosdramon said that he wanted you arrested for treason, so your soldiers stood up for you. And now look what Chaosdramon is doing. Look at the lengths that your soldiers are going to for you. They are even fighting alongside our enemy. The loyalty they hold to you transcends even the deeply ingrained sense of loyalty that they have to the emperor."
Suijinmon bowed his head and his thoughts began to fuse with his emotions.
"Nobody…" he murmured.
Suijinmon looked up with a furious look in his blood red eyes. The Waterfall Commander glared daggers at Chaosdramon. It was a look that he never would have dared make before.
"NOBODY DOES THAT TO MY SOLDIERS!" he roared.
Suijinmon began tearing down the face of the hill. He ran like a charging rhinoceros, his heavy footsteps digging into the soil of the hill as he made his way to the bottom. Once he reached the bottom of the mound, he skidded to a stop and began to adjust the trajectory of his four cannons. The four Mugen Cannons mounted on Suijinmon's shoulders aimed directly at Chaosdramon.
"CHAOSDRAMON!" Suijinmon's deep voice bellowed across the battlefield. "STOP IT IMMEDIATELY!"
Darkdramon stopped in the air and was stunned to see Suijinmon on the battlefield. "Commander!"
Omegamon and Dukemon looked over at the new arrival. "It's Suijinmon," Omegamon observed.
Dukemon frowned. "Is he with us too?" he wondered
Chaosdramon heard the booming voice behind him. He backhanded Darkdramon away and turned his saurian head to look over his shoulder. Upon seeing Suijinmon there, pointing his cannons at him, the emperor's eyes narrowed. "Suijinmon… So, the traitor finally shows his face…"
"I have never betrayed you, Your Majesty…" Suijinmon responded, glaring at him with a furious gaze. "Not once…"
"No, you are too much of a coward, so you ordered your subordinates to do it for you," Chaosdramon responded with a derisive sneer.
After a moment, Suijinmon growled. "…Those are my loyal subordinates that you are killing, Emperor…" he warned him. "If you do not surrender now…"
"Silence, you mindless follower! Fujinmon put an idea in your head and you don't have enough of a backbone to decline an order," Chaosdramon interrupted bitingly. "All who oppose me shall be eliminated from existence. You and your soldiers included."
Suijinmon balled the hands of his Accel Arms into fists. He took a deep, calming breath before straightening his body with resolve. "…Soldiers! Chaosdramon is an enemy of the Metal Empire! Help me defeat him!" Suijinmon called out to his soldiers.
"Yes, Commander!" Darkdramon called out, beginning a chorus from Suijinmon's loyal soldiers.
Fujinmon released the bated breath that he had been holding. He smiled with relief and soared down the hill. "With all of the Storm Commanders and the majority of the D-Brigade against you, what legitimacy do you have?" Fujinmon asked Chaosdramon.
"My strength is my legitimacy!" Chaosdramon snarled, turning around to try to face them.
Suijinmon angled his Mugen Cannons at Chaosdramon. "Your strength is hollow, Your Majesty," he told him. "Mugen Cannon!"
Four beams ripped from Suijinmon's cannons towards Chaosdramon. The cyborg dinosaur turned around and raised his arms in front of himself. The thick, pillars of energy slammed into his body and tore against his thick defences, exacerbating the cracks in the metal. Chaosdramon growled and dug his metal feet into the ground in order to stop himself from being pushed back.
Craniamon stabbed his Claiohm Solais through the torso of the HiAndromon that he was duelling. He then spun around and threw the skewered android into the beams. He grunted and watched as Chaosdramon withstood the attack. "How is he still living after that?" he asked himself as the beam began to fade.
Chaosdramon's body smoked from the beam blasts. He was damaged, but still in one piece. The emperor raised his claws towards Suijinmon. "Destroyed Hook!"
Fujinmon sneered. "Suijinmon, get to your soldiers. You're no good over there. And watch out for those dark rifts," he advised him, flying through the sky and forming gusts of wind around his Critical Arms. "Marut Cyclone!"
A blade of wind cut through the missile as the bomb flew towards Suijinmon. The missile exploded over the ground and tore up the earth above a rift, further widening the fissure. "Affirmative," Suijinmon responded, running in a semi-circle around Chaosdramon in order to bypass the dark rifts that scattered the grass behind him.
Chaosdramon grunted and turned forwards. His throughput ran at maximum speeds in order keep track of all of his surroundings. Due to the high amount of enemies attacking him, he needed to be constantly thinking and reacting. When Dukemon jumped up and tried to stab Chaosdramon from behind, he lashed his tail out and slammed it into Dukemon's gut.
Dukemon choked out a grunt and slid across the grass. As he skidded, he jerked back into a backwards somersault to get himself back on his feet. "Ngh! …Damn… All that bulk isn't just for show," Dukemon muttered. He looked into the air for assistance. "Dynasmon! We could use your muscle over here!
