Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ Kaiser’s Fury ( Chapter 27 )

Digimon / Digital Monsters and all related trademarks belong to Bandai. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

 

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Kaiser's Fury

By nightdragon0 (nightdragon0@hotmail.com)

 

 

 

 

“Sekata? Hey, you're awake!”

Blinking, Sekata opened his eyes to find Steve's Flamedramon face staring down at him. Immediately, the pain of the wounds on his physical body came to mind, something he hadn't had to deal with in the `Dream World' earlier.

Groaning, he felt the bandages warped around his unarmored chest. His damaged helmet and body armor lay in a pile beside his bed, still carrying the `scars' of his lost battle.

“Whoa, you shouldn't be getting up so soon.” Steve waved as Sekata pulled himself up. “You're hurt, even worse than before right now.”

“I'm fine...” Sekata growled, sitting upright in the cot. “I am now at least.”

“You took a real beating out there.”

“I know. But this time, it will be different.” Sekata down to his body armor and drew the Ryuukonken great sword from a sheath attached to the armor's backplate. Something that with no doubt, hadn't been there before.

It probably had something to do with AncientGreymon's manipulation, but Sekata didn't really care at that point. Steve gasped when he saw the sword, and opened his mouth as if he was about to say something. However, at a loss of words, Steve quickly shut his jaws.

“Where are the others?” Sekata queried.

“Just got a call from Janet through my Digivice. They were chasing Beelzebumon, but he had help and they lost trace of all of them. They think the creeps used some sort of teleportation device to get away. Janet's still searching around the area with Aero and Siavon though.”

“Hmmm...” Sekata bared his fangs, glaring at his reflection in the sword's blade. “Then its time to see what this thing can do.”

“Seakta....are you sure you're all right?”

Sekata stepped out of the cot, wincing a little at the pain, and made sure his D-Dragon was securely strapped on. He checked his bandages, which were wrapped across his entire chest and shoulders, making sure they would stay on too. His armor was badly damaged however, and Sekata decided to leave it where it was. He did take his arm guards however, which included the laser blasters mounted to them.

On the nightstand lay his pair of goggles. Sekata grabbed them and tied them to his utility belt.

He then stretched his orange, `feathery' wings, whipped his tail about and took a couple of steps, making sure his body was in perfect working condition.

Finally, he turned towards Steve.

“Me? Like I said, I'm fine. In fact, I'm a whole new dragon...”

 

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“Look! See them?” Janet pointed.

The Cyberdramon, Aero V-dramon and BlackWargreymon gathered round as Sekata landed, with Steve following him in Gargoylemon form.

“Sorry guys, I tried to stop him, but he insisted.” Steve said.

“I told you, I'm all right.” Sekata insisted. “It's Zoe that's my concern right now. Where's the spot you said they disappeared from?”

“We'll show you.” Aero gestured. “Just take care of yourself buddy, or you won't be able to help anyone.”

“I've had enough of hearing about what I can't do.” Sekata growled. “Just show me the way.”

“Famous last words.” Siavon noted, though he did nothing to stop Sekata from walking past.

It wasn't long before the group had jumped down onto the ledge and was standing at the dead end tunnel, the place where they'd seen the odd hieroglyphics.

“We haven't figured out how to work this Waypoint thing, or else we would've definitely gone after them by now.” Janet told him.

“Hmmm...” Sekata touched the symbols with a claw, and felt a slight tingle by his side. It was the Ryuukonken that was reacting to the symbols. “Huh? The sword...”

The sword also posses ancient and mystical powers. AncientGreymon's voice rang out in his mind. It's a complicated matter, but think of it as a lock and key. The key normally opens the lock, and in turn the door. But there are other ways we can get a lock open, a lock pick perhaps.

“A lock pick?”

Indeed. Then, you'll have to trace the pathway of your opponent. Not too difficult. Just listen to the sword, all the knowledge buried within it is now at your disposal. Oh, and don't think I'm telling you all this for fun, boy. I want to see you annihilate your enemies too. And I expect a better show than before.

“You'll get it all right.” Sekata said to himself.

Sekata then brought the sword up to the symbols and closed his eyes. Immediately, his surroundings changed.

He was now floating in a vast, black space with dozens of colored lights flying around. Ahead of him was a puzzle, consisting of pieces of a white, solid square that he had to put together. Not knowing how he knew and not caring, Sekata moved with the flow, letting the powers of the weapon control his movements and he fitted each piece into place.

Once that was done, the competed square glowed brightly, causing Sekata to turn away. When the lights dimmed, he found a swirling white pathway leading into the depths beyond.

“This way is the only pathway that has been used recently.” Sekata spoke the words that jumped into his mind. “It has to be the one we want then.”

He blinked, and suddenly, he was back in the outside world with his companions. Sekata felt a pang of exhaustion and stumbled backwards, into Janet's and Aero's arms.

“You did it, somehow.” Aero stared, pointing at the wall, which had now opened up into the same swirling vortex Sekata had seen earlier.

“It's amazing.” Janet agreed.

“Did the sword do that?” Steve wondered.

“Doesn't matter.” Sekata growled. “Its power worked, that's all I care about. Now, let's go.”

Siavon raised an eye in interest, but didn't say anything more.

 

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The destination of the group would be the barren wasteland that two other warriors were crossing right now. The dark sky gave off little light against the sandy ground. However, the large building in the center of the area certainly stood out.

It was more like a fortress, surrounded by a tall wire fence. The few lights on the outside walls also gave the place an eerie feeling, but those were the lights the two were trying to avoid.

“So this is the famous Daemon's place huh?” A Chaos Dukemon, otherwise known as Dynamo, shrugged. “Guess with what he does, he can afford something pretty fancy.”

“Why, having second thoughts?” Junon, the RhodoKnightmon, asked as they walked.

“Hey, Ok I know I have a bad history, but I like it better on Lucifer's side.” Dynamo waved. “Say I thought these two were friends or something.”

“I would prefer to term it as a `friendly rivalry', if you get what I mean.” Junon chuckled. “Lord Lucifer and Daemon have had a long history of working amongst the hidden streets of the black markets. But when the time comes, you just have to weigh out what you can gain and what you lose.”

“In other word, time to cut your old rival lose. Heh, I like his way of thinking.”

“And that's what we're here for.”

“Us? We have to fight that crazy old warlock?”

“Not directly.” Junon continued. “You see, Daemon seeks to unleash the hidden darkness.”

“Huh?”

“This apparently comes about when one collects the 4 Dragon Artifacts and spills a holy dragon's blood on them. Then a new creature will be brought back into existence. They say this is the CHAOS itself.”

“You don't actually believe those silly stories do you?” Dynamo laughed. “I'm sure it's just to boost his power or something.”

“Well, no one's paying you for your opinion.”

“Then, if Daemon's doing all this stuff, where do we come in?”

“If you want to know, get down behind these rocks and look over there.”

Though confused, Dynamo joined his companion in ducking behind the cluster of boulders. It was then that another group came into view, apparently having emerged from the nearby ravine.

“Those are...” Dynamo stared.

Jan's buddies. He silently finished.

“The chosen, just as Lord Lucifer predicted.” Junon whispered. “One of their number is indeed the holy dragon in question, and now they've come to their comrade's aid.”

Dynamo however, wasn't really paying attention, but instead examining the new group.

No Guilmon, or any of its evolutions. He noted. So princess isn't here with them. Could that mean that...she didn't make it...?

“Hey Dynamo?”

“Huh? Oh nothing.” The black knight shook his head. “Just thinking about what we should be doing next.”

“Humph. Just don't get distracted.” Junon warned. “We'll follow the chosen at a distance for now, but it's imperative that we remain hidden.”

 

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Zoe's body was aching all over. It had been since the moment she'd woken up to find herself blindfolded, snout tied shut and chained on the back to some cold metal surface. The straps went all over her body, preventing her from even moving the slightest or from firing an X-laser. Not the best of situations indeed.

Not again. Why me? She thought. I'm always the one who's getting into these messes.

There were some voices nearby and Zoe struggled to hear them.

“So we now have all four of the Dragon Artifacts?” A deep, booming voice asked.

“Yeah, nicely got the last two from the girl, ya.” A second one replied, which undoubtedly had to belong to Beelzebumon.

It hurt her inwardly too, knowing that the latter part was another of her faults.

“Good, so when the blood of the holy dragon is spilt, the beast of darkness can then be unleashed.” The first voice continued.

Holy dragon? Beast of darkness?

Somehow, that brought an image back to her mind. It was the one she'd seen earlier, herself struggling on an altar, just before being stabbed with the Dragon Dagger. And her current situation was...no it couldn't be...

In panic, Zoe had begun to struggle, though her efforts were in vain, they succeeded in rattling the chains.

“So, the sacrifice is awake? No matter, we are ready to begin. Guards, leave us!”

Her blindfold was suddenly ripped off, allowing Zoe to find her worst fears had come true. This was the same castle torture chamber she'd seen in her vision.

She could make out the altar the lay on, consisting of the raised flat surface she was strapped to. This section was supported by several table legs, and the entire thing placed into a pit dug into the stony floor. The pit was filled with a red liquid, which her sense of smell identified as blood. It caused her to shiver just thinking about where it had come from.

Fear then hit Zoe in waves as she started struggling again. However, all her efforts remained futile.

A door slammed shut as the last of the dog-like Dobermon guards left the room, leaving just Beelzebumon, a Cerberumon and...

Daemon?

Even Zoe was sure of it. The horned, humanoid figure was clad in a red and black cloak, with only his glowing red eyes and clawed hands showing.

Daemon moved forward and slotted three objects beneath the section of the altar she lay on. One of them was the Dragon Shield, and Zoe assumed the golden colored Staff and Sword were part of the Dragon Artifacts' collection too.

“You begin the sacrificial procedure, while I will go below and begin reciting the spell.” Daemon ordered. “All power in the castle, however, will be shut down, just in case their currents interfere with the waves of this ancient magic.”

“Yeah, I've got it boss.”

“Watch him, Cerberumon.”

“As you command, master.” The demon dog bowed.

Daemon stepped on a section of the floor, which opened up and descended like a lift. He disappeared to the level below.

“Shame he has to waste her like this.” Beelzebumon muttered, tossing the Dragon Dagger about. “There are a lot of nicer thing I could've used her for, heheh.”

As he stroked the side of her head, Zoe shuddered from his touch and did her best to pull away.

The lighting in the room then dimmed down significantly, with only the moonlight streaming in through the open windows.

“Just get on with it and don't keep the master waiting.” Cerberumon hissed.

“Yeah, yeah.” Beelzebumon raised the dagger.

Zoe could do nothing but close her eyes.

 

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“You just want to barge into Daemon's castle?” Steve gasped. “After everything Siavon's told you about that guy?”

The group of 5 had gathered outside the fence, hiding in the shadows of some nearby rock formations.

“I don't see what this fence is even for.” Sekata growled, avoiding Steve's queries. “We could easily tear it down or just fly over it.”

“They're probably laden with traps.” Aero warned. “Or they could trigger an alarm. We could fight a few soldiers, but not an entire army.”

“And we just keep waiting here?”

“Hey, look there!” Janet gestured. “The lights just went out.”

Indeed, the area surrounding the fortress had suddenly darkened to match with the blackness of the area.

“Something just doesn't feel right about this.” Aero commented.

“Arghh!” Sekata suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his head. He'd just felt a burst of pain...exactly like his vision in the `Dream World'. “Zoe...she's...”

“What? Sekata?” Janet leaned closer. “How...ugh...!”

