Chapter 49 Part 1: Apex
We traveled in the direction DarkKnightmon's data went. Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon alternated between traveling with me and resting in the Xros Loader. Their injuries were severe, but not life threatening. In their current condition, we wouldn't be of any help against ExoGrimmon. After a few miles, we noticed what looked like a small camp ahead. Shoutmon must have established a checkpoint in case they needed to retreat. It was the remains of a black fortress, reminiscent of the white castle we had used to enter this realm. There were a few other digimon running around, helping those injured.
"There you are!" a voice called out. On our left, Rob and Dracomon rushed over.
"You're alive!" the small dragon hugged Dorbickmon.
"A-agh...!" the general froze. That upset look on his brow told us everything. He isn't the "hugging" type.
"G-get off..." he tried to remove Dracomon from his leg. The dragon held on tighter.
"You were gone for so long...I...I thought DarkKnightmon had..." Dracomon hesitated. He must have been worried sick. Of Dorbickmon; the dragon he absolutely despised back when we first met. And I think Dorbickmon could see that.
"...at ease." he reassured him. "No rust bucket wielding an overgrown toothpick will ever best this dragon."
He patted the dragon on the head. Nice save. I decided not to keep quiet. Truth is, had it not been for UlforceVeedramon, we would have failed. Dracomon let go, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, but..."
"Hmph!" Dorbickmon huffed. Dracomon stood up straight as if on command.
"You remember our creed, don't you?" Dorbickmon asked. The little dragon shook his head fiercely.
"A dragon is mighty! His power and strength are proof of his fury!" Dracomon recited. Rob and I side-eyed each other.
"I don't remember teaching him that..." Rob whispered.
"Don't look at me. Maybe it's from their Death General days?"
Once that was done, we took a moment to explore the camp site. The sight wasn't pretty, but we overheard some other members of Xros Heart confirming there were no casualties. Looks like Beelzemon, Mervamon and Nene were the ones leading the recovery efforts. Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon received some healing from Cutemon. Enough to keep their injuries minor. The little pink rabbit look exhausted.
"There." he sighed, but was keeping a brave face as he moved on to the next injured digimon. I recognized the next two in line.
"Damn it..." EmperorGreymon clutched his shoulder, "Curse that overgrown beast..."
"If you had listened instead of charging in, you'd still have feeling in your arm!" MagnaGarurumon berated him. At the same time, he firmly helped apply the recovery data into EmperorGreymon's wounds.
"OW!" the dragon warrior winced. "Your bedside manner sucks. The little guy emphasized being 'gentle'!"
"With you? Fat chance." MagnaGarurumon scolded him again. EmperorGreymon finally noticed me staring. Guess that was my cue to walk in.
"Are you ok...?" I asked.
"Yeah..." EmperorGreymon sat up. "It was just a bit of data corruption..."
His entire arm looked shaky. The way it blurred in and out like static was a grim reminder of the digital nature of Digimon.
"Good to see you're still well." EmperorGreymon rotated his arm to get some feeling back. "Did that knight bastard finally get his comeuppance?"
"I wish it had ended there..." I grimaced, "But as a last resort, he declared a DigiXros with ExoGrimmon."
"He what?!" EmperorGreymon quickly stood up, smacking his head on the roof.
"Idiot." MagnaGarurumon sighed.
On that note, I excused myself and gathered nearby with the others. They were looking at a hologram from the center gem.
"GrimmKnightmon is closing in." Mervamon skimmed through the images provided in the hologram. "We must evacuate."
Beelzemon walked in from the left wing. "We've established a connection to the castle where the entrance was. We can travel freely now."
"Good. Let's get ready." Mervamon concluded their meeting. Along with Cutemon, they started gathering the injured. I heard another round of commotion from behind me. It was the three cyborg brothers.
"I would've easily mowed through them if it wasn't for that quicksand!" Chaosdramon complained, spinning his claw in anger.
"Next time, don't get sand in your legs..." Darkdramon muttered.
"Say that to my face!" the red cyborg grabbed his brother into a head lock.
"O-OW! Quit it!" Darkdramon whined. RizeGreymon shook his head.
