Author: Landon Soto | Banner: Tyler Trieschock

Powerful shaggy arms cut through the water as mighty legs kicked up waves of water into the sky. Loud strenuous gasps escaped through stone monolith-like teeth, brown eyes struggled to stay open as gallons of water pelted the brutish face of the unseasoned swimmer.

King Kong; the Eighth Wonder of the World; King of Faro; and the Reigning Champion in an epic brawl with the King of the Monsters all across Japan. After both monsters plummeted off of a steep cliff and into the ocean, only Kong rose up from the waves in victory.

Now his sole mission was to return home, unlike a traditional primate, King Kong was gifted with a form of genetic memory, like that of a homing pigeon or spawning salmon. Following his natural instinct, the giant primate pressed onward for what seemed like forever, the ocean was relentless, but unfortunately for it, so was Kong.

Two days had passed, Kong never stopped, his powerful limbs carried on, his energy reserves were slowly wearing thin and the second wind he received in the battle with Godzilla was dwindling. Bloodshot eyes glared at the endless aquatic desert before him as Kong’s ears caught the sound of thunder in the sky, the ape occasionally glanced up as he swam like a powerful ship tearing through the waves.

Soon enough, rain was pouring down relentlessly on the ape. Kong’s shaggy coat of fur acted like a heavy weight on his entire body, threatening to drag the ape down and into the depths of the ocean if he wasn’t careful. The King of Faro continued to muscle through the ever growing exhaustion and soreness that constantly bombarded him, however.

Pruned fingers crashed through the water as the ocean became ever more violent, the howling of the wind drowned out Kong’s own thoughts now barely able to hear himself think. His mind occasionally played memories of his island people, the sounds of their songs gave the giant ape glimmers of hope every once in a while, this was without a doubt the longest journey he had endured in his long life.

As Kong was thinking, a large wave crashed into his body, Kong snarled as it felt like a colossal hand was trying to submerge him underwater. His body threatened to sink, but the island deity forced himself aloft, another wave strong enough to destroy ships crashed into the apes’ back, a strained gasp of air expelled from the primate’s mouth as his body was again almost completely submerged into the black ocean.

The King of Faro let out a roar as if in defiance of nature, he refused to be swallowed into the abyss. King Kong breached the surface as he continued to swim when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his back that quickly subsided, followed by a loud boom that silenced everything for a few seconds. Kong’s eyes shot open as his pupils dilated, his face flashed blue as his skull was visible for a brief moment.

Feeling a surge of rejuvenation wash over him, Kong powered through the waves as the rain instantly evaporated off his frame. A gut feeling told him that he was close, his heart raced as he was ready to finally set foot on his home once again.

However, it was not to be as a large wave rose up from the ocean, far larger than anything Kong had seen before. Kong’s eyes widened as the wave towered over him before lunging downward like a predator on helpless prey. Kong braced himself as the big one crashed into his entire body, Kong felt the air forcefully ripped out of his lungs as he tried to keep as much precious oxygen inside him, his whole body was submerged and slowly sinking in water.

Kong fruitlessly grasped for anything but there was only freezing water, his wet thick fur was like having a ball and chain tied to his foot. Occasional bolts of electricity danced around the ape’s frame, which allowed him to see his surroundings for a brief moment. Kong looked around in every direction trying to find the surface, it only took a moment before he saw his ticket out of this wretched domain.

Kong glanced up and could see the sky occasionally light up as lightning streaked through the clouds. The Eighth Wonder of the World used every ounce of power he had been given in the storm to propel through the water and break through the waves, inhaling much needed fresh air as the apes head moved about in a frenzy.

Kong tried to regain his wits, but another large wave crept up behind him, Kong didn’t have time to react as the back of his skull was hit with what felt like a gargantuan weight. Kong’s vision blurred as the noises around him became muffled, everything moved quickly like a dream, his body felt like it was on autopilot.

What felt like a few minutes for the barely conscious King Kong was a few days in actuality, the ape was soon drifting in much calmer water. Kong felt the sun beating on him, as his crusty eyes opened slowly, he didn’t remember what exactly happened, but he was alive, so he didn’t really care.

He looked around, careful not to blind himself with the blaring sun that reflected off the ocean. He propped himself up vertically in the water, trying to find where he was exactly, as he scanned his surroundings, he could feel that he was now completely off course, which frustrated him.

Despite his anger, a large mass in the distance caught his eye, Kong grinned as he had finally found land. Forcing his limbs to move, the exhausted ape pushed forward and eventually made it to shore. Taking notice of the broken down and abandoned ships that littered the area, Kong ultimately paid them no mind as he stretched out his arms and legs, finally able to relax.

