Frontiers Unexplored

55) End of the Line

As soon as the Warrior of Heaven was created, their first action was effortless. Susanoomon raised their arms and tore a hole in the sky effortlessly, creating a rift easily that was patterned with the darkened skies of the fallen Digital World. The train station was abandoned in the seconds that followed, and Susanoomon jumped inside without a moment of hesitation. Shared resolve solidified itself into something incredible, and determination created enough power to topple even the mightiest of foes. 

The first thing that they noticed was that the Dark Heart and the Light Heart had both disappeared. In fact, Lucemon had vanished from sight as well, leaving behind instead a large creature that seemed to effortlessly consume more than half of the Dark Heart in size. The beast was a purple draconic demon, and scales clashed against one another to forge something that looked like nothing short of a complete monstrosity. Golden claws edged its feet, and they glittered with a dangerous sharpness. The tip of its tail swung back and forth slowly, the primary sign of life on the beast. 

A golden mask could be seen covering its head, and its jagged edges matched the demonic wings that fanned out behind it. There were six pairs of them, and each pair seemed to be larger than the last somehow. The creature's front claws were holding tightly to a black orb that resembled a moon swallowed completely in shadow. Twelve spheres revolved around the beast, each one bearing the colors and symbols of each of the Legendary Warriors. 

For a long time, Susanoomon simply stared at the creature, realizing that Lucemon had to be the monster in question. Lucemon had likely absorbed the Dark Heart along with the Light Heart, and the combined force of the immense celestial powers had merged with his body to create the atrocity that Susanoomon saw before them. Susanoomon was far from being small on their own, but they were nothing when compared to the new massive size of Lucemon's next form. This had to be his highest level of power, so this would certainly be the battle to decide the fate of every world. 

Lucemon shifted his attention over to Susanoomon soon afterwards, and he took in a large breath before unleashing a roar that would have surely shaken the earth if the world had been left. Susanoomon felt the wind around them rush, but they didn't allow themselves to be deterred. They had come too far for this fight to back down, and nothing was going to be able to defeat them. Lucemon had done immense damage before, but all of that was about to end. 

Inside of Susanoomon's mind, Saki spoke. "He took in the Dark Heart and Light Heart. That's why he changed form this way," they announced, clarifying the cohesive thought process of the rest of the group. Outside the circle of the Legendary Warriors, three rings of Spirits spun. On the top row, the shrines for the Human Spirits could be seen. The bottom row had the Beast Spirits, and the Hybrid Spirits were in the center. Duskmon, Velgemon, and Malkakomon could be seen among them if one looked closely enough. 

"We'll make sure that he doesn't hurt anyone ever again!" came Tomoki's resounding cry. Susanoomon rushed forward at his words, and his left hand, the one with the orange segment of armor over the wrist, shone briefly before letting out a quick hissing sound as a blade appeared from within. Susanoomon followed the sword forward, keeping it outstretched in the direction of Lucemon. 

The first strike didn't appear to do much damage, but it certainly caught Lucemon's attention. He turned to face Susanoomon, and his eyes, as dark and hollow as they were terrifying and sharp, fell upon the Warrior of Heaven. The Angel of Hell unleashed yet another roar that pierced the air and echoed endlessly before finally falling silent. 

Lucemon reared his head back, and the twelve orbs around him began to swirl in response. One of them, the red sphere bearing the mark of Fire, unleashed a blast of streaking flames in the direction of Susanoomon. The Warrior of Heaven raised his arms to block the attack, and he luckily didn't take any damage from the strike. Instead, he was simply forced backwards a short distance.