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?

65. Chapter 45: Wrath

(Author's Notes: Sorry this is a bit late. Here it is! The siege rages on and so do some kaiju! Enjoy and let me know what you think!)

---

Chapter 45: Wrath

Fire rose up from the heart of New Terminal. The ominous, grey sky was painted orange as the inferno lit up the night. The clouds ignited constantly like a multi-coloured lightning storm. Smoke and ash obscured the black horizon like a veil of fog.

Lucemon: Falldown Mode observed the destruction with a content smile. He stood at the edge of the Demon Lords' siege encampment north of New Terminal. He waited next to one of the bonfires that made up the perimeter, distanced at fifty meters from the base of the city wall.

Behind him were several hundred Nightmare Soldiers, waiting impatiently. The handful of legions had been ordered to stay behind as a rear guard rather than take part in the attack with the others. Although they were baying for blood, they were disciplined enough to obey their orders. They also knew that the Demon Lords would certainly kill them if they disobeyed.

The Demon Lord of Pride folded his arms and watched the battle take place. The wall had been breached in several places, and the Nightmare Soldiers were gaining ground. They were slowly pushing the defenders back towards the Fountain River, where Leviamon was wreaking havoc. The right flank under Barbamon's direction was making the most progress. They were making fast gains and on a direct route for the downtown administrative district on the northeastern side of the river. Demon's legions in the center had slowed down, but they were still pushing forwards gradually. The right flank, close to the base of the mountains, was losing ground. The battle there was a chaotic slog. Beelzebumon was in the thick of it, but rather than providing leadership to the otherwise decapitated legions, he was busy going toe-to-toe with the Royal Knights in a brutal melee.

A white figure emerged from the darkness behind Lucemon. Bagramon stepped up beside Lucemon, the angelic half of his body illuminated by the bonfire's flames. His skeletal half was shaded over by the night's darkness. Only his crimson eye glowed eerily.

"Are you sure you don't wish to join in?" Bagramon calmly asked the leader of the Demon Lords.

"I do not see any reason why I should demean myself," Lucemon confidently replied, extending his arm emphatically towards the burning city. "We are winning the battle. There is no need for me to weigh in at this juncture."

Bagramon turned to him, his forked eyebrow furrowed sceptically. "Respectfully, but we aren't winning yet. We are gaining ground, but we have yet to take over even half of the city. Unless we can cross the Fountain River and control the southern half of New Terminal, our position will be precarious. The Royal Knights' reinforcements will be able to take the south and likely push us back," he warned the Demon Lord.

Lucemon eyed Bagramon, his smile fading just slightly. "I would not worry, Bagramon," he calmly assured him. "We will simply have to take the city before their reinforcements arrive."

"They could arrive within the hour. We aren't advancing as swiftly as we should be. I fear we are running out of time, Lucemon," Bagramon gently cautioned.

"This isn't the first war that I have fought; I know what I am doing. I have faith in Barbamon's strategies," Lucemon answered, turning his cold, blue eyes towards the city.

"As do I, Lucemon… Forgive me, for I am not as experienced with warfare as all of you are. I am simply confused," Bagramon diplomatically explained. He turned and gestured his skeletal arm towards the rows upon rows of baying demons behind them. "Why are we holding these troops back?"

"It was Barbamon's idea. He wanted a rear guard to be able to cover our retreat. He said he was concerned about the possibility of being surrounded inside the city," Lucemon explained.

Bagramon raised his eyebrow pensively. "Cover our retreat…? I suppose that is reasonable, but it seems strange that he is so strongly considering retreat as a necessary option."

"Is there something bothering you, Bagramon?" Lucemon wondered, although not bothering to look over.

"No… I suppose I thought that Barbamon would commit our full forces to this attack," Bagramon answered, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

He decided not to voice his full opinion. It almost seemed to him that Barbamon wasn't fully intending on capturing the whole city. The amount of commitment didn't seem to match Barbamon's stated war aims. He supposed that a contingency plan in case they were outmanoeuvred wasn't unreasonable, but it seemed to contradict Barbamon's whole raison d'être for attacking New Terminal in the first place. He quietly wondered about the demon strategist's true motivations. However, he didn't want to press the issue. Bagramon acknowledged that Barbamon was a far better strategist than he was.

"I am sure that Barbamon wouldn't do anything to jeopardise our rebellion," Lucemon said aloud with purpose.

Bagramon nodded with agreement and carefully studied the battlefield that was New Terminal. There was a twinge of sadness as he watched the city that he knew well become a blazing battlefield, but he couldn't afford to be sentimental. In war, there were casualties. As the former archangel of death, he was at peace with this. The death here had a purpose.

With his glowing eye, Bagramon watched. He hoped that they would reach their objectives before the Royal Knights arrived.

---

Inside the city, the battle continued to rage on.

GrandisKuwagamon deflected a trident with his armoured forearm. Sparks danced off his arm-encompassing gauntlet as the blood-hued shaft of the pole arm slid along his Gran Killer.

Before him, was a crimson demon standing face to face with him. A Phelesmon garbed in a regal cowl snarled as he realised his attack failed to pierce his foe. The Phelesmon was the very same Marquis as the one who had ordered the attack on GrandisKuwagamon before.

GrandisKuwagamon smirked and, with the distance between them closed, promptly grabbed hold of the trident's shaft. He yanked the weapon roughly. The Phelesmon, unwilling to let go of the weapon, was pulled towards GrandisKuwagamon and his claws. GrandisKuwagamon plunged his Gran Killers into the chest of the Phelesmon marquis, and the long, jagged blades exited the aristocrat's winged back.

The demon snarled in pain and tried to push his pitchfork against GrandisKuwagamon's face. "Damn you… traitor…! Should have… killed you… when we had… the chance…!" the marquis growled as blood bubbled in his throat and trickled out of his mouth.

"Yeah, you probably should have," GrandisKuwagamon replied darkly. He kicked the red devil off of his claws and spun around, slashing his other Gran Killers across the Phelesmon's throat with a spray of blood.

As Marquis Phelesmon fell to the ground and fractured into data, GrandisKuwagamon turned and looked around.

He saw VictoryGreymon block a series of four fireballs launched at him by an Asuramon. The dragon man angled his sword to deflect the fireballs in different directions, creating miniature explosions along the stone road. GrandisKuwagamon could see that VictoryGreymon was struggling. He winced from the injuries that GrandisKuwagamon had inflicted on him, as well as the emotional toil he was going through.

GrandisKuwagamon was about to fly over, but the Asuramon started charging VictoryGreymon, his fists raised. "Asura Shinken!" the demon man shouted, ducking and weaving around VictoryGreymon's sword and preparing to punch the dragon's exposed and injured side.

VictoryGreymon spun around and took out the Asuramon's legs with his tail. As the Asuramon hit the ground, VictoryGreymon gave him a one-two-three punch across the face – one for each of his faces. The Asuramon's head jerked back and forth, and a string of saliva exited his mouth as he crashed to the ground on his back.

VictoryGreymon relaxed and sighed once the Asuramon was knocked out cold. He rubbed his knuckles and picked up his sword again. "Sorry about that…"

GrandisKuwagamon landed nearby, looking around briefly for more enemies, before staring at VictoryGreymon. "…What the hell are you doing?" he asked him flatly.

"Huh?" VictoryGreymon wondered innocently. "Oh! I apologised for punching him in the face three times. Or his faces one time. I'm not really sure which."

GrandisKuwagamon nearly palmed his face. "No… I mean, why didn't you kill him?" he bluntly asked.

"Oh… Uh… Because I don't believe in killing," VictoryGreymon explained honestly. He fidgeted sheepishly. "I don't see why we have to kill each other."

The mercenary stared at him incredulously. "…Are you serious?" he asked, dumbfounded by the response. "You're a soldier. We're in the middle of the war. It's in your job description."

"Yeah… but I can defeat the enemy without having to delete them. It's harder, but it's worth it," the dragon man insisted. He smiled a little. "After all, in my old unit, I got the nickname 'The Brick Wall of Fire' because I'm so strong and nobody can pass through me!"

"'The Brick Wall of Fire' doesn't sound like a compliment, you know…"

"I'm pretty sure it is… It sounded so cool I started using it too! All heroes have a cool title."

GrandisKuwagamon shook his head with resigned cynicism. "Shit, V… I knew you were naïve, but seriously…" He turned and stared into VictoryGreymon's eyes. "Doing stupid crap like not deleting an enemy…"

VictoryGreymon frowned. "It's not stupid… It's saving a life!"

"Of somebody who wants to kill you, and who'll take the opportunity you gave them to kill you later."

VictoryGreymon shook his head. "I don't see it like that. Just because we're fighting on opposite sides, why should I cause that kind of pain?" he questioned. "I can be a soldier without being a killer. Isn't that the right thing to do?"

