Chapter 18: The Final Battle
5 days. The Kaiju Royal Army had 5 days to move their entire force from their sanctuary in the Colorado Rockies all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. For the few left that could fly, this was an easy task but for the majority who could not fly, they had to walk. Since there were Muto patrols flying around all the time now they could only cover large distances at night. This made their journey even harder. Godzilla and Mothra lead their small but determined army all the way down to Ghidorah's lair. The entire time the temperature began to drop ever so slowly. Godzilla noticed this since the normal tropical heat didn't come. It just got colder as they got closer to the coast.
Meanwhile, Battra was giving his army the final preparations for the coming battle. Even though Battra was fighting for the kaiju, he still had his ambitions to rule over the world. Battra's plan was to backstab Godzilla once Ghidorah was killed and then take over the throne. However, he still had a lot to do before he could achieve his goal. Battra was knee deep in his thoughts when, in the cover of darkness, Rodan lands next to him and causes Battra to jump in freight.
"Haven't you got any manners? Don't jump people in the night like that!" Battra's wings tremble.
"Sorry about that, my name is Roda-"
"Doesn't matter, has your army arrived?"
"I… uhh yes, yes they are. We just arrived less than an hour ago. Give us another hour to get ready and then signal when it's time to go."
Battra clacks his pincher. "Good. now get lost before you blow our cover!"
Rodan jumps into the air and flies off. Battra turns around and walks over to his sleeping Muto comrades. A couple minutes, and a whole lot of grumpy Mutos later, Battra's force is assembled around him. Battra quietly talks to them all.
"Alright. We didn't have much time to prepare, but the Kaiju Court has arrived. Remember, they aren't the enemy. We are fighting Ghidorah and his Mutos. This is going to be very hard for you guys since these are your flesh and blood but they are holding us back… holding us back from achieving our goal. So, as we discussed, get in your positions and only attack who you know you can take. Do not, in any capacity, take on Ghidorah by yourselves. He will not spare you any mercy. Leave him to the kaiju and Godzilla. I will go for Dex. As soon as the kaiju are ready we will begin the attack. Good luck, my friends. Hopefully we will win this and all this pointless fighting will end. It's been an honor fighting alongside you."
Battra sighs and the Mutos around him begin to stir. They scuttle across the rocky crater floor to get in position. Sometime later, a large crack is heard. The kaiju are ready. With a few seconds to collect his thoughts, Battra takes flight. In the pitch darkness, Battra lets out a loud screech. And thus the battle begins.
The Mutos roar their vibrating roar and charge across the crater. Commander Dex is jolted awake by the sound of the yelling. Soon, a male Muto flies up to him.
"SIR! BATTRA! HIS FORCES ARE STAGING A COUP! ALERT GHIDORAH AND READY OUR MEN!"
Commander Dex's heart sinks through the floor. He never thought this would happen. He trusted Battra. They all did. Dex shouts to his men around him. Within seconds, Battra's forces begin to lay siege to Ghidorah's hexagonal compound.
King Ghidorah is jolted awake by the sound of yelling. Why are the Muto starting the attack? It isn't for another day or so. Wait a minute… they are fighting...EACH OTHER?!
The middle head is the first to shoot straight up. "GET UP YOU TWO! BATTRA BETRAYED US! When I see that little roach I am going to smash him!"
The other two heads shoot awake. After a couple seconds to wake up, Ghidorah takes flight. What he sees is absolute carnage. Mutos fighting Mutos. He also sees Godzilla, along with Mothra, storming over the ridge with every surviving kaiju behind them. Godzilla lets out a ground shaking roar as he begins to charge towards the battlefield. Mothra screeches and follows Godzilla. All three heads roar in anger as they land back on the ground.
Rodan and the rest of the kaiju that are able to fly link up with Battra and his forces. Rodan screeches and slices a Muto in half. He isn't here to play games, he lost his family to these creatures and is going to make them pay. Anguirus leads the rest of the kaiju and begins to assault the compound. His forces are tasked with busting in and clearing the enormous structure. Godzilla and Mothra have made it their mission to find Ghidorah and destroy him.
