The Bridge: Humanity's Stand

by BlazingPhoenix17

Terra has been at war for years. Decades. Against foes far beyond human power and understanding. Through the strength of our industry, growth and technology we have persevered. But we cannot continue to do this alone. The time has come to forge alliances, gather our forces, and stand together as one against the coming darkness. Humanity Stands. And it won't stand alone.

2. Chapter 2

Humanity's Stand

Chapter 2

Hurricane Solgel

The Battle is about to begin! And any good battle needs some good music to go with it. One thing I am planning on doing throughout the story is adding in song recommendations to go with particular scenes, usually based on whatever I was listening to as I was designing the scene. The songs will be listed here at the start of the chapter with a format of (N) to highlight when to start, with N being the number of the song in the list if there are multiple. On AO3 the links will be embedded in the text, but for FF this is the best I can do. This chapter didn't have any one song in particular, so pick whatever you like this time. Now then... Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

**HS**

The sky glowed with a beautiful cascade of reds, oranges, and yellows as the sun slowly made its way below the mountains, casting the distant thunderclouds in a brighter, more vibrant light contrasting with the flashes of lightning within. It was a beautiful sight, one most would remember for the rest of their days as a feeling of peace and tranquility. One observer of it was distinctly feeling the opposite.

'Why am I getting this ominous feeling of dread?'

Zilla looked around from his little mesa high up above the central valley of Solgel, trying to figure out what could be causing him this unnatural distress, but there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. He tried glancing down at the scattered forms of the island's other inhabitants to see if any of them seemed as disturbed as he was. Sadly it seemed he was alone in this.

'Not for long!' Zilla declared, jumping down from the mesa and sliding down the slope into the valley below. He easily kept his stance as he rolled down the hill, his wide clawed feet letting him maintain traction on the rocky hillside. A small avalanche met him at the bottom but Zilla easily jumped over the rocks seeking to throw him off balance. On level ground again, Zilla loped over to the nearest pack of kaiju, which was the guardians seeming to have one of their many club meetings.

Raiga and Varan were in each other's faces about something, Gamera looking back and forth between the two with a worried frown, no doubt trying to keep the peace. Yonaggary was leaning back on his tail with his arms folded and eyes closed, ignoring the loud arguing going on nearby, while Baragon was doing various stretches and flips as part of his endless exercise routines. The only ones missing were Anguirus and Rodan, who Zilla guessed were elsewhere on the island. As he got closer he started to overhear the argument between Raiga and Varan, and its content did nothing at all to surprise him.

'Well personally I think that problem could be solved very simply,' Raiga said primly.

Vara rolled her eyes. 'Is it by pu-'

'We just punch him in the face still he stops being a dick.' Raiga punctuated her statement by throwing a punch into her open palm, a microburst of sonic force erupting from her hand. 'Or alive, whichever comes first.'

Zilla winced at the utterly scathing tone Varan replied with. 'Oh woooow, I never would have thought of that! Let's just walk up to the most powerful kaiju we know of outside of Godzilla and all pile on him until he gives up. You're so brilliant Raiga.'

'And you have a better plan, Varan?' Raiga asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Any plan would be better than that farce of a 'plan'.'

'We have to deal with that bastard at SOME point, and it's not like he hangs out in human population centers anyway, so there's no harm in trying to rush him.'

'Aside from the literal army he keeps nearby at all times! Oh, and the OTHER super kaiju who is a match for Godzilla who is practically his bodyguard.'

'Well I think we could pull it off if we all work together. Unless you're saying you're too scared to try?'

Zilla snickered to himself as he watched Varan tackle Raiga and try to bash her over the head, the larger saurian laughing and holding her at arm's length. He let out a small roar to catch the group's attention. 'Hey guys, how's the club meeting?'

'Club?' Gamera asked, confused and distracted from his attempt to pull his two sisters away from each other.

'Exclusive group,' Yonggary explained. 'Usually with some kind of common connection.'

Gamera blinked slowly at that, looking around at the still bickering female guardians and back. 'And that connection is…'

'Not the bickering,' Yon assured. 'So, what's up Zilla? Wanting another sparring session?'

'Maybe later. So, uh, question. Do any of you have a feeling of foreboding suggesting that something bad is about to happen?'

All of the Guardians looked at Zilla with concern, Raiga setting Varan down.

'You mean aside from the usual looming threat of our enemies and the concerns of being able to stop them from causing irreversible damage to the world?' Baragon speculated. 'Because that little mental pressure is still there, as far as I can tell.'

'No, this is a different feeling of dread,' Zilla assured. 'It kinda feels like something… BIG is gonna happen soon, but I don't know what.'

'So like what Godzilla feels when he goes harring off into some random direction to kick some ass?' Raiga asked. 'He tried explaining it to me once and it kinda sounded a lot like what you just described.'

'Did it?' Zilla grimaced, his tail dropping as he considered that. 'I mean, I wouldn't mind being more like the bossman, but in this case I really hope I'm not.'

