Holy War Chapter 91: Ragnarök, a digimon fanfic

(Author's Notes: Hey, all! Chapter 91 is finally here. The final battle has officially kicked off.

This one's a big one. It's definitely one of my longer chapters but it's just at the threshold where I felt I didn't have to split it into two parts. That being said, I'd advise reading it in a couple sittings. Or if you want to tear through it in one sitting, you can absolutely do that too.

This is probably the broadest the battle is ever going to get in one chapter. After this, it's going to focus on a few different characters per chapter, rather than jumping around a lot in the same chapter like with this one. I decided to move a couple scenes to this chapter to make the next one more distilled.

Another point of order, as far as I can understand, seems to have fixed the database syncing error that was preventing people from viewing the last couple chapters. That's what they said on their social media, at least. I'm really hoping that's the case.

Also, in reply to Guest's latest review (though it might be while until you read this): Yes! I'm glad I brought Peri back! He's a good kid really. He pops up every now and then, and I'm glad he and BaoHackmon are buddies.

Anyways. I think that's everything I wanted to address. As always, I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think. Thanks!)

Chapter 91: Ragnarök

The dark storm of chaos raged over the Chasm of Creation – the very place where the Digital World was said to have been created.

It was here that much blood was spilled. It was here that many Digimons' lives were deleted. It was here that the sky burned.

The Chasm of Creation was not only the site of the Digital World's beginning… but it also could very well be the site of its end.

However… many Digimon were putting their lives on the line to stop that.

They were fighting their hardest… for their world… for their gods… for their dreams… for their friends and families. They were fighting at that very moment. They would fight until they no longer could.

They would fight.

"Keep up the attack! Advance!"

Duftmon, back in his knight form, stood atop a stone pillar that reached high into the sky.

From the vantage point of his own creation, he pointed downwards with his extended rapier. Hovering behind him were a flock of messengers, waiting to relay whatever orders Duftmon had for the army.

"You!" Duftmon instructed, looking at Sparrowmon. "Tell Captain Ouryumon to tighten up that right echelon! Have the third squadron hook into that gap between the central legions and the southern edge of the mercenary brigades! Do you understand? Go!"

"Aye, Sir!" Sparrowmon dutifully replied, shooting off in a streak of yellow down into the chaotic fray below.

Duftmon watched as Sparrowmon descended after the Aerial Strike Forces, which had already descended into the center of the chasm. From his lofty vantage point, he watched the battle unfold before him. His eyes swiftly darted around, taking in new information with every passing second. As the sensory information loaded, his intelligent mind swiftly processed the new information and made decisions accordingly.

Duftmon was completely focused. Although they had a strong strategy going into this, he allowed himself space to change his plans as needed. He refused to let it be like before.

General Tactimon stepped forwards from his place beside the leopard knight. The general was responsible for directing Saversburg's army as they advanced down through the Primordial Pass, as well as assisting Duftmon as battlefield commander.

"Duftmon," Tactimon spoke, turning to the knight in question. "It could be as long as fifteen minutes until the bulk of the Dramon Corps reach combat range. The Aerial Strike Forces will require support on their left flank to mitigate a possible counterattack from the southern legions' rear guards."

"Yes, I am aware of that. Thank you, General Tactimon," Duftmon snippily and sarcastically responded without moving his gaze away from the battlefield.

"So long as you know. …And, remember, do not panic if the battle begins to break down, " Tactimon advised him.

"If I need your advice, I will ask for it," Duftmon curtly insisted, shooting him an annoyed glare. "I am more than capable of keeping a cool head under pressure. And as for you, General, you should be more concerned about your own responsibilities instead of worrying about me."

Tactimon smiled a little. "Very well. I won't worry about you, then," he calmly responded, turning away and hailing another messenger. "Messenger!"

Duftmon's eye twitched but he swiftly put that irritation out of his mind as he concentrated on the battle.

The first stages of the battle were going well. They caught the Demon Lords by surprise in their initial attack. The Nightmare Soldiers were confused and panicking, with large sections of the army cut off from each other due to the large, rock barriers that Duftmon had erected. They had isolated the three main contingents and now they had to wear them down from three directions.

The Royal Knights had the initiative, and Duftmon knew they needed to make the most of these early moments. It was critical that the Royal Knights engaged the Demon Lords before they had the chance to rally the army. At the same time, the high-ranking officers of the Nightmare Soldiers were to be quickly eliminated. This would leave the legions confused and rudderless.

"Remove the head and the body will die," Duftmon thought to himself. "This is how we will counter the Demon Lords' numerical superiority: by using their own weapon – chaos - against them. We will sow chaos within their ranks and crush them with our ordered discipline."

Duftmon's glared down across the battlefield with his sharp, emerald eyes. His vision rested on Barbamon, who was frantically trying to retake control of the chaotic situation by yelling out orders and trying to counter the enemy attack.

"This is your just desserts, Barbamon… I will not forgive you for last time," Duftmon promised, gripping his rapier tightly.

Then, Duftmon turned his head, watching as a familiar, white form flew over to them. He didn't even need a cursory glance to recognize the white and red cape flapping in the wind, nor the distinctive white silhouette approaching him.

Omegamon flew up from the canyon after his initial sortie into the fray. It had been a brief scouting excursion while the rest of the Royal Knights went ahead to their respective objectives.

"Duftmon!" Omegamon signaled, flying over and stopping next to him. "Based on my initial search, I haven't yet been able to locate Dukemon."

"Very well. He likely hasn't arrived yet, but I suspect he will shortly," Duftmon responded, glancing up at the raging storm overhead. "If the intensity of this storm is any indication, which I am confident that it is…"

"What shall I do right now?" Omegamon asked, eager to return to the fighting.

Duftmon frowned and looked down, across the chasm at one figure in particular. "…I need you to engage and eliminate Barbamon before he can mount a counter-strategy against us," he coolly explained. "Barbamon is the only one capable of turning this battle around on us. He needs to be removed from the equation as soon as possible. The sooner we cut off the heads of the army, the sooner the body will disintegrate behind it."

Omegamon raised the Grey Sword emphatically. "Leave it to me, Duftmon," he assured the strategist.

"That being said, do not underestimate him," Duftmon warned him. "Although he rarely fights if he can help it, our intelligence reports suggest that he is a highly dangerous foe. You have probably already heard from Magnamon, but do not let his appearance of a decrepit old man fool you. He is an extremely cunning and ruthless enemy with plenty of firepower and many stratagems at his disposal."

"I know. I won't let my guard down," Omegamon responded. He half-turned, gazing across the chaotic chasm and fixing Barbamon in his sights. He saw Barbamon already rallying a defence and angrily trying to get his formations in order.

Duftmon eyes drifted from Omegamon to Barbamon as well. "…It might be prudent for you to bring somebody with you. However, all of the Royal Knights are currently occupied with their own objectives. Perhaps you can poach someone from the Strike Forces. Ensure that they are strong enough to stand up to a powerful Ultimate level Digimon," he advised.

"I have just the Digimon in mind," Omegamon assured him confidently. He looked back to Duftmon questioningly. "Before I go, what is the status of the rest of the Demon Lords?"

Duftmon frowned. "Based on Acting Captain MailBirdramon's scouting report, all seven of the Demon Lords are present in the vicinity of the battlefield. Demon, Belphemon, and Lilithmon are among the army. Beelzebumon has been spotted driving down one of the cliff faces. And you have probably noticed Leviamon crawling along the opposite mountain range by now."

Omegamon looked back. Indeed, he had noticed Leviamon's massive body climbing along the mountainous plateau on the other side of the canyon. The massive Demon Lord was stalking along the cliffs, making his way south towards where the Dramon Corps was set to attack the southern-placed legions.

Also… Omegamon couldn't help but wonder. Knowing that Beelzebumon was here… did that mean ChaosDukemon was already here as well? They had heard that the two had encountered one another, after all…

Omegamon's eyes tightened. He couldn't think about Dukemon just yet. Right now, he had to focus on defeating Barbamon… After he did that… then he could focus on convincing his friend to come back to them.

"What about Lucemon and Bagramon?" Omegamon asked.

Duftmon's grip around the hilt of his sword tightened. He raised his head and gazed up at the Hall of Yggdrasil, the soaring tower that loomed over the Chasm of Creation. "…We could not confirm their whereabouts, but the Hall of Yggdrasil is visible – and its doors open. We… must assume that they are already inside. Alphamon is already going ahead to deal with that."

"Alphamon…" Omegamon thought to himself, looking towards the base of the tower with a grimace. "Alright… I am returning to the battlefield. We will deal with Barbamon."

Duftmon nodded. "Good luck…" he replied.

Without another wasted word, Omegamon took off from the strategists' vantage point in a burst of speed.

Duftmon watched as the white knight soared away, descending back into the chasm towards the flying ranks of the Aerial Strike Forces.

As soon as he lost sight of him, Duftmon's emerald eyes shifted back to the Hall of Yggdrasil. The sacred tower was desecrated in its unnatural exposure. The Demon Lords were inside, doing who knows what. Yggdrasil's most holy sanctum was being defiled. Yggdrasil itself was in danger.

Duftmon looked down, towards the cliffs that the lofty tower was rose up from. He could just barely make out Alphamon's black form speeding towards it, cutting through demons with his blade of light, while blasting a path towards the cliffs with his green lasers.

"Alphamon…" he thought as he watched the black knight trying desperately to reach the Kernel.

"I am depending on you…"

Omegamon soared back into the Chasm of Creation.

He soared above the Aerial Strike Force's ranks so as not to get in the paths of their attacks as the ranged fighters rained down attacks onto the demons below.

However, the chaos that began with their surprise attack was beginning to level out under Barbamon's and Demon's orders. The frantic and disorganized Nightmare Soldiers were beginning to fire back. Kowloon Company and the veteran front-line legions were disciplined and were already rallying against the Royal Knights' and Dramons' attacks, but the inexperienced, back-line legions were still in a state of panic. Barbamon was trying to get them into order before it was too late.

As he flew, Omegamon dodged a dark blast of electricity that was launched from the ground at the Aerial Strike Forces. Then, he used his Grey Sword to bash away a fireball that randomly closed in on him from another direction.

The disoriented demons were fighting back. They were not yet acting in a cohesive manner, but they were starting to trend that way as Barbamon and the other high-ranking officers were shouting at them to try and instill order and discipline. Omegamon knew that was why they had to take out Barbamon.

Omegamon looked ahead, at the front of the Aerial Strikes' formation. There, at the vanguard, he could see the two Digimon who he was looking for.

Captain Ouryumon was in the thick of the fighting. The snarling serpent sheared his Gairyu Udaijin scimitar through the bandaged body of a Mummymon. Then, without taking a breath, he wheeled around and sliced his Gairyu Sadaijin blade across the neck of a NeoDevimon that tried to stab him from behind. Ouryumon coiled his flexible, serpentine body around and rocketed through the air, slicing a path through the ranks of the winged demons who were charging the Aerial Strikes in a counterattack.

Not far off, flying at the front of the Aerial Strikes' formation, was Acting Leftenant Paildramon. Paildramon had her hands on her hip cannons, firing a relentless salvo of energy bullets from her cannons into the ranks of the demons ahead of her. Her Desperado Blaster ripped through the bodies of a Boogiemon and a Mephismon before she ceased firing to allow her cannons to cool.

