Third cycle. The trio walk towards the top of the dune to reach a better place to fly the Crimson Bird kite, since this time Lua has to do it, and unlike her friend, she is not experienced in that.
Komet gently rubs her right arm. It still hurts, but less than the previous day. "When Aquilamon arrives, I'll devolve Lua. If Digimon can carry over their injuries upon evolution but to a lesser degree, then I don't want to find out what happens when that goes to the opposite direction"
Lua looks at her while flying the kite. "Do you think he will get a worse injury? But Coronamon doesn't even have wings, so where would that damage go?"
"Well, you are living programs, right? A bug in the system is still a bug in the system, and they can be very unpredictable, especially when you try to remove something to fix it. So let's just wait until his wing is healed, shall we?" she says, as she frowns in worry.
It takes around 5 hours for an Aquilamon to show up. The team mounts him, and they get back to Waset in around 3 hours. Like the first time, Babamon, accompanied by Nefertimon, approaches them, excitedly waiting for the news. But as soon as she notices that Sonne and Komet are injured, her expression changes to worry.
"Nefertimon! Take the adventurers to the infirmary, quickly!" says the elder
Nefertimon nods and walks past them. "Follow me" she says. The trio follow and arrive at a place where injured or sick Digimon can be seen. They see a muscular humanoid lion - orange skin and yellow mane, both colors duller than Sonne's, wearing black trousers - taking care of the patients.
"Oh, can you look at that! It's another cat with some important duty!" remarks Lua
"Excuse me, Mr. Leomon! We have two more injured patients" says Nefertimon
Leomon finishes bandaging someone and walks towards them. He first go check Komet's injury. As soon as he removes the bandage, his eyes widen in shock. "T-this… Did they return? And how did you survive this?"
The masked cat gets closer. "What is it?"
Komet sighs and shakes her head. "It's a stab from Scorpiomon's stinger… We didn't know the existence of this monster until we got close to the pyramid's entrance. Unfortunately we had to retreat… Because of that, we didn't get much progress from our second expedition, aside from getting the full time of one of the pyramids"
She gasps in surprise. "Did you try to enter the pyramid?"
"Well, of course! Isn't that one of the steps to put an end to the curse?" She smiles, then winces right after, since Leomon started treating her injury.
Nefertimon stares at her. The lass gets a bit nervous, since it's impossible to read the stoic mask. Then the masked cat lowers her head. "My apologies. I didn't expect you would go that far already"
Sonne and Lua look at her, confused. "Why are you apologizing?" she asks
"For the simple fact that no ordinary person can open the doors to his sealed temple. If you want to open it, you need light-aligned Werushatan power. My powers, for example. I didn't give this information away earlier because I didn't believe your group would actually go that far for our sake. So, for that, I give my sincere apologies" She bows down
This obviously upsets Komet, but she believes she understands the distrust, although it doesn't make much sense for her. "That's okay, I guess…"
"How can I repay you for the trouble my attitude has caused to your group?"
Sonne already glares at Lua before she opens her mouth, then he looks at Nefertimon and says it in an imposing tone. "My only request is that you no longer withhold any more important information from us. I do not understand your reasonings nor I intend to, as long as this is our new deal"
Nefertimon nods. "Deal"
Sonne nods and looks at Komet. "Apologies for talking in your stead, Komet"
Komet shakes her head. "No. You will be punished for that"
He lowers his head without flinching. "I am ready"
She raises an eyebrow. "Do you still think I'd ever do something like that?"
"It is not a matter of possibility. It is within your right to do so in case I misbehave"
"C'mon now…" She shakes her head with a smile and pets his mane. "Unless you suddenly become an evil creature, I'll never punish you. Keep that in mind and do not mention it ever again, okay?"
He nods. "Understood"
"Also… Thank you. You dealt with it better than I would"
As soon as Nefertimon leaves the infirmary, she sees Bastemon curled in a ball next to the entrance. "What are you planning?" she asks
The catwoman stretches her body and sits up. "I was just sleeping, meow!"
"So was I"
She stands up and gives a smug smile. "I was just observing around… And realized it's time to reignite some Werushatan pride. I'm just waiting for the right timing"
"What are you planning this time?" she repeats, concerned
"You will see. Don't forget to report their findings to the pharaoh, meow!" She winks and leaves.
