Emptiness.
That's what one sees when they look up at the
blackness of space. But do they feel empty? Do they feel lost
and lonely in a seemingly uncaring universe? Some admit it.
Most pretend like there's greater meaning in the universe.
They wait all their lives to be drafted by it before finally
succumbing to their worst fears. Few have transcended these
fears by shaping their own destinies. Be it on a midsummer
night or a cold winter morning, even the most righteous have
looked up at the infinite blackness of space only to lower
their heads in uncertainty. But in the face of the unknown,
the human mind has two distinct reactions. One is fear. The
other is conquering that fear. Humans must know how things
work. So why is it that when we finally locate an answer,
we are quickly taken aback by more questions? Are we in some
way responsible for these answers? Our sciences have detected
laws in the universe. We've studied these laws very thoroughly.
And when we thought we had it all figured out, the universe
defied these laws by doing something completely out of the
ordinary. Maybe it's because the universe is constantly changing?
Maybe it's one giant reserve designed by eldritch abominations
with us as their unwitting puppets?
Sometimes we forget how everything we see,
touch, smell, and experience is a byproduct of our brains,
and nothing is or ever will be what it seems.
Long ago, King Ghidorah discovered the truth.
But it infected him with madness. If there's a destiny meant
for everyone, Ghidorah was no exception. The three-headed
dragon may have once been seen as a messiah, a harbinger of
peace and tranquility. Now every space faring civilization
knew him as death incarnate, the harbinger of doom. Civilizations
capable of glassing entire planets, genetic modifications,
and interstellar travel avoid King Ghidorah at all cost. Even
Earth's mightiest creatures fear him. Now there are whispers
throughout the universe about King Ghidorah prevailing against
the monstrous Bagan, reclaiming his ominous mantle as the
most evil force in the cosmos. While some of these rumors
were untrue, King Ghidorah chose flight over fight and left
Earth's monsters to vanquish Bagan, one thing is for certain:
Ghidorah's evil reigns.
Not many stars could be seen in the dark veil
of space. Contrary to popular belief, stars were rarely seen
or encountered by cosmic travelers. In a universe littered
with trillions of stars, it's still very difficult for a human
to see and use them to navigate. King Ghidorah experienced
no such difficulties. Compared to humans, Ghidorah's senses
were far more attuned to the cosmic landscape. He didn't need
light to see. Scientists speculate Ghidorah used a form of
quantum harmonics to navigate. Others believed he could sense
the gravitational pull of distant stars, feasting on their
elements before seeking out planets teeming with life. So
when the golden dragon approached an asteroid belt brimming
with life, King Ghidorah was morbidly pleased. To change his
trajectory, Ghidorah's wings manipulated the gravity around
his body. Like a shark stalking its prey in the sea, Ghidorah
anticipated this unexpected snack. Despite his insanity, Ghidorah
faintly recalled a similar occurrence thousands of years before.
At first his memory was fuzzy. But as he drifted closer to
his prey, Ghidorah realized he was looking at both the past
and the present in the face.
Dozens of crystallized organisms called these
asteroids their home. At first King Ghidorah couldn't be seen
amidst the void. But as he drifted into the luminance provided
by the crystal creatures, King Ghidorah's memory came to fruition.
This is not the first time he's encountered this strange species.
On the planet Mars, Ghidorah found them cowering in large
numbers. Ghidorah slew them without hesitation. It would appear
there were more of them. And they helped shed light on another
matter: his ravaged body. Many of his scars paid homage to
Ghidorah's battle with Bagan, Earth's monsters, and his cosmic
rival. Ghidorah shrieked a silent curse in the space vacuum.
This was all a trap. Since that day on Earth, Ghidorah knew
he was being hunted. It would appear SpaceGodzilla's gambit
was about to payoff.