Like two waves smashing into each other, both sides slammed into each other. The crack of bone, the tearing of flesh, and the roar of kaiju and Mutos alike ring throughout the battlefield. Anguirus slaps his heavy tail into a Muto, Rodan grabs a male Muto and cuts off his wings, and Battra slices one Muto in half. All three of them let out loud shouts, screeches, or roars while doing so.
One thing Battra is good at is being brutal. His fighting tactics are beyond brutal. He goes out of his way to cause terrible amounts of pain to his opponents. This can go from deep cuts and slashes to full on mutilation. Since the Divine Moth's legs are basically large scythes, they are able to effortlessly slice and slash through even the toughest objects. Battra is also equipped with a powerful pincher that is attached to his abdomen. This pincher is strong enough to crush rocks. He often uses it to decapitate enemies or crush their skull. Just as Battra crushes the head of a Muto between the jaws of his pincher, he whips around and catches a glimpse of Commander Dex. His large wings are covered in various scars and cuts. Battra flips around and begins a dive attack on his unsuspecting foe.
Just as he is about to cut deep into Dex's back, Dex whips around and smacks Battra out of the sky. Battra slams into a large pile of rocks and lays stunned. Dex flaps his wings and lands right in front of him.
"I should have known you were going to betray us, why Battra, why? After all we have been through, all the battles, all the fighting. IS THIS HOW YOU REPAY OUR KINDNESS?! WITH BLOODSHED?!" Dex screeched into Battra's face.
Battra gets up and flares his wings.
"I am doing what is necessary to win, Dex. you are siding with someone who is going to cast us aside like trash. If anything you should be grateful that I have challenged Ghidorah's rule."
Dex screeches and swings one of his front arms. Battra jumps backwards and then into the air. Battra flies down and slices at Dex. Dex screeches in pain as a deep cut forms on one of his front arms. He swings one of his arms backwards and Battra narrowly avoids it. Battra flips backwards and delivers a deep cut into Dex's back. Dex cries out in pain. Battra hears this and grins. He takes flight high into the sky and dives down. As he is coming down his front legs are outstretched. Before Dex can turn around, Battra's front legs slice deep into his back. In one motion, Dex's wings and his front two legs are sliced right off. Commander Dex cries out in agony as he falls face first into a puddle of his own blood. He squirms around like a worm before being flipped around by Battra.
Battra stands before Dex with both of his front arms raised. Blood drips off of them. Dex gazes up at Battra. Tears flow down Dex's face as he warbles out one last sentence.
"You will never win."
Battra smiles.
"So be it."
And with a slash, Dex's head slides off of his body. Battra simply huffs and flies off, leaving his friend's corpse behind him in the ash.
The battle begins to shift. Ghidorah's defense line breaks and almost at once kaiju begin to enter his fortress. Ghidorah simply sits in his throne room and kills anything that enters. All that enter only see three flashes of yellow and then black. Meanwhile outside, clouds begin to roll in and block out the sun. Godzilla and Mothra are tag teaming Mutos when they see a break in the line. They both rush the retreating Mutos. After a couple seconds of slashing, punching, and slicing, The two finally enter Ghidorah's massive compound.
The hexagonal fortress is built primarily from obsidian. The dark purple material, combined with the black, cooled lava floor make the entire building have an eerie feel to it. Mothra and Godzilla wander through the large corridors and many hallways until they see a large room. In the center of the room near the back lies a large, black throne. Godzilla takes a timid step into the room along with his mate. They walk into the center of the room before a cold voice hits them.
"We have been expecting you."
Ghidorah flies down off of the roof of the fortress. His massive golden wings wash over everything. Upon setting down in front of the duo Ghidorah flares his wings and raises his heads. He is easily 1 and a ⅓ the height of Godzilla. His three heads stare into him with cold intent.
Godzilla has never even seen Ghidorah until now, and he is shaken to the bone. The sheer size and sight of Ghidorah is enough to make even the king of the monsters tremble in fear. Ghidorah takes one step forward towards Godzilla and his mate.
"I see you have brought your little moth friend with you, it won't do you any better, both of you will fall before the day is done."
