(Author's Note: Chapter 48 is here! After some editing I realised that it ended up too long to all be put in a single chapter, so I had to divide it in half. Fortunately, both halves are pretty self-contained, so it didn't end up too badly. I'll post Part II in no later than a week. Possibly a little sooner. Look forward to it. I hope you enjoy!)
Chapter 48: Terminus (Part I)
Smoke drifted across the gaping crater that punctured the center of New Terminal's main boulevard.
The buildings surrounding what was left of the thoroughfare were completely demolished. As the fighting began to die down, the ruins began to rest more easily. The ground no longer trembled with the quakes of battle. Only some rocks tumbled down from half-destroyed buildings and mounds of rubble. A few shards of glass shattered and dropped from the distant explosions. However, the destruction generally began to ease. What was left in its wake was calm yet heart-rending desolation.
SaviorHackmon stared vacantly at the ground. The smoke of the crater before him blew past him, stinging his eyes and clinging to the fabric of his cloak.
His snout gaped open. His citrine eyes were wide, distraught, disbelieving. His arm rested in a sling, while the other hung at his side. It was all he could do to keep a tight grip on the blue hand that desperately tried to pull away from him.
It felt as though his insides had iced over. He was frozen in place, all but his heart, which churned agonizingly. The bruises that he had suffered before wracked his body with pain, but it was nothing compared to the anguish that he felt right now.
SaviorHackmon stood before VictoryGreymon, Paildramon, and GrandisKuwagamon's bodies. They were each covered in blood. Their forms were sprawled across the road, still and unmoving. Loose data particles slowly drifted in the smoky night air between them.
"No…" he whispered, his voice quivering. "No…"
VictoryGreymon was covered in countless bloody gashes. His chest was a dark, shimmering crimson in the moonlight.
Paildramon lay nearby with three holes bored through her chest, all the way through to her back. The ground beneath her was stained with her blood.
Nearby was a dark, insectoid body. Dark, semi-dried blood caked onto the front of GrandisKuwagamon's body, with trickles of insect blood trailing behind him. None of them were conscious.
SaviorHackmon wasn't sure what had happened when GrandisKuwagamon became engulfed in light, but he had been in incredible pain and he hadn't moved since.
The pale dragon stood before the bodies of three Digimon who he had considered friends once. The familiar feelings of sorrow and failure began to surge back through SaviorHackmon's heart. Once again, he had been unable to help people. Once again, he had been useless to stop this tragedy. War had again claimed needless casualties and he had been helpless to prevent it.
If he hadn't been so injured from before, maybe he could have helped them against Black Imperialdramon. Maybe he could have prevented this…
But he didn't. And now his friends were on the brink of deletion.
He felt helpless. He didn't know what to do.
"L-Let go…!" a young, male voice beside him choked through heavy sobs. "That's my s-sister… I… I need to…"
Despite his urging, the hand stopped attempting to pull away. The body that it was attached to crumpled to his knees. The sound of the dragon's sobbing filled the air. All SaviorHackmon could do was idly rub the back of the dragon's hand with his trembling thumb.
Without realising it, SaviorHackmon's own eyes had filled up. The sight of his friends lying bloodied and motionless on the ground struck fear and sorrow into his heart. His chest was tight and his throat felt like it was being choked by Demon again. He felt like he could barely breathe.
Tears ran down his metallic face as he stared at his dying friends. He was in a state of shock. His legs trembled and felt like they were going to collapse. Teardrops rolled off his chin and splashed onto the stones between his bladed feet.
"No… No…" SaviorHackmon repeated emptily. The loss that he felt threatened to consume him. He felt like falling to his knees and crying as well. Part of him wanted to indulge the overwhelming pain that threatened to consume him.
However… he wouldn't. He wouldn't give up. He couldn't. Not when there was still something that he could do. He didn't know what, he just knew that he had to do something. If he gave up now, he would be giving up on his friends.
"No!" SaviorHackmon shouted, blinking away the tears from his glossy eyes. His aching heart now burning with desperate resolve, he looked down at the sobbing ExVeemon beside him. "ExVeemon! You were working with the field physicians, right?! I need you to go and find them, fast!"
ExVeemon looked up at him through red, puffy eyes, clutching the bloody wound on his shoulder. "Y-Yeah, but—"
"Go! Hurry! They're still hanging in there, but they need medical attention right away!" SaviorHackmon ordered him in an impatient rush.
ExVeemon could see both the determination and the urgency in SaviorHackmon's eyes. He cast a worried glance towards Paildramon. He was reluctant to leave her like this. Although he hesitated, the young dragon knew that she needed him. He might be the only one able to save her. ExVeemon shut his eyes and dragged himself up. Casting aside his uncertainty, he suddenly took off into a frantic run. He leapt into the sky and began flying as fast as he could.
As soon as ExVeemon jumped into the sky, SaviorHackmon ran over to the three victims and began tearing off pieces of his cape. He kneeled beside VictoryGreymon, took a big portion of his cape and pressed it down on his bloodied chest. He held it down tightly and did his best to try and dress his wounds, having to push the heavy dragon onto his side in order to tie the makeshift bandage.
Despite the warm, crimson liquid soaking his hands and the sudden sensation of light-headedness, SaviorHackmon concentrated and ignored his apprehension. The memory of the dying Sealsdramon he failed to save entered his head. He refused to let that happen again.
