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?

101. Chapter 71: Vice

(Author's Notes: Hey, everyone! Griff here! Thanks for waiting. I was intending to post this yesterday, but yesterday turned out being pretty busy. In case you haven't seen ADiSA's twitter or tumblr, yesterday was the 10th anniversary of A Dragon in Shining Armour! Because of that, I want to thank all of you for reading, reviewing, and supporting me all this time, whether you're new readers or long-time readers. I genuiniely love writing this series and it's great knowing that there are other people who enjoy reading it too. So, thank you! We're moving into the final stretch of Holy War after the next few chapters, and I'm excited about what's next.

Anyways, here's Chapter 71. As always, read, review, and I hope you enjoy!)

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Chapter 71: Vice

A mechanical cacophony pierced through the snow-sprinkled night. The grinding howl of a massive drill tearing into the thick ice that layered and concealed the Arcane Ruins echoed off the mountainside.

Lucemon stood atop an icy crag with folded arms, keeping an eye on the legion's progress. Their Breakdramon mercenary used his drills to bore into the thick glacier, pushing aside large chunks of freed ice using his shovels. Surrounding him were the members of the legion, who took the pieces of ice, broke them up, and cleared them away to make it easier for the Breakdramon.

They had been at it for around half an hour. Although the ice was immensely thick, Breakdramon were natural diggers, so he was making steady progress. He was already about five meters deep and ten meters wide. It would likely take at least a couple hours to dig deep enough to reach the Arcane Ruins, but they had time.

Or so they believed.

Lucemon watched with bored but commanding eyes as the glacial excavation continued. He glanced over at the outskirts of the gathered troops, seeing Lilithmon standing beside Bagramon near the base of the mountain cliff. They seemed to be patiently waiting, though Lilithmon decidedly less patiently than Bagramon was.

He then turned his gaze up at the thick mass of thunderclouds overhead. The dark and nebulous clouds cracked with red lightning, blotting out the double full moons that were in the sky that night. Due to the thick clouds, he wasn't able to tell that the twin moons were becoming eclipsed by the Digital World. However, he knew of the double lunar eclipse that night, and he knew of Barbamon's plan. He hoped that they would work in his favour as well.

Lucemon watched as a dark silhouette moved within the black vapour. The huge, angelic figure was curled up, clutching his head with his hands, nearly writhing with pain and anger.

Cherubimon Vice had not yet emerged from the clouds. The darkness was still in the process of corrupting his very being. Lucemon smiled gently. He took quiet satisfaction in watching the light of God slowly vanishing from within one of the Three Great Angels. He just wished that he could see the expressions on the other angel's faces as it happened…

"One fallen angel and one Demon Lord…" Lucemon quietly noted to himself.

"You're not gonna get away with this, you damn half-angel…" a hoarse voice growled from behind him.

Lucemon didn't even spare a glance to Vikemon, who lay on the snowy ground behind him, covered in bruises and dripping blood from his mouth and nostrils.

"It would be wise to remain silent. You would not want to anger me with your foul words, would you, you crude beast…?" Lucemon nonchalantly threatened him.

When he heard no further protestations from the defeated guardian, Lucemon focused his attention back on the excavation efforts. He was happy to withstand the cold, with the knowledge that the Arcane Ruins would soon be his.

What he didn't anticipate in that moment is that they might not be alone.

Lucemon arched an eyebrow, watching as one of the Devidramon soldiers suddenly broke off from the edge of the large group and began flying towards him. The Devidramon looked to the side to make absolutely sure as he flew over to the Demon Lord of Pride.

Lucemon eyed the soldier with confusion as the large dragon demon touched down and kneeled before him.

"You, there. What's the matter? Why have you stopped?" Lucemon demanded, wondering why the demon dragon was being so impertinent.

"Apologies, my lord, but you need to know something. I thought I was seeing things at first, but now I know I'm not," the Devidramon hurriedly explained. He raised his long, black arm and pointed with his red claws, out across the tundra landscape and into the darkness.

"I see somebody coming towards us in the distance, Lord Lucemon."

Lucemon's eyes widened for a split second before narrowing. Without replying, he spun on his heel and looked in the direction that the Devidramon was pointing.

It was hard to see in the dark of the night at a distance, but he, too, was able to see something moving. It was far off – about a kilometer and a half away. He thought he could see something – something red – moving quickly against the black and white backdrop. It was too far and too dark to make out for sure, but whatever it was, it was coming for them.

Lucemon had to keep himself from glowering. Putting his annoyance aside, he was determined to remain calm and composed. He immediately turned his head to his subordinate. "Devidramon, you have just earned yourself a promotion for your initiative," he told him with a smile of complete control.

"Everyone, to arms! We have an uninvited guest! Let's make sure to give him a demon's welcome!" Lucemon shouted to the legion that was gathered around Breakdramon. "Breakdramon, continue digging!"

"You must be kidding!" Lilithmon protested, reluctantly throwing her warm, fur coat off of her form. The heavy cape landed on top of her Evilmon attendant as she prepared for a fight.

"What?" Bagramon demanded, immediately turning towards Lucemon. He immediately activated his Invisible Snake-Eye, his hollow, right eye beginning to bleed with red mist as the magical ruby activated. He used his sight to survey the land behind them. In doing so, he saw a figure dashing across the snow. "Lucemon! It's—"

"Bifröst!" a voice echoed in the distance.

Lucemon watched as a flare of light suddenly ignited directly in front of the lone figure. In less than a second, the glimmering bolt was let loose and it swept through the darkness like a comet. The radiant arrow sailed across the snowy ground and hurdled directly towards him. It closed in a matter of seconds.

"—the Royal Knights!" Bagramon shouted out in warning.

Lucemon glowered with displeasure. Before he could even react to the news, the arrow was upon him. Lucemon hurled himself out of the way just in time. The incandescent bolt just narrowly missed him, but it was close enough to singe off a few strands of his golden hair. He crashed to the snow, away from Vikemon, as the arrow sailed past him, melting a line in the snow beneath it.

The demon soldiers all began to clamour and run away from the Breakdramon, forming up in the direction that the arrow came from, facing the tundra fields with their backs to the cliff behind them.

"Unbelievable! Those single-minded fools followed us all the way out here?!" Lilithmon complained, flapping her demonic wings to rise into the sky. "They were supposed to focus on Barbamon's forces!"

"They have enough Royal Knights that they can split their forces," Bagramon responded, flapping his own half-angelic, half-demonic wings to ascend into the night sky as well. "Though, I only see one Royal Knight so far, with no other soldiers present. However, there could always be more further back."

"Irritating, interfering heathens," Lucemon muttered to himself as the Devidramon swiftly helped him to his feet. He pushed the Devidramon away and brushed the snow from his clothes. "Legion! Form a wedge around the ruins! Attack at will!"

"Lord Lucemon, he's attacking again!" the Devidramon warned him, seeing more bolts beginning to fly one after another towards them.

Sleipmon charged across the snowy tundra at full speed, accustomed to moving in his home terrain. His Niflheimr shield was held sentinel over his right arm, crossed in front of his equine body, while he aimed the Muspellsheimr crossbow that was mounted on his left arm. He lined up his shots carefully. Even while galloping, his arm was steady like a glacier. His aim was precise and unerring.

In the corner of his eye, he could see the Nightmare Soldiers lining up to his left, forming a defensive wedge formation around the excavation site. It was clear they were making progress towards reaching the Arcane Ruins. He had to focus. Ahead of him, a couple dozen meters from the right edge of the legion, was his target: Lucemon.

Sleipmon glanced with momentary concern at Vikemon, who lay bloodied and beaten next to Lucemon. He knew what he had to do. His friend was in danger. Before he did anything else, he had to get Vikemon away from the Demon Lord of Pride.

The Royal Knight drew a specialized arrow from the second of two quivers that were inside his shield. He loaded the bolt into the Muspellsheimr and took careful aim at Lucemon while charging. In his head, he counted the seconds and made swift calculations based on time, speed, and trajectory. After drawing a slow, focusing breath, he fired.

"Bifröst!" he shouted, letting loose with his blazing arrow. The bolt sailed across the tundra, straight towards Lucemon, from a range of fifty meters. The glowing projectile spiralled as it flew, speeding closer, coming at a direct course with Lucemon.

Lucemon, seeing that it would be too fast for him to dodge, instead brought up his hand. His palm glowed with demonic energy, and a magical circle with the Crest of Pride was invocated in front of him. Lucemon prepared to use the magical circle as a shield, but as soon as the bolt came within a meter of the arcane barrier, it detonated.

The bolt was no ordinary arrow, but a specialized one that Sleipmon had created with the help of Examon and MetallifeKuwagamon. It had a time-delay fuse, which caused it to activate after a few seconds. Sleipmon timed it perfectly, and the arrow burst right in front of the barrier, not with an explosion, but with light. The arrow was a flashbang.

The hollow tip of the crossbow bolt burst open with a concussive pop and an intense burst of incandescence. Lucemon scowled as the flare ignited in front of him with a blinding light that contrasted painfully to the night's darkness that his eyes were adjusted to. He immediately threw his arm over his face as his vision was overtaken by overwhelming spots and Sleipmon's afterimage. The intense flash and the deafening concussion disoriented both he and the Devidramon beside him.

With Lucemon and the Devidramon momentarily blinded, Sleipmon dashed straight towards them. Using his almost peerless ground speed, Sleipmon closed the distance on them. He crossed his shield over his left side and swept the Niflheimr upwards. As he did, a blast of arctic energy blew upwards, forming a linear spine of ice that protruded from the snowy ground.

