Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ Showdown of Fate ( Chapter 53 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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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Showdown of Fate

By nightdragon0

He's there!

In his Kaiser Greymon form, there seemed like little could be done to stop him. Glowing with the flames of his evolution, Sekata spun in mid-fall and landed on his feet, smashing a small crater in the ground.

This was in fact possibly the lowest point of the volcano that one could descend into.

But even as Sekata spotted his friend in distress, a new pain was growing within. It was hard to describe, like a combination of dizziness in his head, jabbing pain in his ribs and aching all over his body. He'd never experienced anything like it before.

No…can't let him…take over yet! Got to get Steve…out of…here!

Forcing his body forward, the armored dragon charged, smashing rocks and boulders out of his way. Steve's limp form was half-buried under a pile of rubble, with a purple crystal clutched tightly in the Flamedramon's claws.

Steve had sprayed the coating fluid over himself, a decision that had probably kept him alive until this point. However, Sekata neither had that same this protection, nor the seconds to waste.

Working his muscles furiously, Sekata pushed the rocks away and dragged Steve out, lifting the wounded dragon onto his shoulder. Steve's eyes flickered open for a moment and his jaws moved as if in a moan. But Sekata didn't have time to think about anything else as he pushed off the ground, shooting upwards amidst a sudden spray of magma.

That was pretty much the last thing he remembered clearly.

He could roughly recall emerging from the blazing crater and dumping Steve's body on an adjacent cliff. But Sekata was not even able to check on his friend's condition or keep track of the CHAOS shard's.

Some unholy force was driving his body to move against his will. In seconds, the Spirit Warrior was in the air again, this time flying wildly out of control.

Pain was now coming from everywhere at once, so much that Sekata didn't even try to figure it out. All he could do was roar out loudly and allow his body to keep moving.

Suddenly, a massive wall of stone was in front of his face. Sekata could only close his eyes as he smashed through. However, there was in fact a hidden cavern built into the mountain. AncientGreymon's power must've been leading him here and now threw the morph roughly against the ground.

Feeling an abrupt burst of heat on his back, the Kaiser Greymon fumbled and drew his Ryuukonken blade. The blaze continued to grow stronger, soon becoming too hot for him to hold.

Sekata tossed the blade aside and dropped to his knees, howling in pain. It felt as if something were trying to tear its way out of his body. And something was, for the next instant a claw literally burst out of his hand.

And it was a familiar one….belonging to AncientGreymon.

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“Steve! Wake up!”

“Steve!”

“Come on! Get up man!”

“Ugh…” Steve uttered a soft moan.

I don't think I'm dead. Yeah, everything still feels so painful…

“Looks like he's responding!” That voice was more recognizable as Aero's by now.

“Get up you idiot!” Janet started shaking his shoulders. “Moron! What did you think you were doing?”

Yup, I'm definitely alive. But I'm so exhausted…maybe I'll just lie down for a while more…

“He won't be getting up if you kill him!” Zoe exclaimed.

“Think he needs mouth to mouth?” Janet gasped.

WHAT?

“Yeah, maybe I should…” Janet panted.

“Garrgghh!” Steve sprang into a sitting position, smacking his head into Janet's.

Since her head was armored and his was not, it made quite a difference on impact.

“OW! OW! OW!” Steve groaned. “I was fine dammit! You don't give somebody mouth to mouth unless he's not breathing!”

“Well, how would I remember?” Janet snapped.

“It's basic first aid!”

“Guys, you can discuss this later.” Aero cut in. “Steve, did Sekata get you out of the volcano? Where is he now?”

“Sekata?” Steve blinked. “Yeah…I was pretty much dying, and then he came. But he's…hey…”

The Flamedramon glanced around the area, taking in his new surroundings all at once. He was suddenly out in the open, feeling the breeze and squinting in the sunlight. A big change from the dim, fiery volcanic crater he remembered passing out in.

Everyone else was back to their basic forms, namely XV-mon, Strikedramon and Aero V-dramon.

“You don't know where he went?” Zoe asked with concern.

“No, I'm sorry.” Steve shook his head.

It didn't take a psychic to realize that something was very wrong. The group's atmosphere was very downcast and tense.

Steve opened his palm to find the purple colored crystal shard still clutched tightly within. Their whole purpose of coming here had been to find that CHAOS Shard, but now hardly anyone seemed to care. Not without Sekata around.

“Did you guys find me by tracking my D-Dragon?” Steve raised his query. “Couldn't we do that to find Sekata too?”

“We are, but his signal is suddenly all scrambled up.” Aero replied. “He seems to be within this area, just that we can't figure out where.”

“Sekata…” Zoe closed her eyes and shook her head. “Where are you? Why?”

An awkward moment of silence fell upon the party before Steve waved his claws.

“Erm…I've missed a lot, haven't I?”

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“RRRRAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!” Sekata's scream echoed throughout the mountainside.

The surrounding armor crumbled and scales were torn apart as more and more of AncientGreymon's claw emerged. Sekata quickly lost all feeling in that right arm as the flesh broke, revealing the armored shoulder of AncientGreymon as well.

