The Pyramid of Barem cracked and crumbled as a huge fissure opened underneath, swallowing the structure along with the towering gargoyles. An eerie stillness hung over the valley for a minute. No creature stirred. No breeze blew. The sun had just reached its noontime zenith, and so the valley was devoid of shadows, yet a shadow of another kind had fallen over everything.

Then a red mist poured from the fissure, forming a cloud that spread across the valley. Flowers wilted. Trees dried up and cracked to pieces. The rich minerals in the soil were depleted. The animals, no matter how fast they crawled, ran, flew, or tunneled, could not escape the crimson gas. Hair and feathers died at the roots and fell away. Skin shriveled and sloughed off. Flesh and organs were drained of moisture, the bones of their calcium. Not even the tiniest, most resilient of bacterium could survive in such a toxic environment. Within the space of a few minutes, all that once lived was dust, and the once lush, beautiful island was as dead as the surface of the moon.

The brittle valley floor crumbled, and a terrifying beast emerged: Dagara, the red-eyed green dragon of Honda's nightmares. The monster had a stocky build, with a short neck, wide chest, and pudgy legs. On his head were backward-facing horns, and on his back, vast, powerful wings. He was weak from millennia of slumber, but not for long. Wide, fleshy tubes on his shoulders had emitted the crimson cloud, and now they sucked it back in, allowing Dagara to absorb all of the island's nutrients. He lay down to rest while he metabolized this ghastly feast; he would awake in an hour at full strength, ready to terrorize the entire world.


Lora and Mona stood at the apex of the temple where Mothra usually perched. They faced a cliff on the opposite side of the valley from the path leading in from the beach. Mothra's cross was carved into the cliff face. The Wise Ones reached their hands toward the symbol, which lit up like a star and melted the surrounding rock away, revealing a huge cave, and inside was the white opal from Honda's dream: an egg.

The fairies joined hands and began to sing:

"Mothra, oh, Mothra

If we were to call for help

Over time, over sea

Like a wave, you'd come

Our guardian angel!"

The tribe joined in the ceremony, with many performing an elaborate dance while others pounded drums or blew into reed instruments. The music reverberated between the mountains until it became an all-encompassing roar.


The elderly Mothra was not as fast or strong as she had once been, but she was determined to put an end to Dagara's carnage. She sensed Godzilla swimming below her, heading in the same direction. The two of them had a brief psychic exchange.

So, Godzilla, you've returned to the islands once again.

Yes. Has the Burtannus egg Rodan brought here hatched yet?

It has. Her mother would be grateful to you.

The Wise Ones are not so grateful. They do not want me here.

You have found your purpose in this world. I have been too weak to protect it, and you have done a commendable job in my place. Now I have another favor to ask of you.

What is it?

If I do not survive this battle, please, ensure that my child does, or the balance of life on this planet could be threatened.

I will defend your egg with my life, Mothra.


Honda's body was subdued, but a part of her mind remained alert. Her physical senses were shut off, so she had to exert her telepathy to discern what was going on around her. She was inside the AC-3's rear compartment, along with Yuma, both of them strapped to their seats so they could not move. Clarke and two other soldiers stood over them. Yuma was awake and going on one hell of a diatribe, but when he finished, Clarke just laughed.

"Well, Corp-sorry, Doctor Yuma! Your theory isn't far off. The US government did know about this place and the monsters. They did use an unstable nuclear device to permanently contaminate the islands. And, yeah, even though the new president and his friends at the UN decided to make a big show out of bringing a bunch of scientists and surveyors here to collect data, the good old boys at intelligence asked me to make sure nothing damning reached the press."

"Aha! I knew you were just another puppet for-"

"A puppet? Never! I don't care if any of this reaches the press. Hey, might even teach those bigwigs a thing or two! Just as long as I keep my own ass covered."

"Oh, really? And what's this Seatopia business? What's that about?"

