Later that night, the rest of the Legendary Warriors followed Mayumi and Haroi's lead in going to the Digital World. They didn't have any time to waste in regards to their search for the Grand Spirit. Even with their uncertainties around Lucemon's power, they had to keep looking to make sure the Grand Spirit didn't vanish between their fingers. 

Koji was glad to have the chance to get out of his house. He had been stuck in his thought for over an hour due to the brief conversation he had with Kousei. Koji knew this was progress and that he was undeniably in a better place now than he had been before all of this started... But it still felt strange to him to talk to his father about something as serious as this. It had gone against his instincts for so long, and Koji was still getting used to thinking of his father as someone he could talk to at all. 

Koji wished he knew how to articulate his feelings about Kousei in words. Every time he tried, he seemed to come up short. He just didn't know where to start when it came to telling others about what was going through his head. For years, Koji had resented his father for not giving him the space or understanding he needed to grieve for the mother he had lost but never truly known. After that, Koji hated his father for lying to him about Tomoko's death. She had been alive all along, and Koji never would have known that if not for his trip to the Digital World. Koji knew divorces were hard lines in Japan and that parents and children rarely saw each other again after a divide like that, but it still bothered him. Kousei should have been honest with him. Koji deserved that much. 

Strangely enough, the hardest part of thinking something like that now was the fact that Koji knew it to be true. He had thought for years that perhaps he was fighting too hard for something that didn't matter. Kousei had always wanted him to just stop asking about Tomoko, and he silenced most conversations about her to make sure Koji didn't dig too deep. Now, Koji knew that Kousei understood his side of things. Kousei wasn't exactly a perfect father, and he knew it just as well as Koji did. Still, Kousei was trying now in a way that he hadn't been before. It made Koji feel like maybe he was right for wanting something better than he was given for all those years. Perhaps he had been holding himself back for so long because he didn't realize that it was alright to ask for something more. It was difficult to say for sure, and Koji didn't know if he would ever be able to put his thoughts to words. 

When he arrived in the Digital World, Koji felt a pressure rise off his chest. He may have had a lot to think about back on Earth between the recent monster attacks and his relationship with his father, but such concerns did not need to haunt him in the Digital World. He was safe as long as he was there with the rest of his friends. They were going to look after him, and Koji was happy to look after them in return. Their circumstances may not have been the best, but Koji was fine with that. They were making the most of it, and most importantly, they were together. 

Koji looked out over the land beyond Inaie's edge with a small frown on his face. When he stood at the border of Inaie and watched the world roll by all around him, Koji seemed to lose his grip on his thoughts. The world was a vast place, and it was never clearer to him than it was when he was watching Inaie streak through the horizon. This land was beautiful, and it was Koji's home. It was also far greater and grander than he could ever hope to put to words. Koji was a defender of the Digital World, but he would never come close to seeing everything the realm had to offer him. It was frightening, but in a way, it was soothing too. There were other things for Koji to worry about outside of his life. There was a world that existed outside of his fears even when they felt like they were trying to make his universe cave in on itself. This was what Koji was fighting to protect. There was peace out there even when he struggled to see it, and he was glad to know that love still existed even if it was out of his reach. 

For today's search, the group had split in half to go to search the Digital World. Kana was with one group while Koichi was with the other. Kana would then backtrack and cover all the ground Koichi's group handled when the Legendary Warriors were at school. That way, she could sense the Grand Spirit even after the search for Lucemon's power had wrapped up in a specific area. They were always making progress, and even though it felt insignificant when compared to everything they could have been doing, it was something. It was a step in the right direction. 

Koji was with Koichi's group today, and they were both standing on Inaie together. Koichi had come up to join Koji at some point after the rest of their group split up. Some of them were looking around Inaie to make sure the citizens of the city were alright. Others were checking off the list of locations they had yet to check. Koji and Koichi drifted to each other's sides just as was to be expected of them. They had a lot of lost time to make up for. They hadn't been able to grow up together, so their only option was to talk to one another now that they knew the other existed. 

Koji brushed a few stray threads of hair away from his face and let out a heavy sigh. Beside him, Koichi looked tense as well. Neither one of them had spoken since they decided to settle down there together, and Koji had to wonder if there was something more on Koichi's mind than he was willing to say openly. Koji frowned, and he nudged at his brother gently with his hand. "Hey, Koichi," Koji greeted. His brother took a few seconds to pull himself out of his trance, blinking rapidly to drag his mind back to his body. "Is something wrong? You seem distant."

"I..." Koichi tested the weight of his words once and then twice before he sighed and shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. I've been thinking this for a while, but I... I have to wonder if there could be more to all of this than we're seeing. I just can't shake the feeling that there's something more to this than meets the eye. We've been pushing and struggling for a while now, and it still feels like... I don't know... Like there's something out there that's trying to keep us from getting to the bottom of this."

Koji couldn't help but hum at that. He had been thinking something similar, but he was doing his best to keep it as far from his mind as possible most of the time. If he started to think about how much everything seemed to be spiraling out of their control, then he was never going to get control over his thoughts again. Koji had to stay focused and composed, and right now, that meant not acknowledging just how terrified he was of everything going on. 

"Yeah," Koji finally wound up saying. "I guess there's a lot we still don't know about this situation... The monsters that have been attacking Earth are just the start of it, aren't they?"

"That seems to be the case," Koichi confirmed with a nod. "I don't have any evidence to back any of it up, but I... I have this deep dread in the pit of my stomach. I feel like there's something more to the monsters that started to attack Earth. I feel like there's something more to everything we've been dealing with lately."

"Especially since those monsters could have something to do with Lucemon's power," Koji finished for him, and Koichi nodded once again. Koji let out a heavy sigh. "If you ask me, it's looking more and more like Lucemon's power was out of our reach long before we knew we were supposed to be looking for it. If Lucemon's magic really wound up in the hand of Alastomon's accomplice as soon as Alastomon died, then that puts us in a really nasty position."

"We don't want to admit that it could be true. That would mean half of the time we've spent searching has all been for nothing," Koichi murmured. "But if there's a chance that could be the truth, then we have to be willing to face it. I don't like it any more than the rest of you, but... We have to be ready to face any possibilities. If Lucemon's magic is really already out of our reach, then we have to be ready to find some other way to set this right." Koichi took a moment to breathe, only seeming to notice too late that he had started to ramble. He almost forgot to draw in air in the process, and Koichi forced out a strained laugh. "I guess I'm just letting my paranoia get the best of me, huh?"

"I don't know if I would say it's just paranoia," Koji countered with a shake of his head. "If there's a chance that you're right about this, then we're all in a lot of trouble. We've got a ton of things to worry about right now, and the recent conflict with Alastomon and the one who has his power... I guess we haven't really had a moment to breathe in a while."

"You can say that again." Koichi looked out over the horizon, and Koji knew he was trying to see if he could sense any of the traces of Lucemon's power in the area. Koichi came up short though, and he sighed as he let his head fall down toward his chest in disappointment. Koji watched Koichi for a long moment, but he didn't have much time to stare at his brother. Koichi looked back up at Koji with a frown on his face. "If you don't mind my asking... Is there something else on your mind too, Koji? You've just seemed a bit... Distant today."

Koji let out a low laugh even though he knew none of what he was about to discuss was funny in the slightest. "I guess you could say that." He let a few seconds roll by, and the horizon stretched on endlessly all around Inaie. Koji ran one hand through his hair, dislodging some of it from his ponytail in the process. "I've been trying to reconnect with our father recently. I don't know how much good it's doing me, and it's definitely still a work in progress, but... I guess it just gives me a lot to think about. I'm not used to him putting in the active effort to get to know me. I'm not used to him caring about what I'm up to all the time."

Koichi hummed vacantly at that. If there was one subject Koichi didn't know how to discuss, it was their father. Since he had grown up with Tomoko, Koichi didn't know much of anything about Kousei Minamoto. Koichi wanted to keep it that way too. He had been shocked to hear that Koji was making any progress at all with repairing his relationship with Kousei. To Koichi, the idea of talking to Kousei at all was deeply unappealing. Then again, he barely knew the man. It was easier to hate someone who he barely knew. 

Even so, what Koichi did know didn't exactly paint a shining picture of Kousei. He had been so insistent to forget about the past that he didn't let Koji grieve the mother he never had the chance to know. After Koji returned from the Digital World, Kousei learned that Koji had met Koichi and subsequently shouted at him for it. Koji had managed to reach out to him slightly when he fought off an attack just outside the Minamoto home, but it didn't feel like enough. Koichi didn't know if anything Kousei could do would ever be enough to make him feel better about what he had done. 

"It's hard," Koji went on with a slow sigh. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy to make things right with him when I started all of it. I was fully aware of that. Still, nothing really prepared me for just how tough it was going to be. He's showing genuine interest in what's going on with me. He's worried about me with everything going on with the military too. It feels strange for him to be so involved with my life, and I guess there's a part of me that... Hates him still. It was easier when I could resent him. Now, I want to be closer with him, but I don't know what to do about it. I don't know if he can even make up for what he did before. It's just a lot to take in."

"I understand." Koichi set his hand on Koji's shoulder, and the Warrior of Light turned to meet his brother's gaze. "I'm going to be here for you no matter what. If you ever need me to do something to make this easier, all you have to do is say the word."

"Thanks, Koichi." Koji nodded slowly, but it was clear there was still something on his mind. He didn't leave much time for Koichi to try and work it out on his own though, instead sighing loudly. "Do you think you're ever going to try and reach out to him? I'm not going to ask you to do it if you don't like the idea of it, but... He asked about you before I came here today. I think he's worried about you. He figured out that you're one of the Legendary Warriors, and... I guess that me reconnecting with you has him wondering if he could reconnect with you too."

Koichi's eyes went wide, and his chest constricted every bit of air he had ever tried to breathe in. As much as Koichi respected Koji for feeling like he could reach out to Kousei, Koichi knew he was never going to be able to feel the same way. Kousei had already crossed too many lines for Koichi to feel like he was redeemable. He understood why Koji was trying to bridge the gap, but Koichi... Koichi's rage still burned hot and bright, and he didn't know if that was ever going to change. 

At a first glance, most people would have assumed that Koji was the Warrior of Darkness while Koichi was the Warrior of Light. Koji was in a worse mood most of the time, and Koichi seemed positive in the face of hardship in a way most others were not... But the truth revealed what they were both truly like. Koji was a kind person beneath his hard shell, and he wanted to care for people. Koichi, on the other hand, was full of rage and resentment toward the world and everyone in it who had never been there to look after him when he needed it most. When a person took the time and energy to peel back the various layers Koji and Koichi had built around their hearts, they would see the truth. Koji was the Warrior of Light for a reason because at his core, he was full of life and love. Koichi was the Warrior of Darkness for a reason because at his core, he was full of rage and resentment. 

That rage had caused no shortage of problems for Koichi. Back when he was still fighting under Cherubimon, it had manifested as him becoming the Warrior of Void. It was still a hard fight to win after all this time. Koichi had made peace with Dusk, Velge, Malkako, and Erocia as much as he could, but he knew it was a struggle in its own ways. Koichi was an angry person and had been for a long time. He was going to have to face that for years until he was able to wear that rage away and reveal his true heart beneath it all. 

"I... I don't know," Koichi finally forced himself to say. He wanted to declare that he detested Kousei Minamoto. Koichi knew his hatred was excessive since it was pointed at someone who he had never met, but it was all he had. He didn't want it to go away in a strange way. It had come to define his life in such a crucial way without him ever realizing it. Koichi needed that anger to push him ever forward. He didn't know if he wanted to reconnect with his father because it would mean letting go of something that had done so much for him in the past. His anger gave him a purpose. It gave him something to fight for even when the world felt like it was going to cave in around him. 

"That's about the reaction I expected," Koji confessed with a shake of his head. "I can't jsut ask you to forget about everything he did before we went to the Digital World. I can't ask you to forget about the things that happened after we got to the Digital World either. He's done a lot of horrible things, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget it either... And at least I've been given the chance to see a few of his better features over the years."

"He..." Koichi shook his head after realizing that he had no words to offer about the situation. "He has done many horrible things. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him for it. If I'm going to reconnect with him, then it's not going to be until after I've managed to get to the bottom of my feelings."

"That's alright," Koji assured him. "I'm not going to make you talk to him if you're not comfortable with it. I wanted to ask because he brought it up before, but... If he wants to reach out to you, then he can do that on his own terms."

"Exactly." Koichi directed his attention back at the horizon, narrowing his eyes at the skyline. He didn't like having to think about his father for any longer than was necessary, and the recent circumstances around the Digital World had only made that feeling ring truer than ever before. Koichi had more than enough to worry about. Kousei was only going to make him feel worse, and Koichi wasn't going to indulge something like that. He could figure out how he felt when he wasn't on the verge of tearing himself apart from stress. 

Koichi could feel the flames of his rage burning hot and strong in his stomach. Even just thinking about Kousei in too much detail was enough to make him feel like his anger was going to make him explode. That was enough of a reason for him to move the conversation along. Kousei was a subject to be brought up when Koichi wasn't as worried about the rest of his life. He wouldn't be able to get anything done as long as he hated his father too much to see straight. Kousei had no place in Koichi's life or his heart, and he wasn't going to give that up for anything. 

Before Koichi had the chance to say anything else, he felt the island of Inaie lurch beneath his feet. He nearly stumbled to the ground, but Koji threw out an arm to stabilize him. Koichi cast a grateful look over his shoulder at his brother, but Koji didn't return it. Instead, Koji was already scanning the sky for any signs of trouble. When he saw nothing overhead, he turned his attention to the ground just in front of the rolling island. Koichi found himself doing much the same, but as soon as he did, he wished he had stayed ignorant. 

At least fifteen of the strange monsters that had attacked Earth a few days prior were waiting near the edge of the island. One of them had sent out a blast of energy to strike at the underside of Inaie, and while it wasn't enough to stagger the island in its course of traveling through the world, it still caused a few rumbles in the ground. The monsters were waiting patiently for the Legendary Warriors to come off Inaie, and Koichi could see that just by looking at them. They were perfectly still in a way that made Koichi feel like he had been stabbed in the chest. They were waiting for something. They had been told to wait for something. 

"Damn it," Koji muttered. In a flash, he had his D-Tector in his hand, and he pressed one of the buttons to speak with the rest of the team. The symbol of Light appeared on the screen. "We've got company. More of the monsters that attacked us on Earth are near the edge of the island. We should check it out and stop them as soon as possible."

Koichi could almost hear the sighs of frustration from the other end of the line. He knew none of the Legendary Warriors had activated their speakers to talk just yet, but Koichi still knew that was what they were doing: groaning in frustration that it had come to this. "Roger that," came Takuya's voice a moment later, and the symbol of Fire showed up on the screen for the brief moment he was talking. As soon as he fell silent, the sign vanished. 

Koji and Koichi turned to one another, sharing only one glance before they pressed the activation buttons on their D-Tectors. Four rings of Fractal Code appeared around their hands, and they scanned the data across the top of their D-Tectors. In flashes of white and black light, the Warriors of Light and Darkness transformed into their Resplendent forms. Koichi opened his eyes once his shift had been completed, and he stood tall and strong as he glared down at the dark monsters on the ground below. They really did look a lot like Digimon, but Koichi knew better than to believe it. He didn't recognize any of them, and that was all he needed to know to see that they weren't legitimate. 

"No time quite like the present to get this over with," Koji commented. He snapped his fingers, and a blade made of pure light magic appeared in the air before him. He grabbed it out of the sky before jumping over the edge of Inaie. The island was still moving, and he was going to miss his window to leave and fight the monsters if he took too much longer. It bothered both him and Koichi that the beasts were just standing there, not bothering to attack after they unleashed their first strike. They were being too patient, and Koji wasn't going to stand for it. If a fight was what the monsters wanted, then it was a fight they were going to get. 

Koichi followed Koji's lead in jumping off the edge of the island, and both twins used their magic to soothe their falls. They landed peacefully despite the massive jump they had just taken. The monsters before them continued to stare and watch, their eyes set in something stony yet mindless. As strange as it was, it didn't seem as if there were any thoughts passing through their heads. They were simply empty husks meant to fight, and since they had not yet engaged in combat, they were helpless. 

Koichi's heart skipped a beat at the thought. If the monsters weren't thinking anything, then that had to be indicative of their origins somehow, right? Every living creature had the power to act or think in its own interests... But there was nothing there for him to even think of grasping. It was difficult to define, but when Koichi looked at the monsters before him, all he could say about them was that they felt... Lifeless. They were not alive, and they had not been in the past either. 

It fed perfectly into the theories the Legendary Warriors had come to have about them over the last few days. The monsters did not seem to be Digimon. They would have been recognized if they were. Instead, the beasts were something else entirely... And if Koichi had to guess, he would have said that the theory that the monsters had been created deliberately was very close to the truth. These beasts were following orders from someone, and the lack of life behind their eyes was proof. They didn't even look possessed; it was like they had gone beyond that idea entirely to something far more terrifying. 

Koichi didn't get much more time to think about it though. The first of the monsters--a poor imitation of a land Digimon from the Earth region--rushed toward him. The beast had a massive horn sitting atop its head, and it tried to swipe at Koichi to knock him into the sky. Koichi blocked the attack with a wall of dark magic, and he maintained it even as the monster tried to break through it. Koichi refused to let up though, and he slid his right foot forward slightly. A streak of darkness passed through the earth, growing stronger when it caught the shadow of the monster. The shadows swarmed before stabbing upward, getting through the armored exterior of the monster. 

The beast was sent sprawling through the air just as it had wanted to do to Koichi. Koji was ready in an instant, jumping off the ground and swinging his blade in a wide arc. He caught the monster in the stomach, opening a notable gash across its stomach. The beast did not scream in pain though, instead hitting the ground and curling over itself in pain. Koichi was ready to finish the job, and he pressed his hands through the air. Twin daggers of darkness extended out from his fists, slamming into the monster and destroying it in an instant. 

Koichi had been wondering in passing if perhaps the monsters from before could have been Digimon. For all he knew, Digimon simply didn't revert to Fractal Code after they were defeated on Earth. He hadn't ever had to kill a Digimon on Earth himself. Getting rid of the corruption of the Void Fragments had always been more than enough. Now though, Koichi was sure that these monsters were nothing like Digimon. When the beast was destroyed, its silhouette did not go dark, and Fractal Code did not appear across its center. Instead, the monster simply exploded into a puff of dark ash that immediately polluted the air around it. Koichi fought to keep his lungs untainted, and he still wound up breathing in a bit of something nasty. Mayumi hadn't been kidding when she said the energy of these monsters was rancid. Koichi was used to the power of Void, and he still found it completely and utterly repulsive. 

Speaking of Mayumi, she appeared a few moments later. She and the rest of the Legendary Warriors had arrived on the scene, and Mayumi was the first to make herself known. She flipped through the air and clawed at the air, creating streams of white lightning to soar toward the nearby cluster of monsters. The first few in the crowd were forced to stagger backward, catching those in the back by surprise as well. In a matter of seconds, the monsters had all fallen against each other. It was not a permanent distraction, and it certainly wouldn't last longer than a few moments, but it was enough for now. 

Takuya punched at the air next, creating a wave of fire from his knuckles. As the flames drew nearer to their targets, they grew in strength and size. Soon enough, the fire was grand enough to consume anyone and everyone who came close to it. The monsters were surrounded by a ring of fire, forcing them all into one spot. The flames settled into the ground, making escape impossible unless the beasts wanted to try and push through a ring of solid heat. 

One of the monsters was bold enough to try it. The beast rushed through the fire, seemingly thinking that it would be fine even if it had to face the flames. The monster's body was heavily armored, but that did little to protect it. Instead, the heat only built on the steel, warping the metal and sending liquid misery dripping down across its body. The beast let out a strangled noise at that, but it didn't get the chance to finish it. Takuya followed up with another flaming attack, catching the monster in the chest. The beast evaporated when the fire from Takuya's new attack mixed and melted together with the disappearing steel around its body. Seconds later, all that remained of the monster was a memory and the black ash that its brethren had left behind. 

The other monsters remained stuck within the ring of fire, and none of them wanted to try and break free. That would run the risk of them being killed by Takuya, and they had at least enough self-preservation to know that was a poor choice. Unfortunately, there was still no safety to be found for them within the confines of the ring of fire. Takuya was adding more heat to the flames as the seconds passed by, putting even more pressure on his foes. 

Chihiro stomped one foot against the ground, and sharp stones erupted from the earth to stab at the undersides of each of the monsters. The beasts were left crying out in pain, but Chihiro's attack was only enough to entirely destroy two of them. Chihiro had the monsters all struggling to keep themselves held together though, and they were stepping carefully so as to not bring about their own destruction.

Tomoki created a column of ice that gave him a vantage to look down on the ring of monsters, and he sent down daggers of ice to slam into the beasts. The fire was hard enough to bear, but enduring random stabs of something cold only made it harder to withstand, and the noise the monsters were making grew louder. Tomoki managed to pick off two more monsters like this, but the fire melted the icicles too much to keep him from using them a second time. 

Mayumi clambered up the side of the ice column and settled into place just beside Tomoki. She concentrated as much of her strength as possible into her palms before pressing them forward against the air. White lightning erupted from her hands before streaking through the air toward the monsters. Mayumi's eyes were narrowed slightly in a show of bitterness, but she did her best to keep it restrained. She hated that the monsters were so resistant to her attacks. Mayumi's main strategy involved absorbing the strength of her foes so that she could send it back to them... But that wasn't possible as long as the energy of the beasts was too rancid for her to stand it. She was going to have to find another way of handling herself in a fight. She hated it more than anything, but her rage was good fuel to the fire of her energy, so that was enough to get her started. 

Two more monsters succumbed beneath the onslaught of white lightning Mayumi had summoned. Only half of the beasts were left standing now, and Takuya took that as his cue to get rid of the ring of fire. It would release the monsters from their prison, but they had been weakened enough to be picked off by the Legendary Warriors. Plus, the ring of fire was getting in the way of Tomoki attacking effectively, and Takuya didn't want to do that to them. 

The monsters seemed relieved by the added space given to them by the lack of fire, and they started to spread out. They were desperate to escape the stone spikes, though some of them wound up injured even more in their attempt to get away. Takuya smiled as the beasts grew slower from the weight of their wounds. This was going to be an easy fight to win. The monsters may have been more durable than the Void Fragment Digimon, but Takuya still knew how to handle this. All of them did. 

None of them knew who could have summoned or created the dark monsters, but that didn't matter now. They were going to finish the battle then and there, and their foes would know their strength. This may have been the start of a new war, but the Legendary Warriors were determined to win it just as they had won every other battle that came their way. 

~~~~~

Izumi knew she needed to focus. 

She was flying over the Digital World with the rest of the group she had been assigned to for the day. It consisted of all of the flying Legendary Warriors with the added bonus of Kana. Saki and Kana were at the front of the group, Haroi and Junpei close behind them. Saki had created a platform made of purple magic for Kana to stand on beside them, and they had their rapier pointed slightly forward to keep the platform accelerating. Haroi, meanwhile, had Wanyamon cradled in his arms since the reincarnation of Biastamon had insisted on coming along to help with the search however he could. Hinoka and Yumiko were behind them, flying with the power of their elements to keep them aloft. 

Izumi had taken up the rear. She had started closer to the front, but as the journey through the Digital World grew longer, Izumi began to drift backward. She knew why it was happening. She wasn't focusing the way she was supposed to, and she was fully aware of it. Concentrating on anything these days felt harder than it had any right to be. She couldn't stop thinking about what was going on with her father. For all Izumi knew, another attack could be happening on Earth at that moment, and she wouldn't know about it until it was too late. Her father was going to make a choice to change her life for the worst, and he wasn't even going to ask her for her input. He didn't care as long as he was able to protect her. 

But what right did Fuyuki Orimoto have to talk to Izumi about protection? He hadn't been there for her the way she needed him to be. Izumi had fallen apart after her mother's death, but she hadn't been given the support she needed. Instead, she was taken to a different country and forced to care for her sister. Izumi loved Masae, but she wished their father had been there to look after her instead. Izumi shouldn't have had to care for her sister like Masae was her daughter rather than her sister. Fuyuki should have done that. He had been trying to drown his grief through his work, but it had hurt his daughters greatly. Fuyuki didn't even seem to register that what he had done could be considered neglect. He thought he had to protect his children, but he hadn't protected them when they needed him in the past. Circumstances were dire now, but they had been dire in the past too, and Fuyuki still hadn't been there. 

Izumi hadn't realized just how much she resented her father until he told her that he wanted to protect her. She thought she was fine with his behavior. She firmly believed that she had made peace with everything he had done... But she was wrong. Now that Izumi was faced with the weight of what Fuyuki had done to her, she couldn't ignore it anymore. Fuyuki had hurt her in more ways than she could ever hope to express in words, and he still had the audacity to say he wanted to defend her. How could he do something so horrible? Did he even hear himself? Did he want to recognize what he was doing? 

"Are you alright?"

Izumi didn't realize Junpei had slowed down to settle into place beside her until after he spoke. Izumi blinked rapidly and looked over to see him frowning at her worriedly. "You've seemed out of it all night," Junpei said. "Is something wrong?"

"It's..." Right. Junpei didn't know about what Fuyuki had threatened. Izumi had told the investigation team along with Takuya, Koji, and Chihiro, but no one else on the team knew it yet. Izumi sighed and shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure if I know if I'm alright. I've had a lot on my mind lately. My father declared that if the attacks get too much worse, he was going to move me and Masae back to Italy."

"He can't do that!" Junpei burst out, nearly stopping his flight in shock. Izumi cast him a sad frown, and Junpei sped up again to fall into pace with her again. "You can't be serious."

"He certainly seems to be," Izumi told him. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay here in Japan with all of you. I can't go back to Italy after everything that happened. On top of that, I'm just... I'm angry at him for doing this. He has spent years being distant from me and Masae, and now that he's finally reaching out, he wants me to leave behind everything I've built without him. He doesn't know much of anything about my life, but he wants me to abandon it to be with him. I hate it. I can't believe he could be so selfish."

"You haven't talked about your father much," Junpei commented with a frown. "Though I guess there's a reason for that now. I'm willing to assume that you've kept yourself from talking about him because you haven't talked to him much."

"That's correct," Izumi confirmed. "He was a lot more present back when I was a child. After my mother passed away, he started putting distance between himself and his children. He drowned himself in work to cope with my mother's death, and I had to raise Masae essentially on my own because he was barely ever around. I don't want to leave for his sake. He hasn't been around for years, and he expects me to just follow his desires now? He hasn't earned that right after all he has done to neglect me and Masae."

"We can find a way around it," Junpei suggested. "I don't know how we'll circumvent him wanting you to leave Japan with him, but we're going to figure it out. We can't afford to lose you. Even beyond the practicality of us fighting as a team, we can't lose you as people. As your friends, we can't let you go without a fight. If that means figuring out a solution through the Digital World, then we can work it out. I'm sure Saki and I can come up with a solution."

"I hope you're right," Izumi murmured. She wanted Junpei's words to reassure her, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to believe it the way she needed to. Finding a solution through the Digital World was a last resort, but it wasn't the reassurance Izumi sought right now. Izumi wanted to stay in Japan all of the time without needing to fear all that was to come. She couldn't let her father ruin this. She had a home and a place to belong, and she wouldn't let him take it away from her. 

Izumi had come far since she was last in Italy, and regardless of how hard she had to fight, she would make sure she was never dragged back there again. 

~~~~~

Closer to the front of the group, Haroi looked out over the ground with a small frown on his face. This segment of the Digital World was largely empty, consisting of rolling hills and sprawling green fields. It was a lovely sight, though Haroi wished he could be there under better circumstances. He couldn't enjoy it as much as he would have liked, not with everything going on. 

Wanyamon was looking at the fields with wide eyes full of wonder. Haroi hadn't been planning on bringing him along, but Wanyamon said that he wanted to get off Inaie and see what the rest of the Digital World had to offer him. He had been stuck on Inaie ever since he hatched from his egg, and Wanyamon was desperate to see the world with his new eyes. He had seen the Digital World extensively back when he was Biastamon, but he had changed since then, and he wanted experiences as Wanyamon. 

Haroi snuck a glance down at Wanyamon, biting back a small frown. He had been doing his best to not ask too much about Alastomon since Wanyamon hatched from his egg. Alastomon was understandably a sore spot for Wanyamon, and Haroi didn't want to push him too much... But his curiosity was burning too deep for him to ignore. In the end, Haroi swallowed back his anxieties and forced himself to speak. "Wanyamon?"

Wanyamon silenced himself from his awestruck gasping, and he tilted his head up to look at Haroi. Tilting his head was an interesting way of putting it though; Wanyamon's entire body was his head, and it made movements like this hilariously awkward. "Is something wrong, Haroi?"

"I hope this isn't too intrusive, but I... I was wondering if you remembered anything about Alastomon recently," Haroi said. "I know you said before that you didn't remember him saying or doing anything that could be considered suspicious, but... I guess I've just been thinking about it a lot."

Wanyamon's eyes grew stormy, and he let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know anything about it, I'm afraid," he told Haroi. "I don't understand why Alastomon's accomplices are doing all of this. None of us do. If I had known that Alastomon had an accomplice, then I would have told you about it ages ago. All I can really say now is what you already know: that he was working with a human."

"I don't understand any of it," Haroi confessed. "Why in the world would a human decide to cooperate with Alastomon? The recent attacks have seemed like they're searching for general destruction, but I don't understand why a human would want to invite that. Earth has suffered enough because of the monster attacks, so why would someone want to make it worse? Why would they collaborate in seeing Alastomon's plans to fruition? It only put Earth in danger."

"I don't know what to tell you either," Wanyamon said. "But I'm hoping that one of these days, we'll be able to get to the bottom of it. You have your friends searching for Alastomon's accomplice, and I'm certain they're going to find them soon. We're going to be alright. We just have to keep going for a little bit longer."

Haroi nodded, steeling himself and looking back to the world before him. Wanyamon was right. Haroi's impatience was getting the better of him because of how long he had been searching, but everything was going to be fine. He and the rest of the Legendary Warriors were handling this to the best of their ability, and they were going to get to the bottom of it. Regardless of how long it took them, they were going to bring peace to Earth and the Digital World alike. They could do it. 

Haroi couldn't shake the feeling that something more was stirring beneath the surface though. He didn't know why anyone would want to work with Alastomon willingly, but he was certain the answer was going to be miserable and brutal. Haroi was ready for it though. Fearing the truth would not help anyone now, and so, Haroi would not fear it. He would keep his eyes on the future, and he would ensure it saw nothing but peace going forward. 