A flash of crimson light pierced the black
vacuum. King Ghidorah braced himself as SpaceGodzilla's corona
beam lanced into his golden hide. Ghidorah's scales tried
in vain to project a barrier to thwart SpaceGodzilla's signature
attack. Remarkably, the damage was minor. Time was nothing
but a thorn in Ghidorah's side. It could've been months since
SpaceGodzilla started his hunt. That left him more than enough
time to heal most of his wounds. It was time to find out if
SpaceGodzilla was in better shape. King Ghidorah's senses
alerted him to SpaceGodzilla's whereabouts. Inside King Ghidorah's
maws, gravitational forces met golden light. Three lightning
bolt shaped beams shot out of King Ghidorah's jaws, striking
SpaceGodzilla's unseen form. Explosions carved light into
the blackness, revealing SpaceGodzilla's demonic shape. One
of his shoulder crystals gleamed with unholy light. The other
was partially damaged. It would seem since their last encounter
the shoulder crystal had started healing. Only it hadn't reached
full power yet. Ignoring the lesser crystal organisms, King
Ghidorah propelled himself into the cosmic saurian. SpaceGodzilla
couldn't hear his painful shrieks as King Ghidorah's teeth
shredded his flesh. But the cosmic saurian was anything but
helpless. He grabbed King Ghidorah's bulky necks, pumping
high voltages of electricity into them. All it did was make
King Ghidorah's jaws bite down harder. In a last ditch effort,
SpaceGodzilla summoned his cosmic power, and unleashed a massive
electromagnetic wave from all corners of his body. The white
hot energies washed over King Ghidorah, superheating his flesh
into molten blisters. Quickly, King Ghidorah retreated back.
SpaceGodzilla felt his energy return. In space,
SpaceGodzilla didn't need a tower to retrieve energy from
dying stars. There's plenty of energy out here for him to
sate his hunger. SpaceGodzilla's red eyes closed into tiny
slits. King Ghidorah was on the move. The three-headed dragon
tried to ram SpaceGodzilla into the asteroids. But SpaceGodzilla
flew above him at the last second. In a blinding light, SpaceGodzilla's
back transformed into a massive spiky shell. Before King Ghidorah
could counter, SpaceGodzilla rammed him into an asteroid.
The asteroid instantly exploded into thousands of smaller
pieces. King Ghidorah felt SpaceGodzilla's gigantic crystal
spikes poking into his body. Now it was King Ghidorah's turn
to blast SpaceGodzilla off. Crimson lightning bolts shot out
of the spikes on his wings, frying SpaceGodzilla's dark blue
flesh. SpaceGodzilla started floating back, albeit very slowly.
King Ghidorah cackled in rage. This was an insult! He needed
SpaceGodzilla to retreat faster. The longer it took for him
to move away, the longer his stabbing spikes would make Ghidorah
suffer. There was enough room for Ghidorah to lift up his
legs and kick SpaceGodzilla's face. This sent SpaceGodzilla
reeling backwards. But Ghidorah recognized SpaceGodzilla's
true intent. The cosmic saurian was going to charge at him
again. But this time Ghidorah would be ready.
The two cosmic horrors met in a bone shattering
collision. At first it looked as if King Ghidorah would prevail.
But SpaceGodzilla was not so easily beaten. Summoning more
comic power, SpaceGodzilla overpowered King Ghidorah, and
rammed him through several mountain sized asteroids. Before
striking the largest asteroid in the belt, SpaceGodzilla's
body radiated with light. No longer just a physical being,
SpaceGodzilla was a living ball of energy. King Ghidorah's
scales melted in the face of blistering heat. The last thing
he saw before slipping into the void was SpaceGodzilla ramming
him into the giant asteroid, engulfing both monsters in a
large explosion. King Ghidorah floated aimlessly in space,
unconscious. SpaceGodzilla watched him closely. He could not
attack for his energy cells were shot. It'll take a few moments
for SpaceGodzilla's power to return. Until then the cosmic
saurian would have to familiarize himself with the crystal
organisms nearby. They had a familiar energy signature. SpaceGodzilla
couldn't explain why he shared an empathic relationship to
them. Are they related to the crystals he himself are bonded
to? SpaceGodzilla confessed he didn't know anything about
his heritage. All he could remember was a memory that predated
his existence. A memory that was not his own.
It began and ended with a calling. Godzilla
cells had somehow reached the outskirts of space, where they
were assimilated by these crystal beings. The result was a
hideous mutation, the birth of one of the most dangerous beings
to ever haunt the endless shores of space. SpaceGodzilla was
much like his genetic father in the beginning. He wasn't aware
of his existence. That was until the crystals opened his mind,
planting an idea that has defined him since. And with this
memory comes another, one that all of his crystal kin share.
There is nothing more important in life than dominance. Life
itself is chaotic. To achieve godhood, it must have a guiding
hand. It must have a ruler. One who not only understands but
believes in its purpose. SpaceGodzilla is the instrument of
this idea. He is the guiding hand of the crystal singularity.
