In the Digital World, at the castle of the Royal Knights, Flash and his friends had been invited to have dinner with said knights.
The lot of them had spent an hour or so in their rooms, getting washed up and made presentable for the event. Knightmon soon arrived and asked if they were all ready, the lot agreeing and letting the Ultimate Level lead them back through the castle.
As they headed for the room in question, Trixie frowned as she looked herself over. "I feel really underdressed for such a formal event."
"It's not like we have anything to change into," Flash told her. "Besides, I doubt Digimon care about clothing considering most don't wear any." They nodded at this and finally arrived at the entrance to the dining room, the doors opening as Knightmon left them to step into the room.
There, the Royal Knights were waiting for them as they sat around a large table.
Despite being shrunk down, the table was still quite large compared to the humans. Luckily, there were a series of tall chairs for them that were just like baby highchairs.
Each of them climbed up a chair and took their seat, Omnimon nodding. "I'm happy to hear you all chose to stay for the night. I am actually quite interested in hearing tales of the human world. Though you can travel to our realm whenever you wish, we do not have that luxury. I admit I am curious about the world you come here from."
The humans smiled and happily started telling them about their world, as their food mysteriously appeared.
Whilst the humans and Rookie Digimon began to dig in, the Royal Knights focused for a moment. And as they did, the areas of their heads that the mouths would usually be began to open up. The others heard this and looked up, amazed to see their mouth plates fold into their helmets to each reveal a dark space beneath.
"You guys have mouths?" Flash asked before realising what he had said, "I mean..."
"Relax," Craniamon told him. "You're not the first to be surprised by this. Anyone who sees that for the first time is surprised."
"I was amazed myself," Dynasmon laughed. "After I Digivolved, I tried to eat only to find my mouth was covered. Just when I thought I would starve, my mouth guard opened up and I could eat."
"I guess we never really thought about it," Micro stated. "I mean...a lot of Digimon don't seem to have mouths they can open. And in our world, Mega Levels are never shown eating anything. At least not Mega Levels like that."
"It seems you humans still have much to learn about our world," Crusadermon stated.
"Yeah," Flash nodded. "And I wanna learn as much as I can." The others nodded, as Flash remembered back to what he had seen earlier. "When we were heading to our rooms, we saw a pair of Digimon sparing."
Kentaurosmon nodded. "You must be referring to Wingdramon and Breakdramon." Flash nodded. "Yes, we're lucky those two have arrived. At long last, Examon can be made a part of the Royal Knights. That's something that hasn't happened for eons."
"Really?" Trixie asked.
"Yes," Craniamon nodded. "Due to how difficult it is to create Examon. It requires not just one Digimon to aspire to that level, but two. And one of those two is particularly difficult to have wish to become a knight. Breakdramon is a Virus type. One that has a rather wild nature. Many times, Breakdramon will go on a wild rampage as soon as they evolve."
Omnimon nodded. "We feared when Groundramon Digivolved, he would forget about becoming Examon and become a threat. But we were pleasantly surprised. Now all we have to do, is wait for Wingdramon to Digivolve. And hopefully, it should be soon."
What makes you think that?" Micro asked, Duftmon turning to him.
"He and Breakdramon have been training since Rookie-hood. They were both Dracomon that worked hard, eventually Digivolving into Coredramon Blue and Green at the same time. That's when they came to us to be trained, eventually allowing them to Digivolve into Wingdramon and Groundramon at the same time. However, Breakdramon managed to Digivolve before Wingdramon. We're confident that it won't be long before Slayerdramon is born."
"And then Examon can come into being," Lunamon smiled. "Oh, I wish I could see that." The others nodded, curious what this great and powerful being might look like.
They continued their meal, discussing anything and everything that interested them. Eventually, the meal ended and everyone chose to turn in for the night. They all returned to their rooms and went to sleep, the beds they had been given the best they had ever felt.
But despite how soft and luxurious the bed was, Flash couldn't get to sleep.
He was too overwhelmed with everything that had happened that day. Meeting the Royal Knights, learning their origin and the fear he had felt when they offered Veemon the chance to join them. A part of him felt guilty for Veemon's refusal, knowing the Digital World could use him as UlforceVeedramon or whichever knight he became. But he was also glad he wouldn't be losing his best friend.
Midnight arrived and Flash still wasn't asleep, the teen unable to stand just laying there.
Instead, he got up whilst being careful not to wake Veemon up. He stepped out of the room and started making his way through the castle, exploring it as best he could without getting into trouble. He was still amazed by the architecture, wondering who had built this castle.
Eventually, he found himself stepping out into a courtyard and imagined all the Digimon that trained there to become knights. He had to admit, their dedication was impressive."
Suddenly, he sensed another presence and spun around. When he saw who it was, he was shocked. "Wingdramon?" The giant dragon Digimon was sitting in one corner of the courtyard, appearing to be resting as it continued to clutch the orbs in its hands.
It noticed Flash and raised an eyebrow. "You're one of those humans that the lords summoned."
"That's right," Flash nodded. "Flash Sentry, nice to meet you."
"Likewise, I guess. Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"After all the excitement I've been through today, there's no way I could sleep." He moved over and sat beside him, "what about you? Shouldn't you be sleeping as well. You're never gonna be able to Digivolve if you're too tired to throw a punch."
Wingdramon said nothing and looked up at the sky. "When the sky is clear, I like to look up at the stars." Flash looked up and saw the many stars that filled the sky. He didn't know a lot about astrology, but he had a feeling the constellations weren't the same as the ones on earth.
"Wow," he smiled, "amazing."