After 30 minutes, Team Twilight leaves the infirmary and walks towards their tent. Komet summons her notepad and the pen.
"Apologies, Komet, but we will not allow you to go this time" says Sonne
"H-huh?"
"We know you well enough to know your intentions. But you have to understand that we need to rest, especially when we need to recover"
"Oh! You don't need to go with me, I can go-"
"No. This is more about you than about us"
She looks down and shakes her head. Before she says something, Lua approaches her with a mirror. "Remember that thing about resting that you said two days ago?" The bunny puts the mirror in front of Komet. "Now, point at it and say those exact same words!"
She sighs. "Look, this is different… I can't really rest, I can't waste more time… We've been stuck in this place for a week already!" She gets more distressed. "The referendum is just a bit less than a month away! If we lose our privacy rights, only gods know what-"
"Hey hey, calm down!" Lua puts the mirror down and helps her breathe slower. "Don't forget that you are not fighting this alone! You have allies in your world, remember? Hell, your boss is a big shot! With someone like him, this will hardly go wrong! And even if it goes wrong, you know the thing about our team!"
Komet gets calmer, but she still shakes her head, she presses some buttons on her smartwatch and opens a picture of her parents, and observes it for a few seconds. "You are not wrong, but… I still have energy, and even if I didn't… Regardless of the adversities, my parents never stopped, so neither will I!"
Sonne shakes his head. "Pardon, Komet, but are you saying you are supportive of their supposedly resilience? If I recall correctly, the whole reason you kept giving them a big part of your salary is that they would no longer need to overwork. Unless you approve their actions in that regard, then we are facing a case of hypocrisy"
"And double standard" says Lua
Komet flinches. "I… I-" She swallows hard and gets more nervous
"So is it true? Are you thinking about going again despite going two Cycles straight? This is what I call commitment!"
The trio whips their heads towards whoever is yelling, and they see Bastemon grinning in the middle of a busy area. She continues. "Not only that, you faced Scorpiomon and survived its attack! All that to stop the curse, huh! And I saw the results of your expeditions, you are really getting far!"
The Digimon around hear all that and start chattering. Komet freezes in place and grimaces. Sonne and Lua look at each other, having no idea of what to do or to say. Then, the creatures gather around them and start asking about if it's true and more details about it.
"So, the outsiders are risking their lives for us and we are here doing nothing about the curse?" says one of them
"Why haven't we been told about this before?" says another
Then, a purple humanoid dragon approaches Komet directly and places his hand on Komet's shoulder. "Listen, girl, even us seasoned Gatherers avoid leaving two Cycles in a row. You are already hurt, and we would be deeply ashamed if you get even more injured doing that while we just watch like cowards. Tell us more about your investigation and leave this Cycle to us, the desert dwellers!" he says, confidently crossing his arms.
She looks at him in concern. "B-But… It's very dangerous… Besides, you already have a lot on your plate…!"
"And so do you. Look, this is not about being busy. It's about saving our nation. It's about giving a better life to our people! You don't need to worry about us, we've been living this hell for more than 4 years already. What are we gonna achieve if we don't share a bit more of our duties? Now, could you tell us your plans?"
"I…" She looks at the Digimon, who looks back at her with determination. "Yes, I can!"
More creatures gather around, and Komet gives all the details about everything she has planned and found out.
Bastemon walks away from the crowd, looking very satisfied with her doings, and heads towards Babamon's house. Nefertimon sits at the door.
"Your sister would be proud" says the masked cat
She looks down, a bit gloomy. "My sister would have done better and sooner…" Then she looks up again with a smile on her face. "But hey, better late than never, meow! But now I should tell the pharaoh that we will need to ready a looooot of supplies!"
"She is inside"
Bastemon gets inside and tells Babamon about what she did. Despite the shock, the pharaoh seems very excited with the news and goes with her and Nefertimon to prepare the supplies. After about half an hour, they see some Gatherers and other Digimon approaching to tell Babamon about their decision to go on a expedition to Northeast Werushat, and to the Gatherers' surprise, the preparations are already done.
Bastemon looks to her left and notices Vulturemon talking to a Gatherer.