The scarab Digimon scoffed and shook his head. "Oh, yeah, of course," he sarcastically replied. "There's a lot of Digimon out there who try to do the right thing instead of the smart thing, but they usually don't last long."

"If I did the 'smart' thing, you and I wouldn't be talking here right now," VictoryGreymon countered. "If I didn't spare you, you would never have changed your ways."

GrandisKuwagamon was forced to pause. He had to admit that VictoryGreymon's stubbornness beyond belief had managed to get through to him. However, he still knew that he wasn't wrong.

The mercenary looked at him seriously, locking eyes with the dragon. "VictoryGreymon…" he spoke, his voice weighty and cautionary. "There's gonna come a time where it's going to be either you or him. You're going to have to make a hard decision. And if you're not careful… you're going to end up dead…"

VictoryGreymon winced and turned away from the black Kuwagamon. "…Yeah…" he murmured half-heartedly. "Still… If I killed somebody… I'm not sure I could live with myself."

"It's better to live with guilt than not live at all," GrandisKuwagamon told him. He turned away and began beating his wings again. "Can you fly? Your injuries are making you slow."

VictoryGreymon smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, I'm fine!" he insisted. "A little sore, but it's not that bad!" He jumped into the air and shouldered the Dramon Breaker.

"Good, cuz we're almost in the thick of it now," GrandisKuwagamon pointed out.

VictoryGreymon nodded and smiled. "I know. I'll be fine," he assured him. He rubbed the back of his neck. "…Thanks for caring."

GrandisKuwagamon scowled and looked away. "I don't care… And another thing. If you mention a word of what happened between us to anybody at all, you're dead, lizard!"

VictoryGreymon grinned blithely. "Okay, Grandis!" He then paused and thought about it. "Wait, do you mean me talking you around? Or the part about you crying or the part where we hugged? Because I really need to get you off the hook, I really need to tell the part about—"

A small rock rebounded off VictoryGreymon's helmeted head, gently lobbed by the nearby bug. The dragon warrior blinked. "Oh, okay. Those parts."

However, the dragon's smile faded as he gazed down the street. He could see the swell of flames and the surge of darkness. Something caught his eyes. A giant, dark form, moving against the night sky. He could just barely make out the fast-moving silhouette against the clouds.

That was when the pattering of a machine gun erupted from behind them. GrandisKuwagamon instinctively jumped back as a salvo of fireballs erupted around his feet. As blasts of concentrated fire whizzed by his head and parted around his beating wings, he quickly raised his Gran Killers defensively in front of his body.

"Stay away from him!" a tenor voice shouted from beyond the flames.

GrandisKuwagamon grunted as one of the flames impacted his Gran Killer and parted around it with a burst of embers. The salvo seemed to stop after that, so he braved a glance over his guard.

Standing in the middle of the street was a metallic dragon who shimmered in pristine white – a stark contrast to the darkness around him. The figure's bladed arms were raised protectively in front of a body whose midsection was wrapped in bandages. He struck a striking silhouette as the cape fluttered behind him. The Digimon's golden eyes were hard and defiant as they stared at GrandisKuwagamon.

GrandisKuwagamon stiffened and stood up straight when he saw who it was. For a moment, he had thought he was looking at a Royal Knight. He lowered his Gran Killer slightly.

"You…"

Standing across from him was SaviorHackmon. The humanoid dragon man's stance shifted and hardened. Ashes and smoke wafted from his mouth, and his crimson cape fluttered in the ember-strewn wind.

"GrandisKuwagamon!" SaviorHackmon shouted, narrowing his eyes. He glanced over at VictoryGreymon, seeing that the dinosaur man was hurt and his armour was fractured. "Victory! I'll cover you!"

"Tch… Kid," GrandisKuwagamon scoffed in a hiss. He raised a bladed gauntlet dissuadingly. "Hold up—"

Before he could finish, bullets started raining down on him. Dozens of metal slugs started hitting him and the ground around him. They mainly just ricocheted off his sturdy carapace and started cascading sparks as they impacted the bug and the stone road, but they were enough to push him back a few steps and cause him to bring his guard back up.

Sistermon Noir jumped off of a bent lamp post and spun in the air, her submachine pistols pattering as bullets pumped from their flashing muzzles. The bullets continued peppering GrandisKuwagamon's body until the magazine ran out. Right as the firing stopped, Sistermon Noir landed in a three point stance in front of SaviorHackmon.

She looked up at GrandisKuwagamon with a confident smirk. "Want me to cap this guy, Hackie?"

GrandisKuwagamon growled in annoyance and brushed himself off. Fortunately for him, he was an Ultimate level, so the bullets were no worse than getting hit by paintballs. Even so, he didn't need this. He kept his Gran Killers up and looked ahead.

As he did, a short, pink figure jumped out from behind SaviorHackmon and ran in front of him and Sistermon Noir. Despite the fact that her legs were trembling, Sistermon Blanc stood firm and stared at GrandisKuwagamon. She gripped her trident tightly in her hands and was ready to drive it into the ground if he started to attack them.

"Y… You h-hurt Hackmon…!" she meekly shouted, though it was clear she was mustering all of her courage just to say that to the fearsome Ultimate-level insect.

GrandisKuwagamon observed the two Sistermons incredulously. He couldn't help but cock his head in confusion and he looked at both VictoryGreymon and SaviorHackmon for confirmation.

"…Who the hell are these little girls?" he dryly demanded.

"Hey! We're not little girls!" Sistermon Noir fired back. Her smirk widened. "We're the women who are gonna kick your ugly ass! Let's go, Sis!"

VictoryGreymon finally decided it was time to intervene. He ran out and got in between GrandisKuwagamon and SaviorHackmon and the Sistermons. "Wait! Stop!" he pleaded with them. "Don't attack him! He's not the enemy!"

"I told you this wouldn't work," GrandisKuwagamon muttered cynically. "Is this going to happen each time?"

SaviorHackmon frowned confusedly but he refused to lower his guard. "What…?" he asked, almost in disbelief at VictoryGreymon's words. "What are you talking about?"

"GrandisKuwagamon surrendered! He's not our enemy anymore!" VictoryGreymon explained ardently. "He's going to help us!"

"What?" SaviorHackmon muttered. He glanced at GrandisKuwagamon and then back at VictoryGreymon, the doubt obvious in his eyes. "VictoryGreymon, you can't honestly believe that…"

"It's true though!" VictoryGreymon insisted.

"Victory, you know how manipulative he is! He's lying to you!" SaviorHackmon argued, not letting his guard down for a moment. "This is how he escaped before. He's cornered because of the Royal Knights, so he's pretending to be on our side until he has a chance to escape! He's going to stab you in the back again!"

VictoryGreymon grimaced. For a brief moment, he wondered if SaviorHackmon was right. "That's… That isn't true." No, VictoryGreymon saw how honest and heartfelt GrandisKuwagamon had been. He knew it wasn't the same. "It's different this time. You have to believe me!" the injured dragon man maintained.

"Vic, it's fine," GrandisKuwagamon spoke up, frowning weakly. "He's got a right not to trust me. I guess I have this coming, for tricking you guys before. In fact, I'd be disappointed with SaviorHackmon if he automatically trusted me after what I did…"

SaviorHackmon growled and hunched over further, getting ready to move in an instant. "What is this…?" he snarled at the insect mercenary.

The metallic dragon man glared down the street at the black mercenary, his feelings welling up in his chest. "What the hell game are you playing? How can you stand there and pretend to be penitent? After everything…" SaviorHackmon grimaced and remembered the devastation of Hope's Crest.

"I'm not playing any games. Not any more…" GrandisKuwagamon answered, staring into SaviorHackmon's eyes.

"How can you not be?!" SaviorHackmon shouted, releasing his pent up rage and frustration at the mercenary. "You're always playing mind games! I never know when you're telling the truth! You keep lying, and you manipulate and you never let anybody get close to you! I almost gave up my dream because of you! You made me doubt myself and other people, and I hate you for that! So how…? How can you say that you've changed?! How can you say that when you're the one who opened the gates?!"

GrandisKuwagamon's eye tightened. A silence overtook the street. While the distant din of battle raged on, the only sound that could be heard was what sounded like a gust of wind nearby.

"…I'm sorry."

SaviorHackmon couldn't help but be taken aback. His glare faded and a look of shock appeared in its place. An apology wasn't something he would have ever thought that he'd hear from somebody like GrandisKuwagamon. He always had a snappy comeback, a justification, or an irreverent comment to play it off. That simple expression of sincerity was enough to make the sceptical dragon pause.

"…How can I believe you?" SaviorHackmon tentatively asked, bitterly leering at the Ultimate level bug.

"You can't," Sistermon Noir piped up, aiming her pistol at GrandisKuwagamon's eye.

VictoryGreymon winced and moved in front of GrandisKuwagamon. "That's not—"

"She's right," GrandisKuwagamon replied. "Words are cheap. The only way you can trust someone is if they do what they say they're gonna do."

