Alasdair could see everything.

He could see the grids and clouds beneath him, raining dust down on the ruined town.

And into the distance, he could see the rolling downs and the patches of forest, and beyond that the grey sky, where clouds spun around the epicentre of the storm he himself was making.

It was all he could do. His body was no longer his own. His touch was cold and numb, and his head was filled with the unstoppable screaming of his partner desperately clinging onto him. When a great wing swept across the ground below and left trenches and dust, it was his own arm. His back arched upwards as the burning came again, and as he turned around, his own eyes fixed on the lifeforms beneath him. Big and small, flying through the sky and rushing along the ground. It didn’t matter. They were the enemy. They were about to break open the seal. To unleash the greatest evil. He couldn’t allow it. He couldn’t die here. His quest wasn’t over yet...it couldn’t be...not yet...never...

Alasdair sank back into his own mind, and he opened his mouth, his own screams melding with those of his partner.

“Tetragon Laser!”

“Marianas Lance!”

A bright beam of crackling light crossed over with a shining spear, and they twisted together as they veered towards HelMidgarmon. It was a wide shot, missing his head, but it arced over and shot into his coiling body like a meteorite. The crystals groaned, several of them falling loose and crashing to the ground below. Another chip in the giant beast’s armour.

He hissed, and span around, his wings giving him far greater manoeuvrability than before. NeoSapiamon was caught off guard; she raised an arm and parried him, but the momentum carried through his body and his tail whipped around the other side, slamming into her head module. She froze, the screen going blank and flickering for a few seconds, as the dragon turned around.

“Back off! Triton’s Jewel!”

Okeanomon slid forwards from below, his arms raised as a wall of water burst upwards, pressing against the great dragon. It did nothing to stop him, but it slowed him just enough for NeoSapiamon to reboot. Her jets burst into life and she soared forwards, trying to gain speed even as the dragon broke through the water wall and gave pursuit.

“Any kind of assistance at all would be nice!”

“Titan Railgun!”

The air flashed as HelMidgarmon’s head jerked upwards, struck by the meteoric missile. He let out a gurgle, flapping again, but two more came in quick succession, shifting his inertia. Talosmon ran as fast as he could, spinning the staff in his hands and firing as soon as his energy was built up again, cracking the earth more with every shot.

It took five at his full strength, but HelMidgarmon finally veered away, coiling back round with a great flap of his wings. As he raised them, they split apart, releasing waves of emeralds that fell to earth. Talosmon raised his arms, but the rain of crystal was still a devastating attack; each one landing with the force of an incendiary bomb.

But as the dragon’s storm rained down, a new one was rising to meet him. One of black shadow and hundreds of thousands of ghostly hounds poured upon him. They locked against his head, biting and scratching even as the energy dissolved them in waves. The torrent thickened, the shadows sending out tendrils to latch around him, and his eyes swivelled down to the top of a fallen roof as Herlathimon stood staring upwards, commanding the shadows as their puppetmaster. He rushed forwards, running on the backs of his own hounds as the darkness coiled around his arms.

HelMidgarmon raised his head, releasing spots of light that blasted holes in the dark bridge, but HelMidgarmon kept going. He leapt forwards, the shadows converging into a vast scythe that grew in his arms; a wicked curved blade nearly half as wide as HelMidgarmon’s face.

“Lunar Requiem!”

The blade shone as Herlathimon dragged it downwards, through the void at HelMidgarmon’s neck and into the bony vertebrae beneath him. The dragon screeched in pain and indignation, the energy threatening to collapse him in on himself entirely. His wings stiffened, curling at the air as he hovered in a frozen position.

Herlathimon’s scythe dissipated, and he crashed to the ground below, the impact jarring through his body. He rolled over, clawing against the dusty ground as Okeanomon skidded towards him.

“Thanks for the help. Don’t knock yourself out yet though; we still need you.”

Herlathimon coughed, and wiped beneath his mask, his eyes glittering. “Pardon me. I thought I’d try something reckless.”

CRACK

The ground shook, sending both of them off balance, and they turned around to see HelMidgarmon leaning over them, one wing clutched against the ground. Herlathimon shifted painfully, but he was blocked before he could move by Okeanomon’s form, the great merlord, parting the waves around him with a bellow.

“Well, now’s the only time we have left to be reckless.”

His eyes glinted, and he spun his trident, the bladed end forming a wheel of light as he targeted the claw above.

“Marianas Lance!”

The wheel shot into the descending claw, rending into bone and crystal and sending ash into the sky. Okeanomon grabbed the huntsman by the wrist, and began to swim away, but the other wing crashed down in front of him, blocking his nearest escape. There was a roar from up above, as HelMidgarmon flung his head up like some kind of grotesque pterodactyl.

Then, his head descended, and a torrent of energy fell from his mouth.

Herlathimon and Okeanomon split apart, both raising walls of their own, but the energy skittered along the ground and erupted in geysers, forming a deadly lattice all around them. Okeanomon was struck by two, and he let out a cry of pain, which gave way to words of garbled static, almost incomprehensible. Herlathimon tried to battle through, but another spire erupted in front of him, clutching at his body and threatening to rip it apart from within.

“Leave them ALONE! Stratus Bolt!”

A spear of wind flew forwards, and it coiled around, pulling at HelMidgarmon’s neck. The great dragon stumbled, and as he did so another one shot forwards, blasting the bone of his shoulder and sending great cracks racking through his left wing.

HelMidgarmon’s eyes flickered sideways, and he swung his head around, the beam leaving the ground and arcing through the air. Ouranomon swooped upwards, straining as he pushed more energy through his arms, the jetstreams growing in intensity and destructive power. He was practically microscopic next to the dragon, but his anger gave him strength enough to wrest him backwards, away from the chaos below.

“Come on...you bastard...just give up already...”

He pulled again, the coils tightening, but the dragon changed tack. The beam stopped, and HelMidgarmon reared up, pulling back against Ouranomon. The sky warrior kicked back, but HelMidgarmon was already spreading his wings, the bones pulling against the coils of wind. They snapped, and the dragon beat downwards, the turbulence combining with the backdraft from Ouranomon’s own attack. He was caught in the crosswind and sent tumbling through the sky, struggling to right himself. When he did, HelMidgarmon was already moving towards him, half leaping and half crawling as lightning shot from his broken jaws.

“Siren Concerto!”

Music blasted through HelMidgarmon’s chaotic mind, causing the lightning to go haywire. The air shimmered again, and another piece of crystal was sheared away, accompanied by a fast and shaking melody. Ouranomon raised his fists, but a larger figure swooped downwards in front of him, catching HelMidgarmon’s eyes. He began to turn, and the sky warrior shot sideways after him, his eyes wide.

“What are you doing?”

“Buying you time.”

GrandTengumon bent downwards, holding his kokyu as bolts of lightning fluttered through his paper wings, leaving scorch marks. He hissed, his eyes looking backwards at the dragon, and on his own back where Lyra was playing faster than she ever had, not even trying to hide the tears of fear on her face. The great crane took a breath, and drew a note on his own instrument.

“Hold tightly.”

With a great beat of his wings, GrandTengumon swung sideways, as energy scorched the air beneath his feet. There was a screech from behind him as HelMidgarmon turned as well, clambering over destroyed buildings as his wings flexed. One of them shot out, and split into a web of bone that slashed at GrandTengumon’s chest, carving searing grooves in the wood.

But the tengu kept flying, releasing notes of disorientating sound that flew backwards in time with Lyra’s piercing vibrato, and every note echoed all around, causing the great wyvern to twitch as the tones burrowed deep. He opened his mouth, the streams of energy becoming more erratic and making GrandTengumon fly ever more chaotically.

Then there was a flash of chrome as Talosmon rushed forwards down below. Bolts of stray lightning crashed down around him, crackling over his armour plate, but he ignored them as he raised his arms, the metal already expanding.

“God in the Machine!”

Talosmon’s arms grew exponentially, forming deadly amalgamate claws of metal, and he swung upwards, crushing them into HelMidgarmon’s head. The momentum sent him skidding back and his machinery screeched out in protest, but he held on, his eyes glowing crimson as he dug in further.

“We’re...going...to stop you...”

HelMidgarmon jolted, and his head slipped sideways, the eyes rolling downwards. He roared, and a blast of green energy burst from his head, undirected and uncontrolled. It trailed down the gauntlets like a nest of serpents, splitting the metal apart like paper as it did so. Talosmon held on for as long as he could, but eventually the machine blew apart, and he was sent skidding backwards, crashing into a pile of rubble and hanging in place.

“Judgement Sniper!”

Three blasts of darkness strafed up the dragon’s head, the shadows coiling over the bone and leaving dark marks. His eyes rolled sideways, and he ducked as another three went for them, barely missing. Herlathimon backed away, snapping the rifle open as he stared up at the leviathan, but it was already moving, crystal pouring from his upper jaw.

“Dividing Thread!”

The huntsman backed away as GrandTengumon flew vertically upwards, pulling space with him as a shard of HelMidgarmon’s jaw was severed. He screeched, veering off course, but the energy was already moving and the crane took a brutal blow on one side. He spiralled downwards, one arm hanging awkwardly beside him as he tried to straighten his fall.

Herlathimon was reloaded, and he fired again, this time aiming for the underside of HelMidgarmon’s jaw. His eyes flashed and the rifle burst open with the intense energy, piercing straight through the crystal. It left a crater in HelMidgarmon’s head, and the void within leaked sideways, splashing on the ground and swallowing up everything it touched. But it still didn’t bring him down.

“Get on the ground!”

HelMidgarmon didn’t have time to react before a vast arm hooked around his neck from behind, and NeoSapiamon pulled him backwards, her jets blasting into the middle of his coiling body. The dragon screeched, wriggling back and forth and slashing at the mech’s body with bony talons, but she turned almost ninety-degrees, her arms twisting and bringing his head with her.

“Go to sleep!”

She slammed his head against the ground, causing tremors across the battlefield. He twisted, the movement buckling her arm, but she raised her other one into an energised fist, bringing it forwards into his head. Once...twice...the blows were earth-shattering, cracking the bone, but before she could land a third the coils caught up with her, grasping her midriff and wrenching her away. She raised both hands, firing twin lasers, but a deadly slash from HelMidgarmon’s claw into her chest sent her veering away, the blasts flying wide.

“Spiral Driver!”

“Marianas Lance!”

“Myriad Fortune!”

Attacks came from all directions as HelMidgarmon continued twisting, laying waste to all around with blasts of lightning and rock. But the others latched onto him, burrowing into his crystalline flesh, aiming for his head, his wings; anywhere they could to immobilise him. As one was thrown away, two more would converge. They were still standing, and still fighting. Although more than anything else, they were fighting for their lives.

NeoSapiamon’s jets burst with flame as she crashed downwards, holding herself up on scorched arms. She looked up, her expression flickering with static, and made to launch herself forwards again, when she heard Talosmon call out beside her.

“Give me a lift. I need height.”

“You have a plan?”

“We’re getting slaughtered here. Don’t get too excited,” said the knight, as he leapt and landed on the mecha’s palm. “Go. As fast as you can.”

NeoSapiamon’s jets burst into life, and she pawed off the ground, gaining height as she held her right hand outwards. In front of them HelMidgarmon turned in a circle, strafing the ground with a lethal blast of lightning and knocking Herlathimon, Okeanomon and Ouranomon away at once. He finished his circle, and his eyes rolled up to see the great ape flying towards him, blue energy billowing out behind her.

He reared up, his neck swelling as the energy built again, but NeoSapiamon banked upwards, throwing her arm aside as she did so. Talosmon hung in the air for a moment, his arms shifting as the staff pulled back around them, forming a great, vibrating fist of silver.

Then he fell, tilting forwards as he pulled it back, the metal humming as the wind blew past it.

“Gigaton...”

HelMidgarmon didn’t duck, or fire. His eyes flashed, and his body swelled as crystal erupted from beneath his spine and mask, forming into a solid barrier just in front of his skull. Talosmon’s eyes flickered as he fell, but the wall grew wider, and there was nothing he could do but follow through. Steam poured from his chest as he twisted round, bringing the arm down with all his might.

“...METEOR!”

The arm struck with a resonating CRACK, and the blast blew outwards instantly. The crystal wall shattered, sending HelMidgarmon flying back down to earth; shuddering and sparking, but still in one piece. But the attack went two ways, and Talosmon was sent skywards, hanging limply in the air as the metal fell down from his body. He arced above, before descending like a stone towards the ground.

He hit it like a train, sinking into the ground and cracking it for several metres around. For a moment he couldn’t move, his arms and legs still resonating from the impact and the fall. He tried to look up, but his eyes were flickering as well. The world went black, then white. Then pixellated. Then he found himself looking up at the sky, and he realised it was snowing with green stone. Hard, glittering fragments dropped down, running down the engravings and cracks in his shield, alongside the ash and the dust and the debris from the battle.

“This is...hopeless...”

“Talosmon...”