Sekata swung his arms, knocking Janet, Steve and Aero backwards.

“Are you insane?” Siavon hissed.

“Don't try and stop me!” He roared, making a dash for the fence.

In one motion, he whipped out his massive sword and swung it at the fence. The result was an explosive burst of flames that blew a good section of it away.

The frenzied dragon then barged through, arousing shouts from the guards closer to his point of entry. A side door swung open and a couple of NeoDevimon guards rushed to engage.

These were similar to the normal Devimon, with the same humanoid body structure and wings. However, these synthetic fallen angels had been cybernetically enhanced from their normal forms. Each had a pair of horns on their heads, red, messy hair and a featureless mask covering their faces.

Sekata simply knocked the first one away with his right fist and swung the bottom of his sword into the other's face in order to stun it. However, it still lashed out with its claws, catching Sekata across the left shoulder.

The new wound ripped through part of the bandages on his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. Janet then came charging in, slamming Sekata's attacker out of the way.

“Plasma Shot!” Steve, in his golden Magnamon armor, sent off a blast that took out the first NeoDevimon.

Huge explosions could also be heard from the other side of the fortress.

“That's Siavon throwing off random blasts as a distraction.” Steve called, running up to Sekata's side.

Aero then dropped out of the sky and crushed the body of the NeoDevimon Janet had been fighting with.

“I have the feeling you know where to go.” Aero spoke. “Leave the guys outside to me, go on in and help Zoe.”

The Aero V-dramon then leapt up and fired off a V-Wing Blade, stirring up a cloud of dust to deter the new group of guards who were approaching.

“This way!” Sekata nodded, leading Steve and Jan around the corner.

Spreading his wings, Sekata flew up and fired his Corona Blasters into the third level wall. Then, he used a shoulder charged to smash through.

Amongst the shower of bricks and dust, all he saw was the altar, Zoe tied to it, and Beelzebumon standing over her.

 

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“Zoe!” Sekata roared.

Forgetting everything else, he rushed forward and was promptly tackled by Cerberumon. The demon dog slammed Sekata onto his back, attempting to bite into his neck.

Sekata wrestled with his opponent's jaws struggling to hold the deadly fangs at bay. While at it, Cerberumon's fore claws were still cutting into the bandages of his unarmored chest.

“Hey you!” Janet's voice called.

Cerberumon made the mistake of looking up and firing the green flames from his mouth. Steve and Janet dodged, but Cerberumon was distracted for long enough to allow Sekata to throw him off.

Sekata immediately went after Zoe and Beelzebumon, giving Cerberumon a clean shot at his back. Steve quickly jumped onto the demon dog, throwing his aim off target and causing Cerberumon's Hell Fire attack to blow out a wall instead.

“Grrr... Inferno Gate!” Cerberumon chanted.

A dark portal formed and Cerberumon leapt into it, carrying Steve into a dark area with scattered circular portals around, each one showing different parts of the room outside.

“This is your stop...the bottomless pit of darkness!” Cerberumon declared, slamming Steve into the side.

“Urgh...!” Steve felt as if he'd just hit a brick wall and released his grip on Cerberumon's neck. The next instant, some strong current was dragging him into the dark depths. “ARGHHH! Jan! Help!”

Steve barely managed to save himself by grabbing onto the edge of a nearby portal. Gripping on with all his might, Steve pulled himself up partway, and was able to see Janet busy struggling with Cerberumon outside.

 

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With a roar, Sekata unleashed a round of energy bolts from his blasters. Beelzebumon saw the attack coming and ducked, letting the bolts fly over his head.

By then, Sekata was upon him, elbowing him in the chest before throwing him into the closest wall. The dagger he'd been holding fell onto the floor and clattered out of sight. That seemed to have Beelzebumon stunned for a while, and Sekata ran to Zoe's side.

“Zoe, talk to me please.” He pleaded, ripping her bindings apart. “Zoe!”

“Ugh...Sekata...”

Holding Zoe in his arms, Sekata could see that she had multiple stab wounds on her shoulders, legs, tail and was covered with blood. She was in shock, but otherwise all right. At least not to the point of the pain Sekata had felt in the `Dream World'.

“Watch it!” She warned.

“Rrrargh!”

A bullet went through one of Sekata's wings.

“You're damn persistent, ya?” Beelzebumon muttered, bringing up his guns. “You can't win either way, so just give up now!”

Sekata carefully placed Zoe behind the altar where she would be shielded from any attacks. He then turned to face his nemesis, drawing the Ryuukonken.

“I've had just enough of your ugly face as well.” Sekata growled. “And it's time I ended this, once and for all!”

“Harh! Brave words, but you're still too weak, ya!” Beelzebumon yelled. “Double Impact!”

Time seemed to slow down as the spray of bullets came towards him. However, Sekata had a wicked grin on his face. Taking a firm, left-handed grip on his weapon, Sekata raised the sword above his head and brought it down.

The fiery blast that resulted threw Beelzebumon back against the wall. But when the demon looked up, Sekata was still standing, completely unscratched by the explosion.

“Ugh...huh?”

 

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“I have the power this time.” Sekata declared. “No one else will ever stand in my way! Hyper Spirit Evolution!”

Sekata brought the sword to his face and closed his eyes. He felt the power within the blade...the power of the Spirits imbued into it.

The images of those Legendary Warriors flashed as flames begun swirling around, engulfing his entire body. In an instant, his Vritramon body was back to its fully armored and uninjured state.

But even then, a new change was beginning.

The flames formed into the heads of fiery dragons that swirled around the Vritramon. The original armor broke away and faded into the flames, leaving the roughly dragonoid form to become clad in a new set.

This figure was completely covered in red armor as well, with stripes of golden all around. The shoulder and arm pads of this humanoid warrior were designed to resemble horned dragon heads. His helmet too, was orange with the three-horned, Greymon-style design.

The eyes glowed red, then reverted to their normal blue coloring as the flames faded.

Sekata now looked up and snatched up the Ryuukonken in his left hand. Both the sword and his D-Dragon glowed with the Kanji symbol of fire, honoo, as he moved the weapon into a battle stance.

“Kaiser Greymon!” (Emperor Greymon)

“Huh? GGaarrgghh!”

Startled, Beelzebumon just kept firing. Sekata simply stood still and deflected the bullets away with his sword.

“Don't make me laugh.” Sekata declared in a louder and more powerful voice.

In a flash, he'd closed the gap between them and attacked Beelzebumon with a knee butt to the stomach, causing the dark biker to lose his weapons. That was followed by an uppercut to the lower jaw and a spinning kick that sent Beelzebumon crashing into the wall.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Beelzebumon managed to grab his dropped guns, only to have Sekata slice them apart.

Sekata grabbed his opponent around the neck and hurled him into the wall again.

“Argghh....now you've....left me with no choice...” Beelzebumon panted, reaching into his pocket. “I didn't want to use this against you, kid. But this....is my ultimate power...!”

The dark Digimon raised a black orb into the air and crushed it. Immediately, black rays of energy flowed from it into his body.

“What's this?” Sekata muttered.

A pair of black, feathered wings emerged from Beelzebumon's back, and a long silver cannon formed on his right hand.

“Mode change! Beelzebumon Blast Mode!”

“Come and get me.” Sekata growled, holding his sword defensively. “Nothing you can do will ever match up to me!”

With a yell, Beelzebumon charged it, swinging the cannon to match the blows of Sekata's sword. Sparks flew as the two combatants clashed, screaming and growling in fury.

Sekata blocked several blows before lashing out with the bottom of his weapon. He managed to hit Beelzebumon's face, but his opponent still swung his cannon and bashed the side of Sekata's helmet with it.

