Author: Landon Soto | Banner: Landon Soto
Trillions of lights decorated the mostly black expanse of space. Gleams and glitters from stars, comets, planets, and numerous other celestial bodies flickered and shone light years away. Amongst the various illuminations of space was a silver spaceship that sailed effortlessly across cosmos, much like the celestial bodies in the far distance. Clusters of red, blue, yellow, and purple shined from each side of the bowl shaped vessel.
The cluster of colorful lights that adorned the top of the ship resembled sweets, specifically gumballs. Paired with the dish shape of the ship, it created a whimsical appearance of candy in a silver bowl. At the front of the spacecraft was the bowsprit that resembled the nose of a swordfish but more blunt, decorated with a large ruby-like gem just below it, embedded in the hull. The bowsprit seamlessly melded into large, silver, serrated fins like that of a shark, running down across the diameter of the circular ship that split the candy shaped lights in half.
On opposite sides of the vessel were fin-like protrusions akin to an airplane. Semi circle shaped lights wrapped around the silver bowl shaped exterior that rhythmically blinked a warm yellow glow. The fantastical ship continued its journey across space, passing a small gray planetoid, then two pure blue planets. A planet surrounded by a large ring came into view before an enormous beige planet with a red splotch was passed. Finally, another blue planet with splashes of green along with hints of white and tan came into view.
From within the amusing spacecraft, two red eyes with thin black, vertical pupils like a serpent lit up the eerily dark control room. A guttural growl escaped from a toothy beak as a third red glow emanated from a ruby gem that was snug between the beak and a pointed snout like that of a goblin shark.
“Ah, the Earth, what a beautiful sight indeed.” A booming voice filled the empty room. “With the Xiliens exterminated and the Earthlings’ defenses left weak from their war, the planet is vulnerable.” The deep voice continued.
The entity’s spacecraft breached the atmosphere as clouds parted and the world’s oceans became visible. The sharp and colorful craft began to slow down the further it descended before it safely submerged underwater. Pillars of water erupted into the sky before dying down. The being that laid within its ship noticed the beautiful azure and the beams of light that touched down upon the ship. Once again, it let out a growl before it spoke.
“Finally, a world fit for a new emperor. I, Zigra, shall claim this planet as my own! With most of Earth’s giant beasts slain during the war, there is very little that stands in my way.” Zigra proclaimed before shaking his razor sharp head side to side, large cobwebs formed from prolonged inactivity ripping away. In practically an instantaneous flash of light, the silver alien found himself outside the ship and bathed in the cool water.
Zigra traversed the underwater landscape with ease, as if he had lived on Earth his whole life. His body resembled a shark’s but coated in serrated silver armor down to the tailfin, with a sharp nose like a knife that continued onward to form a curved crest that pointed outwards from the back of the head. His underbelly had many grooves like a cetacean, the only unarmored part of his form. The alien invader’s beak snapped as he tasted the refreshing liquid. His pectoral and pelvic fins were coated in similar armored ridges that sliced through the water with ease.
The space shark couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for his old home as he continued to swim, however, another feeling bubbled up soon enough. Zigra noticed what surely had to be inorganic material and filth that lingered in clumps that surrounded what appeared to be an abandoned undersea factory of some sort, with drills and massive pipes that penetrated through the ocean floor. That familiar sense of anger swelled up within himself as he remembered why he left his home in the first place.
Hailing from the 4th planet of the Object Number 105 system, planet Zigra, a world that resembled Earth. Vast oceans and massive lakes that were pristine, where the aquatic dwellers were the dominant species while the creatures of the land were hunted for sustenance. Zigra’s species were technologically advanced; their planet was truly the crown jewel of their solar system.
It wasn’t until decades later where ambition and progress had become top priority, to the point that pollution had ravaged the people’s oceans. In exchange for grandiose cities and high societies, until society collapsed in on itself. Now he was one of, if not the last of a dying species and seeing the inkling of history repeating itself made his blood boil. He knew that now was the time for him to subjugate this world, enslave humanity and force them to purify their oceans.
In his imagination, Zigra imagined an Earth where he was its king, his Earthling slaves doing his bidding as he traversed the oceans In their purest form, perhaps hunting some humans or whatever else crawled along the land as a way to relive the glory days. However, this time, he would keep the oceans pure while destroying the land’s cities every once in a while as a reminder of his dominance.
As the titanic space shark swam through the surrounding ocean, another powerful being had begun to awaken. On a large island hundreds of miles from where Zigra had taken residence, in a cavernous burrow rested a mighty beast. Iwato Island had become the home of the fierce dragon, Anguirus. Despite the nickname given to him by humanity, Anguirus didn’t resemble a traditional dragon. His appearance was akin to that of an ankylosaurus.
Anguirus rested against the wall of his spacious abode, upon his back was a sturdy gray shell covered in amber colored spikes. His shoulders and outer thighs were covered in similar armored padding with a row of spikes running down them for even greater defense. A crown of horns that curved forward ran horizontally across his head along with a nasal horn atop his snout. The quadruped let out a huff of hot air as he began to stir, his lengthy tail like a serrated whip with a spiked club at the end of it.
The limb-like tail swayed gently across the ground as the armored saurian’s eyes slowly opened. Fiery orange eyes lazily looked around as Anguirus stretched his arms and legs outwards, a lengthy groan escaping from his triangular jaws before letting out a deep exhale. Lazily, the modern ankylosaurus got on all fours as he began to crawl up the dirt slope that led to the entrance of his home.
As the sunlight became brighter and brighter, Anguirus winced his eyes as he finally felt the warmth from the sun touch down on his gray skin. The monstrous dinosaur shook away the dirt and debris that had built up over the course of his rest, before he began to drag himself along the ground. He moved like a human infant crawling on their hands and knees, quite humorous for an armored and viscous looking beast to move. As the fierce dragon continued his trek, it wasn’t long before the Angilasaur had found himself a lake that contained drinking water.
With a bountiful source of refreshment in front of him, Anguirus happily dipped his toothy jaws into the drink and began to lap up the water like a canine. The spiked quadruped growled in content as his thirst was quenched. He felt a moment of peace as he had his fill of water, however, another familiar feeling began to seep into his primal mind. A feeling even humans could relate to…..regret.
It had been a month since the war, back when he was well aware that something foreign had invaded his territory and had attacked him. It was a bizarre sensation that he couldn’t fully describe, it felt as though he had lost control of his body, as if it was moving on its own. It all started when that strange object in the sky appeared before him. After that, it felt as if he had fallen asleep but was still aware of what he was doing even though it was fuzzy.
He recalled being in the territory of the small bipedal creatures he had encountered before. He usually tried to steer clear of them, but somehow, he was there and tearing through their structures with ease. Suddenly he recalled standing in a somewhat familiar land, before a familiar face. Someone he had once thought of as an enemy, but over time he learned to call a friend.
Godzilla, the bipedal saurian with charcoal black skin and bone white spines. He remembered yelling out a malicious howl at his old friend that somehow surprised himself. Why did he utter such a cry? Regardless, he remembered staring back at his ally and receiving a cold glare. If his recollection of past events were a blur, then these next memories were almost abstract.
He recalled the crimson avian Rodan being there for whatever reason as well as a furry bipedal canine creature. It happened so fast but he knew his king had utterly dominated him; he remembered the pain all too well. But it was also humiliating as he knew it wasn’t an epic drawn out battle like their first encounter. No, the Ultimate Weapon of Earth had far surpassed him. It was an absolutely one sided bout that had ended with him uncomfortably smothered between those two beasts.
The nuclear born ankylosaur’s fanged mouth grimaced as he closed his eyes, his brows furrowed at the terrible act he had committed. He hadn’t dared set out for his friend yet, a part of him wanted to go and ask for forgiveness but he didn’t have the strength. His heart began to beat faster as his breathing felt sharper, he hated this feeling, whenever he thought of confronting his friend, this feeling washed over him and stopped him.
Thus, he decided to stay on this island, in a self imposed isolation. Besides, the atomic monster probably didn’t want to see his fanged face again after that brazen charge that most likely eroded their years of friendship. Anguirus stared off blankly as he continued to mull over his betrayal, creating excuses and fairly reasonable assumptions as to why he should stay away from Godzilla and stay on this island by himself. A failure that abandoned his ally in a time of need and instead tried to stab him in the back. He was better off alone, a fitting punishment.
Meanwhile, off the coast of Iwato Island, silver fins breached the surface of the water before making a beeline for the island. From the ocean came the space invader, breaking from the waves like a manta ray, his frame soaring in the air for a couple of seconds before his shark-like body began to morph instantaneously. In a blink and you’d miss it moment, Zigra had taken on a more bipedal form suitable for land traversion. He flapped his pectoral fins like wings as he shook the water off of them, his pelvic fins having completely morphed into legs, still covered In that same ridged silver armor. His feet retained their armor as well and were blunt like the sabatons of a knight.
The extraterrestrial terror roared as he awkwardly shuffled along the ground, this form of locomotion not as natural to the giant space shark as swimming. Regardless, this land was rather quaint, and he decided that this should be his base of operation. Palm trees were crushed underfoot as he continued his cumbersome trek across the island, scouting out his surroundings. A couple minutes into his stroll, he heard a bizarre keening sound, intimidating something big was nearby.
Birds flew from their homes in the trees as the ground began to rhythmically shake. Blood red eyes glanced around, the elasmobranch wondering what exactly could be here. It infuriated him to no end. Surely, it had to be one of the giant land dwellers. No matter, he would crush whatever fool dared stand between him and his plans for world domination! From behind a high cliffside, the horned snout of an unknown entity came into view, as slowly but surely, the space shark saw the creature’s whole body come into view.
Anguirus had turned the corner of the cliffside and was greeted with an unpleasant sight. Before him stood a strange bipedal being, presumably coated in armor like he was. It resembled those creatures that lived in the sea, yet here it was on land. He had caught the scent of something funny and had decided to check it out, but this was not what he expected. The conquering shark meanwhile wasn’t impressed either. Yes, his foe looked rather bulky, but he was the superior species, he would prove that fact here and now if he must.
“Brutish land dweller, hear me! I am Zigra, they call me the plunderer.” the cartilaginous cretin exclaimed as he pointed a fin at the newcomer, horizontally swiping the air with the same fin. “Submit to me and perhaps, I shall let you live as my pet!”
The fierce dragon tilted his head slightly sideways as he listened to the entity before him continue its cacophonous rambling.
“You can be the first of many to watch as I dismantle the Earthling’s societies, destroy their pollution spewing factories and save this planet, while there is still time.” The egotistical elasmobranch proudly proclaimed.
The Angilasaur continued to stare at the intruder before him, not understanding what this creature was going on about as it waved its arms around. To him, it sounded like incoherent babble, oddly enough, it even reminded him of the same noises those tiny bipedal creatures made. How strange. As the alien continued to rant and rave about his ambitions, a loud bark cut him off. He noticed the spiked saurian stare back at him, his lips began to rise as he bared his fangs, a deep guttural growling escaped his jaws, before a bellowing howl that filled the air.
Ever the fearless one, the deep sea monster refused to relent, he bent his knees slightly as he hunched forward, waving his arms in front of himself as a display of confidence. The piscine plunderer knew he would clobber this pathetic beast of the land, it was the natural order of things on his world and it was the same on others. Any large beasts the invader had encountered were swiftly dealt with by his might. Perhaps he should just eat this one instead of trying to tame it, a question he’d see how he felt about the matter after this show of force.
Having had enough of this, Anguirus took a more aggressive stance, his arms bent slightly. His attempts to dissuade the invader clearly wasn’t working, it was time to settle this the old fashioned way. He wasn’t in the mood to continue being subjected to the strange noises this interloper emitted. Perhaps this fight would be the pick me up he needed to heighten his mood.
The fire monster sprang from the ground before hitting the floor running, he bolted on all fours like a dog. The only thing that prevented the modern Ankylosaurus from crossing the gap between him and Zigra in an instant was his spiked shell. The silver monster scoffed as he immediately taunted his opponent.
“Fool you will soon learn how pathetically outmatched you are when pitted against a mighty master of the ocea- OH GREAT HEAVENS!”
The plunderer cried out as the armored beast clamped his jaws on his right leg and swept the space shark off his feet.
Landing on his back with a thud, the fish invader cried out in shock as he felt the crushing pressure of tusked jaws around his leg. Like a mad dog, the spiked saurian shook his head side to side, he even managed to drag the elasmobranch around with relative ease. The once lush plains of the island were torn up into exposed dirt splotches as the conqueror of worlds was treated like a chew toy. An armored foot smashed into his snout, which prompted the horned saurian to yelp in surprise. The deep sea monster yanked his leg out of the quadruped’s mouth, a shower of sparks accompanied by a swift ear splitting screech followed suit. The modern ankylosaurus shook his head as he swiftly regained his bearings.
The wounded invader rose up gingerly, but he had little time to recuperate as his opponent was relentless. Anguirus was quicker on the draw as he sprang forward and tackled the space shark back down to the ground. His nasal horn jabbed the being’s chest, causing a yelp in shock as once again he was down on the ground. The Destroyer of the Living, meanwhile, began to furiously scrape away at the exposed torso of the invader. Trickles of red blood began to form as the reptile’s claws cut up his opponent’s gray flesh. The abyssal alien roared in pain, unaware that these claws could tear through earth and stone with ease.
A flash of orange emanated from the gem embedded between the alien’s beak and nasal horn. The ancient monster’s pupils dilated as he barked in shock, his ruthless assault halted, thus allowing the sea beast to shove the canine-like saurian off of himself. The radioactive dinosaur’s body felt fuzzy but it was a brief sensation, it wasn’t cause for concern as of now but he’d make a mental note of it just in case. Zigra rose to his feet, mindful of his bitten leg before he unleashed a barrage of slaps onto his opponent’s face. Groans of frustration escaped the jaws of the fierce dragon as his head jerked side to side before he began to snarl once more. The ocean traveler began to laugh at his mindless foe’s misfortune.
“Your efforts were valiant, my empty-headed foe. However, your luck has run dry now that you suffer my wrath!” Zigra continued to chortle as he slapped his foe senselessly, or so it seemed.
As the villainous fish brought down his left fin with enough force to destroy a Navy warship, the armored killer swerved his head to face the limb and opened his jaws wide. A gasp left a silver beak before the shelled saurian clamped his jaws down on the limb. Sharp teeth punched into the thick fin as blood immediately flowed from the numerous puncture wounds. The silver extraterrestrial cried out in agony as muscle and tendon were shredded apart. Once again, the shelled saurian shook his head wildly to deepen his bite which forced the plunderer to fumble backwards to the beach as he desperately tried to remove the ravenous dinosaur.
Loud splashes of water mixed with the space invaders’ wails of anguish. Godzilla’s companion, meanwhile, tried to drag the conqueror down so he could land a more devastating blow. However, his opponent had managed to keep his footing as he used his free fin to try and remove the saurian. Finally, the ocean monster had lost balance as his damaged leg gave in. His body fell into the ocean, taking the spiked creature with him. The two tumbled down an underwater slope as mud and other debris clouded the vision of both combatants.
Anguirus released the grip on his foe as he felt the need to breathe, pushing away the space shark, pawing at the water to reach the surface. A massive pillar of water shot into the air, the radioactive reptile taking a huge breath as he looked around, seeing only a few miles away from land. The armored quadruped began to claw and kick under the water, even with his natural armor, the raw strength of the determined ankylosaurus was on display as he began to swim towards the shore. Underwater, Zigra had returned to his aquatic form. The armored invader cut through the water with grace just before his blood red eyes locked onto his foolish nemesis.
“You have made a grave mistake, you mindless barbarian! I am in my element and I will enjoy slicing you into what the Earthlings call sashimi!”
Like a silver bullet, the bladed beast moved at impressive speeds that would make swordfish and marlin look like snails. He eyed the swaying tail that dragged behind his quarry, wishing to give the filthy land dweller a taste of his own medicine. The Killer of the Living, meanwhile, was close to making landfall, only a couple dozen meters away. That was until he felt a sharp pain in his tail that forced the spiked quadruped to yelp aloud.
Without time to process what exactly was happening, the fire monster was dragged back underwater. He glanced down at his tail and saw the silver sea creature that he thought he had driven away was now biting on his tail. The armored dinosaur snapped his jaws as muffled barks escaped his maw. Zigra continued to drag his foe lower until he relinquished his bite, the fool had taken the bait, and now it was time for his foe to sleep with the fishes.
The silver shark without hesitation twisted his body so that the sharp dorsal fins atop his body were pointed at the armored underbelly. The silver knife-like fins sliced into the softer flesh of the saurian’s stomach, not once or twice, but three times. To the human eye, it would look like the mad conqueror carved the first letter of his name into his foe’s flesh with the utmost disrespect. The conqueror glanced back at his helpless enemy, a tad disappointed that the dinosaur’s guts weren’t spilling out into the open.
A muffled groan of distress left the prickly reptile’s jaws as he gingerly touched his wounds. The cuts were shallow but it didn’t stop small streams of blood that tainted the blue water. The shark monster decided to try his luck again, his body aimed directly for the ankylosaurus’ heart. The nasal horn of the space shark glimmered as the sun’s rays reflected off of it. The Destroyer of Living, meanwhile, wasn’t interested in being cut up again, so he began to curl his body up like an armadillo, even his lengthy tail disappearing from sight.
The razor finned terror was confused at this new trick, but nevertheless continued the charge. His silver spear-like nasal horn jabbed into the armored tail that had been tucked into Anguirus’ body. Bubbles billowed out from between the saurian’s teeth as he felt his hide being pricked, however, his plan seemed to be working as for he was now being pushed towards the surface. Zigra was oblivious to the unintentional assist as he was hellbent on stabbing into the land dweller’s flesh completely. Momentum carried the plunderer and the fierce dragon up to the surface, until soon enough, a massive wall of water shot up into the sky as the alien invader was still adhered to the balled up ankylosaurus.
Both fighters crashed into the ground with trees and dirt being scattered around frivolously. The shark invader stuck outwards at a 75 degree angle before placing his fins on the armored body. Grunts and yelps escaped his toothy beak as his fins were poked by the numerous spikes on the hedgehog-like dinosaur. Finally getting a good grip, the bladed elasmobranch groaned and growled as he shook his head in order to dislodge himself. After a minute or two, and with an audible “pop”, the conqueror had successfully freed himself, now reverted to his land traversing form in the blink of an eye.
Blood red eyes stared at the spiked ball stirl curled up on the ground. The space monster nudged the ball with his foot, but no reaction, his opponent’s head was still visible but his eyes were closed. Did this simple minded creature believe that by closing his eyes that his problems would vanish too? The baffled alien lumbered around the prone creature, failing to notice the horned quadruped’s eyes open slightly.
Now standing tall over his frozen prey, the goblin shark swung his head as his back arched outwards as far as it could. He would stab into the brain of this delusional land dweller no matter how small it is and decorate the land with his blood. The first of many to suffer the wrath of the almighty Zigra! This creature was a mere stepping stone on a path to far greater things for this world. The advanced invader swung his head down towards Anguirus, like how an executioner swung down their killing blow. However, the atomic age dragon’s eyes snapped open as his body unfurled at an amazing speed that belied his size. His clubbed tail swung free like a mouse trap as it collided into his foe’s beaked face.
A loud crash was heard as the silver space invader suddenly found himself staring into the sky. His vision became blurry as an unpleasant sensation rapidly spread like wildfire. Countless speckles of light flickered across his superior field of vision like the stars he saw in outer space. In his daze, he wiped his pointy face with his undamaged fin. His eyes widened as the fin had been smeared red, as well as pieces of debris from what he assumed to be stone. However, when the piscine alien let out a groan, he felt a sharp pain in his beak. Almost hesitantly he rubbed his beak and let out a gasp as he felt it had been chipped and splintered.
Anguirus stretched his fore limbs as his hind legs kicked the air, the fierce dragon flipped himself over, now staring down the floored invader. The alien invader slowly rose up himself, stopping occasionally as chunks of silver flesh fell from a cracked and broken nasal horn. The space shark turned around slowly as his blood red eyes stared back at the determined dinosaur with pupils that dilated into narrow slits.
A loud thumping sound echoed within the metallic skull, he was dumbfounded, he refused to believe it but his body couldn’t lie, he was scared. It seemed as though sense had been knocked into the abyssal alien, his foe appeared to be ready for another bout but he already had a maimed fin, his leg ached and his face hurt like never before. He had one more ace in the hole, but it would be a risky gamble.
“Alas, I m-must admit! You have proven yourself a worthy adversary against the strongest in the universe. However, our little game will soon come to an end!” The boastful fish spouted as he gingerly bent down and picked up a long palm tree that had been uprooted. “I will now use your animalistic nature against you.”
Zigra paused for a beat before he frantically flailed the palm tree.
“Look boy! See the stick! Go fetch!”
The “intelligent” shark hurled the foliage dozens of meters away. Anguirus gasped as he jerked his head to the side, he burst into a sprint before he bounced into the air. The palm tree caught between his teeth as he landed on the ground. His eyes suddenly widened as he realized what he did, his mind flooded with embarrassment instantly. He glanced to where his foe had been and noticed he was gone.
The saurian’s eyes spotted the limping ocean monster heading towards the shore, his brows furrowed as he dropped the tree from his mouth. The Angilsaur once again sprinted on all fours as he closed the gap between himself and the space shark. Hearing the loud roars of his foe, The fish from the stars glanced back and gasped as he began to hobble faster. Muscles tensed as the fierce dragon dropped his body low before springing through the air as his body curled into a ball like a hedgehog once more. The armadillo-like ankylosaurus slammed into the spiky backside of the plundering shark and into the sand.
Zigra groaned as he desperately tried to crawl toward the water before he suddenly felt pressure on his neck. Loud growls and snarls defeaned the invader as razor sharp teeth grinded against the protective armored plating. Anguirus shook his head as his teeth slowly dented the natural armor. Being forced to think on the fly, the maniacal monster had an idea. The ally of Godzilla blinked and failed to notice his foe’s change in appearance.
The radiation born reptile swung his head and carried the space shark into the air with the momentum. Taken by surprise at how light his opponent had become, he tossed the plunderer of his world away like a toy. The deep sea monster fell on his back with a thud, he was close to the water, almost there. The modern ankylosaurus wagged his clubbed tail as his hind legs bent slightly, before he sprung forward again, intent on ripping open the invader’s stomach like he had tried to him. The draconic dinosaur opened his jaws before he noticed a change in his enemy’s appearance this time.
Silver legs were tucked inwards, knees pointed at the air as the evil conqueror had to time his move just right. The spiked saurian came down like a sack of bricks on the bladed beast, but before he could flatten the deep sea fiend, the deep sea beast launched his legs outwards into his gut. The wind was knocked out of the fierce dragon momentarily as a stinging sensation radiated from his belly. The spiked quadruped missed his mark and slammed into the sand, which allowed the sinister shark to flip himself over and crawl on his knees to the water.
Gallons of water were sent flying into the air as Zigra successfully leapt in the ocean, having reverted to his more familiar aquatic form. He cut through the water with impressive speeds despite his injuries. His final gambit was only a couple hundred meters away, with it he could turn the tide of battle in his favor. The silver shark swam through an undersea stone arch before swimming around an underwater mountain and it was there, on a flat mesa where his spaceship rested.
A soft groan escaped from the jaws of the ancient ankylosaur as he glanced around for the invader. He gingerly ran a claw along the cuts on his underbelly, he could feel his life essence oozing out, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as anticipated. He snarled as he stared at the water. Had he done it? Did he drive away the intruder? If he did, then he admitted that he did feel a bit better after a good fight. He began to crawl back further inland towards his den, his tail carving trenches in the dirt as it swayed along the ground, however, he began to hear the sound of bubbling in the distance, coming from the ocean.
From the ocean, a large silver candy dish-like spacecraft burst out of the water. High into the sky it flew as it overpassed Anguirus. The fierce dragon looked up inquisitively as it passed him by, as he decided to follow it further inland. The various red, blue, yellow, and purple lights flickered as the ship landed above a waterfall. The horned dinosaur took a defensive stance as he noticed that the flying object resembled his past foe somewhat. Had it changed shape again?
Regardless of this new trick, he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet, the Killer of the Living would exhaust this thrill till the last drop. As if having just read the ankylosaurus’ mind, the red gem on the front of the fish invader’s ship flashed red before a crimson red beam shot forth and struck the ground. The surrounding area violently shook before it erupted into numerous explosions, The horned saurian yelped in shock as he felt the ground cave beneath him. He tried to jump forward, however, an explosion erupted in front of his face, forcing the disoriented saurian into the ground.
The Angilasaur howled as smoke billowed off of his snout, tons of rock and fractured ground collapsing and burying him alive. Nearly a minute had passed before the violent shaking ceased, as where the friend of Godzilla once stood was now a shallow sinkhole. Within the bowl shaped craft, Zigra’s cackles echoed through the lit control room. With a look at the fully lit interior, the dome ceiling had a plethora of multi-colored circular lights that resembled fruity cereal or gumballs like the lights outside. Short silver tunnels led deeper into the ship with walls decorated with the same colorful circles. The space shark’s head rested atop a flat surface above the control panel that presumably controlled the ship, with only five colored buttons on it. On each side of the panel were what could be described as artistic pieces. Three colorful orbs stacked on top of each other on a rod surrounded by more colorful orbs that formed a double helix around the main three.
Having witnessed his foe buried, the snickering shark graciously absorbed his victory. Despite this unexpected setback, he was now free to conquer this world. The silver spaceship slowly began to turn and fly away, that was until the ground began to tremble and shake. The spaceship snapped back to its original place as it “stared” at the sinkhole it created moments ago.
Zigra snarled as he saw the iconic crown of spikes atop the atomic dinosaur’s head poke out from the ground.
“Why won’t you stay dead! Take a hint, you spikey ignoramus!” The abyssal alien fumed.
Tons of dirt and debris rose into the air before falling back to the ground as Anguirus’ triangular jaws opened, a furious bellow sending plumes of dirt flying. The modern ankylosaur shook his body, sediment and rubble flowed down between the spikes on his shell and to the ground, the orange eyes of the quadruped glared at the ship flying a mile above him.
Blood red eyes twitched in annoyance as the elasmobranch watched the shelled saurian rise up from his temporary burial. The conqueror felt his mind overheating from overthinking this whole situation, knowing he could very easily get rid of this thorn in his side now. From outside the ship, the red gem flashed green as a green laser hit the Angilasaur in the face. However, nothing happened this time. Another green beam hit him, then another, still nothing.
Rage bubbled up inside the space shark before he suddenly roared at the top of his lungs, his ship rocked and swayed violently as he slapped the ground with his fins. This only further infuriated the silver invader as he remembered his damaged fin was being slammed haphazardly against steel.
“Why won’t this damn ship work! Send him to the Mustafar system and have him executed!” The fish beast roared, knowing very well that his ship was not capable of such a feat.
Nevertheless, he fired the beam again. Anguirus yawned as he saw the gem on the ship flicker green again, once more it fired and struck him in the face. The saurian expected nothing to happen this time, however, he suddenly saw everything turn blue and white. Immediately, the spiked saurian felt himself fall as he glanced at where the ground had been, he gasped audibly as he had somehow been moved high above the ground. Seeing the green island surrounded by water, the great reptile clawed and kicked at nothing as he yelled in fear. Zigra had caught sight at the upper hand he had just gained, he’d get his ship looked at after this mind numbing ordeal was over, but for now, he could relish in his superiority over the soon to be splatter stain of a land dweller.
The reptile’s primal mind raced for an answer and he quickly came to one, as he curled his body up into a ball, he braced himself for the inevitable impact. A part of him wondered if this would actually be it, the big one that released him from this mortal coil. If so, perhaps then he’d have atoned for his failure. Then again, a small part of him had always prided himself on his resilience. He had fought alongside Godzilla in numerous battles where the odds were stacked against him, he always got up for more, through blood, bruises and even broken bones. As he continued to fall, he laughed at himself. The King of Monsters was the only monster that made his claims seem like an empty joke.
Like a meteorite falling from space, the armadillo-like saurian collided with a slam that rocked the island he resided on. A quarter mile wide crater was left where the fierce dragon had landed, mountains trembled as landslides were created, the water around the island thrashed violently from the shockwaves and various forms of foliage threatened to be uprooted and whisked far away.
Smoke billowed off the spiked armored carapace of Anguirus as dust partially obscured his spherical body. From within the candy dish-like ship, the silver invader proclaimed his excitement as he believed his foe to have been nothing but a stain, no land dweller could survive that. Suddenly, a bassy roar could be heard even from within the bowels of the ship. His blood ran cold as his heart began to beat rapidly, the embers of madness rekindled.
“He’s just a filthy land dweller! What is happening!?” Zigra howled with fury.
The space shark commanded his ship to fire another red earthquake beam, but the power had been drained from the numerous faulty beams fired previously. From the pillars of dust, a spikey silhouette could be seen, the owner’s visage becoming clear as smoke gave way like a curtain revealing the star of the show.
Pain radiated from every part of the saurian’s body, numerous spikes had been snapped off as rivers of blood flowed from the gashes and cuts that littered his shell and limbs that were exposed in the impact. Sharp, labored breaths escaped from his jaws as he looked around for the ship. Amidst the sound of heavy breathing and blood dripping, he heard the hum of the craft. The determined dinosaur let out a guttural roar as he locked onto the ship. Anguirus leapt forward as his body curled into a ball, despite his muscles screaming and his bones aching. The ancient survivor hit the ground rolling like a bowling bowl, feeling his muscle fibers tear as he ripped up the ground. Zigra watched dumbfounded at yet another trick pulled from his foe’s non-existent sleeve. He suddenly realized that a rolling spike ball was coming towards him, however, he recomposed himself as he simply lifted the ship higher.
“You stupid idiot, good luck getting me from this high up! It’s over, you lose!” The mad conqueror bellowed as he commanded his ship to rise higher into the air.
The rolling saurian continued to roll along the ground, making a beeline for a mountain side. His body scaled the large rock incline and shot into the air, his momentum carried him across the near mile wide gap that was between him and the invader. The curled body collided with the ship, causing the terror of galaxies to yell in terror as sparks and explosions surrounded him. Smoke spewed out from the silver spaceship before it crashed into the ground.
As smoke billowed from the crash site, Anguirus hit the ground and unfurled his body. He groaned from the pain his body had been put through, but he watched his handiwork from a distance, cautious. A loud screech filled the air as silver flippers shooed away the smoke, Zigra was still alive. He hobbled forward, his back hunched over, drool and blood dripping from his broken beak.
The world was a blur for the plunderer. His skull ached and he couldn’t feel his left leg at the moment. Like a savage beast, he shrieked a guttural cry and charged forward like a drunkard. The cartilaginous cretin wanted to rend the flesh off of this scum, to rip his entrails out with his beak, or skewer his heart with what was left of his nasal horn. Anything to satiate the madness that he had succumbed to.
The horned dinosaur huffed. His foe was different, a shell of his former self, wallowing in his own failures had driven him mad. The forlorn ally briefly went wide eyed as he realized that that was exactly what he was doing before this mess had started. However, he couldn’t dwell on this realization as the mad space shark closed in. He wasn’t sure if he could make another leap with his strained muscles, but despite his seemingly vulnerable state, there was one last weapon he had up his non-existent sleeve, or rather backside
Armored legs bent slightly as the fire monster tensed his muscles, all while the razor finned clumsily continued his charge towards the saurian. Anguirus grunted in pain as he winced his eyes, his body twisted to the side as he swung his tail at the charging fiend. The momentum carried the armored quadruped as he nearly turned a full 180 degrees, the clubbed tail slammed into the sea invader’s left leg with a sickening crunch. The space shark cried out in agony as he was swept off his feet and onto his back.
Chunks of silver armor were embedded into the ground as blood splattered across the ground, still flowing outwards like a river. Zigra’s left leg had been crushed like tinfoil as the limb was twisted and bent at an unnatural angle. Fragments of bone jutted from the bludgeoned limb as meat was exposed to the elements. The conqueror of worlds groaned in agony as he felt his mind go dark, he couldn’t take it anymore, his ambitions and delusions of grandeur melted away as he simply wanted the pain to end.
The determined reptile looked on as the blood red eyes of the piscine had nearly rolled into the back of his head, foam and blood spilled from his splintered beak as his body occasionally twitched. The hedgehog-like dinosaur knew his opponent had lost, there was no need to let him suffer any longer. The mace-like club at the end of the spiked tail loomed over the space shark’s head like the guillotine of old. With a swift downwards motion, the fierce dragon heard a loud squelch as the club caved in the plunderer’s skull. Ichor and brain matter dripped from the club before the dinosaur wiped his tail along the ground to clean it. He looked down at the mutilated carcass of his opponent with a hint of sadness.
Despite the bizarre rantings and dastardly tricks he had been subjected to, he couldn’t deny that it had been some time since he had found himself in a tough battle. Anguirus lowered his head as he bit down on the space shark’s right leg, like a lion taking home a kill, but instead, he dragged the deceased space shark to the shore. Once there, he swung his head and flung the carcass dozens of feet into the air before it slammed into the ocean.
Flocks of seagulls gathered around the carcass as they ate their fill of exotic meat before the body was fully submerged in water. Iwato’s kaiju inhabitant saw to it that the creature be given a proper send off, as unknown to him, an invader from the stars would become a permanent resident of Earth’s oceans. The waters Zigra had immediately fallen in love with would cradle his broken body as it would sustain the many lives that called the ocean home for years to come. Seamlessly integrated into the circle of life as if he had lived there his entire life.
A lot went through Anguirus’ head as he turned to walk back home. His home had taken a bit of a beating, but it wasn’t too bad. He felt the turmoil return to his heart, perhaps subjecting himself to isolation was a mistake, he was so tired of hiding. Getting his claws dirty admittedly boosted his confidence, maybe he should seek out Godzilla!
….But then again, maybe not. He was conflicted once more. As the spiked beast was lost in thought, a loud, powerful roar echoed across the land from the waters where he had tossed the invader, however, this one was familiar. It appeared that a decision had been made for him whether he liked it or not. The Killer of the Living slowly turned his head to look back at the source of the sound, his heart thumping wildly within his chest.
The charcoal black upper body of a mighty saurian pushed through the waves before he reached the shore, gallons upon gallons of water fell from the bipedal beast’s form as his entire body became more and more visible. Clawed feet stomped across the sandy beach as a long tail dragged behind him. The spined saurian was a sight to behold, his body was toned, chest puffed out with a slightly thin midsection and thick legs. His biceps bulged as he flexed his cream colored claws. His triangular face looked at the quadruped in the distance, Small pointed ears like a feline resided on opposite sides of his cranium. The sun hit his face at the right angle so his thick brows cast shadows that obscured his sunken eyes, leaving his true expression enigmatic. Bone white dorsal spines jutted out from the leviathan’s back, running down all the way to the end of his tail. Prominent canines jutted outwards, the saurian opened his jaws ever so slightly to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth.
He had been on the chase, having seen Zigra’s ship pass overhead as he rested, he instantly decided to pursue the vessel in order to stop another potential invasion. He had passed the carcass of an unknown entity, and just behind Anguirus, he could see remnants of what resembled the flying object he had been chasing. The ancient survivor felt his mind racing as his blood ran cold. Godzilla had finally arrived. The Monster King stared down his ally as he noticed the odd behavior of the modern ankylosaurus. The irradiated saurian bellowed another cry, much like the one he had emitted when he encountered Anguirus near the base of that massive mountain not too long ago. He had wondered where the spiked quadruped ran off to.
With his head hung low, he knew it was now or never, despite the protest of his body he sprang up on his hind legs and forced himself to stand upright. Like a soldier standing at attention to a superior officer, the armored saurian stood tall in respect of the monster king. Earth’s Ultimate Weapon was slightly taken aback as his head jerked a bit. The depressed dinosaur couldn’t hold back anymore, his mouth trembled. As his legs wobbled, he cried out in emotional anguish as he expressed his sorrows and numerous failures to his friend. He could feel hot water well up in his eyes yet he tried to hold some shred of his dignity.
The towering titan marched along the ground, quickly closing the gap between him and his old ally, until he was only a few meters away from the horned saurian. The shelled beast could now see hints of the warm amber eyes that hid in the shadows, but they didn’t hold disappointment like back then. Before the Anglisaur could let out another roar, the King of the Monsters wrapped his arms around Anguirus as he embraced his friend. The fierce dragon was dumbfounded, he didn’t expect the battle hardened king to do this.
Godzilla rested his lower jaw on his friend’s right shoulder as he let out a deep yet quiet growl that sounded like a cross between a crocodile bellow and a tiger purr. It was firm yet caring, it was a simple phrase in the language of monsters that told his old friend that he was forgiven. In the monster of monsters’s mind, he held no blame for the actions of his allies. Rodan and King Caesar had made peace with him long ago, but the spiked saurian was nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, he could see clear as day that this meant the world to his tenacious friend, who had evidently not taken the situation well.
He let out another stern growl that proclaimed without a shadow of a doubt, that he and Anguirus were friends no matter what. They had been through thick and thin and this was no different, it was time to end this battle Anguirus fought against himself and truly live once more.
The armored kaiju couldn’t hold back his tears anymore as he whimpered softly like a dog, his knees bent as he threatened to collapse to the ground, yet he didn’t. The atomic berserker refused to let his friend fall and helped him stand tall. The shelled quadruped recomposed himself before he let out a labored chuckle, he actually did need to get back to his normal posture if that was okay with him. His body had been pushed to the limit before the charcoal black saurian arrived.
The living atomic bomb let out a sharp exhale as he remembered his friend was more comfortable walking on all fours. The Killer of the Living carefully fell to the ground as looked up to the Monster King, he could easily see his amber eyes from down here, eyes that could be the friendliest in the world or the fiercest that burned bright. Godzilla turned around as he and his closest ally walked towards the ocean, he implored the fierce dragon to spill the details on the fight he had just been in.
Happy to oblige, Anguirus recounted his encounter with the strange being that invaded his home. As the midday sun began to only set, the duo felt the cold water embrace them as they made their way to the land where the atomic monster resided. Alone, the two were mighty forces of nature with strength unyielding, but together, there would be very few from Earth and beyond that could stand against them.
Winner: Anguirus (Universal)
