Digimon: Devil's Ascent (RPG Thread)

[Griff4815]

Pyra scowled and bashed the ice from her armoured form. "Roger that," she replied to Nocchi, hearing his plan amidst the fighting. "Giga Crusher!"

The Imperialdramon Fighter Mode's body recoiled slightly in response to the monstrous beam that ripped from the cannon within the dragon's mouth on her chest. The torrent of dark matter surged into the ground around Pestilence and tore up the land with him inside.

She narrowed her eyes and raised her right arm to fire. "Positron Laser!" she spoke, then firing a powerful, spiraling beam from the cannon on her arm.

It impacted with the Vikemon and sent Pestilence stumbling backwards as the positronic energy pasted around his furry chest. He growled and leapt up towards her, swinging a mace down towards the dragon. Pyra grimaced and veered to the side to avoid the crushing weapon, but soon felt a blast of ice behind her, threatening to line her red wings with ice.

"What's it going to take?" she asked with annoyance, flapping her wings and flying higher to continue her aerial bombardment unhindered. "At the very best, all we can do is delay them. How was Conquest defeated? Does it have to do with some sort of god-powers?" she asked.

Upon releasing another powerful blast onto where Pestilence had landed, Pyra sneered. "Of course Thor, Svarog, Tiwaz and Fenrir aren't with us. I hope there's some other way..."

-

"WAR!" Kheprius shouted, his ebon form tearing through the sky towards the newly reincarnated horseman.

"Bug," the ShineGreymon Burst Mode replied, smirking. She swung her blazing sword down on the GrandisKuwagamon, but he quickly swerved to the left and closed in to bring his Gran Killers across her face.

War responded by bashing her burning shield across his body, knocking him back. He narrowed his eye at her and seethed. "So you're a chick now, huh? You're doing a pretty crappy job at messing with our heads cuz you're definately nobody I recognize."

"Your mind was just so easy to screw with, I thought I'd give myself a challenge," she chuckled, returning the burning glare.

"Whatever." Kheprius responded. "I know that Conquest bit the dust. I'm going to make sure you follow him." He charged towards her and slashed with his claws only for War to duck. Her wings of flames struck Kheprius' hand and burned at his black carapace.

He grunted and spun around, driving his foot into her ribs. "Unfortunately for you, sweetcheeks, I don't really have a sense of chivalry, so I'm not about to forget everything that you did just because you've got rack."

"Suits me fine," War responded, blazing towards him and surging fire from her sword that washed across his chest. She growled, kneeing him in the gut before following up with a mighty punch to his face.

Kheprius was thrown backwards and his form laced with smoke and embers. He fluttered his wings furiously and stopped himself, clenching his fists with anger. "Okay, you bitch, that's it!" he snapped. He was off toward her in a black streak, using the enhancements of the X-Antibody for all that he could.

He flew towards her in an irregular, unpredictable pattern. "Die!" he shouted, closing in on her.

Before he could fly up to her and ideally plunge his Gran Killers through her form, something massive slammed into the GrandisKuwagamon's body. It was like being hit by a GranLocomon. He was pushed through the air, away from War, by the mass until it finally stopped.

Kheprius grunted in pain and halted in the air, prepared to attack whatever hit him. For a moment, he lowered his guard. Before him was Tiwaz, the Ancient of Flames wings burned and intensely as War's did.

"Tiwaz?!" he asked in shock. "What are you doing here?! What the hell?! Why did you get in the way of that ugly piece of- AH!"

Tiwaz snarled furiously and clobbered Khep across the face with his foot. "That happens to be my wife, you stupid dung beetle!" he snapped fierily.

Khep was about to cuss in response, but until Tiwaz's words set in. "...Excuse me?!" he demanded in disbelief. It took a few moments for Kheprius to catch on to what he could have possibly been talking about. "You mean... that's your wife's form...?"

Tiwaz grimaced and looked to the side, nodding.

The GrandisKuwagamon whistled, impressed. "I take it back, fire newt. Not bad, for somebody like you," he spoke. His expression grew serious as the situation returned to him. "Why the hell did you stop me? You have to know that that's War and not your wife, right?!"

"Of course I do, you walnut-brained, scissor-faced scarab!" Tiwaz snarled. "But..."

"But what?! It's War! We have to kill it!" he explained heatedly. "You see how I said 'it', not 'her'? Your wife's dead, Tiwaz! That's just her body; it's not her."

"I KNOW THAT!" he roared furiously. The dragon grimaced and calmed down. "I know, but... How could I possibly? Everytime I try to attack her, I just see Rizalia... I know it's not her, but it's her body."

"Have you even tried to attack her?" he asked the AncientGreymon.

A shamed silence overtook Tiwaz.

Khep scoffed upon realizing that the answer was 'no'. "You're hesitating... That's what War wants," the black insect explained. "You may hesitate, but I won't. If you don't have the balls to attack, go attack one of the other two and stay out of my way."

Tiwaz gritted his teeth and glared at Kheprius. He was being talked to like a little kid. The dragon had half a mind to put the GrandisKuwagamon in his place, but he knew that Khep had a point. He couldn't actually bring himself to raise a claw against what looked like Rizalia, so he would just be getting in the way of Fenrir, Kheprius and the others. He was worried that if he tried to attack, he would just hesitate.

However, he felt uneasy about leaving. War was insulting his memory of his wife using that form and it burned him up inside. He knew that he had to make a choice. And he knew that it would not be easy.

 

[storymasterb]

"You are an endless maw seeking to glut itself on redemption and penance," Famine whispered. "You wish to devour heroism and recklessness in order to fill the emptiness which consumes your heart."

"ENOUGH!" Caradoc thundered, hammering at the other Dynasmon X with blow after blow. Each one was caught on a bracer or knocked aside with a idle sweep of a hand. Famine drew back his own fist and struck. Power roared from the blow and hurled Caradoc flying. The Horseman raised a hand and collected his dark might in it.

"Dragon Thrower!" he spoke. Blackness lanced from his palm and crashed on Caradoc like a breaking wave, suffocating him under hunger and need and want.

Vritra erupted from the sky and struck the Black Horseman. Fire upon fire buried him, raging and howling. He answered with emptiness and the stinging song of hunger. Darkness exploded from his pores as savage claws and ripped at Vritra's armored form. Knives of shadows stabbed for her joints, and black flame ripped at her mouth and eyes. Blazing golden and black, the goddess drew back and thrust a palm at Famine. "Terra Force!" she bellowed. A flash of flames erupted and enveloped him, but the darkness which writhed and whipped about his monstrous form lashed and tore through the flames.

"You, empty goddess, howling at the world," he spoke. "Screaming your own delusions at the world in the hope of acknowledgement. You are a nothing, an mere spark at the heart of a world beyond your comprehension. You are blind and hunger to see true glory, powerless and seeking true power. But you. Are. Nothing." He lashed out, moving in a burst of shadow, and grabbed her by the face. His talons crushed against her armor, screaming and sparking on the Digizoid.

Caradoc rocketed from the city below and smashed into Famine. His burning fists rained blows on the Horseman, trying to crush the monster. Famine answered with a roar of power which threw the knight aside.

"Do you think yourself a hero? A martyr?" the monster spoke. "Did you think you were saving those your greed condemned to death?"

"I was trying to save them! I wanted to protect them!"

"It was your own wretched soul you were trying to save," Famine replied darkly. "That's all you've ever acted for. To try and save yourself. But in doing so you drove yourself further into damnation. You are a selfish child, raging against the world which refuses to obey his demands for satisfaction. That is all you ever have been." He gazed at Caradoc coldly. "Give me your hunger and your pain. Give me your desire for redemption. For I am so hungry." The Horseman's wings exploded open and he tore forward at the stunned Caradoc. His hands lashed out and blows landed home, burying the knight under a tide of darkness and might.

-

Flames raged and blazed. Churches and shrines succumbed to the unyielding flames as War made her presence known. With every attack the rider of the Red Horse unleashed, the screaming flames grew ever greater. With her burning sword, the ShineGreymon Burst Mode struck against those who dared oppose her. The endless flames of War howled forth and struck at them, and below more and more fell to the boundless rage.

A cool blue light shone from the air and speared at War. The crimson warrior brought up her burning shield and effortlessly blocked the Ray of Victory, even as Guinier descended, swathed in radiant blue.

"War," the UlforceVeedramon Future Mode spoke. "So, you're reborn."

The ShineGreymon Burst Mode regarded her new foe. "Yes," she answered curtly. Raising her sword, she called out two burning words, "Torrid Weiss!" Her solar wings exploded open and dozens of fiery bullets rocketed from the infernoes at Guinier.

"Tensegrity Shield!" the cobalt dragoness shouted in answer. Light clustered before her into the radiant shield, and War's attack smashed upon it like a breaking wave. The panels of the shield shuddered and cracked, but barely held firm under the onslaught. That was, until War exploded from the flames and smashed through it.

The rider of the Red Horse struck like a blazing comet. She rushed Guinier, slamming the cobalt knight with a meteoric blow of her shield, then slashing a burning arc with her firebrand GeoGrey Sword. Guinier strained to hold the weapon back, intercepting with both her Ulforce Sabers, and War let out a fierce cry. "Torrid Weiss!" Flames exploded from her wings and consumed Guinier, making the Peacemaker cry out in pain as she was forced to rocket back to escape the hellish fire. She emerged blackened, as War hung in the air, burning furiously against the hell-scape which was the burning buildings of Rome.

The Horsewoman glared across to Guinier. "Burn," she said, and swathed in flames she rocketed at the UlforceVeedramon again, white-hot light searing around the comet which War became...

-

"Pendragon's Glory!"

Hanging in the sky over Rome Bedivere unleashed a stunning barrage of lasers and shells downward towards Pestilence, but the Vikemon took them in his stride. Raising his maces once more, the White Horseman let loose his Arctic Blizzard. A howling storm of ice and cold erupted into being, centred on the Horseman. All around frost and ice consumed Rome.

The battle was having a devastating effect on the city. Where War had arrived, a raging firestorm consumed Rome's elegant churches and houses. When Pestilence stood, ice and snow devoured the city. Where Famine fought buildings lay smashed to rubble under the sheer physical might of those involved.

At least they were holding the Horsemen back. That was all that mattered.

As the storm cleared, Bedivere raised a hand and called emerald power to it. "Digitalize of Soul!" A shimmering flurry burst from his grip and arrows of light struck for Pestilence, striking in flashes of brilliant green. They just had to keep fighting. That was all they had to do. And they would.

 

[Kamotz]

The battle raged, and continued to rage; the power of the Horsemen seeped into the land and the minds of the Digimon fleeing Rome. They panicked and turned on each other, and it wasn't long until the first of the fearful masses was killed in the chaos. The dissolving data danced into the wind and flowed over the crowds like a cold wind.

And the wind howled, crying out violently and whipping through the mass of people. Their cries echoed through the air and shattered against the whirling of the cold grey storm roaring in from the north. Like a frozen wind, Death rode down the mountain in the eye of a torrid hurricane. The dissociated data of the dying Digimon was drawn up into that eye and swallowed, consumed in Death's endlessness. And as Death passed over the crowds, they died--screaming--by the dozens.