Dynasmon grunted and swerved through the air. A beam, fired from the ZekeGreymon that he was facing, streaked by him, nearly singing his wing. "I'm a little busy, Dukemon!" he shouted, flapping his wings and swooping down when the ZekeGreymon started spewing flames at him.
"Leave it to me!" Gankoomon shouted passionately, dashing forwards and levelling a punch to Chaosdramon's snout hard enough to send him recoiling a pace. Gankoomon then landed on the ground and clenched his fists. "Jishin! Kaminari! Kaji! Oyaji!" he shouted, summoning Hinukamui around his body.
Hinukamui roared and swept out from Gankoomon's form. He levelled a punch towards Chaosdramon, who caught the aura fist in his claw. Hinukamui then lashed out with his other arm, swiping his claws across Chaosdramon's face. Chaosdramon growled and fired a missile from his right claws, causing it to detonate within Hinukamui's body. The detonation extinguished the energy dragon enough to make him return back to Gankoomon's body.
Meanwhile, the nearby ZekeGreymon aimed his cannon arm at Dynasmon. "Plasma Railgun!" he spoke, launching a linear beam from his cannon towards the wyvern knight.
Dynasmon twisted his body in the air as the beam cut through the air towards him. The bright, golden beam grazed his shoulder armour. The chrome digizoid was strong enough to resist the beam, but a stray strand of the plasma burned across his bicep, cutting into his pale, violet scales.
The Royal Knight hissed with pain and adrenaline surged through his body. His red eyes narrowed with primal combat instinct and his body began to be surrounded by a bright, blue aura.
"Breath of Wyvern!" Dynasmon roared as Wyvern surged out of his body. The giant, aura drake roared as it tore towards the ZekeGreymon.
The giant, golden dinosaur tried firing blast after blast from his cannon towards the raging beast, but the shots just shot through his body. Wyvern descended upon the ZekeGreymon and crushed him under his immense, draconic pressure.
"Emperor!" the ZekeGreymon shouted as his gold digizoid armour fractured under the overwhelming force and he was reduced to a massive cloud of data.
As the blue explosion erupted in front of him, Dynasmon's muscles slackened and he panted heavily. A single Breath of Wyvern attack required a cooldown time in which Dynasmon needed to recover his energy. That attack was a particularly powerful one, as he poured an excessive amount of energy into that attack, so he was momentarily drained. This left him vulnerable.
He turned his head and his eyes widened. Chaosdramon took advantage of the opportunity to attack him. The giant dinosaur reached out with his right hand and grabbed Dynasmon within his crushing claws. Dynasmon winced and resisted against Chaosdramon, trying to break free from his grip. However, despite having the strongest physical strength of the Royal Knights, Dynasmon was lacking the energy required to free himself.
Chaosdramon squeezed tightly and held Dynasmon up into the air. "You are the first of a dozen Royal Knights that I will kill today," Chaosdramon said to him, beginning to turn his shoulder cannons towards Dynasmon.
"Dynasmon!" Dukemon yelled. He rushed forwards and stabbed the Gram lance into the thick scales of Chaosdramon's upper leg.
"Marut Cyclone!" Fujinmon called out, unleashing concentrated blasts of wind into the arm holding Dynasmon.
"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon also shouted, swiftly launching blasts from his cannon into Chaosdramon's side.
Chaosdramon appeared to be unaffected, or at least unperturbed, by these attacks. Rather than being unharmed, dark energy flooded through his body, numbing his pain. He was monomaniacally focused on destruction. He lowered his head and levelled a deep glare at Dynasmon with his red eyes. Even as blood dripped out of his mouth, he aimed his cannons at the Royal Knight in his grasp and prepared to fire.
Dynasmon's eyes widened as he stared down the barrels of Chaosdramon's double Hyper Mugen Cannons, watching as the dark energy swirled within the thick metal. He struggled desperately to push himself out of Chaosdramon's tight claws. He managed to open Chaosdramon's grip by several inches, but it wasn't enough for him to escape. He sneered and shut his eyes as the cannons prepared to fire at him, leaving him no opportunity to escape. "Dukemon… help!"
"Hahah! I'm here to save the day!" a deep voice bellowed excitedly. "Omega Burst!"
Dynasmon opened his eyes with confusion, recognizing the familiar, accented voice.
Suddenly, a giant fireball exploded against Chaosdramon and engulfed his entire body, turning him into an inferno. Then, a giant, red body smashed into Chaosdramon's in a full-body tackle. Chaosdramon snarled and released Dynasmon. He was knocked off of his feet and crashed to the ground, firing his two cannons randomly into the air as he teetered over.
The Royal Knights looked up and saw a giant dragon flapping in the air above them. He was clad in red plate armour and swept his large, fiery wings out. Over his head, he wore a white helmet and a pair of blue goggles.
AncientGreymon turned and flashed a broad grin at Dynasmon. "You'll have to do better than that, Dynasmon!" he playfully rebuked the Royal Knight.
Dynasmon laughed and folded his arms, breathing a sigh of relief as he began to feel his draconic energy return to his body. "AncientGreymon!" he greeted with a wide smirk. "You just can't help yourself, can you? Always have to make a big, flashy entrance!"
"What can I say? I have a flare for the dramatic!" AncientGreymon announced with a grin. "Anyways, the Warrior Ten are finally here. You don't have to worry!"
A humanoid wolf Digimon clad in white armour rolled his eyes and jumped down from a giant beetle Digimon, who was flying overhead. AncientGarurumon landed nearby with his two, giant, golden swords in his hands. He turned and looked at the black rifts across the battlefield with a bitter grimace.
AncientGreymon looked over. "AncientGarurumon, you deal with the small fry. AncientBeatmon, you cover us from the air!" he spoke.
"You got it, Grey!" AncientBeatmon called back, summoning bolts of lightning from the clouds that struck a Mugendramon and began shooting through his metal body and frying his circuits.
Dynasmon looked across the battlefield. He could see the rest of the Warrior Ten on their way as well. He could see the big, woolly form of AncientMegatheriummon supporting Raijinmon and Alphamon's flank. With him was the rocky body of AncientVolcamon, the mystical, mirror-shaped figure of AncientWisemon, and the wooden, cannon-laden form of AncientTroiamon. They had joined in with the northern flank and were helping them breach through Chaosdramon's lines.
Meanwhile, AncientMermaimon sent pillars of water shooting out of the nearby river and onto enemy D-Brigade Digimon, crushing them into the dirt. The black, feline body of AncientSphinxmon soared through the air alongside AncientIrismon. Her humanoid body flew over to AncientGreymon along with AncientSphinxmon.
AncientSphinxmon looked down around Chaosdramon. His eyes narrowed when he saw all of the dark rifts. "The Dark Area's barrier…" he spoke.
"This is bad," AncientIrismon agreed, calmly holding her rapier.
The grin disappeared from AncientGreymon's face. "Yeah… I'm supposed to tap into the Dragon's Veins, but this is going to be even harder than we thought now," he mused, remembering the job he had to do with Imperialdramon Paladin Mode.
"We've got more pressing issues right now," Dynasmon reminded them, nodding over at Chaosdramon, who stood to his feet.
"We need to begin to focus on the Dark Area," Duftmon's voice rung out over Dynasmon's LRAC. "The tide of battle has shifted against Chaosdramon. Finish up with him quickly so that we can focus on the more pressing issue. Also, I am coming to the front lines, Duftmon out."
Chaosdramon growled and pointed his Hyper Mugen Cannons at the Royal Knights and the Warrior Ten. "Do not disregard me… This battle isn't over until you are all crushed under my feet!" he warned them. His eyes flashed and he continued to absorb dark energy from the Dark Area.
AncientGarurumon snarled when he saw this. "He's the one causing this?"
Omegamon narrowed his eyes and flew into the air, looking at Chaosdramon. "You have done enough damage, Chaosdramon. Surrender peacefully. You should be able to tell that this battle is over…" Omegamon explained to him. He pointed his Grey Sword to the north.
The northern flank was breaking through Chaosdramon's lines. Alphamon flew through the sky and fired an emerald beam from his hand that tore through an UltimateBrachimon's head. The saurian dinosaur collapsed to the ground with a quake-like tremor before his body burst into a haze of data. Nearby, Raijinmon caused a bolt of lightning to rip from the clouds and send a paralysing shock through the body of a BlackSaintGalgomon. He then angled the batteries on his back towards the massive bombardment Digimon and unleashed four torrents of electrons clear through his body.
RhodoKnightmon jumped out of the crowd and drove his Pile Bunker into a lunging BlackMetalGarurumon's chest, which tore through him and detonated the munitions within. The rose knight jumped back to evade the explosion and landed gracefully on the grass. Meanwhile, Magnamon unleashed a barrage of missiles from his armour. The missiles steamed through the air and soared towards Chaosdramon. The giant cyborg Digimon lashed his left arm out and bashed the missiles in mid-air. They exploded on contact with his arm and ripped chunks of the fractured metal off of his wrist, revealing circuits and scales underneath.
Chaosdramon gritted his teeth. His northern defences were falling and he was going to be outflanked from the left. He then watched as Omegamon pointed to the south. He quickly glanced towards the southern hill to take stock of the situation.
The Aerial Strike Forces and the D-Brigade rebels were pushing Chaosdramon's D-Brigade loyalists back towards Chaosdramon's position. Sleipmon and Examon fired from the hillside into the D-Brigade while slowly moving forwards. Sleipmon took precise aim at the Digimons' non-vital parts. He incapacitated Digimon by shooting their legs, hands, and weapons, while also occasionally freezing them from the neck down. Examon, meanwhile, became more liberal with his sniping. He infected many Digimon with incapacitating viruses or special shells, but he also unleashed deadly shots. He fired a beam from the Ambrosius that bore through a MetalSeadramon's snout cannon.
As this happened, UlforceVeedramon cut through the sky and spun around, swiping his Ulforce Sabre down the chest of a Crossmon. Sparks poured from the metallic eagle and he plummeted to the ground. UlforceVeedramon then puffed his chest out and sent a V-shaped beam surging from his chest. The golden ray burned across the ground and enveloped several D-Brigade Digimon. As smoke wafted up from his chest, UlforceVeedramon looked down and saw that the Chaosdramon-loyal D-Brigade Digimon were being pushed back towards Chaosdramon and his remaining soldiers.
UlforceVeedramon looked over at Sleipmon and Examon. "Come on, guys! We're pushing them back! Let's move up and keep the pressure on them!" he called out to them.
"Blockade!" a deep, firm voice called out. A brown blur cut along a Tankmon, a Mechanorimon, and an Andromon, causing them to burst into data. Duftmon: Leopard Mode skidded to a stop and turned around, looking up at UlforceVeedramon, Sleipmon and Examon. "Yes, move up and encircle Chaosdramon in a pincer. Outflank him completely," Duftmon commanded.
"Okay," Sleipmon stated, jumping off of the hill and extending his gold wings so that he soared into the sky.
"Affirmative," Examon agreed, flapping his Caledfwlch wings and shooting into the D-Brigade as he ascended.
Duftmon: Leopard Mode nodded and flew into the air as well. "Move up, Ouryumon. Work together with those D-Brigade formations. You should all be capable of tactical interoperability," he ordered.
"Yeah, okay," Ouryumon dismissively said as his body glowed with a golden aura and he launched himself into a Cannondramon right as the cyborg unleashed a barrage of a cannons from his back.
Chaosdramon snarled as the Cannondramon buckled and was crushed into the ground. The southern flank was collapsing as well. He could feel the enemy surrounding him, fueling his paranoia and desperation.
Omegamon leered at Chaosdramon. "This battle is over, Chaosdramon. Surrender peacefully while you still can. End the meaningless loss of life," he beseeched him, "or face the consequences."
Alphamon stabbed his Seiken Gradalpha through the chest of a black MetalGreymon and then kicked him off. He flapped his wings and flew over to Omegamon's side, standing in solidarity with his friend's suggestion. "Yes, Chaosdramon. Give up."
Raijinmon stalked over, aiming his Blitz Arms at Chaosdramon threateningly. "Do as they say. You will be treated fairly…"
"Give up? Treat me fairly?" Chaosdramon asked with dull incredulity. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" He pointed his claws to Fujinmon and Suijinmon. "You expect me to watch as everything that I built is destroyed by a bunch of a worthless usurpers?"
Chaosdramon took a threatening step forwards, stomping his foot down on top of a wounded Sealsdramon. As the Digimon burst into data under his foot, Chaosdramon began to angle his cannons to fire again. "Meaningless loss of life? This loss of life will have meaning when all of you are utterly destroyed! If you think you have the power to kill me, do it! As it stands now, none of you can raise a hand to me and my perfect order! Anybody who stands in the way of progress shall be eliminated! The Metal Empire is a shining beacon of technology, security and order within a chaotic, worthless Digital World! You think that you can have peace with democracy and cooperation?! You are only artificing your own destruction by trying to stand in my way!" Chaosdramon ranted.
Dukemon stared up at him incredulously. "He's completely lost it!" he exclaimed. "He's gone off the deep end."
Alphamon nodded and aimed his palm at Chaosdramon. "That makes him more dangerous than ever. He won't listen to reason."
Omegamon winced and gazed at the dark data that continued to funnel into Chaosdramon's internal engines. "It's the dark data… It's bringing out the worst in him. He must be thoroughly corrupted by now…" he bitterly explained.
"He was corrupt and ruthless long before today," Fujinmon stated, floating in the air.
"He must be stopped," Suijinmon agreed.
"Once and for all," Raijinmon added, walking up beside his two comrades.
Chaosdramon angled his cannons down at them. "Then try it! I will be the last one standing! I will not be thwarted by a bunch of a scrapmetal Commanders whom I allowed to live! Hyper Mugen Cannon!" he shouted.
The cannons spewed out a torrent of dark energy towards the three Storm Commanders and the nearby Royal Knights.
"Scatter!" Suijinmon shouted, aiming his own cannons towards Chaosdramon. "Mugen Cannon!"
Suijinmon fired his four Mugen Cannons so that his four beams slammed into Chaosdramon's two. What Suijinmon had in quantity, Chaosdramon had in quality. The two beams howled and collided against each other. The white stands of energy fused and split against the dark power that contended with it. Tendrils of power branched out in a dangerous burst of energy.
"Suijinmon!" Raijinmon called out. The gold plated commander ran over and raised his Blitz Arms towards the sky. "Bark Storm!"
