Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Digimon: Apocalypse ❯ Book of War: Chapter 1 ( Chapter 7 )

People call me a worry-wart.. I suppose, I kind of am. I’ve always been like that though. My father was like that, I guess when you’re a surgeon, you kind of need to make sure things are exactly the way you want them.

I got worse in the Digital World. The others always made fun of me, but when you’re in a strange world, spending half your time running for your lives and the other half fighting for your lives, you can’t really afford to get sick from eating bad food, or suffer hypothermia because you fell into water. I was the cautious one, the overly cautious one I guess. I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay.

I guess that’s what fueled my desire to get into medicine. It was more then just my father pushing me into it, yeah, okay, I always did have a bit of a weak spine, but I don’t think I would have done it unless I really wanted to, and I wanted to help people. I guess that’s why I thought I wasn’t cut out to be a Chosen, I’d rather fix someone’s problems before fighting and making them worse.

Is that why Taichi didn’t call me about the war he was fighting in Nightsun? He wanted to keep me out of it? I was the one that brought him into this whole thing. I suppose I should feel insulted, but not really. I had to hear about it from Yamato, about how Keeya, a Chosen from Africa displayed that same strange light that Catherine, Noriko and Lynna did. And then he told me that Anna displayed that same light when attacked by someone that looked like Koushiro.

I was even more surprised to find that Hikari didn’t even know anything, and that Taichi and Maria had left early yesterday. If they needed help, why didn’t they call? The Book of War: Chapter 1

In a dark room, fourteen figures stood in a circle, staring at a strange red symbol on the brick floor. Seven of those figures were humans draped in cloaks of different colors, while the other seven were demonic creature of frightening might. The one in orange placed his hands together and began to chant, “Ot eht krad eno, ew llac eeht!”

The others repeated in unison, ““Ot eht krad eno, ew llac eeht!”

The one in orange continued. “Nepo rouy laes evig ot su eht lous rehctac!”

“Nepo rouy laes evig ot su eht lous rehctac!” the others shouted.

The seal in the center began to glow a sinister dark red, firing a beam to the ceiling. This beam glowed for a few moments before vanishing, leaving a black pedestal in its place. Resting on the top of this pedestal was an odd shaped object, one made of crystal; a cross with equal arms intersecting at 90 degree angles. Attached to this at the center, was another crystal cross with arms of equal length. This created a circle with eight arms of equal length made of diamond-shaped crystals. The one in orange lifted the object. “The Soul Catcher!”

The one in red waltzed over and draped her arms around his shoulder. “But it has no power within it.”

“Yes,” the one in orange responded, twisting to face the others. He addressed the one in yellow, “Karetu, you have finished your mission?”

“That’s right,” Takeru’s ‘double’ smiled, “Lynna Jeffry of Water, Catherine Rupert of Light, Noriko Kawada of Darkness, and Keeya Genet of Forest gave off their special energy.”

He glanced over at the young woman in green and the young man in black. “Amikyo and Enk?”

The doppelganger of Ken only yawned, so the evil double of Miyako answered, “We’ve forced Iduia Ramiro of Metal to show her energy.”

“Excellent work,” the one in orange responded. He turned to the one in purple, “What about you, Shiokuro?”

“Anna Danika of Wind has been awakened,” Koushiro’s clone answered.

“But you left the other two!” the one in dark blue shouted.

The one in orange held out his hand. “Easy, Seiduka.”

“It was his mission to get all three of them! Now our entire plan is in jeopardy!”

“Nothing is in jeopardy,” the one in red responded. She walked over and ran a finger along his chin, “Just chill out big guy. Guys with passion really turn me on, but you got to trust Lord Cahiti.”

“You’re lecturing me about trust, Asro!” he shouted, “I’ve stood by his side since the beginning, before even you!”

“That is enough!” Cahiti, the one in orange, shouted, “Seiduka’s loyalty is never in question, understand?”

Asro, the one in red, nodded. “Yes.”

Cahiti gripped the mysterious Soul Catcher by a small cleft in the rear. “There is to be war in the City of Ceria, that which the modern Chosen call Nightsun?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Karetu answered.

