The morning sun reflected blindingly off the endless snowfields as Ur packed the last of their meager belongings.
She held Ultear's hand tightly, while Lyon and Gray shouldered their backpacks, looking like little adventurers.
Ur glanced back at the wooden cabin one last time.
It had been her sanctuary, a place filled with memories both bitter and sweet.
She remembered teaching Gray to mold ice, scolding Lyon for his recklessness, and the nights spent crying over her lost daughter.
"Mom?" Ultear tugged at her hand.
Ur looked down, her gaze softening.
She let out a sigh, watching her breath mist in the cold air.
Then, her expression turned resolute.
Life must move forward; she couldn't dwell in the past.
"Let's go," she said.
Raizel and Gildarts were waiting nearby on the snowy path.
Neither carried much luggage; Raizel had his magic storage, and Gildarts traveled light by necessity—mostly because he tended to lose things.
"Alright, how do we get there?" Ur placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly with a playful smile.
"The town is miles away, and I don't see a carriage."
"Wait a moment." Raizel rolled his eyes. He felt like Ul was teasing him.
"Take Over: Imperialdramon Paladin Mode." Raizel whispered the command.
A pillar of light erupted, and his figure began to grow.
Armor plates of white and gold encased him, wings unfurled from his back, and a massive Positron Laser Cannon materialized on his right arm.
He stood seven meters tall like a divine knight of steel.
"That's so freaking tall!" Gray and Lyon gaped, their necks craning back. "But... How do we ride on?"
"Mode Change: Dragon Mode."
Raizel's form shifted again.
He dropped onto all fours, his armor rearranging with mechanical precision until he transformed into a massive dragon with crimson wings.
He flapped them once, stirring up a mini-blizzard that nearly knocked the boys over.
"Alright, climb on up," Raizel's voice boomed, deep and resonant.
'So cool! he transformed again!'
This was the shared thought of Gildarts, Lyon, and Gray.
The three males instantly surrounded the dragon, touching the sleek armor plating and examining the thrusters.
Mecha dragons were truly a man's romance, regardless of age!
"Hey! Stop touching my ass!" Raizel grumbled.
"Really now." Ur and Ultear watched the three fools messing around, sighed in unison, and shook their heads helplessly.
Like mother, like daughter.
Gildarts was the first to jump onto the dragon's broad back.
He reached down to help the others, but Ur simply waved her hand.
"Ice Make: Stairs."
A crystalline staircase formed out of thin air, leading up to Raizel's back.
Ur guided the children up safely.
"Hold on tight. I'm taking off," Raizel warned.
With a powerful thrust of his wings, they ascended.
Raizel flew at a moderate speed, mindful of Ultear clinging to Ur's coat.
"So beautiful..." Ultear whispered, her eyes wide with wonder.
From above, the world was a painting of white and blue.
The frozen lakes looked like polished mirrors, and the mountains were jagged teeth biting into the sky.
It was a perspective she had never imagined.
Gray and Lyon were less poetic, shouting "WOAH!" every time Raizel banked or dipped.
It was noisy enough that Raizel considered doing a barrel roll just to quiet them down.
"We're almost there," Ur shouted over the wind, patting the dragon's armored neck.
"I see it," Raizel replied.
He spotted the town in the distance. "Let's land here and walk the rest of the way. I don't want to cause a panic."
...
"Miki, I'm entrusting these three to you. We'll come back to pick them up before evening," Ul pleaded with her friend, a retired mage who ran a small magic school.
"Don't worry, leave them to me," Miki smiled, ushering the children inside.
Then she paused, looking at the little girl clinging to Ur's leg.
"But... wasn't Ultear...?"
Miki remembered the nights she had spent comforting a sobbing Ur after the news of her daughter's death.
"It's a long story," Ur smiled, a radiant look of peace on her face as she stroked Ultear's hair.
"I'll explain everything when I get back. This is my daughter, Ultear. She's home."
"I see," Miki's eyes softened. "Go. Be careful."
Ur turned and walked back to Raizel and Gildarts, her face hardening into a warrior's mask.
"Let's move."
Raizel nodded.
Once they were out of sight of the town, he transformed back into Imperialdramon Dragon Mode.
"Hold on. I'm picking up the speed this time. We need to end this quickly."
They shot across the sky like a white comet.
Within minutes, they arrived at the desolate valley Raizel had scouted.
Raizel landed silently on a ridge.
Below them, the massive form of Deliora was still curled up in the snow, dormant.
"Should we try a surprise attack?" Gildarts whispered. "I don't have long-range attacks, but if we hit it hard enough..."
"We can try," Ul agreed.
They crept closer on foot, using the rocky terrain for cover.
Raizel pointed to the cave mouth where the demon lay.
"The cave walls will obstruct a direct blast," Ul whispered.
"Doesn't matter. We'll bring the roof down on its head," Raizel signaled.
Ur nodded, then she placed her hands together.
"Ice Make: Ice Cannon!" A massive bazooka made of ice formed on her shoulder.