The dark grey clouds overhead ignited with electricity. Lightning bolts came piercing down and struck Chaosdramon's body repeatedly, causing his red body to tense up and writhe. The beams fired from his cannons died down and fizzled out.
However, even as electricity danced along the metal of his body, Chaosdramon ran forwards and raised his right arm over his head. He swung it down onto Raijinmon and crushed him into the ground. Then, when Raijinmon was under his palm, he fired a missile into him at point blank range. Smoke and flames erupted underneath Chaosdramon's claws, engulfing Raijinmon within.
"No!" Suijinmon shouted with worry. He sneered furiously and dashed towards Chaosdramon, preparing to attack him with his Accel Arms.
Chaosdramon looked at him and then raised his left arm towards Suijinmon. He ejected his claws towards the red Digimon. They stabbed into the Waterfall Commander's chest and shoulder, digging into his body and splitting one of his cannons down the middle. Suijinmon's legs buckled and his body went numb.
"Suijinmon! Raijinmon!" Fujinmon shouted angrily. He ripped through the air and swooped down on Chaosdramon. "Damn you! Critical Arm!"
He plunged his laser blades into Chaosdramon's neck. Blood and oil came spilling out, but Chaosdramon was unfazed. The emperor slapped Fujinmon out of the sky with his thick, muscular tail and sent him slamming into the ground.
Chaosdramon then raised his foot and drove it down on top of Fujinmon. He stomped down on Fujinmon repeatedly, putting all of his weight into his foot. Fujinmon cried out with pain as he was pressed into the ground again and again.
Alphamon watched as Chaosdramon pummelled his subordinates. His eyes flashed red with intensity, and he gripped the Seiken Gradalpha tightly. "Royal Knights, take him down!" he commanded, pointing forward at Chaosdramon. He opened up his extended hand and particles of green energy began to be sucked into the gem of his palm. "Digitalize of Soul!"
The beam discharged out of his hand and tore through Chaosdramon's elbow. Chaosdramon hissed with pain and pulled his right arm back, releasing Raijinmon's smoking, fractured body from under his claws.
"We'll cover you!" AncientGreymon announced, flying into the air and spewing flames into a nearby Mugendramon.
A phosphorescent arrow pierced through the Mugendramon's shoulder cannon, causing it to explode. Gaioumon lowered the bow that he created by combining his Kikurin swords together. "I have your back, AncientGreymon," he stated calmly, eyeing the large dragon Digimon above him.
AncientGreymon looked down at Gaioumon with a fiery glare that revealed a long-seated history. "Tch," he scoffed, turning his head away. "Not bloody likely." Without another word to him, he swooped down and tackled the Mugendramon into the ground.
"Garuru Cannon!" Omegamon called out, releasing four rapid fire blasts of energy onto Chaosdramon's body. The concentrated energy blasts exploded against him, tearing fragments of red digizoid off of his body. After the intense, continuous pummelling, the red digizoid was finally beginning to show signs of wear and tear. The sturdy metal was bent and warped in some places, and hairline fractures were beginning to form in Chaosdramon's body.
"Final Elysion!" Dukemon shouted fierily. He aimed the glowing face of the Aegis shield at the left side of Chaosdramon's form. A giant column of energy surged from the shield and slammed into Chaosdramon.
Chaosdramon growled as the burning, holy power raged against his durable body. The energy tore against him, sending fractures up his left arm. It superheated the metal covering him and burned the exposed parts of his scales. He snarled with pain as he drove his feet into the ground, still crushing Fujinmon beneath him. He stubbornly held against the crushing energy that railed against him.
When the beam faded, Chaosdramon's body was left smoking and weakened. He was forced to withdraw his claws from Suijinmon's body. Suijinmon grunted with pain and lurched forwards onto his Accel Arms.
"You honestly think that you can stand against me?" Chaosdramon's gravelly, mechanical voice hissed. Steam ejected from his crimson backpack and he aimed his massive artillery cannons at the Royal Knights. "Hyper Mugen Cannon!"
The howitzers breathed out destructive energy that gushed towards the Royal Knights, threatening to consume them.
"Leave it to me!" Craniamon shouted, dashing out in front of the beams. He skidded to a stop and planted his boots firmly against the burnt ground. He pulled the Avalon shield up, which pulsed with holy energy. "God Bless!"
The dark, crushing emissions slammed into Craniamon's shield, but they were unable get past him. The beams impacted the impenetrable barrier and funneled outwards. Craniamon counted the seconds in his head as the dual beams raged against his shield, causing the omnidirectional barrier to flicker. After the third second, the beams began to die down, and he was able to block the residual energy with the Avalon.