“Then that is where the descendents will converge. We’ll complete the first stage, then the second stage can began!”

“”””””””&# 8221;”””””””””

Ins ide the city of Nightsun, deep within the arctic of the Digital World, Taichi sat in the main building, looking over a map of the immediate area. He heard the door open. “Yamato, did you call the others?”

“Yeah, I left a message for Jyou and Hikari, and Mimi and Michael are on their way.”

He nodded. “Great.”

The blond man sat down in the chair opposite Taichi on the table. “There’s something else.”

“What?”

“Mimi and Michael were with a girl named Iduia, one of the Brazilian Chosen, when they were attacked by two more of those demon things…”

“What?” Taichi gasped, “More?”

He sighed as he nodded. “Yeah, these two looked like Mikayo and Ken, and that Iduia girl displayed the same energy, like Catherine, Noriko and Keeya.”

“And Anna,” Taichi muttered, “All right, so they’re obviously after them for that…weird energy.”

“All right, let’s try to think this through,” Yamato said, “Catherine and the others shouldn’t be able evolve their partners while they’re infected with BD-2.”

“But those demon guys are forcing them to…to generate some kind of energy that’s making their partners evolve. Why? What the hell do they know that we don’t?”

“But you’ve noticed that they’re Chosen that have died, right?” Yamato asked, “Karetu is Takeru, Shiokuro is Koushiro, Amikyo is Miyako, and Enk is Ken.”

“But that’s only four, which means there’s three left,” Taichi answered, “So who are they? And do you remember when they first appeared? They said, ‘…the times in your life when you’re at your lowest, the times when you’re about to give up on everything you hold dear, the times when you’re about to give in darkness and despair, the times that you eventually overcome and put behind you. But, do those times, those feelings, ever truly disappear, or do they just fester and grow into the nightmares that keep you awake at night?’ What the hell does that mean?”

“Mimi said that Amikyo, Miyako’s double, said she was Mimi’s dark side.”

Taichi glanced at him. “What?”

He nodded. “That’s what she said. And have you noticed that every digimon that they summon is a digimon that we’ve killed?”

“This is so confusing!” the brown-haired young man exclaimed, “Damn it, I wish Koushiro was here, he’d be able to figure this out.”

“Have you noticed something else?” Yamato asked.

“What?” Taichi asked, running his hands through his thick mane.

“All of the people the demon guys are attacking are both females, and have BD-2?”

“Yeah, so what’s your….” he trailed off and stared him straight in the face. “You think that…?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, maybe? Maybe they have all the girls they need for whatever it is they’re gonna do, or maybe they don’t. I have no idea.”

Taichi leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “Oh crap….”

“”””””” 221;””””””””””

“Mr. Natsuka!”

The young boy’s back instantly turned to ice. He slowly glanced from the desk to the front of the classroom, where his teacher was staring at him, arms crossed. “Y…yes, Miss Yagami?”

Hikari held out her hand, and the boy reluctantly gave her the small, palm-sized flatulence-noise maker he had been playing with. “I don’t want to see you with this again, okay?”

He nodded slowly. She walked up to her desk. She glanced at the clock resting on the wall. She counted down to herself until she heard the bell ring throughout the school. She knew that her students were waiting for her to dismiss them. She addressed them without turning around. “Okay, have a nice evening. And one more thing…!”

She spun around, opened her mouth and pressed the ‘burp’ button on the flatulence-noise maker. The students laughed loudly and she shared in their humor. She waved her hand and they charged out of the room. She sat down on the edge of her desk and watched them trail out of the room. She was surprised when an older young man entered. “Jyou, hi.”

“Hey, Hikari,” he said, “Uh, did you get a message from Yamato?”

“I don’t really check my messages during the school day. It sets a bad example for the students.”

He nodded. “Right. Um, well, he’s far north in the Digital World, in a city called Nightsun, and he and Taichi want us there as soon as he can.”

“Oniichan?” she gasped, “Is he okay?”

Jyou nodded. “So far. But it’s at least a few hours from the nearest gate. According to the map he gave me. It’s a good bet we’re gonna end up getting lost…”

The younger woman nodded. “Okay, I’ve just got to get Plotmon.” She ran for her purse and her bags. “Hang on Taichi…”

“””””””&# 8221;””””””””

The city of Nightsun was surrounded by a wall of bricks five feet thick and 200 feet high. There contained near the top a platform of five feet wide where the ‘archers’ of the city could stand, to assault their enemies with a barrage of projectiles of all sorts. Standing in the center over the main archway was Taichi, Yuri, and their partners. They remained silent as they surveyed the mountain before them, and watched with equally silent horror as a dark shadow flowed through the trail and collected outside of the city.

“Taichi?” Agumon X asked.

“What?”

The orange dinosaur stared at the Digitalatri Army as it continued to grow in size. “Do you think we have a chance?”

He forced a smile. “Of course we do!”

“Really?” Yuri asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah, stranger things have happened…”

Yuri’s Kokuwamon X chuckled. “Funny…”

Taichi glanced over his shoulder at the inner city. While a sufficient number of Chosen and their Coelamons, Gazimons, and Elecmon partners were manning the archery posts, a large number of Chosen and their partners of: Flymons, Sabirdramons, Tyrannomons and a few Mammons were waiting behind the city wall, along with Yamato and Garurumon X. His eyes drifted to the castle in the center.

“They’ll be fine,” Yuri said.

Taichi shook his head. “I shouldn’t have brought them. What the hell was I thinking? Now Maria’s in danger…not to mention Sora…” He rubbed his forehead, “I’m supposed to be protecting Maria, and where do I bring her? Right into the heart of a war!” He sighed deeply, “And then there’s Sora…”

His partner looked up at him with an odd expression on his reptile face. “Taichi…?”

“I know how you are feeling,” Yuri added, “I worry about Anna as well. Since she was able to make Penmon evolve, she wanted to fight, but I do not know what that thing was that happened? Suppose it is bad?”

“I know,” Taichi said, “They hate being left behind like that, but what choice did we have?”

Yuri tried to force a reassuring smile. He glanced back towards the field outside of the city, where the Digitalatri Army was now forming into ranks.

Taichi turned to survey the enemy forces as well. The Chosen of the Digitalari Army had a variety of partners: Dokugumons, Golemons, Meramons, a few Gekomons and Monochromons. He spied four familiar figures standing near the front. “Tatum and Sam are here,” he said.

Agumon X jumped up and put his hands over the edge so he could see where Taichi was pointing. “And there’s Archnemon and Mummymon.”

The messy-haired boy glanced further up the army and saw a sight that turned his spine to ice. “Oh shit, Hiroshi and Keiko are here!”

“Who?” Kokuwamon X asked.

“Traitors,” he snarled, “But that’s not the problem, their partners are Piedmon and Pinocchimon, Mega levels!” He punched the concrete of the wall, “Damn it!”

“Where’s Miayag?” Agumon X asked.

“Who cares?” Taichi asked, “We’ve got enough to worry about without having her here.”

Standing within the center of the army, Hiroshi, Keiko and their partners stared up at the line of Chosen that were standing near the top of the wall. The slightly overweight woman gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Pinocchimon asked.

“Taichi’s here.”

“Taichi Yagami?” Piedmon asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. What’s he doing here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Pinocchimon replied, “We’ll still beat him!”

Hiroshi placed a hand on Keiko’s shoulder. She placed a bull horn to her lips and began to shout. “Attention citizens of Nightsun! We are the Seekers of the Digital Light, the Church of the Digitalatri! We have sent you a warning to vacate! You refused; we’re giving you a last chance to reconsider!”

“Forget it!” Taichi shouted back, “You and the rest of you traitors can kiss my ass!”

Keiko could feel Hiroshi’s anger began to rise. She addressed the army this time. “Meramons, ready yourselves!”

On the top of the wall surrounding Nightsun, Taichi shouted to his army, “Elecmons, Coelamons, prepare to attack on my command!”

The Meramons in the Digitalatri army began to form fireballs in their hands, while the Elecmons in the Nightsun army began to charge up their electrical attack, the hairs on their back crackling with energy.

They continued their attempts to intimidate the enemy force for a full ten minutes, which seemed to stretch on for hours. Finally, Keiko and Taichi both raised their arms and held them for another minute. Every soldier tensed in anticipation…waiting….

Keiko’s hand dropped first, and every Meramon in the Digitalatri army attacked, throwing a barrage of flaming fireballs at the soldiers of Nightsun. Taichi quickly ordered his soldiers into action, the Elecmons leaping into the air and firing a stream of electrical energy that struck the fireballs, causing them to explode in the air.

“Continue to attack!” Keiko ordered.

“Fire at will!” Taichi shouted.

The sky was soon covered as fireballs and electrical beams danced across their heads. An Elcemon’s attack struck a Meramon in the chest, throwing him onto the ground. He was in the process of throwing a fireball when he was hit, and his attack left his hand in an odd direction, striking the back of his own partner.

“Watch your partners!” Keiko shouted, “Attack the enemy!”

Yuri stared at Keiko. “Why is she the only one who’s talking? I thought you said Hiroshi was the leader?”

“I don’t know,” Taichi replied, “Maybe….maybe the BD-2 took away his voice box? But how would Keiko know exactly what he wanted say?”

“Maybe it has something to do with that Dark Spore thing Oikawa put in them,” Agumon X suggested.

Taichi rubbed his chin. “Maybe. But maybe if we got rid of Keiko, would the whole army just fall apart?”

“We’ve got something else to worry about right now!” Kokuwamon X shouted.

They turned their attention back to the battlefield and saw to their horror that the Golemons were marching to the brick walls circulating the city. “Attack the Golemons!” Taichi shouted, “Attack them now!”

The Elecmons did as they were told and began to fire at the massive digimon. Unfortunately, this left them wide open for the Meramons’ attacks. Many Elecmons were deleted as the Golemons reached the brick walls. They each struck in unison, pounding the wall, sending a shockwave that brought half of the Elecmon forces off of the small platforms. Taichi, Yuri and their partners managed to remain only by grabbing onto the wall itself. He glanced at the outside of the wall and saw that the Golemons were going to attack again. He turned to the forces waiting inside the city. “Tyrannomons, Mammons! When the Golemons break through, attack at once. Sabirdramons, Flymon, when that happens, you take to the air and attack from above!”

The Golemons continued their assault against the wall, smashing and pounding until finally a large section of the stone wall collapsed, crushing hundreds of Chosen and digimon beneath the thousands of pounds of rock and dirt. A loud musical score was heard as the Gekomons trumpeted in triumph.

“Their defenses have been breached!” Keiko shouted, “Move forward!”

The Digitalatri Army marched through the massive hole in the wall to enter the inside of the city. The Chosen partners of Flymons and Sabirdramon leapt into the air as the Tyrannomons and Mammons charged forward, smashing into the invading forces of Golemons and Monochromons.

Taichi turned to Yuri. “Agumon and I are gonna help below.”

The Russian man nodded. “Kokuwamon and I will lead the air attack.”

“Sounds good to me,” the Japanese man replied. Agumon X leapt off of the wall’s platform. “Agumon X evolve to Greymon X!” Once his evolution was complete, the massive dinosaur smashed down on top of one of the Golemons, crushing him. Taichi jumped onto his partner’s back.

Yuri held his digivice as Kokuwamon X flew into the sky. “Kokuwamon X evolve to Kuwagamon X!” He climbed onto his partner’s back and called to the Chosen riding on their Flymons and Sabirdramons. “Attack!”

Taichi gripped his partner tightly as Greymon X used his powerful legs to kick a Golemon in the chest, sending him onto his back. Taichi looked over his back. “Greymon, behind!”

The dinosaur stiffened his tail and spun around as fast as he could, striking a Monochromon in the face. The grey dinosaur flipped onto his side, as Taichi’s orange dinosaur began to hit him in the stomach repeatedly with his tail. He was too busy to notice a Golemon lumbering towards him. The stone-digimon raised his fist and was about to strike the dinosaur in the back, when the Golemon was suddenly thrown to his side by an explosion of blue energy.

Taichi spun around and saw Garurumon X, with Yamato on his back, leap to the ground. “Better watch your back!” he shouted.