SpaceGodzilla's shoulder crystals glowed. King
Ghidorah was stirring. There were many obstacles preventing
SpaceGodzilla's rule from becoming a universal reality. King
Ghidorah was one of them. Baptized in madness, the three-headed
dragon reveled in chaos and misery. Before slaying the King
of Terror, SpaceGodzilla hesitated. King Ghidorah would've
made a mighty knight in his empire. But he'll have to make
an even better sacrifice. Cosmic energy churned inside SpaceGodzilla's
demented mouth. Before firing, King Ghidorah's six red eyes
opened in unison. SpaceGodzilla fired his corona beam only
to watch in dismay as it was blasted apart by King Ghidorah's
gravity beams. But obliterating SpaceGodzilla's attack wasn't
enough. The gravity beams stabbed into SpaceGodzilla's illuminating
figure. SpaceGodzilla's cries went unheard. King Ghidorah
kept blasting the cosmic saurian, charring and shredding its
flesh. When the energy attacks ceased and SpaceGodzilla could
think about other less painful things, King Ghidorah pounced
on him from behind. All three of King Ghidorah's jaws tightly
gripped SpaceGodzilla's neck. Red lightning snaked into King
Ghidorah's necks, ravaging his unseen muscles. But Ghidorah
persevered.
Penetrating SpaceGodzilla's skin was by no
means an easy feat. Not only because of its thickness and
SpaceGodzilla's rapid healing factor, but because of its reinforced
crystal skeleton. But SpaceGodzilla's skeletal structure was
not impervious. King Ghidorah treated SpaceGodzilla's neck
as a jigsaw piece, twisting and crunching in the right areas.
King Ghidorah's senses once again served him well, acting
much like a sixth sense. All SpaceGodzilla could do was burden
the pain and pray he'd somehow survive. Much like how King
Ghidorah lost consciousness earlier, so too would SpaceGodzilla.
But before his lights went out, SpaceGodzilla felt an excruciating
pain. With his jaws and neck muscles, King Ghidorah snapped
SpaceGodzilla's neck, and left him floating in space. But
it was not the end of SpaceGodzilla. The cosmic saurian silently
floated away, as if being reeled in by an unseen force. King
Ghidorah's senses picked up an abnormal presence. Somewhere
in the dark, he was being watched. King Ghidorah licked the
blood off his lips in anticipation. SpaceGodzilla's flesh
tasted good. He wanted more. But this new challenger must
not be ignored. King Ghidorah waited patiently for what felt
like hours. During that time, King Ghidorah reflected on his
rivalry with SpaceGodzilla, and how he played a role in his
creation.
During the time of the dinosaurs, King Ghidorah
roamed the solar system Earth called home. He journeyed to
Mars, where he encountered SpaceGodzilla's crystal ancestors.
Ghidorah wiped them out without a second thought. Yet he failed
in destroying them all. Some must've departed the red planet,
migrating to places lightyears away. Others took up refuge
in close proximity of the neighboring gas giants. Where they
assimilated Godzilla cells and evolved into SpaceGodzilla
remained a mystery. King Ghidorah should've hunted them down
from the very beginning. Now he must contend with a foe that
is every bit his equal. King Ghidorah hated SpaceGodzilla,
possibly more than the King of the Monsters himself. Life's
a disease. It's a cruel joke. King Ghidorah hated life from
the moment it was first given to him. Not because survival
was difficult. No, King Ghidorah hated life because the concept
was inherently flawed. There's no meaning behind it, nothing
justifies its existence. There's no supreme authority of which
to abide by. There's another reason why King Ghidorah hated
life so much. Not long after his birth, King Ghidorah discovered
the truth behind its abysmal purpose. He can't remember what
it was about the truth that had driven him insane. Then along
came SpaceGodzilla, seeking dominion over these flawed abortions.
King Ghidorah didn't care how evil SpaceGodzilla was. He didn't
care how much of a ruthless tyrant SpaceGodzilla would someday
become. It was his god complex that earned him Ghidorah's
hatred. SpaceGodzilla should've known better. With all his
power and intellect, he should've joined King Ghidorah in
carrying out his apocalyptic crusade. But SpaceGodzilla refused
to see the truth. He refused to give in to madness. He refused
to believe in Ghidorah.
King Ghidorah will kill him for that. He would've
killed him even if he didn't have a reason.
That's when King Ghidorah saw it. It was the
outline of a dwarf planet. Ethereal swirls of blue and green
light started illuminating its surface. King Ghidorah found
it eerily pleasant. But the hypnotic hold it had quickly faded
when Ghidorah saw what emerged out of it. Countless crystal
organisms flocked to SpaceGodzilla's beckoning. They forfeited
their power, accelerating SpaceGodzilla's regeneration. Within
seconds his broken neck was healed. SpaceGodzilla sensed these
creatures were nothing more than mindless drones. They were
sent to obey his every command. SpaceGodzilla transformed
their unique shapes into crystal spears. King Ghidorah couldn't
believe what he was seeing. SpaceGodzilla's army of drones
had transformed into an armada of crystal missiles. With a
silent shriek, SpaceGodzilla launched them at his enemy. King
Ghidorah flew straight at them, dodging the first wave with
relative ease. Gravity beams shot out of his jaws, obliterating
those he deemed were too close for comfort. Suddenly, SpaceGodzilla
stopped firing them. King Ghidorah paused in suspended space,
confused by SpaceGodzilla's decision to stop. Why did he cease
firing the crystal missiles? King Ghidorah knew he couldn't
avoid them all. That's when it dawned on Ghidorah to turn
around. Those crystal missiles he dodged earlier had stopped
and spun around. They were coming back for him. That's when
SpaceGodzilla launched the rest. King Ghidorah opened fire,
blasting a good chunk of the crystals that were coming back
for seconds. But that left his back exposed and unguarded.
Dozens of crystal missiles shattered against his thick golden
scales, burning them with its white hot explosions. King Ghidorah
retaliated with his gravity beams and red lightning strikes,
destroying many oncoming crystal missiles in his wake. SpaceGodzilla's
corona beam curved around many of his crystal missiles, stabbing
into Ghidorah's middle head. Several crystal missiles punched
through Ghidorah's wings, severely weakening his control over
gravity. That's when the King of Terror concentrated on the
source of his burdens. Three gravity beams shot past the crystal
missiles, closing in on the hovering SpaceGodzilla. An energy
shield thwarted them before they could inflict further harm.
SpaceGodzilla mocked King Ghidorah, blasting him with corona
beams, crystal missiles, and electromagnetic waves. Explosions
of light and fire eclipsed King Ghidorah's demented shape.
But SpaceGodzilla stopped when he realized Ghidorah was radiating
most of that light.
King Ghidorah shined so bright, he resembled
a miniature star. But all that energy was being funneled to
his three mouths. SpaceGodzilla's crystal missiles blew up
prematurely before they could get anywhere close. When King
Ghidorah fired his supercharged gravity beams, SpaceGodzilla
diverted all of his power to his energy shield. King Ghidorah's
blinding strike struck SpaceGodzilla's shield. Slivers of
the yellow hued energies deflected off the shield's translucent
surface. Most of the destructive energies proved too much
for SpaceGodzilla's shield to handle. Before long, King Ghidorah's
gravity beams dissipated the shield, and consumed SpaceGodzilla
entirely. It wasted no time in stripping the flesh from his
crystal bones. His reinforced crystal sternum disintegrated,
exposing his veins, arteries, and entrails to a hellish existence.
Before SpaceGodzilla could die, King Ghidorah's gravity beams
faded. With his energy cells depleted, Ghidorah would have
to wait for his body to recharge. But he shouldn't wait for
SpaceGodzilla to restore his health. Floating in a cloud of
ash and blood, SpaceGodzilla stirred. His shoulder crystals
burned bright red. Wisps of smoke curled off his crystals
and scorched hide. Never before had SpaceGodzilla endured
so much pain. At the cost of most of his flesh, SpaceGodzilla's
crystals were fully charged. It would seem they saw King Ghidorah's
energy attack as nothing more than a buffet. It was strange
how he could see the inner workings of his body. SpaceGodzilla
stared at his skeletal hand, stunned to see the energy coursing
through his exposed veins and muscles. He couldn't feel pain
anymore. This was a good thing. It would've slowed him down.
That's when SpaceGodzilla caught his reflection off his skeletal
hand. There was almost no skin left on his face and neck.