Clarke hesitated in surprise. "How the hell did…? Huh. Ha! Well, I guess you had to hear about it sooner or later. See, turns out this whole lost civilization thing is big business. These guys who call themselves 'Seekers of Seatopia' or some shit like that have been on the hunt for ancient artifacts for decades, but ever since the UN found and rebuilt that old robot, they've been going crazy! I heard about it from a...well, let's say 'ambitious' acquaintance, and when I heard how much they were willing to pay for that old junk, I decided I wanted in. How about you, eh? Make a little extra dough?"

"Count me out! I'm not interested in exploiting-"

"That's too bad, because I'm under special orders to acquire you, whether you like it or not. Now, if you don't mind, our pilot said he spotted some kind of pyramid, and I want to check it out. You never know what kinds of treasures these natives might be hiding!"

"Clarke, no! Don't hurt those people!"

"You're in no position to make demands of me!" Clarke punched Yuma in the head, hard enough to knock him unconscious. "That's that. Rex, Riley, you stay here with Siegel and keep an eye on these two. I'm taking the rest to check out that pyramid."

Honda was powerless to stop them. The sedative kept her at bay, forcing her to do nothing as Clarke and his cronies disembarked, armed to the teeth, and struck out for the tribe's home, hellbent on killing and plundering.

What she did not see was Clarke, after emerging from the Helios, suffer a coughing fit. He wiped the spittle from his lips on the sleeve of his shirt and saw a conspicuous red stain. He quickly bunched up his sleeve in an attempt to hide the blood. "Alright, boys. Let's go."


Godzilla and Mothra were horrified to see what had become of Barem Island. The soil and rock were ashen, and the remaining inorganic matter from the forest formed a thin, gauzy substance, giving the island the appearance of a bare skeleton coated in gossamer. Knowing that Dagara would not remain long before consuming another island, they headed for the pyramid.

The red gas had mostly receded, but still obscured the valley from view. Mothra flew over and tried to clear the fumes away by flapping her wings. Godzilla stood at the edge of a cliff, peering through the cloud; as it swirled about, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Dagara, awake and looking straight up at Mothra overhead. The ancient monster's body emitted a purple glow as he charged an energy attack.

A moment later, Dagara was obscured by the red cloud, but Godzilla fired his ray toward where he last saw him. Dagara's beam attack shot out at an angle, barely missing Mothra. With a furious roar, Dagara flew toward the cliff. Godzilla lunged, slamming into the flying beast in midair; the two of them tumbled to the ground together, disappearing back into the red cloud.

Mothra hovered just above the top of the gas layer and flapped her wings, clearing away enough that she could see the result of the tussle. Godzilla lay on his side, gasping and writhing as the poison ate at his flesh and burned his lungs; his healing factor just barely kept pace with the damage. Dagara prepared another energy attack, but Mothra sent out crimson lightning bolts from her wings, burning his back and causing more red gas to emerge from the wounds. Mothra flew out of the way of his counterattack, whereupon Dagara took off after her, sending out more beams.

Godzilla staggered upright and clambered over the cliff, away from the poison cloud. He paused to catch his breath and fully regenerate, but Mothra called to him fearfully. Dagara had scorched one of her wings and she was losing speed. She swooped low over Godzilla's head, and her pursuer followed close behind. Godzilla seized Dagara's tail as he flew by and slammed him against the rocky plateau.

Dagara was back on his feet in a flash. He was nearly as tall on all fours as Godzilla was upright, and about thrice as large overall. Using the size difference to his advantage, he propelled himself forward with his wings and smashed into his opponent like a battering ram. Godzilla was toppled over and penned down. He fired his atomic breath into Dagara's face, only to be met with return fire from the violet ray directly into his eyes. Despite his momentary blindness, he managed to free his hands and get them around Dagara's throat, squeezing with all of his strength. Dagara gagged and pulled away, allowing Godzilla to kick him off and reclaim his feet.

Dagara fell onto his back and struggled to roll over. Godzilla blinked furiously as his vision remained dangerously reduced; knowing he was vulnerable while his eyes recovered, he turned in all directions, clawing at the air and swiping his tail about. Mothra, who had been nursing her singed wing nearby, took off and showered Godzilla with silvery dust that restored his sight and healed his other wounds.