SaviorHackmon attempted to tie the makeshift bandage around VictoryGreymon's heavy body. He recalled the Sistermons' first aid training, and did his best to put it to use. He made sure that the wounds were heavily dressed and that pressure was applied to the best of his ability.
Working with limited time and materials, SaviorHackmon began to shift towards where Paildramon and GrandisKuwagamon were. He hoped they would last.
As he moved, he noticed a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards the source of light, a crimson star in the black sky, looming over the road to the north.
To his shock and dismay, he saw a lone SkullSatamon leering down at them from high in the night sky, his staff brimming with energy. SaviorHackmon gazed up at the Perfect-level demon with horror; he had thought the demons had all retreated.
It was clear from the eerie glow in the SkullSatamon's hollow eyes that they had been seen. The SkullSatamon saw the lone Perfect level and the three unconscious wounded as easy prey.
"Hahahah! I'm not leaving without a parting gift!" the skeletal demon cackled, spinning his staff over his head. "Nail Bone!"
The staff swept down and the bejewelled head erupted with infernal light. A crimson beam burst from the staff and ripped towards SaviorHackmon and his friends' unconscious bodies.
SaviorHackmon rose to his feet, his eyes wide as he stared up at the descending pillar of ruby light. If he didn't move away, he would surely be hit, but if he moved away, VictoryGreymon, GrandisKuwagamon and Paildramon would be caught in the blast instead. He couldn't move them all of them. They were too heavy and there wasn't enough time. He didn't even have the luxury to decide as the blood red beam plummeted towards him.
"Get down!" a voice shouted from behind him.
Before he could process what was happening, a mass of purple lunged over SaviorHackmon's head. A violet suit of armour landed in front of him, placing himself between SaviorHackmon and the incoming beam protectively. A pair of clawed boots shifted and dug into the fractured pavement.
Craniamon's eyes flashed red as he raised the Avalon shield in front of them. "God Bless!" he shouted. The black kite shield pulsed with holy energy. A transparent barrier suddenly formed around himself, SaviorHackmon, and the three wounded Digimon behind him.
The barrier glowed as the beam impacted, tearing uselessly as the impenetrable field. Dust swept up around the barrier, but the SkullSatamon's attack was nullified instantly.
As the beam feebly impacted the barrier and began to fade, SaviorHackmon processed what was happening. The steel dragon looked up and his eyes grew wide with shock. A tearful smile began to form on his face as relief washed over him. "S-Sir Craniamon-shishou!" he joyously exclaimed.
When the beam faded from existence, Craniamon dropped the barrier and raised his shield over his head. He turned his head and gazed down at SaviorHackmon out of the corner of his eye. Then, he steadied himself.
"Do it, Rhodo!" he shouted behind him.
A pink blur dashed out of the darkness behind them. The lithe, rose-hued knight dashed around the edge of the crater with amazing agility, almost too fast for SaviorHackmon to follow. As soon as he was close enough, RhodoKnightmon jumped up, landed on the face of the Avalon shield and crouched down.
"Launch me, darling!" RhodoKnightmon exclaimed.
"Don't call me that!" Craniamon gruffly responded. He proceeded to hurl his shield arm forwards with immense force. As Craniamon reached the zenith of his throw, RhodoKnightmon suddenly pushed against the shield, straightening his legs and using Craniamon as a springboard. Using the doubled momentum, Craniamon propelled RhodoKnightmon through the air like a fabulous missile.
As RhodoKnightmon sailed through the air, he flattened out his body out to cut through the wind resistance. He angled himself on a collision course with the balking SkullSatamon. As he closed in, his golden ribbons whipped outwards in an elegant sweeping motion. "Spiral Masquerade!"
There was a fleeting blur of gold as RhodoKnightmon passed by the SkullSatamon. The slender Royal Knight flipped forwards and dove towards the ground. Like a professional gymnast, RhodoKnightmon landed gracefully on the road in a three point landing. Upon settling into the landing, the elegant Royal Knight held a rose up to his face with his free hand.
As RhodoKnightmon sniffed the rose, the SkullSatamon's bony body suddenly split apart into thirty pieces. His remains burst into confetti-like data before he could even fall. RhodoKnightmon stood to his feet, not even turning around to make sure that he had finished the deed. The undead demon was nothing but an afterthought.
SaviorHackmon stared at the two Royal Knights with stars in his teary eyes. It took every ounce of his willpower not to start fanboying in sheer relief and awe. SaviorHackmon reined himself in as he remembered the gravity of the situation. It didn't take him long to remember that his friends were in dire need of aid.
"Sir Craniamon-shishou!" SaviorHackmon exclaimed, standing up straight. "I need your help!"
Craniamon lowered his shield and turned around. He looking down at SaviorHackmon and frowned as he saw the badly wounded states of the three bodies. "They look in rough shape," he observed, his eyes quickly looking each of them over.
SaviorHackmon winced and nodded. He was painfully aware that despite his efforts, VictoryGreymon and Paildramon were still losing blood. "They are... I don't know how long they'll last. They need a doctor right now," he explained urgently. "Can you help me find some? With stretchers."