The mighty ape growled contently as he fell asleep, his mahogany brown body blended in with some of the rusted ships as his snores were like that of the unruly waves that crashed onto the beach. Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, a large pyramid-like temple sat alone in an open field. Despite being in the middle of an island, there was no overgrowth or decay on the structure. From within the temple, a deep guttural growl emanated from the large entrance.

Kong slowly opened his eyes as he let out a loud yawn, the giant ape sat up as he scratched the back of his head. Slowly rising to his feet, the large primate let the sand roll off of his broad shoulders. He clutched his stomach, it had been a while since he last ate.

Marching through the island’s forests, Kong felt uneasy. There was something off about the island, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Kong groaned as he walked into an open field, mountains stretched up into the sky far off in the distance. The island seemed empty, it was eerily quiet.

Suddenly, Kong’s ears twitched as he heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. Kong’s eyes narrowed as he slowly walked up to the dense foliage where he heard the noise. Carefully parting the green leaves and brush, Kong couldn’t believe his eyes at what he saw.

A gorgeous woman with tan skin and long wavy hair as black as midnight stared fearfully at the giant ape, her amber eyes meeting his charcoal black eyes. Despite the mud that was splattered on her face and turquoise floral pattern dress, Kong couldn’t help but crouch down and gaze upon her.

The woman however didn’t feel the same way, she tried to shoo away the giant ape, and even contemplated throwing a rock at him. But she decided against it, not wanting her life to come to an end, not after just getting it back. The giant ape was oblivious to the woman’s efforts to keep him away as he carefully scooped her up into the rough palm of his hand.

Watching as she was brought up to the ape’s face, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, she knew that there was no chance of getting down to the ground alive on her own at this height. “Hey could you put me down please? I need to get supplies for my friends, maybe change out of these clothes and get the hell off this island as soon as possible!” The last statement contained a twinge of venom in the woman’s voice as her right eye twitched and her fingers curled into claws.

Kong tilted his head side to side as he continued his simple gazing. The woman realized that she was going nowhere as she sighed in frustration, before a sudden realization struck her. “Wait a second…King Kong?” The ape’s head perked up as the sound that came out of the young lady’s mouth, it was the same sound his island people made when referring to him and he understood that it referred to him, he was King Kong.

“Okay, I remember hearing about some pharmaceutical company in Japan towing a giant ape to Japan,” the tan skinned woman said as she closed eyes and squinted them, she placed a hand on her forehead as she tried to recall what she had on the radio. “Something about… Godzilla… breaking free from an iceberg. How long has it been? Hours, days, weeks!?”

The dark skin woman grit her teeth as her eyes began to tear up, after the incident her memory was foggy, like she had been dreaming. Ever since he invaded her mind, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed on this wretched island, what she had been doing this whole time, and how to get back the rest of the members of the ship she arrived on.

Lost in thought, the woman let out an audible groan. She needed to get down, but before she could try to remember more and put the pieces together, a shrill trilling screech made the young lady jump in terror. Her face went pale as she froze up. Kong turned his head, as he too was alerted to whatever made that noise. He glanced around, but didn’t see anything.

Kong glanced down and noticed the look on the woman’s face. Although he didn’t quite understand her words, he knew exactly what that look on her face conveyed: terror. Finally putting her down, she instantly darted for the thick brush, throwing herself into it as she disappeared from sight. King Kong groaned and looked to the mountains in the distance, and it was there he finally saw the source of the terrible sound.

Another high pitched trilling cry echoed across the clearing, Kong snarled at the sight before him. A giant bluish gray beast that rivaled King Kong in stature marched down a mountain as another shrill cry escaped its throat. Swiping at the air as if in anticipation of the inevitable conflict, the beast continued to march towards Kong.

The giant inhabitant of this island was bipedal, it walked upright like a person despite having the legs of a theropod. Its four clawed hands flexed as they cut through the air, the beast’s face resembled that of a snake with a pair of fangs like marble columns, sharpened like spears. The most bizarre aspect of the creature was the bag-like growth on its head with an orifice on it.

King Kong beat his chest as he let out a bellowing roar that made the snake-like monster stop in its tracks. The monster had not seen such a large trespasser on this island for a long, long time. Snarling, the reptilian monster glared at Kong, the sclera in its eyes a pitch black with white iris.

As Kong’s mammalian eyes met the inverted eyes of his reptilian foe, the feeling of uneasiness began to grow. This creature harbored something sinister, Kong could feel it. As the confrontation continued, hidden in the bushes, the young woman peered out. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed up at the towering humanoid serpent.

She dared to whisper just a few words as she looked upon the monster. “It’s him… Axor.” Her heart beat harder and harder as her hands trembled profusely at the mere mention of the beast’s name.

Axor stared down Kong, practically daring the brutish ape to make the first move. Kong roared as he charged in first, his feet created deep imprints in the ground, each as big as an Olympic swimming pool with every heavy and mighty step. Axor felt the ground tremble as he readied himself. When Kong was just a couple meters away, he too flung himself forward, both titans engaging in a battle of strength.

Kong swung a fist up into the snake-like beast’s gut, the hairy fist smashed into the armor plating that covered his foe’s abdomen that ran down all the way to the underside of his tail. Kong grunted as he struck the tougher skin, but Axor doubled over as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Spit flew from his maw as a strained wheeze escaped his gullet.

The reptilian monster quickly regained his wits and glared at the ape as he flung his whip-like tail forward. The long appendage slammed into Kong’s face as he yelled in pain, backing up a bit. This opening allowed Axor to continuously rake his claws against Kong’s thick coat of fur, occasionally cutting the exposed pecs of the giant primate.

Small rivers of blood stained Kong’s mahogany fur as the sasquatch brought up his arms and attempted to protect himself from his opponent’s onslaught. Kong shot his arms forward as he caught Axor’s hands in his larger palms. The two giants fumbled about trying to drag the other down to the ground, but neither yielded. Kong forced Axor towards him as he headbutted the serpentine monster. A loud crash followed by a shrill cry of pain echoed across the landscape as Axor broke free from Kong’s hold and stumbled backwards.

Axor’s vision blurred as he felt a warm substance flow down his face. The monster ran a clawed hand across his forehead and held it to his face. There he saw crimson blood drip from his claws. Disgust and rage clouded the snake-like monster’s mind; he would make the ape pay dearly for spilling his life essence across his domain.

Beating his chest furiously, King Kong let out an earth shattering roar that demanded Axor to admit defeat. Axor’s face contorted into one of fury. He bared his fangs as prepared to pounce. But as he continued to stare at the ape, his face slowly morphed into one of uncertainty. He had already taken more damage than he would have liked. Killing this intruder wouldn’t be as easy as he initially thought.

Axor let out a shrill trilling cry as he prepared to attack King Kong, who tensed his muscles in anticipation. However, instead of lunging forward as expected, the humanoid serpent crouched down and inflated the bizarre growth atop his head. Kong watched in confusion as the organ swelled, from the tightly sealed orifice that pointed at him. It opened and unleashed a powerful hurricane wind that uprooted trees and kicked up plumes of dirt towards the mighty ape.

Kong was immediately buffeted by the walls of sand and uprooted trees that pelted his body. The giant ape then cried out in pain as sand clung to his eyes. Unable to keep his footing, Kong was knocked flat on his rear before tumbling backwards, trying to dig his fingers into the ground. The young lady wasn’t faring much better, desperately clinging to a pine tree that threatened to fly away.

As quickly as it began, the powerful gales died down. King Kong rubbed his eyes as tears cleaned them out. Rising up, Kong furiously darted his head around, trying to find the reptile monster. But it seemed to have vanished completely. A few minutes passed as nothing happened. The ape believed the coast to be clear and began looking for the lovely lady; he didn’t have to look far as he had found her stuck high in a tree.

The dark skinned woman groaned again as she reluctantly climbed into the ape’s palm, her hair messy and clothes ragged from the pebbles and sticks that pelted her frame. Small cuts and bruises already began to form. Lucky for her, Kong needed to recharge after his battle with Axor. Kong put down the woman and marched to the beach. Waiting carefully, he suddenly shot his hand down and scooped up a plentiful amount of fish, shoving them into his mouth as he grinned contently.

Using this time of reprieve to her advantage, the woman scoured the beach for her ship, and after minutes of searching and trodding on the hot sand with torn up sandals, she found it. The Crusoe. “There it is! You are a sight for sore eyes.” For once after stepping foot on this island, her voice was filled with joy. She ran a hand along the fairly large vessel before climbing into it.

Walking along the deck, she made her way to the cockpit. Once inside, she looked for anything of use. Glancing around, a large map caught her eye and on it a red pin. The pin rested on a small island not too far from the Canadian coast: Storm Island.

“Well, at least I know where I am now,” the young lady muttered as she tapped her chin.

Looking around, she noticed a small pocket book on the floor, she picked it up and flipped through the water damaged papers. Muttering to herself as her eyes routinely moved across the pages before they darted back to the start of the page. A loud gasp escaped from her mouth as her eyes widened. “I’ve been here for a week!?” she exclaimed as she covered her mouth.

As she processed this information, she put her head in her palm before running her hand down her face. “I need a change of clothes,” she said as she exited the cockpit. As soon as she entered the cabin, the woman made her way to a bunk bed and opened a bag with a fresh change of clothes in it.

Meanwhile, King Kong stared out to the vast sea before him. The King of Faro seemed to be lost in thought, he had to return home, but he had unfinished business with the snake. As the mighty ape continued to ponder his situation, he heard his name being called out, breaking him away from his thoughts.

Kong glanced down and smiled as he saw the woman dressed in a lemon yellow summer dress. The giant ape crouched down and extended his hand outward. “Well, I don’t feel like messing up anymore of my clothes,” the woman said as she climbed onto the giant’s palm.

As she was lifted up, she was now able to see past the forest and to the clearing where Kong and Axor had fought, and even past that to the mountains in the distance. The young woman’s hair flowed in the wind as she looked around, a smile began to form. However, it immediately faded as she saw the tip of a man-made structure behind a mountain.

She stared at the structure; it felt familiar, it even felt as if it were calling to her. “Kong, we need to go there,” she said as she pointed in the direction of the structure. Kong tilted his head slightly, but began to walk in the direction the woman had asked to go to.

King Kong traversed the Canadian landscape, lush green forests and fresh rivers decorated the island. Despite the mysteries and dangers surrounding it, the island was gorgeous. As Kong approached the structure, his pace slowed to a crawl. His gut instinct warned him to keep away from the pyramid-like stone structure.

Peering from behind a mountain, Kong was shocked to see more humans on the island. The woman’s eyebrows furrowed as she desperately scanned the area, her mind racing at a million miles per hour. “Kong, I need you to put me down, please this is really serious, do you understand?” The giant ape looked mildly confused as the young lady felt her blood boil. “Kong! I really need you to put me down!” she said with a much sterner tone as she pointed to the ground.

For once listening to her request, Kong crouched down and allowed the woman to leave his palm. “Thank you, now stay here please,” she ordered before jogging away. Kong grunted softly as he appeared to understand, then proceeded to peer over the mountain and observe. The feeling of dread gnawing at the back of his mind. Meanwhile, the young woman stealthily crouched behind the thick bushes and wide trees that created a natural perimeter around the towering stone pyramid structure.

Around the clearly man-made pyramid, a plethora of log cabins were scattered about. It didn’t take long before a few people walked out. A couple of men with dirty, tattered shirts and jeans, their faces expressionless as they moved towards the pyramid. The young lady continued to look around; none of these people were the one she was searching for.

Minutes passed before her eyes went wide. She finally saw him, her husband. A Japanese man with short black hair walked out of a cabin, his white dress shirt stained with dirt as his black dress pants had holes around the knees and tears around the ankles. The dark skinned woman knew she couldn’t just walk up to him, she needed another way to get his attention.

The woman’s husband walked alongside another man as they began to pick up gray stone bricks and load them into a nearby wheelbarrow. Looking around, the woman’s eyes spotted a thin wooden plank no longer than a baseball bat. She grabbed it as she picked up a few pebbles, her mind concocting a plan to save her beloved.

As her husband finished loading the bricks, the man accompanying him moved to the front of the wheelbarrow to haul it. Just about to leave himself, he stopped when he heard something and turned around to face the source.

“Is something wrong?” The other man called out in a monotone voice.

“Just a strange sound, I’ll check,” the woman’s husband responded.

Getting closer to the shrubs, the man heard something hit a nearby tree which prompted him to move into the forest. Inspecting the trees, he was oblivious to the figure sneaking behind him. Before he knew it, something struck the back of his head before a sharp pain filled his mind, which forced him to crumple to the ground.

Meanwhile, the other man heard the thump that floored his fellow man and looked around the area as he tried to find the woman’s husband. After a couple of seconds he gave up. “Must have been nothing,” he deduced in a monotone expression before going back to the wheelbarrow. “Must get these bricks to Axor,” he reaffirmed in the same tone of voice as he hauled away the stones to the temple.

Now that the man had gone, the woman softly but rapidly smacked her husband’s face as she tried to wake him up. “Well he’s not bleeding, so I couldn’t have hit him that hard.” One more shake and the man began to stir, groaning as he grasped the back of his head, his eyes opened slowly as it was evident he was taking everything in.

With emotion in his voice, the man weakly spoke the name of his wife. “K-Kumi? Is it really you?” He stared almost in disbelief, feeling as if he had not seen her in years. The feeling was reciprocated as Kumi teared up before flinging herself into her husband’s arms.

Kumi squeezed perhaps a bit too tight as her arms wrapped around her lover as she rested her head on his shoulder, the warmth of his body made her worries disappear and she wished it could last forever. However, a strained wheeze brought her back to reality as she realized her husband was trying to get some air.

Loosening her grip, Kumi got off of her husband, but was careful to stay low. Her husband breathed with relief before chuckling, which caused his wife to follow suit, both finally reunited after what seemed like an eternity.

“Akira, I’ve missed you so much,” Kumi voiced out as she placed her hand on his.

“I missed you too.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing as he rubbed the back of his head. “Ever since that thing got a hold of us, everything’s been fuzzy. I’m bone tired, my hands hurt, and now my head hurts too.”

Kumi nervously chucked as she explained what had happened. “It seems that a big enough shock is enough to snap you out of his control, perhaps we could free the others.” Kumi told Akira just what she had done to him to break him from his trance, Akira looked less than thrilled to hear that his wife had jumped him, but nonetheless, freeing the others was easier said than done.

“Even if we could somehow free the others ourselves without being recaptured, we would still have Axor to deal with,” Akira vocalized with disdain as he folded his arms.

A smile stretched across Kumi’s face before saying. “You’re right, but we’re not alone, we have Kong,” Kumi said confidently as she placed her hands on her hips. Woman’s husband raised an eyebrow, not quite sure that he had heard her right.

“Kong? As in the giant ape that that pharmaceutical company was towing to Japan?” Akira asked with a smidge of doubt in his voice.

“That’s right, he washed up here recently and protected me from Axor. He’s our best shot at getting off the island,” Kumi explained to Akira. Although he couldn’t see Kong, he trusted his wife. After all, she did escape from Axor.

That’s when another thought struck Akira. “How did you manage to escape from Axor in the first place, Kumi?” Her facial expression changed to a serious one as she stared at the ground intensely, clearly in thought as she reflected on her own memories.

The mental image of inside the stone temple formed in Kumi’s mind, a dark and gray stony interior that was unbearably hot and muggy. Occasional rays of light that fell from the yet to be finished holes in the ceiling illuminated the intricate and spacious room inside.

Although her memory was foggy, she remembered placing stone bricks atop one another along with vague silhouettes of other people. Kumi continued to replay the dream-like memories before saying. “I’m not quite sure what happened, but one moment I’m in that temple like I’m in a bad dream, and I hear a voice clear as day saying ‘We live to serve you mighty Axor.’ Other voices said the same thing in unison, but I could tell that the clearest voice was my own, it was like I had no control over myself.”

Unknown to Kumi, the work environment around her wasn’t exactly the safest, for they were normal people who had little to no experience in constructing large structures. “I remember desperately trying to force myself to move, but nothing, and my own voice openly praising and expressing loyalty to that damn cobra,” Kumi growled. “Then all of a sudden, I felt a pain in my head, and it was like I finally was waking up from the nightmare and could gain some control over myself.”

The pain Kumi referred to was a loose wooden plank that had fallen from a scaffold, hitting her head and breaking her out of Axor’s control. When the plank struck her head, Kumi felt herself gain control of her body as if she had been awakened from her dream-like trance. Kumi groaned as she rubbed her head and stood up, looking around, she didn’t understand where she was. However, a terrible trilling screech echoed throughout the temple interior and her heart sank to her stomach.

Kumi remembered gazing up towards the source of the awful noise, in the center of the temple, a large hole with steam emanating from it was carved into the ground. From the vapors, as if manifesting like a ghost, the unmistakable form of the bipedal snake kaiju, Axor, emerged. Gazing down at the lowly human, Axor knew right away that she was no longer under his control.

Claws swiped at the air as Axor roared out with fury as he stepped out of the large steaming pit. Kumi watched with horror as the colossal beast stomped towards her, however, a couple of bricks smashed down onto Axor’s head earning a groan of annoyance from the enslaver. Axor glanced up and saw the unfinished holes in the ceiling threaten to crumble even more, the tremors from merely walking could decimate the unfinished temple if he wasn’t careful.

Snarling with hatred he let out a trilled screech that commanded his slaves to seize the dark skinned woman. Meanwhile, Kumi realized the opportunity before and broke from her shock, bolting for the entrance as she dodged and weaved through mind controlled slaves that tried to grab her.

Sprinting out of the entrance, heart racing and palms sweaty, Kumi ran for the forest and never looked back. The sound of slaves shouting and Axor roaring scared her but fueled her to keep running. From inside the temple, Axor balled up his fists as he snarled, a slave had never escaped this island before, and he would see to it that this one did not either.

“And that’s all I remember, after that wasn’t anything of note, I hid constantly, before ultimately meeting Kong,” Kumi conveyed as she grabbed Akira’s rough and dry hands. The two stared at one another as Kumi massaged her husband’s palms, Akira was impressed to hear his wife had escaped, and that she risked her free will to come find him. Akira leaned in as did Kumi, the two closed their eyes and locked lips in a passionate kiss that pushed every worry away.

A loud bellowing roar snapped the two out of their bliss as they separated and got to their feet, moving past a few trees. Kumi and Akira watched as King Kong marched towards the camp. Kumi was terrified as she wanted to save the prisoners first then draw out Axor. Akira watched in awe as the giant ape lumbered forward with determination in his eyes.

All eyes were on Kong as he let out another bellowing roar that echoed and boomed like thunder. Kong beat his chest furiously like a pair of drums as he challenged Axor, demanding the serpent reveal himself. Ruler against ruler, titan versus titan, the ape was determined to put his mind at ease and destroy the snake monster.

Axor’s slaves fled from the ape in fear, their minds poisoned so that they believed that Axor would save them from the giant primate, and they could return to serving their master graciously. From within Axor’s temple, the monstrous serpent heard the challenge echo throughout the walls of his temple, and it was a challenge that would not go unanswered.

Loud footsteps could be heard from within the temple, growing louder and more intense with each step. A clawed hand grasped the frame of the giant temple entrance way. The head of the terrible Axor became visible as he looked towards the giant ape. Axor’s bone chilling gaze met Kong’s fiery gaze. The giant ape bellowed out a powerful roar as he beat his chest as Axor clawed at the air and released a shrill trilling shriek.

Axor’s slaves bowed to their king as the giant humanoid serpent marched past them, their chorus pleased him. In his mind, King Kong couldn’t help but think that he was looking at a twisted version of himself, a mad king, a tyrant who kept his followers hard pressed under his clawed finger. To Kong, Axor was what the ape king would become if he abused his island people, and he hated that.

Kong watched as Axor began to stalk the ape, both monsters in a large clearing with few trees similar to their first encounter. Kong bared his fangs as Axor stopped and flexed his own claws, determined to tear the ape apart. With his leg muscles tensed, Axor charged at full speed towards Kong as he roared at the primate, immediately closing the gap between them.

Sucking in his core and puffing out his chest, Kong shot both hands forth like natural cannonballs towards Axor. The ape snarled as he gripped the humanoid serpent’s smaller claws in his larger palms, his fat fingers threatened to crush Axor’s own. The snake monster growled as he felt the pressure applied to his claws, but any concern he had fled as he watched the ape’s face contort from confidence to shock.

Kong’s eyes widened as he felt himself being overpowered, his feet slowly carved large trenches as he was being pushed back. The ape shoved his arms aside as well as Axor’s before he released his grip and uppercut the enslaver’s lower jaw, a loud clang of teeth smashing against each other echoed across the Canadian landscape.

Axor groaned as he backed away and licked his teeth, the serpent tasted hints of blood, which enraged the snake monster. Kong grinned as he prepared to clobber the reptile, but a glint of light from the gullet of Axor caught his attention. Axor sneered as he opened his jaws, a faint yellow light slowly intensified in the beast’s throat.

Kong yelped in shock as a large beam of electric energy spewed out of Axor’s throat. The bolts of energy slammed into Kong as he raised his arms defense. A large explosion engulfed the King of Faro, smoke obscuring his form. The humans watched in shock and awe at the power displayed by the King of Storm Island.

Axor cackled as he waited to see the smoldering carcass of King Kong slump to the ground. However, when the smoke cleared Axor’s jaw dropped at the sight before him. Smoke curled off of Kong’s fur, but aside from that, the giant ape seemed unfazed, even lowering his arms and revealing a sly grin on the great ape’s face.

Unknown to Axor, Kong wielded the unique power to absorb and harness the power of electricity, and while the beam may have had explosive properties, it was electrical nonetheless. Kong’s face flashed blue for a second before he bellowed a mighty roar, charging at Axor.

Bewildered, Axor tried again, a large beam of lightning shot forth and struck Kong on the head. Smoke again obscured the giant ape, but Axor could feel his heart beat more and more as he watched with bated breath. To his horror, Kong ripped through the smoke and continued his charge towards Axor, his face rapidly flashing blue in the process.

Axor could see the ape’s skull beneath his flesh as Kong drew closer, each footstep shook the island to its core. However, as Kong’s rough hand was mere meters away from grabbing Axor’s face, a powerful gust of hurricane wind pushed the primate backwards. Axor had employed his other special ability, the large sack-like organ atop his head shrunk as more wind was forced out of it.

Kong crouched down and buried his fingers into the ground, his feet firmly planted into the earth, thus making Kong nigh unmovable. As the wind died down, Axor’s mind was racing on what was needed to put down the ape, then an idea came to mind.

King Kong rose to full height, he looked around before grinning, crouching down to pick a large boulder. The giant ape hurled the massive stone through the air with little effort. Axor, in retaliation, fired electric energy from his maw. The beam collided with the rock and shattered it instantly into a cloud of dust and rubble.

Using the rock as a distraction, Kong attempted to bridge the gap between him and Axor once more. The serpent monster learned his lesson, however; instead of hitting Kong directly with his electric beam, Axor fired the beam attack in front of the ape’s feet.

The giant ape roared out in shock as the ground in front of him exploded, the ape tripping and tumbling to the dirt as he let out a groan. Axor charged forward before he turned and threw his tail forward. The long limb wrapped around Kong’s neck and tightened, cutting off the primate’s air supply.

Axor continued to apply more pressure in an attempt to suffocate the ape. However, Kong merely grabbed the appendage and began to conduct electricity through it, electrocuting Axor. The Beast of Storm Island cried out in pain as smoke curled off his body, the scent of burnt flesh began to permeate in the air. The grip on Kong’s neck loosened as he stood up, and with another burst of speed, charged at Axor.

Kumi, Akira, and the other humans watched in awe as King Kong ran towards the serpent monster, struggling to keep their footing as the ground shook with each stomp. The bewildered Axor could only stare in horror as Kong shoulder tackled him, a loud thud signified the cracking of ribs. The enslaver wheezed in pain as he was slammed into his own temple.

Both primate and lizard collided into the stone structure and easily tore through the temple, brawling in the dark and muggy interior as the building threatened to collapse around the two. Axor felt his skeleton rattle as Kong landed one thunderous punch after another, one punch struck the serpent kaiju’s jaw as a loud crack echoed throughout the unstable temple.

Axor cried out in pain as his right fang was shattered and ripped out of the socket. Blood flowed from the wound as Axor shrieked aloud, his evil eyes darted around before he saw the pit with vapors rising from it, his Lazarus Well. Diving like a madman, Axor inhaled the vapor as his bloodied gums healed and a sense of rejuvenation filled him.

Kong snarled as he watched the serpent catch a second wind, putting two and two together that the well must have some kind of healing properties. In his frenzy, Axor failed to realize Kong had again grabbed his tail, and promptly swung him off his feet. The enslaver yelped in shock before being forced into the wall opposite of the wall with the giant hole in it.

The Storm Island monster hit the ground with a thud as bricks and debris fell to the ground. From within, King Kong eyed the Lazarus Well as the structure began to collapse around him. Meanwhile, Axor rubbed his head as a low growl slipped through his teeth.

A loud rumbling caught Axor’s attention as the evil serpent glanced back at his once glorious temple, witnessing the structure collapse before his eyes. The Storm Island beast’s jaw dropped as the hard work of his slaves had been reduced to nothing. Axor let out a trilling shriek as he lunged for the pile of bricks before him, desperately tossing aside bricks and rubble.

As Axor continued to sift through the broken bricks, he was oblivious to the pile of debris that bulged not too far away. A low rumbling caught the bluish gray beast’s attention, and as soon as it started, it stopped. Axor glanced around before a sudden eruption of rubble and bricks shot into the air. The form of King Kong was revealed, accompanied by a bellowing roar that shook Axor to his core.

Kong snarled as he shrugged off the rubble, the Lazarus Well still emitted vapors that the giant ape inhaled. Axor watched in horror as Kong’s pupils constricted, his muscles bulged and throbbed under his thick fur. Occasional bolts of lightning danced around the primate’s bulky frame, and once Axor was in Kong’s sight, he dashed forward with horrific speed towards the enslaver.

The Beast of Storm Island watched as King Kong rapidly approached, and while Axor was shaken, he still had one more trick up his sleeve. Translucent energy rays fired from Axor’s eyes as they struck Kong, his body enveloped by the translucent energy. Kong slowed his pace before coming to a complete stop.

Despite all the physical power he had accumulated in this battle, the power of the mind was a different matter. King Kong shut his eyes as his head began to feel dizzy, the ape could hear an ominous voice coax him, demanding him to obey Axor, to serve him and create mighty constructs for the enslaver. Kong clasped his head with his large palms as he tried to block out the voice but to no avail.

Kong roared out in distress as the assault on his mind continued. Despite the raging torrent of pain and temptation, a familiar sound could be heard from within the mental cacophony. Like a hurricane, there was a calm within the eye of the storm, a calm that attracted Kong away from the chaos. The sound of chanting, singing, and instruments brought a wave of peace over the Faro Island god.

Sounds and mental images of his worshippers filled his mind and acted as the anchor Kong needed to endure the terrible voice that invaded his mind. Kong’s eyes snapped open and glared at Axor, much to the serpent’s horror. With nowhere to run, Kong lunged at the serpent kaiju and tackled the reptilian beast to the ground.

Kong wrestled with the snake-like monster on the grassy terrain, Axor desperately clawed and kicked at the ape in an attempt to break free. The King of Faro reared his fist back before slamming it into Axor’s head, doing the same with his other fist. Axor cried out in pain as his vision became blurry, slipping into unconsciousness. The enslaver’s face was bruised and swollen with blood flowing from the serpent’s broken snout, Axor had lost consciousness.

The Beast of Storm Island lay broken and bloody on the ground in front of the King of Faro Island. Kong proceeded to wrap his hands around the jaws of Axor and forcefully parted them with his ferocious strength. Blood and foam spewed from the unconscious Axor’s maw as a loud splintering sound like a tree snapping half echoed across the Canadian landscape. As an act of mercy from Kong, Axor never felt the pain, and passed away silently as a sickening snap signified his death.

Dropping the lifeless carcass of Axor to the ground. King Kong beat his chest before raising his arms high, letting out a mighty roar that marked the end of Axor’s cruel reign. The rest of the humans under Axor’s mind control felt as if they had been awakened from a nightmare as they regained their senses. They watched as King Kong planted his foot on the dead Axor and bellow another mighty roar.

With Axor’s mind control lifted, the people cheered and praised Kong for freeing them. Kumi and Akira smiled to one another as they walked among the people who made their way to the beach, in hopes that some of their boats still worked. The husband and wife glanced around, they both had arrived on the island with a Captain and his wife, but they were nowhere to be found.

As they stepped out of the forest and onto the beach, many saw the boats they had arrived in, some in good condition, others not so much. To Akira and Kumi’s delight, the captain, an older gentleman with a silver beard and moustache, and his wife, an older woman with fair skin and light brown curly hair were already aboard the Crusoe. They both waved at the couple and signaled them to come aboard.

Kumi happily greeted the Captain, “Captain David, Mrs. Brenda, it is such a relief to see you two here.” After the exchange of pleasantries, the Captain explained that their boat was indeed operational, but it needed to be pushed back into the water which would take about everyone on the island to do.

“If we can’t get the boat out into the water, we’re stranded, best I can do is radio for help but that could take some time.” Captain David was already making the necessary call as the other ships were in such poor condition, and there wasn’t nearly enough space for everyone.

Hearing the sound of large footsteps, Kumi watched as Kong stepped onto the beach. “Don’t worry Captain, I know someone who can,” Kumi said as her eyes met Kong’s. The Eighth Wonder of the World smiled as he gazed down upon the beautiful dark skin woman.

Everyone watched in awe as Kong effortlessly pushed the boat into the water. King Kong watched as the woman and her partner began to move away from the island. Despite the people that cheered him, King couldn’t help but feel somber, even if his face concealed it.

Despite his victory over Axor, Kong was saddened to see the only person that had acted differently towards him leave so soon. As he watched grow smaller and smaller as she moved further away, Kong began to march to a part of the beach that faced the general direction of Faro.

King Kong sighed as he began to step into brisk ocean water, he waded through the waves before propping himself horizontally, his arms shot out in front of him as they cut through the waves effortlessly. The group of people watched as Kong kicked up water thousands of feet in the air, they quickly gathered up the supplies from their boats as they waited for help to arrive.

Kumi and Akira watched the mighty ape swim off into the horizon, the giant primate eventually disappearing completely from sight. Despite everything she witnessed about Kong, she couldn’t help but ask, “I wonder if he’ll be okay?”

Her husband softly chuckled. “That King Kong, he’s really something. After defeating Axor, I’m sure he’ll be fine. It’s funny, I think Kong taught me something, that anyone, whether it be monster or man who uses others for their own personal gain will get what’s coming to them one way or another.”

Kumi nodded in agreement. Axor had enslaved helpless people and forced them to do his bidding, feeding his ego, and in the end he paid for it with his life. The couple held each other in their arms, more than happy to be together once again. “You know, you should write that down. The press will be asking about what happened to everyone on that island, and it would go nicely with the story of the legendary King Kong slaying the tyrannical Axor,” Kumi spoke as she glanced up to her partner.

Akira nodded in agreement. “Okay, help me find some paper and a pen,” he requested as he and Kumi got up cheerfully to look around. The epic sequel to King Kong versus Godzilla would soon be told to the world with many to tell the tale.

—

Kong again found himself fighting against powerful waves, using the electrical power he had absorbed from Axor and the renewed energy had gained from the Lazarus Well to swim through the seemingly endless ocean.

All of King Kong’s efforts would pay off as a familiar island came into view. With a good strong push, he had finally arrived at Faro. Reaching shallow water, Kong stood up and let the midday sun warm his chilled fur. His rough hands, pruney from spending too long in the water, with thousands of gallons of water constantly falling off his hairy frame.

The sound of familiar birds and wildlife filled his ears. He grinned. Walking around for a bit, King sat down as he rested. Soon enough, he heard a chorus of cheers and chatter that warmed his heart. The island people watched him from a distance; some rushed to get their instruments, others to fetch red soma berry juice for the king.

King Kong had returned home and with a newfound appreciation for his people, Kong laid back and took a much needed rest.

Winner: King Kong (Showa)

A very special thanks to Vrahno for the Axor model provided, you can check out his YouTube Channel for more of his stellar work!