Let's reach 250 Power Stones for an extra chapter
***
Beetlemon lunges, a fist crackling with raw voltage, aiming for Jokermon's painted grin. Thunder Fist crashes against Jokermon's scythe, a shower of sparks illuminating the bridge like a flashbulb. Jokermon doesn't flinch, his crimson eyes gleaming with twisted glee. He spins the scythe, deflecting the blow and retaliating with a swift Lunatic Slash.
Lunatic Slash isn't just a physical attack. It's a curse, a cut that wounds the soul, as much as the flesh. Its dark energy destabilizes a Digimon's form, like a virus corrupting code. It can be like rust, weakening armor from within.
The arc of the blade sings through the air, a blur of sharpened steel aimed at Beetlemon's exposed side.
LadyDevimon, graceful and deadly, intercepts. Darkness Spear materializes from her crimson claw, a shadowy lance meeting the scythe in a screech of metal on metal. Angewomon, halo glowing brighter, flanks Jokermon. Celestial Arrow forms in her outstretched hand, an incandescent beam of holy energy aimed at Jokermon's chest.
Jokermon dances back, dodging the divine strike. A glowing magic circle manifests beneath Angewomon—Gaia Magicar. Beams of emerald energy erupt from the circle, targeting Angewomon.
Gaia Magicar doesn't inflict wounds. Rather, it dismantles a Digimon's energy, destabilizing their form. Unlike physical damage, which can be healed, Gaia Magicar unravels the very data that constitutes their being, leaving them vulnerable and weak.
Beetlemon tackles Angewomon clear of the attack, the beams searing the roadway where she stood moments before. Jokermon cackles, his voice echoing across the bridge. He throws a flurry of playing cards; each card transforms into a blade, singing through the air.
LadyDevimon intercepts the cards with the animated edges of her torn dress, each one ripping apart in a puff of black smoke, but some slip through.
One slices across Beetlemon's arm, electricity crackling as the blade bites into the armor. Another nicks Angewomon's wing, feathers dissolving into motes of light.
The playing card turns into a beam that pierces through LadyDevimon's leg. LadyDevimon stumbles.
Jokermon doesn't let up. With a flourish, he vanishes, becoming a mere ripple in the air. A beat later, he reappears behind Angewomon, scythe raised.
"Boo!"
The scythe is ready to make contact.
Angewomon pivots, wings beating furiously, barely deflecting Jokermon's scythe with her Celestial Arrow. Sparks shower the night as the holy energy clashes against corrupted steel. Jokermon somersaults back, landing with unnatural grace.
He's on another level. Even against Angewomon and LadyDevimon, both Ultimate-level, this jester is running circles around them.
"What's wrong, Chosen Child? Not having fun?" Jokermon's laughter dances on the wind, a mocking serenade amid the chaos. "Thought you could play with the big boys? Guess you're just another card in my deck... and I'm about to discard you."
LadyDevimon and Angewomon materialize beside Ethan, their expressions grim.
"What's the play, Ethan?" LadyDevimon asks, her voice tight with contained fury.
He scans their faces, their energy. "Follow my lead." He grins, a spark igniting in his eyes. "Time to shuffle the deck."
Ethan's Digivice blazes to life, the screen flaring with golden code. "Digi-Memory! Come, Frigimon!"
From the device bursts a being of pure, gentle winter. Frigimon tumbles into existence, its form like a snowman come to life. Snow crystals glitter across its rounded body, and its eyes shine with surprising warmth beneath a brow of sculpted ice.
[Frigimon]
[Level: Champion]
[Type: Ice-Snow]
[Attribute: Vaccine]
[Special Move: Sub-zero Ice Punch]
[An Ice-Snow Digimon whose body is covered in snow and ice crystals. In spite of its chilly appearance, Frigimon actually has a warm and gentle personality. This Digimon calms the hearts of those who observe it through sweet gestures and calm movements. Frigimon itself hates the idea of fighting, and is ill-suited to Digimon who enjoy combat—Meramon in particular. It unleashes its special move Sub-zero Ice Punch from its sizable frame.]
"Icy Breath!" Ethan commands, and Frigimon obeys, exhaling a torrent of sub-zero air.
The air shimmers, and a thick, swirling fog of chilling ice erupts, blanketing the bridge in a veil of white. Visibility plummets to near zero.
Jokermon's laughter slices through the freezing fog. "Oh, a smokescreen? How...original," he says, dripping with sarcasm. "Did you really think a parlor trick would work on me, Chosen Child?"
He waits for a moment, then scoffs. "Amateur."
A flash of light, a celestial arrow shot through the fog, piercing the icy veil. But Jokermon is too quick. He bends backward at an impossible angle, the arrow whistling past his nose. Twin beams of energy erupt next, carving through the fog with lethal precision.
But again, Jokermon is too quick. The blasts of energy are dodged with graceful steps.
Following the trajectory of the blasts, Jokermon pinpoints the source of the attack. His crimson eyes narrow, and he moves, becoming a blur of motion as he dashes through the fog towards Ethan.
But Ethan is not there.
Jokermon stops, confused. "Foolish. Distractions are a luxury you cannot afford!"
What Jokermon finds isn't the Chosen Child, but Angewomon, twin rayguns blazing.
A shadowy tendril lashes out, a Stun Whip from LadyDevimon crackling with dark energy. It snakes around Jokermon, momentarily freezing him in place, a statue carved from mischief and madness.
Angewomon wastes no time. Celestial Arrow forms again, its radiant light piercing the gloom, aimed point blank. She draws the string, her face a mask of fierce determination. The arrow is aimed directly at Jokermon's painted grin.
The projectile is released, and it soars.
Jokermon, fighting against the dark energy binding him, barely manages to raise his scythe, deflecting the Celestial Arrow at the last possible moment. The force of the impact sends him staggering back.
"Is that all?!" Jokermon taunts, his voice strained. "You think you can stop me with such paltry tricks?"
A blinding flash of light behind him. Jokermon whirls, and a blade pierces through his back. The Celestial Arrow is glowing.
Ethan, using the Digi-Mimic ability to copy Angewomon's proficiency with holy attacks, had driven the Celestial Arrow deep into Jokermon's spine. The jester's eyes widen, a flicker of genuine surprise replacing his perpetual smirk, revealing an emotion previously masked by his facade.
"How…?" Jokermon rasps, his voice barely a whisper.
"You underestimate me too much," Ethan says, a smugness in his tone that belies the gravity of the situation.
"Tch!" Jokermon retorts, spitting out the syllable like a curse. He clutches at the wound, dark data leaking from the point of entry. Even with the Celestial Arrow lodged deep within him, he remains a threat.
Jokermon leaps back, putting distance between himself and Ethan's team. The snow swirling from Frigimon's breath only serves to emphasize his silhouette. Every movement is calculated, each step measured. Though the injury is severe, Jokermon can still battle. The twisted grin returns to his face, although the paint is starting to run.
Jokermon knows, despite his bluster, that this Chosen Child is more resourceful, more dangerous than he initially calculated. He couldn't help but grudgingly accept it. There is an underlying power that is barely contained, that may spell his doom if Jokermon does not play his cards correctly. The Chosen Child's strength cannot be ignored.
***
Donate Power Stones to support this novel
Advance chapters in patreon.com/Najicablitz