Author: Thomas Fairchild | Banner: Christian Salabert
A pervasive wind blew against the shores of Monster Island. Fields of lush, vigorous trees occupied the majority of the island’s terrain. At the apex of the island, buried beneath thousands of tons of rock and soil, the world’s most sophisticated center of technology monitored the island’s monstrous inhabitants. On tiny screens, scientists observed the magnificent, yet terrifying creatures known as kaiju. Despite years of working at the island, it was still a mystery to its employees on why the destructive, city-leveling kaiju conveyed a sense of wonder and fear.
Recently, an alarm informed all of the employees that an emergency was underway. From the depths of Hell, the demonic anomaly, Kumasogami, had arrived to eradicate all life on the planet. Before the humans could contact the JSDF to dispatch Kiryu or the United Nation’s Mechagodzilla to assist them in dealing with this crisis, one of the island’s occupants had dealt with the threat: Anguirus. The armored saurian proved triumphant and forced Kumasogami to succumb to its hellish domain.
Since then, silence had once again returned to the control center. But for some reason, the island itself was silent. Even its towering titans chose not to graze openly. A haunting chill polluted the atmosphere of the center. Tensions were stirring; everyone could feel it, until suddenly the power went out. As technicians rushed to repair the damages, nobody could have ever imagined that the island itself was going to become a theatre of war.
Dark clouds bleached out the azure-tinted sky. Thunder wailed its defiance from the heavens. An eerie feeling forewarned all of the ever mounting danger that was at hand. Suddenly, a blinding light temporarily chased away the darkness. A burning meteorite separated the clouds, as it rapidly descended to meet the world below. While its size didn’t possess the capability of annihilating the island, it would still give a wakeup call. Its extraterrestrial shape plummeted deep beneath the island’s soil, powerful shockwaves disemboweling the earthly crust. Trees miles away were flattened by the devastating shockwaves. Plumes of smoke and fire enveloped the region. Its arrival was likely foretold by the instincts of the residential kaiju; however, an even greater threat was being born inside the impact crater.
Elsewhere, another object from space arrived. Unlike a meteorite, this object was completely organic. Its three fearsome heads located the wounded island. Areas of where the meteorite had landed were now a smoldering conflagration, but the rest of the island still retained its rich foliage. Six devilish eyes eagerly anticipated the abundant energy the forests would yield.
Armored gray scales coated the sinister creature. Its four muscular legs anticipated the warmth of the ground. A crimson luminance radiated from the entity’s demonic orbs. It had visited over a dozen planets, and single-handedly reduced them to barren worlds. A descendent of the tyrannical abomination of the cosmos, King Ghidorah, it earned its own reputation of Death. Only a handful of mythical beings could identify its presence: Desghidorah.
Brawny wings propelled the three-headed titan downwards, its speeding form collided against the ground. Mounds of dirt defied gravity by ascending high up into the air. Upon landing, the devilish titan immediately sought to replenish its insatiable hunger. The devilish dragon extracted waves of emerald energy, which were the life force of the trees. It took only a few seconds for the extraction to be complete. For an entire hour, Desghidorah sapped entire fields of trees dry; all that remained was withered, empty shells of lumber.
A horrible growl caught Desghidorah’s primordial attention. The tri-headed hydra searched for the bearer of the sound, and much to its surprise, a lumbering giant stood before it. Bat-like wings stretched out of the corners of its back, an amber-hued horn stretched out of its forehead. Demonic jaws filled with hundreds of razor teeth exhaled micro-oxygen. Thorny claws pointed out of the tips of its hands, and a crimson carapace covered its thick body. Unknown to Desghidorah, the creature before it was also a harbinger of death. Its main purpose in life was to destroy it.
Destoroyah.
A screeching cry bellowed from the gaping maw of the horrific crustacean. For the first time in Desghidorah’s repulsive existence, it felt a sensation of fear. This giant of chaos before him was filled to the brim with malevolent anarchy, but such emotions quickly dissipated. Instead, Desghidorah yearned to destroy this impudent creature.
