The distance from Piedmon's palace to the children wasn't far. Piedmon strolled toward them at an unhurried pace.
Tai looked to the Digimon. "Everyone take a breather. Gabumon, evolve—and fuse with WarGreymon into Omnimon. Remember: open with your strongest attack and give Piedmon no chance. Got it?"
"Got it!"
"WarGreymon—Combat Form switch!"
"Gabumon—warp Digivolve to MetalGarurumon!"
"MetalGarurumon—Warrior Form switch!"
"WarGreymon (Combat Form) and MetalGarurumon (Warrior Form), DNA Digivolve—Omnimon, Transcendent Form!"
A gold-lined cloak inscribed with mysterious sigils slipped from Omnimon's shoulders. He gripped the rune-etched Omni Sword in his right hand. On the left, the Omega Shield reconfigured into a massive Omega Cannon. Omnimon leveled the cannon at the approaching Piedmon; its muzzle began to charge, glowing brightly. Weapon ports across his body irised open.
Piedmon wore the same faint smile as ever and kept walking toward the kids, as if oblivious to Omnimon's impending barrage—as if on a casual stroll.
At last the Omega Cannon reached full power. "Omega Storm!" Countless Omega Missiles streaked out, engulfing Piedmon in fire and smoke.
Whoosh—something shot out of the cloud. Piedmon sprang high. Omnimon raised his left arm and sighted on the airborne target. Boom—a colossal energy pillar blasted up and struck Piedmon midair, where there was nowhere to dodge, nowhere to brace. He plummeted.
Omnimon bent his knees and sprang skyward, then tucked and dove, the Omni Sword held before him, the blade sheathing itself in white light.
BANG—an immense shockwave ripped the smoke apart. The kids and Leomon's group threw up their hands to shield their eyes from the grit.
When the dust cleared, they saw the Omni Sword caught by two blades thrust from the "magic box" on Piedmon's back—but Piedmon was half-kneeling, barely holding Omnimon off.
Omnimon brought his left arm in; the Omega Cannon hummed as it built charge. Seeing this, Piedmon strained to break away, but Omnimon bore down harder, pinning him in place.
KA-THOOM—Omnimon's shot hurled Piedmon away; he smashed through a cliff face and tumbled down, buried beneath the broken rock. "Omega Storm!" Missiles rained down again, turning the spot into a vast crater belching black smoke. Silence fell over a battlefield that moments ago had roared.
"Is Piedmon… dead?" Izzy asked.
"Maybe," Matt said, then glanced at Tai. "What do you think?"
Tai stared at the crater. His Digi-Goggles showed nothing unusual, yet his gut told him Piedmon wasn't dead—though he couldn't say why. "I don't know."
"Heh heh heh… So this is the great power of the DigiDestined? Party tricks to amuse children?" Piedmon climbed out of the pit, only lightly charred. "How disappointing."
"Destruction Aurora!" He pressed both hands together; a crackling shockwave shot for Omnimon at light speed. Omnimon snapped up the reformed Omega Shield.
WHUD—The impact blasted Omnimon high before he steadied in the air and slashed down a volley of white sword-waves.
Piedmon drew two blades from the "magic box" and batted the arcs aside—but as he did, Omnimon dropped in, seizing the opening, and swung the Omni Sword for him.
Piedmon vaulted; the blade skimmed his clothes. Omnimon hit ground, kicked off, and surged after him. Behind Piedmon, the mountain split cleanly in two and slid apart in a roar of dust.
Clang—clang—clang—clang— Omnimon and Piedmon blurred through the sky too fast to follow, only the clashing of their weapons marking their positions. The children stared upward, nerves taut, tracing the fight by sound alone.
Thud—one figure fell and hit, throwing up dust. Omnimon halted in midair and fired the Omega Cannon; a lance of energy bored down into the impact site.
KA-BOOM—dust blossomed outward again, and the kids once more shielded their faces.
"Hah…" Omnimon dropped to the ground, eyeing the yawning crater.
