There’s not a whole lot to do in Pennsylvania. Especially if you’re into pop culture. There’s a few comic book stores, or the occasional comic con… but most of your geeky hobby time will be spent online or in your own home. But there’s always that diamond in the rough. In PA, one of those diamonds is The Mahoning Drive-In Theater. A drive in located in Lehighton Pennsylvania that specializes in screening classic films. They are the last remaining Drive-In in the country that exclusively plays 35mm films. (more…)

Author: Matthew Freese | Banner: Dao Zang Moua | Narration: Alicia Ingram

 

A few days ago, everything was normal on Earth. Yes, there was international tension, many going hungry, and all the different things that usually plagued humanity. But there were people solving these things, there were paths to solve these issues because humanity knew what it was up against and had dealt with these things before.

Now Seattle had rivers of lava running through it, Mount Rainier spewing smoke and molten rock like it was from a myth. Colossal, alien crystals tore their way out of the ground, dotted around the city like pox sores. And trudging through the city was a colossus of stone, a boiling furnace of molten rock within his black shell.

Seattle was not alone in its suffering. Meteor showers had occurred all over the planet, bringing the strange crystals which settled in and sprouted forth. The effects they had were varied and harsh. Tokyo was horrifically flooded, Paris was wrapped in thorny vines, San Francisco was rocked by freak earthquakes, and so many more were undergoing so much.

Giant monsters roamed the planet, turning the whole of Earth into a battleground. Earth’s guardians, Humanity’s constructed warriors, the forces of the Vortaak, and power hungry mutants warred for dominance, adding to the calamity and death toll.

It seemed like the end of the world.

But for Obsidius, it was the beginning of his.

And like any newborn lifeform, he had no idea of what he would do in this world. Roaming the volcanic wasteland of blackened rock and steel structures, the magmatic creature scanned the landscape. He lacked eyes, his face consisted of a cavernous hole which dripped lava, but he was still able to detect what his environment looked like.

As he used his bulky hands to push a building aside, just to watch it crumble and fall into a burning river, he was unaware that he was being watched.

In the planet’s atmosphere, its exact location hidden from humankind’s sensors, a grand ship shaped like a saucer observed the world below. It was made of dark metal and illuminated by pulsing green and purple lights, and that was how its innards looked as well.

The Vortaak Mothership was also a city, and within the tallest building located in its very center, their queen watched. A gigantic monitor displaying numerous video feeds showed her all of the affected cities, scenes of chaos and battle playing out all over the world. But she had underlings to let her know of any major developments she missed, so she chose to focus on one city.

With the push of a button, Seattle was the only thing displayed, taking up all the space on the monitor.

“Another creature spawned from these crystals? How intriguing,” Vorticia spoke to herself. “Perhaps you will be more receptive to us than your ‘brother’ was.”

Her hands moved back to the panel of buttons. With two presses of a button, one to call upon one of the Vortaak’s war beasts and the other to tell it where to go, she set one of her kind’s servants on the path to Seattle.

Down on Earth, a signal reached the mind of a strange creature, born on another world. It shifted course towards its target, obeying the will of its rulers.

Back in Seattle, Obsidius began to walk out of the city limits, into the nearby lake. He looked out into the horizon, lost in the vastness of it all. He turned, going back into the comfort of familiarity. The water sizzled into steam and rose off his legs as he went back to the heated environment.

He wanted to venture forth, but was scared at the same time. What was out there waiting for him? He knew other life forms existed, some had wandered nearby but not entered since his arrival.

Would the world reject him, attempt to destroy him?

A strange growl broke his train of thought, drawing him to turn. Entering the city was another colossus like him, but quite different at the same time.

Four spider-like limbs jutted from its back, hypnotically waving through the air. They framed an elongated head with a wide, toothy maw. With a purple body and a grey head, it fit the aesthetic of the Vortaak perfectly, even though they had not created it. But when they found the fierce creature, they made it their own with no hesitation.

The Visitor, also lacking eyes, roared again to intimidate. But Obsidius let loose his bellowing call in response, smacking his chest with his thick fists to punctuate his display.

“So, this one refuses to bend the knee. Oh well, the Vortaak were never ones for mercy anyway.” Vorticia laughed haughtily. “Beat it down and drag its unconscious body to us.”

Charging forward, the alien beast quickly closed the distance. He dragged his claws across Obsidius’ chest, throwing out sparks as a few shallow grooves were carved into the stone. The magma beast replied with a strong punch to the Visitor’s chest, forcing the alien back a few steps as he groaned. Obsidius lunged forward, swinging an arm towards his foe. This time, the alien hopped out of the strike’s path.

The top pair of blades on the extraterrestrial’s back lashed out, punching dents into the stone hide of his foe. Crying out, the spawn of the crystals grabbed one of the blades before the Visitor could draw it back. Obsidius lifted up, carrying his odd foe over his head. The alien cried out before being slammed head first into a building, crushing the structure of steel and concrete beneath his bulk.

Dust obscured the Visitor’s body, but despite the blow he had just taken, he was not out. Two of his extra limbs reached out, swiping Obsidius’ legs out from under him. The magma beast roared and flailed in shock, releasing the limb in his grasp. The Visitor rolled out of the debris pile, swiftly straddling Obsidus’ chest.

The molten monster roared, only to be punched across the face. The side of his skull hit the ground, and as he looked back to his foe, a second punch from the opposite side had similar results. The Visitor roared, putting both fists together then smashing them into Obsidius’ chest. It cracked the black stone.

From the void of the magma beast’s face came a geyser of bright lava. The Visitor shrieked as it crashed into his chest, sending him tumbling back and off of his foe. Obsidius pushed himself up, keeping the high-pressure stream focused on the alien as he got to his feet.

When the assault ceased, the Visitor was left with a large, black mark on his chest. Lava dripped down from his body and onto the scorched landscape below. His extra limbs pushed against the ground, holding him upright enough to bend his head down and have his cranium face Obsidius.
The alien grinned as a purple glow formed on the top of his head, captivating the magma beast for a moment. It was time to return the favor.

Obsidius’ stupor ended when a beam of violet, surging energy shot forth, blazing into his torso. He was forced back, feet dragging across the ground. The Visitor’s glee faded when he realized how well his foe was taking the Brainspasm. It did not push him off his feet, and while Obsidius did cry out in shock and pain, little damage seemed to actually be occurring to his shell.

Growling, the alien kept feeding power to his attack. Obsidius began to walk forward, holding up an arm to block the psychic waves. He felt exhilarated, powerful. He was learning just what he was capable of, and he was loving it. Unknown to either, this was the result of the crystals that spawned him, which were naturally resilient to energy attacks.

The magma beast hopped forwards, curling up to turn himself into a ball. The Brainspasm’s concussive force was not enough to hold him back, allowing him to crush the Visitor beneath his weight. The beam faded, the alien gasping.

Four blades sank into the sphere of stone, earning a muffled bellow of anguish from within. Despite the weight crushing down on him, and the heat assailing the ends of his extra limbs, he continued pushing. He had to hit an organ or vein at some point, and he had the durability to withstand this pain.

Part of the ball unfurled, revealing a hulking right arm. It gripped one of the spider-like legs, throttling it and attempting to pull it free. The other arm emerged, slamming a closed fist onto the Visitor’s chin. With his foe caught off guard and staggered, Obsidius pulled one of the blades from his back. He fully unrolled, groaning as both lava dropped from the wound and the blades in his back were jostled by his movements.

The Visitor growled, ripping his other right blade free. He flipped Obsidius off of his body, smashing the magma beast against the ground beside him. The impact freed the spawn of the crystals from the remaining limbs, allowing him to quickly climb to his feet.

Soon, both were back on their feet, staring each other down. Four miniature streams of lava poured down Obsidius’s back, and a massive bruise formed beneath the already present burn on the Visitor’s torso.

Growling, the alien re-evaluated things. Ranged combat was not an option, for his psychic assault was feeble against this foe. In physical combat he was at a disadvantage. His flesh did not hold as well against the heavy blows of his foe as the magma beast’s rocky hide held against his own strikes. Merely trading blows was not a path to victory here.

Obsidius did not let him think more as he vomited forth another geyser of molten rock, putting the Visitor on the defensive. Crossing his arms, he shielded his damaged body. From the extraterrestrial’s cranium came another psychic attack, which struck the lava and ceased its current. Droplets of glowing fluid soared as the geyser broke before the Brainspasm.

Both beams ceased, prompting the stone colossus to charge. He slammed his fists into the ground, then lifted himself up and sent his legs forward. The Visitor leapt into the air, avoiding the dual kick as he sailed backwards. Obsidius kept charging as soon as he regained solid footing, viciously bellowing.

The Visitor side stepped his foe, swinging a backhand across the magma beast’s face. Momentum sent Obsidius rolling onto the ground. Before he could recover, his extraterrestrial foe rushed towards him, grabbing the molten creature.

Holding his foe up, the alien’s extra limbs began rapidly stabbing and slashing. One crashed into the side of the volcanic berserker’s skull, tearing a chunk out of the rim of his maw. Molten blood oozed from various cuts, and the haunting bellows of Obsidius echoed across Seattle.

The volcanic berserker’s hands shot up, one slamming into the Visitor’s upper jaw and the other into his lower jaw. Teeth flew from both, along with blood and saliva as the jaws went in opposite directions. Reflexively, the alien hurled his foe away, then stumbled back as he growled.

Obsidius crashed into a river of lava, splashing it across the nearby block. Glass shattered as the globs crashed through them, smoke rising as metal began to sizzle and warp. A shadow fell over him, prompting him to quickly roll. The Visitor slammed feet first into the lava where his foe had just been, and immediately regretted it.

He attempted to run away, relieve his feet of the burning pain, but a thick hand gripped his ankle. The alien tripped, falling into the blazing river. Obsidius dragged himself forward, trying to get onto his foe. One of the Visitor’s extra limbs swept back, bashing the magma beast across the skull. Despite hearing the sound of stone being sheared away, the alien still felt his foe pulling on him.

Pain filled Obsidius, a sensation he had not even known an hour ago. It drove him forward, compelled him to do whatever he could to cease this horrid sensation. The panicked cries of his foe filled him with determination. Not just because he knew he had a path to victory, but also because of what it meant. He was powerful, immune to things that gravely endangered most creatures.

If the wider world wished to destroy him, it would never be able to.

He grabbed two of the extra limbs of his foe, taking them in one hand. Their flailing brought him closer, allowing him to reach up and wrap his other hand around the Visitor’s throat.

The alien’s skin was coated in burns. His home world was cold, so it was frigid that his body was used to. As his foe’s grip tightened, he tried to fight back, but the pain and panic made it too hard to focus. His thrashing tossed lava onto his back, preventing his anguish from numbing.
Obsidus forced his foe’s face into the lava, spewing his own molten rock out to fully submerge the head. He ceased spraying the molten fluid, urged to by a strange sensation. It compelled him to focus on his arm and the energy within his core. Was he capable of something he did not know of?

Even as the blades of his foe crashed against his back, he remained still and centered. Besides, the strength of the blows was quickly fading.

The Visitor’s power waned even swifter when glowing energy began to leave his body, traveling down Obsidius’s fingers and through his arm. The alien’s flailing grew more frantic and sluggish at the same time, a desperate attempt at survival where the body could not match the spirit.
The volcanic berserker stared, transfixed as life faded from the Visitor. The spider-like limbs went limp, as did the rest of the body. Obsidius felt no remorse for taking a life. It had tried to take his, so he defended himself. Such was the basic instinct found in all lifeforms. If something else tried a similar assault upon him, he would kill it as well.

Standing up, he looked into the horizon. He began to walk, confident that he could handle whatever life threw at him. Obsidius barely regarded the corpse he left behind. It had served its purpose to him, a test to determine if he could survive and thrive.

Soon, he left his birthplace behind.

“You have made a powerful enemy, Obsidius. You believe yourself to be invincible for killing one of my pawns? I have many more, those far better equipped than the Visitor to destroy you. You will never be safe!” Vorticia practically growled from her throne, plotting out what move to make next.

Far away, on the opposite side of the country from Seattle. New York City had not been afflicted as heavily as other major cities, aside from the colossal crater near its heart which glowed with crystals.

Crouched low to the ground, a creature coated in purple crystals crawled around the crater’s rim. It seemed to be listening with how it tilted its head, baring teeth in a malicious grin. Suddenly, it straightened up, getting on two legs. Flexing its thin yet muscular arms, Krystalak began to run. He soon left New York City, compelled by a command from an unseen menace stalking creation.

To find his newly battle-hardened brother.

Winner: Obsidius

Godzilla.com has been through a number of transformations since it first came on the scene, originally as a device to promote GODZILLA (1998). This news article tracks some major updates that have occurred to the site since its resurrection and Toho took it over directly. (more…)

Chris Mirjahangir and Brian Elston interview marketing director Akos Gyorkei of Zen Studios, the developer responsible for the release of the Godzilla vs. Kong-themed pinball game available on consoles and PC.

(more…)

(more…)

Author: Harley Jameson | Banner: Vincent Rodger

[Continued from Match 322]

Rain hammered against the roof of the National Weather Station hub and the two midnight workers were bored out of their minds. The storm hadn’t been severe enough to issue a warning, but they were the ones chosen that day for the graveyard shift. One worker with messy brown hair and wearing a hoodie over his usual work clothes took a sip of the coffee his co-worker had provided. “We need to replace the coffee filter Logan,” he said, before taking another sip. “This tastes like crap.”

“We’ve needed to replace the filter for weeks Bruce,” Logan replied lazily, shifting through various streams of weather-related data. “If you wanna go out in that mess, then feel free.” They both glanced up as a peal of thunder shook the heavens above them. “Jesus, we might need to issue a storm warning after all. It’s getting pretty bad out there.”

Bruce hummed thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair and reading over the data on his computer. “Yeah, maybe. Lemme see if we can get a better image of the storm…” He leaned over lazily, typing his commands into the keyboard to get a couple different graphs and viewpoints before frowning. “That can’t be right,” he said, straightening up and typing more urgently.

His eyes widened in alarm, and he stared open mouthed at his computer. “Logan,” he said after a moment. “Come here and tell me that I’ve gone insane.”

His co-worker did as asked, standing up and walking over to the computer and stiffening at the sight. “What the hell…” He mumbled, walking over to his own computer and typing in the same requests that Bruce had typed into his. The two men gave each other an awkward stare, the rain slamming against the roof of the building. “That… that’s not possible,” Logan said at last.

Bruce rubbed his face with his hands, before scooting over on his chair to grab the phone. “I’m calling Jess, she can chew me out for waking her up all she wants.” He began dialing his boss’s number, tapping his fingers nervously against the desk. “But I don’t know what the hell to do about thi- Jess? Yeah, it’s Bruce. Look I know it’s late but something really bad is happening.”

Gaze flickering towards the computer screen, he took a small breath. “It’s El Niño, Jess. It’s moving.”

—-

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

The winds shrieked viciously and heavy rains lashed against the turbulent and boiling oceans. Waves rose up and crashed violently back down onto the water, spraying foam and water everywhere before the whole area was lit up with the blinding flash of lightning in the storm clouds.

Water exploded outwards and a howling roar tore through the air above the cacophony of nature. With a bright flash of blue light, Godzilla fired his atomic ray wildly up into the storm clouds blindly, poking holes that were quickly covered up by more of the storm. The waves reared up and splashed against Godzilla’s chest and head. Meanwhile, lightning slammed around the King of the Monsters, sending mist and sparks showering into the air when it hit the water.

Godzilla roared again, fighting to keep his head above the angry water and firing another atomic ray into the sky, only for another wave to crash against his face and cut it short with a spluttering cough. The loud, deafening roar of thunder exploded from the heavens and another bolt of lightning came screaming down and hit Godzilla directly on the few exposed dorsal plates. He screamed as his body was pumped with electricity, seizing in agony for a brief moment.

The whistling of the winds grew stronger. The ocean seethed in tune with Godzilla and he once again fired his atomic ray into the storm clouds, uncaring this time as seawater and lightning danced all around him. A huge wave swelled up, and the colossus fired another atomic ray at the rising water to no avail. With a deafening crash Godzilla was swept away by the furious wall of water as it collapsed down on top of him, sending him spiraling back into the depths of the ocean. Above him, the storm grew heavier. The sound of thunder became more distant as something moved in the clouds towards Japan. Beneath the waves, Godzilla began his pursuit.

—

Lake Ishi

The rain had merged into a single, droning noise on the lakeside manor, drowning out the sounds of the television news station as it reported on the storm warning that was now being formally issued. Now formally the Okouchi household, the scent of warming herbal tea was only offset by the occasional crashing of the lake’s churning waters. Former major, now commander of the aerial side of G-Force, Ryuunosuke Fujin sat in the living room with his cane splayed across his lap, watching the news half-heartedly.

“You know, some would call it unfair that I had a head-start on stocking up for the storm,” The light, teasing tone of Asuka Okouchi broke through the monotony of the rain with a tray of piping hot tea and a few sandwiches. She smiled, a slight twinkle in her eye as she set the tea down and poured the commander a cup. “Especially by such a high ranking member of G-Force. Honey?”

Ryuunosuke waved his hand a bit, sitting up a bit more in his chair. “Officially, I told you absolutely nothing. Besides, this part of the country is rather isolated. By the time the official announcement went out, you probably wouldn’t have had time to supply yourself properly, Miss Okouchi.”

“Please, Commander, call me Asuka,” she insisted firmly, placing his tea on the table next to him with a sandwich. Another teasing smile twitched on her lips. “Although I suppose it helps people believe that you’re not my father, with how much you’ve tried to take care of me lately.”

He chuckled, blowing into his tea and taking a sip. The liquid scalded his throat a little, but the taste was worth it in his opinion. “All I did was make sure that you got to keep the house that… that Miss Segusa had, and if you want to be called Asuka, then I want to be called Ryuunosuke. You’re not formally part of G-Force, you don’t have to address me by rank.”

Asuka hummed, sipping her own tea and watching the Major carefully. “And it’s the guilt over her death that keeps driving you to try and help me.” Swallowing a bite of her sandwich, she leaned back on the loveseat. “Even though my powers are waning, it doesn’t take an ESP to see how much it’s affected you.” Her eyes glanced down at his cane. “That with the stress of your new promotion…”

With a guilty shrug, he took another sip of his tea. “I manage. If the world thinks I’m going to roll over because I need a cane to walk, they’re dead wrong.” He sniffed, motioning with his cup. “This tea, Asuka, is very good by the way.”

Rolling her eyes a bit at the blatant attempt to change the subject, Asuka leaned over and turned the volume on her TV up a few notches. “If it wasn’t raining so hard, I’d take you out to the greenhouse. I’ve finally finished rebuilding it and I’ve started on a flower garden.” A sad, wistful smile blossomed on her face. “I’ve started with Roses. I thought it was appropriate, considering… considering Miki’s passion before joining me at the school. You know…”

Leaning over, she set her teacup down on the tray and poured herself another cup. “If you find the military too exhausting, you could always join the school and help me teach the younger ones. It’s a bit difficult with just myself there now.”

Ryuunosuke snorted into his sandwich, shaking his head and wiping his mouth a bit. “I mean you no offense Asuka, but I’d rather deal with the incompetent morons of the Self Defense Force than a bunch of high schoolers.”

She laughed out loud at that, giving an exaggerated exhale. “I guess you have a point. But if you ever change your mind, the door’s always open.” A shrill beep suddenly pierced the air, causing Asuka to jump a bit as the major pulled out his pager.

He squinted at the message, before sighing and grabbing his cane. “It seems I’m needed back at the base. I’m sorry, it looks like I’ll have to cut this meeting short.” Planting his cane on the floor, he hauled himself up and waved away Asuka’s attempts to help him. “Be safe, will you?”

She pulled him in for a brief hug. “Only if you do the same, Ryuunosuke.”

Returning the gesture, he adjusted his jacket a bit and gave her a wry smile. “I’ll do my best, assuming Godzilla doesn’t beat me to it.” Chuckling darkly, he made his way to the door and pulled on his raincoat and stepped outside into the storm, sloshing through the mud a bit as he made his way over to his car and stepped inside.

Rubbing his hands together, he dumped the raincoat on the passenger’s seat and turned the motor, cranking up the heater and pulling out of the driveway slowly. Despite the message summoning him back, he had to drive carefully over the slippery mud and unpaved roads of Lake Ishi until he made it back to the highway.

—-

G-Force Japanese HQ

Grateful for once about the insulated warmth of the sleek silver-grey building of G-Force headquarters, Commander Fujin hobbled his way past the receptionist’s area and down the stairs towards the heart of the building. His leg throbbed a bit as he briskly marched down to the control center, computer screens whirring and various screens blasting information at a breakneck pace. They had shut the elevators down due to the storm, out of fear that someone would get trapped in there. A few men saluted him as he passed by. “At ease, Men.” He raised his voice so it would be heard over the din of computer banks and conversation. “Anyone want to tell me why I was called down here?”

One of the scientists, Ryuunosuke couldn’t quite remember his name, approached him with his hand slightly raised. “It was General Kazuma, sir. I believe he said he’d personally fill you in on the situation. We already have a representative of the SDF here in the war room. If you’ll follow me, sir.”

The commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he followed the scientist to the war room. General Kazuma, the man in charge of G-Force’s ground troops, ordinarily didn’t give briefings himself. He believed his rank meant that he didn’t need to get involved with the nitty gritty of everyday soldiering anymore. His grip tightened on his cane, realizing that the situation must be serious if Kazuma was willing to get his hands dirty a bit.

The war room was already packed with a few individuals. The General, a man in a Self Defense Force uniform, a couple of his best pilots and what he presumed to be a couple of Kazuma’s men. Kazuma was studying a map of the storm, his angular features shadowed by the light. He turned his gaze towards his co-worker and gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. “Good, you’re finally here.” He turned, hands clasped behind his back. “To put it in the terms of our American counterpart: We’re up shit creek without a paddle.” He inclined his hand to one of his men, who handed a couple of files to the Commander. “We’ve got a more detailed report of the storm and we’ve found that there’s some sort of creature that’s living inside of it.”

Ryuunosuke opened the file, studying the few blurry photographs of the rainswept skies and reading over the information detailed therein as Kazuma continued. “The violent nature of the storm means that we don’t know much about this creature, except that it is responsible for the weather phenomena known as ‘El Niño.’ The only other bits of information we found was its name: Balkzardan.”

The commander nodded, still reading as he absorbed the information. “So this Balkzardan is responsible for the storm,” He concluded, although he knew it was an obvious one to draw. Finally, he looked up and met Kazuma’s impassive gaze. “Yet that’s not the sole reason you called me back here, is it? While this creature must undoubtedly be dealt with, I presume Godzilla is somehow involved.”

Kazuma studied him for a few moments, before nodding sharply. “Yes, unfortunately that is the case. Just before our satellites stopped being able to track him, Godzilla was reported to be following the storm.” His voice grew quiet now, more serious. “It’s likely that Godzilla perceives Balkzardan as a threat or invading his territory, and is trying to ward him off. With the storm coming over the mainland…”

Ryuunosuke felt his chest tighten a bit, and he finished the morbid line of logic the other man had started. “Godzilla will follow, causing untold devastation in his wake.” He sighed, looking down at the paperwork that now suddenly felt like it weighed as much as the King of the Monsters. “And evacuation attempts?”

“Slow, the storm is impeding the process greatly,” Kazuma explained, bowing his head a bit. “I’m afraid that if a flood starts, our normal kaiju shelters will be overrun with water. We have storm shelters as well, but they’re not quite as protected against Godzilla. A lot of people are going to die it seems, no matter what we do.”

“There must be something we can do,” Ryuunosuke objected, slapping his cane against the ground. Furiously his mind tried to come up with some kind of solution. “Is there no way we can force this Balkzardan out of the sky? Perhaps we can shoot it down before it’s too late.”

Kazuma shook his head briefly, giving his co-worker a sad look. “You know as well as I do that won’t work. None of our aircraft are capable of flying against a kaiju that can literally create a thunderstorm. I’ve no doubt the ability of your pilots, but…”

A voice cut through at that moment, “Sir!” and all eyes turned to Fujin’s second in command and best pilot, a young looking American, Nicholas Wright. “With all due respect sir, there is one craft we have that could theoretically brave the weather.”

Fujin leaned over, giving Wright a hard, knowing look. “The Garuda hasn’t been properly flight tested yet, Nick. You know that as well as I do. We can’t take the risk of flying her into this sort of weather.”

Wright shook his head, leaning forward on the table a bit. “No, Sir. The Garuda is our only chance to properly lure this Balkzardan out in the open. Godzilla won’t stop chasing it, and if it keeps traveling, it could potentially go to other countries.” He sat back down, his voice clipped with fear and trepidation of speaking his opinion so brashly to his superiors. “If we can either shoot Balkzardan down or stop its advance, then perhaps we could corral it into a fight against Godzilla, like we did a year ago with that Dogora creature.”

“No!” Ryuunosuke spat firmly, slamming his fist down on the table. “No, I won’t order more good men and women to their deaths again,” he breathed out, his chest tightening and his leg burning with a sudden agony. “There must be another way.”

Wright gave his superior a determined, grim look. “With all respect, Commander Ryuunosuke. I don’t see another way. I’ll personally lead the flight mission to attempt to halt Balkzardan,” he took a breath, before continuing. “We’re already risking a lot of lives trying to keep track of Godzilla. With the storm’s interference, we have a naval fleet tracking him the old fashioned way.”

His brow furrowed, and he gestured to the screen in front of him. “And as you can see, sir, we’ve already lost a few ships with this process. This will be our best bet to make sure all of our sailors can make it back to land in one piece.”

Ryuunosuke felt the world grow black for a moment. He knew Nicholas was right, there wasn’t an option he could see that didn’t involve sending good people to their deaths again. His mind cast back to Miki Segusa, of her sacrifice to try and stop Dogora. Would he have to live with more deaths on his conscience?

He let out a slow breath. “I’m getting too old for this,” He admitted to himself, before nodding and standing up sharply. “Very well, Wright. I’ll authorize the mission.” Wright seemed taken aback, but nodded and stood up with his superior. “But I want one thing to be clear: Under no circumstances are you to take any unnecessary risks. Your mission objective is to either down Balkzardan or force it out into the open. The second this objective is complete, you’re to return to base immediately. Am I understood?”

“Yes sir!”

Ryuunosuke studied his second in command for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction. “Alright, Nick. Get your best men and prep the Garuda for launch. Good luck out there.” He clapped the American on the shoulder.

General Kazuma ordered the others out of the room, back to their stations and sat down next to Ryuunosuke. “Are you alright?” He asked, a surprising gentleness in his voice.

The Commander gave a weary sigh, smoothing his hair back with his hand. “I don’t know if I can keep this up anymore,” he confessed quietly. “This is the second time we’ve had to do something like this. Ordering men to their deaths because we’re not capable of stopping the threat ourselves. I wonder if I’m cut out for this type of life anymore.”

Kazuma said nothing, and instead sat with his friend in contemplative silence as the lights flickered and distant thunder shuddered far above the ground. It was only when the door hissed open that they both looked up to see a nervous looking soldier. “Sir, Godzilla’s made landfall.”

—–

The water sprayed off of his charcoal black hide like fine-mist thanks to the storm winds. The waves violently rolled and slapped against his legs. Godzilla marched angrily onto the shore, giving an angry cry upwards at the raging tempest. Thunder boomed in response, the winds picking up dramatically and rain lashing hard against the King of the Monsters. Dorsal plates flashing briefly, Godzilla fired an atomic breath into the storm clouds, only to be blown off of his feet when the force of a hurricane slammed into him.

He fell back into the ocean, spluttering in anger until lightning slammed down onto his still-wet form. A howl of anguish mixed with pure rage and Godzilla fired wildly up into the darkened skies, dragging himself out of the ocean. Another harsh hurricane-force wind sent Godzilla sprawling into the mud, splattering across his hide. Digging his claws in the muck, Godzilla began crawling through the sludge and the mud, firing his atomic breath with relentless abandon into the storm clouds above. He reached out, slowly pulling himself through the muddy ground until he was finally able to stand back up on his own two feet.

Dorsal plates flashing violently, Godzilla shot at the ground around him in frustration with his spiral ray and arched it up to the sky, sending more mud rocketing up into the air. The clouds parted slightly when the powerful blue beam shot into them. The thunder boomed ominously and Godzilla continued his trek towards the city, lightning flashing above him. There would be nothing short of death itself that would stop him.

—–

The hangar bay for the Garuda was already flooded as Captain Wright and his two best pilots sloshed through the bay. All of the most vital equipment had been removed to higher ground, with tools sunken to the bottom and various other equipment floating on the waist high water. The Garuda herself stood resplendently amidst the water and the debris, sleek dull silver and ready for launch. They sloshed through the water, hauling themselves up one at a time into the Garuda. “Remind me why we didn’t install air conditioning on this?” His co-pilot, Apollo, grumbled as he strapped himself in.

The third, a navigator and weapons expert, strapped herself in and grinned at her co-workers. “And waste vital tax-payer dollars? For shame Lieutenant Justice.”

Captain Wright coughed, flicking a few switches and sitting back as the engines to the Garuda began warming up. “Athena, Apollo, I need you two to focus. We’re going to be flying in some real rough weather out there. We’re strong, but we’re not invincible. We don’t even know what this “Balkzardan” looks like, so we need to be prepared for anything.”

Athena frowned at him, nodding seriously. “Even Godzilla, boss?”

Sucking a breath, Captain Wright leaned over a monitor. “We’ll pray we don’t have too. Weapons check?”

“All systems are green.”

Athena pulled a headset on, tuning the radio to the right frequency and leaning over in the microphone. “Open the doors and clear the hanger, we’re ready to launch.”

Gripping the throttle, Captain Wright pursed his lips. “Be ready for a lot of water.”

The shuttle doors opened and a giant wave of water came pounding into the base. The Garuda’s rockets roared into life and blasted away the water around the edges creating a superheated bubble around the flames as the entire craft was instantly submerged.

The ship shuddered ominously before lurching forward. Captain Wright grit his teeth and slammed on the throttle, pushing the Garuda’s engines to the maximum as the mighty ship began slowly moving through the water. It boiled around them thanks to the heat of the engines, until finally the nose broke through the surface and with a loud sonic boom the Garuda launched off into the air at full speed.

Rain and winds lashed at the Garuda as it flew through the air at Mach 3. Lightning rained down around them and from high above they saw the flooded streets of Tokyo, the waters slamming into skyscrapers and completely obscuring smaller buildings. A deep blue light hummed from the storm clouds and the Garuda angled upwards. If they wanted to be at Balkzardan, they needed to go into the heart of the storm.

The Garuda shot off like a rocket, piercing into the storm clouds. The crew remained silent as they fought through the intensity of the winds and the rains. The radio hissed with static before a single word caught their attention. “Godzilla-” before it died by the clap of thunder.

The warning sensors screamed and the Garuda swerved suddenly, a blue beam of energy piercing through the clouds underneath them. Godzilla had clearly made landfall and was still trying to get at Balkzardan from the ground. The distant rumble of thunder and a low echoing cry alerted the crew towards the mysterious creature’s presence.

The twin lasers blasted into the clouds and flew in deeper. The radar was going haywire, and with visibility low they could only rely on the sounds of the monsters to indicate Balkzardan’s location. Another harrowing cry before suddenly the crew was blinded by a flash of lightning crashing into the ship. Sparks flew from the console and Captain Wright wrestled with the controls, diving away and firing another blast of the laser cannons.

“Boss, this is getting ridiculous,” Athena chipped in. Her hands were flying over the various instruments to reroute power from damaged systems into fresh ones. “We can’t even hit this thing- even Godzilla can’t hit it.”

“We have to try,” Wright insisted, the whole ship shuddering as something flew past it at speeds faster than the eye can see. “One good hit and we’ll finally be at the advantage. Apollo, I need your eyes more than ever. Athena, try to pinpoint Balkzardan’s sounds through the storm.”

Apollo leaned over the console, staring intently into the storm as Athena cranked up the external volume outside and closed her eyes. Another roar sounded in the distance, and some of the clouds shifted. Apollo sat back down, frantically typing in various flight paths and data into the terminal. Athena began doing the same, the targeting systems flailing around wildly before slowing down. They crawled across the screen, before locking on. “There!” They both screamed.

The Plasma Needles were fired into a mass of boiling black clouds and they briefly lit up, the explosions muffled by the noise of the storm. A loud cry of pain echoed out around them as another of Godzilla’s atomic rays crashed into the stormcloud and elicited a louder cry of agony.

The storm hummed around the Garuda and before the ship could properly react it was bombarded from all sides by lightning. Engines failing and the crew fried, the Garuda dove down and crashed into the flooded streets of Tokyo.

In the flood stood an angry and tense Godzilla. He watched the clouds with narrowed eyes, wanting to see if the intruder to his territory had been defeated. He called out another challenge into the sky, daring the storm to bring its occupant down to fight him. He jerked in surprise when a loud rumble of thunder and the equally loud cry of the creature finally answered his call.

The clouds parted and Balkzardan finally began descending from the skies. Its pitch-white hide shone with unnatural light as its feet touched the floodwaters so delicately that they didn’t even leave ripples in its wake. Two glowing yellow horns surged with electricity and the graceful creature’s eyes were full of malice and contempt.

The two monsters stared at one another for a long time. Neither willing to make the first move until Balkzardan crouched down slightly. Godzilla took a step forward and suddenly Balkzardan was on top of him, shoulder checking him and sending a great outpouring of electricity coursing into Godzilla’s body thanks to the Spark Dash. The water sprayed over them and Godzilla felt explosions rip into his chest thanks to the sheer power and tried to swipe with his claws.

To his surprise, Balkzardan was already gone. He looked around wildly, seeing trails of water before a brief crack of thunder sounded and he screamed in pain when a yellow beam of electricity hit his dorsal plates. The Tornado Bolt fuelled Godzilla’s body again with deadly lightning and Godzilla spasmed, thrashing in the water.

Balkzardan galloped with ease across the surface of the flood, riding the turbulent waves and crashing rains with grace that belied its size. He skidded around, firing another Tornado Bolt at Godzilla who dove into the water to avoid the attack before rearing back up and firing an atomic ray at Balkzardan.

With a giant sheen of electricity, a yellow and blue forcefield overcame Balkzardan. The water around him began to turn into steam as it was electrocuted and the atomic ray was harmlessly absorbed into the S Thunder. Moving forward, Balkzardan leaped into the air and pounced down onto Godzilla, the S Thunder detonating around them both and engulfing Godzilla in a massive explosion.

Pushing his front paws onto Godzilla’s shoulders, Balkzardan shoved the King of the Monsters down into the water. Godzilla thrashed wildly as Balkzardan held him in place. The sky god’s horns glowed for a moment before he shot another Tornado Bolt down at Godzilla through the water, coating him in electricity.

Godzilla seized, trying to gasp for air and choking when water poured into his throat. His eyes rolled up inside his head and he tried to fire his atomic ray, his spines flashing brighter and faster but nothing came out as he drowned. Something inside his chest squeezed tight, Godzilla felt himself propelled away from Balkzardan as the water exploded violently from atomic fury. An accidental nuclear pulse sent Balkzardan careening away and crashing into the waves with Godzilla.

His vision dimmed and Godzilla rose to the surface. He stood up, gasping for breath against the stormy and salty air. A coughing fit overcame him, and he doubled over before expelling water out of his mouth and shuddering violently. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked around for Balkzardan.

The waters raged around him, and for a brief moment he thought he could sense something else in the water. His eyes narrowed towards the waters, wondering what the strange sensation was before a clap of thunder arrested his attention again. He looked up to see Balkzardan’s back protrusions sticking out of the water. Lightning slammed against them and with a great show of power the sky god rose into the air and began galloping across the skies before settling on one of the rooftops.

He stared down at Godzilla, who immediately began struggling to get closer to his opponent. Godzilla fired a weaker atomic ray at the building but Balkzardan shot off into the skies as it exploded behind him. Swinging around, Balkzardan touched down on the water and sprinted over, slapping Godzilla with his tail as he did so.

The speed at which he did so, combined with his electrified attack, caused a minor explosion across Godzilla’s face, staggering the King of the Monsters. Balkzardan spun around and sprinted towards Godzilla again, his body glowing white. He crashed into Godzilla, sending the Spark Dash’s energy into his foe’s battered and beaten body once more.

Pain he had never experienced coursed through Godzilla. He was acutely aware of the explosions on his body but nothing compared to the pain he was feeling within his chest. His heart beat faster and faster. Supercharged with all of the electricity. Then in an instant, it stopped. Godzilla felt his heart stop. He froze, staring wide eyed into the sky.

For a split second, Godzilla had died. Death had edged into his surroundings before his regeneration forced his heart to begin beating again. He gasped out as his senses returned to him and panic overrode his senses. He gave an animalistic shriek of fear and fired his atomic ray like a wild animal, sweeping it around and blasting everything he could see and even more he couldn’t.

Godzilla hadn’t noticed that one of his atomic rays had hit Balkzardan until he heard the cry of pain it brought out. His gaze focused, then tunnel-visioned on the trembling monster. The god that had brought him to death’s door. With a renewed sense of life fueled by his fear and panic, Godzilla sprinted after Balkzardan like a demon from hell, screaming like a wild banshee and firing his atomic breath at the god.

The blue beam of nuclear fury hit Balkardan square in the chest as he tried to rise into the sky, throwing him across the city. Godzilla was on top of him in an instant and all semblance of self control was gone as Godzilla clawed frantically at Balkzardan. Blood and flesh were sent flying as Godzilla forewent even his atomic powers in his desperate and insane attempt to murder Balkzardan.

It was only the erecting of another electric shield that forced Godzilla away from his opponent. Balkzardan rose into the sky suddenly, firing volley after volley of Tornado Bolts that crashed against Godzilla’s chest and sent the frothing kaiju into seizures with each hit.

Balkzardan kept rising into the air and swerved out of the way as an atomic breath nearly collided with the S Thunder again. Before long, he had disappeared back into the clouds and they were receding slowly. Sunlight shone down on the panting Godzilla and his mind took a minute to register what had happened. He looked around, suddenly feeling tired and confused, and it was only when he saw his reflection in the sparkling waters that it truly sunk in.

Godzilla opened his mouth to unleash a victory cry and instead fell back into the water with a thunderous splash. He forced himself back up into a sitting position and slumped against one of the ruined buildings, trying to get his breath back. Everything in him ached, from his muscles to his bones to his organs. Godzilla sat there, chest heaving and staring blankly at the sky for a few moments.

He looked around again, only now noticing the bodies of the little humans floating in the water around him. A watery graveyard of those who weren’t able to survive the flood. He watched the bodies float around aimlessly, knowing how close he had become to being one of the many corpses in the water. Something stirred within him but he was too exhausted to process the new emotions yet one question did pervade in his mind: Was this worth it?

Godzilla stood up, reflecting on his past encounters. Biollante, Dogora, and now this god of thunder. He had nearly died three times in such a short amount of time. He felt his chest and mentally corrected himself. He had died this time, it was only through some miracle that he survived this encounter.

No, he realized. He had died twice now. Twice he had nearly been killed and it was only through powers he wasn’t aware of and couldn’t understand that he was still breathing. Was all of this pain and agony worth the need to assert his dominance? Who was he trying to prove this too, the humans? Himself? Was this worth dying twice over?

He began walking away in quiet contemplation, being careful to avoid any of the buildings as he made his way towards the sea. He needed to sleep, to heal from his injuries. Maybe then would he find the answers he sought.

Godzilla dipped beneath the waves of the calm ocean and disappeared without another sound.

—-

The water had taken weeks to drain from the city. In that time, Ryuunosuke had focused his efforts on the relief process and helping wherever his aging body could. They had dredged the Garuda from the city and he knew there were three more funerals he would have to attend this year. This wasn’t worth the pain, not to his old heart. With renewed purpose, he began walking towards the nearest phone booth and wondered how difficult it would be to teach psychic kids.

—-

The clean-up crew stared in astonishment at the sight before them. A sleek, perfectly preserved skeleton. Dorsal plates glistened with water, and there was no mistaking who this belonged to. A crowd had gathered around the site and the police were already keeping them at bay. Scientists would likely be swarming the new discovery like a colony of ants. The foreman leaned on his mop, looking unimpressed. “What’s the big deal about a bunch of old bones anyways?” he asked no one in particular, and fell back into silence as they all watched them paw over the first Godzilla’s skeleton.

—

Water poured from the warped roof of her former home. She had kept coming back every day while the construction crews brought the dead out of their demolished homes, hoping that they would finally find her parents. A dark cloud seemed to hang around the teenager and she walked sullenly through her old house, retracing her steps to her room. Godzilla had done this, had ripped her family away from her and demolished the only home she knew. One day she would make him pay for what he did, but she had no idea how. It was only the sight of something strange that snapped her out of her dark thoughts.

Staring, she walked cautiously over towards what was unmistakably an egg sitting on her ruined bed. She knelt down, reaching out and brushing a gentle hand over it. Something connected with her mind and she jerked back in alarm. The presence seemed to shy away but she quickly went back up and placed her hand on the egg. “It’s okay, I’m not mad,” she whispered quietly. “You just startled me. I won’t hurt you.”

Ayana sat there, communicating with the creature in the egg and gave it a new name.

“I’ll take care of you Iris, I promise.”

Draw: Godzilla (Heisei), Balkzardan

Hello to all! Hope for the best that all is going well. However, to cut to the point, we have announcements to present for the coming future of the K.W.C.

First off, there isn’t a TypeForm Survey this time around, just general announcements. Those will be saved for the end of the year for the Awards and Feedback Surveys. But nevertheless, here are some of the new additions forthcoming to the K.W.C.!

New Combatants:

• Mefilas (Reiwa) [Shin Ultraman (2022)]
• Zarab (Reiwa) [Shin Ultraman (2022)]
• Zetton (Reiwa) [Shin Ultra Fight (2022) + Shin Ultraman (2022)]

You can find more in our “Announced, but no Matches” thread for publicly announced Combatants.

New Updates:

Mothra (Heisei) and King Ghidorah (Heisei) will be formally brought back as available Combatants for writing. However, on top of that, several characters will be converted to “Universal”, all who are listed below:

• Anguirus [Showa + GFW]
• King Ghidorah [Heisei + Showa]
• Hedorah [Showa + GFW]

Beyond that, look forward to the next K.W.C. Match coming… Tomorrow! In the meantime, we’ll see you by the year’s end!

Every country has their eras of peculiar nostalgia; the USA has recently been squeezing all the nostalgia bucks they can get from the widespread affection for the 80s, but certainly retro fads have also existed for the 50s, 60s, and 70s in America. In Japan, though, Showa nostalgia is king—though not the ENTIRE Showa period. Technically, “Showa” refers to the time in which Emperor Hirohito was on the throne in Japan, which would entail a period from 1920s to the 1980s. However, when most people in Japan think of Showa retro style and the ache for those old times, they are yearning for the post-war period—generally the 1950s to the early 1970s. Living in Japan, I have seen this enduring fad crop up in old-timey candy shops, kamishibai entertainers at festivals, a very popular sandwich shop in Kokura, retro TV show revivals, and—in the world of movies—particularly the work of Takashi Yamazaki and his Always: Sunset on Third Street trilogy—the most infamous of which is the middle film from 2007, to be discussed today. (more…)

Skull Island is the latest entry in the MonsterVerse, and the first foray of Legendary studios in turning their billion dollar film franchise into a series for smaller screens. With Apple’s Monarch leading the charge on the live action front, it seems Netflix chose to differentiate their tale within the MonsterVerse by bestowing the series into the hands of the talented animators of Powerhouse Animation Studios, best known for animating the incredible Castlevania (2017-2021). Coupled with Brian Duffield, whose past work includes Love and Monsters (2020) and Underwater (2020), Skull Island proves a solid, (if flawed) first blow, thrown by the streaming giants with the IP. (more…)

Author: Declan Coughlin | Banner: Landon Soto

A giant octopus swam through the ocean in a good mood, as he had just downed a fishing vessel and it had been so long since he had eaten something as tasty as a human. He wasn’t even worried about the many other kaiju that called the sea their home. All he was worried about was his next meal.

Seeing the shoreline, the octopus began to crawl up the sandy beach. However, just before his entire body could surface, a blue ray of death reminded him that there’s always a bigger fish in the sea.

As the second the beam slammed into the cephalopod, he felt its destructive heat wash over him, and his last sight on earth was a king long forgotten to time.

With the giant octopus in his jaws, Godzilla rose from the ocean, letting out a horrifying bellow, an announcement of his arrival to all kaiju nearby. After years of confinement on Monster Island, the aptly named “King of Monsters” had finally broken through the fields surrounding the islands and the scientists at Monster Island tracking his location were stunned when they saw that Godzilla had gone to Mondo Island.

The nuclear menace seemed to have taken up residence in the nearby waters and islands, and from the signal, it looked like he was there to stay.

The leviathan who usually stayed in the waters that surrounded the island, would occasionally come to the island to find some quiet, or to vent his frustrations. But besides some resistance from an overgrown allosaurus, the monster had faced little challenge in his new home.

The monster king walked up the shoreline, ripping apart chunks out of the boiled octopus. As he dropped the creature to the ground, Godzilla grunted in disappointment. He didn’t want to leave Monster Island, but he also didn’t want to be confined by the humans.

He had remembered what they did to his son.

As he remembered these horrors, the monster king roared with fury and Godzilla’s dorsal plates glowed blue, and his mouth catapulted a blue atomic ray. The lancing beam struck a line of trees, causing a huge explosion and starting the surrounding environment ablaze. Seeing nothing but the island to take his rage out on, he decided to raze it to the ground. Nothing would be left and he let out a guttural roar that echoed through the island.

Miles away, in an unmarked village, the elder chief watched on in sadness. His very home was being attacked, and there was nothing he could do.

Or so he thought.

Several native women, each dressed in garbs, began to dance in a circle. The chief saw this and, knowing what it was, soon summoned several more villagers to join the dance. In just a few minutes, every man, woman, and child were dancing and chanting, hoping their protector would save them like he had so many times before.

The music caused Godzilla to temporarily halt his rampage. As the giant looked over behind him he saw the villagers dancing and singing and was confused. Were they dancing for him? Did they want their own destruction so badly? If so then he would give it to them and began trekking over to the village, trees splintering in his strut.

The chief saw that Godzilla was getting closer and told everyone to keep going. Their god would come, he had to! Just as the chief gave the order to evacuate, he realized it was too late: Godzilla was already here!

Godzilla stopped walking at the outskirts of the village, the natives too horrified to continue dancing and instead scattered in every direction. Some ran to find their families and try to escape, others stood paralyzed as statues, accepting their terrifying fate. Godzilla on the other hand was amused, it seems that these people knew he was to be respected and feared.

But perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.

With glowing spines, the nuclear menace spat his atomic breath at several huts further away. The beam hit the structures, vaporizing them and the people inside in an instant.

The villagers cried in grieving horror as all that was left of their huts were reduced to fine ash. After the atomic display, Godzilla began walking once more and stepped into the village. His massive steps crushing people and huts under his massive feet as he moved forward. Looking up, the village chief saw his massive claw, closed his eyes and began to accept his fate. If this was how he was to die, then so be it.

Just before Godzilla’s foot could come down upon the elder, a furious howl traveled through the land. The elder, the remaining villagers, and even Godzilla stopped and turned, looking for the source of the roar. From the mountains, a creature with brown fur adorning most of its body except its face, jumped to the ground. It had noticeable biceps on its chest, with long arms supporting the sides and a face sporting a look that could kill, aimed directly at Godzilla with utmost hatred. To most, the creature simply looked like a giant gorilla, but the villagers knew him for who he really was…

The God of Mondo Island, King Kong, had arrived.

He let out a loud grunt, indicating to his surviving subjects to clear the area. As the villagers ran, King Kong looked at this monster before him, this being had shown up to his home, destroyed it, and murdered his people. He would make the leviathan pay for his actions.

Likewise, Godzilla stared back with the same intense hatred. How dare this pathetic creature not only rob him of his fun but also challenge him, did he not know his place? He would make this overgrown ape regret his decision.

The two circled each other, waiting to see who would throw the first attack. Suddenly King Kong charged forward. Godzilla was shocked and found himself tackled to the ground. As the ground shook upon impact, Godzilla cried out as King Kong ruthlessly punched the creature in the chest, each hit echoing like gunshots in the wind. As Kong was ready to throw another punch to the face, Godzilla’s expression changed from shock to fury.

Seeing a blue light beginning to emit from Godzilla’s mouth, Kong hurriedly jumped off his chest just as the atomic fire shot into the sky. The large primate looked at his chest. Even though the attack had just missed him, the heat of it had singed some of his fur. As the charcoal tyrant returned to his feet, Kong charged once again. He slammed into Godzilla again, but this time the beast was ready for the impact. As Kong tried to wrestle the leviathan to the ground, Godzilla began to claw at the ape’s chest.

The ape king cried out in pain and backed away, and looking at his chest, saw claw marks running down his stomach. Luckily the claws didn’t dig deep enough to draw too much blood. Before Kong could launch a counterattack, Godzilla was already charging in. The giant ape threw a punch with his left hand, only for Godzilla to grab it with his own clawed hand. The nuclear menace tried to scratch him with his right hand, but this time Kong countered it with his own grab. The two kings stood, locked in a contest of strength, each trying to push back the other.

Eventually, fatigue favored Godzilla who started to win the contest.

King Kong looked in fear as he realized he was being pushed back by the leviathan. With one final shove, Godzilla knocked the ape to the ground. As King Kong struggled to stand, Godzilla turned his back to him and the irradiated monster began to assault his foe with his tail, each hit causing the ape to roar in pain with the seemingly never ending blows.

Just as Godzilla’s tail went in for another hit, Kong grabbed it, holding it in place. Godzilla struggled as he tried to free his appendage from King Kong’s mighty grip, but the ape didn’t show any signs of letting go. Godzilla swung his tail from side to side, dragging Kong on the ground, but he refused to let go, and he began twisting the tail.

A loud snap rang out.

Godzilla cried out in agony, the pain giving Kong the chance to rise to his feet. He had successfully broken the monster’s tail.

As he turned towards the towering simian, Godzilla’s eyes were red with rage. The limb would heal, but it still infuriated him that this furry beast dared challenge his power. This creature was not only comparable to him in strength, but he had the speed and stamina to back it up. If he couldn’t beat the ape up close, then he would try an alternate approach.

The spines on his back began to glow, each one charged with a bright light. Atomic fire gathered in Godzilla’s maw. Kong saw this and attempted to charge him once more.

It was too late.

Just before King Kong could reach him, Godzilla fired his atomic ray, striking the ape with immense power. Fire and sparks flew as the beam struck King Kong’s chest. The true King of Mondo island roared in pain as the azure lance disintegrated fur and burnt flesh. Before Kong could recover, a second atomic breath hit him in his right leg, bringing him to the ground. He rolled low, dodging a third beam and rose to his feet, a tree in hand.

Godzilla shot one more blast but Kong charged forward. Even when the beam hit the 8th wonder, he refused to fall and continued his sprint through the beam. Just as the nuclear menace cut off his breath weapon, Kong charged through and shoved the tree straight into the kaiju’s open maw, the plank slowly making its way down deep in his opponent’s throat. Godzilla panicked, and began to flail and stagger, desperately trying to remove the object from his jaw. As the charcoal giant struggled, King Kong rushed forward, grabbing Godzilla by the neck, trying to either choke him out, or just plain break it. He didn’t care, he just wanted the monster dead.

Reptilian vision started to darken and his breathing slowed. Kong grinned, his victory was drawing ever so close, just one final push. His grin disappeared when he noticed Godzilla’s dorsal plates beginning to glow. The ape was confused. Why would his opponent try to fire his beam with the tree still in his mouth? Did he really wish to hurt himself just to be free of his grasp? But Kong noticed something different, the blue glow was spreading out through his entire body. Noticing his foe’s determined eyes, he felt a slight sliver of fear.

With his whole body a bright blue, Godzilla released the power.

In a glorious flash of light, the nuclear pulse erupted from Godzilla’s body, launching both him and Kong back. The blast threw the mighty ape backwards, with the force being enough to lift the beastly gorilla off his feet and into the air. Kong flew at least a mile before slamming into the ground. Godzilla fell back as well, but although it was his attack, he still felt the burning. A good amount of Kong’s hair and flesh had been disintegrated by the attack, some areas even having exposed bones. Godzilla, likewise, was in a similar predicament.

Burning skin was hanging off his chest, tail, and face, but, unlike King Kong, the charcoal terror had his regeneration to heal the injuries. The attack did have an additional upside, as the tree trapped in his maw had been disintegrated. As Godzilla rose to his feet, King Kong was struggling to breathe. His lungs felt as though they were on fire. As he lay on the ground, his vision began to blur as unconsciousness took hold. It looked like the god of Mondo Island was finally dead. Godzilla howled into the sky to announce his victory.

Dark clouds planned to change that.

Godzilla was confused. Just a few seconds ago, the sky had been a clear blue, but now the dark clouds blotted out the sun, plunging Mondo Island into darkness. Before Godzilla could make sense of it, he heard the humans chanting once again, only this time it was different. It was an aggressive, demanding tune, almost like a war cry.

Below the brawling titans, the village elder and his people chanted as loud as they could. After so many years of their God saving them, it was time to return the favor.

As the clouds started to roll in, lightning made itself known, striking the ground around both King Kong and Godzilla. After a few seconds though, the bolts started to strike the fallen beast, as if they were drawn to him like a conductor. One, then two, then three. The bolts continued to strike the prone ape, each one lighting his face a bright blue. As one last bolt struck, Kong’s eyes shot open. The towering god jumped to his feet, seemingly unaffected by the gruesome injuries he had received from his enemy. As King Kong locked eyes with Godzilla, he let out a terrifying howl which made even Godzilla hesitate to attack.

Godzilla growled, he could tell his opponent had just powered up from the storm, but he wasn’t afraid. He’s faced some of the most powerful kaiju in the world, and even the universe. He wasn’t about to be toppled by some giant monkey. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.

A bolt of lightning struck between them, acting like a bell for their final battle.

The two kings, as different as could be, let out their respective calls and charged. Godzilla threw his hand forward, only for Kong to bash it away and slam his fist straight into his lower jaw, dislocating it. Godzilla howled in pain, not just from his foe’s immense strength, but also taking damage from the electricity that now flowed through his foe’s veins. He went for another blow, only to recoil as his hand was jolted as soon as he touched his opponent’s fur. Before he could find a work-around, Kong jumped forward and landed a clean blow on Godzilla’s ribs, actually breaking a few in the process.

As the atomic brute backed away, Kong threw another series of punches, each one shocking and causing immense agony to the monster king as each blow earned Godzilla cracked bones and torn flesh. Kong knocked Godzilla to the ground, intending to finish the fight. He tried to find a weapon, but couldn’t, until he noticed one of the ribs protruding from the reptile’s body. Godzilla let out an agonizing cry as Kong ripped the rib out of his body, before aiming it at his heart.

The island shook as the bone pierced Godzilla’s heart.

At first, Godzilla didn’t feel anything. Death was not a new concept to him. He had died several times before, but he had always come back, albeit through unconventional means. But for once, he was truly fearing for his life. He didn’t know if he would return to the living. As he started to black out, he thought to himself, was this it? All of his hardships and struggles just to lead to his death?

No, this was not it! He was the King of the Monsters. He’s been through more than any other creature on the planet. He’s even escaped the depths of Hell itself. He wasn’t going to allow some damn dirty ape to take his life away from him, and if he did, then he would make sure the ape was dragged to Hell with him.

Just as Kong began to walk away from him, Godzilla slowly rose to his feet and bellowed a bloodcurdling roar, his heart healing the damage it had once sustained. The brown-furred beast spun around in shock. How? How could this creature survive something like that? There was no plausible explanation to it. As the ruler of monsters began to step forward, Kong began stepping back. Like Godzilla had moments before, Kong was fearing for his survival. The charcoal behemoth was quick to notice this and decided to make his move. His spines began to glow with atomic energy, but this time it was different. Instead of being a vibrant blue, his spines were glowing a chaotic red. As sharp orange eyes locked eyes with Kong, he saw the ape’s face twisted in fear. He wanted mercy. Godzilla wouldn’t grant him that luxury.

Digging his feet into the ground, Godzilla heralded a crimson, more powerful atomic ray at Kong. The blast struck Kong’s arm, erupting in a violent showing of sparks and fire and causing him untold amounts of agony. The arm had been completely destroyed, all of the flesh up to the elbow being completely atomized. Before Godzilla could capitalize on the injury he had inflicted, Kong struck Godzilla with his remaining arm in one of his eyes, the electricity channeled directly into the pupil, destroying it with a loud POP.

While Godzilla tried to recover, Kong climbed onto his back and began trying to tear off the monster’s dorsal plates, specifically the big one centered in the middle of his back. As the towering ape began to tear at the dorsal plate, Godzilla swung back and forth furiously, desperately trying to rid himself of colossus. Unfortunately, it was too late, as cracks began to sound before Kong, in an immense show of strength, ripped the dorsal fin straight out of the tyrant’s back, the area where it used to be bubbling with atomic energy. The revered King of the Monsters finally threw Kong off of him, the ape falling forward with his prize. Godzilla and Kong both paused to get their bearings as each stared into the other with animosity. Each of them was in immense pain, fatigue finally beginning to set in and both Kaiju barely able to stand. Despite this, they still wished to send the other to hell.

As Kong held the severed dorsal plate in his remaining arm, he realized that while Godzilla’s heart had regenerated, the hole from the wound had not. Noticing this, Kong let out one last call. Godzilla, likewise, responded with his infamous deep bellow. They both knew one of them was going to die tonight.

Kong charged the atomic dinosaur as fast as he could, ignoring the faint red glow he saw coming from his opponent. Despite the pain of channeling his atomic energy with the loss of his biggest dorsal plate, he was still successful in firing a series of beams. Kong dodged and weaved around each one before he was finally in range. With all of his remaining strength, he plunged the dorsal plate directly into Godzilla’s heart. The animalistic brute then began to expand the space around the dorsal plate, tearing flesh and bone as Godzilla cried in anguish. Once Kong finally had a good grip, he began to crush Godzilla’s heart.

Time once again began slowing down for Godzilla. He struggled to stand as King Kong continued to squeeze his heart. As his vision started to go black for the final time, Godzilla’s spines once again began to glow.

King Kong continued to squeeze his opponent’s heart, slowly crushing it and killing the tormented beast. He looked directly into Godzilla’s eyes, not seeing sadness or regret, but acceptance. Godzilla opened his mouth, and Kong saw crimson energy begin to build in his jaws. Kong locked eyes one more time and his eyes only said one thing.

See you in hell.

A final crimson atomic blast struck King Kong directly in his face, vaporizing flesh and bone at an astounding rate. Kong’s grip began to loosen on the atomic creations beating heart. As the beam subsided, all that was left was a headless, burnt corpse of a god.

As the body of the once king of Mondo Island fell to the ground, Godzilla roared one last time, proving once again that a king could never beat a god.

Unfortunately, the damage had been done. Godzilla’s heart had been crushed almost completely, to the point that regeneration would not be able to heal it. The atomic beast groaned in misery as his body fell right next to the beheaded King Kong’s. Godzilla managed to roll over on his back, watching as the sun began to shine once more. Despite his imminent death, Godzilla felt content, even with almost no chance of coming back. As his eyes began to close, his only regret was that his son would not be able to continue his legacy. The King of the Monsters then took his last breath…

—

The ancient relic Gorosaurus had come out from the forest, waiting for the battle to come to an end. The allosaur walked over to the corpses of the two kings. He let out a roar of sadness for King Kong. While the two had not been friends, they both had a rivalry with each other. Along with that, despite King Kong winning the majority of their brawls, he had never finished Gorosaurus off, and he respected that. With one last roar, Gorosaurus began to head back into the thicket.

However, a third party made itself known.

A bizarre alien craft descended from the clouds, its two boosters on each side emitting smoke as it descended to the ground. As it brought itself to the ground, it noticed the giant dinosaur.

Gorosaurus noticed it too, and it wasn’t long before he was running as fast as he could, trampling trees and mountains under his bulk. He didn’t know why this thing had made him so fearful, but he wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

As the allosaur fled, the spacecraft suddenly revealed a port, to which the opening expanded with a blue balloon. Gorosaurus turned to look before letting out a grunt of relief. Unfortunately, it seemed the craft was not done yet.

Suddenly, an explosive burst ruptured from the spherical balloon, covering the area with burning flames. In the midst of the fire, a new monster rose to its feet, directly in front of the bodies of Godzilla and King Kong. The being was made of geometric shapes, loosely connected together in a humanoid structure. Ebony pieces made up its armor, hands, and feet, with gray stalks acting as its arms and legs. A pulsating orange orbs decorated its chest and face, with its head topped with two antennae-shaped horns.

It emitted a strange beeping sound as it looked at the two corpses. It then began to let out a laugh. Its two biggest obstacles had been eliminated. The ‘crevice’ in its face began to pulsate as it let out several powerful fireballs, dousing the corpses in flames that began to burn away. It began to turn away before speaking its name, not just to the island, but to the entire world.

“Zetton…”

Draw: Godzilla (Heisei), King Kong (Showa)