Authors: Matthew Freese & Vincent Rodger | Banner: E.J. Su
Blood flew with each strike, painting the earth crimson. Bone cracked and fell apart, exposing a pulsating brain, which was soon added to the mush of viscera that the cranium had become.
Fists coated in gore, Red King stood to his feet, roaring in triumph to the heavens as he stood over his foe’s corpse. Magular’s body twitched, each one sending another spray of blood out.
The stench of new death joined that of rot and decay filling the air from numerous gigantic bodies. The Lawless Monster Zone had never been a place devoid of death, but in recent times it had become filled with carnage.
Red King paused, taking time to drag his knuckles against the ground to get some of the viscera off his hands. Things were silent. Not a sound other than the buzzing of insects. No other colossi tread here, not anymore. For the first time in eons, the Lawless Monster Zone was peaceful.
A low, hissing growl left the skull monster’s maw. His tormentors had all been slaughtered, but now what was he to do? What he had longed for his whole life had come to pass, yet, he felt empty.
Looking toward the ocean, he began to walk. He entered the waters, going forth into the unknown. The crisp, blue waves turned red as they washed off the detritus of his murderous rampage.
Decades ago, an infant had been born on this island, inside a dark cave. No mother or father awaited him, leaving him helpless on this cruel land. Death had constantly harrowed him, the giants of the land pursuing him and seeking his demise with a particular fervor. They bruised and lacerated his hide, putting him at the edge of death time and time again.
He grew up slowly, becoming larger and more powerful with the passing of time. He never knew his father, the menacing king of this land who had ruled it with an iron fist and made all who lived upon it bow down, before his death at the hands of a warrior of light from the stars. But soon, he had fulfilled this legacy and carried it further with a bloodthirst built up over decades of torment and isolation.
And now the rest of the world would witness the wrath of a behemoth baptized in blood and forged in the fires of constant suffering.
Cameras set up around the perimeter of the island captured his final rampage, then the skull monster making his way into the ocean. Unfortunately for all, the scientific community had never been able to place a tracker upon Red King, any attempts ending in gruesome failure. The information of a psychopathic kaiju on the loose was kept hidden as best as it could be, the governments of the world not wanting mass panic. Security was hitched up across numerous shores globally, not overtly so as to draw suspicion but enough for their liking.
And right now, all signs were pointing to him approaching an island near Australia, where gigantic mutations were kept secured and isolated from civilization…
***
Nick Tatopoulos, a renowned biologist who had become world famous for his field work in dealing with mutated animals, looked out the window of a plane to the ocean below. The waters looked so calm and serene from this high up, a field of undisturbed blue. He wished his mind could be the same, but knew such things were impossible at the moment.
For this was not a commercial flight, this was a government sponsored flight to a remote location. Monster Island, Site Omega, whatever one wished to call it, it was a place of captivity for colossi that could pulverize a city into dust and kill thousands in an afternoon. Those did not scare him, for he had a giant of his own.
The waters rippled and split below, sharp spines protruding out which laid atop a reptilian back. A thin yet powerful form swam with expert skill and speed, such that would make escaping him in the oceans nigh-impossible.
Godzilla.
A beast who could rend steel with his jaws, turn stone into powder with his claws, and release a geyser of radioactive flame that turned sand to glass. Yet, Nick saw him the way one would see their pet dog. A big, friendly animal that was loyal to the end no matter what.
And it was for this reason that anxiety gnawed at his heart and mind.
“Nick, you ok? You seem kinda on edge.” The voice of Elsie Chapman, the red-headed paleontologist who was one of Nick’s closest friends, broke him of his stupor.
“Kinda? He looks like he’s about to ask Audrey to marry him,” Randy Hernandez, the team’s computer hacker, joked.
Nick sighed. He looked at the two, then to Mendel Craven, the HEAT’s robotics expert, and then to Monique Dupre, their weapons expert and essentially the team’s muscle despite being one of the thinnest members. If he could trust anyone in the world to reveal his fears and concerns, it was them.
“Yes, I am scared. For Godzilla’s sake.”
Mendel was the first to respond. “Why, because of the other mutants? He’s already handled them well enough in the past, and they’d be too busy attacking each other to team up against him.”
“No, about Red King. I’m worried about what that thing’s gonna do to him.”
“Really jefe? You’re worried about a monster that Ultraman killed by throwing at a rock doing anything to the G-man except getting schooled?” Randy incredulously replied.
Most of the reports filed by the Science Patrol of their exploits were publicly available, which meant that when the group was told that they were wanted on Monster Island to aid it against Red King’s approach, the first thing they did was pull up the two run-ins with the species that they had. Some of HEAT were not exactly impressed.
Monique was quick to reprimand her colleague. “If they decided that we were needed, clearly this specimen is much more dangerous than the one they faced so long ago.”
“It is,” Nick replied. “They sent me some footage recorded on the Lawless Monster Zone, and…” He grew silent, then pulled out a flash drive. “Just, watch this.”
He handed it to Craven, who connected it to his laptop. The other three members of the team gathered as he pulled up the video, and pressed play.
A gigantic turtle with a shell covered in spikes rampaged across a beach, roaring as he clubbed a bat-like monster in the head, knocking it to the ground, dead in one strike.
“That’s the oversized seafood dish that killed Godzilla’s girlfriend! That thing survived?” Randy exclaimed.
“Keep watching.”
Another roar sounded from off screen, soon revealing itself to be Red King. He marched into frame, fists clenched. The Giant Turtle moved much faster than a creature of his build should be capable of, jaws snapping violently. The skull monster proved much swifter, however, getting to the terrapin’s side and putting his hands beneath the shell. To HEAT’s shock, Red King flipped the colossus onto his back, leaving the legs flailing as the turtle cried out in shock. The terrapin tried to retract his head into his shell, only for one of the brutal king’s fists to close around the throat.
Red King cried out in a horrid joy as he brought his other hand down like a hammer onto his closed fist, forcing a cry of anguish from the turtle as his neck stretched unnaturally. Another strike only made it worse, until a third was accompanied by a sickening snap.
He released his grip, letting the distended neck hang limply. The bloody destroyer swung a kick into the skull like it was a ball, sending it spinning around with further vile sounds. A cruel laughter echoed across the island as he grabbed the colossal body, hoisting it up, and carrying it off.
Mendel stopped the video, closing the laptop with a look of disgust on his face. “Jesus…”
“They found the shell several miles away, a roaming Baragon crushed beneath it,” Nick stated. “Now do you get what I mean?”
“I take back my mockery. The G-Man’s gonna need all the help he can get,” Randy replied.
HEAT’s leader looked back out the window, down at Godzilla once more. He took a deep breath, before turning back to his friends. “We can figure out a plan once we can start talking with the staff of Monster Island. Until then, no point in worrying.” He was talking more to himself than he was to them, and they seemed to understand that, just nodding in affirmation. The rest of the plane ride was uneventful, though Nick did feel his breath start to get faster as the island came into sight.
Mainly because of what already stood there, waiting.
***
“Major, what the hell is that doing here?” Nick practically yelled at Anthony Hicks as he got off the plane, the one military officer who HEAT had a close connection with.
“Not even a hello?” Hicks dryly replied, being used to the biologist’s outbursts, mainly because those outbursts were just about always justified. And in this case, most would easily say that it was. “It wasn’t my idea, alright?” He continued, more genuinely.
The rest of the team stepped off the plane, clearly just as incensed as their leader. “Alright, then tell us whose idea it was so we can go have a lot of words with them!” Craven stated.
“Words? I just want to punch them,” Randy replied.
Waiting near the shore, overlooking the ocean, was the still form of Cyber-Godzilla. The corpse of the first Godzilla, revived and enhanced with alien machinery. Unlike the current Godzilla’s dark-green complexion, whatever skin that could be seen on the cyborg was a reddish-brown, the flesh wrinkled and decrepit from rot. Standing perfectly still like a statue, it sent chills down HEAT’s spines, as it did for Hicks and most of the people on base.
“Unfortunately Dr. Oniyama is very busy with something, otherwise I might let you all give him an ear full. I ain’t a fan of this either but after what happened with SCALE, it was best to let the mutations roam free for a few hours a day at the very least. You said it yourself, they are animals and they need room to breathe.”
“So you wanted some kind of warden for the island…not a half bad idea. But why resurrect that thing instead of contacting Dr.Ifukube? Her Robo-Yeti was able to fight King Cobra and Godzilla, yet here we stand and that abomination has returned from the grave once more.”