His Kaiser Greymon form possessed neither wings nor a tail, but Sekata felt those parts suddenly ripping out of his back, tossing bits of armor away. His right leg felt numb too and the agonized dragon could not bear to watch.

However, even with his eyes closed, Sekata could still hear the snapping of his armor and the sickening ripping of his scales and flesh. That, in addition to the amount of blood and the terrible pain, it was a wonder he was still conscious.

What's going on? What's happening to me? Sekata's mind howled.

Sekata could barely imagine how he looked at the moment. A deformed, ragged, half-torn dragon crawling in a pool of blood. Desperately, he tried to ignore the disgusting splitting noises and think.

Even amid what was happening to him, the first thing Sekata's mind went to was trying to come up with an explanation.

Was this what you meant? Flashes of all his pervious conversations with AncientGreymon ran through his head. You've had the ability to wrestle control of my body from the start. You had your golden opportunity to take control of it while I was completely helpless…

The dragon was now rolling in agony. He wanted to fight….wanted to resist…but just didn't know how. Then, Sekata felt the scales on his upper back splitting apart. Something new was rising out of his back, and moving much more.

A hot breath at the rear of his neck sent Sekata's level of terror to new heights. It reminded him of the old movie, ALIEN, where the creature would burst out of its host's chest.

He finally understood, although this was much worse than he'd imagined.

So that's what the percentage counter was for. Every time I used Kaiser Greymon's power…I was in fact altering myself, changing my own Digital DNA…into yours!

The two Spirit artifacts Sekata had been utilizing all this time had been created from the spirit of AncientGreymon. However, part of the ancient dragon's consciousness had remained within, plotting all this time.

Planning for his rebirth.

AncientGreymon's front right leg had fully formed, ripping the tattered remains of Sekata's right arm away. The new limb moved, though not on Sekata's will, and stroked the back of Sekata's head in a mocking gesture.

“Fascinating, isn't it?” AncientGreymon's voice rang out.

The mostly formed head was the thing that had ripped out of his back earlier. Now, it was able to move and leaned close to Sekata's own head, so that AncientGreymon could whisper into his ear.

“Just like a snake shedding its skin.” The ancient warrior continued. “Except that I'm the snake and you're just the skin. To be discarded and forgotten once it has served its purpose.

That was a chillingly accurate comparison, although Sekata realized that he would remain perfectly alive and conscious until the very last second of torment. The moment that AncientGreymon would completely burst out of his tattered body.

“You should stop struggling.” AncientGreymon taunted. “Accept your fate and this'll all be over soon.

Fate…this is my…no…no…not yet!

“What the?” AncientGreymon gasped as a bright glow emitted from the remains of Sekata's body.

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“I can't get a good reading guys.” Janet voiced into her D-Dragon's communicator. “Sekata's signal is still scrambled.”

“We're not having much luck from up here either.” Aero responded. “This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

“Come on, where are you Sekata?” Zoe mumbled frantically.

The pair of blue dragons were hovering in the sky and searching from there, while Janet and Steve continued to try and trace Sekata's signal. All of them however, had made it a point to keep clear of the volcano Akchenedash.

Its eruption had gone underway, spewing out hordes of lava and black smoke. The burning scent of ash was filling the air, which seemed to sting the senses of the group. The occasional rumblings and explosions were also serving to startle the party, further distracting them from their search.

Steve cringed just by looking at the erupting volcano, thinking of how he could've been in there, burning to a crisp if Sekata hadn't come along to save him. He felt bad for the argument he'd had with Sekata that led him to attempting the volcano descent on his own. Steve wanted to apologize so badly at the moment.

And the Flamedramon felt even worse for not taking note of which direction Sekata had gone flying off in. While he was still holding on to the CHAOS shard, it was all but forgotten now that Sekata had gone missing.

Zoe seemed particularly frantic about finding Sekata. According to Aero, she'd apparently had a long conversation with Sekata that the XV-mon had yet to discuss with anyone else.

“Hey, look guys!” Aero gestured, pointing down the mountain path.

Standing below on the trail was Sealsdramon, waving to get their attention.

“Great, him.” Janet muttered unenthusiastically. It hadn't been too long since their two groups had been fighting, and Janet was still rather sore over having a barrel of glue accidentally dumped over Sealsdramon and herself.

“We should see what he wants.” Aero suggested, landing on the pathway.

“Thought that I might find you here.” The army dragon panted. “These fellows came to town looking for you. It seems as if they've known you for quite some time.”

Then, a pink armored knight and a cybernetic wolf stepped out of the shadows, causing Zoe and the others to jump.

“YOU!”

“Wait please!” Junon raised her arms. “We're not here to fight this time!”

Nevertheless, there were still four sets of claws pointed at the Rhodo Knightmon face. Metallix glanced around, hesitant to do anything, until he was silenced by a wave from Junon.

“Well, what do you want?” Aero hissed. “Start talking!”

“The Royal Knights wish to discuss….” Junon removed her helmet and placed it on the ground. “The terms of our surrender.”

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“Hell…what the blazes was that?” AncientGreymon's scream echoed throughout the cavern.

