Author: Michael Allen | Banner: Landon Soto

Tokyo, a proud city, a majestic capital. At first glance it looked like any other great city, bright lights, cars, and people going about their daily lives. Businesses, billboards, and giant screens were mounted on the sides of buildings with commercials playing on a seemingly never ending loop. Most wouldn’t believe or even consider the fact that, all too often, it had and maybe still was a battlefield for kaiju. Enormous beasts of earthly or alien origin who waged war for their own purposes.

The sirens, now almost universally associated with the arrival of a kaiju, suddenly went off. The eerie wailing carried over the noise of the city, causing people to stop dead in their tracks, looking around in confusion at first, their sense of tranquility shattered. Confusion turned to panic when the vibration of a footstep shook the ground.

Perhaps fate was having a cruel laugh at Japan’s expense, or maybe these two were destined to fight here and now. Not one cared to consider which one it was.

From the north, the all too familiar form of Godzilla slowly approached, his nightmarish figure silhouetted by the blackness of the sky. Soon the brightness of fire joined him where the buildings he was casually trampling through exploded beneath him, causing clouds of smoke to plume all around him. His fiery orange eyes glinting in the shadows, rows of teeth were exposed as he opened his maw in a guttural roar, drowning out the screams below. His bone colored spines jutted out in sharp angles down his back, claws tensing in anticipation of meeting whatever he was expecting in the city. The people were of no concern, if they were crushed or burned away, so be it.

Another creature began to emerge from the once still waters of Tokyo Bay with a frightening roar. Seawater cascading down the reddish-brown flesh, the regal head horns that ran the length of his back glistened in the white light of the moon. He roared once more as he waded ashore, flipping a shipping vessel out of his path causing a sizable wave to flood the streets nearest the bay. From a distance, Godzilla bellowed back.

Varan had arrived. Though far from his native home, he was undaunted by the vast metropolis before him, nor by the King of the Monsters continuing his advance towards the giant monster. Varan lunged forward, furiously tearing and crashing through anything in his way, further adding to the utter panic ensuing around him. Each footstep Varan took shook the ground like brief, powerful earthquakes, the roars and growls of the two monsters mixed with the countless screams in a horrifying melody. Mere moments passed until they came face-to-face.

Godzilla’s lips peeled back, baring his incredibly sharp teeth at the other reptile, less than impressed with the red beast. He towered over Varan, roaring at him in a way that said “back down or die here.” The triphibian stood up on his hind legs, and Godzilla’s eyes widened in surprise seeing he was now equal to him in height. Varan roared back, the timber was deep, but odd; unlike any vocalization the King of the Monsters had heard before… Despite this, he was not to be intimidated and roared back, louder this time, windows audibly shattering at the volume and power of it. Still the sea reptile refused to back down as if to say “bring it.” Godzilla’s eyes narrowed to slits and a quick snarl emitted from him. So be it.

The spines along Godzilla’s back suddenly crackled and flashed with vibrant energy. Varan had never seen the infamous attack used before, but he was intelligent enough to know that it was not a good sign. Swiftly he dropped back down to all fours and sprang forward, the atomic ray shot from Godzilla’s maw and to his surprise the beam missed its mark, exploding on the ground where Varan had been seconds before. What speed! Varan hopped towards Godzilla, the saurian backed away slightly, his foe coming in too fast and too close to counter. He grunted when Varan lept at him, attempting to topple him with his mass, but unexpectedly Godzilla’s powerful hands seized him out of the air. The triphibian cried out as Godzilla moved to the left, bashing the roaring beast through a building and tossed him away. Debris shot into the air and the ground shuddered when Varan landed, flattening several small structures beneath him, his world blurring around him.

Godzilla walked through the smoke unflinchingly, bellowing. Varan’s eyes widened as Godzilla’s spines lit up bright blue once more and he instantly knew he had to act quickly. His tail collided hard with Godzilla’s skull, stunning him, the atomic ray narrowly missing Varan’s hand. The red reptile screeched in surprise and leapt up, the heat was so intense he inspected his clawed appendage to reassure himself he hadn’t been burned. Godzilla shook his head to clear his vision before lunging in, quickly blocking a backhand from Varan and retaliating with a punch to the jaw. Varan staggered back with a roar of pain, but there was little time to dwell on that as Godzilla rushed at him. They may have been equal in standing height, but weight was a different matter entirely. For Varan, it was like trying to stop a gigantic steamroller.

Their feet gouged deep in the pavement and their bodies easily broke through any man made structure that was standing in their way. Varan growled as he realized he could not halt Godzilla’s momentum with brute force alone; instead, he opted for a savage headbutt. The King of the Monsters grunted loudly, stumbling back and seeing double. Varan lashed out with a swipe to his cheek followed by another strike from his long tail, finally toppling the nuclear beast. The ground dented on impact, cracks splitting in all directions and weaker buildings falling to chunks. The triphibian descended on him instantly, teeth clamping firmly onto the side of Godzilla’s throat, quickly snapping the King out of his daze. Screeching loudly Godzilla pushed himself up and onto his feet once more despite Varan’s grip on his throat as he attempted to wrestle him down.

Yet again the saurian’s spine flashed… but this time Varan had no time to dodge. Frantically he released Godzilla, the atomic ray unleashed from Godzilla’s maw, lancing into his foe’s chest. Varan howled in agony as his flesh was burnt and blackened, the force sending him sprawling to the ground, the foul stench of burning skin lingering in the air. Godzilla stomped towards the downed kaiju, wanting the satisfaction of crushing him up close and personal. Varan winced, his chest burned, but fortunately for him he had fared well, all things considered, against the infamous attack. The ground’s tremors jarred him back to the fight at hand, and he snarled in defiance as Godzilla stood over him. Glowering, the towering beast raised a massive clawed foot to squash the head of the reptile. Rather than dodge, Varan positioned his head directly under the foot as it came down. By the time Godzilla realized what Varan was doing it was too late.

A high pitched scream of pain drowned out the roaring hellish flames and the terrified cries of those trapped in the city as Godzilla impaled his foot on Varan’s horns. He gave no objection to Godzilla freeing the appendage, delighting in the sensation of fresh blood oozing down his head as he regained his footing. The city shook as the nuclear menace hopped backward clumsily, his healing ability had already begun reversing the damage, but not fast enough. Naturally, Varan exploited this weakness. Lunging in, he raked his claws furiously down Godzilla’s head, the few cuts he managed, however, were quickly healed up. The radioactive kaiju stumbled back, struggling to keep upright. Varan came in again, ducking to avoid a low swipe and slamming his horned head into the gut of the charcoal beast. Godzilla staggered only slightly, as his foot was now fully healed, and his eyes glinted with murderous vengeance. Varan roared in frustration at being unable to take down Godzilla again, but pressed his attack with another tail swipe.

With shockingly fast reflexes Godzilla seized it and, in a grand display of colossal strength, heaved Varan up, the reptile shrieking in surprise and rage at this halt in his onslaught. The world became a blur of colors as Godzilla wheeled Varan around and threw him, soaring through the hot air and crashing down into several buildings. He snorted, clearing the dust from his vision, and registered Godzilla’s bloodthirsty approach. An atomic ray to the back kept him pinned momentarily, scorching the flesh on his back but bad as the gouge in his chest. Grunting, Varan placed his weight on his hands and feet, shifting like a cat preparing to pounce.

In the blink of an eye he jumped into the air and Godzilla emitted a guttural roar of fury as his foe escaped him. Godzilla was surprised again to see Varan deploy an extra membrane of skin between each arm and leg. Not a true flier, but still, a glider would make the battle more difficult for him.

Varan evaded another atomic ray, causing a skyscraper’s top half to explode, raining fiery bits of metal and rubble down to the street. Varan swung around Tokyo Tower fast, faster than Godzilla could counter and the King of the Monsters could do was brace himself. The impact of their bodies alone shook nearby buildings; concrete shot impossibly high into the air, buildings fell to nothing more than rubble, those people who remained stumbled and fell to the ground.

Godzilla struggled in vain as his spines had pierced so deeply into the pavement that he could not free himself. A growl expressing his bad luck, quickly turned to panic as he felt Varan’s teeth crunch into his throat. Godzilla’s arms scratched feebly as he attempted to pound Varan’s sides but to no avail, Varan’s clawed hands gripped his muscular shoulders hard and the teeth kept sinking deeper. The triphibian snarled viciously as he worked to further wound Godzilla’s throat, relishing the taste and satiating his thrust with spurts of crimson blood. The saurian knew he had to act fast.

The familiar sound of the atomic ray charging from Godzilla’s throat reached Varan’s ears. His eyes widened as he realized how dangerously close he was; a blast that close would finish him. Surviving trumping victory, he released Godzilla… only to be blinded seconds later by a blue flash erupting from Godzilla’s body. Varan was too stunned to even scream in pain as the nuclear pulse scorched him, launching him off the nuclear leviathan.

Godzilla breathed raggedly now, finally free, and rolled himself onto his side as the heat from his spines melted the concrete, allowing him to stand once more. Blood oozed from the bite marks, trickling down his throat. He fixed Varan with a hateful stare as the reptile groaned. Godzilla would have loved nothing more than to unleash his atomic fury on Varan, but with his ravaged throat he risked ripping it apart. He decided to lay off… for now.

Godzilla gave a thunderous roar and proceeded his stalwart advance toward Varan. The red reptile glared back before he dashed back into the fray. Godzilla’s claws scored across Varan’s cheek. Varan shrieked from pain then retaliated with his own claws, slicing across Godzilla’s still regenerating throat causing blood to shower both their fronts. Godzilla’s cry was a mixture of a pained anger and the grotesque gurgling of blood. Nonetheless, he ferociously bit down on Varan’s shoulder and the two grappled in a frenzy. As each beast attempted to push the other back, they moved closer to the base of Tokyo Tower.

Godzilla lashed out and tore Varan’s shoulder further before letting go and proceeding to punch the reptile in his burned chest. Varan’s screams became high pitched as pain wracked his body. Although still able to do ample damage, Godzilla’s throat was still not fully healed, but he did not want to prolong this duel any longer. The timing was now right as the King of the Monster’s spines crackled to life, building nightmarish radioactive power to unleash his finishing blow.

As a last ditch effort to avoid death Varan reached out, his hand gripping Godzilla’s neck just beneath the jaw, and with monstrous strength forcefully jerked Godzilla’s head upwards. The atomic ray shot past Varan’s head and he winced as hot nuclear residue leaked through the throat wounds, burning his flesh. The pain was excruciating, but he was alive. An explosion promptly followed the firing of the nuclear beam followed by the sound of metal creaking and giving way. Godzilla’s orange eyes bulged from his head, realizing what was happening and hurriedly backed away from Varan. Curious as to why the giant was backing off, Varan glanced back to see half of Tokyo Tower falling toward them!

Their respective visions became a deep blur and each gave bellowing cries as a mass of red twisted metal smashed into them with devastating force. Godzilla took the brunt of it and his powerful body was pinned beneath the maze of twisted metal. The ground trembled once more upon the frightful impact, the city shaken to the core as the famous tower was reduced to half its glory, the rest of it now laying broken around and on top of the two warring kaiju.

Varan’s eyes opened a minute or so later, his body ached and was terribly burned in several areas. A deep snarl rumbled from his throat as he warily looked towards Godzilla. The reptile’s dark mass was pinned beneath jutting bits of metal. Godzilla’s sides heaved as he growled, fixing Varan with a murderous but dazed glare. His lips peeled back as he tried to push himself up, but he winced and collapsed. The hateful fiery orbs rolled up leaving the whites of his eyes, and he released a massive exhale, blowing dust and loose debris away. Varan sighed in relief, although Godzilla was far from dead, he was knocked out cold. With effort, Varan tore himself free of the metal and limped away, bloodied, burned, and exhausted.

Varan had not necessarily beaten Godzilla, but he had survived. Personally that was good enough for him at the moment, and he’d rather not be in the city when Godzilla finally woke up. Despite his injuries, Varan propelled himself into the air, gliding over the half annihilated city back to the safety of the ocean. He knew Godzilla would travel the planet in search of him, and there would certainly be a day where they would meet again and Varan welcomed that notion.

But for the time being, whether they were satisfied with it or not, they would have to settle for the undecided outcome.

Draw: Godzilla (Heisei), Varan (Universal)