Match 17: By: Thomas Singleton

The Sun had vanished from the heavens. Darkness had fallen upon the land, robbing it of its precious light. Amid the surrounding obscurity, a towering figure stood motionless. Sharp, jagged spines obtruded out of its backside. Green scales encased its exterior. Its powerful paws guarded a scarlet staircase, which concealed a deserted elevator. From the distance, the gargantuan object resembled a mighty creature, cursed to walk the planet alone, forever feared by its life forms. But up close, its appearances were deceiving. It was an artificial structure designed to resemble Godzilla. To nearby travelers, it was coined: the Godzilla Tower.

Godzilla Tower's lifeless stare surveyed the abandoned ruins of the World Children's Land. Facilities secretly designed to strip humanity of its dominion over the planet had become harvested by vermin and insects. Within the inanimate cranium of the Godzilla Tower, the abandoned headquarters of the Nebulians remained suspended in time. Power no longer coursed through the electronic circuits. Spider webs hung from the ceiling panels and ensnared the walls.

A computer monitor rested on a cubicle's flat, dusty surface. On the black screen, a red bleeping light frequently glowed. Beneath layers of hard, fortified floors, a hidden machine of alien origins offered the last bit of backup power it had left. Beyond the boundaries of the Godzilla Tower, video cameras digitally linked observed the desolate area. A strange object soared over the skies. Its trajectory was on course with the World Children's Land.

The cameras spotted the object, and relayed its recordings to the computer monitor. A maximized image of the object took up the screen, revealing its distinguishing features. Emerald flesh coated its body. Yellowish scales resided on several different areas of the creature’s massive figure. Thin layers of skin stuck out of the tips of its limbs, designed to assist it in its underwater adventures and aerial flights. Amber glowing cornea sparkled out of its eyes. Large, reptilian wings attached to its sides, flapped without any sign of fatigue. Sharp fins jutted down its spine and tail. Three horns crowned the top of its skull. Residing in its shoulders, empty holes eerily awaited the chance to deploy its deadly arsenal.

A loud, thundering roar rumbled out of Dagahra's gaping maw. Its ancient gaze glared at the Godzilla Tower, deeming it a threat. Primordial energies crackled inside Dagahra’s throat. Dagahra’s body channeled its demonic power to its jaws. Searing torrents of lavender-hued energy blazed out of Dagahra’s mouth, striking the Godzilla Tower’s lifeless chest. It ruptured the staircase and impaled the central cortex of the structure.

Plumes of fire and smoke replaced the Godzilla Tower's immobile figure. The disfigured head of the Godzilla Tower struck the ground, signifying its destruction. Dagahra’s victorious cries filled the skies and bounced off the earthly terrains. The sea dragon descended from the dark sky, and landed on the soil. Dagahra curiously observed the abandoned facilities, deeming them a threat. Pulsating energies of light flared within Dagahra’s mammoth jaws. But before Dagahra could unleash its fury, a cybernetic howl filled its ears with dread.

The malevolent shape of an alien cyborg filled Dagahra’s binocular vision. It crash landed into the ground, forcing the soil to rise above its ankles and break away. Crimson light emanated out of its singular eye. A harsh, synthetic beak strode out of its mouth, surrounded by razor-sharp pincers. A horn resided on top of its head. Long, metallic blades stretched out of its wrists. Sapphire coated armor, dark and gritty, covered its body. Extending saw blades resided down its sternum. Three wings, equally swathed by scarlet colors, protruded out its backside. At the tip of its tail, a scythe-blade swung steadily.

Crackling flames glinted off Gigan’s silvery carapace.

Dagahra embraced Gigan’s unmerciful stare. Never before had the sea dragon seen such a sign of ruthlessness. Just by analyzing Gigan’s movements, Dagahra sensed the cyborg’s revulsion of the world and its inhabitants. Dagahra envied Gigan’s cruelty, wishing he could captivate such a demeanor. But Gigan ignored Dagahra’s envious feelings. The cyborg considered it a carcass waiting to be exterminated. Without any further delay, Gigan attacked.

Gigan’s singular orb shot a crimson strand of energy. It stopped hundreds of yards in front of Dagahra, dispersing in a shower of exploding beams. The explosions singed Dagahra’s sacred hide. Smoke filtered out of its sizzling skin. Dagahra’s horrible screams screeched across the land. No longer feeling a sense of envy, Dagahra retaliated; a lavender-hued beam poured out of Dagahra’s mouth and ravaged Gigan’s shoulder. Dagahra’s energetic projectile managed to penetrate the outer haul of Gigan’s armor. A curtain of sparks covered Gigan’s shoulder, temporarily concealing the damages caused.

Vengeance lurked within Gigan’s cybernetic mind. Gigan raised one of its metallic blades. Grappling hooks were mounted to its wrists. One set tore out of its compartments and entangled itself around Dagahra’s throat. The other wrapped around Dagahra’s abdomen. Dagahra attempted to break free, but not even Dagahra’s powerful jaws could mutilate the cables. Shrouded in-between Gigan’s wings, rocket boosters sparkled to life. They manipulated the gravity and propelled Gigan upwards. Gigan ascended high above the clouds.

Dagahra was forcefully removed from the ground. He hung from the cables, hundreds of feet above the earth. Gigan fiendishly skimmed the air, twirling Dagahra around in circles. The air was cut off from Dagahra’s lungs. Dagahra’s eyes rolled up into their sockets, unable to adapt to the unbearable conditions it was forced into. Finally, Gigan’s grappling cables detached from the arms. Dagahra helplessly fell to the earth below, demolishing an abandoned facility. Shards of the destroyed structure flew everywhere, and bathed the environment.

Noticing its foe was immobile; Gigan abandoned its flight plans and made its descent. Gigan landed near the fallen Dagahra, determined to escort the sea dragon to Death’s domain. But as Gigan ventured closer, Dagahra emerged from the rubble. A crimson wave of energy shimmered around Dagahra’s figure. To Gigan’s dismay, Dagahra rapidly twirled around in circles, its body deploying energy discs every second. Each energy disc clashed into Gigan, inflicting burn marks in its dense armor. Ignoring the damages, Gigan marched forward, determined to mutilate the sea dragon with its blades. Realizing the ineffectiveness of his attack, Dagahra’s rotating form ceased. Dagahra examined his synthetic foe, contemplating on how he can overcome it.

Gigan stopped, several hundred meters away. A crimson beam shot out of its glowing eye, releasing a swarm of cluster rays. The rays singed Dagahra’s burnt hide. An agonizing growl departed Dagahra’s maw. And yet, the sea dragon’s yellow-hued eyes glazed with a vengeful promise. Gigan’s cold, hypnotic stare failed to offer any merit to Dagahra’s emotions. Instead, Gigan resumed its stride and fell upon Dagahra. The cyborg’s razor-sharp blades grazed the air, narrowly avoiding Dagahra’s cranium. A shimmering streak of energy shot out of Dagahra’s jaws, detonating over Gigan’s thick sternum. Dagahra’s destructive projectile failed to inflict severe injuries, but it succeeded in blowing off chunks of Gigan’s metallic skin. Gigan retaliated by swiping Dagahra’s shoulder. Blood sprayed out of Dagahra’s fresh wound, staining the soil beneath their feet.

Dagahra unleashed another devastating beam. It pulverized Gigan’s synthetic carapace, yet the dense armor remained intact. Dagahra instinctively sought to sink its teeth into Gigan’s throat. The sea dragon obeyed its ambition, and stood up on its hind legs. Dagahra jumped forward, clamping its teeth around Gigan’s throat. Dagahra’s fruitless attack would not go unpunished. Despite its appearance, Gigan had no reason to breathe oxygen. Not even Dagahra’s powerful jaws could crush the outer haul of Gigan’s neck.

It was then that Dagahra heard an unusual, yet frightening sound.

The strip of saws attached to Gigan’s sternum was activated. They shredded Dagahra’s underbelly, rapidly removing the layers of flesh and bone that shielded Dagahra’s internal organs. Dagahra hollered painfully, as its intestines and bodily organs were ripped away, forced to reveal themselves to the outside world. They succumbed to Gigan’s chainsaws, and were unintentionally discarded into the wind. Gigan barely placed its left arm against Dagahra’s throat, and augmented enough strength to crack Dagahra’s entire upper body back. With Dagahra’s chest exposed, Gigan pulled its right blade back and plunged it forward, sinking it deep into Dagahra’s sternum. The blade poked out Dagahra’s backside, acknowledging the length of the blade and the damage it inflicted. It fractured Dagahra’s spine, cutting off all sensation to its lower body. Life was rapidly dwindling from Dagahra’s eyes. Gigan, with the support of its right arm, kept Dagahra steady for one final swipe. The cyborg prepared to decapitate Dagahra’s head with its other metallic blade, but Dagahra refused to die without giving Gigan a painful memory of him.

Blazing torrents of light seared out of Dagahra’s mouth, striking Gigan’s singular eye. It failed to withstand the beam’s sheer force and transformed into a shower of broken shards. Gigan released a frightening, high-pitched screech, informing the world of its reported injury. Scarlet bolts attempted to conjure Gigan’s cluster beam, but the energy particles malfunctioned, and faded from existence. Gigan was now blind, unable to decipher its surroundings. But it still had Dagahra trapped. The sea dragon tried to wiggle itself free, but the blade forced Dagahra to seek a different plan. Gigan fiercely swiped the air, failing to strike its intended target.

Gigan’s mounting impatience reached its limits. The cyborg stopped and raised Dagahra in the air, and blindly aimed its left blade. Dagahra realized the trajectory of the blade was aiming directly at his skull. Gigan paused, realizing it had found its target. The ruthless cyborg not only desired the sea dragon’s imminent demise, but also the realization of oblivion. Dagahra’s weary eyes scanned the distant horizon. Dark clouds hovered above the earth, preventing its inhabitants from seeing the stars. A bolt of lightning singed the sky, temporarily bathing the land in its beauty. It was then that Dagahra, a sea dragon that had once sought to contaminate the oceans with its barem and eradicate every life form, repented its demonic desires.

Dagahra closed its eyes, accepting death. Gigan fulfilled the sea dragon’s inclination and hurled its metallic blade into Dagahra’s skull. Dagahra died instantly, no longer destined to return to the seas it once roamed. Thunder bellowed from the distance. Gigan’s horrific cries of conquest subdued the thunder, notifying the world of its triumph.

Gigan dreamt of bringing chaos to the rest of the world, but until then, it would have to wait until its cybernetic body finished repairing the damages. Thus, Gigan decided to toy around with its latest trophy, eager to dissect it and learn of the anatomy of Earth's creatures.

Winner Gigan (Millennium)