The dragon knight fell onto his back, and Beelzebumon stamped a heavy boot onto his chest. Gasping in pain, Sekata grabbed the leg and twisted, causing Beelzebumon to stumble. Sekata then rolled to the side and kicked Beelzebumon from behind.

Beelzebumon lost his balance and stumbled close to the wall. This time however, the biker used the wall as a springboard to bounce off. Sekata dropped backwards and flipped Beelzebumon over his head.

The demon executed a summersault in midair, landed on his feet, and spun round. Sekata was now on the floor, and there was sufficient distance between them. Beelzebumon took the chance and waved his free hand about, drawing a circle of symbols in the air.

“Death Slinger!” He called, firing his cannon through the symbols.

Sekata quickly snatched up his sword and several sections emerged from its sides. In particular, the tip opened like a gun (or perhaps a Gunblade, if you consider Final Fantasy 8).

“Enryuugeki!” (Flame Dragon Attack)

The two attacks met in the center of the arena, pushing hard against the other. Once enough power had been built up within them, both exploded in a huge cloud of dust.

“Gargh! Ugh!” Beelzebumon coughed, trying to see through the smoke. “Where...?”

“RRAAGGHH!” With a thunderous roar, Sekata descended from above, where he'd jumped up to avoid the blast.

His sword came down...and went straight through the chest of Beelzebumon. The dark warrior was barely able to scream in pain as Sekata shoved against him, smashing his back into one last wall.

Holding the weakened foe with his knee, Sekata withdrew his sword and stuck the gun section at the bottom of Beelzebumon's chin.

“Go to hell.” Sekata grinned.

Then, he pulled the trigger.

 

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Meanwhile, Cerberumon had finally managed to toss Janet aside when he heard the `bang'.

“Wha... Beelzebumon...? Gargh!”

“You get distracted, far too easily!” Aero snarled, digging his claws into the demon dog's sides. “Take that!”

“RARGH!” Cerberumon was sent flying and was immediately caught up in the suction force of the portals made by his own Inferno Gate ability, disappearing into the darkness. “Crap! Argh!”

“Steve here!” Aero grabbed a steel pipe that had been lying around and extended to the dragon in need.

Grunting, it took Steve a lot of pulling and several swings before his claw finally caught the pipe. As Aero desperately dug his claws into the stony ground to keep his footing, another strong hand came around his waist to help.

“I owe you this one Steve, big time.” Janet muttered, tugging hard. “Don't you dare die on me now!”

“Hey, that's...my line...” Steve panted as his friends slowly, but steadily dragged him to safety.

“Use an energy blast to close the portal!” Aero ordered.

“Got it!” Steve released one hand and so he could angle his shoulder cannons towards the portal. “Plasma Shot!”

Cerberumon pulled himself out of the portal just in time to take the golden energy blast right in the face. The demon dog fell through, screaming, as all traces of his portals vanished in a burst of dark energy. That sent the surviving trio flying backwards.

“That was close...” Janet panted.

She then realized she was hugging onto Steve and immediately threw him off.

“Hey!” Steve protested. “What's the big deal? You're the one holding on to m...ugh!”

Janet stamped on his tail to shut him up.

“Sekata?” Aero asked.

Like a knight in shinning armor, the Kaiser Greymon was walking over to their group, carrying Zoe in his arms.

“Glad that....everyone's all right.” Sekata panted.

“Hmmm...” Aero turned his head, glancing over to the crumpled mess that was left of Beelzebumon. “The Hunter is down.”

“That was my doing.” Sekata acknowledged. “I'm sorry, Zoe told me about your late partner. And...”

“No, I must thank you for avenging her.” Aero nodded. “Alicia, my friend, can now rest in peace.”

“Guys...not over...yet...” Zoe managed. “There's still...”

“Those fools served their purposes, but the ritual is complete either way.” Daemon's booming voice sounded as he emerged from the lower section.

“Those are...” Steve stared.

“Oh no!” Zoe gasped.

