Chapter 91: City of Dread

Generalmon

Acacia City

Shendu Territory

2 Days

 

The deed has been done. In but a few days’ time, the entire city of Acacia lay in ruins before me. The first of my tasks had been to kill the royal family of Shendu Territory, all of whom lived in this city. I had been nearly successful; I had murdered the emperor and empress. Their children, however, who had been taken away by the strongest of the surviving guards, had all escaped to parts unknown to me. With their leaders dead, the people of Acacia had soon begun to riot in the streets. Many had fled at the first sight of me; some, however, had foolishly approached me, and they now lay dead on the ground. With the populace all but demolished, my next task had been to lay waste to the city of Acacia itself. Buildings lay in scattered piles of rubble before me. The scent of death lingered in the air. The moon was at the center of the black, midnight sky. I looked at my surroundings, admiring my work. A cool breeze wafted through the gaps in my armor, creating a quiet, metallic clang that broke through the silence. My halberd, Europa, rested on the bloodied ground at my feet.

“…After all this time…justice…has been bestowed unto this city…This city of dread…” My voice was carried out by the wind, and echoed faintly. Above me, a dark cloud loomed between the full moon and myself. A red lightning bolt shot down from it and struck the earth behind me.

“…Generalmon. I see your skills have not been dulled during your stay in the Dark Area.”

“Hello…Cherubimon.” I turned to face the Digimon that had joined me. “My skills must be nothing compared to yours…You were not left to rot in the abyss of Hell.”

“Perhaps…but all the same…I am thankful you are an ally of mine, and not an enemy,” Cherubimon smiled.

“My sentiments exactly, my old friend.” Cherubimon smiled, and began looking around at the ruined Acacia.

“…What exactly was your grudge with this city about, Generalmon?” he asked.

“It was a long time ago; more years than I care to admit,” I said. “It all began…long before my soul became steeped in darkness…”

~~~

The body of my best friend lay before me, soaked in her own blood. She was a Human, but our different races never caused any form of conflict between us. We had always been there for each other…When I had lost my axe, Europa, and become surrounded by enemies, Celina Rosalina was there for me; when Celina gave birth to the adorable daughter her late husband had impregnated her with, I had been there for her…and when Celina had been ambushed by Shendian Knights…I…unfortunately…was not there for her…Because of my tardiness…she had been ruthlessly slain as a part of a nobleman’s game. The nobleman…I know not his true objective, but for his own amusement, Celina had been killed by a horde of knights he sent out. He was a distant relative of the emperor of Shendu at that time, and so I traveled to visit the emperor. I pleaded with him to look into the affairs of his corrupted cousin, and I was promised a swift justice would be dealt unto him. And so I waited…and waited…and waited…and still no justice. Celina Rosalina’s infant daughter grew up into a beautiful woman, and eventually came to have children herself; without any parents, I looked after Celina’s daughter her as my own. Days passed by…and they soon turned into years…As if trying to apologize for not being able to protect Celina, I always stayed near one of her descendents, and protected them with all my might whenever it was required of me to do so. Many years had passed, and sill no word about the mastermind of Celina’s heinous death. The corrupted ruler had died, to my relief, but his successor had continued the sick “game” his predecessor had played, whatever it was. Soon, one hundred years had passed, and the “game” continued. Many others had died, all to satiate whatever unwholesome desires gripped at those noblemen and women. As the years passed by, my rage increased…and with it…my darkness. At that point in time, I had become a member of the Order of the Enchantress. I thought…I thought that by joining that organization, I would have the power to set things right. But when I did find the power necessary, it was far too late for anything good to happen…

~~~

“So…that’s your story,” Cherubimon whispered.

“Yes…the two of us are alike, aren’t we?” I asked. Cherubimon nodded.

“Indeed…I joined the Order after Lilithmon. I didn’t want to leave her with the other Digimon of this group, even though I myself am a Celestial Digimon, like Seraphimon…I stayed with her in the darkness too long, and I became corrupted.”

“Yes. We are alike…and so we are friends…right?”  The two of us exchanged glances.

“We were both born as good Digimon, and we were both destined to descend into the pit of Hell; I, the Guardian of Knowledge, and you, the guardian of the innocent. Just look at us now…Arcadia…She would never forgive me for this transgression. And you…once a protector, and now a murderer.” Cherubimon sighed, and shook his head. He tilted his round head up, and looked at the moon. “Time is a most wondrous thing, is it not? In its flow, societies flourish and prosper; in its ebb, lives are lost, becoming nothing more than faded memories forever lost in the shadow of time.”

“…Yes…We really have changed…the question is; was this change for the better? We gained the power we both sought, but at what price? Our souls. Our souls are forever doomed to wander for all an eternity in Hell…”

“Unless we are successful.” Behind my helmet, I smiled at Cherubimon’s words.

“And there is but one way to…and that is to ensure the destruction of Lachesis.”