Hicks took in a deep breath as he crossed his arms. His day had already been long due to preparing for the arrival of the alpha of the Lawless Monster Zone, now he had Nick and his group screaming at him for things that were out of his control. “Look worm guy, the man in the big house asked for a warden immediately. And I mean immediately. I don’t like it either, but we have Cyber-Godzilla under our control. Better we have him than say Cameron Winter or the Leviathan Aliens again.”
Nick began to calm down, the colonel was right to some degree. It would be better to have Cyber-Godzilla on Monster Island instead of anywhere else and if Red King was to truly arrive on the island…they would need all the help they could get.
Dorsal spines cut through the ocean before the large form of HEAT’s guard dog rose, water falling off his body as he made landfall. The earth shook as the mutant iguana stood by his family, growling as he got a look at his cyborg counterpart. This abomination had taken advantage of his confusion, making him a slave of the Leviathan Aliens and forcing him to attack the world he and his family fought to protect. Godzilla’s dorsal spines flashed blue repeatedly, showing off an intimidation display at his father. HEAT and Major Hicks’ eyes widened as a fight was about to break out.
“Godzilla! Stand down!” The guardian turned his head down at his adoptive father, growling as he stopped flashing his dorsal fins. The mutant reluctantly turned his attention back toward the sea, taking a few steps before turning his head back. He looked at his biological parent with malice, growling as he dove back into the water. Though he did not understand why they called him off from the undead cyborg, he would listen all the same. Godzilla sat at the bottom of the ocean, waiting for the signal to rise once more.
Nick looked out to the sea, his heart sinking as he gripped his fist. Resurrecting Cyber-Godzilla was a mistake but one he could not control. The first time that they were brought back to the land of the living was sinful enough, now he was contributing to another. Yet, he could do nothing to stop it or make the cyborg go back to sleeping in peace. But now was not the time for such feelings, they had to prepare for the arrival of something much worse than what they had faced in the past.
Elsie placed her hand on Nick’s shoulder, pulling his attention back to the matter at hand. “Major, how long until Red King arrives on the Island?”
“Estimated time is about thirty minutes. The mutations will be ready by then, Cyber Godzilla being the alpha on this island has its perks. Such as an understanding of what happens if they do not listen to the warden. We should get back to the observation building, where we can plan better for when Red King attacks. Follow me.”
HEAT followed behind their comrade, the group of scientists hoping that they could beat what approached Site Omega. For if the skull monster could not be stopped here, what would stand in its way?
***
The resurrected Godzilla began to finally move, its orange eyes shifting as they turned. The cyborg looked toward each of the inhabitants’ cages as their shields went down, each mutation slowly leaving their captivity.
The first was a mutated crustacean, his two gigantic muscular legs holding up the sea monster as they took their first steps from their prison. Tentacles hung from his torso, twin black emotionless eyes sitting on the sides of his head. The front of the creature’s carapace was a yellowish brown, while the back carapace was a dark green. The first mutation that fought Godzilla opened up his jaws, splitting the maws in four ways as he unleashed a cry. Crustaceous Rex was ready to leave this island.
A large reptilian body slithered through the thick jungle, spikes jointing out of the sides of his frill and down his spine. There was a dark blue covering over the back and sides of the large mutation, a tanish colorization going down the belly as it was surrounded by a dark red. Orange eyes looked at the warden of the island, the creature hissing as he opened up his frill, going into an aggressive position. King Cobra was tired of being a prisoner.
A large flying mammal opened its wings before landing, the creature covered in blues across its body. Hair went down the back and twin ears poked out upward from the head. A large snout lay on the creature’s face, a bright red surrounding its orange eyes. The Giant Bat wished to open fire upon the cyborg but if he were to even attempt to unleash his sonic scream, he would be shocked by the collar that was wrapped around his neck.
The earth began to shake before bursting, chunks of earth flying into the air before falling back down like raindrops. The large form of the creation of the US military came into frame as he crawled out from the hole, the mutation’s body covered in a dark blue with a trail of red leading up to his tail and stinger. Twin pincers clapped in the air at the undead cyborg, six orange eyes looking at the warden. Its form disgusted the Scorpion, for a creature that resembled it burned them and left them for dead in the desert. Ts-eh-GO growled, the man-made monster ready to fight for his freedom.
Humming filled the air as a large insect joined the small group, her body being covered in a mix of browns. Twin wings came out of the back, six legs hung from its body. Spikes poked out of its back, red eyes staring as they landed in front of the Island’s guardian, a large spike poking out of her face. Skeetera was enraged by her imprisonment but the Mosquito needed an opening before even attempting to attack.
Cyber-Godzilla glared at them all one by one as they stood up right, towering over the mutations of the Island. Their dorsal spines flashed a bright blue before igniting the eye and opening their jaws, looking upward and unleashing a blue atomic blast into the air. It was an intimidation display toward those around him. The stream of atomic fire ceased, smoke leaving their maw as the cyborg looked down at the prisoners of Site Omega. The undead reptile released a soft roar, informing the residents of one thing. Something was coming.
C-Rex roared back at Cyber-Godzilla, the sea monster demanding to know why they should bother with this intruder. Why not just force their way past the human’s pet and simply avoid what was approaching?
Cyber-Godzilla shook their head back and forth before letting out another cry. It wouldn’t matter, eventually the murderous kaiju would find them and slay them one by one as he had been doing for several days. Going from one victim to another, if they did not fight this beast now, then they would only delay the inevitable. Their fate would be met beneath a looming tyrant as he released a roar of rage, before beating them into nothing more than a bloody pulp.
King Cobra hissed at the warden, how could they even trust this proposal? They were mere prisoners and here the cyborg stood above them, ordering them to fight.
The cyborg iguana slowly got back to its normal stature before walking over to the Giant Bat. The snake was right, in order for this to work, trust was needed. The warden of Monster Island reached out at the flying mammalian kaiju as he attempted to fly off, wrapping their mechanical hand around the collar on the Giant Bat’s neck before pulling him back. As the Bat struggled to free itself, Cyber-Godzilla wrapped their other hand around the other side of the collar before pulling on both sides with all their might.
A large snap echoed into the ears of the residents as the collar was broken in two, being tossed to opposite sides of the jungle. The Giant Bat once again took to the sky, flapping his wings in the air to sit still in confusion. The iguana turned toward the others before lowering their body and closing their eyes, bowing before the group. They were free. If they wished to leave, they could do so, but if they wished to stand and fight against this global threat then the mutant would fight beside them and slay the kaiju serial killer.
The group sat stunned by the display that the warden had made. King Cobra, C-Rex, and Ts-eh-GO gave each other a glare before all began roaring, commanding Cyber Godzilla to stand once more. The warden opened their eyes as they rose, nodding.
Together they could win against what approached, and possibly stop even worse damage.
***
The long-haired man of advanced age stepped away from the console. He turned toward the military technicians, scientists, and HEAT, with a smile on his face. “There. In combat, their auto-pilot will handle things far better than this aging man could.”
Randy leaned to Mendel, keeping his voice down. “Damnit, I want to hate him, but after that it’s really hard.”
Oniyama looked at the group of environmentalists. “I understand you’re all quite cross with me, and I do not blame you for a moment. But we needed a warden quickly and relatively cheaply, and Cyber-Gojira was right there, still mostly intact.”
“Gojira?” Elsie questioned. “You mean, Godzilla?”
Oniyama chuckled to himself. “Oh, not you too. I’ve had to deal with the lot here not seeming to realize that Gojira is a Japanese legend, specifically on Odo Island. It was a tale of a mighty god of destruction, whose skin was like tenfold shields, his claws sharper and stronger than any sword, and his breath the hottest of flames. No weapon could harm him, and no armor could withstand his wrath.”
“The islanders would sacrifice a girl to him every so often to ensure he spared them,” Nick continued, to the shock of his comrades.
“Very good, Mr. Tautopolis. I take it you have studied the legend?”
“Well of course, it’s where he got his name from, Godzilla was just what some jackass of a news reporter called him when he stole the story of his rampage in New York from a friend of mine. It’s just kinda stuck as his American name. And I feel like I had to learn as much as I could about the legend, seeing as how I’m currently the ward of the big guy,” he said with a chuckle.
Oniyama replied. “Ah, makes sense. You know, I grew up on Odo Island. I was always fascinated by the stories of Gojira, of an unstoppable being lurking in the ocean. Being able to actually work on Cyber-Gojira, to be so close to that god… it was an exciting experience, brought me back to simpler times. Of a young boy, looking out his window during a storm, needing to get to sleep for school tomorrow but waiting just in case a head would rear up over the mountains.”
“Invincible they were not,” Randy whispered to Monique with a quiet laugh, getting no reaction from her.
The hacker jumped when Oniyama responded to him. “Oh, I am aware. I’m glad I did not learn of their demise when it happened, I would have been torn asunder by my childhood idol being shredded by the power of America’s military. But, fortunately, I know there is something alive that is much more in line with the Gojira I believed in, and fortunately, he doesn’t feast on young girls.”
“Just a lot of fish.”
“Yes,” he turned to Nick, “I look forward to seeing your son in action. I have heard many tales of his heroics.”
“I assure you, Mr. Oniyama, Godzilla isn’t one to disappoint,” the biologist said confidently.
This bravado went out of the window when alarms blared, and a voice shouted those dreaded words they had all had been anticipating.
“Red King is here! Making landfall now!”
***
Water surged onto the shore as the hulking beast stepped out from the waves, the fluid running down the ridges of his body as he walked. Tanks rolled into battle, jets soaring through the air above as men with advanced weaponry reverse-engineered from aliens took up arms and position.
“Fire!” Hicks commanded from his post, beginning a storm of projectiles. Tank shells, bullets, missiles, and lasers crashed against the skull monster, shrouding his upper body in smoke. He roared, but continued to march forward. Nick noticed immediately that it was not a roar of pain in the slightest.
A jet swept low, preparing to drop bombs, only for Red King’s head to emerge from the smoke, maw open. Suddenly, a cluster of rocks soared from his mouth, propelled like shotgun blasts. They crashed into the plane, and a whole squadron behind it, destroying them in explosive detonations.
The rocks kept flying as Red King turned them toward the ground forces, revealing the explosions were not just from the jets, but from the projectiles themselves. In a storm of explosions, hundreds of tanks and men became piles of ruin and gore as the god of violence swept his Explosive Rock Bullet over the gathered. Smoke rose high, which he merely trod through without a care in the world.
His father and mother had never learned this, but the Lawless Monster Zone had rocks upon it that would explode when sufficient force was enacted upon them. He had attempted to eat some for sustenance, and while that had failed, he soon discovered they made for a potent weapon.
Hicks stepped away, taking a seat and slouching low. “Tautopolis, I assume Godzilla will show up at a later point?”
Nick, also turning away from the slaughter in disgust, replied. “Yes, sir. We don’t want to risk aggravating the mutations, so we’re going to try to have Godzilla show up for a surprise attack if it’s needed. Unless you want us to-“
“No, no. I get it. He couldn’t have stopped that anyway.”
The mood in the control room had already soured immensely, and the battle of titans had not even begun.
As Red King went further inland, his fist brushed against a wall of electricity before him, making him stumble back. It was a white field, barely visible, reaching into the sky as a dome. In addition to the domes that kept the monsters in their individual places, a colossal dome covered nearly the whole island to ensure nothing could get in or out without the staff’s permission.
The kaiju slayer placed his fist against it once more, almost gently so, before pulling his arm back as far as it could go. Like a piston, the fist shot forward, making the forcefield shudder and crack. With a bellow, he repeated the action with his other hand, smashing through the dome. It faded into nothingness, a generator somewhere on the island exploding, and with that, Red King stepped in, sensing other gigantic lifeforms.
Breaths were held tight until, a minute later, two winged beasts surged through the air toward their foe. The Giant Bat and Skeetera moved next to each other, eager for battle. Red King roared, crashing his fists against one another to accept the challenge. Opening his maw, the gigantic flying mammal released a hellacious screech, which coursed through the air and enveloped Red King, making him roar in hatred and pain.
He could be hurt! That nearly brought a cheer from the people watching far off.
But pain begat hatred, and anguished memories. He remembered another bat-like creature, Chandlar, sinking its fangs into him a long time ago. When he was smaller, weaker, could barely fight back and could only run. He saw his own blood flowing from his body, staining his flesh. If another monster had not tackled Chandlar to the ground and started fighting it, just another part of the hellacious life on the Lawless Monster Zone before he cleansed it, he would have died.
Red King bellowed horrendously as his fists smashed the ground, fingers digging into the broken earth as he pulled out a massive chunk of material. Fighting through the pain as his eardrums rang and threatened to burst, he hurled the colossal projectile like it was made of foam.
The cracking of the Giant Bat’s ribs revealed that it was far heavier than that.
Skeetera watched in horror as her foe leapt into the air, coming down on the struggling mammal’s wings feet-first, breaking and tearing them. His meaty fist closed around the Giant Bat’s entire head, before squeezing. The flying mammal stopped thrashing as his brains and skull became one as a mush that slipped through the destroyer’s fingers.
Skeetera just turned around, and flew as fast as her wings could carry her into the horizon.
“Goddamnit!” Nick heard Hicks yell as he stomped the ground.
“A problem for another time, Major, we have bigger issues right now.”
Soon, the cyborg and the three mutations arrived at once, letting loose their respective roars as Red King beat his chest in challenge. Cyber-Godzilla crouched, firing the missiles on his spines. The glowing projectiles crashed into the skull monster’s chest as he charged, detonating and earning grunts of pain, yet not slowing him down.
King Cobra rushed forward, hissing loudly as he closed the distance. He slithered out of the path of a stomp, lashing out and biting down on the leg. His teeth grinded against the stone-like skin, trying to pierce. Red King’s fist shot down, bashing against the serpent’s hide, making him pull back and move away with a spiteful call. The invader prepared to pursue, only for Cyber-Godzilla to leap onto its foe’s back, sending sparks flying with its rapidly slashing claws. Red King tried to grab the cyborg, only for the warden of the monster prison to leap away, just in time for C-Rex and Ts-eh-GO to tackle Red King, knocking him over with a cry of shock.
The mutations all focused on their common foe, releasing their respective ranged attacks. Poisonous glue, tar, and acid fell upon the skull monster, the former two pinning his arms to the ground as the last wore away at the rigid skin on his belly, softening and discoloring it. Cyber-Godzilla’s eyes flashed blue as it prepared to unleash a stream of nuclear fire, only for Red King to roar as he reared up, spitting a cluster of explosive rocks at the cybernetic mutant. The enhanced iguana cried out in pain as it was shrouded in detonations, sending it falling over as the beam faded in its system. King Cobra prepared to fire another shot of his adhesive, only for Red King to rip a chunk of earth out by thrusting his arm up, the ground giving before his skin or the adhesive. The force behind the swing sent the boulder flying, cracking against the serpent’s face. C-Rex rushed to close the distance, bringing up one of his pillar-like legs to stomp it down onto the fiend, only for his falling foot to be caught by the freed hand, still coated in adhesive.
Pulling his other arm free with a similar result, Red King stood up and began to swing the crustacean around like a weapon, his gathered foes staying back. C-Rex struggled and roared, eventually bringing his other foot down on the limb. The glue gave way, sending the mutant sea life plummeting to the dirt as Red King winced. As his foes charged at him again, the invader grasped the adhesive with his tar-coated hand, pulling it off with a wet flop. The two materials did not stick to one another, allowing him to hold it.
Ts-eh-GO bashed his skull against the invader, stinger prepped to be driven into the weakened flesh, only for the skull monster to drive the venomous glue onto it, stopping the sting and giving him the chance to kick the scorpion in the bottom of the head. The mutant arachnid was nearly flipped over as he stumbled back, planting his tail on the ground to try and free his stinger by scraping it against the dirt.
Cyber-Godzilla’s atomic ray blazed into the tar, lighting it aflame. Red King flinched in shock, trying to put out the fire by waving his hand madly. With a shriek, he charged at the cyborg, swinging his flaming hand into it. Cyber-Godzilla let loose a screech both organic and synthetic as its flesh burned. With another thrust of his hand, the invader sent the burning tar flying away, then looked at his hand. Warm, but not burned or even singed.
King Cobra hissed as he darted forward, the invader swinging to knock the snake down only for the mutant to dodge the attack and wrap around the skull monster. Red King attempted to grab the serpent with his free hand, only for Ts-eh-GO to grab the serial killer’s arm. He held the reptile as hard as he could while King Cobra made his prey strike his face with his arm. The invader cried out as his own strength was used against him, blood beginning to pour down his nose as the serpent hissed at him, smiling as he watched the invader bleed. Ts-eh-GO tightened his grip as Red King began to shake violently, the scorpion attempting to aim his stinger but not being able to properly land the strike.
Quickly C-Rex charged in and shot out a blob of tar at the tyrant lizard, covering the invader in the thick black material. Red King roared with fury as he managed to free his hand of Ts-eh-GO, tossing the bio weapon over to the side before a stream of atomic fire struck the monster. King Cobra quickly retracted from the burning skull beast as he attempted to swipe away the flames, their scales beginning to feel the heat. Rage fueled Red King as he charged forward at Cyber Godzilla, knocking away C-Rex in the process.
The undead iguana unleashed a barrage of missiles at the reptile, flames covering the invader but not stopping as adrenaline ran through his veins. Red King roared as he grabbed his attacker by the throat, earning a choked cry of anguish as he slammed the cyborg into the ground. The earth beneath cracked each time the tyrant lizard continued the attack, shards of metal flying across the battlefield as Cyber Godzilla began to stop moving. Their orange eyes looked up at Red King as he lifted his leg, attempting to stomp into the alien war machine before C-Rex and King Cobra crashed into his side. The serial killer rolled across the ground before jumping back to his feet.
Red King pounded his chest and went to release a roar before he began to feel the ground rumble, the tyrant looking down to see the very earth shake. His eyes widened as the earth beneath his feet gave away, a roar exiting his maw as the ground swallowed him whole in an instant. Cyber Godzilla stumbled to their feet, panting as the others gathered around them.
The earth suddenly erupted in the nearby forest, the small group preparing to fight once more as they believed Red King to escape his prison but to their relief, the cavalry had arrived. The mutant shook off the mounds of dirt from his body as he turned toward the others. He had a history with every beast that stood here today, but none of that mattered now. All that mattered was to deal with the threat at hand. Godzilla stood tall, ready to banish the invader from the land of the living.
Beneath the dirt and rock Red King roared with fury. The skull monster thrashed violently at the large boulders and earth to free himself, only for more of the dirt to fill in his tomb. Anxiety began to fill the beast’s mind as he felt adrenaline run through his veins once more, bending his knees as he released a roar of might and jumped…
The earth erupted as Red King emerged from the tunnel, rock and dirt falling to the sky as the tyrant landed behind the small group. The inhabitants of Monster Island turned to see Red King beat his chest once more, ready to kill them all where they stood. Godzilla unleashed a roar at the invader as he circled around him, the mutant iguana had faced many foes, but none like this. He did not sense radiation from this beast, this was not a creation of the folly of man nor an invader from the stars, but a true child of the Earth. How unfortunate that this creature that was not changed at all from the planet’s design was nothing more than a killer…and like everything else Godzilla had faced, he would come out on top.
Cyber-Godzilla circled the other side of Red King as C-Rex and King Cobra stood in front of him, the group all growling at the tyrant as Ts-eh-GO began to dig into the earth. Perhaps while the others distracted him, the scorpion could land a blow that would turn the tide of the battle in their favor.
Godzilla lunged forward, teeth clamping down onto Red King’s arm. He roared in pain, swinging the limb around to try and dislodge the reptile, yet the mutant held strong as his teeth dug deeper into the skin. The brute’s other hand grabbed Godzilla by the throat, pulling him away while squeezing. His windpipe constricted, the guardian began to kick his feet against Red King’s stomach, crashing them into the acid-worn flesh. His claws sank in deep, spilling blood, forcing a cry of pain from the skull monster as the lithe mutant wriggled free, planting his feet on solid earth. Red King’s fist slammed into his face like a hammer, sending him crashing to the dirt, but he rolled with the strike and landed standing.
Missiles exploded against the brute’s back, making him turn to see Cyber-Godzilla crouched low, firing. The cyborg unleashed their atomic ray, aiming it at the wound on the destroyer’s belly, but Red King blocked it with his hand. C-Rex and King Cobra prepared to lunge forth, only for the Explosive Rock Bullet to fly, making them stagger back in pain.
Godzilla rushed past his foe’s feet, making the bloody monarch stumble, twisting on his heel to turn and slash against the rock-like hide of the invader. Sparks flew as he tried to break through, but Red King merely grasped him by the arm and threw him to the ground. His other hand grasped the limb, ready to twist it to its breaking point and beyond, only for Cyber-Godzilla to leap high into the air.
The cybernetic mutant’s feet crashed into Red King’s face, earning a screech of pain as he fell over. They leaped backward, joining their offspring as he got back to his feet. Godzilla and his progenitor looked at one another for a moment.
There was a spark of something beyond just simple artificial intellect in there as he peered into the one organic eye. Godzilla saw his parent, his true parent, somewhere deep inside. He had figured out a long time ago that Nick was not his true father, and while he did not mind still going along with the man, for Nick had proved himself time and time again to be worthy to follow, the mutant had always felt a certain longing to be with his biological relative on better terms. For weeks after the battle with the Leviathan aliens, Godzilla had felt a hole in his heart for having had to kill the one responsible for bringing him into this world.
A computer recognized the being before it as Godzilla, HEAT’s defender monster who had saved the world several times. But something deep inside, buried by machinery, knew it as their son. The only child who had survived that terrible explosion on that dreadful night, the night they had lost everything before being torn into by the scurrying primates’ weapons and all went dark. Then they woke up, in something humans would call perdition. Their chest no longer had a heart, but a reactor. Their flesh was rotting and decrepit. Their bones were laced with steel and wiring. And the brain was almost gone, replaced with computerized technology. But through it all, a primal instinct remained, one that nothing could stop. To defend their brood, ensure they lived and could go forth on their own. It was muddied, but still present.
If the original Godzilla could see their son through their own eyes, they would feel pride. Not for his deeds, as great as they were, but for the mere fact that it was their child, fully grown and strong enough to survive for himself.
Red King got to his feet, looking upon the two with outrage. Smashing his hands into the ground, he lifted up another chunk of earth, before hurling it at the two. With catlike reflexes, the duo dodged in seperate directions, before unleashing their respective beams at their foe. Red King roared in pain as he was forced backward, digging his feet into the dirt as his skin burned. Crouching, the brutish interloper sprang upward, sailing over Godzilla’s beam to land at his side. The mutant cut off his attack, avoiding an elbow slamming into his throat by mere inches, then whipped his tail at the destroyer’s thigh. Unfazed, Red King spat another barrage of combustible stones down upon his foe, making Godzilla fall to the ground with an anguished cry.
He was running low on the rocks, he could feel it, but he kept spraying them forth, keeping Godzilla pinned as they tore at his flesh and left pockmarks in his skin. Cyber-Godzilla fired his missiles yet again, but the skull monster was ready, ceasing his assault and slamming a kick into the mutant’s side, sending him flying into the explosives’ path. Godzilla screamed as his momentum was cut off by the blast, sending him crashing to the dirt, further burned.
As Cyber-Godzilla struggled to chart out a course of action, strange sensations in their mind slowing down the processing, C-Rex and King Cobra charged back into battle. They restrained Red King’s arms, the two letting loose a roar which made Ts-eh-GO return from the dirt, the action plunging the invader’s feet into the ground as the scorpion crawled up his form. He bellowed as he attempted to free himself, Ts-eh-GO’s stinger rising up.
And plunged into his wound, injecting venom.
Horrid nausea filled Red King’s body, nearly making him throw up. The mutant arachnid prepared to sting again, only for his face to be struck by a hail of rocks from the destroyer’s maw, sending the scorpion tumbling backward with a screech of shock. King Cobra moved to ensnare his foe’s torso, C-Rex hoisting himself up to wrap his tentacles around the skull monster’s neck. With another wave of pain and sickness shooting through his form from the venom coursing through his veins, he managed to bite down on one of the crustacean’s tentacles, severing it. C-Rex moved backward, howling in pain. He tried to grab the serpent by the face, only for the combination of being constricted and poisoned making him just stumble backward. Godzilla and Cyber-Godzilla charged as one, slamming their skulls into the invader’s gut, sending him to the dirt.
Breathing was becoming nigh-impossible, made even worse as Godzilla planted his foot on the destroyer’s chest in a stomp, it and the serpent’s grasp cracking bone. The mutant iguana roared in his foe’s face, twisting his foot to worsen the pain.
***
Countless thoughts rushed through Red King’s mind at light speed. His heartbeat thudded in his contracting chest, a horrid sensation that only made his pain worse. He could no longer fire any of his projectiles, the burst used to drive back the scorpion being the last of them. The void was wrapping its arms around him, stealing his breath and dragging him down. Memories of agony filled his brain. Teeth tore into flesh, claws scraped away meat, fire scourged his skin, fists broke bones, and so much more. The Lawless Monster Zone attracted monsters from all around the world to engage in its eternal battle royale, ensuring the weak perished if they were not small enough to hide.
All he remembered was pain. There was no joy for almost the entirety of his lifespan. It was only when he could give that pain to others that he felt happy.
It was not fair. Just when he thought he was finally free, no longer needing to spend every moment in pain and fear, it would all be taken away. Nothing about this was fair! Nothing should have to suffer as much as him without recompense, without someone paying for it!
Without everyone paying for it.
He would not die. Not until he had vomited out every ounce of bile in his heart, until every pain he felt was dealt out, until everyone had to see what his life had been like, what true horror and anguish was.
An ancient power, buried in the genetics of his lineage, began to arise. Unceasing hatred fueled it, something no member of his species had accessed for a long, long time.
***
Red King’s fists ignited, now coated in searing flame. King Cobra loosened his grasp in shock, allowing the skull monster to throw his arms out and send the serpent tumbling off of him. Godzilla stumbled back, eyes wide as he tried to comprehend just what he was looking at.
A roar of the purest madness and hatred ripped from Red King’s mouth, before he lunged forward and slammed one of his blazing fists into the guardian’s gut in an uppercut. There was an explosion which lifted Godzilla off his feet, a sickening crack arising from inside the mutant’s body as hellacious forces tore into his innards.
Godzilla flew like a catapulted projectile through the air, crashing into the side of a mountain whose peak was open and releasing smoke. Red King breathed in deeply and rapidly, trying to regain air in his lungs. King Cobra lunged toward him, jaws open wide, only to get backhanded by a still burning hand, breaking teeth and hurling him away like a tossed aside cord. Ts-eh-GO charged forward, pincers clamping in the air, only to get slammed on the top of the back with an explosive strike, shattering armor and revealing the frail flesh beneath. The scorpion screamed, but before Red King could drive down another punch that would surely end his life, Cyber-Godzilla leaped atop his back, clawing madly. Grasping the cyborg by the arms, the flames on his palms making steel glow and rotted flesh bubble, Red King slammed his foe into the ground hard enough to form a crater. Ts-eh-GO managed the strength to flee, leaving Cyber-Godzilla helpless as the skull monster crashed a punch into their mechanical arm, shattering the joint and removing it at the elbow. C-Rex kicked Red King in the back, making him stumble forward before whipping around in place, punching a crater into the crustacean’s back which sent C-Rex to the ground.
He could have slain the two here and now, but his mind was hyper-focused on what had filled his vision as he almost died, so he turned toward where Godzilla had been launched and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Battered and broken, the four mutants chased after him, determined to stop him.
Godzilla’s eyes opened as he struggled to his feet, vomiting up a combination of blood and liquefied fish onto the stone below. His vision was blurry and sharp pain filled his system. Without his advanced regeneration, he would have likely passed out.
He looked down toward the volcano’s base at the sound of heavy footfalls, solidifying his vision as Red King ran up toward him. The invader’s fists were no longer covered in flames, but something in the mutant’s mind warned him that they most likely could ignite again. The lithe reptile avoided a swinging fist, which crashed into the rock and cracked it. His tail whipped against Red King’s stomach, but the fiend merely grabbed the limb and hoisted his foe into the air. Godzilla cried out as he was slammed into the mountainside, forming a crater.
As Red King attempted to lift the mutant into the air once more, a ball of glue was shot forth. The material kept the tyrant’s hand in place as King Cobra slammed his form into the invader, earning a cry of surprise from the murderous reptile of the Lawless Monster Zone as he stepped backward. Godzilla quickly turned his head at his opponent and unleashed a stream of atomic fire onto the glue, freeing him from his enemy’s grasp as the flame burned their scales.
The violent beast quickly dug his hands through the dirt, grabbing ahold of a few boulders before throwing them at the serpent. Dirt went into the eyes of the snake as rock hit the king’s body, earning a hiss of pain as he backed away and attempted to throw the dirt out of his eyes.
Red King smiled as he charged forward at his prey, only for C-Rex’s roar to earn his attention. The tyrant lizard quickly turned as the mutant attempted to strike, catching the arm of the crustacean and throwing him at the serpent. The mutants’ bodies slammed into each other, knocking them both to the ground. The pair groaned as they shook off the attack, King Cobra hissed at C-Rex for the sea life’s failure to attack the invader with the crustacean roaring back to assert his dominance. Their squabble earned Red King enough time to charge at the downed pair, only for Cyber Godzilla’s blue atomic fire to strike his flesh.
The serial killer quickly turned around and smacked the cyborg away, only to have Ts-eh-GO grasp his arm with his pincers. Aiming his stinger to strike the beast, only for Red King’s maw to reach out and bite into the limb. Blood flowed from the wound as Red King applied pressure before throwing the mutant aside, crashing into Cyber-Godzilla’s form.
Godzilla roared as he leapt into the air and fired a stream of green atomic flames across the chest of his opponent, earning a roar of pain before being punched in midair. Ribs cracked as he flew down the mountain, groaning and wheezing as he landed with a gigantic thud. Red King clapped his hands in joy as he watched his prey squeal in pain, they had never felt such suffering in their existence. They would feel what he had felt his whole life, agony and rage as bigger things than them attempted to prove nature’s oldest rule.
Survival of the fittest.
Before the tyrant could reach the four monsters that surrounded him, they all roared and charged. Red King looked over his shoulder to the boiling volcano, the heat calling to him to refuel his Explosive Rock Bullet. If he could get them near the molten magma, he could toss them into it. The reptile smiled as he turned around completely and belined for the volcano’s entrance, the group of monsters charging forward to finally defeat their prey.
The mutant iguana got back to his feet, shaking off the damage that he had received from the invader. He had faced worse than this tyrant, saving the world from threat after threat. Alien invasions, the work of mad men believing themselves to be gods, and his fellow mutants. Time after time he had survived against near impossible odds, coming up on top as the victor and savior of the planet. His story would not end by the hand of some murderous, invasive beast. Godzilla unleashed a roar before charging after his comrades, the king ready to finish this fight once and for all.
Red King began to quickly devour the boulders surrounding the entrance of the volcano as he heard the group approaching, the tyrant smiling as he quickly turned around in an attempt to reach out for the first one he could, only for the four beasts to charge in unison, earning a cry of fear from the ruler of the Lawless Monster Zone as he fell into the volcano. The reptile gripped the sides of the land mass as he held on for dear life, the heat filling him with anxiety as he looked down at the hot magma.
Cyber-Godzilla looked over the edge, their eyes widening in surprise to see the animal alive. The cyborg’s spines illuminated a bright blue before the light followed suit, opening their maw as they prepared to send Red King into the volcano…
The tyrant lizard quickly reached up, grabbing the jaws of the mutant with one of his hands and attempting to pull the undead mutant into the lava, only to meet resistance from the cyborg. Cyber-Godzilla attempted to trash their way out of the hold, but Red King was too strong, they couldn’t free themselves from his grasp. With one mighty throw, Cyber Godzilla flew past the group. Their blue atomic ray fired into the air as they landed, machinery sparking from the damage.
With all his might, Red King began to lift himself from the volcano. Eating molten boulders along the way just for the extra ammo for his attack, tension rose as one hand went over the edge. The reptile began to free himself from his prison, his eyes widening as an acidic spray was once again launched at him. The skull monster quickly moved his head to the side, the attack missing and going over the edge into the hellish abyss. Red King kept his eyes locked onto Ts-eh-GO as he finally freed himself.
That one would die first.
Godzilla charged forward, his spines illuminating a light green as the eyes followed suit. Green flames rose from the side of his maw as he went in for the kill. Cyber-Godzilla rose to their feet, following their offspring’s example and charging their atomic fire as they rushed forward.
C-Rex, King Cobra and Ts-eh-GO all charged forward. Their respective roars echoed in the ears of the towering juggernaut before them, Red King smiling as he unleashed a roar of glee before firing a barrage of molten rocks at the pair of Godzillas. The rocks crashed into the pair’s forms, burning their flesh as bones were cracked and metal was crushed from the attack. C-Rex and King Cobra quickly lashed out to the sides, only to have Red King reach out to the pair and slam them into the ground. Ts-eh-GO roared as he charged, only to have his opponent react.
Red King lifted his leg as the scorpion attempted to stab him with his stinger, only for the attack to miss as the tyrant slammed his foot into Ts-eh-GO’s torso. This forced a groan of agony as his head slammed into the ground, the stinger being forced forward before Red King caught the attack. He pointed down at his pinned prey with his free hand before ripping off the stinger, the scorpion roaring in anguish as his opponent freed him. The scorpion’s mind couldn’t focus as he attempted to find any way to protect themself before Red King flipped the stinger downward and slammed it into the skull of the scorpion.