No matter who Alastomon's accomplice was, Haroi would stop them. He had come this far, and he wouldn't back down now. 

~~~~~

Koichi sprang off the ground, using the shadows beneath his feet to push him even higher into the sky. A monster had rushed at him, but Koichi avoided the attack thanks to his swiftness. Once he was in the air, Koichi extended one hand toward the ground, controlling the shadows beneath the beast. The shadow the monster was casting followed Koichi's orders in restraining the beast, and it fought with everything it had to escape. Koichi didn't let it though, commanding the shadows to squeeze the monster as tightly as possible. He finished the beast off with one last blast of dark magic, and the monster morphed into black ash that drifted away on the wind. 

Koji stepped backward to avoid a slash one of the monsters had made for his chest. He threw up his sword of light to block a second attack, and Koji poured heat into the blade when the monster clawed at it. The monster recoiled from the warmth exploding against its claws, and Koji stabbed forward. His blade came to rest right in the monster's heart, and the beast cried out in pain before transforming into dark ash on the breeze. 

One of the larger monsters had taken to charging at Chihiro to try and knock them out of the fight in a single hit, but the Warrior of Earth was ready for it. They spread their legs and distributed their weight carefully, and when the beast finally arrived in front of them, Chihiro reached out to grab the monster by the horns. It was hard work, and Chihiro had to summon small stones to gather around their boots to keep them rooted to the ground. Chihiro didn't give up though, and they spread earth magic into the ground beneath the monster. Massive spikes drove up from the rocks below to pierce the beast's stomach. The monster screamed in pain, but its cries died out before fading away when the agony grew to be too much for it to bear. Moments later, the monster disappeared, fading into little more than a memory. 

Tomoki slid one foot across the ground, creating a thin layer of ice. Each of the monsters that walked over it slipped, and the three remaining beasts in the fight were all sent in different directions. One of them barreled right toward Tomoki, but he was ready for it. Tomoki let the beast build up as much momentum as possible from slipping on the ice before he created a shield of ice magic. Tomoki let the wall grow as large as he could stand, and just before the beast slammed into it, he added something more to the barrier. Massive icicles jutted out from the wall, piercing the beast in the blink of an eye. Much like the monster Chihiro had just defeated, this beast was unable to withstand the punishment of the countless stabs and disappeared into the wind seconds later. 

Mayumi was left to handle one of the two remaining monsters on the field. She pressed her hands out in front of her, creating a massive blast of white lightning. It slammed into the beast she had chosen to target, draining its strength quickly. Mayumi couldn't steal its power for herself, but she was still more than capable of making sure it wasn't able to fight back against her easily. The beast slowed down when the white lightning finally died down, and it tried to charge at Mayumi. Unfortunately, its decreased speed was too much of a hurdle for it to overcome, and Mayumi twisted out of the way without needing to blink. When the monster was just beside her, she released yet another blast of white lightning at point blank range. The beast was sent sprawling through the air, and the air smelled like burning flesh from the impact. The monster disappeared into ash before it could even hit the ground, sending more darkness to fade away on the wind. 

The final monster left was Takuya's target, and he was ready for it. Takuya punched at the air, creating many tiny daggers of fire magic. The beast was staggered by the onslaught not because any of the flames dealt a lot of damage but because a few of the daggers hit it in the eyes. The monster stumbled around in a daze, unable to see where it was going or how it was meant to escape Takuya's attacks. That was just what Takuya was looking for, and he pressed his palms forward once again. Another wave of fire started toward the monster, picking up steam and power as it grew closer to its target. The beast was struck straight in the chest, but the flames didn't stop there. Instead, the fire spread across its entire body, engulfing it in a hell of heat. Takuya finished the monster off with one last blast of fire, and this time, it was enough to destroy the beast once and for all. 

Takuya let out a slow breath as he watched the monster disappear into nothingness. It may not have seemed like it, but fighting against beasts like that was harder work than he expected. Then again, Takuya supposed that he was largely used to fighting Void Fragment Digimon these days. It didn't take all that much power to defeat a Digimon possessed by a Void Fragment, all things considered. All Takuya had to do there was knock the monster around until the Void Fragment was forced to release its hold. In this case, Takuya had to destroy the beasts attacking him, and that took a lot more energy than he was used to having to spend. 

Even beyond that though, Takuya knew that these foes were far greater challenges than the enemies of his previous war had been. These beasts were durable in a way the Void Fragment Digimon simply hadn't been. They were generally on the slow side, but they were physically strong and resistant to attacks. It was as if they had been built with stalling in mind. The longer the monsters were alive, the longer they could cause problems to Takuya and the rest of the Legendary Warriors. It was an unsettling thought to have, but Takuya couldn't seem to shake it away once it found a place in the back of his mind. 

Takuya shook his head and tilted his head up so he was looking at the sky. The warmth of the afternoon was soothing against his skin, and he was glad to have the sun there to keep him moving forward. He always felt better in the light and the warmth that came with it, and that was just the energy boost Takuya needed after that battle. It hadn't been the hardest fight, but it was certainly harder than he was used to. 

Takuya knew that out of all the Legendary Warriors, he was at the greatest disadvantage when it came to fighting against these monsters. The others had all had their Resplendent forms for at least a little bit longer than him, so they knew how to handle battles like this. Takuya, meanwhile, had been given almost no time to learn how to fight in his Resplendent form before the final battle against Alastomon. His instincts were enough to carry him most of the time, but he still had a lot more to learn than most others around him. Takuya was working on improving, and he wasn't going to let his disadvantage stop him forever, but it was still something he thought about from time to time. 

"Is... Is it over?" Koichi asked from his place a few steps away. Takuya turned to look at him, and he found that Koichi's face was pinched with anxiety. "I don't see any other monsters in the area, but I suppose it's best to be safe rather than sorry with something like this..."

"I think we're in the clear," Mayumi confirmed. She closed her eyes, trying to sense any other sources of energy or magic in the area. She ultimately came up short, and she nodded. "Yeah, we're good. I don't sense anything else around here. We should be safe to go back to Inaie now."