"Indeed," Wingdramon nodded. "When I was still a Rookie, my brother and I would watch the stars together and be inspired. This world has so much beauty in it and we wanted to protect that beauty."
"Is that why you both wanna become a Royal Knight?" Wingdramon frowned. "You must be super excited. Once you've Digivolved, you and your brother will DNA Digivolve and become the legendary hero the Digital World hasn't seen in eons." But as he looked up at Wingdramon, he noticed the dragon didn't look happy. "You okay?"
Wingdramon remained stoic for a second, clearly conflicted about something. "Can you keep a secret?" Flash nodded. "I reached the point of Digivolution a long time ago. Before Breakdramon." His eyes went wide at this. "I've been keeping myself from Digivolving on purpose."
"Why would you do that?"
"To protect my brother." Flash didn't understand what he was talking about. "What do you know of DNA Digivolution?"
"Two Digimon combined together to create a new Digimon. The Data of the two is merged to unite the best aspects of both. And the Digimon's minds unite to create one super being."
"That's where you're wrong," Wingdramon explained. "I thought the same thing when I was a Rookie and Champion. But after Breakdramon and I Digivolved to Ultimate, we learned the truth. When DNA Digivolution occurs, the minds of the Digimon don't fuse. One of the Digimon absorbs the Data of the other and gets to become the new Digimon, whilst the other...is simply deleted." Flash gasped, realising what Wingdramon was saying. "If Breakdramon and I DNA Digivolve, Breakdramon's mind will be lost."
"Seriously?" Flash cried, "that's insane!"
"I know, but it's the truth. When Breakdramon learned this, he decided he would be the one to be lost so that I could become Examon. He believes that since he's a Virus Digimon, he doesn't deserve to become a Legendary Hero."
"Well that's stupid. Mistymon's a Virus Digimon and he became Dynasmon."
"Maybe, but the fact is only one of us will end up the one in charge of our combined body. Even if Breakdramon wasn't a Virus, he would give up his own life so I could fulfil our dream. But that won't happen until I Digivolve and as long as I can help it, I won't Digivolve."
Flash frowned, feeling sorry for Wingdramon. He wanted to be a Royal Knight, but also didn't want to lose his brother doing it. It was a catch twenty-two, forcing him to choose between what mattered most to them.
"There has to be a way to help you become a Royal Knight without Breakdramon giving up his life." Flash stood up, "I'm gonna find it." Wingdramon looked at him curiously, as Flash took out his Digivice. "Is it okay if I take a scan of you? If I do, I might be able to use the Digi-Lab in Codex to find a way to help you."
"You really think you can do that?"
"Only one way to find out." Wingdramon nodded and Flash scanned him, smiling at the scan he had. "Give me some time. I'll find a way to help you." With that, he rushed back into the castle as Wingdramon watched him. Wingdramon doubted Flash could find an answer, but he was grateful to the teen for even looking.
Flash ran up to his room and quickly woke Veemon up, "what's going on? I was having such a nice dream."
"Sorry bud, but we've got work to do." Veemon looked at him, curious what could be so important.
Many miles away, a Digimon was tearing its way through a forest.
Orochimon, the multi-headed snake Digimon, slithered wherever he wanted in order to cause as much death and destruction as possible. Any Rookie or Champion Level Digimon it came across screamed and tried to fun for it, but the beast would not let them escape.
"Inferno Blast!" His many mechanical heads opened up and unleashed a blast of fire, which torched anything that touched it.
The Digimon screamed as the flames consumed them, causing them to explode into data. And before that data could escape and return to the digital stream and Primary Village, Orochimon used its many heads to suck it all up. Now, the data was trapped. Unable to return to the Digi-Egg until Orochimon was destroyed and did the same. And who knows when that might happen.
Back at Codex, Flash and Veemon arrived.
With it being so late, almost no players were there. This meant Flash and Veemon were able to make their way through the place towards the Digi-Lab without anyone stopping him, which was good since he wanted to figure this out as quickly as possible.
Arriving at the Digi-Lab, he slotted his Digivice into the system and brought up his Wingdramon scan. He was shown the Digimon Wingdramon could become, with most of them locked up. There was one available Digimon and after making a copy of Wingdramon, he Digivolved his scan.
"Wingdramon, Mega Digivolve to..." The dragon was consumed by light and exploded, revealing a large humanoid dragon Digimon in white armor. A flowing green came could be seen on his back and in his claws was a large golden sword, which could split into multiple pieces whilst being connected by a chain of fire. "Slayerdramon!"
He smiled seeing Slayerdramon, admitting that it actually looked pretty cool. But that wasn't why he had come. "There's gotta be a way I can Digivolve him to Examon, without needing to sacrifice Breakdramon"
"What's this about Examon?" Flash spun around and was surprised to see Gennai walking towards him. The Codex Commander smiled when he saw Slayerdramon. "That's quite a rare and powerful Digimon you've gotten. It'll come in quite handy in the future."
"Maybe, but that's not what I'm focused on right now." Gennai raised an eyebrow, as Flash explained what he had learned.
"I see," Gennai nodded. "DNA Digivolution is a powerful form of evolution, but is only without risks to Digimon with human partners. For wild Digimon, you run the risk of being lost or taking the life of another Digimon in the progress."
"Yeah," Flash nodded. "Wingdramon wants to be a Royal Knight, but he doesn't wanna kill his brother to do it. I thought if I could find a way to help him become Examon on his own..."
Gennai hummed as he stared at the Slayerdramon scan, as an idea formed in his head. "I might know of a way to help him." He stepped forward, "do you mind if I take this?" Flash quickly made a copy of Slayerdramon and sent it to Gennai, as his holographic screen appeared. "I've never tried this before, but I think I can make the necessary modifications."
"For what?"
"You'll see when I'm done. But unless you have a Breakdramon scan, this won't help your Wingdramon friend." Flash shook his head, as he brought up Wingdramon. He considered De-Digivolving him and Digivolving all the way up to Breakdramon. But just as he was about to consider that, he noticed something.
"No way." Gennai looked up from his work. "How did I not notice that before?"
"Notice what?" Veemon asked, only for Flash to point at another possible evolution of Wingdramon. One that was locked but not blacked out. "Wow, how come it's visible?"
"Did you see it in the Digital World?" Gennai asked, Flash shaking his head.
"No...but I did see a hologram of it."
"That must have been enough to unlock it's appearance in your evolution tree. If you can get a scan of it, you'll be able to use it along with Wingdramon." Flash wasn't thinking about that. Instead, his mind was focusing on something else entirely.
"I have an idea," he smirked. "And if it works, Wingdramon and Breakdramon will both get what they want."
As the sun began to rise over the Digital World, Wingdramon and Breakdramon had left the castle.
The pair were currently many miles away from the castle, their speed the only reason they could make such a long trip so quickly. They had just arrived in a large rockscape, full of house-sized rocks that were perfect for training in.
"Alright," Breakdramon spun around, "today's the day." Wingdramon frowned, knowing it wouldn't be the day if he could help it. "Let's start with a warm up. Then we can start training for real and get you Digivolved."
"Whatever you say," Wingdramon nodded. Breakdramon frowned, not hearing any enthusiasm in his voice.
"Hey, come on. I know it's hard. But we're gonna get there. You'll be Slayerdramon before you know it and then, nothing's gonna stop Examon from being born." Wingdramon took a deep breath, smiling at him as he took to the air.
Wingdramon felt terrible for keeping this secret from Breakdramon. But it was better than him giving up his life.
He flew up high and prepared to launch an attack. But before he could, he noticed something in the distance. Smoke. "What's going on?" He asked before flying towards it, Breakdramon raising an eyebrow and following him. The pair made their way towards the smoke and Breakdramon soon saw it as well.
"That can't be good." They soon saw that the blaze was coming from a large forest, or what remained of it.
"What happened here?" Wingdramon asked, only for something to slither out of the smoke. "Orochimon!" He cried, Breakdramon growling. "What do you think you're doing? That forest was home to many Digimon!"
"I know," Orochimon chuckled. "And they were delicious." The pair gasped, both instantly getting angry. "They're data is just what I needed. I can feel it making me more powerful with every second. More powerful than even the Royal Knights."
"Yeah, right." Breakdramon began to charge, "like you could ever be a threat to the Royal Knights!" He swung his body around and thrust his tails at him, but Orochimon's mechanical heads flew down and blocked the drills.
"Nice try." Orochimon opened his mouth, "Inferno Blast!" Fire exploded out of his mouth and hit Breakdramon, making him cry out as he staggered back.
"Such power," he cried. "This Digimon is no ordinary Ultimate." Wingdramon flew up before diving down towards Orochimon.
"Exploding Sonic Breath!" The lance on his back became the tip of the slipstream, as energy spiralled around him. But before he could reach Orochimon, two of the mechanical heads shot out and grabbed him by the wings. "Augh!" His energy dissipated, allowing Orochimon to slam him into the ground.
"Wingdramon!" Breakdramon watched, as Orochimon threw his brother away. This made him growl before he raised his arms. "DESTROYED RUSH!" He smashed his arms into the ground as hard as he could, causing it to shake the claws cut through the ground and caused massive fissures to fly towards Orochimon.
The evil Ultimate slammed two of its heads into the ground, using them to push itself straight up and out of the attacks direction.
Breakdramon growled, as Orochimon unleashed another blast of fire that rained down upon the pair and made them cry out in pain.
Back at the castle, Flash and Veemon ported back to the entrance and headed inside.
He instantly spotted Knightmon, looking like he was about to start a spar against a Gradimon, Rekkamon and Wizardmon. "Knightmon!" The Ultimate level looked over at him. "Do you know where Wingdramon and Breakdramon are?" Knightmon stopped and shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. They weren't here when I awoke this morning." Flash groaned at this and headed inside, Knightmon looking confused by his actions.
Flash and Veemon ran through the halls, hoping the Royal Knights were in the throne room. He really didn't want to have to search this whole place for them. And as he arrived at the doors to the throne room, he spotted his friends coming down the hall that lead to their rooms.
"There you are," Micro frowned.
"You missed breakfast," Tentomon stated. "Where did you run off to?"
"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to talk to the knights about something important." He rushed towards the doors and they opened before his friends could stop him.
The knights appeared to be discussing something, when they heard the doors opened and saw their guest stepped inside. "We're in the middle of a meeting here," Crusadermon told him.
"We know," Flash bowed. "And we're really sorry. But we need to find Wingdramon and Breakdramon."
"They left to train this morning," Omnimon told them. "Hopefully, when they get back Wingdramon will have Digivolved into Slayerdramon."
"That's not gonna happen," Veemon announced. "Wingdramon doesn't want to become Slayerdramon." This surprised the knight, along with their friends. "He told us last night that he's been denying his Digivolution."
"Why on earth would he do that?" Craniamon asked, "he wishes to become a Royal Knight and he must Digivolve to do so."
"He knows that," Flash explained. "But he also knows that when he becomes Slayerdramon, Breakdramon's gonna sacrifice his data to help him Digivolve into Examon."
"What?" Trixie asked, the others looking just as confused.
