Old Ones Return (VII)

*Merukimon, Appollomo, & Marsmon turn towards dispatching the Agents with ghostly animals, flaming arrows, & flaming punches & kicks respectively, while Bacchusmon just sort of drunkenly charges in & starts smashing things. Cherubimon & Beelzemon add in Chaos Flare & Lighting to destroy the wires that try to attack them. Vulcanusmon can be seen spewing fire, hammering weapons & passing them to the nearby Chessmon, occasionally slashing or shooting an Agent that comes too close before doing so. Kentaurusmon's shield glows & he shoots a frozen gale that freezes one of the monster's feet while Jesmon absorbs his helpers, dawning a flaming aura & holding another leg in place. Alphamon creates a glyph by spinning his sword & stabs through it, piercing a back leg with a beam of light. Dark jaws emerge from the ground, pinning the other leg like a bear trap as Plutomon emerges from the darkness nearby.*

P<I want to thank you for destroying Jupitermon for me. Now I'm free to punish evil as I see fit.>

E<"Uh, right....">

*She floats into the air, charging Terra Force & letting it fly, Plesiomon assisting with a sonic scream, though just as soon as they damage it, Gizumon armor grows over it & the beast thrashes its tail to blow those holding it away in a torrent of earth before speaking in a voice not quite male or female, human or animal. More than sound, it seems to vibrate from everything around them.*

<"We will delete these worlds & their abominations that have been allowed to live for far too long! Time...life...memories...we will reset them all to 0! Then, when we rule over the void, we will recreate it ALL over again, overseeing their evolutions until the next purge! Over & over, each world better than the last, an eternal cycle of suffering & death!">

*Many of the red masses shape shift into Kurata's head & begin laughing in the beast's voice, though King Drasil is staring at the rifts around the monster's feet.*

Drasil<Whatever this thing is, the fabric of reality is collapsing under it. If you can pressure it & keep it on the offensive, it should disappear into its own hole.>

Th"Would that not be disastrous for the universe it is punching holes into?"

Drasil<Fret not. I can contain the fallout from its obliteration, provided you perform your role as instructed.>

*With that, he bulges & begins shifting into his robot-like form, firing beams from his visor at the monster, which retaliates by slashing at them with surprising swiftness, trailing gale force winds in its wake.*

*Dianamon, Ornismon, and Crusadermon all enter Burst Mode, Ornismon's aura covering Thiera to protect her. He takes to the air, followed by the other two. Ornismon fires his mouth beam at the monster, Dianamon firing off ice and darkness arrows as fast as she can. Meanwhile, lacking a really going long range option, Crusadermon uses Fist of Fear on the monster*

The four fly about attacking the monster.

*King Drasil isn't fast enough to evade, resulting in the middle being cut out of his avatar body, revealing [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] More importantly, Apollomon & Marsmon detonate huge bursts of flame in its face & Ceresmon dumps all of the debris she's collected on top of it, while a MarineAngemon spits hearts at it & the previous attackers prepare to strike anew. As the Tamers strike its vulnerable flank, it roars, releasing waves of lightning. The pile bunker on Crusadermon's wrist explodes into data along with the buildings while the long range attackers are all knocked to the ground, their forms quickly failing. The lightning has torn more holes in space, which now widen around the monster, which appears to be sweating Hybrid Digimon as the last of itself is covered in armor.*

Drasil<That should be enough! All of you, retreat as far as you can!>

*With that, the Avatar springs forward, its arms growing around the Beast in a ring & shooting crystal spears that stab into it. The crystal trap starts to dissolve, but not nearly fast enough. The core springs out, floating above the Beast, its swords flying out of its grasp & stabbing into it in a cross formation.*

Jesmon<But we can't just leave you, Lord!>

Drasil<Do not be so quick to bring shame upon yourself! Now that you are a Royal Knight, your duty should be obvious.>

Kentaurusmon<Yes...our duty is to serve you & protect the Digital World.>

Drasil<Then cease your tarrying--& fulfill my commandments...>

*The Royal Knights nod & start running off, grabbing any stragglers they can, the Olympiads & Leomon following suit shortly thereafter. Cherubimon & Beelzemon do the same, albeit flying & on a motorcycle respectively. The monster thrashes its tail & breathes a point-blank blast of golden light at the Avatar, obliterating it. However, it has sealed its fate as the portals now grow large enough to swallow its Agents & Hybrids, as well as to start breaking chunks of the Beast itself off, which dissolve into data as they fall into oblivion. WarGreymon makes sure to help Sakuyamon up before they take off, while Plesiomon sprays away the debris in front of them to clear their path.*

They flee, presumably also collecting stragglers except SlashAngemon as being made of swords makes that impossible.

*Everyone picks themselves up, then grab as many stragglers as they can as they beat a hasty retreat*

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] emerges from where the pair of Digital Creatures is battling, expanding over the ruins of the base in a shape similar to a mushroom cloud until it pierces the skies. A cloud of dust swarms over the frightened Digimon, before it is pulled back as the light recedes, leaving only a kind of white scar in space. At their limit, Wargreymon & Plesiomon de-digivolve, the humans & their partners moving forward & looking around. Ever creatures of habit, the Chessmon make a tight formation around the assembled parties.*

E"Are they--y'know--gone? I know I saw the monster breaking apart, but what about King Drasil?"