A large shadow passed over them, and dirt and cinders suddenly swept by them as they argued.

SaviorHackmon paused. He turned and looked at VictoryGreymon. "Why do you believe him so much?" he wondered. "He betrayed you too."

"Because I fought him," VictoryGreymon explained. He gestured to his fractured chrome digizoid armour. "He did this…"

"B-B-But doesn't that prove that he's an enemy…?" Sistermon Blanc meekly asked.

"Even VictoryGreymon isn't stupid enough to fall for my lies after I've done that to him…" GrandisKuwagamon answered. "He… made me see what I was doing. I was so focused on myself that I didn't see what damage I was causing… what I'd become. I've become just like the MetalTyrannomon who attacked my village…" His face was dark against the fires behind him, and his words were remorseful and bitter.

VictoryGreymon shook his head. "I… helped him see that what he was doing was wrong. After he had beaten me, I tried to get him to see the light. Deep down, I knew that Grandis didn't really want to be doing this, but he felt trapped. I just helped him realize what he already knew. There's a way back. He doesn't have to do all this…" he explained, a soft smile on his face as he looked over at GrandisKuwagamon. "He surrendered. And that's how I know that he's telling the truth."

SaviorHackmon and the Sistermons glanced at the mercenary in question, studying his response.

GrandisKuwagamon glanced away, embarrassed despite knowing it to be the truth. "…It's true," he admitted. "VictoryGreymon made me see what an asshole I've been."

SaviorHackmon frowned uncertainly. "…I want to believe you," he suspiciously said. The steel dragon breathed out of his nostrils and shook his head. "No… I want to believe in people again."

The dark mercenary held his Gran Killer-covered arms out to the side, exposing his chest after dropping his stance. "You can hit me if you want," he offered. "Go ahead, kid. If that's what you need to do."

"Grandis…" VictoryGreymon uneasily said. He looked at the mercenary and their surroundings worrisomely. They were still in the middle of a battle, even though they were a ways back from the lines.

SaviorHackmon looked down at his clenched fist. His claws were tight and tense. He seriously considered it. Gankoomon had always told him that there was honesty in one's fists… If GrandisKuwagamon was willing to be hit by him, maybe that would prove the truth in his words.

A large shadow passed through the sky over them again. This time there was a growl rolling on the breath of the wind.

GrandisKuwagamon tensed and began looking around.

The caped dragon man took a step forwards. "Well, if—"

Suddenly, a light flickered in the dark sky, illuminating a shadowy silhouette against the clouds. At first, it was like a shooting star, but there were no stars to be seen on this cloudy and infernal night. The light shone brightly to reveal a giant, draconic form swooping down and speeding towards them.

The light was that of a beam, which suddenly pulsed from a huge cannon on the dragon's back. The pillar of energy gushed forth and streamed down at an angle, making a direct path for GrandisKuwagamon.

"Look out!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted to VictoryGreymon, who stood in front of him and, thus, in the peripheral path of the beam.

VictoryGreymon whirled around and his eyes widened to see the spiral beam hurdling towards them. Acting on instinct, he lunged out of the way and landed beside SaviorHackmon and the Sistermons.

"Eep!" Sistermon Blanc squeaked in response to the sudden danger. She quickly stabbed the butt of her trident into the ground and brought up a barrier in front of the four. "Protect Wave!"

GrandisKuwagamon, meanwhile, beat his wings and flew out of the way, zipping diagonally to the side. The beam slammed into the center of the street and created a massive detonation. The explosion swelled into the darkness of the night with an incredibly wave of crackling, bluish white, positronic energy. Though he avoided the beam itself, the shockwave was strong enough to slam into GrandisKuwagamon and send him tumbling through the air.

As he flapped his insect wings furiously to regain his aerial footing, that was when he heard a snarl nearby and saw a shadow closing in on him, obscured by the light of the explosion.

The light faded, and a familiar face appeared in front of him. A snarling dragon with glowing red eyes.

Imperialdramon.

He didn't have time to brace himself before the massive, armoured body of Imperialdramon slammed into him with the full force of her strength. GrandisKuwagamon let out a gasp as he was rammed into with what felt like the strength of a runaway Locomon.

Imperialdramon ploughed GrandisKuwagamon into the ground with her armoured shoulder, dragging him beneath her and grinding him against the pavement. Sparks showered their bodies from the armour scraping against stone, and GrandisKuwagamon felt his wings getting chafed from the impact. After twenty meters, Imperialdramon flapped her wings and ascended back into the dark sky, circling around like a winged predator.

"Huh…?" SaviorHackmon asked, looking up at the attacker as Sistermon Blanc dropped her barrier. Despite the dark silhouette and the tremulous firelight, SaviorHackmon thought that the dragon looked familiar. "…Over-sergeant? Is that you?"

"Fuck…" GrandisKuwagamon swore, wincing in pain as he slowly pulled himself to a sitting position. His upper body felt numb from the impact, and his dorsal carapace and armour were scuffed. He glanced up at the snarling Dramon who attacked him as she circled around again. "Happy… to see me…?"

"You…" Imperialdramon seethed, staring solely at GrandisKuwagamon.

"What's the big idea?!" Sistermon Noir complained. "You nearly hit us!"

VictoryGreymon frowned and ran out into the street, waving his arms. "Paildramon!" he called out to her. "Imperialdramon! Stop! Don't attack him! GrandisKuwagamon isn't an enemy anymore!"

Imperialdramon stared at VictoryGreymon incredulously for a moment as she wheeled around and began heading towards them again. She flapped her wings and stopped, hovering in place high above them. She glared down at GrandisKuwagamon. "You… traitor…" she hissed, angling her cannon down at him.

GrandisKuwagamon slowly stood to his feet, clutching his sore shoulder. He stared up at her with a faint hint of acceptance. "Yeah… I'm that. And whatever else you want to call me. Go ahead. Lay it on me, P. Whatever you need to—"

Without waiting for him to finish, Imperialdramon fired a powerful stream of energy from her cannon. "Positron Laser!" she shouted, sending another torrent of positrons towards the beetle swordsman.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye widened as the pillar of light came rushing towards him. "Damn it! I didn't mean that!" he shouted, beating his pained wings like a hummingbird. He was just barely able to fly himself up and away from the laser as it slammed into the middle of the street, creating a massive crater in the center that blasted all the way down to the sewers. He grunted as he was buffeted by the shockwave again, but he was able to keep himself airborne.

SaviorHackmon grabbed his cape and spun around sheltering the Sistermons as a shower of rock and pebbles started pelting them. "Ngh…" he grunted. "Watch your fire, over-sergeant! We're down here too!" he warned her.

Imperialdramon simply glared at GrandisKuwagamon. Blue exhaust wafted from the muzzle of her cannon. Dark matter crackled inside her throat. "Traitor… Criminal… Lowlife…" she hissed, her voice a quivering rumble.

"Imperialdramon!" VictoryGreymon called out to her, flying into the sky, between her and GrandisKuwagamon. "Stop it! GrandisKuwagamon already surrendered! He's sorry! He regrets everything he did! He regrets helping the Demon Lords and letting them in! He's trying to put it right!"

At these words, Imperialdramon's ruby eyes snapped open wide. For a moment, she seemed to stop everything. Her head tilted to the side and she stared at the two Digimon hovering in the sky before her.

"…He… helped the Demon Lords…?" she spoke, her snarling voice stilted as she processed the information in her clouded mind. "Let them in…?"

"Uh… Isn't that why you're attacking him…?" VictoryGreymon confusedly asked.

Suddenly, Imperialdramon's eyes flashed red and began to seep bloody light. She slowly stared past VictoryGreymon and towards GrandisKuwagamon. "It's… your fault?"

GrandisKuwagamon grimaced and looked away. "…Yeah…" he murmured.

The black aura that seemed to trace Imperialdramon's silhouette seemed to grow. The black energy suddenly started pouring out of her armour.

"It's your fault… It's your fault!" she suddenly shouted, her voice cracking like thunder. It was enough to make VictoryGreymon, SaviorHackmon, and Sistermon Blanc wince. Her blood red eyes widened with pure rage, and as she locked eyes with GrandisKuwagamon, he could see the depths of her wrath. "ExVeemon is dead! My little brother… is dead because of you?!"

At her enraged, emotional words. Everybody went silent. VictoryGreymon's eyes widened with horror. GrandisKuwagamon looked stunned.

"ExVeemon is…?" VictoryGreymon asked.

SaviorHackmon winced. He remembered Paildramon asking him about an ExVeemon earlier. So that was why…

GrandisKuwagamon grimaced. "I…" He was hardly able to reply. He knew the pain of losing a brother. It was like losing an arm. It was hard to express the depths of pain and loss. He could imagine the pain that she was feeling right now. He knew how raw the pain must be. To know that that he was partially responsible… He could barely say anything in his defence.

"Paildramon… I'm… I'm sorry…"

His words only served to make her angrier. Imperialdramon gnashed her teeth together and snarled balefully. The dark aura seeping out of her body started to intensify. It soon overtook her body. "Sorry...?" she growled. "Sorry?! I don't want your half-hearted apologies or your lies!" She let out a roar that shook the buildings' foundations. "I want my brother back! I want more power! I want the power to make you and the Demon Lords suffer!"

She could feel herself sinking. Being enveloped by the pain and rage that was consuming her. However, this time, she had no desire to restrain herself. The power within her, the tremendous power of her form, was threatening to overtake her. She wanted to let it. She was tired of holding herself back with calm and discipline. She wanted more power. She wanted the freedom that it seemed to promise. She allowed the final restraint inside her to snap. She gave into her impulses.

GrandisKuwagamon narrowed his eyes as he gazed at her. He could see the darkness gathering around her. "…No… Something's wrong," he warned them. "Paildramon!"

"Grandis… Kuwagamon… I couldn't… defeat you," she muttered unevenly. "I needed more power… Couldn't save him… Couldn't take revenge…"

As she spoke, the shadows started completely surrounding her. All that could be seen from within the shroud was a pair of glowing, red eyes.

"No… I have the power… I can feel it running through me… I'll become stronger… Strong enough to obliterate my enemies… You… You all… You all need to perish!"

A roar pierced the sky and there was an explosion of dark power.

"Dark Evolution!"

Imperialdramon burst from the shadows and started speeding towards GrandisKuwagamon. However, something was different. Her blue scales were dyed a pitch black. Shadows rolled off her ebony scales like a jet stream. Her blood red eyes were wide and wild with rage as they fixated on GrandisKuwagamon. Dark matter seeped from out of her mouth, a black, crackling ball forming in her mouth.

"Black Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode!" she roared.

GrandisKuwagamon watched as an enraged, black dragon started hurdling towards him like a meteor.

"Shit…"

---

The Fountain River raged with surging waves. They broke against the grassy hills and the stone bulwarks, crashing violently. Water flooded the low-lying streets and walkways adjacent to the river. It washed back and forth, sweeping up stone debris and making the riverside parts of the downtown area treacherous.

Just by moving his colossal body, Leviamon created giant waves that broke against the riverside. He smashed his tails down into the water, snapped his monstrous jaws shut, and rolled back and forth aggressively. All this created waves that climbed to nearly fifteen meters tall at times. Most of the buildings built alongside the river's coast had been destroyed and their ruins totally flooded. The water nearly reached the administrative district where Terminal Hall and the banks were located. The reptilian Demon Lord was wreaking havoc in the center of the city, nearly splitting it in two.

"Duo Cauda!" Leviamon gurgled. The crimson titan was half submerged within the black depths of the violent river. His pair of tail crashed down into the Fountain River as if the sky itself had fallen. The twin appendages struck the river hard enough to send a massive geyser of water shooting straight up into the air.

UlforceVeedramon twisted his body violently as the pillar of water came flooding into the sky in front of him. With his breakneck speed and snap reflexes, the azure dragon man just managed to throw himself to the side before he could crash into the geyser. His armoured shoulder knocked against the water painfully, glancing against the hard mass, but he was able to speed past it and circle around from the opposite direction.

He spun around and stopped in the black sky, the V-shaped crest on his armour radiating holy energy. UlforceVeedramon lit up in the night like a star. "Shining V Force!" he shouted out, launching a beam of light in the shape of a 'V' down towards the goliath crocodile.

Leviamon's narrow pupil looked up and glinted as the beam came raining down on him. Acting quickly, he dived below the surfaces of the river, right as the ray descended on his ample back.

There was a massive explosion of water in the center of the river where Leviamon had been. The ray of light burned against Leviamon's back, but it had been diffused within the raging waves.

Leviamon breached from within the torrential splash, his crimson body rising into the sky. "Anima!" he shouted. As he opened his jaws wide, a black tornado ripped from the abyss of his throat. The vortex of dark energy swelled towards the sky, threatening to devour anything in its path.

UlforceVeedramon found himself in the path of the maelstrom. He dove straight downwards in a cobalt blur. He struggled against the violent air currents, but managed to dive beneath the devastating attack. As Leviamon crested the waves, much of his body was exposed. UlforceVeedramon saw his opportunity. The blue knight propelled himself forwards, his Ulforce Sabre humming at his side.

A neon blur in the night, UlforceVeedramon swept by Leviamon. He dug his beam sword into Leviamon's side and sliced down his ample flank. Leviamon's crimson scales were hard and thick, and his sheer muscles were nearly impenetrable, but UlforceVeedramon's swords were strong enough to cut through some of the data. However, with Leviamon's sheer mass, it was but a drop of blood in the ocean.

Still, the blades stung as they ripped through Leviamon's scales, leaving blue plasma hissing from the long wound. Leviamon snarled angrily as he crashed back into the river, some of his blood clouding the black liquid as the wave crashed up.

"Cauda!" Leviamon shouted, looking over his shoulder and swiping his massive tails wildly towards UlforceVeedramon. "You annoying, little gnat! Buzzing around, stinging me with your little toothpicks! Stay still so I can crush you!"

"Now that just sounds like a bad idea," UlforceVeedramon responded as he ducked and weaved around the massive columns of muscle that lashed at him like a pair of whips. He sliced along one of the tails as it came dangerously close to him. "You're a big boy, but that just makes you an easy target. I'd lay off the Seadramon snacks if I were you."

Leviamon snarled and snapped his titanic body around violently, pounding the nearby streets with another round of waves. "Mock me at your own expense, Royal Knight. You are nothing but a bug compared to me! Do you know what they call me?" Leviamon threatened in a deep, rolling voice.

"Behind your back? Yeah. All sorts of things," UlforceVeedramon taunted with a smug smirk.

At this, Leviamon's body seemed to tense up and began to radiate a dark, hateful aura. His nostrils flared and multi-coloured breath wafted out of his snout. Leviamon's eyes flashed with green light as he glared up at UlforceVeedramon. "They call me the Devil Beast. I'll show you why!" he roared. "Rostrum!"

UlforceVeedramon watched as Leviamon blitzed towards him with a surprising burst of speed. He was momentarily daunted that the giant kraken could move so fast when he had been so sluggish and awkward. He watched as Leviamon opened his giant mouth wide and began to snap it shut.

However, UlforceVeedramon's combat instincts kicked in and he took off in a flash. He swerved out of the way just in time to avoid the massive pair of jaws. As the powerful snout snapped shut, UlforceVeedramon was close enough to feel a wave of warm breath and the aroma of rotting fish. Ignoring the nose-curdling smell, he realised that he was in a dangerous position, right in front of Leviamon's face.

UlforceVeedramon took off and made another pass along Leviamon's flank. He skimmed along the surface of the tumultuous water, his boots licking the tips of the waves. "Ulforce Sabre!" he shouted, zipping past Leviamon's body faster than he could resist. The sword cut along Leviamon's tough scales, glowing brightly as it struggled to penetrate Leviamon's thick hide.

UlforceVeedramon was able to slice several inches deep, sending superficial blood leaking out in a long, red streak, but he failed to do any serious damage to the Demon Lord of Envy. UlforceVeedramon neared the end of Leviamon's midsection. Suddenly, Leviamon's large leg rose from out of the depths, right in UlforceVeedramon's path.

The blue Royal Knight's eyes widened, but he was unable to stop himself at his unmatchable speed. The best he could do was try to ascend, but there was little he could do in such a short amount of time. Leviamon's knee rose and the mighty bone clipped UlforceVeedramon's chest and legs. Grazed, his flight pattern slowed and faltered. UlforceVeedramon tried to catch himself after the disorienting blow, and he swerved back and forth erratically.

"Gotcha!" Leviamon shouted triumphantly, a toothy smirk forming. He whipped his massive tails around and sent them speeding towards UlforceVeedramon.

The swift Royal Knight glanced over his shoulder and saw one of the appendages falling towards him. UlforceVeedramon was fast and skilled enough to dodge the first tail as it plummeted in his direction. The first tail passed by him and crashed into the water with a mighty wave that pummelled UlforceVeedramon's body. The Royal Knight was pushed to the side within the rush of river water. He attempted to ascend, but Leviamon's second tail came in at an unpredictable angle. UlforceVeedramon was pushed right into the path of the tail.

Leviamon brought the full weight of his tail down into the Royal Knight's winged back. UlforceVeedramon was bashed out of the air and sent careening across the surface of the river like a thrown pebble. He skidded and rolled along the waves before plunging into the river's depths.

Leviamon grinned opportunistically and immediately disappeared beneath the tumultuous surface. With a river-quaking splash, Leviamon spun around within the Fountain River.

