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******

"Dammit, why are you so stupidly strong?!" growled Omnimon as its Grey Sword clashed with Alphamon's massive blade. He lashed out with his other hand, unleashing a blast of icy-blue energy, which Alphamon swiped away with its ragged cape.

"If you can't even harm my avatar, how do you think you'll fare against the real me?" Arkadimon asked through Alphamon. It was a question that Ophanimon had asked herself several times. She panted, brushing her golden hair over her shoulder and tightening a rag she had wrapped around a bloody cut on her arm.

"Agu-... er... Gabu-- ...er..." Ophanimon began before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, "I never know how to address you guys when you're like this."

"...Just call me Omnimon or Omni, and make it easier? Both of them are in here after all..." Omnimon replied, firing more blue energy from his Garuru Cannon.

"Right. Omni. He's right. We're gonna waste all our energy on this... avatar. We need to get a decisive blow and END this," Ophanimon huffed, trying to catch her breath.

"Decisive. You mean like that?" Omnimon asked lightly, pointing up behind Alphamon, his eyes wide with surprise and alarm. Ophanimon followed his gaze and gasped.

Rasielmon was coming down from the stormclouds above with the speed of one of the lightning bolts crashing around her. Her hands were glowing with multiple colors as she summoned forth as much mystical energy as she could muster.

Alphamon tried to whirl to face her, but Rasielmon was already there at his back, both of her clawed gauntlets placed flat against his armor plate.

"You're in the way," snarled Rasielmon, "KNOWLEDGE STREAM!"

A roiling multicolored beam of energy blasted clean through Alphamon's chest, searing a perfectly round hole in his torso. The point-blank attack did what nothing else had been able to do, searing and cauterizing the damage even as it happened.

Alphamon did not cry out in pain; indeed, it barely reacted as Rasielmon cut it down. Her lance pierced through it, and Alphamon shattered into shards of data in an almost anticlimactic manner.

Arkadimon, however, reacted quite differently. The hulking monstrocity let out a bloodcurdling roar, a sound that Gato swore she would hear in her nightmares for decades to come. It writhed and thrashed about, shaking the ground in the throes of pain.

"You hurt it!" exclaimed Omnimon excitedly, hovering beside Ophanimon.

"How? We've killed thousands of hosts. How would killing that particular one hurt it any worse than any of the others?" Ophanimon asked, her frown deepening under her helmet, "...Something is wrong."

Arkadimon was writhing and roaring, its tentacles lashing as it threw its head to the sky. Its chest was swelling outward, as it was apoplectic. Ophanimon clenched her lance, watching Arkadimon's behavior, until it suddenly clicked.

Ophanimon's insides went cold as she watched. It wasn't writhing in pain. It wasn't swelling with rage. It was swelling in SIZE. It was writhing in TRANSFORMATION.

"GET AWAY FROM IT!!!" Ophanimon shouted with all her might. The Defenders' forces heeded her call, immediately falling back. Many were too late in doing so.

Arkadimon vanished as a baleful column of black and red light erupted up into the sky, engulfing it and obscuring it from view. A shockwave erupted, instantly deleting any Digimon unfortunate enough to have still been too close to Arkadimon.

"What in the Nine Digital Hells?!" panted SaberLeomon, looking up at Ophanimon, "What is that?!"

"It's Digivolving..." Rasielmon said, her voice hollow with fear.

"How?! It's already a Mega!!! It's gotta be a Mode Change, not a Digivolution!" Omnimon shouted over the roaring wind.

"I don't think so," Ophanimon said, flapping her many wings as she soared higher, looking down at her Brand, "Goma, you gettin' this?"

"I am, and if I wore pants right now, I'd need to change 'em," Goma's voice answered from the Brand, "Arkadimon is putting off more energy than I've ever seen. Our scanners are LITERALLY exploding here, and we're miles away!"

"Gato, the base is shakin' here. Ah dunno what's goin' on, but we need more time if we're gonna finish the evacuation!" Armadillo's voice drawled, "The base defenses are holdin', but not fer long."

"Tento, Flora," Ophanimon said, "Anything you can do to speed things up, or help us here?"

"Gato, I am working as fast as I can," Tento's voice returned. Ophanimon did not find it reassuring that she could actually hear panic in the beetle's normally emotionless buzz of a voice as he continued, "You should consider retreating back to base. The readouts from Arkadimon are... not encouraging."

"We're the last line of defense, Tento. If we retreat, that's the end of the Digital World," Ophanimon replied, taking a deep breath.

"Probably," agreed Tento, "But if the readings are accurate..."

Flora interrupted Tento, her voice angry, "...The readings, if they're accurate, mean we're screwed, Gato. And retreating won't matter. The only choice is to go down fighting like a Defender, with both middle fingers raised high, right?"

"Heh," Ophanimon chuckled despite herself, "...You sound like me."

"I learned from the best," Flora replied, "Focus on the fight, we'll hold down the fort... literally."

"Right," Ophanimon said, turning her attention to what was happening in front of her. Rasielmon flew up and joined hands with her.

It did not take long. The column of evil, baleful light suddenly erupted outward in a wave of Digital particles. Ophanimon and Rasielmon shielded themselves with their wings, waiting to see what had happened to the monster.

"What..." Ophanimon gasped, horrified by what she was seeing.

Arkadimon had become, quite simply, the largest Digimon she had ever seen. Easily as tall as File Mountain. Easily as wide as the entirety of File City. Its lower body had become a skirt of armored plates, each as thick as a building. Where legs had been, it now hovered in the air, an uncountable mass of dark red tentacles hanging and writhing below. Its waist was surprisingly thin, leading up to a chest of armor plate marked with dark red, almost purple slashes. It had enormous pauldrons of armor, and again, instead of arms, endless numbers of tendrils hung down. A golden-pupiled eye stared out malevolently from the shoulders, glaring in each direction. A pair of bat-like wings were affixed to its back, each as long as an entire biome of File Island. Enormous curved horns jutted up from the wings, well over the head. The head itself was barely visible among everything else, an armored helm with a cross-shaped slit for a face. Spikes jutted from the sides for ears, along with a long crimson tentacle from either side. A vertical, crimson eye stared at them malevolently from the center of the forehead. The sheer power radiating from the monster, even with it just hanging in the air, unmoving, was enough to cause concrete to shatter in File City, several miles away.

"That's... That's not a Mode Change. That's not a Mega... That's BEYOND Mega..." Ophanimon stammered, her fingers threatening to lose their grip on her lance as they went numb with fear.

"It was theorized there was a level beyond. 'Ultra.' But... I didn't think it was actually possible," Rasielmon said, shaking her head.

"How in the nine Digital Hells are we supposed to fight THAT?!" Omnimon shook his head, "I mean, my sword's BIG, but it ain't THAT big."

"DEFENDERS! RALLY AT POINT 2!!!" SaberLeomon's voice rang out from their Brands. Obeying the summons, the three Digimon turned and flew away from Arkadimon towards the rally point. Already, dozens of friendlies were gathering there, laying down a constant stream of attacks and weapons fire to prevent the Arkadimon hordes from closing in.

SaberLeomon was waiting, as Ophanimon, Rasielmon, and Omnimon landed. To Ophanimon's surprise, Astamon was there, doubled over and panting for breath. Ophanimon opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing there, but SaberLeomon was already deep in conversation with someone over his Brand.

"--Data density is off the charts. The fact that its very existence isn't causing the entire Digital World to collapse in on itself is a miracle," Flora's voice was saying.

"Yes, but what about weaknesses?" SaberLeomon asked, "We need tactical information here, not a scientific analysis."

"A proper scientific analysis can lead to tactical strategies, Leomon. You should know that as well as anyone," Tento buzzed, apparently having regained his composure and his usual affectless demeanor.

"I can't even START to come up with a strategy, Leo," Goma said, "I've never seen anything like this. The hosts? Fine, we can handle them; but Arkadimon himself is like nothing I nor ANYONE has ever seen."

"The DigiDestined did," SaberLeomon retorted, "Apocalymon. Apocalymon was a Digimon beyond Mega. They and the original DigiDestined Digimon defeated it."

"Okay, but were you there during that fight to get any tips on fighting ridiculously stupidly powerful Digimon that shouldn't exist?" Goma asked bluntly.

"...No, I was... *ahem.* ...I was dead at the time," SaberLeomon said, looking quite embarrassed to admit this.

"Uh-huh," Goma said, sounding singularly unimpressed, "And since we don't have any DigiDestined around here ourselves, I think we're going to have to improvise a plan, then."

"Arkadimon is obsessed with BlackGato, and to a lesser extent, me. I think the two of us should engage him directly and draw his attention. That'll at least buy you some time to come up with something better," Ophanimon offered. She sighed as the others reacted exactly as she expected: all shouting over each other at the same time with their objections to such a terrible plan.

"Does ANYONE have a better idea?" Ophanimon interjected loudly, her hands on her hips. This prompted a consternated silence from the others.

"Yeah. Didn't think so," she replied, smirking.

"It's gonna kill you, Gato. BG, tell her this is a REALLY dumb idea and that she's committing suicide," Astamon said, shaking his head violently.

"...I... I think she's right, actually. It's the only viable strategy we have. We have to narrow Arkadimon's focus to the two of us, or else it will wipe the rest of us out wholesale. Until someone can come up with something better, we'll face it and delay it," Rasielmon said slowly, shrugging. There was more silence, as the Defenders contemplated what was about to happen. The sound of gunfire and explosions continued as the allied forces continued to trade fire with the Arkadimon hordes.

"Goma, Tento. As of this moment, you have one priority and ONLY one priority," SaberLeomon growled, "Find me options to KILL this thing. You have only as long as Gato and BG can survive... so come up with something fast."

"Already working on it, Boss," Goma replied, before muting his end of the communication.

"How long do you think you can give us, Gato?" asked Omnimon. Ophanimon shrugged weakly.

"Depends on how much Arkadimon wants to toy with us before killing us, I guess. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve," Ophanimon replied, glancing over her shoulder at the giant abomination. It was approaching closer, inching towards the Allied lines at a leisurely and threatening pace.

"Gato..." Astamon said, placing a hand on her forearm, looking stricken, "...Please... just... don't make me explain to Vee and Pata that I let you go get yourself killed for no reason..."

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him, her lips pressed against his for a brief moment.

"Gazi, I think if you met yourself from even a few months ago, you wouldn't recognize yourself. You were a good person, but you've become a great one," Ophanimon whispered to him, "...And when this is all over, I look forward to seeing how much you'll keep growing."

And with that, she was gone, kicking off the ground and streaking towards battle in a blue-green and gold blur. Rasielmon was a moment behind her, vanishing in a blur of gold.

Astamon allowed himself the luxury of watching them fly away for only a second. Then he pulled a new ammo magazine out of the hammerspace under his trenchcoat where they spawned, slapped it into his submachine gun, pulled back on the priming handle, and returned to work.

*****

The plan, such as it was, indeed seemed to be working. Arkadimon's attention was entirely focused on the two angelic gnats that were pestering him, nipping and stinging. It roared, a deafening sound that drowned out the crashing thunder of the storm.

Indeed, the skies had finally opened up, and the downpour had begun. Rain sheeted down in stinging waves. Ophanimon grimaced, the sound of it impacting her helm filling her ears with the chime of a thousand bells being struck rapidfire. It made it hard to hear herself think. And with how heavy the rain was pouring, it made it even harder to do what she was doing.

She was fighting a Digimon the size of a mountain. She was hitting it with her most powerful attacks, and at best, they were causing the equivalent of a nasty papercut. The good news was that their distraction was causing Arkadimon's forces to falter. Despite having millions of host bodies to control, focusing his rage on Ophanimon and Rasielmon had caused them to be distracted. The allied forces were taking full advantage, actually pushing the hordes back and managing to hold the line.

The bad news was that the situation was completely untenable. Yes, they were holding their own, but it was a matter of time before Arkadimon killed Ophanimon and Rasielmon; or worse, ignored them to turn his full attention back on the Defenders and the allied forces.

Ophanimon gasped as pulsing black energy streaked at her from one of Arkadimon's massive eyes. She had just enough time to wheel out of the way, spinning in midair. She panted. She was running out of energy. She consulted several of her subprograms, trying to figure out how much longer she could maintain her Mega Digivolution at this rate of energy consumption.

The initial calculations were not promising. She had already maintained her form longer than she'd ever done before and exhaustion was setting in quickly.

"BG! LOOK OUT!" Ophanimon shouted, as an enormous tentacle, as wide around as a redwood tree, swung with unbelievable speed at Rasielmon. The golden angel looked over her shoulder, her eyes going wide in surprise.

She almost managed to evade, streaking straight down towards the ground like a plummeting meteor. The tentacle still clipped her, sending her wheeling. She yelled in pain, coughing.

Ophanimon called her name, but stayed where she was, continuing to blast beams of light at Arkadimon. She could not break away from engaging. If she went to try to catch Rasielmon, it would just make them both an easy target.

To her relief, Rasielmon spread her wings and caught herself before she hit the ground. She flapped hard, swooping upward to rejoin the fray. Ophanimon grimaced as she saw a trickle of crimson blood running down Rasielmon's lower lip and down her chin.

"Bit my lip," Rasielmon said flatly, feeling Ophanimon's concern through their link. This just made Ophanimon's frown deepen. That same empathic link they shared made it impossible for Gato and BlackGato to lie to each other. Wherever that blood had come from, it was somewhere far more internal and far more serious than what she claimed.

Ophanimon had no time to worry about it. Arkadimon launched a fresh barrage of black bolts, spearing towards them both from a dozen different angles. The next minute or so of her life was a blur of frantic evasion, using golden shields to block the ones she could not dodge.

The shields did not help much. At best, they blunted the impact, making the attacks survivable. They shattered as the projectiles slammed into them, piercing through and slamming into Ophanimon. She grit her teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, even as she felt the energy bolts sear against her body.

The barrage ended, leaving both angels smoldering and smoking, and much the worse for wear. One of Ophanimon's wings had been seared clean off, and several of her other wings were broken. Rasielmon's fur ruff around her neck had been completely burnt away. Blood dripped down her left arm, running down in crimson rivers from rents and jagged tears in her armor.

"...Any ideas, guys?" Ophanimon hissed into her Brand, trying to ignore the pain, "Because he's killing us an inch at a time here, and we're not gonna last much longer..."

"We're TRYING, Gato!" Goma's voice came back, sounding more panicked than she had ever heard him. It made her stomach drop.

"We had hoped that as an Ultra-level Digimon, Arkadimon's power would be... unstable or would begin decreasing with expenditure," Tento added.

"And I take it that it's not?" SaberLeomon's voice cut in, panting with exertion. Ophanimon spared a glance at his position on the battlefield. He was below and back a fair distance, and she could see his golden fur as a faint blur, leaping from place to place.

"No, sir," Flora stated, "It's a worst-case scenario. It's a stable Digivolution, and it's getting stronger. The longer this goes on, the less chance we have."

"...What tactical options do we have? Does Arkadimon have ANY weaknesses?" SaberLeomon growled. Ophanimon's heart stopped. She had never heard such... desperation in his voice.

"...Sir, we need... we need to consider the complete evacuation of all survivors from the Digital World... or fighting until the end," Goma said softly.

"DAMMIT!" snarled SaberLeomon.

Ophanimon looked over to Rasielmon, frowning. What she was feeling from her sister was not despair or horror... it was... resignation and determination. It was a strange mixture of sadness and hope and a dozen different emotions all at once. Rasielmon had made up her mind to do something... but what, Ophanimon had no idea.

