The Queen and her loyal Knight (Armor Hunt) (Cion)

Cion could not help herself but to chuckle with glee. The sentiment of Sir Royland acting akin to a drill sergeant was both incredibly gobsmacking and amusing. It was simply difficult for her to imagine the delightfully cordial lad to be a fierce commander. Then again, he was a white knight who preferred to leave nothing to chance, similar to her. He was at heart a paladin of goodwill, so who was better suited to raise an army from the ground up than an experienced paragon of his calibre? That was why she often nodded approvingly in spite of her joining his sereneness.

Once more, the silver fennec approved of the fine Spadamon's suggestion to cooperate with his digidestined partner Kazuya to form official alliances. It was true that the young man had excellent charisma compared to most humans who were rather placid in comparison to his self-assuredness and dedication. If anyone of ASCENSION was capable of forging pacts with groups of either species it was likely him. And though it was a fact that Rome was not built in a single day, that did not mean she was not anticipating the completion of their first cornerstone and what lingered beyond.

Not saying a word, the restrained Arniomon noticed the emergence of Roy's silence and lost in thought state. For a while, she merely observed him and his comely frame that was covered in the moon's soft yet radiant light. To her, it was almost as if she looked directly at his soul - so beaming it was. Even now, the felicity and gratitude she felt was nearly unfathomable. Where had he been all these years? Then again, she did not complain. Perhaps it was precisely the anguish she had endured that had allowed them to meet and forge a bond.

Whatever the truth of the matter was, it no longer was of relevance to her. Cion was just glad that her dream was neither forlorn nor inconceivable. The support of her dearly treasured companion helped her with her firm conviction that the future did not have to be feared. If people worked for progress and prosperity... then maybe everything was possible. Which was exactly why the fiends they awaited had to be stopped quickly and relentlessly.

Throughout the night, Cion was quite capable of sleeping, yet she refused to due to her sense of duty. It was likely a decision she would bewail eventually, but it was nothing that could not be fixed with a hot cup of delicious coffee. Nonetheless, as she guarded her resting companions who deservedly savored repose, she continued to contemplate every experience she had made thus far. The mistakes and lessons learned, it was her deepest wish to do as most did not - actually learn from them and create something better. Being an ideal leader... whatever it took, there was no other option than becoming one.

As always grasping the unequaled responsibility the digital universe's fate and she herself had imposed on her, it was still with utmost placidity that the tiny fennec faced the future. Ultimately, there was no reason for her to be afraid or sorrow-stricken. Her aspirations were an inherent improvement to the lingering status quo, hence neither time nor perceived shortcomings unsettled her. These days, it was impossible to solve the issues of the billions, if not trillions, of souls residing in this world. Only by forging a realm that gave the sufferers a chance to break the fulcrum themselves could lasting concord thrive and prevail.

Though the realization saddened the vulpine sentinel, it was simply a fact that things would never change if she proceeded to step into the lives of others and resolve their problems on an individual basis. The result of countless eras and heroes was proof of that. However, there was neither regret nor spite she felt for the radiant hearts who were eager to defend the weak and innocent. It was a noble cause and their efforts indirectly supported ASCENSION by keeping fiends at bay. Perhaps... all chess pieces were exactly on the correct spot.

Calmly, Cion watched as Sir Royland and Kazuya woke up from their rest. Realizing that several hours had past her by, she blinked once or twice before regaining her composure. Agreeing that some preparations did not hurt their plans, she attentively listened to the young man's suggestion. "No, the space-time distortion will suffice for a proper ambush." She relaxedly voiced her approval of the proposed scheme. It was simple yet effective, although an important question remained. "Capture or defragmentation?"

Regardless of the response, the restrained Arniomon, as she continued to sit on the window's sill, shifted her head and gaze to face the chivalric, white lion. His fascination delighted and amused her greatly, though she of course kept her ladylike poise. "Well... I'm not quite sure how to answer this. Every ability of a digimon is in essence channeling data. I can manipulate it to warp gravity for example, and you can perform powerful strikes." She argued, confident that this was nothing the fine paragon was not already aware of. "But if you wish to study it be my guest."

As for her own input concerning their next steps, she figuratively eradiated a gleaming aura of calmness. Folding her hands and placing them on her hip, she shrugged with a coltish smile. "I'd propose unfreezing our captives so they can play along. The rest... you've done well so far, so I leave it to you, unless you insist." Cion gladly spoke her trust in the competence of her two friends. After all, she was not a person who relished bossing others around. Her partners did admirably, which was exactly why she was absolutely willing to let them keep command.

An adequate leader had to have and show confidence in her followers and lieutenants.

Nodding approvingly, Cion allowed Sir Royland to perform his deed before following Kazuya to the designated cranny. It was not usually the fine lady's style to stay within the shadows and ambush those she opposed, but considering the fiends of noteworthy power that were bound to be their enemies it was a viable tactic - especially when keeping the thus far inhibited might of her most faithful lieutenant in mind. That was not meant as an insult, nor was she looking down at him. It was merely a statement of fact. And if his apex had been an Examon, a Mega, then there was still tremendous potential to be unleashed in his existence.