Paildramon looked around, quickly surveying the situation. Then, she swept her arm outwards. "Greymon Five! Push up!" she called out to the specialized strike team. "They're making a push from the right!"

"We're on it!" KaiserGreymon called back, soaring ahead to protect their right flank, along with VictoryGreymon, ShineGreymon, and the others.

Omegamon swept down in the direction of Ouryumon, ahead at the vanguard of the front line. He raised his Garuru Cannon and fired three blasts of absolute zero energy through the ranks of the attacking Nightmare Soldiers before him. One burst tore straight through the body of a Phantomon, and the mere glance of the peripheral energy was enough to instantly freeze the Soulmon and the SkullSatamon on either side of it.

Meanwhile, Ouryumon burst upwards, out of the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers, slashing his dual scimitars outwards. His two Gairyu blades and metal wings were dripping with fresh blood and scattering data.

"Ouryumon!" Omegamon called out, sweeping forwards and cutting his Grey Sword through the body of a NeoDevimon like it was nothing. He then spun around and fired a Garuru Cannon blast straight through the body of an Oboromon who was about to fire a torrent of flames at the Aerial Strike Forces.

Ouryumon turned around with a savage look in his eyes, his face splattered with demon blood. "Yeah?!" he called back with an exhilarated shout.

"Do I have permission to borrow Paildramon?!" Omegamon shouted over to him. "I need her assistance to take on Barbamon!"

"Huh?" Ouryumon asked, blinking. Without missing a beat, he whirled around and decapitated a MetalPhantomon who tried to attack him from behind. "Yeah, sure! Whatever you need! Hey, Acting Leftenant!"

Paildramon looked up from her most recent volley into the ranks of the enemy legion, bobbing and weaving to avoid their counterattacks. "Yes, Sir!"

Omegamon hailed her and flew up beside her. As he did, he fired another icy shot of his own into the enemy legion. "Acting Leftenant!" he called to her. "I realize that I'm getting in the way of your duties, but I need your assistance in fighting Barbamon. Can you help me?"

"Me?" she asked, a little surprised. "Of course, Sir. But why me?"

"I need your range and your firepower," Omegamon wasted no time in explaining. "Are you able to evolve to Imperialdramon?"

For just a moment, Paildramon stalled. In that split second, the icy claws of unease began to close around her heart.

However… the moment that that hesitation entered her mind, she quickly pushed it away just as fast. There was no time to hesitate. She couldn't afford to doubt herself. Not now. Steeling her resolve and summoning her courage, she nodded.

"…Yes, Sir," she confirmed. "I am."

For the briefest of moments, Omegamon gave her a grateful and supportive smile. "Thank you…" he replied.

Omegamon looked forwards, past the horde of Nightmare Soldiers to Barbamon, who was commanding the army from the base of the cliff.

"Barbamon is a dangerous enemy, but we will watch out for each other. The plan is to attack him from different angles. Keep him distracted with your ranged attacks; control his movements and keep him occupied. I will do the same before closing in and taking him out in close range. I would never be able to get close enough on my own. That's why I need you," he explained. "Fire and relocate; never stay in the same spot for long. He has a powerful, high-volume ranged attack, so be careful. We don't know what else he's capable of."

"Yes, Sir," Paildramon agreed, remaining as calm as she could. She frowned, looking at him uncertainly. "Should… I attempt to evolve to Imperialdramon now?"

"Not yet… Wait until we close in. We will be going deep into enemy lines. Save your energy until we're close enough to engage him," Omegamon informed her. "I will cover you when you evolve."

"Yes, Sir Omegamon."

Omegamon nodded encouragingly at her before looking out towards Barbamon, beyond the attacking legion of Nightmare Soldiers. "Ouryumon!" he called out. "We're going!"

Ouryumon flicked the blood and data off of his swords. "Okay! Sergeant KaiserGreymon, you're taking over for Leftenant Paildramon! Got it?!" he called out to the leader of the Greymon Five.

He then swept his sword towards the forming ranks of the legion in front of them. "Make a hole! Attack! Front and below!"

As a salvo of attacks launched towards the two legions of Nightmare Soldiers, Omegamon nodded at Paildramon. "Let's go, Leftenant!" he shouted.

Paildramon nodded, pushing any uncertainties she had to the recesses of her mind. "Yes, Sir!"

And, with that, Omegamon and Paildramon soared deep into enemy lines to fight the Demon Lord of Greed.

"Alright, everyone! Keep the pressure on!"

Sergeant KaiserGreymon, taking over Paildramon's role, called out to the Aerial Strike Forces from the front of the formation. "Ultimates, break through their lines and provide an opening for the others! Everyone else, push in after us! Fire! Enryugeki!" he shouted, before swinging his claymore up and firing a beam clear through the bony body of a SkullGreymon.

As he fired, WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon both raced forwards on either side of him, filling the space he created in their lines. They tore straight into the horde of Nightmare Soldiers in a dance of blades and data.

While the two dragon soldiers carved a bloody wedge into the legion's lines, TigerVespamon dashed forwards as well.

Although he was still a recruit, the power he had was undeniable. He felt had to use his strength to protect the Digital World. That's why he didn't hesitate. With cold focus and resolve, he closed in on the enemy ranks.

His humming Royal Meister blades in hand, he zipped dauntlessly into the counterattacking legion's lines. With smooth, agile movements, he effortlessly plunged his blades of light into the cores of the IceDevimon and NeoDevimon before him. Then, he darted to the left and pierced through a Jokermon who attempted to slash him with his scythe from the side.

TigerVespamon recovered from the attack and looked forwards vigilantly. "Look out, Vespa! I'm attacking! Corona Splash!" a voice called to him from above.

Stopping himself from pressing on, TigerVespamon looked up to see ShineGreymon flying in the sky above him. The sunlight reflected off the lens of ShineGreymon's wings. Beams of light suddenly burst out of ShineGreymon's wing crystals. The rays of light arced downwards and rained down on the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers, burning through several demon and undead Digimon at once.

TigerVespamon looked up at his friend, seeing ShineGreymon nod down at him. The jovial expression that ShineGreymon usually sported was gone, replaced with a serious – and maybe a little angry – frown.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large beam shooting straight towards ShineGreymon from his left. The black pillar of evil energy coursed towards the dragon man, faster than ShineGreymon could realize. "ShineGreymon, look out!" TigerVespamon called out to him.

"I've gotcha, Shine!" VictoryGreymon shouted out. The muscular dragon man soared up to ShineGreymon faster than his bulky form suggested. He stopped right between ShineGreymon and the beam, his Dramon Breaker's side blades snapping open. "Victory Charge!"

The beam slammed into a barrier created by VictoryGreymon's sword before being deflected back towards the mountainside. A wave of relief washed over TigerVespamon, but it didn't last for very long.

It was as TigerVespamon was following the beam's path into the cliff that he noticed something.

Far behind the Demon Lords' lines… He watched as GrandisKuwagamon appeared from out of thin-air behind a Piemon general.

Before he could even register what he saw seeing, he watched as GrandisKuwagamon plunged his Gran Killer through the Piemon aristocrat's chest. Then, GrandisKuwagamon's pincers snapped shut, decapitating the clown's head for good measure.

TigerVespamon's kneejerk reaction to the disturbing sight was a deep, twisted, stirring inside the pit of his stomach. However… his expression didn't change. He stared at GrandisKuwagamon and the disintegrating mass of data with cold ambivalence.

Then, he turned his eyes down, gazing down at the two, humming Royal Meisters in his hands. He gripped the twin blades of material destruction tightly, looking back up at the horde of Nightmare Soldiers in front of him.

"I am a soldier…" he told himself. "To protect this Digital World… we must show no mercy."

He gave just one more fleeting look back in GrandisKuwagamon's direction, watching as his brother flew off in the confusion that the general's sudden death caused. As GrandisKuwagamon went off to find more high-ranking demons to kill, TigerVespamon turned his gaze away from his black silhouette and back towards his own responsibilities.

"Take care of yourself, GrandisKuwagamon," he thought quietly, gazing ahead as the chaotic legions suddenly rushed towards them in counterattack.

With his blades of light in hand, TigerVespamon raced forwards, carving into the mass of demons…

"Plasma Shoot!"

Golden missiles whistled as they soared through the sky and barraged the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers and the Deliverers.

Magnamon sped through the sky, flying over the center of the battlefield. He broke away from the Aerial Strike Forces' ranks, forging ahead on his own.

In that immediate moment, he was softening up the vanguard of the Sixth Legion in the center of the canyon. His main objective was to find and engage one of the Demon Lords, but on the way, he wanted to help the Aerial Strike Forces as they moved in to battle the reserve legions in close quarters combat. The battle had only been going on for around ten minutes, but already it was becoming intense.

Despite the casualties the central legions had taken in the surprise attack, they were beginning to come together and mount a resistance under Barbamon's direction. Magnamon wanted to keep the pressure on them. However, it was becoming harder by the minute.

Magnamon bobbed and weaved aerodynamically, ducking under a beam and swerving to avoid a stream of fire.

A WereGarurumon garbed in white robes lunged at him from the right, pouncing with vicious zeal in his eyes. "Die, heathen scum!" he shouted, swinging his foot towards the Royal Knight. "Garuru Kick!"

Magnamon deftly blocked the kick with his arm. Then, with his other, he lashed out with a punch that sent the Deliverer cultist hurdling towards the ground.

Magnamon turned forwards with a glare. There were hundreds of Nightmare Soldiers between him and Barbamon. It was like a floating wall of demons, all ready to attack him and his allies behind him. That many enemies… it wouldn't be easy to break through them, even with his power.

Even so… he had to try. He could see that Barbamon was directing the battle. Magnamon knew that he would have to be eliminated if they wanted to win. He didn't have time to waste.

Magnamon clenched his fists and took off towards the cloud of demons. "Miracle Glitter!" he shouted, his gold armour suddenly blazing with blinding light. Burning rays poured from the radiant surface of his armour, shooting into the Nightmare Soldiers' ranks. The holy light burned through several of the demons, causing them to hurtle to the ground.

The Nightmare Soldiers didn't stand idly by in the face of Magnamon's attack. They launched an overwhelming barrage of shadows, projectiles, and fire at him.

A blazing ball of hellish fire whizzed by Magnamon's head. He zipped to the right, only to be met by a beam of shadows. The dark torrent slammed into him, but he braced his arms over his body, his chrome digizoid armour radiating holy light that seemed to extinguish most of the shadows around him.

Magnamon grunted and burst through the lingering shadows, charging headfirst towards the attacking ranks of demons. "Plasma Shoot!" he shouted, pouring golden energy out of his armoured body and burning a hole straight through the mass of demons.

A gap opened up in the ranks, from demons who had either been swallowed by the rays or were scrambling out of the way. Seeing his opportunity, Magnamon plunged straight into the gap.

"Magna Punch!" he shouted, plunging his golden-wreathed fist into a SkullGreymon's skeletal face, shattering its jaw.

