Digimon Adventure 04

by Bluestar076

The journies between humans and Digimon continue! Now is the turn of the Chosen Children's offsprings to dive into Adventures! Very bizarre adventures. But little they know that they will carry on a bigger weight than that of their parents. (M for adults subjects such as drugs, criminals plots and violence)

24. Forze del Male

Digimon Adventure 04 Chapter 24: Forze del Male

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! As promised, we try to get back on this story regularly, especially considering the point we have reached! Now that we're on a new year, something I was planning to do was to, at least, update one chapter per month (even though it didn't go well with January and February - -"), so that I can still work on other projects, but I can still stay on track with this one! While it may not be my main priority anymore, I still have a lot of affection for this story, so I want to try and continue It with all the good intentions, let's cross our fingers! As of today, this will be a long chapter and another one I have been waiting to do for quite a while! Not only will we get another reckoning, but we'll also have a long-waited revealment! One that had been changed a few times in the first years, funny enough! And, for those who wonder about the title, it means "Forces of Evil" in Italian, and it's based on a Kingdom Hearts OST, one of the franchises that inspired this story in the first place! Some of you may have already noticed, and considering the OST I've picked up, you could guess what's going to happen. And there will be a few of these chapters with these names, especially through the end of these arcs. But with this said, we can finally start with the chapter! And as always, I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I do not own Digimon. All rights and characters belong to Bandai and Toei Animation. Also, this is a fantasy story, all references to real people, groups, places, laws, names, and marks are completely casual.

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Chapter 24: Forze del Male

Some week earlier…

It had been some time since his plan was set in motion. Ever since he got to take over the Somnus government skyscraper, he had to make sure that everything would be just as he imagined it. He had a great image and dream in mind…it was only a matter of time and devotion to make it become a reality.

For that purpose…much like the previous days, Saiba was collecting other Digimon his partner knocked out as tanks to gain as much energy as possible.

Through his powers, Saiba's Digimon was able to trap a knocked-out Triceramon in a prairie of the Digital World, with the researcher giving a close look at him.

"Very good. Ever since we hired the others, we've gotten a faster pace in gathering energy. A little longer and we'll be able to complete the Perfect Cube." Saiba commented.

"You seem full of yourself again. After hearing about another one of our mercenaries getting defeated again, I thought you would have started to falter…" his Digimon told him.

"While it is true that hearing about that concerns me…I can't allow myself to start doubting our actions right now. They may be able to answer our ways of taking them down, but we still have the upper hand." Saiba said before raising his arm and clenching his hand to a fist. "I have a dream...where America can be at its greatest level again. And to do so…I need to stay strong, just like my father did those many years ago. The mercenaries I've hired are just one of the ways I intend to do so. And even if they've helped me well, they remain pawns to use to get rid of the Cheshire Cat Agency."

The Digimon gave him an interested smile after hearing that. "It seems that you've become more self-focused for the cause. Admirable."

"Sometimes for the greater good…sacrifices must be made," Saiba replied. It was then that both he and his partner sensed someone behind them. A familiar presence that made the man grin. "My, my…of all people, I didn't expect you to come here."

When he turned around, he could see Taichi and Agumon, who were both glaring at him.

"We've found him, Taichi!" the small yellow dinosaur told his partner.

"To what I owe this visit, dear Taichi?" Saiba asked like nothing.

"Don't think you can act all innocent now, Saiba," Taichi said with a serious tone. "We've heard what you were just saying with your Digimon…and most importantly…we found out what you were trying to do."

Upon hearing that, Saiba made a small sigh. "It seems that those detectives and Gennai have some difficulties not saying anything. But I guess it can't be helped. Some of those agents are your children after all."

"That's exactly the point!" Agumon exclaimed.

"Is it true, Saiba? Are you plotting something regarding Digimon's energy? And did you target our children!?" Taichi asked.

"I'm sorry it would have come out like this. I would have explained to you properly with the best circumstances. But…it can't be helped." Saiba said before turning around. "Yes. What you've heard is 100% correct." He slightly turned his head around. "I'm fulfilling what I've started ever since I first found out about the Digimon's existence. And if I have to use strict methods to do so, including the power of darkness, then so be it. Your two girls and the rest of those detectives decided to step in the way because of a single mistake I've made. It's only fair I try to take out any nuisance."

"How can you say such a thing!? Why!? How could you do all of this!? I've known you ever since we were children, and I know how righteous you used to be! You've helped us so many times, it's thanks to you that society evolved in the way we know it!" Taichi protested.

"That's right! If I'm together with Taichi again, it will be thanks to you!" Agumon added. "We cannot believe you would turn out like this!"

"That's the whole reason I'm doing this. As a seeker, I've always made going further with life and discoveries my main priority. I want to make sure that we, once again, reach out to the next level. I'm doing this to make sure this bright present will continue to remain in the future. And to do so…we need to stay on the top again. The Digimon are the best way of doing so. I thought you would have understood me, Taichi…" Saiba replied.

"What…?" Taichi asked.

"You are a diplomat for the United Nations, specializing in bonds between the real world and the Digital World. You, better than the others, know how important it is for a leader or a relevant person to put its authority. And you can see how much we've fallen. But we still have the power…the opportunity to climb up those stairs to glory again. You know how much I love our glorious country and all the people I've helped so far…and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to make them all recognized by the world again." Saiba spoke. But all that he could see from Taichi…was a face full of disgust and shock.

"…I've known you for so many years…and I still can't express my gratitude for everything that you have done for us in the past. You were the one who made a world where humans and Digimon could live together possible. And I knew you always had a strict sense of patriotism that made you act that way…but I never thought that sense could have turned you into such a selfish person…" The former leader of the Chosen Children said.

Saiba looked at him with a serious stare, even if he was a dear friend of his. "…I thought you would have understood me, as you always did. But…if even you want to neglect my ways…then I won't lose another second of you. I've come so far in reaching my goal…and I'll make sure that nothing will stand in my way. I won't let my father's efforts go to waste."

Taichi felt like that was the reason for his action, but even with that knowledge, he prepared himself. "We'll see about that. Are you ready, Agumon?"

"Let's do it, Taichi!" The small Digimon replied.

"Oh? What's this?" Saiba's Digimon asked.

Saiba himself made a small grin. "Is that what you want to go, Taichi? Are you trying to take me and my partner down? Even if you were able to face and defeat many evil Digimon throughout the story, you wouldn't stand a chance against my partner, Agumon. And it's a bit too late for acting like a hero now. Don't you think?" He asked.

"Ha! Says who? Even if many years had passed, I still have lots of energy!" Agumon countered.

"True…I may get starting to be old for things like this…but…even if protecting both worlds may not be my priority now…I have a reason to take you down, Saiba." Taichi added, remembering both the laughs and good moments he had with him…and what just happened. "You are among my dearest friends…and you helped us so many times. But even so…you are trying to kill Kasai and Aisu. And I can't ignore my family that easy as you may think."

Even if Taichi used a threatening tone, Saiba's grin didn't disappear. "Even if they leave the nest…parents would do anything for their children. My father did the same, too. I praise your efforts…but I can't deal with you now, Taichi. So, I'll make it quick." He spoke. And with those words, his partner started to get ready.

"I don't think so. Agumon!" Taichi didn't hesitate and raised his Digivice to make his partner evolve.

"AGUMON! WARP EVOLUTION! WARGREYMON!" In less than a second, Agumon evolved into his Ultimate-Level form and unleashed a battle against Saiba's partner. The two Digimon growled against each other as they clashed, releasing a large impact.

It ended up being an intense battle, but even if WarGreymon was at his fullest energy and gave his best shots, Saiba's Digimon turned out to be a more tremendous opponent than expected.

"BRAVE TORNADO!" At a certain point, Taichi's Digimon tried to prevail over the enemy by attacking him at full force with his signature spinning attack.

To defend himself, Saiba's Digimon wrapped his body inside his coat and resisted for a few minutes until War Greymon jumped away.

"Dammit! This one is incredibly tough! Maybe I would have problems even in my Bond of Courage form! If only MetalGarurumon or the others were here as well!" WarGreymon thought.

"Impressive indeed. I could see how you were able to defeat so many enemies in the past. But even someone like you can become sloppy." Saiba's Digimon said.

WarGreymon gritted his teeth from behind his mask and jumped backward. "We still have to see that!" He exclaimed. Right after that, he started to gather fire energy that was stored in a ball that became bigger every moment. "It's not the first time that I end up in a critical situation, and I won't let you touch Taichi and the others' children like that again! GAIA FORCE!" As soon as the energy was gathered, WarGreymon threw it at the enemy at full power.

The other Digimon widened his eyes and used his hand infused with dark power to block the sphere. "HMM!" He could feel as if he was getting pushed back a bit, something that made Taichi's Digimon hope, but in the end…the being of darkness could nullify the Gaia Force with a single hand cut.

"NO WAY!" WarGreymon exclaimed. In less than a second, he found Saiba's Digimon in front of himself. His ominous presence was overwhelming as he charged a blast of darkness.

"You may have a high reputation for the story of the Digital World…but even someone as you must learn a thing." The Digimon spoke as he prepared to throw the attack. "A mere mortal…could never beat a god." With those words, he unleashed a full blast of darkness before WarGreymon.

"BRAVE SHIELD- GAAAAAAAAAH!" WarGreymon tried to defend himself with the shield of his armor, but all to naught. It was a similar sensation to when Piemon's blast attack attacked him, but he could feel the crushing power coming from that darkness like never before. That made him fall with his armor badly damaged and unable to attack any further, making him revert to Agumon.

"AGUMON!" Taichi shouted before looking at Saiba's Digimon, who was still floating around. "That power…WarGreymon wouldn't have fallen that easily! That could only mean that Digimon is out of the ordinary…but I've never got the chance to find out what he was..." He thought with horror. But he couldn't think further as he saw that Saiba Rei was already in front of him. "AH!"

"As you can see…even with everything you can throw at me, there's still a large gap," Saiba told him. "I think it's time to accept, Taichi. The world doesn't need heroes like you anymore. You've played your part…and now you can take your deserved rest." With those words, he took a knife and made one singular cut from near the neck to the spleen.

"GAH!" Taichi fell off the ground, and his body started to bleed out.

"TAICHI!" Agumon shouted, while still agonizing.

"GRRRR! S-Saiba…why!?" He exclaimed.

"Don't worry. That cut won't be enough to kill you. I still consider you a friend of mine…so I can't afford to bring you down that easily. But…I'll make sure that you won't interfere any further with my plans. But unfortunately…the same can't be said about your two girls and the rest of that agency. They need to learn their lesson." Saiba said before starting to move out.

"NGH…W-WAIT!" Taichi tried to call him out, but Saiba kept going.

"Things will change, Taichi. For the best." Those were the man's last words before rejoining his Digimon and disappearing in a cloud of darkness.

Taichi couldn't do anything but agonize with a trembling body. He wanted to stop him…he wanted so badly. But he couldn't…it was one of the few times where he ended up achieving nothing.

Something he couldn't bear with…considering what was at stake. What would he have said to Mimi? How would he have protected his daughters?

For the first time in many years…he was found oblivious in his mind…and helpless.

"N-Ngh…hang in there, Taichi…" Agumon did his best to take Taichi somewhere safe.

Back then…Taichi felt lost, and Saiba was confident. But the latter didn't know that by doing so, he activated a trigger.

A few weeks later, he would have seen whether he would have faced the consequences or been able to prevail over them.

---

Back to the present day…

After Kumo and Kyoko split up from them so that they could face Aleksi and Sigmund, the rest of the Cheshire Cat Agency, alongside Norn, was running towards the center of File Island, as the last part of the Saiba case was taking place.

It was then that they started to spot a tall red mountain.

"Hey is that…" Kasai asked.

"Yes, that seems the same mountain where our parents had their last showdown with Devimon during their first journey," Kouta added.

"Does that mean that we have reached the end of the island?" Aria asked.

"So, it would seem…" Growmon replied.

"And that means that the last mercenary in this zone is here. Presumably with the last USB key…" Norn said.

"Which also means…that if Kyoko and Kumo win back there, we'll have finally collected all of them!" Aisu added. Tsuna was already starting to laugh.

"Ha! Considering that there are thirteen of us here, this should be an easy victory!" He exclaimed.

And then…right at that moment, a burst of dark energy started to rise from the top of the mountain, generating a purple mist for a moment and making the earth tremble.

"WOAAAH!" Everyone tried to stand up on their feet.

"GODDAMMIT, TSUNA! WHEN WILL YOU EVER STOP BRINGING BAD LUCK!?" Due to the scene, Chikara scolded his younger colleague.

"HEY, IT WAS A MERE COINCIDENCE! HOW COULD I HAVE SEEN THAT!?" Tsuna retorted.

"Well, he has his reason to believe that…" Coredramon whispered.

"What just happened? That thing couldn't have been normal!" Rikka commented.

"It isn't!" Suddenly, everyone could hear Shiro's voice from their receivers.

"Mom! What do you mean?" Chikara asked.

"It's something of the last moment I couldn't predict! But it appears that a huge amount of energy is gathering atop the mountain you're standing in front of!" Shiro explained.

The detectives and their Digimon looked up, starting to sweat.

"Damm! We know for certain that it couldn't be someone from Saiba's remaining mercenaries…" Sasuke pointed out.

"Could it be that he's throwing us some sort of last resource after everything we've done?" Gladimon pointed out.

"The worst part is that it may be possible, considering who we're talking about…" Leppamon answered.

Yatsura started to panic. "WHAT!? N-No, guys! You can't be serious! You're not telling me that right now that we're about to win, everything is going to fuck up so badly that-" She was about to freak out as always but the answer she got was…

"URUSEI YATSURA!"

"WAAAAH! COME ON, EVEN NOW!?" Yatsura cried out.

"We can't say that for certain! And I'm pretty sure that we didn't come down here to get killed right at the end. Am I right, guys?" Aisu then asked everyone.

The others nodded.

"Eh eh…y-yeah…maybe I should stay relaxed for once…" Yatsura commented, a bit embarrassed.

"And remember that you still have me here, Master!" ExVeemon told her.

"Which means, that whatever is hiding up there, is something we can get to punch!" Rina exclaimed, all hyped.

"Man, you resort that quickly to battle. Though you are right now." Kabuterimon told her.

Veedramon, on the other hand, started to smirk. "In short, we need to hurry up and clean off the remains! What do you say, Kasai?" He asked his partner, who fixed her hat.

"Right. Kumo and Kyoko remained behind to settle things with those two. So, we must have the same charge." Kasai replied.

"Starting to talk a bit more, eh, sis?" Aisu thought with a smile.

"Eh, eh! Well said! While I'm not the boss here, I'd say we gotta get faster!" Toriko then declared.

His partner Starmon looked at him with skeptical eyes. "You deliberately said it like that-"

"Let's go and beat that thing!" Toriko didn't want to admit it and continued.

With that in mind, everyone started to run as fast as they could toward the top. Maybe they would have found someone or something powerful…but a detective should never leave a case unclosed. Especially toward the final phase.

Even though…they didn't consider something particular.

After some minutes, the group was already halfway through the climbing of the mountain, and the Digimon could sense the presence closer.

"The dark aura is stronger here! They're probably up ahead!" Strikedramon commented.

"Looks like they're getting very serious! He really doesn't want to give up, eh?" Leomon added.

"This shouldn't make us slow down! Let's keep going!" Kasai answered before looking up. "Throw every shit you can Saiba…it won't change the fact that we're fed up with you." She thought.

But right then…

"Grade Slash!"

Suddenly, everyone could see a rain of energy swipes, presumably from swords, coming down against them.

"WHAT!?" Aria exclaimed.

"GET OUT!" Rekka warned the others, who started to move away from the trajectory, even if it was a hard job to do so.

The Digimon did their best to defend their partners by either grabbing them in time and jumping away or using their bodies as shields.

"This way, Norn!" Lekismon grabbed Norn and jumped out.

"Thanks!" The girl thanked her.

The attack kept going for a few more minutes, damaging the mountain a bit. But luckily, there wasn't any major damage in the group.

"Phew! We're safe! For now, at least…" Yatsura commented.

"This is the second ambush we receive…they don't want to let us go, either…" Rikka pointed out. But then, she turned around and noticed something unpleasant. "Ah!"

She was looking at Kasai, Aisu, and Norn, who didn't understand her shock until they could notice it as well. "What the!?"

Their path was cut in half, separating the three girls from the rest of the group.

"Dammit! A huge gap was formed!" Strikedramon exclaimed.

"H-Hey, come on guys! It's nothing we can't fix, right?" Aria asked, a bit intimidated.

"Sure…Veedramon, do you think you can jump high enough to reach out to the other part?" Kasai asked.

"Yeah, I should! And I think the same can be said for the others." Veedramon replied.

"Umu! Leave it to us!" Lekismon replied. But then, before the others, she could sense something that made her turn around. "AH! WATCH OUT!"

"UH!?" Everyone shouted.

Another barrage of energy swipes attacked them from behind, forcing the bunny Digimon to jump in front of the attacks and contrast them with her ice arrows. "Tear Arrow!" In an instant, the arrows neutralized the attacks, even though this didn't relax the others.

"First from above and now from behind!?" Aisu exclaimed.

"This is becoming quite the obsession!" Toriko added.

"Are you surprised about it?" A familiar voice suddenly asked.

"AH!" Everyone was startled upon hearing that. After all the time they had spent fighting against Saiba's forces, they would have recognized that voice anywhere at that point.

Some footsteps could be heard getting closer…and two familiar silhouettes confirmed their fears.

"I have to say that I'm quite disappointed in your reactions. After all these months we had fought against each other, you wanted to go straight to the point and ignore us?"

"This was a one-in-a-lifetime chance, there's no reason we would have left you passed."

It was Cassidy Monroe and her partner Grademon.

Everyone started to frown but sweat at the same time.

"Good grief…" Kasai commented.

"Of course…it could have been only you," Aisu added.

"This means that the last signal of this island is her. And here we thought we would have searched for you. But it seems that you are eager to settle things." Kouta commented.

"HA! You even say it like it's something unexpected. But you should have realized that it's only natural at this point." Cassidy said as she made some steps closer with her Digimon. "Saiba has almost completed his purpose…and you got rid of almost all of us. We both have goals that we want to achieve no matter what. This conflict comes only as inevitable." She then took some knives. "Especially considering all the shit you've put me through ever since we started this whole thing. Naturally, I hold a grudge."

It was then that Kasai and Aisu glared at her back.

"So…this is how you feel, eh? I guess…we could say the same." Kasai told her. Veedramon smirked, as he realized what his partner wanted to do.

"Don't pretend to act all guilty. I think you had several chances to get out of all of this, yet you insisted on making the same mistakes. But in the end, you've surpassed all the limits you could have, ending up harming a lot of people, some of them we even knew." Aisu added while fixing her glove. "So, I hope you won't complain if we get violent as well. We are tired of this."

"Aisu…" Kasai spoke.

Aisu turned at the sister and nodded. "I have a bone to pick with her, and I'm sure you do as well. Let's fight together like we did before. I'm not leaving you alone." She said with a sweet smile.

"Well said!" Strikedramon told her.

Kasai was a bit surprised by that reaction, but it was natural. After all…if there was one person who could have understood her more than others…that was her twin sister. So, she nodded and smiled back. "Thanks." She then turned to Cassidy, who started to get annoyed.

"So that's how it is? You do know that even if you stand in our way, it won't change the fact that we're gonna take down the rest of you, right?" She asked.

"Are you sure of that? Do I need to remind you that most of the time, you end up retreating?" Veedramon told her.

As an answer, Grademon raised his sword. "That's in the past. We now have the right strength to cut you down. Which is something we'll do now."

"Kasai, Aisu!" Chikara called them out.

The two sisters turned back and smiled. "Don't worry. We're taking care of her." Kasai told them.

"She had been tormenting us for long enough. This time, she'll get the lesson." Aisu added.

"Are you sure? We were indeed able to push her back, but she can still be dangerous…" Kouta asked.

"We're positive. Kyoko and Kumo are doing the same, after all. We want to make sure to put all this story behind us. And besides…she may have the last key we need." Kasai confirmed.

It was then that BaoHackmon understood and touched Kouta's arm. "They're ready for it. We should follow that dark power that stands on the top." He spoke.

As a confirmation of that, another pillar of darkness was released from the top of the mountain, worrying everyone.

"Go, now!" Strikedramon warned.

Chikara hesitated a bit but then turned around. "Everyone! Move! We can't afford to waste any other time!"

"YES!" The others' answer was the same, as they started to move out.

"Good luck, girls!" Yatsura saluted.

"Kick her ass for good this time!" Aria added.

Aisu then turned at Norn. "You should follow the others, Norn. Lekismon should be able to jump high enough." She warned.

"…What do you want to do, Norn?" Lekismon asked.

Norn looked down on the situation. While it was true that they could have dealt with her…she still felt like she could have given that 1% adding to the certainty that they would have won.

After what Saiba had tried to do with her…she wanted to make her part as well. She wasn't a member of the Cheshire Cat Agency, but she was still their friend and ally, especially to Aisu.

She needed to stay at their side.

This conviction made her take a step forward. "…Let me fight alongside you."

"Uh?" Aisu asked.

"Indeed, I may not be a complete Chosen Child like you guys…but Lekismon is still here alongside me. And you helped me a few times in the past. This…is the best I can do to repay the debt. So I'll be more than happy to dirt my hands!" Norn replied.

Kasai and Aisu were a bit surprised. Yet…they surely admired her resolution.

"…Fair enough," Kasai spoke before turning to her with a smile. "You could say that we feel the same. Right, Aisu?"

"Eh eh…yeah, pretty much. And this time I'll make sure to defend you properly!" Aisu added.

"…Thanks, girls," Norn told them, feeling grateful. With that, the three girls and their Digimon stood in front of the enemy, ready to attack.

"So even Saiba's plan B is against me. Not that I'm not used to confronting several enemies." Cassidy commented.

"Save us your brag, Cassidy. You should know better now that we don't fall that easily." Aisu retorted.

"Last time your speech pissed me off. Now I'll finish what I was doing before you got away." Kasai added. "You and Saiba have been targeting enough people and Digimon…that's something I can't ignore."

Grademon was ready to take their swords at the ready. But Cassidy acted…differently.

Instead of getting annoyed…she sighed. "…Even in the end, you remain stubborn. It's strange…even if it has been only a few months, it almost looked like an eternity. And now we've got here at the end, and yet, despite everything, we've remained the same. Maybe…it's better this way. After all…the main reason I've chosen this pact…is over. That bastard is dead, and my revenge was done even before I could have noticed." She spoke. She then formed a smile. "But…I think I can say that now…I have a newfound will. I think I just want to move on as well. Saiba helped me do so."

"What? But if that's so…then why keep on helping him!?" Aisu asked.

"Oh, please. The deal is done at this point. Helping him is much more than a pleasure! And I hope it will be the same. If I can't ease my suffering anymore…the best thing I can do is to keep on delivering it to others…as a mercenary. Right, Grademon?" Cassidy answered.

"You said it! Besides…I don't want this newfound power to go to waste!" Grademon added.

"…It's so sad to see you act like this. But if that's your answer…then so be it. And this time there won't be any external factor to help you out." Aisu said.

"Ha! The same can be said for you. Get ready…I have a bone to pick with both of you, so I should feel thankful that you wanted to hold me here." Cassidy replied. She then looked at Norn. "The same can be said about you. Since you decided to refute Saiba's offer, the best thing you can do is perish alongside them!"

"I wouldn't be so sure…ready?" Norn asked.

"Yes!" Aisu replied.

"We shall see which one is more right…and we'll do it classically," Kasai added. "Even if you can't evolve yet…don't hold yourself, Veedramon. Let's do it."

"Oh, please! Restrain is not in my vocabulary!" Veedramon answered.

Grademon prepared himself while Cassidy raised his hand. "Which one is more right? I don't intend to hear it from privileged ones like you. And because I'm still standing here…proves that every attempt of taking me down will be…useless, useless, USELESS!" With those last words, the girl threw her knives at the small group.

"Get down!" Kasai warned the other two, who lowered in time, only to see Cassidy run toward them with other weapons to use."

"LET'S FINISH THIS!" She shouted.

"THIS IS THE GOOD TIME WE'LL KILL YOU!" Grademon added.

At that time…both the humans and the Digimon detective could have done one thing…

Answer.

"LET'S GO!

"STRIKEDRAMON! SUPER EVOLUTION! CYBERDRAMON!" As a start, Aisu made her partner reach the Perfect-Level to stay on par with the enemy. "GRAAAAAAAH!" The evolved Digimon dashed forward and clashed his two fists with Grademon's blades.

"Eh eh! You don't brag that much now that I can fight properly, eh!?" Grademon exclaimed before pushing away Cyberdramon with violence. He then charged energy from his blade and released it in an X-shaped energy attack.

"Dammit!" Cyberdramon exclaimed as he put his arms in front of himself as a defense.

But Veedramon and Lekismon started to move out as well towards the enemy at high speed and tried to overwhelm him with two barrages of attacks.

"MAGNUM PUNCH!"

"MOON NIGHT KICK!"

Grademon could see the two bursts of blows coming straight from him, which made him start to move his sword with precise yet fast movements that made him block the attacks.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" Veedramon started to go faster and released his battle cry, but the least he and Lekismon were able to do was simply push him back. "Ngh! This guy became tough!" He exclaimed.

"The evolution made by Saiba's Digimon's darkness made him a completely different being…" Cyberdramon nodded.

Grademon was breathing heavily, as a dark aura was surrounding his body. But yet…he smirked. "Come on…don't tell me you're already tired after five seconds!"

That phrase put the other three Digimon in an alert stance.

"Because if that's so, IT WILL MAKE EVERYTHING EASIER! CROSS BLADE!" Grademon then started to attack at high speed with his swords, creating what seemed like a cage of cuts.

Veedramon and the others widened their eyes and started to move around as fast as they could to dodge the attacks, but Grademon did become faster than he was back when he was Raptordramon or even compared to the battle they had earlier. And inevitably…some of the cuts reached them out, making them bleed.

"GHHHH!" The three Digimon roared out of pain and were forced to recoil. "Blast it! We won't be able to keep up at this point!" Veedramon exclaimed, before witnessing with horror that Grademon was already in front of them.

"Don't think that you're the only ones who get better as time goes on. I've trained myself for many years, AND THIS IS THE RESULT OF ALL MY FRUSTRATION!" Cassidy's Digimon was about to stab the two dragons with the sword, but it was he who got stabbed by a blue arrow. "AGH! W-WHAT!?" He raised his head.

Lekismon was already holding a few arrows, using the protrusions on her back, and shooting at him at a fast speed. "Tear Arrow!"

"NGHH!" Grademon found himself forced to recoil after all those blasts, and when he raised his stare, he could already see that both Veedramon and Cyberdramon were running towards him with furious expressions.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Don't get cocky!" As an answer, Grademon rotated with his blades, forcing the two dragons to move away.

But Veedramon didn't want to quit that easily. "V-Breath Arrow!" He shot a heat ray in the shape of a V from his mouth.

After he stopped moving, Grademon widened his eyes and used his swords to cut the ray in half, only to find out that Cyberdramon was already in front of him. "What the!?"

"Cyber Nail! HINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKU!" Aisu's partner didn't hesitate to attack and stormed Grademon with a barrage of claw attacks that sent the enemy crashing against a rock.

"GRAAAAH!" Grademon could see his body starting to have the first wounds and cuts. But even so, he smirked and stood up.

"Even if he gets those hits, he keeps on standing up…if there's one good thing about him is that…he's tough," Veedramon commented.

"Will we be enough?" Lekismon asked.

"Yes. We just need to try and keep up with him and find a weakness like we did the other times…" Cyberdramon replied before standing ready.

"True…I may have become stronger, but it's still hard to fight three opponents at a time. Ah, who gives a shit!? Me and Cassidy intend to move on...and that is what's gonna happen!" Grademon thought before unleashing other dark energy from his body.

"He wants to rise the difficulty!" Veedramon exclaimed.

"Come on! We're just getting started!" Grademon shouted.

The blue dragon gritted his teeth in a large smirk. "All right, then! Bring it on! Let me have fun!"

In the meantime, the two detectives and Norn were trying to attack Cassidy at the right time, but the mercenary learned her lesson and moved faster to dodge their blows. Then, she raised her knife and like an eel, she slipped through the three girls, making cuts with a knife.

"NGH!"

"Dammit…she wasn't like this the other times…" Kasai commented.

Cassidy turned around and jumped at them with the knife. "TAKE THIS!"

"GIRLS, WATCH OUT!" Aisu stood in the middle and tried to block Cassidy, ending up bleeding her hand to do so. "Grrr…"

Cassidy didn't hesitate and continued to push. "Man, this surely brings back, eh? It all started right on this island with the two of us. Kinda fitting, don't you think?"

"Yeah, and it seems that you didn't learn a damm thing from back then, even if you saved yourself!" Aisu retorted before throwing away Cassidy against a rock.

"Gh!" Cassidy felt a bit of pain in her back before standing up. "What there has ever been to learn? I'm simply following my nature, as I always have been! Considering how far I've got, it's only fair that I want to kill you and get my reward, don't you think? And I'm always pissed whenever I'm not able to leave a job unfinished…"

"Is that all that you can care about!?" Norn exclaimed.

"Wake up, ladies! It's a cruel world we're living in! One when you don't get second chances!" Cassidy answered back before getting more knives. "AND THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO SURVIVE!" He started to throw them as if they were kunai.

Kasai and the others widened their eyes and tried to move around, hoping to dodge them. Kasai and Aisu started to sweat from the pressure, realizing that they needed to get violent as well if they wanted to win. Both sisters took up their guns and started to shoot at the mercenary, who got hit in the arms.

"AGH! Ah ah ah…I see how it is!" Even if painful, Cassidy found the strength to laugh and run at high speed, reaching out to the two girls and stabbing them in the belly with two of her knives.

"BLARGH!"

"GH! S-SHIT!" Both girls spit blood from their mouths as they agonized a bit.

"It seems that you are starting to realize how dangerous I can be. No more playing-" Seeing the favorable situation, Cassidy was about to push up with the knives, killing them for real, but before she could move further, Norn ran against her.

"LET THEM GO!" She gave a strong headbutt to Cassidy's head, stunning her for a moment.

"GAH!" Cassidy recoiled for a few seconds without getting a chance to answer, as Norn immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her down with a judo move. "NGHHH! What's with this chick!?" Cassidy quickly regained balance and jumped away from her. "Tch…and here I thought you wanted to play being a heroine with the detectives, but if you want to die that badly then so be it-" She tried to take out more knives, but she was horrified to see Kasai throwing several punches at her face repeatedly. "AGH!"

Kasai didn't stop and was even determined to turn the mercenary into a punchbag if she needed it. After a dozen fists, she tightened the last one as hard as she could and threw it straight at her nose. "GRRR!"

Cassidy recoiled while her face was bleeding terribly, only to find out that Aisu already reached her and knocked her further away with a karate chop at the neck. "AGH!" She had to spit up a bit of blood from her mouth before looking up at the three girls with eyes burning with rage. "Why…why, WHY!? EVEN IF I'M THIS CLOSE TO KILL YOU, YOU KEEP ON STANDING UP!?"

"DO NOT PRETEND YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS TO GET ON WITH IT! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE AND SAID UP UNTIL NOW, THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE MERCY ON YOU!" Aisu retorted using the same tone.

"Just as she said…and don't think I had forgotten that idiotic speech you said last time. I can't just justify you!" Kasai added.

"S-Same…I've heard too much from you guys that even if I'm not that strong, I'm going at full strength!" Norn concluded.

It was then that Cassidy could notice a familiar sight coming from them. It was almost like she could have read their souls in that instant.

Two small blue flames in their pupils.

"I see…so you have developed the eyes of a killer too…" She commented. She started to tremble, but not out of fear…but rage. That was the last thing she needed to see to snap.

"You say that I cannot be forgiven or that I can't be justified!? I'm fed up to hear bullshit from the likes of you…I'M FED UP WITH EVERYTHING! THIS TIME MY KNIVES WILL TURN YOU STRAIGHT INTO STEW! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOUR AGENCY, FUCK EVERYTHING!"

But Kasai, Aisu, and Norn weren't intimidated by that. Rather, the two detectives took back her guns while Norn took out the knife she used to attack Saiba earlier. And out of their mouths, the same answer came out.

"Bring it on…"

"TSEAAAAAH!" Back at their Digimon, Grademon raised his two swords that gathered dark energy he used to shoot several swipes.

"Moon Night Kick!" Lekismon headed up against the enemy to use his technique and kick off the various swipes before noticing that Grademon as well, was running towards him.

The two Digimon clashed against each other, with Lekismon making sure that her kicks would have pushed back Grademon's sword. But even if they seemed to be on the same level for a while, Grademon eventually used his sword to parry Lekismon's attack and counter them.

"GAAAAH!" Lekismon could see two large cuts in his body, as his enemy looked with pleasure.

"This is what you get for standing in the way! What purpose there is to protect a girl you barely know!?" Grademon exclaimed before realizing that Veedramon and Cyberdramon were surrounding him from both sides.

"V-Breath Arrow!"

"Erase Claw!

They both threw their blasts attack, forcing Grademon to jump away from them, only to notice that Lekismon jumped as well and prepared for a diving fist. "What!?"

"GRAAAAH! Even if she was badly wounded, Lekismon went down with all the strength she could have used and punched Grademon right in the head, throwing him away.

"GAAAH!" Cassidy's Digimon crashed on the ground again and quickly stood up. "For being an Adult-Level Digimon, that was damm tough!" He thought. "But…I think I've got them at this point…I just need to be more direct with the next attack…"

"Anf…anf..." Lekismon regained a bit of breath when the two dragons reached her.

"Are you ok?" Cyberdramon.

"Yes, don't worry…I don't want to fall behind you." Lekismon replied.

"You surely aren't!" Veedramon replied with a smirk before looking back at Grademon.

Lekismon did the same. "Someone I barely know, you say? You don't have an idea of what happened outside! Norn was the first one who wanted to take care of me after I woke up for God knows how long! And we don't even have a Digivice to bond us! It's only fair that I want to help her!"

"Please, save me this 'power of friendship' bullshit. If you think that's what's gonna save you, then it's time for you to grow up for real." Grademon retorted before increasing his dark aura.

"Oh, you think that? I saw you loyal to Cassidy though! But you're right!" Veedramon answered. "It's only a part of what we're gonna do!"

"And surely the same can be said for the brute violence you're using right now!" Cyberdramon added.

"Oh oh, don't worry about that. I've evolved far beyond just resourcing to strength." As he said this, Grademon's swords started to get surrounded by a stronger energy that looked like purple pillars.

"Sometimes to get what you want…you have to take some risks…even if it means that the pact is going to consume you from the inside…THE RESULT IS ALWAYS SATYSFYING! CROSS BLADE!" He then shoots several beams of darkness from both swords.

"Get out!" Cyberdramon warned the others who jumped away, but right after doing so, they could soon see with horror that the beams were following them.

"WHAT!?" Veedramon shouted.

"You got to be kidding me, they're heat-seeking!" Cyberdramon added before spreading his wings and trying to fly as far as possible. But even with all the speed they could have used, the beams kept on going.

That sight was what made Grademon boast a mad yet pleased laugh. "AH AH AH AH AH AH! YES! THIS IS THE SIGHT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE! YOU CAN RUN ALL YOU WANT! BUT THIS TIME, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM ME!"

"GRRR!" Veedramon and the others kept on going, hoping to make the beams stop and find a way to attack him, but in the end…the beams made a step forward…and blasted them.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The three Digimon crashed on the ground before looking up at their enemy, who was breathing heavily, as the purple aura became more intense and his eyes started to glow.

"This…is magnificent! This is the type of power I always wanted! The power of crushing whoever dared to insult me and Cassidy one more time!" Grademon exclaimed.

Cyberdramon could see it properly. "T-The wish of getting over with this drove you to this!? Did you let Saiba's Digimon mess up with your head that much!?"

"You're still in time to snap out of it!" Lekismon added.

"Snap out of it? Why would I ever want to do that!? I can only imagine the things I can do with this newfound power! I can see now that going at his side was the best thing from the start! But if you're still not convinced…HOW ABOUT YOU FINALLY SHRED INTO PIECES!?" Grademon answered before releasing several golden swipes from his body.

The three Digimon widened their eyes before getting cut several times and pushed away. "GAAAH!"

"LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN EVEN REACH ME AT THIS POINT!" Grademon insulted them.

"This is bad, we won't be able to resist for that long if it keeps up like this!" Cyberdramon noticed as he tried to defend himself in the best way possible. But then he raised his head and noticed Veedramon trying to move forward. "Uh? Veedramon!?"

"He's heading straight to him, is he insane!?" Lekismon added.

"GRRRRR!" The blue dragon stomped heavily on his feet as he tried his best to get closer while charging a powerful fist.

"Still here!? Does approaching death make you mad at that point!? I LIKE THAT! It makes things easier! If you're that sure about having this end, COME AND GIVE ME A BIG HUG!" Grademon shouted.

"GRRRR!" Veedramon's scales started to bleed out, but he kept on moving. "I'm going to give you much more than a hug! Not only did you give us those many troubles…but you even boasted about how this is supposed to feel great…well, let me tell you something! A power like that isn't something worthy of taking if it makes you become like that! A power should be cool…NOT MESSED UP!" He answered. "Come on…a few step closer…" He thought. As he tried his best to not give up…he started to see it.

How the cuts were moving…and the few windows Grademon left open.

"Ah! There! I see the pattern! Great…I just need to take advantage of it!" Veedramon thought. With newfound resolution, he started to run forward, being more careful at the movements he was making, so that he could have avoided the cuts. Even if he had a big body, this was something that came up pretty well.

He needed to count. He needed to observe. He needed…to move. Until he was closer.

"MOVE AS YOU WANT! YOU'LL- UH!?" Grademon thought that it was over for him, but with horror, he could see Veedramon in front of him with a fist ready to throw.

"ORA!" Veedramon didn't hesitate and slammed it in his head.

"GAAAAH!" Grademon roared out of pain, but even that wasn't going to let him finish. "CROSS BLADE!" He immediately attacked with the sword, causing an X-shaped wound on Veedramon's body.

"ACK!" Veedramon fell to the ground, with Cyberdramon ready to replace him.

"Veedramon, you're insane but damm great! Let me repay the favor! CYBER NAIL!" The other dragon tried to overwhelm Grademon with his claws.

Cassidy's Digimon was able to counter the attacks with his blades, but he started to sweat as well. "They don't have much stamina left. I just need to take them down now!" He thought. He could then see Lekismon jumping up and heading for a diving kick.

"Moon Night Kick!" Lekismon went down for the attack, making Grademon jump in time. "What!?"

"NICE TRY! BUT THIS IS THE END! GRADE SLASH!" Grademon jumped down with another sword attack…slicing down both Cyberdramon and Lekismon.

"Gah…D-Damm you…" Aisu's Digimon inevitably fell off, while Lekismon tried her best to stand up.

"Oh no…"

Grademon turned around with a creepy laugh.

On the other side, Kasai, Aisu, and Norn were doing their best to overwhelm Cassidy, who used her knives to defend herself and counterattack. "USHAAAAAA!" After jumping away from their fists and kicks, she attacked straight on forward with the small weapons, making other dangerous cuts on their bodies.

"GHHHH! WE WON'T LET YOU!" Norn could feel terrible pain, but she stood still with her foot and answered back with a cut of her own using her knife.

"ACK!" Cassidy didn't expect and got hit in the throat, which started to bleed. She got lucky the cut didn't go too deeply, resulting only in bleeding. This made her frown, grab Norn's head, and make her smash the ground. "KNOW YOUR PLACE, TRASH!"

"NORN!" Aisu quickly came to the friend's aid took one of the knives that were on the ground and tried to stab Cassidy with them.

The mercenary, though, put her arm in front of herself in time to only get a cut on it. At the same time, Kasai was running from the other side and threw a violent punch that Cassidy felt particularly on the jaw.

Cassidy gritted her teeth and with a bit of strength, she grabbed both sisters' heads and made them crash against each other. "GRRRR!"

"GAH!" Both Kasai and Aisu felt a terrible pain as they fell on the ground.

And it appeared…that the last ones standing were Cassidy and Grademon, with Lekismon reduced to a terrible state.

"Anf…anf…anf…anf…" Cassidy breathed heavily, but in the end, she was the one who made a large grin. "Looks like…we won." She then started to take a few steps closer, with some knives in her hands. "I pity you a bit. But it can't be helped. I've warned you, yet you wanted to continue. And now…" She raised the hand. "You're gonna be the first ones. With Grademon's increased powers, taking out the others is gonna be like a child's play!"

Grademon did the same, as he came closer to the Digimon. "And don't think I'll just stand there. Don't worry…the Village of Beginnings isn't that far from here. You'll get lucky next time. That is…if you still remember us."

Right at that moment…the wounded detectives and their allied pair tried to move up.

"…Ah ah…is that supposed to be a joke?" Cassidy asked. "You should look at yourselves True, you were able to stand up various times in the past…but good luck doesn't come out always."

"Why don't you just accept that you put up a good fight and embrace the end?" Grademon added.

"Anf…forget it…as you can see…we are still breathing, which means that you're not good at your job…" Aisu retorted.

"I…I don't intend to go down. Not now that we're so close. The others had tried their best to put an end to this case and went through hell because of that. Some of us even felt the pain of losing people we cared about…or almost risked. Maybe…I shouldn't talk that much considering that I joined only two months ago…but even so…I could see the effort they put in and I've tried to do the same…therefore…I won't let you step on what we've done like we were some shit!" Kasai added.

"Kasai…" Aisu spoke.

"Y-Yes…well said. The same can be said here…" Veedramon added, trying to stand up. "C-Come on…I'm still alive! Are those swords just sticks?" He asked.

Grademon got annoyed as he prepared himself.

"…Spare me those speeches about effort or loyalty. I never gave a damm and never will." Cassidy spoke. "My vengeance may be over without getting a chance to do it…but there are other ways to satisfy the anger inside my heart. LIKE THIS ONE! GRADEMON! KILL THEM!" She then went down for the finishing blow, with Grademon doing the same.

But then…

"STOP!" Both Norn and Lekismon stopped their attacks and tried to hold back their weapons. "NGHHHH!"

"You again!?" Grademon exclaimed.

"What is it that you still want to do!? You have no resources left! How about you let me finish my job!?" Cassidy shouted. "Besides…you're just a girl who let herself get kidnapped, or have you forgotten!?"

Norn was doing her best to push her back. "N-NGH…yeah, you're right. Compared to the others, I was the one that needed to be saved. But like I said before, this doesn't mean that I can just stay here and do nothing!"

"Oh, please! You already did nothing! Your effort was useless! What makes you hope that you can do something new now!?" Cassidy retorted.

"Anf…the fact that you are forgetting something…" Norn spoke.

"As someone corrupted by the dark…there's something I can do as one that emits light…" Lekismon added.

"LIKE THIS!" Both the girl and Digimon exclaimed at the same time.

"GYAAAAH!" With all the strength she could have used, Norn grabbed Cassidy's head with her hand and emitted a large flash of light right from her palm.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" Cassidy was forced to recoil as she held her face. "MY EYES! IT'S BURNING!"

"HAAAAAA!" Lekismon, on the other hand, released an aura of light that expanded in the area.

"WHAT!? GAAAAH!" For some reason, Grademon could feel as if his whole body was burning, as the dark aura that surrounded him started to die out.

"Norn! That's…!" Kasai spoke.

"Yes…the strange power she showed last time! How did you…?" Aisu asked.

Norn could finally take some breaths before raising her head. "Y-Yeah…to be honest, I didn't know if it would have activated, so I went on with it and risked everything. But…what I planned out to do worked out."

"You mean you had this idea from the beginning?" Aisu asked.

"Y-Yes…I just needed to wait for the ideal moment to use that power, even a small fraction. And now…we can answer…" Norn replied.

"Good grief…you really risked a lot with that. But I guess it's understandable…" Kasai said while fixing her hat. "We can make her pay."

"Yeah! Considering how they were engulfed by that black smoke, there was only one thing we could have used to take them down! And that's light! Even if I'm not a holy Digimon, I can still do that!" Lekismon added.

"And you had the best thought!" Cyberdramon told her while standing up.

"GRRR!" In the meantime, Cassidy noticed how her sight was starting to get…blurrier. "W-What's happening to me!? I can barely see anything!"

"Gaaaah…" Grademon's body, on the other hand, was smoking. "I feel terribly weakened…C-Cassidy!"

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP! WE'RE NOT GOING DOWN BECAUSE OF A SURPRISE ATTACK! I'LL KILL YOU NOW AND THE OTHERS WILL BE NEXT!" Cassidy insisted, taking up a battle stance.

"GRRR! THAT'S RIGHT! BRING IT ON!" Grademon added, trying to hold up the blades.

Aisu didn't feel that angry before but rather…saddened. "Why can't you just give up, like you were proposing…you're still in time. You have a new chance-"

"WE DON'T NEED MERCY FROM SOMEONE LIKE YOU! I JUST NEED MORE BLOOD FROM YOUR BODIES!" Cassidy quickly interrupted her before throwing herself against them with three more knives, but Kasai promptly got in front of her and punched her fist away, making the knives fall. "NGH!"

"Even if we give you one last chance, you want to fight that badly!? Fine…you wanted it, YOU IDIOT!" At that point, Kasai couldn't just stand there and went for fist after fist, making Cassidy recoil. "I've been waiting to do this!" With one last fist, Kasai threw Cassidy's back.

"GRRR! W-What have I told you…!? Your efforts would have been USELE- GAAAH!" Cassidy tried to answer back, but this time, it was Norn who surprised her with several kicks.

"GET OUT OF OUR LIVES!" Norn shouted. And right above her, Aisu jumped down with a furious stare, but she still held some tears.

"Why did you make us do this…? At this point, if you want to join Saiba's other mercenaries, THEN BE OUR GUEST!" With those words, Aisu went for a diving kick that made Cassidy crash several times to the ground.

"GRRRR! N-No…No! Not right now!" Cassidy tried to stand up, making his Digimon raise his guard.

"HOW DARE YOU! I DON'T INTEND TO GO DOWN NOW THAT I'M AT MY FULLEST!" Grademon shouted, trying to increase his power once again. "GRADE SLASH!" He then tried to jump right against his three enemies and surround them with several sword attacks but to his horror, Veedramon found the strength to stand up and started to answer back by slicing with his hand and generating several blades of hair that countered Grademon's attack.

"Did you really think I would have let you do that!? CUTTER SHOOT! ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" Veedramon went at full speed, and his enemy could feel himself getting overwhelmed.

"No NO! The light from earlier weakened me! I Can't falter-" Grademon did his best, but inevitably, Veedramon was able to push further and slice him right on the body. "GAAAAH!"

Lekismon found the perfect occasion to push him away with a kick infused with moonlight energy. "Moon Night Kick!"

"GAAAH!" Grademon crashed as well, ending up near Cassidy. And when they tried to stand up, they both realized that they were standing on the border of the area, risking falling. "NO!"

"D-DAMMIT! HOLD UP! WE CAN STILL…" Cassidy tried to convince herself, but the two detectives and their friend were already standing in front of her.

Aisu and Cyberdramon made a step forward. "The first time we battled, it ended up with you in that same position. Are you sure you want to go through with it?" Cyberdramon asked.

"Think about it carefully…" Aisu added before Cyberdramon showed his claws. "Because we won't go easily if you still decline."

Cassidy started to sweat out. For a moment…she could feel like the key moments of her life were passing by. From when her father abandoned her, from when she lost her mother, from when she grew up as a mercenary to when she started working in Saiba. "Is this really it?" For the first time…she felt doubt in her life.

But…either way. She couldn't give up at the end. It was too late for that.

"I…I REFUSE! I'LL BE THE ONE STANDING ON THE TOP! GRADEMON!" She ordered her Digimon, who prepared herself.

"THIS IS YOUR-" Grademon was about to throw an attack, but right at that moment…Cyberdramon stabbed both of them in their chest.

"GAH!"

Cyberdramon growled while Aisu looked at them. "…So be it. I became a detective to help others…but If I need to finish you off as well, even if it saddens me…then so be it. This is a goodbye, Cassidy."

Cassidy's eyes widened with panic. "NO! NO! STOP IT! WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"CYBER NAIL!" Cyberdramon didn't hesitate, as both he and Aisu attacked repeatedly with one last burst of blows and their battle cry.

"HINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHUNJAKUHUNJAKUUUU!"

Grademon's body was filled with holes and scared, as he looked down on her partner in discomfort. "F-Forgive me, Cassidy…I…I tried to be stronger…for us…" With those last words, he ended up disappearing in data.

Cassidy looked down at her enemies with both fury and fear, only to see Aisu raising her gun and shooting at her at the end. It was done, but knowing her…it was a good idea to take additive measures. And with that…

BANG!

"AGH!" In a moment, and with one last grunt of pain…Cassidy's eyes blacked out…and she started to fall down from the mountain, with something coming out of her pocket.

"Veedramon!" Kasai called out his partner, who grabbed the object in time.

"Hop!" When he opened his hand, he could see with surprise that it was the very thing they were looking for. "Ah! Kasai! That's it!"

"Yes…this is the USB key!" Cyberdramon added.

"This is one of the last ones, right?" Norn asked.

"Yes…we're a step closer," Aisu replied.

Then, Kasai and the others looked down, where they could see that Cassidy crashed at the bottom with a small puddle of blood below her.

"Why does it always end like this?" Aisu asked, feeling bad for her.

"She…she couldn't accept how everything passed away without her being able to do something. And she just wanted to get over with it. For her…it was a matter of life and death at this point…" Norn added.

Kasai looked at her more deeply. Somehow…it was almost as if she…could understand her. She had a terrible memory that made her the monster she was. Much like herself. Kasai almost thought that she wouldn't have been that surprised…if the roles were reversed.

She did horrible things and helped out a terrorist. But she had her reasons, even if she had to be stopped.

Veedramon could see her partner with that expression. "Kasai?" He asked.

"Uh? Oh, it's nothing…" Kasai replied. "…In the end…this was the only other ending she would have accepted. Good grief…" She added. "Can't say that I'm not feeling sorry."

Down there…Cassidy was motionless. She could still breathe, but probably not for long. She got defeated, and mortally wounded…and even her Digimon got eliminated. The only thing she had got to left…was to cough blood.

"Cough, cough, cough! S-Shit…this is the…this is the worst." She quietly spoke as she looked up to the sky. Somehow…that sight calmed her down…even if her heart was still full of regret.

"…Is this…is this how it ends?" She wondered. "After so many years of surviving…of thoughts…of plannings. This is how I'll go off?"

After a few seconds, she made a small laugh.

"…Maybe it's better this way. I couldn't have afforded to spend the rest of my life in a cell. It would have been terrible. Yet…" Her face started to tear up. "This…this is frustrating. This quest ends up in a total failure…and I won't be able to see what comes next. Is…is it my fault? I just wanted to remain faithful to myself…" After saying this, she took a few other breaths. "At least…this was what I was able to make. No one…could change me in the slightest…even if those assholes managed to take me down, COUGH!" Another bit of blood was spit out. "Anf…in the end…they were very strong…but maybe I should have realized it whenever I've faced them, and now…I've paid the price for my inattentions…dammit, DAMMIT! I-I want a rematch…I want to make things right! I want to correct other things! But…why did it end this way!?" The crying became stronger.

The result of a regret that she couldn't close anymore. She could feel the breaths start to lower. There was nothing left for her to do. Yet…she couldn't afford herself to accept it. Because in the end…she didn't get the chance to prove to herself or to the person she hated the most…that she was strong.

Or at least, that's what she thought. As she looked up…she could see a familiar shape, sitting down near her.

Mary Monroe was looking at her with a saddened face.

"A-AH!" Cassidy startled. Was she really there? Was it just a hallucination? A vision she was having before dying? A prank put by her mind?

Honestly…she didn't care. Somehow…that vision made her feel serene…even if sad. She slowly raised her hand just to have the confirmation. "M-Mom…is that you?" She asked with a tone full of sorrow.

Mary looked at the hand and held it dearly.

That made Cassidy widen her eyes.

"…It's me, my precious angel. Why did you do all of this? You could have found a better way to live. But…I guess it's also my fault. I had been a terrible mother…"

Cassidy gritted her teeth as the tears became stronger, to the point that she went straight to the sobbing. But Mary didn't seem to be angry or disappointed.

And instead…she gently laid her hand on her daughter's front. "Shhh…it's ok. There's no need for you to suffer anymore. They gave you peace…and we'll soon be together again. Rest now…my precious Cassidy…" with those words…Mary's image disappeared.

She was there. And that…was what made Cassidy feel even more regretful.

Now she could see it. Especially with what the others told her.

"As you can see…there's no reason to continue all of this."

"Why can't you just give up like you proposed? You're still in time, you got a new chance…"

She could have quit on any occasion. Her mother's soul wasn't suffering like she thought, and her father was just a part of the past.

Yet…she continued…and only now, she realized her mistake.

But still…even if tears went down…she got to smile. Not because she found everything stupid. But because in the end…she got at least one certainty.

She could finally feel peace at the very last moment. And that everything…was going to end right there.

"…S-So…this is how it felt. Ah ah ah…it's not exactly what I thought but…it's…wonderful to feel yourself empty from everything. I guess…this is fine." Cassidy then looked up at the mountain.

"…I won't be able to see those assholes get defeated in the end. Forgive me, Mister Rei…I couldn't afford to carry on the job as you asked…I'll leave it to you." She then looked at her Digivice, which had a crack in the glass.

"Y-You've done great, Grademon. We got strong…like we promised. But…it wasn't enough. I hope you'll have a better chance next time…" And finally…she looked up at the sky…thinking of her last moment with her mother.

And all the other moments with her that made her happy those few times.

"…Forgive me mom…I've messed up. Everything. But…at least…I'm glad. We'll get to be together again…" After a few sobs…she started to close her eyes.

"I'm…coming…"

She exhaled her last breath and everything went black.

Cassidy Monroe didn't get to conclude her hunt…but she could have found a satisfaction…that left her with a smile.

Kasai, Aisu, Norn, and their Digimon looked up at her in silence…until they heard some other footsteps that made them turn around.

"Girls!" They could see Kyoko, her brother Kumo, and their partners as well joining them.

"Ah! Kumo, Kyoko!" Aisu exclaimed.

"Are you alright? Why are you here?" Kumo asked.

As an answer, Kasai looked down. "…We finally closed another page." She spoke.

Kumo and Kyoko looked down and could see it for themselves. "Is that…Cassidy Monroe?" The girl asked.

The others simply nodded.

"…She remained herself…until the very end," Aisu explained.

The other two detectives could understand the rest.

"At least she seems that she had finally calmed down," DORUgamon commented.

"Indeed. And with this…" Veedramon showed off the USB key to them.

"Ah! The USB key!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Yes! This was among the last ones!" Norn said.

Kumo and Kyoko smiled at each other before showing the ones they took.

"And now…we have all of them. These are the ones from Aleksi and Sigmund."

"Ah! You made it!" Cyberdramon commented.

"By the way…how did it go?" Aisu asked.

As an answer, Kumo took out a breath of relief. "We were able to explain things properly, finally. They're down there, recovering and they're…sorry."

Kasai looked at him with a sincere smile. "I'm glad to hear that. You were pretty cool down there."

"Really?" Kumo asked.

"Ah ah! Indeed! But we knew that we would have made it! Kumo is just like that!" Shoutmon commented. "And guess what! I've evolved! I've reached the Perfect-Level as well!"

"What!?" Kasai, Aisu, Veedramon, and Strikedramon exclaimed.

"Yeah! He also has a nice evolution!" Kumo confirmed.

At that point, Veedramon looked at both Cyberdramon and Shoutmon before making a sigh of resignation. "Come on, man…everyone getting ahead of me and I'm still like this." He commented.

"Hey, if it consoles you, I barely reached the Adult-Level!" Lekismon said, sweatdropping.

"And nothing forbids you to be still cool," Kasai added.

"Thanks guys…" Veedramon thanked them, but the situation didn't seem to change that much.

"And so…with Cassidy having the last one…we have all thirteen USB keys! Man, if it was challenging…" Kumo then commented.

"Yes, and that means…" Aisu then said.

"…That we can now enter inside the Somnus government skyscraper," Kasai concluded.

Kyoko felt genuinely fine. "Heh. A step closer to the end of this case…by the way…you think you can still go on?" She then asked.

Kasai, Aisu, Norn, and their Digimon looked at each other before nodding at them.

"True…we may not look that good but…as long as it's not over, we cannot stand back," Kasai told them.

"Eh eh! Don't think you can get rid of us that easily!" Veedramon added.

DORUgamon sighed but smiled either way. "Well, it's only normal."

Kyoko then smiled and put out a medical kit. "But first…how about you fix up a bit?" She asked.

Naturally, the three girls and their Digimon weren't contrary to that.

And after a few bandages and some sprays, they felt a bit better.

"Phew…self-medication always feels so good!" Aisu commented.

Norn took the chance to make a smug smile. "Is that so? And for what reason?"

This made the other girl blush. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" She exclaimed.

But the small skit came to an end after they could see a pillar of darkness coming from the top of the mountain.

"Whoa! What is that!?" Shoutmon exclaimed.

"That's something quite powerful that appeared out of nowhere!" Veedramon replied.

"Another one of Saiba's assets?" Kumo asked.

"That's what we suspect. Considering that most of his mercenaries are out of the game, he's probably starting to use something else to get rid of us." Aisu answered.

"Heh. Quite normal. He's close to the end and he wants to make everything perfect. Well, not on my watch!" Kyoko commented.

"We let Kouta and the others go while we were busy with Cassidy. I think we have a clear road now." Kasai said.

"Right. Let's reach the others then." Kyoko answered before looking at the Digimon. "How about you? Do you feel like climbing or flying?"

"No problem! Leave it to us!" Cyberdramon replied.

"Then let's go! Lekismon!" Norn said.

"Right after you!" Lekismon concluded.

Another battle was over, and the four detectives with their allies started to climb up the mountain.

Even if another battle was over, they couldn't rest, as they were getting closer to the conclusion…but so did their enemies.

---

"Anf…anf…anf…" Kouta and the others kept on running. The sight of that energy was dangerous enough to give them the right charge to run as fast as they could.

Knowing their enemy, they needed to check fast. And finally…they were standing at the top of the island.

"Phew…we made it…" Rikka commented as they could all see the sight from there.

"Man…it's the first time we get that high on File Island…" Yatsura added.

"Do you guys think we should let the others know?" Toriko then asked.

"That won't be necessary!" A voice suddenly said, making everyone turn around, just to see the four remaining detectives get in with their Digimon.

"Ah! Guys! You made it!" Aria exclaimed.

"And you even got fast!" Growmon added.

"Well, we just needed to climb directly the mountain and that was it!" Kyoko explained.

"Wait…why did we do that in the first place?" Kabuterimon asked, making everyone turn at their leader with a skeptical face.

"…Eeeeehm…we needed to get the keys?" Kyoko tried to justify herself.

"Man, Kabuterimon! Sometimes you're quite the silent voice of truth!" Rina said to her partner.

"So, how did it go?" Chikara asked.

"Another task accomplished," Kumo answered. "We got to settle things with all of them. Aleksi and Sigmund were defeated and surrendered. And Cassidy…"

"…We settled things with her," Kasai concluded the phrase, making everyone understand.

"Oh…I see." Rikka commented. "But...that means that…"

"Yes! We have all the keys we need!" Norn replied.

"HELL YEAH! Now we're talking!" Tsuna commented, excited.

"This means that we'll soon finish this story!" Coredramon added.

"We surely hope so! What about you? Did you find out what was that energy of darkness?" Kyoko then asked.

"Well, we just came in so we were about to find-" As she said it, Yatsura turned around to find the answer without noticing it. "…Uhm…guys?" She pointed in the direction, making everyone turn around.

"AH!" They were a bit shocked…but surprisingly…there he was.

With his coat moved by the wind…he was standing there, glaring at the Chosen Children with a small grin.

The detectives glared back at him and got ready.

"Saiba Rei…" Aisu said, starting to get angry.

"Well, well, well…it seems that there's all of you. Quite the convenience, Cheshire Cat Agency." Saiba commented.

"We'll see about it…" Leppamon retorted.

"It seems that your resolution was big enough to lead you all the way here. To the point that not even someone like Cassidy could have held you." Saiba continued. "Poor girl…to think that she would have expired after expressing her feelings…but I guess that I couldn't have expected less from the children of those who were dear friends of mine."

"Do you think you can call them like that after what you're trying to do at their backs?" Chikara exclaimed.

"Like how you manipulated my father for your dirty research!?" Rikka added.

"Or how you wounded mine? Don't think I've forgotten that…" Kasai said, glaring at him.

"Give me the signal Kasai…" Veedramon spurred.

Despite getting so much hate, Saiba remained serene, as if he had everything under control. "I can get how you feel. No one would want to hear something bad regarding our loved ones. But you have to know…that I'd done that for their sake…and yours."

"What?" Aisu asked.

"That's right. We're both after our tasks. The competition of the Perfect Cube is at hand, and once I have my hands on it, America will be at its best once again. Are you sure that I'm someone evil when I'm seriously doing this for the best? You should understand me. Besides…apart from Aria, all of you have Japanese parents, but you were all born in the United States. You can't deny the fact that you, as well, have some patriotism. And I'm not saying that just as an American citizen. I also say it as a seeker who helped to progress in society. Our priority is to put everyone at the next level…and this is the best outcome we have to achieve our purpose. While it is true that they followed me mostly for the money, the mercenaries you have defeated up until now still decided to come with me on that. So, I think you should see it, too. As people who love your Digimon and help others. My goal is not that different from yours. To make things right…America must be at the center again. There must be a figure managing everyone else." Saiba explained.

The detectives remained silent at first.

"I would say that this is more appealing to you, don't you think?" Saiba then asked. But the answer he got was…

"NO! THAT'S WRONG!"

"What?" The man asked.

"True, I may not be American or care about patriotism, but even with that, do you think that anyone here would leave someone like you to gain power like that!? I think not!" Aria exclaimed.

"That's right! That's not how a country is supposed to go! And the Digimon you have tortured and the people you've killed from behind surely wouldn't agree with you or your ways!" Aisu added.

"I gotta admit that at first, I thought you were just some megalomaniac, but I'm horrified to see that I was dead wrong!" Sasuke told him.

"Yeah, tell him, brother! You're more than that! You're directly BAT-SHIT INSANE! There's no way I would listen to someone like that!" Tsuna added.

"I know patriotism more than these guys, AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WHAT YOU SAID IS WRONG! The sole sight pisses me off right now!" Chikara exclaimed.

"So I hope you won't mind if we'll come straight up against you!" Leomon added.

"Yeah! You coming up here made things easier! Because now we can settle things properly! Am I right?" Yatsura asked.

"YES, YATSURA!" Everybody else answered.

"You may have the most noble intent, but if you use torture, murder, and terrorism to accomplish it, then you're just a straight piece of shit that I wouldn't listen to," Kouta commented.

"And don't forget that some of us here have a personal bone to pick with you. Like me." Kumo said with a cold tone. "Don't think I forgot what you did to Aija. And now I intend to avenge her."

"I think I've already told you my opinion back there, Saiba. Don't think talking about it will change something. I'm fed up with you, especially after what you've done to me." Norn added.

"Yeah, you tell'em! I honestly didn't understand much of what you've said but we're gonna finish it otherwise!" Rina exclaimed.

Kyoko looked at everyone and nodded. "Well, Saiba…I think that pretty much sums up our opinion. We're not very important people who could decide the fate of a whole country, and we surely don't know much about laws and patriotism. We're just a detective agency, after all. But I think we can understand the difference between what's right and what's wrong. And now that we have reached the truth, it's time we put the word 'end' on all of this stuff." She spoke.

"And if it means that we also need to harm you as we did with your men, then so be it," Kasai said before glaring at him and fixing her hat. "You've messed with us for the last time, Saiba Rei. We won't change our ideas…and we're gonna pay you back!" She then exclaimed.

Everyone got ready, as well as their Digimon.

"Eh eh! Glad to see that everyone has the same opinion as I have!" Veedramon commented.

"I'm pretty sure that it would have been hard to have a different one," Kabuterimon added.

"What matters now is that we settle it," Starmon said.

"You got it right, Starmon!" Toriko said as he prepared the bullets. "So I think there's nothing much to add! With this said…"

And then…everyone said it at the same time.

"BRING IT ON, SAIBA REI!"

Saiba looked at them with a disappointed expression. "…So, this is how it must end, eh? Not that I'd expect something different after all the problems you gave me up until now. If it's the battle that you want…then so be it." He then said before releasing what seemed like a cloud of purple smoke. This one was more intense than those the others had seen up until now, and they could see it.

"Ah! This power!" Cyberdramon exclaimed.

"Don't tell me, it was you!?" Aria added.

"There's a precise reason why I came here after escaping. I could have seen that after assaulting my corporation, you wouldn't have stopped chasing us. So, I wanted to make sure to deal with you. My task is almost over, and I don't intend to ruin everything because of you. So, what you said earlier was right…I think it's time we end this." Saiba said while taking out something familiar.

"A-A Digivice! You won't tell me…" Rikka could understand soon what he was about to do.

"The reason why dad lost…and the one who released all that energy!" Kasai thought as he widened his eyes.

"EVERYONE! GET READY!" Kyoko warned the others. And Saiba's dark aura increased, resonating with his Digivice.

"If you don't want to accept the truth and my vision, then I don't have any reason to deal with you anymore. And in that case…" Saiba prepared himself… "You shall sink…INTO THE ABYSS OF DARKNESS!" And then spread them, unleashing a pillar of darkness that made everyone cover their eyes.

"AAAAAAAH!" And after that…they could finally see it.

"T-That must be it!" ExVeemon exclaimed.

The silhouette finally got clear…and he finally revealed himself. A Digimon with a pitch-black body that looked like armor with several jaws all over his body, including his shoulders, which looked like two large canine mouths, a red gem on his chest, short black hair, two long pointed yellow horns, a dark red cape on his back and red glowing eyes.

"At long last…I finally see you properly…Cheshire Cat Agency…"

This was him.

"SAIBA'S DIGIMON!" Everyone shouted.

"Allow me to finally introduce you to my Digimon partner…Plutomon." Saiba spoke.

"P-Plutomon?" Kyoko asked.

Rikka, on the other hand, used his Digivice to scan him. "The Digimon of darkness that reigns over the realm of the dead in the Digital World…a Digimon that attacks with violence and terror and searches for evil-doers that deserve to die and get their souls swallowed…it is said that he has a long grudge with the Olympos XII…" She spoke.

"I-Is that it? This is the HADES entity Homeostasis was afraid of!?" Aisu added.

"And there's no doubt in it…he's an Ultimate-Level Digimon!" Leppamon exclaimed.

Everyone gulped at that sight. This was it. The first Digimon that made them feel genuine fear. It wasn't like when Hisyaryumon evolved for a few moments. This was a genuinely powerful entity that they needed to face.

That made Kyoko stand still with her foot as she tried to look up at them. "Let's not falter right now! We've come this far to take him down!"

"RIGHT!" Everyone else agreed as some of them raised their Digivice to make their partners evolve.

"SHOUTMON! LEPPAMON! EXVEEMON! COREDRAMON! GROWMON! SUPER EVOLUTION! OMEGA SHOUTMON! TYLINMON! PAILDRAMON! WINGDRAMON! MEGALO GROWMON!"

"It seems that you still want to answer! I wonder for how long you'll last." Saiba commented with still his grin, while Plutomon started to rise.

"Since you're that stubborn, I think it's appropriate that I teach you the lesson you deserve." The Digimon said as he started to gather energy.

"We won't let you!" Cyberdramon and a few others tried to get closer to attack him but, in an instant, Plutomon already charged the energy and released it from the jaws on his chest.

"Haggard Cluster!" An explosion of darkness wiped out all the Digimon that got near him.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"GUYS!" The detectives shouted, horrified.

"I-In just a second!" Toriko exclaimed.

"Is this his power!?" Rikka added.

The other Digimon started to stand up while Plutomon looked at him.

"Are you willing to throw away your lives that easily?" He asked.

That made Yatsura grit his teeth. "Speak for yourself! PAILDRAMON!"

Paildramon frowned his eyes and started to fly high. "Ok, Master! Desperado Blaster!" The dragon Digimon pulled up the two cannons on his waist and started to shoot a barrage of energy bullets.

Plutomon saw them coming and started to move his arms around to block the attacks, while Wingdramon was already going against him, charging his blow.

"Explode Sonic Lancer! BAAANG!" Wingdramon dived at high speed against him, causing a small explosion.

"Yes, we got him!" Tsuna was happy at first, only to change his expression in horror. "WHAT!?"

When the smoke faded out, it turned out that Plutomon was still intact with only a few scratches. Wingdramon looked at the scene with wide eyes. "I-It can't be!"

"Only vain and childish heroism. Your destiny cannot change." Plutomon spoke. He then jumped up and started to release several discs of energy that went at high speed against the two dragons.

"PAILDRAMON! DODGE!" Yatsura cried out.

"Ngh! Y-Yes!" Paildramon and Wingdramon started to fly around at high speed, but they got hit inevitably. "GAAAAAH!"

"PAILDRAMON! / WINGDRAMON!" Tsuna and Yatsura were worried.

At the same time, Leomon and Veedramon tried to surround the two Digimon from both sides.

"Dammit! We need to give him as less opportunities to attack as possible! Follow me Veedramon!" Leomon exclaimed.

"Right! Cutter Shoot!"

"Hyakujūken!"

While Veedramon released several blades of wind from his arms, Leomon shot several lion heads. The two attacks formed a cage of blasts that surrounded the enemy.

Plutomon started to move back as he released a dark aura that nullified the blows.

"DAMMIT!" Veedramon shouted.

"VEEDRAMON! WATCH OUT!" Leomon tried to warn the friend, but it was too late.

The two jaws on Plutomon's shoulders were already opened. "Chaos Rights." His jaws released two large beams of darkness that aimed at the two Digimon.

"GRRR!" Veedramon tried to defend himself but got wiped away. The same could be said for Leomon.

"GAAAAAAAAH!"

"Even with an attack like that!?" Chikara exclaimed.

"There has to be a way- UGH!" Kasai added something before stopping herself due to something she felt in her stomach. "N-No, not now!"

"Kasai?" Chikara noticed her.

"Ngh…it's nothing, we must keep going!" Kasai tried to change the subject, but she started to sweat.

Plutomon, on the other hand, looked at the Digimon he attacked and already charged the next blow. But right at that moment, Kabuterimon, OmegaShoutmon, and Cyberdramon were already attacking him at the same time.

"Mega Blaster!"

"Erase Claw!"

"Hard Rock Damashī"

The two beams of energy and the two fireballs released a large impact, only to reveal Plutomon with very small burns. But Omega Shoutmon didn't want to quit there, as he dashed at high speed against Plutomon, trying to overwhelm him with a barrage of fists.

"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!"

"OMEGA SHOUTMON! NO NEED TO RESTRAIN YOURSELF! MAKE THEM PAY!" Kumo encouraged his partner from a distance.

"Not bad at all. I can see how you've survived this far. But it's not like this charge will make a difference for you people." Plutomon commented as he moved his arms to defend himself.

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF! Your darkness had messed up with so many Digimon, including my friend Fla Wizarmon! THERE'S NO WAY I'LL LET YOU OUT OF THIS!" OmegaShoutmon didn't want to hear him as he started to charge the two cannons on his chest. "HEAVY METAL VULCAN!" He released two streams of fire that pushed back Plutomon.

When it stopped, Saiba's Digimon could see Kabuterimon pulling him down with a heavy fist from all six of his arms. "DOWN!"

And finally, Cyberdramon opened his mouth to release a violent blast of energy. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

KABOOOOM!

This time, the impact was more violent than before, but even if the enemy seemed pummeled down for good, the three Digimon that attacked, got blasted by a shockwave of darkness.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What!?" Rina exclaimed.

"He's still standing!?" Aisu added.

The pile of smoke faded out to reveal Plutomon surrounded by the darkness again.

Saiba grinned, on the other hand. "Are you surprised? I think he made it already clear. It will take more than just a few blasts to take out a god among the Digimon."

"A god!?" Norn exclaimed.

"Do not let him intimidate you! The last attack was able to put him on the ground, which means that he's not untouchable!" Rekka retorted.

"Right, we just need to get the right time and the right combination!" Kouta added.

"I'd love to see you try," Plutomon answered. "Even if I hardly see it happening."

But Tylinmon was already flying high. "You think a few menacing words will stop us!? Shippū Tenshouken!" He then charged down, diving with his horn, hoping to impale Plutomon, who blocked the attack with his hand. "GRRRRRRR!" Tylinmon kept on charging, making the earth tremble with his energy. "Even if you claim to be a god, there's no way I'll ever stop! Not after giving so much for this case!"

"How sad to hear you say it. If you cannot understand even the basics, then you can even get away from me!" Plutomon was about to prepare for the next attack, but he got caught by surprise as he sensed something behind him.

"It seems that you're so self-centered to the point that you cannot see an attack coming, eh!? Teen Blade!" The dragon Digimon used his blade at high speed, hoping to reduce Plutomon to a pincushion.

The divine Digimon felt some small cuts before jumping away, making Tylinmon interrupt his charge.

"We must not give him time to breathe! Let's go BaoHackmon!" Tylinmon promptly charged a golden ray from his horn.

"Yes! Burn Flame!" BaoHackmon used a burst of flames that fused with Tylinmon's beam.

"That combination might be it!" Rikka exclaimed.

But Saiba grinned. "Heh. How naïve."

"Stubborn fools!" Plutomon charged a pillar of darkness that threw against the two Digimon, slamming them to the ground.

"NGAAAAAH!"

"No! Not this, too!" Rikka cried out.

"Even with our best shots, we cannot make him falter…" Kouta added, starting to sweat out.

"So…how many are left?" Plutomon asked before seeing some bullets slightly touching his skin. "Hm!?"

"Take them Starmon!" Toriko started to shoot out several bullets that Starmon kicked to send straight to Plutomon, empowering them in the hope of harming him.

"PASS PASS PASS!" Starmon started to get faster and faster as the bullets kept on coming. At the same time, Gladimon was running fast toward Plutomon before jumping up with his two swords.

"Gladimon! Finish up what BaoHackmon started while Starmon keeps him busy!" Sasuke encouraged his partner.

"Got it, pal! Sword Dancer!" Gladimon tried to surround Plutomon with a perfect performance sword attack, releasing even his battle cry. "DORARARARARARARARARARARARARA DORAAAAA!"

Plutomon engulfed his body in his long cape to defend himself, not aware of the fact that Starmon was already preparing for the next blow.

"Meteor Squall!" He released a rain of meteors from the sky that all went down to Plutomon, making him go down.

Plutomon didn't expect the attack, but he quickly regained balance and prepared several orbs of darkness around him. "I see that we're getting heavy with the attacks. I suppose I'll do the same."

"Oh no! Watch out!" Starmon warned the other Digimon, which tried to move away.

"It's futile. The only thing you can do is SUBMIT!" Plutomon immediately threw the orbs that went against the two Digimon and exploded at contact.

"GAAAAAAH!"

"SHIT!" Toriko exclaimed.

"Hang in there, Gladimon!" Sasuke added before gritting his teeth. "Dammit…I refuse to lose right now!"

Plutomon looked at the scene satisfied before getting attacked by a few arrows. "Tsk!?" When he looked up, he could see small burns and noticed how Lekismon was holding several arrows from the protrusion on her back.

"Don't think I would have just stood in here!" Lekismon exclaimed.

"Attack, Lekismon!" Norn added.

"Tear Arrow!" Hearing the friend's plea, Lekismon started to shoot several arrows that forced Plutomon to move around to dodge them.

"Even if they're a small deal with me, the light those arrows emit might be a problem. I may just-" He was about to go straight for the kill, but he got grabbed by Megalo Growmon's tail. "What!?"

"Uh?" Even Saiba looked surprised by that.

"How do you like that!? There's no way you're gonna escape from this!" Megalo Growmon held the enemy Digimon as tight as he could as he charged his attack.

"Yes! We have him!" Yatsura desperately shouted.

"Attack! NOW!" Chikara added.

"GO, MEGALO GROWMON!" Aria encouraged her partner, who finished the charge.

"DISAPPEAR! ATOMIC BLASTER!" The mechanic dragon Digimon shot two max-power beams that blasted Plutomon away, to the point that he wasn't visible anymore.

But at a certain point…they could see the beams spin around in a spiral way…and reveal Plutomon, who was absorbing them with the two jaws on his shoulders.

"WHAT!?" Megalo Growmon shouted, with the others getting horrified.

"No way…even attack like THAT…" Aria added, starting to tremble.

"Eh eh eh…I gotta say…" Plutomon spoke as he ultimately nullified the attack. "For a moment I got worried. But brute force can be easily countered." He added raising his palms. But right then…

"Cannonball!" DORUgamon tried to shoot several iron balls from his mouth, hoping to swallow Plutomon in them…to no avail, as the divine Digimon simply reduced them to shreds with one swipe of his arms. He then turned around, making the furred dragon sweat. "N-No…"

"I'm starting to grow tired of you. Disappear! Haggard Cluster!" Plutomon then released another burst of darkness that attacked the last three Digimon, wiping them away.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"NO, LEKISMON!" Norn cried out.

All fourteen Digimon were trying to stand up, as Plutomon gently landed at the center of the area.

"T-This is absurd…" Aria commented.

"Even with our best blows…we're barely able to scratch him…" Kumo added.

"This is not like the other times we got knocked down! This is a real shit!" Tsuna exclaimed.

Even Kasai started to sweat out, as her hands were trembling. Yet…she clenched them to fists. "Even with everything we could throw, he's still standing…but…I refuse to believe we can't harm him! He may be a god, but he's a Digimon like the ones we have faced up until now…come on…I just need to think outside the box…" She thought.

Then, surprisingly enough, Veedramon jumped out and tried to assault Plutomon with a fist, making the enemy block him with his hand. "TSEAH!"

A small shockwave was released from the impact.

"Veedramon…?" OmegaShoutmon asked.

Plutomon simply stared at him while Veedramon looked up with a mocking smirk. "H-Heh…I just came out from a bloody battle with Grademon, do you think that a few blasts will be enough to kill me!?"

"Poor being…it seems that you have higher suicidal tendencies than your friends," Plutomon answered back.

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT! MAGNUM PUNCH! ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!" Veedramon went with his classic barrage of punches that didn't seem to work out before jumping back and shooting a ray of heat from his mouth. "V-BREATH ARROW!"

The ray made a small explosion, but like earlier, Plutomon came out of it untouched.

"Anf…anf…come on…as long as I stand up I'm gonna keep on punching you out!" Veedramon provoked him.

"Veedramon! You…you just don't give up, do you?" Kasai asked with a small smile.

But Plutomon started to come closer and look at him from above with his crimson eyes.

"N-Now that I look at him closer…his eyes are creepy…it's like…watching a bottomless pit of red…" Veedramon thought, feeling a bit intimidated.

After a few moments of looking at him in silence, Plutomon moved his head to the right and closed his eyes. "…Pitiful."

"Uh?" Everyone said.

"W-What do you mean?" Veedramon asked.

"The way you try to stand up and try to fight against someone of my caliber. This reminds me of how ungrateful you mortals have become. You're never satisfied with the gifts that we, the gods, have offered you since the creation of the world. You always try to search for something bigger even if it means to destroy yourselves and whatever surrounds you. And then…you even try to go up to outrageous things…such as trying to fight against a god…like what you guys are trying to do now." Plutomon explained.

"W-What!?" Cyberdramon exclaimed.

"What are you saying!?" Aisu added.

"You mortals should revere the gods and have the right fear of them. This is the main reason why I'm Saiba's partner. He's the only one who can understand my desire to put you in the right place. And the fact that you're right here, trying to put up a fight against something you clearly can't surpass makes your whole existence sad. The term 'fools' doesn't suit you anymore. Pitiful. That's what you mortals are now, whether you are humans or Digimon."

The Digimon looked shocked at him…but their expressions turned to one of rage in a short time.

"Are you…FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" Wingdramon exclaimed.

"Do not pretend like you can lecture us when you're the one doing all of this!" Tylinmon added, trying to stand up.

"Yeah! This shows how a selfish bastard you are!" Paildramon retorted.

Plutomon looked with nuisance at how the Digimon were standing up again.

"They're right…" Veedramon spoke out, getting the enemy's attention. "Are you telling me that you're supposed to be a god that we should revere!? A god should be just! But how can someone like you be just if you care only about torturing us and approving something as a dictatorship!? Someone like that ISN'T SOMEONE I WOULD CALL A GOD!" He exclaimed.

"That's…that's right…the same can be said about us!" Kasai exclaimed. "The fact that we're still standing implies how wrong your thoughts are. You can try to slay us down as many times as you want…but I don't intend to go down that easily…NOT YET!"

Soon, the other Digimon started to stand up, ending up in a circle around Saiba Rei and Plutomon.

"…Are you that willing to go on despite all the wounds we have given to you?" Saiba asked.

"You think we would have thought otherwise!?" Toriko and Starmon countered.

"You have no idea how much we are pissed with you right now. There's no reason for us to just quit!" Kumo and Omega Shoutmon added.

"Even if we need to break our bones, we'll pierce through that shell of yours!" Rikka and Tylinmon said.

"We…we don't want to quit. Not after what we had learned from this!" Yatsura and Paildramon added.

"And it's not like the first times we ended up like this, right?" Rina and Kabuterimon asked.

"Of course not! We still need to deliver a great finale!" Sasuke and Gladimon answered.

"If there's someone that needs to learn their place is you!" Chikara and Leomon shouted.

"Who gives a shit if you're an Ultimate-Level Digimon!? We don't give a damm about differences!" Tsuna and Wingdramon added.

"We have our secrets to win a battle. That's how we survived for that long!" Kouta and BaoHackmon spoke.

"Come on! Don't tell me you thought that speech of yours was enough to scare us!" Aria and Megalo Growmon provoked.

"After everything you've put us through, this is nothing!" Norn and Lekismon said.

"And we're gonna get through this, like good detectives." Aisu and Cyberdramon added.

"You can break us down and mock us all you want…" Kyoko and DORUgamon started.

"But if we didn't quit until now, you won't make any difference, you pompous asshole!" Kasai and Veedramon concluded.

Saiba and Plutomon looked annoyed. It was almost incredible how both humans and Digimon were able to say the same thing as if they were just one being. But even with that harmony that bonded them…they were still nuisances.

"You really are just like your parents…and like them, it seems that you need to accept that your time is over," Saiba commented.

"…As you wish. Let's end this." Plutomon added, getting ready.

But this time, all the Digimon went together, and alongside their partners, even if they already said it several times…they dared to say it again.

"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Plutomon widened his eyes for a bit, as he saw BaoHackmon and Gladimon overwhelm him with several storms of sword attacks that forced him to move back, only to see Tylinmon diving against him with his horn. "GRAAAAH!"

"HM!" Like before, Plutomon blocked him with his hands, but he could see at the same time that DORUgamon shot a large metal ball from his mouth.

"POWER METAL!" The large ball pushed Plutomon back a bit more, thanks also to the impact of Tylinmon's horn.

Right after that, Megalo Growmon and Starmon tried to overwhelm him with a rain of energy blasts and meteors that forced him to use his energy to counter them. "GRAAAAAH!"