"Are you really gonna fall for their fallacy? They are not doing it for us, you know? It's only for themselves! They just want to escape, they don't care about us!" says the birdman
The purple dragon shrugs. "So what? It's still gonna benefit us. I could care less about their real motivation"
Vulturemon rolls his eyes and groans, walking away from them.
Bastemon grins. "Their are so fired up that they don't care about Vulturemon's authority anymore"
They quickly get ready to go, all of them taking supplies, maps and Crimson Bird kites with them. The pharaoh gives them her blessing, and off they go. Since a set of Gatherers had already left earlier in search of supplies, the city is emptier than usual. But in Bastemon's heart, it's filled with more hope, hoping that they will finally be free once again.
At that moment, Vulturemon lands in front of them, looking shocked. "Pharaoh Babamon! Forgive my words, but are you insane?"
Babamon calmly turns towards him. She holds the central piece of her necklace and smiles. "The Heart of Werushat… Is beating stronger once again!"
He shakes his head very concerned. "You are being very irresponsible! It's too early to believe it's going to work this time! Please, I beg you, change your mind and call them back!"
She shakes her head and hits her broom on the floor. "Would you rather just survive until everything withers? We can't live like this forever! You know that very well!"
"I'd rather survive and protect everything until the very end than cling to a false hope that will kill every sparkle of perseverance and happiness that Pharaohmon sacrificed for" he yells.
Bastemon frowns. "I don't think Pharaohmon would be happy if he saw what his sacrifice is doing to his people, you know?"
He groans. "All I'm saying is- Never mind!" He shakes his head in anger. "All I can do now is hope that I'm wrong… But if I'm not…" He sighs and flies back to his watchtower.
She observes him leaving, and then sighs. "I know that deep down, you want to believe too…"
"What was the last time I spent too long doing lots of nothings? Oh right, on that stupid island. But at least I could spend some time fearing for my life"
Four hours have passed, and Komet is walking around Waset alone, since she has nothing better to do. She decided to take some time to herself while the other two did the same, hoping she would get distracted with anything new, but her brain insists on bringing worries and overthinking them instead of watching Werushatan kids playing.
She gets frustrated and goes back to her tent. "The next Cycle only begins in two days… I must find a way to deal with it before I go insane!" But before she realizes, she already gave in to her bottomless hole of thoughts. She doesn't realize a long time has passed when she suddenly hears someone calling her. She quickly looks up.
"Finally!" says Lua. "I see the devil already built a whole office in your head. What's the deal with that somber expression?"
Sonne also approaches and sits next to them
"O-oh… I guess it was that obvious, huh?" Komet stammers. "It's just… Well, have you noticed how things we went through in the Digital World are kinda similar to stories or tales of my world? The monster of Loch Ness, the labyrinth of the Minotaur… And now the curse of the pharaoh and the plague of Egypt, as a punishment from the heavens technically"
Sonne nods. "Anpu has stated that data from the Human World influences our world, despite the discovery of the different world being recent. Are you worried that a situation influenced by another human story might bring us a big amount of trouble?"
She nods and gets a distant look in her eyes. "That means the Angel Army will also follow that logic… In stories, angels protect people from evil and ward off demons, and if ordered, they will destroy sources of evilness with no second thought… The Angel Army sees my kind as demons and will kill me at sight…" Her eyes widen. "Wouldn't that mean they will eventually descend into my world and destroy humanity?"
Lua gasps in shock, then she frowns. "It's not bad logic, but I think it's flawed. If this was the case, wouldn't they have done it already? It's been years since the Corrosion Virus started being a problem, after all! Besides, they are punishing Werushat, which is not remotely close to being demonic or something!"
"No, no! Her logic is very good actually, meow!"
The trio looks at the entrance. It's Bastemon, inviting herself inside the tent as usual.
Komet freezes. "B-Bastemon! I-I… W-what did you-"
Bastemon crosses her fingers in front of her mouth. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! I already had a feeling that you are not from this world"
"B-but… How…?" she asks, feeling very nervous
"That doesn't matter meow. About those sons of a crap Angels… You can say they see us as somewhat demonic, yes… It's a very long story, but keep it short-"
"Please, keep it short for real! You tend to get too excited when saying things and making it way longer than it should!" protests Lua
"I wouldn't mind the full story, it's not like I have something better to do anyway…" says Komet
Bastemon sits down. "I'll start it short then! In ancient times long, long ago, this continent was divided in ten great kingdoms, each of them representing one element, and Werushat was the element of darkness, because of our relationship with the dead and the necroenergy, meow. Our kingdom was the most powerful of them all, therefore the most influential! Despite that, our closest ally was the kingdom of light, homeland of the holy creatures. The kings were great friends! Their leadership made the continent thrive!"
