Honestly, even Tai was a little taken aback. Had they really taken care of Apocalymon that easily? He hadn't even unleashed many of his signature moves, and it didn't seem like he'd self-destructed. Forget it, he told himself—beating the enemy is what matters.
He forced himself to stop thinking, activated the data collection system, and prepared to retrieve the Digital World's original data that Apocalymon had absorbed. But—
"Hm?" Staring at the numbers in front of him, Tai frowned. Only a tiny bit was being recovered—nothing close to what Apocalymon had devoured. Suddenly his eyes flew wide. "No way… it can't be—"
Thump—thump— A heartbeat began to thunder, echoing through the entire void.
"Ah!" The children's cheers died as they looked around, searching for the source of the sound.
"Did you think that was enough to defeat me? How naïve. Ha—ha—ha…" A chilling voice flooded the space.
Veins of black miasma streamed in from every direction, converging where Apocalymon had perished. They wound together into a huge ebon cocoon, swelling and contracting like a monstrous heart.
"H-how? Wasn't he dead?" Joe stared, unable to believe it.
"What a terrifying enemy," Matt said darkly.
Tai swung the Omega Sword again, sending several arcs of golden blade-light slashing into that black heart.
From within, black tendrils thrust out, clutching at the golden crescents.
Boom—boom— The sword-lights shredded the tendrils and winked out. Before the kids could even cheer, more feelers whipped from the pulsing heart.
Doesn't look like it's working, Tai thought, handing the Omega Sword back to Omnimon.
"Tai, what do we do?" Matt shouted. Before Tai could answer, the black heart shifted again, pulling every gaze toward it.
The heart contracted, peeling back to reveal what lay inside—a multifaceted core, much larger than before.
"This is our domain. I will not die so easily. Wait for darkness's punishment, Chosen Children!" Apocalymon's voice seethed with hatred. "So long as a trace of resentment remains, I can regenerate without end. You cannot kill me."
"How are we supposed to beat him…?" Mimi murmured, crestfallen.
"Are we… going to lose?" Sora asked, eyes clouded.
"What do we do?" Joe raked a hand through his hair. Faced with an enemy that wouldn't die, each of them felt the same doubt gnawing inside.
"We can't lose hope!" T.K. cried, bolstering everyone's spirits.
"We fight to the very last moment," MagnaAngemon declared. "Until then, none of you must let go of hope!"
"Right! We've run into hopeless crises so many times already," Garudamon agreed. "And every time, we've overcome them together!"
"But he can't even be killed," Mimi protested. "How can we possibly win?"
"There's no such thing as an unkillable foe," Tai stepped forward. "We already beat him once. If we can do it once, we can do it twice—three times. He's not beyond being erased."
"Exactly—we've been adventuring this whole time, haven't we?" Omnimon said. "In so many battles we didn't know the 'right' move, yet we still found a way. On an adventure, everything is a first."
"You're right—no one ever really knows," Joe said, steadying himself as memories flooded back. "We knew nothing about this Digital World. Every time something happened, our hearts were pounding out of our chests."
"But because of you, Joe, and all our partners, we joined forces and got this far," Zudomon rumbled.
"Yeah… At first all I wanted was to run away from this unknown world," Joe admitted, a small smile forming. "But thanks to this once-in-a-lifetime journey, I've learned so much more than just cramming for exams."
"Even though there were so many moments that weren't fun—times that almost made me cry," Mimi said, eyes soft with memory.
"Aren't you glad you became our friend?" Lillymon asked.
"Mmhmm. Because I met you all, I'm stronger than I used to be!" Mimi said.
"Before I met T.K., I thought it didn't really matter whether I evolved or not," MagnaAngemon confessed to him. "But…"
"Same for me," T.K. said, thinking back. "After I met Patamon, I realized how important it is to fight for a goal."
"Thank you, Sora—you're always thinking of me," said Garudamon.
"Garudamon…" Sora smiled.
"I'm sure everyone loves your kindness and care just like I do," Garudamon added with a smile.