Stunned from the painful attack, UlforceVeedramon began to sink. Water surrounded his form and filled his mouth and ears. He quickly came to his senses as the pungent water overtook him. Although he was wearing armour, he didn't sink. It was thanks to his blue digizoid; the lightweight metal allowed him to move through water basically as if he wasn't wearing anything.

UlforceVeedramon began to swim towards the surface. He knew that he had to get out as soon as possible. The water was Leviamon's domain. However much speed his armour allowed him underwater, he was still slower than he needed to be. A great current pushed him from behind as the tip of a crimson snout appeared amidst the black, murky depths.

The looming presence of a predator alerted UlforceVeedramon's survival instincts. He began to turn around in the water, and as he did, he saw a pair of glowing eyes at the base of a giant maw.

"Rostrum!" Leviamon shouted, diving forwards. He opened his jaws and rushed UlforceVeedramon. The Royal Knight did his best to swim away, but dodging such a large mouth while underwater was nearly impossible. He desperately pushed himself to the side as Leviamon's mouth snapped his mouth shut.

The murky water turned crimson. Leviamon's rows of jagged teeth, although missing UlforceVeedramon's main body, successfully snagged the Royal Knight. The crocodile's teeth snapped tightly around UlforceVeedramon's left arm. The daggers burrowed through his armour and stabbed into his scales, from his bicep all the way down to the V-Bracelet over his wrist. UlforceVeedramon released a muffled bellow as bubbles rose from his mouth to the surface.

Leviamon, tasting blood, smirked victoriously. Be violently began jerking his head back and forth. UlforceVeedramon roared as he felt an excruciating surge of pain pierce his shoulder, as though his arm was being flattened by a mountain. He grabbed hold of his shoulder with his free arm as his bone was dislocated from its socket. The Royal Knight tried to pull away, but he was unable to free his numb arm from Leviamon's crushing bite.

"Finally got you, you slippery lizard! I'll teach you to mock me!" Leviamon growled throatily. The covetous crocodile continued swimming down the river, dragging UlforceVeedramon with him.

UlforceVeedramon grimaced and struggled against Leviamon, but there was little he could do against the Demon Lord's sheer size and strength. He felt himself being dragged into the depths. He tried to hold his breath, but water had already filled his mouth when he released oxygen from his lungs.

Leviamon dove down and pulled UlforceVeedramon into the undertow. He plunged his snout into the rocky bottom of the river, dragging UlforceVeedramon against it and crushing him between his mouth and the ground. He intended to drown the Royal Knight by any means possible.

UlforceVeedramon grimaced as he felt his wings and back drag along the rocky, murky river bed. He tried to wrench his arm free, but Leviamon's bite was tight enough that nothing could escape it once he sank his teeth in. There was nothing he could do to free himself.

At least, not without losing his arm.

As water filled his throat and his back collided with the ground, UlforceVeedramon eyed his left arm in desperation. The situation was dire enough that he seriously considered hacking his Ulforce Sabre through his shoulder. Then it dawned on him that his right Ulforce Sabre was better used in another way.

UlforceVeedramon prepared to plunge his beam sword into the tip of Leviamon's snout. Just as he began to stab, Leviamon dove down and crushed UlforceVeedramon into the river bed particularly hard. Leviamon's weight crushing his chest was enough to gasp for air and suck in a mouthful of water. His chest began to burn. He looked up and saw Leviamon looming over him.

"Hah hah hah…" Leviamon chuckled darkly. "This is revenge for what you did to me in our rebellion, you son of a bitch." Black, unholy energy began to surge into Leviamon's mouth as he prepared to swallow UlforceVeedramon in a crushing Animus.

UlforceVeedramon's eyes widened and he prepared to stab Leviamon in a last gasp attempt. As he plunged his beam sword right between Leviamon's nostrils, he could see a halo of light appear behind Leviamon. He began to wonder if he was hallucinating from lack of oxygen. However, the holy light began splitting around Leviamon's back and shooting down around him in beams of radiance.

Leviamon suddenly arched his back released a pained and surprised roar. His mouth opened wide and his teeth exited UlforceVeedramon's scales in a blossoming flow of blood. UlforceVeedramon's beam sword withdrew from Leviamon's snout in the same way.

As Leviamon recoiled and swam to the surface to see what had hit him, UlforceVeedramon saw his chance to escape. With his arm free, UlforceVeedramon kicked his legs, flapped his wings, and swam with one arm towards the surface of the river. The cobalt Royal Knight saw the distant rippling fire beyond the waterline and swam towards it. As soon as he reached the surface, he beat his drenched wings and propelled himself into the sky.

"Ulforce!" a familiar voice called to him.

UlforceVeedramon barely heard the voice as he coughed violently, regurgitating dirty river water as he flew to a safe distance. He spat out the remainder of the water and sucked in oxygen needily. Water and blood dripped off his body as he rose into the night sky, but he had survived.

He looked around with water-stung eyes, both to make sure that Leviamon couldn't reach him and to find the source of the voice.

"Ulforce! Are you okay?" the voice called, circling around behind him.

UlforceVeedramon spun around and was both surprised and relieved to see a familiar face.

It was Dukemon. He rode through the sky, his armoured body illuminated by the faint glow of his holy shield. His hair and cape flowed majestically behind him as he flew over from atop Zero ARMS: Grani.

UlforceVeedramon smiled through his wince. He clutched his dislocated left arm, which was riddled with bite marks and bleeding badly. "Just peachy," he lightly responded, attempting to put a brave face on it.

"Yeah, it sure looks like it," Dukemon replied, frowning a bit. "Hop on. Is that alright, Grani?"

"Yes, as it is an emergency," Grani calmly responded. The crimson dragon-bird floated perfectly still, although he kept his eyes trained on Leviamon below them, as well as any other potential threats.

"J-Just for a minute. I'll try not to bleed all over you," UlforceVeedramon joked between watery coughs. He flew over and gently touched down on Grani's back. Dukemon reached over and steadied him.

"Your timing is f-first class, Duke-kun. W…What are you doing here?" the blue dragon knight asked, wincing tightly.

"Apart from saving you?" Dukemon said with jest. "The reinforcements are nearly here. They're a few kilometers off from the southern gates. I decided to fly ahead with Sleipmon."

"Sleip-chan's here too?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

Dukemon gestured down to the southern bank of the Fountain River. Sleipmon galloped along the bank of the river, harassing Leviamon with arrows. When Leviamon attempted to slam Sleipmon with his tail, the mounted knight jumped into the sky to avoid the crushing appendage. He then circled around and began pumping bolt after bolt onto Leviamon, who was forced to disappear underwater to avoid the glowing missiles.

"Need anything?" Dukemon asked him, glancing down at UlforceVeedramon's badly wounded arm. "That looks pretty bad."

"Looks bad? Try feels bad," UlforceVeedramon answered wincing. He reached down and gripped his dislocated arm above the elbow. "Yeah, just hold my shoulder steady."

Dukemon placed his hands on UlforceVeedramon's shoulder and grimaced. "Are you really going to-?"

"Yes. This is gonna suck," UlforceVeedramon replied, forcing a smile and steeling himself. With a swift motion and a wet pop, the Royal Knight snapped his shoulder back into its socket. UlforceVeedramon's body tensed up and he released an agonized shout. "Rraaaagh!" he howled, gripping onto Dukemon for support. "Holy Huanglongmon's sweet ass!"

Dukemon winced and held UlforceVeedramon's shoulder loosely. "…Better?"

"Aaaah! No! No! Not better!" UlforceVeedramon breathed sharply, He marched back and forth on Grani's back, his fist in his mouth as he fought back tears of pain. "Oooh, Yggdrasil's fricking tree branches! Rrrrgh! Hooo! …Ugh… That sure cleared out the sinuses… Ugh. I-I think I'm going to be sick."

"Please refrain," Grani stolidly requested.

UlforceVeedramon let out a deep breath and then released it. "Okay… I'm good," he said, finally calming down.

"And the wounds?" Dukemon asked, gesturing to the bloody bite holes along UlforceVeedramon's arm.

"I'll be fine. The Ulforce will take care of those," UlforceVeedramon insisted, content to rely on his holy overwrite program. "Just as long as I can move it. We need every Royal Knight we can get right now."

"It's that bad, huh?" Dukemon asked, frowning.

"Yeah. You guys can't come fast enough. They've nearly reached the river over in the government district. Leviamon smashed the bridges to cut the city in two and slow down reinforcements," UlforceVeedramon explained, gesturing down to the main bridge that Leviamon shattered.

"I see…" Dukemon noted, gazing down at the remains of the bridge. He looked back up at the blue dragon knight. "Think you can fly?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to go," UlforceVeedramon responded, jumping off Grani and catching himself in the air with his wings. He extended the Ulforce Sabre on his right wrist emphatically.

"Okay. The reinforcements will be inside the city at any minute. You go link up with Alphamon and the others," Dukemon told him. "We'll take care of Leviamon and then we'll reinforce you guys from the south."

