Author: Forrest Freund | Banner: Matthew Williams

The waters around Birth Island began to turn a deep crimson red as thousands of Barems floated to the surface, heralding the arrival of the bane of the depths, Dagahra. The toxic beast emerged from the now polluted water around Birth Island and waddled towards the interior.

In the sky above, something stirred, as if reacting to the toxic beast that now befouled the purity of Birth Island. Dagahra suddenly became aware of a golden flashing in the sky, and he raised his grotesque head to examine the strange occurrence. As he did, the sky opened up and began to rain golden dust in a gentle, hypnotic cloud. This caused the corruptor to stop in his tracks and stare at the lovely sight. Purring slightly, Dagahra was entranced as the beautiful golden snowflakes gently tumbled down from the heavens. Then, the powder eventually vanished as mysteriously as it appeared. Dagahra stared in bewilderment as the enchanting display came to an end.

The tranquility of the scene is suddenly shattered as the Earth trembled, as though some great creature were moving below. Dagahra roared in surprise as the rumbling turned into a violent shaking, as long, snaking fissures ruptured under his feet. Then, he heard a moaning sound as the fissures broke open and a long, thorny tendril emerged from the Earth.

Dagahra retreated for the safety of the ocean, but when he turned to run, he found the vines binding his legs. Roaring in rage, Dagahra tried to wrestle free of the bindings. In the midst of his struggle, he heard another great surge from under the ground. Turning his head, he watched in mute shock as the ground literally exploded outward, a mammoth head emerging from the soil. Biollante, goddess of the Earth, made her enormity known.

Biollante bellowed out a challenge to the toxic wyrm she had entrapped in her tendrils, demanding that he leave this pure place and to never return. Dagahra roared defiantly, refusing to leave. Opening his mouth, the toxic one fired a crimson-ebony beam at the tendrils that bound him. The beam severed the vines, releasing a hissing spray of burning green fluid into the air.

Biollante growled in anger and sent another swarm of tendrils after the corrupted one, who was still trying to retreat towards the ocean. Her tendrils emerged from the ground, clamping their jaws onto the corrupt one’s legs. Biollante gave a purr of pleasure as Dagahra was dragged and hauled back towards her.

Dagahra, taking the offensive, took to the air and was yanked free of the choking tendrils the Earth goddess tried to bind him with. Turning, he flew back towards Biollante, roaring in anger. He parted his jaws and fired his Poisonous Jet Stream at his opponent, the bolt of energy raked her across the top of her enormous alligator-like head. Biollante snarled in pain as they seared her scaly leaves, but otherwise did not seem to be adversely affected by the attack.

Dagahra, confused, fired another beam, as well as a volley of Barems from his shoulder cannons. The beam scraped across Biollante’s body, but once again failed to have any discernible impact on her. Yet, when the Barems struck, the small patches where they made contact seemed to shrivel from their acidic toxins.

Biollante, not wanting to take another hit from the burning echinoderms shot by the toxic one, lashed out at him with her spiked tendrils. Seeking to take him out of the sky, Biollante whipped a group of decoy tendrils, seeking to divert the toxic one into her spear-tipped trap.

Dagahra, seeing Biollante’s choking tendrils approaching, banked hard. The flailing lashes sailed past him, but the sense of accomplishment was short lived. The vile dragon suddenly felt a burning, stabbing pain burst through his right wing. As he turned his head to see what had happened, he was violently tugged out of the sky as Biollante viciously pulled her tendril in. Dagahra crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, blood erupting from his nostrils.

As he lifted his head, he looked over at the spot where he felt the stabbing pain. With a groan of despair, he witnessed the damage sustained to the wing, which crippled his ability to fly. Yet, he didn’t completely lose hope, as he noticed that his shoulder cannons were still intact. Regaining his footing, Dagahra rose and turned to face the Earth goddess.

Biollante saw the polluted serpent rise and began to advance on him. More tendrils emerged from the Earth around the toxic one. The foul beast responded to the attack by firing his energy beam at the vines, severing them. Yet, Biollante refused to let him escape, and sent more vines after the vicious monster.

Dagahra, surrounded on all sides by the vines and Biollante’s lumbering form advancing, decided to try and play his trump card. Crouching low on the ground, he began to spin in place. As he did, a maelstrom formed around his twirling figure. The cyclone fully engulfed him, and he opened his shoulder cannons that released a stream of Barems into the tempest. Lifting off the ground, he charged towards Biollante.

Biollante, seeing the toxic one forming a corrupted vortex of poison and acid, opened her maw. As the wicked twister closed in, the great plant-like leviathan summoned energy that arced towards the center of her mouth. Then, when the tempest was almost within striking range, she vomited forth a stream of her own acidic fluids.

Directing the stream into the cyclone, Biollante drenched the toxic one and his foul spawn in her purifying sap. Dagahra fell from his cyclone, corroding Barems splattering all around him. Biollante advanced on her prone foe, and when she came within reach, she lowered her jaw and crunched on the toxic one’s head. Hundreds of sword-like teeth that line her maw drove into the body of the foul one.

Suddenly regaining focus, Dagahra realized where he was, and how close he was to losing the fight. With only one vital shot at his disposal, Dagahra parted his shoulder cannons and fired a volley of Barems at the Earth goddess. The toxic starfish bombarded the hulking super-plant, who gave off a satisfying wail of agony as her grip lessened. Digging his heels into the ground, Dagahra pulled as hard as he could, tearing himself free of the Earth goddess’ maw. Yet, the cost was high, as he lost a good deal of flesh in the serrated jaws of Biollante. Screaming out in pain, Dagahra turned and began to retreat towards the ocean once again.

Biollante watched as the toxic one retreated. Refusing to allow the vile beast to escape, Biollante sent several dozen mouthed tendrils through the ground, which emerged from below the beast, clamping onto him and pinning him to the soil. As the toxic one roared out in pain, Biollante decided to land the finishing blow.

Underground, her spiked tendrils met up and braid themselves into a single, massive spike. Summoning all of her strength, Biollante drove the spike upward, impaling the toxic beast on its tip. The sheer force lifted him through the air, piked by the violent rupture. Dagahra’s last screams echoed as he was skewered on Biollante’s tendril, his foul blood falling to the ground in a grisly shower.

Dagahra stopped moving, and Biollante released her grip. Then, snapping her tendril, flung the corpse into the ocean. As the water engulfed the body of its tormentor, Biollante looked on with detached pleasure. As the last traces of Dagahra sank beneath the waves, Biollante dissolved into her golden pollen form, and vanished into the beautiful sky.

Winner: Biollante