"Please...save it for when we're not in public..." he sighed. In their struggle, Chaosdramon noticed me gazing.
"Hey kid!" Chaosdramon marched up and stared me down.
"Y-yes?!"
"You're going to fight ExoGrimmon, right? I'm tagging along!" he boldly declared.
"Well, that's..."
"You're not gonna chicken out, are ya?" he pressed further. Darkdramon placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Let him answer first." the blue cyborg pointed out. He was so composed. The robot seeking revenge for his fallen brother was nonexistent. The question did weigh on my mind, though. After how we struggled against BasiliskKnightmon, did I really feel comfortable sending Dorbickmon and Slayerdramon back out there? After nearly losing both of them?
"...you haven't decided." Chaosdramon realized. He turned back to his brothers. And asked one last question before they left.
"Have you thought about how Dorbickmon will feel? Are you brave enough to face him and order him to run away? After the harm DarkKnightmon caused both of you? I can't predict the future, but I'd bet Dorbickmon's pride won't take it well..."
I decided to check back with Rob and Dracomon. The entire walk I stared at the gem I wore around my neck. The last remnant's of Examon's data. What would he do in this situation? Would he send Dorbickmon to fight, knowing he's injured? Would Dorbickmon understand I'm thinking of his safety first? Or would he feel I was insulting him? Calling him weak?
"Knock, Knock, are you in there?" a voice called out to me. I stopped just before I bumped into Tagiru and Arresterdramon.
"O-oh! Sorry..."
"Are you looking for Dorbickmon?" Arresterdramon turned his head. "He's by the fountain in the east."
"Thank you." I followed his gaze and saw my team over there.
"You look worried." Tagiru pointed out. I guess it was obvious by how distracted I was.
"I...have a lot on my mind. Dorbickmon's still injured and..."
"Are you afraid of the risk he may not return?" Arresterdramon figured it out almost immediately. I turned away.
"You know..." he switched topics, "The first time DarkKnightmon kidnapped you, King Shoutmon was furious. He even tried to force Dorbickmon to help. And it didn't work. At least, we thought it didn't. But during our rescue attempt, Dorbickmon showed up. On his own, in fact."
"Really...?" I couldn't believe it at first. It would've sounded like a joke at the time.
"He may not be happy at first." Arresterdramon noted, "But I think he'll see the reasoning behind it once he cools off. That's my take on it, at least."
"...thanks, Arresterdramon." I felt more reassured. There was no point in delaying it any longer. After saying goodbye, I made my way towards the dragon I've been calling my "partner". His back was resting against the wall behind him as he observed the water from the fountain.
"Dorbickmon." I called out to him. His head perked up and his gaze shifted.
"...what is it, rookie?" he asked. First I was a "brat". Then a "kid". Now I'm a "rookie"?
"I want us to stay back and help the injured." I declared. Chaosdramon and Arresterdramon were right; he didn't take it well.
"What?!" he snapped. I could sense the rage in him building.
"ExoGrimmon is immensely strong. And if wasn't for UlforceVeedramon, we wouldn't be here right now." I tried to explain. But he wasn't having it.
"You would rather we run like cowards?!" he countered, "After the many attempts on our lives?!"
"No! I just think that Xros Heart and the Royal Knights can handle it!" I defended my reasoning. Dorbickmon however, wasn't on my side.
"Stay here and cower if you wish! I refuse to let that bastard escape! I will fight alongside them! With or without you!"
"Dorbickmon, listen to me!"
"I WILL NOT BE MADE TO LOOK WEAK!" he roared. That caught the attention of a few digimon nearby. They stared for a few minutes before Dorbickmon's glare shifted to them. While he calmed down, I realized how similar his reaction was to a moment during the fight against Piedmon. Specifically, when Piedmon pressed him about "that one time".
"Dorbickmon, why does being 'weak' bother you so much?" I asked.
"Why I would ever tell you..." he growled in a quieter voice.
"Do you not trust me? After everything?" I pressed further.
"Do you!?" he threw the question back at me. That's when I realized the root of our problem. Even with all the encouragement from our friends, our moment against Apollomon in Bright Land, all of my issues boiled down to a simple truth.