Godzilla takes one step back and then puffs out his chest. He isn't going to back down now. He has come too far to call it quits.
"You don't scare me Ghidorah, I won't be the one who falls, you will!"
All three heads chuckle. Ghidorah's tails rattle.
"Then prepare to die!"
Almost at once all three heads fire their gravity beams at Godzilla. Godzilla takes them right to the chest and is thrown backwards. His flesh sizzles. Mothra jumps off his back and flies towards Ghidorah. He smacks her with one of his large wings. Mothra slams into a wall. Godzilla sits back up and charges towards Ghidorah. Godzilla lands a punch on his middle head and then grabs the right head and slams it into the ground. The left head fires a gravity beam at Godzilla's neck. The beam hits and Godzilla roars in pain. He smacks away the left head just as the right one hits him with a gravity beam right to his chest. Godzilla slides back a few feet just as Mothra comes flying in. she slices right at Ghidorah's left head. The left head cries in pain as one of its eyes is cut. Godzilla then tries to fire his atomic breath but it can't seem to work. As he stands there with his mouth open Ghidorah smacks him with one of his wings and sends Godzilla flying backwards into a wall.
"ENOUGH OF THIS! This is the end of your miserable little life!"
Ghidorah fires his beams right at Godzilla. Godzilla jumps to his feet and watches them slice apart the obsidian wall behind him. The hole left is rough and jagged. Godzilla then runs up next to Ghidorah and grabs the middle head. The other two prepare to fire gravity beams but Mothra smacks them away. As she is tackling the two heads Godzilla whips around and smacks Ghidorah with his tail. A deep cut is left on Ghidorah's lower body. The middle head fires a gravity beam at Mothra and it hits her right in the chest. She flies backwards and crashes into Ghidorah's throne. It shatters into pieces. Ghidorah then whips around and delivers a full dose of gravity beams right into Godzilla's chest. Godzilla lets out a roar of pain as he is sent flying back next to Mothra. He lands right on the throne.
"Can't you see? Even with both of you fighting together you cannot stop me!"
Godzilla looks over at Mothra. She is nursing a wound on her chest. She then looks up at Godzilla. She knows that they can't beat him, but she needs to distract Ghidorah long enough for Godzilla to deliver a final blow. She then sits up and kisses Godzilla.
"I know what I have to do, I'll keep him busy for you. I love you Goji…"
Godzilla watches Mothra struggle to stand and take off. A wave of realization hits him.
"WAIT NO! DON'T TAKE HIM ON! STOP! PLEASE! NO!"
Godzilla watches as Mothra flies right up to Ghidorah. Using his left and right heads, he grabs her by her wings and pulls her open. She screeches at Ghidorah as he charges up a gravity beam. Before Godzilla can get up and rush over to him, Ghidorah fires the beam right at Mothra's chest. The beam goes right through her. One of her wings gets torn off as she is thrown against a wall. She lies unmoving.
That is it. Godzilla has broken. He stares without words at Mothra's body. Her small and delicate frame has been torn apart by this demon spawn. He won't let her death be in vain. He looks at Ghidorah and a wave of anger unlike anything he has ever felt washes over him. He killed his mate, his lover, his Mothra. And he will pay.
Godzilla concentrates all of his strength and energy to do one thing. Finish the fight. Then, almost at once, the dorsal plates on the back of his tail turn a bright blue color. It races up his tail and, after a deep breath of air, Godzilla fires his atomic breath for the first time. A blue beam of energy pierces the air. Ghidorah's heads stop their maniacal laughter and fire their gravity beams at Godzilla.
Like something out of a movie, the two different colored beams collide mid air. Godzilla and Ghidorah are pushed backwards as the beams collide. Ghidorah struggles against Godzilla's atomic breath. Godzilla draws more energy as he continues to fire the beam. The burning heat of it's radiation scalds his throat but it is nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Soon, after several seconds of the beams staying in the middle of the two kaiju, the tides begin to shift. Ghidorah watches in horror as Godzilla's atomic breath begins to push back his gravity beams. Godzilla starts to walk forwards. Ghidorah is pushed more and more backwards. Godzilla stares into the eyes of his enemy as he walks forwards. Soon, the blue beam of energy breaks through and hits Ghidorah right in the chest.