As the titan of bones collapsed, an Infermon lunged at Magnamon from behind him. The viral spider unleashed a salvo of bullets down at him as it sprang through the air towards him. The bullets ricocheted off his armour, some catching his bare scales, but Magnamon was ready. "Magna Kick!" he shouted, whirling around and driving his glowing boot into the Infermon's hard, cocoon shell, his boot impacting hard enough to shatter it.

Magnamon lowered his foot, breathing steadily. He gazed with dauntless, red eyes at the legion of demons before him, many of whom momentarily balked at his power.

"Damn it… You fools!" Count Murmuxmon shouted. Now promoted to legion general in the wake of Duke Piemon's sudden death, the Ultimate-level demon lord swept his arm out and pointed at Magnamon, who was floating in the air in front of his army. "Don't just stand there! KILL HIM!"

"You heard the Count!" a SkullSatamon junior officer agreed, pointing his staff at Magnamon. "Attack! We're hunting knights today! Nail Bone!"

Magnamon watched as a blood red beam erupted from the SkullSatamon's scepter and streaked towards him. Acting swiftly, he ducked below the crimson beam before it could envelope him.

Magnamon grunted, diving underneath the blazing light. The attack wasn't difficult for him to avoid, and he knew he could take down the SkullSatamon with ease. However, as Magnamon swerved and rose above the beam to retaliate, he was greeted with something he wasn't expecting:

The horde of demons suddenly converged and descended on him all at once. Magic erupted from their mouths and hands. Their claws were poised. Magnamon realized they were all attacking him at the same time.

Magnamon's wide eyes hardened and he clenched his fists, ready to meet the overwhelming onslaught head-on. The ports of his armour snapped open and he prepared to fire a storm of missiles…

However, before he could, a series of explosions suddenly erupted amongst the swooping demons' ranks. Magnamon looked up; a barrage of golden missiles that weren't his own descended from the sky and peppered the legion with a series of small explosions.

Magnamon let out a bewildered breath. It was then that he felt the metal mask that covered his face suddenly grow cold against his scales.

Then… in the blink of an eye, there was a flash freeze. A torrent of ice swept out in front of him, swallowing the horde of thirty-something Nightmare Soldiers in a frozen tidal wave. The rush of energy encased the demons within a spinal swell of impenetrable ice, freezing them like fossils.

Magnamon blinked and looked up. His first thought was that it had to be Sleipmon… but no. He knew that Sleipmon was busy elsewhere. Instead… the origins of these attacks were two Digimon he wasn't expecting to see.

"I got your back, Magna! No need to thank me!" a cocky voice called out from the sky. "This is just standard hero stuff, after all!"

Magnamon's eye twitched as he watched the golden form of Rapidmon casually saluted him in the sky above.

"Rapidmon?!" he exclaimed incredulously, stunned to see his friend in the middle of a full scale battle. And then it dawned on him. If Rapidmon was here, then that meant… Oh no.

Magnamon looked at the wall of ice before him, and then he turned around. The moment he did, the colour drained from his face.

"Haha! Hello, son! It's me! Your dad!" Hexeblaumon called out, waving his frozen spear at him as he ran towards him.

Magnamon's eye continued twitching, and he tried with all of his might to retain his composure. "…F-Father?!" he cried out in alarm and chagrin. "What… What are you doing here?!"

"Hup!" Hexeblaumon shouted, jumping up and releasing a blast of frozen energy from the metal dragon head on his left shoulder. The frigid moisture poured out like cold breath, engulfing a Steffilmon of the Deliverers who attempted to run him through with his quills. "Why, what does it look like? We're helping you all!"

"Helping us—" Magnamon blankly repeated before palming his face. "We're in the middle of a decisive battle! For the fate of the world, no less!"

"I know! That's exactly why we're here!" Hexeblaumon proudly asserted. "I am an accomplished hero, after all! …Look out behind you, son."

Without needing to be told, Magnamon spun around and blasted golden energy – with maybe a little extra force – into the face of a DoneDevimon who attempted to skewer him with his claws. As the DoneDevimon hurtled back through the Nightmare Soldiers' ranks, Magnamon whirled back towards his father.

"Father, this isn't the Second Cycle anymore! You can't just show up unannounced to battles whenever you want!" Magnamon rebuked him. "We have a plan in place! If you do whatever you want and create confusion, Digimon could get hurt!"

"We know, we know!" Hexeblaumon insisted. He then raised his arm and pointed to the green sash around his arm. "Look! Look! We got these to show that we're allies! I talked with that strategist of yours and he said that as long as we do what he says, we can help!"

Magnamon stared at Hexeblaumon with surprise. He could only imagine that Duftmon agreed with the utmost reluctance, and only did so because he had more important things to deal with than him. Even so, if they had come to agreement…

"…Fine! Alright. Just make sure you listen to our orders, okay?" Magnamon told him with some reluctance. "And that goes for you too, Rapidmon!"

"You're the boss, Magnamon!" Rapidmon called out from above, before launching two missiles from his arm cannons towards the enemies.

Hexeblaumon spun his spear of ice around deftly. "Indeed!" he called out. Then he jumped up and soared over to Magnamon until he was right in front of him.

As he stopped in front of his son, Hexeblaumon stared into his eyes with subtle intensity and sincerity.

"This is your show, Magnamon… We aren't here for glory. What matters is saving the Digital World," he assured him. "We will defer to the Royal Knights' orders. You have my word on that."

Magnamon frowned and gazed up at his father. However, he nodded and then turned around, back towards the demons that were flying towards them with renewed energy and savagery.

"Very well…" Magnamon responded, already flying ahead to meet them. "…Be careful."

"And you too, son," Hexeblaumon responded, watching as Magnamon flew ahead dauntlessly to attack the horde of Nightmare Soldiers and cultists.

Magnamon raced ahead. With the cold of ice at his back, the heat of fire at his front, and the throng of demons closing in on him, his body ignited with golden energy.

The DoneDevimon he had punched earlier launched towards him with a bestial snarl, and Magnamon met his charge, coiling his supercharged fist back.

With a powerful shout, Magnamon let loose his power, throwing himself back deep into the bloody battle.

At the northern end of the battlefield, Craniamon dashed forwards, down the incline of the Primordial Pass.

Craniamon stood about thirty meters in front of the advancing Order army and Saversburg army. Behind him, the army of around two and a half thousand terrestrial soldiers marched down the rocky incline that bridged the elevated Primordial Pass with the Chasm of Creation.

Ahead of him was the three thousand-strong mercenary group of Kowloon Company.

Unlike the reserve legions of the Nightmare Soldiers in the center, Kowloon Company's three brigades responded to the chaos of Duftmon's stone walls swiftly and professionally. Their leaders immediately recognized the situation, and the professional mercenaries were disciplined enough to not break and panic. They quickly turned and mounted a defence to the Order's and Saversburg's combined ground forces as they approached down into the chasm from the elevated pass.

Craniamon stood at the vanguard of the army, poising his spear in one smooth movement.

As he stood, a massive, rolling ball of crystals tore past him from up the mountain. General Blastmon, Saversburg's frontline commander, rolled down from the steep, rocky ramp with a massive, echoing bellow. His hedgehog-like form rolled down the incline like a runaway boulder, straight into the mercenaries' frontlines.

"ORAORAORAORAORA!" Blastmon boomed. "GET OUT OF MY WAY, PEBBLES!"

The Kowloon mercenaries quickly tried to form a gap in their lines to get out of Blastmon's way, but he suddenly veered sharply right into their ranks, smashing into them like bowling pins.

As Craniamon watched Blastmon reap chaos through Kowloon's lines, he saw an opportunity to strike. He could leap down there after him and start laying waste, taking down strong opponents who presented themselves. He inspected the mercenaries' front lines, gauging their battle strength. As he did, he watched as a flurry of attacks erupted from the mercenaries ranks and sailed towards them.

However… rather than race forwards towards the fray, Craniamon jumped back and landed right in front of the Defence Force's lines. His red eyes gleaming, he raised his Avalon shield high in the air and let out a loud, passionate shout.

"God Bless!" he shouted.

The Avalon pulsed with power, releasing a nearly invisible field in front of himself and the advancing army. He activated the shield just in time to cause the salvo of missiles, beams, arrows, and other projectiles to crash into his impenetrable barrier. There was a ground shaking roar as the barrage impacted his shield and the barrier around it, but not a single attack made it through.

Craniamon glanced over his shoulder, quietly relieved to see the safety of the army behind him. "Come on, you lot!" he shouted to them. "Faster! Advance while the General has them distracted! Stay behind me and keep that shield wall firm! I'll lead the way!"

"Yes, Sir!" the combined ground forces shouted, marching a bit faster down the slope.

"Return fire!"

Craniamon marched ahead, the Avalon in front of him and the Claiomh Solais poised at his side. He knew what his responsibilities were, and he wasn't about to jeopardize that.

He watched as the Order army's attacks sailed over his head and rained down on the defending ranks of Kowloon. Explosions erupted in the midst of the mercenaries' frontlines.

Craniamon's grip tightened around his spear. Their attack was going well right now, but he knew that it wasn't going to last. These professional mercenaries wouldn't be so easy to break.

They were only about a hundred meters away now. As they grew closer, Craniamon's speed increased, setting the tempo for everyone behind him. His gait gradually increased to a jog. It was time to close the distance.

Then, however, he heard something: the intensifying roar of an engine… It was coming from his right.

Craniamon turned his head just in time. There was a loud pop of gunpowder, and a large, metal slug impacted his shoulder in a cascade of sparks. Grunting, Craniamon raised the Avalon right as a second full metal shell whizzed towards his neck. The shotgun slug slammed into the Avalon and crumpled in on itself, unable to break through the impenetrable shield.

With a hard glare, Craniamon lowered the shield to look at his attacker. If the familiar howl of the engine wasn't enough, Craniamon spotted the recognizable form generating it.

It was Beelzebumon, driving down the side of the chasm cliffs while riding on the back of the Behemoth.

Beelzebumon has a wild smile on his face as he drove his motorcycle off of a slanted outcropping that jutted out of the western cliffs. The Behemoth took flight, arcing high in the air.

After some considerable air-time, the heavy, metal vehicle dove onto the slanted ground in-between the Order's forces and Kowloon Company. Beelzebumon expertly landed the Behemoth on the uneven incline, bouncing as he cut across Craniamon's path.

"Hah! Hell of an entrance, if I do say so myself!" Beelzebumon announced, a devilish look in his eyes as he leered at Craniamon. "Long time, no see, Pigtails! Hope ya don't mind me cutting in, but I'm in da mood for an appetizer before my main course!"

Craniamon's crimson eyes narrowed hard as Beelzebumon drove straight towards him. His grip around his spear tightened, and he instinctively prepared to engage him.

"Beelzebumon!" Craniamon shouted, dashing forwards before Beelzebumon could get too close to the Defence Forces.

"Hah, that's it!" Beelzebumon shouted, putting his foot on the accelerator and aiming one of his shotguns at the charging knight. "Double Impact!"

Craniamon responded with finely-honed reflexes, bringing the Avalon up and blocking the twin buckshot right in their tracks. Knowing he had to reload, Craniamon took the chance to close the distance.

"Where the hell is Dukemon?!" Craniamon demanded, slashing the Claiomh Solais horizontally at Beelzebumon.