"...no. I don't." I confessed. Dorbickmon stood there. I left him at a complete loss for words. The more I dwell on that fact, the more it explained why DarkKnightmon was still able to turn us against each other. Dorbickmon started to walk away.
"...but I want to trust you, Dorbickmon." I spoke up. He stopped and turned his back ever so slightly to make eye contact. "And I want you to trust me."
"...rookie." he mumbled. Whether we trusted each other or not, there was still an undeniable fact. We were in a better position now than we were before.
"How about we make a pact?" I suggested a compromise.
"A pact...?" he listened.
"If...no, when we make it back, after DarkKnightmon's defeated once and for all, we will ask each other one question. And the other must answer." I explained. Dorbickmon stared at his hand. For all of his pride, he looked hesitant under that unfazed brow. It took a moment, but he turned around.
"...I accept your terms." his tone of voice was calmer. But his answer was clear. It was a small step, but it was all I needed at this time. My Xros Loader started glowing. That symbol from before, Δ , appeared on the screen.
"That energy..." Dorbickmon reached out to the screen. The gem around my neck also started glowing. What did it mean? Both sources of light combined, blinding us. As the light faded I noticed Dorbickmon had taken a familiar form. The wings, the spiked tail. Not to mention he was taller and more muscular underneath his armor. I referred to it as his "Dragon Mode". His wounds had also completely healed.
"I feel...stronger." he looked himself over. The dragon still looked a bit disappointed. I wonder if he feels it would be more fitting if he earned it on his own.
"Hey!" Rob and Dracomon found us. Dracomon pointed over to the group nearby.
"Are you coming with? We're gonna start relocating." Dracomon asked. Dorbickmon and I exchanged a glance, but we already knew our answer.
"We're ready. ...but we're going to join the fight instead." I answered. The two looked at each other. But they didn't look surprised.
"We had a feeling you'd say that." Dracomon smiled and pointed behind us. There they were; Arresterdramon, Tagiru and the cyborg trio were waiting.
"...did you plan this?" I suspected the two.
"Nooooo!" Rob played it off. "There was no waaay we'd ask some friends to lead you toward Dorbickmon to bury the hatchet!"
"Weasels, the lot of you..." Dorbickmon muttered.
We followed them toward the group joining the fight.
"Heh, I knew you couldn't resist a fight!" Chaosdramon grinned.
"They literally asked us to help..." RizeGreymon sighed.
"Everyone's accounted for." Rob reported. Arresterdramon pointed to the gate they opened.
"Alright then! This is a one way transport. We'll appear a few miles away from the battlefield. After that, we'll meet up with King Shoutmon and the Royal Knights!"
"Alright, let's cause some chaos!" Chaosdramon charged into the portal.
"Damn it, wait!" Darkdramon and RizeGreymon chased after him. Tagiru and Arresterdramon followed. Then Rob and Dracomon jumped in. Slayerdramon gave us a quick glance before stepping in after them.
"You first." Dorbickmon waited, "So you don't try to turn tail."
"Thanks for the confidence, jerk." I glared. That small step was looking more like a tiptoe. I made my way past him.
"...don't take any risks." he warned. "And should I fall..."
He didn't finish his sentence. I realized what he was trying to say. In his own way. And that was more proof of our new pact.
"...you be careful too." I nodded. "I know I shouldn't say this to the former Fire-fury general, who's own strength could fell entire armies, but..."
"...step inside the portal, rookie." he scoffed. He couldn't hide that smirk, though. On that note, we entered the gate. The sense of weightlessness was jarring. It felt like a gust was pushing us forward. A few minutes of travel passed before we saw the exit. The portal spat us out in a ruined forest. The ground around us showed cracks with data leaking out. The corrosion was slowly spreading. The sky was still a darkened green from when ExoGrimmon awakened. Small areas were also showing signs of static.
"So this is what ExoGrimmon is capable of..." I shuddered. All the locations we've traveled to looked and felt real. The same about its inhabitants. To see it split apart into the two extremes of data made it all the more dreadful.