"Darkness and light working together, making everything balanced…" says Sonne
"But one day, our world was plunged into chaos because of some dark, malicious entity… Our kingdom was the last one resisting because of the same element alignment. Realizing that, Pharaohmon had an idea: using most of his power to bring the kingdom of light back, since they are the ones that have the most advantage against the dark creature. And this is when the Angel Army was born! Werushat was going down, and they came and destroyed the threat for good, saving the Digital World from being annihilated!"
"Yay, the world was saved!" says Lua. "But where's the part where the Angels become the bad guys?"
"Since they won the battle while the other nations were in ruins, they became the rulers of the continent, then of the whole Digital World some time later… And their first demands were that Werushat ceased to exist, because 'the existence of a darkness-aligned nation is a danger to the world', indirectly blaming us for the existence of that entity, as if dark alignment is always related to evil!"
"Wait, after everything Pharaohmon has done for them, is this how they treated him and his people? What a bunch of assholes!"
Bastemon nods. "This caused a heated argument that almost resulted in a war between them… But Pharaohmon didn't want more losses on the Werushat side, so he settled for a deal: Werushat would be an independent nation, but it couldn't extend their territory or exert influence over other territories. Werushatans can't voice their dissatisfaction regarding the state of the Digital World. Anubismon should be under the Angel Army's jurisdiction, not Werushat's. And the Angel Army has no obligation to do anything for us, except for their oath to protect the whole world from any evil regardless of someone's opinion on them… But they never answered our calls when the infection was spreading here…" She scowls and shakes her head.
"It's as if that was a great opportunity for them to get rid of your nation…" says Komet, gritting her teeth. "It seems the only reason they didn't go all out destroying your country is because they know very well they owe your people for helping save the world…" She shakes her head, looking more worried. "I really wanted to ask Anpu the odds of Angel Army attacking my world, but he doesn't really seem willing to talk much about them. I guess now I get why…"
At that moment, her smartwatch beeps. She checks it, and sees it's a call from Anpu. "Oh, speak of the devil…" She answers the call.
"Good afternoon, Team Twilight. I have news regarding the Corrosion Virus. After-"
"MEOW! Do you have contact with someone from outside? With an Anubismon on top of that?" Bastemon gets closer to the projected image. "It's the Anubismon from the South Area! Wait, did you get a name?"
"Oh, greetings, Bastemon! Hopefully you and Sekhmemon are holding up well"
Bastemon gets gloomy. "My sister is no longer with us… We couldn't even give her a proper bureau because of the curse… But I'll make her proud!" she says, getting cheerful again.
He puts his hands together and lowers his head. "My condolences…" After some seconds, he looks at her again. "I believe you can even surpass her. Now, there are some things I need to talk about…" He looks at the team
"You can begin already, she already figured out our secret" says Komet while scratching the back of her head
"Very well. This doesn't surprise me." He looks at the catwoman, who gives a big grin at him, and looks back at the trio. "Bokomon and I carefully analyzed the Virus, and after days and nights of studies, especially from him, we've learned why does it quickly drives a Digimon mad"
"Does that mean you can start working on a cure already?" she says with high expectations
"Depends on your answer"
"Huh?"
Anpu gets holographic stone tablets from thin air. "In short, what is happening is that the Virus runs in a ternary system - 0s, 1s and 2s. Digimon only function in binary, so as soon as the Virus infect them, it overwrites the body data to ternary, causing some mutations and the Digimon to stop functioning properly, going rampage as a result. That explains why the Digicore of an Infected is beyond repair"
"And since a lower leveled Digimon is made of less data… It just dies from the infection… But what question should I answer?"
"It's a fact that the Corrosion Virus is coming from your world. Do you know of a way to convert ternary systems back into binary?" he asks, looking directly into her eyes. But to Anpu's disappointment, Komet shakes her head.