"Odin's Breath!" he shouted, just as a long, spiked, barrier of ice swept out in front of him, shooting up in between Lucemon and Vikemon in order to separate them.

As the spots cleared from his vision, Vikemon watched with shock as the icy barrier crystallized right beside him. He heard rapid galloping and he looked down to see a familiar form appear from the snow-lit darkness. As soon as he saw that striking silhouette against the white and dark grey backdrop, Vikemon's jaw dropped.

"Sleipmon?!" he exclaimed, his hoarse voice elevating with disbelief.

As he dashed towards his friend, Sleipmon leaned the humanoid half of his body forwards and swung his right arm close to the ground. "Grab hold!" he told him.

Vikemon raised his hand with what strength he could muster and grabbed hold of Sleipmon's hand as the cavalry knight passed by. Sleipmon clasped his wrist tightly, and as soon as he felt resistance, he pulled up and swung his arm behind him, throwing Vikemon onto his equine back.

Keeping a tight hold on his friend, Sleipmon hooked around to the right and began galloping back the way that he came. He passed the wall of ice that he created and started sprinting out in the open again, completely exposed as he made a break for it across the snowy field.

"Are you okay?" Sleipmon asked, looking over his shoulder with concern for his bruised and bloodied friend.

"Urgh…" Vikemon groaned as his brawny body awkwardly draped over Sleipmon's back. He clutched onto one of the braided cords hanging from Sleipmon's armour in order to keep steady. "I've been better…" He raised his furry head weakly, his helmet nearly falling off with each gallop. "I can't believe you came… How did you even know?"

"Royal Knight or not, the Arcane Ruins are still my responsibility…" Sleipmon answered with a resolute voice. "And we got a tip that the Demon Lords were attacking here. It seems like he was telling the truth…"

As pain shocked through his body, Vikemon winced with a mixture of agony and shame. "Urgh… Sorry, Sleipmon…" he weakly apologised. "I let you down, buddy… You were relying on me to protect the ruins in your place. I couldn't pull it off…"

Sleipmon shook his head and offered his friend an insistent smile. "You kept them safe until now while I was off playing Royal Knight…" he assured him. He glanced nervously over his shoulder towards the Nightmare Soldiers behind them. "What's more, not many can stand up to the might of three Demon Lords; there's not much more you could have done. Individually, they're comparable in strength to one of us Royal Knights. I doubt I would be able to take on three by myself."

"Then I guess we're in real trouble…" Vikemon answered with a brazenly ironic grin. "You're right though. That scrawny, pretty-boy bastard's stronger than he looks…"

"Appearances can be deceiving… Lucemon is incredibly strong, from what I hear," Sleipmon replied, inwardly uneasy about the prospect of having to fight them. "Lilithmon is too… I'm sure Bagramon is comparable as well."

"About that," Vikemon said with a grunt of pain, looking up at Sleipmon. "There's something I need to tell you."

As Sleipmon ran, Lucemon was finished recovering from the temporary blindness of the flare arrow. He scowled and looked forwards into the darkness, seeing Sleipmon's silhouette running away from them. He turned towards the formed up legion of Nightmare Soldiers and pointed after the Royal Knight.

"What are you waiting for?" he demanded. "Fire at them!"

"Yes, my lord!" the Zanbamon commander answered, pointing his massive sword forwards. "Fire!"

Projectiles of fire, shadows, and magic began pouring out from the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers. The cloudy night began to glow with infernal fire around the base of the cliffs. As he ran, Sleipmon looked behind him, seeing the synchronous blasts arching through the darkness towards them.

"Urk. It'll have to wait. Things are about to get chaotic!" Sleipmon advised him, pounding the ground with his hooves as he increased his speed.

"Uh, but—"

"Hang on tight!" Sleipmon yelled, right before an explosion erupted beside them. Vikemon's words were drowned out by the explosion and he held on tight to keep from being thrown off.

Immediately after the first blast, multiple other explosions followed. Infernal fireballs and shadowy blasts began detonate all around them. Waves of heat and noxious shadows washed over them, but Sleipmon's speed allowed him to outpace the rolling blasts.

Vikemon grimaced as the hot concussions impacted them, but Sleipmon reached behind with the Niflheimr and used the red digizoid kite shield to help protect them. "This is bad!" Vikemon shouted over the blasts, knowing full well that he was too beaten up to help Sleipmon fight. "There's too many of 'em! You can't fight 'em all on your own!"

"It's going to be difficult!" Sleipmon admitted, his violet eyes sharp and narrow as dashed away from the oncoming fire. "But I can't abandon the Arcane Ruins! And… I won't be on my own!"

As if on cue, there was a loud, fizzling pop above them.

"Commencing bombardment on multiple targets," a deep and calm voice spoke. "Pendragon's Glory."

A green laser burst out from within the sheet of dark grey, red-tinted clouds. It pierced the sky like a lightning bolt and drilled into the front line of the demons' formation, annihilating a SkullSatamon, a Musyamon, and the arm of a MadLeomon. Seconds before the first laser hit, a second laser pierced through the clouds, followed by a third, fourth, and fifth.

The beams showered across the front lines of the Nightmare Soldiers and small explosions tore up the snowy, permafrost ground. Several demons were blown away and the surprise bombardment from above sent the legion into momentary disorder, distracting them from Sleipmon and Vikemon.

Examon hovered in place, hidden within one of the storm clouds, his draconic silhouette only illuminated with a crimson bolt of lightning flashed behind him. He methodically stared down one of the scopes of his rifle, lining up his sixth shot now that he was confident that the rank-and-file of the legions were confused and suppressed. He focused his shot on one Digimon who was standing near the head of the army.

"Target acquired…" Examon whispered, locking Lucemon: Falldown Mode in his sights.

Lucemon scowled as the multitude of explosions sowed disarray amongst his legion. He swept his arm out towards them and levelled his soldiers a stern yet confident glare. "Get back into formation, you cowards!" he snapped at them with unparalleled authority. "Spread out and return fire! The only way we will lose is if you falter! Now commence the attack!"

Lucemon looked up at the cloud with a glare, just in time to see a laser pumping out of the cloud like divine lightning. It was heading right towards him. Reacting quickly, Lucemon flapped his contrasting pairs of angelic and demonic wings to hurl himself out of the way.

The laser drilled into the ground exactly where he had been standing, and a wave of energy pulsed outwards, tearing up the dirt and snow. The force of the mere peripheral blast of the explosion was enough to tear off the arm of the Devidramon beside him. As the heat impacted his back, Lucemon curled into a graceful somersault and managed to roll back onto his feet.

As his hair and jacket rippled in the hot wind, Lucemon glared up at the cloud where the laser originated from, seeing Examon's form vaguely concealed by the dark grey vapour. "Bagramon! What do you see?!" he called out.

Bagramon shielded his eyes with his organic hand, while his right eye glowed a mystical red glimmer. "I only see two Royal Knights!" he called back. "Sleipmon and Examon! I don't see any others!"

"So, they came alone," Lilithmon spoke from beside him, frowning with irritation as the arctic wind blew against her. "I guess with only you and Lucemon here, I will have to participate as well…"

A sly smile formed on her violet-painted lips. "Actually… it might be fun trying a new Royal Knight on for size… Bringing him to his knees before me will be a fun way of distracting me from this damnable cold."

"I'll provide support to you and Lucemon, then," Bagramon told the Demon Lord of Lust, turning his hollow, glowing eye towards her emphatically.

"I'll rely on that eye of yours, then, Bagramon," Lilithmon coyly responded, bringing her Nazar Nail up and pointing her hand towards the cloud where Examon was. As the golden gauntlet radiated with dark magic, a magical circle that contained the Crest of Lust appeared in front of her hand.

"I don't think they have noticed the angry bunny rabbit yet. It would be nice to see what he's capable of," she boredly mused as the giant, glyph-lined summoning circle twisted in front of her. "Well… until then, I'll have my fun."

The circle stopped. Suddenly, it coursed with a concentrated torrent of darkness, funnelling straight from the Dark Area.

"Phantom Pain."

---

Sleipmon dashed across the snow field, kicking up snow and dirt behind his thunderous gallop.

He braved a glance over his shoulder, watching as the salvo of lasers rained down upon the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers. Beneath the resonant growls of the concussive blasts, he could hear the screams of death caused by his friend and ally's bombardment. Sleipmon couldn't help but notice a few black silhouettes vanish within the pillars of light.

The Royal Knight fought back a bitter grimace and his heart twisted at the thought of the lives lost behind him. He knew that they were enemies and that neither they nor the Demon Lords were likely to show him any mercy. He had to remind himself that the Arcane Ruins were at stake, thus likely the fate of the Digital World as well. He wasn't so naïve to think that blood wouldn't be spilled in this war. Still, he couldn't shake off his morals completely. He told himself that he didn't have to kill unnecessarily, and he didn't have to like the killing that was happening.

Sleipmon didn't let himself dwell on the destruction for any longer than a second. He looked forwards with the utmost focus, concentrating on dodging the blasts that were raining down around him and Vikemon.

"Whoa!" Vikemon hollered as Sleipmon leapt to avoid a ball of darkness that impacted in front of them. He held onto Sleipmon's back and glanced behind them at the violent swell of explosions that lit up the night. As the laser blasts shook the frigid ground beneath them, Vikemon whistled. "I sure hope that was a friend of yours…"

"It was," Sleipmon responded, racing across the dark and snowy field. "A very good friend."