Without further delay, the tri-headed serpent replied with its own defiant roar, and attacked. Balls of molten energy bolted out of Desghidorah’s mouths, pelting Destoroyah’s brawny carapace and imprinting smoldering craters. While the wounds weren’t severe, the pain was phenomenal. Strangely, Destoroyah enjoyed it. The pain brought more purpose to its miserable way of life. While it took great glee in exterminating other life forms, it had never experienced the very thing it wielded.
In retaliation, the gleaming horn crackled to life. A lavender-hued beam made up of the destructive nature of the Oxygen Destroyer spewed out of Destoroyah’s serrated jaws. They lanced into Desghidorah’s legs, shredding the joints that were buried beneath mounds of flesh and muscle. Layers of flesh instantly dissolved.
Desghidorah howled in agony.
The two titans traded glances. Intense hate was exchanged between the leviathans. The only way to resolve such a conflict would be to overpower the other physically. Without another thought, Desghidorah galloped to meet its abominable foe. Destoroyah’s monstrous feet left giant footprints in its sprinting wake. The entire island vibrated as these two titans of chaos clashed.
Desghidorah stood on his hind legs and struck Destoroyah’s chest with its frontal feet. The mutated terror’s powerful body withstood the seismic collision, though the added weight forced Destoroyah’s feet to sink deeper beneath the terrain. Enraged, Destoroyah impaled the dragon’s anterior ankles with its razor-sharp claws. The two grappled with one another, desperately hoping to usurp the other with strength alone.
Desghidorah’s middle head deemed the contest void.
Hot, churning flames sprayed out of the middle head’s mouth. It engulfed the devil’s entire face, vaporizing billions of microbes instantly, charred residue was all that remained. The region that would normally contain Destoroyah’s eyes had been burnt out. And yet, the fearsome creature would not be denied. Trillions of microscopic organisms, each making up Destoroyah’s grotesque figure, screamed for Desghidorah’s annihilation.
Destoroyah cranked his body forward, arching its crackling horn down the sternum of the quadrupedal hydra. The pulsating energy left behind a deep cut, submerged beneath Desghidorah’s chest region. Internal organs were dismembered, forced to deal with the unnatural stress that had befallen upon them.
A milky-white substance seeped out of the diagonal cut and kept the wound exposed, preventing Desghidorah’s magma-hardened skin from healing the damages. The grey-armored demon charged the foul beast before it and slammed its massive bulk against Destoroyah.
Overwhelmed, the hulking demon tottered backwards, and was barely able to retain its composure. Destoroyah blindly searched for its enemy, no longer possessing the delight of just having the diabolical dragon in front of it. In unison, billions of microscopic organisms flooded Destoroyah’s eye canals, the tiny organisms evolving and manipulating their genetic structures to form two new eyes. Destoroyah howled defiantly, its sight now restored.
Molten balls of energy erupted out of Desghidorah’s mouths. The barrage of fiery projectiles bombarded the wicked one in the frontal torso, smoke sizzled from the destroyer’s burnt armor, with a lingering putrid smell in the air.
To most, the smell was repulsive, but to Desghidorah, it was an invitation to feed, but all six of its eyes conveyed an alarming response. Crackling energy coursed through Destoroyah’s mammoth horn, heralding the excruciating pain the dragon had barely endured previously. Desghidorah’s three mouths roared defiantly, hoping to make Destoroyah think twice about attacking.
Destoroyah declared Desghidorah’s threats to be nothing more than a bluff. But before it could spew out its destructive power, a lancing bolt of electromagnetic energy struck the demon in the back. It instantly vaporized a large portion of Destoroyah’s backside, before erupting out Destoroyah’s chest. Green blood vomited out of the vile beast’s fearsome maw, its painful cries silencing the wind. Unable to withstand the agonizing pain, the crimson crustacean fell forward and slammed its massive figure against the ground.
Desghidorah was in utter awe.
While Destoroyah’s pain delighted Desghidorah’s sick and conniving mind, it was still a sight to behold. A sudden thought alerted Desghidorah’s demented mind to take advantage of the situation. In acknowledgement, the side heads unleashed a barrage of molten energy balls, while the central head spat a torrent of blazing flames. The frontal assault bombarded Destoroyah’s weak and helpless figure. To survive this brutal onslaught, an organic cloud engulfed the fallen demon, providing cover as its molecular structure broke down, sinking beneath the soil where Destoroyah recuperated. Above ground, Desghidorah roared triumphantly. The chaotic dragon’s arrogance blinded its memory from recalling exactly what harmed its opponent in the first place…
…Or where it came from.
An unearthly roar captured Desghidorah’s attention. Obscured by darkness, the possessor of the roar was barely visible. Desghidorah faced the invader, unaware of its destructive potency. The invader crawled out of the darkness, and revealed its invertebrate features. An ivory carapace covered its mysterious form. It crawled on several legs. Egg sacks were tucked inside its abdomen. A pair of five claws protruded out of its upper shell, and moved around its face. Two horns, clamped against one another, bulged out of its visage. Azure-hued eyes lividly glared out of their chambers. The creature before Desghidorah shared a destructive reputation. Its species had traveled the cosmos, implanting its seeds on unsuspecting worlds. Its cold, collective mind desired only to follow its instincts. In doing so, it had formed a large legion of barbaric entities.
Thus, its name was known simply as Legion.
Legion’s electronic roar vibrated the earth. A massive creature in its own right, the silicon organism immediately demanded the attention of the draconic cerberus. Compressed gas internally drove Legion’s muscles to move. Its silicon based visage deemed Desghidorah unworthy.
Her monstrous horns latched open, exposing a yellow core embedded in-between Legion’s eyes. Intense light and electromagnetic energies flared to life. They emerged out of the core and erratically bounced off the protruding horns, that was until the extraterrestrial invertebrate discharged an electromagnetic blast. It struck the ground, hundreds of yards away from Desghidorah, as a cascade of electromagnetic bolts and fire pillaged the soil, vaporizing it utterly. The ground shook beneath the demon’s feet, finally learning the identity of Destoroyah’s assailant.
Plumes of smoke crept out of the smoldering impact crater. Either the electromagnetic bolts sheer recoil prevented Legion from hitting her target or it was on purpose. Either way, Desghidorah wasn’t willing to give her another chance. Molten balls of energy burst out of its mouths, but electric bolts rippled out of the tips of the external claws. They sparked at the tip of Legion’s horns, forming an electromagnetic barrier. The fiery assaults struck the shield, but had no effect. The electromagnetic bolts shredded the volcanic energies, reducing them to a ghastly cloud of plasma.
Desghidorah’s devious mouths parted, exerting an irritated growl. The chaotic dragon pawed the ground, prepping its muscles for a quick sprint to meet its opponent head on. Desghidorah’s galloping form shook the land, cracks splintered the soil, a testament of the dragon’s massive figure.
Legion remained perfectly still.
When Desghidorah drew closer, Legion’s hind legs dug into the earth. She hoisted her body straight up, using her hind legs to keep her balanced. Desghidorah prepared to slam its bulk against Legion’s own, but stopped right as she brought her hulking body down upon him, her superior mass drilling Desghidorah into the ground. The impact caused the entire island to tremble.
Legion’s serrated legs complied with her command. They impaled Desghidorah’s sturdy legs and crucified them against the dirt. The grey beast was too dazed to cry out. The marauder of planets loomed over the helpless devourer of worlds. Her horns divided, allowing an electromagnetic surge to once again occupy its cavity. At point blank range, Legion’s destructive weapon would no doubt obliterate the three-headed dragon.
Tiny tremors vibrated her burrowed legs. Legion’s electromagnetic activity disappeared. Another creature was stirring beneath her. Before she could determine the most suitable course of action, several devilish fiends crawled out of the soil and attacked her. These creatures resembled demonic entities that could only be found in nightmares.