SpaceGodzilla watched the horn on his forehead glow with immense
cosmic power. It conveyed his rage perfectly. King Ghidorah
answered by flying straight at him. SpaceGodzilla spewed his
strongest corona beam. With most of his power behind it, the
corona beam closed in on King Ghidorah. It stabbed into Ghidorah's
middle head, overheating his brain until parts of it popped.
It zapped down his spinal column, blasting in and out of his
backside. King Ghidorah's painful cry was so loud, SpaceGodzilla
wondered if he actually heard it or not. Still King Ghidorah
continued flying straight at SpaceGodzilla. When the King
of Terror rammed into SpaceGodzilla, the collision shattered
his upper and lower body. But it didn't stop there. Both monsters
were on a one way trip to the dwarf planet below them. The
same ethereal force from before greeted them with open arms.
Falling at speeds greater than sound, King Ghidorah wondered
if he'd survive the impact. To ensure his survival, King Ghidorah
made sure SpaceGodzilla would cushion the blow for him. SpaceGodzilla
had other ideas. He impaled Ghidorah's abdomen with his tail.
Fighting the agonizing pain, Ghidorah's side heads crunched
SpaceGodzilla's bloody neck. The middle head flailed without
any sense of control or awareness. To make matters worse,
SpaceGodzilla transformed his entire lower body into crystal
spikes. To do this he had to pull his tail in. This pulled
Ghidorah's body closer to his. When this happened his crystals
sliced Ghidorah open, spilling out massive amounts of blood.
That's when the two monsters heard each other
for the first time in months. It was because they had fallen
through the planet's atmosphere. They fell through its hypnotic
luminance, screaming. Thousands of feet below, a crystal kingdom
brimming with cosmic lust waited for them. When the two giants
made impact, millions of tons of rock and crystal shot up.
Mountains miles away trembled as the land itself shook apart.
Inside the massive crater, SpaceGodzilla's broken body rested.
His shoulder crystals crumbled into broken shards. His heartbeat
was faint. SpaceGodzilla felt his life slipping into the abyss
beyond the void. King Ghidorah was in better condition. Although
most of his bones were broken, King Ghidorah's wings had been
left intact. He could still fly himself out of here if he
wanted to. But the impact left both of his right and left
heads unconscious. Only the middle one was close to being
lucid. But it wasn't thinking clearly. It was caught somewhere
between its conscious and subconscious. It was neither dead
nor alive. And so Ghidorah regained what it once lost. He
remembered everything about his life. He remembered how he
was born into life and how he was born into madness. The other
heads regained consciousness shortly thereafter. It took hours
for the middle one to recover and synchronize with the other
two. Controlling gravity, King Ghidorah ascended above the
fallen SpaceGodzilla, drifting further and further into the
dark heavens. Unbeknownst to the King of Terror, webs of crystals
popped out of the ground, ensnaring their Cosmic Sultan. They
endowed his cold body with their cosmic power, imbuing him
with new life. SpaceGodzilla opened one of his eyes, thankful
to be alive. It didn't matter if he lost the battle. King
Ghidorah believed him to be dead. One day, SpaceGodzilla will
return stronger than ever before, and win this war once and
for all.
King Ghidorah sailed across the cosmic seas.
Once again time was a cruel adversary. It will take months
for him to make a full recovery. He couldn't risk attacking
a planet infected by sentient life. In his fragile state,
he didn't like his chances against even the most primitive
civilization. For now King Ghidorah would have to settle to
feed off backwater creatures or solar energy. He purged his
thoughts of the Cosmic Sultan, SpaceGodzilla. They will fight
again someday. Strangely enough, it's not how close SpaceGodzilla
came to winning that troubled Ghidorah. No, it's how his recovered
memories made him feel. He regained them shortly after venturing
into the abyss, where gods and monsters alike are devoured
by the nightmares of mortals. Eons ago, King Ghidorah discovered
the ultimate truth, and it drove him mad. Today, the King
of Terror remembered why. If there is or once was a God, then
it is responsible for King Ghidorah's existence. For in a
time before time, God dreamt of a nightmare and it took the
shape of a three-headed dragon. That's the truth behind Ghidorah's
purpose should he choose to believe in it. But since he believes
in nothing, then madness is the only truth Ghidorah will ever
know. With this revelation, King Ghidorah didn't feel any
different. He felt the same as he did the previous day. He
felt rage. He felt loneliness. He felt his black soul seething
with evil.
He felt empty.
