Holy War

by Griff4823

The sequel to "A Dragon in Shining Armour". The Royal Knights secured victory and peace set over the continent, but it isn't to last. The autocratic Metal Empire, a team of amoral mercenaries, and a mysterious Digimon in the shadows; it's up to the Order of the Royal Knights to intervene. Can they stop things from spiraling out of control, all while dealing with their own issues?

52. Chapter 36 Part 2: Shadow of His Mind

(Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I've been busy. Here's Part 2 of Chapter 36. Does stuff happen? You bet. Will you need some of Alphamon's comforting tea after you read it? Maybe. How long is it? Yes. Read, review and enjoy!)

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Chapter 36: The Shadow of His Mind (Part II)

GrandisKuwagamon hovered in the ashen sky that hung over the barren plain. A mat of thick, tenebrous clouds drifted overhead, clotting the light. The sky was a tempestuous smattering of light and dark greys. The contrasting hues seemed to contend with one another.

There was nothing around but a vast field of mud, dirt, and patches of grass. Apart from a few boulders, there were scant few obstacles around the flat grassland. The damp, earthy landscape made for an open battlefield. It stretched on for kilometers, with only a few small inclines here and there.

Smoke drifted up from GrandisKuwagamon's right shoulder. The obsidian armour was still hot from the beam that grazed him. Despite the heat against his shoulder, he didn't even flinch.

Flying opposite to him, a few hundred meters away, was the one that fired that beam: Imperialdramon.

The Ultimate level dragon was able to use her speed to catch up with the fugitive. Now that she had arrived, it was clear that she fully intended to take him down and haul him back. This was not something that GrandisKuwagamon would allow.

The pair faced off. The only noises that existed in the grassy field were the rhythmic beats of their respective wings. Imperialdramon's were slow and methodical, while GrandisKuwagamon's were rapid and agitated, yet every movement was finely controlled. These sounds only served to heighten the tense silence that existed between them.

As they hovered in the sky, there was a gulf – a chasm of hostility – between them. It was an abyss of duty, self-interest, and mutual distrust. Whether it could be bridged given the present circumstances remained to be seen.

Their glaring eyes were locked with one another's. Without needing to speak, they dauntlessly made their intentions clear. They could read what each other was thinking just with a glance.

GrandisKuwagamon grunted and confidently straightened his body. Preparing himself for another attack, he crossed the Gran Killers across his chest. "So, Paildramon! You followed me all the way here! You miss me that much, huh?" he taunted her, although the vicious look in his eye was anything but playful. "Really, P, I'm flattered…"

Imperialdramon's ruby eyes narrowed and she raised her clawed forelegs in a battle stance. She wasn't in the mood for his jokes. "…Surrender, GrandisKuwagamon," she said to him. It was clear from the steel in her voice that she was telling him, not asking him.

GrandisKuwagamon scowled and glared back at her. He readjusted his arms so that his left Gran Killer covered his body while his right pointed towards her in a more aggressive stance. "Oh, so that's how it is…" he mused, his eye glowing crimson. "You really think that you can take me down all on your own? You may be an Order officer, but I'm not about to get my ass kicked by some rich politician's daughter… I've killed bigger and stronger Digimon than you, Paildramon."

"Underestimate me at your own peril," Imperialdramon warned him, brushing off his taunt. Her own crimson eyes shined with intensity as she glared at him. "Before you get too cocky, I'm not alone…"

Suddenly, the glowing barrier on her armoured back dissipated. Two Digimon leapt off of her dorsal and hovered on each side of the large, intimidating dragon.

VictoryGreymon floated in the air to the left of her. His green eyes were initially wide upon seeing GrandisKuwagamon before him. However, they began to morph into a bitter wince. He shut his eyes entirely and his muscular arms trembled. However, he straightened up and his eyes snapped open, removing any doubt of his willpower.

He swung his right arm forwards and brandished his massive broadsword, the Dramon Breaker, in front of him. After retracting it, he rested the thick, three-pronged weapon against his shoulder and clenched his fist tightly. His usual, pleasant, goofy smile, and kind, happy-go-lucky demeanour had been replaced by a dangerous scowl and uncharacteristic anger and determination. The fury that VictoryGreymon was seldom capable of shone clearly in his hard and bitter eyes.

SaviorHackmon dashed out and hovered to Imperialdramon's right. He narrowed his eyes and bowed his head, glaring at GrandisKuwagamon with stubborn resolve. Seeing GrandisKuwagamon again brought the pain he had been feeling flooding back. However, he tried to put his feelings of hurt aside and transform them into an anger that he could use. The sight of GrandisKuwagamon caused his rage and emotions to swell inside of him. He raised the crimson blades on his wrists and tail in an aggressive fighting stance.

"…I'm going to ask you again, GrandisKuwagamon," Imperialdramon explained to him, her eyes shooting daggers. "Surrender now, before we have to make you submit with force. We can do this the easy way or the difficult way."

"Oh, okay. In that case, I like to do things the hard way!" GrandisKuwagamon called back to her. "It's usually more fun that way. The more kicking and screaming, the better!"

"GrandisKuwagamon!" SaviorHackmon shouted, flying forwards several meters. "Why are you doing this?! Why did you betray us?! Why are you making yourself a fugitive?!"

"Oh, great, you brought along the kid. As if you guys weren't laughable enough already," GrandisKuwagamon taunted. He tilted his head and a mocking half-smirk traced his mouth as he stared at the Perfect-level dragon man. "What are you gonna do, SaviorHackmon? Try and drown me with your tears? Or maybe you guys want to hug me into submission. Or is it the puppy eyes of doom? Don't make me laugh..."

SaviorHackmon ignored the barbs. Nothing GrandisKuwagamon said could hurt him more than what he did to him already. "Why, GrandisKuwagamon?!" he demanded. "Why would you try to escape?! You're only making everything worse for yourself!"

VictoryGreymon scowled and flew forwards a couple of paces, removing the hulking blade from against his shoulder. He held it by one of the V-shaped handles and pointed it towards GrandisKuwagamon accusingly. "We trusted you, Grandis!" he shouted, his strong emotion clear in his trembling voice. "I trusted you! SaviorHackmon trusted you! I don't understand why you would do something so mean and nasty and senseless! All we wanted was to help you!"

GrandisKuwagamon merely smirked, although not dropping his guard for a moment. "That's a scary face for you, VictoryGreymon. It's nice to know that you have emotions other than being a sickeningly happy, optimistic, naïve dumbass. It makes a refreshing change from you embarrassing yourself on a regular basis. Careful, you might pull a muscle though."

VictoryGreymon's angry eyes fractured into sad ones for a moment. "Of course I have feelings!" he shouted back. "I may be dumb and useless and embarrassing and naïve, but… but you hurt us, Grandis! I'm in pain right now because of what you're doing! We thought of you as our friend and you used that against us!"

The dark insect looked aside and clenched his fists, his smile disappearing. He turned his crimson eye back to VictoryGreymon and stared at him with a cold foreboding. "You want to talk about pain? I'll make sure you'll be in real pain if you don't turn around and go back the way you came," he warned him.

"That won't be happening," Imperialdramon calmly explained to him. Energy began to gather in the chamber of her dorsal cannon. "This is your last chance, GrandisKuwagamon. Surrender while you still can. Otherwise we will have to apprehend you. Think about it very carefully."

SaviorHackmon snarled and glared at the ebony mercenary. "If you don't cooperate, you're just going to be imprisoned for longer! You only had a year's sentence! Two at most! You probably would have even been let out sooner!" he told him fierily. "But now you're ruining it for yourself!"

"Yeah, sure. And I'm screwing all that up by escaping, right? If they're gonna throw the book at me, then that's all the more reason for me not to surrender," GrandisKuwagamon sceptically replied.

"That's not true. If you surrender now, they will be lenient," Imperialdramon insisted.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Just like how they'd be lenient if I helped them find out who my client was. And don't tell me that it's 'only two years.' They would have found some excuse to keep me locked up. What kind of message would it send to criminals if the Royal Knights let a notorious mercenary free just because I helped them? You think they'd let somebody with my record walk free? Somebody who killed Order soldiers? They want my head…" GrandisKuwagamon contended.

"Not everybody is as cynical as you, GrandisKuwagamon," SaviorHackmon bitterly explained. "Some of us have principles. You don't have to stab everyone in the back just in case they stab you first!"

"Look how that worked out for you. Anyway, my answer's the same," GrandisKuwagamon informed them. He adjusted the positions of his arms and hastened his wing beats, preparing for a fight. "Now, you can either pretend you never found me… or I'll make you wish you didn't."

VictoryGreymon glowered softly and gripped the Dramon Breaker tighter in his strong, orange hand. "Don't make me fight you, Grandis…" he asked him. "Please! I don't want to fight you!"

GrandisKuwagamon grinned. He knew that VictoryGreymon and SaviorHackmon would hold back while they were fighting him. He doubted Imperialdramon would. However, he still felt that he had an advantage. He was going to pull out all the stops to defeat them, and he was confident that his abilities were good enough to defeat the three of them if he fought smart. SaviorHackmon was an inexperienced Perfect level who he could easily read, VictoryGreymon was a big, clumsy warrior with slow movements, and Imperialdramon was too large and cumbersome to keep up with his agility, unless she reverted to her Paildramon form in which she would sacrifice power for speed. He liked his chances.

"There's an easy answer to that, Vic: let me go," he told him.

"We can't do that," Imperialdramon explained to him. She nodded at SaviorHackmon and VictoryGreymon and gestured at them to spread out.

VictoryGreymon frowned deeply and flew a few meters to the left. "Even if you escape us, there are more Royal Knight-led teams ahead waiting for you. Just surrender now, Grandis!" he said in an attempt to convince him to give up.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye darkened at this revelation. So, if he escaped from them, there was a net further up ahead awaiting for him. His desperation began to return and his sense of comfort dissipated. He knew he couldn't fight a Royal Knight in his current condition. This meant that this would be his only chance. He wasn't sure if VictoryGreymon was bluffing, but the dragon wasn't the type to lie. Even if he did, Grandis couldn't afford to take that chance.

"…Yeah…? Then I guess I'm just gonna have to defeat you three," he explained coldly.

As he stared off with the team of Order pursuers, a light mist began to gently roll in. It was a thin, gossamer haze that wasn't hard to see through. It was the best that GrandisKuwagamon could manage at the moment, due to his weakened state.

SaviorHackmon tightened his jaws and looked around briefly before staring back at the stag beetle. "GrandisKuwagamon, you—"

Without another word, GrandisKuwagamon took off in a shadowy blur. He shot straight towards the group of three, his Gran Killers poised to strike. His eye was hard and focused, the crimson hue seeming to bleed as he tore through the air at high speeds.

Imperialdramon clenched her teeth and tilted her body forwards slightly. "Be ready! SaviorHackmon, support us with mid-range fire. Check your aim! VictoryGreymon, take a defensive stance. I'll create an opening for you," she told the other two. Light swelled within her cannon and the deadly brilliance began to brim. "Positron Laser!"

The contents of the cannon spilled out and a torrent of bright, positronic energy came careening towards GrandisKuwagamon. The midnight insect watched as the pillar of crushing power surged towards him quickly. He had anticipated this.

Knowing he had little time to spare before it closed in, he pulled upwards sharply. The savage beam passed underneath him. He could feel an auxiliary wave of energy wash over him and it buffeted him back a meter or two. Regardless, he continued speeding forwards, along the length of the beam. He flew several meters above it, using the luminous beam's size and brightness to cover his approach, which was right in Imperialdramon's blind spot.

Upon sensing that she had missed GrandisKuwagamon, Imperialdramon attempted to correct by angling the staggering beam upwards. However, the mercenary flew too high above it for it to hit him. The beam was too large and powerful to change the direction too drastically.

GrandisKuwagamon closed in on her as the beam began to thin out. When the stream of positrons faded, the scarab brawler suddenly angled his body and he declined towards Imperialdramon. He quickly swooped down and approached the cannon on her back, which frothed with gaseous energy from the Positron Laser.

"Paildramon, above you!" SaviorHackmon warned her, spotting GrandisKuwagamon's black form against the grey clouds and the dissipating light.

Imperialdramon looked over her shoulder and saw GrandisKuwagamon above her armoured back, but she was too slow to respond. GrandisKuwagamon dragged his Gran Killers across her right wing. The three claws tore at the leathery hide and drew small dots of blood that were camouflaged by the red surface.

Imperialdramon hissed and swatted her large, powerful tail backwards to hit GrandisKuwagamon away from her. The black insect man saw the incoming appendage sweeping towards him. He performed a graceful, mid-air back flip, allowing the tail to pass seamlessly over him.

At the nadir of his flip, he suddenly dove downwards, swooping down underneath Imperialdramon. He flew between her right legs and positioned himself beneath her, accessing her exposed abdomen. GrandisKuwagamon tucked his body forwards into a somersault and when his knees came over his head, he kicked his legs outwards and drove his boots hard into Imperialdramon's stomach.

Imperialdramon grunted with pain and she began to double over in response to the sharp kick to her gut. However, she recovered quickly. She dropped after GrandisKuwagamon and drove her massive fore claw down towards GrandisKuwagamon. The long, sickle-shaped blade on her gauntlet flashed with light as it fell. "Splendor Blade!" she said, swiping her scintillating claws down on the dark insect.

GrandisKuwagamon tensed when he saw the descending blade. He quickly flipped upwards and crossed his Gran Killers over his head, just in time for the luminous sickle to make contact. He blocked the gleaming blade between the crossed Gran Killers, inches away from his head. However, the trio of claws below it cut against GrandisKuwagamon's armoured chest. The power behind Imperialdramon's swing was immense, and his guard nearly broke. The attack was strong enough to push him down with immense force, more than his wings could handle.

As Imperialdramon pushed GrandisKuwagamon away from her, sending him falling towards the ground, she spun around. She watched the bug Digimon below her begin to right himself. "Get clear!" she told her two comrades as dark matter began to form in her throat. The black, crackling energy filled her draconic maw and seeped out between her jagged teeth in electric tendrils. "Mega Death!"

She coiled her head back and then jerked it forwards, using the momentum to release the concentrated ball of dark matter down towards the fugitive. GrandisKuwagamon beat his wings rapidly and he managed to stop himself from falling. He looked up and scowled, seeing the abyssal sphere of destruction speeding towards him like a meteor.

"Shit," he whispered, suddenly flying in reverse as fast as he possibly could. The orb of negative energy and electrons plummeted to the grassy field below. As soon as the ball impacted the ground, the condensed dark matter suddenly decompressed and exploded. The detonation was devastating. A massive, supersonic shockwave erupted at the point of impact, tearing through the ground and sending dark energy exploding outwards.

Although GrandisKuwagamon had avoided the initial blast the resulting shockwave hit him like a stone wall. The swell of energy blossomed outwards and the pressure indented a massive crater about half a kilometer long in the grassy field.

VictoryGreymon flew over to SaviorHackmon's side and detached the metal wings from his back, forming a golden, rounded shield that fit over his right arm. He held the shield out in front of him and protected the pair from the intense blast of wind and pressure. "Victory Shield!" he called out, allowing the blast to part around the protruding shield. Despite standing firm, he was pushed back a few centimeters by the sheer force of the blast, even though he and SaviorHackmon were at a safe distance from the explosion. He grunted and his arm strained slightly as he held against the shockwave. "G-Gosh…!"

As the blast faded, the cloud of dirt mixed in with the gentle haze. Imperialdramon gritted her teeth and she scanned the ground and the air for signs of GrandisKuwagamon. She couldn't see him at all. In the wake of the explosion, he had completely disappeared from sight. "Damn it," she thought, looking around agitatedly. Her heartbeat increased as she failed to spot GrandisKuwagamon. She flapped her wings to blow the dust and mist away. "That was too powerful. I can't do that again… Where is he? Please don't tell me that I…"

Her train of thought was interrupted when she noticed a sparkle out of the corner of her eye.

"Dimension Scissor!"

She turned her head to the left and was stunned to see an arc of white light shooting towards her. She tried to ascend but it was too late. The sickle of spatial energy slammed into her armoured side, warping through her thick armour and tearing at her scales. Imperialdramon released a roar of pain as the blast exploded against her and sent her plummeting towards the ground.

"Shit, you aren't messing around, P!" GranKuwagamon exclaimed, having slide-evolved from his GrandisKuwagamon form in order to escape from the explosion. He had circled around and was speeding towards Imperialdramon, who crashed to the grass in a thunderous tremor. He grinned a bit as adrenaline pumped through his body, fuelling his actions. "I guess I won't either!" he announced as he descended on her.

GranKuwagamon landed on top of Imperialdramon with his four legs on top of her shoulders and ankles, pushing her into the ground. When she raised her leg to swipe at him with her golden claw, he drove his clawed fist into her gut. "You shouldn't have come after me, Paildramon," he hissed, raising his foot and pressing it down on her helmet-clad face, pushing her head painfully against the ground.

"Leave her alone!" VictoryGreymon shouted, racing over to them, swiftly skimming along the ground with his sword in hand. GranKuwagamon turned his scissor-clad head to the left to see the charging Greymon.

Imperialdramon used this distraction to her advantage. She lashed out with her left foreleg, sending a powerful swipe across the opposite side of his face. The claws scratched against his plated cheek and sent the six-legged insect staggering off of her.

GranKuwagamon stumbled to the side, his face numb with sharp pain. He released an abrupt shout as Imperialdramon drove her foot into his side. She scrambled to her feet and lashed her tail out, but GranKuwagamon was able to block it with the side of his arm. When Imperialdramon flew into the air to reorient herself, GranKuwagamon turned his attention towards the more immediate threat on his other side: VictoryGreymon.

He turned towards the dragon man and saw that he was closing in on him with his sword. GranKuwagamon scowled and met his charge with one of his own, planning on closing the gap first and catching VictoryGreymon in his pincers before he could swing his claymore.

GranKuwagamon flapped his wings and skimmed across the grass towards VictoryGreymon. He opened his pincers wide, but to his surprise, VictoryGreymon didn't swing the Dramon Breaker. More than that, he dropped the massive sword beside him. Although confused, GranKuwagamon didn't question his fortune, and as he closed in on VictoryGreymon, he began to snap his pincers shut around him.

VictoryGreymon anticipated this. He raised his arms and caught the enveloping pincers in his hands before they could tighten around his body. GranKuwagamon's eyes widened and he closed the mighty forceps harder, causing the space between them and VictoryGreymon's body to significantly decrease. VictoryGreymon, however, resisted. Before his knuckles could hit his shoulders, he pushed back with all the strength his arms could muster.

The dragon man growled with effort, sweat dripping down his face and blood beginning to ooze out of his palms. Not only did he manage to stop GranKuwagamon from tightening his scissors any longer, but he was actually spreading them apart. It stunned GranKuwagamon that this dragon was actually strong enough to overpower the sheer strength of his indomitable pincers. GranKuwagamon's charge had been stopped so he landed on the ground and attempted to reverse, but he found that VictoryGreymon was holding him in place.

"What?!" GranKuwagamon demanded, realising what VictoryGreymon was doing. "Let go of me, you idiot!"

"You're not leaving me any choice…!" VictoryGreymon growled as he poured all of his strength into his arms. He bent his knees and kept a tight hold on GranKuwagamon's pincers. He let out a strained groan as he managed to lift the massive insect off of his feet, using the bug's forceps as a focal point to hold him in place. VictoryGreymon winced when he began to feel GranKuwagamon's pincers heat up in preparation for another Dimension Scissor attack. He knew he had to act now.

With a mighty shout, VictoryGreymon lifted GranKuwagamon over his head and fell backwards, causing GranKuwagamon to crash onto his back in a painful suplex. As the ground trembled beneath them, VictoryGreymon released GranKuwagamon from his grip and quickly sat up to grab the nearby Dramon Breaker. As he scrambled over to the weapon, GranKuwagamon quickly acted; he hooked VictoryGreymon's armoured ankle with his pincers and caused the dragon man to trip, sending him crashing unceremoniously to the ground.

GranKuwagamon took the opportunity to scramble to his feet. The large insect ran over to VictoryGreymon, pressing down on his back and using him as a springboard as he jumped into the air. He beat his wings rapidly and ascended towards the cloudy sky. He flew towards Imperialdramon, who was beginning to circle around in the air.

"Rage Streit!" a voice shouted out.

Out of the corner of his eye, GranKuwagamon saw a flash of red. SaviorHackmon flew through the air towards him, descending on GranKuwagamon from the left. His bladed foot was extended and his fell towards the mercenary like a comet.

Before GranKuwagamon could react, SaviorHackmon embedded his bladed sole in GranKuwagamon's flank, just deep enough to embed itself in his exoskeleton. GranKuwagamon hissed with pain and bashed SaviorHackmon away with a backhand from his massive forearm.

SaviorHackmon grunted but used the momentum to fly backwards in the air. He opened up his draconic mouth and embers began to flicker from inside his throat. "Meteor Flame!" he shouted passionately, unleashing spitfire shots of swelling flames from his maw.

GranKuwagamon's eyes widened slightly as he watched the multitude of flames approach him, threatening to burn into him if he didn't move. The dark insect acted quickly, steaming forwards into the sky. SaviorHackmon's machine gun embers continued after him as the dragon moved his head. The flames licked at his heels. SaviorHackmon angled his body sideway and aimed his blasts in front of GranKuwagamon, causing the flames to catch up with the insect and slam into the side of his body.

"Damn it!" GranKuwagamon shouted as the blasts continued pounding into his side, igniting his arm. Panicking slightly as the flames crawled up his arm, GranKuwagamon's form became engulfed with light. "Slide Evolution! GrandisKuwagamon!" he announced.

His bulky, insect body suddenly began to shrink and retake his usual, humanoid GrandisKuwagamon form. With the sudden decrease in mass, there was less surface area for SaviorHackmon's flames to hit. In addition, GrandisKuwagamon was far faster and his power was stronger and more concentrated in this form, but he was less versatile. He mainly had to opt for melee combat, with only one medium ranged alternative.

GrandisKuwagamon lashed out with the Gran Killers, bashing away every subsequent flame that rained down upon him. The embers impacted his gauntlets and they licked at his hands, but he moved quickly enough to avoid taking any damage. Beads of sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

"You really want to take me on, you little shit?!" GrandisKuwagamon demanded, scowling as he tore through the air towards SaviorHackmon. "You think you can?! You're no match for me!"

SaviorHackmon gritted his teeth and raised the crimson blades on his wrists and tail. He knew that he was at a full level disadvantage and that GrandisKuwagamon was way more experienced than he was, but he wasn't about to back down. He had Gankoomon's training and his own determination; he came here for a reason.

"I can't defeat you on my own…" SaviorHackmon admitted, getting into a defensive stance as he hovered in the air. GrandisKuwagamon closed the distance between them and plunged his Gran Killers towards SaviorHackmon's neck. However, SaviorHackmon was prepared. He raised his left arm and blocked the incoming clawed gauntlet with the blade that extended from his wrist. The blade went between two of the claws and stopped the Gran Killer from reaching his neck. GranKuwagamon followed up with a low stab towards SaviorHackmon's hip, but SaviorHackmon whipped his bladed tail around and swiped outwards, parrying GrandisKuwagamon's stab.