"That's a relief…" Vikemon said with a pained groan as the rough galloping caused his bruised body to ache. "Tell me the rest of your knight friends are here too…"

"It's just the two of us, I'm afraid…" Sleipmon answered in a mixture of sheepishness and worry.

"Urgh… It's you two on two Demon Lords, plus that skeleton-looking guy, and all those demons plus that Breakdramon," Vikemon pointed out. "I didn't have time to gather the Zudomon and Ikkakumon Corps when I found out the ruins were in danger. Not to mention, I can barely stand up…"

"The odds aren't in our favour. I know," Sleipmon replied as he neared the top of a small slope.

"So… What's the plan?" Vikemon asked him.

"Right now? To make sure that you're safe!" Sleipmon explained, coming to a skidding stop in the snow. The six-legged centaur swerved to his side and threw his shield arm out behind them, and the Niflheimr exhaled blue, frosty mist from its red digizoid. "Odin's Breath!"

An arc of frozen air and water swept out from his shield. The moisture that formed crystallized instantly from the subzero temperatures. In an instant, ice formations began to appear before them.

The ice began as frozen stalagmites in the ground before the outcroppings melded together to form an interconnected wall. Sleipmon concentrated his powers over ice to form a shape before him. He fanned his shield out and created a long, three meter high wall of ice that stretched out in an outwards curve. The glacial wall reached out for twenty meters, creating a defensible barrier that separated them from the dark army that attacked from below the cliffs.

Vikemon weakly lifted his head with confusion as he watched the huge, icy battlement shoot up towards the Demon Lords in a soft U-shape. "What are you doing?" the beast man asked, wincing as he looked up at his friend.

Sleipmon reached behind him and hooked his hand under Vikemon's shoulder. "Are you able to escape in your condition?" he questioned, taking the brief respite from the relentless salvo to size up Vikemon's injuries.

"I can't move my leg, so I'm pretty sure it's broken. But, hey! I can still fight off the small fry!" Vikemon determined with nonchalant bravado.

"I figured that might be the case," Sleipmon responded, carefully lowering Vikemon from off of his saddled back. "Can I ask you to stay here? I have to go back there to help Examon."

"You're actually going back there?" Vikemon asked with surprise, though not with disbelief. "Just the two of you?"

Sleipmon smiled with faint resignation. "I'm afraid so. Rule Six of the Royal Knights' Code. Have the courage to face insurmountable odds…" he explained, talking just loud enough over the explosions landing on the other side of the barrier. "Even though I'm a Royal Knight, I made a vow to defend the Arcane Ruins. …No… It's because I'm a Royal Knight that I must defend them. I have to do everything in my power to protect them."

Vikemon grinned at his comrade. "Then I'll be here with ya, pal… even though I'm sort of useless at the moment."

Sleipmon grinned and nodded. "Examon and I will fight the Demon Lords, but we'll try to focus the attention of the foot soldiers away from you," he informed him.

"Forget that. You can't be worrying about me when you're up against the Demon Lords; I'll be fine," Vikemon maintained. "You just focus on the Demon Lords. I figure most of the soldiers will be after you guys, since you're bigger threats, but if any come my way, I'll take care of 'em."

"Alright," Sleipmon responded, glancing towards the sturdy barrier as it held up well against the attacks. "If you do happen to get overrun, use your Arctic Blizzard to form a barrier around yourself."

"Will do…" Vikemon said, trying not to let his injuries show on his face. He raised his mammalian snout up and looked his friend in his eyes. "Be careful. It's going to be tough."

Sleipmon nodded at him and turned away, clenching his fists as he prepared to take off. "I know… I'm ready for that," he answered, raising his shield and crossbow in a combat stance.

Sleipmon hunched his upper body forwards slightly, and his six hooves dug into the ground for traction.

"You be careful too, Vikemon. I'll be back soon, I hope," Sleipmon reflectively said to him. His legs bent and he prepared to take off in a flash.

Vikemon gazed at him seriously. There was that other thing that he needed to warn him about…

"Sleipmon, there's also—"

Right as the first syllable left Vikemon's mouth, Sleipmon had already broken into a full bolt. Before Vikemon could even process what was happening, he watched as Sleipmon disappear in a ruby blur and a powdery blast of loose snow.

"—something that… Wait!" Vikemon shouted, his eye twitching with frustration as his friend's speed got the better of him. "Come back! I need to warn you about something! …Damn it!"

Vikemon growled helplessly as his hollers of warning were left unreplied in the vast expanse of the arctic night. He suddenly felt a surge of helplessness return as he worried about his friend. He had failed to warn him about that other Ultimate that was hidden in the sky.

"Shit… He doesn't know about that other guy…" Vikemon muttered bitterly.

"That Cherubimon…"

---

"Phantom Pain."

Examon watched as a massive, diagonal pillar of infernal energy came shooting up towards him, the black amalgamation contrasting starkly against the sheet of snow below. The corners of his lips pulled back and he bit tightly as shadowy beam hurdled towards him from Lilithmon's direction.

Even using just his sight, Examon was able to tell how powerful that attack was. The gigantic beam expanded in size and ascended towards the clouds like a tidal wave. He could feel an immense pressure heading towards him, and he was shocked by how true the trajectory of the blast was.

Right as the beam began closing the distance, Examon veered with a sheer, left turn. In the same movement, he tightened his wings back and swooped downwards to evade the attack. Despite his large size, he was just quick and agile enough. He watched as the torrent of dark magic swept over his head. The roar of energy right above him bombarded his ears, and the peripheral pressure dragged against his body, threatening to pull him back into the hellish beam.

Examon's sentient Caledfwlch wings braced his body from the pressure with their sturdy, chrome digizoid plating, and they flapped in slow, powerful sweeps to keep his direction. As he was turning, he managed to take a pot shot at the originator of the attack: Lilithmon. It was a hasty retaliation, and he, too, missed his shot, the laser cutting into the frozen ground in front of her as she flew in reverse, merely spraying her with beads of melted snow.

At the least, it was enough to give him time to orient himself. Examon started circling around and began ascending back towards the storm clouds.

"She seems strong. That beam was larger than mine was, and probably just as concentrated," Examon thought to himself, gauging the Demon Lord's power for the first time.

Having very little experience fighting the Demon Lords, he had to rely on the information the more experienced Royal Knights provided about the Demon Lords and their known capabilities. He remembered Omegamon and RhodoKnightmon saying that it was very dangerous to underestimate Lilithmon. Like Barbamon, while she didn't appear as physical as the others, she made up for it in sheer magic, cunning, and firepower. Apparently, she also had many tricks up her sleeve, if allowed to get too close. Examon knew that that included the toxin-imbibed Nazar Nail on her hand, but RhodoKnightmon said that it also applied to her words. Examon wasn't too worried about that, as he had zero plans to let her get anywhere close to him.

Before he could think on his situation any further, dozens of blazing projectiles began lighting up the dark sky as half of the legion shifted their attention from Sleipmon and began focusing on him. Examon circled back around like a vulture as the attacks began licking at his heels.

He rose and began to slip back into the dark veil of storm clouds for cover. He skimmed along the lower threshold of the condensed vapour, circling around the large hole in the clouds that Lilithmon created. He flew forward in a wide curve, skillfully evading the fire that perforated the clouds. As Examon veiled himself within the storm, he placed himself for his next shot and took aim through the floating data.

Examon's green eyes settled upon the immediate threat to their objective: the army-green colossus that continued to bore deep into the thick glacier, attempting to excavate the hallowed Arcane Ruins. He paused as he gazed down at the metal titan. It was a form that he knew well. In fact, it was a form that he was deeply familiar with…

Breakdramon.

It was a species that he knew from his home in the UDC. He knew this particular species intimately. Although he was completely focused on the mission, at the back of his mind, Examon's memories stirred. It reminded him of someone he once knew… of a promise that he made.

And a promise that he forgot.

Examon's eyes tightened bitterly and he slowly raised the Ambrosius, pointing the ranged pole arm down at the mechanical dragon. He watched as the dragon bored into the glacier implacably, without any concern for the commotion going on around it. Examon reached deeper into the conical vamplate of the Ambrosius; his claws gripped the shaft tightly while one began to exert a light pressure on the trigger.

Closing one eye, he took careful aim at the back of the Breakdramon's large head. He was in the mercenary's blind spot, and he was sure that he could make the shot. His claw rested on the trigger…

Yet, he didn't squeeze it.

"What are you doing here…?" Examon thought with quiet frustration. His shooting eye rested on the Breakdramon's head, watching it as shards of loose ice flew around, chiselled free by the humongous drill.

"Why did you come here, so far from home?" Examon wondered, the corners of his mouth tightening. "Why are you wasting your life, selling yourself as a mercenary to the Demon Lords?"

There was a soft, grinding vibration in his mouth as his teeth pushed against each other. "…Is it just for money? Is wealth worth more than your morals? Than your life?" he wordlessly asked him as he tightened his aim.

His claw hesitated against the trigger. Examon's glared down at the mechanical monster with frigidity covering his turmoil. "Somebody once asked me… 'What is it that you are using your strength for?' …Well? What about you? …Is this it? You're a Dramon, a Digimon with immense strength to help others, but you'd rather use your strength for yourself? Tell me… What is it all for…?"