She did not have the opportunity to ask. To her horror, Arkadimon was turning away from them.

"NO! It's gonna attack the allied forces!!!" Ophanimon snarled, gripping her lance.

"KNOWLEDGE STREAM, MAX POWER!!!" Rasielmon shouted. A blazing beam of force erupted from her outstretched claws, slamming into the vertical eye in the direct center of Arkadimon's helmet. It let out a roar of pain, listing to the side in the air, its tentacles flailing wildly and randomly.

Ophanimon yelped as Rasielmon grabbed her and yanked her away from Arkadimon. The two angels flew a distance, before landing on an outcropping of File Mountain. Without a word to her sister, Rasielmon devolved back to BlackGato and dropped to one knee to catch her breath. Ophanimon, blinking in utter confusion, did the same, transforming back into Gato to conserve and regain what strength she could.

"SIS! What are you DOING?!!" Gato panted as she looked over her shoulder at the mountainous Digimon still reeling from the blow..

"...I only have a minute... I stunned Arkadimon with that last blow, but he'll snap out of it in a moment. Neither of us are strong enough to defeat him on our own or together... But I have one ability as Rasielmon I held back, hoping I wouldn't have to use it..." BlackGato said. She turned to face Gato and revealed that her bright green eyes were wet with tears.

"What are you talking about?!" Gato yelled.

"A while back, I told you that I'd give my life to defeat Arkadimon... I hoped I was wrong..." BlackGato said. She smiled at her sister and walked towards her slowly.

"What are you saying?!" Gato asked, not comprehending.

"Arkadimon has Digivolved to a level beyond anything we can match. As Ophanimon and Rasielmon he defeated us. We can't beat him as we are," BlackGato explained, "...but I can turn the tide. As Rasielmon, I have a power called Sefer Raziel. It supposedly brings about miracles. I think with it, I can damage Arkadimon and give you a power boost. But it will use every ounce of energy I have."

"Okay, that's awesome! You'll K.O. yourself, and I'll finish it, then!" Gato said, narrowing her eyes. BlackGato gave a warm, but sad smile.

"No, Gato... You misunderstand... It will use EVERY bit of energy I have... Including my life force," BlackGato explained slowly, choosing her words carefully to ensure her sister would understand. The white-furred cat's blue eyes went wide in shock.

"No... NO!!! I won't let you do that!!!" she shouted angrily.

"You heard Leomon earlier. We need a miracle. I have that power. This... I think this was MEANT to happen," BlackGato said softly, shaking her head.

Gato opened her mouth, prepared to do everything she could to convince BlackGato that there must be some other way, but the black-furred cat suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping her paws around Gato's shoulders. She pulled her sister into a deep kiss, her tail intertwining with Gato's, their tail-rings chiming musically together.

"Gato... I am so sorry I did not get to grow up with you... You are the best big sister I ever could have had. Without you, I would have drowned in bloodshed and anger, and likely destroyed myself and everyone around me. Thanks to you... I know what friendship... and love is... I have something and someone I want to protect," BlackGato said quietly, rubbing her cheek against her sister's.

"BG..." Gato began, but BlackGato pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"Shh... It's okay. I'm ready for this. You taught me what it means to be a hero... a true hero... and I'm gonna show you what I learned. Just promise me... PROMISE ME... you'll tell Impy how much I love him. And you'll apologize to Sala that we won't get the chance to go on that picnic," BlackGato murmured quietly. Gato opened her mouth, trying to find some argument, some way to convince her sister not to do this... But then she saw the tears in BlackGato's eyes were gone, replaced by a glare of determination.

"...I... I will..." Gato heard herself say. The words seemed to echo from a hundred miles away as she said them. BlackGato smiled and pulled her sister into another tight hug and deep kiss, conveying everything she could not say in the time she had left. Gato nodded curtly as her sister turned to face the massive black creature.

"All right, then. I'll do this... I can't promise you'll be strong enough to win... but I'll give you a fighting chance," BlackGato growled, "BLACKGATOMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO..."

"Right... Thank you... GATOMON, WARP-DIGIVOLVE TO..."

The two felines were engulfed in a bright light, as a shockwave radiated out, shaking trees miles away...

"RASIELMON!!!"

"OPHANIMON!!!"

Arkadimon gave a roar, and each and every one of the millions of Digimon under his control echoed the roar. The sound could be heard a thousand miles away.

"I'm ready, BG. Just... Just do it!" Ophanimon shouted as she rose up in front of Arkadimon, drawing his attention back to her.

"THIS IS IT!!! SEFER RAZIEL!!!" Rasielmon shouted. She began to glow bright red, blindingly bright. Two beams of raw power lanced out from her form, one slamming into Arkadimon with unimaginable force, sending the thousand-foot tall creature reeling. The beam drilled into his form, vaporizing his armor and drilling deep down into his body, making him shriek in pain.

The other beam struck Ophanimon but had a considerably different effect. She felt every cell in her body thrum with energy. Raw force bathed her form, restoring her strength to full... then pushing her power even further beyond. Ophanimon could feel her power pass one-hundred percent of her maximum power.... One hundred twenty... One hundred fifty... two-hundred... And still further! With the waves of energy came images and emotions... sensations and impressions. Ophanimon realized that her sister was sharing her experiences, her fondest memories...

The day Gato and BlackGato met... The times they fought against each other... The times they fought together... The times they spent hanging out, having fun... The times they made love with each other... All these passed from Rasielmon into Ophanimon. The holy Angel then heard BlackGato's voice in her mind...

"Thank you, Sister... I loved you..."

And with that, the light faded and Rasielmon was gone without a trace. Ophanimon wanted nothing more than to break down in tears of grief, but she pushed it aside, determined not to let her sister's sacrifice go to waste. Her form was thrumming with power, threatening to burst unless it was all released.

"Arkadimon... That was my sister... She just gave her life to give me the power to kill you. She gave me the power to do this..." Ophanimon said, glaring at the gigantic creature, "OPHANIMON, GIGA DIGIVOLVE TO..."

*****

The angel erupted into a sphere of rainbow colored light, unleashing a shockwave that blasted all the clouds away, allowing the sunlight to shine down on File Island. The oceans sparkled like diamonds, reflecting the blinding radiance that surrounded her.

There was no way to see what was happening. The sphere of rainbow light was too blindingly bright, completely opaque. The air thrummed; a low, melodic sound like a thousand cellos playing the same note. Arkadimon's roars were drowned out as waves of power radiated outward in every direction. The sphere suddenly exploded upward and downward, becoming an enormous column of light. A figure's silhouette became visible within, smaller than Arkadimon, only a tenth of his size, if that.

The light cleared, revealing the former Ophanimon.

The new Digimon was a dragon, with brilliant white metal scales. Gold trimmed her body, along the edges of her enormous wings, down the ridges of her back, and along the length and tip of her tail. Ornate silver spikes hung at the bottom of each point of her scalloped wings. Her eyes were like glowing sapphires. With a sweep of her wings, the dragoness shot higher into the air. She opened her wings to their full span, arched her back, and let out a triumphant roar that seemed to shake the very planet.

Despite being only a fraction of Arkadimon's size, the new Digimon radiated a similar power. The very air vibrated with its enormous strength. But unlike Arkadimon, whose transformation unleashed destruction and devastation; the new Digimon's power seemed to infuse all who were touched by its light with new strength and courage. The Defenders below watched in awe as the white dragon moved in front of them, shielding them from Arkadimon's baleful influence with its own benevolent aura.

"EXAMON HOLY MODE," the dragoness announced, unleashing a roar that echoed through the battlefield once more. This time, her roar was echoed by the collected Digimon below, who charged forward against Arkadimon's hordes with renewed determination.

Examon barely noticed. She only had eyes for Arkadimon, the source of all the pain, the one whom threatened everything she knew and loved. Holding her steely claws out, data whirled and rippled. A broadsword of gold, silver, and Chrome Digizoid manifested in her hands, shining with power all its own.

Suddenly, Examon was gone. In her place was a streak of light, a blazing white trail that led straight across the sky over the battlefield to the ocean. An explosion of noise, a parabola of compressed wind left a trail, a sonic boom shattered the very air. The ocean's surface exploded into wake behind it. The trail led straight to Arkadimon.

Arkadimon roared, a very different noise than before. This was an animal sound, an instinctive scream of pain. A hole the size of a city block had been blown right through its left pauldron, destroying it in a shower of tons of steely shrapnel and thousands of gallons of thick, oily black ichor. It recoiled, its tentacles digging divots along the ground as it was thrown off balance, listing in the air to the right.

Examon reappeared some distance behind it, its wings tucked closed around it in a cloak of silver-white scales. She finished spinning like a drill, throwing open her wings. Black fluid dripped from her sword, and sluiced onto the ground. Her lips drew back in something between a feral snarl and a grim smile. She had hurt it. She liked that. She liked it so much that she decided to do it again.

She vanished from sight again, becoming a spear of white and gold light aimed at Arkadimon's right side. The abomination was ready this time, tentacles as thick as skyscrapers crashing towards her. Examon did not even bother to dodge. She broke out of her rush, flaring her wings to shed a little velocity.

"A little" were the operative words, as the sound barrier shattered to pieces around her, her speed still measured in multiple machs. She lifted her blade and angled it in front of her. Her armored wings lifted up and forward, turning her flight into a hypersonic glide. She held her wings rigid, angling them just right...

Impact. Contact. Examon hit the wall of tentacles with blinding force, and kept going. Her edged wings and sword cut through, cleaving far deeper than mere physical contact would suggest. Arkadimon's defenses provided as much resistance as air. It screeched in agony as several skyscraper-sized segments of tentacle were severed with sprays of ichor. They splashed into the ocean below with a tremendous crash, sending waves rushing towards the distant shore. Then the massive tendrils shattered into shards of inert data, vanishing.

Examon cleaved into Arkadimon again, carving a bloody trench out of its flank as she passed from its back to its front. She snarled, weaving around a retaliatory slash, its tentacles lashing at her like a thousand whips. She whirled and looped, dodging through gaps in the attacks, until she managed to break free of its reach. The assembled Digimon cheered at the sight of her, Arkadimon's blood sluicing off her armor.

Arkadimon may have been enormous compared to Examon, but its size was its only advantage. Even though their power was roughly equal, both Digimon at the Ultra level; Examon had concentrated that immense power into a much smaller and focused form. It was the difference between a tornado and a hurricane. Both were capable of vast and complete devastation, but one was so much more tightly compacted and powerful than the other.

Arkadimon roared again, and Examon's mouth set in a grim smile. It was going to take a lot more damage than she had caused to finish it. The battle had only just started, and she could feel her power waning. She had done more damage than anyone else had achieved to this point, but Arkadimon was nowhere near dead. The dragoness clenched her blade, her armored fists creaking around the hilt.

Arkadimon turned to face her. Its head loomed down at her, its vertical bloodshot eye staring unblinkingly at her with unadulterated hatred. With its 'spokesman' Alphamon dead, it could have chosen any of its millions of hosts to speak for it.

Instead, it unleashed another ear-shattering roar right in her face. Whatever windows were left unshattered in File City were completely turned to glass powder by the noise, the sheer sound of it actually knocking over several buildings.

"Yeah? Well fuck you too," Examon snarled.

She gripped her sword, snarling her rage and grief right back at Arkadimon as she flew at it again. She struck out, stabbing her blade forward, striking every inch of him she could reach. She looped and flipped around, flapping her wings as hard as she could. Her blade hacked and slashed, sending streamers of ichor as it dug into Arkadimon's flesh. She screamed, taking her rage and grief and pouring it into her blade.

She was so absorbed in attacking that she did not even notice one of the skyscraper-sized tentacles whipping at her with incredible speed and force. With enough power to pulverize a mountain, it slammed into her. Examon turned into a white and gold streak again; but it was clear this flight was a completely unintentional one. She crashed into the File Forest, tearing up trees and leaving a long trail of smoke and debris in her wake.

Examon tore out of the destruction like a goddess of wrath, flying at Arkadimon and screaming her throat raw in defiance of him. The abomination was ready for her this time.

Black spears of energy erupted from its eyes, slamming into Examon, knocking her out of the air again. She hit the water this time, sending a geyser of spray into the air with the force of her impact. At that speed, it was like slamming into concrete. Examon briefly cried out in pain before vanishing under the surface.

Arkadimon's assault continued, a barrage of black bolts of power slamming into the ocean, driving Examon deeper and deeper under the waves. The Defenders, watching the battle while trying to hold off Arkadimon's hordes, faltered as their greatest hope vanished.

It was WarGrowlmon who spotted her first.

"She's over there!" he shouted, pointing at a spot in the sky nearly a kilometer to Arkadimon's left.

Sure enough, Examon hovered there, her scales glistening as water sluiced off of them. While Arkadimon had continued its relentless attack, she had slipped away under the concealment of the ocean waves. She had emerged from the water, flying high above.

A swirling ring of blue-green energy was forming between her clawed hands, held above her head. The nimbus of plasma crackled with raw power, seeming to light up the sky. Arkadimon was slow to turn to face her, and she unleashed the attack.

"PENDRAGON'S SPARKLE!" she roared, as the ring of energy exploded forth into countless glimmers of light. The miniscule blue-green lights turned into streaks, looking like a shower of cyan falling stars.

WarGrowlmon frowned quizzically. The lights were so small, just barely sparks. Why hadn't Examon fired the attack as a beam or blast? He couldn't imagine such an attack doing any sort of damage to something as massive as Arkadimon.

It was only thanks to Sakuyamon's quick thinking that WarGrowlmon did not end up sprawled face-first on the tarmac of the highway. She grabbed him by the shoulder and kicked out his knees to force him to the ground, bracing him. WarGrowlmon yelped in protest and pain... and then again in shock and fear.

The first miniscule glimmer of blue-green light struck Arkadimon. It detonated with incredible force, sending a massive shockwave outward. It was nearly nuclear in its force. And it was ONLY the first. There were thousands of sparks streaking inward at Arkadimon.

It seemed interminable. All the Defenders and allied forces could do was hunker down, try to find whatever cover they could, and brace. Explosion after explosion, blast after blast washed over them. Arkadimon was far enough away that the worst of the blasts did not reach the allied line; but it was still far too close for comfort.

For what seemed like minutes, the only sound audible were the sounds of rapid-fire repeated explosions and roars of agony from Arkadimon. There was nothing anyone could see; the waves of air pressure rolling over caused immense pain for anyone who tried to open their eyes; and those who tried to brave it were blinded by the cyan radiance.

The last spark struck with force that echoed across the ocean, shaking the ground. A billowing mushroom cloud reached into the stratosphere, roiling and rumbling upward. The ground beneath was a charred, burning, molten crater; the grass and dirt stripped away to bedrock. The bedrock was shattered too; and orange lava was bubbling forth from the cracks, slowly filling it to form a lake of molten rock.

Examon panted heavily, her large scaled wings flapping to keep her aloft. Her ice-blue eyes were still narrowed.

Suddenly, she summoned forth her blade and flew forward, gripping the hilt with both hands as she screamed in rage.

To the Defenders' horror, Arkadimon burst from the pillar of the mushroom cloud, its armor charred and blackened. Despite the unimaginable power of the attack, it was not just still alive... It was furious.

Examon clashed with the massive monster, looping, spiraling, slashing, cutting, evading. She severed skyscraper-sized tentacles, the massive tendrils falling to splash into the ocean before disintegrating; but thousands more swung her way.

It was a battle such as no Digimon since the DigiDestined had seen. It was horrifying in its brutality, awe-inspiring in its majesty. A shining white dragon versus a black monstrosity, it seemed emblematic of the very struggle of good versus evil.

And despite its power... good was losing.

*****

"What is she DOING?!" Omnimon growled, landing and firing its cannon with enormous beams of orange-tinted power, eradicating large groups of enemy troops. Its sword swung, cutting down any of Arkadimon's hosts that strayed too close to it.

"She's lost control. She's attacking like a berserker," SaberLeomon said, pouncing beside Omnimon, looking up at the white dragon.

"She's kickin' it's ass!" Astamon cried, grinning as he fired his gun into the crowd, leaning into the recoil.

"If you don't look too closely, Gazi," Omnimon said, glancing over, "...She's losing."

"Um... Someone needs to explain, because I'm clearly missin' something then," Astamon said, pausing to pull a fresh drum magazine from under his cape and snap it into his weapon.

"She LOOKS like she's doing a lot of damage, but she's not hitting anything vital. She's just hacking and slashing like an idiot and not actually trying to KILL it!" Omnimon replied.

"This is not good. If she doesn't come to her senses and END this, she's going to run out of power and Arkadimon is going to kill us all," SaberLeomon snarled. Beheading a Kuwagamon that dared to stand in his way with a swipe of his mighty paw, SaberLeomon bounded across the battlefield.

"Yeah, but the two of us are probably the most powerful Digimon standin' here, and I know I'm not gonna be able to get anywhere NEAR that fight without getting instantly deleted," Omnimon replied, shaking his head as he kept pace with the mighty lion, "And you can't fly."

"...No, I can't. And Gato is not responding to hails on her Brand either," SaberLeomon said, growling in frustration as he reduced a Candlemon to a waxy smear on the ground.

"To be fair, I think she's a bit busy, Boss!" Astamon said, panting as he dashed to catch up with Omnimon and SaberLeomon, "And can you PLEASE slow down? I can't fly and I don't have four legs!"

"We need to get her to focus, to end this before it's too late... but at the same time, we can't distract her by contacting her over the Brand communicator," SaberLeomon growled.

"...I think I have an idea, Boss. And... heh. It'll actually be a bit fun, I think," Astamon said, grinning.

*****

Examon screamed her throat raw in rage as she drove her sword into Arkadimon's flank, cleaving a bloody canyon through his side. She was rewarded for her trouble by a black energy blast that scorched her brilliant scales and sent her tumbling head over heels in another uncontrolled flight.

She barely felt the pain. The pain in her heart and her rage made even mountain-breaking blows feel like love taps.

Even if she did not feel the impact, it did not mean that it was not having an effect. The world around her blurred, her eyes losing focus for a moment. A single moment's hesitation, just long enough to shake her head and try to focus.

That was long enough for Arkadimon to swing a dozen of its giant tendrils at her. She roared in pain as they slammed into her with shattering force.

Examon hit the ground, even as the tendrils came down on top of her, driving her deeper and deeper into a crater. By the sixth hit, Examon was stirring feebly, consciousness fading.

"B-...Bee... j...jeeeee...." she moaned, the world flickering as darkness and light warred in her vision, determining whether she would surrender to slumber or awaken once more.

It was then that she heard the voice that snapped her back to clarity.

"FIRE!!!" roared SaberLeomon. A literally deafening thunder sounded as hundreds of Digimon fired their most powerful attacks at Arkadimon at once. Voices shouted attack names, and fire roared, ice crackled, wind howled, electricity boomed, rocks slammed, explosions, radiation, energy of all wavelengths and types, even flares of magic. All struck Arkadimon at once, obscuring the massive monster from view; a roiling flaring brilliance of all the colors of the rainbow and beyond with enormous stormheads of billowing smoke.

Arkadimon reeled from the impact, bellowing in pain as it listed backwards, away from the blazing inferno. Examon had a moment to recover, climbing back to her feet, shaking her head dazedly.

Her blue eyes came into focus on a horrific sight. The Defenders and military were attacking Arkadimon with all their might, driving it away from her... but in focusing on the monster above, they were ignoring the creatures' hosts. The hundreds of thousands of possessed Digimon took advantage, attacking from the front while the Defenders focused on the threat above. They cleaved into the Defenders' ranks, cutting bloody swathes through them.

They were sacrificing their lives knowingly to drive Arkadimon back, to give Examon a chance to recover. That knowledge shocked Examon like a blast of icy-cold water, snapping her out of her mindless wrath. She could not let this go on. She had to make the death stop. Her power and time was running out, and her last chance to end the conflict was quickly shrinking away.

Her first goal was to give her loved ones a chance to survive. She flapped her wings mightily, lifting herself into the air. She swooped away, propelling herself as fast as she could go to the Defenders' far flank.

"DRAGONIC IMPACT!" she snarled, triggering an attack protocol. Heat blazed around her as air friction ignited flames along her entire body. Holding her broadsword ahead of her, using its point to slice through the very atmosphere, she swept along the entire battlefield, from one side to the other.

Any Digimon in her direct path simply died. They did not die of anything in particular; they simply stopped being biology and started becoming physics. For the briefest of moments, the path in her wake was peaceful, only the afterimage of her passage through the area left in the form of a streak of pure white light.

Then every single inch of the line of her passage detonated in an enormous shockwave as the air cavitated. Thousands of broken bodies were flung high into the air, many of them dissolving away, killed before they even hit the ground. The landing of these poor souls was no less violent, as they crashed down upon their fellow Arkadimon hosts, shattering and killing more of their number.

In Examon's wake, a deep scar had been carved from the beach all the way to the base of the mountains. A hundred yards wide and as deep, carved nearly to the bedrock, it separated the two armies entirely. The Defenders reacted quickly, switching to ranged weapons and attacks to fire at the other side across the gap; while the Arkadimon forces were still reeling from the strike.

Examon had no time to worry more. She had done what she could to protect her friends. Now, with a clear head, she had to finish this.

"DRAGONIC IMPACT!" she snarled again, turning into a blazing white light as she flew at top speed at Arkadimon. She was spending her precious store of energy, feeling her power levels drop precipitously.

Unlike before, she used it to great effect. Her attack struck with pinpoint accuracy, catching it right at the joint of its shoulder. She struck right at the weakest point, where the armor plate separated so that it could move properly. She pierced through the fifty-foot-thick plate as if it wasn't even there, passing through Arkadimon, and out the back. The trail of her passage detonated, and ripped the entire joint free. Arkadimon roared in agony as its right "arm" was severed in a spray of ichor that painted the side of File Mountain sticky black.

The allied line erupted in cheers. Examon ignored them entirely. She was not showing off. She was doing as she had been trained her entire life: Fight fast, fight hard, end the fight before it can escalate.

Go for the shocking kill.

Defenders Crisis Management 101: Take it ten seconds at a time. Identify a problem you can solve in that ten seconds, then solve it.

Problem: Arkadimon was alive and threatening everyone she loved, and the entire Digital World with it.

Solution: Take him apart piece by piece until he's small and weak enough to kill.

She accomplished this next step by charging another ring of bright cyan energy between her claws. This time, she had the presence of mind to use her Brand to warn her friends to brace themselves for what was coming.

"PENDRAGON'S SPARKLE!!!" she shouted, unleashing the ring of energy, sending it streaming outward as a stream of cyan sparks. The streaks of light flew at Arkadimon blindingly fast. Arkadimon roared and fired his own black energy projectiles from his massive eyes. The tiny blue-green lights and the black, crackling blasts met in midair between them.

The result was an explosion of incredible force. This did not deter Examon. She poured it on, unleashing a vibrant stream of blue-green particles at the massive abomination. His own shots continued, striking against hers. His blasts formed a defense screen, preventing her own attack from getting through.

