Author: Christian Salabert | Banner: Christian Salabert
Screams rang out as Krystalak pulled himself up from the watery depths and stepped foot upon Honolulu’s sandy shores. The crystalline demon sensed something on the island, something familiar. Whatever it was, it had to be eradicated. Nearing two tall buildings by the beach, he placed his clawed hands on them, pushing through them and reducing them to rubble as he marched past them. His ears having been assaulted long enough by the cries of the people fleeing beneath him, the berserker pointed his head downward and let out an annoyed growl. Opening his maw, the crystal mutant incinerated the crowds with a blast of his Prism Beam.
Further and further the creature marched, trampling structures and humans alike underfoot. Soon his destination became clear: Puowaina – Otherwise known as the Punchbowl Crater – a massive volcanic mark on the Earth’s surface. Just as the gemstone devil approached the rim of the crater, the ground began to shake. Spacegodzilla’s spawn held his footing and watched as the earth’s crust began to buckle. It was obvious that something was starting to push itself out from underneath. Glittering eyes narrowed as the soil exploded and a hulking form pulled itself out of the crater.
Rearing his head back, Obsidius bellowed into the sky.
It was the golem that the cruel beast had come to destroy. Flexing his crystal claws, the spiked beast got ready to attack and slay his ‘brother.’ But the magma menace had other plans. Curling himself up into a large stone ball, the molten monster rolled forward, slamming into his ‘brother’s chest and hurtling him through the air, crashing back into the city. As the crystal creature shook his head, regaining his wits, the living rock rolled down the side of the Hill of Sacrifice, rapidly approaching the other kaiju.
If Krystalak wanted a fight, then he’d get one.
Just as the rolling monster was about to slam into him again, the gem berserker suddenly leapt into the air, letting the rocky creature pass harmlessly underneath him. As the nimble fiend landed back on his feet, the stone titan unfurled himself and turned to face the crystal beast. Letting out a roar of defiance, the burning brute was cut off as Krystalak nailed him square in the chest with his Prism Beam, sending the golem crashing into the sea. An immense cloud of steam burst from the waves as the cool waters came into contact with his scalding hot body.
Before the titan could pull himself up off his back, his crystalline brother leapt onto his chest and began slashing away with his razor-sharp claws, drawing sparks with each blow against the rocky hide. As his foe raised his hand to land another fierce slash, the living volcano belched forth a torrent of molten lava, covering his snarling face in it. With his “brother” distracted, clutching his scalded face, Obsidius swiped at him with his powerful arm, knocking the white and purple beast into the waves. As the radiant demon crashed into the water, the stone brute stood and left the water, marching back onto dry land. The water wasn’t lethal to him, but he didn’t need it dampening his molten powers.
Scraping enough of the lava off his face, Krystalak growled furiously and lunged towards the molten monster, sending the two toppling to the ground. Rolling across the sand, they hit another building, bringing it down on top of them. The two creatures roared as the debris rained down upon them until the elemental planted his feet on the berserker’s gut, kicking him off and sending him through the air, landing atop a structure that was quickly leveled underneath the monster. But the crystal creature was back on his feet in an instant, quickly turning himself around and unleashing shards of crystal from his tail at his larger foe.
The lava golem brought his arms up in front of him, shielding his face as the shards shattered against his armored skin. As he brought his arms down, the sentient stone was bodyslammed by his “brother”, sending him crashing through another building. Before the rocky beast could rise, clear creature nailed him with another blast of his Prism Beam, then another. The molten monster cried out with each blast, but finally managed to pull away and roll himself into his ball-like form once again. He once more began heading towards Krystalak, but the evil abomination was ready for him. He leapt into the air, ready to let the barreling brute pass underneath him as he had before, but the volcanic creature was expecting the move this time. The moving boulder bounced into the air, striking the nimble fiend and knocking him from the sky. The prismatic beast hit the ground with a thud, groaning in pain. Obsidius landed and unfurled himself, glaring at his fallen foe.
The two crystal-born beasts glared silently at one another, each waiting for the other to make the next move. For a while, it seemed as if neither creature was going to be the first to attack. The berserk lifeform suddenly broke the lull as he spun around, firing more crystal shards from his tail. The titan of stone blocked these with his arms as he had before, but this time, when he lowered his arms, even more shards struck, hitting deep within his open ‘mouth’ and shattering within. The living volcano staggered and clutched at his throat, obviously hurt by the attack. Molten blood gurgled and spilled from his maw. His foe hurt, the radiant monster leapt into the air, ready to strike. But to his surprise, the wounded giant was still able to defend himself despite his injury. Swinging his fist around, the lava beast backhanded the leaping mutant hard, cracking his armored face and sending him crashing onto his back, barely conscious. His opponent taken care of for the moment, the spawn of Spacegodzilla collapsed, the crystal shards within him taking their toll.
For a time, it seemed as if the fight was over. Both creatures were down for the count and didn’t seem as if they’d be getting back up any time soon. Unfortunately, before the remaining population of Honolulu could breathe a collective sigh of relief, the sky began to darken. Thick, black stormclouds began to gather, lightning occasionally crackling through the darkened sky. The black clouds slowly began to part as a large mass started to lower itself down from the sky. It was a grotesque sight and could only be described as a gigantic ball of flesh, its color that of blood. It began to slow down as it approached the ground, finally setting itself down in the middle of the Punchbowl Crater, sending tremors throughout the surrounding area.
The quaking as the mysterious thing landed was enough to stir Krystalak out of unconsciousness. Shaking his head as he regained his wits, he quickly took notice of the strange orb and pulled himself to his feet. He started making his way towards it, ignoring his former quarry’s’ motionless form. Trudging through the remains of a destroyed building, the prismatic menace let out a low growl, flexing his claws as he approached the fleshy sphere, his mind filled with a sinister curiosity.
Behind him, the golem began to recover, the crystal shards within him having been incinerated by his body’s intense internal temperatures. The molten beast roared weakly as he felt his strength returning to him, slowly bringing himself back to his feet. He saw his rival spawn marching through the city and looked forward to see where he was headed, instantly spotting the mysterious orb. Unlike his ‘brother,’ however, the living volcano stayed back, receiving an ominous vibe from the strange ball.
The crystal creature took another step towards the sphere, growling as he felt pure evil emanating from within. But he also felt power. And the aspiring tyrant liked power. Just as he began to raise his clawed hand, the orb began to quake, shaking the entire area. Suddenly, the massive ball of flesh exploded into a blinding burst of light. The berserker raised his arms, shielding his eyes from the intense light as the ground shook violently. Far behind him, his molten “brother” did the same. Amazingly, neither creature was knocked off their feet by the blast and the light finally began to fade. But as the two monsters lowered their arms, they found the entirety of Honolulu completely pulverized by the explosion. Not a building remained intact. Every tree was reduced to ash. The city was covered in dark smoke and fire.
Despite the carnage around him, Krystalak was certain he spotted a figure standing in the crater, obscured by the smoke. Roaring an immediate challenge, the crystalline monster charged, throwing his arms open wide, ready to attack. Instantly, a powerful white beam pierced the black fumes, catching him square in the chest and sending the radiant demon careening backwards through the air until he crashed into the sea. Watching his ‘brother’ crash into the waves, Obsidius instantly curled up into his rolling form and made a beeline for the new being. Rolling over the remains of Honolulu, the magma mutant was seconds away from slamming into the beast before it turned itself around, swatting the rolling villain with its tail and sending the molten monster flying through the air, nearly to the other side of the island, his landing heralded with a distant thud.
In the smoke, Bagan’s eyes narrowed. He waited for the creatures to attack again.
Groggily, the berserker pulled himself up and shook his head. He glared at the ancient god and roared furiously, breaking into a charge once again. Energy built up in the Super Monster’s mouth as he charged his plasma breath, preparing to once more strike the spiked beast with it. He fired, but this time the speedy mutant dodged the blast, leaping to the side as he continued to run forward. The forgotten evil briefly considered grinning.
The creature was learning. Perhaps it would prove to be a decent challenge after all.
The prehistoric scourge fired another blast of plasma, only for the spawn of Spacegodzilla to leap into the air and slash his claws downward, leaving diagonal slices across his scaled face. The grey beast growled as the wounds began to heal, snarling at his crystal foe. He lashed out, clutching the smaller monster by the throat and tossing him aside. Rolling across the ground, the radiant monster quickly got back to his feet and fired his Prism Beam. The God of Darkness immediately retaliated with his plasma breath and the two energies exploded on contact.
The two beasts recoiled from the explosion and the unnatural borne recovered first, lunging at the demon. The Super Monster spun around, intent on battering the gemstone beast with his mighty tail, but the white and purple monster leapt up onto his finned back. The horned demon roared as it tried to dislodge the crystal beast, but Krystalak would have none of it, repeatedly stabbing into the legendary monster’s back with his razor-sharp claws. The evolved deity howled in pain and fury as the empowered claws started drawing blood. His horns crackling with energy, Bagan summoned a star-like projectile from the sky, blasting Krystalak and knocking him clear. Laying on his back, the berserker lifted his head to glare at his foe, only to have the dragon’s tail smash across his face.
