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?

103. Chapter 72 Part 2: The Moon Dyed Black

(Author's Notes: Hey all! Part 2 of Chapter 72 is now up!

I just want to put a big disclaimer before this chapter, since it gets into some sensitive discussions. Hopefully you all know me well enough that I don't have to say this, and I don't think there's anything particularly new in the way I handle mature themes, which have been pretty pervasive throughout ADiSA and Holy War, but I wanted to say this just in case anybody gets the wrong idea.

For me, personally, as a writer, I don't believe in putting my own beliefs in my work, and I try not to write with any editorializing intentions whatsoever. I find it much more interesting to write characters with their own beliefs which make sense to them in their own personal contexts. So, when I write characters with certain beliefs, I merely present their opinions without comment or editorializing. I don't like to put my thumb on the scales in any way, shape, or form. I believe my role is as a neutral narrator, so it's not my job to say whether one character is right over another, and just because one character is an antagonist and one is a protagonist, I'm not necessarily saying that one is right or wrong over the other because of that (apart from, like, very, very obvious things - like massacring a village is clearly wrong, Demon!). Basically, what I'm saying is that I prefer to leave it to the audience to come to your own conclusions. I'm not trying to tell you guys to think one thing over another - merely to present characters and situations as they exist.

I mention this because Ophanimon and Lilithmon have a spirited conversation about gender and morality in the context of the religion in the story, a debate that I think is interesting and true to their characters. They're wildly opposite characters and their strongly-held beliefs make sense in the context of their own personalities and backstories. I just wanted everybody to know that I'm not trying to make any sort of real world claims here, haha. I'm just presenting what these two characters would think about it and about each other, whether their beliefs are unflattering or not, and it's the same with Seraphimon, Cherubimon, Sleipmon, Examon, Lucemon, etc. This is also in relation to another argument in morality later on in the chapter.

Anyways, I think all of you probably knew this already. I just felt this was a good opportunity to clarify in case anybody got the wrong idea. I hope this didn't scare you, haha.

It's a big chapter though, so maybe you should be scared. As always, read, review, and enjoy!)

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Chapter 72: The Moon Dyed Black (Part II)

"Sefirot Crystal!"

"Phantom Pain!"

Ten pink crystals that formed the shape of the Sefirot surged with holy light. Ten lasers coursed out from in front of Ophanimon, causing the dark clouds of midnight to become awash with a radiant light strong that enough to rival the lightning.

Lilithmon summoned a demonic summoning circle with her Nazar Nail. From within the Crest of Lust, a howling torrent of dark power gushed out to rival the purest light.

The Archangel and the Demon Lord faced off in the black sky, amidst the flashes of white and scarlet. Lilithmon threw herself out of the way, right as the ten lasers swept by her with an ethereal hum. The intense light was no more than a meter away from her and she could feel its boiling heat against her skin. Unrelenting, Lilithmon continued funneling energy from the Dark Area toward Ophanimon but she soon cut the attack off to regain her mobility.

Seeing the tidal wave of darkness coursing towards her, Ophanimon circled in the same direction as Lilithmon, soaring to the side to evade the rolling mass of unholy power. Ophanimon winced as she flew, feeling its overwhelming pressure against her armoured body. The beam coursed past her and consumed a HolyAngemon and Angewomon who were further back in the sky, obliterating them almost instantly.

"Ohohoh!" Lilithmon laughed as she dispelled the magical circle from in front of her. She readied the claws of her Nazar Nail and rushed forwards with a dark and gleeful smile on her face. "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this moment, my dear Ophanimon! I have spent fifty long years… trapped in that miserable place! Now that I'm back, I intend to make the most of it – and I will start by tearing your world apart!"

Ophanimon's fingers squeezed the metal hilt of the Eden's Javelin. As her golden wings beat against the subzero air, she glared across at the Demon Lord of Lust. "Lilithmon," she spoke. Her voice was even but firm, treading a fine line between commanding and restrained. "I will stop you, just like before!"

Although Lilithmon's shadowed eyes narrowed venomously, she released a scoff of mockery. "Hah! Is that so? To think that you have actually gotten up from off your comfortable throne!" she derided her, her Nazar Nail gauntlet swathed in dark energy as she flew closer.

"I do not relish the thought of fighting, but I will be a warrior when I must," Ophanimon informed her with an iron tone. She spun her body-length javelin dextrously around in her hand before snapping it towards Lilithmon.

Lightning flashed in the distance and Ophanimon's attention was momentarily diverted. She glanced towards the flash and she could see the dark body of Cherubimon launching bolts of unholy energy in Seraphimon's direction. Her grip tightened even harder and Ophanimon stiffened her jaws, fighting back the pained grimace behind her turquoise helmet.

"Well, things must be desperate if the Archangel of Mercy is deigning to sully those pure hands of hers. Tell me, Ophanimon, is this your way of imparting God's love?" Lilithmon mocked her. As the two circled each other in the sky, she created another magic circle in front of her hand that pulsed with demonic energy.

"What would you know about love, Lilithmon?" Ophanimon bitterly questioned in response, aiming her holy lance at the Demon Lord in question.

The corner of Lilithmon's smile twitched and her dark eyes fixed upon Ophanimon's body. "Far more than you, it would seem!" she explained, the darkness of hell pulsating from within her magical portal. "Phantom Pain!"

Ophanimon winced and immediately dropped downwards as the stygian pillar billowed towards her. With impressive aerobatics, she dove beneath the column of roaring darkness that cut through the clouded sky. She felt Lilithmon trying to push the beam down on top of her, but Ophanimon was able to dive just fast enough to avoid it.

Once she was directly below Lilithmon, she suddenly flipped upwards and began to climb. Ophanimon appeared directly behind Lilithmon and prepared to stab her.

Lilithmon reacted with lightning fast reflexes. She ended her attack, leaving a smoking trench in the tundra, and immediately spun around. The Eden's Javelin clashed with the palm of her Nazar Nail in a shriek of metal and a cascade of sparks.

"There won't be anybody to save you this time!" Lilithmon taunted Ophanimon with a fierce grin as she kept her spear at bay.

"I am not the one who needs saving!" Ophanimon retorted, trying to break through Lilithmon's defence.

"Not yet, perhaps, but soon," Lilithmon promised her devilishly. "But you're right... It's poor, pitiful Cherubimon who needs saving! Or maybe it's brave and noble Seraphimon who needs to be rescued… I wonder, who do you think will kill the other first? I would wager that Cherubimon will be victorious, personally…"

Ophanimon scowled and retracted her spear to change tactics. As soon as she did, Lilithmon tore past her spear, lashing forwards with her Nazar Nail in an attempt to stab her with her toxic claws. Ophanimon quickly swerved to the right and bashed Lilithmon away with the unicorn-styled shield that covered her left forearm. "What have you done to him?!" Ophanimon demanded fiercely.

Lilithmon glowered and spun around, shaking off the pain in her arm. "Oh, you flatter me, Ophanimon! You assume that I, the beautiful and cunning temptress, lured him away from the path of God all on my own?" the Demon Lord sarcastically wondered. Despite the fact that she was glaring daggers at Ophanimon, her haughty smirk returned. "Fortunately he didn't require much convincing. He sought us out."

"Cherubimon would never betray us! I won't fall for your deceptions!" Ophanimon countered. With a shout of effort, she lunged at Lilithmon and began stabbing at her with rapid strokes from her spear.

"Wouldn't he?!" Lilithmon argued, flapping her demonic wings rapidly, swerving from side to side to evade Ophanimon's swift thrusts. To compensate for her enemy's superior range, she responded by lashing out with the four, bladed sashes that garbed her back. The flexible appendages clashed against Ophanimon's spear and stabbed at the archangel herself, clashing against her armoured dress and her shield. As soon as she saw an opening, she moved in and drove her foot into Ophanimon's exposed abdomen, pushing her backwards.

Ophanimon grunted with pain and reversed several meters, sweeping the Eden's Javelin out so that Lilithmon couldn't follow up. "Ngh... Sefirot Crystal!" She called forth ten burning crystals and released a plethora of lasers towards the Demon Lord.

Lilithmon quickly brought up a magical circle and used the incantation as a barrier to block the lasers, which burned against it with a melodic, holy whirr. She held her force-field steady, her raven hair blustering in the strong wind resulting from their struggle. Lilithmon looked through the translucent barrier at Ophanimon, a cunning and malicious gaze in her eyes.

"Seraphimon sure seems to think that he has betrayed you," Lilithmon pointed out. She nonchalantly nodded over to her left, in the direction of the thick of the lightning storm.

Ophanimon didn't need to look. With her second sight, she could tell that Lilithmon was gesturing to Seraphimon and Cherubimon, who were clashing in the sky amidst two overwhelming storms. She concealed her worries and dread from her opponent, refusing to let Lilithmon grab hold of any weakness. She knew that Lilithmon was just trying to get into her head. However, Ophanimon couldn't help but feel her stomach twist into knots at the thought of her two closest friends fighting.

"He hasn't," Ophanimon maintained resolutely. She spread the Sefirot Crystals out from their standard formation, causing them to surround Lilithmon at various points. "However much he and Seraphimon disagreed, Cherubimon would never betray us! I know that one of you has poisoned his mind!"

"The poison was already in him to begin with, rotting away his virtue from the inside out… just like it rotted away in the underbelly of your supposedly holy and pure society for years before the rebellion," Lilithmon explained, eyeing the crystals around and splitting her magical circle into two rings that spun in front of her palms. "That poison is called 'vice', Ophanimon, and it is inside all of us! It even exists within somebody was sickeningly pure as you…"

Ophanimon glared at the fallen angel. "Do not judge everyone by your own low standards!" she shouted, her Sefirot Crystals igniting in tandem with her words. The ten gems unleashed a salvo of beams at a myriad of different angles, making it hard to predict their trajectories. Ten streaks of light illuminated the midnight sky like a web of lasers, with Lilithmon at the epicenter.

Having been prepared to act, Lilithmon hissed and bolted upwards, spinning her body with agility and grace, weaving between the lasers. One of the lasers pierced through part of her dress, grazing her leg, while another laser burned across one of her bat-like wings. Lilithmon's teeth clenched with pain and anger, and she tilted her head just in time as beam whizzed by her face. As she moved, she used the two circles in her hands to block three of the laser that were poised to hit her body. She cut through two more of the burning strands before rising upwards, past the deadly encirclement.

Lilithmon glowered as her rage towards Ophanimon grew. She ignored her pain and fired two beams at Ophanimon, hoping to cause her agony in recompense. The pestilent beams converged into one and descended on the archangel. Ophanimon swiftly raised her arm-mounted shield to block it, but its crushing force pushed against her arm and split apart, licking at Ophanimon's wings and body.

"You stupid hypocrite! You are a fine one to talk about judging people!" Lilithmon shouted at her, her dark eyes narrow as she poured the shadows and miasma of the Dark Area into her beam.

Ophanimon, feeling her guard beginning to break, angled her glowing spear and stabbed it into the beam. "Eden's Javelin!" she shouted, pumping light into the heart of the raging column, causing purifying light to surge through it and nullify the darkness. As soon as the beam had faded, she rushed towards Lilithmon, driving her javelin towards her.

Lilithmon scowled and used her long sleeves like a muleta, throwing it outwards to obscure her movements. Ophanimon's javelin pierced through her flowing sleeves but missed Lilithmon's body, who evaded the spear just in time.