The sound sparked movement within him. With a creaking he pushed himself onto his front, lying on his forearms just for a second. Then he looked up, and saw Lonnie and Grace standing before him, their D-SENDS in their hands and their partners by their sides. His eyes rotated, and glitched ever so slightly.

“You...you made it...”

He froze; clearly seeing the looks – and wounds – on the pair’s faces. With a great effort he pushed himself up to one knee, his gauntlets readjusting themselves.

“What happened?”

Lonnie looked at Grace, who held her shoulders stiffly, her hair ragged and blowing behind her, silver streaks glistening in the light of the battle.

“Nothing.”

She swallowed, and pulled her digivice to her chest, the device glowing with pure white light.

“Nothing at all...”

Lonnie closed her eyes, before she looked forwards as well, holding her D-SEND tightly. Together they walked, stepping in time, past Talosmon and towards the great dragon above. Grace held a palm on Vulpimon’s head, as she looked aside at her friend.

“For the world?”

Lonnie stared ahead for a moment. Then a hand curled around hers, and she looked down to see Dendromon’s glowing eyes, the salamander smiling encouragingly. Lonnie returned the favour.

“For everybody.”

They began to run, raising their arms in unison as fire and ice lapped around their feet. Dendromon and Vulpimon kept pace, their bodies already disintegrating into lines of light and packets of energy, orbiting around their partners as their hearts burst into light.

“This ends now!”

“Soul Coalescence! Evolution Activate!”

They leapt, and all four of them were enveloped in flame, and then ice, twisting around one another in a vast tornado. Then they split again, the blue flames skating across the ground and the orange ones flying through the air, all of them leaving silhouettes behind them. Then they burst wide open, and the two new Megas rushed forwards as fast as they could go.

“Skathimon!”

“Hauhetmon!”

The ice warrior’s feet pounded against the ground, leaving patches of ice that grew in great clusters as she dodged through the rubble. Hauhetmon just flew higher and higher, holding her arms wide as her staffs materialised beside her.

In front of them, the others turned, relief and emotion showing on their faces. They backed away, avoiding HelMidgarmon’s wrath as he slammed a bony wing into the ground. It created a fissure that snaked through the dust, but already the ice was catching up with it, filling the crack and crawling up the bone. HelMidgarmon’s head swung round, looking down at Skathimon as she slid to a halt, her fingers dancing over the edge of her sword blade.

“Vindictive Blizzard!”

The storm was immense, flying far and wide and engulfing HelMidgarmon’s head. The wyvern screeched, his vision temporarily whited out, even as much as he tried to disperse it with bolts of energy. He raised his free wing, and beat downwards, clearing a swathe of the snowstorm...but as he did so he saw the fiery figure barrelling through the sky towards him, glowing brighter than anything else.

Hauhetmon turned upwards, and swung her staffs together, interlocking the arrowheads above her as they let off sparks. She kicked against the air, her eyes blazing beneath her mask as she cried out.

“Solaris Sceptre!”

She pulled the staffs apart, and as she did so, a trail of fire followed her movements. She spun them effortlessly, the wisp spinning and coiling in the air, before she swung the sceptre forwards. The flame shot forwards through the sky, whipping back and forth and growing in size and temperature as it did so. HelMidgarmon hissed, curving upwards to make the blow into a glancing one, but the fire still scorched across his face, ripping away bone and crystal and leaving a gorge.

He screamed, making the air ripple around him, and his eyes rolled upwards, watching as the wisp swept across the sky. Hauhetmon twisted her body, still swinging her staffs as she controlled it from afar, the holy rings spinning around her arms and legs, adorned with an unimaginable power. Her eyes flicked up, and she swung sideways, the flame doubling back like a shooting star, ready for another blow.

For a moment HelMidgarmon hung there, watching the flame grow larger. He seemed to be held in place, a presence driving his every move.

Hauhetmon closed her eyes, forcing herself not to watch. Not to falter. She gripped her sceptres all the more, willing the fire to speed up.

But despite everything she was telling herself, she knew in her heart that she was still holding back.

In a sudden movement the wyvern arched his back, and let out a roar that bent the air in front of him. A wall of crystal materialised before him, and the flame struck, searing into it and forcing the vast dragon backwards. But he shifted, and the crystal snapped at an angle, and before she could do a thing to stop it, the flame bent sideways, firing right back towards Hauhetmon.

She reacted in an instant, raising her sceptres in a cross shape as the blast engulfed her. She could feel the heat of her own power rushing through her, tearing at the very fabric of her being. But she strained, pulling her arms apart, and the fire dispersed before her. She took a breath, her eyes still staring straight forwards as the wyvern bent back, a lazy look in his eyes.

He tilted sideways, his gaze falling upon her. She could see the void dancing beneath his jaws, glimmering green and dotted with starlight. A life’s worth of pain and duty, manifested in terrible power. He wasn’t going to give up. He was never going to give up.

It was him.

Or them.

For a moment, the angel thought she could see through the darkness. She knew very well that it...that he was watching back.

Deep within, Alasdair held his hand against the crystal beneath him. There was no strength left inside it. But he was no longer bound by the rules of the world. The slightest touch, and he was floating upwards, looking out into the sky, and at the lone star that hovered before him. He smiled. Maybe. He couldn’t really tell any more.

“...Do it...”

HelMidgarmon twisted around, fragments of bone dropping from his wings as he extended them all the more. His ribs opened up, and the void within pulsated, sending out spires of energy that wrapped around his breaking body, reinforcing the cracks and terminating in glowing spikes.

His tail rolled lazily beneath him, letting out a lone whistle as it floated through the air. The movements left trails in the ground below; the pail of dust and earth that had once held the gate facility. Only the first gate remained now, hovering six feet above the ground, naked and unbound. As the monster’s tail rolled over it, it rippled, and the ripples turned into swells that rolled back through the interface, and burst through into the Digital World beyond.

The beings of the broken world looked up, feeling the world shifting around them. They couldn’t see it, but they could feel it. The power that had plagued them for so long. A clash of titans in a world far away. Some of them knew where. Others could only guess.

But nearly all of them lowered their heads, and prayed for the end.

Hauhetmon couldn’t see that far. All she could see was the creature in front of her, extending his reach all the more. She spun her weapons, the fire travelling down the shaft again and culminating at the arrowhead, glowing a brilliant white.

Then she felt the air move behind her, and glanced backwards. Ouranomon spun upwards on her right, his hands curled around balls of air as he danced on the wind. To her left, GrandTengumon held his wings out straight, the scorched paper fluttering in the wind as he and Lyra held their instruments poised. And behind both of them, NeoSapiamon rose up, panels and pistons shifting on her body as she loaded the last of her firepower, her screen showing only a simple, determined stare.

