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?

86. Chapter 60 Part 2: One For All

(Author's Notes: Here we are! Part two of Chapter 60 is here. It's a long one, but it's an intense one. I think you might have trouble stopping once you start reading. I hope you enjoy it! I sure enjoyed writing it. As always, drop a review if you can, and enjoy!)

---

Chapter 60: One For All (Part II)

The hours passed and the sun dipped in the sky.

It had taken Magnamon's team about an hour to reach Shadow Retreat. They had flown as swiftly as possible while being careful not to miss the forested village. After scouring the wooded area, they were able to find the town along the highway, in the heart of Analog Forest.

Shadow Retreat was just a small village of over a hundred buildings. The structures were built either around or into the trees and their boughs, making the village part of the forest rather than overrunning it. Analog Forest's canopies hid the small, waypoint village from the air, which had made it harder for the team to find it.

The village was surrounded by trees from all sides, and a single, large road passed through the center of the village, leading west towards Dark Point. Compared to the city that it depended on, Shadow Retreat was fairly primitive by comparison. It had only houses, some shops and an inn along the main road, as well as a sawmill and some berry orchards located near its outskirts. It was a simple village, largely untouched by the urbanity and vice of the nearby Dark Point.

As soon as the team landed, they immediately got to work. Dynasmon and Magnamon approached the chieftain of the village – a DinoBeemon – and told her about Demon and the legion of Nightmare Soldiers that was headed towards Shadow Retreat. While concerned, she was reluctant to accept the help of outsiders. DinoBeemon decided to send a messenger west to Dark Point asking for the support of the Night Guard. She asked the Royal Knights to wait for their response, but allowed them free rein in the village if they were that determined to help.

The team took the opportunity to map out the village and its surrounding terrain. They began planning their defence. By asking the help of the locals, the Royal Knights were able to figure out the most strategic and defensible points in and around the village.

They spent hours trying to build up the village's defenses. SaviorHackmon had suggested to the Royal Knights that they try to fortify the perimeter of the village in order to turn the main road into a bottleneck. It had been a tactic that had initially worked well in Hope's Crest, and he hoped it could work well here too. Magnamon and Dynasmon agreed that it was a good idea to limit the enemy's movement.

To this end, Chieftain DinoBeemon agreed to use all of the logs from the mill as well as the trunks of a few trees to build a primitive palisade wall in a semicircle around the eastern perimeter of Shadow Retreat. She also organised a militia of the most capable fighters in the village while sending the old and young west to Dark Point ahead of the others.

The hours of preparation seemed to pass quickly.

It was now sunset. The sun had lowered behind them; the golden disk nearly touched the western horizon. Its crepuscular rays penetrated the forest canopies and cast deep, orange light across the village. The sunbeams created a warm glow against the buildings and trees, like they were being touched by soft flames.

SaviorHackmon's metallic face gleamed reflectively as radiant, reddish-orange light cast across his body. The goggles hanging against his hood shimmered in the sunlight, which caused his gold eye to constrict as he looked over his shoulder towards the western light. "Good. The light's to our backs," he thought to himself.

He stood on the main road on the eastern side of the village, where all the preparations were being made. He looked around and saw everybody working hard.

Dynasmon was carrying two hewn, tree trunks under his arms, which he carried over to the hastily-made barricades. Not far off, GrandisKuwagamon hacked down the designated trees with his razor sharp forceps. Once they had fallen, he and Cyberdramon carried the trunks over and added them to the barricade. TigerVespamon carved the trees and logs into manageable pieces and helped position them on the barricade. Meanwhile, Magnamon was busy talking with Chieftain DinoBeemon about the current situation.

For his part, SaviorHackmon was helping a few villagers roll a big, wooden cart down the road. Inside of the cart were crates that rattled slightly and carried a pungent, metallic smell.

"Good thinking, suggesting using all of these bombs, Mamemon," SaviorHackmon said, looking at the small Digimon who was sitting at the edge of the cart. "I think we'll be able to put them to good use like this."

"Thanks! It's not like they'll be much use going to Dark Point now," the Mamemon responded, hopping off the cart as an Asuramon pulled the cart out of the village.

SaviorHackmon nodded and looked ahead of him. "Do you have it, Asuramon?" he asked the muscular demon man Digimon who was pulling the front of the wagon. "Place it about twenty meters down the road, and make sure it looks inconspicuous. Careful."

The silver-armoured dragon man released the hand-drawn cart and turned to look at a black dragon-demon nearby. He immediately saw that he didn't have the red scarves that all of the militia were wearing as identifying uniforms. "Hey, Devidramon, make sure that you grab a scarf from the box outside of inn. You don't want to be mistaken for an enemy," he advised the dark dragon.

"Okay, SaviorHackmon," the Devidramon replied, turning and walking to grab one of the scarves from one of the buildings at the side of the road.

SaviorHackmon smiled a little and looked around the semi-fortified entrance, trying to see if there was anything else that he should attend to. The defences seemed to be under control. The non-combatants had all left. He was sure that there were still things he could organise with the militia. He wanted to make the most of the luxury that he didn't have in Hope's Crest.

Although everybody was doing their best, there was an underlying feeling of tension. Everybody had their tasks that they were doing, but nobody was really interacting. He knew this feeling.

SaviorHackmon had to admit that he was scared too. Demon, the subject of his nightmares, would be there at any minute. But rather than shy away, he knew that they had to be prepared. Communication was the key. That was the only way they could prevent another tragedy from happening.

SaviorHackmon wanted to try to pull everyone together. He had made a point to get to know a lot of the villagers of the militia over the past few hours. They knew their own village and capabilities better than anyone, so he thought it was important that they work with the Digimon of Shadow Retreat rather than dictate to them from the top down. During his travels with Gankoomon and the Sistermons, his Sensei always got to know the common Digimon that they encountered. Working with Digimon, no matter who they were, was something SaviorHackmon believed was important. The more they cooperated, the better their chances were.

The caped dragon man looked around the forest as it glowed orange with sunset rays. He was about to address a Megadramon who was looking at a loss for what to do, but before he could, the yellow form of a large bug began speeding through the village from the west. The Flymon raced down the road with an incessant buzzing noise, making a direct route towards Magnamon and DinoBeemon.

Magnamon and Chieftain DinoBeemon both turned upon hearing the large bug approach. "The messenger I sent is back," DinoBeemon informed the Royal Knight who she was talking to. "Flymon, were you able to contact the Night Guard?"

The Flymon stopped in front of the pair of them, seeming agitated and uneasy. "Y-Yes, DinoBeemon, but…" he replied, trailing off in hesitation. "The guard captain said that the Night Guard is busy dealing with a sudden spike in riots, gang violence, and targeted assassinations. He says that after the demons were pushed out, the syndicates turned on each other. The city is in chaos."

"Damn it," DinoBeemon hissed, her stern eyes hardening with frustration. "It's no wonder the demons are choosing now to attack Dark Point so soon after being pushed out. Between the power vacuum and that cult spreading chaos…"

"With Demon here, they'll be able to take advantage of the instability that they've caused," Magnamon spoke.

"What did they say about sending reinforcements?" DinoBeemon asked, though her tone didn't sound hopeful.

"Er… He said that, given the circumstances, the Night Guard can't come to help, but they're in control of the gates and the administrative district," the Flymon explained nervously. "He said that they'll leave the gates open for any of us who can arrive before Demon and his army does. As soon as they see Demon, everyone outside is on their own."

DinoBeemon scowled. "Damn it. Those cowards… I should have known they'd leave us out to dry at the slightest bit of danger," she said with an air of resigned annoyance. She sighed and turned to Magnamon with a faint smile. "Sorry, Royal Knight, but it looks like we'll be relying on you after all…"

Magnamon smiled slightly in return. "That's what we're here for," he assured her.

"It looks like we'll be going through with the plan then," she confirmed.

Magnamon was about to respond, but a voice suddenly shouted out to him from behind them.

"Magnamon!"

The golden armoured Royal Knight swung around to see Dynasmon dashing over to him, with GrandisKuwagamon, Cyberdramon, and TigerVespamon right on his tail.

SaviorHackmon felt his heart sink and his stomach tighten as he saw the urgency on their faces. He knew what that meant.

Dynasmon ran up to Magnamon and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Magnamon, it's time," he told him, his voice hurried and dire. "Demon's here with his army. Grandis and Cyberdramon said they saw them two kilometers out."

Magnamon's eyes narrowed and he looked down the eastern road. The Royal Knight immediately nodded at DinoBeemon.

"Militia! Form up!" DinoBeemon shouted. On her words, the armed villagers began to run over and form up in front of them.

Magnamon then turned towards SaviorHackmon, causing the steel dragon man to stand up straight. "SaviorHackmon," he said urgently. "I need you to address the militia and go over the plan quickly, to make sure they're all on the same page."

SaviorHackmon's eyes widened and he felt a sudden rush of fear and surprise at the task. "What? Me, Sir?" he asked, uncertain why he was being given such a task.

"Yes, you. This was your idea, after all," Magnamon said to him swiftly. After a moment, Magnamon sensed SaviorHackmon's hesitation, and a warm, reassuring smile appeared on his face. "I've been watching you today. You've been doing great, SaviorHackmon. You've taken on a real leadership role for this militia. I think it would mean more to them hearing it from you…"

Dynasmon grinned and smacked SaviorHackmon boisterously on his caped back, inadvertently causing SaviorHackmon to cry out and stumble forwards. "Yeah! You're doing a hell of a job with organizing the defence. You can do it, kid. We both believe in you," he encouraged him.

SaviorHackmon's eyes widened and, for a moment, he felt the fear inside of him recede. Just hearing that two of his heroes believed in him was enough to give him strength.

He turned around and looked at the gathered militia of only about fifty Digimon. Maybe more importantly, they needed him. They needed somebody to reassure them, somebody who they felt they could believe in. He wanted to be that Digimon, alongside Magnamon and Dynasmon. He wanted to be the bastion of hope that stood against the tide of darkness. He wanted to be there for these frightened Digimon when all seemed lost. He wanted to be the courage and valour that the Royal Knights represented.

SaviorHackmon felt his body overcome with determination. His misgivings and fears were put aside and he focused solely on his goal. Nodding, SaviorHackmon walked over to gathered militia, who consisted of around fifty Adult and Perfect levels.

"Okay, everyone! It's time… I know things look bad right now. I know you're scared, but as long as we all work together, I truly believe that we can do this!" SaviorHackmon exclaimed passionately, his eyes shimmering in the orange sunset as he looked around at all of the gathered Digimon. "We're been preparing all afternoon for this, and I believe in our plan. I believe in the Royal Knights, and I believe in all of you!"

SaviorHackmon let out a breath and clenched his fist, bringing it up to his heart. "Let's go over the plan… The primary plan is that the Royal Knights and the Ultimate levels will be on the front lines outside of the village. They'll be the bulwark against Demon and his army, and they'll do their best to stem the tide of the demons," SaviorHackmon explained. "On the second line of defence, inside the village barricades, will be the Perfect levels. They'll provide support to the Ultimate levels and take down the demons who get past the barricades. Behind them will be the Adult levels, who will support the Perfect levels and make sure we aren't flanked. If this is enough to stop the Nightmare Soldiers and make them retreat, great, but, more likely, we'll have to go into Plan B."

The caped dragon looked over his shoulder at GrandisKuwagamon. "For Plan B… GrandisKuwagamon, you'll summon mist behind us so that the westward retreat to Dark Point is concealed. Then, we'll phase out each line of the militia. It'll be a firing retreat in which the third line will pull back along the road heading to Dark Point, while the second line covers them. As soon as they're at a safe distance, the second line will retreat, covered by the Royal Knights' team. When the militia is gone, then we'll retreat. We'll be the last ones to leave…" SaviorHackmon informed them.

"It'll be you guys against Demon and his army…" the Megadramon militia said. "Why are you Royal Knights putting yourselves on the line for us?"

SaviorHackmon looked over at Magnamon and Dynasmon for a moment, before looking back at the villagers. "…Because we took an oath to protect all Digimon," he explained. After a moment, his eyes softened. "And because I've felt scared and alone in the face of destruction before too… None of us will abandon you to that fate…" He looked over his shoulder at teammates meaningfully - particularly GrandisKuwagamon and TigerVespamon.

Dynasmon smirked and leaned down to beside Magnamon. "I think I know why Alphamon asked us to bring him now, don't you…?" he whispered, grinning proudly and elbowing the smaller knight.

"Mhm…" Magnamon murmured, narrowing his eyes and turning away from Dynasmon. The Royal Knight gazed down the darkening road, and he could begin to see ominous silhouettes moving within the forests' shadows.

Magnamon stared off into the distance, his golden form radiant against the blazing, orange light. "I'm the knight with the power of Miracles. If anybody can pull a victory out against these odds, it's me," he murmured, his fists tightening and his red eyes blazing with determination.

