Author: Thomas Fairchild | Banner: Stephanie Hughes
Emptiness.
That’s what one sees when they look up at the blackness of space. But do they feel empty? Do they feel lost and lonely in a seemingly uncaring universe? Some admit it. Most pretend like there’s greater meaning in the universe. They wait all their lives to be drafted by it before finally succumbing to their worst fears. Few have transcended these fears by shaping their own destinies. Be it on a midsummer night or a cold winter morning, even the most righteous have looked up at the infinite blackness of space only to lower their heads in uncertainty.
But in the face of the unknown, the human mind has two distinct reactions. One is fear. The other is conquering that fear. Humans must know how things work. So why is it that when we finally locate an answer, we are quickly taken aback by more questions? Are we in some way responsible for these answers? Our sciences have detected laws in the universe. We’ve studied these laws very thoroughly. And when we thought we had it all figured out, the universe defied these laws by doing something completely out of the ordinary. Maybe it’s because the universe is constantly changing? Maybe it’s one giant reserve designed by eldritch abominations with us as their unwitting puppets?
Sometimes we forget how everything we see, touch, smell, and experience is a byproduct of our brains, and nothing is or ever will be what it seems.
Long ago, King Ghidorah discovered the truth. But it infected him with madness. If there’s a destiny meant for everyone, he was no exception. The three-headed dragon may have once been seen as a messiah, a harbinger of peace and tranquility. Now every space faring civilization knew him as death incarnate, the harbinger of doom. Civilizations capable of glassing entire planets, genetic modifications, and interstellar travel avoid him at all cost. Even Earth’s mightiest creatures fear him. Now there are whispers throughout the universe about Ghidorah prevailing against the monstrous Bagan, reclaiming his ominous mantle as the most evil force in the cosmos. While some of these rumors were untrue, King Ghidorah chose flight over fight and left Earth’s monsters to vanquish Bagan, one thing is for certain: his evil reigns.
Not many stars could be seen in the dark veil of space. Contrary to popular belief, stars were rarely seen or encountered by cosmic travelers. In a universe littered with trillions of stars, it’s still very difficult for a human to see and use them to navigate. Ghidorah experienced no such difficulties. Compared to humans, his senses were far more attuned to the cosmic landscape. He didn’t need light to see. Scientists speculate Ghidorah used a form of quantum harmonics to navigate. Others believed he could sense the gravitational pull of distant stars, feasting on their elements before seeking out planets teeming with life. So when the golden dragon approached an asteroid belt brimming with life, he was morbidly pleased. To change his trajectory, his wings manipulated the gravity around his body. Like a shark stalking its prey in the sea, Ghidorah anticipated this unexpected snack. Despite his insanity, he faintly recalled a similar occurrence thousands of years before. At first his memory was fuzzy. But as he drifted closer to his prey, he realized he was looking at both the past and the present in the face.
Dozens of crystallized organisms called these asteroids their home. At first he couldn’t be seen amidst the void. But as he drifted into the luminance provided by the crystal creatures, King Ghidorah’s memory came to fruition. This is not the first time he’s encountered this strange species. On the planet Mars, he found them cowering in large numbers. Ghidorah slew them without hesitation. It would appear there were more of them. And they helped shed light on another matter: his ravaged body. Many of his scars paid homage to his battle with Bagan, Earth’s monsters, and his cosmic rival. Ghidorah shrieked a silent curse in the space vacuum. This was all a trap. Since that day on Earth, he knew he was being hunted. It would appear SpaceGodzilla’s gambit was about to pay off.
A flash of crimson light pierced the black vacuum. King Ghidorah braced himself as the corona beam lanced into his golden hide. His golden scales tried in vain to project a barrier to thwart SpaceGodzilla’s signature attack. Remarkably, the damage was minor. Time was nothing but a thorn in his side. It could’ve been months since SpaceGodzilla started his hunt. That left him more than enough time to heal most of his wounds. It was time to find out if SpaceGodzilla was in better shape. King Ghidorah’s senses alerted him to the blue fiend’s whereabouts. Inside his maws, gravitational forces met golden light. Three lightning bolt shaped beams shot out of King Ghidorah’s jaws, striking the unseen form of the crystalline saurian. Explosions carved light into the blackness, revealing the demonic shape of the crystal conqueror.
One of his shoulder crystals gleamed with unholy light. The other was partially damaged. It would seem since their last encounter the shoulder crystal had started healing. Only it hadn’t reached full power yet. Ignoring the lesser crystal organisms, King Ghidorah propelled himself into the cosmic saurian. SpaceGodzilla couldn’t hear his painful shrieks as the sharp teeth of the hydra shredded his flesh. But the cosmic saurian was anything but helpless. He grabbed Ghidorah’s bulky necks, pumping high voltages of electricity into them. All it did was make the serpent’s jaws bite down harder. In a last ditch effort, SpaceGodzilla summoned his cosmic power, and unleashed a massive electromagnetic wave from all corners of his body. The white hot energies washed over King Ghidorah, superheating his flesh into molten blisters. Quickly, the golden destroyer retreated back.
The quartz beast felt his energy return. In space, he didn’t need a tower to retrieve energy from dying stars. There’s plenty of energy out here for him to sate his hunger. His red eyes closed into tiny slits. King Ghidorah was on the move. The three-headed dragon tried to ram SpaceGodzilla into the asteroids, but the reptilian extraterrestrial flew above him at the last second. In a blinding light, his back transformed into a massive spiky shell. Before Ghidorah could counter, SpaceGodzilla rammed him into an asteroid. The asteroid instantly exploded into thousands of smaller pieces. King Ghidorah felt gigantic crystal spikes prodding into his body. Now it was his time to return the pain.
Crimson lightning bolts shot out of the spikes on his wings, frying the dark blue flesh of the oppressor. SpaceGodzilla started floating back, albeit very slowly. King Ghidorah cackled in rage. This was an insult! He needed SpaceGodzilla to retreat faster. The longer it took for him to move away, the longer his stabbing spikes would make the aureate tyrant suffer. There was enough room for the three-headed destroyer to lift up his legs and kick SpaceGodzilla’s face. This sent the crystal monster reeling backwards. But hydra recognized his true intent. The cosmic saurian was going to charge at him again; but this time, he would be ready.
The two cosmic horrors met in a bone shattering collision. At first it looked as if King Ghidorah would prevail, but SpaceGodzilla was not so easily beaten. Summoning more comic power, the tyrannical warlord overpowered the beast of the apocalypse, and rammed him through several mountain sized asteroids. Before striking the largest asteroid in the belt, SpaceGodzilla’s body radiated with light. No longer just a physical being, he was essentially a living ball of energy.
Golden scales melted in the face of blistering heat, the last thing the great destroyer saw before slipping into the void was SpaceGodzilla ramming him into the giant asteroid, engulfing both monsters in a large explosion. Ghidorah floated aimlessly in space, unconscious. SpaceGodzilla watched him closely. He could not attack, for his energy cells were shot. It would take a few moments for his power to return. Until then the cosmic saurian would have to familiarize himself with the crystal organisms nearby. They had a familiar energy signature. He couldn’t explain why he shared an empathic relationship with them. Are they related to the crystals he himself are bonded to? SpaceGodzilla confessed he didn’t know anything about his heritage. All he could remember was a memory that predated his existence. A memory that was not his own.
It began and ended with a calling. Godzilla cells had somehow reached the outskirts of space, where they were assimilated by these crystal beings. The result was a hideous mutation, the birth of one of the most dangerous beings to ever haunt the endless shores of space. SpaceGodzilla was much like his genetic father in the beginning. He wasn’t aware of his existence. That was until the crystals opened his mind, planting an idea that has defined him since. And with this memory comes another, one that all of his crystal kin share. There is nothing more important in life than dominance. Life itself is chaotic. To achieve godhood, it must have a guiding hand. It must have a ruler. One who not only understands but believes in its purpose. SpaceGodzilla is the instrument of this idea. He is the guiding hand of the crystal singularity.
SpaceGodzilla’s shoulder crystals glowed, illuminating the prone cosmic killer stirring from the unconscious. There were many obstacles preventing SpaceGodzilla’s rule from becoming a universal reality, and King Ghidorah was one of them. Baptized in madness, the three-headed dragon reveled in chaos and misery. Before slaying the King of Terror, SpaceGodzilla hesitated. He would’ve made a mighty knight in his empire; but he’ll have to make an even better sacrifice.
Cosmic energy churned inside his demented mouth. Before firing, Ghidorah’s six red eyes opened in unison. SpaceGodzilla fired his corona beam only to watch in dismay as it was blasted apart by the onslaught of gravity beams. But obliterating his attack wasn’t enough. The gravity beams stabbed into his illuminating figure, his screams going unheard. King Ghidorah kept blasting the cosmic saurian, charring and shredding his flesh. When the energy attacks ceased and the space-fairing tyrant could think about other less painful things, the winged dragon pounced on him from behind. All three of Ghidorah’s jaws tightly gripped SpaceGodzilla’s neck. Red lightning snaked into the large necks of the hydra, ravaging his unseen muscles. But the golden devil persevered.
Penetrating SpaceGodzilla’s skin was by no means an easy feat. Not only because of its thickness and rapid healing factor, but because of its reinforced crystal skeleton. But the skeletal structure was not impervious. Ghidorah treated the neck of his rival as a jigsaw piece, twisting and crunching in the right areas. His senses once again served him well, acting much like a sixth sense. All SpaceGodzilla could do was burden the pain and pray he’d somehow survive. Much like how King Ghidorah lost consciousness earlier, so too would SpaceGodzilla. But before his lights went out, the crystalline beast felt an excruciating pain. With his jaws and neck muscles, Ghidorah snapped the neck of his dreaded foe, leaving him floating in space.
But it was not the end of SpaceGodzilla. The cosmic saurian silently floated away, as if being reeled in by an unseen force. Ghidorah’s senses picked up an abnormal presence. Somewhere in the dark, he was being watched. King Ghidorah licked the blood off his lips in anticipation. SpaceGodzilla’s flesh tasted good. He wanted more. But this new challenger must not be ignored. King Ghidorah waited patiently for what felt like hours. During that time, the King of Terror reflected on his rivalry with SpaceGodzilla, and how he played a role in his creation.
During the time of the dinosaurs, he roamed the solar system Earth called home. He journeyed to Mars, where he encountered SpaceGodzilla’s crystal ancestors. Ghidorah wiped them out without a second thought, yet he failed in destroying them all. Some must’ve departed the red planet, migrating to places lightyears away. Others took up refuge in close proximity to the neighboring gas giants. Where they assimilated Godzilla cells and evolved into SpaceGodzilla remained a mystery. He should’ve hunted them down from the very beginning. Now he must contend with a foe that is every bit his equal.
King Ghidorah hated SpaceGodzilla, possibly more than the King of the Monsters himself. Life’s a disease. It’s a cruel joke. King Ghidorah hated life from the moment it was first given to him. Not because survival was difficult. No, King Ghidorah hated life because the concept was inherently flawed. There’s no meaning behind it, nothing justifies its existence. There’s no supreme authority of which to abide by. There’s another reason why he hated life so much. Not long after his birth, he discovered the truth behind its abysmal purpose. He can’t remember what it was about the truth that had driven him insane.
Then along came SpaceGodzilla, seeking dominion over these flawed abortions. Ghidorah didn’t care how evil he was. He didn’t care how much of a ruthless tyrant he would someday become. It was his god complex that earned him his hatred. SpaceGodzilla should’ve known better. With all his power and intellect, he should’ve joined Ghidorah in carrying out his apocalyptic crusade. But SpaceGodzilla refused to see the truth. He refused to give in to madness. He refused to believe in Ghidorah.
King Ghidorah will kill him for that. He would’ve killed him even if he didn’t have a reason.
That’s when Ghidorah saw it. It was the outline of a dwarf planet. Ethereal swirls of blue and green light started illuminating its surface. He found it eerily pleasant. But the hypnotic hold it had quickly faded when he saw what emerged from it. Countless crystal organisms flocked to SpaceGodzilla’s beckoning. They forfeited their power, accelerating his regeneration. Within seconds, his broken neck was healed. SpaceGodzilla sensed these creatures were nothing more than mindless drones. They were sent to obey his every command. The cosmic tyrant transformed their unique shapes into crystal spears. Ghidorah couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His army of drones had transformed into an armada of crystal missiles. With a silent shriek, SpaceGodzilla launched them at his enemy. King Ghidorah flew straight at them, dodging the first wave with relative ease. Gravity beams shot out of his jaws, obliterating those he deemed were too close for comfort.
Suddenly, SpaceGodzilla stopped firing them. He paused in suspended space, confused by the decision to stop. Why did he cease firing the crystal missiles? Ghidorah knew he couldn’t avoid them all. That’s when it dawned on him to turn around. Those crystal missiles he dodged earlier had stopped and spun around. They were coming back for him. That’s when SpaceGodzilla launched the rest.
The gleaming, wounded dragon opened fire, blasting a good chunk of the crystals that were coming back for seconds. But that left his back exposed and unguarded. Dozens of crystal missiles shattered against his thick golden scales, burning them with its white hot explosions. King Ghidorah retaliated with his gravity beams and red lightning strikes, destroying many oncoming crystal missiles in his wake. The corona beam curved around many of his crystal missiles, stabbing into Ghidorah’s middle head. Several crystal missiles punched through his wings, severely weakening his control over gravity. That’s when the King of Terror concentrated on the source of his burdens. Three gravity beams shot past the crystal missiles, closing in on the hovering SpaceGodzilla. An energy shield thwarted them before they could inflict further harm. SpaceGodzilla mocked the devil of the universe, blasting him with corona beams, crystal missiles, and electromagnetic waves. Explosions of light and fire eclipsed the hydra’s demented shape, but SpaceGodzilla stopped when he realized Ghidorah was radiating most of that light.
King Ghidorah shined so bright, he resembled a miniature star, but all that energy was being funneled to his three mouths. SpaceGodzilla’s crystal missiles blew up prematurely before they could get anywhere close. When Ghidorah fired his supercharged gravity beams, SpaceGodzilla diverted all of his power to his energy shield. The blinding strike struck the crystalline shield, slivers of the yellow hued energies deflecting off the shield’s translucent surface. Most of the destructive energies proved too much for the shield to handle. Before long, the gravity beams dissipated the shield and consumed SpaceGodzilla entirely. It wasted no time in stripping the flesh from his crystal bones. His reinforced crystal sternum disintegrated, exposing his veins, arteries, and entrails to a hellish existence.
Before SpaceGodzilla could die, the gravity beams faded. With his energy cells depleted, Ghidorah would have to wait for his body to recharge. But he shouldn’t wait for him to restore his health. Floating in a cloud of ash and blood, the vile beast stirred. His shoulder crystals burned bright red. Wisps of smoke curled off his crystals and scorched hide. Never before had SpaceGodzilla endured so much pain. At the cost of most of his flesh, his crystals were fully charged. It would seem they saw King Ghidorah’s energy attack as nothing more than a buffet. It was strange how he could see the inner workings of his body. He stared at his skeletal hand, stunned to see the energy coursing through his exposed veins and muscles. He couldn’t feel pain anymore. This was a good thing. It would’ve slowed him down. That’s when he caught his reflection off his skeletal hand. There was almost no skin left on his face and neck. SpaceGodzilla watched the horn on his forehead glow with immense cosmic power.
It conveyed his rage perfectly.
Ghidorah answered by flying straight at him. SpaceGodzilla spewed his strongest corona beam. With most of his power behind it, the corona beam closed in and stabbed into the middle head, overheating his brain until parts of it popped. It zapped down his spinal column, blasting in and out of his backside. Ghidorah’s painful cry was so loud, SpaceGodzilla wondered if he actually heard it or not. Still, the golden dragon continued flying straight at SpaceGodzilla.
When the King of Terror rammed into the demonic reptile, the collision shattered his upper and lower body. But it didn’t stop there. Both monsters were on a one way trip to the dwarf planet below them. The same ethereal force from before greeted them with open arms. Falling at speeds greater than sound, Ghidorah wondered if he’d survive the impact. To ensure his survival, he made sure SpaceGodzilla would cushion the blow for him. SpaceGodzilla had other ideas. He impaled Ghidorah’s abdomen with his tail. Fighting the agonizing pain, the serpentine side heads crunched the bloody neck of the dying conqueror. The middle head flailed without any sense of control or awareness. To make matters worse, SpaceGodzilla transformed his entire lower body into crystal spikes. To do this he had to pull his tail in. This pulled Ghidorah’s body closer to his. When this happened his crystals sliced the golden demon open, spilling out massive amounts of blood.
That’s when the two monsters heard each other for the first time in months. It was because they had fallen through the planet’s atmosphere. They fell through its hypnotic luminance, screaming. Thousands of feet below, a crystal kingdom brimming with cosmic lust waited for them. When the two giants made impact, millions of tons of rock and crystal shot up. Mountains miles away trembled as the land itself shook apart. Inside the massive crater, SpaceGodzilla’s broken body rested. His shoulder crystals crumbled into broken shards. His heartbeat was faint. SpaceGodzilla felt his life slipping into the abyss beyond the void.
Ghidorah was in better condition. Although most of his bones were broken, his wings had been left intact. He could still fly himself out of here if he wanted to. But the impact left both of his right and left heads unconscious. Only the middle one was close to being lucid. But it wasn’t thinking clearly. It was caught somewhere between its conscious and subconscious, neither dead nor alive. And so Ghidorah regained what it once lost. He remembered everything about his life. He remembered how he was born into life and how he was born into madness. The other heads regained consciousness shortly thereafter. It took hours for the middle one to recover and synchronize with the other two. Controlling gravity, King Ghidorah ascended above the fallen SpaceGodzilla, drifting further and further into the dark heavens.
Unbeknownst to the King of Terror, webs of crystals popped out of the ground, ensnaring their Cosmic Sultan. They endowed his cold body with their cosmic power, imbuing him with new life. SpaceGodzilla opened one of his eyes, thankful to be alive. It didn’t matter if he lost the battle. King Ghidorah believed him to be dead. One day, SpaceGodzilla will return stronger than ever before, and win this war once and for all.
The wounded hydra sailed across the cosmic seas. Once again time was a cruel adversary. It will take months for him to make a full recovery. He couldn’t risk attacking a planet infected by sentient life. In his fragile state, he didn’t like his chances against even the most primitive civilization. For now King Ghidorah would have to settle to feed off backwater creatures or solar energy. He purged his thoughts of the Cosmic Sultan, SpaceGodzilla. They will fight again someday. Strangely enough, it’s not how close SpaceGodzilla came to winning that troubled Ghidorah. No, it’s how his recovered memories made him feel. He regained them shortly after venturing into the abyss, where gods and monsters alike are devoured by the nightmares of mortals.
Eons ago, he discovered the ultimate truth, and it drove him mad. Today, the King of Terror remembered why. If there is or once was a God, then it is responsible for King Ghidorah’s existence. For in a time before time, God dreamt of a nightmare and it took the shape of a three-headed dragon. That’s the truth behind his purpose should he choose to believe in it. But since he believes in nothing, then madness is the only truth Ghidorah will ever know. With this revelation, King Ghidorah didn’t feel any different. He felt the same as he did the previous day. He felt rage. He felt loneliness. He felt his black soul seething with evil.
He felt empty.
Winner: Grand King Ghidorah