Flash turned to them. "DNA Digivolution isn't like it is for us. When two wild Digimon do it, one of them is deleted in the process." That shocked them, whilst the knights all appeared to have a look of understanding. "If Wingdramon Digivolves, Breakdramon will sacrifice his life to help him become Examon."
Omnimon sighed, "I should have seen this coming. The same thing happened to me." The others looked at him, but then remembered he was a DNA Digivolution as well. "My partner, MetalGarurumon, was badly injured and as he was deleted, he passed his data on to me so I could acquire this form. It was hard and that was when MetalGarurumon was going to die whether he gave me his data or not. But to have someone so close to you sacrifice themselves..."
"We should have realised that," Dynasmon sighed. "We were so focused on having Examon in our ranks, we didn't even consider what it would do to them."
"Breakdramon accepted it," Craniamon stated. "He knows his sacrifice will make the Digital World safer."
"But he doesn't have to sacrifice himself," Flash explained much to the Knight's surprise. Flash then took out his Digivice and held it out, as the Slayerdramon scan appeared. "I talked to Gennai of the Codex Commanders and he modified this Slayerdramon scan I got from Digivolving Wingdramon. Now it can take the place of the real thing in a DNA Digivolution."
Micro's eyes went wide, "I get it. Breakdramon absorbs it and Digivolves. And since it's a mindless scan, nobody has to die."
"Exactly," Veemon cheered as the knights looked amazed with Duftmon speaking.
"So Breakdramon would become Examon and Wingdramon can Digivolve into Slayerdramon without worry. Even if he's not a Royal Knight, he would still be an excellent ally to have."
"Maybe," Flash smirked, "or maybe he can become another Royal Knight." Once again, surprise appeared on everyone's faces. "When I was looking for a way for Wingdramon to Digivolve, Veemon and I discovered Examon isn't the only Royal Knight he can become."
"Yeah," Veemon nodded, "there's two more. One of them is Dynasmon..." The Digimon in question raised an eyebrow, surprised Wingdramon could Digivolve into him. Though considering he was a dragonic knight, it made more sense than his previous form. "...and the other one is...UlforceVeedramon." Their eyes all went wide at this.
"UlforceVeedramon?" Kentaurosmon asked, "are you sure?" They nodded.
"How is that possible?" Craniamon inquired, "no Wingdramon has ever become UlforceVeedramon before."
"They probably didn't know," Flash told them. "They all probably thought Examon was the only Royal Knight they could become, so kept turning into Slayerdramon." They nodded, that making sense. "Anyway, Wingdramon can become UlforceVeedramon and I can give Breakdramon the data he needs to become Examon. You guys will get two Royal Knights and not have to sacrifice anyone."
Omnimon laughed, "I knew asking you here would be helpful. Alright, let's find them and see if this works." They nodded and Duftmon pointed his sword at the ceiling, causing a sphere of light to appear. Said sphere was a holographic version of the Digital World, Flash seeing the landmass was different to the earth's.
The Mega Level began searching the area near them and as they did, he locked onto something. "There they are. Looks like they're together and...they're not alone." He swiped the sword around and the orb changed to show an image of Breakdramon and Wingdramon as they were fighting against another Digimon.
"Orochimon," Crusadermon cried.
"Why are they fighting it?" Trixie asked, as Wingdramon was thrown away. Breakdramon then charged forward, tackling the Ultimate Level Digimon and slashing at him with his scoop arms. Orochimon was thrown backwards and crashed through rocks and other obstacles, as it rolled along the ground and carved a trench. But eventually, it managed to push itself to a stop.
Wingdramon began to pick himself up and as he did, the drills on Breakdramon's body began to spin. "Tazer Strike!" Suddenly, the drills flew off of him and shot towards Orochimon. The multi-headed snake picked itself up and unleashed a barrage of fire, which struck the drills and made some of them explode. But the rest slammed down into the creature and exploded.
"Yeah!" Sandalwood cheered, as the explosion faded. And when it did, it revealed Orochimon was pretty much in one piece. The metal heads connected to his body exploded, but the rest of him looked completely unharmed.
"What?" Mangoramon cried, "how the heck did it survive that?" As he said that, Orochimon's entire body started to glow.
And as it did, it gave off a wave of energy that pulsed across the land. The energy was so great, any tree or piece of grass it touched burst into flames. The energy was also radiating off Orochimon's body, the heat it created making Breakdramon cry out.
"AUGH!" He pulled back, leaping backwards as he stared at Orochimon. "What's going on?" At the same time, the Royal Knight's orb picked up the energy.
Suddenly, an alarm began to ring and the orb started becoming covered in a bunch of strange symbols. A triangle in a circle, with another triangle at each point.
"What's going on?" Flash asked, the others looking terrified. "What's that mark?"
"A Digital Hazard," Omnimon explained. "That only appears when something with the power to destroy the Digital World is about to occur." The hazards kept flashing, but they were still able to see Orochimon's body growing hotter and hotter. "This is bad."
"Destroy the Digital World?" Trixie asked, "how?"
"It's Digivolving!" Crusadermon cried.
Sure enough, Orochimon's entire body was suddenly enveloped by the heat.
A smoke cloud appeared from this heat, which grew larger and larger by the second. "Orochimon, Mega Digivolve to..." Breakdramon saw the cloud coming and rushed over to Wingdramon, picking him up and running away as the Digimon inside the clouds changed and grew more powerful. When Breakdramon looked back, he saw a colossal figure inside the cloud.
