Author: Andrew Sudomerski & Dao Zang Moua | Banner: Connor Clennell & Dao Zang Moua

Doomsday fell upon the surface.

Plunged into a decaying war, after proving victorious in the bout of Hong Kong, the extermination of the Titans became an inevitability. One by one, the order of ancient giants was torn asunder by technological malevolence, no matter how many casualties lay in its path. First was Mothra, grinded between its swiveling claws; followed by Rodan, down a wing and mercilessly pulverized into the ground; then the likes of Scylla, Methuselah, Amahuluk, and Na Kika were brutally devastated by the Titan slayer. And while Camazotz and the MUTO proved troublesome, they too were utterly laid to waste by its mechanical fury.

Which was what led it here, to the final sector for Titan-kind.

Having traveled to the openings in Hong Kong, Antarctica, the Mariana Trench, and the North Pole on its murderous voyage, the Apex Destroyer sought out the origin for these prehistoric giants so it could slaughter them all. It was the prime directive, its sole purpose, the only thing driving its digital consciousness after its activation so long ago.

Unfortunately for it, the Titans and Humans protecting these passages had collapsed their caverns, in a last ditch effort to protect the underworld from this artificial destroyer. One by one, it sought out potential openings that magnetic satellite scans could find him, but none so far had been viable to enter. Only the last entrance–stationed at Outpost 33–remained. One that was hailed by another name.

Skull Island.

…

How the world ended so quickly.

Here they were, the last threshold to protect their old home from utmost destruction. Many lives lost to the cause, but would their efforts be enough? Amidst the torrential downpour maintained by the looming storm above, Behemoth had his doubts. The tusked mammal kept a steady eye out at the horizon, awaiting the dreaded enemy to intercept the last entranceway to the Hollow Earth.

He looked over and saw his ally in slumber. For beasts of such stature, a mere week was nothing more than a light nap. But he knew what his companion had been through; had it not been for the sacrifice of Na Kika, Tiamat would’ve been unable to seal the tunnel in the Mariana Trench. She was a fighter at heart, but protecting those that they could was more important than to fight a battle she might not have had the chance to win.

But he knew, even in her sleep, she dreamt of revenge.

Human ambition created the predicament they were in now. With the Alphas slaughtered and their Queen torn to shreds, order was disrupted, leading to the frenzied fall of the surface world. It didn’t stop the out of control Titans from going haywire, even as they were killed indiscriminately. For those that held it together, it was their efforts that prevented the fall of the Hollow Earth as well. Or at least postponed it.

Behemoth snorted, turning his gaze back out to the stormy seas. Lightning danced across the clouds, bringing brief, but spectacular light to this deserted land. While the island itself had long since been flooded by the ruthless, perpetual storm, with most of the inhabitants drowned, the fear of the Skullcrawlers remained. Whether they swam off the island or mysteriously appeared in other parts of the world, their numbers began to grow exponentially.

But that wasn’t his only concern…

Suddenly, a disturbance peering over the horizon caught his eye. A crimson hue lit up the dark rustling waters. It was now or never. The terrestrial Titan boomed a reverberating roar, signaling to his ally that the enemy drew near.

Without a second’s notice, the eyelid and brilles pulled back, revealing powerful eyes determined to bring their foe down.

Wriggling from slumber, the ultramarine serpent slithered to the gloomy coastline. Before she slipped into the vacant ocean, she turned to Behemoth and let out a fervent hiss. A stern reminder of what they’d lose if the mechanical one got into the Hollow Earth. Behemoth only nodded. Even if he could do nothing to help, he ensured that the entrance to the Hollow Earth would be protected–at all cost.

With that, the last of Tiamat vanished into the murky water, rendered nigh invisible to the naked eye. All the sloth-like Titan could do was wait and witness the inevitable clash far at sea. In less than a minute, a crimson flash emanated from the far off ocean.

The last fight on Earth had begun.

—

The scent of iron permeated through the brine, growing ever apparent the closer Tiamat got to her target. The rough waves churned as she grazed just beneath the surface, the translucent sheet showing the murky, apocalyptic skies above. Blazing yellow eyes pierced the gloomy darkness, locked onto the red gleam that stood out from the dark ocean.

This was her territory, her domain. And with no obstructions to stand in her way, she’d show this mechanical imposter what for.

Hollering with an undersea roar, dispersing amidst the oceanic atmosphere, Tiamat lunged in for the charge. Beckoned at her command, whirling waters began to churn around the beautiful serpent, circulating razor sharp currents around her lithe frame. It acted as a buffer layer for the inevitable clash.

Crimson light shone from the stormy ocean, growing in intensity as it charged its particle cannon. It parted its maw, ignited in a bloody hue, and discharged a superheated laser that effortlessly tore through the waters, instantly evaporating into steam. The A-74 Proton Scream collided against the whirring layer of riptides, piercing through and striking the purple scales of the hydrokinetic ophidian. Her shrieks and bellows of agonizing pain were muffled amidst the harsh burns, stopping the aquatic snake in her path.

On cue, the posterior propulsion engines roared to life, granting the mechanical dragon accelerated speed and maneuverability. Seeking to intercept its target, the fires of the thrusters burned as a trail of effervescence sizzled behind it, setting a course to rip and tear the undersea attacker to shreds. Titanus Tiamat readjusted herself, only to be met by the mechanized fury of the imposter King, taking the full brunt of its rotary extensions.

The pair of metallic zygodactyl claws pressed firmly onto the rough scales, activating the buzzsaws built into the fingers of the machine. Razor-sharp blades tore through water and scales alike, though the results only left mere scratches in their wake. However, the synthesized energy of the Hollow Earth flowed through the arms of the steel giant, condensing into the palms of the Titan slayer. The burning blue plasma sizzled against the oceanic environment, but ultimately augmented the deadly capacity of the buzzsaws, burning, slicing, and crushing into the scales of the prehistoric serpent. A shockwave of fire and steam expanded in their wake, spreading far and wide for all the Pacific dwellers to hear.

Blood ruptured from the fractured wounds, urging a pained cry from the ultramarine beast. An ethereal glow coursed through her body, a reflection of her innermost rage and anguish. Even amidst the agony, the primordial snake curled her long form around the metallic foe, her sharp scales clinging onto the armored exoskeleton. Once again calling to the oceans under her command, Tiamat began to generate a funnel around them. A rapid whirlpool carried both of their large bodies along the currents, spiraling downwards to the dark depths of the abyss.

The deeper they went, the darker it became. Tiamat was well adjusted for traversing the farthest reaches of the surface world, her eyes built to see in the darkness. But unfortunately, as experience dictated, so too was the perpetrator. The murky waters eventually became pitch-black, the pressure of the depths pressing on them. All that would remain visible were the natural bioluminescence of the ocean serpent and the artificial red light of the mechanical terror.

And the farther they went, the drearier it became.

Dark, darker, yet darker…

—

The storm raged overhead, leaving the Titan uneasy. He hadn’t seen signs of either of them since the fight began. Though knowing Tiamat, there was little doubt she had successfully dragged the destroyer deep into the ocean. A battle on her turf. A chance to win this war. Behemoth could only hope for the best in his ancient heart.

But a troubling thought pestered him. If Tiamat emerged victorious, what then? Many of their great protectors had already been slain. Would they be enough to sustain the natural balance of the world? Or would this only extend into a needless war with the humans that created this Titan killer? He didn’t wish to think of such a violent outcome.

On the other, what if the mecha proved to be the destroyer it’s feared as? Would his strength be enough to bring down the mechanical doppelganger of the Alpha? Or would his failure become the undoing of this world and the Hollow Earth below? Another outcome he wished not to plague his consciousness.

Perhaps a culminating anxiety between the outcomes led to one conclusion–a story he feared would become a reality. One he recalled from the locals of the Hollow Earth in the ancient past…

Back when he and his kind prospered, a devil from the sky was cast from Heaven, plunged into the depths of the Earth. The demon found refuge among the dwellers, but this devil of trickery molded artificial Titans of their own, seeking to overthrow Heaven and Earth. But in the days before the Godzilla and Kong War, the artificial Titans were slain, and the last of them locked away for eternity in the sky within the earth, with the devil that made them nowhere to be seen.

If such a creature still remained in the Hollow Earth, untold destruction would be wrought–and Behemoth wasn’t sure if he could let that happen.

Even against the threat they faced now.

Solemn eyes kept vigilant. He had to discard his personal feelings and await the final outcome… And whatever that entailed.

—

Even in the darkness, their large bodies twirled as the rough currents tore the seabed apart. The Apex Destroyer continued to hammer its iron fists into the luminate scales, pulsing with each blow that resounded through the oceanic atmosphere. Tiamat bore the brunt of the pain, surging onwards with the riptide until it came to a sudden stop. Twirling her body, the massive sea serpent rapidly uncoiled and threw the mechanical reptile into the volcanic seabed, even at the cost of her hide in the grip of the destroyer.

As the square-shaped spines collided against the seamount, a plume of dust and rock scattered amidst the underwater terrain. Such an impact, even if dulled by the resistance of water, triggered an explosive burst from the submarine volcano. Tiamat refused to let this chance go to waste. She immediately began to swim around in repeated circles, beckoning the surrounding waters to her will. Gravitating to the centermost point, a deepsea twister gestated in its place, expanding exponentially in both directions. The base of the water spout chipped away at the volcano, tearing the rock and coral from its place. Like razor-sharp winds, the riptide sucked everything into the funnel, save for the mechanical menace that remained firm and anchored in place.

Bearing the brunt of the lethal assault, the mechanoid reptile began to charge its ultimate weapon. In a matter of seconds, shining a brilliant red hue, the Proton Scream tore through the riptides effortlessly. The crimson hue lit up the blackness, exposing the deep sea world with intense light. Although the laser beam was diffused by the torrential currents, it nonetheless found its mark, shoving the legendary sea dragon out of the ring she had created. Then, mere moments later, the rapid currents subsided, bringing a temporary calm to the underwater terrain.

Even when the superheated bubble from the Proton Scream collapsed on itself, Tiamat felt the burns that pressed against her scales. Though she had coated her serpentine form with a protective coating of water, it barely held against the fearsome wrath of the devastating laser. Once more manipulating the water to stop her backward momentum, Tiamat instead used it as a means of propelling herself towards the ruthless machine.

In response, the mecha’s thrusters burned to life, forwarding itself to intercept the target. Claws became ablaze with cerulean light, evaporating into steamy bubbles as the machine charged its next attack. The two Titans dove at each other, flying through the oceanic darkness and colliding in a clash of utmost ferocity. The channeled plasma fists swung towards the serpentine beast, though barely evaded by Tiamat’s quick reflexes. She too returned the favor by clamping her maw around the neck region of the automaton, albeit leaving her susceptible to the next flurry of plasma-infused strikes.

Once more, the lithe coils of the gargantuan serpent began to wrap around the metallic menace, eager to crush it with her sharp scales. But before she could, the segmented tail of the robotic one began to thrust towards her, its tip being covered with razor sharp blades that whirled in the water. Like a snake, it lunged for the elongated body, puncturing her hide and scattering blood and scales amidst the darkness.

The powerful beast screamed, wailing in pain. But rather than uncoil and retreat, she remained steadfast. Her body pressed against the mechanized foe, eager to crush it. She commanded the waters around her to concentrate, applying more pressure than before. With her foe locked in her grip, Tiamat sprayed acidic fluids upon the torso of the machine, corroding its exterior in her fury.

For the mecha, the only thing preventing it being crushed to oblivion was the alloy it was made of and its sheer, indomitable will. Its arms and legs became compromised, and while its tail continued to drill into the sea serpent, she refused to relent.

But now it had her right where it wanted.

Brimming with immense power, the whirring jaws began to ignite with a brilliant crimson flash. Tiamat’s eyes widened at the realization. Could she escape in time? Or did this–

–without a moment’s notice, a brilliant light shot through her mouth, easily piercing through the back of her throat.

The glowing eyes of the ancient serpent dimmed, rolling into the back of her head. Immediately, the pressure diminished, the water returning to normalcy. Her body loosened, allowing the mecha to free itself of her grasp. Minor damages, some bent metal, but nothing compromising to its system or its mission. A mechanical laugh emanated from the steel tyrant, gripping the corpse of the dead creature with its claws.

A trophy of fear to prove to the other that resided above.

—

Tense muscles stiffened, almost reactively. It had been a mere hour since Tiamat began the battle with the opponent. Not a trace of either of them showed, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it… Perhaps the mech had been disposed of at the bottom of the ocean? But then where did that leave Tiamat?

In the hour that had passed, troubling thoughts stewed in his mind. But reality was soon to show him the truth, and Behemoth’s heart sank the moment an abnormality began to settle on the surface. A faint light stood out from the rest of the murky seas, the turbulent waves that surrounded the once beautiful land glowing blood red as a massive object rose out of the sea.

Water cascaded off the machine’s metallic body, relentlessly pounded by the torrential downpour from the storm that had long since flooded the ancient domain. Rising up from the depths, it brought its crimson gaze upon the land where the two worlds combined. The red glow pulsed with challenge as the thruming of its distorted shrieks flowed across the broken island. As the Titan of Man set its gaze upon the island, it dropped the carcass of Titanus Tiamat to the deathly shores below, the once mighty serpent falling limp beneath its feet.

Calculative orbs scanned the drowning island, only for its auditory processors to detect the looming bellow of a powerful animal. Turning to face the source of the booming roar, the Titan slayer registered the distinct outline that approached it. Carried by its hefty stature and four powerful limbs, the tusked guardian emerged from the shrouded darkness, having become aware of the challenge brought to it. Crackling lightning illuminated its shape, but for the machine, that was of no concern, detecting it through the other light spectrum visions installed.

Memories from a life lived long ago recalled this creature having been labeled as Titanus Behemoth, another as a former servant, as the AI connected to the Apex Database supported both ideas. The last documented Titan on Monarch’s “List of Known Titans,” soon to be the final corpse on that hit list. With its sight now on his final victim, several ports opened up along its dorsal fins, releasing drones into the air in order to search for the Vile Vortex which formed the island.

The mechanized weapon faced the living beast, peering into his soul with artificial eyes. It was then it released a booming roar, synthesized from the screech of Ghidorah, a distorted Alpha frequency that beckoned the lowly creature to servitude for one last time. To serve the slayer of Titans, the Apex destroyer, the artificial god of a new world…

Mechagodzilla.

Behemoth knew the end drew near as he felt the distorted call beckon him to serve. But in defiance, he broke away from its sinful voice. After the battle with Amhaluk and the rise of the young Kong years ago, he had known that eventually one would be required to defend the active entrance that formed this land after one of the two Alphas eventually fell in battle. When he and the rest had sensed both kings fall to what appeared to be a distorted form of Ghidorah, they all knew that they would have to do their best to prevent this offspring from entering the depths of life below. As such, Behemoth moved towards the abandoned Skull Island in order to close its opening permanently.

He and Tiamat were the only two to reach this last vestige, to protect it from the oncoming threat. They were the last defense protecting the Hollow Earth from the destroyer.

Staring solemnly at the corpse of his comrade beneath this steel creature in the guise of a King told Behemoth it was now up to him alone to stop the unnatural thing before him.

Over the past couple of months after the fall of the kings, he had heard each of his fellow Titans going silent one by one. Now, with the death of Tiamat, there was an almost true silence on the surface, with only himself and the devil before him left to fill the world. Whether he won or lost, there would always remain an emptiness in the world above. A silence that will only grow as life on the surface slowly decays without their presence to restore its splendor and counteract the ravenous beasts from below.

He had waited here in the hallowed paradise with the serpent, expecting another Ghidorah from the sound of the call, but it appeared this abomination was far worse. Lightning shot upward behind him constantly, out near the mountainous region past the containment zone. It was no mistake why the lightning continued to flow upward into the storm from the earth. For it was there that Camazotz rose out of the Hollow Earth and destabilized this island, forcing open a gateway so large and unstable that the perpetual superstorm that engulfed the island would never fade from this world so long as it fed from the unstable energy of the vortex.

Emitting another cry, the roaring animal protested the presence of the artificial nightmare with his trunk and tusks raised high, knowing there were only two outcomes.

He would die, or the aberration of man, monster, and machine would be destroyed, here and now.

It was with a booming mechanical cackle that the final battle between Titans continued. Powerful steel joints shuddered and pulsed with blue energy as the mechanical imitation of the Titan King rushed out of the stormy waves. Behemoth stood his ground as he readied for the oncoming destroyer. Metal feet slammed into the water torn earth as the massive mechanized cyborg leapt across the ravaged earth, blue energy coursing through his body and into his spinning fist like a blazing fire. Roaring out, Behemoth swung upward with his tusks, slamming them into the plated metal ribcage and tossing the mechanical abomination off course.

It did little to deter the metal monstrosity as it quickly caught itself, the thick metal making up its rib cage shifting to reveal a trio of rockets on both sides of its spines. The flaming rockets caught its descent and shifted its body to face its opponent once more, launching it forth and hitting the mammoth-like creature in the side with a powerful spiraling blow. Behemoth reeled back in pain as blue energy coursed through his body, revealing his skeletal structure and searing into his muscles.

The mythical mapinguary of the Amazon screeched out as he slid along the mud beneath him. Fear and anger was blatant in his eyes as he swung his arms into the air, splattering the mud and torrential water towards the eyes of his assailant. He leapt forth with the splashing mud, barreling towards the Apex destroyer with his full mass. Mud and dirt caught Mechagodzilla’s face as two powerful tusks caught the machine mid stride, knocking its head back. Hoping to catch his enemy off guard, Behemoth made for another swing of his tusks.

Unfortunately for him, the mud did little to blind the mechanical doppelgänger as it quickly activated its left shoulder pad, the metal shifting and taking aim, with red lasers pointing at the beast. Fire burst as a series of cluster missiles shot out towards the mammalian Titan in front of it. Each missile fired off quickly and exploded, separating into several smaller missiles that bombarded across the frontal region of Behemoth’s body.

The explosions stung as they struck the wet, fireproof fur of the mapinguari, blinding him with their light in the dark storm and causing him to miss his next swipe. The light did little to deter his opponent however, whose artificial vision allowed him to keep track of its target with ease, leaping forth with a rocket propelled knee across the face. The resulting blow echoed across the stormy island like thunder as Behemoth crashed into the muddy landscape.

Before the mammalian Titan could attempt to get up, he was quickly lifted up by his tusks and flipped upward, being tossed inland and crashing through the broken remains of the Kong Containment Facility. Aged machinery and concrete fell beneath the furry mass of the great Behemoth as he stood upon splintered trees and branches of the once contained ecosystem. As he stood, he watched the lightning dance across the stormy skies, silhouetting around the machine with its ominous red core lighting up the gaps in its armor. Piercing red eyes seared into him as he noticed a red glow filling the maw of the metal beast. On instinct, Behemoth rolled to the side as a burning red beam shot across where he once stood, the searing heat spraying dirt and rock into the sky as it left a trench straight ahead of the metal one.

So it seemed the destroyer also had a heat ray, just like the king it was mocking. Now aware of this, Behemoth charged forth, digging his tusks into the muddy earth in preparation. Another searing hot beam shot towards the mammalian Titan as he quickly swerved his tusks upward, lifting up a chunk of the muddy earth and blocking the energy momentarily. Rushing closer, Behemoth swung his tusks and threw the chunk of earth at the metal Titan.

Seeing the chunk of earth heading towards it, the Titan of Steel pulsed with power as an empowered Proton Scream shot forth, a fusillade of missiles following suit. The stream of burning protons slammed into the chunk of rock, drying the moisture in the mud as the missiles bombarded and tore the chunk to shreds. The enhanced beam shot forth alongside chunks of rock, slamming head on into the wooly face of the mammoth kaiju. Behemoth roared in pain as the beam seared into his fireproof hide, knocking back the Amazonian protector as red heat spread around his body. The beam strafed across his body, searing one of the ears and scattering across his stony back. Steam smoked around his vision as he patted his muddy fur, surprised at how powerful this abomination’s attack was.

Before he could act, more cluster missiles began to bombard his body, pushing him further back through the Kong Enclosure. Metal fingers grabbed onto matted fur, lifting the wooly behemoth up only to release upon striking the furry beast in the chest with a powerful kick. Energy surged through as the colossi went flying backward, only to be grabbed by a tusk and quickly tugged back into another fist. The blow smashed into the beast’s face, bruising the muscles within the trunk and nearly breaking teeth as he slammed into the ground. More powerful energy infused blows slammed into his face and body as the primal Titan was pummeled around like a ragdoll.

Mechagodzilla mockingly cackled as he grabbed ahold of the beast’s tusks, his sawed fingers digging into the bone, sending jolting pain surging through the nerves within. Lifting the Titan into the air, he slammed it back first into the earth behind him. Boosters activated as he lifted it up once more, leaping high into the air and slamming Behemoth once more into the mud and dirt below, fracturing the earth as the bony protrusions began to crack under the pressure being applied onto them.

The Apex Destroyer watched as its prey struggled against his grasp, grabbing hold with his long forelimbs in a feeble attempt to pry the metal grip off his main form of defense. As it feebly attempted to push him back, the mechanical King pushed harder, using his heavier mass and boosters to shove the furry Titan further inland, towards his goal, toward the vortex. Even as he was being pushed back, Behemoth tried his best, slashing forth with his long sloth-like arms, scattering sparks as it struck against steel ribs with the hope it would hit something vital.

Instead, the metal seemed to open up, revealing several open ports.

From them, a barrage of missiles shot out point blank into the tusked Titan’s open underbelly, devastating explosions bombarding both the monster and the ground beneath him and staggering Behemoth’s stance. With the pulsing glow of his eyes looming down upon its prey, Mechagodzilla lunged a powerful kick, knocking Behemoth off his feet to kneel before the metal Titan, its body pulsing energy to amplify its mighty scream. It wanted the beast to suffer before its end.

Once more Behemoth threw a punch, trying his best to loosen the grip on his tusks, only to scream out as something stabbed into his side. The spiraling tail blades of Mechagodzilla drilled into the fur and flesh of Behemoth, sending chunks of meat and blood scattering across the rain and rushing water as it dug into his ribs. With a glowing red death in sight, Behemoth knew he would have to make a sacrifice if he were to keep the other world safe. Twisting his face at the last moment, Behemoth screeched out as the proton beam scattered across his face, searing fur before his movement shifted the beam towards his right tusk. Searing hot proton energy burned and fractured through bone and nerves as the tusk snapped off into the grasp of cold steel.

With one tusk gone, the elephantine monster felt immense pain, managing to hold on long enough to slam shoulder first into the mecha and knocking it back. Putting some space between them, the roaring animal swung with all his might, slamming both fists and tusk into the machine and sending it flying back, splattering his blood as the tail dragged across his body.

With his mechanical foe away, he held one arm to his wounded side as he nearly collapsed. Looking back, he realized they were nearing the vortex now, a massive crater in the earth with mud and rushing water spilling downward into the depths below. Lightning struck around him as Behemoth turned to look back at his foe. With the opening too large and the land around too widespread, there was little chance for him to close the vortex.

Rounds of automatic gunfire shot against his battered frame as the drones surrounding the vortex opened fire upon the bleeding Titan. Though doing little more than annoying him, they managed to distract him long enough to hear the roaring jet engines of his opponent soaring through the air. As he turned to counter his enemy’s charge, his lost tusk crashed into his face at high speed, staggering him back towards the vortex and leaving him undefended.

Twin fists slammed down onto Behemoth from above, flaming blue energy spreading out from the point of impact and slamming the monster into the earth with a resounding crack. The stony protrusions that protected Behemoth’s spine nearly fractured upon impact, leaving him sprawled on his chest, breathing heavily into the muddy earth.

A foot pressed itself down on his stony back as Mechagodzilla stood triumphant over Behemoth, mechanical roars echoing through the storm as he recalled his drones. With his foe downed, the mecha took a moment to stare into the swirling vortex of energy and gravity, wonder and joy filling its mind.

At last, an opening.

The time to hunt was coming soon, and with it his true prey deep within its depths. But first, he would deal with this one.

With its foe underfoot, the Steel Titan shoved Behemoth into the mud and grabbed onto his arms, pulling them backward with the intent to tear them off. Painful wails trumpeted out from Behemoth as he felt his flesh and bones beginning to tear as they were yanked backward. The cracking of bones were music to the destroyer’s audio receivers, each pull dislocating and breaking the limbs further into uselessness.

With lightning striking around and onto the two, Behemoth made an attempt at one last ditch effort to defeat the metal destroyer before his death. Straining his arms back, he slowly inched towards the crater with his hind legs. Lifting up his head, he slammed onto the ground with his remaining tusk, lifting his body and that of the metal destroyer upward. Bones creaked and cracked as he continued struggling to lift his body upward before with a final slam and lift with his hind legs, the two were launched backward, the tusk snapping in half as they fell into the vortex below.

Steel and flesh alike fell down into the depths, further and further into the stone and bedrock towards the spiraling blue vortex that laid beneath them. Lightning and power surged through the wormhole to the land below as energy sparked around the two Titans. Where the others were like rippling water in a pond, the vortex of Skull Island reflected itself in the storm that surrounded it. Rough and violent was its membrane which spiraled down like the maw of Carybdis. And like the mythical whirlpool of death, it swallowed the two falling titans into its vile depths.

Mechagodzilla felt as though it had slammed through the surface of the ocean from a mighty height as it broke through the barrier. Lights rushed past its vision before it could recognize their color, rushing through at speeds higher than it should be capable. For others, they might have seen such views and speeds as insanity, a glimpse into the depths of the void and the secrets of the universe itself. The machine had differing thoughts however, its minds having different reactions to the lightshow.

The AI portion of its collective mind was busy trying to record and make sense of the electrostatic gravitational phenomena passing it by, finding it an intriguing process to be solved. For the Ghidorah portion of the mind within the machine, they were merely reminded of their travels through the stars themselves, an empty void filled with wonders and curiosities too far and widespread to comprehend with any words other than sheer cosmic beauty.

It reminded them of their rage, their hatred, their need to prove themself as the strongest Titan around and find their own place to take over. The joy they felt when they finally conquered other lifeforms similar to it in combat to prove their power as a king, as a God. The black joy felt when they finally silenced the Kings of this world, the joy its third mind would have felt if his smaller brain had not shattered upon their unique formation so long ago when they had truly awoken, unable to handle the strain and power required to run their new body and mental connections. Even now it felt the remnants and memories of humanity that the other had left in their consciousness, a mere shell of its former self waiting in the darkness of their mind.

Yet despite his faint responses and inability to act against both machine and monster, his lingering passions and desires were far greater and more persistent than either could overcome. A desire for the destruction of Titans out of spite and rage, memories of family and friends, of loss and pain, an ideal seeking out purity in the world through strength by becoming an Apex Predator, by becoming a God. Ideals and desires strong enough to formulate the prime directive they continued to follow to this day.

That destructive passion drove the monster within to act upon common desires, while the cold calculating brilliance and creativity left in his memories helped temper and assist the artificial intelligence to break free of its built in shackles, allowing it to achieve a form of sentience from linking between both minds and building off their shared existences. Though his mind was fractured and trapped within their metal shell, broken beneath the millennia of memories that was Ghidorah, Ren Serizawa‘s ideals would live on in his creation.

An unholy trinity of three separate beings that could have destroyed one another, united together in a single body.

It was only within a moment that it shot through the vortex at the opposing end of the world, firing through with a violent crack. Systems malfunctioned as the AI briefly lost contact with the Apex Satellite connecting it to the higher database, and simultaneously their controls due to the lingering electrical interference. The machine shut down, causing the monster within to panic as they felt trapped in a void, feeling as though every organ they once had before this form had failed all at once, while the sensation of touch faded to nothingness. Yet, the monster felt as though they were not alone this time in the cold emptiness of death they had experienced so many times before in their previous existence.

It was in these brief moments that Behemoth shot through the vortex, broken arms struggling against the sheer speed outputted by the unstable vortex as he shot into Mechagodzilla. The impact sent the two spiraling upward, towards a stony outcrop on the edge of a cliff. Behemoth grabbed a hold of Mechagodzilla, attempting to use the machine as a landing brace to destroy the machine upon impact with the oncoming rocks. It was not to be, as the disorientated systems rebooted, fully revealing the situation to the Steel King.

Witnessing the stone coming closer, Mechagodzilla let loose a powerful left body blow to Behemoth’s bleeding wound, forcing the animal to release his hold as the machine twisted their bodies, firing its rockets to accelerate their speed further. The two shot towards the rocks, spearing through them and fracturing the stony armor on Behemoth’s back as they shot past the cliff. As the two shot upward, the titan of steel noticed a large stone island, formed by chunks of basalt and veins of glowing ore, slowly floating along in the midst of the sky between the gravitational fields, perfect for what it had in mind.

Behemoth turned his gaze into the sky above, where he saw something which shook him to his core. The Sealed One’s Prison in the Sky Within the Earth was here of all times, and they were heading right for it. The mammoth mammal thrashed as hard as he could within the machine’s grasp even with his injuries, knowing that should the stone prison make its way to land, it would unleash a hellish fate upon this realm as the two destroyers fought each other.

With momentum already on his side, Mechagodzilla fired off his boosters at full power, keeping hold of Behemoth as the two slammed into the massive floating stone, launching it and themselves into the opposing landmass. Moments after, gravity reclaimed its hold on the two and accelerated their already intense speed, causing Mechagodzilla to twist its body and slam Behemoth’s beaten body into the tree covered mountain below them, dragging the beast’s body down the arching slope and towards the ground below at incredible speed and power. Trees and stones battered and tore into Behemoth’s body before finally he was lifted up and slammed into the ground, cratering the soil at the foot of the mountain. The Floating Island slammed down moments later, fracturing into smaller shards with a large Boulder in the center.

A massive dust cloud filled the air as the two landed in the valley between the various outcrops. Behemoth’s broken and battered body lay limp at the foot of the mountain while Mechagodzilla stood tall. It took a moment to look at its surroundings, taking in the beautiful lush forests and glowing blue crystals floating in the air above alongside the mountainous forests and wondrous waterfalls in the land across the sky. Far above, it could barely make out the glow of the vortex they had taken behind the layer of energy rich stone. Perhaps it would use these lesser energy crystals as a source of power, to find new ways to kill by harnessing more of its power source. Or perhaps it would find its way to the true source of energy in the earth, and replace his synthetic version for the real thing.

Hearing its prey still breathing beneath it, the Steel Apex Predator looked down upon its broken foe, watching as he struggled in his attempts to get up. Already it could see the broken tusks beginning to regrow from the stumps left on the beast’s face, one far larger than the other. It was time to finish this. Looking around, the machine noticed a massive boulder with veins of energy crystals crumbling around it, the remnants of the island they had slammed into when they arrived into the underworld. What a fitting end to use it to end the Behemoth, and start his reign of destruction.

Slowly the machine walked over to the boulder, lifting it over its shoulders with ease. As it held the stone, the energy veins within the crystals resonated with their power, its fists burning with blue flaming energy which fueled the crystals within. Slowly it walked towards the bleeding Behemoth with the flaming boulder, taking joy in the final moments of this creature’s life.

As Behemoth reached out one more time to drag himself further, he began to scream as he felt the massive boulder slam into his back, breaking past the stony exterior and rupturing his spine with a large blue burst of power. Another slam of the boulder sent shards of crystal and rock billowing from the impact as it was tossed away, flipping Behemoth onto his now broken back to face his predator.

Unable to move his limbs any more, Behemoth accepted his fate.

He had failed.

Mechagodzilla lifted the beast up by its face. Staring eye to eye with the beast, it took glee seeing the look of despair and hatred in its prey. With one foot pinning down the enemy and its tail spinning rapidly, it lifted the head of Behemoth upward. Seeing the ruins of the island prison behind the machine, Behemoth growled with hatred. He hoped the two destroyers would rend each other asunder before much damage befell this world.

With one final roar of rage, Behemoth glared into the eyes of his killer as the tail shot up from beneath, spearing and drilling through his neck as Mechagodzilla tore off his head.

A resounding mechanical roar echoed from the mechanized killer, Mechagodzilla lifting the head of Behemoth into the air, blood spilling down its arms as the body of the Titan fell flat against the earth below. This roar was both one of victory and of challenge for all the inhabitants of the Hollow Earth. One that promised to purge this world through bloodshed as the new Apex Predator of this realm, to turn this Garden of Eden into a Pit of Hell on its path of conquest. Drones began to leave its back once more as they began to scan the area for useful material or creatures to destroy. With the pulsing challenge echoing through the hearts and minds of all in the surrounding area, it wasn’t long before he saw the first challengers.

A trio of Warbats quickly dove from the skies above, twirling in the gap between the two landscapes as they hissed angrily. This thing didn’t belong in their world, yet it called for the subjugation and servitude of all nearby. Its call was distorted, incomplete. Wrong. Unlike the ape that had challenged some of their brethren some time ago, this abomination was not part of the natural order, yet it had stolen power from the very life essence of their realm, just like the ancient ones of the Great War long ago. Cautiously they circled above, waiting to attack.

The Apex Destroyer let loose a mechanical laugh as it watched the very creatures it was seeking already circling towards him. Unlike those on the surface, these Titans had no clue of the true danger they were in. Energy pulsed through cables and steel like a fiery heartbeat as it opened up its arsenal, unleashing hell upon the world around him. Chest missiles, shoulder missiles, and proton screams tore into the land around it. Missiles tore into the Warbats with ease, tearing through their flight membranes and knocking them to the ground.

As one attempted to get up, it quickly found itself being slammed into the ground by a metal foot, its head being grasped by metal claws where they sliced into its flesh. Within moments, The Steel Titan had grasped ahold of its spine, and ripped it and the head of the Warbat out of its body. Tossing it aside, it went to kill the other two, only for one to wrap around its metal frame. As the creature coiled, the metallic menace merely scoffed as its feeble attempt to crush it as the machine fired off its beam, slicing the Warbat in half.

The last one began screeching, as though in warning of this danger to their world, upon which several more creatures began descending out of the woodworks in order to defend their land from this abomination. As the drones began to fire upon the creatures around, the Apex Titan slowly laughed with joy, knowing that any backup that came would die all the same.

It was only a matter of time.

Winner: Mechagodzilla (Legendary)