Perhaps today was destined to be another step towards ascension. Regardless, the trio had an important mission to fulfill to increase universal commonweal by thwarting a very dangerous ploy. Eventually, their prey arrived, though in a different way than expected. The concept of portals of darkness that transferred vile souls to wherever they pleased was aggravating yet nothing new to the vulpine sentinel. Nevertheless, it was an impressive feat, causing her to keep her guard while listening to the asininely flamboyant Astamon who was accompanied by a duo of Guardmon. Sluggish guards...

And the WereGarurumon done goofed! Certainly the restrained Arniomon had anticipated this outcome, but it was quite disheartening anyway - mostly because it must be a frustrating blow to her cherished companions. To her it was a matter of course that criminal savages were incapable of accomplishing even the easiest assignments; their daunting incompetence being one of the many reasons why she savored defragmenting puny evildoers with glee. Speaking of which, neither her feline friend nor his human partner had answered her previous question. Well then... a rum start, right?

As drumfire vanquished the silent tranquility of the glade, her gaze lingered on the chivalric knight who was extremely concerned. It was with her typical, calm poise that Cion smiled at him. Gently touching the top of his left paw, she gave him a reassuring thumbs up before motioning the frail, young man to lie low as close as possible to the grassy ground. For as long as material was in the way, the lad was safe from the bullets. With streams of protective data enveiling herself and her heroic paladin, the time had come for her to do as requested. Ten seconds was all she needed for an adequate setup.

Like a silver bolt of lightning, the small fennec appeared a dozen meters away from the felons and thugs, her relaxed stance and unyielding composure easily comprehensible. "You hold the vicious wolf hostage as leverage - irrational." The unassumingly supreme beast belittled the group of transgressors. With the volley of tiny projectiles likely aimed at her, it became painfully obvious that they were completely unable to pierce the barrier she had conjured for herself and her hidden ally. Comparatively, it was as if two Rookies attempted to penetrate the empowered defense of a Perfect. The scene at hand was... almost absurd.

Without shifting her legs and feet in the slightest, the leader of a soon to be renowned project raised her right arm and zeroed in on the general direction of the wooden shack. For the blink of an eye, her aureate irises swayed over to the Minotaurmon, Meramon and their boss. Hopefully, she had made it perfectly clear that divided loyalties was not countenanced by her. They might be destroyed by the demon and his pawns, but the paragon assured the certainty of her righteous relentlessness. Their current incarnations were of no concern to her, but likely to them.

"Nectar of the gods... abysmal. You toy with forces beyond your ken - no more." Cion stated firmly as she demonstrated a minuscule fraction of what they so desperately longed for, divinity, in spite of their lack of dedication and personal sacrifice. Mindless, just as well as their agonizing concoction. Harrumphing, her fervent volition manifested itself as three large, ethereal javelins of primordial energy that levitated motionlessly in the sky, warping the very fabric of reality. With a mere nudge of her finger they were hurled with inconceivable speed at the discourteous nightmare soldier and his frenzied wardens.

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Battle Log:

A bothersome sense of minor chagrin overcame the restrained Arniomon due to multiple reasons that struck her as disreputable. First was her deeply treasured friend's lack of tactical conduct, which was especially surprising given the extensive preparations they had made for their ambush. Did Sir Royland not desire to attain a swift and effective victory? What caused him to conclude that merely following her was the best approach? Ultimately, it was a wasted opportunity and she would let him be aware of that betimes, but during combat disputes among allies had to be brushed off, hence she did not voice her opinion.

Second, while Cion had the displeasing realization that the Astamon was not much different than the typical villains she had encountered throughout her existence, the actions of the WereGarurumon's minions managed to fill her with diffident annoyance. The criminals' fatuousness was simply boundless, was it not? Not affected in the slightest by their in vain, irrational sacrifice, she almost rolled her eyes as a reaction to their astounding exploit. At least, as a partial optimist, they did not have to bother themselves with the underlings anymore. Hopefully they'd find and cherish goodwill in Rosewood once they were purified of their former selves.

Lastly, after the demon's typically pseudo-benevolent speech, he and his hostage just disappeared through a dark portal. That was both unfavorable and highly anticlimactic. "Seems like ASCENSION has direct opposition." She speculated calmly as aureate irises shifted to the completely frenzied Assaultmons - a shameful waste of talent and life. Not feeling any ire, it was her feline partner's aura of rage that surprised her. It appeared he utilized fury, its origin she did not comprehend, to push himself beyond his limits and digivolve to a higher state of being.

GrapLeomon... a digimon of the Perfect level and a decent step on his road to absolute chivalric mastery and exemplariness. Somewhat charmed, if not amused by Roy's newfound cheerfulness, Cion decided to oblige him and accept his command - partially. Although dancing around her target as if she was an incomprehensibly swift and nimble silver bolt of lightning, her gaze lingered on the mighty lion. His potential intrigued her greatly.

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Battle Log: