Chapter 8: Victory or Death
"Wait, brothers didn't he say contenders?"
(Dragon! Behind you-)
Orga's warning came a little too late, as Ghidorah had already crumpled onto the ground- the sheer force knocking the dragon to their knees. Ni and San swivelled around and blasted their bolts, dislodging whatever had been on their back as the dragon took off.
A beetle, covered in thick copper armor, and who Ghidorah assumed was Megalon. Its beady yellow eyes devoid of any higher thought, Megalon hovered below them- translucent wings beating behind its armored elytron as it readied itself for another mid-air charge. Its drills glinted dangerously as it rose towards them- an aerial battering ram. Ghidorah strafed past the charge, sending the beetle careening into the forcefield- only for a sudden pain to erupt from their backs.
Gigan scythe dug into the wounds made by his allies's drills, the titanium blade cutting even further down into the dragon's flesh. The cyborg cried out as a retaliatory bolt from the right head singed his visor, and retreated as Ghidorah spun in the air. Their massive wings inadvertently slapped Megalon out of the air, sending the beetle careening to the floor with an undignified thud. Ghidorah let out a savage trill as they barrelled towards the lone Gigan- thinking they could take the avian out on their own.
But unlike the dragon, Gigan was a machine built for battle- with years of experience under his belt. Or at least, that's what it looked like from his fighting form alone.
The cyborg dodged their charge easily, and with one blade, cut a horrid line across their underbelly. As the two of them flew together, Ghidorah's heads screeching in panic as the blade slowly made its way through their chest, Gigan tore at their wings- his titanium blade easily tearing through their delicate membranes. The dragon suddenly dropped down, and even as the dragon's nearest heads tore at the cyborg's armor, Gigan continued to fight- his scythe now targeting their shoulder muscles. A sudden crackling noise from nearby caused the cyborg to let go of his handhold, and he barely dodged another bolt from the right head of the dragon.
Ghidorah, despite having a bloody line bisecting their chest, managed to stabilise themselves in midair. A volley of bolts soared towards Gigan, and not even he was able to dodge all of them. Parts of the cyborg's gold and green armor turned a shade of black, but just before Ghidorah could land the finishing bolt, they were knocked aside by Megalon- his horn stabbing into their sides as the beetle brought them both crashing into the wall. His success was short lived however, as Ghidorah kicked the beetle off their chest and repelled him with a clubbed tail to the head. Megalon fired off a trio of fireballs at the dragon, only for Ghidorah to flap their wings and send them right back. Megalon chittered as his own napalm burnt across his exoskeleton, while Ghidorah prepared to finish the fumbling beetle off.
Only for Gigan to make himself known, bringing down both scythes on Ghidorah's remaining wing and cleanly cutting through it.
—
Nearby, Orga watched as the golden dragon fell to the ground with a bang- the dust cloud large enough to block the stars. No matter how strong they were, the dragon was still only one monster- and not even they could last long against an onslaught like this.
(FIGHT YOU COWARD)
The voice of one of the heads, filled with frustration, spoke in his mind. Orga scurried further back into the darker corners- praying to his gods that he would not be seen.
(I am unable to) the mutant justified, as he heard the infuriation building in the voice's mind.
(I have no adaptations for combat engagements-)
In the air, Gigan pointed one scythe/claw towards the cloud- a signal for Megalon to charge in first. The beetle obeyed without question, and the two soon disappeared into the dust.
(I cannot help you drago-)
A shrill scream from inside the cloud caused Orga to sever the link between him and the dragon. Megalon burst out of the cloud like a cannonball, slamming into the wall singed and smoking with burns all over his exoskeleton. Ghidorah roared as they brought all three heads down on a prone Gigan's arm, and tore it out of its socket with a snap. The cyborg managed to slash at their necks, a bloody line dripping from his remaining scythe as he dodged a slam from the dragon's twin tails. The avian fired off a laser from his visor, targeting the dragon's wing membranes and wounds as Ghidorah's bolts missed their mark.
A sudden rumbling shook the mutant out of his stupor. His ribs made a sickening crack as Megalon, who needed a new foe to fight, rammed into Orga with the force of a steam engine.
But before he could do too much damage, the beetle was abruptly shot off his new foe- the bolt pushing him off course. Orga rolled onto the dirt- massive claws gripping tightly onto the floor. His eyes widened as he watched Gigan push his 'ally' onto the ground from behind- the clean surgical cuts on their legs and wings inhibiting their movements.
At that moment, Orga decided that he needed to act.
Aiming was the easy part, as a former scientist he was more than capable of running the predicted path. Now came the much more tedious one. The mutant felt the crackling as his shoulders were forcibly split apart, and even now the pain still felt every bit as unbearable. The humming noise faded into the background as the mutant braced himself for the inevitable.
—
With his remaining arm, Gigan dug his scythe into the roof of San's mouth- the metal cutting through the soft flesh like a hot knife in butter as Ni dropped the cyborg's severed arm at his brother's suffering. One hooked leg on the back of his neck, the other two heads knew full well what the avian was trying to do. San's trill of pain caused their hearts to drop, and the ensuing rage was enough to motivate the other two to summon their thunder. But the slight crackle that followed bore much worse news.
They ran out.
Ichi and Ni tried their best to fend him off, their teeth sinking into metallic skin, ripping out some chunks of wires and blood. Gigan let out a victorious shriek as he heard the snap of San's jaws, as the dragon's head was slowly being ripped apart at the seams. San's frenzied shrieks were growing in pitch, and Ni realised just what he was about to witness.
His eyes closed, the right head not wanting to see what came next.
A sudden boom reverberated across the arena.
Gigan was pushed away from San, soaring across the arena into the walls. The beam pushed him deeper for good measure, before sputtering out like a dying engine.
Orga's flesh grew like a weed as it rapidly covered what was once a gaping hole, presumably where the beam had been fired from. From the gouges in the ground, he had been pushed quite a considerable distance back- the dirt caking his claws only more evidence to that.
(How's that for a coward?)
The mutant kneeled down to one knee, probably not used to the pain. Ghidorah knew that he wouldn't be off any help anymore, but at least it had given the dragon some time. Megalon flew right past them, towards his downed ally. Gigan shakily rose, and after batting away his comrade's offer of aid, pointed his remaining scythe at the dragon.
Despite his lackluster intelligence, Megalon got the hint.
Their wounds healed slowly, and Ni could faintly hear Ichi briefly checking on San- whose neck and jaws were in worst shape compared to the rest of them. After seeing the left head's shaky nod, Ichi turned to the right head- despite it being probably obvious what the right head was thinking.
The beetle finally charged, and Ghidorah roared out in challenge- daring the beetle to do their worst- claws digging into the dirt. Their broken wings turned into importou shields as the two collided, the dragon bearing the full force of the charge with ease. One clawed wing clubbed Megalon in the side of the head, sending the beetle once again careening into a wall. Gigan's visor began to glow an ominous red, before a burst of light dashed towards them. The following laser scorched Ghidorah's flesh, the beam short-lived but painful. Ghidorah tried to catch his foe as he recharged from the use of his weapon, all three heads snapped into empty air as Gigan drew back- not wanting to risk his remaining limbs in battle. The dragon paused to take another breath, until a sudden buzzing sound alerted them that the fight was not over.
Megalon's charge was successful for the second time, breaking several of the dragon's ribs and bones as he plowed through. His drills left ugly wounds as he strafed out of reach of the dragon's jaws, spitting napalm balls as he did so.
Flame, flesh and fury all mixed into one as Ghidorah continued to try and fend off his two foes- whose strafes were only growing more and more frequent as the dragon tired. Their strikes hit empty air, the limited sparks of electricity crackling at their jaws only for show.
Megalon cockily clanged his drills as he readied for the final charge- aiming at the dragon's heart. As he dove down, Gigan watched- knowing full well that Ghidorah was going to fall. He scoffed under his breath, regretting that he didn't get a chance to finish Ghidorah himself.
But just before the beetle hit them for what he thought was the final time, the dragon dodged - the charge barely missing the tips of their scales. Ichi's head moved instantly, and found their target- Megalon's horn. Physics took over as Ichi redirected the beetle's momentum, slamming the insect into the floor back first. Ni and San got to work, both heads constricting around the beetle's wide body and lifting him up. Ghidorah's own legs burnt in pain due to having to support the weight of the beetle in addition to their own. Megalon chirped out in protest as he realised, too late, that Ghidorah had him right where he wanted.
Ichi began to drain electricity from the beetle's horns, sensing a hint of bioelectrical energy flowing through them. He had never tried this before, but the technique was ruthlessly effective.
Megalon immediately felt the energy leave his body. His vision began to blur, and Megalon felt a sharp stinging pain come from inside his own head. In desperation, he fired off an electrical bolt, something that Gigan had told him not to do earlier, expecting it to burn through Ghidorah's head and secure his victory.
Safe to say it only tickled Ichi as he continued to absorb the beetle's energy.
The beetle switched tactics, attempting to burn the necks tying him with his napalm, but Ichi was swift to respond, blocking Megalon's mouth with his coils. The crowd went wild as Ghidorah used their three necks to lift Megalon high into the air, showing off their trophy. The beetle's mind burned in agony as the absorption continued, and soon he was out cold- all the electricity in his nerves having been taken for the dragon's own use. Their entire body crackled and fizzled, similar to they way they did in their previous match, and the lights flickered as Ghidorah let out a burst of electromagnetic power.
Nearby, Gigan could only watch as his ally was slowly drained- two choices on the cyborg's mind.
To survive.
Or to fight.
The choice was an easy one to make.
Gigan immediately began to back away from Ghidorah, who dropped the unconscious Megalon to the ground like a sandbag. All three of the dragon's eyes bored into his soul, each one silts of malice and vengeance, as Gigan felt something he hadn't felt in awhile.
Fear.
With a shrill shriek, Ni fired off a bolt that knocked their foe out of the sky. As Gigan crashed to the ground, he got back up in seconds- immediately trying to fly off again. Ghidorah's thunderous steps grew closer and closer, and soon a jaw clamped on the avian's translucent green tail just as he was about to take off. With a heave, Ichi slammed the cyborg into the ground- causing dust and shrapnel to explode into the sky.
Bits and pieces of Gigan now lay sprawled across the ground, as Ghidorah continued to batter his foe. Ni dug into the metal, tearing it off like an animal would a carcass. Sparks crackled at Ichi's mouth as he disconnected Gigan's remaining limbs one by one, with the precision of a surgeon.
Ni's teeth jet black with oil and blood as he drew back. Ichi pulled off the cyborg's tail, and flipped it into the nearby pile of limbs- leaving the cyborg as a shadow of what he once was. Gigan's visor crackled with their last sparks of life- he was very much alive despite being torn apart from limb to limb.
"You fool."
Gigan spoke in the language of their kind, and seeing as only the interstellar dragons knew the tongue, it was strange to hear it in the garbled mechanical voice of the cyborg.
"Brothers, did he just-"
"Ignore him." Ni cut off the left head as they continued to walk away- each step a taunt for the downed cyborg. Gigan let out a shriek of rage, and tried to fire off one last laser- only for it to fizzle out- inciting a snicker from the right head. His humiliating defeat at the dragon's jaws made the cyborg fume in rage, a thousand cruel and scathing curses running through his mind.
"You do not know who you have wronged-" he once again said, the words distorted and slurred- but still in the language of the Dorats.
"I-I will hunt you down to-"
Ghidorah lay one foot on the cyborg's neck, and snapped it with their weight.
"-a-and f-finish-'' Gigan's last words puttered out as the last vestiges of his electricity left his head, the light from his cycloptic eye fading away. The dragon let out a thunderous trill of victory, as the crowd roared in glee at their newest champion.
Author's Note: I'm not exactly experienced when it comes to fight scenes, but I think I did a good enough job on this one- remember, reviews and critics are always welcome here! Also, We're half way done with the story! By the way, I am still going to edit and revamp some of the older chapters when I am done- so go check them out every once in awhile for a surprise!