"I'm sorry, I don't… Systems in my world only use binary too… Or at least I've never heard of anything using ternary there either"
"I see…" Anpu lowers his head very frustrated and sighs. "If the programmer can't help me, then there's not much I can do anymore… I'm sorry to disappoint you all…"
"What…?"
Anpu flinches. "Apologies, I let my thoughts talk loudly. This is all I needed to inform you. I wish you-"
"Wait" interrupts Sonne. "Before you leave, I would like to ask you a question, if you allow me"
"Very well"
"Despite working under the Angel Army's command, you are running that investigation in secrecy from them, when they clearly could benefit from it. But the reason you did not do it is because you resent them. Your main goal is to find a cure to save your nation, since the Angels have no intention to do so, and possibly conspire against them, am I correct?"
Anpu just looks at him in silence.
Sonne squints. "Which is also why you decided to save Komet. You saw in her the chance to run your plans better. You know she resists the Corrosion Virus. You knew the Angels saw her as a threat, but you never warned us. You hinted to her how we could defeat them, so this way you would not take direct responsibility for their presumably death. But now that plan comes to a halt because we are stuck in this place"
"Is that true?" asks Bastemon, getting stars in her eyes. "Are you doing stuff behind those stupid Angels' backs to save us?"
Anpu still stays silent, his head lowered. He raises it again and looks at Sonne. "If things were that simple… You are as impressive as expected, Sonne. Unfortunately all I can say is that you are partially correct, but I promise that putting your team in danger was never my plan. I really hoped you could take her back to her world in safety, but now… I can't take you out of Werushat… I'm really sorry about that…"
"I have good mews for you then! They are working hard to put an end to the curse! Even after getting attacked by Scorpiomon they kept working hard, meow!" says Bastemon
His eyes widen in surprise. "They… What?"
"That's right. We've been doing it since when I woke up. A curse is not going to stop us, and Werushat will stop suffering" says Komet, giving a confident smile. "Regardless of your motivations, you saved my live and gave me means to return back home, so I have no hard feelings towards you"
Sonne nods. "Apologies if I sounded too accusatory, but I really needed the answers to my questions, and it was satisfactory enough"
Anpu smiles, feeling happier than normal. "It's understandable, your loyalty lies on her rather than me, after all. Apologies for the lack of concrete answers, but the day where I can share more information will hopefully come. Do you have any more questions?"
All of them shake their heads
"Very well. Then I wish you luck." He waves, feeling very optimistic. "And thank you, really… This will make my heart at peace!" Then the call ends. The four of them look at each other in a good mood.
"Oh, shoot! You forgot to ask about the world invasion!" says Lua
Komet shakes her head. "I didn't. I just thought it's better to focus on leaving this place first" She summons her notepad and pen, and smiles. "But hey, we got big news regarding the Corrosion Virus! I'm sure this will make the investigation in my world much easier!"
Time passes. During the third Cycle, the team gets to learn a bit more about Werushatan culture and hear their stories. Sonne's wing is fully healed while Komet's arm gets a lot better, which surprises her, since she had a deep cut in her arm. This is when she learns that the healing process is faster in the Digital World, especially with proper treatment.
Some Gatherers return with supplies. Then, in the last hour before the Sandstorm Cycle, Team Twilight joins the rest of townspeople to ward off the mass attack from the void monsters. Because there are less people defending this time, they hold off the attack with difficulty. Aside from some broken houses and some injured Digimon, they survive the attack, and at midday, the sandstorm swipes all void monsters back to sand.
Fourth Cycle. After getting some rest from the fight, Komet stays near the landing area for Aquilamon, waiting for news regarding the expeditions. After 6 hours, the first adventurers arrive, and they look very injured. This surprises her.
She gets closer to them as soon as they land. "What happened?"
"Oh, that? Just some nasty Scorpiomon appeared in our way… Apparently they really returned to stay, huh? Let's hope no one got killed by them"
She gets worried, then notices that Vulturemon is giving her nasty looks from the top of the tower, which makes her feel a bit guilty. She looks back at the adventurers and asks them about their observations, until she collects all the results. She makes sure to tell all of them that they don't need to go again, then she heads back to her tent to analyze the results.