Cherubimon nodded. “Speaking of whom…Several of Lachesis’s members are on their way to Cyclamen City,” he said. “They seek Neptunemon’s lance in the hopes of defeating Belphemon the Indolent.”

“…The odds of that occurring are exceedingly low,” I said. “But just to be sure…shall we venture to Cyclamen?”

“I shall do as you wish, my friend.”

Thomas Kasuto

Cyclamen City

2 Days

 

“I see this place is as…loathsome as ever,” I said, surveying the landscape of the still-ruined city. “Sends a chill down my spine every time…” I looked down at the ground, observing the shadow I cast due to the sun’s bright glare.

“This…this city is where…she…where Anna…died…isn’t it?” Zelda asked.

“…Yeah.” I looked down at the petite young woman; her eyes were fixated on the ground, and filled with sadness. She looked as though she were ready to cry. “Zelda…I’m sorry…”

“Tommy, I already told you; Anna’s death was not your fault,” Zelda said solemnly and calmly.

“Well, okay, that too,” I said. “What I was apologizing for…when we first became a couple…I promised you that every day, you would be smiling. I haven’t been doing a good job of keeping that promise lately, have I…”

“Tommy…I…it’s okay…you can’t blame yourself for what’s been happening lately,” Zelda said. She looked up at me and gave me a forced smile. “I…I’m fine…really, but…could you tell me…how it happened?”

“You mean…how she died?” Zelda nodded slowly, almost unnoticeably. “That is…the one thing I cannot tell you. All I will tell you is that it was IceDevimon who did it.”

“…I understand…”

“Do you want to wait here while I go find the lance?”

“…No. I’ll go with you. Even if she’s there…I’d want to see her…one last time…”

Hmm…Maybe…I should tell her how it happened….Well…at the very least, there won’t be a half-decomposed corpse to traumatize her for the rest of her life…That’s not something she needs, after all she’s been through. I took a brief look around the ruined city. “Okay…we were…over in that direction when it happened.” The three of us walked through the sand-covered rubble that lay scattered throughout Cyclamen.

“This isn’t a very large city; Cyclamen isn’t as large as Yew or Acacia, so we shouldn’t have to be here for too long,” Statuedramon said.

“…That’s good to know,” I said. “The sooner we can get out of this damned city…the sooner we can go back to Nymphaea to help Neptunemon.” After clearing past a particularly large piece of debris from Sephyrus’s old church, at long last, we found Hannah’s lance, lying on the ground and covered in sand.

“So…this thing really belonged to Neptunemon, huh?” Statch picked up the lance, dusting the sand off of it and examining it. “Looks pretty powerful.”

“We don’t know for sure if it once belonged to Neptunemon or not,” I said. “But if he thinks that it is…then he’ll fight with us.”

“Oh, I get it,” Statch said. “And we won’t even be lying very much, because for all we know, it could be his! And as long as he thinks it’s his, then he’ll fight better with it than if he doesn’t believe it’s his!”

“Precisely.”

“…Tommy…where’s Anna’s…where’s her body?” Zelda asked. “I don’t see her anywhere…”

“Oh…it’s…been over a month since it happened; there’s a lot that could’ve happened,” I said.

“…Oh…I was hoping I could see her one last time…But with her body nowhere in sight…”

“There was never a body.” My heart jumped at the voice that just spoke. I turned around and spotted a huge Digimon covered in armor.

“You…are you Generalmon?” Statuedramon asked.

“Indeed I am,” the Digimon said. “And you three must be the ones responsible for the death of my brethren.”

“What do you mean…there was never a body?” Zelda asked. Generalmon’s helmeted head turned to face her.

“Sephyrus told me. I’m unsure how he knows; it may have been the other Bio Hybrid who told him,” Generalmon said. “Before Hannah was killed, she was covered in ice—”

“GENERALMON, SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” I yelled.

“A Digimon known as IceDevimon froze her completely solid,” Generalmon continued. Tears began falling down Zelda’s reddened cheeks.

“Generalmon, I’m warning you!” Statuedramon said.

“All he had to do is snap his fingers…and she shattered into a million pieces…all while she was still alive.”

“N—no…my…my sister…was…” Zelda fell to her knees; tears were slowly falling down her flushed cheeks.

“Killed in such a horrid fashion, no?” Generalmon asked. “Her death may have been instantaneous, but even so, it must have hurt a great deal.”

“H—Hannah…Hannah…”

“That’s enough, Generalmon!” I shouted, brandishing my sword.

“Are you angry? Do you hate me? Then take that rage and direct it at yourself, swordsman,” Generalmon said. “It was you who was unable to save that girl. You, Thomas Kasuto, were the one who stood by and watched as she was brutally murdered…completely useless.”

“No…it wasn’t…it wasn’t Tommy’s…fault,” Zelda said in a small, shaky voice as she stood up.

“…Is he that important to you?” Generalmon asked.

“…More than…anyone,” Zelda replied.

“Is he so important to you that you’re forgiving him for the death of your beloved sister?” Zelda stared at the large Mega Digimon. I could hear her breathing harder. “Show me how important.” Zelda placed a trembling hand into her satchel and pulled out a Digimon Talisman.

“Come forth…Dynasmon…” The Exalted Knight appeared before her, facing Generalmon, whom Zelda pointed at. “Make him…go…away…”

Generalmon snapped his fingers, and a huge axe materialized in his gauntlet-covered hands. “Dæmon Icircumflex!” He swung his axe in the air and struck Dynasmon in the chest, sending the Spirit flying through the air into a building behind him. I reached for my sword once more, but Generalmon held up his hand to stop me. “Don’t be reckless. Do you want to end up like the girl you couldn’t save? Do you wish to end up with your body scattered into a million pieces?”

“We’d have to fight you anyway; it might as well be now!” Statuedramon said.

“You…don’t stand a chance as you are now,” Generalmon sighed. “Behold…my mastery of gravity; Ars Prima!” Statuedramon and I slowly lifted off the ground as Generalmon watched.

“What the hell’s going on?!” Statuedramon asked as our legs dangled helplessly below us.

“Ferreo Pugni Dæmonis!” Generalmon leaped up and punched us both in the face; the knuckles of his gauntlets grew spikes as he did. His attack sent us both hurtling to the ground in front of Zelda. “You see? Every little thing you do to stand against us…all of it is pointless.” Statuedramon and I stood back up, facing the Warrior Digimon.

“You haven’t…beaten us yet!” Statuedramon said.

“It seems that you are correct. Allow me to fix that oversight; Daemon Icircumflex!” Generalmon struck us both with the side of his axe’s blade, making us fall to the ground once more. “You are now about to witness…my true strength. Strength that your witch was lucky enough to have avoided seeing,” Generalmon said. “Ultimum Artium!” Generalmon raised his axe high into the air when the projection of a large dragon crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. Dynasmon flew out from the rubble and struck Generalmon in the face.

“My lady has ordered me to deal with you,” Dynasmon said. “And deal with you I shall! Breath of Wyvern!” Dynasmon summoned forth another dragon, this one larger than his previous, and attacked Generalmon with all his might. The attack resulted in a large explosion that kicked the sand and dust that covered the city’s debris up into the air.

“All right, Dynasmon! You got him!” Statuedramon exclaimed.

“No…my attacks are not strong enough to mortally wound someone like him,” Dynasmon said. “The three of you should leave this city as soon as you are able.” Statuedramon and I looked at each other, and nodded.

“Thank you for your help, Dynasmon,” I said. Dynasmon turned his head to look at Zelda.

“Just make sure she stays safe…That is all I want.”

“You think we wouldn’t?” Statch asked. Dynasmon bowed his head, and vanished. “Well, I guess it’s back to Nymphaea for us, then…”

“Well, if we’re lucky, Neptunemon’s already done, and we won’t have to deal with Belphemon,” I said. “Zelda…are you okay?”

“…Yeah…I’ll be okay,” she whispered. “Don’t…don’t worry about me. We have to get back to Neptunemon…”

“Can you stand? Or do you need me to help you?”

“No, I’m fine. Please…don’t worry about me…” Zelda stood up, smiling a forced smile at me. “Let’s get going, shall we?”

Generalmon

30 Minutes

 

“You let them get away.” I lay on my back, staring up at the dark grey sky. The clouds above were dark, and nearly black, like my own soul…

Cherubimon hovered in the air above my fallen body, looking down at me. “Why did you tell me not to interfere before we arrived here? If you had let me battle alongside you, then they would not have gotten away.”

“…I am aware of that, Cherubimon,” I said.

“So why, then, did you allow them to escape?”

“…Because this is fun.” Using my halberd as support, I forced myself to stand up, ignoring the small pain I felt in my ribs. “This war…it is very entertaining, don’t you think? This war between the Order of the Enchantress and Lachesis…Who do you think will win?”

“You don’t think they have any chance of winning, do you?” Cherubimon asked.

“…Who knows…” I looked down at my armored hands. “Their witch…is powerful…And…she looks…familiar to me…If we were to fight again, I do not know if I could defeat her.”

“Then defeating her shall be my job, should we ever cross paths,” Cherubimon replied. “That is…if you don’t have a problem with me doing do.”

“…Yes…I do.” I looked up at the towering Cherubimon. “No harm is to come to their witch. We shall annihilate their entire group, and any allies they might have, but we shall spare the witch…even if…temporarily. There are…questions I have for her.”

“…I understand, Generalmon.”

“I shall be returning to Mandala,” Cherubimon said. “I will stay at Lilithmon’s side for as long as she has need of me to do so.”

“Very well. I shall return to Acacia, and pick up where I left off.”