Author: Tyler Trieschock & Matthew Freese | Banner: Tyler Trieschock & James Webster
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Gates Of The Kingdom
Chapter 2: Exs & Mutos
Chapter 3: Destoroyah vs. Baragon, Gorosaurus & Varan
Chapter 4: The Ache
Chapter 5: Cataclysm of Infant Island
Chapter 6: Paradise Lost
Chapter 7: Destoroyah vs. Godzilla
Chapter 8: Belvera’s Gambit
Chapter 9: Desghidorah vs. Anguirus, Godzilla Junior & Gorosaurus
Chapter 10: The True King of Skull Island
Chapter 11: Destoroyah vs. Godzilla – Round 2
Chapter 12: Rodan vs. Desghidorah
Chapter 13: Destoroyah vs. Kong
Chapter 14: Desghidorah vs. Everyone
Chapter 15: Cataclysm on Skull Island
Chapter 16: Of Immortality & Arrogance
Chapter 1: Gates Of The Kingdom
Northern Coastline, Skull Island,
Crystal clear water flowed off Anguirus’ brown scales as he clutched warm sand after two days of constant swimming. His home, what humanity referred to as Monster Island, was nothing but a boiling, radioactive zone in the sea after a cataclysmic explosion. It made little difference whether the destruction of his island was caused by a living devil invading his land or by an ally giving its life to buy him and his companions time to escape; as long as they were safe, and most importantly, away from it, that was all that mattered.
Farthest inland lay Gabara who rested on his wart-covered back, panting and wheezing from the long journey. His left arm clutched the stub that was his right arm, clawed fingers jabbing the cauterized skin, a harrowing reminder of Destoroyah’s murderous intent, and a fate Gabara barely escaped.
Standing on wobbling legs beside the ogre, Godzilla Junior sneered at the ogre’s display of exhaustion even with his own fatigue plain to see. Shaking its long neck side to side to stay awake, the beast seemingly channeled his adopted parent’s endless resolve and then glanced toward the ankylosaur who tried to show no sign of the exhaustion that he secretly felt.
Anguirus’ nostrils flared openly. Brown, unflinching eyes flicked their attention to the dense jungle, forming a wall of trees at the edge of the beach. Unending echoes of wildlife reverberated to the coastline, placing Anguirus on guard. Crouching on all four clawed paws, the proud ankylosaur kept his senses on full alert, waving its spiked tail back and forth like a tiger on the prowl. Anguirus doubted it was here, but the safe haven he’d taken Gabara and Junior to also possessed its own kind of dangers.
Sucking in a foul-smelling pollen through its nose, the quadruped let loose a wail, snorting the concoction of aerial flora. The odor brought back lifelong buried memories and a battle between two kings, yet those past conflicts would bring Anguirus and his allies no harm. Unlike Monster Island, or at least what it was prior to its destruction, this isle possessed life in abundance. Wild, aggressive, but most infuriating to the armored saurian, unavoidable.
Another snort forced air out of the ankylosaur’s snout, broadcasting its displeasure and desire for solitude, just as Anguirus felt tremors begin to rattle sand. Snapping its head to Junior and Gabara, the ankylosaur screeched a warning. Ancient eyes bolted back to the jungle where a black form surged toward them – a young protector who would be far more than displeased to see them on his island.
Heavy brown fur-covered arms slammed against the ground, shaking the earth as the hulking beast frantically charged toward the northern coastline. Short but muscular legs propelled him though endless jungle with a bestial grace anomalous for his immense size. Scarred skin flexed with each powerful movement, thick fur waving in the breeze. All the while, yellow eyes stared forth, focusing with great intent and purpose, above a grimace filled with jagged teeth.
A change in the wind brought forth the intruders’ scents. Three in total. Two were unfamiliar, but the third… the third came long ago. It came with the black sun eater to watch the dorsal-spined reptile challenge his father in battle, to settle a score between two kings. A truce was made after the clash and isolation had been maintained until the war against titans of metal. So what brought him back?
A response, no… a confrontation was needed.
Thrusting his short legs downward with all his strength, Kong’s body propelled over the remaining jungle canopy. As the white beaches closed in, the beast’s knees bent in preparation before its titanic body crashed down upon the sand. Grainy particles jettisoned high, but not enough to obscure the mighty titan whose yellow eyes peered toward the three invaders of his land. Teeth snarled, closed fists pounded across the beast’s chest, and a final war cry reverberated through the air to inform the new arrivals who ruled Skull Island.
The mighty, the defiant, Kong.
Kong’s grimace flashed from one invader to the next, waiting for an act of aggression to follow. Titans of various sizes had challenged him after his father’s passing or wandered across his majestic isle to claim it as their own. All either lay dead at his feet or accepted him as the superior. But to Kong’s surprise, the trio remained defensively postured, at least the two reptiles. The green, warty creature cowered behind the bipedal reptile, uncannily similar to the one which challenged his father all those years ago. As Kong truly looked over the creatures in front of him, his eyes went wide while his fists dropped to his sides.
These invaders were not here for battle.
They had come for sanctuary.
The ape’s nostrils flared, detecting a faint yet foul aroma radiating off the trio. Mephitic and vile, the odor made Kong wince, but he understood all he needed to. Something had attacked the island of the sun eater and now, those that lost were seeking his protection… or at least, shelter.
Kong gazed at the four-legged spiked creature, recognizing him as the leader of the party and one of the creatures that visited decades prior. With a soft grunt, the ape instructed Anguirus to follow. A screech by the ankylosaur affirmed the order and with immense caution, Kong turned away from the group, lumbering into his jungle with his sights set on the western human villages and specifically, the rejuvenate stockpile located there.
Infant Island
In a vast, flower filled meadow on Infant Island, Belvera meditated beside her sisters under the glow of a sun-filled sky. The pair she both loathed and loved easily blended into the endless sea of vibrant plant life with their black hair and colorful kimono-like dresses. Orange and blue fabric flowed with every gust while they showcased a delicate balance of tranquility and concentration, to her immense frustration. A combination unavailable to Belvera as her body twitched with restless convulsions.
Purple fingernails dug into the black fabric across her thigh before an exorbitant sigh finally caused her to cease her attempt at meditation. With a roll of her eyes, Belvera begrudgingly arose and swatted the dirt off her black leggings. Even without looking at her sisters directly, she could feel their eyes beaming into her soul. It wasn’t a fear of disappointment that made the Dark Elias instinctively avoid the pair, as since her relocation to Infant Island, they always demonstrated more kindness and warmth toward her than any Elias which came before them. No, what unsettled Belvera as she awaited the other Elias’ eventual comments was her own inadequacy.
She’d outlived the pair tens of thousands of times over and possessed the same gifts as the two of them; a luxury thanks in part to never reincarnating like all Mothra guardians had done over generations. In theory, her own power should exceed theirs from centuries of practice. But a lifetime of negligence and isolation had rendered her abilities a shadow of what they could have become, with bitterness in place of strength. If Lora and Moll couldn’t find Orochi or his pawns, or even an ally like Gamera upon this forsaken world, what chance did she possess?
“Great job sister. I think that was your longest meditation yet,” Lora noted with child-like euphoria, drawing Belvera’s irritated gaze. As Lora plummeted onto a bed of three flowers, sprawling onto their petals with glee, her innocence kept any trace of snark within the Dark Elias in check.
Even as the bubbly Elias continued, “You’ll be an expert in no time.”
Belvera then cocked an eyebrow to Moll whose stoic face cracked to form a slight smirk. “It is an improvement,” she admitted. “But your concentration is lacking. You seem distracted.”
The distance between Belvera and Moll disappeared as the Dark Elias approached and stood toe-to-toe with her sister, barely a breath separating them. She desperately wished to offer some excuse, to brandish some type of superiority over Moll, so with a devilish smirk, Belvera dredged the palpable darkness within her and dragged a fraction of it to the surface in the form of a lie. “Egh, emotion clouding my judgment. So hard to suppress my emotions when I’m just so ecstatic those self righteous Shobijin goody-goodies are gone.”
Moll’s face tightened slightly causing the smirk on Belvera’s face to wither away. Her lie failed. Not that such a deflection would have had a chance at success since she all but spilled her guts after the Ryuseicho’s slaughter a few days ago. Being hostile, being… the harder version of herself she had been for thousands of years wouldn’t help anyone, including herself anymore. But as her sister remained silent, Belvera realized Moll wasn’t going to call her out, even if she had every right to. Moving her lips to mouth a word without a sound, Belvera passed along her gratitude in silence.
A simple nod from Moll vanquished any possible tension the Dark Elias felt.
Remembering the final member mediating with them, Belvera pivoted one-hundred and eighty degrees and gazed inland. Shaking her arms briefly as if to rid it of clinging water, the Dark Elias then reared back and yelled, “Hey! I know you fell asleep! Wake up!”
From a nearby valley, black knife-like appendages arose and slammed into the ground, lifting an insectoid head which possessed a single red visor-like eye. Black wings like a primordial stealth bomber flexed, blowing great winds past Belvera before the Male MUTO lowered its head to come face to face with its Elias.
“You think you can sleep!?” Belvera hollered, her voice echoing over the hills. “You’re the only thing left to guard Mothra’s egg, and I’m not dealing with another Battra.”
A series of clicking noises emitted from the parasitic beast. To Moll and Lora who weren’t bonded with the creature, the sounds were surely nothing but unintelligible screeches, but Belvera clearly identified every secret meaning and emotional cadence from the monster.
“Of course you’re better than that oaf. He’d have slept through or died from the Ryuseicho just like-” Belvera struggled to continue speaking. Within her mind, a presence seeped forth like a long forgotten memory. Hidden like a shadow within the night, the troubling and nostalgic sense grew in power and malevolence.
Moll stepped forward and clutched Belvera’s shoulder. “Something wrong?”
The Dark Elias’s heart raced as she stepped away from her sister’s grasp and closed her eyes. She tilted her head from side to side, trying desperately to place the foreign darkness growing within her. “You know all that connection stuff we’ve been doing, trying to find Orochi? Well, I’m pretty sure I got something.”
“That’s great to hear sister!” Lora congratulated.
“Lora, not now!” Belvera hissed, her arm thrust back toward the pair to silence all speech as she strained to listen to the mental ghost from her past. “It’s not him but… something else. Something familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think… oh.”
An old bond roared to life within the Dark Elias. Malevolent intent pulsed down the connection along with the desire to burn the Earth black from endless hellfire. A few decades ago, that radical change from the usual boring norm would’ve stoked Belvera’s interest, but now she felt herself repulsed by the idea of unending death, though to reveal that change of heart would ensure her own destruction. As the bond continued to strengthen, draconic thoughts bombarded her, questioning her motives, her current intentions, and most importantly, why she hadn’t freed him – the dragon of darkness, Desghidorah.
“Look, it was a one time thing,” the Dark Elias casually explained as if she was speaking to someone next to her. “I was going through a faze and you- you were available. So can we just-” Belvera’s movement stopped mid-step as a fresh wave of thoughts rushed down the bond. “Oh, you’re not angry? You’ll let me leave?”
A miniscule black dot appeared on the horizon, alerting her to the severity of what would soon befall Infant Island. A new question surged down the connection – an inquiry to where Mothra Leo now resided.
“Oh, he’s long dead. Another Ghidorah,” Belvera assured the approaching threat, hoping that it wouldn’t raze her new home with Leo’s demise. As more questions assaulted her, those hopes quickly departed for safer refuge. “No no no. Not the grand elder, another one. You wouldn’t have run into him. They were… new. Are you sure you still want to stop by?”
As three mental roars affirmed the inquiry, Belvera felt her nails dig into her thigh. “What if you kill some humans instead? That usually makes me-”
“Belvera!” Moll and Lora cried out, snapping the Dark Elias’ attention back to her sisters as she sealed herself off from the nearing molten demon.
“Right, can’t kill them anymore,” she said half-heartedly. “Anyway, good news. The connection training paid off. Bad news, my ex is coming to kill you two.”
“Ex?” Moll inquired.
“Yeah, ex-guardian… lackey… companion. Ex-companion.” Belvera corrected with a snap. “Looks like Orochi woke up the Desghidorah your old Mothra sealed. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Moll’s attention immediately snapped to the MUTO, as if the scrawny parasite possessed strength Leo once radiated. “He’ll need to hold off Desghidorah while we move Mothra’s-”
Belvera placed a reassuring hand upon Moll’s shoulder, and the threat of annihilation seemed to vanish from her tactical sister for a moment.
“This time, I’m not staying on the sidelines,” Belvera spoke as determination welled up within her frigid heart.
Desghidorah, the manifestation of her past missteps and transgressions would arrive any moment and to isolate herself would only ensure everyone’s doom. It was time to test her new vow’s strength; it was time for the Dark Elias to become the guardian those around her needed her to be.
“We’re pulling from my bag of plans this time,” Belvera remarked like a general addressing her troops. “We fight, we’re going to die like those… ugh…” a sudden silence took hold of the Dark Elias, her newfound strength halting her before she mocked the recently departed Shobijin, again.
“So what should we do?” Lora inquired, fearful of the horrors that were about to arrive on their doorstep.
Belvera clapped her hands together and a jubilant squeak emitted from her. “It means we are going to do something I’ve been doing since I was first spawned on this miserable planet.” The Dark Elias body spun, unable to hide her devious intentions. “We’re going to scheme, sisters! And maybe, just maybe, if we’re lucky, it’ll actually work this time.”
Chapter 3: Destoroyah vs. Baragon, Gorosaurus & Varan
Southern Cliffs, Skull Island
Destoroyah flew over swirling waters, mighty wings bearing its colossal form. Occasionally, the abomination let loose a stream of violet energy to pierce the waves churned up by the winds of its passing, adding the corpses of sea life to the churning waters below. Yellow eyes watched this sight with a sick pleasure, conveying the experience to the millions of minds that comprised its perfect being before the killer’s full attention turned toward the horizon, watching its target arise like the sun from the water’s edge. The lush island beckoned to it, a voice in the back of its gestalt mind pressing it to fulfill its long held desires.
Purge all life until nothing remained; a task bestowed to the rightful heir of death itself.
A rhythmic call escaped its maw, rolling past needle-like teeth with an acrid stench. Laughter, sufficient to make the bravest warriors collapse in terror and beg for mercy from their soon to be killer – Destoroyah, the antithesis to life.
Cresting over Skull Island’s cliffs, Destoroyah spotted the first victim of his murderous onslaught. A brown reptilian, the same size as the ankylosaur he’d slain days before, stood on all fours before the creature detected the horror sailing through the distant sky. A hiss escaped the reptilian’s mouth as he turned, the spines atop his soon-to-be victim’s back shifting with movement as Varan bounded deeper inland.
Did this creature think it could escape? That anything on this island would not suffer death’s embrace – its embrace?
To Destoroyah’s surprise, Varan stopped at the nearby forest’s edge and called out, drawing the attention of two other colossi. A red quadruped, with a yellow horn jutting from his forehead and a large set of flopping ears was the first to answer the call. The other, a mighty theropod with dark green scales armoring his muscular physique, stampeded close behind.
Baragon and Gorosaurus approached Varan, the latter seeming annoyed from the Baradagi’s call until Destoroyah crashed down into the island, shaking all three soon-to-be victims and giving cause to the reptilian’s cry of warning.
The earth splintered with the force of the monster’s collision. The wind howled with fright and force of impact. Piercing yellow eyes bore into each colossi, glowing behind the cloud of dust ricocheting from his landing, eliciting shouts of shock from the trio’s maws once they saw
Destoroyah in its full, terrifying glory.
A shadow of death covered in a purple and crimson carapace like that of a crab. Brawny legs like pillars supported its monstrous body while spikes protruded from most corners of its form, including the flower made of bones across the abomination’s chest. Muscular arms ending in a trio of hellacious claws flexed in anticipation, just like its powerful tail, whipping the wicked pincer at its end back and forth with delight.
Destoroyah moved its battleaxe-like head side to side, getting a good look at its victims before brandishing a hellish sneer. Millions of minds readied for the amusement of imminent bloodshed, with the only point of contention being if the battle with this trio would last longer or shorter than Anguirus, Godzilla Junior and that stubborn, impudent, tri-horned beast… Gomora.
The devil’s grin grew wider; there was only one way to find out.
Gorosaurus charged forward first, a mighty roar leaving his parted jaws and snapping Destoroyah’s full focus back to its targets. Baragon and Varan joined him in letting loose their own calls, but the demonic invader silenced them all with an unholy shriek.
If a simple roar could rob them all of their confidence, then these supposed defiers of death would never last as long as the past trio.
Destoroyah marched toward them, the two smaller reptiles moving in opposite directions as Gorosaurus closed the distance, swinging his head like a club. Emerald scales bounced off crimson bone, staggering the beast with a groan. The bringer of desolation’s twisted grin grew with glee before it slashed its claws across the theropod’s face, carving bloody wounds into the flesh. Destoroyah moved for a follow-up strike merely for the brown reptilian to catch its attention.
Varan leapt into the air, unfurling the membranes of skin which connected his arms and legs to form pseudo-wings, which carried the creature soaring through the air toward Destoroyah. The reptile landed on the demon’s shoulder, careful to avoid the giant spikes protruding from its perfect body, and then swung with murderous intent. Reptilian claws found their mark, but those blades drew no blood as they cleaved down upon Destoroyah’s neck and face, instead producing only sparks. With a snap of its tail, the abomination slammed its muscular appendage into the mountain god, creating a fresh crater nearby, Varan lying immobile at the formation’s center.
Two colossi had tested the shadow of death’s might. Now where was the third?
A subtle pinch at the base end of its tail drew Destoroyah’s attention toward Baragon. The crimson kaiju gnawed on the appendage like a bone, only to pause as it took note of the heavy gaze now resting solely upon him. With an amused cackle, the abomination allowed Baragon to retreat a single step before it whipped the very limb Baragon hoped to sever, hurling the crimson kaiju into the now recovered Varan, sending both tumbling over one another.
Impressively, Baragon rapidly rolled to a standing position, unleashing a stream of fire from his maw. The blaze crashed against Destoroyah, and as its carapace easily withstood the inferno, millions of minds thought back to its encounter with Godzilla Junior.
While the juvenile’s first blast had failed to break through its carapace, the Spiral Atomic Ray had been a decent show of force. This paltry beam of fire would be lucky to discolor the mighty carapace which encompassed it. On and on the crimson quadruped let loose the weak ray until the shadow of death no longer found it amusing. In a single step, the abomination closed in and slammed his foot down, barely missing Baragon as it rolled out of the way.
While the crimson creature scurried away, fresh movement drew Destoroyah’s attention to Varan who took to the air once again, flying past the abomination and raking his claws across its side. The Precambrian horror winced, not out of pain but annoyance, every mind that comprised his being confused as to why the Baradalgi would try the same tactic twice merely for the quaking earth to bring clarity to the question.
It wasn’t an attack, merely a distraction.
The abomination’s attention proved too slow to refocus as Gorosaurus charged back into the fray. The allosaur’s tail siphoned every ounce of momentum with its approach and struck against Destoroyah’s head with unparalleled power.
The abomination’s battleaxe-like head snapped left with a thunderclap. Then another blow crashed into the Precambrian horror’s jaw, snapping its piercing eyes to the clear skies above. By the time Destoroyah lowered its murderous gaze back to Gorosaurus, it found the dinosaur hoisted up on his tail, legs curled in before springing out.
Each muscled limb crashed against the abomination’s flower of bone. Carapace buckled beneath the earth-shattering Kangaroo Kick, and while it did not break armor, a wave of anguish rushed across Destoroyah’s being as he stumbled back a single step. Flashes of the past battle, of the minor humiliations it had suffered reinforced the seething leer that swept across Gorosaurus, Varan and Baragon.
This… defiance was not a battle. Their stay of execution was only for Destoroyah’s amusement – for simple fun, and such mercy would no longer be given.
The death-dealer’s tail lashed out, the pincer wrapping around the theropod’s ankles. Bolts of energy crackled down the length of the limb, eliciting an anguished cry from Gorosaurus as power radiated across emerald scale. With a simple flex of the horror’s tail, the mighty dinosaur was slammed on his side before he was lifted once more and sent careening into the distance where a cloud of dust and debris marked the foolish creature’s impact.
Varan flew by yet again, sending another spray of sparks flying while Baragon leapt up and bit Destoroyah on the arm. His teeth grinded against the thick limb, trying desperately to break what could not be broken.
White claws surged forward and grasped Baragon by the neck. Destoroyah easily lifted him up, ignoring the crimson creature’s petulant thrashing or the renewed heat ray which engulfed its head. Even Varan’s descent upon its back, coupled with endless slashes could not impede the abomination’s malevolent intentions.
And neither could Baragon’s red hide…
Destoroyah jammed its hand directly into the thrashing beast’s throat, the trio of blades easily piercing the windpipe. Baragon’s heat ray faded, some of the energy leaking from the gashes alongside rivers of blood. The Precambrian monstrosity tossed the crimson body aside like trash, watching as the quadruped crashed and rolled, spilling gore all the while. Impressively, its victim’s body still twitched; life still clung to the petulant creature.
Destoroyah then flexed muscle and wings, hurling Varan to the dirt. The brown reptile got to his feet, roaring in rage before pouncing forward like a cat.
Piercing eyes narrowed. Destoroyah’s head crackled with bolts of energy before Varan’s leap was intercepted by the Oxygen Destroyer ray blazing forth from a needle-teeth lined maw, burning its way into the mountain god’s torso. He was slammed into the ground, screaming as flesh and muscle gave way before the violent assault.
Violet energy pierced into the chest cavity, incinerating the creature’s internal organs before scorching the ground beneath him as it burst from his back. Varan’s wide eyes stared at the hole in his chest, as if needing visual confirmation of the mortal wound, before falling limp. Varan’s lifeless eyes froze their gaze toward the allosaur, and Destoroyah could feel the fight drain from Gorosaurus as it processed his ally’s silent warning – run while you still can.
Gorosaurus retreated into the forests without uttering another sound, the allosaur’s green scales swiftly blending into the endless forest. Wherever it went, no matter if it sought further help or to hide, death’s embrace would not be far behind.
A horrid screech left the nightmare’s maw; a promise that they would meet again soon. He’d suffer the same fate as the Baradagi or-
Destoroyah’s leer halted. Murderous golden orbs honed in on a vacant pool of red ichor and a trail leading East. Millions of minds immediately dismissed Gorosaurus; instead, they focused upon finding the more aggravating of the two.
Baragon would die second and then death would come for Gorosaurus.
Eastern Coastline, Skull Island
Water poured onto the dry, sandy eastern beach of Skull Island, splitting apart the dirt with the force of the flow. The source of the liquid was not from the ocean, where the calm tide barely moved, or from the heavens, which boasted barely a cloud in the sun filled sky – instead, vast quantities of liquid ran off the black hide of a reptilian leviathan who gazed upon the new island with intrigue and reluctance. Placing its worries aside, the legendary titan known as Godzilla bowed close to the ground and tilted its body to the right, allowing the scarred form of Gomora to roll off rows of gray dorsal spines.
The tri-horned saurian struck the wet sand with little reaction, his eyes still shut and his unconsciousness showing no signs of fading. A great shadow then overtook Gomora as a piercing gaze fell upon him, inspecting the wounds scattered across the battered beast’s form and the smell of death which clung to his body. The grizzly scars, burns, and open wounds seemed to have stabilized in Godzilla’s eyes, but the legendary creature knew the road of recovery from those scars would be a long and tedious endeavor. A road he recalled with a haunting familiarity from battles long-since concluded.
The sound of rustling in the nearby treeline pulled Godzilla’s attention away from Gomora. Admiration of the battered dinosaur’s endurance morphed in the titan’s eyes to an agitated glare. A low growl echoed from jaws which bore rows of sharp teeth, warning whatever approached of the dire end which would befall it. Instead of heeding the warning, the trees began to part and the legendary creature charged forth, forming shockwaves with each thunderous footfall. The combative march came to a decisive end though as blood spilled onto the beach, taking Godzilla aback and stopping the leviathan in his tracks.
The broken cries of Baragon echoed through the humid air as he dragged himself forward. Blood stained his jaws and cascaded down his neck from a gaping wound that seemed to bleed an unearthly hue. The creature’s eyes spoke of terror, pleading for help even though the behemoth could do nothing but watch what little life the creature possessed fade. In a series of gurgled clicking sounds the life of Baragon came to an end, his body falling limp while his lifeless eyes locked unnervingly onto Godzilla.
The nuclear behemoth tilted its head side to side, staring at the fresh corpse at his feet while keeping an iota of attention toward the forest in case Baragon’s killer was close by. Unsure what to make of the scene, Godzilla gradually hunched over and flared his nostrils, recalling slightly as a familiar foul scent overwhelmed his sense of smell. Rising back to the leviathan’s full intimidating height exceeding one hundred and twenty meters, he glanced to Gomora, recognizing the smell which emanated from the crimson dinosaur as the same smell which still clung to him, indicating whatever attacked the battered saurian now lurked somewhere on the island as well.
An ambivalent breath vented from Godzilla’s maw upon the realization he possessed a choice he thoroughly resented. Excluding his encounter with her, ever since his arrival to this world from the apocalyptic planet which originally birthed him, the nuclear behemoth had avoided contact with his allies that made the journey, as well as the titans of this new world, and even the humans which thrived on the planet. It was not his world, not his place to interfere or connect with others and if he did, would this world not end up like the last? A world devoid of life, with him as the Alpha atop a dead planet, king of the ashes.
Godzilla turned to the crystal clear waters of the ocean. The waves were magnetic, calling him towards escape and a life of reclusion, but the sight of Gomora’s battered body in the corner of his eye made the leviathan snarl in disgust, turn to the trees, and begin his trek inland.
Something had dared to throw off the natural peace of the world. The infant Godzilla which kept balance on this planet seemed either unwilling or unable to act and if the juvenile could not, then he would reluctantly fill the role for the time being, sating the ache to restore balance deep within. The primordial Alpha gritted his teeth at the fight to come and ventured into the jungle, ready to combat whatever left the foul odor of death in its wake.
Chapter 5: Cataclysm of Infant Island
Five Miles Offshore, Infant Island
Desghidorah had waited for this day for eons and eons. With six vengeful eyes, he gazed upon the paradise known as Infant Island as it neared, three tongues licking their respective lips in anticipation of what was soon to come. Crimson wings beat and carried him closer to Infant Island, his three long necks snaking through the air as the heads surveyed the lush landscape he was instructed to destroy.
The home of the last remnants of the beings he despised most; the descendants of those who had plunged him into an earthy void for millions of years. He remembered the divine seal falling upon him, crushing him with a painful luminance that enveloped and choked. But now he was free, freed by none other than his creator, a draconic god that, like he, opposed life, and that had been derived from the very beings which created the universe.
Desghidorah was still unsure if he accepted Tsukuyomi’s claims, but the supposed god had freed him. Whether related or not, they shared the same rabid lust for life’s end, and to having another being by his side in pursuit of that goal filled a black void at the dragon’s core only one other had managed to satiate.
Tsukuyomi’s voice whispered in the back of his mind, coaxing Desghidorah to move forth and destroy, but it was like pushing on the back of a runaway train. The molten dragon announced his arrival with a trumpeting bellow, sending scores of animals fleeing further inland.
He snorted derisively. Running would accomplish nothing. Let them run.
Scarlet spheres of blazing fire crashed into the coast, turning sand to jagged glass and sending out tongues of flame which reached the forest edges and ignited trees. Blackened smoke blotted out the sky, tainting the very air and withering the trees as the haze stretched inland.
Sweeping low, he released a stream of fire from his central maw, reducing a vast stretch of land into ash in the breeze of his passing flight. More lava gouts left his maws, blasting apart the landscape. Herds of fleeing puny creatures were incinerated, screams of terror silenced with the tremendous sounds of an unholy air raid.
The bringer of fire and death landed before an abandoned village, his impact kicking up walls of dust and ash as the forest surrounding him burned. Desghidorah still took great pleasure in rising up, then driving his front feet into the ground, splitting the earth asunder and bringing forth a canyon filled with molten rock. He watched as the homes of those who once served his hated enemies fell into the maw of blazing destruction, sinking and disappearing entirely.
All life on this cursed island would share that fate – buried and forgotten to time, just as he had been.
From within their holy underground sanctuary, Belvera and her sisters felt the fiery rampage across their shared home, but only Lora and Moll expressed the horror of their loss. Pangs of guilt passed through the Dark Elias’s heart, witnessing just what she would have wrought had her plans decades prior with Desghidorah been successful.
‘But I won’t be that person anymore,'</em< she thought to herself before another tremor tore through the chamber.
Moll turned toward her amidst the rumbling. “This had better work.”
“It will,” Belvera replied coolly. A fake smile hid her inner doubt. “And if it doesn’t, well… I’ll see you both when we reincarnate.” As a smile tugged at the edges of Moll’s grimace, Belvera realized how far she’d come. She still had a long road until she became a true guardian of
Earth’s life, but for now, she could at least take solace in the role of a supportive sister.
Another tremor tore through the cavern. Ancient paintings adorning the cave walls began to crack. If her plan didn’t start now, it never would… Belvera flicked her attention to the Male MUTO who stood above Mothra’s egg, waiting for his moment to prove himself.
“Alright, it’s time!” Belvera screamed. A series of inquisitive clicks echoed from the parasite to which she responded, “Yup, loud as you can. Need it to be convincing.”
The ebony parasite nodded his head, raising his front leg as red light built up within it. Energy hummed in growing intensity until he let loose a low growl and that leg filled with untapped power slammed down. A bright pulse of electromagnetic energy surged outward and as it flowed through the Dark Elias, she realized she’d overlooked a key detail of her master plan as her consciousness ceased with the flip of a switch.
The Male MUTO knew not why all three Elias fell limp across the floor, nor did he get a response as he uttered a few clicks in their direction. The Electromagnetic pulse couldn’t kill, even creatures as small humans were immune to any ill-effects. So why were they?
A malevolent bellow shook the cavern walls, and the MUTO’s focus shifted as hellish blasts rocked the chamber from above, collapsing the tunnel’s entrance and shrouding him in darkness.
Desghidorah had heard his cry for help and wished to pass along the swift mercy of death.
Rocks fell from the ceiling, crashing against the titan’s back, rolling down his limbs and cracking against the floor. He kept a wing and a forelimb atop the egg, the construct too large for him to fully shield with his body as more stones fell like droplets of water. Liquified superheated rock poured down the swiftly forming cracks above him, earning a strained screech from the molten rain.
The Male MUTO slouched as hundreds of thousands of tons began to pile up on his back. He shifted his wing to cast off another portion of rubble to avoid putting too much pressure on the egg or crushing the unconscious Elias, but gravity was against him. Yet for all the strain he felt, a single thought raged within his mind – this time, he’d prove himself worthy.
He’d failed to save the Female Muto in the icy caverns of Russia from Ramarak.
He’d failed the Mothra of this world and of his home planet against the Ryuseicho.
He wouldn’t fail the last vestige of his ally. Even as the world bore down on him, he’d find the strength to stand amongst his legendary peers – he’d finally be worthy.
‘You… idiot…’
The soft words were but a whisper against the cascading crunch of shifting rock, and yet they captured the Male’s attention in an unbreakable lock. His crimson, singular eye peered through the darkness as if he could see his Dark Elias.
‘You think you’re weaker than them? That you need the dead’s approval?’ The MUTO could feel endless revulsion bubble up from within Belvera. ‘You’re a fool if you think you need to prove yourself. You’re alive. They’re not. Do you really think I’d bond to the weakest creature amongst my sisters? Please… she remarked with a dismissive snort of disdain. ‘I picked the strongest. The one with the most potential, and I’m certainly not going to abandon you.’
The whole island shuddered from a fresh trio of detonations. The parasitic titan bellowed in pain and effort as he felt the ceiling fall upon him, his muscles being pushed to their absolute limit. And yet, even as cracks formed on the egg’s shell, as the booming rumble of the collapse blotted out all other noise for what felt like an eternity, the Male MUTO remained upright against the weight of the world.
He was enough. He wasn’t alone. And as the world did its best to crush those realizations, the Male MUTO swore to himself that no life under his protection would ever again perish.
Not so long as he drew breath…
The plan had fallen through.
Sure she, the great and powerful Belvera, was alive (if flat on her ass) but for how much longer did she have to enjoy the darkness that plagued her vision or taste the dust that choked every breath? Perhaps she should’ve remembered the headaches the MUTO accidentally bestowed on her and her sisters anytime it let loose one of its electro-magnetic cries. For all the flesh and blood she and her sisters possessed, at their cores, they were nothing but energy, and her mighty guardian had short-circuited the very Mana their bodies derived from. Luckily, as she bestowed what trace power she could to unlock her guardian’s strength, the nullifying effects were temporary at best.
Pride bubbled within her heart; pride in something else, but all the unyielding anguish kept that new feeling bottled up. She’d need to fight through the throbbing pain in her body and mind-numbing fog to reach out to Desghidorah before it was too late. She threw whatever scraps of power she could unsheathe down the dragon’s bond, quickly flooding her mind with fresh imagery.
Desghidorah had landed near a massive clearing of rubble that was no doubt the nearly completely collapsed cavern she currently resided within. He was listening for any signs of life, any trace of the other Elias or their Mothras, but if there was one break Belvera could count on, it was the roar of burning wood. It muffled the MUTO’s movement, giving a false illusion that all life had been snuffed out.
But then a fresh wave of draconic thoughts raced down the connection, making Belvera nearly curse out her ex.
Desghidorah wanted to be utterly thorough…
Rising up on his back legs, letting loose a triumphant howl, Deshgidorah prepared to drive his forelegs into the earth and plunge the last remnant of the Earth’s guardian lineage into the jaws of hell… Realizing she couldn’t allow that to happen, Belvera launched her voice down their shared bond.
‘Don’t, you idiot! The dragon’s movement paused as the Dark Elias channeled every emotion that wouldn’t give away her deceit at him. Her pain, her frustration, her irritation; the emotional vortex accompanied the mental vomit. ‘They’re dead, they’re all dead except me! It’s a horror show, there’s egg yolk and parts everywhere!’
The dragon wished for affirmation and reluctantly, Belvera shared those senses that would not give away her lie. A world of darkness opened up to the dragon. Warm blood or water, she wasn’t sure which, proved sufficient for the lie about the yolk.
‘You see, all dead,’ she once again lied and as she felt the dragon return to standing on all fours, some sense of relief finally rushed over her. ‘I don’t know who released you, but I want to join your side, be on the winning team, you know?’ She sensed apprehension from the colossus, but she’d come this far, she just needed to push a little further. ‘Oh come on, you don’t want to work together again? I’ll tell Orochi I want to join him in wiping everything out, and we’ll be a team again! How’s that sound?’
Desghidorah fell silent in body and in spirit. The bond that once shared sensations and imagery pulled taught, leaving Belvera in the dark as to why the sudden cold shoulder. Only when she played back her last few words did she realize what she’d let slip.
‘I don’t know who released you…
‘I’ll tell Orochi…’
‘Oh… crap…’
They were dead. They were all going to die because she’d screwed up at the final moment. Hatred and shame burned across her face as she struggled to stand. There had to be another way, another scheme to get her sisters to safety before….
Desghidorah’s bond pulsed to life and a roar traversed down its borders. She expected a mighty bellow filled with rage; instead, Belvera found only reassurance that her life would be spared. He knew of the lie, of that she had no doubt, but on black wings she could feel the dragon depart the hellscape that was Infant Island, silencing the connection as the dragon traveled to aid another servant of desolation
Once any trace of her ex-companion’s bond had completely vanished, Belvera felt the weight of Desghidorah’s choice crush her spirit in its entirety – the price the Dark Elias paid for allowing her dark heart to feel.
“Hey idiot,” she unenthusiastically drooled. “Get us out of here before I vomit.”
Western Mountains, Skull Island
Intelligent eyes flickered with interest as Kong scanned dozens of untouched jugs rivaling the size of his own monstrous fists. For inside the barrels, thousands of gallons of sacred liquid sat idly by, derived from the berries primitive humans cultivated on the island. They were for the sole use of their sacred protector, a gift and an offering for his benevolent protection, but on this day, Kong did not need to indulge in those properties, or the inebriated state of consuming a high dose. The offering of the human settlers would benefit the new residents of their guardian’s domain.
Black fingers wrapped around two orange colored barrels and carefully removed them from the rows, taking careful interest not to press too tightly to avoid crushing the finely crafted pottery. Recovering to his full height, Kong gazed at the primitive human barricade composed entirely of stacked trees, in his mind thanking the cherished inhabitants for their offering before he turned and looked eye to eye with Gabara.
If the ogre stood up straight, Kong held no doubt the warty creature would have him slightly beat in height, but fear had reduced the creature to a shell of its former self. Gabara’s body visibly trembled, its head hung low, clutching the stub which was once its right arm. Kong slowly moved his left hand forward, handing the ogre the jug to consume, but it flinched in fright from even the most basic movement. Keeping the drink still, Gabara eventually took the liquid for himself and Kong moved on.
The drink would heal Gabara’s body; the soul would need time.
Kong next approached the juvenile sun eater. Unlike the ogre, the saurian immediately snatched the jug with ravenous jaws and poured the drink down into his gullet in a single gulp. Junior’s head shifted side to side as he licked his teeth, consuming every drop he could. Kong emitted a slight hum of amusement, yet his eyes immediately fixed themselves on seared and cut flesh lining the reptile’s back. Another grunt emitted from Kong as he lumbered back toward the wooden wall.
Old memories resurfaced, pulling Kong back to years long past. The sun eaters possessed unmatched healing abilities, accelerated twofold by the berry’s properties, but bone… bone would take time to repair. The elder sun eater who had clashed with his father learned that lesson and maybe one day, he’d teach the juvenile sun eater the same – if the reptile ever challenged him.
Clutching another pair of jugs, Kong meandered across the rocky terrain to the last of the trio – Anguirus. With the creature unable to grasp the offerings, the ape placed both in front of the ankylosaur and sat upon a pile of rocks nearby. Obstinance radiated off the spiked quadruped as much as the deathly aroma, but in time, with his brown eyes locked on Kong, Anguirus reluctantly accepted the drink.
In silence the guardian sat, watching the trio consume the sacred liquid as he scratched the underside of his chin. Wariness faded into complacency and with the emotion drawing a vocal yawn, Kong’s yellow eyes drifted toward the jugs an arm’s reach away. Kong’s tongue coated his lips with fresh saliva, and the ape began a slow tilt toward the drink. Long fingers neared the closest container, dancing on the edge of a jug merely for the container to vibrate from the trembling of earth.
An enraged scowl coated Kong’s face as he reached back and rose to his feet.
Black fists clenched. Docile eyes disappeared under an annoyed furrow. Strolling past Gabara, Godzilla Junior, and Anguirus, Kong stopped his movement at the entrance to the unforested valley to await the nearing denizen.
All monstrous inhabitants knew this land was not theirs to enter. Humans claimed the territory, worked to cultivate the jungle and respected their place. Whatever would terrorize them for mere sustenance would face the guardian’s wrath. He’d beaten the lesson thoroughly into the small, crimson quadruped on numerous occasions, but the size of the quakes indicated another resident, one Kong thought he could trust. As an elongated head rounded a distant hillside, revealing rows of emerald scales and oversized fangs, Kong felt a sense of betrayal.
Knees bent, prepping to throw a decisive strike to put Gorosaurus down. Eyes focused on the target but even before any punch was thrown, the guardian’s nostrils flared, eyes widening in horror. Kong’s fist fell, his body slackening while confusion and then concern gripped every thought.
The deathly odor which felt like it’d steal Kong’s breath away radiated off Gorosaurus who came to a complete stop just in front of his leader. For the first time, Kong spotted genuine fear radiating from the allosaur’s primordial eyes, confirming without any doubt the creature which razed the sun eater’s home now threatened his domain.
Such a cataclysm would not befall Skull Island, not while he lived!
Kong turned back toward the coastal mountains, where the natives dwelled within the surrounding low valleys, oblivious of the horror which would soon descend upon them. Lips pulled back to reveal fangs and from the toothy maw of Skull Island’s protector, an earth shattering roar shook the heavens. Kong’s booming voice echoed for every human within his domain. Their hearts would fill with fear, sending them retreating into their dwellings en masse, but with their terror would come safety. As the beast silenced his call, a sense of relief filled its heart. Without wasting another moment, Kong surged past his ally.
If whatever dared trespass on his island could strike such fear into Gorosaurus, a creature whose strength Kong respected, then how powerful was this unknown enemy? The ape stopped in his tracks. Eyes darted east and with the change in perspective, Kong charged forth as fast as his powerful legs could carry him.
At the island’s center rested the true King. There, Kong knew he’d find the strength needed to match whatever monstrosity he would soon face.
Chapter 7: Destoroyah vs. Godzilla
Southeastern Swamps, Skull Island
Millions of years prior, Skull Island had formed from intense volcanic activity, with the last remaining evidence of the destructive event standing proudly in the low-level marshes of the isle. Awe-inspiring pillars of rhyolite, natural skyscrapers with a minimum height of a few hundred meters, sprawled out in every direction with flora sprawling from their peaks. Vines as thick as houses interlinked some welded columns while trees jutted from the sides and basin. Different species of insects, whose haunting size would easily make any human its prey, crawled through the interlocking web of flora, ignoring the even larger mammals which swam through the algae-covered water. But as ripples traversed the stagnant water, those creatures scattered as the quakes of a nearing monstrosity alerted them their serene ecosystem housed a new, foreign threat.
Crimson exoskeletal plates grinded against the rough rhyolite. Monstrous, spiky legs churned the water while bulky arms tore any plant life apart with ease. The fragments of flora which struck the Precambrian horror decayed immediately from contact with oxygen destroying gasses venting from Destoroyah, bringing the abomination some joy, but as devilish eyes looked back to the seemingly endless swamp, it found the dark delight fleeting.
An ecosystem filled with an endless amount of life. How… infuriating.
Destoroyah howled in rage and let loose a constant blast of energy laced with Micro-Oxygen. Fauna too slow to escape cried out before dying in a blinding, violet light. Flora chemically burned away, some igniting in a blaze of purple fire. With a swift turn of its head upward, the Oxygen Destroyer ray burned a hole through the canvas above it, allowing the sun to pierce into the hidden swamp. Debris fell through the beams of light and rained down upon the abomination’s battle-axe head, but through the downpour it merely stared, growling with contempt at all the life which remained around it.
Once the abomination finished its goal of wiping out all life that could challenge it on the island, Destoroyah looked forward to returning and wiping out every insignificant living thing within the ecosystem. No lifeform would escape death’s embrace – its embrace.
A new tremor rattled the pillars of rhyolite. Birds which once hid in fright of Destoroyah took to the air, fleeing en masse from the meeting about to take place, and the reckoning that would follow. The avians disappeared into the darkness of the swamp merely for the tinted blue eyes of a primordial leviathan to alight the void.
Noxious chemicals burned his nostrils as he snorted. There was no doubt in Godzilla’s mind he’d found the death titan, and while its size even eclipsed them, any lingering hesitation was snuffed out after a final footfall. A booming roar echoed from the leviathan’s jaws, a cry for judgment upon the creature that created imbalance in the world. It would be destroyed, reduced to ash by the ex-Alpha’s wrath and yet through the swamp-shaking cry, Destoroyah remained frightfully still, its piercing yellow eyes not even twitching.
Pushing through the knee-high water, Godzilla took the initiative and lumbered forth with murderous intent. Every step rattled the immobile Destoroyah, motionless, eyes wide in an apparent trance as drool slowly leaked from its slack jawed maw. As reptilian claws flexed in anticipation of sundering its crimson carapace, a distant echo resonated across the island, stopping Godzilla in his tracks from the familiar screech.
The source; a stubborn but dependable ally, rival, and friend.
The request; a desperate plea for help.
Godzilla’s attention shifted away from Destoroyah, gazing not into the darkness of the swamp but focusing on a source hundreds of miles away.
Could he even respond to the MUTO in time?
Deep within Destoroyah’s core, the billions of minds that comprised the Precambrian terror’s psyche were in utter chaos as for the first time, no cohesion amongst the hivemind could be attained. Memories of a past Godzilla struck fear into millions of Destoroyah’s minds at the prospect of challenging one of greater size while an unmistakable passion for vengeance took hold in millions of others.
Indecision on how to proceed kept Destoroyah’s body locked in place.
No matter the memory, arrogance, or logic brought to bear, no consensus could bridge the divide. Millions wished to flee, to avoid history repeating itself. The others only desired to unleash death, to overcome the only species that managed to end their reign. With no clear majority, the two sides raged with ever growing fury until the high frequency pulse made the rage within Destoroyah finally explode. The abomination’s eyes seemingly cracked, and a guttural yell boomed from its needle filled maw as a consensus was achieved.
Godzilla would succumb to death. He would succumb to it!
Destoroyah swung its closed right hand and connected a mighty blow to Godzilla’s cranium. A screech of surprise echoed from the behemoth, and he staggered into a nearby pillar of rhyolite, spiraling cracks forming from the impact. The abomination’s newest victim pushed itself off the formation merely to succumb to another mighty blow beneath its chin. This Godzilla, for all his size and armor, plummeted into vile turquoise liquid. As life-stained liquid churned, Destoroyah unleashed potent Micro-Oxygen without end. Steam filled the air, sparks cascaded across the water’s surface, and a purplish glow consumed the swamp before an azure light blossomed beneath the waves.
Atomic fire burst from beneath the water with righteous fury and struck Destoroyah square in its chest. The force took Destoroyah by surprise, pinning it to the damaged rhyolite column while the abomination screamed in anguish. These blue flames were not like those belched by the tiny crimson quadruped. Every second the blaze incinerated layers of dense armor. Every moment Destoroyah felt the blast’s immense force until the pillar it was pinned to let loose a horrid crack. Piercing yellow eyes gazed upward and watched the pillar finally give way.
Vines tore apart en mass, trees ripped from their waterlogged roots, and with an earth-shattering fall, Destoroyah was buried beside its cursed challenger under a colossal mound of white rock and earth.
Infant Island
Light finally graced Belvera’s presence once more as her guardian let loose upon the crushing rock around it. Walls of stone were flung away with apparent ease, unearthing herself, her still unconscious sisters and finally, Mothra’s untarnished egg still protected in a silken shell. The care the parasite showed the last vestige of his friend wasn’t lost on the Dark Elias, but her attention was squarely on herself.
Muscle still ached. An ear-splitting ring buzzed between her ears. And yet, even with those nuisances, she couldn’t help but focus on the fact that Desghidorah had willingly let her live. She’d lied to it, been caught red-handed and instead of receiving molten desolation from the hydra, a dragon renowned if the legends were to be believed for snuffing out worlds of life had shown her an ounce of compassion.
Her own nails danced upon Belvera’s right thigh as she contemplated every angle of that mercy before she vented a pained breath. “Can’t… I can’t focus on that right now,” she said begrudgingly, sealing the ramifications of the dragon’s choice away within her mind. “First, need to get Moll and Lora on their feet. Then figure out how to stop-”
A fiery blur raced past Belvera’s view, so low and so quick that she would’ve thought herself mad if the features weren’t familiar. Such a crimson creature had hurtled through the sky the day the MUTO and her sisters Mothras battled the Ryuseicho, its blazing wings searing her as she had raced to her unconscious guardian. While still not as capable as Moll or Lora, Belvera threw a telepathic link to whatever was circling Infant Island’s ruin and found not a vile destroyer, but a curious demon of fire.
It arose like a phoenix before her and the MUTO. He resembled a mix between a pteranodon and a bird of prey, coated in armor like molten rock plating from its beaked maw to its serrated talons. Gigantic wings beat slowly to keep himself in the air, throwing clouds of ash skyward until
Rodan descended beside the parasite, pride tugging at the creature’s beak. The demon of fire let loose a mocking caw to the parasite, stocking fury within her creature as the MUTO let loose a series of high pitch retorts.
As the two entered a war of roars, Belvera used the telepathic link to decipher the somewhat familiar arrival.
They knew each other. They’d fought like brothers in arms against the Ghidorah of another world and for as much as they seemingly despised one another, Rodan had saved the MUTO’s life. Perhaps he fought the Ryuseicho or was just in the area and decided to showcase its superiority over the MUTO, but the traces of jealousy, buried deep within the molten saurian twisted Belvera’s annoyed scowl into a devious smirk.
“Now that I can use,” she cooed.
Her devious machinations proved short-lived as she heard audibly heartbroken gasps. Turning to her sisters, she found each now awake, but only Lora lay on her knees, tears glistening like fresh stars. A piece of her wanted to condemn the useless waterworks; however, another sensation spurned Belvera to action. Spinning toward Lora, Belvera bit her tongue as she wrapped her arms around her sister, eliciting a shocked stutter from Moll.
“Don’t cry over this you…” Belvera sneered as she withheld an insult, batting her inner demons away even as she so desperately wished for the relief of releasing them. “I’ve seen this hunk of rock destroyed plenty of times. You crying won’t-” another insult was shoved aside. The Dark
Elias visibly shuddered, closed her eyes and parted a breath containing all the vile built up within her. “Every time life comes back here, it’s always more beautiful than before.”
As the final line graced Lora’s ears, Belvera peeled herself away from her sister. Anxiety forced every step to seem as if it would send the Dark Elias plummeting, yet she remained standing through sheer stubbornness.
“So, what now?” Moll inquired as she comforted Lora in her arms.
An audible sigh escaped from Belvera. “Right, well we lived, so you’re welcome!” The arrogance and sarcasm flowing out of Belvera removed any hint of discomfort she’d shown moments ago and with a smile, she continued, “Desghidorah’s next target is Kong. Well, his island really.
Orochi’s voice is loud and far from subtle inside that idiot’s mind so now that the egg’s safe, we can go stop him.”
“Stop him?” Lora noted in disbelief. “It took thousands of Mothras to stop him. He’s far too powerful to-”
“Just… don’t,” Belvera retorted. “You really think a thousand Mothras died fighting that three headed idiot? Bet you also think that there’s only one Desghidorah.” The silence of Lora and Moll caused Belvera’s head to fall forward in defeat. “So naive… For once, I wish I wasn’t the only one burdened with memory!”
“We’re the guardians of this planet and all life on it,” Moll affirmed. “We are not naïve.”
After huffing a strained breath of air, Belvera swung her head back up, a new fire in her glaring eyes.
“Things get lost in transition after enough rebirths, but I’m not opening up that can of worms right now with you two.” Belvera’s glare shifted to Rodan. “Hey bird brain!”
Rodan’s aggressive squawking contest with the MUTO ended abruptly with both looking down upon her – a black spec stoking the anger of giants.
“You hate Ghidorahs, right? Interested in killing another?”
Avian eyes widened in immediate euphoria, eliciting a grisly grin that affirmed the inquiry and that the molten creature needed to know only one key detail –where?
Chapter 9: Desghidorah vs. Anguirus, Godzilla Junior & Gorosaurus
Eastern Coastline, Skull Island
Every flap of the dragon’s armored appendages surged an ecstasy incomparable. While the dark voice spurred on the dragon’s desire to cause destruction upon the land below, Desghidorah’s three minds couldn’t help but reminisce of what transpired just minutes prior.
A cry for help silenced by a molten tomb.
A land brimming with life morphed into a fiery hell.
A life he… tolerated was spared.
The beings which locked him in a rocky tomb for eons finally, finally given their deathly dues.
Three trumpeting bellows of joy reverberated through the sky in celebration of Infant Island’s eradication before Desghidorah finally acknowledged his newest task.
Crimson eyes scoured for the place to begin their conquest, yet the draconic mind remained divided.
The island’s center?
No, too lifeless. Too barren. No sustenance to fuel the death.
The island’s south?
Even miles above the surface, Desghidorah winced as it detected a deathly aroma carried by the winds. Every breath soured the air and fouled the drive to descend even on such a tantalizing region, brimming with lush flora to siphon. Reassuring thoughts of the dark one assured
Desghidorah the odor originated from an ally, but instinct urged the draconic being to look elsewhere.
Heads bickered and barked at one another, the center head unable to quell the disarray. Desghidorah’s lust for desolation finally became overwhelming as all draconic eyes noticed a human village beneath the tallest mountains and lush jungle surrounding its peaceful setting. A gluttonous call bellowed from the center head to destroy and explosive fire surged toward the village like meteors.
Fiery spheres of energy detonated on the outskirts of the settlement, driving the few humans outside their dwellings away from the jungle. Darkness encompassed the settlement, Desghidorah’s full, terrifying form coming into view for all to witness as it blocked out the light of the sun.
Flying low to ensure precision, the rain of fire continued without end, taking great care to create a fiery wall to seal off any chance of escape. Not that those who successfully fled into the wilderness wouldn’t die eventually…
Twin tails swung downward and crushed a row of primitive structures, eliciting a cry of jubilation at the desolation he’d brought. Passing the edge of the human settlement, Desghidorah glided up the mountain, seeking a better view of the chaos he had wreaked, drinking in the misery rising from the wailing cries of the people. He beat his wings, sending forth winds that stoked the walls of hellfire.
Landing in the village once more, his impact sending wooden homes flying like chaff, he peered down at the individuals below. Warriors with spears guided panicking villagers to safer places, shouting at the demon and waving their weapons in the air to get his attention. The tactic proved a success, as he reached down and started snapping them up in his three jaws, mashing their bodies into pulp between his teeth. It brought no sustenance, but the feeling of pulverized meat and bone in his jaws was still a satisfactory one.
Desghidorah’s sadistic displays were interrupted by a piercing howl carried on superheated winds. His three heads rolled to spot a four legged ankylosaur standing in the wall of fire, snarling. Seemingly unharmed by the raging flames, the beast dug his front feet into the ground, swiping up massive clumps of dirt which snuffed out portions of the dragon’s hellacious wall.
Desghidorah hissed with annoyance, spreading his wings wide in intimidation. He easily outclassed the pathetic ankylosaur. Did the reptile really think it could prove a challenge?
All three heads sneered. This pitiful wretch would delay him for but a moment and as he readied to vaporize the challenger, the dark whispers of his supposed creator bestowed knowledge.
The wretch was a beast known as Anguirus. A tenacious creature known to have fought the golden-scaled hydras that inspired Desghidorah’s name. And while it was no threat, sudden tremors and a fresh roar quickly alerted Desghidorah that Anguirus was not alone.
An emerald allosaur entered the far side of the human village, causing the hydra to cackle with laughter. He remembered foes like him when he first arrived on Earth millions of years prior. An army of monsters like these had not been enough to stop him, what did this fresh victim think he could accomplish?
Dark whispers bestowed the new arrival a name – Gorosaurus.
A blue beam of glowing energy crashed into black scales, sweeping across draconic faces. Desghidorah flinched, snapping at the air more so from the surprise than the pain before he calmed and focused, finding a much smaller saurian stepping toward him.
‘Godzilla Junior,’ the dark voice clarified with palpable disdain. ‘Destoroyah failed it seems. No matter, as my progeny, you should be more than capable of reducing them to ash.’
The trio stood together, bracing themselves for battle. Desghidorah just continued to cackle, uncaring as they bore their teeth and claws. With one powerful beat of his wings, he brought a flinch from the imposing titans as the wind and dust rushed over them. In that instant, the dark dragon took to the skies, a testament to the gap in lethality between his supposed challengers. The saurians roared at him, only to be met with his retort as he belched a series of Pyroclastic Shots. Their defiant roars became screams of pain, a delightful song upon superheated winds until an azure flash cut through the melody.
Godzilla Junior stomped through the black cloud, venting a fresh blast of atomic fury, and yet as anger purified into azure light blazed into the underbelly of the destroyer, Desghidorah’s cackling grew ever louder. He turned all six of his eyes toward the juvenile, malicious intent cutting through the ash filled air.
A demonstration of true power was needed.
Volcanic power sparked within all three of the dragon’s jaws as a hellish volley was let loose, engulfing Godzilla Junior in a torrential blaze. Where a stubborn upstart once stood, now only a humiliated creature lay.
Desghidorah lowered himself slightly to get a closer look upon his work merely to wince as a vengeful screech cleaved through the land. Draconic heads whipped to the left to discover the ankylosaur charging forward and with a shout, the creature leaped upward with jaws wide open. A shout of wicked joy left the three-headed monster’s maws as he answered the beast’s cry of vengeance by swinging his tail like a pendulum, cracking it against Anguirus’ lower jaw. The brown dragon was sent spiraling backward, screaming in pain as Desghidorah continued to cackle.
Laughter ignited like a pyre. Molten energy swelled within draconic maws. As enjoyable as this farce of a battle was, as this day had been so far, he possessed a mission and he would not fail his supposed progenitor. So with murderous intent, Desghidorah let loose an eruption of power at the edge of the human village, reveling in the terror that slaying the three protectors would bring.
Every step Gabara took was one on legs quivering with fear.
An inferno of terror blazed through his veins, each scream serving as another log in the raging fire. He dared not utter a single sound as he fled his allies, leaving them to a dark fate he knew was all but certain. Fleeing Destoroyah was a fluke, a temporary reprieve to whatever horror had set their sights on their destruction, and no meager strands of courage from Ichiro Miki within the ogre could convince him that fighting Desghidorah was the sane choice.
For as long as the dragon remained in the air, Anguirus, Godzilla, and Gorosaurus would eventually be slaughtered just as Gomora had been. Just as every living thing on Skull Island would be.
With terror searing his heart, Gabara hurriedly ventured through the jungle, attempting to find some shelter where the nightmare chasing him wouldn’t be able to spot him. His hectic search proved fruitful as he spotted a partially collapsed cave; and without so much as a second thought, his wart-ridden fingers hastily pried away the fallen debris in search of refuge.
Chapter 10: The King of Skull Island
Graveyard, Skull Island
Lifeless dirt stretched out for miles, filled by the remains of every creature which had ever called Skull Island home. Of all the lands upon his island, Kong despised the plains of death most of all. For all the beauty and peace his domain harbored, that he cherished to defend, traversing the graveyard reminded Kong he ruled an island built upon all those that came before and in time, he’d be another skeleton within the wasteland.
Distant roars accelerated Kong’s pace which cracked the ground and spewed toxic fumes into the air. He needed to find Skull Island’s true King. Luckily, he wasn’t far.
Behind the monstrous ribcage of a long dead bi-pedal reptile with the head resembling a human skull, the stump of a withered tree marked Kong’s destination. Leaping over the extinct crawler, Kong landed at the edge of a specially created grave, taking great care not to disturb the dirt above hallowed ground. The great protector bowed with care, sweeping his right knuckles across the dirt to pay homage to the deceased king and father he greatly missed.
The true ruler of Skull Island, King Kong.
Solemn yellow eyes closed as cherished memories replayed in Kong’s mind. If the King was still alive, he’d brazenly have charged without fear toward whatever dared invade his lands, like he had done with the suneater when it came to Skull Island, hungering for battle. Even in his King’s defeat, King Kong never bowed to the firebreather, wanting another round to settle the score between them. If only he had the chance after that grim day of metal and snow…
Kong subtly reached out toward the stump of a tree, eyelids still shut in reverence. If he learned anything from the King, it was that power never guaranteed success. For as mighty and fearsome a Kong he may have been, the greatest asset his adopted parent possessed was his ability to learn from every engagement. A thinker that Kong held no doubt would overcome the brutality of the suneater once again by using its greatest asset against it.
Fingers clutched the stump and tore it free from barren earth, revealing its true size and shape. A delicately crafted hilt as long as Kong’s arm led to a sharp, white dorsal plate at its end that replicated the form of an axe. Glistening under the clear sky, Kong admired the Royal Axe crafted by his predecessor. With the weapon in his possession, strength unlike anything he imagined surged through him and confidence pressed him to race forward toward the swamps.
Whatever invaded his domain would face the wrath of not only him, but the true King of Skull Island.
What could possibly hope to survive such wrath?
Chapter 11: Destoroyah vs. Godzilla – Round 2
Southeastern Swamps, Skull Island
White dust in Skull Island’s swamp still hung like a thick, oppressive fog. Visibility was reduced to a spectral miasma, but Godzilla had no need for sight as he fought against the crimson colossus. Heat surged through his claws with every slash while every breath sought out untainted air in the stagnant cloud. Primordial ears detected every movement his eyes could not see, so when the horror launched out its three fingered claws, Godzilla’s palms surged out to meet the coming attack.
As Destoroyah’s three fingered palms clashed with Godzilla’s own fists, the fog crackled with electricity, and the opaque mist fell away from their inconceivable strength. Destoroyah visibly strained to advance while the ex-Alpha pushed further toward his own limits, flexing muscle until neither could push any further; caught in an unending stalemate of power and grinding wills.
Water erupted beside the nuclear titan. Destoroyah’s pincered tail launched upward, striking just beneath Godzilla’s right arm. Armored scales bent but remained unbroken, yet the strike shifted the balance of power to the entity of death’s favor. Slamming its crustaceous bulk forward,
Godzilla staggered back merely for the abomination to follow up with a clawed swipe. Cunning reptilian eyes spotted the incoming blow just in time to duck beneath the swing, forcing clawed fingers to ram knife-like dorsal spines.
Bone severed flesh past the knuckle. Emerald ooze flowed like that of a river off the crippled limb. What shook the heavens was no menacing laugh or intimidating screech; a petrifying wail, birthed of incomprehensible anguish, graced Godzilla’s ears and with it, the leviathan knew the tide had turned to his favor.
Algae-covered water exploded with life as Godzilla charged forth. Claw and blackened scale crashed upon Destoroyah’s crimson exoskeleton, each surge of the leviathan tearing fragments of armor and ego away like a rock battered by the tide. The Precambrian horror snarled in anger as it continued to give ground until there was no more room to give.
Destoroyah’s body struck a wall of rhyolite, buckling the pillar with a grinding boom. The hellish creature possessed no moment to recover as primordial jaws clamped onto its usable arm. With a twist, the exoskeleton around the devil’s elbow cracked. With a violent swing of Godzilla’s head, Destoroyah’s massive form plunged headfirst into the murky water. Crashing waves erupted in all directions, allowing azure light to reflect in the chaos.
Millions of years of experience in combat directed Godzilla’s actions. He knew not the capabilities of his enemy nor did he have a past foe he could compare it to, but instinct assured him he’d win so long as his decisive blow was done with haste and power. Pressing his right titanic heel on Destoroyah’s chest, the time for said action had come.
Dorsal spines sparked a magnificent hue of blue and light rivaling the sun in its brilliance burst forth from Godzilla’s jaws. A contracted beam of destruction burned Destoroyah’s head, engrossing the entire feature in a torrent of radioactive fire. Water parted from the immense force, steam suffocated the air in its volume, and the muddy swamp floors trembled; the murderous wrath of a legendary titan unleashed.
Such an attack in Godzilla’s mind signified the end of the conflict, but the snap of the devil’s prehensile tail around his neck proved him wrong. A quick pull silenced the atomic dragon and flung the leviathan back into the water. Surging upright, Godzilla shook any daze from the fall and focused on Destoroyah. To the Alpha’s shock, the devil staggered upright, its head expressing more animosity than it possessed battle damage. Godzilla bellowed a growl, realizing what type of clash he needed to win.
A war of attrition.
The belief that it was an absolute bringer of death was a core principle within Destoroyah’s psyche and beside that pillar of ego, billions of minds carefully crafted the other monolith – a foundation of pure, rampant hate. The kind of hate that began its crusade against all life in the first place, what bubbled forth from the anguish of the countless minds when they were first transformed into what they were now – an unstoppable killing machine. Memories of another all-encompassing anguish, enacted upon it by the other Godzilla which burned an orange hue, were brought to the surface yet again, but this did not lock its numerous minds into a stalemate like before; rather, Destoroyah clutched the pillars within and affirmed its place within the universe.
It was superior.
It was life’s antithesis.
And when it was finished, Destoroyah looked forward to a world where nothing could bring it anguish ever again.
The demon’s maw opened wide, spewing another stream of oxygen destroying energy which struck the ancient creature’s stomach, earning a groan from Godzilla. Armor sizzled before the toxic blast, but it only made the leviathan charge forth again as he endured the pain. The impudent attacker turned his shoulder toward Destoroyah, crashing his bulk against the ender of life, making it stagger backward. The abomination lunged forward in response, bashing its claws against the alpha’s body, carving grooves into indomitable scales.
Teeth that had dug into a thousand hides grinded against the carapace of the demon’s throat, but to the abomination’s delight, it wasn’t enough to pierce his armor. Destoroyah’s tail swept up, wrapping around one of Godzilla’s arms, the pincer locking onto the wrist. With a pull that felt strong enough to dislocate the beast’s shoulder, the ancient alpha was yanked away. He grasped the death-dealer’s tail with his free hand, pulling the pincer away and grasping the limb tight, only for Destoroyah to bestow a revelation as shocking as the energy pulsing down the appendage. As Godzilla relinquished Destoroyah’s tail, the Precambrian horror pulled it away, barking an arrogant laugh.
As the primordial titan twisted in place, sending his club of a tail slamming into the devil’s skull, every mind within the abomination came to the same conclusion.
It could not underestimate this Godzilla or any it would kill in the future…
Grey spines shimmered once more, a deep breath filling Godzilla’s lungs before he unleashed atomic fury. Pulsing energy pushed Destoroyah back slightly, displacing water just from the pressure, but the fiend held out – an immovable, vicious bulwark against life. When the nuclear assault ended, Godzilla was already preparing to unleash a second blast, only for the antithesis of life to beat its wings and soar through the air toward him. The landscape was tinted with blue light, yet no beam of unbridled power was let loose as the recluse Alpha felt white claws snapped over his snout.
Unable to vent his atomic fury, the abomination landed without being contested and swung its fractured hand like a hammer. Again and again and again Destoroyah lashed out, pummeling black scales without end. Primordial instinct filled the void as the reptile’s thoughts were beaten away, throwing Godzilla’s movement into a frenzy of thrashes and claw swipes. A momentary faltering, a loosening of white claws allowed Godzilla to part his jaws, but instinct still directed his intent, even as his body thrummed from the building power, so with a snap of his jaws, the leviathan bit down upon Destoroyah’s skewered arm.
The fiend shrieked in surprise, desperately attempting to wrench its arm free while madly beating its wings, but Godzilla gave no ground. For as massive a creature Destoroyah was, for all the advantages of its greater height, immense strength and aerial agility, those factors were unable to overcome muscle and bone more dense than depleted uranium. Godzilla used such density to his advantage, forcing the abomination back into the swamp waters just as bolts of energy radiated down his scutes.
Anguish reverberated down the titan’s body. He groaned, a natural limit reached from all the building power within, so instinct let loose an inferno of azure power, taking the devil’s hand to oblivion.
Destoroyah cried out in agony as Godzilla’s teeth pierced what remained of the limb’s armor like paper. The titan recoiled in revulsion as hot, green ichor filled his mouth, burning his tongue like acid and bringing a bile-filled taste of death to his throat. He snorted and gagged, staggering back while the death dealer took a moment to glance at its ravaged limb, the immaculate, crimson carapace now a stump of black and green.
Palpable rage emanated towards Godzilla, and the air thrummed to life as electricity cascaded across the devil’s horn.
With a shriek, Destoroyah swung its head down as tangible light emerged from the horn atop its head. The Variable Slicer effortlessly grazed Godzilla’s side, making him scream so loud the swamplands trembled. A sickly gash marred his body, a wound that if any deeper may have proved fatal, but the abomination seemed ready to correct the mistake, lethal intent blazing within its pupil-less eyes. A second swing of the blade came, but so did a burst of adrenaline, allowing Godzilla to hurl himself out of the way at the last possible second.
The ex-Alpha looked back to where he once resided beside a pillar of rhyolite merely for that formation of stone to fall away, its center elegantly carved in half from the Variable Slicer’s lethality.
What horrible things had happened in this world’s history to birth such a nightmare? Even the destroyers of his world and the nightmarish humanoids that took up residence in the ashes were not this wretched. Every ability, every ounce of power Destoroyah possessed seemed perfectly crafted to enact death.
The odds of conquering such a relentless foe seemed hopelessly insurmountable. Yet in spite of this, in spite of the abomination’s seemingly endless tenacity as it surged forth on foul winds and spewed a fresh volley of searing violet energy, Godzilla stood his ground, dropped on all fours and spun.
His tail swung through the air, black scales moving faster than any meteor across the sky until the appendage struck crimson carapace. The echo of the impact rang across the lands, as did the sound of Destoroyah being sent through the swamp like a tossed stone. Water and vegetation careened high into the air before falling down like rain as the demon smashed through the sliced rhyolite pillar, pulverizing what remained of it into dust.
With a rattling, hissing groan, Destoroyah arose. A sizable chunk of the right half of its head-crest was gone, the fragments somewhere in the waters. Ichor oozed from it like a river, tainting the waters where it fell to be poisoned for millennia. It cracked its neck, its jaws opening wide to let out a hollow growl. Shutting its mouth, the spikes on its chest suddenly opened wide with a burst of mist, revealing an orifice like a crater beneath. It was soon obscured by the light it produced – a harsh, blinding red luminance.
The technique, if it worked, was a concept Destoroyah had toyed with since battling the Godzilla which burned and steamed. To amass so much energy, so much lethal potential into one blast could spell dire consequences for it as much as the target. Yet pushed so far, the escalation justified the immense risk.
Godzilla brazenly charged forth toward the living oxygen destroyer, his future victim’s fury far too great to care about the crimson light gathering around the death dealer’s abdomen. The leviathan bellowed a call for death, and Destoroyah stretched its jaws to reveal a malevolent smirk, content to answer the request.
A surge of energy burst from Destoroyah’s unsealed abdominal cavity and no matter how much its body trembled, how much it felt like it may be torn down to its microscopic components, hate and rage kept the abomination whole. The sundering beam slammed into Godzilla, stopping the ex-alpha dead in its tracks and propelling him backward through sheer force. All one hundred thousand tons of the nuclear behemoth careened until his body met resistance in the form of a rhyolite pillar. The collision forced the energy to spark and in a crimson burst, the entire natural formation crashed down like a falling skyscraper atop the impudent creature.
Vines and trees that once sat atop the green pillar plummeted en masse, tearing another patch out of the swamp’s natural ceiling, yet as the residual crimson energy washed over the falling debris, their natural green hue burned black, dissolving into ash. Charred particles rained down beside specks of rhyolite, landing atop Godzilla whose armored hide lay mostly intact; however, laying nearly still atop a pile of rock, the Alpha seemed far from able to continue the battle.
Godzilla’s stagnant form lay in a pile of white rubble, his indomitable will pressing to resume the conflict but his body physically unable to comply. Oxygen starved beyond mere suffocation, sheer endurance, and regeneration maintained the fragile leviathan’s life, at least for whatever moments he had left.
Destoroyah strode through the water, its fiendish horn radiating an arcane energy that burned everything it touched. Its shrill cry pierced through the air like a blade, and as Destoroyah swept its head back, Godzilla witnessed an axe cut through the sky with deadly precision.
The white blade crashed into the unaware horror’s right shoulder. Emerald blood jettisoned like a geyser, and Destoroyah recalled backward, screeching out in unbridled rage and anguish. Bat-like wings flexed to gain air. Yellow eyes frantically peered at the weapon embedded in its shoulder, reaching with its short arms to no avail. Destoroyah’s tail ripped through the water to grab the weapon, but a black blur sailed over the devil, ripping out the axe by the hilt and landing just a few steps away from Godzilla.
He’d been saved, and the revelation of the creature responsible cut through the ex-alpha deeper than any blade.
Wary eyes took in the full breath of the living embodiment of death. Stained with green ooze across its blade, the Royal Axe felt almost weightless in Kong’s hands. The devastating blow struck upon the abomination would surely have crippled a suneater, but though the devil possessed more fatal wounds than Kong could count, it persisted without care, gazing with ravenous, glowing eyes that hungered to take life.
Primal instincts urged Kong to retreat as its nostrils burned, overwhelmed by the scent of decay. If he were alone, instinct may have won out to fight another day, but behind Kong lay a suneater, larger than any he’d bore witness to and in desperate need of protection. The fire-breather lay on a bed of white rock, his king’s earth and like all residents of his domain, Kong dared not think of abandoning them.
Fangs parted to allow a fervent roar to shake the desecrated swamp, attracting Destoroyah’s entire focus from the fallen form of Godzilla. Death would not claim any more souls on Skull Island, so cried the mighty, indomitable Kong.
Chapter 12: Rodan vs. Desghidorah
Western Mountains, Skull Island
Fire and smoke choked the heavens, the former consuming the landscape below. Hovering high above his besieged challengers, if they could really be called that, Desghidorah looked down at the crater that had once been a jungle, and the three agonized souls stumbling about within it.
Anguirus, Gorosaurus, and Godzilla Junior had much of their skin stained with ash, hiding the natural pigment of their assorted hides.
Desghidorah failed to comprehend why the beasts before him had not yet scattered in terror. They could not fly nor remove him from the darkened sky. They were hopelessly outclassed and yet…
The ebony dragon heard a defiant growl and focused in on Anguirus, grinding its pointed teeth from the tediousness of the battle. Desghidorah spat out more of his Pyroclastic Shots, which crashed against the ankylosaur’s shell as he tucked his head beneath it. Spikes shattered like glass under the blasts, but the brown armor held firm. Once more, Anguirus poked his head back out and roared to Desghidorah who snorted in contempt.
The vermin beneath him weren’t a challenge, merely an obstacle. A nuisance he’d reduce to cinders like the rest of the island, like he had done to Mothra’s cherished paradise.
Desghidorah placed his three heads together. Scarlet fires built up, intermingling due to the proximity of the open jaws. The gathering power shined through the smoke, obscuring the dragon’s heads with how bright it was glowing. Swinging his draconic wings backward, the molten dragon surged forth through the blackened air. Murderous eyes, gluttonous for death, zeroed in on his prey. Desghidorah needed them to be eradicated and his mind focused on the upcoming execution, blissfully unaware of the crimson blur in his peripheral vision.
With a deafening shriek, Rodan crashed into Desghidorah’s side. Talons clutched the dragon’s leftmost head and with a flap of his molten wings, the avian spun hard, throwing the super darkness dragon off balance. A gigantic fireball let loose from the dragons’ mouths, soaring into the distance where it detonated like the start of a volcanic eruption, eviscerating the land in a furious blaze.
Rodan’s jagged beak crashed into ebony scales, trying to break through only for fury laden with razor sharp teeth to launch in his direction. With the beat of his molten wings, he thrust himself back to avoid the snapping jaws of his foe, giving himself and the fiery version of them space within the engagingly claustrophobic sky.
While Desghidorah seemingly dismissed the newcomer, Rodan’s mind found the relative of them intriguing. This titan was blatantly different from the one he had faced before, black scales instead of gold, quadrupedal instead of bipedal, and sporting smaller, red wings instead of gigantic, golden sails which blotted out the sun. But the three heads shifting about on the snake-like necks, those sneering looks embedded on their faces, it was all he needed to see. Desghidorah’s ruthless and arrogant expression mimicked the dead alpha and while this black dragon was no substitute for them, Rodan cherished the opportunity to make this imitation suffer.
A mocking shrill boomed from the lava-born avian, baiting Desghidorah into an aerial duel he’d surely never refuse. The challenge was met with a thunderous draconic bellow, rumbling through the sky with molten fury. Rodan expressed a cocky grin at the sight, ecstatic to see his wish come true before he twisted in the air, effortlessly evading Desghidorah’s succession of blistering fireballs.
The three battered fools could watch his battle with relief, for in a competition for supremacy of the sky – Rodan, the molten demon, possessed no equal.
Jungle ignited in fiery detonations. Flames reached out to ensnare Rodan but to their dismay, the avian weaved through the chaotic eruptions with grace. The primordial flier possessed millions of years of aerial experience, terrorizing life from the air since its birth. If this imitation of them believed a volley of easily avoidable, flame based projectiles would bring the molten terror of the skies down, the aerial engagement would prove short. Glancing back to the ebony dragon, an arrogant smirk quickly melted into one of pure stupor.
Rodan possessed a notable head start, racing like a bat out of hell across a notably shrinking jungle, but to his dismay, he spotted the dragon right on his heels and about to crash into him. Tucking his wings back, Rodan’s path curved and he felt the immediate slam of immense gravitational forces. A slight daze came over him but as the black blur raced past, the avian propelled himself forward at full speed, cresting over the final vestiges of jungle to reach barren, skeletal covered terrain.
Rodan cocked its head to the side, watching Desghidorah crest across the horizon for miles just to circle back toward him. His foe was fast. Faster than them by an incalculable factor and unnaturally so with such paltry wings. Taking such a great distance to turn ninety degrees indicated the dragon cared not for grace, only speed, but as Rodan noticed a single cloud high in the atmosphere above the nearing foe, a devious idea crept into his primordial mind.
The dragon could be taught to care.
Rodan pulled a tighter turn than before, sweeping mountains of bones with hurricane force winds until he found himself locked eye to eyes with Desghidorah.
A game of chicken now the next round in their aerial duel.
Puzzled would adequately fit Desghidorah’s mood as he watched the fiery nuisance fly toward him. Did it wish to be flattened into paste? Accepting the suicidal charge, fiery blasts surged forth from draconic jaws, yet Rodan swirled around them with an adeptness the dragon almost admired.
Almost.
Ceasing the barrage, Desghidorah accelerated his body forward, hoping to smear the bird across his near-impenetrable scales.
As the space between the two entered a zone of assured collision, Desghidorah awaited the feeling of splattered organs across his forward legs. To his dismay in the split second prior to impact, the dragon witnessed Rodan pull its wings back further than he thought possible and swing them downward with unbelievable speed. An explosion of yellow dust followed which Desghidorah plowed harmlessly through. All three heads though looked to the sky, crimson eyes focused on a red arrow surging into the high atmosphere.
Rage seethed from the depths of Desghidorah’s soul. Fury he’d not felt since he was humiliated by the cursed guardian known as Mothra Leo. Rodan would be ash in a few moments, nothing else, not even the dark whispers in the back of his mind urging him to go to the swamps could alter that fate…
Rodan’s body pierced the single cloud above Skull Island like an arrow through a heart. Molten wings swung back, propelling a shockwave through the atmosphere with a boom of thunder chasing right behind it.
Rodan peered through the rapidly closing hole within the center of the cloud and spotted the dragon ascending, its incredible speed hampered by the severe incline. Without hesitation, the molten avian tucked its wings and fell, entering into a freefall the flier relentlessly anticipated and dreaded.
Molten wings entered the cloud as armored scales rose through it; the collision marked with thunderous war cries. Rodan shuddered back from the impact, evading serrated teeth to disappear into the white shroud. A furious bellow rocked the body of white moisture, demanding the end to such cowardly tactics and obliging the request, Rodan surged forth, talons extended. Sparks alit black armor, and a wail from Desghidorah let the island know he’d successfully struck the soft membrane of the dragon’s left wing. Seizing the moment, Rodan latched onto the death dealer and raked his claws across the dragon’s aerial appendage merely for Desghidorah to sink its left head’s teeth into the molten creature’s shoulder. Eyes locked onto the other, Rodan emitting a reaction of unnatural, overwhelming fear before his adversary yanked him close to the growing spheres of destructive energy within their maws.
Desghidorah held no mercy for the infuriating wretch in his jaws. Sphere after sphere of fiery energy struck molten armor. Wails of immense agony, greater in pitch than any of the trio he’d bombarded earlier, escaped the fire avian’s beak.
So arrogant Rodan had been moments prior, but what could agility do in the face of overwhelming power?
Struggling against the barrage, Rodan swung his wings closed, launching himself backward as a trio of Pyroclastic Shots crashed into his body. Black smoke trailed through the cloud and cautiously following the path, the molten dragon ventured out of the white vapor to discover the wretch in freefall above the very crater the battle started.
A perfect grave for a miserable life if given the chance; however, Desghidorah desired ash.
He placed his three heads together and descended, flapping its wings to accelerate its already impressive downward trajectory. The gathering scarlet power shined like the sun, attracting the other wretched beasts far below.
Closer and closer the dragon neared, focusing all six crimson eyes upon the falling unconscious avian about to be incinerated by his power.
Rodan fell with its back toward the ground, wings spread wide creating trails of smoke in its descent. Molten blood leaked across numerous cracked scales from the earlier barrage, but Desghidorah held no doubt the power he currently summoned could atomize the petulant flier. The wretch would hit the ground in mere moments and it, like all life eventually on this island, would be nothing but-
Six eyes went wide upon watching a coy grin form on Rodan’s beak. The avian’s own orbs opened with vigor and its whole body sprung to life just as it neared the jungle canopy. Swinging its wings downward with infuriating speed, Rodan’s body became a blur, racing upward in a cloud of dust toward the dragon who unleashed its ultimate technique.
Firepower burned through the air merely for unmatched agility to evade its grasp.
An explosion of crimson light raced just behind the primordial flier’s approaching form, seemingly accelerating the wretched creature who now extended its talons. Rodan raced past Desghidorah, slashing its right wing membrane before the avian vanished above the dragon who trembled the heavens with his rage.
The meager slash imbued no great pain, but to be humiliated once more was a wrong Desghidorah could not stand for. Unbridled rage summoned immense fire to his maws. There was no corner of the sky, no heavenly body on this life-stained world where Rodan would be able to hide from him!
Draconic wings parted to their full width, maximizing the airflow so Desghidorah could give chase; however, a horrid wail forced itself from the death-dealing dragon as air pushed through the thin cuts in his appendages. High winds tore open the precise slices of the wretch, breaking the membranes apart into useless sails. Helplessly falling to the blackened crater he created, Desghidorah cursed the molten creature with the very essence of his soul until the ground silenced him with a boom of earth-filled thunder.
A hint of sympathy attempted to latch onto Belvera’s cold heart as she watched her ex-companion vanish into a black haze. Cradling her head in her hands, her mind pushed forward the thought of redemption. The dragon had spared her, in theory it could learn to cohabitate with other life. Maybe in time even protect… The thoughts vanished in a calculated purge, the icy chill of Belvera’s heart freezing any hope of that path coming to fruition. Her sisters’ purity had softened her outlook on life, but not even a high dose of Lora’s divine hopefulness could convince Belvera that true good resided within Desghidorah.
One small mercy did not right a lifetime of cruelty, yet the Dark Elias still felt the sting of pity against her icy heart.
Wind raced past Belvera and her sisters as the Male MUTO surged above them, flying toward Desghidorah’s impromptu tomb.
“We don’t have a thousand Mothras, but here’s hoping those five are enough.”
Chapter 13: Destoroyah vs. Kong
Southeastern Swamps, Skull Island
Trapped within a body in which he could not move nor feel, Godzilla lay in a bed of rage. He possessed immeasurable strength, an unbreakable will, and a thick, black hide able to deflect all but the most insurmountable attacks, yet in a pile of white rhyolite the once proud Alpha lay, his body starved of oxygen and helpless, his fate in the hands of another. Though, of all creatures to be defended by, the unparalleled tenacity of the Kongs was matched only by his own kind.
Extinct in his original world, the one fighting the nightmarish abomination held the characteristics of those he’d battled in his prime. The Kong’s agility, encumbered by knee-high water and dense mud at his heels, proved unable to be slowed, ducking beneath tri-clawed strikes only to deliver its own signature counter. Wielding a tool forged with the dorsal spine of some other Godzilla, the Kong, outsized and underpowered, kept Destoroyah falling back with repeated heavy slashes. The horror’s reluctance to press forward indicated to Godzilla that the abomination’s near endless stamina and endurance possessed defined limits.
Dorsal bone collided with Destoroyah’s jaw, taking the lower half of the mutation’s maw with it. Emerald ooze poured like a waterfall, a gurgled cry let loose beneath flowing blood and as it turned back toward the Kong, sparks cascading within its throat, Godzilla remembered what would be unleashed. Attempting a warning, a feeble cry was all he could muster before violet, uncompressed energy washed over Kong’s body, flooring the ape into the water.
Swamp vapor filled the air, blinding Godzilla to his defender’s fate. Pressed to attack, fire ignited within the saurian’s maw. Atomic energy radiated throughout the stagnant leviathan’s spines, but with no breath to propel the energy, azure light merely attracted two devilish orbs in the mist.
Death gazed upon Godzilla and his execution was assured.
Fog cleared with a flap of unseen wings, revealing Destoroyah’s maimed body, but Godzilla’s eyes focused on other movement. Shifting from the water up a pillar in the distance, the Kong climbed with speed unparalleled of a titan with its size. Silently launching off the skyscraper of stone, Godzilla watched the ape trail through the air and plunge the axe atop the mutation’s cranium.
A decisive kill strike, but Godzilla knew better than to expect death…
Destoroyah’s cry of anguish rattled the swamplands and the look of terror upon the Kong made what Godzilla knew clear to his protector; the axe, currently hilt deep into Destoroyah’s head, would not be enough to put down the abomination.
Kicking off the back of Destoroyah, the Kong lept back to the pillar of rhyolite for refuge, taking cover behind the base of the feature as violet energies followed his trail. Godzilla lost track of the Kong within the explosions of sparks, but based on past tendencies of his protector, the saurian rolled his eyes upward to gaze at the green canopy the pillar propped up. There, the Kong reappeared, silently watching his opponent blast apart the rhyolite feature’s foundation, piece by piece.
The Kong lacked any firepower to return Destoroyah’s explosive show of force, but even in the face of certain defeat, a glint of determination flashed in the creature’s eyes. For the Kongs possessed something far greater than sheer strength – an intelligence as cunning as it was lethal.
Mammalian teeth snapped onto the hilt of the axe. Reaching a long forearm into a web of thick vines while clutching rhyolite with the other, Godzilla watched with intrigue as the Kong inspected an array of plantlife. Yellow eyes moved from rope to rope, analyzing the vines in meticulous detail. The rattle of the pillar the Kong clutched snapped the beast from its thoughts and after a hasty glance, fingers reached out and wove a specific vine around the ape’s arm. A quick pull drew the vine taught, shifting rocks on an opposing pillar a few hundred meters behind
Destoroyah. Muscle flexed and the Kong retracted his arm, body convulsing from exertion.
A foreboding crack halted Destoroyah’s barrage. The abomination took a single step back, arching its butchered head as the column it had ruthlessly assaulted began its descent, the shadow blanketing its dilapidated form. As Destoroyah’s shoulder slumped, Godzilla could almost feel the resignation of his battered enemy. For all the grievous bits of flesh and bone ripped off the abomination, injuries it had ignored in pursuit of destruction, it could not now press on any further. In the crucial moment of realization, the skyscraper of stone crashed upon the oxygen destroyer, hammering Destoroyah beneath the water like a bug under a monstrous heel.
Another decisive strike. Dust choked the air before Godzilla could perceive if the killer lived.
The Kong parted the cloud without issue, landing comfortably in front of Godzilla’s body, his back toward the retired Alpha. The ape’s focus remained on the water, searching for any sign of Destoroyah, yet the waters, white from shattered earth, seemed placid. Seemingly placated that the invader lay dead, the Kong finally gazed toward Godzilla, disdain radiating from its yellow eyes.
This Kong wanted Godzilla to know its contempt, but such a move was a mistake. Millions of years of experience engrained Godzilla to never purposely shift attention from an enemy, even one that lay dead, and as the water exploded, yellow bolts cascading in maniacal frenzy, it would be a lesson the Kong would regretfully come to learn.
If he lived.
A pincer-like tail snapped forward first, ripping the axe out of the Kong’s black fingers. A war-like cry shook the swamp, a demand for the demon to reveal itself, and from the smoke a dull orange spear surged forth, piercing through the ape’s left shoulder. Blood splattered upon reptilian hide, and the Kong staggered back merely to be engulfed in violet energy and flung into the waters behind Godzilla.
Death once again gazed upon Godzilla, completely unopposed.
Destoroyah strode forth confidently. It was noticeably shorter, but the grievous wounds which had once littered every corner of the abomination were now replaced by smooth, fully-healed crimson armor.
Feeling his senses returning, air sucked down Godzilla’s gut and atomic fire spat forth in defiance, yet it arched unnaturally wide, striking the Kong’s weapon in Destoroyah’s pincer grip. The Royal Axe illuminated an azure hue, a malevolent cackle boomed from the death dealer as it took notice, and with a flick of the abomination’s long appendage, the azure blade flew forth, disappearing behind the saurian like its wielder.
Whether intentional or a miss, Godzilla did not know, but the familiar sight of Destoroyah’s horn illuminating with power brought with it a foreboding urgency.
Reptilian claws dug into white rhyolite, pushing against oxygen deprived muscle to arise, to fight. Rock buckled under immense mass, yet for all of Godzilla’s exertion he remained in the same place, unable to evade the energized horn’s eventual swing.
Rage from certain demise brought with it a sense of clarity.
In isolation the primordial leviathan had wished to avoid the responsibility of maintaining order, to avoid repeating the mistakes which doomed all life he once protected, but avoiding conflict had brought him to another specter of death. What stood before Godzilla felt like just part of an infection plaguing the world, and if he survived, the saurian knew he could not remain secluded any further. He’d regather his atrophied strength, end the chaos ravaging his new home, and bring a global order under his reign.
He’d never allow himself to be caught off balance again.
Birthing a legendary roar to quake the heavens, Godzilla screamed of his rebirth.
A malevolent cackle refuted his bellow, the abomination enacting Godzilla’s execution.
An azure blur silenced them both.
The Royal Axe swung upward, halting Destoroyah’s energized Visceral Blade just above Godzilla’s neck. Reptilian eyes snapped to the wielder and Godzilla found the Kong on his knees, the ape’s face unable to mask the incredible exertion on display as a single arm clutching the axe was all that remained in the way of the dealer of death. With the Kong refusing to budge and Destoroyah unable to press further downward, Godzilla watched as the blades clashed in opposing hues, awaiting the fate of his life to be decided, until a deafening wave of pure white consumed them all.
Chapter 14: Desghidorah vs. Everyone
Western Mountain Basin, Skull Island,
Desghidorah arose off fractured earth, more incensed than impaired from the unexpected fall. Looking at his ruined wing membranes, the damage caused by Rodan was plain to see. The wounds would take days, perhaps even weeks to heal unless he could absorb an abundant source of life essence. But such thoughts quickly faded as the earth trembled beneath him. With each rattling tremor, Desghidorah narrowed in on the perimeter of the human village where the trio of burned saurians were brazenly charging toward him.
Did they think they could win with him grounded? Desghidorah cackled in amusement then bellowed an arrogant call, pressing the trio to do all they could.
It would all be for nothing.
Anguirus lunged first, his jaws clamping onto the center neck of the ebony serpent. Rising up on his back legs, Desghidorah slammed his front feet into the ankylosaur’s chest, easily dislodging him and casting the stubborn beast to the dirt. Before the destroyer could continue attacking, the other two divided his attention, striking him from the sides. Claws crashed against his hide, the two saurians roaring angrily as they assailed him. Desghidorah’s center head whipped around to face Godzilla Junior, unleashing its geyser of flame to hurl him away, a trail of smoke following him. Gorosaurus tried to back away, only for draconic jaws to clamp onto his small arms. Electric currents flowed into the allosaur’s limbs, making him spasm and cry out before the destroyer slammed him into the ground. Dirt and stone flew upward from the impact, descending like rain a moment afterward.
Crimson eyes glared malevolently toward the trio, orange light burning within each maw.
Did they now understand? They would all perish, reduced to nothing but ash!
A muffled cry escaped the dragon’s maws, forewarning the coming barrage, but a new screech, familiar and infuriating, paused the assault. Twin blades slammed down upon the ebony dragon’s back and an energy-suppressing shockwave dwindled the summoned flames churning within his jaws. By the time Desghiodrah glared at the black, visor-eyed parasite which fluttered away to gain some distance from the dragon’s wrath, the ebony destroyer realized something more hurtful than any damage he’d been dealt so far.
Betrayal split Desghidorah’s heart like a lightning bolt, scalding his soul with an unquenchable hatred. He’d burn the world black with all the rage he felt from her betrayal but first, five wretches needed to be reminded of their place.
Then he’d create a pyre for the traitorous witch…
Gorosaurus and Anguirus charged in unison, crashing their bulk against him and forcing the dragon back a single step, allowing Junior to get to his feet and move in close. The MUTO flew just beside the young saurian, brothers in arms attempting to claim their impossible goal – to defeat the unbeatable. All the while, Rodan watched from afar, eyes filled with intrigue.
Desghidorah raised himself high, then brought his entire body crashing down with momentous force, ripping the earth apart with a deafening roar. The ground tore open into a growing chasm, spewing lava and geysers of crimson energy as the rapidly forming canyon crawled forth.
Anguirus was too slow to realize he was the target, too shocked by the billowing power to evade as a column of energy engulfed his entire being. A bellow of agony cut through the destructive energy, a sign of life within the blinding light; however, Anguirus’ roar became ever more distant as the earth split beneath him, sending the creature plummeting into a grand ravine filled with bubbling lava.
To the remaining four fools that looked on in shock, to the disloyal witch that no doubt watched on from afar, Desghidorah allowed the palpable silence that passed after Anguirus’ lethal descent to remind them all of their place.
Even together, they were all insignificant – beneath him.
Godzilla Junior watched from atop the freshly carved canyon for any sign of life, any trace of the ally that drew breath moments ago. And yet there was nothing. The churning magma far, far below kept Anguirus’ body submerged in its blistering embrace, unwilling to release him even for the MUTO which screeched violent cries of wrath and sorrow just above its surface. Only when his friend’s killer uttered a dark laugh did Junior finally take his attention off the fiery trench and feel an eruption of rage detonate within.
No more.
Junior’s roar echoed through the heavens, shaking the firmament and rattling the bones of all who heard. He ran with reckless abandon, intent on rending the arrogant dragon limb from limb with tooth and claw, burning with a righteous fury no creature could withstand.
As he closed the distance, Desghidorah lunged his outer heads forward, jaws splayed wide. But all for speed his friend’s killer demonstrated in the air, on land Desghidorah lacked that agility, so with ease Junior evaded and shot forward, his own maw primed. Tilting his head to the side, he bit down on the demon’s right neck. As it seemed Desghidorah might shake him off, Gorosaurus charged into the fray.
It took just a glance for Junior to recognize the allosaur, to understand that he had known the creature that had fallen, and that each of them would make Anguirus’ killer pay.
Jaws clenched. Canines tore. The wyrm’s impenetrable armor finally began to buckle as Gorosaurus’ deadly fangs ripped through its hide, much to Junior’s jealousy. The dragon let out a deafening roar of pain as the allosaur’s sharp teeth sunk into vulnerable flesh and drew multiple streams of hot crimson blood.
It was a taste of what Desghidorah deserved, of the pain Junior would bestow in time, but all that desire distracted him to the dragon’s intensifying crimson glow until it was too late.
Desghidorah’s Raging Sky Burst swallowed Junior whole, bathing the juvenile’s body in an energy-fueled hell. His senses immediately betrayed him, abandoning him to a world without sight or taste or smell or feeling. He couldn’t hear his own screams. He was lost, trapped in a void that’s only company was unbridled wrath until all his senses snapped back at once, bestowing him a broken body.
A soft groan was all Junior could utter as he lay on freshly blackened earth. He couldn’t see Gorosaurus, didn’t know where his ally had gone. All he could do was watch Desghidorah summon hellish fire into all three of his maws, and struggle to arise as a meteor shower blanketed his body.
Junior writhed as the flames devoured his ebony skin. The air around him roiled with malice and pain, but amidst the chaos Junior’s sapphire power burned true, slicing through the relentless torment with unmatched ferocity.
It was everything his reserves could muster; a hail mary used against Kaishin Muba.
The Spiral Atomic Ray struck true, rupturing Desghidorah’s frontal armor and sending out an unholy cry of rage. Junior stood there shaking, daring to believe that this might be the end for the abomination that had taken his friend’s life, that he had inflicted a mortal blow. But then
Desghidorah reared back up on its hind legs with a maniacal cackle, its eyes glaring straight at Junior with a promise to take his precious life as payment for what he had done.
The Spiral Atomic Ray wasn’t enough. He… wasn’t enough.
For all his growth and as much as he wished to emulate his father, Junior finally accepted that he would never fill the void his father left. So looking toward Desghidorah, the sweltering inferno of rage within the reptile’s heart was reduced to embers just as the wyrm fell forward.
Dirt erupted. The ground shook from a volcanic explosion beneath the dragon’s shadow as a wall of spikes caught Desghidorah mid-fall.
Junior watched crimson power wash over Anguirus’ armored shell, the ankylosaur’s steaming body dripping molten lava without batting an eye. Anguirus was alive, more importantly, the volcanic monster was still fighting, still enduring even under Desghidorah’s oppressive twin heels.
So when the ankylosaur looked Junior’s way and uttered a war cry, the Prince of the Monsters accepted his friend’s message.
He too would not surrender; he would endure.
White dorsal scutes burned with fresh power. Any doubt melted away, a new vow forming within the forge that was the reptile’s heart – he would never be his father, he would be better.
With renewed strength pulsing through his veins, Godzilla Junior’s eyes narrowed with fresh determination. Anguirus was holding, at least for the moment, but support was needed or else his second brush with death would more than likely stick. Another Spiral Atomic Ray would take time, time enough to overclock his nuclear heart to dangerous levels, but such ramifications Junior pushed aside for the answer he sought.
Reptilian eyes snapped to the molten avian that hovered nearby. Rodan bore a cruel smile as he watched, wings beating from afar, seemingly waiting for its chance for a killing blow against the wyrm. Such time was not a luxury Anguirus possessed so barking a furious growl, Godzilla
Junior caught Rodan’s attention and flashed his spines.
Perhaps it was luck, perhaps something else. Regardless of the source of the fear, terror ensnared Rodan in its clutches. With a simple flick of his head toward the dragon, the avian begrudgingly accepted the order. The molten flier lunged forward, crashing his beak against one of
Desghidorah’s heads, coming incredibly close to an eye.
Support was attained. Now he needed to negate the dragon’s power.
The MUTO surged from the canyon, a dark specter with its crimson eye blazing with anger. Junior had no idea what or where this potential ally came from, but as palpable relief emanated from it as it saw Anguirus alive and well, the young saurian figured it was a monster that it could trust. With a powerful bark, Junior commanded the ebony beast to let loose its nullifying shockwave and without hesitation, the Male MUTO complied.
Wings fluttered. Twin pincers struck the backside of the dragon, nullifying the growing power within Desghidorah. For a moment Junior worried that his own charging power may be affected, but with a mountain of murderous draconic flesh between him and the parasite, it seemed the dragon’s armor was too thick to allow the pulse to pass through. With that worry gone, Desghidorah unable to unleash another Raging Sky Burst, and Gorosaurus back on his feet and joining the fray, the Prince of the Monsters readied his second Spiral Atomic Ray.
Godzilla Junior’s back glowed brightly, wild bolts of energy crackling across his developing spines. Atomic fire let loose without mercy, this time with intelligence guiding the shot. Instead of striking the coarse ebony scales that covered most of the dragon’s hide, Junior aimed for the splayed wide maw atop the three-headed monster’s right neck.
One moment the seething head of the beast was poised to lunge forward and sink its glistening fangs into Gorosaurus – the next, the right head dropped like a stone, sending a deathly stillness through the battlefield.
Twin heads locked eyes with Junior and within those four dark orbs, fear flickered to life. Because as the Prince of the Monsters demonstrated, he and his allies were weaker, but when united they were not insignificant, nor were they beneath him.
Belvera remained silent, not out of apathy or reluctance, but from an unwanted sensation plaguing her icy heart. From atop Fairy, watching her guardian and the lot it had joined take on her ex-companion, she could sense a turning point flow through the winds. The ramifications of the act of mercy shown to her earlier that day drove her adrenaline to race until her eyes splayed wide as a wail of fear from Desghidorah tore through her.
As easy as it was to remain out of the battle, to isolate herself, she couldn’t stand by as another atrocity occurred, not anymore.
“Cover my body!” Belvera blurted out, entering a meditative pose while her sisters looked bewilderingly at her from the front of Fairy.
Moll’s eyes fluttered. “Belvera, what are you-”
“Protecting all life!” the Dark Elias interrupted before she closed her eyes and summoned what unrefined telepathic power she could use to restore the dragon’s bond.
Whatever scraps of power she could muster would have to be enough.
An ebony hook sank into crimson, rupturing one of Desghidorah’s remaining four eyes and sending a new wave of anguish through the dragon.
Desghidorah’s resultant agonized thrashing embedded the blade further into the walls of the socket, allowing the MUTO to continue desperately holding on. The dragon tried to rid himself of the insignificant parasite, but his chaotic movements only led to cracks forming on the armor around the ruined eye. The dark parasite began to bash away at these cracks with his free forelimb, worsening the damage until with a grotesque crunch, a chunk of Desghidorah’s skull came loose.
Anguish roared from the dragon. Blood spilled as a horrid chill filled the neck and spine of the wyrm. The central head saw, through its peripheral vision, the exposed, pulsating brain of the left head. And then the remaining head watched as his foe delivered a strike that reduced the grey matter to a mess, spilling out of the hole with the precision of a surgeon.
The male MUTO tumbled away, smoke rising off his burnt armor. Desghidorah did not follow up as his concern was more focused on his left head, hanging limply and pouring out a pulverized brain. His singular remaining brain was filled with a maelstrom of thoughts and negative emotion. Questions of if the other two heads could regrow, or if he would forever be a third of what he once was. Fear that he would lose this battle, wrath towards those who had done this to him, so many conflicting and chaotic emotions.
The need for action spurned them away.
He pointed his tail’s forked end at the parasite, then thrust it forth, stabbing the sharp points into the MUTO’s stomach. Blood coated his tail as he lifted the writhing creature high, then sent the parasite hurtling away with a swing, two gaping wounds on its torso.
Desghidorah screamed at the four remaining wretches, spewing flames toward them as he stomped the ash-coated landscape. The world seemed to blur from his raw power. His senses dulled from bloodlust.
Eyes flexed in shock upon his search for targets. They were gone, every cursed monster. Desghidorah snapped his long neck back, frantically attempting to locate his enemies; instead, a voice greater then any roar boomed around him.
“You’re going to die.”
The familiar female voice wasn’t mocking; in fact, Desghidorah sensed the infuriating tinge of pity accompanying the Dark Elias words.
“You spared my life and I can’t repay the act, but I can do the next best thing.”
Desghidorah spotted the miniscule witch amongst a sea of sand. Flames pursed draconic lips, a hellfire reserved for his one time companion and with a snap of his serpentine head, he bathed Belvera in a hellish torrent. Blackened earth fractured violently, spewing molten rock like a volcanic eruption, but upon the blaze’s conclusion, the ebony dragon’s grasp of his reality shattered as he found her unharmed.
“Look,” Belvera spoke softly. “You’re stuck with me here,” her hands rose to accentuate the beautiful island coast they now resided upon. “You’re going to die, but you won’t be alone and you won’t suffer. That… that’s my offer. Otherwise,” she tilted her head to the horizon, “door’s open to leave this place at anytime.”
Desghidorah huffed at the pathetic act. Draconic eyes peeled away, searching for the monsters that would enact the deed. Grunts and bellows shook the barren earth, trying to attract his supposed killers but another revelation silenced Desghidorah.
He wasn’t on the island of Skull any longer. He now resided upon the charred husk of Infant Island, or some mental replication of it. An illusion, a cage for his mind the dragon’s instincts urged, created by the Dark Elias. A realm he’d shatter with ease…
Prolonged focus trembled the illusion, dulling the false senses the dragon experienced. Every second pushed Desghidorah’s mind closer to reality, and as the dragon neared an escape, an insurmountable wall of anguish met him.
Claw, beak, and teeth were ripping his real body asunder.
Retreating back into the safety of Belvera’s illusion, Desghidorah felt the agony of his dying body vanish. Crimson eyes swept the horizon, hoping to find another route to escape, but a fresh dread took hold. Like a racing wave, a surge of darkness raced forward. A void that would engulf
Desghidorah, just as it did every life he’d ever taken.
From the heavens, venomous commands of Tsukuyomi berated the dragon and Belvera felt no joy in hearing them. They mocked and laughed, but the words within the dragon’s mind fell unheeded. Fear had brought the arrogant life-taker to his knees and there, crimson eyes now looked to the Dark Elias for some answer, some escape before he rested its head beside her.
Extending her right arm outward, the Dark Elias placed her hand upon the dragon’s scales. Desghidorah shut its eyes, taking solace at the companionship, while Belvera closed her own, her icy heart feeling as though it would shatter.
She would make good on her promise, grant the destroyer of worlds this act of mercy, standing beside him at his bitter end.
Chapter 15: Cataclysm on Skull Island
South Eastern Swamps, Skull Island
The familiar sensation of saltwater snapped Destoroyah and the billions of minds composing its body from the momentary daze. Arising in the coastal surf, Destoroyah pieced together fragments of damaged memory. The black furred monster’s reappearance, the clash, an explosion; the sequence of events surged immense rage into the death dealer. Devilish eyes swept across the domain to locate its victims; instead, Destoroyah gleefully discovered desolation.
The explosion which launched it to the sandy shores of the island brought with it raging fires and destruction, at least to most. Laying against the foundation of a rhyolite pillar reduced to a mound, the black furred beast lay in a state of near death. Blood pooled into the water and stained its fur a pleasant red. Even a half mile away, Destoroyah enjoyed the pained breaths the beast attempted and relished the opportunity to take the interloper’s life personally.
Then the earth began to tremble…
From the inner depths of Skull Island emerged a charging band of monsters. The stubborn quadruped led the charge, followed just behind by the smaller Godzilla. Flanked on Anguirus’ left, the emerald scaled allosaur Destoroyah regrettably let escape earlier, charged forward while on the right, a single eyed creature glided on black wings. Finally, a red blur moving too fast to pinpoint its features surged forth from above. Destoroyah parted its maw at the horde, alighting the nearing group in violet light.
An azure flash halted all action.
From the swampish depths the leviathan arose, water cascading off energized dorsal spines. The horde dispersed around Godzilla, some in awe while others boomed a screech of reverence. The cries of relief sewed fury into Destoroyah’s twisted body and from the rage birthed a stream of violet death. Azure fire burst forth from the titan’s jaws in response.
Violet and azure beams collided with explosive fury, but the battle for supremacy ended faster than Destoroyah expected. With blinding speed, azure energy engulfed the abomination’s chemical ray until atomic flame surged back into the devil’s maw. Every mind within the demon felt the armor atomize at the back of its throat, the fire scorching, and the blood which rocketed skyward from the resulting explosion. Destoroyah’s head arched back, green ooze flowing down its back before it once again looked to the collection of beasts it desired with every fiber of its being to slay.
Deep within Destoroyah’s mind, a familiar battle played out over instinct. Malevolent whispers of Orochi urged it to fight, to fulfill the abomination’s purpose, but millions outweighed the single voice.
Too much of the collective had been lost.
Too many impudent beasts to slay without risk.
The abomination’s eyes cracked in disgust, and a low growl rattled all in the death-dealer’s presence, sending the parasitic creature, the red blur, and the allosaur racing toward it.
Godzilla would succumb to it. His death, like all those before it, was only a matter of time.
Abdominal flesh parted to reveal an orifice like a crater beneath. An ominous red glow alit Gorosaurus, the MUTO, and Rodan before Destoroyah let loose every scrap of power it possessed. A wave of crimson raced outward and as it detonated with enough strength to tremble Skull
Island, Destoroyah dissolved into the billions of beings which comprised its colossal form. The swarm scurried into crashing waves, vanishing beneath the ocean’s surface without a trace.
Overwhelming rage carried Godzilla forth with enough speed to intercept the unconscious, falling MUTO. Teeth clutched the parasite’s wing while clawed digits latched onto his ebony body. The immobile creature still possessed life, no doubt its stubbornness refusing to embrace death a second time, but the small creature would not be battle-ready for some time. Neither would the allosaur who lay on the surf, capable of just enough strength to keep its head out of the waves. They and others needed time to rest, to recover, just like the horned saurian he brought to the island for refuge.
Death would not claim them this day.
Pressing the Male MUTO close, flakes of some foreign substance fell upon Godzilla’s scales. The sensation of their insectoid features striking his black flesh brought with it some, distant familiarity, but his curiosity was overshadowed by a new purpose – the ache of ending the chaos ravaging his new home, his world.
Reptilian eyes snapped to the coastal waters, watching Rodan strafe the surface with molten claws, seemingly unaffected by Destoroyah’s explosive retreat.
Perhaps he would not need to fight alone…
Atop Fairy, Moll watched with her sister the herd of creatures begin their trek inland, occasionally glancing back to check up on Belvera’s unconscious form. With Desghidorah dead, she should have awakened to join them in celebration; instead, the pair were left alone to interpret all that had transpired.
“She was right,” Lora asserted of Belvera’s earlier affirmation. “They could… they won!”
“Not without loss,” Moll retorted before the molten wings of Rodan soared by, bathing her in heated winds. “Kong, Gorosaurus, the small one, even Belvera’s guardian, they will take time to recover. Time I’m unsure we have to spare.”
“So what now?” Lora inquired.
Moll’s worried eyes looked to her sister for some answer, yet in the silence, she found herself unable to shake a single question.
‘Where has your mind wandered to, Belvera?’
Chapter 16: Of Immortality & Arrogance
Shrine of Orochi, Moneron Island
The waning glow of the setting sun penetrated the westward tunnels, illuminating Tsukuyomi’s empty vessel as he plotted the destruction of all life on Earth within minds far from the island. But then there was a sudden presence, an unwelcome interruption that disrupted his focus and demanded his undivided attention. Retracting his consciousness from across the planet, Tsukuyomi’s body twitched with life. With eyes blazing like fiery orbs, he awoke to a lair bathed in a menacing orange tint, and the audacious interloper who dared to challenge his divine will.
An Elias, or at least, their mental projection.
“Bel-vera.” Tsukuyomi muttered the name with burning contempt.
Despite the tales of her malevolence, of her ruthless disposition toward life across the Earth, her recent behavior had revealed her true nature. What promise she had possessed as a pawn was now nothing more than ash. She had chosen to be an enemy rather than an ally, and soon she would reap the fiery retribution owed to her.
Anxiety seemingly shook the Dark Elias’ body as if she were at the epicenter of an earthquake. Haunting laughter echoed off the stone walls, trembling his lair until the uninvited being revealed her own twisted grin. All laughter thereafter ceased.
“Mental strain,” Belvera pointed out, her brows furrowed as her gaze settled on Tsukuyomi. “Think I’m afraid of you? Ha, don’t kid yourself. I see worse things in a mirror.” Her attention shifted across the room, catching the immaculate iconography which adorned the walls. “Felt your essence inside my ex’s head and got more than I bargained for tracing you back here. Wherever here is.”
The dark lord leaned forward, projecting eight draconic shadows upon the wall behind him. Each separate head slithered across decrepit stone, red eyes glaring toward the intruder with malicious intent.
“Killing a fragment of my flesh is nothing.” The tone of Tsukuyomi’s voice vibrated every inch of his lair, his statement layered with enough malice and arrogance to ensure no iota of doubt existed within his consciousness. “Desghidorah, and all those which are born from my flesh can never hope to compare to their source. They are pawns for their god in service of a great journey you can barely fathom. Nothing more.”
Tsukuyomi expected terror within the Elias to render her silent or for her to disconnect her brief but futile mental connection; instead, her own malevolent laughter reverberated off the walls.
“Wow… you really are a mirror,” she cackled with pity, causing bolts of energy to spark across Tsukuyomi’s black pupils.
“You think you understand?” he barked with a sneer. “No…. No paltry being can fathom my responsibility and your mind is open to me right now Belvera, Elias of Earth. I see only weakness in you where none exists in-”
The impudent wretch of an immortal raised her hand in protest.
“First, I certainly understand,” Belvera hissed, “because you’re just a reflection of what I used to be. For tens of thousands of years I faithfully served the Earth for a higher power. For millions more I razed this planet for some sign but… nothing. No guidance, no signs, no change and that was…” She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. “Boring,” she finally relented. “So cut the crap. You’re not some tragic god, you’re a child crying out for attention. And I hate children.”
Tsukuyomi’s fingers dug into the stone with such force that it splintered beneath his touch. He set about cutting away the Elias tenuous mental link apart, strand by strand, but before he forced her to depart, he was determined to make her understand the consequences of her insolence and the respect that was deserved.
“Worthless words in place of strength. Let me remind you of what your choice will cost you. Destoroyah will return. Your sisters will perish. Your final bastion will be rendered barren.”
To reinforce his promises, Tsukuyomi telepathically bombarded the Elias with his personal memories of all the victories he’d attained so far. King Caesar’s death, Gamera’s imprisonment by his own power, the Ryuseicho’s slaughter of her sisters’ guardians, Destoroyah’s destruction of
Monster Island; all these achievements he jettisoned forward as proof of his malicious intent, of his birthright made real.
The Dark Elias’ hand shook violently as she clutched her head, her ethereal body trembling with the effort to remain in existence. Sparks of energy glowed and crackled around her form as it flickered in and out like a dying star.
The Elias’ meager connection wouldn’t last much longer.
And as she fell to her knees, as the being’s ethereal body began to dull out of existence, Belvera snapped her head upright, eyes narrowed with predatory interest. She uttered not a single word from whatever realization grasped her, she merely matched the dark god’s sizzling gaze, passing along a silent vow that promised to unleash a hell the likes of which he’d never seen.
Before Tsukuyomi could pry the secret from her, the Dark Elias’ light shrank away like the dying embers of a fire, leaving him alone to ponder where her intent was directed.
Even if the Dark Elias could gather an army and could discern the flashes of memory he bombarded into her psyche, his fortress upon Moneron Island was insurmountable. He’d only lost one Desghidorah, after all. Destoroyah, the Ryuseicho, Kumasogami, Kaishin Muba, the other Desghidorah; all still bowed down before him. His dark army was not just unbeatable, it was still growing in power.
One progeny currently courted the dormant emerald leviathan of Nilai-Kanai. Hundreds of others silently stalked the ranks of humanities bureaucratic nests.
From Japan to China to the United States, he could influence the military to shower an approaching horde of monsters with explosive force, or in the case of the latter country, ensure Monster X never left Site Omega.
But then, when a piercing icy gust brought forth memories of solitude did the chink in his plan’s armor, in his grand arrogant gesture of showcasing his greatest achievements to the wretch, become clear.
Nostrils flared. Teeth flashed, hinting at the monster about to be unleashed.
Overwhelming white light lit the throne room, accompanied with the guttural roar of an enraged tyrant. Beams of energy atomized stone. Fists smashed falling debris. An ancient chamber of worship crumbled under the wrath of Orochi’s human form, allowing the setting sun to fully alight the crumbled caved-in cavern with an orange hue. As a sense of control returned to the entities’ shaking appendages, Tsukuyomi beamed forth a set of commands to his progeny.
The time of humanities’ destruction had come. The Ryuseicho and Destoroyah would follow his divine lead to end the planet’s infection. Every other monstrous pawn would race north, where his Titan of Death could not venture due to the frigid temperature and far too great a distance for the short leash Tsukuyomi desired to keep his Titan of Rage on, even with Ayana’s assurance.
Kumasogami, Kaishin Muba, Desghidorah, and Dagahra would be enough against whatever paltry army the Dark Elias could muster to free Gamera. As the impudent Elias met her end, Destoroyah, the Ryuseicho and himself would face his ambition’s only true threat – the golden, faceless god.
Resting upon his broken throne once more, Tsukuyomi inclined his head forward and closed his eyes, whispering a prayer to beings he knew looked on from above in appreciation. He’d cleanse the universe of all life no matter what obstacle hindered him, for it was his mission from the divine – a sacred honor to bring about their return. Death was willed and he, the eight-headed son bestowed this mission, would never rest until his divines’ will came true and balance was restored to the universe with life’s eradication.
A barren Earth; a perfect world… for his creators.
For his gods.
Winner: Anguirus (Universal), Godzilla Junior, Godzilla (Legendary), Gorosaurus (Showa), Kong (Legendary), MUTO, Rodan (Legendary)
Special credit to James Webster for this stellar, stylized banner!
Other visual art assets including Destoroyah, King Kong (Showa), Kong (Legendary), Godzilla (Legendary) & Rodan (Legendary) were created by the artist, Michael Alva, for the Youtube Channel What If Kaiju. You can check out some of Michael’s other stellar artwork on his ArtStation page here – Miggzai.