Ts"What is it? You have something to say?"

*Euryale looks towards Tsune, who is in turn looking at the Monitamon that had waddled up & tugged on her coat. Tsune bends down to the monitor & reads aloud.*

Ts"From King Drasil to Dearest Knights: This will be my final set of orders to you, as we will most likely never cross paths again. As I transmit this message, I am entering hibernation to avoid irreparable damage to my systems. I know not where I will land once I awaken, nor even where I am now, & I bid you not to follow. I gathered you for the task of protecting the Digital World, & I trust you to accomplish it in my absence. My final task before signing out will be to bid you all farewell. May you never lose the light of justice."

*Jesmon & the Sistermons huddle together as Tsune reads the message, the Sirenmon singing an a Capella tune while flying in a ring overhead as the Olympiads come to rest nearby. Even Jesmon's flying flame things seem to be dingier & flying lower than usual. Alphamon walks up, his cape twisting in the wind. The flying Sovereign gracefully move closer, Baihumon leaps towards them in a single bound, & Ebonwumon just takes his own sweet-ass time getting there.*

Alpha<Believe it or not, we have been preparing for this possibility. King Drasil has many followers, & the closest has been selected to serve as a representative in the event of his absence. We had always planned to create a sanctuary after this war was over, a fort from which to continue protecting the Digital World.>

Zhuqaiomon<How very presumptive of you to think that we would have no input on this.>

Azulongmon<I do not see what harm it will do. Unfortunately, there will be more than enough uninhabited space in the Digital World to go around. More unfortunate would be letting it go to waste.>

Baihumon<I second Azulongmon's proposal. As long as you do not displace any of the surviving Digimon, it should be fine.>

Ebonwumon Left<Oi, looks like you boys do be deciding on this for yourselves.>

Ebonwumon Right<Yes, dinnae need ta wait for oos. We'll just be goin' along wit wotevah ye wish.>

Zhuquaiomon<Hmph. Then I suppose I am overruled once again. But make no mistake, I will be sure to keep an eye on you.>

Alphamon<Likewise.>

*Dianamon flies up and carries Thiera down to the ground, then all three regress to Tamer and Rookie*

Cameron:<He...he was kind of an asshole, but he did help us defeat Kurata. I guess that balances out in the end...>

*Lyra and Kotemon look kind of downcast as well*

One would think there'd be some problem with a group deciding to overrule what amounts to a quartet of gods of apparently they're not nearly as spiteful as they should be.

I reckon they regress and hang close to their loved one's or in Hideki's case with Monodramon rather than be apart of the hippie drum circle.

*Euryale finds Taiyo & throws her arms around her, crying softly. Thiera limps by, holding her side, as Agumon leads Sistermon White towards her. From the other direction, the Leomon Corps approach.*

IceLeomon<Forgive my intrusion, but the army should return to the Digital World as soon as possible. The human military may still view us as the enemy.>

Azulongmon<That is a good point. Fortunately, it seems as though our passage has already been cleared.>

*He gestures with his head towards the rift in space, through which they can still see various parts of the Digital World. Tsune sits on the nearest bit of rubble while Gomamon splashes around in a large puddle.*

Ts"Err--hope Yamaki knows what to do about that."

*On cue, the Monitamon begins tuning itself.*

*Everyone looks over to Monitamon, except for Cameron, who runs over to help Thiera to Sistermon White*

Taiyo reciprocates as one would expect her to.

Azuma: "How will this affect our world?"

Azulongmon<I cannot say until we have had time to research it. Until then, farewell, Digidestined.>

*With that he does a little twirl before flying into the rift & disappearing into the distance. Zhuqaiomon mutters that he's a show off before he & the rest of the Sovereign follow.*

Mastamon<My Monitamon knows to return to me once he has fulfilled the services you require of him. Until then, take care of him.>

Mervamon<See ya later!>

*They wave before Mastamon grips Mervamon & flies them into the portal. Sistermon furrows her brow as white energy courses from her hands into Thiera, clearing up some of her smaller bruises.*

Sistermon<I'm very sorry, but it's not easy for me to heal someone not made of data.>

Th"It is fine. You may leave with your friends."

*With a nod, Sistermon joins her darker sister & follows the Royal Knights--most of them limping--into the portal. Bancho Leomon stops & turns as the rest of the Leomon Corps disappears.*

BL<Azuma, I trust you see what I meant about how things tend to work out if we just keep moving forward. Thiera, remember what I said about your lion's heart. The rest of you, I hope we can speak more soon.>

*Once they disappear, a series of steady lines forms to the portal, Digimon slowly filling out. Some of the Digimon on the farther reaches of the battlefield, such as the barely afloat Mermaimon Fleet, disappear in Digital Fog. Finally, Monitamon succeeds in establishing contact with Hypnos. As usual, Yamaki stands in front with Riley & Tally working in the background, as well as a cadre of concerned family members behind him.*

Yamaki<Finally, the signal is back! We were worried we might have lost you! What's happening?>

OOC: Forward to overthrowing the bourgeoisie.

Azuma: "I think it's over."

Lunamon:<We won! Yay!>

*She starts hopping up and down, then grabs Kylie's hands and tries to get her to join in. Kylie just kinda stands there, smiling weekly*

Cameron:<Can you get us a medic? Thiera's injuried.>

*There is not so much a celebration as a collective sigh of relief at being told it's over.*

Yamaki<All I could do is call a hospital in your area.>

Th"Never mind that. Kurata ripped a hole in space. Can you fix it?"

Yamaki<Well--no. Kurata's technology was far more advanced than anything Hypnos had before he arrived.>

Riley<I'll run analysis on the anomaly.>

Tally<It shouldn't take long. We still have processing power from thousands of donors.>

Ts"Uh, guys...we might have trouble."

*Euryale peels herself off of Taiyo to see what's up. As the last of the Digimon are vanishing, leaving behind only the partners & Gallantmon, JSDF troops are surrounding the crater left behind by the battle. Fortunately for the Tamers, instead of drawing their weapons, each platoon raises a white flag high above their heads. A single soldier climbs down. Anyone familiar with military decorations will know that he is a general.*

A<Should we--should we get in a formation, or something?>

E"It is customary to bow in a situation like this."

Cameron:<Please call a hospital when you can.>

*Everyone awkwardly bows when the general gets close enough*

Awkwardly bowing at the people who were just shooting at them not very long ago like holy gods, I bet they think blue lives matter too.

*Euryale et al bow as well, except for Gomamon, who didn't seem to have heard them. The general inclines his head in return, then waits for everyone to stand back up.*

<Greetings. I am General Himura. I need to take your statements--or reports--or--who are you, exactly?>

E"We worked for Hypnos before Kurata took it over. I'm Euryale Rakshashi.>

A<Agumon, Euryale's partner. We've been fighting Kurata's evil schemes ever since he framed the old director of Hypnos for a security breach.>

*He gestures to Monitamon.*

Th"That would be Mr. Yamaki. I am Thiera Psyche. I was taken prisoner, but escaped."

*Tsune points to Gomamon.*

Ts"Tsune Aqua. That's Gomamon. We joined up with Euryale after Kurata started capturing Digimon Tamers, deleting their partners, & wiping their memories."

Gallantmon<You can call me Gallantmon, General. I'm not with them directly. I just needed to keep watch over her until she could be arrested.>

*He lifts his arm, revealing a scowling Vanessa under his shield.*

Gallantmon<She's part of a mercenary army that we've been fighting in the Digital World. She's the one who abducted Thiera.>

V<Allegedly.>

Kylie:<I'm Kylie Sorenson, and this is my brother Cameron! Our partners are Lunamon and Biyomon! We worked for Hypnos with Euryale.>

*She gestures to everyone named*

Cameron:<Allegedly my ass. You massacred innocent digimon under Kurata's orders, nearly killed us several times, and oh yeah, captured and tortured Thiera.>

*Biyomon puts his hand on Cameron's shoulder to calm him down*

Lyra:<I'm Lyra Kornel, and my partner and I are members of the Royal Knights.>

Azuma, Hitomi, and Taiyo introduce themselves and their partners stating that they too were employed by Hypnos.

Hideki and Monodramon just give their names.

OOC: Thinking of doing the epilogue after the families reunite.

*Having no idea what the Royal Knights are, General Himura just stares at Lyra in confusion. Vanessa looks Cameron right in the eye & smiles.*

V<Al~leg~ed~ly. Good luck proving any of those accusations. I look forward to seeing you kiddies in court.>

*She laughs as Gallantmon hands her off to some soldiers to escort her away. After bowing to the general, he enters the portal as well.*

Himura<Well...I suppose that, with Kurata gone, control over Hypnos & the JSDF will go back to the Minister of Defense. As soon as I can, Mr. Yamaki, I'll call to see if I can get you restated, then we can figure out what to do about the anomaly.>

*Yamaki inclines his head to the general, who turns back to the others.*

Himura<For the rest of you, I should be able to arrange to have your families meet you at the nearest airport.>

Lyra:<Thank you.>

I guess they thank the general and wait for transport or something, Azuma feeling gross about how going out of his way to save Vanessa isn't going to yield ideal results.

Th"I will catch up. These need to be recorded for use at Vanessa's trial."

*She gestures to her various bruises. Euryale nods.*

E"Okay. Don't worry, we'll do the best we can to make sure she gets what she deserves."

*She puts a hand on Azuma's shoulder as she says this. Tsune looks around nervously.*

Ts"We ARE sure Kurata had no more traps left, right?"

A<If he did, he really went the extra mile.>

*Thiera is led towards an ambulance while the general points to some kind of bigass truck for transporting a lot of people--I don't know much about military vehicles--& says it will take them to the airport when they're ready.*