Then the hurricane burst, and Death stood revealed. Jackal-headed, pale and grey-skinned, dressed in pale white robes, with great pale-gold wings. Death as Anubismon; Death as judge, jury, and executioner. The ceaseless, all-consuming Death let out a howl. And with wings spread wide, consumed the swirling data of the Horsemen's victims.

"Children, Rome is shattered and broken," the father of all Horseman said, his voice sounding like the hollow toll of a monstrous bell. He waved his hands and cracked power through the air, drawing on the power of his children to deliver one final strike against the Peacemakers. "The word has come. We go now to the killing fields, to the shadow of the mountain, and the death of the world."

As Death turned, he locked eyes with Fenrir and smirked. "Hello, little brother," the Horseman whispered. "I can see you, even hiding as you are deep inside that pagan wretch. Little brother, won't you chase me?"

The Horsemen moved, turning as one, leaving ruinous Rome as desolate wreckage in their wake; discarding it without another thought. They swathed themselves in storm and swirling power, and a hurricane quartet cracked through the sky, cutting a wretched path to a place unknown.

...

"By the eyes of Susanoo," whispered a red Monitamon as he pulled himself and his two brothers from the wreckage. "Amaterasu preserve us, we have failed. Rome is burning."

"What do we do, brothers?" another Monitamon asked. "What is left for us?"

 

[Griff4815]

"Damn it!"

Kheprius raged as he watched the four Horsemen leave the burning city, flying through the smoke-stained sky. He narrowed his eye and turned towards Tiwaz. "Idiot! The one time where your aggressiveness would have been helpful and you just sit there! There's four of them now!" he chided the dragon.

The AncientGreymon, who seemed to be wincing, turned and glared at him. "Oh, shut up, you wood-chewing, muck-swimming cyclops. If it were Barachiel's form, you'd be hesitating too," he retorted.

"If it was, that would mean Terrak was dead, which would mean I would know he was dead, which would mean I would tear that damn Horseman apart for daring to take on his form," Kheprius countered.

Tiwaz grunted in annoyance. "Right. Fine. Whatever. Just leave it; now's not a good time..." he said with a weight on his voice.

It wasn't just because War was using Rizalia's body as its new form, either. He was feeling strong emotions coming from Fenrir... He didn't know the exact nature of the emotions, but he knew they were negative. It was a by-product of their DNA digivolution with one another, as they could only digivolve when 'their hearts beat as one': a saying that Tiwaz found horribly ironic given how incredibly different they were, with the added fact that they seemed to be anything but friends at the moment, at least in his eyes.

The bitter feeling that he felt tugged at his insides though. He wondered what it was...

"Tiwaz..." Tyr said to him in a pensive tone. "Did that new Horseman - the Anubismon - seem familiar to you, at all?"

"No. I can't say I've ever seen the bugger before..." Tiwaz responded. The Ancient of Flame's eyes widened slightly. Could it be? "Did Fenrir recognize the Anubismon? It was in the Horsemens' M.O. to take the forms of deceased loved ones... Was it Fenrir's wife? 'Lyonesse', was it?" he wondered. But the Anubismon was decidedly male from what little he could make out...

"Maybe it was a father or sibling or relative that Fenrir refused to tell me about. He never did tell me anything about his past, no matter how much I would ask him. I wasn't even worth that much to him, apparently..." Tiwaz inwardly brooded.

The AncientGreymon's frown became one of confusion upon realizing something that he had been too distracted to think about before. "Why did he show up outside Sparta when I was facing Riz--no--War?"

Tiwaz looked around for the AncientGarurumon in question. After a moment, he frowned and halted his looking. "No, that's not what's important right now," he mumbled to himself. Tiwaz then stood up straight and shouted. "Peacemakers! Gather! Hop to it!"

Pyra landed beside him, panting lightly from the exertion of the previous battle. "So that was Death," the Imperialdramon Fighter Mode spoke, her voice subtly bleak. "There's four Horsemen now..."

"Yes..." the AncientGreymon replied. "What we need to do is decide what our next move is."

"I think we should link up with the others before we move to engage them again. Now that there's four of them, it's that much more necessary that we have the others to back us up," Pyra said.

Kheprius shook his head. "We've seen what those four are capable of. We're supposed to let them run around free? We need to chase after them!" he protested.

"We can't kill them by normal means, Kheprius," Pyra insisted. "We may have two gods with us now, but I don't think either Tiwaz or Fenrir knows how to defeat them; since Thor was possessed by him at the time, Conquest's death could have been a special circumstance for all we know."

The GrandisKuwagamon brushed the dirt from his black carapace before folding his arms and looking at Pyra. "Yeah, and we're running kind of low on seals, in case you've forgotten. What they're doing now is obviously part of that, so we have to stop them before they can break any more of them. Unless you like the idea of facing the seven Demon Lords along with the Horsemen, the Cambion, and the rest of Mephistopheles' cronies..."

Tiwaz took a step forwards, announcing that he had something to say. "Those are both valid points, but there's something else. I heard Death say something peculiar when he was announcing War, Famine and Pestilence... He said, 'We go now to the killing fields, to the shadow of the mountain, and the death of the world.' Does this mean something? Or was he just being poetic for the sake of it? Normally I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but 'the shadow of the mountain' was an odd thing to say, don't you think?" the dragon god pointed out. "What mountain?"

Pyra shrugged. "Perhaps Thor or Svarog would know..."

Tiwaz turned and looked over to the three Monitamon that were digging themselves out of the rubble not far from them. "Hey, you three! Are you okay?" he asked. "Do your picture screens still work?"

"Yes sir..." one of them said.

"Yeah, good. Can you contact Thor Odinson? There's chance he might have an idea on what Death was talking about. Be quick about it, will you? Lives are at stake," Tiwaz ordered.

As he waited for the three ninja digimon to get situated, Tiwaz looked over to Fenrir. As angry as Tiwaz was with him, he knew that something wasn't right. And he wanted to know what it was.

-

Barachiel walked down a hall of the Anatolian hospital, beside the female Stingmon known as Ruki. "You must be busy these days, being a doctor," he said to her, looking around the wide building as the injured and sick were quickly transported and attended to.

Ruki nodded as she held a blood and data bag from beside a stretched-ridden Flaremon. His stretcher was being carried by two Leomon and he had a large gash on his leg. "It's just getting worse as the those monsters' attacks escalate," she replied.

"We're doing our best to stop them," he assured her.

The Stingmon nodded and smiled at him. "Just be careful, okay, Ter--sorry--Barry?"

Barachiel locked eyes with her's for a moment and he blushed, quickly averting his gaze over to the wall. "I'll try..." he responded, his voice calm and non-indicative of his emotions.

After a few pregnant seconds, he turned back to her. "You do know about Kheprius' past, don't you?" he asked.

"You mean the mercenary thing?" she asked. "Yeah, I heard about that the same time that I heard he was in the Peacemakers. I thought you might have been with him, so I did some research, but the only other members of the Black Pincer Company was a Nebiros and Sabnock. It wasn't until I heard the rumour about you and Kheppy that I thought you might have been alive."

"And you don't have a problem with it...?" he asked.

For a moment, Ruki was distracted when the Flamedramon patient let out a pained moan. Before turning back to her friend, she put a calming hand on his forehead and motioned to the Leomons to hurry up. "I... can't say I approve of what he did, but... both your parents, not to mention your whole town, were killed. What was he supposed to do? I mean, sure, you could say that he could have went to another town and hoped to get adopted or get a job, but I wasn't there, so I'm in no position to judge him. Besides, he came around in the end, didn't he?"

Barachiel didn't respond.

"That brings me to something else I've been meaning to ask you. What happened to you after the attack on Manu?" she asked him inquisitively.

The TigerVespamon averted his gaze. "...I was fortunate. So fortunate..." he answered, piqueing Ruki's interest. "I was found by an Angemon known as Hadrael Aker. He was something of a monk who ran a missionary for the Holy Host. He took me in and raised me as if I was his son," he explained.

"He sounds like a great guy, Barry," Ruki said softly.

"He was..." Barachiel answered. Before she could question his choice of tense, the TigerVespamon spoke again. "I really respect your choice to become a doctor, Ruki. Wanting to help people is very virtuous of you. It was something that our mission did as well."

"Is that so?" she asked, smiling.

"Doctor Vesalius," one of the Leomon said.

Ruki nodded at him as they turned into the infirmary. She then turned back to Barachiel, who nodded understandingly. "I am sorry to have kept you," Barachiel told her. "I should be meeting with the other Peacemakers anyways."

"Be safe, Terrak... And watch out for Kheppy," she told him. "I know what he did, but don't begrudge him too much for it. He's your brother, your twin, no less."

"So everybody keeps telling me," he spoke with a hint of exasperation in his serene voice.

Ruki sighed. "Just... watch out for him," she reitterated. "Even I can tell there's bad blood between you two, but it's dangerous and I know that, deep down, you would be devastated if he was dead."

Barachiel gripped the pendants around his neck and turned away. "I've become accustomed to death, as of late..." he answered with a level, emotionless voice. "Goodbye, Ruki... and don't worry; I will kill any demon that I need to in order to put a stop to this."

He momentarily looked over his shoulder at her before walking away.

-

Gunnar stood nearby the other Peacemakers who remained behind in Anatolia. Among them were Thor, Justin, Trowa, Hira, Sha, Ivy, Aeria, Svarog, Tia and Shoon. Many of them were being proactive, but he was busy being concerned about how Tyr was doing in Sparta and how the others were faring in Rome.

He leaned against the wall of the building and closed his eyes. "Dad..." he thought. "I'll be as awesome of a soldier as you were and I'll use that power to take down all of those damn demons. Just you watch me..."

His blue eyes opened as soon as he heard the pattering of footsteps drawing near. "Peacemakers, sirs!" a Monitamon spoke, his moniter buzzing with feedback and static as he ran over. "Lord Tiwaz is requesting Lord Thor's presence!"

"When did I become a lord?" a distorted voice that was decidedly Tiwaz's asked from the Monitamon's speakers.

"Tiwaz from Sparta?" Barachiel asked over the buzzing of his wings as he descended on the group from above.

The Monitamon stopped running and the picture became clear, showing Tiwaz's draconic face taking up the entire screen. "No, I'm in Rome now... or what's left of it. War got past Fenrir and I..." the AncientGreymon said with a hint of shame in his voice. "All of us are still alive, but Death came as well. They left us in the dust, but not before Death said, 'We now go to the killing fields, to the shadow of the mountain, and to the death of the world'. Does this mean anything to any of you? And just what is it they're trying to accomplish in the first place? Did they trash this place to break a seal?"

"I think that's what was deduced, Tiwaz," Pyra's voice spoke from offscreen. "Though whether or not they succeeded in breaking the seal yet, I'm not sure."

Tiwaz backed off to reveal the rest of the Peacemakers. "Right. Well, at the moment, we're deciding what it is we should do. What's the situation like in Anatolia?"

 

[Hotshot]

Nocchi rolled his eyes when Sha's face popped up on-screen to answer Tiwaz's inquiry. "The situation's pretty lame over here, Mr. T. No bad guys or nothin'. You guys get all the action!"

Before anyone else could respond, Nocchi grabbed the Monitamon and shook it, shouting, "Sha! You frog-legged-nincompoop! Get off the Monitamon and let somebody competent talk!"

"Pshaw, Nocchi. I'm confident! I can talk to people over the phone!"