"Izzy, if you hadn't been with me, I probably wouldn't have learned so much," said MegaKabuterimon. "Though staring at your laptop screen and ignoring everyone—that's kind of a flaw, isn't it?"
"MegaKabuterimon…" Izzy looked at his partner, memories of their adventures welling up.
"But then again, that's one of your strengths too!" MegaKabuterimon said.
"We can't let ourselves be beaten so easily," Angewomon said. "If we did, what was the point of everything I went through to find you, Kari?"
"Angewomon…" Kari smiled.
"I longed to meet you—and to protect you. I've been waiting for you all this time," Angewomon said softly.
Memories rose up vivid as yesterday; the surges of fear and joy needed no words. In that moment, everyone knew exactly what everyone else felt.
"If I'd never met Gatomon!" —Kari
"If I'd never come to the Digital World!" —Joe
"If I hadn't come on this adventure with everyone!" —Mimi
"We never would've become who we are now!" —Izzy
"Right—because our Digimon have been with us all along!" —Matt
"Because we have so many good friends!" —T.K.
"So we understand even better how important it is to stand together!" —Sora
"And that's how we've been able to become our true selves!" —Tai
Down in the human world, people stared up at Apocalymon's re-formed body—bigger than before—and worried themselves sick for the children.
"Right—we can't give up so easily!" —Tai
"We won't let this journey be meaningless, or come away with nothing!" —Sora
"We have to treasure meeting our Digimon, and the friendship we share!" —Matt
"And we'll protect everyone on Earth who's counting on us!" —Izzy
"Us!" —Mimi (Sora, Izzy)
"Us!" —Matt (Tai, Joe)
"And us!" —T.K. (Kari)
"We absolutely can't back down in fear!" —Joe
"We mustn't let the light in our hearts go out!" —Kari
"Your words are meaningless—die!" Snarling, the fully restored Apocalymon watched the children drive out the fear, helplessness, and despair in their hearts and let smiles return to their faces, and his rage boiled over. "Fury Lightning!" The massed resentments braided into a net of thunder that crashed down toward them.
"Omega Shield!" Omnimon snapped his left arm forward; the shield blossomed before them and walled off the storm.
Their partner Digimon burst from behind the shield, unleashing their attacks.
"Omega Cannon!"
"Shadow Wing!"
"Horn Buster!"
"Heavy Hammer Spark!"
"Flower Cannon!"
"Celestial Arrow!"
"Heaven's Gate!"
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM— Their blows slammed into Apocalymon, gouging cavernous holes and shredding every last tendril.
"Ah-ha-ha! Futile! This is our realm—here I am deathless!" Apocalymon threw back his head and laughed. Wherever the black mists drifted across his body, the wounds sealed in a flash.
Tai drew a DigiCard. Bathed in the radiance of the Digivice, the card dissolved into golden light and was absorbed. He snapped his right hand outward—within that sacred glow he tore a tiny fissure straight into the fabric of this space, thrust his hand inside, and seized something. With a fierce yank, a colossal sword emerged: its tip split like a crab's pincer, the blade scooped inward along the middle, a mysterious gem set in the pommel and another digital jewel embedded in the center, the golden steel traced with intricate arcane circuits.
The kids stared, slack-jawed—not because a sword had appeared, but because the weapon looked wildly out of proportion in Tai's hands. Had anyone ever seen an eleven-year-old swinging a blade several times bigger than himself?
The instant that sword appeared, a spasm of dread rippled through Apocalymon, souring into fury. In his own dominion—something that could frighten him? "Don't think that blade will let you defeat me! Severance Bombardment!" From his body and his tendrils he spewed a tightly focused storm of heavy bombs, all screaming straight for Tai.
"Tai!"
He looked up at the swarming bombs, lifted the giant blade, and carved a half-arc before him. A crescent of golden light unfurled in the sword's wake; the moment the heavy bombs touched it, they evaporated like snow meeting open flame.
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