Slowly, that figure's head left the cloud and was revealed to be so large that Breakdramon could fit in its mouth. Its head was boomerang shaped, being a purplish-gray colour with smoke coming out of its mouth. The rest of its body was slowly revealed to be a serpentine with short arms. Its entire body was also purplish-gray, but there were holes in its body that allowed one to see a yellow energy source that was glowing within it. On its back were a pair of W-shaped branches with the energy exploding out of the gaps, creating a pair of wings. The tip of its tail was entirely yellow, which turned everything that even got close to it to ashes.
The giant beast slithered forward, the ground beneath it being burned black as it mover. It then let out a mighty roar, as more smoke exploded from its body. "NIDHOGGMON!"
Everyone stared at it in absolute shock, as the newly Digivolved monster's body slithered across the ground.
As it did, the energy coming off of it caused everything it touched to be burned beyond repair. If this creature was allowed to remain, the Digital World would be ruined.
"What do we do?" Trixie asked, but the Royal Knights were already heading out.
"We must stop that beast," Omnimon stated. "Kentaurosmon. You move at your top speed and see if you can hold it off." Kentaurosmon nodded and was about to gallop off, but Flash called out to him.
"Take us with you." They turned to him and Veemon. "If my plan works, we can have three knights fighting this thing instead of just one." The knights shared a look, not liking the idea of taking someone so much weaker than their enemy into the danger. But seeing the determination on Flash's face, Omnimon nodded.
"Alright." He turned to Kentaurosmon and the Mega nodded, scooping the two up and galloping through the castle.
Once outside, the centaur Digimon leapt into the sky and started flying like it was running on the air itself. Flash and Veemon were shielded from the wind, but the speed Kentaurosmon was going felt like they were in a rocket escaping the atmosphere.
"So this...is what a pancake...feels like!" Flash cried, as Kentaurosmon moved at full speed towards their next destination.
Breakdramon continued to carry Wingdramon as fast as he could away from the new danger. Orochimon had been strong, but he knew this Digimon was like nothing he had ever seen before.
Nidhoggmon's many eyes looked around and saw the Digimon that had attacked him, a growl escaping his lips along with a large cloud of smoke. It raised its tail-end and swung it around, creating a powerful gust of wind that was carrying a huge cloud of super hot smoke.
Wingdramon moaned as he came around and saw the attack coming. "Look out!" Breakdramon saw it coming and knew he couldn't outrun it, so slid to a stop before using his shovel claws to lift himself up.
"Gravity Crush!" He slammed his body into the ground with so much force, the ground broke apart and he fell into a large hole with Wingdramon. He then punched the sides and caused the tops of the hole the break apart, the mechanical dragon raising his claws to stop the rocks from crushing them.
As this happened, the smoke cloud flew over them and caused the ground to turn molten. The heat of it was intense, but not as hot as it was outside.
Both Digimon cried out, as they felt like they were baked alive. But eventually, the heat died down and the melted rock quickly cooled. This allowed Breakdramon to smash through it, allowing Wingdramon to fly out whilst Breakdramon pulled himself up.
The pair looked around and when they did, they saw the entire environment had been burned black. The place would likely take centuries to repair itself. "No," Breakdramon whispered, "this can't be."
"So powerful," Wingdramon could handle believe it. "How...how can we stop something like that?" They turned back to Nidhoggmon, who continued to glare at them. It then took a deep breath before unleashing a mighty roar, so loud and powerful that it was practically an attack.
It flew across the battlefield and slammed into the brothers, making them both scream as they tried to fight against it. But no matter how hard they held on, the force of it was just too great. They both let out a scream as they were knocked flying backwards, the pair crashing through several rocks and eventually smashing into the ground and sliding along it.
They let out groans of pain, whilst Nidhoggmon raised its tail again and swung it downwards. This sent out a super hot wave of air, that dug a trench in the ground as it moved towards them.
The pair looked up, believing this might be the end. However...
"Icy Breath!" A powerful blast of freezing cold air flew down, striking the hot one and cancelling each other out.
The brothers looked up and gasped when they saw Kentaurosmon arrive, galloping through the air before flying down and landing in front of them. "Are you two okay?" They nodded, as Kentaurosmon put Flash and Veemon down before turning to Nidhoggmon. "The others will be here soon." He pointed at the monster. "Prepare to feel the full force of the Royal Knights!" With that, he rushed forward ready for battle.
As Kentaurosmon charged in to fight against Nidhoggmon, Flash and Veemon rushed over to the brothers. "You guys have gotta get in there." Kentaurosmon suddenly launched a blast of cold air towards the beast, but the heat coming off of Nidhoggmon stopped it from even getting close. "The other knights are on their way, but Kentaurosmon can't beat that thing on his own."
"We're no match for it," Breakdramon groaned. "That thing is a World Breaker threat. Only a Royal Knight could hope to stand up to it."
"Then it's time you become Royal Knights!" Veemon cried, with Flash moving over to Wingdramon.
"He's right," he told the dragon. "It's time for you to stop holding back and Digivolve!" This statement caught Breakdramon's attention, whilst Wingdramon just looked uncertain.
"You know why I can't," he told Flash. "I know it might be selfish, but I can't do it. Not if it means sacrificing Breakdramon." His brother heard this and was shocked, slowly putting the pieces together. But Flash just smiled.
"You don't have to sacrifice Breakdramon. We have an idea that'll let you both become the knights you dreamed of being."
As this was going on, Kentaurosmon continued to gallop through the air. "ANNIHILATION!" Nidhoggmon roared, as the beams of light exploded out of his eyes and shot towards Kentaurosmon. The second fastest member of the Royal Knights was just barely able to avoid it, as he pointed his crossbow at the monster.
"Inferno Frost!" He roared, as arrows of light exploded out of his weapon and shot towards Nidhoggmon.
The super hot serpent was bombarded by the light, but this did little damage against the colossus. And instead, it swung the tip of its tail around and unleashed a wave of heat in Kentaurosmon's direction.
"AUGH!" He cried, as the heat slammed into him. If his armor had been anything except Chrome Digizoid, he might have very well melted right then and there. "It's not good. He's too strong. I can't do this on my own!" He glanced back at the others, hoping he would soon be getting back up.
"And that's it!" Flash told them. "What do you think?"
"You really think that'll work?" Breakdramon asked, Flash and Veemon nodding. Breakdramon thought about it and could hardly believe it was possible. He had accepted he would need to sacrifice his life, to bring Examon into the world. Now, not only could he survive Examon's birth, but he could actually become the Royal Knight. "Wingdramon, what do you think?"
Wingdramon was also thinking about what Flash had told him. Could it really be possible? "UlforceVeedramon?"
"It's the only other Royal Knight you can become aside from Examon and Dynasmon."
Veemon nodded, "you can achieve your dream and save your brother. But you gotta hurry. Kentaurosmon can't hold out forever." As soon as he said that, Nidhoggmon turned to them and its mouth started steaming up.
The yellow parts of its body glowed brighter and the light moved upwards, concentrating in its mouth. It then opened it, as a brilliant burst of heat escaped. "MELTDOWN!" The heat ray exploded out of his mouth and shot towards them, the four gasping at the approaching death attack.
But seconds before it could hit, Kentaurosmon leapt in front of them. "RAAAAAAH!" He roared, thrusting his shield forward and blocking the heat ray. He screamed as he was burned, his shield starting to grow hotter. Anchoring all six hooves into the ground, he still felt himself getting pushed back.
"Kentaurosmon!" Flash cried, seeing the Royal Knight being pushed to his limit.
"I...won't...QUIT!" He roared, redoubling his efforts. And eventually, the attack ended. "Augh!" He fell to the ground, dropping his blistering hot shield as he panted.
"Kentaurosmon!" Wingdramon cried, "are you okay?"
"None of us will be okay if that monster launches another attack." They looked up at Nidhoggmon and saw it was staying perfectly still. "An attack like that must have left it out of energy. It's recharging."
"Now's your chance!" Veemon told Wingdramon. "Before he attacks again."
Flash nodded. "Digivolve. You just need to keep UlforceVeedramon in your mind. You can do it!" Wingdramon nodded and spread his wings, taking to the air and flying towards Nidhoggmon.
"You wish to destroy everything we hold dear. Well we won't let you!" He started glowing, "I won't let you. Because my brother and I swore to protect this world. We...ARE ROYAL KNIGHTS!" With that, the light exploded off of him and transformed into a cocoon. "Wingdramon, Mega Digivolve to..." Everyone could only watch in amazement, as the cocoon grew larger before exploding off of him.
As it did, it revealed the same humanoid Digimon Flash had seen in the hologram yesterday.
The new Mega Level spread his arms and wings, spinning through the air kicking and punching it to adjust to his new form. "ULFORCEVEEDRAMON!"
Breakdramon could hardly believe it. "He did it. He's...he's a Royal Knight." The knight looked back at them, smiling as he did so before turning his attention back to Nidhoggmon.
The deadly serpent started moving again and as it did, UlforceVeedramon raised his right arm as the energy blade extended from his brace. "Victory Sword!" In the blink of an eye, UlforceVeedramon was gone and Nidhoggmon roared as it was slashed around the neck.
Everyone was amazed by this, as Veemon looked around. "Where'd he go?" But suddenly, UlforceVeedramon appeared in front of Nidhoggmon as another slash exploded on his neck. He then turned towards the serpent and disappeared, slashes exploding around his whole body.
"That's UlforceVeedramon's speed at work," Kentaurosmon stated. "He can move so fast, nothing can match him."
"Really?" Flash was amazed by this, wanting his own scan of UlforceVeedramon. "Go get him!" He yelled, as Nidhoggmon turned towards them again. Its eyes glowed and it unleashed the beam attacks right at them, Kentaurosmon reaching for his shield.
But before he could, UlforceVeedramon appeared as his left bracer transformed into a shield. "Tensegrity Shield!" Energy exploded out of the shield and formed a barrier around them, the laser hitting it but not even causing it to wobble.
Nidhoggmon roared in frustration, UlforceVeedramon lowering the shield once the attack ended before charging in to attack again. As he did, Breakdramon watched. "He's finally following his dream. He's a Royal Knight."
Flash smirked, "don't you wanna help him?" Breakdramon looked down at him, as Flash held up his Digivice. "Come on, let's get you Digivolved!" The Slayerdramon scan appeared and he threw it into the air, the energy cube growing larger as Breakdramon stared at it.
"You're sure this'll work?"
Veemon nodded, "yeah. It's a perfect copy of Slayerdramon, without a mind of its own!" Breakdramon liked the sound of that and rushed forward, charging into the cube. As he did, the Slayerdramon scan exploded and was absorbed into his body.
"Yes!" He cheered, "I can feel it!" The cube began to shrink and the light that made it up merged with him. "Breakdramon, Mega DNA Digivolve to..." The cocoon floated into the air and as it did, it grew larger and larger.
Everyone watched the cocoon increase, until it was almost as large as Nidhoggmon. And from it, a colossal pair of metallic wings exploded out of it. The cocoon then began to dissolve, revealing the rest of the almighty beast. It was a massive red and white dragon, around seventy meters tall if not taller, its wingspan even larger. Its tail was almost as long as its body and in its clawed hand was a giant metal lance.
The humongous dragon spread its mighty wings and with a great beat, flew high into the air as the wind it created blew the heat and smoke off of Nidhoggmon. "EXAMON!" He roared, the colossal Royal Knight staring the great Digimon down.
"Wow!" Flash whispered.
"HE'S HUGE!" Veemon cried, laughing at the sight before him. They watched as the huge Digimon prepared for battle, as UlforceVeedramon flew over to his head.
"Brother," the blue knight whispered, "we're finally here."
"Yes," Examon nodded, "we are Royal Knights. And we will use this power to protect our world." He charged forward and let out a mighty roar, as he thrust his lance forward towards Nidhoggmon.
The giant serpent swung the end of its tail around, but Examon's wing blocked it. Despite the incredible heat, the wind wasn't damaged at all. Examon smirked and swung the lance around, the blade on the end of it cutting into the rocky scales that made up his body.
Nidhoggmon roared in agony and shuffled backwards, allowing UlforceVeedramon to get in close. "Ray of Victory!" He roared, unleashing a V-shaped blast of energy from his chest armor. It slammed into the serpent and caused an explosion, knocking it back as Examon slashed him with the lance once again.
Meanwhile, Flash and the others cheered at how well the pair were doing. And as they watched, a voice called out to them. "Flash!" They looked around and saw the rest of the Royal Knights flying towards them, Dynasmon carrying Flash's friends.
They all landed and saw the two new knights battling it out, as Dynasmon put the others down. "Is that...them?" Trixie asked, with Flash smirking.
"Heck yeah it is. Wingdramon and Breakdramon, Digivolving into the knights they were destined to be." The others smiled, as Omnimon stepped forward.
"Let's not put all the work on the newbies. Knights...CHARGE!" He leapt forward and flew into battle, his sword and cannon appearing. The others knights followed, as Kentaurosmon wished he was in a fit state to do the same.
"Here," Sandal rushed up to him and fiddled with his Digivice. A moment later, a red and white pill appeared in front of him. "HP Capsule A!" The capsule shot towards Kentaurosmon and exploded into light, which spread to the Mega and caused the damage done to him to fade away.
Kentaurosmon was surprised to feel his energy restored and pushed himself back to his feet, picking up his restored shield. "Thank you." He charged forward and everyone watched, as Kentaurosmon took to the air as the other knights reached Nidhoggmon.
"Supreme Cannon!" Omnimon fired several ice blasts from his Garurumon head, which caused powerful explosions that also freezed the areas hit.
"Breath of Wyvern!" Dynasmon's body expelled a light that shot off of him and transformed into a dragon, which collided with Nidhoggmon and blasted the ice off of it. This allowed Crusadermon and Craniamon to fly in closer.
"Spiral Masquerade/Claíomh Solais!" The pair slashed at the beast with their blades, slicing it up as Duftmon flew up towards its head.
The leopard-themed knight held up his sword and a ball of black energy formed on the tip. "Black Aura Blast!" He launched the orb flying at the beast, but Nidhoggmon's eyes unleashed the heat ray. The attacks struck the orb and caused it to explode, threatening to blast Duftmon as well. "MODE CHANGE!" He cried, suddenly being consumed by light. When it faded, Duftmon was now quadrupedal and his cat head helmet had closed to become his real head. "Leopard Mode!"
Duftmon shot through the air, running on it as easily as he was running on the ground and avoiding all the laser as he got in close. "Aerial Barrage!" His front claws glowed and extended, as he reached the head and started slashing at him wildly.
As this was happening, Omnimon and UlforceVeedramon flew at the beast's behind with their swords at the ready. "So, you finally decided to join us in the ranks."
UlforceVeedramon smirked, "you can thank Flash." He slashed at Nidhoggmon, Omnimon doing the same. "As powerful as Examon clearly is. I could never become that if it meant giving up my brother." The pair avoided the tail as it swung at them, both firing their long range attacks. "But when Flash told me what I could become, I knew this was my destiny."
Omnimon nodded as they got to a safe distance. "Have to admit, it's a good look for you."
"It feels good too," UlforceVeedramon nodded. "No...it feels right." As he said that, Nidhoggmon's body started glowing. "It's going to use it's Meltdown attack again!"
"That wasn't fun to block," Kentaurosmon fired his light arrows, as the energy began to build. "We need to combine our power!" The other knights nodded and as Nidhoggmon prepared to fire, they flew around so that they were in a circle. Omnimon, Craniamon, Crusadermon, Dynasmon, Duftmon and UlforceVeedramon held out their arms as they glowed, the light flying off of them and mixing with the other's light to form a ring of light around the serpent.
That ring quickly formed a dome that trapped the beast, who unleashed a powerful energy blast that struck the dome and caused it to shake. The knights all cried out at the impact, but continued to hold strong as the heat laser pushed against the barrier.
After a full minute of this, Nidhoggmon's attack ended and the beast was forced to recharge and couldn't move. "NOW!" UlforceVeedramon cried, "EXAMON!"
High above, the massive dragon was waiting for the chance to strike. And as the Royal Knights retracted the barrier, they sent the energy upwards as Examon held up his lance. "This is for the Digital World!" The energy flowed into his weapon, as he sent his own power into it. "Let this keep the realm safe!" With that, lightning began to spark around it.
The energy then flowed out the tip and formed a blue and white sphere, Examon putting every piece of energy he had into it. And as he did, the other Royal Knight flew away with Dynasmon and UlforceVeedramon grabbing those watching.
"Now!" He pointed it towards Nidhoggmon, "PENDRAGON'S GLORY!" The sphere was launched off his spear and sent hurtling towards the ground its descent showing just how large it was as the Royal Knights rushed to safety.