Craniamon looked over at RhodoKnightmon, who nodded at him to signify that he would keep moving ahead. "Yeah, sure," the skeletal knight replied. He turned his dark, glowing red eyes to GrandisKuwagamon, eyeing the bloody insect with suspicion. "…Even him?"
SaviorHackmon grimaced and cast his gaze towards the unconscious bug Digimon. "He helped us…"
The Royal Knight sighed, but nodded. "I'll see what I can do," he agreed.
The violet knight took off in a hurried run down the street, moving in the opposite way as RhodoKnightmon. As much as he wanted to get into the action before the Demon Lords pulled out completely, Craniamon knew that he had to do everything he could to help the wounded. It was his duty as a Royal Knight, especially when two of them were his subordinates.
Craniamon dashed down the central boulevard, back in the direction of the frozen river. As he passed the branching side streets, he looked around the area avidly. He tried to find some field medics or even stretcher carriers as fast as possible. He remembered seeing a bunch moving to and fro around the southern half of New Terminal as he had made his into the city to reinforce the others. However, the river was quite far from the northern district he was in now and he didn't know how much time they had. All Craniamon could do was hope to find some help sooner. In the worst case scenario, he could link up with the Order soldiers further behind him and get them to carry the wounded out.
Fortunately for him, with the Demon Lords retreating, it was becoming safer for the physicians and stretcher bearers to gather the wounded. With Leviamon gone and an ice bridge formed across the river, it was easier for them to venture into the northern districts and take the wounded back to the hospital. Now that the Demon Lords were retreating, more soldiers and physicians were venturing north across the ice bridge.
Craniamon kept looking, dashing across the stone boulevard. His eyes scanned the darkness for anybody who could help. He ran down a few more blocks, keeping to the main streets. After a couple minutes, Craniamon came to a stop. To his relief, he saw a pair of half-man, half-horse Digimon galloping up the thoroughfare towards him. He could see that the two centaurs were carrying a stretcher between them.
"Hey! We need your help!" Craniamon called out, waving his spear over his head to signal the pair of Centalmon stretcher bearers. "We need a couple more too. Humanoid-sized, medium stretchers."
"Yes, Sir! We'll get two more!" the front Centalmon obeyed.
Craniamon nodded. "Be quick about it! We don't have much time!" he ordered. "Get some first aid equipment too!"
Doing as they were directed, the pair of centaur Digimon raced off to gather two more teams who they knew were searching the adjacent streets.
Craniamon waited for them, tapping his foot impatiently. He knew that he had to help make sure that the injured were brought to safety, but he really wanted to fight a Demon Lord. "Come on, already…" he murmured under his breath. "I'm missing the action…"
Despite his impatience to get into the battle, Craniamon was also quietly concerned about VictoryGreymon and Paildramon. They looked like they would die if he wasn't fast enough.
The Royal Knight tapped his finger against the shaft of his spear, waiting and counting the seconds for their return. To his relief, he saw the Centalmon pair reappear down the side street and start galloping towards the intersection where he was waiting. Two more pairs of Digimon who carried stretchers ran behind them.
"Follow me!" Craniamon ordered them, running back up the boulevard as soon as they drew near. He knew they had to get back as fast as possible.
Meanwhile, SaviorHackmon waited for Craniamon's return. It had only been a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity to him. He knew that a few scraps of dirty fabric and the first aid that he administered wouldn't be enough to staunch the flow of blood for long.
After doing his best to place a makeshift bandage over Paildramon's chest, SaviorHackmon got on his knees beside GrandisKuwagamon. By now, he could feel his cheeks tingling and he was beginning to feel dizzy. SaviorHackmon took deep breaths and tried to get himself to focus. He couldn't faint now. They needed him.
SaviorHackmon opened his eyes and looked down at GrandisKuwagamon's chest. He reached for the hem of his cape, but then stopped. Now that he was up close and kneeling beside him, he noticed that something was strange about GrandisKuwagamon's body. There was plenty of fresh, coagulating blood caking his carapace, but SaviorHackmon couldn't find a single wound.
He didn't understand it; he watched GrandisKuwagamon take that beam blast for VictoryGreymon. He had seen the horrible wound in his chest before. He was certain of it.
SaviorHackmon frowned and hesitantly placed his hand on GrandisKuwagamon's bloody abdomen. After steeling himself and trying to keep himself from throwing off, he softly pushed down. Rather than GrandisKuwagamon's squishy insides, SaviorHackmon felt a firm carapace against his palm.
"But how…?" SaviorHackmon whispered.
"Over here!" a familiar voice called out.
To SaviorHackmon' relief, he looked down the damaged street and saw Craniamon return with three stretchers and six bearers. They were still on the other side of the huge crater embedded in the street, but they were here. SaviorHackmon hailed them over, waving his arm swiftly. Craniamon and the ambulances began to make their way around the earthy crater.
"Th-Thank you…" SaviorHackmon said weakly as they headed over to him.
The steel dragon man collapsed to his knees, using a hand to keep himself up. He was exhausted, both physically from his agitated wounds, and mentally, from the trauma of seeing his friends in such a grievous state.
Craniamon ran over and knelt down across from him, getting on the other side of Paildramon. He carefully took Paildramon by the shoulders. "You can't relax yet. I need you take her feet, recruit," Craniamon commanded SaviorHackmon. "Can you stand? Easy now."