Just as they were both at full strength again, Dagara finally turned over and discharged his poison toward them. Mothra hovered just behind Godzilla's head and used her wings to propel the gas back, while her ally sent out his breath attack. Dagara responded in kind, and their beams met in the middle. For a moment, they each held the other at bay, but Dagara's beam won out and Godzilla tumbled backward, head over heels.

Mothra swerved to avoid being hit by Godzilla as he fell, then sent out her crimson lightning. Dagara dodged and blasted her injured wing again, this time leaving it in tatters. She knew before she hit the ground that she would not be able to get airborne again, so she called out to her ally.

Godzilla! This is the end for me.

Don't give up yet. We can take him!

No! I'm sorry, but you must continue this fight without me. Please, remember your promise.

Dagara lunged at Mothra, chomping his jaws in anticipation of devouring her life force, but before he could sink his teeth in, her body transformed into a thousand tiny lights that drifted away in all directions. Her spirit had taken leave of her physical form and departed this world.

As Dagara hissed and sneered at the loss of such a unique meal, Godzilla sprang to his feet and threw himself upon the enemy. Dagara took to the sky as Godzilla clung to his tail; once they were over the sea, he released his red gas. Godzilla's muscles grew weak as he again felt the effects of the poison, and after only a few seconds, he lost his grip and plummeted into the dark waters below. Dagara howled victoriously and turned his sights on Infant Island.


Honda remained unable to interact with her environment. She could sense her captors nearby but not interact with them or move in any way. She tried to probe their minds, but could not concentrate enough to do so.

There was a cry of pain from the adjacent cabin. Riley jumped up just as Siegel came staggering out, clutching his bandaged stump. The wraps were soaked with pus and blood, and he was as white as a sheet.

Then it occurred to her: the soldiers had been on the island for most of two days, soaking in ionizing radiation the entire time, and had yet to partake of the healing soup, so now they were getting sick. Siegel had become anemic, resulting in disorientation, profuse bleeding, and a drop in leukocytes that allowed a massive necrotic infection to set in.

Riley ran to catch his squadmate as he collapsed. Honda felt Siegel's mind go dark as his life was snuffed out. Her moment of shock was interrupted by a CLANG! on the side of the airship.

Rex ran to the cockpit and peered out the window, but saw nothing. "Riley," he called to the back, "get out there and check it out!"

Riley lowered the ramp and stepped outside. The Helios was not in stealth mode, as it was costly on the energy supply. As Riley inspected the hull, he felt a sudden pain in his belly and bent over to retch, bringing up bile mixed with blood. He gasped upon seeing the gory vomit on the ground, but then he noticed a rock the size of a melon that was grey and smooth, unlike the brittle black stone of the beach. Looking above it, just behind the right wing of the ship, Riley saw a small dent.

Just as he pieced together that someone was nearby, a dark-skinned arm wrapped around his throat from behind, while the unseen remaining hand seized his sidearm and held it against his head.

A commanding feminine voice whispered in his ear, "Take me inside."

"In…in…inside where?"

"Your plane, fool." The attacker pressed the pistol harder against his temple. "Now."

Riley nodded and tapped the side of the vessel. "All clear!" he shouted.

The ramp lowered, and Riley entered with the intruder just behind. Rex looked back from the cockpit and saw them both. He grabbed his rifle and fired, but missed and hit Riley in the chest, killing him. The intruder retaliated with four shots in rapid succession, leaving two bullets in both of Rex's arms so that he dropped his rifle to the floor. She then charged and overpowered him, holding his arms from behind.

"Did you drug those scientists?" she shouted. Honda knew when she heard the voice that it was Doctor Amirpour who had come to her rescue.

"Bite me! ARRGGH!"

Amirpour tugged hard on Rex's arms, causing the bullets to sink torturously deeper into his bones.

"Alright! Alright! I'll give you something to revive them with!"

Amirpour released one arm so Rex could raise it feebly and point to a compartment, from which she retrieved a vial of liquid and a hypodermic needle. She filled the syringe and gave a dose to both of her unconscious friends. Honda's head swirled and a thousand lights filled her eyes. She took a deep, hoarse gasp of air as she regained control of her body.

Amirpour left Honda and Yuma to revive and returned to the cockpit to confront Rex again. The lieutenant looked up at her from where she had left him lying on the floor. "Who are you?" he demanded, wincing in pain as she grabbed his arms and hoisted him upright again.

"Saradia Secret Service, Special Agent 9. Sorry, grunt, but your secret boys' club isn't actually so secret."

"I'm no grunt! I'm a lieuten-AUGH!"

Amirpour twisted his arms behind his back. "Listen here, grunt! I'm in no mood for games, so you better show me how to fly this bird, or I'll shoot your legs, too!"

Rex laughed weakly. "Do it! Shoot me anywhere! You need the plane, but you also need me to testify, don't you? Heh! Which is it gonna be, then?"

The plane's ramp suddenly burst open, seemingly of its own accord. Amirpour looked back and saw Honda staggering out onto the beach. "Doctor Honda!" she shouted. "Where are you going?"

Honda said nothing. Once she was outside, she summoned all of her strength and threw herself into the air, flying over the plane and the rocks toward the center of the island. Amirpour and Rex gasped together as she soared through the sky. Yuma stumbled, half conscious, into the cockpit and looked at her go.

"Oh, right," he said. "She, uh...she does that now, apparently."


The Wise Ones continued their prayer. Mothra's egg began to crack as the larva within stirred. Mona and Lora were so focused on the incantation that they did not notice the arrival of the intruders.

Clarke whistled as he took in the sight of the towering pyramid and the dancing natives. He gave the pilot of the airship a nudge. "I didn't quite believe you when you described it to me, but it's beautiful! I wonder who built it."

The pilot smirked. "Couldn't be these savages. Not that it matters. Let's get to it!" He took three steps forward before he stopped with a pained "HURK!" and fell dead with a throwing knife in his belly.

Daiyo had seen the intruders and made the first move. She called out to the rest of the tribe, and the dancing stopped. Most of the tribe fled to the pyramid, but the warriors stood their ground. Daiyo's forces had the numerical advantage, but they knew they were up against superior firepower.

Mona and Lora sensed the brewing altercation and turned to watch, petrified; they could not use their powers to cause harm, so they had no way to stop Clarke and his men.

At last, Daiyo let out a mighty warcry, and her warriors charged. Clarke grinned sadistically as he opened fire.

Something impacted the ground midway between the two sides. The fiery orange heat ray stopped as it reached the object. Surprised, Clarke released the trigger and saw the beam fizzle out in midair.

Before him stood Honda. Her hair and robe were smoking from the heat, but she herself was unharmed. She had used her telekinesis to block the beam.

All present stood in stunned silence. The islanders knew immediately the source of Honda's powers, but the outsiders on both sides had no idea what to make of her. Clarke glared at her, angry that she had stopped him once but eager to try again. Then he heard her voice in his head.

Don't. Even. Think about it.

The Major shouted in alarm as he and his men had their guns yanked from their grasp by an invisible force and tossed aside; the strap's on Clarke's power pack were ripped as it flew off him. The soldiers glanced around and saw that nobody had touched them. They looked back at Honda and saw her fiercely glowering at them. Without waiting another moment, Clarke and his cronies turned and scampered off, scared out of their minds at the incomprehensible turn of events.

Honda looked at the natives behind her, awaiting their response with apprehension. Daiyo approached her cautiously, holding eye contact. She stopped about a meter away. Honda waited intently. Finally, Daiyo lowered herself to her knees and bowed. The rest of the tribe followed suit.

Honda looked to the top of the pyramid and saw the Wise Ones smiling in approval - both of them, including Mona.

A single tear of joy trickled down Honda's face. For months, she had feared rejection; now, she felt not only respected but accepted.

Nevertheless, her relief was short-lived. She could sense a different kind of evil drawing nigh. Honda sent out a psychic call to Godzilla, hoping he had not lost the battle yet.


Sure enough, Godzilla had finished regenerating and was on his way, but he feared he would not make it to Infant Island in time to stop Dagara from devouring Mothra's egg. He had no choice but to call on the other beasts of the Adonas for help.


As Dagara hurtled toward Infant Island, he was blindsided by two more flying monsters: Soran and the surviving Kamacuras. They clung to his wings and forced him down toward the water. Dagara broke free just before splashing down, but before he could regain any altitude, a giant pliosaur leaped from the water and smashed into him, bringing the ancient dragon crashing down into the sea.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen huge creatures seized upon him with claws, teeth, pincers, and tentacles. Dagara fired his ray, cutting a swathe through his attackers, but several still clung to him and tore at his flesh. The pliosaur chomped down on Dagara's right wing cannon, crushing it closed. The dragon howled in pain, but retaliated by taking a bite out of the pliosaur's throat. Another energy attack cleared away most of the remaining creatures; then, Dagara used his powerful rudder-like tail to propel himself forward through the water, and the last clingers lost their grip as he took off like a torpedo.

Dagara sensed Soran and Kamacuras tailing him. He was not as fast underwater as in the air, but they could not swim, so he stayed submerged and continued onward with the intent of destroying them both as soon as they reached Infant Island. Little did Dagara know that the intervention of the other monsters had successfully bought much needed time for Godzilla and the new Mothra.


The Wise Ones continued their chant as the egg cracked wider. A large piece of shell was pushed aside by a shiny sepia face with sapphire eyes. Mona and Lora cheered as the newborn Mothra emerged, but they were surprised when the opposite side of the egg burst open to reveal a second larva.

"Twins!" shouted Lora in elation. "There haven't been twins for a thousand generations!"

Mona looked to the sea. "Let us hope they won't be the last," she said gravely. "Dagara draws nigh!"

Dagara erupted from the shallow water near Infant Island. Kamacuras and Soran dove at him; the former was struck by Dagara's tail and fell into the water, getting his wings soaked and becoming unable to fly. Soran sunk his teeth into Dagara's left wing; when the ancient dragon tried to pull away, the thin membrane of his wing was shredded.

Dagara shrieked as he fell onto the craggy beach. He rose to his feet and looked over the damage; the wing was unusable, but it would heal once he absorbed the life force of Mothra's spawn and could regenerate. He looked up to see Soran making another dive toward him, but Dagara put an end to his meddling with an energy attack; when the flaming corpse was near to the ground, he struck it with his tail, causing it to land on the crippled Kamacuras, killing him, too.

Dagara turned his attention to the center of the island. He was furious that he could not simply fly over the looming mountains, nor could he fit between them. He would need to climb. Just as he was getting ready to start, he heard a commotion behind him.

Godzilla emerged from the sea and came ashore. Riding on the back of his neck was the juvenile Burtannus, clacking its beak and hissing in anticipation of a fight. By his side was a Saurobehemoth, with a Gorosaurus riding on her long neck. The creatures of the Adona Islands may have been monstrous, but they knew of Mothra's importance and obeyed Godzilla's call to defend her young.

Dagara tried to fry the interlopers, but could only spit purple sparks; his energy supply was nearly depleted. He still had one functioning cannon from which to disperse his crimson mist, but releasing it would drain more energy, leaving him vulnerable while consuming the nutriated gas. He would need to overpower his foes before absorbing them. If brute strength was his only option, then brute strength he would use.

The ancient dragon charged like a bull, aiming to ram Godzilla, but the juvenile Burtannus leaped off him and landed on Dagara's head. The little beastie emitted a massive electrical shock that momentarily paralyzed the larger monster; he then hopped out of the way as Gorosaurus advanced, balanced himself on his tail, and used his strong legs to give a kangaroo-style kick, knocking him off his feet. Before he could stand up, Saurobehemoth trudged over and planted his feet atop Dagara, weighing him down so that he could not rise.

Dagara knew he was in trouble as Godzilla began his approach, charging up his beam. Taking a chance, Dagara released his crimson gas. Saurobehemoth reared back as the flesh oozed off his legs. Dagara inhaled the gory fumes and gained enough energy to unleash a blast that tore a gaping hole through Saurobehemoth's torso. His injured wing also partially fused back together, allowing him to use both wings to give himself a boost as he leaped toward Godzilla, tackling him to the ground. Gorosaurus tried to attack from behind, but was toppled over by a gust of wind from Dagara's wings.

Burtannus hopped up and bit into Dagara's tail, clinging tightly even as he was thrashed to and fro. The larger monster paid him little mind; now that only Godzilla was left to oppose him, Dagara kept him pinned down and began releasing more gas. The mutant guardian would make a fine appetizer. Godzilla realized what was happening and called out for help.


Honda heard the call. Thinking quickly, she grabbed Clarke's atomic power pack and took off through the air.


Clarke ran faster than he ever had before. The winding path through the rocks was a blur as he raced by in blind fear. He could hear his men behind him, panting like old dogs. One of them suddenly moaned loudly in pain and went tumbling head over heals.

Oh, no! thought Clarke. She's after us!

He pushed himself to go even faster, despite a throbbing pain in his chest. Another man behind him collapsed. Then another. And another. Clarke dared not look behind, but he soon realized that he was the only one left. With a fearful holler, the Major leaped at a three-meter wall of rock and tried to scamper over it, but his fingers refused to grip firmly and he fell onto his back.

Clarke's brain screamed at him to get up and continue running, but every nerve and muscle in his body refused to act. He lay prone where he had fallen, his head tilted slightly back. He could see one of his soldiers a short way down the path behind him, writhing on the ground. Clarke managed to roll onto his belly so he could see right side up.

The other man was already dead, but his body still quaked and spasmed. Blood flowed freely from his nostrils and mouth, and the color was gone from his face.

It was only now that the nature of Clarke's sickness dawned on him. It had come over the rest of his troops, too, and one by one they had lost the strength to carry on.

Clarke's vision became clouded as his eyes began to bleed. He knew he was a goner, but he did not want to die slowly. He still had his bowie knife tucked in his belt. Rolling onto his side, he pulled it out and sliced his own throat.

Honda saw the bodies as she flew over the path through the rocks. She took no satisfaction in the deaths of those men, cruel and corrupt though they might have been. However, there was nothing she could do for them now and no time to mourn.


Godzilla feared death more than he ever had before. He could not send out his ray with Dagara's feet on his chest, compressing his plasma gland, and the bloody fumes had his head spinning. It would not be long before he passed out.

Just in time, Gorosaurus picked himself up and performed another kangaroo kick. Dagara was knocked sideways off of Godzilla, but he did not lose his footing; he whirled around and tore the theropod's throat out with his teeth.

In those few seconds, Honda came into view of the battle; she threw the atomic power pack and propelled it toward Godzilla with her mind. He saw it and grabbed it, crushing it in his hand. Beams of blue light peeked from between his claws as he absorbed all of the energy inside and gained a massive power boost.

Dagara turned on him but was repelled with a blast to the face. Godzilla grabbed his opponent by the wings and lifted him into the air, slamming him back into the ground. He then grabbed the left wing with both hands while pressing a foot against Dagara's side for leverage and, with one massive tug, pulled the wing out of its socket, cannon and all. Dagara shrieked in anguish as the digestive red gas seeped from the wound, breaking down his own raw flesh; the evil beast's own weapon had turned on him, causing him to slowly disintegrate, but it also threatened to shroud Infant Island in crimson death.

Honda turned to flee, but behind her were the two Mothra larvae, arriving right on cue. The baby caterpillars shot silken webbing from their spinnerets toward Dagara; the moist substance neutralized the red fumes in mid-air, leaving behind a shower of silvery dust.

At long last, the gas died out completely, but the toxic effects on Dagara's body had already run their course, and he was now as grey and stiff as the stone gargoyles of his ancient prison. Godzilla struck the dried corpse with his tail, whereupon it cracked into pieces and crumbled upon itself. Only pale ash remained. Dagara was gone forever.