Beneath his helmet, a scowl formed on his face. "This is my chance to defeat Demon… I have to…"

GrandisKuwagamon readjusted his Gran Killers over his forearms. He looked at TigerVespamon and saw the cold resolve in his brother's eyes. As he stared at him, he recognised a darkness that wasn't there before. It was the shadow that was left by loss. It was a familiar abyss that he had both felt and seen in others. He felt a pang of worry.

"Hey, Ko…" he tentatively said, walking over to the golden hornet, who held the Royal Meisters lightly in his hands. "Be careful, okay?"

TigerVespamon turned his head slightly and eyed the black insect coolly. Without so much as a word, he turned away and began walking towards the eastern exit. Calmly and fearlessly, he walked away from the light, straight in the direction of Demon's army.

GrandisKuwagamon winced as he looked at his brother's back. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Cyberdramon staring at him.

"Stay close to me, okay?" Cyberdramon said to his fellow Rook. "We'll both keep an eye on him…"

GrandisKuwagamon nodded and looked towards the dark forest. He wondered if Blitzmon and Bolgmon were in there. If they were…

His insides burned with anger and adrenaline at the thought of the mercenaries and the demons they were working with. Even if they were his friends, he wouldn't hesitate. Not after what they did to him, and not after what his brother lost. They had a lot to answer for… and he was determined to get those answers, one way or another.

"Blitzmon… Bolgmon…" he hissed, scowling bitterly as he gazed into the writhing darkness. He could see vague silhouettes beginning to appear.

"Everybody get into position!" DinoBeemon shouted, flying to the middle of the road just behind the barricades. The militia began racing to their positions. As soon as they were in place, they began readying their attacks and drawing their weapons.

SaviorHackmon dashed forwards, running ahead of her and getting into place right behind the entrance. His eyes were wide as they watched the tree line for enemies. He could hear the faint sound of snarls and wing beats in the distance. His heart began to race with fear and adrenaline. He readied the blades on his wrists and tail, and built up fire in his throat.

The sounds of wing beats grew louder. The shadowy forms of demons flying around trees could be seen weaving within the darkness. Soon, their forms became more tangible.

Then, at the front of the legion, an inferno ignited, revealing the robed silhouette of Demon charging forwards. The violet eyes behind his hood burned hellishly, and he propelled himself forwards, his fists wreathed with infernal flames.

"Here they come!" Dynasmon shouted, glowering as soon as he saw Demon appear from the darkness. He clenched his fists and Wyvern's aura began to dance along his body.

Magnamon's eyes widened with rage upon seeing Demon ignite. "Demon…!" he snarled, his tight fists becoming surrounded with golden energy. "This is my chance… I'll take you down myself!"

Magnamon kicked off the ground and propelled himself through the sky. With golden particles streaking behind him, he hurdled over the barricades and soared straight towards the horde of Nightmare Soldiers. He flew single-mindedly on a direct course for Demon.

Demon beat his wings forwards sharply, coming to a temporary halt when he saw the golden gleam of Magnamon against the bright backdrop of the setting sun. His violet eyes narrowed and flashed with ire within the darkness of his hood.

"Puny Royal Knight…" he seethed, the dark flames around his fists intensifying. He turned his head and looked at the hundreds of Nightmare Soldiers behind him. "Attack. Burn everything."

The hundreds of Nightmare Soldiers shouted and began sprinting at double speed towards Shadow Retreat. Demon looked forwards and set his eyes upon the charging Magnamon. "Leave the Royal Knights to me…" he murmured darkly.

Magnamon weaved acrobatically around the trees, a golden aura tailing behind his armour like he was a golden comet. He swept forwards, past their first line of defence and launching himself directly at Demon.

"He's all alone… I can defeat him no problem. He's overestimating himself…" Magnamon thought as he closed the hundred meter gap between himself and Demon. A tiny smirk formed on Magnamon's lips, but the anger and determination in his red eyes remained. "I can turn the tide here…"

Dynasmon watched with surprise and confusion as Magnamon drastically overshot their first line of defence. His eyes widened when he watched his fellow Royal Knight continue going. It was then that he realised that Magnamon was headed on a direct course for Demon.

"Magnamon, wait!" Dynasmon shouted out to him. He growled and raised his palms towards the coming hordes. "Damn it!" he said through gritted teeth, unleashing a dual helix of light and wind energy from his hands. The two beams spiralled around each other before slamming into the first row of charging demons, cutting through them and creating a tree-shaking explosion.

As Magnamon closed in on Demon, he could see the Lord of Wrath preparing to meet his charge with flaming fists. This was what he wanted. When Magnamon was about thirty meters away, he suddenly accelerated the rotors of his hip armour and somersaulted forwards, blasting his propulsion forwards. Coming to an abrupt stop, Magnamon snapped his missile ports open and unleashed a flurry of twelve missiles from his armour at close range.

Seeing the salvo of golden missiles fan out from Magnamon's form, Demon came to a sudden halt and began to fly in reverse. However, he was too close and the many missiles were too fast to evade. He watched as all twelve homing missiles suddenly began to converge on him, their hissing screeches close enough that he could taste their steam.

Demon grunted and swiftly brought up his hand from under his long sleeve. A dark magical circle, emblazoned with the crown of wrath, suddenly conjured in front of him. His eyes flashed and, when the missiles were less than a meter away from him, he suddenly unleashed a torrent of hellfire that consumed the munitions. Under the intense blaze, the metal surfaces of the missiles bubbled and their warheads detonated prematurely. A chain reaction of twelve, golden explosions erupted in front of Demon. Although he was spared the direct hits, the simultaneous explosions blasted his body with heat and threw him back several meters.

The Demon Lord of Wrath hissed with anger as the hems of his vestments were singed by embers and his ears popped from the concussion. He flapped his demonic wings to catch himself, but he was unprepared for Magnamon's feint.

A shadowy silhouette appeared within the midst of the smoke and the fading explosion. Using the blasts as cover for his approach, Magnamon propelled himself through the smoke. With only meters between himself and Demon now, Magnamon reeled his fist back, his hand and bracers radiating with a golden aura. "Magnum Punch!"

Demon's eyes widened when he saw Magnamon suddenly close in on him. The Royal Knight, basked in orange light, unleashed a mighty shout and threw his sapphire fist forwards. Magnamon's super-powered fist burrowed into Demon's cheek through the demon lord's hooded fabric. Then, the golden energy wreathed around Magnamon's hand decompressed and unleashed an explosion of pressure that added to his mighty punch.

Magnamon punched Demon with the force of a high speed train. The Demon Lord was hurled through the air, his cloak rippling as his back impacted the tree behind him. The tree snapped like it was a toothpick. Demon continued flying into the tree behind it, causing it to snap, before finally stopping when his body collided with Murmuxmon's Griffomon attendant.

"Lord Demon!" Griffomon shouted, willingly using his body to cushion the Demon Lord. He looked around at the other cultists of the Deliverers among the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers. "Attack! Support our Lord!"

Demon scowled and pulled himself up. The side of his face felt like blazing ice. A dark, wet spot began to form underneath his hood and he could taste pungent metal as well as something sharp against his tongue. With calm fury, Demon spat out a tooth and fixed a withering gaze upon Magnamon, who leered down at him from a little ways away.

"I will make you suffer for that, Royal Knight…" he icily informed him, his eyes widening with rage. Demon's left arm suddenly elongated and enlarged. The deformed appendage clutched his dark, crimson vestments tightly. With a mighty sweep, he ripped them off his muscular, burgundy body and cast the formal apparel aside.

Magnamon glared as he watched Demon throw his constricting garb aside, revealing the horned and savage form beneath. He knew that this meant Demon wasn't holding back anymore. Then, he wouldn't either.

"Plasma Shoot!" Magnamon shouted confidently, unleashing a second barrage of missiles towards the Demon Lord.

Demon watched as the storm of golden missiles descended towards him, but, this time, he was ready. He surged forwards, facing the missiles head on. In a mixture of skill and determination, Demon weaved around the gold canisters or bashed them aside with his large hand. With the explosions erupting behind him, they gave him a tailwind that propelled his flight towards Magnamon.

"Die, worm!"

Magnamon's overconfidence evaporated when he saw Demon speeding towards him like a speeding bullet. His eyes widened as Demon closed the distance fast and he quickly prepared to defend himself. Knowing that the missiles would be too slow to hit him, Magnamon's armour began to glow and surge with brilliant orbs of golden plasma. Too hurried to call his attack, Magnamon swiftly unleashed the six spheres of burning ions towards Demon.

Demon watched as the golden spheres barrelled towards him. He prepared to counter, but something cut across his path. A Saberdramon cultist hurled himself in the direct path of the blasts, shielding Demon with his own body.

"My body and soul for the Demon Lords!" the avian cultist screeched with wild zeal in his eyes. He was just in time for the plasma orbs to slam into his body, tearing him apart in an explosion of black feathers and scattering data.

Magnamon hissed with frustration as his attack hit the wrong target. It was no demon Digimon either. He seemed like an ordinary Digimon, but the sheer manic fervor, for him to sacrifice himself for Demon… It unsettled him. However, he didn't have the luxury of dwelling on it. His attention turned back to the daunting enemy before him.

Demon launched himself through the haze of feathers and data, not reacting in the slightest to the Saberdramon's fanatical sacrifice. The Demon Lord of Wrath closed the distance on him in seconds, his fists crackling with dark magic.

"Miracle Glitter!" Magnamon shouted, his armour shining with rays of burning light as Demon got close.

"Chaos Flare!" Demon countered, unleashing a tornado of dark energy from his hands to counter Magnamon's light.

The light and shadows contended with each other for supremacy, but neither conquered the other. Demon didn't intend to, however. He just needed to hold the Royal Knight at bay until his attack ended. He coursed darkness out of his hand, but he didn't stop moving. He continued to fly closer to his target.

Magnamon growled as he poured light out of his armour, trying to break through Demon's shadows. However, his light started to wane like the setting sun behind him. As his golden rays began to weaken, he had to launch himself to the side as Demon's shadows started to push towards him.

As Magnamon moved to the side, Demon saw his chance. He ceased his attack and launched himself towards the Knight of Miracles when his guard was down. He raised his magic-imbued fists and intercepted Magnamon from the right.

Magnamon sensed a dark presence next to him and he instinctively swerved to land a kick on Demon, but he was too late. He looked up just in time to see Demon looming over him with blood trickling from his mouth and a hellish glow in his eyes.

"Double Dust!" Demon snarled, plowing his smaller hand into Magnamon's exposed abdomen. The moment the Royal Knight doubled over, Demon reeled his massive arm back and hurled his clawed hand forwards. His fist slammed directly into Magnamon's helmet-covered face. As soon as his knuckles drilled into Magnamon's cheek, they burst with compressed magic.

There was a flash of blood red in his vision, and then a piercing numbness in his face. The sheer force of the point blank explosion sent Magnamon plunging through the air like a golden bullet. The colossal punch sent the Royal Knight hurtling into a large tree. His back collided painfully with the bark and he heard a wooden snap behind him as his body left a deep impression in the sturdy trunk.

Winded, Magnamon groaned and lurched forwards. Despite the immense pain in his face and back, he tried to peel himself off the tree and back into the air. He attempted to look up through his blurry and spotty vision, and he was just in time to see Demon descending on him. He could hear the sounds of the Nightmare Soldiers moving past them and towards the village. He knew he had to move.

Right as Magnamon pushed himself off of the tree, Demon descended upon him. "Urgh…!" Magnamon groaned, snapping open the missile ports in his pauldrons. "Plasma Shoo—"

"Flame Inferno!" Before the missiles could leave their docks, Demon unleashed a torrent of flames upon Magnamon, licking at his scales and causing the missiles to detonate inside his shoulder armour.

Magnamon cried out in pain as the explosions twisted his shoulders and concussed his head from both sides. Acting quickly, he immediately brought up a Light Aura Barrier from his armour, which mitigated some of the damage from the flames, but did nothing for the physical blasts against him.

Seeing that Magnamon was backed into a corner, Demon took full advantage. He surged forwards and lashed out with his giant claw. In a single, powerful thrust, he grabbed hold of Magnamon's face and then slammed his head into the trunk of the tree. Demon hissed darkly as he felt the snapping of metal against his palm.

Magnamon unleashed a muffled yell and clawed at Demon's wrist, dragging the bony tips against the devil's skin. However, Demon continued to slowly push Magnamon's head against the indented tree trunk, fully intending on splitting the Royal Knight's head into pulp. Feeling the heat of Demon's hand and the immense pressure around his skull, Magnamon lashed out violently, trying to sink his claws into Demon's skin and kick him away.

However, Demon was implacable. He continued pushing and pushing, squeezing ever tighter. Magnamon could feel his helmet give way and fracture against his scales. The fragmented chrome digizoid started to cut into his flesh. He was getting desperate. If he didn't escape, he would die.

There was only one move that he could think to use: Extreme Jihad. It was his move of last resort. But it was so early in the battle. How did Demon get the upper hand so easily? Was he really being forced to use it already? If he used it now, he would be drained. However, the crushing pressure around his skull urged him to do something.

