| Match 50: |
 |
| By: Thomas Singleton |
|
White hot plasma lanced into Monster X's face,
hurtling the gaunt humanoid into the side of a mountain, causing
an avalanche. Mounds of dirt and rock tumbled down, burying
Monster X. As the armor around his face steamed and sizzled
into molten slag, Monster X’s six red eyes glared at the
terrifying creature standing before him.
It was the largest creature on Earth. The creature
looked like a demonic dragon as it stood upright. Armor made
of steel and bone shielded its tainted brown flesh. Demonic
horns stretched out of its head and nose. Its shoulders were
laced with bony spurs. It had a long armored tail. As its blood
red eyes glowed, Bagan shrieked a monstrous roar.
For the first time in its awful existence, Monster
X quivered with fear. It had heard stories of this abomination.
Even though Earth was a tiny speck in the vacuum of space, its
gigantic inhabitants were infamous throughout the cosmos. Monster
X's creators warned him of monsters like Godzilla, King Kong,
Mothra and Gamera. But tales of Bagan were extremely rare and
with good reason. All space faring civilizations believed in
the same superstition: Bagan was a demon made flesh. Some believed
he was a dragon that had forsaken its soul. Others believe the
humans had combined its DNA with Godzilla and King Ghidorah
to create a living god. Or maybe he was once the guardian of
a forest that had lost its way. Nevertheless, all agreed Bagan
was now evil incarnate. All they could do was pray he’d
one day disappear.
Monster X closed and opened his eyes. Bagan was
still there. If the demon could express emotion, it’d
be mocking Monster X with a demented smile. Bagan’s horns
crackled with light. Monster X quickly pulled himself to his
feet. That’s when he froze. The air around him warped
and hissed with static. A few seconds later, glowing diamonds
rained from the sky. Monster X learned the hard way that they
were really hot ionized gas. Monster X screamed as Bagan’s
burning projectiles punched through his armor, boiling his veins
and entrails.
Bagan chuckled.
When the diamond storm stopped, Monster X quickly
retaliated. Although his body felt like a furnace, Monster X
had sufficient willpower to continue fighting. Bagan watched
the alien jump up and slap him in the face with its tail. As
soon as he landed, Monster X struck Bagan’s bulk with
a series of punches and kicks that would’ve incapacitated
even the strongest of monsters.
Bagan felt nothing.
Seeing the futility of his attacks made Monster
X extremely nervous. He jumped up, hoping to have better luck
with Bagan's face. Instead the nefarious dragon greeted him
with a thunderous plasma blast. Once again Monster X was hurtled
backwards into the mountain. But Bagan kept pouring more and
more plasma. To Monster X’s surprise, he was blasted not
only into the mountain but out the other side! On his knees,
a wary Monster X gazed into the newly formed hole of the mountain.
Bagan glared at him from the other side. Instead of firing another
plasma ray, Bagan trudged forward. Each step Bagan took shook
the earth. As Bagan clawed his way into the mountain, the walls
started to cave in around him. Before Monster X’s very
eyes, Bagan vanished in a haze of dust and rock, buried alive
in the heart of the mountain.
Monster X gaped at the mountain, astonished.
Had the fates handed him victory? The Earth was a living being.
It hated Monster X, but perhaps it saw him as the lesser of
two evils? Monster X didn’t care. This would be his greatest
triumph. His creators would reward him with pleasures beyond
his wildest dreams and nightmares. Very soon, Monster X would
become the most feared name in all creation. The universe will
run red with the blood of billions as they curse his name!
The mountain trembled, freezing Monster X’s
black heart. This couldn’t be happening! It’d take
days for even the mightiest monsters to break out of a mountain.
But it didn’t take Bagan days; it took him a few minutes.
In a showcase of raw power, Bagan charged out of the mountainside,
heralding the end of days. Monster X answered with an onslaught
of hot yellow hued bolts from his eyes. However, not even Monster
X's gravity bolts could deter Bagan. All they could do was splash
harmlessly against his thick skin and bone.
Bagan rammed into Monster X at full speed. The
air was not the only thing knocked out of Monster X’s
lungs. Blood spurted out of Monster X’s mouth. The armor
around his chest shattered, while the bones underneath cracked.
When Monster X hit the ground, he made an impact crater. Monster
X was so dazed he couldn’t hear or feel the footsteps.
Bagan loomed above him. Bagan’s hand moved at speeds that
bellied his massive size. With the swipe of his claw, Bagan
ripped Monster X’s bottom jaw clean off. There was so
much blood; Monster X started choking on it. Relishing in the
bloodshed, Bagan assaulted the dying alien. Skin, blood, and
strips of organs quickly found themselves dangling from Bagan’s
claws.
He tortured Monster X for hours. When Bagan finally
stopped, Monster X had become nothing more than a pool of blood
and mangled flesh. Bagan turned away, facing the blood red horizon.
Was it just a coincidence or the beginning of annihilation?
Humanity responded with swarms of fighter jets,
helicopters, tanks, and maser cannons. Kiryu and Mechagodzilla,
robotic doppelgangers of the atomic menace known as Godzilla,
descended from the sky. The fighting machine Moguera arrived
next to them. So did the robot Jet Jaguar. Mankind would not
face this threat alone for his life was not the only one at
stake for Bagan threatened all life. The Earth sent its protectors
Mothra, a moth goddess; Battra, the dark Mothra; Gamera, the
Guardian of the Universe to aid the planet in its time of need.
Ultraman entered Earth’s orbit, taking his place amongst
the protectors of the world. King Kong arrived on all fours,
pounding his chest in defiance. Spores of light poured out of
the heavens, seeding the earth with Biollante’s vines.
Even the beasts from Monster Island arrived to cleanse the world
of Bagan’s evil. Rodan sliced the air at supersonic speeds.
Anguirus, King Caesar, Gorosaurus, Baragon, Titanosaurus, and
Gomora shook the land as they made their presence known.
In front of the Monster Island denizens was a
creature so majestic and feared that it gave even Bagan cause
for alarm. Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, shrieked an ear
piercing roar as he led his brethren into war.
Bagan growled. An army of mutants, giants, machines,
and gods now opposed him. Such an alliance had never been dreamed
of let alone assembled. But the fate of the world now rested
on their shoulders. The air grew cold as Bagan’s wicked
laughter cursed the winds. Every living creature on the planet
felt a chill of terror ensnare their souls. Those that opposed
him suddenly felt waves of doubt. Maybe this is all for naught?
Maybe they can’t do what needs to be done? One thing is
for certain. Should they beat Bagan here and now, it’ll
be the dawning of a new golden age. But should Bagan triumph,
it will usher in a new era of darkness and despair.
To be continued…
|