The forgotten demon watched as the gemstone beast crumpled to the ground, hurt by the blow. His lips curled in satisfaction. He was enjoying watching Krystalak in pain. Taking a step forward, he prepared to finish the lower life form, when suddenly something hard smashed into his back. The God of Darkness cried out, feeling his spine crack as he toppled to the charred earth. Furiously, the three horned devil raised his head, trying to spot what dared to attack him.
He received his answer as Obsidius’ foot kicked him in the face, sending him skidding across the dirt. Lightning dancing across his horns, the Super Monster pulled himself to his feet and let out a blast of his plasma breath, catching the magma monster in the shoulder. The golem howled as the energy assaulted his rocky hide, distracting him long enough for the unstoppable dragon to reach him. The Super Monster smashed his snout horn into the side of his molten head, staggering the beast. The divine destroyer quickly bent down, catching his head horns on craggily skin. Hoisting himself back up, the ancient terror sent the lava monster soaring over his head, only to smack him with his tail, forcing him to the ground with a violent crash.
The forest demon shrieked as he suddenly felt something sharp stab into his throat. Krystalak withdrew his tail, having shot off another round of crystal shards from its tip. Before the fallen god could recover, the spiky creature spat out another blast of his Prism Beam, nailing him in the face and scorching his flesh. The golem pulled himself to his feet and watched his counterpart blast the mighty dragon. Stepping forward, the volcanic mutant unleashed his Inferno, spewing molten lava onto their foe’s horned face. The assault finally became too much for the Super Monster, who toppled over onto his back.
The “sons” of Spacegodzilla glared at each other. Even though they hated one another, they knew that neither of them could beat this monster on their own, especially with them already worn out from their own battle beforehand. Reluctantly, the two came to an understanding, turning to face the grey creature together.
Just as they turned, however, the dragon slammed his clawed hands into their guts. Sparks flew as the ancient titan’s claws collided with their armor-like skin, knocking them through the air and onto their backs. The Super Monster reached up and took hold of the crystal shards in his neck, wrenching them free of his flesh and tossing them to the ground. Angrily, he unleashed his plasma breath, but the malicious mutants were already out of the way, the beam exploding against the dirt. They came at him from both sides. Each time the forest god managed to defend himself from the crystal berserker’s slicing claws, the molten brute would hit him with his mighty fists. Finally, the legendary demon had had enough and summoned the Diamond Storm once again, bringing down a hail of destructive energy. The star-like blasts toppled the two mutants, but they groggily managed to rise again.
The God of Darkness eyed his opponents, waiting for them to make the next move. The radiant demon leapt into the air, outstretching his clawed fingers. As the horned horror raised his head, ready to blast the crystal beast out of the sky, the molten mutant curled up and rumbled forward, smashing hard into his stomach. Krystalak landed, raking his claws across divine flesh. The dragon tumbled back, groaning in pain. As he staggered, Obsidius stood upright while his “brother” took his place next to him. The two immediately opened fire with their oral weapons. The demonic dragon cried out as the Prism Beam and stream of lava burned into his chest, forcing him backwards. The pair held their blasts, eventually bringing the evolved horror down to one knee. Cutting off their attacks, they watched their downed foe for a moment, his chest smoking.
They both shrank back as Bagan lifted his head to look at them, fury in his eyes.
The Super Monster suddenly shot forward, clutching both mutant creatures by the throats. He smashed them together, then tossed them aside. Just as they got back to their feet, the dragon unleashed a powerful plasma blast. The living volcano managed to roll out of the way, but the beam hit the crystal creature dead in the center, striking his crystalline heart. The blast instantly overloaded the gem and its ability to store power within. Energy crackling over his body, his entire upper torso exploded in a burst of flames, scattering tiny bits of crystal all over the island. His lifeless bottom half tipped to the side, crashing to the ground. The molten monster swerved around and aimed directly for the forgotten horror, intent on smashing into his legs. But the Super Monster was ready, and just as the golem was within reach, unleashed his plasma breath. The impact of the blast uncoiled the stone giant and sent him hurtling out to open sea. Further and further he flew, until the forest demon cut off his beam. The mutant groaned as he skidded across the surface of the ocean, then finally began to sink to the bottom of the Pacific. His rocky hide superheated by the blast, the stone brute boiled the sea as he sank, letting out a weak cry of defeat.
Bagan growled as he took a moment to recuperate. He waited for Obsidius to rise up out of the water, but the molten creature did not appear again. The two beasts had proven to be a greater challenge than he had expected. He had come to the island, hoping to feed off their crystal energies in an attempt to regain his legendary strength, but now that was no longer possible. The God of Darkness reared his head back, roaring in fury. Marching past Krystalak’s charred remains, he took a step into the once serene waters. Leaving Honolulu behind him, he decided on the perfect target to vent his frustration on:
Mankind.
Winner: Bagan
