VS.
VS.
Arena:
Author: GodzillavsRayquaza
Word Count: 6,590 words
Posted: February 16th, 2019
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Rodan cackled as he flew through the skies, a Skullcrawler caught in his talons. He watched as Titanosaurus sent another of the annoying predators flying with a kick, while Anguirus crushed a third Skullcrawler beneath his shell. Gorosaurus held strong against two of the hypervores, as Baragon scorched a retreating Skullcrawler with his heat ray. The sun shone brightly in the sky above the five, seemingly highlighting how casual the whole event was. The five kaiju were merely quashing a hive of the Skullcrawlers that had gotten too big, something they had no problem with doing.
Suddenly, Rodan heard a familiar roar strike his ears, but it was odd. He recognized it as Godzilla, but the source of the roar was seemingly above him. He looked up, only seeing the clouds in the blue sky. Then, there was a second roar, one far different and more terrifying.
The sunny, blue sky faded, replaced by pure darkness. Rodan fell from the heavens, visible tears in his wings. Despite the damage to them, he caught himself in midair. He looked up, seeing the source of the roars.
He saw Godzilla, the strongest creature the pteranodon had ever known, in the grip of an abomination. A black dragon with three heads on the ends of serpentine necks, wings as red as open wounds keeping him airborne. His right and left heads bit down on the alpha predator’s arms, the twin ends of his tail wrapped around his foe’s tail, as his center head reared back. Godzilla tried to fight back, but his arms were immobilized and bleeding profusely. Desghidorah’s center head opened its maw, letting loose a jet of hellfire that crashed against the alpha predator’s face. Godzilla tried to scream, but the fire burned his gills and choked him. Desghidorah stopped his assault, watching as the nuclear behemoth went limp.
The cosmic devil’s free mouth cackled in perverse, sadistic joy as he released his foe.
Rodan flew out of the way as the mighty alpha predator dropped from the skies like a meteor. The pteranodon watched as countless dinosaurs scattered below as Godzilla hit the ground, throwing up massive walls of dirt and trees as the earth shook. When it all settled, the nuclear behemoth was lying in a gargantuan crater, covered in gashes and burns. His chest still rose and fell with rhythmic breathing, but otherwise he did not move.
Rodan was transfixed by the sight, as his mind tried to piece together what had happened. That low, demonic call struck his ears again. The king of the skies looked up to see Desghidorah descending towards him, the devil dragon’s three maws wide open. Rodan flew away as fast as he could, and the super darkness dragon took chase. As the pteranodon weaved around a hail of fireballs which were spewed forth from Desghidorah’s jaws, the events of the past few days came flooding back to him.
This horrifying creature came from the sky just two days ago, burning and crushing all in his way. The various titans that called Earth home tried to stop him, but all the mighty beasts that attacked Desghidorah met their end in a storm of fire, or by being bathed in their own blood. In a kill or be killed world, the cosmic devil’s savagery was still stunning.
Rodan flipped over in midair, firing a violet colored uranium heat ray at his pursuing foe. The beam crashed against Desghidorah’s hide, but failed to slow his approach. The ebony dragon was quickly outpaced, the pteranodon quickly getting away from him. Rodan looped back around, heading towards Godzilla’s unconscious body.
The king of the skies landed near the alpha predator, hovering just above him. Rodan heard several heavy footsteps, prompting him to turn. Rodan let out a shriek of joy at the new arrivals, the creatures he wanted by his side the most in this world. Anguirus, Baragon, Gorosaurus, and Titanosaurus had all shown up just in the nick of time. They had heard conflict, along with the distressed calls of the king of the monsters and the king of the skies, and came rushing forward to save the two.
The four newly arrived supersaurs looked at Godzilla’s body, shocked. To see the alpha predator lay so low was something that they had never even fathomed. He had outlived them all by such a wide margin, being on top of the world and the food-chain before any of them had even hatched, that the idea that Godzilla could be beaten this badly was something none of them had even thought possible.
Desghidorah landed hard enough to create a crater beneath him, his three horrid maws shouting their songs of doom and desolation. He approached the gathered supersaurs, his left and right heads observing them, and his center head transfixed on Godzilla’s body. Fire leaked from the central jaws as they opened, his eyes burning with a similar fire. The five kaiju quickly got in front of Godzilla, snarling at the cosmic demon.
This beast wouldn’t get Godzilla unless he tore the life out of them first.
Something Desghidorah would gladly do.
With a shrill war cry, Anguirus charged. Baragon rapidly clawed at the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt as he disappeared into the ground. Gorosaurus ran to the right, as Titanosaurus did the same to the left. Anguirus leaped to the side as a lava gout soared towards him, which detonated against the ground. The ankylosaur jumped once more, curling his body into a spiked ball as he did so. Desghidorah waved his wings, propelling him backwards through the air. The ebony dragon’s tail whipped up, catching the needle covered orb and sending it flying back. Desghidorah landed, just in time for Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus to flank him.
The blue theropod rushed forward, slamming the top of his skull against the cosmic demon’s side. This failed to budge the terror, who stayed unmoving even as Titanosaurus shoulder-tackled his other side. Desghidorah’s left and right maws clamped onto the two theropods’ arms, before the devil dragon used his mighty strength to lift them off their feet and throw them to the ground before him. Gorosaurus groaned, feeling like his arm was about to be ripped off. Both titans screamed in agony as Desghidorah’s jaws began crackling with electricity, delivering millions of volts directly into their arms. Smoke began to rise from the points of contact, as the cosmic devil’s center head reared back, hellfire began building in its jaws.
The ground beneath Desghidorah’s back legs gave way, collapsing into a pit. The sudden drop made him spew the hellfire harmlessly into the sky. Rodan flew towards the battle, a uranium heat ray leaving his open beak and crashing against the neck holding Titanosaurus in place. That head released its grip, flailing through the air in pain. The king of the skies continued his flight, before crashing against the neck holding Gorosaurus. Rodan’s chest spikes scraped against the ebony scales, throwing out cascades of sparks and forcing the maw to release the blue theropod.
As the aquatic dinosaur and Gorosaurus got to their feet and began running, Desghidorah looked over the three gathered before him. His right head peeked over his body to see a trail of dirt bulging up and fleeing from him, telling him where the pinkish dinosaur had gone and what it had done.
Rodan flew straight up, as Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus ran to the sides. Desghidorah was confused by this, keeping each set of eyes trained on each supersaur as he himself began to fly. A massive, brown ball covered in thousands of tiny needles rolled towards the distracted demon, slamming into his chest. Anguirus’ impact sent Desghidorah flipping over, crashing onto his back. The ebony dragon flailed in rage as he tried to right himself. Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus ran to their downed foe, before repeatedly stomping down on his stomach with all their might. Scales were bent and broken with each strike, spurning the theropods to continue their assault.
Before Desghidorah could retaliate, the other three attacked. The spiked Ankylosaur bit down hard at the base of the right head, failing to pierce the scales but still locking it in place. The colossal pteranodon dropped from the skies, wrapping his talons around the center neck. Baragon popped out of the ground, biting down on the left head then dragging it down. Desghidorah bellowed as the assault continued, pain coursing through him.
The ebony dragon was outraged! How dare these brutes make him feel pain, how dare they think they have a chance before the unending storm of hell! They merely delayed the inevitable, like the rest of the pathetic creatures that had tried, and will fail to try, stopping him.
A blue pulse of energy rippled from his form, throwing his attackers back. The ground beneath him boiled and evaporated, forming a glowing crater. Baragon leaped out of the ground, smoke curling off his body, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Desghidorah flipped himself over, as the other four colossal dinosaurs tried to climb to their feet. The cosmic devil watched the subterranean creature try to flee, making the dragon’s three mouths curl into grins. Rodan managed to get up before any of the others could.
Desghidorah reared up onto his back legs, before slamming his forelimbs back onto the ground. Rodan watched in horror as the earth before the ebony dragon began to crack and split open, as supernatural flames and molten rock spewed from the new canyon. The crevasse raced forward, growing towards Baragon. The subterranean creature was only able to turn his head to watch the approaching death before the soil below him gave way, replaced by an inferno. The now standing supersaurs could only listen to their friend’s shrieks as he was consumed by lava, until only the roar of the flames was audible. Desghidorah slowly turned to face the rest of his gathered foes, his faces unreadable. The supersaurs began backing away, their minds racing.
Baragon was dead. Snuffed out by an uncaring abomination, without even a chance to defend himself. They wanted to tear this thing apart for his crimes, but as they watched the towering flames behind the ebony dragon, and watched his three maws twist into smiles which bore all his horrid teeth, fear’s cold tendrils wrapped around their hearts. The very real possibility that they couldn’t win stabbed through their minds.
Desghidorah cackled once more, a sound which etched itself into the backs of the colossal reptiles’ minds. The cosmic devil let loose a booming call, which echoed across the landscape, before rampaging forward. His assembled foes scattered as lava gouts were fired from his three maws, which detonated against and scarred the ground.
Far away, another bringer of death and destruction from the stars fed. It was bipedal, with armor of bright crimson and four muscular arms. Its crocodilian maw currently tore off a chunk of flesh from a defeated Godzillasaurus, though one far larger than the rest of its ilk. Thin yellow eyes observed the ocean, where just recently a whole herd of Godzillasaurs had fled. A thin, long horn on the top of the crimson terror’s skull acted as a brutal piercing weapon, and countless conical spikes on its back made a sneak attack nigh impossible. Currently folded on its back were two colossal wings with bright pink membranes.
The Stranger heard a thunderous call in the distance, earning his attention. He recognized it as organic, spurning his interest. The Godzillasaurus had barely been a challenge, so hopefully whatever was over there would be more interesting. The interstellar warrior dropped the bloodied skeleton of the once proud theropod, before unfurling his wings. With a few beats of his powerful wings, he was airborne to investigate the noise.
Anguirus turned to face Desghidorah, letting out a high-pitched roar of defiance. He wouldn’t run away, no matter what this terror did. The cosmic devil glared at the ankylosaur, before charging to attack. His center head kept staring at the stubborn warrior, as his outer heads swiveled around constantly to keep watch for any potential interlopers. Anguirus leaped towards his foe, then twisted around in midair to point his back at the devil dragon. The ankylosaur crashed against Desghidorah, failing to move him.
The ebony demon bashed its center skull against the back of Anguirus’ own, forcing the stubborn warrior to the ground. Desghidorah stomped his front feet onto the spiny shell of his foe, pinning Anguirus to the ground. The space demon ignored the spikes, as they couldn’t hope to pierce the armor on his feet. The ankylosaur thrashed in an attempt at freedom, but Desghidorah was far too heavy. The devil dragon fired a lava gout into the back of Anguirus’ skull, smashing his snout to the ground with a powerful blast. The crown of spikes atop the stubborn warrior’s head were destroyed, reduced to shards, as a horrid burn took their place. Anguirus was knocked out, limp and helpless before his attacker.
Rodan crashed against Desghidorah back, the spikes on the pteranodon’s chest scraping against the black scales. The atomic flier began rapidly pecking and clawing at whatever he could on his foe, throwing out showers of sparks with each impact. The ebony dragon whipped his tail against his foe’s back, the thick appendage crushing Rodan between it and the demon’s back. The twin ends of the appendage wrapped around the pteranodon’s midsection, before throwing the flier away. Desghidorah stepped off Anguirus, turned to face his other downed foe, then charged forward. Rodan tried to get off the ground, but whenever he got to his feet, a lava gout pushed him back down.
Desghidorah lowered his three heads and pushed them together as he neared Rodan. Uranium heat rays crashed against the ebony devil’s body, blasting away scales and scorching flesh, but still the demon charged. Desghidorah triple headbutted the pteranodon, forcing the wind out of his lungs and shattering some of his chest spikes. Rodan hit the ground hard, throwing up walls of dirt from the impact. The cosmic devil loomed over his foe, fire building in his center jaws. He heard two familiar roars, those of Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus. Desghidorah’s right head lazily rolled to see the theropods rushing forward, but he cared little.
A new colossus fell from the heavens, slamming into the ground just in front of Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus. Desghidorah turned all three heads towards the new arrival, the hellfire still in the center maw. The Stranger glared daggers at the two creatures before him, baring his teeth in a snarl.
The crimson interstellar warrior lashed out with his claws, striking Titanosaurus in the chest. The red-stained talons carved through the rough flesh of the aquatic dinosaur, spilling rivers of blood. Titanosaurus cried out in agony, before throwing a punch to the crimson terror’s face. The attack staggered the Stranger, allowing Gorosaurus to lean back on his tail and lash out with a kangaroo kick. The Stanger was pushed back, struggling to stay on his feet as he staggered, when a geyser of flame assaulted his back. The crimson terror screamed out in agony, then turned around as soon as the fires stopped. The two theropods were shocked and horrified to see that the only damage to the creature’s natural armor was superficial scorch marks.
The Stranger lunged forward, putting his right shoulders forward. He crashed into Desghidorah, pushing the dragon back. The ebony devil screamed in rage, before firing a trio of lava gouts at his foe’s body. The interstellar warrior’s stomach was hit by the projectiles, pushing him back and shrouding him in smoke. Desghidorah kept firing lava gouts into the smoke cloud, throwing out more smoke and causing more detonations. The Stranger charged through the attacks, all four sets of claws bared.
The crimson terror started rapidly slashing at his foe’s chest, scraping off scales and piercing flesh. Desghidorah bellowed at the top of his lungs, before rearing up and slamming his forelegs against the Stranger’s face, throwing him off his feet and to the ground. The ebony dragon’s left head looked at his chest, seeing black blood flowing from several small cuts. Some of it dripped off his form, staining the soil below, wisps of steam curling off the pools as they landed.
Titanosaurus lunged forward, digging his claws into the exposed flesh of Desghidorah, spilling more ichor. The cosmic devil bashed his right skull against the aquatic dinosaur’s own, making him stagger back dazed. Titanosaurus shook the cobwebs out of his head, just in time for four powerful arms to wrap around his torso from behind. The Stranger lifted the theropod off the ground, ignoring the thrashing of Titanosaurus, before the interstellar warrior sank his teeth into the theropod’s shoulder. The aquatic dinosaur’s warbling cry of pain echoed across the landscape as blood spewed from the wound and stained the Stranger’s teeth.
Anguirus, in thunderball form, crashed against the back of the crimson terror’s skull. The impact made the Stranger throw its head up as he cried out in agony, the movement ripping off a massive chunk of Titanosaurus’ flesh. The interstellar warrior dropped the aquatic dinosaur, who fell to the ground screeching in anguish, as he turned around to face Anguirus. The stubborn warrior snarled in response.
The ankylosaur didn’t know who this new being was, and he didn’t care. All he knew was that it was trying to kill his ally, and for that it would pay dearly. The Stranger merely flexed his claws in anticipation. He could tell this foe had guts to attack something so obviously powerful, meaning it should provide a decent battle, and simultaneously charged forward.
Gorosaurus turned his body, slamming his tail against Desghidorah’s chest. The demon raised his right foreleg, then raked his claws against the theropod’s leg. The talons spilled blood from the muscular limb, causing Gorosaurus to cry out as he fell to one knee. Desghidorah lashed out with his jaws, clamping them down on the saurian’s back.
The devil dragon hoisted the theropod above into the air, his jaws glowing as cosmic electricity surged through them, Gorosaurus screaming as his flesh burned. Desghidorah drank in his foe’s agony, as he pulled his center head back. The blue theropod whipped his tail against the ebony neck closest to it, causing it to let out a snort of pain. A uranium heat ray crashed against the same neck from behind, scorching flesh and forcing it to let go as Desghidorah screeched in pain. Gorosaurus bent his legs as he fell, swinging as only one mouth still clung to him.
Gorosaurus kicked the cosmic devil in the chest, widening the dragon’s wounds. Desghidorah backed away, growling. Rodan flew overhead, screeching at the ebony demon. Gorosaurus let out a defiant, booming roar. Desghidorah looked at his foe, silent.
The Stranger swiped down at Anguirus, who responded by crouching and letting the claws strike his back. Sparks flew as deep grooves were carved into the shell, but the talons failed to pierce flesh. The ankylosaur lunged forward, biting at his foe’s leg. His teeth grinded against the red armor, sending stings of pain down the nerves in Anguirus’ mouth. The stubborn warrior reared back slightly, bashing his skull against the appendage. The armor sustained no damage, and only seemed to hurt Anguirus’ head.
The Stranger grabbed the edges of the ankylosaur’s shell with his dominant pair of arms, lifting him off the ground with ease. Anguirus flailed as he tried to escape his foe’s grip, only to screech in agony as the crimson terror’s lower arms slashed into his gut, spilling rivers of blood. The Stranger’s mouth twisted into the closest thing it could get to a grin, before he opened his maw wide. Before the interstellar warrior could bite Anguirus’ head off, Rodan crashed against his back.
The pteranodon held back a roar of pain as the spikes atop the crimson terror’s back dug into his armored chest, then began trying to peck out the Stranger’s eye. As his beak came within inches of tearing out the yellow organ, the Stranger panicked. He dropped Anguirus, then began swatting at Rodan. The pteranodon flapped his wings, allowing him to fly back into the skies, blood falling from his form as he did so.
The Stranger extended his wings, ready to fly after the nuisance, when suddenly he felt something grab his tail. The interstellar warrior was pulled to the ground, as a familiar, trumpeting roar hit his ears. Titanosaurus pulled up with all his might, lifting the Stranger off the ground, before swinging him back down. Walls of dirt shot up as the crimson terror struck the ground, who growled in response. Anguirus and Rodan rushed towards him, hoping to take advantage of their foe’s predicament.
The booming roar of an explosion stopped them, causing all eyes to turn towards the source.
Mere moments earlier…
Gorosaurus roared up at his towering foe, but Desghidorah did not reply with his own call. Instead, his right and left heads shot down, latching onto his foe’s arms. The blue theropod cried out for his allies, but they were all to focused on their other foe. He tried wrestling free, but Desghidorah’s jaws responded by biting down hard enough to crack bone. He screamed to the heavens, but the roars of the other battle drowned out his distress call.
Desghidorah’s center eyes were locked onto Gorosaurus’ own, silencing the dinosaur in terror. The saurian could feel a malice from those scarlet orbs that his primitive mind could barely comprehend. He knew what the eyes of a starved predator looked like, and those paled in comparison to what bored into the very depths of his mind when he stared into these. It was so horrid, he didn’t notice the fire leaking from his foe’s closed maw.
Desghidorah bit down harder, then pulled back as hard as he could. Gorosaurus’ arms were ripped clean off, blood spewing in torrents. The theropod’s maw opened, but before any noise could spill forth, the devil dragon fired a super-charged lava gout from his central maw which entered it.
Gorosaurus’ skull and neck detonated, sending shrapnel of blackened bone flying in all directions. His body collapsed to the ground shortly afterwards, unmoving.
Anguirus, Rodan, and Titanosaurus watched on, silent. They wanted to mourn, just as they had wanted to with Baragon, but the battlefield was no place to do so. A moment of letting their guard down could lead to the same fates as their comrades, especially against foes as fearsome and bloodthirsty as those facing them. The Stranger rushed past Titanosaurus, shoving him roughly to the ground as he rampaged towards the ebony dragon.
Anguirus, Rodan, and Titanosaurus gathered, deciding it would be best to let the destroyers battle it out on their own. As Rodan stared at his friend’s corpse, he remembered something that baffled him about the ebony dragon. The pteranodon was no stranger to killing, none of his comrades were. But they only killed for a specific reason, be it food, safety, or territory. But Desghidorah didn’t devour a single thing he killed, no life form on the planet posed a threat to him, and he never stayed in a single area for long. So why did he kill?
Desghidorah looked over to the Stranger. An eerie bellow left the demon’s three maws, before a trio of lava gouts followed. The three bolts slammed into the interstellar warrior, who kept charging. More of the fireballs crashed against the interstellar warrior, slowing him down more each time. Desghidorah rushed forward, trampling the burnt carcass of the saurian as he passed.
The two collided, the Stranger raking his talons against his foe’s right neck. Desghidorah responded by breathing a torrent of hellfire onto the crimson terror, engulfing his entire body. The interstellar warrior screamed in agony, then lowered his head, before lunging forward. The horn atop his head speared into Desghidorah’s already ravaged chest, punching through the flesh and drenching it in more of the black blood. The cosmic devil cut off his assault, his heads writhing through the air in anguish.
The Stranger ripped his horn free, only to stagger back as his foe hammered him with a triple headbutt. Desghidorah carefully analyzed his foe. There were scorch marks on the interstellar warrior’s armor, and it looked like it was chipping off in some places, but not nearly enough actual damage to suit the ebony dragon’s desires.
The crimson terror opened his wings, before taking off into the air. Desghidorah did the same. The Stranger flew straight towards the ebony demon, claws outstretched. The cosmic dragon dodged upwards, bringing his tail down like a hammer as his foe passed beneath him. The interstellar warrior was sent spiraling down, before catching himself several hundred feet above the ground. He shot back up, soaring towards his foe, who was currently facing away from him.
Desghidorah heard his foe roar in rage as he neared, causing the dragon to turn. The Stranger crashed into the ebony dragon head-on, sending both falling. The crimson terror clawed at Desghidorah, as the cosmic demon wrapped his outer heads around his foe’s upper arms. Once the appendages were restrained, Desghidorah shot a lava gout directly at the horn on the crimson terror’s skull. The spine was deformed and damaged, and the blast dazed the Stranger for a moment.
Using his superior size and strength, the ebony dragon angled their bodies towards the three dinosaurs, then began descending towards them. Anguirus, Rodan, and Titanosaurus scattered, leaving the two cosmic monsters to crash onto the ground, shaking the earth. Desghidorah dug a trench through the soil with the Stranger’s back, their initial impact creating a crater.
The cosmic devil beat his wings, pushing himself off his foe. The crimson terror moaned in pain, then screeched as lava gouts began raining down on his body. Desghidorah’s center head rose high as he cackled, the other two busy blasting the Stranger, drinking in his foe’s agony. The cosmic devil than spat out a stream of hellfire, bathing his foe in the supernatural conflagration.
Titanosaurus looked to his allies, roaring. He suggested they help the interstellar warrior, shocking Rodan and Anguirus. The ankylosaur replied with his shrill cry, arguing that the creature had only made things worse for them. Rodan screeched in agreement with the quadruped, adding that they most likely could have beaten Desghidorah had the Stranger not interrupted. Titanosaurus began to reply, when he was silenced by a massive, bellowing shout.
The Stranger was the source of this call, as his rage overcame his agony. He was a warrior, one who constantly sought out a challenge, and prided himself on his strength. This coward chose to fight him at range, where the crimson terror couldn’t even touch him! And for that, the Stranger would make him pay in blood.
Despite the fire enveloping his form, the interstellar warrior stood up. He charged forward, leaping into the air. Desghidorah screeched in surprise, trying to get further back, only for his foe’s claws to sink into his chest. As the Stranger threw him to the ground, the ebony dragon got a good look at his foe. The crimson terror’s armor was melted in some places, in others gone completely, thus exposing his flesh.
The Stranger roared right in his foe’s faces, hoping to intimidate them. The ebony dragon fired a bolt of energy from his center jaws, which detonated on the back of the interstellar warrior’s throat. He stumbled back, clutching his throat. Desghidorah recoiled as well, shocked that his foe had survived that. As his three minds tried to formulate a plan, the cosmic devil saw something out of the corner of his left most eye.
The pests.
Desghidorah turned, facing the three dinosaurs. They panicked as he charged, the ebony dragon bellowing to the heavens. The Stranger recovered, shaking off his pain, as he watched Desghidorah rush towards the dinosaurs. He thought for a moment, then realized that the ebony dragon had the right idea. The three could easily wait in the shadows for him and Desghidorah’s battle to finish, then rush the weakened winner. If he truly wished to claim victory on this day, the crimson terror would have to make sure those three died first.
Desghidorah neared the trio, hellfire building in his jaws. Titanosaurus turned around, the end of his tail opening to reveal a fan-like fin. He began swinging it back and forth, sending out powerful gusts of wind. Rodan began rapidly flapping his wings, summoning similar hurricane force winds. Desghidorah let loose the geyser of flames, only for the wind to stop and disperse. Tongues of the fire touched him, but failed to hurt him. The cosmic devil shot several lava gouts, but the squall his foes produced knocked them off course, leaving them to harmlessly blast the ground.
Desghidorah felt his footing begin to slip, the winds beginning to push him back. The ground beside him burst open as Anguirus erupted forth, clamping his jaws around a chunk of the ebony dragon’s wing. The ankylosaur’s teeth sunk into the crimson membrane, and with a quick tug downwards, the portion of the flesh between his teeth began tearing and falling.
The Stranger charged towards the warring kaiju, roaring. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet collapsed. Before he could climb out of the sinkhole forming around him, the soil before his face gave way to a yellow horn. Baragon, his skin black and charred nearly beyond recognition, let out a defiant wheezing roar as he thrust himself forward. The horn atop his head tore through the crimson terror’s right eye, forcing a scream of anguish out of the cosmic creature as half his vision went dark.
Rodan heard Baragon’s roar, distracting him. A second later, a lava gout crashed against his body, knocking him to the ground. Desghidorah looked to Anguirus, who finally won his struggle and ripped away a part of the cosmic devil’s wing. One of the ebony dragon’s jaws snapped shut around the ankylosaur’s throat, then threw him to the ground.
Baragon pulled his horn out of the interstellar warrior’s eye socket, then leaped up as fast as he could off his foe’s body, narrowly avoiding a retaliatory swing from the Stranger’s claws. The subterranean quadruped landed, then sprinted away as fast as he could. The interstellar warrior gripped the rim of the sinkhole, trying to pull himself up. Even with only one eye, the cosmic creature could still fight.
Titanosaurus lunged forward, grabbing Anguirus’ tail. Desghidorah roared in unholy wrath when the aquatic dinosaur did so, then drove his three jaws straight down. They tore massive chunks of flesh and muscle from the ankylosaur’s belly, making Anguirus screech in anguish. As Desghidorah did so, one of his forelegs stomped down on the stubborn warrior’s throat, pinning him.
The cosmic devil had enough of these things interfering! He had enough of putting them at death’s door, only for another to swoop in and save them! He had enough of that crimson bastard surviving everything he threw at him! No more toying with them, no more drawing things out!
Only death, swift and merciless.
Titanosaurus continued trying to get his friend away, only for six glowing red eyes to focus on him. The ebony dragon snarled with seething hatred, the blood staining his lips beginning to boil and steam. The aquatic saurian let go of his friend, then turned around and began running. Any selflessness within Titanosaurus was pushed down and drowned by the all-encompassing need to survive. Desghidorah snorted at this. When faced with oblivion, concepts such as “friendship” broke down, and all that mattered was one’s own survival. He had seen it a thousand times, and he knew he would see it a million more.
The cosmic devil’s three maws sank into Anguirus’ stomach once more, this time going deeper in and reaching the intestines. His jaws closed around the entrails, making the ankylosaur writhe as his blood spewed out and stained all it touched. The last thing Anguirus saw was Desghidorah ripping out his organs, crushing them within his ebony turned scarlet jaws.
Rodan saw Titanosaurus running, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Anguirus’ fate. The rain began to fall, lightning flashing from the black skies. The water splashed against the pteranodon’s skin, as his head slowly fell to the ground. He was so tired, so weary. Pain rushed through his veins, but that was not all. It was what seized his soul and mind, a feeling a million burning fires could never hope to match.
Rodan heard the cosmic devil approach, but he made no move. Desghidorah loomed over his body, but the pteranodon stayed still. Hope had died for Rodan. He heard the low breathing of his soon-to-be killer. It was at that moment the pteranodon realized why the ebony dragon killed, why he had started this planet-wide slaughter in the first place.
The cosmic devil took life because he enjoyed it. He didn’t have to take life to survive, he could survive off the energy of trees and plants. But he took a nigh-orgasmic pleasure in the death of those who opposed him, and he made damn sure that all life opposed him.
Desghidorah reared up on his back legs, then sent his forelimbs crashing to the ground. The earth before him burst open, lava and fire erupting into the skies. Rodan limply fell into the canyon, a hole from which he would never arise.
Baragon clawed through the dirt, digging out a tunnel as he avoided his foe. He dug upwards, poking his head out of the ground. He saw the Stranger standing tall, staring in the opposite direction from the subterranean creature. Baragon followed the interstellar warrior’s line of sight. What he saw made his heart sink, the fate of his comrades. Desghidorah turned to the Stranger, hissing at his last foe.
The Stranger roared in response, uncaring of the damage already inflicted to him. Baragon retreated into his tunnel, fleeing. He could do nothing, and trying to interfere would just lead to death. When he had managed to catch himself on the sides of the canyon walls before fully falling into the lava below, Baragon had thought he could do something. But now he realized he should have just fled in the first place, the moment his own survival had been guaranteed.
Desghidorah and the Stranger stared each other down, daring the other to make the first move. A massive lightning bolt in the distance, combined with its booming thunder, acted as the starting bell for their final round. Both cosmic destroyers charged at once, their eyes burning with hatred. Soon, they collided.
The crimson terror bashed his foe’s chest, clawing at it with his lower arms as well. Desghidorah brought his skulls together, then slammed them down atop the interstellar warrior’s head, making him double over. The ebony dragon wrapped his center neck around the Stranger’s jaws, restraining them. The cosmic devil’s other two heads took turns whipping the warrior’s sides, only to be stopped as the Stranger’s lower arms grabbed them. His free arms scraped their claws against Desghidorah’s center neck, ripping away scales and tearing flesh.
The ebony dragon pulled his center head back, then let loose with a torrent of hellfire. The Stranger let go of his foe’s outer heads, then backed away. Desghidorah’s left head noticed the crimson terror’s missing eye, causing a devilish plan to surface. A lava gout left the maw, aimed at the empty eye socket. The Stranger’s hand quickly intercepted, taking the brunt of the blast as he cupped it over his wound.
Desghidorah’s other two heads turned to attack the hand, rapid-firing lava gouts. The warrior rushed forward, panicking as he felt his hand weaken. The ebony dragon reared up, slamming his legs against the ground. The Fiery Pyre Road stretched forward, prompting the Stranger to spread his wings swiftly and propel himself into the air.
The crimson warrior flew into his foe, throwing his legs forward to deliver a devastating kick. Desghidorah stumbled back, before falling to his knees. The cosmic devil wheezed as the Stranger stood over him. The Stranger drove his claws into the two outer most eyes of Desghidorah, crushing them. The ebony dragon screamed in agony, the scarlet terror merely laughing in reply. Before the Stranger could do any further damage, Desghidorah’s body unleashed a blue shockwave. The attack sent the interstellar warrior flying, landing onto his back.
Fueled solely by wrath and adrenaline, the cosmic devil left the ground. He flew above his foe, then dropped from the skies. The ebony dragon crashed onto his foe, shattering a massive amount of the crimson terror’s armor. Blood stained Desghidorah’s soles, but the Stranger still writhed and struggled. The Stranger pushed his foe away, getting to his feet. The two stared the other down, both clearly shaking with each breath.
The crimson terror slashed his foe across the broken and battered chest, causing the ebony dragon to wheeze in pain. Desghidorah released a geyser of fire, but could barely keep it up for more than a second. It was still enough to make the Stranger screech in agony.
Before either could continue this pathetic struggle, a booming roar cut across the landscape. Both cosmic killers watched as Godzilla, now back on his feet and ready to fight, charged towards them. The alpha predator stopped when he saw Anguirus, staring. Before either Desghidorah or the Stranger could act further, a chorus of high pitched chirps sounded behind them. A dozen colossal moths with vibrantly colored wings soared towards them.
Before anybody could react, a massive explosion struck the Stranger’s left wing, blowing out a large portion of the soft membrane. Desghidorah, his right jaws still glowing slightly from the last-resort of an energy bolt he fired, soared upwards. He cackled, ignoring the pain that came with it, as he ascended. The Stranger roared up at him, enraged at this final act of pure cowardice. Godzilla did the same, demanding the space demon pay for his sins. The Mothras began to ascend after him, but suddenly stopped.
Desghidorah climbed higher and higher. The Mothras began scattering, prompting more enraged bellows from the Stranger and Godzilla. Why were they leaving? Godzilla demanded they attack the ebony dragon, but the Mothras merely replied they needed to hide from the coming disaster. What coming disaster, the Stranger demanded.
Desghidorah breached the atmosphere. As his two outer heads continued staring down, fearing that something would still rise after him, the center head saw something in the distance. Far away, a colossus of a space rock descended towards the planet. The cosmic devil snorted at this, laughing to himself. This planet was doomed no matter what, rendering all its heroes’ efforts useless. The universe was a cruel place, crueler than even him.
For it practiced the greatest cruelty of all. Indifference.
In another timeline, Desghidorah had been sealed underground on this day, forced to degrade physically and mentally for millions of years. But here, he had escaped. A golden being that resembled him would soon become known as the King of Terror. But now, the ebony dragon could carve out his own legacy of blood and fire. For in the millennia to come, countless worlds would weep at his name, and declare him death incarnate. For he would embody Death’s Terror.
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