"Y-Yes, Sir," SaviorHackmon obeyed, digging into his well of willpower to pull himself back to his bladed feet.
SaviorHackmon followed the Royal Knight's instructions and carefully lifted Paildramon by the feet. Acting in concord with Craniamon, they carefully lifted her body off of the ground. Her form was limp and blood dripped from her winged back and down her tail to the ground. Wincing, SaviorHackmon slowly transferred her onto the stretcher with Craniamon's help, trying to be as gently as he could while still being swift.
Craniamon looked at the Tyrannomon and DarkTyrannomon duo that were carrying her stretcher. "Take her to the hospital. Hurry, but don't be rough," he told them.
The red Tyrannomon nodded and carried the front half of the stretcher. He was able to easily carry her with his large, saurian body. He looked over his shoulder to his dark counterpart. "You ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, on three," the black carnosaur answered, getting ready to lift Paildramon.
He was about to start moving but he stopped. The dark tyrannosaurus raised his snout up and listened keenly. "Wait, do you hear something…?" he wondered, tilting his head and looking around.
Craniamon, SaviorHackmon and the others all stopped and listened as well.
At first, there was silence. Only the distant thunder of attacks could be made out. The fading din of battle dwindled, with only a few token attacks to keep the opposing side at bay. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
However, the group soon began to detect an unusual noise.
"There, do you hear it?" the DarkTyrannomon asked, narrowing his reptilian eyes towards the side of the road.
It was a muffled sound. It was kind of like a voice trying to speak through multiple doors or some kind of obstruction. Then came a faint rumbling.
The soft tremor was coming from the far side of the street. Particularly, it came from a mound of rubble where a large building used to stand. The rocks began to shudder, and stones tumbled down the pile of debris.
"Get behind me. Be ready…" Craniamon cautiously told them. He narrowed his eyes and his grip tightened around the Claiohm Solais. The stretcher bearers began to gather behind the shield-bearing Royal Knight.
They all looked towards the shuddering mound of fractured rock with bated anticipation.
The mountain of rubble suddenly shone from the inside out. Rays of light steamed through the cracks and illuminated the darkness of the night, accentuated by the lingering dust in the air. Suddenly, the pile of debris exploded in a massive beam, fired from underneath the mass of destroyed building.
As the rocks exploded in a blast of light, Craniamon jumped forwards. He gripped his shield and spear, ready to charge towards the foe as fragments of stone showered down around him.
From within the smoking hole, he could hear coughing. Cautiously, Craniamon began to approach the crater.
A gloved hand suddenly reached over the crest of the mound and grabbed hold of a sturdy chunk of rock. Dragging himself from the pit was a horned head, belonging to a familiar dragon knight.
It was UlforceVeedramon.
His chest and arm were bleeding heavily, and his entire body was caked in white dust. He hauled himself out of the pit, coughing violently. He unceremoniously rolled part way down the mound and until he came to a stop on his winged back. When he stopped, the battered, blue Royal Knight glared at Craniamon.
"…Do you know… how long… I was stuck down there?!" UlforceVeedramon wheezed.
Craniamon relaxed and sighed. He dropped his spear to the ground and kneeled down beside UlforceVeedramon. "…Hurry and get the wounded to the hospital," he said, looking over his shoulder. "It looks like we're gonna need another stretcher."
SaviorHackmon smiled weakly with faint relief. However, his respite was fleeting. The gravity of the situation was beginning to take its toll on him.
He turned to the bodies of his friends and watched as they were loaded onto their respective stretchers. The bloodied forms of Paildramon, VictoryGreymon, and GrandisKuwagamon were carried off, one by one. He hoped that they would all be okay now. Still, his stomach churned with unease.
He didn't understand why this had to happen. Why did any of this warfare have to happen?
SaviorHackmon tried not to dwell on such thoughts. Right now, SaviorHackmon only cared that his friends and comrades would survive. He focused on that. He was much too tired to do anything else. It was all he could do to keep from passing out with exhaustion.
As much as he wanted to go with them, he needed to stick around and wait for ExVeemon and the Sistermons to return. He quietly hoped that Gankoomon and the rest of the Royal Knights were okay. It was his wish that they were all safe.
But, right now, he just wasn't sure…
The blood ruby resting in Bagramon's vacant eye socket glowed ominously. Images flashed through the flaws of the tiny crystal as he surveyed the battle from the Demon Lord's forward siege camp. However, he didn't need to use the Invisible Snake-eyes to know what was happening in the battle. The outcome was clear before him.
He watched from beside Lucemon as the Nightmare Soldiers funnelled out of the northern gate and the two other gaping holes in the city wall.
It became immediately clear that the legions were retreating. It wasn't a frantic, chaotic escape. The legions moved in a more-or-less orderly fashion – at least, orderly for demon Digimon. The fleeing demons were scowling, some pushing each other, some dragging the wounded behind them. It was clear that they were exhausted and many were injured from the fighting. If it were a disorganised rout, the retreat would have been a chaotic mess. Given that there was a semblance of order to the army's flight, it was clear to Bagramon that this was an order from the top.
"It seems as though Barbamon has ordered a retreat," Bagramon deduced. The glow in his right eye dulled and he turned to the Demon Lord beside him.
Lucemon's smug smile faded and he rolled a lock of his golden blond hair between his fingers. He didn't show any outward anger – any sense that things were out of his control. He was above that. Rather, he looked pensive, and, at worst, mildly annoyed. "…What is Barbamon thinking?" the foremost Demon Lord wondered.
"The rest of the Royal Knights have arrived," Bagramon informed him. "Leviamon has retreated from his position."
Lucemon closed his fist and the ghost of a scowl lingered on his face. "I see…" he responded. Lucemon closed his eyes and calmed himself almost immediately. "No matter. This was not a total defeat. We have set the largest city in Eniac ablaze. The Digital World now knows that we mean to be taken seriously."
Bagramon frowned and gazed towards the war torn capital. Smoke and cinders still climbed towards the dark sky from the blazing buildings. "I would like to hear from Barbamon before we make a judgment."
The two Demon Lords watched as the Nightmare Soldiers continued pouring out of the city. They made their ways back to the remainder of the army. The legions stayed with their own group as they moved. A few legions had only a handful of Digimon left. It was clear that there were much fewer now than there was when they attacked the city. A little over a thousand remained from the two thousand that attacked the city, with over half of that injured in some way.
Lucemon and Bagramon watched as the other Demon Lords began to emerge around the approaching Nightmare Soldiers. The first one they saw was Beelzebumon. The bike-mounted Demon Lord raced across the grass, forcing the various demon and undead Digimon to make a path around him lest they got run over by the Behemoth. Leviamon slowly lumbered over land from the east, his body still dripping with murky river water. Demon and Barbamon emerged over the city walls, flying through the dark sky as dawn approached. Demon made a direct route towards Lucemon. Meanwhile, Barbamon flew down alongside the Devidramon-drawn black carriages that rolled down the dirt highway in the center of the fleeing legions.
"It is a pity that we were forced to stop short of our goals," a female voice said from behind the pair of Demon Lords. Lucemon and Bagramon both turned to see Lilithmon emerge out of the darkness behind them. An Evilmon attendant was already patching up the minor injury on her wing.
"Lilithmon," Bagramon greeted, casting his good eye towards her.
Lucemon turned his head, his blue eyes landing on her. "What happened?" he gently demanded. "I had been under the impression that we were winning."
"We were, generally speaking," Lilithmon answered. She placed her hand on her hip and gestured over to Leviamon, who wandered towards them with ground-shaking steps. "And then the rest of the Royal Knights showed up and the lizard turned tail and ran."
"What?! Are you talking about me?!" Leviamon snarled in his booming voice, unable to hear since his snout was so long. While its tip was nearly in front of the gathered Demon Lords, his ears were all the way back at the sides of his skull.
Lilithmon cupped a hand over her nose and mouth as warm, pungent, crocodilian breath washed over them. "Ugh. Turn that awful snout away, you disgusting reptile; you smell like sewage!" she angrily shouted at him.
Leviamon growled and began angling his body to the side so that he could get his eyes and ears closer to the Demon Lords.
As he did, Beelzebumon rode over from the west, cruising down the front lines of the demon camp. The biker Demon Lord sped behind the gathering Demon Lords and twisted the Behemoth, coming to a skidding stop. The wheels dragged in the grass and Leviamon's cheek was sprayed with mud as Beelzebumon came to a stop beside him.
As the moist dirt cascaded in their direction, Lilithmon looked down at her dress. Her eye twitched when she saw a bit of dirt spattered onto the long hem of the lilac-hued fabric. She quickly glared at Beelzebumon. "You idiot…"
Beelzebumon shrugged and hopped off his bike. "Oops. My bad, Lili," he insincerely replied. He smirked at her and ignored the withering gazes that both Leviamon and Lilithmon sent towards him.
Demon was the next to approach. The Demon Lord of Wrath swept down from the dark sky and landed in front of the other Demon Lords with a deep thud. Moving roughly, Demon stormed past them and pointed at handful of PicoDevimon attendants who were hovering nearby. "You! Fetch me my vestments. Now," he ordered.
"My Lord!" The four PicoDevimon began bowling each other over in an attempt to get Demon his clothing first. The bat like demons raced to a small, portable tent at the edge of the waiting armies. It wasn't long until two of them returned with Demon's hooded cloak, each one carefully holding the clothing in their talons by the shoulder.
Demon grabbed the dark, crimson robes and threw them over his body. For a moment, his bestial, demonic body ignited with flame. In the next instance, his body was draped in his dark, occult vestments.
As soon as he was garbed, Demon spun around and glared at Beelzebumon with cold, blue eyes that were nearly concealed by his hood. "You…" he hissed. "You retreated too soon and left our right flank exposed," he accused him.
Beelzebumon placed a hand on his hip and arched his eyebrow. "Whoa, whoa. Easy there, Dede, I was fine! Not my fault if the guys you sent me were fresh and easily spooked. I only pulled back cuz they did. I had no choice in the matter, you see," he casually defended himself. "You really shoulda had them better disciplined or something. But, hey, we all make mistakes."