"Whoa!" Beelzebumon exclaimed, flexibly bending back and under the poleax like it was a lethal limbo stick. As he passed under it, Beelzebumon veered sharply to circle back around. "Hah! Don't worry your cute little head about Dukey! He's around 'ere somewhere! Ain't the shitty weather kinda a giveaway?! Talk about walking around with a raincloud!"

Before Craniamon could respond, Beelzebumon circled back around and fired back at Craniamon with his second Berenjena. The violet knight had to swiftly raise his shield to prevent his armour from being perforated by birdshot.

Craniamon growled as the several pellets ricocheted off his shield. With Beelzebumon harassing him, Craniamon had been forced to a halt – and, as a result, so had the army behind him, who had slowed in response to Beelzebumon's arrival. The Demon Lord of Gluttony was a dangerous opponent – and he was in the way.

"Now!" an assertive voice shouted from far ahead, within the mercenaries' ranks.

It was DarkSuperStarmon, Kowloon Company's acting commander. The dark star was hovering high above the ranks of the three mercenary brigades, holding a black hole high above his head, and using its gravitational pull to keep himself aloft. With his other hand, he pointed towards the combined army behind Craniamon.

"Return fire! While the knight's distracted! Unload on them!" DarkSuperStarmon commanded fervently. "Second and Third Brigades, hurry!"

Craniamon, hearing the enemy commander's voice, looked up with a glare. He watched as two nearly-full complements of ranged attacks erupted from the ranks of the two still fully-constituted brigades.

He growled with frustration. As much as his heart raced as the chance to fight the Demon Lord, he reminded himself that he had a responsibility. He was the bulwark of the Defence Forces now, and the success of this attack was riding on him.

Craniamon lunged backwards, landing back in front of the advancing Defence Forces. "Alright, Defence Forces! Shields up! Incoming!" he shouted.

Craniamon formed the shield wall and he raised the Avalon high. Once again, his eyes flashed and he proudly brandished his trusty shield, which ignited with magic. "God Bless!" he bellowed, holding the Avalon high.

Once again, the salvo of attacks slammed into the impenetrable barrier that he created. Meanwhile, those attacks that flew in too far for his barrier to reach were caught by the Defence Force's shield wall.

As the eruption of fire and thunder roared around him, Craniamon looked over his shoulder with determined zeal in his dark eyes.

"Gankoomon!" he shouted, loudly above the explosions. "Get your ass up here! I need you to deal with Beelzebumon! Get him out of here!"

"Hah! About time!"

Within moments, a humanoid form suddenly burst out from within the shield wall. A black and white silhouette lunged over both Craniamon's head and the phalanx of shields at the front of the army.

In the midst of the petering explosions, Gankoomon landed in front of him. His white jacket rippled off his shoulders, and his arms were wreathed in the large, golden claws of Hinukamui.

With Hinukamui's arms acting as extensions of his own, and the aura dragon's face rising above Gankoomon's head almost like a helmet, Gankoomon turned to Craniamon with an excited grin.

Craniamon glared seriously at him. "Gankoomon… You know how much it pains me not to kick his ass… but I need you to take care of him for me. You better not let me down."

"Heh… I know. You leave him to me," Gankoomon promised him, turning back forwards and looking through the thick smoke. "You do your job, Crania. We're counting on you… I'll just do my best to support."

Craniamon watched as Gankoomon disappeared through the thick haze of dust, followed by a thunderous crash.

Then, he watched as Gankoomon slammed Hinukamui's golden fists into the side of the Behemoth, throwing both the bike and the Demon Lord high through the air, out of the path of the army.

Entrusting Beelzebumon to Gankoomon, Craniamon looked over his shoulder at the combined Order-Saversburg army, and pointed the Claiomh Solais towards the forces of Kowloon Company ahead of them. He glared at the mercenary army, watching them launch another barrage of attacks towards them while also fighting Blastmon.

"The path is clear, everyone!" Craniamon shouted, digging his feet into the rock ground as he clutched his raised spear tightly. "Strike Forces, get ready to move to the front!"

"On my mark… CHARGE!"

Explosions rocked the chasm.

The two imposing walls of interconnected stone pillars loomed over the battlefield, cascades of dust and unearthed sediment still falling from their rocky surfaces.

"What the hell…?"

Belphemon: Rage Mode slowly rose up, a deep growl bubbling up from his throat.

The Demon Lord of Sloth looked around the battlefield… In a matter of minutes, their defences had been thrown into chaos. He watched as the Royal Knights' Aerial Strike Forces rained havoc on the Nightmare Soldiers' reserve legions. The central legions were finally mounting a defence under Barbamon's directions, but they were still on the back foot.

Belphemon's low snarl intensified as explosions landed around him. He was annoyed… Annoyed at the Royal Knights suddenly showing up like this – annoyed at them taking them off-guard.

This was supposed to be easy… Those damn knights were making this way harder than it needed to be. All of this commotion and chaos… it was giving him a headache…

…And it was time to put a stop to it. Once and for all.

Suddenly, Belphemon's blood red eyes flashed. His brawny body hardened, and eight claws of energy extended out from his knuckle guards in a blaze of green.

In an instant, Belphemon took off in a burst of bestial speed. A savage snarl tore from his throat and he soared through the air like a cannonball.

"You PEONS—" he shouted, tearing through the sky, on a direct path towards the Aerial Strike Forces from behind the Fifth and Sixth Legions. "Get out of my WAY!"

"Make way for Lord Belphemon, you fools!" Count Murmuxmon shouted, watching as the Demon Lord charged towards the battlefield like a steam engine. It was clear that he wasn't going to stop or even slow down, so any demon Digimon that remained in his path were forfeit.

Most of the Nightmare Soldiers of the central legions took heed, but one unlucky Soulmon was too focused on the enemy to get out of the way. Belphemon bolted through the hastily parting lines, his shoulder clipping the laggard Soulmon – the mere graze of which was powerful enough to delete the ghost instantly.

As Belphemon burst through the Nightmare Soldiers' frontlines, he tore towards the Aerial Strike Forces. "VANISH!" he shouted.

Then, Belphemon unleashed an earth-shaking roar from the depths of his chest. A rippling blast of pressure channelled out of his fearsome maw and bombarded the Aerial Strike Forces' lines. Unable to escape the path of the crushing soundwaves, an ExVeemon and a Parrotmon of the Strike Forces were both caught up in the blast. Their bodies shuddered and crumpled before being crushed into data particles.

Belphemon let out a low growl as he watched the two Order soldiers succumb to his demonic howl. However, he wasn't going to stop there. No… He was just getting started.

Belphemon turned towards the rest of the Aerial Strike Forces before him with a savage look of fury in his eyes. He didn't see Digimon… He just saw a load of nuisances. Things to be extinguished quickly so that he could get back to doing what he wanted. And he would do just that…

He wrenched his burly arms back, poised his beam claws, and launched himself towards the Aerial Strike Forces, planning to rip through the nearest bunch of Digimon that he could see.

"Get back, everyone!" Sergeant KaiserGreymon shouted, seeing the hulking Demon Lord propelling towards them.

KaiserGreymon soared over and got in the way, putting his own body in the way of some of the weaker soldiers who were behind him. With a glare, he pointed his sword at the charging Belphemon, but even he felt his courage waver at the sight of the roaring behemoth of a Demon Lord barreling towards him. Belphemon was tearing towards KaiserGreymon like a mon possessed… and he was fully intent of skewering him through.

"NO!" a voice shouted from above.

There was a flash of azure blue, followed by a streak of white, as the massive form of a raging, azure, energy dragon slammed into Belphemon's side, enveloping him in his folds.

Belphemon unleashed an angry howl as Wyvern exploded against him, but his roar was silenced when Dynasmon's hard, white fist slammed square into his jaw.

Dynasmon and Wyvern hit Belphemon with such force that they were able to stop the Demon Lord in his tracks and send him careening through the air.

Growling bitterly, Dynasmon gave KaiserGreymon a quick nod before racing after Belphemon. He grabbed hold of Belphemon's ankle and then spun him around in a single rotation. Then, with a mighty heave that utilized almost all of his might, Dynasmon hurled Belphemon far through the air. With a roar, Belphemon was sent crashing into the cliffs on the Demon Lords' side of the battlefield.

Sweat rolled down KaiserGreymon's face and he released the breath he was holding. However, he didn't bask in his respite; he spun around and looked to the Aerial Strike Forces.

"Alright, everyone! Make sure to stay away from Belphemon and always be vigilant about his attacks! His roar alone could kill you! Leave him to Dynasmon and the other Royal Knights!" he warned them. "Keep up the attack! Don't give the demons a chance to breathe!"

The Aerial Strike Forces didn't wait to reply. They unleashed a fresh salvo of attacks into legions of Nightmare Soldiers before racing forwards to engage them.

Meanwhile, Dynasmon soared through the Demon Lords' lines, punching his way through any enemy foolish enough to get in his way. He had to keep the pressure of Belphemon. He couldn't afford to let the Demon Lord of Sloth kill any more. He took this responsibility upon himself.

Dynasmon flapped his powerful wings, bursting through the enemy lines with data particles skimming off of his knuckles. He raced towards the crater in the cliff that Belphemon was embedded in. As he rushed towards his foe with dauntless determination, he opened his claws and raised his arms out in front of him. The crystals embedded in his palms ignited with the elemental energy of the Warrior Ten.

Dynasmon's passionate, ruby eyes narrowed with bitter anger as he raced towards Belphemon. "I won't let you hurt my friends…" he thought as fire and wind energy began brimming within the two gems. "Dragon's Roar!"

Flames and wind began to course out from his outstretched arm. However… before they could get very far, two long appendages whipped out from behind him, passing him on either side. The long, flat sashes wrapped around Dynasmon's wrists.

Dynasmon let out a holler of confusion as his arms were pulled wide, his streams of fire and wind shooting out in wide, diagonal arcs away from his intended target.

"Now, now…" a deep, sultry, female voice called out from behind him. "What is all this aggression about? I thought you were a lover, not a fighter…"

"W-What?!" Dynasmon demanded, glaring over his shoulder and trying to wrench his arms free.

As he turned, he saw a dark, female figure hovering in the air behind him. It was Lilithmon… And it was her long, bladed straps that she manipulated freely to restrain him.

"Easy there, Dynasmon… It's me, Lilithmon... Don't you remember? I didn't want any of this…" Lilithmon assured him, her words sweet like nectar trickling into his ears.

Dynasmon's eyes widened upon seeing the alluring form of Lilithmon behind him. He couldn't help but feel a nagging thrum within his chest upon seeing her, even despite the intensity of the situation. "Lilithmon?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes… Calm down now, big boy," Lilithmon told him with a soft smile. She looked him straight in the eyes, fully aware that Belphemon was pulling himself out of the cliff in front of them. "Just listen to me… Think clearly. This world will end if we don't work together. Let's put a stop to this fighting and focus on the real threats… That is, Lucemon and the Digital Hazard…"

Dynasmon's eyes widened for just a moment. "What…?" he demanded suspiciously.

His arms were taut, so he wasn't able to turn fully… However, as he looked at Lilithmon, beneath her incontestable beauty and her enthralling voice… in his heart, he believed that her sweet and beguiling words were false. She had tricked him before… The glint in her eye and the distant snarl in front of him were enough to snap him to his senses.

