Author: Michael Zamar | Banner: Landon Soto

At the edge of the Milky Way 

Footsteps rattled the plains as the horrid beast left destruction in his wake. Swords and spikes jutted from his form, one befitting the devil itself.

Years ago, likely eons, something had taken shape within the dark belly of the cosmos. It grew in power with every single encounter it had with another. Learning. Adapting. And as it mimicked all it saw, the appearance of it began to change; growing more wild and uncontrolled. None could stop it, and none could control it. It had many names that were coined as it traveled planet to planet, from star to star. But to those who looked in the records, they would tell you the only “true” name it had was simply…

IF.

And now, IF had prepared to start his rampage anew, demolishing cities on the system of a binary star. Music radiated from his entire body as instruments had emerged from his back, like the trumpets that played before the apocalypse. Weapons shot at it, but none made a dent, his hide having become immune to smaller projectiles long ago. His howling roar rattled the windows, and each blow from his sole fist was the equivalent of the force of a meteor, with his sword a knife through butter.

Thankfully for the denizens, there was still one last plan at play.

“BRING IT OVER THIS WAY! LET’S GO LET’S GO LET’S GO!” someone screamed in the distance, a military commander. Trying to focus his remaining laser gun on the monster’s eyes, he managed to catch his attention as the ever-evolving life form moved towards a still standing base. Suddenly, the music jutting from his body shifted from droning classical trombones to something more akin to an erratic electric guitar as he began to pick up the pace. Unbeknownst to him, he was running straight into a massive trap!

Stepping over the red lines, the base began to move from under his feet, him being none the wiser until it was too late. The ground shot up, a massive dome beginning to surround his form. Shouting out in surprise, he had hoped to escape, but an influx of missiles and lasers made sure to keep him distracted long enough to stay put. Soon, the dome collapsed around him entirely, rising into the sky as the rest of the massive rocket emerged. What was once a massive project meant to be used for long distance space travel in the case of an emergency had been retrofitted to become a massive prison for the beast.

Jets kicking in, it launched into the sky, soaring past the atmosphere and heading to parts unknown. Hopefully, he would never return….

Despite that, however, there were no cheers over their victory, only a stunned silence. Many were frankly shocked that the plan had worked to begin with, while others continued to mourn the losses the beast had left behind. With so much destruction, how could they ever recover?

“Sir… Do you think we made the right decision?” a surviving, injured civilian said to the commander. “If that thing ever gets out, who knows what it’ll try to do?”

Merely staring at the clouds, the higher up could only ask himself the same questions in his head. “I don’t know; but it was all we could hope to do. We tried punching the coordinates in so it wouldn’t risk landing on any nearby planets, but it’ll only be a matter of time before that luck runs out.”

“And when it does?”

“… Well, he’s someone else’s problem now.”

*******

Five Months Later

Said luck had run out once it had finally hit the Earth’s solar system, going past Pluto and soon all of the gas giants. The coordinates hadn’t been planned to go this far into the galaxy, leaving it, and the beast inside, on autopilot, waiting to see where destiny would take them.

It wouldn’t take much longer; for once they reached the Goldilocks Zone, the collision course had already been locked in. One that would take the ever evolving force towards Planet Earth, and towards an equally dangerous foe.

******

Seattle, Washington, 1:42 PM

The heat was relentless.

Buildings burned and toppled as the massive threat already had half of the city dead to rights. Massive wings beat akin to the force of a hurricane, violet lasers cutting into the military like a sword. With only freezer weapons doing anything noteworthy, they used as much as they could to hold the monster back, yet they were still fighting an uphill battle.

Eyes glowing amongst the dark smoke, Destoroyah was on a rampage. The Precambrian amalgam moved at a lumbering pace, trying to soak in every bit of pain and terror. With Godzilla and his allies occupied on the other side of the world with other threats, he was free to do as he pleased! And today, he had decided that would include demolishing all of America’s west coast. Having already taken out most of San Francisco, a quick flight had guided him towards his next location. Most of the army had already been defeated, but there was no point leaving the job unfinished. Only a few more miles to go before the rest of the city was destroyed.

Alas, he was destined to be interrupted. For as he began to calculate how each skyscraper in his path was to be destroyed, an odd glow had begun to radiate behind him…

Bursting through the clouds, the metallic object shined in the rays of the sun, the flames receding as it made it past reentry. Heading straight into the sea, all was silent as it eventually made touchdown, splashing with the force of the meteor and sinking into the sea.

Having his curiosity peaked, Destoroyah walked back over to where he too had first arrived, interested in seeing what had made an appearance. By the time he had flown back, however, it had appeared to have fully sunk; but things weren’t over yet…

For the being that was inside had finally gotten a chance to release himself from his bonds.

As the impact rattled and loosened the metal, that had given him a better shot at escape; wedging his weaponized hand against the walls as he slowly pried them open and popped part off with a final kick. His makeshift door flew past the waves and into the sky. The red devil took notice of this, as it crashed onto a building behind him.

Suddenly, the water began to foam as the strange beast had finally emerged, meeting his opponent face to face.

It was a tense standoff, yellow eyes staring into red. Despite Destoroyah having a somewhat notable size advantage, IF had refused to back down. In fact, the idea of toppling something larger than him had actually filled the extraterrestrial with a sense of excitement! A whole new window of opportunities had opened up for him depending on what this foe had in store, and he was willing to explore them all.

Destoroyah, however, had a much more simple mindset: and that involved finding out just how many pieces he could slice his new piece of mincemeat into!

Bellowing a shrill cry, the giant crustacean lowered his head, his glowing horn on full display as it aimed to stab right into the stomach of the enemy. However, IF braced for impact, his only hand grabbing the head and halting the demon in his tracks. Using a knee, he struck Destoroyah in the chin, earning a whine and making him step back as the strange being decided it was his turn to attack. Raising his bladed hand, he struck a crimson shoulder, but it did little more than spark.

When was the last time an entirely new face had actually struck Destoroyah back?

No matter, he would just have to use a bit more force. As his tail suddenly came to life and pinched together in preparation, a quick burst of purple energy shot into the air. IF stood in confusion… before suddenly being pulled into the light, with it bursting soon after. The sheer force temporarily blinded his eyes, and it made it hard for him to breathe. Taking the opportunity, Destoroyah continued his combo with a massive uppercut to the chin in retaliation. Then, grasping his foe by the neck, tossed him over his shoulders and further into the city streets.

The remaining crowds below ran for their lives, no longer wishing to be bystanders from afar. As IF slammed right into the ground and broke the concrete on impact, he was already in the midst of trying to get up and strike back. Alas, the sound of beating wings proved his foe had beat him to it. Another Oxygen Destroyer Ray spat from the gestalt’s mouth, cutting into his golden skin and the surrounding buildings, which in turn toppled onto the alien.

Alright then. Two could play that game…

Rising up, IF shook off the soot and debris covering him just as Destoroyah touched back down. As energy ran across his body, raw power merged with cosmic energy as his arms merged into a plus sign. In a matter of seconds, he fired off one of his most powerful stolen attacks: the Maxium Cannon!

Eyes widening in surprise, Destoroyah quickly stepped out of the way, watching it fly off until the horizon. He turned back around-

BOOM!

Only to receive a splitting headache the moment a Gravity Beam slammed into his skull! Yelping in shock and anguish, the demonic destroyer could only slowly open his eyes in shock. Out of nowhere, the alien had used two techniques only members of the Ultra and Ghidorah clans could use. How could this thing have possibly gotten ahold of them? It was certainly no natural member of either species!

Perhaps its abilities, and genome, were more complex than he had realized.

Things got even more mysterious when he once again raised into the air, IF following despite lacking anything resembling wings; simply levitating until he had reached the same height as his foe. Swinging his sword hand high, IF got back into action and swooped in, trying to cut more and more into the armored chitin until he could finally see blood. Destoroyah wouldn’t allow it though, striking back with his own Horn Katana. It was akin to a medieval sword fight, with each clash like fireworks. Neither side could get a leg up, prompting more drastic measures to be taken.

Fighting dirty, Destoroyah bit into the left hand, trying to dig into the fingers. IF tried stabbing at his foe’s side in response, but still could not fully puncture the tough skin, though he still had other options. Wrestling the hand out of the fiend’s mouth and seeing he only had a few punctures, he decided to tinker with everything else he had to offer, and throw out multiple tricks at a time. Blue heat built in his maw, and an odd clicking noise in his five fingers rang out.

Manifesting a yellow barrier with his horn, Destoroyah managed to bear the entourage, Bemular’s heat ray merging with organic finger missiles in a singular display. Once it resided, he went back in and spat back with a freezing mist that immediately formed frost across IF’s upper body, but that mattered little to a being who could withstand the frigid depths of space. Flexing muscles, the ice cracked, but the wound was quickly struck again as another purple blast shot at him, jamming some of the shards into his flesh. Destoroyah’s tail clamped around his foe’s neck, now having regained some control of the conflict as he flew forward, IF trailing behind as he slammed into building after building. Feeling like he had softened up the meat somewhat, the Precambrian beast decided it was about time to finish the job…

Eyeing the Space Needle in the distance, he figured out the best way to do so.

Beating his wings and going a bit higher, he stopped when IF’s chest and sensitive organs would be right above the skyscraper, akin to an executioner using a pit of spikes to kill a prisoner. Once the tail loosened its grip, IF fell an incredible twenty stories, slamming right into the tower as his spine and chest burst open in a shower of gore. Unable to handle the weight, the Space Needle fell to pieces, covering the monster in soot and debris, leaving the battlefield silent…

Laughing in victory, Destoroyah saw the smoke dissipate and decided it was time to leave this fight in the past. Moving away from the scene, he walked away with his backed turn, not even planning to give his opponent a proper farewell. He merely marched off, going to demolish whatever else was left of Seattle.

He hadn’t realized the hole left behind had suddenly opened wider, leaving a massive burrow and IF nowhere to be found.

Using both hands to breach the grated surface, IF burrowed underground akin to a living drill, moving so fast even the likes of Baragon would be put to shame. Moving forward and creating a trench underneath could have simply sent Destoroyah tumbling down. He had a different plan, however. One that involved giving the crustacean a taste of its own medicine, a purple glow building in his jaws as he aimed towards the concrete ceiling.

Striking the air like a pillar of light, the beam had quickly circled Destoroyah until the ground ran the risk of collapsing in on itself. Instead, it rose into the air with nothing but a single arm hoisting the weight. IF tossed the massive slab into the air, nearly striking the sea before Destoroyah panickedly flew away before impact.

It had perfectly mimicked his own attack after only two strikes?!

This did not bode well. Whatever he fired could be shot back twice as hard. Even if the damage was minimal due to the Oxygen Destroyer Ray being composed of what his entire body was made of, that meant other attacks could still pack a hit. He couldn’t understand it; how did this thing even work? It had taken him a much longer time to evolve to the point he was at now, but it could manage nearly instantly! No being on Earth had that level of power.

…No being, until perhaps, today.

Yes, if he could absorb that DNA and gain all of that power, he could effortlessly come out on top! But how could he reach for blood underneath a body full of jagged edges? He’d have to tear off those spikes one by one then, and he certainly had the strength to do so.

Snorting to himself, Destoroyah dove back down as his horn suddenly glowed to life, thinking that perhaps if he could cut them all off, he would have a clear shot at victory. IF, however, suddenly sprouted a counter-weapon: one with strings and a sharp edge at the tip that had suddenly sprouted and outright popped out of his right shoulder. Using it akin to a baseball bat, the strange life-form had fought back in the form of a… violin?

The crustacean had no idea what he was looking at, but his instincts kicked in anyways as he ducked the swing before it managed to nearly knock his head off. He tried grabbing the instrument to see if he could use it instead. Still, despite only having one dexterous hand, IF had quite the iron grip. Suddenly even more instruments began to sprout out in a terrible cacophony that made the humans nearby cover their ears, though Destoroyah merely grunted in annoyance. Seeing some more potential options, his eyes darted as he saw the different shapes, some more intriguing than others.

One that had caught his attention most, however, was a rather sharp electric guitar. One that was quite literally electric.

IF had decided to use every particular weapon to his advantage, and with how much he had seen and lived through, he certainly was not low on options. Some of the other ones sprouting from his form didn’t even remotely resemble anything you’d seen on Earth, but the ones that did still had their more deadly quirks. A flute began to play as it slithered down his arm like a snake, before bursting as a small puddle of blood pooled on the ground. Aiming at Destoroyah’s head, green light began to emit from it, as an acidic smell filled the air.

Knowing what was coming next, Destoroyah backed off, firing another homing ball that met the massive flute. It collided with the acidic sap IF had stolen from Biollante in a shower of smoke and acerbic sparks. The force from it made IF stumble back, giving the Precambrian terror the perfect time to swoop back in and steal the violin from under his nose! Getting a grip on the pegs and the scroll, his smirk had grown wider as he thought about bashing the head of the beast in until nothing but a bloody pulp remained. IF, however, was not deterred, the electric guitar from his back sprouting out in full as his anti-gravity flight took hold and prepared to strike.

What came next was a, quite literal, battle of the bands.

As both instruments met, the noise rattling from them came about in the form of an awful mix of sound, the contrast of their respective genres being clear. Destoroyah wielded his weapon akin to how Thor would for Mjolnir, but IF used his more akin to a sword. The tip would potentially pierce skin, the strings and wider base being used as just a means to an end in that regard. One would think the weapons would have broken after a few strikes, but they held strong, even the strings.

Backing off for a minute, IF kicked his guitar into the sky as trumpets formed on both shoulders, each one firing more self-made missiles. Destoroyah sent most of them flying away by either batting them with the violin or destroying them with his bare hands. Few still managed to hit him in the shoulder and the knee, though it wasn’t enough to make him stop fighting. In fact, now that he had a proper strategy in his head, pain just furthered his resolve. Playing around with the violin in his hands for a minute, he tried to line up the next attack perfectly to enact phase two. And as IF grabbed the guitar as it came back down and shot forward-

SHINK!

Destoroyah managed to strike first.

In seconds, three of IF’s spikes had crashed down to the ground as he cried out in shock and pain. And seeing that he managed to get in a perfect shot, Destoroyah saw no better time to split. Throwing himself to the ground and dropping his weapon, both his hands and knees met with the gravel below before his entire body was clouded in a massive puff of smoke, obscuring all who had tried to see. IF had taken the bait almost immediately, floating back down a decent distance away.

The first warning signs came from a chittering noise. Then there was another one… then another. Until they had revealed themselves to be aggregates in the dozens.

IF found himself so startled that he nearly tripped over his own feet as the swarm came in. Even with their smaller size, the sheer numbers had provided a new challenge he was not prepared for, and an advantage Destoroyah knew for a fact could not be nullified. Even if IF managed to put down a few directly in front of him, there were simply too many to stop his overall goal. The appendages sank into his back to keep steady as their teeth rose up and shot forward, piercing the skin as they drank in the blood like vampires. The alien rose to his feet, trying to shake off the 40-meter crabs, though he couldn’t manage before yet another force erupted from the ground and took to the skies.

Destoroyah’s flying form had rammed into him like a bull, knocking IF back down to his knees as more instruments sprouted to counter the constant threat. Something akin to a french horn sprouted from both shoulders, aiming down and shooting out powerful fireballs like they were gatling guns. They definitely did damage, as while the Aggregates had more numbers, they certainly were not as durable. More spikes began to burst from IF’s back, but that was okay to the swarm. They had gotten everything they had wanted, and all that was left to do was reform into one.

A bit easier said than done. Especially when the opponent had a new option in play.

Nuke the whole colony from orbit!

Swooping into the air, IF prepared multiple rays at once, one stemming from the eyes and the other forming at the ends of his arms. With his pupils beginning to glow crimson and a blue light radiating off the sword arm, it was clear the Destoroyah family would have little time for a counter attack. Multiple Juveniles formed from the remains of the destroyed and merged back into another Aggregate. Joining forces with the flying gestalt, two beams charged in their mandibles to stave off certain destruction.

Forming his arms into a plus sign, IF fired first, shooting a gigantic Zeperium Beam followed up with a Gigarium Cluster! The red lights soon merged with the pure white beam, forming a brilliant spiral, as both violet rays fired and merged themselves, growing in intensity. What followed was two attacks slamming into each other with the force of a meteor. Purple, ruby red, and ivory white merged as two rays fought for supremacy, each side pouring in even more power.

Power the runaway energies simply weren’t meant to handle, and both knew that. Destoroyah, however, had an option to rectify that.

Joining forces, even more of the swarm began to merge, turning into a second flying form! Circling their shared foe, it moved between both rays and behind the extraterrestrial. However, once he managed to catch the ploy, his body began to respond. A gun rose from his spine as it began to charge with heat! Electric energy pumped through it, firing in a massive strike of lightning that meshed with another detonating bomb.

Suddenly, it began to rain. An electrically charged, acidic fog soon formed from the acrid precipitation, making it impossible for anyone to breathe. Anyone, except for the two colliding titans. Withstanding the heat and calling off their respective attacks, both sides braced for the final phase of the war. Laughing in near unison, the remaining Destoroyahs began to remerge as IF’s body suddenly shifted again. Two more instrumental weapons emerged, and he grabbed them both with his only hand to dual wield as a much larger form began to form beneath him akin to a growing, cancerous mushroom. Soon enough, Destoroyah was back in his final form, energy radiating across his entire body as he smirked. Oh, the power… He felt like he could crush the entire planet in the palm of his hands.

IF’s inner reserves, however, could match nigh-perfectly. Conducting electricity across himself like a battery, he considered that now, they were evenly matched in power. Which meant this would all come down to skill.

Raising two electric mandolins high, IF’s war cry as he dove down signaled the beginning of the end!

Clenching his fist, Destoroyah’s punch met the two instruments in a contest of strength. Trying to overpower one another before they reached a stalemate, they applied more pressure. IF’s tail suddenly grew in size and grappled one of the mandolins for him, acting as a new hand while his sword arm plunged into Destoroyah’s shoulder. That hadn’t stopped the amalgamated monster from trying to get one of the instruments for himself, but the alien’s tail stabbed him with its sharp tip before that could happen. Like a scorpion, it had embedded itself in his leg, pulling away with a spray of yellow blood as the sword did the same. However, it would take far more than that to keep the crustacean down, as shown when he broke away and took to the sky.

It was time to put this new strength to good use.

Channeling newfound power, filled with alien energy, Destoroyah’s usual purple bolts suddenly gained a new, golden hue to them. So this was the power of the Ghidorah family! With the added gravitonic electricity coursing through it, an Oxygen Destroyer Ray shot forth. IF’s spikes became a shield that just barely rose in time to meet it, although the sheer force made sure to chip away slowly, but surely, breaking off shards. Trying to move away, IF went for a risky maneuver, jumping upwards before the beam could hit the rest of his body. Throwing his mandolin down before the beam could catch up, he struck Destoroyah in the forehead with a dull sounding clunk before diving back down with a tackle.

Suddenly, IF’s tail had split in two, each side grasping a mandolin and bashing Destoroyah repeatedly as he blocked with both arms. A swift blast from his mouth made the extraterrestrial stagger back, giving the incarnation of death an opening. Tapping into Spacium energy, his horn suddenly went from glowing yellow to blue, moving like a shooting star as he shot forward and sliced open IF’s chest like a cleaver through meat!

Howling in pain, the evolving creature clutched his wound and forced himself to temporarily retreat, rushing away and disappearing back into the smoke-filled city. After all that bravado, thought Destoroyah, he would flee like a coward? What a bore. Swooping back down, he sought to find the beast and end this conflict before things got even more needlessly dragged out. However, it wound up being surprisingly easier said than done…

With so much smoke and debris in his path, it was hard for Destoroyah to properly see. It would take ages to find IF at this point! If he wanted any hope, he’d have to clear all the ruckus in front of him; disperse it all at once somehow. Something akin to Godzilla’s nuclear pulse, so there’d be no place left to hide.

IF was on the job first.

A pulse of light expelled every bit of darkness, like a second sun forming on planet earth. Rainbow lasers split the cloud in two, and cut into the side of Destoroyah’s frill so fast it had immediately fallen off and disintegrated before it hit the ground. IF spared no time, bashing the massive cetacean abomination and slashing away with both hands as his tail grasped mandolins like clubs. Trying to get more space, Destoroyah’s chest suddenly began sparking, signaling a Hail Mary attack being prepared, but not one he wanted to fire too soon. With a being able to copy an attack from a single strike, this would have to be nothing less than the finisher.

Grabbing IF by the hand, Destoroyah tossed him into a building so hard it toppled immediately after, taking the monster down with it. A sweeping Oxygen Destroyer Beam eradicated what was left, explosions shooting high into the air and scorching the ground that still made it out somewhat intact. Yet, IF still got up, using one of the mandolins like a spear to attempt to stab the monster straight through the skull, yet it only met the palm of a hand as more blood skewered like a leaking faucet. Fighting through the sting, Destoroyah’s head slammed into his opponent as he pulled his hand free with a bit of pressure. Finally feeling like the strategy he had wasn’t working, the alien put the two weapons down and went all in on the final assault!

With the spikes on his body suddenly shifting, they molded further into the flesh, acting as a knight’s shield and growing more metallic as they acted as extra protection for what would come next. Swooping back in for the final time, his head dove down as the powerful “rock” he became struck Destoroyah in the chest hard enough to knock the breath out of the beast, tipping him over like a cow and knocking him flat on his back. With his maw glowing orange, the Precambrian kaiju knew he had to act fast. Wiggling one of his arms loose, he grappled IF by the neck, careening it upwards and pulling the head into the air before a whole row of fireballs lit up the sky.

Now with a brief distraction as his foe suddenly had a crick in the neck, Destoroyah used his foot and dug into the same wound his horn had left moments before. And to make sure it hurt, he dug his heels into the flesh, hard.

Feeling his organs begin to pop under the pressure, IF suddenly chopped off one of the clawed toes and backed away, the appendage slamming onto the ground as Destoroyah in turn winced. But it was fine. He had a bigger target than ever to blow this thing to pieces, and now he had gathered the perfect amount of energy to do so. Standing back up with a smile on his face, the plate on his chest bloomed open like a flower, green energy emerging from within like a spiral.

The Stomach Beam.

Grimacing, IF knew he had little time to strike back, but he still had enough energy for one last beam that could potentially win the day. Forming his arms back into a plus sign, azurite energy rushed around his entire body. One last Maxium Cannon would be used to counter the attack, gaining as much power as it could. Only the humming of energy from both could be heard…

As all the fireballs from above began to fall back down to the ground, both beams shot forward, meeting in the middle of the city in a booming explosion!

An orb of light pulsed as the two attacks struggled to overcome one another in a dazzling display, but neither had any advantage. Destoroyah poured more power into his Stomach Beam, but IF had plenty of Maximum Energy to keep going. Until one of them finally ran out of strength to give, it looked like a final clash that would have gone on forever. Fate would seemingly leave the victor up to nothing less but a coin toss. Fate’s true plan, however, would leave neither satisfied…

Fireballs had continued to rain down, striking what was left of Seattle as if it were the sign of the apocalypse. One portion of flame, however, was positioned above the perfect target. It hovered just over the ball of light created by both rays, diving down to act as the last straw upon the camel’s back. The stability of the singularity rippled. Like a runaway nuclear reactor, it would soon enter a complete meltdown.

Before either kaiju could realize what was about to happen, the explosion had begun to shroud both in a massive, fiery burst of light. As both of their cries were drowned by the droning sound of the massive explosion, the rest of the battlefield soon followed. Buildings crumbled as the remains shot out into the open sea, instruments flew straight into the air from the sheer force, and those who had not evacuated finally met their end as they disintegrated from the sheer power of the blast. Seattle, Washington had at last been broken beyond repair; as the war of the monsters came to a violent end with a detonation that had consumed everything.

And everyone…

******

One Hour Later

The aftermath had started with an aftershock.

IF clawed his way out of the crater he was trapped under with his bare hands, shaking off the rest of the rubble as his ruby red eyes scanned the area. There was no sign of Destoroyah anywhere… And yet, he still sensed his presence.

Frankly, he was lucky to still be alive after such an ignition, and he was thankful that he was. Still, he felt weak. Weaker than he had in a long time. He was in no shape to continue the fight as is, and it was fair to leave this part of the planet behind. Stumbling over, he found the violin he was using earlier in the conflict, picking it up and absorbing it back into his body. No use wasting a weapon after all.

Floating back into the air, IF had decided to scour the rest of the Earth. After all, the more lifeforms he could find, the more powerful he could grow. And this world would have plenty of strong beings to choose from.

At the same time, however, the nearby bay had begun to bubble to life, before Destoroyah had suddenly emerged with a howling roar! His hide was burnt, but he still had enough energy to stay in his perfected form. IF had turned back, seeing the demonic force call to him from afar; but he paid no mind. He had made his decision, and planned to stick with it. Soon, the alien had grown smaller and smaller from Destoroyah’s perspective, his wings too sore to give chase. Soon, IF had disappeared from view entirely.

Entirely shrouded in rage, Destoroyah’s fist struck the water like a toddler in a bathtub. He got away! With no clear target in sight, his Destroyer Ray merely targeted anything still left standing, the violet beam cutting into the buildings that still stood.

Suddenly, however, he had noticed something else in the water that snapped him out of his blind rage. The electric guitar IF had left behind. The one he had used as its own.

And with its original owner gone, surely it was ripe for the taking, was it not?

Getting another smirk on itself, Destoroyah grabbed it with one of his hands, taking the massive instrument with him; a souvenir of the battle. He had fun using the guitar as his own, and perhaps, with a bit more self-training, he could make better use of it as a personal weapon than even its creator could. Soon, the devilish monster had submerged, entering the depths until the day he would strike again. At the very least, he could say it wasn’t a total loss. He had only just begun to use the amount of power he had gained from the extraterrestrial. The rest of his newfound strength would be mastered in time as well…

Both titans quietly swore revenge, and knew a rematch was imminent. Regardless if it took days, months, or even years to meet again, they swore to settle the score all the same. Until that day, however, the question of who was truly the universe’s Perfect Life-Form would remain a mystery.

Draw: Destoroyah, IF