"Nazar Nail!" she shouted now that Ophanimon was close enough. She lashed out with her golden, bejewelled gauntlet, plunging her deadly claws towards Ophanimon's belly.

Ophanimon moved her body just in time to avoid a stab to her midsection, but Lilithmon's gauntlets slashed across her elbow. The toxins from the Nazar Nail melted the silver armour covering her skin, causing the archangel to wince. She swept out her left arm and bashed her shield-clad gauntlet across Lilithmon's face.

Lilithmon was thrown to the side, but she was able to instinctively blast Ophanimon in the chest with a sudden burst of shadows from her hand. The two were thrown away from each other.

Ophanimon grimaced as smoke rose up from her chest, bruises and cuts forming on her skin. She clutched her javelin tightly and poised it for her next attack.

The Demon Lord of Lust brought a hand to her arching cheek as blood began to form in the corner of her mouth, staining the purple lipstick on her lips. Lilithmon wiped the blood away with the back of her hand. Seeing the damage that Ophanimon had caused, she slowly raised her raised her head and fixed the archangel with a withering, hatred-filled glare.

"Oh, I will make sure that you suffer, Ophanimon…" Lilithmon promised her, pulling herself upright. She spread her fingers, extending the claws of her Nazar Nail. "I have been waiting a long time to knock you off of your pedestal. It is quite about time that somebody dragged you through the dirt."

Ophanimon ignored her insults and looked back towards Seraphimon and Cherubimon, watching with growing fear as the two of them traded blows in the cold darkness. However, her attention was pulled away as another beam slammed into her, throwing her back through the air.

"You ignore me at your own peril!" Lilithmon informed her with a scowl, as shadows traced the jagged tips of her gauntlet. "Tsk. You haven't changed at all, have you? You're still the same… You're the model woman – the motherly saint - of the Heavenly Choir that you always were. How very predictable!" she exclaimed with acidic sarcasm.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ophanimon dismissively countered, trying not to pay any mind to Lilithmon's words. She swept the Eden's Javelin towards the demon, her holy lance flashing gold before unleashing a beam from its tip.

Lilithmon soared out of the way, the golden ray streaking through the air right next to her. She glowered resentfully at Ophanimon as she circled towards her. "You make me sick. You aren't a Digimon; you're nothing more than an ideal to a bunch of stuffy, backwards-looking, puritanical angels! The way you live as an empty vessel without so much as a modicum of individuality… it is pathetic!" she scornfully slandered her.

Ophanimon glowered at the venomous insult, but she tried not to rise to it. Instead, she launched her salvo of crystals after Lilithmon like autonomous, homing bullets.

Lilithmon soared swiftly and flexibly through the sky, weaving around the crystals that tried to stab at her. She bashed what ones she could away and continued closing in with an ever-tightening spiral. "You really think that you're an ideal woman, don't you?!" Lilithmon mocked her, her words dripping with ridicule and contempt.

The Demon Lord of Lust closed in on her, thrusting her bejewelled gauntlet towards her helmeted face. She watched as Ophanimon raised her shield and prepared to counterattack with her spear, but she predicted this response. "Evil Sigh!" she called out. Lilithmon brought her hand to her mouth and exhaled a dark haze of miasma. The violet-black cloud washed towards Ophanimon, engulfing the shield that covered her arm.

Ophanimon let out a cry of pain as her bicep burned and the surface of the shield began to corrode, the metal rusting and flaying off in decay. She swept her arm out and prepared to thrust her spear into Lilithmon, but the Demon Lord was too fast. Lilithmon spun around and, with a mighty wheel kick, drove her heel into the side of Ophanimon's face.

The Archangel of Mercy was thrown through the air, but she managed to pierce the skin above Lilithmon's shoulder before she was. Lilithmon growled with pain and spun around, using her bladed sashes to stab at Ophanimon, tearing through the wheels that covered her shoulders in an attempt to stab her.

As her metal shoulders split open in chunks of metal, Ophanimon quickly fended the sashes off with her spear and flew out of Lilithmon's range. She took the chance to collect herself as she tasted the tang of blood inside her mouth. "I… think no such thing!" she suddenly responded, abruptly feeling the need to speak in her own defence.

Lilithmon smirked derisively, despite the blood that dripped down her arm from her shoulder. "Oh? Don't you? Or is that just your typical forced humility? At least have the self-respect to own it, like I do! But I suppose that isn't part of your appeal, now is it?" the Demon Lord of Lust sardonically challenged her. "You're loved because you're pure… You're loved because you're pious… gentle… humble… subservient… chaste… That's what the morality police known as the Virtues taught everyone was the proper way to behave, wasn't it? That's what you wanted."

"I don't claim to be perfect, Lilithmon," Ophanimon coldly responded.

Lilithmon laughed. "Of course not! Nor would you! And even if that were true, everybody still foists their ideals upon you. The puritanical Virtues, the devoted masses… why, even Seraphimon and Cherubimon! They all have their own opinions about who you should be, and what you are to them. And you willingly accept your place," she pointed out, narrowing her eyes with venomous disdain. "Tell me, Ophanimon, what is wrong with the way that I choose to live my life?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Ophanimon answered, her cold voice beginning to strain with frustration.

"Oh, please. Don't try to pretend that you don't look down on me! I remember how you and those self-righteous bitches in the Virtues turned against me," Lilithmon challenged her inimically. "So, be a dear and tell me… Why should we be made to feel guilty about enjoying carnal pleasure? Why should our bodies be sacrosanct temples? Why shouldn't I take my fancies where I find them…? Is it so wrong to make love with another, for no other reason than for pleasure? Why does our religion say that the perfect woman must be a chaste saint?"

Ophanimon frowned behind her helmet. She paused at Lilithmon's challenge to her. "…Perhaps the Virtues take too extreme of a stance on personal subjects such as that… but rampant, collective hedonism gives way to societal decay and vice. Your fall and rebellion is more than enough proof of that," she defensively replied.

Lilithmon laughed openly at her response. "Ohoh! You deluded fool!" she taunted her. "Why in the Digital World do you think we rebelled in the first place?! It is because of you three archangels, God, and your oppressive laws and norms! If you still don't understand that, then it really is no wonder that Cherubimon came crawling to us on his hands and knees like the pathetic beast that he is!"

Ophanimon glowered and launched a beam of light at Lilithmon. The Demon Lord of Lust was ready, firing a beam of darkness right back at her. The contrasting elements collided and consumed each other in a chaotic mass of burning, hissing tendrils.

"You really still believe that we are the only ones responsible for everything that happened?!" Lilithmon shouted over the howls of their attacks.

Ophanimon grimaced as the swell of their beams blustered past her, blowing her long, blond hair behind her. She could hear Cherubimon's words within Lilithmon's, echoed from their past discussions. As much as she wanted to deny Lilithmon's accusations, she knew that there was at least some truth to her words.

The beams between them fizzled out. Ophanimon drew heavy breaths but kept her weapon pointed at her opponent.

"I have never claimed that there was a solely right way to live," Ophanimon explained. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we are to blame in part for the war. I can't deny that we have been heavy-handed at times... However, you Demon Lords aren't exactly victims in all this either."

Ophanimon's stance hardened. "As for what you say about the desires of the flesh… You're right. I don't understand the need for carnal pleasure. I cannot deny that my feelings have had an influence on Virtue policy… but with that being said, it was never my intention to police others."

"Don't make me laugh!" Lilithmon scoffed, clenching her magic-imbued gauntlet. "Any trace of deviance led to a long, judgemental talk with the Virtues! Any attempt of individuality was met with an overwhelming pressure to conform! Even I, one of your highest subordinates, second only to Rasielmon, was forbidden from asserting my own will! I was rebuked again and again by them. And then you – you rejected me as well."

Ophanimon stared at the fallen angel pitifully. "You tell only half the story, Lilithmon. Is that the fable that you tell yourself to justify your atrocities?" she asked her. "If what you truly wanted were nothing more than love and free will, then I might even concede your point. However… your desires were never that noble. True love is pure, but what you wanted was anything but pure. I am not just talking about carnal pleasures either…"

Lilithmon narrowed her eyes with ire and hostility.

"Love is one thing, Lilithmon, but when you use Digimon's hearts against them – manipulating their affections and insecurities for your own benefit – that is something that I cannot forgive," Ophanimon informed her in no uncertain terms, ice coating her words. "I remember how you operated in the Virtues. I also remember… you were kind once, back when the Exodus started. You were gregarious… ambitious…"

Ophanimon's fingers tightened around her spear. "However… something changed. At some point, you realised your own power and how to exert it over others. You saw other Digimon as tools to be used – as toys, even. You manipulated those around you to better your position in the Choir, and you even convinced them into rebelling. What you truly wanted, Lilithmon, was power. And you knew exactly how to get it, as well."

Lilithmon scoffed and smiled incredulously. "And what is wrong with that, pray tell?! Am I to be blamed if males are weak? Why is it that I am in the wrong when they are the ones who lacked self-control? Do you expect more from me than you do from them? Or does it simply offend you that I had enough social sway to turn good angels away from the influence of God? If I have the ability to influence others, then why shouldn't I make the most of it?" the Demon Lord demanded.

"Face it! What bothers you isn't some philosophical argument about morality… what bothers you is that I can control Digimon even better than you can, only without restraint… And my way is much more fun," Lilithmon taunted, leering right into Ophanimon's face. "Oh, and before you lecture me about power, perhaps you should take a good look at the power that you wield, lady!"

"What are you talking about?" Ophanimon questioned, her patience beginning to wear thin with her enemy.

Lilithmon shook her head with a condescending smirk. "Honestly! Pretending not to know… Be honest with yourself for a change! You are the one who holds all the power within the Three Great Angels, Ophanimon, even if you pretend not to! They call it a triumvirate, but you are the one at the apex of the triangle," she bluntly informed her. As she spoke, she began to gradually fly closer to the ophan.

"Even before the war, we could see that Seraphimon and Cherubimon butted heads. Even more so these days, from what I hear…" Lilithmon expounded, slowly drifting in the embattled night sky. "So, then, who makes the decision when the two egotistical men disagree? Who holds the balance of power between them? It's you, Ophanimon. Whatever the outcome, you decide what happens in the Heavenly Choir…"

Ophanimon winced, her grip tightening around her spear. She glanced to the side, spotting her two friends still dancing in a deadly tango. She had to get to them. "That's ludicrous. We make decisions together," Ophanimon insisted, attempting to glide to the left to put herself closer to them.

Lilithmon matched her pivot. "Oh, please. Take responsibility for your own actions!" she chastised the angel, moving slowly closer. "You stand there, judging me, and yet, here you are, allowing two men to fight over you!" For emphasis, Lilithmon swept her hand outwards, gesturing towards the center of the storm, where Seraphimon and Cherubimon were clashing with the might of heaven.

At this, Ophanimon's face tightened into a confused and incredulous glare. "You are deluded, Lilithmon! What are you talking about?" she demanded, looking with worry over towards the two embattled archangels.

"Don't play innocent with me. Those two fight over your affections just as much as they do for your political support," Lilithmon informed her with a cunning smile. "Don't pretend that you don't know that Cherubimon harbours feelings for you. I could see that even before I fell!"

"I've heard enough of your manipulations!" Ophanimon fired back angrily, shooting a beam of light at the demon.