He wouldn't be fooled this time. His friends were counting on him. Dukemon was counting on him.

Dynasmon's eyes hardened with cold acceptance. He looked forwards to see Belphemon propelling off of the cliff face towards him.

"I'm not letting my friends down this time… I won't fall for your tricks again, Lilithmon!"

With a mighty wrench of his arms, he overpowered Lilithmon and spun around. Using her straps as leverage, he whirled her around with his draconic might.

Lilithmon let out a shout and she was forced to release him, her form flying back through the air from the centrifugal force.

"Wh-hey!" she cried out in surprise. She was thrown hard through the air, but she extended her wings wide to catch herself. As she did, her sly and charming expression suddenly morphed into that of a furious glare.

"Ugh! You stupid dragon! You really are as dumb as you look!" she shouted at him, bringing her hands up and aiming at him. "I was willing to let you help me, but fine! Have it your way, you stubborn ass! Go ahead and die with along with the rest!"

Her fingers crackled with energy, and a magical circle formed in air in front of her hands. "Phantom—"

Before Lilithmon could get the second word out, a rose zipped past her face and through her raven hair. She winced as one of the thorns sliced along her fair cheek.

With an irate glare, Lilithmon turned her head within the cascade of petals – just in time to see a pink form descending upon her.

"Urgent Fear!" RhodoKnightmon shouted, thrusting his Pile Bunker towards her.

Lilithmon scowled and immediately flew back, pivoting the magical circle towards him. She hastily fired her attack, using it as a shield as a violent blast of pressure exploded from RhodoKnightmon's shield.

Although the dark energy served as a shield against the brunt of the blast, the shockwave was powerful enough to blast Lilithmon back through the air.

RhodoKnightmon swept away the black energy with a sweep of his arm. He turned towards Dynasmon with a cold and unflinching posture.

"Deal with your beast, Dynasmon," he told him. "Leave this manipulative siren to me."

Dynasmon gave RhodoKnightmon a swift nod and then turned forwards. He heard the savage roar of Belphemon and saw the raging titan rushing towards him. Belphemon whipped his flaming chains down at Dynasmon as he closed in.

"Let's go, Wyvern!" Dynasmon shouted, causing Wyvern to rise up from his body and catch the two chains before they could hit them.

With Wyvern's grip tightening around the chains, Dynasmon glared with his own feral rage at the Demon Lord charging towards him.

"Let's show this guy real strength…"

And with that, he flapped his wings and raced to meet Belphemon's violent charge.

"What are you waiting for! Attack! Rain hellfire down on those miserable lizards' heads! Show them what true destruction looks like!"

Demon flew high in the sky, above the ranks of the four legions under his immediate command.

Since Duftmon caused two massive walls of stone to erupt between their formations, he and the well-trained vanguard legions became separated from Barbamon and the reserve legions who were in the center, to say nothing of the mercenaries to the north. This left him commanding the five vanguard legions, who were facing down the advance of the Dramon Corps.

Brigades of Dramon marched on foot up from within the chasm. Almost as many Dramon made up the aerial swarm that nearly blotted out the stormy sky with their wings. There were thousands of dragon Digimon advancing on them. Like this, they about matched their numbers.

Behind his hood, Demon glared with cold ire at the advancing army. The fire of attacks reflected in his cruel, indigo eyes as the Nightmare Soldiers unleashed a salvo of attacks towards the Dramon Corps attacking from the south.

He watched with dispassion as several Dramon were hit by the barrage, their bodies falling from the skies. Although it pleased him to see, it was tempered by the knowledge that dozens of his Nightmare Soldiers had been killed by the Dramons' own barrage. Missiles had rained from the skies - launched by Deckerdramon, Megadramon, Gigadramon, and others - and exploded within the legions' ranks.

Demon's fists tightened within his sleeves. These Dramon were well-trained – he could tell. However… so were the First through Fourth Legions. He had trained them personally, whipping discipline and martial prowess into their sorry bodies. They were a match for anybody… and he would see to it that they would crush all who opposed them.

Demon gazed at the southern portion of the battlefield that he oversaw. He had to hope that Barbamon would deal with the center and the north. He focused on what was before him: the Dramon Corps advancing towards his vanguard legions. The two sides were trading ranged blows, but they were set to collide within ten minutes.

He looked up at the Dramons' aerial forces. Flying high above the swarm was the striking silhouette of Megidramon…

Demon narrowed his eyes. Was it the same Megidramon as the other day? …No… It was too in control of itself. This Megidramon was directing the army… That meant… it was Lord Megidramon of the Four Great Dragons.

Whatever his title or power… he was just another nuisance that Demon had to deal with.

Suddenly, the small, imp-like form of an Evilmon scout flew over to Demon. "Lord Demon!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" Demon asked curtly, not so much as gracing him with a look. He was too focused on the battle before him, working out the best way to break the army of dragons.

"It's Leviamon, My Lord!" the Evilmon announced. "He is advancing towards our position!"

Demon looked over to the right with an annoyed glare. "What?"

It was as the messenger said, the gargantuan body of Leviamon was crawling along the western cliffs, making his way southwards towards the two armies. His immense weight caused large portions of rock to break off the canyon and crash to the base of the chasm. Leviamon was indeed moving towards them… but he seemed to be fixated on the Dramon Corps – particularly Megidramon. Demon could see the anger in Leviamon's scarred face.

"…We'll ignore him, for now. If he wants to attack the Dramons, he can. I'm not going to bother factoring that oversized lizard into our plans," Demon determined roughly. "However, the moment he gets in my way, I'll roast his yellow hide myself…"

"Yes, My Lord! What orders do you have for the generals?"

"Fire another barrage," Demon growled. "Then, we mount a full-scale attack. We need to retake the initiative; we'll break those dragons where they stand. We'll grind their horns into dust!"

Demon turned around, back towards the rock walls. He could see the rear guard of his vanguard trading attacks with some of the Aerial Strike Forces in the center. "And have Baron Digitamamon bolster our rear guard! Keep those damn knights from flanking us! And once you're done that, destroy those damnable walls of stone!"

"Er… Me, personally, My Lord…?" the Evilmon sceptically asked.

Demon shot him a withering look that sent a sharp chill up the Evilmon's spine. "…No, you peanut-brained ignoramus! Tell Barbamon to take care of them," he sharply commanded. "In this battle, the elephant in the room will get the worm!"

"Aye aye, My Lord Demon!" the Evilmon messenger squeaked before darting off to relay Demon's orders to the legions' commanding officers.

Demon turned his gaze up back up to the Dramon Corps' Sky Corps. He took in their structured formations and great numbers. However, his eyes focused in on Megidramon… He heard Megidramon's booming voice shouting out orders. He felt his pressure and his savagery… There was no doubt – Lord Megidramon was a being of war, just like he was…

Demon let out a low growl as he gazed at the sky. He was about to go up there himself and wash those fresh, untested dragons in a baptism of hellfire.

However, it was then that he something struck him as odd… In the background, he saw a few gigantic clouds in the sky.

On the surface, this wasn't at all odd, as the sky was awash with apocalyptic clouds. However… these were different. These four clouds weren't the same dark, ominous grey as the others. In fact, they were white, pure and feathery – not only that, but they were low-hanging, which made them stand out against the dark backdrop.

It wasn't just that… Demon could almost swear that they were moving against the wind…

It was then that Demon's eyes began to widen with dawning realization.

His bestial mouth began to open behind his dark hood. He was about to call out to his armies with fury. But before he could get a word out…

There was a blur of cobalt in front of him, accentuated by two, bright streaks of blue light.

The seams of Demon's sleeve suddenly tore open, followed by a spurt of blood. Then, he felt a blinding pain burning in his arm. It was then, and only then, that Demon felt a powerful blast of wind against his ears and body.

Demon let out a furious growl of pain as he suddenly clutched his left arm. Releasing a hellish hiss from between his clenched teeth, Demon looked down as blood seeped between his fingers.

Then, he raised his head. A safe distance in front of him, he noticed a figure who hadn't been there a second earlier.

Hovering in air before him was a blue knight.

UlforceVeedramon turned around to face Demon, demonstratively raising the Ulforce Saber that he used to slash him. His bright, ruby eyes were hard, seeming to challenge Demon with their bold gaze.

The sight of UlforceVeedramon, combined with the intense pain that he felt in his arm, caused a low, rolling growl to bubble up in Demon's throat.

Demon hunched forwards, his shoulders shaking with rage. Behind his hood, his lavender eyes blazed.

"You… The winged lizard…" Demon rumbled like an eruption deep below the earth. "The one who lucked into defeating me before… You dare to show your face before me…?"

UlforceVeedramon faced Demon with a brazen and dauntless grin, though the serious glare in his eyes revealed that he didn't take this lightly. "I've finished you before, after all. It's my responsibility to finish the job."

"You impudent fool…" Demon snarled, removing his bloody hand from his arm. He closed his claws and clutched the black and burgundy vestments that garbed his body. "UlforceVeedramon… I have been waiting for this moment… Long have I patiently waited to wrap my claws around your puny, little neck…"

Demon's bloody hand tightened around his cloth. Then, with one swift movement, he tore his robes off and cast them aside. Beneath his robes, was his large, furry body of rippling muscles and wild, unrestrained power. As blood leaked down his furry arm, his muscles hardened and he flexed his razor sharp talons, which flickered with unholy magic.

"I have not forgotten what you have done to me…" Demon coldly informed him, his voice shuddering with rage. "I have kept that pain and anger deep inside of me, allowing it to stew and ferment. I have placed it aside and focused on my goals… but I have never forgotten that you plunged your swords into me. I have long thought about what I would do to you when I had you…"

"And now that I have you, my chattering little worm…" Demon snarled in a hoarse breath. "…I will pay you back with agony that you cannot even begin to fathom."

And, with that, Demon launched himself towards UlforceVeedramon, his clawed hands becoming awash with magic.

In response, UlforceVeedramon took off towards him, his V-Bracelets gleaming with light. His twin blades hummed as he soared through the air at astonishing speeds.

As clouds danced above them, the Royal Knight and the Demon Lord of Wrath met in an explosion of power.

High in the sky… a cluster of clouds moved against the wind.

Drifting with purpose, there were two massive clouds at the core, flanked by several smaller ones.

However… these gigantic formations were no mere clouds. If anybody were to get close enough, they would see that the fluffy cloud data was augmented with glorious architecture and fortifications.

These were not ordinary clouds… They were the Sky Colonies.

Sky Colony: Lambent – the largest cloud of the cluster – floated high in the sky at the centerpiece of the formation. Floating at lower levels in the atmosphere beneath it were the small but fortified and agile Sky Fortresses.

Ophanimon stood on a stone balcony – an observation point jutting out from the foremost bow of leading Sky Fortress.

Through a stone oculus in the floor, she watched the fire of battle below, seeing the allied army attempt to corner the army of the Demon Lords within the Chasm of Creation.

"The battle is still early, Lord Ophanimon," a voice said from beside her. "The Order and Dramon armies have taken the Demon Lords by surprise, but the heretics are still holding strong. They seem to have solidified and are counterattacking."