And on the ground below, the rest of the army. Talosmon walked forwards, his body creaking and groaning as metal shifted within, powered by an eternal generator. Okeanomon closed his hands around his trident, as the waters rose up around him; a malleable ocean controlled by his own iron will. Herlathimon stood at the rear, holding the reins of his chariot, as the shadows spread out into an army of hounds, ready to fight and die for their master.

Skathimon stood at the front. She held her sword two-handed in front of her, and the golden glow of her eyes reflected off the pure white blade. One leg pawed against the ground. Her shawl blew in the wind.

Alasdair could see each and every one of them. His creations. His tamers. The last stand against his own sins.

“Kill me.”

His voice was lost as the roar started again, and HelMidgarmon’s wings drew back, clutching against the air, ready to charge. And the ones before him did the same, drawing upon all the last traces of power they had.

“Save the world.”

The tremors reached far and wide, leaving swells in the river as it carved its way down the pier, towards the sea. In their struggles, nobody thought of the place on the walkway, still laced with frost that remained, unmelting in the falling rain.

Nobody thought of the place where nothing had happened.

Save for a lone figure, walking across the slippery brick path, looking back and forth at the damage. Wrenched railings. Cracks in the ground. The buildup of ice, clutching desperately all around.

Mira turned herhead, and walked forwards towards a particular mound. She crouched down, and reached out, her gloved hand running over the surface. It crumbled beneath her, the lattice of dead data barely holding together.

“I hope you died happy.”

In a single movement, the renegade pressed inwards, reaching inside the ice as it collapsed into shards. A few seconds later, she redrew her hand, clutching a small, flat device in her palm.

“This doesn’t belong to you.”

She straightened up, and brushed the ice from the digivice. The lights reflected off the visor of her helmet as she looked down, running a finger over the grooves and cracks in the old device. Despite that, it was still warm, and if she stared hard she could see a faint red light deep within the centre of the screen.

“Although perhaps I should be thankful you found it. I might need all the power I can get.”

Mira slipped Alasdair’s digivice into her pocket, before walking on, carrying on along the winding path towards the battlefield. She raised her head, watching the flashes of fire and lightning coursing through the rain.

“I have faith in you all. Don’t let me down.”

“Fimbul Scimitar!”

The storm continued. It whirled and writhed, becoming more intense by the minute as the great dragon twisted and coiled in the air. He reached out, releasing tongues of green flame and showers of crystal, every one wreaking more havoc on the area around him.

And still they came. On their own, in pairs, all at once; it didn’t matter. They weren’t stopping. They couldn’t stop now.

“Titan Railgun!”

“Myriad Fortune!”

HelMidgarmon brought his tail down, crashing it into the ground below and drawing a vast valley in the rubble, scattering those on the ground. But within seconds they would be behind him, and he would have to dive or climb to escape the turbulent attacks that bore into his body.

“Light of Abyss!”

“Shard of Eternity!”

One would fall away, and two would return. One attack would barely miss, only for another warrior to ensnare him. They moved together, and they moved flawlessly, complementing and supporting one another.

“Vacuum Rend!”

“Judgement Sniper!”

Light and fire, iron and shadow; they caressed him. They carved into him. Every blow was more energy, more power needed to heal himself, to keep himself whole. He pulled his wings inwards, feeling the void growing unstable within his flesh.

They could win this. They could overpower him. They had the power and the will to do so, as long as they drew breath.

He wasn’t going to allow them.

“Tetragon Laser!”

A blaze of green light cascaded across the dragon’s shoulder as he twisted, and his wing arced upwards through the air, dragging across the metal of NeoSapiamon’s chest. She let out an electronic gasp, and her arms reached out, clamping around the bone as she fired a volley of light. But HelMidgarmon twisted further, and soon the mecha’s arm was bent backwards, held in a vice grip by a crystal cage that burned into her.

There was a crunch, and she pulled herself free, the arm sitting loose and rattling with the movement. HelMidgarmon turned when two projectiles shot up in front of him, slamming into his chest. He dived, letting out a strafe of lightning that caused Talosmon and Okeanomon to scatter.

He felt the wind change, and bent double, the energy surging through him and striking the air in loud cracks. Ouranomon was forced to weave back and forth, trying to summon the high winds but unable to find them in the intense vacuum.

“Siren Concerto!”

A wave of music coursed through the lightning, and HelMidgarmon buckled, flying low as the music burst through him. He let out a screech, and GrandTengumon stumbled backwards, the atonal burst disrupting their attack. With a twist, tamer and partner were sent flying, with GrandTengumon holding his arms out just in time to make the blow a glancing one.

He coiled back, his gaze swinging upwards to see Ouranomon hanging above him, his wings spread wide and his body shining gold. And behind him, shining just as bright, was Hauhetmon, her staffs held sideways as the arrowheads glowed red hot.

“Solaris Sceptre!”

“Stratus Bolt!”

The two moved in unison; and the attacks wrapped together, until they formed twin cyclones of flame that rushed towards HelMidgarmon’s head. They struck in an instant, and he hissed as the blast forced him down, sending shards of crystal shooting every which way. He tried to angle himself, to release the energy in a vast geyser, but before he could do so he crashed into the ground, the impact causing an almighty tremor.

Blades of bone extended all around, cracking open the ground as HelMidgarmon reared his head up, his eyes rolling and glowing with intense power. He growled, and made to spread his wings to return to the assailants above.

“Triton’s Jewel!”

A torrent of water cascaded around him, wrapping inwards and binding him where he lay. He shifted, buckling his prison even as it reformed, and unleashed a claw that slammed into the ground, but Okeanomon held fast, straining as the power emanated from his shield, holding the great tide in place.

“Silent Winter!”

A sudden haze emerged, weaving together with the water and tainting it with a dark blue web. Okeanomon glanced sideways, and saw Skathimon standing there, forming a sigyl with her own hands that glowed an intense blue. The two doubled down, even as HelMidgarmon strained against the bindings, his movements compressed and slowed.

But no matter how hard they tried, he was too big to be held entirely. A tear opened up and he lunged forwards, his head bursting through. As he did so, an arc of flame billowed down from above, striking him in the back of the head. He retaliated; a great, sweeping blaze of electricity that stabbed the sky, sending the others rushing for cover.