Taichi forced a laugh. “Heh…heh.. you jack-ass…” he muttered.

“What?”

“Go and help Yuri!” he shouted.

The blond man glanced over at the top of the main building, which was clearly visible over the cityscape, yet a full half a mile away from the outer edges of the city, where the forces of Nightsun and the soldiers of the Digitalatri were battling. “But…”

“We’ve still got them trapped in this section!” Taichi shouted back, “But we’re not gonna be able to hold them back if they keep pouring in!”

He hesitated, but nodded. “All right. Garurumon, let’s go!”

The large wolf turned to charge through the massive hole in the brick wall, but his run slowed to a trot before completely stopping. Taichi glanced over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“There’s a bigger problem,” Yamato answered.

“What?” Greymon X asked, finally finishing his battle with the Monochromon and spinning around.

“Them,” Garurumon X growled, mentioning to the three Chosen and their partners standing within a clearing in the clash of forces, Tatum, Sam, and another young man they did not recognize, along with Archnemon, Mummymon and Skull Satamon.

“Oh shit,” Taichi swore, “Like we need this now.”

Tatum stepped forward. “I am Tatum Heany, and I have been ordained by the High Priestess Miayag, thus I hold authority here. Stand aside and let us enter this city!”

“You’re kidding, right?” Taichi laughed.

“He’s right,” Yamato added, “They only way you’re getting past us is to walk over our dead bodies!”

“If that’s what you want,” she laughed. She raised her hand and dropped it. Mummymon fired a blast from his gun, striking Garurumon X, throwing him and Yamato to the right, while Skull Satamon shot forward, slamming his staff into Greymon X’s snout, forcing him to move to the left in order to avoid falling to his side. This allowed Tatum and Archnemon free passage into the city, and they soon vanished into one of the streets.

“No!” Yamato shouted, “Garurumon, we’ve got to go after her!”

The large wolf was about to run after Tatum and the spider-digimon, but something suddenly grabbed his rear leg and pulled him backwards. He tripped over his own feet, but was able to straighten himself out before spinning around to stare at his opponent. “Sam…” he began.

“Don’t!” the African-American snapped, “Don’t try to convert me to your side, you traitor!”

“Traitor?” he gasped, “You’re calling me a traitor!”

Sam pointed his finger at him, rage overflowing in his words. “While the entire Chosen population is dying from the Second Black Death, you were modified by the X-Antibody! You were cured, and you turned your back on everyone else!”

“What are you talking about?” he shouted, “Jyou and I were here almost everyday trying to save you!”

“You X-Chosen became drunk with your own power! Well, we’re not following you anymore! Lady Miayag is our savior, and she’ll deliver us from this hell and give us the entire Digital World! If she wants this city, then I’m gonna give it to her! Mummymon!”

The bandage-wrapped digimon whipped his gun around, firing a snake-like blast of energy. “Necrophobia!”

Garurumon X was struck in the chin, the force of which threw him back only slightly. He remained on his feet, and charged forward, jaws ready to strike. Mummymon fired a stream of bandages that the wolf easily avoided, but that left him open for another blast from Mummymon’s gun. This time he was hit hard enough to fling him to the right.

Taichi ordered his partner to aid Yamato and Garurumon X. The dinosaur began to run over to his fellow X-digimon, but was stopped with Skull Satamon darted in front of him. Taichi twisted around and found the devil’s human partner standing a safe distance. “I don’t remember seeing you before.”

“Hola, My name is Vicente Lobo, a Chosen from Mexico.”

“All right, fine, so why are you with Digitalatri?”

“Because Miayag has saved me from the Second Black Death and has given me direction in my life, and Skull Satamon and I will be her loyal servants until death! Skull Satamon, attack!”

The devil digimon shot forward, swinging his staff into the dinosaur’s head, then shot below to jab the staff into his underside before shooting to the right and back to his partner’s side. “What the hell?” Taichi gasped, “Is he a devil digimon or a freakin’ gnat?”

Skull Satamon continued to dart around the battlefield, never staying in a place for more then a few seconds. This was a disadvantage to the lumbering Greymon X, who, while packing plenty of power, was not as agile. He could not properly execute his power if he could not find his opponent.