Nocchi proceeded to shake the dazed Monitamon again, exclaiming, "It's not a phone, you idiot! And I said, 'competent!'"

"Oh, yes! Condiments would be great!" Sha replied, turning back to the other Peacemakers on his end. "Let's see...what do we need, guys? Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise..."

"NYAAAAH!! Give the Monitamon to Thor!"

The Shawjamon shrugged and hoisted the Monitamon off the ground. Extending it towards the Imperialdramon, Sha said, "Here ya go, Thor. But be careful. Nocchi's kinda cranky."

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

‘It can’t be…it can’t be…impossible…he couldn’t have…but he’s…’

Fenrir couldn’t help but curse at the never-ending mantra of disbelief that ran through his mind. He couldn’t really blame his descendant; he himself was still at a loss. He didn’t want to believe it – he didn’t even want to entertain the thought – but the slightly familiar energy that came from the horseman called Death, despite how corrupted it was, told him that it was true.

Death was Dunk.

‘Or at the very least, he has taken control of his body,’ Fenrir thought to himself amid Azur’s constant muttering. He grimaced, realizing that letting Azur take control would…most likely not be wise. And just when he thought Azur was beginning to recover. He would have to do.

The AncientGarurumon turned to the group, most of them having gathered into a small group around a Monitamon. As he walked towards them, from what he could hear, they were deciding on the next course of action.

“We need to get stronger,” he decided to cut in as he got close. “I’m not saying I know how, but until we do, we’re only going to get swatted away like flies. It’s only a matter of time until one of us loses a life,” he said seriously.

He folded his arms, any clue of what he felt about what had transpired between him and Death gone from his image. He wasn’t planning on letting them know who Death was unless it was required; they didn’t need any more reason to hesitate fighting against an enemy who shared the same body as their old and deceased ally.

At the corner of his gaze, he saw Tiwaz give him a look, one which he ignored despite feeling the intense curiosity that came from his direction. He was having enough trouble trying to keep Azur sane; adding the Ancient of Fire would only cause him a lot more stress.

He turned to Thor, whose image was on the Monitamon’s screen. “If there’s anything you know that can help us, then we’d best hear it. Our backs are against the wall; our choices are becoming more and more limited.”

“Well, if it’s power that you want, it can be easily provided,” a voice behind him suddenly called out.
“For a price, of course.”

Fenrir’s fur under his armor bristled. “We – or at least I – am not that desperate as to reach out for your help, demon,” he told the Astamon, not turning to him lest the sight of him cause his anger to cloud his better judgment.

“Tut tut, Fenrir,” Cresil chastised as he stepped away from the shadows that he exited the realm of darkness from. “Were you not the one who said your choices are limited?” he asked, walking away nonchalantly.

“Or perhaps it may be because you are unwilling to fight against-“

“Stay young tongue, fiend, unless you want my sword to cut it off for you,” he said threateningly, his voice dripping with unadulterated malevolence towards the Astamon, who simply laughed the threat off.

“Very well, but remember that your enemies each have their own abilities stemmed from their very essences. Without magic, be it mine or anyone else’s, you would be hard-pressed to fight with your fullest potentials against them,” he commented as he turned back to the group.

“Whatever strength you can provide,” Fenrir started with a hiss. “Is not worth the irreparable heartache and pain it will inevitably cause. Now leave us, demon, unless you have anything else to say.”

“Oh, nothing else but the fact that the Horsemen are still on the move,” he said indifferently, observing his hand. “Far too quick for even I or the UlforceVeedramon to pursue, but certainly with a motive. I suggest that all of you make a decision to act rapidly.”

 

[PeeGee]

Kole opened his eyes, the last thing that he remembered was Pestilence throwing him into Nocchi and Bedivere. He sat up, pain wracking his body and realised that he had de digivolved back into Piedmon. Once again, he had been defeated, something that was really starting to get annoying. He picked himself up, and saw that the other were standing around a Monitamon, Thor talking into it. The whole battle was hazy to him, the Piedmon could some of the things that happened, but he suspected that maybe he had taken a hard blow to the head.

You got yourself defeated again! You are pathetic. You know what you should do? Just let me take over, that way you can actually achieve something!

Kole gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, it was actually getting harder and harder to ignore that stupid thing. Trying to clear his head, he limped over to the congregation of digimon, trying to see what was going on. On his somewhat slow path, he realised that Tia could have been in this. Now Kole knew that Tia could more than handle herself, especially considering how she had grown up, but considering that he was able to become Apocalymon and still get his arse kicked, he was afraid of what could happen to her if Tia never achieved her Mega form.

Snap yourself out of this funk Kole told himself, still shuffling over to the group, Sure Tia is still and Ultimate, but she can more that definitely hold her own in battle. Just calm down and focus on how to improve yourself to fight against the Horsemen next time.

 

[Kamotz]

"Right. Well, at the moment, we're deciding what it is we should do. What's the situation like in Anatolia?"

"There has been too much killing of late for there to be a single killing field," Thor said to Tiwaz, shaking his head in frustration. "Preparations in Anatolia are progressing steadily, and several other cities are going...adequately."

Svarog snatched the Monitamon away from Thor and growled low. "Tiwaz, you incompetent fool! Of all the times for you to have a change of heart and abandon your reckless ways, now is not one of them!" the war god snarled. How the fiery Greymon managed to lead the Great Ten for so long eluded him; he was so adept at not knowing what to do, the fact that he managed to get out of bed in the morning was astounding.

"Damnit, chase after them!" Svarog shouted, shaking the Monitamon on his end. "Determine their direction! They travel in straight lines, for Rod's sake! Have the Monitamon do it, even, if you're incapable!"

"Lord Svarog, even if they knew, they could not possibly catch up with the Horsemen," said commander Mars. The large EmperorGreymon stepped forward. "And even if we could call for evacuations of everything in the Horsemen's path-"

"We intercept them, you daft simpleton," Svarog snapped, cowing the Greymon commander into silence. "We figure out where they will be, and we go to stop them." He looked to Mars. "Not you of course, because you're incompetent." And they needed him in Anatolia, but Svarog would never admit so. "But the rest of the Peacemakers here will."

Thor took the initiative and called Mars over. "Send out word to the Peacemakers remaining in Anatolia," he said, readying a plan. "Gather here; we move in ten minutes." Thor turned back to the Monitamon; and Tiwaz and the other half of the Peacemakers. "Bedivere, determine the Horsemen's heading and pursue them as best you can. Bring one of the Monitamon with you and alert us of any changes to their course. Svarog and I will lead the remaining Peacemakers to intercept."

He waited a few moments as the Monitamon on the other end determined the directionality of the Horsemen's path. He called Svarog over to the map at the center of the room.

"We'll head here," he said, pointing towards a patch of sea along the Horsemen's assumed path. It was on the very eastern end of the Middle-Earth Sea. The proximity of their path to the cities of Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethlehem, and other important cities of the Host's followers gave legitimacy to the proposed path. Thor wanted to head the Horsemen off before they made landfall.

There weren't many of them left in Anatolia: Barachiel, Trowa, Sha, Ivy, Gunnar, Aeria, Shoon, Justin, Hira, Tia, Svarog, and himself. He had allowed Bedivere to bring far too many of their number to Rome; they would not last long against four Horsemen.

And that's what worried him. There were four Horsemen, assembled together for the first time. He didn't remember much of anything of his time as Conquest, but he had a feeling...the Four Horsemen assembling was an event of importance. It was something of grave consequence. He just didn't know what.

Thor closed his eyes. Four minutes. That's all the time he could spare. Those who weren't by his side in four minutes would be left behind. There was no time to waste.

===

At the edge of the eighth sphere of Paradise stood Michael and Samael; the final defensive line against the invading Nightmare Soldiers; the Lesser Lords of Hell: Duke Haures, Prince Moloch, Count Murmur, Marquis Orcus, and Baron Zagan, led by King Belial. Their underlings were otherwise-occupied on the other spheres. But there was more disturbing news; they had lost track of Mephistopheles in the battle, and he was nowhere to be found.

Belial and the five Lesser Lords had battled through the Host of Heaven. Even the added might of Azrael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel wasn't enough to hold them back; those four Archangels fought well, but they had been overwhelmed by the demons' unexpected power.

Now, all hope lay with Michael and Samael.

 

[Griff4815]

"If only we could run as fast as you do your mouth, you arrogant, childish buffoon," Tiwaz snarled in response, glaring at Svarog via the nervous Monitamon, who suddenly became afraid for his life. "So you'll intercept them and we'll catch up. I just hope your team can hold them off long enough for us to get there, especially given that we have half - and the generally more experienced half - of the Peacemakers over here. There is four of the Horsemen now, boy. You can count that high, right?"

"That's enough," Pyra intervened before the two hotheaded gods could argue any further and potentially bash in the screens of their respective Monitamon. She turned to Bedivere and nodded, moving out of the way so that he and the Monitamon could determine the heading.

"Tch," Tiwaz scoffed, walking away from the Monitamon and over to Fenrir. "Those umpteenth-generation, purebred gods take themselves way too seriously. Are they born with those superiority complexes? Or do they just develop through all that pampering?"

Tiwaz then realized that he was still mad at Fenrir and turned away. "However unbelievably good you are hiding your feelings, I can sense that there's some sort of thing wrong with you. I was going to ask, but I'm guessing I shouldn't even bother, should I?" he said.

"That's... not the way to reconcile with somebody, Tiwaz..." Tyr thought solemnly.

"Who said anything about doing that?" Tiwaz responded, stepping away from Fenrir.

"...I did," Tyr spoke, an uncharacteristic firmness in his voice.

"What?" the Ancient of fire asked, raising an eyebrow and slowing down in surprise.

"You should reconcile..." Tyr told him. "Because..."

"Because why?" the dragon defiantly asked.

"Because!" the VictoryGreymon shouted. Tyr's determination coursed through Tiwaz's body, stopping the AncientGreymon in his tracks. The image of Tyr's mortally wounded father flashed through Tiwaz's mind and he could feel his descendant's charged emotions in his soul.

"Because if you don't talk to him soon and set things straight, it might just be too late for either of you! My dad... Dad... If he didn't say those things to me when he did, I would never have known... If he's... If he died a few seconds sooner, I wouldn't have known he was proud of me and he would have died with regrets in his heart... So just..." Tyr told him with a powerful, anguished tone.

"T-...Tyr..." Tiwaz whispered, nearly shocked to silence by the VictoryGreymon's strong feelings on the issue. Admittedly, he couldn't exactly blame him...

"Things just keep getting harder and harder for all of us. I really don't know if we're going to be able to stop them. There's a good chance any of us could die. If we died, do you want Fenrir to think that we died thinking he hated you?! And if he died, do you want him dying thinking you hated him?!"

"...Hey, it's happened before, you know," Tiwaz replied coldly. "To be perfectly honest, nothing has changed from back then. The mutt still hates me, and I..."

"Don't hate him. And you can't be certain he hates you."

"Why should I bother trying when I know what the answer will be? It's his move. Besides, why are you worrying about me when you're obviously the one in pain, here?"

"Why do you always worry about other people when you're the one in pain?

Tiwaz grit his teeth and turned away.

"Don't let your stubborn pride get in the way of friendship, Tiwaz..."

"I'll talk to the wolf pup when you ask Gunnar or one of the others about your father, Tyr."

The pain of thinking about Hymir's true wellbeing stung at Tyr's heart. "T-Tiwaz... That's completely different... You even said-"

"That I won't push you? I know I did, and I'm a dragon of my word, but don't think I can't see past that mask you wear so well, Tyr."

"I really don-"

"Don't bullsh*t a bullsh*tter, Tyr," the AncientGreymon sterly cautioned. "I know you still think about him and I know that it's eating away at you. You think he's dead, but you also think that if there's no proof - if you can't confirm it with your own senses - than there's still a sliver of hope. It's as hard for me to watch as it for you to watch me, Tyr... Just know that - no - you should know better than anybody that hope is a very dangerous thing. The more that you follow that hope, the further you lead yourself away from reality. Trust me on this... And trust what you've experienced. Remember the Royal Knight's, Tyr? You thought you could stop them. And you thought you could save Pyra from her own darkness too."

For several moments, Tyr was silent.

Tiwaz sighed and shook his head. He was about speak again, but the young VictoryGreymon abruptly spoke up.

"Maybe that's true, Tiwaz... but what are we without hope? What would be the point? Are you saying you don't have hopes, Tiwaz?"

The dragon's eyes slowly closed in thought and a sort of longing. "No... Of course I have hopes... That's not what I mean. And I don't mean that it's bad to have hope... I'm not that cynical yet, am I? What I mean is that it's important to strike a healthy balance. I admit, I'm not master in the field, but if you're flying on a childish, idealistic notion of hope, you're just going to come crashing down again and again. I don't want to see that happen to you any more than it already has. I know you're sensitive and all that, but sometimes tough love is necessary."

Tiwaz then turned around in Bedivere's direction. "Bedivere, have you and the Monitamon figured out the Horsemen's general direction yet? We need to get our tails moving fast before they overwhelm the others."

Tyr sighed and thought to himself. "He sure did a good job at steering the conversation away from himself..."

-

Meanwhile, Pyra shed her Imperialdramon Fighter Mode form in favour of her Paildramon one in order to conserve the energy she would need to fly and fight. She relaxed slightly, no longer burdened by the heavier armour of her Fighter Mode form.

From nearby, Kheprius watched with a slight grin, his eye gazing at the scales between the two emerald armour plates on Pyra's chest. However impatient he was to follow War, he couldn't keep himself from enjoying the sight of the female body when it presented itself to him.

He glanced upwards several centimetres to see her exasperated face glaring at him, having noticed his shameless leering.

"...Have I ever told you how your scales sparkle when they're laced with sweat?" he asked with playful grin.

Pyra sighed, folded her arms across her chest and walked over to him. "I'm sure you've mentioned it before..."

Kheprius smirked wider. "Yeah, probably..." The black insect turned his head and looked at Fenrir and Azur's shared body. "How's Azur doing?"

The Paildramon turned around and looked at Fenrir, knowing that Azur was in there somewhere. "A little better, but still not that good..." She turned back to Khep. "...I told him about the kiss."

"What?!" Khep remarked more with shock than anger. "And he didn't try to attack me yet?! Something must be wrong..."

Pyra sighed. "I think he needs to trust me right now..."

"Even so," Khep said, folding his arms, "it's a miracle he hasn't tried to rip my guts out. He always looks like he's going to pop a vein whenever I even look at you! I mean, he treats you like a territory! Or his favourite squeaky chew toy!"

The Paildramon frowned. "He's just protective..."

"Protective? Or controlling and territorial?" Khep retorted, grinning slightly. "I never thought that you, Ms. Strong, Independant and Asskicking Female, would be cool with her boyfriend treating her like that."

"Kheprius," she said tiredly. "Please. Don't..."

"What?" he asked, his head tipping to the side.

"Don't try to pit me against him... He needs me right now," she responded.

Khep rolled his eye. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever..." he looked around the area and his eye rested on what appeared to be a beleaguered Caradoc. "What's with with Tall, Dark and Broody? He looks even more angsty than usual."

Pyra turned around to look at Caradoc. Indeed, something appeared to be weighing heavily on him, even more than before the battle. The Paildramon frowned with concern. "Could it have been seeing Kame?"

"Who the heck would get upset about seeing Kame?" Kheprius asked with a confused frown. "No offense to the guy. I'm sure he was very... uh... let's say... 'he tried hard'."

Pyra responded with a level stare. "Kheprius..."

Khep grinned and shrugged. "Sorry. They're just so easy."

"Well, maybe it was whoever Death was. I'm pretty sure I saw a digimon with wings. It looked like an Anubismon," Pyra said. "Perhaps he knew their form."

"Maybe I'll go ask," Kheprius said enthusiastically. "I'm good at cheering people up, right, Pyra?"

The dragon didn't dignify him with her response. Instead, Pyra followed him as he marching over to the Dynasmon X, preparing to pick up the pieces of whatever Khep might break apart.

"Heya, 'Doc. What's up?" the GrandisKuwagamon asked him, hoping to pass the time as the Monitamon calculated their direction and coordinates. "You look kinda distracted."

"Just leave him alone, Kheprius," Pyra said to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and lightly pulling. "We're all very tired. Maybe if you were your brother, this would be a good idea."

"I don't remember Terrak owning a monopoly on Caradoc," Khep said defiantly. "Hell, if anyone would have one, I'd think it'd be Guinier. ...Unless of course she sold it to him after their falling out," the bug digimon added with a grin.

Pyra growled. "Kheprius, you're being a pest."

"It kinda comes with the turf," he replied, gesturing to his insectian body. He turned back to Caradoc. "If it's about the whole "demon deal" thing, why didn't you ask Samael instead of some demon you'll never be able to find again? I bet, since you're both Peacemakers, he would have given you an unlimited warranty on the deal."

-

Gunnar and Barachiel walked side-by-side through the room over to where Thor, Svarog and whoever else had showed up so far were gathered.

"It feels like the clock is ticking down on the world," Barachiel said to him.

"We'll stop it," Gunnar replied, his seemingly endless abundance of confidence and carefree attitude shining through.

The TigerVespamon gave his friend a barely visibly smile and nodded.

With a grin, the ShineGreymon slung his arm around Barachiel and patted his shoulder, causing the wasp digimon to tense up. "That's the spirit! We'll show those guys how awesome we are!"

Barachiel looked forward thoughtfully as they approached the others. "Gunnar? When we face Mephistopheles' other companions again, please allow me to take priority when fighting the Beetlemon and MetalKabuterimon. The only thing that can drown out a shadow is light," he said calmly.

"Uh, okay, Barry," Gunnar replied, fixing him a curious look. "You've been acting kinda different lately..."

Barachiel turned to face the particle-emitting dragon and a blue shimmer reflected in his red eyes. "Have I? Maybe I have... I've been thinking about a few things."

Gunnar eyed him for a moment before frowning. "Can't exactly blame you. Things have been pretty rough, dude. With this next battle things are going to be rougher."

The TigerVespamon nodded. "However, as you said, we'll overcome them."

"Actually, I said 'we'll show them how awesome we are', but I get it; you're humble," the ShineGreymon responded with a grin.

Barachiel nodded and walked over to the wall, waiting there for the others to ready. He would need to make good of everything that Hadrael had taught him if he wanted to succeed. Especially Hadrael's words on patience.

However that would be hard for an impatient bug when time was not a luxury they had anymore. Barachiel would need to become better than he is in order to shape the future that Hadrael would want. And, also, the future that he wants...

 

[storymasterb]

Though the Horsemen had passed on from Rome, heading to whatever their next destination was, the storm clouds still wracked the sky overhead. Caradoc stood and gazed up into them, Famine's words echoing.

"It was your own wretched soul you were trying to save."

"I... wanted to save people," he muttered defiantly, but the words were half-hearted. He knew deep down that Famine had known the truth. He had been fighting for himself, because he craved redemption and a freedom from the oppressive shadow of his past. Perhaps his life was indeed worthless.

"Heya, 'Doc. What's up?" the GrandisKuwagamon asked him, hoping to pass the time as the Monitamon calculated their direction and coordinates. "You look kinda distracted."

"Just leave him alone, Kheprius," Pyra said to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and lightly pulling. "We're all very tired. Maybe if you were your brother, this would be a good idea."

"I don't remember Terrak owning a monopoly on Caradoc," Khep said defiantly. "Hell, if anyone would have one, I'd think it'd be Guinier. ...Unless of course she sold it to him after their falling out," the bug digimon added with a grin.

Pyra growled. "Kheprius, you're being a pest."

"It kinda comes with the turf," he replied, gesturing to his insectian body. He turned back to Caradoc. "If it's about the whole "demon deal" thing, why didn't you ask Samael instead of some demon you'll never be able to find again? I bet, since you're both Peacemakers, he would have given you an unlimited warranty on the deal."

"Leave me alone, Kheprius," the Dynasmon X murmured, turning as light flashed across his form, shattering into motes and leaving behind the dark-clad Valkyrimon. "Perhaps I should have asked Samael, though I doubt he could have helped. But the past is the past. I can't change my selfish mistakes." With that, he strode away from the two, into the ashen ruins of Rome where War had fought. Grey and black coated all surfaces, soot and ash and dust. This was destruction. This was death. This was what he had left behind, in the Chess Kingdom, in Anatolia... everywhere.

All for selfish redemption.

'I am the tip of His spear.'

He whirled. Once more that voice had sounded through the air, but there was no speaker. Only a twisting aurora which flowed through the corner of his eye and was gone when he tried to take a closer look. Three times now... he recalled the words. 'I am the Hammer. I am the embodiment of His will. I am the tip of His spear.'

What did it mean?

-

"Bedivere, have you and the Monitamon figured out the Horsemen's general direction yet? We need to get our tails moving fast before they overwhelm the others."

"East," Bedivere said. "They're heading east. As best as I can tell, back towards the area around Jerusalem, though they may be aiming to the ruins of Jericho, or another city in the region. Either way, we need to move out." He rose up from where he had been conversing with the Monitamon, reaching down with his free hand and gently lifting the TV-ninja Digimon to his shoulder. "Hold on tightly. We'll be moving at high speed."

The Examon spread his wings and lifted into the air, gazing down. "Peacemakers!" he declared. "I've determined the Horsemens' course. From what we can work out, they're headed east, to the region around Jerusalem." He gazed in the direction the four had departed. "Let's move out!" Spreading the Caledfwlch to their outermost extent, he rose skyward, and as the other Peacemakers joined him, he rocketed through the heavens, his comrades trailing in his wake as he raced toward the horizon, and beyond it, the Horsemen.

 

[PeeGee]

The moment that she heard the news, Tia was on her way. She hoped to the gods that Kole was alright, the last thing that she needed was to find out that her friend had died. On her way the Bastemon ran past Hira, who looked a lot less completely batshit insane, which she thought was a pretty good improvement compared to how he had been acting.

"I need to talk to you," said Hira, flying alongside the bipedal feline. "I really need to talk to you."

"You know what Hira?" asked Tia, "I think that it can wait, like it can really wait. There are much more pressing matters at hand."

"But-"

"Hira, we can talk later," firmly stated Tia, not really wanting to hear whatever crap he was going to say this time.