SaviorHackmon took the opportunity to stab towards GrandisKuwagamon with his right blade. The obsidian beetle man caught the sword between the claws of his Gran Killers and he rotated his arm sharply, twisting SaviorHackmon's arm painfully. He continued by swiping his right Gran Killer across SaviorHackmon's face, drawing sparks along his snout, and then followed up with a solid kick to SaviorHackmon's stomach.

As the dragon knight staggered back through the air, he winced with pain but didn't falter. He stared back resolutely at GrandisKuwagamon. "…I can't defeat you on my own, but I'm not afraid of you!" he informed him in a determined tenor. His yellow eyes tightened bitterly. One of the cuts inside his mouth reopened and bled onto his tongue, but he ignored the pain and focused on GrandisKuwagamon. "You're just a lying, cynical bastard who only cares about himself!"

"Finally, it's getting through that thick head of yours!" GrandisKuwagamon exclaimed with a dangerous smirk. "But… you should be afraid of me, because I'm not going to show you any mercy. Sorry, kid. It's nothing personal. You just get in the way."

With that, he surged forwards, assaulting SaviorHackmon violently. He drove his Gran Killers into SaviorHackmon's steel breastplate, scraping against it with a terrible, metal screech. He lunged forwards with his other gauntlet, the long, jagged claws poised to skewer. SaviorHackmon was ready for this one and he raised his spiked vambrace in front of his body to block the attack.

"Trident Saber!" SaviorHackmon counterattacked, his scarlet blades burning brightly as he responded aggressively. He plunged his left spike forwards, but GrandisKuwagamon deftly parried the blow. He slashed the right blade down, but GrandisKuwagamon blocked the falling weapon over his head and coiled his arm back to stab. As he was distracted, SaviorHackmon whipped his tail up and slashed across GrandisKuwagamon's winged back. The glimmering, crimson blade tore against his carapace, prompting GrandisKuwagamon to turn and bash the appendage away.

SaviorHackmon saw an opening and plunged his wrist spike towards GrandisKuwagamon's chest. To his shock, GrandisKuwagamon easily leaned to the side, causing the blade to penetrate the air beside him. GrandisKuwagamon grabbed hold of his arm and chopped down onto his elbow with the blunt end of his Gran Killer. A jolt of numb agony shot up the length of SaviorHackmon's arm and he struggled not to growl out in pain.

GrandisKuwagamon proceeded to grab SaviorHackmon by the collar and punch him in the face viciously. SaviorHackmon winced in pain as the claws tore against his metal forehead, but he managed to stab his wrist blade into the gap beneath GrandisKuwagamon's shoulder armour, eliciting an annoyed hiss from the scarab Digimon.

Acting swiftly, GrandisKuwagamon snapped his powerful pincers shut around SaviorHackmon's body, pinning his arms to his sides with crushing force. Once his prey was in his grasp he threw his body upwards with force, releasing SaviorHackmon from his grasp and sending him flying up into the air. As the steel dragon reeled upwards, GrandisKuwagamon flew after him and drove his Gran Killers into SaviorHackmon's gut. SaviorHackmon's eyes widened and breath, saliva, and flames forcibly wheezed out of his mouth as he doubled over on GrandisKuwagamon's hand. He was then launched further upwards into the sky as GrandisKuwagamon followed through on the hit.

The obsidian fighter leered up at SaviorHackmon as the dragon continued careering into the sky. His eye narrowed and he clenched his fist. "Sorry," he whispered under his breath. "But I've gotta do this…"

He began rising up, speeding after SaviorHackmon. He coiled his arms back and prepared to strike in a vicious assault.

There was a gust of wind and a flash of black, blue, and red cut across him. A golden blade sliced along GrandisKuwagamon's chest, drawing blood from a newly formed gash across his carapace. He growled as the stinging pain enflamed his upper body. He gripped his chest with one of his black hands and turned towards the speeding Digimon that passed by him.

Imperialdramon stopped in the air as she finished her pass and spun around to face him. "SaviorHackmon, get clear!" she warned him, angling the cannon that was mounted on her back towards GrandisKuwagamon. "Positron Laser!"

As SaviorHackmon caught himself and sped out of the way, the cannon erupted with a flash of white-blue energy. The blazing beam spewed forth from Imperialdramon's cannon and gushed towards GrandisKuwagamon. He swore under his breath and tried to fly up from the beam's path, but SaviorHackmon rained down a salvo of fireballs that blocked his escape.

GrandisKuwagamon scowled and swerved to the right to attempt a different escape route, but by this time, he was too slow. The beam closed in on him and all he could do was bring his Gran Killers up in front of his body to defend himself. The column of energy slammed into his body and parted around his gauntlets. Tendrils of power branched out around him and it was few seconds before his guard broke and GrandisKuwagamon was enveloped by surge of energy.

The mercenary growled in pain as he was swept up in the folds of the crushing laser. He was sent careening through the air as the energy burned at his form and crushed him.

The beam subsided from Imperialdramon's cannon and dissipated. GrandisKuwagamon hovered in the air, his posture slack. He just barely managed to keep himself aloft using his singed wings. Smoke drifted up from his body and a few small chunks of his black armour crumbled off his body. Through his pain, GrandisKuwagamon slowly lifted his head and glared at Imperialdramon with a blood red gleam. "You're gonna regret that, Paildramon…" he promised in a scathing whisper.

Before he could move, a hulking figure leapt up from behind the insect. VictoryGreymon lunged through the air, his hands on the hilt of the Dramon Breaker, which was raised proudly over his head. Poised to strike, VictoryGreymon descended, his eyes passionate and severe as he closed in. He brought the Dramon Breaker with the full weight of his sword, aiming to crush GrandisKuwagamon into the ground.

GrandisKuwagamon didn't need to turn around to sense the hostile presence behind him. As VictoryGreymon cleaved the Dramon Breaker downwards, the mercenary seamlessly floated to the side in a smooth motion. The massive three-pronged broadsword descended beside him with an audible hum.

VictoryGreymon lurched forwards from the momentum of the swing as he missed his target, but he was a master of the Dramon Breaker. He shifted the momentum of his swing and began redirecting the angle of the hefty blade in a smooth, fluid motion. The Dramon Breaker shifted sideways and VictoryGreymon spun around, transferring the sword from a vertical swing into a horizontal one. He twirled three hundred sixty degrees in the air and dragged the Dramon Breaker with him in a sweeping horizontal slash.

GrandisKuwagamon glanced to his right and saw the blade sailing towards the lower half of his body. He quickly brought his legs up and tucked them against his chest, allowing the blade to pass below him. He spun around to see VictoryGreymon further using the momentum of his heavy broadsword, spinning around a second time and lifting the Dramon Breaker up to ready himself for a diagonal slash. GrandisKuwagamon used this opportunity to his advantage.

Just as VictoryGreymon turned back around and began to swing the mighty broadsword, GrandisKuwagamon slammed the sole of his boot into VictoryGreymon's armoured but flexible abdomen. He kicked hard into VictoryGreymon's stomach, causing the dragon soldier to double over and cause his swing to falter. He was pushed away and GrandisKuwagamon used the kick to propel himself away from VictoryGreymon's sword range. Once clear, GrandisKuwagamon performed a backwards somersault and then flapped his wings hard, sending himself shooting back towards VictoryGreymon with impressive agility and aerobatics. He closed in and grabbed hold of VictoryGreymon's head, slamming his snout down into GrandisKuwagamon's rising knee. He released him, and cracked his spiked elbow across VictoryGreymon's cheek, causing him to totter to the side. GrandisKuwagamon proceeded to spin around and level a painful butterfly kick to VictoryGreymon's face and collar.

As VictoryGreymon staggered back from the brutal assault, GrandisKuwagamon steamed forwards. He soared swiftly towards Imperialdramon, making a bee-line for her before she could attack him again.

Imperialdramon quickly swerved to the side in response. She aimed her cannon and ducked her head, sending another beam of spiralling energy surging towards him. GrandisKuwagamon was too focused to get caught in the blast this time. With savage intensity, he predicted the trajectory of the beam and swerved to evade it. Even as Imperialdramon corrected her angle, he was too fast to get hit by it. It wasn't long until the beam faded and he closed the distance with her.

GrandisKuwagamon stabbed his Gran Killers forwards, plunging them towards Imperialdramon's collar. The massive dragon acted quickly, bringing her left foreleg up and blocking the strike with her obsidian gauntlet. The three, jagged blades screeched against the black armour and a few stray sparks cascaded out upon impact.

Imperialdramon retaliated by raising her right leg. Her claws and ankle blade shone with brilliant, golden light right before they dropped. GrandisKuwagamon dashed to the right as the resplendent blade fell. He was fast enough to avoid the attack, but the Splendor Blade was able to chip a small piece off of GrandisKuwagamon's shoulder guard.

With the heavy paw missing him, the ebony assassin quickly flew underneath Imperialdramon. He slashed his Gran Killer across her white breastplate and continued until he found the scales of her ivory underbelly. He dragged his Gran Killer across her scales, tracing three shallow but painful cuts across her gut. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't push deeper due to the denseness of her data and the thick muscles underneath, but it still caused immense pain.

Imperialdramon snarled with torment as blood formed along the long slashes. As GrandisKuwagamon emerged at her right flank, she was able to kick him away with her back foot. She tried flapping her wings and bashing her leg towards him, but his superior speed allowed him to avoid her slashes. GrandisKuwagamon flew up and drove his knee into Imperialdramon's angular chin, causing her head to jerk upwards. She growled and clapped her front feet together crushing him between them painfully.

"D-Damn it…" GrandisKuwagamon snarled, squirming within her crushing hold. "Slide Evolution! GranKuwagamon!"

He suddenly expanded in size, causing Imperialdramon's claws to be pushed away from him, giving him room to manoeuvre. He grew to the same size as Imperialdramon and glared at the dragon inches away from him. Without wasting any time, he started pouring energy into his hooked pincers. "Dimension Scissors!" he shouted haggardly, releasing a cutting beam from his forceps and sending it crashing into Imperialdramon at point blank range.

The arc of energy exploded against her and Imperialdramon reeled backwards. He reached in through the cloud of smoke and distorted space and bashed his clawed fist across her face. He pummeled her jaw and delivered an uppercut to her chin. Imperialdramon was able to stab her blade into his shoulder, but he had the momentum. Imperialdramon was pushed back under the merciless assault. As blood leaked from the corners of her mouth, she felt her control over her Imperialdramon slipping from her grasp.

"Catastrophe!" GranKuwagamon shouted, unleashing a surge of dark energy onto the dragon's form. Imperialdramon roared with pain as she was engulfed in the abyssal blast. The nullifying power tore at her form. Her body became engulfed in light and she was forced to revert back to her Paildramon form to conserve energy.

Although some of her wounds healed from the reversion, a few trails of blood trickled down Paildramon's neck from underneath her helmet. She flapped her four wings and flew into reverse, putting distance between herself and the large insect Digimon. "Damn it… I devolved… He got the upper hand against me…" she bitterly thought to herself, ignoring the pain.

"GrandisKuwagamon!" a passionate voice called out from the side. VictoryGreymon came rushing over to distract GranKuwagamon from Paildramon. He flew through the air and closed in on GranKuwagamon and raised the Dramon Breaker over his head with one hand.

"You think that'll work? You're so predictable," GranKuwagamon taunted, his voice raspy and cold. He turned towards the dragon, awaiting his attack.