Once the attack faded, Craniamon suddenly rushed forwards. He lunged into the air, rearing the Claiohm Solais over his head. In one swift, fluid action, He slashed the Claiohm Solais down Chaosdramon's face. The then spun the spear around in one fluid motion, and thrust the tip right into Chaosdramon's eye. Chaosdramon howled with pain and recoiled on reflex. He clutched his face and backed up, removing his foot from Fujinmon's body. Craniamon then stabbed the thick head of the spear into one of the fractures in Chaosdramon's red digizoid armour, wrenching it open more.
"Chaos Crusher!" Chaosdramon lashed out with his claws ripping up the ground in front of him. Craniamon raised his shield to protect himself and was thrown back violently by the attack, but remained largely unharmed.
"An opening!" Dynasmon stated, raising his claws up. "Dragon's Roar!"
Gankoomon ran forwards and unleashed Hinukamui from his body. "Let's let him have it! Jishin! Kaminari! Kaji! Oyaji!" he shouted, causing the golden dragon to surge forwards.
The beams that Dynasmon fired flanked Hinukamui as they closed in on Chaosdramon. The two attacks slammed into Chaosdramon's armoured chest and exploded in a devastating blast. The detonation engulfed the front of Chaosdramon's body and tore open the fractures in his armour.
Chaosdramon snarled and recoiled another step. He continued harnessing the power of the Dark Area, further exacerbating the rifts around him. He raised his right arm to fire a missile from his claws at the Royal Knights. "Destroyed Hook!" he hissed, launching the missile.
"Bifröst!"
As the missile exited Chaosdramon's palm, an arrow pierced through the organic explosive's side. The missile detonated directly in front of Chaosdramon, catching him in the resulting explosion.
Sleipmon galloped over and came to a stop. He raised his shield in front of himself and narrowed his eyes. "Odin's Breath!" he called out, unleashing a concentrated blizzard from his shield. The frozen energy swept across Chaosdramon's body, and ice began to crawl up Chaosdramon's feet and legs, holding him in place.
As Chaosdramon was occupied, Examon soared over Sleipmon and charged towards Chaosdramon. He coiled the Ambrosius back before thrusting it forwards powerfully. "Avalon's Gate!" he shouted, stabbing his lance into Chaosdramon's side before ejecting a shell into him. The shell exploded against Chaosdramon's scales and unleashed viral data into his body. The virus affected his arms and began to corrupt their functions.
Chaosdramon punched Examon away with his claws and pointed his hand cannon at him. "Damn you. Destroyed Hook!" he shouted, expecting to fire a missile at Examon. Much to his surprise, the missile didn't fire. "What…?!"
Using the opportunity, RhodoKnightmon dashed across the grass and vaulted towards Chaosdramon. He poised his fist back as he lunged at Chaosdramon's face. "Urgent Fear!" he spoke as he drove his Pile Bunker forward.
The golden Pile Bunker slammed into the side of Chaosdramon's snout before exploding with compressed power. The concentrated force tore chunks of metal off of his red digizoid helmet, revealing the flesh underneath.
"Eroberung!" Duftmon: Leopard Mode spoke, pouncing over and swiping his tail outwards when he gracefully landed.
As Chaosdramon recoiled several steps in response to the immense force, he unwittingly backed up into a series of energy mines that Duftmon has released from his tail. The strategically placed mines erupted around Chaosdramon, catching his body in a series of explosions.
"Hey, save some for us!" UlforceVeedramon stated, flying over and stopping in the air. He turned and looked over at Magnamon. "Shall we, Magna-chan?"
"Don't call me that in the middle of a battle!" Magnamon complained, although allowing the missile ports on his gold digizoid armour to snap open. "Let's do it. Plasma Shoot!"
"Shining V Force!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, sending a golden beam shooting from his chest.
The beam slammed into Chaosdramon's chest, burning through the red digizoid. Magnamon's golden missiles sailed down and converged into the same part of Chaosdramon's body. All eight missiles detonated at once and tore apart what was left of the red digizoid armour.
Chaosdramon lurched forwards. Pieces of his Metal Body fell to the ground and blood seeped out of his mouth and eye. Smoke drifted up from his beaten and ravaged body. He stood on uneasy footing. The Royal Knights began to relax.
However, he lifted his head and gave the Royal Knights a baleful glare. He began taking in enormous amounts of dark data from the ground for one final, defiant attempt at victory. "I will not… be defeated…" he breathed, his cold, hollow voice sounding haggard. "You all… will kneel before me…" He angled his cannons down at the Royal Knights. "Hyper Mugen Cannon!"
Beams tore out of his shoulder cannons and strafed across the ground, trying to eat up as much area as possible. They washed across the twelve Royal Knights and crushed them into the devastated ground. A massive explosion erupted and plumed into the sky.
Alphamon grimaced with pain as the beam slammed against their bodies. Once the enormous, crushing pressure faded, he slowly pushed himself up on his elbows. "How can he still be standing…?" he asked, panting from the devastating assault.
Omegamon winced and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. "He's using the dark data to push himself beyond his limits…" he spoke.