"If we follow the wreckage, we should find them." Arresterdramon informed us. Chaosdramon's group set off first. Dracomon digivolved, growing into the larger Wingdramon form we've been accustomed to seeing. Rob and I climbed aboard the sky dragon. Slayerdramon went into my Xros Loader. Finally, Dorbickmon spread out his wings and we all set out. This was it; our final confrontation against DarkKnightmon's deep-seated revenge. My only hope is we all make it back.
"Twin Prominence!"
Flaming spears rained onto the battlefield. Upon impact, they melted the ground, creating pits of lava. Sleipmon moved quickly. "Odin's Breath!"
"Hydro Pressure!" Splashmon joined in. The combination of water and ice quickly worked to fizzle out the affected areas, helping grounded units.
"Death Vortex!" GrimmKnightmon gathered dark energy near his chest. He unleashed a glowing orb that proceeded to pull in victims with a strong gravitational pull.
"Octo-Gravity!"
"Guardiac Raid!"
Gravimon and NeoVamdemon held back the attack. Dynasmon and Alphamon descended from above.
"Wyvern's Breath!"
"Digitalize of Soul!"
The dragon auras they summoned slammed into GrimmKnightmon from above in an attempt to pin the beast to the ground.
"Air Blade!" GrimmKnightmon's tail spear spun violently, summoning a typhoon. He broke free of the two attacks and used his wings to stop his descent before impact with the ground. The digimon's body started sparking.
"Chrono..." it chanted. Shoutmon X7 and UlforceVeedramon jumped in the line of fire.
"Seven Victorize!"
"Ray of Victory!"
"...Destruction!" GrimmKnightmon unleashed a spherical blast. As it spread, anything that was absorbed was frozen in place. While X7 and UlforceVeedramon tried to slow its spread, Fanglongmon jumped in to assist.
"Taikyoku!" the yellow dragon fired a blast from his own body. Its ability to disassemble data proved a perfect counter as it neutralized GrimmKnightmon's own destructive attack. However, each use had a harsh drawback on Fanglongmon's body.
"Twin Prominence!" GrimmKnightmon countered. Fanglongmon quickly dodged to the right, but the strain on his body left him open to the second flame.
"God's Breath!" Craniamon quickly fizzled out the flames and shielded Fanglongmon from impact. "Fall back." he ordered. Fanglongmon growled.
"Easy for you to say..." the dragon grimaced. Despite his wounds, he made a quick escape. Dukemon attacked from behind.
"Lightning Joust!" he fired lightning from his spear. GrimmKnightmon deflected it with his tail, turning his attention toward Dukemon.
"The World Shot!"
"Solblaster!"
"Dual Tomahawk Boomerang!"
Olegmon, Zamielmon and Apollomon launched a combined attack, piercing through the beast's left wing. LordKnightmon and Duftmon jumped on the opportunity.
"Spiral Masquerade!"
"Aussterben!"
A flurry of attacks from their swords slashed into GrimmKnightmon's back. Magnamon rushed in, armed and ready.
"Plasma Shot!" he fired a flurry of energy spheres, landing a direct hit on the beast.
"We're gaining ground!" Duftmon surveyed the scene. He raised his sword. "Defensive positions!"
GrimmKnightmon's body started glowing. The damage they inflicted started fading away.
"Not this recovery nonsense again!" Gravimon growled.
"My...rage...is...unending!" GrimmKnightmon bellowed. In a flash of light, GrimmKnightmon mimicked one of DarkKnightmon's techniques. Its top and bottom halves separated. The upper "Grimm" half took on the form of a reaper. The bottom "Knight" half shifted into the form of a serpent. The Grimm form attacked by shooting out beams from its hands. Duftmon dodged and countered.
"Ernste Welle!" the knight fired its own energy blasts from his blade. His attack was parried by Grimm's arm, which morphed into DarkKnightmon's spear. The Knight half of the body slithered behind Duftmon.
"Look out!" UlforceVeedramon rushed forward. The lower body lunged toward Duftmon. Its fangs clamped down on UlforceVeedramon's left wing. The knight let out a scream.
"UlforceVeedramon!" Sleipmon rushed in to assist. The Grimm form fired a swarm of energy blasts. The centaur knight swiftly weaved through each attack. He shot an arrow into the lower half's eye, causing it to release its grip on UlforceVeedramon. Sleipmon caught his fellow knight and made a swift retreat with Duftmon. The two halves of GrimmKnightmon started gathering energy.