Demon uttered a deep, restrained growl. "If you had acted like the leader that you are supposed to be, they wouldn't have crumbled. If you weren't so busy shooting holes in things, those legions would have rallied around you and held their ground. Instead, the right flank was in shambles from the beginning. They lacked firm leadership and direction because of your self-indulgence and obstreperousness."
"Huh? Obsta-what? Did your tongue just spasm or something? Maybe you should lie down; the beating you got must be getting to you," Beelzebumon light-heartedly suggested, flashing Demon a bold smirk.
Demon snarled and seethed. The aura of quiet hatred that emanated from his body caused the two PicoDevimon to slowly back away.
"Now, now, you two," Lilithmon spoke up, sauntering between them. "In Beelzebumon's defence – and I can't believe I'm saying that – the lizard and the old man retreated as well."
"What Lilithmon says is true," Lucemon exclaimed. He turned and cast a critical gaze towards Leviamon. "And what is your excuse?"
Leviamon's reptilian eye narrowed. "I don't need an excuse! I did my job. I devastated their rear lines single-handedly, and I smashed their bridges!" he snapped defensively.
"Oh, bravo," a voice lauded with all the sarcasm in the world. Barbamon finally wandered over alongside his rolling caravan of carriages. By now, most of the remaining Nightmare Soldiers had funneled out of the city and were making a defensive line in front of the camp.
Barbamon stopped beside the Demon Lords and swatted Leviamon on the snout with the butt of his staff. "And, yet, you swam off like a frightened minnow just as soon as the Royal Knights showed up," he berated the giant Demon Lord.
"I just finished beating one of them to a pulp when three of them arrived!" Leviamon retorted vociferously, his nostrils flaring. "And there were another five on the way along with their whole Order! Do you want me to get myself killed?"
"I want you to show a little back bone," Lucemon castigated him. He turned to Barbamon and observed him with cold, blue eyes. "And why did you retreat?"
"Leviamon was the first line of defence against the Royal Knights' reinforcements," Barbamon explained calmly and logically. "When he retreated, my flank was left completely exposed to the Royal Knights before we could mount a defence. Not only that, but he allowed the Royal Knights to freeze the river over, completely nullifying the whole point of destroying the bridges in the first place. With our terrain advantage gone, the Royal Knights were able to easily cross the Fountain River and attack my flank. Naturally, they overwhelmed our forces and I thought it was prudent to retreat before our gains were lost."
"So, you are the cause of this defeat," Lucemon calmly accused Leviamon, turning to face the giant, red Demon Lord directly.
Leviamon snarled venomously at the accusation. He dug his talons into the ground and glared right back at Lucemon. The acrimony in his reptilian features was unmistakeable.
Bagramon sensed the rising tensions between the Demon Lords and stepped in between them, raising a hand dissuadingly. "Everyone, now is not the time to be assigning blame. Although this is not the result that we hoped for, we must continue to look forwards, not backwards. Whoever is at fault, the fact is that we knew going into this that this would be a highly risky operation," he explained, casting his spurious red eye towards Barbamon with pointed distrust.
Barbamon caught his eye and smiled crookedly in response. He tapped his stave against the ground idly. "Indeed, Bagramon makes a good point. We may have lost a battle, but we are nowhere close to losing the war."
"After the losses we sustained? How can you justify being so optimistic?" Demon gruffly demanded.
Barbamon chuckled hoarsely and swept his staff out, pointing the Death Lure at the four carriages gathered behind him. "Although capturing New Terminal would have been nice, holding a position so close to the Royal Knights would have been disadvantageous, and fighting them here in a set piece battle would have been ill-advised at this stage. No… New Terminal's true value is its riches."
Barbamon emphatically walked over and opened the passenger door to one of the carriages. As the door creaked open, the contents of the transport were revealed. The carriage was loaded to capacity with piles of gold and silver bullion, gems, and coins. Barbamon had to close the door to keep them from spilling out.
"…You dragged us all the way here to fill your pockets with riches, you old miser?!" Lilithmon angrily accused him, pointing at the avaricious Demon Lord.
"Our pockets, you miserable harpy!" he fired back just as contentiously. "Do you know just how much money I stole straight from the Central Bank?! This fortune will fund our war effort for years! Years! We will have enough money to buy and sell any mercenaries that we need, bribe more demon aristocrats to join our cause, and rebuild our army!"
As Lucemon stared at Barbamon, a faint smile began to re-emerge on his lips. "I see… Impressive, Barbamon. Perhaps this was a worthwhile venture after all. On top of that, we devastated New Terminal and struck fear into the hearts of our enemies. Even in defeat, we showed that we are a force to be reckoned with," he explained. "Yes, this we can turn this around quite nicely… The soldiers and our supporters will be pleased."
Demon grunted with reluctant agreement. "I suppose it could have been worse," he admitted.
Bagramon glanced at Barbamon suspiciously. He knew there was more to the campaign than Barbamon had let on. He should have guessed that this was his true aim. Barbamon was a conniving sort. While Bagramon had to admit that this worked out in their favour, he didn't like the way that Barbamon had went about it. It had been a risk with a high cost. "…I suppose…" he cagily agreed.
"Grr…" Leviamon snarled bitterly and turned his head away. He didn't want to give Barbamon any credit. He was still sour at being blamed for the defeat. In his opinion, if it weren't for him, Barbamon wouldn't have had time to gather so much loot. He thought he deserved just as much praise.