C-Rex and King Cobra watched in horror as they rose from the ground, witnessing Red King repeatedly slam the blade into the body. Blood splattered across his skin and the ground, laughing with a monstrous joy as he watched the body twitch. The scorpion’s body was only moving due to muscle spasms, blood squirting out of the massive wounds even as Red King pulled the stinger out of the corpse and threw it to the side. The tyrant king licked his lips before grinning with glee at the pair, the mutants looking over to each other with doubt in their minds.
The alpha of the Lawless Monster Zone beat his chest as he looked up into the sky and unleashed a roar of dominance, daring them to charge as he returned his attention toward the pair. His tail slammed onto the ground repeatedly as his body flexed with anticipation, his hand motioning for them to come to him. He was going to enjoy making sure that none of them would survive this day.
Down at the mountain’s base, Cyber-Godzilla got to their feet, wheezing and hacking violently. Looking over to their son, they saw Godzilla was attempting to rise, only to collapse once more. He breathed in deeply, trying to get oxygen into his burning lungs. He had endured too much punishment too quickly, and that toll was a heavy one.
They both looked up to see Red King sliding down the mountain toward them, prompting Cyber-Godzilla to scale the towering rock to keep the invader away from their offspring. Charging straight toward a foe that greatly overpowered one, while already being significantly weakened from the loss of a limb, was not a wise move. However, something compelled the mutant to do so, refusing to let the cruel fiend get near Godzilla.
Missiles flew forth from their spines, which the skull monster intercepted with molten rocks flying from his mouth, detonating them in midair. The cyborg mutant’s skull soon bashed into Red King’s gut, nearly knocking him to his back. Remaining standing, the destroyer grasped the lithe creature’s head, lifting them up before swinging them to the ground.
Godzilla roared in anger, trying to rise and charge forth toward his foe, to save his biological father, only to struggle to just get on his feet. He reached deep inside himself, trying to muster the power to shoot a beam of atomic flames, only for embers to leave his mouth in a cough.
Cyber-Godzilla’s eyes flashed as they prepared their atomic ray, only for Red King to grasp both jaws and clamp them shut with one hand. From the cyborg’s nostrils came streaks of flame, but the burns they left on Red King’s arm did not deter him from lifting his other arm high, before igniting it with a raging fire.
The cybernetic iguana tried to fight back, scratch and claw with its remaining arm, flail with all they had, and whip its tail against the skull monster’s leg, but it was not enough to stop the explosive punch from coming down like a hammer.
Godzilla watched with wide eyes as the one who brought him into this world, the parent he had never known as a living being, had their skull shattered like a vase.
He bellowed with hatred and wrath, but this only drew Red King’s gaze. The psychotic monster threw the corpse toward him like trash, sending the headless body rolling down the mountain until it landed before Godzilla in a broken heap. With both fists burning brightly, the invader prepared to run down and destroy the now grieving mutant…
Until a stream of tar fell upon him, coating his torso in the black substance which ignited immediately.
***
As C-Rex and King Cobra tackled the burning king, engaging in a mad tangle of thrashing limbs and gnashing jaws, the mood in the control base was one of immense tension and a deeply soured disposition.
“Skeetera let loose, Ts-eh-GO killed, and the same with Cyber-Gojira…” Oniyama sighed as he watched the chaos.
“They both tried to kill us, but I can’t help feeling bad for the poor guys,” Elsie replied. “Animals get killed all the time in nature, but not like that! What the hell is wrong with that thing?”
“And how the hell is it so damn strong? Ultraman threw his pops at a rock and it snapped his neck, but this thing’s been hit with enough shit to put Godzilla in a coma and is still kicking!” Randy added, scratching his temple.
Nick was quick to respond. “Same way that Godzilla can handle military firepower without a scratch while his dad got put down by some fighter jets.”
“Oh yeah…”
***
Red King dropped to the ground and rolled downhill, snuffing out the flames and taking King Cobra with him as he held onto the snake’s body. Screeching in a mixture of pain and wrath, the serpent bit down hard enough to pierce the skin and reach blood, staining his fangs.
As the skull monster returned to his feet, in time for C-Rex to grasp him by the legs from behind and trip him back down, Godzilla roared. It was a demand, communication in a language humans would never understand.
Why? What compelled the psychopathic kaiju to do all this?
Kicking the crustacean away and pushing himself to a standing position, Red King looked at the mutated reptilian, growling. He revealed the anguish and loneliness of his existence, expressing a desire to make the world feel it all.
***
“What do you think they’re saying?” Mendel questioned.
Oniyama looked at the scene with a spark in his eyes that belonged to a much younger man. “I would give anything to know.” Nick could not help but agree with him.
He knew Godzilla understood him to some degree, but the lack of the inverse was something that always bothered him. Of course the biologist could tell some things, get broad strokes ideas of what the mutant wanted, but the specifics were always lost. To be able to have a genuine conversation with Godzilla, even if it was something as simple as how he felt about the fish he’d had for lunch that day, would be an experience that Nick would cherish until he disappeared from this world. Many dismissed Godzilla as a dumb animal, a reptile with a diminutive brain, but he knew different. Godzilla was intelligent, right on the same level as a human being.
After today’s events, if he still lived, Nick wished he could comfort his adopted son in some way, as he had tried to do after the Leviathan’s invasion had forced the giant to destroy his progenitor.
***
Rage pushed the reptile to his feet, even with his stance shaky and low. That was all this was? A pathetic tantrum against the world? He snarled at the violent king. The world was cruel, this was no excuse to be cruel in return. Red King’s nostrils flared as he looked toward him, fists clenching until knuckles changed color.
No excuse? This world was built on barbarism, he was merely following in its structure. Life is about being the supreme being, the strongest of all, and the only way to ensure that is to kill any competition!
Godzilla looked toward the corpse of his parent, who had charged into battle fearlessly to save him. He thought of his human allies, who put their lives on the line time and time again to help him and the world. He remembered other monsters who had aided him, his heart weeping at the memory of a certain one’s tender touch. He looked to C-Rex and King Cobra, and while they had fought him in the past, they still stood here and helped him against this foe.
He rebuked Red King, proclaimed his philosophy false. Life was not lived alone, crushing all others. Working together, forming bonds with others, that was life. His life was also one of constant struggle, he was born the only surviving sibling of thousands, into a world that wanted him dead from the start. He had just as much of a right to become what Red King had become by the skull monster’s logic, but he had not. Because others had cared for him, and he returned that in kind. He questioned his foe.
Had truly nothing else in this world cared for Red King?
Suddenly, the skull monster had another memory, one which bubbled to the surface from beneath a deep, dark shade.
***
He marched through the forests, coming to a clearing. He breathed deeply, panting in panic as a colossus darted through the trees near him, unaware that he had changed course.
The skull monster was smaller than he was now, not quite a child but not an adult either. He surveyed, tense, before noticing a watering hole. He crept over to it, putting a hand into the clear water and drinking of it.
A tiny, high-pitched call drew his attention, startling him. Water flew from his cupped hand as the diminutive creature before him shrieked, running away until reaching a certain distance. The red, bumpy creature turned back toward the skull monster, waving a large hand which had no arm, coming from the body itself. It smiled at him, stepping closer. He looked at it tensely, which seemed to make the red creature sad.
Pigmon ran over to grab a flower from a nearby bush, a beautiful blossom, and walked up to the towering monster. It chittered toward him, raising it up with that same kind smile.
Red King growled. It did not wish to attack him? The friendly monster nodded, then called out again. Why would it want to do that?
The skull monster sat there, confused, staring at this small creature with a flower in its hand. It was being… nice to him. This was the first creature to ever show him such things. He moved his arm unconsciously.
A twinge of pain shot through it, the source being the bite wound on the forearm. He winced, making Pigmon whimper. It was actually concerned he was in pain? This tiny thing was trying to actually be kind to him, instead of just running away. He had no clue how to proceed. Pigmon just held the flower up again, calling to him again, asking if he was okay.
He growled, making the friendly monster back up, fear on its face. If he had done something so immensely reckless, he would have been harmed and brutalized, as he had when he was younger! What made it think it was exempt from nature’s rules?
Why should it get better treatment than himself?
Clenching his fist, Red King slammed it down into the diminutive creature’s body, crushing its bones and reducing it to a stain in the dirt. Just before he made contact, Pigmon screamed in horror and shock.
It was music to his ears.
***
From that day on, darkness had been carved into Red King’s heart. For he had given in to the same vile ideals that his tormentors had, that the weak perished and the strong survived. And now, it was being dredged up and shown to him, forcing him to confront these things.
Red King refused, shoving it back down into the depths of his psyche with a horrid scream of wrath and hatred.
Godzilla looked toward Cyber-Godzilla’s corpse, feeling the immense energy radiating from it, the same energy that fueled him. Perhaps a parting gift, even in death? Red King charged forward, continuing his bellowing, filling Godzilla’s heart with doubt that he could do what needed to be done in time.
C-Rex and King Cobra did not like the mutant iguana. He had defeated them in the past, wounded and burned the two and led to them being captured and imprisoned. They did not like each other, for they saw the other as a rival. But, in addition to their shared hatred of Red King, they both found resonance with Godzilla’s “words”.
The arthropod remembered a life before this one, when he was a simple crustacean. He lived amongst others of his kind, engaging in simplistic activities and being part of a colony. Part of him missed that life, and it spoke to him yet again with the reminder from the mutated reptile. Perhaps he could find it on this island, with things of a different kind than him? Godzilla had, why could he not?
The serpent was in a similar state of mind. Once he had been a regular cobra, a powerful male. Humans typically think snakes are cold, solitary things who care not for interaction with even others of their own kind, but this was simply not true. All living things with complex brains had social desires to some capacity, and this was the same with him. He had buried these feelings upon becoming a mutant, believing himself nothing more than a monster.
The two mutants looked at one another, then at Red King charging toward Godzilla with the intent to kill. They came to a conclusion as one. To preserve this home and regain what they had lost in becoming abominations, Godzilla needed to live.
C-Rex’s tentacles grasped King Cobra’s body, lifting him up with an adrenaline-fueled strength. Kicking against the ground with one leg, the crustacean spun on the other, building up momentum and letting go to send the serpent flying. The fearsome competitor hissed mightily as he soared, expanding his hood to gain a moment’s more airtime, drawing Red King’s gaze backward. His eyes widened, the psychotic monster roaring in shock before the serpent barreled into him, sending both to the ground, C-Rex charging forward to join the battle.
Godzilla leapt to the cyborg’s body, placing his hands on his father’s body. The leaking radiation flowed up his arms, traveling into his system and integrating within. He looked to his two newfound allies, wishing them well in buying the needed time.
He hoped they survived, for he held no spite for their past actions. They were animals, doing what animals did. Their conflicts with him had not been of malice on their part, merely the result of beasts brought into a world that did not fit them.
***
“Never thought I’d be rooting for those two,” Nick stated, watching with bated breath.
“Interesting how enemies will bond together when a greater threat presents itself. The real question is what comes after,” Oniyama responded.
“Kick his ass, you two! Buy G-Man time to go… Super?” Randy cheered.
“Super Godzilla?” Mendel snarked. “That sounds ridiculous.”
Monique was more pragmatic, as usual. “Are we sure Cyber-Godzilla has enough energy to make a difference here?”
Oniyama remained positive. “Of course, their modifications brought their internal energy levels to about equal to that of your Godzilla. His power should skyrocket, hopefully long enough to defeat Red King.”
“Whatever happens next, we’re about to see this battle come to a close,” Nick exclaimed, keeping his eyes on the fight.
***
Red King rolled across the ground, attempting to free himself by crushing the snake under his weight but the serpent would not release his grip. King Cobra hissed at the psychotic beast as he attempted to crush him, only to enrage the skull monster more. His fangs shone from the sun’s reflection, blinding Red King as he stared up at the mutant. The snake charged forward, fangs aiming toward the monster’s neck, only for the prey to block the attack with his arm.
The murderous reptile snarled as blood ran down his arm, pressure being applied by the cobra as he attempted to sink the twin fangs into the limb, his hide being too thick for the serpent to puncture all the way through. Red King looked up at the snake, roaring into the eyes of the mutant as he heard the footsteps of another colossus, earning his attention.
C-Rex charged forward, roaring with rage. The crustacean aimed to attack the pinned ruler of the Lawless Monster Zone while he was down. If they could keep him still, they could land a killing blow and finish this slaughter.
With all his strength, Red King lifted his body and slammed the serpent into the ground. His elbow went into the gut of the mutated reptile. King Cobra cringed as he felt pain rush through his coiled body, making him ease up on the hold that he had on his opponent. The serial killer grinned as he was able to free his arm, pulling back his fist before striking the snake in the gut. Ribs cracked as the mutant of Japan released a gasp for air, the wind being knocked out of him in an instant. The monster quickly threw off the serpent, throwing him to the ground as C-Rex got closer. Before the crustacean could react, Red King wrapped his hands around the snake and swung him at the mutant sea life, throwing him backward before crashing into the ground. The yellow, two-legged beast breathed heavily as he began to rise once more.
The cruel brute swung the almost unconscious serpent above his head before slamming him down onto C-Rex, the mutants crying out in agony as Red King continued the attack. The pair was barely moving as their foe released his grip on King Cobra, letting the snake fall onto the ground beside his fellow mutant. Red King walked over to the top of the serpent’s form, grabbing the top of his neck. He wrapped his hands around his throat before pulling his head back and slamming it into the snake’s face, blood splattering across his green scales. He licked the blood as he released one of his hands, pulling his arm back as he made a fist before striking the snake across the jaw. The bone broke as King Cobra dropped onto the ground, motionless. His heartbeat slowed down as a result of the beating he had endured, though by some miracle he had survived, barely.
Red King turned his attention toward the adrenaline filled C-Rex, the crustacean aiming to give Godzilla more time. The mutant swung his leg downward, attempting to pin the reptile’s foot under his own, only for his foe to pull his leg back and kick the animal’s leg, the bone breaking in an instant. C-Rex unleashed a roar into the sky as the invader pulled his arm back and swung, striking him across his head. The mutant tumbled to the ground, shaking the earth as he crashed into the island’s soil. The mutant’s black eye looked up as Red King raised both of his fists above his head and slammed them into the animal’s form, a crater forming beneath his body from the impact. C-Rex laid on the ground wheezing as he attempted to catch breath.
His opponent turned away from the mutant, cracking his knuckles before reaching for a boulder, wrapping his hands around the rock before lifting it above his head and walking back to the downed kaiju.
Was this it? Was this how they would perish? Believing in false hope for an enemy to save them? C-Rex released a cry as Red King smiled, his body language speaking that he was ready to crush his prey…
A blue stream of atomic fire struck the boulder, exploding it in his enemy’s hands. The brute roared in surprise as his weapon broke into a small debris, falling onto C-Rex’s form as nothing more than harmless pebbles. Smoke rose from the skull monster’s hands as he turned, his brow rising as he saw Godzilla before him. The iguana had changed somehow, his primitive mind attempting to find an answer but only being met with rage as he beat his chest and roared at his opponent.
Godzilla’s dorsal spines and eyes illuminated blue, flashing every couple of seconds. His scales burned with atomic power waiting to be released, blue flames erupting from the sides of the maw of the world’s guardian. The mutated iguana flexed his body as he dragged his foot through the dirt, this was the strongest that he had ever been. The feeling of the power of the atom rushing through him felt amazing, such strength would put any of his previous foes into the dirt within seconds. The guard dog of HEAT growled at Red King, his rage rising with every passing second. No more death. No one else dies while he breathes.
The king of the monsters and the king of slaughter charged at one another, not another “word” being exchanged.
Claws slashed through flesh, letting loose flowing blood. The invader’s fist struck the mutant’s chest, bruising ribs. Another strike sailed forward, but the limber defender ducked beneath it, opening his jaws and biting down on the wrist, digging his teeth in deep. Red King roared, swinging his arm up to lift Godzilla high, only for the cunning reptile to release his grip, swinging with the momentum to crash his feet against his foe’s neck. A choked cry of wrath escaped the murderer’s mouth as he stumbled back, clenching his fists which ignited with raging flame.
Several strikes flew forth like the thrusting of a sword, and with the precision of a professional fencer Godzilla avoided each one. His foe was starting to slow down, while he had only just gotten started. Suddenly, he lunged forward, driving his skull into the psychotic monster’s solar plexus, making the fiend double over.