"Get ready!" Alphamon and the other knights formed a defensive line in the front.
"Chrono...Destruction!" GrimmKnightmon's forms bellowed. Both engulfed the areas in a twin blast, disintegrating anything in its path. The combined forces of the Royal Knights, Death Generals and Xros Heart fought back. All attacks collided, engulfing the entire battlefield in a blinding light. As it faded, the aftermath looked bleak for the army side.
"Shout...mon..." Taiki reached out to his partner. X7 had reverted back to its components. All of them were down, and the Royal Knights were starting to struggle themselves from the drawn out duel. The two GrimmKnightmon halves began to charge another blast.
"Disappear...Xros...Heart!" the digimon roared. Alphamon tried his best to get back in the fight despite his injuries. "I need...to help them...!" He reached his arm out to summon his sword again. As GrimmKnightmon prepared to fire, another voice rang out from the battlefield.
"Dragon Breath Tonic Fire!"
A twin stream of flames blasted both bodies of GrimmKnightmon. As Shoutmon regained his consciousness, he realized who had interfered.
"That attack..." Shoutmon turned around.
"Taiki! Shoutmon! Alphamon!" We had made it just in time, thankfully. Our small group sprang into action.
"Hyper Infinity Cannon!
"Dark Roar!"
"Rising Destroyer!"
The cyborg brothers fired directly at GrimmKnightmon's attack, sending the orb flying in the opposite direction. Arresterdramon Superior Mode charged toward the serpent half of the beast, with Wingdramon right behind him.
"Prism Garrett!"
"Wing Blast!"
Both bombarded their opponent with an aerial assault. Slayerdamon ran up to its body from behind.
"Shoryuzanpa!"
The dragon leapt into the air and slashed at the serpent's back, cracking open a previous wound. Dorbickmon rushed towards the reaper half of GrimmKnightmon. Gathering up all his rage, his flaming sword grew to a tremendous size.
"Tyrant Collbrande!"
Grabbing the handle with both hands, he swung the sword into GrimmKnightmon's upper half, sending the reaper flying back. We bought ourselves a few minutes and rushed to the aid of the others.
"Alphamon...your data!" I noticed immediately. They tried their best to hide it, but data slowly leaked out from the damage to their armor. The knight grimaced.
"I was hoping to finish this without involving you all..." he confessed, "ExoGrimmon had become stronger while it was sealed away..."
"Alphamon...let us take the front lines." I suggested.
"That's crazy, you'll get killed!" Shoutmon spoke up. We may be inexperienced in large scale battles, but they were already losing ground. The king tried to stand up, but his injuries kept him on his knees.
"We all will if we don't stop him here!" I reasoned with him. "We can buy you time to ready an attack. But we need to act fast!"
"...what are your thoughts, Duftmon?" Alphamon asked, seemingly on my side. The leopard knight stepped forward.
"It's a reckless decision to send inexperienced troops out in front..." his response was cutthroat. But a moment later, he sighed. "And yet, given how dire the situation is, fresh reinforcements are better than damaged leaders on the front lines, given the right direction."
"Does that mean...?" I was surprised at how rational he was being. He glanced towards ExoGrimmon.
"You might only have one shot to get this right." Duftmon warned. Alphamon respected his tactician's decision.
"We will provide support from the rear." the leader of the Royal Knight's proclaimed. They relayed everything they've learned about GrimmKnightmon; abilities, weaknesses, and about its 'Chrono Destruction' technique. Dorbickmon took a moment and grouped up with his former co-workers.
"Well, look who finally showed up." Splashmon crossed his arms.
"We've been hard at work fending off a near god-like being. How nice of you to steal the spotlight." Gravimon quipped.
"Aye, now's the time to turn the tide!" Olegmon raised his ax.
"Tread carefully. That technique of his can erode data." Apollomon warned the dragon. The former Death Generals and Chaosdramon brothers were our front line. Slayerdramon, Wingdramon, Arresterdramon and Fanglongmon lined up in the middle row. Taiki helped store the Xros Heart members into his Xros Loader, but Shoutmon refused and tried to stand.
