"You see Jeri..." murmured the horrible voice. "Mankind will eventually destroy the Earth. All the D-reaper is doing is speeding up the process. We can wipe the world clean of everything that destroys it! The plants shall take over! Animals will no longer leave their nasty hair and feathers on the ground, and we will never be polluted by waste again! Oh, what a noble task is before us!"

"No!" shouted Jeri. She could not move. She was pinned to the wall, red ropes binding her to the wall. "Your wrong! We don't just kill the world! We all have feelings! We all have love! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

"It is a perplexing dilemma as to why love was ever created" J-reaper tilted her head to the side. "Love is merely a bound to weakness. It has filled human beings and shows why they are so weak today. An evolutionary step backwards"

"You lie" Jeri replied. "Love does have meaning! You just can't understand it. It's too complex for things like you. Love can make you strong, or weak! I won't deny that humans are killing the planet, but that does not mean you need to also"

"No Jeri" said J-reaper. "Your emotions aren't real. You aren't real. You are just our source of power, our supply, or stock of dark feelings. You have given the D-reaper everything it needs!"

"BE QUIET!!" shrieked Jeri. There was dead silence. Even the low humming of the D-reaper had stopped. She could not hear anything except the echoes of her voice. They bounced on and off through the walls of the D-reaper's domain. Even the tentacles had stopped moving. She opened her eyes and looked around. It was like the D-reaper had actually heard what she had said.

J-reaper looked at her. "Do not worry Jeri. Soon the D-reaper will have no more need for you, and you will be put out of your misery"

Jeri looked around. "Why is everything so quiet?"

"You are the D-reaper's power" explained J-reaper. "It listens to you"

Jeri did not believe that she was telling the truth. If it was true, then that would mean she had commanded it to attack Earth! She would never do something like that! "Get away!" she shouted.

Instantly, the tentacles binding her dropped to the ground. Jeri, still unable to believe this was happening, took a running start and leaped up to the wall, climbing over it and dropping away. The red tentacles chased her, grabbing onto her feet and pulling her legs out from under her. She gave a loud yelp as she was dragged back into the walls, scrambling. She thought for a moment about what J-reaper had said. 'It listens to you'. She was just about to order it to let go when one of the tentacles slapped at her mouth.

She gave a loud scream. It echoed through the silenced D-reaper. Then the tentacle curled across her mouth, stopping what little ways of speech she had left. If she really was the reason this world was dying, who would want to save her?

_________

"JERI!" shouted Beelzebumon, holding his fist up and opening all three eyes wide. He turned around and fired at the D-reaper agents. One by one, they disappeared. Beelzebumon kept on shooting them with his guns until they had all disappeared. He turned around just in time to see a huge green creature leap on top of him. "Bring it on!" shouted Beelzebumon.

He grabbed the creature by the neck, then slammed it to the ground. Holding up his claws, he looked down at the struggling creature with a smug grin on his face. "This one's for Jeri!" he shouted, striking his claws down onto it. Right through its neck. His claws protruded out of the other side, and the creature was deleted.

He rose up into the air, shooting his way through more agents. "Go Beelzebumon!" shouted Calumon from outside the bubble. He had been trying to work his way in to save Jeri, but the tentacles were too strong and pressed together. "Hit him some more! Kick him in the knee!" he continued cheering Beelzebumon on.

Beelzebumon slashed his way through another agent, then went flying towards the Chronosphere, pulling his Positron Laser out. He rose it up into an aiming position, pointing it at the D-reaper. The end of it opened, and a small pink ball of fire shot out. "Carona Blaster!" it slammed into the walls of the tentacles, breaking apart a small amount of them.

He flew forward, enlarging the hole. "Jeri! Please come on!" he shouted, holding his hand out. Then he saw that she was tied up. She was looking at him with blank eyes. "I failed you once before Jeri! I won't do it again! I swear it!" He was just about to push himself in, but a huge arm grabbed his neck and hauled him back. Instinctively, he turned around and slashed it with his claws.

