RxT20

RxT ch20.

He could only hope to be so lucky. Sandiramon simply laughed from where he lay on the ground, breaking his act. "Did you honestly think it would be that easy you pathetic, sick little fool?" Sandiramon questioned angrily, his eyes glowing bright red. "Did you honestly think that you stood anywhere near a chance?!" He shouted, lashing his tail at Gallantmon with a speed and force that Gallantmon hadn't seen from the deva before.

Not wasting a second, Sandiramon pursued the red and white knight and slashed him across the chest with yet another lance, enjoying the pained cry that followed. "Where has your talk gone pet?" Sandiramon taunted. "The fact that you have to merge with a pathetic human to reach such a form is an insult to all digimon!" The snake yelled with a derisive sneer.

Guilmon had heard enough, he wasn't going to let a digimon that they had beaten before bad mouth and insult his best friend. "If we're so pathetic you three must be a disgrace." Stated the knight as he climbed back to his feet. "The fact that we beat you once, and that somehow you still came back with a power boost which you only earned by absorbing the other two that were defeated speaks a lot about how weak you really are!" Gallantmon shot back. "Relying on a friend, no matter what species he or she might be isn't weakness. It's a strength like none of you stuck up morons will ever know!" He stated as a billowing aura surrounded him.

Knowing what was coming, Sandiramon simply lashed the knight with his tail, once more sending him flying backwards into a building. "What you claim as friendship is no more than servitude! I have seen what happens to those that came to the human world through their own force, they were deleted." Sandiramon stated, his anger turning quickly to rage.

Pulling himself from the rubble once more, Gallantmon stood up. "Those digimon came here and destroyed buildings and hurt people. We did what we had to do and I don't regret trying to protect innocent people." Gallantmon stated rolling his shoulders, the same billowing aura surrounding him once more.

Sandiramon could feel the immense power radiating from the digital knight in waves of oppressive energy. 'What is this?' He wondered, confused as to how his opponent could be getting stronger after taking the hits he delivered with both tail and lance.

Gallantmon turned to face Sandiramon. "I'm done holding back Sandiramon." Gallantmon stated, his voice sounding less like a combination of Takato and Guilmon. His voice had become deeper and less accented with Guilmon's strange accent.

Sandiramon huffed dismissively, no matter what the pet said there was no way it could be stronger than him. "You still overestimate your abilities." Sandiramon stated with feigned pity and a shake of his head. "It is truly sad. I guess i'll just have to enjoy myself while I destroy your friends. The girl and the traitorous fox will be most..enjoyable to torment." Sandiramon said with a sadistic grin on his serpentine face. "I can almost hear the shock and pain in their voice as I tell them how I squeezed the life from your worthless body, the cry of pain as hit after hit brings them slowly closer to their inevitable defeat." Sandiramon inhaled before slowly letting it hiss out. "It's like music to my ears, a symphony of pain." The serpent Deva taunted hoping to draw the digital knight into blindly attacking.

Gallantmon tightened his grip on his lance and sheild. "If your plan was to make me angry, congratulations, you've done it." Gallantmon stated through clenched teeth. "But I don't think you're going to like what happens next, because you won't touch them!" The red and white armored knight stated as the tip of the lance sparked. Gallantmon charged at Sandiramon ready to dodge at a moments notice and it paid off as Sandiramon swung his tail to stop Gallantmon.

Jumping over the massive appendege, Gallantmon thrust the lance forward sending thousands of volts of electricity through the serpents body and causing Sandiramon to collapse. "I will not allow you to harm my friends." Gallantmon stated sending all the energy he could spare to the sheild.

Sandiramon grinned. "You only delay the inevitable boy. You may defeat me, but there is one that you can not defeat and even now you only enable his coming." Sandiramon laughed as the sheild discharged the built up energy in a massive, destructive beam.

Gallantmon panted from the loss of energy and the pain from the hits he had taken during the fight. In a flash of light Guilmon and Takato split into their own beings and Takato collapsed, unconscious from exhaustion scaring Guilmon until he noticed the slow rise and fall of Takato's chest. Lying down next to his tamer Guilmon did his best to keep the boy warm as a cool wind blew through the devastated combat zone.

Unknown to the two companions the same news chopper from the D-reaper disaster had caught and broadcast everything that was said between the two combatants and ended after Takato collapsed with the reporter calling emergency services.