Komet spends the evening planning and replanning. Since she has a lot of time before the next Sandstorm Cycle begins, she spends it perfecting the plan. Many hours pass, and before she realizes, she falls asleep on her notepad.
"Gooood meowrning!"
"W-what?" Komet sits up in an instant and quickly looks around, and her eyes narrow as soon as the sunlight hits her face. It's Bastemon holding the curtain door open.
"It's already eleven in the morning! Let's go eat something!" says the catwoman, already running off.
The lass rubs her eyes. "That was surprisingly a good night's sleep…!" She gets up, and after some time, she meets with Sonne, Lua and Bastemon.
"Good morning Komet. What have you planned for our next expedition?" asks Sonne
"W-woah! Looking forward to it, I see" she says, surprised
"Nah, we just know you. This is the first thing you would start talking about and you know it" says Lua
Komet laughs. "I guess you are right!" She puts the notepad on the table. "Without further ado… Here. I believe I've found a pattern, but I need to confirm that pattern before I plan our assault on the pyramid. The problem is… The Gatherers reported a rise in the number of void monsters and the appearance of more Scorpionmon… I wonder if this was triggered by our attempt to approach the pyramid…"
"How would we confirm it?"
She opens the papyrus map. "As you can see, the pyramid appears in more or less four specific areas around the giant quicksand. I don't know if they have an order to do so, but it's very likely this always happens every 15 hours, and if this is the case, that means 4 times per Sandstorm Cycle, which is kinda funny coincidence, to be honest"
"It's not a coincidence!" protests Bastemon. "We are just fond of the sexagesimal number system!"
"Uuh… Okay… I guess that applies to curses too, huh… Anyway, ideally, we could keep going around the quicksand until we find the pyramid, but that would require perfect weather conditions, no enemies and no exhaustion, so I was thinking we separate into three groups in three different spots-"
Bastemon interrupts her. "But why three? Didn't you say there are four areas?"
"Oh! It's because I can communicate real time with my friends as long as there are no interferences, so if one of us finds the pyramid, the other two can rest until said pyramid disappears"
"Sounds like a good plan, meow! I'm in!"
"H-huh? Are you going with us?"
"Of course I am! Your friends told me that you don't like inviting people to danger, so I'm already inviting myself and on my way to invite more people. Byeeeee~" she says as she runs off before the lass has the chance to do something about it.
Komet watches the catwoman quickly running down the street and disappearing, then scowls at Lua and Sonne. "You two!"
Lua crosses her arms and smirks. "We had enough of you getting hurt for people. Let's share a bit of our pain, okay?"
Komet groans and facepalms. "Okay, okay… I won't complain"
Some minutes pass, and Bastemon returns with Nefertimon and the humanoid purple dragon from earlier. "These are our recruits, Nefertimon and Strikedramon! That means we will go in duos!"
"Hmm… That means one of the groups won't be able to fly…" Komet thinks for a bit. "Okay. I'll go with Nefertimon, Sonne will go with Strikedramon and Lua will go with Bastemon. The last two are better runners, so better to be paired together. We will use two Cycles for that"
"This will sound crazy, but maybe we could stay two cycles straight without even returning home! Depending where I get teleported to, I can find my way back to Northern Werushat no problem, and Nefertimon can easily locate the Quicksand of Eternal Death for whatever reason. If anything goes wrong, just call the Crimson bird and tell them to just drop us near Northern Werushat!"
Nefertimon puffs. "Yes, you are crazy. But if this is the best we got, then this is what we shall do"
"Wait, is it fine for you two to be away from Waset for that long? Aren't you two, like, important guardians from this place?" asks Komet
"Putting an end to the curse is pretty much part of guardianship"
"If you say so… Then it's decided. Tomorrow, after the Cycle resets, we are setting out!" she nods, feeling confident
Two days pass, and with it, the Sandstorm Cycle. It's just past midday when Team Twilight meets Nefertimon, Bastemon and Strikedramon in front of Babamon's house.
"Heeeey~ I got everything ready for us! I also told the Crimson Birds about our plan. Sure, they weren't happy about that, but they said if it is necessary, they will drop us off near the region" says Bastemon
Komet nods. "Good enough. Is everyone ready? Then Operation 'Curse of the Pharaoh' - Cycle 5 and 6, active!"
