Author: Christian Salabert | Banner: Andrew Sudomerski
Clanging his blood-stained scythes together, Gigan reared his head back and let loose an unmistakable cry of victory. His foe was slain. His mission was complete.
Sparks erupted from the alien as the ray struck his back. The blue beam sent the fowl fiend toppling into his face, causing him to squawk out in surprise. The cyborg quickly returned to his feet to see who had attacked it. A large, dinosaur-like creature was approaching it. The beast was charcoal grey in color and had ivory fins on its back. A powerful tail swung behind it. The reptile bellowed a challenge.
* * * * *
“Oh, so there’s another one,” the young man, the Xilien Controller muttered with interest. “Gigan? Attack.”
* * * * *
With a loud cry, the cybernetic assassin struck a battle pose with his scythes and immediately charged, leaving the massacred body of King Ghidorah behind him. The dinosaur reared back in surprise at the sudden advance of his opponent, but reacted just as suddenly, unleashing another atomic ray. The scythed saurian swatted at the beam with his arm this time, dispersing it in a minor explosion. Before the reptile could react, the living weapon slashed at its side with his scythes as it ran past, gashing open its flesh. As the dinosaur cried out while its blood spilled, the Xillien beast reached up with his tail, snatching the reptile’s snout within the clawed clamp at the end. With a powerful flick of his tail, the invader sent the creature crashing to the ground.
Godzilla grunted in pain as he toppled onto his chest. He wasn’t quite sure what this strange, bladed creature was, but he did know that he was going to put an end to it. Pulling himself to his feet, the monster king opened his jaws and belched forth an atomic blast. But Gigan was quicker than expected and was in the air in an instant, letting the beam explode harmlessly against the ground in a cloud of fire and dust.
The irradiated reptile craned his head upward to see the cyborg and growled angrily as he spotted it circling above him. The radioactive monarch spat another atomic ray into the sky, but the nimble alien effortlessly avoided it and returned fire with a blast of his Cluster Light Ray. The vengeful beast grunted as the beam exploded all around him, throwing him off balance. Before he could recover, the bioweapon flew in behind him, gashing his torso’s saw across his foe’s skull. With a shriek, the Monster King crashed back to the pavement, blood trickling from his head. The bladed monster landed nearby and chirped in laughter as he watched the stunned saurian struggle to get back to his feet. The alien clashed his scythes together as he taunted the reptile.
A mistake.
Wrenching his head upward, the King of the Monsters unleashed a nuclear beam that smashed into the beaked face of his tormenter, knocking the space beast onto his back in a shower of sparks. Pulling himself to his feet, the mutated Godzillasaur made his way over to the fallen fowl as the cyborg writhed about on the ground, holding his face as best he could with his scythes. Reaching down, his clawed fist took hold of a spiked tail claw and hoisted the creature into the air, bringing him back down hard. The Xillien monster’s back smashed down hard into the pavement, dazing the cyborg, only for the titan to once again lift him into the air and slam him into the ground.
Thrice more the royal reptile repeated the maneuver before twisting his body around and hurtling the sadistic extraterrestrial through the air, sending him crashing head-first through the nearest building, bringing the structure down on his spiked head, burying him under thousands of tons of debris. Turning his attention to the nearby skyscrapers, Godzilla cleaved them in half with his atomic ray, sending their charred remains crashing down onto the helpless pawn as well.
The radioactive saurian’s orange eyes narrowed as he watched the pile of wreckage closely for a moment. Not a single sign of movement came. Rearing his head back and flexing his arms, the atomic dragon let loose a roar of triumph.
His victory was short-lived, however. A mysterious hissing noise filled the air, causing him to cut his roar short and look into the sky, trying to pinpoint the source of the strange sound. Suddenly, in a brilliant flash of light a vortex of energy, a new being came into existence, soaring high in the air.
Mecha-King Ghidorah had arrived!
* * * * *
The Xilien Controller reared his head back in surprise as he watched the events unfold on his viewscreen.
“Wait, what?” he asked no one in particular. “Didn’t Gigan already kill that monster?”
* * * * *
“It’s King Ghidorah!” Gurenchiko declared.
“No,” Wilson replied, shaking his head as he closely watched the scene unfold on the viewscreen. “This is something different.”
* * * * *
With an earth-shaking thud, the upgraded monster landed not too far away from the baffled Monster King, the creature’s two living heads letting out a series of cackling shrieks. The mechanized left head opened its maw, unleashing a cybernetic, synthesized cry. Godzilla’s head reared back as he was taken by surprise by the sudden arrival of this new creature, letting loose with a roar of confusion and anger. He heard the beast’s cackles for what they truly were: a challenge. And the Strongest Monster On Earth was not about to let any challenge go unanswered. Roaring loudly, he advanced.
The Strongest Monster Of The Future immediately opened fire with a barrage of Gravity Beams and Triple Beam Lasers. The blasts slammed into the dreaded god, halting him in his tracks and showering him with sparks. The mighty reptile snarled in pain as the lightning-like blasts scorched his flesh and immediately retaliated in kind, unleashing his atomic breath at the three-headed monster, only for the azure beam to wash over his armored opponent’s chest plate. Sparks flew, but the reborn super monster barely seemed bothered by the attack, and indeed resumed firing energy bolt after energy bolt from his trio of mouths. The invincible terror shrieked as they tore into him.
In the leviathan’s cockpit, Emmy Kano scrambled to keep the future weapon active.
“Emmy, the shields are holding, but we need to avoid direct hits like that!” The voice of the android M-11 guided her over the intercom.
“I know that!” Emmy snapped.
Moving the main control stick forward, she directed the three-headed destroyer towards Godzilla, who appeared to be surprised by the sudden move. Capitalizing on his surprise, Emmy turned the advanced defender’s firepower onto a nearby skyscraper, cutting the structure in half. The King of the Monsters was completely unaware of the toppling building until it was too late, crushed underneath. As the smoke began to clear, Emmy spotted a charcoal tail sticking out of the wreckage, still showing signs of life. The reborn King of Terror immediately opened fire, blasting the pile of debris with gold, white and purple energy.
Suddenly, a shockwave of blue energy erupted from the rubble, vaporizing the wreckage and allowing the titanic tyrant to rise back to his feet, roaring furiously. His mouth still open, the Monster King unleashed a powerful atomic blast, a smaller stream of energy swirling around the ray. The spiral blast struck Mecha-King Ghidorah in the chest, and this time the cyborg felt it, stumbling backwards. The furious saurian stepped forward, flexing his claws as he prepared to strike the cyborg’s chest plate. Emmy reacted quickly, though, punching a command into the controls that caused the mechanized hydra to leap into the air, towards its foe. The living nuclear weapon reared back, once again taken by surprise. Unable to react fast enough, he was helpless to stop the multi-headed cyborg’s feet from smashing into his face, flooring the reptile. As the infamous monster lay stunned on the ground, the custom made creature landed and turned back to face him. Emmy kept her hand on the joystick as she decided her next move.
Her strategizing was cut short when another pile of debris exploded nearby, a large scythe emerging from the ruins. Emmy quickly turned her mecha to face the disturbance just in time to see Gigan emerge from the rubble, shrieking in fury. The Xilien cyborg quickly saw his target lying on the street and what appeared to be King Ghidorah standing over him.
Inside the three-headed monster’s cockpit, Emmy was suddenly having trouble controlling the mech. She tried a systems check, trying to pinpoint exactly what the problem was.
“Emmy, what’s wrong?” M-11 asked.
“I don’t know, Mecha-King Ghidorah is barely responding,” she said as she hurriedly worked the controls.
Unbeknownst to either of the cyborg’s pilots, the cybernetic revenant’s sluggishness was due to a memory. A memory sparking deep within the minds of the two remaining heads of the Dorat mutant. A memory of being slain by the very same bladed creature they saw before them. Soon, the two minds were trying to break free of the Futurian technology that had been grafted upon them.
Swinging his scythes around, the armored assassin decided to attack and charged. In a panic, Emmy pulled the trigger to fire the super monster’s breath weapons, but only the mechanical head responded, firing the Triple Beam Laser. The bolt hit in the bladed chest, slowing the fowl fiend’s advance but not stopping it completely. Emmy aimed the weapon up, strafing against her foe’s neck until it hit him in the face, exploding against his visor. The Xillien beast shrieked, clutching his face with his scythes. The reborn hydra fired again, but this time their target shot up into the air, avoiding the blast. Circling overhead, the cyberclaw terror shot off his Cluster Light Ray. As the crimson beam exploded all around him, the cyborg dragon’s live heads suddenly snapped to attention, instantly pinpointing their foe above him. Flapping his gigantic solar panel wings, the rebuilt menace took to the sky, cackling at his old foe.
“Emmy, what are you doing?!” M-11 cried.
“I’m not doing anything!” she cried. “Mecha-King Ghidorah is doing this on his own!”
* * * * *
Wilson watched the scene with interest, his hand on his chin.
“Hmm… I wonder…”
* * * * *
Turning around, Gigan flew directly at the approaching android, firing off another cluster blast. The Futurian cyborg zoomed right through the ensuing explosions, though, and the two organic heads immediately opened fire with their Gravity Beams. While unsure of her current predicament, Emmy noted that the malfunctioning monster seemed to share her goal, and so she too opened fire, adding the Triple Beam Laser to the multi-headed cyborg’s assault. Blasted repeatedly by the three bolts, the space monster was forced to swerve away. Before Emmy could do so, the revived terror began to give chase, following the scythed speedster as fast as he could. Though the alien beast was much faster, it couldn’t outrun the rebuilt hydra’s energy bolts, and another volley of blasts forced the buzzsaw brute to the ground.
Landing on his feet, the beaked beast turned around and prepared to fire his razor discs at his opponent, only for his larger foe to plant his feet into the Xillien weapon’s face, knocking him to the ground. Just as the draconic cyborg prepared to attack, he was hit by an atomic blast, showering his armor with sparks. He turned just in time for Godzilla to slam his shoulder into him, causing the cyborg to stagger back. A red beam exploded all around the raging reptile, which was soon followed by a metallic blow to the head as the alien weapon slammed the side of his left scythe into the back of the reptile’s skull. Righting itself, Mecha-King Ghidorah opened fire with all three of its beams, blasting his two opponents.
“I don’t understand it!” Emmy cried as she worked every control she could find. “With Godzilla, he’ll respond to my commands, but with Gigan, Mecha-King Ghidorah is attacking all on his own!”
“Emmy, get out of there!” M-11 said hurriedly. “Bring Mecha-King Ghidorah back to base!”
She quickly punched in the necessary command code to activate the time warp into the panel in front of her, only to get nothing in response.
It was then that Emmy finally panicked.
“I can’t!”
* * * * *
“So, you’re telling me we can control that cyborg King Ghidorah as easily as we could our own?” Gurenchiko asked, his head tilted with uncertainty.
“That King Ghidorah is ours,” Wilson said. “But it won’t be as easy as before. This Ghidorah is damaged and has other control devices planted within its neural pathways now. We’ll have to move MOTHER closer if we’re to take control of it.”
“But why?” Gurenchiko asked. “What good is a damaged King Ghidorah?”
“Don’t you see?” Wilson asked. “That robot Ghidorah is stronger and has more weapons in its arsenal. If we can take control of it, we can destroy Godzilla and that alien beast, and then resume our mission of putting those foolish Japanese in their place!”
“Of course!” Gurenchiko laughed. He turned to the twin M10 android pilots sitting at the control panel. “Get us in the air!”
* * * * *
The King of the Monsters cried out as he crashed to the ground, overwhelmed by Mecha-King Ghidorah’s unending assault of energy blasts. The bladed bully quickly ran up and kicked his spiked foot into Godzilla’s face, only to be blasted by the gravity beams as well. The Xilien cyborg quickly turned and attacked his three-headed foe, crashing into him and activating his buzzsaw. Sparks flew as the saw tore into Mechaghidorah’s armor, only for the two to be separated as the nuclear dragon lifted his head and fired an atomic blast that exploded between them.
“Emmy, focus your attacks on Gigan,” M-11 suggested. “It’s the one causing all the problems with Mecha-King Ghidorah. Maybe once he’s destroyed, he’ll start functioning properly again.”
“Right!” Emmy nodded as she prepared to unleash their ultimate weapon: the Machine Hand.
High overhead, the MOTHER time ship made its presence known, though it went unnoticed by any of the three warring beasts.
* * * * *
“I have to give Emmy this,” Wilson said as he watched the cybernetic dragon in action. “She truly went all-out in upgrading our monster.”
“That she did,” Gurenchiko agreed. “It’s a pity we’ll have to relieve it of its mechanical head; it’s quite nice-looking.”
“We can replace it once we have it under our control,” Wilson replied. “Until then, as long as Emmy can control it, it’s an obstacle between us and total conquest of Japan.”
“Sir.” The two Futurians looked down to the M10 that had spoken. “The control device is ready.”
Wilson nodded and gave the order. “Do it.”
* * * * *
Just before Emmy could press the button to launch the Machine Hand, the reborn terror stopped in his tracks. Before she had a chance to even wonder what was happening, the cyborg’s two live heads began to shake and writhe as electricity crackled over their skulls.
“Emmy!” M-11 cried. “Someone is trying to take control of Mecha-King Ghidorah!”
“What?!” she screamed.
Indeed, Wilson and Gurenchiko’s control was all but complete as the mindcontrolled mutant began to pour blast after blast into Godzilla and Gigan, putting both creatures on the defensive. The nuclear saurian was forced face-first to the ground and the Xillien weapon was sent careening backwards into a building, bringing it down on top of him.
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Emmy declared and quickly brought the mechanical revenant’s cybernetic head into action. It swung around and punched its metallic snout into the central head’s face, knocking it back. It then opened its mouth and spat out a Triple Beam Laser that exploded against the right head.
* * * * *
Wilson sneered. “Foolish girl.”
* * * * *
Mecha-King Ghidorah’s two organic heads quickly turned their Gravity Beams onto their mechanical brother, scorching its plating and blasting pieces out of it. The robotic head was quickly overwhelmed by the other two, which bent down and began to bite and snap at its base, which was quickly shredded and ripped apart. Emmy watched in horror as the two live heads bit down on the mechanical neck and tore it completely out of its socket, sparks spraying from the mangled end of the neck. Cackling triumphantly, the two heads tossed the metallic neck to the ground, bouncing it off the Monster King’s head. Lifting his head up, Godzilla angrily got to his feet and snatched the lifeless robot neck off the ground. Gigan quickly got to his feet and chirped furiously at his towering foe, only for the radioactive reptile to turn around and clock him across the face with the mechanized head, sending the Xilien monster tumbling back to the streets.
Still holding the metallic neck in his claws, the nuclear tyrant turned his attention back to the Futrurian cyborg.
“Emmy, enough! Get out of there!” M-11 pleaded. “Abandon ship!”
“I think you’re right…” Emmy said as she watched the dreaded god approach. She hit another button and within moments, the KIDS timeship burst out of the mecha’s back and took off into the sky.
Luckily for Emmy, the furious saurian hadn’t noticed the small craft emerge from his prey. He swung his arm around, clobbering the central head with the robotic neck. It was then that the two heads began to fight fully under the control of Wilson and Gurenchiko, blasting at their nuclear target with Gravity Beam after Gravity Beam.
The monster monarch cried out as he felt a slicing pain sink into his back as the extraterrestrial assassin’s razor discs planted themselves into his flesh. Horned golden heads bent down and swatted the radioactive monster away, turning his attention back to the space beast. The Futurian cyborg unleashed his Gravity Beams once again, but this time Gigan ignored the blasts, running through the surrounding explosions. Swinging his right arm up, the cyberclaw scythe cleaved cleanly through Mecha-King Ghidorah’s right wing, slicing off the top third. Next, the weapon of the invaders thrust his left arm forward, impaling the three-headed monster’s left wing.
* * * * *
“Damn cyborg!” Wilson snarled. “Finish it!”
* * * * *
As the fowl fiend was in the process of extracting his blade from the solar powered wing, the draconic cyborg’s chest plate opened up. Before the bladed beast could react, the Machine Hand emerged and clamped down around his torso. Shrieking wildly, the terror from the stars began to slam his scythes against the weapon, only for the weapon to begin to hum and glow.
The revived King of Terror’s heads cackled as he began to pump millions of volts of electricity through the Machine Hand and into their killer’s body. The alien creature reared his head back, shrieking and throwing his arms into the air as he felt the charges surge throughout his body, frying circuits everywhere. More and more electricity was poured into the android’s form until smoke began to emanate from his armored hide. Finally, the cyborg’s visor burst in a shower of sparks and glass-like material, and the ninja monster went completely limp in the Machine Hand’s grip. Glaring at his lifeless foe and growling, Mechaghidorah tightened the clamp’s grip until the sound of wrenching metal was heard, crushing the sawed torso within the clamp.
Godzilla rose to his feet just in time to watch the draconic mecha open the Machine Hand, letting Gigan’s dead, crumpled form topple to the ground with a thud.
* * * * *
“AAARRGH!!” The Xilien Controller reared his head back as he screamed in fury, throwing his arms into the air. “Those damn humans! They’ll pay for this!”
Noticing a trio of his soldiers standing nearby, the Controller decided to vent his anger and whipped out his pistol, shooting one of them in the head. The other two quickly fled the room as their comrade’s corpse hit the floor.
* * * * *
Roaring in fury at the mechanized Ghidorah, Godzilla only succeeded in turning the cyborg’s attention on him.
* * * * *
Wilson glared at the screen.
“Kill it, King Ghidorah!”
* * * * *
Mecha-King Ghidorah immediately resumed his assault on the nuclear saurian, but with the mechanical head gone, the King of the Monsters only had two Gravity Beams to contend with. Opening his jaws, the atomic monarch unleashed a radioactive blast that slammed into the central head’s face, knocking it back. Ignoring the golden blasts that assaulted his flesh, the Godzillasaur stepped forward, striking at the chest plate with his claws and throwing sparks. The King of Terror’s right head swooped in and sank its teeth into his throat, causing a gurgled cry to escape the mutant dinosaur’s lips. Before the invincible monster could wrench himself free, the center head joined in, biting down on the other side of his neck. The titan grasped at the heads in an attempt to free himself, but failed to get a grip on them.
Overhead, MOTHER lowered itself towards the two beasts in order to gain a better view of the monster’s demise.
* * * * *
“Poor Godzilla,” Gurenchiko laughed. “Brought back to life just in time to be destroyed once again.”
* * * * *
As the Futurian super weapon’s fangs sank deeper and deeper into his flesh, the determined reptile’s struggles weakened and weakened. Just as it seemed as if his motions were about to cease entirely, the atomic dragon’s eyes and dorsal fins flashed blue. A second later, a blinding shockwave of energy erupted from his entire body, blowing the draconic cyborg backwards in a burst of fire! Shrieking in agony, the three-headed monster crashed onto his back and writhed about, missing large chunks of his wings and portions of his faces.
As his throat began to heal itself, Godzilla looked down at the fallen cyborg, hatred burning in his eyes. Opening his mouth, the Strongest Monster on Earth unleashed an atomic ray that cleaved Mechaghidorah’s left wing in half. Another ray exploded against his chest plate, sending shards of metal flying everywhere.
Above them, MOTHER began to falter.
* * * * *
“Sir, we’re losing altitude… Godzilla’s pulse shorted out our systems…”
Wilson’s eyes went wide. “What?! No!”
* * * * *
The King Of The Monsters raised his head upwards, the motions of the wavering MOTHER catching his attention.
Another of Man’s flying warships?
With a snarl, the Monster King spat forth another radioactive blast. The beam clipped the time ship, crippling it and sending it plummeting out of the sky. The dreaded god watched as it fell down upon his fallen foe, striking the cyborg in the chest and engulfing his torso in a huge explosion. The living heads cackled in agony as the flames washed over them, but the mechanized dragon refused to give in.
The right neck pulled itself up and quickly unleashed a golden blast at the looming titan, who roared in fury and instantly responded in kind. The rebuilt hydra’s central head cried out as the blazing ray struck the right head and detonated its skull. The monster monarch quickly charged up another atomic blast and let it loose, rupturing the cyborg’s fuel cells and finally destroying Mecha-King Ghidorah in a brilliant ball of fire.
For a moment, the invincible king watched his opponent burn. Soon, though, he raised his snout, sniffing the air. He sensed something, far off in the distance. Another intruder? Turning his back to his fallen foes, the victorious monster began to make his way towards the unknown presence.
* * * * *
In the Xilien Mothership, the Controller looked at the results on the viewscreen and slumped his shoulders.
Godzilla was heading directly for his ship.
“Oh, hell.”
Winner: Godzilla (Heisei)