"Shoutmon, you're too injured!" he warned.
"Taiki...I can still fight...I refuse to let them go on their own...even if I can't use X7 right now..." the king declared. MetalGreymon also refused healing.
"You too, huh?" Kiriha didn't seem surprised.
"If Dorbickmon fights...so will I..." Blue Flare's lead digimon spoke up.
"Your mind's made up." Taiki relented, "But we will support them from behind."
Shoutmon and MetalGreymon agreed. Once more, they digivolved, but the cracks in their armor were still visible. With that settled, OmegaShoutmon, ZekeGreymon and the Royal Knights were our rear guard. I looked at UlforceVeedramon and noticed his injuries. "Y-your wings..."
"Don't worry. I'm still just as quick on my feet." he reassured me. Or was he just putting on a brave face?
The two GrimmKnightmon forms glared down at our forces. Yet, they seemed focused on only one member.
"Dorbickmon...!" DarkKnightmon's rage pierced through the beast's robotic growls. The digimon cursed out his name once more in a mighty roar.
"Old grudges refuse to die, it seems..." Slayerdramon noted. Dorbickmon raised his sword.
"I will bury you here, DarkKnightmon! Once and for all!" the fire dragon proclaimed, followed by a yell of our forces. They charged in formation, surrounding the two halves of the beast.
"Attack the cracks in the armor!" Duftmon commanded, "Don't let it heal its wounds!"
"Watch me, boys!" Chaosdramon took the lead. The thrusters in his legs propelled the towering cyborg into the air.
"Oh, NOW he remembers he can fly!" Darkdramon barked, flying after him. The serpent half of GrimmKnightmon turned its attention toward the two. It fired typhoons from its tail, spinning it like a drill.
"Terrible Gaze!" Darkdramon fired a beam from the eyes on its right arm, striking the tail and slowing its movements.
"Destroyed Hook!" Chaosdramon fired a missile from his clawed arm. It struck the beast's lower back near its injuries. The virus in the missile seeped into the serpent, paralyzing its body.
"Trident Revolver!"
"Hyper Launcher!"
RizeGreymon and ZekeGreymon focused their attacks on the damaged armor. The serpent shrieked in pain, summoning gusts of wind in all directions.
"Argh!" Chaosdramon and Darkdramon were swept up by the winds. The attack scratched into their mechanized bodies. Rize and Zeke caught them before any impact to the ground.
"Damn, it can pierce my armor...?" Chaosdramon growled. Slayerdramon jumped in from the side.
"Tenryuzanha!" he swung his sword. The blade was parried by the serpent's tail. Wingdramon swooped in.
"Explode Sonic Lance!" the blue dragon clashed with the digimon. Slayerdramon used the chance to jump away. The serpent summoned a rain of fire spears from above.
"Odin's Breath!" Sleipmon summoned a mighty blizzard. The two attacks collided summoning rain onto the battlefield. The centaur knight aimed his crossbow.
"Bifrost!" he fired arrows of light. They pierced into the serpents damaged armor. It shrieked and retreated underground. Chaosdramon's eyes lit up, tracking the form's movements.
"South!" he pointed. They chased after it. Those in the other group fought the reaper half of GrimmKnightmon.
"Undead Soldier...!" it split into different clones, all virtually identical. We split into smaller groups and fought the many doppelgangers.
"Dual Tomahawk Boomerang!" Olegmon threw his axes a the first clone. It dodged the first ax and deflected the second one. From behind, OmegaShoutmon caught the second ax.
"Try this!" his hand lit up in flames, engulfing the weapon. He threw it back at the reaper. The ax struck the clone in the back. Apollomon descended from above.
"Phoebus Blow!"
His claws encased in flamed, the lion punched the phantom towards the ground. It recovered before impact, floating back up and gaining distance.
"You will not escape!" Apollomon followed after it with the other two behind him.
"Guardiac Raid!"
NeoVamdemon fired an orb of dark energy at the second clone. It responded in kind, shooting off its own energy. The two attacks clashed. The vampire increased his power, but was slowly losing ground. All according to the plan.