Examon strained, pouring more energy into her attack, roaring in defiance. Slowly, incredibly slowly, the mass of explosions where their attacks met began to slowly move back towards Arkadimon. She was overpowering him. Flapping her wings, putting everything she could into the stream of explosive sparks, she pushed forward.

With a roar of triumph, Examon's attack pushed back against Arkadimon, the blasts impacting against his other shoulder joint. With a rapid-fire series of deafening explosions, Arkadimon's second "arm" fell away, shattering into data shards.

"I have nothing left to say to you, Arkadimon... DIE!" Examon growled, accessing her ultimate attack protocol. She could feel the vast majority of her remaining energy being drawn into the attack.

Her entire body began to shimmer, sparks of cyan energy flowing along its length. Gripping her broadsword, the mighty dragon swooped forward as fast as her wings could carry her. Her clawed feet dug divots into Arkadimon's helmet, holding her in place. She turned her blade to point down... and in one swift, brutal movement, pierced Arkadimon's eye, burying her sword to the crossguard in his face.

Screeching in agony, Arkadimon flailed. His hosts lost their cohesion, many slumping to the ground where they were like puppets with their strings cut. The others acted like wild animals, moving without direction, attacking each other and the Defenders alike

Examon lifted high into the air, glowing like a second, blue-green sun. She could feel the energy thrumming in her very cells, every ounce of power she had transferring to one final attack. If this did not do the job, they were all doomed.

She put aside her doubts, her worries, her fear. There would be no failure. For BlackGato, she would do it. She would not let BlackGato's sacrifice be in vain.

"PENDRAGON'S GLORY!!!" she shouted, unleashing the attack. Using the hilt of her broadsword as a focus and target for her power, she unleashed it all in a roiling, blazing beam of light. It streamed from her, every iota of strength and power she could muster, poured into that beam of power.

The blazing light struck the hilt of her sword, the gemstone in the hilt seeming to catch fire. Arkadimon made a noise, a noise that was nothing like the menacing, threatening god he seemed to be. It was the terrified screech of a small animal, a tiny miniscule vermin that suddenly found itself faced by the merciless and wrathful god it thought it had been.

Arkadimon had always thought it was the pinnacle of life, the most perfect, powerful being that ever was. It was nothing more than a frightened rat, its life about to be snuffed out... by a cat.

The sword, acting as a focus for Examon's power, erupted. It became a column of blazing, spiralling light that stretched from the ground into the high exosphere. There was no shockwave, no detonation, no outward burst of power. All of it was directed upward in that enormous pillar of power. Arkadimon vanished from sight, its screams drowned out by the rumbling and sizzling of the column of light.

Examon poured on the power, determined to leave no trace of Arkadimon. She did not know if it could regenerate, but she was not willing to take the chance. Not a single strand of DNA would be left for anyone to find. She snarled and roared, tears streaming down her face as she gave all of her strength to the attack.

And then... the light faded. The swirling column of light slowly vanished. In its place, came what seemed like a snowfall of golden light. Drifting motes of light swirled here and there in the breeze, falling to the ground where they landed with a faint tinkling sound, before vanishing without a trace.

It was the data shards, the remnants of what had been Arkadimon, coming down from the upper atmosphere where the Pendragon's Glory attack had funneled them.

The Arkadimon hosts dropped. As one. Every last one fell to the ground, all rag dolls with nothing to support them. Thousands of them shattered into data shards, unable to survive the strain of the death of the parasite that controlled them. But most... not all, but most... seemed to live.

For a long time, silence reigned as shards of light cascaded down from where Arkadimon had been. The Digimon watched in awe and disbelief, unable to really be certain they had witnessed the events correctly.

Examon watched as the shards fell, her entire body heaving with exertion and exhaustion. Her power was spent. She had nothing left. The job was done. The last dregs of energy in her reserves were dwindling away

Yet she held onto those last dregs with all her might. They were all she had left of BlackGato. But try as she might, they slipped from her fingers like water through a clenched fist, leaving her with nothing.

A blinding flash of light lit the sky as the last unit of power left Examon's body. Where a mighty white dragon had been, now a weak kitten appeared. Gato fell, no longer possessing wings to keep her aloft.

Gato hit the ground hard in the bowl of the crater, leaving a large cloud of dust wafting into the air. She rolled onto her back, groaning weakly. Tears streamed down her face as she lay there, unable to move, every muscle in her body screaming in pain. But the agony of her body did not match the agony of her heart, her soul.

There was a deafening silence in the back of her head. Where once, she had shared in her sister's thoughts and emotions, a constant awareness of what her clone was feeling at any given moment, now there was nothing. That, more than anything, made her realize that BlackGatomon was truly gone.

Gato cried unashamedly. She wailed in despair and sorrow, unable to help herself as she let loose everything she had bottled up until the battle ended. She sobbed, her eyes closed as she felt tears rush down her face in a hot, endless stream.

"Gato, here... Drink..." a voice said gently. Gato felt a bottle pressed to her lips, and despite herself, she forced herself to take a quaff. Cool water flowed down her throat. She opened her eyes, seeing blurry figures surrounding her.

Gazi gently lifted her up, supporting her as she sipped more water. Agu and Gabu stood off to the side, supporting each other's weight as tears rolled down their faces, sharing in their surrogate child's sorrow. Pal knelt on her other side, delicately wrapping her arms around Gato, tears streaming down her green cheeks. Vee and Pata jogged up, but waited off to the side, not wanting to crowd the scene further.

"...Little one," rumbled a voice. Gato turned her head with effort, and saw Leomon limping forward, clutching a cut on his arm. He dropped to his knees beside her, and rested his large palm on her forehead.

"We're here, Gato, just take deep breaths. We know. We know..." Gazi said softly, lifting the water bottle to her lips again for her to take a sip.

"She's... she's gone..." Gato croaked weakly, barely able to speak.

"Whatever she had been once, she was a true hero. She saved everyone..." Leomon said softly, "And I will make sure everyone remembers her that way."

"...She... She gave me..." Gato tried to say. She needed for them to understand what had happened, for them to understand the depths of BlackGato's heroism and her sacrifice.

"We know, Gato, we heard everythin'. The Brands transmitted every word," Pal said softly, kissing her cheek gently, "I'm so, so, so sorry..."

"Did... Did I save...?" Gato asked weakly, trying to look around. She could not see over the rim of the crater.

"Yes. Most of Arkadimon's hosts... seem to be alive. And recovering. Many died, but... Many are also waking up, with no memory of anything that's happened. You saved almost everyone. You... and BG saved everyone," Leomon said gently.

"C'mon," Vee said, walking forward. He scooped Gato up, lifting her in his strong arms with ease and incredible gentleness, "We need to get you to Hawk. You need to get checked out."

"We need to shift out of combat readiness... to search and rescue standing... we need..." Gato said breathlessly, her head swimming.

"We know, Gato. We'll take care of it. You don't need to worry about anything other than resting..." Agu said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Vee began the climb up the side of the crater, carrying Gato gently. Pata and Gazi helped him keep his balance as he trudged up the shattered ground. Gato closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep, wanted to surrender, wanted her sister back.

A dull black glint caught her eye. In the shattered, scorched stone of the crater, it was out of place.

"Wait... what is that?" Gato asked, pulling out of Vee's grip. She scrabbled down the edge of the crater again, ignoring the protests of her friends, several of whom gave chase.

It was not in the center of the crater, but slightly off to the side. It laid among the charred rocks, and Gato would not have noticed it but for its perfectly smooth, perfectly rounded shape. In another context, any Digimon would have instantly recognized it for what it was; but among the rocks and stones and debris, it was easy to miss.

Gato skidded to a halt near it, staring warily. It was jet black, oblong in shape, tapered slightly near one end. It laid on its side, looking just like a stone, but for its slightly glossy sheen in the mid-afternoon light. Gato gasped, realizing her hunch was right.

"It's... a DigiEgg..." Gato murmured, staring at it.

"It... is!" agreed Agu. He placed a hand on Gato's shoulder gently, keeping her from approaching the Egg. She gave him a questioning look, confused.

"...Gato. Back away from it..." Leomon rumbled quietly. She had never heard that tone from him before. He sounded... scared?

"What?" Gato asked, blinking, as Leomon raised his arm and drew it back. She could sense him readying an attack protocol.

"That... That egg might be Arkadimon. We have to destroy it," Gabu said, jogging up and placing his hand on Gato's other shoulder.

"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!!!" Leomon shouted, throwing his fist forward. Energy crackled around it, forming the shape of a lion's head. The blazing power rushed forward, blasting the air.

"LIGHTNING CLAW!"

There was a blur of white, and the energy blast scattered harmlessly away, torn apart by the second attack. Gato landed in front of the Egg, collapsing to hand and knees, gasping for breath. Throwing the attack in her depleted state had damaged her program. She could feel glitches in her routines and subroutines, and she coughed blood onto the ground.

"GATO! What are you doing? What were you thinking?!" Vee yelped, running forward. Gato climbed to her feet out of sheer willpower and stubborn refusal to submit to the weaknesses of her body.

"Don't... you dare, Leomon..." she growled hoarsely, throwing her arms wide protectively, barring anyone from approaching the DigiEgg.

"Little one, we have to..." Leomon spluttered, completely consternated by her behavior, "If this is about some twisted vengeance, I taught you better!"

"W-Wait, Leomon, sir, I think..." Gazi said, skidding in front of the massive lion. He held his paws out in a placating manner, but Leomon roughly shoved him aside before he could finish his sentence.

"It's BlackGatomon!!!" shouted Gato, so loudly that her voice echoed multiple times off the crater walls. Everyone stopped in their tracks. For a minute, the only sound was the wind whipping over the shattered boulders and debris.

"It's BG..." Gato repeated, this time so softly that everyone had to strain to hear her. The feline turned and knelt beside the DigiEgg and placed a palm against the side. It was pleasantly warm to the touch, even through her glove. She could feel the pulse of life inside, a slight movement as the DigiEgg's inhabitant shifted slightly.

"Gato... Are... Are you sure?" Gazi asked gently. She let him approach, let him kneel beside her. When he reached out, she had a moment of hesitation, but let him touch the egg's shell too.

"I... I know I killed Arkadimon," Gato whispered, "I destroyed every bit of him, shattered his core data, and ripped him apart. I didn't give him a chance to revert. I deleted him."

She was silent for a moment before she coughed, wiping a little more blood from her mouth on her glove, and continued, "But BG, she... She wasn't deleted. She gave up everything, but... I know this is her. I can't tell you how, but... I know..."

"I believe you," Gazi said softly, meeting her eyes, "I don't know what you know, but if you're that certain that this is... what's left of her, then... it's definitely her."

"Gazi..." Gato whispered, unable to express her feelings at that moment. The grief, her appreciation and love for him, the exhaustion, the hope that this DigiEgg represented the last remnant of BlackGatomon, the certainty that it WAS her sister. The moment she had laid eyes on it, she knew down to her core programming that some small part of her sister was still alive. It wasn't like the empathic bond; she could still feel nothing but emptiness in the void where BlackGato's feelings used to be. It was just a deep, instinctual certainty, so strong that it seemed impossible she could be wrong.

"Leomon, please..." Gazi asked, looking up at the lion. The cabbit's red eyes were as serious as Gato had ever seen. The boy reached out and held her hand.

Leomon stood there for almost two minutes, contemplating, before finally letting out a long, low sigh, "...Very well. I believe you know best, Gato. I will trust you... and hope that you are right."

"I am," Gato said firmly, lifting the DigiEgg.

"Here... Let me take it, Gato. I promise I'll take care of it," Gazi offered. She hesitated, only for a brief moment, before she reluctantly passed the egg to him. She was in no condition to crawl out of the crater on her own, much less while carrying the DigiEgg.

She surrendered herself to Vee's arms again... and remembered very little more of that day, or many of the days to follow.

*****

The Digital World began the long, slow process of recovery. The injured had to be treated. The survivors of Arkadimon's possession had to be counseled and returned to their homes. The Digimon evacuated to the Human Internet and other places needed to be retrieved and repatriated. The world needed to be rebuilt from the damage; particularly File Island, which had taken a worse beating than anywhere else.

The days and weeks that followed were almost as painful for Gato as the battle itself had been. Her injuries were minor compared to some of the others, but the stress of her Giga Digivolution and grief alone had rendered her bed-ridden for almost two weeks.

Far worse than the physical pain and exhaustion were the emotional pain and exhaustion. The void in the back of her thoughts where BlackGato's emotions used to be felt like an open, bleeding wound that Hawk could do nothing to help. Gato cried as hard as she had when her parents had died, utterly inconsolable for the first day.

Then came the horrible task of informing Sala and Impmon of BlackGato's fate. Sala was bad enough, bawling like the little child she was, as Gato comforted her the best she could. But Impmon's reaction was somehow worse.

Laying in his hospital bed, his left eye covered by a bandage, his hand handcuffed to the bed, he had remained silent as Gato had told him what happened after he had been removed from the battlefield. She had been as gentle as she could, choosing her words with more care than she usually did. But as she spoke, she could see a light in his good eye dim and fade to nothing. A horrible, deadened stare replaced it, his expression terribly calm.

She had expected tears. She had expected him to howl in grief, or cry, or beg her to tell him she was lying. She was not expecting him to simply cough once and nod, replying in an uncharacteristically quiet and dull voice, "...Thank you."

Gato had unlocked the handcuffs and stowed them away, informing him that the Defenders were dropping all charges against him. Given all that had happened, he had more than redeemed himself for his previous crimes. He was a free Digimon. He had replied with a simple, weak statement in the same hollow voice, "...No, I am not."

Unable to find comforting words to console him, as she was still searching for a way to console herself; Gato had stood up and prepared to walk out of the room, using the crutches she had been forced to use until her legs could support her weight again.

"...Was... Was... she... happy in the end?" Imp's voice came from behind her, cracking. He stared at Gato, his expression still dead, his violet eye staring somewhere beyond her. Gato had swallowed, searching for words. She finally nodded slowly.

"I... was connected to her when she... did it. She shared everything she could with me through our bond... and... Her last thoughts were of me and you. And how happy she was that she knew us," Gato whispered. Impmon nodded slowly. He said nothing else, but continued to stare at her.

Gato had known that he was not seeing her, not as she was. He was imagining her with eyes as green as pine and fur as black as night. Unable to bear the horror, the grief, Gato had left.

Imp's injuries were severe enough to keep him in bed for another couple of weeks. When he had been released, he had gone to BlackGato's room, closed the door behind him, and had not emerged for more than to get meals since.

Gato could not blame him. She had been tempted to do much the same; to lock herself away and not come out until the world seemed a nicer place. But she did as she had to, for she was a Defender. She endured. She endured her own pain, as much as everyone else's. It was the only way she knew how to cope.

Memorials were held for those lost. Celebrations were held for those who lived.

Gato ignored both. She wanted no part in the medals they wished to award her, nor did she have anything of value to say to those who wanted to hear words of commiseration and comfort. She wanted no recognition and had no room for emotional catharsis, when she was still struggling with her own emotions.

Instead, Gato did the only thing she could do that gave her peace.

She continued her vigil over the black DigiEgg. She held it, feeling the pulse of life within, waiting to be released when the time was right. She brought it to Imp regularly, letting him spend time with the egg, whispering all the things he had wished he'd said to BlackGato when he'd had time. His wounds healed, but the scars, both physical and emotional remained. Gato doubted they'd ever fade away.