Nidhoggmon finally recharged and saw the attack coming, attempting to build up power to launch another Meltdown attack. But it was no use and the orb landed before it could fire.
The explosion that followed was like that of a nuclear warhead, as a giant mushroom cloud flew up towards the sky and sent a shockwave out in all directions. However, before it could get too far, the knights that surrounded it stopped their retreat.
After putting the humans and Digimon down, they turned towards the incoming blast and thrust their hands out to create another ring of energy. Instead of forming a wall, the energy was curved to create more of a ramp. As such, the energy that struck it was pushed upwards towards the sky.
Flash and his friends watched in amazement, as the destructive power was sent harmlessly into space where it couldn't cause any hard. The knights were still being buffeted by the force, but luckily they were still able to hold on until the energy finally faded away.
Once it did, the knights lowered the barrier and all fell to the ground in exhaustion.
The mushroom cloud then disappeared, revealing a massive crater where Nidhoggmon had once been. The attack had completely obliterated him and hopefully, he would be reborn into a Digimon that didn't cause absolute devastation wherever it went.
"Amazing," Trixie whispered. That was what everyone else thought, none of them knowing what else to say. The Royal Knights truly were an amazing group of Digimon. Despite a world ending threat appearing out of nowhere, they were able to stop it so easily.
They all smiled, glad the Royal Knights were on their side.
The castle was in full celebration mode, as the Royal Knights had stopped a World Breaker threat and were now stronger than ever.
In the main throne room, the doors opened with Flash, Veemon and their friends walking inside smiling as they did. They looked up and saw the Royal Knights in their thrones, with Examon having shrunk down to the size of the other knights. He and UlforceVeedramon smiled at them, as they arrived in the centre of the room.
"Flash Sentry," Omnimon announced. "Though we brought you all here to try and steal your partner away, you chose to help us in our efforts to protect the Digital World. Thanks to you and your friends, the realm can be at peace once again. We give you our greatest thanks."
"Don't worry about it," Flash told him.
"Happy to help," Veemon smiled.
"You humans are quite an interesting race," Crusadermon stated. "Some of you do nothing but destroy, whilst others go out of their way to help. I must admit, you seem like an enigma to be sure."
"That's just who we humans are," Micro told her. "Every human is different, just like every Digimon is different."
Flash nodded. "Not every human is as willing to stick their neck out for others. But these humans are." The others nodded. "So if you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"We won't," Omnimon nodded. "And if there is anything you humans would like as thanks for your help, name it and we will do what is within our power to make it happen." The humans and Digimon shared looks, clearly unsure whether or not to ask. But after the other three pushed him forward, Flash sighed.
"Well, feel free to say no, but could we maybe get scans of you guys?" The Royal Knights were shocked by this. "You said you don't hand your power out to just anyone, so we'd understand if you all said no. But since the Royal Knight evolutions we have are locked up, this'll be the only way to get one."
The Digimon seemed curious about this, until UlforceVeedramon stood up. "Feel free to scan me. You're the reason I have this incredible form. And since you already have Veedramon and AeroVeedramon, this'll complete your set." Flash smiled and they all pointed their Digivices at him, taking a scan of the great knight as Examon stood up.
"You can scan me as well, if you want. I'm sure with a Digimon like me at your disposal, you'll be able to defeat anyone you face." The rest of the Royal Knights soon agreed, deciding these humans had earned the trust needed to use their powers.
They all smiled and began to scan the knights, looking forward to see what kind of decks they could use with them.
Once that was done, the knights explained they had to start training their new members to fully master the powers they had been granted. The visitors understood this and chose to leave, thanking them one last time before heading out of the castle.
"This is awesome," Micro cried as they checked out their new scans. "Tentomon, FlameWizardmon, Mistymon and now Dynasmon. I can't wait for the next time I battle."
"Same here," Sandal was particularly excited about the Kentaurosmon scan. "I'm gonna De-Digivolve him as soon as we're back at Codex. Then I'll have a complete line."
"I don't need to De-Digivolve one of mine," Trixie smirked. "Check it out. Crusadermon can Digivolve from MagnaAngemon. That'll be fun to use." She turned to Flash, "you excited to use your new knights?"
"Heck yeah I am," Flash smirked as he looked through the Digimon he had. "I've got AeroVeedramon and Wingdramon to go into UlforceVeedramon. And, ExVeemon can Digivolve into Wingdramon."
"Really?" Veemon asked, as Flash showed him a deck that had ExVeemon, Wingdramon and an empty Mega slot. "Awesome."
"Yeah. And that also means you can become Dynasmon and Examon as well. This it great."
Micro laughed. "Well Veemon is connected to the Royal Knight's history. I bet if there's a way to turn him into any of the Royal Knights." Flash had to agree. With all these new forms at their disposal, Flash felt like he and Veemon were on course to become the greatest players in Codex history.
He knew they still had a long way to go, but they would keep at it no matter what the obstacle. And if the Royal Knights ever needed their help, they would be there to do whatever was needed. Because the Digital World was an amazing place and they refused to let it be harmed. By anyone.
In the dark remains of the destroyed forest, a lone figure was making their way through it.
They swept a claw through the ashed up ground and hummed as they did. "So, Orochimon was destroyed. And after we went to such lengths to help him grow stronger. His own fault for being impatient. If he had waited, he would have been able to Digivolve without giving himself away." The figure sighed as he stood up, revealing themselves to be ninja-like Digimon with swords on his back and a bladed tail.
"Doesn't matter. This won't stop our plans. Soon the Dragon Soul Stone will appear and when it does, our master will destroy this accursed world."