A flash of ruby lightning split the clouds, nearly striking him. The flash caused Examon's eyes to widen, and he blinked as he was pulled back into the here and now. In that moment, Examon caught himself.

He wondered what he was doing. There was an enemy in front of him. His mission was in front of him. Danger was all around, so why was he finding time to navel gaze?

"What is wrong with me? Why am I hesitating?" Examon asked himself, frowning with frustration. "I just wasted eight seconds while in active combat. I don't have time for useless thoughts or sentimental worries. Sleipmon needs my support. Forget everything but the mission. Forget… and fire."

Examon took a steadying breath and squeezed the trigger. "Pendragon's Glory."

Lilithmon scanned the skies as the laser brimmed at the tip of the lance. She spotted a bright, green twinkle within the haze of the dark clouds.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, wasting no time in bringing up her hand to summon another demonic circle in front of her. "Phantom Pain!"

A pillar of dark energy ripped from the summoning seal, right as Examon's laser pierced from the clouds like a contrasting, emerald, lightning bolt.

Despite being focused on his target, Examon's keen eyesight allowed him to notice a dark presence climbing towards him. He looked and saw a surge of infernal shadows hurdling in his direction fast – faster than it would take for him to sustain his shot. He knew it was Lilithmon's attack again – he had to act.

"She found me. I have to move!" he thought, his wings already flapping on his behalf. With a grimace, Examon broke off his attack, causing the laser's shot to sway. The emerald beam swept down past the Breakdramon's head, searing his metal jaw, before plunging into the ice beneath him.

Examon then focused all of his attention into relocating. He tucked his wings back and dipped down below the cloud line, flying forwards as fast as he could. The shriek of dark magic intensified until he felt the torrent of stygian beams soaring over his head, beating down at him with an incredible, sickly pressure that caused his limbs to strain. The column of darkness punctured the clouds above him.

Grunting, Examon beat his wings as hard as he could to avoid being pulled in. The beam forced him to fly forwards, towards the biggest accumulation of shadowy clouds in the night sky. That spherical, aggregation of melancholic clouds was the part of the sky where most of the crimson lightning bolts were flashing. Examon had noted the strange weather, but he assumed it had to do with the Demon Lords somehow. However, he had no choice but to fly towards it or be crushed by Lilithmon's attack.

The crimson lightning bolts flashed intensely as he skirted the vaporous edges of the tempestuous clouds. It felt like the red flashes were intensifying, as if trying to keep him out, and he began to feel an extreme, dark pressure from deep within the storm. As he stared into the darkness, he saw more violent flashes of red, and he could have sworn that he saw a silhouette moving with every bolt.

Lilithmon watched with a devious smirk as Examon neared 'that' cloud. She wondered if this would be enough to rouse him. "What are you waiting for?! Come out already!" she shouted into the sky.

Lucemon, seeing what Lilithmon was doing, too looked up. "Yes, my new found brethren. Show us your rage! It's time to show your vice to the world!" he trumpeted.

Sleipmon swept his shield out, hurling blocks of ice into the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers, as he veered along the left flank to try to get closer to Lucemon. It was as he was circling around the rank-and-file and towards the Demon Lords that he became close enough to hear their words.

What he heard struck worry into his heart. Sleipmon shot a bolt of light towards Lucemon, and then immediately darted to the side to keep his gallop agile and unpredictable. He watched as Lucemon formed a magical circle over his arm like a shield, and then swept his arm outwards, bashing the arrow away in a blast of darkness. Sleipmon felt a tight pit in his stomach; Lucemon acted with all the concern of if he were swatting away a fly. He didn't even take his eyes off the cloud above them.

With a bit of room to breathe, Sleipmon turned his attention up towards the dark grey, scarlet-laced clouds. He watched the ruby flashes of lightning. He could see Examon's silhouette skimming the lower surface of the wispy cloud data. What were they talking about? Who were they referring to? Was there another Demon Lord up there? It couldn't have been Belphemon, could it?

Sleipmon's breath hitched when he noticed movement in the cloud ahead of Examon. It was a massive shadow floating within the dark atmosphere. It was even larger than Examon. His friend was flying straight towards it, unaware of the creature hidden within the heavy storm. He had to warn him.

"Examon! Look out! Ahead of you!" Sleipmon called out. Unsure if the other Royal Knight was able to hear him, he raised his arm and let loose a glimmering arrow high into the night sky, like a flare.

Examon, who turned his attention downwards in order to keep tabs on the three Demon Lords, watched as Sleipmon raced towards the Demon Lords' rear. He heard his distant shouting, but couldn't make out his words. It wasn't until the flare arrow sailed into the clouds in front of him that he realised Sleipmon was trying to get his attention.

And then he knew why.

A deep, throaty growl shook the air before him.

Crimson lightning flashed, and, this time, Examon could see an unmistakeable silhouette within the rolling gloom. It was a massive form of a beast, with long, burly arms, sturdy legs, and tattered, lop ears.

Examon came to a stop, flapping his wings forwards and blasting away some of the cloud data. He could hear long, heavy, almost laboured breaths. He stared at the creature and began to raise his lance to it.

That was when he saw a pair of glowing, yellow eyes snap open.

And then all hell broke loose.

The beast unleashed a primal noise, a cross between a roar and a cackle. The deep, raspy, husk palpitated like thunder. And then the clouds erupted. The blood red bolts of lightning started tearing the sky asunder. The mass of storm clouds exploded with electricity, shooting down all around Examon, a couple bolts striking his lance and the metal tips of his wings.

Examon shouted out with pain as the electricity coursed up his body. He squeezed the trigger of the Ambrosius, which fired a laser towards the figure, missing his head, but puncturing a new hole in his already torn ears.

The dark laugh ended with a thunderous shout, and the hidden beast swept his arms out, parting the storm clouds around him.

Wincing and smoking slightly, Examon raised his head to view his enemy. It was a giant, tarnished body of a familiar form – a once-angelic rabbit. He stared at the angel's face, and saw neither measure nor light. In the wild, baleful eyes staring back at him, he saw only malice and savagery.

Sleipmon looked up, gazing into the storm to behold the new enemy. At first, he frowned with confusion as he tried to place the dark Digimon. It was so dark and it radiated an aura of unholy wrath, yet… it seemed familiar somehow. It looked so much like somebody dear to him, but it couldn't possibly be him. After all, Sleipmon knew his appearance anywhere, and-…

Suddenly, Sleipmon's gallop progressively slowed down. His hoof falls became soft and sluggish, and his face gradually began to drop. In a few seconds, his full gallop ceased, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

Sleipmon raised his head and stared up at the sky with disbelief.

Floating against the backdrop of the storming, mauve, moon-touched sky, was the form of a towering angel – or, at least a dark facsimile of one. It was a Cherubimon, but its fur was stained a toxic violet hue. Its silhouette and proportions matched that of Cherubimon, but that was it.

His face, so full of hatred and malice, was nothing like his friend Cherubimon. No, his Cherubimon always wore a soft and caring smile, with soft eyes full of warmth and wisdom. It was nothing like him. It wasn't him. It couldn't be.

…Or so he wanted to believe – but the sinking feeling in depths of his stomach was telling him otherwise. There was something a little too familiar about the creature, and, in his heart of hearts, he realised why.

"It… can't be," Sleipmon whispered, his violet eyes growing as wide as the twin, full moons that loomed in the sky behind the storm clouds. "It isn't possible…"

"Behold, Royal Knights!" Lucemon announced with an sweep of his arm and a victorious smile. "Behold, for even God's high priest can fall… Despair, for the Three Great Angels are no more! In order to be the closest to God, they built a castle on fleeting clouds, and now, it is crumbling around them, doomed to collapse under the combined weight of its own falsehoods, hypocrisy, and self-satisfaction!"

Lucemon raised his gloved hand to the dark sky, heralding the fallen angel above him. The clouds looked as though they were breaking under the sheer force of chaos, with red leaking through their cracks. "Allow me to introduce to you: Cherubimon of Vice! Although, you may know him better as the so-called 'Great' Angel of Wisdom," the Demon Lord of Pride declared.

Lucemon smirked darkly. "The hierophant himself stained black by God's vice. I suppose it is only natural that the curator of the library, the guardian of God's wisdom, would be the first of the triumvirate to notice God's hypocrisies. It took him some time to realise, but he has finally seen the light for what it is – nothing more than a mirage."

"NO!" Sleipmon shouted with outrage. He swung around and pointed his crossbow at Lucemon's head, glaring at him furiously. "What have you done to him?!"

Lucemon was unconcerned with the Royal Knight's anger. "We merely opened his eyes," he nonchalantly explained. "And, as soon as you and that winged lizard have been dealt with, we shall breach these ruins and uncover God's secrets."

"I won't let you!" Sleipmon declared, launching his holy bolt from the Muspellsheimr. "Bifröst!"

Lucemon reacted instantly, ducking around the bolt. Although his reflexes were immediate, he was unable to dodge completely, and the bolt of light grazed his cheek, opening a small, thin cut on his cheek, just barely deep enough for tiny droplets of blood to form. Not reacting in the slightest, Lucemon continued his smooth motion, spinning around, raising his leg up to his head, and then slamming his heel down into the ground. "Paradise Lost!" he shouted.

His heel impacted the ground hard enough for a fissure to open up. The ground split open, and a crevice ripped towards Sleipmon, dark energy tearing up the ground from below as it travelled.

Seeing the demonic power ripping towards him from beneath the frozen ground, Sleipmon swept the Niflheimr outwards and formed a barrier of ice from his shield to block the attack's path. As the earth shook beneath him, the knight could feel the power of Lucemon's attack closing in on him, and he realised that his barrier might not be enough to withstand it. Acting quickly, Sleipmon used his speed to lunge out of the way, just in time for the shield of ice to shatter into crystals, with shards of rock tearing up from the ground behind him.

Sleipmon circled around the ice field, trying to put some distance between him and Lucemon. Although the Demon Lord didn't look like much, it was clear that his appearance was belied by his immense power. Both Lucemon and Lilithmon were dangerous foes, and he was sure that Bagramon was as well, despite not knowing his capabilities. However, right now, none of them were his priority…

The equestrian Royal Knight looked up at Cherubimon with desperation and worry. He needed to get to him. He needed to find out what happened, and confirm that that was really Cherubimon and not some fake. In order to do that, he needed to talk to him. Sleipmon prepared to take to the sky.

However, as soon as he prepared to jump, he was bombarded with a concentrated barrage of magic and fire from the Nightmare Soldiers. Sleipmon raised his sturdy shield to protect himself from the heavy bombardment that melted the snow around him. Thanks to his red digizoid plating and his sturdy constitution, he was largely protected from the fiery blasts, but the rigorous assault against him was distracting.

"Leave me be!" Sleipmon thought with frustration, glaring as fire swelled around his body. He countered the inferno by wreathing his form in an aura of frigid energy. "I have to get to Cherubimon!"

With that desperate thought, Sleipmon decided he couldn't wait any longer. He pounded his hooves against the ground and bolted out of the fiery maelstrom. He took to the sky like a comet, with lingering fire and ice trailing behind his rushing body.

With unrivaled determination, Sleipmon hurried towards the clash that was happening in the sky. He wouldn't stop until he reached the dark simulacrum of his mentor. Sleipmon's eyes were wide with fear and anger as he outpaced the attacks directed at him. His fists were tight, and he flew as fast as he could. There was only one thought that permeated his emotion-hazed mind.

"…Cherubimon!"

---

"Lightning Spear!" a deep, demonic voice growled.

Examon, still recovering from the first blast of lightning he received, was sluggish in his reaction, but he still managed to dive underneath the crimson bolt.

Always making sure to keep track of his opponent, Examon looked up at Cherubimon, and saw that he was summoning another bolt of electricity in his hand. Examon didn't have time to reflect on whether this Cherubimon was the one that they knew. In that moment, he had to be pragmatic. To him, this Cherubimon was to be designated as an enemy. There was no other way to fight him otherwise.

Without a sliver of hesitation, Examon swung his lance up and fired. He launched Pendragon's Glory across the cloudy sky, the laser poised to strike right at Cherubimon's chest.

Right before the laser could impact, Cherubimon swept the lightning bolt down, using it to block the beam and hold it at bay with his immeasurable strength. The laser strained against him and split apart, licking at the sides of his arms. Growling, Cherubimon pushed against the sustained blast and swung the Lightning Spear outwards, redirecting the beam's path to the side.

"Phantom Pain!" Lilithmon shouted from below, firing a beam of her own up at Examon.

Examon grunted upon seeing the beam hurdling up at him from below. Like before, he wasn't able to move backwards without getting right in the beam's path. He had no choice but to move forwards and upwards; he realised that Lilithmon was trying to push him towards Cherubimon.

"She's trying to control my movement," Examon thought, his eyes narrowing as he was forced to fly closer to Cherubimon in order to escape her rising attack. He clutched the Ambrosius and pointed it ahead of him at Cherubimon. "I have to break through him."

Examon immediately went on the offensive, flying straight towards Cherubimon while poising his lance to stab. He soared swiftly and loaded the Ambrosius, going in for a jousting charge on Cherubimon.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Do something!" Lilithmon called out to the seemingly idle Cherubimon with annoyance.

Cherubimon Vice didn't acknowledge her order, but he poised his Lightning Spear all the same.

"Come, Royal Knight," Cherubimon challenged him with a dark smirk, summoning a second lightning bolt in his other hand.

With a sudden, unexpected burst of energy, Cherubimon propelled himself towards Examon. To Examon's surprise, Cherubimon was not only moving much faster than he anticipated, but he was meeting his charge head-on. The fallen angel descended on him like a cannon ball, hurdling one Lightning Spear after the other as he fell.

Examon managed to deftly weave around the first lightning bolt, but the second javelin tagged him. The blood-hued spear sliced along his shoulder, tearing against his scales and sending electricity coursing down his left arm. Examon grimaced with pain and faltered for a moment, giving Cherubimon the opening he needed.

Cherubimon descended upon Examon like a falling tonne of bricks. With a mighty thrust, he drilled his gigantic fist into Examon's armoured abdomen, stopping the large dragon dead in his tracks. Examon's eyes widened as the wind exited his lungs and he doubled over on Cherubimon's fist.

Despite the pain and the wheezing fit that began to erupt from his respiratory system, Examon managed to pull the trigger of the Ambrosius and point it at Cherubimon's chest at point blank range. A shell erupted from the lance's barrel and detonated between them in a burst of fire and smoke. The fallen angel of comparable size was blasted back several meters by the explosion, Examon hoping to put some distance between them while he recovered.

But the Cherubimon of Vice was relentless. He brushed off the attack like it was a minor inconvenience, and threw himself towards Examon again. Fuelled by his new found hate, Cherubimon pounded his fist across Examon's right cheek. He followed up with his other hand, bashing the dragon knight across the opposite cheek. Cherubimon then swung his almighty arm and buried his knuckles into the right side of his face again. The dark angel finished off the vicious combo but grabbing Examon's horns and driving the tip of his snout into his rising knee.

Seeing that Examon was preparing to stab him with his lance, Cherubimon released Examon and drove his giant foot into Examon's chest with all the force that his well-developed rabbit legs were capable of. As he kicked Examon away, Cherubimon raised his hand to the sky, causing the storm clouds to begin to circle and the lightning to flashes to intensify.

"I think I'm beginning to enjoy myself now," Cherubimon announced with a dark, sadistic smile as red electricity began to crackle in his palm. "Heaven's Judgement!"

On the infernal cherub's command, about a dozen crimson lightning bolts burst from the sky. The multitude of lightning strokes pierced the air and descended. They all converged on Examon at the same time, striking his metal wings and lightning up his body in the sky.

An uneven roar of pain ripped from his throat as the electricity surged through his muscles, burning his scales at various points. It took all of his willpower not to drop his weapon from his hand. His body smoked and quivered, and the pain he felt was extreme. When the negative charges subsided, Examon lurched forwards, slackening slightly.

Examon's face was inundated with a numb, throbbing pain. His vision was blurry and he could feel the inside of his lips cut open. Blood began to pool in his mouth and form at the corners of his snout. His body smoked and his muscles were stunned from the residual electricity dancing along his metal plating. He hadn't had this much trouble in a fight since he fought Dorbickmon. He realised that he had had it easy until now. Now, things were serious.

It was in his pain-hazed state that Examon realised what he was dealing with. This was the power of a fallen Great Angel.

Examon let out a soft growl as he raised his head, blood trickling from his nostril and the corner of his snout. He looked up to see Cherubimon summoning a Lightning Spear in his hand and holding it over his shoulder like a javelin. Examon had no doubt that he was the target.

His movements were sluggish from the electricity and he was still slightly dazed. He wasn't positive that he could dodge it. Through his pain, his mind made calculations. If the spear were to hit him, he was reasonably confident that his data was enough that it wouldn't kill him, but he worried that it would be enough to cripple him for the rest of the fight. He couldn't afford to leave Sleipmon on his own with four powerful opponents. It would surely lead to their defeat.

Despite knowing this, his body was resisting his movements. His muscles were still shaking off their numbness, and even the Caledfwlch were slow to react. He saw that Cherubimon's arm was fully cocked, and he could only watch as Cherubimon hurled the spear towards him. Examon put all of his willpower into moving, and he was able to push himself to the side, but he knew that he wouldn't make it. The Lightning Spear was too fast, and it was closing in on him within a couple seconds.

"STOP!"

A streak of red and indigo materialised in Examon's view. In a flash of speed, Sleipmon appeared in front of him, intercepting the electric javelin.

Bracing his body for the impact, Sleipmon swept his right arm up and crossed his shield in front of them. He used his left hand to further buttress himself. The Lightning Spear crashed into the face of the Niflheimr, blood red tendrils of electricity spilling around it and dancing across the metal. The sheer force of the javelin pushed the shield towards him and static shot up his arm. With a grunt of effort, Sleipmon pushed his strength into the shield and tilted the Niflheimr outwards. He redirected the momentum of the Lightning Spear and, in a surge of electricity, deflected the javelin away from himself and Examon.

"Sleipmon…" Examon spoke, looking at the Royal Knight who came to his rescue.

"Are you okay?" Sleipmon asked, without as much as turning around. He was fixated on the fallen angel in front of them.

Although still wincing, Examon regained control over his wings, and he was able to fly in place without any problems. "I'm alright. Thanks to you, I don't have any wounds that will impede my combat capabilities," he responded, still shaking the numbness off his pained muscles. "I'm sorry for letting my guard down. I should have noticed him sooner. We're going to have to work together if we want any chance of winn—"

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon suddenly called out, as if he hadn't even been listening to Examon's words. He was so focused on trying to talk to Cherubimon, that he ignored the voice coming from behind him. "Cherubimon! Is that really you?!"

Cherubimon's annoyed scowl morphed into a darkly amused smirk as he set his glowing eyes on the equine Royal Knight. "What do we have here…? Is that my old apprentice that I see?" the cherub mockingly questioned. Cherubimon swept his arm outwards and sarcastically bowed. "It is an honour to see you again… I hope you don't mind, but I have decided to change my look. I think it rather suits me, don't you?"

Sleipmon's face blanched. Dread and horror sunk into his heart as Cherubimon's words seemed to confirm his fears. It wasn't just his words, but his voice itself was unmistakably Cherubimon's. Yet, the words that he was saying – the mocking and malicious sarcasm – didn't sound anything like his friend. The paradox was both confusing and vexing.

"No…" Sleipmon spoke, his eyes tightening with anger. "You aren't Cherubimon. You can't be! You must be some sort of artifice!"

"You wound me yet again, my apprentice. How many arrows must you plunge into my back before you are satisfied?" the dark, violet Cherubimon lightly wondered, his voice drenched with derision and scorn. "If I must prove that I am the Archangel of Wisdom, I suppose I must impart some wisdom unto you…"

"Sleipmon…" Examon whispered in warning to the knight in front of him. He slowly raised the Ambrosius, while keeping an eye on the ground to make sure that they weren't ambushed from behind.

Sleipmon ignored his concerned heed and continued glaring up at Cherubimon.

Cherubimon's crescent moon-like eyes narrowed. "I first met you on my travels in the Second Cycle, all the way in a spring in the Cloud Mountains. You were a young, aspiring, holy beast who was searching for his place in the world. You were searching for enlightenment... I must have seen something in you, so I chose to take you under my wing and train you. Then, some years later, I ultimately chose to entrust to you the hallowed secret of the Arcane Ruins," the fallen angel explained.

As Cherubimon spoke, Sleipmon's glare softened, widening into a horrified stare. This wasn't he wanted to hear. He wanted Cherubimon to be at a loss for words, not to casually recount their shared history. This meant that it was almost certainly his Cherubimon, but it still didn't make any sense to him.

"This was long ago," Cherubimon continued. "Back when we held the belief of simple heathens, blindly worshipping that big, moldy tree. However… then, I learned the truth… I learned that the truth of the world was not in Yggdrasil, but in God. I cast myself free of the putrid roots and vines of Yggdrasil, and took my rightful place at the head of God's hierarchy. The simple and stubborn horse that you were, you refused to open your eyes to this basic truth, so you turned your back on me."

"Cherubimon…" Sleipmon spoke, his voice nearly a whisper. "I didn't…"

Cherubimon smiled wider. "Yet, at the time, I was still blind. I followed God and my friends obediently. I did what I was supposed to do, without any meaningful resistance. And what did I get for my years of loyalty and service? Betrayal… Deceit… Banishment," Cherubimon declared, his fist crackling with lightning. He chuckled deeply. "It is fitting that you and I should cross paths here and now, my apprentice. For, I find myself at a similar point of self-awakening as I did when I broke from Yggdrasil… This time, I break with God, the treacherous and apathetic 'Being of Goodness'. I have come to a similar revelation… Something that I have always known. There is not solely a 'God', just as there is not solely an 'Yggdrasil'. I always believed that the threads of faith were intertwined… yet not in the way that I once thought they were. Not in the way I was once led to believe that they were…"

"So, tell me, Sleipmon. Are you still searching for enlightenment? Or could it be that you have had your mind sealed shut? Have you come here on your own volition? Or have you come at the behest of that pagan tree in order to protect its secrets? Are you that impressionable, young Tyilinmon? Or have you grown up to doggedly obey a sham of a god – as a so-called 'Royal Knight'?" Cherubimon demanded with passionate accusation.

"No…" Sleipmon spoke. "None of this makes any sense! You cannot be Cherubimon! You… He wouldn't do this!"

"He seems so clear-headed, though…" Examon spoke. "Did he fall of his own volition?"

"He didn't!" Sleipmon protested angrily. "The Demon Lords must have done something to him! They must have brainwashed him like DarkKnightmon did to Omegamon!"

"It's… possible," Examon hesitantly said, although observing Sleipmon's insistence with concern. "Even so, we have to be practical, Sleipmon. We're outnumbered."

"I'm not leaving him like this – or the Arcane Ruins," Sleipmon stubbornly answered, floating forwards.

Cherubimon chuckled as a Lightning Spear materialised in his hand. "It seems as though you have not learned a thing," he darkly mused. "Step aside, for I am going to let the Demon Lords into the Arcane Ruins to reveal the truth of the world. As the Archangel of Wisdom, I shall lay God's wisdom bare, and rip open the Kernel with my own two hands!"

"…You told me to protect these ruins, Cherubimon. That is what I intend to do," Sleipmon answered with bitter determination.

Cherubimon's eye twitched with annoyance, but soon, his mocking smirk returned. "…Then you shall be the first who I smite down with holy wrath. Now die!" he shouted, preparing to hurl the spear at his apprentice.

This time, Examon was ready. "Avalon's Gate!" he shouted, whipping the Ambrosius up and firing a shell directly at Cherubimon's face. The shell split open against his forehead and erupted in a blinding flash of light in the darkness. Cherubimon snarled and clutched his face, his eyes seared by the intense flash.

This gave the Royal Knights an opportunity. Examon flew forwards and grabbed Sleipmon's shoulder. "Sleipmon," he said urgently, although his voice remained as level as ever. "This is our last chance. If we decide that we are staying, I will stand by your side. But if we do stay, then we must see this through to the end," the dragon knight urged him. "We cannot afford to do things by half."

Sleipmon nodded with determination, but he wasn't thinking about the implications that lay beneath Examon's words. "Please, leave Cherubimon to me," Sleipmon answered, looking ahead at the snarling rabbit. "I'll do my best to get through to him, and I'll give you support against the other Demon Lords if I can."

Examon winced faintly upon hearing Sleipmon's response. It was clear to him that Sleipmon wasn't thinking with a clear head. He wondered if he misinterpreted him. "Sleipmon, that isn't what I meant," Examon reiterated. "I mean we have to delete—"

Before he could finish, the two Royal Knights became bombarded with a flurry of attacks launched by the Nightmare Soldiers below. Dozens of bursts and fireballs ascended upon them, exploding against their armoured bodies. Examon's armoured wings curled defensively around his body like a shield, while Sleipmon brought up the Niflheimr to defend himself.

Lucemon ascended into the sky and spun around to address the soldiers. "You are doing well, my brave Nightmare Soldiers! Crush these misguided fools with your overwhelming strength! Concentrate your fire on the oversized lizard! Keep him occupied while Cherubimon deals with the other one! And move your formation away from the cliffs so that you don't get trapped against it!" Lucemon commanded to the legion. "Lilithmon, use your long ranged attacks on the lizard. Bagramon, how is the excavation going?!"

"It seems about halfway complete!" Bagramon called back from beside the Breakdramon. The Archangel of Death held back from engaging in the combat for the moment. It seemed to him that the three of them would be enough to handle two Royal Knights.

"I can make my own decisions, thank you," Lilithmon murmured, although she ultimately decided to go along with the plan, knowing that it was best tactically. "Phantom Pain!"

She raised her hand and fired a concentrated beam at Examon. The pillar of dark magic streaked into the air and plowed into his shielding wings. The surging magic split off into multiple directions as it deflected off the chrome digizoid. Examon's wings held steady, but the force of the attack was strong enough to push him through the air away from Sleipmon.

"Examon!" Sleipmon shouted, looking over his shoulder to make sure his friend was okay. "I'm going forward!"

"Go!" Examon shouted over the roar of energy around him. "I'll be fine!"

With that, Sleipmon dashed forwards, speeding across the clouds towards his corrupted mentor. In the exact moment that he charged, Cherubimon Vice was recovering from his momentary blindness. The dark angel hurled the Lightning Spear in his right hand, while summoning a second in his left.

Sleipmon saw the flash of red and reacted with sharp reflexes. He brought his shield up just in time to block the Lightning Spear, which snarled against the Niflheimr and showered Sleipmon's body with sparks. Grimacing, but refusing to let up his charge, Sleipmon pressed onward in an attempt to close the distance. "Cherubimon!" he shouted. "It's me!"

"I am aware…" Cherubimon dryly snarled, tossing the Lightning Spear to his other hand and then lobbing it at Sleipmon once more.

"This isn't you! You are being controlled!" Sleipmon shouted, swerving to the right by a matter of centimeters so that the javelin just sliced along his digizoid-covered flank.

"I was being controlled... Not anymore!" Cherubimon fired back. Right as Sleipmon closed the distance on him, he lashed out with his massive arm, sweeping his hand outwards and bashing Sleipmon away from him. "Finally, I am awake. My eyes have been opened… unlike yours! I am finished being a slave to the whims of others! I will not allow God nor the other Great Angels to hold power over me. You can perish alongside those zealous fools, blindly serving your god to the very end!"

"Cherubimon wouldn't speak like that!" Sleipmon shouted back, wincing from the blow. "Cherubimon, please listen to me! You are being controlled!"

"Is he, now?" Lucemon calmly pondered, suddenly behind Sleipmon. "Barbamon's magic and manipulations had an impact, to be sure, but they merely amplified the innate vice that already exists inside of Cherubimon. No, Royal Knight, Cherubimon Vice is merely the dark half of a moon."