The devil darted beneath the dinosaur, dragging his staff along his underside. Once he had completely passed beneath him, Skull Satamon shot into the air, falling down, striking Greymon X in the side of the face once more. Taichi clenched to his partner’s tightly to avoid being thrown to the ground.

“Shit,” he exclaimed, “If only you can evolve….”

“””””””& #8221;”””””””

Tatum and Archnemon, meanwhile, had made their way to the center building of Nightsun. The battle was still contained near the hole in the giant brick wall, so the streets were deserted. The Digitalatri priestess and her spider partner easily navigated through the maze of buildings before reaching the main building, which resembled a large castle.

“This is where that staff is?” Archnemon asked.

“That’s what Lady Miayag said,” she responded. She glanced around, “I don’t see any guards, let’s go on in.”

They stepped towards the wooden door, only to have it blew open as Unimon, Kiwimon, Black Tailmon, Red Veggiemon, Patamon and Piyomon came charging out. “What the hell is this?” Tatum gasped.

“Ambush, traitor!” Black Tailmon shouted, as she began a series of quick punches onto the spider-woman’s face. Archnemon batted her aside, Red Veggiemon and Kiwimon fired projectiles from their mouths. Tatum dove to the side as her partner spewed out a series of silk strands, saving herself from the attack.

Patamon flew to the right, firing his Air Shot, while Piyomon flew to the left and executed her Magical Fire. Both attack struck Archnemon, but to their horror, it had no effect. She threw open her arms, sending out a sharp wire that would have impaled the two flying digmon had they not shot out of the way.

Unimon flew around behind the large spider, firing a blast of energy from his mouth. “Holy Shot!”

Archnemon shifted around and exhaled a blast of acidic spray at the unicorn, bringing him to the ground.

Tatum turned back to the castle building, where the Chosen women infected with BD-2 were standing on the steps: Sora was standing in the center, leaning forward on her crutches, Noriko was to her right with Maria resting on her back, Anna was to Sora’s left, with Catherine and Keeya helping her down the stairs. “So, the heretics are here.”

“Tatum,” Maria said, “Please listen to me…”

“I will not listen to unbelievers.” She pointed her finger at the Hispanic woman, “We gave you the chance to accept the Digital God, but you chose to reject that offer. You chose to follow the X-Chosen, you put your faith in false prophets like Yagami and Ishida, you chose to worship them instead! You and the rest of your unbelievers will all burn in the Dark Area of the Digital World! Stand aside and let us pass, or I will kill you now!”

“We’re not letting you get past us,” Noriko replied.

“But…” Maria protested, “I can’t fight her…”

“You have to,” Sora stressed.

“She’s my friend!”

The red-headed woman sighed. “I know, but she’s chosen her side…”

“And so have you,” Tatum sneered, “And I will sacrifice all of you heathens to the Digital God.”

The Hispanic woman had tears in her eyes. “Oh Tatum…I’m sorry…Patamon, attack with the others!”

The Priestess of the Digitalatri was about to order Archnemon to attack, when a bright purple light struck the ground between the solider and the ‘pagans.’ Two figures appeared within that light, two that Sora and Piyomon recognized.

“Koushiro!” the redhead gasped.

“No it’s not,” Piyomon remined her, “He’s not Koushiro…”

The figure smirked wickedly. “In case you forgot, I’m Shiokuru, and my partner, Barbamon.”

“Who?” Tatum demanded.

“Get out of here,” he said, “I don’t have time for you right now.”

“You dare order me!” she shouted, “Archnemon…”

Shiokuru waved his hand, and Barabmon fired a blast of powerful energy at Archnemon, throwing her into Tatum, and the two of them crashed into one of the adjacent buildings. “Now that she’s out of the way, we can get down to business.”

The young women stared on in horror. Anna gripped the front of her walking stick. “Is that Shiokuru?”

“Yeah,” Sora replied.

“This one looks like Koushiro?” Catherine asked, “The one that attacked us looked like Takeru.”

“Karetu,” Shiokuru clarified.

Noriko tensed. “So, you gonna send a monster after us like your friend?”

“Not this time,” he replied, “Our orders are to use whatever force is necessary to complete our mission.”

“What mission?” Keeya asked.

“I’m not telling you anything,” he spat, “Figure it yourselves!”

“He’s so much different then Koushiro we used to know,” Noriko commented.

“I know,” Sora responded, “Our Koushiro would have gladly told us anything that we wanted, this evil version doesn’t want to say anything, he’s greedy…”

“You’re closer then you realize,” he smirked, “But enough with the small talk! Barbamon….”

Before he could finish his command, Black Tailmon charged forward, slashing her claws across the elder digimon’s face. Unimon attacked next, firing his Holy Shot attack that struck Barbamon on the shoulder, dissipating harmlessly. The other digimon would have attacked, but they stood in silent horror. If two Adult-level digimon could not even cause him to flinch, what hope would the other Child-level digimon have?

“Giving up so soon?” Barbamon laughed. He threw open his arms, expelling a blast of energy that sent the digimon flying into a whirlwind of force. Patamon, Piyomon and Unimon were able to stay airborne, but the other digimon fell heavily to the ground. Barbamon began to attack each one: he struck Red Veggiemon with his staff, he spun around, punching Black Tailmon in the face, and pounded both of his feet into Kiwimon. The adult-digimon instantly regressed to their child forms.

The partners called out to them, but Barbamon turned his attention to the three hovering digimon. He fired a blast of energy to them, but they scattered. The demon digimon shot into the air and punched Unimon with such force that the unicorn regressed to Penmon before crashing into the ground.

“That was easy!” Barbamon laughed, “Why didn’t we just do this before?” He turned to Patamon and Piyomon, “And now it’s your turn.”

Both digimon attacked desperately, but to no avail. Both attacks had no affect at all. Down below, Noriko turned her attention away from her fallen partner to glance up at the two digimon hovering in the air, then at Sora and Maria. Realization dawned on her. “He’s after them…”

“What?” the Latino woman gasped.

Noriko turned to Sora, but continued to glance at Maria on her back. “The two of you, you’re gonna feel some kind of energy or light or whatever. When you feel it, look at your partners and just pour it at them!”

“Wait, you mean the same thing as Anna?” Sora asked.

“Yeah,” Noriko said, “Just do it.”

The three young women turned back to the sky. Both Patamon and Piyomon were struggling to keep their fear in check as Barbamon hovered closer. He did not speak as he slowly raised his staff; Piyomon and Patamon braced themselves for the attack, but Barbamon swung his other hand around, firing a blast of energy so intense that the Chosen’s digimon smashed into the ground, their data of their bodies beginning to flicker and pull apart.

“No!” Maria screamed, “Patamon!”

“Piyomon!” Sora shouted. She struggled to walk forward, but was held back by Keeya and Catherine. As Noriko predicted, their bodies began to glow with a similar light that the others displayed, Maria’s a deep brown and Sora’s an orange red. The energy was strange and overpowering, but they were still able to remember what Noriko was told them. Maria forced her light into Patamon, while Sora forced hers in Piyomon. The bodies of their partners absorbed the energy, and their data stabilized a moment later.

“They didn’t evolve!” Noriko gasped, “Why not?”

“Maybe because they were on the verge of death?” Keeya asked, “I think they still posses the power to evolve, but because they are still too weak as of right now?”

“That’s a good idea,” Catherine said, “But I do not zink it will matter soon…”

Barbamon landed behind Shiokuru as the latter turned his attention to the young women. He opened his mouth to speak, but a deep, sinister voice cut it off.

“Shiokuru! That was not necessary!”

The self-proclaimed Demon Vizor flinched as he slowly brought his attention to the roof of one of the buildings. There stood a figure draped in an orange hood and cloak. Behind him was a child-like angel with a pleasant smile on his face. “Lord Cahiti…”

“Leave, I will handle this now.”

Shiokuru turned to the young women and shrugged. “Well, you’re in trouble now, the boss is gonna take over. Later.” He and Barbamon vanished in a burst of purple light.

The young women stared up at the figure. He laughed, “We’ll start in a moment, Daughters,” he said with a sinister grin, “Once the others arrive…”

To be continued….