| Match 27: |
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| By: Thomas Singleton |
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For days, unknown epicenters had been plaguing the
deserts of Africa. Geologists believed the continental plates were
shifting at an astonishing rate, but were ultimately baffled when
they discovered it was moving in a straight line. It was as if something
was moving beneath the ground, something gigantic…
War had broken out in the Middle East. Fighter jets
soared high above the clouds, bombing structures that appeared like
nothing more than miniature playhouses to them. Tanks treaded across
the deserts, bombarding fortified residences with their shells.
Apache helicopters roamed above the city streets, avoiding enemy
fire while at the same time taking exterminating them. Soldiers
silently ventured into warehouses, underground caverns, palaces,
and other buildings believed to be harboring the enemy.
No matter the call of duty, none could escape the
Sun and the heat it wrought.
It wasn’t until nightfall did a platoon of
soldiers and tanks arrive in a silent city. Military intelligence
believed it was harboring a terrorist faction. Their orders were
to seek and destroy. They found the city, but it appeared to be
devoid of human life. Believing it to be an ambush, tiny sects of
elite soldiers wee ordered to sneak in. It took hours for them to
report that their targets were hiding in the center of the area.
The tanks and infantry were ordered to move in. While
the soldiers managed to sneak in, the ground shaking tanks would
no doubt forewarn the enemy of their intentions. But then an unexpected
explosion vaporized the complex. Its blinding luminance temporarily
usurped the darkness. All of the terrorists were instantly reduced
to ash. Soldiers radioed in, asking if an air strike was called
in at the last minute. They were immediately told that wasn’t
the case.
Black smoke drifted from the charred building. To
the soldiers, it was nothing more but a smoldering skeleton.
Silence pervaded the area. The soldiers quietly wondered
if the terrorists committed suicide. Maybe they were going to blow
up the entire complex after the soldiers went inside, only ended
up blowing themselves up by accident? These speculations ultimately
concealed the real truth: the explosion came from beneath the ground.
The earth started to shake, heralding the arrival
of a colossal creature. From the depths of Hell it had come, free
to once again bring carnage to the earth and its inhabitants. Nobody
could believe their eyes. Soldiers quietly prayed, hoping their
God would protect them from this blight of creation. It became clear
that this demon was to blame for the sudden explosion and the massacre
that was soon to come.
Kumasogami tried roaring its defiance. Only the sound
became lost in its molten throat. The soldiers gaped at Kumasogami’s
haunting figure. Its molten flesh writhed with pulsating fury. While
its body resembled that of a humanoid, everything else was not of
this earth. Its crimson eyes pierced the souls of every soldier.
Encompassing its cheeks were twitching membranes. Kumasogami’s
molten hide fueled the air with smoke.
It took a step toward the tank battalion. The ground
beneath its feet rapidly melted. From within the tanks, machines
clattered to life. In unison, the tanks started to back away. But
it was already too late. One soldier watched in horror as Kumasogami’s
right hand transformed its composition. Its fingers turned into
three long pointed shapes. The other hand transformed into an organic
bow. It quickly dawned on the tank commanders that they were going
to become the unwilling targets of Kumasogami!
Seeking to avoid destruction, the tanks opened fire.
Glowing shells departed the barrels. Loud, ear-piercing sounds boomed
across the battlefield. The shells plunged into Kumasogami’s
carapace, but dissipated upon contact. Kumasogami’s mocking
laughter managed to bypass its grainy throat. It hushed its attackers,
making them realize the hopelessness of the situation.
It was too late for the tanks to retreat. Kumasogami
connected its arrows to the bow. In a sickening display of sadism,
Kumasogami launched its exploding arrows and watched the entire
tank battalion disappear in a sea of fire. Amid the flames and burning
smoke, Kumasogami heard the cries of mortal men being burnt alive.
To the demon, it was a haunting lullaby.
And only the beginning…
For days, an epicenter had been steadily moving in
a direct path. At long last, its instigator had reached its destination.
The city had been burnt beyond recognition. Not one
soul survived the inferno. Kumasogami stood silently, surveying
its charred dominion. Kumasogami’s forsaken eyes stared off
into the dark horizon, spoiled by its accomplishments. The deaths
of a hundred mortals could not satisfy its chaotic lust. As it prepared
to depart, a new adversary made its presence known.
From the bowels of the planet, it had come to cleanse
the Earth of this vile demon. It cared not of humanity or its monstrous
brethren. Its only obligation was to destroy anything that threatened
the Earth. That was its purpose. Primordial energies flowed through
its veins, carrying with it the essence of the Earth. Organisms
affiliated with the Earth harbored the same life force.
And so Earth’s guardian split the earth asunder.
It rose up out of the ground, issuing a defining roar. Kumasogami
analyzed its new foe. It was not the armored reptile that defeated
it on Monster Island. Kumasogami tilted its head, sensing an unseen
aura. When it realized the purity of its benignity, Kumasogami’s
eyes burned brightly. This was no ordinary titan. Earth’s
guardian resembled that of a hybrid between a beetle and a caterpillar.
Its carapace was black, but laced with yellowish textures. A long,
golden horn pointed out of its forehead. Two long tusks protruded
out of its cheeks, adjoining the serrated jaws. Kumasogami’s
visage reflected off its crimson eyes. Agitated by the mere sight
of Earth’s offender, Battra bellowed his rage.
Kumasogami responded in kind. Tonight, it would slay
Earth’s guardian. Then tomorrow, the Earth would die screaming.
Battra dove into the soil that gave him life. He tunneled his way
across the city, until it was beneath his demonic foe. Kumasogami
backtracked, surprised by Battra’s speed. But not even Battra’s
speed could match his tenacity. Battra flew out of the scorched
surface, ramming his body into Kumasogami. Not even the demon could
remain standing. Kumasogami flattened the charred structures with
its plummeting bulk.
Battra gazed at his fallen adversary. Bolts of amber
glowing energy circulated around his horn. Kumasogami started to
rise, only to witness an energy blast crashing into its face. A
horrific howl escaped Kumasogami’s molten maw. But it would
not let its pain prevent it from retaliating. Kumasogami used its
organic bow to steady its aim. Waves of crackling energies embroiled
Battra’s eyes. As Battra’s horn discharged another surge
of his energy blast, lavender bolts emitted from his eyes accompanied
it. Kumasogami stumbled back, clearly affected by Battra’s
resiliency. Its molten flesh had been breached by Battra’s
energetic assaults. Desperate to appease its damaged pride, Kumasogami
shot its arrows at Battra.
The tips of the arrows shattered after striking Battra’s
thick carapace, but it mattered little. An explosion enveloped Battra
completely, obscuring its existence in a cascade of fire. But Kumasogami
still sensed life in its foe. Not even the fires of Hell could vanquish
Earth’s protector! Kumasogami expressed its rage as Battra
emerged from the conflagration. Battra mocked Kumasogami’s
failed efforts with a loud cackle.
Smoke sizzled off Battra’s burnt carapace as
he departed its hellish prison. Battra may have been quick to mock
the demon’s intentions, but it could not hide his pain. Kumasogami
gaped at the wounded custodian, realizing victory was at hand. Three
arrows were immediately replaced in Kumasogami’s gritty appendage.
Battra moved closer, unable to harness his once great speed. Kumasogami
fired its arrows without delay. But Battra swiftly fired his bolts
at the arrows in midair, igniting them. A ball of fire materialized,
flattening any structures caught in its explosive radius.
Kumasogami gazed into the fire, mesmerized by its
beauty. On this planet, fire was essential to the ecosystem. With
it, new generations of trees can inherit the planet. In a perverse
way, Kumasogami could relate, for it was fire that gave its kind
life. Perhaps it should seed the earth with fire and harvest the
next batch of its demonic offspring…
An orange hued bolt skewered Kumasogami’s abdomen.
Kumasogami’s painful wails screeched the cold air. Molten
blood oozed out of its injury. Kumasogami’s livid eyes glowered
at the creature that injured it so. Battra moved closer, hoping
to thrust his horn into Kumasogami’s heart. To satisfy his
violent ambitions, his crimson orbs injected the demon with lavender
hued beams. But Kumasogami ignored the pain, even when its molten
flesh was blown off its body. Battra briefly watched the molten
fluids flow out of the demon’s veins, melting the soil below.
Kumasogami used Battra’s hesitation to its advantage. The
demon’s bow shaped arm morphed into a long elegant blade.
Light from the flickering flames glinted off its shiny surface.
It was clear that countless creatures had been slain by it.
Crackling bolts enveloped Battra’s horn. But
Kumasogami was quick to move in close enough to attack first. Kumasogami
swiped the air with its blade, striking Battra’s towering
horn. The collision between Kumasogami’s unholy blade and
Battra’s horn generated a shower of sparks. At point blank,
Battra’s horn released his destructive energies. It lanced
into Kumasogami’s throat, ravaging it internally. Kumasogami
thrusted its blade forward as it fell to its knees. To Battra’s
dismay, the blade bypassed his mandibles and gouged the back of
its throat.
Battra twisted his head back and forth, struggling
to breathe. It wasn’t just the blade dislodged in his mouth
that was choking it, but the internal bleeding as well. It wouldn’t
be long before Battra had died by choking on his own blood. There
was only one way to avert such a fate.
Flames churned out of Kumasogami’s eyes. Its
face molded into a hideous grin. The demon sensed Battra’s
deteriorating life force. And should the Earth’s protector
die, it wouldn’t be long before the planet followed suit.
Suddenly, Battra transformed into a cocoon of energy.
Kumasogami sheathed its blade, perplexed by Battra’s sudden
metamorphosis. Tendrils of energy circulated out of the cocoon and
met high above the clouds. The once dark sky was brimming with celestial
radiance. Kumasogami silently watched as the bright luminance heralded
the arrival of Battra’s imago state!
Where energy faded, blood and flesh intertwined.
The outline of a winged avenger was lost in the restored night sky.
Kumasogami silently stared at the hanging blackness, disturbed it
no longer had victory in its grasp. And now, Kumasogami’s
once land based foe had acquired a new attribute: flight.
Battra soared above the clouds, feeling the wind
wash over him. He blended in with the night perfectly. If the Sun
had miraculously risen, the light would’ve contracted greatly
with Battra’s black carapace. Alas, darkness was his keeper,
and an asset. Battra’s crimson wings were laced with yellow
textures. Atop his head was a crown of three horns. Attached to
his abdomen were six legs, each comprised of sharp claws. Red glowing
horns sprouted out of the abdomen’s side. For the most part,
Battra’s outline resembled a giant moth. It was his hideous
complexion that separated him from his kin.
It was an adequate way to strike fear in any that
threatened the sanctity of its world.
Kumasogami spotted Battra flying overhead. The demon
immediately fired its arrows, seeking to shoot Battra out of the
sky. But the arrows whizzed off into the sky, exploding harmlessly
in the distance. Kumasogami replaced its arrows with another set.
It realized it never had been toyed with in such a manner. It was
the hunter, not the prey! Kumasogami bellowed a violent roar. Battra’s
response was blasting the demon’s backside with a barrage
of prism beams. Kumasogami swung around, homing in on the beam’s
source. Arrows were fired in its direction, hitting nothing but
air. Kumasogami growled in despair. Losing its temper, Kumasogami
fired its arrows at the surrounding area. Charred buildings were
blown away by the explosive force. Pillars of fire consumed entire
city blocks.
Battra descended behind Kumasogami, compelling the
demon to turn around and face its foe. From only a few feet apart,
both demon and custodian locked eyes. A defining hiss screeched
out of Battra’s mandibles. Kumasogami growled, coughing up
molten rocks. As the demon readied its blade, thermal energies embodied
Battra’s horns. Scarlet eyes ejected prism beams, blasting
a hole through Kumasogami’s skull. Kumasogami ignored the
intense pain and embedded its blade deep into Battra’s gut.
Battra’s painful screeches eased Kumasogami’s injuries.
Even with its vision greatly hampered, the demon did not miss its
target. Battra tethered Kumasogami with his legs, forcefully removing
it from his body. Green blood oozed out of Battra’s wound,
staining the soil below.
Arrows shot forth, impaling one of Battra’s
wings. Battra tried pulling the arrows out with his legs, but couldn’t
reach. This failed enterprise diverted Battra’s attention
from the real threat. More arrows plunged into Battra’s other
wing. Battra floated aimlessly above the earth, capable of only
pelting Kumasogami with his prism beams. Though its limbs were dissipated
by Battra’s vengeful assaults, Kumasogami cared not. It laughed
manically as its arrows simultaneously detonated.
Large portions of Battra’s wings were incinerated.
With his ability to sustain flight negated, Battra defied gravity
no longer. Kumasogami watched Earth’s guardian plummet to
the ground. Only then did Battra realize Kumasogami was between
him and the ground. Kumasogami briefly analyzed the blade it had.
The demon determined it was inadequate for the job. So it fashioned
a longer, sharper blade. Kumasogami’s malevolent laughter
disturbed even Battra’s tenacious spirit.
The seconds ticked by. It wouldn’t be long
before Battra felt the stinging sensation of a long blade penetrating
his flesh, shredding his insides, and render this body obsolete.
Thousands of years ago, Battra was conceived in the heart of the
planet. Whenever an epidemic occurred, threatening the tranquility
of the planet, Battra was summoned to dispel it. Ultimately, Battra
knew it was expendable. Should he ever die, then the earth would
recreate a new body for him to inhabit. But Battra was a selfless,
prideful being. It would not tarnish its ego with such a dishonorable
act.
Battra’s horns embodied its rage. Prism beams
severed Kumasogami’s blade from its arm. Kumasogami watched
its blade strike the charcoal at its feet. The demon wasted no time
in forging a new blade, but its fate was sealed. Before striking
Kumasogami, Battra reversed its evolutionary state by transforming
back into his Larva stage. The momentum of Battra’s descent
and its incredible mass helped it impale its horn deeper into Kumasogami’s
twisted heart.
Kumasogami showcased its rage by hollering madly.
With its heart damaged, the demon could no longer operate sufficiently.
Unable sustain its fiery makeup, fire blossomed out of every corner
of Kumasogami’s body. Battra disappeared amidst the sweltering
inferno. Before long, the orange hued flames converted to black,
warped by an unseen supernatural force. The black maelstrom twisted
and pulled, its unearthly purpose meant only to be sucked into a
lifeless void, consuming everything around it.
Sunlight trickled across the horizon.
A large hole comprised the heart of the scorched
city. In the murky core of the hole, there was no life. It looked
as if it was a bottomless pit. Battra scuttled out of the hole,
avoiding a fate worse than death. After a brutal fight, Battra can
finally return to the Earth’s womb, where it’ll rejuvenate
its strength and serve another day.
Hours later, army personnel arrived on the scene,
surprised to learn that not a trace of their comrades could be found.
But what perplexed them the most wasn’t the ravaged city,
but the void that made up its center. For years to come, scientists
will ponder its formation. But not even science could explain its
existence, for if humanity ever discovered that the void was in
fact a gateway to where demons and nightmares weave untold horrors
– then panic would grip the very foundations of the Earth…
And bring about chaos.
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