Hira closed his mouth and flew up into the sky, distancing himself from the Bastemon. The pair managed to get to Thor in minimal time, and both were ready to go whereever they needed.

"Please Tia, listen to me," insisted Hira, once again trying to talk to Tia.

"Hira, shut up!" said Tia, "I don't want to talk to you, I never want to talk to you again. You have been nothing more than a complete arse to Kole and quite frankly you have been like seven different types of creepy!"

Hira obliged and turned away from Tia, feeling incredibly heartbroken.

"So Thor, where are we headed?" asked Tia.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

Fenrir found that ignoring Tiwaz was usually the best way to get the dragon man to get off his back, especially since with everything going on too fast. Tiwaz would get too caught up with trying to get everything straightened out to bother him again. He hoped that he would be able to get Azur back from his shocked state by then.

When Bedivere called out for them to move, Fenrir grimaced slightly. The only flight-capable form that Azur had was his MagnaGarurumon form, and Fenrir could only control AncientGarurumon. He grimaced.

He glanced towards Tiwaz, debating whether asking the AncientGreymon for a lift. He then shook his head, sighing. The dragon man was already on a frustrated mood; their interaction would probably just cause another argument between them.

‘Fenrir…’

The Ancient of Light raised his head slightly, acknowledging that Azur seems to have regained some sense without any of his help. The tone of his voice, however, caused Fenrir to get slightly worried.

‘Azur. How are you feeling?’ Fenrir asked.

‘I…I need to find him,’ Azur said in a determined toned.

‘You mean Death,’ Fenrir thought as he frowned. ‘Azur, you must realize that he’s-’

‘I don’t care,’ Azur told him with the determined and stubborn tone that he had used many times before he had been first captured. ‘If…if there’s a chance…that Dunkelheit…that my twin is conscious in there...then I’ll bring him back. Even if it costs me my life.’

‘And if not?’ Fenrir asked his descendant.

‘…Then they’ll pay for corrupting his body.’ Azur replied, a surge of anger suddenly coursing through Fenrir’s body and causing his fur to rise.

‘Azur…you have to realize that it’s unlikely that Dunkelheit is there.’

‘I know.’

‘And you’re still willing to take that chance?’

‘More than anything,’ Azur answered resolutely.

‘…Very well,’ Fenrir told him. ‘But I need you to promise me not to risk your life any more than you should.’

Fenrir frowned when his mind went silent without Azur’s reply.

‘…Azur, you need to remember that even if Dunk is not around, you still have a quite a lot to live for,’ Fenrir told him, making one short glance towards a certain Paildramon, who was about to take off and follow the rest of the Peacemakers.

‘…I know…I promise,’ Azur finally said. Fenrir couldn’t detect any hesitance or reluctance, and it relieved him greatly.

‘We’re heading east to Jerusalem to the horsemen,’ Fenrir told him, closing his eyes and slowly letting Azur take control of the body as the light of evolution surrounded him and broke away to form MagnaGarurumon.

“…To Dunk,” Azur whispered as he opened his eyes and shot upwards, flying with a purpose.

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

“I can’t wait to get going!” Shoon exclaimed eagerly behind Gunnar as Barachiel walked past him, obviously not seeing the short, ball-shaped Digimon. “I’ve got tons of new variations on my bomb to try out!” he said rather loudly.

He then proceeded to poke the back of the ShineGreymon’s knee excitedly. “Hey, hey, I bet you that I can get those horsemen with my new and improved bombs! Wanna bet? Huh? Huh?” he asked in an energetic tone.

A few feet away, Aeria saw heard his announcement. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, wishing she had his confidence. Despite thinking that she had improved herself, even if only a little bit, she was still unsure of her abilities and whether she could be of any help.

“No,” she whispered to herself. “I…I will… I…won’t let it control me again,” she said in a slightly more resolute tone before turning to Thor, listening for when and where they’ll head next.

 

[Kamotz]

"We go to head off the Horsemen," Thor answered, his face grim. He looked at the Peacemakers assembled before him: Tia, Hira, Sha, Ivy, Gunnar, Barachiel, Shoon, Aeria, Justin, Trowa...and of course, Svarog. He trusted his brother-god over all others. Were it not for Svarog's presence, this task would seem even more impossible. Thor found himself ever-grateful that the war-god had been revived.

Bedivere had taken the bulk of their forces, most of their raw power was several hundred miles away. Sha had power, this Thor knew; but would any of that matter against a Horsemen? Trowa had ability, but it had been a long time since Thor had heard from him; he didn't know whether or not he had truly grown accustomed to his Mega form...or whether he was truly willing to continue with them. The rest were the new additions Michael called together. Gunnar was capable, but would he follow orders? Would Hira? The wildcat was rash and temperamental. Barachiel was skilled, but had proven himself...less than trustworthy. Thor had scarcely spoken a word to Aeria, and the meek Greymon seemed so unsure of herself. Justin, for all his eager bravado, had yet to face the terrifying reality of their situation. Without Gigas, would Ivy be able to carry her weight in the battle?

Then came Tia and Shoon. Thor had never even seen them Digivolve...and now they were fighting the Horsemen. Famine alone had been able to match and exceed even his and Svarog's combined efforts. And now there were four such beings. What hope did they have if Thor himself couldn't match one?

"You're worrying," Svarog growled, low enough that the others wouldn't hear, but with enough force to show his disapproval. "They can tell this; they need to see you are confident and fearless, and unstoppable."

"What chance do we have, Svarog?" Thor whispered back, hiding his voice from the rest of the group. "I try to see all angles and opportunities in this battle, but for all my sight and knowledge I see nothing that ends in our favor. Tell me, war-god, have I missed something? Do you see what I do not?"

Svarog closed his eyes and shook his head. "No," he answered. "But that doesn't mean we are allowed to give up. You are Thor Odinson, heir to the White Sword; King of Asgard."

"Asgard is no more," Thor spat, his voice bitter with the taste of failure.

"As long as there is Thor, there is Asgard," Svarog said with a snarl that conveyed his frustration. He was tired of Thor's insecurities. It had gone on long enough. "As long as there is Svarog, there is Svarga." He shook his head. "That is the way of our kind."

No more was said between them. Thor nodded and turned back to the group; they watched him, waiting for a sign. He did his best to look past their faults and imperfections, and see them for what they represented: shining examples of courage, of camaraderie, of hope and honor. He did his best to ignore the present reality and possibility of their annihilation at the Horsemen's hands, to see with his father's sight what they might be.

Instead of what they were. Doomed.

=====

They raced from Anatolia, flying to the southeast with all haste. They needed to reach the edge of the Mid-World Sea before the Horsemen; they needed to hold them there, hold the line; hold until Bedivere and the others arrived and provided backup. Luckily they were fast fliers; and those who could not fly were easily carried. They were able to reach the edge of the Sea before the Horsemen, but only just. Thor and Svarog could feel them moving across the world; sickening and twisted. Horror passed beneath the wake they seared into the sky. They rose over the horizon, four storms of twisting power, moving with impossible speed.

"They will be upon us in moments," Svarog said as he calculated the Horsemen's speed. He turned to Thor. "If they strike us at that speed, even we will not survive the first blow. We must stop them."

Thor raised the White Sword. He held it before him, drawing in all his power, breathing deep into the eternities, shuddering as it flooded his form. He looked to Svarog and nodded. "Unfortunately we don't have the element of surprise," he said. "It would serve us well."

Svarog pondered this for a moment, then turned to Sha, plucked him from Gunnar's head, and dropped him into the sea far below.

"Now we do," the war-god said.

Thor chuckled despite the situation, but was grim a moment later. "If you can Digivolve, do so now," he said. "For you won't have the opportunity when they come at us." Beside him, Svarog flared his power, building it between his fingers, shaking with the effort of containing such fury. Thor looked to his god-brother and nodded.

"Sol Blaster!"

"Omni Sword!"

The two attacks streaked through the sky, fire and lightning on a collision course. They clashed just in front of the Horsemen's path, exploding brilliantly, the force of which crashed into the Horsemen and stopped them in their tracks, robbing them of their terrible momentum.

Thor and Svarog led the charge, closing the shockingly-small gap in an instant, and shouting with a roar.

"Have at thee!"

 

[Hotshot]

Shifting into her Lotusmon-form, Ivy followed the courageous charge of Thor and Svarog. The other Peacemakers were with her, surrounding each other. Ivy felt her heart swell with boldness and hope for the coming fight. In that charge, that split-second before battle, she was reminded of their greatest strength against their enemies:

Their unity; their trust in each other. Without it, they were nothing against the powerful forces that ravaged their world. And though, on this particular occasion, their group was separated, she knew that the others were on their way. That gave her hope. That gave her strength.

The Horsemen were gathered close together, hurtling forward like a condensed sphere of pure energy. They had to be separated if they were to be stopped. Thor and Svarog had deprived them of their powerful momentum. That would certainly cushion the blow that was to come. If only a little.

Ivy winced as the Horsemen plowed through their numbers. She was hurled back by the burning aura of War as the ShineGreymon rocketed by. But just as the Horseman was turning to reduce Ivy to mere cinders, the ocean below erupted in a salty spray, and a humongous, crocodilian head burst forth from beneath the sea. Its jaws snapped around War's much smaller form. An instant later, the massive Leviamon withdrew to the deep, taking his prisoner with him.

The Lotusmon smirked as she watched Sha disappear into the ocean. He was on his home turf now...playing by his own rules. The deep was his playground.

===============

Deeper and deeper, Sha plunged, carrying War in his huge jaws. He felt the Horseman radiate intense heat in his mouth, but he persisted to drag her further into the murky ocean. Then, his mouth burning from an imprisoned ShineGreymon's fire, he let loose a furious blast of Thunder Breath from his throat. The attack sent War spiraling through the water. The waves above churned in response to the forceful blast beneath.

"CSHWAR-HAWR-HAWR-HAWR!" Sha bellowed, a cloud of blood flowing from his gaping maw, his twin tails swinging behind him. "YOU'RE IN SHA'S HOUSE NOW!"

War righted herself in the water, but spoke not...for to do so would invite a horrible, drowning doom. Sha grinned and hurled himself forward, swimming at War at an astounding speed. He may have been slow and clumsy on land...but in the sea, he was king.

The Horseman, her fire now useless, met his furious charge head on, slowing him down with her bare hands. She intensified the heat of her draconic hands, burning the tip of the Leviamon's snout. Sha reared back with a grunt and tried to slash at War with his tails. But War proved too skilled in the way of close-combat. She dodged both tails and then rocketed forward to plow into the Leviamon's side with her superheated fists.

Sha roared in reply and pummeled the Horseman with his back foot, sending her spiraling further into the deep. The Leviamon's eyes narrowed as he plunged after her, intent on finishing her off.

But War would not have it. She spun around and tore upwards at Sha, nearly desperate for breath. Maneuvering past the huge crocodile's gaping jaws, she barreled into his left shoulder and rolled off it, rocketing to the surface.

Unfortunately, the Leviamon wasn't about to let her go without one last hurrah. He twisted his reptilian frame and aimed one last Thunder Breath at her. With an explosive roar, he enveloped her from below in a white-hot pillar of corrosive energy. The force of the blast consumed her, carrying her out of the ocean and into the sky in an enormous burst from the deep.

Sha grinned. "RINSE AND REPEAT."

 

[Griff4815]

Tiwaz flapped his wings with agitation as he flew alongside the other Peacemakers, carrying whoever he needed to on his back. "Rizalia... No. She's not Rizalia. War... Damn you," he thought to himself, frowning.

The AncientGreymon led the group beside Bedivere. The fire god looked over to current Lord of the Empty Seat. Bedivere and himself had their differences in the past. It took Tiwaz every ounce of will in his body not to try and help Bedivere off of the path that he seemed to be heading down. However, that wasn't important to him at that time.

He flew closer to Bedivere. "Stormheart..." he spoke direly. "All four Horsemen are together now. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Mephistopheles' plans are likely coming to a head. That means we need to end this quickly and decisively."

"That's easier said than done," Pyra's voice said from Bedivere's other side. "As far as we know, we can't kill them with brute strength alone."

"No, but we can at least keep them busy until Samael and Michael find out what the hell is going on in Paradise," Tiwaz explained. "If we're lucky, they'll come back with some answers on how to stop this whole damn thing. I'm not holding my breath, though..."

"Conquest managed to be killed somehow though," Pyra observed to them.

"I'll eat my own tail if we can pull that off on all four of them again," the AncientGreymon replied. "Hmph. It's going to be tough, but it's not impossible either. Maybe killing Mephistopheles is the key to stopping the horsemen. That is, if the slippery, cowardly bastard ever shows his face again..."

"Let's just focus on getting to the others quickly," Pyra replied. "I hope they can hold out until then."

-

With his mechanized wings outstretched and his head ducked down, Gunnar's lean, dinosaurian body sailed through air. The claws of his toes, along with the underside of his rubber-tipped tail, skimmed the blue water below.

The RizeGreymon looked down at the sea and grinned, spotting his reflection. "Hello, handsome..." he said to himself.

He then saw Sha, who had been previously removed from his head by Svarog, digivolve into his Leviamon form while swimming directly under him. His grin quickly soured. "Ack! Gross! Not who I was talking about!" he sputtered.

Gunnar looked up and saw four dots in the distance, flying above the plane of water. "Well, that looks like them, alright." The RizeGreymon frowned and looked around at the sea. "We could have picked a better battlefield though. All this water kinda puts you non-fliers at a disadvantage," he said, craning his head and looking over his shoulder to Justin and Shoon, who were on his back.

The flying, half-mecha dinosaur grinned at Justin competitively. "Hey, Twinkle. Even though you and me are gonna partner up for this battle, that wager of ours is still on, right? Awesome." The RizeGreymon's body started to glow with the light of evolution. "Hang on tight! Justin, I'll move in close enough for you to hit them. Hit and run tactics. Shoon, I want you to hang onto my tail for dear life and throw those funny bombs of yours. We're gonna be taking on Daddy Greyclaw."

Gunnar digivolved into his ShineGreymon form, spreading his wings wider to account for Justin's (and, to a lesser extent, Shoon's) weight. The GeoGrey Sword appeared in his hands in a wreath of flames. "I may have to do some fancy flying depending on how ugly things get, so be ready to hold onto my shoulder spikes. Ready, guys? Here we go!"

The light dragon soared through the air towards Famine. The Dynasmon X snarled hungrily and saw Gunnar approach. He went to meet the Peacemaker's charge. Instead of coming straight at Famine, though, Gunnar pulled up softly so that they flew over Famine's head.

Just as the Dynasmon reached up to grab him, Gunnar pulled up slightly by flapping his glowing wings. The giant orb on the ShineGreymon's chest was glowing brightly. "Shining Blast!"

The orb ignited with concentrated rays of burning light and fire, washing over Famine's face. The Horseman snarled and swept out his other hand, missing Gunnar, but aiming his open palm at them. "Breath of Wyvern!"

From the massive gem on his palm came a river of elements sweeping across the sky towards them. Gunnar cursed and banked to the left, both to try and avoid the attack and to swing back around for another pass. Behind his yellow helmet, his face scrunched his pain as the stream of power hit his foot and burned it through the armour. "H-Hit this bastard hard!" he shouted to Shoon and Justin.

Gunnar tossed his GeoGrey Sword to his left hand and poised it. He sneered and flew straight for Famine, his shimmering particles tailing him as they flew off the lenses of his wings. "This ends today!"

-

Barachiel felt the salty surf sprinkle down upon his body as he watched a pillar of water explode upwards from the depths below. At the center of Sha's attack was War, though the water coating her form was quickly replaced by steam.

The TigerVespamon stared at her. "She will be my opponent," he spoke, his voice calm and clear, as if he could see his goal just nearin his reach.

Barachiel blitzed towards the ShineGreymon Burst Mode. He closed in and silently raised his Royal Meisters over his head. He brought them down right as War turned around, bringing her Corona Blaze Sword up to block his attack. Barachiel quickly pulled back his right sword while still clashing the left Royal Meister against her, and stabbed it forwards.

War flew back and raised her shield to block the beam blade. The Corona Blaze Shield then roared with fire, a torrent of flames ripping from the shield towards the golden insect man. Barachiel flew up and split his legs flexibly, feeling the heat of the attack pass beneath him. He then angled his body at ninety degrees and flew at her again, slashing his sword forward.

The infernal horsemen, blocked with her sword again and then charged, slamming her shoulder into him and pushing him through the air. Barachiel grunted in pain and raised his right arm. He slammed the hilt of the Royal Meister into the side of War's neck, sending a massive shock through her nervous system. Her muscles tensed and jerked, allowing Barachiel to pull back and stab his Royal Meister towards her.

War sneered and threw herself to the right. The beam of Barachiel's blade melted through her armour and seared her flesh, but it didn't do the damage he had intended. War brought her knee upwards, between his legs, and then bashed Barachiel through the air with her shield.

Despite the throbbing pain, Barachiel righted himself and took a defensive stance.

"I suppose that hatred runs in the family, doesn't it?" War asked him, smiling slightly. "You're getting right up there with your brother..."

"Your mind games won't work on me," Barachiel responded placidly. "Fight me without the chatter."

"I'll settle for killing you," she responded, charging him and slashing her sword down at him. Barachiel dodged it, but an explosion of flame threw him back.

He slashed the Royal Meisters through the blast and spoke. "Mach Stinger Victory!"

He brought the blades diagonally down to meet each other and two arcs of energy ripped from the swords, flying towards War in a 'V' shape. It burned against her and forced her back, allowing Barachiel to fly after her and deliver a powerful yet graceful kick to her chest, throwing her towards the water.

War's wings burned intesely and she stopped herself just before hitting the sea, the water beneath her bubbling.

Barachiel hovered in the air, observing as she recovered. "We can only hold out here for so long... The others better show up soon," he mused before swooping down to attack her again.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

“Shoon, I want you to hang on for dear life and throw those funny bombs of yours.”

“They are not funny bombs!” Shoon had initially tried to say, only for his voice to be drowned out by the wind that suddenly appeared as Gunnar digivolved and shot towards the Dynasmon X called Famine. And it was also not because his sentence had turned into a terrified scream midway…definitely not that.

As Gunnar flew around, Shoon held onto his tail hard, trying to ignore his fear and try to think of a good plan. He had an upgraded bomb arsenal in his possession, but they were useless unless he could think of exemplary applications in their current situation; just throwing bombs randomly would just run the risk of his own allies getting caught up in whatever effect the bomb’s explosion would have.

Of course, all those thoughts went out of his mind the moment Famine’s Breath of Wyvern blasted Gunnar’s foot, just a bare few inches from hitting Shoon himself.

He didn’t even hear Gunnar’s order to attack. And even if he did, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything as his arms were frozen stiff around Gunnar’s tail. He would have been swept away by the force of the wind against his face due to the ShineGreymon’s charge.

“That’s it! Feed me your rage!” Famine roared unflinchingly at the Peacemaker that charged at him.

As soon as he got close enough, Gunnar thrust his sword at Famine’s chest, only to miss as the Dynasmon X moved to the side. Despite that, their bodies collided, causing Gunnar’s passengers to shake with the impact. Before Gunnar could retreat, Famine then opened his jaws wide and shut them on Gunnar’s armored bicep, making him yell in shock and slight pain at the teeth that penetrated.

“Get off me!” the ShineGreymon commanded as he tried to push Famine away. The Horsemen only replied by biting harder, causing the armor around Gunnar’s arm to slowly tighten around what it was supposed to protect.

Shoon didn’t know what made him do it. It was either his fear making him react or his mind thinking too fast for him to actually make sense of what he was doing. He threw a bomb between Gunnar’s and Famine’s chests.

“Smiley Bomb: Version Sonic Boom!” he found himself yelling.

The bomb shone brightly before suddenly exploding in an extremely strong sonic boom that was able to pull Famine’s jaws off of Gunnar’s arm and send him flying across. However, the very same boom also sent Gunnar and his passengers away in the opposite direction.

Yelling in terror, Shoon shot through the air, having free one arm and let go of Gunnar’s tail in his act to throw his bomb.

And then the Mamemon X found himself slamming against something hairy. Before he could rebound off, his hands immediately grasped at the hairs, stopping him from getting back in the air. Shoon sighed in relief, sitting up and looking down to thank whomever caught him.

“Tha-“

And he stopped mid-thank when he realized he was sitting on top of the head of a Horseman. Then he screamed, quickly getting into a stand and jumping off of Pestilence’s head. He didn’t get far; the Vikemon grabbed the much smaller Digimon with a quick grab of his hand, effectively trapping the Mamemon X in his fist, although one of Shoon’s arms were still free to move around.

“Ahhhhh, let me go!” Shoon yelled, remembering what they had been told about Pestilence and his ability. “I’m too young to die from a multitude of life-threatening maladies!” he yelled as he stared at his hand for the signs of sickness. After a second, he noticed that his body was not reacting at all to Pestilence’s disease causing presence.

Then he remembered. “Ha! I’m made of metal! Your disease can’t affect m-“

He started groaning as Pestilence slowly started to clench his fist harder around the metallic Digimon, who realized that his apparent immunity to the disease-causing presence was little advantage when he wasn’t even big enough to make an effective punch.

“Pathetic,” Pestilence muttered as he slowly crushed Shoon to death, making the Mamemon X yell and **** his eyes in pain. “So called heroes…have lowered their standards in such little time.”

Shoon grunted and forced himself to open his eyes. “I…am not…p-pathetic…” he rasped as tried to muster the strength to grab onto a bomb with the hand that was within the Vikemon’s fist. “S-smiley B-bomb: V-v-ver…sion J-jave…lin…!”

Without warning, a blade suddenly jutted though the back of Pestilence’s hand, causing the Horseman to roar in pain and fling his arm, reflexively opening his hand and sending Shoon’s aching body flying in the air. On his palm was a spherical object with a long blade protruding from it and penetrating Pestilence’s hand. Then it flashed brightly for a moment before exploding on the Vikemon’s hand.

Shoon, meanwhile, was screaming as he was suddenly flying through the air once more. “Heeeeeeelp!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

As if his prayer was answered, he suddenly felt himself colliding into something once more. He then noticed it was a hand, and said hand was closing around him. “Not agaaaaaain!” he screamed in disbelief.

“Hey, Shoon! Stop with the shouting!” Gunnar’s voice said from above his head, causing the Mamemon X to look up.