Godzilla jolts his head to the right and slices off one of Ghidorah's wings and his left head. Then he jolts left. The right head drops down onto the ground. Godzilla then roars and punches as hard as he can into the chest of Ghidorah. His meaty fist punches right through his chest and out of his back. The middle head roars in agony as Godzilla breaks his spine. Ghidorah's frame collapses onto the ground. Godzilla grabs him by the neck and holds him up. The middle head gasps.
"One day, you will fall Godzilla, and so will your puny world."
Godzilla stares into the yellow eyes of Ghidorah as he tightens his grip.
"One day."
With one motion, Godzilla rips the middle head straight from its body. Neck and all. Godzilla drops the lifeless body of Ghidorah onto the floor. He then looks straight into the air and fires another powerful blast of his atomic breath. At last, he is free.
But then he remembers, Mothra. He stops shooting his atomic breath and turns around. Mothra's body is still lying on the floor. He rushes over to her and picks her up. He cradles her in his arms as he looks down at her. She looks up at him with a weak smile; the life draining from her blue eyes. Tears begin to rush down Godzilla's face as he holds her.
"We did it, Mothra, we stopped him. We stopped Ghidorah."
Mothra raises her head to his and kisses him. Godzilla looks down at her. Mothra struggles to speak.
"I love you Goji…I always have...and always will. Can you do one thing...for me?"
Godzilla nods.
"Make the world…a peaceful one...I support you Godzilla…we...all...do. I love...you...my...sweet…"
Mothra's small figure lays limp in his arms. The last Moth queen, the Queen of the Monsters, is no more.
Godzilla buries his face in Mothra's fur and starts to cry. Around him, Mutos, Anguirus, Rodan, the rest of the kaiju, and Battra, enter the room. They all know what happened here. Battra's heart sinks into the floor. His only sister is gone. He bursts into tears. The rest of the kaiju and Mutos bow their heads to mourn the loss of the little moth queen.
Mothra is buried at the sight of the old Great Tree. A memorial service is held to honor her loss. Godzilla can't keep it together the entire time. He will never be the same.
For the next few days, the Mutos and kaiju work together to rebuild their shattered world. Many of them live on their own. But the dropping radiation levels and temperatures bring them back to the crater. And there, atop a pile of rocks, Godzilla delivers a speech.
"It has been a long time since there has been peace among us. And now, even when there is, we have another problem. One thing Mothra told me before she died was to make the world a peaceful one. But I, along with all of you, have noticed that we are running out of radiation to feed on. Scouts have told me that ice has begun to build up around the poles faster than ever. In order for us, as a species, to survive, we need to do something drastic."
A murmur echoes through the crowd.
"Deep underground, there are still pockets of radiation. Go find them and make your homes around them. The world, along with us, is damaged. We need to let it heal, along with ourselves. So I am asking that you go into deep hibernation. It is the only way we will survive this ice age. I will be the last to sleep as I want all of you to find somewhere to rest. I will reawaken when the world is ready for us again. And so, with this, is my last favor. Sleep well knowing that Mothra made this happen. Without her, I wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain. Good luck, my friends."
The crowd of kaiju agree silently that this is the only way they will survive. They all begin to move towards the nearest opening into the Hollow Earth.
Godzilla was true to his word. He was the last kaiju to sleep. He didn't find somewhere to rest until 4 years after the war ended. He found a pocket of radiation underneath what would become Japan. There, he slept. Thinking and remembering his long lost mate.
He wouldn't awaken again until 2014.
Notes: And there you have it. Ghidorah is defeated, the world's balance is restored, and everyone goes into hibernation to survive the ice age. Although some may feel that this was too early to end it, I feel that it is. I had the idea for this ending once I started writing this story. I would like to thank everyone who has read this story, and to those who have read this story from beginning to end. I have put countless hours into this and for those who appreciate this story I thank you. Until I decide to write again, this has been an honor. Goodbye y'all.
A Kaiju Story: The Age of Man coming soon.