It gave a loud cry and deleted, but more came to replace it. They dragged him down, even as he sliced at them, costing many of them their hands or arms. His last view of Jeri was a terrified expression as the wall closed up. "Jeri...!" he shouted, his voice fading away as he was dragged under by the agents.

"Beelzebumon!" shouted Takato from inside Gallantmon. "Come on! Help him!" shouted Takato, slashing his lance at the creatures on top of him.

Beelzebumon gave a loud cry and tore the cords asunder, leaping up and flying into the air. Holding his arms outwards, he gave a loud cry of pain, then leapt upwards, ready to rescue Jeri. "We have to save Jeri!" shouted Beelzebumon.

"We're with you!" shouted Lee and Rika. Ryo too ran towards them, transforming his fist into the lightning gun. "Thunder clap!" he shouted, shooting at the small D-reaper agents. They were deleted quickly, but more came to replace them. Megagargomon held out his fists and shot a volley of missiles at them, deleting more. "We'll take care of these guys!" shouted Ryo. "You go rescue Jeri!"

"Got it!" shouted Sakuyamon, leaping upwards and floating through the air, not nearly as fast as Beelzebumon. He was already up there, beating his fists repeatedly against the D-reaper. "Please Jeri, let me save you!" he shouted. Then he held his guns out, shooting a volley of shots at it. No effect.

Rika and Takato had joined him by now, and they were looking at him in despair. It was Rika who first noticed the beginning change. The outside was no longer made of long red strings, but they had now joined together, forming a solid wall. And it seemed to be thickening. Layer upon layer was put down on it, creating a sort of thick skin on the outside. Spikes grew outwards, forming the look of a rosebush.

Beelzebumon was flung backwards as a spike slammed into him. He regained himself, then wrenched the spike from it and fired more. Another spike grew out, bigger then the last. It slammed into his guns, knocking them away.

"Beelzebumon!" shouted Takato. He held out an arm and caught his as he was falling. Beelzebumon shook his head for a moment. "Please Jeri...just forgive me" he murmured. Then a white glow encased him, and he turned back to Impmon, a coughing and sputtering young demon. He held his eyes closed, vision swimming. "Save Jeri" he murmured, then passed out, no longer feeling Gallantmon's hand.

"Augh!!" shouted Takato. "How much torment can this thing take?! Every time we do something to it, it grows stronger!" shouted Takato. He held up his lance and shouted "Lightning Joust!" a huge bolt of blue lightning flashed out, spinning around the tip, then flying upwards and slamming into the D-reaper.

"Spirit Strike!" shouted Rika. Sakuyamon held up her wand, and several small creatures burst out of it, flying through the D-reaper. Instead of doing damage, they disappeared, harming nothing.

"Is it possible to beat this thing?" Guilmon questioned, not sure if it really was.

________________

Ryo shot out several more blue bolts, deleting more of the D-reaper. "Do these things numbers every run out?" shouted Justimon, swinging one around by its cable, then throwing it away.

Megagargomon punched another one away, then looked up at Sakuyamon, Gallantmon, and Impmon. "I sure hope they can hold out up there" murmured Lee. Another shot flew by and slammed next to Megagargomon's head, exploding on impact. "I'm a little more worried about us!" shouted Terriermon, firing another shot out at the agent.

Justimon turned around to ask if he was alright, then was slammed in the back by a shot that sent him flying to the ground. When Megagargomon saw that, he started getting mad. He put his arms out and braced himself, then shouted "Gargo Missiles!". The two huge missiles flew out of his shoulders, creating a huge explosion in the middle of the agents, destroying most of them.

Another dozen appeared to take their place, firing more shots. Gargomon leaned out his hand like he was catching a baseball, and a missile slid into his hand. His jets flared, and he flew upwards, then reared back and hurled the missile into another group of agents, who were sent flying in all directions. Justimon had gotten up by now, and was slicing them apart with his sword.

Thing seemed to be going good for awhile until a group of bold agents flew right up next to Megagargomon's face and fired at point blank range. Megagargomon was flung backwards, rolling across the ground and slamming into another pair of agents. He tried to get up but was pressed back down as a volley of shots were fired his way.

It seemed a moment ago that the side was in their favor, but the tables had turned now. Gallantmon slammed down next to him trying uselessly to hold up his shield to the shots. "I vow that before this is over...!" Takato shouted. "You D-reaper will be nothing but piles of red slime!" shouted Takato, leaping up and swiping his lance at more agents.

"For hurting so many people" said Megagargomon, lifting his head up and crawling to his feet. "You will pay the ultimate price!"

Takato held his shield in front of him. All of the designs on it glowed a bright color, and it was shining like the sun. "Shield...of the Just!" he shouted, firing a huge beam. His cape flew upwards from the shockwave caused by it. The beam plowed through the D-reaper like a lawnmower, shredding them apart the second they were touched.

Impmon smirked, remembering the time he had the attack used on him. He had screamed as he was flung backwards, smashing through rock after rock and being stung, burnt, froze, hurt. It was an attack of horrible power.

Gallantmon turned around just in time to have a volley of shots delivered his way. He was slammed backwards and catapulted into the wall. Gargomon launched another large amount of rockets and fire at the agents. There were so many...

Justimon sliced his sword through another large green agent, then turned around to come guard Takato. Sakuyamon held up her staff and a large shield surrounded them, protecting them from the shots. Sakuyamon sighed. "We can stay in here as long as my shield stays up..." said Sakuyamon, her power beginning to drain. They were all tired, exhausted. Panting from fighting the D-reaper, they all stood up.

Lee sighed, then looked at Takato. "As much as I hate to say it Takato...we have to escape"

Rika and Takato both stared at them. "We can't just leave her here!" shouted Rika. "Shes one of us!" shouted Takato.

"Takato" whined Guillmon. "I'm tired"

"You guys!" shouted Ryo. "Listen to yourselves! Your suggesting we keep fighting? I'm sorry Rika, Takato, but we HAVE to escape! It won't do Jeri any good to get yourself killed!"

"Okay...ready to run?" asked Renamon.

"Here you guys, take this" Terriermon reached onto his back, then took off the large jetpack, handing it to them. "You can use it to escape"

"What about you?" asked Ryo. "How will you escape?"

"Trust me" replied Lee. "I'll escape...I promise"

Nobody realized that the promise would soon be broken. Lee had an inside sadness. He would be the one to not make it out. Sacrifices had to be made, and this was a sacrifice he needed to make. He was too weak to carry both Justimon and Gallantmon out, and it would do no good to save only himself.

"Okay, let's go" said Rika. She was very weak from having to keep the shots from hitting them.

The shield disappeared, and they all jumped up, Takato and Ryo taking a running leap and getting rocketed through the air. It was amazing how fast this jetpack made them go! Sakuyamon simply grabbed onto the side, being rocketed up with them.

Below them, Lee waved a goodbye, then was pummeled by a thousand shots. All of three of them gasped. Why hadn't Lee come with them? He promised! Sakuyamon leaped off of the rocket, creating a shield around herself once more. She landed with a soft plopping sound on the ground. Megagargomon had now been released to just Lee. Terriermon was gone.

Involuntarily, a tear came off her cheek, drifting away. She brushed it aside. Lee would be heartbroken. She picked him up, then gave a flying leap. Incredibly high it was, so high that she burst through the D-reaper bubble right behind Takto and Ryo. All three of them had de-digivolved.

They all landed on the ground quite a ways away from the D-reaper. Renamon was carrying Lee. Rika's face had fresh tears coming down them. A small smile was on her face, like she was trying to believe what happened had not really happened.

Renamon lay Lee's battered body onto the pavement. "Lee was brave. He was a strong person and fought for us all"

Takato leaped up. "H-he's alive?!" he shouted excitedly, as if hoping by some miracle that Lee had not been killed.

"Takato" Renamon murmured. "He...was..." she could not bring herself anything more. Planes flew overhead, creating a loud engine noise. The D-reapers's hum bubbled louder, but even that did not drown out the horrible scream Takato shouted.

"NOOOOO!!"