Lilithmon dodged out of the way. "Hah! It's much harder to judge yourself than it is to judge others, isn't it?!" she laughed. "Do you honestly think that either of them view you as anything other than a prize to be won?! They don't see you as an equal. There are no meaningful relationships in the world – there is no true love or friendship. We are Digimon: creatures of primal instinct. There is only power and social politics; misguided feelings of affection are mere delusions of the weak."

"That isn't true…" Ophanimon answered with a grimace.

"You are selfish and a hypocrite," she continued. Lilithmon circled around behind Ophanimon, smirking darkly. She saw that her words were beginning to get to her. "You secretly love having subtle control over Cherubimon and Seraphimon. You enjoy being able to play them off each other at a moment's notice. All it takes is for you to show your favour to one over the other… then the other will work that much harder for your grace. You exert this soft control over the whole of the Choir, too…"

Ophanimon's hand trembled as it squeezed the hilt of her lance in a vice-like grip. "I… don't behave that way…" she insisted. Despite her words, she couldn't help but think back to her last encounters with Cherubimon. She began to doubt herself. She wondered if, by giving him her support in private, but siding with Seraphimon during their meeting, she made him feel isolated. She wondered if she had toyed with him without meaning to. She began to worry that she was responsible for driving him to the Demon Lords.

"You act superior, but you are no different from me," Lilithmon spoke, nearing Ophanimon from behind while she was distracted. Her Nazar Nail glistened in the moonlight as it prepared to strike. "We both manipulate the weak to get our way."

Thunder boomed through the sky, snapping Ophanimon out of her thoughts. She sensed Lilithmon approaching from behind her. Her resolve hardened and her emotions began to peak. "I… I am not like you, Lilithmon!" she shouted passionately.

Ophanimon spun around just in time to see Lilithmon charging at her, about to run her through on her claws. She flew back and levelled her lance, firing a beam of light that blasted into Lilithmon's chest just in time. The pillar of light slammed into Lilithmon, throwing her back with a shout of pain.

The Demon Lord of Lust scowled and clutched herself with one hand. She immediately summoned a beam from a magical circle and sent it gushing towards Ophanimon. The pillar of darkness grazed Ophanimon's shoulder and wings, tearing through the metal and causing some of her feathers to cascade off.

"You conceited bitch!" Lilithmon scathingly said as her gauntlet crackled with rippling energy. "You are exactly like me! You are just too self-righteous to admit it! I am not ashamed of who I am or what I do. In fact, I am proud of it! I am stronger than any other Demon Lord because I own my vice. I embrace it, rather than be controlled by it."

Lilithmon charged at her again, hell-bent on having Ophanimon's blood. "I take what I want, when I want! I don't care who gets in my way! I will bend them to my will, no matter who they are! And if they won't bend, then they will shatter!"

Ophanimon watched as Lilithmon closed in on her. She waited for right moment, patiently calculating the Demon Lord's movements, allowing her to come in close.

She held her nerve as Lilithmon closed in with her Nazar Nail poised to strike. Then, right when Lilithmon was within reach of her spear, she swept the Eden's Javelin outwards and bashed her away. She threw Lilithmon through the air and followed up by pumping a beam of light from her lance into Lilithmon, blasting her to the ground.

Lilithmon let out a pained shout as she was thrown into the snowy tundra with a blast of snow and ice. Smoke and frost wafted up from her pained body, but she was not yet defeated. She slowly pulled herself to her hands and knees with a dark, withering scowl.

Ophanimon gazed down at her with a gaze that was a mixture of anger, frigidity, and pity. "If you truly believe that that is the way the world works, then I feel sorry for you, Lilithmon. It must be lonely, being that cynical," she told her, her voice softening with sympathy.

Ophanimon swept her spear outwards and turned away from Lilithmon. She just needed to get her out of the way. She knew that she had already wasted too much time on her.

Ophanimon turned her attention to the base of the mountain, where the raging lightning storm was. She watched as Seraphimon and Cherubimon launched attacks at each other, their electricity flashing around them and tearing up the ground. Her chest tightened when she noticed the wounds on both of them. She had left them alone for too long. At this rate, one of them would end up killing the other... She had to save them before it was too late…

"I don't have time to waste on you anymore," Ophanimon told Lilithmon without so much as gracing her with another look.

"Why you…" Lilithmon scathed, her voice trembling with rage and her words laced with venom.

Without another word, Ophanimon took off in a flash of light. The turquoise-armoured archangel threw herself towards the eye of the storm.

Lilithmon watched, her eye twitching with rage, as Ophanimon disregarded her and flew off towards the two angels. She slowly dragged herself to her feet and brushed the snow off.

Despite her rage, Lilithmon knew that if she were to go after Ophanimon and put herself in the middle of that pitched battle, it would be disadvantageous for her. She knew that she had to focus on the battle around them. She would bide her time and watch. She would wait until the best time to strike.

"Ophanimon…" Lilithmon whispered, glaring at the archangel as she soared into the thick of the fight. "You may think you have won, but I will personally ensure that you have nothing left… I will break you…"

Ophanimon glanced behind her to make sure that Lilithmon wasn't chasing her. She soared beneath the clouds, which became progressively darker the closer that she got. Now that she was alone, her expression formed into a worried grimace as she watched her friends tearing strips off of each other.

"…Seraphimon… Cherubimon… Please hold on…"

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"Cherubimon…!" Seraphimon shouted as divine lightning flashed behind him.

"Seraphimon!" Cherubimon Vice boomed, his own infernal lightning raging around them.

The two archangels did battle in the night sky, electricity piercing the heavens while the two full moons glowed from within the eye of the storm. Seraphimon and Cherubimon had been tearing strips off each other for the past fifteen minutes. They clashed in merciless combat, beating each other with their fists and feet, hurling javelins and concentrated light at one another, and calling down bolts of electricity down from the sky.

The damage of their celestial duel was beginning to show. Cracks marred Seraphimon's usually pristine armour. His intricate, holy plate was blackened and burned in various places, and a couple of the fractures were deep enough to cut his skin. Meanwhile, Cherubimon sported defensive cuts and burns across the surfaces of his huge arms and powerful legs. The pungent smell of burnt fur wafted from his body and a few trickles of blood dripped from superficial wounds and matted his dusky violet fur. By the unbridled rage between them and the way they channelled that anger into beating each other, it appeared from the outside that neither of them were holding anything back.

"You treacherous heretic!" Seraphimon thundered with simmering rage. He weaved through half a dozen lightning bolts that struck down from the chaotic sky. Even as one struck the tips of two of his wings, he was undeterred. He gathered seven orbs of holy light in front of his hands and launched them at Cherubimon, the pulsing spheres glimmering in the dark like tracers. "How could you betray us?!"

"You made it quite easy, actually!" Cherubimon gleefully explained, launching himself to the side as the spheres rushed towards him one by one, seeming to anticipate his movements. He just narrowly evaded all seven, each one licking at his heels. Meanwhile, he whirled around and hurled Lightning Spears, one after another, right back at Seraphimon. "After all, who was it who betrayed me first?!"

Seraphimon swerved sharply to avoid the razor sharp javelin, ascending higher in order to jump over the second one. "Betray you? Spare me your ridiculous rationalisations! If you are going to turn your back of God Himself, then at least have the integrity to take responsibility for your despicable actions, Cherubimon!" Seraphimon shouted. He raised his hand and the storm clouds above him surged with pure, white lightning. "Ascension Hallow!"

Cherubimon snarled spitefully as the lightning bolts rained down on him. He danced flexibly through the squall, but one lightning bolt ripped into his shoulder and sent electricity coursing through his arm, causing him to roar. "Raaaagh! Hollow words from the king of rationalisations!" Cherubimon spat, sweeping his smoking arm out dramatically. "Your memory is as short as your mind is small, Seraphimon! You conveniently forget all of the things you have done that have led up to this point! Do you think that you are pure? That your hands are not stained with blood because you act under the direction of God?!"

Seraphimon glared at him coldly. "My conscience is clear. Is yours?!" he challenged him.

"No! It hasn't been for a very long time!" Cherubimon fired back, a pair of lightning bolts flashing into his hands. "Therein lies the problem! You have never once stopped to reflect on your actions! Not since the first trace of heresy appeared have you stopped to question whether your actions were correct! You dug your heels in like an impenetrable statue! So frightened you were of the imaginary threat of heresy and upsetting God's status quo that you were swift to quash any voice of dissent! Your inflexibility and fear were what sowed the seeds for the Demon Lords' rebellion, and Ophanimon enabled you every step of the way! I should have stopped you, but you side-lined me and stifled me at every opportunity! Only now have I found the strength to stop you once and for all!"

"Thou truly are deluded, Cherubimon!" Seraphimon thundered in response, his fists crackling with divine electricity. "All of my actions were done for the safety of all angel Digimon and the preservation of God and His Domain! I dealt with heresy with a firm hand because I knew that as soon as the weeds of heresy were given a chance to grow, they would strangle our society. And the Demon Lords proved that I was right!" Seraphimon speeded through the flashing sky, setting himself on a collision course with Cherubimon.

"Oh? And who do you think fertilized the soil to allow those weeds to grow?! It was us, you stubborn fool!" Cherubimon shouted, hurling a blood red spear at the soaring archangel.

The spear impacted Seraphimon's shoulder, piercing through his thick pauldron and slicing the outside of his shoulder. He grunted with pain and grimaced, the physical pain nothing compared to the panging he felt inside of him. "It was their innate vice…" he stubbornly insisted, wincing as he continued flying towards Cherubimon. "Are you so sympathetic to their cause that you would turn your back on us? After everything that they have done? We may have disagreed on many things, but I have never known you to have an evil heart, Cherubimon…!"

"You have always seen things in a moral binary, Seraphimon," the fallen angel challenged him. "Perhaps now is the time to open your mind, in these last, remaining moments before I put an end to you… Well, then? What am I to you now? A demon? A heretic? An enemy?"

At Cherubimon's blunt question, Seraphimon found himself faltering for once. "I…" he hesitated, finding it exceedingly difficult to know how to respond.

Cherubimon smirked darkly. "God chose me as the Archangel of Wisdom, and yet, I chose to stand against you and side with the Demon Lords. What does that mean, then? Does that make our God fallible? Or, if God is infallible, then does that mean you are the one who is wrong in your beliefs? Is that why you hesitate, old friend?" he manipulatively inquired.

Seraphimon clenched his fists tightly, electricity dancing along his gauntlets. "No… That is not the reason…" he bitterly thought to himself. He looked up at Cherubimon, who was looming over him in the sky. He could feel his anger morphing into an uncomfortable mix of sorrow and frustration. "Why…? Why have you done this, Cherubimon? Why have you fallen so far?!"

Cherubimon's Cheshire smile widened with perverse glee. He held a Lightning Spear overhand above his head, preparing to use both hands to stab it down into Seraphimon. "To destroy you and take control once and for all!" he shouted, bringing his spear down on top of him.

Seraphimon winced and dove out of the way, feeling the wind and electricity against him as Cherubimon's fists swept past him. Seeing an opening, the seraph flew upwards, past Cherubimon's chest. He flew higher and stopped, right in front of the rabbit's glowering face. Now that they were face-to-face, Seraphimon summoned seven, burning stars in front of his hands, the orbs spinning around congruently. He had an opening. This was his chance.

However, as he stared at the face of his friend, Seraphimon found himself hesitating. Even though there was nothing but malevolence before him, the face of his friend reminded him of peaceful memories. Despite the fact that Cherubimon was a fallen angel now, even Seraphimon's anger wasn't enough to make him forget that he was his friend. He wondered, had he been holding back this whole time?

The chance he had to attack slipped through his fingers. As he reached the nadir of his swing, Cherubimon suddenly somersaulted forwards. He slammed his heel down onto Seraphimon's head and spiked him into the ground.

Seraphimon crashed into the snowy ground with a metallic clatter, and no sooner did he land did three of Cherubimon's lightning bolts converge on him and surged through his body, drawing a yell of pain from his throat.

Cherubimon righted himself in the air and summoned another blood-hued Lightning Spear in his hand. He stared down at his grounded foe, taking sick delight in seeing Seraphimon's smoking, writhing body on the ground.

Seraphimon grimaced as lightning laced his armoured body, several of his golden feathers drifting down to the melted snow around him. He tried to drag himself to his hands and knees, slowly raising his helmeted face to look up at Cherubimon. "Che…rubimon…" he uttered.

Cherubimon looked down on him with an expression of hatred and disgust. "You are a small-minded, imperious Digimon. You are afraid to think for yourself, preferring to supplant yourself to God and carry out its directives to the letter. Perhaps if you and Ophanimon considered my opinion for once, these wars never would have happened! But no… It always had to be your way! You always had to be right! It had to be you and your cabal of like-minded humanoids who dictated our course!"

Cherubimon reared his arm back and prepared to throw his javelin down at him. "Nothing made this clearer to me than our last Council together. You went behind my back, disregarded my opinions, and shuffled me off to the side so that you and Ophanimon could control things together!" he accused him venomously.

Seraphimon glowered up at him, still trying to shake off the direct hit. "So, that's what this is about? The reason you fell is because of your wounded pride?! Like Lucemon before you, your betrayal is but the product of a tantrum?!"

Cherubimon scowled balefully and clutched his spear tighter. "You dismissal does nothing but prove my point!" he bellowed. "It only demonstrates your continued campaign to marginalise me!"

"Your anger is unfounded! Ophanimon and I have been nothing but friends to you!" Seraphimon fired back. "There is no conspiracy against you, you misguided fool!"

"You are the misguided one! You are blind to your own evils! Now, I will end you once and for all!" Cherubimon thundered, pitching his javelin downwards. "Lightning Spear!"

"Cherubimon!" Seraphimon protested, watching as the crimson spike descended on him. He quickly forced himself to his feet, but he wouldn't be fast enough to evade.

Suddenly, a flash of turquoise appeared in his vision.

"Stop this!" a female voice resounded, nearly splitting the hemorrhaging sky.

Ophanimon threw herself in front of Seraphimon defensively. She raised the shield covering her left arm, bracing herself as the crimson spear slammed into the metal surface. The Lightning Spear raged against her shield, splitting around it with shards of lightning tearing up the ground around her and Seraphimon. Although the strain against her arm was great, she succeeded in saving Seraphimon from a direct hit.

"Tch," Cherubimon scoffed, glaring resentfully at the third Archangel's timely intervention. "Ah, Ophanimon! Welcome!" he greeted, trying not to look too bothered. "Coming to Seraphimon's rescue once again, I see."

"Cherubimon! Seraphimon! Both of you! Stop this!" Ophanimon ordered them.

"There is no reasoning with him, Ophanimon," Seraphimon informed her, flapping his wings to take to the sky. "He is determined to blame his woes on us."

"Playing the middle again, Ophanimon?" Cherubimon needled in a deep, condescending voice. "Although my guess is that you will take Seraphimon's side in the end, as per usual. You had might as well skip the performance and just fight me right now."

"I don't want to fight you, Cherubimon!" Ophanimon exclaimed, her mouth sporting a pained expression.

"That is most unfortunate, then!" Cherubimon shouted, hurling another Lightning Spear down at them.

The two archangels took to the sky and separated as the tearing projectile impacted between them with a static explosion.

"He will not listen, Ophanimon! His mind is too far gone!" Seraphimon warned her. "Sleipmon and I have already tried!"

"I can get through to him," Ophanimon insisted, battling through the pain in her body from her fight with Lilithmon.

Cherubimon pitched forwards and bounded towards them, as if kicking off an invisible wall. He launched his huge body at the pair of archangels.

Seraphimon reacted to Cherubimon's onslaught by extending the Excalibur from his wrist. He prepared to slash at Cherubimon, but the fallen angel backhanded Seraphimon in the stomach before he could connect. Bashing Seraphimon away, Cherubimon turned his attention to Ophanimon. He narrowed his eyes resentfully and raised his arm above his head, bringing his hand down upon her in a powerful chop.

Ophanimon swiftly blocked his hand by crossing her spear over her head, supporting it with her left arm. She poured light into the Eden's Javelin to help defend herself. Although she was able to block his hand from hitting her, his power was too strong.

The bottom of his hand strained against the shaft of her lance, the holy light radiating against its fur. The intense light that she emitted gave the part of his violet hand an almost pink colour. Before she could give it any thought, Cherubimon's strength overtook her and pushed Ophanimon through the air, bashing her towards the ground.

The green-plated angel grimaced but managed to catch herself before she could slam into the ice. She briefly checked to make sure that Seraphimon was okay before being forced to swerve to avoid the lightning bolts that fell towards her.

---

Meanwhile, Sleipmon watched from the ground as the three top-ranking angels clashed in the sky. He saw Cherubimon trading blows with Seraphimon and Ophanimon, beating each other back before circling around for another pass.

He reached down to his legs and hissed with agony. He tried and failed to pull out the jagged spears from his legs that were keeping him pinned to the ground. With their zigzag shape, they were thoroughly embedded, and he ended up simply cutting his hand when he tried to yank one out. He turned and looked at the cliffs behind him. He saw that Examon was in a similar situation to him, pinned against the cliff by Cherubimon's spears.

Sleipmon grimaced with pain and despair as he watched Cherubimon battle against his friends. He had tried everything, but nothing he did worked. It was like the true Cherubimon was buried under the abyss of the Net Ocean. There had to be a way to get through to him. He didn't want to believe that his friend was beyond saving. He refused to. But… he didn't know how to help. Being stuck like he was, too far to reach Cherubimon… he felt useless.

Examon, likewise, was struggling. Pinned to the cliff face by Cherubimon's Lightning Spears, he found himself unable to free himself or assist in the battle. He tried to pull his wings but they were stuck against the notched javelins. He did his best to grip the Ambrosius with one hand, despite the spears pinning his arm wings. He didn't have a great degree of motion as a result.

At that moment, he could only try to figure out how to escape and plan his next move.

---

Ophanimon soared in an unpredictable pattern, dipping and rising to avoid the red javelins that flashed through the sky and licked at her armour. She grimaced as one of the spears cut along her ankle, grazing the hem of her dress and drawing a tear of blood that dripped down to the tip of her shoe.

"Cherubimon, please, stop! Let's talk about this!" she pleaded with him.

"Now you value my opinion?! Don't insult me with more of your hollow words! You never listened to me!" he roared with a pained expression as he launched spear after spear at her.

"That isn't not true! I care about you!" Ophanimon shouted to him over the hisses of the electricity.

"Only when it suits you! You embrace me with one arm and stab me with the other!" Cherubimon thundered. "The two of you – my so-called friends – only wish to use me! You plan to cast me aside as soon as I become anything but a docile pawn!"

"Where in the heavens did you get that inane idea from?!" Seraphimon demanded, calling down lightning from the blustering firmament to strike at Cherubimon and keep him off of Ophanimon.

Cherubimon snarled as three streaks of lightning pierced the air in front of him. One scorched across his hand, leaving a smoking mark. "Rrgh! From your own mouths!" he roared, wheeling around and hurling a Lightning Spear at Seraphimon. "I heard the two of you after our last meeting! You conspired to edge me out of the Council!"

Seraphimon winced as he swerved to evade the bolt, the fulminating missile cutting along his shoulder pauldron and nicking two of his wings. "Ngh…" he murmured, grimacing as he remembered his words. "That… That was just…" he trailed off, finding it increasingly difficult to defend himself.

"Cherubimon…" Ophanimon spoke with a guilty wince. "We didn't mean that. We would never do that to you!"

The fallen angel narrowed his eyes and scowled caustically. "I don't believe anything you say, Ophanimon. Not anymore! Not after you turned your back on me!" he accused her, pointing his finger at her. "If you really cared about me, then you would support me! You would ally yourself with me against him! You would pledge your soul to me and defy Seraphimon and God! You owe me that much!"

Ophanimon's face morphed into a confused and pensive frown. The more that Cherubimon spoke, the less he sounded like he was coming from a place of righteous anger, and more from a place of pure bitterness and hatred. Cherubimon's possessive words to her right then confirmed what she had already been thinking.

"No… This isn't you, Cherubimon!" Ophanimon told him, stopping in the sky and turning to him. "Now I am more certain than ever that this isn't really you talking. The Cherubimon that I know would never say something like that." She began to tentatively fly towards him. "No matter how bad things have gotten between us, you are still a kind and gentle Digimon. I know for certain that you have been corrupted against your will!"

"Corrupted? Ophanimon, do not be naïve," Seraphimon advised her, flying closer as well to support her. "He went to the Demon Lords willingly!"

"But not to betray us! Seraphimon, look past your prejudice. You know that Cherubimon wouldn't do this. You two are the best of friends, so you should know as well as I do!" Ophanimon called out to him. "I know things have been difficult lately, but this war has driven you apart! You have both been driven to the extremes! The seeds of vice may have been there, but nothing as extreme as this. You must know that Cherubimon would never willingly betray the friends and God that he loves!"

Seraphimon looked ahead at Cherubimon with a tight and thoughtful gaze. He wondered if she was right. He had automatically assumed that he willingly betrayed them just like the others had, largely based on Lucemon's words. He had let his suspicion get the better of him, but he realised that Ophanimon had a point. If he really thought about it, this wasn't how Cherubimon would act. Only bitter vestiges of his dry wit remained, and gone were his boundless wisdom and idealism. It was as if he was acting only with wrath and envy. Even if he fell willingly, his change in personality was so extreme.

"It… could be thus…" Seraphimon debated. "In my anger, I merely assumed…"

"There is much that you do in your anger, Seraphimon!" Cherubimon scathingly rebuked him. "Tell me, will you purge me just like you purged all the others who fell? Or will you now try and 'save' me and keep me as your pet?"

Seraphimon glowered and looked over at Ophanimon. "What can we do at this point? He is so far gone," he asked her.

"We have to try!" she answered, her voice determined and resolute. "It is our duty as his friends to save him!"

Seraphimon nodded with quiet resolve. He clenched his fists tightly. "…But what if we cannot?"

Ophanimon grimaced and allowed her silence to speak for itself. "…Give me an opening!" she commanded him before taking off in the stormy, moonlit sky. She circled around at a wide angle, attempting to get behind Cherubimon.

As the fallen angel turned his attention towards her, Seraphimon flew at him from the front, summoning several holy orbs in front of him. "Seven Heavens!" he trumpeted, launching the concentrated orbs towards Cherubimon in a scattered formation.

Cherubimon's attention was drawn back towards Seraphimon's attack, and he twisted his body acrobatically, easily dodging around the attacks despite his large form. He growled and looked back at Seraphimon, summoning two spears in his hands.