"You're weak…" Demon spat with disappointment. "You really think that you can stop righteous fury with this pathetic show of willpower? You are nothing, Royal Knight."

As blood started to trickle down his neck from underneath his helmet, Magnamon grimaced with agony. He concentrated and began focusing the power of the Digimental of Miracles that inhabited his armour. He started channelling the immense energy inside of him, in preparation for a massive explosion.

Demon watched as Magnamon began glowing with a dangerous, golden radiance. As much as he took quiet pleasure in squeezing the life out of the Royal Knight, he was smart enough to know that he was now doing so at his own peril. He knew he had to stop the knight before it was too late.

Demon suddenly released Magnamon's head from his grasp and wound his arm back. "Slash Nail!" the Demon Lord shouted, sweeping his left arm outwards and bashing his claws across Magnamon's helmeted face. He followed through with the powerful smash and threw Magnamon through the air.

Before he was able to release his energy, Magnamon was sent crashing across the forest floor. His body impacted the ground and kept bouncing like a skipping stone. He kept going for about fifty meters until he came rolling to a stop in the dirt.

Magnamon groaned and writhed on the ground. His golden energy subsided as his whole body was overcome with pain. His face ached, seeping blood, and his shoulders felt like they had almost been torn from their sockets.

The Royal Knight stubbornly tried to crawl across the ground, though he was barely able to do so. His vision was blurry and his hearing was echoey; he thought he could hear somebody calling out his name, but he was too focused on the pain and danger he was in.

"Come on, Magnamon… You can't die here…" he thought through his pain. He weakly dragged himself up to his hands and knees, coughing heavily. As he looked down, he saw drops of blood as well as fragments of golden metal fall from his face and onto the ground.

Magnamon grimaced and raised his head. His helmet was heavily fractured. There was a whole shard of metal missing from his eye hole down to his jaw, exposing his blue and white face beneath. Blood leaked from his mouth, ears, and nostrils, and there was a large cut across his bruised cheek. However, he refused to die.

He slowly got to an unsteady kneel and looked over his shoulder. He could see Demon flying closer at a casual gait while the Nightmare Soldiers ran beneath him, towards the village. Magnamon watched as Demon raised his palms towards him, and he was just able to see the ignition of hellfire in his palms. This was it.

"Flame Inferno," Demon hissed.

Magnamon watched as a pillar of flames began rolling towards him like a tidal wave. He dug his feet into the ground, compelling his aching body to move. He had to move in time. Or else…

Right as he prepared to jump, a massive, cyan dragon lunged in front of the inferno's path. Magnamon's eyes widened when he saw the huge, winged form of Wyvern spread his arms out and grab hold of the column of fire, roaring against it as he held it at bay.

"Magnamon!" a familiar voice shouted. Dynasmon flew up behind Wyvern to support the aura dragon. As soon as he was in place, he looked over at Magnamon, checking how injured he was. Upon seeing Magnamon's beaten up body, a scowl formed on his face. "You've gotta pull back!" he told his fellow Royal Knight in a passionate growl.

Dynasmon looked up at Demon, glaring with determination while Wyvern's fiery form highlighted his white and violet body.

"I'll handle this guy…"

---

TigerVespamon cut through the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers like a machine. The plasmatic blades of the Royal Meisters hummed as they streaked through the orange-black atmosphere, leaving trails of light in their wake.

The humanoid hornet moved with such grace and agility. He whirled around in smooth motions, weaving through his enemies with incredible footwork. He wielded his swords dextrously, spinning them around and jabbing like they were extensions of his body. As TigerVespamon moved, it looked as though he was dancing a fast-paced waltz.

However, it was a dance of death. He sliced through the attacking demons mercilessly. The beam blades cut through nerves, veins, and pressure points. He combined his knowledge of anatomy and his surgical precision and speed to cripple every Nightmare Soldier he came across. He hacked through the frontlines of the legion in a flurry of blades.

He attacked without hesitation. Despite his pacifistic lifestyle, TigerVespamon had no compunction about dispatching the demons before him. For all of the sorrow, anger, and grief he had felt, the intense emotions seemed to give way to a single-minded calmness. His intense emotions faded into a cold numbness. The negative emotions he felt seemed to compartmentalize into a tiny ball in his stomach, draining all other sensations. He refused to be rule by them. The pain, the compunction, the doubt… They all vanished, and everything became clear. He became fixated on only one thing: destroying the enemy.

TigerVespamon sliced his blade across a NeoDevimon's neck while delivering a flurry of swift stings to a DeathMeramon's nerves. Dancing deeper into the Nightmare Soldiers' ranks, he sliced across the back of a LadyDevimon's legs, before stabbing through a Soulmon. He attacked with machine-like efficiency and dispassion.

TigerVespamon continued pressing forward relentlessly, moving without any concern for his own wellbeing. He knew he had to take down as many of them as possible. He continued to press onward in a bloody sword dance.

"Angemon… I will avenge you. I will stop this blight from hurting anybody else," TigerVespamon thought in the back of his mind as he engaged a Matadormon with a swift, compound fencing attack.

There was a trailing crimson gleam in his eyes as he charged deeper into the demons' lines – much deeper than he was supposed to. He looked around ardently. "Where are they…? Where is Count Murmuxmon? Where are Blitzmon and Bolgmon…?" he quietly thought with cold-hearted intent.

From about fifteen meters behind him, GrandisKuwagamon embedded his Gran Killer into the body of a Dagomon. He threw the demon aside and proceeded fire an arc of space-cutting energy through the body of a SkullBaluchimon that tried to pounce on him from overhead.

He was on the frontlines of the battlefield, using his speed and offensive skills to slice through the charging Nightmare Soldiers in an attempt to keep them at bay. It was going to be tough, but they just had to hold out long enough for the militia to make their escape.

Cyberdramon fought nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, GrandisKuwagamon could see him gore a Devimon with his virus-busting claws. Then, Cyberdramon slashed the air and unleashed a purging beam from his hands, annihilating a Devidramon and a couple Evilmon. However, as soon as they were gone, their ranks were filled and the defenders were beset again.

GrandisKuwagamon growled and snapped his pincers shut around a Phelesmon's neck. He twisted sharply, breaking the demon's neck and casting the disintegrating body aside, GrandisKuwagamon pushed forwards and looked around hyper-alertly, making sure that he didn't lose sight of TigerVespamon.

He spotted the yellow-jacketed insect a ways ahead of him now, watching as his brother pushed his reckless attack. The dark scarab scowled with worry. He was getting too far ahead of everybody else. There were now about twenty Nightmare Soldiers between him and his brother.

He knew what was going on; TigerVespamon was so fixated on giving retribution to the enemy that he was losing sight of his better judgment. At this rate, TigerVespamon was going to be surrounded. He knew that TigerVespamon wasn't in the right headspace; he should have forbid him from coming. He was going to get himself killed.

"Grandis!" Cyberdramon snarled out passionately, reaching out and grabbing a Boogiemon who tried to ambush him from behind. He held up the Boogiemon by the neck and crushed the lesser devil's windpipe. After dropping the body to the ground, he quickly glanced over at his partner ten meters away.

"He's getting too far ahead!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted angrily, blocking an Ogremon X-Antibody's cudgel with the side of his Gran Killer. "Rrgh… We gotta go after him!"

Cyberdramon grunted and bashed away the spiked vines of a RedVegimon cultist. "I know!" he shouted before being forced to dodge a Phantomon's mace that shattered the tree behind him. "Rrgh… But first, you have to do your task!" He looked over his shoulder at the barricaded village behind them, seeing that the palisades were beginning to take fire. "It's time!"

"Damn it…! Okay! Cover me!" GrandisKuwagamon agreed, grabbing the Ogremon in his pincers and flinging him away. As soon as he had a few seconds to himself, he began to concentrate. For a few meditative moments, he tapped into the elements of the forest – particularly, the water vapour in the air. It took a lot of concentration and he was vulnerable, so he relied on Cyberdramon to keep him alive.

The sudden cooling of the warm air caused fog to roll in. GrandisKuwagamon summoned a haze of mist towards the village. Usually, he formed the fog around himself to conceal his movements, but for this, he had to do it remotely. It was slightly harder, but he had practiced enough and formed the mist upwind enough that he could direct the mist where he wanted, within reason. A thick cloak of hazy fog formed over on the western edge of the village, rolling along the road to Dark Point. He was confident that he had made enough fog for it to linger for about ten minutes. That should give the militia enough time to retreat.

When he was done, he looked up to see a Phantomon closing in on him with its scythe. However, Cyberdramon intercepted the spectre from the side, yanking its hood down over its face, and using the chain attached to its scythe to whirl it around and send it flying into a nearby tree. GrandisKuwagamon immediately resumed a fighting stance and checked over his shoulder to make sure that the mist was where it should be. Satisfied with its placement, he looked ahead to Cyberdramon. "Can we go after him now? He's in too deep," he urged the dragon.

Cyberdramon whirled around and slammed his tail into the body of a Chrysalimon. "Ready. Let's make it fast," the dragon man grunted. "They're already getting past us."

GrandisKuwagamon beat his wings and flew forwards, slicing through the Chrysalimon who was batted in front of him. "Finally!" the beetle man shouted as blood and data splattered across him. He sped forwards, but was blocked by several winged demons in the air. He could just barely see the gold of TigerVespamon's body past the demons and the trees. He growled with frustration and looked over at his fellow Rook. "Hey, lizard! If you weren't shitting me and you really do have an Ultimate level, now would be a really good time to use it!"

Cyberdramon snarled as a pair of NeoDevimon suddenly rammed into him and began pushing him back through the dirt. He had been wanting to save it, but he realised he had no choice. "Grrrr…" Cyberdramon snarled deeply, pushing back against the two devils. "Fine, but I can't hold it forever!"

"Cyberdramon shinka…"

The dragon man dug his claws into the ground and braced himself, his body suddenly bursting with light.

"BlackWarGreymon!"

A black dragon man, garbed in ebony armour, formed in Cyberdramon's place. He lashed out with his muscular arms, the long, black gauntlets over his forearms shearing through the pair of NeoDevimon, immediately cutting them to ribbons.

Cyberdramon – BlackWarGreymon – stood up straight and looked over at GrandisKuwagamon, the orange sunlight vanishing as it hit his pitch black armour. "Still think I'm lying, bug?" BlackWarGreymon challenged him, raising his Dramon Killers smugly.

GrandisKuwagamon smirked competitively as he eyed the black dragon man and his gauntlets. "You call those claws?" he teased him, eyeing the clawed gauntlets that were similar to his own. It was then that an idea formed for how to get to TigerVespamon. "If you can use those like you should, I've got an idea!"

BlackWarGreymon raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"Slide Evolution! GranKuwagamon!" GrandisKuwagamon shouted, his lithe, humanoid body shining and suddenly shifting into that of a giant beetle. GranKuwagamon eyed BlackWarGreymon and suddenly launched himself forwards. "Follow my lead! Grand Death Screw!"

BlackWarGreymon watched as GranKuwagamon suddenly began spinning, bringing his claws and pincers forward until he became a giant, black, horizontal tornado. The dragon man immediately realised what GranKuwagamon wanted to do. BlackWarGreymon nodded, straightened out his body, and brought his Dramon Killers together over his head.

"Black Tornado!"

BlackWarGreymon suddenly began spinning his body around, becoming a shadowy twister that tore through the sky. He flew up alongside GranKuwagamon to join him, the two dark warriors drilling through the forest in tandem.

The pair of shadowy whirlwinds pierced straight through the demons' lines, tearing whatever got in their path to shreds. Blood and data cascaded off of their forms, and not even trees could stop their savage onslaught. After they eviscerated the first several soldiers, they continued carving a path deep into the enemy's lines. The Nightmare Soldiers started throwing themselves out of the way in order to avoid a similar gory fate.

The two black swordsmen hewed their way straight through to the legion's rear guard. Through their rapid spinning, they were both just barely able to see a flicker of gold ahead of them. Both GranKuwagamon and BlackWarGreymon suddenly stopped their spinning and came to a rolling stop in the air.

Ahead of them, they could see TigerVespamon. He was slicing through the back lines of the legion, far ahead of where they should be. He seemed to be making his way towards something in particular.

GranKuwagamon stopped and panted, trying to steady his whirling vision. He tried to fixate on TigerVespamon, spotting his yellow and red colours highlighted with orange rays against the shadowy backdrop. He stared into the creeping darkness of the coming night, seeing two figures moving within it.

Then, there was a flash of lightning that highlighted their horned, metallic bodies. It was in that moment that GranKuwagamon realised who TigerVespamon was going for.

It was Blitzmon and Bolgmon.

The black insect's red eyes slowly widened with rage and horror. He watched as TigerVespamon tore towards the two mercenaries, weaving to the side as Blitzmon fired a defensive bolt of lightning at him.

"This is… your fault…!" TigerVespamon bitterly exclaimed, zipping back and forth towards Blitzmon and Bolgmon.

GranKuwagamon felt his heart burst with anger upon setting eyes on his two former teammates. At the same time, there was a tight, undercurrent of worry inside of him. The two emotions contended with each other for dominance, while also compelling him forwards.

His crimson eyes narrowed and flashed with a bloody gleam. GranKuwagamon swept his claws outwards and launched himself towards them, leaving BlackWarGreymon behind. He tore forwards, shifting back into GrandisKuwagamon while mid-flight. "Slide Evolution!"

The memories of Blitzmon and Bolgmon disappearing in the alley, leaving him to fight the Royal Knights alone, flickered in his mind. His hurt and anger urged him forwards to confront them, but his concern pressed him to be the one to get to them first. Either way, GrandisKuwagamon had one destination…

"Blitzmon… Bolgmon…"

---

"Here they come!"

From inside the village, SaviorHackmon watched as Demon's Nightmare Soldiers broke through the Royal Knights' front line. He knew that it was inevitable, given how outnumbered they were – there were too many holes to fill. However, they were prepared for this.

He stood on top of an overturned wagon in the middle of road, just inside the western entrance. Attacks began hitting the wooden palisades, but the barricades held firm for the moment.

SaviorHackmon watched as the legion charged towards village. The winged demons swerved around the trees, planning to fly straight over the barriers, while the land-based soldiers converged on the main road as they funneled towards the entrance.

SaviorHackmon looked over his shoulder, flames leaking from the corners of his snout. He gazed down the road to the east. He could see the mist rolling across the road leading out of the village, obscuring his vision any further. He was relieved; GrandisKuwagamon did his job. Now it was their turn.

"Get ready, everyone! We can do this!" SaviorHackmon called out to the militia, turning forwards and watching as the Nightmare Soldiers came but a few meters away from the entrance. "Ready?! …Fire! Meteor Flame!"

The demons and the cultists began pouring into the village entrance and soaring over the barricades. As soon as a Sangloupmon and a Fangmon lunged over the barricades, the two demon wolves were immediately blasted away by explosions. The militia began concentrating their attacks at any Nightmare Soldiers who threatened to pass through their defensive line.

SaviorHackmon's mouth began flashing like a blazing machine gun. A salvo of fireballs pumped from his mouth and began tearing into the demons who funneled into the village. His high rate of fire was effective against concentrated groups of enemies, and the fiery blasts annihilated about four demons at once.

As soon as the burst ended, SaviorHackmon had to take a pause to refill his breath. When his salvo of fireballs ceased, DinoBeemon immediately zoomed forwards to fill the vacuum. She charged straight into the demon's ranks, moving fast enough for her body to leave afterimages. In a hellish dance that made it seem like there were seven of her, DinoBeemon weaved around, slicing her claws through the demons. There was a cascade of crimson data as several cultists and Nightmare Soldiers collapsed in heaps.

DinoBeemon retreated just in time to avoid being hit, one of her afterimages being sliced in two by a MetalPhantomon's scythe. She landed back beside SaviorHackmon, who relieved her and charged forwards.

"Trident Saber!" SaviorHackmon shouted, lunging head first into the aerial enemies who began soaring over the entrance. He stabbed his wrist blades through a Devimon and a Bakemon, before sweeping his crimson tail through a squad of Evilmon. The dragon man then lunged down and plunged his blades into a WaruMonzaemon's shoulders. After taking the corrupted puppet down, he unleashed a rapid fire burst of flames from his mouth, igniting a Mummymon's bandages in flames.

As the first wave of enemies had been defeated, SaviorHackmon took the brief moment to get his bearings. He panted and felt what he hoped was only sweat dripping down his face. He looked around alertly, and saw a second wave of Nightmare Soldiers surging through the forest towards them. They were flying down the main road, launching attacks towards him as they attacked. As explosions began erupting around him, SaviorHackmon eyed the cart filled with explosives down the road. He watched as the demons began to pass the cart, unaware of what was inside.

Before he could act, SaviorHackmon suddenly felt danger above him. He looked up and his eyes widened to see a LadyDevimon descending on him, plunging her Darkness Spear towards his face.

"Look out!" a female voice said from behind him. Before the spear could reach his eye, DinoBeemon appeared above him in a flash and cracked her fist across the LadyDevimon's face, hurling her away from the dragon man. As the demon ricocheted down the road, DinoBeemon turned around and nodded at SaviorHackmon.

SaviorHackmon sighed with relief. "I owe you one," he thanked her appreciatively.

"We owe you one," DinoBeemon replied, beating her wings and leering down the road at the next wave of Nightmare Soldiers. "…It's about time, isn't it?"

SaviorHackmon looked ahead, into the darkened forest. He could see even more demons closing in on the village. He couldn't easily see the Royal Knights, GrandisKuwagamon, Cyberdramon, or TigerVespamon. He could see the glow of Wyvern through the trees and the odd flashes of beams, but that was about it. It was clear that the first line wasn't holding, and that soon they were going to be swamped with enemies. As explosions erupted along the edge of the village, parts of the makeshift walls were blasted away. The barricades were starting to give way the more they were pounded with explosions.

He knew that it was time to shift to Plan B.

"Yeah, it is…" he agreed. SaviorHackmon jumped back onto the overturned wagon and looked behind him. He raised his hand in the air to signal to the Megadramon that was locked and loaded behind him. "Megadramon! It's time! Fire!"

"Got it!" the cyborg dragon responded, aiming his cannon arms precisely. "Genocide Attack!"

The orange serpent unleashed a barrage of organic missiles that sailed down the road, towards the demons. The toothed missiles whistled as they plummeted onto the group that was only about twenty meters away. However, their target wasn't the Nightmare Soldiers themselves, but the abandoned cart in their midst.

The organic missiles began pounding the road around the cart, blasting several black-robed cultists in the process. Then, one of the missile landed a direct hit on the cart, causing it to detonate from the inside out. The crates of bombs and gunpowder ignited, and there was a deafening blast. The cart went up in a massive explosion that shook the trees around it. About seven Nightmare Soldiers who were passing either around or above the cart were immediately obliterated, and several others were thrown violently through the air.

SaviorHackmon watched as the huge explosion mushroomed into the sky in a fiery blaze. He felt the blast of heat against his body, causing his cape to whip behind him turbulently. The blast created a huge wall of fire and smoke that temporarily lit up the shadowy forest. It was in that moment that he saw Magnamon and Dynasmon struggling against Demon. As he looked closer, he could vaguely see the outlines of GrandisKuwagamon and TigerVespamon deep in the forest. For a moment, worry clutched his heart.

However, he had a job to do. The huge explosion continued to blaze as more of the Mamemon's bombs ignited and exploded in the blazing debris of the cart. The Nightmare Soldiers were stunned and in a momentary state of chaos from the unexpected explosion. This was the moment SaviorHackmon needed.

The caped dragon spun around and looked at the fifty or so militia who launched their attacks from their defensive lines within the village. "Okay, everyone! It's time! Third line of defence, start retreating into the mist! Make sure you follow the road straight to Dark Point!" he told them urgently. "Second line of defence, we'll provide sustained covering fire! Then it'll be your turns!"

DinoBeemon swung around and gestured her hand out emphatically. "You heard him! Move your tails! There's no time to waste," she shouted in case they needed any more encouragement.

The militia did not. The Adult levels who made up the third line of defence launched their ranged attacks over the barricades in unison. Using their barrage and the continued explosions as cover, they then began retreating west down the road.

SaviorHackmon watched as the thirty-odd Adult level militia reached the opposite end of the village and began disappearing within the thick, obstructive fog. SaviorHackmon learned from his Strike Force classes that unorganised retreats led to massive casualties, so he knew that it was important to provide both organization and intense pressure on the enemy.

"Fire and pull back!" SaviorHackmon yelled to the twenty Perfect level defenders who remained inside the village. He began unloading fireballs towards the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers as the demons began to organize under Murmuxmon's leadership.

From the second line of defence, the Perfect levels began launching a sustained attack on the attacking Nightmare Soldiers, while slowly pulling back to the third line of defence.

SaviorHackmon snarled as fireballs ripped from his throat and pounded into a NeoDevimon who rushed towards him. He was worried about the Royal Knights and his friends. He didn't know if they were in danger or not, but the situation didn't look good if so many demons had gotten past them. SaviorHackmon didn't want to abandon them, but he also knew that he couldn't rush off to help them right now. He had to oversee the retreat of the rest of the militia.

SaviorHackmon was feeling the pressure, but he wouldn't shy away. If they could hold out for five more minutes…

He just hoped his friends could last that long.

---

"BLITZMON!"

Blitzmon's horn crackled with electricity. He turned his gaze away from TigerVespamon, who was closing in from ten meters away, and looked towards the familiar voice. His eyes widened when he saw the black form of GrandisKuwagamon speeding towards him, cutting off the hornet Digimon ahead of him.

"Grandis?!" he exclaimed, reflexively bringing up his electrically-charged fists to defend himself.

GrandisKuwagamon hissed as he set his eyes on the beetle ahead of him. As soon as he protectively put himself between TigerVespamon and Blitzmon, he allowed his emotions to take over. Spurred on by anger, he accelerated towards his former teammate.

"Blitzmon…You… bastard!" GrandisKuwagamon growled, accelerating unexpectedly and ramming his shoulder straight into Blitzmon's chest.

Blitzmon gasped as he was tackled off of his feet. He sailed backwards, his winged back skidding along the forest floor from the powerful blow.

"Blitz!" Bolgmon shouted, wheeling towards both his teammate and GrandisKuwagamon. His eyes widened upon seeing the black insect before him yet again. "…Grandis?!"

"You!" GrandisKuwagamon hissed, turning his wrath towards Bolgmon next. He pointed his Gran Killers towards him and began tearing towards the insect tank.

Bolgmon's eyes widened with fear at the sight of the furious, black insect ripping through the air towards him. He held his cannon arms up dissuadingly. "Hey! Wait! You've got the wrong idea about this!" he nervously insisted.

However, when it was clear that the black insect mercenary wasn't listening to him, Bolgmon hissed and his instincts kicked in. He pointed his raised arms and began building up lightning within his rotary cannons.

"Look, it was either you or us! That's just how it is!" Bolgmon shouted passionately as steam pumped out of his vents. When his electricity built up enough in his cannon arms, seeing that his former teammate was hell-bent on vengeance, he attacked. "Ultimate Thunder!"

GrandisKuwagamon watched as the electric bolas pulsed from Bolgmon's arms and whipped towards him. Tapping into the X-Antibody's power that now flowed through his veins, GrandisKuwagamon increased his speed and deftly weaved over the twin blasts of lightning. The black insect hurled himself recklessly towards Bolgmon, and when he was close enough to see Bolgmon's defiant face within the darkness, his blood boiled.

"Bolgmon…!" GrandisKuwagamon closed in on Bolgmon like a lunging predator. He made to skewer him with his Gran Killers, and he plunged his claws towards Bolgmon's balking face.

But it was a feint. At the last minute, right as Bolgmon brought his cannon arms up to block the stab, he darted to the left and wheeled his body around. "You son of a bitch!" he shouted, heaving his leg around in a mighty kick.

His foot drilled across Bolgmon's face with a loud, metal 'thunk'. Bolgmon's head jerked to the side and pain pierced through his cheek. However, GrandisKuwagamon wasn't close to finished. Now that he was in close range, he began wailing on Bolgmon with his feet and the backs of his Gran Killers. "You stupid –" he shouted, slamming his foot into Bolgmon's face, "jealous –" He kneed him in the chest, before following up his flurry of strikes. "Gutless - petulant – fickle – reckless – selfish – freight-train-assed bastard!" he shouted between blows.

Bolgmon grunted and growled as his metal head was subjected to a heavy beating, which he struggled to defend against due to GrandisKuwagamon's speed. "Gah! D-Damn it!" He grimaced with pain, and his whole body began surging with electricity. "Back… off!" he shouted, unleashing the lightning outwards in a spherical field.

GrandisKuwagamon growled as he was hit by a wave of electricity due to their close quarters. His body momentarily seized up before he could land another punch. As soon as Bolgmon had an opportunity, he drove his large, metal fist into GrandisKuwagamon's chest, sending him flying backwards.

Bolgmon hissed with steam as he put distance between himself and GrandisKuwagamon. His emerald eyes flashed and glowered, while lightning coursed up his tanky, metal body. "Don't test me, Grandis…!" he warned him, with a static reverb to his voice. He spat out some blood before aiming his cannon at his former friend.

GrandisKuwagamon snarled and pulled himself back up. "Bolgmon… You slimy, little Numemon…" he breathed, his eye glowing as he stared down the one who betrayed him. "Maybe I'm a naïve idiot… but I thought we were friends all this time… All those years together as Black Pincer Company. It didn't take much for you to throw all that away, huh?"

"That was your own fault," Bolgmon argued, narrowing his electrified eyes at GrandisKuwagamon. "You should've treated me with more respect!"