Gamera smiled a tusky smile and patted Zilla on the shoulder. 'Don't worry Zilla, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. We're all just on edge from how seemingly calm things have been for the past week.'

'Maybe,' Zilla allowed, but he didn't quite feel it was accurate. 'I'm just worried anyway. I mean, it's been how long since the mutants have done anything major? I can't help but feel like they're planning a massive attack or something.'

'If they are we'll be ready for them,' Varan promised. 'And we'll fight smarter, not harder.' Raiga rolled her eyes at her sister and gave her a good-natured shove.

'Harder, better, faster, stronger. That's us. We can handle anything those guys can throw at us, guaranteed!'

'Let them come I say, we'll take them all on!' Baragon said.

Yon quirked a rocky eyebrow at them, cautioning, 'Maybe we shouldn't be inviting fate to make that happen. She just might listen.'

'Come on, Yon,' Baragon said, 'don't tell me Mothra has you believing in that stuff. Just because you talk about something doesn't mean it's gonna happen. Here, watch.'

Zilla and Yon shared a look and moved to stop Baragon, but the limber kaiju jumped out of their reach, balancing on Gamera's head.

'I bet that we can take on the entirety of the mutants all at once and win handily. In fact, why don't they come at us right now, we're ready for them!'

Before Zilla could jump up and take Baragon down they all felt a wave of air wash over them, revealing itself to be Rodan when the flying guardian came around to hover overhead.

'Guys! Really, really bad news! Xenilla and Destroyah are heading this way with a HUGE amount of mutants, and Mothra just called and told me that even more mutants are coming from all over the place. Every single mutant they have is coming straight here, and most of them will be here by nightfall!'

A powerful silence fell over the vale, every kaiju present shooting each other worried glances. Yonggary just sighed, holding his face in his hands.

'I hate being right.'

'Upside is I might be taking more after Godzilla, Zilla said. Small win?'

'Very small.'

'IT'S NOT MY FAULT!' Baragon said, only to be smothered by Raiga forcing his head down with her hand.

'Save the blame game for later, we have to get prepared. Rodan, how far off is Mothra?'

'A few hours out, she's keeping an eye on Destroyah and Xenilla, who are hanging out in that thunderstorm over there!' He waved a wing towards the looming tropical storm, which in defiance of the direction of the wind earlier in the day was heading their way.

'We need to warn the rest of the kaiju on the island,' Gamera said. 'Rodan, could you go and tell Orka so she can get Gorgo to safety?'

'On it!' Rodan zoomed off an instant later, leaving behind a sonic boom as he disappeared.

'Anyone have an idea where Godzilla is?' Varan asked. 'We need him here if this fight is gonna happen.'

'If I could sense something was coming, then he DEFINITELY knows,' Zilla said. 'He'll be here. We just gotta hang on until he gets here.'

Raiga glumly nodded. 'If it was just the army I'd say we'd be fine, but if Destroyah and Xenilla join the fight…'

'It'd be tough fighting all of them at once,' Yonggary finished for her. 'Anyone think the humans are going to do their part in this?'

Varan sneered at the mention of them, while Gamera perked up. 'If necessary I can try to reach out to Asagi and have her warn them.'

Zilla waved him off. 'Trust me, with that many mutants moving around they have to know something is up. I'd bet my tail they're already gathering up every mech they've got and are flying here right now to help out.'

'Take advantage of the chaos more like,' Varan growled. 'Hopefully they don't get trigger happy and try to fire on us again.'

'They know better,' Zilla said, though he winced at the reminder of Varan's less than stellar past experiences with human war machines. 'Plus there's going to be a target rich environment for them here. I doubt they'll waste time and energy on us when we're fighting alongside them.'

Varan huffed, but seemed willing to let the matter go. 'They'd better. I might not like dealing with them, but in this fight we'll need all the help we can get.'

Everyone nodded at that, then moved off in their own directions to warn the various kaiju living on the island of the coming fight. Zilla grimaced to himself as he ran to the edge of the island facing the storm, ready to watch for the first sign of the approaching enemy.

'Get here fast, Big G. We'll need your help to get through this.'

**HS**

Gabara snarled to himself in annoyance as he felt his small cave rumble from the passage of multiple kaiju nearby, disrupting his attempt to sleep. 'Seriously, not all of us wander about in the daytime you jerks! Some of us have things to do when night falls.'

He tried to settle back into his nest to sleep, only for a loud banging at the entrance to his cave to cancel that idea entirely.

'Oh my fucking WHAT!?'

Gabara shot himself to his feet with a blast of electricity and zoomed to the entrance, paw outstretched and coursing with voltage.

'THE FUCK YOU WANT!?'

His rage evaporated as he found himself being stared down by the one kaiju on the island he put at the top of his 'Don't Piss Off' list. Higher even than the king lizard, though only barely, and with a notable caveat. A caveat that was clinging to the taller kaiju's legs and quivering in fear.

'Gabara,' Orka drawled with obvious dislike.