"Great, everybody's happy," Beelzebumon exclaimed. "What the hell do we do now?"
Barbamon looked across at the other Demon Lords. "For now, we should retreat north, back to the Gloaming Fields. We need to regroup. I doubt they will follow us."
Lucemon nodded. "That seems like a reasonable plan. Let us go back along the Grand Highway," he proposed. "Demon, Barbamon, get everybody moving."
"Very well, Lucemon," Barbamon replied. He turned to look at the other Demon Lords. "Beelzebumon, you ride at the front. Leviamon, you linger at the back."
"Why do I have to, geezer?" Leviamon complained.
"Because you're big and slow, and we need you to cover our retreat. You're good at that, aren't you?" Barbamon insinuated with biting wit.
Leviamon snarled and turned away, muttering to himself rancorously. Despite his animus, Leviamon grudgingly wandered to the rear of the camp, putting himself between the city and the siege camp as the legions made ready to leave with haste. Grumbling and lumbering out of everybody's way, he kept a suspicious eye on both the Demon Lords and the city.
"Let's get moving before dawn breaks," Demon brusquely ordered. "We shouldn't wait around in case the Royal Knights get any foolish ideas of pressing their advantage." With that, he flew off to the front of the army and began rallying the troops and speaking to the officers.
"Well, shall we?" Lilithmon questioned, gazing at the remaining Demon Lords. "I have had enough excitement for one night."
She began sauntering off towards the carriages, located at the baggage train at the rear of the army. As Lilithmon made her way towards an empty carriage, she looked back towards the city with a dark smirk.
"Suits me fine," Beelzebumon responded. As he raised his foot up and prepared to press it on the gas. Before bringing his foot down, he stalled and turned to Bagramon. "Hey, Baggy. Any sign of Bugsy?" he wondered, glancing up at the half-skeletal fallen angel.
"I have not heard from GrandisKuwagamon since the battle started," Bagramon informed him. "Regretfully, we may have to consider him missing in action until further notice."
Beelzebumon scoffed. "Damn. I was just startin' to not hate him too," he casually responded. He glanced over at Bagramon. "I ain't convinced he's dead though. He was scrappy and too good of a fighter. I know talent when I see it."
White-cloaked demon glanced back towards the city. "I will hold out hope that he is alive, but we cannot afford to wait around for him," Bagramon answered. "If he lives and he still wants work, he will come find us."
"Uh huh. Guess we'll see, huh?" Beelzebumon replied, shrugging. He stifled a pained wince as he got back on the Behemoth, but he didn't let his injuries affect him. They only served to motivate him for a rematch with the Royal Knights.
Beelzebumon hissed a little and gripped the handles of the Behemoth. He slammed his foot to the pedal and took off, taking off down the Grand Highway.
Lucemon began walking alongside Barbamon away from the smoking city, making their way towards the gathered carriages as well. He turned his head towards Bagramon, the nearby signal fire reflecting in his icy blue eyes. "…Are you coming, Bagramon?" he questioned.
"I will catch up with you, Lucemon," Bagramon answered, turning towards them. "There is something that I must see to first."
As the pair of Demon Lords walked off through the army's ranks, Bagramon looked over his shoulder. His eye gazed at the dark, smoking city of New Terminal. He frowned bitterly as he beheld the partial destruction of the great capital.
"Have you seen this, God? Will you sit back and do nothing yet again?" he quietly wondered. "Where is the justice that you speak of?"
Bagramon turned his back to the destruction and cast his eye towards the Argent Mountains, eyeing the massive root of the World Tree as it stretched off of Yggdrasil's Mount. Right as he began walking, dawn began to break over the horizon.
"This is exactly why this world must change…"
The sun emerged over New Terminal's horizon. It had been a long and bloody night. Many lives were lost on both sides, and many more were wounded. A large portion of the city was damaged and destroyed. However, the Republic of Node's capital had survived to see another sunrise. If only just.
The New Terminal Central Hospital was a hectic mess. The corridors were teeming with physicians and hospital staff who were rushing around, moving patients back and forth, and trying to attend to everyone's needs. Due to the intense battle, there was a massive influx of wounded soldiers. There were so many wounded that they exceeded the hospital's capacity.
Patients were prioritized, and the mildly wounded soldiers were placed in the courtyard outside of the hospital where makeshift medical tents were set up to accommodate the large amounts of wounded. The most wounded soldiers were taken inside the hospital for treatment, and the large-sized Digimon were treated in the courtyard as well in order to make space.
Groans of pain and hurried commands filled the hallways of the hospital. The metallic scent of blood lingered on the otherwise sterile air.
Duskmon marched down one of the busy, hospital corridors. His multitude of eyes scanned back and forth independently, absorbing the conditions of the various patients that he passed. The Royal Knight's High Physician arrived with a team of the Order's medical staff to supplement the overwhelmed New Terminal physicians.
Behind him was TigerVespamon, who followed after the High Physician. The hornet man calmly moved, weaving around the forms and stretchers moving down the hallway from the opposite direction.
Without turning around, one of Duskmon's shoulder eyes turned and stared up at his voluntary assistant. "Are you sure that you wouldn't rather be with the Strike Forces, TigerVespamon?" Duskmon questioned.