"Hah! Are you really trying to tell me that that's what all this is about? Because I snapped at you when we lost our hideout? Because I hurt your feelings?! You're saying it's because I wounded your damn ego?!" GrandisKuwagamon scoffed, balling his hands into tight fists. "Get real! This is all because you saw an opportunity to get rid of me! You made a snap decision without thinking things through like usual! That's why you weren't the leader of Black Pincer Company, and that's why you're still not the leader! It was always me and Blitzmon making the decisions! You just followed whatever we said because you can't think of anything beyond your damn crosshairs!"

Bolgmon growled and aimed his cannons threateningly. "Why you…"

"That's it… That's what you came to resent about me," GrandisKuwagamon informed him with a dark smirk. "Me and Blitzmon… You wanted him all to yourself, huh? Just you and him… Well, I guess you sure got me outta the picture, tank boy! I bet you wish the Royal Knights finished the job!"

"Don't act like you know what's going on in my head!" Bolgmon shouted back, his cannon revving up as it charged energy. "It wasn't that simple!"

"You're that simple!" GrandisKuwagamon yelled. "You're simple, you're reckless, and you're petty! Always have been! The worst part is that you don't know it!"

Bolgmon growled deeper and lowered his horn cannon imposingly. "Grr… Watch it, Grandis… This is exactly the reason why that happened…!"

"You're the reason, Bolgmon," GrandisKuwagamon coldly reminded him. "And I've been waiting months to punch you in your stupid face…"

Bolgmon's green eyes narrowed fiercely and he locked and loaded his cannons. "Then shut that big mouth of yours and bring it!"

---

Meanwhile, Blitzmon was recovering after being tackled by GrandisKuwagamon. As he lay on his back, he saw a gleaming light in the corner of his vision.

He looked down and saw TigerVespamon lunging towards him with his blades pointed down. The beetle man immediately rolled backwards, just in time to evade the pair of Royal Meisters that stabbed into the earthy ground.

"Ngh," Blitzmon grunted, jumping backwards and just barely avoiding getting a beam blade across the chest. As he beat his insect wings to fly in reverse, he also created anti-gravity field around his body to be able to keep up with TigerVespamon's movements. He eyed TigerVespamon, recognizing him from before. He now knew who this Digimon was, if Angemon was to be believed. "You…"

"It's because of all of you…" TigerVespamon hissed, his crimson eyes glinting coldly as he unleashed a flurry of swift, fencing strikes. "I have lost everything because of you!"

Blitzmon winced as he struggled to evade TigerVespamon's onslaught, feeling the beam blades creating nicks in his jumpsuit that singed the skin below. He kicked TigerVespamon backwards and fired a lightning bolt from his horn to keep the hornet at bay. "Wait!" he told him in a frustrated hiss, creating a defensive field of electricity between his wrists. He glanced briefly over his shoulder. "Grandis! Stop it! Let's talk about this…"

"What's to talk about?!" GrandisKuwagamon fired back, shooting him a swift glance of his own. "I expected this kind of self-serving betrayal from Bolgmon, but I expected more from you, Blitzmon! But no, you threw me to the wolves the first chance you got!"

Blitzmon jumped away as TigerVespamon started firing a flurry of needle-like beams at him from his swords. He landed beside GrandisKuwagamon and grabbed the beetle's wrist roughly, turning the black scarab towards him. "It was a spur of the moment thing…" he coldly told him, staring into his eyes. "The Royal Knights saw us. It was better for us to split up to try and lose them."

"My ass!" GrandisKuwagamon fired back, wrenching his Gran Killer away from him. "Bolgmon got their attention on purpose! You guys knew exactly what you were doing! You guys had that whole thing planned from the start!"

Blitzmon winced. "That's not true… We had our backs against the wall and we needed a contingency plan. I wanted all of us to escape together," he insisted vehemently.

"Yeah, but Bolgmon didn't. He set me up because he wanted to get rid of me!" GrandisKuwagamon argued, grabbing Blitzmon by the neck. "He was jealous of me, and you guys didn't like that I didn't want to work for our mystery client!"

"It's more complicated than that!" Blitzmon choked, grabbing GrandisKuwagamon's wrist.

"You were moving against us!" Bolgmon shouted, trying to aim at GrandisKuwagamon without Blitzmon getting in the way.

"Because I asked questions?!" GrandisKuwagamon fired back, his pincers crackling with spatial energy. "Looks like I was right to! We were working for a guy who wanted to release the Demon Lords! Now look where we are!"

GrandisKuwagamon leaned in towards Blitzmon, his body shaking with rage and adrenaline. "I dunno what's worse – Bolgmon setting me up on purpose, or you turning your back on me the moment it was convenient. We were supposed to be a team, damn it! We've been friends since we were kids! The three of us! Did that mean all of jack shit to you?"

"It didn't. We are a team," Blitzmon insisted, grabbing the scarab's wrist. "We still can be. I… regret what we did…" His eyes tightened as he met GrandisKuwagamon's passionate gaze. "Come work with us again, Grandis…"

As Bolgmon's cannons trained on GrandisKuwagamon, his eyes widened with shock upon hearing Blitzmon's words. "What?!" he shouted in protest.

TigerVespamon stopped several meters away from them, stunned by the request as well. He glared at both Blitzmon and GrandisKuwagamon and he could feel icy rage crystallizing within him. "GrandisKuwagamon…" he hissed in warning, his voice a frigid breeze.

GrandisKuwagamon stared at Blitzmon with genuine surprise. The indigo beetle sounded like he was truly genuine. Despite the pain and anger that he felt in his chest, he couldn't deny that there was a sudden burst of warmth at the idea, but it was shrouded in doubt.

"…Like I can work with Bolgmon again," GrandisKuwagamon bitterly responded, looking past Blitzmon to the large beetle a ways behind him. He could see the reluctance in Bolgmon's eyes, and he was very aware of the fact that the tank was pointing his cannons at them. "Look at him. He wants to get rid of me."

"He feels threatened by you. That's all," Blitzmon insisted, looking over his shoulder and giving cold leer in Bolgmon's direction. "That's the only reason he wanted you out of the picture. Tensions were running high at the time, remember? We all felt backed into a corner." He looked back at GrandisKuwagamon. "I'll talk to him. You two were friends once, after all. We all were."

GrandisKuwagamon grimaced and looked away. The more Blitzmon spoke, the more torn he felt. There was a part of him that genuinely wanted to go back to them – to go back to the way things used to be…

He turned his head and noticed TigerVespamon staring at them. His brother's face appeared calm, but he could see anger and pain in his eyes. His brother was right there, and no matter how much his twin hated him right now, that fact wouldn't change. TigerVespamon needed him. In that moment, GrandisKuwagamon realised that it might not be possible to go back to how things were.

"…Yeah, we were," GrandisKuwagamon replied wistfully. "But… you're still working for Bagramon, aren't you?"

"So?" Blitzmon questioned coolly.

"GrandisKuwagamon…" TigerVespamon spoke, his voice airy and uneven. His compound eyes were hard, yet they were on the verge of softening with insecurity. "If… If you go with them…"

GrandisKuwagamon sighed and turned to Blitzmon with a rigid gaze. "And, there's the other thing… You know he's my brother, right?"

Blitzmon narrowed his eyes grimly. "So, what Angemon said is true…? He really is your brother…?"

"Kokuwamon escaped the attack somehow. He got saved by Angemon and those monks…" GrandisKuwagamon explained, his face darkening. "And you guys killed them…"

Blitzmon's eyes softened with realization, if only for a moment. "We… didn't know who he was…" he replied. "If we had known…"

GrandisKuwagamon shook his head gently. "It doesn't matter now… It happened. We've all done stuff we can't take back now…" he explained. He slowly released Blitzmon's neck from his grasp.

"Don't be unreasonable, GrandisKuwagamon…" Blitzmon carefully beseeched him. "I know what happened, but… It wasn't until Angemon told us that TigerVespamon was your brother that we realised…"

GrandisKuwagamon sighed sadly. "Maybe I could forgive you for it… but I doubt he can," he answered. "It isn't just the fact that it's because you hurt my brother. Even if he wasn't, the things you guys are doing now…"

GrandisKuwagamon gritted his teeth and looked between his two friends, extending his arm towards the carnage behind him. "…Don't you see what you're doing? You're helping the Demon Lords attack a defenceless village! Have you guys really sunken that low? After everything we suffered through… doesn't that mean anything to either of you?!"

"I…" Blitzmon stalled, a scowl forming on his face. "We had no choice… We're doing what's necessary. Besides, we weren't actually getting involved, until you showed up."

"Yeah! Don't try to compare what we did to what they did!" Bolgmon protested with outrage. "Besides, we heard about what you did in New Terminal from Angemon! Don't try to preach to us when you're just as bad!"

GrandisKuwagamon winced and glared back at him. "That's how I know, you idiot… I made a huge, fucking mistake. I used those same excuses that you're using at first… Then I realised what I'd become," he answered with a bitter grimace. "…But it wasn't too late for me to stop. If you guys keep doing what you're doing… you're going to end up where I was headed. After what you already did to those monks…"

The black insect placed his hand on Blitzmon's wrist. "I can't come back to join you…" he soberly told him, staring into the beetle's eyes. "But you two can give up. Surrender, guys. It'll be better for you this way…"

GrandisKuwagamon sighed and looked down sadly. "…Unless you surrender here, I don't see how we can go back to the way things were..."

Blitzmon sighed with grim understanding upon hearing GrandisKuwagamon's ultimatum. Despite knowing what decision he would have to take, it was not without a flicker of sadness in his features.

"So it seems… You're really determined, aren't you…?" Blitzmon responded, his voice weighty and distant. He stared at the former mercenary in front of him with resignation. "I am sorry, Grandis…" he told him sincerely.

Blitzmon looked over his shoulder and nodded at Bolgmon. With a sudden burst of speed, he drove his knee into GrandisKuwagamon's gut, stunning him long enough for him to dash out of Bolgmon's firing line.

"You shoulda taken his offer, Grandis!" Bolgmon exclaimed with a dark smirk. "Ultimate Thunder!"

GrandisKuwagamon grunted and looked up to see Bolgmon preparing to fire two orbs of lightning from his cannons. "Ko, watch out!" he warned the wasp behind him.

Before Bolgmon could fire, a dark silhouette lunged towards him from the dark, orange sky. It was BlackWarGreymon. While they had been talking, he had been busy fighting Viscount SkullSatamon and his rear guard of Nightmare Soldiers when GrandisKuwagamon flew off.

"Grandis!" he shouted gruffly, descending on the insect tank with his Dramon Killers at the ready.

Bolgmon looked up and recoiled with shock upon seeing an Ultimate level dragon man descending on him. He immediately stepped on the gas and wheeled into reverse, hastily redirecting his aim to launch the spheres of lightning at BlackWarGreymon instead. "Damn it!" he hissed, his cannons pulsing as they fired the crackling orbs.

BlackWarGreymon dipped beneath the spheres, his blond hair standing on end as they passed over him. He brought his claws down on Bolgmon, but the mercenary reversed just in time, causing BlackWarGreymon's claws to stab into the ground just in front of him.

The dragon man growled and jumped away, right as Bolgmon fired a point blank blast of lightning in front of him. As BlackWarGreymon lunged into the air, he turned around looked at GrandisKuwagamon. "Bug!" he snarled at him. His golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What were you doing talking to them?!"

"We've got history!" GrandisKuwagamon fired back, taking off towards Bolgmon.

"Don't get too far away from me!" BlackWarGreymon warned him "Remember what happened last time!"

Bolgmon hissed and aimed his cannon arms at GrandisKuwagamon, beginning to build up electricity in his arms again. "What?" he asked, eyeing the BlackWarGreymon with confusion. "Who is this guy?!" At the same time, he opened up the targeting screen on his back in preparation for something else.

Blitzmon grunted as TigerVespamon lunged at him again. Knowing that the wasp was a close-ranged fighter, he jumped away and fired lightning blasts at him, trying to keep him at a distance. As he fired a flurry of electricity from his hands and horn, he glanced over at the BlackWarGreymon intruder.

"He works for the Royal Knights," Blitzmon deduced. The mercenary frowned as his electricity cast shadows across his face. He turned his darkened face towards GrandisKuwagamon. "I see… Grandis, you're working for the Royal Knights?"

"I knew it!" Bolgmon shouted, pumping one orb of electricity after another out of his spinning arms. "You damn traitor!"

"You're a fine one to talk, dumbass!" GrandisKuwagamon growled as he raced towards Bolgmon, weaving around the electric blasts.

"That's different!" Bolgmon growled, continuing his rapid blasts until his cannons had to recharge. "You're a sell out! You turned your back on mercenaries everywhere to work for the Royal Knights?! The damn authorities? The so-called Network Deities? Yggdrasil's flunkies?!"

GrandisKuwagamon hissed as he veered off course to evade one of Bolgmon's blasts. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but he hesitated, knowing that giving any sort of confirmation could get him into serious trouble.

Meanwhile, Blitzmon swerved to avoid one of TigerVespamon's swipes, and he continued to try to avoid the angry hornet man.

"Face me!" TigerVespamon challenged him, somersaulting forwards in an attempt to slash both of his swords down on Blitzmon.