"NGH!" Plutomon raised a wave of darkness to neutralize his attacks. "They're becoming faster and more ferocious, what's the meaning of this!?" He exclaimed. Right then, he could see Omega Shoutmon and Cyberdramon jumping up and diving against them with a barrage of physical attacks.

"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA!"

"HINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJAKUHINJKU!"

"GRRRR!" Plutomon put his arms in front of himself to defend himself before pushing them away with a blast coming from the jaws on his shoulders. "Do not act cocky with the lord of the underworld- UH!?" As he said it, he could see a rain of lion heads and light arrows in front of him.

"TAKE THIS!" Both Leomon and Lekismon unleashed their attacks that pushed back Plutomon and forced him to move his arms around to deflect all the blows, only to see Kabuterimon charge with his horn.

"Beet Horn!" Kabuterimon was able to pummel him and push him up, whereas Paildramon was already there to overwhelm him with bullets.

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon kept on shooting, encouraged by his partner. Plutomon started to get annoyed as he was pushed back again. He reacted with a dark shockwave that sent Paildramon away.

But the other Digimon came closer to Veedramon and grabbed his hand. "GO!" He then threw him away.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Veedramon shouted with rage and charge as he unleashed a punch that stunned Plutomon and made him recoil.

"NGH!"

"Plutomon! Are you ok?" Saiba asked.

"Anf…not even a scratch. Why can't you just learn your- UH!?" Plutomon was horrified to see all fourteen Digimon charge their attacks.

"WE WON'T LISTEN A WORD COMING FROM THE LIKES OF YOU! THIS IS THE END!" As one, encouraged by their humans, they all released their shoots, combining their strength to surpass a god.

"V-BREATH ARROW!"

"HEAVY METAL VULCAN!"

"POWER METAL!"

"KAISHIN NO HADOU!"

"ERASER NAIL!"

"JUOKEN!"

"FIF CROSS!"

"SWORD DANCER!"

"WING BLAST!"

"MEGA BLASTER!"

"DESPERADO BLASTER!"

"METEOR SQUALL!"

"ATOMIC BLASTER!"

"TEAR ARROW!"

All fourteen attacks headed down to the same target, blasting him and generating a large explosion. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" For the first time since the battle had started, they could hear Plutomon scream with pain.

When the smoke faded…they could see their hated enemy tremble…as he witnessed something outstanding that excited the others a bit.

"Plutomon!" Saiba exclaimed.

The Digimon just couldn't believe it. And yet…he touched to confirm it…and saw a familiar crimson color in his hand.

His front…was bleeding.

"This is outrageous…I never thought…THAT A BUNCH OF MERE MORTALS WOULD HAVE SOAKED MY IMAGE WITH BLOOD!" Plutomon shouted with pure rage. He just couldn't stand what just happened, as his body released a shockwave of darkness. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

The other Digimon were pushed away, but they were still able to stand up.

"Anf…anf…so we were right! You're not that untouchable!" Veedramon exclaimed.

"That's right! We were able to wound him!" Yatsura added.

"Which means that we just need to find the right way to kick his ass!" Tsuna said, pumped up.

Kasai looked up at the enemies with a bit more of positivism. She now knew that it would have been possible to see the end of that case. "Then…all that we need to do now is- AH!" She wanted to press on the charge, but something stopped her…making her fall to her knees.

Soon, everyone turned around.

"What!? Kasai!" Veedramon exclaimed.

Kasai could feel it again…that terrible nausea at the heart. "N-No! Not here! Not now!"

"H-Hey, sister! What's going on!?" Aisu asked, panicked to see her sister in those conditions. But the answer wasn't too late to come.

"BLAAAAAARGH!" In a few seconds, Kasai puked out a good amount of blood, shocking everyone.

"What!? Kasai!" Kyoko shouted out.

"Hey, what's going on!?" Aisu immediately ran to help her sister, who started to breathe heavily.

Tsuna, on the other hand, turned at Saiba and his Digimon. "OI, ASSHOLES! IS THIS SOME SORT OF DIRTY SPELL YOU MADE!?" He asked.

But Saiba grinned. "Plutomon isn't capable of doing such a thing, even if he's a god. This is something coming straight from her. And I do think what that's about…"

"ANF, ANF, ANF…" Kasai breathed heavily before raising at her stare, pale in her face and with her eyes widened with fear. It wasn't mostly for the fact that she puked the blood, more like…the thing that she wanted to keep a secret was revealed.

Everyone was looking at her.

"Kasai…what's the matter…?" Kumo asked.

"What's with the blood?" Rikka added.

"No…no, NO! DAMMIT!" For the first time, they could see Kasai starting to get flustered.

"Hey, hey! There's no problem! We can talk about it!" Aisu tried to comfort her.

"NO! THAT'S NOT IT! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!" Kasai continued. "DAMMIT…WHAT DO I DO NOW!?" She shouted, getting more in panic. Ever since she found out those many years ago, she wanted to make sure that no one would have found out about it. For their sake.

"This may even turn out to be fatal for her…" The words she heard from that time coming back from her mind started to fluster her further.

While the other detectives could see their friend lose her cool image for the first time.

"Kasai! What there is to know!? What's going on?" Veedramon asked.

"…It seems that even someone like her has her skeletons in her closet," Saiba commented.

"What could you possibly know!?" Aria asked.

"Heh. I surely don't know the details. But it's not that hard to find out. No one just pukes out blood like that, even after coming out victorious from a battle. So I suppose…that Kasai here has something that makes her feel sick to that point." Saiba explained. "Perhaps…a disease?"

"AH!?" Everyone was stunned to find out, while Kasai looked down with empty eyes.

Aisu and Veedramon, in particular…turned around to look at her.

"K-Kasai…what's the meaning of this?" Veedramon asked.

"Is…Is he telling the truth? Are you ill?" Aisu added. "Do Mom and Dad know!?" Aisu added.

"H-Hey, Kasai! Come on, you can tell us!" Toriko tried to encourage her, but Kasai didn't know what to say at that moment. She was just…broken.

"Kasai…" Norn spoke out.

"…How ironic. Just a few moments ago, you were full of confidence and thought that you could win. But all that it took was a mere truth to make one of you crumble down. And it all happened by pure coincidence." Saiba commented.

But…even if she was shocked, Kasai looked up furious at Saiba, as she stood up with a few coughs and dried off her mouth.

"Oh, Shut up…" She spoke.

"Hm?" Saiba asked.

"K-Kasai! Are you sure you're ok?" Kyoko told her.

"…I wish I could talk about it properly, now. But first…I want to finish this story once and for all…and now that we have our target in front of us, I surely don't want something like this to stop us!" Kasai answered. "That's right…I'm diseased. So, what!? This won't prevent me to take you down!"

The others looked at her worried. But soon…it was almost as if they wanted to understand her. After all…she was still their friend and colleague.

"…Kasai is right. I think that we'll have the proper time to talk it out. Now it's time we take care of him!" Sasuke said.

"Yes! Let's do it!" Kouta added. Soon, everyone else turned back at Saiba and Plutomon, ready to resume their battle.

"Are you ready, Cyberdramon?" Aisu asked.

"Yes! Let's continue!" The Digimon replied.

Aisu then looked at her sister. "Kasai…I don't know what happened and you know I wouldn't be mad at you. But…I would like to get some explanation, later on."

"…I know. I'm…sorry." Kasai replied.

Aisu tried to cheer her up with a smile. "Don't think about it now! Like you said, let's focus on him!"

"Yeah! You still got me that'll let you talk, after all!" Kyoko added.

It was a tremendous situation. Their opponent was strong, and her secret was revealed. But at least…she was glad to see that they seemed to understand it.

"…Good grief…I'll owe you one after this," Kasai spoke before looking back at Saiba, who had a…pleased expression on his face.

"So…you put your duty before your issues? That's commendable. But…I think that you still won't go far."

"Oh, we'll see about that! We're still standing, after all!" Chikara exclaimed.

"Not for long." Plutomon promptly answered back and started to gather more energy than before, to the point that the earth trembled again.

"W-Woah! What's going on!?" Yatsura exclaimed.

"Grrr! He's preparing himself! I think we should give him another attack before he gets ready!" Paildramon encouraged.

"Yes, that's for the best! EVERYONE!" DORUgamon added.

"ROGER!" All the Digimon soon started to gather their energy…but Norn wasn't convinced.

"Please…hurry! I don't like this!" She spoke.

"You dared to put a wound on my body. You made the ultimate outrage and harmed a god. I cannot and I don't want to leave such a mortal sin to be unpunished. Therefore…it's time I deliver to you the last lesson." Plutomon started, as he started to gather an immeasurable darkness around him. "Allow me to show you why I'm the terror of every Digimon's soul. With this next attack, I'll make sure to swallow you whole."

"HE'S GETTING READY! NOW!" Kyoko tried to order the others, who shot their attacks…but it was too late.

"Our strength returns…feel free, Plutomon." Saiba simply said.

Everything went pitch black.

"Hell's Gate." As Plutomon pronounced the attack, the whole area blackened out, and several pillars of darkness started to appear and attack the detectives and their Digimon with violence and power.

"W-WHAT?! GAAAAAAH!" Everyone shot out with pain as they felt their bodies getting mortally wounded.

"GRRRR! G-GUYS!" Norn tried to call the others out, but they were suffering enough.

"AGH!" Kasai and Veedramon fell to the ground as the attack kept on going. Their hope seemed to have been shattered. But they didn't want to give up. Not now.

"GRRRR!" Kasai tried her best to resist, and so did Veedramon.

"H-HANG ON! WE'LL RESIST!" The blue dragon exclaimed.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Saiba asked as the attack continued. "Do not deny it. The final darkness is nigh."

As he said it, Plutomon gathered more energy. "And now…BECOME ASH!" He released it in the form of a large dark explosion that blasted everyone away.

Kasai and Veedramon, Kumo and Omega Shoutmon, Kyoko and DORUgamon, Rikka and Tylinmon, Aisu and Cyberdramon, Chikara and Leomon, Takeru and Patamon, Sasuke and Gladimon, Tsuna and Wingdramon, Rina and Kabuterimon, Yatsura and ExVeemon, Toriko and Starmon, Aria and Megalo Growmon, Norn and Lekismon…

None…was excluded. Everyone was blasted away. A part of the mountain was destroyed and started to crumble, making them fall below.

Either way…Kasai found the strength to raise her hand as a sign of fury towards the enemy…and so did the others, who were able to say the same thing together.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

CRASH!

In the end…the mountain at the center of File Island was left with a part missing on the top…and a large pile of smoke.

All that was left were Saiba and Plutomon who looked down at them.

"…I may have overestimated them, in the end. It's a bit sad. They ended up being cleverer than I thought. But it's better this way. This proves that this is the right path for the next level for our worlds." Saiba commented.

"Such is the punishment of whoever tries to deny their fate," Plutomon added before touching his wound. "No one must dare to harm whoever brings them law and order. That…was their appropriate punishment." He then turned to his partner. "What now?"

"At this point, we return to Somnus. The Perfect Cube will probably be finished in a couple of moments. All we have to do now is wait and then get it. After all…there's no one left to stop us now." Saiba explained. With that, he jumped on Plutomon's back, who started to fly toward the capital of the Digital World.

"Father…I hope that you're watching right now…your devotion to our country will finally give its fruits!" He thought as he held tightly his tissue. His father's last wish.

It was his final repayment. His goal…was one step away from the accomplishment.

And back at the island…all the detectives of the Cheshire Cat Agency laid down at the feet of the mountain…gravely wounded.

Even after all the efforts they made to end the case and collect the USB keys they needed…they couldn't avoid the defeat. Their enemy was stronger than expected. And now…he was about to win.

It was over…

Was it?

Somehow…their fingers started to move…even if they didn't have the strength to stand up.

Still…they could raise their head…and look up at the sky. Still willing to fight, even if it seemed impossible.

Kasai in particular, frowned at the sky as she breathed deeply. After all of that, everything she went through…she didn't want to let it end.

And her colleagues thought the same.

"G-Gh…no…I'm not…done yet…!"

Even if very faint…that will to fight was still on.