Author: Peter Smith | Banner: Vincent Rodger

2019 – Classified Location

Dr. Arison sat in a chair quietly as he scanned the room around him. It was a cold, empty room with a table, two chairs, a mirror, and a blinking security camera in the upper right corner. He knew very well that this room was for interrogations. He twiddled his thumbs nervously, feeling the eyes from behind the mirror piercing into him as he awaited whoever would enter through the paneless door. A few dozen minutes went by until he heard the click of a door being unlocked. He looked up and watched a tall man enter through the threshold.

The man was semi-formal, wearing black pants and a white dress shirt. He wore suspenders as well. He was bald and somewhat muscular. Arison watched uncomfortably as the man sat down. He held a clipboard and looked at it.

“You’re Dr. Arison, correct?” the man’s voice was deep, but surprisingly soothing. He stared up at the clipboard and adjusted his specs.

“Yes,” said Arison. The tension in the room was high. The man began to converse more about Arison specifically.

“It says here that you have three PHDs. Evolutionary biology, toxicology, and genetics. Is that right?” Arison nodded. He seemed to read more information on his clipboard before setting it down gently and flipping it on its face, hiding whatever was documented on the other side. They stared at each other for a few awkward moments before the man spoke again. “Mr. Arison, I feel no need to beat around the bush. I believe you know why you’re here. Do you?” He tilted his head forward expecting a response.

“I think so,” Arison said.

The man exhaled softly in slight approval. He grabbed a folder that was tucked between his arms and opened it. Inside were more documents and a few photographs that Arison couldn’t make out from the angle that he observed them.

“You work for the government. Have been for twelve years. Is that correct?” Arison nodded. The man pulled out a paper and observed it. “Says here that you work under an obscure governmental operation called Project M.U.T.O. Established in 2007. Can you tell me about this project Mr. Arison?” Arison was tentative, and clearly didn’t want to respond to the question. “You understand that the continuation of the project depends on your answers today, correct?” Arison clearly didn’t know that. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words at first. The man looked sternly at him.

“It’s a project to find possible detection of biological abnormalities,” Arison answered.

“What kind of abnormalities?”

Arison stood quiet for another long moment, debating whether he should continue. He reckoned that this man probably already knew everything about the project. He was curious to see how much Arison knew. The man beckoned once more.

“M.U.T.O stands for massive unidentified terrestrial organism. We work to discover and research these organisms.”

“Well your project has been fully funded for twelve years and not a single notable occurrence has been reported other than some obscure cave paintings.” Arison looked down for a second blankly. “The thing is, we don’t entirely believe that to be the case.”

Arison spoke up firmly saying, “Whose we?”

The man shut him down quickly. “That’s none of your concern. Earlier this year we got intel of an interesting discovery involving this project, but we have no reports from you or anyone else assigned to it. It’s a rather troubling situation. Twelve years of searching and now that you’ve discovered something of interest, you keep it classified from the people you work for. Now explain to me, what did you find?”

Arison went pale and began to sweat. He wondered why he had been the person to be interrogated when he wasn’t even that important of an asset to the project. There wasn’t a way around it. He had to spill something.

“We believe we found some sort of egg,” Arison announced. He paused for a moment

“Go on.”

“A large egg that we believe has extraterrestrial origin.”

The man responded, “You believe you’ve found signs of aliens?”

“We believe so,” Arison vocalized. He was surprised by how accepting this man was of that statement. He continued tentatively. “After we found the egg, we discovered it was dead. It was a few thousand years old, in a potential crash area of a meteorite from around that age. We believe this spore originated from the rock, but the spore didn’t die from physical trauma. It seemed to just die due to a lack of nutrition.”

“How would a spore survive a crash landing on a different planet?”

“We don’t really have an answer for you there,” relayed Arison. That much was completely true. They didn’t understand how a mere organism could survive crash landing only to die later. The man stared daggers into Arison, before speaking up a moment later.

“Why did the people working on this project hide this information?”

Arison couldn’t say that. He gambled and hoped that this man wasn’t aware why. He wondered if he could spin it into a lie of sorts, but at the moment he couldn’t think of any.

“You’ll have to ask people higher up than me. I don’t take care of these sorts of things.” Surprisingly, the man seemed partially satisfied with that answer. He sighed and stared blankly. Then, without warning, he stood up and walked out the door, leaving Arison to ponder their conversation in that cold room.

*****

2024 – NASA Observatory

In an observation laboratory in the United States, computers bleeped alarmingly. A series of large objects had been detected in the dark depths of space. A line of small asteroids were detected moving in a straight line, and were projected to crash into Earth within twenty hours. Farther back in the line, there was one larger asteroid following hundreds of thousands of miles behind. It would crash an hour later.

*****

Sydney, Australia

The bustling nature of the city was an overwhelming sensation to be newly exposed to. Every corner featured echoing sounds of car alarms, honks, and people walking to wherever they intended to. Sitting on a bench at 46 Bridge Street was a young woman named Isla. Isla was in her mid-twenties with red hair and freckles. She sat quietly looking down at her phone, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the streets. It was a particularly crowded weekday in Sydney, seemingly overflowing with hordes of people during the rush hour.

She was in a more busy tourist area, the famous opera house being only a few blocks away and the Harbour Bridge only a thirty second walk from visibility. It was a sunny day, with a few fluffy clouds scattered around the blue sky. All felt and seemed normal for the time being.

Isla looked up from her phone as she heard what she thought was a distant scream. No one paid much attention to it, but her curiosity got the best of her. She got up slowly and began to walk towards the area where the scream came from. As she did, the world seemed to pause momentarily. Chatter and the sound of footsteps ceased as people began to turn their attention away from whatever currently interested them. Many people were looking up into the sky, and multiple cars had stopped in the center of the road to gaze.

Isla went to where she saw many people standing, at the intersection between 46 Bridge Street and 36 Farrer Pl. She went into the now completely still road, and stared up. In the sky, soaring through the blue horizon, were a series of distant comets. Each left a red and white streak throughout the air. It was like a meteor shower, but these were moving slower and were much closer to the ground. Some seemed to be no more than a few thousand feet from her. Others seemed impossibly high in the air. She saw a minimum of two dozen of the rocks, but some of the higher up ones were breaking apart to become smaller. It was such an off putting sight that was just as mesmerizing as it was unnerving.

After a few seconds of staring at the rocks, Isla found herself backing up. She felt a slight sense of panic as she looked up. She feared that the rocks would drop out of the sky and crash directly into the city streets. She bumped into someone as she backed up, and she turned around quickly to get out of their way. She only saw a slight glimpse of the ball of fire before her worries came true.

The comet smashed into the top of a tall, oval-shaped building down the street opposite the direction of where everyone was looking. The entire top fourth of the building erupted in fire and debris. People began to scream erratically as Isla tried to cover her head in panic. She felt people pushing over each other and shoving their way in the opposite direction of the explosion. Another crashing sound echoed throughout the city as a second rock crashed into the buildings.

In the direction everyone was running, a third meteor crashed into the crowd on the street. Dozens instantly died from the explosion. No one knew where to run as different people tried to get to different places. Cars attempted to drive in the crowds, some running over people who screamed in terror as fire rained on the city.

Smoke and debris filled the air, blocking some visibility and ensuing more panic. Distant explosions echoed all around. Isla curled up on the sidewalk to avoid the crowds of terrorized people. She closed her eyes and covered her ears, hearing the people stampeding around the streets matched with the horrifying sounds of meteors striking the ground.

She began to cry as she rocked herself in a failed attempt to remain calm. She smelt flames and smoke as she heard screams of agony from people burning alive on the road. Eventually, the meteors finished their fall with a final crash, more distant than the others but distinctly louder.

Looking up from the sidewalk, the road was a mess of rubble and open fires. People continued to wail and sprint randomly. She quickly got to her feet and laid her back against the wall of the building behind her, pinning herself in place.

This went on for a few moments, until a new noise broke through the screams. A loud hissing noise paired with an animalistic shriek echoed throughout the air. It was a noise that was completely foreign to Isla, as she had no reference for anything that produced such a sound. In the smoky fog, she spotted someone running and looking behind himself rapidly as he sprinted, as if he was running from something more particular than anyone else. His silhouette ran in front of her about twenty meters away, and trailing behind him was another figure sprinting on all fours. As soon as she saw it, the creature lunged forward, pinning the man to the ground. It had the appearance of a disfigured bug the size of a person. With one swipe, the man instantly stopped screaming as blood violently flew throughout the air. A person next to the man screamed in response to the appearance of the bug-like animal, which instantly sprung at her, swiftly killing her.

Isla screamed and ran away back down the street, only to spot another of the bug-like monsters running along the sidewalk. This one was more in view. It looked like a mutated rhinoceros beetle. It let out an unearthly screech as it ripped through the panicking masses. Another one landed on top of a car, revealing insect wings. It ripped the roof off the car and grabbed the woman seated in it. She screamed as it effortlessly flew upwards into the air with her in its grasp.

Everywhere Isla looked, a beetle monster was. There were tons of them crawling along the windows and on the city streets. She ran directly into someone as she looked behind her. They shared a brief moment of panic together before a bug creature swiped him in the abdomen. He screamed in pain as it swiped once more, silencing him. The woman she had seen previously being lifted in the air fell onto the concrete, contorting from the fall and instantly dying.

Now on all fours, Isla backed into another building watching the carnage unfold. She watched people being murdered left and right as these monsters effortlessly mauled the people to death. Suddenly, Isla fell backwards from where there used to be a solid wall.

A door opened behind her that she was accidentally leaning on. She fell through it and found herself in a building. Someone behind her that she couldn’t see grabbed her and pulled her back from the door. She looked up and saw a man around her age, panicked and bleeding, dragging her away from the chaos. Isla stood up next to him and ran to a desk in the small store, hiding behind it, hearing the deaths of hundreds of people all around the two of them.

Isla tried to catch her breath as the chaos continued. The man next to her held her, allowing her to regain composure. They quietly sat under the desk, fearful of the demons outside.

*****

They were under that desk quietly for over an hour before the sounds outside began to quiet down. Their faces changed from absolute horror to a blank gaze as they got used to the noises of mass death and torment. Finally, when it all seemed quiet, they spoke.

“I’m Isla,” she spoke, not knowing where else to start.

“Ben,” he responded. “I’m Ben.” The two sat for another minute awkwardly. “What do we do now?”

Isla didn’t know. She wondered if the monsters had flown off by now to search through the city for more people to kill. She would have to check outside in order to find out. “I think we should look out there, and then try to get out of the city.” Ben nodded, and got up to do so. He peeked around the corner tentatively. Nothing. No monsters in sight.

“There’s nothing out there,” Ben whispered. They had to leave the city limits. They didn’t know if this was only happening in Sydney, Australia, or even the whole world, but they needed to get to a less populated area. “Do you think we should leave?”

Isla thought for a moment. “We don’t really have any other options. We’ll have to take the bridge. It’s close to here, right?” Ben nodded in agreement. Isla looked around the store quickly, scanning for anything useful. She hopped through an indoor window that led to the back counter. Once on the other side, she found a shotgun under the counter, hidden from anyone on the other side. She called Ben over to look.

“I don’t know how to use this. Do you have any idea?”

“Sort of,” Ben answered. He had shot a shotgun years ago, but didn’t know how to do anything proficiently with it. He offered to hold it, and she gave the gun to him.

“We should probably leave before dark,” Isla murmured. It was already past six, and they needed to get over the bridge to the less human-filled areas of the city before they couldn’t see. Isla grabbed a sweet on the way out, and slowly they walked outside. In the roads, there were countless dead bodies. Many of the windows on the building were shattered, but a lot of the windows appeared to have no glass in the frame at all. As they walked, they got a view of the sky. Some of the comet streaks were still painted in the sky over an hour after they had crashed, but that wasn’t what either of them focused on. The sky was green, and streaking through it was something that resembled the southern lights, floating in the daylight.

*****

In a desert landscape in central Australia, three sets of eyes opened. A massive beast awoke in a vacant section of the continent. It rose to its feet, revealing its full design. It was a three headed dragon, with long, powerful necks. Each was crowned with horns and spikes. The dragon was massive, so large it was beyond the understanding of human beings. No one could imagine a beast being so large in the physical world. It had golden and bronze scales running along its entire body. It had a set of fanned wings, each of which had curved spines on the ends. He was King Ghidorah, the destroyer of worlds.

He opened his wings and roared with ferocity. He was now on a new planet. A new place to conquer. However, there was something he had to take care of before he began his conquest of the globe. There was another being he knew of that, by coincidence, was traveling to the same planet in the cosmos. Ghidorah would not share his universe with a mere insect, and had to dispose of it first. He had followed behind it, reaching the planet shortly after it. He opened his wings, pushed off the floor with large sinewy legs, and took to the skies to dispose of his enemy.

*****

Isla and Ben traveled multiple blocks down the roads to reach the beginning of the harbor bridge in Sydney. It wasn’t a massive bridge, but the process of getting onto it was somewhat of a lengthy walk, despite the bridge being so close to where they first saw the meteors. The green sky was mesmerizing to look at, and made the journey seem less traumatizing. As they walked along the roads, they saw dozens, if not hundreds of dead bodies. They also saw a fair amount of living people along the roads, but most were hiding and staying where they were. The pair would rather just get out of the city fast. They wondered where all the bug monsters had gone. There wasn’t any sight of a single one, despite their previously being countless flying around the streets. They finally got to the base of the bridge. There were guest walkways on the bridge, but they figured it would be easier to stay on the main roads. They began their walk. About halfway through their crossing, a noise echoed throughout the sky. It sounded like the bug monsters, only much, much louder.

They both covered their ears in fear at the sound. A loud splash was heard shortly after. They both shot their heads to the right to see something that shook them to their cores. A massive, bug-like creature sprouted from the water. It resembled the smaller insectoid animals rampaging through the city, only thousands of times the size. Ben and Isla screamed in terror at the sight. The bug looked upwards over the bridge behind them. Isla turned around and saw a silhouette outlined by the sun’s rays, and then a loud thud as another creature hit the ground of the bay, sinking calf deep into the water. This animal had three long necks and massive horns. It was taller and more reptilian looking. It had massive wings as well.

Both animals roared at each other from either side of the bridge. Isla and Ben looked at each other, and without any words spoken between them, began running. King Ghidorah and the bug began to charge at each other, closing the gap between them where Isla and Ben ran. The shadow from the left side of the bridge grew in size as the hydra edged closer to the structure. Ben carried the gun, sweating profusely as he attempted to run. Isla was slightly faster than him, and was gaining distance.

“Run! Faster!” Isla screamed off the top of her lungs at Ben, who’s fear pumped him into sprinting at a speed he had never reached. The end of the suspension bridge neared them as they heard repeated thuds of massive claws and legs crushing the harbor floor. King Ghdiroah was only a single pace away from the bridge, his adversary still sprinting towards the dragon. Isla and Ben were only feet away from the end when they felt the entire bridge shake and bend as the iron broke from the force of the titans. Both humans went flying forwards, the concrete beneath their hands cracking. Isla managed to get to her feet and grabbed Ben’s hand, hoisting him up. They crossed the bridge line just as the entire structure folded in on itself, and a clash of the titans began.

*****

Legion was an interesting beast. She was the protector of her kind, whose job it was to spread her children across the universe. This is why Grand King Ghidorah hated her. He wanted the universe to himself. He wanted every planet, every solar system, and every galaxy to be his and his alone. Legion’s kind made that near impossible. The sheer speed with which she reproduced made it near impossible to eradicate her kind planet by planet. He needed to kill the Legion by the root. He had killed members of his own kind to ensure his dominion of the universe, and would stop at nothing to claim all of reality as his own. Killing Legion would make that task even easier.

The insect monster sprouted from dirt beneath the harbor when she heard the incoming dragon. She looked up to see him flying down and landing a fair bit away from her. Legion shrieked, hoping to intimidate her foe. The two were near the same size, with King Ghidorah being slightly taller, and Legion being slightly heavier.

The two didn’t stand off long. Quickly, they began to charge. A weird structure sat between them, but neither paid much attention to it. They closed in on each other, colliding with a massive shockwave that could be felt for miles. The bridge between the two of them crumbled and fell to the ground as the pair exchanged blows.

Ghidorah crashed his left most head into Legion’s side, using it like a fist as the horns slammed into her. It didn’t pierce her hide, but did send her flying back a bit. King Ghidorah walked through what remained of the harbor bridge, iron and steel bending under his weight. Legion swiped at the incoming beast, keeping Ghidorah from biting down on her with his heads. Ghidorah backed up from her, cackling in defiance at her attacks.

He charged up energy in his throats, unleashing a barrage of yellow beams of energy that zapped Legion. It felt like lightning scorching her. She managed to take the hit with little effort, to the dragon’s shock. Legion shrieked another time, warning Ghidorah with a threatening display. Ghidorah didn’t care. He had to kill Legion to conquer this world, and would stop at nothing to do so.

Legion’s horn opened up like a pair of scissors and began to glow blue. Shortly after, a blue ray erupted from that split horn, piercing Ghidorah before he could put up his energy barrier. The voltage did little to Ghidorah externally, but it did sting quite a lot. The heads cried out in pain from the sudden assault. Legion unleashed another beam, but the dragon enabled his energy barrier before it could get to him. The light ray dissipated into nothing once it hit that invisible wall.

King Ghidorah flew upwards above Legion, hoping to crash down onto her. As he dropped down, she moved out of the way. She was surprisingly swift for a creature of her size, and moved much faster than King Ghidorah. Once he landed, Legion slammed into him, knocking the beast to the ground with her bulk. He fell onto the crushed wire of the harbor bridge.

He got to his feet before Legion could trample him, taking to the skies once again. He flew higher this time, over twice as high as he did previously. The tips of his wings began to unleash purple bolts of energy that struck Legion violently. She called out in pain from the strike. She managed to split her horn once again, launching that blue bolt into the sky, hitting Grand King Ghidorah’s abdomen. His purple electricity halted as he braced from the heat. He managed to stay in the air, but was thrown off balance from the assault.

He tried to strike her with more gravity beams, but the strange appendages off the side of her head curled inwards and sparked blue as they neared her. An anti-energy field formed around her as she absorbed the energy from his strikes. Ghidorah had never encountered another creature that could also effortlessly block energy. Legion let out another call, one more distinct than her others. It sounded like a breaking radio.

The top part of her head, which resembled a large spike, began to pulsate a glowing amber color. King Ghidorah remained above her, attempting to break her energy field with more gravity bolts. A few broke through the field, but Legion continued her beckoning call even through the pain King Ghidorah was inflicting upon her.

In the distance behind Ghidorah, what appeared to be a third monster formed. Only it wasn’t a single monster. Thousands of the soldier legion flew in formation towards King Ghidorah, who attacked the Mother Legion as she cried out. They moved like a locust swarm, flying from the nest that their mother had been building. King Ghidorah didn’t notice the bugs at first, which were only a few seconds away from the golden dragon.

King Ghidorah felt an itch on his body, which quickly turned into more of an annoying sting. Another itch on his neck, and more on his tails. The heads looked down to see several small soldier legions forming on his body. The number continuously multiplied as the dragon halted his attack on the mother.

He began to panic as the number increased into the hundreds on his body. The stinging sensation spread across the dragon who called out in pain. Before long, a majority of his body was completely covered in the symbiotic legion, his golden scales being covered in the black of the insects. He fell down, falling onto the floor once again as he writhed in pain, struggling to get the monsters off of him. They would bite harder the more he moved, as barely any released their grips. Now Ghidorah was covered head to toe in the bugs as he cried in agony.

Legion began to move towards her downed enemy, who viciously thrashed in the water. She swiped at King Ghidorah, displacing a few of her children, but only momentarily as more filled their place. The golden terror rapidly unleashed gravity beams down onto his body in attempts to pry off the mother’s children. Many fell off, but at the cost of injuring himself. King Ghidorah released a barrage of bolts in every direction to stop the smaller ones from incoming.

Once most of the legion was off of him, he immediately began to put up his protective dome. Quickly, Ghidorah and Legion were encased in a massive red and orange dome that prevented the smaller creatures from entering. It was back to an even playing field.

King Ghidorah and Legion charged each other again, the three-headed dragon chomping into her with its three heads. The rightmost head managed to get the best grip on the bug, and ripped off a small appendage, throwing it aside through the dome, incinerating it. Legion swiped ferociously at the dragon, and was the superior of the two in close combat.

King Ghidorah quickly became overwhelmed from the continuous swipes from his adversary, backing up from her to avoid being struck again. Legion opened her horn once more, firing another blue ray at Grand King Ghidorah before his energy barrier came up. He cried out in pain.

The snake beast concentrated his gravity beams upon a single spot on the bug. The grand king fired at her horn, and the combined power of the beast’s heads broke through her protective shield, shattering her horn into tons of small pieces, leaving only a charred stub in its place.

Legion screeched in pain, her children not being able to defend her. The bug toppled to the ground as Grand King Ghidorah laughed with malevolent glee. The Legion seemed to die. The monster celebrated, roaring loudly in pride of his accomplishment.

The Mother Legion sat on the ground, hearing King Ghidorah’s premeditated victory. Her eyes opened up, revealing an angered red glow. She rose to her claws to her adversary’s surprise. King Ghidorah watched as she looked him in the eyes, her stump on her head glowing a bright red.

Suddenly, crimsoned colored energy whips sprung forth from where her horn previously sat, whipping the air and burning everything in their path. King Ghidorah stepped back in shock at the display, never once having encountered such a thing in his long life of planetary conquest. Legion’s whips reared back for a second, before extending outwards towards Grand King Ghidorah, piercing straight through his golden scales and out his back as the three heads called out in pain.

She pried them out only to once more inject them into the dragon, who continued to scream. King Ghidorah kept backing up as Legion moved towards him, piercing him continuously, leaving his body full of holes.

Legion then concentrated all her whips in a singular area of the wailing beast, the central head. All the whips wrapped around King Ghidorah’s middle neck, covering it in bands of glowing energy. She reared back quickly, and with her came the severed neck of King Ghidorah. The two headed dragon looked down at its injury and screamed in horror.

It had never occurred to the prideful monster that anything was capable of beating him. He had never come so close to death ever in his life. King Ghidorah fell back into his dome, which broke quickly under his weight as he crashed to the floor. The children had died off as they attempted to get through the acidic shield, but Legion’s assault never allowed King Ghidorah a minute to recover anyway.

Legion once again wrapped her tendrils around Grand King Ghidorah, this time on his leftmost head. She found the strength to pry it off, leaving the hydra with only one singular head. King Ghidorah felt his body slowing down as he began to lose energy. It was only a matter of time before Legion ended the beast by severing his third head. King Ghidorah laid in agony as the salt water entered his wounds, realizing that this day might be the end of him.

King Ghidorah had conquered so many worlds and had killed countless victims. There was no being in the universe who had killed as many as he had, and perhaps this assault was the universe’s version of justice. King Ghidorah thought of every planet he destroyed, every life he had taken, and every battle he had won. All that to die at the hands of stupid bug. Would that be his fate? No. He wouldn’t let it. He had a universe to conquer and wouldn’t allow himself to die to a common bug. King Ghidorah charged up all his energy hiding within his body and unleashed a massive gravity bolt into Legion’s abdomen. The force of the blast launched Legion off her feet and onto her back.

Struggling, King Ghidorah got to his feet, flew upwards, and landed on the bug’s head. Legion cried out as the golden dragon attempted to crush her. She swiped at his ankles with her claws and red tendrils, but couldn’t pierce him before he landed on top of her again. He continuously crushed her skull for minutes on end, never giving her the time to react. The red whips began to lose momentum as King Ghidorah contorted Legion’s face.

King Ghidorah flew upwards one final time to stomp his adversary. As he came down, he heard a satisfying crunch as Legion’s head caved in. The bug’s struggle stopped as she died. King Ghidorah stepped off her for a moment, looking at the shattered face of his enemy. Blood did not course through the insectoid’s body, merely pressurized gas which parted the waters. There was no victory call, and there was no pride. King Ghidorah had no strength in him to feel anything but exhausted. He had won, and couldn’t think of anything more than to let his body heal. He fell to his knees, no longer being able to support his body weight; he crashed into the ground, submerging himself into the blood filled water with only a single head on his body.

*****

Isla and Ben had hid inside an abandoned bus on the side of the road, waiting for the fighting of the beasts to end. Eventually, it did. They heard nothing but immense silence following the fight. Isla exited the bus and walked up the street, Ben trailing behind her. In the distance, they saw the mangled body of the large bug creature, and the toppled over body of the dragon laying beside her. Isla hoped they both had died.

Ben couldn’t believe his eyes, that such monsters existed in the world. He knew that everyday for the rest of his life, however long or short that may be, would be impacted by this day.“What world do we live in now?”

Isla didn’t have an answer for him. They stared silently at the bodies of the monsters, the sun now fully set and the aurora above them glowing brightly.

*****

Four Days Later – M.U.T.O Research Station

Arison sat alone in an observation room. He hadn’t gone to Sydney yet, but was leaving to go and see the monsters for himself in two days. He stared into the cavern that the observatory overlooked. In it, sat a massive lumbering beast in a deep sleep. Someone walked into the room.

It was his coworker, Megan. She also studied the beast in this operation. “You lost in thought?”

“Somewhat,” Arison said. He didn’t know what to think. All this time that he had observed the beast in front of him, he didn’t truly believe it would ever wake up. Now he wasn’t so sure. “Do you think she’ll ever wake up?”

“Yes. I’ve always thought that. I wonder if she knows about what happened last week.”

“How would she know? She’s asleep.” Arison always thought it was strange how much Megan believed this monster to be so intelligent. The brain suggested it wasn’t smarter than a bird, but Megan insisted it was capable of complex thought and reasoning.

“I think she knows more than we ever will about this world. She’s been in it longer than humans have existed. Maybe even longer than mammals.” That much was true. Arison wondered what the world would be like from now on. Now that people knew monsters existed. In his heart, Arison knew that Sydney wasn’t an isolated incident. He knew that the world was changing. It was only a matter of time before the world would fall victim to nature. One day, Jinshin-Mushi would awaken, and monsters will rule the planet.

Winner: Grand King Ghidorah

Author: Matt Ng | Banner: Matt Ng

The streets of Motostoke City rumbled as two warring giants clashed. One of the combatants, a silver and red giant, jumped forwards to land a karate chop atop the head of the monster he was fighting, a large brown reptilian. The creature roared as it tried to bite down upon the arm of the silver giant to no avail, the gaping jaws of the primal beast closing down upon nothing but air. With a shout, the giant leapt backwards before crossing his arms in a plus sign, the side of his right hand shimmering with blinding light for a split second before a dazzling blue beam shot out, impacting the mighty monster he was battling. Unleashing a screech of agony, the brown beast was sent toppling over to the ground, before he promptly exploded in a gigantic fireball. Turning his back to the explosion, the silver and red giant proudly stood tall as the victor. As he did so, the people and Pokemon of Motostoke cheered aloud, grateful and happy to have had their city saved from the menacing monster. Nodding in acknowledgement of the cheering crowds, the giant looked to the heavens and jumped, flying high up into the sky as he shouted one word:

“Shuwatch!”

As the giant faded from view, the cheering crowd called out to him, shouting his name with joy and glee. It was a name that had spread far and wide throughout the world, one that brought feelings of hope in humanity’s darkest times. As long as Ultraman stood tall, the light would never lose to the darkness that threatened them all.

***

High up within the atmosphere surrounding the planet, all was tranquil and peaceful. Pieces of debris floated lackadaisically by, the dim light of the far away sun casting the faint shadow of something massive passing on through. The entity took the shape of a green colored serpent, yellow rune-like markings plastered upon his body in a pattern broken by trapezoidal fins with red outlines. Two small three-digit clawed hands flexed as the draconic being twisted his snakelike form to watch the planet he was duty bound to protect.

The sky high Pokémon, Rayquaza, hovered high above within the heavens, a reflection of the pristine blue, green, and white colors of the planet present within his golden eyes as he gazed down upon it. For millennia, ever since his conception, Rayquaza’s purpose in life was to protect this planet, from anyone or anything that might pose a threat. It had been a while since anything of the sort had arisen, but now, the legendary pokemon was beginning to become concerned. He turned a blind eye to Ultraman’s descent from the stars down onto the planet, and he let the giant do as he pleased for some time. But his foremost worries were coming to fruition. Ultraman’s very presence was too much of an imbalance within the planet’s stabilization. He was an alien, and despite his actions, he wasn’t meant to be in this world. If Ultraman were to keep being an active presence, there was no telling the disasters he might unintentionally bring about. If the lord of the sea and ruler of the Earth were to awaken… No, Rayquaza could not allow this.

The legendary Pokémon growled in a low tone as he uncoiled his long twisting form and slithered his way throughout the vacuum of space down towards the airy blue skies. It was time he brought his divine justice down upon the intruder…

***

Ultraman flew high up in the sky, his color timer a healthy glittering blue as he soared above the clouds, looking down upon one of the cities he had saved just days earlier. A smile, if it was possible, would have appeared upon Ultraman’s face as he remembered the cheers of people and Pokémon alike that he had saved. Though he had been on this planet for a mere month, he had come to cherish its inhabitants. The bond between man and Pokémon was something he had never seen so powerful in any other planet he had been to, its strength shocking him. The hope of mankind mixed with the loving bonds they had with the many different kinds of Pokémon here on this Earth, it warmed him to his core. This world truly was a wonderful place…

The hero of light’s train of thought was cut off as he noticed something in the distance that was rapidly approaching. Stopping in mid-air, Ultraman’s eyes widened as he saw clearly what was approaching him; a massive green serpentine monster. Having experienced thousands of battles with such beasts, Ultraman’s immediate instinct was to bring his arms up in a defensive stance, waiting to see what this newcomer would do.

As he came into view, the god of the sky, Rayquaza, coiled his body into a neutral position as his gaze bored into Ultraman. The hero of light slowly lost his defensive stance as he began to communicate with the legendary Pokémon. Rayquaza introduced himself first, stating his duty as the guardian of the planet. Ultraman listened to the fellow defender until something took him by surprise. Rayquaza was demanding he leave, lest he suffer the wrath of the sky high Pokémon?

Ultraman shook his head, refusing to abide by Rayquaza’s terms. The legendary serpent snarled, citing he had his reasons. He could not let Ultraman carry on, doing as he pleased. The planet could suffer an unmitigated disaster if the imbalance that Ultraman’s presence caused were to culminate, and he wouldn’t allow such a disaster to happen. Ultraman disagreed, arguing that regardless of any such disasters that would eventually come, he could defend the people and Pokémon within. He would die for them if need be.

However, to Ultraman’s shock, Rayquaza brushed his claims aside. The sky high Pokémon seemed to not care about what he was saying, citing how he cared only for keeping the planet safe, and he would make Ultraman leave, whether it be by his own volition or taking him out here and now. Ultraman shot back at Rayquaza, citing the several monsters he had defeated. Why didn’t Rayquaza come to his aid? If he truly cared about this planet, why not come down from his post and destroy the beasts that threatened this world. Why didn’t he try to save the people and Pokémon whose lives were in jeopardy? Ultraman argued his point, growing accusatory at the guardian of Earth for his perceived laziness.

Rayquaza’s jaw slackened, dropping in shock before rage filled the sky high Pokémon. He could barely believe what he was seeing and hearing, were it not for his inner conscience telling him this was very much real. It was by his grace he had let Ultraman do as he pleased for this long, and now he was telling him how to do his job?

Rayquaza growled in a low and aggressive tone, his fury having been stoked as he angrily shot back at Ultraman that he should have never let him into this world, and that the monsters that he had defeated could have been dealt with by the native Pokémon just fine. The legendary Pokémon doubled down, claiming that Ultraman’s presence here was a mistake, and that he didn’t care how many lives he saved, many more would die should Ultraman upset the planet’s balance.

Ultraman hovered in the air, stunned for a split second before he flared with anger, his silvery fists clenching. How dare this serpent call himself a guardian of the planet when he cared not for the lives within? Every life on this Earth, every man, woman, child, and Pokémon meant something to him, a foreign alien. And yet, a native of this planet, one who claimed to be duty-bound to this world, seemed to disregard those who lived on it. Ultraman would not stand for this blatant lack of care for this world. Whatever it took to knock some sense into Rayquaza, he would do it. For the sake of humanity and the Pokémon who called this planet home.

Rayquaza curled his lip in aggression as he prepared to dispose of this intruder. It was his sworn duty to protect this planet, one which he had carried out for millennia, and he would do it once again here and now by destroying Ultraman. He had had enough, he was sick of letting the silvery giant do whatever he wanted, the planet damned if he did. He would take action against the silver giant, for the sake of the world.

The two guardians glared daggers at each other as time seemed to stand still. Two mighty warriors, staunch and immovable in their respective views of the planet they protected. For a split second, two valiant defenders tensed up ever so slightly, barely containing themselves from bursting forth. All was silent, until…

Rayquaza roared his mighty call as he barreled forwards, ramming head-long into Ultraman. Expertly twisting his snake-like body around, the legendary Pokémon wrapped his coiling frame around his foe, intent on squeezing the life out of him. Ultraman grunted as he tensed his muscles and forcibly stretched his arms outwards, using his herculean strength to wrench his foe off him. Rayquaza screeched in fury as the god of the sky snapped his jaws down upon his opponent’s shoulder. The hero of light winced at the pain, yet quickly reacted by karate-chopping the legendary Pokémon straight in the neck. His jaws loosened for a split second, allowing for Ultraman to grab ahold of his throat and throttle him, shaking the sky high Pokémon’s body like a ragdoll before hurling him away.

Slightly disoriented, Rayquaza balanced himself and bellowed his fury at Ultraman, his toothy maw opening wide. Orange energy gathered within, pulsating with pent up power before he reared back and spat his prime weapon of choice, the deadly Hyper Beam. Ultraman saw the orange blast rocketing towards him and quickly crossed his wrists to make a plus sign with his hands, gathering energy before shooting out his signature Spacium Ray. Blue met orange in a dazzling display of power, the epicenter of where the two beams collided glowing white hot. The two struggled within the beam lock for a few seconds before the power build up was too great for either of them, the force of the colliding beams expanding outwards in a massive shockwave. Rayquaza and Ultraman both were blown back by the sheer force, with the hero of light finding his balance first.

Capitalizing on his momentary advantage, the silver giant shot his arm and hand out, several arrow-shaped projectiles firing out towards Rayquaza. The god of the sky recovered just in time to slither his way beneath the oncoming Slash Beam, beelining straight for his target. Ultraman brought his hands up defensively, only for Rayquaza to coil his long serpentine body into a circle and spin rapidly, the wind picking up at an unnaturally fast pace. Having whipped up a vicious tornado, Rayquaza cackled as his foe found himself caught in the twister. Thinking quickly as he felt his senses going haywire, Ultraman countered the vicious air stream by spinning his body the other way, freeing himself from the raging gale by dispersing it. The Ultra kept spinning around as he shot out of the dissipating wind column, launching his body like a projectile right into the very surprised Rayquaza. Ultraman abruptly stopped spinning as he swung his fist forwards, socking his serpentine opponent right between the eyes.

Rayquaza shrieked in pain, shaking his head furiously as his tail shot forwards, intent on stabbing Ultraman in the gut. Swiftly moving to the side, the paladin of light dodged the incoming strike and clasped his hands firmly upon his foe’s tail. Picking up speed, the Ultra began spinning around again, rotating faster and faster as he swung the legendary Pokémon around. With a gargantuan heave, Ultraman let go, sending Rayquaza hurtling farther up into the sky. Flying up to meet him there, Ultraman crashed into the serpent, sending both protectors flying out above the atmosphere.

With a screech of fury, Rayquaza bit down upon Ultraman’s forearm, ripping the hero of light off of him and throwing him further still out of the planet’s atmosphere, sending him into the vast vacuum of space. Ultraman found his balance, crossing his arms and firing the Spacium Beam once more in retaliation. In response, Rayquaza opened his jaws, glimmering power the color of the deep ocean surging forth in the form of the Dragon Pulse. The two blue-tinted attacks collided, causing an immense explosion that temporarily obscured them from their foe. Rayquaza rocketed out of the explosion’s fire, shooting like a bullet train at his foe. The vanguard of the planet rammed headlong into the giant of light, the two grappling furiously.

With a sharp kick, Ultraman drove his foot into Rayquaza’s midsection, a sharp hiss of pain emanating from the legendary Pokémon. Retaliating quickly, his tail snapped forward like a whip, cutting across Ultraman’s torso. Sparks shot from the impact, Ultraman falling back ever so slightly. Putting his arms parallel to his chest before bringing his right arm back and left arm forward, the hero of light gathered energy with his right hand and threw a spinning projectile at his foe. The Ultra Slash ripped into Rayquaza’s green flesh, a screech of agony escaping him as his blood flowed freely from the wound that the serrated projectile had left.

Incensed, Rayquaza’s mouth opened wide once more, blasting Ultraman with a bright azure beam. The Ultra brought his hands up protectively, but the blue beam inexplicably washed over his forearms. The silver giant’s confusion turned to surprise as the beam solidified into ice, momentarily freezing his arms. Before Ultraman could utilize his gargantuan strength to free himself, Rayquaza charged forth, smashing his bulk into his foe. Ultraman was sent spinning away, right into the path of a nearby asteroid that shattered into a thousand pieces upon impact. The Earth defenders’ battle had raged for such a time that they had traveled far out of the planet’s reach and into the asteroid belt within the solar system. Rayquaza slithered through the rocky arena, Ultraman only able to see glimpses and flashes of Rayquaza’s green form throughout the millions of rocks surrounding him. Setting his feet down upon a particularly giant asteroid, the Ultra waited in silence, preparing himself for when his foe might soon strike.

Without warning, Ultraman was knocked off his feet, Rayquaza having ambushed him from behind. The legendary pokemon’s teeth sank into the alien’s shoulder, wrenching the silver and red hero off the asteroid he had been standing on. The god of the sky rammed Ultraman through several rocks, intent on bludgeoning him senseless. Thinking quickly, the giant of light drove his elbow into his foe, causing the grip upon his shoulder to slacken. With this short window of opportunity, Ultraman spun around and swung his fist into Rayquaza’s jaw. The emerald serpent shrieked in pain and fury as he attempted to stab his opponent with his forked tail, but was met with a stream of highly pressurized water, courtesy of his foe. Rayquaza sputtered in incredulous surprise, shaking his head to rid himself of the bizarre sensation. When the sky high Pokémon’s golden eyes opened, Ultraman was right in front of him, his silver fist nailing him straight between the eyes.

Rayquaza recoiled, rearing back as he howled in agony, his vision blurring and ears ringing. Ultraman shot forth and tackled the emerald serpent, their path crashing through several asteroids, blowing the larger ones into chunks of rubble and reducing the smaller ones to dust. Gripping Rayquaza by the sides of his head, Ultraman swung his snake-like body into a giant asteroid, the space rock exploding into pieces. With a heave, the silver giant tossed Rayquaza into the path of the broken up space debris, leaving the asteroids the emerald serpent’s body collided as nothing more than powder.

Dazed, yet fuming with unbridled outrage, Rayquaza roared furiously as he snaked his way up, charging another Hyper Beam. The legendary Pokémon blasted the powerful attack at his foe, who was thrown back into another space rock. Ultraman groaned as he got up, his silvery red body steaming. His yellow eyes gazed upon Rayquaza slithering his way towards him, mouth open and claws outstretched to try and maul him. Ultraman threw an Ultra Slash at his oncoming foe, but the god of the sky curled over the projectile and crashed headlong into his foe.

The two toppled backwards, furiously exchanging heavy blows. Ultraman grabbed the top of Rayquaza’s mouth and his jaw, intent on wrenching the two apart. The sky high Pokémon struggled mightily, his bladed tail slashing against his foe as he frantically charged a Dragon Pulse within his wide-open maw, the beam exploding against Ultraman’s face. The silver giant fell back, freeing Rayquaza from the jaw lock and allowing him to stab his tail down at his foe. The jab connected, only for Ultraman to fire a point blank Slash Beam at his opponent. The arrow shaped projectiles cut into the emerald skin of the legendary Pokémon, blanketing him in small explosions that seared his open wounds.

Rayquaza howled, shooting a retaliatory Ice Beam at his foe, freezing over the warrior’s still outstretched arms. Charging a Hyper Beam once more, his mind raced. Not once within the eons of his life that he had spent protecting the planet had he faced anything, anyone, like this. Ultraman was the most horrific opponent he had ever faced, a feat that not even the almighty trio of creation could reach. His eyes illuminated by the blazing light gathered within his maw, Rayquaza laid his gaze upon his foe, hatred bubbling in his heart and mind.

Ultraman glared up at his foe, shattering the ice binding his arms and assuming a defensive stance. The Ultra was shocked at how resilient and powerful Rayquaza was, having withstood attacks that would cripple and even kill most other terrible monsters. Whatever happened next, he would see to it with all that he was, for the good of all mankind and Pokémon. Crossing his arms in their iconic stance, drawing up energy within himself, Ultraman steadied himself for the inevitable beam clash. With a shout, he fired the Spacium Ray, intent on winning the day.

Beams clashed and collided, blows that would kill were traded, the surrounding asteroids reduced to rubble. Neither Rayquaza nor Ultraman was intent on losing this fight. Too much was at stake to give up for the both of them. Rayquaza knew if he fled, it would contradict everything he had done for eons past. He was the absolute guardian of the planet, and he’d weather the storm no matter what. Another cataclysmic explosion rocked the asteroid belt from their power detonating, pushing the hero of light backwards. The god of the sky closed his eyes, gathering energy within.

Now. It was time.

Rayquaza’s golden eyes shot open, power coursing through his body. A brilliant light shone from within, expanding outward through his whole frame. When a Trainer and a Pokémon’s bond reached new heights of trust and companionship, with the help of a certain type of stone, the Pokémon in question could reach new limits of power. Such a process was dubbed Mega Evolution.

Rayquaza didn’t have such limits, however. He didn’t require any of what shackled the lesser Pokémon from achieving such grandiose heights. His bond with the planet he defended was unbreakable, eternal, and infallible. And that was all he needed.

The energy coursing through the god of the sky reached maximum capacity, expanding outwards in a shimmering multi-colored sphere that encased Rayquaza. The symbol of infinity was emblazoned upon the energy sphere, symbolizing the infinite potential, and an eternal bond. Not a second later, the sphere vanished, leaving behind a reborn legend in the flesh.

Rayquaza’s enormous body had lengthened considerably from his transformation, heightening the size advantage he had over his foe. Huge serrated tusks jutted out from his cheeks, akin to the crushing mandibles of a stag beetle. Red orbs encased sequentially within his new muscular body shimmered alight, and flowing tassels trailed behind him, anchored to his new mouth spikes, horns, and tail.

The newly evolved god of the sky bellowed, his divine power shining bright. His old limits had been surpassed, peaking higher than any earlier restrictions upon his awesome strength.

Mega Rayquaza roared, his eyes locking onto his foe. With his old wounds gone, his strength restored, the divine vanguard of the world rocketed down to meet Ultraman in combat. In his mind, victory was now assured.

Ultraman was stunned at his foe’s sudden transformation. Grunting as he brought his arms up defensively, the silver giant was blindsided by a sudden rush of speed from Mega Rayquaza, the newly formed serrated tusk of the god of the sky ripping against the side of his arm. Ultraman staggered, looking around for the emerald serpent as he slithered about. Mega Rayquaza bellowed as he charged up his Hyper Beam once more, the blazingly bright orange lighting up brighter than a star. Thinking quickly, Ultraman shot his arms forwards, palms outstretched as he summoned the Ultra Barrier. Mega Rayquaza spat his empowered Hyper Beam at Ultraman, the dazzlingly powerful ray colliding with his opponent’s energy barrier, slamming into it like a super-powered hose. The shield held, with Ultraman straining to keep it active against the overwhelming might of the Hyper Beam against it.

Mega Rayquaza’s beam pushed Ultraman further and further away until it finally shut off, steam billowing out from his jaws. The god of the sky gazed upon the tiny figure of Ultraman in the distance, before his eyes shifted to the space debris surrounding them both. A devious plot shot through his head as the legendary Pokémon channeled his draconian power into the asteroids, blue and purple glows shimmering between tens of hundreds of the rocks, both titanic and minuscule. Ultraman looked up in surprise as he watched his foe and the asteroids surrounding him built up in a streaking network of dual-colored tendrils of energy. Mega Rayquaza roared at the top of his lungs as the built up energy he had been pouring into the asteroids promptly exploded outwards, each rock shooting at Ultraman at speeds faster than either could have reacted to. Mega Rayquaza snarled in satisfaction as the Draco Meteor struck Ultraman, the projectiles imbued with unearthly power that showered the silver giant in explosions.

The powerful force of the Draco Meteor was too much for the hero of light to withstand, sending him hurtling out of the asteroid belt. Mega Rayquaza slithered after him, azure power building within his jaws as he spat an Ice Beam at Ultraman, freezing random parts of his body unevenly. Chuckling at his handiwork, Mega Rayquaza charged up a Dragon Pulse and blasted Ultraman with it, his body flinging out further like a rag doll. Ultraman struggled to recuperate himself, finding it difficult to do so as his foe repeated the two attacks multiple times. Ultraman groaned, the repeated freezing and abrupt forceful shattering taking its toll. The color timer on his chest lost its shimmering blue color, suddenly switching to a flashing red that beeped urgently, signaling that he was low on power.

A shimmering bright light suddenly caught the attention of both Mega Rayquaza and Ultraman, causing the former to halt his assault. The sun itself blazed bright against the dark and empty backdrop of the vacuum of space, the glowing orange ball of gas lighting up everything within reach. Seeing his foe stalling momentarily, Ultraman quickly brought forth an Ultra Slash, heaving the bladed projectile with all of his remaining might at the god of the sky. The spinning disc of energy collided with Mega Rayquaza, cutting deep into his green hide. The sky high Pokémon screeched in fury and pain, distracting his attention away from his foe. The last of his energy spent, Ultraman fell away, his body moving closer and closer to the sun, the raging inferno threatening to consume him should he get too close.

As Ultraman floated ever closer to the sun, thoughts raced through his mind. He couldn’t fall here, could he? To leave the people and Pokémon he had come to cherish without a hero… Ultraman knew that those thoughts were ultimately selfish. However, he knew furthermore that if it meant protecting even one life from a needless death, that he would die for them in their place. To perish here would be useless, not benefiting or saving anyone or anything. To leave everyone without the hope they looked up to, longed for… No. He would not lose. He would win, for everyone. Ultraman strained his body to move, leveraging every last bit of strength he had.

Seemingly in response to Ultraman’s innermost thoughts, the sun blazed brighter than ever. Instead of burning the silver giant and setting him alight, the awesome power of the star flowed into him, the solar energies bathing him in light. Power surged into the battered body of the defender of humanity, reinvigorating him and recharging his rapidly beeping color timer. The flashing of red halted, the incessant noise fading out as Ultraman’s color timer was restored to a healthy, shining blue. His energy restored, Ultraman locked his gaze onto Mega Rayquaza, the legendary Pokémon slithering his way closer and closer. Ultraman flew out of the way, turning his back away from the sun to face his foe head on, the serpentine form of Mega Rayquaza illuminated by the blinding light of the sun.

It was time for this conflict to conclude.

Mega Rayquaza leered at the silvery figure of Ultraman in the distance, flexing his claws as his gaze bored down upon the giant of light. Outrage flared up in the legendary pokemon’s body as he trumpeted a roar of incredulous grandeur. The serpentine dragon shot forwards, intent on finishing this fight, here and now. For the planet, he wouldn’t fall to this invader. He was the staunch defender of the world, and as long as he drew breath, he’d protect it.

Down to the bitter end.

Ultraman’s fists clenched as his glowing yellow eyes met Mega Rayquaza’s own in the distance. Enough was enough, he would finish this now. As he watched his foe shoot towards him, Ultraman yelled in defiance as his color timer shone brighter than the blazing sun surrounding them. Rocketing forwards, Ultraman drew back his fist, ready to slam it into Mega Rayquaza’s head. For all of the people and Pokémon of the world he’d come to cherish, he would win.

No matter what.

With a powerful shout, Ultraman smashed his fist right into Mega Rayquaza’s skull. The blow sent shockwaves rattling throughout the skull of the legendary serpent, but he refused to give one inch of leverage to his opponent. His roar echoing throughout the empty void of space, Mega Rayquaza headbutted Ultraman back, the silver and red giant grasping his foe’s tusks in retaliation. Heaving with all his might, Ultraman chucked the emerald serpent away before sending a Slash Beam his way. Mega Rayquaza roared out in slight surprise as he twisted his body around to dodge the incoming projectile. He facedUltraman again, opening his mouth to fire the dragon pulse.

Ultraman wasn’t about to let him though, the hero of light rocketing forth to prevent his foe from using the deadly draconian beam. Arms outstretched, Ultraman locked his hands onto Mega Rayquaza’s neck and lower jaw respectively, forcing the trajectory of the Dragon Pulse pulse to miss entirely. Mega Rayquaza shrieked indignantly, his clawed hands raking across Ultraman’s form. In response, the paladin of light let go, only to swing his fist into the side of the sky high Pokémon’s head. In his few seconds of time allotted, the silver giant swung his balled up fist upward, socking the emerald green serpent’s lower jaw with all the force he could muster.

A cry of agony escaped the divine guardian, but he would not fall so easily. Rearing backwards before shooting forth like a spring loaded device, Mega Rayquaza’s tusks jabbed into Ultraman’s torso, sending a shower of sparks flying off from the impact. Ultraman slammed his fists down onto the top of Mega Rayquaza’s head before driving his foot into the body of the sky god. The serpent roared, snapping his jaws forth to bite down upon his foe’s arm. Ultraman struggled, karate chopping Mega Rayquaza on the head to make him let go. The legendary Pokémon’s grip held firm, however, as he swung Ultraman around by his arm, shaking the silver giant like a dog would a chew toy.

Thinking quickly and without an ounce of remorse, Ultraman grunted as he jabbed two of his fingers into Mega Rayquaza’s eye, gouging the optic sensor of the serpent out. Mega Rayquaza howled in utter agony, letting go almost immediately. Before Ultraman could do anything further, the tail of his foe swung into view, slamming like a baseball bat into his side, sending the giant of light hurtling away. His remaining eye bloodshot and his very being boiling with rage, Mega Rayquaza opened his mouth wide open, the Hyper Beam charging with insurmountable power. Not wasting a moment, the legendary Pokémon spat the orange blast headlong at Ultraman, who flew at his foe, swerving around the path of the deadly beam.

Shutting his mouth to cease firing the blast, Mega Rayquaza’s maw opened up wide once more, breathing forth an Ice Beam. The azure blast froze Ultraman mid-flight, suspending him momentarily before Mega Rayquaza barreled forth, slamming his whole weight into his foe. The two grappled furiously, leveraging all of their might against each other in a physical spectacle. Complete and utter rage filled Mega Rayquaza as he clamped his jaws onto Ultraman’s shin, biting down with all of the force he could muster. The hero similarly shouted in fury, striking his foe in the nose with his heel. They both bellowed their hatred for the other in every strike they landed, their blows so strong that shockwaves emanated for miles from every hit.

Ultraman yelled furiously, striking Mega Rayquaza in the side of the head.

Mega Rayquaza bellowed in outrage, ripping his tusk across Ultraman’s face.

The two great defenders of the Earth were reduced to their most primitive instincts, intent only on beating the other senseless. Logical battle tactics and strategic reasoning had all but vanished, leaving the two mighty warriors to simply pummel each other until one of them fell.

Shrieking in indignation, Mega Rayquaza charged up his mightiest beam, the orange glow shining brighter than an exploding supernova within his cavernous maw. Ultraman bellowed his fury in response, conjuring the Ultra Barrier and smashing the energy shield right into his foe’s face. Mega Rayquaza fired regardless, the extraordinary power of his beam clashing against the shield his opponent had brought up. Mega Rayquaza poured all of his wrath into the ray, with Ultraman being sent hurtling back by the concussive force, the distance between him and his foe lengthening by the second. Shutting off the energy stream, Mega Rayquaza roared ferociously, charging up all of his energy into one final attack. He would claim victory, or die trying. Ultraman tossed his energy barrier away as he crossed his wrists in their iconic plus sign, shouting defiantly as the power of light blazed within.

Feeling his body being enveloped in green energy that billowed like flames across his lengthy form, Mega Rayquaza shot upwards, gaining even more distance from his foe, who looked like a gleaming blue speck in the distance. Locking his eyes on Ultraman’s form, the god of the sky took but one second before he barreled headlong down at the silver and red giant, rocketing down like a blazing green comet, gaining speed with every passing moment.

Gathering the highest reaches of the power of light, Ultraman charged up his Spacium Ray as he watched Mega Rayquaza charge towards him. It was now or never. With a shout that pierced the vacuum of space, Ultraman fired his signature beam, the brilliant azure column of energy meeting the descending body of his foe.

Dragon Ascent clashed headlong with the Spacium Ray, dazzling green meeting luminescent blue in a wondrous display of pure light that threatened to overtake the light from the sun above.

***

Mega Rayquaza could feel himself inching closer and closer to Ultraman, but at great cost. For every bit of distance he gained, he could feel his form burning into nothingness, his skin evaporating and blood boiling away. He would not reach his target before he died. Knowing that this was the ultimate outcome, the rationale that guided the legendary Pokémon returned to him, his last ever thoughts racing through his mind.

Perhaps he was wrong in his judgment of Ultraman. He had been so worried and caught up in the what ifs that he failed to understand what was right in front of him. This conflict that would ultimately cost him his life had been entirely avoidable were it not for such egregious misunderstandings between himself and the giant of light. Regret twinged at the mind of the god of the sky, yet he refused to let such thoughts be his last. With his soon to be demise leaving the status of guardian of the planet vacant, Mega Rayquaza reluctantly bequeathed the title he once held to Ultraman. With him no longer around, someone needed to protect the planet he held so dear. Despite their disagreements in point of view, Mega Rayquaza now held a begrudging respect for the hero of light. Despite the eventual turmoil the planet would now experience because of Ultraman’s extraterrestrial origins, Mega Rayquaza knew that Ultraman would be up to the task of defending the planet no matter what.

Closing his one remaining eye, Mega Rayquaza let the Spacium Ray wash completely over his body. His final thoughts were of the gorgeous view he frequently experienced high up in the heavenly domain which he had inhabited, the puffy white clouds sporadically blanketing the deep blue ocean and the lush green lands. It truly was a beautiful sight that he wished he could have seen one last time.

***

Ultraman’s beam finally overtook Mega Rayquaza, an incredible explosion of light illuminating the surrounding space, the enormous blot of light reaching so far that the skies of Mercury and Venus were lit up in pure white.

As the blinding rays of light finally faded, Ultraman was left floating out in the vacuum of space, the sun’s glow still ever present upon his silvery body. He floated aimlessly, without direction, all of his energy spent in his final attack that led to his victory. Ultraman’s dim eyes slowly lit up with yellow as the sun’s energies flowed into his color timer once more, restoring a large portion of his energy. Slowly moving his limbs, the silver giant moved his form to face the sun, laying his eyes upon the grand light source of this solar system. One thought came to him as he did this.

He had won.

Ultraman would’ve had a bright smile on his face if he could, thinking of all those he had protected. With his victory over Rayquaza, the people and Pokémon of the world would be safe from harm. He had done it. As the sun’s light washed over his battle beaten body, Ultraman thought of the view of the sun from Earth. Out here in the void of space up close to the fiery star, it was an awe-inspiring yet incredibly frightening sight. However on Earth, the sun painted the skies and landscape with beautiful colors whenever it rose and set. It was truly a beautiful view.

Turning away from the sun and propelling his body away, Ultraman prepared for his journey back to Earth. If he was quick enough about it, maybe he would be lucky enough to witness one of his favorite sights. Whether or not he made it in time, the hero of light knew one thing for certain.

The sun would rise, shining its calming light upon a grateful planet.

Winner: Ultraman (Universal)

Author: Matthew Freese | Banner: Matthew Freese & Andrew Sudomerski

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Armageddon’s Prelude
Chapter 2: Repeating History
Chapter 3: Snowballing
Chapter 4: Thunderous Collision of Steel and Flesh
Chapter 5: Storm Clouds Swirl
Chapter 6: Across Worlds
Chapter 7: Light and Warmth of a Smile
Chapter 8: Nihilistic, Hedonistic
Chapter 9: Aftermath and Prelude
Chapter 10: Day Before Judgment
Chapter 11: Astronomical Final War
Chapter 12: Sinking Island in the Void
Chapter 13: He Is Risen
Chapter 14: Malnourished Soul Fades

Chapter 1: Armageddon’s Prelude

Crimson orbs, set within gold.

That was what he saw as he looked up, witnessing everything else collapsing around him. The world corroded away, darkness taking its place as it crawled over all with countless hands. Screams echoed in the distance, a faint chorus of agony. But all he could focus on was them, on those shining spheres filled with the absence of all things good. They had a horrid beauty as they bore into his soul, despite how they wanted to crush and devour all that was beautiful in existence. All he thought was powerful was but a mere candle’s flame next to this raging inferno, as things he once thought invincible accomplished as much as a moth hurling itself into a flame.

He reached out, not sure why, thinking he could accomplish anything against that which was beyond him.

***

Eyes snapped open, a deep gasp filling his lungs with air. Sweat ran down his skin as the muscular adolescent sat up, getting out of bed. He placed his feet on the golden floor, his eyes adjusting abnormally quickly as lights turned on and illuminated walls of the same color.

“My Keizer, you must be in the command room as swiftly as possible. The enemy is making a move.” Came the neutral voice of a subordinate, dressed in all black, who just as soon as she entered was already turning and exiting the chamber.

“Yes…” He whispered to himself, standing up. He quickly checked the surroundings again, reassuring himself he had just been dreaming. He was not powerless before a grander entity. He made his way to a mirror, quickly dressing himself in the dark attire of his faction as he looked at himself. “Never again…” He affirmed.

His door opened again, but before he could reprimand someone for attempting to rush him, a figure dressed in white and purple robes stepped in. The pale-skinned, blonde man wore a kind smile. “Keizer, your followers are growing anxious. The worshippers of the supercomputer truly have begun a power play.”

This snapped the adolescent leader out of his stupor, sending him rushing past the figure. The priest followed casually, never changing his demeanor.

***

Dual doors slid open as the Keizer entered the room, the dozens of others present turning and acknowledging his presence. “Tell me what is happening now.” He wasted no time.

“Sir, a group of saucers were sighted approaching Earth several hours ago. Computer controlled saucers, to be more exact.”

All eyes were on the monitor depicting the two signals approaching the planet below. Two ships, with a giant lifeform under each.

“How many saucers reached Earth?”

“Seven.”

Their leader smirked at this. “They lost five, how pathetic.” He chuckled.

“What do we do about the two kaiju they have obtained?” The subordinate asked with a tinge of fear in his voice, the tension in the room growing as the gathered Xiliens awaited their leader’s reply.

He looked back at the screen, looking for a further clue at what Earth kaiju they could have obtained, but something in his gut had already told him. The Keizer sighed.

The priest’s voice entered the room, reaching the leader’s ears and saying what he had already been thinking. “I think it is time we show our trump card.”

“Yes, I think it is, Metphies.” There was a collective gasp of shock and concern in the command room at what was being suggested, but the Keizer was quick to rebut any objections. “We know what kaiju they have, let us not kid ourselves. We must resort to similarly drastic measures.”

“But sir,” the same Xilien who had been briefing his master spoke up, “we risk revealing everything we have with this!”

The Keizer’s smile made the subordinate step back. “We will still have secrets of our own, I assure you, thanks to our scientists.” His next words lacked the upbeat tone. “Do not question me again.”

As his gathered followers found themselves taking a few steps backwards, the adolescent commander raised a hand into the air, looking as though it were just in a random direction. But they all knew this was not the case, and that instead he was reaching across hundreds of thousands of miles.

***

Ganymede was a desolate place. The landscape was dark and lacked much in the way of anything remarkable, being bumpy but lacking any sort of mountains or the like. Not a single lifeform crawled or walked across its surface.

Because he had taken to curling up in a ball and slumbering for the past few months. The black flesh of the humanoid reptile, combined with the bleach-white bones covering his head and torso, blended in with the barren place. A tail was curled around his stomach, splitting into two at its end.

His mind was blank, a dreamless sleep seizing him, until something pricked his mind. Consciousness flooded through the brain yet again, snapping open four eyes of scarlet. Muscular arms extended out, stretching, the sound of popping joints being lost in the oxygen-lacking environment. His legs did the same, bringing him to a standing position. The tail uncurled, kicking up dust as it swept across the ground. A mouth filled with sharp teeth opened in a yawn, exhaling smoke. Cracking his neck, Monster X looked up.

The blue and yellow world he shared a name with hovered in sight in the dark void of space. The voice of the soul he was linked to compelled him to come to Planet X, for tasks needed completing and bodies needed breaking.

Something the destroyer would be all too happy to aid with.

Curling his legs in, he sprang upwards with a powerful leap, sending rocks flying. The moon’s light gravity combined with his own powers to manipulate such things carried him miles into the sky, the dislodged stones rising up with him. He twisted in midair, firing down golden bolts of energy from his eyes, which smashed into the ground. The explosions ripped away large chunks of debris, a gravitational anomaly carrying them upwards towards himself.

In a flash of light, the floating rocks all coalesced around his body, forming a meteor. Like it was a bullet whose gun just had its trigger pulled, the mass launched forth at blinding speeds into the depths of space.

***

In a room of cold, steel walls, he watched on a video monitor as the two ships approached. He looked to the technicians, dressed in the same silvery, one-piece outfit as himself and bearing the same visors over their eyes, as they observed emotionlessly.

The only sound in the room was the ventilator hooked up to his nose.

The aged Xilien felt sparks of multiple feelings flare upon seeing the two kaiju ensnared in the saucer-shaped vessels’ tractor beams, but he quickly tamped them down. The Controller instead looked upon just the facts as his forces were soon to be greatly bolstered.

Seven ships reached Earth. Five were destroyed, suggesting that whatever still existed on the planet was capable of putting up a fight. A concern for another time, so the computer embedded into his brain filed that information away. The two that had survived had obtained two kaiju that the Xiliens had used before, to great effect as well.

On the day that everything came crashing down for them, the event that—

The Controller stifled the straying train of thought, forcefully rerailing it. On the failed invasion of Earth that terminated his brother, the former Controller. A defeat inflicted by a rebel of their own kind and humanity. Humanity was not here, they may not even exist in the cosmos at all anymore, and the rogue Xiliens were not within their own ranks anymore. There would be no more betrayal.

The upgraded supercomputer would ensure that.

“Send out ships to control them immediately, any moments with them able to act independently are dangerous.”

***

Breaching the atmosphere, the twin saucers lowered their payloads onto solid ground. The two curled up colossi unfurled themselves, groaning as they arose in confusion. The first, a towering theropod of dark scales, with spines running down his back all the way to the end of his mighty tail. He flexed his claws as he looked at his surroundings with reptilian eyes, growling as he remembered this place. The second, a pteranodon of light-brown hide, with mighty wings stretching from his sides. A sharp hiss left his beak as he too realized where they had been brought.

Godzilla and Rodan let loose mighty roars of defiance to whoever would hear them.

***

Elsewhere on the planet, floating within the thin atmosphere was a pyramid-esque ship. Inside it, thousands of Xiliens scuttled about, performing their assigned tasks.

In the control room, a vast chamber filled with monitors and machinery, an orange light fell over everything. The visage of a man’s face, one lacking distinguishing features other than a cold gaze. He floated, surrounded by what resembled fire, overseeing all.

This was the Giant Dark Emperor, a cruel figure cast out from an ancient land and set amongst the stars, only to turn his misfortune into gain as he began to accumulate power.

Below him were two Xilien women, one with dark hair and a composed demeanor, the other with brown locks and a wicked smile. Landes and Zagreth, respectively, observed the screen depicting the two kaiju being brought to their world.

“It seems the followers of the computer lack creativity. How droll.” Zagreth declared, faking a yawn afterwards.

Her counterpart was quick to reply. “Yes, but these two are not to be taken lightly regardless. They have gone back to them because they are powerful.”

Their overlord’s mighty words echoed out. “To have survived what happened to Earth, these two are dangerous indeed. Do not take them lightly.”

Suddenly, they watched as the skies were filled with light, a blazing fireball in the heavens rocketing downwards towards the two. Godzilla and Rodan’s rage was focused fully on it. Landes assumed that they were feeling hatred long since laid to rest be revived, violently so.

“Our foes are all unveiling their hands. What shall we do?” The emperor’s booming voice echoed out.

Zagreth grinned. “Shall we dip our fingers into this?”

Landes displayed more restraint. “We run the risk of drawing their attention to us, before our own trump card is finished.”

Before their overlord could reply, a tremendous boom blasted out from the speakers, making many of the underlings cover their ears with their hands. All eyes went back to the screen, whispers of fear and anticipation in equal measure rising.

Monster X stood to his full height, in the midst of a burning crater. Godzilla and Rodan marched to the rim of the indent, showing no sign of backing down as the skeletal nightmare hissed at them.

A fourth voice made itself loud in the room. An elderly, pale being, dressed in the same kinds of purple and white robes as Metphies. Another Exif, far older. “Their false idol of a beast must be eradicated as soon as possible if God is to grant us our victory!” Endurph shouted. “Now is the time to do so!”

The Giant Dark Emperor made his decree. “Prepare Gororin to be released, but do not do so unless I command it. Deviance from this decree will be met with death.”

 

Chapter 2: Repeating History

Six eyes gazed into four, a tension palpable enough to be physically felt building swiftly. Monster X felt somewhere deep inside himself that he remembered these two, but it was hazy, as though from a dream. Perhaps in a past life he had met them. However, what was not foggy was how he felt about them.

He hated them, with every fiber of his being. It burned in his heart and flowed through his veins like his blood, the desire to crush them both and see their gore paint the lands. What had they done to him in the past, to whatever he was when he met them, to make him feel this way? It mattered not, for what he did know was that he would not let that unknown injustice stand.

The two earthen beasts felt the same way about him, it seemed, as they wasted no time in charging down to meet him.

***

“Sire, you know what happened when these two encountered King Ghidorah, do you not?” Asked one of the Keizer’s servants.

“Of course I do.” He spat back. “Now watch a far different outcome.”

***

A fist of bone crashed against a fist of scale, neither budging an inch. Dust soared up as a shockwave raced out from the impact. The two colossi pulled back, roaring as they lunged forth at the same time. Godzilla barged his shoulder into Monster X’s chest, shoving the demon backwards, yet failing to knock him off his feet. The alien bruiser drove a knee upwards into his foe’s gut, doubling Godzilla over. Taking advantage of his foe’s stunned state, Monster X pulled a fist back, preparing to slam it into the skull.

Godzilla’s tail shot up, wrapping around the limb and restraining it. Monster X shouted as he tried to pull his arm free, snarling as his other fist crashed against the leviathan’s torso. Rearing up, the atomic beast opened his maw, firing a stream of blue mist directly into his foe’s face. The destroyer merely shut his eyes, letting the superheated fumes wash over his armored skull. When the atomic ray ceased, the eyelids peeled open to reveal blazing gold light. Godzilla’s roar of anguish echoed across the wastelands when rays of immense power lashed out and scourged his chest.

Snarling as he stumbled back, the ancient warrior looked down to see smoke rising from his burnt chest. Chunks of blackened flesh fell away, healed skin regrowing beneath them. He should have known his ray would have little effect, it did nothing against the golden terror he could not help but think of whenever he looked upon this aberration. They had the same aura, the same eyes that carried nothing but the desire to cause agony. And he now knew they had the same power.

Monster X leapt forth, leg raised high to deliver a crane kick, only for Rodan to sweep in at supersonic speeds, intercepting the extraterrestrial killer. Broken stone shot up as he slammed into it, cursing as the pteranodon circled around while cackling. He looked towards the flying beast, eyes beginning to shine once again, until Godzilla charged forth and crashed a mighty kick into the demon’s back. Monster X flew out of the crater, rolling across the ground and landing on his feet.

Rodan swept down, talons swinging. Sparks flew as sharpened bone met the alien’s armor, but the assault failed to stop Monster X from grabbing one of the pteranodon’s legs. He beat Rodan against the ground repeatedly, making the prehistoric soarer shriek in pain.

Godzilla rushed in, twisting to send his tail hurtling forth like a club. It knocked one of Monster X’s feet out from under him, nearly sending him to the ground yet again. He caught himself with his hands, releasing Rodan who immediately clapped his wings against the alien’s head. He was staggered back, allowing the leviathan to swiftly leap forth, tackling Monster X to the ground.

A punch across the face sent spittle flying from the demon’s maw, but when Godzilla went to throw the second, Monster X’s jaws opened wide. His needle-like teeth sank into flesh, shearing into muscle. The atomic guardian roared in pain, falling to his side and allowing Monster X to rise by manipulating gravity, looking as though invisible strings pulled him.

He thrashed his head back and forth like a dog, digging his teeth in deeper to Godzilla’s fingers, eventually finding their way into a knuckle joint. The skeletal dragon pulled away, taking half of one of the digits with him. Rodan rocketed downwards like a comet, howling mightily, only for Monster X to roll in midair, unleashing his Destroyed Thunder Beams.

Rodan screamed as he was sent flying miles away, all of his momentum completely halted and reversed. Godzilla, his finger already healing, began to get back up. Monster X used his powers over gravity to suddenly start spinning rapidly, cracking his tail like a whip against the leviathan multiple times in a row. Skin parted and released blood as the twin-edged appendage scourged its target.

Roaring in outrage, Godzilla grabbed the tail, stopping Monster X’s rotation abruptly. He let out a confused sound, before the atomic leviathan was suddenly fully upright. Godzilla lifted Monster X high, before yanking downwards with muscles that had casually lifted foes twice his weight.

A crater formed as the demon was smashed into the ground, roaring in shock and pain with a hellaciously baritone bellow. Godzilla repeated his attack, deepening the crater, before twisting in place. Monster X tried to utilize his powers over gravity to interrupt what was happening, but Godzilla’s immense strength held firm as he spun in place, building up speed. The Xiliens watching soon saw a rotating blur of white and black surrounding Godzilla.

The king of monsters released.

Monster X flew at speeds approaching that of sound, slamming into a nearby mountain. The structure of stone shattered, the cosmic devil being buried in the ensuing avalanche, his roars being muffled.

Rodan landed by Godzilla’s side, smoke rising from his chest. The two looked at one another, nodding their heads, then looked back to the pile of stones that had once towered above even them.

***

“Get the spaceships with the control signals in there, now!” The Controller raised his voice slightly, struggling to remain monotone. Things were getting far too murky for his liking, and the possibility of getting such a powerful force on his side did not help matters. Godzilla’s power had grown immensely since the Xiliens attempted to invade Earth.

***

“My lord, is he…”

The Keizer raised a hand, silencing the underling. His smile remained wide, as did Metphies’ when he looked to the pale priest. He knew the dozens in the room were feeling doubt and fear, but only he and the religious leader knew that the doubt was about to be purged completely.

***

“Deploy Gororin, now.” The glowing visage of a head commanded. Despite any internal objections she may have had, Landes pressed the buttons without hesitation, unchaining a distant set of gates. A sphere of plant-matter, coated in needles, rushed outwards like a raging wind.

***

Godzilla and Rodan prepared to move out, in search of the headquarters of their kidnappers, only for the pile of crumbled rock to shudder. Their gazes snapped over to it, taken aback as the stones began to rise.

There was an explosion of force that sent much of the mountain’s remains flying, the rest floating upwards as Monster X arose, roaring in fury. Blood poured from wounds in his flesh, cracks in his bone armor being visible for all to see. He rose upwards, eyes shining with golden power. Six immense streams of energy raced out, resembling miniature stars stretched into fibers, slamming into Godzilla’s body. The king of the monsters hit the ground hard as immeasurable power burnt away his biomass like fire to paper. He tried to roar in pain, but he could not as the blazing energy continued shredding into him.

Immediately, Rodan shot forth, screeching in rage. Monster X turned his power towards the flying beast, but Rodan avoided it as the golden death turned a vast stretch of the landscape into molten cinder. Turning his spike-covered chest up, the king of the skies crashed into Monster X at Mach speeds, splitting flesh and armor as it cast him out of the air.

The pteranodon looked back, recoiling in horror as he saw his closest ally’s horrid state. Godzilla’s ribcage was visible beneath blackened ash that was once scale and skin. The leviathan still lived, but barely so, his chest slightly rising and falling.

Monster X lunged forward, slamming his massive skull into Rodan’s own, cracking the armored brow of the pteranodon and sending him flying back, skipping across dirt and stone. He began to walk forward, breathing heavily and releasing vast quantities of mist as he surveyed his two opponents in their sorry states. Rodan got to his feet, then fell back over, concussed by the sudden, surprising assault.

The buzzing and humming of space vessels reached his ears. Two Xilien saucers, specifically the ones he knew from his embedded knowledge to be those of the enemy, approaching his foes. He went to leap at them, only to stop and slouch, cringing at the pain flooding his system. These two had proved quite difficult, but he would soon destroy them both. Just a moment of rest was all he needed.

Suddenly, a spherical creature with glowing, yellow eyes slammed into Monster X’s side, knocking him to the ground. Gororin let loose an odd growl, before launching needles at Rodan and Monster X, making the former fall over with a shriek and the latter bellow in wrath as they splintered off his armor.

***

“What!?” The Keizer screamed, fists clenching. He watched as Monster X got to his feet, only for Gororin to roll away quickly, launching itself upwards off a hill to soar high up. “What is that thing? Anyone?” He looked around the room, only to get confused looks and murmurs in return. A monitor flared with static, before being filled with the grinning face of Zagreth.

“I should have known.” The hybrid Regulator nearly growled.

“Do you like it? It’s something our genetic engineers whipped up recently.”

He watched as the cactus-sphere landed on Monster X’s skull, sending him crashing back to the ground. The Keizer turned back to his enemy. “What are you doing? You’re letting the computer’s servants increase their power!”

The booming voice of the Giant Dark Emperor echoed, the screen shifting to show him. The Keizer cringed, not at the sight of the fat-headed hologram, but at the split-second he saw of the third face present in that group, one which cracked open the lid of a capsule containing only painful memories.

“We fear not the computer’s slaves. We shall soon unveil the tool of their destruction, and thus we care not what pitiful things they gather. We do, however, care about that which hinders you and your ilk, and the increasing power of them does such.”

“Perhaps,” Zagreth cooed, “your grand monster will be killed by Gororin here and now, Keizer.” She cackled at the thought.

Landes spoke next, making the Keizer’s teeth clench. “Don’t make claims like that now, look!”

***

Gororin rolled like a wheel towards the downed Monster X, his head tilted to expose his neck. The spherical beast eagerly anticipated what was about to occur, his needle-coated body slamming into the throat and crushing it. To take life was his purpose, and such a thing was so enticing. The distance rapidly closed, an instant from now contact would be made…

Monster X’s arm came down like a hammer, slamming his open palm onto the cactus-like monster, stopping his momentum instantly. A low groan left the plant-beast, clear liquid dripping down his face from the top of his body. Twisting his wrist, the humanoid dragon lifted his foe up, grabbing the interloper with his other hand as he levitated back to his feet.

Saucer-shaped spaceships released blue beams of light, ensnaring Godzilla and Rodan in tractor beams and lifting them into the air. Monster X stared at them, preparing to gather energy to discharge it violently, only for needles to spear into his stomach’s flesh yet again. He looked back to Gororin, applying pressure with his hands in an effort to crush the cactus. Cracks began to spread across the plant-beast’s body, spraying vital fluids as he rumbled in agony. Mist left Monster X’s jaws as he exerted himself, awaiting the sight of the irritation being splattered before his raw might.

A needle launched forth from one of the bundles on Gororin’s body, embedding itself in the crimson gel of one of his eyes. Monster X bellowed in agony, dropping Gororin as he stumbled back. The stone was stained with the spherical monster’s “blood”, but the Giant Dark Emperor’s pawn seemed just as ready as ever to continue battle. Monster X grasped the needle protruding from his eye with two fingers, pulling it free with a squelching sound, releasing more liquid to drip forth. Before Gororin could do anything else, the dark knight threw the needle like a dart, piercing into a wound in the plant-beast. Gororin bellowed as his own weapon harmed him, but the roars of pain did not halt Monster X from lunging forward and kicking him with immense force, sending him flying miles away.

As a distant mountain lost its peak from the impact, the draconic warrior fell into a crouched stance, shaking with exhaustion. That last burst of movement was the breaking point, adrenaline draining rapidly. He breathed heavily despite needing no oxygen or gases of any kind, a subconscious reaction to his current feelings inherited from the source of half his DNA. He looked back to the previous foes, finding them to be gone from sight. He lowered his head, trying to regain his strength.

***

“Send out ships to recover him, we can’t have him out in the open.” The Regulator commanded, before turning back to his enemies. “This will not stand, I hope you realize that.”

Zagreth and the Giant Dark Emperor seemed unphased by the threats. The glowing effigy of a cosmic tyrant intoned “We fear not your pathetic threats, Keizer. Mightier things than Gororin await within our ranks, and your hybrid abomination will fall just as the computer’s servants shall, no matter how much power you gather.”

Metphies chimed in, his face still neutral. “You are the ones prodding into things you do not understand.”

“Silence, heretic! You serve defilers of God’s will, silence thy tongue before we cut it out.” Endurph scolded his fellow Exif, his anger apparent even with how far away the camera was from his face.

“Such harsh words,” Metphies responded in a tone like someone had been a bit rude in asking him to step out of the way, “we are still followers of him, dear brother, doctrinal differences should not be reason for such threats.”

“Your god has chosen I,” the Giant Dark Emperor boomed, “and none else. Tear away from the pathetic whelp pretending to be a king and perhaps you will receive some mercy.”

The Keizer was quick to respond, remaining even-toned with the undercurrent of barely restrained rage. “King. Such a meaningless title, just like ‘Dark Emperor’. I will grant you no mercy, and the day of this reckoning is drawing so near.” He held up a hand, letting electric bolts dance between his fingertips. “My power is not that of a whelp, or a king. It is mine, and mine alone. Now silence.”

He shut off the feed before any retort could come.

There was a haunting silence in the chambers of the ship, even from those not in the command room. Breaths were held as everyone awaited the next words of their leader, speakers waiting to broadcast it and instead only releasing that tension-ratcheting nothingness.

“How dare they…” he whispered. The next words were not so low. “How dare they! How dare he,” the hybrid emperor hissed the word like a hideous slur, “rob the grave of Gaia in a pathetic attempt to reclaim the glory of his brother! How dare the traitors interfere and grant the computer’s followers such a boon in the process!”

“My lord, you must-“ An elderly follower spoke up, only to be silenced by the gaze of his lord of overflowing power falling upon him. His next words turned into a whimpering clutter of breaths as he backed away.

A hand fell on his shoulder, one pale and garbed in a robe of white. “What he is trying to say, great Kaizya,” the room flinched at their leader’s actual name being spoken, but he seemed to show no reaction. “You must clear your head and overcome your wrath, for we need decisive leadership at this moment.”

“Yes… forgive me, my comrades.” The Keizer stated, earning a jumbled murmur of devoted words from his followers.

Metphies continued speaking. “Surely retribution would be preferable to stewing in anger?”

Kaziya stood there for a moment, pondering. He smiled. “Yes, and I know just what to do. We shall show more of our power, and decimate one of our enemies in the process. Release Gigan!”

***

The spherical mothership, gold enscribed with black runes, shook slightly as one of the three claw-like vessels detached. It descended towards Planet X, passing through the thin atmosphere in order to eventually be a few kilometers above the ground. Its sharp tip shined as it projected a blue beam, an entity manifesting within the light.

A powerful screech radiated outwards as the cyborg assassin stretched his arms and legs, the former having colossal scythes replacing the forearms while the latter ended in similar blades protruding from the front of the feet. His black armor glistened in the light of Jupiter, outshone by his single eye glowing a bright red. The teeth of the buzzsaw in his chest became a blur for a brief moment as they spun, his worm-like tail flexing and showing off the three-pointed claw at its end.

His orders came to him within his mind, the Keizer communicating telepathically. He accepted with a cackle, the crimson wings upon his back flexing as the rockets inside them activated, propelling him through the air at Mach speeds.

 

Chapter 3: Snowballing

A colossal chamber on the mothership was filled with a translucent fluid, Monster X in a fetal position within it. His eyes were shut, consciousness once more in slumber.

The hybrid emperor walked into a smaller room overlooking it. The scientists present saluted him. One gave a status report. “The healing process is going well, he will be fully recovered very soon.”

“Excellent.” Kaziya replied. He walked to the window, staring at the entity before him. “Leave me for a moment, if it will not hamper the healing, of course.”

“No issue, my lord.” The reporting technician replied, before moving with his colleagues out of the door.

He let out a long sigh.

Looking upon the entity in his current state filled the rebel emperor with such mixed emotions. In Monster X was their power, their might. The awe-inspiring, unstoppable divinity of a Keizer, the M-Base brought about by the crossing of human and Xilien blood pushed to its ultimate potential. Even wounded and recovering, he still gave off such an aura of strength. It was only natural he did, being the combination of his own DNA and that of the demonic ruler of the cosmos, King Ghidorah.

The golden wyrm, under Planet X’s sway for a brief time, had been labeled Monster Zero by them, but its true name was King Ghidorah. A foul beast that killed planets across the universe, a harbinger of destruction who descended upon unsuspecting worlds and ravaged them for his own wretched pleasure. Yet they had captured him, as he fled from Earth, and just in case, decided to extract DNA from him.

And now it was thus, that the strongest mortal and the strongest monster were merged by science, under the banner of Planet X’s salvation.

But it was not enough. Clearly not, if three other kaiju had accomplished such damage unto him. That was why Gigan needed to succeed, to clear the path for him and ensure victory could be attained.

His faction had come about due to a desire for freedom. The totality of Planet X had tasted it after their failed invasion of Earth, when the supercomputer guiding them like puppets was turned off and through humanity they were given a chance to experience actual emotion and free will. But they sought to chain it back down, either through returning to being nothing more than organic computer programs, or under the servitude of the fascist outcast dictator of another world.

They feared weakness, so they chose servitude. But he, he and the rest who followed him, they knew the true way was through the Xiliens being their own masters.

***

The harsh sounds of heavy machinery filled the vast chamber, steel walls surrounding a space containing a colossus. The image of the dreadful destroyer of worlds, wrapped in metal all across his form to the point that the gold was lost except for upon the twin tails. Wings like steel sails extended out his sides, green eyes like emeralds embedded in each of the three heads.

Mecha-King Ghidorah.

But where most would look upon it and see a great scion of devastation, the burning lord of this faction utterly adored it every time he checked in on it for the sheer power it would bring to bear against their enemies, Landes felt only sorrow. Her short black locks swung forward as she leaned on the railing, her eyes scanning over the mechanized wyrm.

She remembered the true identity of this one. Not the devil of the stars, but a copy forged from his stolen DNA when the Xiliens captured him for a brief time. Unlike the icon of desolation, the artificial Ghidorah was meant to be a protector, a guardian to vanquish the enemies of humanity and the Xiliens. Only for his first foe to be too much, too much for the whole world.

She sighed, looking to the ground instead. Those memories hurt just to even peek into. The peaceful, happy days when Earth offered a hand of forgiveness, grasping an olive branch after the conflict that had marred their first meeting with Planet X’s people.

Had this star system been the only one in the cosmos with life, that joy would have lasted for an eternity.

And in the wake of the horrors inflicted and their toll, she had cast her lot with one who was neither human or Xilien. A figure of might and conquest, appearing unto a world ready to rend itself apart, the flaming visage of a dictator easily swayed the lost souls of Planet X to his flock.

To her, it had been the only option. Her other choices were to either follow a killer with a god complex, or to have her soul ripped out and cast into nothing. The Giant Dark Emperor had promised stability and freedom.

Promised power, in case they returned.

Klaxons alerted her to an emergency, instantly pushing the weary feelings building up down into her subconscious. It had to be one of the other factions, but which one would dare try and launch an attack after the difficulties both had just faced?

”Alert! Alert! Enemy Kaiju spotted, identified as Gigan! All personnel to their stations immediately, any other responsibilities are to be prioritized below defense!”

Her fists clenched. Of course that fool couldn’t accept a punch to the nose without throwing one back, regardless of the consequences. She rushed quickly, joining a herd of others moving to their posts.

Soon she found herself sitting before her monitor, next to Zagreth. The two of them were in charge of examining the battlefield and strategic planning, though Landes found herself questioning somewhat what strategy there could be in a scenario such as this.

“So that spoiled brat couldn’t handle us harming his little pet project, so he immediately lashed out.” Zagreth mockingly spoke, a sadistic grin forming. “I can only imagine the reaction he’ll have when we crush this one.”

Behind them, the flaming form of their leader descended, casting an orange glow on the silver walls of the vast chamber. “Landes, Zagreth. Is Mecha-King Ghidorah complete?”

“Not yet, my lord.” Landes replied swiftly. “Nearly so, but some more adjustments must be made before he can be deployed, the teams are working swiftly.”

“Will it be ready before the enemy has arrived?”

“No, your highness. Gigan will be upon us shortly before then.”

The Giant Dark Emperor, blindingly luminant despite his title, pondered for a moment. “Then deploy Mechagodzilla. Immediately!”

With a salute, both Xilien women input the commands on their terminals to initiate the release of the artificial leviathan.

***

Towering structures like a metallic rib cage parted, freeing the object in their center. As the roof opened like a clam’s shell, revealing the perpetually dark sky of Planet X, a pair of white eyes lit up like the stars above.

Metal as black as obsidian, a refined and altered version of the rare and often sought-after Space Titanium, shifted into place. A robot in an almost humanoid shape, except for legs and a tail more akin to a theropod’s, began to move. Feet with jagged toes, actually missiles, produced roaring flames from their soles which lifted the automaton into the sky.

Its arms stiffly locked into place at its sides, the blade-like tail straightening out as Mechagodzilla took to the air. A maw of jagged false teeth, like a dragon’s mouth, opened to release a splitting, screeching call as high-pitched as it was terrifying. Black Mechagodzilla’s mind lit up with orders, advanced sensors detecting the approaching Gigan.

Another ear-rending shout, which was met with the cyberclaw terror’s own.

***

Far away, a lone figure watched through a view port as a golden beast took to the air atop his sail-like wings. Three heads waved madly, their brown manes bobbing.

The followers of the supercomputer that had guided the Xiliens before their fateful meeting with humankind. Their commander had ordered the wyrm be set loose upon their enemy, an opportunistic assault to strike at the Keizer’s warrior as it was out in the open and to destroy whatever fighter the Giant Dark Emperor let loose to counter it.

The Controller saw it off, their greatest weapon. With Monsters Zero-One and Zero-Two recovering from the battle with X, they unleashed the monster that had originally served them.

“Will Monster Zero be sufficient to complete his task?” Questioned a subordinate behind him. The Controller turned to his face the questioner, the visor over his eyes rendering his expression unreadable.

“Yes. It is the original, the one our enemies have based their great weapons upon. It shall destroy the Keizer’s cyborg and whatever opposition the Giant Dark Emperor’s forces bring out against it.”

As the subordinate departed, the master pondered, letting the thoughts of a being with free will creep in slightly like a plant growing through concrete. The demon king of the universe, who had returned with vengeance for being turned into a pawn, only to be once more seized under their control. Temporary freedom, only to fall back into the darkness of enslavement by the same forces that had done it unto you in the first place.

All because you simply could not let the past go…

The Controller forced these thoughts back into the recesses of his mind, letting the cool, calculating knowledge of the supercomputer replace them. He did not even allow for anger at himself to bloom, for that was still emotion. For the sake of his people, he would be a puppet to pure logic. And he would not cease until they all were.

 

Chapter 4: Thunderous Collision of Steel and Flesh

Mechagodzilla and Gigan detected one another, both locking on with killing intent. Their jets roared, racing towards their enemy, but the fully mechanized fighter was the first on the assault. Like a battleship’s cannon, Mechagodzilla’s arm rose upwards before it, the missiles in place of its fingers racing out with the sharp popping of their firing mechanisms. White trails followed each projectile as they approached the cyborg, who dropped before they could connect.

Ignoring the distant explosions behind him, Gigan screeched with wrath. His eye flashed as a red streak of light shot forth, closing the distance between him and his target instantly. Before connecting, it split apart like a shotgun blast, a cluster of explosions surrounding Mechagodzilla. Shockwaves rocked its frame, sending its flight into a brief spiral before the royal doppelgänger regained itself.

A myriad of colors shot out from its eyes, a duo of thin rays that resembled a rainbow. The Space Beams struck true against Gigan’s chest, sparks and smoke flying as the living weapon cried out in pain. Suddenly, he vanished with a pulse of purple energy, confusing Mechagodzilla’s systems.

They realized the truth when the cyberclaw terror appeared behind his foe, swinging both bladed arms across the pseudo-saurian’s back. Dents formed at the points of impact, Space Titanium holding firm under the assault. Before Mechagodzilla could counter, Gigan was swift to fire cables from his scythes, which wrapped around the machine’s midsection.

With a shout of great joy, intermixed with the distress signal of a roar from his artificial foe, Gigan spun like a top. Mechagodzilla swung with the momentum, sensors in overdrive trying to gather rapidly shifting data. Unfortunately, the cybernetic assassin was not just staying in place, instead slowly descending all the while. A sudden stop, joined by the hefty impact of steel on stone, gave Gigan immense satisfaction.

A large hill was pulverized, his cables sticking out from a towering cloud of dust. He clapped his scythes together, laughing as he planted his feet on the ground. Gigan mocked a foe he assumed was now a smashed scrapheap.

A jagged bolt of yellow energy, like a cartoon lightning bolt, pierced the cloud of debris and tore into Gigan’s chest. He screeched as he fell backwards, steel and deadened flesh flying. To his concern, he did not actually hit the ground, his cables holding taut just before.

The Space Beams soared forth again, parting the falling dust to reveal Mechagodzilla with a gigantic dent on its side, sparks flying from torn metal. The arm was twisted out of alignment, but as Gigan quickly learned after the eye rays severed his Hooking Anchors with a sweep, it was not out of commission. Raising its arms and letting the wires fall to its sides, Mechagodzilla stared directly at the now grounded Gigan. The cyberclaw terror got to his feet, rockets igniting as he attempted to get back into the air, but it was too late.

A bombardment of missiles from the hands, knees, and feet of Mechagodzilla descended upon their target. Gigan screamed as he hit the scattering dirt, body awash with explosions. Dust and smoke were kicked up like a tornado had arrived, but the war machine kept up the onslaught. A panel on Mechagodzilla’s chest flipped downwards, revealing a red sphere which spat out the Cross Attack Ray once more, the lightning-like bolt racing into the conflagration to scourge the cyberclaw terror.

A red beacon shone through the black of smoke, a prelude to a laser. Unlike the first, this one did not break apart, staying whole as it burned into Mechagodzilla’s face. This made the robot stagger backwards, metal heating up where the Laser Knife struck.

A mixed cry of pain and anger erupted from Gigan’s beak as he leapt upwards, scales falling away en masse as craters coated his form. Cracks had begun to form on his scythes, not significant but noticeable. He vanished in a flash once more, prompting Mechagodzilla to suddenly turn and fire a volley of missiles.

They struck nothing but distant ground, just before Gigan’s feet crashed onto the pseudo-saurian’s shoulders. Screeching madly, the cyborg assassin jammed one of his scythes into a gap in Mechagodzilla’s damaged arm, sparks flying as he attempted to wrench it off. The other arm shot up, but the cyberclaw terror’s tail wrapped around it and yanked down, keeping it from firing upon him.

With no other options, Mechagodzilla’s head began to spin rapidly, mouth open to release a geyser of orange fire. Gigan cried out as he staggered from the burns on his already wounded legs, falling over his foe. His scythe still stayed wedged in, despite his anguish he refused to relinquish. But the war machine kept its head rotating, the flames no longer spraying.

A blue cylinder formed around the hunched over machine, Gigan screaming as it seared everything it touched. His head was wedged against it, smoke pouring upwards as he tried to pull it away. His tail’s steel was red-hot, the necrotic flesh underneath searing.

Giving up on his opportunity to disarm his foe, in favor of literally saving his skin, Gigan ripped his claw free and flew up like a rocket. He landed before his foe, smoke pouring from his body. The Neo Defense Barrier faded as Mechagodzilla stood up, its damaged arm nearly limp. Both braced themselves, ready to continue their fight.

Until a golden ray of energy tore into Mechagodzilla’s ravaged limb, blasting it away. A high-pitched roar resounded out afterwards as the automaton staggered. Gigan laughed while rearing back in shock, torn by the sudden development, until it affected him as well. For a moment later, a golden foot slammed into one of his arms, worsening the cracks on the scythe to the point that it looked critical. The impact sent him spilling over.

King Ghidorah cackled in wretched glee as his wings slowly beat, lowering him onto the ground near his targets.

Both cybernetic menaces turned their ocular weapons upon the new arrival, who folded his wings before him as a shield. The Laser Knife and Space Beams struck, only succeeding in leaving slight scorch marks on the golden flesh. Their sensors detected a magnetic field weakening their rays, which intensified as Ghidorah opened his wings and let loose a screech.

Their feet dragged against the ground, the metal of their forms being grasped and pulled in by the anomaly erupting from the dread wyrm. Mechagodzilla took advantage of this, firing its missiles blindly into the air and watching as they were snagged by the invisible waves. Gravitating towards Ghidorah, they detonated on contact with his scales, making his three mouths cry out in pain. The magnetic pull ceased, allowing Mechagodzilla to properly turn and prepare to engage.

Only for a scythe to slash across the back of its skull, sending sparks flying as Mechagodzilla staggered. Gigan laughed, before flying backwards into the air and turning his head towards King Ghidorah. Stopping, he vanished in a flicker of purple luminance.

Blood flew from the bases of the dread golden one’s wings, Gigan’s scythes skidding down them as the cyberclaw assassin appeared behind him suddenly. They did not cut deep enough to sever the limbs, but they had succeeded in drawing Ghidorah’s rage, exemplified as his tails were thrust back.

Lancing into exposed flesh, the mace-like ends of the twin limbs were soaked in dark blood and oil, Gigan’s screams of pain being music to the demon king’s ears as he took off into the air. Swinging his foe beneath him, King Ghidorah dropped the cyborg beneath his feet as he crushed him against the ground. Ripping his tails free, the golden dragon jumped into the air, ready to land once more, only to have a barrage of missiles assail both him and his foe.

Mechagodzilla screeched, its black armor glistening in the light of its attacks as it fired rays from its eyes and chest to join the assault. Missiles erupted from where a tongue would be, detonating against Gigan’s body, only for an orange ray of fire to shoot from the throat and burn against the falling King Ghidorah’s scales.

Rising to his feet, the destroyer of worlds withstood the assault as he leaned down, bunching his trio of heads together. Like a golf club he swung them into Gigan’s side, shattering the cracked scythe in the process as the assassin was sent flying. A cacophony of screeches echoed as the two metallic warriors slammed into one another, rolling across the burnt stone.

The ringing laughter of King Ghidorah echoed as he began beating his wings and firing gravity bolts with mad abandon at his targets, catching them in a storm of devastation. The winds picked up the shards of Gigan’s blade, sending them at the duo like razor blades.

Despite the suffering both were undergoing, the golden rays carving burn marks like trenches into them, they continued to attack one another. Gigan’s beak opened to unleash a geyser of flames, bathing Mechagodzilla’s head in it. The automaton replied with a chop to the throat, making the fire sputter as the cyborg coughed.

King Ghidorah leapt up, keeping his wings beating in order to stay aloft, as straighter bolts of energy shot out from the claws of his toes. They burned into the sides of the mechanical menaces’ skulls, prompting a wrathful counter attack from both. Mechagodzilla’s hand twisted, replacing the missiles with a much stronger kind. As he did so, Gigan leapt up and teleported once more.

Despite their hatred of one another, the two executed a combined attack perfectly as Gigan landed atop his golden foe’s back, making the demon king writhe in shock yet remain in the perfect position. For as he thrust his heads back to make the cyberclaw terror fall away, he was unable to defend himself from the missiles that tore into his gut, blasting him out of the sky with a great burst of blood and smoke.

As Ghidorah writhed, a massive crater in his stomach now, Gigan proved to be as petty as he was deadly, getting in close to one of the flailing heads and releasing a short range burst of red energy with a laugh.

Mechagodzilla prepared to attack once more, only to suddenly stop.

***

Moments prior

“Mecha-King Ghidorah is ready, sire!” Zagreth shouted, receiving the notification from the technicians. “What shall we do?”

“Recall Mechagodzilla for repairs. Release Mecha-King Ghidorah and destroy these two invaders.”

“Yes, your highness!”

***

Gigan shouted as Mechagodzilla turned and flew away, taking off into the air to pursue him, only to have teeth clamp onto his tail and drag him back down. Rising back to his feet, King Ghidorah bit down with his other two jaws onto the red sails, locking Gigan in place. Protesting shrieks became painful yells as electrical energy was pumped into the cyborg’s form, making him spasm.

The cyberclaw terror freed himself by driving his remaining scythe into the wound on his enemy’s stomach, making King Ghidorah cry out in anguish. Slouching as he landed, the cyborg scurried away to gain some distance, then turned. Six eyes met one. Neither was willing to back down.

At least, not to each other.

Three bolts of spiraling purple and white bombarded the aliens and the area around them. Both screamed in a mix of shock and pain, staggering as their gazes went to the new arrival.

King Ghidorah reared back, eyes widening. A mechanical duplicate of himself, how could this be? Especially as he got a better look and saw the organic tails and legs, bearing the same golden scales as him. It was a cyborg made in his image. He shouted at it, wings spread wide in an intimidation display.

Mecha-King Ghidorah’s tails moved forward, crackling projectiles launching from between the sharp points at their ends. They sank into the organic dragon, making his demeanor change in an instant as he spasmed with an agonized roar. Electricity ran through his body, siphoning his energy and rendering him helpless for a moment.

Gigan’s eye shot forth its Laser Knife once more, but his foe was ready. A translucent barrier appeared around it, the red beam being absorbed into the sphere and failing to leave even a mark. In fact, it seemed as though it only gave the mindless cyborg more energy, for another round of its breath weapons came out, tearing into the duo.

Flashes of memory sparked in Gigan and King Ghidorah’s minds as they fled at once, lost but now unfortunately found for the former. It only made them hate each other more as they parted ways, returning to their masters.

***

“Should we pursue them, your highness?” Asked Landes.

After a moment of thought, the glowing visage spoke once more. “No, it is not worth the risk. Not yet.” A smug smile adorned his face. “But let us see what our enemies will have to say about that.”

 

Chapter 5: Storm Clouds Swirl

“Prepare the healing chamber for Monster Zero!” The Controller commanded, sending his subordinates in the featureless, white command room into a working frenzy like ants. “They have surprised us yet again, but with our full strength they will fall!”

The main monitor buzzed to life, a signal coming towards it to be transmitted.

***

“Prepare to repair and upgrade Gigan!” The Regulator shouted with emotion that was almost joy. His words echoed throughout the control center. “His power, alongside Monster X, will render them helpless!”

A call came in, the monitors filling with static.

***

“Accept it.” The cybernetic elder said emotionlessly.

***

“What the hell do they want?”

***

“Is bragging really the right move?” Landes questioned as they waited for an answer.

The face that looked as though it were made of flames looked down towards her. “Psychological warfare is just as important as the physical.” He intoned.

“Besides,” her comrade leaned over to her. “Don’t you love seeing their faces twitch? That old bag of bones trying to remain emotionless while the kid hoots and hollers like a damned baboon?” Zagreth couldn’t stifle her cruel laugh.

Fortunately for Landes, her crestfallen face was only the source of Zagreth’s attention for a split second before the two opposing factions answered their communicative summons.

“What babbling do you have to subject us to, you bloated skull?” Kaziya was quick to begin the conversation with hostility, his subjects behind him with solemn faces. Except for Metphies, who kept up a calm smile, like a friend at a party.

“The fact that the only thing sustaining you two is the fact that an attack on one would allow for the other to strike us later. We have Mecha-King Ghidorah, in peak condition, while none of your monsters are fit to fight.” He replied smugly, his voice bouncing off the walls of his vast auditorium of a control room.

“You think we’re out of monsters?” The Keizer replied with just as much pride. “You know nothing of what we truly have.”

“Then where is it?” The Controller chimed in. “Monster X and Gigan are the only two colossi you have unveiled despite the length of this war. Surely if you had more, you would have revealed them.”

“Not when Monster X and Gigan have been more than enough to triumph.”

“Hmph! Monster X was nearly killed, and Gigan is currently missing an arm! They’ve triumphed over nothing.” Zagreth interjected. “If they’re all you have, you’re defenseless now!”

Kaziya’s fist clenched. “Not only has Monster X nearly slain both Godzilla and Rodan, putting him far above that worthless wyrm Monster Zero.” He pointed towards the elder, awaiting a crack in the wall. There was none, so he continued. “But Gigan has damaged Mechagodzilla and made it so he now lacks an arm.”

“Monster Zero is not the same as when Zero-One and Zero-Two fought him. Time has made him greater, as has his anger over his previous failures. He wields new powers and far more strength.” The old fashioned Xilien leader boasted. “Zero-One has also become far stronger than when Planet X encountered him in the past.”

“And yet, Mechagodzilla put a hole in Zero’s gut and Mecha-King Ghidorah sent him running for his life.” Landes finally spoke up. “We have superior versions of your two greatest monsters. And Rodan can’t keep up.”

“The Black Mechagodzilla that also currently lacks an arm. Just as your cactus monster currently nurses great wounds. Your version of Monster Zero only drove the true one away due to the timing of its arrival, without interference, you will see your inferior clone,” his voice rose subtly at those words, nobody but Kaziya and Landes picking up on it, “vanquished.”

“Doesn’t save Rodan from getting shot out of the sky.” Zagreth chuckled.

“Zero-Two holds secrets that none of you are prepared for. When he has recovered, you will bear witness to a new beast, one far greater. And the Mechagodzilla you possess is one that Zero-One has already dealt with, twice.”

“Not the one we have. Black Mechagodzilla makes the efforts of the Black Hole Aliens seem paltry.” The Giant Dark Emperor boasted, his ember-like eyes gazing intimidatingly into his two opponents. Neither backed down, not offering even a flinch.

“But what does this conversation matter?” Metphies spoke up, surprising everyone. “We are in a deadlock, are we not? What does this boasting and posturing matter if nothing is changing?” His tone was calm as always, not like a reassuring parent, but like ice.

A far cry from his fellow holy man. “Silence, heretic!” Endurph shouted. His wrinkled skin flexed with his angered ranting. “What matters is knowing that you are doomed, and festering in that fear before you pay for your crimes of aligning with the Keizer!”

“If your God is against me, he’s a damned idiot!” Kaziya cackled. “The power of the Keizer is the power of the divine!”

“Your hubris will damn you, worthless cur!”

“You cling to gods and the unknown,” The Controller cut in. “And you call yourselves Xiliens? Logic shall crush all else.”

“And clinging to the old ways will save us?” The Keizer replied, true venom seeping into his voice. “The ways that led to humanity defeating us?”

“They are better than your so-called freedom.” Landes replied. “The kind that led to our destruction at the hands of the Garoga.”

“And yet you use the clone who failed us, while serving a different kind’s leader? You sicken me, sister.”

“Not her fault, it was the best option.” Zagreth shouted, leaning over to wrap an arm around her comrade. Landes flinched at the surprisingly friendly gesture, knowing it was a sham just to aggravate others. She didn’t think Zagreth could actually feel things like camaraderie. “Better than hooking herself up to a dusty computer or trusting a dumbass screaming about how he’s a god.”

Kaziya stared daggers at Zagreth, raising his hand and letting sparks dance between his fingers. “Silence.”

As Zagreth returned to her seat, waving her hands in faux-fear, the Giant Dark Emperor spoke once more. “This is bigger than religious squabbles and family quarreling. Your kind holds themselves back by resisting me.”

“You are a vulture.” The Controller replied. Anger crept into his tone slightly. “You will only lead our people to a degenerate existence, a scavenger tearing into the weakest prey.”

Endurph laughed. “Says a man who rejects all but what is right in front of him. But I suppose that is better than the heretics.” He glared daggers at Metphies.