He raised his hand emblematically into the sky, gesturing to the full moons that were almost completely covered by darkness, just barely visible whenever the swirling clouds momentarily breached. "What you see before you is the permanent eclipse of God's purest light! This is his true form, unhampered by false order and blind devotion!"

Sleipmon's body tightened with a cold chill upon hearing Lucemon's smooth voice. His eyes widened with frantic rage and he glanced over his shoulder to see the Demon Lord of Pride behind him. "Tactics Smear!" he shouted. With a powerful buck, he kicked his rear hooves towards the prince of Hell.

With an effortless motion, Lucemon quickly drifted to the side. Having evaded the rib-shattering kick, he immediately grabbed Sleipmon's ankle as soon as his leg fully extended its reach.

"Paradise Lost," Lucemon spoke, his voice a mixture of light and darkness.

Before Sleipmon could wrench free, a punch plowed into the side of his face, followed by a flurry of kicks to his flank and waist. The punches and kicks came faster than he anticipated, and he could hardly see Lucemon past his blurry appendages. The red digizoid did well in absorbing much of the damage, but the blunt force trauma to his body was still strong enough that he could feel bruises forming underneath his armour's joints and ridges.

Right as Sleipmon was about to lash out with his crossbow, Lucemon finished his aggressive combination by yanking down hard of Sleipmon's ankle with more than enough strength to move the fortress of a knight. Lucemon hurled Sleipmon downwards through the air, spiking him hard into the glacier below.

Sleipmon let out a cry of pain as his heavy body slammed into the ice and snow, a cloud of white powder shooting up around his great weight.

"He is all yours, Cherubimon," Lucemon: Falldown Mode informed the nearby fallen angel with a smile.

"Hmph. I did not require your help," Cherubimon answered, wielding a crackling, blue javelin over his head. He loomed in the sky over Sleipmon, using the Royal Knight's pain to take careful aim. "Lightning Spear!"

With a mighty heave, Cherubimon lobbed the spear downwards. The movement was powerful yet precise. He knew that Sleipmon's red digizoid armour would protect him from most things, but he also knew that it didn't cover his entire body. Cherubimon had aimed for one of the spots where the armour couldn't cover completely – the joints.

With a pained grimace, Sleipmon looked up to see the holy javelin descending upon him. He tried to move the Niflheimr to protect him, but he was too late. The sharp tip of the Lightning Spear pierced through the fabric of his sleeve, right above the red digizoid vambrace that connected to his shield, and just below the belts that girded his biceps. The javelin stabbed into his flesh and penetrated his elbow.

Sleipmon's head jerked back and a howl of pain tore from his throat and resonated from his chest. Lightning shot up his right arm as the spear punctured through the other side and pierced the ground.

"Sleipmon!" Examon shouted, taking a pause in his rapid salvo of laser fire to look down at Sleipmon with worry.

With his arm wracked with agony, Sleipmon strained himself to reach over and grab the spear from his arm with his left hand. Despite the electricity coursing through his hand, he ripped the spear out of his elbow and cast it aside. Blood leaked down his forearm from his joint, and smoke rose from his shoulder, but Sleipmon resolutely dragged himself to his feet.

Sleipmon clutched the wound in his arm and he tentatively tried to bend it. Although the movement caused excruciating pain, he determined that his elbow wasn't broken and that he could still move the Niflheimr, albeit sluggishly.

"Ungh…" Sleipmon groaned, cold breath billowing from his mouth. He looked up at Cherubimon with pained and emotional eyes, as if begging with him to come to his senses. "This… This isn't you, Cherubimon… I know you… Your heart has been corrupted by the Demon Lords… but you're strong enough to fight against it!"

Cherubimon tightened his glowing eyes with irritation as he glared down at his former pupil. "You should not have come here, Sleipmon," he warned him, summoning a Lightning Spear in each hand. "That misguided idealism of yours will get you killed."

"Even so…" Sleipmon stood defiantly, straightening his body and raising his bow and shield with resolve. "I made a vow to protect this place! And that means protecting you too!"

A frustrated scowl morphed onto Cherubimon's pliable face. "Then you have come all the way here just to die…" he spoke with the soft rumble of thunder. "Heaven's Judgement!"

The dark, unearthly storm clouds began igniting with flashes and jagged crackling tendrils of electricity. Then, Cherubimon swept his arms forwards and directed a plethora of lightning bolts from out of the clouds. A dozen surges of lightning cracked through the sky and descended on Sleipmon in an instant.

Sleipmon was prepared. Despite the pain in his arm, he dug his hooves into the ground and took off in a flash. A lightning bolt struck the ground where he had been a second earlier. More javelins of electricity began bombarding the area around him in a strafing storm of death.

The Royal Knight raced across the ground like a crimson lightning bolt himself. He zigzagged to avoid the blasts, galloping with incredible speed. As the lightning bolts continued to rain down, Cherubimon lobbed the two spears in his hands towards the place where Sleipmon was going to be.

Sleipmon saw the pair of hissing spears surging towards him. Although it caused intense pain to shoot through his elbow, he swept the Niflheimr upwards. "Odin's Breath!" he called out, concentrating cold energy into the surface of his kite shield.

An upwards wave of ice burst from the ground several meters in front of him. The frigid mass of frozen water grew, solidified, and curved backwards to form a protective dome. The icy barrier blocked the dual Lightning Spears, one of them ricocheting off and the other stabbing into it but stopping halfway through.

Sleipmon vaulted and landed on top of the dome of ice, then jumped again to propel himself into the air as a bolt of lightning blasted the barrier to pieces.

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon called out as he flew towards Cherubimon, refusing to give up. "Don't you remember what you taught me?! You always said that all life was precious!"

"Pah!" Cherubimon mockingly snapped back, directing more bolts of lightning towards the Royal Knight. "Yes… I recall once having such fanciful philosophies. I was as much of a fool as you are now, merely content to live in a dream."

"No!" Sleipmon retorted, wincing as his word was almost drowned out by the whip of negative electrons streaking past his body. "You were gentle and wise! You always listened to the opinions of others! You had a big heart, Cherubimon! I looked up to you! I still do!"

"And look where that got me!" Cherubimon fired back, his voice clapping like the thunder overhead. "I was undermined and betrayed at every corner! In my weakness, I simply accepted my place… but now I have the strength to defy the rigid and intolerant authority of God. Where, once, I served lovingly, now I am filled only with hatred and resentment. Those sinful feelings that I tried to ignore before… now I embrace them and use them to empower me!"

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon yelled at him as he closed in with zigzag pattern. "Speak with your own words! Those aren't your true feelings! They have been amplified by some sort of spell!"

"Well, well… I defer to your omniscient perception! How very bold of you to claim to know what resides in another Digimon's heart!" Cherubimon sarcastically mused. He scoffed dismissively and beheld Sleipmon with a resentful glare. "Perhaps I have not made myself clear enough! I wish only for destruction!" To emphasize his point, he summoned four Lightning Spears in the air above him and launched them, one after the other.

"No!" Sleipmon shouted fervently, weaving to the side just in time to dodge the first spear. The second bolt of holy wrath closed in after the first, but he was able to bring up the Niflheimr just in time to deflect it in an explosion of frost and electricity. "Ngh… the Cherubimon I knew wanted peace!"

"The Cherubimon you knew is dead," Cherubimon Vice coldly answered before hurling the final two spears.

Sleipmon glared with icy passion and watched as the two bolts came flying in. He dropped underneath the first one so that the giant javelin sailed over his head, causing his mane to stand on end. Gauging the trajectory of the next one, he swiftly bolted to the right, but the second bolt was too close behind the first. It cut along his rear leg, tearing through the fabric under his armour and slicing across his knee.

The searing laceration caused a pained sound to bubble in his throat. Despite the pain knee and elbow, Sleipmon continued his stubborn charge. He was close enough to forgo the evasive manoeuvres, instead optimizing his speed and charging into a headlong gallop.

"No, he isn't…" Sleipmon said, staring Cherubimon Vice in the eyes as he charged him. "You are in there… Whatever spells or manipulations are affecting your mind, you are still in there! And I will reach you!"

Sleipmon began to raise his crossbow, but he hesitated and brought up the Niflheimr in front of him instead, despite the excruciating pain that shot through his wounded elbow from doing so.

His violet eyes gleamed with anger and determination. Sleipmon's charge picked up speed as he closed in on Cherubimon. The fallen angel that towered before him summoned another crackling spear in his hand. Cherubimon held the javelin over his head in an overhand grip. The lightning intensified above him as he prepared to stab it vertically down on Sleipmon once he was in range.

Sleipmon saw Cherubimon's defence, but he was moving too fast to change course. All he could do was double down on his attack. He brought his left hand up and gripped the end of his shield, bracing his weaker arm for what would be a painful impact.

"I won't give up on you, Cherubimon," Sleipmon thought to himself as the distance closed between them.

Then, with ten meters left to spare, Sleipmon suddenly accelerated to his top velocity. With his unexpected burst of speed, he closed in on Cherubimon faster than the corrupted angel was anticipating. Before Cherubimon could bring his Lightning Spear down, Sleipmon slammed into him with a full-body tackle, using the Niflheimr to cushion himself.

He plowed right into the dark fur of Cherubimon's belly, crashing into him like a bullet train. Cherubimon doubled over with a winded growl of shock, his spear disintegrating in a disperse field of electricity. Sleipmon continued barrelling forwards with his full momentum, carrying Cherubimon with him through the air.