"Rage Streit!" SaviorHackmon suddenly called out from behind him, taking the opportunity to distract GranKuwagamon while his back was turned. He descended through the air in a flying kick and drove his bladed foot into GranKuwagamon's armoured backside. He followed up by releasing a rapid-fire burst of flames onto GranKuwagamon's back while he was in spitting distance of the fugitive.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon shouted, releasing her own machine gun burst into GranKuwagamon's side in order to distract him.

"Damn it! You pieces of…!" GranKuwagamon raised his right forearm to block Paildramon's barrage, while also pivoting and swiping his left arm behind him to knock SaviorHackmon away. It was in that exposed moment that VictoryGreymon closed in on him.

GranKuwagamon turned his head back and his crimson eyes widened. With his arms occupied, he couldn't react fast enough to defend himself. VictoryGreymon closed in on him and held the Dramon Breaker over his shoulder, preparing to cleave. GranKuwagamon knew that he couldn't avoid it. His body was tired and his muscles ached. He knew that he was pushing himself beyond his limit. There wasn't much he could do.

However… He wasn't about to give up. He wouldn't let himself get dragged back to imprisonment once again. He knew that if he did, we would be trapped in a cell for a very long time. He wasn't going to give in. He wasn't going to lose control. He wasn't going to be at their mercy…

"Dramon Breaker!" VictoryGreymon shouted, bringing the broadsword down on the large insect.

GranKuwagamon's eyes hardened. "Slide Evolution!"

Despite the strain it put on his body, his silhouette shone and shifted back into his smaller GrandisKuwagamon form once again. As the blade fell on him, GrandisKuwagamon used his decrease in mass to deftly swerve to the side and evade the mighty swing.

VictoryGreymon blinked, stunned that he had missed his target. "Uh…?"

GrandisKuwagamon suddenly acted. With his left hand, he grabbed hold of VictoryGreymon's left arm and fluidly circled around the behind the dragon man. He wrenched VictoryGreymon's arm backwards and pulled it up painfully against the small of the dragon's back, rendering it stressed and immobile. GrandisKuwagamon then brought his right arm up and brought it under VictoryGreymon's right armpit, locking his arm in a shoulder lock that rendered him unable to effectively use his sword against him. For good measure, GrandisKuwagamon closed his pincers and tightened them like a vice around the sides of VictoryGreymon's neck.

He had VictoryGreymon completely pinned and at his mercy.

"Guh…!" VictoryGreymon cried out, squirming and trying to free himself, but found that doing so only caused him severe pain.

"Okay, that's about enough outta you!" GrandisKuwagamon exclaimed, holding VictoryGreymon tightly against his will and not letting him move a muscle, even as the Greymon tried to resist. "Everybody hold up before he gets hurt."

"VictoryGreymon!" SaviorHackmon shouted with worry.

Paildramon's gaze hardened and she aimed her guns at GrandisKuwagamon, but she couldn't get a clear bead on him since VictoryGreymon was being used as a meat shield. "Damn it…" she internally swore. She clenched her fist before releasing it from its tight ball. Knowing she may have to use her cables in this situation, she kept her hands at the ready. "Release him, GrandisKuwagamon!" she demanded.

GrandisKuwagamon breathed heavily from exhaustion. Sweat matted his orange hair and dripped down the back of his neck. He felt the heat and sweat of VictoryGreymon's body against him. He used this reprieve to catch his breath. He knew he couldn't afford to let the dragon go at this point. The pincers that tightly clutched VictoryGreymon's neck didn't move a millimeter.

"Not unless you both turn around and head right back to the castle. Tell them I escaped," GrandisKuwagamon bargained, keeping a tight lock on VictoryGreymon's arms.

SaviorHackmon glowered and clenched his fists. "Coward!" he shouted, beginning to fly forwards.

"Ah ah!" GrandisKuwagamon chimed out, tightening his pincers like a vice around VictoryGreymon's armoured neck, increasing the pressure enough that VictoryGreymon let out a cry of pain. "Don't move a muscle or else your friend here will be a head shorter!"

SaviorHackmon snarled, reluctantly stopping in his place. "He was your friend too, wasn't he?!" he bitterly asked, levelling a pained glare at the obsidian mercenary. "I thought we all were! We all trusted you!"

GrandisKuwagamon scoffed and glanced away. "I was just using you," he insisted.

"Then… Then why did you save me?!" VictoryGreymon exclaimed, wiggling against GrandisKuwagamon's hold and trying to glance over his shoulder.

"I thought that if you got too far away from me, the restraint system would activate," GrandisKuwagamon coldly responded. "I just didn't want to get electrocuted."

At this falsehood, Paildramon narrowed her eyes. "That's not true, GrandisKuwagamon…" she informed them. "The previous night, you told me that you knew that the restraint system was connected to me alone."

GrandisKuwagamon gnashed his teeth together and matched her glare. "I was bluffing," he maintained.

Paildramon swept her arm out emphatically. "You're lying," she contended, staring into his eyes. "Even if that were true, I confirmed it to you before you helped him."

"I only helped him to gain your trust so that I could manipulate you all into freeing me," GrandisKuwagamon reiterated angrily.

"Another lie," Paildramon bluntly accused. "Until we returned and you spoke with Alphamon, you thought that you would be released regardless. I saw your face when you realised that you weren't going to be released."

"So did I!" VictoryGreymon exclaimed. Despite the fact that he felt like his scales would rip with the wrong movement, VictoryGreymon wasn't about to give up. "You can't fake that kind of pain!"

Paildramon frowned at GrandisKuwagamon. "I don't understand, GrandisKuwagamon. Why are you doing this?"

A soft growl escaped from GrandisKuwagamon's throat, but he didn't relent. He refused to reply or answer their questions. He merely maintained his fiery glare and made sure that VictoryGreymon didn't have a centimeter to move.

"Why did you betray us, Grandis? Why are you fighting us?!" SaviorHackmon demanded. "You're not a bad Digimon, so why are you acting like one?"

GrandisKuwagamon scowled at SaviorHackmon and tightened his hold on VictoryGreymon's limbs. He still kept himself from responding even as his emotions swelled.

"After having been betrayed by Blitzmon and Bolgmon, why would you turn around and do the same to the first people to offer kindness to you?" Paildramon questioned. "Is it to make you feel better about yourself? Why would you turn down Alphamon's lenient offer? Is immediate freedom so important – even if it means risking a lifetime of imprisonment? Why are you so desperate?"

Paildramon's words struck a nerve inside the scarab mercenary, but he didn't react. He kept his feelings in line, even if he was finding it harder and harder to do so. He took a deep breath and tried to center himself, all while concentrating on restraining his hostage.

"Please, stop it, Grandis!" VictoryGreymon beseeched him desperately, looking over his shoulder with his big, pleading, green eyes. "You don't have to do this!"

His frustration at a breaking point, GrandisKuwagamon finally let loose. The adrenaline that had been pumping through his body from the fight was taking over. He began to release everything that he had been holding in. "You're right for once, VictoryGreymon!" he exclaimed, his crimson eye locking with VictoryGreymon's greens. "I don't have to do anything! I'm choosing to do this!"

Paildramon leered at him steadily. "Why…?" she asked, her voice cool and composed despite the heated, dangerous situation. "Why do this? Why would you do something so stupid when you were promised leniency? You were facing a year or two in prison, yes, but you were facing a much longer tenure with all of the crimes to your name. Why would you risk all that just to avoid a year?"

The black insect growled and met her gaze. "It's so easy to say that from where you're standing…" he muttered lowly. "You've never stepped a foot wrong in your life."

"Did you really think that the Royal Knights wouldn't live up to their word? For as much as you demean the Royal Knights for being honorable, did you think that the deal would be reneged upon as soon as you stopped being useful? Would a group as blindly principled as you say we are do that? We're either naively idealistic or we're hypocrites; you can't have it both ways, GrandisKuwagamon" Paildramon pointed out. She stared into his eye, her gaze penetrating. "Or did you merely see a chance to escape and you were opportunistic enough to grab it with both hands?"

GrandisKuwagamon pressed his teeth together tightly. He hated to admit to himself that she was right. He had acted on his emotions and impulses when he was sent back to the dungeon. As soon as the opportunity presented himself, he took it. He felt he had to. He glanced away, internally embarrassed at his rashness, but he tried not to let it show.

However, Paildramon noticed his subtle movements and his lack of a response. "…That's it, isn't it? You acted without thinking and you're trying to rationalize it. You don't have a plan right now, do you?" she determined confidently. "You're merely focusing on the present. That's why you have to use VictoryGreymon as a hostage. …Do you really think that this will work out for you when you don't even have a plan?"

"What the hell do you know, you smug bitch?!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted, losing control of his emotions. Just like in the dungeons, he felt the walls closing in on him. The spectre of the distant Royal Knights continued to loom over him, portending his potential capture. He felt his desperation growing. "What the hell do any of you know?!"

"So, explain," Paildramon replied, taking his anger in her stride. "Why escape? You owe us that much."

"I don't owe you anything…" GrandisKuwagamon murmured bitterly. He scoffed and conceded. "Tch… What were my options? Worst case scenario, I rot away in Havelock Prison for years. Best case scenario, I get two years and then I'm forced to become the Royal Knights' lackey like Dorbickmon. Look what happened to him. Yeah, maybe I acted rashly and maybe it was a huge risk, but at least this way, I'm in control…"

"Control?" SaviorHackmon questioned. "How is being on the run from the Royal Knights being 'in control'? How can you be in control when you have to constantly look over your shoulder?"

"You've got no idea…" GrandisKuwagamon sourly replied. "None of you do."

"Ngh… A-About what?" VictoryGreymon sputtered, still struggling against his captor. He was tempted to release the Dramon Breaker to the ground and try to use his hand to pry the pincers away from his neck, but he didn't want to risk it.

"About what it's like…" the mercenary answered enigmatically, his scissors still locked around VictoryGreymon's neck. "You guys don't know how good you have it."

"What do you mean, GrandisKuwagamon?" SaviorHackmon implored him. "You keep saying that, but you don't make any sense."

"You're all living comfy lives," GrandisKuwagamon responded bitterly. He stared over at Paildramon. "Paildramon… You complain about having an overbearing father, but you should be happy that you've got two rich parents, a rich house, a little brother, a rich life…" He then glanced at his hostage. "VictoryGreymon, you got a dad who owns one of the best fucking beer companies in the Digital World, and you've got friends you can trust unconditionally." He turned his eye towards the SaviorHackmon finally. "SaviorHackmon, you've got a Royal Knight for a mentor – somebody who'd give up his own life to make sure that you're safe and cared for. I wasn't lying when I told you how lucky you were…"

"I didn't ask for the life that I have," Paildramon defended.

"Neither did I," GrandisKuwagamon darkly responded. "Not blaming you, Paildramon; I'm just saying that you don't know what it's like for somebody who's been on life's losing end. You've lived pretty good lives. You've never had to struggle. You've never had to fight just to survive. I had to claw my way through the dregs of the Digital World to get to where I am today."

"What is this? More lies? Are you trying to trick us again?" SaviorHackmon sceptically retorted, his sharp teeth clashing together as twinges of anger throbbed in his aching heart. "Another sob story to manipulate me?"

"Tch…" GrandisKuwagamon gazed at SaviorHackmon soberly. "I may have manipulated you… but I didn't lie. Everything I told you about my life was the truth…" He clenched his right fist, the arm it was connected to still holding VictoryGreymon's right shoulder in place. "I only had my skills and my desire to survive. I wanted to pick myself up from the gutter that we lived in."

Paildramon narrowed her eyes at him. "So, you had a rough life… I'm sorry to hear that. But what does that have to do with this?" she evenly asked, although not without simmering anger. "Are you just using that as an excuse? Or is this some sort of reverse-elitism? Are you saying that having a tough upbringing gives you the right to be an ass?"