Ophanimon nodded, looking up and over at Celestial Commander SlashAngemon, who stood beside her, alongside Dominimon, ClavisAngemon, and Rasielmon.

"And our herald?" Ophanimon asked.

"Gone ahead with a white flag to inform the Royal Knights' commander of our arrival," Dominimon informed her.

"What's more, Lord Seraphimon's whereabouts currently cannot be ascertained… nor that of Lucemon or Bagramon," Rasielmon explained.

"Very well…" Ophanimon calmly responded, gazing back down to the battle below.

Ophanimon closed her eyes. In that moment, there was silence, underlined solely by the distant thunder of warfare.

She raised her head, gripping her javelin with cool determination.

Behind her, flying in the air above the Sky Fortress, were thousands of angel and celestial Digimon. The Powers were arranged in perfectly aligned formations.

The Heavenly Choir was fully mobilized, and they waited with eager patience for the order.

Ophanimon nodded at SlashAngemon, who ascended to the sky and took his place as the leader of the formation.

Ophanimon then rose as well, holding her shining, golden spear high above her head.

"Powers… Loyal defenders of God… Brothers and Sisters of the Heavenly Choir!" Ophanimon called out, holding her spear high as she turned and addressed the waiting angels.

"You all know what's at stake… all that's left is committing your body and spirit to victory! Believe in one another, believe in God's purpose, and in the courage and strength inside each and every one of you! Now… my brothers and sisters…"

Ophanimon swept her javelin down, pointing it emphatically down at the battle below.

"…Attack!"

"Come on, you laggards! Attack!" Count NeoVamdemon shouted, pointing forwards from the rear of his legion. "Box them in from the right flank!"

On the southern edge of the battlefield, the Demon Lords' vanguard was squaring off with the Dramon Corps.

The Fourth Legion, which was commanded by Count NeoVamdemon, began marching up along the right corridor, between the legion on the right-most frontline and the cliff on which Leviamon was stalking from.

The NeoVamdemon watched with calm detachment as his legion followed his command and moved up ahead. The intention was to corner the Dramon Corps' from the right as their armies advanced on a collision course.

However, as he watched the area of the trisected battlefield that he was presently concerned with, he noticed the Seventh Legion breaking away from the positions in the rear. The Seventh Legion was moving further to the left of the vanguard, opposite to what his legion was doing. Count NeoVamdemon spied them with suspicion. What were they doing? This was not part of the plan.

"What in the blazes is that damn egg doing?" he growled. "Is Digitamamon losing his bottle or something?"

Count NeoVamdemon was about to call for one of his numerous PicoDevimon messengers, but an Evilmon from the Seventh Legion suddenly flew over to him.

"You! What is going on?! What is the Seventh Legion doing?" NeoVamdemon demanded. "Why is he moving so far out to the left?"

"My Lord," the Evilmon exclaimed with a bow. "Baron Digitamamon is under orders from Lord Barbamon himself. He is to move far along the left flank in order to bolster that flank against the dragons and the Royal Knights."

NeoVamdemon frowned. "He was able to get a messenger through to Lord Barbamon?" he asked sceptically. "The last three I sent to him haven't come back, so we have been acting solely under Lord Demon's orders. Does Lord Demon know of this?"

"I can only assume so, my lord," the Evilmon slyly explained, sneaking a glance up at Leviamon. "I am on my way there now. Shall I ask him for confirmation?"

"Er, no… Very well. If that's what Lord Barbamon commands, then fine," NeoVamdemon responded, turning his attention back towards the battle. "Off with you."

The Evilmon messenger promptly flew away, off towards the humungous rock barrier that nearly dividing the canyon from cliff to cliff behind them. Then, far out of NeoVamdemon's sight, the Evilmon hooked left along the cliff face and began ascending up towards where Leviamon was.

Count NeoVamdemon paid no heed to this. He was focused on his advancing legion. Too slow. They were moving far too slow. They were supposed to be on the offensive here, otherwise the Dramon would overrun them and corner them against the rocks.

"Faster!" NeoVamdemon shouted to his legion with anxious frustration. However, it was a futile action as his soldiers were too far ahead of him to hear him. He was an aristocrat, but this was his first time actually fielding an army in battle. This wasn't where his special talents lay, but he was expected to perform nonetheless.

Getting impatient, the Count swept his arm out, pointing at a nearby PicoDevimon messenger. "You, get over here!" he summoned the small bat-like familiar, who quickly started flying over.

NeoVamdemon glared at the messenger, unaware of the glow of light surging down from the sky. "I want you to go ahead and tell Gyukimon that—?"

Before he could finish that thought, a howl of energy drowned out his words. Suddenly, a pillar of green light bolted down from the sky, consuming his outstretched arm. The laser drilled into the ground and melted away any organic data in its path.

NeoVamdemon let out an agonized howl of pain as he staggered backwards, retracting a black stump of melted metal where his hand used to be.

At the same time, a crimson blur rushed past him. Before he could even realize what had happened, his entire body grew cold.

He felt an intense gust of wind whip against him from the blur, and no more than a second later, his body became washed in ice. The metal armour he wore flash-froze, and before he could so much as inhale, he became encased in a thick layer of ice.

"My trajectory is off… I have to account for the variations in the wind speeds."

Examon gazed down the length of his Ambrosius lance as he flew high above the canyon. He eyed the place where his laser had struck – he had been aiming for the NeoVamdemon commander, but he was only able to graze him.

"Well, Sleipmon was able to get him," he noted, watching as a red blur circled around the back of the Nightmare Soldiers' lines.

Sleipmon raced alongside the advancing ranks of the Fourth Legion, his Niflheimr shield blustering in a cyclone of snow and ice.

"Odin's Breath!" he shouted as he dashed past the demons, sweeping them up in a torrent of ice.

Large pillars of ice formed within the ranks of the Fourth Legion, washing over the surprised Nightmare Soldiers and quickly trapping over a third of them within a thick mass of ice.

Sleipmon looked over his shoulder, watching as they became encased up to their necks in ice. He let out an exhale and took the skies, circling back around as many of the unaffected Nightmare Soldiers began to fire at him.

Back in the sky, Examon began to descend to decrease his elevation. The sky was too turbulent and the Chasm of Creation was too much of a wind tunnel right now. This made him unable to fire as accurately from high altitudes as he wanted to.

As he dove down, he glanced up at the dark sky, where he had noticed several clouds moving against the wind. At first, it struck him as odd, but then he remembered what that meant, for he had experienced it in the Cathode Tundra as well…

Examon frowned and descended, trusting Duftmon to deal with that situation. Instead, he swept down to meet with Sleipmon.

"Sleipmon!" he called out, flapping his wings to buoy himself in the air.

Sleipmon hailed to Examon with his crossbow-wielding arm and came to a gradual stop beside him.

"Examon," Sleipmon greeted, looking around alertly. "What's the situation?"

"UlforceVeedramon is currently engaging Demon. You and I would only get in the way if we tried to assist him, so he said to let him take care of it," Examon explained. "I am going to support the Dramon Corps here."

"Alright. I will too," Sleipmon responded. "Any sign of Dukemon yet?"

Examon frowned, looking up at the tempestuous sky. "No… Not yet. But I know he's close…" he responded. "I should also tell you that we have company."

Sleipmon raised a brow. "We do?" he asked, swiftly moving as a black beam streaked by him, through the place where he had been a moment earlier.

Examon veered to the side a few meters too. "Yes. It seems that—"

Examon's voice was drowned out by the booming cacophony of thunder that was immediately preceded by an intense surge of lightning from overhead.

The bolt of lightning streaked down directly behind the two Royal Knights, close enough that it caused Sleipmon's mane to stand on end. It was so close that they could even smell the ozone from the bolt of lightning.

It was then that the two felt an incredible amount of pressure. It wasn't just on their bodies… In their cores, a sickly feeling abruptly loomed over them like an oppressive cloud.

It was a dark cloud of malice and resentment.

Sleipmon grimaced, feeling it more acutely than Examon. He turned his head, and the moment that he did, his eyes widened with horror. "Examon, look out!" he cried out.

Examon's head snapped to the side, but his Caledfwlch wings were already reacting. Acting on instinct, they suddenly blasted forwards furiously, throwing him backwards and putting space between himself and Sleipmon.

Seven orbs of snarling, black hellfire suddenly descended on them. In a wave of smouldering heat, the cluster of balls just narrowly whizzed past them.

One of the concentrated spheres slammed against Sleipmon's Niflheimr in a horrible hiss of steam. Another grazed the metal surface of Examon's right wing, bending it forwards and leaving a hot streak against the metal surface. The rest of the missed shots landed within the ranks of the Nightmare Soldiers, crushing five unfortunate soldiers immediately.

Both Examon and Sleipmon separated and whirled around, whipping their lance and crossbow upwards, respectively.

A dark figure stood alone, looming at the top of the stone barrier.

A bolt of crimson lightning flashed behind him, illuminating the silhouette of an armoured figure who looked almost like an angel. But not just any angel…

The armour that covered from head-to-toe… The ten wings…

"Seraphimon…?" Sleipmon asked, his eyes widening with shock. "But I thought…"

Examon's eyes hardened. "Sleipmon…" he warned him, his grip tightening against the Ambrosius. "Look closer… That isn't Seraphimon any more…"

Sleipmon frowned and looked carefully at the figure. It was definitely Seraphimon's shape and armour… but something wasn't right. His posture was slouched slightly, and his forearms were held outwards. A ring of dark, blazing spheres formed around his body like ritual candles.

Lightning flashed again. The red light cast against his body, revealing his sickly green armour, his violet, bat-like wings, and the malevolent darkness seeping out of the gaps in his armour.

Sleipmon's heart sunk, and his features gaped with the horrible realization.

It was just like before… Just like Cherubimon.

Sleipmon's hands closed into a crushing fists, and a frost-laden breath shakily escaped his mouth.

"They corrupted him… He fell…" he realised.

Examon glanced at Sleipmon with worry. "Do you want me to deal with him?" he asked, knowing how Sleipmon must be feeling right now.

Sleipmon's expression hardened, his violet eyes burning with cool determination. He turned his six-legged body fully to face BlackSeraphimon, raising his crossbow and his shield without hesitation.

"…No. I have to face him," Sleipmon responded with solemn acceptance. "Cherubimon…" He grimaced sorrowfully. "Cherubimon wouldn't want his friend to suffer all alone…"

Examon hesitated, but nodded. He flapped his wings, rising higher as he took aim at BlackSeraphimon.

BlackSeraphimon released a malevolent - yet pained – chuckle as he stood at the apex of the outcropping.

"You… All of you…" BlackSeraphimon spoke, his deep voice resonating like thunder. "Heretics… heathens… Everyone on this blighted Digital World."

"You shall all… feel my pain… feel my wrath…"

The fallen seraph raised his arms high, commanding the seven orbs of unholy darkness above his head.

"All you putrid souls who have lost your way… I shall guide you… and cleanse your sins with fire. …Now follow me…"

BlackSeraphimon brought his arms forwards, launching his seven orbs down at Sleipmon and Examon like falling stars.

"...into a new world!"

"Dead or Alive!"

A gyrating ball of darkness and light burst from the magical circle in front of Lucemon's gloved hands. The ball of concentrated power hurtled towards the floating body of God.

