
Author: Joshua St. Jean | Banner: Landon Soto
Kamacuras flew over the city of Paris, its wings beating furiously as the mammoth mantis landed on the top of the Arc du Triomphe with a thunderous screech. Bodies of France’s citizens splattered across the sides of buildings from the shockwave, becoming piles of stagnant corpses for the invader. Kamacuras’ bulbous head twitched from side to side in ravenous excitement.
So much to consume! So many to consume!
A trio of jets flew by, launching missiles at the mantide monster… only for them to be taken off guard when a second Kamacuras uncloaked and swooped down on the fighters, slicing them apart with its great claws. Tank shells bombarded the two insectoid monsters, pelting them with unending fury, but they proved ineffectual as claws sliced through their steel armor with ease.
The mantide monsters looked to each other, then at the city. Humans no longer annoyed them with their irritating metal defenders. For a city drowning in death and silence, nothing held the power to stop the Kamacuras as they moved to consume the mountains of dead.
Time to fee…
A low, thunderous stomp echoed through the city. And then another. The two Kamacuras turned their heads and shrieked in rage. They recognized this figure, and they hated it, for it would mean a pause to their feast. The new arrival responded with a loud, thunderous roar that shook the windows of every building around the gargantuan saurian.
Godzilla, the Alpha Predator, had arrived.
The two Kamacuras took a few steps back as the great shadow of Godzilla blanketed them both. The pair knew they were outmatched on their own, instinct recommending them to flee but a sudden rush of bloodlust overtook both of them. The duo split up, forcing Godzilla to divide his focus as greens blurs danced around him in chaotic fashion. One blur lunged from the side, expecting to skewer the beast’s abdomen only for Godzilla to catch the Kamacuras in his powerful arms.
The insect squealed in agony, the sturdy exoskeleton which encompassed its body cracking from Godzilla’s claws. The other mantide burst forward in support and slammed his claws against the beast’s hide merely for sparks to splash in futility. The leviathan’s eyes focused on the struggling Kamacuras within his grasp, watching it squirm before the second one scored a strike on the beast’s gills, causing Godzilla to reel away and snap at the offender.
That was a mistake.
Noticing the weak point in the leviathan’s unbreakable armor, the other Kamacuras struck the other side of Godzilla’s neck, cutting into his gills and causing him to screech in pain and let go. The two mantides took turns, each slicing at the ancient reptile’s gills, disappearing from sight, trying to kill the leviathan quickly.
Finally, Godzilla managed to duck, and both insects slammed into the other, each accidentally cutting a leg and spraying emerald blood on the structures below. Godzilla grabbed one Kamacuras as it fell by the abdomen and flung it away, flattening a line of structures to the base of the Eiffel Tower.
Godzilla’s head slowly shifted to the other insect, its eyes focusing on the monstrous mantide as a low growl echoed from its maw. The Kamacuras lowered itself to the ground in fright, blending its body with its surroundings to disappear in broad daylight. Thinking it had retreated, the saurian moved forward to kill the other Kamacuras only to be pounced upon and clawed by the invisible mantis. Groaning in pain, Godzilla desperately struggled to pull the Kamacuras off, only for the second to join the fight once more.
Godzilla moaned and struggled to strike at both Gimantis specimens, feebly trying to tear them from his side. The leviathan grabbed the second Kamacuras in his jaws and slammed it into the ground with a violent snap, eliciting a screech of pain from the insect. He attempted to smash its head into a gory paste by stomping on it, but the beast flew off, its fellow in pursuit, causing the prehistoric saurian to roar in anger. Both flew in different directions, turned invisible and charged at Godzilla.
Godzilla stood perfectly still, only the deep huff of his breath audible, and an eerie silence washed over Paris. He was motionless, listening… waiting. The beating of wings came closer and closer. Godzilla tensed. Waiting… Unseen, the closest charging Kamacuras lifted its giant claws, prepared to impale Godzilla’s neck.
Kamacuras swung up.
Godzilla lashed outward.
A death encompassed screech echoed for the city to hear.
Godzilla’s claws ripped through exoskeleton like paper, sending Kamacuras into a wild frenzy. Godzilla grabbed the Kamacuras by the neck, his teeth punching into the weakened exoskeleton, then bit down and violently wrenched his head back.
The Gimantis stopped struggling, its headless corpse striking the ground while its head slowly rolled from Godzilla’s jaws. The leviathan’s eyes shifted from the body at its feet to the surrounding landscape. A weary breath escaping its jaws in anticipation.
One bug left to squash.
Hundreds of miles above the Earth’s surface, a lone figure’s fists clenched with fury. Taking a breath, the black, leather laden individual scratched the top of his sunglasses. As his fists loosened and spectators within the room unleashed a breath of relief, the Xilien Commander screamed in rage.
“Kamacuras, you shall kill the beast!” he commanded to the screens which displayed the ongoing battle. “Kill it! Kill it! Kill it now!”
Kamacuras obeyed, swooping down to gore Godzilla’s gills. Stepping upon the mantis’ corpse, Godzilla answered Kamacuras’ charge with one of his own, hissing and moaning along the way to the Arc.
Godzilla leaned down and swung his tail, smashing the Kamacuras to the side and sending it crashing into the Arc, destroying the famous monument and creating a fountain of rubble. A telltale, thunderous hum rang throughout Paris while Godzilla’s dorsal plates began to illuminate with power. The leviathan smashed his left leg into the ground, his jaws parting to reveal an azure hue as flames formed within his maw.
The Gimantis struggled to its feet, and lunged with its armed aimed for the beast’s throat, only for Godzilla’s silhouette, looming over the insect and the city, to unleash a stream of atomic energy. Kamacuras’ head detonated with explosive fury. Guts splattered all over the ruined remains of the Arc while its sturdy exoskeleton burned away to nothing but ash.
Godzilla let out a mammoth roar, letting his voice echo to the heavens, before he shakily wandered off. He was exhausted from the onslaught of the brawl, and would need significant time to heal and rest before doing much else. After reaching the base of the Eiffel Tower, the mighty saurian collapsed due to his wounds, blood oozing from the slash marks littering his neck and shoulders.
Meanwhile, the Xilien Commander snarled and screamed petulantly. He kicked and smashed his fists against the console. Subordinates in the room stood in fright, waiting for the rage to end after an eternity of relentless strikes. Finally, as his sunglasses fell onto the broken pile of machinery, the Xilien Commander halted his assault. His stance became unnaturally rigid.
The Xilien Commander’s head twisted over ninety degrees to reveal a devilish smile accompanying wide, murderous eyes. Lightning sparked chaotically around his right arm.
“Time to get rid of all useless insects.”
Winner: Godzilla (Legendary)