Raizel switched forms.
"Take Over: Jesmon."
The three sword spirits—At, Rene, and Poru—formed a triangle behind him, beginning to charge energy for One for All.
"ROAR————!!"
Suddenly, Deliora's eyes snapped open.
The surge of magical energy nearby had woken it.
The demon scrambled to its feet and unleashed a roar that shook the mountains.
"Not good, it's awake! FIRE!" Raizel shouted.
He released One for All prematurely.
A beam of green light shot forward.
Simultaneously, Ul pulled the trigger, launching a massive ice missile.
The two attacks converged at the cave mouth just as Deliora prepared another roar.
BOOOM!
The explosion was deafening. The cave entrance collapsed, burying the demon under tons of rock and ice.
"Did we get it?" Gildarts asked.
"ROAR————!!"
The rubble exploded outward.
Deliora rose from the debris, furious.
It was bleeding, its armored skin cracked, but it was far from dead. It charged at them, the ground shaking with every step.
"Fall back! Draw it to the open!" Gildarts yelled.
Raizel took to the air.
"Take Over: Omegamon!"
He switched forms instantly. The Garuru Cannon on his right arm lit up.
"Garuru Missiles!"
A volley of freezing missiles rained down, creating a wall of ice and explosions to block Deliora's path, buying Ur and Gildarts time to retreat to the open basin.
"Now! Restrain it!"
Ur slammed her hands onto the frozen ground. "Ice Make: Spinning Lotus!"
Massive petals of razor-sharp ice erupted from the earth, slicing into Deliora's legs.
"Break Evil, Reveal Justice!" Gildarts leaped into the air, his fist glowing white.
He punched Deliora's left knee. The crushing magic shattered the demon's armor and bone.
"Absolute Zero!" Raizel fired a concentrated beam of cold energy at the demon's right foot, freezing it solid to the ground.
Deliora roared in pain, thrashing wildly. It swung its massive arms, shattering the ice, but it was losing balance.
"Drop it!" Gildarts yelled. He slammed his palm into the ground. "Crush!"
The earth beneath Deliora's feet disintegrated into a fine powder.
The demon lost its footing and crashed face-first into the snow.
"Ice Make: Rose Garden!"
Ur didn't let up.
Giant vines of ice, adorned with thorns, sprouted instantly. They wrapped around Deliora's limbs, neck, and torso, binding it to the shattered earth.
"Good! Hold him!" Raizel shouted from above.
He switched forms one last time.
"Take Over: Jesmon!"
The three spirits formed the prism again. This time, Raizel poured everything he had into it.
"OS Generics: One For All!"
The green energy built up, humming with a terrifying pitch.
Below, Ur gritted her teeth, pouring her magic into the Rose Garden to keep the struggling demon pinned.
Gildarts stood ready, smashing any limb that broke free.
"NOW!"
Raizel fired.
A pillar of emerald light, thick enough to swallow a house, shot down from the sky.
It struck Deliora dead center.
There was no scream as the demon was simply erased.
The beam drilled through its body and deep into the earth, vaporizing rock and ice alike.
The shockwave knocked Ur and Gildarts off their feet. Dust and steam filled the valley.
Silence returned to the Northern Frontier.
Raizel floated down, panting. He sent his spirits into the crater to check.
"Target eliminated. No life signs."
"It's dead," Raizel announced, landing beside Ul and Gildarts. "Deliora is gone."
The three of them looked at each other, covered in snow and dust, and then high-fived.
"Let's make sure," Gildarts said, ever cautious.
They walked to the edge of the crater.
At the bottom, only a few charred fragments of the demon remained.
Its head and torso were completely gone.
"That beam..." Gildarts whistled. "It seems to have a property that suppresses demons. It cut through its immortality like butter."
"Vaccine attribute," Raizel muttered, too tired to explain Digimon typing.
"Just in case," Raizel said.
He and Ur froze the remaining fragments in a block of eternal ice. "There. It won't be coming back."
Raizel sat down heavily in the snow. "Alright, let's head back. But... uh... we have to walk."
"Why?" Ur asked.
Raizel gave a weak thumbs up. "I'm completely drained. Not a drop of magic left in my body. No flying dragon ride home."
Gildarts laughed loudly, slapping Raizel on the back.
"Walk it is! Good training for the legs!"
"Fuck you, old man."
-----
Jesmon Ability :
Un Pour Tous (Fra: One For All): Fires a beam from a triangular shield formed by At, Rene, and Poru.
Judgement of the Blade[6] (轍剣成敗 Tekken Seibai)
Carves the opponent to pieces with the blades on its arms while moving at high speed.
Weltgeist (Schwertgeist, Deu: Sword Ghost): Uses an omnidirectional counter technique alongside "At", "Rene", and "Poru" that meets every enemy attack with their nine blades.
Aus Generics (OS Generics): Temporarily rewrites its own data to perform actions that transcend the laws of nature, such as breaking the speed of light to slash the opponent.