VS.
Arena:
Author: Birdman
Word Count: 7,484 words
Posted: March 26th, 2020
Event: March of the Baragons
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“Look there, Al. In the water. A marker around the iceberg. That must be them. Let’s go down.”
The deafening, whirring blades of the CH-46 search and rescue helicopter drowned out the peaceful aura of the ice field as it began to descend towards the ocean surface. Its mission was one of national importance. Mere hours ago, the submarine Seahawk, carrying a team of some of the century’s greatest scientific minds, had encountered a strange occurrence in their investigation of the Bering Sea’s rising temperatures. In attempting to investigate the iceberg that was the source of the phenomenon, the sea craft had collided with it and sustained heavy damage, leaving the sailors and scientists inside stranded and in great mortal peril. The two pilots needed to act fast if they were to save all hands on board the vessel in time.
The helicopter circled the area as the crew conducted an assessment of the situation. The water around the iceberg was stained a dull, dirty yellow colour from the submarine’s distress marker, making it difficult to locate the craft from the air. As the pilots started to descend further for a closer look, movement on the floating glacier’s slopes caught their attention. The iceberg far below was breaking apart at a rapid rate, with large chunks of opaque, white ice tumbling from the slopes into the freezing waters. It was not an unusual event, but what made it stand out to the men was that the peak of the iceberg appeared to be shifting, as if something were inside the ice, trying to push it aside.
“What do you make of that, Al?” one of the pilots asked. His companion only shared the same look of confusion, unsure of what to make of the sight before them.
As the broken ice continued to shift and fall away, a dark shape started to be revealed. Huge arms, lined with toned muscle and dark-shaded scales, pushed aside boulders of frost and allowed a reptilian head to reach the outside world. The act of freeing its head and neck caused even more ice to slip away from the giant, revealing maple leaf-like spines and thick, scarred flesh as it continued to flex against the melting frost.
From the massive reptile’s jaws, a deep, booming roar sounded. As the sound reached the two men’s ears, their faces lit up in recognition and terror. The pilots huddled close together at the controls, shaking with primal fear as reports from years ago, of a disaster wrought by prehistoric, clashing giants, came flashing before their eyes. The main pilot could only utter one word in his terror-wracked state. A name that had not been on the lips of humanity for seven years and suffocated the soul in dread.
“Gigantis!”
*****
Gigantis.
A name Kyohei Yamane hoped he’d never hear again. Seven years ago, he sat in this same conference room to discuss the reported sighting from two pilots of a pair of gigantic monsters, living relics from the age of reptiles locked in mortal combat. His knowledge on the ancient fire monsters had helped protect his country from Gigantis and Anguirus’ savagery, but it was ultimately the bravery of the pilots that first discovered the giants that resulted in the last surviving creature being imprisoned in an icy prison. Now he sat here again amongst government scientists and JSDF officers as the report on Gigantis’ reawakening was read.
‘How could we let this happen?’ the doctor mused sadly. ‘So many take the resources of our planet without respect for the balance of nature. For millions of years, the world has lived in perfect balance, yet in mere centuries, mankind utterly destroys it. I often wondered if it was our actions that disturbed the fire monsters and triggered their reappearance, but I have no doubt that the conditions that freed Gigantis were, in part, our fault.’
“Dr. Yamane? Are you with us?”
The old palaeontologist jumped in his seat, blinking as he looked up to the rest of the table. “Of course,” he replied, though he could not stop his face flushing in embarrassment. “Forgive me, general, I was merely lost in thought after taking in this worrying information.”
General Shinzo nodded in understanding. “I can sympathise, doctor. The reappearance of Gigantis threatens all that we hold dear and worked to achieve. With your expertise on the monster, we can hope to understand its behaviour and potential weaknesses, which will help in minimising damages and casualties.”
With his words said, the general turned back to address the full table. Spread across the surface were maps detailing the positions of armed forces across Japan and inside its waters and the currently predicted route of Gigantis. A projector played on the wall behind him, showcasing a slideshow of footage taken from the Jurassic titan’s first attack in 1955, including his battle with his closely-related adversary, Anguirus.
“At this moment, Gigantis is moving at a steady speed south-east from the Bering Sea, and is predicted to make landfall here,” he pointed on the map with his swagger stick, “in Hokkaido within the week. The United Nations have loaned us what resources they can to aid in stopping Gigantis, but we need to learn more on the monster before a final plan can be drafted.”
“Dr. Yamane,” the general addressed. “You have the most knowledge on this creature. Is there anything we can exploit?”
The elderly professor pondered for a moment, thinking back to the address he’d attended seven years ago. “Fire,” he answered with confidence. “Fire monsters are attracted and enraged by fire. It’s why Gigantis and Anguirus were drawn to Osaka by the city lights.”
“So they would follow fire anywhere, like moths drawn to a flame.”
Yamane nodded in confirmation. “Exactly.”
“Then we have what we need, ladies and gentlemen,” General Shinzo announced. “Start working on our defences. By current estimates, Gigantis will make landfall in two days, so work hard and think fast.”
*****
The deadline arrived. As predicted, the prehistoric terror of Japan had made landfall, between the port cities of Otaru and Yoichi, and currently following the coastline on a path for the former. Only a small attack force had been deployed, with instructions to draw the monster’s attention and divert its course towards the trap prepared for him. From what Dr. Yamane had heard from the latest report from the garrison, Gigantis was still moving along the coast, but had been lured inland enough that he would be able to spot the true distraction, once it was prepared.
Over the past two days, massive electric towers had been erected around the perimeter of a large lake. Connected to the power supplies of every town and city in the area, the pylons had the capacity to channel a million volts once the switch was opened. Constructions vehicles had dug out enormous trenches that led up to the mass of water, which were being lined with fuel barrels and detonators, while tank trucks dumped gallons of gasoline into the lake at its shores and feeding streams. It horrified the doctor’s heart to see how quickly a place of nature’s beauty could be so quickly transformed into an instrument of death.
“The final stage is almost complete, Dr. Yamane. We’re running safety checks as we speak for any last minute hiccups,” General Shinzo announced as he stepped over from the command tent. “If it goes as predicted, Gigantis will approach from the north-west. Once the lake is ignited, he will be compelled towards the flames and into the trenches. The fuel barrels will be detonated, forcing Gigantis into the lake, and the power lines will be connected to the grid and prevent him from climbing out. The flames and electricity will do the rest.”
It seemed a cruel way to destroy the monster, but outside of the atom bomb, which was out of the question at the moment for political and environmental reasons, this was the only solution. Yet part of Yamane hoped that the plan would fail, that Gigantis would escape and return to the sea that it belonged to. He could not deny that the fire beast had destroyed many in its previous rampage, but it was the actions of a creature lost in an unfamiliar world, enraged by the element of man and lashing out in response. Perhaps there was an element that had been overlooked in the preparations, an error or miscalculation that was too late to fix.
But there wasn’t. He had helped in the trap’s planning and partly oversaw the construction. Everything was perfect, and as he saw the inspection crew enter the tent and overhear the chief officer present the all-clear to the general, the rebellious hope within lost its fire.
Everything was set.
Gigantis would die tonight.
The radio at Shinzo’s belt suddenly crackled to life. “Gigantis is approaching your location now. Please be prepared for the monster’s arrival.”
As soon as the message was completed, the reverberating roar of the titanic dinosaur sounded from the distance, behind the hillside on the opposite side of the lake. Immediately, the construction crew began to evacuate, ushered by soldiers to the designated safe zones. From their hilltop base, General Shinzo and Dr. Yamane looked out as Gigantis’ fear-inspiring visage appeared over the crest of the opposite side of the valley and opened his massive jaws to emit another deafening call. Around the reptile’s head, helicopters buzzed like hungry flies, shining the spotlights mounted under their frames across Gigantis’ face to capture his attention. Shaking his head, the titan climbed over the ridge in pursuit of the irritating lights, unaware of what awaited him metres away.
“We’re about to begin the operation,” Shinzo declared to the squadron over his radio. “Switch off your spotlights so that Gigantis’ full attention will be on the lake.”
The helicopters responded instantly, switching off their lights one after the other in rapid succession. Gigantis stopped in his tracks, swinging his head left and right in search for the suddenly vanished lights. A confused honk escaped from the fire monster as he tried to process the mystery before him.
“Begin first phase!”
Soldiers on the cliffside uncapped a flare each, casting a blood red glow against the rock, and tossed the ignited beacons down into the flowing water below. The light and movement made Gigantis’ primeval eyes lock on, instantly focused on the falling objects. As the flares splashed into the river, the gasoline-polluted water was engulfed by flame, spreading downstream to where it terminated and the lake began. Within seconds, the entire body of water had become a massive bonfire, burning bright and fast.
For the first seconds, Gigantis was taken aback and began to retreat. Once he realised what was before him, the beast immediately stopped, glaring at the raging fire intensely. Faint memories came to the surface as the great dinosaur stared, his mind drifting back to the ancient era of the fire monsters’ prime. It remembered a fire, a great inferno from the sky that purged the land and slaughtered predator and prey alike, and all but forced the survivors to take shelter and slumber to escape the dying world. When Gigantis was awakened years ago, he sought to dominate the rejuvenated world, and he would do the same now. But the sky fire that had destroyed his kingdom seemed to have returned to repeat its deadly task. Not this time.
With a ferocious cry, he made towards the flames, determined to protect his territory and status at the top of the food chain. It did not occur to the giant that fighting a fire was impossible, but Gigantis seemed determined to obtain such a claim. He marched on at a quick pace, flattening trees and crunching mountain paths under his huge feet until he approached the shore. Illuminated by the orange-red radiance of the flames, Gigantis kept advancing, oblivious to the trenches running on either side of him, packed to the brim with barrels and explosives.
“Begin second phase!”
The detonators pushed down with a click, activating the explosives as Gigantis’ tail crossed the border line. Pillars of fire erupted in lengths around the titan to surround him in a flaming wall, giving Gigantis the shock of his life. He screeched in alarm as the fire spread around him, creating a circle around the primeval dragon. The tip of his tail was caught in the blaze as the two streams met, enclosing Gigantis within, and he pulled the dragging appendage out from the flames with a pained honk. The prehistoric monster twisted and turned frantically as he searched for an escape.
He was under attack! The fire demon sought to vanquish him here and now, but Gigantis would never submit to its terrible power. Even still, the spreading blaze forced the saurian closer and closer to the lake, unwilling to give him the space to fight back. Gigantis refused to be bullied and trapped like some lesser beast – if the sky fire wanted his blood, he would give it to the beast. He began to turn around, but the dinosaur’s roar of challenge turned into a shriek of surprise as the soft lake mud gave way under his foot, sending Gigantis careening into the flaming water!
Gigantis lashed out wildly, frothing up the lake with his struggles as he literally tried to fight the flames. Each strike from his claws and tail only passed through the inferno, causing the fire monster’s scales to blister and blacken under the intense heat. Gigantis was not the cleverest of the giant, but he could understand that his plan wasn’t working. His claws dug into the rock walls surrounding the lake and he pulled himself up, trying to climb out of the inferno and reach safe ground.
“Initiate final phase!”
The connection to the grid was opened, allowing millions of volts of electricity to surge through the cables of the electric towers. As Gigantis grasped at the wire, the voltage assaulted his scaled hand and forced the ancient giant to release his grip with a pained cry. Smoke drifted from his palm as Gigantis turned the injured hand around, discovering the blackened skin and exposed tissue within.
What was this? The metal trees surrounding him somehow contained the power of lightning? Gigantis was confused, but he still attempted to escape the clutches of his foe. But every time he touched the vines linking between the strange trees, he felt the sting of electricity as it flowed into his hide. The reptile’s strikes were halted by the crackling energy within the structures, preventing him from severing the vines. But if he couldn’t break free…
The true peril of the situation hit Gigantis, but there was nothing for the titan to do. Consumed by flames and assaulted by electricity, it was impossible for the dinosaur, powerful as he may be, to fight back. The air was filled with his screams of terror as he thrashed helplessly in the lake’s burning waters and the flames increased.
The sky turned black from the thick smoke generated, choking the air in a dense, colourless cloud. Gas masks were worn by the watching crowd to protect their lungs from the smog, leaving their view of the inferno dulled and obscured behind the devices’ lenses. Dr. Yamane had to keep wiping away the building layers of charcoal from the glass in order to see, but the haunting cries of Gigantis’ agony were unable to be muted by the smog. From his position, he would but simply look on as the monster writhed in the blaze’s midst, a mere observer to an unethical event. Without the means to contain Gigantis, he had to submit to the decision to exterminate the creature, but he had hoped that a humane approach would be taken. This… this was a prolonged execution. It made the doctor sick to his stomach.
Walking away from the dreadful sight and towards the tent, the old palaeontologist suddenly stumbled forward as the earth began to shake, barely catching himself on one of the tent’s support poles. Before Yamane could correct himself, the ground quaked even more intensely and forced him to grasp onto the pole for dear life. Shocked soldiers and officers wobbled on their feet and tried to keep their balance, with only a couple managing not to fall to the ground.
“Earthquake!” Shinzo cried out over the chorus of shouting and crumbling rock. “Get down!”
The ground split apart, sending rivers of sand and soil cascading into the unknown depths of the earth. Loose rocks tumbled from the mountainside and trees were toppled by the powerful tremors as they ripped apart the landscape. Weakened from the installation and weight of the power pylons, the wall surrounding Gigantis’ trap began to give way, spilling massive boulders into the lake with a colossal splash. As the ground sank, a metallic groan filled the air as the towers sagged without firm earth to support them, slowly tipping towards the vanishing slope. Through a combination of the towers’ shifting weight and the quakes, part of the cliff face fell apart, sending tons of rock and earth careening into the blazing water below. Steel cables snapped as the pylons fell with the ground, whipping wildly with the loss of tension and spitting sparks.
Gigantis looked down as he felt the earth cover his legs. The unbearable pain from the combined elements was starting to take its toll on the giant beast, but now there was a way out of the deadly pit. Without questioning its formation, he began to climb up the rubble, pushing the mangled wrecks of pylons off into the still-alight lake to clear his path. The steepness of the slope and its loose terrain made it a difficult ascent, but the fire monster managed to drag himself from the pit. Without the towers to bar him, Gigantis started to limb away, eager to put as much distance between himself and the lake as possible.
General Shinzo watched as the fire monster retreated. Until the earthquake has passed, there was nothing that could be done, and he cursed the timing of the event. Yet something in the back of his mind led him to treat the situation as an odd one. There were no fault lines near this region, and a report from local geologists should have warned of any potential risk. If it wasn’t the fault lines, what was the cause?
The answer came sooner than expected, as the smouldering trenches suddenly erupted tens of metres into the air. Showers of earth blanketed the green hills and forests, while the ground began to bulge up from an unseen body or force, pushing up from underneath the soil. The tremors began to die down, but an ear-splitting roar replaced it within seconds, causing the recovering people to freeze up. It wasn’t Gigantis’ cry, but the sound was equally as deep and menacing.
A trio of small, stubby horns broke through the rising earth, followed by the reptilian head they were attached to. Crocodilian jaws bearing massive sabre fangs breathed out another terrible sound as the ancient creature shook off the collected stone and roots from its five horns. It pulled itself from the ground with four toned legs, rearing up on the hind pair to clear its back, exposing greyish scales and thick rows of armour leading to a short tail.
“Incredible,” Yamane breathed. His eyes were unable to tear away from the new monster as medical staff helped the old scientist to stand. “Another fire monster… right under our noses this entire time!”
General Shinzo shot a worried glance in the way of the doctor. “Do you know anything about this creature?”
“Perhaps, I…”
Yamane trailed off as he went over his memorised knowledge on the fire monsters, checking that the forthcoming information was correct. “Yes, I do,” he replied. “It’s a Paganosdragon, a sub-family of the Baranosdragon family of fire monsters. A subterranean dinosaur that lives and hunts beneath the earth, like a mole.”
As the two men observed, a lieutenant walked up from inside the text with a radio in hand. “Sir?” he asked, drawing their attention. “Ground forces have been deployed and are on route. They are requesting permission to attack.”
Shinzo looked at Yamane, silently asking for the older man’s opinion on the matter. Before Yamane could answer, Gigantis’ roar was heard and the three spun back to see the commotion. Both monsters had become aware of each other’s presence, and Gigantis had turned around to square off against his new foe.
“Report back and issue the order to hold back for now,” Shinzo commanded. “The weapons at our disposal are not enough to take on two fire monsters.”
“A logical decision, general,” Yamane commented as the lieutenant walked back to the tent. “Fire monsters are highly aggressive and will attack anything that gets in their path. By letting them fight, they could either kill each other, or leave the winner weak enough to be quickly finished off.”
Gigantis stared down the interloper, tensing his muscles in preparation for a fight. He had seen many encounters with the monsters that dwelled beneath the ground, much like the one before him. They were a threat then and a threat now. Flexing his arms and rearing back, the Jurassic titan issued a roar of challenge to the mole-like dinosaur. Pagos responded, standing on its hind legs for extra height as he bellowed back in defiance to the fire monster’s threat. The battle was set, but neither reptile seemed eager to begin the bloodshed. Both were weakened by wounds and lethargy respectively, and in no full condition for combat. Instead, the giants continued to call out and flex their muscles, appearing as large and powerful to the other they could. If they would not come to blows, the dispute would be settled by a demonstration of each of the titan’s vigour and valour.
It was a smart effort, but both creatures refused to submit. Their pride as fire monsters would not allow them to walk away with their tails between their legs. The longer the display went on, the angrier they became, until, at last, a stalemate was recognised between the two. Pagos broke off first and charged with a war cry, and Gigantis followed immediately with his own, sprinting to meet the smaller monster.
With a loud smack on meat against meat, the giants collided with a shockwave strong enough that trees were uprooted and blown away like twigs. The size difference between Gigantis and Pagos made for an awkward entanglement, with the former locking his claws into the shoulder and neck of the horned beast to hold him back from his vulnerable legs. Twisting and turning, Pagos lunged repeatedly for the dinosaur’s thick thighs, only missing by inches each time as the long, tense arms of his foe held the burrower’s canines at bay. Gigantis’ talons raked across the flesh of Pagos’ back, carving deep trenches into his back and earning a distressed moan. The reptile suddenly reared up, knocking the colossal tyrannosaur’s arms aside, and swung his own claws across the monster’s chest, staining it with cut flesh and trickles of blood. On instinct, Gigantis backed off, more surprised than hurt, but the brief moment of weakness prompted Pagos to press on his assault.
Along the length of his back, Gigantis’ jagged plates flashed brightly. Opening his jaws as Pagos lunged, the dinosaur suddenly unleashed a thick spray of superheated mist directly into the face of his foe. Pagos stumbled back, shaking his head as the hot smoke washed over it in an attempt to dispel it. Backing away from the taller fire monster, he groaned and pawed at his skull to soothe his irritated scales. Gigantis clapped his hands together with amusement, delighting in the suffering inflicted upon the fanged digger. His mocking actions drew the ire of his rival, and Pagos’ jaws suddenly shot a glowing beam of crackling power into the fire titan’s chest, earning a pained screech.
Slowly looking down, Gigantis peered at the blackened scales that now adorned his torso. Steam rose softly from the assaulted area and embers burned in the wrinkles and grooves of the tyrant lizard’s flesh. His hands probed the area in a daze, unable to believe what had transpired. This was new. None of the beasts like this one held such power back in his day, so how had the earth roamer acquired it? Exactly how much time had passed during his slumber since the great fire for the beasts that were once a nuisance at best to become his equal?
Both giants cried out and charged into each other, wrapping arms around their bulks and scratching across the other’s scales. In the entangle of limbs, Pagos clamped his jaws around the right shoulder of Gigantis, impaling his enormous tusks into flesh and muscle with a deafening shout from the primeval beast. His talons slapped at the beast’s skull, but Gigantis couldn’t dislodge the penta-horned monster’s firm grip as it twisted and thrashed, spilling streams of blood as the tusks ripped deeper into the limb. His leg kicked out at Pagos’ belly, but the strike only prompted the dinosaur to drop down on all fours to protect it, pulling Gigantis down in the process and slamming the giant reptile into the dirt.
Pagos pounced atop his rival, pinning the fire-breathing monster underneath his bulk. His fangs tore into Gigantis’ arm, eliciting tormented cries from the beast while it thrashed underneath the mole-like dinosaur. Summoning his impressive strength, Gigantis shoved against his foe, but between Pagos’ grip on him and the burrower’s hefty weight, the ancient reptile could not remove his attacker. Primal instincts took over, directing the claws of his free hand to the horned beast’s neck and sinking them in deep. Tearing away his jaws from Gigantis’ flesh, Pagos cried out and reared up, removing the weight on the former’s legs and letting the amphibious dragon slam a clawed foot into his gut.
The force of the strike sent the five-horned relic toppling over, crashing onto his back with a piercing cry of surprise. Gigantis pulled himself from the ground, growling with every movement of his wounded arm, but did not rise fully before descending on the beast that would oppose him. His foot pressed down on Pagos’ belly and was dragged back, digging deep trenches into the reptile’s flesh. Under the fire monster’s heel, Pagos groaned and squirmed in agony, fuelling his attacker’s lust for bloodshed with his show of weakness. Gigantis’ jaws descended and snapped at the flipped burrower’s throat, only kept at bay with clumsy strikes of the claws of his rival. Falling atop the horned dinosaur, both giants rolled and wrestled, snapping and clawing at each other with animalistic ferocity. There was no intelligence or strategy, only nature at its purest. The most basal instinct in all predators to kill or be killed. And already, one of the giants was on the ropes.
At last, the smaller titan’s forearms managed to shove Gigantis off. The fire dragon screeched and pounded the ground in his enraged state, allowing Pagos to reach his feet first. He bellowed deeply, lowering his head and charging his recovering adversary, closing the distance with incredible speed. Gigantis, with his reaction dulled by anger, noticed the beast too late, and paid for his mistake by the dinosaur’s horns stabbing into his gut and thigh. The inhabitants of the area knew his pain as his roar shook boulders loose from the hills, only stopped from falling over by the presence of his thick, sturdy tail. He still staggered back from the force of the impact, but was quick to catch himself and dug his talons into the sides of Pagos’ skull as he attempted to dislodge its horns. Each push against his rival only prompted the subterranean monster to drive his horns deeper into Gigantis’ scales, worsening the damage. Pagos was not the strongest in their contest, but the short claws on each foot anchored the prehistoric titan into the earth, preventing his towering opponent from removing the reptile’s presence. He wasn’t going anywhere unless he wanted to.
Gigantis seemed to sense this and switched his efforts. His hands slashed at the beast’s head, carving through the soft flesh with ease, but Pagos still persisted. Snorting in frustration, the Jurassic monster moved his claws further up the skull of his assailant and jammed his thumbs deep into the flesh around its sockets. The right limb struck true and pierced Pagos on the opposite side, destroying the eyeball in a single blow. The reaction from the wounded giant was instant, pulling away and out from Gigantis as it howled in agony. The digger desperately tried to retreat, but the smell of his blood had triggered the predatory instincts of his enemy, tightening his grip as he held Pagos close and unleashed his breath attack over the head of the poor creature. In his current position, Pagos couldn’t gain the leverage to break free, and could only wail and writhe as the scalding, mist-like fire engulfed him from head to neck.
Forcing his head up, the tough-scaled burrower fired a burst of its fiery beam directly into the exposed throat of his foe. Gigantis immediately cut off the spray and staggered back, wheezing horribly as dark smoke lifted from the scorched scales. Free from the cruel titan’s grip, Pagos pawed at the scalded skin of his head and neck, wincing whenever he touched the many gashes across his face. Blood pooled in the empty socket of his eye and pooled between his legs from the wounds on his belly. He could only groan softly, struggling to stand on quaking legs. He was not in a good way.
Dr. Yamane dropped his binoculars with a conflicted expression. “Pagos is losing,” he muttered.
“I can see that,” Shinzo replied. “Is it something to be concerned over, doctor?”
“Look at its injuries and compare to those of Gigantis,” the palaeontologist explained as he pointed at each monster in succession. “The Paganosdragon has barely done anything. The plan was designed to work on the basis that the two would exhaust each other, but Gigantis is still standing strong. Your assault may not work if his condition does not deteriorate soon.”
Such a tremendous loss of life that would ensue… Kyohei had experienced the horrors of war once already. He held no desire to see the tragedies he has seen repeat themselves here.
“My men can adapt, Dr. Yamane,” the general replied in a firm tone. “These fire monsters will be destroyed, one way or another.
The scent of blood filled Gigantis’ nostrils like an exotic perfume. The towering dinosaur’s predatory gaze turned to his weakening quarry, jaws spilling droplets of saliva in hunger and anticipation. Taking the first step forward, his advance was immediately halted by a blast of Pagos’ ray across the fire titan’s calves. Gigantis stepped back as his legs steamed, growling from the flaring pain and building rage of the burrower’s tenacity. He tried to step forward again, but another searing energy wave forced the ancient monster into retreat once more. While his prey was unable to fight physically, it knew that Gigantis needed to get close to make the killing blow. Pagos’ burning ray was more to enough to keep the fire monster back, denying him the pleasure of tasting victory and his blood.
Again and again, Gigantis tried to push through Pagos’ defence, but his resilience and determination only went so far, and each attempt ended with the reptilian falling back to nurse his wounds. Hot smoke sprayed from the tyrannosaur’s jaws, but the distance between it and its target rendered the action useless. There was just no way for Gigantis to close the gap. The reptile snarled at his misfortune, but there was no more he could do but concede defeat and allow the burrower to get away. For a moment, he almost went through with the decision.
But a new strategy appeared to the lord of fire.
He turned on the spot, dragging his tail around and up in an arc, kicking up a wave of dust and sand towards Pagos. The fine material covered the off-guard quadruped in a thick, brown coating of earth, which entered the dinosaur’s eye and wounds before he could attempt to cover them. Pagos howled in agony, starting to rub at his stinging eye before he stopped. He realised his foe’s tactic, but the realisation was too late for the sabre beast, as steam overcame his blurred vision. The hot spray further disoriented him, giving Gigantis the chance to close the distance and sink his jaws into the nape of Pagos’ neck. The fire monster’s teeth ripped into the soft flesh as he shook his head like a rapid dog, holding the smaller titan still with his claws as it roared aloud.
The horned dinosaur’s strength was not enough to escape Gigantis’ hold. Blood loss had taken its toll on the grey giant, and the massive tear inflicted upon his neck was the final straw for Pagos. He struggled and groaned, but it was over for the Mesozoic relic. His legs gave way underneath and he slumped to the ground, spewing rivers of crimson from the ruptured flesh of his nape. Gigantis looked over the lifeless body of his former enemy, sniffing the air as he examined it, then placed a foot on the reptile’s back and reared his head to the sky in a victorious cry.
His drooling jaws loomed over the titan, eager to taste his victory and the first meal in one hundred-fifty million years. Movement at the corner of his eye turned Gigantis’ attention away, looking to the hills as strange, metallic creatures approached. Instinct overcame curiosity and he barred his fangs at the bizarre scavengers, unwilling to surrender his kill. Suddenly, the long snouts of each creature flashed, followed by a scorching pain across the tyrant’s form. Gigantis cried out at the unexpected assault, stepping away from the carcass in his confusion while he evaded the new attackers. His fire stream shot from his jaws, consuming dozens of the small beasts in the blaze, but another group of similar creatures appeared on his flank and coated his plates in miniature explosions. Too confused to put up a true fight, Gigantis retreated towards the opposite hills, back to where he knew the ocean lay.
“We must go after him! Quickly, with me!”
General Shinzo directed his men to their positions and vehicles with incredible haste, preparing to head after Gigantis and coordinate the assault on the move. He pointed a finger at Dr. Yamane. “You’re with me, doctor,” he called out, but the elder man did not reply. “Dr. Yamane?”
The doctor finally turned to face the officer as he snapped away from his thoughts, nodding blankly. Following him to the jeep transport, he climbed into the back as Shinzo took the front passenger seat and motioned for the driver to go. As the vehicle sped off up the mountain path, Yamane resumed his contemplation on the recent events. What had assumed to be an equal match of titans had been a slaughter in reality, leaving the good doctor’s faith in his material shaken. How foolish could he be to base so much of his knowledge on speculation and theories when he was faced with living, breathing versions of the creatures that he had spent a lifetime studying. Gigantis surpassed the expectations of the doctor and any animal alive today with an extraordinary degree. It wasn’t natural. It was awesome. Astounding beyond belief! For Gigantis to wield such power placed the fire monster at a level above the rest of his kin. A blood-hungry ruler that governed who lived and who died within the limits of his kingdom.
Gigantis, King of the Monsters.
Could they stop such a being? Was it within the power of this nation, or the world as a whole, to stop this beast of tyranny? Perhaps it was ultimately not their destiny to. Humanity had pillaged and violated the natural world ever since they had risen out from their thatch huts and mud shacks and embraced the resolution of industry, turning an intellect gained over generations towards the creation of tools designed to benefit or slaughter each other. Maybe after all this time, the forces that brought order to the world had released its own weapon to put mankind in its place.
Yamane could understand the motive behind it if his beliefs were true, but he far from agreed with the intentions. There were good people, innocent of any crimes committed to the planet, who would be discriminated by the fire monster’s wrath regardless. It cared not for the destruction it wrought in its quest for domination, and even less for what were little more than vermin in the dinosaur’s eyes. That is why Gigantis must be stopped. For the good of all civilisation, he had to be destroyed.
An impossible sound turned Yamane’s gaze out the window and to the valley below. Shinzo looked from his seat as well and gasped at the sight before his own eyes. Despite the wounds across his flesh and deep into his neck, trees creaked and shifted with each shallow breath from Pagos’ nostrils. The goliath dinosaur’s eye opened before he began to push up from the stained dirt with a groan of ache. Somehow, he managed to fight onto life, albeit by a thin thread, but he had enough strength and will to move off and follow the trail of Gigantis.
“Incredible…” the doctor breathed.
“That thing has guts,” Shinzo commented in awe, to which Dr. Yamane nodded in agreement. “It should be dead as a doormat, yet it’s still going.”
“That creature may be our last hope, general. We can only wait and see for now.”
Shrubbery toppled underneath Gigantis’ feet as the titanic beast moved across the landscape, leaving deep trenches and raging fires in the wake of his presence. The numbers of the metal beast continued to increase, regardless of how many fell to his claws and flames. The battalions kept up the chase while unloading their combined firepower upon Gigantis to keep the giant moving forward. To avoid the aching pain, the fire monsters increased his pace, eager to reach the assured safety of the ocean and its submerged sanctum. But as he turned the corner of the mountain face, a terrible sight lay before the eyes of the killer.
The sea was spread before him, but there was no beach. Instead, a towering cliff created hundreds of metres of distance between Gigantis and the waves he sought. In the panic to escape, he must have taken a wrong turn, driven to this spot by the inorganic creatures as part of their plan. Like Pagos moments before, another force desired to make the lord of the Jurassic its prey. Pressed against the cliff edge and surrounded on all sides, ancient instincts took over for the saurian once more, directing all functions of his body to one objective: attack!
Radioactive flames followed Gigantis’ dominating screech, consuming the land before him and the military weapons upon it as the enclosing remainder retaliated with booming shots. Tanks launched waves of shells and missile carriers fired round after round upon the torso of the grey colossus, while mortar cannons and mounted guns unloaded across Gigantis’ brawly legs. With each moment, the anger of the titan grew with the intensity of his fire, consuming the forest at a terrifying rate, but Gigantis’ only interest was the eradication of the tiny beasts. This was not his world any longer, but it could be once again when the silver pests were wiped out completely. Only then could he retake his title as lord and bring back order to the world.
Amidst the bangs and rattles of the military’s assault, the crunching of wood and stone reached the tyrannosaur’s pointed ears. As it increased in volume, the attack halted, heads turning to the source as a bloodied shape dragged itself into view. Pagos’ presence filled Gigantis with surprise, shimmering part of the fire monster’s rage as his brain processed the sight before him. The burrower lived despite his grievous wounds, but from his trembling limbs and red-soaked body, the time that Pagos resisted death was short. But the beast has one last mission before the end, and he was determined to complete it. If he could not live and prosper, then neither should the one that brought about his demise.
His jaws unleashed one final energy ray that flew towards Gigantis, detonating against the rock and dirt under the feet of the prehistoric lord. Dust and smoke blinded the dinosaur, forcing him to step back and shake his head vigorously. As the first crack reached was heard, Gigantis stopped at the lip of the cliff. Rock crumbled under the giant reptile’s weight, weakened by Pagos’ beam. Underneath Gigantis, the earth rumbled in protest, but it was too late for the lord of the old world. With a roar of terror, he was taken by the collapsing rock, falling down the craggy sea wall into the turbulent waves at its base, which the fire monster vanished into with an enormous splash.
Dozens of soldiers flocked to the cliff side with caution, wary of the unstable terrain as they peered down into the sea. Gigantis was gone; vanished from sight with only sea foam and rough waves to see. The command jeep pulled into the scene amidst the commotion and its occupants filed out, joining the mass in the search for the fire monster.
“Is he dead?”
“I can’t see it!”
“Where did the monster go?”
Many voices drowned out each other in their analysis. Calmly, Shinzo turned to his companion. “Well, doctor?” he asked.” Do you believe he could have survived a fall like that?”
“It is very possible,” the palaeontologist admitted. “We’ve all been surprised today by what these creatures are capable of.”
“And what about the other one? The… pancake-dragon?” Even the general knew he’d screwed the name up, but as he winced in embarrassment, realisation dawned on both men and they spun around.
“The dinosaur!” Shinzo gasped. “It’s…”
The act of banishing Gigantis had taken the last strength of Pagos. The beast lay flat, its eye closed as if it were sleeping, and indeed in death, it looked at peace. But something most extraordinary had happened to the creature’s body after death.
“Incredible. It’s petrified,” Yamane breathed. The old man’s eyes sparkled with curiously and wonder as the men and women of the battalion gathered around to share in the miracle. Where there was once flesh and scales now rested a statue in the reptile’s shape. Every detail was captured perfectly. If not for the fresh blood staining its surface, it would have easy to dismiss that the sculpture was once a living, breathing entity. “This is astounding. Imagine what could be learned from this?”
“It will certainly be easier to transport,” said Shinzo jokingly.
Ah yes, the aftermath. With both giants subdued, the country was safe for today, but how were they to proceed now? The corpse of a fire monster was the prize in a battle that cost the lives of hundreds and left the survivors with the knowledge of how utterly outclassed they were for the rising era. It was only due to the knowledge of Gigantis’ presence and route that the general had managed to strategize and gather the resources in order to stop the terrible monster. But what if more creatures revealed themselves without warning, like Pagos? How could they prepare against an enemy with little data on and could appear anywhere at any time?
“It has become clear today how far beneath the power of these giants we currently are,” Yamane began. “Our weapons crushed, our men slaughtered, our stratagems foiled. The fact is, general, the human race, as it currently stands, is too far behind to repel Gigantis and his kin.”
Humming in agreement, Shinzo spoke. “We can catch up, doctor. I know that America and Japan are both working on new weapons for use on the field, but I cannot say if that will be enough."
“It won’t,” Yamane replied bluntly. ”I see now that these titans cannot be allowed to roam freely as they please. More is needed than updated tanks to match the fire monsters. We need something more. A force dedicated to taking the fight to them instead of waiting for the first move to be made. They must be made aware that mankind is to be respected and feared, or they will spread and take our planet back into an age of chaos.”
“These are… valid points, doctor. I am open to suggestions.”
Spoiler:
We will now resume our once-a-month schedule and go from there!_.gif)