'O-orka…' Gabara returned with aching slowness, lowering his paw as slowly as possible in case she perceived him to be a threat. Dubious as that idea was when she was thrice his weight and nearly immune to his electricity. 'What's, uh… up?'

Orka rolled her eyes. 'There's trouble coming. A lot of it. I'm needed for the fight, and you are too, but I need YOU to do me a favor.'

'No, I'm not going to go off and die somewhere,' Gabara said to her flatly.

'Not that you jerk!' Orka snarled at him but pulled back as she glanced down at her child. 'I need you to watch over Gorgo and keep him away from the fighting. Protect him.'

Gabara lifted an eyebrow at her, holding back his rising sense of disbelief. 'You want me. Meeee. The guy who feeds off of fear. To guard your kid. During a fight.'

Orka blinked as the moment of realization came over her, and he could visibly see her clenching her fists as her anger returned. 'If you so much as to-'

'Oh come on, lady, are you stupid!' Gabara smirked as she stopped in mid threat, proud to have caught her off guard like that. 'As if I would harm the person who is actively feeding me and giving me more power. If anything, I'm PERFECT for this job! The more he's wetting himself in fear the stronger I'll get, and the more effective I'll be in protecting him.'

Orka pointed at him, clearly about to retort, but he merely kept up his grin as she lowered her hand again, having nothing to turn down his argument. As she had her internal struggle Gabara glanced down at little Gorgo, who looked up at him with wide eyes. Not fearful, but curious, which surprised Gabara. Had the kid not heard of his rep from literally every other monster on the island?

'Out of curiosity,' he said to break Orka out of her internal struggle, 'why me anyway? Why not Gomora? I know that moron loves to play hero.'

Orka huffed, folding her arms over her chest. 'If I asked he'd volunteer in a heartbeat. And I was going to… but I worried he would be so focused on the fight that he'd forget Gorgo at a critical moment. You, on the other hand, probably won't do that.' She fixed him with a hard gaze. 'You won't, right?'

'Like I said, I'm not going to let my meal ticket get hurt,' he assured her. 'Still, if you see him, maybe tell Gomora anyway. Defending your runt might be a two person job.'

'His name is Gorgo,' Orka growled. 'Remember it.'

Gabara snorted at her in response, Orka ignoring it as she leaned down to press her forehead to her son's crown, humming in an infrasound tone that calmed the small creature.

'Stay with the scary ghost creature, Gorgo. Don't leave his side unless it becomes too dangerous. He's going to protect you, so listen to what he says. Do you understand?'

'I do mom,' the kid promised, hugging her face tightly for a moment before he waddled over to Gabara, looking up at him with those same curious eyes.

For Gabara it was… weird to be looked at that way. Nobody looked at him with anything like that kind of respect, save for one…

'Alright kid, just stick with me and you'll be fine. And hey, maybe after the fight I'll teach you how to play catch with lightning balls.'

That sounds fun! Gorgo said with a jump, Gabara resisting a flich as the kid latched onto his leg, babbling questions at him while the ghost flicked his eyes to Orka and motioned for her to get out of there. She lingered for a moment, worry clear in her eyes, but eventually she gave a reluctant nod and tramped off, Gabara watching her go with mixed feelings.

Maybe… this is my chance…

He shook his head to get rid of that thought and focused up on the 30 meter tall kid bouncing around him being entirely too enthusiastic for his tastes.

'Alright kid, follow me. I got myself a nice special little spot I like to go to when everyone else is being way too much of a muchness for me to deal with. A cool little hiding spot…'

'Hiding spot, yaaaay!'

**HS**

The sky was alive with the sounds of roars and snarls, the gnashing of teeth and claws, all punctuated by the snap of thunder from the storm high overhead. Mutants of all sizes and types swam through the ocean towards their target, pushing and pulling at each other to get there first, eager for the chance to finally spill blood unrestrained by mere trifles like 'tactics and strategy'. Their master had let them off the hook, given them a target, and told them to go all out, and the majority of them were more than happy to do so.

Far at the back of the pack, though, was one kaiju who was a bit more hesitant. Sitting on a crystal ice-flow that he had generated himself, Krystalak watched the procession of monsters quietly, absorbed in his own thoughts. The news that they'd be going out for a massive attack had been well received by most of his fellow Mutations, but for Krys it had given him a moment of pause, entirely to do with the tone of voice that Xenilla had delivered their new orders with.

Krystalak had been born of the mutant gojirasaurus' experimentation with crystal energy, having thus harnessed some of Xenilla's power over crystals, though not nearly as broad and deep in the use of the more magical aspects. But that wasn't all he'd inherited. Krys has also absorbed his creator's ability to reason, a sense of cunning and observation most of the other mutants seemed to lack wholesale. It made Krys the odd one out amongst his group, along with his 'brother' Obsidious, who while far from a source of rational thought, seemed to carry not an ounce of bloodlust in his entire molten body. The pair of them were effectively outcasts amongst the mutations, though both were powerful enough to push back any attempted 'bullying' with relative ease.

Yet for all that he wasn't accepted amongst his fellow 'soldiers' in Xenilla's army, Krys felt he was the most loyal of all of them to the goals and plans of their declared leader. As he understood it, Xenilla felt that it was the place of kaiju to rule this world, not humans, and thus the entirety of their war effort was to find a way to beat down the humans once and for all and destroy their dominance over the planet and assert mutations in their place. Why this was their chosen task Krystalak did not know for certain, but the few cryptic hints he'd managed to pry from Xenilla hinted that it was for the sake of protecting the planet from a larger future threat, which Krystalak always felt looming in his mind.

Of course for most of the mutants they didn't give the slightest care for Xenilla's goals, only reveling in their chance to bring destruction, death, and carnage to the weak, pathetic humans at every opportunity. Krystalak held no affection for the humans, for they were his enemy and must eventually be defeated, but the sheer visceral thrill his fellow fighters took in their attempted mass murders was… off putting to him. That was why Krys preferred to focus on their real enemy in his mind. The kaiju that stood between the mutants and the human cities and towns.

The Defenders, led by Xenilla's equally powerful and dangerous brother, Godzilla.

And that was what was putting Krys ill at ease about this sudden invasion. So far as Krystalak knew, nothing about the equation of war had actually changed to support this rapid shift in strategy. Before this the goal had been simple: wear down the humans at every opportunity, and avoid the reprisals of the Defenders when they inevitably showed up to interfere. While on occasion they managed to cause some actual damage, in most cases the Defenders blocked the way far too quickly to do more than demolish some far out settlements, and each engagement carried the risk of losing a fighter to their foes. Especially any time Godzilla or Mothra came into the mix.

But while Xenilla had said both of the leading Defenders were not currently on the island the Defenders called home, he had said nothing about either of them being delayed from being able to come back in a timely manner, nor of a plan to deal with them. Aside from the blatantly obvious, Krys supposed, as he glanced up into the storm where their two 'leaders' were hiding from view.

Do they really think this will work? Match all of our strength against theirs at once? This isn't like him, he doesn't take risky plays like this. So why, why change now?

Krystalak dearly wished to ask his 'father' these questions, but he knew that if he tried he'd be rejected once again, as he was every time he tried to get closer to his creator, who seemed to think he was a mistake who was unfortunately useful than anything approaching family.

Krystalak looked away and towards the island that was now bare miles away. He could see the faint shadow of one of the monsters clinging to one of the shallower mountains near the coast, watching them approach. So much for the element of surprise…

This fight is going to suck, Krystalak told himself, gathering up what energy he had and focusing his mind for the task ahead. A final check of his assigned 'squad' of fighters showed that the pack of brutes was as excited as they could be, but a glance further out and about showed that there was no sign of the trail of steam and lava that would mark Obsidious in the ocean. It seemed his brother had finally taken his chance to elope, and deep in his heart of hearts Krystalak began to wonder if his brother had the right of it.

No. He had to have faith in his leader. Faith that their plan to safeguard the world was the right path. No matter how much blood had to be spilt along the way. Krystalak just hoped that none of that 'blood' would end up being his own...

**HS**

The last points of light were fading away behind the distant horizon as the armada of machines made their way through the growing darkness, only the blinking points of red of their running lights showing their placement relative to each other. The echoes of a dozen and more Heron mecha transport planes was cut out by the audio filters in the cockpits of each of the awaiting fighters. Aboard their Jaegers, pilots went through final system checks, prepping weapons and sorting out battle plans between each pair. This was the battle they're been training for of the course of years, and while nerves and anxiety were aplenty amongst them, not a one was going to let that hold them back from putting on their best performance possible. This was their chance to make a mark on the course of this war between monster and man, and they weren't going to miss out for anything.

At the head of the pack a trio of larger, more animalistic machines flew on their own power, each loaded down by armor and weapons that made the Jaegers behind them look light in comparison. Moguera, Mecha Godzilla, Kiryu. The trio of gojiform mechs who represented the pinnacle of humanity's kaiju fighting potential, each rebuilt and upgraded over the course of years or decades. The latest technology, with no expense spared, they were the peak, and their pilots all knew they had to match that, exceed it. Anything less was purely unacceptable.

This was the largest single projection of human military might in history, matched only by the final assault on the Xillian command cruiser during the global war a bare six years prior. And just like that final battle, the fate of the world seemed to hinge on the outcome of this battle. Victory was the only option, and they sought to achieve it, once and for all.

Yet far, far above even these flying machines filled with destructive power, an even more potent weapon hovered, so distant that the island that might grow to be its target was nothing but a speck of green in an endless blue sea. For the moment it lay dormant, systems still uncharged, but its silence was deceptive, for it only waited for the right combination of electrical signals to unleash its world changing power. A power that held the fate of everything in the balance, though none may know that for many days to come. Instead, the satellite merely glided through space, its carefree grace in motion giving lie to its momentous burden.

The moment was soon to come. It merely needed the right catalyst, the perfect moment of decision to change everything.

In the darkness of the void destiny waited.

**HS**

He was so close, only an hour away, if that. But it wasn't fast enough, he knew, even as he put on an impossible burst of speed, overclocking himself to get that tiny bit of extra energy to go even further beyond his ordinary limits.

They were already there.

Hang on everyone! Just hang on!

**HS**

Here they come.

Gamera watched from above as the Defenders arrayed themself along the shoreline where the oncoming mutations were approaching. Those who had some form of ranged weapon were in front, already trying to pick out targets, while just behind them the fighters who were more physically inclined waited to shield them. Zilla was running back and forth behind the line, shouting advice and commands to firm up the formation that they had. Up here in the sky he and Rodan were waiting for their moment to strike, to come down with all their force on an enemy who wasn't ready for them, hopefully to take them out of the fight before they could really get into it.

It was the best plan they could come up with on short notice like this, but Gamera had hope that they'd be able to pull it off.

We just need to hold out until they can get here. Once they arrive, we'll make it through just fine.

Gamera resisted the urge to look up into the storm, the leading edges of which were already trailing over the island, bringing the start of a torrential rain with them. There wasn't time to consider Destroyah and Xenilla. The focus had to be on the first wave.

Speaking of which…

The first mutants to walk out of the surf were malformed beasts, the kind forged of humanity's experiments and wastes. Pollution, radiation, genetic manipulation, all had resulted in cruel mockeries of nature that were driven by the lusts of rage and hatred. Easy fodder for Xenilla to use in his army of brutes and thugs. And just as easily expended without a care.

'FIRE!' Gamera ordered in a telepathic wave. A mix of lightning bolts, gouts of flame and plasma, and even waves of sound launched at the kaiju walking up the beach, blasting away at the first comers and blowing them off their feet, knocking down the kaiju following behind them too closely. Rodan swooped down to add to the attack, trailing his fire beam across the fallen monster to draw more cries of pain from them. Gamera followed in from the other side, spewing a trio of plasma balls into the targets before twirling away as they tried to reach back out at him and failed.

But even as the fallen kaiju failed to get back up, others shoved past them and rushed forward, picking up speed as they left the ocean behind. Most volleys of ranged attacks pushed some of the onrushers back, but others kept coming, getting closer and closer to the waiting line of kaiju. One came near to Gomora, who was eagerly standing in place waiting to counter, only for Baragon to burst out of the sand to the mutant's side and drop kicking it in the back of the head, knocking it to the ground face first right in front of Gomora. The horned kaiju looked at the fallen enemy dejectedly for a moment before sighing and stomping its head deeper into the sand.

Elsewhere Zilla met two coming attacks by jumping over the front line, pouncing on a bug kaiju and smashing it down before throwing his entire weight with his tail into the shambling fish-looking monster and knocking it over. The line started to disintegrate as every defender took down the invaders quickly and efficiently. So efficiently that it was over in less than a few minutes. Gamera looked on from above with confusion, wondering at the ease of this first engagement.

'Something's wrong!' He projected to the other Guardians, conveying his concern with his thoughts. 'This was too easy. These monsters are barely capable of fighting!'

'So why are they the first ones to arrive?' Yonggary asked, suspicious. 'What's the plan?'

'Swarms incoming!'

Everyone looked up at Rodan's call, in time to see a violently shaking cloud of dark shapes bearing down upon them. Each Defender stepped back to ready themselves as a mix of stinging insects and snarling bats descended upon them, mindlessly biting and hacking at every piece of flesh they could reach. Most of the tiny creatures were too small to seriously injure them, but they hurt regardless, and there were a lot of them everywhere.

Gamera, used to these swarms as he was, was easily able to keep himself from being swamped by spinning in place and projecting plasma from his shell-holes, burning the segment of the swarms that came his way. Clear for the second of attackers he was able to look to the horizon and see the next wave of mutants approaching the shore.

'The swarms are a distraction! Everyone, get off the beach! The rest are on the way!'

His order was heard but most of the Defenders were busy trying to peel off the pests trying to swarm them, delaying their retreat, so Gamera flew down to assist.

These were just distractions. The real fight is about to begin…

**HS**

This was already a mess. There was no other way to describe the confused melee Krystalak was watching develop as his fellow mutants jumped into the fight without anything approaching a survival instinct. Most of them at least. He noticed that the pair of Jiger and Barugon seemed reluctant to do much more than cover each other from any monster that came close.

They were definitely the exception though. Krys watched with critical eyes as Megaguirus tried to get into an aerial duel with Rodan - bad idea - Agon tried to match claws with Gomora - worse idea - and that brainless stomach on legs Gaira tried to take a bite out of Orka - lethal idea - with predictable results.

Are me and my brother the only ones in this damn army who know what the word strategy means? Krys kept his criticism to himself as he faced down Manda, the fast moving flying dragon sending blasts of magical energy at him, which he dutifully blocked with the crystal shields he'd manifested on his arm. She swooped down low to try and remove his defenses, but he blocked her way with an artificial glacier, forcing her to change direction and back off.

As she peeled off to a new target Krys tried to get an assessment of how to improve the progression of this battle. The answer was immediate, that they needed to stop engaging in piecemeal duels and concentrate their efforts. Simple idea. Execution?

'I hate being the smart one.' Krys dodged a stray blast from Raiga's lightning as he approached her fight with Zedus, throwing a javelin of ice at the guardian that speared her arm. Her attention switched to him and resulted in a powerful bolt of lighting coming straight where he had just been, which he dodged by jumping to the side.

'Zedus, back off and follow me! We have to pick our targets!'

The enraged dinosaur ignored him and tried to rush Raiga while she was distracted, receiving a swift sock to the jaw for his trouble. Krystalak, not in the least surprised at being ignored, moved in closer while deploying a line of growing crystals to cover his approach. Raiga realized he was the real threat and redoubled her focus on him, punching her way through a barrier with fist raised for him, only to find he wasn't behind it. Instead he'd jumped over her with the assist of an ice pillar so he could land next to Zedus and haul the moronic dinosaur out of her reach.

'Listen to me if you want to live, you throthing twat!' he said as he swatted the misbehaving mutant across the face. 'Leave the guardian for now, we need to pick an easier target!'

Before he could be sure that Zedus had heard what he said Ragia roared, unleashing a storm of lightning about her that flew up into the sky only to come crashing down towards them. Krystalak dodged back, his eyes focused on the multiple beams of energy coming his way, hissing as several hit him across his armor and sent him sprawling. He quickly got back to his feet, only to stagger as he realized Zedus had disappeared elsewhere into the chaos.

'Dammit all!' He roared in anger, Raiga pausing for a moment in surprise at her foe's sudden rage. He fixed his eyes upon Raiga, letting his frustration boil up and immersing himself into it. 'Fine! I'll do it myself!'

Raiga gave a dismissive sniff, waving her arms before her threateningly. 'Try it, bitch.'

Krys gave a wordless scream as he launched himself forward, all thoughts of the battle at large gone from his mind.

They didn't deserve his help anyway.

**HS**

Gomora laughed to himself as he ducked under a swift strike from the weird snake monster he was fighting, his swift reflexes letting him react with plenty of time. 'What's wrong, bud? Too fast for you?'

The black-scaled serpent gave a hellish hiss, spewing a glob of poison that Gomora sidestepped. 'How dare you stand up to me, King Buraki! I am meant to be a god, and you are meant to be DEAD!'

Gomora smirked, shrugging at the irate snake. 'King, god, I don't think you're either. If you're who I think you are, you're just a big, stupid LOSER!'

If it was possible the monster's rage reached a new peak, throwing itself bodily at Gomora, who waited for the right moment to body hug the snake and then throw himself back to land with the snake's face first into the rock beneath him, shattering the shelf below. The serpent tried to wrap around him in retaliation, but Gomora easily smacked the other kaiju's tail away with his own, instead digging the snake's face deeper into the shelf.

'Manda says you tried to get what she has, and that you sucked so hard that her power rejected you and chose her instead. From what I can tell it made a good choice.'

'You know nothing you worm!' The monster spat acid into the hole around his head, forcing Gomora to let go to avoid burning himself, giving the snake the instant it needed to slither out of reach. 'I will have the power of the Imugi! And I will kill that worthless bitch Manda to get it!'

Gomora readied a quip, but paused as he caught sight of something behind his opponent. 'Well lucky you, you're about to get your chance.'

'What are you bl-'

Manda's jaws latched onto the base of the snake's skull and squeezed hard, Buraki squealing in pain as she lifted him off the ground and twirled him around to toss him into the mountainside, the snake weakly rolling back to the ground half buried in rubble.

'I'll leave him to you!' Gomora said, receiving a nod from Manda as he turned around to see the next place he should go and help. Orka and Anguirus were busy tossing around Garia and a flyer - Soran he thought it was called - and off in the distance Baragon was harassing a pair of armored quadruped kaiju. Up in the sky Gamera was facing off with the bulk of the Gyaos flock, swift streaks of white showing that the Hyper was up there somewhere.

'So much action, it's hard to pick where to go,' he mused to himself. He was about to go join Yonggary when he caught sight of Zedus staggering away from Raiga, slinking off deeper into the island. 'Oooooooh no you don't!'

Gomora followed after, readying himself to bury the other saurian, when another dinosaur kaiju stepped in next to Zedus, spits of fire jetting from its mouth as the two wandered off away from the battle.

'Where the hell are they going? They can't be running away, so wh… GORGO!'

The realization struck him in an instant and he was rushing after them the very next moment, running full pelt after the retreating kaiju, but both were lighter than him and had already pulled away.

'No way are you two assholes going to lay a single claw on that precious little treasure while I'm around! Not on my waaaatch!'

**HS**

"The fighting's started. Pure chaos down there."

Every pilot listened intently as the scout plane reported over the radio describing the fight they were diving into. Many of them were getting nervous about what they were hearing.

"This is Miki Saegusa on Mecha G. Based on the state of the fight as it is now, I recommend all jaeger pilots stay out of the fighting."

Striker's radio was the first to react. "What! Are you kidding me! We're pilots, this is our damn job!"

"He's right, Saegusa," Railegh Becket aboard Gypsy Danger said. "We're here to fight, not just stand on the sidelines."

An argument broke out between the different pilot groups, the gojimecha staying firm that there was too much risk while the Jaegers wanted to damn the risks and take part anyway.

"All units, this is Pentecost." Every voice fell silent as this commander came on the line. "I agree with Miki's recommendation. Jaegers will deploy on the perimeter and not engage in combat unless engaged yourselves. Watch for stragglers or any monsters trying to retreat and finish those off instead."

"Understood sir." The rough voice of Akane, Kiryu's sole pilot, cut off any possible dissent. "You heard the man, Jaegers. You're our back up."

A collective beep was heard in all cockpits as the transport pilots came on the channel. "Approaching drop off point. All units, get ready. Some of you are going to have a hot landing."

A few moments of quiet passed, each pilot stewing in their own personal thoughts. More than a few private chats were had between Jaeger pilots, but they kept them to themselves. The quiet was shattered as a frantic voice entered the radio channel.

"There's anteversers! Antversers are approaching the island!"

An explosion of voices asked for clarification, Miki shouting them all down to give the pilot a chance to explain further.

"Talon 5, bearing 110 your location, distance 50 klicks. A pack of five, repeat, FIVE antversers are approaching the island! ETA is less than 10 minutes!"

"Well shit, looks like we'll get to fight after all," Tacit Ronin's male pilot said with obvious glee.

"Cut the chatter, Yaeger!" Akane shouted. "All Jaeger units, prepare to redeploy. Focus on keeping the ants out of the main fight!"

A chorus of affirmatives came over the line, the Herons moving into a new flight path as the gojimechs forged onward, ready to descend into the fight. Things were about to get complicated, but they were here for a fight. And by god and humanity they were going to give these monsters one.

**HS**

Gabara watched tensely as the light show on the other side of the mountains went on, hoping that his own dancing electro-ball was enough to occupy Gorgo's attention and keep him from wondering what was going on elsewhere on the island. A quick check showed that the kid seemed content for the moment, so Gabara allowed his senses to dim as his mind expanded outward, leaving his body behind somewhat.

The projection of his spirit wasn't able to see, per se. Rather, he 'saw' clouds of emotion that swirled and roiled with the thoughts and feelings of the beings that contained them. Looking closer showed him a chaotic mix of the familiar profiles of his fellow defenders and the mostly simple, angry red hate filled monsters of the mutants battling them back and forth. A quick count showed none of the beings he knew were dead or unconscious, but there were few enough mutants who were that way either. There wasn't even that much fear that he could feed upon. The Defenders were all steadfast and focused, ready to do their jobs to defend their home, no thoughts paid to failure. Meanwhile the mutants were all boiling over with hatred, rage, lust, madness and every other ugly feeling except the one that would hold them back from fighting with every bit of their power.

Gabara would have snarled if his mind was back in his body. Those freaks always pissed him off to look at with how disgustingly unbalanced they were. They were barely even conscious beings, most of them, more like animals with just enough higher thought process to be considered 'evil', if you wanted to be charitable and say that instinctive violence could be compared to a conscious decision towards malice. Pathetic, wasteful, unnatural.

Bullies, the lot of them. And oh how I hate bullies.

Then he felt two distinct pairs of emotion storms coming upon the island from opposing directions, and he realized this already ugly fight was about to get a LOT worse.

To the south a ball of pure, blinding prismatic light flew over a tight, contained glowing green mass of raw determination and power.

To the north, a hurricane of red so deep it was blood-crimson verging on black, tinged with a sense of emptiness that only fueled that storm further, and an insular, gated off cube of solid blue, cracked here and there with competing lines of black and white.

Fuck, I wish my past life studied psychology more. I feel like all that should be important.

The next thing he came upon was the tiny pinpricks of different numbers of human souls flying in from the northwest, which he could only guess was a bunch of war machines ready to throw down with anything that got in their way.

Nooooo, they're just going to make this even more of a mess!

Coming from opposite of their direction was a pack of creatures whose minds appeared to be black holes leaking to somewhere Gabara couldn't see. He mentally rolled his eyes.

And of course THOSE FREAKS decide to get involved too! IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO DIDN'T GET INVITED TO THE PARTY?! HOW ABOUT THE ALIENS, CAN'T LET THEM MISS OUT ON THE FUN!

He felt a twinge in his sense and directed his attention upward, only to see a cloud of purple masses descending onto the island from above.

I WAS FUCKING KIDDING DAMNIT!

A loud, and very audible, crash distracted him from his raging, forcing his vision back down to where his body was, showing that two red mutant clouds were smashing their way through the rock shelf he used to cover his hideaway.

GODDAMNMOTHERFUCKINGSHITFACEWHOREBASKETFUUUUUUCK

He reimbursed mind back into his body, noting that his legs felt a bit cramped as he came back to wakefulness.

'-ara, they're breaking in!'

Gabara grabbed the kid by the face and shoved him behind his back, charging up his arms with electricity. 'Already know, kid. Stay behind me and find a place to hide.'

'A-and don't be afraid, right?' Gorgo asked. 'My mom said I didn't need to be afraid if you were guarding me.'

Gabara smirked to himself. 'Actually kid. She was wrong.'

'Huh?'

Gabara glanced back over his shoulder, smiling demonically as he charged his lightning while turning his body translucent, highlighting his skeleton.

'Be very afraid. So I can be strong.'

**HS**

Gamera was worried. He could use stronger language to describe his feelings, but he didn't have time to be more accurate. The battle was proceeding at an ever more hectic pace, micro fights between kaiju starting and ending as fast as a pair could meet and then disengage. Some of the mutants were out of the fight, but not nearly enough, and every minute that passed left each Defender more exhausted. And worst of all was that the two real threats had yet to arrive, and there was no way to know how long it would be unt-

'Gamera, dodge!'

Without thinking Gamera used his plasma to eject himself to the side, avoiding a dive bomb from Megaguirus, who was immediately pursued by Rodan firing a beam at her, which she deftly dodged. His mind back in the moment Gamera caught sight of the Hyper coming at him, withdrawing into his shell and spinning at her to force her to back off, deflecting one of her sonic beams off his shell. This aerial battle had been going on from the moment both pairs of fliers caught sight of each other, and was showing no signs of slowing down, even with most of the swarms either killed or driven off. On the downside this meant that Gamera and Rodan weren't of much help to the battle below. On the plus side, neither were either of their enemies, which was why Gamera was content to let this temporary status quo continue on for the moment. It seemed to be how this entire battle was going, based on his few glimpses between clashes. A massive stalemate, both sides unable to push an advantage over the other.

They needed reinforcements, a way to change the equation.

Gamera flew behind a mountain peak to avoid a barrage of sonic beams from the Hyper Gyaos, coming around to return fire with his own plasma. As he did, though, he was shocked as the Hyper was blasted by a solid beam of laser-like energy, knocking her out of the sky for a brief moment. Following the path of the beam Gamera caught sight of the metallic dragon that reflected the shape of his king, flanked on either side by similar shaped robotic giants who settled onto the ground and entered the fray.

Well, seems the humans have arrived to take part.

For a brief moment hope blossomed in Gamera's heart, confident that the new wave of additional firepower would be enough to turn the tide. The hope was instantly dashed as a series of blinding flashes ignited in the dark night, drawing all eyes to their locations. The guardian turtle felt his heart skip several beats as he recognized the four forms that appeared from within the light.

Gigan, his claw hands whirling with unnaturally sharp blades. Megalon, his drills spinning and crackling with lightning. Gryphon, the mad beast slamming the ground with its electrified fists. And worst of all the one at the head of the group. Armored in bony white, void-black underskin beneath. Burning red eyes and whipping twin tails behind.

Monster X.

No…

That was the moment when the storm that had been brewing for the entire day arrived in earnest, the typhoon washing over the entire island in an all-encompassing wave, dousing the entire battlefield in torrents of rain and wind. And from out of that rain came two forms, the ones Gamera had been dreading for the past hours.

One was giant, her massive red wings spreading out to cover the sky, each wider than his whole body. Sickly purple energy covered her horn as she swept it out, forcing every kaiju and mecha in its path to duck or be split apart by the oxygen destroying wave. She settled upon the ground with a malefic cry of delight and glee.

'Give me a fight!' She declared for all to hear. 'Give me the best fight you can, so I can kill you at your best!'

Gamera thanked his lucky stars that Gomora didn't seem to be nearby to actually respond to that. But for all that Destroyah's mad declaration had the attention of most, Gamera kept his gaze on the kaiju that had settled behind her, the one who had started this whole mess.

Xenilla was nearly as tall as Destroyah, though not as massive, but Gamera knew he was equally as deadly, and far more cunning. The saurian's eyes were not on the battle, not on his enemies, or the newcomers, or anything but the ocean on the far side from where he'd landed.

What is he looking at? Wait…

A familiar sensation came over him. The sensation of magic being cast.

Suddenly a nova of light erupted across the island, blowing away the leading edges of the typhoon, replacing it with a temporary sun that burned itself into everyone's eyes. As soon as the darkness had started to return, it was split apart by a radiant beam of brilliant blue plasma, coming from the ruler of the island as he stepped out of the waves, his chest heaving as he stalked across the landscape. Gamera traced his gaze and knew exactly who he was looking at, feeling a thrill of fear and hope in equal measure.

The King of Monsters had joined the fight, as had so many others. It was going to be a battle of the ages. One way or another, nothing would be the same after this night.

And far above, a single machine looked on, unaware that its time was almost here.