Blitzmon was just able to swerve out of the way of the Mach Stinger Victory, but he felt the heat of the V-shaped beam cause his shoulder armour to glow red hot.

"Ngh…" he hissed, spinning around and driving his foot into TigerVespamon's back, which he knew must still be tender. He kicked him away and took the chance to catch his breath. In those few moments, Blitzmon was able to reflect on BlackWarGreymon's peculiar words to GrandisKuwagamon, particularly the part about getting too far away from him, and 'what happened last time'.

It was then that a light went off in Blitzmon's head. He must have been referring to when GrandisKuwagamon tried to attack them in the previous battle. Grandis had suddenly been overcome with electricity and collapsed, seemingly for no reason. Then, a Cyberdramon ran over and GrandisKuwagamon had been able to move again, as if they were connected.

"Some sort of invisible leash…" Blitzmon murmured to himself, looking over at GrandisKuwagamon, seeing that BlackWarGreymon was following him.

"I see," Blitzmon spoke up, turning and looking at GrandisKuwagamon. "Grandis, you're not working with the Royal Knights; you're being held against your will! You were captured by them, and this was how you negotiated your release. You have some sort of restraint system chaining you to that Digimon as a means of controlling you…" the mercenary deduced. "That's why you won't join us – you can't."

GrandisKuwagamon snarled, stopping short of Bolgmon when the insect fired a powerful blast of lightning into the ground directly in front of him. He was too busy to respond, but even if he wasn't, he wasn't sure what he'd say. Blitzmon was mostly accurate; he always had been a smart Digimon. It was true that he was working for the Royal Knights, but it was also true that he was their prisoner and that he was being kept in check by the restraint system. He couldn't confirm or deny it without some sort of repercussions either way. He decided it best to remain quiet.

Blitzmon smirked and looked over at Bolgmon, while keeping an eye on TigerVespamon. "Bolgmon, separate him from that lizard! When the system activates, we'll capture him."

"What?" TigerVespamon spoke in an incredulous breath.

"What?! No way! He's…" Bolgmon growled with reluctant frustration. He didn't trust GrandisKuwagamon, and he was sure that he was working with the Royal Knights. However, if Blitzmon was right about the restraint system, he did see the value of separating the two…

"…Fine!" he confirmed. Bolgmon suddenly put his treads into high gear and started ripping across the ground towards GrandisKuwagamon. With mud spattering behind him, Bolgmon launched two blasts right in front of GrandisKuwagamon, causing dirt to erupt everywhere. With dust and smoke wafting everywhere, Bolgmon closed in, using his thermal sensors to detect Grandis within the haze.

With his target locked on, Bolgmon drove at full speed into the cloud of smoke. GrandisKuwagamon saw Bolgmon's shadow within the smoke, and he tried to evade it, but Bolgmon accelerated into overdrive at the last second. The cyborg's giant, metal body rammed into GrandisKuwagamon painfully, carrying him through the forest clearing, away from BlackWarGreymon.

At the same time, Blitzmon broke away from TigerVespamon. To cover his retreat, Blitzmon unleashed several lightning bolts from his horn in TigerVespamon's direction, forcing him to dodge the rapid blasts. This gave Blitzmon the chance to dive through the sky in the opposite direction that Bolgmon was travelling. He flew through the smoke that Bolgmon created and soared towards BlackWarGreymon at high speed.

BlackWarGreymon spun around just in time to see Blitzmon, but he was unprepared for the Digimon's X-Antibody-enhanced speed. Blitzmon's horn sparked and he plowed it straight against the dragon man's armoured chest. "Lightning Bomber!" Blitzmon shouted, tackling him across the clearing while zapping him with his high voltage horn.

BlackWarGreymon growled as lightning flooded through him. It hurt, but it wasn't close to fatal to him. The real problem was that he was being carried away from GrandisKuwagamon. If they got too far apart, then…

Bolgmon laughed electrically as he clutched GrandisKuwagamon in his arms, carrying further and further away from BlackWarGreymon. "Sorry, Grandis, but this is probably gonna hurt!" he told the scarab who was struggling in his grasp. As he moved, he began charging electricity into his arm-mounted turrets for good measure.

Suddenly, Bolgmon expelled steam from the vents beneath his body, pushing him off the ground. He then whirled his body around 360 degrees. With the reduced friction and all the momentum he had built up, he spun and hurled GrandisKuwagamon through the air.

GrandisKuwagamon whipped through the air like a meteor. Despite the pressure against his body, he tried to right himself in the air. As soon as he tried to take control of his flight, Bolgmon fired a double blast of electricity towards him. The bursts of lighting slammed into him and hurled him further away. He knew that he was at the point where they were dangerously far apart. He tried to beat his wings, but…

He felt it happen. GrandisKuwagamon's whole body froze up. Then, electricity coursed through his body. His wings halted, his limbs tightened, the volts consumed his muscles. GrandisKuwagamon let out a pained yell as his body lit up in the growing darkness.

The black insect collapsed to the ground, his muscles spasming and his limbs twitching. His body surged with pain, and he felt his arms and legs go numb.

"D-D-Damm-m-mit!" GrandisKuwagamon snarled, writhing around in a desperate attempt to regain control of his body. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move. The virus' effects had taken control with the sole purpose of incapacitating him. He knew he was helpless.

Bolgmon let out a belly laugh as he watched GrandisKuwagamon fall out of the sky and writhe around on the ground in pain. "Wow, that was fun!" he exclaimed jovially.

Bolgmon then smirked darkly and bent forwards, planting his cannon arms on the ground. "But I guess the good times are over now, huh, Grandis?" he asked, lowering his head and aiming his horn at the downed insect.

The targeting screen on Bolgmon's back brought up GrandisKuwagamon's helpless body in its crosshairs. Then, it began to display Bolgmon's energy levels as he built up positrons into the breath chamber of his primary cannon.

"See, I think you're working with the Royal Knights…" Bolgmon said, looking up at he locked GrandisKuwagamon in his sights. "I know Blitz will hate me for this, but I don't trust you…"

He began pouring more and more positrons from his body into his horn. Soon the hollow interior of his nose cannon began to glow with white light. Soon, it was bright enough to light the darkness around them.

Far away, struggling with BlackWarGreymon, Blitzmon looked over his shoulder to see Bolgmon on his hands and knees, aiming his cannon at GrandisKuwagamon. He frowned with confusion at the curious sight. Bolgmon was supposed to be capturing him.

"What is he…?!" Blitzmon's eyes widened with outrage the moment he saw the flicker of light glowing within Bolgmon's cannon. "No! That fool!"

TigerVespamon whirled around, looking towards the source of Blitzmon's distress.

His body froze when he saw his brother staring down the barrel of Bolgmon's cannon. He could see the beam brimming in Bolgmon's weaponry. He saw GrandisKuwagamon lying on the ground, unable to move.

Without thinking, TigerVespamon began dashing towards them.

"No!" he shouted desperately, trying to get to GrandisKuwagamon as fast as he could. He sprinted faster than ever before. He was so far away from him. He didn't think that he would be able to make it in time.

The anger in his heart became replaced with abject horror. The helplessness returned, the feeling of being forced to watch as somebody he loved being taken from him. Whatever feelings he had before… they became replaced with fear and desperation. He didn't care what it took. All he knew was one thing… He had to get there.

"No, please… I can't… I can't lose you too…" he thought to himself, a tear forming in his eye as he soared towards his brother as fast as his body could carry him.

Bolgmon smirked as tendrils of antiparticles began to fill his cannon in the form of a glowing laser.

"It's too bad, Grandis… cuz I really do like you, but… now it's too late. With you and that brother of yours… we can't ever go back, huh…? I think we both know that…" Bolgmon mused lightly. Despite his seemingly flippant words, his face darkened now that radiant energy began seeping out of his horn.

"Yeah, I was jealous…" he spoke. "But… we really were friends. We had a lot of good times…"

As Bolgmon's cannon brimmed with positrons, he took careful aim at GrandisKuwagamon. He smiled sadly and lightning sparked across his wild, tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry, buddy…" he said in a soft, uneven voice.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye widened as energy began pouring out of Bolgmon's cannon. "Bolg… W-Wait…"

"…Field Destroyer."

Then, energy coursed out of the cannon, lighting up the creeping darkness…

---

"Trident Saber!"

SaviorHackmon whirled around in the air, slicing his crimson wrist blades across a NeoDevimon that tried to impale him with his claws. He kicked the devil away with his bladed feet and propelled himself in reverse. As he flipped backwards, he unleashed a rapid fire burst of flames into the NeoDevimon for good measure.

The dragon man panted and looked around ardently, sweat dripping down his face and soaking the collar of his cape. The militia were fighting hard in the mouth of the town. They were holding the line and keeping the Nightmare Soldiers at bay, but they were losing ground and becoming exhausted. The Nightmare Soldiers had broken down the barricades and were advancing on their last line of defence around the main road of the village. The villagers had already taken some casualties. SaviorHackmon knew that it was now or never.

SaviorHackmon growled and unleashed another salvo of fireballs towards the advancing Nightmare Soldiers to suppress them. As fire leaked from his mouth, he looked over at DinoBeemon, who slashed her claws across a Musyamon before jumping back to the row of Perfect level militia.

"Okay, everyone!" SaviorHackmon shouted, looking behind him to the fifteen Perfect levels. "It's time for you guys to pull back! DinoBeemon, I'm counting on you to lead them to Dark Point! I'll keep them busy!"

DinoBeemon looked up at the dragon man with a reluctant wince. "Won't you come with us?" she asked him. "You can't last against them by yourself."

SaviorHackmon smiled a little. "I'll be okay. I'm going to link up with the Royal Knights and the others! We'll all escape together once you guys are in the clear!" he reassured her.

DinoBeemon frowned, but she looked around at her villagers. Several of them were sporting bloody wounds. They fought bravely, but they didn't have the fighting experience that the Royal Knights had. She knew they wouldn't last much longer if they stayed. "…Alright," she said, looking back up. "We'll go. But make sure you all escape."

"We will," SaviorHackmon responded. He ascended higher into the air, just below the remaining canopies. As his cape flapped in the breeze, SaviorHackmon pointed forwards. "Ready, everyone? Lay down a barrage of fire!"

"Fire and pull back!" DinoBeemon shouted, beating her insect wings rapidly to form destructive sound waves.

The Megadramon and the rest of the militia unleashed a synchronous barrage of ranged attacks towards the Nightmare Soldiers. SaviorHackmon held firm in the sky as the attacks whizzed by his body. He watched as missiles began impacting in front of and around the Nightmare Soldiers at the edge of the village. A wall of explosions erupted in front of them, detonating a few damaged buildings and trees in the process.

"Go!" SaviorHackmon shouted over the blasts, racing forwards towards the flames and the enemy.

"Good luck, SaviorHackmon," DinoBeemon spoke, watching as the dragon flew off. She looked around at the militia and began flying east, down the road. "Let's go!"

SaviorHackmon looked over his shoulder and watched as DinoBeemon and the others raced down the village road. As soon as he saw their bodies fade into the lingering fog, he turned forwards and steeled himself. He wouldn't let this be his last stand.

The steel dragon man swept through the smoke and charged headlong into the Nightmare Soldiers. He stabbed his wrist blade into an IceDevimon's side, spun, slashed his bladed foot across an Evilmon's back, and then unleashed a burst of flames in a wild fanning axis in front of him. SaviorHackmon cried out when a NeoDevimon's claws, pierced into his side and penetrated the tender gaps in his armour, but he lashed his tail blade out and slashed the devil away from him.

Despite the pain, SaviorHackmon pressed onwards. He slashed his claws across a Devidramon's shoulder and followed up by spitting flames on a Soulmon that tried to grab him. SaviorHackmon felt the wild pressure of fighting several enemies at once. He didn't try to kill them; he could only hope to injure them and draw their attention away from the retreating militia. To that end, he kept hurling himself deeper into the Nightmare Soldiers' lines.

SaviorHackmon flew deeper into the forest, weaving around a dozen demons. Sweat dripped down his face and his heart raced with fear and adrenaline. He was determined to find the others. It was getting harder to see the more the sun set behind him. An orange glow still highlighted the trees, but the interior of the forest was dark and shadowy. Fortunately for him, he was able to see the bright, aura body of Wyvern fighting within the darkness.

The closer that he got, the more he could see the area around Wyvern. SaviorHackmon watched as Wyvern felled a giant tree in its attempt to attack an enemy. It was in that moment that he spotted the enemy.

It was none other than Demon.

SaviorHackmon's eyes widened as he set eyes on the Demon Lord of Wrath. A cold chill crept down his spine, and he felt the fear inside him swell. He remembered Demon's sheer power and unrelenting hatred. He remembered fighting him, and how futile it felt. The nightmares he had after barely surviving him in Hope's Crest returned to him in force.