It was a long while before Sekata was able to see again. But in an instant, the dragon realized that he was able to feel his whole body again and sprang to his feet.

Sekata was now back to his Vritramon form, the one he'd spent most of his time in. Though smaller than Kaiser Greymon, Vritramon was a red armored dragon with a silver helmet and a set of three Greymon style horns.

The wings were the color of fire and feathered as opposed to having a leather wing webbing. Sekata clicked the three fingers on each of his claws and talons, whipping his tail about. A single laser blaster was attached to each forearm, which Sekata mentally brought forward and into their ready position.

AncientGreymon stood towering over him…exactly as Sekata remembered him to appear.

A four legged dragon with the same red armor and silver helmet. Almost every feature from the wings, to the tail and the claw structure was exactly the same as Vritramon's.

Or perhaps, it was Vritramon who took the resemblance from AncientGreymon.

“You fool!” AncientGreymon screamed. “What did you just do?”

“Since our D-DNA structures have been made practically identical, I figured that I could do what you were.” Sekata replied.

“That's impossible!”

“No, because I realized that you're formed from the Human and Beast Spirits of Fire combined. And when we formed our bond, you transferred those spirits into me.” The Vritramon gestured towards his chest. “That was what you were doing just now. Once our D-DNA had become compatible enough, you were simply repossessing the spirits.”

“Grrr…your Kaiser Greymon form is also created from a combination of the two spirits.” AncientGreymon snarled. “That's the reason why you were feeling the effect so drastically.”

“However, you had to repossess the spirits one at a time.” Sekata continued. “So I just channeled my remaining energy and took control of the Spirit that you weren't working on.”

“And how did you figure that out?”

“Something about the manner in which you first gave the two spirits to me. You made it a point to let me have them one after the other, with a period of time in-between.”

AncientGreymon's anger had suddenly changed to a sense of amusement as he let off a low chuckle.

“You managed to figure that out in the few seconds I was ripping you apart? I'm very impressed kid.” The ancient dragon smirked. “You surprise me yet again.”

“Then, this is what you wanted, wasn't it?” Sekata asked. “To live again…in your own body.”

“I've more than desired it for so long.” AncientGreymon mused. “To transcend that world of death. To feel the breeze, breathe the air in through my lungs again.”

With a front claw, AncientGreymon scooped up a fistful of dirt.

“To feel real things again. To live the life I was denied so long ago!”

“That's what you've gained, haven't you?” Sekata cried. “So, why keep pursuing this battle? Why keep pursuing me?”

“Fool! Without the full powers of both spirits, I'll never be complete! I'll lack the strength of my absolute best potential!”

“Is that power…so important to you?” Sekata felt a pang of weakness and dropped to his knees.

“You're nothing without the power to completely crush your enemies!” AncientGreymon yelled. “I was weak once! I never want to have that feeling again!”

“This is a different time from the one you were last in! Years have passed! You just wanted a chance to live life, didn't you?”

“All that is insignificant. If you're not powerful enough, you'll just live life in fear of those stronger than yourself.” AncientGreymon snorted. “That's as good as not living at all…”

“You…” Sekata muttered in disbelief.

“You must've felt that I have absorbed much more of the Spirits' power than you. The balance is off, in fact at least three quarters in my favor.”

“I figured that out already.” Sekata nodded.

“Then, it is my turn to ask why. It must be blatantly obvious that you have no chance against me.”

The Vritramon straightened up as much as his drained body could manage.

“Like you, I want to live.” Sekata declared. “I'll take any chance. Even with the odds stacked against me…even if it would prolong my life by but a few seconds.”

“Humph, futile attempts. You definitely desired power as well.”

“I did before.” Sekata admitted. “But right now, I've seen things in a new light. The truly important thing is life itself. That joy alone far exceeds anything that power could give me.”

“…”

“And the person who's taught me that.” Sekata glared into AncientGreymon's eyes. “Is you…”

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“RRRAAAOOORRRRR!” Without any warning, the ancient dragon lunged.

Sekata received a hard blow and was brutally slammed into the stone wall, leaving the impression of his body in it. The younger dragon had barely enough time to peel himself off before AncientGreymon lashed out with a claw.

Jerking his head to the side, the blow missed by a hair. Sekata felt the thump as AncientGreymon's claw smashed a hole in the stone wall. However, that left the ancient dragon open for a counterattack, an opportunity which Sekata gladly took.

His first strike was sending his knee into AncientGreymon's chin, stunning the larger beast for a second. That was all the distraction Sekata needed to unleash a fury of punches into his tormentor's face.

AncientGreymon howled in rage. All of a sudden, the fire-elemental lowered his armored head and rammed into Sekata's stomach. The latter skidded backwards, bracing himself against the wall.

“Grrr…” AncientGreymon spat out a mouthful of blood, together with a couple of broken fangs. “This…this is….”

“Welcome back to the world of the living.” Sekata hissed. “You can feel pain now…just like I do…”

“You forget who is the superior here!” AncientGreymon spun around, sending his heavy tail swinging like a massive tree.