Time passed, and normalcy, despite everything, began to return slowly. The Defenders returned to work, policing the planet, keeping the peace, aiding the recovery.

And Gato did too.

*****

Gato sat on the beach. It was before the sunrise, and just the first glimmers of golden light had peeked above the horizon. The feline sighed, digging her toes into the water-smoothed gravel, watching the waves roll in slowly and out. She tried to calm herself, to find a sense of peace.

She found that sense of peace harder to find than ever these days.

Seeming to know her discontent, the black DigiEgg in her lap gave a little twitch; its inhabitant moving a little. She pressed a palm to its side, feeling the warmth radiate through her glove. It might have been wishful thinking, but she almost thought it was trying to help, to comfort her.

Gato's large, tasseled ears perked as she heard the sound of feet trudging in the grave behind her.

"I knew we'd find you here," Pata sighed, fluttering his ear-wings to carry him over a branch and onto the beach of Gato's hidden cove. She was sitting on a log, her feet in the sand, watching the waves roll in and out slowly.

"I needed some time alone," Gato said softly, holding the black egg in her lap. She winced as she rolled her shoulder, her arm still resting in a sling.

"I thought you were afraid to be alone," Vee said, hopping over the branch and joining Pata, strolling out through the sand to join them.

"...Normally, yes. But... Things have been so hectic that..." Gato trailed off, sighing as her long tail curled around her waist.

"You needed time to process, right? Yeah, I know how that goes," Gazi said, stumbling as he too vaulted the branch to join them.

"...My secret, hidden, alone-time beach is quickly becoming neither secret, hidden, nor alone," Gato said sardonically, narrowing her eyes at her three boyfriends as they walked over to her. Pata hopped onto the log beside her, resting his head against her shoulder. Vee sat down beside her, gently laying his arm around her shoulders. Gazi slipped down into the sand at her feet, gently caressing her leg, looking up at her.

"You should know you're never alone as long as we're with ya," Vee said, kissing her cheek.

"...Also, EVERYONE knows about your beach, Gato. It's like one of the worst-kept secrets you have," Gazi chuckled, "We just kinda all agreed to keep quiet. First rule of Alone-Time Beach is you don't talk about Alone-Time Beach, right?"

Gato bonked her fist against Gazi's head, though exceedingly gently, a gesture of affection rather than reproach. He chuckled lightly, sighing.

"It's... been a long... LONG... cycle," Gato sighed tiredly.

"That it has. This time last cycle, I was running away from Succubimon," Gazi agreed, "...Never thought I'd be here."

"Neither did we," Pata sighed, "But then again, without you, we'd still be Succubimon's slaves... so let's call it even."

"...Glad to know you were still holding a grudge about me being around," Gazi said, staring at Pata with an odd expression on his face. Pata chuckled playfully.

"You okay, though? I mean... I know you aren't, but..." Vee asked, frowning softly.

"...I'll be fine someday, but... not today... or tomorrow," Gato admitted, sniffling a little, "...It's just so quiet without her."

"BlackGato didn't seem like the chatty type," Vee replied, looking confused.

"...No, I mean... we had that weird connection... I can't hear her thoughts, feel what she's feeling. It was so strange at first to have that in the back of my head, to have some vague awareness of her..." Gato explained, "...And now it's gone, and the silence in my head is deafening. It's just my own thoughts alone..."

"I wish I could say I understand, but... I don't think anyone could," Gazi said softly. Gato gave him a sad smile.

"No. But thank you for trying, at least. It means more than you can imagine," Gato said, gently resting a hand on Gazi's shoulder and squeezing affectionately, "...You ALL mean more to me than you can imagine."

Silence reigned for a long time, as the waves washed in and rolled back out to sea. The four Digimon and the egg simply sat, watching the sun slowly coming up over the horizon, spilling golden light across the water and onto the beach. It was a comfortable silence, thick with memories and contemplation of things to come. The three boys simply sat with Gato, lending her what warmth, comfort, and love they could. She accepted it gratefully and returned it all the same.

"So what happens now, Gato?" Gazi asked the feline as they sat and watched the waves roll in and out. Gato smiled sadly, remembering all the times that she and BlackGato had sat on this same beach, talking and coming to slowly understand each other. The memories were sad and sweet, and Gato held them close, treasuring each one as they rolled over her. She looked up to Gazi, Vee, and Pata.

"We rebuild. We help everyone we can, just the way we did before. The Defenders will do their duty..." she murmured. She hefted the black egg sitting in the soft sand at her feet and lifted it up to the rising sun.

"And when this egg hatches, I will tell the little girl that comes out all about my sister... How she was born... How we fought, both against and with each other... How she saved the world... and how much she meant to me..." Gato said, smiling, "And when she's old enough, I'll be the first person to welcome her into the Defenders."

The feline felt the stirring of life within the DigiEgg. She hugged it close to her chest and smiled wide, watching the sun rise upon a new day in the Digital World.

******

Somewhere far away, in a forgotten and broken lab, a lone figure flitted about, surveying the damage. To get the laboratory working again would take a significant amount of work. This was fine; all this meant was that it would give him something to do while things settled down and went back to normal. After all, attacking while everyone's guard was still up was only something the greatest fool would do.

It reflected on its failures, and what it had learned from them.

Succubimon was a tool of Devidramon, and her technology focused on the perversions she was obsessed with. He never expected much from her; she was an idiot and a hedonist, and could never have been a larger part of the overall plan. The figure only trusted her to test the Black Collar technology. Anything beyond that would have been a waste.

Still, her self-sacrifice to save Gato had come as a surprise. Her entire life had been defined by selfishness and wanton desire. But when the time had come and Arkadimon threatened, she had given her life to save the little feline without hesitation. The figure did not make bets lightly, but it never would have put even a single credit on that outcome.

Devidramon thought he was the master, when he was nothing but a pawn, both to the figure and to Arkadimon. He had completely underestimated his creation...

No, BOTH of his creations. While Devidramon thought of BlackGato as a failure, the figure knew that in fact, she was his greatest success. Moreso than Arkadimon, who was so devoted to his slavish programming that even as he consumed the world, he could not imagine anything outside his strictly defined parameters. BlackGato had evolved and escaped her purpose. She had become something new, and individual. The figure could respect that.

It supposed Devidramon's death was fitting. Killed as an afterthought, as merely one of Arkadimon's millions of hosts, rather than a threat in his own right. Forgotten. Disregarded. The figure took Devidramon as a cautionary tale; both of losing sight of one's achievable goals in favor of lofty ideals, and losing sight of one's ACTUAL place in the world compared to what one wished to be.

Piedmon and the Cult of Belialmon were merely wasted potential. That wonderful brainwashing process, put to use on a brainless religion to summon forth an unimaginably powerful demon from the past... only to let it get destroyed attempting some stupid revenge plot? The figure couldn't believe that Piedmon would have wasted the opportunities that it had given him. Worse, a legendary demon met its end by its own ignorance and sadism.

And though it had already considered Arkadimon's failure, it bore special consideration how far off the rails the beast had gone. The destruction of the Digital World was a pointless and nihilistic goal, whether through the Virus it had created, or through its war upon the rest of Digimon-kind. The end of the Digital World would mean the end of the Human Internet and the Real World too. If Arkadimon had won, it would have died in an empty and rapidly collapsing world. A handful of humans might have survived the end, but they might have wished they hadn't. In the end, Arkadimon would have destroyed itself for nothing but its own twisted desires.

All of the figure's plots had been failures, because it had acted through proxies and pawns and puppets acting through other puppets. Trying to make sure that no one realized the real mastermind meant that idiots ruined everything. Next time, it would act on its own. No one would expect it.

After all, who even remembered that DemiDevimon existed?

THE END... FOR NOW.