GrandisKuwagamon managed a ghost of a smirk as he stared at her. "You've got guts, P…" he said, half-impressed. However, the smirk faded as swiftly as it appeared. "But you still don't get it." He scoffed breathily. "You – none of you – have any damn idea."

His eye burned a dark crimson as the clouds drifted in the sky overhead. "You don't know what it feels like to have your life be outside of your hands. To not be in control…" he explained intensely. "When I was with you, with the Royal Knights, I was being led along by a leash. I had no control over my life or my future. I was at their mercy… completely dependent on their goodwill. If they wanted, they could end my life."

VictoryGreymon grimaced and tried to look over his shoulder at the ebony scarab. "They wouldn't though… Was it so bad that you had to betray us? That you had to risk everything?"

"I guess so… I hate being in that situation," he explained, his voice introspective yet passionate. "I don't expect you to know where I'm coming from; you're both soldiers… You're used to having your lives in others' hands. You're bound by duty and discipline. All you have to do is follow orders. I've always been making my own decisions for myself."

"You're right. I don't understand," Paildramon spoke. "How could it be that bad that you would risk everything just to escape? Help us understand, GrandisKuwagamon…"

At her request, GrandisKuwagamon released an empty laugh. "…You really want to know, Paildramon?" he asked bleakly. "I guess I'll tell you… but only because, as far as soldiers with sticks up their asses go… you're alright…" He flashed her a faint smirk before it faded from his face.

As the dark clouds overhead began to leak intermittent droplets of rain, GrandisKuwagamon's expression grew dark and intense. His crimson eye seemed to shadow as a cloud thickened and darkened the grassy landscape.

"None of you know how I ended up on the streets," he explained, his voice was heavy, but also blunt and matter-of-fact.

SaviorHackmon's yellow eyes narrowed inquisitively. "You said you lost your village, right?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah… But I didn't say how…" was the mercenary's simple reply.

GrandisKuwagamon paused for a few moments, steeling himself. He glanced at the northern horizon; the cloudy skies appeared safe. He released the breath that he was holding. Despite the tumult within him, he remained focused on his situation, and he didn't let VictoryGreymon move a muscle.

"You wanted to know about my past… Well, I come from a small town called Manu Village. It was in Restart Forest, out in the Western Reaches. Just south of the Forest of Equilibrium, in case you didn't know…" GrandisKuwagamon began. "It was way out in the sticks: pretty deep in the forest and not far from the Manu Mountains. It used to take two or three hours just to get to the next village over." He shrugged dismissively. "It wasn't much… a pretty forgettable village, by all accounts… but it was a decent enough place to live. The population was mostly insect Digimon, but there were some plant, bird, and machine Digimon too."

Despite his aloof disposition, the memories began to rush back to him and reawaken dormant wounds. GrandisKuwagamon's gaze dipped downwards for a moment, but his eye narrowed and he focused. "I had parents – my dad was an Okuwamon and mom was an AtlurKabuterimon. Dad was a real hard ass. He was a woodworker by trade. Carpentry, furniture, stuff like that. He'd kick my ass if I did something stupid but only to teach me to be careful and not pull any more idiotic stunts. Tough but fair, I guess… Mom was a lot warmer. She focused on the financial side of the business. She'd cheer us up with sweets – you know, that kind of mom." Without meaning to, he became nostalgic and he was immersed in the memories. "…I had a brother too: Kokuwamon. We were fraternal twins… We were born at the same time but had different eggs. He was always the reckless one: exploring further than we were allowed and getting me into trouble all the time…"

Paildramon's eyes narrowed as she listened to his mention of his brother. She wondered if what he said to her had been the truth after all…

GrandisKuwagamon caught himself. He hated that he was becoming nostalgic and sentimental. His blood red eye hardened and he shook his head slightly, inadvertently causing VictoryGreymon discomfort as the pincers moved. "Anyways… None of that's important," he said with a mixture of bitterness and embarrassment. "When I was ten, my life changed."

The mercenary's hand tightened around VictoryGreymon's wrist. "I was a Tentomon at the time… It was sundown… Me and Kokuwamon had been at school for the day. We played outside until the sun began to set… kicked one of those fruits with the really hard shell around with the other kids. Blitz and Bolg were there in their Child forms. Then Ko and I got called inside for dinner… We were eating… I can't remember what. Mom's usual, I guess…" He grunted dismissively. "All I can remember about that night was that the tree tops were orange and the sky was pitch black. I remember it got really dark outside… Then…"

"Then the ground started shaking…" GrandisKuwagamon explained, his eye distant, as if he was reliving the moment. "The plates were rumbling - the wood of the house, the trees shaking… At first, we thought it was an earthquake…" The ruby eye darkened to a deep, bloody hue. ""It wasn't an earthquake… It was footsteps – lots of them. Then the shooting started…"

"W-What?" VictoryGreymon whispered, his eyes widening.

"I remember looking out the window and I saw this white beam tear through the town, vaporizing whatever it touched. Everything started falling off the shelves and there I felt the vibrations in the ground. I heard yelling and screaming outside. Then the missiles started raining down. There was a huge explosion and then, suddenly, there was fire all over the trees. I got another good look out the window and I saw one of the missiles blow my neighbour's house to smithereens."

SaviorHackmon's stared at GrandisKuwagamon with heartfelt shock and mortification. "No way…" he whispered.

Paildramon winced at the revelation of his quickly darkening tale. "…Your village was attacked."

GrandisKuwagamon nodded. "My dad pulled me and Ko down and forced us under the dinner table. He and Mom told us to stay where we were and not to move, no matter what. Dad went to the front door and looked outside. I could see another missile come down across the street. There were beams and missiles flying all over the place at that point. The night lit up with white and red every two seconds. The ground wouldn't stop shaking…" GrandisKuwagamon's eye stared intensely into the distance. "I could hear the yells of the village's volunteer defence force outside. They were trying to scramble a defence, but I could tell it wasn't doing much good. It was fucking chaos. But Dad and Mom were members since they were both Perfect level and had some combat experience, so they said goodbye and went out to protect the village…"

"GrandisKuwagamon…" VictoryGreymon spoke, his voice stunned and trembling with emotion despite the situation he was in.

"Me and Kokuwamon could hear fighting outside," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "He wanted to look, but I tried to stop him. To be honest, I couldn't decide if I wanted to look too – I was scared shitless at the time. But when he went over to the window, I followed him. We looked outside and saw the living hell that was Manu Village. The buildings were on fire, the trees were collapsing. Beams and missiles were landing everywhere. There were screams of pain…" His eye hardened with bitter rage and darkness. "But… more than that… I heard laughing."

"Laughing…?" SaviorHackmon asked, staring at GrandisKuwagamon with horror.

"It was the bastards who were doing this…" GrandisKuwagamon responded. "We saw them… It was a group of MetalTyrannomons, all with X-Antibodies. I could tell because those weird gems they had glowed in the dark… There were about a dozen of those cyborg freaks attacking our village."

Paildramon grimaced. "Bandits…" she spoke, clenching her fists.

"I guess if you want to call them that… Anyway… the MetalTyrannomons came out of the forest and kept shooting. They were more powerful because of the X-Antibody, but they were more experienced too. I could see the volunteer defence getting chewed to pieces..." GrandisKuwagamon glanced to the side. As he spoke, a dark tempest swirled within his reflective, ruby eye. "Luckily, we didn't see what happened to our parents…"

Nobody responded. The air was tense and heavy. They simply let GrandisKuwagamon continue at his own pace.

"Before we could see anymore, a missile landed right outside the house. The windowpane shattered and we got the hell away from the window. I dove back under the table and pulled Ko with me. The attacks were getting closer to our house…" GrandisKuwagamon stalled. "…Kokuwamon…" He continued. "He pulled away from me and ran to the front door. He said he needed to help Mom and Dad. I told him not to… I begged him not to… but… he was always reckless…"

His crimson eye narrowed bitterly. "I tried to stop him, but he was already at the door… He didn't listen. He opened the door, ran outside, and then… boom. A missile landed right beside the front door. He got swept up in the blast and the front of our house collapsed," he explained. An uneven breath escaped his nostrils. "I was frozen in place under the table by this point. I was crying my eyes out. I could hear the explosions and the laughing getting closer…" He smiled sadly. "…Know what I thought? I thought, 'Why doesn't anybody save us?' 'Why don't some Ultimate-level heroes swoop in and save the town?' 'Why doesn't Yggdrasil save everybody…?' I basically prayed for anybody to come and rescue us from these… monsters. But… there was nothing. No Royal Knights showed up. No heroes. There was no divine intervention... No beacon of light from our so-called god. We were left to die at the hands of those psychos."

SaviorHackmon shut his eyes tightly. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. Everything about GrandisKuwagamon was suddenly so clear to him now. His heart ached with empathy.

"I'm… so sorry…" VictoryGreymon whispered, not moving an inch.

"That night… I learned what it meant to have absolutely no control. I was helpless… scared… crying… useless. My life was out of my hands. All I could do was wait, cowering under that wooden table, and hope that none of the missiles land on me and blow me to bits. My life was in the hands of a group of sadistic freaks who laughed as they murdered my friends and family. …I nearly did die that night," GrandisKuwagamon explained matter-of-factly. "As I was sitting there, waiting for a hero, a missile landed at the back of the house. Fire and wood came flooding in. The concussion knocked me out and the house collapsed."

GrandisKuwagamon relaxed his body gently, his grip on VictoryGreymon softening. "I woke up the next morning, buried under the rubble of my house. I barely managed to crawl my way out… When I did, I was sick at what I saw… The village was completely levelled. The trees were burnt and there was a there was smoke everywhere like a choking mist. I could barely breathe without coughing. Not a single building was left standing… The MetalTyrannomon X raiders were long gone, and they left jack shit in their wake. There were ripped branches, collapsed houses and craters everywhere. It looked more like a warzone than a village… There were puddles of blood… I looked around for my parents and my brother, but… I couldn't find them. Couldn't find a trace of anyone. The only survivors I found were Blitzmon and Bolgmon – Kunemon and Kokabuterimon at the time. Bolgmon was trapped under a pile of rubble and he was running out of air, but we dug him out. After we did, we looked around for others. We looked everywhere, but… it was just us. We were the only ones left."

GrandisKuwagamon gazed intensely at the back of VictoryGreymon's head. "We were devastated, crying uncontrollably, broken… Stayed that way for what seemed like most of the day. We were never the same after that. But we knew we couldn't stay around. We took what salvageable food there was and left Manu. We tried to travelling to the next closest village, but we got lost and eventually just kept travelling out of Restart Forest until we found a road. We kept following that road until we ended up in New Terminal. When we got there, we began to realise how little people cared about mangy insect brats like us. We didn't get any help, so we had to steal what food and money we could to survive. We got involved with some criminals and worked for them for a commission. It was a living and that was all we could hope for."

The mercenary's crimson eye seemed to blaze. "…But we never forgot that night… or the Digimon who ruined our lives. Even as we worked and stole and fought to survive, we prepared. We'd wake up early and train. We'd work out, we'd spar, we'd practice our skills… we even convinced a couple mentors that we knew to show us the basics of combat. We spent our teenage years getting stronger. We used our hatred, our anger, and our pain to push ourselves to become powerful. I was an Adult-level before I was thirteen, and I was a Perfect-level just two years later. We wanted revenge on those monsters… and we wanted to take back some of what we lost that night. Once I was a GranKuwagamon, and both Blitzmon and Bolgmon could access their RhinoKabuterimon forms, we felt we were ready."

"Ready for what…?" Paildramon asked him with a soft wince.

"To take our revenge…" GrandisKuwagamon explained, smiling darkly. "We used our underworld connections to find out who exactly those MetalTyrannomon X-Antibody raiders were, and where we could find them… So, we went to find them."

"…Did you?" Paildramon questioned, although she was confident that she knew the answer.

"Yup… We waited… and then we attacked their camp in the night. We gave them a chance to feel what they put us through…" GrandisKuwagamon darkly explained. "The fear and confusion…" He stared at his opponents with a cold-blooded crimson eye. "The pain."

SaviorHackmon opened his reddened, grimacing eyes and stared at GrandisKuwagamon. "So… You took revenge…"

"Hell yeah, we did…" GrandisKuwagamon apathetically confirmed. "We were strong enough to beat them, and we had them at our mercy… We kicked the survivors around - we made sure that it hurt. I grabbed the leader's neck in my pincers and squeezed until he was gasping for air. I asked him if he remembered the village he destroyed all those years ago. He said 'yeah'. Then I asked him why he destroyed the village. …Know what he said?"

"…What?" Paildramon asked.

"He said 'It was fun. I love killing.' …No reason. Not even money. He just wanted to cause pain and blow things up. Just mindless destruction…" GrandisKuwagamon explained bitterly. "The other raiders went along with the plan and took what they wanted from the wreckage." GrandisKuwagamon closed his eye. "So… That tipped us over the edge… We repaid them tenfold… We didn't just kill them, we wanted them to suffer first… We tore their metal bits off from their fleshy bits… We punched, stabbed, electrocuted, you name it… The things we did to them…" GrandisKuwagamon opened his eye into a narrow slit. "I threw up after. The first time we killed anyone, and to kill them in the way we did…"

SaviorHackmon and VictoryGreymon both grimaced and looked away at the mental image, trying not to imagine it.

"I don't know if I felt any better after that… It felt sorta good at first, but, after it was done, I just felt kinda lost. Empty. I don't regret it, but I guess I expected it to feel better. I was naïve." He drew a haggard breath. "Anyway… Once they were dead and their data was floating around, we did one last thing," GrandisKuwagamon explained, looking bitterly at the group.

"We absorbed their data," he finished.

The dragons' eyes widened with shock. "You… You what…?" SaviorHackmon stammered, gaping with sad incredulity at GrandisKuwagamon. "You mean… it's true…? The rumours?"

"Yup… We're data absorbers…" GrandisKuwagamon confirmed with a sad smile. "But… that was the only time… We were so angry and sickened that we decided that we couldn't let those monsters be reborn in the Village of Beginnings. They didn't deserve it. We couldn't risk them coming back and causing more havoc. You can think of me what you want, but we did what we did…"

"I… I see…" Paildramon answered in a near murmur.

"Except, at the time, we didn't know what data absorbing entailed… We didn't know that bodies usually didn't react well to foreign data. Our bodies sure didn't. We were pretty much sent into convulsions… I would have thrown up if there was anything left in my stomach," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "We also didn't know that, by absorbing their data, we'd be absorbing their X-Antibody too. I don't know if that made the process worse, but it was hellish. I watched as Blitzmon and Bolgmon absorbed the X-Antibodies into them…"

GrandisKuwagamon frowned thoughtfully. "I felt its power inside me. I could feel the antibody taking over my digicore, but I tried not to let it. It felt like it was going to consume my body and I didn't want it to. Because of it, I changed into my GrandisKuwagamon form, but I didn't let it take over completely. I hated the idea of letting that monster be a part of me. It was hard – my digicore felt like it was breaking down – but I finally got it under my thumb… That's why I meditate… to keep the X-antibody under control…"

GrandisKuwagamon grunted and released a long, heavy sigh. As strange as he felt about opening up so much, he felt relieved, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He turned his dull, crimson gaze to Paildramon.

"…So, Paildramon… You wonder why I'm doing this? …I chose to escape because I never want to be in that situation again. I never want to be helpless again. I never want my life to be out of my control. I never want to be at somebody else's mercy," he explained emphatically, his crimson eye flashing. "…That night, I learned that I can't rely on others if I want to survive. The only thing I can rely on is my own strength and my own abilities. That's the only thing I can trust."

Paildramon grimaced. Despite her calm demeanour, her heart ached for GrandisKuwagamon. She felt sympathy for him, but she couldn't let that take over the reality of the situation. "I'm… I'm so sorry, GrandisKuwagamon…" she said to him, her voice sincere and sad. "However… nothing has changed. Do you think that your tragedy gives you the right to do the things that you've done?"

"No, I don't…" GrandisKuwagamon responded emptily. "I've got no illusions about the life I've lived. I've never once asked for pity or made excuses for my actions. What happened to me… it's not an excuse… it's an explanation. I'm just explaining how I've become the Digimon that I am… Am I a bad Digimon? Yeah, probably. One thing that I'm not is a victim…" He grunted and bore into Paildramon's eyes. "I've just been trying to make the best of a shitty situation in the only way I know how, even if it means walking on people that I care about to do it…"

GrandisKuwagamon twitched his pincers as he hardened his gaze at the two dragons beyond his hostage. "And that, Paildramon, is why I'm doing thi—"

Before he could finish, VictoryGreymon took advantage of GrandisKuwagamon's loosened, distracted state. He wrenched his left arm out of GrandisKuwagamon's grip and slammed his elbow behind him, right into GrandisKuwagamon's cheek.

GrandisKuwagamon shouted out with pain and recoiled, the shock from the impact causing him to release VictoryGreymon from his grasp. VictoryGreymon ducked under GrandisKuwagamon's pincers and spun around in the air as the black insect staggered back.

As VictoryGreymon raised the Dramon Breaker and stared at GrandisKuwagamon, his green eyes were revealed to be red and puffy. Tears of sympathy and sorrow stained his cheeks from GrandisKuwagamon's story. However, beyond the sadness was a gaze of determination.

VictoryGreymon tearfully raised the Dramon Breaker and pointed it at GrandisKuwagamon. "I'm sorry, Grandis… But I have to fight you…" he told him apologetically, although his willpower didn't falter for a moment. "Please surrender…"

GrandisKuwagamon scowled and rubbed his cheek with the corner of his Gran Killer. He stared back at VictoryGreymon with equal determination. "No… I'm not gonna show you any mercy, Victory… I'll do whatever it takes to escape," he promised, crossing the Gran Killers in front of his body. "And now you know why."

"I'm… I'm gonna stop you, Grandis…" VictoryGreymon told him, his grip tightening on the Dramon Breaker.

"You're gonna have to," GrandisKuwagamon responded, speeding forward.

The dark shadow cut through the sky with unparalleled speed and intensity. GrandisKuwagamon closed in on VictoryGreymon, preparing to slash with the dual Gran Killers. He saw VictoryGreymon raise the Dramon Breaker and begin to swing it downwards with his right hand. As the massive broadsword started to cleave the air, GrandisKuwagamon suddenly ducked to the side, having feinted VictoryGreymon out.

"Grandis Scissors!" he shouted, taking the opportunity that was presented. The stygian pincers glowed with light and shot out a cutting blade of energy from several meters away. The sickle-shaped arc tore through the air towards VictoryGreymon.

However, VictoryGreymon reacted stunningly quickly, especially for a Digimon who was usually clumsy. With deft timing, he cut his swing short and raised his left arm in front of his body. "Victory Shield!" he called out. The pair of triangular, metal wings jutting from his back suddenly detached and combined into one. They formed a protrusive, tetragonal shield that fit over his left forearm.

The blade of energy slammed against the shield and broke against its might, splitting off and passing harmlessly around VictoryGreymon's body.

SaviorHackmon watched as GrandisKuwagamon flew in for another aggressive strike. He wanted to help, but he was conflicted. He looked at Paildramon for orders. "What should we do, over-sergeant?" he asked her.

"We should hang back for now," Paildramon explained to him. "If we try to interfere in a one-on-one melee fight, we'll only get in VictoryGreymon's way. He'll worry about hitting us with the Dramon Breaker and he'll hold back; that would put him at a disadvantage. Right now, he has the sheer power capable of defeating GrandisKuwagamon. We should focus on watching his back from a distance and attack GrandisKuwagamon from a range whenever he disengages. If VictoryGreymon ends up in a bad position, then we'll step in."

SaviorHackmon nodded. His golden eyes softened. "Should we really be trying to defeat GrandisKuwagamon after everything that he said…?" he asked, his voice clouded with doubt and uncertainty.

"Yes," Paildramon said plainly. "By defeating him here, we're doing GrandisKuwagamon a favour in the long run, even if he doesn't see it that way. If he escapes and becomes our enemy again, it will only cause problems for himself… as well as the rest of us. The further GrandisKuwagamon gets from us, the greater the chance we'll lose him for good." She nodded at VictoryGreymon. "That's why VictoryGreymon is so determined to defeat him right now…"

SaviorHackmon frowned as he took in her words. "I see…" he murmured, looking back at the duelling pair.

Paildramon looked at SaviorHackmon. "Flank him from the left. If GrandisKuwagamon breaks away, open fire," she ordered him, readying the cannons attached to her hips as well as her extendable claws.

Meanwhile, GrandisKuwagamon closed in on VictoryGreymon with lightning speed. He thrust his right arm. The Gran Killers clashed with the Victory Shield, which VictoryGreymon raised in time to block the slash. GrandisKuwagamon swerved to the left and followed up with a left hook.

The trio of claws slammed into VictoryGreymon's armoured face and sent a throbbing ache through his jaw. His head jerked to the side and his guard momentarily fell. GrandisKuwagamon grabbed the ends of the V-shaped crest on VictoryGreymon's helmet and used it to force VictoryGreymon's face down into his rising knee. The insect Digimon drove his knee into VictoryGreymon's snout one more time before the dragon man threw his left arm forwards and bashed GrandisKuwagamon in the face with his angular shield.

GrandisKuwagamon grunted and staggered backwards, a bloody crack forming on his lower lip. He scowled at VictoryGreymon, who glared back at him with intense, glistening eyes. VictoryGreymon swept the Dramon Breaker down on GrandisKuwagamon in a sharp, diagonal angle. The obsidian beetle raised his Gran Killers as the weighty slab of bladed metal crashed into him. He managed to block the attack by raising his gauntlets in front of his body, but the sheer shock and strength of the blow send pain shooting up his forearms and bashed him downwards several meters.

VictoryGreymon narrowed his eyes and used the added distance between them to his advantage. He lowered his sword into a middle guard stance, holding the claymore perpendicular to his waist. He held the hilt in both hands and visible particles of energy began to gather towards the trifurcated blades. The metal of the sword soaked in this energy and became radiant as the power was drawn from the air around him. The concentrated, atmospheric energy brimmed and began to swell along the length of the sword. The Dramon Breaker soon became engulfed in a pillar of power.

"Trident Gaia!" VictoryGreymon yelled out with a passionate growl. Suddenly, a massive pillar of blazing, white energy surged from the three tips of the Dramon Breaker. The giant column of destruction surged forwards like a river. The beam tore through the air and threatened to engulf GrandisKuwagamon.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye widened as he watched the stream of energy barrelled towards him. He flew to the right to avoid the beam, which seemed to be attached to VictoryGreymon's sword as it elongated. However, when he thought he was in the clear, VictoryGreymon suddenly swung the Dramon Breaker after GrandisKuwagamon, dragging the beam along with it. GrandisKuwagamon looked over his shoulder and swore when he saw the pillar of energy tailing him.

The insect swordsman suddenly dove downwards and flew towards VictoryGreymon by flying underneath the beam. The dragon man pushed the hundred meter-long beam blade downwards. The massive tip slammed into the ground with a massive tremor as the ground around it was annihilated under the pressure.

GrandisKuwagamon used his speed to his advantage, racing underneath the length of the beam. He used it as cover, flying in VictoryGreymon's blind spot as he approached. He closed in on VictoryGreymon as the beam began to weaken and thin out. He closed his pincers around VictoryGreymon's armoured angle and yanked him down, dragging VictoryGreymon downwards.

GrandisKuwagamon released him and flew up behind VictoryGreymon, dragging his Gran Killers across his back. He slammed his foot into the small of the dragon's spine and proceeded to slash his Gran Killers across VictoryGreymon's left arm. The claws hit the upper part of VictoryGreymon's forearm, just above the shield and the protective belts, cutting through his orange scales and causing blood to leak out onto the leather.

VictoryGreymon cried out with pain and swung around with a broad but accurate sweep of the Dramon Breaker. The mighty sword cleaved through GrandisKuwagamon's shoulder guard and cut into his black carapace, bruising the flesh underneath and drawing blood. The heavy piece of metal bashed GrandisKuwagamon away and caused him to hiss with pain, but he was able to recover swiftly.

He flew up and circled around above VictoryGreymon before suddenly descending on him. He drove his foot into VictoryGreymon's stomach and snapped his pincers shut around his shoulders, using his momentum to push VictoryGreymon down towards the ground.

As he felt himself plummeting under GrandisKuwagamon's force and weight, VictoryGreymon struggled in vain. He wasn't able to stop himself from falling. Acting quickly, he detached the Victory Shield back into its component parts and caused the pieces of metal to attach to his back once again. With his wings back in place, he regained his aerial mobility and he was able to slow his fall towards the ground.

Sensing this, GrandisKuwagamon scowled and released VictoryGreymon, pushing off his abs and driving his foot into VictoryGreymon's face in a painful bicycle kick. As GrandisKuwagamon flipped upwards acrobatically, as soon as he was upside down, he aimed his glowing pincers at the enemy below him. "Grandis Scissors!" he shouted, unleashing an arc of energy from his forceps that slammed into VictoryGreymon at point blank range and sent him crashing into the ground meters below him.

VictoryGreymon felt his back impact the grass below and he let out a winded gasp as a strand of bloody saliva escaped his opened maw. GrandisKuwagamon looked down at the prone dragon beneath him and didn't waste the opportunity of having his opponent lying on the ground. The merciless bug suddenly descended feet-first, aiming to stomp the soldier into the ground.

As GrandisKuwagamon fell onto VictoryGreymon like a meteor, the dragon man acted at the last moment. VictoryGreymon sprang to life and grabbed GrandisKuwagamon's ankles, the bug's feet inches away from his face. GrandisKuwagamon's eye widened and he tried to resist, but it was too late. VictoryGreymon kept a tight hold on the insect above him as he sat up, and suddenly slammed GrandisKuwagamon hard into the ground.

As the humanoid bug landed painfully on his back, VictoryGreymon stood to his feet on shaky legs, one of his hands still holding the bug's ankles. With a sharp roar or effort, VictoryGreymon pulled GrandisKuwagamon's ankle up and dragged the insect's body over his head with his immense strength. With one smooth motion, he sent GrandisKuwagamon slamming into the ground once again.

The mercenary's back slammed against the patch of hard dirt and grass, and he cough violently as the shock of impact swept through his body. VictoryGreymon raised the Dramon Breaker and stepped over GrandisKuwagamon, looking down at the injured bug with a frown. He placed his clawed foot on GrandisKuwagamon's chest and pointed the tips of the Dramon Breaker down towards GrandisKuwagamon's collar. "Surrender, Grandis. It's over…" he told him.

GrandisKuwagamon grimaced, but he glared defiantly up at the dragon standing over him. "Not a chance…" he answered, his voice rough and scathing. "You're gonna have to kill me… So, do it, V. Kill me."

"No… I'll never kill anybody! Life is too precious!" VictoryGreymon protested. "Surrender, Grandis!"

"Idiot," GrandisKuwagamon muttered. He grabbed a handful of mud and dirt and suddenly threw it into VictoryGreymon's face.

"Gah!" VictoryGreymon choked out, clutching his face with a hand and staggering backwards as his eyes stung and watered. "That was dirty!" he shouted, using his fingers to try to wipe the dust and grime out of his red, irritated eyes.

"So is this!" GrandisKuwagamon exclaimed, rushing forwards and cracking his knuckles across VictoryGreymon's jaw. He followed up by tackling VictoryGreymon down and clamping his pincers around VictoryGreymon's arms. The powerful mandibles crushed his arms against his sides, cutting at the flesh as they did so. A pained snarl escaped VictoryGreymon's mouth and he knew he had to get out of this before the sheer pressure broke his bones.

VictoryGreymon still held the Dramon Breaker in his right hand, but he couldn't use it at this close of a range. However, he remembered that he had another tactic that he could use…

"I'm sorry, Grandis. I've got no choice…" VictoryGreymon spoke, his eyes hardening. "Assault Mode!"

The Dramon Breaker suddenly detached into two component parts. The massive, three-pronged blade of the broadsword ejected from the V-shaped crossguard and the hilt of the sword. The blade slid in horizontally to a socket inside of the armoured bracelet over VictoryGreymon's right forearm. As the Dramon Breaker's blade locked into place over VictoryGreymon's wrist, the crossguard also moved and the hilt it attached to slotted into the socket on VictoryGreymon's left vambrace. The V-shaped crossguard closed up, the two sides combining to form a dagger, but it could also be opened and closed to use like a vice.

As the pressure on VictoryGreymon's biceps increased, he stabbed the tip of the golden hilt on his left wrist into GrandisKuwagamon's leg. The beetle cried out with pain and released the crushing hold he had around VictoryGreymon. The dragon man swung his arm and bashed GrandisKuwagamon off of him.

Clutching his leg, GrandisKuwagamon stood unevenly to his feet. He glared at VictoryGreymon, who rose to his feet as well. "Damn it…" he growled, staring at VictoryGreymon in a rage. He beat his wings and leapt into the air to take the pressure off of his wounded leg. "Don't fuck with me, V. I will beat your ass into the ground."

"I have to do this!" VictoryGreymon shouted out, jumping up and flying after him. He swept the blade of his right hand down, but GrandisKuwagamon was able to block it with his ebony gauntlet. He corrected by stabbing the short dagger on his left wrist forwards. Although GrandisKuwagamon was able to evade the stab, it still grazed his bicep. VictoryGreymon continued his onslaught by driving his foot into GrandisKuwagamon's chest. He beamed GrandisKuwagamon across his head using the blunt side of the Dramon Breaker's blade, and then he spun around and whipped his tail into the insect's side.

When VictoryGreymon was in his Assault Mode, he had greater mobility since his heavy sword was broken into components that were fixed on his arm. However this had the drawback of not having as much power as when he wielded his mighty sword. But in the situation of fighting a fast, agile enemy like GrandisKuwagamon, his Assault Mode was preferable.

The bruised and bloodied mercenary staggered backwards with a scowl. GrandisKuwagamon was at his limit. His muscles were numb with pain and his body felt weak and broken. However, he refused to give in. He was sure that VictoryGreymon was hurting just as much as he was. He glared at his opponent with disdain.

Without another word, GrandisKuwagamon blitzed towards VictoryGreymon. He started by driving his Gran Killers into VictoryGreymon's abdomen, which formed spider cracks in the thick plate metal. He then followed up with his right, sending his three claws speeding towards VictoryGreymon's face.

VictoryGreymon raised his left hand and opened up the dagger into a vice. He closed the metal ends around GrandisKuwagamon's wrist and stopped the long trio of blades inches away from his face. With the mercenary in his grasp, he raced forwards, drove his knee into beetle's gut, and grabbed hold of his left wrist with his other hand. He then splayed GrandisKuwagamon's arms out and moved in so that his face was centimeters away from GrandisKuwagamon's.

"Surrender, Grandis! I'm not messing around! Please, just do it!" he pleaded him fierily.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye narrowed and he stared balefully at the dragon who was an inch away from his face. "You're… not taking me seriously, are you?" he asked him with pure disdain. "You aren't going for any kill shots… You actually think that you can beat me using non fatal blows…"

"I'm not going to kill you, so it's the only way to beat you…" VictoryGreymon insisted, sweat dripping down his face and falling off of his bloodied snout as he stared at GrandisKuwagamon.

"You think I'm going to let myself be defeated by a naïve, blundering moron like you…? VictoryGreymon… I'm gonna show you what happens when you underestimate me… I'm gonna make you take me seriously…" Suddenly, GrandisKuwagamon's body became engulfed in light once more, growing within VictoryGreymon's grasp and preventing him from restraining him. "Slide Evolution! GranKuwagamon!"

Before the light even faded, GranKuwagamon locked his pincers around VictoryGreymon and took a nose dive towards the ground. He stabbed the ends of his pincers into the earth and began dragging VictoryGreymon along the grass.

"VictoryGreymon!" Paildramon shouted, seeing that VictoryGreymon needed their help now. "Desperado Blaster!"

SaviorHackmon winced but was determined to help his friend as well. "Meteor Flame!"

The two aerial dragons began unleashing a double-pronged salvo of rapid-fire blasts onto GranKuwagamon's back. The energy bullets and the fireballs both slammed into GranKuwagamon's ample back and riddled his dorsal carapace with pressure and flames. GranKuwagamon growled out and released VictoryGreymon, faltering in his flight and skidding along the ground.

VictoryGreymon rolled away once he was freed and he picked himself up once again, his body shaking with strain and agony. A feral look appeared in his VictoryGreymon's green eyes, and he released a draconic snarl as his adrenaline got the better of him. "Grandis!" he shouted in a roar, his sweaty, battered body heaving as he took in heavy breaths. He raised his brawny arms and ejected the two parts of the Dramon Breaker from his golden-yellow vambraces. The blade returned back to its placed within the V-shaped crossguard and the Dramon Breaker reformed.

Before the process could finish, GranKuwagamon was already speeding over to attack VictoryGreymon. He raised his giant forearm and prepared to stab his claws down on VictoryGreymon.

"Wire Punch!" Paildramon shouted out, extending her right hand firing all five cables from her claws. The cable-guided wires shot down from the air and coiled around GranKuwagamon's forearm like a lasso, holding his arm back before he could hit her comrade.

"Damn it…!" GranKuwagamon growled desperately, trying to drag Paildramon towards him. He turned back to VictoryGreymon, who began running towards him. If he couldn't get close to him…

GranKuwagamon tilted his head back and started building up dark energy within his maw, the seeping shadows gathering between his large forceps. "Catastrophe!" he shouted, unleashing a torrent of shadows onto VictoryGreymon.

VictoryGreymon swiped the Dramon Breaker down with crushing force, cleaving the swath of shadows down the middle, rending them asunder. However, as the shadows splayed outwards from the slash, they burned at VictoryGreymon's sides painfully.

Once the abyssal blast subsided, VictoryGreymon rushed forwards and brought the blade down on GranKuwagamon. He attempted to fly to the side to evade, but the sword cut through his leg, crushing the protective carapace and nicking his flesh.

GranKuwagamon roared with pain and staggered into reverse, his leg limping as blood dripped out onto the grass. "You fucking hero-wannabe…" he scathed, his mind clouded with pain and desperation. He hated to admit it, but he knew he couldn't keep this up. He just needed one good strike and he was certain that VictoryGreymon would crumble. The dragon was getting as desperate as he was. He glared at VictoryGreymon, his blood red eyes glowing with defiance. "I won't be defeated… by the likes of you…"

GranKuwagamon shook his arm free from Paildramon's cables and then wrenched his head forwards. His pincers glowed with spatial energy and the air in front of him began to warp and fracture. "Zone Black Hole!" he shouted, clamping his pincer shut and tearing a hole through the fabric of space. He beat his wings and dove into the rift.

"Damn it…" Paildramon growled, watching as the large, black Digimon disappeared from sight and the portal closed behind him. "Be careful, VictoryGreymon!"

VictoryGreymon panted and looked around his grassy surroundings carefully. He listened for movements and his eyes darted back and forth alertly.

He didn't notice the rift slowly opening about thirty meters behind him. GranKuwagamon slowly emerged from the black void, his crimson eyes gleaming with predatory intensity. His pincers slowly began to glow as they built up dimension-cutting energy. The deadly forceps brimmed with power as they became charged to their limits.

GranKuwagamon stalked forwards a few paces before stopping. With spatial power emanating from his mandibles, GranKuwagamon acted. Not shouting out his attack name in order to maintain his stealth, he fired a massive arc of energy from his pincers. The bladed sickle sliced through the air, distorting the space around it as it soared. The blade cut towards VictoryGreymon from behind poised to slice through him.

Paildramon looked and saw the attack closing in on him. Her eyes widened. "Victory—"

Before she could finish, VictoryGreymon spun around on his heel to face the incoming arc. Glaring at it with determination, the dragon man raised the Dramon Breaker horizontally in front of him. The two outer blades of the Dramon Breaker suddenly branched outwards forty five degrees. The three blades fanned out and the sword began to emanate a transparent veil.

"Victory Charge!" he shouted, pouring his energy into the Dramon Breaker. Right as the blast was a meter away from him, a hexagon barrier formed from the Dramon Breaker's tips. VictoryGreymon dug his toe claws into the grass and held firm as the blade slammed into his barrier.

The sickle strained for a few moments before it suddenly was pushed back the way it came. The arc of spatial power sliced through the air, right back towards GranKuwagamon.

"What…?" GranKuwagamon could only respond as his own attack came shooting back at him. The moment he began to respond, it was already too late. The arc slammed into his shoulder, slicing through his carapace and cutting down the length of his back.

GranKuwagamon howled in pain and his legs gave way. He crumbled to the grass, his pincer-clad head hitting the ground hard. Blood oozed out of his wound and soaked the grass beneath him.

VictoryGreymon panted and lowered the barrier, the blades reforming into three parallel ones. He took a few steps forward beginning to relax. As he observed GranKuwagamon's crippled form, he cautiously approached.

However, GranKuwagamon refused to give in. Despite his jellified muscles and the gaping, seeping wound in his shoulder, he raised his body and aimed his head. "Dimension Scissors…!"

He fired off another weak blast from his mandibles. The crescent arc flew through the air, cutting through the grass beneath it to form a long trench. However, the blast missed its target, passing by VictoryGreymon harmlessly.

VictoryGreymon grimaced and raised his sword a final time, staring across at GranKuwagamon.

"Don't you look at me like that…" GranKuwagamon spat, blood dripping from his insect mouth. "Don't look at me… with those sad, pitying, puppy dog eyes… I don't want your damn pity…" He snarled, his legs trembling as he struggled even to remain standing. He heaved and coughed haggardly, feeling his energy all but drained.

Despite it all, he forced himself to stand defiant. His eyes burned crimson and he levelled an intense, rebellious glare. "I won't be defeated… by the wide-eyed… naïve… pathetic… joke that you are… VictoryGreymon… You can't beat me… I won't let you… Not you…" he wheezed, shadows frothing from his mouth. "You think… you can save me…? Who's gonna… save you?! VictoryGreymon! You're… You're finished! Catastrophe!"

Using almost all of his remaining energy, GranKuwagamon released a massive wave of shadows towards VictoryGreymon.

VictoryGreymon winced and aimed the Dramon Breaker in front of him, the trident tips pointing directly at GrandisKuwagamon. The blade began to glow with a radiant, white splendor. The atmospheric energy around him began to form into condensed energy particles that the blades sucked into its form. As the wave of darkness rolled towards him, the Dramon Breaker shone brightly, defiant in the face of the darkness around it.

"Grandis…" VictoryGreymon whispered with a tearful wince. He closed his eyes and took a breath. He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the surge of abyssal shadows with determination. "…Trident Gaia!" he shouted passionately.

On cue, the sword erupted with a column of coruscating energy. The beam surged forwards and slammed into the shadows. The beam of light and the dark energy held against each other, battling for supremacy. Although GranKuwagamon's attack was powerful and desperate, VictoryGreymon's was focused and resolute. The beacon began to overpower GranKuwagamon's attack, and the shadows began splaying off all around the beam. The tendrils of darkness branched outwards wildly, ripping through the ground and flailing wildly as the light began to overpower them.

VictoryGreymon continued pouring energy into his beam, which thickened and elongated as it began to overpower GranKuwagamon. VictoryGreymon's ray of light finally broke through, penetrating the darkness around it. The dark energy began to crumble under its strength and the torrent of darkness became enveloped with intense brilliance.

"It… How…?" GranKuwagamon whispered, watching as his darkness was nullified. He could only stand there and watch as the massive beam came flooding towards him. He knew he was too weak to move. The only thing he could do was wait and for the inevitable.

As the beam closed in on him, the blazing column of energy illuminated GrandisKuwagamon's face. A sparkle of fear could be seen in his crimson eyes as the pillar descended on him. As the light devoured the land in front of him, he instinctively wrenched his head back and squirmed helplessly. It was all he could do before the beam slammed into his face and enveloped him in its folds.

The beam tore around his body, fracturing his exoskeleton, burning his body, and causing his legs to buckle. A howl of agony was ripped from GranKuwagamon's throat. He was crushed under the might of the energy and he was swept off his feet, engulfed by the tearing power.

After a few moments of holding the beam, it finally faded. VictoryGreymon collapsed to his hands and knees, the power sapped from his body.

He kneeled at the end of a massive, smoking trench that had been created by the strength of his attack. VictoryGreymon slowly raised his head, beads of sweat dripping off of his moist, red hair. He looked down the length of the trench. He had to know that GranKuwagamon was alright.

He saw GranKuwagamon lying in a smoking heap at the other end of the trench. He was smouldering and his shell was cracked in multiple places. GranKuwagamon was unmoving, but to VictoryGreymon's relief, his data remained intact. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he had killed him.

"VictoryGreymon!" SaviorHackmon shouted, shooting down through the air and landing beside him.

Paildramon landed beside him as well, a deeply concerned look in her red eyes as she stared at VictoryGreymon. "Are you alright? Are you hurt badly?" she asked, kneeling down beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be… fine…" VictoryGreymon insisted, his deep voice wispy and haggard. "Check on… Gran…dis…"

SaviorHackmon nodded and looked at Paildramon. "Want me to check on him?" he offered.

"Please," she responded, glancing up at the caped dragon before looking back at VictoryGreymon. "You need to lie down, VictoryGreymon."

"Okay…" VictoryGreymon complied submissively, pretty much collapsing to his side in exhaustion.

SaviorHackmon jogged along the length of the smoking trench, over to GranKuwagamon. The fugitive's body was in rough shape and he wasn't moving. He seemed unconscious.

"GranKuwagamon! Are you alright?" SaviorHackmon asked, frowning deeply as he looked at the large bug. He didn't get a reply, telling him that GranKuwagamon had been knocked out. "Damn it…" he whispered bitterly. "Why did you have to go this far, you stubborn idiot…?"

"Paildramon! SaviorHackmon!" a voice called out to them from overhead.

Both SaviorHackmon and Paildramon looked up to see a cobalt blur moving against the dark grey sky. The striking blue afterimage suddenly stopped moving and revealed itself to be UlforceVeedramon, who hovered in the air with his beam blades at the ready.

"UlforceVeedramon, Sir," Paildramon greeted, looking up at him. She offered a small, playful smile. "You're a bit late."

"Hey, don't call me 'Sir', over sergeant," UlforceVeedramon insisted with a smirk. He looked around at the destruction around him. "I got worried when GrandisKuwagamon didn't show up at our ambush after the prescribed time span, so I came here to see if you came into contact with him. …Looks like you did."

"We just managed to defeat him, though it was mostly VictoryGreymon's doing," Paildramon noted, gesturing down to VictoryGreymon. When she looked down at him, she saw that VictoryGreymon was fast asleep.

SaviorHackmon began to walk back over to Paildramon, away from GranKuwagamon. "What are we going to do with GranKuwagamon now, UlforceVeedramon-shishou?" he asked, looking up at the azure Royal Knight.

UlforceVeedramon looked down at SaviorHackmon. "Well, we're going to have to bring him back to the headquarters, and then from there…" UlforceVeedramon blinked, spotting something out of the corner of his eye. "W-Wait a second!"

It turned out that GranKuwagamon wasn't unconscious. He was just barely stirring, unable to even stand. But he slowly closed his pincers across the ground beneath him, causing the dimensional data to open up.

"Zone… Black… Hole…" GranKuwagamon murmured half-consciously, dragging himself inside the tiny hole with the last bit of energy that he could muster.

"GranKuwagamon, don't!" SaviorHackmon yelled.

"Stop him!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, beginning to speed over.

Paildramon's eyes widened. "No!" she exclaimed, shooting wires from her hands to try and grab him with her Wire Punch.

However, by the time they started moving, they were already too late. GranKuwagamon allowed gravity to pull him inside the rift and the dimensional scar snapped shut behind him, right as UlforceVeedramon emerged beside it.

UlforceVeedramon stumbled back as Paildramon's wires nearly grabbed him in lieu of GrandisKuwagamon. "Whoa!" he uttered. He clenched his teeth and the Royal Knight stared down at the grass where GranKuwagamon was. "Damn it… He could have teleported anywhere… Fan out, everyone!" he ordered. "He can't have gone far! I'll go and tell the advance team!"

"U-understood," Paildramon acknowledged, although internally cursing the turn of events.

"Y-Yes, Sir," SaviorHackmon obeyed with a grimace.

UlforceVeedramon nodded at them and speeded off now that the search for the fugitive was on, although he wondered if they would be able to find him now.

Paildramon took to the air and began flying to the west while SaviorHackmon looked eastward. As she surveyed the empty landscape, she winced and thought to herself about everything GrandisKuwagamon had told them.

"Damn it… Are you really that stubborn, GrandisKuwagamon…? What are you thinking…?"

---

About two kilometers away, the dimensional rift opened up ten meters above a rushing river. The portal spewed out GranKuwagamon's limp body.

The massive beetle crashed into the dynamic river with a massive splash. He struggled against the current but his muscles were too weak and he began to get sucked under. That final Zone Black Hole was too much for his body to handle. His energy was completely spent.

His body flashed with light underneath the gushing water and the red body of a beetle emerged, flailing his four arms out to try and remain afloat. His hold over his GranKuwagamon body had broken and he had been forced to revert to his Kuwagamon form. Kuwagamon gasped for breath and struggled not to sink. Even with his two-level reversion, he still didn't have enough energy to swim on his own.

"S-Shit…! Power… Guillotine!" he shouted, unleashing a blast of cutting energy from his pincers that ripped into a nearby patch of trees over on the left bank of the river. One of the trees was rend in two, and the trunk of the tree toppled over into the river water ahead of him.

As the tree fell into the river with a splash and began to float, Kuwagamon swam over and grabbed hold of the thick trunk, using it to float in the river. "Ngh… Guh…" Kuwagamon groaned, lurching over tree trunk and suddenly puking out the contents of his stomach into the water.

He had used too much power. His body was injured and in pain, and he had pushed himself far beyond his limits. All Kuwagamon could do was cling onto the tree and allow the river to carry him down stream. He used the tree as both a raft and as cover if he needed it. He continued to float down the river for the remainder of the day, doing his best not to slip underwater or catch any unwanted attention.

It was an undignified escape. But to him… it was freedom.