Rika and Renamon had been sitting in the waiting room of the hospital waiting on word about Henry's condition and hoping that Takato and Guilmon were alright. Renamon had always been the patient one of the two but found herself quickly growing more and more impatient as time passed with no word from Takato. She could feel Guilmon as she could any other digimon but Takato wasn't a digimon, and as she learned, albeit to a greater degree, from Henry's condition when they had found him, humans were much more fragile than she thought she knew.

Pushing herself upright from leaning on the wall Renamon walked toward the entrance of the hospital. "I'm going to check on Takato and Guilmon, I shouldn't be long." Renamon stated as she passed Rika's chair. "Alright, just be careful. We already have one friend in the hospital, let's not put another in danger." Rika replied glumly. Not knowing how Henry was doing was worrying her, but seeing what happened to him after fighting in spirit merge scared her more than anything else.

Minutes after Renamon left the hospital the television in the waiting room came on showing the fight between Gallantmon and Sandiramon. With a fearful look on her face as she saw Takato collapse after the conclusion of the battle, Rika closed her eyes, tears stinging at the corners as she refused to let them fall. Takato was always giving it his all and crashing due to exhaustion, but this was the first time she had seen him just collapse. It could be due to exhaustion, but Rika's mind instantly went to the worst outcome possible.

Moments later an ambulance arrived on scene after dodging several large chunks of debris and after checking on the boy guarded by the dino digimon, the medical personell put him on a gurney and loaded him into the ambulance, unfortunately Guilmon couldn't ride along and had to walk the entire way.

By the time Renamon arrived on scene she could only watch as Takato was loaded into the ambulance before turning and following Guilmon back to the hospital. "We must hurry, we are weakened and the enemy will use this advantage to strike." Renamon urged as she increased her speed slightly.

Meanwhile in the digital world fragments of data flowed into a massive castle and straight to the owner, a digimon by the name of Zhuqiaomon who, at this very moment, was not a happy creature. His three minions had failed him yet again even after splitting the tamers up. A time when they should be as powerless as an infant digimon. It seemed he would have to take matters into his own talons.

Gathering his power the phoenix sovereign digimon ripped a hole in thin air that showed the devestated human world at the other end. "This day the humans will learn their place. They will learn that digimon are the superior beings and they will learn to serve us or they will be destroyed!" He exclaimed as he exited the portal with a shriek and the roar of flames announcing his arrival. "Bring me the tamers and their pets or you will all burn!" Zhuqiaomon shouted his instruction as he perched on the tallest standing building left in the area.

The people that witnessed the Sovereign's entrance into their world stood defiant of the massive and mighty bird digimon. After witnessing the D-reaper incident and now the Deva's attack and how the Tamers defended them, the people couldn't just hand over the ones that fought to protect them from the digital beasts that came to and attacked them and their homes.

Arming themselves with whatever they could find, whether or not it would hurt the creature, the people formed a haphazard group between the Sovereign and his targets, though they couldn't truly protect them due to Zhuqiaomon's flight capability, the sentiment couldn't have been spoken louder. 'If you want them you go through us. We're tired of being pushed around!'

With a shriek that would frighten any lesser creature away the phoenix sovereign launched from his perch and dove toward the assembled crowd preparing a flame breath attack to show the foolish humans the folly of their choice. As he passed overhead he let loose the torrent of flame, severely burning some but killing more than he injured, the stones and other projectiles simply bouncing off of him not even leaving a mark to show for the mobs efforts.

Meanwhile in the hospital waiting room Rika could only watch in Horror as the Sovereign digimon incinerated the people in his way, leaving nothing but ash and severe burns in his wake. She knew the people didn't stand a chance and with Renamon still out there somewhere, most likely trying to sneak back with Guilmon in tow, Rika was powerless to help. Every time she considered the spirit merge images of Henry flashed through her mind followed by the images of the ashen remains of Zhuqiaomon's victims. She didn't want to end up like that, but at the same time she couldn't let the ordinary people who stood no chance and were no threat to keep throwing themselves at the sovereign, it was her job to protect them after all.

'Exactly, so why arent you protecting them?' Asked a voice in her mind that Rika had only heard when she Bio-merged with Renamon. 'Because i'm afraid. I don't want to die and that's a very real possibility if I face him alone. Zhuqiaomon hates us enough he wouldn't stop at just hurting us.' Rika replied in thought, shaking slightly and trying to fight back the tears. 'Then fight to live, because hiding will only cost more innocent lives. How many are you willing to let die while you cower, is Renamon truly bonded to one so weak?' Sakuyamon's voice asked angrily. Rika's eyes snapped open at the accusation and she quietly but vehemently replied. "No, I am not weak and no one else will die because of me, as of this moment I will defend those who tried to protect us." She stated as she stood from her seat.

Shaking her head of the images the television was showing and the image of Henry's wounds Rika looked out the doors of the hospital, determination shined in her narrowed and angry eyes. As she walked toward the doors several unbelieving faces watched her, though she couldn't care why. As it turned out the outline of Sakuyamon had begun to form around her and with every step she took, more and more power rolled off of her in waves scaring some and earning astonished looks from the children. In a swirl of dust and a final burst of energy the form of Sakuyamon solidified around Rika stunning everyone present in the waiting room. "No one else will die because of his stubborn foolishness. Zhuqiaomon will be defeated, this I swear to you." Sakuyamon stated as she left the hospital, heading towards the phoenix sovereign.

As Rika made her way towards the sovereign digimon, the doctors had examined Takato and found that he simply needed rest. Making his way to the waiting area the doctor found Mr and Mrs. Matsuki waiting for news on their son. After seeing everything on the television they had hurried over to him with questioning looks obvious on their faces.

Clearing his throat the doctor began. "First off, Takato is just fine aside from being exhausted and a few minor cuts and bruises. We took some x-rays and found no internal injury, no broken bones. He should be able to go home now, but I want to be on the safe side and keep him here tonight. Especially with that thing hanging around." He stated putting both parents at ease, though they were still tense, because if Takato woke up for any reason and saw Zhuqiaomon wreaking havoc on the human world, not only would he insist on fighting the creature but he would go behind their backs to do it if he had to.

Arriving as close as she dared to get to Zhuqiaomon, Sakuyamon swung her staff in the phoenix's direction. "Amethyst wind." She called, hoping to calm the digimon sovereign. It worked, though it barely kept him from striking the humans still left alive after his devastating attacks. "You have some courage after all. I must say, it is a sad thing that so many had to die to bring you out of hiding. After all, you six are here to protect these worthless creatures are you not?" Zhuqiaomon stated trying to antagonize the shaman digimon into attacking.

Rika saw through his words though they stung her pride and stabbed at her heart. "Those people couldn't hurt you and you know it Zhuqiaomon, why bother with them?" She questioned, an edge to her voice and words. "Why kill them when you could have just waited for us?" She shouted, upset at his lack of care for the lives he had taken.

Zhuqiaomon huffed dismissively. "Why should I care for creatures that are nothing but servents to creatures like us?" He answered carelessly. "You humans and the digimon who serve you are nothing but an annoyance to a digimon like me and will be exterminated like the pests you are!" The phoenix sovereign shouted launching a massive fireball at the spirit-merged Rika.

Quickly dodging the fireball Sakuyamon let it fly harmlessly into the sky. "That's an old excuse, one that you should know is wrong. You've seen what happens when a human and a Digimon work together, it's how we defeated the D-reaper, cooperation between our two species!" Rika shouted back angrily at the bull headed sovereign digimon. "So tell me the real reason you're here!" She demanded as she shot up into the cloudy sky, coming down much faster and with electricity crackling around her extended right foot. "Thunder kick!" She exclaimed as she made contact with the bird digimon's back. "Fox card." She stated, attaching a card to the sovereign's back that sealed away a small portion of his power.

Zhuqiaomon was furious at the brazen attack of the lower class digimon, he felt as a small portion of his power was sealed away and it only infuriated him that much more. How dare this human digimon filth touch him and lock away his power. Setting himself ablaze Zhuqiaomon attempted to get rid of the annoyance on his back and though it worked he could still feel that a portion of his power was forever gone. "What have you done to me you low class scum?" The phoenix scathingly demanded.

Sakuyamon simply smirked at his fury. "I've found a way to buy time for me and my friends." She replied mockingly. "I may not be able to defeat you, but I can weaken you enough to make you retreat back to the digital world!" She shouted at the massive bird.