"Got it. Barbamon's pretty deep over on our right flank. What about the river?" UlforceVeedramon asked, preparing himself to fly.

"We'll think of something. Get going. Good luck," Dukemon said to his fellow knight.

UlforceVeedramon nodded, smiled, and gave him the 'V' sign with his bloodied fingers. "We can do this," he said encouragingly. With that, UlforceVeedramon turned, hunched down, and disappeared in a flash of blue. Only his fleeting afterimage remained.

The azure night zipped through the darkness. Ignoring the pain in his left arm, he zigzagged around a stray beam as he flew over the roofs of buildings. It was less than a minute before he found himself back in the thick of the fray.

He remembered that Alphamon would probably be around the center of the battlefield, so he started flying towards the road that was the main artery through the city. He expected the road to be one of the central battle areas of the siege, but he found that it was surprisingly vacant, at least this far south.

As he flew down it, he began to see a barrage of explosions pounding the road ahead of him. That was more like it, he thought. He flew forwards, expecting to see a mass of soldiers fighting it out, but to his surprise, he only saw two Digimon: GranKuwagamon and Imperialdramon.

He watched GranKuwagamon tackle Imperialdramon to the ground, only for her to fire aimlessly. For a moment, UlforceVeedramon was confused. What was GranKuwagamon doing there?

But then he remembered. GrandisKuwagamon was working with the Demon Lords. And it looked like he was about to take revenge on Paildramon.

UlforceVeedramon's fist tightened and he readied his blade. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Big mistake."

---

"Mega Death!" Black Imperialdramon Dragon Mode opened her maw and launched a condensed sphere of abyssal power, nearly as big as GrandisKuwagamon's body.

The mercenary scowled as the black, crackling ball whipped towards him. He threw himself out of the way just in time to avoid it, but just being near the dark matter was enough to blast him with pressure. The ball sailed into the far distance and slammed into the coast of the river. Upon impact, the condensed dark matter detonated in a massive explosion that sent lightning into swelling out within the blast. The explosion completely tore up the riverside and created a massive wave that splashed up onto the opposite shore.

"I-Imperialdramon!" VictoryGreymon called out, watching with wide eyes as the explosion blossomed in the distance. "B-Be careful! That could have hurt somebody!"

Black Imperialdramon merely let out a primal roar and continued charging at GrandisKuwagamon. She extended the blades on her forelegs and slashed them along GrandisKuwagamon's legs as she zipped past him.

"Arrragh!" he shouted with pain, nearly buckling as blood emerged from the cut along his hip. He swerved away and was just able to keep himself flying as he clutched his leg. "Damn it! I surrendered! We're on the same side, you idiot!"

The enraged dragon didn't respond. Rather, she couldn't. As she surrendered to her fury and to her form's immense power, her control slipped away. She was barely sentient, buried under a dark tidal wave of rage and power. Her mind was nothing more than empty, burning anger. She felt herself drowning, her semblance of self disappearing. Where there was once order, there was now only chaos.

As Imperialdramon lost control, she became a primal force. She acted only on instinct, fuelled by her base emotion of wrath. She couldn't control what she was doing. Her only concern was killing her enemies, no matter who they were or who got in her way.

Black Imperialdramon flew straight up into the night sky. She stopped in front of the distant moon, which emerged from behind the clouds for just a moment. She angled the front of her body forwards and took aim with her dorsal cannon.

Without speaking, she began pumping out blast after blast from her cannon, shooting indiscriminately at GrandisKuwagamon. Three spiralling beams surged out of her cannon after the other, showering down on the city road, each aiming in GrandisKuwagamon's general direction whenever he tried to dodge.

"Crap! Watch it, lady!" Sistermon Noir shouted to her, watching as one of the beams fell heedlessly towards them. She grabbed SaviorHackmon's arm and looked at Sistermon Blanc. "Sis! Hurry!"

"Eep! P-P-Protect Wave!" Sistermon Blanc stammered, slamming the ground with the end of her trident again. A summoned barrier appeared around the two Sistermon and SaviorHackmon. One of the beams drilled into the ground directly in front of them and exploded in a blast of positrons. The barrier held firm against the initial blast, but it fractured and shattered after a few seconds. The three, while largely unharmed from the indirect hit, were thrown down the war torn street.

"Ow…" Sistermon Noir murmured, rubbing her head. "Has she gone completely nuts?!"

"This… isn't like the over-sergeant…" SaviorHackmon said, grimacing as he pulled himself back up. "She'd never usually act like this. But if she lost her brother…"

GrandisKuwagamon swore and zipped back and forth, speeding around the beams with erratic movements and incredible acrobatics. He was barely able to avoid the third laser as it swept by him. The howl of the beam hurt his ear, and the pressure of the crackling positrons burned at his side.

When the barrage halted, GrandisKuwagamon ascended in reverse, avoiding the earth-shaking explosions below. He took advantage of the brief respite to catch his breath.

"Grandis!" VictoryGreymon yelled, protecting himself from the blasts with his Victory Shield. As bits of stone pelted off his chrome digizoid shield and armour, he winced and flew over to GrandisKuwagamon's side. "Imperialdramon! You have to stop!" he attempted to call out to her. "I know you're angry and in pain, but—"

Black Imperialdramon interrupted him with a savage roar and she began to swoop down in an attempt to charge them.

"This is bad," GrandisKuwagamon growled, staring at Imperialdramon worriedly. "Paildramon's lost control. Losing her brother… it pushed her over the edge. The anger and sorrow and pain… that darkness… she must be drowning in it. Sinking…" As he spoke, there was understanding – empathy – in his words. "Imperialdramon are already an unstable species. She must have lost control of her form. It's turned into something nefarious and chaotic. Black Imperialdramon."

"W-What? That's why she looks different?" VictoryGreymon asked. "Like a dark evolution?"

"Exactly like that," GrandisKuwagamon replied. He began putting some space between himself and VictoryGreymon. "Move away, Victory. I need some space."

The dragon warrior wondered why and turned while flying back a meter. "What are you doing?"

"If I'm going to go head-to-head with her, I'm gonna need more leverage. Slide Evolution!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted, his body shining with light. His bipedal form grew in size and he took on the giant, quadrupedal form of GranKuwagamon.

The bestial insect was as large as Imperialdramon, and his shape both mirrored and contrasted hers. They were both quadrupedal and monstrous, but their forms differed. His, a giant bug, and hers, a huge dragon. However, their bodies were both pitch black. Both were now beings of darkness.

SaviorHackmon looked up at GranKuwagamon and began to fly up. "What are you planning on doing?!" he yelled to him, suspicious of his motives.

"Don't hurt her!" VictoryGreymon pleaded with him.

"I don't want to!" GranKuwagamon fired back. "I've gotta do something though. I'm going to try to get through to her. This is the only way I can do it!"

"We'll help you!" SaviorHackmon called out to him.

"No! You stay back!" GranKuwagamon ordered, casting his ruby eyes towards SaviorHackmon and the Sistermons. "All of you! She's an Ultimate level Digimon. You three are no match for her. And you'll just get in the way, Victory. If you don't have the balls to fight her like you mean it, she'll end up killing you."

"But I can't just-" SaviorHackmon protested.

Sistermon Noir jumped up and grabbed SaviorHackmon's cape, yanking him back down to the ground. The dragon man landed on a knee and looked behind him with annoyance. "Noir-chan!"

"The bug's right, Hackie," Sistermon Noir bluntly told him, staring at him with serious eyes. "She's too strong for us. And you're too hurt to fight somebody like that."

SaviorHackmon snarled through gritted teeth. "I'm fin- AAAH!"

Sistermon Noir pushed the muzzle of her gun against SaviorHackmon's metal side firmly and twisted it clockwise, making the steel dragon man arch his body and squirm with pain.

"Noir, stop! You're hurting him!" Sistermon Blanc protested, running over and grabbing her arm.

"Exactly my point," Noir explained, sticking her tongue out. "He's only barely able to fight Adult-levels right now, not some crazed Ultimate level."

Sistermon Blanc winced and looked at SaviorHackmon with worried, pleading eyes. "Mm… I'm sorry, but Noir's right. You can't fight her, and you promised that you wouldn't be reckless, didn't you? And we promised Master Gankoomon that we'd look out for you."

SaviorHackmon grimaced, but nodded. "Rm… You're right," he said with a bitter sigh. "I can't be impulsive and stupid. I'll just get people hurt..."

Sistermon Noir frowned, keeping her fingers on the triggers of her guns as she watched Imperialdramon make a pass towards GranKuwagamon. "What should we do though? I know what I said, but I feel weird about leaving them like this…" she debated.

SaviorHackmon thought about carefully. "…We've gotta try to seal off the area. At the very least, we need to tell our allies that it's not safe here. That way, we can minimize as much of the damage as possible while they try to get through to over-sergeant Imperialdramon," he decided.