Sekata leapt over the initial attack and dodge-rolled beneath the second. He made it a point to roll towards his foe, and pushed off the ground with his target in range. Despite Sekata's efforts, AncientGreymon was swift, bringing up a paw and shoving Sekata away.

The Vritramon bounded off a wall and came right back, firing his arm-mounted laser blasters. AncientGreymon was forced to duck and cover his head amid the barrage, allowing Sekata to swoop over and stab at his opponent's shoulder armor. Roaring more out of anger than anything else, AncientGreymon retaliated with his tail, smacking Sekata aside.

However, AncientGreymon found his own blood trickling down the affected right shoulder. Sekata was rising too, with many parts of his Vritramon armor looked battered and cracked.

“We don't have to keep fighting like this.” Sekata pleaded. “Once, you too were a warrior who fought for the better good of the Digital World! Can't you do so just once more?”

“That's no longer my concern.” AncientGreymon growled. “I've already done my part. I'm through with it.”

“The point is, will you just turn your back when you know you can make a difference? That's the reason I'm fighting! Life is important indeed, but can you truly live life as you say having walked away?” Sekata clenched his fists. “What do you really want out of this new life you've given yourself? Are you able to tell me?”

“Shut up! Gaia Tornado!”

AncientGreymon unleashed a tornado of flames and caught Sekata up in its midst, twirling him back and forth violently.

“Corona Blaster!” Sekata fired his arm blasters, but at the ground instead of his opponent.

The result sent dozens of sharp rock pieces flying into AncientGreymon's body. The quadruped dragon reared back, startled by the sudden reprisal. The force of the shots pushed Sekata up and out of the fiery tornado, giving him a clear view. And it was the Vritramon's turn to strike.

“Flame Storm!” His body alit with flames, Sekata slammed into AncientGreymon and rammed him to the ground.

AncientGreymon quickly got back to his feet, although his armor was looking no better than Sekata's at the moment. The attack had taken a lot out of Sekata too, and the dragon dropped to his knees, panting in exhaustion.

“You've improved greatly.” AncientGreymon hissed. “But can you withstand this? Omega Burst!”

AncientGreymon was equipped with the same set of blasters Vritramon had on his arms, although the former's was located on his shoulders instead. The twin weapons, known as Rudri Tarpanas, clicked forward and unleashed a barrage of superheated energy bolts towards Sekata.

Somehow, Sekata still found the strength in his battered body to move. However the Rudri Tarpanas could work independently of each other, firing in different directions simultaneously.

As a result, one blew out the ceiling and sent rocks showering into Sekata's face, knocking him out of the air. The other was already firing at the spot he hit the ground.

The Vritramon howled in agony as the fiery bolts tore into his body. Neither his armor nor his fire-resistant scales were of much help. Metallic plates were charred and blow off, exposing the scales of his body beneath.

And those quickly began bleeding from the constant barrage. Sekata could do nothing but roll over and scream as his blood splattered against the walls. His attacker was advancing slowly whilst maintaining his assault of fire.

Somehow, Sekata managed to pull himself onto his knees. His claws clenched hard, crunching up the bits of rock that got into his palms. Trying to get some shots from his own blasters seemed futile….even moving his arms was an impossibility.

Yet, Sekata forced himself to look up. Stare his tormentor in the eye. AncientGreymon seem entirely unfrazzled, calmly keeping up his assault.

I don't want to lose here! I just can't! Sekata's eyes fell close.

Then, his own Rudri Tarpanas reacted. The two main pieces slid apart, becoming more of a fork or U-shaped weapon with a metallic `grill' located within. AncientGreymon gasped as he saw this, but there was no time to break off from his attack.

“Brahma Sutra!” With a sudden burst of energy, Sekata swung both his arms.

What shot out this time was not small, piercing lasers, but instead what could be described as miniature meteorites. The new attack broke through AncientGreymon's, pounding the Legendary Warrior's body again and again, until it was bleeding as much as Sekata's.

It was now AncientGreymon's turn to screech in pain, although Sekata couldn't keep up the attack for long. Still, it was enough to leave AncientGreymon collapsing, battered, bloody and bruised.

That was… Sekata realized. Ardhamon's (Aldamon's) attack!

He knew Ardhamon was another form along his evolution line, formed from the Double Spirit Evolution using both the Human and Beast Spirits of Fire. But Sekata realized that he had just tapped into that power, and executed the attack without even having evolving into that form.

“Grrr…you managed to….use the Human Spirit's power too?” AncientGreymon voiced Sekata's thoughts as the larger dragon staggered to his feet. “Impossible, you're drawing the energy from both Spirits as well!”

“You've forced me into this.” The exhausted Vritramon panted, raising his arms. “And I will not lose to you!”

“RRRROOOAAAARRR!” AncientGreymon broke into a salvage cry, charging forward with all the energy he had left.

“Brahma Shil!” Sekata's fiery wings spread as he charged up a second attack that normally belonged to Ardhamon.

AncientGreymon simply kept running forward as a huge ball of energy formed between Sekata's claws. Much like a Wargreymon's Gaia Force ability, Sekata raised the energy orb above his head and prepared to strike.

AncientGreymon's let his temper get the better of him! Sekata thought. I've won!