"Is that the limit of your attack?" Piedmon stepped out, scorched but smiling still. He produced a white handkerchief.
"What? Is he… waving a white flag?" Joe asked, baffled.
"Or is that a sign—no tricks?" Sora guessed. Piedmon flipped the cloth over, then back again.
"Careful, Omnimon! Don't let that handkerchief near you," Tai called—he knew the terror of that technique, the skill that turned foes into dolls.
"Understood, Tai," Omnimon replied, settling into a guard.
Piedmon tossed the cloth; it billowed on the wind, swelling as it floated for Omnimon.
Omnimon tracked it left and right—this wasn't merely a white rag. Just before it could wrap him, he twisted his wrist and swept the Omni Sword up, cleaving the cloth cleanly in two.
"What?" Piedmon blinked—Omnimon had split his Magic Handkerchief.
Piedmon's right hand dipped and flashed up. "Flying Sand and Stones!" Gravel and grit exploded from the ground and surged for Omnimon.
"Omega Cannon!" A beam ripped from Omnimon's left arm, vaporizing the incoming debris and slamming into Piedmon, bending him into a bow and plowing him through several mountains in a line.
Piedmon staggered upright and yanked all four swords from the box on his back, hurling them at Omnimon.
The blades vanished as they left his hands, though the hiss of their passage still circled ominously.
"How—where did the swords go?" Izzy breathed.
Omnimon pivoted, eyes flashing red as he switched to infrared search. In his view, four swords were orbiting his body in tight, lethal loops.
Shing—the Omni Sword cut one Trump Sword in two. Shing—shing—shing—three more strokes shattered the remaining blades.
"Damn you—don't underestimate me!" Piedmon snarled. "Destruction Aurora!"
He slammed his palms together and fired again. The Omega Cannon answered with an overwhelming torrent; the beam bulldozed through Piedmon's shockwave. "What—?" For the first time, Piedmon's smile cracked.
There was no time for surprise. The Omega Cannon, having crushed the Aurora, bored straight through him, carrying him back into the mountains.
KRA-KOOM—A tremendous blast swallowed everything nearby. When the dust finally passed, the mountain range where Piedmon's palace had stood was gone—scraped to a bare plain.
"So strong…" The kids gaped at the single shot's devastation. Tai knew this still hadn't been the cannon's full output—any higher and even the children might have been caught up in it.
Piedmon dragged himself upright again, clothes in tatters, the magic sword-box ruined. "You rotten little brats—"
Before he could finish, Omnimon flared open every launcher. "Omega Storm!" A storm of missiles, white contrails streaking, rained down.
BOOM—The flatland became a gigantic pit.
Piedmon clawed his way up yet again. "You won't kill me with—"
Omnimon was already moving, the Omni Sword blazing. "This ends it." Runes along the blade lit and wrapped it in fierce golden light.
Fssht—Omnimon flashed before Piedmon. A sword tip glinted behind the jester's back. Piedmon's mouth opened to speak—but there was no time, no strength left for words.
The runes flared once more; light crawled across Piedmon's body, and he began to fracture within it. He broke apart and dissolved into data before the children's eyes. At last, the final Dark Master fell.
Rrrumble—All of Dark Tornado Mountain began to quake.
"What's happening?" The children stared around in alarm.
Beyond the Digital World's edge, the firewall woven by the World Tree began to collapse. A Digimon shrouded in pitch-black miasma hurtled toward the Digital World. "Four Sovereigns—you're finished. This time I'll wash away my humiliation." With that, the mass of darkness plunged into the unprotected Digital World.
Deep in the lake, Gennai lifted his head, watching as darkness began to enwrap the Digital World. "Is it starting? Looks like I have to leave, or I'll be swept up in it as well." His hunched figure slipped into the house; the door closed. Water poured in, and the dwelling vanished beneath the lake.
In the Dark Ocean, BraveBeasts turned and looked back at the Digital World being swallowed by shadow. Despite his exhaustion, he smiled. "It's finally begun. Our efforts weren't for nothing."
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