"Not exactly an easy thing to do in a war zone," Sistermon Noir replied. "The demons aren't gonna just take that into account and agree this area's off limits."

"Even so, our allies have to know. I won't let Paildramon do anything that she'll regret. Besides, if she starts attacking both sides, she'll be a huge target," SaviorHackmon explained. He looked up at the raging dragon as she charged GranKuwagamon head on. He watched as he cut through a dimensional portal just in time to avoid being rammed, sending Imperialdramon reeling through the empty space where he had been. "…We don't have much time. Let's go!"

With that, SaviorHackmon started dashing down the road towards the front lines. Sistermon Noir took off after him, with Blanc hurrying after her older sister, afraid of being left behind with the wild monster.

Meanwhile, GranKuwagamon emerged from void space directly above Imperialdramon. He descended on the confused and furious dragon, who looked around frantically for her enemy. At the last second, she noticed a shadow above her and looked up, but it was too late for her to react.

GranKuwagamon slammed into Imperialdramon's armoured back and closed his pincers around her neck, not enough to choke her, but hard enough that he wouldn't be thrown off. He pulled her head back and grabbed hold of her sides tightly, curling his legs around her as well. "Imperialdramon!" he shouted out to her. "Get a fucking hold of yourself! Snap out of it!"

Black Imperialdramon merely wrenched her head backwards and unleashed a deafening roar that would strike fear into the hearts of all but the most courageous. She flapped her wing powerfully and began flying through the air with GranKuwagamon attached. He was stunned at her sheer strength, but he held on tightly and refused to let go.

The black dragon hurled herself into the side of the building, impacting it so that GranKuwagamon hit the stone surface first. GranKuwagamon growled out with pain as he was sandwiched between the building and the giant drake. He felt the stone crumbling around him, rebounding off his carapace, as Imperialdramon made a GranKuwagamon-sized crater in the building.

"D-Damn it… Listen… to me…" GranKuwagamon growled, wincing but refusing to loosen his tight grip. "Paildramon… I know you can hear me."

Black Imperialdramon snarled at him and took off again, dragging her passenger with her. With incredible speed, she threw herself across the street and sent GranKuwagamon crashing head first into a building yet again. This time, as they penetrated the interior of the structure, the dark Imperialdramon fired a laser from her cannon point blank into both GranKuwagamon and the building.

Within the darkness, the windows of the stone structure gleamed with rays of bright light, and then the building exploded from the inside out.

GranKuwagamon cried out as he was thrown out of the obliterated building. He skidded along the street on his sides as bricks rained down around him. He beat his wings as he slid, and managed to lift himself back onto his feet so that he could drag his claws against the ground and recover.

"Grandis!" VictoryGreymon shouted, flying towards him.

"Stay back! It's me she wants," GranKuwagamon hissed, keeping his eyes focused on Imperialdramon as she burst out of the cloud of smoke and crumbling rock. "I always knew you had a thing for me, P…" he teased, smirking in the face of the charging fury.

His expression darkened and his smile faded. Determined, GranKuwagamon took off towards her. His body sliced through the air as he circled around in an attempt to approach her from the side. The shadowy, chaotic Imperialdramon reacted in kind, curving towards GranKuwagamon as he approached. The pair soared towards one another in a tightening double helix, their dark bodies becoming like a black tornado in the grey sky.

As they reached their zenith, the pair crashed into each other. Imperialdramon's opened her mouth, which seeped with dark matter, and snapped it shut around GranKuwagamon's shoulder. Her jagged teeth dug in hard enough to penetrate his sturdy carapace and pierce the flesh below. GranKuwagamon winced but tightened his pincers around Imperialdramon's neck once again.

"Paildramon! I know you're in there, damn it! This isn't you!" GranKuwagamon shouted, staring into her eyes. "I know you hate me right now. I know you're mad at everything. I get the pain and the loss you must feel… But you're not the kind of person to lose control and start attacking your friends and allies!"

Imperialdramon snarled and released the black insect from her bite. She swept her forelegs down, slashing the flickering blades on her ankles down on GranKuwagamon's chest.

GranKuwagamon was able to cross his arms in front of his body, but the Splendor Blades cut along his gauntlets, leaving long gashes in the hard surface. He looked up and saw dark matter pouring out of Imperialdramon's widening mouth. Recognizing the imminent danger, he swore and released Imperialdramon from his grip. He sped away from the dragon, putting distance between her and himself before spinning around.

"Damn it, Paildramon. If you can't listen, I'm gonna have to fight you…" he murmured, his long forceps beginning to glow with light.

"Mega Death!" she roared, launching the concentrated ball of darkness from her throat.

"Dimension Scissors!" GranKuwagamon retaliated, unleashing a crescent of space-tearing, negative energy from his mandibles.

Right as Imperialdramon fired the orb of dark matter, the Dimension Scissors cut along her side, tearing into her armour. The pain that burned along her side only served to make her angrier, evident from her primal roar.

GranKuwagamon watched as the orb of darkness hurdled towards him. It closed in fast. Even if he flew away, the explosion would be huge. He growled and prepared himself to act, hoping he could at least warp to a safe distance. However, a twinge of pain in his bloodied shoulder caused him to falter for a crucial second. The Mega Death closed in.

"Grandis! Look out!" a voice shouted from nearby. VictoryGreymon flew in front of GranKuwagamon, filling his field of vision. His Dramon Breaker's blades were fanned out and glowed with a protective energy. "Victory Charge!"

The abyssal maelstrom slammed into a transparent barrier that coursed from the broadsword. It raged and howled against the shield, forming spider-web cracks in the field. However, VictoryGreymon let out a shout and pushed all of his might into pushing the orb upwards. The attack rebounded away from the shield was sent careening upwards, into the night sky.

The concentrated dark energy punched a hole through the veil of clouds, causing the data to swirl inwards. After a few seconds there was a massive, unseen explosion in the sky. Rays of shadows started piercing through the clouds in thin pillars, and there was a distant roar. Then the clouds shattered and then a soft blast of pressure swept down onto the city, though it was diffused enough to cause only a gust of wind through the war-torn streets.

VictoryGreymon panted, a bead of sweat dripping down his face as he observed the explosion in the sky. It was as if the night itself had quaked. "That was so powerful…" he breathed to GranKuwagamon. "She's even stronger in that form than usual."

"Her power's running wild," GranKuwagamon responded. "She can't control herself. I don't think she can even hear us."

"We still have to try to get through to her," VictoryGreymon insisted, clenching his sword tightly with determination.

"Yeah. I know," the mercenary agreed. His features darkened, barely visible in the night. "But if we can't… She's too dangerous like this…" He left his words hanging ominously.

VictoryGreymon grimaced. "We can't… We're not at that point yet!" he declared. "There's still a way through. I know it."

GranKuwagamon stared up at Black Imperialdramon, who snarled down at them balefully. "…Maybe."

Imperialdramon set her crimson eyes on GranKuwagamon and VictoryGreymon in front of him. Her mind was numb, burning with rage and primal instinct. Barely able to control her own mind, she was only able to identify GranKuwagamon as her enemy. When she spotted VictoryGreymon, she loosely identified him. He was familiar, and she momentarily hesitated.

Why was he in the way of her enemy? Why was he protecting him? He wasn't attacking GranKuwagamon, whose fault it was that she felt this way. GranKuwagamon was responsible for this agony. If VictoryGreymon was protecting him… that must mean that he betrayed her as well. VictoryGreymon was helping GranKuwagamon. Therefore, VictoryGreymon was an enemy. Anybody who got in her way was the enemy. They needed to die. The Demon Lords needed to die. The whole world needed to be obliterated.

As the rage and chaos that consumed her twisted her logic, the dark aura surrounding her body increased. She released a fanatical bellow and spread her blood red wings. "Eternal Zeal!" she roared, buffeting her wings downwards. As the mighty gust swept down towards the pair, it suddenly ignited.

"Move!" GranKuwagamon shouted, grabbing VictoryGreymon with his giant arms and pulled him beneath his snapping pincers. "Zone Black Hole!" The dark insect slashed a large hole through the void space in front of them. As the explosion erupted around them, he managed to escape through the spatial tear with VictoryGreymon in tow.

The pair re-emerged on top of a building on the other side of the street, tumbling out of the abyss with a gust of fire at their heels. They landed and watched as the entire center of the street combusted in a massive conflagration.

Black Imperialdramon saw the pair of them escape her attack out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards them and roared, swerving towards them and aiming her cannon.

"Cover me!" GranKuwagamon yelled, lunging off the roof of the building and zipping through the dark, city skyline towards Black Imperialdramon: Dragon Mode.

"Positron Laser!" she shouted, though her voice was drowned out by a death-like growl. Her dorsal cannon erupted and began coursing energy towards GranKuwagamon. The helical beam was nearly as big as their bodies as it gushed towards the attacking mercenary.