“Gunnar!” Shoon said in extreme relief, despite his dented body. The ShineGreymon gave him a small grin before turning to Pestilence.

“Looks like you made him angry,” the ShineGreymon noted, turning to Pestilence. The Vikemon had turned to them with a glare, his hand smoking and burnt.

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

Everything was a rush. Aeria didn’t know who to go to and where to turn; the mixture of her nerves and fear were causing her senses to slow down and make it seem like time was moving slower than it ever was.

‘Come on, Aeria,’ she thought to herself as she shook her head. ‘You can do it. You can do-’ Her thoughts were interrupted when a rush of wind, along with a white figure, flew past her and made her flinch.

“W-what?” she said out loud as she opened her eyes to see what had passed her. Her body stiffened slightly when the figure slowed and revealed a hungry and restless Dynasmon X. The Horseman growled threateningly and turned his attention to her.

“You…all that negativity…that dark energy…feed it to me!” Famine commanded, charging at Aeria at full speed. The old Aeria would have frozen in fear. The old Aeria would have let her emotions control her. She would be a hindrance that she thought she was.

She didn’t want to be that Aeria anymore.

Instead of freezing, Aeria took a deep breath and, with as much courage she could muster, she dashed right back. “Listen to the music…that’s in my soul,” Aeria whispered as she sped up, her movement somehow gaining a slight swaying motion.

“Mine!” Famine roared as Aeria got close, his arms reaching out to grab the WarGreymon. However, his arms were not able to catch her and instead swiped at the air in front of him.

At what might have possibly been the last second, Aeria had spun to the side, her body turning gracefully. And the next moment, she extended a leg, driving it into Famine’s torso, the momentum of her spin and her charge adding to the force behind her roundhouse kick. Her attack sent the Horseman flying backwards, but only by a few meters, before he stopped and glared angrily at Aeria. Instead of getting affected by his enraged gaze, Aeria dashed towards him, her movements swaying once more.

“Breath of Wyvern” he roared out as he outstretched his palms towards the WarGreymon, a thick, malevolent beam of light shooting towards the approaching Peacemaker.

And Aeria didn’t hesitate. In a rhythm all her own, she turned upwards, the beam passing past her and barely missing her feet due to her innate agility, although it managed to singe the tip of Aeria’s long hair. She continued her turn into a loop, making it seem like she was swimming in the air, her downward turn allowing her to spin and extend a leg for a kick towards Famine’s face. Instead of connecting with its intended target, Aeria’s foot was caught by Famine, who pulled her down roughly and grabbed onto her arm with his other hand.

“You are mine!” Famine said triumphantly as he opened his jaws wide to clamp on the area between Aeria’s shoulder and her neck.

The female WayGreymon screamed in pain as the Horseman’s teeth penetrated her skin. She grit her teeth and tried not to make tears of agony appear on her face.

“I…I’m not…going to give…up!” she muttered as she faced one of her palms towards Famine’s bony chest. “Terra…Force!” she yelled as the tiny space between her palm and Famine’s body shone bright orange. A second later, a small sphere appeared between them and pushed them away slighty.

And then the sphere enlarged itself a hundred fold, separating Famine’s maw from Aeria’s injured body with its raw forced before blasting itself away from Aeria’s palm, bringing the Horseman with it. Then the sphere exploded in a massive explosion that sent Aeria, who had been unprepared for the ensuing shockwave, flying down towards the ocean.

The WarGreymon fell down into the cold, chilly water, unable to see what her attack had done because of the smoke from her attack. It took her a few seconds before she was able to right herself up and swim upwards to see what her attack had done.

Her confidence fell when she saw that it had barely done any damage to the Horseman, who only looked angry than hurt by the attack.

She shook her head.

“I…I have to keep fighting…I won’t…I won’t let it control me again,” she told herself before she exited the water to return to the fray.

 

[TheSequelReturns]

Justin was nervous. He didn't show it of course, but he felt it. His fist slowly clenched and relaxed, the motion all but hidden by his large red gloves. They had four of those things to face now. One was bad enough, two had nearly destroyed them, and now... they had four to face. It was a bit of a sobering though, and for once in his life Justin was silent. But, not for long.

"Hey, Twinkle. Even though you and me are gonna partner up for this battle, that wager of ours is still on, right?" Gunnar said. It was a bit odd where the voice came from, since Justin currently found himself sitting on the RizeGreymon's back. Even odder, was knowing where to look when answering. It felt like talking to the floor, just a bit at least.

"Of course its still on Sparkles, I wouldn't dare forget the a challenge from one of my rivals." As if to punctuate his point, he punched the air, oblivious to the fact that Gunnar wouldn't be able to see the motion.

"Awesome." Was his only response. Following Thor's orders, his form began to light up as he prepared to digivolve. Gunnar laid out a plan to attack, and even though it seemed a bit less than honorable, he wasn't about to voice an argument given the foes they were about to face.

"You got it. Just be ready to catch me."

Justin took a deep breath and steeled his will as he assumed his Justimon form, flexing his powerful arms as his red scarf trailed out behind him in the wind. Forgetting all about the fact that he was a passenger on another mon, Justin assumed the trademark pose of the Justimon, arms folded powerfully, legs together, facing dead ahead. No matter what he was about to face, he'd be ready.

They met Famine with an intense exchange of power, powerful attacks flying from both sides. No sooner had Gunnar backed to dodge then Justin knelt down, focusing all his power in his legs. He didn't even need Gunnar's orders, he knew his moment was right. Hopefully Gunnar wouldn't feel his kick to hard.

With a burst of power, Justin blasted off of Gunnar's back the moment he was angled towards Famine, his powerful cybernetic arm pulled back ready to deliver the starting blow. "Trinity Arm, Accel Mode! THUNDERCLAP!"

His arm struck Famine with immense force, cracking a few of the scales that covered his malicious form as the powerful shock waves coursed through his body. The monster let out a roar and tried to swat Justin off with his massive, clawed hand, but Justin dug the fingers of his Trinity Arm into Famine's cracked armor, and held on tight. Even as he recoiled, he started to feel his strength leech away as Famine's effects started to kick in. These Horseman were truly dishonorable opponents if they could fight back simply by standing in your presence.

Not wanting to press his luck, Justin pushed off from the Dynasmon X, back-flipping and striking Famine in the chin with feet as he did so. But as soon as he did, he remembered he was no longer fighting on solid ground. He started to fall and Famine turned towards him, ready to unleash another blast of power.

"Sparkles, some assistance would be nice!" he shouted.

----

Trowa wasn't used to battle like this. It had been a long time since the Mikaboshi, and these opponents may not be on that same scale, but they were powerful, more powerful even than the Royal Knights. For a moment, Trowa wondered why he had even came along. He had no more stake in this, no more so than any other digimon who was wandering around really, and to be honest with himself, he didn't feel like he owed any of these teammates of his, with perhaps the sole exception being Kheprius, but he wasn't present at the moment. Neither were Duo and Lucia. And yet, here he was, swords drawn, about to risk his life by charging into battle once again.

Trowa sighed to himself, a new habit he had picked up in recent months, ignoring how much it made him feel like Duo. The reason he was here was simple, he was a fighter. He wasn't made to sit on the sidelines while other people fought for his sake. If there was a battle of this magnitude going on, he wanted in on it. Was it reckless? Dangerous? Stupid? Probably all three, but that didn't matter. He was here, and so were his opponents. Right now, that was all that mattered. His resolved strengthened, he turned towards the others as the battle started. As much as he wanted to be in the battle, he was still smart enough to realize charging in headfirst when knew little of his opponents wasn't the best plan. He would strike where he would be most effective after the opening moments.

The other TigerVespimon in their group, Barachiel, Kheprius's odd-ball brother, charged in after the Horseman he could only assume was War judging by all the fire and snarling the ShineGreymon did. For a moment, he though of Gunnar when he saw her, they were both ShineGreymon after all. But it would be easy enough to tell them apart. All he had to do was aim for the hot one who looked like she wanted to bite his face off.

Fighting two opponents with the same physical form, but different fighting styles might throw the Horseman off-guard. War would suffice as his opponent as well. With any luck, Barachiel wouldn't object to the help.

Trowa darted in shortly after their brief exchange of words, as soon as War's back was turned. She was still a ways away, but Trowa had speed on his side. In a matter of seconds, he crossed the gap. He didn't dare shout out his presence with a proper technique. He was only going to get one chance at surprising War.

He crashed into War's back at full speed, the Horseman only tensing up the moment before impact, as the sound from his approach registered in her ears. War crashed into the water for only a moment, a spray of brine and steam exploding in her wake.

Trowa barely had time to change direction before War erupted from the ocean, even more furious looking than usual. Clearly, she wasn't one to take to water very well.

He didn't give her a breather however, instead keeping the pressure on as long as he could. "Gear Stinger!" A torrent of energy bolts showered down upon War, which did little more than cause her a momentary distraction. Hopefully Barachiel could take a hint.

 

[Kamotz]

I'm going to post a summary here of the next several events so that we can hopefully keep this moving forward. *Ahem* Now, time for my narrator voice.

The Peacemakers continue to battle the Horsemen, and though they seem to be able to hold them at first, the tireless nature of the Horsemen means that they eventually wear the Peacemakers down.

The battle with Death is especially taxing, as even his lightest touch can be absolutely devastating, and prolonged contact (more than several seconds) can kill. This is made apparent when Thor engages it and is nearly killed if not for the intervention of the White Sword's power, which is able to negate Death's touch on Thor.

Svarog is able to momentarily incapacitate War by exerting superior control over fire, trapper War in its own body, unable to move or attack. However, upon noticing Thor's plight, he abandons his quest for revenge and intervenes. The touch of Death nearly kills him, but his subconscious catapults him into his Firebird Mode and he is made immune.

The fighting continues, with the Peacemakers each matching up against the Horsemen. At one point Pestilence spreads out its disease and infects every Peacemaker with a dangerous digital virus that slowly begins to eat away at the Peacemakers. Their frustration, doubt, and other negative emotions only serve to empower the Horsemen further.

Just when all hope seems lost the rest of the Peacemakers arrive, allowing the tired half a moment to regain their bearings. The Horsemen, however, push onward, forcing the battle towards the coast and eventually over land. They drive the combat forward, moving ceaselessly towards their goal: the fields of Megiddo.

Cresil manages to use his demonic magic to short out Pestilence's disease-creating powers, but only around himself. Noticing this, Thor drives the White Sword into the earth and calls upon the sword's power to amplify the effect of Cresil's magic and cancel out all the auxiliary powers of the Horsemen. Now no stronger and inexhaustible than regular Digimon, the Horsemen quickly find themselves overwhelmed and are beaten down with a taste of their own medicine.

Just as a finishing blow is about to be struck, Death and Famine charge Thor, dragging him outside of the White Sword's "barrier" where Death's touch will be effective. Thor instinctively calls back the blade to defend himself, but that deactivates the barrier and allows War and Pestilence to break away. All four Horsemen come together and are engulfed in a fiery light.

The light breaks a crack in the center of the field, glowing white hot, and the Horsemen are obliterated, their task complete.

A Seal Breaks: "The Horsemen Assembled in the Killing Fields."

===

In Paradise, Michael and Samael continue fighting with the Lesser Lords of Hell. They're unable to win, but Michael manages to rally his brothers and fight on. Suddenly Mephistopheles appears with the Metatron, the angel who speaks for God, and tosses him to Michael's feet. He reveals that it was all an elaborate distraction meant to draw the forces of Heaven away from the center spheres and bring Sacred Angels together. He has rendered the Metatron mute, silencing the voice of God (another Seal), and the seven Virtues have fallen: his Cambion have defeated the Sacred Angels and taken their powers (yet another).

Michael attacks in a rage, but Belial's interference keeps him from Mephistopheles, who prepares to kill them all. But the Metatron intervenes, calling upon the combined powers of all Heaven's angels to cast a devastating light that banishes Mephistopheles and the Lesser Lords from Heaven.

===

The tired and weary Peacemakers take a moment to recover, but it is not to be. Their Monitamon companion receives a message from Anatolia: they're under attack from the Nightmare Soldiers! The Peacemakers give quick orders to defend the city and head back with all haste--some of the faster ones pull ahead, they're not worried about arriving all together.

When they arrive at Anatolia, however, they find the city has been successfully defended. Seven Digimon stand revealed as the saviors of the city and are hailed as heroes: a Goldramon, Aegisdramon, Susanoomon, Alphamon, Varodurumon, Magnadramon, and Regulumon.

They introduce themselves as Evangel, Jacob, Andreas, Silas, Maximillian, Avazina, and Liliana. These Digimon suddenly alight and reveal themselves as human-Digimon Bio-merge partners. Their eyes glow with the symbols of their respective crests, and their bodies are marked with the glowing symbols several times over as they declare:

"We are the Digidestined. We've come to save you." To rancorous applause.

But the Peacemakers recognize them as Victor Henricksen, Jake Talley, Andrew Gallagher, Scott Carey, Max Miller, Ava Wilson, and Lily Harmon.

Mephistopheles's Cambion.

 

[Tundra_Wolfmane]

“What is going on here!?” Shoon, energetic as ever despite getting beat badly, yelled in complete shock. “This is- this can’t be- will someone please tell me why they are the ones getting applauded when we’re the ones that just got our butts kicked trying to keep people from getting killed!?” the Mamemon X complained indignantly, stamping his foot on the ground.

Behind him was Azur, whose own WereGarurumon body was bruised, although not as bad as Thor’s group, all of whom had to deal with the full force of the Horsemen all by themselves. He was asking a similar question in his mind, albeit for a whole other different reason. ‘What are they planning?’ he thought as he narrowed his eyes.

‘Do not let your guard down, Azur, but do not do anything rash,’ Fenrir’s voice echoed in his mind, giving him no relief. ‘If you would please, Azur, remind Tiwaz to do the same.’

Azur refrained from making any visible reactions, but he knew that Fenrir could sense his slight surprise; he had assumed that the relationship between them was as rocky as ever. After a second of thought, he glanced at the other ancient; Tiwaz was still in control. He had to vaguely wonder when the last time he had seen Tyr in the flesh.

He then opened his mouth, calling the dragon’s attention. “Don’t act without thinking,” he told his ancestor. He assumed that Tiwaz understood that the ‘Fenrir says’ part need not be said.

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

Cresil looked on with a lot more than a little amusement. He had fared far better than most of the other Peacemakers given that he was always supported by his magic. A little of the White Sword’s powers still mingled in his own magic stores, as well, giving him the energy that the other Peacemakers used up battling with the Horsemen.

“How fascinating,” the Astamon said as he walked to the side of Thor and Michael. “Our enemies are posing as our allies, or perhaps they have shown their true colors and have been released from Mephistopheles control?” he theorized, not at all helping the situation.

The demon man was positive that the possibility of the latter option was near nil. That demonic mastermind would not let pawns, especially ones as powerful and useful as the Cambion, go so easily.

“Perhaps I underestimate your intelligence, but I suggest you and your friends try not to attack them; driving away the so-called saviors right after their triumphant win would only make all of you look like sad, jealous children. Why, that’s only one adjective away!” he told them with his normal, annoying flair. “On the other hand, a good fight is rather festive, no?” he commented as he walked away from the two.

 

[Griff4815]

After a collective period of shock at the "Digidestined's" declaration, voices of indignance and disbelief began to emerge from the Peacemakers.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Kheprius hissed with a visible scowl. "First, I don't get to kill War because they finish their seal crap, and now this? Sure I kicked that bitch's butt for awhile on the comeback, but it wasn't enough!"

Pyra, who stood between him and Azur, stared at them with a frown. The Imperialdramon Fighter Mode looked over to Kheprius. "Don't be hostile just yet, Kheprius..." she told him, though her voice held the weight of suspicion.

"Don't be hostile?!" the tired, sore and frustrated GrandisKuwagamon asked. "With Mephistopheles' pawns? The ones who've tried to kill us on more than one occasion? Nooo! Wouldn't think of it!"

"I'm not telling you to trust them," Pyra told him in a low voice, narrowing her eyes tellingly. "...But creating friction and starting fights aren't going to help our cause either. Especially when we're exhausted."

"Yeah, well..." Kheprius grumbled in reluctant compliance, though he certainly wasn't about to let his guard down. "Just remember that it's harder to block a dagger when it's aimed at your back."

With that, he walked over to where Trowa and a few others were. "Are you guys buying this? I can't believe we're dealing with this 'glorious humans are digidestined' myth again! Yeah, those biomergers and false digidestined from the Crusade were really something. Now we have the Cambion - Mephistopheles' demon humans - claiming to be the digidestined!"

The black insect narrowed his eye and inspected the razor blades of his Gran Killer. "These creatures have been a menace to us. They even killed what's-his-name permanently, unless he comes back as a Horseman again. Oh, and the last time I checked, Cador and the Royal Knights were right. Aren't these Cambion kids the key to Apocalypse or something? Yet they have the balls to act like the saviours of this city? Just what are they playing at...?"

-

Barachiel's crimson, compound eyes were fixed on these seven biomergers claiming to be the digidestined. He studied them for several moments, his expression remaining unchanged. The TigerVespamon then turned to his nearby friend, Caradoc, calmly.

"There is no doubt about it. They are the Cambion..." he said absolutely. "However..."

"What?" Gunnar asked curiously, arching his neck to the side and raising an eyebrow.

"They... feel different..." he replied.

Gunnar gave a confused look to Caradoc, wondering if he could make heads or tails of what the insect digimon meant. "...'Feel' different?" the exhausted ShineGreymon finally asked. "What the hell do you mean by that, Barry?"

"I cannot answer that," Barachiel replied, closing his eyes and bowing his head slightly, as if in introspection. "That's simply the best answer I can give to describe it. They're different from before... somehow..."

"Well, duh," Gunnar responded, leering over at the Digidestined. "They all have new forms. Stronger ones by the look of it."

"That isn't what I meant..."

"You're so cryptic sometimes," Gunnar replied, walking away from him.

Barachiel silently looked at the Digidestined. For some reason, other than the obvious, he felt unnerved by them. He couldn't place his finger on it.

Shaking his head, the humanoid bug turned back to Caradoc. "What's your opinion of this situation, Caradoc?" he asked him. Upon studying his friend's face for a few seconds, he frowned. "And also... are you well?"

-

Tiwaz stood silently. Something that might seem uncharacteristic of the AncientGreymon given the current situation that they found themselves in. He was staring at the digidestined, however, he wasn't looking at them exactly.

He was going over the last battle in his head, knowing that that would be the last time he saw Rizalia's form in the flesh.

However, it had really been War. And Tiwaz had come to accept that.

"I did it..." he thought to himself. "I actually attacked her. Without hesitation. ...I could do it because I knew that it was War tarnishing the memory of the woman I loved. And, boy, did I ever make War suffer for that..."

"Tiwaz," Tyr said to him, causing Tiwaz to blink and snap out of his thoughts. "What do you make of them? The humans that Constantine warned us about."

"I don't trust them," Tiwaz lowly rumbled.

"Neither do I..." Tyr agreed.

Tiwaz was surprised to hear Tyr say that. "You don't? That's not like you, Tyr."

"Well... the Royal Knights wouldn't have done all those things if it wasn't for a good reason."

The dragon couldn't help but crack a smirk. The only reason Tyr was cynical was because of his idealism for the Royal Knights.

The smile disappeared upon recognizing Andreas' form of Susanoomon. His blue eyes narrowed. "Looks like Perun has some competition..." he thought while somebody approached him.

He then opened his mouth, calling the dragon’s attention. “Don’t act without thinking,” he told his ancestor.

Tiwaz rolled his eyes at the WereGarurumon, knowing it was probably Fenrir who was nagging him. "If I did that, we would end up looking like the enemies," he muttered, glancing around at the cheering Anatolian crowd.

The dragon exhaled, but tried not to make his weariness apparent. "Tyr. Do you want to take over?"

"Yes, please," Tyr answered, taking control of the Warrior of Flame's body, allowing Tiwaz to recover his strength.

Upon feeling his consciousness merge fully with the body and nerves. Tyr lifted his front leg slightly and wiggled his wing, to test the proverbial water.

A few seconds later, Tyr somehow faceplanted, his forelegs giving way entirely. He groaned and exhaled through his nose, blowing a small cloud of dust up from the ground beneath him.

From within, Tiwaz blushed with embarrassment, remembering Tyr's inexperience with that form. "Oh, Perun, no..." he brooded. "Revert to your VictoryGreymon form, Tyr. Now..."

Wincing, Tyr did so, shrinking to his VictoryGreymon form and standing up. He brushed himself off and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Clumsy as ever, I see," Gunnar chuckled, walking over to him and slinging his arm around Tyr's neck.

Tyr smiled softly. "Heh. Hey, Gunnar..."

"Nice to see you smile again, pal," the ShineGreymon said with a wide grin. "Hell, nice to see you at all. I missed you, man."

"I was there the whole time," the VictoryGreymon responded sheepishly.

"Yeah, but it's not the same when it's through your gramps," Gunnar joked. "...Wait, he can still hear me, can't he?"

"Yup. And you're lucky you can't hear him right now," Tyr said, smirking.

Gunnar chuckled and then looked back at him. "...So, Tyr. Are you okay?"

"...Yeah...?" Tyr responded, raising an eyebrow.

Gunnar folded his arms. "And by 'yeah', you mean... what? Don't just tell me what you think I want to hear, Tyr. I know you too well. And I also know how tough this last year has been for you. And you won't even talk about your dad."

"I'm okay, Gunnar," he replied firmly and quickly. He looked Gunnar in the eyes with a genuine look. "...As good as I can be given the circumstances, I mean..."

Gunnar nodded, satisfied enough with the answer. "Well, if you ever wanna talk..."

"Thanks," Tyr replied, smiling. "And how're you doin'?"

"Tired... sore... horny," Gunnar replied with a grin. "Being a Peacemaker definately isn't as glamorous as they make it out to be."

Tyr smirked and nodded. He turned back to the Digidestined/Cambion. "What do we do with them?"

"I dunno..." Gunnar answered, looking at them as well. "I want to find out what their game is. I don't trust them as far as you can walk without tripping."

"Yeah..." Tyr agreed. "...Hey!"

The ShineGreymon grinned and patted his shoulder. "Anyways, I think it's about time we had a pow-wow with these demon-brats in heroes clothing."