Dukemon planted his lance into the ground to help steady himself as he stood to his feet. "Do we have to keep attacking him piece by piece until he's finally deleted?" he asked, sneering at Chaosdramon.
"Leave it to us," a voice spoke.
As the Royal Knights rose, they turned towards the voice.
It was Raijinmon, who pulled his cracked and battered golden body to his feet. He dusted himself up and turned to look at Suijinmon. "I think that we should be the ones who finish this…" he stated. "Suijinmon? Fujinmon?"
Suijinmon released a deep, stirring murmur. Despite the oil seeping out of his red, metal body, he dipped into his reserves of energy and stood upright. "Yes… Raijinmon…" he agreed.
Fujinmon grimaced and slowly flew up. Chunks of green armour fell from his fractured body as he floated unevenly in the air. Nevertheless, there was a look of determination in his eyes. The Hurricane Commander turned and looked at Suijinmon guiltily. "Suijinmon… I apologise for what I did…" he said to him sincerely. He looked into his eyes. "Are you with us?"
Suijinmon turned and looked at Fujinmon with a loyal, resolute gaze. "Always…"
Raijinmon smiled and walked forwards, carrying himself with dignity despite his damaged and fractured form. "It is time for the Storm Commanders to take center stage… Behold, Royal Knights. And trust us in the same way that we trust each other," Raijinmon stated, looking over his shoulder at Alphamon.
Raijinmon clasped his Blitz Arms behind his back and straightened his posture. His golden body began to glow with a bright, refulgent light. "Raijinmon…"
Fujinmon floated forwards calmly. He pulled his legs together, bowed his head, and extended his Critical Arms outwards. His slender body became engulfed in a radiance that lit up the dark clouds. "Fujinmon…"
Suijinmon took a few steps forwards and planted his massive Accel Arms firmly against the ground. He closed his eyes with thought as his giant body gleamed with the resplendence of evolution. "Suijinmon…"
"Jogress Shinka!"
The three bodies of the Storm Commanders combined into one as their hearts merged. Their size grew exponentially as they fused and evolved.
"…Raidenmon!"
A massive machine Digimon emerged from the light, painted in green camouflage. It was a colossal tank with two giant feet with treads on its soles. They connected to a bulky body that was made up of thick, durable metal. On the front of the body was metal covering from which a calm, red eye that stared out from a dark slit. Above what was effectively Raidenmon's 'head' was a dangerous looking cannon. Connected to his metal body were two large arms. The right arm consisted solely of a giant railgun, while the left arm was made up of a bulky set of steel claws. It was clear that the Digimon was heavily armed. Resting on top of his body were two, giant batteries that read 'VD' on their golden cathodes. Finally, he had a long, green tail which had a double-barrelled cannon mounted on its tip.
Raidenmon rolled forwards, his size was great enough to rival that of Chaosdramon. He locked eyes with the crimson emperor, and electricity began to spark across the batteries mounted on his back.
"Your reign of terror is over, Your Majesty…" Raidenmon calmly spoke to him, the Storm Commanders' three voices echoing deeply at once.
Chaosdramon glared at Raidenmon with cold contempt and derision. "I will take you with me, traitors," he retorted. He pointed his two cannons at Raidenmon and prepared to fire.
Alphamon grunted and raised his hand forwards. "Dynasmon! Gankoomon! Let's help them!" he commanded. He summoned a massive, glowing circle full of digicode and mystical glyphs in front of him. The magical circle burned resplendently as Alphamon's red eyes flashed. "Digitalize of Soul!"
A giant, glowing, draconic beast suddenly tore from the summoning portal and soared towards Chaosdramon.
"You got it, Alphamon!" Dynasmon agreed, beginning to pour draconic energy from his body. Wyvern's flamed danced along his body before suddenly rushing outwards. "Breath of Wyvern!"
"Let's teach this guy a lesson, Hinu!" Gankoomon shouted energetically. At his words, Hinukamui swelled up from Gankoomon's jacket and roared. "Jishin! Kaminari! Kaji! Oyaji!"
The three energy dragons flew forwards, side-by-side, and descended upon Chaosdramon's massive body. They slammed into him and began restraining the metal tyrant. Wyvern grabbed hold of Chaosdramon's left arm, while Hinukamui locked his arms around Chaosdramon's right arm. Meanwhile, Alphamon's giant dragon summon yanked Chaosdramon's Hyper Mugen Cannons back so that they pointed towards the sky, while his other arm locked around Chaosdramon's neck to hold him in place.
"Thank you," Raidenmon told the Royal Knights as he prepared to attack. "…Farewell, Emperor. Discharge Bomb!"
Electricity began surging out of Raidenmon's batteries, snapping and hissing actively as it took shape. The electrical energy aggregated in a massive beam of white, crackling power. The torrent of electricity swept towards Chaosdramon, who struggled violently against the dragons holding him.
"No…! My empire…!" Chaosdramon shouted, his blood-hued eye widening as the energy closed in on him.