"Turbulence Arrow"
Zamielmon flanked the enemy from the left with perfect aim. LordKnightmon saw an opening and rushed in.
"Urgent Fear!" the pink knight slammed his arm shield into the enemy's face, breaking its concentration. NeoVamdemon increased his power even further, overpowering the second of the phantoms. It careened backwards, hitting the ground below.
"How's that feel?!" Zamielmon taunted.
Reaper three barraged the opposition with blades of darkness from its scythe.
"Final Elysion!" Dukemon fired a beam from his shield countering the rain of darkness.
"Octa-Gravity!" Gravimon trapped the reaper in a field of heavy gravity. He forced it toward the ground. Splashmon and Duftmon were prepared.
"Bead Drown!" Splashmon gathered the moisture in the air, trapping the third reaper in a water sphere.
"Ernste Well!" Duftmon fired an energy wave. It exploded on impact.
"Feels good to finally get payback..." Splashmon smirked.
Clone four's blade dueled against Craniamon. The knight parried its attacks, waiting. When he saw an opening, he slammed his shield in its face. The clone was sent into the air.
"Waltz End!" Craniamon spun his weapon, the Claim Solais, trapping the enemy in a whirlwind. Magnamon targeted it from outside.
"Plasma Shot!" the golden-clad warrior shot out orbs of light. The reaper turned its body intangible to avoid the attack. Arresterdramon chased after the orbs, tail ready. He swung and slammed them back at reaper #4. A direct hit. The purple dragon rushed in.
"Mach Flicker!" Arresterdramon threw a flurry of fast punches, finishing with a downward slam of his tail. Reaper four hit the ground. As the smoke cleared, the damage on his armor was more noticeable.
"It's working!" Arresterdramon cheered.
"Don't celebrate yet." Craniamon pointed to the creature retreating. The final doppelganger seemed the most formidable, fending off both Dorbickmon's flames and avoiding the dragon auras summoned by Alphamon and Dynasmon.
"This one must be the core!" Alphamon struggled. Maintaining the attack was taking its toll on the knight.
"Dragon's Roar!" the gems on Dynasmon's palms fired energy blasts. The reaper dodged nimbly, avoiding the blasts and deflecting Dorbickmon's sword. From below, UlforceVeedramon observed, waiting for his chance. With his wing damaged, he couldn't fly upwards. Even with his speed, all he could do is bide his time.
"Come on..." the dragon knight growled. He ran from one spot to another, gathering energy into the V emblem on his chest. His eyes followed the reaper, never losing its target. "I just need one shot!"
"Tyrant Collbrande!" Dorbickmon swung his sword. The enemy fazed through both him and his blade. Alphamon's hands started emitting a green glow. He fired energy beams from his palms. The reaper weaved through the attacks, but a few shots scuffed its body. Dynasmon flew straight at it, slamming it from behind. Dorbickmon followed with a mighty swing of his tail. The reaper fell downward. UlforceVeedramon rushed towards it.
"Ray of Victory!" the knight fired at point blank range. Both were sent flying in opposite directions. Alphamon made a beeline towards UlforceVeedramon and caught him.
"Thank you..." Ulforce grimaced in pain.
"A bit reckless there." Alphamon noticed. " I think that boy's made a lasting impression on you, Ulforce."
"D-don't be silly..." the blue knight muttered, despite his face getting red from embarrassment.
The ground started shaking violently.
"W-what now!?" I struggled to stay balanced. The reaper clones gathered together and merged back into one. It reunited with its serpent half near the center of the battlefield. They combined back into the original GrimmKnightmon. The beast started glowing. The damage on his armor intensified the light shining through the cracks.
"Get ready!" Alphamon warned.
"It's charging another Chrono Destruction!" Duftmon added. Everyone backed away, and prepared a defensive attack.
"No one...!" GrimmKnightmon bellowed, "Shall survive...!" The energy formed a barrier around his body, instead of an orb around his chest. "Chrono...!"
"No...! It's different!" Alphamon's eyes filled with fear. He turned toward us. "GET AWAY!"
"...Destruction!" the beast roared. The barrier turned split into thousands of orbs, raining down like a meteor shower.