"The battle seems to be over. I believe that I would be of greater use here," TigerVespamon replied. "The hospital seems to need every extra hand that is available."
"If you are positive," Duskmon answered, looking into various rooms as he passed them. Still, he kept one eye on TigerVespamon. "Why did you apply to the Strike Forces? You are more than qualified to be one of my apprentices. You seem more interested in healing rather than harming."
A ghost of a smile flickered on TigerVespamon's calm face. "Leftenant HippoGriffomon offered me a similar question…" he gently spoke.
The hornet Digimon looked down at his black palm. "I suppose that I would like to mend rather than destroy. I would rather not harm anybody, and I would prefer not to kill. However… I recognise that there are times that I must fight to protect those that I care about. Now that I have witnessed the destruction that the Demon Lords have caused for myself, my belief has been reinforced that this is a necessary war. I want to do my part here, if I cannot join the Powers."
"Then I suppose that we share similar beliefs. There are times when we must sew wounds, and other times that we must eradicate the sickness," Duskmon darkly spoke.
After speaking, Duskmon turned the shoulder eye that stared at TigerVespamon forwards again, focusing solely on the stretcher bearers hurrying towards them. "You seem to be a Digimon of contradictions as well."
TigerVespamon was quiet and contemplative, but he politely nodded. He continued to follow the dark physician down the busy corridor.
Ahead was a pair of Centalmon who were carrying a stretcher between them. They spotted Duskmon's physician's uniform and made their way over in a swift canter. "Excuse me, doctor! We have another patient here!" the first of the centaurs said.
As the pair pulled up beside them, Duskmon and TigerVespamon were able to see the contents of the stretcher. The patient was a black, humanoid beetle, lying unconscious in the center of the stretcher. His crimson eye was dull, and his body was spattered with dried blood.
TigerVespamon froze as he recognised the bloodied GrandisKuwagamon. The colour drained from his yellow face and his body subtly tightened. His heart became gripped with alarm and dread at the sight. He stared down at GrandisKuwagamon desperately, unable to pull his eyes away. Despite the panic in heart, TigerVespamon's visage remained calm and placid. Only subtle traces of his inner feelings featured on his body.
Duskmon walked over to the stretcher and gazed down at GrandisKuwagamon. "It's GrandisKuwagamon," he murmured, immediately recognising the insect mercenary from when he installed the inhibitor virus inside him. Despite knowing GrandisKuwagamon to be a fugitive criminal, Duskmon's medical instincts took over immediately. His eyes began inspecting GrandisKuwagamon's body all over, assessing his wounds. "…What is his diagnosis?"
The second Centalmon looked at Duskmon uncertainly. "Right now, he's unconscious. An eyewitness said that suffered a beam blast in the stomach and that there was a gaping wound the size of a titanberry, but…" he trailed off and looked at GrandisKuwagamon's chest, which was very much intact now.
"There isn't a trace of a wound on him," Duskmon mused, frowning quizzically. "Was the eyewitness mistaken?"
"All of this blood appears to be his. The SaviorHackmon that we spoke to said that after the patient was wounded, his body became engulfed in light and he shouted something about an X-system or something. The SaviorHackmon wasn't very clear and seemed on the verge of fainting," the first Centalmon explained.
Duskmon thought pensively for a few seconds, but didn't wait any longer. "Very well. TigerVespamon, I want you to take him to one of the rooms. Check his vital signs and look him over for any further wounds. He seems stable right now, so he is considered low priority. However, if anything changes, come find me."
TigerVespamon didn't reply. He simply continued staring down at GrandisKuwagamon in shock.
Duskmon turned his eyes towards TigerVespamon. "TigerVespamon, is there a problem?" he questioned.
The words snapped TigerVespamon back to reality. He calmly looked up and turned towards Duskmon. "…No, there is no problem. I will follow your instructions, High Physician," he obediently responded.
"Good," Duskmon answered. The senior doctor began to turn away although the eye that was on his right foot lingered on TigerVespamon ponderously.
As he began to walk down the corridor to attend to more critical patients, one of the Centalmon spoke up.
"Also, High Physician, Craniamon said that the GrandisKuwagamon is a dangerous fugitive and needs to be restrained."
Duskmon glanced over his shoulder. "Very well. After he is checked for internal bleeding and bandaged, strap him to the bed or something. Be careful."
The two Centalmon nodded as Duskmon began walking off. The pair of centaurs began carrying GrandisKuwagamon off in the opposite direction towards one of the vacant rooms.
"We're taking him to the room at the end of the corridor. Follow us," the rear Centalmon said to TigerVespamon.
TigerVespamon nodded, though it was but an automatic gesture. His compound eyes had a faraway expression as he watched GrandisKuwagamon get carried away. He stared distantly at the black mercenary, who looked nearly lifeless while slack on the stretcher.
TigerVespamon's hand began to tighten, but he centered himself and allowed his muscles to relax. As much as he reined himself in, the traces of sorrow and bitterness remained on his face.
Quietly, TigerVespamon followed the unconscious GrandisKuwagamon towards the room. He would focus on making sure that GrandisKuwagamon survived. That was his job. He was a healer, after all. Even so, a thought lingered, as did the gentle ache in his heart.
"…Why must it be you?"