Red King’s arms wrapped around his foe’s torso, lifting him high and holding him upside down. The mutant shrieked in shock, caught off guard by how much fight was still within his foe. With a roar of sick glee, the skull monster performed a piledriver, splitting earth and stone with Godzilla’s face. His claws went to the dirt immediately afterward, tearing at it to burrow down, only for Red King’s meaty hand to grasp his tail before he could fully submerge. Pulling his foe out and whipping the mutated reptile around, he hurled Godzilla up toward the mouth of the volcano. He rolled as he landed, nearly plunging downward. Red King spat forth molten rock once again, but Godzilla was ready, unleashing his atomic ray. The azure stream of nuclear fire turned the stone in its path to dust, blazing into the invader’s stomach. He screamed as flesh sizzled and popped, his feet leaving the ground as he was sent tumbling down to the mountain’s base.
Godzilla leapt high, sailing through the air as he descended toward his foe. Red King was already back on his feet, looking at his rocketing downward foe with malice in his eyes. Burning fists alight once more, he crouched low, then sprung upward. Godzilla’s spines and eyes shined brightly as the distance between the two closed.
An explosion rent one of the mutant’s hands asunder, breaking the finger-bones like glass. One of the guardian’s feet tore open a massive hole in the skull monster’s gut, nearly disemboweling him. One of Godzilla’s thighs was dislocated by the second blast, the popping sound echoing. Red King’s entire back was painted black by the flames, burning at tens of thousands of degrees, racing down its length.
Both collapsed in broken heaps. Moans of anguish filled the landscape. Yet, both still moved and struggled, their pained wails mixing with spiteful growls. Only one was capable of rising, for Godzilla’s regeneration was not sufficient to swiftly repair a dislocated leg.
Limping over to his foe, Red King wheezed and tried to take deep breaths. The spines glowed once more. He grabbed the mutant by the head, clamping the jaws shut as he lifted his body up. Godzilla still thrashed, slicing away at the invader’s hide with his usable hand. The skull monster, still keeping Godzilla’s mouth closed, grabbed the hand and twisted, breaking the fingers. A muffled scream left the guardian’s throat. Red King held him up, peering into his foe’s eyes as his hand moved toward the base of the head. They held no fear.
He wanted to see Godzilla’s life leave his eyes when he snapped the bastard’s neck.
Unfortunately for him, he would not get his wish, as the nostrils of the mutant flared open, unleashing twin jets of power. The island shook as Red King’s weary lungs let loose all the air they could in a horrendous scream as his eyeballs burst in their sockets, darkening the world. He dropped Godzilla, the monster king yelling as his agonized body roughly crashed to the dirt. Red King’s foot slammed into his underside, the blinded colossus flailing madly. The mutant roared to draw his foe’s attention, drawing the maddened beast toward him, fists raised high. They fell, and at that moment Godzilla hoisted himself up on his ravaged hands, shifting his body to where one of the fists slammed into his thigh, ramming the femur back into its socket. Godzilla grit his teeth so hard they threatened to crack, but it was enough. He got back to his feet, jaws open.
Teeth sank into the flesh of Red King’s chest, the mutant thrashing his head like a dog to rip away a chunk of flesh. The invader fell to the ground, flailing and shouting.
Godzilla planted his foot on the killer’s stomach, channeling his internal power once more. He did not let out some roar of domination or supremacy, instead just turning his head down to end this pitiful tyrant’s life and free the world of another madman seeking to tear it all down.
Red King doubted everything he had ever believed in. He was here because he was alone in this world, brutalized and soon to die. He had rejected the hand reaching down to pull him free of this vile swamp of isolation and hatred when he had merely sunk his toes into it. If he had accepted that plea for friendship, where would he be? Would he have met these monsters under different circumstances, better circumstances? A million questions without a single answer swirled through his mind.
And he’d never find them.
The flames tore into the wounded chest, sinking deeper in and turning the ribcage into a furnace. The lungs exploded, the heart boiling and melting into a sludge. Tongues of fire erupted from all across Red King’s body, ending his life in one final burst of agony which lasted an instant, giving way to merciful darkness.
As the corpse burned away, crumbling into the ground beneath, Godzilla turned away.
***
“What’s he doing?” Elsie asked. No one replied immediately, Nick and Oniyama seeing exactly where he was heading.
“To free the one who brought him into this world.”
***
He approached Cyber-Godzilla’s corpse. The shining light radiating from his body was gone, and each limped step revealed agony. He looked upon the headless form, a tear leaking from his eye. Opening his jaws, he fired a green ray of energy once again. The cyborg’s body ignited, spewing smoke and ash which rose into the heavens.
He hoped that somehow, someway, they would find his siblings in whatever realm laid beyond this one.
Dropping to the ground, Godzilla curled up, passing out.
***
“Is he…” Randy began, only for Nick to cut him off.
“No, he’ll live. It’ll probably take him days to wake up, but he’s still breathing. I don’t think that will be an issue, will it?”
Hicks got to his feet, replying. “It’ll take us a lot longer than a few days to get this place fixed up, so he won’t exactly halt anything. I’d love to stick around and chat, but I need to start working immediately.”
Oniyama joined him. “I as well. I have calls to make to Japan, finally get Ifukube’s help like we should have beforehand. If those monkeys in suits up at the top still don’t want to shell out the cash for it, we don’t deserve to be keeping these things caged up in the first place.”
“Agreed,” the biologist replied. “Is it alright if we stay here until Godzilla wakes up?”
“Of course, if you don’t mind sleeping in military barracks.”
Randy chimed in, “Eh, it can’t be worse than my old apartment.” This drew some chuckles from the room, which faded in a moment.
Mendel spoke, “I’ll get to work trying to see where Skeetera ran off to, that’ll probably be our first job once Godzilla’s back up.”
As people began to file out of the control room, Nick once again stared out at Godzilla and Red King. Elsie noticed this, putting a hand on his shoulder to draw his attention. “What is it?”
Nick took a second to gather his thoughts, taking a breath. “Godzilla could have turned out like that. A savage monster against the whole world.”
“Yeah, I suppose he could have. But, he didn’t. Because he had us,” the redhead paleontologist replied.
“Exactly. That makes me wonder if someone could have been there for Red King. It makes me wonder if there’s other monsters like that out there, who will end up like that and—“
“Woah, don’t go telling me you’re thinking of adopting more monsters, Nicky, Audrey would bite your head off.”
Nick smiled at this. “No, Godzilla’s enough of a handful. I guess reading up on the Science Patrol made me think of, well, us. A group of people dedicated to dealing with strange occurrences, a giant guardian ready to step in and help when things got too dicey. And it got me thinking about if there were other groups out there like us.”
“Oh great, now you’re thinking of franchising HEAT,” Elsie chuckled.
“You know what I mean.”
“Of course, I’m just trying to keep the mood light, I feel like you probably almost had a heart attack a few times today.”
“God, you’re not wrong.”
Elsie patted her friend on the shoulder twice, then began to walk away. “Come on, think about this another time, we all need to relax and get our bearings. Thinking about what ifs and other groups of idiots like us isn’t the way to do that.”
“You’re right, thank you,” Nick replied, taking one last look toward the burning pyres and his adopted son sleeping between them, then going to meet the rest.
***
The full moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the darkness somewhat. Godzilla still slumbered, advanced regeneration mending together bone and sinew within his weary body. Two giant forms moved near, looking upon him. C-Rex and King Cobra, faring little better than him, looked at each other.
Much had happened today. They witnessed death and chaos, beheld something that had crawled from the darkest pit of despair to drag them down into it, and were the last survivors of Monster Island who had actually fought. Pain wracked their bodies. Both would need to rest for a long time. But instead of simply laying down, something compelled them to keep up and about, for just a little longer.
They stared into each other’s eyes. They always saw each other as rivals, only kept from tearing into each other by the watchful eyes of their warden and the walls between them. But, they wordlessly agreed that they found themselves greatly preferring being allies. The companionship they had always subconsciously sought had been there, they simply needed to find it.
They looked back to Godzilla. Even with all he had done for them on this day, they knew it would be a long time before they were willing to fully accept him as they just had each other. But, a long time did not mean never.
With reverence they bowed to his unconscious form, then moved back to where their enclosure was.
Winner: Zilla, C-Rex, King Cobra
A very special thanks to E.J. Su for another fantastic contribution to the K.W.C. We’re always excited to have him return and his newest contribution is as fantastic as it is action packed! In regards to his previous work, I would highly recommend checking out Godzilla Legends #4 or the many Transformers comics he is credited for including Revelation, Devastation, Escalation, and more. By all accounts, follow him on his DeviantART, ArtStation, and Instagram to list a few. Lastly to see the unaltered banner, you can check out the image below.