And with that, thanks to Sonne and Nefertimon, the group flies towards their destination nonstop, arriving there around 6 hours later. As soon as they land, they get in duos and run to their designated areas. At some point, Komet decides to talk about the next step of the plan to her duo partner.
"So… You said you are the only one that can open the sealed door. Why?" asks Komet
"I'm the pharaoh's envoy, therefore a being of light. It's a longtime pact to have a light being by the pharaoh's side in case things get out of control. As the opposing element and their trusted one, I have the power to break the seal" says Nefertimon
"Understood. So, what should we expect to see as soon as we enter the pyramid…?"
She lowers her head and sighs. "I honestly don't know… All I hope is that we can put an end to all this. It's been too long already. Despite the smiles on our face, our souls are tired"
The lass looks at her with a worried expression. "Are you okay with putting Pharaohmon down for this…?"
"If this is the only solution, then so be it"
The raw answer surprises Komet, and it doesn't help that Nefertimon is always looking stoic.
The white feline continues. "Keep in mind that he is no ordinary Ultimate, he is a god-level Ultimate. Anything should be expected from god-levels"
Then she gives her more details about Pharaohmon's powers, and this makes Komet feel more and more nervous. "Who do you think should go inside and face him? You know your people better than I do. We need at least at least one person with light powers to destroy the virus in case they escape, which you and Sonne does"
"Your group, Bastemon and I. We are the ones most involved with all that. The others should stay behind and protect themselves. But a bigger group will be necessary to clear the path for us. For that, you can ask pharaoh Babamon as soon as we are done"
Komet nods
Days pass. The team has success finding all the 4 expected areas for the pyramid to appear. They also learn that the structures don't appear in the same spot, but within a certain range. To make things worse, they don't appear in a fixed order, but they do cycle through the four areas, and stay there 15 hours per area, as expected. And as the Gatherers said, there are many more void monsters around now.
Around 20 hours before the sixth Cycle ends, the groups head back to Waset, so that they can rest and plan the attack in the seventh Cycle. The first thing Komet does is talk to Babamon about the attack they are planning, and then she requests support, which Babamon agrees on. Then, the lass goes to her tent where Sonne and Lua are already resting, to also rest and be ready for the next day.
She sits down, feeling very drained. "It's been too long already… After three weeks, we'll finally end this curse and leave this place… I'm surprised I didn't go insane yet. Kudos for me I guess…" She lies down and stares at the ceiling. "Not only that… Werushatans will finally get back their right to be happy and free from this suffering… This will really be a big accomplishment if we succeed… I'm already feeling nervous…" Then she falls asleep.
Seventh Cycle. Komet feels someone waking her up by gently shaking her. She opens her eyes and sees Sonne.
"Good morning, Komet. I am waking you up to inform you that Nefertimon and I are going ahead to locate the position of the pyramid, so that the attack group can move straight to the correct position. Pharaoh Babamon awaits for you. Do not take very long, we should take advantage of the peace of the first hours"
Komet looks at her smartwatch. It's 3 in the morning, 3 hours past the beginning of the Cycle. She rubs her eyes, nods and gets up. Not long after, she meets with the pharaoh, who waits with Vulturemon at her side.
Komet swallows hard. "G-good morning"
Babamon excitedly hits her broom on the floor. "Good morning, youngling! This is Vulturemon, the leader of the attack forces of Waset. He is one of the most passionate and influential Werushatans you will find around! He and his troop will be under your command"
"Ah!"
Vulturemon glares at her for a few seconds. She just looks back with a serious expression. Then he lets out a low growl. "Do not disappoint us"
"I do not intend to"
She leaves and meets with Bastemon to help with the final preparations. She sees a lot of people chatting, looking very excited.
"Whoever sees that out of context, would never imagine they are getting ready for a battle, meow!" says Bastemon. "How are you feeling?"
She frowns. "A bit nervous, to be honest… It adds a new layer of pressure when the public knows you and expectantly says 'hey, we are counting on you!'. It was the same thing for a big project I was working on over a month ago…"
"How did it go?"
"Well… I didn't really get the chance to present it… Regardless of the situation, I don't plan on letting people down" She gets a determined look on her face. "No, we will finish it today!"
The people around them cheer after her last sentence, which makes her freeze for a second, since she didn't realize she said it out loud.