HelMidgarmon twisted again, and the surrounding void tore, a single wing bursting free. It formed a claw in the air, before swinging downwards, embedding itself in the rock and barely missing Okeanomon and Skathimon as they rushed backwards. The bone clenched downwards, held for a second. And that gave Talosmon just enough time to reach it as he ran forwards with all the speed he could muster, his fists glowing with internal power.

“Gigaton Meteor!”

The hand struck the bone with the force of an earthquake, and it sent fissures spiralling up the claw, cracking through the joints and shearing the crystal that bound it. The vast appendage shattered into a million pieces, and HelMidgarmon was sent tumbling downwards, his head crashing to earth and razing the rubble into a great crater.

“Solaris Sceptre!”

“Marianas Lance!”

“Dividing Thread!”

The attacks rained down from all around, searing and carving at the wyvern’s body. He roared, shifting back and forth as his left wing regenerated with a new rush of bony tendrils. A blast of wind struck him in the throat, and he went down, crashing against the ground. Sparks erupted from his jaw as his eyes rolled forwards, focusing on the ground before him. Herlathimon stood there, his rifle raised and his eye glinting, and beside him was Skathimon, running her fingers over her sword blade as it glowed a brilliant white.

“Judgement Sniper!”

“Fimbul Scimitar!”

Darkness and shadows twisted together, releasing crackling waves into the ether, until they formed a single, spiralling bolt of cold energy. HelMidgarmon shifted, seeing the brief flash for barely even a second. Then the projectile struck him in the left eye, sinking into the pale flesh.

The scream was unbearable. HelMidgarmon’s entire body arched as a new and terrible pain rushed through him, like a bolt of lightning striking every nerve. The ground shook as he writhed, and bent downwards, drops of liquid falling from his eye socket. Skathimon was already backing away, holding her sword two-handed as she looked up at the great wyrm.

There was a flash of green, and HelMidgarmon’s wing shot out, crashing into the ground before them. The warriors retreated, firing again. Talosmon turned to make another move, but the dragon’s other wing came down, knocking him off balance. HelMidgarmon kept going, pain driving him ever forwards. Talosmon was lost in a mound of rubble as it collapsed inwards. Skathimon was thrown back by a storm of crystal shards. Herlathimon raised his hands, staring up at the monstrosity as it bore down on him, the bone teeth dripping with black matter.

“Vital Pursuit!”

The shadows rose around him, and in a roaring torrent, the hounds rushed forwards. They wrapped around the bones, and leapt up, clambering over one another as they went for the dragon’s head. Hundreds and thousands, crawling from the darkness with those same scarlet eyes and crimson claws.

For a moment it looked hopeless. The torrent crashing uselessly against the leviathan, dispersing almost as soon as they struck.

But Herlathimon clenched his hands all the tighter, his body shaking with the strain as his iron will commanded the army of shadows.

And with a great creaking and cracking, HelMidgarmon was sent rolling backwards, crashing onto his back. He coiled left and right, blasts of light spearing great swathes of the hounds all over him. But as he looked up, he could see a different shadow. The vast silhouette of NeoSapiamon as she hovered overhead; arms outstretched, panels opened, the energy burning within her to a truly frightening degree.

“Independence Day!”

The barrage fell to earth; a mesmerising display of colour and light that pierced the dragon’s body from head to tail. The crystal ruptured, and the bone splintered, and the void sang out in pain as the light of a thousand stars poured through it.

NeoSapiamon kept firing, releasing blast after rocket after laser until her body couldn’t fire anything more. She hung there, looking down at the mass of smoke and dust down below. Stardust fell from her arms, and smoke billowed from between her joints. Her head flickered with static, the expression barely visible through all the noise and colour on her screen.

She could already see the dust caving inwards, outlining the form of a quivering titan as it prepared to rise up again.

She saw it all. But there was nothing left within her to even try and escape.

“AAAAAAAARGH!”

HelMidgarmon’s head burst through the dust cloud, and stretched up towards the sky. The very air cracked, as a great storm exploded from his upper jaw. It spread all around, firing bolts at the ground that spread out in a deadly web, and shooting up into the sky, where Ouranomon and Hauhetmon dived backwards to avoid the spears of light.

NeoSapiamon didn’t move a muscle; all she could do was hang there as the bolts speared through her. Her arms jerked, and bursts of energy billowed out from all around her, her body going into overdrive. More lightning, reaching, screaming; now NeoSapiamon was faltering. The lights over her body blinked on and off, turning red, sirens blaring. Her screen was utterly blank now, no power of her own to call upon. Only the tainted light. Only the unstoppable juggernaut beneath her.

Ouranomon hissed as he dived between the falling starlight, and screamed into the wind above him.

“Get out of there! Hurry!”

NeoSapiamon twitched, but there was barely anything left within her to move. Deep within her chest, Owen and Simeamon moved in tandem, calling upon every ounce of strength they had left.

A jet exploded outwards. Then faltered. Then another one. She lowered her cannons, and fired downwards; a burst of height, taking her away from the deluge, away from the danger. Every movement, another step away...

She had barely moved one hundred metres before the dust was torn apart beneath her, and HelMidgarmon rose again, cleaving the air with new, regenerated wings. He climbed at a frightening pace, more than she could manage to outfly.

His tail lashed forwards, slamming into her midriff.

He coiled around her, the tendrils latching onto her left arm.

And with a single movement, like a snake striking his prey, he coiled further, and the jagged crystal of his jaws embedded themselves right in the centre of NeoSapiamon’s chest.

A great rending sound melded with a horrific, electronic screeching, as NeoSapiamon was pulled open from the centre. She twisted, and writhed, and let off every ounce of energy she had remaining in point-blank blasts to the serpent’s throat. But he held on regardless, clawing and ripping at the mecha’s chest. Sirens blared into the air as panels and wires were ripped away, each new assault causing her lights to dim and her movements to slow all the more.

Down below, Hauhetmon kicked against the air, holding her sceptres sideways as the air rippled either side of her. She hung in space, her eyes scanning the sky above, and her teeth gritted tightly.

“What are you waiting for?”

The angel flinched, looking over her shoulder as Ouranomon flew up beside her. His eyes were wide, his pupils shaking as the screeches grew louder above them. “Do something! He’s gonna kill her!”

Hauhetmon gripped her sceptres all the tighter. “I can’t…I can’t just fire now, I’m going to hit NeoSapiamon!”

Ouranomon looked back and forth, the look in his eyes growing even more fraught. There was a tearing sound from up above, followed by the shattering of glass, and the two aerial warriors looked up to see the great mecha hanging limply, a gaping hole in the centre of her chest.

“NO!”

