Author: Patrick Alan Green | Banner: Jackson Morris

This was it.

This was what he had been searching for.

Gigan’s visor flashed brightly red as his mandibles separated, allowing his beaked mouth to open, releasing a screeching roar. Gigan was relieved to finally be standing before what he had been ordered to destroy.

The alien cyborg raised his hooked hand high above its head and smashed it hard across the cliffside, sending an avalanche of dirt and rock cascading into the ocean’s waves. Gigan let out another screech as he brought his other claw down, sending more rocks exploding into the ocean.

From the beach, the Azumi royal princess and her grandfather watched in awe as the terrible alien slowly ripped apart their guardian’s sacred tomb.

Again and again, Gigan’s hooks tore into the cliffside, until finally he broke through. As dust settled, Gigan’s target slowly came into view. He stared at the beast, standing motionless inside the cave. The fabled demon-god, King Caesar, had been freed!

Or so it seemed…

What stood before Gigan appeared to be nothing more than an over-sized statue.
Gigan glared at the so-called “Guardian” of Okinawa. Dust and webs covered its entire body. Its eyes were dull and lifeless. There was no way this was the legendary beast he had been ordered to destroy.

Suddenly, the sound of crumbling rock echoed throughout the tomb, and King Caesar’s lifeless body fell from the cliffside and landed stiffly into the ocean with a tremendous splash. Gigan stared in bewilderment as the beast quickly sank to the bottom like a rock.

Back on the beach, Nami’s grandfather gasped. Tears slowly began to roll down his face.
That’s all the confirmation she needed. They had no hope…

King Caesar had failed to protect them this time, and now Okinawa would surely be next to fall.

Gigan shook the water off his back fins and jumped back.

He had been ordered to kill King Caesar, but it was obviously not a threat…

He turned his attention to the beach, where he noticed two humans kneeling on the sand. The cyborg monster let out a menacing roar and made his way inland, eager to start his rampage.

“Nami…” her grandfather said in a raspy voice. “We’ve got to get out of here, before it’s too late.”

Nami was silent, watching as Gigan quickly approached, his spiked foot finally stepping on land as his footsteps shook the entire beach around them.

Nami’s grandfather backed away slowly, begging his granddaughter to run.

His pleas fell on deaf ears.

Nami picked up her family’s sacred statue and held it high over her head. Its ruby eyes caught the sun’s radiant light, causing them to radiate a brilliant, red glow, a red glow that quickly caught Gigan’s attention.

Nami fearlessly walked toward the invader.

Gigan stopped and looked down, captivated by the pulsating, red glow that burned within the statue’s gem eyes. His hooks clapped together as the light amused him. Gigan let out a bellowing screech, then instantly stomped Nami into the Earth. Killing the poor girl.

The old man fell to his knees, calling her name over and over again, his fists pounding against the sand over and over as he cried.

Suddenly, the ocean waves began to churn. A geyser of bubbling foam exploded high into the sky, followed by a form erupting from the crashing waters. A furious roar echoed across the beach, and perhaps even all of Okinawa itself.

King Caesar had awakened!

Gigan quickly spun around to see the legendary beast quickly coming after him, his body cutting through the ocean’s turning waves. Gigan bellowed out a loud roar, accepting King Caesar’s challenge. Gigan anticipated the battle about to unfold and readied himself, clashing his hooks together as he glared at his enemy, taunting the legendary monster as he approached.

King Caesar’s clawed foot stomped onto dry land. His red eyes pierced through Gigan as the two fixated on one another.

Standing on opposite sides of the beach, both monsters readied for one another to strike first, both ready to kill each other… Or die trying.

King Caesar began to circle his opponent, claws bared and posed in front of his face.
Gigan screeched and kicked the ground, pelting King Caesar with a wave of sand. King Caesar shielded his face, lowering his guard, Gigan zoomed forward, tackling the ancient monster to the ground before springing to the sky.

The guardian monster quickly rolled to his feet and stood up. His long, fur-covered ears perked up as he looked around, scanning the beach for his foe.

Gigan suddenly came rushing in from behind, the sound of his buzz saw charging up filling the air. King Caesar quickly turned around, just in time to duck out of the way and miss Gigan’s spinning blade.

Gigan roared out in annoyance as he landed, quickly spinning around to meet King Caesar head on, and the two monsters clashed. Gigan swung his mighty hooked claw, only for King Caesar to duck under it and counter with a devastating roundhouse kick to Gigan’s temple. The cyborg monster cried out as he fell backward, body convulsing as his visor flashed wildly. King Caesar pounced on his foe, pummeling the alien creature’s golden scales without mercy. Gigan wildly thrashed, slamming his claws into the ribs and face of the stone monster until he forced his attacker off, sending King Caesar crashing to the ground below with a thud.

Gigan quickly rose to his feet and quickly made his way toward King Caesar’s fallen body. With tremendous force, Gigan kicked his spiked foot into King Caesar’s side, sending the monster flying through the air and crashing into a pit of jagged rocks.

Gigan let out a proud screech, slamming his hooks against one another.

This job was going to be too easy…

King Caesar shook the excess dirt and rock from his fur as he focused his attention back on Gigan, hastily marching forward. The sound of metal echoed for miles with every footstep.

King Caesar shook his head and hastily crawled out of the pit. Lowering his head, the ancient protector dashed forward, but Gigan was ready for him. The cyborg monster swung his powerful hooks, delivering a nasty blow to the back of King Caesar’s head, followed by a kick to the ribs. King Caesar backed away, trying to defend himself from the blows. Gigan spun around, slamming his spiked tail against the chest of the wobbling giant, sending the once great creature crashing to the ground.

Gigan was deriving pleasure with every blow he delivered. King Caesar fought to stand up, but Gigan slammed his foot into the ancient one’s side once again, knocking him back to the ground in a heap. Over and over, more kicks came. The sound of King Caesar’s cries of agony resonated throughout the entire area.

King Caesar kicked his feet into where the ribs of Gigan would be, knocking the alien backward and giving him the chance he needed to fight back.

King Caesar roared, shaking the sand from his fur as he stood to his full height. Gigan marched forward, looking to make King Caesar pay. He raised his hooked claw high into the air, but King Caesar quickly grabbed Gigan’s arm and flipped the alien over his shoulder, sending him flying into the Azumi shrine. The structure exploded like matchsticks under Gigan’s weight, enveloping the area in a cloud of dust. The alien monster cried out as he rolled on the ground. King Caesar marched forward, wrapping his clawed hands around Gigan’s tail and pulling the cyborg through the sand.

Suddenly, Gigan sprung into the air, looking to escape King Caesar’s grasp by flying into the sky, but King Caesar tightly held on, claws digging into Gigan’s flesh as he fought to hold on, unaware that his feet had begun to come off the ground.

Gigan’s boosters kicked into overdrive, blasting the alien creature into the sky with King Caesar still holding on!

The sounds of King Caesar’s roars echoed for miles as the two monsters rose higher and higher into the sky. The wind pelted King Caesar’s fur as he squeezed harder on Gigan’s tail, trying desperately to hold on for dear life.

Gigan cried out in rage, stomping King Caesar’s face without letup, trying to free himself with all his might.

Suddenly, a loud, ripping sound filled the air. Gigan let out an excruciating cry as King Caesar’s eyes widened. The tip of Gigan’s tail suddenly broke off! Gigan stopped to watch King Caesar’s decent, the panicked cries of the once great shisa amused him as the creature plummeted from thousands of feet in the air.

BOOM!

King Caesar struck the ground below. The beach shook, almost as if Okinawa had suddenly been hit with an earthquake.

Gigan let out another screeching roar as he zoomed back to the beach to inspect whatever was left of King Caesar. As he landed on the sand, his visor scanned the area before quickly locating the crater that had been left in the shisa’s wake. As the dust cleared, King Caesar’s body slowly came into view. His entire body was cracked, his glowing red eyes were now blackened and once again void of life.

Gigan reared his head back and let out a loud, victorious roar. The cyborg turned away and slowly began making his way toward the city of Okinawa, unaware of the clawed hand that had suddenly risen out of the crater.

Hoisting himself up, King Caesar feebly crawled out of his crater, shaking his body off as he let out a feeble roar, letting his enemy know he was nowhere close to being beat yet!

Gigan spun around to see King Caesar racing toward him on four legs like a rabid dog. Gigan let out a surprised cry and attempted to spring into the air to escape, but King Caesar pounced into the air, smacking Gigan out of the sky and pinning him to the ground. King Caesar leaned in to the cyborg’s visor, letting out a feral roar. Gigan squalled out in annoyance. King Caesar quickly grabbed the monsters metallic jaws and forced his beak open, then without mercy, bit down on Gigan’s tongue, ripping it out!

Gigan screamed in agony, blood gushing from his mouth as he thrashed wildly. Quickly, the cyborg managed to get a lucky shot in and kicked King Caesar to the side. Gigan’s boosters activated once again, and the alien monster quickly zoomed off into the sky, making a hasty retreat as he disappeared through the clouds.

King Caesar watched as the invader flew out of sight. He let out a weakened roar as his ears dropped. He tried to take a step forward, but felt his body beginning to stiffen up. He could feel whatever magic that kept him alive slowly seep away from every crack in his body. Before too long, he knew he’d be nothing more than a lifeless statue again. He turned his sights to the churning waves as his eyes began to dull, watching the sun as it set over the ocean. King Caesar let out one more grumbling roar, then finally, the monster felt silent.

Draw: Gigan (Universal), King Caesar (Universal)