They were Aggregate Destoroyahs, crablike entities capable of overpowering even the mightiest creatures by sheer numbers alone. The spider-like crabs crept up on the silicon-based alien, their sharp, jagged legs failing to penetrate Legion’s thick exoskeleton; however, they eventually reached her spiky claws. Destructive energies sprayed out of the Aggregates’ demonic mandibles, shredding the vital joints and dismantling the outer claws.
Legion’s painful cries informed the Aggregates of a job well done. Compressed gas sprayed out of the broken claws, signaling Legion’s inability to forge her shield. Unable to fend them off, the egg sacs started to squirm with life. By her command, thousands of Symbiotic Legions flew out of the womb. An organ located inside Legion’s cranium exerted an electronic frequency, which signaled the swarm to descend upon the arachnid-like crustaceans.
They complied with their queen, and viciously landed on the Precambrian creatures. Sharp claws punctured the thick carapaces of the Aggregate Destoroyahs, green blood oozing out of their wounds. The Aggregates were forced to break down to a microscopic level, and it was at that moment they retaliated. Legion was horrified to see her beautiful swarm broken down by microscopic entities fueled by the destructive power of the Oxygen Destroyer.
Legion ordered them to return to their sacs, where they’d be safe. But she was too late. From all around, she saw her swarm dissolve, with only silicon husks remaining. With her swarm destroyed, the electronic organ exploded. Legion’s screeching cries echoed across the vastness of Monster Island. She was unaware that Desghidorah’s middle head had wiggled itself free. A torrent of blistering flames struck her chest cavity, incinerating the empty egg sacs.
Legion backed away, regrettably pulling her weight off of her downed foe. Desghidorah crawled out of the ground, no longer pinned by the enemy’s enormous weight. The horrible dragon turned to face the stunned Legion, igniting a barrage of blistering energy balls that erupted out of the winged hydra’s disgusting mouths, pelting the alien’s thick exoskeleton. While they failed to severely damage the outer shell, they did inflict significant burn marks. A furious look of disdain glimmered out of Legion’s cold, emotionless eyes. Desghidorah returned the sentiment.
Legion’s horns widened, crackling bolts of electromagnetic energy blazed to life. The cerberus dragon nervously panicked, sensing its inevitable demise. It could not avoid Legion’s wrath, even if it tried. A blazing light harpooned out of Legion’s forehead, and struck underneath the dragon’s belly, the ensuing blast rupturing its underside. Desghidorah’s painful screams informed Legion that her miss wasn’t a complete loss. The electromagnetic bolts and napalm roasted the hydra’s underbelly, shredding muscles and incinerating the bodily organs within. Without the needed strength to support itself, Desghidorah collapsed onto its belly.
Seeing that her foe was immobilized, Legion prepared to unleash her full wrath upon the helpless dragon. As electromagnetic energies gleamed brightly in between her horns, a horrible fate had befallen upon Legion. An energetic saber diagonally sliced down the top of her skull. It did not stop until it reached her ankles. This sudden attack interfered with the electromagnetic particles, causing them to fade away. Legion’s azure-hued eyes followed suit.
Legion, the pinnacle of instinctual conquest, was dead.
Her lifeless body slumped to the ground. Behind her, the identity of Legion’s destroyer was revealed. Desghidorah’s weary eyes identified Destoroyah’s grotesque shape, rejuvenated and at full health. A demonic laughter escaped its haunting maw, slowly lumbering towards Desghidorah’s helpless figure. Large, pronounced feet crushed Legion’s ravaged carcass along the way.
Inside the command center, the technicians were able to restore power. In the control panel, scientists were stunned to see the damage that had occurred to the island. A quarter of the island had been annihilated by the meteor, but the aftermath of the impact isn’t what haunted the scientists. Instead, the stunning sight of a concluding battle of biblical proportions captured their attention. According to the ‘Kaiju Archives,’ the lumbering giant walking away from two unidentified corpses was Destoroyah. It left behind the hollow carcass of Legion and the skeletal remains of Desghidorah. A rumbling roar escaped the demon’s putrid jaws. It was a warning to all life on Earth…
…A warning that promised death.
Winner: Destoroyah