“GOT YOU!” The Vritramon cried triumphantly.

However, it still took a second for him to throw the energy orb. And that second was all AncientGreymon required. Much too late, Sekata realized the Ryuukonken, discarded during the earlier stages of the battle, was right by his feet.

In a single motion, AncientGreymon scooped up the blade, stabbing it straight through the Vritramon's stomach. Sekata was in so much pain already that he barely felt the sickening crunch of the weapon piercing through his spine and bursting out from his back.

AncientGreymon's eyes narrowed as he grasped the hilt with both front claws.

“Enryuugeki!” (Flame Dragon Attack!)

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It was hard to tell who was more surprised, Metallix or Zoe's party.

“Hey, what are you…” Metallix began.

“Let me finish talking.” Junon interrupted. “As I was saying, I have only one condition to ask in return. That is for your help to rescue Lord Lucifer.”

“What?” Janet stared. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I shall explain everything then.” Junon closed her eyes. “Lord Lucifer was descended from a long line of warlocks, overlords and sorcerers. Many of whom turned to the dark arts and brought about much death and destruction in the past. However, Lord Lucifer was different. It was his desire to break out of this dark heritage.”

“That's why he resurrected the Royal Knights, you know?” Metallix chipped in, obviously trying to prove that he did know something.

“You never felt that it was an odd choice?” Junon asked.

“Hmm, well…” Aero folded his arms. “I've read that the original Royal Knights drew much skepticism from the general public. They had their own sense of peace, own sense of law and order, and carried out their actions as such.”

“And such, a group that was never really considered as good or evil. It was up to the listener's discretion.” Junon continued. “That is the story behind us.”

“But then, why all this?” Steve spoke up. “Why spend so long fighting with us?”

“Lord Lucifer studied the CHAOS and its waves for many years.” Junon explained. “From there, he devised a plan. He would tap into a small portion of the CHAOS' energy and unleash it from its dimension between the worlds. With it mostly under his control, it would be relatively easy for him to subdue and seal it once more.”

“I don't understand.” Janet scratched her head.

“It's because he wanted to be recognized as a Legendary Warrior, isn't it?” Zoe gasped. “So he would be seen as a hero, in-spite of his dark ancestry.”

“Yes…” Junon nodded. “However, I'm afraid that as times wore on, Lord Lucifer became more and more desperate. Those clouded thoughts constantly drove him away from his original goal. At points, he even began to believe that he would be one of those chosen to bond with CHAOS fully. And yet, I followed, hoping for a change…”

“You remember he disappeared through the portal in the ancient city right?” Metallix stepped forward. “Well, we didn't hear from him since that time. Not until just a while ago. And he was in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Zoe pushed.

“Don't know. Couldn't hear much before his transmission was cut off.”

“I fear the worst, and I realize that we lack the both ability to enter the CHAOS dimension and the strength to resolve this on our own.” Junon's tone had lowered to a plea. “As such, we are humbly asking for your help.”

The pink armored knight knelt and placed her Pile Bunker weapon on the ground alongside her helmet. Seeing that, Metallix dropped his guns and got down on his knees as well.

“I can only offer you my sword and my word, upon my honor as a knight.”

“To swear upon your knight's code is a major thing.” Aero remarked.

“What do you think?” Steve asked.

“Humph.” Janet huffed. “Not if I have to deal with Dynamo again.”

“I'm talking about if we can really trust them.” Steve whispered.

“We can.” Zoe said firmly, arousing various glances from the group. “They, and Lucifer know they've already lost their vouch on the CHAOS' power.”

“How can you be so sure?” Aero placed a claw on her shoulder.

“Because, I know who the true destined host of the CHAOS is…” Zoe responded.

BOOM! A sudden explosion instinctively turned everyone's heads towards a mountain further away. Before anyone could react however, Zoe had already leapt off the cliff and was soaring towards the source.

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The pain hardly even registered in his mind. In fact, Sekata's mind barely managed to comprehend that he could no longer feel his legs and tail. Or that his guts were splattered all over the floor.

A sudden clatter sounded as AncientGreymon tossed the blood-stained Ryuukonken aside. The ancient dragon approached Sekata's barely conscious body and tossed him upwards. Instinctively, Sekata's wings moved to try and stabilize his body.

However, AncientGreymon was already in the air. All at once, his claws were upon Sekata. One motion ripped the right wing off the Vritramon's back, spluttering blood, bone and flesh. The second claw was on his back, and Sekata suddenly felt a great weight there.

He was plunging down headfirst, chest slamming into the hard, rocky ground. The amount of bones cracking was too much for Sekata to bear. If his lower back had been broken earlier, then the rest of his spine was now badly fractured.

Sekata was lying facedown and literally could not move. He could not feel even his neck, or anything else below that. No matter how much his mind screamed, Sekata's body would no longer respond.

AncientGreymon then walked over and grabbed the back of Sekata's head in a claw. The victorious dragon swung his victim around and pressed his head into the ground.

“I applaud you for your efforts.” AncientGreymon leaned close to Sekata's head and whispered. “But I was in fact drawing on three sources. The two Spirits and the Ryuukonken. You had lost before you'd even begun.”

Sekata groaned weakly, spitting out blood. AncientGreymon was pressing his head against the cold steel of the Ryuukonken, but not like it mattered anymore.

“No hard feelings kid.” AncientGreymon continued. “I could've made this easy on you, but you chose to take the fight to me. Fate just chose you for this…”

The claw muscles tensed.

“Wait…” Sekata coughed.

“Hmm?”

“What do…you…really…want with…your…new life…” Sekata said weakly.

“…”AncientGreymon hesitated.

“You…don't really know…do…you?”

Suddenly, AncientGreymon detected the beating of wings and the sound of footsteps from outside. Sekata's friends were probably approaching. AncientGreymon took hold of Sekata's head again.

The young dragon was looking up into his eyes until the moment that he twisted.

And the moment Zoe arrived was just in time to see, as well as hear, the last sound. The dull snap of Sekata's neck…the last throes of his life being taken.

CRACK!

Zoe stopped, stunned into utter silence. She wanted to just scream, run, fight…too many things to comprehend at once. And yet, she managed but not a single sound.

All she could do was watch as Sekata's body broke down into rings of Digicode that were absorbed by AncientGreymon. The ancient dragon glared straight at her after that.

Completely freezing up, the XV-mon just didn't know how to react. Strangely, it was AncientGreymon who hesitated as well. For he had once been an XV-mon himself in his younger days, and it just stunned him a little.

“Zoe! Sekata!” Steve, Janet and Aero entered.

AncientGreymon abruptly snapped out of his trance, breaking into a mad rush. His body burst into flames, causing everyone to dive or roll out of his way. With a roar, AncientGreymon broke a new opening in the wall and spread his wings, shooting off like a rocket into blue sky.

No one moved an inch until the Legendary Dragon had disappeared.

“What the…” Janet muttered.

“That was one of the Legendary Warrior 10, AncientGreymon.” Aero realized.

“Then what was he doing here?” Steve gasped. “Zoe? How about Sekata? Is he…”

The female dragon didn't answer. All she did was walk over to the Ryuukonken, which AncientGreymon had left behind. The once glorious sword was now charred and covered in Sekata's blood.

Zoe took hold of the blade for a second, then dropped to her knees…and wept bitterly.

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Several hours later…

The rain continued pouring down, as if to mark the ominous mood of the group. The searing thunder and chilly winds had everyone huddling around various fires in the cavern. Everyone except Zoe that was, who sat in a corner by herself and continued staring at Sekata's sword.

Steve constantly glanced towards the XV-mon with concern, but Janet and Aero held him back. All of them felt the Sekata's loss, but Zoe had been the closest one to him, and she was the mostly deeply affected.

Sealsdramon remained vigilantly standing at the mouth of the cavern. Rain was still beating in, but the soldier continued to keep watch while Junon and Metallix sat at another corner of the cave. There was still an uneasy tension between the two fractions despite their current truce.

All those factors contributed to the state of silence, which was broken only by occasional murmurs and the howling winds.

“I still can't believe it…” Steve whispered. “Sekata is…”

“Don't say it.” Janet held up a claw whilst turning her head away.

“No, it's my fault. I made Sekata mad and yet he came to rescue me.” Steve continued. “I never got the chance to apologize. I just feel…so…”

“It's the kind of person he was.” Aero nodded. “Sekata was always the one to come through in the end. That's what made him a great leader.”

“Yeah, but he barely even wore the goggles I gave him.”

WHACK! TWHACK! The Flamedramon immediately received a couple of smacks for that.

“Ow! Ow! Hey!” Steve hissed, although consciously trying to keep his voice down.

“Seems like they're here.” Sealsdramon called, indicating that his sensitive ears picked up the sound of footsteps.

They were `just' audible in the raging storm, meaning that it was a reasonably large figure approaching. Sure enough, the massive bulk of the Zudomon, Blappa, lumbered into view.

Upon reaching the cave, Blappa released the two smaller passengers he'd been holding in his arms: Wisemon and Katsu, the Shadramon friend of Zoe's group. It was notable that the Shadramon was carrying a large bag with him.

“Bumpy ride, but once much appreciated.” Wisemon bowed, squeezing water out of his soaked robes.

“Hey guys.” Katsu waved. “I finally got here, and I guess I would be saying hello and all. But…well…I…heard about Sekata.”

The awkward silence that greeted him was enough to show Katsu the group's feelings.

“I too will mourn his loss.” Blappa added in, with reference to Sekata.

“How's your grandson?” Aero queried.

“Ace is fine. He's just worn out and is resting at home.”

“Did you tell him about…”

“No, not yet.” Blappa shook his head. “I left him sleeping for now. I just don't know how to tell him.”

Wisemon strode towards Zoe, who looked up upon his arrival.

“Did you know about this?” The XV-mon asked, indicating Sekata's Ryuukonken blade.

“About his compatibility with CHAOS, yes.” Wisemon replied. “It was prophesized in our legends and I had trained my senses to recognize the aura.”

“But that wasn't CHAOS that I saw just now.” Zoe frowned. “That dragon… AncientGreymon of the Warrior 10, according to Aero…”

“Another presence that was lying dormant within. It remained hidden from me as well, until the point where I tried to look into the powers of that odd device he possessed.”

“The D-Dragon…”

“I saw that the other entity was growing greatly in power, having nearly reached its peak.”

“And then it just took over.” Zoe muttered. “And killed him. I should've known. I always had the feeling that there was something Sekata was hiding from me.”

“Why would he do that?” Steve walked over as Wisemon allowed him to pass. “Especially if it was such a serious problem.”

“Because it affected his powers as Vritramon and Kaiser Greymon.” Zoe explained. “Sekata didn't want us worrying about him.”

“With your own psychic talents, could you have sensed that other presence?”

“Maybe I could've, but either way I chose not to. I trusted Sekata's word on that…”

“Then let's go after that ancient dragon.” Janet declared. “For Sekata's sake, we'll…”

“No, we settle the issue with the shards and CHAOS once and for all.” Zoe suddenly got to her feet.

“Huh?”

“It's just a feeling I have.” The XV-mon replied, closing her eyes and touching her heart. “It's what Sekata would've wanted…for us to focus on the target we've had for so long.”

“Yeah, the goal's almost in reach.” Janet agreed.

“And somehow, I have the feeling that our other problems will be resolved along the way.” Zoe finished with a determined look.

“Excuse me.” Junon looked over to Wisemon. “But about our other comrade.”

“Yes, we have agreed to release him as well.” The robed Digimon responded. “Sleipmon will bring him along shortly.”

“Oh wonderful…” Janet moaned.

“Try not to hurt him when he does come along.” Steve laughed.

“Oh I won't…” Janet hissed. “Not too badly at least.”

“Only thing is…” Steve held up the three CHAOS shards. “We have these, but what do we do with them now?”

“I guess that's where I come in.” Katsu waved. “I couldn't manage to get a sophisticated computer or scanning device fast enough, so I had to make do with this…”

All heads turned as the Shadramon reached into his haversack and pulled out a large metallic object. One that was shaped like a reptile's head….and was struggling.

“Gaarrrrggghhh!” The head of Chaosdramon X howled. “What do you want with me now?”

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

A long series of conversations and discussions followed, but it eventually led to the combined group standing at the base of the volcano Akchenedash. The rain had recently stopped and the eruption had long since died down.

Now, all present stood amongst the rocks, watching as Zoe reached into the haversack and retrieved Chaosdramon's head.

“Will you do it then?” Zoe directed the question towards the mechanical dragon. Or what remained of him at least.

“And what? You're gonna scramble my hard drive if I don't?” Chaosdramon snapped.

“I'm asking you nicely here.”

“Hmm…just one thing.” Chaosdramon's eyes moved. “I don't see Sekata around here.”

“…”

“Oh, so someone got him, huh?”

Zoe paused for a long while before responding with a nod.

“I see.” The cybernetic dragon muttered. “You know, he always had….this `thing' for you.”

“Huh?” Zoe's eyes widened in curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“I don't really know. It was a strange emotion amongst the memories I acquired from him during the soul binding process that created me.”

“Was there anything else?”

“None that I know of. Only several of his basic memories were copied onto mine.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Zoe said softly.

“I have a request.” Chaosdramon continued. “That you teach me about that `emotion' after this.”

“It's a promise.” Zoe nodded. “Now, we need you to help us first.”

“Oh fine then.”

Zoe connected the three shards to the back of Chaosdramon's head. The machine fell silent as his eyes glowed purple. Then, a yellowish light emitted from his open jaws and begun sweeping around the area.

“What's he doing again?” Steve whispered.

“Scanning the area using the CHAOS shard's energy signatures.” Aero explained. “They're trying to pinpoint a location where a portal can be opened, much like the one back in that ancient city.”

“A portal that will lead us to that dimension between the worlds.” Janet finished.

For several tense minutes, it seemed as if the scans were revealing nothing. Were the shards not working? Was their energy concentration still not strong enough? Or were they even in the right place for that matter?

It had mostly been a research based guess that the portal might be around this area. For when the explosion had scattered bits of the CHAOS shards from the ancient city, Aero's research had pointed to them being drawn towards several specific locations.

The Akchenedash region was one of those he'd shortlisted for giving off similar energy readings to the two CHAOS shards the group had previously obtained. However, the energy emitted by just two shards was deemed to be insufficient to open the portal.

Hence, their search for a third, which had eventually brought them to this location.

A sudden flicker of light cleared everyone's doubts. The yellow beam fell upon one of the many rocky surfaces of the mountainside.

Rocks around that spot seemed to shimmer and slowly, a swirling black vortex appeared. Accompanying it was a bright flash that caused all present to involuntarily cover their faces.

“Whoa…” Janet gasped.

This was the portal everyone had been searching for. But even as it literally stood right in front of their eyes, all were hesitant.

Zoe shoved Chaosdramon's head into Katsu's arms and became the first Digimon to approach, although cautiously.

A dark ball of energy suddenly burst out from the portal, startling Zoe. Before the dragoness even knew what was happening, she'd drawn the Ryuukonken and sliced the specter in half. Zoe stared at the weapon and watched the target disseminating out of the corner of her eye.

“Sekata?” She whispered, turning her head from side to side as if searching for something….or someone.

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

Where…where am I? Sekata blinked. At least, he thought that he did.

The world was dark and quiet all around. His senses were barely registering anything, but somehow that didn't surprise Sekata too much.

Neither did the fact that he couldn't feel his body. He also very clearly remembered the battle with AncientGreymon, one that he'd lost rather badly.

Is this what death feels like?

But something just did not seem quite right. Sekata was feeling some strange presence close by. Possibly in the dark? There was no way for him to tell.

Then…an image flashed into his mind.

Zoe…

----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------

There was no time for any follow-up queries, for an entire swarm of the dark energy blobs abruptly burst out of the portal. The initial panic sent everyone scrambling.

“Garrrgghh!” Metallix screeched as one of the blobs rammed his shoulder. The cybernetic components there hissed and crackled with electricity.

Junon stepped in front of the Metal Garurumon X and with a yell, sliced the blob into particles. Inspired, the wolf was quick to attack another, slashing the energy mass to pieces with several swipes of his claws.

“What are these things?” Sealsdramon gasped, daggers in hand. The black dragon was back to back with Blappa, attacking any foes that came to close.

“Youkai.” Wisemon muttered. “Lesser spirits or demons of a larger entity. In this case, it should be CHAOS.”

“Then, this portal must be very close to it.” Aero realized. “Considering the amount of these Youkai.”

“Good thing they die easily!” Janet yelled, whipping her tail to swat off more of the spirits.

“They're not the problem!” Steve dashed to the Strikedramon's side. “Just the distraction!”

Unfortunately, the previously shapeless blobs were beginning to take form. Many had already copied the appearance of a black-colored Bakemon.

Shaped like a small ghost, they weren't strong, but had the numbers on their side.

“Hammer Spark!” Blappa smashed his humongous two-handed hammer into the ground, sending out a shockwave that blew many of the Bakemon spirits to dust.

Sealsdramon sailed through the air and sliced more apart with his swift dagger strokes. Katsu helped as best as he could, but one of the insect's hands was occupied holding Chaosdramon's head.

Fortunately, Wisemon was able to compensate for that. Uttering a soft chant, the sage called forth a ring of flames which charred any Youkai in its path.

Other mini-battles had erupted, with Metallix firing his guns and Aero shooting off his V-Wing Blade attack. Steve, Janet and Junon got more physical, using claws, tails or weapons when applicable.

Up front, Zoe was executing wide slashes with the Ryuukonken, tearing apart any spirits that were unlucky enough to get caught by the cutting edge.

“Man, when did she get this good with a sword?” Katsu wondered.

Unbeknown to all, it wasn't so much of Zoe's effort, but the sword's instead. It was as if something was drawing the sword to move and Zoe was simply following along.

With a final roar, the XV-mon charged forward, smashing the last of the Youkai out of her way before leaping through the portal.

“Zoe!” Steve and Janet cried as their blue dragon comrade vanished into the vortex.

“We can't let her go alone!” Steve growled.

“Then come on!” Janet extended her claw as she changed from Strikedramon to Cyberdramon.

Steve grabbed a hold as the Ultimate level dragon pushed off the ground and shot towards the portal.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Watch out!” Steve screamed as they darted in-between the numerous Youkai.

“I know! Now shut up!” Janet snarled furiously.

The moment's distraction was costly however, for Janet suddenly crashed into a couple of ghosts. The spirits exploded with a fiery sensation that sent both dragons flying in different directions.

Screaming all the way, Steve disappeared headfirst through the portal. But Janet was not as lucky, being sent spinning wildly out of control and crashing into a pile of boulders.

Dazed and moaning, Janet looked up just in time to see a horde of Bakemon approaching.

“Heads up!”

Janet recognized the voice, but could barely believe it. The next instant, she was caught up in a flash of a black cape as a Chaos Dukemon pulled her out of harm's way.

“What the…” Janet looked up into the face of Dynamo. “No! You are not actually saving my life!”

“Well, thank me later princess.” Dynamo winked, dropping Janet safely in a patch of grass and rolling to his feet. “Judecca Prison!”

A pillar of white light fired out of the black knight's shield, blowing Janet's attackers apart.

“Moron…” The Cyberdramon snarled. “I could've taken them alone!”

“Jan! Let's go!” Aero signaled.

“Yeah, you'd better hurry.” Dynamo gestured, fighting off more Youkai with his lance.

Janet sprang to her feet and dashed towards Aero. A crossbow bolt suddenly shot across the field, detonating any Youkai in its path.

The firer was none other than Sleipmon, who calmly loaded another bolt into his weapon.

“Go.” The centaur ordered. “We will take care of the enemies out here.”

“Hey, music to my ears buddy!” Sealsdramon shouted from another side.

“You got it!” Aero showed a thumbs-up.

“Thanks everyone!” Janet breathed.

Taking the last few steps, the dragon duo jumped and vanished into the swirling vortex.