The fresh-faced religious leader replied, not to his fellow, but to all parties. “Are we going to babble until the Sun expands?” This drew confusion. “For all this talk of superiority, none of us have proven it, have we? Only small fights fraught with extenuating circumstances.”

Tension grew further, even on his own side. But still, he kept speaking. “Talk is cheap, and I understand the irony of that coming from a man of the cloth, but actions speak far louder. Do they not?”

“What are you getting at?” The Controller slammed a fist on his table. “This is why I despise you men of belief. Circuitous language is the only one you know.”

Kaziya smiled. He picked up on his ally’s path. “Let us cease this hiding in the shadows! Jabbing at each other before retreating!”

Zagreth and the Giant Dark Emperor took on similar grins. The latter spoke up, laughing deeply. “Finally, we agree on something!”

Endurph let out a wheezing cackle. “Our full might, once recovered, shall crush the heretics and nonbelievers!”

The Controller’s mouth twitched, but he retained his stoicism. “Monsters Zero, Zero-One, and Zero-Two shall all be released at once once they have healed. If they meet forces not ready for combat, there shall be no mercy.”

“Oh, we’ll be ready. Our monsters shall crush you all! It will be the final chapter of Xiliens against my reign!” The Keizer clenched his upheld fist.

The solemn faces of all the other Xiliens were melting away, on all three factions. It was not clear to most watching, focused on the speakers, but two sets of eyes framed by pale flesh glanced across the screens and at their surroundings to see it. Soaking in the fear and anticipation.

“Our next meeting will be on the field of battle! And it shall be the last!” The Giant Dark Emperor shouted.

“So be it!”

“And let this struggle finally cease.”

With that, the feeds were cut off.

***

Kaziya already shouted to his followers, the glow of the screens not even faded. “Bring me the vial of Hedrium! It is time to finally bring about our full forces!”

“But my lord,” questioned a woman. “What if they attack while you and the group are out?”

“There will be no group, just myself. And if it were not for kaiju, I would be able to win this war by my lonesome.”

As an Xilien handed him a glass bottle, he turned to Metphies. “You know, I didn’t take you as the type to do something like this.”

A slight giggle left the prophet’s mouth. “I simply grow tired of this posturing without results. I did not realize my words would have such an effect.”

“Well, I’m glad. It’s no fun talking to your enemy unless they’re beneath you, begging for mercy.” He turned his head, “prepare to drop me on the planet’s surface!”

“I wish you luck, friend. I must retire to my quarters for now.” Metphies bowed, before walking away, leaving behind a chaotic scene akin to a bee’s nest in full force.

***

The door closed behind him as he entered his room, featureless except for the standard bed attached to the wall on the opposite side of the entrance. Metphies smiled as he walked over to it, kneeling on the white mattress and closing his eyes. They had offered him a room of luxury, but he turned it down, both to avoid drawing attention and from a genuine rejection of such things.

“Endurph, can you hear me?” He projected his thoughts outwards.

“Yes, my brother in God. I must apologize for my harsh words earlier, but you know that I must keep up appearances.” The elder priest replied back in the mental channel they established.

“Worry not, it is all part of the plan. I must commend you in actuality, a lesser mind would have snapped under the pressure of the Giant Dark Emperor’s ego.” A sly smile crept onto Metphies’ face, and he could feel a much toothier grin forming on his fellow’s visage.

“I will take great pleasure in that fool’s meeting with oblivion. There is great fear surrounding me, terror that will be ripe for the sacrament.”

“As is around me too. And more importantly, the Keizer’s desperation to win. It swells like a boil in his mind, and I know when the battle begins it will become even worse.”

“Perfect,” Endurph replied. “Do you think his creature is the one? The one who will bring the will of God upon the very universe?”

“Yes. I sense in both him and in it a power like this cosmos has only seen in our lord. When the Golden Demise emerges, he will show them both the path.” Metphies mentally spoke with nothing but confidence.

“Prepare your flock. I shall do so with mine. We will know the proper time to begin the ritual. And all will fall into place.”

Both smiled, teeth showing. Their god had called them back to this world, the world that their ancestors had once lived upon before making a mass exodus millennia ago. It had predicted an unfolding conflict, blossoming into a tragedy of utmost violence and terror.

And from that blooming madness would fall a seed. One which would grow into a tree that blotted out all life, its roots draining the very universe dry.

***

In the cover of dark, far away from any other eyes, a lone figure marched over craggy ground. A vial was grasped in his hand, containing a black mass. A clump with what resembled a tail trailing off of it bounced slightly with each step, hitting the walls of its glass prison.

But as the figure reached his destination, that seal would soon be broken. Kaziya looked over the vast crevasse, his nostrils burning at the stench that rose up from it.

Embedded in the surface of Planet X was a landfill, filled with garbage and pollutants. For most of its lifetime, the Xilien civilization had not produced much waste. Such was the result of a society that was focused entirely on optimization, where the individual had no worth and thus no potential for excess. Humanity had introduced luxury to them, resulting in the creation of leftover filth. Better technology than humankind had allowed for it to still be minimal, but here it was nonetheless.

“I would rather a thousand of these exist than let my people exist as hollow shells.” The Keizer spoke as he extended his arm, holding the glass tube over the pit. “Or to have them feeding off the scraps of another.”

With his thumb, he cracked the vial in half, letting it and its payload fall several hundred meters into the landfill. As the glass shattered even further, the black tadpole hit the stone with a small splat, staining the ground with a slight bit of its fluid but otherwise remaining unharmed. Like a worm it crawled into the nearest pile of junk, nestling itself in.

“The computer’s servants abandoned this place, claiming it was proof of an inferior civilization. The foreign emperor’s flock did the same, saying only a race as weak as humankind could produce such a thing. Perhaps they were right.”

Absorbing the sludge and filth around it, the tadpole grew. Red eyes forced their way out of the black mass, harsh in their luminance. Rudimentary legs grew out from its undercarriage, allowing it better movement as it hurled itself into another pile, messily consuming it like a man who had just emerged from near-fatal starvation.

“But it was the true us! The Xilien mind able to finally think freely, the heart able to beat for its own body and nobody else’s! We could finally live! So let the excess spill its poison!”

Smog which lingered in the air moved towards a single source, vents in the now gigantic entity suctioning it all for the sake of sustenance. Where any other life would die from intaking such foul material, this was a being that fed off that toxicity. Its slick, black flesh swayed with its movement. A foul gurgle of contentment emanated from the colossus.

“We will take that poison and pour it down our enemies’ throats!” Kaziya thrust his hand out once more, exerting his genetic gift of power over those with M-Base. Hedorah looked back to him, raising its arms in anticipation of what was to come. The smog monster was eager to serve, if it meant inflicting devastation.

The Keizer laughed to the black heavens.

***

The Controller stepped onto the balcony overlooking their third monster, as of this moment, their weakest. But if this worked, that would no longer be the case, an elevation making all three of their warriors forces to be reckoned with.

Rodan’s ravaged body, slowly healing in the vast tank of rejuvenating fluid, subtly shifted as new tubes were inserted into his flesh. Old information obtained from Earth, supported by what they could see from their analysis of his DNA, suggested that something was lying buried. In that genetic code was a transformation.

And they would force it out.

The tank glowed, Rodan spasming as gargantuan levels of radiation were pumped into his biomass. It was as if a nuclear reactor was being shoved down his throat. The green light illuminated the Controller’s stone-like face. He bore no sorrow for the pain the creature was feeling, not when they would benefit from it.

Rodan’s eyes shot open, wings spreading and sending the countless wires pumping healing fluids into his system falling away. He roared as his flesh turned from brown to crimson, sparks bouncing amongst his crown of horns. His surface level wounds sealed shut, but he was clearly in great pain nonetheless. The internal injuries were only aggravated.

“Return him to slumber once the transformation is complete. Prepare for war in the next few days.” The leader of the supercomputer’s emissaries commanded, before returning to his quarters.

***

Sparks fell like rain to the steel floor as the remnants of Mechagodzilla’s ruined arm were carved off, the first step to replacing it. Next, the joint connecting it to the body would be removed, allowing a new one to be inserted.

Zagreth watched it from a distance. Even from kilometers away, the shining of the plasma torch being used still illuminated her brown hair. Her eyes caught a worker peering at her from the corner of his own, to which she responded with a smile and delicate wave. She chuckled as his head snapped away, his feet scurrying slightly to gain distance.

The distinct sound of footsteps on metal drew her gaze back to the approaching Landes. “What’s so funny?” The dark-haired Xilien questioned.

“Oh, nothing. Just these men who dance like a puppet on strings for a pretty girl like me.”

Landes said nothing. The two most significant men in her life were currently on opposing sides of a war to her, and she increasingly believed it was in large part over a specific woman. Though, in that regard, she was not quite innocent herself.

She still saw that smiling face in her dreams sometimes, only to be harshly reminded as she awoke of the truth. How could she expect it to be any different for them? Especially for her father…

“Speaking of boys,” Zagreth continued, snapping Landes from her brief daze, “how’s the little cactus?” She questioned, as though Gororin was not still a towering giant.

“Almost fully recovered. He’ll be fine in short order.” She said almost monotonously.

“Good. I want to see that stupid pile of bones get frustrated fighting him again.”

***

The rebellious Xiliens watched in awe as Kaziya returned to the mothership, followed by the towering mass of pollutant sludge. Monster X, body almost fully healed, observed with his restored eyes of crimson. The most significant damage was fixed, so now he simply waited for his natural restoration to work. He looked to his master, who was being picked up by a ship to return to the main base. The Keizer met his eyes, a smile forming.

”You look wondrous, my dear friend. The time of reckoning draws near, and I know you shall bring us the glory we seek. I have ensured you the finest reinforcements.” He telepathically communicated to the draconic knight, tilting his head towards Hedorah.

Monster X and the other colossus shared a glance, linked in their allegiance. The smog monster was a wretched thing, but so was he, the skeletal ghoul figured. And so was their third, nearly at full capacity once more, a walking flurry of blades and sadistic impulses. They were cruel things, but that was simply the universe’s order.

A low growl was met with a shrill gurgle, a dark pact to bring devastation.

The ship containing the Regulator lifted him into the sky, then into the waiting fold of his subordinates in the landing bay. Planting his feet on the golden floors, he was quick to silence any potential questions.

“I saw nothing of import. Our enemies are shoring themselves up, they have no need to be out and about, just as I anticipated. Now tell me, how go Gigan’s repairs and upgrades?”

The crowd parted for a technician to step forth. “Wonderfully, my lord. His other scythe has been removed, the damaged one already replaced with the improvement you requested. His armor is repaired, and the Bladed Slicers in place. He will be more than ready to battle.”

“Excellent. See to Hedorah being placed within a hyperspace stasis room in a UFO, they must not be able to even anticipate him.” After an affirmation, he continued. “Now, leave me! I must rest, as must you all. Be prepared, for soon, our victory!”

Cheers and chants, akin to religious devotion, followed him as he made his way out of the landing bay. Kaziya walked through winding halls and corridors, eventually coming across his bedroom once more. He returned to his bed, laying on the delicate mattress. But sleep did not come swiftly.

His conversation with his enemies played on repeat in his head. Not because of a folly he made, but because of a past wound that was permanently open as long as two waged war against him.

“Father…” he wanted to call him by his real name, a sign of disrespect, but some part of him could not tear that away. Could not see ‘Yoshamura’ in that emotionless expression, but just his father. “You must know this is not what she would want. So why? And sister… the same of you. Is the Muan outcast who mother would cast her lot with?”

He repressed the memory of better times. Now was not the time to dwell on those. Not when the future of his people was at stake. He was right. He knew this, and knew she would feel the same. That was all he needed. To bask in that past warmth, it would only distract him on the eve of battle.

***

Silence. An absence of sound. How interesting it was that absence only exposed the truth of the soul.

Yoshamura’s withered soul, that he tried with all his might to reject. That he liked to believe his son and daughter were also trying to reject, in their own ways. For it was too painful to keep. He looked at the monitors displaying his three monsters, all nearly at peak condition. Zero, Zero-One, and Zero-Two.

King Ghidorah, Godzilla, and Rodan.

His fist clenched as those names forced themselves into his mind. Was that spark of humanity so undying that he could not even refer to his pawns by their numbers? The supercomputer was supposed to blot these things out, but it only did so when tactically necessary. In this downtime, he could not fall back on it, allowing the vines to ever circle his shriveled heart.

Were his followers feeling this same thing? Did they also struggle with their emotions and doctrine?

“It will fade in time.” He said to himself, the decree bouncing off the cold metal walls. But deep down, he did not believe it.

Time heals all wounds. It was a saying humanity had. But the light of her presence, it still stuck in his mind even after so long, illuminating the festering wound left by her absence.

“Nicole…” he lamented.

 

Chapter 6: Across Worlds

Decades ago, mere days after the Human/Xilien War

“You are approaching Planet X. We detect no abnormalities, do you?”

“No sir.” Replied Glenn, his chiseled face locked in concentration. “They aren’t dumb enough to try anything other than listening.” Almost subconsciously, he felt the small device in his space suit’s pocket, a circular machine that would emit a high-pitched whine when activated. If the Xiliens did not listen, he would force them to.

“Then we leave it to you two. Good luck, Glenn and Fuji.” The radio cut off, leaving the friends of different nationalities to only talk to each other in the cramped cockpit of the spaceship P-1.

The silence of a few moments was heavier than tungsten.

“Are you sure we should do this? Force them to turn off their computer?” Fuji Kazuo asked his fellow astronaut, trepidation coating his words.

Humanity had just come off the heels of a battle with another species, the brutal assault of Planet X being weathered and countered by human ingenuity. A species controlled by electronic signals released from a supercomputer, seeking water even if it meant shedding blood. But the computer was not all they were. At some point, they had locked themselves in those chains. Glenn knew this, for a simple reason.

“Yes. It’s the only way they’ll be able to live, be able to cohabitate with us.”

Fuji was not fully convinced. “But, think of the consequences! They’ve lived their whole lives under this, you can’t just cut them free and expect everything to go well!”

“They already can feel emotion! Think for themselves. I saw it, and they killed her for it. All we’re doing is freeing them.” Glenn spoke, with more resolve behind his words than he’d ever held before.

“Glenn…” Fuji was never one who was able to handle the more volatile aspects of the human emotional spectrum. He wished his sister was here, this was something much more in her wheelhouse than his. The astronaut, thinking it over, realized that she was always better at reading people than he had been. Her boyfriend, who he had brushed off as a failure, had been a key part of saving humanity.

“Namikawa was one Xilien. This is an entire species. You can’t be sure that they all feel the same way she did, you can’t be sure-“

“I am not leaving this planet until that damned computer is shut down.” Glenn had not shouted or even particularly raised his voice, but there was a coldness and venom to that sentence that carried more power than any fist slamming onto a table.

That silence returned, their blue barren destination drawing ever closer.

Glenn knew the Xiliens were more than the computer because it had been revealed to him. Through that overwhelming force, transcendent of all boundaries, even the ones between worlds.

“You loved her, didn’t you? Truly?”

Glenn let out a sigh, one filled with pain that came from the depths of the heart. “More than I’ll ever love again.”

***

The Xilien across the sleek desk shrunk under Glenn’s gaze. In their base, their metallic underground sanctuary, he was supposed to be in complete control. But the truth was far from that. Not when his race’s army had been vanquished by the world that was now making demands of him. Not when the Controller had been slain, and he could only desperately try to pick up the pieces.

“Look, be glad about this. Humanity being willing to extend an olive branch after the shit you pulled? Rare for us.” The blonde-haired emissary spoke. “You should see what we did to the Mysterians.”

Fuji took note of how the new Controller recoiled. The cold confidence of the former was lost despite the nearly identical appearance, and he had a feeling it was not quite just from the recent events. “So, explain briefly, just so we’re all on the same page.” He began, in order to break the tension. “Why have you in particular been made the new leader?”

“As the former Controller’s younger sibling, I have also been given the requisite teachings and programming in order to lead.” He replied without emotion.

“So you’ve got a fancy supercomputer and it just makes you pull the same succession shit we’ve been doing for centuries?” Glenn replied with a raised eyebrow.

“What do you want? Is it not enough to deprive our people of your water despite our demands?”

“Your demands that we become your slaves?!” Glenn shot up to his feet.

“That you follow our orders and be welcomed into our superior culture.” Despite the lack of change in his tone, Fuji was keenly aware of the Xilien’s face scrunching up in anger.

“Well we have demands of our own, and you will gain access to Earth’s water if you follow them.” The calmer of the two astronauts cut in, trying to ensure things did not escalate. “Are you willing to listen?”

“Continue.”

“First. The people of Planet X are to accept and accommodate numerous human visitors, and allow them complete access to all your facilities and data in order to ensure complete transparency.” No reply, which Fuji took as a signal to keep speaking. “Second. The Xiliens will share all of their technological advances with humanity.”

“We were not being truthful when we spoke of a cure to all diseases.” The Controller replied. “Our bodies are partially mechanized, and the landscape is too barren to produce bacteria and viruses regardless. We have no reason to create cures.”

Glenn drummed his fingers against the desk. “We still want whatever you do have. Are these terms agreeable,” he put a sardonic emphasis on that last word, “enough for you so far?”

“Yes.”

“Oh-ho, just you wait.” The American responded, before turning his head towards his comrade. He turned back, a smile adorning his face that bordered on sadistic. “Third. Shut down your supercomputer. The one that controls your species.”

“What?” Left the new Controller’s lips after a brief pause. Confusion filled the exclamation, genuine emotion emerging.

“You heard me.”

“That’s ridiculous.” The monotone speech was back, but Fuji could swear he heard a subtle shakiness to it. “Our kind relies upon it. It makes all of our decisions and guides us, you cannot seriously expect us to shut it down.”

“It told you to attack humanity instead of bartering with us, so the bigwigs back home want it shut down.” Glenn replied. The two humans knew that to not be the full truth, for while that had been a decree by the United Nations, the seed of the idea was planted by Glenn himself.

“It makes the most logical decisions based off the stimulus given. In the scenario where we cannot deceive you and you are our equals in technology, there is no point in shutting the computer down when it will demand compliance of us.”

“Shut. It. Down.” Venom dripped from the words.

“What are we to do without it? You are suggesting our kind is cut off from the guidance we have abided by since before any of our currently living members were born.” Desperation seeped into the new Controller’s speech, tinging them away from their supposedly required soullessness.

“What will you do? Live! You people will finally be able to live, feel emotions, have hearts! Is that not enough? For God’s sake, we’re doing you a favor!”

“Casting my people adrift into your kind’s tumultuous nature is not a favor!” The Xilien slammed a gloved fist onto his desk, rising to his feet. “Change that term and we will have a deal, our people will co-exis-“

“There is no coexistence with that goddamned computer still functioning!” Glenn pulled out the disk, his finger pressing down onto the button. Fuji cringed as a horribly high-pitched sound rang out, sending the Controller to the floor. He writhed as he curled up into the fetal position. The ruler of a mighty kind, reduced to a pitiable ball on the tiled floor.

“Turn it off!” The tormented alien shouted.

Glenn screamed back. “Not until you swear to turn that damn supercomputer off! I don’t care if I have to hold this until your head explodes! Turn it off!”

Fuji could only cover his ears and watch. He wanted to step in, stop what he knew deep down was wrong, but he could not bring himself to do so. It felt like weights were on his feet, but they paled in comparison to the one on his heart.

“Alright, alright!” The Xilien screamed from the depths of his lungs. “I’ll do it, just please, make it stop! Please!”

And thus, the American astronaut did so. A maddened smile revealed his teeth, and looking upon it was the most horrified his companion had ever been. As the Xilien struggled to catch his breath and rise up, Fuji mused on the nature of love. A beautiful thing, yes, but it could dredge up the darkest parts of the soul that were normally buried deep within. Glenn was one of the kindest men he knew, and so it was like he was looking upon a complete stranger.

***

He’d had a hollow pit in his chest the entire time he was on this planet since Namikawa’s passing. As Glenn watched the Xiliens maneuver about the colossal construct of black steel coated in varying lights and buttons before him, working to cease its operations, it only deepened.

He saw how Fuji looked at him, and he could not blame him. His treatment of the new Controller disgusted even him, but he pressed onwards regardless. This would benefit them in the long run, that was what he kept telling himself, even as he sank deeper. That leader stood close to him, expression hard to discern, but he could feel the fear radiating off him.

Glenn remembered Namikawa’s fear, as she pleaded with him to marry her and faced her demise for his sake. It hardened his heart and strengthened his resolve.

The lights dimmed, leaving the computer a dull mass. Silence was only broken by intense breathing from every Xilien present, faces contorting in anxiety. They felt a new hollowness, as if part of their brain had been torn away. What was replacing it was new and uncertain, and they feared it gravely. They could barely think of how to describe it, the feeling of the computer’s perpetual hum in the back of their mind being now gone and allowing these strange sensations to creep in and take its place.

“Turn it back on!” One screamed, rushing forwards.

Glenn moved like a man possessed, ripping a gun out of a nearby Xilien’s hip holster. He pointed it at the computer, squeezing the trigger. A blue ray of light shot forth, crashing into it and boring into the metal of the device. The workers upon the computer fled as an explosion rippled across it, tearing the outside asunder and revealing now wrecked innards. Glenn kept firing, causing more bursts upon the centerpiece of Xilien civilization until it collapsed under its own weight, bursting into flame.

Despite a chorus of panic and roaring fire, Glenn could only hear his heart thudding in his ears and the sound of his heavy breathing.

***

Damage control. Those two words were all that could be used to describe humankind’s actions after Glenn’s deeds in the following weeks and months. Desperate apologies and the astronaut’s imprisonment were like trying to apply bandages to a severed limb, but any retribution the Xiliens wanted to undertake was impossible. They truly were under humanity’s foot at this point.

First, resources. The most important of all for the people of Planet X, water, was entirely up to humanity’s discretion. They needed it, and the people of Earth had it in droves. Taking it by force was not an option, the invasion had destroyed most of their weaponry and taken away their trump cards. They had been horribly weakened.

Secondly, even if they had the strength necessary, the will was gone. Their computer’s destruction left them feeling aimless and lost, like a child whose mother and father had both departed. Unfamiliar thoughts and feelings paralyzed the Xiliens. Individuality beyond numbers, ideas that did not solely benefit the totality. Worst of all was the growing sensation that they deserved this.

Empathy could finally sink its talons into their hearts, and the realization of their atrocities was worse than any high-pitched screech. How many of their kind had they killed for asserting themselves, for willingly stepping into this dreadful territory? Perhaps this was due punishment. And that was not even considering their attempted genocide of the Earth.

As the Controller looked at his hands, carefully looking at their movements as he flexed his fingers of his own will, he wondered just what his people’s future held. Yoshamura wondered if humankind would guide them, or trod upon them. Or, in short, he wondered if they would be better than his kind had been, or sink to the same depths.

 

Chapter 7: Light and Warmth of a Smile

Another day of walking down steel corridors, Yoshamura’s autonomy having revealed to him the monotony of his daily life. Fellow Xiliens, alongside their new “roommates” in the form of migrated humans, moved past him like ants in a nest. Feelings among the natives on their new brothers and sisters were mixed. Some welcomed them with open arms while others secretly wanted their demise. Such was change, a difficult process. The controller himself had no clue how he felt about them.

Before he could ponder his older brother’s part in this, his shoulder hit another. The spilling of papers across the floor snapped him out of his dissociative state.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry!” The other person, a human woman, replied. “Sir!” She tacked on once she realized who she was now facing.

Yoshamura was struck by her beauty. Blonde strands of hair fell over eyes like emeralds. Xilien women had been enforced into a homogeneous look, so an appearance so different grabbed his attention immediately.

“I should be the one apologizing.” He replied, his voice its usual tone. “I was lost in thought.” The controller took the courtesy of helping her gather up the papers, being able to tell from a glance that she was one of the people devoted to keeping contact with Earth.

“So was I.” She said with a giggle. “But you’re in charge while I’m one of a whole team, so, again, sorry.” She smiled, and the Controller felt like the dark exterior of his heart had had a pick taken to it, revealing what lay underneath. “I’m part of the team that keeps communication with Earth, in case you didn’t know.”

There was such kindness in that smile. Slightly crooked teeth which, while clean, did not glimmer would turn away a more shallow gaze, but he was mesmerized. Perhaps that imperfection was why he was grasped, and how it did not diminish the soul within. She began to walk away, “I need to get going, sir,” she said as her files were reorganized in her hands once more.

Fortunately, though his heart was beating quickly, the Xilien Controller was not a fool who would trip over his own words at such a time. “Of course. As must I.” He said, still subdued but not robotically. It likely remained awkward sounding, but he pressed on with “before you go, what is your name?”

“Nicole, Mr. Controller.”

“Controller is an outdated title.” He admitted, more to himself than to her. “Call me Yoshamura.”

She took a moment to respond, a result of the difference between this interaction and how he had projected himself to the people until this point. “Mr. Yoshamura. I like it.” Nicole stated.

“So do I.” He replied, a genuine smile gracing his face for the first time since he was born.

***

The same hallway slowly scrolled past his vision as the leader of Planet X walked down it. But the droll nature of his passage was no longer present, schedules aligning such that he saw her approaching. A week had gone by since their first meeting, and it had dwelled in the back of his mind the entire time.

“Morning, Mr. Yoshamura.” Nicole said with a wave, balancing a stack of papers in her other arm for the moment it took to do so. Others, both human and Xilien, had taken to using his actual name in addressing him since he gave the go ahead to her. He was still getting used to it.

“Morning, Nicole.” He replied with a similar wave, no need to adjust given he carried nothing but what was stored in his brain. Before they passed, he spoke again. “I wanted to talk with you more, actually.”

This made her pause. “Now what could the leader of a whole planet want with little ol’ me?”

A brief silence, the Xilien Controller’s measured heart picking up speed once more. “Nothing in particular. I just feel… comfortable around you. I would not have so freely given out my name like that if I had bumped into anyone.”

“Oh,” Nicole replied, “I’m flattered.” She smiled brightly, face becoming a shade redder. “I’d love to, unfortunately I can’t right now, big things going down on Earth.”

“Of course.” Yoshamura said, fingers rapidly drumming his side as a result of his nerves rising.

She began to walk past him, trying to keep looking at him to make sure he knew she wasn’t ditching him, talking quickly. “In fact if I don’t get there soon, I’ll probably get yelled at, Godzilla’s shown up again on a remote island and taken down a terrorist group, but I’d love to meet up after I’m done!”

The mental haze of romantic aspiration was cleared for a moment by the scope of what she’d just said. “What?” He was genuinely baffled.

“Right?” She was still moving, in hopes of avoiding a scolding from her superior. “But yeah, uh, we can meet…”

He verbally stumbled, before getting out “you know where I am most of the day. I’ll let my guards know you’re coming.”

“Sounds good!” She turned a corner, giving a thumbs up before disappearing from sight.

Yoshamura breathed in deeply, then let out a long exhale. He kept walking his way, heart and mind racing. It was unknown territory he was delving into, for both him and practically his whole species. Love.

With a human. Just like Namikawa and Glenn.

It was like a dark cloud settled over his swirling emotions at that revelation.

***

Nicole was always a woman who tried to look at the bright side of life. Born and raised in the United States, she’d been instilled with the belief that humanity could accomplish anything it set its mind to. When the Xiliens had invaded Earth and subsequently been driven back, she was one of the first to volunteer to go to their homeworld as part of the effort to integrate Planet X into humanity’s conglomerate. Yes, they had caused great strife, but she knew that people were just as capable of cruelty and yet could still live side by side with each other. After all, this venture was primarily a collaboration between America and Japan, two nations that had just been at war barely over two decades ago.

But, her propensity for positivity could still be dampened by her surroundings. And Planet X was a dull place, a lifeless surface that made the most inhospitable biomes of Earth look like a rainforest along with a maze of identical metal tunnels. She was currently in the room of the leader of this world, and yet, it looked the same as every other chamber. The colorless table was built into the floor, resembling a block more than anything she’d eaten off of back home.

The plate in front of her held rehydrated food, a slab of meat alongside noodles that, although now edible, did not exactly stir her hunger. Although it was worlds more appealing than what the man across from her was consuming. Yoshamura did not have a plate, instead what resembled an IV drip stood next to him, funneling a dull-orange fluid into the veins of his arms.

“So, what exactly is that? If you don’t mind.” Nicole asked, attempting to break the ice as she poked at her meal with a fork.

“Mitochondria. Our species does not eat like yours.” Yoshamura replied. “Instead we gain all the sustenance we need from intaking Mitochondria.”

“You don’t even eat for fun? I get what you’re going for with that,” she waved her fork in the direction of the bag, “but none of you have ever sat down and ate like, a burger?”

“Unfortunately, the supercomputer did not avail us such things. That and our planet is not exactly fit for the agriculture your kind is blessed with.”

Nicole sucked air in through her teeth, cringing at her perceived faux pas. “Right. Sorry. Well, when we can get better food than this up here, I think you’d love something proper to eat.”

“There is no need to apologize. I should be the one doing so,” The Xilien Controller shifted awkwardly in his seat, his voice betraying his swift regret at arranging this.

“How come?” Nicole responded as she finally took a bite from what she now realized was beef. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but she’d had better at a fast food joint, and a high bar, that was not.

“This is… all of it, it is not exactly…”

“Romantic? Eh, I’ve been on worse dates. I’d already be planning an escape route if this were a ‘normal’ date, but I’m willing to give you more of a chance.”

“How come?” He replied, confused.

“Like you said, your supercomputer didn’t let y’all do anything fun. I don’t expect the first actual date your species has ever had,” she was aware that Glenn had been in a relationship with an Xilien agent, but she was not counting someone that had been specifically trained to seduce in that statement, “to exactly go great.”

A few seconds went by as Yoshamura found the words he wanted to say next, letting Nicole eat some more of her food. The steady flowing of the Mitochondria solution was the only other noise in that brief pause.

“Then why did you accept my offer? If you knew this would be awkward?”

“I’ll be blunt. There’s not a lot to do around here, it was either this or play chess with Randall and lose for the fiftieth time.” She chuckled, something which prompted a smile from her date. It was an odd expression, as he was not used to such a thing. “That, and… I guess it’s like you said earlier, I just feel ‘comfortable’ around you.“

“The honesty is welcome. I have felt that most of the humans here have kept their true feelings obscured from us. Not without good reason, I suppose.”

“Yeah, it’s more mixed than you’d imagine, though. Nobody here is outright opposed to peace between our species, like a lot of people back home.” She grimaced at that. “I think a lot of us just don’t quite know how we feel about the Xiliens.”

“Then it seems we have more in common than I thought, as we are struggling with how we feel in general. I noticed you reacted to those opposed to this arrangement in a particular way, as though you’ve gotten a more direct taste of that.” He looked over at his meal, seeing the bag slowly getting empty.

Nicole sighed deeply. Yoshamura put his hands up, “you don’t need to-“

“No, it’s fine. I haven’t talked to anyone else about this, but I have to get it off my chest. My mother nearly cursed me out over my decision to come here.” Her eyes shut tightly. “She was furious that I’d even dare to try and bridge the gap between our species, that anyone would come up here and make it so humanity can’t just bomb out the remaining Xiliens.”

“That is troubling. Did our invasion affect her?”

“Rodan blew our hometown down, but nobody we knew got killed.” She wanted to mention that her father had already been long dead from his alcoholic tendencies, but she was already dropping a lot on her date. “I can’t imagine how she’d react if she saw me right now.” Another chuckle, but one without mirth.

“Having dinner with the enemy of mankind. I can empathize, as there are members of my kind who would like me vaporized if they knew of this. Those who still whisper of needing to overtake humanity for your water and Mitochondria.”

“It goes both ways, huh?” She sighed, taking another bite of her steak. It was no different on Earth, she supposed.

“It appears so. But you are here because you believe that one day, it can be better, correct? That one day, humans and Xiliens will be together as allies, building something better?”

“That I am.” She perked up at this.

“Then I shall work towards the same. I had felt guilty earlier, after asking you for this meeting.” He saw her curiosity be piqued. “For I was reminded of Glenn and Namikawa, and how we had torn that relationship asunder. But you, Nicole, have made me realize that I cannot just sit there in those feelings. You, you push forward always, I can already see that.”

“I- I don’t know what to say.” She blushed brightly at the compliment, it was the most genuinely nice thing she’d ever been told. Despite the oddness of her date and the suddenness of it all, she could feel her heartbeat rising. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I wish this conversation could continue longer, but for now I must unfortunately call it short, a meeting scheduled earlier is soon and I cannot risk too many knowing about even this simple dinner.”

“Of course,” she understood, knowing that she too needed to keep this information sparse even among her colleagues. Some could, and likely would, know, but there were others she did not trust in the slightest. “Same time next week?” She added, hopeful.

This made a genuine, full smile grace Yoshamura’s face. “Of course.”

“Though next time, we’re having a much lighter conversation. I’ll think of something, you probably don’t have a lot to talk about like that.” She laughed, an awkward reciprocation spilling from the Controller’s lips that only made her happier.

***

And thus they did meet again. Week after week they met, their hearts growing closer as time ticked ever onwards. Subtly, they pushed their kinds together, fostering a better relationship between human and Xilien as their own relationship blossomed. Offhand comments complimenting the other species to their peers, suggesting that help be given to the opposite side, and myriad other ways that slowly but surely bridged the gap. It was an arduous process, months bleeding into years, but by the time Yoshamura and Nicole revealed their love, they found they were no longer the only interspecies couple.

***

The two giggled as they embraced, the door to Yoshamura’s living quarters shutting behind them. The Xilien controller picked her up and spun them around once, the lovers kissing once they were still again.

“It’s been way too long, having to keep this secret.” Nicole wistfully said. “It feels like a weight off my back.”

“I feel the same.” Yoshamura smiled, a properly formed expression as opposed to the rigid awkwardness etched upon his face in their first meetings. “But it’s far from perfect, I know that-“

A finger over his lips stopped him. “Can’t we just bask in the good feelings for now? I know, ‘there are still humans and Xiliens that are against this’” she intoned in a faux-deep voice. “But that’s for the future. Right now, it’s all well. Right?”

A chuckle rolled from the pale ruler. “You’re right.” He pulled her closer. “Our love will endure regardless.”

They kissed once more, a deep, passionate expression of their love. For that brief moment, pressed against one another, there was nothing else in the cosmos but the love between them.

As they parted and met eyes, the inclination that this was what they had stolen from Glenn and Namikawa crept into his mind. But as Nicole’s smile, the most precious thing in creation to him, filled his gaze, he put that aside.

That was a mistake of the past. Now, that love would bloom, with him and Nicole, and with numerous other Xiliens and humans.

“Sooooo, now what?” She asked.

Yoshamura stumbled over his words a bit. “I- I don’t know. The revelation of this was always the goal, I never thought of what we would do after it was done.”

Nicole laughed. “Mr. Always thinking about the future and what could go wrong, doesn’t know what to do next?”

He laughed in turn. “Of course, I’m always thinking of what could go wrong. So things going right was a surprise.”

“Well, we don’t need a goal. I’m tired of striving towards something super specific and building my life around it. I want to go with the flow.”

“Whatever just comes next?” He paused for a moment, thinking. “I’d like that.” Yoshamura smiled, a sight that filled Nicole’s heart with joy every time she saw it.

***

1980

The shade fell over Yoshumura’s face as he looked up at the liquid-filled tube, its contents breaking up the fluorescent lighting of the laboratory. Curled up in the translucent fluid was a humanoid with skin as black as night, a splitting tail protruding from his backside. White armor covered his upper half, closer inspection revealing it to be bone. Right now, he was small, but in due time he would tower up to the mountains.

“You must understand my hesitation.” Yoshamura, age having changed his appearance in subtle but noticeable ways, turned to a scientist. “On multiple levels.”

“If you mean the time as one of those, then don’t worry, the second King Ghidorah will be done far faster than Project Keizer.” The older Xilien replied, not even looking up from his clipboard as he examined the gestating monstrosity.

“It had better, it’s been half a decade since Earth went through multiple alien invasions in rapid succession, but that only means people are starting to unwind. We need to be ready to protect it in case any more aliens arrive.”

“Or return.”

The implication of those two words made the Xilien leader’s mind race briefly. Where most of the invasions of Earth had ended in a dramatic fashion that ensured there would be no further attacks, one had simply petered out in a way that left the threat hanging over everyone’s heads.

“We’ll be ready.” Yoshamura promised, to himself at least.

“Well, once Project Keizer is complete, none will be able to stand before him. I know that for sure.” The scientist replied, before suddenly putting his hand to a device in his ear. A grin graced his aged face, as he turned to his superior.

“Speaking of Project Keizer, you have some guests, my lord.”

“What?”

A door behind him opened, prompting him to turn. A wise decision, as two small figures raced through the opening and nearly leapt into him.

“Daddy!” Shouted a young boy and girl, crashing against their father and making him stumble a bit before wrapping them in his arms.

“What are you two doing here?” He said with a laugh, one which hid fear.

Looking up, he saw Nicole entering through the same door, which slid shut behind her. “I tried, but they just wouldn’t stop asking to see their dad, you know?” She joined the family embrace, kissing her husband on the cheek. Then, she moved to his ear, whispering. “Plus, Kaziya needs to know at some point, does he not?” A bit more urgency in those words.

Yoshamura sighed as his wife and children separated from him. She was right. Looking over to the elderly scientist, he asked “you don’t mind, do you?”

“There’s nothing they could touch in here that would cause problems, so no.”

“What is it, dad?” The girl questioned. “Does it have something to do with that?” She pointed to the fetal monstrosity.

“Yes, Landes. That is going to be our guardian when he grows up. I’m calling him Monster X, after our homeworld.”

“He’s awesome.” She said with a big smile, something which made her father chuckle.

But where Landes was awestruck, her brother was transfixed. Kaziya stepped forward slightly, staring at the fetal dragon. His father placed a hand on his shoulder, crouching down to be level with his young son.

“Do you feel a connection to Monster X, Kaziya? Like there’s something unseen, tying you to him?”

“Yes,” The boy said nervously.

“Good. Because there is. Your gifts, we wanted to use them.” Yoshamura could hear his daughter pouting behind them, moving towards her mother’s side.

“That Keizer stuff?” The child asked his dad, who nodded affirmatively.

The combination of human and Xilien DNA had potent results, creating hybrids who were physically superior to both species. None had reached adulthood yet, Kaziya being the oldest of them, but it was predicted that once they did they would be able to perform feats of grandeur once thought impossible.

However, it was the son of Yoshamura and Nicole, their firstborn and the first hybrid of the two species to ever be born, who had demonstrated something even higher. A mutation, or perhaps a fated position, that granted powers beyond mortal limits.

“The reason you almost gave me a heart attack lifting your toys without touching them?” Nicole laughed, patting her daughter on the shoulder. “Don’t worry sweetie, your dad has something for you too.”

At that, the child’s head perked up. “Does he?”

“I was getting to it.” Yoshamura defensively replied, putting his hands up and standing tall, as he could hear the slight accusation in the tone of his wife. “But yes. Give me a moment, dear.”

“Ok!” Landes responded, chipper than before.

“That’s connected to me?” Kaziya replied, still trying to wrap his young head around all of this. “How, why?”

“Well…” Yoshamura paused for a moment, before deciding to just outright say it. “Your DNA has been incorporated into it, combined with the cells of King Ghidorah.”

Kaziya verbally stumbled for a moment before forcing out a “huh!?”, his sister doing something similar.

“Isn’t King Ghidorah bad?” Landes asked, her brother nodding along.

“That’s me?! Or, like, my brother? Or-“

“A clone. And yes, dearie,” he turned towards his daughter, “King Ghidorah is bad. But that does not mean his genome is such. It’s his mind and heart that are cruel, not the DNA that grants him his power. We have a chance to make something out of that power, something good!” He walked towards her, lifting her up to his face. “Does that make sense?”

“If you say so.”

“Well I hope it does, because your present is even more blatant. Come on, Kaziya you come too, Monster X isn’t ready for anything but developing yet.” Putting his daughter on his shoulders, the Xilien Controller walked his family out of the room and onto the balcony of a massive hanger. It was empty, only steel walls awaiting them, until he gave a command.

“Bring them out!”

Steel doors the size of skyscrapers slid open across from them, making the kids put their hands over their ears. Subconsciously they shut their eyes as well, until heavy thuds prompted them to look.

They jolted back as a colossus in King Ghidorah’s image trundled forward, the only major difference being a lack of hair upon the heads. It marched up to the family, the firm but gentle hands of their parents being the only thing keeping the kids from fleeing. It was only when the monstrosity peered closer to them, the center head taking up Landes’ full vision, that she understood.

“Dorat?”

“Dorats.” Her father corrected her.

The face of the false king of terror was frightening, but when Landes looked closely at it, she could tell there was more to it. That it was the same as the golden pets that Planet X had cultivated, the ones she had always loved being around. A kindness buried underneath the menace, as it inched closer to her and put its nose down just before her.

“Go ahead.” Her father nearly whispered, the go ahead for Landes to put her hand up and rub it against the golden scales. She giggled, a sweeter song to Yoshamura’s ears than any symphony.

“Dorats are made from King Ghidorah’s DNA?” Kaziya asked, his father nodding affirmatively in response. The boy was silent for a moment. “Awesome.”

“Do you see why all is well, with both this and Monster X?”

“I’m gonna get to… be connected, with something like this?” The boy responded with wonder in his eyes.

“That you will, son. That you will. Happy birthday, even if it’s a few days early.” Yoshamura put a hand on his son’s head, ruffling his hair.

Nicole put an arm around her husband as their son and daughter feverishly thanked him, heaping praise upon him for giving them gifts any other child could only dream of. The couple chuckled, taking the moment in and letting it settle in their hearts.

Life was good. And in that moment, they foolishly believed it would stay that way forever.

 

Chapter 8: Nihilistic, Hedonistic

The day of fate arrived like any other.

Almost like any other. There was one difference before unfathomable horror fell like a plague of locusts, blanketing everything in black as they chewed apart everything in sight.

The celebration of Kaziya’s birthday, a muted affair for humble “royalty”. Down in the underground layers of the Xiliens’ collective home, a family simply enjoying each other’s company, the gifts having already been given days prior. A serene peace.

The last they’d ever know.

Siren klaxons blared across Planet X’s populated area, sending the inhabitants into a panic as they raced to discover the source. Yoshamura, having told his family to stay behind, burst into the command room.

“What’s happening, someone tell me now!” He commanded the chaotic room of Xiliens and humans alike running back and forth to gather as much information as possible.

“Something’s suddenly appeared in the solar system! We don’t know anything else, sir!” A screen depicting a simplistic diagram of the solar system held a gigantic red mass, distinct from anything that should be there, between Saturn and Jupiter. Closer inspection revealed it to be countless dots, bundled together so closely as to look like a tumor on this radar.

“It’s an invasion, contact Earth and release our King Ghidorah!” He mentally cursed at the fact that Monster X was undeveloped, in no condition to battle. Before action could be taken in response to his order, static filled the room. The display screen flickered, audibly and visually correcting as the signal reached it.

Dozens of hearts sank at once.

What greeted them was a blinding gold, the light reflecting off it in a glare. A ghoulish face, twisted into a perpetual sneer filled with long, thin teeth like a monstrosity from a child’s storybook. A wrinkly skull like an exposed brain birthed twin antennae which rose before falling down to frame the cruel visage. Ruby eyes, resembling the clustered eyes of a fly, stared daggers into the room.

“Xiliens.” The baritone voice of the demonic alien began. “I will cut to the chase, as I and my followers are not in the mood for delays. We, the Garoga, mean your kind no harm. It is humanity that we seek.”

“Then why have you bothered contacting us? Why bother approaching us at all, you could have avoided us entirely on your way to Earth.” Yoshamura rebutted, ignoring the shocked looks he got from some of the humans in the room. He had no intention of throwing Earth under the bus, but he needed answers immediately to protect his own.

The golden Garoga laughed as he leaned back. “Why? Well, look around you!”

The Xilien Controller did so briefly, not understanding what he meant, until it suddenly sank in like a surprise dagger to the stomach. “No…”

“HAHA, yesss!” The imperialistic insectoid cackled, holding the end of the word like a serpent’s hiss as he clapped his hands together in glee. “You have humans with you! They’ve nestled their way into your species like rats in the walls,” he wiggled his fingers dramatically amidst the metaphor.

Yoshamura’s breath grew heavy. This was the worst case scenario he had always envisioned, but never truly believed would actually occur. The Garoga had invaded Earth in the early 70s, between the attacks of the Seatopians and Simeons, but unlike those, they had simply vanished one day. The testimony of the Zone Family’s older members, of the Garogas’ true capabilities, terrified any who had access to the secret documents those records had been stored in.

“So, you have two options.” The cruel invader continued, putting up that number of fingers. “Turn over all humans in your captivity to us, or,” he held the word for a second, his smile somehow seeming to grow wider, “we take them.”

“We’ll never turn them over, you bastards! Release King Ghidorah and prepare all ships for combat!” He dramatically declared.

The Garoga emperor sighed, resting his cheek on his fist. “I really don’t get what’s so appealing about these apes, the Peacelanders were so adamant about their protection as well.” With the press of a button, he ceased communication, then pressed another to bring up a silver Garoga on the same screen. “They’re sending ships and a clone of King Ghidorah. You know what to do.”

The scientist nodded, and with that the ruler cut off that communication as well, just leaning far back in his chair to kick his feet up onto his desk. “I try to be peaceful, and this is what I get?” He threw his hands up indignantly.

A vast armada of spinning stations drifted through the vacuum, hues of white and blue making up their bulk. In the midst of them, and a sea of smaller ships, sat a hulking vessel. A dark red sphere, like a ball of coagulated blood. An uninformed observer would be forgiven for thinking it was a planet, and they would not be entirely wrong, for this mothership was crafted in the visage of their homeworld. An artificial world, fitting given that their ambitions had turned their actual planet into a hollow shell incapable of sustaining life. The Garoga Empire’s ambitions were universal, so a throne that moved across the stars was a necessity in their wicked eyes.

A panel slid open, revealing the rock to be nothing more than falsehood hiding steel, and a missile was discharged. They could have shattered the entire moon the Xiliens called home like glass, but they chose not to, with this missile not being of the type that destroyed Peaceland. Instead, it detonated above the world, releasing an ear piercing screech that rattled outwards and stayed as such for several seconds. Every Xilien fell over, clutching their ears as their human fellows tried to help them. The hybrids screamed as well, their young ears unable to handle the genetically-embedded weakness.

The golden serpent rising from the planet’s underground would be all that would protect Planet X, King Ghidorah screeching at the approaching storm of steel and hate. As the sonic missile’s assault faded, every eye looked up, either directly or through a screen, to see their golden guardian prepare to battle.

Landes, her ears still ringing, clutched her hands together and hoped for the monster given to her would succeed. Her heart pounded, the young girl praying for salvation to a beast cast in the image of a destroyer. The irony was lost on her.

Before King Ghidorah could leave the planet’s atmosphere, something intercepted them. The three brains in one body flared their wings and tails outwards as a crimson beast descended from the stars, a bulbous body with scythes protruding from its arms and a face bearing a silver beak. One eye, a purple visor, pulsed as King Ghidorah beat their wings and flew forwards with a mighty shriek.

Gigan Rex swung an arm out, the blade breaking apart into numerous sections connected by a red, glowing whip. The serrated energy weapon sliced across the upper section of the golden wyrm’s body, folding back into a scythe as soon as the motion was completed.

King Ghidorah fell like a bag of stones, their three heads detaching in showers of blood.

***

Yoshamura’s heart felt like it was about to explode. A deep ache spread throughout his chest, the feeling of hopelessness. His brain was thundering with countless possibilities to attempt to navigate a way through this storm, but none had any feasibility.

“Have you alerted Earth?!” He shouted, more intensely than he wanted.

“Yes sir, but they’re not sending anyone here. They’re preparing for an attack on the planet.”

The Controller’s fists clenched. They were leaving them to hang. Planet X had to fight for itself, when it had nothing to fight with. Rationally, he understood, but rationality was swiftly leaving his mind. Yoshamura’s family was at risk, people who he considered friends were in grave danger, and Earth had no intention to do anything but save itself? After all the technology that the Xiliens shared with them, decades of partnership and coexistence, all down the drain the moment a major threat had arrived?

The display screen buzzed with life once more, the sight of the golden Garoga blighting their eyes yet again.

“We’re landing.” Muted thuds, which sounded like gunshots with how silent the Planet X colony had become after King Ghidorah’s demise, confirmed the statement. “And I truly did mean what I said, about not wanting to harm your kind. The Xiliens have done nothing to us! Which is why I wanted to throw you another chance, with an added bonus! Turn the humans over,” the Garoga paused for a moment, letting the tension build before his next words sank in like a dagger.

“And we’ll spare the half breeds.”

“What?” Yoshamura’s voice was weak, a struggle just to get the word out.

“Put up no fight as we do this, and not a hair on one of the hundreds of those little munchkins’ heads will be harmed. I know you’re the proud father of two, so surely the offer is tempting.”

All eyes were on Yoshamura, both human and Xilien. They saw his face contort in pain, sweat beading down it. “If I refuse?”

The demon cast in an insect-like skin leaned forward, face taking up more of the screen until it was like he was all they could see. “Then little Kaziya and Landes, alongside all the rest of those chimeric whelps, die alongside their primate parents.”

“How do you know their names?” Yoshamura shouted at the top of his lungs, scaring everyone present except the cruel source of this torment.

“You think we would just wage war on Earth without crawling into the cracks in their foundations? Xilien, we don’t just know their names. The man on Earth who first received the news that a crossing of human and Xilien was born? No man at all.”

The next words out of the Controller’s mouth sent a similar sensation through everyone else in the room. “You give me no choice, not even any time to think… what am I to do but something that will rip my soul apart for the rest of my days?”

“You’re in no position for anything else. Make your choice now, we’re just about to breach the dead rock of your decrepit homeworld and begin. Surely Nicole would understand? Surely they’d all understand, and would prefer this to us killing the Xiliens who try to fight back, and to,” once more, a pause, the leading Garoga absolutely relishing every moment of this nightmare he was inflicting.

“Their sweet children being killed before them, every high-pitched scream out of little Landes’ mouth-“

“You won’t touch a hair on her head! I won’t let you!” He felt his throat aching at the rage spilling forth from his mouth, his hands trembling as he slammed them onto the desk before him.

“Then you do accept. Wonderful. Be sure to tell everyone else, would hate for a misunderstanding. You have three minutes. Ta-ta!” The Garoga replied with a kitschy wave, before shutting down the screen.

Yoshamura wanted to vomit. His vision was blurry as he looked over everyone else there, seeing the looks of horror and fear on their faces, the stunned shock of betrayal etched into the humans’ visages. No one said anything, the words not rising to the surface of their minds, but their silence was worse than any statement.

There was no going back now.

***

Weeping and lamentations filled the air of Planet X as the Garoga marched out every human they could find in a single-file line. The spirit to fight, to resist, had been broken by the dual strikes of King Ghidorah’s demise and Yoshamura’s capitulation. Now the immigrants from Earth, many having been born and raised on this world, merely walked in step as the cruel gazes of their evictors fell upon them.

Yoshamura watched, his heart still feeling like someone grasped it and was trying to wring it out. He saw Garoga jeer and prod at people who weren’t walking fast enough, he saw fellow Xiliens walking beside the line to try and be with their beloved, and he saw humans turn towards him with looks of hatred.

“Damn you, Yoshamura! Damn you and your whole fucking race!” A younger man, too young to have come from Earth, cursed him before being jolted forwards by a whip strike to the back. The Garoga watching the procession closely had their antennae in their hands for such a purpose, a barbed whip which hurt just to look at.

The implications of a man born and raised here still harboring such hate in his heart for the Xiliens gnawed at his already aching heart, like a wolf chewing the last meat off a skeleton.

It paled in comparison to the pain he felt when he heard a familiar shout.

“Mom!”

The Controller’s head spun to find the source of Kaziya’s yell, finding the young boy rushing up and down beside the line, behind the Garoga. “Mom!” He exclaimed again, tears running down his face. He held his sister’s hand, whose face was awash with sorrow, her cheeks swollen and red from having wept since King Ghidorah’s death.

“What are you two doing out here!?” Yoshamura rushed over to his children, focusing on them to block out his world falling apart around him.

“Why aren’t we fighting?!” Kaziya screeched to his father. “Why is nobody doing anything! We can’t just let them take mom and everyone else, can we?”

The Xilien Controller’s fingers twitched. An arm fell onto his shoulder like a guillotine blade, a golden limb ending in a white glove, which conducted itself like it belonged to a friend. “Oh, has your father not told you?” Mockingly spoke the Golden Garoga. “That he gave up humanity, your mother?”

Kaziya and Landes looked up at the two, unable to speak. Their faces said it all, a primal despair over their young visages.

“For your sake.” He added, high-pitched like a children’s entertainer before his audience. “Isn’t he such a good father?” The Garoga pat Yoshamura on the chest with his free hand.

“How-“ Kaziya began, voice a tormented squeak, before a shout caught their attention.

An Xilien man walked beside the line, a human woman close to him as a red Garoga held an arm between them.

“Please, my wife, she’s pregnant! You can’t do this!” He begged and pleaded, weeping.

The red Garoga looked at her, putting a hand up to stop the death march briefly. He stepped closer, glaring at her bloated stomach, leaning down. “You’re right. Technically, that is a hybrid.” He poked her stomach, making her flinch. Standing back up straight, he spoke into a communication device.

A silver Garoga stepped up after a brief wait, the silence and tension on all observers like an avalanche’s aftermath. The new arrival’s lab coat swung as he sauntered up to the pregnant woman, inspecting her briefly. He looked to the red Garoga, who nodded, then at the expecting father.

The scientist grabbed the woman’s arm, gently lifting it up. He looked at it for a few seconds, before swiftly pulling out a syringe filled with an unknown, pale substance and jamming it into the vein.

“What are you-“ the husband began to shout, only for his wife to scream in agony as she fell to the ground. Her pants were suddenly soaked from within, the truth hitting the man like a sack of bricks.

“She’s still got several months, the baby can’t-“

“If it can’t survive, that ain’t our problem.” The red Garoga replied cruelly, his smile seeming to widen as the husband frantically kneeled down and undid his wife’s pants. Planet X had been terraformed to be breathable on the surface, but that did not make the harsh rocky terrain any better, especially for an impromptu birth to be performed. The utter lack of dignity, Garoga and human alike leering at the display, was not on the Xilien man’s mind as he witnessed the head of his child emerge.

A pale, horribly thin baby was forced out, screaming an agonized song in her father’s arms. The scientist Garoga loomed over them. “Congratulations, it’s a girl.” He said as he cut the umbilical cord. “Get the hell up.” He kicked the woman, the red Garoga pulling her up to her feet and handing her her pants.

“My baby… let me see my baby…” she groaned, too agonized to say much else. The person behind her was kind enough to lift her up somewhat, helping her as much as they could when the Garoga resumed the procession.

The Golden Garoga slapped Yoshamura on the back as he stepped away, laughing. “Never say we’re not a people of our word!” He almost sang.

“How could you let this happen?!” Kaziya screamed as hard as his lungs would let him. “How!”

“What would you have me do?!” Yoshamura yelled back, his anger finally breaking through the dam. “They rendered us defenseless in a moment’s notice! Earth isn’t coming to help us!”

“I’d rather die than just let this happen without a fight!” Kaziya screeched, both men ignoring Landes sit down and curl herself inwards, burying her head in her knees. She slowly rocked back and forth as Kaziya continued with “I’ll never forgive you for this! Never! Mom!”

He began to run, Yoshamura grabbing his son’s arm roughly. “Get inside. Now.” He hissed as he pulled.

“You’re hurting me!”

“Get inside!” Yoshamura hoarsely shouted, finding another Xilien watching from a distance. “Take them both back underground. And don’t let them out until I say they can leave.” He commanded as he dragged his struggling and screaming son towards the pale-skinned woman.

As Yoshamura ran after the golden Garoga, the woman began to walk the two hybrids inside. Landes walked with the same resigned gait as the humans soon to die, while Kaziya futilely struggled.

The woman looked down at him, her face hard to read. But her words were as clear as crystal.

“I’ll never forgive your father either. The only light in my life is in that march too.”

Kaziya stopped fighting, the words sinking in like a stain. He joined his sister in resignation, but both child’s hearts had embers buried deep down. They still glowed, it would only take an upheaval to ignite them and begin a horrendous fire.

The Xilien Controller caught up to the lord of the fiends, looking past him to see all the gathered humans being corralled into a massive circle, where they were forced to stand practically shoulder to shoulder.

“What the hell are you even doing with them?”

“Just wait.” He replied with a raised finger. The death march ceased as the last person filed into the circle, Yoshamura cringing at the sight of the previously pregnant woman who could only be kept on her feet by the two people at her sides.

A red Garoga ran up to the two, Yoshamura still looking at the sea of people. Thousands of humans rendered as one wave, indistinguishable unless notable. He could not see Nicole, though as he watched Garoga surround the circle and hold guns up to it, he was not sure he wanted to.

“Everyone is gathered, sir!” The scout exclaimed with a salute.

“Excellent. Let’s begin.” He pressed a button on a remote, and waited.

All eyes went to the sky as another missile broached the atmosphere, the Controller cringing as he expected a sudden and violent ending. However, it would not be so. The projectile detonated in midair, releasing a wall of smoke which was soon parted by a colossus.

Next to the human lake, a massive construct of steel crashed to the ground, a parachute being the only thing that stopped the impact from cratering the stone. It looked humanoid in its build, but a massive pseudo-reptilian head stuck out of the front of the torso, where a head would have been bearing a crimson antenna. One of its arms bore an array of guns at its end, and that limb was the one slowly lifting up towards the gathered masses.

Yoshamura desperately tried to stop what was coming. Deep down, he knew it was like trying to grasp a waterfall, but he just could not let it happen.

“Please, I’ll do anything, the Xiliens will do a-“

“You could slit your own throat and I’d just still give the execution order while you bled out.”

The Xilien Controller found himself just stammering, his footsteps halted. His brain felt as though it were being crushed in a machine, he could not even think properly. Coherent thoughts failed to arise in the face of such an awful event.

“Keep bothering me, and I will extend this to the half breeds.” The Garoga leader proclaimed, almost singing the threat of even more death. “Do you even want them to be spared at this point? They’d kill you for this.”

Only one sentence could bubble up from the mental mire and reach the soon to be widower’s lips. “Is nothing precious to you?” Yoshamura asked with utmost horror.

At that, the Garoga leader turned, facing him head-on. “All we are is crude matter. Meat supported by bone and filled with fluid, hallucinating and claiming it to be truth.” The golden being replied. “The idea of something precious is the invention of weak minds, grasping at ephemeral things and refusing to accept truth.”

Jikiro raised its arm, pointing the barrels of its guns at the gathered crowd. People broke out, only for beams of light to ripple from the Garoga’s weapons and burn holes through them.

“Life is meaningless. We all die. Nothing is permanent. We, the Garoga, are the only ones to truly realize this. And with it we have made the only choice one could reasonably make. To squeeze every bit of pleasure out of this ever entrophing universe.”

“Why like this? Why through bloodshed and horror?” Tears flowed from Yoshamura’s eyes, all the walls of nobility and stability crumbling.

“It entertains us.”

With that, the calamitous din of gigantic machine guns roaring to life filled the air, the Xilien Controller’s eyes locked onto the grotesque results as a minute of carnage felt like an eternity. For a split second, he caught Nicole’s face, whose eyes found his. He never knew what her expression was, so swift was the end.

Far away, staring at the atrocity with eyes that had seen very little of the world, two children could barely comprehend the sight. Their father powerless as somewhere in a mass of flying blood and bone was their mother, the mothers and fathers of so many of their friends as well.

The young boy looked upon the emperor of wickedness, laughing with a malice that seeped into everything it touched. He could not hear the vocalizations, but he knew, in his soul he heard the rhythm of joy at stealing life echo out. But the Garoga’s face didn’t change at all, locked into that sneering gaze.

Crimson orbs, set within gold, blazed themselves into the Keizer’s mind for the rest of time.

***

It was like the previous world was a sweet dream, and what was now was the harsh reality of waking up. Kaziya numbly walked through the steel halls, subconsciously drawn to a specific figure. Chaos churned around him, the Xiliens screaming at one another over the sudden and brutal upheaval of their way of life, but he ignored them as he marched. He had overheard whispers of hatred for the humans throughout his years of life, some who clung to the old belief that the inhabitants of Earth were inferior. Some part of him figured they must be happy.

That same part wanted to choke the life out of them, watch the soul depart their eyes as they weakly struggled.

As he approached his destination, those thoughts flourished like spreading flames. He wanted to massacre the Garoga, every last one, bathe in their blood and watch them tremble in horror. He wanted to besiege the Earth, make it pay for abandoning them to this terrible fate.

A door slid open, no one stopping him from approaching the gestating form of Monster X. The fetal monster writhed slightly, acknowledging the young boy’s presence. Their minds connected, the spawn of the world destroyer reading the desires for carnage and responding positively. Blind rage became clear and focused, the visage of the complete, towering form of the draconic knight punishing all the targets of the Keizer’s wrath.

Jikiro became scrap in his clawed hands, the twisted clone of Gigan torn asunder by golden bolts of unmatched power. The Garoga being mashed to a pulp beneath taloned feet like grapes made into wine. Earth’s governments bowing down fearfully as Monster X shouted into the heavens. The Xiliens who hated humankind put to the firing squad, the imposing form of the matured Kaziya giving the order.

Yoshamura’s heart torn from his chest, his insides excavated by the hand of the Keizer.

That last vision spasmed, the happy sight of the family together, mother and father smiling as they held their children, intruded upon it. The two contrasting sights cycled between one another, fighting for dominance.

A pair of smaller arms than even his own wrapped around him from behind, breaking him out of his haze. Landes held her older brother tightly, the latter shifting to put an arm around her. She buried her head in his side, no longer crying, but only because she was losing the strength to.

“We’ll get through this.” He told her, his voice raspy and lacking confidence. “Me and you. I’ll always be there for you, Lan. And I know you’ll always be there for me.” She lifted her head to nod, revealing a face still twisted into a despairing look.

The two had been irrevocably scarred, and they knew that, despite the older having only just reached a decade of life. Perhaps they could make it by leaning on one another, but that was something they were deeply unsure of.

A familiar shout, of primal anguish, reached their ears. Kaziya went to investigate, but his sister still clung to him. The young man, for it was hard to call him a boy anymore after what he had witnessed, lifted his sister up and carried her.

They soon entered another room, one where an Xilien man paced back and forth, barraging a scientist with questions. The siblings recognized him, as the man who had been forced to witness the apex of Garoga cruelty firsthand, dealt upon the woman he loved. And in a clear box set atop four thing legs lay the fruit of their love, plucked far before her time.

A monitor next to the incubator beeped with text and charts neither child understood, except for the primary line flowing up and down across a straight path. A heartbeat, a tiny and inadequate pulse.

They walked as close as they could get, transfixed on the pallid, weak offspring of a human and Xilien. A hybrid, like them, the last to ever be born. There were hundreds of such children, now forced to survive without one parent. Just like them, a part of their life, their soul, carved out without them having a chance to do anything about it.

But this child would not have to live with that. A neck as thin as a twig swiveled to look at them, the tiniest slit opening in her eyelids as incomplete eyes looked upon the siblings. Fingers which clung to the bone flexed, the premature baby’s arm trying to lift towards them.

She wheezed, a sound that would remain in their minds for the rest of their days, then went limp. The heart rate monitor flatlined, confirming that the spark of life had faded before it could properly begin. Her father noticed, turning away from the scientist and rushing over with whispered cries of “no,” before reaching the incubator.

He fell to his knees, hands pressed against the glass, and screamed. Not to the skies above, for he did not lift his head away from his child. “No! Please God, no! Not her too, no!” His hands slid off, his body curling up on the ground. “Not you too…” he lamented. “I didn’t even have a name for you, neither of us did. You can’t go…”

Kaziya stared at the scene before him, absorbed every detail. His sister was looking away, once more burying her head in his chest, but he watched. The last hybrid of human and Xilien, dead before she could experience life.

Before she could experience life’s pain.

He walked away. And in the back of his mind, he envied the last hybrid.

 

Chapter 9: Aftermath and Prelude

Planet X watched from a distance as the Garoga moved over them and towards the Earth. They watched as the Pale Blue Dot became a black and red husk, especially as the false planet the Garoga constructed was shattered and fell upon the home of humanity as countless shards.

There were many nights where Kaziya stared at the scarred, ravaged world, mind drinking in every inch of the devastation wrought by the Garoga. He hated its leaders, but the billions who had no say in Planet X’s abandonment had his sympathy.

Yoshamura distanced himself from his children, unable to face them even as months became years, his servants taking care of them as the children became teenagers and then adults.

Planet X was peaceful after the initial chaos of the Garoga attack, but not a proper peace. The kind of stillness that settled over the Xiliens was thin, barely hiding the anguish and misery roiling beneath fragile shells, waiting for the opportunity to spill out.

***

Landes walked down the corridors that had become ingrained into her mind, the monotony wearing on her as the days passed. She had heard so much of Earth’s beauty from her mother, pristine skies of blue and fields of green as opposed to the silver of the Xilien settlement.

She fanned her face with a bright pink hand fan, the fuzzy item of decadence kicking up small bits of wind that swayed her now long hair. It had been over a decade since the Garoga descended, meaning that the Xilien heiress was a grown woman. Although, she barely felt like an adult or someone in line to the throne.

Yoshamura’s absence from her and Kaziya’s life made the idea of either of them being granted power over their people a hazy prospect. And as for her maturity, she knew she was an adult now, she had grown smarter and wiser, and received fawning letters from admirers prattling on about her beauty; but something just did not feel right.

As she held the fan in her hand, waving it even though the temperature was controlled down to the tenth of a degree, Landes did not feel like an adult. There was no sense of accomplishment from an achievement, no feeling of progression or a goal. Just as when she was a child, she drifted through life like detritus down a river.

It was why she was currently going to see her brother. To ask if he felt the same.

“Heyyyyy,” trailed a voice that made Landes cringe. “How’s it going, Landy?”

It was Zagreth, the pure-blooded Xilien rushing to walk side-by-side with the heiress. She put on a wide smile and continued to speak. “Going to see Kaziya?”

Landes pouted, then spoke. “Yes, what’s it to you?”

“Oh don’t be that way, even if you’re so cute when you pout,” Zagreth replied, poking her cheek. “How do I look, by the way?”

“Same as you always do.” Landes sighed, waving her fan harder. Despite her feelings of immaturity, she knew exactly what Zagreth was all about. She would do anything to push herself up, even if it meant ass-kissing.

“Oh, of course you think that, miss heiress. Some of us ladies need to be very precise with our makeup.” She puckered her lips, bringing to Landes’ attention that she had slathered them with lipstick.

Unfortunately, Zagreth was as close to a friend that Landes had outside of her brother, so she tolerated her presence as they entered a large room lined with gym equipment and mats.

And in the middle of it stood Kaziya, arms moving as blurs to block strikes from two fellow hybrids. He looked almost bored as they put in immense effort, their own arms like pistons.

Zagreth was still shocked by the capabilities of the hybrids. “Can you move like that?” She asked Landes, who replied with a nod. She did not display it much, but as a hybrid her physical strength was higher than average. “Wow, I wish I was a hybrid.”

There were so many things wrong with that statement that Landes failed to process any of them before Kaziya lunged forwards, crashing his fists into his training partners’ solar plexuses. The two men wheezed as they fell to the ground, sucking in as much breath as they could. The Keizer lowered his hands, allowing them to grasp them in order to pull themselves up.

His gaze shot towards the two women when the sound of Zagreth clapping reached his ears. Kaziya patted his sparring partners on the back, telling them to depart before he walked over to his sister and her “friend”.

“And what brings you two wonderful ladies here today?” He said, voice as confident and assured in itself as a fortress wall.

Zagreth began to speak, “well, she was coming here to see you, so I decide-“, only to be cut off as Landes pinched her ear. “Ow! What the hell?”

“Zagreth. Leave.” Landes stared daggers at the other woman, letting go of her ear.

“Ok, god.” She began to leave.

“No worries, Zagreth, I’ll be sure to find you afterwards, and we can talk about whatever you needed.” Kaziya added on, prompting the full-blooded Xilien to turn and give a big smile with her perfectly whitened teeth.

Once she was out of earshot, the younger sister was quick to speak. “You know she just wants you for the status, right?”

“Obviously. But if I can have some fun along the way-“

“Don’t.”

Kaziya laughed. “Come on, there’s worse women to go for.” He said with that same confident smile he always wore.

“I don’t think there are.” Landes bluntly replied, before continuing. “Anyway, I just wanted to talk. What are we doing?”

Kaziya was confused. “What do you mean?”

“What are our goals, what are we even living for? We’ve spent the last decade spinning our wheels, we’ve accomplished nothing.”

“Hey, we?” Kaziya replied, offended. He stuck a hand out, aiming his open palm at a dumbbell. As if grabbed by invisible fingers, it was lifted and pulled towards him, being caught in his actual hand. “I have accomplished very much.”

“Oh good for you,” Landes immediately retorted, sarcastically. “But for what? What do you intend to do with that power, huh, Mr. Keizer?”

“To lead our people once the old bastard’s gone, what else?”

Landes’ mood shifted down immediately, her face falling. “Oh. I see.” It seemed her brother had not felt the same as her. But that opened up a new string of thoughts, one that he picked up on.

“You haven’t thought of a life without dad, even if we haven’t seen him in forever, have you?”

“No, not really. It’s just…”

Kaziya gently grabbed his sister by the shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “He let mom die. He’s been too guilty to see us since then. Why shouldn’t I look forward to the day he’s gone?”

“Because,” she felt her eyes began to water. It was hard to dwell on the topic, but she felt she had to. “Because he’s still dad. He still cared for us even if he didn’t see us. It just doesn’t-“

“Feel right?” She nodded. “I know, but, we need to. One day, he’ll be gone, and we need to be able to-“

An alarm rang, cutting him off. ”Unidentified spaceships approaching, prepare for any scenario. Repeat, unidentified spaceships approaching, prepare for any scenario.”

“Goddamnit! We’ll talk later, I promise.” The older brother stated, before running out the door. He was the planet’s best warrior, so he was expected to be on the front lines.

As he did so, Landes thought about how, for all his power and bravado, he had never even implied he would hurry up the process of their father’s death.

***

Green light illuminated the ash-choked darkness as a group of flying saucers, formed of black metal arranged in the shapes of cruel stars, descended into Earth’s atmosphere.

The leading ship’s passengers observed the desolate state of the planet’s corpse with cold indifference. Dirty thunderstorms raged all around them, but they were assured in their technology’s ability to withstand it.

“Do you think any humans remain?” Questioned one of the inhabitants, a pale-skinned woman wearing a simple white robe adorned with purple at its trim.

The elderly leader, standing at the front of the ship to overlook everything below, replied. “With what we know of humankind, yes. They are stubborn and the Garoga were never a careful lot. But they will not hamper us.”

Their destination, an unassuming island in the midst of what was once called the Pacific Ocean, was in sight. Tsunamis and tectonic activity had ravaged it, but that did not halt the descent of the visitors.

They knew what they sought was intact. Their God had said so.

***

The same kind of vessels that tread upon the dead Gaia made themselves known to the Xiliens, descending in front of gathered soldiers. A communication had been sent declaring that they came in peace, but the people of Planet X were not quick to trust. Beams of light shone down, teleporting emissaries onto the barren earth of the Jupiter moon.

The one to step to the front was a young-looking man. He wore a gentle smile, his light-blonde hair matching his holy garments. The array of guns, each capable of vaporizing a human-sized organism in a few seconds, did not seem to bother him as he gracefully held his hands out.

“Hello, cousins.” He calmly said, as though he had known the Xiliens his whole life.

The guns lowered in confusion, though the soldiers still remained on edge.

“We are the Exif. Though, you may know us, if your knowledge of ancient history remains intact, as the Xiliens who left centuries ago. My name is Metphies.” He added, bowing his head.

“Step aside.” An old, weary voice rose above the Xiliens. Yoshamura, his hair now grey and his skin wrinkled, slowly walked past his subordinates. Age had seized him like a lion to a gazelle in the past decade, such was the cost of one’s soul being torn asunder. Although Planet X’s technology meant he needed no cane, it still had its limits.

“You must be the Controller.” Metphies began to slowly walk forward. He held his hands up when guns were aimed at him, prompting Yoshamura to signal his followers to stand down with the raising of his hand.

“Indeed I am.” The elder man replied as the priest shook his hand.

***

Ashen soil crunched beneath the elderly Exif’s feet as he led his group into the underground chambers of the island once called Monsterland. Endurph clutched a black rock in his hand, shielding it from the elements. It flickered with green light, a communication on a signal that nothing else could pick up but their brains. Though, one may have heard a high-pitched, bell-like cackle if they held their ear close.

The Dark Galactic Empire’s sovereign lurks below. Place my Garbetrium at the gate, and I shall release him. Swear to him your loyalty, though I always lurk in your heart. He who so desperately seeks meaning in supremacy will be easily swayed by false acquiescence.

Subtly, they nodded, not slowing down. Soon, in the depths of a ravaged cave, the only light being the flashes of electrical chaos outside, they found their goal. Towering above them like a great monolith was two silver spires, stained with ash.

Most would be awed, but the Exif cared little for the extravagant structure. They had seen wonders which utterly dwarfed it, the device nestled in the palm of Endurph’s hand outstripped the warp gate in advancement tenfold. As would be made clear when he lowered the Garbetrium to the base of the gate, touching the black stone to the silver floor.

It began to flash brightly, emerald runes dancing across its front as it interfaced with the ancient Mu technology.

In a few seconds, the empty space was replaced with a shimmering portal of purple, illuminating the cave.

***

“What brings you back, wayward travelers?” Yoshamura questioned Metphies. He recalled hearing something of a rebellion long ago, too many Xiliens breaking away from the supercomputer to all be executed, so they were allowed to leave for a far off planet.

“Well, it is simple. Our kind has been split down the middle, half of us swearing fealty to a cruel tyrant not even of our race. Those of us you see before you are those who did not follow that path, did not believe it was our god’s desire to do so. And who lived, which many of us did not.”

The elderly Controller groaned. He already did not like a bit of what he’d heard. “God? Religion doesn’t really fit our kind.”

“Perhaps on your world, which had embraced a supercomputer’s dictations, but we Exif found divine providence. It is what led us to your world, seeking help from the strife befalling us. Our God informs us in addition to guiding us.”

“Well,” Yoshamura paused, unsure how exactly to proceed from then on. The fact that this stranger knew of the Xilien computer told him that there was something close to truth in his words. But, he had no desire to help them. The Xiliens were struggling enough. “I’m afraid I can’t help you. We have no desire for conflict.”

Metphies’ smile curled upwards ever so slightly more. “I’m afraid you will not have much of a choice. If I had the power to stop it, I would, but even if we did not appear to you, they would still come here seeking recruits. We’re only here to ensure they do not claim the Keizer.”

The stoic face of the elderly leader cracked, the confidence drained from him. The computer control of his people was one thing to know, but to specifically name the term for his son’s mutation alarmed him.

But not nearly as much as when a figure hurtled through the sky over his head, flipping through the air until landing with the utmost grace. Kaziya stood tall, turning to face Metphies.

“I believe I am the one you seek?”

***

From the portal emerged a flaming visage, a golden head of light shrouded by fire. His hard gaze, a perpetual scowl, fell upon the Exif.

“After so long in a dreamless sleep, I return!” His voice boomed, rattling the cavern. “I presume you to be servants of mine?”

“Yes, my lord,” Endurph began, “we are part of the Dark Galactic Empire. After years of searching, we have finally found your prison.”

“Wondrous. How is my empire?” The Giant Dark Emperor was jubilant, but that did not last long after the words he received in reply.

“In shambles. Without you to guide it, the always tumultuous universe has stripped it to pieces.”

“What?” The head of fire and cinder bellowed, sending stones tumbling. “Who dares to devastate my dynasty?”

“There is no singular enemy, great one. The Garoga, the Kilaak, the Millennians, the list stretches through the stars. We may be all that is left, but our God has guided us to you!”

“Your god?” The Giant Dark Emperor inquired. Religion was not necessarily banned in his regime, but it did not often take root.

“Yes,” Endurph shakily held up the Garbetrium, his unsteadiness a facade. “It is what allowed us to undo your shackles.”

The Exif were bathed in brilliant radiance as the outcast tyrant descended, getting a closer look at the black stone. A technological god, it seemed to the Giant Dark Emperor. How perplexing.

“I see. An artificial intellect so far advanced that you’ve given yourselves to it like a god. I truly have been gone a long time.”

“Yes, my lord. And it continues to say we must follow you, but there are those who do not agree.”

“How can you disagree on a machine’s instructions?”

“The Gematron, it is complex, ever shifting and changing, decrees can be vague. The heretics, they don’t even believe it’s an AI anymore, that it has reached to a higher being and merely speaks their words instead. It is why a faction of the Exif have mobilized to oppose you!”

His blazing fire seemed to shine even brighter. “How dare they! Where are they so that we may crush them?”

***

“You must be.” Metphies spoke with awe, approaching Kaziya with wide eyes. “I can feel the power practically emanate from you.”

With a dramatic flourish, Kaziya outstretched his hand. “Finally, someone with sense on this world. I presume your god informed you of me?”

“Indeed he did, for the Giant Dark Emperor will surely wish to claim you as a member of his army.” Metphies replied as he shook his new ally’s hand.

The Keizer, eyes shifting to meet his father’s gaze, continued to speak. “Well he will find nothing of the sort. Although perhaps he may find strength in this coward’s stead.” He stepped towards Yoshamura, who flinched back.

“How dare you-“ The Controller began to raise his voice, but the priest stepped between them.

“Gentlemen, you must not fight. The Giant Dark Emperor is an outcast of Mu, an ancient civilization of Earth,” that last word made both men flinch, buried feelings partially dredged up, “who achieved technology beyond what most could even imagine. His empire once stretched from here to another galactic supercluster, and although now it reels and has shrunk, he will ensure it grows even larger if he gains the proper foothold. And whether with you, grand Keizer, or with you, wise Controller, he will use Planet X as that first step. What we need is unity.” Metphies’ voice was calm, yet strong, anyone in earshot was almost supernaturally compelled to listen.

But not necessarily to follow. Yoshamura scoffed, turning away. “You’re welcome to stay here for now, but do not drag my people into war. That goes for you too, Kaziya.”

A blur of movement, and the young Keizer was before his father. Although the Exif priest outwardly grimaced, internally he was delighted by the rage molding the young adult’s face.

Perfect to manipulate.

“A decade, and that is all you have to say to me?” Kaziya’s words dripped venom, his arms shaking as if he were holding them in place against their wishes.

“I have nothing to say to you.” Yoshamura replied, trying to walk past his son. His face was as still as stone, and just as unreadable. He could not get far before Kaziya’s hand landed on his shoulder, the shaking having subsided.

“Do you have nothing to say to her, either?” He spoke into his father’s ear, confusing him for a moment before a voice that Yoshamura had hoped to never hear again reached him.

“What is going on here?” Landes yelled, pushing past guards. They tried to stop her, but she continued. “Oh come on, I’m not hearing anything exploding, so I’ll be fine, damnit!” She broke through to see her father and brother, the former’s face falling upon seeing her.

“Dad…” She morosely spoke, unsure of what she felt or if it was the right thing to feel.

Yoshamura let out a pathetic, wheezing exhale, too silent for anyone to hear but his son. Kaziya felt the old man try to break free of his grasp, but it was like an iron bar was pressed against his shoulder. The smug, boisterous countenance of the young man had melted away to reveal a darkness.

“You will not run away or wash your hands of atrocity this time.”

“Kaziya, let go of him!” Landes said as she grabbed her brother by the arm, pulling him back. The shock at her words made it possible, the paranaturally strong warrior yanked away from his father like a drunkard being pulled from self-inflicted danger.

“But, he-“ He stammered, swiftly being cut off by his sister.

“I don’t want to hear it,” she replied with a harsh jabbing of her finger at his chest. “What the hell is going on?” She asked, fanning herself.

The sight of the fan made Yoshamura sigh. He remembered Nicole giving her the accessory long ago, a childish thing for her little princess. “These… gentlemen,” he gestured towards the Exif, who put on their kindest smiles, “are relatives of the Xiliens, or perhaps it would be better to just call them Xiliens. They’re here seeking refuge from a rogue faction of their own people, trying to destroy them and gather troops for…”

“The Giant Dark Emperor.” A woman of the pale-skinned religious practitioners replied.

Yoshamura rubbed his temple and almost groaned at the name. He’d had more than enough of emperors for a lifetime. “Yes, and your brother-“

“Wishes to aid these poor souls!” Kaziya loudly cut in, putting his hand over his heart. “A small group away from their home, left to be preyed upon by the cruel who stalk this universe in search of the weak. How could I, how could we, not help them?” That last line was delivered as he glared daggers at his father, the meaning practically smashed over his skull.

He growled in response, getting out “You-,“ before a horridly bright light fell over them, accompanied by a booming voice.

“What can you do, child?”

All eyes fell upon the Giant Dark Emperor, his radiance like a roaring flame. “I once commanded an empire larger than a feeble mind such as yours could even imagine. It was not a fluke, not luck, it was I and I alone who made it so.”

Exif ships arrived from above him, soon beaming down his followers. He continued to speak. “But I do not come to you to force you to serve me, I hold no leverage to do so.”

This was both truth and lie. He truly sought their consenting cooperation, but he did not lack for power over them.

***

Far away, hurtling through space at speeds eclipsing light countless times over, the last remnant of a species that once served him was approaching. Although Earth had driven them off and the toxicity of their polluted homeworld in conjunction with opportunistic raiders had claimed their lives, their assassin still lived.

Though the Garoga had sent him to his death for the sake of an unrelated mission, Gigan still lived. And when the signal reached his mind, one predating his existence, he listened. For it told him to do what he always loved.

Decimation.

***

But his arrival would not be instantaneous. So the Giant Dark Emperor sought a more peaceful means first.

“Xiliens! I have been told of your struggles, the wretched Garoga tearing away the ones who had pulled you into the light of emotion and free will! Despite my reputation, my terrifying presence, I am no monster. I crush those who defy me, but those who follow my will, I bring prosperity beyond compare! Do not trust the Exif who speak of my evil, trust those who sing my praises! You will be the cornerstone of my new empire! You are weak now, but I know you possess the capacity for strength none can match! Follow me, and I shall lead you to a new dawn!”

His decree carried for miles, reaching every ear on Planet X.

Landes found herself entranced, being broken of it when Kaziya shouted back.

“HA! Then how did it fall in the first place, if you are such a perfect lord?”

Yoshamura began to leave, walking past his daughter. She saw tears rolling down his face, which he tried to hide.

“Betrayal, at the hands of my own people! The Muans were cowards who sought my downfall due to jealousy! They sealed me away in an alternate realm, leaving my empire to rot! The fact that it collapsed is proof of my grandiosity, for such an immense power to falter can only mean that I was all that held it together!”

“Then you are a fool! Only a fool would build something up with no intention of what to do when he’s gone! And you’ll lead our people? You’ll only lead us off a cliff, you shortsighted clown!”

“I am shortsighted? Look behind you, he who cannot even keep his family in check!”

“What,” Kaziya turned around, to see his father hurrying back underground. His fists clenched as he moved to pursue him. “Where are you going, you old bastard?”

Metphies and the “rebellious” Exif followed the rushing Keizer, acting as though he was a shelter. They cowered before the great tyrant and his followers in the same robes as them, their souls grinning as their mouths frowned.

Landes felt like cold water had been thrown onto her. Her brother moved past her so swiftly he was like a blur, the wave of Exif behind him making her back away as they nearly bowled her over.

Unbeknownst to her, a chirp from the pearl in Metphies’ hand prompted the priest to shove his leg out, clipping her own and sending her tumbling to the ground. It happened so fast the Xilien heiress had no clue it had been deliberate, her overwhelmed mind swiftly turning to blame herself.

She whined, the fan flying from her hand and bouncing across the ground.

What was she doing? Her father and brother acted on their own but she was always just clinging on, being dragged along. Yoshamura was the Controller who led their people into the new era after their crushing defeat, making humans and Xiliens able to join hands. Kaziya was a supreme mutant, the winner of a cosmic lottery turning him into a being untouchable by mere mortals.

But Landes? Landes was just a child in a grown woman’s body, surrounded by false friends and blocked from the light by her family’s shadow. She was pathetic, there was no other word for it. At least, that was from her perspective.

Luminance surrounded her, the fires of the looming Giant Dark Emperor making her shield her eyes. He had other words for what she was.

A potential convert. Fitting, given his new association with men of the cloth.

“The headstrong are the worst, are they not?” He asked her, confusing the heiress for a moment. She understood when he continued his speech. “Those who barrel forth, uncaring of what anyone else has to say? I may have come off the same initially, but I assure you, I am no fool. My empire was so strong because I did listen, did take into account others, their strengths and weaknesses.”

“I won’t join you.” Landes replied as she got to her feet, brushing dust off herself. The conviction in her brother’s words was not present, instead her speech was shaky like a man trying to walk down a slick path. “Not if Kaziya won’t.”

A third voice cut in, “Ignore your foolish brother’s yammering!” Endurph marched forward. “He understands nothing of what he’s stepped into.”

“Endurph.” Rumbled the ethereal lord’s voice like thunder. “I did not give you permission to interrupt.”

“Yes, my lord, a thousand apologies!” The old man bowed, before hurrying away.

“I know your brother will not follow me. Not without being forced to, and even then, he will plot my downfall all the way. I could tell that from the moment he opened his mouth. But, is it best for you to follow his path?”

“We promised each other to always be together. To hold the other up.” Landes held a bit more confidence in those words. “And we’ve drifted apart somewhat, but that promise still holds true.”

“Hmmm,” The Giant Dark Emperor pondered. Despite common belief, a hardened human heart could not always be unlocked like a safe through a specific combination of words. But he knew there was a weakness to be exploited here, even if it was not clear. Landes turned and began to run inside, the action clicking an idea into place like a gun’s firing mechanism in the ethereal tyrant’s mind.

“Do you still love your father?” This made the heiress nearly trip. “Did seeing your brother and father’s simmering wrath discomfort you? I know what happened to your people, the Exif were kind enough to inform me. Do you still look upon that simmering ruin called Earth and loathe Yoshamura, or do you wish you three could join hands once more as a family?”

She kept running, not answering him. Landes was crying, trying to choke back vocalization.

“Both will lead you to devastation! A man who refuses to look at the world and one who sees himself immune to it shall both collapse and wither away! I will bring you and your people to a new dawn!”

An elevator rose from the stone, Landes practically hurling herself into it as it sank downwards. The emissaries from the empire saw her fall in a heap, hands over her face, before disappearing from their sight.

The Giant Dark Emperor returned to his flock, looking up with a cruel smile as he awaited his warrior. The seed had been planted, and he knew that whatever was about to occur between father and son, it would nurture that seed and grow a wondrous sapling.

***

The door opened and Landes stumbled out of it, before resuming her frantic run. Her head swirled with the conflicting emotions. The past decade had felt like the whole world was waist-deep in sludge, everybody keeping their tongues held about their true feelings on the destruction of humanity. But she had not needed to hear the words to know people’s feelings.

Some Xiliens wanted Yoshamura’s head on a pike for his perceived failure. Others thought she, her brother, and all the other hybrids were abominations who should be purged, humanity an illness and them wretched spawn. Xilien society for as long as she knew had been two tectonic plates slowly pressing together, the day of a fracture that would lead to a horrendous quake always on the horizon, and it was only now that she let herself properly absorb that thought.

She loved her father. It was her brother’s seeming reluctance to kill their dad that had given her some joy at the start of this day. Yoshamura had not seen them for years, but she knew he still cared for them. He’d made sure they had everything they needed, taken care of them from a distance. One day, she expected to see him again, to hug him once more after he’d finally worked up the confidence to face them.

Kaziya was angry at him, and she understood why, but she’d never felt that way. King Ghidorah’s demise had made it abundantly clear to her, through her tears and sorrow at her promised pet’s decapitation, that Yoshamura had held no more power to halt the Garoga than he did the sunset.

Like bugs upon a rotting fruit, the Giant Dark Emperor’s words crawled over her thoughts. Her father had not really done anything in the last ten years but keep the gears turning, she heard nobody talk about him like they’d seen him for more than a passing moment. A society could not run like that, something would have to give. And she had believed it would be in a good way, that now farfetched dream of him and her embracing once more after he’d overcome the pain grasping his heart.

She pushed her doubt aside. Landes would find her family, and she would pull them back from the brink of something worse, and they would face this looming darkness together. The Xiliens would be united, and move forth into a new day of glory and prosperity.

A heavy, dull thud echoed throughout the halls, followed by a cluster of yells. Just before she turned the corner, the last moment of her old life, she was able to make out the words “get him to a medical bay!”

The sight that scourged her eyes was Kaziya, arm outstretched, staring at a Yoshamura flailing on the ground, clutching his chest as he wheezed. Bodyguards tried to help him as others stood between the father and son. Metphies stood nearby, showing little reaction. Landes screamed, Kaziya twisting his body and turning his head to see her.

His gaze chilled her to the bone.

“Landes!” He shouted, voice cracking. “What perfect timing, come on father, tell her what you just told me!”

Yoshamura groaned as he tried to inhale as much breath as possible. A bodyguard thought quickly, pulling the trigger on her blaster. A thin blue ray shot out towards the Keizer, who swatted it aside with psychic power. As the wall was peeled open like a can, the physical pinnacle of Xilienkind launched forward, grasping the woman by the throat.

“Tell her!” He frantically screamed. “Tell her before I crush your hollow chest like a dead bug, you worthless fucking rat!” At the last word, his grip tightened, filling the room with the crackling sound of the bodyguard’s cervical vertebrae shattering. Her neck distended, head swinging around with an agonized expression permanently etched onto the immediately dead soldier. He dropped her, limply smacking against the floor.

“You probably broke his solar plexus, you stupid bastard, he can’t!” Another bodyguard replied, an older man, who also went for his gun.

“I am no bastard.” Kaziya responded, tone like a serpent about to strike, as his hand shot up to discharge a bolt of electrical hatred. The word had been deliberate, the rogue heir knew it, by an Xilien who hated his kind. That’s why he felt no regret when the flesh of the man’s chest burst like a meaty foam, flash-boiled muscle spilling out of the falling carcass and mixing with burning leather from his uniform.

Metphies stepped forward as the guards unwilling to challenge the prodigy began to lift up their sovereign. “Allow me to elucidate the matter for the Keizer’s sister.” He spoke kindly and calmly, as though two souls had not just been snuffed out in the span of half a minute. Landes was like a deer in the headlights, barely registering the denigration implied in his words. “Your father has been rebuilding the supercomputer which guided your race before human interference in secret, aided by traditionalist Xiliens.”

“What?” Landes practically whispered, only audible due to the sheer silence that had filled the room.

Yoshamura nudged his guards, commanding them to set him on his feet. He stumbled, chest burning with pain, but he stayed tall. “Yes.” He struggled with each word, but he needed to speak to them. “Ever since the humans died, I had considered it, but it was only in the last few years that a faction had managed to build itself up enough to actually make headway.”

“The humans.” Kaziya spit.

Landes’ breathing was getting heavier as everything was sinking in. Not just this, but the fact of how callously her brother could treat life. Two carcasses, one a ravaged mess that was assailing her nostrils, and he did not even care.

“You must understand.” Yoshamura was crying, from both pain and the sorrow of what he was telling his children. “I… I don’t want to do this, but we have to.”

Kaziya was about to speak again, but Landes beat him to it. “Why? Why do we have to?” Tears were welling up in her eyes too. She knew of the all-encompassing computational machine, snuffing out everything in the mind but progress of the whole. It terrified her in the abstract, but now faced with the real thing, she began to feel like she did on that day long ago.

“We’re stagnating as a species. I know we are, if something comes back, I mean-“ he coughed, a gross hack as he tried to walk back the implication he’d accidentally dropped.

The Garoga. Ever since that horrid day, every last Xilien, from the traditionalist to the progressive, feared their return. Yes, the center of their power had been shattered, but the Garoga were not so easily dealt with. That was not the totality of their empire, and the evil incarnate insectoids were practically untouchable throughout the universe. If they set their sights on the Xiliens themselves, there was, as of now, not a single thing they could do to withstand it.

“But… What about Kaziya?” She asked, sounding like the child she was when he had last seen her. It made the Controller’s chest hurt even more. “I thought he and Monster X were supposed to be unstoppable.”

“We are. If the Garoga return, they will be crushed. Especially if I take over and can properly build ourselves back up instead of you,” he clenched his fists, his eyes sad but producing no tears. He refused to let them flow. “Holding us back.”

“You are a young fool.” Yoshamura wanted to shout, but he could barely get above murmuring. “You’ll lead us to ruin in your vengeance-driven madness. I have not seen you but I have had it reported back to me, you are like boiling pot with a lid over it. And you’ve only shown that clearly now.” He watched his son’s fingers twitch. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

“If it prevents you from defiling mom’s memory I will!” He screeched, his true emotions billowing out for a moment as his arm was about to become a weapon, only to be halted.

The underground halls shook, followed by a piercing shriek, like metal clanging together. Even through stone and steel, the muffled call immediately dredged up the memories of the Garoga’s flagship killer.

“That lying piece of shit!” Kaziya cried out, crashing his fist through the wall to expel the pent up rage. Yoshamura and Landes both noted that that had been intended for the old man’s already ravaged chest.

The Controller’s guards carried him away swiftly. As they did so, the Giant Dark Emperor’s voice rang out again. “Now is the time to pledge your loyalty to me. Lest the Cyberclaw Terror earn his name again.”

Landes looked at her brother, who pulled his now bloody fist out of the steel wall. That hand shook as he looked at her, the gaze in his eyes more like a rabid beast than the sibling she knew.

She ran away wordlessly. Kaziya knew exactly what it meant.

The shaking of his hand ceased. His mind reached outwards, deep underground. A second rumbling began, a growl from the darkness like the devil himself.

Metphies behind him curled his mouth into a large smile, teeth barely showing between his thin lips. The gem in his hand flashed and chirped, but not in command.

”It is time.”

***

Landes was followed by a flock of other Xiliens, hybrids and purebreds, rushing out to the surface. She led the pack, Zagreth just behind her. Word of what happened between the royal family had spread like wildfire, meaning that battle lines were swiftly being drawn.

The surface was graced by them in due time, seeing Gigan stall tall. His yellow back fins waved as he swayed, thick hammer claws hanging at his sides. Green skin shined in the dim light of a Planet X day, his red visor scanning the growing crowd. He laughed to himself, his orders clear to wait until all those who would join had done so.

“I see you have made the right choice, Ms. Landes.” The Giant Dark Emperor greeted her. “And how fitting that you lead the pack.”

“Yes, sir.” The word came out of her mouth awkwardly, but she pressed ahead. “My father… he cannot be trusted to lead our race, nor can my brother who so casually executes those who displease him. I will follow you.”

“Now you see the light. I welcome you, and the rest of the Xiliens who have grasp the truth of your circumstances.”

“I’m just on the side of the guy that isn’t batshit crazy.” Zagreth whispered to her perceived friend, prompting the glowing lord to laugh and her to jump back.

“I understand I may just be the lesser of three evils, but I accept it well.”

As Zagreth wiped sweat off her brow, the ground’s shuddering intensified to the point that everyone on the surface could feel it.

Although the Muan outcast was above it, he could tell the quake was occurring. “What is that?”

Landes’ eyes widened. She had forgotten of the draconic nightmare lying deep within the chambers of Planet X, slumbering after having reached maturity years ago. Of course he would call upon it now.

The speakers that had first alerted humankind to the Xiliens’ existence blared to life as Kaziya spoke through them. “Any who would remain in service of the Giant Dark Emperor after what you will soon witness has willingly forfeit their lives, and will be killed with impunity by the true children of Planet X, alongside the regressive clowns.”

Gigan braced himself as the ground several hundred meters away burst upwards, a skeletal hand rising up into the air. It slammed into the rim of the newly formed hole, being soon followed by its twin, before both mighty limbs pulled up the form of Monster X.

He floated through the air, slowly floating to land just before Gigan. Lifting an arm, he beckoned the cyborg. With a shriek, the assassin charged forward.

***

Yoshamura watched his home become a battleground once more from a hospital bed. Machines stitched him together internally, but he knew they would not be able to fully heal his body. Part of him was fine with that, for he did not think he deserved a healthy form.

***

The Dark Empire’s new recruits scattered as Gigan lunged, swinging a claw which smacked against the side of Monster X’s face, making him stagger with a spray of sparks. The cyborg laughed, only to let out a choked cry when the cosmic demon smashed him in the neck with a swift punch.

Screeching, Gigan sprayed fire from his maw, prompting Monster X to put up a hand to shield himself. Shooting forth like a spring, the humanoid destroyer’s arm closed the assassin’s beak with a metallic clap. Cutting off his flamethrower before it melted his own mouth, Gigan revved up his buzzsaw and thrust forward.

Monster X growled as he stepped back, no blood flowing but his skin marked by the blades. Gigan cackled, ceasing his Universal Cutter and returning to swinging his arms. The deathly knight blocked them with his forearms, but a red streak of light from the Cyberclaw Terror’s visor burned his wrist, making him cry out in pain before the hammer claw that it had blocked cracked against his skull. Thrown off by the impact, he was unable to protect himself when Gigan’s arms repeatedly swung at him, driving him back.

***

“Ha! This is supposed to be his mandate of leadership? Pathetic.” The glowing warlord smugly stated. His followers beneath him held a similar attitude, other than one.

Landes turned to Zagreth, putting her hands on her shoulders. “You need to take a group and go back underground, to hangar 98. There’s a massive ship there that’s heavily armored, called the Vabaruda, it’s shaped like a pyramid but with a rounded base and a-“

“What are you panicking about, look at that thing.” The beauty-obsessed Xilien mocked her ally, pointing to Gigan fly into the air and kick the humanoid monster in the chin. This impact sent Monster X falling to the ground, catching himself barely.

“No, no, you don’t get it. That thing’s like my brother,“

“A overly arrogant dipsh-“ Zagreth was about to continue her dismissiveness when the look on Landes’ face scared her out of it.

“Endless power barely being restrained from wiping out everything in sight. I see that now with him, and I should have seen it with that… monster. We need to be ready to escape, at any moment.”

“Go.” The Giant Dark Emperor commanded. “I will defer judgment to Landes.”

Zagreth threw up an over the top salute before yelling at the nearest several dozen Xiliens to come with her. As she did so, the Xilien heiress watched as Monster X’s tail wrapped around Gigan’s leg, dragging the cyborg to the ground with a burst of broken stone.

***

5 years ago

“Excellent work, Kaziya.” The same scientist who had accompanied Yoshamura on the day the children learned of Monster X stood near the young Keizer, who sat with legs crossed on the floor before a colossal chamber. The adolescent Monster X, not nearly as jagged or monstrous as he would one day look, sat in the same posture. Thick glass separated them, though the floors and walls of both their rooms were the same shade of chrome.

Landes stood nearby, watching half-heartedly. She didn’t understand much of the connection they held, how he could telepathically commune with a monster even if it bore his DNA. They were working on trying to get Monster X fully in line with Kaziya, so it would follow his every command to the letter.

“Why isn’t dad here?” She casually asked, not having even seen him in passing among the numerous personnel present for this experiment, even if most were observing from other rooms.

The scientist stammered a bit, “eh, Mr. Yoshamura is…” he noticed the brain signal of Kaziya, displayed on a monitor, spasm as the mere mention agitated him. “Busy.”

Monster X stood up. The EEG readings hooked up to the teenage Keizer spiked as his fingers dug into his legs. “Please, calm down young-“

The colossus threw his head back, roaring in rage. The glass shattered, psychic waves from Kaziya stopping them from lacerating himself or his sister. The researcher overseeing the experiment, on the other hand, fell to the ground bleeding. A thick blade of glass split his eye in two. Landes screamed, rushing over to Kaziya and hugging him tightly.

“Please calm down.” She begged him. She heard the beeping of the reader cease, her eyes slowly opening. “Thank you. Please don’t do that again.” She heard her brother hum in affirmation, making her frantically beating heart slow down.

A glimpse of leathery wings protruding from Monster X’s back, now retracting back into his flesh, made Landes’ blood run cold.

***

The Xilien heiress shuddered. Even if it did not look as though her brother’s monstrosity was winning now, it was only a matter of time.

Monster X went to stomp on Gigan, only for the murderous space dinosaur to vanish in a blur of purple light. As the foot of the dragon knight crushed stone, Gigan reappeared behind his foe with a screech as he brought his claws down. Monster X was forced to a knee as he struggled with the pressing weight, the heinous beast trying to fully push him to the dirt. Lowering his face, the cybernetic menace’s visor glowed and discharged a shotgun-like burst of crimson energy into the back of the hybrid destroyer, giving him a faceful of shattered stone.

Gigan clapped his arms together, laughing at his grounded foe. Oh, how he missed this! It had been far too long since he’d dirtied his claws, felt the rush of combat.

The assassin’s foot came down on the skeletal beast’s back several times, his eye sparking with light as Laser Knives danced across the fiend.

***

Kaziya growled as he watched the fight unfold, rubbing his face. “What’s happening, why is he losing?” Sweat beaded on his brow, being swiftly wiped off, the chair creaking as he shifted uncomfortably in it.

He’d staked everything on this. Threw himself headlong into declaring war on both sides, hoping that he’d draw others in with his sheer might, but now it was cracking.

As he watched Monster X roll to his feet, he grit his teeth. A powerful kick from the arbiter of his will to Gigan’s side made him smile, but that expression faded as the scythed killer took off into the air. A spray of sparks flashed as his spinning buzzsaw grinded against Monster X’s armor, stumbling the warrior back.

“I didn’t see you use any technology to summon that monster.” Metphies said, startling the prodigy. “Was it with your mind?”

“Yes.” Kaziya replied. “Monster X is connected to me.”

“Are you controlling him?”

“No. I guide him, but I can’t choose his actions for him. They had wanted me to do that, but he did not take to it, and after the incident that claimed his creator, they did not want much of anything to do with him.”

“Hmm,” Metphies hummed, walking up closer to get a better view of the battle on an ancient screen. Gigan flew down feet first, Monster X barely ducking, but the Nebulan superweapon was swift to pivot immediately upon landing and blast his foe in the back. The dark knight screamed as flesh smoked.

“How exactly are you connected? If you say you are not controlling him, but you hold a special bond?” The priest questioned.

Kaziya took a moment to think. “He’s made with my DNA, merged with King Ghidorah’s. When he fights, I can feel him, and vice versa. We’re not the same being, we have no control over the other’s actions, but we’re linked.”

“Perhaps then, Keizer, he is losing because your mind is clouded and torn.” The young man looked up to the priest, confused. “If you and him are truly so close, then look at yourself. Your father who you reviled has shown that you were nowhere close to understanding the true depths of his loathsomeness. Your beloved sister abandoned you, saw you as nothing but a monster. Your people are splitting apart, and though you seek to shepherd them, you feel you cannot.”

Kaziya hung his head, crestfallen. “You’re right. Landes is disgusted by me, she’d rather trust a complete stranger than her own brother. Father, Yoshamura,” he growled in frustration, unsure of how to refer to or even see his patriarch. His next words were quiet and bitter. “I did not truly hate him before. I knew he was capable of nothing, but some irrational part of me refused to forgive him. But now, now I understand how much of a disgusting wretch he is.”

Metphies stepped closer still, putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder. He leaned down, speaking softly into his ear. “Then crush them. Part the fog in your mind, and show your people that their only future is under your leadership or under your heel.”

This caught Kaziya off guard. “I thought you were a religious man? Why do you care so much of what I do, what happens to anyone when your God will ferry you and the rest of his flock to whatever paradise awaits you?”

“God sent me to find you. Kaziya, great and mighty Keizer,” Metphies continued, lifting up the Garbetrium bead, a pearl-esque object which flickered with emerald radiance in confusing runes. “He wants your power. He will carry us all to a beauty unparalleled, with Monster X as our blade to cut through the brush.” Kaziya stared at the gem-like computer, transfixed. “Now show them what I have already seen in my dreams. Show them your absolute might, and let your father and sister weep in the wake of it.”

Kaziya’s heart had been beating like a drum before, but now, at those words, it began to slow. His breathing regulated, eyes turning back to the display of Monster X.

“Yes.” He spoke calmly like the holy man had. “You’re right. I’ve always known it to be so, now is the time for everyone else to know as well.”

***

Gigan clamped his arms onto his foe’s sides, the colossus in skeletal armor having just stood still for a few moments. He took it as a sign of forfeit, an acceptance of death. With the spinning of his Universal Cutter, he prepared to act as executioner, already daydreaming of the sight and sensation of the obsidian stomach being slit open and spilling organs everywhere.

Monster X’s skull came down like a hammer onto Gigan’s face, the sound echoing across the landscape. The impact sent waves of fear rolling through the Giant Dark Emperor’s subordinates, the ethereal tyrant’s own face displaying his shock for all to see.

Landes just knew it had been coming all along.

Gigan staggered backwards, screeching. His visor was shattered, beak heavily dented. He tried to open it, but that only hurt more. A jagged tooth in the roof of his mouth, designed to be a hidden blade when biting foes, now impaled his own tongue. Blood and oil dripped from numerous lacerations in his face, and he could tell from the lightness of his head that several spikes of his mohawk had been shattered.

A single thud on the ground was all the warning Gigan had before a horrific punch smashed into his stomach, directly into the blades of his deactivated Universal Cutter. They shattered as a hand grasped the thin apparatus, akin to a chainsaw conveyer belt, and ripped backwards. Gigan screamed as he could only feel, not see, the tearing and mutilation of his internal mechanisms. Slick, cold fluid was coating his stomach now as sparks erupted, the Universal Cutter torn apart in the middle. In a panic, he opened his beak and let loose his flamethrower.

The Dark Empire’s new acolytes watched in horror as Monster X ducked beneath the stream, flattening his hand and thrusting it into the cyborg’s throat. His claws punctured the scales and flesh with ease, causing a miniature explosion as the fumes and flames erupted from the wound. Gigan coughed violently as he tried to survive in anyway he could, both hammer claws swinging towards his foe.

Monster X grabbed them, squeezing so tightly his hands shook. The Giant Dark Emperor was confused for a moment, only to understand with great horror as cracks began to race out from the points of contact. “That’s Cosmo-Steel, a living being should not be able to-“

With a horrendous crash, Gigan’s claws shattered near their bases, the heavy chunks of steel smashing into the stone as their former wielder stumbled back. He screamed in horror, taking off into the sky. Gigan needed to run, flee, live. There was no concern for how he would survive so badly crippled, nothing but the primal urge to continue holding the spark of life. The draconian knight looked at his bleeding hands, torn by the metal shards he had created. He craned his head up, his red eyes focusing onto his fleeing foe.

Then, they were overtaken with a golden blaze.

Footage of Godzilla and Rodan’s battle with King Ghidorah on Planet X was a frequent topic of study for the Xliens, alongside numerous other videos of the king of the monsters battling. The Giant Dark Emperor had seen countless titans waging war, it was the only way to properly battle another civilization in this cosmos. So the onlookers knew full well that some Kaiju could discharge energy, to explosive and frightful results.

But Godzilla’s stream of burning mist, Gigan’s thin laser, even King Ghidorah’s fearsome streaks of gravitonic energy, they all paled in comparison to this.

To the shimmering strands, so bright that eyes were averted, which erupted from Monster X’s four eyes. Thick bolts of power which scorched the air as they raced up to meet Gigan’s flying form, the ruined killer only noticing at the last moment from the heavy thrum they gave off. He screeched, but that call of fear and plea for mercy was swiftly silenced.

As Gigan’s entire body was swallowed by a calamitous explosion, the Destroyed Thunder Bolts filled the sky with their cruel bliss. A burnt, skeletal corpse plummeted from the cloud, smoke trailing it as Monster X turned towards the Giant Dark Emperor.

The ground opened up as a colossal spaceship, the Vabaruda as Landes had called it, emerged. Landes led a panicked charge towards it, the hanger doors opening as guns were trained on the Kaiju.

But not everyone fled towards it.

Hundreds of Xilien, mostly hybrids, fell to their knees. Thousands more still in the underground similarly pledged themselves to the Keizer, the display of power cowing any thoughts of defecting to either the traditionalists or the Dark Galactic Empire.

Monster X did not fire. Perhaps Kaziya’s blood prevented him from directly killing Landes. But he ensured they would understand just what those who fled were choosing.

The Demon of the Galaxy howled into the heavens, a rumbling, raspy bellow that shook the world. Landes watched with tears in her eyes, knowing that there was no going back. She’d chosen her side, and there was no going back. The Vabaruda lifted up into the sky, racing away over the horizon rapidly.

The Giant Dark Emperor looked at the scene before him, callously regarding the explosion of ashen biomass that occurred when Gigan impacted. He vanished, following his legion, but not before declaring “You have seen nothing of what I will bring to bear against you, Keizer. And you as well, Controller.”

***

Kaziya laughed, hands to the sky as he basked in the power at his fingertips. Metphies couldn’t help but notice that he and his monster struck the same pose.

The Keizer leaned over the microphone once more, setting it to broadcast within the halls of the Xiliens’ home. “Everyone who follows me, go to Hangar 04 and prepare the golden mothership. That shall be our base of operations. I will be there soon, so any who still cling to foolish old ways, do not interfere or you will die.” He laughed more, his berserk joy spilling out from him.

“Shall we go, grand Keizer?” Metphies asked his leader.

“Of course. Thank you, priest of God. You have shown me the light.”

Metphies smiled as they left the room. “You and your knight are that light.”

An unheard chirp from the Garbetrium affirmed the holy man’s statement.

***

Yoshamura sat alone in his office, having given the order to turn on the supercomputer just moments before. It had only been a few hours since Kaziya and Landes both rejected him, fled to their own factions. A breathing tube was hooked up to his mouth and nose, necessary after the brutal strike his son had lashed into his chest and the time it took to get it treated.

His eyes rolled down to look at the portrait of his family, Kaziya and Landes as children held in his and Nicole’s arms.

He tried to maintain composure. But his heart pounding in his chest would not allow for that, not in the slightest, as each thump was agonizing against his battered chest.

Yoshamura screamed as he pushed everything off his desk, the papers fluttering through the air as the rest clattered to the floor as detritus. The Xilien smashed his fist into the space he had just cleared, making pain shoot through his hand. It did nothing to distract him from his internal anguish.

Fingers dug into the palm, muscles tensed to their maximum. His teeth grit together, feeling like they were going to burst.

He was weak. He was powerless. And, he was alone.

Yoshamura remembered her smiling face, that serene beauty which made all the world’s problems melt away. But his mind warped it away, replacing it with the vision of her body becoming a slurry of gore under the bullets of Jikiro.

Another crash of his fist against the desk, leaving blood to drip onto it. Impotently he beat both clenched hands onto the flat surface, making it begin to crack. “Damnit, damnit, damnit!” He screamed.

His son and daughter’s joyous expressions flashed in his mind, but they were just replaced by the utter destruction of light that was apparent on their faces after that day. Then the sheer disdain they both had looked at him with when he revealed his plans.

Yoshamura’s whole body shook as he screamed, clawing at the sides of his face. It was an embarrassing display, but he cared not, he found himself unable to care about anything. No tears flowed, just anger and hatred welling up and bursting forth like a broken pipeline.

He had nothing. If it were not for wishing to preserve the future of his people, he would have jammed a blade into his own throat and freed himself of this pain. He knew, deep down, that the suppression of emotion would be an awful fate. After having tasted the beauty of these things, he and his people would suffer greatly. Perhaps even worse than he suffered now.

But he had dug his grave. Now was the time to lie in it.

 

Chapter 10: Final Day Before Judgment

Months later, shortly after the agreement to a final battle.

Curled in on himself, sitting atop the barren stone of Planet X, King Ghidorah stirred in his slumber. His darkest urges were restrained, but they still burned in the depths of his three-pronged consciousness. Visions floated through his mind, but they were not dreams.

They were memories.

His life played like a tape before his closed eyes, the highlights the only time it was not a blur. In the void of space, a dark portal opened wide, hurling him out of its abyssal swirl. It was the beginning of his consciousness, the demon king of the cosmos’ birth. He knew not what had facilitated this, the tear in reality sealing shut before he could get a proper look into it. He flailed, screeching as his fresh mind took in its surroundings. Numerous limbs shook and writhed as a command in the center of his being rose to the surface.

Kill.

Horns atop his head pulsed as they detected life, that order driving him to beat his wings and fly towards the nearest source. A primitive world was what he found, huts going up in smoke and spears breaking against his scales. The devastation was fulfilling, the same as filling the stomach. King Ghidorah screeched to the burning heavens, before instinct took over and let him summon the shattered rocks of his surroundings to form a shell. Launching off into space, he continued to do what he desired.

Thousands of worlds fell to him, becoming a slurry of madness and death in his perception. Millions of years passed by in a few moments to the sleeping observer before that fast-forward slammed to a pause.

A world of blue seas and green plants all across the ground. Earth. As the King Ghidorah in the moment delighted in the fires spewing from burning buildings, the king of terror remembering this day growled. It was the first time he tasted failure, and unfortunately, this planet would ensure it was not the last either.

Other giants, three to be precise. A leviathan with ivory spines, a colossal pteranodon with brown wings to blot out the sun, and a larva with sapphire eyes. They battered him, threw rocks and sprayed adhesive silk, smashed their bodies against his with the fervor of cornered animals fighting to taste life for another day.

With his three heads bound together, the sea beast, Godzilla, tossed him off a cliff with a display of strength he thought only he possessed. Making no progress against the determined trio, King Ghidorah made a decision he’d forever regret.

He fled.

With his sail-like wings beating, he carried himself back into space, growling at the triumphant roars he heard below until the vacuum silenced them. His pride and body bruised, he detected yet more life in this system, a moon crawling with far less life than Earth. To nurse his wounds he descended in a hail of Gravity Bolts, scouring the dusty, blue rock for what lay beneath.

They found him first. Silver saucers released beams of azure light, enveloping his heads. He thrashed, tried to fight them off, but his beating at the hands of Earth’s guardians had rendered him too weak. Soon, his mind was theirs to command. A year passed, and Godzilla and Rodan stood before him yet again, a ploy by his new masters to destroy Earth’s defenses. They battled once more, but despite raging against the bars of his mental cage, he could not stop the rigged fight from proceeding exactly as planned. Then, he and his two former enemies were upon Earth, tearing into it. A high-pitched screech, artificial siren, broke his masters above and let him control himself for the first time in so long.

Godzilla and Rodan smashed into him, casting all three to the seas below. King Ghidorah was the first to rise, and he had no more desire to ravage this planet. He hated it so much he would rather never see it again then spend the time to destroy it. Had he been the master of his fate, it would have been so.

But he was not. Years later, another species snatched his mind from him, paired him with a boorish cyborg and sent him back to the pale blue dot he so despised. Godzilla awaited him once again, this time joined by a beast coated in spikes. Although victory seemed assured, just like last time, his masters were vanquished. The cyborg fled when the tide turned, King Ghidorah cursing him as the Earth’s ancient warriors once more battered his hide, his golden wings carrying him back to the stars the first moment he could do so. Had he the will anymore, he would have torn into the wretched cyborg, but he just wanted to depart from the accursed world.

A year later, yet again, yet again, talons sank into his brains and puppeted his actions. Disgusting insects, lavishing him with praise as an engine of destruction and nihilistic supremacy. Rows of monsters followed their command, pathetic and twisted creations that he could crush in short order if he was set free. But instead, they set him loose to destroy a single facility on Earth, an insult to his might. He was met with a humanoid warrior, cast in blue and silver skin with glowing eyes of yellow. King Ghidorah battled the hero, initially overwhelming him but still falling short even as his new masters set a prism in his chest to blot out the Sun’s light. The golden wyrm was so enraged by this farce that he broke free of his chains, hurling himself away from Earth and racing to the nearest planet just to breathe.

But the humanoid chased him there, why, why! What business did he still have with him? On a planet that stirred ancient memories for the destroyer of worlds, he was blasted and beaten once more, driven away to the depths of space.

The years dragged on, King Ghidorah always looking wherever he went, always anxious and on guard for another conqueror seeking his power. Another fool with a bone to pick with that damned world. One day, he came across a world being beset by the Garoga yet again, some hideous beast with two heads looking up and firing a crimson ray at him.

King Ghidorah eviscerated it, then set his sights on the insects. Not just those on this world, but all over the universe. Across the cosmos he crusaded against his former captors, killing every single Garoga he could find amidst the galaxies. They tried to seize his mind once more, but he was wise to their tricks, his wrath never being abated.

He never found the Nebulans, but one day, he returned to Planet X as part of his revenge tour. Earth smoldered in the distance, a sight that gave him great pleasure while he descended to begin the carnage on his first slavers. He knew not who had done the act, but he would be grateful to them for the rest of time.

Even greater was his mirth at the sight of Gigan’s severed claws, the blades recognizable no matter the circumstance. A massive black mark on the ground, clumps of ashen meat and scorched metal on it, painted a delightful picture for the three-headed dragon. He cackled loudly, eyes shut as he threw his heads back in laughter.

His mind was suddenly assailed by psychic waves once more, the sensation oh so familiar. King Ghidorah’s eyes flew open, his jaws parting to shoot down the saucers, but he could not do so in time. He had learned from his previous failings, grown more powerful in the nearly two decades since, but what he had not accounted for was that the same could be true for his enemies.

With a hideous shriek, his mind was once more locked down and put under the will of uncaring masters. The vision ended, the wyrm’s sleep restless as he twitched and snarled but could not rise. Not until he was given permission to.

He hated it here, in this life.

***

Below the golden wyrm, floating limply in a colossal glass casing filled with pale blue fluid, was Rodan. His skin had shifted from brown to red, a mutation enforced by the surging of radiation into his form. Unfortunately, sleep did not claim him, a numbing in-between state settling over his mind instead. Pain coursed through the king of the skies’ body, an ever present ache from his healed wounds at Monster X’s hands and from his forceful transformation.

Rodan knew the situation he and his closest friend were in. They had been in it before, under the control of the Xiliens, but this time was different. There was no Earth to conquer, nor to return to. He barely remembered why that had occurred in the first place, what catastrophe had plunged the world of his birth into the desolation it now languished in.

A feeling of doom settled over him. All he could think about was the past, for the king of the skies saw no future. But there was little pleasant in that direction either.

When the hard shell of his egg broke from within, his beak piercing through to shout his arrival into life, he expected light. Rodan anticipated his mother’s presence, standing over him like a sentry.

He found no such thing. Only darkness, noxious fumes and heat in the depths of a collapsed volcano. When his eyes adjusted to the dark, he found only two colosssl corpses, his mother and father slain in a battle before his birth. The insects which fed upon their carcasses were his meal, agonizing silence and loneliness all he felt until he reached maturity. In rage he then burst forth, screeching to the skies, cursed to carry the burden of being the last of the Rodans.

And here he was now. On a cold, alien world which only saw him as a weapon.

***

Curled up on the harsh steel floor of a chamber that could fit a skyscraper, Godzilla slept. Unlike Rodan, the king of the monsters had not given up. He knew he was trapped for now, but he would not be so easily broken. When this war ended, he would be alive, and if he had to brave the depths of space on his own to return to Earth, he would.

Somewhere on that devastated world, a child in his image waited. And he would be reunited with him, no matter what he had to endure. The golden dragon he would be forced to side with in this upcoming battle, the cybernetic assassin, the brutal god of a lost civilization, the legions of the wretched Garoga pawns, his mechanical doppelgänger, and a ferocious dinosaur from the depths of the ocean. All those things he had faced and triumphed over, been torn open by and bathed in flame and blood, all to ensure Earth endured. He would do it all again for Minilla’s sake.

Godzilla twisted and turned in his sleep as he remembered the last battle he had gone through. For all his bravado and resoluteness, it shook him regardless.

The sky writhed with countless Garoga ships and Terro-Beasts, that horrid planet hanging over the Earth like a guillotine blade. He and Zone Fighter stood side by side, drenched in the gore of the alien bioweapons. The humanoid with blue and silver armor looked forward with his glowing eyes of yellow, fists clenched as bracelets filled with missiles faded into the ether. This extraterrestrial blitzkrieg had pushed the world to its limits, just as it had Zone Fighter’s home, and the two could feel that the end was near, in one way or another.

Overhead, a cylindrical ship with a drill at its front flew through the armada. Godzilla understood it as humanity’s final charge, knowing the planet’s primary civilization well enough to know that something immense was hidden up their sleeve. But he had little time to dwell on it as a terrifying monstrosity dropped from the sky, resembling an old foe whose mere appearance made Godzilla remember his blood being spilled.

Gigan Rex screeched, before launching forwards. Godzilla bent down as the mechanical terror swung a blazing whip, the weapon carving off the tips of some of his spines. The monster king grimaced, then tackled his shoulder into the crimson killer, stopping its charge with a heavy impact. Red flesh parted to reveal a dark eye in the midst of Gigan Rex’s chest, which blazed with a yellow light. A potent laser struck Godzilla and sent him careening backwards, screaming as his scales burned away. The cybernetic commander of the Garoga army retracted its whips, then flew towards the reeling monster king with its scythes primed.

Zone Fighter halted the attack with a similar ray of light, dark blue in color and produced by the antenna atop his head. The Meteor Proton Ray speared into the closing eye upon Gigan Rex’s abdomen, a moment before the eyelid sealed shut. Vitreous humor, as black as the hearts of the scarlet slayer’s masters, burst outwards and boiled. Gigan Rex screeched, shaking in pain as its feet crashed to the earth and carved trenches into the dirt.

Godzilla and Zone Fighter exchanged a quick glance, communicating without a word as both barreled forward. Getting to either side of the fiend, the warriors of justice began mercilessly beating the alien weapon. Fists moved like blurs, bouncing Gigan Rex back and forth between them as it screamed for aid from its allies. Armor dented and broke under the hail of strikes. The meteor man leapt up, crashing his knee into the crimson colossus’ chin. The creature’s beak was dislocated, being worsened as Godzilla’s fist came down like a hammer onto the cyclops’ eye, sending cracks across the glass aperture.

Flailing, Gigan Rex’s whips came flying out, forcing the two heroes to backpedal as glancing blows sliced open their flesh. Blinded, the alien superweapon could only madly swing its weapons. Godzilla thrust his arms up, Zone Fighter’s hands touching the top of his antenna, and the two unleashed their respective beams into the open wound where a fleshy eye once sat.

With a hellacious screech, Gigan Rex detonated.

The heroes practically fell over as they panted with exhaustion, that victory only possible due to a stroke of luck and perfect timing. Zone Fighter touched his chest, the light affixed to his belt shifting to a flashing red as he looked at his now bloody hand. Godzilla could tell his ally was reaching his limit, and the battle looked far from over.

A catastrophically wrong assessment.

Zone Fighter suddenly tensed up, as though he had just learned of something horrible. Godzilla was confused, especially when the meteor man took off straight into the sky as fast as he could, the monster king only able to raise a hand and step forward. Looking into the sky, he saw the clouds part as a shining light pierced the clouds. Focusing his eyes revealed that it was a colossal missile, far larger than either of them.

Godzilla was able to figure out that his friend had likely just heard something from his family, radio communication that the leviathan was not privy to. His heart thundered in his chest as he watched the hero stand in the missile’s path, thrusting his arms forth and conjuring a mostly invisible barrier. Only the multi-colored flashing edge of the shield was visible as it expanded outwards, the hulking weapon smashing against it. For a few seconds, Zone Fighter held strong, slowly crawling his Zone Barrier across the missile’s length to envelop it.

Then it exploded.

Godzilla had been in the midst of the nuclear bomb, but the difference between that and whatever horrid weapon the Garoga had sent down was like comparing water dropping off a leaf to a tsunami. Everything was white, an ever present and horrendous heat as all sound was replaced with a great rumbling.

When the leviathan awoke, it was to a scene of utmost devastation. The Garoga’s artificial planet was torn asunder, descending in a burning rain upon a world that was already lost in endless smoke and fire as far as the eye could see. Godzilla, amidst his horror at the sight before him, the pain spearing into every cell of his regenerating body which had been scoured down to bone and organ, figured that drill-ship had accomplished whatever its task was.

Eventually, he gained the strength to walk. Only the telepathic call of his son guided him, the child distressed beyond imagination at the Earth’s evisceration. The planet still lived, but barely. Once he found Minilla, he hugged his child, and the two once more drifted off to hibernation in a thick precipitation, only it was ash instead of snow.

He did not know how long it had been since that day and when he suddenly awoke to find himself on Planet X, next to Rodan yet again. The two were barely able to appreciate one another’s survival before they were beset upon. All he knew was that he would return to Earth, to his son, if it was the last thing he ever did.

***

In its hangar, Mechagodzilla sat motionless. Fully repaired, it played back its battle with Gigan and King Ghidorah over and over again in its mostly shutdown state. Advanced artificial intellect studied every frame, outlining the successes and failures of each action Mechagodzilla undertook and suggesting new strategies. Footage of other battles, what could be gathered of its other potential foes, joined the roll and received similar treatment.

***

Mecha-King Ghidorah was as still as a statue. Somewhere in that cybernetic form, memories dwelled like wisps. Of a warm touch, a smiling face, but they were mere drops glistening on the surface of cold, hard steel, unable to reach deeper inside. Whatever was left of the shared brain within the dragon’s chest was too filled with wires, too pumped full of numbing drugs, to be anything but a mindless follower of whatever commands went its way.

***

Gororin slept, looking like a normal cactus except for in scale. He dreamed of crushing the weak under his rolling form, impaling his foes upon his needles, and snapping the neck of that damned Monster X.

***

Hedorah gurgled in delight, descending upon another landfill. Its master wished for the smog monster to be in peak condition, so it fed on yet more waste and pollution. The chance to display its dominance, its invincibility, would be soon. Such a thing would be wondrous, even more than the taste of aged oil which currently stimulated its taste buds.

***

Gigan twitched in his attempt to sleep, scratching at where his arm’s new extension connected to the body. The dual-chainsaw had captivated him when he first saw it, but as he thought over it more he preferred the simplicity of the scythe, at least grateful he kept one. The sight of King Ghidorah had knocked loose metaphorical scales from his eye, the clearing up of a haze he did not know existed only being hastened by fleeing alongside him.

He dived headlong into his memory, trying to find out what else he’d forgotten. First was his life before his enhancement, a beast who ruled over all he surveyed with humongous claws. Even his might could not shield him from the planet of his birth being overtaken by a black smog, the resources he depended upon for life withering away under the poison which burned his lungs. He finally fell over dead, or so he thought, for he awoke to find his hands and feet gone and his eyes replaced with crimson glass. Huge blades of refined steel were being attached to the stumps of his limbs, insects looming over him as they observed and commanded their machines to do their work. Becoming more and more aware of his body, he realized that his organs intermingled with mechanical systems, his abdomen opened wide as a chain covered with blades was fed into it.

Where any other would scream at the sight, he was transfixed. Gigan was becoming something better, something which transcended the death which had claimed everything else he knew. When this process was done, would anything be able to stop him?

For a long time, the answer was no. Across the cosmos he was a tool of war, tearing apart everything he was commanded to with reckless glee. His masters, the Nebulans, worked for the Giant Dark Emperor in exchange for their rotting world being kept going for as long as it could. The previous civilization was the ones responsible for Space Hunter Nebula M’s poisoned state, and the Galactic Dark Empire’s technology held back the tide of complete desolation.

Then came a sudden, violent shift. The overlord of the empire was gone, betrayed by his own people and removed from this reality. Without the head, the body fell as the followers of the empire turned on one another. Gigan was triumphant over anything the others threw at them, but there was something even he could not fight. Space Hunter Nebula M eventually became uninhabitable, the air poisonous even to the cockroaches. All that could survive were horrific monsters of sludge, who attacked any other life form on sight.

Gigan’s insectoid masters set their sights on another world, a pristine blue gem sitting at the perfect distance from its sun to be ideally inhabitable. They settled on Earth, and set up a master plan to destroy its current occupants, eventually calling him down alongside King Ghidorah. He had doubted the need for another monster to aid him, his hammer claws undefeated throughout his long life.

That belief was shattered, along with his flawless record, once his masters’ plot was foiled. The blazing fire of Godzilla’s atomic ray casting him from the sky, how could he have forgotten it? Burning anguish as he plummeted to the unforgiving earth, just thinking about it made him furious all over again. He fled alongside his “ally”, the wyrm’s expressions making it clear that his own exhaustion with the world below was all that prevented them from battling in the heavens.

Next year, the cyberclaw terror found himself back on Earth. His masters sought to aid another group of the planet’s inhabitants, ones more sympathetic to their goal. And thus, he was sent down to join a beetle-like colossus, with drills for arms and an antenna which spewed lightning. Gigan and Megalon battled a robot built by humankind, swiftly bringing it down as they laughed. He had met a kindred spirit, finally found someone he could call a friend, and was loving every moment of it. When Godzilla returned, the cyborg was itching for a rematch, his new ally close behind.

Phantom pain shot through his arm as he recalled Jet Jaguar driving its knee up into his elbow, snapping bone with a grotesque crunch. Once more, he took to the skies, leaving his friend behind. It was the first time he’d felt a pang of regret, but his desire for self preservation overrode any other feelings. In the moment, it was easily crammed down, but afterwards, back on his homeworld after another failure, it was harder to look past.

Was it mere common sense, or was he a coward? He had not faced a proper challenge until Godzilla, perhaps he could not actually take on an equal in might? Could he have salvaged either battle if he had not fled?

It was not a question he’d have time to dwell on, for the black skies were pierced by unholy hordes. His masters, on the brink of death, sent him out for the final time. Gigan fought valiantly for them, tearing through Terro-Beasts with his numerous weapons, but he could do nothing to truly stop what was coming.

Standing atop a mountain of corpses, drenched in the innards of the Garoga’s foul servants, he shouted to the station raining down artillery on the last bastion of the Nebulans. He knew his masters were dead, but for those who had pulled him back from the brink of death, Gigan would finally fight until his true last breath.

Two Terro-Beasts stepped forward, one with an ant-like head atop a long neck and the other bearing a robotic head and diodes upon his rotund abdomen. With a screech, he hurled himself towards them, blades drawn and ready to kill both in one stroke.

The bloated Terro-Beast threw his arms back, searing light spraying out from his chest. Gigan’s defiant shout became a scream of shock as he plummeted, digging a trench in the ground with his body. Slamming his claws into the earth, he pulled himself up, only for the insectoid to extend a cannon from between its mandibles. With a thunderous crack, it fired, piercing Gigan’s scales and making blood geyser. He tried to counter with a Laser Knife, but another flash of light into his unblinking eye sent the ray off in a direction holding nothing. Like a drumbeat, the cannon fired repeatedly, tearing holes in the assassin’s hide. Every time he tried to fight back, he was blinded, eventually his foes descending upon him and physically beating him once he was too weak to swing his arms. His cries faded with his consciousness, and once more he expected to die, never to return.

Unfortunately for him, the Garoga had no intention of killing him.

Gigan awoke, unable to move his limbs. The sky above was a harsh kaleidoscope, like nothing that could be found in the natural universe. For this was another dimension, where the Garoga stored their weapons. Gigan now fell under that category, his mind blurred into a haze that did not let him properly think. He vaguely recalled them scanning his body, tampering with his innards and changing the perfect work of the Nebulans. Before they deployed him, he had a faint idea of a figure being carved in his image, only blindingly red all across its form and somehow both more simplistic and complex.

Earth once more, parachutes carrying him down for he was not even fit to fly after what they’d done to his body and mind. A brutalizing at Godzilla’s hands, what had once been a heart-poundingly close battle now reduced to a thrashing. He barely understood where he was, no preparation or planning, as though an unrelated plan had failed and he’d been tossed out in desperation. Once more, his end came, but the break between death and rebirth was mere moments as new mechanisms revived him to battle a humanoid warrior. In his haze he laughed as explosives installed in his claws detonated against the back of the hero’s skull, seemingly ending the meteor man. Unfortunately, or perhaps quite the opposite, Zone Fighter’s vitality was more than anticipated. Proton missiles forged by a civilization only vanquished due to their lack of appetite for war bored into the golden scales and green flesh of the cybernetic assassin. The high was dissolved, sobriety striking Gigan as he fell to the dirt with foam spilling out of his mouth and his organs pulverized.

Silence would not find him yet, however. He awoke on a barren world, far away from Earth, as though he’d never suffered under the Garoga’s torment. The only clue the cyborg had to his new saviors was the fading sight of dark, star-shaped ships which glowed green with their propulsion. He would have pursued them, but they vanished before he could properly grasp his continued life.

A signal reached him after some time of aimless wandering, a psychic command Gigan thought he would never hear again. The Giant Dark Emperor! So that was who had saved him, holdouts from the empire who had sought to revitalize it. He followed his old master’s order without hesitation, hurling himself towards Planet X with the same vigor as in the old days.

The events that occurred next fell over Gigan’s memory like a spreading stain. He had endured pain before, but that… that thing. The skeletal knight, draconic terror, had inflicted agony he never thought possible. Fury and power spilled out from Monster X like an exploding star, carrying Gigan away and breaking him against the rocks.

And yet again, he was salvaged, pulled out from the abyss that should have greeted him. Now he would have to fight against his old master, alongside the beast whose presence fills him with dread. He wanted to rebel, but his new controllers had placed something inside his very DNA that made that impossible, unbreakable puppet strings being pulled by a single man.

Gigan supposed that was all he ever was. A puppet. For the Nebulans, for the Garoga, for the Giant Dark Emperor, and now for Kaziya. When was the last time he had truly exercised his own will, made a decision for and by himself?

He remembered leaving Megalon behind to face two foes at once, the one friend he’d ever had tossed aside like trash. And he recalled diving into battle against the Garoga, being ultimately subsumed by the cruel plunderers. Those had been his decisions.

Gigan let sleep seize him, no longer wanting to dwell on his life.

***

No wind blew on Planet X’s surface. Even terraformed to be breathable, the moon of Jupiter was still a barren wasteland. No plants could grow, rain would never fall, and the sunlight would always be muted and weak.

This, Monster X thought, was likely why the Xiliens had lost their minds. Curled up on the ground, still as a statue, the hybrid drake waited. When the command was given, he would rise.

Even Kaziya was insane, he knew this. The skeletal monstrosity respected his… Well, Monster X was not sure what exactly he and Kaziya were. He followed the Keizer’s commands, but it was not a master and servant relationship. There was an equality to it unlike the other monsters, a respect. They felt the same things, minds interlinked to form a bond unlike any other.

That was why Monster X knew his genetic donor was insane. He supposed the same had to be true of him in turn.

Life was a cage for them both, chains binding their true nature down and forcing them to peer at the world through cold iron bars. Once he had nearly let that truth free, taking the life of the scientist who had given him life, but that only caused more restraints to be added. The Xiliens feared him, his fellow colossal warriors as well. An endless wellspring of power existed, and they sought to throw filters and barricades over it.

Perhaps the coming battle would let him cast off his shackles. He had no clue what that would look like, but the mere thought lit embers in the cold chamber of his heart.

***

Void.

Mortals thought they knew what a void was, that they could picture it clearly in their heads. What could be easier to imagine than nothing?

A folly. The limited brain could not comprehend a true void, an endless absence. It would always subconsciously add something, a border between it and them, in truth a cushion. To soften the impact, distance themselves from it and only look at it sideways as opposed to directly.

Or, they would proclaim that there was no such thing as a void. Instead of even glancing, they would turn their eyes away, plug their ears and shout about whatever their imaginations conjured.

Eighty-one eyes peered down upon Planet X. Twenty-seven per head, thirteen per side and one in the center of the brow. They were red-gold beads, embedded in xanthic light solidified into the shapes of horned heads at the ends of thorn-coated vines. Thin jaws with jagged edges which resembled teeth shifted subtly, eager to dig into life essence.

Mortals refused to properly face the void, their minds contorting to blanket them from it, because it was inevitable. None could escape its cold talons digging into their consciousness, what they called a soul, and dragging them into itself. All life dies, all things decay, to return to the nothingness from whence they came.

Wings that had once ferried it across the universe, killing all it came across, shifted as a mental reflex as it peered closer. Twin tails waved through the all-encompassing black, spiked ends longing for the day they crashed into flesh and tore it open. A thin abdomen, glowing like a star, stretched as the transcendent prepared for its feast.

There was no perdition or paradise. Just oblivion.

And there was only one divinity.

A God of Terror.

 

Chapter 11: Astronomical Final War

No wind blew. The air, which did not exist on the barren surface a few decades ago, was stagnant. It let them breathe on the surface, but that was all it functioned for, the thin layer that humanity and the Xiliens had put on the world. With freedom and ideas other than serving a greater good, the cramped, repetitive spaces of the Xiliens’ settlement became a prison. So greater freedom of movement was desired and attained via an artificial atmosphere.

But this world could never be made something beautiful. All it got them was a larger prison, the surface of the Jupiterian moon deader than even Earth’s harshest environments.

That thought lingered in every Xiliens’ mind as they approached the battlefield, whether at the forefront or dancing in the dim halls of the subconscious. Perhaps it had once been bountiful, how else could they have even come to exist, but nobody remembered that better place if it was real. The Exif spoke of an ancient history, but were silent on any further details.

Silver saucers, blue lights upon their undersides to facilitate their flight, hovered in the air above Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. Fury was barely concealed by their mental chains, eyes burning with the desire to break free and tear into their captors. Below them, the regressive Xiliens prepared to give commands and ensure optimal operation.

The Vabaruda approached, a darker grey than the traditional ships. Like a fortress it loomed over its surroundings, impenetrable and intimidating. Mechagodzilla, Gororin, and Mecha-King Ghidorah moved beneath it, unswayed by any emotion. The traitorous Xiliens moved like ants in a colony, under the eyes of the Giant Dark Emperor.

Light glinted off the golden sphere of a Mothership as it hovered into place, claw-like protrusions staffed by pilots to take off at any time. Monster X, Gigan, and Hedorah floated beneath it, eager to begin the carnage. Just as anticipatory were the radical Xiliens, fists clenched and blood pumping as they awaited the word.

Like puzzle pieces, the three factions gathered into place. Miles separated them, but the towering colossi who would serve as the focal point of this conflict were all too visible. Silence, other than last minute diagnostic checks, dominated the air.

“I wish to say a prayer.” Proclaimed both Metphies and Endurph at the command centers of their respective factions, simultaneously despite being so far away.

“Of course.” Kaziya accepted, as meanwhile the Giant Dark Emperor to his priest merely shifted his head in a gesture meaning to commence.

Unbeknownst to the two warring powers, the holy men’s knees touched the ground at the same time, as they began to give equal praise to a higher power.

“Our lord who watches over us, we ask that you shield us and deliver us unto triumph. May your guiding light be before us, showing us the path to salvation. May our enemies tremble before us, and may you grant them mercy, for we shall show none. And let those of us who fall do so assured that it was for greater purpose, righteousness in their hearts and knowing that it was not in vain. Amen.”

As Kaziya clapped and congratulated Metphies, his opposing leader in another ship similarly heaping praise upon the words he took to bolster himself, the mood of their followers had not improved. The prayer had only further sunk in the feeling of finality that was rearing its head. Their hands would be stained with the blood of their relatives and friends, and so too would their gore possibly linger on those souls as well. Would there truly be anything after this?

Unbeknownst to them, the prayer had done its job.

And unfortunately, they’d have no more time to ponder. The Keizer, uninterested in speeches or anything else that delayed finally diving headlong into the carnage he sought, raised a hand and undid the restriction upon his colossi.

***

Monster X bolted forwards fast enough to make Gigan and Hedorah jump back. The cyborg, fully ready to blind himself to his internal turmoils with the blood of whatever his blades reached, checked his arms one last time. With the revving of his chainsaws, he cackled. The assassin pointed his blade at Mecha-King Ghidorah, and took off, eager for a proper fight with the mechanical dragon.

Godzilla charged forward as well, the sudden motion from the radicals prompting the supercomputer’s servants to similarly undo the command of standing still. Rodan chased after him, but a rainbow-colored laser burned the air between the comrades, forcing the pteranodon to stagger backwards. He turned to see Mechagodzilla, eyes still shimmering, beginning to fly.

King Ghidorah looked past his allies, seeing Hedorah flying about in search of a foe. Snarling at the disgusting aberration matching his gaze with its hideous eyes, his colossal wings kicked up dust as they carried him into the air. Gororin rolled in an unexpected direction, engaging no one but clearly awaiting opportunity.

Like the beating of drums, Godzilla and Monster X’s footsteps resounded across the battlefield, even as the roars of other monsters gearing up to engage rose. A second round appealed greatly to both, fingers curling inwards to form mighty fists as the distance closed.

An arm interlaced with black muscles drove forwards like a piston, cracking into the side of the leviathan’s face. Teeth shifted and cracked, but the atomic king rolled with the punch, his own strike sailing forward to smash into the dark knight’s lower jaw.

Both hits were like thunder, a dual ringing of bells to signify the beginning of the end.

***

It looked as though the golden orb of the Keizer’s army vented black clouds out, but in reality it was numerous smaller ships ready to engage in aerial combat. The Vabaruda similarly birthed saucers to join the burgeoning fray, all the while numerous soldiers on the lower decks suddenly shimmered with blue light before vanishing.

They reappeared on the ground, rushing away from the shade of their fortress to commence ground warfare. Meanwhile, the golden mothership dropped warriors from its underside, fewer in number but greater in might as they did not even need parachutes or teleportation.

The hybrids of Earth and Planet X crashed to the stone with their feet, legs bending into a crouch before straightening as the shock wore off. Terminal velocity was not strong enough for the mutated prodigies, allowing them to race off in all directions like specters seeking the vulnerable.

Stone split as subterranean doors opened wide, the rhythmic pounding of soldiers marching ringing as the Xiliens who sought to abandon their souls exited. Above them, the old model ships darted forwards, spraying lasers into the cloud of enemy fighters.

The sky a catastrophic lightshow, the ground soon to be a slaughterhouse, and titans, capable of traversing both, colliding like wayward planets.

Such a scene could only be described as war, complete and all-consuming.

***

Hate. Hate never ending. That was what Monster X felt looking at the beast before him, the leviathan cloaked in dark scales. He remembered a life that was not his own, of a golden serpent being defeated by Godzilla and the pteranodon circling above, currently colliding with the traitors’ mechanical colossus.

It was blurry, he did not see it. He only retained the feelings, the humiliation and the pain. He had been feared by all creation and there he was, tumbling down a cliff into cold water, fleeing like a welp. It resided like a tumor in his consciousness, fueling him as he lunged forward, swinging a fist.

Godzilla ducked out of the way, responding with two swift strikes of his own. Monster X stumbled back, but then shot forward with a clubbing overhead strike, bashing the top of the monster king’s skull. He doubled over, but the guardian of Earth showed off his experience by pivoting in place, cracking his tail like a whip against the chest of the artificial demon. Straightening up before Monster X could recover from the stumble, Godzilla released his atomic ray, curling his body in to suddenly rocket back-first into his foe.

The merger of destroyer and king let loose a shocked cry as he was sent tumbling to the ground, his now airborne foe tilting his head down to shoot straight up, bathing Monster X in atomic mist that burned at tens of thousands of degrees.

But the draconic knight was quick to adapt, his eyes flashing gold to unleash mighty streams of energy. They tore into Godzilla’s legs and tail, forcing a shriek from the monster king as he was wounded and sent hurtling from the sky like a meteor. Dust shot upwards as he landed, Monster X not wasting a second as he leapt forwards and raised a leg high, intent on bringing it down like an axe upon his target’s skull.

Godzilla’s hand shot outwards in a seemingly random direction, electricity crackling across it. Monster X was suddenly blasted in the gut by Mechagodzilla’s Space Beams, throwing off his descent and sending him plummeting to his knees as smoke rose from the impact.

The four eyes of the draconic knight traced the ray’s path to a confused Mechagodzilla, the ebony machine’s balance disrupted as its head had been suddenly yanked in their direction. Letting out a mechanical shriek that sounded like rage, Mechagodzilla tried to fire a barrage of missiles at the rising Godzilla, only for Rodan to crash against the pseudo-leviathan.

Sparks erupted as keratin spike met space titanium, forcing Mechagodzilla’s attention fully back to the pteranodon. Rodan screamed in his foe’s face, slamming his beak down into the war machine’s face, but the strike did little to prevent a hand crashing into his side with heavy force.

Claws dug into the ground as Rodan tried to keep upright, wings spreading in intimidation as Mechagodzilla realigned itself. Pointing both hands forward, the false king fired several missiles, which detonated against the king of the skies. Folding his wings in to protect the soft membranes, Rodan braced himself as pain shot through him. As another array of the projectiles slammed into him, he opened his beak.

Radiation danced across his horns in the form of orange bolts, a purple light forming in his throat. Both colors merged into a crackling ray spraying forth, sweeping up Mechagodzilla’s body in a series of blasts which knocked it back with a screech. The Uranium Heat Ray faded, Rodan shaking his head as he breathed in and out. He had no clue how his brother in arms did it so casually, let loose such a scorching power from the depths of his core and pass it through his throat.

Taking to the sky again, he saw Mechagodzilla rise to its feet, returning the favor with a yellow stream of flames from its maw. Rodan dodged to the side, letting the false Atomic Ray soar into the heavens and decimate a group of ships. Descending, the king of the skies dragged his claws across his foe’s face, nearly striking the glass eyes. Mechagodzilla’s lower jaw flapped down, the nozzle in the back of its throat discharging missiles which tore scales off of Rodan’s legs with their blasts.

Pulling back, the king of the skies considered his options, but his foe had no intention of giving him breathing room. Missiles and beams shot forth in great supply, driving the pteranodon higher and higher to escape the chaos. He spared his friend a glance, seeing Godzilla and Monster X engaged in a shoving contest, hands interlocked as they snarled in each other’s faces.

Small beams blazed against Rodan’s hide, snagging his attention as a squadron of claw-like fighter ships shot at him. With a high-pitched scoff, he blitzed forward, racing past the vessels at supersonic speeds to send them tumbling through the air with a blast of air. Twisting on a dime, he clapped his wings, sending out a blade of pressurized air to detonate them.

A familiar shriek caught his attention, Mechagodzilla flying after him. Rodan dodged another round of missiles sent his way, ignoring the ships of all factions that they found purchase in the hulls of. His wing crashed into the belly of Mechagodzilla, tearing out tiny shards of the armored colossus which fell like dropped coins. The artificial monster tried to turn, only to have Rodan fly past it again with another scraping strike. Artificial intelligence quickly calculated the issue, that the air was its opponent’s domain while it lacked the requisite mobility to keep up.

Returning to the ground, Mechagodzilla kept its head on a swivel, rotating to track Rodan who circled. The king of the skies knew that direct attack against his foe on the ground was risky, turning this battle into a standoff.

***

Red light blazed from Hedorah’s eyes, sweeping over a crowd of Xiliens in a burst of dust and smoke. Partially-mechanized bodies flew like chaff, those not immediately torn down falling in coughing heaps as they breathed in the toxic fumes. The beast of waste moistly cackled, raising an arm and condemning a group of the Dark Emperor’s slaves to damnation with a geyser of white, acidic gas. Flesh and bone became one as they all melted, a group of low-flying ships joining them as Hedorah tilted his spray upwards to bathe them in it. Their hulls dissolved like wood under a fire, fire engulfing them as they crashed into the writhing mess of bodies.

Golden bolts of power blazed into the conglomerate monster, making it cry in anguish. King Ghidorah, the one who had besieged Earth so long ago, crashed to the ground before his chosen foe. His three heads, shaking with laughter all the while, kept firing their Gravity Beams into the sludge-flesh of Hedorah. With what sounded like a bird’s chirp from the inside of a mud pit, the smog monster leapt forwards, tackling the destroyer to the ground.

Stone cracked and fractured beneath their combined weight as King Ghidorah cried out, his scales beginning to darken underneath the acidic deluge the action had released from the folds of Hedorah’s form. The smog monster thrashed, smacking its bulbous head into the three faces of the wyrm, and beating its two arms against the golden dragon’s sides.

In frustration, King Ghidorah fired more Gravity Bolts, but the results were not satisfactory. Yes, they left burning trenches in the mass of his enemy, but that did not seem to slow Hedorah down much as acidic steam billowed out from a port somewhere under its arm and sent pain shooting through his wing. With a growl, the king of terror flipped an internal switch, his open maws not discharging gravitonic energy but instead jets of blistering flame.

Hedorah shouted as it rolled away from the burning heat, dismounting its foe and moving away as King Ghidorah flapped his wings to stand tall and kept up the pressure with his fire. The smog monster suddenly reared up, firing Hedrium Rays at the wyrm’s chest, cutting off the flamethrowers as King Ghidorah stumbled back.

He looked down, seeing the black mark left by the beams, then coughed from the acidic smoke billowing into his nostrils. Hedorah gurgled spitefully, unleashing a barrage of his eye rays which sent the golden menace staggering with a series of pained cries.

Ceasing the onslaught, Hedorah went for another leap, unleashing numerous shots of slime from its front as the distance closed. King Ghidorah beat his wings, kicking up a windstorm which stopped the momentum of the projectiles cold and left them to splatter against the ground. Hedorah stumbled when it landed, but retained enough of a footing to unleash its sulfuric acid mist. King Ghidorah roared in outraged pain as it blanketed his three heads, dispersing it with another beat of his wings but still feeling the burning pain in his eyes and mouth.

Rising into the air, King Ghidorah’s body began to shine. He had hoped to save this for a greater prey, but this smog monster seemed to be worth it after all. As a sphere of crackling power formed before him, Hedorah cowered and began to shimmer itself as the breaking down of its own collected cells began.

A heavy thud stopped the Big Spark Ball before it could be released, King Ghidorah falling forwards and smacking into the ground with a shriek as Gororin sailed overhead. The cactus ball crashed into Hedorah’s face next, knocking the smog monster onto its back.

Gororin bellowed in anguish as he dislodged himself from his slimy confines, smoke sizzling off his form as needles decayed. Hedorah, now spewing its acidic blood from the freshly made wounds, rose and turned to face the spherical plant.

With a deep vocalization akin to water flowing down a partially clogged drain, Hedorah chased Gororin with a flurry of beams and sludge balls, the cactus fleeing at the realization he had found the worst possible matchup in this horrid battle.

***

Buzzsaws soared through the air like frisbees, shooting sparks into the air as they collided with Mecha-King Ghidorah’s armor. Gigan inspected the aftermath, finding no mark beside tiny dents, and hissed. The waving heads of his foe mocked him with their silence, his assault not even worth an exclamation. The Bladed Slicers returned to him, slotting back into their ports.

Green and purple bolts raced out from the cybernetic dragon’s three maws, prompting the assassin to hurl himself into the air. He returned fire with his Laser Knife, but the three-headed cyborg ceased its Triple Laser and curled into itself. A white shield formed around Mecha-King Ghidorah, the red ray fading as it struck the barrier.

Red and white faded, Gigan’s mind racing for an answer to his opponent’s unassailable nature. Mecha-King Ghidorah took to the skies, anti-gravity devices activating as it beat its wings. Triple Lasers sprayed forth, but the one advantage Gigan seemed to hold thus far was his agility. Dipping low to the ground, he swerved between the flailing bolts, chainsaws revving to life as he closed the distance. Smoke rose as he was grazed by the lasers, but the last remnant of the Nebulans pressed onwards as he tackled his foe.

The two cyborgs tumbled through the air, Gigan bringing his dual-chainsaws down onto the wing of his prey. Sparks sprayed as metal heated up, the cyborg dragon crying out as readings indicated its wing was in danger. Metallic teeth clanked against the base of Gigan’s weapon, the center head leaning down and wrapping around the arm to aid in pushing it back. In response, the assassin beat his scythe against the central neck, seeking to strike a weak point and sever it.

Feet crashing to the ground, swaying as they landed unevenly, the cyborgs continued their grappling. Gigan’s spinning blades continued their pace, but were failing to do damage as he lost the contest of strength. Thinking fast, his Universal Cutter buzzed with the hellacious sound of its activation, before Gigan thrust his body forward. Mecha-King Ghidorah’s body was sturdy, but few materials in the cosmos could withstand sustained pressure from the cyberclaw nightmare’s signature weapon.

Before the newly formed gash in its front could become something dangerous, Mecha-King Ghidorah thrust its tails forward and discharged glowing projectiles which sank into Gigan’s sides. His assault ended immediately as he seized up, screaming from electricity coursing through his body and sapping his energy. Like three battering rams, the metallic skulls of the cybernetic wyrm smashed into the stunned Gigan’s chest, knocking him to the dirt.

Mecha-King Ghidorah’s center maw opened, discharging a white mist. Gigan, still fighting through the tasers’ payload, howled as he felt his organic components begin to chill. The assassin’s pain fed his wrath, letting him rear up and unleash a ray from his eye. It split apart around his foe’s heads, a cluster of explosions surrounding them and sending the three serpentine limbs smacking into one another.

Getting to his feet, Gigan flung his arms out to the sides, prompting a barrage of his Bladed Slicers flying. Six of the whirling projectiles raced forth, biting into Mecha-King Ghidorah’s necks like swarming insects. Chunks were gouged out, especially on the center where he’d already opened a wound in the flexible steel. The cybernetic dragon cast a green light from its center maw, catching the buzzsaws in a tractor beam, but the damage had been done.

Damage Gigan capitalized on, thrusting his Bloody Chainsaws at the center head of his foe, the spinning teeth chomping down on exposed wire. With a screech of tearing metal, the wyrm’s neck severed, spitting electrical bolts from the cut wires. The other two heads cried out, Gigan continuing his onslaught with a geyser of flame from his maw. He stepped back, bringing the flamethrower down to sweep over the tails that had launched their tasers once more, popping the little devices like bubbles. Gigan had figured out all the wyrm’s tricks, and he would ensure that it paid for thinking he would be beaten so easily.

At least, that is what the beast of blades believed. The tails remained pointed at him, humming loudly. Sonic waves raced out from them, concentrated like lasers, striking Gigan and sending pain shooting through his chest. Crying out, he stumbled back, blocking the assault with his arms. Apparently not deeming him far enough back, the remaining heads fired their Triple Lasers, angling themselves so the beams would collide in the center. They combined, racing forth as a larger beam to strike Gigan in the solar plexus, nearly putting him on his ass. He took to the air, putting great distance between himself and the dragon.

Mecha-King Ghidorah stomped forwards, leaning down to grab its severed neck with the teeth of its other two jaws. Putting the ends together, unseen machinery whirred, inaudible amidst the chaos of the battlefield. In a matter of seconds, the head’s jaws snapped with life, the neck flexing as though it had never been detached.

Gigan snarled. He would need help from his allies to triumph over this foe, that much was clear.

***

Despite the ground shuddering and cracking apart from the war of titans, the Xiliens still threw themselves headlong into brutal conflict. Shouts erupted between thunderous stomps and thuds as thousands of warriors ran into battle.

Azure lasers cut through limbs and severed them, the servants of the supercomputer aiming with deadly precision and standing in perfect formation. They defended the entrances of their underground compound, silver guns in hand and not a hint of fear on their faces.

They were met with the followers of the Keizer, who attacked in smaller numbers and with far shoddier aim, but made up for these shortcomings with horrific speed. By the time the cyborgs pulled their triggers, the hybrids of man and Xilien would already be out of the way. Fists met with flesh, carrying enough power to crack open the metal underneath it.

Screams of agony rang out as a platoon of “mutants” met the defenders of a remote entrance to the underground. A finger squeezed a trigger, spitting forth a ray which cut an arm off a hybrid at the elbow, but that did not stop the halfbreed from lunging forward and snapping the offending cyborg’s wrist with his remaining hand. Emotion burst forth as tears from the one who was supposed to be emotionless, not helped as he caught one of his comrades getting her back ripped open. The bolts on both sides of her spine were pulled free, blood and machine-fueling fluid coating them and painting the ground as she dropped. The hybrid responsible just screamed in joy, letting the gore of her kill drench her like a macabre shower.

Green globs of slime rained down onto the battlefield, striking both sides of the conflict. A squadron of defectors, followers of the facist outcast of Mu, crested a hill and spit another round of foul mucus from their maws. Whoever it struck dropped, paralyzed and unable to counter the laser fire that came next.

With his broken wrist still in the grasp of his foe, the follower of the old ways tried to pull himself free, but to no avail. The rebel mutant returned his attention to him, rearing a fist back to cave in his foe’s skull. A paralytic spit struck him before he could deliver the strike, leaving him to limply fall. The cyborg just reached down, grabbed his gun, and put a shot between the helpless super soldier’s eyes.

By the time he turned to fight his other set of enemies, a barrage of lasers punched holes through his torso, leaving him to join his foe as a corpse among many more. He looked into the heavens, seeing Jupiter fill the sky, the Great Red Spot like an eye looking down at him. At all of this.

The last thing he saw was the sky dotted with ships unleashing their firepower upon each other in a chaotic dance, occasionally torn through by a colossus wreaking havoc.

***

Mechagodzilla stepped back as the Uranium Heat Ray tore into the ground in front of it, an attempt by Rodan to break the standoff. Still unused to having a beam weapon, the king of the skies had stopped in the air to fire it, allowing Mechagodzilla to strike him in the side with a quick shot of the Destro-Flame bullets. Rodan shrieked, then swept down, claws primed as he came in from directly above the obsidian mockery of his friend. Mechagodzilla’s arms lifted straight up, firing missiles which went off in all directions as Rodan folded in his wings, letting them sail past him.

As claws struck steel, the missiles fell like stray arrows, several landing on Godzilla and Monster X as they traded blows. The larger of the two took the brunt, huffing raspily as he stumbled, allowing the leviathan to rush in and drive a flurry of punches into the draconic knight’s gut. Godzilla knew the pain of those missiles all too well, so he was not too badly thrown off by their detonations.

Monster X snarled, looking over to Mechagodzilla stumbling and firing missiles wildly as Rodan stood atop his head, wings pressed against his body. A scaled fist across his face snapped his attention back to Godzilla, who smirked at him, mocking him for having taken his eyes off his foe.

Before the monster king could pull his arm back, Monster X grabbed it, gripping tightly enough to make Godzilla grunt. Looking back to Mechagodzilla, the hybrid destroyer broke into a sprint. The ground shuddered as his feet fell like hammers, Godzilla smashing his tail into the stone to try and halt the charge as his foe lifted him off his feet.

Grabbing the nuclear colossus’ other arm, Monster X leapt into the air, lifting Godzilla up over his head before hurling him down at the dueling pteranodon and robot. The Earth’s greatest defender howled as he flew, smacking into both his friend and doppelgänger with a resounding crash, sending all three into a heap on the ground.

Staying in the air, Monster X’s eyes flashed gold, arms spreading downwards. The Destroyed Thunder Beams raced forth, enveloping all three with a mighty explosion, their screams drowned out by the blast. Eager to claim three enemies for the price of one, the skeletal abomination prepared to continue firing, but Mechagodzilla responded with its Space Beams.

The rainbow-colored beams tore and burnt flesh on Monster X’s pectoral, making him roar in pain and sending his gravitonic blasts flying wide. The ground shattered miles away, vaporizing numerous soldiers of all factions and causing a collapse in the underground encampment’s edge. Landing shakily on his feet, Monster X nearly fell over. He saw Mechagodzilla rise, preparing to open fire on him again, but Godzilla and Rodan rose as well. The former swung a punch into his duplicate’s face, the king of the skies taking the opportunity to launch towards Monster X with a shout. Beak parting, energy surging, the Uranium Heat Ray scourged the air.

Thrusting his arms up, Monster X blocked the stream of nuclear might, his eyes lighting up for retaliation. Rodan was ready this time, soaring upwards just before the xanthic streaks could land. Godzilla flew backwards with his Atomic Ray, Mechagodzilla having begun to spin up his barrier before the beams were launched. As half of the Destroyed Thunder exploded into a shower of sparks against the blue cylinder, Mechagodzilla’s internal systems lighting up in warning that the Defense Neo Barrier was being pushed to its limits, the other two beams soared onwards.

Right into the fleeing Gororin, sending him flying like a soccer ball. The plant monster shrieked in terror, Hedorah beginning to crouch in order to follow him in its flying form. That would not come to pass, however, as King Ghidorah kicked the smog monster in the back. Hissing as acidic sludge burned the soles of his feet, the demon king of the cosmos cleared them by discharging electrical streams from his toes. Hedorah gurgled in anguish, fighting through the pain to shoot a ball of sludge from its back.

King Ghidorah shrieked as it landed on the side of one of his outer heads, the eye blazing with pain as he tried to blink away the searing slime. Hedorah rose, dried biomass flaking away, then turned. Roaring, the pollution eater unleashed a barrage of attacks, both eyes blazing with Hedrium Rays as a veritable shotgun blast of slime balls exited its front. The king of terror screeched as he flew back, burning pain covering his body as the onslaught landed.

Snarling, he flew out of Hedorah’s reach, surveying the battlefield. He was hating having to fight such a grotesque, aggravating foe, so he sought aid. Spotting Gigan and Mecha-King Ghidorah, he raced towards them, Hedorah taking on its flying form to pursue. Gororin returned, rolling towards both and finding an uprising that let him leap upwards. King Ghidorah hissed, firing his Gravity Beams and sending the cactus hurling away, bouncing across the ground and into Gigan.

The cyborg assassin screamed as he was sent falling, caught completely off guard by the stray combatant. King Ghidorah soon arrived afterwards, firing upon both his former ally and his duplicate. Mecha-King Ghidorah let loose a hollow shout, returning with its artificial bolts which made the golden wyrm recoil.

Hedorah descended, returning to its combat-ready form, and looked to Gigan. They were allies, but had no experience with teamwork. In fact, the way the enhanced dinosaur flinched at seeing it, there was clearly an issue he had with it. Likely another of its kind, the Hedorah species was notorious across the cosmos.

The smog monster cared little, as long as Gigan did his job, they would both come away from this happy. Both turned to their gathered foes, Gororin rolling up beneath Mecha-King Ghidorah’s wing as the original King Ghidorah circled overhead.

***

Kaziya sat in the command room, surveying the battle across numerous screens. Despite murmurings of fear among his subordinates, he was confident. So confident, in fact, that he stood up from his makeshift throne. Walking past the coordinators of the war, he exited the room.

“My Keizer, where are you going?” Asked someone sitting before a monitor displaying Monster X backhanding Mechagodzilla, both being bathed in the beams of Godzilla and Rodan.

“Stepping out. What kind of a leader would I be if I sent men and women to their deaths without setting foot on the same battlefield?”

“But that’s dangerous, sir!” Declared another, his screen showing body cam footage of an enemy soldier being smashed into the ground, blood staining the stone.

“It will only be dangerous if I encounter one of their monsters, who as you can see are far too preoccupied with each other.” He gestured to another screen, showcasing Gigan’s Bladed Slicers being sent off course by a barrage of Gororin’s needles.

They locked onto King Ghidorah. With a shout, the king of terror let out a magnetic pulse, holding the buzzsaws in place. Mecha-King Ghidorah spasmed as his predecessor twisted the polarity to repulse, feet digging trenches as it was moved too.

Metphies chimed in. “Allow him, he must show why he is the superior path for the Xilien race to follow.”

“Thank you, friend.” Kaziya smiled, his subordinates relenting at the priest’s condonement. Racing out of the room, the prodigious hybrid felt his bloodlust begin to flare.

***

Gororin rolled, kicking up a cloud of dust. He approached Gigan, eager to dig his needles through the steel of the cyborg. The assassin fired his Gigarium Cluster, but the spherical beast kept up his path, unswayed by the shockwaves. He leapt up, crashing into Gigan’s gut, making him double over. Landing, Gororin continued his assault with a spraying of needles into the cybernetic dinosaur’s face, making Gigan rear up in pain.

Growling, the cyberclaw menace thrust his tail forward, jabbing its prong into Gororin’s side. He had aimed for the cactus’ eyes, but the strange foe had managed to pivot in time, only being sent on a roll once more. Swerving suddenly, Gororin doubled back and careened into Gigan’s calf muscle, nearly breaking his knee.

Snarling, Gigan raised his Bloody Chainsaw and brought the flat-side down onto Gororin. Stone cracked under the strike, partially embedding the orb of plant matter into the ground of Planet X. Keeping his weapon atop his foe, pressing him down, Gigan gathered power in his eye, crimson light intensifying.

As the two warriors of spikes collided, Hedorah found itself struggling against Mecha-King Ghidorah. The smog monster had begun by firing balls of sludge into the mechanical carapace of the cybernetic wyrm, discoloring and dissolving steel. However, registering the danger, Mecha-King Ghidorah simply sent a cascade of frost down its front, rendering the smog monster’s projectiles worthless. As they shattered and fell down the war machine’s body like snowflakes, the superweapon of the empire turned the freezing cold up onto Hedorah.

This made the smog monster screech, leaping backwards swiftly. Its body was heavily dependent upon moisture, and the ray of chilling power was instantly brutal. Frozen biomass fell in droves from its front, shattering against the earth. Hedorah blinked, portions of its eyelid cracking away. Hedrium Rays followed suit, an attempt to make the frost cease. Mecha-King Ghidorah stepped back as the toxic smoke rose up, chipping away at its armor and seeping in.

Hedorah’s triumph was short-lived as Triple Lasers burned into its flesh, bursting apart large portions of the smog monster’s form. Steam rose as the dark fiend turned and leapt away, desperate to escape, only for King Ghidorah to blast it out of the sky. Cackling, the golden dragon tore into Hedorah with numerous electrical bolts, intent on killing it. The smog monster cried for help, begging Gigan to do something as it shrank more with each passing moment.

Gigan cursed, on the verge of unleashing a charged Laser Knife that would have pierced through Gororin’s form. He would have been more than fine with letting Hedorah die, but had no intention of fighting two Ghidorahs at once, so he lifted his head. The red ray meant for the cactus burned a hole through the king of terror’s wing, making him shriek in pain and cease his onslaught. Hedorah shifted into its flying form and fled, the now thawed chunks of its flesh growing stumpy legs and crawling towards biomass that had been cast to the earth as dried ash.

A needle shot from between Gigan’s chainsaws, nearly hitting the seam where his beak met his face. Instead it bounded off his lower jaw, prompting him to lift his implement and send a kick crashing into his aggravating foe. Gororin crashed into Mecha-King Ghidorah, anti-gravity thrusters kicking into gear to keep it upright as the impact sent it tilting backwards.

The former allies locked gazes, hatred burning in the collective seven eyes.

Gigan opened with his crimson ray, the beam splitting apart as King Ghidorah closed his wings to act as a shield. As the cyborg expected, his attack dealt no damage, but that had not been his goal. Thrusters roaring to life, he rushed forwards, Bloody Chainsaws revving up as his scythe glistened in the sunlight.

King Ghidorah cried out as his wings were carved into, thin membranes being torn away and sent flying by the grinding teeth. The demon king of the universe spread his wings wide, letting out a magnetic burst which forced Gigan backwards, but the cybernetic killer was not so easily swayed. The Laser Knife danced across King Ghidorah’s chest, burning away scales and earning another roar of pain.

Gravity Beams met him in turn, tearing into his black armor. Stumbling back, Gigan fired an array of Bladed Slicers, aimed at severing his foe’s wings. Detecting them, King Ghidorah’s left and right heads shot them down with their rays. Only being scorched by one gravitonic stream instead of three, Gigan was able to leap up and vanish with a flash.

King Ghidorah was ready this time, twisting in place and unleashing electrical bolts from his wings. They only blazed the air, confusing the wyrm. A shriek and whirring machinery behind him gave the golden dragon an instant to respond, bending his necks back and firing Gravity Bolts at the descending Gigan. They struck nothing, the assassin teleporting once more, this time standing just before his foe. King Ghidorah’s foot lashed out, slamming the cyborg back, but the momentum of his swinging arm still carried a chainsaw across the golden-scaled chest of the serpent.

Blood sprayed out, painting Gigan red. He cackled, stepping forward to finish the job as King Ghidorah flailed in pain. Suddenly, something latched onto the Nebulan superweapon’s arm, his vision picking up that it was a metal brace. A similar one had attached itself to his foe’s outer neck, confusing King Ghidorah as well. With a subtle click, the same attachments on their corresponding legs.

They looked in that direction to see a colossal metal pincer racing towards them, the sight baffling enough to halt their reaction for the tiny span of time before seeing it and it slamming around them. Gigan and King Ghidorah’s chests collided, a golden wing and crimson sail being pinned back as the Machine Hand grasped them.

Then came intense electrical shocks, making them both cry out in agony. The former allies tried to fight back, but could only flail as enough energy to power a great city flowed into their bodies. Mecha-King Ghidorah let out a rhythmic chirp like a laugh, the cables and plier-esque Machine Hand originating from its abdomen. Gororin rolled around his ally happily, before racing over to the other side of their enemies and firing needles into them, only making their pain worse.

Seconds felt like hours, but the duo would not be trapped for long as with a gleeful gurgle of its own, Hedorah dropped onto Mecha-King Ghidorah’s back. Once more in its final form, the smog monster discharged a tide of acidic slop onto the mechanical wyrm’s back, warping and discoloring its pristine chrome hide. Mecha-King Ghidorah tried to turn its heads to attack its foe, but Hedorah anticipated it this time and wrapped its tendrils around the bases of Mecha-King Ghidorah’s necks, toxic slime seeping into the grooves.

Flesh sizzled as Mecha-King Ghidorah tried lifting its tails up, intent on using the tasers on the pollution eater. Internal systems warned that those limbs would soon fall off if Hedorah wasn’t stopped, so ignoring the sensation of skin splitting as scales sloughed away, the gold and silver colossus fired.

A great mistake, as Hedorah screamed out and fell backwards, directly onto said tails. The thin points sank through the outer layer of the grotesque monster’s body like a finger into a rotten apple, exposing them to the most potent portions of Hedorah’s caustic biology.

As the cybernetic serpent’s tails dissolved, the smog monster fired balls of sludge up at its foe, letting gravity take hold and bring them down onto the Machine Hand. They splattered against the long, thin sheet of metal and immediately began to dissolve it.

Wires severed as the acidic orbs ate down to them, shorting out the internal mechanisms. Tiny explosions ceased the Machine Hand’s function violently, letting Gigan screech as he brought his spinning blades down into the base of the actual pincer, nearly severing it. It detached, racing back towards its owner to avoid greater damage. After a swift usage of its frost ray neutralized the caustic blobs, the mechanism slotted back into place.

Mecha-King Ghidorah flew into the air, twisting to enact its wrath upon Hedorah, but the smog monster was still one step ahead. To the cyborg’s confusion, the smog monster was nowhere to be seen. Sulfuric mist falling onto its heads revealed the truth, turning to see Hedorah in a smaller form still attached by the stumps of its tails. Shifting back into its final form in a burst of pink light, the living colony leapt away, the force making Mecha-King Ghidorah shudder in midair before correcting itself.

***

“That damned pile of shit!” Zagreth cursed as she slammed her desk with a gloved fist. “Look at what that disgusting thing did to our dear dragon.”

Landes carefully analyzed every detail she could on Mecha-King Ghidorah. Even if the cybernetic dragon was only a shell in the shape of the monster she’d cherished, she still felt inclined to ensure its safety. “Sir,” she spoke up to the Giant Dark Emperor, glaring down with frustration at one of his monsters being the first to receive damage like this. “Gororin is not enough to protect Mecha-King Ghidorah from Hedorah with Gigan’s presence aiding it.”

“That is becoming painfully obvious. What would you have us do?” He replied, tone an odd mixture of condescending and genuine. Landes could tell he was only asking her due to any suggestion being better than leaving things as they were.

As she pondered, checking back on the other battle between giants, she overheard part of a conversation.

“A ritual?” Someone spoke, her eyes tracing the words to an Xilien speaking to an Exif.

“Yes, we need God’s aid. Look at Mecha-King Ghidorah, the moment any faction loses a monster, they will be torn to shreds, and as it is, we’re looking the most dire. Either Mecha-King Ghidorah goes, or that worthless cactus-“

“Hey!” Zagreth snapped at the holy man, someone Landes did not recognize. “He’s doing his best! It’s not his fault he’s been stuck against such unfair foes.”

Landes turned back to her overlord. “Sir, permission to command Mecha-King Ghidorah unite with Mechagodzilla? We need to congregate our firepower, our foes are too tricky to keep them separated.”

The burning head’s lip shifted in thought, such that she could practically picture him resting his face in the crook of fingers he lacked. He checked on the false leviathan, seeing it struggle as its three foes maneuvered around it gracefully, landing strikes on it as it struggled to do so in return. “An excellent suggestion, Mechagodzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah need to cover for each other. Relay the order!”

Landes input the command, her mind dwelling on what she had heard before Zagreth gave her this idea. A ritual? God’s help? They sounded ridiculous, this was a war, a place of only hard facts and cold logic. Prayer was for winning a bet, not triumphing in a collision of ideology.

But she could not stop herself from dwelling on it. The Exif unnerved her, ever since Metphies watched the fracturing of their kind with all the emotion of a weather report, the pale devotees made her spine tingle. If they were planning something immense, she doubted it would do any good for anyone.

***

Amidst the carnage on the ground, there was a particular concentration of it, like a whirlpool in a rough sea. A platoon of the machine’s servants aimed at a single target, who stood before them in a leather cloak of black. Kaziya spread his arms, a wicked smile adorning his face. Their fingers pressed the triggers of their laser guns, but by the time they had fully triggered the firing mechanism, he disappeared.

The azure beams of light from their rifles still soared forth, striking nothing but the dirt. The twenty soldiers were confused, which swiftly became a paralyzing shock as one of them had his head lopped off from his shoulders. Blood sprayed out from the neck, painting the ones surrounding the unfortunate victim.

The Keizer, grasping the pain-stricken visage of their comrade, crushed it like an overripe watermelon. He lunged forward, and drove blood-soaked hands through two more chests, fountains of viscera erupting from their backs. Exposing his palms to the rest, he smiled from between the seizing bodies as streams of lightning streaked out of his hands.

Flesh became vapor and bone became ash, screams echoing out as the whole platoon became one as a gruesome puddle of melted bodies mixed in with dust.

A small squad of the cyborgs aimed their weapons at Kaziya from behind him, trying to supress the revulsion at the sight of their comrades’ fate. This prompted him to twist his body, carrying the two unfortunate souls still impaled with him. They slid off his hands, hurtling towards the still living soldiers who had already fired their sidearms, blasting into the flying bodies. Momentum carried a burst of vaporized flesh over them, causing them to scatter, screaming as they burned.

Kaziya laughed as he rushed towards the nearest one, driving his foot into her torso with enough force to shatter her ribs. She fell backwards, bone shrapnel driven into her heart and lungs. Breathing in deeply, shaking with exhilaration, he lunged towards the next one, fist reared back.

Throughout his life, ever since his mother’s passing, he had felt a burning wrath within him. But he had been forced to tamp it down, smother it under civility and douse it with false pride and narcissism. But now, with all those things cast aside and only the true darkness of the soul’s depths left to rise up for everyone, he had never felt better. This cathartic release was wondrous, better than any he had ever experienced.

A night with the most sensual lover paled in comparison to the raw thrill of driving his fist through another’s skull, watching their brain spray out the other side.

***

Mecha-King Ghidorah received a command from its masters, and followed it to the letter. Scanning the battlefield, it swiftly found its fellow artificial king, and took off towards it.

Gororin rolled away from the shower of acidic globs, Hedorah seeking to drown the aggravating plant. Gigan and King Ghidorah sailed through the air, circling while waiting for the other to make a move. Tiny lasers from fighter ships struck them, but even in their damaged states, they were unaffected. It was only the presence of the other keeping them from retaliating.

Needles sank into black sludge, dissolving in streaks of smoke. Hedorah gurgled in frustration, releasing a tide of gray, pulpy liquid from its underside which rushed outwards in all directions. Gororin’s eyes widened, the ground cracking as he rolled swiftly across it to escape the foul attack. Neither could accomplish anything against the other, the cactus monster too swift for the sluggish smog monster to adequately fight, while in turn Hedorah was immune to anything Gororin could do.

Hedrium Rays lashed the ground where the strange plant once was, forcing him to constantly be on the move. It was clear to him that this was a war of attrition, one he could not win, so his mind dug through options.

Looking up and around, noticing his ally having departed, he hatched an idea. Chaos was where he would thrive, so he found an outcropping and hurled himself at it, bouncing upwards. A flurry of needles shot out, driving themselves into King Ghidorah’s feet. Howling in rage, he looked down to see Gororin, now rolling off into the distance.

The demon king of the cosmos shrieked, wings releasing bolts of lighting in all directions. Gigan held his arms up, yelling in anguish as his metallic limbs did nothing to stop the electrical storm. Golden devastation trailed itself through the sky, hopping from ship to ship, casting down a storm of fire and steel. On the ground, those who had avoided being flattened by Gororin looked up to see the sky falling, the death toll skyrocketing as hundreds of fighter ships crashed.

The titans were uncaring of the side effects of their raging battles, King Ghidorah pursuing the cactus as Gigan and Hedorah followed.

***

Purple and green streams of power fell upon Godzilla and Rodan, making them cry out in pain. Twisting, they were greeted by Mecha-King Ghidorah descending with a powerful kick into the leviathan, sending him rolling away. Rodan lunged forward, driving his beak into a discolored patch of steel, creating a massive crack in the armor. His efforts were rewarded with a metallic skull crashing down on top of his with a resounding clang, making the king of the skies stagger backwards.

Mechagodzilla, who had been fending off Monster X with an all out onslaught, turned its head to spot its ally. Amidst a sea of explosions, the draconic knight leapt into the air, smoke curling off his form. He floated in the air, seeing his two allies approach behind Gororin and King Ghidorah.

His teeth were revealed with a wicked smile. This battle was about to descend into utter madness, and that pleased him for reasons he could not quite explain.

Godzilla got to his feet, leaping towards the cyborg dragon with a clubbing fist, making it stagger back. Before he could follow up, Gororin smashed into his leg, putting him on his other knee as the afflicted limb was torn open. Crying out, Godzilla tried to rise, only to have Space Beams spear into the back of his neck, splitting it open and spraying blood like a fountain. Monster X charged his eye beams, preparing to end the monster king then and there, but he was unable to as King Ghidorah’s gravity bolts blazed into his chest.

With an outraged roar, the hybrid monstrosity unleashed his gathered energy at his genetic predecessor, knocking King Ghidorah from the air with a loud shriek and a massive detonation. Monster X laughed, only for his chortling to morph into a roar of agony when missiles crashed into his gut, violently exploding. He landed before Mechagodzilla again, the false king rotating its hands again to load another volley of special missiles. Before they could be fired, a Gigarium Cluster rocked the pseudo-leviathan back and forth, sending the Rotating Finger Missiles flying wildly off course. Monster X sprang forwards, driving his horns into the chest of the obsidian machine, splitting space titanium and knocking Mechagodzilla onto its back.

Gigan revved up his Bloody Chainsaws, descending towards a Godzilla who was just now recovering, but he was intercepted by Rodan tackling him in the side, sending both twisting through the air. Swinging the spinning blades, the assassin landed a nasty blow onto the pteranodon that carved through chest armor and spilled blood, but Rodan held firm. Spreading his wings, the king of the skies pulled back, expelling a Uranium Heat Ray that bored a glowing hole into Gigan’s steel hide. Screeching in a mixture of pain and rage, the cyberclaw terror spread his arms to fire a Laser Knife.

A harsh radiance illuminated the battlefield as the thin streak of crimson struck a second column of nuclear might from Rodan’s beak. The clashing beams shifted back and forth, fighting for dominance, but neither found it. Gororin rolled up Mecha-King Ghidorah’s back like a ramp, slamming into the pteranodon’s stomach like a cannonball and ceasing the energy collision. Gigan raced forward, hoping to slice Rodan in half before he could regain his balance, but an atomic ray from Godzilla sent him spiraling out of the air too.

Smoke trailed behind Gigan as he crashed into the ground, but Godzilla could not admire the fruits of his labor for long as Mechagodzilla approached. Swinging its arms swiftly and with lethal precision, the king of the monsters was forced to block the assault from a familiar foe. Monster X bounded across the ground around them, clearly seeking an opportunity to strike both at once, but Mecha-King Ghidorah halted that with a barrage of Triple Lasers. Before the draconic knight had even hit the ground, Godzilla gave his doppelgänger his full focus and swung multiple punches into its chest. Mechagodzilla screeched, knees and toes unleashing explosive shots which made the leviathan step back. He reared back for an Atomic Ray, only for something cold to splash onto his back.

Memories flared up alongside pain as Godzilla recalled Hedorah, a similar creature currently stalking behind him with a gurgling laughter. Trapped between duplicates of his two deadliest foes, the monster king did not favor his chances. He turned, smacking his tail against the side of his duplicate’s face, and unleashed an atomic breath against Hedorah. Like when he battled the smog monster before, it sparked off the black hide and did little else. With a grotesque laugh, the sludge colossus raised an arm and jettisoned acidic mist over Godzilla, making him backpedal with a screech. Flesh sizzled as he backed into Mechagodzilla, who slammed a chop into the side of his skull with bone-cracking force.

His vision went hazy, but the monster king could tell from what did dance across his sight that Hedorah was about to attack again, so he grabbed Mechagodzilla’s arm and flung it forwards. Crimson rays danced across the black steel as the pseudo-leviathan soared headfirst into Hedorah, making the pollution eater stumble back. Steel warped and burned within the smog monster’s gut, but with a flash and a burst, Hedorah was disemboweled by Mechagodzilla’s Space Beams.

Screeching, the living colony fell backwards as the mechanical saurian stood tall. Smoke rose off its head and armor flaked off, immediately registering as a problem. Mechagodzilla heard the rumbling of its organic counterpart charging, prompting its head to spin backwards, letting it see Godzilla rearing a fist back.

Suddenly, the cactus monster barreled into the leviathan’s chest, sending them tumbling end over end as Godzilla tried to throttle Gororin. Needles speared into his body, making the monster king roar in pain, but he replied with a nuclear blast which burned needles away.

Ignoring its ally’s screech, Mechagodzilla turned back around and fired missiles into Hedorah’s body. A moist scream rolled across the battlefield as dark muck flew in all directions, prompting another volley of explosives being shot into the lumpy biomass. Lasers from Mechagodzilla’s eyes, a jet of fire from its nostrils, and a jagged bolt of lightning from its chest speared into the smog monster, worsening its pain.

Unfortunately for the obsidian machine, doing this so up close was a mistake. Huge globs of acidic mucus splashed onto it, immediately triggering emergency responses. Screeching, Mechagodzilla backed up, lowering its head to spray Desto-Fire onto its body in order to neutralize the acid eating away at its armor. Red streams of toxic energy crashed against the war machine, driving it further back as caustic smoke threatened to leak into its inner workings.

Hedorah turned into its flying form and ran away, leaving scattered remnants all across the area. Mechagodzilla wasted no time, stopping them from reforming into a new organism with a sweeping duo of rainbow-colored lasers. Its attention returned to the fleeing aberration, but was cut off when King Ghidorah smashed into its side with a heavy kick.

The golden wyrm screeched at the machine, prompting it to begin rapidly spinning its neck. King Ghidorah lunged forwards, jaws open wide, but only bit down on a blue barrier. Screeching as his teeth and gums burned, the destroyer of worlds pulled back and spread his wings. Electrical energy spilled from them, coalescing into a pulsating orb in front of him.

Mechagodzilla’s sensors immediately revealed that the Neo Defense Barrier would not hold up under that attack’s pressure, so the false king responded quickly. Gigan was not the only one on this battlefield capable of teleportation, as Mechagodzilla revealed via vanishing and reappearing behind its golden foe. The Big Spark Ball was set loose, flying past where the war machine had just been, striking the ground miles away with a devastating explosion which shook the battlefield.

King Ghidorah screeched in rage at having missed his foe, who made its presence known again with the ceasing of its barrier and clicking of its hands. Rotating Finger Missiles smashed into the dragon’s back, spraying blood and smoke alongside pulverized scales. King Ghidorah screamed as he fell forwards, writhing in agony.

Mechagodzilla prepared to unleash hell onto its downed foe, but Gororin smacked into its side and sent it spilling over. Godzilla marched forwards, needles in his hands. Pulling the pins out, he sprayed azure fire onto his two foes, causing an explosion which made both shriek.

King Ghidorah got to his feet, hissing at his ally. He despised having to have been saved by the one he hated most in this universe, and Godzilla made it clear with a sneer that the feeling was mutual. Regardless, they were stuck on the same team, so the xanthic destroyer unleashed Gravity Bolts against the two servants of the Giant Dark Emperor. The monster king did the same with his beam, creating an explosion from the mixing energies that sent Gororin flying and put a massive gash in Mechagodzilla’s armor.

Cackling, King Ghidorah prepared to finish the aggravating duplicate of his arch rival, but the ebon war machine was not so easily put down. Rockets propelled it into the sky, prompting the golden dragon to chase after it.

As King Ghidorah saw, out of the corner of his eye, Godzilla be assailed by Gigan’s explosive bursting laser, he took to the chaotic heavens. Ships continued to wage war despite his outburst earlier, even as Mecha-King Ghidorah and Rodan fired their rays at each other while soaring. Gravity Beams left his maws, racing towards Mechagodzilla, who swerved out of their paths.

Hissing once more, King Ghidorah exerted his magnetic power, pulling his metallic foe closer. Fighter ships were pulled towards him, shattering against his scales, but he ignored them as Mechagodzilla drew closer. Eyeing the wound he and Godzilla had torn into the war machine, he eagerly anticipated tearing into it further.

Unfortunately for the wyrm, he would get no such chance, as his six ears detected a sharp click. Suddenly, the bladed tail of Mechagodzilla shot out, accelerated by the magnetic pull directly into his chest. Blood sprayed out as King Ghidorah plummeted from the sky, screaming all the way down. Mechagodzilla sputtered in the air, unstable from the loss of the Unisot, but it was of little comfort to the demon king of the cosmos as he slammed into the ground on a torn open back.

Mouths agape as he writhed, King Ghidorah’s mind was burning. His vision was hazy, but a heavy impact near him managed to gather enough of his wits to make out Monster X descending towards him, leg outstretched to hammer the space titanium blade like a nail into his heart. Screeching, he released a magnetic pulse outwards, launching the Unisot up out of his body and into the skeletal humanoid’s foot. It bounced off with a spray of sparks, failing to halt the brutal kick from still cracking King Ghidorah’s sternum. His heads, wings, and feet lifted straight up, falling pathetically as Monster X pulled his foot back and stood over his genetic predecessor.

He thought he was pathetic, and thus he gathered power into his eyes to end the destroyer. Adrenaline burned through King Ghidorah’s agony, letting him save his skin by wrapping a tail around his descendant’s ankle and pulling suddenly. Monster X was yanked off balance, the Destroyed Thunder Beams sailing off into the distance instead of into the golden dragon’s body.

As the king of terror got to his feet, bathing Monster X in beams from his wings, mouths, and feet, the skeletal monster’s rays continued soaring, until they crashed into the Mothership of the Xiliens he was serving under.

***

Screams and panic filled the spherical vessel as they tilted heavily, loose objects tumbling like marbles as Xiliens struggled to stay on their feet. In a few moments the colossus of a spaceship righted itself, only causing further chaos until everything finally settled.

But without their Keizer onboard, their hearts were not settled.

“Where is the Keizer?”

“Our ships are dropping like flies!”

“Shields at fifty percent power, we’re doomed if they focus on us!”

“Hedorah is still vulnerable and taking time to return to its final form!”

These proclamations of fear, among many others, rolled across the command center in a panic. They had joined this faction due to the power of their leader and his monster, thinking that they would be safest beneath that might. A single pillar, no matter how sturdy, could not support a structure as complicated as thousands of sapient minds once pressure was actually applied.

“Everyone. Please, listen to what I have to say.” Metphies spoke softly, somehow quieting the chaos. “I understand your fear, but have faith. God has picked Kaziya for a reason, and thus he has picked all of you.”

The Exif arose, faces stoic. They might as well have worn masks with how well they hid the truths of their hearts.

“I would like for us all to partake in a ritual.” Silence gave way to confused murmurs, but the priest kept speaking. “If you are afraid, then let God aid us. Truly aid us.”

“Why haven’t you done that already, then? Why has God not already helped us?” Someone yelled.

“Why, because he needs you all to be fully faithful. To trust in him completely. Are you willing to do so?”

As though coordinated, a colossal explosion resounded, shaking the ship again. The fearful silence in the command room was clearer than any answer.

“Perfect. Follow us.” Metphies gestured as he got to his feet, heart beating in perfect calmness despite what he was about to do.

***

Gigan’s arms swung towards Godzilla, who grasped the weapons by their bases. They pushed against one another, the cyborg staring daggers at his foe. There was nothing in this universe he wanted more than to slit the monster king’s guts and watch them spill across the stones. Godzilla was the first being he ever lost to, and that was an unforgivable sin in the cyberclaw terror’s mind.

Thrusting his skull forward, he slammed the spiked mohawk atop his cranium into the leviathan’s brow, earning a grunt from Godzilla but failing to lessen his grip. The mighty tail of the Earth’s grandest defender beat the ground, lifting him up to drive his feet into Gigan’s gut. The last trace of Space Hunter Nebula M shrieked, losing his focus and being lifted off his feet as Godzilla remained on his tail and straightened it upwards.

Godzilla prepared to slam his foe into the barren foundation of the alien moon, but Gigan was not so easily overcome. Thinking fast, he drove his tail towards the leviathan’s arm, clamping the claw around one of Godzilla’s wrists. Jet thrusters kicking on to maximum strength, Gigan raced upwards as he forced one of his foe’s hands away, leaving the monster of justice dangling as they ascended.

His scythe now freed, Gigan aimed it at Godzilla and fired the Hooking Anchors, the cables wrapping around the nuclear colossus’ throat. The assassin pulled them in tight, choking the hero, who could only flail as they rose further.

Steel constructed a rigid mouth for Gigan, but if he could smile, he would as ports on his chest opened. The Bladed Slicers flew forth like cards dealt at a blackjack table, locking onto Godzilla and adjusting their flight-paths accordingly. Flesh and scale parted, freeing blood to geyser out and rain down upon the battlefield below as Godzilla thrashed in his restraint. He tried to grab at the cables suffocating him, but letting go of the chainsaws would leave them free to be brought down upon his skull, and his other hand could not overpower Gigan’s tail. Another passing by of the buzzsaws, another shower of visceral crimson.

Godzilla’s dorsal plates flashed, but the energy could not pass through his closed throat. Gigan laughed as another flyby of his tortuous discs nearly severed his victim’s tail, and he began to channel power to his eye. Finally, vengeance, the sweetest taste of them all.

The gathering power in the monster king’s core hurt as it grew and grew without a place to go, but he still charged it, willing to gamble on a result he could at least survive as opposed to a million degree lobotomy. Scarlet light practically oozed out of Gigan’s visor as he prepared to unleash a supercharged Laser Knife.

Blue radiance shrouded Godzilla for a brief moment, confusing both of them, before it erupted from his body in the form of a circular pulse of nuclear might. The king of the monsters bellowed thunderously, feeling like every pore in his body had had hot needles driven into them. Gigan shrieked in agony as the rippling blast shredded his Hooking Anchors into dust, his tail detonating like a chain of explosives had been threaded into it. The Laser Knife he had been building up soared straight into the sky, visible from other worlds like a beacon of the horrors occurring on this moon.

Godzilla, every cell in his body now burning from that display of power, fell backwards as Gigan examined the damages dealt to him. Daunting cracks crawled through both of his arms, infuriating and terrifying him at once. In his wrath, he shot down like a bullet towards Godzilla, Universal Cutter spinning into a blur to bifurcate the monster king. A moment before contact could be made, a billowing stream of purple energy crashed into Gigan’s side, hurling him off course with a shout of misery. His buzzsaw still grazed the leviathan, putting a hellacious gash into his thigh.

Before Godzilla could hit the ground, a familiar set of claws grasped his shoulders, halting his plummet and reversing his course into the air once again.

Rodan looked down towards his friend, who gave him a thumbs up and a thankful roar. He’d come soaring over when he heard Godzilla’s agonized shout, and it seemed good he had done so. A shriek grabbed their attention, Gigan back on his feet and looking up at them both with as much malice as his expression could muster. Before he could soar back towards them, Mechagodzilla showered the cyborg in missiles, thrusting the attention of the cybernetic dinosaur squarely towards the artificial colossus.

Rodan and Godzilla flew away from that battle, surveying the chaos for an opportunity to jump in. Fire billowed like a great field of horror, titans tearing into one another as mortals were smashed into paste beneath their feet, killing each other with no regard for the madness around them. It was a vision of Hell, but the pteranodon strangely felt no fear. Not with Godzilla nearby. He had given up hope before this battle even started, but those sparks of desire to see another day still danced in his comrade’s eyes, and they ignited that urge in the king of the skies. They would see this through, and they would return home.

Needles dug into the flesh of both ancient warriors, making them howl in pain. Gororin rolled underneath them, eyes filled with bloodlust whenever they could see them. Rodan spread his wings wide, letting the air slow them down. Without any communication, both nuclear reptiles opened their maws and let loose their respective atomic rays, blue and purple mixing into a single stream which struck Gororin dead on.

The cactus monster screamed as explosions ravaged his form, sending him flying like a bullet from the point of impact. Smoke trailed behind him along with yellow pulp, a gigantic split in his form obvious.

Godzilla and Rodan landed, the pteranodon letting go as he hopped off his friend’s shoulders and stood next to him.

***

Monster X leapt back, willing a lightening of gravity so that he sailed further. King Ghidorah cackled and flailed, mocking his clone. Both could sense the connection between them, that the draconic bastion of the radicals was derived from the essence of the demon king, but it established no familial bond. It only made them despise the other more.

Smashing the ground with his fist, Monster X pulled up a boulder and hurled it with enough force to make a sonic boom. King Ghidorah blasted the projectile to dust with his Gravity Bolts, shrouding him in a dark cloud, which he blew away with the beat of his wings. By the time his vision was clear, Monster X was already hurtling towards him, fist pulled back. King Ghidorah pushed himself back with his mighty wings, avoiding the punch, but the hybrid humanoid was resourceful. Twisting in the air with the momentum of his swung arm, he brought a heel into the top of one of the wyrm’s skulls, cracking the antlers.

King Ghidorah staggered, a third of his vision hazy as the secondary brain rattled in the skull. Monster X landed on solid footing, then launched forward to grab both of his predecessor’s outer heads. Bashing them against one another, an antler breaking off the head he had just kicked, the skeletal colossus charged energy in his eyes. Before he could explosively remove two thirds of his foe’s heads, King Ghidorah drove a clawed foot into Monster X’s gut, then scourged the flesh with electrical discharge. The humanoid howled in pain, letting go and backpedaling, but still retained his charged might.

Destroyed Thunder Beams and Gravity Bolts collided in the midst between them, seven different rays merging into a golden singularity. It swiftly shifted towards King Ghidorah, who responded by adding more fuel to the fire with streaks of lightning from his wings, pushing the miniature star back into the center. Both dragons of desolation sent pulses of power into the deadlock at the same time, rupturing the center point in an explosion that enveloped both.

It seemed as if all of Planet X shuddered as the spherical explosion hurled the two backwards, cracks spreading for miles and splitting open the ground. All eyes gazed upon it for a brief moment, but only one bearer of sight made their way towards the battle.

Monster X’s hands and feet dug trenches through the stone as he came to a halt. Beating the ground with his fists once, he stood tall, eyes peering straight forwards. He saw King Ghidorah standing as well, torn but still functional wings outstretched wide as they could be.

Rocks bounced as the earth shuddered beneath Monster X’s pounding feet, the genetic superweapon charging like a football player. All he saw before him was a pathetic relic, a mere worm that’s greatest contribution to existence was serving as a building block to his perfection. Tearing him in half would bring Monster X great pleasure, a perfect proclamation of his ascendancy over all others.

Bending his wings back, King Ghidorah chose to run as well. Although he lacked his foe’s speed, seeing such an imposing figure in a full tilt charge was still an intimidating vision. The skeletal abomination had engendered a particular disgust in the demon king’s heart, and it was now that he understood why. The way he carried himself, as standing above the rest of life, made King Ghidorah sick.

Monster X had never left the orbit of the gas giant looming over them. He had seen not even a percent of a percent of what the destroyer of countless worlds had, experienced nothing like the endless sights that decorated his memory like a tapestry. To proclaim superiority over him, the one who had given the hybrid that power, it drove a burning iron into the parts of King Ghidorah’s brain that processed wrath.

The distance almost closed, the two dragons ready to rend each other’s flesh and break each other’s bones, but that anticipated clash did not arrive. With a trio of mechanized screeches, Mecha-King Ghidorah smashed into Monster X’s side feet-first, sending the humanoid tumbling like a ragdoll. Not wasting his momentum, King Ghidorah crashed into his metallic doppelgänger, teeth coming down onto metal.

As six serpentine heads flailed at one another, snapping and twisting around, Monster X got to his feet. He stumbled, still hurt from the devastating force of the impact, but soon was fully upright. Seeing Mecha-King Ghidorah prompted a hollow sensation in his chest.

He recognized the cyborg dragon’s original identity, his “brothers”, for lack of a better term. The gift given to Landes like he was to Kaziya, both forged from the same DNA, which was currently being sprayed out as blood onto the steel frame that puppeteered their corpse. That was where the hollowness came from. He could not help but imagine, no doubt from Kaziya’s influence, a world where he and the cloned King Ghidorah fought side by side. But that world would never come to be. Because they were fighting against one another, because the cloned King Ghidorah was a corpse tugged along by metallic strings to do whatever its master sought.

Because his siblings had failed.

Lunging at his genetic family, Monster X drove the sides of his fists into both their chests. They staggered, then reflexively doused him in their respective mouth beams, forcing him to guard as skin burned and bone charred. King Ghidorah took the opportunity to sweep a ray up his cybernetic duplicate’s body, denting and blackening steel. Mecha-King Ghidorah responded in kind, ceasing its lasers and driving a foot into its organic counterpart’s stomach. The golden wyrm doubled over, hissing as his jaws shot up and grinded their teeth against the bases of the steel throats.

Monster X leapt above them both, thrusting both feet down and increasing his gravitational pull in order to hasten his descent. Both three-headed monsters were smashed into the ground, cratering it beneath the combined weight of the three colossi. Rising into the air, Mecha-King Ghidorah’s center head breathed more of its frozen mist, enveloping the humanoid dragon’s leg with it.

Swiftly, Monster X jumped away, not wishing to lose a limb. The action cracked the ice encasing it, making him wince as his flesh split too. He chose not to land, hovering in the hopes that a slower defrosting would be less agonizing. Mecha-King Ghidorah rose to its feet, opening its central jaws once more. Instead of a laser or azure frost, a green ray shined, ensnaring Monster X. The one who thought he mastered gravity found himself being dragged in against his will, eyes widening as he found himself unable to overpower the tractor beam. This technology had been part of the Vabaruda, but was transferred to the Giant Dark Emperor’s ultimate weapon.

Triple Lasers from the outer heads swept over Monster X’s body, making him bellow in pain as the ice was rapidly shattered, taking chunks of his skin with it. Outraged, he released his Destroyed Thunder Beams, but the mechanical serpent was ready. The moment his eyes had shined, the tractor beam ceased as Mecha-King Ghidorah curled inwards, putting up that energy shield which took the overflowing power of Monster X and transferred it into the cyborg’s reserves.

Landing on his feet, the fusion of Xilien and dragon snarled. How many tricks did this mechanized mockery have within its circuitry? Mecha-King Ghidorah let loose a digitized howl once more, standing up. Before it could release another barrage of Triple Lasers, King Ghidorah launched into the air behind it, thrusting his tails forth to wrap them around the mechanical necks of his doppelgänger. Three metallic skulls clanked together, the golden wyrm charging another sphere of immense power before him as he restrained Mecha-King Ghidorah.

Four thin streaks of light ripped into the thin tails of the golden dragon, severing them instantly and sending him floundering backwards in the air. Monster X stood before him, preparing to unleash another volley, but the Big Spark Ball had not dissipated. With a shriek, King Ghidorah launched the projectile like a cannonball, crashing right into the skeletal knight and sending him flying with a calamitous explosion and a roar of agony.

Triple Lasers tore into King Ghidorah’s gut a moment later, dropping him from the sky. Mecha-King Ghidorah took to the air, dropping feet first onto its organic duplicate’s chest with a bone-cracking landing. The center head leaned down, jaw lowering in preparation to douse the three heads in fatal frost.

Monster X’s feet smashed into his “sibling’s” back, sending it spilling forward onto its belly, the humanoid then dropping elbow-first into King Ghidorah’s ravaged stomach. Sparks erupted from the colossal tear made in the alien steel, exposing dead flesh beneath, but it did not stop Mecha-King Ghidorah from rising back to its feet. With a surprising flexibility, it delivered a backwards kick, smacking into Monster X’s face and pushing him away.

King Ghidorah kipped up with a strong wing beat, pushing both his foes back as he sprayed beams randomly to harm them.

The three bearers of three skulls looked back and forth between their two enemies, trying to decide on a next move.

***

A broken carcass hit the ground in a heap, flesh and leather mangled together as bone jutted from the amalgamation. Kaziya, soaked in the blood of his own kind, prowled like a wolf. He considered descending into the base where his father was and ending him then and there, but the entrances were all blocked from him by colliding kaiju.

The ground rumbled beneath his feet, subtle at first but quickly intensifying into a quake that a normal Xilien would be unable to stand through. The Keizer’s eyes shot towards the source, the towering mass of Gororin barreling towards him. Crouching, the prodigy leapt high, sailing over the cactus ball. A hand extended downwards, casting out a bolt of lightning from gloved fingertips.

Gororin roared in pain as the electrical stream lanced at his open wound, making his roll stutter like he stumbled. Kaziya landed on the other side of his gigantic foe, smiling wide at the opportunity before him. Turning, the plant monster spat needles towards his tiny target, who simply rushed forwards.

A needle the size of a bus speared into the ground where the Keizer had just stood, failing to strike him as he flipped out of its path. He dashed towards the colossal spike, jumping onto it and running up its length. Once he reached its apex, he pounced off it, using his telekinesis to subtly maneuver his body through the air and avoid the needles soaring his way. His foot came down on one in midair, springing off it and into another one’s side, ricocheting across the discharge of cactus spines in his approach.

Gororin’s eyes widened in shock as he felt the human-sized being land on his face. Kaziya made for the monster’s yellow eyeballs, but found himself shifting as Gororin sought to crush him. He managed to find enough of a foothold to start running, the ground racing by below him as the colossus rolled. Although he kept pace well enough to avoid immediately being reduced to a fine paste, it was clear to the Keizer that he could not keep this up forever, especially on a battlefield as chaotic as this. With a mental signal, he commanded a monster to come to his aid.

A few seconds passed before Gororin suddenly ceased rolling, the Keizer falling to his hands as the harsh stop was too much for even his astounding biology. Looking under his arm, he saw his kaiju foe’s path blocked by black mucus sizzling against the surface of Planet X.

Hedorah marched towards Gororin, its crimson eyes bearing an immense desire for the death of the cactus that had aggravated it so. Needles raced out from Gororin’s form, a reflexive action in the hopes of at least giving itself an opening to escape. However, to the cactus’ shock, one of the spines simply hovered in the air after being ejected.

Then thrust itself back into one of his eyes, blacking out half his vision.

Kaziya laughed as he leapt off of Gororin’s body, watching the yellow fluid gush out of the ocular organ as the pawn of the Giant Dark Emperor screamed. His power was immaculate, this had proven that so, even the giants were not immune to his might! Turning back to admire his handiwork, he gave Hedorah another command.

The smog monster stood over Gororin, casting its hideous shadow over him. Liquid sprayed from Hedorah’s body with rancid squelches, surrounding the cactus monster and leaving him unable to escape. He could only look up, terror etched onto his one remaining eye.

Hedorah fell forward, crushing Gororin beneath its mass. The ground fractured, exposing a metallic tunnel, the computer-bound Xiliens within only able to look up in shock before a tidal wave of rancid filth drowned them. Gororin screamed as his epidermis was partially swallowed by the black sludge of his tormentor’s flesh, rapidly decaying and becoming lost within. Caustic slime oozed into his open wounds, dissolving his organs. Needles shot out randomly in a panic as the rolling cactus tried anything to survive, but it was futile. Hedorah gurgled in wicked pleasure as it subsumed him, the flattening form of the plant beast being further swallowed up by the wretched titan.

Soon, there was nothing left, the yellow blood and needles embedded into the landscape the only proof Gororin had ever existed. Hedorah stood tall, then leapt away, seeking another victim. Kaziya walked as close as he could get to the bashed open entrance to the underground, pondering if he should try to venture within, only to jolt.

”Keizer, return to the ship, please.” It was Metphies, speaking directly into his mind. ”It is more urgent than anything else.”

”What could it possibly be? I can tell the mothership is fine from down here.” He thought back. What he also wanted to know was how the Exif even had this telepathic power in the first place.

”I cannot possibly describe it. You must see it firsthand, Kaziya. You will understand once you do.”

”What the hell are you talking about? Metphies? Metphies!” Kaziya shouted, then gritted his teeth when he received no further reply. Growling, he drove his fist into the ground, fracturing a large chunk of rock which he then stepped upon. Telekinetically lifting it into the air, the prodigy hybrid began to ascend.

The feeling that something horrible was about to occur suddenly occupied his mind.

***

“Gororin! My baby, what did they do to you?” Zagreth mourned, her favorite of their monsters claimed first and in such brutal fashion. “Mechagodzilla, kill that bastard Hedorah!”

Landes, who had been watching Mecha-King Ghidorah’s battle intently, blinked as if broken from a trance by her comrade’s shout. She turned to question the idea, but something more pressing caught her attention.

“Where did everybody go?”

The Giant Dark Emperor and Zagreth were confused by her question, until they too looked around the control room and found themselves the only ones in it. No other Xiliens or Exif, they had all departed. Their fiery overlord’s visage immediately shifted into a scowl, his words rebounding off the walls. “Where have they gone? I have given no permission to leave!”

Landes’ heart skipped a beat. She turned towards her superior. “Sir, I overheard talk from the Exif of a ritual, and them trying to convince others to partake.”

“What?” The Giant Dark Emperor shouted.

“Yes, my lord. I think that that is what’s going on, the Exif-“ she was unable to finish her sentence as the flaming head suddenly vanished. A small, golden robot fell to the ground, making her and Zagreth jump.

”Endurph!” Came his voice again, from outside the Vabaruda, as loud as thunder.

“He’s here in person?” Zagreth asked her friend in a panic, the brunette nodding in fear. Not just from her boss’ overwhelming presence, but also from whatever this ritual entailed. The overwhelming sensation of dread grasped her heart, squeezing tightly.

 

Chapter 12: Sinking Island in the Void

Metphies and Endurph were miles apart, communing to entirely different groups, but once more they moved in sync. The Xiliens they had swayed to join them in ritual kneeled in front of a makeshift altar, a large bowl placed upon a table. A pale fluid sat in the pot, still as a calm pond as the Exif priest stood before it. The other Exif stood arranged like commanded soldiers at their post, awaiting the order to commence.

“My brothers and sisters,” spoke the priests. “It is time. To bring forth God, so that he may aid us in our time of need.”

***

Mechagodzilla received the command to pursue and destroy Hedorah, but cast it to the back of its priority list. The task would begin when its current mission was fulfilled.

Gigan’s chainsaws scraped across its chassis, shredding open space titanium. Despite the damage dealt to them, they still served as lethal weapons, forcing Mechagodzilla to put its full attention on the cyborg. Space Beams blazed into Gigan’s throat, tearing a burning hole into it which made the assassin stagger back with a choked scream.

The Gigarium Cluster fired, forcing Mechagodzilla to backpedal. Warnings blared in its head as the missile factory all throughout its form was at risk of detonation.

***

“May I ask a question before we begin, father Endurph?” One of the Xiliens sheepishly raised their voice.

“Of course.” The elderly man calmly replied, his disdain hidden flawlessly.

“I thought your god was an artificial intellect, how is this going to help us?”

The sides of Endurph’s mouth twitched. “I’m afraid we did not tell you all, or the Giant Dark Emperor, the whole truth. That artificial intellect did reach a higher being, but we hid that for the sake of not being seen as fools. But in these dark times, we see no reason to hide it.”

Murmurs rolled across the gathered, but Endurph continued. “And do you have a reason to doubt us? With what beats at our door?” His tone was calm, like a father gently convincing his son.

The roars of monsters capable of ending entire civilizations echoed, scaring the dissent silent. “I thought so.”

***

Godzilla and Rodan moved in opposite directions as Hedorah leapt towards them, acidic globs of slime falling off its form. Hedrium Rays scourged the pteranadon’s back, making him drop several hundred feet, barely catching himself before hitting the ground. The smog monster turned its gaze to Godzilla, clapping its tendrils together in sick glee.

The King of the Monsters threw a rock at Hedorah, splattering away a portion of the foul beast’s biomass. Curling its legs in like a frog, the pollution eater showed that it did not care about the attack with a jump that Godzilla only slightly avoided being floored by.

Rearing up, acidic mist poured out of a tube on Hedorah’s torso, making Godzilla scream as it made scales shrivel up into tiny black specks and fall away. Of all the enemies he’d faced in his life, the smog monster was the one he least wished to face again.

A Uranium Heat Ray poured over Hedorah’s form, sparking off the Hedrium due to its radiation-nullifying properties. Rodan shrieked and flailed in the air, firing another ray to little effect. The sludge kaiju turned, mind dreaming up ways to make the king of the skies suffer.

Godzilla, recalling his battle with another member of this grotesque species, looked around rapidly. He saw the battle of the Ghidorahs off in the distance, trading electrical rays and gravitonic streams that would have far better effect on Hedorah than his and Rodan’s powers.

Bracing himself, he reached down and grabbed Hedorah’s tail. The smog monster gurgled, back splitting open to unveil orifices which belched rancid fumes and balls of sludge. Godzilla endured as his arm muscles tensed, lifting his foe off the ground.

He turned, tossing Hedorah away.

***

“Are you ready?” Metphies asked his flock. “Remember, you must hold no doubt. Give yourself fully to God.”

“Will our Keizer be ok?”

“Yes, my child.” Metphies smiled peacefully. “God wills that he shall be, for he still has a purpose to fulfill. Just as you all do. May we begin?”

“Guide us, please.” The older woman, whose husband had been claimed by the Garoga all those years ago, spoke for her faction. There was no disagreement. “Show us the way to make this all worth it.”

“Wonderful.” Metphies gestured to the other Exif, who went to the bowl and began to scoop the liquid out in cups. They drank of it themselves, then began to pass it to the Xiliens and had them drink the soup as well. The priest was silent, as though thinking deeply, in truth ensuring with Endurph that everything was going to plan on his end. Then, he spoke again.

“This ritual is being done in a slightly unorthodox fashion. Not only are there more of you here than we typically would have, but more importantly, you all already know the name of our God. So instead of whispering it to each and every ear, you will all learn it at once.”

The urge to demand an answer tried to crawl through the fear in their minds, like the struggling embers of a fire trying to take shape into another blaze from the ash. A heavy explosion, one which resembled a nuclear bomb, made the flickers of flame fade.

***

Six jaws snapped and tore at Monster X, half organic and the other mechanical. He snorted and bellowed as they tried to pull him apart, but with a burst of strength, the skeletal warrior pulled his arms free and smashed his hands against the serpentine necks. As the two Ghidorahs stumbled, Monster X backflipped away, eyes glowing. Destroyed Thunder Beams swept across both his foes, making them roar in pain.

Once the chimera landed, he winced. Blood oozed out of numerous tiny wounds, the countless teeth having made their marks. He looked back to his foes, who fired beams at one another, but one head from each moved his way and forced him to thrust up his arms. As the gold and purple streaks danced across his armor and flesh, movement in the corner of his vision snagged his attention.

Mecha-King Ghidorah’s center head began to release its freezing mist, but could only release a small spray before a blur raced past it, nearly severing a head with a shower of sparks. Gigan shrieked as he turned back towards the cyborg dragon, arms spread wide, only for twin lasers which sparkled with numerous colors to crash into his scythe, shattering it like glass. The assassin screamed, firing several Bladed Slicers at his approaching enemy. Mechagodzilla’s eyes discharged the Space Beams once more, disintegrating most of them, Mecha-King Ghidorah destroying the remaining with its Triple Lasers.

The two mechanical duplicates stood side by side, aiming their weapons at Gigan. Monster X watched, one of his extra eyes also detecting Godzilla and Rodan tossing Hedorah over towards this cacophonous battle. He had little care for either of his allies, but he at least bothered shouting for Gigan to not barrel towards certain doom.

The cyborg assassin did not seem to care. Revving up his Bloody Chainsaws, the action alone casting off several teeth from the implement, he charged towards Mechagodzilla with the intent to sever its head.

Missiles crashed into the spinning blade, tearing chunks out of it and causing a chain reaction which resulted in the whole weapon detonating. Gigan screeched, continuing his charge with the activation of his Universal Cutter. The prospect of facing his permanent death here did not seem to register, or if it did, not enough to be noticeable from an outsider perspective as he tried to end this foe.

Triple Lasers shredded his back fins like paper in a flame, sending him crashing to the ground. Smoke pouring off him, he jabbed his stumps into the stone of Planet X, pushing himself to his feet and continuing his approach. A Laser Knife raced out from his visor, tearing into the wound he’d made on Mecha-King Ghidorah’s neck earlier.

Wires snapped under the heat and force, severing the throat and leaving it to fall. As the other two heads reached down and grasped it, Gigan shrieked at Mechagodzilla.

In it, he saw his first and greatest failure embodied. A false copy of Godzilla, armed with hidden weapons. Mechagodzilla’s mere presence, the factors of its existence, reminded Gigan of the base of his masters when they sought Earth. He knew he would not make it off this battlefield, but he would at least die having gotten rid of this tumor in his conscience.

A Gigarium Cluster made Mechagodzilla stumble back, letting Gigan close the distance. Monster X made to aid his ally, but ceased when Hedorah was thrown before King Ghidorah, gurgling in rage as Godzilla and Rodan tried to wipe caustic slime off their bodies.

***

A port opened on the mothership, Kaziya entering and leaving the rock to sit on the floor as he stepped off. The feeling of encroaching horror still gnawed at his mind, growing by the second.

Telepathically, he received the location of where this all-important event was, a chill crawling up his spine for reasons he could not explain.

***

The Giant Dark Emperor scanned his ship, searching it for Endurph. A ritual? What ritual could they possibly be doing that involved going under his nose? What could they even be doing at all, he had claimed their “God” was merely a computer!

“Endurph! Reveal yourself now, or else I will shock the entire ship! My followers will not be swayed from me, even if I must torment them too!” Electrical bolts sparked off of him threateningly, a precursor to a lightning torture method.

”You’re already too late.” The elderly voice of the Exif holy man rang in the overlord’s mind. This let him immediately zero in on the priest’s location, seeing him surrounded by followers, his followers.

“Do you hear him? Do you hear his true feelings for you, as nothing more than extensions of his will fit to be tormented when you do not comply! Our God is not so cruel! Our God will bring you the ultimate mercy! True peace! Chant his name, with all your heart!”

The blazing visage of the tyrant grinded his teeth. Lightning raced out from his glowing form, crashing into the Vabaruda. Electricity crawled through the metal frame of the vessel, seizing everyone in its painful embrace.

“Ghidorah! Chant the name of our God, Ghidorah!”

Despite their muscles locking up, agony surging through them, the Xiliens complied.

“Ghidorah! Ghidorah! Ghidorah!”

***

“Ghidorah! Ghidorah! Ghidorah!” It was music to Metphies’ ears, the Garbetrium in his hand humming along with their chants. He placed it down next to the emptied bowl, and then pulled out a bead.

“Wings of Death, come forth, destroy the followers of falsehood.” He intoned.

“Wings of Death, come forth, destroy the followers of falsehood!” They repeated.

He placed the bead into the stone, causing a yellow glow to overtake it. Metphies began to speak again. “The soup you partook of is now part of you, just as you shall all become part of God. Of something truly greater than yourselves. You already believed you were part of something like that, your culture. But that was a falsehood. All civilizations destroy themselves, by spawning monsters like what wage war below our feet. The rotted fruit of sick trees. Some control them, but that is only delaying their destruction, casting it off to a different source. How can you truly take solace in something so ephemeral, so self-destructive? How can a construct like that grant you the feeling of being one with a greater presence? Give yourselves over to God, and you will finally understand.”

Metphies began to walk away, to go and greet the approaching Kaziya. “Close your eyes.” He spoke softly, like a mother putting her child to bed. Then he departed the room.

From the Garbetrium, shadows shifted and lengthened. What looked like three vines coated in thorns emerged from the dark blot, writhing like snakes.

***

Monster X went to aid either of his allies, but a voice in his head halted his step.

Do not waste your energy. They are worthless, stepping stones that may now be left to weather away.

He did not recognize the voice, but the genetically engineered dragon had no issue obeying. Following it felt natural, not like a servant to a master but…

As though it were his own voice.

Gigan tried to drive his Universal Cutter into Mechagodzilla’s chest, but the pseudo-leviathan planted its hands on his sides, keeping him pinned back. The cyborg snapped and thrashed, beak spewing fire as his eye glowed with gathered energy, but Mechagodzilla simply lowered its chest panel.

The Cross Attack Beam tore into the spinning saw blades, eviscerating them in a torrent of fire and shredded steel. Gigan screamed, swinging his skull forward, trying to crack Mechagodzilla’s head open. Space titanium dented and split, but the war machine simply raised a foot and drove it into Gigan’s mutilated abdomen. Oil and blood sprayed out as the cyborg was shoved back, landing on his back. Viscous lifeblood sprayed out of his mouth in a series of coughs, Gigan feeling his body shut down rapidly.

Mechagodzilla stood over him, casting its dark shadow over the feeble form of the once feared cyberclaw terror. So this was it. Gears whirred as machinery clicked, the mechanical saurian’s hands twisting. The end of his life. Mechagodzilla’s fingers retracted, a new set of missiles emerging in their place. A long history of bloodshed, failure masquerading as triumph until finally casting off that mask in the later years of his life. The hands of the war machine completed their rotation, locking back into place. An entire species, now dead, their last legacy about to be annihilated on a world they never knew of, in service of the master who never saw them as anything but pawns.

Gigan did not even have the mercy of closing his eye, his vision forced to contain his demise.

The Rotating Finger Missiles launched from their chambers, spearing into the cybernetic warrior’s torso. With ten simultaneous explosions, he was split in half, his upper and lower sections being violently shoved in opposite directions. Cascades of innards, both scrap metal and viscera, flew like leaves in the wind. The light of Gigan’s visor faded instantly.

Mechagodzilla announced its victory with an artificial shriek, Mecha-King Ghidorah joining it after having reattached its severed neck.

***

Kaziya was bolting down the hallways of his own ship, sweat pouring down his face. He could feel death creeping through the vessel, an invisible hand closing over the whole world.

He believed himself the holder of the greatest power in the universe. He was stained with the blood of hundreds of soldiers, having turned himself into an engine of carnage on the most brutal battlefield the universe had seen in a long time. Even a Kaiju had not been able to extinguish his might.

But in this moment, he felt like the scared child watching his mother be pulled away all over again, as powerless as a leaf caught in a storm.

He turned a corner, seeing Metphies standing before him with a serene look on his face. Kaziya had trusted Metphies more than any other in the last few months, believing him his closest friend. But now, he did not know what to think, as his heart thudded in his chest at the cold claws brushing over his shoulder.

“What have you done? What have you Exif done?”

“Great Keizer, you have arrived just in time, as I knew you would. Your people have been waiting for you.” The priest responded like he was asked about the weather.

“Answer me dammit! What are you summoning?” Kaziya demanded, rushing forward and grabbing the priest by his collar.

“God.” Metphies replied without discernible emotion.

“What kind of god? Many would say those beasts out there are gods.”

“Not a god. The God. The omega.”

This took the Xilien leader aback. “I thought it was alpha and omega?”

A chuckle left the Exif’s mouth, an exhalation bearing nothing but cold malice. “I know not what created this existence, but I hope I get to see it perish by the supreme’s jaws.”

“What?” The Keizer was completely confused. The next words to leave his ally’s mouth made him long for that ignorance.

“Our religion is founded on the truth that existence is nothing but anguish and misery. That the best thing for life is death.” The cold facade was beginning to crack, a smile stretching across the priest’s face as he espoused further. “Do you not get it, you who have suffered so much?”

The hybrid Regulator was lost for words. Dozens of seconds had passed, the tension growing to the point where he felt like it would strangle him, before he managed to find a continuation to the discussion. “Then why have you and the rest of the Exif not just cut your own throats and be done with it?”

“Because of the way we learned this truth. Our empire had attained technologies that made the most advanced of yours, our long lost relatives, look like a primate hammering two stones together to make fire. We peered into realms that we needed to invent entire new systems of mathematics to wrap our heads around, saw the edges of creation, and even looked into the future!”

“What did you see?” The Keizer was enraptured, both by the story itself and by Metphies’ complete shift in personality.

The priest laughed. “We saw nothing. A void. Then, we looked deeper, determined to find something, anything! And we did. A glorious beast, the remnants of reality crushed between its teeth, the souls of quintillions swirling in its infinite guts. It glowed brighter than any star.” The Keizer had never heard anyone sound so overjoyed, so overwhelmed by beauty. “We found entropy itself, the one immutable truth of existence. And it looked back to us, and blessed us for discovering it.”

“Blessed?” The hybrid Regulator felt his head swirling with mixed emotions.

“Our planet, gone. Only a tenth of a percent of our race left alive. And inhabiting our supercomputer,” he pulled forth the Gematron, “the voice of the only being in this existence with meaning, with purpose.”

Kaziya’s advanced senses allowed him to hear bodies hitting the floor, gave him the deep-seated feeling of encroaching doom with the entity currently gnawing away the walls between realities. Those were his people, the ones who had trusted him.

“The savior of all these sufferers. The void consuming us all.”

Gloved fingers clenched. “Why shouldn’t I just vaporize you here and now?”

“Think about it.” Metphies said with a slight smile, unphased by the tangible threat to his life. “What happens after you win? Say you destroy me, and Monster X is then able to slay the rest of the monsters. What do you do next?”

“Reign over Planet X, bring it back to the era of-“

“Having a human soul? Without humanity?” The priest cut the emperor off, a grand gesticulation with his hands fading into them returning to his sides as Metphies continued. “With a whole host of remaining Xiliens who fought against that?“

“I’ll-“

“Force them to accept it? Or kill them? What then if any of your own followers go against that?”

Kaziya reeled back like he’d been punched. Lightning danced between his fingers as he snarled. “I’ll force them into line, then! I am the Keizer, my power is absolute and total! No matter how many bodies need to be piled up for the foundation of my new rule, I will make it happen!”

“And then you will kill the Garoga.” The subtle nod from the bastion of mortal power only made the emissary of the divine smile wider. “Then?” The electrical surging ceased, Kaizya’s face falling. Metphies pounced like a tiger at the moment of weakness. ”So you have no future beyond one soaked in blood? Leading your people, who you claim to love, into a genocidal crusade that will surely end in nothing but their own devastation?”

“We would win! Those bastards-“

“Would take countless Xilien lives even in the best case scenario. Would you even have a species left by the time you ‘claimed victory’?”

Kaziya’s breathing grew shaky. Seconds dragged on like hours as he pondered. “No. No I would not…”

Metphies stepped back to the sacrifice room, where the bodies all laid motionless. He beckoned his compatriot to walk with him, and almost robotically the Keizer did so. “I want to tell you why exactly I say we were blessed by God. Will you listen?” He questioned as he stood over the bowl, uncaring of the gouged apart bodies surrounding them like trash.

They did not leave a single drop of blood, the glowing wounds as though the matter that made up the Xiliens had been erased.

Kaziya nodded, shivering at the sight, as Metphies held the bead at the end of two fingers before his face.

“Your life has been miserable, would you not agree? Brought into such a peaceful and loving family,” the last few words were said with a falsely sweet tone. “But then, you had it all torn away from you. The Xiliens themselves had that beautiful life ripped from their grasp. At a moment’s notice, by an enemy the vast majority of humanity did not even know existed. Is that fair?”

With his free hand, the priest spread his right eyelid.

“Of course not. But that’s just it, there is no such thing as fairness. Life is an endless cycle of cruelty and misery. Instead of banding together in that tragedy, your people split themselves apart. Your father, your sister, and you lost the star you all revolved around and drifted into different voids. But do not blame yourselves, that is merely the curse of sapience. All intelligent life, anything in possession of free will, will damage everything around them in due time. In small ways for most, but it still occurs nonetheless, a subconscious urge to destroy.”

Kaziya flinched as Metphies jammed the Gematron into his own eye, hard. The squelching of the organ being crushed was hard to hear over the distant sounds of war, but the Keizer could hear every bit of it.

“My friend, you wish to destroy everything you know. Your people, you want to kill them.” Despite red blood pouring down his face like a burst pipe, the priest of nihilistic divinity continued his decree. “But not because you hate them, no, because you love them! Because you did not need God to commune to you what he did to us so long ago! That life should be ended instead of dragged out, only made more bitter by the falsities of joy and hope!” The Gematron began to shine brightly, taking on the symbol of the Exif religion.

Metphies’ voice dropped back to its usual tone and cadence. “So let’s you and I commit the greatest act of mercy in the history of the universe.”

Kaziya wanted to vomit. Not because of the death surrounding them, though the surreal sight was far worse than the bloodshed he had inundated himself in beforehand.

But because he found he could not disagree with a single word Metphies said.

***

Hedorah screeched as it spread its arms, spraying fumes and fluid everywhere. Its three foes backpedaled, tired of the disgusting existence before them.

King Ghidorah’s wings sprayed lightning, breaking through the assault of filth and making Hedorah scream as its flesh dried out. The smog monster reeled, then countered with its Hedrium Rays. The crimson streaks tore at King Ghidorah’s scales, burning and breaking them as black smoke rose up, making the golden wyrm cough. Godzilla rushed forwards, slamming a fist into the pollution beast’s hide, breaking dried flesh open and spilling moist innards.

An expelling of destructive gas bathed Godzilla, making him cover his nose and screw his eyes shut, but it did not stop him from further ripping open Hedorah. His fingers burned, but he waved enough of the mist away to roar at Ghidorah to demand he continue electrocuting the foul monstrosity.

Golden devastation rippled from the throats and wings of the destroyer, sending the wounded Hedorah to the ground. Godzilla grabbed the organs he had torn out of the pollution feeder, lifting them into the path of King Ghidorah’s onslaught. The pulsating innards shriveled up and turned into dust under the unimaginable electrical force, which was noted by the golden fiend. He understood now.

Godzilla charged towards Hedorah, bracing himself as the lightning scourged his body too. Despite his built up resistance to electricity, King Ghidorah’s might was still agonizing. He drove fists into Hedorah’s shriveled form, pulling out orbs which became dust once they were exposed to the xanthic madness.

A tendril wrapped around his leg, trying to halt him, but he moved like clockwork in dismantling Hedorah. The punishment he had endured in his first battle with the sludge monster’s kind had engraved that entire conflict into his mind, meaning he knew exactly where to look and what to pull out.

Light flashed on Hedorah’s carcass, a flying form lurching out in a desperate attempt at survival. It did not get far before a boulder fell down upon it, Rodan soaring overhead with a screech. A wheezing, pathetic screech left the saucer-like monster as it succumbed to the onslaught. Godzilla called out for his temporary ally to stop, then walked over and stomped Hedorah’s face in.

The smog monster crumbled into black powder, not a trace of life remaining.

The three monsters shouted in triumph, their usual animosity towards each other muted in the wake of what they believed to be encroaching victory. Rodan surveyed the battlefield, seeing that there were only three of their enemies left, one of which was not allied with the other two. The king of the skies let hope fill his chest once more. They had almost won! His and Godzilla’s pre-existing bond had carried them to this point, and soon, the only issue would be breaking free of their masters’ control.

Machinery whirred and clanked as the false dragons stomped forwards, prepared to eliminate their enemies for the glory of the Giant Dark Emperor. The three monsters of the traditionalist Xiliens were together, making them a prime target for devastation. Mecha-King Ghidorah looked towards Monster X, who was simply staring up into the air. Sending this information to its fellow war machine, the two artificial intellects considered eliminating him first then moving towards the three.

Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah also noticed the skeletal knight’s odd behavior. While the former two laughed, joking between themselves that he had given up after losing both his allies, the demon king of the universe felt something pricking at his mind. His heartbeat began to pick up in its pace, eyes drifting towards the black heavens.

***

The Giant Dark Emperor was no longer electrocuting his followers, but he still floated before his ship, shouting at the Exif within. “You will not live to see another day, Endurph! You will die by my hand once this war is over, the first victim of my crusade through the stars!”

The elderly priest, slumped over and barely moving, could not help but let out a hoarse laugh. It was against the teachings of his people, it was far from what he would typically do, but the blazing tyrant had truly aggravated him to the point that it still happened. He supposed no amount of religious indoctrination could truly stifle the mind’s base wants.

“Too late,” he coughed. “You were nothing but another pen with which to write the story of the lord’s birth.”

“What?” The burning overlord screamed, outraged beyond belief. So outraged he missed two more pods he launched out of the top of the Vabaruda, his female assistants fleeing. “I am atop this universe! I am the grandest force in the vast cosmos, and I shall rule over it! I am no part in a larger operation, I am-“

He suddenly stopped. His telepathic capabilities, a mind expanded beyond the typical perceptions of a mortal consciousness, detected the change in reality’s fabric moments before it manifested. The Giant Dark Emperor was unable to internalize and properly respond to the stimulus before suddenly, the sky changed.

Three black circles manifested in the heavens, like windows to nothingness. The great red storm of Jupiter was blocked out, that imagined eye replaced with a gaze all too real. Stars which shined in the distance were blotted out, the black holes defacing the curtain of the cosmos.

All motion stopped, every eye looking up to the anomalies. From the mightiest titans to the dying and wounded soldiers, their hearts beat as one in a thunderous chorus. Monster X raised his arms to the sky, in reverence. He knew not the specifics of why he felt this way, but it was an overwhelming sensation.

That combined heartbeat skipped when something emerged from each portal. Golden serpents of pure light, covered in thorns like crystalline vines, slithered from the abyss. Numerous eyes like crimson gems, unblinking and all-seeing, covered each head of the transcendental being. They twisted and contorted about, moving with perfect synchronicity as they surveyed the world below.

***

“And thus it ends.” Metphies proclaimed as he took in the full splendor of his God. “The final piece of this puzzle can now be slotted into place.” He turned towards a silent Kaziya, the mighty Keizer staring with wide eyes at the monolithic abomination looming over his planet. It took a moment for the words to sink in.

“Is that not the final piece? That…” he trailed off, lost for words in the horrid grace of the true King Ghidorah.

“No, Keizer. You, and your monster, are.” Mentally, he beckoned the pilots of the ship to go towards the battlefield, his mind enhanced by the might of God overriding any survival instinct the remaining crew held.

***

Silence reigned like a tyrant, the mere presence of the golden demise enough to make even Godzilla’s blood run cold. The capacity for the mind to always seek hope tried to claim that these few moments would last forever, but it was not to be. As one, the three lashed out.

The first descended upon the battlefield, driving its jaws into the ground and vaporizing numerous soldiers. Bolts of extra-dimensional power rippled off the divine body, reducing screaming masses into nothing. Their energy flowed into their killer, more being added to an infinite furnace as it crawled over the landscape, claiming every life in sight. Remnants of Hedorah, too small to threaten the titans but still coursing with life, tried to hop away, but the thin jaws slammed shut around them regardless.

Meanwhile, a second contorted around the skies, twirling to create a gravitational field which drew ships in like flies to flypaper. The Giant Dark Emperor watched in horror as its gaze fell upon him, striking like a viper from across miles in an instant. He screamed, casting bolts of lightning from his gaseous form, but the blue streaks of power sank into the ethereal form of Ghidorah and were rebounded in all directions.

Fangs sank into his shining form, puncturing it. He screamed as it proceeded to wrap around the Vabaruda while draining his energy, twirling around his prized mothership multiple times as gravity amplified. Those who had not been dragged into the Exif’s activities were forced to panic as the ship crunched inwards as though invisible hands grasped it and squeezed.

“No, no, no!” The Muan tyrant cursed as his orange projection faded and flickered. He continued trying to blast at God, but it was as effective as the flailing of a baby gazelle in the maw of a lion. “This can’t be how it ends! My empire, my legacy! All destroyed by being led into a trap by the honeyed words of false prophets!”

Sparks erupted from the Vabaruda, steel puncturing wires as the pressure grew too intense. The Giant Dark Emperor just screamed, his blazing visage reduced to a barely visible ghost. What he hated most, staring into the eyes of the supreme, was the utter lack of emotion.

“At least say something! Do not treat me as a mere meal!” His anger had been overtaken by raw fear.

The Vabaruda imploded, then detonated violently. Fire and force raced outwards, but was sucked back into the singularity being crafted between the coils of the celestial dragon. The Giant Dark Emperor faded away, replaced by a falling figure. A human, or more accurately, a Muan. Elderly, thin, he plummeted from the skies. This was his true self, the flaming face a psychic construct to stand superior to all others. He stared into the skies, at his empire being destroyed. Somehow, despite having seen it explode while in the dragon’s jaws, now separated from it he saw the ship still in the process of being crushed.

Filthy robes, unwashed in thousands of years due to the neglect of his physical form, fluttered as he watched the Vabaruda explode again. Ghidorah turned towards him, eyes drilling into his soul. The imperialist wanted to shout, but his throat was dry, cracked. He had used his psychic voice, transformed into real audio, for so long that his actual voice could no longer emerge.

This was mortality, the curse he had tried to escape for so long, developed his mind to do so. Brought back to him by a being who had truly surpassed it, stood beyond physicality.

Ghidorah did not even bother snapping him up, instead just letting his decrepit body crash into the ground at terminal velocity, breaking it upon the rocks.

***

As the outer two heads wreaked havoc and fed to its heart content, the center head descended slowly. Its gaze was firmly locked onto Monster X, who lowered his arms and waited. Godzilla and Rodan fired their respective beams at the transcendental one, but like the Giant Dark Emperor’s might, they were merely redirected. The two heroes recoiled as their rays struck each other, Godzilla turning to shout for help from King Ghidorah. The golden wyrm did not respond, however, staring up at the absolute with an expression neither Earth kaiju could parse.

Mechagodzilla fired a barrage of missiles at Monster X, its artificial mind uncaring of the change to the war. They never landed on their target, the head crawling across the ground sweeping by and sending the missiles flying randomly off course. Mecha-King Ghidorah fired upon it with Triple Lasers, but only succeeded in burning trenches upon it and its ally, sending both staggering back. A discharge of lightning bolts from the true Ghidorah nearly knocked them over, making metal peel away.

Monster X began to float, not of his volition but as a result of the serpentine neck twirling around him to form an impregnable barrier. The extradimensional void continued its slow descent towards him, gingerly and carefully in contrast to the madness being sowed around them. As beams and projectiles assailed and were turned away, the other kaiju desperately trying to stop whatever was about to occur, Monster X’s hand lifted into the air.

His finger touched the visage of God, thin streaks of electricity racing between them.

Kaziya fell to his knees, clutching his head as he screamed. Information flowed into Monster X’s mind and into his own, an overwhelming sea of madness that threatened to break his consciousness in two. Mathematical formulas describing higher dimensions, the casting aside of the physical form like a serpent shedding its skin to reach them and become something supreme, all of history laid out like a line on a board.

Metphies put a hand on his shoulder. ”Focus on what is foremost, what he wishes you to know.”

The Keizer did as he was told, focusing on the nodule of data that stood out the most, blotting out everything else in this cacophony of information. Reaching out, he “grasped” it, and understood it and it alone.

”Transfer your power to your monstrous scion. That Keizer energy, grant it unto him through the ship. Feel no fear, I shall let you pass over.”

With a deep, shaky breath, Kaziya got to his feet. He sweat heavily, hair greasy and clinging to his brow, but he looked outwards via monitor at what surrounded the ship. As the true Ghidorah promised, the three heads simply watched as the vessel approached, having lowered Monster X to the ground.

They parted, letting the golden orb come to halt directly above the draconic knight. The other monsters stood back, knowing that any movements they made would be halted by the all-seeing eyes above. Long term thinking, how to escape this alive, that did not dwell through their minds. Only the here and now mattered, every instant a goal.

Kaziya planted a hand on the floor, digging deep within himself. A white luminescence began to radiate off of his form, intensifying with every second. Metphies watched with awe, the bead in his eye socket transmitting the information to a pleased void god.

Monster X looked up, awaiting his ascendance. While his mind too had been overwhelmed by his contact with the absolute, it had held stronger than his genetic predecessor. In that communion he had seen the truth within himself, the beast hidden away. Where before he only had glances, the wings emerging from his back in that fateful moment so long ago, now he knew what it truly was. He had seen its full glory, his true splendor.

Monster X was thankful. To God above, and to Kaziya, for finally undoing the chains around his soul.

Metphies watched as the monitors around him were taken over by a golden infinity symbol against a radiant background, the machinery’s only response to the power flowing through them. He supposed it was an attempt to calculate it, but that energy of supremacy was beyond their comprehension. All they could do was direct it, the entire ship shimmering along its patterns with that resplendent glow. Kaziya shouted, forcing his might downwards. The three prongs of the golden mothership emitted deific beams, meeting in the middle and launching downwards as one. The ray bearing endless might bathed Monster X, disappearing into his humanoid form as he let it soak into his flesh and bones. After a few seconds, it faded, Kaziya slumping over as he took in deep breaths. Metphies helped him to his feet, commanding the ship back away.

“You’ve done your part. Now simply watch.” Kaziya complied with the priest’s words, heart feeling like it was about to jump out of his chest.

Monster X stood still for a moment, an instant that felt like eternity. Smoke billowed out of his mouth as he began to shake, the half-formed visages upon his shoulders jittering as new flesh bubbled out from them. He crouched down, hands slamming into the ground hard enough to crack it. Secondary eyes formed opposite those that already existed in his side skulls, turning them into true heads. A glowing heat radiated off his brow like lava, forming crisscrossing lines.

Far away, on the ground, Landes watched the wings erupt from his back. Gold and black limbs which expanded with leathery fabric, stretching out to cast a horrendous shadow upon the world. She averted her eyes, not wanting to see the true face of what had haunted her nightmares for years, then ran into the pod emerging from the ground.

Armor of a similar color to the wings formed, racing down his limbs to coat them. Hands morphed into clawed feet, thick like trees and bearing sharp blades fit to slice through any armor like paper. The same occurred to his pre-existing legs, transforming the humanoid into a quadruped. A thick, barrel-shaped chest took form, as twin tails like whips extended behind him.

Godzilla tried to run forward, but his feet would not move. He felt like he was witnessing something inevitable, the culmination of events set into motion long before he was born and that would resonate into the future long after he died.

Monster X’s now three heads stretched upwards, elongating into serpentine forms. The horrid crimson glow of his eyes remained, but now they were being surrounded in that thick, stained armor. It was like gold coated in oil, dark blue veins running down the necks. On the left, a trio of thick, short horns protruded from the brow, forming a wicked crown. The right, twin spikes rose up and curved backwards. And finally, the center, neck longer than the others and towering above all, bore pristine antlers.

A horrendous screech left the trio of maws, not the deep bellows of Monster X, but a raspy wheeze. The last air being forced from the universe’s lungs, the cry of a vulture ready to feast upon existence’s corpse, the cumulative death knell of all life. Those rancid cries grinded against the heroes’ ears and caused whatever Xiliens remained alive to bear witness curl into themselves in fear.

Godzilla broke past his fear, charging forward. He had never run with such determination, eyes narrowed as he rushed at the abomination before him. Terror filled every vein in his body, pressed down on every scale, but that pushed him forward harder. Whatever had just come forth needed to die, for the sake of Earth, for all worlds. The king of the monsters pulled his arm back, swinging it forward with all his might. A war cry rose from his lungs as he threw a powerful punch.

A crack echoed, loud and clear.

Godzilla’s breathing quickened as he lifted his hand, seeing his fingers broken and bent in differing directions. Then he looked up, six eyes staring down at him, an ocean of oblivion bolstered by malice.

Kaziya stepped forwards, eyes transfixed on what Monster X had become. He understood it now, his role in the machinations of the Exif and the god of the void. It was to birth this uncontested might, the strongest monster in the universe. He had brought about the rise of a nihilistic messiah to reap the cosmos clean. A dragon of desolation superior to King Ghidorah; the emperor of terror.

“Keizer Ghidorah.”

 

Chapter 13: He Is Risen

With a hoarse call of damnation, Keizer Ghidorah reared up, front legs lifting into the air. His thick feet crashed down upon Godzilla’s shoulders, ripping them out of their sockets with a deafening pop, and continued pressing down. The leviathan screamed as flesh and muscle tore like paper, viscera spraying from where his arms once were. The chest of the new dragon bashed against his skull, casting him to the ground where he flailed and writhed.

With a shriek of horror, Rodan bolted forwards, the winds kicking up as he raced to aid his friend. Keizer Ghidorah stared at Godzilla’s agonizing body, watching the blood spray lessen as his regeneration worked overtime. The monster king’s severed arms twitched, prompting the beast of the apocalypse to crush them underfoot, bone crumbling into dust.

The king of the skies arrived, rapidly pulling up his body and clapping his wings together. A blade of compressed wind shot forth, aimed at the throats of his foe. The crescent of air crashed into the armor, dispersing like the waves against the shore. All the pteranodon had succeeded in doing was pulling that heart-palpitating gaze in his direction.

Lunging forward, the center head of the desolation’s apex crashed into Rodan’s stomach, shattering the armor like dried wood. Torrents of ichor sprayed from the sky monster’s beak as he was hurled from the sky, crashing to the stone floor of the world rapidly becoming a tomb. Keizer Ghidorah prepared to charge forward, but a pair of feet crashed into his chest. Godzilla, tail straining against the ground, tried to lift his foe up.

Jaws sank into flesh, the outer heads of the strongest dragon lurching down and biting Godzilla’s legs. Whipping upwards, he tossed the monster king over himself, the strongest monster of Earth howling in fear as he was sent flying for miles. Galloping forward, Keizer Ghidorah approached the rising Rodan, who screeched as he unleashed a Uranium Heat Ray in desperation. It glanced off the dread armor, scorching the ground below as the approach of death inexorably continued.

Keizer Ghidorah let loose a joyous screech, a foul proclamation, as he swung a foot up and into Rodan’s face. Claws punctured keratin and bone, the force sending cracks rapidly moving through the pteranodon’s beak. Rodan’s face sprayed gore as his bill was shattered like glass, shards sent flying down his now open throat. The culmination of God’s machinations cackled as he watched his foe spiral through the air, coming to a harsh and ungracious landing far away. That laughter, so wretched, only grew as he finally heard Godzilla land like a bomb in the distance.

King Ghidorah, finally stirred into action by the commands of the Xiliens, soared into the air and conjured a Big Spark Ball. His heart pounded in his ears as he gathered power into it, Keizer Ghidorah acknowledging his actions with a glare but doing nothing to stop him. With a shout, the demon king of the universe let the surging orb of electrical devastation fly free, the air crackling as it soared.

And with three golden rays from his mouths, the inevitable extinction of the cosmos caught it with his Destroyed Keizer Beams. His six eyes scanned the mightiest attack his inferior predecessor could output, a field of antigravity suspending it in the air. Then, he sent it back, the orb growing from the energy added to it from his beams.

King Ghidorah’s eyes widened as he hurled himself higher into the air, only narrowly avoiding the xanthic singularity due to his lost tails. The horizon was filled with light as it detonated, tremors rattling the moon as all sound was replaced with an omnipresent rushing of wind.

***

Kaziya stumbled as his ship tilted from the blast, Metphies standing perfectly still despite it all. This moment of chaos, although swiftly fading already, served to bring the prodigy a bitter clarity.

“The Exif organized this war.” He said to his… Well, he was not sure what to consider the priest at this point.

“Indeed we did. The Giant Dark Emperor’s presence, at least.” Metphies replied, no longer hiding anything. “Your father’s reconstruction of the supercomputer, and the Garoga’s assault which begat the idea, we played no part in. Perhaps Ghidorah did, but if so, he did not inform us.”

“Why? You told me I am the final piece, but for what purpose? What role do I and Keizer Ghidorah play in God’s schemes? And how could it have organized this all?”

“Our God inhabits an extra-dimensional space, mostly incapable of interacting with our world except for in specific circumstances. As I said, we saw the future, and there was nothing but Ghidorah. Yet, he still acts now, outside of time. Past, present, and future are all the same to him, the flowing of time is a river which he sits by the side of. He can alter the course of events, see how those changes germinate, and respond accordingly. Which leads us to you.”

Kaziya’s blood chilled as the gaze of the entropic deity fell upon him, through the gem where one of Metphies’ eyes once was.

“You bear a power unique amongst mortals, a perfect rolling of the genetic dice to tap into an energy signature even the most advanced sciences struggle to comprehend. You have labeled it as being a Keizer. It gives you unlimited potential, and as you can see, when transferred to a fitting kaiju, it results in a devastating might unmatched in the universe.”

***

Missiles fell upon Keizer Ghidorah’s body, Mechagodzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah springing into action. Explosions tried to scar his immaculate form, but failed to leave even slight marks. The cyborg drew closer, expelling freezing mist as the full machine hung back and lowered the hatch on its chest. Before anything they were doing could actually connect, Destroyed Keizer Beams flew forth once more.

The two machines cut off power to their weapons, flying in opposite directions. The golden rays on the outskirts split off, moving through the air to follow the robotic warriors. Artificial screams resounded as the false dragon and leviathan were driven downwards, their backs melting and fraying apart under just one of the beams he could now discharge.

Keizer Ghidorah scanned the battlefield, hoping for resistance to be able to test his new power some more. Rodan had only managed to turn himself over onto his ravaged stomach, avoiding drowning in his own blood. King Ghidorah stood on the ground, fighting the commands being sent by his masters with every inch of will he had. Mechagodzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah were slowly climbing back to their feet, movements stuttering from both mechanical issues and due to their computer brains struggling to calculate a means of victory.

A series of rapid thuds alerted the final destroyer to the approach of his remaining foe. Curling his tails in opposite directions, he whipped them backwards, earning a cry of pain as they clamped down onto Godzilla’s midsection, shredding flesh. To the dragon’s shock, he felt hands grasp the appendages, pulling hard.

***

“What could that thing possibly want with me?” Kaziya demanded. “What have I done to earn the attention of such a being?”

“I just said, your power. It is the key to ascension, the bypassing of physical limitations. Keizer Ghidorah is awe-inspiring now, this is true, but understand something vital. What you are seeing now is merely the beginning.”

“Physical limitations…” That choice of words stuck with Kaziya, his mind turning them over.

“He shall journey all across the cosmos, destroying and devouring. His energy shall grow like a raging fire the more kindling is funneled into it, until eventually it breaks free of the shell that is his flesh and bone to spread its wings over the cosmos.”

The young man’s eyes widened. He understood now. The twisting of time, the orchestration of war to bring about Keizer Ghidorah, everything became clear with those words. “No,” he stumbled back, leaning against a wall as he slumped down it. “No, no, no.” He practically whispered.

He wanted to be mad, to spring up and drive his fist through Metphies’ chest, but the energy to do so just would not arise. Everything he thought he knew had been dashed against the rocks. He was not the master of his own destiny. Kaziya, the great Keizer, the first union of human and Xilien DNA, was merely a gear in a celestial machine dedicated to a single goal.

***

Godzilla, arms still forming muscle and skin, tried to lift Keizer Ghidorah off the ground. The destined end turned, eyes blazing into the determined expression of the leviathan. That visage was a screaming void, a black hole with teeth, but the monster of justice stood before that nightmare and kept pulling.

Keizer Ghidorah shrieked in genuine surprise as Godzilla lifted him into the air, prepared to slam him into the ground like a hammer. However, the second pull hit resistance. Looking up, the hero of Earth saw the emperor of terror floating above him, unmoving against gravity and the might of the monster king.

The twin tails pulled their way out of his grasp, sending Godzilla staggering a step. He twisted on one foot, firing an atomic ray into the underbelly of his foe. Keizer Ghidorah stood motionless in the air, letting the stream of superheated gas burn against him, slowly spreading his wings.

Realizing that this was failing, Godzilla turned again, pointing his beam at the ground. Leaping, he let its pressure send him flying, intent on crashing against Keizer Ghidorah like a missile. With the beat of his wings, the quadrupedal dragon avoided the body of his foe, jaws opening to fill with light.

Godzilla’s howl of pain echoed across Planet X as he was sent flying, golden power tearing apart his abdomen. With exposed ribs and organs, he smashed into the ground at high speeds, rolling across the barren rocks for several hundred meters. Wheezing, he planted his hands on the ground, pushing himself up. He had just finished repairing his arms and now his cellular replenishment needed to heal his midsection, a film forming over his wounds to keep in and out what should be which.

Keizer Ghidorah landed before him, watching him intently. Breathing heavily, Godzilla got back to his feet. He put up his fists, and spreading his feet slightly, he took a martial arts stance. The strongest monster in the universe took note of the fire still burning in his foe’s eyes.

Did he not understand the scope of his predicament? That he could not win?

Godzilla did understand. He knew full well that this was his final battle. That he would never see his other allies again, nor his son. That their fates were sealed too, Earth surely this monstrosity’s next target.

But that would not stop him. Godzilla, the king of the monsters, would never stop fighting until he was forced to. Before God, before inevitable fate, he would stand tall and make it known to the entire universe.

The spirit of Earth and her children would never die.

Lunging forwards, Godzilla threw multiple punches into the chest of Keizer Ghidorah. He made sure to swing them with the right amount of force to avoid breaking his own hands again, the strikes ringing like gunshots. The destroyer’s left head swung down like a pendulum, dislocating Godzilla’s shoulder with its impact. Stepping back, the monster of justice grabbed his disjointed limb with his other hand and forced it back into place. Jumping back into battle, he twisted, sending his tail cracking like a whip against the perfect evil’s heads. They bashed against one another, rasping in frustration.

Three sets of jaws came down, but Godzilla launched himself backwards with his atomic ray once more, leaving them to bite superheated air. He kicked a boulder at Keizer Ghidorah, which shattered like pottery against his armor. Oblivion’s scion hissed, growing tired of this pitiful resistance.

What good did a final stand accomplish? To proclaim that he would never give in, that was not bravery, it was stupidity. A pathetic flailing against inevitability. Who would care but him, and how could Godzilla care after he was dead?

The monster king leapt up, grabbing Keizer Ghidorah’s center head and yanking down. Feet firmly on the ground, he thrashed the antlered visage, trying to break it in some way. Straining his neck muscles, the emperor of terror lifted Godzilla back into the air, then launched his other two skulls into his gut like fists.

Keizer Ghidorah’s outer necks rolled as they repeatedly crashed into his foe’s abdomen, pushing him up and keeping him suspended as he refused to let go of the central face. Feeling his organs become pulp under the hellacious barrage, he charged power through his body, spines illuminating with light.

Nuclear fire blazed from his maw, spilling over Keizer Ghidorah’s visage as he poured everything he could into it. The heat made him thrash about, throwing Godzilla back and forth, but still he held firm even as the skin on his fingers peeled away, continuing with his onslaught.

Screaming in pain as his eyes burned, Keizer Ghidorah reared up, forelegs clamping down on Godzilla’s sides and pulling him down. A crater formed as he was sent crashing into the surface, the engine of universal calamity stumbling back as he flailed. He blinked rapidly, the other two heads cringing from the shared ache.

Godzilla got back to his feet, and he laughed. He clapped his hands together, bouncing up and down as he mocked the supreme devastation.

His mirth ceased as a beam ripped through his kneecap, vaporizing it and a large stretch of ground behind him. The leviathan screamed as he plummeted, looking to the hole burnt clean through his leg with shock. A chorus of wheezing shouts filled the air, drawing his eyes back to the approaching destroyer. Hatred was etched on every face, the shadow of the void falling over him. The original Ghidorah peered over the shoulder of his past self, eager to relive this moment all over again.

He would show the monster king what his noble foolishness earned him.

Golden beams shot forth from all three maws once more, but instead of ripping into his victim, they encased him in a golden field. The monster of justice tried to flail, but it was like a vice had been placed over every inch of his body, meaning he could only grunt as he was lifted up.

Keizer Ghidorah moved Godzilla to look him in the eye, drinking in the agony frozen onto his face. Unseen mechanisms shifted inside the lord of death’s body, initially having no visible effect. As the seconds passed, the leviathan’s skin was being visibly pressed down from all angles, every single inch having increasing pressure applied.

Rodan’s eye shifted towards his friend’s predicament, but an attempt to move just caused another surge of blood to spew out from the shattered ruins of his beak.

Scales and flesh tore apart, sinking into Godzilla’s innards as bones creaked in protest. He tried to break free, but his muscles did not budge. As blood began to spray out, being captured by the gravity field and sent splashing across his swiftly degrading form, he could only look ahead. His eyelids would not shut no matter how much he tried, leaving him to stare into the crimson pools of hatred and death before him. Godzilla saw horror unrelenting, a wrath to burn creation down and stomp on the ashes. The eyes of King Ghidorah had been filled with madness, a lust for chaos and destruction that bordered on mindlessness, but Keizer Ghidorah’s mind was focused and clear. Every nerve burned with agony, all the pain he had encountered up until this point in his life combined falling short of this torment.

His last coherent thought was of a being that looked quite like him, gazing up from the ground with eyes that were still adjusting to the world.

Even the most wicked of the spectators cringed when Godzilla’s ribs all snapped like twigs at once, embedding themselves into organs which were now being liquefied. The king of the monsters could not even let loose a sound as the breaking point was reached, the crushing gravity imploding him all at once. Geysers of gore escaped the golden field, painting the barren rock with viscera. A grotesque sound echoed out, a moist echo with shattering bones barely audible. Keizer Ghidorah’s Antigravity Beams now held a mass of crimson, a colossal lump that had once been Earth’s savior. The emperor of terror held it above his heads, and released his hold.

Bathed in the remains of a being he held indescribable hatred for, the nihilistic messiah let loose a wretched scream of absolute pleasure. The liquid remnants of Godzilla dripped off his form, seeping into the cracks in the ground. Intestines were draped across his back, which one head reached around and seized in its jaws, tossing it to the other two to rend apart. They ate not a morsel of it, letting the shredded remains all fall to the dirt.

***

On Earth, a lone figure walked through the ashen fields. A small, grey figure whimpered as he moved across the wastelands, a spark of life driving him.

For the past few months, he had been forced to survive on his own. The child struggled for every meal. He had been battered, bruised, sliced, and so much more in his battles with the other monsters who prowled the wastes. Pain was no stranger, especially emotionally.

His father had been pulled away in the midst of slumber, leaving him alone. In a dying world, where the Sun did not shine and the maddened weather tore apart everything in its path, he was a child clinging to life. He believed that his father would return one day, as he always had. Against demons from the stars, the cruelties of the universe descended to Earth in order to claim it. No matter how bad the threat was, his father would always return, taking him in his arms to embrace and reassure him.

That was why he kept going, to see him again.

Suddenly, he felt a shift in the air. The child looked up into the sky, guided by senses humanity had never fully understood. His mind registered a loss, a single demise in a universe of infinite lives. But to him, that one life was everything. That one death…

Minilla fell over, curling into himself. Tears flowed from his eyes, falling onto the ashes below. The winds picked up, a storm that began to bury the monster prince. He recalled his father’s embrace as snow fell over both, the rough beast keeping alive a tiny life in the freezing cold.

The ash overtook him, obscuring him from all sight, never to rise again.

***

Rodan let out a choked cry of sorrow, trying to force himself to his feet. He watched as Mechagodzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah stepped forward and fired their respective lasers, but Keizer Ghidorah met their assault with his beams. The harbinger of the end gathered the five beams into one bundle with his three and pushed the combined attack back, Rodan’s eyes flinching shut as the harsh luminance of their collision radiated over his limp body.

Artificial cries of pain rang out as the two robots were hurled back by a terrible explosion, the shockwave sliding Rodan’s body across the rough stone. Blood and pain erupted from his savaged mouth, but as an armored foot stopped his movement, the king of the skies understood that it was about to end.

Unfortunately, he also knew that that end would come after an apex of anguish.

Keizer Ghidorah reached down with his jaws, lifting Rodan by the wing. The pteranodon wanted to throw up at the sight of his best friend’s remains scattered over the sovereign of obliteration’s wretched form. The threefold mind of the emperor pondered for a moment what to do next, then settled on it with a sharp exhale.

Taking both of the sky monster’s wings in his jaws, Keizer Ghidorah ripped them off with the ease of tearing paper, the bones moistly popping out of the joints. Rodan was not allowed to hit the ground, the pain leaving him unable to scream, as the messiah’s center maw caught him by the throat.

The memory of Rodan slamming into King Ghidorah’s stomach hard enough to make the destroyer plummet to the dirt of Earth flashed in the dread one’s mind.

Flipping Rodan around like a sack of potatoes, Keizer Ghidorah had the pteranodon’s neck in his right jaws and his thin legs in the left. Rising his central skull high like an executioner’s axe, the strongest monster in the universe let out a foul scream before bringing it down onto Rodan’s spine.

The action broke the former king of the skies in half, sending a mass of guts plummeting to the ravaged stones below, splattering upon impact. Rodan died instantly, a single moment of absolute pain the last thing his mind felt before darkness seized it.

And with that, the Rodan species was extinct.

***

“It is no surprise that you are reduced to such a state.” Metphies stated, standing over Kaziya. “I wish I had more properly aligned you to the Exif belief over our time together, but you are both smart and impulsive. I could not risk you sniffing out the truth of my goals, lest it all come crashing down.”

“How could I have stopped it if this was all orchestrated since before I was born? Before my entire species was born!” His voice dripped with dread and sorrow, eyes wide between his fingers as he held his face. “This is it, isn’t it? My purpose is done, and thus I will not leave Planet X except as part of the energy coursing through your lord. Do I have that right?”

Metphies was silent for a moment, eye twitching slightly. “This moon, along with the gas giant it orbits, will be devoured by Ghidorah, yes. You will not leave this world alive. Did my words before not resonate with you? Do you still wish to cling to life despite everything that has occurred, that has been done? What do you have left?”

Kaziya paused for several seconds. “I-I don’t know.” His voice lacked its power, its bravado. He tried to speak further, but the words would not properly form.

“I see.” Metphies said, still as unreadable as ever. Whether it was genuine sympathy or condescension, Kaziya was unsure. “To sever yourself from the base instinct to survive, it is difficult, especially for one as vigorous as you. But what is done cannot be undone. I will grant you one last request, then. Go and see your family.”

Kaziya shifted, looking up at the priest. “Did your god not destroy the Vabaruda?”

“Yes, but Landes is still alive. She escaped, and now moves towards your father. Go and see them, if that will make your death more,” he halted for a brief moment. “Comfortable.”

The prodigy of two soon to be dead races got to his feet. Unsureness was still etched upon his face, but he began to walk anyway. He said no words as he left, Metphies able to tell that he was only going because it was all he could do.

“I wonder how comforting you will truly find it.”

***

Keizer Ghidorah, foot crushing Rodan’s remains, looked around. Mechagodzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah were his only foes left, King Ghidorah still standing in place. He did not appear to be under mind control anymore, which the oblivion messiah attributed to the true Ghidorah beginning to wrap around the planet, slowly but surely. In normal circumstances, he knew this world would already be dead, but the golden demise seemed to be drawing this out for his sake, which Keizer Ghidorah appreciated.

A massive Triple Laser Beam burned against his side, making him flinch. Tracing it back to its source, he saw the cyborg dragon combining the rays of all three heads into one stream of power. Cutting it off, his “sibling” turned and ran, wings carrying it away. With a snarl, he prepared to shoot Mecha-King Ghidorah down, only for a Cross Attack Ray to strike his other side. By the time he turned towards Mechagodzilla, the obsidian machine was already fleeing, Unisot having been recovered and placed back into its proper position.

Hissing, he levitated off the ground, pursuing Mecha-King Ghidorah. He knew not what trick they were trying to play, but it would be pointless.

***

“Excellent. Just keep him distracted for as long as possible.” Zagreth commanded into a radio, a wicked smile across her face as she stepped into an entrance pod to the old settlement.

She examined the gun she carried one more time, putting it back into its holster.

***

Kaziya landed, legs bending to minimize shock as he rolled. He had been drained of much of his energy, but he retained enough to still be beyond any other Xilien. In fact, as he arose and began to walk, he felt that drawing out so much of it at once had made him feel more attuned to it in some way.

In contrast to how the surface had been when he first dropped, it was quiet now. The crunching of stones beneath his boots was audible, nearly echoing across the desolate landscape. Where once fighting had filled the air with explosions, screams, and the whirring of ships, now there was only the perpetual hum of the wings of demise overhead, slowly encircling the world. Fires crackled from the ruins of vessels taken down before God’s arrival, but they failed to break the monotonous noise that settled over Planet X.

It was fitting, for his mind rang too. He shambled over the wastes, thoughts billowing through his brain like half-formed clouds. The only point of focus was seeing his father and sister again, but for what end was hazy. Kaziya did not know how they would react to him, or even how he would react upon seeing them. His fractured heart and mind may be willing to forgive his father in the last moments of their lives, or perhaps he would die in rage, using his final thoughts and breaths in a display of violence.

After a span of time, unclear to him how long in his disoriented state, the ground rose up to reveal an elevator. Stepping in, he turned to look back at his world.

The golden ship he had declared his command center crashed in a wall of flames off in the distance, a massive chunk taken out of it by the jaws of the end. As the elevator descended, he barely regarded the sight.

Soon the silver of the walls gave way to a hall, which Kaziya stepped into. He walked for a few minutes before a duo of soldiers approached him, guns drawn. “Halt! We will be taking you to the Controller, so put up your-“ one of them had spoken, before his limbs suddenly bent in numerous places they should not have. Bone split and shattered as Kaziya walked past him, the other shakily raising his firearm while trying to focus past the screams of his comrade.

He suddenly was hurled straight upwards, smashing into the ceiling hard enough to snap his neck. The dead Xilien fell like a dropped sack, next to his comrade who was swiftly losing life in anguish.

The Keizer would see his father on his own terms. Rage at being spoken to in such a manner had burned some of the fog away, quickening his pace from a slow shuddering walk to something brisker.

***

Mecha-King Ghidorah continued to fly, internal radars detecting the approach of its foe. The cyborg knew it had no chance of eliminating its enemy, but it had been given a task, and so it would fulfill it.

Golden decimation tore its wings apart like paper sails, casting the cybernetic wyrm from the sky like Icarus. The crashing of over a hundred thousand tons of steel against the rocks echoed for miles, Mecha-King Ghidorah screeching as it attempted to rise. Keizer Ghidorah hovered above, staring down with contempt for the pale imitation of the universe’s pinnacle.

Landing before Mecha-King Ghidorah, who had just pushed itself to its feet, the final destroyer marched forwards. They had been trying to do nothing more than waste his time.

With a shout, the cyborg dragon lashed out at Keizer Ghidorah, but the ultimate dragon tore into its mechanical throats with ruthless fury. Shards of steel flew as his teeth sank into all three necks, wires severing as he flailed his jaws back and forth. The machine screamed as it tried to bathe him in freezing cold, but that only succeeded in making him pull back, nearly severing all three of its necks then and there.

Rearing up with a howl, he slammed his front feet into Mecha-King Ghidorah’s chest, the steel being crushed under the hellacious force. Oil and blood sprayed out from the cracks as dead flesh was visible under crumbling metal, the cyborg dragon smashing into the ground back-first. Mecha-King Ghidorah flailed, screeching as its broken wings beat the ground.

Keizer Ghidorah scoffed. Machines provided no joy, the satisfaction of destruction came from the pain and sorrow of the victim, and an artificial life provided none of that. It was as good as smashing rocks. There was not even any joy to be derived from the slaying of his “sibling”, for in the state he had attained, such quibblings were pointless to him now. What did he care of the past, when the future was filled with endless possibilities?

Mechagodzilla fired upon him, having tracked him down to aid its ally. Missiles harmlessly detonated against his armor as the false leviathan descended, landing and taking up a stance to unleash everything it had. Keizer Ghidorah turned to face the walking fortress, making no move.

Missiles erupted from the fingers, toes, mouth, and knees of the war machine. Flaming bullets erupted from its nostrils. Beams in all the hues of the rainbow launched from the eyes, as a jagged bolt of dark yellow danced out of the machine’s chest. The first version of this machine had brought Godzilla and his mightiest ally to their knees with an assault such as this. The second nearly killed the monster king with its firepower. And this, the third, the strongest version, upgraded immensely…

Was overtaken as Keizer Ghidorah unleashed his golden declaration of finality. Aureate rivers raced through the onslaught, shifting to tear apart the missiles in midair. A cluster of explosions trailed them as they went, two spearing into Mechagodzilla’s hands and tearing them apart as the third took its head off. As the missiles in its fingers became its downfall, detonations raced down its arms as the munitions factory in its body was going up in flames, a spherical glass casing sat where the head had been. It unleashed a blue beam from the black dome, a final attack.

Golden rays left Keizer Ghidorah’s mouths once more, meeting in the middle in front of him and crafting a xanthic circle. The last command Mechagodzilla’s computer sent proved meaningless as the beam struck it, failing to break through as a shower of sparks signified its dissipation.

Mechagodzilla shattered from the inside out, shrapnel of black space titanium flying in all directions as an explosion ruptured the air. Keizer Ghidorah ceased his barrier, then began to fly into the sky, body twisting to face the helpless Mecha-King Ghidorah.

Sitting directly above his mechanical counterpart, the dread messiah began to gather power. It looked as though stars formed in his open jaws, the Destroyed Keizer beams being charged to their maximum. If he could get anything out of the useless machine, at least he could see just how powerful he had truly become.

From a distance, it looked as though a single lance made of pure light had been cast down from Heaven. The surging column of supreme might tore into the ground, vaporizing its target as almost a side effect. Stone was pulverized into dust as unimaginable pressure cratered the ground, cracks rippling out in all directions.

The entirety of Planet X shuddered, not lightly like in a tectonic event, but violently. The face of the moon was torn asunder, as though a great asteroid had impacted. Walls of debris and dust, miles high, rushed over the battered landscape like a tsunami.

Keizer Ghidorah simply surveyed the damage and cackled. He had almost broken it in half! The idea of what he could do to a healthy planet danced throughout his mind, only intensifying his wretched jubilation.

***

The whir of a door opening raised Yoshamura’s eyebrow, prompting him to turn to see Landes escorted by two soldiers. “Here is your daughter, sir. We’ve made sure she has no weapons.” As the man spoke, the heiress simply stood there, staring at her father.

“Yes, very good.” The elderly man, voice hoarser than she remembered, waved them off. “Leave us.”

Nodding, the duo departed, leaving the room quiet as the father and daughter remained. Landes wanted to speak first, but she could not bring the words up as she took in her father’s appearance. He was astonishingly pale, even for their species. Wrinkles marred his skin, shifting as he breathed heavily from the machine hooked to his nostrils. His eyes were hidden by a visor, but the prodigal daughter did not need to see them to know he fundamentally hurt.

“So you have finally returned.” He began. “After rejecting the Xiliens in favor of another kind’s dictator, you finally come crawling back.”

“Our planet is dying, and this is how you greet me.” She replied, disgusted. “If I have to justify myself, it’s because you left me no choice. I’m your daughter, and you treat me like this? How could I align myself with such a philosophy?”

The old Xilien arose from his chair, shaking. “Such a philosophy? The Xiliens flourished for centuries under the influence of the supercomputer, how can you declare it to be something wrong? We were far better off than we were with humanity’s tainted ways in our souls! We wanted for nothing! There was no reliance except upon ourselves!”

Landes started to tear up, making the old man shudder more. “You know that’s wrong.” Her voice cracked. “I know you don’t believe that, I remember you and mom, how happy you were! How much you loved me and Kazi…” She trailed off at his name.

“Do not say his- his name.” The Controller choked up. Swallowing, he continued. “What is the point of happiness that doesn’t last?” Landes could tell he had wanted to yell that, but his voice lacked the strength. “When all we can do with it now is look back upon it with bitterness and pain?” He stepped forward, making her flinch back.

“One of those men that escorted you here?” He continued. “The one who spoke? That was the man whose daughter you saw prematurely born. He came to me after that horrible day and told me that he would rather be plunged back into the coldness of the calculations than have to hold that pain in his heart.” The sides of his visor were leaking tears as he wavered. “I agreed with him. Oh god, I agreed with him.” A raspy whimper rolled out of his throat, which he breathed back in.

“She wouldn’t have wanted this, I didn’t want this!” Landes screamed, crying by this point. “You’re the one who brought this all upon us! Because you couldn’t live without her!”

“I wasn’t living before I met her!” He found the wrath to shout. “What was I supposed to do? Every time I looked at the portrait of you and your brother, I was reminded only of my failu-“ he coughed, violently. A hacking cough which made him stumble, Landes rushing over and bringing him back to his chair. Upon his desk she noticed a picture frame turned face-down. Lifting it, she saw the image of their family, far happier expressions than what they bore now.

Landes sighed. She was not sure how she truly felt, and was simply letting emotions flow to whatever conclusion they would reach. It was all she could do.

“The supercomputer’s stopped working.” Yoshamura admitted, head lulling to the side. “It went haywire when that thing arrived, and now that it’s wrapping around Planet X, the computer shut down. It could not calculate whatever that abomination is, and so the more it acted, the worse things became.”

“It’s the Exif, they summoned it.” Landes revealed. “I did not hear much, but I know it’s their God. They played us for fools. It’s all been them, this war was their doing.”

“They did not tell me to rebuild the master computer. All they did was separate you and your brother, and for that I will never forgive them.” His voice was weak, pitiful. “I loved you both, more than I ever did myself. You two and Nicole were my world, and I decided after she died that I would rather not live in a fractured world then drag you both down with my pathetic existence.”

“Then why did you intend on connecting us to that awful machine?”

“Because I did not want you two to feel any more pain. No more strife or heartache, I believed that would be for the best.” He removed his visor, putting his hand over his weeping eyes. His voice shook with every word. Yoshamura finally met his daughter eye to eye, showing her the window to his tormented soul.

“I realize now, far too late, that you and Kaziya would have never wanted that. That’s what makes you human, like your mother. That light of a heart and free willed mind, I was merely illuminated by it like a lizard in the sun. You two,” he put a hand to her face, wiping away the tears that poured from her eyes. “Truly hold that radiance. I shoved you two away because I did not want to be reminded, but-” he coughed again, his internal turmoil having run roughshod over his health.

Landes hugged her father, who took a moment to return the embrace. “I was afraid.” She said, sounding like the child he remembered. “Of you and Kaziya. I heard so much of how evil the Xiliens used to be, saw how bleak the hearts and lives of those who still wanted to be part of the master computer were. And Kaziya, I saw him as a monster. I’ve been afraid of him ever since I saw a glimpse of Monster X’s true self, and what he did on that day only reaffirmed it. I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. I should have been there for you two the very next day after Nicole died, but I failed as a father. I failed as a leader. I know you can never forgive me, but please at least know that I have regretted everything I’ve done except for loving Nicole, and bringing you two into this world.” He was sobbing by this point too, words nearly illegible, but still as clear as crystal to the only person who needed to hear them.

The room, alongside the whole facility, shook as though in an earthquake. Landes clutched her father tighter, letting loose a terrified screech. It felt as though the place would collapse, but as the seconds dragged on, it stayed strong.

“I wish Kaziya was here.”

“Me too, Landes. I need to speak with him one more time, and then I may die with some semblance of peace.”

***

The tapping of Metphies’ boots against the steel floor was only audible against the distant, muffled thudding of the outside world’s collapse due to the absolute silence hanging over what was once a living space. He calmly, almost gingerly, walked through the settlement he’d been in to convince the Keizer of his divine purpose when they first met.

Torn apart bodies decorated the floor, their viscera painting the walls and ceiling. The priest of the end met the gaze of a smashed open visage, his single eye locking with the perpetual stare of eyes detached from their sockets.

He questioned why the man had even tried, bothered engaging Kaziya. Was the supercomputer’s hold so iron-tight that basic self preservation did not flare up in the mind? No matter which way Kaziya came in from, Metphies could see that the Xilien would have had to watch his comrades be butchered before his own fate descended like a hammer.

The priest continued his march, uncaring as his feet dipped into the sticky, acrid mess that coated the floor like a cake’s icing. Philosophers across creation spoke of free will, sapient life was viewed as having it universally, but Metphies disagreed. Could one really call it a free choice to stand before death in service of a greater power? Not just the supercomputer’s slaves, but the Giant Dark Emperor’s followers too, and even those who had called him an ally a few short hours ago. They all threw themselves into the maw of death for the sake of something grander than themselves.

And that was free will? The pressure from his footstep made an intestine spurt its gathered fluid outwards, staining a torn Xilien uniform with shit and blood. All these things were the result of choice, of beings in control of themselves?

Surrounded by death, walking towards what he knew would be a truly grotesque scene, he was only more affirmed in his philosophy. In his race’s decision to follow their religion.

Free will did not exist. The intelligent lifeform was still a savage beast of instinct, with only the mental power to realize that fact and languish over it.

A living figure turned the corner, making Metphies tilt his head in surprise. The female Xilien looked at him, wielding a laser gun which she pointed in his direction. Realizing it was an Exif, she went to pull the trigger, but found she could not.

“Zagreth, yes?” Metphies calmly asked, staring into her eyes. She just kept trying to fire her weapon, but no matter how hard she willed it, her finger would not depress the switch. “You must be, if you survived the Vabaruda’s destruction.”

She finally noticed the gem where one of his eyes had once been, cringing at the sight. “Why can’t I fire!” She cursed, before breathing in. She prepared to unleash her paralytic spit, but the genetically engineered trait would not activate. “What the hell is going on!?”

“What do you seek here?” Metphies asked her, voice still like a pristine lake, but the words thundered in her head. Zagreth found herself unable to break her vision from his eyes, which dug into her soul with a piercing gaze.

She understood the scope of her predicament when the swaying heads of the true Ghidorah seemed to manifest from his shadow. “What’s it to you?” She spat, trying to retain some sense of control.

Visions of apocalyptic devastation rippled through her mind, countless worlds being devoured by the void. Civilizations sinking to their darkest depths and inviting him to feast. Zagreth screamed, falling to her knees as she clutched her head. Monsters of all shapes and sizes being dragged into Ghidorah’s maws, torn to shreds and drained until all that remained were empty husks. Infinite death, endless fear, inevitable annihilation. She was curled up in the fetal position by this point. The very universe, not a sphere, but a swirling funnel with God’s waiting jaws at the bottom.

“Stop, stop! Please!” Her mind felt like it was about to shatter like glass. “I want to kill those jackasses who started this war!”

“Us?” Metphies asked.

“No, that goddamn family!” The mental assault ended as swiftly as it had begun, Zagreth breathing heavily as sweat coated her face. “Yoshamura, Kaziya, and Landes. They’re the reason everything’s going to Hell!”

The priest was genuinely stunned. “Do you not realize that we Exif orchestrated this all?”

“Yeah, but you’re the only one left, and you wouldn’t have been able to do it anyway if they weren’t so goddamn stupid.” Zagreth hissed as she got to her feet, holstering her weapon. “I know we’re fucked, but I don’t care. I was supposed to be the richest, most beautiful woman in the universe, but they ruined it, and so I want to ruin them.”

Suddenly, she knew where they were in the facility and how to get there. “Huh-“

Metphies just smiled. “Go. I am eager to learn something.”

***

When Keizer Ghidorah returned, his lesser counterpart waited for him. The king of terror and the emperor locked eyes, the former unsure of how to proceed. The shimmering god above them looked down, peering through their souls. Keizer Ghidorah marched forwards, stepping right up to King Ghidorah, towering over him.

And lurched down, sinking his three sets of jaws into the throats of his genetic predecessor. The former demon king of the cosmos let out a choked shriek as teeth punctured his windpipes, his muffled cries fading as the dark blue of the strongest monster in creation began to glow brightly. King Ghidorah’s energy was being pulled from his form, imbibed by his replacement as the universe’s source of fear.

For a moment, he kicked his feet futilely, wings beating in an attempt to free himself. But the vine-like necks of the oblivion god shifted as all three heads moved to meet the flesh and bone King Ghidorah’s gaze. Eyes of pure crimson pierced into his very core, the sight reigniting the memory of his birth.

And in that moment, he understood everything. Amidst his flaming incarnation upon the mortal realm, those same eyes peering from the black portal. The true King Ghidorah was his “father”. And the beast that currently drew sustenance from his encroaching death…

Keizer Ghidorah met the same gaze, realization dawning upon him as well.

The golden demise was beyond time. The construct mortals were trapped within did not confine him, he sat above it. He saw all things, could descend at any point, for he walked beside the river of time as opposed to being carried by it.

Even before his own birth was accessible.

The three scions of the eternal void basked in the same knowledge, the sublime truth finally reaching the two still bound by three dimensions. King Ghidorah was merely the stepping stone, placed to sow discord and havoc in order to culminate in Monster X’s birth. The Exif were King Ghidorah’s agents as well, to pull the strings and bring out Monster X’s true power, the merging of the mortal zenith with divinity to create something new.

And now the loop was completed. As Keizer Ghidorah drained the last fragments of King Ghidorah’s life, the pale golden scales falling off like dust clumps as flesh was shrink wrapped around the bone, the destroyer of a thousand worlds had no complaint.

One day, Keizer Ghidorah would ascend even further. Consume enough energy, turn enough galaxies into barren voids and drain the life from them, to attain an apotheosis. To attain the true form of their wretched kind, the ideal and absolute.

And then, the new God would reach back in time, and birth him. In an endless cosmos devoid of meaning, one being had clawed their way out of the prison and grasped purpose. And he got to be part of that. Was vital in the sole reason existence had given to justify itself, a part of that divinity ensuring it would exist.

King Ghidorah carried that with him as life faded, his body crumbling into ash as Keizer relinquished his grip.

The emperor of terror, now truly understanding his purpose, shouted up to the universe. Whatever life still clung to Planet X heard his voice, his decree, felt it in their very bones.

God’s three faces twisted into crooked smiles.

 

Chapter 14: Malnourished Soul Fades

The door to the command room slid open, Yoshamura and Landes’ hearts jumping as they looked towards it.

Those same hearts began to beat rapidly, like the heavy falling of rain, when they saw who was standing at the entrance. Kaziya, head and shoulders slumped, blood and viscera staining his body. He lifted his head, revealing wild eyes which made his family feel like a beast was staring at them.

It was an accurate emotion.

“It’s been so long, traitors!” He screamed, voice cracking as life suddenly seemed to fill him. Rising to a fully upright posture, he stepped forwards. “How have you been, as you defiled the spirit of our race and memory of mother!”

The portrait shattered, making Landes jump backwards with a shriek as Yoshamura fell off his chair. She tried to go to help him up, only for wires to rip out of the floor between them, rising like angry tendrils. “Kaziya, please! At least listen to-“

“To what he has to say?” He shrieked, the wires rising up as more of the steel peeled back. “Why should I?” The Keizer’s voice had suddenly dropped to a much calmer tone, but one that still seethed like a boiling pot about to overflow. “What possible justification could he have? Which excuse will you use?” The cables fell flat as Landes’s arms were pinned to her sides. Her breathing became short but swift, like a great hand was squeezing around her abdomen.

“Such a wondrous lord, that Giant Dark Emperor, huh? Another pawn to those damned Exif, but merely a stepping stone unlike me, the one who handed them exactly what they wanted,” he muttered to himself, brushing blood and sweat caked hair out of his face. “Brought them their God because I was too-“

“Son,” Yoshamura pleaded. “They’re not here. It’s only us, who love you. Not for your power or whatever the Exif wanted, but for you. Please-“

Kaziya bolted over to his father, standing over him like an executioner. “Love? Is it love to condemn your children to an existence of heartlessness? To drive them into the arms of a dead race’s tyrant, to cast them directly into the plot of religious madmen who seek the end of all life?”

“It was, I swear it was, a horribly misguided attempt,” Yoshamura shielded his face with his hand, fully expecting agony at any moment to spear into him. “I’m sorry, son, I’m more sorry than any man has ever been!”

“Sorry doesn’t bring mom back!” The Keizer screamed, the wooden shards of the family picture’s frame being lifted into the air, slowly being pulled over to float above his dad. “Sorry doesn’t undo anything,” he whined. “Not being responsible for the demise of your whole race.” His eyes screwed shut as he looked away, tears trying to break free.

“What happened?” Landes asked, feeling the psychic grip on her loosen. “What did they-“

Her telekinetic vice returned, twice over, making her scream as her bones felt like they’d break. “Don’t talk to me, promise breaker! I know you’ve feared me, what I could do, but still you stayed by my side as we promised!” He was crying at this point, unable to restrain his emotions anymore. “Until you saw me fighting, until you actually got to see what I was capable of, then suddenly I was a monster! We’ve been all we had for a decade, but one moment ruins it?”

“How could I know you wouldn’t kill me?” She screamed back, making him reel as though he’d been punched. “Seeing you just so easily take lives, it scared me, because I know you’ve been thrashing under the surface of your mind for the past decade! Waiting for the time to lash out! When you hit dad, I knew something had changed in your soul, that nobody was safe.”

“I would have never harmed you! Landes, you are my sister! My only connection to this godforsaken world!” He let her go, tossed the wooden shards to the side of the room. He breathed in, tried to swallow, but he could not. “And I’ve still doomed you.” He morosely stated as he sat on the desk. “Doomed everyone.” His hands went over his eyes, the mightiest mortal in the cosmos crying bitterly.

Landes stood there, considering the words for a moment. “What is that thing? The golden serpents, and Monster X? What did he become?”

Yoshamura struggled to get up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. “When we combined your DNA with King Ghidorah’s, it caused a reaction that we had to stifle. Monster X was never the true form of the being we created, instead it was a shell we crafted to contain whatever endless wellspring was born of the combination.”

“Keizer Ghidorah.” Kaziya quietly proclaimed. “He has become Keizer Ghidorah, and one day, he shall shed even that cocoon to become the end of all existence. The Exif-“ he grit his teeth. “Metphies. He wanted me to facilitate the birth of their God, a being they witnessed in the future who has swallowed all light and darkness to replace it with himself. That is what is wrapping around Planet X right now, condemning us all to an execution. I have doomed us all.”

Telekinesis lifted Yoshamura to his feet as Kaziya went silent. “I cannot,” the Keizer tried to speak, but could find no words. His father limped closer, as the prodigy continued. “Any hatred I feel for you two, it is eclipsed by what I feel of myself.” He sounded dead inside.

“We’ve all been fools, son.” Yoshamura stated as he placed an arm over his shoulders. Kaziya flinched, but made no other move. “I wish I had the right words to make you feel better, but there are none, for I would have told them to myself long ago.”

The warmth of his father’s embrace filled Kaziya with conflicting feelings, even as the end ticked ever closer. He could not find it in his heart to forgive him, but he wanted to. Once more, he could not think properly.

“Brother…” Landes said softly as she began to walk towards her family. She still feared him, but in this, their last moments, she would cast that aside. The heiress just wanted to feel her family’s love one last time, to die surrounded by joy and peace to let that carry her to whatever lay on the other side of the veil.

The door slid open once more, none of them hearing it.

What they did hear, however, was the cutting short of Landes’ dream. A blue laser pierced the air, striking the young woman in the center of her body. Kaziya and Yoshamura’s hearts nearly exploded as she screamed, body fading away as it was disintegrated by the beam of light. She tried to reach for them, eyes filled with pain and sorrow, Kaziya leaping to grasp her hand. His action bowled his father over, the old man crying out in pain as he felt something break, but the sudden motion had borne no fruit. The young man’s hand passed through the air where his sister had once been.

“Hahahaha!” Zagreth cackled, waving her gun around. “Proves her right! I know she was always looking down on me, well look who’s on top now, you spoiled bitch!” She continued to laugh. “You led me down the wrong path, so the least I can do is-“

“What have you done?” Kaziya asked, no emotion in his low voice.

“I think it’s pretty obvious.” She smiled as she lifted her laser pistol. “Same thing I’m going to do to you, you-“

The gun crumpled into a heap of wires and steel, mangled together with flesh and bone as her hand was crushed too. Time seemed to freeze, the only sound in the room being Kaziya’s heavy breathing, as Zagreth looked at the grotesque mass sitting at the end of her arm.

She went to scream, only for the sound to catch in her throat as a hand wrapped around her neck, slamming her back into the wall hard enough to crack her spine. Zagreth looked into Kaziya’s eyes, the bloodshot orbs blazing with insanity. “Please-“

Her plea was cut short as she was hurled across the room, breaking the desk in half as limbs dislocated. She screamed as chunks of steel dug into her bruised skin, but that too ceased as every inch of her body compressed. Kaziya lifted her into the air, hand held forward to concentrate his power.

A wet thud as she was slammed into a wall, painting it a shade of red. Another moist crash as she blurred across the chamber, the opposite side getting the same color splashed across it. The ceiling shook as he drove her mashed body into it, then the floor was stained as the last impact made her break apart into several visceral pieces.

But Kaziya’s wrath was not satiated, tilting his head towards his cowering father.

“Son, please- AHHHH!” Yoshamura shouted as a fist was driven into his gut, leather, skin, and muscle parting under the piston-like arm of his prodigious child.

“I’ve spent the last several months picturing this.” Kaziya breathlessly said, pulling his dripping hand free. “We have all been fools, you’re right. You’re so right!” He punctuated the last word by kicking his father in the side, a moist pop echoing from the elder’s hip, sending him rolling up to the wall once more.

“I wanted to forgive you.” Kaziya said in sorrow. He stomped down where he had kicked, severing his father’s leg. With a sweep from his foot, he shoved the limb away. “Maybe some part of me does, screaming up from the depths. But I won’t listen to it, because in your face I see everything I hate about this world.”

Yoshamura looked up, through almost closed eyelids. “Then tear it away.” He used the last of his strength to speak. “I want the best for you, as I always have. Destroy this visage that reminds you…” he could not speak anymore, but he still barely drew breath.

Fingers were jammed into his cheekbones, ripping the bone to shreds. Kaziya peeled back, ripping his father’s skull in half. With a hissing of fumes, the elder’s human-esque face split down the middle, revealing a smooth, grey head beneath. No eyes or nose decorated it, only a fish-like mouth and black veins.

***

“Come on, I know you didn’t happen to evolve to look just like us.” Nicole laughed as they sat at the foot of her bed. “Unless the Xiliens are the reason humans are on Earth in the first place.” She giggled.

“No, no, your science has it right on how you came to be. And you are right, this is not our true face. When we sought to deceive humanity, we placed ourselves within these,” Yoshamura had to think of the best word. “Suits. They are bonded to our flesh, and might as well be our bodies.”

“You said suit. Is your true body still under there?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?” She asked, moving herself to fully face him.

“You don’t-“

“Come on, I need to see what our kids are gonna like!” She joked.

“Well, I, uh,” Yoshamura was flustered by the casualness with which she said such a thing. Their bond was not even public knowledge yet. His embarrassment just made her laugh more, which was music to his ears. “Our,” he breathed in. “They would not have the same body. Due to the genetic aspect of these biomechanical suits, in conjunction with the human genome, a hybrid would look fully human.”

“Hmm. I still want to see.”

“You don’t,” he laughed awkwardly. “Your kind would call it hideous.” He scratched the back of his head.

“Yoshamura, you could never be hideous to me.” Nicole said genuinely, looking him in the eyes. “I just want to know.”

The Xilien leader sighed. “Fine. But do not say I did not warn you.” The center of his face suddenly sprayed steam, startling Nicole. The halves of his face shifted to reveal his true self, the truly alien visage of the Xilien meeting a human’s sight for the first time.

His heart beat hard in his chest, fingers curling inwards tightly. Before his consciousness could truly begin to dance with fear, Nicole leaned forward, kissing his real mouth. “You’re beautiful, no matter how you look.” She whispered.

***

Yoshamura shook as he cried, that memory the last one he wanted to come to the surface. His son, the product of that wondrous love, held a palm open right in front of his face. Kaziya wanted to cry too, his dad could tell that, but no tears would flow.

They had run dry.

Electrical bolts rippled from the fingers of the Keizer, instantly scorching his father’s face to ash. The body of Planet X’s last Controller went limp, and all that remained was Kaziya.

Until Metphies entered the room, saying no words but still making the young man turn to face him. Keeping his hands at his side, the priest of obliteration smiled delicately.

“What more do you want?” Kaziya asked. “You’ve taken everything from me, and ensured my own hands were the ones to do it.”

“I wish to know how you’re feeling. You seemed unwilling to die before, and I wish to know if that has changed. Do you still want to cling to this cruel life?”

“You say that like I have a choice. Even if I tore your head from your shoulders, it was all done the moment Keizer Ghidorah was born. Your God has no more purpose here in his transcendent form.”

“Very observant, especially how his presence is tied to mine. Yes, even if this planet remains intact, it is all set in stone now. So, will you take your vengeance out on me?”

“No.” Kaziya looked at his shaking, bloodstained hands. “I’ve had enough.”

Metphies hummed. “Then I ask again. Do you still desire life?”

“What does it matter? Are you so pathetic that in your last moments, you want to say you converted me?”

“It intrigues me due to your importance in the creed I’ve dedicated my life to. Our messiah is spawned from your DNA, so I suppose I do want to say I converted you.” Kaziya did not reply, as seconds dragged on. “You know, the Garoga are dead. After their battle with Earth, the rest of the cosmos seized upon their weakness, killing off every last man, woman, and child of their empire. Your paranoia was pointless.”

Kaziya mirthlessly laughed. “You are pathetic. Sitting here at the birth of your God, prodding a man who just tore out the last of his soul. Though I suppose it should be no surprise, given your religion boils down to worshipping something that couldn’t give less of a shit about you.”

He pushed past the priest, who turned towards him. “The difference between us, Kaziya, is that I understood that fact. Unlike you, who still marches onwards, for what reason? We are the last mortals on this planet.”

The door slid open, the young man turning back to face Metphies. “One more left.”

Metphies pondered this for a moment. “To kill, or to speak to?”

Kaziya simply walked away.

The priest sighed. “Still you cling to a shred of pride. Truly, I will never understand the faithless.”

***

Stepping out onto the surface one final time, the last of the Xiliens looked at his home. It was a barren world, now broken and soon to be crushed, but it was gorgeous to him. He looked up, seeing one of Ghidorah’s heads looming. It ceased its crawl across the heavens to meet his gaze.

It felt odd to see the being who had ruined his life, knowing that it was descended from him. That it was one of his closest companions, who was currently approaching him from the sky. Kaziya was unsure what to truly think of the golden demise, and he never would come to a conclusion. It had destroyed him and his people, but at the same time, it was merely the manifestation of their failings.

He had asked Metphies how he could have possibly stopped this coming to pass. It was clear to him that it would have required betraying his very nature, everyone involved in this madness going against their impulses and base desires. What was set in stone was not this exact occurrence, but of the mortal mind to be unable to rise above itself.

As Keizer Ghidorah landed, he took in the full splendor of his comrade’s new form. The dread messiah met the gaze of his genetic predecessor. He made no sound, but a mental signal to the man of two species was received. It was thanks, for everything Kaziya had done for the magnum opus of the Xilien race.

“You’re welcome, X.” He could not help but call him by his old name, a sign of their closeness. “I have one last task for you, if you would listen to me.”

The god-to-be cackled, awaiting his request.

“The third world from this system’s star. It still courses with life, which clings on despite their inevitable demise.” He pointed up to it, a distant speck in the dark of night. “It is a broken world. Please, cleanse it first, free the world of my mother from its pain.”

Keizer Ghidorah’s feet left the ground, his body twirling to face the sky. He raced upwards, his future self parting its coils to allow him free passage. There was no hesitation, not a second thought. Just as before, it was not master and servant, but an equal partnership.

The lord of the abyss remembered this part, but now it wished to see what it had left behind. The final moments of his comrade.

Kaziya took one last look into the stars, putting a hand up to his chest, over his heart. He met the gaze of the true Ghidorah.

Crimson orbs, set within gold.

Lightning ripped through Kaziya’s chest, exiting out from his back, his heart being reduced to nothing in an instant. He collapsed, eyes shutting the moment before death claimed him.

And with that, Planet X crumbled into nothingness, supergravity compressing it into sustenance for the golden demise. Both Ghidorahs howled, a synchronous decree of execution to the trembling cosmos.

Winner: Monster X

Author: Matthew Freese | Banner: Matthew Freese

The moon shone dimly in the dark sky, illuminating a broken city. Buildings reduced to rubble and charred by fire, people wailing into the night, and bodies lying in the streets and under debris, all in an invisible haze of death.

This was the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The great metropolis of the land of the rising sun had been beautiful a few days ago, a symbol of Japan’s resilience and return to normalcy after the devastation of the war.

Until Godzilla arose.

Nuclear testing in the Bikini Atoll awakened a horrific monster, an aquatic dinosaur who was burned by the fires of the deadliest bomb in history. In vengeful wrath he tore apart Tokyo, ripping apart buildings with his ungodly strength and spraying blazing death from his maw. Thousands had died, thousands more would perish in due time from the radiation billowing off him and into their cells, and far more were injured.

Not even a full decade after the twin atomic bombs, Japan was once again victim to nuclear devastation. Only this time, they did not face an enemy who would accept a formal surrender.

In such circumstances, it would be hard for anyone to sleep, even if the rampage had only been witnessed from afar. But one soul in particular, still laying in his bed, found another darkness curling around his heart.

A humble abode could hide frightful secrets, and nowhere was that more true than in the home of Daisuke Serizawa. The young man, an eyepatch sitting on his nightstand, tossed and turned as he tried to slumber. An eye socket, devoid of the organ it was named after, marred his otherwise clean face, the result of having stepped onto the battlefield.

After seeing such madness as war, the chemist had only wanted to make the world better. Studying oxygen, the component in the air that animated organic life, he wanted to find something to improve the society his nation had contributed to harming.

He had only found something worse than what ended that war.

Sitting in his basement lab, upon its stand, was a device which could turn a city into a graveyard without harming a single brick or plank of wood. A metallic orb in a cylinder of steel and glass, containing pellets of a compound he had cultivated in his studies. With its activation, every oxygen molecule in its wide range would break down suddenly, dissolving any organic material afflicted.

The Oxygen Destroyer.

And he was going to use it in the morning.

When the sun rose, turning a black sky blue and shedding greater light upon the horrors of the land, he would sail with a crew into Tokyo Bay and lower his dread magnum opus to the sleeping Godzilla. And with a click, it would all be over.

He would be joined in the waters by the man who had helped convince him to go through with this plan. Hideto Ogata, a brave sailor.

A braver man than him.

Daisuke stopped rolling, letting out a sigh. Was that truly what he was focused on? On the precipice of such a day, he was focusing on Emiko choosing another man over him?

They had not said anything, but he knew. When his argument with Ogata turned physical, and he had injured the man by mistake, he knew from how Emiko rushed to his side and cared for him. To have that occur while also grappling with the fact that someone else knew of his horrible secret, it was just another claw digging into his soul.

He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. But he loved her, enough to where if she would be happy with another, he would let that happen. Especially with what he planned for himself on that fateful morning.

After his fight with Ogata, a broadcast of a children’s chorus praying for peace had begun on a nearby television, intercut with the scenes of destruction left in Godzilla’s wake. The words of the couple had not been enough to budge him on using the Oxygen Destroyer, but that showing of just what was at stake did jostle his hardened heart. However, only on one condition.

This would be the only time the Oxygen Destroyer would ever be used. Serizawa burned his notes, but that was not all. All physical traces of how to build the subversion of life were gone, but his mind still held them. A human mind, so frail and flawed.

If a nation wanted to take the next step up from nuclear weaponry in the arm’s race, all it would take was his capture and interrogation. As such, Serizawa had only one option to ensure the Oxygen Destroyer’s only victim was Godzilla.

When he descended into those waters, he would not rise again.

To march so boldly into one’s own death was something few men could handle, even with a purpose like he had. His finger traced around the site where an eye had once been, an eternal reminder of his own mortality. Serizawa had already faced death once, and he had manifested it within his basement, so he found himself unable to divert from this path.

Emiko would be happy, and his greatest sin would die with him. What did he truly have keeping him up, from enjoying one last good night’s rest? His remaining eye closed, and slumber fell over him.

***

The waves of the sea churned under the brilliant Sun’s light. Wind rolled across the vast blue surface, sending a chill through Serizawa’s body as he stood at the bow of the small boat. Shouts rose behind him as men dragged nets through the water, struggling against the thrashing fish caught within them.

“Serizawa, help us out here! They’re kicking today!” One of the fishermen yelled, his gruff voice making the eye-patched man rush over to aid his crew. Grasping the net, he joined them in pulling, the fish flailing as they were dredged up from their homes. Daisuke looked down at their catch as with a final heave, the net was fully out of the water. Thousands of writhing bodies moved behind the mesh net, wide eyes staring at him as he imagined how good they’d taste when prepped and cooked.

“Good job, lads!” He shouted to them, looking away from the fish for only a moment. “This should be enough for today, let’s-“

The net was filled with skeletons. All movement had ceased as every bit of skin, muscle, and organ was gone, leaving the mesh stuffed only with pointless death. Serizawa stepped back, shock upon his face. “What’s going on here?” He demanded, only for no voice to reply.

His crew was gone. The wood of the boat was suddenly rotting and cracking, despite having been in pristine condition merely a moment ago. All he heard was his own breath intensifying, as even the sea had calmed to an unearthly degree.

Subtle splashes drew his gaze back to the ocean, searching for the source. Had his crew gone mad and abandoned ship out of nowhere? Peering over the side, he scanned the water.

A human skull bobbing in the sea met his sight. It nearly made him fall back, narrowly catching himself as suddenly more skeletal remnants rose up from the depths, human and fish alike. Dozens, hundreds, thousands, perhaps even more corpses stripped down to the very bone, not a trace of anything else left on them.

The blue waters turned red. At first, he thought it was blood, like what was being rapidly pumped through his body by his racing heart, but he looked closer.

The crimson shifted like countless insects racing along the ground, over a carcass.

Serizawa stumbled back, looking up into the sky as if it would grant him answers. Sweat beaded upon his brow, his chest puffing in and out as he breathed swiftly. What was happening? Why him? Why was he the only one spared to bear witness to whatever nightmare this was?

Pain suddenly shot through the fisherman’s- wait… fisherman? He wasn’t a fisherman? He was a scientist. That conflict of the mind was forced back like a swallowed pill as the headache intensified, doubling him over with a grunt. It felt like something was crawling in his skull, behind his eyepatch, beating against the walls of the eyesocket. In desperation to make the pain go away, he ripped his eye patch off.

And a crimson crustacean fell out, with four thick blades upon its sides as its smaller legs skittered it across the rotted deck. And another dropped out from the opening in his face, its thin tail waving along the floor as it ran. Yet more of the trilobite-esque creatures fell from his hollow eye, far more than could actually fit in there, and Serizawa knew in the pit of his chest that these were the same as what lurked in the waters. Soon the whole deck was covered in them, chittering and running in random directions, but they still kept pouring from his skull.

Eventually, his stupor broke and he thrust his hand up to block them, but that did not halt them for more than a moment. When he lowered his hand back into his field of vision, it too had lost all flesh.

***

His eyes snapped open. Serizawa’s form, slumped against the barrier around a military truck’s bed, straightened as he cracked his joints. Grunting as he stretched, he looked around.

“Finally up, Daisuke?” Quipped a soldier leaning on the edge of the truck. “You were sleeping so peacefully, I almost thought someone left a baby here.”

“Yeah, right.” Serizawa shot back with a low chuckle as he stood up, making his way over to step off. “I don’t feel like I slept peacefully.”

“Oh, did you need mommy to tuck you into bed? Grab your damn gun, we’ve got people saying they’re hearing weird noises in the forest.”

“Enemies?” Serizawa replied, mind clearing after it had been swimming over both the dream he’d had and the fact that he had thought the war was over.

“Maybe, but it’d be weird if so. They were saying it sounded like bugs, big ones. I think they’re full of shit, but I want to blast something.” The man, far more comfortable in the clothes of a soldier, sneered.

Soon, Daisuke was part of a small group of soldiers marching into the dense forests of… wherever he was. He knew he was a soldier, and that this was World War 2, but the greater specifics did not come to him. His mind lingered on that dream.

Why did he have an eyepatch? Why did he recall being a scientist? Yes, he wished to become a chemist after this war was over, but that was the future. But more importantly, what did it all represent? A sea of red death, arthropods who brimmed with a corrosive antithesis to life pouring from his skull, innocent men lost in an instant.

He looked to the other men, all walking in front of him. He hated them.

Serizawa was not a man fit for the battlefield. This place that demanded the heart be smothered, where embracing the soul’s inner darkness was rewarded. Only the most primitive and savage parts of the mind played a role in this place, not the portions he cared to use, those more advanced and evolved.

That horrid dream, he could talk to Emiko about it. She would listen, and not mock him for being unsettled by such a horrendous vision. These men would only jeer and belittle him, for they relished in fields of bone and terror.

A raspy clicking from the trees above snapped him out of his train of thought, drawing every eye and gun up into the foliage. Branches cracked as leaves fell en masse, something ungodly crawling through.

A rattling series of bangs rose as someone pulled their gun’s trigger, the semiautomatic rifle spraying its payload into the trees. Others followed that path, until a high-pitched shriek drowned out all other noise. Yellow ichor dripped from the leaves, burning them away in smoke and falling to poison the earth.

The gunfire continued in terror as the monster revealed itself, dropping from the trees with only small cracks in its purple carapace despite having been the target of enough gunfire to drop an elephant. Spider-like legs pierced two men as it landed, blood spraying from their mouths as their hearts were torn. A tail ending in a wicked pincer came down around the throat of a third soldier, his gun flying from his hand as he was lifted into the air. He screamed in unimaginable terror, a bold warrior reduced to a scared child, until the abomination let him go with a swing. His shout of fear became a gurgle when his skull cracked against a tree’s trunk, his body limply hitting the dirt.

Serizawa fell back, sitting up as he watched the horrible thing screech and flail. A lengthy neck carried a thin head bearing mandibles, a crest upon the back of the cranium crackling with bolts of energy. Hollow eyes of yellow, like pustules, met the gaze of the man who’d orchestrated this hunt before something forced its way out of the creature’s mouth.

A second set of jaws opened wide before spewing a blue stream of brilliant light, surging with hideous power as it tore clean through the soldier’s chest. Serizawa watched transfixed, heart thudding in his chest as he watched the other man’s become nothing. A perfectly carved hole, devoid of anything within, sat in his abdomen as he fell to the dirt.

The wretched arthropod’s shadow fell over Serizawa, who turned to look up at it. “No, please, god no!” He shouted, reaching for the gun he’d dropped, but it was too late.

A leg crashed against his face, the sharp tip of the limb shredding his right eye and leaving only mangled viscera. The impact knocked him to the ground, but did not kill him, leaving him to scream as he tried to stem the bleeding with his hands. Through his one remaining eye, he looked up to see the monstrosity extend its second set of mandibles yet again.

Like a railroad spike being driven into the ground, it descended towards his face.

***

A sharp inhale broke the silence of the room as Serizawa awoke, hands racing to his face to feel at it. As he breathed heavily, he was relieved to feel it was as it should be. His right eye was missing from a bullet fired years ago, not from a monster bearing down upon him at that exact moment. The war was over, those cruel souls he was forced to spend time with no longer in his presence. He was devoting his time to something good for the world.

At least, he should have been. It was morning, sunbeams creeping through closed curtains. This was to be the last morning of his life, he remembered that now. He lay in better for a bit longer, just trying to feel comfort for a little more time.

There was a distant crash, and screams followed. Serizawa sprang up from his bed, racing to his door to see what was going on. Opening it wide, he was greeted with smoke rising in the distance, people running for their lives on a swiftly packed street.

Ogata ran by, Serizawa shouting for the man. “Is it Godzilla, is he up?”

“No, I don’t know what it is, but we have to run! It’s worse than Godzilla!”

Serizawa looked back towards the smoke, the shattering of another building ringing out. A hollow shriek rang out, making the chemist’s blood run cold. It sounded familiar, to the beast that had just taken his life in the realm of sleep.

“Where’s Emiko?” He asked Ogata as he ran towards the man who she loved.

“I was going towards her house to check, come on!”

The two men dashed past scores of people, those who had been lucky enough to avoid Godzilla’s rampage now caught in something else’s madness. Serizawa tried to just focus on reaching Emiko, on ensuring the woman he loved was safe.

Another raspy howl, the cacophony of destruction ringing loudly. Were his dreams a premonition, a warning from the universe at what would emerge under the blazing Sun?

They kept running, he did not know for how long, until a cluster of bright flashes from behind caught their attention. The two men turned to behold an awful sight, the kind that made Serizawa believe the world was truly ending.

On demonic wings, the folds the same color as raw meat, a chitinous monstrosity soared. And he knew from the crest upon its head, the eyes of a sickly yellow like infected tissue, that it was the same monster from his dreams.

The harbinger of the end let loose its call of damnation, thin jaws filled with crocodilian teeth opening wide to spray a purple bolt of death embodied. Serizawa and Ogata watched as a nearby street was torn asunder by the trailing ray, thousands of screams being silenced as everyone was reduced to nothingness. Not even ash like a firestorm, where once there was, now there was not.

Both men doubled over, coughing. Being near the scene of destruction drove a tightness into their chests, as if the air had been robbed from them. The shadow of the destroyer fell over them, buildings being torn down and people being tossed by the wind shear.

Serizawa and Ogata rolled across the ground, clothes tearing and skin blistering. Sucking in deep lungfuls of air, they rose to their feet. “Emiko, I have to find her, we have to get out of here.” Ogata wearily stated, Serizawa could tell it was the jumbled thoughts in his mind spilling out.

“Her home’s close by, and that thing’s going the complete opposite direction, come on!” Daisuke shouted, trying to take charge and lead.

He tried to focus on Emiko as they ran, but his mind could not help but drift to the horror above. He looked over his shoulder, seeing it disappear in another flash, in its place a colossal crustacean like what he had seen in his dream falling to flatten a hotel. The only visual difference was that this one bore more limbs, both on its underside and two gigantic cudgels protruding from its back.

The creature could shift its appearance, but why was it so large compared to the monsters in his dreams? Was this the queen of a hive? Were the crawling abominations in his mind merely a warped image of the true thing? Perhaps, this was all coincidence, and he was peering too deeply into things.

That last idea did not satisfy him, but as the home of the Yamane family came into view, he stifled these thoughts. Ogata threw open the door, shouting “Emiko! Professor Yamane!”

No answer. The home was silent, and as Serizawa looked around, he saw it in a state of disrepair. Table knocked over, plates and cutlery scattered all over the floor, and cracks along the walls.

“Emiko!” Ogata ran upstairs, Serizawa feeling like his heart was about to explode.

A pantry door swung open, the timid voice of a young woman rolling out. “No! Don’t go up there!”

It was Emiko, Serizawa running over to her. “Emiko, what’s going on?”

“Ogata, don’t-“ she shouted over Serizawa’s shoulder as he helped her step out, only for a scream of agony to cut her off.

The man she loved was hurled down the stairs, a gash torn in his midsection. Clutching his wound, the sailor seized up as a familiar shriek bored into Serizawa’s brain.

Wood and drywall split as the fiend he had just dreamed of emerged from the room, legs rupturing the stair’s railing as it crept down. Emiko screamed as she rushed over to him, a sound that added to Serizawa’s swirling torrent of distress. To hear her sweet voice contorted into such pain made his heart ache.

He ran over to try and save Ogata too, in the back of his mind dreading the idea that the professor was currently dead in that room.

The crustacean extended its secondary jaws, skull shimmering with the herald of its unholy strike. In desperation to not lose her, Serizawa grabbed Emiko around the waist and yanked her away from her wounded love.

Ogata was able to yell “Get her out of here, run!” Before the entire upper half of his body, along with a large portion of the wall, was lost in the sweeping streak of azure.

“No!” Emiko Yamane screamed, tears flowing from her eyes. “No, Ogata!”

“We have to go!” Serizawa tried to yell, but it was far weaker than he wanted. He had no particular connection to the man, but it still rent his heart asunder.

He was the only one who should have died today. Emiko and Hideto should have lived, in love and happiness together. As he dragged her towards the door, the monster barreling down the stairs to drive its mandibles into the sailor’s legs, Serizawa wanted to vomit.

Today was supposed to only have two casualties, himself and Godzilla. His awful weapon would have brought good into the world and then disappeared forever.

He would have brought good into this world before disappearing.

The door opened, the two more so falling out of it than walking, Serizawa stumbling to keep them upright as Emiko had given up all fight. “Come on, we have to go, it’s what he would have wanted!” Tears were flowing from his one good eye. “Emiko!”

She was an inconsolable mess, trying to break free of his grasp and run back into the home where there was only death. But he refused to let her go, he could at least do that much, for her father and her husband-to-be, he would save her.

A shadow fell over him, over the house.

His arms went limp, Emiko falling to the ground. He turned, looking up, all spirit robbed from him in an instant.

His destroyer loomed large above, its hollow eyes of sickness and decay boring into his soul. A hollow howl rippled through his body, shaking every aspect of his being, before the telltale signal of that accursed ray began.

In a flash of violet, Serizawa was no more.

***

He was awake. Sweat coating his face, heart rate spiking, mind swirling with terror and questions, Daisuke Serizawa had finally, actually woken up. There was a distinct difference between reality and dream, and it was always forgotten when actually in the realm of sleep, but made abundantly clear when the time came to rise.

The moon still hung in the sky, its pallid light failing to break through the darkness in Serizawa’s consciousness.

He swallowed, a dry throat receiving no moisture from saliva. Water, he needed water, that was something to focus on for a moment. Rising from his bed, he moved to grab a glass of the life-giving fluid.

As he did so, he caught a glimpse of his basement door. And with that, the maelstrom ended. The chaos of his layered dream cleared, and what was left behind crashed against his mind like the cars of a derailed train.

Skeletal remains drifting in the ocean, organic matter reduced to nothing, the air itself becoming inhospitable, it all tied back to his studies. As Godzilla had been born of the atom bomb, whatever horror crawled through his dreams was the spawn of his dreaded magnum opus.

As he grabbed a glass, he meticulously went over every detail he could recall from his dreams. In lower dosages, the Oxygen Destroyer would not eliminate the skeletal structure of a target, leaving behind the perfectly preserved skeleton. Hypothetically, if one were to concentrate the particles it generated in a straight line, it would become a weapon capable of piercing any material. The ‘Micro-Oxygen’ he had discovered before refining that further into the Oxygen Destroyer would slip between molecules and break them down, making armor pointless.

Water flowed into the cup, ceasing before it could overfill and spill outwards. The Oxygen Destroyer falling into the hands of a nation would not just be deadly as a bomb, but the technology and the entirely new scientific world contained within would change warfare to an entirely hideous degree.

He recalled how fighting had sickened him, the dream had held that mirror to him well. The idea that he could cause it to become somehow even worse, that the millions dying in abject agony would curse his name in their last dissolving breath, it ached his chest.

Pouring the water into his mouth, feeling the relief that it had given to life since its inception, he steeled his resolve. These dreams served the purpose of reinforcing his death march, at least that was what he believed. Showing him what would come about if the most horrible weapon crafted by human hands escaped his, the world of death it would forge.

As he finished his drink, a thought caught in his mind. Those beasts, why were they so consistent? If they were a symbol of a possible world, a reality that could be, surely they would have shifted and warped in his dreaming mind? But the appearance of one from a previous vision carried an odd continuity, making them seem far more real than a conjured thought form.

As he left the glass on the counter, he looked at it for a few moments. The last nighttime drink he’d ever have, the final quenching of a parched throat.

He took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

It was not like he wanted to die. Despite his circumstances with Emiko and the potential end of all things sitting in his basement, Serizawa was not suicidal. Life had been harsh to him, but he wanted to live it, to do whatever he could to make it better for others.

As he returned to bed, he wondered if there was another way. But nothing came to mind, for the sake of the world, he would die in the morning. Perhaps then, he would be able to atone for all he had done.

Sleep claimed him. But peace would not.

***

Once more, two eyes saw the world, betraying that he was dreaming again. But this time, his subconscious mind made no effort to hide that he was no longer dwelling in reality.

Fires crackled in the dense jungle, but they did not burn him. Gun in hand, he marched forwards, uncaring of the distant sounds of conflict. This island was a slaughterhouse, and he was both butcher and carcass.

Marching reached his ears, two American soldiers moving as a pair. He remembered this, did not want to relive it, but the invisible hand of his consciousness would accept no deviation.

Branches and leaves parted as they emerged into sight, catching him in their own vision as well. Guns rose, fingers pulled triggers, and bullets raced out from their barrels. One pierced a human chest, rupturing the lung and scattering shrapnel through soft tissue and veins. Another only scourged air, eventually shattering against a tree’s bark.

And the third tore through the eye of Daisuke Serizawa, splattering vitreous humor and eviscerating the network of veins and lenses that made up the organ. The two men who were struck fell down, the aspiring chemist screaming in pain as the afflicted American dropped like a scarecrow taken off his post.

In the real world, almost a decade ago, what happened next was that the other soldier hesitated for a moment, sparing his comrade a glance. Serizawa, one hand over where his eye had just been, tried aiming his gun upwards to save his own life. The still breathing man noticed and prepared to fire, shaking slightly, but a hail of gunfire between them drove him away. A small group of Japanese soldiers found Serizawa and reported his wound, having him dragged away to base camp to have it be patched up as best it could.

And all Serizawa could think of was that the last thing one of his eyes had ever seen was another man’s death, at his own hands.

But this was not reality. In this blazing, twisted mirror, the other American soldier blasted Serizawa directly in the solar plexus, a hole spewing blood like the one on the limp body opposite him. He did not fall.

Bullets from the brush tore through the standing foreign soldier, casting him into the flames. All that was left in that little clearing was Serizawa and the man he had killed.

The dead man rose to his feet.

“You want to do good? In this world?” He rasped. “After what you did to me?”

Stepping forward, he got right up to Serizawa’s face. “After what the people around you did?”

The trees began to fall, the fire still roaring as screams echoed high. Japanese soldiers moved like demons through the inferno, cutting down men with a cruel aplomb. Looking down, the dreamer saw several bodies scattered around his feet. Bullet and bayonet wounds marked their corpses, and Serizawa remembered every face.

He had given them those. His body count was minuscule compared to some of his fellow fighters in Imperial Japan’s army, but every single one gnawed at his conscience. That they were enemy soldiers did not matter, their blood should never have been spilled regardless.

The carcasses stood up as well, surrounding him, but his last victim was the only one talking. “You think you can build something wonderful with blood-soaked hands? Improve lives after having taken them?”

“I will.” He hoarsely replied. “My death will-“

“Your death will do nothing!” The revenant screamed, blood flying from his mouth. A familiar red shell peeked out from his wounded chest, crawling under his tattered uniform. “Your effort to help only created an unimaginably evil weapon, and your death will do nothing to stop it!”

“That’s not true.” He wanted to scream back, at the resounding drumbeat of his own guilt, but the strength would not rise. “I’ll die with the Oxygen Destroyer, and nothing will come of it again. I and Godzilla, that will be-“

The body of his final victim dropped, but the voice continued. “Poor, poor Serizawa. Always too late to understand. Too late to see where his oxygen research was going, to see how the love of his life was feeling, and now, to grasp the truth.”

“You think you’re the only man who could learn this dark formula?”

***

Serizawa was in a tropical forest, drifting over the vibrant grass and through the lush greenery of the trees like a spectre. He did not have control over his form, and was being pulled towards somewhere specific, as though he were on a railway. Eventually, he stopped before a tree, his eyes focusing upon a mundane scene.

An insect chewed upon a leaf. Its mandibles crushed the sinewy green, funneling the pieces down its throat. A lizard raced up the tree branch, jaws snapping around the bug’s body to crush its exoskeleton in a spray of yellow ichor. The reptile thrust its head back, swallowing the remains of the bug, just before a set of talons wrapped around its body. With a shriek, a bird carried the lizard away, landing upon the ground and bringing its beak down to split its struggling prey’s skull in half. Then, it devoured the carcass in a swift gulp. A canine raced over, sinking its teeth into the avian’s flesh. Feathers and blood flew as the bird flailed, but the dog flailed its head back and forth until life left the creature. Dropping it, then placing a paw on the corpse to hold it in place, the canine began to tear off chunks of meat. Before it could finish its meal, a sabertoothed tiger lunged upon the dog, puncturing its throat with two sickle-like fangs.

Serizawa heard a whistling sound, of something swiftly soaring through the air. A spear struck the Smilodon in the throat, the point digging into the flesh and puncturing the windpipe. Its body dropped with a whimpering screech, giving the wielder of the weapon the go-ahead to step forth. A primitive man pulled his spear out from the giant feline, being sprayed with a geyser of blood when stone-blade exited meat. He grabbed the beast and began to drag it behind him, only to drop it when footsteps rang out.

A man from an ancient civilization that Serizawa was unsure of the identity of charged in with a sword and shield. The spear-hunter thrust his weapon, which dug into the wooden shield but failed to fully penetrate. Pushing it to the side, the slightly more advanced man lunged forward and drove his sword into the guts of the caveman, who groaned as his viscera spilled.

Before the ancient warrior could celebrate his victory, another man walked in, decked in clothes from the 1800s and with an old pistol in his hand. The centuries-old weapon clicked as it shot a ball of lead from its muzzle, breaking through shield, leather, and muscle tissue to punch a hole in the ancient man’s heart.

Serizawa, still like a specter, cringed as a man from his own time ran in, a light machine gun in his hand. Pointing the barrel at the colonialist’s back, he pulled the trigger, sending the man of another time to the ground in sprays of ichor. Metallic canisters flew in from unseen throws, spilling noxious gasses that made the soldier immediately begin to choke. His face bloated and changed color as his knees hit the dirt, hands grasping at his own throat.

The roar of a plane flying overhead drew the dreamer’s gaze upwards, his heart sinking. He already knew what this was, a single object dropping from its undercarriage confirming his suspicion. That lone whistle of a heavy object falling filled the air, before being replaced by an ungodly detonation. Walls of heat and pressure rolled over the forest, reducing it to nothing. Serizawa watched as what was once vibrant beauty became a flattened ruin of black ash, only decorated by wisps of fire.

A booming roar followed, footfalls like dropping bombshells ringing out as Godzilla stomped through the wasteland and kicking up plumes of dust. The leviathan’s eyes met Serizawa’s, and he marched towards him. The dreamer wanted to run, his instincts commanded it, but he could not move. Daisuke Serizawa was merely an observer.

Before Godzilla could reach him, a certain device rolled across the ground. A tube of glass containing a grey steel ball, connected by pipes to twin ends of the same material. The Oxygen Destroyer.

His Oxygen Destroyer.

The orb in the center split open, and from it crawled forth hordes of crimson crustaceans. Clattering legs beat against the glass for a moment before it broke under the internal pressure, letting them flood out in endless waves. Instead of going in all directions, however, they began to tower upwards. Shifting and roiling like a mass of gelatin, the trillions of lifeforms rose above Godzilla, who stepped back. Serizawa could tell the menace to Tokyo was just as afraid as he was.

Suddenly, the swarm was replaced by a flashing cluster of lights. Godzilla averted his eyes, while Serizawa wished he could. But he could only stare transfixed as the shimmering madness faded, and in its place was a monster twice and half against Godzilla’s height.

From behind, it resembled a ridged mountain of dark purple. Immense wings extended from its back, obscuring huge spikes protruding from the bulky shoulders. With a piercing screech, like every scream in a dying city at once, it lunged a pincer-tipped tail forth to wrap it around Godzilla’s neck. The monster that had plunged the land of the rising sun into fear, had burned an entire city to the ground in one night, was lifted like a toy by the child of Serizawa’s hubris. Screaming and flailing, Godzilla tried to fight, but it was pointless as the limb swung downwards, smashing him into the dirt like a meteor. Dirt and burnt debris flew like water droplets as the legend of Odo Island screeched.

Turning, the incarnation of destruction revealed more of itself to Serizawa. Unlike its arthropodic predecessors, this version bore two thick, spike-covered legs to support its bulk. Three claws protruded from the ends of its arms, a triangular implement of death which it brought down around Godzilla’s neck before lifting him up.

The face was unchanged from the flying form, still a hideous rictus grin of needles and eyes that bubbled with hatred and decay. Looking upon the full form of his monster, Serizawa was reminded of the mountain of knives that murderers were forced to climb in the Chinese idea of Hell. The deaths at his hands were not for pleasure, and most would not consider them to be without just cause, the requirements of actually being cast into that perdition; but in the chemist’s mind, it was all the same.

Beating its wings, the destroyer took off, carrying the panicking Godzilla into the sky. The terror in the monster’s voice, in his frantic flailing, Serizawa could not help but imagine how Godzilla would feel when the Oxygen Destroyer was activated next to him.

Releasing its prey, the embodied end watched Godzilla plummet to the ground below, falling miles before landing with a catastrophic crash. Laughing harshly, a noise that grinded against the man’s soul like sandpaper, the monster charged its beam. Violet devastation billowed in its throat, ready to be unleashed.

An Oxygen Destroyer Ray. Perhaps that was a fitting name for the beast itself, the only word that could describe a lifeform such as this.

Destroyer.

Like a lance cast down from the gods, the purple ray of concentrated anti-life descended, tearing into Godzilla with a mighty explosion. The booming crescendo of his death knell, likely the same noise he’d make in real life when the capsule opened and everything that was him became bubbles in the ocean, rocked Heaven and Earth.

Flesh melted under the violet stream, giving way to muscle dissolving and bone decaying. Without a single soul in the world but the one who created his killer mourning him, Godzilla died in abject misery and pain.

Destroyer crashed to the ground before Serizawa, splitting the earth beneath its monolithic feet. Rising to its full height, it stared down at its maker. White mist billowed off its body, tainting the air around it.

“I didn’t create you, I didn’t want to make anything like you!” Serizawa screamed at the unresponsive monstrosity. “I will not! With my demise, the Oxygen Destroyer will be gone forever, you will never-“

The monster beyond monsters breathed in, before raising its head to the sky in an omnipresent screech. Serizawa had no ears to cover, so he was forced to endure the full sound, but that was not the worst part. The firmament split like a curtain, unveiling a dead sky of purple. The dirt beneath him cracked and greyed, as if every bit of nutrients within was removed.

And he saw, between him and Destroyer, a line of scientists. Faceless, nameless, they passed an object between their hands. As they did so, they would add pieces to the contraption, glass, metal tubes, pill-like capsules within, all forming a familiar shape as it reached him.

Destroyer lurched downwards, observing with a sick curiosity. The line ended just in front of Daisuke, and when the device reached the last man, it was the Oxygen Destroyer. Minute differences in design, but unmistakably that accursed weapon.

“But, I won’t let another soul know of its intricacies! The method to create the Oxygen Destroyer dies with-“ he trailed off, remembering the words of his past dream.

“You think you’re the only man who could learn this dark formula?”

“No,” he whispered. “No, no, no.” He tried to back away, but he was anchored in place, forced to stare at a man he did not know holding the superweapon and the consequences of it all looming over them both.

Of course. How could he believe something so naive, so self-centered?

He could burn his notes, take his own life, he could even not let the Oxygen Destroyer be used a single time.

But he could not prevent another intellectual mind discovering exactly what he did. Following the same path to building the antithesis of life, and bringing about the future he dreaded and sought to halt.

“Will you be another like me?” He looked upon the faceless scientist holding his magnum opus, voice a low whisper as all vigor was gone. “A man just wanting to make this world better, and instead finding a way to make it as awful as possible? Or will you want that, uncaring of the lives lost as your pockets are lined so much as to burst?”

The looming nightmare rose back up.

“Does it even matter? When humanity’s desire to kill each other reaches its pinnacle, the step beyond the nuclear bomb, which can already end this world, will anyone care why you did it? When from the lifeless wastes emerges that abomination to erase whoever was spared, will the last words that leave their mouths be asking why you made it, or cursing you for bringing it into the world? Will they even know it was you, or will the man who broke the lid off of Pandora’s Box merely fade into the background?”

Upon Destroyer’s chest was an array of spikes in a circular pattern, as if the petals of a horrific flower. They began to shift, blossoming to reveal a crater in the monster’s abdomen.

“Will my sacrifice even be remembered, when it failed to do anything but buy humanity some more time?”

Crimson light radiated from the living extinction’s chest.

“Forgive me!” Serizawa shouted to the dead world. “I’m sorry, God I’m sorry! I wanted to heal humanity’s wounds, not pour poison into them!” He sobbed, begging for anything other than what was staring him in the face. “Are we all doomed? Is humanity bound to destroy itself no matter what I or anyone else does?”

As if to answer, Destroyer released the building power in its chest. Everything became red, as blood, as rust, as a dying star.

***

Serizawa awoke, but his heart and mind still felt like they were paralyzed. What he had seen smothered thought like a layer of ash to the lungs. The Sun had arisen on the day of his self-ordained execution.

A miasma of negative emotion clouded his mind, but one thought managed to break through.

“I still must go.”

***

The crowd’s voices blurred into a wall of background noise as Serizawa approached, the sea spray filling his nostrils with the salty scent as the docked boat rocked in the waves. At his side, a briefcase containing the Oxygen Destroyer, the handle of which the chemist grasped with white knuckles.

He stood still for a moment, at the outskirts of the gathered masses. He was going to die, and for nothing but more time for humanity. That thought shackled his feet to the floor, making him unable to move.

A hand clapped his shoulder, startling him slightly. “Getting cold feet?” Ogata asked with a smile, blissfully unaware of the raging turmoil inside Serizawa, nor the response that seeing him brought after the sailor’s fate in the chemist’s dream.

It broke some of the ice off Serizawa’s soul. “You could say that.” He nervously chuckled. “Didn’t have the best night’s sleep.” He put up a fake smile, likely an obvious one, but if Ogata noticed, he did not say anything.

“Hmm, not surprising. Big day, hard to get to sleep when something like this is on your mind.” The sailor stated with understanding. “Hope it was enough to get this done, cause I don’t think they’ll be happy if we reschedule.”

“That bad?”

“They’re ravenous.” Hideto replied. “You gave them something to hope for.”

“I… I suppose I did.”

“Are you ok?” Ogata asked. It was clear Serizawa had more on his back than all of Japan’s faith.

“Is this… worth it?” The chemist responded, every word chosen carefully. “If we kill Godzilla today, how do we know a new one will not emerge? Or some other monster born of atomic bomb testing? What if he is merely the first stone to fall in an avalanche?”

That was not his actual concern, but it aligned well enough. He just needed a second voice, a beacon to follow. He’d come here today because he had no other choice, perhaps some part of him did believe it was worth it, but he needed a foundation to stand upon.

Ogata took a moment to think. “I think that is a reasonable fear to have, but much like with your hesitation with the Oxygen Destroyer, we have to deal with the problems that are right before us before we can address possibilities.”

“But if we never look forward beyond the immediate issue, we’ll accomplish nothing.” It would do him no good to just spout off everything in his mind, as much as wanted to, but he would come across as a maniac. Chitinous demons spraying concentrated death, his own fears and mental struggles with his past actions.

“That’s true. But if we look past that which hangs directly over us in chasing what could be, instead of dealing with what is, neither will get fixed. Humanity is in for a tumultuous second half of the century, and even beyond, I can feel it even with what we’re going to do today. And that’s going to go on even after we’re dead, and our children,” that made Serizawa flinch, the realization that he was going to die without an heir, and Ogata had no clue of it, “will too. And it’s our responsibility to make sure they can take on the problems they’ll have, and if we leave Godzilla alone, if we let anything that follows him do whatever it pleases, they won’t even get the chance.”

“But what if we leave them something they cannot take on? A problem so tremendous, that we could have stopped if we knew?” Serizawa realized why he was here as the words left his mouth.

He could not stop that dark future, no matter what he did. So did he come here to not see that future, to die well before the whole world did?

Ogata pondered for several seconds, struggling to find the right words. He knew this man was hiding something in his soul, but it would do no good to pry.

“There he is!” A reporter shouted, alerting the crowd to Serizawa’s presence. Like a herd of animals they approached, making Ogata cursed under his breath.

“Have faith. Every generation learns something new, and can take on the world in a way the previous could not. I wish I had a more satisfying answer for you, but even after this is all said and done, I don’t know if I can give you one.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Serizawa grimly replied. The crowd surrounded them, Ogata waving them away as the two men walked through.

Perhaps this would be the last time the Oxygen Destroyer was used. Maybe it was only the first time, of many. The future was not written down, twirling in countless possible directions. It was both wondrous and frustrating.

If it was the only act of good he performed in his life, or a futile kicking against his and everyone else’s damnation, he would not know. As they boarded the boat, he looked down into the waters that would soon be his grave. He watched as Ogata ran over to Emiko and talked to her, the love they felt for each other clear as day.

At least he would preserve the good things in this world, if only for a short time. Perhaps from that, his fears would never reach past his mind. Daisuke Serizawa would do what he could, and that would be enough for him.

Now was not the time for regrets. Taking them to the grave was the worst thing one could do.

Main Page – Multimedia Archive – Side Trips – Combatant Statistics – Forms, Assists & Enhancements – Announced Page – Combatant Skins – FAQ – Continuity Registry – Studio Tour – Creator Sorting – K.W.C.E.

The KWC has many combatants, who can vary in appearance. But the main page would be flooded by all the images that would need to be posted in order to showcase them all. Fortunately, that’s where this page comes in! So scroll down and look at all of the combatants’ skins to your heart’s content. Divided into skins from their source material and skins from other sources.

 

Alien Baltan

Source Skins

Generation 1; Generation 2; Generation 3

 

Alien Mefilas (Universal)

Source Skins

Generation 1; Generation 2; Shin Ultraman

Other Skins

Ultraman Super Fighter (OVA)

 

Anguirus (Universal)

Source Skins

Showa 1st Generation; Showa 2nd Generation (1968-1972; 1974); Heisei (scrapped concept); Godzilla: Final Wars

Other Skins

Godzilla Raids Again poster; Trendmasters (toyline); IDW comics; “Prehistoric” (IDW comics); Bandai recolor (figure); Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (Video Game); Bandai recolor (Figure); The Volcano Monsters (scrapped American production)

 

Armored Titan

Other Skins

Concept art

 

Ant-Man

Source Skins

Ant-Man; Giant-Man; Goliath; Wasp; Yellowjacket

Other Skins

Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

Arcee (Universal)

Source Skins

Generation 1; Skybound comics; War for Cybertron; IDW comics; Marvel; Shattered Glass; Dreamwave; Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

 

Bagan

Source Skins

 

Godzilla Studio Tour; Super Godzilla; Godziban (Demon Beast, Powered Up State, Beast)

Other Skins

Version A (concept art); Version B (concept art); Transitional Art (Godziban – Mothra vs. Bagan: Prologue); Bandai Game recolor (figure)

 

Baragon (Universal)

Source Skins

Showa 1st Generation; Showa 2nd Generation; Millennium version

Other Skins

Trendmasters (Toyline)

 

Battra

Other Skins

Concept Art

 

Bender

Source Skins

Original; Alternate universe

 

Biollante

Other Skins

 

Trendmasters (Toyline); IDW (Godzilla Rivals: Biollante vs. Destoroyah; Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors); Kaiju Daikessen (Video Game)

 

 

Blitzwing

Source Skins

Generation 1; Bumblebee; IDW; Marvel; Shattered Glass; Dreamwave

 

Bowser

Other Skins

The Super Mario Bros Movie; Super Smash Bros Melee alternate skins; Super Smash Bros Brawl alternate skin; Super Smash Bros Ultimate alternate skins; King Koopa (Super Mario Bros Super Show, cartoon)

 

Cthulhu

Source Skins

Death May Die; Call of Cthulhu (Original Story, derived from Funko Pop! Blitz (Video Game)); Puzzles and Dragons (Video Game); Tower of Saviors (Video Game); Monster Strike (Video Game)

 

Destoroyah

Other Skins

Concept art; Gigabash alternate skins 2 – 4 (video game); Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact (video game); Shogakukan Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (manga adaptation of film)

 

Devastator

Source Skins

Generation 1; IDW comics; Skybound; Shattered Glass; Marvel; Dreamwave

 

Dragonzord

Other Skins

Black and Gold (Figure); Flame Toys Dragonzord (Figure)

 

Ebirah (Universal)

Other Skins

Monster Island Summer Camp (comic)

 

Eleking

Source Skins

 

Original; Ultraman Max; Modern

 

Elita-1

Source Skins

Generation 1; Dreamwave; IDW; Marvel; Skybound; Transformers One; War for Cybertron

 

Ender Dragon

Source Skins

 

Main; Beta Version

Other Skins

T-Shirt design

 

Evangelion Unit 00

Source Skins

Blue Armor; Orange Armor (Series); Rebuild of Evangelion

Other Skins

Metal Build (Figure)

 

Evangelion Unit 01

Source Skins

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Series); Rebuild of Evangelion

Other Skins

Prime 1 Studio Josh Nizzi (Figure); Metal Build (Figure)

 

Evangelion Unit 02

Source Skins

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Series); End of Evangelion; Rebuild of Evangelion

Other Skins

Prime 1 Studio Josh Nizzi (Figure); Metal Build (Figure)

 

Frankenstein (Universal)

Other Skins

Monstrum Üpsilon (Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre #3); Fortnite (In-game Default and Vintage cosmetics); The Great Yokai War: Guardians

 

 

Gamera (Heisei)

Source Skins

 

1995; 1996; 1999; “Nightmare” Gamera (G3)

Other Skins

Bahamut Greed (mobile game)

 

Gamera (Reiwa)

Source Skins

 

Base; Corrupted/Ancient

Other Skins

2015 Gamera short

 

Gigan (Universal)

Other Skins

Deathtrigger Gigan (Concept Art, made into a figure); Gigabash Alternate Skins 2 – 4; Trendmasters (Toyline); Kaiju Daikessen (Video Game)

 

Ghost Godzilla

Source Skins

Godzilla (1954); actual suit color

Other Skins

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956) poster; Snickers commercial; Original maquette (Adapted into Figure); Bandai Art and Retro Colors (Figures)

 

Godzilla (Heisei)

Source Skins

   

1984; 1989 – 1991; 1992; 1993; 1994; G vs. G (2019 Short); Gemstone

Other Skins

   

Dark Horse Comics; Godzilla: Monster of Monsters coloration (figure); Gigabash alternate skins 2 – 3 (video game); New Godzilla (Scrapped Godzilla vs. Destoroyah concept); Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley commercial; Cybot Godzilla (Figure); Dr. Pepper commercial; Monsters and Protectors (Comic); Rivals: Vs King Ghidorah (Comic); Gangsters and Goliaths (Comic); Bandai recolor (Figure)

 

Godzilla (Legendary)

Source Skins

2014; 2019 – 2024; Dagon (Godzilla: Aftershock comic book)

Other Skins

Fortnite (Video Game); Godzilla Kaiju Collection, red version (Video Game)

 

Godzilla (Millennium)

Source Skins

1999; 2000; 2001; 2002; 2003; 2004

Other Skins

 

Godzilla: Domination (video game); IDW Trilogy; Godzilla: Legends; “Nightmare” IDW; Concept art of 2004; Super Robot Wars; Godzilla 2000 concept art adapted into figures

 

Godzilla (Reiwa)

Other Skins

Crayon Shin-chan (Anime); Special Color SH Monsterarts (Figure); Orthochromatic recolor (Figure); Passiontank recolor (Figure)

 

Godzilla (Showa)

Source Skins

 

1955; 1962; 1964; 1965 – 1966; 1967; 1968 – 1972; 1973; 1974 – 1975; Marvel 616; “Mutant” Godzilla (Marvel comics); Mighty Avengers (Comic); Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe (Comic)

Other Skins

The Volcano Monsters (scrapped American production); A Space Godzilla (scrapped draft adapted into short story); Escape from the Hotel with Godzilla Approaching (escape room); Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (video game); Shogun Warriors (Figure); Monster Island Summer Camp (Comic); Tatsuki Nakamura art recolor (Figure)

 

Godzilla Junior

Other Skins

Godzilla Island

 

Gomora

Source Skins

Original; Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero; Ultraman Max; Modern

 

Gorosaurus

Source Skins

King Kong Escapes; Destroy All Monsters

Other Skins

IDW

 

Gotengo

Source Skins

 

Atragon; Godzilla Final Wars (Upgraded); Godzilla Final Wars (Original); Sazer-X 

Other Skins

Godzilla Island

Grimlock

Source Skins

Generation 1; IDW comics; Marvel comics; Shattered Glass; Dreamwave

 

Gyaos (Showa)

Source Skins

Original; Space Gyaos

 

Gyaos (Universal)

Source Skins

Original; Super; Hyper; Rebirth

Other Skins

2015 Gamera short

 

Hedorah (Universal)

Other Skins

Bandai recolors (figure); Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (Video Game)

 

Indominus Rex

Other Skins

Level 40, Generation 2 (Jurassic World: The Game); Amazon Rainforest, Champlain Valley, Death Valley, Gambia River Basin, Great Sandy Desert, Limpopo River, Mangrove Forest, Qilan Forest, Salar del Huasco, Sonoran Desert, Svalbard, Yukon River, Lux (Jurassic World Evolution); Blue and Green Brawlasaur (toyline); concept art; Malusaurus (scrapped concept); Diabolus Rex (scrapped concept)

 

Jet Jaguar (Showa)

Other Skins

Here There Be Aliens (Comic); Retro Color Bandai (Figure)

 

Jiger

Other Skins

Trendmasters (Toyline)

 

Kamacuras (Universal)

Other Skins

IDW comics; Rulers of Earth (comic); Trendmasters (Toyline); Monster Island Summer Camp (Comic)

 

Kamen Rider (Universal)

Other Skins

Kamen Rider: The First; Kamen Rider: The Next

 

King Caesar (Universal)

Other Skins

Godzilla: Final Wars concept art

 

King Ghidorah (Universal)

Source Skins

 

60s; 70s; Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Other Skins

Trendmasters (Toyline); Promotional Stills; FrankenGhidorah (Here There Be Aliens); Kaiju Daikessen (Video Game); Gigabash skins 2 – 4 (Video Game)

 

King Kong (Showa)

Source Skins

King Kong vs. Godzilla; King Kong Escapes

Other Skins

The King Kong Show

Kiryu

Source Skins

 

2002; 2003

Other Skins

Evangelion Unit 01 paintjob (figure; Super Robot Wars); Evangelion Unit 02 paintjob (figure; Godzilla: Battle Line); Gigabash alternate skins 2 – 4 (video game); Black Kiryu (Figure, 2002 & 2003); Metal Build (Figure)

 

Kong (Legendary)

Source Skins

1970s; 1990s; 2020s; Kong’s Mother and Father (Skull Island: Birth of Kong, comic); “The Rival” (Godzilla: Dominion, comic)

Other Skins

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Zilla

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Authors: Jolene Steinard & Alex Williams | Banner: Matthew Freese

“With you, I will finally be rid of those pesky Autobots! Now, go, annihilate them; oh Great King of the Monsters!”

Those were the last words spoken by the mighty Decepticon leader, Megatron, before being reduced to a charred head on the ground of a destroyed city.

In one of his schemes to conquer Earth and kill the Autobots once and for all, Megatron decided that he should control the Earth’s mightiest defender. With the assistance of the Insecticon mind-controller, Bombshell, the Decepticon leader lured the beast to New York City. A battle between his forces and their mortal enemies had already been taking place there.

The Insecticon had planted a cerebro-shell, a device that allowed him to manipulate life forms, on the Titan while he was sleeping at the bottom of the sea. Together, Megatron and Bombshell called the king of monsters to the city with the assumption that he would do exactly as they said.

How wrong they were.

The almighty leader didn’t even get a chance to wonder what went wrong before a blue ray shot him down where he stood.

Not long after Megatron’s death, his second in command, Starscream, was the next to be killed. As the treacherous sky commander was announcing his promotion to the position of leader, the monster had grabbed him in his claws, crushing the new leader into a ball of flames while Starscream was still in his jet mode.

One by one, the Seekers he had commanded were destroyed as they attempted to shoot the beast down in a valiant attempt to avenge Megatron. As loyal as they were, Skywarp and Thundercracker were no match for a sweeping blast of the monster’s atomic breath.

Confusion and anger filled the remaining Decepticons’ minds as the Autobots started to panic. The evil robots tried shooting their purple blasts at the beast, but most didn’t make it.

One Autobot decided that he should take a stand amidst the terror that was wrecking the city. To protect the people of Earth like he had sworn once he met them, to help his brethren, to make sure the one he once called “brother” rested easily.

“If I do not return… ‘til all are one.”

Those were the last words of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, before meeting the same fate as his counterpart as he tried to calm down the monster.

Godzilla.

Bodies of humans and Cybertronians alike were scattered across the devastated city as Godzilla continued his attack on both races. It had seemed as if the last peacekeeping Autobots had fallen. Sparking and charred corpses of the large robots from both sides littered the rubble as the monster’s rampage continued.

Around the blackened body of Optimus Prime were the corpses of his most trusted soldiers and friends. Bumblebee, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, Gears, Huffer, and Sunstreaker all laid in jumbled messes of rubble and scrambled parts.

Further down, their medic, Ratchet, had attempted to help evacuate two humans, both of whom laid cut up and bloodied next to him as the windshield on his chest had shattered after hitting the ground.

On top of a mountain of destroyed structures, two dead giants laid, their eyes permanently shut off with gaping holes in their chests. These were the Autobot and Decepticon combiners, Superion and Menasor, who decided to put their differences aside to attempt to fight the beast that was destroying their kind. Unfortunately, their incoordination and distrust with each other was their downfall as they too met their fates.

Below them, however, were two more parts of rivals, Autobot Blaster and Decepticon Soundwave. Both were some of the most loyal of their sides and sought vengeance for their leaders, but couldn’t match the sheer power of Godzilla, even with their little companions who had perished as well, some getting completely vaporized by the atomic breath that had killed so many.

Miraculously, there were survivors, as proven by a neon green and purple dump truck and crane patrolling the area, getting close to the bodies of the two communications officers.

Both were cautious since the King of the Monsters was still roaming the ruined city, looking around for more to add to his rampaging kill count. The giant looked around the area of the combiners he had just slain, not seeing the two vehicles hiding behind the rubble, snorting as he wandered off to seek more destruction.

A sigh was heard from the crane as he saw Godzilla had his back turned, going towards the body of Blaster, hooking on to the red corpse with the metal hook. He reeled it up just to set it down into the bed of the dump truck before the two started driving off.

A loud explosion was heard soon after, making the pair turn to see a blue and black jet firing missiles and purple laser beams at the mighty Titan, making Godzilla roar in annoyance, echoing through the wasteland of a city. The two construction vehicles quickly moved out, deciding it was better to continue what they were doing than to watch another slaughter.

Soon, the two had returned to a small base of sorts, just a little area surrounded by fallen concrete, a safe place where they had hoped they wouldn’t be seen. In the middle of the base, a very angry Decepticon was on his communicator, shouting as he watched the jet fire on the Titan, sporting the same purple and green colors as the two construction vehicles.

“Damn it, Dirge! Get out of there, now! Return to Cybertron with Astrotrain, go get help!” the masked Deception yelled, holding up the communicator on his wrist to talk to his fellow ‘con. A metal face guard moved up and down as he spoke, while the crimson red visor shined in the direction of where he was looking.

“To the Pits with you, Scrapper! I’m avenging Megatron, this organic will go down with enough…” Dirge couldn’t even finish before getting smacked out of the sky by Godzilla’s tail, exploding into a ball of fire on the rubble filled ground.

The Constructicon leader growled as he helplessly watched the Seeker ignore him, getting himself killed for nothing but a false sense of pride. Scrapper turned with his finger and thumb rubbing angrily where a nose would be before noticing the return of his comrades.

“Ah! Long Haul, Hook! Did you find him?” he asked, hurriedly walking towards the pair while they transformed into robot mode.

Long Haul was a bigger bot than both, having more green than purple and the bed of his truck on his back while Hook had his signature crane hook protruding from his own back.

“Of course, as if I would ever not succeed,” the pompous Hook answered, showing half of the body of Blaster that slid from the bigger of the three’s back, prompting a sigh of relief from their leader.

“Mixmaster! Help Hook fix this communicator so we may contact them!” Scrapper ordered, causing the rest of his teammates to reveal themselves from their hiding spot.

Mixmaster, the similarly colored ‘con with a pair of blasters above his head, stepped up apart from his two companions; the oddly-masked Scavenger and broad-chested Bonecrusher, to work on the body of the fallen Autobot.

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing… I don’t like the idea of calling the Autobots to help us…” Mixmaster complained as he started disconnecting wires from Blaster’s arm while Hook worked on the chest.

“It will work, they would never miss a chance to be so noble,” Scrapper scoffed as he worked on the wires of his communicator, pulling the metal on his arm back to disconnect them.

The leader of the Constructicons knelt down to the fallen Autobot’s level, letting his compatriots connect the wires from Blaster’s wrist and chest to Scrapper’s communicator. With any luck, it would allow him to contact any of the remaining Autobots that could be at their own base.

“Alright, here it goes,” the neon green commander announced as he pressed a few buttons on his comm piece, waiting for the static to subside and to hear a voice from the other end.

The other Constructions eagerly awaited an answer, some looking around to make sure Godzilla couldn’t hear them, afraid of invoking his wrath if he knew they were there.

Suddenly, their heads all popped up to look at their leader as a voice broke the silence.

“Hello? Hello! Ultra Magnus, it’s Blaster, he is attempting to communicate!” The Autobot voice from the other end called out to his superior, likely from nearby, and it didn’t take long for him to get back to him.

“I’m here, Perceptor. I’ll take it,” Ultra Magnus replied, his voice getting closer as the transmission went along.

“Blaster, come in! Is everyone alright? We’ve been trying to get to you for hours. What happened over there?” the Autobot commander asked, making Scrapper sigh as he had to break the news to the bot.

Usually, the Constructicon leader didn’t mind telling Autobots that their comrades had fallen, in fact, it gave him joy on most occasions, but something about this felt… different. This was something that affected both sides, it had happened recently, it felt too… raw. Taking another sigh, Scrapper prepared to bring in the bad news.

“This is Constructicon Scrapper… Blaster didn’t make it. We are the only ones left,” the Decepticon solemnly said, his head hanging low while he waited for a reply, hearing static on the other end for three agonizing seconds.

“Scrapper?” an orange Autobot by the name of Hauler murmured, turning his head away from doing maintenance on a wall. He stepped forward to see the Constructicon leader relaying the situation to the Ark commander.

“No… They can’t all be… Where’s Bumblebee? Ironhide?… Optimus?” Ultra Magnus asked. It was clear from his voice that he was trying to keep his usual, stoic demeanor, but some worry had cracked into his commanding voice.

“Dead, Magnus… They’re all… dead,” Scrapper sighed as he delivered the news, putting his hand on his head while he sat on a piece of rubble, waiting another four seconds for a reply.

“What happened to them? Was this Megatron’s doing? What did you do?” Ultra Magnus’ voice turned from hints of worry to anger, making the Constructicon leader’s hand ball into a fist.

“Megatron tried to control a Titan, it backfired horribly, killing everyone no matter the side. It destroyed this city, it didn’t care who or what it killed. It was like a force of nature,” Scrapper explained, a hint of anger in his voice after the accusation from the Autobot.

“Then what do you want? Why did you call us? To mock us?” Ultra Magnus’ voice started rising as he spoke, making the Constructicon leader get more irritated.

“We’re asking you for help… We need all of the Autobots you have to help us defeat this monster,” Scrapper proposed, attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice.

More silence followed from the other end, static was occasionally broken in those seconds by indescribable voices from other members of the opposing faction before coming back to life.

“I can’t afford that risk. I don’t know if this will be a trap, not to mention the great loss that had already just occurred,” Ultra Magnus answered stoically, having called a little in those few short moments, causing a growl of irritation from the Decepticon as he stood. He nearly ripped the wires from his wrist while Mixmaster and Hook lifted the corpse enough to keep the connection.

“Magnus, please…” Hauler mentally trailed off, watching the exchange between the two. He heard the desperation in Scrapper’s voice, sensing the fear coursing through his entire body alongside the rest of the Constructicons.

“You coward! Your friends died trying to avenge your leader, the same as mine!” Scrapper paused for a moment, his words getting caught in his voice box as he talked, his gaze changing to look at his teammates, this whole situation making him realize how much greater this was than any petty conflict between the Cybertronians.

“It isn’t a trap, we simply need enough forces to destroy Godzilla, and we aren’t enough! We need your help!” The figurehead of the team ranted as he darted his head back to the communicator on his arm, his raspy voice raising so much that the other Constructicons got worried that the Titan would hear them.

“They’re not joking!” Hauler’s mind screamed out, desperately wanting to run up to Teletraan One and take control of the situation. Unfortunately, he knew by doing that, he’d make things worse for both parties at that moment.

“Godzilla? That’s more reason not to help you! Nothing can kill him, you’ll be wasting your own sparks doing that,” The Autobot commander scoffed as his voice got louder in his own anger, the sound of chatter being heard among the transmission telling how serious this was.

“Then to the Pits with you, Magnus! We’ll just fight him ourselves, and you better hope he doesn’t find you as well!” Scrapper growled in frustration before ripping the connection from his communicator and Blaster’s, sighing in defeat as he failed to recruit the Autobots.

“Damnit…” Hauler softly cursed, watching the transmission with Scrapper end. “May Primus lead them through this dark hour.”

***

Millions of years ago

The Crystal City shined in front of them, its two domes towering high and wide enough to fit several city blocks. All the while, its towers overlooked the entirety of Cybertron and the highway that’d get any Cybertronian to their destination in a matter of seconds. It was a magnificent piece of engineering that’d improve the life of every bot on the planet.

“Glorious!” Hook exclaimed, slamming his hands together with pride. “Absolutely glorious!”

“Only thanks to me and mixing the vital components to keep everything up,” Mixmaster chimed, smiling at his handy works while he placed his hand onto one of the domes of Crystal City.

“To which we had to scrap several times because of Bonecrusher’s tendencies to blow things up,” Scavenger interjected, piling all of the leftover resources into a container alongside Long Haul.

“Only to get everyone to shut up!” Bonecrusher retaliated, jabbing his finger towards his complaining teammate.

Scavenger backed away ever so slightly, feeling a small amount of fear from his brother’s rage. His joints twitched, feeling fear wash over him, until Long Haul stepped up between them, his larger frame hiding Scavenger away from their agitated companion.

“This construction job bored me,” Long Haul relayed, popping his fists as he looked down at Bonecrusher. “I could go for a fight in the ring.”

“My friends, my friends!” the eager voice of Scrapper called out as they all turned to him alongside Hauler walking towards them with a cart of Energon. “There’s no need to fight, when we can celebrate instead.”

“I’ll gladly take a drink for my amazing contribution!” Hook excitedly spoke out, snatching an Energon cube from the cart.

“Pfft!” Bonecrusher spat out before taking a gulp of fuel. “If anyone was amazing, it was Hauler, for bringing us this Energon!”

The youngest and newest Constructicon chuckled while scratching the back of his head, slightly embarrassed from his brother. “It’s nothing, you guys. Just wanted us to celebrate our hard work.”

“Bah!” Bonecrusher burped out, letting the liquid settle in his system. “It’s a day worth celebrating for the greatest achievement in Cybertronian history.”

Mixmaster chuckled at Bonecrusher’s behavior, as he leaned over and elbowed Scrapper’s side. “Seems like the ol’ Energon trick works miracles on our angry friend there.”

Scrapper snickered at the comment before sipping on his share of Energon. He moved over to his celebrating brothers, looking up at their brilliant work. The magnificent city that’d be home to all who’d wish to continue improving the quality of life for all Cybertronians. Here, sparklings could make the choice to be an engineer, a scientist, or even an artist.

It filled Scrapper’s mind with hope and optimism that Cybertron would be in good hands. He glanced over at their newest recruit, Hauler, sipping on his Energon, smiling at his handiwork. The kid was modest, a little like himself, and he was always there to provide a helping hand.

The leader of the Constructicons placed his hand on Hauler, eliciting a slight jump from him. Scrapper laughed at the gesture, before Hauler calmed himself down. “You feeling proud?”

“Me?” Hauler inquired, taking a moment to process his leader’s question. “Absolutely! What we did here is amazing, and I hope we can only continue creating even more amazing things.”

Scrapped chuckled, his excitement was completely contagious and couldn’t help but feel that sense of eagerness. “There will be plenty more elaborate projects coming our way! Don’t you worry about that!”

“I look forward to our next project!” Hauler exclaimed before Scrapper handed him another Energon cube.

“Absolutely!” Scrapper hollered out before issuing an order. “Now drink up! You earned it!”

“Don’t forget to save some for me!” a loud, booming voice echoed out, followed by loud footsteps.

The Constructicons remained still for just a moment before turning around to see their good friend, Omega Supreme, smiling brightly as the sun.

Scrapper threw his arms up passionately, happiness washing over him to see the massive orange, yellow, and red Cybertronian. Without any further delay, he complied with Omega’s request and dropped the cube onto his orange claw-like hand.

The giant robot downed the entire cube within seconds and followed it with a monstrous burp. Omega smiled before looking down at his smaller friends while Scrapper took a step forward. “So, tell us, Big Chap. What brings you all the way to Crystal City?”

“I’ve been chosen to protect this glorious city you’ve built,” Omega Supreme answered, admiring the beauty of the city just before him. He smiled, knowing it was a job he’d cherish for the rest of his life.

“I can’t think of a better bot to look after this place than you, old friend,” Scavenger spoke, setting his empty cube aside.

Long Haul stepped forward, throwing his Energon cube aside before slapping the giant robot’s leg. “Tell you what. If you ever need help, let me know, I’d be up for smashing some heads.”

Omega Supreme let out a powerful laugh that shook the planet before smiling at his active friend. “I’ll let you know if I need help cracking skulls.”

“There’s no one I can think of that would do a better job of being the Crystal City’s guardian than you, Omega,” Scrapper praised, glancing over at the city once more. “None shall ever get past you, Big Chap!”

“No enemy shall ever destroy this magnificent piece of Cybertron!” Omega Supreme demanded before being handed another cube of Energon.

Him and the Constructicons all raised their cubes up to the orange sky, cheering for their success. “To our success!”

***

Present Day

“I knew it wouldn’t work…” Mixmaster grumbled as he and Hook put the fallen Autobot’s body on the ground before rising up to stand with their leader.

The other three Constructicons each turned to their commander for instruction, in need of leadership where there wasn’t any, making Scrapper nod at them all, understanding what he needed to do in such a troubling time for their kind.

“Constructicons. The Autobots will not be assisting us, and we have no idea when Astrotrain will return from Cybertron to bring any more of our ranks to help, but we each know what we need to do. We all come together to make the most powerful robot, the one that the Decepticons are depending on to continue their conquest of Earth, to avenge our leader, and stop this Titan from interfering with our plans for the future!” Their figurehead announced as he gave a speech to his teammates, standing amongst the rubble of one of the buildings they were hiding in. He resembled a figure to look up to as he raised a fist, hyping his fellow ‘cons up as they listened to his inspiring words.

“Now, Constructicons! Merge to form Devastator!” Scrapper yelled out as he raised his fist higher, earning a round of cheers from the other five members of his team.

The leader of the group leapt up into the air, transforming into his vehicle mode of a front-end loader. Shifting the shovel downward as it slammed into the earth, he pushed a part behind to make a spur, looking like a leg as it stood, waiting for the others as they started shifting their own parts.

Mixmaster transformed into a cement mixer, driving close by Scrapper before the cab of the vehicle went down on the ground while the rest of the truck raised into the air.

Long Haul jumped up between the two, transforming into his dump truck mode while shifting parts until he connected into the two legs, purple energy surging through the three as he formed the lower body of the combiner.

Hook flew up to the forming body, going from his crane mode to an upper body for the giant, parts moving into place as more energy went through the four Constructicons, any parts from him and Long Haul forming a large purple chest shield.

Bonecrusher and Scavenger each leapt towards the monolith towering over them, turning into a bulldozer and excavator respectively while they started connecting to the metal behemoth. Their vehicle modes shifted to become arms, solidifying this as two purple hands swiveled out of the limbs, more amethyst colored energy running through the combiner’s body while a head pushed up into place, completing the look.

Devastator’s red visor shined in the sunlight as it briefly showed from the clouds, his ginormous neon green and purple body glistening in the light as the giant started turning around, his massive legs kicking up dust and concrete as he shifted his body to face his opponent.

Two shining blue orbs lit up behind a cloud of smoke from a valley of burning buildings, more of the sapphire light pulsing further as a low growl was heard, earning a glare from Devastator as he gritted his metallic teeth. Stepping from the smog and crushing the remains of any structures in his path, Godzilla snarled at this new opponent, the large dorsal spines pulsing with blue atomic energy as the Alpha Titan sized up the giant robot.

After a deep gasp of air, the rage that built up inside of Godzilla’s mind collimated into an ear piercing roar of intimidation, glaring at Devastator as his daunting, siren-like scream rang through the landscape. The Constructicon Combiner’s fists balled up, smashing them together before throwing his arms back, he let out a yell of defiance right back. His voice box created the roar of opposition, the voice of six enraged Cybertronians being symbolized by the booming, rage-filled roar.

Both monoliths snarled at each other as they finished their bellows of anger towards one another, brows furrowing as they waited for the other to make a move. Ultimately, it was Devastator raising his colossal leg, slamming it into the ground as he started running.

Godzilla did the same, lifting his titanic leg to swiftly charge at the Cybertronian, his speed belying his size as the Alpha Titan rushed to meet his adversary, pushing a few buildings out of the way, turning them into piles of concrete and glass on the ground. The combiner did the same, his bulky arms shoving the structures to the earth, not caring whether anyone was inside.

Both goliaths finally met in the middle of the city. Godzilla loosed another roar signifying his dominance as Devastator raised his purple fist, aiming to swing at the reptilian’s face. He narrowly missed as Godzilla swiftly dodged, using his muscular arms to push the Cybertronian back into a building, crushing it into broken glass and chunks of concrete. This stunned Devastator enough to let the Monster King lunge at the combiner, biting his metal shoulder. Trying to penetrate the bulk, he started thrashing, attempting to tear the Decepticon apart before a solid knee to the gut stopped the assault. Godzilla let out a groan of pain, leaving an opening for a strong punch to the side of the face.

The Alpha Titan grumbled in discomfort as he staggered to the side, shaking his head at the hit while Devastator examined his shoulder. Nothing severe, for those razor sharp teeth had not torn through, only slightly denting the tough Cybertronian metal that composed him.

Devastator looked back at Godzilla, malice in his optics as the Monster King slammed his powerful tail into the ground, issuing another threatening roar at the war machine before getting back to close quarters with his adversary. Slashing the giant purple shield on Devastator’s chest with his jagged claws, he earned a grunt of annoyance as sparks flew from the combiner’s body, giving the Cybertronian three slash marks on the Decepticon insignia upon the shield.

Devastator was about to throw another powerful punch, before getting tackled into the ground. The muscular reptilian growled at the mechanical behemoth as he tried to get back up, then stepped down onto his foe’s chest with his mighty foot. A scream of pain rose as Devastator’s shield started to bend from the impact.

Godzilla glared down at the Cybertronian, watching him grab at his leg to try and push him off. It was too easy. He’d die like the rest.

At least, that’s what the Alpha Titan thought before Devastator’s visor glowed with purple light before shooting an amethyst beam, knocking Godzilla back as it struck his scaly chest. Roaring in both surprise and pain, the Monster King fell on his side, kicking up dust from the impact.

The Constructicon combiner groaned as he rose up, arms impacting the earth as he lifted his weight to get onto his feet. Knowing he had to be fast, Devastator hurried to kick Godzilla in the side, making the monstrous saurian bellow in agony as the neon green shovel on the combiner’s foot collided with his body. It nearly penetrated his armored skin as he rolled over onto his front, receiving a flurry of punches as Devastator loomed over his body.

Godzilla growled as he was hammered with the force of a cannonball per hit assaulting his back. Every time he attempted to get up, he was met with a harder punch to keep the King of the Monsters down.

Godzilla’s glowing dorsal spines shined a brighter blue, atomic energy pulsing through from the tip of his lengthy tail to his head. The Alpha Titan swiftly turned his head, eyes glowing brighter with power, giving the Cybertronian no time to react as a blast of Godzilla’s trademark atomic breath blasted into Devastator’s metal body. This sent the combiner flying back, skidding across the wasteland of a city while the Titan kept pouring more power into the nuclear assault.

Devastator howled in pain as the azure atomic blast wracked his metal body, struggling to get up as it kept pushing him back to the ground.

It wasn’t the heat of the attack that was harming the war machine, he could take that just like he could take lava from the center of the Earth. It was the force of the beam that made Devastator’s screams of pain echo across the ravaged landscape.

The combiner knew he had to think fast as the blast wasn’t slowing down anytime soon, he couldn’t endure the atomic breath for much longer. He wouldn’t be like the rest of them.

Devastator grunted as he managed to maneuver himself to a workable position, screaming as the azure ray hit his chest, going down to his torso, a bad weak point as that was where one component was connected to.

Getting his right leg into position, the cement mixer aimed a nozzle at the Alpha Titan, swiftly shooting green acid at Godzilla. He did not care where it hit, just that it would splash somewhere on the leviathan’s body.

Sure enough, Godzilla shrieked in agony as the substance splattered against his chest, immediately stopping the atomic breath as he felt the acid eat away at his rough skin. Trying to shake the harmful material from his body, he inadvertently gave the Cybertronian enough time to examine any injuries. Much of his upper body had become blackened from the assault, his hands grazed the areas, cringing as small sparks traveled from new wounds to his fingers, feeling some energon begin to leak.

There was no time to heal, however, as Devastator looked back at the menace in front of him. He had already recovered, glaring at the combiner as exposed skin now showed amidst the natural armor he possessed. A perfect target.

Devastator quickly put his hand forward, fingers all together in a line before purple energy encompassed them. A straight laser blasted from his metal hand and into the Monster King’s body, earning a cry of pain as the energy hit his skin, red blood pouring out of the new injury. Godzilla bellowed in agony, holding on to the wound as he leaned against a skyscraper.

The Cybertronian scoffed at the Titan’s pain, he didn’t think the monster even knew of it, but Devastator did. He liked eliciting the feeling in Autobots whenever he was formed, as did the Constructicons.

Something felt… strange about it this time though. It didn’t feel the same.

There was no maniacal glee he was taking in hurting this creature. Those thoughts seemed like they weren’t there. None of the Decepticons who made up his body felt this since… since Megatron’s death.

Devastator started marching forward, reaching back as his Solar Rifle transformed from a compartment within him, ready to finish this as he aimed the gun at Godzilla’s head.

The Constructicon combiner’s finger tried pulling the trigger, but… he just… couldn’t do it.

Why?

Was it all those millions of years ago? When Megatron took control of their minds?

Were… Were they now… free?

Devastator nearly pulled the trigger as the irritable thoughts started subsiding, but the King of the Monsters had other plans.

Recovering from the previous attack, Godzilla swiped his lengthy tail at the rifle, sending it flying across the city, making the Cybertronian gasp before balling his hand into a fist. He went in for a punch, but the Titan’s muscular tail came back to hit Devastator again, smacking into his hulking metal body, making the combiner cry out as he hit the ground. His legs already scrambled as he started lifting himself up from the rubble, gray dust covering his dark-gray face and upper body as Devastator got himself back up. The roar of Godzilla challenged him to keep fighting the Alpha Titan.

The combiner nodded in acceptance, fists ready to start pummeling his adversary again.

That’s what Devastator did best.

Devastate.

***

Running into the Autobot base, the Ark, a human rushed down its huge, empty, orange halls. Huffing, he gasped for air from how much he hurried to see the peacekeeping robots who he had quickly grown attached to since he met them all those years ago.

Swiftly pressing the button by the door, Spike Witwicky entered the center of the crashed ship, seeing many Autobots talking to one another in a circle.

“I saw the news and I ran as fast as I could! Is… Is it true?” The human announced as he looked up at the huge robots in front of him, panting while he attempted to catch his breath, hands on his knees while he breathed heavily.

Four Autobots stood in front of him. The City Commander, Ultra Magnus, his colors of red, white, and blue adorning his metal body reminded the human of the previous leader, and his friend, Optimus Prime. Though, they were obviously different with Magnus’ taller, wider build and those massive pylons on his shoulders.

With him was the old war veteran, Kup, the signs of age and battle showing on his green body. And a more familiar face to Spike was the Autobot scientist, Perceptor, the microscope beside his head being his most defining trait.

Coming up beside the human were a few other Cybertronians. Hot Rod, a recent and youthful addition to the team with those flames on his chest showing his rebellious nature, Arcee, a rare female Autobot adorned in pink, and Springer, a tough example of an Autobot soldier.

Around the room, Spike noticed more of these robots that he was more acquainted with, some more distraught over the recent news. The red ‘bot Sideswipe leaned against the wall, arms crossed as his head hung low, the shorter minibot Brawn was with the crimson Cybertronian, talking to him in a comforting way. Spike took this as confirmation that Sunstreaker didn’t make it.

“It’s… It’s true, Spike,” Ultra Magnus spoke mournfully as he looked down at the human with his glowing sapphire eyes, his hands trembling as he talked.

“Anyone out there is dead.”

Spike sighed as he heard the news from the people he knew would be absolutely certain. Many of the friends he made from this strange race of robots from space over all of these years were gone. Looking down, he felt a mechanical hand comforting him, gulping that feeling of crying down his throat as he looked to see Arcee kneeling beside him, kindly and silently helping him take the news.

The man didn’t know her very well, or many of these recent Autobots who had come to Earth a few years ago, but he appreciated the gesture, giving her a smile back before turning his head back to the base commander.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Spike asked, knowing there was always something to do for those fallen.

“We’re waiting for Devastator to stop fighting Godzilla, then we’ll go in and help clean up the mess,” Ultra Magnus answered grimly, but logically, knowing it may not be the best answer, but the right one.

“Devastator? He’s fighting that thing?And we’re not gonna help him? You’re just gonna wait?” Spike asked, looking around the room in confusion.

“Well, Devastator’s kinda… the enemy, son. We wanna play it safe, let both of ‘em kill each other, and not risk any more Autobots dying,” Kup explained, making it as digestible as possible, even though the human knew the conflict.

“They… did ask, but…” Perceptor began to elaborate, but was quickly cut off by his superior.

“I declined for the previously explained reasons,” Ultra Magnus interrupted, making the smaller red Autobot back down, and earning a grimace from the human.

“If they asked for help, you should do it. That’s what an Autobot does, they help, no matter who it is.”

***

Devastator grunted as he missed a punch, groaning while Godzilla crashed into his metal green body and shoved him into a building. Concrete broke as the sound of cracking glass rang through his audio receptors. The Alpha Titan started clawing at the Cybertronian as he shoved his opponent into the crumbling structure, attempting to get deep behind that purple guard on his chest.

Devastator gritted his steel teeth as he put one arm between Godzilla and himself, trying to keep his distance as the Monster King continued pressing his hefty weight against the Constructicon combiner. Heavy metal feet dragged against the pavement as Godzilla kept driving him into the building, hearing more cracks as it threatened to give out.

More importantly though, one of the alpha’s claws was beginning to dig into the hard, Cybertronian steel armor. Sparks tingled out of the blunt nails starting to seep inside, making Devastator pull the arm that was supporting him from the building to quickly slam it into the side of Godzilla’s reptilian head. The saurian stopped as he stumbled to the side, eliciting a screech of pain as he shook his head side to side.

The metal monolith groaned as he examined the new wound, luckily, he had stopped the monster from going too deep, but he needed to stop him from going any further. Devastator pushed himself off of the collapsing building with a mighty heave, stomping the shovel of his mighty foot into the pavement before colliding his fist into Godzilla’s gut, making the Alpha Titan howl in agony as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. This gave the Decepticon the opportunity to grab Godzilla by the neck, hurling the reptilian into a nearby building, smashing the structure with Godzilla’s head.

Just as the Monster King was starting to regain his composure, the Constructicon combiner kept his grip on the saurian’s thick, fleshy neck, shoving Godzilla through multiple buildings, glass and concrete slamming into the Titan’s face. Blood began to flow as his vision blurred, the screeching sounds of Devastator’s rage-filled screams filling his ears.

Just like that one trying to control him…

The silver one…

It all scratched at Godzilla’s ears and that… thing trying to manipulate him, it all only fueled his anger, and that rage was manifesting into blue energy going down the Alpha’s body.

This was different from how Godzilla charged up his atomic breath, and Devastator noticed this. Instead of only being on those massive dorsal spines, the atomic energy was all over the cracks in the Titan’s skin and crackling around him like energy, it wasn’t something previously seen. Pinkish sparks seemed to dance about that cascade as well, the same color as the Energon he’d been bathing in. Thinking quickly, the Decepticon Titan used his other hand to grasp the King of the Monsters’ maw, lifting up so he could turn his other hand to a fist, ready to punch the air out of this overgrown dinosaur again.

As Godzilla opened his eyes and stared down at Devastator, that was when the realization hit him.

The azure energy crackling through the Alpha Titan’s entire body shined like a bright light, almost blinding, before something greater than a thought hit the Cybertronian.

A massive atomic pulse shot from Godzilla’s body like an enormous blue shockwave, sending Devastator flying across the city, multiple buildings crumbling into debris instantly as the energy expanded outwards. And there was only more to come as the war machine crashed into the center of New York City, blowing up concrete and dirt upon impact. The combiner groaned in pain, coughing as his vision blurred and glitched, but besides the temporary blindness, nothing was wrong with his body as he started to get up from the crater he left in the ground.

Devastator only spat out some purple energon as he lifted his massive green body up, the liquid dripping from his mouth as he spotted his opponent once more, hearing that threatening roar before Godzilla started charging at him once again.

“Devastator… fears… nothing…”

The Decepticon Titan’s booming voice still echoed as he mumbled to himself, making one of his hands go back into his arm to replace it with a drill swiveling out, whirling to life as he prepared to be on the defensive.

Devastator growled as the Alpha’s footsteps made the earth shake louder the closer he got, putting one hand up into a fist as he prepared for the assault. The glow surrounding the leviathan’s body seemed to fade, energon not taking to an organic even as odd as him, but the air still seemed to slightly warp around him.

*******

Ultra Magnus hung his head down. The lights beeped all around the center of the ship, Teletran One issuing reports of New York going up in flames by the minute. His soldiers, his brothers and sisters in arms, ran around trying to find a solution to mitigate the problem.

Their voices all went mute with his focus simply at the console below him. His optics shuttered for a moment, thinking about the transmission he had with survivors against the Titan. The newly christened leader of the Autobots had a larger responsibility than he ever thought he’d have.

The Autobot Supreme Commander.

“Optimus, you rusted glitch! Why did you have to run out and play the hero?” Muttered Magnus, raising his head up at the Teletran, continuing to present the larger than life fight between Godzilla and Devastator.

“Because it was the right thing to do,” Spike spoke up, walking towards the leader of the Autobots.

Ultra Magnus turned around slightly to face his friend, grimacing at the conversation he was about to have with him. “He was always the one to charge face first into a battle without any regard to his life.”

“He did it for me,” Spike paused, recounting the time he and his dad were first saved by him from a burning oil rig fifteen years ago. He turned to the other Autobots, some were performing their duties while others had their optics on him. “And he did it for everyone else here.”

“Spike… I know what you’re trying to do,” Ultra Magnus spoke, taking a moment to glance back at the screen. The devastation was immeasurable as blocks were incinerated by the King of the Monster’s atomic ray. He felt guilty over the lives he wouldn’t be able to save, but he had to stand firm with his orders.

The Constructicons will give Godzilla hell and hopefully take him to the Well of AllSparks with them. Like the lives he couldn’t save, he wasn’t thrilled over letting anyone die, but sacrifices had to be made. Especially when the war for Cybertron was almost at its end.

Shockwave, as dangerous and vile as he was, was the only member of leadership left. In one day, they were closer to winning the war than ever before, but they had also taken significant losses. If Devastator fell, then only Bruticus remained as far as Titan-sized Transformers went, thus giving them the advantage.

Ultra Magnus glanced back down at Spike. “But I cannot.”

“Magnus…” Spike breathed out.

“To stop now and risk what’s left of our race would dishonor those who gave their lives to save humanity!” Countered Magnus, his fist shaking from the thought of his family getting blasted apart by Godzilla.

“Even those who fell…” Arcee’s calm voice interjected, stepping up between her two friends. “Would tell you they have no regrets.”

He saw the truth in her words, they would no doubt sacrifice themselves if they could, as had been shown constantly. Yet, there were still others that needed their assistance, like Elita-1 and her resistance cell on their home planet.

“Magnus,” Spike spoke up once more. “I just lost my best friend today, because he wanted to stand with his fellow Autobots and save the day.”

“Bumblebee was always the brightest of us all,” murmured Magnus, tightening his hand.

“He was, and he wanted to make sure everyone could wake up every day and live,” Spike relayed, approaching his three-story friend, placing his hand on his leg. “And he did it so my son would be able to grow up in this world.”

“And we’d do the same in his position, no matter the cost,” Arcee added, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“I know you would…” Ultra Magnus paused once more, taking a look at the room becoming more and more barren than before. He realized the soldiers under his command were not going to sit by while Godzilla devastated New York. The new Autobot leader chuckled at the display of rebellion. “Perhaps Hot Rod being disobedient isn’t such a bad thing.”

“It’s not him they listened to,” a new voice spoke up, causing the three to turn around to see an orange hook-crane truck rolling towards them.

“Hauler?” Arcee questioned, raising her hand up to her face, curiosity piqued her interest.

The construction#based Autobot chuckled, transforming before them, revealing a smile on his face. “Guilty as charged.”

“Hauler… I don’t understand, why would you…” Ultra Magnus tried to inquire about his subordinate, but was cut off by the construction vehicle.

“Because I abandoned them before when the Crystal City fell,” Hauler answered, remembering the details of that dreadful day when he not only lost the pride and joy of his work, but his family. “Omega Supreme might be clouded by vengeance and I by fear, but no more.”

The normally quiet and distant Autobot looked up at his new commander, his eyes glistening. “Do what you will of me after this is over for disobeying orders, but I can’t live knowing that I’ve run from my brothers once more.”

“If you really do believe there’s a chance they’ve reformed…” Ultra Magnus trailed off, pressing buttons on Teletraan One, activating defenses aboard the crashed ship and the sensors around the surrounding area, determining the fastest route to the city. “Then who am I to deny you this?

“And besides,” Arcee chimed in, her voice oozing with excitement, raising her hands up. “This could be how we win the war. Shockwave will be terrified of us when he sees us defeating Godzilla.”

“Come on, Magnus,” Spike chipped in, walking towards the exit of the control center. “Let’s make them proud, like we’ve always done.”

“Just because I agree with this rescue operation, doesn’t mean you all can just charge in however you want!” Ultra Magnus hollered out, following Spike as Arcee and Hauler trailed behind him. “If there’s a command to be thrown out, I need everyone to follow it.”

“I can listen to it, but the Constructicons might disagree,” Hauler countered, shrugging his shoulders.

Ultra Magnus rubbed his hand against face, already finding himself irritated by the various outcomes this operation could go in. “Right…”

“I still have no idea how you were able to put up with it, Prime.”

The Autobot Leader huffed out, not wanting to spend more energy arguing, he lifted his arm out in front of his compatriots. “Autobots! Transform and roll out!”

******

Millions of years ago

Energy blasts lit up the sky like fireworks!

Explosions roared across the whole metallic planet as war cries shook the long standing structures of Cybertronian society. The planet was falling apart with everyone losing the very things they cherished.

A lone Constructicon raced down the damaged streets, narrowly avoiding the fallen pieces of debris cutting off his route. Flames scorched his body from the blasts of energon, while holes in his body were caused by the bombing raids he was caught in. The hook-crane truck had to endure it, for he had people, family even, to check up on. His injuries would have to be attended to later.

“Please, please, please!” Hauler rattled repeatedly, sending his body into maximum overdrive from the almost endless driving. “Let the city still be standing. Let my brothers and Omega Supreme be okay!”

Smoke arose from the horizon as the Crystal City came into view, what was left of it anyway. The towers collapsed onto the once magnificent domes, smashing into the pieces while the highway was shattered into pieces.

“No…” Hauler gasped, transforming in front of the ruins of his pride and joy. The very thing he and his brothers dedicated their life to. “Why… why couldn’t they leave this alone? It was a monument to all of us, to inspire sparklings to become anyone they wanted to be.”

“Culprits:” the loud booming voice of Omega Supreme echoed out, alerting Hauler to his presence. “Constructicons!”

“What…” stammered Hauler, a wave of denial hitting him at the information his gargantuan friend delivered. “I don’t understand, they’d never destroy something as magnificent as this, much less something they loved.”

“Explanation: Robosmasher,” Omega Supreme spoke up, his booming voice rattling the surface they stood on.

“Megatron…” Hauler surmised.

“Assumption: Correct.”

“Were you…” the Constructicon murmured, taking a step forward towards his friend. He wanted to know if there was any way his friends could be brought back. Brought back to themselves before they’d end up as bodies littered across the planet. “Were you able to bring them back in any way?”

“Attempt:” Omega Supreme attempted to answer, but stalled, feeling his eyes beginning to leak with a moment of sadness and regret. They, too, were his friends. He didn’t show it to his last remaining friend, but he shared his grief. His purpose was destroyed and so was his family. Their minds had been twisted to be servants of the Emperor of Destruction. “Failed.”

“It’s not your fault, my brother,” Hauler spoke, placing his hand on the much larger Transformer’s leg. “You did everything you could.”

“Consolation: Rejected,” Omega Supreme harshly responded, backing away from the Constructicon. Hauler’s shoulders dropped ever so slightly from the gesture. “New objective: Hunt down Constructicons. Determination: To the ends of the galaxy!”

“What!? No! Omega, we can try again! Us Constructicons are some of the most brilliant minds on Cybertron, they can be reasoned with!” Hauler yelled out, not wanting to see any of his family lost to this war.

“Plea: Denied,” Omega Supreme’s voice echoed out. He didn’t want it to come to this, but after what happened with the Constructicons, there was no other option. “Explanation: No reversal from RoboSmasher.”

“No reversal?” Hauler coughed out, feeling his injuries slowly take hold of him, as small drops of energon leaked out of his body.

“Answer: Yes,” Omega Supreme spoke, swooping the small green and purple bot’s body into his gigantic hands. “Objective: Find Hauler a healer.”

“Omega, I’m fine…” Hauler coughed, shooting droplets of energon on the chassis of Omega Supreme. “Our priority is to find our brothers.”

“My priority: Destroy them,” the gigantic Autobot answered, walking away from the ruins of Crystal City. He didn’t want to look at it any longer, as he had wanted to leave a long time ago, but only stayed in the hope either survivors were found or someone like Hauler came back. His mission was finished and he could move onto the next objective on his list.

“Your priority: Survive,” Omega Supreme added, continuing to march across the desolate surface of Cybertron in the hopes for a healer nearby.

“Why do you have to destroy them? There’s always a way with them, there’s always good in them,” Hauler retaliated, desperately not wanting to see the former guardian set on extinguishing the team he was once a part of.

“Answer: Only solution. Reversal: Not present,” the titanic survivor answered once more. “Advice: Change colors so Autobots won’t mistake you as Decepticon.”

Without any hesitation or even the strength to conjure up any words for that second argument, he complied, focusing on the orange claw that was carrying him. The neon green and purple disappeared in a matter of seconds, replacing it with the same color as the guardian’s hand.

Omega Supreme was wise in that statement, but not when it came to their comrades. Hauler, feeling his optics about to close, his body about ready to temporarily shut down, uttered out one last declaration.

“You don’t need to destroy them! I’ll prove it to you!”

Hauler’s optics then closed as his whole body soon followed, the last thing he heard before darkness overwhelmed was “Thought: Appreciated.”

But as Hauler knew it, Omega Supreme still continued his road down vengeance, with no one able to convince him otherwise.

***

Present Day

Devastator roared as Godzilla bit down on his shoulder, making the windows of the crane upon his body crack. In response, his drill whirled, hitting the reptilian’s side and digging into Godzilla’s skin to make the Monster King howl in agony. Before it could strike any vital organ, he released his grip, blood spurting from the wound all the while. A headbutt to the combiner’s face cracked the crimson visor covering his eyes.

Devastator groaned in pain as his head reared back from the impact, his metal teeth gritting as Godzilla quickly continued his assault. Battering the combiner with his sharp claws, he tried to tear at his cybertronian body, getting to a point where the hand drilling into Godzilla’s skin wriggled free from his fleshy body, a tide of blood flooding the streets below.

Godzilla let out a defiant roar, trying to intimidate Devastator once more, but only got a growl from the Decepticon before he swung one of his drill hands at the Monster King. He barely missed as Godzilla dodged with such unexpected speed before ramming into Devastator, pulling a scream from the combiner as he once again bit at his shoulder, purple energon leaking this time as he began thrashing and running hard and fast. Utilizing his speed and power, he hoped to disorient his opponent while attempting to rip him apart.

Devastator cried out as he felt the Titan’s jaws clench harder while rapidly moving side to side, putting the drills back inside of his arms to form his hands again. His fists tightened before striking hard, a series of body shots pelleting off of Godzilla’s hard skin, making him groan in pain. But still, he continued his assault, aiming to go to the nearby buildings, making each hit count as the metal destructor slammed into every tower, concrete and glass fracturing against his green body.

Fortunately, Devastator’s cybertronian metal was made for this kind of abuse, but he knew he couldn’t hold out forever. Without looking, he hurriedly grabbed a chunk of a building, quickly smashing it against the reptilian beast’s head, finally making the monster let go with a cry of pain. This gave Devastator enough time to deliver another punch to Godzilla’s face, his mighty hand of steel colliding with a powerful impact strong enough to knock a tooth from the Monster King’s maw. The shovel on his shoulder moved in, smacking the side of Godzilla’s head as the cybertronian nearly fell from the power he put into the hit.

Devastator used a half destroyed structure to balance himself as he glanced at his opponent falling down, dust kicking up before a pained groan was heard. The Constructicon combiner huffed, silently praying to Primus that the battle would be over sooner… abnormal for his usual lust for violence.

Devastator fully stood on his asymmetrical feet, glaring down at his downed foe, hands glowing a bright purple, ready to shoot at the Monster King as the dust started settling down.

One swift motion was all it took to knock the gestalt off of his feet, the lengthy, muscular tail of Godzilla tripping Devastator. The green combiner fell to the ground, making him try to scramble to his feet before his opponent could rise.

Both goliaths rose at the same time, blue atomic energy quickly going up Godzilla’s spines, making Devastator’s visor glow purple as he backed up slightly; firing off a strong blast of energon right at the Monster King before a burst of atomic breath shot out of Godzilla’s draconic maw. Both rays met in the middle, the power of the blasts making both of them skid across the concrete while they tried to stand their ground.

Devastator groaned as he struggled to keep up the momentum, it was hard to see with both blasts directly in his optics. All he had to do was keep pouring power into the beam, not knowing how far he was going, just that it wasn’t enough. The Constructicon Combiner was more than that, he wouldn’t settle for anything less.

Megatron wouldn’t settle for anything less than his best.

Godzilla growled as he kept the beam struggle going, his eyes narrowing as he started to exploit his opponent’s apparent weakness: his vision.

The blue heat ray started traveling downward, going until the Monster King could blast Devastator’s chest. Moving out of the way from the purple laser as he pushed more power into the atomic breath, a scream of pain rose from the gestalt as the strength of the atomic burst sent him flying backwards. His hands desperately tried to grab on to the surrounding buildings, but the power of the radioactive ray made them break on impact, leaving Devastator to skid back along the concrete, leaving a trail of broken pavement and dirt in his way.

The atomic breath was so fiery hot and powerful that the Constructicon Combiner’s mighty chest shield started to bend, threatening to break and expose his chest underneath.

Devastator cried out in agony as Godzilla’s assault didn’t let up, going up until the Cybertronian’s back slammed into a massive building. He felt the heat ray stop momentarily, the alleviation making Devastator gasp and pant.

His limbs were already aching as the Decepticon goliath attempted to stand, before looking up to see the building he had crashed into, a confused look on his face showing as he recognized the skyscraper.

It was the one he had once climbed to fight the Autobots, which dwarfed even him.

The confusion suddenly turned into fear as Devastator’s gaze went back to the King of the Monsters, noticing the wicked smile on the beast’s face.

And then the pulsing blue atomic energy traveling through his spines.

The war machine’s legs started scrambling as he tried getting up, his balance not catching, not to mention the damage to the building made it nearly topple over as he moved.

Devastator desperately attempted to get out of the way while also not letting the towering monument fall on him, until it was too late.

The azure atomic breath shot through the city at rapid speeds, hitting the Cybertronian combiner in the chest yet again, forcing Devastator deeper into the building until it finally gave way, the concrete and windows cracking in quick succession as it began toppling over.

Godzilla wasn’t even done, the blue heat ray blew through the upper half of the building as well, making sure any and all rubble concentrated solely on the Constructicon goliath.

“NO!” Devastator cried out as he was quickly being buried alive in a concrete grave, massive chunks of debris piling on top of his behemoth green body, a mass of remains of the city’s largest building completely covering the Decepticon combiner.

As the Monster King stepped toward the Cybertronian’s tomb, he took a loud bellow signifying his victory over these invaders, more than happy to have gotten rid of the metal beasts. But still, it did not quench the sudden rage that he’d had over the course of the battle against these robots.

Godzilla stomped towards the pile of rubble until he had one foot on the grave. The King of the Monsters needed to make sure it was destroyed, just to be safe.

Godzilla’s spines glowed a bright blue, each individually lighting up before his eyes shined the same. Radioactive energy coursed through the Monster King’s body as he approached the pile of rubble that entombed Devastator, ready to destroy the combiner once and for all.

Godzilla’s atomic breath trickled through his reptilian throat, blue flames speeding to release from his maw.

The heat ray briefly shot through the air as two explosions rocked the Titan’s body, making Godzilla screech in pain and surprise as he shook his head, stumbling off of the pile as the Monster King’s eyes narrowed to the source. They widened as he saw vehicles rolling towards him at full speed before suddenly stopping, all but a slim blue car which went at supersonic speeds, driving in circles around the Titan before zipping past, going through any rubble or street, wanting to get Godzilla’s attention.

It got it.

Godzilla roared a challenge at the car, stomping towards the vehicle in a rage as he tried to find it.

“Good job, Blurr, keep him distracted!” a white semi truck carrying a red and blue car carrier called out.

The truck suddenly transformed, changing into Ultra Magnus. He looked off into the distance to see his ally, hearing him scream in fear as an atomic blast nearly struck him.

“YesUltraMagnus,I’lltrytrytry,doingthebestbestbestIcan!” The blue speedster cried out, momentarily transforming into his slick robot mode to fire a few shots at the Titan before forming back into a car.

Right beside Ultra Magnus were the rest of the main Autobot team for this mission. Kup, Hot Rod, Arcee, Hauler, and Springer, with others following behind.

Spike, wearing his white exo-suit made for missions like this, exited the orange construction vehicle before Hauler transformed into robot mode, stepping forward to hear his leader’s plan.

“Alright, I need two teams distracting that monster while I lead another to get Devastator out of that mess. Kup, you lead the ground team.”

“On it, Magnus, whatever you need,” The elder Autobot nodded and saluted as he stared up at his superior, ready to do as instructed.

Ultra Magnus looked to the skies, seeing a large white jet fly past overhead, putting a finger on the comms on his antenna.

“Jetfire, you lead an aerial team with any flier we have.”

“I got you. Everyone, fly with me!” Jetfire replied, a red “Warthog” plane and a green UFO: Powerglide and Cosmos, following suit.

“I’ll go too, Magnus, I’m good in the skies!” Springer said, giving a determined look before earning a nod of respect from the City Commander.

“Good. You too, Tracks,” Ultra Magnus said, pointing at a shiny blue sports car transforming into his robot mode, scoffing at the order while crossing his arms.

“Ugh… fine, but that big lizard better not scratch my paint, I just got it done yesterday…” Tracks sighed before turning back into his car mode, driving past his leader before wings folded out from the back wheels, letting him take off into the skies.

Springer quickly transformed into his helicopter mode, the rotors spinning as the green vehicle started taking off, following all of the various flyers going towards Godzilla to help fight him.

“Now, I need a team to get Devastator out of that rubble. I’ll take Hoist, Grapple, and Hauler to pick up any debris and pull him out. Sideswipe, Red Alert, Brawn, and Warpath, you’re for muscle and explosives.” Ultra Magnus ordered, pointing at each bot he called out, all of them ready to serve.

“Why do you need to take a couple of Minibots? I’ll go with you, Magnus!” Hot Rod confidently scoffed as he stepped forward, his cocky, headstrong attitude making the short Autobot, Brawn, furrow his brow in annoyance.

“Who are you calling a Minibot, punk?!” The grey helmeted bot asked, angry at the insult as he cracked his knuckles.

Ultra Magnus put his large hands on both of their shoulders, staring them down with a commanding look. It was time to solidify his leadership by breaking this up fast.

“Now is not the time. Hot Rod, do what I tell you, I made this decision for a reason!” The City Commander told the younger bot that he towered over, making Brawn do the same as he turned from the rebellious Cybertronian.

As Hot Rod disappointedly turned away, Warpath cheered, quickly transforming into his tank mode.

“Yeah! Let’s get that big bastard and blow stuff up! Zip zowie bang!” The red tank excitedly shouted with joy as he rolled away towards the pile of rubble, making Ultra Magnus and Kup shrug as they turned away from Warpath.

“He’s right. Let’s roll out, Autobots!” The new leader ordered as he transformed into his truck mode, allowing Sideswipe, Brawn, and Red Alert to transform into their car modes and roll into his car carrier.

“Gotcha, Magnus. Metal to the pedal, ‘bots!” Kup ordered as he transformed into his own Cybertronian pickup truck mode, speeding towards their target as the others followed, a mix of cars and trucks driving closely behind their mission commander.

***

Under the sea of rubble, the green and purple giant laid there, trapped. He attempted to move his joints either to rip the rubble off of himself or at least kick the piece of debris away, but nothing budged. Almost every part of his body was trapped by the rubble aside from his face with a small amount of space.

It didn’t matter, as Devastator could barely lift his head up and was only greeted by the remnants of a human building. Every spark in his gigantic body lit up, all of them communicating to each other as the giant remained still.

Yet, only one voice came out.

“Did I… Did I have purpose?” The combiner asked himself, pulling together the six thoughts entangled in his own mind. Their individual memories blurred throughout his circuits, recalling them all too briefly, witnessing the many tasks and battles he was a part of. “I did everything I was asked.”

One memory all six of his components had was their glorious leader Megatron, holding a giant white machine with tendrils sticking out of it. Each one of its arms latched itself onto the Constructicons heads, altering their very core to stand with Decepticon ideals.

The once great builders of the Crystal City, now evil geniuses, built the deadliest weapons for their newest leader. Devastator shivered at that memory, witnessing his components’ minds be perverted into vile creatures. Another shiver followed, realizing he was never one for compassion, but only rage and destruction.

Something about him was changing.

“Yet, why do I feel regret?” Devastator murmured, staring up at the concrete just above him.

Megatron was dead, and even if he were still alive, he wouldn’t be given an answer, but instead a blast from his fusion cannon. The Combiner slightly shook his head in the small amount of space he had, perplexed by his conflicting thoughts.

“What is causing all of this?” Devastator mused, thinking back to his former leader and the machine he used on all of them. His mind drifted to the device first, moving past his body’s conversion and towards another figure from his past.

Omega Supreme.

He recalled getting in a brief skirmish with the giant robot, attempting to use that very same machine on him. He was close, but the rivaling giant destroyed it before he could be met with the same fate. Devastator expected himself to be furious upon revisiting his failure, but in a startling twist, found himself to be happy at its destruction.

Devastator couldn’t help but smile.

Not just towards the Robosmasher’s destruction, but upon the memory of Omega Supreme.

He was a great friend to his constituents who treated them with respect. They achieved many amazing things together, but ended up betraying him because they were not strong enough to resist.

His entire system hummed, every piece of him feeling regretful over their roles. Not just in that moment of betraying a dear friend, but fighting a war they wanted no part in. Devastator hung his head down in disgust, not sure how to fully feel about the situation.

Matters only grew worse when another revelation came back to him.

Megatron and his cursed Robosmasher gave him a particular life!

Through another series of brief flashes, Devastator’s life began when his components first merged after the reprogram.

The Combiner gasped, feeling his entire body go cold at the revelation. He only existed because his components’ minds were rewritten and their bodies were altered to channel a war machine.

He briefly witnessed humans being sick, either through his many skirmishes in their cities or on a screen, never once knowing how they could be deterred by something like it. Now, with the entirety of his life running through his circuits, could he understand a fraction of what those creatures dealt with.

Devastator felt sick to himself.

He no longer wanted to exist.

He was a consequence, a burden on the Constructicon’s bodies. Something they never asked for.

“If… by some miracle, I can escape from this entrapment, I will… free them,” Devastator breathed, despair inside him growing more and more from each passing second. “They can flee and live with their lives in peace, being who they once were…”

Devastator closed his optics, experiencing the Constructicons’ memories once more. He witnessed their playful and creative natures, bonding with their friends over several projects. They were a family who cherished every moment together, and his birth ruined it. He played a part in tearing them away from Hauler and Omega Supreme.

“I can rectify it,” Devastator murmured, until it hit him like a rivaling combiner’s fist.

The Robosmasher was gone. Megatron was gone.

With Megatron’s demise, he noticed something about the Constructions and himself. Their personalities were slowly shifting towards how they were before the war. They were more compassionate and valiant in everything they did.

“Almost there,” Devastator weakly groaned out, wanting his existence to end so they may know peace once more. “Just need the strength to dig you out of here, so I can disappear forever.”

CRACK!

Light shone through the rubble, hitting the Combiner’s face. He briefly shielded his optics for just a moment until he realized it was salvation for the Constructicons.

CRACK!

More pieces of rubble were broken into tiny pieces while others were lifted away. Slowly but surely he felt his limbs being relieved of the burden, letting them move once more. Devastator attempted to lift himself back up, only for another piece of rubble to be removed.

Upon being shifted away, a smaller figure made his presence known, pushing another piece of concrete away. The figure had a shiny grey dome over his head while an orange and green body was short, but bulky.

He recognized the figure all too well, someone Megatron held in a very low regard, outright insulting him in a variety of battles. To him, he was a force to be reckoned with, his strength barreling through the Decepticon forces countless times. Now, from his point of view, it seems the smaller bot was saving him from this tomb.

“The Hulk is almost freed, you guys!” Brawn yelled, ripping another piece of concrete off of the Combiner. “Sure hope this gamble of yours works out, Magnus!”

Devastator nodded at the smaller bot, giving him a small gesture of appreciation. He figured his mortal foe was only doing it out of necessity, but he couldn’t be thankful enough. The Constructicons could now be free.

His entire body gave way, breaking apart into six different robots, all of them struggling to recover. Scrapper rubbed the back of his head, glancing back at his brothers as he sighed in relief at all of them still functioning. The Constructicon leader turned back at his would be saviors, the Autobots.

Amongst them were Brawn, Sideswipe, Red Alert, Grapple, Hoist, and Ultra Magnus himself. The two kept their optics trained on each other, fully intending to cut the other side off if hostilities resumed. They may have been in an alliance, but it was only temporary. Things could go sideways at any given moment.

Scrapper brushed his hands, removing the dust from his hands as he chuckled. “Nice of you to finally believe us.”

“It’s not me you should be thanking, Scrapper,” Magnus relayed, gripping his photon rifle. He had faith in his fellow Autobots, but couldn’t let his guard down on the Constructicons. “I’d be more than content to let you all sit under the rubble.”

“At least it was cozy in there,” Bonecrusher vocalized, picking himself back up as walked up to his leader. He briefly glanced around the battlefield, taking note of the bodies littered throughout it and the reinforcements gathering around them. “Much better than what everyone else got.”

“Oh can it, Bonecrusher!” Long Haul cried out, kicking a piece of rubble and sending it flying into a nearby building. The resulting impact shattered the entire floor with pieces raining downwards. “Some of us at least want to be useful and shoot the dinosaur!”

“I could have done with either,” Scavenger chimed in happily, throwing his arms onto the shoulders of his brothers.

“I’m inclined to agree with Long Haul,” Hook added, feeling disgusted with himself over his prior predicament. Them being trapped in the rubble and requiring the help of their mortal enemies to free them was humiliating. He viewed himself alongside his brothers as the superior soldiers in the entire Decepticon army, proving himself right at the reality of them surviving against the King of the Monsters. “At least we wouldn’t have been buried in garbage.”

“Any ideas, Scrapper?” Mixmaster inquired, following it up with an annoyed groan from his brothers bickering amongst themselves. “We did technically say we’d want to stop Godzilla, but there’s nothing really keeping us here afterall.”

Scrapper remained silent, pondering what steps his team should take next when he backtraced. What did Magnus mean by ‘not thanking me’?

The Constructicon leader stepped forward, keeping his optics focused on the new leader of the Autobots. The Autobots shivered in response, almost raising their weapons as the Constructicon elicited the same type of response from the rest of his squad. Scrapper raised his arm out to his brothers, motioning for them to lower their arms.

Scrapper kept his focus on Ultra Magnus, intending to find out what he meant. “Who should we be thanking then?”

“Hey guys…” Hauler’s voice oozed from behind the group of Autobots, making himself known to his former friends. The Autobot smiled softly at them, relieved to see they were all still in one piece. “Long time no see.”

The Constructicons were stunned to see a former friend rally the troops. One they all played a part in betraying not only their life’s work, but their brother as well. Scrapper couldn’t help but smile at seeing his dear friend once more. The things he wanted to spill out in the moment, to apologize for everything they had done.

“Hauler!?” Hook exclaimed, examining his bright orange color scheme, recoiling with disgust. “You look like shit!”

“Hook!” Scrapper barked, snapping his head back at his comrade’s behavior towards one of their own.

Hauler couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s remark. Blue lights shone from his chest, gaining Scrapper’s attention as he noticed the bot scanning him. In the blink of an eye, Hauler’s orange paint chipped away before being replaced with neon green and purple once more.

“He’s sort of right,” Hauler pointed out, flexing his original color scheme once more. “Green and purple are my colors.”

Scrapper chuckled at his comment before a monstrous roar from the King of the Monsters drafted their attention once more. Hoist turned back to Magnus, awaiting his response. “What’s your command?”

The Constructicons did the same with Scrapper, all of them eyeing for their next set of commands in this dire fight. Scrapper could tell they had a variety of responses, some wanted to continue forward while others wanted to flee and let the Autobots handle it. The Constructicon leader could reason with all of those opinions, knowing in their position, they weren’t wrong.

To him, however, he thought back to their life’s work.

Crystal City.

They destroyed it and countless others. New York was described as a glowing city to humanity and even the Autobots. They studied it, knowing how important it was to all of them, but they didn’t see it then nor now.

Except it was still a home, and an achievement of countless hours of hard work to create a thriving metropolis. They held no attachment to this city, yet it reminded him so much of Crystal City. Of their achievement.

“No.” Scrapper spoke, focusing his attention on the rampaging King of the Monsters “Not this time.”

“We runnin’ or fightin’, Scrapper?” Long Haul asked, aiming his weapon straight at the distant Godzilla.

“We’re fighting to save a city.”

***

“Ultra Magnus, you almost done over there? We’re doing what we can, but we’re getting our tailgates handed to us! I can’t find Inferno, Bluestreak, or Mirage!” Kup asked as he tapped his communicator, hiding behind a building as Godzilla stomped closely, the elder Autobot hoping the saurian wouldn’t see him as he gripped his blaster tightly.

“We’re trying to regroup, just give us a moment,” The City Commander replied, making Kup grumble as he heard Godzilla walk past him, his roars piercing his audio sensors.

“Well, we’ll see you eventually, I guess,” The old Cybertronian sighed as he saw his comrades at different buildings, waiting to strike while the flying vehicles overhead shot at the Monster King.

Jetfire, Cosmos, and Powerglide all hit Godzilla with every blast of energon they could muster, knowing that it wouldn’t be enough to do serious damage. But they were doing anything they could to be of use in the distraction.

On the other side of the Alpha Titan, Springer and Tracks pelted Godzilla with more energy blasts, dodging any swipe of his hands and snaps of his jaws as they zipped past, moving by the other Autobots scattering as they went by.

The green helicopter and blue flying sports car made a natural turn around the sky as they turned back to keep shooting at their target, orange blasts of energon splashing against his body like nothing.

“Hey, you guys might do something if you go for the eyes!” Powerglide laughed as he swept close to the Monster King’s face, taking a risky shot at his eye, making Godzilla roar in irritation before swatting the red jet away, successfully landing the hit.

Powerglide screamed in terror as the reptilian hand sent him flying uncontrollably through the air, the only thing silencing his sounds of fear being the side of a building, a minor explosion rocking the floor that he crashed into.

On the ground, Kup just shook his head as he watched the flying fool fail before motioning Trailbreaker to follow him. Getting into a more tactical position, they waited for Hot Rod and Arcee to be in place.

“I don’t know why you didn’t want to do this, I figured that shooting at a Titan would be more exciting than digging up a Decepticon,” The pink ‘bot wondered as she and the rebellious young Autobot wandered through the dusty ruins of the great city.

“Yeah, this seems cool, but I could have been the one to go right up to Devastator’s ugly face and tell him to get the scrap up. I’d be happy just doing that,” Hot Rod explained as he slid behind a large slab of concrete, peeking out to see the overgrown dinosaur still trying to attack their fliers.

“I think just doing this is enough to prove yourself,” Arcee said as she hid amongst a pile of rubble, gripping her pistol tightly as she was in the exact spot Kup wanted her to be.

“It’s not about proving myself. I know I’m good enough for Ultra Magnus, or Kup, or even Optimus. It’s about doing what I think is best, and I know I would have been better there than here.” The flame chested Autobot said as he scowled looking at Godzilla. If anything, this would be a good opportunity to practice his aim…

“Alright, you kids, fire!” Kup ordered as he began shooting at the Alpha Titan, along with the black Autobot beside him using the blaster attached to his forearm.

Arcee and Hot Rod followed, with the pink bot using her pistol and the red one using both of his wrist blasters. They stayed behind cover, as if it would do much against the creature that caused this destruction.

Godzilla roared in annoyance as he felt the small blasts hitting his body, doing little more than pestering him as he looked around to find the metal flies. He started ignoring the pests in the air.

The Monster King’s eyes narrowed at a green robot using a small weapon to shoot at him in the streets. He would just have to show them real firepower.

Godzilla’s spines started lighting up individually, humming and crackling with atomic rage as he aimed at his target, his orange eyes turning a vibrant blue before launching a round of his atomic breath at the bothersome machine.

“Oh damn,” Kup said before running to cover, his optics widening as he saw the beam following him through the remains of the surrounding buildings, reducing the rubble to more pieces, nearly hitting him as he ran past them.

The elder Autobot fell down, due to a mix of his age getting the better of him and not seeing a chunk of concrete on the ground. Kup gasped as he realized that he wasn’t dead, however, certain that he would be joining his fallen brethren from his past.

A bright yellow shield had protected him instead, making him look to see the source of it was none other than Trailbreaker, visibly straining to keep the forcefield up against the pressure of the atomic breath.

“G-Go… Kup… Finish it… for… Optimus…” The black Autobot said, looking back at the old sergeant as he was struggling to have more energy pour into the shield.

“I’ll see you soon, my friend. May Primus be with you,” Kup sighed as he transformed into his truck mode, swiftly driving to safety. Hearing the forcefield crack as he left, before an explosion rang out, he knew the fate of his comrade without even looking.

Hot Rod gritted his metal teeth as he moved out of position, shooting at the saurian before transforming into a slick racecar. He ramped up a pile of concrete to soar into the air, not knowing if he would get the Titan’s attention or go unnoticed as their distraction kept going.

The rebellious punk sped along the streets, engine revving with uncontrolled energy that he possessed. He needed to find anything there that could aid them, and knew of only one thing that might.

“Kup, Arcee, Blurr, I need you guys to follow me. Jetfire, try and keep that dinosaur busy,” Hot Rod said on the comms channel as he switched on his radio, interrupting whatever rock song he was playing before the battle.

“Alright, kid, but it better be good,” Kup answered, knowing they were low on options. He watched Jetfire continue the aerial assault, expertly maneuvering around any threat that Godzilla had towards him and his crew in the air.

The turbo revving young punk continued his trek until he finally found what he was looking for, his wheels spinning to a halt as he transformed back into robot mode, his smile beaming as he had it.

Right in the middle of the street lay Devastator’s Solar Rifle, and that was exactly what they needed to turn the tide.

Right behind him, the Autobots he requested to help him followed, all turning back from cars to robots, gazing up at the enormous blaster that sat before them.

“Alright, so you got that, how are we gonna use it now, kid?” Kup asked, placing his hand on Hot Rod’s shoulder.

“Yeahthat’ssobigreallybigbiggerthananyweaponwecanusenoneofuscanuseitnononoIdon’tkmowwhatyou’reth-” Blurr began complaining before Arcee covered his mouth. Although she didn’t mind his chatter, even she knew the speedster could be too much.

“We’re all gonna try lifting it up so we can shoot it, prop it up against that building and we’d be good,” Hot Rod explained, looking proud of his idea before his elder sighed.

“You see how big this gun is? I don’t think any of us are strong enough to get it up anyway, it’s a waste of time.” Kup immediately dismissed the plan, making the young Autobot’s optics nearly roll out of his skull.

“Well, we don’t have a lot more ideas, do we? I’m not just gonna do a suicide mission,” Hot Rod said, taking a breath before starting to push the giant rifle, gasping as he was already straining himself to get it moving. The others joined out of desperation.

Kup only wanted to just to show him how dumb it actually was, cursing at Hot Rod and berating him the entire time they spent heaving the gun toward a building, then climbing on said building to get just the right angle.

The rebellious Autobot even used a blue visor hidden in his helmet to make sure it was correct. He and Blurr each used both of their hands to grip the trigger.

“Here we go…” Hot Rod sighed before the pair pushed down, firing a purple blast of energon that could pierce a hole through seemingly anything, as they had seen on the battlefield on numerous occasions.

However, it seemed as if their luck spent finding the weapon was all they had for the day.

Godzilla had moved at the right time.

Any other time and the Alpha Titan would have had a hole in his chest, but now, it just barely grazed his spines.

The attack did not go unnoticed by Godzilla, who glared at the source of the shot.

Hot Rod, Arcee, Kup, and Blurr looked up in horror as Godzilla’s spines continued to glow a bright azure blue, the atomic energy surging through his body, ready to bring his wrath on the invaders that had attacked him.

He’d destroy them like the metal insects they were to him.

Hot Rod clenched his fist, thinking about how his miss had cost everyone the battle. The only thankful thought that he had was that they wouldn’t suffer long.

The rebellious Autobot gasped softly as he felt something tug his arm, looking to see Arcee hugging him, her eyes closed as she had accepted her fate.

“It’s ok, Hot Rod… you did your best,” she said, supportive as always, slightly calming his guilt as the Monster King’s maw glowed blue, ready to blast the Autobots into scrap.

Godzilla’s eyes shifted however, looking down as he sensed a high amount of energy in the ground. The energon in these beings was strong, and he could feel it through the earth.

The saurian began shooting his atomic breath down to try and destroy the threat before it could come up and attack, chunks of the ground shooting up from the force, concrete and dirt flying as Godzilla attempted to kill whatever was coming for him.

The King of the Monsters was just too late.

A drill shot up from the ground beside Godzilla, revealing the Cybertronian to be the mighty Devastator yet again, jumping out of the hole he left in the ground. Godzilla turned his body as soon as his heat ray stopped its fury, his eyes widening in surprise as he was sure that the combiner was out of the fight, but he was now standing right before him.

“NOTHING DEFEATS THE DEVASTATOR!” The Constructicon Combiner shouted in defiance of the surprised king as he retracted his drill, replacing it with his massive fist and sending it soaring into Godzilla’s face. Devastator nearly toppled over from the force, as much of his might as possible being thrown into the strike.

Godzilla almost fell over, feeling a tooth fly out of his mouth before the Cybertronian’s arms wrapped around his body. The organic colossus let out an astonished roar as Devastator held his waist, the Constructicon goliath using his incredible strength to lift the Monster King completely. Internal wires and pistons strained, gritting his teeth as he began bringing both of them down backwards.

“NOTHING!” Devastator finished as he slammed Godzilla down into the ground in a suplex, causing the earth to shake around the two warring behemoths, dirt and dust surrounding the area as they crashed.

Both Godzilla and Devastator groaned as they began to rise. Both were weak from the impact, but their tenacity and willingness to continue the fight overpowered their pain.

The Alpha Titan pounced on the war machine, his mighty jaws wrapping around Devastator’s head, wanting to crush the metal menace’s skull. But a sharp knee to the gut made him back off, giving the Constructicon combiner the opportunity to headbutt Godzilla before shoving the Titan off of his Cybertronian body.

The two goliaths rose to their feet, charging at each other. Both tackled the other as hard as they could, coming to a standstill as their feet skidded along the earth, but this time, Godzilla snapped at Devastator’s crane arm, tugging with excessive force to pull it off. The Decepticon gestalt screamed in pain as blue energon spurted from the appendage before getting hit in the face by the base, making Devastator stumble back, losing the shoving match as he let go of his opponent.

The Alpha Titan snorted with contempt as he held the crane arm in his maw, using it as a bat to swing at the Cybertronian destroyer. Devastator groaned in pain as Godzilla twisted his neck with great strength a few times, using his new weapon to strike the Constructicon combiner in his bulky body and face. His visor cracked more until it shattered, exposing the two red optics underneath, making Devastator scowl in annoyance before grabbing the crane arm, tugging it out of Godzilla’s mouth as he rose up.

The neon green giant swung the new weapon overhead, crashing the crane arm against the Titan’s head as hard as he could, making Godzilla’s ears ring as he cried out in agony, feeling his head throb from the broken appendage striking his skull.

Not only that, but the Alpha Titan felt a surge of energy in his head, a visible spark showing on top as he felt a sharp stream of pain. His howls of suffering increased in volume as Godzilla held his head, looking towards the ground as he scratched at his skull, yearning for the pain to stop, confused at what was happening.

It had to be whatever those invaders planted on him. They did this. They… must be… exterminated… or not?…

The Monster King didn’t even know what thoughts were his and what was implanted into his mind, it was Hell, he was… scared?

Devastator realized what was happening. The look of confusion and pain, the Constructicons making him up recognizing seeing each other succumb to the mind control millions of years ago, feeling just like that.

The combiner softly put a hand on Godzilla’s back, hoping to calm the Alpha Titan’s rage. But the expected reaction happened when Godzilla twisted his body, smacking Devastator to the ground with his lengthy tail, growling as the Cybertronian grabbed ahold of the appendage, tugging on it to try dragging Godzilla to the ground with him.

The Monster King scoffed at the attempt as he slammed his tail into the titanic Decepticon’s body, sending fragments of metal into the air before turning around, spines glowing with atomic power. He was ready to blast his opponent into scrap, and then, the rest of his kind.

Anything to stop this pain.

Devastator quickly slid his leg across the ground, colliding with the column that was Godzilla’s leg and tripping the Titan. His atomic fire momentarily shot into the air before abruptly stopping, making Godzilla growl in frustration before feeling a hard hit to the head, looking to see the Cybertronian behemoth beside him, wailing on his skull with one fist while his other hand kept Godzilla pinned down.

Every punch felt like both a surge of agony and a plea for help. The hits were aimed at the electric pulses going into the Alpha Titan’s head, every single strike assaulting the cerebro-shell until it finally cracked!

Godzilla gurgled as his eyes widened, the pain leaving his body as his eyelids felt heavy, closing as his head fell to the ground. His fight for control of his mind was finally over.

Devastator huffed as he gazed down at the Alpha Titan, recognizing that he had only knocked Godzilla unconscious by him still breathing. He knew exactly what to do with the fallen Monster King as he weakly stood on his asymmetrical feet. Eyes narrowed as Devastator grabbed Godzilla’s tail, dragging the saurian to the water. The gestalt cringed as the water went into his open wounds before they went deeper and deeper, until they reached the depths, waves crashing against the pair as they went down into the endless ocean.

The hulking combiner groaned, feeling the pressure of the depths getting to him. Devastator glanced back at the still senseless Godzilla before turning back to find a suitable place to leave the Alpha Titan. As much as it pained him, the battle had already drained him to the point where a knockout would have to suffice.

Devastator trudged forward, fish swimming past him as he kept his grip firm on Godzilla. With just a few more steps, he stood on the edge of a cliff, noticing a huge drop off to the depths below. What lay below didn’t concern him, as long as it kept Godzilla entrapped for a while. That’s all that mattered to him.

Using the bulk of his remaining strength, Devastator combated the intense pressure and swung the still motionless Godzilla around. He let him drop at the edge, intending to deliver a small kick to send him careening down. All that was left was for Devastator’s strength to come back to him.

Godzilla’s eyes opened up!

He shook his head, feeling himself completely engulfed in the ocean depths. The Alpha Titan felt himself at a loss. Godzilla knew something had occurred, feeling his bones aching and blood seeping from his skin, instantly causing fury in his very body. Whoever was responsible shall pay for their transgressions.

The King of the Monsters snapped his head and saw the green and purple giant before him, readying to attack him. Godzilla roared out, feeling the water rush into his mouth as he prepared to tackle the metallic behemoth.

Devastator’s core sank, fearing the worst as Godzilla still had fight in him. Not wanting to draw this out any longer, the Cybertronian reared his leg back and delivered it straight in Godzilla’s face, eliciting a gurgled cry.

Godzilla felt himself losing his balance as he collapsed from the edge of the cliff and descended towards the unknowable fathoms. The King of the Monsters shrieked out in anger watching as Devastator stood at the edge, glancing down at him. Godzilla wanted nothing more but to swim back up and tear him to pieces, but his body prevented him from doing so. Nearly every part of his body hurt and commanded him to rest.

As he drifted further and further to the bottom of the depths, Godzilla’s eyes closed, feeling the sensation of sleep take a hold of him. For how long he’d slumber, no one knew, but Godzilla was defeated, and one day he’d return when his body commanded it.

With the King of the Monsters disappearing underneath the depths, Devastator ascended upwards, coming ashore in the bay of New York. He waded outside of the water and into the city. Devastator then made his way back towards the inner section of the city. He could have left right then and there, either by running off into the sunset or flying into the sky, but his components wanted something instead. The hulking giant murmured, feeling their request was more important than his own desires.

He only existed out of force, a disgusting act onto six beings, one he wished never happened. Nonetheless, he could exist as an extension of their will. A chance to be more than a weapon for a tyrant, to be a symbol of their unification.

Devastator’s joints wobbled, feeling himself becoming more unstable. The hulking giant trudged through the broken asphalt, listening to their collective thoughts. Some, like before, still wanted to flee, but others needed to make sure of something. To make sure those who came to their rescue still stood to fight another day.

“Help…” a weak voice cried out.

Devastator stopped in his tracks and glanced over to the wounded red warthog plane lodged in a broken building. He recognized the flying bot from several of their skirmishes, the all too cocky Powerglide trapped in its confinement.

“Hey… big guy…” Powerglide coughed, energon spitting out from his mouth and onto Devastator’s chest. “Sorry about that….”

The Combiner studied the injured Autobot, realizing he wouldn’t make it without help as he was in really bad shape. “Hate to ask, but you think you can get me out of here…. Unless we’re back to fightin’… each other.”

Devastator heard the collective speak once more and was puzzled. A life hanged in front of him, completely at his mercy. Before all of this, he would have just laughed and destroyed the Autobot in his confinement. Now, he felt pity, sadness.

He didn’t know if he could even save him, but he had to try. After all, they risked their lives for him.

The green and purple giant reached his hands forward as Powerglide chuckled. “Don’t worry about my legs… I think they’re gone.”

“I’ll be gentle…” Devastator murmured, ripping the sides of the building with his right while he shielded the Autobot with his left. The upper portion of the structure collapsed onto his hand while he inched his right hand towards Powerglide, snatching him up. Devastator pulled him away as he let the upper portion of the building collapse gently.

“I appreciate it, big guy,” Powerglide coughed, continuing to lay almost motionlessly on his palm. “So what’s the plan now?”

“Rendevouz with your team,” Devastator confirmed, turning back to trek towards his saviors.

“Ah… good,” Powerglide sheepishly responded, barely keeping himself conscious.

Within a few minutes they saw Devastator erupt from behind the skylines, noticing Godzilla nowhere in their presence. They all collectively sighed in relief before realizing Devastator still stood as he made his way closer to them. Their mutual enemy had been neutralized, but the war could very well still resume.

Ultra Magnus stepped forward, placing himself in front of his surviving soldiers, pointing his gun at the approaching giant. Hauler nervously glanced at his friends doing the same as he tapped his fingers against each other. Scared that both sets of friends were about to fight each other once more.

Devastator ceased his movements, looking down at the squadron of Autobots in his vicinity. Despite his status, he was more than capable of taking them down, but he didn’t want to. Whether it was from the low energy of certain components or their wariness of war, it was futile to continue.

At least for today.

Without uttering a word, Devastator gently set the injured Powerglide down, causing the surprise of the entire group. “Powerglide!” Perceptor called out, rushing towards him with Hoist and Grapple trailing behind him to provide him medical attention.

“Hey, guys… small world…” Powerglide coughed, with Perceptor giving him a small amount of energon to keep him stabilized.

Feeling his own body about to give out, he disassembled himself into his six components. He was glad he could end the day doing something they were proud to do. Perhaps this was the start of something more peaceful between the seven of them. A way for all of them to move forward.

The six Constructicons huddled together, eyeing the Autobots that stood across the street. For a few minutes they stared at each other, trying to recover from their grievous battle, until Scrapper inched his way towards Ultra Magnus.

The Autobot eyed the Combiner leader, keeping his wits even if the Decepticon showed no hostility towards them. Ultra Magnus moved forward, intending to match the Decepticon’s movement.

Hauler watched the display, nervous that something bad could happen to either one of them or even both, he hurried over to them. The former Constructicon placed himself in front of the two, eliciting pause from the respective leaders, confused by his behavior.

“Please… no more fighting,” Hauler murmured, glancing towards Scrapper, his brother.

Scrapper glanced at Ultra Magnus, who slightly glared at him, expecting him to resume the conflict in any way before turning back to his friend. He couldn’t help but smile at Hauler, the bot who always wanted a group to remain strong no matter what. He always admired that about him, knowing he’d be a friend who’d have someone’s back.

The Constructicon leader patted Hauler on the shoulder. “There will be no war today, Hauler.”

He looked back up at Ultra Magnus, pushing himself gently past his good friend and towards the new Autobot leader. Scrapper offered his hand up and spoke, “Shockwave will disagree, but I don’t care what he thinks. We’re tired…”

Ultra Magnus stared down at the seemingly irenic Scrapper still holding his hand up to him. The Autobot leader kept some form of doubt alive in his head that this could very well be a trick, but thought back to Devastator bringing Powerglide back to him, alongside their behavior to Hauler. Something about them changed, and potentially for the better.

One thing rang true most of all from their actions, and he felt one-hundred percent the same.

Ultra Magnus grabbed onto Scrapper’s hand, shaking it, completely surprising the Constructicon. “I’m tired as well.”

A whistle blared in the sky as both Autobots and Constructicons jumped in surprise. They looked up in the sky to see Astrotrain touching down near the Decepticon group. Magnus nearly recoiled in horror, thinking Decepticon reinforcements were pulling up on them, but Scrapper shook his head.

“Don’t worry about him…” Scrapper lightly chuckled. “He’s just our ride out of here.”

Hook and Mixmaster immediately stumbled into Astrotrain, nearly collapsing in the hull of the larger Transformer. Scavenger collapsed on the ruined street, forcing Bonecrusher to groan and drag him, likely following suit.

Long Haul was the last to follow as he looked over at his leader. “Scrapper, let’s blow this joint and get back to Cybertron! I’m tired!”

“Be right there!” Scrapper called back out before turning back to Hauler. “We’d love it if you rejoined us, Hauler. We have a nice little place we’d think you like.”

Hauler smiled at his brother and rubbed the back of his head. “I’d love to, but that’ll have to be another day. There’s still a lot to be sorted out in this war before we can make that happen.”

“Don’t worry about Shockwave, I’ll sort him out,” Scrapper laughed, pulling the Autobot in for a hug.

The two felt like family once more as they kept their hold onto each other. Hauler reared back slightly, smiling at his friend once more. “It’s good to have you guys back.”

“It’s good to be back, Hauler,” Scrapper said, pulling back from his friend and inching towards Astrotrain. “And Magnus!”

Ultra Magnus titled his head up to the Constructicon leader, curious but also apprehensive at what the Decepticon was about to convey. “Keep doing what you can even if you receive pushback! I’ll do the same on my end, and help bring an end to this cursed war!”

The Autobot leader couldn’t fully believe him, as the thought of Shockwave taking the reins of the Decepticons terrified him. That ‘con was the most dangerous and evil of all Cybertronians, but he couldn’t help but smile softly. He wasn’t blind, he saw the progress the Constructicons were making.

Like Prime would say, “There was good in them.”

“Make good on your promise! And we’ll both see through to it!” Ultra Magnus called out, providing a small wave to the departing Constructicon.

“Soon this will all be a memory and we can get back to properly rebuilding Cybertron!” Scrapper called out as he boarded Astrotrain. The Triple-Changer took off into the sky while the Autobots watched, leaving all of them to ponder their future.

So many lives were lost, but others regained their freedom.

They all wondered if the war would get any worse from here, but with Cybertronians on both sides wanting to end this conflict, perhaps peace wasn’t too far off.

It was something worth holding onto.

Winner: Devastator

Author: Vincent Rodger & Brendan Sheehan | Banner: Vincent Rodger

Space. 

The inky black stretched endlessly, encompassing all one could see. The few lights that broke through it only illuminated the sheer width of the void, like a lantern simply showing the greater detail of the faces hidden within. Even as one came to a planet, they would only see it swallowed by the sheer emptiness that surrounded it until they arrived on its surface. In this far corner, the dark surrounded a strange, dark, and dead planet.

And something traveled to this forgotten world with a soul even darker than the all encompassing oblivion he traveled in. 

Those who traveled the void knew there were ones who lightened it: the Ultras. Godly beings, gifted by their artificial sun with incredible power, which they used to protect the innocent from the terrors who lurked the eternal night. But long ago, one of their greatest grew jealous and vain, knowing there was more he could do then simple protection. He attempted to steal their power source and was banished. A terrible mistake, as he found other sources to grow his power. Now, those who trusted the Ultras knew there was a shadow stretching from their light. The greatest evil in the galaxy they attempted to contain… now freed. 

Ultraman Belial’s twisted maw sneered as he flew towards the graveyard. One hand held the artificial star that granted his people unimaginable power, while the other gripped his prize, the Giga Battlenizer. This ancient artifact, created by the dreaded Alien Reiblood whose ichor strengthened his power, would give him an army. But first, he had to secure it from where they rested. Blazing, angular eyes of blood red looked upon the Monster Graveyard with joy. 

The universe would bow before him. And it would be beautiful. 

As the fallen hero began to enter the stratosphere of the dread planet, he spotted something hovering over the graveyard, making him stop. Alien crafts hovered above the planets, not enough to be a full fleet but enough to be visible from here. Belial snarled in frustration. He did not need these distractions, especially with the hurry he had. He had razed his home world, but he knew there were no doubt more Ultras stationed away from home rushing to him. He needed his army to make sure all would be under his claw. 

“Bastards, out of my way!” 

He threw his prize from the Land of Light towards the surface below the warships like a javelin, rushing past them without grazing a single one. The Plasma Spark’s holder forced itself into the earth with an instantaneous halt, the artificial sun undamaged. Now he could get to work.

Aboard the ship, the aliens of the Crisis Empire had a moment to stare in horror at the demigod before them, before he swung his staffed weapon and they met oblivion. A curved arc of energy slashed through the nearest ship, splitting it into two before both halves exploded into infernos.  The explosion rocked Belial from where he stood, as he leaned to watch violent dominoes of flame. Ship after ship was overtaken, the bright orange glow growing seemingly infinitely. It danced in the orange crescents that made the Reionic’s eyes, as he observed the death of thousands with a single attack. A light rumble in his chest increased into a gruff chuckle, then into a mad cackle as he watched the chaos. 

Such beauty, and he had only just gotten started. 

Among the chaos, a ship took off. Inside, a golden warrior rushed around watching as his minions made the controls work. He struggled to contain his fear. The ships… so many soldiers… gone in an instant. General Jark shut his eyes and settled his mind, trying to not lose himself to anxiety. He turned to a Chap soldier and pointed.

“Keep moving! Our only chance is reach the graveyard. The revival of the warrior will aid us. The Crisis Empire will not fall! This fool shall die from the might of Shadow M-”

The world shifted around him as the dark Ultra lunged forward, snatching the ship in his hands. The alien warlord stumbled as the ship shook. Falling to his knees, he managed to look up through their display, seeing the corrupted giant of light sneer down at him. Panic filled his mind as the angry eyes glared down at him. Terror filled his evil heart as he looked upon a being who made his works look like child’s play. He turned and desperately called.

“Fire all weapons! Please!”

The order was never completed. The fallen hero crushed his fist, ending Jark and his men in an explosion of sparks and fire. Flexing his talons to rid them of the shrapnel, Belial nodded as he flew off. He paid no heed to the mission the invaders came to this world for. As far as he was concerned, it died with them. His goal was all that mattered. 

Slamming a fist into the ground as he landed, the crimson shadow surveyed the dead landscape as he looked around, the souls of those vanquished by his “brothers” hanging with an ethereal glow of various color hues. Their souls were unmoving, until one by one eyes which were believed to be at rest turned their gaze towards the new arrival. Here would be where his dominion of the galaxy would begin! Slamming the staff into the ground, Belial called out to the dead world.

“100 Mons Load! Come to me, my army!”

An insidious laugh left the fallen knight’s maw as the souls descended into the underworld, their forms reacting to his command like a feather to a windless day. One by one they were devoured by the molten rock beneath his feet, only for the various monster souls to be reborn in crimson fire as lava erupted, their forms returned to the land of the living. Their eyes glowing, roars echoed into the night as they returned with a vengeance against the universe, seijin and kaiju alike rising from the depths of the afterlife.

The fallen knight from the Land of Light cackled into the stars as his army had properly returned to him, claws flexing with anticipation as the first steps of his plan had been accomplished. The fools that had sealed him away had been dealt with, his army had returned to his side, there was simply no force in the universe that would stop his reign of terror from occurring.

Bump bump…

The various souls turned to a bright raging red as they quickly returned towards the Giga Battlenizer, those that wished to wreak havoc on the worlds they were previously on when they were slain by the accursed Ultramen across the universe.

Bump bump…

But a strange feeling arose as Belial wrapped his clawed hand around his prized weapon once more, what should have been a moment of clear victory had him feeling off when he met a realization. While most of the souls that comprised his resurrected army joined without resistance, and he had met the required one hundred “men” for his conquest of the cosmos… something resisted his will during the process.

Bump bump…

The hillside above him burst open. While it certainly earned his attention, he didn’t move a muscle away from where he was standing. Simply putting his staff upon his shoulder, he stared towards the origin of the explosion, the smoke not allowing him to get a clear picture, but it was humanoid in nature. Metal clanks were heard as it stepped forward, robotically approaching closer towards the cliff below to get a better view of its surroundings.

He reached into the earth beneath him, carefully and quickly removing the soil and rock from his trusted crimson blade. While he didn’t exactly know what was occurring here, he did know that holding this weapon in his hand made him feel more comfortable than without it. It was as if it was always meant to be held by him, an extension of his will. Twin emerald lights turned towards Belial as the figure stood still, the smoke clearing its way for a proper picture to be made for the both of them.

He stood tall in his chrome colored form, cybernetics covering every inch of his body. It would be incredibly easy for someone to mistake the figure as just an automaton due to the various machines beeping on his body. But, the mysterious entity was much, much more than just some soulless machine. His face resembled an insect, twin antennae pointed towards the stars above. His belt glowed the same emerald as his eyes, spikes pointing outward from his elbows giving him the appearance of a demon.

Rust covered his armor, some of it being brushed off with his free hand along with the dust and rock from his tomb. He observed the area he now stood in, gazing past the horizon into the infinite sea of stars which surrounded them upon his barren rock. He then turned back to Belial, this time acknowledging his presence. “What is this place? Speak before I run out of patience.”

“What?” Belial questioned as he tilted his head, curiosity and fury equally keeping his attention towards the humanoid entity. It would appear that he wouldn’t have to find the soul that resisted his control via hunting it down, it was at least fortunate that the being was right before him as he awakened.

“I remember,” the figure spoke as he reached his hand out to the stars, as if he was attempting to grasp the memory itself while images quickly rushed into his mind. A great battle had occurred between the forces of Gorgom wishing to subjugate humanity under mutantkind and his rival… his… brother. “Facing a mirror. One of incredible might and valor.” He laughed a bit as everything quickly returned to him, palm being planted against his face as the chuckle echoed down towards the Ultra. “It would seem that he had proven his might over my own. Damn that cur!”

He had died in the last stand against Kamen Rider Black to protect the previous Creation King, the entity even granting him its power. And still, he had failed to destroy Kotaro, like some emotional child. “I was slain, is that it?”

Belial then turned his entire body to give the cyborg his full attention, their eyes meeting even so far away. “You are unlike the Seijin I have now enslaved. I have resurrected you, along with a hundred monsters to control you and yet… You are not only free-willed, but beyond some mere Baltan. Just who the hell are you?”

The entity laughed once more, this time having to put his hand on his stomach as he attempted to keep his footing over the cliff to not fall over. “You believed that you could simply take control of my very soul? Fool! I am the chosen new leader of Gorgom! I am the shadow which will engulf the Earth! I am the answer to humanity’s prayers for something to be done to save their world! I am the demon of mutantkind! I! am!” He launched himself into the air with a powerful leap, the cyborg descending towards Belial at alarming speeds. The fallen Ultra quickly blocked the crimson blade with his own weapon, feet sinking into the earth below. “Shadow Moon! And I am a Creation King, you peasant!” 

Belial cackled loudly, striking his claws against the Battle Nizer in a shower of sparks. “Peasant? Did I hear you right, kaijin? Do you not know of my tale? Of my exploits? I am Ultraman Belial! The greatest warrior in the galaxy!” 

The dark messiah of Gorgom did not react. This cur was nothing more than another haughty bastard, boasting his own superiority. He would enjoy breaking his will like many others. Though the name he spoke did make him pause. He remembered the stories of the Ultraman who fought against the beasts from deep beneath the Earth and then returned to the stars. If this dark being was seriously among their ranks, he could prove a challenge to his godly power.  

Belial cackled all while he carefully observed this rebel in his ranks. Despite his aggressive path forward against his foes, he wasn’t stupid. This creature being able to resist made it more powerful. And the fallen angel was nothing if not unquenchable. He was constantly searching for a power which would aid him in becoming even greater than he already was. If this “Creation King” had this type of power, he would either break him so he could send it out against his foes, or, the option he preferred much more. 

Rip it out for himself. 

The dark Ultra raised his staff-like weapon and roared as he slammed it into the ground, the stone splitting and cracking as he pointed.

“If you really are this king, let me see what you have! Face your brothers! Go, my army!”

And go they did. From within the ground, kaiju who terrorized hundreds of planets, and seijin who conquered just as many, appeared and rushed toward the armored warrior. The chosen one did not hesitate as with a single leap, he cleared the head of the charging Arston, his fanged jaws clamping shut as his eyes widened. A parrot-faced Alien Guts raised his arms to fire a beam at the silver figure as he crashed back down, only to choke as a punch to his abdomen silenced him. An Alien Hipporito, the terrifying alien mercenary, charged forward. His eyes glowed before he aimed his red trunk and fired, a burst of flame shooting out.

Shadow Moon dodged the inferno, kicking out a leg to trip the gangly alien. Falling to his knees, the trunked assassin had a moment to look up before another punch struck, right to his widening yellow eyes. The charging Arston, joined by a sprinting Alien Metron, skidded to a stop as the blood of their compatriot splattered their faces. Blinking out the gore and wiping it off with tendrils respectively, the duo looked at the green lenses staring back at them. Cracking his shoulder, the Creation King aimed his hands and let loose, a bright flash of lightning firing. Quickly flipping, the Metron landed at the back of the ranks to avoid the onslaught. His saurian brother wasn’t as lucky, screeching as the blast fried him.

On it went, the enhanced mutant fighting against the army. A judo chop to the neck of an Aribunta, to then leap over a Kemular and kick deeply into the chest of an Alien Borg, crumbling it to the ground so he could send a blast of energy through the head of the nearest Bemstar and then turn to grapple with the snapping jaws of Mukadender. 

Watching from behind, Belial stalled as he watched his ranks thin more and more. This was a powerful fool! 

Still, the monsters came, trying desperately to fell him even as it became more and more dangerous. And frustration built in the head of the grasshopper warrior as he watched their master, observing closely. Eventually, breaking free from the grip of the Metron and knocking it aside with a roundhouse kick, he raised his hands and yelled.

“Enough!”

The Creation King raised his hand, and with a brilliant flashing of lights, it was done. All the raging beasts, the bodies of their fallen comrades, and even the flames from their attacks. 

They were all gone. 

“What!?” Belial screamed, looking around baffled. He raised his Battlenizer in disbelief, shaking it, before aiming at the Gorgom general in rage. “What did you do!?”

The being once known as Nobuhiko did not react, coldly regarding his “master” as he stretched his mechanical knuckles. 

“Those simple beasts are beneath me. Distractions to a Creation King.” 

A silver finger raised to point at the black and red warrior seething on the dead planet.

“You are the being who resurrected me, to hold control of my body and mind, but I will always remain as your enemy. Now, face the results of your pride.”

The demon messiah of Gorgom thrust his crimson blade into the earth beside him, slowly walking forward before taunting the fallen Ultra. Raising his hand, he beckoned the other overlord to bring it on, to which the Reionic snarled before letting out a cry of rage.

The two charged at each other with violent intent, a shockwave rolling by due to the sheer velocity of the pair. The Battlenizer slammed into Shadow Moon’s arm as he blocked it, another shockwave radiating out before Belial was sent flying. A quick strike to the chest from the mutant’s open palm sent him soaring into rock, dust kicking up as he quickly recovered, only for green eyes to illuminate the haze once more as his opponent was already on top of him. Belial swung his weapon at the demon’s feet in an attempt to have the challenger land on his back, only for the savior of mutantkind to leap into the air before it could make contact.

The Reionic quickly pulled his legs back before launching them forth, slamming them into the armored Rider’s stomach, earning a groan of pain as he was thrown into the air. As Shadow Moon spun rapidly into the starry night sky, Ultraman Belial launched himself into the air, thrusting the Battlenizer forward in an attempt to land a devastating blow. Instead, the cyborg stood tall upon the staff, looking down at his opponent before speaking. 

“Is this all you can muster, greatest warrior in the universe?”

Rage snapped like a twig as Belial quickly switched tactics, throwing the mutant off of his weapon before going in with furious strikes. Eventually, there would be an opening, and when that occurred he would finish the traitor to his army. Sparks flew as the staff slammed into metal, Shadow Moon constantly on the defensive as he parried the rapid blows. The two descended towards the ground as the fight continued onward, arms moving like blurs. 

Finally! A blow struck true, the Giga Battlenizer landing upon the cyborg’s shoulder blade, and while there was a slight grunt… It was followed by a sigh as the cyborg rolled his head back. “Disappointing,” The mutant then pressed his fists against his belt, the middle starting to glow for a moment before flashing alarmingly. “Shadow Flash!”

Ultraman Belial let out a cry as he was blinded, only to then feel cold metallic hands wrap around his throat before the opponent’s skull slammed into his own. He was sent down with a sonic boom, before crashing into the rocky terrain below. Earth launched into the air as Shadow Moon descended towards the dusty crash site, landing his feet upon the soil with grace as he slowly walked over to his crimson blade.

Sparks flew as talons slashed across his back. The dark Ultra laughed as his opponent buckled for a moment before turning to swing his elbow, only for clawed hands to catch the attack. 

“I will make you regret not falling under my control, my liege.” He mockingly intoned. “For there are fates worse than death.” 

A strong kick to the back forced Shadow Moon to crash across the earth for a moment, skipping like a rock on water before he had managed to halt the momentum. Before Gorgom’s prophesied ruler could make a move, he was met with the fallen knight’s talons wrapping around his leg, raising him above his head before slamming him into the rock below.

The fallen general of the Land of Light then tossed Shadow Moon into the air, timing it perfectly for when his weapon would strike, slamming the Giga Battlenizer into the cyborg’s form and sending him soaring once again.

Only for him to disappear from his vision without explanation, standing baffled by what had occurred before turning to a strike to the chin. Belial was pushed back for a moment, being caught off guard once again as light began to surround Shadow Moon’s hand. While it didn’t register for a moment what it was, when he felt the cyborg’s cold grasp once again wrap around his throat to send out bolts of electrical energy… All the demonic betrayer could do was let out a laugh of pure bliss, watching as Shadow Moon stood confused by the action.

 “Seems that you didn’t do your homework,” the blight spoke before backhanding Gorgom’s leader and sending him flying. “Your elemental attack will have no effect on me, slave. In fact, you had only managed to return some strength to me as I absorbed the blow. Pathetic child.”

Quickly, the entity once known as Nobuhiko shook off the attack as he returned to his feet. The dark cyborg put a hand to his chin for a moment, pondering his next move. Then, he pulled his arms back as light gathered in his hands, forming a brilliant orb.

“Ah, I see…” The fallen angel replied. He would meet his foe’s challenge.

Ultraman Belial slammed his weapon into the earth beside him before leaping into the air as high as he could. Energy crackled as crimson and pitch black lightning surrounded the Ultra’s arms, all while he let loose a hideous laugh. 

“Take everything I have, and die a fruitless death!” 

The former general placed his arms into the shape of a cross before unleashing a beam of pure energy directly at the cyborg, the Deathcium Ray rapidly approaching the target at rapid speeds. But Shadow Moon did not move an inch as the blast seemed to make contact. A gigantic explosion erupted from the blast zone, the Monster Graveyard shaking violently as the cloud reached towards Belial’s form.

The demonic knight chuckled a bit, before letting loose a cry of pain when something suddenly impaled him. Looking down, he saw the crimson blade that the cyborg had left in the soil minutes prior sticking through his stomach. Turning his gaze behind him, there was a ball of light only inches away from his skull, Shadow Moon floating alongside him. 

“Fruitless, huh?” 

The beam quickly engulfed Belial’s form as it forced him towards the earth below, letting loose a hellish scream as he carved through the soil. Somehow managing to turn around as the energy blast was pushing him, he forced both hands onto the surface of the projectile in an attempt to halt his movement, only seeming to drag his feet into the rock below.

This duel was growing tiresome. With a wicked smile, Belial concocted a devilish scheme. With all of his might, the future emperor of the cosmos threw the energy blast into the vastness of the void which hung above him, taking a moment to catch his breath. Looking towards the direction from which he came, he managed to spot his prized weapon, only to once again be completely thrown off guard as Shadow Moon suddenly appeared before him. Energy surrounded the Century King’s fist as he swung forward with all of his strength. 

“Shadow Punch!”

Multiple layers of a nearby mountain were shattered as the warrior’s form crashed through completely, the natural structure of the vast graveyard coming to a crumble which once again shook the resting place of Kaiju and Seijin. As the shockwaves sent an incredible amount of dust towards him, all Shadow Moon did was stand still. Allowing the moment to sink in, only the green lights of his eyes punctured through the thick layer of dust which surrounded him. As the winds finally calmed down, the demonic cyborg simply brushed the dust off of his shoulder before walking towards wherever his target had landed. The teleportation ability had been a great advantage against the Ultra, even if he had greater experience and even, perhaps, pure raw power, the mutant had just the right tools to deal with him.

He wondered how much power that this Ultraman had left, seeing as the records across the decades told that the extraterrestrials had very little time on Earth for an unknown reason. Perhaps if he simply wore Belial down, making him use his energy in full, he would win in the end. While such a tactic was not beneath him, it would be a shame for the game to end so soon. Especially since the alien had spoken so much tough talk, perhaps it was just an illusion…

From the other side of the ruined mountain, a beam cut through rock like butter at light speeds. Shadow Moon only had a moment to act, but he did so with swift precision, blocking the oncoming blast with the Satansaber. The Deathcium Ray forced him backwards, his feet dragging into the earth as he stood with all of his strength to not be consumed by the light, grunting as it was quickly becoming more than a chore. He was left with very little option, either being consumed by the beam and possibly falling back into the depths of the underworld, or taking a risk and allowing it to pay off.

Managing to shift his body so that the attack would only cut through his shoulder blade, Shadow Moon let out a cry of pain as the beam made contact. Sparks flew as armor blackened, what little flesh sizzled and metal bubbled for a moment before the beam struck another nearby structure, destroying it in an instant as a pure display of power. Ashes fell towards the battlefield as Shadow Moon looked back up to see a figure through the smoke walking towards him, each step having an echo as Belial’s form approached.  

If the static mouth his species was “blessed” with could move, Belial would be grimacing as bad as the kaiju. This pathetic upstart! He gave him back his life! Whatever he boasted about his glory as a “King”, something had taken this bastard out before he had come along. And now that he saved him and tried to use that slain potential for his own need, he dared to strike back?! To act as if he was on his level?!

This was why he had rejected the Land of Light. To share power with another, to work for a better future, it was a lie. 

The powerful deserved to conquer the weak. 

And despite his flashy tricks, he was going to teach the kaijin that he was not the strongest here.

With a roar, the Reionic charged. He swung his clawed right hand to slam into the antennaed helmet of the cyborg, only for the martial artist to dodge quickly and throw a punch. Using years of regimented training, the alien dodged the attack and tried to slash again, only for the talon to be grabbed for a flip. Recovering quickly, the Dark Ultra raised his Battlenizer and swung, an arc of energy that coursed through the air in front of him. To the berserker’s growing rage, the Creation King raised his arm and braced, skidding back against the attack almost unharmed. The tyrant slammed a fist into the ground before he leapt, swinging his club as the silver warrior fired blasts of energy at him, knocking them back. 

He was simply too fast for him to land a hit, always finding some way to block! There must be another way for him to nail this whelp. Seconds passed as he entered the atmosphere, his mind skimming ideas.

There! 

The fallen angel chuckled at his sinister plan before he prepared. Hovering in the air with his natural abilities as Shadow Moon glared from below, he cracked his shoulder before chucking the Battlenizer to the ground. Like a deadly javelin, it crashed to the ground, causing the world to tremble from the impact, all as the grasshopper mutant stumbled for a moment. He turned his green lenses just in time to the crackling energy of the Deathcium Ray, piercing the air to hit him. With a flash, he teleported out of the way again, and again, as the deadly beam tore a line through the dead stone. The beam ceased and the Gogrom general stopped, his breath hitching as he stood…

Not even turning as he raised his armored hand to catch the fist heading for the back of his head. 

“Sloppy, Belia-” 

The rest of the reprimand was cut off by a scream as the Land of Light’s devil gouged his other hand into the abdomen of the child born under the eclipse. A chuckle echoed as he narrowed his eyes. 

“Sloppy, but effective, bug.” 

The dark god kicked out, using the glimmering exoskeleton as a launchboard to fling himself off of his foe. The mutant monarch did not move to reach him at first, his stoic snarl looking down at the wound. Flesh and tendons writhed as organic tissue were reconstituted by his enhanced biology, the cold warrior turning back and ignoring it. A single finger raised to the gleeful sadist. 

“You are going to regret that.” 

Belial did not respond verbally. He simply reached for his Battlenizer, the unholy weapon ripping from the earth to reach his waiting palm, skidding it against his free hand in a shower of sparks. 

The two warriors stood ready. 

Then they leapt for each other. The ultimate evil moved like lightning, the Battlenizer darting frantically to catch every precise blow from the leader of the new world order. The Ultra swung the weapon in a wide arc, aiming a sphere of energy, only for the mutant to disappear in a flash once more. Before the fallen angel could react, mechanical arms locked around his throat in a chokehold, causing him to hiss in anger as he twisted and beat back with his elbow. The kaijin let go, allowing his foe to turn his orange crescent shaped eyes to glare… only for the Star Saber to slash upwards, sending him spinning. 

Landing on the ground, Shadow Moon leapt up and leaned forward as he screamed. 

“Shadow Kick!” 

The devastating move landed as the dark Rider leapt, slamming into the hybrid evil’s stomach and sending both combatants flying into a mountain. Centuries of well worn erosion and the sand-swept peak simply ceased to be in a second as Belial crashed into it, caving the entire mountain face into a crater. The intergalactic warlord, dazed and wounded, coughed as he lay pinned under his foe’s boot and moved to attack, but the Gorgom savior was done playing. Disappearing in a flash, he appeared on the dark being’s side, sending him flying with another punch. 

Flying over the wasteland, the crimson striped villain flew, crashing into the dirt until his Battlenizer eventually found purchase. Sliding to a stop with the gouge it made in the earth, the dark Ultra looked up in time to see the twin of Black Sun leaping forward. The sinister being raised his weapon to fire, only for the mutant to appear beside him once again, kicking out to throw it off kilter. The evil god twisted around to attack, only for the kaijin to block each attack with quick kicks and held punches. Just as the mad tyrant was ready to just start whacking randomly, the Rider raised his arms and fired his lightning. 

The elemental attack still did not affect this type of Ultraman, but winded from the kick, he was sent flying back. Unsheathing his crimson blade, the mutant lunged further on his endless offensive. Satansaber met Battlenizer in showers of sparks, the two matching each other blow for blow.

But the smaller of the two was starting to catch up more. Twirling after blocking another blast, the mutant monarch raised his hand, a blast of energy shooting out to slam the dark being in his stomach. Ultraman Belial cried out as it hit, a clawed hand instinctively going to cradle it. It was the opening he needed. Lunging forward, the Gorgom savior disappeared and then reappeared, slicing into his foe’s ridged back. Then again, on his chest. Then again, his leg! 

A flurry of motion filled the air, each one heralding another hit against the evil alien. It soon seemed to be too much; with a yell of agony, Belial fell to his knees. Before he could move to do anything, the dark Rider leapt in a kick once more, slamming it into his purple Color Timer. The devil from the Land of Light was sent flying, crashing into the edge of the same mountain. He lay numb and seemingly unresponsive, holding onto his chest and panting. 

The silver bioweapon walked forward, no care in the world. He raised his blade at the wounded villain and commanded, the Satansaber leveled at him. 

“You have fought well, Belial. But this ends now. So says the Creat-”

Shadow Moon writhed as his mind was flooded with pain. The kaijin stumbled back, hand in his head as his emerald green lenses flashed with a sickening red. As his foe fell to his knees, Belial chuckled as he stood up straight, his wounded feint gone in a minute as he rolled his shoulder. The dark Ultra gestured.

“Well done, ‘King’. So busy pushing the attack… let it really flood through your veins.”

Now clutching his chest as he knelt on the ground, the Gorgom champion struggled to look up as he choked, eyes flickering.

“Wh-what have y-you…”

“The Belial Virus,” the fallen hero stated, lifting his talons to reveal the red tips they gained on their very end as he walked around the suffering super soldier. “Energy coursed through me, and into you. Makes you subservient to the true power…”

He leaned in, his static face practically sneering with joy.

“Me.”

The anti-hero looked away, his lenses still struggling to decide between red and green as he laid numb on the ground. The mad overlord continued to monologue, not noticing as the one chosen under a Black Sun gripped a fist tightly as he looked down.

“It was the least I could do. Kill you? After you almost put up a fight with your little magic tricks and ‘studying’? What a waste! No, much better to have you spending your existence as the general to my hundred monster army. It’d be perfect. You and I, slaughtering worlds and proving the mighty have the right to rule. Now then, what do you say?”

Belial leaned down with his head tilted, “eagerly” awaiting his newest slave’s answer. Shadow Moon, still looking to the ground, stood up robotically and still. The monstrous alien cackled as he eagerly looked to his new slave.

The haymaker came out of nowhere and hit like a tank. The evil Ultra was sent flying into a nearby cliff, crashing with a crack that caused earthquakes. As he slid to the ground, his mind burning with rage and pain, Ultraman Belial looked at his foe. Standing proud and ready, any signs of his forced control gone. A silver armored hand pointed a finger at him from where he stood. 

“You conceited fool. I am Shadow Moon…”

There was the sound of steel as a blood red sword was summoned into the Creation King’s hand. He let the blade spark against the flat of his one hand before turning to point it at the mad god. 

“…and I will never bow to another again.”

Blood boiling, the mad mastermind screamed in rage as he leapt up, charging forward with a taloned fist. The opposite to the Kamen Rider nodded and leapt as well, saber ready. 

The Rider marched forward, slowly approaching his foe as the metal echoed from each step he took. The fallen Ultraman aimed the Battlenizer directly at his foe, unleashing purple balls of energy from the staff in an attempt to send the mutant flying. But his attempt was casually tossed aside as Shadow Moon barely moved the Satansaber into the direction of the blast, knocking them away to detonate across the battlefield, the marching continuing as they locked eyes for a moment. 

“Surely, you can do better, Ultraman.”

A snarl exited Belial as he reared his weapon backward before sending a crescent wave of energy directly at the insectoid cyborg, the Belial Deathscythe cutting through the air at rapid speeds in an attempt to cut the mutant’s life short.

With a mere twist of his hand, Shadow Moon not only cut through the energy blast, but managed to send a shockwave through the barren soil beneath his feet. Emerald eyes stared into the Reionic’s very soul through the dust, the sound of metal clanking starting to sound like nails on a chalkboard as his ego was reaching a climax. 

“Enough games!” Yelled Belial as energy once again was shot forth from the staff, turning into a whip which wrapped around a silver leg.

Shadow Moon stared down in surprise before being thrown into the air, his form soaring as Belial guided the energy whip towards the earth below and slammed the former human into it. Repeating the process to send maximum pain through the kaijin’s form, rocks were sent flying into the air as metal dented upon his body. Dust covered the battlefield as laughter echoed into the warzone, each strike bringing pride to the Ultra.

Shadow Moon continued to hold on, not even attempting to free himself, waiting and observing. Still, even with him so high in the air and constantly moving, his eyes never left Belial’s form as long as he was in direct sight. A slight chuckle exited from the mutant before he felt himself being thrown into the air, halting his movement for a mere moment before being pulled towards the dark knight. Belial leapt into the air as he spun, kicking him directly in the chest as the energy whip pulled him closer at incredible speeds.

Cracks formed upon the mutant’s armor and a sonic boom was emitted from the blow, the former human being sent flying towards a nearby mountain formation. Ultraman Belial quickly followed his path, leaping into the air instead of taking flight to catch up in a display of pure power. His eyes glowed with radiant hate as time seemed to slow down for a moment, his form being nothing but a shadow and crimson streaks as he came down onto the Gorgom Monarch’s body. Talons wrapped around his neck as Belial landed beside him, a gigantic explosion sending earth flying into the air. Shadow Moon’s head was slammed into the soil below as the demonic warrior of light continued forward, his metallic form being dragged at mach speeds through the earth itself. 

The Reionic continued to let out a hellish laugh of glee as the action continued, the monster graveyard being literally carved through by his enemy’s body. He granted the bug the tiniest form of mercy by slamming his skull into the earth below him, another large boom making the graveyard shake violently. Belial tossed the Giga Battlenizer away from his free hand before simply slamming his fist into Gorgom’s savior, viciously striking the head further into the dirt.

The very earth beneath them roared as each strike cracked the battlefield, large booms being heard with each powerful strike. 

“Is your crown worth your life, cyborg? Fine! I will grant you what you seek and rid this universe of another false idol! Creation itself is now mine to command-”

A cold metallic hand wrapped around Belial’s own as the one who was once Nobuhiko rose from the rock, dust flying as he emerged so easily. Strength rose as he held his foe with one hand, emerald eyes once again penetrating the soul of the fallen general. 

“Are you finished with the charade?” 

Shadow Moon, with all of his might, threw Belial away as if he was nothing. The Ultraman skidded across the ground like a rock on water before slamming into a boulder, halting his movement as it split in two, his body soaring for a moment from the sheer momentum before crashing to the ground below. 

Taking heavy breaths, the dark warrior rose to his feet, standing tall even while wounded as Shadow Moon stood before him. Brushing off the dust from his metallic body, his eyes did not leave his target as he did so. 

The fallen Rider calmly tossed aside the Satansaber, standing with no ill intent as Belial examined his every movement. “Do your worst, Ultraman, I have everything I need in order to destroy you.”

“FOOL!” the demonic knight roared before leaping, swinging the Giga Battlenizer directly at the mutant. This was dodged, before a strike to his ribs was made, pushing Belial back before a simple smack to the back of the head with his palm sent him to the ground face first, a loud thud echoing as the earth flew into the air. 

Ultraman Belial quickly returned to his feet, only to be swept back down to the earth when a strong kick sent him flying. Shadow Moon simply taunted him with his pointer finger wiggling back and forth, a sense of shame being placed upon the demon. The dark Rider leapt to follow the enemy’s trajectory, reaching out with a cold hand as Belial attempted to deflect the grab, only for it to fall short as the cyborg simply pushed his arm back and wrapped his grasp around his neck. The earth erupted as the last member of Gorgom slammed him into rock below. Belial quickly went to defend himself in various attempts to parry the metal strikes, only to be met with cruel reality as Shadow Moon continued to land blows.

His clairvoyance allowed him to reach the last piece of the puzzle, his enemy’s movements being read moments before he could attempt them. Making the brutal beatdown all the more satisfying was the cracks forming upon the Ultraman’s body, purple light escaping from the demon with each blow.

Fingers dug deep into his chest, earning a scream from the veteran. The dark reflection of mankind’s savior looked down at where Shadow Moon had struck, hatred rising as each digit was punctured around the color timer. With quick thinking, he managed to flip the Gorgom leader away from his form, managing to create some distance as he returned to his feet. Panting and with very little strength remaining, rage and adrenaline made him still approach the duel. He quickly charged at the recovering Rider, only for him to catch the blow from the Giga Battlenizer and pulled the dark Ultraman closer. Rearing his head back, he slammed it into Belial’s to force his grasp to falter. The weapon was tossed away like nothing before energy surrounded the dark messiah’s fist.

“Shadow Punch!” The attack landed a direct hit, striking Belial in his core, and before he could even attempt to recover, he was met with a strike to each side of his head. Ringing echoed in Belial’s ears as he dropped to the ground, looking up to see Shadow Moon standing tall above him. He swung upward, attempting to land a strike upon his smug face, only for the cold reflection of what was once humanity to catch the attack. He curled the fist backwards before striking him down. Belial managed to catch himself before being disgraced, but he was still left wide open for another strike. A kick to the chest made the corrupted light roll across the earth, letting out coughs as his movement halted. 

Before he knew it, Shadow Moon was once again on top of him. Staring down at him like a predator would to prey, his cold metallic hand wrapped around the enemy’s throat as he lifted him into the air before carrying him away. Belial seemed powerless, but still he attempted to free himself, throwing out a kick, only to be met with nothing but air. Another series of punches were thrown, but each of them were dodged, the Gorgom leader simply continuing to carry him towards the cliffside beside them.

The mutant sent a headbutt once again, a shockwave rocketing out from the strike as Belial’s form went limp, clinging to life and hate as his hand struggled to reach out in an attempt to strangle Shadow Moon. 

How truly pathetic of the vermin.

Without a word uttered, the former human dropped his opponent into the void below. He watched as Belial’s form was quickly engulfed by the surrounding darkness, simply shrugging and giving a singular nod at the outcome of the battle. Turning away from the source of the battle, his breath hitched as the strain of facing the demigod hit him. He turned, preparing to figure out a way back to Earth, to his people, to-

Something struck the Gorgom master’s telepathic mind. A feeling of pure rage. He had only a moment to turn to where he had flung the Battlenizer…

Before a massive claw smacked him aside, sending him flying! The silver cyborg felt himself slide on the ground before eventually sliding to stop. Shaking his lensed head, Moon looked up… and felt his eyes widen. 

A massive titan grew from the ground, nearly reaching the stratosphere as it leaned back and released a sound like every soul in Hell was screaming at once.  Like some great demon he would have heard of growing up, with great wings, taloned hands, multiple burning eyes, and a snarling fanged face. But it was the details of this monstrosity that stopped his heart.  Pieces of the various awoken monsters he had waved away stuck out at wrong angles. Torsos with screeching heads poked out of the chest, limbs hung limply together to form the wings, entire beings had their bodies twisted into teeth, all of these horrific details as the hundred monster army was forced into the devil. And from atop its head, Shadow Moon’s foe looked down, implanted in the devil like a puppet master and roaring as he lunged forward. 

The Creation King leapt, but the towering amalgam of the Reionic moved faster. With a shuddering breath, a hellfire inferno burst from the beast’s maw. The being once known as Nobuhiko screamed as the torrent hit him, feeling as if he was engulfed in lava. As he struggled through the fire and flames, the claw of Belyudra snatched him. It flung the noble villain across the Graveyard, smashing through a long eroded mountain. 

Stumbling up, Shadow Moon panted before he teleported in a flash. Hovering above the beast, the kaijin leapt forward, a punch aimed for the head of the towering beast to try and take down the “brain” of the monster. Just as he leapt forward, emerald eyes glinting in the light, the burning eyes of the Ultra met him. One massive claw snatched him by his waist, the fallen angel snatching the other arm as he sneered. He glowered at the struggling cyborg, enjoying his struggling as he leaned forward until their faces were but inches away from them. 

“Insolent. Little. BASTARD!”

With a wet crunch and a scream, Belial yanked, snapping the shoulder of Shadow Moon. The Gorgom leader held back his pain, unable to move as the giant claws released him. He plummeted to the ground, only for the claws to snatch him up once more. The balled fist held him tightly, all as the dark Ultra looked down and cackled at his captor. 

“You really thought you would accomplish something? You really thought you could accomplish ANYTHING!? I AM ULTRAMAN BELIAL!”

The gigantic arm of Belyudra reared back before it slammed its captor to the ground, cracking the rocky plain. 

“The greatest of all of those who fought back the forces of Empera!”

Another earthquake-inducing slam. 

“The heir to Alien Reiblood and his hundred monster army!”

Another… and another. If the Creation King’s blessing hadn’t been given, Shadow Moon knew his blood would be splattering out of his helmet by now, a thought that barely broke though the absolute agony. 

“The undisputed ruler of the galaxy, who all will tremble and bow before, as they should have done from the moment I declared my sovereignty in the Land of Light!”

The hand rose up, with the kaijin’s head spinning as the hand shifted. The two claws of both hands met, linking around each talon to leave the twin of Kamen Rider Black cradled in between their palms. The being was barely able to move as he looked up at the mad conqueror who held him trapped, struggling to hide his pain as he shifted. 

“And you!?

“You are nothing but a little soldier, who thinks he’s important because he can sting. You are nothing, Shadow Moon! As little as the insect you resemble!

“And so, you deserve an insect’s death. 

“Sayonara!”

The hands withdrew and Moon spun in the air before they crashed back together with a crunching slam. Belial cackled as he squeezed his amalgamated palms together. His bruised ego wasn’t satisfied with the squish, no, no, NO! He would not be satisfied until every bit of gore this little welp had in him dripped from between the palms. 

As Belyudora squeezed, the leader of Gorgom screamed. His holy armor was the only thing keeping him alive. He had to do something… but what? There was no way he could attack Belial when he had this power. Even a teleport or a showing of his true power wasn’t a guaranteed win. The brilliant fighter tried to strategize, even in this torture. Something his tormentor said stuck with him. 

“The heir to Reiblood… and his monster army?”

That was it. The Creation King shut his eyes and held up a hand. Deep within the molten kaiju skin that formed the titan’s claws, something struck true. Despite himself, the fallen Ultra squealed, jerking his hand back. Stumbling as he shifted the Saber in his non-dominant hand, Shadow Moon leapt with a snarl. He raised the sword and swung, but not as an attack, as a diversion. Crackling bolts of emerald leapt from him, the dark power bestowed upon him. The galactic emperor snarled and went to unleash an inferno… before the strange power hit him. He let out a yell as he felt great pain.

For a moment, both foes were one. Shadow Moon saw the mind of the Dark Ultra, and Belial saw the monster who was once a man. The mutant master flexed his hand, nodding as he watched the distorted claw of Belyudora raise. The possession had worked. Now it was time for his plan to be enacted. 

An armored hand raised and focused as an overwhelming amount of cosmic energy gathered. 

A flash of light lit the graveyard. 

The fusion was gone with an explosion of force and two shapes falling to the ground.

The henshin crusader landed to his knees, sheathing his saber to cradle his broken arm. 

Ultraman Belial crashed to the ground. But not Belyudra, the amalgam giant. Or even as the black and crimson devil that had caused so much trouble. 

No, as he stumbled up and looked in horror, the true Ultraman Belial stood there. Silver and red markings crossing his body, his purple color timer now flashing red, and his angled yellow eyes looking in horror at what had happened. 

“No… no… noooo! H-how did you-?”

Hovering above, the Creation King held his hand out. Dangling in his hand, wheezing and spitting, was a strange alien creature. Its head curved with horns as it quietly wheezed, the off white and purple skin on its body shaking as its oblong eyes stared in horror. Its form was transparent, spectral due to having been long dead before this point.

The alien being known as Reiblood. The very being Belial had fused with to gain his power, severed into its own being and now helpless. 

“It’s like you said, ruler of the galaxy.” 

A wrist twisted with a sick crunch, and Reiblood’s form went limp. Shadow Moon’s emerald gaze never broke from the dark overlord, even as he tossed the “body” into the distance.

“Enough games.” 

Shadow Moon lunged, a fist swinging for the Ultra’s head. Even thrown off by the loss of his power, the trained warrior’s instincts did not fail him. He raised a hand to block, before flipping back and raising his hands into the signature plus pose to fire a beam. The blue energy that coursed out failed to hit armored flesh though, as the kaijin disappeared in a second. Panic filling his body, Belial turned to dodge, only to find his foe already waiting. 

The Shadow Punch swung with precision and force. Belial went flying back, landing against the nearest cliff face in an implosion of cracked stone. A shaky breath came out as he pulled himself free, his finned head numbly turning. The former overlord did not move, did not go to attack or defend. He was all too aware of the consequences. 

A shard tinked to the ground. 

Then another.

And more. 

More and more pieces like dark glass fell to the dusty sands of the damned planet as the remains of the Color Timer, the very thing holding Belial’s life force, scattered. The once noble defender’s breath hitched as he looked up, mind already fading. His ever present rage burned at his heart once more, and with the slow movements he could only barely accomplish, he tried to move forward.  

It was no noble charge, or berserker sprint, or beastly rage. It was a sluggish march, limbs numbly swinging as he tried to reach his foe, still standing there with an impassive look upon his etched face. The Ultra raised a fist to strike, only to find the effort too much as he crashed to the sand on his knees. With what felt like a Herculean feat of strength, Belial pulled himself up, his oblong glowing eyes looking up helplessly and for the first time, with fear. 

“No…

“Not like this. Please. Not like this.” 

The plea went unanswered, by either the aggressor or the universe itself. It was too much to hold himself up, and the giant of light slumped back, landing limply. His arms, moving by instinct to still desperately do any of the careful moves he learned to save himself, raised but failed to find the energy. He helplessly cupped at air, reaching for an invisible force to pick him up, but soon, even that was too much. 

His arms crashed down above his chest, somewhere between guarding the abdomen and lying in a casket, and after a moment, the glowing orbs that were eyes dulled into a pitch black lifelessness. After a moment of peace, an unnatural force took over. Be it some form of justice or part of the curse, unholy flames appeared and slowly overtook the body. The sentinel in steel stood over the pyre, until it too burned out and exposed an ashen land with nothing else remaining. 

Ultraman Belial was dead.

The leader of Gorgom placed the Satansaber on his belt, holding the weapon in place as he marched towards the fallen Giga Battlenizer. Dust covering its form was quickly removed as the mutant wrapped his hand around his prize. If he could still smile, he would be doing so, but a decent laugh into the void would have to suffice.

Shadow Moon let loose a hellish declaration to the universe as he held the staff above his head. Even if he was not capable of reviving his fellow mutants or summoning the army of monsters, his return only guaranteed one thing.

The death of Kotaro Minami, Kamen Rider Black.

His brother had escaped conversion completely from the Gorgom experimentation that would make them Century Kings, he resisted their forces and managed to destroy them despite all the odds. Even his own power was nothing when he was granted the might of the Creation King, but he had still been made a fool in the very end. Even during their final clash, Kotaro begged for him to return.

And so, returned he had, and he would kill his rival, his brother, the second Century King, if it was the last thing he was to do. He stared upwards into the vast sea of stars, it was somewhat impossible to tell what the right direction was, but after traveling from planet to planet, he might get lucky and steal an extraterrestrial’s spacecraft to make the journey.

Wait… He turned his head around, tilting it just a little as he sensed something approaching. Multiple energy signatures were converging onto his location, all of them similar to Belial. It would seem that those from the Land of Light had come to apprehend the fallen knight, but they had arrived far too late, and with a worse fate awaiting them.

His gaze slightly turned towards the ball of light far away from his reach, the unimaginable source of might was what they sought. It was the only logical thing after the death of Belial to attempt to retrieve, alongside the weapon he now laid claim to. From the gate above the planetoid, lights emerged at incredible speeds before landing in the distance. As the dust cleared from their arrival, their forms were revealed to the mutant cyborg.

Three giants of light stood alongside a pair of Kaiju from Earth’s past, all staring in  confusion at the scene before them. “Where is your master?” One of the giants spoke with authority, quickly removing the blade atop his skull before getting into an aggressive stance. “Where is Belial?”

“I believe you are mistaken, emissary of light,” Shadow Moon stated as he placed the Giga Battlenizer onto his shoulder, his other hand resting upon the hilt of the Satansaber. Standing with confidence, his eyes locked onto the new arrivals. “I am who you are dealing with now, for I have slain him.”

The group didn’t know whether to believe him or not, standing shocked for a moment before taking in a deep breath to take the threat seriously. If his claim was true, then they would need to deal with him quickly, the damage across the cyborg’s form granting them hope that victory was possible.

The rematch with Kotaro would have to wait, the tie breaker would be all the more satisfying after drenching his metallic hands in the blood of the guardians from the stars. A laugh of excitement slightly left his metallic maw, staring at the new arrivals as he slowly approached them, metal clangs echoing into the mass graveyard.

This was going to be a blast.

Winner: Shadow Moon (Universal) 

Author: Michael Zamar | Banner: Landon Soto

At the edge of the Milky Way 

Footsteps rattled the plains as the horrid beast left destruction in his wake. Swords and spikes jutted from his form, one befitting the devil itself.

Years ago, likely eons, something had taken shape within the dark belly of the cosmos. It grew in power with every single encounter it had with another. Learning. Adapting. And as it mimicked all it saw, the appearance of it began to change; growing more wild and uncontrolled. None could stop it, and none could control it. It had many names that were coined as it traveled planet to planet, from star to star. But to those who looked in the records, they would tell you the only “true” name it had was simply…

IF.

And now, IF had prepared to start his rampage anew, demolishing cities on the system of a binary star. Music radiated from his entire body as instruments had emerged from his back, like the trumpets that played before the apocalypse. Weapons shot at it, but none made a dent, his hide having become immune to smaller projectiles long ago. His howling roar rattled the windows, and each blow from his sole fist was the equivalent of the force of a meteor, with his sword a knife through butter.

Thankfully for the denizens, there was still one last plan at play.

“BRING IT OVER THIS WAY! LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO!” someone screamed in the distance, a military commander. Trying to focus his remaining laser gun on the monster’s eyes, he managed to catch his attention as the ever-evolving life form moved towards a still standing base. Suddenly, the music jutting from his body shifted from droning classical trombones to something more akin to an erratic electric guitar as he began to pick up the pace. Unbeknownst to him, he was running straight into a massive trap!

Stepping over the red lines, the base began to move from under his feet, him being none the wiser until it was too late. The ground shot up, a massive dome beginning to surround his form. Shouting out in surprise, he had hoped to escape, but an influx of missiles and lasers made sure to keep him distracted long enough to stay put. Soon, the dome collapsed around him entirely, rising into the sky as the rest of the massive rocket emerged. What was once a massive project meant to be used for long distance space travel in the case of an emergency had been retrofitted to become a massive prison for the beast.

Jets kicking in, it launched into the sky, soaring past the atmosphere and heading to parts unknown. Hopefully, he would never return….

Despite that, however, there were no cheers over their victory, only a stunned silence. Many were frankly shocked that the plan had worked to begin with, while others continued to mourn the losses the beast had left behind. With so much destruction, how could they ever recover?

“Sir… Do you think we made the right decision?” a surviving, injured civilian said to the commander. “If that thing ever gets out, who knows what it’ll try to do?”

Merely staring at the clouds, the higher up could only ask himself the same questions in his head. “I don’t know; but it was all we could hope to do. We tried punching the coordinates in so it wouldn’t risk landing on any nearby planets, but it’ll only be a matter of time before that luck runs out.”

“And when it does?”

“… Well, he’s someone else’s problem now.”

*******

Five Months Later

Said luck had run out once it had finally hit the Earth’s solar system, going past Pluto and soon all of the gas giants. The coordinates hadn’t been planned to go this far into the galaxy, leaving it, and the beast inside, on autopilot, waiting to see where destiny would take them.

It wouldn’t take much longer; for once they reached the Goldilocks Zone, the collision course had already been locked in. One that would take the ever evolving force towards Planet Earth, and towards an equally dangerous foe.

******

Seattle, Washington, 1:42 PM

The heat was relentless.

Buildings burned and toppled as the massive threat already had half of the city dead to rights. Massive wings beat akin to the force of a hurricane, violet lasers cutting into the military like a sword. With only freezer weapons doing anything noteworthy, they used as much as they could to hold the monster back, yet they were still fighting an uphill battle.

Eyes glowing amongst the dark smoke, Destoroyah was on a rampage. The Precambrian amalgam moved at a lumbering pace, trying to soak in every bit of pain and terror. With Godzilla and his allies occupied on the other side of the world with other threats, he was free to do as he pleased! And today, he had decided that would include demolishing all of America’s west coast. Having already taken out most of San Francisco, a quick flight had guided him towards his next location. Most of the army had already been defeated, but there was no point leaving the job unfinished. Only a few more miles to go before the rest of the city was destroyed.

Alas, he was destined to be interrupted. For as he began to calculate how each skyscraper in his path was to be destroyed, an odd glow had begun to radiate behind him…

Bursting through the clouds, the metallic object shined in the rays of the sun, the flames receding as it made it past reentry. Heading straight into the sea, all was silent as it eventually made touchdown, splashing with the force of the meteor and sinking into the sea.

Having his curiosity peaked, Destoroyah walked back over to where he too had first arrived, interested in seeing what had made an appearance. By the time he had flown back, however, it had appeared to have fully sunk; but things weren’t over yet…

For the being that was inside had finally gotten a chance to release himself from his bonds.

As the impact rattled and loosened the metal, that had given him a better shot at escape; wedging his weaponized hand against the walls as he slowly pried them open and popped part off with a final kick. His makeshift door flew past the waves and into the sky. The red devil took notice of this, as it crashed onto a building behind him.

Suddenly, the water began to foam as the strange beast had finally emerged, meeting his opponent face to face.

It was a tense standoff, yellow eyes staring into red. Despite Destoroyah having a somewhat notable size advantage, IF had refused to back down. In fact, the idea of toppling something larger than him had actually filled the extraterrestrial with a sense of excitement! A whole new window of opportunities had opened up for him depending on what this foe had in store, and he was willing to explore them all.

Destoroyah, however, had a much more simple mindset: and that involved finding out just how many pieces he could slice his new piece of mincemeat into!

Bellowing a shrill cry, the giant crustacean lowered his head, his glowing horn on full display as it aimed to stab right into the stomach of the enemy. However, IF braced for impact, his only hand grabbing the head and halting the demon in his tracks. Using a knee, he struck Destoroyah in the chin, earning a whine and making him step back as the strange being decided it was his turn to attack. Raising his bladed hand, he struck a crimson shoulder, but it did little more than spark.

When was the last time an entirely new face had actually struck Destoroyah back?

No matter, he would just have to use a bit more force. As his tail suddenly came to life and pinched together in preparation, a quick burst of purple energy shot into the air. IF stood in confusion… before suddenly being pulled into the light, with it bursting soon after. The sheer force temporarily blinded his eyes, and it made it hard for him to breathe. Taking the opportunity, Destoroyah continued his combo with a massive uppercut to the chin in retaliation. Then, grasping his foe by the neck, tossed him over his shoulders and further into the city streets.

The remaining crowds below ran for their lives, no longer wishing to be bystanders from afar. As IF slammed right into the ground and broke the concrete on impact, he was already in the midst of trying to get up and strike back. Alas, the sound of beating wings proved his foe had beat him to it. Another Oxygen Destroyer Ray spat from the gestalt’s mouth, cutting into his golden skin and the surrounding buildings, which in turn toppled onto the alien.

Alright then. Two could play that game…

Rising up, IF shook off the soot and debris covering him just as Destoroyah touched back down. As energy ran across his body, raw power merged with cosmic energy as his arms merged into a plus sign. In a matter of seconds, he fired off one of his most powerful stolen attacks: the Maxium Cannon!

Eyes widening in surprise, Destoroyah quickly stepped out of the way, watching it fly off until the horizon. He turned back around-

BOOM!

Only to receive a splitting headache the moment a Gravity Beam slammed into his skull! Yelping in shock and anguish, the demonic destroyer could only slowly open his eyes in shock. Out of nowhere, the alien had used two techniques only members of the Ultra and Ghidorah clans could use. How could this thing have possibly gotten ahold of them? It was certainly no natural member of either species!

Perhaps its abilities, and genome, were more complex than he had realized.

Things got even more mysterious when he once again raised into the air, IF following despite lacking anything resembling wings; simply levitating until he had reached the same height as his foe. Swinging his sword hand high, IF got back into action and swooped in, trying to cut more and more into the armored chitin until he could finally see blood. Destoroyah wouldn’t allow it though, striking back with his own Horn Katana. It was akin to a medieval sword fight, with each clash like fireworks. Neither side could get a leg up, prompting more drastic measures to be taken.

Fighting dirty, Destoroyah bit into the left hand, trying to dig into the fingers. IF tried stabbing at his foe’s side in response, but still could not fully puncture the tough skin, though he still had other options. Wrestling the hand out of the fiend’s mouth and seeing he only had a few punctures, he decided to tinker with everything else he had to offer, and throw out multiple tricks at a time. Blue heat built in his maw, and an odd clicking noise in his five fingers rang out.

Manifesting a yellow barrier with his horn, Destoroyah managed to bear the entourage, Bemular’s heat ray merging with organic finger missiles in a singular display. Once it resided, he went back in and spat back with a freezing mist that immediately formed frost across IF’s upper body, but that mattered little to a being who could withstand the frigid depths of space. Flexing muscles, the ice cracked, but the wound was quickly struck again as another purple blast shot at him, jamming some of the shards into his flesh. Destoroyah’s tail clamped around his foe’s neck, now having regained some control of the conflict as he flew forward, IF trailing behind as he slammed into building after building. Feeling like he had softened up the meat somewhat, the Precambrian beast decided it was about time to finish the job…

Eyeing the Space Needle in the distance, he figured out the best way to do so.

Beating his wings and going a bit higher, he stopped when IF’s chest and sensitive organs would be right above the skyscraper, akin to an executioner using a pit of spikes to kill a prisoner. Once the tail loosened its grip, IF fell an incredible twenty stories, slamming right into the tower as his spine and chest burst open in a shower of gore. Unable to handle the weight, the Space Needle fell to pieces, covering the monster in soot and debris, leaving the battlefield silent…

Laughing in victory, Destoroyah saw the smoke dissipate and decided it was time to leave this fight in the past. Moving away from the scene, he walked away with his backed turn, not even planning to give his opponent a proper farewell. He merely marched off, going to demolish whatever else was left of Seattle.

He hadn’t realized the hole left behind had suddenly opened wider, leaving a massive burrow and IF nowhere to be found.

Using both hands to breach the grated surface, IF burrowed underground akin to a living drill, moving so fast even the likes of Baragon would be put to shame. Moving forward and creating a trench underneath could have simply sent Destoroyah tumbling down. He had a different plan, however. One that involved giving the crustacean a taste of its own medicine, a purple glow building in his jaws as he aimed towards the concrete ceiling.

Striking the air like a pillar of light, the beam had quickly circled Destoroyah until the ground ran the risk of collapsing in on itself. Instead, it rose into the air with nothing but a single arm hoisting the weight. IF tossed the massive slab into the air, nearly striking the sea before Destoroyah panickedly flew away before impact.

It had perfectly mimicked his own attack after only two strikes?!

This did not bode well. Whatever he fired could be shot back twice as hard. Even if the damage was minimal due to the Oxygen Destroyer Ray being composed of what his entire body was made of, that meant other attacks could still pack a hit. He couldn’t understand it; how did this thing even work? It had taken him a much longer time to evolve to the point he was at now, but it could manage nearly instantly! No being on Earth had that level of power.

…No being, until perhaps, today.

Yes, if he could absorb that DNA and gain all of that power, he could effortlessly come out on top! But how could he reach for blood underneath a body full of jagged edges? He’d have to tear off those spikes one by one then, and he certainly had the strength to do so.

Snorting to himself, Destoroyah dove back down as his horn suddenly glowed to life, thinking that perhaps if he could cut them all off, he would have a clear shot at victory. IF, however, suddenly sprouted a counter-weapon: one with strings and a sharp edge at the tip that had suddenly sprouted and outright popped out of his right shoulder. Using it akin to a baseball bat, the strange life-form had fought back in the form of a… violin?

The crustacean had no idea what he was looking at, but his instincts kicked in anyways as he ducked the swing before it managed to nearly knock his head off. He tried grabbing the instrument to see if he could use it instead. Still, despite only having one dexterous hand, IF had quite the iron grip. Suddenly even more instruments began to sprout out in a terrible cacophony that made the humans nearby cover their ears, though Destoroyah merely grunted in annoyance. Seeing some more potential options, his eyes darted as he saw the different shapes, some more intriguing than others.

One that had caught his attention most, however, was a rather sharp electric guitar. One that was quite literally electric.

IF had decided to use every particular weapon to his advantage, and with how much he had seen and lived through, he certainly was not low on options. Some of the other ones sprouting from his form didn’t even remotely resemble anything you’d seen on Earth, but the ones that did still had their more deadly quirks. A flute began to play as it slithered down his arm like a snake, before bursting as a small puddle of blood pooled on the ground. Aiming at Destoroyah’s head, green light began to emit from it, as an acidic smell filled the air.

Knowing what was coming next, Destoroyah backed off, firing another homing ball that met the massive flute. It collided with the acidic sap IF had stolen from Biollante in a shower of smoke and acerbic sparks. The force from it made IF stumble back, giving the Precambrian terror the perfect time to swoop back in and steal the violin from under his nose! Getting a grip on the pegs and the scroll, his smirk had grown wider as he thought about bashing the head of the beast in until nothing but a bloody pulp remained. IF, however, was not deterred, the electric guitar from his back sprouting out in full as his anti-gravity flight took hold and prepared to strike.

What came next was a, quite literal, battle of the bands.

As both instruments met, the noise rattling from them came about in the form of an awful mix of sound, the contrast of their respective genres being clear. Destoroyah wielded his weapon akin to how Thor would for Mjolnir, but IF used his more akin to a sword. The tip would potentially pierce skin, the strings and wider base being used as just a means to an end in that regard. One would think the weapons would have broken after a few strikes, but they held strong, even the strings.

Backing off for a minute, IF kicked his guitar into the sky as trumpets formed on both shoulders, each one firing more self-made missiles. Destoroyah sent most of them flying away by either batting them with the violin or destroying them with his bare hands. Few still managed to hit him in the shoulder and the knee, though it wasn’t enough to make him stop fighting. In fact, now that he had a proper strategy in his head, pain just furthered his resolve. Playing around with the violin in his hands for a minute, he tried to line up the next attack perfectly to enact phase two. And as IF grabbed the guitar as it came back down and shot forward-

SHINK!

Destoroyah managed to strike first.

In seconds, three of IF’s spikes had crashed down to the ground as he cried out in shock and pain. And seeing that he managed to get in a perfect shot, Destoroyah saw no better time to split. Throwing himself to the ground and dropping his weapon, both his hands and knees met with the gravel below before his entire body was clouded in a massive puff of smoke, obscuring all who had tried to see. IF had taken the bait almost immediately, floating back down a decent distance away.

The first warning signs came from a chittering noise. Then there was another one… then another. Until they had revealed themselves to be aggregates in the dozens.

IF found himself so startled that he nearly tripped over his own feet as the swarm came in. Even with their smaller size, the sheer numbers had provided a new challenge he was not prepared for, and an advantage Destoroyah knew for a fact could not be nullified. Even if IF managed to put down a few directly in front of him, there were simply too many to stop his overall goal. The appendages sank into his back to keep steady as their teeth rose up and shot forward, piercing the skin as they drank in the blood like vampires. The alien rose to his feet, trying to shake off the 40-meter crabs, though he couldn’t manage before yet another force erupted from the ground and took to the skies.

Destoroyah’s flying form had rammed into him like a bull, knocking IF back down to his knees as more instruments sprouted to counter the constant threat. Something akin to a french horn sprouted from both shoulders, aiming down and shooting out powerful fireballs like they were gatling guns. They definitely did damage, as while the Aggregates had more numbers, they certainly were not as durable. More spikes began to burst from IF’s back, but that was okay to the swarm. They had gotten everything they had wanted, and all that was left to do was reform into one.

A bit easier said than done. Especially when the opponent had a new option in play.

Nuke the whole colony from orbit!

Swooping into the air, IF prepared multiple rays at once, one stemming from the eyes and the other forming at the ends of his arms. With his pupils beginning to glow crimson and a blue light radiating off the sword arm, it was clear the Destoroyah family would have little time for a counter attack. Multiple Juveniles formed from the remains of the destroyed and merged back into another Aggregate. Joining forces with the flying gestalt, two beams charged in their mandibles to stave off certain destruction.

Forming his arms into a plus sign, IF fired first, shooting a gigantic Zeperium Beam followed up with a Gigarium Cluster! The red lights soon merged with the pure white beam, forming a brilliant spiral, as both violet rays fired and merged themselves, growing in intensity. What followed was two attacks slamming into each other with the force of a meteor. Purple, ruby red, and ivory white merged as two rays fought for supremacy, each side pouring in even more power.

Power the runaway energies simply weren’t meant to handle, and both knew that. Destoroyah, however, had an option to rectify that.

Joining forces, even more of the swarm began to merge, turning into a second flying form! Circling their shared foe, it moved between both rays and behind the extraterrestrial. However, once he managed to catch the ploy, his body began to respond. A gun rose from his spine as it began to charge with heat! Electric energy pumped through it, firing in a massive strike of lightning that meshed with another detonating bomb.

Suddenly, it began to rain. An electrically charged, acidic fog soon formed from the acrid precipitation, making it impossible for anyone to breathe. Anyone, except for the two colliding titans. Withstanding the heat and calling off their respective attacks, both sides braced for the final phase of the war. Laughing in near unison, the remaining Destoroyahs began to remerge as IF’s body suddenly shifted again. Two more instrumental weapons emerged, and he grabbed them both with his only hand to dual wield as a much larger form began to form beneath him akin to a growing, cancerous mushroom. Soon enough, Destoroyah was back in his final form, energy radiating across his entire body as he smirked. Oh, the power… He felt like he could crush the entire planet in the palm of his hands.

IF’s inner reserves, however, could match nigh-perfectly. Conducting electricity across himself like a battery, he considered that now, they were evenly matched in power. Which meant this would all come down to skill.

Raising two electric mandolins high, IF’s war cry as he dove down signaled the beginning of the end!

Clenching his fist, Destoroyah’s punch met the two instruments in a contest of strength. Trying to overpower one another before they reached a stalemate, they applied more pressure. IF’s tail suddenly grew in size and grappled one of the mandolins for him, acting as a new hand while his sword arm plunged into Destoroyah’s shoulder. That hadn’t stopped the amalgamated monster from trying to get one of the instruments for himself, but the alien’s tail stabbed him with its sharp tip before that could happen. Like a scorpion, it had embedded itself in his leg, pulling away with a spray of yellow blood as the sword did the same. However, it would take far more than that to keep the crustacean down, as shown when he broke away and took to the sky.

It was time to put this new strength to good use.

Channeling newfound power, filled with alien energy, Destoroyah’s usual purple bolts suddenly gained a new, golden hue to them. So this was the power of the Ghidorah family! With the added gravitonic electricity coursing through it, an Oxygen Destroyer Ray shot forth. IF’s spikes became a shield that just barely rose in time to meet it, although the sheer force made sure to chip away slowly, but surely, breaking off shards. Trying to move away, IF went for a risky maneuver, jumping upwards before the beam could hit the rest of his body. Throwing his mandolin down before the beam could catch up, he struck Destoroyah in the forehead with a dull sounding clunk before diving back down with a tackle.

Suddenly, IF’s tail had split in two, each side grasping a mandolin and bashing Destoroyah repeatedly as he blocked with both arms. A swift blast from his mouth made the extraterrestrial stagger back, giving the incarnation of death an opening. Tapping into Spacium energy, his horn suddenly went from glowing yellow to blue, moving like a shooting star as he shot forward and sliced open IF’s chest like a cleaver through meat!

Howling in pain, the evolving creature clutched his wound and forced himself to temporarily retreat, rushing away and disappearing back into the smoke-filled city. After all that bravado, thought Destoroyah, he would flee like a coward? What a bore. Swooping back down, he sought to find the beast and end this conflict before things got even more needlessly dragged out. However, it wound up being surprisingly easier said than done…

With so much smoke and debris in his path, it was hard for Destoroyah to properly see. It would take ages to find IF at this point! If he wanted any hope, he’d have to clear all the ruckus in front of him; disperse it all at once somehow. Something akin to Godzilla’s nuclear pulse, so there’d be no place left to hide.

IF was on the job first.

A pulse of light expelled every bit of darkness, like a second sun forming on planet earth. Rainbow lasers split the cloud in two, and cut into the side of Destoroyah’s frill so fast it had immediately fallen off and disintegrated before it hit the ground. IF spared no time, bashing the massive cetacean abomination and slashing away with both hands as his tail grasped mandolins like clubs. Trying to get more space, Destoroyah’s chest suddenly began sparking, signaling a Hail Mary attack being prepared, but not one he wanted to fire too soon. With a being able to copy an attack from a single strike, this would have to be nothing less than the finisher.

Grabbing IF by the hand, Destoroyah tossed him into a building so hard it toppled immediately after, taking the monster down with it. A sweeping Oxygen Destroyer Beam eradicated what was left, explosions shooting high into the air and scorching the ground that still made it out somewhat intact. Yet, IF still got up, using one of the mandolins like a spear to attempt to stab the monster straight through the skull, yet it only met the palm of a hand as more blood skewered like a leaking faucet. Fighting through the sting, Destoroyah’s head slammed into his opponent as he pulled his hand free with a bit of pressure. Finally feeling like the strategy he had wasn’t working, the alien put the two weapons down and went all in on the final assault!

With the spikes on his body suddenly shifting, they molded further into the flesh, acting as a knight’s shield and growing more metallic as they acted as extra protection for what would come next. Swooping back in for the final time, his head dove down as the powerful “rock” he became struck Destoroyah in the chest hard enough to knock the breath out of the beast, tipping him over like a cow and knocking him flat on his back. With his maw glowing orange, the Precambrian kaiju knew he had to act fast. Wiggling one of his arms loose, he grappled IF by the neck, careening it upwards and pulling the head into the air before a whole row of fireballs lit up the sky.

Now with a brief distraction as his foe suddenly had a crick in the neck, Destoroyah used his foot and dug into the same wound his horn had left moments before. And to make sure it hurt, he dug his heels into the flesh, hard.

Feeling his organs begin to pop under the pressure, IF suddenly chopped off one of the clawed toes and backed away, the appendage slamming onto the ground as Destoroyah in turn winced. But it was fine. He had a bigger target than ever to blow this thing to pieces, and now he had gathered the perfect amount of energy to do so. Standing back up with a smile on his face, the plate on his chest bloomed open like a flower, green energy emerging from within like a spiral.

The Stomach Beam.

Grimacing, IF knew he had little time to strike back, but he still had enough energy for one last beam that could potentially win the day. Forming his arms back into a plus sign, azurite energy rushed around his entire body. One last Maxium Cannon would be used to counter the attack, gaining as much power as it could. Only the humming of energy from both could be heard…

As all the fireballs from above began to fall back down to the ground, both beams shot forward, meeting in the middle of the city in a booming explosion!

An orb of light pulsed as the two attacks struggled to overcome one another in a dazzling display, but neither had any advantage. Destoroyah poured more power into his Stomach Beam, but IF had plenty of Maximum Energy to keep going. Until one of them finally ran out of strength to give, it looked like a final clash that would have gone on forever. Fate would seemingly leave the victor up to nothing less but a coin toss. Fate’s true plan, however, would leave neither satisfied…

Fireballs had continued to rain down, striking what was left of Seattle as if it were the sign of the apocalypse. One portion of flame, however, was positioned above the perfect target. It hovered just over the ball of light created by both rays, diving down to act as the last straw upon the camel’s back. The stability of the singularity rippled. Like a runaway nuclear reactor, it would soon enter a complete meltdown.

Before either kaiju could realize what was about to happen, the explosion had begun to shroud both in a massive, fiery burst of light. As both of their cries were drowned by the droning sound of the massive explosion, the rest of the battlefield soon followed. Buildings crumbled as the remains shot out into the open sea, instruments flew straight into the air from the sheer force, and those who had not evacuated finally met their end as they disintegrated from the sheer power of the blast. Seattle, Washington had at last been broken beyond repair; as the war of the monsters came to a violent end with a detonation that had consumed everything.

And everyone…

******

One Hour Later

The aftermath had started with an aftershock.

IF clawed his way out of the crater he was trapped under with his bare hands, shaking off the rest of the rubble as his ruby red eyes scanned the area. There was no sign of Destoroyah anywhere… And yet, he still sensed his presence.

Frankly, he was lucky to still be alive after such an ignition, and he was thankful that he was. Still, he felt weak. Weaker than he had in a long time. He was in no shape to continue the fight as is, and it was fair to leave this part of the planet behind. Stumbling over, he found the violin he was using earlier in the conflict, picking it up and absorbing it back into his body. No use wasting a weapon after all.

Floating back into the air, IF had decided to scour the rest of the Earth. After all, the more lifeforms he could find, the more powerful he could grow. And this world would have plenty of strong beings to choose from.

At the same time, however, the nearby bay had begun to bubble to life, before Destoroyah had suddenly emerged with a howling roar! His hide was burnt, but he still had enough energy to stay in his perfected form. IF had turned back, seeing the demonic force call to him from afar; but he paid no mind. He had made his decision, and planned to stick with it. Soon, the alien had grown smaller and smaller from Destoroyah’s perspective, his wings too sore to give chase. Soon, IF had disappeared from view entirely.

Entirely shrouded in rage, Destoroyah’s fist struck the water like a toddler in a bathtub. He got away! With no clear target in sight, his Destroyer Ray merely targeted anything still left standing, the violet beam cutting into the buildings that still stood.

Suddenly, however, he had noticed something else in the water that snapped him out of his blind rage. The electric guitar IF had left behind. The one he had used as its own.

And with its original owner gone, surely it was ripe for the taking, was it not?

Getting another smirk on itself, Destoroyah grabbed it with one of his hands, taking the massive instrument with him; a souvenir of the battle. He had fun using the guitar as his own, and perhaps, with a bit more self-training, he could make better use of it as a personal weapon than even its creator could. Soon, the devilish monster had submerged, entering the depths until the day he would strike again. At the very least, he could say it wasn’t a total loss. He had only just begun to use the amount of power he had gained from the extraterrestrial. The rest of his newfound strength would be mastered in time as well…

Both titans quietly swore revenge, and knew a rematch was imminent. Regardless if it took days, months, or even years to meet again, they swore to settle the score all the same. Until that day, however, the question of who was truly the universe’s Perfect Life-Form would remain a mystery.

Draw: Destoroyah, IF

Author: Vincent Rodger & Alex Williams | Banner: Vincent Rodger

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Day Heroes Fall
Chapter 2: Together We Stand
Chapter 3: Death From All Angles
Chapter 4: The Osaka Onslaught
Chapter 5: History Repeats
Chapter 6: The Day Tyranny Reigns
Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home in The Apocalypse
Chapter 8: The Last of Our Families
Epilogue: He Who Remains

[Precedes Match 420]

Chapter 1: The Day Heroes Fall

28 Months Ago, Tokyo, Japan
Hour One of Infection

Every clue led to this moment. 

Weeks of investigation to fulfill what could be the most important mission for peace within Japan, maybe the world if the worst outcome was true. The never ending fight to bring an end to tyranny forced them to act whenever they could, a newer threat through the ongoing years rivaling the fear created by Shocker or Gedon. 

The League of Villains had perpetrated a series of terrorist attacks, even going on to attacking a school and injuring several pro heroes. Threatening the students on campus grounds… it was unforgivable. If one of the members caught him as is, it would be hard to see him as a “hero”.

The man sat close to the ground on top of a nearby hill, standing over the very end of a trail in the woods on the edge of Tokyo. Even if they were only here temporarily, a remote outpost would be a great opportunity for him to inflict pain on monsters that would hunt down children.

“Hongo,” a voice whispered, earning the vigilante’s attention quickly. The Rider, however, knew the voice of his rival, meeting the look of the second and third of their numbers. The second cyborg’s form was similar to his own, an olive green insect-like helmet with bright red eyes stared at him. Antennae pointed towards the sky, the mouth looking like the mandibles of a Mantis, black armor laid underneath dark green armor pads. Red boots matched his gloves, a belt that wrapped around his waist glowing bright red.

Kamen Rider Nigo had come to aid his fellow Rider in the fight against the horrors of mankind.

Behind him stood the third, though their forms resembled each other, this was more apparent than that of Nigo’s cyborg body. The helmet had red surrounding the bright green insect-like eyes, twin antennae ending with red tips. Patches of silver armor covered the green underneath, a silver belt that wrapped around his waist had red glowing segments. The engine which allowed their transformations glowed the same red as his boots. White gloves tightened their grip as the vigilante stood ready.

Kamen Rider V3, the creation of Rider 01 and Rider 02, had come to aid his teachers against the League to end them once and for all. Just as they had to defeat the dreaded Destron all those years ago.

“Ichimonji, Kazami, you got here just in time,” Ichigo spoke as he pointed towards the warehouse, the others paying close attention as a few members got out of a car quickly, allowing them to identify the primary target even as his form was covered to the face. It was no mistake, that was him.

“Tomura Shigaraki.”

Their numbers had dropped incredibly low recently, after All For One and All Might’s final battle had the incarnation of evil condemned to prison, members were quickly captured within the following weeks. But the primary group, the King of Evil’s Vanguard, had remained at large.

“We move as soon as they enter the building,” the first Rider spoke as he motioned towards the roof of the building, seeming to be a decent opening even if it was rundown. If the roof were to cave in and crush members of the League would be the best case scenario, but that was highly unlikely due to how far they would go to survive. At the very least, it would allow them to get the element of surprise. “Even with their heavy hitters on the field, together we can end this.”

The two other riders nodded, watching as the trio walked towards the entrance to their hideout. The one in front opened the door, allowing the leader of their group to enter first before allowing the other two passengers to follow. 

“On my mar-”

Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, a scream echoed throughout the area before a bright blue flash illuminated the building, flames being unleashed across the structure almost as soon as they had entered. 

Without second thought, they took action.

Quickly all three of them leapt into the air, hovering high in the sky before descending towards the middle of the building.

What were they about to get into? 

They crashed into the ceiling, breaking it apart and sending large chunks of concrete flying on impact. This created a shockwave which sent several people flying into the walls, or each other, as they landed. The smoke covered the group’s line of sight, but the glowing eyes of the Riders could be seen through the thick smog.

Through the smoke, shadows began to get back up from the ground, the dust settling to reveal the forms of several members of the League.

“You will face justice in the name of peace, terrorists!” Ichigo screamed with a commanding presence as the trio got into a defensive stance, waiting for the downed villains to strike back, when movement on their right caught Nigo’s eye. The youngest of the villainous group quickly backed away towards the rock wall as soon as she could, raising her knife and breathing heavily as the dust cleared. This revealed the identity of the being that could make even the vampiric Himiko Toga recoil in fear…

***

Moments ago…

A man in a black and silver jumpsuit, face obscured by a mask of the same color and wrists decorated with red bands, shut the door behind his leader. The terrorist known as Twice had been stationed here already and let them in.

“Glad we all got back in one piece!” A moment of silence passed as their leader slowly walked over to a chair within the warehouse, sitting the small bag of rations they could obtain on a table nearby before putting his black hoodie back on.

“Wait, One Piece!?” The damaged mind repeated out loud, the others looking at Twice for a moment out of sheer annoyance at the sudden outburst. His sudden thoughts blaring out loud for all to hear, admittedly, had him a bit embarrassed. “My bad…”

“I know you’re enjoying that manga, but could you bring down the energy a little,” a fellow leaguer stated as he followed in their leader’s example, sitting on the hard concrete ground and taking a moment to breathe in. “We have got to find some way to entertain ourselves.” The man had burned flesh across his form, damaged tissue covering his arms up to the wrists and engulfing his neck and bottom jaw. Metal stitches surrounded the ends of the burns, seemingly keeping the pyromaniac together as his green eyes stared soullessly at the group. The burns that marked the rest of his form surrounded those eyes as well. Dabi had seen plenty of action, but that itch to get back out there and burn away at his old man’s sanity kept creeping back into his mind.

“Oh, you’re back,” a new voice stated as they walked into the room, the man bowing to Shigaraki before he continued to approach. “I am thankful for your safe return my friends, were you able to gain anything?” 

The man wore a black vest over his orange buttoned up shirt, red gloves upon his hands, and finally a white mask covered in black markings laid on the magician’s face. A brown hat with a feather pointing upwards sat on his head, a red stripe wrapped around the large headwear. Black pants that matched his overshirt wrinkled a bit as he stepped forward, his white boots making a loud tap.

“Not much,” Tomura spoke as he opened the bag slightly, allowing the other league members to inspect what was inside. “Just the basics we could find, trying to stay out of trouble is always so annoying when it comes to food.” The face of the league flinched a bit as pain flared throughout his arm, recoiling from the bag and holding the limb with his free arm as he gritted his teeth.

“Are you alright, Shigaraki?” Mr. Compress asked as he got closer, wishing to see what was the matter.

“Some random homeless guy grabbed me while we were on our way to the closest gas station,” the supervillain explained as he rolled down his sleeve, revealing a gigantic gash on the forearm. Teeth marks revealed the nature of the attack, surrounded by ripped flesh. “Damn lunatic bit into me, so I took care of him. We had to leave shortly after to not get caught.”

“That looks really bad,” the magician stated as he looked in the bag for anything to help stop the wound from getting any worse. “You guys didn’t manage to grab anything for medical supplies, did you?”

“I would have wrapped it on the way back if we had. However, I was left with very little choice but to retreat before someone got a glimpse at us.”

“Dammit. Hey, Toga!” the terrorist shouted into the other room as he walked over, hoping to get an answer to his question sooner rather than later. “Do you know where any medic-” Mr. Compress stepped back for a moment, seeing the young woman shaking and struggling to breath.

“Toga?” Compress murmured as he got closer to the panicking shapeshifter, her body being covered in blood was normal, but to have her react in such a way was irregular, a grave concern even. “What happened here?”

“We went into the woods while you were reading… Me and Spinner were just taking a walk to clear our heads when…” Tears started to form as the memory quickly washed over her, the horror of the event that transpired only a little bit ago being quite fresh on her mind. “You wouldn’t believe it even if you saw it, from the shadows in the woods, something just jumped at us.”

“What did?” Compress asked with morbid curiosity and fear, that she was shaken up was clear, but what the hell could have scared Toga like this? “Go on, tell me.” The conversation drew the others from the main room in the warehouse to where their friends were, hovering near the entrance way as they continued to speak.

“They grabbed Spinner, he kept just screaming to run. It wasn’t like the movies, it wasn’t like my perfect dreams either. They weren’t human, Compress,” the vampire relayed as she continued to shake, the youngest member of the group being so rattled about what she saw beginning to spook the other members.

“Where is Spinner?” Twice asked, nearly stammering, as he stepped forward, concern entering his tone as he continued to stare at her.

“Gone. Dragged by those thi-AHHHHHHHH!” The young woman screamed with all of the air in her lungs when suddenly Shigaraki dropped to the ground, collapsing onto the concrete before shaking violently. Blood erupted from his mouth across the ground, the crimson fluid following suit from his eyes as he silently shook violently on the concrete floor. 

“Jesus Christ!” Twice screamed out as he rushed back to Shigraki’s side, Dabi stepping backward as he looked at the situation with little attention. That was until a rotten smell filled the air.

The pyromancer quickly turned to see in the main room a familiar sight, while his back was turned, it was clear who it was. The form sat still in the middle of the room, tears across his uniform signaling the attack that Toga spoke of before Shigraki suddenly dropped. Blood covered the opened wounds across the terrorist’s flesh, the damaged form of the Heteromorph stood mostly still, however it continued to twitch as his hand began to move.

The infected turned, roaring with fury as ichor sprayed across the ground, and with that signaled a surprise from the shadows. Glass broke instantly, shattering on impact as others from deep within the woods made themselves known. White milky eyes stared directly at the supervillain, the pyrokinetic instantly making a move before his once ally could get the jump on him. Azure flames surrounded his hands, Dabi giving a slight grin as he pointed his limbs at the monster once known as Spinner before unleashing a stream of blue fire.

The meta infected quickly dodged out of the way, still quick on his feet despite his state, only for something else to quickly show as a problem…

Suddenly, the roof caved in. Large chunks of concrete were sent flying, breaking on impact. One of the large pieces of rubble broke down the wall in between Dabi and the others, sending the other members of their group flying to the nearest stone wall. Dust covered all visibility in the area, now making it incredibly dangerous for the group as the numbers of their attackers were unknown to them, an instant disadvantage with new foes spilling in.

As the smoke began to clear, so did their forms. Three vigilantes stood in the middle of the room, each having an insect-like appearance upon the face with glowing eyes through the mist, but the one in the middle was the one that earned the most attention from Dabi. The supervillain realized that his luck had gone from horrible to almost unwinnable. The endgame of their plan had involved facing them, but right now was the worst time for them to show up.

He shared an extremely similar appearance and build to the other two that stood by him, but it was no mistake who was leading the charge. Red eyes glowed through the dust with dangerous intent, a helmet in the shape of a grasshopper’s head staring directly past the downed Dabi to the other members of the group. He spotted Shigaraki on the ground, unconscious. A red scarf flowed in the wind, as he gripped his fists, the most famous vigilante of Japan giving them all of his attention.

“You will face justice in the name of peace, terrorists!” screamed Kamen Rider Ichigo with fury, the hero of the late Showa Era instantly raising his aggression as he got a look at the group.

The three got into a fighting stance and waited for the others to make a move, as Toga quickly gained control of herself and backed into the wall. Holding her knife for dear life as the intruders quickly recovered, Compress and Twice followed in her example and prepared to defend themselves against the new threats in front of them. The dust finally dissipated as one of the horde leapt at the third Kamen Rider, earning his attention rather quickly.

“What in the hell!?” V3 stated as something charged forward, the blood-covered rotting corpse leaping at him, snapping its jaws while clawing at him.

“Another League Experimentation!?” Ichigo roared with fury as he charged straight towards the motionless Shigaraki, only for a fellow psychopath to intervene in the matter. He only saw for a second, but knew what was coming next, a wave of blue flame and the accompanying rushing of wind hurling him away. The first Kamen Rider broke through a wall and crushed members of the overwhelming group before coming to a halt. The vigilante quickly recovered and charged straight back into the room, only to see something unthinkable as everything was set ablaze.

Dabi’s eyes were filled with confusion, azure flames surrounding his fists as they burned everything around them. It looked as if it was something out of a horror movie, their forms continuing to charge at the pyro metahuman as they burned into ash. 

The roars of the horde sent a chill down their spines, the force quickly becoming something not to be trifled with. Himiko Toga screamed as she swiped at one of the approaching undead, rotting flesh opening its maw to sink its fangs deep into her arm, only for the blade to kill it in an instant. The knife cut deep into the infected’s skull, digging into the brain before making it drop to the ground. The serial killer quickly reached back for her blade as another attempted to grab her, only for another member of the group to quickly take action and kick the undead away.

“Oh god!” Twice yelled as he saw the result of his attack, his boot kicking the infected’s head in with a single strike and sending it to the floor with a lucky kill.

“Look out!” A voice screamed as Twice was pushed out of the way, his life quickly being saved by V3 as one of their own attempted to strike while his guard was low. The Kamen Rider landed a direct blow to the reptilian skull, sending the infected flying into the rock wall, but that only seemed to piss him off. The Heteromorph roared with rage and charged at him while aiming to end his life. Spinner raised his makeshift weapon at the cyborg, making V3 retreat momentarily as he leapt back to get distance. The horde continued to surround the others, it was making it hard to keep track of what was going on but it was clear at the very least what kind of situation was happening.

Through whatever means they had reached, the League had managed to raise the dead. Though they had done this with the wretched Nomu, this was an entirely different breed. Something out of a horror film from the States, rotten abominations that sought to devour the flesh of the living. Whatever happened on this day, they would put down every one of these victims.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Compress shouted as one of the horde leapt at him, bile and ichor dripping from its putrid maw as it aimed to sink its fangs deep into his flesh. The supervillain acted quickly, jumping to the side before touching the infected arm. A bright blue glow surrounded the entity for a moment, before turning into a marble and falling onto the ground. 

The magician reached into his pocket, grabbing a handful of marbles before scattering them across the room and with a snap of his fingers, releasing debris from them. Large rocks emerged and crushed many of the infected with a single motion, allowing a moment for the group to breathe as one front was covered. “Kamen Rider!” Compress shouted, earning Nigo’s attention as he kicked one of the undead away. “We’re surrounded and lacking in options, we must work together to escape with our lives!”

The second Rider quickly grabbed another infected before throwing them at the oncoming horde. While the series of boulders blocked a direct path to all of them, they still poured in from the other side of the warehouse. For a moment, he pondered just leaving with Ichigo and V3, but the moment any of them were to get infected, the result would be disastrous. “Agreed, but when we are safe, there will be questions for you and your group!”

“We have to grab Shigraki!” Twice stated as he punched another infected away, the jaw being sent across the room before the supervillain kicked the undead monstrosity to the ground. He raised his foot into the air before slamming it down on the moving carcasses’ skull, ending its existence with one swift attack.

“I got him!” Ichigo roared as he charged towards the fallen body of the leading terrorist, when suddenly he came to a halt. Fear rose quickly in the room as something horrific occurred.

The body twitched as it stood up, the supervillain standing idly amongst the chaos. The infected moved around him as milky white eyes stared at them, clueing the group in on his fate. A wretched smile lay upon his face as drool dripped to the ground…

Tomura Shigaraki was one with the Scourge.

The entity of Decay let out a hellish scream as he charged straight at the original Rider, his hands aiming for a direct attack on the vigilante’s skull, only for Spinner to slam into him as V3 threw him across the room. The two crashed into the rock wall near the others, alarming the remaining League members to take action.

“No! No!” Twice screamed as he attempted to gain distance, jumping back to not get bitten from the horde. There wasn’t a moment to breathe, a moment to make doubles of the others or himself even if he wanted to. The hell they found themselves in raised a question within the lunatic’s mind, his eyes widening as he realized what would happen next should they not survive.

Without reason or humanity, they would continue to devour the living. Alliances would fall as the dead gained more powerful numbers… they had consumed Decay and the Heteromorph, if they were to infect the others or himself, Japan wouldn’t have any hope…

“We have to leave NOW!” Ordered Twice with surprising confidence, the traumatized villain pushed another pair of undead towards Kamen Rider Nigo, the vigilante instantly ending their existence with a swipe of his arm. “If we don’t leave, Japan may be doomed!”

“Why the hell do you care what happens to Japan now!” screamed Ichigo as he grabbed another infected and ripped it in half, blood pouring all over him and the ground before swinging the two halves at the approaching undead. “You only wish to save yourselve-” His thought was cut off as Toga grabbed him by the arm, tears swelling in her eyes as she brought all of her courage into what she was about to say.

“I don’t care if we get arrested after this! Please just take us with you, I don’t want to be like them! They already took my friends, please, while we still have a chance!”

The words reached Ichigo’s mind, and in that moment he realized that he was wrong. They were not responsible for what was occurring, but an even greater discovery had reached him… the terrorists that he sought to end today were still human, more so than the countless armies he and his fellow Riders had faced.

“Oh dear god…”

“TOGA, LOOK OUT!” Twice screamed as Spinner leapt at her, the duplicating villain attempting to run towards her to save his friend, only for Shigraki to step in and attempt to sink his fangs into him. His life flashed before his eyes for a moment as pure instinct acted, swinging and knocking Shigaraki backward before a stream of flames lit the Decay villain’s back. Dabi had forced a scream of hellish rage and agony from the infected as he was thrown across the ground.

The shapeshifter turned, swiping her knife directly behind her in order to protect herself, time seeming to slow down as the worst outcome was about to occur. Ichigo couldn’t stop what was about to happen, and though you couldn’t see it upon his cyborg face, horror laid deep within his bones.

She screamed with agony as Spinner sunk his teeth into her arm, ripping away a massive chunk of meat away from her body with one swift motion, crimson ichor spraying into the air like a fountain as he pulled away. The shapeshifter collapsed onto her knees as her free hand held the wound, tears coming down as a massive wave of emotions rushed through her. Terrified beyond belief at what was about to occur, she shut her eyes and attempted to remember what was dear within her heart.

Her friends, their mission, that boy Izuku within the school… she would never get to tell him how she felt.

“Please… Please kill me,” she pleaded as she turned around, teary-eyed and with trembling lips. A stutter entered her voice as she asked the vigilante to end her very existence before it was too late.

The world around them was in chaos, and the only thing that Ichigo could hear were her words as he stared downward at the young murderer. Nigo came into the picture with a strong kick to Spinner’s side, earning a grunt of annoyance when the infected caught it before throwing the cyborg across the room before instinctively following the downed target. V3 reached over to Twice, pulling him away as Shigraki got up from Dabi’s assault, the infected leaping out of the flames straight towards the pyromancer. Compress desperately attempted to get away from the infected, punching and kicking to the best of his ability to get breathing room, but the roars of the hungry and rageful continued to put him on edge.

She was only sixteen… yet killing her would be a kindness in this situation. Perhaps there was a way to spare her while denying the horde another general. Ichigo raised his arm, grabbing Toga’s wounded limb with his free hand. His eyes glowed a violent red as he went to swing, but it seemed that the Rider had miscalculated.

Toga screamed with hellish rage as she opened her maw, attempting to sink her fangs through the cybernetics to end his life with one swift action, only for Ichigo to simply kick her away into the concrete wall. Breathing heavily, blood soaking his form, adrenaline rushing through him as the only thing he could think to do was considered cowardly, but what choice did he have? This was an endurance test, and if the other remaining members were to get infected, they would all die here.

“Nigo! V3! Get the others out of here now! If we do not leave this place, we will ALL DIE!” 

The two riders quickly took action, V3 rushed over to Dabi without a second thought, wrapping his hand around Shigraki’s hair and pulling him away before he began to swing. Throwing the infected Metahuman directly at the nearest wall, he managed to break the structure entirely and send him flying into the woods. Flames surrounded them, the dead continuing to roar with fury as more seemed to emerge from the woods, but hope still remained within his heart as he picked Dabi up. The third Rider took action and led the surviving members of the League of Villains out of this hell.

Nigo followed in his creation’s example, attempting to gain distance from Spinner as he swung his makeshift weapon rapidly at him. He caught the blade before punching the metahuman so hard that blood erupted from his decayed maw as he flew backward. This let the second Rider to leap back and follow the group, slamming his fist into another infected on his way out.

“Ichigo!” Ichimonji cried out as he saw the first Rider hold the horde back for a moment, Toga swinging her blade gave him little distance but it was enough to make a difference. The first raised his fist into the air before swinging downward with all of his strength, concrete flying in all directions as dust covered their view, allowing Ichigo to leave unharmed.

They ran like hell, the small group of survivors not paying attention as the smoke rose into the air and flames coated the “home” the League had made during their small time of hiding. To the horror of the Kamen Riders… smoke seemed to cover most of the sky ahead. 

Screams of all sorts were heard, racing over to the ears of the six survivors. Some belonged to the ghoulish assailants that assaulted them just minutes ago, while most belonged to terrified citizens. 

The Riders felt themselves at an impasse. 

The nearby flames from all the death and destruction lit up their eyes as the screaming did not cease. Their orders to bring in any members of the League were imperative, but they weren’t sure if they could achieve that goal now. 

They could handle a lot thrown at them, however playing babysitter to supervillains while fighting off the legions of the undead would be problematic. Despite their willingness to escape the building with the Riders, they collectively knew it’d only be temporary. 

Ichigo turned over to the remaining members of the League, the three of them prepping themselves for what was about to come. Dabi scorched the entirety of his hands, intending to unleash a torrent of flames while Twice made a duplicate of his two remaining friends. Compress, on the other hand, inspected the teal marbles in his possession. He rolled his eyes, knowing whatever they did with the villains would only be detrimental.

“I’ll accept the chew out.” The original Kamen Rider thought to himself, lightly kicking the dirt in mild frustration. 

Ichigo snapped his head back at the League, intending to make himself clear as fast as possible. “Assist with the evacuation or flee, we don’t have time to babysit you.”

Dabi chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “Letting us go? How generous.” 

Ichimonji and Kazami were stunned by their friend’s leniency towards the criminals they were suppose to arrest. The second Rider went to protest, placing himself between Takeshi and the villains. “We can’t risk letting them go, much less get infected.”

“He has a point,” V3 pointed out, turning around to spot the city being further engulfed by the rising Scourge. “Think what will happen if someone like them were infected? We’d lose the whole country in less than a week.”

“I know the risks!” Hongo barked out, turning back towards the League. He stomped on the ground, causing Twice to yelp out, bouncing backwards as Dabi and Compress aimed their respective weapons towards him. He threw an arm out and pointed at Compress directly. “You seem like the most rational one here. If you flee, either get the hell out of this country or hide in the darkest corner where the infected will never find you.”

Compress nodded. “Your fight here is futile, gents, but I admire your bravery. We will take our leave.”

“Oh thank god!” Twice exclaimed, letting relief wash over him. “I can’t take anymore monsters! Not after Toga!”

Dabi hummed, feeling the sweet release of freedom just beyond the horizon. He extinguished the flames on his hands and planted them in his pockets. The burnt villain whistled softly, walking away as this crisis was no longer a problem for him. 

Twice quickly followed his close friend, almost huddling up to him in an effort for maximum security for this new world. Compress stalled for a moment before revealing two of his marbles. 

“I was saving these for a heist, but now’s as good a time as any.” Compress snapped his fingers, launching the marble onto the ground as it transformed into a jeep between them. “If things get too dicey here, then take this as my thanks.”

“The kindest villain we’ll ever get in our careers,” V3 remarked, watching the well dressed villain turn around to join the remnant. Compress snapped the remaining marble out of his hand and morphed it into a jeep, allowing themselves a safer exit than most. 

The Rider trio bolted off into the screaming streets to meet the infected head on and to save anyone they could find. Ichigo ripped the hood off a blue sedan, taking note of several infected galloping towards him. Their mouths poured out saliva, eagerly awaiting to sink their teeth into his flesh. Ichigo gripped the piece of metal, absolutely disgusted by the mangled remains of what were once innocent people. 

SWOOSH!

Takeshi swung the severed hood across the necks of all of the infected charging toward him, decapitating them instantly. Blood erupted out of their necks as they collapsed on the ground, turning the street red with blood. Ichigo jumped around before swinging the large piece of metal yet again, severing another group of zombies just behind him. Their bodily remains splattering the nearby vehicles, covering them with their guts. 

V3 flashed his green eyes before punching straight through a zombie’s face, breaking it apart. The infected body ceased as the Rider then kicked its stomach, exploding it to pieces as its remains flew out and hit several of its infected comrades. The third of the Riders bolted forward, ramming his hands forward and grabbing two of the zombies’ heads. He slammed them down on the ground, splattering into pieces.

Ichimonji elbowed a zombie in the mouth, peeling it off before he tore his head off with his bare hands. The second Rider snapped over to the evergrowing crowd of infected piling in the streets. Citizens witnessed the Riders putting up a resistance and ran towards them for salvation. 

The three Riders dispatched the already present zombies, but prepared themselves for the next wave. They waved their hands forward, ushering for the fleeing civilians to get behind them. One woman cried out, tears falling out of her eyes while her arm reached out for them. 

SNAP!

She fell face first, breaking her face apart as she screamed from her teeth falling out while her leg was torn off by the jaws of a rhinoceros-like heteromorph. The bulkier zombie pulled on her other leg and with one mighty tug, it was ripped clean off. He then shoved the leg down his throat before ramming his gigantic horn through the chest of another civilian.

The Riders sped forward, dispatching several more infected through gruesome means. They attempted to reach any remaining survivors, but their efforts were fruitless. One by one, they were either ripped to shreds or newly recruited members of the Scourge.

Ichigo punched the upper portion of an infected head off before turning around and stomping down on another one. He heard a scream that was not a part of the undead horde, finding one last survivor within the growing chaos. The Rider struck his hand out, intending for her to reach it, so the four of them could escape. 

CHOMP!

She let out a bloody cry as ichor shot out of her shoulder. The infected gulped down the torn chunk and went for seconds when Kamen Rider chopped the zombie’s head in two, squirting out more plasma. Ichigo stared at the crying woman briefly, taking note of the bite mark before staring back at her. 

Realizing what he was about to do, she cried out. The unwilling member of the Scourge begged for the hero’s mercy. Kamen Rider kept his composure, never letting her leave his sight as he reared his arm back. 

“I’m sorry,” Takeshi murmured, feeling absolutely horrified and guilty over the complete failure of the mission. 

The original Rider punched the woman’s head off, something that was quick and painless. It wasn’t kind, but he rationalized it. He knew becoming a member of the undead horde was a worse fate than death.

The three heroes knew there was no one left in this area anymore. 

Only the undead. 

Without saying a single word, they turned around and bolted. Killing the infected here would only be a tiring effort that eventually got them consumed. They needed to retreat so they could discuss a far more efficient plan to end this nightmare.

They raced over to the jeep, only to find several propellers going off in the sky. They looked up to see several searchlights peering through the smoke. The lights shined on them as the infected gathered closer and closer to them. 

The helicopters aimed their guns at the infected, mowing them down as the Riders were motioned by the crew to climb aboard. The three heroes jumped aboard the craft, with the vehicles ascending to the thick sky, leaving the remaining undead to wander about. 

Takeshi yanked his helmet off, breathing out. He rubbed his hands across his skin, feeling the sweat overtake it. “Tell them it was my fault I let the rest of the League go.”

He didn’t care for the ramifications. Hongo tried to do what he thought was right, but he failed. Several more innocents died because he was too slow and the villains were allowed to leave due to him being overconfident. 

“The League is no longer an issue,” spoke a soldier, eliciting the attention of the heroes. “We were told to grab you no matter where you were.”

“Wait, wait,” Ichimonji spoke, gripping his helmet. “What do you mean no matter where you were?”

“The Prime Minister ordered every service member and hero we can find for an operation,” the soldier relayed.

“Any chance it’ll go better?” V3 spoke through his helmet, electing to keep it securely on top of his head. “Because, I hate to break it to all of you, but zombies were not a part of the dossier.”

“Hold on, hold,” Ichigo repeated, putting his hand just above Kazam’s chest. He became nervous over learning an operation calling for everyone. One meaning potential devastation or even death of the entire nation if they failed. “What do you mean by operation?”

Chapter 2: Together We Stand

The wind picked up, blowing tents across the cement and slightly shaking the vehicles parked around. The trio of Riders felt it, their belts spinning nonstop. The soldiers that rode with them led them into a white building, taking note of several other people funneling in. What caught their eye was an assortment of unique individuals. Several attack teams, the Scout Regiment, Pro Heroes, Monster Hunters, and even an Ultra, all of them coming together in this growing crisis. 

“Guess we’re going all out with this one,” Ichimonji said, glancing back at his brothers.

V3 bashed his hands together, smiling at every hero entering the building. “We got this! We’re throwing out the heavy hitters! And us of course, the strongest there is.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Takeshi chuckled, moving towards the building with his comrades following closely behind. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, though.”

Everyone invited to the meeting was gathered in a large auditorium, all of them either taking their seats or leaning up against a wall. Chatter filled the entire area, attempting to figure out what the plan was for in this dire crisis. Fight? Flee? 

Footsteps were heard at the stage as the figures about to address them stood at the center. Formalities like tables and chairs alongside the leaders being well dressed was a thing of the past now. They needed the outbreak to be contained quickly and orders needed to be dealt out. 

Tapping a cigarette before taking another huff, the Captain of the SSSP spoke up. “The plan currently is to retake both Tokyo and Osaka.”

Chatter erupted before the Captain of MAC, Ryu Ibuki stepped forward and screamed. “Silence!”

A pause soon followed before Muramatsu continued on. “We also plan to recover Kiryu in the middle of the city to help quell this infestation. However, this is where we ask all of you to come in.”

The Captain of the SSSP hung his head down, taking a moment to reflect. He looked into each and every one of their eyes for a second, seeing a vast array of emotions. Fear, anger, and sadness. There was no way he could lie to any of them, as he knew several of them would die today. Even his demise was a huge possibility. 

He sympathized with every single one of them, and felt guilty for even asking them to be a part of this high risk operation. Yet, the world, and whoever the culprit behind this plague was, were not kind. 

“We understand you’re angry, or even afraid, for your service to be requested when you’d rather escape this infection or be with your loved ones,” Muramatsu continued, briefly glancing over at the other leaders standing beside him. “But we request your assistance in making sure everyone has a chance to live.”

Members in the audience chattered to themselves until the gruff voice of Endeavor spoke up. “I can tell you all, I already got the best of the best with me guarding the Tokyo Tower.”

The audience silenced themselves upon witnessing the flames on his body illuminate the room as he continued addressing them, ushering out the utmost respect for everyone present. “Captain Levi Ackerman, Jet Jaguar Yung, Yun Arikawa, Douglas Gordon, Shinichi Ozaki, Zone Fighter, Sazer Tarious, Greenman, and Snipe have all agreed beforehand to help me hold the line. I ask you all to join us in pushing back the undead menace.”

Murmurs were heard once again, but not a single soul left the room. Their silence and their eyes entirely focused silently confirmed, despite the fears present, they were all willing to do it. Whether they had already lost everything, wanted a glorious battle, or even simply for their duty, they’d never know. The only thing they knew is they were united. 

“The Scout Regiment and I will be holding rear to make sure the other fronts succeed in the mission today,” Erwin Smith, commander of the regiment, relayed. “For our plan to succeed, however, we’ll need the assistance of several Pro Heroes to help us hold that barrier.”

“Several other Pro Heroes and some of our very own Devil Hunters will assist Super Mechagodzilla, the Super-X, Thundatross, and Gigaman in retaking Osaka, as that is an infection stronghold,” Makima sweetly spoke, smiling at the entire crowd with her orange spiral-like eyes. 

“Lastly, students of UA and support heroes will be in charge of evacuating the civilians,” Detective Tsukauchi dry voice spoke out, almost as if he was about to give in to exhaustion. He removed his hands out of his pockets while he yawned. “You will all find your orders with the servicemen in the next room.”

“We wish all of your brave men and women good luck in your mission,” Zoe Hange relayed, following it up with a salute.

***

“We’re not gonna be on the same front!?” V3 cried out, throwing his hands down. “I was hoping for another triple teamup!”

“They just need us to balance each of the fields out, nothing to worry about, my friend.” Nigo smirked, patting his friend on the back.

“One rider is just as amazing as three of them,” Ichigo relayed, looking at his friends, happy to see them still standing strong despite everything thrown at them. He may have been the original Kamen Rider, but he was infinitely glad there were more like him, willing to bring out the best of humanity. “All of us can do this.”

“If only the rest of our comrades could be here with us,” Ichimonji lamented, hearing absolutely no word on any of their whereabouts since the infection had started. “Hope they’re still fighting the good fight.”

“They are,” Ichigo said, reassuring not only his brothers, but himself. A small part of him could only assume the worst, that they had been overtaken, but he had to have hope. He had to showcase to everyone around him, because if Kamen Rider felt helpless, then everyone would falter. “They’re fighting to make sure we have a chance to end this.”

“And we can never repay that debt,” the voice of Hikaru Sakimori snuck up behind the three, eliciting a turnaround from the trio. 

“Mr. Sakimori, always a pleasure,” Hongo relayed, bowing as the others followed suit. 

Hikaru chuckled at the display, but bowed, nonetheless. “No need for formalities even if I just broke that rule.”

“What brings you to our little corner?” Ichimonji inquired, tapping his own shoulder.

The alter ego of Zone Fighter shrugged his shoulders. “Just wanted to do some rounds with people before we get shipped out.”

“He’s got the right idea!” Kazami pointed out, feeling the need to say some words to his fellow heroes.

Hongo felt a particular subject come to mind as he studied Hikaru and his demeanor. Unlike others, Sakimori was more upbeat. Something told him, he wasn’t hit too hard by the crisis. He decided to spring forth a question, hoping to have a dialogue.

“Have you heard from your family?” 

Hikaru smiled, nodded up and down. “They’re all accounted for on Smokey and headed for an island to hold out at.”

“Phew!” Takeshi breathed out, patting the Peacelander on the arm. “That’s one of the few bits of good news I’ve heard all day.”

“Same. I’m just glad my family is safe,” Hikaru spoke, keeping a smile on his face despite the next subject brewing in his mind. A more pessimistic thought regarding the nation’s situation. “Which is more than I can say for others, as a lot of our fellow heroes are unaccounted for.”

Nigo shook his head as Ichigo kept silent, but Kazami filled the silence, stuttering along the way in shock at that very same thought. “Who… are we missing?”

“Half of the Devil Hunters, the Lurkers, the Special Defense Force, and every Ultra aside from 80,” Hikaru listed off, each one making him choke up further and further. He fought to keep himself optimistic, for the sake of others, but despair was kicking in. 

“Was I wrong to not go with my family?”

“Hikaru,” Hongo said, snapping the Peacelander out of his thoughts. Sakimori looked up at the three Riders all smiling at him, his negative thoughts about the whole situation seeping away. “Let’s take victories where we can find them. Your family is safe and know you’re staying behind to make sure several more survive.”

Zone Fighter smiled at the trio, feeling enamoured by legendary heroes like themselves who were not only supportive of him but having a conversation with him. It was a dream come true. “You guys are truly amazing and just what we need.”

“We’re always receptive to positive feedback,” V3 chimed out, feeling flattered by the fellow hero’s praise. 

Takeshi stuck his hand out to the Peacelander as Hikaru stammered, witnessing what the Rider was offering. Hikaru took his hand as Takeshi spoke, “Everyone here is amazing and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Let’s finish this so we can see if that rumor about the virus originating in Shibuya is true,” Ichimonji vocalized, intending to find the person responsible for this entire mess and bring them to justice. 

“Was that actually confirmed, or…..” V3 trailed, getting Ichimonji to slightly glare at him for his skepticism. “Just all of the unusually high mangled bodies lying around.”

Ichimonji rolled his eyes as Hikaru cocked his head in his confusion. He heard there was some huge fight occurring in Shibuya the night before, but nothing to do with the zombie horde they were about to deal with. “Bodies?”

Takeshi murmured, not knowing the full story as well. Despite the brief summary witnesses had given, it always struck him in a frightening way. Several people spontaneously dropped dead while people from all corners were fighting each other, some of them not even where the bodies collapsed. It didn’t sit right with him.

“No one knows the full story. Just a huge fight between martial artists and people dropping like flies.”

Hikaru hummed, trying to dig deeper into this whole event, but an alarm blared. It snapped the four heroes out of their thoughts as they knew it was their cue to head to their respective front. The trio of Riders planted their helmets on their heads while Hikaru inspected his entire body, ensuring everything was in order.

The four turned back up to face each other as Hikaru offered up a salute. “It was an honor meeting the three of you. I hope we will be able to talk once again.”

“Likewise, Sakimori,” Takeshi uttered, smiling behind his helmet as he wished Zone Fighter all the luck in the world as his figure disappeared in the crowd. He turned over to his fellow Riders preparing to make their respective getaways. “Same to the both of you. You are two of the finest friends a man like myself could ask for you.”

“Aw! You do love us!” Kazami cheerfully called out, before whispering under his breath. “Love you both, too.”

“We heard that,” Ichimonji shot back, giving his younger companion a smile. “And same to you, Takeshi. We’ll see you on the other side.”

“Before we all know it, we’ll be back at Coffee House!” Takeshi happily exclaimed, following it up with raising his fist up to his two friends. The latter two Riders smirked behind their helmets and slammed their fists into his. They pulled them back simultaneously as their hands flattened, mimicking an explosion. 

The three of them took their separate paths, pilling out of the exits alongside their fellow volunteers. The halls and the auditorium itself were empty after the last bits of life left them. 

It would be the last time life ever set foot in this building. 

***

“Can you guys hurry up,” a loud voice rang from the speaker of the mechanical goliath as it kneeled down, a hand gently coming to the group of professionals. “The sooner we get to Osaka, the more people we can help AND I can see Mechagodzilla in person,” The boy stated as they each quickly stepped onto his machine’s hand.

The pilot within Thundatross looked down at the company he was escorting for a moment before stepping forward, quickly striding towards the coordinates given to him by their superiors. The sound of marching was followed by familiar footsteps to his side, his trusted partner quickly joining him. “Kid, slow down,” the elder stated as he quickly caught up, being thrown off from the sudden departure. “You didn’t give any warning.” Gigaman said with a stern expression as he shook his head.

“Not my fault you’re old and it took you longer to process,” the young voice replied back with a slight chuckle, laughing at his friend’s slight misfortune. While it was just a minor joke, it was good to keep optimistic about things even as they were plummeting into Hell.

Gigaman smirked as he scoffed at his younger ally’s comment, simply turning towards the others that sat or stood on Thundatross’ palm. The veteran instantly recognized the Kamen Rider that was accompanying them, remembering when they had first risen decades prior as a young man who was later inspired by V3 and his fellow Riders. “I didn’t get the chance to greet any of you, but before we charge into this battlefield together, I would like to get to know just a little about you guys,” he relayed with a wide grin on his face. The duo of Pro-Heroes that was amongst the group were reminded of the previous Symbol of Peace’s own grin, causing the younger of the two to roll his eyes.

There were those from all corners of this countries’ defenders, ranging from those deep within the system to the few that were not deemed “true heroes” in the eyes of the government. An obscene notion that rubbed a decent portion of the population the wrong way. “I remember seeing your work years ago,” The cyborg spoke to the much larger superhuman. “Its quite the surprise that we never managed to run into each other, or for you to not encounter any other Rider, but I’m glad that we can have a trustworthy ally in the upcoming battle.”

“Thank you, Kamen Rider,” The superhero spoke with genuine glee, a smile quickly forming on his face from the compliment. “While the undead outnumber us greatly, with three giants and the Super-X aiding you all on the ground, I have a feeling that we will see this through to the end.” While he did believe those words, the mutated man did feel as though they might be misinterpreted and cause a drift between the team and himself. But, it felt good to, even if experience taught him that he shouldn’t one hundred percent believe in notions like that.

The third Rider nodded in agreement, turning towards the rest of his squad. First was the Ace Hunter who was looking over his weapon of choice, the Heavy Bow-Gun, from across the metallic palm. “I’m not quite used to the idea of fighting armies of people,” The experienced hunter stated, continuing his inspection as he did so. He wore a thick coat made from the leather of Gypceros, fur covering the meeting points of the Master Ranked armor, as red hair formed a mohawk in the middle of his head. “The closest I’ve been was collaborating with the M-Organization or the Special Defense Force, but not any actual combat against them. I’ve only fought wild Kaiju destroying the local ecosystem or attempting to enter cities,” he stated honestly. A sigh rolled out, drawing attention towards the most experienced hunters in this war.

“Never thought there’d come the day I’d be fighting against the people I swore to protect, even if they aren’t human anymore.”

An older man took a swig from his flask before approaching the younger hunter. His hair was blonde, too short to flow in the wind like his trench coat, underneath which the Devil Hunter wore the signature white shirt and black tie to finish his uniform. A scar lined his jaw, cutting from the webbing in between the lips to the ear. The old soldier finished the swig before placing it back into his pocket, staring down at Aiden before speaking. “It never gets easier,” he stated with the horror of experience, not wanting to be dishonest about the matter. “You will have to cut yourself off from that feeling. Might make you feel a bit more dead inside, but we’re going to have to do some pretty horrific things to win this.”

The others didn’t want to speak, letting the man continue his thoughts while they waited for their turn, only for one of the Pro Heroes to step in. Scruffy, dirty blonde hair pointed in all directions on the young man’s head, the Number Two hero of Japan bearing massive crimson wings which covered his back. He wore a tribute to Air Force fighters’ uniforms with a brown jacket that had wool within the thick coat, alongside yellow goggles. “Pretty cold to say that old man, but I can’t say I disagree,” he spoke while one of his gloved hands was put up to his beard. “We are going to need ruthlessness to overcome the odds here, this is a different kind of war from what humanity has ever faced.”

“Do you really believe that to be true, Hawks?” A woman with bright red hair stated as her arms were crossed behind her back, her golden gaze hitting him like a blade through flesh. Her voice was soft, but it was accompanied by venom in every word. He couldn’t exactly tell why, but something was off with her. Deciding to play coy for now, the Pro Hero went along with what she was going to say. 

“We Devil Hunters, alongside Jujutsu Sorcerers, have fought against the undead for centuries, be it in the form of Devils and Curses.” The Devil Hunter thought about the report of the prior night for a moment, pondering on the possibility that the incident in Shibuya had dramatically reduced their numbers. Basing the thesis on the fact that Gojo Satoru had not been present amongst the ranks of the operation, and that Jujutsu High in both Kyoto and Tokyo had not answered any calls. “It only seems unprecedented because the rest of Japan, and the world, is seeing it now. Even if evil has changed its shape, it is fundamentally the same. We’ve always been fighting it for humanity’s sake, out of sight.”

“I think you’re full of shit,” another feminine voice cried out, a cocky grin forming on the Number Five Pro Hero’ face as she chimed into the conversation. Her arms were crossed as her muscular form flexed, adrenaline pumping as she spoke out against the Devil Hunter. Her outfit resembled the animal her Quirk took attributes from, twin white rabbit ears pointed upwards as tan skin reflected the dimmed light of the Sun. A yellow crescent laid on her chest, rabbit-like boots covered her feet, and soft looking winter gloves did the same to her hands. White hair covered her entire back, which was leaned against the fingers of Thundatross.

“I don’t buy that you’re some secret saint, suffering for humanity’s sake in the dark or whatever.”

The challenge to her character earned Miriko a sinister smile from the Devil Hunter, Makima revealing her true colors for only just a moment. But that minute moment was enough to catch the attention of the Scout. He was standing across from the group, eyes to the ground below as they discussed morality in war. But he had turned his attention fully just as she made that beautiful smile. He couldn’t help but stare for a moment. From the sound of her voice, to how her presence demanded respect, to her tone of authority, everything was hitting just right in his mind standing before true beauty.

It helped that the two shared more interests than the others had realized, their planning slowly coming into motion…

“Enough,” an older voice cut into the conversation, the Captain sharpening his sword with a stone as he sat. His legs crisscrossed, the older man bore grey hairs throughout his beard and pony tail. His hair and uniform were unusual for both his ranking and his brand in the military, the ordinary man wearing the cloth of a nobleman’s soldier during the feudal era of Japan with little equipment. His weapons were decades behind, but he had the necessary experience to aid the others in the operation. “What lies ahead at Osaka will not leave room for conflict amongst ourselves, nor hesitation against them. You kill or you die, or you die and you kill.” The strong words left an interesting feeling within the group, fully absorbing the situation that they were in.

While it was never an easy thought for them to commit such horrific violence in the name of saving their country and people, really speaking about it in this manner was… haunting.

V3 continued to look outward, the rest of the group discussing various different angles to approach the situation from. He hoped down to his core that they would overcome the hordes and properly evacuate the population as best as they could, having faith that his fellow Riders would also survive this war on multiple fronts.

The several MIA Kamen Riders would spring into action as soon as the plague would make itself known to them, having no doubt that the others were continuing through their various paths to survival. “Nigo, Ichigo, good luck my friends. See you on the other side of this.”

***

It wouldn’t take the other group all that long to reach their destination, but tension with every step forward was at an all time high, even with the forces at their disposal.

Beside them was a warrior from the planet Rosetta, the last in a lineage of royalty that had escaped his planet’s demise from an invading army from the stars. Silver and red covered the hero’s form, while long fluffy hair flowed down his back. While normally he would have transformed into his goliath stature to help aid the others, the mission called for them to secretly wrap around the ruins of the city without drawing any attention. The last Megaloman, guardian of the royal family of Rosetta, had arrived to aid his fellow heroes in the evacuation of civilians. 

To the Rider’s left, another extraterrestrial size-changing hero walked beside him. Silver covered most of the alien’s form, small patterns of emerald green across his knees, elbows, collar and belt. A golden star sat in the middle of the belt, one that matched the colorization of the heroes’ glowing eyes. Mirrorman had luckily been in the area when the crisis began, opting to jump into action and help cleanse as many souls as he could.

The Number Ten hero of Japan traveled alongside the group, wearing a dark red dress with a pattern of gold across the neck and flowing bottom of the cloth. Black boots stepped through rubble as she wrapped her hands around debris, pulling herself over the destruction around her. Her left eye was covered by metal which was held on by a green bandana underneath her short blonde hair, twin bat wing-like pieces covering the back of her skull. Ryuko had been one of the few Pro Heroes able to properly respond to the crisis, attempting to save as many people as she could. 

The avatar of the Planet Fire God looked all around him, searching for the best path forward to their destination while avoiding hellish destruction and the fangs of the infected. When the crisis had been announced to the world with blood soaked maws of the undead, people all around them prayed even as their homes were being torn into. Godman quickly arrived at the scene, finding his ally Greenman and starting their holy work as they began to purge the infected around them. The alien defender could only hope that the emissary of God was doing all that he could to survive to the next day.

A trio of heroes walked in the furthest back, protecting the rear from any lingering infected that would jump from the shadows while also protecting the students that were gathered in the middle of the group. The former sidekick of All Might had brought along two of his apprentices, those that he trusted to aid him and the rest of the evacuation team. The man wore a grey business suit with a red tie covered in yellow polka dots, glasses with a golden rim looking all around him as his green-yellow hair flowed in the air.

Sir Nighteye couldn’t shake the feeling that his visions of All Might’s demise were ever so near, especially with the fact that he had ventured off alone to rescue as many lives as he could. Not even being a part of the meeting, simply managing to get in contact with the proper authorities in order to reach a checkpoint. The experienced hero looked forward, spotting the next Symbol of Peace traveling alongside his friends as they began walking into hell. While he was still unsure of his mentor’s decision… Yagi was sure of his decision, and he would defend the boy to the horrific end.

A lingering thought however was within him, that while he was absolutely certain that in this situation the young man would be fine, Nighteye still was worried about the possibility of him falling to the Scourge. “Mirio, you and the others be safe.”

The last Pro Hero present was the only found Lurker, having been separated from the rest of his team as the world around them was thrown into chaos. His body had been transformed into wood from his Quirk, an armored shell protecting his face and head from a devastating attack, but his heart and mind were not so easily protected. He could only think that he had somehow sentenced them to their demise, even if he didn’t truly know everyone’s condition, the guilt still pulled. He begged within his mind to whatever force above could hear him, that his partners were safe. 

Ahead of the group, Kamen Rider suddenly felt a tap on his side, turning to see the young Izuku Midoriya walking beside him. “I’m sorry to bother you sir,” the student spoke while marching forward, the young man attempting not to stutter as he spoke to the legendary vigilante. “I had been following your career since I was little, wouldn’t feel right not saying something while I had the chance.”

The Rider continued forth, pushing aside a destroyed car and allowing the others to pass by before replying to the younger hero. “Well I am glad that you had, Deku. For I have also been following your career, ever since the news covered the League attacking your school.” Ichigo thought back to the encounter earlier in the day, his grip slightly tightening as frustration rose to the surface that another loose end wouldn’t be wrapped up due to the plague which ravaged the country. Pushing those feelings down, he let the young man speak.

“Kamen Rider… knows who I am?” He stated in disbelief, a smile forming on his face as he and the Rider continued walking forward. “I am flattered really, crazy to think about.” 

“You know that children have been looking up to you UA students, the same way that you used to me or All Might?” Izuku halted in his tracks for a moment, turning towards his superior as he continued. “The internet is a great place to gather information, and through your few encounters in broad daylight, you kids seem to have a following. That’s quite the achievement for someone so young.” 

The weight of the situation was placed further on his shoulders with those words, but it also filled Izuku with a sense of pride knowing that the original Kamen Rider was the one telling him this. “I really do have a lot to live up to, don’t I?”

Ichigo’s voice quickly turned into a stern tone but not out of frustration, the next words out of his mouth uttered from a place of belief. “I have complete faith in your success, the hero you have become will survive this. Have trust within yourself that you and your friends will see this to the end.” 

Deku nodded, thanking him for the kind words as they continued to observe the world around them. Every step forward was a possible gateway to their demise, but with their numbers and overall power, hope was accompanying the dread. 

He looked towards the rest of his fellow students, feeling at ease that his closest friends were with him on this mission. Especially as his mentor and mother were soon to reach them, the stress that even a single one of them would be lost would be too much if that came to pass. 

Together with his rivals, his friends, and the veterans across Japan’s history, they would emerge victorious against the undead. That dream of success would become a reality as one last member of their squad would be added, a man from the stars.

Chapter 3: Death From All Angles

Tokyo, Japan
Hour 12 of Infection

Takeshi Yamato tapped his finger against the railing, synchronizing with the occasional raindrop that made landfall. It all happened so fast, he was out enjoying his day when news hit him about an apocalypse crashing down on everyone. 

He chuckled at first, figuring a Rider, metahuman, Gamera, Godzilla, or even an Ultra like himself could stop it by dinnertime. Takeshi was so wrong. Every passing minute, several people succumbed to this infection, to the point where anyone could drop next.

One could consider the teacher lucky. Lucky enough to simply enjoy the rain in solitude, but in reality, it was only the calm before the storm. 

He was there, he understood the orders. 

When given the signal, he’d swoop in and come from behind the impending horde, cutting them off to where they could be boxed in. He didn’t like it, this whole operation. Takeshi was proud of the heroes stepping up to the plate to save all they could, but his mind drifted elsewhere.

Sakuragaoka Middle School.

His left hand trembled, feeling powerless to go and investigate. He wanted to go, desperately transform into his real body and fly to the school, blasting apart every undead he could. However, he realized it would only doom the others by abandoning his duty just on the slim hope any of them could still be alive.

Yet, he chuckled. 

He recalled a few students talking about zombie media a few weeks ago, discussing the ins and outs of how the genre worked. Takeshi found those types of movies goofy, but now more than ever he was glad his students were preparing, even if it was unintentional. 

“Just survive long enough for me to find you, I’ll handle the rest,” murmured Takeshi, continuing to tap the iron bar.

A ring was heard, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at the radio on his belt and picked it up. “Here.”

“Takeshi,” Endeavor’s voice came through.

“Sir,” Takeshi spoke aloud, becoming more alert, realizing the operation could start at any second. 

There was a small pause before the Number One’s hero’s voice came through again. “You ready to carry out your orders?”

The teacher sighed, hating having to abandon the life he created for himself as he gulped afterwards. “Ready on the dot.”

“Don’t follow it,” Endeavor spoke, eliciting shock in Takeshi.

“What?” the teacher nearly exclaimed, almost baffled at the last minute change in the plan. “I don’t understand, you’ll need me!”

“The south is already falling, they just don’t know it,” Endeavor elaborated before taking another pause. “I have another ord- a favor to ask.”

Takeshi was tempted to inquire about the sudden change of orders. However, considering the way the number one hero was acting and the world ending at any minute, he decided to listen. 

“How can I help?”

“My son, Shoto, and his friends are nearby… waiting to give their lives just to help… save the day,” Endeavor relayed, huffing, becoming overwhelmed with emotion. “Stop them.”

“Stop them?” Takeshi asked, feeling at a loss. He almost felt overjoyed at the thought of taking them out of battle, but figured something was off at the whole thing. “I don’t understand, that’ll just weaken our position as a whole.”

“I already said the south is falling and this whole operation won’t last as long as we like,” Endeavor clarified once more. “We’ll do everything we can to save everyone, but this favor is selfish… just help them rescue whoever, grab their families and get them the fuck out.”

“I…” Takeshi attempted to speak, but was abruptly cut off by a more furious sounding Endeavor. 

“Our orders are bullshit! I know it and you know it! Grab them and be a goddamn survivor,” Endeavor ordered, pausing once more. “The world needs an Ultraman to survive.”

80 slightly nodded, knowing there was no way his words could pierce his tough exterior. He followed it up with a small chuckle, knowing his old orders could no longer get through him as well. A part of him might have felt sick abandoning his duty, but the favor from not a hero, but a dad, was far more important.

“I’ll get them to safety, no matter the cost,” 80 acknowledged. “Light ‘em up for me.”

“And I’ll see you in Okinawa, pal,” Endeavor relayed, optimism oozing through his voice as he felt a small sense of relief at the Ultra agreeing to his request.

Communications between the two ended as 80 gave his tap on the metal before turning away as the rain started pouring harder. He may not still get to check on his students, but he at least got to do something that mattered to him more than anything. 

He was making sure the children of today will survive in this festering, infected world. Thankfully, their position wasn’t that far from his and it only took him a few minutes of running to reach them. 

The rain hit against his face as he saw several shuttles ascending to the skies, searching through the crowds of people being escorted by several heroes. For each helicopter ascending into the blackened sky, he felt himself feeling slightly more relieved at several more lives surviving this terrible night. 

He gently brushed past several more people until he saw the six students he was told to protect. Froppy, Deku, Bakugo, Ingenium, Shoto, and Uravity. Wasting zero time, he rushed over to them, providing the assistance they required by ushering the civilians into the aircraft. 

“Mr. Yamato, what are you doing here, ribbit?” Froppy, or Tsu, as she would want everyone to refer to her by, inquired, placing her finger up to her lip.

Takeshi gave a small smile to the frog-like girl, before ushering the rest of the group together. There was literally no time to waste as he couldn’t sugarcoat any of it whatsoever. “Evacuate everyone here double time, because after this I’m getting you all the hell out of here.” 

“Woah! Woah!” Bakugo stormed up to the disguised Ultra. “What makes you think we want to get out of here when there’s still infected for us to put down?”

Patience really was a virtue. 

“I don’t have the time to explain, we just need to get out of here now,” Takeshi relayed, gently pushing a wheelchaired bound evacuee onto the helicopter. “Please.”

“But… we can do more beyond this area, we can rally with the other groups to save everyone,” Izuku replied, feeling determination fill his body to not let another person die today. He saw it in Takeshi’s eyes. Izuku knew he wanted the same, but yet, saw he didn’t believe it to be possible. In fact, it was the only method he perceived as salvation.

“My dad will need me when the time comes,” Shoto added, stepping forward. “I don’t intend to miss out.”

“Your dad told me to get you all out of here!” Takeshi blurted out, stunning the six students. 

A moment passed. 

“Did my dad really say that?” the son of Endeavor asked, taking another step forward. 

“Yes,” the teacher answered, taking another breath. “It was his ord- request, and one I intend to fulfill.” 

“What about our families?” Tsu’s voice quivered, feeling anxious at having to abandon her own family just for her own guaranteed safety. “We can’t abandon them.”

Takeshi smiled softly at the girl, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll pick up your families and get out of here.”

Shoto simply nodded. “Let us finish our job like we agreed upon and we’ll get out of here.”

“What!?” Bakugo snapped, raising his fists up. “We’re leaving just like that!?”

Tenya rolled his eyes at Bakugo’s complaining while Izuku rubbed the back of his head. He attempted to figure out something to say to calm him down. 

“Think of it this way, we might be able to kill a few zombies along the way,” Izuku rationalised, feeling sweat roll down his neck, knowing full well it could be the explosive hero that murders him instead of the infected. 

“We better,” Bakugo muttered before moving to push several people in a nearby shuttle out of frustration. 

Boom!

A distant sound was heard as the Ultra and students turned around to see green smoke arise from the center of the city. Then, thunder roared within the sky, following it up with a bolt of lightning lighting up the battlefield.

It was then that the shrieking hordes of the Scourge cried out into the night, sending shivers down the spine of every living soul.

“Shit,” 80 said, fearing what was about to transpire. 

***

Only minutes had passed since they joined the rest of the ground forces for evacuating who they could. 

The smoke began to cloak the sky even further, mixing with the rain. Smog slowly blanketed the dying Tokyo, making every corner of it invisible to the eye. The ash falling from above the evacuating civilians as heroes led them to the city’s limits. In the front was the man with the most experience leading the group of terrified people of this hell. Inko Midoriya, mother of the hero Deku, surveyed the area as the retired “number one hero” of Japan held onto her hand. All Might had managed to bring Inko to the evacuation just in the nick of time. It was the least he could do to help in this crisis, he might be retired, but he would be damned if he let Izuku’s mother be lost in the horde of horror and screams.

“All Might,” one of the children evacuating spoke with a soft sniffle, the little boy’s eyes red from the amount of crying he had done. “Will we get out of this?”

For the first time in his entire career, he paused for just a moment before answering with a forceful smile. “Stay close to me and Mrs. Midoriya, and I promise we will escape this, young one.” 

The elementary school student looked down as to keep himself from being too afraid in this horrific situation, he didn’t know where his parents and fellow classmates were, his teachers had all been consumed protecting them. He had only hoped that Mr.Kotaro had managed to get away from them when the opportunity presented itself, so many people dying that he looked up too was breaking the boy’s heart and he wouldn’t be able to bare the weight of their loss…

A slight shake was felt as Inko still held firm to his free hand, the feeling of fear and metal reaching her as they continued forward. The frail pro hero held a sleek black glock in his hand, feeling uncomfortable holding the weapon. Countless times he had seen illegal firearms holding a hostage or being fired at his comrades during a crisis, but now he was powerless to defend himself otherwise without One For All. But with this, and the gift Melissa had given him, he stood a chance of aiding against the Hollowed forces.

And if he were to fall saving the lives of innocent children, his students, or the mother of his successor, then he would do so without hesitation. All that mattered was that they survived, that Izuku survived to give hope to the future clouded in shadow and blood. The infected were widespread, the worst epidemic that the world had ever seen was occurring and only the devil would know what loomed in the darkness of the unknown future. If All For One were to act during this crisis… He couldn’t think about that now, even if the prison had been ravaged by escaping convicts and the infected, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

Many worlds had seen the end of their existence within his lifetime, but he still held hope that with so many heroes and Kaiju on the planet, this small world could be saved. It had seen countless terrors from beyond the stars, natural disasters made flesh with the form of Kaiju, countless forms of demonic presences, as well as humanity’s own hubris, but they had always managed to survive the odds.

This plague that raised the dead offered so many questions, but the one that kept playing within his head was; could humanity survive this epidemic? Unlike any virus they had seen, this was something out of a horror film that his students would talk about during class. The living across Japan, and possibly even the entire planet, now faced a war unlike any other.

Destroy the dead or become one with the Scourge. 

The sound of footsteps alerted the group, the children quickly becoming quieter and staring towards the source of the sound as All Might lifted his arm, aiming the firearm. Inko held on tight to her son’s mentor, their hearts beating at a rapid rate as adrenaline spiked in a mere moment.

Steady.

The footsteps grew closer and, not wanting to alert the nearby horde in case they would simply walk by, he didn’t move a muscle. Holding onto the weapon with a firm grip, sweat ran down his brow with every second that passed.

“All Might, it’s just me,” a familiar voice reached out, their voice not being broken unlike the infected which struggled to form sentences. He lowered the gun, trusting that everything was fine and to his relief, he was right.

Slowly walking into view was an old friend, the man who was once his sidekick during his younger years as the symbol of peace. “Nighteye, am I glad to see you,” he stated as he approached the group, letting go of Inko’s hand before giving the young man a hug. For a moment they shared a smile of relief before pulling back, the retired superhero getting a look at the newly arrived group of heroes. 

“Likewise, old friend, I am glad that we managed to run into you as fast as we could.” One by one, the heroes came into view, one in particular instantly reacting as they managed to meet.  

“Mom!” a familiar voice cheerfully cried, one Inko could never forget. She perked her head up to see her one and only son, Izuku. 

“Izuku!” Inko tearfully cried out, as water erupted from eyes. She bolted over to her boy and wrapped him up in a hug, depriving him of air. “I’m so happy you’re safe!” 

She planted several smooches on his forehead as his body stiffened up. “Mom… I can’t breathe.”

“Oh my god!” Inko screamed out, dropping Izuku to the ground, his body almost crumbling while he became dazed. Her eyes widened even more at the shock of the condition of her son. “Oh, baby! I’m so sorry!”

She lifted him off the wet concrete and placed him back on his feet, awkwardly laughing at her son’s condition. “I thought you were stronger to handle that…”

Izuku continued to remain dazed as his fellow classmates watched on. Tsu rubbed her finger against the side of his face, “It’s nice of Midoriya’s mom to show her love even in a crisis like this.”

“It is,” Ochaco snickered, watching her crush struggling to take in every word his mother was saying to him. She couldn’t help but feel even more enamored with him. 

“Pfft. What an idiot,” Bakugo snorted. 

The other four students snapped their hands at him as he glanced at them, shrugging. “I’m not taking it back, morons.”

“I am glad to see that you are all alright,” All Might stated as he approached his students, patting the next symbol of peace on the shoulder with an earnest smile. “It gives me hope that we can win this battle and take back the city, also gives me less concern with escorting these young ones all alone.”

“Mr. Yagi,” a man stepped forward, wearing civilian clothing in the middle of the hell that they had found themselves in. His appearance was unorthodox without knowing of his true identity, but the confidence he carried himself with made his casual outfit seem natural. “We were worried sick that something would happen on our way here.” 

“Mr. Yamato!? I wasn’t expecting to see you here, but I’m glad that we have more able hands. I trust that my students weren’t too much trouble during the evacuation.”

“Not at all! I have been watching them carefully, they have been doing their best work.” A sense of pride washed over the two teachers as these fine young men and women were doing their part during the operation; they would need to be at their best if they were to survive till dawn. After all that they had seen, they couldn’t lose another person that was close to them.

“All Might,” another familiar voice called out, looking up to the wooden man standing upon a destroyed car which was flipped on its side. He peered over the horizon, attempting to see any more of their forces, but there was nothing as far as the eye could see. Including the undead. “I believe we should get a move on before something lurks from the fires nearby, I can’t see a damn thing but that just raises more concern.”

“Understood Kamui Woods, lead the way,” Toshinori stated, quickly following behind the others. The elemental hero stepped in front of the group, standing alongside Ryuko who was waiting alongside the others, a conversation slightly brewing as they continued forth.

“I wish that we had met again under different circumstances, All Might, but I am glad that we have someone like you here during this operation,” the dragon hero stated, her eyes looking across the environment to make sure that nothing was surprising them with sharp fangs and a brewing appetite. “When all of this is over, let’s all get something to eat.”

“That sounds lovely, Ms. Tatsuma.”

“By the way,” she stated as she slightly turned away from the chaos towards Toshinori and Inko. “Are you two?”

There was a pause as they continued forward, a blush appearing on All Might’s face for a moment as he quickly attempted to dismiss the question, only for Inko to grasp tighter with a smile. “Its not what you think-”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to ask that question,” the mother of Izuku Midoriya spoke, just as her son quickly stepped towards the back of the evacuating party to watch the rear while avoiding the conversation. “Mr.Yagi has been so helpful with my boy and ever since his father-” there was a sudden cut in the sentence before Inko resumed, wishing to not speak on the matter. “I guess he has been the closest friend I’ve had in a long time.”

“That’s lovely dear,” Ryuko spoke once more with an upbeat attitude, hope once again rising within their group as the conversation continued. The rest of UA’s students chuckled a bit as they heard the adults speak, given new ammo to poke fun at their friend when they escaped from the ruins that were once Tokyo. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt but,” A new voice stated as they entered the conversation, a surprising figure appearing before Yagi. While it was not surprising that the original Kamen Rider, or any Rider for that matter, was helping during the operation, it was a shock that the two legendary defenders of Japan would meet this way. Across the decades of work against the forces of evil, they had never encountered each other during their work. “It is an honor to finally meet you, All Might.”

“I should be the one saying that, Kamen Rider, your work has been incredible across the decades. It is actually infuriating how the government does not see you and your fellow Riders as heroes to this country, deemed outlaws for taking out Nazi scum and similar organizations.” A sense of pride washed over Hongo as those words reached him. Walking alongside the All Might was somewhat of a dream come true, but to actually hear praise from the man was something he never would have expected before his augmentation.

“Thank you sir, that truly means a lot to me. It is a shame that we are needed the way we are in the first place, but it is nice knowing that despite everything that has happened, we have people like us to depend on for aid.”

“I agree whole heartedly, Kamen Rider, when this is over we will have to pass stories to each other.”

As the group ahead of him continued to speak quietly amongst themselves, Yamato couldn’t help but feel unease with every step that they took. 

He had led countless evacuating missions across multiple worlds, but none were as disturbing as this one, being at his weakest state in order to truly lead the population away from the hellish deceased metropolis. His faith in the others would have to do for now, the rest of his squadron watching over the traveling civilians. They were experienced heroes, even if some were on the younger side, not even pros yet. But he had seen how the younger members of humanity inspired the hope to survive such ordeals. Even in the apocalypse, hope brewed within their hearts to see the light at the end of this hellish journey. 

He hoped that he wouldn’t have to transform into his original body, but with how the situation was, that was doubtful. At the very least, he was capable of defending himself should the Scourge arrive at their location. The Riser Gun was held firmly within his grasp, should the occasion rise that he would need to aid the others in defending the party, he was well armed to do so.

Just as thoughts clouded the minds of their teachers, between the moments of peaceful conversation between the various party members, a lingering question hung over the students’ heads as they marched forward with their seniors. Should they abandon their post and look for the rest of their families, or would they stay and escort strangers towards a point of safety?

While Izuku had his mother among the small crowd of children and superheroes, everyone else had people waiting for them at home. Scared and alone, waiting for their children to return to them to make sure that they were safe.

A sense of shame lingered in their minds at the thought of leaving mere children alone to defend for themselves, a selfish wish to save those they loved the most from the undead horde approaching with every step. Their minds screamed for them to do so, to leave as fast as they could and kill as many of the infected as possible, but no matter what, their bodies wouldn’t turn away from the mission.

If their families were devoured, they would have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives… but the shame of leaving small children to their deaths would be a much heavier burden upon their souls.

“It’s understandable the thoughts that venture through your minds,” Mirrorman spoke, earning the attention of the students of UA as they marched forward. They did not halt for even a moment as they listened. “You don’t even have to say a thing, but it’s written within your movements, your body language is screaming to abandon the fight and look for your loved ones. And yet you cannot.”

“I would shut your mouth before you say something you’ll regret, geezer,” Bakugo stated with hate in his voice, still marching forward. “What the hell do you know about us?”

“That you are children scared of what is to come next, just as they are.”

That was it.

The explosive hero turned quickly, energy for just a quick flash built up within his palm as Uravity stepped in the way. Standing her ground as she stared into his eyes, she did not flinch as the tension skyrocketed. 

The silver hero continued. “Being a child is not a crime, Dynamight. It’s completely normal for you to feel like this… I know I’m scared for those in my life right now. That I’m not there when they need me, screaming for my name that falls on hungry ears.”

The energy ceased building, the rain continuing to pour onto the group as they moved forward, the only ones lagging behind being a few of the escorting heroes. Godman turned towards the conversation, listening to the words that the fellow hero of the Showa Era spoke. The words reminded him of his ally Greenman, hoping that during this hell that they were being consumed in, he was holding his own in the fight. “But all we can do is march forward, and have hope that they will have made it through the tunnel just as we will, just as these children will as we guide them through this. If the roles were switched around, if you were these young souls being guided by heroes… what would you be thinking right now?”

A hand fell onto Bakugo’s shoulder, making him turn around to see Godman standing behind him. “He’s right. We have to focus on the task at hand, or else none of us will be able to reunite with those in our lives. The worst possible outcome would be that you all lose what makes you so special,” the experienced hero of the Showa period then pointed towards the young man’s heart with his other hand, his gaze not leaving Bakugo’s own for even a second. “Your humanity.” 

The student of UA simply brushed Godman’s hand away before marching forward, quickly catching up with the others. While his anger had certainly risen during the conversation, it also gave him a sense of urgency. The faster that they escorted the civilians away from the warzone, the sooner that he could rush to his parents and take them out of the city. 

Ochako took in a deep breath as she too began marching forward. While she wasn’t too worried that Bakugo would actively cause the infected to be lured towards their area, adrenaline was still through the roof. They were all on high alert and with Mirrorman’s words echoing within their minds, it was ringing truer with each step.

They needed to help these people and then get their parents the fuck out of here.

Izuku looked forward, staring at Uravity as they continued along the path. He and Mirrorman were given the task of making sure the back was covered during the operation, while others were certainly close to them, they were the first line of defense from the rear. Something else clicked within his mind as he hung onto his senior’s words, and it was something that the latter quickly noticed.

“Once this is over, you should talk to her.”

Izuku for a second froze up a bit, his shy side quickly taking over at the statement. He just tried to focus on the mission and pretend that nothing was bothering him. “I-I don’t know what you mean by that,” he stated with a slight stutter on every word, not taking his eyes off of her even as he tried to hide his feelings.

“Even the undead could see it kid,” Mirrorman stated with a slight chuckle, patting him on the shoulder as they continued forward. Every moment counted and even with the conversation at a minimum, they couldn’t lag behind the others. “You might not have another chance, so just do it the first thing you can, okay?”

The hybrid hero ceased the subject of conversation with that statement, opting to focus on the task at hand. While Izuku was trying to think of something to say, he had a horrific realization that didn’t quite make sense with the chaos that they were all in right now.

There was an eerie silence that hung over the entire area. Through the ruins of death and brimstone, the explosions were so far away that they were hard to even consider part of the same conflict. While there was a sense of luck that they weren’t being hunted at this moment, it still was giving him dread. His head was screaming that this wasn’t right, that something was lurking in the darkness to reach out and eat them.

And to his horror, he was the only one who noticed what was about to happen. 

Ms. Tatsuma was in her human form at the moment to not lure the enemy nearby. Besides Bakugo’s slight outburst, talking was at a minimum given the situation. And yet, they laid still in the destroyed cars which surrounded them, as if they had prepared an ambush knowing they would travel this way. 

Their eyes glowed with white irises’ staring with hunger. An eerie smile made its way onto a member of the horde before they leapt out of the window ever so silently, the glass not even shattering as it slipped through. Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized the infected’s target was not one of the fleeing civilians, but instead one of the supporting heroes.

He attempted to reach out to Mirrorman, but it was too late. The infected sunk its fangs into the hybrid’s skull with swift action. Its eyes looked in opposite directions as fluid poured from the wound, drenching the deceased hero in blood and killing him in an instant. The body fell onto the ground with a loud thud, the corpse twitching as the undead ZQN paid no attention to the rest of the fleeing civilians, even as they screamed seeing the horror of Mirrorman’s murder.

With a single action, the undead had gained an advantage over the evacuation team, killing one of their stronger members without even making a sound. This gave the signal to the rest of the undead hiding within the destroyed transportation that surrounded them. The screams of those attempting to flee filled their ears like a dinner bell.

“EVERYONE RUN!” Izuku screamed with fury and fear, the student of UA swinging and avenging Mirrorman before turning his attention to the overwhelming horde that began to engulf his sight. “DON’T WORRY ABOUT US! JUST GO! TAKE THE CHILDREN AND RUN!”

Everyone was immediately surrounded as hell was let loose, screams of the damned rung in their ears as Quirks and weaponry opened fire upon the enemy. All Might’s grip upon both his firearm and Inko’s hand grew stronger as he turned towards an infected, opening fire and landing a direct hit towards the sky. “Follow us children!” He yelled with genuine fear, his eyes painting a picture of pure horror within the minds of the young as they saw the symbol of peace afraid. A smile was no longer present during this crisis, the gates of Hell had opened to swallow them whole and the superheroes were the last defense.

An explosion rang in their ears as even some heroes were pushed back a bit by the sheer force of Bakugo’s blasts, a large portion of the horde being instantly disintegrated. While a sense of pride rushed through him for a moment, it was quickly ruined by the sheer size of the undead wave. Once he stepped onto a flipped over car, he saw just how many of them were hiding in the ruins that they were traveling through.

Uravity quickly ran alongside the environment, placing her hands against the burning metal, singeing her fingertips slightly. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she activated her Quirk. Cars began to float into the air, some even still having the undead present within their frames. Froppy wrapped her tongue around a rusty pipe, and while the taste was disgusting, it was a necessary action to commit as she forced the object into the skull of an infected. Swiftly, she leapt away from the danger that approached from the rear, landing on a car and slipping as she attempted to retreat.

One of the horde attempted to reach for Kamen Rider, only for Ida to rush by and slam his leg at full force into the undead’s skull. In an instant, the entire head was reduced to pulp, earning a nod of appreciation from the vigilante as they continued to carve their way through the horde. 

“Fuck this!” Ryuko yelled as her body quickly shifted into a more appropriate form for combatant, scales covering her as her entire frame morphed into a beast of myth. Each digit turned into talons which punctured the concrete beneath their feet, her head taking on the shape of an avian as her maw filled with razor sharp fangs. Gigantic wings erupted from her back, a long tail slamming into the undead behind her with ease. She turned and sent more of the approaching horde flying, the moving corpses slamming into the environment below and being reduced to nothing but blood and chunks of meat. 

***

Far away, an entity watched as the battle began, a sinister smile forming as the infected continued to hunt down a larger target. Sniffing the air as she tracked them, she’d finally found where the man had attempted to hide. She was close enough towards her end goal that she could grab a little snack.

Listening closely to the evacuation orders on the comms shortly after they had gone missing in action, she had known that they would come through this area. The group had always been in her sight as she chased down a fleeing individual. Watching the chaos below with milky, hunger-filled eyes, she noticed an extremely familiar frame amongst the heroes that were defending the civilians. He made her speak with both sorrow and hate, what remained of a heart breaking at what had to be done in order to win the battle and take the city. Along with a more baseline anger that she couldn’t eat the flesh of her former comrade.

“S-S-Shin-ji…”

A few more would have to die before she made her move, arriving with a leap of faith off of this building just as she had so many times in the past. At least she could enjoy a meal as she watched the show, slightly growing in size to swiftly kill her prey without the survivors spotting her before her proper reveal. The strength to crush the disgusting salvation from her gigantification would be needed here, a slight chuckle exiting her blood-filled mouth. This alerted the poor soul hidden in the dumpster that his doom was only seconds away.

She couldn’t quite hear what the man was saying as she lifted the object into the air above her head, but it sounded like a prayer. Empty words that would not be answered, cries to whatever he sought to save him falling on deaf ears. Pressure quickly turned the object into a crushed can of trash and gore, trash bags popping as metal punctured their exterior, spilling onto the ground with a mix of blood. Her golden hair was stained with all sorts of putrid colors, as was her white and purple jumpsuit.

She lifted the dumpster above her maw and began to drink the mix of sewage and ichor, a vile display of hunger occurring as she enjoyed the rotted smoothie. Eventually she no longer tasted liquid iron, only the raw trash that civilians of this apartment complex had thrown out. Tossing the broken dumpster away, it skipped like a rock on water for a moment before coming to a halt to find the mass display of gore across the concrete.  

Her maw drooled with saliva and blood onto the corpse as she approached, watching her plan unfold while enjoying a small meal. The steam from the intestines still gave a great sense of cooked meat, even as it was raw. 

She dug in, ripping into meat with sharp fangs with delight while watching the fight continue. After she finished devouring the man, she would climb up this building and drop onto them like an anchor. 

***

The Scourge continued piling in, reaching forward intending to grab whoever they could. Centipeder extended his arms forward, intending to restrain the charging crowd so the others could vanquish them. The infected, on the other hand, saw this as a free invitation to feast. They grabbed the elongated centipede man, tearing into his flesh as he screamed out, attempting to fight them off. It didn’t last long as his limbs were being torn apart while his skin was bitten into. 

His cries sent shivers down everyone’s bodies as he begged for mercy when Bakugo looked him straight in the eye. The centipede’s eyes were filled with sadness and pain as the hero in training nodded his head. Death awaited him and Kacchan would grant it to him without him ever knowing the infection.

Bakugo fired away, completely vaporizing Centipeder and his assailants. The student of 1-A couldn’t afford to scoff as he turned around and fired on another group of infected, freeing up space in the already crowded building. He then started backing away, keeping his distance from the growing Scourge. 

“Froppy, look out!” Bubble Girl hollered out, spraying out bubbles, temporarily stunning the members of the Scourge. The zombies waved their arms around, stinging their eyes as bubbles blinded them. 

“Thank you, Miss Awata,” Tsu called out, hopping out of the way from the infected’s reach. The frog-like student hopped her way back to the rest of her friends while Bubble Girl moved back slowly, continuously spraying her bubbles. 

It didn’t last. 

The undead assailants’ eyes grew used to the stinging sensation and grabbed a hold of her.  The light blue hero screamed at the top of her lungs when one infected tore a huge chunk of flesh from her right arm. The resulting bite even tore through the bone, forcing her hand to plummet to the ground. The three infected dug their nails in her stomach, ripping out her entrails and devouring them like noodles.

Her screams filled the entire area, begging for someone to help her in any way, however, one ghoul was seemingly annoyed by her cries. The infected lunged forward and tore into her throat with her bare teeth. Pieces of Awata’s neck made their way down the infected body’s as her face was drenched with blood from the newly deceased hero. 

Bubble Girl’s head slumped backwards, her eyes becoming milky white. The infected relinquished their hold on her, changing their attention towards the remaining survivors. All while the newly infected hero stared at them from her backwards hanging head. Her breaths were raspy as bubbles slowly popped out of her mouth, slowly moving backwards to them, never bothering to turn her body around.

Flames surrounded the Rosettitan’s hair as he charged forward, burning infected as the extraterrestrial charged through the horde. The Megalon Blades made their way through the skulls of various undead as they attempted to reach out, the flames protecting him from an assault from the rear as he continued to just swipe through the horde. Any blood that splashed onto Megaloman as he tore through the enemy forces was burned to a crisp from the heat radiating from the alien’s body. 

“Megalon Fire!” The superhero shouted as the flames were sent out to the surrounding horde, screams of agony rolling across the vast battlefield as flames consumed their bodies. Some even still pressed onward, which prompted the others to step in.

“Rider Punch!” Ichigo roared as he swung, a shockwave thundering as he slammed his fist into an infected’s skull. The burning corpse slumped over as the original Rider continued to aid the assault, swiping through burning infected with no resistance from the moving corpses. A few bullets ripped through the skulls of approaching undead as All Might continued to try to keep track of the students and Ms. Midoriya, fear being written across his face with each bullet that exited when he heard a click.

A child’s scream alerted him towards the back, an undead charging directly at the small group of children. He quickly equipped the gear that Meliessa had gifted him, the enhancement wrapping around his wrist before he swung, blowing away the corpse into nothing but a puddle. She had worked on similar equipment before, granting Izuku the same technology when her island home had been raided by terrorists, and thankfully she had done the same for her uncle in case things had gone south on the mainland. “Are you all right?” All Might called out, pulling the children closer as they continued to run.

The boy shook his head with a sniffle, showing that he was okay even if he was frightened beyond belief. “Continue onward, All Might,” Megaloman cried out as he and Kamen Rider Ichigo carved through the horde, his hair no longer illuminating in flames. “Take the children and leave! It isn’t much further to the evacuation cen-”

A horrific scream exited his mouth as hair was grasped and quickly torn away, blood erupting from the extraterrestrial’s skull as his scalp was completely revealed by a duo of hungry Scourge. Kamen Rider turned in horror to see his ally be slain in such a manner, the children screaming once again as the death of another hero hit their eyes. That sound cut through the Rider’s mind as they began to dig into the alien.

BOOM!

The remaining heroes all turned in unison to see another hero pinned, the draconic form of Ryuko struggling to free herself from her former friend. Her eyes widened to see the goliath holding her down with only one arm. The undead’s gaze turned towards the group of survivors with a mouth-watering appetite before unleashing a hellish cry towards a single person within their group.

“SHINJI!” she screamed out to Kamui Woods, who was frozen by the sight of his fallen friend. Tears swelled up as he continued to stare at her form, wounds across her body showing that when they had gotten separated, she was quickly overtaken by the undead. He had failed her as a friend, as a partner, as a team member, and as her other half outside of their careers. As well, he had allowed for the armies of ghouls to earn a powerful general amongst their ranks.

“Oh Yu,” Ryuko stated with pure fear, looking upward to the hideous fiend that had stolen her friend’s body, attempting with all of her might to escape the grasp of the fallen Lurker with no success. Mount Lady looked back down at the dragon, opening her maw as she went to feast upon fresh meat, when she was stopped by a series of explosives hitting her back. The undead stumbled forwards as Bakugo unleashed a series of projectiles directly at her, burning away pieces of the ruined costume and flesh alike.

She simply swiped backwards, knocking the student away and sending him flying into the ruins, far away from the initial conflict. “Kacchan!” Izuku screamed as he charged at the former Pro Hero, energy surrounding his fist as he aimed for the demon’s cheek.

“DETROIT SMAS-” At the last moment, the infected Mount Lady had thrown Ryuko in front of the blow, ceasing the attempt at striking her down while also swatting Izuku back down to the ground. He slammed into the earth, carving through hot concrete before halting his momentum as infected once again attempted to reach out for him.

“No no no no!” The chosen hero shouted as he quickly gained distance, shooting out waves of air as he flicked towards the infected. Blowing them apart with no resistance, it gained him some more precious minutes to live, at the very least to help the others properly escape. Stress levels were skyrocketing, the situation turning from bad to the worst case scenario.

His friends would die, these children would die, his own mother and mentor would be lost as the infected sank their fangs into fresh meat. His heart rate elevated as adrenaline pumped through his veins, his eyes darting to the various heroes that remained, only to catch sight of the giant feasting upon Ryuko’s body. Even as Kamen Rider struck so hard that it would send a car flying, while Kamui Woods attempted to hold her back with vines deep into the earth itself, and Godman continued to rapidly fire energy at the infected giant… Mount Lady continued to take chunks out of the dragon.

His heart skipped a beat as all that pressure built up into a tidal wave of emotion. Suddenly, black vines shot out of his hands as the chaos continued to get worse, his new power lashing out at anything it could carve through. Izuku let loose a scream as pain rushed through his arm, holding it tight with his free hand as he attempted to hold back the power breaking through. “Izuku!” Ochako stated as she instantly charged towards his floating body, needing to reach out to him during what could be the turning point of the battle. While everyone was suffering, and it horrified her that all of her friends were in mortal danger, seeing the young man in such anguish caused an alarm to go off within her head that she needed to silence.

Within the center of the battlefield, the teacher could only stare as the corpses of the various children they couldn’t save were laying across the ground. The horde not hesitating for even a moment to feast upon the forms of children caused something to snap. Energy burst through each of their heads as Takashi took aim, quickly dispatching of the wicked before reaching into his pocket and pointing the item towards the sky. The substitute teacher stared at Mount Lady’s form with a spiral of vengeance, it was now or never.

“80!”

Light surrounded the man’s entire body, shining like a miniature star within the battlefield. The infected giantess turned her attention away from devouring her former friend to bear witness to the legendary defender of mankind. He was the newest of the Land of Light to emerge upon Earth, having only been active for the last couple of weeks and finding whatever teaching jobs he could when not helping defend humanity. The light ceased and a giant stood before them, red and silver covering his form with a blue light illuminating the center of his chest. Golden eyes stared forward directly at the colossi that was rampaging. 

“Retreat! The operation is lost!” Ultraman 80 stated as he charged the infected Pro Hero, slamming a powerful strike across the demon’s cheek and sending the ZQN infected metahuman flying into a skyscraper. “You must all survive, I will hold the line.”

“We cannot abandon you,” screamed Kamen Rider as he slammed his fist through the torso of another zombie before ripping them in half, a display of gore splashing across his body and the ground before the vigilante. “I will not allow this world to lose an Ultraman!”

He charged forward, acting quickly to aid the newly arrived giant of light as Mount Lady recovered from the blow. Leaping into the air before descending at a violent speed, he stretched out his leg as he aimed for the head. “RIDER KICK!” The infected lashed out, matching his blow with a palm strike. “Wh-WHAT!?” Ichigo cried out as she flung him backwards, the cyborg crashing against the ground before skipping like a rock to water from the blow. Blood erupted from his mask as he quickly returned to his feet, staring at the recovering infected Lurker.

Had the virus increased her strength? He had aimed to strike with enough power to rip through a tank, and yet he was swatted away like a fly. Even at her peak, that shouldn’t have been possible. Whatever the case was, they were in for the brawl of their lives.

Nearby the ensuing battle against Mount Lady, two teenagers hung in the air. Pitch black energy whips, surrounded by an emerald green tint, sliced through entire bodies with ease. Fire and concrete shot up into the sky with each tendril carving through the land. “Izuku! You have to calm down just a little! Our friends are down there!”

“I can’t! Whatever I do, I can’t stop it! It’s like a valve was holding back all the pressure built up in a dam, only for the thing to shatter completely!” She held on tight, her head placing itself next to his ear as she lifted them away from the conflict for a moment.

“I’m so scared, Izuku,” she stated with tears shedding onto her helmet, looking at the ensuing battle before them. Their friends were fighting for their lives against a force which never ceased to keep overwhelming them, an onslaught of the Undead with their only purpose being to devour the living. “We can’t lose anyone else! Please, you have to stop it! Your mom is down there!”

His heart ached hearing her weep.

Gritting his teeth while closing his eyes to concentrate, the flow of power began to calm down, even as the stress was throwing them around like a pinball machine. He stared down, looking to see his mom and All Might against a wall, the tired hero swinging against the oncoming horde the best that he could while Inko could only look at the hero.

“Mom!” Izuku screamed out as he and Ochako descended like a rocket, slamming into the earth as the new Quirk continued to slice through the surrounding undead before coming to a complete halt. He turned to see his friend wounded, a few bruises and cuts form from just being near him. “Oh my god… I hurt you, are you okay?”

“We’ll worry about this later Deku, we have to do something.” They both nodded in agreement before running straight towards the alone pair, hoping that the rest of their friends were doing fine enough to survive the onslaught.

The warrior of the Fire God delivered a kick in the infected’s body, exploding it to pieces. Godman turned around, firing acid from his hand at another charging zombie, dissolving the dead flesh off her head, leaving nothing but a skull in its place. The red and white hero punched the skeletal head, shattering it into pieces before repeating the process with several more infected. 

The acid immediately dissolved that group of the Scourge, melting them to pieces. Things were going sideways for the entire group right away and their options were becoming limited. Sparks erupted from the knuckles of his right hand, striking the oncoming horde, keeping them at bay.

CRASH!

The roof was torn open, revealing the monstrous Mt. Lady, licking her lips at bite sized pieces of flesh to consume. She had gone to grab a projectile to throw at the Ultraman, but had surprisingly found herself a snack, unable to hold herself back as her free hand reached out. Godman fired his acid ray at the gigantic zombie, melting away her ruined left purple glove. The attack did little to deter the goliath, snatching the alien hero up as he tore into her hand. 

Godman felt himself being moved from the building and towards her maw extremely fast. He didn’t want it to be true, but knew the end was near for him. The emissary of the Fire God could at least hinder the gigantic zombie for his remaining allies. He folded his arms together and fired an orange supersonic wave at Mt. Lady, vaporising the flesh on her forearm, reducing it to bone. 

She howled in agony, placing the hero on her ruined lips. Godman breathed out, and staring into her maw, let out a cry of defiance. He slammed his hands together, firing another round, devastating her left jowl. Flesh erupted out of her cheek, splattering a nearby building with dead meat. 

The gigantic zombie slammed her teeth down, ripping Godman in half. His upper half was swallowed by Mt. Lady before she used her right hand to shove the bottom half in her mouth. Her teeth shredded what remained of Godman, rendering him into pieces of grounded up flesh in her stomach. 

It was becoming clear to him. Sir Nighteye saw it, throwing his Hyper-Density Seals at the charging infected. The little black stamp-shaped weapons held a good number of the infected back, trapping them on the walls. He glanced over to see Izuku protecting not only his mother and classmate, but his weakened mentor, All Might. 

The future he saw in both of them wasn’t going to end well, and his foresight was never wrong. He didn’t want it to come true as he finally got what All Might saw in the young boy. Izuku was not only a reflection of Toshinori, but one step beyond.

The face of a hero.

The one to save this world.

Deku was amazing in so many ways, but that strength could only get him so far. The Pro Hero witnessed zombies closing in on the three, almost completely at their mercy. He knew Izuku could escape just fine, but the other two were civilians with no real means of defending themselves. 

Nighteye huffed out, knowing he already lost two of his most trusted allies. He couldn’t let his friend die, nor be responsible for a civilian losing her life, especially the mother of the next hero. Sasaki wouldn’t be able to see it, but he could at least make sure they saw it through. 

He threw the last of his seals at a couple of charging infected and lunged forward, tackling the infected away from the three. Toshinori and Izuku’s eyes widened as Nighteye started laying into one of the zombies, bludgeoning it until his shoulder was bitten into by another one. 

“Mirai…” Toshinori wept out, letting his hands drop at seeing his former friend being consumed. 

Izuku screamed out, striking several more undead as he saw an opening to lead the remainder of his group away from the Scourge.

Chapter 4: The Osaka Onslaught 

Osaka Castle

BOOM! 

A series of explosions coated the outskirts of the area, the warzone only echoing with detonations into the city with each passing second. While the bridge to the castle had been well guarded by the combination of military forces and their two superweapons on the scene, they still proceeded to fire into the direct line of the infected. 

Civilians ran for their lives as soldiers guided them across the bridge, besides the castle being a mechanical goliath which resembled the king of the monsters. Created to defend mankind against Kaiju threats, the mechanical doppelganger had been called onto the battlefield the moment the situation was deemed an epidemic. Twin gigantic limbs allowed the G-Force’s trump card to march forward, four digits at the end of the massive feet. Four-fingered hands were kept upfront, prepared to strike down any sudden Infected Metahumans or a building on top of the horde within a moment’s notice. A stumpy tail stood firm behind them, short dorsal spines that ran down the back to the tail’s endpoint were partially covered by the repurposed Garuda warship.

Its twin cannons pointed forward as they laid resting upon the mecha’s shoulders, ready to obliterate the space in front of them if necessary. Golden glowing eyes looked ahead, allowing the pilots within to see the situation at hand. A single horn covered the top of the copy’s “skull”, metal fangs along with the rest of the silver coated body shone within the reflection of the flames.

Super Mechagodzilla of G-Force had been covering the evacuation of Osaka with almost no resistance. While the horde had at first been troublesome to properly clear for the population to escape, it was soon dispatched of within a moment’s notice. The pilots inside watched carefully for any possible hostile movement from beyond the retreating civilians, their armed transportation keeping a close eye near them as they marched forward past the bridge. One could never be too careful within the depths of Hell.

He sat in position, waiting for another horde to emerge from the ruins that surrounded them. The highest ranking officer within the Mecha held strong as the flames continued to climb into the sky. The operation, for all intents and purposes, had been going smoothly. They had run into little issue compared to other evacuations running into waves of the average and meta infected. While he wouldn’t ever ignore the possibility of horrific failure within the operation, it was highly unlikely for them to fail with the weapons on the site along with the mass number of soldiers. 

There were three others wearing the uniform that he wore within the Mecha, the super weapon’s pilots being carefully picked for the operation.

The first was the creator of the Garuda, the scientist having the proper knowledge of both war machines to be a correct choice. While he had certainly never been on a battlefield, he had been training for a situation like this for a while now. While it did not take a lot of time to actually dispose of the horde that was located here, he still arrived to see death in the form of an epidemic of cannibalism. Hundreds of people, possibly even thousands, were slaughtered either through their own loved ones sinking fangs into flesh or the chaos of Super Mechagodzilla’s arsenal to block off paths around the evacuation center. 

Kazuma Aoki, a lead scientist within the JSDF, couldn’t help but feel that he was underprepared for the worst possible scenario. While their odds of survival were staggeringly high, he knew better than to leave a variable out of the equation. 

The second was an older man, around the age of their captain. He had been the assigned gunner to the Mecha after years of successful missions piloting both Gunheds and military Patlabors, becoming the perfect fit for the organization’s strongest weapon. If motion was detected, he was more than prepared to once again open fire upon the surrounding area as long as it wasn’t near the evacuating civilians. 

Atsushi Sonezaki had seen many warzones during his career, but none were as chaotic as this. It didn’t matter the amount of training they had or the weapons they unleashed, the part of him that felt fear saw the possible end of the world. The epidemic was a story left best for the world of fiction, within the confines of a horror movie night or video game to pass the time after a long shift, but here they were in the dead center of a spreading virus that raised the dead. Though he didn’t show it, he elicited a calm demeanor despite the feeling of dread washing over his mind. 

The third was artificial in nature, their body resembling that of a healthy young woman with bright blonde hair. Bright blue eyes observed the data before her, the android taking in the information as she planned their next course of action. While she would be mistaken for human, even down to the feeling of her hand meeting your own, in truth Catherine Berger was the first of many artificial humans working within the JSDF’s ranks.

The data was sound that at the end of the battle, her mission would be successful.

The three were under the command of Captain Takuya Sasaki, by far the most experienced of the group when it came to conflicts. A war hero who had commanded military forces against the threat of Kaiju and invading forces from the stars. 

High above them, simply floating in the air awaiting command to move from its pilots, was a flying vessel of war. Used against the third generation of Godzilla when he rampaged across the country’s metropolis known as Tokyo, the silver metal glistened a little in the sun’s rays as its smaller frame sat amongst the clouds. The Super-X, piloted by some of the best meta humans the JSDF could offer, was prepared for another wave of the Scourge.

The four members of the team wore coordinated armor, resembling a team of superheroes. Their commanding officer wore the armor that was covered in pitch black, while the rest was a metallic silver. An identical helmet to the rest of the team, besides having a silver visor, stared at the battlefield before them. While they had done their part in aiding the operation, a part of him wished that he could do more on the ground level should the infected break the lines, but they all had a role in the operation to play.

Colonel Pete Richards was prepared to lay down his life on this day if it meant they could manage to have more civilians evacuate. He was thankful that if they were to somehow go down and be forced to join the ground forces that he had his trusted anti Kaiju rifle to aid him.

Beside him was a man donned in red and silver armor, a black visor staring at the ground below awaiting this commanding officer’s orders. Beneath the helmet sat a pair of goggles on the man’s face, allowing him to see properly. 

David Easton closed his eyes as he attempted to reach out with his mind, perhaps his psychic abilities would allow the squad to be alerted to an approaching horde or whatever lurked within the dark corners of the ruins. Though, a part of him did fear what he was going to find if he did reach even a single mind amongst the horde, let alone the entire enemy force. 

Behind the pair of pilots sat the last two members of their squadron. The first, in silver and blue armor, held a shield as his rifle leaned against the super weapon’s wall. At the very least, they each had means to defend themselves if the ongoing chaos below brought them down from the heavens, a fight that he hoped would not come to pass. While the others had some extraordinary gift to aid them and their allies in the conflict, Michael Van Horn, like many of the other soldiers protecting the evacuating civilians, was mainly an ordinary man. Only he was given different tools to aid against the spread of the virus, at the very least he had the rest of his team to rely on and vice versa.

The last member’s armor was a bleach white, the special forces member being slightly annoyed at her armor as its only noticeable difference was to identify her gender… Something that, if they made it out of this, she would scold the higher ups for. Her rifle sat at her side, just as the others had theirs on stand by, though her abilities might make the weapon borderline useless as her barrier could do a lot more than just protecting. Her gift, or Quirk as the world mostly knew them as, would become their saving grace if somehow an infected metahuman managed to knock them out of the sky or attempted to force themselves into the vessel.

Margret O’Brien would assist her team in any way she could to ensure victory, even if it meant her own life would be put in jeopardy. 

“Captain,” Kazuma stated as he continued to watch the outskirts of the evacuation, spotting two gigantic frames slowly approaching the evacuation. “I believe that our reinforcements have arrived on the scene.”

The very ground beneath their feet shook as the sun’s rays only showed twin silhouettes of gigantic figures making their way towards them, the pair picking up a little speed as they finally made it towards the evacuation team. “We finally made it!” Yelled Yuuki, the young pilot of Thundatross, smiling knowing that he had safely transported the reinforcements for the ground level in his hand. There hadn’t been much resistance on their journey, the horde simply being crushed underneath the mecha or giant’s weights as they marched forward.

“Yes, but don’t forget Yuuki,” Gigaman stated as he continued to march forward, a look of sorrow on his face as he continued to watch some infected emerge from the ruins in an attempt to attack them. “Our top priority is to save as many lives as we can.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the young eager pilot groaned, his glasses glistening a little in the light as the shine of the other war machines’ hit his sight just right. “I just can’t believe I am fighting along the JSDF Mechagodzilla! It’s a dream come true!” 

Gigaman gave the young pilot a slight glare as they continued to march forward, worrying about the overall state of the operation while reflecting on his statement. It didn’t truly matter at the moment why he was saving all of these people in the grand scheme of things, all that mattered was that he was doing his job to save as many lives as he possibly could. But it still didn’t sit right with the veteran hero of Japan. He had always been happy to be of service to the people of his homeland, and yet he stood side to side with someone filled with ego at such a young age. Hopefully after a firsthand encounter with the legion of the dead, it would shake him enough to take this job seriously.

The group of metahumans which sat within Thundatross’ palm all stood up in unison to look down upon the operation at hand. Most staring in fear, anticipation for the inevitable conflict, and concern for the well being for civilian and soldier alike. They had the numbers, the resources, and the sheer power to guarantee success… and yet that lingering sense of damnation still entered their minds.

There was an eerie silence amongst the group of fighters as the wind continued to brush past them, those with cloaks having the material flow in the passing air. Their weapons were primed, held within the respective users’ hands as they looked towards the earth below. Fists were clenched as determination rose within their numbers, to see this until the very end, to save as many lives as they could, to give their life if necessary for the greater good.

All but two.

While the others hadn’t noticed, Shikishima gazed off towards the side of the ruins. Attempting to spot an incredibly important asset towards the plan at hand, a wicked smile hid underneath the calm mask that laid upon his face when he managed to spot strange movement. A shimmer in his eye, small and almost completely invisible to the naked eye. Luck seemed to be on his side as the massive form brushed past the side of the evacuation center.

It had seemed that the pieces were in play to rid this world of its foolish heroics and adopt a new world order, at least the first major play by those above him. He turned his attention back towards the group, noticing for a moment the attention of the most beautiful sight in hell. Her eyes golden with rings, her bright blood-red hair flowing a bit as her ponytail struggled to hang on from the passing winds. Her gaze was intoxicating. In all of his life, he had never looked into an abyss so… stunning.

Perhaps in the hell, which their new world would be born, he would have the opportunity to explore more than just her breathtaking gaze. After all, why shouldn’t he seek a queen within his utopia?

She gave a smile hiding malice, before winking and returning to the sight below of the undead. Just as Shikishima had spotted the approaching invisible calamity, she had seen a future filled with death and rebirth in their image.

“All hail the Red Bamboo.” They thought in unison, not speaking a word as they shared a moment of impending doom to the hope of the world with pure hatred adorned with a wicked smile.

“This day we march into the depths of hell itself to save our country,” Kamen Rider V3 spoke as he stepped forward, looking up at his squad with glowing green eyes of determination. “No matter the cost, we must succeed in saving as many lives as possible. If we are to fail, if we are to be devoured by the horde, then allow our deaths to not be in vain. If necessary, we must put our fellow comrades down to save them from damnation of the highest order. If necessary, we will die for the greater good, no matter the cost we MUST prevail.”

For a moment, the creation of Ichigo and Nigo turned his gaze unknowingly to his feet, his confidence lowering as the worst possible outcome rushed through his mind. But just as that horrific thought had rushed through his mind, a sense of hope washed over it as it always had. “Today we will exterminate, no, put down as many infected as we can. To save them with a final act of kindness, avenging their deaths and putting them to rest. No matter the cost.”

They all nodded in unison before leaping towards the group below. ODM Gear launched cables forward to carry Shikishima to safety, landing upon the rooftop with ease. With the ferocity of an animal, Miriko and Aiden leapt from the Mecha’s palm into the ground below with a thunderous boom as rubble flew in all directions. “I’ve got a rush!” The third strongest hero stated as she gave a sinister smile filled with excitement for the oncoming conflict. While she was a hero through and through, she couldn’t deny the rush that combat gave her in a dire situation. Aiden chuckled a little as the youngest member of the Ace Hunters reached for the Heavy Bowgun strapped onto his back, holding the heavy weapon with ease as he began to march forward. 

The two were quickly followed by the best Devil Hunters of Japan, landing with elegance as they carefully landed amongst the rubble. Kishibe quickly reached into his pocket, carefully wrapping his hand around a cigarette and lighter before putting the nicotine into his mouth and lighting it. He took a soft, quick drag of it before puffing out a bit of smoke.

“Another day at the office, aye Makima?”

The head of the organization stood tall with her arms behind her back, swaying her head side to side for a moment as she tapped her foot onto the rubble below. “A busy day at that,” she stated with a soft voice followed by a smile, one that Kishibe didn’t see but still felt from behind her skull. He had always felt something deep within her was wrong… Perhaps the others would see it during this operation.

Hawks for a moment took to the air, hovering above the few left upon Thundatross’ palm and reached out with a hand to Takeo. The soldiers of Japan quickly took the pro hero’s offer, the two taking a moment as they looked upon Kamen Rider V3’s form. The second strongest hero of Japan gave a confident smile before stating, “I still don’t understand how the government doesn’t deem you as heroes, you truly are an inspiration, Rider.”

Takeo gave a salute as they flew towards the street below, joining the others on the ground for the fight of their lives. A sign of respect to the Rider as he felt honored to join them in the battle against the Scourge’s forces.

The last two standing upon the metallic hand gave each other a nod before leaping towards the earth below, their combined weight causing a resounding thud. Sazer Mithras of the Fire Tribe of Gransazers and the third Kamen Rider had made their presence clear with a booming declaration of war. They would lead the group to salvation or die amongst their soldiers in a battle of glory. 

Mika reached to her sides, wrapping her hands around twin metallic fans to remove limbs from the walking carcasses screaming for flesh. The Rider squeezed his fists as he stood ready for war, his eyes glowing brightly as he waited.

“I’m glad you all finally made it,” Captain Takuya stated on the intercom, earning everyone’s attention through their earpieces. “We haven’t had much trouble, but be wary as we push the civilians closer to safety. We can’t have any surprises looming in the dark.”

“Roger that,” Gigaman replied as he stood over the fleeing crowd, they walked in a single file line filled with hope from the protection around them. A few even gave a wave towards the giant, earning a smile from him in these dire times as he waved back. “We’ll hold the line, no matter the cost.” 

***

“This way!” Reiner breathed, smashing the head of an infected against the wall, splattering it to pieces. He threw the body down, ushering for the people to keep moving and to not let up. “Come on!”

The blonde bulky man yanked the door open, revealing a battlefield to the scared group of survivors. Reiner’s eyes widened at the sight of how much worse the crisis was becoming, watching as several Pro Heroes were dropping from the zombies. He scanned the area, snapping his head left and right, attempting to find the best route for his friends and family to make it to an escape zone.

“Reiner,” Bertholdt, the tallest member of the group, spoke out as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. “We need to move!”

“I know!” he shot back, gripping the frame of the door, desperately trying to find the safest route for him. He gritted his teeth until he heard a scream erupting behind him. 

Reiner turned around to see his little cousin, Gabi, screaming in pure terror. Her tiny body shook while her mouth quivered at the sight of an infected charging towards her. His blood boiled in his body, his cousin completely in the crosshairs of the lone infected sneaking up at them.  

“Son of a bitch!” Reiner roared out, pushing Gabi out of the way as he tackled the zombie. The lone infected launched her head forward, snapping her jaws at him. Reiner kept his body distant from the bite’s radius before sending his fist downwards on the infected’s forehead, slightly denting it. 

The infected was unfettered by the assault as it kept pushing against his aggressor. Reiner threw his fists down on the zombie, further creating a deeper and deeper crater in the ghoul’s head. The monster stalled for a second before attempting to lunge at him once more until Reiner saw a blade go right through the side of his head. 

The zombie let out a small gasp with its eyes rolling in the back of his skull. He ceased his moments dropping to the ground as Reiner collapsed on his rear, turning to his left to see his nearly emotionless friend, Annie, standing by him. 

“You were taking too long,” she muttered, offering him a hand as he gave her a small smile. 

“Thanks for that,” Reiner breathed out, taking the hand as he stared at her vibrant blue eyes and her golden hair. If he was sure he wouldn’t get his ass kicked by her, he’d call her an angel right then and there. Reiner grabbed a nearby towel and wiped his hands of the blood, throwing it off in the distance. 

So many had been lost as an older woman wrapped her arms around Reiner and sobbed. She sobbed on his shoulder as he lightly brushed his hand on her greying hair. “I’m so sorry you and Gabi are stuck in this mess.”

“It’s okay, mom,” Reiner softly said, keeping a hold of his mom as he felt a light tug from a soft hand. He glanced down to see Gabi and smiled, pulling her in as they stayed huddled for a moment. “The five of us will make it and it will be nothing more than a bad memory.”

“Fairly optimistic, don’t yah think? Annie questioned, folding her arms together, lifting up an eyebrow.

Reiner turned back to her and glared at her. He would have barked back, to save the pessimism around Gabi. She already lost her parents, she didn’t need to hear anymore alongside the possibility none of them would make it. If he could just get them all out of here, he could let his mind be at peace.

“Annie…” Bertholdt breathed, placing his hand on her shoulder. She slightly hissed at him, but kept her composure. Reiner knew if anyone could bring her down to earth, it’d be his best friend. How he was able to do it was beyond him and didn’t care. “It’s fine, we can get through this.”

Annie sighed, dropping the subject before mentally preparing herself to make another break for it. Reiner mosied over to the door and opened it once more to see the streets becoming more manageable. He felt relief at seeing several heroes charging and dispatching the undead that walked the street. 

Three in particular stood out to him. The first was a man walking calmly in a suit and a trenchcoat. His lips held a cigarette as he calmly threw several knives out, dispatching several of the infected. Reiner took note of his blonde hair, chuckling to himself. “Me in three decades, probably.”

The second was a masked man with an orange helmet and two glowing green eyes. Blood splattered against his orange and silver chest while he kicked a zombie’s head off. He jumped around, slicing another’s head in half with just a hand chop. Then, he rammed his fist into a zombie facing him and ripped her brain out. The masked hero threw brain on the asphalt and stomped on it. “If only I had armor like that to get my family out of this hell.”

Lastly, a woman dressed in red, white and golden armor. She moved like she was dancing across the battlefield, slicing several infected into pieces with twin identical fans. With every step she took, she moved gracefully. “If she was a dancer before this, I’d have loved to have seen her and tried my luck.”

She turned her head over to the peeking Reiner, immediately waving her hand over. “We have survivors in that building!” 

***

Shikishima stood on a building, letting himself be coated with the rain. He eyed Thundatross towering above him, the pilot keeping his eyes on the battlefield. The Scout Captain admired the unique design of the mech that transported him. More earnest and inspiring compared to the other mechs he had seen. 

“The sword especially,” Shikishima hummed, glancing up at the gigantic golden blade laying above its shoulder. He patted his body, watching the battlefield howl with groans of the undead, the screams of the living and cackle of bullets all being ushered out. He couldn’t but wonder how morbid this whole conflict would be up close, to stroll along the streets witnessing the devastation. 

He sighed, slamming his hands on pants. ”Sadly, duty calls.”

The sky flashed with lightning cascading across the grey clouds, slightly illuminating the landscape with a whitish light. Shikishima smirked, watching the bolt strike Mechagodzilla. It let out a dying-like noise, with every system in its body shutting down. The once mighty mech, some considering it to be the strongest weapon in the JSDF, was now nothing more than a statue. 

“Good riddance,” Shikishima chuckled before turning his attention back to the blue mech standing above him. He shot twin cables out of his ODM gear and onto the nearby mech, fulfilling his part of the deal with his hidden allies. Shikishima launched himself upwards, allowing him to land on the mech’s shoulders. “This one I’m gonna regret.”

He grabbed a hold of the handle and opened the hatch. The Scout Captain descended down the ladder, making his way towards the cockpit. The mech, despite its bulky size, was surprisingly cramped, making Shikishima wince as he felt like he was suffocating. 

Shikishima pushed through until he reached the door leading to his destination. He pulled out his twin blades before elbowing the button to the door. Blue and gold lights flickered all around the room while darkness covered everything else. Yuuki was far too entranced with holding the line, especially since a hidden ally gave him the invitation. 

“They all think it’s lightning, but in just a minute, those who remain will see the good friend we brought along the way,” Shikishima whispered under his breath, inching his way towards the pilot. He raised his two blades, pointing them towards the back of the seat. The traitorous Titan Shifter shook his head slightly, disgusted his target was a kid. Yuuki had heart and spirit, but others would not see it that way. He tried to pitch him to the others, believing he would be a great asset to their cause, but they were firm in their decision. 

“I’m sorry kid,” Shikishima solemnly said, looking away as he rammed the blades through the seat and into his stomach. The child’s movements ceased, his hands relinquishing their grip on the controls as his head slumped down while Shikishima yanked the blades out of the kid’s stomach. “If only they saw your potential.”

He stood in complete darkness, awaiting for the rest of the plan to commence.

Like Mechagodzilla, Thundatross slumped over, becoming the second of Osaka’s reclaimers to turn inanimate. 

“Colonel!” Margaret yelled out through her white helmet. “We just lost Thundatross as well!”

“Shit!” Pete Richard screamed out, slamming a button to the open up comms with the last giant still standing. “Gigaman! We just lost Super Mechagodzilla and Thundatross! We’re on our own!”

Gigaman felt his heart stop upon hearing the loss of Thundatross. “Yuuki….” 

The superhero turned to face the inactive mech, immediately fearing the worst for his longtime friend. He took a step forward to thoroughly check his friend when he heard a growl. His body seized up, moving only his head around to the source. 

The being materialized as it pounced on him, shredding his arm with its sharp teeth. Neronga screamed at the stunned Gigaman, slamming his horn against his face. The hero breathed out, attempting to fight back, slamming his hands on the electric kaiju. 

The crew of the Super-X sped forward to assist their last remaining comrade, firing several missiles at the creature. Neronga cried out as he was launched off the gigantic hero. The electric beast charged up his horn and fired at the Super-X, barely dodging the bolt. 

Off in the distance Shikishima climbed on the outside of the mech, watching his ally getting tagteamed by the weaker two of their enemies. He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the display unfolding before him. 

“And they say my choices of recruits are bad.”

Shikishima jumped off the towering mech and bit into his thumb, a bolt of lightning crashing down on him. His body coating itself with charcoal grey and purple colored armor as he himself became a towering figure.

The distraction caused both Gigaman and the crew of the flying fortress to witness the new arrival. Shikishim smirked from the inside of his golem, bashing his avatar’s hands together, tiny pieces of armor chipping off its hands. 

“Let’s have some fun.”

Chapter 5: History Repeats

Sazer Mithras swung her fans down, completely bisecting a nearby infected. The entirety of his organs poured out of his separate halves, blood flowing through the gutter. The Gransazer turned around and decapitated another. She turned over to the survivors her and squad had just rescued. They were far behind the others in the evacuation route, but no matter their perceived stupidity for leaving so late, it was her duty to keep them safe. 

“Keep moving!” she screamed, waving her fans around, keeping the infected at bay. 

“Sorry you’re seeing this, kid,” V3 spoke, shielding Gabi from an infected by shoving his entire elbow through the head of a zombie. He yanked out his arm and let the body collapse, smiling behind his helmet. “

“Cool…” Gabi murmured even though she was still terrified more than ever. However, seeing a man as joyful as the Rider was, he was willing to face the enemy head on. She admired that about the hero, something she wished she could be. Not only a warrior, but fearless as well. 

Maybe then, she’d be able to avenge her parents. 

Reiner pressed his hand against his little cousin’s back, pushing her along as the heroes kept themselves huddled around them. Their numbers for this operation were thinning, but the five that remained in this area were still going as strong as ever. 

BOOM!

Lasers shot over them, striking a building just above them. Its blue lasers cut through its hull like butter. Their eyes collectively widened as it began to crumble. Its upper half collapsed, tilting over as it was making landfall. 

“Run!” Kishibe screamed out, slitting a zombie’s throat before kicking its head off. He turned around to the crowd, startled by the building making its descent. His eyes burned with a fury, angered they were not listening to his orders. He needed to make himself clear. “RUN!”

The group finally listened to him, bolting away from the structure while Mithras, Takeo, and Aiden followed closely behind him. Kishibe lit another cigarette, striking another infected in the chest with his knife keeping her at bay. There was no way he would make it with the group in time, he was still on the other side, keeping the infected off their six. 

He’d be alone, potentially even considering this would be his death. Kishibe considered this a good one, if they could even get to them. The Devil Hunter chuckled, thinking they weren’t even trying as he killed them with ease.

Or so he thought.

SPLAT!

Kishibe turned around to see V3 still standing alongside him, slamming his foot onto another ghoul’s face, flattening it. The sound of the skull breaking apart would be an afterthought after hearing the building finally collapsing. 

“You’re not riding this one solo,” V3 joked, throwing his arms up at the infected still present in the area.

The older man smirked, feeling almost impressed by the young hero’s resilience. He respected him far more than Denji and Power. With another puff of his cigarette, he held up his knives once more, readying to continue his duty.

Those who were fortunate to make it to the other side, continued pushing forward. They only had a few more miles left to the evacuation center. Reiner gripped the hands of both Gabi and his mother, feeling himself matching up to the speed of the Gransazer. His heart raced not only out of fear, but from the warrioress before him. 

I’d love a woman who can kick my ass. 

He shook his head. 

No. Think, Reiner. Now is not the time.

Reiner snapped himself out of it as the Gransazer spoke, “Sazer Mithras at your service, by the way.”

“Reiner,” he breathed, humored by her giving him her persona as opposed to her real name. “Got an actual name?”

“If we escape this, I’ll tell you,” the hero spoke.

Reiner chuckled. “Deal.”

Through the shadows of the alleys the group ran past, a monstrous growl was heard. Its figure crawled around, watching the group run as fast as they could. He licked his torn lips while his sharp nails scratched against the cement. Flesh would be torn into and funneled down his gullet. 

With a monstrous shriek, he leapt out, revealing his blue sweat and dark brown pants in the streetlights. The leaping zombie lunged onto Aiden, instantly tearing through his skull and ripping out his brain matter. The man couldn’t even react as blood erupted from his mouth, violently thrashing about as the ghoul continued devouring the cranium. While the armor would have protected the Monster Hunter, it was a shame that he didn’t bother wearing a helmet forged from the Kaiju that he had slain. 

“Oh my god!” Bertholdt screamed out as Mithras bolted past the group. She let out a scream to unleash her fans, but the cries of the undead were stronger. The undead assailants rushed through the many alleys, stretching their arms forward to grab the living. 

As cold as it was, Mika backed away from her comrade being torn into, realizing there was nothing she could do for him now. Mika started swinging to keep the infected at bay, but it was all for naught as Takeo felt the cold grips of the undead, tearing into his body. 

He screamed out, attempting to reach for Mika, but felt the skin of his limbs being ripped apart. The ghouls tore into his chest, every bit filling their stomachs. The Gransazer breathed heavily, scared beyond almost any rational thought. Two of her remaining comrades ripped apart in seconds as she had only one thought left.

“Keep running!”

She slammed her fans into the arms of the infected closest to the group, preventing them from reaching out. Blood splattered all around, carefully avoiding their bodily fluids. Mithras ran alongside the group, keeping the infected at bay as much as she could. However, despite her enhancements, she was running out of breath. There was only so much one hero could do in a crisis. 

Her swings were getting slower and her field of vision was becoming blurry. She needed them to survive, she needed to do better. A second wind is what she expected, but it never came. Instead, another scream was heard. 

Bertholdt screamed out, the back of his neck getting torn into by an infected’s teeth. Reiner and Annie turned over with pure shock in their eyes. Their best friend slumped over dead as several more ghouls ripped into his stomach, desecrating it by ripping out every body part imaginable. 

Rage brewed inside them, wanting to rip apart the infected with their bare hands, but they were powerless. More and more members of the undead legion chased them down the entirety of the path they were on now.

“Just one more mile!” Mithras breathed, barely swinging her weapons at the infected. She felt her entire body could give out at any second, surmising stubbornness was the only thing keeping her going. The hero felt sick at already losing half of the group under her watch, it made her feel like a failure. 

If she could save those that remained, she can maybe see herself as a hero. Mithras just needed to push herself. 

“No! No! No!” Annie cried out, feeling her body being pulled into the darkness of one of the many alleys surrounding them. Her arms reached out for the group, begging for them to pull her back. “Don’t let them get me! Reiner, you promised to get us out of here!”

Reiner’s mouth quivered while his eyes grew wide. His other friend was gone, taken by a muscular shaped infected hiding out in the shadows. From the brief glance he got of it, its head appeared almost shrunken down while its arms looked as if they could rip a car in half. 

A large crunch was heard and Reiner didn’t even want to think how gruesome Annie’s fate was. 

His life was becoming a far cry from what it used to be. He may be able to keep his mind sane for now solely to save what remained of his family, but once it was done with, Reiner would be no more.

“Reiner…” Mithras breathed, sounding almost as if she were to collapse. 

“Save your breath, we’re almost there,” Reiner nearly snapped, grief looming over him as he kept his family closer and closer to him. 

“I’m done for….” the Gransazer weakly rasped out, slowing her movements. “But I can at least give the three of you a guarantee of survival.”

“Are you stupid!? No!” Reiner cried out, not taking his eyes off the nearby zone. They were so close and to leave anyone now would be an insult to those who already lost their lives. “The four of us can stick to it!”

“Guess you’ll never know my name, then,” Mithras murmured as Reiner briefly turned his head around to see her standing in place. 

“Mithras, don’t!” Reiner shrieked out. Despite only knowing her for a few minutes, he felt connected to her in a way he couldn’t describe. He found her attractive, but it felt like it went beyond that. Like, the two shared a bond he couldn’t quite place. 

He just couldn’t let anyone else die.

“Just pay it forward.”

Those were the last words spoken by the Gransazer before she plunged herself deeper into the undead assailants, giving it everything she got until she disappeared. 

“Fuck!” Reiner shouted, pushing himself to the limit, keeping Gabi and Karina out of danger. 

So many good people dropped like flies and he was spared in this reality thus far. He could have done so much more to save them, to ensure they’d live far away from all of this. Only now there was so little he had left. 

If he could make a deal with the devil to keep his family alive, he’d do it in a heartbeat. His soul would be devoured in the process, but his body would still be functional, doing whatever was commanded of him. 

A person was slipping away and only a body of flesh and bone would be in its presence. 

***

CRASH!

Gigaman rolled across the destroyed earth, the roar of the invisible tyrant following the assault as the veteran hero found himself on the back end of the conflict. He quickly leapt back to his feet, even managing to jump over the invader before wrapping his hands around the fiend’s tail. Neronga let out a cry of surprise as he attempted to keep his footing, claws digging into the concrete in an attempt to latch onto the environment, but it was no use. The superhero managed to throw the Kaiju across the ruined city, landing with a gigantic thud as his much larger enemy let loose a howl.

The superhero for a brief moment looked back towards the two stationary mechas, hoping that they would come back online at any moment. Only for his fear to leave him wide open as the Armored Titan forced the giant of light to act, only barely managing to dodge the attempt to slam his fist deep into Gigaman’s core. The traitor Titan Shifter was quick to act, swinging once again and this time landing true. His elbow struck the back of the superhero’s neck and forced him to his knees before the returning Neronga slammed his tail into the veteran’s stomach, sending him flying into a nearby building which collapsed from the impact.

Shikishima turned towards the Red Bamboo spawn, reaching out and placing his hand onto the creature’s skull as he pet the abomination. “The most loyal dog deserves to be shown appreciation, don’t you think so?” the man spoke within his safe haven, an earnest smile of pride forming upon his face before an assault from the sky broke the moment. The Super-X was unloading various missiles upon the duo, explosions covering their body and earning groans of pain from them.

While the attack was successful and managed to break apart some of Shikishima’s armor, it served as the perfect distraction within the moment. The Armored Titan’s vessel watched wide eyed as Gigaman returned to the fray, leaping through the thick dust with a powerful kick to his chest. The attack managed to push Shikishima backwards, his feet carving through the earth before coming to a halt. The superhero quickly then wrapped his arms around Neronga’s neck, attempting to suffocate the artificial behemoth with his sheer strength. The invisible invader let out roars of pain as he felt the pressure rising around his throat, entering a frenzy to free himself of Gigaman’s grasp by running into the nearby ruins. He thrashed violently, but the reforged meta-human held on tight.

The Armored Titan began to charge directly at the humanoid before him in order to aid his hunting dog, only to once again be interrupted by the Super-X passing by with a full artillery. Missiles detonated against his armored form and the earth around them, the explosions completely engulfing his body as howls of rage exited the demon’s maw. “Whatever you do, do not stop! We must buy time for Thundatross and Super Mechagodzilla to reactivate at any cost!” The commander ordered, his hands gripping around the controls so tightly that beneath the armor, his knuckles were whitening. Rage was erupting through his voice, the operation to protect the civilians was going to hell and the only logical explanation was treason.

Sabotage within their ranks to turn the tides of the operation in favor of the Undead, but why? Why the hell would anyone alive do such a horrific thing? Whatever the reason was, the giants before them needed to be slain. While lost in his train of thought, suddenly, debris struck the side of the flying war machine, earning their attention as the Armored Titan had escaped from the onslaught of military might. His armor was cracked across the entire body, the left arm completely vaporized and half of the demon’s face completely torn away. And yet, it still unleashed a hellish howl of might as Shikishima charged forward, leaping into the sky and slamming his limb directly into the superweapon. The pilots shook within the cockpit as they were thrown off balance for just a moment before managing to catch themselves, each of them looking to see the shield of the Red Bamboo circle them.

“Easton!” Pete roared out with authority. “Concentrate the laser upon the target’s form!” Without further adieu, the man listened to his superior without hesitation. A large blue laser was tracking across the earth in an attempt to strike the Armored Titan down, only for the trail of energy to miss by a few meters. Steam rose from the various wounds as his regeneration quickly went to work. It wouldn’t be much longer until he was at his full strength once more, but he needed to buy time to assault the war machine once again. 

His eyes slightly drifted towards the battle between his ally and Gigaman. The artificial invader finally managed to rid himself of the hero’s grasp, throwing him to the ground before electricity began to build up around his trio of horns. Gigaman could only brace himself for the surge of energy, putting his arms up to defend his core only moments away from the beam of pure elemental fury striking him. The superhero let loose a cry of agony as he was pushed back, completely losing his footing as he was thrown across the landscape before landing with a thud. Neronga continued the onslaught of energy for a moment before charging forward like a bear. The Armored Titan’s gaze returned back towards his opponent, a sinister smile forming upon the goliath’s form as the injuries to his head were completely healed. 

“That thing has to be human… Easton, look into the target’s mind. We will discover who this traitor is.”

“Yes sir,” the soldier stated before ceasing the laser’s activation, placing one hand upon his helmet while the other reached out to the screen before him. Staring directly into the Titan host’s mind to discover… oh dear god. “Colonel… the traitor is Captain Shikishima of the Scout Regiment.” A moment of shock washed over the crew of the Super-X to the haunting truth, a commander in the very operation to save Japan had conspired against them for one reason or another.

“Colonel, your orders?” Margot asked as the armored goliath stared upward at the flying war machine, the two almost daring the other to make another move. As time was quickly passing by, the Armored Titan’s arm was almost completely healed from the assault, forcing the team to act quickly.

“If we can manage to somehow bring the traitor back alive, do so, but shoot to kill. I  don’t care about the damn consequences that happen after this. For the safety of this country, we have to do what is necessary.”

Without further delay, the battle resumed once more, but before a single trigger could be pulled, Shikishima leapt forward. His hands wrapped around the ship, but there was a sudden cessation of all motion in his body. Collapsing onto the ground with a loud thud, dust kicked up in the air as the Super-X quickly returned to the sky, hovering above the corpse of the colossi. 

O’Brien concentrated on the task at hand, one hand firm on the ship’s controls as the other was held out towards the screen before her. She had formed a barrier surrounding a specific part of the Titan Shifter’s brain, ceasing motor function with a simple twist.

While it was a gigantic gamble, it was one that she was willing to take. Seeing that limbs could be completely reconstructed from stumps, perhaps his organs would be capable of the same feat. If it did not put Shikishima down completely, then she could at least buy them a moment to capture the traitor. 

Shikishima’s mind could only drift as there was a sudden black within his vision, it was a strange feeling… He couldn’t feel or truly think and yet, he was present while also not existing all the same. It was a sight that he couldn’t even truly describe, almost like a dream that one would forget as they woke up. He sat upon an endless stretch of sand, his gaze towards the bright, star-filled horizon. At the center of his view was a gigantic shape, its blinding luminance making it impossible to fully tell what it was before the vision ceased.

But he could have sworn that it looked like a tree.

The memory was erased as his eyes snapped open within the nape of the Armored Titan, the damage to his brain reversed far quicker than the Quirk User had anticipated. The shield of the Red Bamboo reached outward with a scream of horror as he grabbed the Super-X in the palm of his hands again. Before death could wrap its jaws around the small crew, the white armored metahuman acted quick enough to project a barrier around the super weapon, protecting them before Shikishima could crush them.

The barrier was still very thin, barely showing any difference in pressure as she put her entire power into protecting her crew. Sparks flew within the cockpit as metal creased, armored fingers starting to sink through the hull. 

The attack was a gamble, one that left him completely in the open, but it was worth attempting. His superiors wished to take the weapon for themselves, but if it could not be retrieved then he had permission to completely destroy it. The second option was one he would rather avoid, and thus he hoped that his assault would kill everyone inside. The Armored Titan lifted the Super-X above his head before swinging downward, repeating the action over and over again, forming dents across the super weapon’s form with each slam into the ground.

The laser once again began to power up, blue light illuminating across his body as he rapidly swung the weapon around.

Only for Shikishima to not notice in the most crucial moment that the lights within both of the downed Mechas lit up with fury.

The laser misfired as a metallic hand wrapped around Shikishima’s shoulder, pulling him away completely from the JSDF weapon. Instead, the laser shot forward and managed to strike Neronga far away from the current battle. This allowed Gigaman to breathe for a moment, before closing the distance and pummeling the invisible tyrant with various blows. Within the Armored Titan’s nape, the host’s eyes widened with both awe and fear as Thundatross returned to the battle at hand. The grip itself broke the armor surrounding the shoulder blade with pure fury as the Mecha threw the armored goliath away from the damaged Super-X. The war machine fell to the ground with sparks shooting out of various damaged ports.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Shikishima stated with respect, a smile once again forming upon his face as he stared at the duo of Mechas before him. “I should have aimed for the head, but I am glad you survived, boy. For doing your duty to protect this country, you should be granted a warrior’s death.”

“Super Mechagodzilla,” A young voice stated as it came over the comms, taking in heavy breaths as blood continued to pour from his mouth. “Assist Gigaman with the Neronga… Shikishima is MINE.” He stated with authority and fury, slowly stepping forward. The mecha’s blade was placed upon his shoulders, before he entered a sprint and closed the distance in a mere moment.

Chapter 6: The Day Tyranny Reigns

“Why hadn’t he been devoured completely?” Was the first thought that appeared within the ghoul’s mind as he stood up, his body jumping back to its feet as an unending hunger filled what remained of his mind. The corpse of the Monster Hunter reached down to his weapon, the Bow Gun feeling heavier than when he was alive as the very little mush that remained in his cranium began to fall out of the skull. Brain matter scattered across the blood soaked concrete as he continued to step forward. Even for an undead, Aiden didn’t have much time left in this world.

He quickly aimed the weapon towards a pair of heroes in the distance. The duo stood on a mountain of corpses as they continued to rip into the seemingly endless horde with their bare hands, blood coating their forms with a rich red. Aiden smirked with what little of a face was still clinging onto the muscle and bone, pulling the trigger and unleashing powerful bullets towards the duo. In just a moment’s time, all Kamen Rider V3 could do was push Kishibe out of the way, the stream of bullets knocking him down as sparks and blood shot from the various wounds. The Devil Hunter’s eyes widened as he quickly dodged out of the way, leaping on top of the heads of the moving horde with precision.

“Are you alright, Rider!?” he yelled out as he continued to move, keeping on his toes while turning his gaze towards their fallen comrade. While the young man hadn’t deserved such a fate, it didn’t exactly get under his skin. He had trained so many young men and women that were sent off to the frontlines of fighting off Devils, that he began seeing his students more like dogs than anything else. Dogs were loyal, dogs would die for the mission without a second thought, just as everyone he had gotten to know over the years. It seemed unfair, that an old broken man like himself would live longer than any under his tutelage, but as he thought about the young Monster Hunter’s fate, the opposite reaction occurred with the Rider.

If there was no divine figure to save us from our own sins, or a perfect harmony to achieve beyond our own understanding, there would always be a Kamen Rider. And if the old man had any power in his life, he was going to make sure that V3 would survive the battle, for he couldn’t bear the thought of such a beacon being devoured by the Scourge. If hope were to die, then humanity would truly be finished.

With a great announcement of gore, V3 had answered the Devil Hunter’s call. Bodies imploded as he swung as hard as he could at the oncoming waves, ichor covering him with only his bright emerald eyes piercing through the horror as gore flew through the air. He quickly leapt into the air, blood flying away from his form as he quickly turned his attention towards their former comrade. Aiden’s gaze caught the Rider within his sight, the sensitive bloodshot orb staring as a fresh meal descended towards him at rapid speeds. He attempted to strike the vigilante down from the sky, lighting up the sky with bullets which tracked his path, but the infected’s fate was sealed the moment he turned his eye towards the heroes.

“RIDER KICK!”

The blow not only knocked the head off from the body, but crushed it under the weight of the attack, the decapitated corpse instantly falling onto the ground with a thud. His grip was tight on the Bow Gun as it continued to rip through the horde, his body having muscle spasms which forced the weapon to change aim. Blood continued to fly into the air behind the Rider as he took a moment to just stare at what mush covered his foot, kicking it off as he turned away from the crushed skull. “I’m truly sorry…” The Kamen Rider returned to the task at land, spotting Kishibe continuing to take out more of the horde as he leapt from their heads, unloading bullets and knives into the heads of every target.

Electricity surged around his body as the V3 Barrier surrounded his form, taking a running position before running so fast through the horde, a clap of thunder echoed across the battlefield. Those that had reached out to his passing form, or were simply destroyed in his wake, had electricity surge through their form until they combusted. Kishibe turned towards the arrival of his comrade as he squeezed an infected’s head like a grape, crushing it and coating his hand in gore as he went to speak. “We have to finish this fast, Kamen Rider, with how things are going, the operation will fail soon.”

“I hate to agree, but it’s hard to deny what is in front of me…” A bullet ricocheted off the Rider’s helmet, earning both heroes’ attention as another of their infected comrades approached with a snarl. Skin was completely removed from the soldier’s arm on the right, meanwhile his throat had been ripped out, allowing blood to flow like a massive river down the moving carcass’ form. Milky eyes stared at the fresh meal in the Kamen Rider and Devil Hunter like any man would at food after a long day’s worth of work. The skin which surrounded the entity’s teeth had been removed for the most part, but there was enough to recognize a twisted smile appearing on the ghoul’s face.

Takeo Masaki might have fallen into the clutches of the undead, but the soldier had found a new calling. An incredibly loud buzzing filled his ears as he stepped forward, his other decayed hand wrapping around the blade to his side. Revealing the sword to his prey, he pointed it at the duo, seemingly alerting the rest of the horde that they were off limits. They began to back away, searching for a new source of a meal as the once proud soldier of Japan opened his hideous maw and stated.

“G-Good… Soldiers, foLLow… orders.”

The two heroes stood speechless as the ghoul uttered those words, launching himself at the two with surprising speed and aiming his blade at Kishibe first. However, the Devil Hunter was faster, managing to wrap his hands around the wrist of the Scourge. Before he could disarm the withered corpse, the gun in the monster’s other hand fired, nearly taking the weary warrior’s head off. Kishibe only barely managed to dodge the attempt on his life as he moved his head out of the way, but he lost the opportunity to remove the corpse’s weapons.

The soldier attempted to swing towards Kishibe’s stomach, only for the blade to be caught by the Rider and snapped like a toothpick. Takeo’s attention was stolen as bright green eyes announced his demise. Quickly taking action to dodge the blow, he jumped out of the way as concrete flew into the air. The infected soldier stood firm, one hand firmly on the trigger while the other held tight upon the hilt of the broken blade, flipping it backwards before charging once again.

“For a normal human, he sure is giving us trouble,” Kishibe uttered as the undead fiend charged once again, pulling the trigger as he aimed directly at the experienced Devil Hunter. He dodged the passing bullets in quick succession before charging directly at the infected with his own firearm in his left hand and a knife in the right. For a moment, the two were in a standstill as bullets flew through the air and blades clashed.

The experienced hunter was lost in deep thought even as he moved effectively to make sure that he wasn’t killed for a misstep. The Scourge before him was an ordinary human, and yet he was giving him such trouble. No Quirk, no Jujutsu technique that he was aware of, was it a deal with a Devil that was made before the operation? It just made little sense, but perhaps he was just that skilled, it wasn’t like he hadn’t performed similar achievements before gaining a contract.

Kishibe’s blade was suddenly knocked out of his hand as V3 attempted to assault the infected from behind, only for Takeo to quickly turn around. Skidding the ruined blade across his arm and shoulder, he attempted to force what little remained of steel into the augmented human’s neck. A bullet ripped through his hand, forcing him to drop the broken sword to the ground before quickly dodging the attack as the Devil Hunter pulled the trigger again, accidently hitting the helmet of V3. The two turned to see Takeo hunched over, his gaze turning towards the new wound on his hand before staring at the bullets that remained within the clip of his handgun. With the two being much stronger than he was, the infected made an unexpected move.

“This… I-isN’t… OVER!” the Ghoul spoke with a howl as he began to retreat, wanting to feast for another day.

“We can’t let him escape!” V3 declared as he began to charge at the infected captain, only for a familiar voice to come onto the comms.

“This is Hawks to any surviving heroes left on the battlefield,” he spoke with certainty as the sound of him lifting something was heard, heavy breathing and the sounds of chaos echoing through the microphone. “The operation is beginning to look lost. Miriko and I have retrieved Gigaman and are retreating for now. Seems we at least managed to allow some time to let civilians escape but… there was a lion amongst us.”

“What the hell does that mean?” V3 quickly asked, the duo of saviors waiting for what the pro hero had to say.

“Captain Shikishima has committed treason. Transformed into some giant and is currently aiding a Neronga against our forces, something reeks in the air that he wasn’t working alone, so be on your guard, Kamen Rider.”

The words sank into their mind as they received the information, the thought that now of all times there would be a snake amongst their ranks fueled the cyborg with pure rage as he clenched his fist. “Understood, moving to your position. Over and out.” He turned to Kishibe, who took the moment to resume an unfinished cigarette. The smell of tobacco left a very thin layer over the scent of iron and fire, taking a drag as he looked at the carnage before him.

“Dammit…” he stated with regret, looking towards the chaos which spanned the entire city. “To think that I would worry about dogs after so long.”

“Himeno, you and Aki better be fine. Lost too many hunting animals to lose anymore.”

“What was that?” V3 asked as he began to survey the area, looking for the best direction to meet the others at.

“I was cursing myself for not being able to put down Takeo,” he quickly lied, taking another drag from the cigarette as he kept his eyes forward so that they wouldn’t be jumped by the undead. “Just a few more moments and we would have managed to put the poor bastard out of his misery.”

“He is just one in the grand scheme of things, I feel what you speak of too but we have to get the hell out of here.” He pointed towards the clash of Thundatross and the duo which surrounded him. Super Mechagodzilla was standing hauntingly still as their ally was being beaten down by the traitor and his dog. Gigaman was retrieved by the Number Two and Three Pro Heroes, but the Rider couldn’t seem to spot the Super-X, which was an alarming notion. “There, we have to move towards the battle,” he stated before marching forward through the ruins, Kishibe quickly following behind as they both entered a sprint.

As heroes began to fall, as traitors amongst their ranks were revealed, a lingering question entered Kishibe’s mind…

Where the hell was Makima?

***

Minutes ago…

Shikishima could barely recognize what was about to happen, eyes widening as Thundatross closed the distance within a moment. The massive blade in the mecha’s grip swung directly at him. He narrowly dodged the attempt on his life, luck and skill combining as he rolled away and retaliated with a counter punch. This only managed to crack his own armor against the superior metal of the superweapon, twin golden eyes turning to see the futile attempt before simply swatting the Armored Titan away with a back hand.

The traitor was sent soaring, the armored goliath’s form crashing into the ruins which covered the battlefield, structures collapsing on top of his body. The armor which covered his skull was completely eradicated with such a simple attack, only leaving a little surrounding the left eye which stared with horror as he witnessed energy surrounding the gigantic blade. Both his own eyes and those of his Titan widened before he rolled out of the way, Thundatross barreling through where he had just laid in a crackling charge.

Dust billowed in all directions as the mechanical marvel turned towards the Armored Titan, who once again returned to his feet. Standing in a defensive position with his arms prepared for a blow as the dwarfing Mecha swung downwards, Shikishima reached out, managing to halt the blade from slicing him in two. As his hands caught both sides, a sonic boom roared out as one knee buckled. It was taking all of his strength to keep the gigantic weapon from cleaving him in two, he could feel his artificial arms shaking from the sheer pressure as Thundatross applied more.

He let out a ghoulish howl directly at Thundatross’ face, while in the moment seeming like the defiant roar of a warrior, it was in truth an order.

Neronga’s eyes darted towards the source of the sound, seeing his current master struggle against the mecha. Then the anomaly spotted the flying machine again before his attention was once again stolen by the superhero. Gigaman attempted to hold his opponent in an iron grip, causing the invisible invader to begin to shake once more.

“You were sneaky last time,” Captain Sasaki stated as the JSDF’s Mechagodzilla marched forward, the mechanical maw opening to reveal fake fangs. “But you will surely regret your actions, Kaiju.” A rainbow beam of energy crashed into the side of Neronga, earning a cry of pain as Gigaman continued to hold him down.

The trio of horns came together as energy surged around them, electricity flying as the eye darted towards the little flying machine once again…

The Super-X returned to the conflict with a powerful blue laser shooting through the Armored Titan’s stomach, the armor breaking in an instant and leaving a hole filled with steam as the regeneration process began to repair the damage. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Yuuki roared as he simply let Shikishima fall to the ground, allowing the regeneration to continue forward.

“This is a direct order from a superior, your pride does not matter right now!” The Colonel barked back, frustrated with the general situation on top of the attitude of the child in a war machine. “Contain or kill Captain Shikishima this instant-”

“I don’t have much time, I can feel it,” The boy stated as blood continued to fall from his mouth onto his lap. “While the life support systems are keeping me alive for now, I’ve lost a lot of blood thanks to this bastard.” The pilot of Thundatross took heavy breaths as he turned his attention towards the recovering Titan, standing over him with complete control as he just stared and waited. “Assist Gigaman and Super Mechagodzilla with the Neronga, but until the last drop of blood leaves my body, until I draw my last breath,” He pointed directly at Shikishima, slightly turning his gaze towards the flying war machine beside him.

“The traitor is MINE.”

There was a burning iron will in the boy’s voice, that of a seasoned warrior which wouldn’t dare to be tampered with. He had seen battle against Kaiju of the Earth and invaders from the stars, he was certainly experienced enough to know that any wrong mistake could cost the lives of millions. But with the surrounding company… ”Fine,” the commanding officer stated as the Super-X began to turn around. “Don’t play with your food too much but make sure he regr-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The team within Super Mechagodzilla had expected for the beam to strike them and only be reduced to a conversion of energy, as they were bombarding the artificial Kaiju, it made the most logical sense for the creature to retaliate.

But the beam wasn’t meant for them.

Thundatross turned around completely as the Super-X was shot out of the sky, a fire erupting from the side of the war machine as all systems were switched off. The JSDF’s first proper superweapon in the age of Kaiju crashed into the ruins of Osaka with a deafening boom.

Yuuki stared in horror before turning towards Neronga, who had made the shot from halfway across the battlefield, staring with shame and rage at both his mentor and the Mecha he had looked up too.

“No!” Gigaman screamed as his grip slightly faltered, giving the Kaiju an opportunity to free himself. Fangs punctured flesh and bone, a loud SNAP echoing as Neronga bit into the superhero’s arm, which was quickly followed by a scream of pure agony. Another beam of rainbow energy left the mechanical doopleganger’s maw, this time aiming at the creature’s skull, only for a horrific outcome to occur as the beast flung the veteran hero into the way of the blast. Each pilots’ eyes widened in horror as Neronga’s grasp relinquished, blood flying from the wound as Gigaman’s form was thrown miles away.

His body slammed into a cluster of buildings like a ragdoll, smoke rising from the wound across the superhero’s back. His form was motionless as he shrunk down to the size of a person. The crew of the Super Mechagodzilla couldn’t even process what had happened, until turning towards where the Neronga stood, only to find nothing there.

“Fuck!” screamed the Captain, slamming his control panel as they began to search for the anomaly, this time forcing the war machine into the air. Jet thrusters lifted it off of the ground and hovering in a circle to spot any strange movements, forcing the Neronga to come to them in a different manner.

It only took a few seconds to detect the anomaly, or at least the direction it was going, the creature beelining towards the Thundatross as fast as it could move. Various weapons shot out across the landscape in an attempt to strike the invisible behemoth before it could reach their comrade. The light reflecting off of the missed explosions exposed the anomaly’s form, even just slightly, as it unleashed a roar at the towering Mecha.

Yuuki prepared for impact from the front as Shikishima had returned to his feet behind him, the wound within his torso sealed. The Armored Titan attempted to subdue the child, only for the attempt to instantly fail as Thundatross elbowed his nose. Backing away with a stumble, blood poured from each nostril as the Mecha’s superior strength was made clear before charging at Neronga.

The two clashed, with the invader being sent flying by a powerful charge. “Super Mechagodzilla,” Yuuki stated, pain rising through his body at an alarming rate. His throat felt like it was burning, every word stole another moment of precious air from his lungs. But a combination of pride, duty, and a deep hatred kept the young warrior going. “We have to finish this quickly! I think we can all agree with that, any more stupid moves and we are totally screwed!”

“Who the hell does this brat think he is?” Sonezaki yelled out as he gritted his teeth, the Mecha turning towards the recovering Neronga as the creature attempted to flee once more into the ruins.

“Not this time!” Kazuma yelled out as twin cables shot out of the Mecha’s wrists, launching directly into Neronga’s flesh which earned a scream of pain as blood flew from the wound. If they pumped the Kaiju with tons of electricity, it could destroy it like a battery receiving too much energy. The Super Mechagodzilla would survive the blast radius, and possibly so would Thundatross if they were caught up in the explosion, but just to be safe-

“Deal with Shikishima away from here,” the Captain ordered, fearing for the young man’s life. “Get away before the Neronga is completely overloaded with energy!”

Thundatross nodded his head before turning towards the traitor, who had been swinging his fists constantly the entire time that Yuuki’s attention was not on him. A smile formed across his face as the voice within the Mecha reached his ears.

“Giga Energy Acquired.”

Loud speakers activated for the outside world, the sound of Yuuki’s voice as he spoke quickly reaching Shikishima as he continued to strike repeatedly against the Mecha’s body. “Captain Shikishima of the Scout Regiment,” energy surrounded Thundatross’ entire body, sparks of gold and bright indigo light which coated the metal. It was like a beacon in the middle of the hellish battlefield, while not blinding to the naked eye, it was a signal for the arrival of a death sentence served with an iron blade. “For your crime of treason against the citizens of Japan, you are sentenced to damnation.”

Time seemed to slow down as fear quickly erupted through Shikishima’s mind, staring as each portion of Thundatross’ body grew an additional fifty meters. The transformation was quick, but still felt like an eternity as he bore witness to the mecha’s ascension, awe and horror dancing through his mind. A bright glow coated the metal across its form, the gold which lined each joint now illuminated.

Giga Thundatross towered over the Armored Titan like a mountain would an ant, and without a moment’s notice, the blade began to glow with radiant light. Metal parted to reveal a bright beam of electrical energy surrounding the shell. Flesh was punctured without resistance, the entire blade shoving its way through the armor and burning meat like a hot knife through butter before speed increased dramatically. The mecha’s ultimate move zipped across the battlefield at lightning speeds, the two staring each other in the eyes as an agonizing scream erupted from the giant’s maw, crying out to Neronga.

Shikishima felt like he was boiling alive as electricity surged through his body, every nerve feeling like it was burning as he let loose a scream of pure anguish. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he still attempted to reach out, his hand weakly reaching towards Thundatross’ cockpit, but it felt like he could feel Yuuki staring into his very soul. So full of hate, one which burned even the fallen Scout’s thoughts as pain continued to engulf his mind and body.

He had to get the hell out of here.

In a desperate gamble, the Titan Shifter opted to quickly emerge from the nape. While there was a risk of being slain as the Mecha continued to blitz through the surrounding battlefield, at the very least it would be faster than the fate he was sentenced to. With a final swing of his blade, Giga Thundatross slammed the husk into the earth as energy surged outward. No final scream of agony, no final move of resistance. It was over.

The rest of the body was charred beyond belief, skin was completely darkened as the armor was evaporating into ash. “Serves you right… for what… you did… “ Yuuki spoke with a raspy breath. While his time was surely coming to a close, at the very least he had managed to kill the traitor and buy the civilians enough time to escape onto the evacuation vehicles.

He had protected his country to the very end, he had avenged those that were lost on this harsh battlefield with a final push of vengeance, for someone who had only lived for eleven years on this Earth, he had accomplished a lot in his short life.

“You little FUCK!” Shikishima’s voice roared onto the comms, alerting the Mecha’s pilot in a moment’s notice. Adrenaline spiked as he looked down at the corpse beneath his feet, not understanding how that wasn’t the final blow. “Looks like we both made the same mistake, you always aim for the head!”

A thunderbolt above the Mecha echoed across the ruins of Osaka, the sky flashing green as bright golden light engulfed their vision. While Shikishima was hurting like all hell, the regeneration process, as well as having enough energy to transform at least one more time, allowed for him to enter the fray once more.

An elbow drop from the reformed armor struck Thundatross’ head, forcing it to look downward for a moment as sparks flew. Muscle, skin, and finally armor completely returned to form the Armored Titan. A ghoulish howl left the shield of the Red Bamboo’s wretched maw before wrapping his hand around nearby debris. A cellphone tower served as a bludgeon to slam into the goliath’s form, sending the Mecha flying. Shikishima stared at the object for a moment in sheer confusion as to how that was more successful than his own blows, before simply shrugging, turning his gaze towards the Super Mechagodzilla.

Neronga’s screams echoed into the valley of death as energy continued to pump into it, as hard as it tried to escape the cables’ grasp, fear ran rampant through its mind at the inevitable.

But what the creature didn’t know was that the final push for victory was about to be complete…

***

Within the Super Mechagodzilla’s cockpit, each pilot was sure of their victory. Neronga only needed to be pushed a little further and it would be dealt with. Then, they could assist in completely obliterating Shikishima in an overwhelming showcase of superior firepower.

But what they didn’t know was that one amongst them was waiting for this opportunity, a hand wrapped around a firearm aimed directly at the nearest co-pilot’s head. As they were focused on the destruction of the enemy, they had calculated that this was the right time to strike.

BANG!

An echo rang as a bullet ripped through Sonezaki’s skull, his body slumping over as brain matter scattered across the dash board and Mechagodzilla quickly descended towards the ground. The machine shook violently for a moment as balance was almost lost, the Mecha managing to keep their footing at the very least. Kazuma looked in horror to see his comrade had been slain by the android on board, quickly unbuckling his seat belt and dodging out of the way of fire as Catherine opened fire. The Captain quickly got out of his seat, aiming his weapon at the android and pulling the trigger.

Only to find himself flung onto his back as she had landed the blow first, metal puncturing his chest in an instant. Blood erupted from the wound and his mouth as he slumped over, while the android simply stood with a minor injury to the arm. She turned, attempting to spot the last member of the crew, only to find nothing.

It didn’t matter if he would escape from the vessel, he would be either devoured by the undead or crushed under the weight of the clashing colossi. There was no reason to follow him.

The Android reached into her pockets before approaching each side of the cockpit, placing explosives against the hull. It didn’t take long to plant the few that she had, and without the JSDF’s super weapon, Osaka would be lost. She didn’t question why her superior officers wished to destroy Mechagodzilla but salvage the Super-X. The various calculations had determined that it would be easier to sabotage the larger of the two war machines during the operation while still gaining the spoils of war.

All that mattered was her directive, to cripple the JSDF during this crisis was the perfect opportunity. Katherine held out the trigger, pressing her thumb against the detonator, but before she relinquished her grip, a noise had caught her attention. Turning her head to spot the Captain still clinging to life, his weapon aimed at her with a fruitless gesture of a threat. He took in deep, heavy breaths as he looked around the room, spotting the scattered C4.

“Who the hell do you work for?”

And without hesitation, the android spoke. “All hail the Red Bamboo.”

***

Super Mechagodzilla’s head detonated, fires spiraling out into the open air as the war machine ceased all movement. It hunched over as the flames roared across its steel form. Neronga ceased its screaming, the energy which was being pumped into it silently ending as its attacker was slain.

The artificial beast swatted at the cables, ripping them out of its leg with no resistance. Thundatross stared in pure horror for a moment, strands of hair turning grey from the stress now reaching its apex.

He was now alone in the middle of Hell. The only solo mission the child had done was when he stole the Thundatross to defend Otomatic HQ from Rohanna. For an entire year after he trained to be ready for oncoming threats with the proper discipline, and realistically, the experience to take on any worse threats. He was lucky the first time he had gotten into Thundatross, and with Kaiju like Godzilla roaming this Earth, luck wasn’t enough.

And now he was stuck between the Armored Titan and Neronga, both circling around him with a limited supply of energy. He had to make every moment count.

The Giga-evolved Mecha swung his blade at Neronga, instantly landing a strike with the extended reach, earning a cry of pain from the invader. He followed the attack with another powerful strike, and then one more to finish the string of blows, launching the invisible fiend away. Shikishima charged in, the armor around his fist crystallizing into a construct like brass knuckles before slamming into the mecha’s form. Giga Thundatross was pushed back slightly, causing the pilot to turn his attention towards the humanoid.

Yuuki violently swung the blade as he stood still, carving through the concrete which surrounded them, forcing the Armored Titan to leap backward. But his arm was still sliced in two, the blade carving through flesh and bone before dicing the rest of the limb as the young warrior continued to swing. “Son of a…” Shikishima whispered to himself as he quickly attempted to gain more distance, running towards what appeared to be a sharp piece of rubble. Giga Thundertross wrapped its free hand around rubble before tossing it at the fleeing traitor, slamming into his back and sending him crashing into the ruined concrete below.

The pilot laughed a little bit at his fall before electricity slammed into his back, the energy beam pushing the young man forward as the surge of energy continued to gain in voltage. Yuuki gritted his teeth before turning the mecha around, blocking the stream of energy with the massive blade as he continued to march forth. The looming shadow fell over Neronga completely, showering the artificial life form with a sense of dread as his much larger foe continued forward. To the beast, Giga Thundatross was the very element he controlled taunting him, the yellow across his form seeming to glow like that of a God to Neronga’s primitive mind.

The mecha reached out with its free hand, wrapping the limb around Neronga’s skull and applying pressure. The surge of energy ceased completely as the artificial beast screamed, its life was going to end on this day…

Metal punched through the creation of Dr.Kazuo, sparks shooting outwards as the super fortress stumbled, releasing Neronga from the hero’s grip. He turned to see Shikishima charging straight at him, the traitor having used the wreckage like a javelin to aid his hunting dog. The shield of rebellion unleashed another cry of war with every step that he took, aiming his now regenerated limb directly at the “skull” of the Mecha.

Before the war machine began to act, Neronga had slashed across its form, casting sparks with each swipe. The invisible invader unleashed a roar directly at the cockpit as Giga Thundatross went to reach down and grab Neronga by the skull to throw at the approaching traitor, only for the moment of hesitation to leave him open. Armored brass knuckles struck the cockpit, cracking it as a shockwave was sent out from the blow, the attack followed by another strike to the dome.

The duo of invaders continued to pummel the larger Mecha, sparks flying with every strike. Lights flashed within the cockpit as Yuuki attempted to concentrate at all, when an idea brewed in his head. His hand reached out to the sky, clouds quickly forming above them at his command. “Can you let me breathe!” The child shouted at the top of his lungs as lightning struck the two, descending from the sky with a simple wave and striking the trio of combatants, sending the pair away from the Mecha’s form. Giga Thundatross stood back to his full height, attempting to get the jump on them once again, only for the Kaiju to retreat into the earth. Using his mole-like claws, it submerged into the ground and began to burrow. While Yuuki doubted that Neronga had retreated from the conflict altogether, it would at least give him a moment to finish off Shikishima before returning to beating the Kaiju to death.

The metallic hand wrapped around the Armored Titan’s ankle before lifting the goliath into the air, slamming him into the ground so hard that the left arm went flying off, crashing into a nearby building. Another slam into the earth separated the right arm, and with a final slam, the head was sent upwards into the air. Being caught in Giga Thundatross’ palm with a wet plop, Shikishima stared with both amazement and acceptance that the boy he had attempted to murder was his undoing. “Checkmate…”

Before he could squeeze, Neronga emerged from the earth, launching himself at the super fortress like a cannon. The severed head of the Armored Titan rolled across the earth before coming to a halt. Shikishima let loose a hideous laughter as fate seemed to have saved him for another day in the form of his partner.

“No, not now!” Yuuki yelled as his form quickly shrunk to their sizes. Giga Energy shot out to multiple points across the battlefield, the bright pinkish purple orbs floating above the ruins like a lure. Neronga instantly charged towards one of the orbs which granted Thundatross such tremendous energy, like a rabid animal. He had to reach the rest of the energy first to regain the transformation before-

A third lightning strike hammered the battlefield, Shikishima forming another vessel before Yuuki’s eyes as he reached out with a powerful strike to the side of the head. “It’s like I said boy, checkmate!” The head of Thundatross was sent flying from the body, the fortress falling over, now completely limp, as the cockpit rolled across the damaged earth. As Neronga devoured one of the energy orbs before seeking another off in the distance, Yuuki could only sit with pain flaring across his entire body, his ears ringing as vision instantly became hazy.

His life began to flash before his eyes. A person so young wouldn’t have that long of a flashback, but it still was piercing what little remained of his soul. Blood continued to pour from various wounds, his broken glasses were laying on their side, coughs spraying ichor across the broken screen. “We… we did our best Thundatross, I’m sorry… I really wanted to have more adventures with you and Gigaman…” The young man thought back to the very harsh words he had spoken earlier, and was filled with such regret as the light was drawing closer and closer with each passing second.

Tears swelled within his eyes as he reached out, struggling to lift his arm towards the broken screen in front of him and with a sorrowful tone spoke. “I’m so sorry, Dad…”

The grief was silenced with a powerful stomp, crushing the head of the Mecha completely, finally killing the boy. Shikishima stood for a moment over the remains before kicking them to the side and walking towards the last ball of energy that had emerged from Thundatross. Wrapping his hand around the strange orb, he absorbed it. A quick rush of energy pulsed through his veins as a howl of victory escaped the jaws of the Armored Titan, beating on his chest with a booming declaration. He let out another smaller roar as he waved his hand at Neronga, beckoning the invader towards him.

The artificial goliath quickly approached Shikishima’s form like that of a loyal dog to its master, its earnest aid in the success of their operation earning it at least a few pats on the head. “You were a good… whatever you are, Neronga,” he said within the nape, looking towards the chaos spanning the city before turning his attention towards the downed Super-X…

***

Their vision was blurry as they regained consciousness, ears ringing as sparks flew all around the cockpit of the Super-X. Blood poured from the various wounds across their body, they attempted to regain their composure as they looked towards the rest of their comrades.

He was the only survivor. The barrier that O’Brien would have put up never came as electricity surged through her body, the poor woman being cooked alive even before they crashed into the ruined city. The Colonel laid upon the dash of the cockpit, his carcass ripped into by steel as the impact completely crushed the front of the war machine. Easton wasn’t even in sight, all that remained was a splash of gore across the hull as the crash ripped into the poor bastard like a blender.

Michael had somehow, against all odds, survived the crash. The soldier took in heavy breaths as he quickly unbuckled himself, falling to the ground while coughing up a bit of blood as his hand held onto his helmet. The concussion was coursing through his head like rushing water, making it hard to even stand as his equilibrium was thrown off, finding himself needing to guide himself against the wall. He looked over to the floor, finding his rifle amongst the ruins, somehow still intact. The JSDF member reached down, wrapping his hand around the cold iron which would protect his life from the infected, when a shadow suddenly cast itself over him.

“Bang.”

Michael’s form was blown apart, another coat of blood covering the interior as his legs dropped to the ground with a thud. She stood over the corpses, her bright orange and yellow ringed eyes illuminating the darkness as she stepped into the ruins of the Super-X. She looked down at her uniform, seeing that blood had finally stained the white shirt after the entire battle had been won. She reached down to her walkie talkie, quickly changing it to a different frequency to make sure that no one would overhear what she had to say, calmly speaking to the other side.

“Osaka has been overrun by the undead, confirmed deceased targets. Yuuki Kazuo, Atsushi Sonezaki, Captain Takuya Sasaki, Ace Hunter Aiden, Captain Takeo Misaki, Colonel Pete Richards, Margot O’Brien, David Easton, Michael Van Horn, Kazuma Aoki, and Katherine Berger. Destruction of Super Mechagodzilla is a success, Super-X has been reclaimed. Over.” The walkie went silent for a few moments before picking back up, another voice speaking from it. One far older than her current body. 

“Well done, Agent. Continue with the plan, assist Captain Shikishima. Over and out.”

A wicked smile formed as she stepped out of the ruined superweapon, returning to the hellish landscape as the infected stood still surrounding her. The red haired woman looked in all directions to ponder her next move, placing her hand against her chin as she thought. “I suppose I shouldn’t let you all stand around, after all you are all so hungry,” She pointed towards the horizon, the ruined city with fires spreading and the smog of death choking the sky around them. “Go and feast upon anything you can find.” The Devil Hunter commanded the horde, creating a mass migration through them all as they continued forth, the echoing footsteps overcoming the rest of the sound in the warzone for her.

She walked directly into the horde, not a single one lashing out at her as they continued forward, all perfectly avoiding the single “living” thing throughout the entire valley of death. That was all except for the giants which were ahead of them, still carving through the undead and ruined city alike as the duo marched.

“Where were you during all of this, Denji?” She asked outloud, looking towards the sky as embers continued to climb to the smoke covered sky. Time had lost meaning, although only an hour had gone by, it had felt like eternity. “I had told you, I had no use for dogs who wouldn’t listen to a command. Though something doesn’t exactly add up.”

Her thoughts dwelled on the pawns that had been unaccounted for during this crisis, contact with several trusted agents going dark as the terrorists hidden within the shadows made their move. While her deception was all just a step towards her grander plan, she still wished to have complete control over all of the pieces in the game. She smirked for just a second, knowing that it would only be a matter of time to find him again and make him follow her to the end of the Earth.

“We’ll meet again, country mouse,” she spoke into the wind…

***

Shikishima surveyed the area, standing on top of a building once more, watching the flames wash over Osaka. Outside of a few heroes escaping, his mission had been a rousing success. Perhaps he could scour the streets for a couple bottles of wine, feeling he completely deserved it.

He tugged on his white button up shirt, tracing his fingers over it only to meet his bare skin. Shikishima groaned, glancing down to find a hole in it. “Son of a bitch. This was my favorite.”

The Red Bamboo captain shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps a department store has what I fancy.”

He went to activate his ODM gear to start his shopping spree when he heard screams down below. Shikishima ceased his jump and walked to the edge of the building to see three people running down the sidewalk. One was a woman in her forties, another was a small girl, and the last was a young man issuing out orders. 

Shikishima kept his eyes focused on the three, watching them be chased by half a dozen infected. A part of him felt sympathy for the family in peril, completely at the mercy of the infected’s insatiable hunger, yet his superiors would view them as expendable. 

He pulled out one of his blades, inspecting his reflection in it. The Titan Shifter snapped his fingers repeatedly, trying to conjure up a solution for his predicament. In the back of his mind, Shikishima felt a small sense of guilt being part of the reason why Yuuki was dead. He really did try to save him, but they didn’t see him as worthy enough. 

“Neither would the three of them,” Shikishima surmised, glancing down at the three running for their lives. He shook his head, feeling sickened by a poor family about to be ripped apart. The Titan Shifter continued to inspect their behavior, taking note of the young bulky man shielding the older woman and the little girl behind. His interest was piqued when he realized just how much he could not only manipulate his leaders in taking them in but doing so to the three below. 

“It seems I’ll be redeemed after all,” Shikishima chuckled, drawing out his other blade.

The Titan Shifter leapt off the roof, descending downwards to the street as he shot out his ODM cables. They shot out into the skull of an infected, splattering pieces of her brain while he kicked her into a brick wall. Shikishima relinquished his cable before decapitating two more.

Reiner felt himself starting to be able to breathe when he witnessed his rescuer effortlessly dispatching their remaining pursuers. His form and his handling of weapons was awe inspiring. It made him want to pick up the blade and be at least half as good as the man was standing in front of him.

Shikishima flicked the blood off his blades before turning back to the family of three. He approached them slowly, smiling at them. The Red Bamboo captain put his swords away and offered a hand out to Reiner, something the young man immediately grabbed onto.

“Thank you so much for rescuing our asses!” Reiner expressed, shaking the soldier’s hand up and down, eliciting a laugh from Shikishima.

“The pleasure is all mine, mister….” Shikishima trailed off, curious to know their names.

“Apologies,” Reiner spoke, pointing to himself. “Reiner Braun, and this is my mom, Karina, and my little cousin, Gabi.”

“Thank you so much!” Karina spoke up, feeling overjoyed to be rescued by one of the many heroes of Japan. She brushed her hand against Shikishima’s shoulder, causing him to smile at the older woman. 

“Just doing my duty, ma’am.”

Gabi waltzed up to Shikishima, giving him a small salute as he did the same, humouring the little girl. The former Scout placed his hands on his hips, looking around the ruins they were standing in. 

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting tired of looking at all of this. Who wants to get out of here?” Shikishima questioned, coming off as slightly playful. 

“Me!” Gabi called out, raising her arm out.

“Yes, please!” Reiner exclaimed, tightening his hand as the nightmare was nearly over. 

“Of course. Let me just arrange for transport,” Shikishima relayed, taking a few steps away and putting his fingers on his earpiece, readying to rendezvous with the other Red Bamboo operatives. 

“The three of you got very lucky today….” Shikishima mumbled to himself, slightly glancing back at the family. “You best remember that when I come to collect.”

 

Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home in The Apocalypse 

Trees snapped as the infected goliath pulled away from Kamui’s ensnarement, her strength rising tenfold after becoming one with the overwhelming horde. She let loose a howl at the approaching Ultraman, ripping away completely and charging on all fours like an animal. The experienced alien quickly went to the defensive, bracing himself for impact just a moment before her rabid form came crashing into him, using all of his strength to hold her back from completely mauling him.

He held her wrists back, only to find himself quickly being overpowered as the former Lurker attempted to devour him, jaws snapping only inches away from his body. He quickly placed his leg under her before throwing her away from his form, a strong kick sending her against the concrete in a matter of a second. The infected snarled as she returned back to her feet, only for a powerful strike to the knee to slightly send cracks across the bone. The fracture made her stumble as she witnessed Ingenium running around her at top speeds. Blue fire surrounded each of the thrusters in his leg, burning nearby infected as he trailed around the giantess.

She wrapped her hand around debris before throwing it at the charging 80, forcing him to stumble as she once again leapt forward, this time slashing at his arm with her talons. A groan of pain left the substitute teacher as sparks flew from impact, alarming him to counter the next blow, simply pushing the arm aside before sending out a powerful kick to the fiend’s core. Mount Lady looked around her, quickly realizing that the rest of the survivors were focusing on her, almost ignoring the undead horde which was surrounding their every path.

The temperature quickly rose as explosions trailed in a circular motion in the sky as Bakugo returned to the battle with a vengeful battle cry, spinning before shooting out like a rocket towards the back of Mount Lady’s skull. Light surrounded the palm of his hand before a Howitzer Impact struck. The ZQN host stumbled over slightly as her once bright blonde hair was soaked with ash and blood, the attack doing minor damage to her body. The fallen hero let loose another scream as she swiped at the student of UA, this time bracing himself for impact as he was thrown across the battlefield.

“Delaware!” a young voice shouted as he attempted to aid in overwhelming Mount Lady, earning her attention, her head snapping forward with her jaws widening open. Izuku’s eyes stretched as he realized that he was going to be devoured here, his actions a mistake as he was tossed into the wicked maw of the colossus.  The strange energy whips released once again, however, his moment of stress bringing forth the new ability as it forced her jaws to stay open. Blood flew as he was launched away from the infected, carving through the concrete like a rocket. Yet far away, the same whips held the monster in place as she attempted to free herself from its hold, leaving her open.

Cars suddenly slammed into her form as Ochako continued to place her Quirk on the vast amount of debris, chunks of rock and metal slamming into her body as Froppy sat on top of the last vehicle. Her tongue wrapped around a sharp metal pipe, even as it was hurting herself in the moment, the end result would warrant the pain. Raising the object above her head, she forced it through the revenant’s cheek, dark red ichor pumping out of the wound as she let loose a pain-filled scream. As the amphibian-themed hero leapt away, Ultraman 80 came back into the equation.

The Ultra’s elbow slammed into the side of her jaw, dislocating it as she was finally freed from the hold of Izuku’s new Quirk. She slammed into the ground with a loud thud, letting loose a roar as her back crushed debris. The former superhero quickly launched herself back to her feet, seeing Ida once again attempt to charge at her with a powerful kick. The shadow of Kamen Rider Ichigo appeared next to the young student of UA. “RIDDAAAAAAA!” Both of them shouted, the class representative calling out the cyborg’s signature attack in a moment of elation.

“KICK!” they shouted in unison as Mount Lady quickly protected her skull from the double Rider Kick, putting all of her strength into not losing this contest. Speed increased as they attempted to force their way through the limb. The fires from Ingenium’s boosters roared as they almost engulfed Ichigo’s form, but they needed to keep going. All three violently yelled as the struggle finally came to an end, Mount Lady managing to win as her hand simply wrapped around them. Raising the duo above her head, she slammed them into the ground with enough force that the concrete cracked like an egg.

“NO!” All Might cried out, helpless to do anything but watch as his students continued to fight for their lives. His gun was out of ammo and his equipment gifted from Melissa would only go so far. While a strike might badly hurt the former defender of Japan, it would only earn him a swift death. While death would have been preferable to watching powerlessly in horror as children fought, he had other lives than his own to consider.

“Izuku!” Inko cried out, quickly entering a sprint towards her son as his Quirk started going into an overdrive once again. She knew the danger, but would much rather reach out to her son than ever risk him feeling so much pain alone. So, she charged towards the whips with no hesitation.

“Mom, stay back!” His eyes widened, fear climbing through his mind as he attempted to calm down the overloading power. His grip tightened so much that he considered breaking his wrist just to cease the flow of energy. If his own mother had gotten injured during this operation, especially by him, he would never forgive himself.

“ALL MIGHT!” The boy called out to him, quickly thinking of a solution as he stared at the duo, the plea halting Inko in her tracks due to the fury in her son’s voice. “Get her the hell out of here! We’ll meet you back at our house, I promise!” He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as he attempted to concentrate. “You two can’t help here! You have to survive! Go! We won’t take too long!”

While fear was erupting in his own voice, the plea for the safety of his student’s mom made the retired superhero jump into action. Reaching his hand around her wrist, he gained her attention once again. As the sound of stone being sliced through by the strange whips and the breeze filled with embers and smog surrounded them, they stood still in the moment of chaos. Every emotion told them that they shouldn’t run, but they both knew that the boy was right. Tears flowed from Inko’s eyes as she turned back to her own son, her pride and joy, before stating, “You get home by tonight or you are so grounded, young man!” Humor in an attempt to bring hope, before the two ran in the opposite direction.

“Thank you…” Izuku stated with his stress calming down, the flow of energy becoming controlled as he descended towards the ground safely. He could properly focus on the battle at hand without the risk of hurting those dear to him, the others would quickly adjust to his fighting style. Energy surrounded Izuku’s form as he activated Full Cowling, marks appearing on his skin as Black Whip wrapped around a car like a web before throwing it at Mount Lady’s head.

The assault was halted at the last second, however, her teeth sinking into the car and tossing it away. As the ruined vehicle combusted, her attention fell upon the young hero. “You will not lay a hand on any of them!” 80 screamed as he swung a karate chop at her skull, only for the giantess to catch the blow without even turning her gaze, a shockwave rippling outward. The Ultraman stood horrified as she applied pressure, pain rushing through his forearm as he was forced onto one knee. She twisted the limb backwards, the sound emitting from the former hero’s grasp like the great snapping of a tree that had not fully landed.

From the ruins of the street, Kamen Rider rose back to his feet, taking in heavy breaths as he stared at the brawl before him. They were throwing everything at her and the Quirk user was still not only standing, but overpowering the trained group of heroes. Ichigo slammed his fist into the ground with great frustration. An unending will to see this operation to the bitter end, to save the children entrusted to him and the other pros during said operation, to finally turn the tides of this battle.

He stood up, making his signature pose before pointing his right arm towards the sky with his hand in a fist. The cyborg looked towards the giantess as he shouted. “HENSHIN!” He had never used this ability on command, somehow only managing to manifest the power during a friendly spar with the original Ultraman, a great sign of respect to his opponent.

His form glowed with bright light as his body grew to massive proportions, the light like the quick flash of a beacon as he now stood beside Mount Lady. The group watched in awe at the original Rider’s might manifested in this way, the infected woman for a moment being caught off guard. That was enough of an opening to free 80 from her grasp. Flames surrounded her back completely as Shoto poured everything into burning her body to nothing but embers, and while it did unleash a horrific howl from the former Lurker’s maw, it only caused her to throw 80 at Ichigo before swinging at Shoto.

‘Not so fast!’ The Rider thought as he quickly wrapped his hands around her hair, stopping her only feet away from her palm slamming into the boy and flattening him completely. Halting her movement with the sound of hair strands tearing away, blood flew from the wound as pus quickly followed. She quickly swatted at the pyromancer-cryomancer fusion, causing the young man to jump backwards to avoid being turned into paste.

Before the infection, Mount Lady had been 23rd on the Pro Hero ranking in Japan. While it was an impressive feat, accomplished due to the sheer power of her Quirk alongside her other businesses, it made no sense for her to be holding back both a Rider and Ultra at the same time. If she was not dealt with here and now, she would prove to be one of the strongest undead in this long war.

She launched backwards with a powerful kick to the ground, her skull slamming into Ichigo’s helmet and pushing him back with a stumble before 80 managed to catch his ally. The two nodded before they began circling the infected, forcing her to choose which her next target was. She wasn’t paying attention to the others, her hunger reaching an all time high and clouding her judgement. But, her enhanced senses would alert her to any form of assault from the group of Meta Humans before her.

“YU!” Kamui yelled out to his former partner, earning her attention with a snap of her neck. The quick motion cracked the joints as she looked directly at the elemental. “I’m so sorry! I couldn’t protect you! I can’t even find Edgeshot, but if anything that resembles the woman I knew is still in there, you have to stop this!”

A look of sorrow made its way to her face, the group swearing that they saw a tear of blood running down her cheek as she went to speak. “I c-c-can’t control it, Shinji… Oh god what am I doing?” she said with a crack in her voice, looking all around her to see herself fighting children broke her soul, she had even eaten her friends alive without a second thought. “You have to kill me Shinji!” His eyes widened, heart breaking at hearing her plea for her own death. It was a future he never would have expected, even in his worst nightmares.

She stood up with shocking ferocity, managing to catch the swinging arms of Ichigo and 80 at the same time before throwing them backwards. Her hunger ripped her away from the conversation she was having. “I’m just s-s-s-sooO hun-GRY!” She leapt forward at the Kamen Rider, her fangs attempting to wrap around his neck, only for his arm to block the attempt on his life. The cyborg let out a painful grunt as his other hand attempted to free his limb, the infected sinking her fangs into his arm and shaking the limb like a rabid dog. Sparks and blood flew as the thick layer of skin coating the metal underneath was damaged from the assault.

She swung her neck downwards, bringing the Kamen Rider to the ground while dodging an attack from the Ultraman behind her. The concrete beneath their feet launched into the sky as the impact landed, the infected once known as Yu Takeyama letting go of the cyborg’s limb before launching forward at 80.

“Dammit!” She left little time to come up with a proper strategy. Even between the two most experienced fighters and the group of Quirk Users assaulting her from every angle, it wasn’t enough to stop her advancements in the battle at all. The undead had an almost infinite pain tolerance, they would twist and break their body just to get closer to the next meal without a second thought. Adding that to the fact that the virus had enhanced her capabilities greatly, it was leaving them very little opportunity to land a finishing blow.

Normally, he would have worn down the opponent physically before attempting to do any energy attacks. But here, she wasn’t even allowing him to prepare the weaker beams, overwhelming them with physical prowess.

Just as the thought had appeared within his mind, an opening was finally made as the bottom half of Mount Lady was frozen solid with a single swipe of Todoroki’s hand. A glacier of ice had appeared from thin air, encasing her. The infected continued to reach out with her free hand as roars of hatred left her maw, the ice already beginning to break as cracks formed from her strength.

He had to finish this fast.

Ultraman 80 jumped back a bit, quickly gathering energy into his arms as light glowed between the meeting point of the two limbs. The extraterrestrial went to fire the finishing move towards a stationary target, only for fate to twist as the ice coffin shattered completely, freeing herself. The beam continued past where she had just been and only made contact with burning ruins in the distance, a tremendous detonation rocking the city. Everyone stared in horror as 80’s color timer began to rapidly flash, his energy already at its limits. Time seemed to slow down as the infected superhero launched herself towards him with a gigantic piece of ice in her hand.

The infected swung, aiming the shard of element at the color timer to pierce it, only for Kamen Rider to slam into her form. Pushing her back, he crashed his knuckles against her face before turning to his ally. “Take the children and run, 80,” The Rider demanded as he stood in front of the giant of light, staring down at the recovering infected.

Kamui Woods sprang into action, standing upon her skull as vines quickly went to wrap around the former Lurker’s eyes. She was quickly blinded as the plant life covered her forehead, the undead unleashing a scream of rage which sent a shiver down the spines of the surviving students. Her talons reached for the vines, ripping through her own skin with swipes as she attempted to remove the bark. Slamming her head into the ground to shake her former partner off of her head, eventually she reached upwards and wrapped her hands around the wooden man. She squeezed, forcing a scream from her former friend who she couldn’t devour, cracking bones before simply tossing him into the fires behind her.

The students all watched in horror as another Pro was seemingly slain, the body slamming into the flames. Only silence followed. She broke free from the vines as a powerful fist crashed into her nose, throwing her backwards before slamming into a series of apartment buildings with a gigantic crash. Kamen Rider Ichigo stood before her.

“We cannot leave yet, Number One,” 80 stated as he quickly recovered, tensing his muscles as he prepared to finish the infected goliath before them. “We’re so close to finishing the job, we have to now or else-”

“If you do not leave now, then this world will lose its future,” Ichigo spoke firmly, watching as the infected Mount Lady rose to her feet. “I can feel it down to my soul, they must survive at any cost. And you will be the light to guide them through the horrors of this war. For if there is no God or Buddha, there will always be an Ultraman.”

The words stuck with 80 as he weighed his options, his power draining with every moment that passed. And the students were certainly reaching their limits, mentally and physically. If they didn’t leave soon, they would all die. But the feeling of guilt from leaving Kamen Rider behind would surely stain his very soul. It wasn’t right to trade him for his survival over the Rider’s. 

The lingering thoughts were cut off as the students all unleashed their most powerful moves at the infected goliath, explosions running down her body as flames and ice assaulted her from the side. Black Whip held her left side down with great resistance as Izuku felt pulled. Ochako charged in from behind, leaping forward before slamming her hand into the infected’s suit, causing her to lift into the air. Mount Lady looked down in horror as gravity continued to disobey her will, floating into the sky as the others continued their assault.

Deku let go of his grip of Black Whip, instead opting to send her further up into the air. “New Hampshire,” he screamed as he jumped with incredible speed at her stomach, swinging his first directly into her core. “SMASH!” She was thrown upwards at an alarming rate, a sonic boom echoing as a shockwave was sent out from the blow.

Ichigo stood over where she would fall, taking in heavy breaths before turning towards the surviving students. “Take Ingenium and get out of here, children, this will be my fight to finish. Follow Mr.Yamato, you all have to survive.”

“But we can’t leave you here!” Tsu spoke before being cut off.

“There is no time! You must all leave NOW! That is an order!” He turned towards Ochako, speaking with authority in his voice. “Deactivate your Quirk as soon as I am above her. You’ll see the signal, then run like hell.”

She nodded, showing that she understood what was being said as he launched into the sky, a sonic boom once again echoing as the surrounding area cracked. “Rider Jump!” He flipped through the air, now descending high above the floating infected goliath with his leg stretched out. Ochako did as she was instructed, placing her fingers together to release Mount Lady from her grasp, allowing the fallen hero to sit still in the air for a moment.

“RIDER KICK!”

He yelled with fury, his foot slamming into Mount Lady’s back with a loud SNAP as the two quickly descended towards the ground. The students of UA quickly scattered as they both approached the ground, running for cover in all directions, Tsuyu quickly grabbing the near unconscious Ida as they retreated. Their forms slammed into the hot earth below, an explosion upon contact engulfing the pair in concrete and fire.

The finishing blow had seemingly been made, only for the worst possibility to occur as through the thick black smoke, Ichigo was thrown away. The vigilante bounced off of the ground as he rolled, the infected Mount Lady unleashing a hellish scream over the battlefield as she approached the downed Rider. Ichigo acted quickly, rising to his feet and preparing for her mass to slam into him at full speed. He managed to catch her, but failed to stop her momentum. His feet caved into the ground as he was pushed back, his elbow continuing to slam into her back to subdue her, but he was reaching no proper results.

“I said go!” Ichigo cried out to the rest of the group, the small batch of survivors staring in horror as another one of their comrades sacrificed themselves for them. 80 began to rapidly shrink, a look of shame on his human form’s face as he began to run in the opposite direction, the group quickly following behind.

“So where the hell do we even go!?” Bakugo asked with much frustration, continuing to watch Ichigo battle the infected from a distance as they all retreated. He growled under his breath that he had to swallow his pride and leave the dispatching of Mount Lady to the Rider alone.

“We’re going to my place,” Izuku declared as he quickly got in front of the group, leading them with every step. “Just stay close and cover each other’s backs, All Might and my Mom went ahead during the worst of the battle to recover our apartment,” A bit of fear entered his mind that they had been jumped on the way there and hadn’t made it, but he had to hold onto hope that they were safe.

As the sky choked with a thick smog and embers, as flames continued to devour the city all around them, the battle had been lost. Not a single person they were meant to evacuate had made it, the children lost in the battle were quickly as the other heroes within their squad.

Survivors’ guilt rang within each of their hearts, but they continued to press onward, marching towards what would be their salvation.

***

28 Hours Later…
The Midoriya Residence

The group nearly broke down after managing to make their way to the Midoriya home, a wave of emotions crashing against them as everything had finally managed to calm down. Sounds of battle continued further in the city, but only as a dull din. The children stayed in the same room as Inko quickly made food for the survivors. A meal shared in the dark, in the quiet, but they were at least together.

That was something that at the very least they could take in stride, that they had all managed to survive this day, hoping the same for the rest of their families and classmates. 

They couldn’t wrap their heads around everything that had happened, the group only managing to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. But Izuku couldn’t do the same. He sat in the living room, watching over everyone as a candle was the only source of light. Anything else could alarm the infected. 

He debated turning on the television, to see what the world was reporting on the situation. Between the noise, the light, and the dread that would surely pierce his heart, he decided against the idea. Sitting amongst the group of friends in a moment of calm amongst the horror, his gaze shifted to Ochako, who was resting on his shoulder. He brushed some of her hair out of her face as she slept. If this had been an ordinary moment between friends becoming more, he would have had the biggest smile across his face.

But the circumstances were killing any romantic thoughts in his head, only filled with regret that he couldn’t do more to save those they worked with. Kamen Rider had given his life to save them, his last words stirring feelings of hope, but in the end it just left such a hole within the young man’s heart even as they weren’t directed towards him. He turned towards the balcony, seeing Mr. Yamato simply look out towards the continuing chaos. Screams still echoed into the night, crying out for anyone to rescue them from their cruel fate as they just sat there and did nothing.

Izuku turned back to the door, seeing that plenty of furniture had blocked the doorway. If any of the few groans he heard in the dead of night attempted to barge their way in, it wouldn’t take long for them to notice and deal with the issue accordingly. He slowly rose to his feet, making sure to not step on those that slept on the floor while gently placing Ochako’s head onto the couch, before walking towards the balcony. “Mr. Yamato,” the boy whispered, gaining the substitute teacher’s attention and snapping him back to reality. “Something on your mind?”

Takashi pondered for a moment about speaking on the matter, several things lingering on his mind. Those last words that Ichigo had spoken as he held Mount Lady back, “For if there is no God or Buddha, there will always be an Ultraman”, made him feel an incredible amount of weight on his shoulders. His kind had been venturing to this world for years now, with himself being the latest to arrive on this small but wonderful world. Yet, none of them had faced a crisis like this during their careers. Even as they had unfortunately witnessed the end of a world, it was not quite like this horrific event transpiring here.

He had lost so many students during the evacuation, never even having a moment to calm them or speak to them during this madness. That mistake would always linger within his heart and memory. They said that once one arrives on Earth, it changes something within you… He looked towards the sky, shooting out a beam of light almost invisible to the naked eye towards the stars above, creating the Ultra Sign above the small world. Even if he didn’t get an answer to if any were on Earth, 80 had to make sure that the others were safe. “This is what we would call an Ultra Sign,” The teacher spoke softly as Izuku joined him on the balcony, the two staring at the stars above the hellish landscape below them. “It allows me to contact others of my kind across vast star systems, and vice versa with their own. After everything that has happened today, I should at least make sure that backup is coming.”

He looked towards the stars with so many questions.

Would the Land of Light send more warriors to Earth to aid them against the ZQN plague? Without seeing a body, had Kamen Rider survived his encounter with Mount Lady? Was… was Kyoko Aihara okay?

That last one tore through his heart like a razor, with his short amount of time being on the Earth, Takashi had grown quite fond of his coworker. She had a good heart to accompany her bright smile, always attempting to bring down any tension within the work place or showing a better path for her students. Every conversation the two shared had him hanging on every word. He looked slightly down with a bit of shame, looking back to when he was deployed here to this world. He had recalled hearing of Seven’s experience with the people of Earth, that he had grown attached to a young human woman by the name of Anne Yuri. While he didn’t think it was too out of the realm of possibility for that to occur to any of them, he didn’t expect those feelings to appear within his own heart during his time here.

His eyes lit back up as one by one, Ultra Signs began to appear in the star filled sky.

Lipiah.

Jack.

Leo.

Ace.

Taro.

Where was Seven’s? The signs began to fade away, disappearing just as fast as they had arrived, at least giving him answers on how a few of them were. But not seeing Ultraseven’s sign made 80 fear the worst. “Seems that a few of us are still around,” Takashi stated with a slight sadness in his voice, attempting to hide his concern for a friend as he turned back to Izuku. “I suppose that Kamen Rider was right with what he said.”

Izuku stared forward, feeling the cold breeze brush past him as he simply stared with silence. He didn’t really know what to say, what to make of the situation. What Ichigo had stated to 80 reminded him of that fateful day that All Might had beaten All For One, staring at the gigantic television screen the same as the rest of the world. His finger pointed towards the camera with him declaring that it was his time, that he was truly the next symbol of peace. “Do you think that we’ll really be able to survive this?” The young man asked his elder, he had seen more than most his age, but he was still a child just as he was a warrior.

“I would say faith, but that would sound like a backhanded comment,” The alien visitor stated before continuing. “So I will say, trust that we will. That you and your friends will make it out of this.”

“Thanks,” Izuku stated, appreciating the honesty. “I’m going to check on my Mom, if you need anything, just come get me.”

“Wait,” the Ultra spoke, halting the young man as he stepped back inside of the apartment. He had been feeling regret for not doing that much with Kyoko before the world was devoured by this horrific plague, the least he could do was attempt to have another avoid that same regret. “When she wakes up… you need to talk to her, Izuku.”

Izuku knew exactly what Mr. Yamato meant when he uttered those words in that tone.

Normally, the young man would deflect the subject matter or avoid it entirely, but after what they had all been through, and seeing as he might not get another chance… Mr. Yamato was right. “I… I’ve never had to tell someone how I feel like that before. It might sound so stupid, but I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing or stuttering and looking like an idiot, or even worse that I could make things awkward between us. She’s a really good friend and I don’t want to ruin that…”

Kids these days were so blind. That’s what Takashi thought as he looked at the student of UA High, chuckling a little as he heard Izuku say that, but he quickly showed that he wasn’t trying to offend the boy. “Listen to me, young Midoriya. You could say the dumbest thing, stutter every word and even make the conversation awkward; and that girl would say yes in a heartbeat. Just keep that in mind.”

Was it really that simple? Izuku thought as he turned to the couch, the dark room only being illuminated by a single light on the table in the center. He wouldn’t wake her up just to start the conversation, she needed the rest just as everyone else did. But when the time was right… When was the time ever going to be right with what was happening around the world? He looked back at his teacher, giving a warm smirk as a response. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Thank you.”

The two nodded as he went back into the apartment, slowly walking past the group to go to his mother’s room as quietly as he could when he heard her and All Might speaking, halting him turning the knob. “What are we going to do about the kids?” Inko stated as she sat at the end of the bed, attempting not to succumb to all the pressure that was being placed upon her shoulders.

“We’ll figure it out, all of us together,” Toshinori stated with certainty as his hand slightly inched closer to her own. With the amount of time they had been spending together lately, and since connecting with Izuku, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to the struggling single parent. While that wasn’t the task at hand he should focus on, it was in human nature to put what was so selfish at the front of the mind, and he was no different in the grand scheme of things. “The children are strong, and evacuation to Okinawa is still taking place. Even if the virus did manage to arrive there, a simple song would awaken King Caesar. We’ll be safe there.”

One hand pressed against Inko’s face as tears quietly flowed down her face, altering All Might during the serious conversation. “They shouldn’t be seeing what we saw today. They should be studying for tests, not becoming soldiers. I have already seen my Izuku hurt too many times and this could…”

“Ms. Midoriya,” Yagi stated as he reached out, his hand gently placed on her own. The middle aged woman turned to her friend, attempting to look at him clearly as tears were streaming down her face. “Inko, I promise you and your boy will get out of this. We are going to go find the rest of their families and leave on the fastest evacuation transport out of here, I swear it.”

The two simply stared at each other for a moment, the moment of silence feeling like an eternity within just a few minutes of the conversation. It wasn’t the appropriate time to reach out the way that she wanted to, at least within her mind. After Izuku’s father had left for the states shortly after he was born it had left her feeling incredibly lonely. All Might was not only her son’s idol, but in their wildest dreams the two of house Midoriya would have never believed that he would be such a huge part of their personal lives. He had become Izuku’s mentor and father figure, as well as a dear friend to her.

She felt so stupid, not at least asking such a simple question at least once. “When we get to Okinawa, and things are much safer, would you like to grab a coffee?”

Yagi was stunned by the question for a moment, before an earnest smile formed on his face. “I would like that very much.” A slight laugh left the two of them, trying to be quiet enough to allow the children to continue sleeping. Her head pressed against his shoulder, the two sitting in silence as exhaustion quickly took over. Their hands fully embraced, even as the pair finally managed to fall asleep, managing to do so while not falling backward into the soft bed they sat on.

Izuku relinquished his grip from the door knob, quietly stepping back with a smile on his face. He wouldn’t mention the conversation that he didn’t mean to overhear, he did not want to intrude on or embarrass them in any manner. He was just happy that maybe in this horrific circumstance, good things could occur on smaller levels. Besides, his Mom deserved all the love in the world and he wouldn’t have to worry about anything with his mentor.

He turned around, seeing Ochako standing across the room, wiping her eyes as she looked at him.

Between the conversation with Mr.Yamato and what he had just overheard, there wasn’t much of a better time than now to speak what was on his mind. “Uraraka,” he said gently, silently stepping over their friends that were laying in the living room. “Just woke up, huh?”

“Can… can we talk?” she stated, cutting right to the point, taking Izuku aback. Was what was on his mind also on her mind? He shouldn’t jump to conclusions, the last thing he needed to do was start off on an incredibly wrong note.

“Yeah we can talk, what’s up?” He asked as he got closer, watching her body language as the conversation began. Her hand was slightly rubbing her other arm, her head pointed downward with a look of mixed anxiety on her face.

“Let’s go into your room if that is okay, we shouldn’t wake the others by accident.”

“O-Oh yeah that makes sense,” he stated while rubbing the back of his head with a fake laugh. “I’ll lead the way.” Quietly walking down the hall to his bedroom before twisting the door knob, the pair entered the separated space. He gently reached over to his desk which was lined against the wall, turning on the night lamp at the lowest setting as they each took a seat. “So what did you want to talk about?”

It took her a moment to answer the question, going through all the possible routes to state what was on her mind while looking directly at him. They had been friends since the moment they had entered this school and had been through so much together, just in their first year of UA. While everything was so overwhelming with the start of a different kind of war, them being on the front lines and already losing so much with the first day, this was crystal clear. She only wished that she could have said something before all of this had happened, but that didn’t matter anymore, it was the time to act while she still could.

“I wish that we could have said something sooner, under less pressuring circumstances… but I can’t hold it in anymore. If something were to happen, if I couldn’t” A single tear crossed her cheek as she continued to look Izuku in the eye, not breaking away for a single word. “If I couldn’t tell you, I would never forgive myself.”

The two teenagers sat with only each other to keep company, the light barely illuminating the room but being enough for them to see each other.

“I love you,” she uttered out loud for the first time, not looking away from him for a single syllable with those three powerful words. His eyes widened as she finally let weight off of her shoulders. “I have for a while now, and I can’t figure out the exact moment that I felt this way towards you, from our first interaction you were already so amazing. Taking on that training robot at the exam to enter the school, risking everything just so that I couldn’t get hurt,” More tears began to pour down her face, being followed by a bright smile as she quickly stood up and walked over to him.

He couldn’t move a muscle, he wanted to listen to anything more she had to say before acting. His heart was beating so fast, he swore that it would come out of his chest. He could only focus on her, on this moment. “I wanted to wait until after everything with the league stopped. I wanted to tell you properly after we were all safe. We wouldn’t be able to focus on that, being constantly in danger even on campus. But… I couldn’t stand the thought of turning into one of those things and never telling you.”

Izuku stood up slowly, standing over her as they looked into each other’s eyes. One hand wrapped around her own, quickly interlocking as he got closer. The other placed itself on her cheek, a bright smile on his own face as he quivered, joy rushing through his entire body at her words. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” he stated honestly, knowing that it was obvious that he would look at her from time to time or that he would grow flustered with her appearance. “I have never done this before. It was always hard for me to connect with people as a kid because,” He halted for a second, not wanting to open another can of worms in the middle of the emotional conversation, but he decided to press on anyway. “Because I was born Quirkless.”

Ochako’s eyes widened a bit at how vulnerable Izuku was, opting to listen just as he had with her. “Everyone treated me differently for it, but when I got into UA and I had met all of you, I slowly got to learn how to deal with those difficulties. All except not knowing how to tell you how I felt.” Tears continued to pour down the teenager’s face, shivering a bit when uttering the words that had held him like chains for so long. “I love you too, Ochako Ururaka.”

A moment wasn’t spared as she pulled him in, their lips locking as eyes quickly closed. Their embraced hands held tight as they simply let the moment sink in, pulling away from each other as an excited chuckle exited the both of them. In this moment in Hell, they felt like the luckiest people on the planet, and that nothing could ruin finally letting this out.

“Freaking finally, ribbit,” Was heard by the pair from the other side of the door, their heads turning in unison when they realized that their friends were listening the entire time. The door quietly, but quickly, opened to see Tsu wide eyed on the ceiling while Bakugo was against the nearby wall.

Neither of them could utter a word as they stared at the pair waiting outside of Izuku’s room, stuck to properly react to them eavesdropping when Kacchan spoke first. “Relax you two,” he stated with a surprisingly respectful tone. “You two idiots belong together, it has literally been the talk of the entire class for months. Just glad you finally said something.”

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Tsu spoke honestly, looking down with a bit of shame for ruining the tender moment. “But after all this time, I wanted to give my support somehow, ribbit.” Froppy explained, fearing that her friends would be upset that they were being listened to.

Only to be given a hug by Ochako instead, a genuine surprise as a smile was kept on her face. “I am truly blessed to have a friend as good as you, Tsu,” she happily spoke while letting the hug last a bit longer before pulling away, looking her in the eyes as she sarcastically stated. “But couldn’t you have at least made a joke, like, in the morning?”

Bakugo smiled at the ordinary moment, the angst and anger washing away for even just a time as the world around them felt so… normal. Right. That nothing could taint this moment of innocent youth that was before him, that he couldn’t even say a rude comment towards Izuku. “Hey,” he said towards the two of them, earning their attention. “I’m happy for you two.”

They both stood slightly embarrassed, but happy that their friends approved this much, the pair going to speak when a loud BANG slammed the door to the apartment. Everyone’s attention quickly darted towards the entrance of the small living space as something was listening outside, every voice instantly going silent as fear skyrocketed amongst the group. Mr.Yamato quietly walked back into the apartment, looking straight ahead at the entrance.

Ida, who had been sleeping on the floor in the living room, quickly sprang into action. The door to Inko’s room slowly opened as the pair of adults walked into the shared space, checking in on the noise that had woken them up.

Everyone stared with high tension as growls and snarls were heard from the hallway, the rest of the apartment complex hearing just enough to grow curious to the noise from their safe haven.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door was being broken down by a series of blows, the infected unleashing a hideous roar as various pieces of furniture that stood in the path bounced with each hit. They were being held back, barely, every moment growing more desperate to sink their teeth into their meals.

Ida quickly ran towards the door, pressing the furniture back in place. “Hurry! Grab what you can and then get run! I can only hold this back for so long!” The silence that once covered the halls of the apartment complex was now deafened by the howls of the undead, all congregating towards the entrance to the Midoriya residence. Food was thrown into a small backpack, Izuku working as fast as he could to find what was necessary while realistically being possible to carry. 

The others quickly prepared to evacuate the small living space, when All Might suddenly placed his hand on Inko’s shoulder. A look of sorrow was upon his face as he forced a smile before speaking. “I would have enjoyed that coffee, Ms. Midoriya,” The retired Pro Hero stated as he kissed her hand, standing up and walking over to Ida who was covering everyone else’s escape.

“You were the right choice for Class Rep, even now allowing your fellow students time to escape the clutches of death. Your brother would be proud of you.” The student looked confused before All Might quickly transformed into his muscular form, the same state he had carried out his heroics in before his final battle. Coughing blood as smoke rolled off of his body, he still had the strength to lift Ida away from the makeshift barricade and gently toss him aside.

“Wait, All Might, what are you doing!?” Ida cried out, earning the others’ attention with a quick snap of their heads. Their teacher’s body pressed against the furniture, making it so that the barrier was more secure.

“Ururaka,” he spoke with clarity, looking directly at her as he spoke. “Do not let these horrific times change that wonderful heart of yours. The world will continue to need kindness.” His attention then turned to Froppy, the undead still trying to claw their way through the hardwood before the veteran hero, breaking away skin just to get to them.

“Tsuyu, never allow your friends to stray away from the people they are. You will all face trials in this new world, some that will seem to break you in the moment, but you must all stay strong and I believe that you will be their proper support-” BANG!

The door shifted slightly as a fist made its way through, blood flying as the screams of the horde echoed through their ears. A milky white eye staring above blood soaked teeth pierced their souls as All Might quickly threw a couch backwards. His back put in more effort to halt the assault of the undead, sweat running down his body as his muscular form began to give. Strands of hair lulled downward, half of his face in its normal state, smoke continuing to roll upward from his body.

“Bakugo, you have a fire like that of a forge. The heat and pressure will create something new like a blacksmith would with iron, but your rage must never overshadow your heart, especially in times of war. Protect them all with your life and whoever would dare attempt to hurt them, unleash hell.”

Tears began to stream from the group’s eyes as they realized what was happening, the group of children witnessing one last valiant act of heroism from their mentor, their idol, their friend…

“Shoto, out of everyone here, you have carried the most burden in your life. And I unfortunately must ask that you carry another, in helping guide this group of young people. If hate should ever begin to consume them, you will have to keep them from slipping even further.”

“Mr. Yamato!” All Might called out with a slight turn towards the extraterrestrial teacher, his soul being pierced by the legendary hero of Japan’s words, the tension in the air rising just as fast as the heartbreak. The upper half of the door snapped completely, chips of wood flying across the furniture. Yagi’s left arm completely shrank back to its normal state, blood once again flying from his mouth as he was defying destiny just as his former sidekick had done to save Izuku. He would do the same for these children. “Protect them! These children are our future! If they are consumed, all hope will be lost for this world!”

The weight of the furniture and situation came crashing down on Yagi, his knees buckling slightly as his strength continued to leave him, turning his gaze completely towards Izuku. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at his student, quivering as he looked towards the boy that had changed his heart. “Before meeting you, I was in a really dark place. You showed me that it was possible to end this cycle of hate, you were determined to save people even with no Quirk. No hesitation in your footsteps. I am so sorry, young Midoriya, that I can’t teach you more. That I can’t watch you grow, but you are a fine young man, and I fully trust that you will succeed where I have failed.” He pointed towards Izuku with his free hand, holding up the furniture with the stronger limb as it shook violently. “It’s your turn now.”

And with those final words, he no longer could hold up the barrier. The undead quickly came rolling in. Yagi turned, swinging with what little strength remained to completely decimate the oncoming horde and the nearby apartment all the way through. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the swing, knocking everyone further away from All Might as he stood the best he could. Taking in deep heavy breaths, he turned to see Izuku and Bakugo being dragged away from the battle with screams of horror.

“We have to go!” shouted Takashi as he, alongside the other students, pulled the duo as hard as they could.

“I can’t let you die! Please! It doesn’t have to be this way!” Izuku screamed with passion. While he certainly had the strength to throw everyone off of him, he couldn’t bring himself to accidentally hurt them to save the man he looked up to.

Yagi closed his eyes for a second, thinking about his life. The moment he had inherited One For All, a quirkless young man who wanted to do the right thing finally gaining the opportunity to do so. The days in college with David as learning superheroes in the States, granting him the names of his attacks which would inspire an entire generation to stand up against the forces of evil in whatever shape it would take. 

Then he remembered that beautiful smile of his mentor, and her last act as his teacher, protecting him as Gran Torino flew him away from the battle against All For One. “I’ll be right behind you Nana…” he stated under his breath before charging into the hallway, looking side to side to see more of the infected surrounding him.

“Detroit Smash!” he screamed at the top of his lungs while swinging once again towards the left, all the students witnessing his final stand as they slowly managed to drop down to the street from the balcony. Ochako’s quirk guided them safely to the ground one by one for those that required it, Inko landing safely on the streets below with Tenya and Shoto standing right beside her, waiting for Tsuyu to quickly climb down the wall. Bakugo stopped resisting the grip, simply shaking them off before leaping off of the building to the streets below, tears flowing from his eyes as he landed.

All Might’s form went deeper into the apartment complex, the hero having his final stand as the children escaped. Izuku continued to weep as Takashi finally let go, watching the boy fall to his knees and slamming the floor for a moment before finally moving. The pair jumping down to the street below, the group quickly moving further with two goals on their minds.

They had to honor All Might’s sacrifice and continue forward in the oncoming war, and they had to find the rest of their families.

Inko held onto Izuku’s hand tightly as they marched forward, the tears from the group having to be forced back as the sound could alert more of them towards their direction. 

Chapter 8: The Last of Our Families 

Shoto’s house was the closest from their destroyed haven. Todoroki’s quirk activated, ice covering up the entirety of his right side while flames did the same on his left. Whatever remained of his family had to be in here. A part of him didn’t want an answer, or to find anyone in the house, on the off chance his fears would be confirmed. 

He breathed out, bolting straight towards the door. The half-cold half-hot hero in training stared at the door, tempted to kick it down, but resisted on the off chance it’d attract the horde. Shoto lightly gripped the handle and opened it slowly, being careful not to attract any attention. 

His flames illuminated the living room, scanning the area to find nothing in sight. The appliances and even the TV were silent as he motioned for the others to come inside. He motioned for them to stay in the living room while he continued searching the house, carefully keeping his silence. 

The first floor had been secured as Shoto walked back to the hallway connecting to the living room, shaking his head at its temporary occupants. No luck to be found on the first floor. 

Glass was then heard shattering upstairs, snapping Shoto’s attention to the stairs leading to it. He snapped his head away and bolted up the steps to find the source of the commotion, desperately hoping it was one of his siblings making a clumsy mistake. 

Shoto reached just outside the door where the source of the noise was when he heard another scream inside it. Instincts taking over, he kicked open the door to see his older sister, Fuyumi backing up to a wall, terrified beyond belief as her white and red hair brushed up against it. 

He was relieved to see at least one member of his family alive and well, but out of the shadows in the room, his heart sank. His older brother, Natsuo, was no longer amongst the living, but a member of the Scourge. He growled at his cornered sister, the left side of his face covered in scratch marks and blisters oozing with pus. The infected Natsuo stretched his arms forward to devour his captive prey as Shoto raised his arms up, intending to eradicate the monster his brother had become. 

Yet, he couldn’t. Shoto felt himself stalling, something he rarely ever did. He tried to move forward, but found himself frozen in fear, knowing he couldn’t kill his own brother. The pro hero in training tried to fire off either of his two abilities, but couldn’t do it no matter how many times he commanded himself. 

He was lost, befuddled at his lack of initiative. 

BOOM!

Like a blink of an eye, Bakugo walked past him and detonated his explosive power onto his infected brother, completely scorching his head. Natsuo shrieked out from his skin burning away until he collapsed on his stomach, no longer on this ruined Earth. 

Shoto felt his body beginning to relax even at the grief he was now facing from his brother now being deceased. He slightly turned his head to Bakugo, who simply nodded at him. His loud mouthed friend didn’t have anything to say, remaining uncharacteristically silent. 

“Shoto…” Fuyumi’s voice trembled, wobbling over to her little brother, wrecked with a plethora of emotions overloading her mind and body. She wrapped herself around him, crying into his shoulder after he deactivated his quirks. 

The youngest member of the Todorki clan lightly rubbed her back, mentally kicking himself for not being stronger. For not doing what was necessary to protect his family, letting that burden fall to a friend of his. It may have not affected Bakugo, but he worried it might make his sister resent him for it.

“Fuyumi… I’m sorry… for stalling… I promise…” Shoto breathed out, feeling wrecked with guilt, pulling his sister in tighter. 

“It’s okay, Shoto,” Fuyumi hushed, rubbing his red and white hair. “I’m just glad you’re here.” 

“How did Natsuo…” Shoto inquired, pulling back slightly and looking up at his sister. 

Fuyumi lifted up her glasses, wiping away a tear. “We had to double back to the house after we missed the evacuation, and he pushed me out of the way. I tried bringing him back home, but that’s when he turned…”

She couldn’t finish as she cried, allowing Shoto to wrap her up tightly once again. Bakugo watched the siblings embrace as he glanced back at the corpse he created. Inside himself, he felt guilty for doing what had to be done, knowing Shoto’s sister probably hated him for it. He felt compelled to give them his condolences, however, he knew they likely didn’t want to hear it. Besides, an apology coming from him would sound fake. 

Instead, he stood there in silence, allowing himself to be their guardian for just a few minutes so they may grieve. It wasn’t perfect, but this was the best he could do for them. 

***

Next step was Ochaco’s residence. They climbed up the flight of stairs, all keeping their eyes peeled for any infected along the way. The group made it to find her front door cracked open as Uravity feared the worst. Instincts took over as she nearly ripped the door off to find two corpses on the ground, both with holes in their heads as the group’s eyes collectively looked over to a pistol in the man’s hand.

“Mom!” Ochaco cried out, tears flowing out of her eyes. “Dad…”

She collapsed to her knees, landing just between their bodies, looking at their faces. Ochaco was mortified at what her parents did, taking note of their faces as she always remembered them. Pure.

No signs of infection amongst them. 

“Why didn’t I get here sooner?” Ochaco wept, inching her hands towards their bodies, attempting to feel them one last time. “Why did I have to assist in this useless evacuation attempt?”

Izuku was heartbroken at his girlfriend’s grief. He was fortunate, more so than almost everyone else that his mother was amongst the living while she lost her family today. Deku kneeled down next to her, wrapping his hands around her. He allowed her head to rest on his chest. Her tears soaked his suit while he held her tight, keeping his eyes focused on their bodies. 

Deku felt himself at a loss, knowing he couldn’t say something along the lines of her parents being proud of her for being a hero or how they’d want her to live without them. He felt like shit, not knowing what to do or even say as just recently they professed their love for each other. Now, he was met with his first real challenge in their relationship. 

“Life really is unfair.”

“Ochaco, I’m so sorry,” Izuku wept, turning his head from their bodies and towards her. He was all she had left now, and he couldn’t rush off to be the self-sacrificing hero. Izuku couldn’t destroy her world even further, yet he’d hate himself for not doing everything he could just for a chance to save the Earth. His mind was no longer clear. 

Only Ochaco’s sobs were heard while everyone remained silent at their friend’s grief. 

They were all slowly realizing they were going to be at their lowest. 

***

Bakugo stared up at his residency, hearing the growls inside. He tightened his hands, gritting his teeth while a low growl oozed from his mouth. “Fuck.”

The rage filled hero kicked down the door, pointing his grenade shaped cannons inside the hall, searching for his parents. Katsuki already knew the worst was about to happen to him. Like Ochaco, he was already too late, letting anger and grief wash over, he decided to scream out.

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!”

His shrieks of anger might attract other zombies to their position, but he didn’t care. It just meant more he’d get to eradicate in anger for what the world took from him. 

As if on cue, two shambling corpses descended down the stairs and eyed their son standing in the doorframe. His father’s spiky brown hair was falling apart, revealing brain matter while his right arm had forcibly been torn off. Lastly, his glasses collapsed on the wooden stairs, shattering them. 

His mother’s fate affected him even more. Her beautiful face was torn off, revealing flesh underneath while her nose atrophied prior to his arrival. Her pink shirt was covered in blood as it was ripped apart, revealing her torn insides. 

They both shrieked out, shooting their damaged arms out to rip into their son when Bakugo’s hands sparkled. Explosives detonated from his gauntlets, eviscerating them from existence, granting them peace from this undead curse. 

“Fuck!” Bakugo cried out, tears dropping from his eyes as he turned around to face the rest of his group. They all looked at him with concern, understanding what he was going through, but before any of them could relay their sympathies he cut them off. “Don’t give me any fucking apologies. Just watch your ass!”

He marched past them, surveying the area around them to find more infected to eradicate. To him, his whole world was taken from him as he had to gun down his parents. Bakugo armed his weapons forward, keeping watch as he waited for the rest of his group to make their way back to them.

Izuku, on the other hand, spotted a framed photo of Kacchan and his family. He mosied over to see all three of them smiling together in front of an amusement park on a bright sunny day. A far cry from their reality now. 

He may not want to see it now or ever, but Izuku couldn’t help but take the photo and place it inside his bag. Maybe one day, his former best friend would like to see it once again, but at the very least, he could hold onto it as a reminder for better days.

***

The group moved slower through the city, grief striking each member one at a time. Despair made them question whether it was saving lives or saving themselves, but they all silently agreed to let the others find their families. 

Takeshi even saw it in the kids’ eyes. He hated himself for not being there for them, for feeling like he was already failing Endeavor’s request. 80 declared himself to be the most useless out of every Ultra, fleeing from a battle while so many good people gave up their lives. 

“If any other Ultra were present, this would go down a lot better.”

He lightly grunted, knowing these kids and what remained of their families were his purpose now. Takeshi declared to himself he was the last line of defense for all of them. When the time came for him to face the horde, he would not run, but fight to the very end. 

The Ultra in disguise inched closer to Tsu, realizing they were at her house. It wasn’t much of a gesture, but he breathed out, telling himself he needed to be more present with the students. It may not help in the long run, but it’d be appreciated from them in due time.

Tsu jiggled the doorhandle, realizing it was locked. She breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing her house hadn’t been attacked yet as she reached in her pocket, pulling out the key. Froppy inserted the key inside and unlocked it, opening the door.

She was about to walk inside when 80 placed his hand in front of her and shook his head. “Let me go in first to make sure it’s alright.”

Froppy nodded her head, as she followed closely behind him. Takeshi scanned the living room to find heads slowly rising up behind the furniture as he prepared himself to fight the infected present. Tsu turned over to see the figure rising up when she heard a cheerful voice. 

“Tsu!” the figure plunged out of the darkness to reveal Tsu’s mother, looking completely healthy, rushing over to her. 

“Mom!” Tsu cried out with relief, allowing herself to be wrapped up in a hug as she tearfully did the same. Her father and her younger siblings bolted over to her, reuniting themselves with her. 

The Asui family collectively sobbed in relief, knowing their family was going to be okay. Takeshi and the rest of the group watched over the family in relief. Despite the grief they faced in the past few hours, they were happy to know Tsu’s family was intact as she smiled.

Tsu felt herself on cloud nine, but knew they couldn’t waste time as the infected horde could be on them at any minute. She pulled herself away from the family’s embrace and looked them straight in the eyes.

“As much as I’d like to continue this, we need to get out of here. We wouldn’t be safe here for long,” Tsu explained, rubbing her hands together, glancing at the home she grew up in. Neither she nor her family wanted to leave it behind, as they held a lot of meaningful memories there, but it wasn’t feasible to hide in the long term. 

“We understand, Tsu. We’ll leave immediately,” her mother, Bell, said, giving her a sense of relief.

“Just let us grab a few things before we get going,” Ganma, her father, explained, rushing over to grab a few family trinkets and heirlooms. 

Tsu’s little siblings still huddled next to her as she brought them closer to her. The two of them looked up at 80, giving him small smiles as the Ultra couldn’t help but smile back at them. He was gonna do what was necessary to keep the family intact, knowing it would be one of the few to survive this infection. The world already saw too much death, he could at least spare the Asuis from it.

He was just happy to know there might be some light at the end of that tunnel they were digging through.

***

Last was Ida’s as they rushed through the streets, narrowly avoiding the infected wherever they ran to. His residence was farther than everyone else’s as they came across a bridge connecting the two neighborhoods together. The white bridge seemingly shined in this dark storm they were trapped in. 

An answer was about to be discovered, one Tenya was terrified to uncover. The fastest hero in 1-A prepared to step forward onto the bridge, when the group collectively heard an explosion on the other side. 

The group looked up to see a series of explosions engulfing the entirety of that neighborhood, incinerating it. “No…” Ida’s voice trembled as the fire raged on through his eyes. He dropped to his knees and sobbed, knowing if his family were present, then they’d be nothing but ash.

“Ida…” Takeshi murmured, placing his hand on the class rep’s shoulder. The Ultra’s faith was briefly restored with Tsu’s family being okay, but now, it was as if he had been given false hope. To see another child’s family to be possibly incinerated was cruel, and to not even be given an answer was the worst insult that’d be thrown at someone. “I’m so sorry.”

Ida didn’t answer as he cried out, taking a moment to stare at the raging inferno just across from him. The bridge soon crumbled before his soaking eyes, cutting them off permanently. 

Tenya picked himself up, still feeling the light hand of the teacher on his shoulder before brushing it off. He glanced at 80 and gave him a small nod, seemingly thanking him. Ida was still distraught, but couldn’t let himself be consumed by grief, not when his friends’ lives were still at a stake. He continued moving forward to their next destination, wherever that may be. 

Takeshi sighed out, feeling himself still at his lowest. Being a teacher meant the world to him, to help everyone no matter what, but he felt himself at a loss. He breathed out, following the rest of the group, contemplating what everyone was seeing in him.

“There has to be a reason for my place in all of this.” 

The Ultra stared up at the dark grey clouds looming over him, letting the rain drop on his body. 

“If there is one, please tell me and I’ll do it.”

The world responded with silence, forcing his head to hang low, shuffling behind everyone, feeling defeated. 

“Figures.”

Time sped up for the remnants of the defense force. Rain poured heavily against the raging flames of Tokyo. Reports were relayed by what remained of leadership to acquire the scattered civilians and heroes. 

It was risky. 

To ask yet another favor of those who survived the first several hours of this crisis only to risk it to save those left behind. Only this time, a few answered that call.

A group of helicopters flew through the raging infernal, drops pelting their windshields. The noise of their propellers attracted the survivors to their landing zone. A brief sensation of relief washed over them, but deep down knew it was about to get a lot worse.

The howls of the undead echoed through the dying city, startling everyone to their core. Bones shook while hearts raced nonstop. Izuku turned around to see infected piling into the streets, bolting around the block while others dropped straight from the buildings. None of them cared if they broke their bodies, all of them attracted to the source of the noise, and soon, the few uninfected on the streets. 

“We have to move!” Izuku roared out, his eyes widening at the neverending horror. Acting upon instinct, he grabbed a hold of his mother’s arm and raced off with her in tow. The others soon followed, avoiding the infected at every step. 

Bakugo screamed out at the top of his lungs, blasting apart the zombies that dared to strike at them. Limbs exploded all across the street while the bulk of their bodies were incinerated. To him, killing zombies was almost what he had left in this world. He wanted to stay behind and kill as many as he could, to enact sweet revenge for taking his parents away from him. However, Bakugo knew any attempt would only lead the others in risking their lives for him. 

No. As much as he hated it, he had to live. 

At least for today.

Tsuyu and her family sprinted ahead to reach the aircraft in view. She sympathized with her friends, but escape was within their reach. Once they made it to the craft, she would turn back and assist them, but she couldn’t bear the thought of losing them.

Froppy and her family reached the craft where there were a few dozen other survivors boarding the craft. The military kept guard as they fired in all directions, mowing down all that ran towards them. It wouldn’t be long until they were forced to flee.

Tsu snatched up her younger sister and nearly threw her in the craft, as the rest of her family boarded it. Froppy turned around to face her friends still speeding through the streets to salvation as she heard her mother scream.

“Tsu! Get on!” 

Froppy glanced back at her family and smiled solemnly, placing her finger on her lip. “Go ahead without me, mama. I can’t live with myself if I don’t help them.”

“Tsu, no!” her father barked out, furious at his daughter’s willingness to stay behind for such a fruitless endeavor. He had no doubt they were great people, but his family’s wellbeing was what mattered more. He attempted to grab her, but a hollering voice beat him to it.

“Chopper three, loaded up!” 

A nearby soldier blocked the group, lightly pushing the bigger man back as the door sealed up. The cries of her family could be heard through the reinforced hull as Tsu shed a tear, watching her family ascend to safety.

She turned around, racing back towards her friends. A zombie with half of his head exposed took note of her charging forward and growled. He stretched his arms outwards and attempted to grab her, only for the hero in training to hop over him. Tsu noticed his exposed spine and ripped it off without any hesitation. The act made her want to vomit, but she had no time. She slammed the bones down and continued forward.

Inspired by her heroism, a couple of the nearby personnel aimed their weapons at the closing infected. The walking corpses were riddled by the bullets, allowing the others a more secure passage. Tsuyu bolted up next to Izuku and smiled, offering him a hand with his mother. 

Izuku wouldn’t have blamed her if she left then and there, but felt appreciative of her insistence to help their friends. He admired that hulking sense of loyalty that brewed inside her. The two moved forward while Shoto kept the infected from pouring in behind.

The flames incinerated several infected, leaving them charred, but it wasn’t enough. They still kept moving, their hunger insatiable and will not stop until they sink their teeth in them. Shoto gritted his teeth, angered by his attacks seemingly doing nothing but slow the infected. 

His hands grew cold as she swung them upwards, erecting several walls of ice. Yet, barriers began to crack, with some even able to stick their hands through it. Shoto tightened his grip, knowing they were living off borrowed time.

He glanced over to Ida, running at normal speed alongside the rest of his friends. If only he didn’t overheat his mufflers, they could have gotten through this quickly. Yet, he couldn’t blame him as he did what he had to throughout the day.

CRACK!

The infected poured through, amping up their speed and pushing to the brink. The group soon made it to the choppers where several of them started to slam their doors. Realizing what it meant, Izuku ignored everything around him, pushing his mom up the steps and towards the remaining opened helicopter. 

The howls of the undead grew stronger as the horde closed in on the landing zone. Propellers rotated around as they started to lift off from the ground. Just as the final doors were about to close, Izuku shoved his mom onto the last helicopter, as the door closed behind her. 

Realizing what her son did, Inko saw Izuku standing on the other side while the helicopter took off. “Izuku!”

She immediately began throwing her hands against the glass, attempting to break through it to reach him as he shed tears. It happened all so fast, he hated the JSDF for not giving them an extra few seconds to board, but knew the horde was right on them. 

“At least you’ll make it out, mom,” Izuku murmured, watching the helicopter disappearing in the grey clouds while Takeshi and the rest of his classmates gathered around him. “I love you.”

Deku turned up, intending to make a final stand against the infection all clawing their way towards them. Hope was not on their side as they prepared themselves for the end. They were tired and knew they couldn’t last long, but they at least saved a couple of lives as opposed to saving none.

It was terrible, but they at least accomplished part of their goal.

The infected charged towards them, reaching at them as everyone gave it their all, to blast as many as they could. 

Until everything went black.

***

GASP!

Izuku shot up from the ground, breathing heavily. He struck his arms out, intending to break apart any undead that tried to grab him. After a few more breaths, did he realize rain was no longer hitting him on the face, but was met by the warmth of the sun. 

Deku glanced over to see his fellow classmates all performing their respective duties around the campfire. Shoto and Tenya were hauling wood for them to burn while Ochaco, Fuyumi, and Bakugo were gathering ingredients for their next meal. Finally, he saw Takeshi and Tsuyu discussing amongst themselves.

He realized, as he watched the morning sun ascend higher and higher, that that night had been over two years ago. Despite reality telling him otherwise, it felt like only seconds had blazed by, leaving him to wonder if anyone besides the eight of them made it out alive.

It plagued his mind, filling him with dread. Izuku sat himself upright, keeping his lower half secured inside the teal sleeping bag. He asked himself the same questions over and over again. 

Is my mom okay?

Are their families okay?

Will we ever escape this nightmare?

Izuku still kept himself contemplating those thoughts, feeling himself unable to snap out of it. He knew he survived that fateful night, but a part of his personality that made him upbeat and optimistic made him dour. 

He breathed out once more, moving himself out of the confines of the bag, he stood up to meet the dawn of a new day. Izuku’s personality had changed since that day, but he couldn’t let it be a detriment to the rest of his friends. 

They were the only things keeping him alive. 

Epilogue: He Who Remains

Hate.

It was the only thing that remained within his decayed heart, each step forward in the burning metropolis showed that it was the only thing that remained within his undead brothers and sisters as well. Everything else had been ripped away, taken from them in a moment’s notice.

Love. Compassion. Empathy. Sympathy. Humanity. All of it was nothing more than a distant memory now. Even if his transformation had only been hours prior, it had felt like an entire lifetime.

He no longer needed to breathe, and yet he still commanded his lungs to attempt to, blood oozing from the gaping wound in his neck as he stumbled forward, his milky white eyes looking for the very thing that robbed him of his life. A guttural, hate fueled growl exited his jaws as he continued to march forward, not paying attention to the chaos around him. The howls of the damned and hungry were muted within his mind, the only sound echoing throughout his head as he stepped forward were the screams of the last person to ever show him compassion. A dear friend who died too young, attempting to be the only person to rush out to save him in his last moments as the horde surrounded him, all the while his so-called “best friend” ran away like a coward just as everyone else did.

Bile began to slowly ooze from between fangs as he reached down into the debris, wrapping his cold hand around the flowing, damaged cape of a torn apart corpse. Pulling the emerald colored cloth from the deceased mush of meat and metal with ease, he tightened his grip around the article of clothing before continuing his march forward.

Hate.

All he could feel was a scornful rage surrounding him, the other members of the undead horde wishing nothing but to devour whatever flesh remained within the deceased city. It was chaotic, undefined. It served no purpose. It needed a guiding hand.

Hate.

The entity looked onward, spotting one of the many machines that humanity used to fend off the Scourge’s onslaught, a lonely Gunhed flipped on its back surrounded by flames and smog. Embers rose to the sky as he felt the anger deep within his… soul was the wrong word for it, he no longer possessed a soul. He was hollow inside, a specter of vengeance that would guide this new world to a purpose. A vile smile formed as he got closer to the destroyed military weapon, the smell of iron and elemental fury surrounding him as he reached out. Wrapping his decayed hand around the molten hot iron, he lifted himself up with one hand as he held on tighter to the cloth from the deceased soldier before throwing it onto his back. Holding it in place, he reached the top of the destroyed war machine, standing amongst the horde in the middle of a hellish landscape.

With one hand he wrapped the cloth around him, the symbol of the Scout Regiment flying in the wind as he stood tall. The vile smile returned to him as he clenched his fist before raising it above his head, his pose mocking that of the strongest hero Japan had ever seen, before unleashing a hideous howl into the burning night.

“HATE!”

His undead brothers and sisters turned towards the noise, spotting another of the Hollowed. Infected civilians, soldiers, heroes, and villains, all waited for him to continue.

“Our hate has no purpose. Trapped within a decaying, deceased body, craving the flesh of those that we had once called friends and family! We are deemed monsters by the living, we are deemed ‘inhuman’, yet it is us who have claimed this city!”

A few of the infected began to walk closer towards the one speaking, those that had died protecting the civilians evacuating Tokyo Tower being the first to step forward. Their curiosity for the one able to speak so fluently rose with each passing word. “Were you discarded? Forgotten as they ran for their lives!?” The entity’s rage began to build, the emotions that remained like small embers in his heart becoming a wildfire. “You have no souls, and yet you demand to scream!”

For a moment, the undead once known as Endeavor had thought he saw this entity cry blood from the sheer emotion pouring out of him, only to realize that what he imagined was true. Throughout the brimstone and death, this being still retained the ability to cry. The black liquid ran down the entity’s cheek as a sinister laugher exited his maw for a moment before resuming speaking. “I will give you a glorious purpose! One that will allow you to live as you see fit, a guiding hand for our shared rage and hunger to devour the world!”

The chaos grew silent as one by one, the meta humans grew closer. “For we are many, we are a legion of the damned and forgotten! I will be your arbiter of vengeance within this new world! Our deaths will have meaning as we rob them of everything that is rightfully ours!”

If they had hearts, they would be beating fast with adrenaline and excitement. The warped, disgusting broken mirrors of the people they once were, for the first time in their undead existence, felt purpose.

From the flames, others began to join, the undead tank once known as Muscular tossed a few infected away from him as he approached, staring directly at the one speaking. The captain of the Gotengo, his sword on his shoulder, and his most trusted ally stood before him. The shapeshifting vampire began to chuckle with glee as the words reached her, a hideous smile forcing itself onto her face. The fallen leader of the League of Villains stood next to the number one hero, scratching his neck as anticipation rose in the air. The being before him reminded him of the malice that was born from his master. The foolish Gransazer that had charged into hell continued to devour the meat from their biggest meal thus far, the taste of extraterrestrial giant satisfying him as he listened closely. 

The earth shook as a giantess made her presence known, the rotting giant looked downward with white hollowed eyes at the one speaking. The sound of beating wings was heard overhead as a draconic figure swooped down to the ground, landing onto the horde, crushing some of the weaker ones. The future-seeing teacher stood behind most of the group, the creature attempting to find the next best course of action with his Quirk. The heteromorph chuckled as he grew excited from the speech, all the flesh he could consume would be given to him, it mattered very little how to the Hollowed. 

“We will turn them into cattle as we reclaim this world for our own. Follow me, and together we will take our rightful place at the top of the food chain, the new humanity, the true humanity!”

The air once again grew silent before one by one, those with heightened intelligence began to kneel before him. A man with no Quirk, a man with no contract to a Devil, a man powerless to a well timed bullet, now stood above the horde. A sinister smile formed on his maw as he stepped down from the Gunhed, the cape still flowing in the wind as he approached Endeavor, reaching down with his hand. The fallen pro hero took it, rising to his feet as the entity began to do the same to the others that surrounded him, each of them standing around him.

“Take whatever you can from the Gotengo, reclaim anything of value.”

“W-Wait,” Shigaraki spoke, earning the entity’s attention with a side glare. “Wh-What… do we… c-c-call you?…”

For a moment the entity had to ponder on his answer, the question forcing himself to remember his own name. Turning fully towards the deceased supervillain with a warm smile, one hiding his true rage at even attempting to remember who he was before his transformation. “My name is Armin Arlet, and I demand justice.”

With a wave of his hand, the group one by one all began to march towards the fallen war machine in the distance, its form coated in flames and ash. All but two. He turned towards those that remained by his side, the fallen Douglus Gordon and Shinichi Ozaki, still standing with a salute towards their new leader. “A-Allow us… to travel w-w-with you.” The mutant spoke, his destroyed form struggling to even muster the simplest of words.

“As you wish,” Armin replied before spotting something amongst the ruins, keeping his gaze upon the object of his interest before beginning to march towards it. “But first you must do something. Begin a wide search within the city, find any others that might have interest such as yourself. We require numbers, power, and coordination. Do you believe you are up for the task?”

“At your… c-command,” Gordon spoke.

“Good.”

As the two JSDF soldiers took their leave, Armin continued marching towards what he had spotted, finding amongst the hellish landscape that surrounded him the corpse of a mechanical man. Oil spilled across the pavement just as blood had done the same for any human or animal caught within the chaos. Its humanoid form lay colorless on the ground as nothing but a corpse, one that could be devoured like the others. He crouched down, placing his hand on the torn apart head of the robotic entity with a soft touch.

“Were you forgotten too?” He spoke with an odd softness towards the fallen emissary of God, a plan forming in his mind to gain his revenge towards the one who had cursed him and Mikasa into oblivion.

“Our hate has united us, and it will rebuild you as it rebuilt me…” He looked into the ash filled sky, the air blowing past him as he took the moment in, his thoughts rushing towards the one responsible for his hate.

“Eren… I will kill you and everything you love in this world.”

***

GASP!

A series of weak breaths bounced underneath the pile of rubble, as the culprit placed his bloodied hand on the ground, wincing at the pain. He glanced down at his hand, noticing his index finger completely removed while his middle hung on by a thread. 

“Fuck.”

Observing his surroundings, he realized how limited it was as he was practically in a concrete dome. The soldier slowly shifted himself upward, allowing his back to rest on the makeshift wall, grunting from the injuries he received within the past few hours. He glanced down at his bloodstained shirt, ichor still pouring out while he groaned slightly in response. 

However, it was only then, with his conscience fully coming back, did he notice the worst of the damage on his body. His vision was partially gone, as he couldn’t see anything from the right side. The Captain lifted up his uninjured hand and tapped it ever slightly, finding nothing but a gaping hole. 

“Just my luck….” he mouthed out, closing his remaining eye, allowing himself to contemplate his next move. “Bastards.”

“Levi!” an excited voice echoed through his mind, as she continued on. “I love the new look!”

The Scout Regiment Captain chuckled at the voice, inspiring him to lift his head back up. “You better still be alive, four-eyes.”

He took his time getting himself back to his feet, rolling his eye at how the gap in the rubble was the perfect height for him. “Somewhere out there, I bet they’re laughing their asses off at this.”

Levi placed his wounded hand on his stomach, keeping whatever blood remained from spilling out as he glanced through the hole. “And same to you, Erwin.”

He limped over to the opening, intending to squeeze out of it, but a bloodcurdling cry was unleashed, followed up by a hand grabbing the collar of his shirt. Levi pulled back, as the infected stuck his head through the hole, screaming at him. The Captain’s strength was sapped as he struggled to escape, allowing the infected to pull him closer and closer.

“Captain Levi has the best chance out of any of us to stop this. He’s the only one I trust to see it through.”

“Goddammit, Erwin,” Levi hissed, planting his feet to the ground, allowing himself to hold his position for a few seconds, facing the zombie trying to bite down on his skin. “Why did you put that much faith in me?”

He scanned his entire body to search for anything he could use against the member of the Scourge. It could have been easy to miss something had he been a nervous wreck or had his injuries been even worse, but he was revered for a reason. The Scout Captain had been seen as a symbol of hope for humanity, and he couldn’t let that falter. Even if he didn’t care for the titles everyone threw at him.

Levi noticed a couple of blades still attached to his belt. He breathed, feeling a tad relieved he could still pull through this situation. The high ranking member of the Survey Corp snatched a blade off his belt, wincing at the steel cutting into his hand. He eyed the hole and gritted his teeth, knowing that attacking his assailant wouldn’t do much good.

Even if he could stab the monster in the head, there was no guarantee he’d die. The most the injured man could do was to ensure a stalemate. Levi huffed, preparing himself for the pain he was about to endure as he glanced down at his dangling finger. He moved his damaged hand just in front of the infected and slashed the finger with the swipe of his blade. 

Blood splattered across the zombie’s face, coating his eyes with red and blinding him briefly. The zombie panicked at the sight of his prey disappearing, forcing him to let go in a moment of confusion.  

Levi backed away with newfound freedom, grabbing a hold of his now severed finger. Despite the pain he induced upon himself, he kept himself composed, holding on to the digit. The Scout Captain squinted his eyes, aiming for the hole just past the zombie. Like throwing a treat to a dog, he tossed his severed finger. The impact was tiny, but it was enough to divert the infected’s attention. 

The trapped scout cut off a piece of his cape and wrapped his bloodied hand up in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Levi watched from a distance, noticing his assailant was taking the bait just as planned, devouring the finger to the bone. 

“Enjoy every little bit of it, you bastard,” Levi hissed between breaths, feeling the pain coarse through his whole body. 

The distraction didn’t last long as the zombie screamed right back at Levi, attempting to claw his way through the sanctuary. The Scout Captain breathed out, feeling himself collapse back down, watching the infected struggling to reach for him.

He closed his eyes, exhaling once more. “I guess I won’t be able to tell you after all, Hange.”

Levi chuckled. 

He wasn’t fond of this outcome, but at the very least, he chose how he would go out. It was a privilege to go out as a member of the living as opposed to being a part of the Scourge. 

“If you’re still out there, Hange. Take as many of those bastards out as you can and-” Levi paused, smiling at the thought of her, with her huge smile and those big, stupid glasses. “Live.”

He readied himself for death while the scream of the infected rattled on and on. Little did he know, death had no interest in claiming him that day. 

SPLAT!

The infected’s head exploded like a watermelon, immediately jolting Levi up. He witnessed the now headless zombie collapse from the tiny hole. The Scout captain kept his distance, properly equipping his blades, readying himself for a fight. He saw a brief glimpse of a figure clad in black just outside, having a bad feeling in his stomach that it was a far bigger threat.

The rubble exploded instantly as pieces landed just in front of him. Levi stood his ground, placing his blades just in front of him. The figure slowly entered the haven, revealing himself to have black armor with cracks all over it, while a red scarf draped around his neck was ripped.

Levi’s grip on his blades tightened, fully expecting the Kamen Rider to be infected. He’d be surprised, and even thankful, for the rescue. But with the helmet still intact, he had no idea what the new arrival wanted. 

The masked individual took note of Levi’s stance, identifying him as human, taking note of his fear towards him. The rider stood still and lifted his hands onto his helmet and removed it slowly, revealing the still human form of Takeshi Hongo. 

The unmasked rider smiled at his fellow compatriot before offering his hand. Levi breathed out in relief, immediately taking it as Ichigo led him further out. The two stepped free of the rubble, Levi realizing he was in the ruins of a convenience store. Ruined aisles full of scattered bags of chips and candy caught his eye. 

“Anyone else?” inquired Levi. 

Hongo shook his head, wasting no time in putting his helmet back on. He scanned Levi’s body, acknowledging the wounds plastered all over. The man was stubborn enough to go down fighting no matter the situation, but they needed to escape this hell and fast.

“We need to get out of here,” Hongo relayed, skimming through the aisles for supplies and bandages for his ally. 

Levi scoffed at the idea, allowing himself to lean back against a shelf. “I thought you’d want to look for more survivors.”

“How long do you think you’ve been out for?” Hongo asked, throwing a pack of bandages over towards him as he then reached for a backpack. 

“A couple of hours at most,” Levi coughed, picking up the bandages while the pain in his body continued. 

“It’s been twenty-eight hours since the operation ended,” Hongo clarified, ramming his hand across a shelf, pushing several bags of food into the pack. 

Levi huffed while he closed his eyes and wrapped his body up in bandages. “Shit. We really did lose, huh?”

“We didn’t just lose the battle,” Hongo announced, walking up to his fellow soldier, stuffing a few bottles of water in the pack before setting it down. “We lost the planet.”

Levi paused for a moment, taking in the information that was delivered to him. He was frozen at the revelation, questioning how they could have botched the operation so badly. The captain took note of Hongo taking over for applying his bandages, but continued traversing in his thoughts. He tried to take account of all divisions involved, his eyes widening. 

“Do you know if anyone made it out!? Do you know if Section Commander Hange made it out?” Levi almost barked out, before Hongo shushed him.

Ichigo shook his head, applying the last of the needed bandages onto the captain. “I don’t, I’m sorry. All I saw were corpses littered across the streets and a few choppers escaping the city.”

Levi hung his head down, muttering “Dammit.”

“I wish I knew, I really do,” Hongo spoke, noticing the distress in his friend before picking up the pack. “I have a lot of people I’m worried about as well, but right now we need to get out of here before either the infected find us or the flames devour us.”

“Yeah,” Levi simply whispered while he stood back up, gripping his blades. “I really was the only person you found, huh?”

“Sadly, yes,” Hongo answered, taking a peek outside the ruined store. 

“I can’t take offence in that,” Levi stated, moving closer to possibly the only friend he had left in this world. “If only there were more.”

“Agreed,” Hongo affirmed, turning his head slightly back at him. “You can run, right?”

“It’ll hurt like hell, but yeah, I can manage,” answered Levi.

“Good,” Hongo said, opening the door slowly, spotting zero infected congregating in the street they were in. Kamen Rider motioned for Levi to follow him outside as kept just outside of the business.

“What’s the plan?”

“First destination is to check up on a military base a few miles up north and see if anyone else made it,” clarified the Rider as the two began making their way down the street towards their target. 

“And if nothing is there?” Asked Levi, taking it easy with his aching body screaming at him. 

“Then, we keep searching, no matter what,” answered Hongo, marching down the street, finding his resolve in this newfound world. The world was lost and it crushed Takeshi’s spirit, but a glimmer of light was still in his heart. Even if there was only one person left out there, he’d fight tooth and nail to make sure they’d still live.

Levi’s survival was proof of that.

Levi, on the other hand, would follow Kamen Rider’s lead, but more important was making sure the Survey Corps’ sacrifice would not be in vain. When the time came, he would continue to dedicate his heart to them until the end. 

Despite their failures and regrets, the two marched out of Tokyo and into the wilderness with a newfound resolve. They were embers that’d help spark the fire of humanity to rise back up against the ever growing scourge.

Winner: Armored Titan, Neronga (Universal), Mt. Lady