GranKuwagamon watched as the massive beam hurdled towards him. He wasn't sure how he could get close to her again. He wasn't even sure if he could dodge her attack. He winced and steeled his nerve. "Damn it. This is crazy. What are you doing, Grandis?" he told himself. Despite his words, he began twisting his body around rapidly, turning himself into a massive, black tornado. "Grand Death Screw!"

He drilled right into the center of the coming beam blast. His pincers and claws tore against the beam, cutting through the mass of light as it parted around him, his sheer velocity and torque preventing him from being completely overwhelmed. Despite that, his whole body seared with pain. However, he refused to give in. He stubbornly continued to cut through the beam, fighting against her power with his own.

As the beam petered out, GranKuwagamon emerged from the fading column of light. He continued flying towards the recovering Imperialdramon. His body was cracked in several places, and smoke drifted out from his form. No longer spinning, GranKuwagamon closed the space between them and he crashed straight into Imperialdramon's chest.

The black dragon released a grunt as the giant insect ploughed into her, driving his clawed fists into her underbelly. As he sent her crashing onto the road, he grabbed her forelegs with his own. He pushed her onto the ground and pinned her down to the best of his ability. Even as she launched another beam from her cannon, he remained still as it tore a trench down the middle of the road. He put his forearm down on her throat, his face directly opposite from her snarling maw.

"Paildramon… Listen to me…" he spoke, his words soft. "I know you hate me right now. In fact, I don't blame you." He stared into her eyes, his own softening with regret. "I did things that I can't take back. I turned my back on you guys and I sold my soul to the Demon Lords."

GranKuwagamon jerked his head aside as Imperialdramon tried to snap at him, but he held firm. "I… I realized that I became the very same as the monsters who destroyed my village. I came here, and I invited destruction to New Terminal. It was for my own selfishness. My own weakness."

The mercenary pushed her head down, staring down at her with soft emotion in his eyes - emotion that few ever saw. "…But you aren't like us. You aren't like this, Paildramon," he gently told her. "You're better than I am. You're supposed to be a better person. A fucking do-gooder soldier who's too tight-assed to ever break a rule in her life." He smiled for a moment. "You're not supposed to be doing stuff like this. It's not you."

Black Imperialdramon still snarled and squirmed under his hold, kicking her claws against his underbelly and scratching against his carapace.

"I know you lost your little brother… I know how much it hurts. The hole inside you that feels like it'll never heal. It's just like an abyss, sucking in any hope or light. The only way I could fill it was with more darkness. Hatred against those who caused it. The MetalTyrannomon who killed my family. …I thought that if I could kill them… if I could make them suffer like I suffered… that'd somehow fill that emptiness inside of me," GranKuwagamon said to her. "I thought that revenge was the answer. But… after I killed them and loaded their data… I felt just as hollow as I did before."

The black dragon, while continuing to thrash around, started to settle down a bit. Her movements were weaker, as if being held back.

"I know we only met recently, but I… I think we understand each other." GranKuwagamon shook his head. "You're not like me, Paildramon. You're gonna look back at what you're doing now and hate yourself for it. I know you're not in control right now, but you're in there somewhere. You need to be strong. …No… you're already strong. So damn strong... You're stronger than this. Stronger than me." GranKuwagamon stared into her eyes, and small, ironic smile formed on his lips. "…Maybe that's why I like you so much."

After a moment, his smile faded, and he slowly began to loosen his hold on her. "...Paildramon… I'm sorry about ExVeemon… about everything. Come back to us. Please… Prove how strong you are…"

Black Imperialdramon stared up at him. Her red eyes were wide, and for a moment, they softened. Small beads of moisture began to appear in the corners of her eyes.

She hesitated. A part of her seemed to recognise him. A portion of his words managed to slip in past the overpowering rage and hatred. For moment, Imperialdramon realised what she was doing, and the part of her usual self that still existed inside of her tried to break through the pure power, chaos, and domination of her Black Imperialdramon form. For a moment, she fought back.

But only for a moment.

The oppressive wrath started to swallow her sense of self once again. Her eyes hardened and softened intermittently, like there was a civil war going on in her mind. However, the rebellion faltered, and the chaos quashed her revolt. She began to push GranKuwagamon off of her body.

"Damn it! Listen to me! Fight it! Fight it, Paildramon!" GranKuwagamon shouted, driving his fist into her chest while he continued to hold her down, anything to get through to her.

"Get away from her, bastard!" a voice shouted, suddenly beside GranKuwagamon like the snap of lightning.

A cobalt blur appeared beside GranKuwagamon, glowing with golden and blue light. UlforceVeedramon was beside GranKuwagamon in a flash, the crest on his plate armour glowing with holy energy. There was a fierce look in his eyes, and his left arm was soaked with blood, seeping from several scratches and holes along his bicep and elbow.

"Shining V-Force!" UlforceVeedramon shouted, suddenly surging a powerful ray of light from his body.

Before GranKuwagamon could even register what was going on, the blast of light blasted into his side. The giant insect was thrown off of Imperialdramon's body and sent crashing into a street lamp, tearing it out of the destroyed road as he crashed into the pile of rubble behind it.

With the weight finally lifted from her body, Imperialdramon began to roll onto her side. She released a low rumble as she watched GranKuwagamon crumple to the ground nearby. With some distance between them, her view of him began to change. She watched as he stirred and lifted himself up. His body was flanked by small fires, and there was a fierce look in his eyes as he turned back towards them. He was a menacing silhouette. The dark body of a demon. He was her enemy.

And with that recollection, the flicker of light within Imperialdramon was drowned out with darkness. She was swallowed up again by the chaotic power of her form.

"Sir! Please, wait!" VictoryGreymon called out, landing on debris-covered street.

UlforceVeedramon landed beside the large dragon, clutching his arm. "Are you okay, over-sergeant?" he asked her, smiling a little when it seemed like she wasn't too badly hurt.

Black Imperialdramon slowly cast her baleful glare towards him. The hatred and darkness within her was all too clear.

This was when UlforceVeedramon began to notice that something was wrong. He locked eyes with her and saw the empty loathing in her eyes. He hadn't noticed before due to the haste of his arrival and the darkness of the night, but he realised that she looked different. Her typically blue scales had turned pitch black. Her helmet and wings were a blood red colour. And, most of all, there was a black atmosphere tracing her form.

"…Imperialdramon?" he tentatively asked, his pained body beginning to tense up.

"You idiot!" GranKuwagamon shouted at the blue Royal Knight with a wince. "You don't understand what's going on! That's a dark evolution! She's gone wild! I almost had her!"

She stared at the Royal Knight. The dragon of destruction recognised his power. He was a Royal Knight. He was an indomitable force. He was stronger than she was in her present form. He was a threat to her.

There were threats all around her. She was still too weak to face them all. She needed to be stronger. She needed even more power…

If she had more power, she could bring them all to justice.

GranKuwagamon's words fleetingly whispered in her primal, livid mind. "You're stronger than this… Prove how strong you are…"

The last thing she saw as she stared at UlforceVeedramon was the familiar form of ExVeemon. The pain and sorrow pierced through her heart before it went numb. All semblance of memory of him seemed to vanish.

Black Imperialdramon slowly began to sit up. Something was different about her. She wasn't thrashing. She wasn't growling. She wasn't firing attacks randomly. Her features seemed cold and dark. It was as if she was no longer a wild force of nature, roaring in pain and fighting to break free. Instead, she was cold and collected. It was if the dark, draconic power had overtaken her completely.

And it had.

Black Imperialdramon stared down at UlforceVeedramon. And then, she raised her head and unleashed a sky-shattering roar. The moonlight beamed down on her from the hole in the clouds that she had created. It highlighted the darkness bleeding out of her body. Black fog leaked out of her mouth and armour. Her eyes suddenly glowed like burning rubies.

The black aura slowly enveloped Black Imperialdramon Dragon Mode. It swallowed her in its thick folds. Inside the shroud, her body suddenly started coursing with black energy.

"Mode Change…"

The massive body of Dragon Mode started to rapidly shrink in size. Her bestial, draconic body, warped into that of a tall, slender humanoid. The black silhouette was that of an anthropomorphic dragon, clad in the darkest armour. She was covered from head to toe in stygian metal, with golden accents colouring the jagged blades protruding from the plate. Like her armour, her helmet was jet black, and her scales were the same ebony shade. It was a form completely devoid of light.

From within the dark shroud, two, blood red wings shot outwards majestically. A dark figure emerged of the shadows, her black armour barely glistening in the moonlight. Mounted on her right arm, just above three, jagged, knuckle spikes, was a huge, wrist-mounted cannon. They all rested above a tightly clenched fist covered in black scales. On her chest was a giant dragon's head ornately decorating her breastplate. Black exhaust seemed out of the mouth of the draconic head, and its ornate eyes glowed as brightly as her own.

The dark dragon warrior stopped in the middle of the road with a withering gaze.

"…Black Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode."