Author: Thomas Fairchild | Banner: Christian Salabert

The terrain was flat and barbaric. Only looming, jagged mountains could be seen amiss the area of where two titanic monsters were present. On one side of the battlefield was the mechanical behemoth that closely resembled the abomination that laid waste to Tokyo in 1954; while on the other, stood the intergalactic cyborg whose only intent was the annihilation of the human race.

A loud, shrieking cry escaped the cyborg’s beak as the space monster identified as Gigan ran towards the mechanical leviathan that stood before him. Kiryu answered Gigan’s cry by opening his metallic mouth, which rippled with plasma energy and doused the air with a swirling wave of power.

Gigan’s crimson eye flashed as the cyborg leapt into the air, avoiding the plasma beam that passed beneath its feet. Kiryu’s maser cannon collided with a canyon that stood erect out of the ground and blasted it into two. As the remnants of the canyon plummeted towards the chasm, Gigan had ascended to the bright sky and looked down upon the machine created by man.

The machine’s amber glowing eyes observed Gigan as the glowing gem on its forehead began to absorb particles of light. A digital cry escaped Kiryu’s metallic lips as the machine’s artificial mind alerted him of the unusual event that was transpiring before his very lenses.

A beam of energy darted from Gigan’s forehead and slit deep in Kiryu’s armored chest, stripping it in rapid succession. The metallic skin began to glow bright orange, the metal melting from the intense heat.

The crimson beam faded and torrents of smoke burst from Gigan’s wings. The cyborg dove straight towards Kiryu, whose sensors were reporting the damages. The machine lifted his head at the last second and felt the impact of Gigan’s lethal hammer claws. The MechaGodzilla of the new millennium was knocked off his feet and slid across the ground, until he came to a stop. Kiryu’s razor sharp claws scraped the ground as the mechanical lifeform slowly rose to his feet.

But just as Kiryu prepared for another Gigan encounter, the cyborg was nowhere to be seen. Kiryu’s optic eyes scanned the area, searching for Gigan. As Kiryu’s alarm system activated, the great machine whirled his head in the opposite direction and saw Gigan fly by. Another jab hammered into Kiryu’s face once again, plastering his posterior into the rugged ground.

Kiryu pushed himself up enough so that it could at least see Gigan flying away. With the target locked on, rockets burst from their compartments and seared through the air, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. Just as quickly as they left their ports, the missiles struck Gigan’s flying form in a shower of sparks that enveloped the cyborg.

A split second later, Kiryu saw Gigan collide head first into the ground, and erupted in an explosive blast upon impact. With only the cover of dust and rubble, Gigan recuperated and prepared for another strike; however, Kiryu had once again locked onto Gigan’s position and wasted no time to carry out his next assault.

Bright flashes of energy torpedoed out of Kiryu’s mouth and streaked towards Gigan’s position, bombarding the alien cyborg. Only the high pitched shrieks of the cybernetic lifeform could be heard, and strangely enough, this pleased Kiryu.

Raising his claws and pointing them directly to where Gigan had fallen, the artificial lifeform prepared its next assault. Gigan’s claws raked the ground and pushed up, now kneeling and bracing itself for the inevitable. Dozens of energy beams were released from the two laser cannons mounted on each of Kiryu’s wrists, bombarding the cybernetic monster with searing pellets. The space creature flailed wildly, deflecting some measly shots with his metal claws.

Kiryu parted his jaws and twin beams twirled around the other, striking Gigan’s golden scales. Gigan stumbled back and fell into the side of a canyon that supported its weight. Already, the cyborg urged itself to fly away and forget about fighting the mission, but the onslaught had not ended. Maser cannons, missiles, and energy beams continued to pour into Gigan’s form in a scalding fashion.

Rearing its hind legs up and using the only ounce of energy it possessed, Gigan charged at Kiryu, even when it was being bombarded relentlessly. Missiles imploded against its thick hide and blew up in an explosive display. Yet this did not deter as the cyborg approached its metallic foe. Wielding its hammer claws, Gigan knocked Kiryu across the face.

A loud clamoring sound echoed across the distant terrain after both bone and metal clashed in an unsporting fashion. A sonic cry escaped Kiryu’s metallic lips as Gigan continued to swing with its hammer claws, further denting Kiryu’s armor and forcing the robot retreat.

Alarms flared in Kiryu’s sensors, but Gigan had successfully knocked Kiryu off his feet. The ground shuddered as Kiryu’s body bounced off the ground and rolled on his side. There was no movement as Gigan crept towards Kiryu, the latter who remained motionless. Looking down at the fallen machine, the intergalactic weapon released a shrieking cry. Particles of light glimmered around the red gem on its forehead, eager to fire away.

Just as the energy beam tore through with its full fury, the rocket boosters on Kiryu’s back and legs sprang to life and blasted out of harm’s way. The mechanical dragon hovered in the air and observed Gigan, who railed the ground with its energy beam. When the cyborg learned that it wasn’t Kiryu that it was firing at, it was too late; Kiryu’s rockets pierced the air and detonated against Gigan’s thick hide. Dense smoke and tiny sparks of explosions shrouded Gigan’s body, distracting the cyborg.

The compartment on Kiryu’s chest opened up, revealing a port that was glowing with a bright orb of light. Bolts of energy dazzled around the shining sphere and a blue aura began to glisten around Kiryu’s chest. Just as Gigan’s cycloptic eye found Kiryu, the cyborg was taken back and sensed fear. Every natural sense in Gigan’s body urged it to run, but it was too late. Gigan backed away until a large canyon held it at bay, and the screaming cries of Gigan echoing across the area.

A meteor-like object burst from Kiryu’s chest, signaling the launch of the Absolute Zero Cannon. Gigan’s shrieks ceased and the area went dead silent. The canyon that held Gigan at bay was a huge block of ice, which contained the frozen corpse of the cyborg itself. Satisfied by his initial victory, Kiryu turned and walked away from Gigan’s graveyard.

No more than a few hours later, both man and beast were aware of Gigan’s demise that occurred on Monster Island. All at the metallic claws of the new generation of MechaGodzilla, Kiryu.

Winner: Kiryu