"Good," Koichi whispered, nodding slowly like it was taking him a few seconds to believe it. "That's... That's really good to hear."

"Something wrong?" Chihiro asked with a frown as they stepped toward Koichi. "You seem really tense."

"I'm just... Not used to fighting against this power at this intensity," Koichi admitted. "I mean, the power of Void is all we've ever had to fight against, but it was never quite this strong. Cherubimon was possessed by Lucemon, but the power of Void wasn't all that prevalent in the way he handled himself in a fight. The Royal Knights didn't really have much of it either. Lucemon is another story, but I wasn't there for the bulk of the Lucemon fight. The Void Fragments had this same power, but it wasn't like this. It feels like all the Void magic in the world has been shoved into these monsters. It's all they're made of."

"I feel the same way," Mayumi nodded. "For a different reason than you, of course, but it's still true. You feel weird about it because you know what the power of Void can do. For me, I can feel it, and... It's disgusting. I was smart enough to not try and steal any of their energy during this battle, but I still feel weird afterward. Their energy signature is really distinct, and that's not a good thing. These monsters don't have a basis of any other element to work with. They're just entirely Void magic, and that's not a good thing at all."

"All the more reason for us to try and get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," Koji concluded, and Mayumi nodded once more. "We should head back to Inaie and tell the others about what is going on. I imagine everyone there is going to want to hear about what happened and why we just ran off out of the blue."

"I told the others that something was going on before I headed in this direction, so they at least know that we weren't just running off on them for the hell of it," Takuya assured him. "We heard your distress signal and all came running, but I at least told the others why we were taking off ahead of time. You don't need to worry about explaining that piece of it when we meet back up with them."

"But we're going to have something else to worry about when we see them again," Chihiro pointed out. "The monsters appeared on this side of the barrier this time. Before, they were exclusively on Earth... And I think that changes the situation of what we've been doing significantly."

"I feel the same way," Tomoki chimed in. "Before, we jumped to conclusions and said that the holder of Lucemon's power must have been on Earth. We thought that maybe it had been sent through the barrier when Alastomon died. Now... I have to wonder if perhaps the center of everything could be here in the Digital World. It's not like we would be able to tell the difference apart right now. We don't have enough evidence in either direction."

"Which means that we're still going to have to search for Lucemon's power on this side of the barrier," Koichi concluded. "I think we're past the point of thinking that Lucemon's magic is still roaming freely or hiding somewhere. Somebody has found it, and they're using it as much as they can to make sure that we're pushed out of the picture. The monsters seemed like they were... Waiting for us when Koji and I saw them before."

"They seem like they're listening to the orders of someone else too," Koji agreed. "Which means that Lucemon's power is being controlled and harnessed by somebody. I don't know who the puppeteer could be, but we're going to have to figure it out as soon as possible if we want to stand a chance of stopping this from getting any worse."

"We're really in a rotten position now, aren't we?" Mayumi muttered with a shake of her head. "I can't believe somebody was able to find Lucemon's power before us... I feel like it must have been someone on this side of the barrier though. I don't know how someone on Earth would be able to pull something like this off with so little experience with the Digital World."

"But as Alastomon's accomplice, they would have heard a lot about what the Digital World is like and what happens within it," Chihiro countered. "So they could know more than enough to handle a battle on this side of the barrier, and we wouldn't be at all the wiser to it... We're just going to have to wait and see what happens at the end of this battle of ours."

"For now, I think we're getting a bit too far ahead of ourselves," Takuya announced, holding up a hand to silence the conversation. "We should head back to Inaie and report to everybody else there about what's going on. They're going to want to hear about how the battle went after we ran off the way we did. Plus, we have to catch the other group up on everything. They haven't sent any distress signals, and they're not here yet either, so I can only assume that they don't know about what's going on. They're going to need to be filled in."

The rest of the group nodded their agreement. Chihiro created a large platform of rock for everyone to stand on, and once the Legendary Warriors were all in position, Chihiro summoned stones to build up around their shoes and ankles. The group was safely rooted in place now, and Chihiro began to direct the platform of stone in the direction that Inaie had disappeared in. The wind whipped all around the group, and no one dared to break the silence. 

Takuya let out a careful breath as Inaie came into view on the horizon. He felt like every new piece of information these days both explained something and opened a dozen more questions. He didn't know how he was meant to go about getting to the bottom of a mystery like this, and Takuya was doubted that the rest of the group had any ideas of how to fix it either. They were just going to have to keep pushing and keep searching. Something was going to have to give sooner or later, and the truth would come flooding out. Takuya was sure of it. He just had to have faith. 

Even with that in mind though, Takuya had an awful feeling about all of this. He had feared for a while that Alastomon's accomplice had managed to find a way to get their hands on Lucemon's power. Even if that wasn't true, somebody clearly had found Lucemon's magic and was using it to try and wage a war that could consume both Earth and the Digital World. Everything was moving too quickly for anyone to try and stop it, and Takuya's only choice was to go with the tide and hope he was able to stop the storm sooner rather than later. 

He hoped with everything he had that it would be simple, but deep down, he already knew that would never be the case. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another chapter done! Woohoo!

It's really nice to be able to write fights for this story. I feel like I say that a lot, but I really love working on the battles here. I think Horizon Wars is my favorite story to write fight sequences for, and given how many of my stories have had fights over the years, that's saying a lot. I just love this series. It's so great. 

Even though there was a fight in this chapter, I think the real stars of the show this time around are Koji and Koichi. The twins have a lot to talk about both related to the recent problems in the Digital World and beyond them. Kousei remains a sore spot and an uncertain point between them both, and it's going to take a long time for that wound to even start to heal, much less vanish entirely. This book will explore both of their relationships to Kousei in a lot more detail, and I'm very excited for it. For now, here's the beginning of it all. 

Alright. Next time, we're going to press on with this arc with a change of pace from what we're used to. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital