(We were long overdue for a battle sequence, and I hope I delivered on the Karyu vs. Rodan vs. Megaguirus confrontation. The fight doesn't end here, as you'll see. Getting to the home-run stretch fellas. Starting internship, so I may not have the next chapter out as fast as I did this one. Fortunately, I have a picture of how I want things to end, so this seven-year saga may finally get a conclusion. Thanks for hanging in there y'all! )

Triple Threat

Kumamoto

The noon-time sun gazed down at the ruined city of Kumamoto. What had once been full of life now stunk of death. Buildings had been maimed, streets gouged, and gore littered the ground. Lifeless bodies of innocents and soldiers, some whole while others in pieces, were the only remnants of the humans who lived here, who defended the city with their lives in vain. It was an absolute blood bath. Vehicles, both military and civilian, cluttered the streets. Some had been crushed by debris, others simply without a driver. Those who had survived did so by sheer luck, as the winged reaper had been too preoccupied eating their neighbors or those who chose to defend instead of desert. To the south, across the Shirakawa River, the remaining JSDF forces made a temporary base camp. A squadron of Type 90 tanks, the standard offensive unit of the JSDF land forces, stood watch on the banks of the river, cannons pointed to the north. Two APCs, an eight-wheeled truck equipped with machine guns and little else, guarded the bridge, mere pebbles to those that threatened them. A Type 82 Command Vehicle contained all that was left of the brains behind the defense of Kumamoto. Communication between the heads of the JSDF and Commander Tsujimori were constant, until the link with the Karyu was severed after the Commander's insistence of halting any further military action. Mention was made of the unidentified helicopter that had flown in and been swatted from the sky, but any rescue plans would be put on hold. People who had fled across the bridge that connected the two halves of the city took respite with the armed forces amongst the abandoned buildings that served as shelter. Some kept running past, losing all faith in the military protecting them. Wounded soldiers groaned whilst those who were in one piece grimly gazed into across the river, a mixture of hopelessness and fear marked on their faces. Miles from them, the only hope of Japan was engaged in combat with two ancient, flying foes. Even though Godzilla had been slain at their hands, this was one fight they were unsure even the Kaiju Killers could win.

"Hajime, fire missiles. Both targets."

The twin ports alongside the Karyu hissed open, and two full metal missiles fired out, each one heading for a separate target. The right missiles zoomed to the east, honing in on the mutated pteranodon. With a screech, Rodan flapped his magnificent wings and took to the skies, with the missile in hot pursuit. The left missile's target was Megaguirus, whose hateful glare seemed to pierce the very souls of the Karyu's crew. The insect burst forward, heading on a collision course with the FMM. The queen suddenly disappeared in a haze, only to reappear behind the missile and heading straight for the Karyu. The FMM that had been launched separated into halves, having been severed by the supersonic queen.

"Oh my God. That thing is fast."

"Prepare for evasive maneuvers, Yoshino!" The navigator nodded; sweat beginning to form on her brow. The Karyu's engines roared as the ship began to fly backwards, but the giant insect was quickly closing the distance.

"Hajime! Another salvo, now!" Megaguirus squealed, slashing at the air in front of her as she closed in on her prey. Her war cry was answered by another. Rodan dove directly above her, the undercurrent throwing her off course. She screeched at him, only to have her anger turn into pain as the trailing missile found its mark, slamming directly into her rear left leg, penetrating her carapace and showering the earth with chunks of flesh. Rodan checked behind him to ensure his ploy had worked, then he swiftly U-turned and dive-bombed Megaguirus. The pteranodon collided with his mortal enemy, slamming into the ground below. Their massive forms crushed the buildings below, skidding to a stop several hundred yards away from the Karyu. Rodan's assault did not stop there as he perched on Megaguirus' back, pinning her down with his taloned feet. He cackled as he pecked downwards, jabbing his beak into the Queen's backside. She screeched in pain, wriggling beneath his grip. She flapped her wings, gathering strength and shaking to and fro. Rodan began to lose balance as the ferocious bug began to remove herself from under him.

The missile slammed into Rodan's backside, eliciting a cry of pain from him. The FMMs tore into his flesh, catapulting him forward and off Megaguirus. Taking her chance, the ancient creature zipped off the ground, only to be met with the bow of the Karyu, who'd accelerated to slam into its foe.

"Take that!" The charge sent Megaguirus sailing through the air, and crashing into a nearby group of office buildings. Megaguirus chirped groggily, her tough exoskeleton having been bruised, with parts absolutely crushed.

"Nice move, Yoshino. Hajime! Charge up the electronic particle cannons! Let's fry this bug!" Hajime grinned, and nodded. He started to punch in the commands, only to sneak a peek at the radar.

"Commander! Rodan!" The sky prince had recovered, and was now speeding towards the Karyu. He roared in rage, and the scales coating his body seemed to pulsate and glow with a bright fiery red. The crown of horns atop his head began to crackle with energy all too familiar to those who had fought the King of the Monsters. Rodan reared his head back, then lurched forward, beak open, unleashing a brilliant, violet beam of energy at the Karyu.

"An energy weapon? Wait! Keep the Karyu steady!" The Karyu made no attempt to evade – instead, opting to brace for impact. The ray of purple struck the battleship straight on its starboard side; a direct hit. Rodan was shocked to find that his attack did not penetrate his metallic foe. Rather, the Karyu's armor plating began to glow and shimmer at the point of impact, turning bright neon purple before settling back down to its normal silver sheen.
"That was intense! Our batteries are fully charged and then some! This guy has a punch like Godzilla's," Hajime exclaimed, studying the readout from the energy absorption. "We have enough juice, with that bird's energy combined with what we got from Godzilla, to take out a whole city with the Dimension Tide!"

"We'll save it as a last resort. Heads up!" Rodan had grown in strength due to his exposure to Godzilla's radioactive ray. Though his radioactive beam did not have the effect desired, he still had a fire deep inside him that pushed him to continue the fight. And so he did, claws outstretched as he dove in for a close encounter with the humans' weapon.

His newfound energy did not go unnoticed. Both by a groggy, yet now fully conscious Megaguirus, and someone else.

Ariake Sea

He sensed it. For the moment that the energy spike existed, he felt it. It was so much like his own…energy robbed of him. How long had he been asleep? It was only now his mind could process what had happened. His mighty battles…the abduction of his life source…his defeat at the hands of the metal weapon. He processed the sensations that began to wash over him. He was embraced by the cold waters of the sea he was in. Throbbing pain from dozens of wounds ached him. He gently opened his eyes, the vermillion globes taking in his surroundings. Nothing but indigo waters, illuminated by the warmth of the sun above. Silhouettes of human ships stood watch on the surface, although they were under the assumption he was dead. He growled, a storm of bubbles erupting from his maw.

Don't they know it is not so easy to kill a god?

Godzilla grumbled as he raised himself from the bottom of the Ariake Sea. His wounds were numerous and they had yet to heal. His energy reserves were low, but he would have to make do. Death was not something he was willing to accept – not yet. Pushing off the floor with his feet, Godzilla surged to the surface. His green scaly head rose from the waters, shocking all those who manned the ships. The sunlight seemed to illuminate his very skin as the water on his head seemed to glisten in the sunlight. His steely gaze pierced the very souls of the soldiers, who were too stunned from his return from the dead to do anything. Godzilla opened his mouth and roared, announcing his return to the world. And before the JSDF could react, he dove beneath the surface once more, heading towards the mouth of the Shirakawa River. That was where he would find what he sought.

Rodan's claws raked the side of the Karyu's armor-plated side as he kicked out at the Karyu, managing to dent the NT-20 alloy plating. The Karyu's armor was extremely resistant to any type of beam weapons; however, its durability had always been put into question when it went toe-to-toe with a kaiju. A crushing blow could open up a gash in the armor, and put the ship in jeopardy. The impact rattled the ship, sending Hajime flying out of his chair. Rodan rocketed skyward, out of view of the observation window.

"Ugh…you weren't kidding about strapping in." He crawled back to his seat as Kiriko cursed loudly. They couldn't allow themselves to take another blow like that. She checked the systems, and noted that the hull had been weakened on the starboard side.

"Damnit! Charge up the –" Her sentence was cut off abruptly as Megaguirus hammered the roof of the Karyu, sending the ship downwards and slamming into the streets and buildings below. Megaguirus giggled as the dust rose and nearby structures collapsed. She waved her 'arms' mockingly at the downed battleship.

The vibrant atomic beam barely missed its mark, instead blowing a plaza of shops and businesses into oblivion. Megaguirus's emerald eyes caught sight of the flying Rodan overhead, whose crown flickered with energy as he fired off another ray. The supersonic dragonfly took off, leaving behind the damaged Karyu. She zig-zagged upwards, dodging the blasts of energy fired off from Rodan. She closed the distance within seconds, barreling into Rodan. The two prehistoric creatures attacked each other, frenzied and bloodthirsty, engaged in a deadly dance amongst the clouds. Megaguirus's fangs sunk into Rodan's shoulder, who pecked wildly at the armored bug. Bright red blood dribbled down from the wounds, whilst pieces of exoskeleton began to chip away. Talons kicked out and claw the queen's underbelly, whilst her cleaver-arms bashed away at Rodan's spiked chest-piece. Rodan broke loose for a moment, only to deliver a wicked slap with his muscular wings, frazzling Megaguirus. The queen recovered quickly, rushing forward and slamming her dense head into Rodan's gut. The bird toppled backwards, only to recover and surge back to his enemy. The titans grappled yet again, fangs and beak and claws intertwining in a deadly dance in the skies.

"Ugh…damage report?" Kiriko groaned as she raised herself off of her seat. Outside the observation window, the view was obscured by slate-colored rubble. The Karyu had been smashed downwards, toppling buildings and creating a crater, nearly burying itself.

"My head hurts and I may or may not have crapped myself," Hajime chimed, rubbing his forehead.

"We have a hull breach on the bilge, where the ship absorbed most of the impact. Engines are still intact. We…have some casualties in the engineering sector." Yoshino glanced at Hajime, who seemed stunned at the news.

"God damn these monsters," Kiriko screamed, slamming her fist into the console beside the observation window. She took a moment to calm herself, and then toggled a switch. "Attention, crew of the Karyu: Make way for the escape pods. We will finish the fight; your safety is a priority. That is an order." She clicked the switch off and sighed, slumping back into her seat.

"Can you get us back into the air?"

"It'll take but a moment."

"Good. Seal off the breach." On the bottom of the Karyu, a circular punch in the armor was evident, caused by the impact of the Karyu hitting what must've been a building. The interior of the ship, a mix of machinery and pathways, could be seen. With a grinding noise, a steel wall extended from one side of the breath and crawled forward to the other, sealing the 'wound' like a bandage. The metal was hardly much stronger than the NT-20, but it would have to do. The Karyu rumbled to life, the engines igniting and incinerating pieces of rubble nearby. The battleship slowly raised itself off of the ground, freeing itself from the would-be stone tomb.

Looks like those two are really going at it, Cap." Kiriko glared out into the city, focused on the prehistoric creatures currently brawling. Megaguirus flew away from Rodan, only to be abruptly stopped when Rodan's beak snapped shut on her tail. With a hard tug, he swung the insect upwards and rose to meet her at her peak. She recovered and managed to dodge an attempted swipe from Rodan, and delivered a nasty counterattack of her own, pinching Rodan's neck and squeezing. The fiery flyer screeched in agony, violently shaking to and fro. The bony spikes atop his head turned an ominous violet, and Megaguirus released her grip, using her supersonic speed to momentarily vanish as Rodan fired off an atomic beam. She reappeared some distance away, taunting her foe by poking her head with one of her arms. She cackled as Rodan snorted in irritation. The two eyed each other with hatred, before diving forward to continue the skirmish.

"Yes. They haven't noticed us yet, Hajime…perfect." The commander typed in a command and a picture of the Karyu popped onto screen. The bottom of the Karyu flashed a red, indicating a significant amount of damage. On the port side, numbers 1-6 indicated the escape pods. Each was about the size of a limousine, and shaped like one, fitting up to 8 passengers. Pods 1-5 lights were blinking green, indicating they had been successfully ejected. One was left… which meant there was a sizeable amount of people lost. She grimaced, mentally preparing herself for the bad news…but, would they even get out of this themselves? She forced the maintenance crew to bail to guarantee their survival when hers, Hajime's and Yoshino's was up in the air.

"Yoshino, ramming speed. The prow is meant to take a hit. Hajime, ready the EPCs. We're taking these bastards down!" Her remaining crew saluted, and went to work accomplishing her commands. The Karyu roared as it zoomed forward, burning a trail through the destruction of the city. The 'Kaiju Killer' adjusted its trajectory and zoomed upwards, making straight for the engaged monsters. This was do or die.

"You have to let me go! My friend is out there!"

"Mr. Shinoda, I cannot let you pass! Do you not SEE what is out there?" The major waved his hand in the direction of the battlefield, the fevered screams of Rodan and Megaguirus reaching the ears of all the troops. Yuji opened his mouth to say something, then kept quiet.

"We have to do something, Major. Shiro is out there, that was his helicopter."

"I don't know what he was doing flying that way. We attempted to communicate with the chopper but we received no response. Look, we can't do anything now. After this is all over, we can attempt a search and rescue." Yuji was unsatisfied with that answer, and walked off.

What the hell were you thinking, Shiro?

Shinoda's world seemed to be falling apart. The presumed dead flying reptile had revived and took off, and was now engaged in a battle to the death with Megaguirus, the adult form of the prehistoric dragonfly species. The demon had been mutated by Godzilla's radioactive energy, not to mention Godzilla was also dead. He couldn't get in contact with Io; nobody at the CCI HQ had seen her. Nor could he get in touch with Yuki or that Kennedy guy, whom were on some expedition last he heard to check out the cave where the Meganulon had been originally sighted. Knowing his daughter's ways, she'd likely weaseled her way onto their trip. He'd asked Shigeru to head to the cave and check on them in a helicopter while he commandeered a jeep and sped to Kumamoto. If anything happened to those girls, he swore he'd strangle Robert. To top it all off, his friend Miyasaka had been downed by that vile insect over Kumamoto, the reason he had come here in the first place. His helicopter was somewhere in the city. Yuji had to believe he was still alive…had to. He slumped to the ground beside a building, burrowing his face in his hands. His family…his friends…Japan…everything was uncertain.

"-help!...Helicopter crashed…- alive…. – castle!" The static-filled transmission came from the radio near the major. His eyes widened as he picked up the handset.

"Who is this? Hello!? We received your message, please respond!" Yuji looked up, having found that shred of hope he needed. He knew exactly what was on the other line.

"Whoever this is…stay put. Take cover. The city is not safe…," the major continued explaining the situation, yet nobody responded over the line. The major was not going to sacrifice any men to go hunting for one person. Not until the city was safe. Yuji would not wait that long. He briskly walked back to the street that led to the bridge. He fumbled with the keys to his ride, only to realize the damned thing had died as soon as he'd arrived. He cursed and gave a kick to a tire. He glanced over to the twin APCs guarding the bridge. He strolled over, noting that there was only one guard posted. As he walked closer, Shinoda contemplated whether or not knocking out the guard was a viable option. He furrowed his brow, staring at his boots before being jolted from his stupor by the guard shouting at him.

"Hey! Buddy! Just the guy I want to see. Listen, I gotta take a piss. You mind keepin' watch? My partner went to go feed his fat ass back in the plaza with the main group." Shinoda blinked, looking to his left and right, thinking there must be a mistake.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you! I know you aren't a soldier or anything but, hell, all you're doing is basically watching some cars. Can't be too hard, right?" Yuji nodded his head furiously, grinning like a fool. The soldier saddled his rifle over his shoulder and patted the Godzilla expert on the shoulder and walked off the road towards an empty office building – one of the few spot unlocked and easily accessible. For a brief moment, he worried about leaving the APCs to a total stranger, but get real. Nobody's a crazy enough bastard to steal one and drive it into the city or something equally as ridiculous. He marched over to the glass doors and tugged it open, becoming increasingly worried he was about to soil his britches. He nearly did when he heard the revving of the engine, the giant tires scraping the concrete as they peeled out. The nameless soldier ran backwards, yelling and screaming, realizing this is why you don't leave your keys in an unsupervised vehicle, as one of the APCs sped towards the battlefield – Yuji was determined to find his friend, dead or alive. The soldier stopped running midway across the bridge over the river, panting as he watched Shinoda drive off. He groaned, cursing his current situation.

"I am so fucked."

Megaguirus and Rodan were far too concerned with each other to notice the incoming Karyu. Nor did they pay heed to the hum of the cannons on the side of the Karyu, and the pulsating golden electricity that flickered at the mouth of the EPCs. They only noticed when twin beams of electrical energy lashed at them, scalding their flesh and armor. There was no end to their torment, as the narrowed prow of the Karyu struck Rodan square in the chest, while a volley of standard military missiles pelted the carapace of Megaguirus. The wind was knocked out of the sky-prince as he was carried higher and higher by the Karyu. Megaguirus screeched in rage and followed her attackers. The trio rose past the clouds, and the periwinkle of the sky began to turn a darker shade of blue.

"What the hell are we doing, Commander!?"

"These things are too quick. We need to slow them down. One of these bastards is going to freeze in space. We can handle it with the diamond armor – they can't!" The 'plan' was more of a last resort if anything. The Dimension Tide was a risk – what if it failed again? If they could get Rodan high enough…maybe the pteranodon could be ended in the far reaches of the atmosphere.

"Ready the Dimension Tide systems, Hajime." He raised an eyebrow, and then nodded, beginning the prepping of the relevant weaponry and energy redirection. Rodan's beak filled the viewport as he attempted to peck at them. He could not reach, and he flapped his wings attempting to free himself from the Karyu's path. His talons scraped at the bottom of the Karyu, but doing no noticeable damage.

"Can we go any faster?"

"The engines are at max thrust, ma'am!" Yoshino grunted as she gripped the thruster, pushing with all her might. Suddenly, a loud thump echoed throughout the cabin.

"It's the bug! She's on the top!" Megaguirus had taken root on the surface of the speeding Karyu, her dagger-tipped limbs digging into the sides of the ship. Her added weight began to slow the Karyu's ascent. Doing so gave Rodan the time needed to push off of the Karyu and roll out of the way. With a squeal, Megaguirus began to bash the surface of the Karyu, her serrated claws tearing at the NT-20 alloy armor. The Karyu fired off another salvo of missiles, but they did nothing to stop the onslaught. The FMMs were used up, and the standard weapons had no use.

"Hajime! Redirect EPC energy to the shielding, now!"

"Err…what?"

"Damnit Hajime! I'll do it," the commander barked. She punched in a code, and the weapons screen seen on Hajime's console popped up on the viewport. She pounded away at the keyboard, as the youngest crew member sulked; having no idea what she had wanted him to do. Perhaps he should've studied the schematics and operations a bit more…

Megaguirus's jagged left limb pierced the left EPC, slicing clean through it and its connection to the main ship. The armament tumbled earthwards, utterly useless now. However, the process had been completed. The technology that powered the energy absorption of the Karyu's armor also was able to reverse the ability – that is, instead of taking in energy, it could release it.

"Time to zap this bug."

Megaguirus screamed as the Karyu's surface was suddenly coated with a golden electrical field. Thousands of volts coursed through the queen's body and she was forced to release her grip, falling away from the speeding Karyu. The shield only lasted a minute longer, before reverting back to the standard programming. Unfortunate, because Rodan had regained his senses and his want of revenge. He screeched, diving down with legs outstretched and wings folded. The terrifying beast's talons sunk into the front of the Karyu, ripping holes in the armor. His strength and momentum completely overtook the Karyu's engines, and soon both were rushing back down to earth. The countless miles they had flown to get to where they had been, past the cloud-line, were being undone as they plummeted. A shot from the remaining EPC missed completely, and Rodan gritted through the pain of several missiles penetrating his back and chest. The trio of Kaiju Killers did what they can, but Rodan was in control. And as the earth rushed up to meet them, he released his grip and launched upwards, whilst the Karyu slammed into the earth, shattering segments of its hull and sending shockwaves through the cityscape. The soldiers, who were mere spectators far off into the distance, could only stare in shock. The major in charge of the JSDF camp attempted to radio the Karyu, but received nothing back.

Rodan eyed the downed Karyu cautiously, but the human craft made no attempt to move or attack. Satisfied, the Prince of the Skies landed on top of a several-story office building, the tower shaking under his immense weight. The mutated pteranodon's crown began to crackle with powerful energy. He cawed out a taunt to his nemesis several miles away, who was regaining her senses after the vicious electric shock from the Karyu. Her topaz armored exoskeleton looked blackened and dull in some spots, especially in her appendages. She clicked her mandibles together as she lifted off the ground, giant emerald globules all turned to Rodan. She positioned her tail below her abdomen, and unsheathed her deadly stinger – the bevel-like tip glinting in the sunlight. Behind her, the hope of her species lay protected amongst the ruins of Kumamoto Castle. Losing now would mean the extermination of her race. Rodan falling to her blade and stinger would mean the end of his line. Two relics of a bygone age squared off, having defeated the champion of the world's current dominant species. Yet, they were to be joined by one more prehistoric entity.

The roar came from the west. Rodan and Megaguirus both turned their heads to the source of the call, and neither could believe what they saw. The green leviathan trudged along the river, every footfall in the water splashing gallons onto the shore. His club-like tail swung to and fro, chipping off chunks from the nearby buildings. Dark red blood stained his scales, and the numerous punctures and wounds from his early battles were still present. He looked like he'd just woken from the dead, and perhaps he had. The magnificent beast did not look his usual royal and powerful self, rather appearing ragged and worn. His hands clenched and unclenched, while the dinosaur's jaws remained open, showing off his impressive array of fangs. Intense eyes glared in the direction of the ancient dragonfly and fiery pteranodon. Once again, the monster King unleashed a mighty roar before coming to a halt. Godzilla eyed Rodan first, his gaze a mixture of respect and curiosity. He turned his reptilian head to face Megaguirus, and his eyes narrowed to near slits as a mixture of hate and rage filled his heart. Megaguirus cackled, brandishing her tail like a rapier, thrusting into the air. Rodan flapped his wings threateningly, creating a gust of wind that blew up debris and shook building foundations. He wanted a rematch with the foe that had nearly killed him in their earlier bout, but perhaps that could wait until after he ripped his nemesis to pieces. Godzilla simply reared back and unleashed his infamous roar, so loud that windows shattered and even the humans across the city had to cover their ears.

In the distance, the JSDF survivors and Kumamoto refugees could do nothing but stare dumbstruck. The one they had thought dead was standing very much alive. Hope was lost, as a myriad of monsters were free to roam, with the Karyu down and out. The government was contacted and it was announced that Godzilla had returned, and that the Karyu had failed. Military reinforcements were called in to help with the evacuation more so than to attack the kaiju. At this point, there was really only one thing humanity could do…

Let them fight.