The beam of concentrated electricity engulfed Chaosdramon. He released a roar of pain and fired two, final beams from his Hyper Mugen Cannons. They streaked harmlessly into the air before the Chaosdramon's cannons and backpack exploded. As the explosions tore through Chaosdramon's back, there was a large backflow of dark energy that caused the dark rifts to intensify for a moment. The torrent of electric power ripped through what was left of Chaosdramon's armour and swallowed him completely. The beam caused his body to melt and fracture before finally being obliterated in the folds of energy. Chaosdramon's body was atomized into trillions of fragments of data.
Raidenmon watched and lowered his arms as Chaosdramon's body dispersed into a massive haze of dispersing data.
"The king is dead…" Raidenmon spoke solemnly. "Long live the Metal Empire."
"Long live the Metal Empire!" the D-Brigade shouted.
The Royal Knights slackened and looked around. They felt that they were able to finally relax.
Now that Chaosdramon was dead, the remaining D-Brigade loyalists who had still been holding out proceeded to surrender. They had no reason to resist further, and they reluctantly accepted the outcome of the battle.
It was a long, hard-fought battle on both sides. The grassy plain had been devastated by attacks. There were craters, burnt trenches, and smoldering grass all over. Countless Digimon had been deleted, and even more were wounded. Even though the battle was over, they were nowhere near done working.
Raidenmon suddenly glowed and split into his three, composite parts. Raijinmon, Fujinmon, and Suijinmon emerged, exhausted and heavily wounded.
Alphamon walked forwards and extinguished his sword. He placed his hands on Raijinmon to help him stand. "Raijinmon, are you alright?" he asked him.
"I'm fine, thank you…" Raijinmon assured him. "I will be, now…"
Dukemon walked over to the three Storm Commanders, eyeing them sceptically. "I need to know that we didn't just create a new problem by helping you get rid of Chaosdramon. Can we trust you?" he asked them.
Fujinmon nodded. "I assure you that you can… We all chafed under Chaosdramon's oppressive rule. We didn't have the strength to act against him, so we had to let him have his way," Fujinmon explained. "Things will be different now… The Metal Empire that started this war is not the Metal Empire that I want."
Suijinmon grimaced and bowed his head. "I was blindly loyal to the wrong Digimon… I guess it took Fujinmon and Raijinmon's courage to open my eyes to the way that Chaosdramon really was…" he spoke in a bitter, remorseful voice.
Dynasmon grinned and walked over to him. "Anybody can make that mistake, just as long as you don't let it happen again in the future," he explained knowingly.
Alphamon nodded. "We're trusting you three to fill the vacuum that will be left by Chaosdramon's death," he said to the Storm Commanders. "I hope you will lead the Metal Empire down a better path. We will be watching."
Raijinmon nodded in response. "We will, Alphamon. As a show of good faith, we can draw up a peace treaty that assures status quo ante bellum. We will restore autonomy to the Dual Chess Monarchy, the Mamemon Kingdom, and the Free City of Saversburg, and we will withdraw our soldiers back to our own territory," he assured him. He offered his Blitz Arm to Alphamon. "You can depend on us, Alphamon."
Alphamon smiled a bit and took Raijinmon's hand, shaking it firmly. "I hope so."
"Alphamon…" Omegamon spoke. His voice was troubled.
Alphamon and the Royal Knights turned to look at him. Omegamon stared across the grassy plains. Despite the fact that Chaosdramon had been deleted, the dark rifts remained the same.
The deep, black fissures were still present throughout the battlefield. They continued to emit dark data into the air.
"The dark rifts…" Alphamon spoke, frowning deeply. "They're still here…"
Duftmon: Leopard Mode shifted back into his regular Duftmon form. He walked up beside Alphamon and stared at one of the large dark rifts in front of them. "I suppose this proves that Chaosdramon was passively tapping into the Dark Area. If he was doing so actively, the rifts would have closed when he was deleted. This is a worse scenario in actuality… What Chaosdramon did was exacerbate the weaknesses in the Dark Area. Unlike with Dorbickmon, the holes didn't close after he finished using them. Now the situation is even direr than it was before…"
Omegamon winced. "No…" he whispered.
"Looks like we have a lot of work to do," a firm, serious voice spoke from behind them.
The Royal Knights turned around and saw Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode soar towards them. The white armoured, dragon man flapped his broad, silver wings and gently touched down, clutching his Omega Blade in his hands.
"Imperialdramon…" Alphamon spoke.
Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode walked over to them and rested the massive blade against his shoulder. "Sorry, I'm late everyone…" he apologised. "When we heard about the dark rifts, the meeting took an unexpected turn."
Imperialdramon looked around at all the wounded and the multitude of dark rifts. "…It looks like we still have a lot of work to do," he stated, his tone serious. However, despite the magnitude of the situation, he managed a small, light-hearted grin.
"Well, Royal Knights… Let's get to work."