After around one hour, Babamon gives her blessings, and the big group sets out. They talk and sing excitedly. Vulturemon remains neutral. Komet, Lua and Bastemon all focus on finding the coordinates Sonne told them. Fortunately, the weather conditions are perfect, so after 10 hours, the group finally arrives at their location. They look ahead and see the pyramid 1 km away from them.
Komet looks at the current time. "We have two hours before it disappears… It will be enough!" Then she turns at the group. "There lies the pyramid. Your role is to distract the void monsters while we get in the pyramid. As soon as we get closer, many of them will appear. But they will not stop us, because we are stronger! Today we will end the curse! Forward!"
With that, they all run towards the pyramid. Komet mounts on Sonne and summons the cleaver. Mummymon and Sand Yanmamon immediately emerge from the sand and try to attack her, but the giant dragonflies are shot down by Vulturemon and other allies. The infantry takes care of the grounded threat, destroying them as soon as they reemerge.
Nefertimon looks at the direction of the entrance. "People of Werushat are counting on us. Your determination to put an end to all this renewed their hope for a better future. Let's not disappoint them"
Komet nods, then Team Twilight, Bastemon and Nefertimon run towards the entrance. As soon as they get near it, three Scorpiomon emerge from the sand.
Komet grit her teeth. "Three now, huh?" She looks behind her back and sees almost all allies busy attacking the sheer numbers of void monsters. But fortunately she sees Strikedramon approaching her.
"Need help?" he asks
"Absolutely!" She looks at the skeletal scorpions. "We need to destroy them, so that Nefertimon can perform the ritual to open the entrance!"
Strikedramon nods, then they see a bladed tail going in their direction. They both jump away. Scorpiomon uses its skewer attack again, but the dragon smirks and holds the tail. "Cut it off, now!"
She instinctively follows the command and jumps towards the tail with the cleaver in hands. "Dino Slash!" Then she chops the bladed tail off. But the Scorpiomon, enraged, quickly grabs her with its pincer and lifts her. Before the scorpion can do anything, Strikedramon takes advantage of its vulnerable position and kicks its head up and draws his arm back, making his hand glow. "Strike Claw!" He thrusts his incandescent hand into the monster's vital spot, making its body glitch and dissolve into sand. Komet falls on her butt, but the dragon man quickly helps her get up.
Next to them, Lua and Bastemon dance around the other Scorpiomon's pincers and its skewer attacks. "Shouldn't we be attacking it at this point?" protests Lua.
"Find an opening then, meow!" Bastemon fires back
At that moment, the scorpion sprays a mist around, blinding them. The two Digimon start coughing and quickly jump away from the mist. But Bastemon still sees the bladed tail moving faster right in her direction. Before it hits her, a megalith falls right on its tail. Then, the duo sees the mist dissipating, revealing Sonne and Nefertimon quickly flapping their wings while flying
"This is not how you will outdo your sister" says Nefertimon
"This is not the time for that! We should finish off those Scorpiomon before-"
Bastemon is interrupted by the fiery impact caused by Sonne, which destroys the void monster. The catwoman looks around and sees that the other two have been defeated already.
"And another one bites the dust" says Lua, satisfied
"A Scorpiomon is biting dust? Where?" asks Sonne, looking around in alert
Lua facepalms
"Team! Stay alert to new threats! Nefertimon will perform the rite before the scorpions reemerge! I'll stay with her just in case!" says Komet. When the four of them nod, she and Nefertimon walk closer to the pyramid, with no monster in their way.
Nefertimon's eyes shine as she summons a megalith written in gold with blue neon lines running on the sides. She starts reading it, and as she does so, a circle of light appears on the floor, and 0s, 1s and ancient letters circle her. Then as she shouts, the characters are launched towards the door.
But nothing happens.
Nefertimon grunts. "The door should have opened now!"
"Maybe it needs a little push! Let's go!"
Komet and Nefertimon run towards the door, but as soon as they get too close, the door simply disappears before their eyes. That shocks both of them, and when they try to touch the area where the door is supposed to be, their hands just go through the wall, as if it's just a hologram.
Komet gasps in shock. She checks the time, to see if they took too long. No. It wasn't the time. They are still within their time limit.
"The pyramid… Is not real" says Nefertimon in distraught