"Enough of this!" Seraphimon called to him as he propelled himself on a direct course with Cherubimon. "Come to your senses! However the Demon Lords are influencing you, fight against it!"

"It couldn't possibly be that I have a mind of my own for once, now could it?!" Cherubimon mockingly fired back. He coiled his arm back and lobbed one spear after the other at Seraphimon. "Do not suddenly pretend that you care, Seraphimon! This is the chance that you have been waiting for. This is your excuse to get me out of the picture!"

Seraphimon winced as he narrowly dodged the two javelins that whizzed past him. His aching body was beginning to tire, still feeling the pain from Lucemon's attack earlier. "You are mistaken! I do not wish to fight you, Cherubimon!" he tried to convince him. The Excalibur extended from his wrist and his fist crackled with electricity. "I want to save you!"

"Hah! You have always hated me!" Cherubimon accused him with a resentful grin. "You revel in undermining me!"

"You are wrong! You are my best friend and I love you!" Seraphimon shouted with uncharacteristic passion. He grimaced and surged towards Cherubimon with his sword drawn. "But… I have no choice but to expel the sin from you!"

"So try it!" Cherubimon shouted, swinging his Lightning Spear down like a sword.

The spear clashed with Seraphimon's energy sword and tendrils of power emanated between them as they clashed for dominance in the dark, wintery sky.

---

As the angels fought, the two Royal Knights attempted to get free. Examon struggled to pull his wings forward, trying and failing to pull one of the javelins out of him and the cliff face with his free hand. Growling with pain, he let go and looked down at Sleipmon, who was pinned to the ice about fifty meters in front of him.

"Sleipmon!" Examon called out to him. "Are you okay?!"

Sleipmon grimaced and glanced down at the spears pegging his legs to the ground. He still couldn't move them. His blood was beginning to congeal and freeze beneath his legs. "Rrgh… Not especially!" he called back. "Can you free yourself?"

"It isn't looking good!" Examon shouted to him with obvious strain in his voice. "I can just about aim the Ambrosius, but my wings are pinned!"

Wincing as much at the pain as he was Examon's answer, Sleipmon looked down at his right arm, which he could still move freely. "I can't move my legs, but I can still use the Muspellsheimr, and I have limited use of the Niflheimr!"

Examon frowned and nodded, trying to think of their best move in this dire situation. "We may need to make use of that! We may need to support the angels!"

Sleipmon nodded. Clenching his fists, he looked back at Cherubimon, who was locked in a clash of blades with Seraphimon. He worried for Cherubimon. The darkness within him was so strong, but surely with the two Archangels there, there had to be something that he could do.

He wanted desperately to help him, in any way that he could. Even if he was immobile, he still had his voice – and his crossbow, if the situation mandated it. Sleipmon promised himself that he would save him. He had to.

His violet eyes scanned the arrow sitting in the Muspellsheimr. He steeled his heart and looked back at the blackened rabbit with determination. He watched Ophanimon stealthily approaching Cherubimon from behind. Seeing their plan, he was determined to support them. It was their best chance…

Examon, meanwhile, looked down at Sleipmon from his vantage point. He could see how hard Seraphimon was fighting. There was no longer any effort spared. He knew that he would have to have that same determination, and he hoped Sleipmon would as well.

"Sleipmon…" he thought to himself. "If the situation doesn't improve, I hope you are prepared…"

The dragon knight glanced down at the Ambrosius in his hand. His claw rested against the trigger.

"I hope…"

---

"Fall, Seraphimon! I will have you on your hands and knees before me!" Cherubimon exclaimed with a dark and violent smile. He loomed over the smaller angel, bearing down on him with his giant arms as he tried to plunge his Lightning Spear on top of him.

Seraphimon growled as the crimson electricity licked against his helmet. It was all he could do to block the massive spear with his Excalibur. He could feel the electricity dancing up his arm, causing his fingers to go numb. He knew he couldn't beat Cherubimon's sheer strength, but he was faster than him. He had to act before his arms gave way completely. He hoped had given Ophanimon enough time.

"Divine Breaker!" Seraphimon shouted, retracting his sword as his fists surged with divine lightning. As soon as the pressure against Cherubimon's spear released, he blitzed into close range, ducking under Cherubimon's arms. He slammed his electrically-charged fists into Cherubimon's belly and sent volts coursing through him.

As Cherubimon seized up and roared with pain, Seraphimon pressed his advantage, spinning around as his boot glowed like a golden comet. "Heaven's Kick!" he thundered. He slammed his foot into Cherubimon's upper body, sending the fallen angel flying into the sky. "Ophanimon!"

In the sky ahead of him, Ophanimon watched as Cherubimon came hurdling towards her. She had the Eden's Javelin pointed straight at him. The spear was awash with holy light. "Eden's Javelin!" the Archangel of Mercy shouted.

Light poured from the length of her spear in a concentrated beam. The pillar washed the through the air, illuminating the arctic night with its purifying light. The inundating ray coursed towards Cherubimon and slammed into him before he could escape. The light consumed his back, burning at his dark fur as its holy energy radiated inside him.

Cherubimon howled with pain, thrashing and squirming with extreme discomfort as the light enveloped a large part of his body. "Raaaaagh! No! Get off! It burns!" he yelled in response to the purifying light.

Ophanimon winced but continued pouring her sanctified light onto him, knowing that she had to do it. She held firm and kept pulsing light from her spear to his body, despite his roars of pain and protest.

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon cried out with worry. He could see the pain that he was in and it caused his heart to ache. However, he began to notice something… He could see patches of pink beginning to form around the edges of the light. It was as if the darkness was being pushed back. Seeing this, Sleipmon's eyes widened with hope. "Ophanimon! I think it's working!"

Ophanimon nodded weakly and continued pouring her energy into her purifying attack. Beads of sweat began to drip down her face from underneath her helmet, and she could feel her body weakening. Sustaining such an intense, magical attack for such a prolonged time was exhausting, but she was determined to keep it up for as long as she was able.

She watched as Cherubimon squirmed within the folds of her light. Indeed, she could see some of the violet of his back recede, beginning to be replaced by his usual pink fur. More and more of his pale, pink fur became exposed, expanding from the small of his back. Seeing this caused a small smile to form on her face. This gave her hope. This made them feel that he could be saved…

But then the light faded. Ophanimon reached her limit and she could channel no more light through her Eden's Javelin without giving herself time to recharge. The last vestiges of light disappeared from the tip of her glowing spear, which smoked and crackled with energy. Ophanimon grimaced and slumped forwards slightly, having to put extra focus on her wings to hold herself up.

Cherubimon hissed and reached over his shoulder frantically as the light faded. His back smoked heavily and the center of most of his ample back was restored with pure, pink fur.

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon called out to him, hoping to get some trace of the old Cherubimon in reply.

However… despite the pink on his back, Cherubimon's arms, legs, and head were all still stained with the dark violet of vice. The cruel and twisted expression on his face, the eerie, moon-shaped eyes, and menacing scowl all remained the same. Then, the pink began to recede again, pushed back by the shadows that were inundating the core of his body. The patch of restored fur gradually shrunk until it was completely gone again.

Sleipmon's heart sunk.

Cherubimon snarled with utter rage. He whirled around to face the tired Ophanimon and levelled the most scornful glare at her, the veins in his forehead throbbing and his eye twitching. He raised a hand over his head.

"Ophanimon!" Seraphimon shouted in warning. He propelled himself towards Cherubimon from behind, summoning his seven orbs. "Cherubimon, enough!"

Cherubimon turned his head back towards Seraphimon with a vengeful scowl. "Enough?" he questioned. He raised a second hand above his head, extending his palms to the raging sky. "Yes, I have had enough! It is time to end this, once and for all!"

Cherubimon's eyes flashed with electricity and he raised his head to look at the moonlit sky, watching as the pair of blood moons disappeared within the tightening mass of clouds. The storm suddenly began to worsen. Seraphimon's divine clouds disappeared, overtaken completely by the infernal storm of Cherubimon's wrath. The moonlight disappeared completely and the sky turned black, lit only by the violent, increasingly fast and powerful bolts of lightning. Cherubimon was making his storm get far worse. It was as if it was reaching its crescendo. The savage thunder began to strike fear into the hearts of angel and demon alike.

"Final Judgement!" Cherubimon thundered.

The ground shook and the sky above them surged with hundreds of lightning bolts. There was a giant explosion in the sky, and it was like the clouds had ripped open and unleashed the apocalypse itself. The hundreds of lightning bolts all started funneling downwards and striking all around them. The bolts tore through the ground, punching burning craters into the ice. They tore up parts of the cliff, and even began striking randomly through the battlefield between the angels and demons.

Lucemon kicked SlashAngemon away and pushed himself back as a stray bolt nearly struck him. Brushing his blond hair back, he turned around to inspect the battle between Cherubimon and the two archangels. He smiled at what he saw.

Cherubimon growled as he called down the super cell from the sky. He was unable to control the natural disaster completely, but he was able to direct the flow of the majority of the lightning bolts. And he concentrated them around Seraphimon and Ophanimon.

The lightning rained from the sky in rapid succession. The two archangels were immediately beset by dozens of ripping bolts.

Ophanimon winced and tried to gather her energy to avoid them. She swerved sharply in the sky as a blast swept past her. More lightning bolts assailed her, striking all around her. She attempted to fly in an erratic, zigzag pattern, but there were too many blasts.

One of the bolts struck her lance, coursing through it and flowing up her arm. Then, when she was stunned, a second bolt surged through her armour back, overloading her body with electricity, followed by a third. The ophan released a cry of pain as her body illuminated in the air like a star.

Meanwhile, electricity tore up the ground around Seraphimon. He soared through the sky, weaving around the piercing chains of light as dynamically as he could. He made hard turns as the bolts grazed his feathery wings. The seraph attempted to fly straight towards Cherubimon, hoping to put a stop to this. However, a multitude of lightning bolts converged on him.

One cut across the air in front of him. Another pierced his leg, and, another, his shoulder. Then, three bolts all struck Seraphimon at once, coursing through his body and causing him to freeze in the air. Seraphimon let out a bellow of pain as his body lit up in writhing agony and feathers cascaded from his back.

Cherubimon released a cross between a scowl and a grimace. "You should never have crossed me!" he roared.

Cherubimon bounded in the air towards the stunned Ophanimon. She hovered rigidly in the sky, lightning still tracing her smouldering armour. He closed in on her in seconds, stopping right above her. With mad anguish on his face, Cherubimon snarled and whirled his body around. He reared his hand back and slammed it into her, spiking her into the snowy ground below. Ophanimon grimaced as she impacted the ice, her armour scratching against the glacier and sending up a wave of snow as she skidded along the ground.

"Ophan..imon…!" Seraphimon uttered through his agony and uncontrollable twitching.

"Cherubimon, stop!" Sleipmon pleaded with him.

Examon scowled and tried to aim with the Ambrosius, but he couldn't reach the right angle from his restricted position.

Cherubimon spun around in response to Seraphimon's voice, his eyes flashing like lightning. He spotted the seraph fighting through the electricity, trying to move his arms and wings despite his protesting muscles. Cherubimon glared at him and summoned a single Lightning Spear in his hand…

"This is it, old friend…" Cherubimon told him, angling his body forwards.

And then Cherubimon took off. The fallen angel hurdled towards Seraphimon at a breakneck speed, all while lightning bolts struck around him. The dark Cherubimon grinned with spite and acrimony. He poised the Lightning Spear in his hands, clutching it in an underhand posture in order to thrust it forwards.

Seraphimon watched as Cherubimon raced towards him in a linear course. The lightning began to subside and he regained enough control over his movements in order to react. He grimaced with both physical and emotional agony. He brought his hands together, summoning seven orbs in front of him. It would take Cherubimon several seconds to get there. He had the range on him. He was prepared for what he had to do…

"Cherubimon…" Seraphimon whispered with pain, watching as all seven orbs materialised. "…Seven Heav—"

"Dead or Alive!" a cruel voice resonated from behind him.

Seraphimon tensed up and hesitated, suddenly sensing a great pressure from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a huge ball of darkness and light closing in on him. He couldn't possibly avoid it.

The dual orb slammed into Seraphimon's back and suddenly expanded into magical sphere, trapping him in its runic clutches. Before he could even begin to resist it, the magical prison suddenly imploded in on itself, crushing him with its magical power. Seraphimon cried out with pain as the magical pressure tore into his already fractured armour.

Cherubimon halted in his path, watching with frustration as Seraphimon lurched forwards, his body smoking and pieces of armour and feathers falling from his body. Cherubimon growled and looked past his opponent to glare at the demonic interloper.

Lucemon smiled smugly at Cherubimon from some distance behind Seraphimon, extending his magic swathed hand towards him. "You looked as though you needed some help…"

"Stay out of this!" Cherubimon snapped at him, scowling with rage at his interference.

"As you like. He is all yours," Lucemon benevolently offered, bowing theatrically before turning back to the main battle.

Seraphimon groaned and weakly raised his head. He saw Cherubimon stalking towards him in the air. He knew that he had to move, but his body refused to cooperate.

Cherubimon smirked a dark but wistful smile as he stared at the helpless archangel. He clutched the Lightning Spear and floated closer. He carefully angled the lance, and aimed it at Seraphimon's chest. If Seraphimon were able to look closely, he would have noticed the tears that were forming in Cherubimon's eyes.

"Seraphimon… Goodbye," Cherubimon softly spoke. And then he drove the lance forwards.

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon yelled out desperately.

Cherubimon scowled with tormented rage as the voice distracted him. His lance plunged into Seraphimon's right side, tearing through his armour and piercing flesh, but missing the center of his body. Seraphimon howled with pain as the lance penetrated the side of his torso, burning through his flesh and sending crimson sparks cascading out from the puncture.

Cherubimon ripped the Lightning Spear out with a spurt of blood and he slammed his foot into Seraphimon's body, punting him into the glacier below.

As Seraphimon crashed against the ground, he bounced across the ice for several meters before coming to a sliding stop in the snow. His armoured body was fractured, and blood and smoke leaked out from his side. Although it wasn't the immediate kill that Cherubimon had been aiming for, it was still a grievous wound. Seraphimon lay in a heap in the snow, unmoving and critically wounded.

Cherubimon spun around and hurled the Lightning Spear towards Sleipmon with frustration. "You interfering nuisance! Allow me to kill him in peace!" he shouted with rage, his eyes distraught with rage and turmoil.

Sleipmon winced and ducked as the spear whizzed harmlessly past him and tore into the mountain behind him. Despite not being able to do anything else, he refused to back down. "I won't let you do that!" he shouted. "You were the one who taught me how precious life is! I won't let you do something that I know you'll regret!"

Cherubimon scowled at him with a torn expression on his face. He scoffed and turned away, shifting his attention back to Seraphimon.

"Cherubimon…" Ophanimon weakly spoke up. She grimaced and was just able to pull herself to her hands and knees on the ground. Her armour was scorched and smoking, and blood dripped onto the white snow from her shoulder wound. "Please… Stop…"

Cherubimon paused for just a moment, hearing Ophanimon's voice between the thunderclaps. His eyes hardened and he ignored her. He took a step towards Seraphimon.

Ophanimon raised her head and gazed at Cherubimon sorrowfully. "Cherubimon!" she called out to him. "Please listen to him! Killing Seraphimon won't make you feel better! You will only hate yourself!"

"More than I already do?" Cherubimon bitterly wondered. "I have nothing left but this. You took it from me."

"That's not true, Cherubimon!" she contended. "Whatever they did to you, they amplified the negative emotions in your heart! They just want to use you! You still have everything with us!"

"And what is that?! To be a pawn in God's game? To fill an empty role as the third behind you and Seraphimon?!" Cherubimon snapped at her, lightning flashing into his hand. "Wherever I go, I am either a pawn of God or a pawn of Lucemon! I have nothing left but destruction…"

"That isn't true, Cherubimon!" Sleipmon passionately shouted. "There are so many people who care about you! I care about you!"

Ophanimon grimaced as her heart ached with guilt. "Sleipmon's right! Please, Cherubimon, listen to me!" she begged him. "I know that Seraphimon and I hurt you! I'm truly sorry! We never intended to exclude you! You're very dear to us! We both love you very much!"

Cherubimon's snarling face showed hints of fracture. His eyes were pained and he clutched his horned forehead with his hand. "You… You expect me to believe that?" he demanded in a trembling bass. "It's too late for that now… It's far too late…"

He clutched the Lightning Spear and stalked unevenly towards Seraphimon, his pained eyes tightening. "They are empty words…" he murmured bitterly.

Sleipmon watched with desperation and despair as Cherubimon stalked towards Seraphimon. "Cherubimon, don't do this! You are so much stronger than this! You have to try and fight it!"

"Cherubimon, please!" Ophanimon shouted with despair. She clutched her spear and trying to use it to drag herself up. "I know you're in there! The kind and compassionate Cherubimon that I care so much about is still in there! You have to dig deep and find him again!"

Sleipmon gazed at Cherubimon with determination and passion. "Please listen, Cherubimon! Think about who you are!" he beseeched him. "What about everything that you said you wanted to accomplish?! You told me that you wanted to create a kinder world!"

The two-pronged attack by Sleipmon and Ophanimon was taking its toll on Cherubimon. He grimaced and stopped his advance, clutching his head tighter. His face twisted with agony and sweat dripped down his forehead. "Be… Be silent…" he panted through his tight grimace.

"You're so caring, Cherubimon. So much that you would even extend an olive branch to the Demon Lords. That's what you were doing, wasn't it?" Ophanimon asked him, seeing that their words were having an effect. "You have such a big heart…"

"Cherubimon, you taught me everything I know!" Sleipmon pressed onwards passionately. "It's because of you that I have such love for the world! Even when we disagreed, I learned so much from you! And even now, you're still one of my closest friends!"

"Be silent…!" Cherubimon rasped, dropping his spear and clutching his face with both hands. He released a cry and arched his back, throwing his head upwards as shadows began to leak from in between his fingers. "BE SILENT!"

His thunderous shout cracked through the air like lightning. His body writhed back and forth, Cherubimon's body was wracked with struggle and agony. Cherubimon collapsed to his hands and knees, his claws screeching against the ice below him.

His body was still mostly violet and green, but when he raised his head, they could see that face had turned half-pink. Cherubimon squirmed with resistance and stared at Ophanimon and Sleipmon with desperation in his eyes.

"Ophanimon…! Sleip…mon!" he uttered, his resonant voice strained and uneven.

"Cherubimon!" Sleipmon called out to him, his eyes widening at seeing traces of his pure form. "Fight it!"

"I… I can't…! It's too… powerful!" Cherubimon growled.

"Keep fighting!" Ophanimon told him. She stood to get feet unevenly and lifted the Eden's Javelin, levelling it with him. "I will help you! I can use my light to help purify you!"

"I don't know how long I can hold it…! Barbamon's magic… My dark emotions… They're too strong…!" Cherubimon grunted with pained effort. His claws pierced the ice and caused it to shatter beneath them. "Hurry, please…!"

Ophanimon grimaced and tapped into as much of her reserves of magical power as she could. She gripped her holy lance tightly and began channeling light through it. "Don't give into the darkness!" she shouted. "Eden's Javelin!"

Light surged from Ophanimon's lance and inundated Cherubimon's body, washing over him. The light burned against him and he unleashed a thunderous roar, squirming and thrashing with agony. However, the shadows began to recede further, until soon, almost all of his face and parts of his shoulders were pink again.

Ophanimon grimaced as she continued pouring her holy light into Cherubimon, doing her level best to purify him. She was pushing herself past her physical and mental limits in order to empty all of her magical reserves. Using so much of her magic on such a sustained scale was depleting. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep it up, but she refused to stop.

Cherubimon snarled as he battled for control of himself. The shadows began to creep away from his arms. However as they receded down his body, they began to expand up the back of his head again, starting to cover the right side of his face. "Rrrgh… No…!"

"Fight it, Cherubimon!" Sleipmon urged him. He raised his crossbow and aimed at Cherubimon, wondering if his arrows of light would help at all if he shot near him.

Examon watched from the side of the cliff as Ophanimon tried to purge the evil from within him. The struggle was fierce and hard-fought, but he could see that the darkness was fighting back. It wasn't enough.

Ophanimon panted and gritted her teeth as she continued drawing everything from her reserves. It took all of her energy and concentration to keep channelling her light into a heart so drenched in darkness. She could feel his virtuous heart, but so much virtue required so much darkness to overpower it. She began to worry that she wouldn't be able to keep it up.

Then Cherubimon roared and lightning swept down from the sky, ripping through the ground right next to her. The electricity threw Ophanimon to the ground and her attack was broken.

Cherubimon heaved and panted on his hands and knees, smoke drifting up from his form. His body was a smattering of dark violet and pink, but it was clear that there was more darkness than light. He attempted to hold the darkness at bay, but it was beginning to assert itself again.

Ophanimon grimaced and clutched her spear, weakly pulling herself to her hands and knees again. Despite her exhaustion, she slowly pointed her spear and prepared to continue trying to purify him.

"Ophanimon… S-Stop…" Cherubimon told her with resigned sorrow in his eyes. "It… It's no good… It is too strong…!"

"I won't give up!" Ophanimon stubbornly assured him, grimacing as she began to pour what light she could into her lance.

"Neither will I!" Sleipmon passionately agreed. "Keep fighting it, Cherubimon! Don't give up!"

"I… I can't… I wish I could…" Cherubimon weakly responded, staring at Sleipmon with his beady, black eyes. "I am trying, but I am too weak… I cannot sustain it…!"

"You have to try! Ophanimon and I will do whatever we can!" Sleipmon urged him.

Cherubimon smiled sadly and shook his head. "It is too embedded… Even this much…is too difficult…" he explained, grimacing with pain as the shadows crawled back up his arms. Through tight eyes, he glanced briefly at Ophanimon, seeing the depleted state that she was in. He turned his focus back to Sleipmon, staring at his student with determination. "Sleipmon… I need you to do something for me…" he told him. His voice was clear and without hesitation.

"…I need you to stop me from hurting anyone else."

Cherubimon's words sunk into Sleipmon's stomach like a chrome digizoid hammer. It was as if the weight of the entire Digital World had fallen on his shoulders. The words hurt him more than any of the spears that were impaling his flesh. His eyes slowly widened with horror and disbelief.

"W…What?" Sleipmon questioned incredulously, his words but a wintery breath.

"Ch-Cherubimon!" Ophanimon protested, unable to believe what she was hearing. She glanced down at her spear, which glowed only dimly now. "I… I can still…"

"I'm sorry, Sleipmon," Cherubimon told him with a pained smile. "I… I know it is unfair of me to ask this of you… but… I need you to kill me… I couldn't bear it… if I killed someone I love… Please…"

Sleipmon's eyes became as wide as the moons above them. His heart began to break, and his insides twisted into knots. He couldn't believe what he was hearing – what Cherubimon was asking him to do. It was unfathomable to him. The Royal Knight didn't even want to consider it.

"…No! I-… You can't! You can't give up! Not yet! There- there are other ways! There are always other ways!" Sleipmon desperately pleaded with him. "There is still time! Just stay strong! Ophanimon can—"

"Ophanimon cannot help me with what little power she has left. Neither can Seraphimon," Cherubimon insisted, fighting desperately to maintain control of his consciousness, despite feeling the tendrils of darkness creeping in on the corners of his mind. "I… I'm sorry. I don't want to give up. But… I can't hurt anybody else. That… That is what will happen if I'm not…" Cherubimon grimaced with pain and sorrow, shutting his right eye as darkness overtook it. "Please, Sleipmon! You are the only one I can ask…!"

"I…" Sleipmon looked down at the Muspellsheimr crossbow with distraught eyes. There was still a crossbow bolt resting in the breech, ready to be fired. He tightened his trembling fists and shut his eyes. "There has to be another way! If we can incapacitate you somehow and get you back to the Sky Colonies…!"

Ophanimon's face contorted with pain. "He's right. If we gather our forces and retreat now, then maybe…"

Examon winced faintly as he looked down at Sleipmon. He could see how desperate his friend was not to fulfill the heartbreaking request. It was clear that he was grasping at straws. It wasn't that he was unsympathetic, but… he knew that Cherubimon was right.

"And how will you do that?" Cherubimon bluntly asked them. "I am… going to lose control at any minute… We are in the middle… of a losing battle with the Demon Lords… I will never make it back… to the Sky Colonies…" He glanced at the Sky Fortress that circled around the storm. "I will likely destroy that fortress from within! I will not hurt anybody else… This is… the only way…!"

"Cherubimon, please…" Ophanimon beseeched him, her lips curved downwards in a sorrowful frown.

Cherubimon smiled sadly at her. "Ophanimon… I'm so sorry… I… I don't blame you for anything…" he promised her. "Thank you… from the bottom of my heart… for being my friend…"

"You're giving up, Cherubimon!" Sleipmon shouted angrily, his voice quavering with emotions.

Cherubimon smiled sorrowfully at the Royal Knight. Seeing his student protest with such emotion… it was nostalgic. "No, Sleipmon… I am taking control… while I am still able. I don't want to hurt anybody… I am sure that you can understand that…"

Sleipmon shut his eyes tightly. His throat was tight – almost suffocating, and he could feel his eyes starting to sting. He swallowed painfully and looked down at his crossbow, contemplating his weapon…

Suddenly, Cherubimon was hit with a spike of darkness. He let out a roar and clutched his chest and head. The shadows engulfed his arms and all but a small section of his face had returned to his Vice form.

"H-Hurry! Please! I… I am losing… control…!"

Sleipmon's eyes widened with fear and he reluctantly raised the Muspellsheimr. The crossbow string was taut, and the bolt resting against the wood began to glimmer with light. "Cherubimon… please don't…" he begged him.

Cherubimon growled and clutched the side of his face, staring at Sleipmon with his soft, black eye. "Please, Sleipmon… I don't have much time…" Despite his pain, he smiled reassuringly at his student, knowing how hard it would be for him. "It's okay… You have my blessing…"

Sleipmon grimaced with agony and took aim with the Muspellsheimr. His hands trembled and his arm swayed back and forth. He aimed down the sight of his crossbow, the metal bead swaying back and forth as he took aim at Cherubimon's chest.

Sleipmon hesitated. He knew what Cherubimon wanted him to do. He understood why he wanted him to do it. The situation was dire enough that Sleipmon even realised that he had a point. If he didn't take the shot, Cherubimon would lose control again. He would continue his rampage, and he might kill Seraphimon and Ophanimon. He might even kill Examon and himself. And Cherubimon would feel responsible. All because he wasn't able to bring himself to shoot him…

However… when he looked at Cherubimon, all he could remember was his loving mentor. He remembered Cherubimon showing him the world. He taught him about everything in the Digital World, from smallest flowers to what lay beyond the sea. He had so many precious memories. He knew what he had to do, but he couldn't just decouple that from the flood of emotions and memories that he felt.

When Sleipmon contemplated pulling the trigger, he thought about the other life that he took. He remembered the sadness and devastation that it left. He remembered the crippling guilt. He didn't see how he could take the life of someone so dear to him.

Sleipmon's vision became cloudy as he took aim with his crossbow. He mustered his determination and tried to harden himself like ice. His arm trembled and his breathing was uneven. He held his breath to steady his aim, but he couldn't stifle the pain in his chest. He aimed at Cherubimon's digicore, attempting to stop his precision from swaying. His mouth went dry, and he prepared to let loose the string…

Sleipmon raised his gaze and locked eyes with Cherubimon. Seeing the tenderness in Cherubimon's eye staring back at him… he felt his resolve crumble.

As Cherubimon gazed back at Sleipmon, he could see the turmoil in the Royal Knight's face. Watching Sleipmon's face contort with pain, he realised what was happening. Cherubimon's eye softened and he smiled with resignation…

"I… I'm so sorry," Sleipmon choked out, slowly lowering his arm. "I… I can't do it… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Cherubimon used what little remaining control he had to offer Sleipmon a warm, understanding smile. "…I know, Sleipmon… You're too kind," he softly reassured him. "Please… don't lose… that kind spirit…!"

With tearful eyes, Sleipmon watched as the shadow consumed the remaining pink around Cherubimon's eye. He watched as Cherubimon roared with pain and clutched his face, rising to his feet. "No…! Cherubimon!" he shouted, keeping his crossbow tentatively pointed at him.

Cherubimon snarled with rage as the vice began to take over completely once again. "I can't… stop it…! Raaaaagh!" he roared, arching his body backwards.

Examon growled with worry as he watched Cherubimon become consumed by the darkness once again. He realised that Sleipmon wouldn't be able to pull the trigger. He strained his pinned arm and clutched the Ambrosius, looking down at it contemplatively.

Cherubimon snarled and swung his arm out, lightning flashing all around him. This time, he turned his baleful gaze towards Sleipmon. "You interfering knight…!" he growled, his voice cruel and scathing once again. He raised his hand and summoned a crackling Lightning Spear.

"Cherubimon, fight it!" Sleipmon desperately cried out, reluctantly aiming his crossbow.

Cherubimon snarled and began stalking towards the immobile knight, turning his back on Seraphimon. He casually stepped forwards, although it was clear from the pain in his face that he was attempting to resist. "Sleipmon…!" he growled, half with withering anger, half begging him to get away.

Sleipmon watched with horror as Cherubimon grew ever-closer. He raised his shield, hoping maybe he could slow him down, all while trying to wrench a spear from his foreleg. He didn't want to fire, but he had to do something…

Examon snarled and squirmed against the lances impaling his wings. He moved desperately, watching as Cherubimon got closer and closer to Sleipmon. He glanced back down at the Ambrosius. He refused to watch his friend be killed.

Examon's eyes narrowed and he steeled his heart. Even with his limited range of motion, Cherubimon was within his firing line. He strained his wrist and shifted the Ambrosius towards the fallen angel. He took careful aim…

"Sleipmon… I'm sorry. I have to do what you couldn't," Examon inwardly thought to him. His teeth ground together and his body became like a statue, steadying his aim. "I doubt that you will be able to, but I hope that you will forgive me with time…"

"Cherubimon! Stop!" Ophanimon pleaded, pointing her lance at him desperately.

Cherubimon raised the Lightning Spear over his head. His unholy, yellow eyes flashed and the crimson cast across his body like the light of the blood moons. He began to hurl the spear forwards, intent on running Sleipmon through.

It was now or never. If he didn't act, Sleipmon would he killed. Examon narrowed his eyes with machine-like precision.

His finger pressed against the trigger…

Then, Cherubimon stopped in his tracks.

A flash of light burst out of his chest. Then, a second star tore through right behind it. A third- fourth – then another three orbs of holy light coursed out of Cherubimon's front.

Cherubimon stood still with shock as the seventh star exited his body, leaving several smoking holes in his chest. His face was fixed with a look of shock and pain. Then, the crimson spear in his hand dissipated.

Sleipmon let out a shaky, stunned breath as he watched the attacks rip through Cherubimon and stop him in his place. His unfired crossbow fell limply by his side as the multitude of Lightning Spears evaporated from his legs and body, leaving him free.

Examon blinked with shock and confusion as the Lightning Spears were extinguished from his wings and body as well. He began to fall forwards but the Caledfwlch caught him. The dragon knight looked down at his lance. His finger was still half-pressed on the trigger. He hadn't yet fired…

Cherubimon collapsed to his knees, and then fell to his belly with a crash. As his body hit the ground, Seraphimon stood a ways behind him, his hands together, his palms and fingers glowing with holy light.

"Che… Cherubimon…" Sleipmon breathed, tears sitting in his wide eyes.

"Cherubimon!" Ophanimon cried out with horror. Her gaze snapped towards Seraphimon and she stared at him with sorrow and anger. "Seraphimon, why?! You… You…" she demanded as her voice was overcome with emotion.

"I… I had no choice…" Seraphimon answered unevenly, his hands trembling. "I… I… Cherubimon!"

Seraphimon broke into a desperate sprint. Despite the terrible wound in his side, he dashed across the snow and ran up beside Cherubimon, whose dark violet body reverted back into its soft, pink colour. Their lightning clouds began to fade, resulting in an otherwise clear, moonlit night.

Seraphimon limped over to Cherubimon's front and collapsed to his hands and knees in front of him. "Cherubimon… Please forgive me… I'm sorry…!" Seraphimon frantically said to him, his typically calm voice overcome with guilt and sadness.

Cherubimon weakly lifted his head, smiling softly through his pain at the angel in front of him. "I… told you that I would have you on your hands and knees before me…" he weakly joked.

"I'm sorry… This is all my fault…" Seraphimon told him, his ethereal tone uneven and shaky. "I didn't know what else to do… I can heal you…"

Cherubimon softly shook his head. "The state that you and Ophanimon are in… You would die as well…" he assuaged him. "It's… alright… Thank you for this… I wanted to be myself one last time…" Cherubimon weakly looked at him, and then over at Ophanimon.

Ophanimon placed a hand over her mouth and tried to fight back her tears, but she was unable to prevent one from rolling down from underneath her helmet. "Cherubimon…" she spoke sorrowfully.

Cherubimon smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, for putting up with me, Ophanimon. I… wanted to apologise properly… for all that I said and did… You're both… my best friends…" he whispered.

Sleipmon clutched the top of his snout, but he was unable to keep the tears from flowing out of his eyes. "Cherubimon… Please don't die," he begged him. He could feel his heart breaking into two. The pain was unbearable. "There is still so much of the world for us to see…"

Cherubimon turned his attention to Sleipmon, and he tried to give him a reassuring smile. "My dear student… I will have to ask you that – for now – you see the world for the both of us… Then, maybe… one day… you can tell me all about it…"

"I… I don't want to lose you…" Sleipmon tearfully said.

"It isn't goodbye… It is more of a… fare-thee-well…" Cherubimon assured him with a sad grin.

Seraphimon clenched his fists and he lifted his helmeted head, forcing himself to look at Cherubimon. "I… I'm sorry, Cherubimon… I'm sorry for everything…" he spoke in a fractured voice. He unclenched his hand and relaxed his fingers. Slowly, he lifted his hand from the ground and reached it towards his dying friend. "I wish…"

Cherubimon's gaze settled on Seraphimon one last time and he offered him a loving smile. "So do I…" he spoke softly, his voice fading. He weakly lifted his arm and reached towards Seraphimon's extended hand. "Never lose your hope… old friend."

Their fingers connected for a few, final moments. Then, Cherubimon's hand disappeared in a beautiful scattering of data, blowing into the arctic breeze like snow. The wispy clouds of data ascended, rising towards the beautiful moons in the sky.

Sleipmon watched with pain and heartache as Cherubimon's body scattered in front of him, his data becoming one with the snowy breeze. "No…" he whispered with distraught. He pulled himself to a pained stand, his eyes shut tight as his tears stained his face. "No…"

"Cherubimon…" Ophanimon whispered, her lips quivering as she clutched her spear tightly.

"You fool…" Seraphimon choked out, his composure finally breaking.

Examon grimaced and he was unable to help feel a faint pain in his chest as he gazed down at Sleipmon. He looked away, deciding to focus on the battle around them.

It appeared to him that the angel Digimon and demon Digimon were still locked in combat, but it became apparent that the demons were starting to push the Powers back. Despite sustaining some damage during the storm, the Breakdramon was still drilling away at the ruins. SlashAngemon was attempting to rally the troops, but he was looking increasingly distraught upon seeing what had happened.

He could see Lucemon kicking Dominimon quite handily, with quite the self-satisfied grin on his face as he witnessed the death of one of the Three Great Angels.

Examon also noticed that Bagramon floating near the edge of the battlefield. The one-eyed Demon Lord watched Cherubimon's data vanish with an unreadable expression on his face. Bagramon didn't say a word.

However, he was unable to see Lilithmon within the fray anywhere. Examon looked around with worry, suddenly getting a sinking feeling in his chest.

As the last of Cherubimon's millions of data particles scattered into the moonlit sky, Seraphimon clutched his face as tears fell beneath his helmet.

He slowly began to pull himself to his feet, his body wracked with pain, both physical and emotional. The bleeding wound in his side sent a spike of agony up his body. He found himself barely able to stand, let alone focus on what was going on around him. "Cherubimon…" he whispered, unaware of the presence that loomed behind him.

"Seraphimon!" Ophanimon cried out with horror, upon seeing a familiar, dark figure suddenly appear within Seraphimon's shadow.

Sleipmon snapped to attention, and he quickly raised his bow, but he was too late.

"Nazar Nail," a voice whispered cruelly.

Seraphimon suddenly felt a surge of blinding pain in his side wound. Red flashed from his side as golden claws pierced into the gap in his armour with a metallic screech. A yell of pain echoed behind Seraphimon's mask as his wings strained and his back arched.

Lilithmon stood right behind Seraphimon with a devious smirk. Her Nazar Nail was embedded in the deep wound that Cherubimon had inflicted, her ornate claws burrowed in his side several centimeters deep. Blood leaked down her gauntlet, but she kept her fingers inside him long enough for the toxins to take hold.

Ophanimon's distraught face tightened with rage. "Lilithmon!" she shouted, raising her lance to shoot her.

Sleipmon's tearful eyes narrowed and he aimed his crossbow as well, preparing to fire at her.

"Ah, ah!" Lilithmon warned them. She angled Seraphimon's body to face them, standing behind him and using him as her shield. "Careful now. You might hurt him."

Ophanimon scowled but stayed her attack, unwilling to risk his safety. "You underhanded villain!"

"Oh dear. Did you think that we would stop for a memorial? How ill-mannered of me…" Lilithmon nonchalantly taunted her. She smiled and stroked Seraphimon's chin as he writhed weakly in her arms. "You see, I do prefer to do things below-the-belt, as it were. What you see as underhanded, I see as an opportunity."

Seraphimon groaned and put up a feeble resistance as the venom entered his body. He could feel his muscles going numb and his consciousness was fading. Soon, the light faded from his vision and he went slack in Lilithmon's arms.

"Oh dear. I didn't think I'd have that affect on our dear Seraphimon," Lilithmon chuckled as she held his limp body against her. The Demon Lord cast a smug and venomous leer in Ophanimon's direction. She admired the look of stunned despair and anger on her face. "I told you that I would take everything from you."

Ophanimon clenched her fists tight with fury. She just needed an opening, but she couldn't risk Seraphimon. She refused to lose him too.

Meanwhile, Sleipmon and Examon both lined up their shots carefully, seeing if they could hit Lilithmon without hurting Seraphimon.

Examon thought he might have an angle from overhead, and he contemplated firing, but then he noticed something to his left. A massive, skeletal appendage came sweeping down through the sky, nearly bashing him out of the air. It was Bagramon's artificial arm of ashwood, which he elongated into massive proportions. The giant arm slammed into the snowy ground, splitting the area between Lilithmon, Seraphimon and Ophanimon and Sleipmon to keep them separated.

Lilithmon looked over with a smirk, seeing Bagramon hovering in the air nearby. "Impeccable timing…"

Bagramon eyed the unconscious archangel in her clutches, and he opened up his fist to receive him. "May I, Lilithmon?" he offered, moving his palm so that it was right in front of her.

"Oh, you're such a gentleman!" Lilithmon replied, dropping Seraphimon into his Astral Snatcher.

As soon as his armoured body hit his wooden palm, Bagramon tightened his wooden fingers around him and clutched him restrictively. "This chance is too good to pass up, Lilithmon," he informed her. "Can I ask you to accompany him back to the castle?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Lilithmon exclaimed with a blasé sigh of relief. "I am sick of this damned cold. You can do whatever you want with the ruins."

Bagramon nodded. "Thank you," he responded, wasting no time. "Choujigen Storm!"

A cyclone suddenly whipped up around his fist, causing waves of snow and ice to bluster around them. The sudden tempest of wind blew Ophanimon and Sleipmon backwards, preventing them from getting close to Seraphimon. Meanwhile, a dimensional tear suddenly ripped open in the air in front of his fist. On the other side was the exterior of Castle Gloaming, as if it was a window overlooking the gothic castle.

The dimensional rift grew wider, until it was large enough to hit a humanoid sized Digimon. Bagramon frowned and began to push his fist – and Seraphimon along with it – inside.

"Seraphimon!" a voice shouted from the sky. "Holy Espada!"

Lilithmon looked up with a scowl. SlashAngemon had broken away from Lucemon along with Dominimon, and they were leading the remaining Powers towards them.

SlashAngemon's cross-shaped beam cut across Bagramon's wooden wrist, but it was not enough to sever Seraphimon from his clutches. Lilithmon quickly launched a Phantom Pain beam up at them to suppress them while she back towards the rift in the eye of the cyclone.

"Seraphimon!" Ophanimon protested, trying desperately to fight against the powerful wind current. She reached out for him but could do nothing as she watched Bagramon stuff him through the portal.

Bagramon pushed the unconscious Seraphimon through the dimensional rift and proceeded to hold it open long enough for Lilithmon to pass through.

"Too bad, Ophanimon!" Lilithmon chimed out, waving as she walked through the portal after him. "I'll take good care of him for you!"

Lilithmon sauntered through the portal after Seraphimon, and Ophanimon could only watch with despair as the spatial tear closed behind her, sealing them off from her.

As soon as the rift closed, a rain of holy energy came raining down around Bagramon from the Powers. He was forced to protect himself with the sacred wood of his arm while opting to fly back and regroup with Lucemon and the Nightmare Soldiers, who were launching attacks after the Powers.

"Seraphimon…" Ophanimon whispered, holding herself up with her lance. She looked up as SlashAngemon and Dominimon descended and landed beside her.

"Ophanimon," SlashAngemon spoke with a frustrated grimace. "We must retreat. Morale is low and we are sustaining too many casualties."

Ophanimon grimaced. "Seraphimon is…" she trailed off. She was desperate to save him, but she realised that that seemed impossible right now.

"We cannot follow him," Dominimon answered gravely. "We cannot risk losing you as well. We must retreat and regroup."

Ophanimon clenched her fists with frustration, but she reluctantly nodded. "We will find a way to rescue him… For now, sound the retreat," she ordered.

SlashAngemon nodded and took back to the sky, waving his blade arms in signal to his subordinates. Soon, the sounds of trumpets blaring signalled the Powers' retreat.

Ophanimon spun around, ice running through her veins. She set her eyes on Sleipmon and Examon, one of whom was still a state of shock. "Royal Knights!" she called out to them. "We are retreating. I suggest you do the same."

Examon nodded. "What about Vikemon?" he questioned.

"We patched him up and we are carrying him along with us," Dominimon responded, taking to the air, which prompted Ophanimon to do the same.

Examon glanced over at Sleipmon with concern. He could see his distress, but he didn't comment on it at the moment. He was too focused on practical matters. "She's right, Sleipmon. We have to go. We can't stay here any longer…" he explained, casting a lingering glance over at the Arcane Ruins.

Sleipmon nodded weakly and glanced over at the Arcane Ruins, which were slowly being unearthed by the Breakdramon mercenary. Even after all that, he wasn't able to protect what he set out to protect…

"I'll use a blizzard to cover our retreat," Sleipmon understatedly replied. He turned away and raised the Niflheimr. "Odin's Breath…"

He poured his pain and frustration into summoning a huge snowstorm, which swept through and air and blew across the landscape behind the Powers. A wall of blustering white snow and ice billowed through the night, pushing the Nightmare Soldiers back and keeping them at bay.

Examon hovered behind Sleipmon, watching his friend with worry as he covered their retreat. "…Can you walk?" he asked his friend.

Sleipmon nodded a little. "I'll manage… Let's go," he spartanly replied.

Examon nodded in agreement but he reluctantly turned away. As he flew ahead, grimaced lightly. He wondered what this discomfort was that he felt inside of him…

Not far ahead of him, Ophanimon rose into the night sky to take her position at the head of the Powers. With Dominimon and SlashAngemon flying at her sides, she led the force in their retreat.

She didn't let them see what she was really feeling. She needed to be their leader now. Her exterior was as cold as the blizzard behind them, but on the inside… she felt a raging storm.

"Cherubimon… Seraphimon…" she thought, covering her despair as she bit down on her lip.

Finally, Sleipmon ceased the blizzard that coursed out of the Niflheimr. He wanted to keep pouring his emotions into the storm, but he knew that he had to go. Knowing that the snow cover he provided was more than satisfactory, the equine knight spun around and dashed off, galloping after Examon and the rest. His six legs were coated with blood, which had blackened and coagulated. Every step was agony from the wounds that his legs sustained.

Still, he pressed on. He dashed through the blizzard single-mindedly. For the pain that he felt was nothing compared to that of his heart. As the snow and ice whipped by his head and flew through his hair, he left the dark, frigid setting of the Arcane Ruins behind. He was unable to fulfill his promise in the end.

And, as he disappeared into the empty night, the tears that rested on his face crystallized into ice.