In a gust of wind, Ouranomon shot skywards, his wings streaming out behind him as tornados whipped around them. He thrust his arms forwards, one after the other, as the air crackled around him with a sonic intensity.

“Stratus BOLT!”

The spears shot skywards, one after the other, twisting together and then parting again with greater speed and ferocity. They slammed into HelMidgarmon from beneath, tearing into the bone and sending shards raining down. HelMidgarmon twisted, and his eyes swivelled down towards the warrior below, the golden figure getting ever closer.

He roared, and unfurled from around NeoSapiamon’s body, his tendrils still digging into her. Another spear shot upwards, cracking his tail, and it fell away, leaving the great mechanical Digimon free. She fell backwards, sparks and lights spluttering all around her, as she gained speed.

Ouranomon pulled sideways, struggling against the turbulence. He looked down, and so did Hauhetmon, and GrandTengumon, watching in horror as NeoSapiamon tumbled down. There was nothing any of them could do but watch, as she struck the ground below.

There was an almighty rumble, and the air all around shook from the impact. And NeoSapiamon fell still.

Hauhetmon turned upwards again, firming her grip on her sceptres, but as she looked up she saw Ouranomon was still climbing, faster than ever now. And up above him, HelMidgarmon had turned as well, his wings beating against the air as he climbed up further. The angel held her breath down below, calling out at the top of her voice.

“Get out of the way!”

“No!” shouted the sky warrior into the slipstream, and he sped up, his plate armour rattling around him as he fired bolt after bolt.

“No more…please no more…I’m…I’m not gonna let anyone else die...”

Faster and faster, higher and higher, far out of earshot of the others down below, but he didn’t care as he spread his wings and dived through the cloud cover after the snaking tail before him.

“We’re going to win…we’re going to win…”

He paused, hanging in space as the clouds whirled all around him. He heard a rumble behind him, and turned, seeing the vast silhouette of HelMidgarmon looming over him. He could see the faint glowing through the clouds; another volley of energy building up, ready to strike.

“We’re going to stop you…all of us, all together, once again…we have the power!”

The energy began to crackle, but Ouranomon moved first. He shot forwards, two spears of wind following his movements. He dived between the creaking wings and banked backwards, the movement so quick that it caved the extremities of his armour. But he kept going, the wind following him like a binding cord.

“We have the strength! The will! The same we’ve always had, Alasdair!”

He span, and the winds twisted together into a vast lattice, forming zones of vacuum and pressure that roared and were silent, twisting the very atmosphere to Ouranomon’s will. HelMidgarmon’s body contorted, held by the whipping winds.

And the sky warrior rose up, his own body strained to the very limit, pain piercing through his every movement as he held up his hands, grasping the reins of the atmospheric snare. He stared forwards, tears in his eyes as his hands shook.

“You hear me, Ali? We still have that power and we’re gonna use every bit of it to finish this!”

He pulled his arms back, his own wings tearing as he did so from the sheer pressure. But the movements rippled forwards, and the tearing and rending grew louder, until it was a cacophony of sonic blasts that ripped a hole in the very sky. The clouds were blasted apart, flashes of light and booming thunder rippling out in waves, all the way down to the ground below. Ouranomon couldn’t even close his eyes; he just stayed in place, holding himself still with all his might, as he watched the cyclone wreak his entire fury on the dragon before him.

The storm dissipated, leaving Ouranomon alone in a bare patch of sky, his wings and muscles torn to pieces. For a moment he could see nothing. Only white patches. He drew in a breath, and his lungs felt like they were on fire.

“…and if…if that isn’t enough…”

Slowly his vision returned. For a moment he was looking at open sky. Then the silhouette returned. Patchy. Blurry. Then gaining form.

The sky warrior’s eyes focused entirely, seeing HelMidgarmon fully unveiled from the clouds. The blast had racked his own body to the core; tears in the bone, liquid crystal falling from the joints and the eyes before him. But still here. Always still here.

HelMidgarmon’s head rose, and Ouranomon could see the green lights beneath the jagged jaw. The sky warrior’s throat burned as the words came out in a whisper, almost on impulse now.

“…if that still isn’t enough…then what’s the fucking point…”

He could feel the bolts burrowing into him already, drawing out his very sense of feeling. But his body moved on its own, ignoring every synapse and every muscle screaming at him to run. He drew his wings back, the winds gathering around him as he spun forwards, screaming at the top of his broken lungs.

“Spiral…DRI-“

He didn’t finish. HelMidgarmon convulsed, and the lightning blasted outwards, hitting him point blank. With the last of his energy he held his palms forwards, sending a spear of wind forwards into the wyvern’s jaw. It cracked, and the lightning careered all around; streams of energy lighting up the sky.

The wyvern recoiled, globules of light dripping from his jaw as his head let off smoke, struggling to regenerate once again.

But the damage was done. Ouranomon hung in space for a few seconds, his golden armour charred and smoking, and his limbs twitching. Blank-eyed, he glitched, and shook.

And he dropped like a stone, his armour leaving barely a whistle.

The warriors could see down below, the clouds blasted apart by the immense power. They could see the warrior falling, glinting in the sunlight. First one speck against the blue. Then a blinking…then there were two, smaller, falling faster. And up above, HelMidgarmon ducked down, as he began to fall after them.

Skathimon was already running, but she knew already that she wasn’t going to make it this time, he was falling so quickly. It didn’t matter; her feet pounded against the ground, stumbling over the rubble, her heart beating so fast she thought it might burst.

Then there was a rustling of paper above her, and she held her arms up against the slipstream as GrandTengumon powered through the air overhead, flying faster than ever as he flew straight for the falling partners.

Lyra held on with her legs as tightly as she could, her hand grasped around the neck of her violin as the digivice glowed in her hands. She could feel the stinging crystals as they began to fall; small at first, but hailing larger and larger ones. But she didn’t look away, focusing on the two specks in front of her as they fell faster. GrandTengumon beat his wings, the paper fluttering behind him.

“I’m not fast enough. We won’t catch them in time.”

“Yes we will,” yelled Lyra as her hair flew out behind her. She raised her arms, pulling her digivice across the strings again as a bright light emanated from her. “I owe him that much at least.”

GrandTengumon’s eyes flicked upwards, watching as HelMidgarmon descended after the falling partners himself. “Lyra…we-“

“I know,” said the girl flatly, pulling the bow up to the strings. “Just fly.”

She drew it back, and a surge of energy burst out from her, making GrandTengumon’s body glow with new energy. He kicked backwards, gaining speed as his wings beat faster and faster, and the two dots grew larger as he climbed up, ignoring the rain of crystals around him.

His legs extended, and he kicked off from the rooftop below, veering upwards in an arc. Lyra held her note, and stood up, the sound echoing as she reached up with both arms.

GrandTengumon hovered in mid-air for a moment, as Jack and Perimon fell towards them, utterly limp in the air.

The great crane fell, matching speed with them. And Lyra reached up, reaching out into space, and she grabbed them and pulled them close, holding them both tight. They were still, and cold from the altitude. But as she held them close, she could feel the heartbeats against her chest.

“Fly!”

“Myriad Fortune!”

GrandTengumon’s wings billowed outwards as a storm of tiny cranes rushed backwards, spreading out and engulfing HelMidgarmon as he turned as well. They streaked past his head, digging into the bone and his staring eyes, but he didn’t stop, bursting through the cloud as he angled himself to pursue the crane.

Lyra held tightly, not daring to look back as her partner flew for his life down below. She tried to bring her arms together, to play that same song and give him the strength he needed, but she couldn’t let go of Jack or Perimon. She tried to sing, to hum, to give anything she could, but there was nothing. Only tears falling from her eyes, stinging as they were blown back.

In a last-ditch effort to escape, GrandTengumon ducked down, skimming over the ragged rooftops to try and shake the wyvern away. HelMidgarmon fell as well, the tendrils scraping the tops of the roofs. He shuddered, and all of a sudden he rose up, unfurling his wings. But as he was slowed, the crystal rain carried on, and they were as large as meteorites now, falling down over the rubble. GrandTengumon weaved, and kicked off, drawing on every last bit of agility he had.

“Hold…on…to me…”

A crystal shard slammed into his leg, sending him sideways. He knocked against a wall, flailing, beginning to turn, and was struck in the side. The gem pierced his wooden chestplate, burrowing deep into the paper beneath, and he couldn’t control himself anymore.

He rolled, tumbling downwards over the rubble, over and over in a mass of shredded paper and tearing wood, unable to do a thing for the wards on his back as they were lost in the chaos. With a sickening splintering sound he crashed to the ground in a pile of red dust, with the crystal shards still falling down all around him, pockmarking the ground all around.

For a moment GrandTengumon couldn’t hear a thing, the sounds of the world imploding ringing in his ears. He could feel his body pulling apart, on the verge of collapsing himself.

Then the roar of the wyvern pierced through the haze, and his eyes snapped open as he felt the rumbling crashes of the dragon’s wings on the ground.

He pushed himself upwards, and convulsed, bringing up a stream of liquid as he felt a crushing pain in his side. He could see the great silhouette up above, walking towards him in slow, cracking footsteps.

“…Lyra…”

He looked back, and saw the girl lying on the ground behind him. She had her arms around Jack and Perimon, holding them close as they coiled up in pain, barely conscious. Not that she was doing much better herself, her eyes half-closed as her arm was twisted at an awkward angle, and a wide cut on her head gushed with blood.

GrendTengumon reached around, trying to find his kokyu, but his claws only blindly clutched over a mass of wood and string where the instrument had once been. He tried to stand, to call forth the song again, but it was empty in his ears. Only the faint hiss of static, which he realised was coming from in front of him, as HelMidgarmon’s head reared back, lightning sparking between the shards of bone.

But the air was suddenly frozen in a haze of blue, and it swayed back and forth, distorting the vision of the wyvern. A bolt shot outwards, piercing the veil, but it pulled back, reinforcing itself. GrandTengumon coiled back as Okeanomon rose up in front of him, his body shimmering with blue light and the gems over his body glowing brightly.

“I won’t let you hurt them!”

He thrust his arms aside, and a second wall of water shot up. Then a third, bigger again. The merlord stood like a sentinel, his body glowing with bioluminescence as he pushed barrier after barrier forwards against the relentless bolts of energy. Even as they pierced through, taking gouges out of his arms and face and flank, he stood firm with bright yellow eyes, bringing up the walls one by one.

HelMidgarmon began to charge, relinquishing the bolts of lightning and instead scraping through the barriers with his own crystal jaws. They pushed back, but despite Okeanomon’s power they could hold up to the pressure, dissolving before his assault. Okeanomon bent low, the attack draining him as he held himself up with the palm of his hand.

“Light of Abyss!”

He held out a hand, and a lattice burst through the remaining barriers, pulling around the wyvern. He shook, tearing through the lattice even as it bound and seared him, but it still slowed him enough for the merlord to stand up again. He held his trident with both hands, and snapped it in two, the spear dissolving into light that spread throughout the shields in a hundred motes of light, shining in the wyvern’s face.

”Marianas Lance!”

His voice echoed through the waters as the spears shot forwards, piercing and shattering the dragon’s bones. Wave after wave, slamming into him, taking great chunks out of him as Okeanomon roared in anger.

But despite everything he could throw, and every barrier he could raise, HelMidgarmon kept swinging forwards, tearing through the walls of water one by one.

The last fell before him, and the blast of energy bathed Okeanomon. He raised a small shield, blocking it from reaching the fallen warriors behind him. But he was being worn away, the energy tearing at his skin and armour, and he knew he couldn’t keep standing much longer, he knew it was only a matter of time-

“God in the Machine!”

“Vital Pursuit!”

Steel and shadow rose up, wrapping around the great serpent with great hooked claws. He screeched, his wings rising up and tearing through the bindings, but Herlathimon and Talosmon broke free and pushed forwards again. Herlathimon’s hounds clambered up the wyvern’s body, baying and snarling as they burrowed deep inside, the huntsman firing bolt after bolt of shadow from his white-hot rifle. Talosmon pushed in further still, his arms splitting apart into great metal structures that clawed in between the shimmering crystal.

As the wyvern struggled, Hauhetmon descended, her feet letting off rings of flame in the sky as she hovered over the others. Okeanomon was barely standing, scales falling around him as the glow of his gemstones faltered. GrandTengumon was crouched over Lyra, Perimon and Jack, his broken wings outstretched like a mockery of a shield.

There was a flurry of frost, and Skathimon was there, walking slowly as she looked down at Jack’s still form. Hauhetmon couldn’t see much of him from where she stood. Only glimpses. She didn’t get any closer.

Skathimon straightened up, her hair billowing outwards. Then she turned, and her golden eyes flickered up towards Hauhetmon. Her sword dug into the ground, just for a moment, the tip shaking in the dust. Then she held it up, and grasped it with her second hand. And her gaze never left the angel.

With the sound of tearing, a blast of energy billowed outwards from where HelMidgarmon stood, tearing through the bindings again and forcing the both of them back, temporarily stunned. HelMidgarmon’s wings stretched outwards, green flames building beneath them and firing outwards in a bright beam. Talosmon raised his arms, the flames melting away at them and reaching all the way back to his armour. Herlathimon came off even less well, the hounds simply dissipating before him as he was thrown to the ground.

Cloak tattered and body glitching, he grasped at the dust beneath him, trying to push himself upwards. Another cry sounded, and he looked up with one half-closed eye, watching HelMidgarmon trying to rise up into the sky once again.

But there was a creak of metal, and two vast metal arms reached over the dragon’s shoulders, hooking around him. NeoSapiamon’s form leered over his head, her screen cracked and static. But even so, her voice still emanated outwards, fuzzy and barely legible, but still there.

“I’m...not finished...yet you...shithead...”

HelMidgarmon trembled, and a hundred serpents of energy ebbed away from his core, crawling over NeoSapiamon’s armour and causing her to shudder and crack. But she didn’t let go, blasting every ounce of energy she had at him in retaliation.

The lights danced in Hauhetmon’s eyes, and she shook her head, her teeth clicking together. She kicked against the air, flying forwards as the air rippled all around her. She rose up, her voice booming as she called out to the battlefield.

“Everyone who has anything left, do it now! Don’t stop! Throw everything you have, all together!”

Higher and higher, her sceptres in her hands as the portals of light began to open up in waves up above. The others were moving as well; Skathimon’s hand tracked the length of her sword as she called upon all her magic, while Herlathimon coiled all his shadows around his arms, forming a vast scythe. Talosmon’s body split apart into a thousand shining blades, and NeoSapiamon pulled one arm back, clamping it over the wyvern’s head as it opened up with a bright green light. Even GrandTengumon and Okeanomon edged forwards, summoning the last lights within their bodies, as Lyra sat up behind them, holding Jack in her arms and playing a desperate note on her violin.

“NOW!”

“Fimbul Scimitar!”

“Lunar Requiem!”

“God in the Machine!”

“Tetragon Laser!”

“Marianas Lance!”

“Dividing Thread!”

Hauhetmon descended, feeling the fire within her as her eyes met with HelMidgarmon’s.

He raised his head. And she realised in horror that she could see starlight.

“SHARD OF ETERNITY!”

“Photon Quiet.”

The torrent of flames melded with the other blasts; ice, metal, light and sound, water and shadow from every direction. They slammed into HelMidgarmon, opening up his chest and throat as he screeched.

But in an instant, his own devastating energy was unleashed, and with nowhere to lock onto, it went wild.

The light curved outwards, caught by the turbulence from the combined blast and sent far and wide. It strafed the ground, it seared the air, the streams tied together and exploded in a devastating chain reaction. The warriors didn’t even have a chance to run before their world was engulfed in white and green. Herlathimon, Okeanomon, Skathimon, Talosmon, NeoSapiamon, Hauhetmon; every one of them was ripped from their feet by the devastating storm, and they were sent tumbling and whirling in the vast typhoon of the colliding energies. HelMidgarmon himself was pulled from the ground, shedding bone and crystal as the explosion rocked him to the core.

The energies pulled together, spinning faster and faster into a single conglomerate orb. It cracked. And shattered, releasing all their power at once.

The light was visible from far away; a streak of green across the horizon, sending licks of flame into the sky. It lasted for several seconds, burning at the very air. Even when it faded, it left stars, hanging low in the sky.

Many people were watching. Many people saw the beacon. And they prayed.

Hauhetmon felt light. Ethereal. Hollow. She opened her eyes, but they didn’t seem to be obeying her. She stared straight ahead at nothing, separated from time and space and existence; everything save for the immobilising pain coursing through her.

Eventually she could make out a light, and she focused on it, clenching her hand as she reached out for it. After a few seconds, she realised the light was her own hand. She closed her fingers, one by one. The hand shimmered. Partly human, partly Digimon, and partly something else entirely. And none of it belonging to her.

She found herself rolling, her body feeling on the verge of breaking apart with every move. But still, it happened. Slowly, almost automatically. She stood, surrounded by green fire, and barely anything else.

She looked forwards, across the barren plain, to where HelMidgarmon was lying. A mass of crystal and bone shards, falling inwards, releasing swathes of data into the sky above. The first gate lay before him, turning slowly, the light beckoning.

Hauhetmon opened her mouth to speak, but only silence came out. She could only watch. And feel. A rumble. Faint at first, but then another one, audible this time, shaking her to her core.

She looked on in exhaustion as HelMidgarmon moved, the green glow firing up in his joints and wounds.

Unstoppable.

Relentless.

She looked around, wanting to call for aid. But she knew it was no use. The tamers and Digimon lay fallen all around her; some moving, many not. Lyra and Jack lay buried, holding tiny birds in their arms. Inez lay on her back, staring at the sky, with a small seahorse by her side. NeoSapiamon’s hollow shell lay in a broken wreck on the ground, with Owen lying out the cracked shell of the centre, holding a small mechanised monkey.

The others hadn’t yet devolved, but they weren’t moving either. Talosmon was still; a silver statue in the dust, the red flicker of his eyes the only sign of life. Herlathimon’s form was shifting, barely able to stay together, certainly not enough to stand. Skathimon stood crouched, her sword held in the ground before her, held by a thin layer of ice. She looked up, her hair streaked with black and her armour cracked.

“Is...is that...the end of it...?”

Hauhetmon crouched down silently, and reached into the black dust. She pulled out a single sceptre, glints of gold shining beneath the scorch marks. The others watched as she stood up again, slowly walking over the ash towards another pile, and pulling out the second. Skathimon caught the profile of her face, just for an instant. The dull glow in her eyes.

The angel turned, and began to walk forwards towards HelMidgarmon, limping slightly. Skathimon pushed against her sword, but her body glitched and she fell forwards again, her body convulsing. She held her head down, her eyes stinging.

“What...are you going to do...?”

Hauhetmon stopped, and her hair blew back behind her, the plaits rippling in the wind. She held her sceptres loosely by her sides, and her dress billowed around her.

“I’m going to end this. It’s my duty, after all.”

“Lonnie...we couldn’t...there’s nothing...”

“You don’t have to worry anymore.”

Hauhetmon turned, her body shining, and she looked back over her shoulder, as the great wyvern began to shift once again.

“I’m going to save the world.”

Before anybody could say a word, she turned, and broke into a run, leaving faint stars falling behind her. The wind picked up again, picking up the dust into billowing clouds.

And, save for a single, flickering firelight, she was gone.

TO BE CONCLUDED...