SaviorHackmon saw that Demon was fighting both Magnamon and Dynasmon at once. Concern swept through him when he saw the states they were in. Magnamon looked badly beaten up. His helmet was all cracked, his armour was tarnished and dented, and blood visibly leaked down from his face. Magnamon looked like he was barely staying aloft. Meanwhile, Dynasmon had bloody scratch marks across his wings, his armour was singed and smoking, and blood trickled down from Dynasmon's forehead. It upset SaviorHackmon to see them struggling against Demon.

He watched as Demon, who sported several bloody cuts and burns of his own, surged forwards. The Demon Lord of Wrath raised his large arm and slammed it down, spiking Magnamon into the ground. Demon then whirled around and bashed Dynasmon away as the Royal Knight tried to grab him from behind. Dynasmon collided with a tree, crashing straight through it painfully. He snarled with agony, but he flapped his throbbing wings and managed to keep himself up.

"Dynasmon-shishou!" SaviorHackmon cried out.

The Royal Knight looked over upon hearing his name. "Kid!" Dynasmon yelled out to him. "Get the others and get outta here! Hurry!"

SaviorHackmon hesitated, reluctant to leave him and Magnamon when it was clear they were struggling. "But…"

"Go!" Dynasmon shouted. "They're over that way!"

Curious, Demon looked over his shoulder upon hearing SaviorHackmon call out. His baleful eyes landed on the white dragon man curiously. He instantly recognized his face… It was that defiant face from before. The same one from Hope's Crest who dared to stand up to him…

"You…" Demon hissed, turning towards SaviorHackmon. Before he could act, Dynasmon suddenly tackled him from the side, sending them both plummeting to the ground.

SaviorHackmon dodged a stab from a Phelesmon and promptly kicked the winged demon away. He took the chance to look into the distance where Dynasmon had gestured. In the darkness, he could see multiple flashes of lightning illuminating the darkness of a small clearing. It was within those flashes that he could see the forms of Bolgmon and Blitzmon fighting against GrandisKuwagamon, TigerVespamon, and BlackWarGreymon.

"Black Pincer Company," he thought, his eyes tightening.

He dodged to avoid the magical beam that a Mephismon launched at him and began to fly forwards so that he could get closer to his teammates. The nearer that he got, the easier it was for him to see them in the darkness. As he flew, SaviorHackmon watched as Bolgmon suddenly grabbed hold of GrandisKuwagamon and carried him across the clearing.

"What is he doing?" SaviorHackmon wondered. He was forced to bash a Devidramon away with his tail before the demon dragon could try to paralyze him. He then saw Bolgmon suddenly spin around and hurl GrandisKuwagamon through the air. His eyes widened as he watched GrandisKuwagamon's body suddenly light up with electricity. The black mercenary writhed in pain for a moment before collapsing to the ground in a twitching heap.

"The proximal restraint system!" SaviorHackmon realised with horror as GrandisKuwagamon crashed to the ground in a paralyzed state. He looked around and saw that BlackWarGreymon was being carried by Blitzmon way over to the right of the clearing. He glanced back to the left and saw that GrandisKuwagamon was at Bolgmon's mercy. "He's in trouble!"

SaviorHackmon punched a Devimon out of his way and began flying towards the clearing. As he flew closer, he could see Bolgmon bending down on his hands. It was a curious sight at first, until SaviorHackmon saw him aim his cannon horn at GrandisKuwagamon. The pit of his stomach dropped as he saw Bolgmon's artillery muzzle start to glow with gathered energy. It horrified him to see that Bolgmon was planning to fire his strongest attack at him. GrandisKuwagamon was a sitting duck.

"Get up, Grandis…! Get up! Come on, damn it!" he quietly pleaded, his fear growing as he continued to watch GrandisKuwagamon lie unmoving in Bolgmon's view.

SaviorHackmon grunted and put all of his effort into getting there. He knew that GrandisKuwagamon couldn't move, and with BlackWarGreymon tied up with Blitzmon, it was up to him to help. He grimaced as he watched Bolgmon's cannon begin to glow even brighter with anticipatory power.

SaviorHackmon knew he didn't have much time. He wasn't sure how long it would take for Bolgmon to get to full power. Fifteen – twenty seconds, maybe? Even less? He couldn't risk it.

He launched himself as fast as his body would allow him. His cape and goggle-clad hood whipped behind him violently. He ignored the deep, orange sunset glimmering out of the corner of his eye. He avoided all enemies in and flew towards his imperilled friend single-mindedly. He weaved around the trees, trying to take the most direct path. He was almost there…

Then, something cut directly in front of him. A hulking, burgundy body swept in front of him with breakneck speed, intercepting him.

SaviorHackmon's eyes widened. He wanted to fly around it, but the body was too wide and too close. He came to an abrupt stop to avoid slamming into it, halting but a couple meters away. SaviorHackmon looked up to see who had cut him off. When he did, his face blanched.

He craned his neck up to see Demon towering over him like a behemoth. Demon's three, glowing eyes leered down at him oppressively, the bluish violet orbs narrowing into a callous glare. His lips curled back into a scowl, and his long, savage fangs glistened in the orange light.

A deathly cold chill swept down his spine. SaviorHackmon became frozen like a statue. It was like time had stopped around him. His insides tightened as primal fear took him over. It was like his muscles stopped functioning. The only breath he took was the sharp, initial gasp.

The subject of his nightmares; the one who massacred hundreds, thousands, without batting an eye; the Digimon who nearly killed him; Demon was right there.

He was close enough that he could feel his body heat. He could taste the sweat of Demon's fur. He could smell the pungent sulphur on his breath. He felt the sheer pressure of Demon's wrath bearing down on him. Demon loomed over him, his eyes flashing like he had just crawled out of hell. The beast's face darkened as he stooped forwards. It was like a scene straight out of a nightmare.

SaviorHackmon felt his mouth go bone dry. His eyes widened with horror and sweat trickled down his arms and face. His limbs trembled, and his fight-or-flight instincts yelled at him to fly away. He knew he was outmatched but he was frozen in place. However, even as fear grabbed hold of his heart in an icy grasp, SaviorHackmon couldn't bring himself to run away. At the back of his mind, he knew that his friends needed him – Grandis needed him.

SaviorHackmon grimaced and lashed out desperately. He let out a shout and stabbed his wrist blade towards Demon's face.

Without really trying, Demon tilted his head to the side, allowing the blade to pierce past him. In a smooth but forceful motion, Demon grabbed hold of SaviorHackmon's right wrist and twisted it excruciatingly. SaviorHackmon cried out, but, refusing to give up, he attempted to stab Demon with his other blade. Demon grabbed SaviorHackmon's other arm before the blade could reach his face.

The Demon Lord of Wrath grunted and tightened his grasp around both of SaviorHackmon's wrists. Then he stretched the dragon man's arms out to the sides roughly, holding him spread-eagle. SaviorHackmon winced as his shoulders strained against their sockets. He tried to move his arms, but Demon's grip was too tight – they wouldn't budge. He was trapped and his blades were incapacitated.

"Well, well… It's the dragon who managed to escape from that village…" Demon hissed, cocking his brow as he pulled SaviorHackmon's arms tauter.

SaviorHackmon grimaced with pain and fear. He struggled desperately, trying to wrench his arms free from Demon's grasp. He looked out of the corner of his eye and was horrified to see Bolgmon's cannon filling to the brim with energy. He fought stubbornly, trying his damndest to escape. It felt futile, but he refused to give up.

Demon loomed over him, staring down with perverse amusement as he watched SaviorHackmon struggling in vain. He watched as SaviorHackmon looked up at him with a defiant glare in his bright, yellow eyes. "…Those eyes," he growled softly, his three orbs tightening. "I remember those eyes from before… That foolish defiance that refused to submit to me, despite there being no hope to speak of."

Demon grunted and pulled SaviorHackmon's arms out even more. "It's a pity your Sensei isn't here to save you this time," the Demon Lord told him. "I will enjoy watching your hope vanish as I rip your arms from their sockets."

SaviorHackmon cried out with agony as his wrists were tightly crushed and his shoulders threatened to pop out of their sockets. The pain became excruciating, and he couldn't even move his arms anymore.

SaviorHackmon glanced over to the left, looking to where Dynasmon and Magnamon had been, hoping that the Royal Knights would save him. However, he saw that Magnamon was badly injured, slowly dragging himself off the ground, and just able to fire golden blasts into the demons that tried to attack him. Meanwhile, Dynasmon was swamped with Nightmare Soldiers, snarling and bleeding heavily from the face as he pounded and blasted his way through them.

He looked over to the right and saw that the positronic laser was now brimming from Bolgmon's cannon. GrandisKuwagamon was paralyzed on the ground, and Bolgmon was going to annihilate him at any second.

SaviorHackmon raised his head and glared up at Demon, tears forming in his eyes. He felt like a child again. He felt as helpless as he did that horrible night when he was a Hackmon. During the Night of Falling Stars, he remembered staring up at the night sky as it fell onto his village, unable to do anything as pieces of the Sky Colony rained down on his home. Demon and the other Demon Lords had been the reason his family and friends had been killed.

The memory of Hope's Crest came rushing back to him. No matter how hard he tried, he had been unable to save the soldiers or the militia who were defending it. Demon had destroyed them all and beaten him soundly. He glanced over at Bolgmon, seeing positrons frothing from his muzzle. He was about to lose his friends again. He was just as helpless now as he was then.

It was in that moment, SaviorHackmon realised that Demon was right. His Sensei wasn't there to save him. He couldn't just rely on the Royal Knights to save him again. He had to save himself this time. It wasn't just him, either. He knew that if he didn't help Grandis, he would lose somebody important to him.

His arms felt like they were going to snap. The Royal Knights were overwhelmed. He could see the beams leaking out of Bolgmon's cannon. He was about to fire. There was no time.

Everything became clear. He had to conquer his fear. He couldn't do everything by himself, but he couldn't just rely on others either. SaviorHackmon raised his head and, despite the tear rolling down his face, he glared defiantly at Demon. In that single gaze, he poured his heart, showing his foe the unfathomable depths of his determination.

He remembered the dying Sealsdramon soldier that he had been unable to save. He remembered Gorimon and the others who gave their lives to defend that little village. He remembered seeing the wounded bodies of VictoryGreymon, GrandisKuwagamon, and Paildramon on the ground. He remembered his parents – the family he had lost on that traumatic night. He remembered Gankoomon and the Sistermons – the new family he had found.

SaviorHackmon remembered how much he hated war and pointless bloodshed. He wanted to do everything in his power to protect Digimon and end fighting everywhere. That was why he wanted to be a hero.

That was why he wanted to be a Royal Knight.

SaviorHackmon snapped his eyes shut and he unleashed a powerful cry that pierced through the forest. The blue crystal embedded in the center of his chest suddenly ignited in a radiant flare of blue light.

"SAVIORHACKMON SHINKA…!"

The light swept out and washed over his body. Demon's eyes widened with rage and horror as the light of evolution suddenly seared his hands and forced him to release SaviorHackmon from his clutches. He recoiled as the darkness behind him receded under the intense radiance of SaviorHackmon's light.

Dynasmon hurled Murmuxmon away from him and suddenly turned in response to the bright light. "What…?"

Magnamon looked up as well, a flicker of hope shining in his pained eyes. "Impossible…"

SaviorHackmon's body altered within the blinding light. Almost everybody turned to look at him as he gleamed with holy light.

When the light faded, a new Digimon had formed in his stead. A draconic, humanoid body floated in the air. His form was shrouded in Hackmon's flowing, crimson cape, his body completely furled into the rippling mantle. Covering his horned, metal head was the hood that attached to his cape, concealing his eyes from view. The amber light of the setting sun cast across his body, causing the goggles that rested on his forehead to sparkle radiantly. Underneath the shroud of his hood, which contained holes for his three horns, his yellow eyes glowed intensely.

With a mighty sweep, he swept his arms out, revealing his form and causing the mantle wrapped around his body to flap outwards and ripple behind him. The orange rays of the sunset gleamed across his metal body, highlighting his steel contours. Although the actual shape of his body was similar to SaviorHackmon's, there were notable differences. The sun casting across his form highlighted the new, golden trimming that covered his claws, his knees, his chest, and the tips of his spikes. His golden ornamentation glistened, but not half as much as the sky blue crystals all over his body that shimmered brilliantly in the dark light.

SaviorHackmon's calves and feet became replaced with long, glistening blades. The mid-length, crimson blades that extended from SaviorHackmon's wrists and tail also extended and widened into durable, body-length swords. The dragon knight's long, heavy wrist blades shimmered in the amber sunlight, and the large, crimson blade attached to the tip of his tail flashed with a razor sheen.

The Digimon floated in the sky, draconic, steel body basking reflectively in the orange light. His body straightened out and his cape flapped majestically behind him. Beneath his hood, the Digimon's citrine eyes flashed and narrowed with resolve.

"… Jesmon!" a deeper, tenor voice announced. The dragon knight struck an aggressive pose and stared courageously at Demon.

His eye twitching, Demon glared incredulously at the Ultimate level Digimon who pronounced himself Jesmon. "It can't be…" he growled furiously. Demon clenched his fists and the pentagram tattoo on his shoulder blazed brightly. "No!" he shouted, suddenly rushing forwards.