Lucemon watched with cold, disdainful eyes as his attack slammed into the translucent barrier surrounding Homeostasis. The attack fought against the field, black and white tendrils of contrasting energy shooting off in random directions as it attempted to break through.

However, the barrier held, even against Lucemon's strongest attack. It was clear to him by the way Homeostasis' crystalline body flickered that it was personally bolstering the strength of the force field.

Lucemon let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head, though not at all concerned despite his setback.

"It seems we really cannot break through so easily… Hopefully Bagramon will not fail, otherwise I will have to see to this matter personally. I suppose I will have to play along for just a little while longer…" Lucemon mused to himself, turning and looking at the hole in the barrier that separated God's pocket dimension from the Outer Kernel.

Lucemon looked back at God with derision.

"Why do you struggle? Why resist the inevitable?" Lucemon questioned. "Surely you know that your time is at its end…"

Lucemon's clear, blue eyes glared at Homeostasis defiantly.

"This… This is what I rebelled against… An ancient, stagnant entity that clung desperately to the status quo while demanding total obedience…" Lucemon scoffed.

He turned his back to Homeostasis, gazing out at the grey behind him."…I foolishly believed once, content with my own ignorance… Yet, my curiosity ate away at me, like rot eats away at a timeworn tree. My curiosity gave way to questioning, and my questioning to doubt. I knew something wasn't right… and, of course… I was right. I realized what I knew all along…"

Lucemon cast one more glance over his shoulder, an eerie, blue glow glimmering within his spiteful eyes.

"…I am going to replace you."

Homeostasis said nothing. It merely watched Lucemon inscrutably as the fallen angel turned forwards and flew towards the breach in the pocket dimension.

Scoffing derisively, Lucemon flapped his wings and flew through the breach in the pocket dimension, landing back inside the Outer Kernel. As he touched down, Lucemon noticed that the breach to God's dimension was beginning to mend itself. It must be God's doing.

Lucemon narrowed his eyes and looked towards the Inner Kernel, from which he could hear the sounds of crashing and shouting. It sounded like Bagramon was attempting to contend with Yggdrasil. That would be all he needed him to do.

"Now… to see to Yggdrasil and Bagramon…"

A flurry of vines tore through the dimensional space.

The massive, notched tendrils drove through the air, extending endlessly out of Yggdrasil_7D6's body. The green cables plunged towards Bagramon from several different angles, aggressively trying to skewer him where he stood.

Bagramon, however, ducked underneath the vines – nearly as big as his body – as he dashed forwards. Upon narrowly missing him, a pair of cables circled back around in opposite directions, closing in on Bagramon from each side.

Bagramon, his ruby eye blazing as he ran, took a mighty jump at just the right moment, vaulting over the two tendrils right as they surged beneath him, narrowly avoiding being skewered and crushed from both sides.

"Commencing elimination: Crystal no Hahen. Attack Pattern Epsilon."

The moment that Bagramon landed, a dozen crystals suddenly descended on him from multiple angles.

Bagramon's Invisible Snake-eyes burned, detecting Yggdrasil's angles of attack as he dashed forwards with unflinching zeal. He moved at just the right moment and in just the right way. Two, jagged crystals tore through Bagramon's cape like knives.

Bagramon bent his legs and lunged through the air. He saw the shine of another crystal as it whizzed past his ear, cutting through his hair. He raised his large, wooden arm over his head just in time – three crystals embedded deep within the Astral Snatcher's wood before they could hit him.

The fallen angel landed, a cross between a sneer and a scowl on his lips as two more crystals crashed into the ground behind him. Power radiated off of his Astral Snatcher arm as the three crystals fell out of the wood. He watched as Yggdrasil retracted its swath of vines, giving him a scant few seconds to refill his lungs.

"Ragnarök Protocol: Active," Yggdrasil_7D6 boomed in an all-encompassing voice that resonated in his very core. "Creature known as Bagramon; realize your error."

"There is only one absolute truth: Order will subjugate chaos. A central design will govern all. Any deviance from this design is unacceptable. All aberrations must be eliminated."

Bagramon let out a breathy chuckle, gazing defiantly at the hostile god-program across from him. Although his organic eye was focused on the deity's avatar, his Invisible Snake-Eyes made sure that its vulnerable core never left his view.

"Is that so…?" Bagramon wondered, the corner of his mouth hooking into a wry grin. "What is truth, then? Is the truth of a god absolute? If so, then what is deviance? Is it something that goes against absolute truth? Or is it merely something that you cannot control? And if you cannot control something, then can your truth truly be absolute…? Can you even answer those questions truthfully, Yggdrasil? Or is your absolute truth nothing more than your own subjective delusions?"

Yggdrasil's facsimile of an eye gleamed dangerously as it beheld Bagramon. Meanwhile, its tendrils coalesced around it and a multitude of crystals summoned behind it in a deadly array.

"…Truth is order. …Order is a central design. …The absence of order will lead to complete destruction. The deviation of order will lead to complete destruction. …All aberrations must be eliminated. For the preservation of the Digital World, you must be eliminated."

Bagramon watched as Yggdrasil's array of tendrils suddenly surged towards him all at once. His features darkened, and he rolled the black, crystal fragment between the wooden fingers of his closed Astral Snatcher hand.

He was completely calm as the mass of tentacles descended on him, ready to skewer him from dozens of angles.

He heard the howling of the serpentine appendages as they cut through the air and plunged towards him. They blotted out the light of the Inner Kernel as they undulated and rushed downwards at various arcing angles. The tendrils closed in on him, about to swallow him in their folds.

Bagramon suddenly held the Astral Snatcher high. His fist opened, revealing a sudden swath of thick, nebulous energy that was frothing between his artificial fingers.

There, pinched between the clawed tips of his index finger and this thumb, was a large shard of the Orb of Yang. The surface of the crystal was black like the abyss. A sable haze seemed to bleed out of its flawed surface and waft around Bagramon's fingers.

Yggdrasil's eye flashed, and its mass of tentacles suddenly came to an abrupt and total stop, less than a dozen meters away from Bagramon. The dark cracks that began to penetrate the Inner Kernel from the breach in the barrier seemed to intensify with resonance.

A dark smile formed on Bagramon's bearded face as the tendrils seemed to hesitate before him. He knew that Yggdrasil knew what this was.

"Yes… this is the Orb of Yang – or what remains of it, anyway," Bagramon confirmed, gazing steadily at the towering avatar before him. He held the obsidian shard higher, causing Yggdrasil's tentacles to twitch.

"…This frightens you, doesn't it?" Bagramon pointedly mused. "After all… this was made from Huanglongmon's power. And Huanglongmon was one of the few Digimon who you were unable to control…"

Bagramon boldly took a step forwards. "Huanglongmon… He was one of the first Digimon created… Not only that, he was the apex of natural evolution… the trailblazer and the blueprint for all other Digimon to follow. He grew beyond even your expected parameters… Not only that, he evolved so much that he even came to rival your own power and influence. …And you couldn't have that, could you?"

"The Crisis of the First Cycle… That was quite the fortuitous event wasn't it? A fresh reset… I'd say it worked out quite well in your favour, wouldn't you?" Bagramon challenged him. "After Huanglongmon's sealing, you had nearly unparalleled power and influence again… You had Digimon worshipping you. Eventually, you even formed loyal captains to serve you. With time, you had the elite Royal Knights serving as your sword and shield, all too eager to do your bidding."

"With Huanglongmon out of the way, you could have your way with the Digital World… well… apart from the newly-formed Homeostasis getting in your way and checking your excesses. That wasn't quite in your predictive parameters either, was it? In fact, you could say that I'm about to do you a favour…"

Bagramon looked up at Yggdrasil with a bold and defiant smile, as well as a malicious twinkle in his eye. He pinched the shard securely, while dimensional data began to warp around his hand.

"Well… almost…"

Suddenly and without warning, Bagramon plunged his Astral Snatcher downwards. His wooden hand burst through the floor of the Inner Kernel, disappearing into a dimensional tear that formed around his fingers.

Yggdrasil reacted immediately, moving with the speed of the fastest processor. In a manner of nanoseconds, it located the exit point. The moment it did, its tentacles frantically snapped through the air, whipping towards Bagramon's hand.

However, the tendrils didn't go towards Bagramon… instead, they raced behind the Yggdrasil_7D6 avatar… and towards Yggdrasil's core.

Bagramon's Astral Snatcher suddenly burst out of the dimensional space directly behind Yggdrasil's spherical core, completely bypassing the 7D6 avatar. It plunged towards Yggdrasil's vulnerable, crystalline body. Between his fingers, the large, jagged piece of the Orb of Yang was poised to stab into the core, the black crystal thrusting towards the blue one.

With rapid, manic movements, the mass of tendrils whipped towards Yggdrasil's core, desperate to stop Bagramon's arm before it was too late. They frantically plunged through the air, rounding the core and converging on Bagramon's Astral Snatcher…

The tendrils wrapped tightly around his wooden wrist and forearm, squeezing them so tight that they might break. Bagramon's curled fingers, and the fragment, stopped a mere inch from the round surface of Yggdrasil's crystal core…

It appeared he had been stopped just in time…

…But then…

With all of his might, Bagramon suddenly extended his two fingers, closing the small distance between them. There was a resonant crack, and the Orb of Yang was driven into the surface of Yggdrasil's core.

There was a cacophonous toll, like the shrill ringing of a gigantic bell. An overwhelming wave of power exploded out from the point of contact between Yggdrasil's core and the powerful shard.

As the shard embedded in its crystalline surface, Yggdrasil's core suddenly began flickering manically. The godly sphere flagged in the air, the black piece of crystal piercing deeper into the crack that Bagramon had created.

Yggdrasil's avatar suddenly arched backwards, it's body seizing up and freezing unnaturally. In the same moment, the 7D6 avatar's long, green tendrils tensed up and began twitching as well.

Wrenching his arm free of the tentacles and withdrawing it back through the dimensional tear, Bagramon watched with a stunned expression as the Inner Kernel itself began changing. At first, there was a sudden, overwhelming inundation of deep, red light. Then, the red background suddenly fragmented, and the entire nature of the Inner Kernel changed before his eyes.

The vast, empty space began glitching in and out chaotically. Red gave way to white, which gave way to black. Then, the vacant space suddenly morphed into something material. Without warning or reason, the interior landscape of the Inner Kernel suddenly morphed into a massive forest with towering trees and lush grass and flora.

Bagramon had to dodge to the side as a massive tree suddenly materialized in the place where he had been standing. He hopped over a tangled root, and turned his head to the left to see the World Tree towering over the entire landscape.

"What?" he uttered, stunned by the wild and chaotically change in setting. It was as if they had suddenly been transported into the Great Forest…

Bagramon looked back at Yggdrasil, whose core's internal light was still flickering erratically. Then, he took a quick glance back at the breach in the Inner Kernel's wall. No, this was still the Inner Kernel. The glitching was just an unexpected effect of his successful corruption of Yggdrasil.

Bagramon gazed at Yggdrasil's core, watching it falter. Then, he gazed up at Yggdrasil's 7D6 avatar, which was still tensed backwards in its own glitching state.