Daemon had 3 of the blood stained Dragon Artifacts in his hands, and now reached down and retrieved the Dragon Dagger.

“You will be the first sacrifices to my new empire!” Daemon declared. “Watch as I...gargh!”

BOOM! A loud explosion shook the area, causing everyone to stumble.

“What is this? Guards!” Daemon shouted as the floor begun to collapse.

“Everyone, run now!” Sekata yelled.

The entire group scrambled as the fortress literally came down on top of heads.

 

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Thanks to their flying abilities, the group made it out in time to watch the lower sections of the fortress collapsing. A battle worn Siavon came up and stood by the party within the fenced compound. The place looked like a war zone, with blackened sand and smoking craters everywhere.

Any guards who hadn't been crushed in the collapse were fleeing, and some were still visible flying or running off into the distance.

“Nice work old man.” Steve commented, nudging Siavon's side. “Though you could've told us before you brought the house down on us.”

“That was none of my doing.” Siavon replied.

“Huh? Then who...?”

There was a coughing sound as another figure emerged from the rubble.

“Jeez, for some rich guy, I'm sure he could've afforded a more complex electrical system.” The Chaos Dukemon chuckled. “All I needed to do was twist a few wires around BOOM! One chain reaction leading to the big bang.”

“YOU!” Everyone stared.

“Hey! I have a name and it's Dynamo! Get it right!”

“And just what are you doing here?” Janet demanded.

“Lady, I'd think you'd be a little more happy to see the guy who just helped you bunch beat the big bad warlock.” Dynamo said with a laugh. “Say, you new to this group? Don't think I've seen you hanging out with em' before.”

“You don't recognize me? I'm...” Janet stopped short, remembering her change of forms.

A sudden roar caused everyone to stop and turn as Daemon burst out of the rubble.

Now, the demon lord had his cloak off, revealing his true form as an upright, winged beast. There was brown fur around his arms and legs. He still retained his long clawed hands, only now his feet showed the same, clawed toes as well.

The face was what one would expect of a demon, with rows of teeth, a long jaw and a pair of bull-like horns on his head.

“Damn, he's not dead yet.” Dynamo muttered.

“Be careful you fool!” Junon yelled, appearing on the scene just in time to knock Dynamo out of the way.

However, Daemon's claw swipe caught Junon at the side of his helmet, sending the pink knight rolling over.

“Gaarrgghh!” Junon screamed as a loud hissing sound came from his helmet. “Damn, messed up my voice synthesizer!”

The knight was forced to thrown his helmet off, revealing to everyone his real face. Or perhaps, `her' real face was a better definition. Junon had a rather human-like face of a young blue-eyed, blond haired female, though her ears were pointed like an elf's.

“I knew there was something strange about you!” Dynamo gasped. “No sane guy would ever wear pink. But I thought only guys could qualify as Royal Knights?”

“So, what do you think I was doing? Trying to `qualify' as you put it.” Junon muttered. “But now's not the time for this, we have other matters to worry about. Keeping the guards distracted took more out of me than I expected, but...”

She then noticed Sekata and his group with their weapons ready.

“Well friends, it seems as if we have a common foe for now.” Junon smiled. “It may not look like it, but he's been weakened significantly. And just for this battle, working together would be....mutually beneficial to both our sides.”

“Grrr...this Daemon...he's the one responsible for what happened to Zoe.” Sekata hissed, bringing up his weapon. “I'll never forgive him for this!”

“Sekata...” Zoe muttered weakly, though she was being supported at the rear of the group by Steve.

“Well, if you're going Sekata, so am I.” Janet nodded.

“Be careful, this guy is dangerous.” Aero added in, stepping up to the group.

“Humph, I don't know just what drives your insanity.” Siavon huffed. “Well, since it looks bad on my image if I can't fight something you children are, then...”

With that, he drew his remaining claw weapon and stepped forward.

The beast-like form of Daemon roared, signifying the start of their battle.