Although his attack was successful, ramming into Cherubimon felt like ramming into the cliffs that were ahead of him. Sleipmon's injured arm felt like it was on fire from the intense pressure that the attack was putting on his shield. It was all he could do to use his left arm to keep his right from giving way. The pain that he felt caused his mind to go numb, but Sleipmon was relentless.

"Cherubimon… If Alphamon can save Omegamon… then I'm going to save you!" Sleipmon promised through the haze of pain. He began pouring frozen energy through the Niflheimr shield, which was pressed right against Cherubimon's large torso. "Odin's… Breath!"

Ice coursed from the shield and matted Cherubimon's belly fur at point blank range. The ice started to spread from the point of contact, crawling up his chest and down his legs.

Cherubimon looked down and saw what the Royal Knight was trying to do. An annoyed scowl flashed onto Cherubimon's rabbit-like face and he reached down to grab Sleipmon with his huge hands. "Clever… but reckless!" the dark angel growled.

Using the close proximity to his advantage too, Cherubimon grabbed Sleipmon by the face, squeezing his equine head tightly. At the same time, he clutched one of the golden wings that protruded from Sleipmon's back. Redirecting Sleipmon's momentum, he began to twist them around, diverting the shifting velocity into a centripetal force.

Cherubimon spun Sleipmon around faster and faster, picking up speed with every rotation. With a mighty heave of his arms, Cherubimon finally released Sleipmon, hurling him into the side of the cliffs.

Sleipmon let out a cry as his armoured body impacted the hard mass of stone, his heavy form smashing into the rocks hard enough to leave a crater.

"Sleipmon!" Examon shouted out, using his wings as shields as he was buffeted by a salvo of demonic attacks from the ground. The dragon whipped around and fired a shell from his lance at Cherubimon.

Cherubimon turned and saw the shell burst above him, casting an electrified net over his head and shoulders. Examon only intended for the net to distract him long enough for Sleipmon to recover, but he knew it wouldn't be long until Cherubimon pulled it off and cast it aside.

Examon flapped his wings and rose higher in the sky, breaking away from the suppressive fire and ascending towards the clouds. He needed a few moments to reassess.

Things weren't looking good for them. Sleipmon was getting more injured and it seemed like Cherubimon was getting the best of him. As for himself, it was all he could do to evade the myriad of attacks that were launched at him from the ground. The Nightmare Soldiers were a distraction for the more dangerous attacks of Lilithmon and Lucemon. He was beginning to rack up injuries while dodging them, and he was lucky if he could get the chance to counterattack.

Examon frowned with concern. He knew that Sleipmon wanted to save Cherubimon and protect the Arcane Ruins, but as things stood now, he predicted that their likelihood of victory was looking increasingly poor. He started to wonder if it was in their best interest to cut their losses and retreat. Right now, that seemed to be the most practical solution, but the long-term implications of failure worried him as well.

Examon bolted to the left as one of Lilithmon's beams hurdled towards him and pierced the clouds behind him. It was clear that both Lucemon and Lilithmon were going to focus on him while Cherubimon engaged Sleipmon.

The dragon knight was so concerned with the movements of the enemy on the ground, that he hadn't noticed the large cloud that was drifting closer from the distance.

Cherubimon threw the net aside and snarled, turning his baleful, yellow eyes back towards Sleipmon. "You pitiful fool… None of this concerns you, Sleipmon," Cherubimon explained, summoning a Lightning Spear in his hand as he leered down at the Royal Knight that was pushing himself out of the cliff face. "If you slaves of Yggdrasil insist on interfering in every aspect of the world, you should not be surprised when the weight of the world's hatred crushes you into dust."

Cherubimon smirked condescendingly. "Yet, you have never thought about that, have you? Have you ever questioned if what you were doing was right? Or have you always simply done as you were told?" He tightened his grip around the bolt of unholy light. "No… You are unquestioning and uncompromising in your beliefs, Sleipmon. You have never considered that you might be wrong, even for one moment, have you? Pride… Arrogance… You are no different from Seraphimon…"

Sleipmon grimaced and pushed off of the rocks, hovering unevenly in the air. His body throbbed with pain, and blood dripped down his right arm. "What…?" he questioned, weakly raising his shield as he looked up at the angel.

Cherubimon loomed over him, backed by the twin eclipsed moons behind him. He began to gather his clouds again, prompting the red lightning bolts to intensify.

"Well, then… If you insist on standing against me, then I have no choice but to kill—" Right as Cherubimon poised the Lightning Spear over his head, he stopped in his tracks.

Cherubimon's eyes widened for a moment before suddenly narrowing. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder, gazing up at the clouds in the distance.

"Oh…?" he wondered. "What do we have here…?"

Meanwhile, Bagramon hovered in the air above the Breakdramon, taking it upon himself to protect the mercenary from the Royal Knights' attacks while he excavated the ruins. The Sage of Death watched the skies, his vision enhanced by his Invisible Snake-Eyes. He was focused on Examon, studying the dragon's movements and attack patterns so that he can provide support to the Demon Lords.

It was as he was watching Examon that Bagramon noticed something was off. Although there were some patches of night sky in which the moons could be seen, the sky above them was largely covered by Cherubimon's violet-red storm clouds. The lightning painted an eerie crimson colour across the clouds and the snow.

However, one cloud looked a bit different from the rest.

It was a large, cumulonimbus cloud that was tracing the edges of the infernal lightning storm. It was moving in the same direction as the rest of the clouds, in a sort of circular vortex like it was being drawn it. However… it wasn't a deep grey or violet like the others, but a bright, white hue that made it stand out to the eagle-eyed. It drew Bagramon's attention just slightly…

The puffy, white cloud, partially obscured by the snow fall, approached lazily in the night sky, but it soon skirted the outer boundaries of Cherubimon's dark storm clouds. He noticed that the cloud was moving at a slightly faster speed than the others. It wasn't noticeable until it had gotten close to the battle, but it was definitely out of place.

Bagramon's left eye narrowed into a curious frown as he focused solely on the cloud. Now, he was certain that something was off about it. It was like it didn't want to be noticed…

Bagramon focused. Now that he was attuning to the world around him and not just the battle, he could feel a faint presence that made him uneasy.

"Invisible Snake-Eyes," Bagramon spoke. The ruby residing in his right eye ignited with magical light. With his suspicions on high alert, the sage began scrying the cloud with his artificial eye.

His vision penetrated the misty veil of the mass of cloud data. He could see everything within the cloud now – and everyone.

Bagramon's eye widened with shock and fury at what he saw. His head whipped to the side, his eye gleaming dangerously at his glare fixed onto the nearest Demon Lord.

"LUCEMON!" Bagramon yelled, his deep voice booming over the sounds of battle.

Lucemon, who had just finished hurling fiery spheres from his hands at Examon, turned in response to Bagramon's warning. Immediately realising that something was wrong, he turned his blue eyes up to the sky.

"Look out! It's—"

As Bagramon attempted to warn him, his words were suddenly drowned out. The chorus of almighty trumpets blared like an orchestra in the barren tundra. No more than a second later, the cloud erupted with light.

Hundreds of pillars, arrows, and orbs of light surged out of the rogue cloud and fell towards the Demon Lords. It was a raging squall of holy light that was enough to rival Cherubimon's raging lightning storm. The synchronised torrent was bright enough to light up the night sky even brighter than the full moons could.

As Lucemon watched the coordinated barrage descending on them, the corner of his mouth momentarily pulled back into a scowl.

He quickly brought up a magical circle over his head like a shield. A salvo of seven orbs of light pounded the barrier, forcing the Demon Lord to a knee as they ripped up the ground around him in a flare of holy light.

At the same time, Lilithmon had to throw herself out of the way as ten crystals suddenly descended on her, nearly puncturing the end of her dress and shredding the ground where she was standing with divine explosions.

Meanwhile, the majority of the coordinated attacks fell onto the Nightmare Soldiers. Beams and arrows pounded through the shocked ranks of the legion, annihilating a dozen demon Digimon in an instant. Explosions of light erupted throughout the Nightmare Soldiers as diving lightning ripped through their ranks.

"What?" Examon uttered with shock, turning around and watching as holy light ignited the sky from within one of the clouds. He inspected the cloud, seeing the light pouring out of it highlight its concealed form. It was then that he realised that it wasn't just a cloud, but a heavily fortified platform built on top of the cloud data.

"Spread out! Spread out! Return fire!" Lucemon commanded before their ranks could fall into disarray. He glowered and swept his magical shield aside so that he could see. As the explosive wind and melting snow whipped through his blond hair, Lucemon raised his eyes and looked straight up at the cloud, which appeared to be seeping with light from the inside.

"It's the Heavenly Choir!" Lucemon announced, glaring up at the sky. Despite his initial frustration, a small grin of confidence re-emerged on his face.

"It's not just the Heavenly Choir," Bagramon announced, pointing with his artificial arm as the disciplined formations of Heavenly Choir soldiers began pouring out of the Sky Fortress. His eye glimmered and he focused in on the two Digimon who were leading the angelic troops

At the head of the formations, pouring down from the dark heavens with light radiating behind them, were two Digimon:

Seraphimon and Ophanimon.

Cherubimon Vice turned his attention away from Sleipmon completely, lifting his head and watching the skies as the other two Great Angels came into view. His yellow, half-moon eyes were fixed on their celestial forms.

A cross between a pleased smirk and a hateful scowl formed on his face.

"Well, well…" he spoke, his eyes narrowing into tight slits as his smile grew ever-wider.

"If it isn't my old friends…"