Jesmon watched as Demon barrelled towards him. He held firm as Demon hurled his darkness-wreathed fist towards his face.

Right at the last second, Jesmon performed an acrobatic back flip. His upper body bent back, causing Demon's claws to overshoot him. Then, at the nadir of the flip, Jesmon brought his bladed legs up, slashing one of swords up Demon's cheek.

Demon released a pained snarl and recoiled, clutching his face with his hand. His eyes tightened with rage as blood pumped out and oozed between his fingers.

As Jesmon finished the flip, he righted himself and drove his feet down. Two glowing, magical circles formed beneath the bladed tips of his legs, which he instinctively used as sturdy surfaces to propel himself forwards. Rather than attack Demon, he weaved around the Demon Lord of Wrath and flew towards a more pressing issue. Jesmon's eyes narrowed as he looked at Bolgmon and GrandisKuwagamon. The blast was already leaving Bolgmon's cannon. He was too late.

"Field Destroyer," Bolgmon spoke.

Jesmon watched with horror as a raging beam gushed from Bolgmon's cannon, eating up the ground in front of him. The flood of positrons howled as they tore across the ground, surging towards GrandisKuwagamon like a tidal wave.

"No!" Jesmon shouted, racing towards his friend. Without thinking – or even realising what he was doing – Jesmon reflexively brought his arms together. He began pouring an untapped energy that was deep inside of him out into his blades. He was so focused on doing something – anything - to protect GrandisKuwagamon that his instincts acted in overdrive. As his emotional energy flooded out, he unleashed a desperate shout. "Schwertgeist!"

The five blades on his arms, legs and tail began shining brilliantly. He started to become surrounded in a crackling, orange aura that emanated from his intense blaze. The atmosphere around him snapped and crackled electrically. Suddenly, three orange balls burst out of Jesmon's body.

Three blazing orbs of orange energy swept out and flew in front of him. The large balls of aura were half Jesmon's size. They each contained a V-shaped crest on the fronts of their bodies, and each had two, long arms that were shaped like swords.

"Go!" Jesmon shouted. The trio of aura creatures bobbed and weaved around the trees before suddenly speeding up and racing towards GrandisKuwagamon.

GrandisKuwagamon watched as Bolgmon's beam started flooding towards him. No matter how hard he tried, he could only force himself to move a little. It wouldn't be fast enough to escape the blast. As the light approached him, he looked behind Bolgmon. He could see TigerVespamon racing towards them, reaching out towards him with his swords in hand. For a moment, he thought he could see fear in his brothers' eyes.

GrandisKuwagamon sighed and looked towards the incoming beam, watching it tear a massive trench into the grass. It stuck in his craw that there was a very good chance that he might get killed by Bolgmon of all Digimon. He hoped that he would be able to survive the blast, but he doubted it would be with all of his limbs intact. GrandisKuwagamon prepared himself.

He watched as the beam coursed towards him. Right as the beam was about to consume his numb body, three orange figure suddenly appeared in his vision. His eye widened as they three creatures suddenly formed a triangle formation in front of him, between his body and the beam.

The beam slammed into the three, spherical beings. The positron laser raged against their bodies, but, somehow, it was unable to pass through the space between them. It was as if they had formed an invisible force field.

GrandisKuwagamon stared with shock as the beam raged futilely against them, parting around the force field and tearing up the grass around it. The beam sent tendrils of energy around him, tearing up the forest floor, but he was spared from the blast.

"What… the hell…?" he asked beneath the roaring energy.

Bolgmon looked up as his beam began to subside. There was a giant, smoking trench between himself and GrandisKuwagamon. He used his sensors to look through the smoke, but he saw that GrandisKuwagamon's body was exactly where he had left it.

"What?!" he shouted, his ardent, emotional eyes widening with horror as he realised his beam had been stopped in its tracks. "I-Impossible!"

"Get away from him!" TigerVespamon shouted, speeding forwards and slashing his Royal Meisters across Bolgmon's back.

"Gaaah!" Bolgmon cried out as the plasma blades super heated his metal body with long, orange streaks. He bashed TigerVespamon away with his arm and started burning rubber with his tank treads. With dirt spitting everywhere, Bolgmon began driving away, desperate to put space between himself and the close range fighter.

TigerVespamon jumped over, putting himself between Bolgmon and his brother, though cautious of the three, floating creatures above him. "Cyberdramon!" he called out.

BlackWarGreymon slammed his foot into Blitzmon's wounded side, reopening his cut and causing the mercenary to keel over with pain. As he kicked the mercenary away, the dragon warrior spun around and began making a direct course towards GrandisKuwagamon. "I'm coming!" he shouted, growling as he raced to get back within range.

As soon as they were back within the system's range, GrandisKuwagamon suddenly felt his muscles unlock and the static from the virus subside. He gasped with relief at being able to move again. Wasting no time, GrandisKuwagamon shook off the lingering static and stood uneasily to his feet.

"Took you long enough, lizard!" he shouted over to BlackWarGreymon with sarcastic annoyance.

"I was busy!" BlackWarGreymon yelled back. The black dragon man flew over to them and landed near the two bugs.

TigerVespamon turned around and checked GrandisKuwagamon for injuries. "Are you alright?" he asked, releasing a shaky sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I think so..." GrandisKuwagamon replied, dusting himself off. He broadened his stance to keep himself from wobbling and glanced up at the three aura balls that were floating above him. "What's with the floating beach balls?"

"I am unsure…" TigerVespamon responded, starting to regain his composure again.

"Grandis!" a voice shouted from nearby. All three Ultimate levels looked over to see Jesmon flying over to them. As they did, the three blazing spirits all began flying over to Jesmon, hovering around him buoyantly.

"SaviorHa—…" BlackWarGreymon began before realizing that the Perfect level suddenly looked different from before.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye twitched upon seeing SaviorHackmon's new, illustrious form, highlighted by the trio of familiars floating around the dragon knight's caped body. "K-Kid?!" he exclaimed.

"An evolution…?" TigerVespamon questioned, quietly shocked but less visibly than the other two.

"Are you okay?" Jesmon asked them in a voice slightly deeper than what he had previously.

"What the hell happened?!" GrandisKuwagamon demanded. "You evolved?!"

"I don't know, but—" Jesmon was interrupted when the Nightmare Soldiers began concentrating their attacks towards the four gathered Digimon. All four of them jumped away as the clearing they were standing on began erupting with explosions.

"Guys!" Dynasmon's deep voice bellowed through the dark, smoky forest.

As the sun finally disappeared over the horizon, the night fully overtook Analog Forest. They looked up to see Dynasmon weaving through the trees. The large Royal Knight clutched Magnamon under his arm, helping the smaller knight fly as he draped an arm over Dynasmon's neck for support. As they flew, Dynasmon fired beams into the enemies behind them with his free hand, while Magnamon shot bursts of golden plasma at them from his armour. The two Royal Knights covered their retreat as they made their way over to the clearing.

"Sir Dynasmon! Sir Magnamon!" Jesmon exclaimed, his eyes tightening with concern as he saw the two Royal Knights.

"Hackmon!" Dynasmon shouted to him urgently as they flew over. He was in far too much of a hurry to comment on his new form. "Did the villagers escape?"

Jesmon nodded. "They're well on their way to Dark Point now," he explained.

"Then we're leaving," Dynasmon ordered, blinking the blood from his head wound out of his eyes before glancing down at the more injured Royal Knight.

Magnamon grimaced, but nodded with bitter acceptance. "We… have to pull back…" he concurred in a pained voice. "We'll… head south for now. West is too risky…"

Dynasmon nodded. "We can't waste anymore time here. They'll swarm us in no time," he explained to them, glancing over his shoulder to see the Nightmare Soldiers starting to launch attacks at them from within the dark forest. "Let's get moving!"

"Sir!" Jesmon nodded, absorbing the three aura beings back into his body.

TigerVespamon nodded as well. As much as part of him wished he could take vengeance on Murmuxmon, his demons, and Black Pincer Company, he had enough self-awareness to realise that trying to do so right now would be a death wish. He didn't think that Angemon would want that for him…

The hornet man began beating his wings and ascending into the air. TigerVespamon turned and looked down at GrandisKuwagamon. "…Can you fly?" he asked, his voice still a bit frigid, but not without a slight bit of concern.

"…Yeah, I'm good," GrandisKuwagamon responded, beating his X-shaped wings and flying into the air beside him. He turned and looked over at BlackWarGreymon pointedly. "Assuming the lizard doesn't abandon me again."

BlackWarGreymon grunted tiredly. Using his Ultimate form so much was putting pressure on him, but he was determined to sustain it until they retreated. "You're the one who keeps flying off-leash, beetle" he fired back.

"Stick together," Dynasmon told them, flapping his wings and holding Magnamon firmly. "Cyber, you lead the way. Hurry."

BlackWarGreymon nodded and flew ahead right as attacks began exploding around them once again. He led the way southwards through the dark forest, using the trees and canopies as cover.

Dynasmon flapped his wings and flew after them, a light scowl on his snout as they retreated. He fired a final blast of plant energy behind him, hoping to whip up the leaves to cover their retreat. After he did, he raised his free hand and wiped blood out of his eye. The gem in the center of his hand was red-hot and wafted with smoke from overuse.

Magnamon quietly flew beside the larger Royal Knight. His helmet was fractured and a mixture of dried and fresh blood caked his draconic face. As he flew away, his burgundy eyes tightened into an ashamed grimace.

TigerVespamon flew after them, soaring swiftly under heavy fire. As he made his way out of the clearing, he cast an icy glance over in Blitzmon and Bolgmon's direction. He watched as the large tank Digimon rolled up beside the blue, humanoid beetle. They both watched as he and GrandisKuwagamon made their escape.

GrandisKuwagamon followed his brother into the darkness. He turned his head and locked eyes with the two members of Black Pincer Company. He watched as Blitzmon and Bolgmon both gazed right back at him. They were only about thirty meters away, but the distance between them had never felt larger. He turned away and grimaced, feeling a sudden influx of torn feelings twisting his heart like a sponge.

Jesmon was the last to leave. He looked over his shoulder and stared into the darkness. He was certain that he could see Demon's three glowing eyes staring back at him from within the leafy shadows. He could sense the Demon Lord's ire and hatred, even from that far away. It was an overbearing atmosphere that he couldn't shake.

With his cape flapping behind him, Jesmon slowly turned away. He looked ahead at the rest of the group, and summoned a pair of glowing circles beneath his feet to stabilize himself. He used them to launch himself into the sky, and he soared after the rest of the team.

Blitzmon watched with a bitter glare as GrandisKuwagamon disappeared into the night. "Grandis…" he whispered darkly.

As Bolgmon rolled up beside him, Blitzmon shot him a glare that was colder than the glaciers of Cathode Tundra. "I'll deal with you later," Blitzmon told his partner, his voice dripping with venom.

Bolgmon winced and looked away sheepishly. Despite his actions, there was a part of him that felt ashamed at what he did, and he was slightly relieved that he hadn't killed his former friend. Even so, he knew that he was in for it now.

"Yeah…" he murmured, staring into the darkness. With his eye sight, he saw the crimson glow of GrandisKuwagamon's eye disappear in the abyss.

---

Back in the forest, Viscount SkullSatamon tentatively approached Demon, who stood on the shadowy forest floor and loosely clutched his face wound.

"My Lord," SkullSatamon spoke up, bowing uncertainly. "The Royal Knights are retreating… Count Murmuxmon wishes to know your orders. Shall we chase them?"

Demon slowly pulled his hand away from his face. His palm was coated in ruby liquid. He raised his head and leered at the Viscount, his left cheek soaked with blood. It seeped out of the deep, grisly gash in his face, giving him a nightmarish appearance

Demon released a deep, guttural hiss. "No… Let them flee," he responded, reining in his fury. "They were never our target. Our objective remains Dark Point."

"Yes, My Lord. Shall we order the Legion to continue west?" SkullSatamon asked.

"They may have an hour to recover and loot the village," Demon explained, his three eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "Then, we shall surround Dark Point and force them to capitulate."

"Yes, My Lord," the skeletal demon responded, bowing obediently.

Demon stared into the darkness, watching with callous eyes as Jesmon's crimson cape disappeared within the shadows of the night.

He slowly raised his hand and fingered the deep, hemorrhaging gash in the side of his face. His fanged mouth tightened and he suppressed a growl as he touched the exposed flesh with his claw. Despite the intense, stinging pain in his face, he remained coldly calm, apart from the slight tightening around his eyes.

"And Viscount?" Demon asked, his eyes flashing with cold fire as he thought about the weevil of a Digimon who had scarred him.

SkullSatamon stopped and turned around, eyeing the Demon Lord of Wrath with a nervous shiver. "Yes, My Lord…?"

Demon lowered his hand, letting his blood run freely down his cheek until it coagulated naturally. He raised his horned, bestial head and stared into the full moon looming above him.

"…Fetch me my robes. It is going to be a cold night tonight."