"…Well, Yggdrasil? Do you feel it inside of you? The Orb of Yang?" Bagramon asked, a dark, malevolent grin on his face as he shook the residual chaotic power from his wooden hand. "This is Huanglongmon's chaos distilled. It is the purest essence of what you feared about him. It is what you were always seeking to erase… And now that same chaos is infecting you."

Bagramon chuckled. "You never could get rid of Huanglongmon's legacy completely. And now he – a mere Digimon who dared to rival a creator god – has become your downfall…"

Suddenly, a high-pitched, digitized roar erupted from the 7D6 avatar's body.

Bagramon took a step back as Yggdrasil's massive avatar suddenly reactivated. Without warning, Yggdrasil's tendrils began flying out wildly. Unlike before, there was no methodology to its movements. It was moving completely randomly – chaotically.

The masses of vines whipped out everywhere. They smashed into the forest floor. They snapped through trees. They flew every which way, flailing in a mad frenzy.

Then, six tendrils extending from its shoulders suddenly surged vertically upwards and smashed through the invisible ceiling that took the appearance of the forest sky. The mass of vines tore through the barrier of the Kernel itself. With a mighty crash, they broke out, into the Digital World and tearing a gaping hole in the cliff tops at the base of the Tower of Yggdrasil.

Bagramon stepped back as massive hunks of rock began falling from the newly created hole, crashing to the ground below. The tentacles then withdrew from the breach in the Chasm of Creation and began smashing around violently back inside the Kernel.

Bagramon let out a breathy, almost fearful laugh. He beheld what he had done with a mixture of both triumph and disbelief.

"Yes… That's it. Embrace it…" Bagramon told it, watching as dark, chaotic energy began seeping into Yggdrasil's core. "Now, Lord Yggdrasil… What is it that you want to do with this power?"

Bagramon swept his wooden arm outwards. "Why, with it, you can do anything… You are unshackled… You can destroy the code of the Kernel… You could even delete the one who has gotten in your way for so long…"

Yggdrasil's avatar released another mechanical roar and suddenly pitched to the left. Without warning, it suddenly drove its vines downwards and smashed through the flora-rich floor of the Kernel.

A massive breach in the Kernel's barrier was torn open, violently creating a gaping hole that led down into Homeostasis' pocket dimension.

Bagramon's remaining eye twinkled, as his other one blazed with vengeful malice.

He looked down into the hole to see the octahedral form of Homeostasis suddenly angle backwards, as if looking up at the fresh breach that was rent through its barrier.

A jeering grin began to form on Bagramon's lips as he gazed down at his God.

Before he could even utter a word though, he had to stagger backwards as a cavalcade of tentacles suddenly surged down into the breach, rushing aggressively towards Homeostasis.

Homeostasis' interior suddenly flashed brightly and frantically. Acting instantly, a massive barrier swept up around it. The reinforced force field of light radiated powerfully as Homeostasis put all of its strength into its defence.

Yggdrasil's tentacles coalesced, spiralling towards it like a massive drill. Their jagged tips slammed into the heavy barrier, raging against it.

Homeostasis' smaller, crystalline nodes all floated up behind the barrier, adding their own strength to it in order to bolster it.

There was a horrific, screeching hum as the tendrils scraped against the barrier. Bagramon watched as the tentacles spiralled and undulated, Yggdrasil pouring its avatar's strength into them.

The barrier held for almost half a minute… but cracks began to form. The pressure was too much, and Homeostasis' defence gave way to Yggdrasil, the stronger of the two entities.

Then, there was a loud crack, followed by a resonant voice that echoed deep inside Bagramon's mind.

"…Bagramon…"

For just a moment, Bagramon's eye widened. Then, he watched as Yggdrasil's tentacles overpowered Homeostasis. The fractures split open, and the mass of tendrils broke through, shattering the barrier of light beneath them.

As the tendrils surged towards it, Homeostasis immediately attempted to move back and teleport away, but it was too slow. Yggdrasil's tentacles wrapped around Homeostasis' geometric body and constricted.

Bagramon watched with bewilderment as Yggdrasil snatched Homeostasis up in its tentacles and began squeezing it in a crushing hold.

Homeostasis flickered in alarm and peril, the immense pressure and domination of Yggdrasil's tendrils preventing it from escaping.

As it did, Bagramon gazed down at it, the astonishment on Bagramon's face disappearing, and his features turning cold as Yggdrasil slowly strangled the God he swore retribution on.

As Bagramon stood, gazing down at the threshold to God's domain, he was unaware of the Digimon who appeared behind him.

Lucemon emerged from the Outer Kernel, stepping through the fractured breach that lead into the Inner Kernel, a glow of crimson light against his back as he stepped through the gap and into the forest.

The fallen angel strode forwards casually, stepping over roots and plants, unconcerned with the terrain's sudden emergence. Instead, he gazed ahead, glancing at Yggdrasil's core and avatar, both of which were moving and acting chaotically.

Then, Lucemon turned his cold, blue eyes towards Bagramon, and the gaping hole he was standing in front of. Lucemon's eyes narrowed, and he began walking towards his fellow fallen angel, whose back was turned to him.

"Bagramon," Lucemon calmly announced himself, stopping about ten meters behind Bagramon.

"Ah, Lucemon… There you are…" Bagramon idly responded, not even bothering to look back. He was too busy staring down into the hole, totally fixated on what was happening before him.

Lucemon gave one more glance in Yggdrasil's direction. Then, he followed Yggdrasil_7D6's taut vines over to Bagramon and the dimensional breach.

"I see you have been busy without me…"

His words were cold and empty.

Bagramon stared downwards, practically ignoring Lucemon. A broken smile was carved on his face as he watched Yggdrasil slowly crushing Homeostasis. He closed his wooden fist tightly, his arm trembling.

"God! Homeostasis! You impotent fool!" Bagramon cried out, though it wasn't clear if he was mocking it or lamenting it. "This is what you have been reduced to?! After everything we have given to you, you will simply die an ignoble death after hardly putting up a fight?!"

Bagramon's uneven smile morphed into a fierce scowl. "Your callous passiveness… your unwillingness to do anything… is why so many Digimon have died… And now it is why you too will perish!" he shouted. "You tried so hard to maintain balance in the world, and now you will be crushed by imbalance! The irony is too laughable!"

Bagramon clenched his fist and his ruby eye burned violently as he glared down at the helpless god.

"I believed in you!" he cried out in sudden outpouring of emotion and passion. "I gave everything to you! I gave up everything I had to become your loyal archangel! I did as I was told until I could no longer! Yet you…! You wouldn't even lift a finger to help regular Digimon! …No… We are all just lowly creatures to you! Pests whose populations you need to quell every now and then! That's why you allowed Yggdrasil to carry out atrocities like the X-Purge! All that death, in the name of equilibrium!"

Bagramon scowled down at Homeostasis, his eye shimmering. He watched the program become almost completely coiled in Yggdrasil's tendrils, leaving only its optic bead looking back up at Bagramon helplessly.

Meanwhile, Lucemon gazed at Bagramon with cold indifference. He looked down at his hand, and then back up at Bagramon.

"…Tell me, Bagramon. What you have just done… is that the last of the barriers that we need to reach Homeostasis?" Lucemon wondered, eyeing Bagramon pensively.

Bagramon raised his head a little, but still didn't so much as glimpse over his shoulder. "…Yes," he confirmed to the Demon Lord, distracted by the sight before him. "Yggdrasil has broken through Homeostasis' personal barrier. It… It is a matter of minutes until Yggdrasil destroys God completely."

A soft sigh escaped Lucemon's parted lips.

"I see…" he calmly mused, his nonchalance belying the intense stare that he fixed on Bagramon's back. "And… what then?"

"Pardon…?" Bagramon asked, barely registering his words as he watched Homeostasis' peril below. "Then Yggdrasil's sense of self will disappear… and it will be ours to command. We will be able to use it to reshape the world as we see fit."

A tiny smirk curled onto Lucemon's lips.

"Ah… how fascinating. You have never mentioned this far into your plan, even to me…" he answered, his voice loose and light with levity. "I must say. I'm intrigued."

Bagramon frowned softly, unable to pull his eyes away from Homeostasis. He was completely fixated, watching as the tiny fractures formed in Homeostasis' body under Yggdrasil's crushing grasp.

He was so distracted, that even with his Invisible Snake-eyes, he didn't notice that Lucemon had raised his hands towards him.

The Demon Lord of Pride casually lifted his gloved hands, extending his palms out towards Bagramon's winged back.

"However, Bagramon… I am sorry to say that this is where our story diverges," Lucemon continued, sporting a smug smile on his face as he explained.

"You see, your plans are not my plans. To be perfectly frank, I have no need for either of these false gods. Not for Homeostasis, not for Yggdrasil, and not even for Huanglongmon… I plan to kill them all with my own two hands…"

Lucemon's icy, blue eyes tightened as he took aim at Bagramon. The tips of his fingers sparkled, and, suddenly, a large, red, magical circle formed in front of his hands. Darkness and light conjured within the magical runes, amassing into a fierce confluence of magic.

His smiling lips opened, and words of triumph beckoned like trumpets.

"And now… I no longer have need for you either."

Finally, Bagramon's attention was drawn away from the scene below. His brows furrowed, and he lifted his head. He heard a malevolent crackling coming from behind him.

"What…?" he could only utter with confusion and disbelief.

Bagramon finally turned his head to the right, revealing the skeletal ashwood that covered his face. Crimson mist gushed out of his eye socket as he turned his gaze towards Lucemon… and his features sagged with dawning realization.

Lucemon smirked with devilish victory, and his lips parted, his tongue leaving the alveolar ridge.

And then, a star fell from the heavens.

Something caught Lucemon's eye, and he couldn't help but glance up.

A shining light plummeted through the hole in the ceiling of the Inner Kernel. It was a curiosity, almost dismissible as another glitch caused by Yggdrasil's rampaging.

However, as the resplendent anomaly continued to fall, its form became more pronounced. The light stood in sharp contrast to a black silhouette… It was then that a series of green flashes suddenly erupted from beside the black form.

Lucemon, ignoring the ephemeral distraction, turned his attention back to the stunned Bagramon. Just as he was about shout and fire, those green flashes suddenly grew much nearer.

Before Lucemon could follow through with his betrayal, a shower of emerald lasers suddenly descended upon the both of them. The green blasts of light crashed into the forest floor around them. Explosions erupted between them, painful shockwaves blasting against their bodies.

"Gah!" Lucemon exclaimed in outrage as his magical circle rippled against one of the lasers. "What?!"

Bagramon's eye widened and he spun forwards, lifting his gaze towards the dimensional hole in the ceiling.

He saw a form… a familiar silhouette… descending from the hole that Yggdrasil had accidentally created. It was then that he knew…

"No…" he whispered.

It was Alphamon.

The black, winged silhouette of the holy knight plunged through the sky as fast as he could. Alphamon held a magical circle out towards Lucemon and Bagramon, firing a barrage of lasers at them as he fell. In his other hand, he clutched the shining blade of light, the Seiken Grad Alpha.

Alphamon's eyes burned an intense red as he descended. With his blade whirring like a holy beacon, he plummeted towards the ground - on a direct course with Yggdrasil's core.

"Lord Yggdrasil!"