Hey fellow readers and writers. Apologies for the long space between updates. I had a lot of work to do. Plus, I had severe writers block because I really struggled as to how to plot out this chapter.

Thankfully, that is done and now we can continue.

Later that night

If there was one thing that Hime hated more than failing, it was uncertainty. It constantly made her feel on edge, and this would make her grumpy, angry and (what she hated most of all) afraid. Right now, as she stood on the roof of a building near the office building, looking out over the many bright lights of the city as it announced the arrival of the night, she felt very nervous. Her fingers drummed against her folded arm and he foot twitched in an almost impatient manner against the top of the roof.

I doubt the people inside will hear me she thought to herself, thinking for a moment that she could take her mind off this by hitting the tiles hard and then hiding from view so as to have them come out and wonder what was going on. Mischievous little tyke, I can be.

But no, that would be unprofessional of her. And her grandmother, spirits rest her soul, would lecture and demean her for such behaviour. No, remember she had to be the epitome of grace, wisdom and intellect. Be the perfect mayor my grandmother taught me to be. If she could not do that, then she did not deserve to be mayor.

That was partly how she felt now as she coughed a little, pausing a moment to wipe some imaginary dust from her sleeves. Ever since the attacks last night, she had been worried about a second wave occurring. The police as well as everyone in her team and several of their friends had been on high alert, but nothing had happened. The streets of Sakurashin were quiet and the people seemed to have returned to normal.

So far so good. But that did not mean everyone was safe again.

They still had to find Gin, quickly before he hurt anyone else. Of course, the problem they still had was trying to find out where he was. So far, nobody had reported him and they had found nothing either. Things would have been easier had Ao …

Hime's thought stopped there and lingered. Ao. Her telepathic friend was still worried about her brother, the one who was causing all of the recent chaos, over that of the entire town! How could she? How could she try and reason and love a convicted killer and troublemaker?! It made absolutely no sense whatsoever! She was holding back the team, the very survival of everything that they had worked so hard to build! All because of her stupid, unreasonable, insolent-

Hold it right there, girl! She paused and took a deep breath. No, can't think this way. It's not right and it isn't fair on her. I can't force her to do this, even if it's for the town. I wouldn't be the true mayor otherwise.

Something she had taught herself. Always respect those closest to you, for they will the ones to fight and die for you should the time ever come.

She hoped that time would never come, though it looked increasingly remote given their current situation with Gin and his followers. Who knew what they were plotting? Who knew what they were going to do next?

Or had they already carried out something and were just waiting for the right time?

A sudden loud chorus made Hime jump, almost causing her to lose her balance on the roof. It was emanating from her pocket and she reached in and grabbed her phone and saw it was Kotoha. Had they found something? Or were they going out to eat? She could sure use something to calm her nerves right now.

She flipped the phone open and held it up to her ear. "Kotoha, what is it?" Hime asked her friend, kneeling down on one knee on the roof so as not to lose concentration and risk a fall.

"Hime, we have to get to Tokyo, now!" came her friend's voice, putting Hime on edge immediately.

Kotoha never calls me with a sense of urgency and fear, unless something is happening! "What is it?" she asked in a demanding manner, jumping down effortlessly from the roof, startling a young man as he walking down the pavement towards his house.

"I think I know what Gin has planned."

Just outside Tokyo harbour

"Agh! The smell is gonna make me throw up!"

"Hey, Toshio, it could be worse,"

"Yeah right!" The tall black haired man humphed in a manner that emphasised his words as he wiped a gloved hand over his forehead, then immediately regretted it as a full whiff of the stench of fish hit him the face. Luckily he wasn't wearing a long sleeved top or was going to see anyone. Otherwise he would probably end up smelling them away and be forced to bathe for the rest of the night.

Well, at least it helps pay the bills give the working environment nowadays He told himself as he lugged another crate of fish onto a cart to be taken off-ship.

In the room around him about ten other people were at work cutting fish or loading it into boxes. They had had a good day at sea, catching a variety of the animals that lived around their island nation. It was not the most practical job to many, and it certainly was not very attractive either for the aforementioned reasons but it was either this or it could have been unemployment or stuck somewhere else. Toshio had always told himself this, adding that at least he got to see the sea and that he did not suffer sea sickness.

"Hey Toshio!" someone called from nearby and he turned to see another man, slightly short and overweight with a bald head and a bloody apron from all the meat cutting, looking at him. "C'mon, we're almost at the shore."

"Coming!" Toshio replied, tossing one more crate onto the cart and, taking off his gloves, moved off in the direction of the rest of the crew as they began to leave the sorting room.

On the bridge

Docking into the harbour of Tokyo was not exactly the easiest thing in the world given the busy port that it was. Right now, dear readers, Captain Nao was trying his hardest to manoeuvre the huge fishing vessel without being a possible danger to any other ships entering or leaving the area. A lot of smaller craft were always coming and going.

And that's not even the half of it he thought to himself, slightly concerned even though he had done this sort of thing many times before. There's all the physics and stuff involved. Way over my head but I know it's there.

Another half an hour or so and he would be done and then he could go home. He hadn't seen his wife and child for a few days since they had left for this voyage. They would be showering him with hugs and kisses and what not later, though preferably after a shower. There was no doubt that the six crew members with him on the bridge felt the same way.

As he looked out through the window over the surrounding skyline that made up the docks of the city, the person manning the sonar nearby looked down at the screen, his eyes holding a bored look. The rhythmic beeping filled the air around him in unison with a slight luminous glow emanating from the controls. Nothing for the last few days, as if there was anything to look for.

Beep! "What the?"

Something momentarily lit up on the screen as the sonar completed another cycle before disappearing. It was like a ghost sighting, that brief glimpse of the unknown and mysterious before the return to normality. The sonar crew member scratched his head in confusion. What had he just seen? Or did he see anything at all? And if he did, what was it?

Beep! There it was again! This time, his eyes fell on a large shape on the sonar screen that, as before, disappeared after a second of revealing its presence. Now I know I saw something, but still … What is it?

A third beep rang out from the screen, but he was ready for it. The shape this time was huge, long and wiry. How long he did not know but it was enough for his breath to be caught in his throat for a moment. How could something like this move so close to Japan and not be spotted! What was going on? What was it? Why was it coming towards them?

Wait! He looked back at the sonar screen to see it light up once more, the shape now much closer towards the centre, which was …

"Captain!" He exclaimed in fear. "Something is approaching fast!"

"What?" Nao replied, looking over his shoulder. "Well, where it is coming from? What is it?"

"Unknown, but it's big and-"

CRASH!

In the blink of an eye, the ship rocked violently, the sound of breaking metal filling the air like a bomb. The crew members on the top of the ship held on for dear life, some being unlucky to be thrown overboard. Their screams were like those of the damned, and it was not over yet.

With a metallic creak as loud as a collapsing structure, the bow and stern ends of the ship rose into the air as the central section caved in. Those who were in the water, as well as a crowd of workers along the shore, watched in horror as both ends came to a halt for a millisecond and then fell with a thunderous splash into the bay, breaking into two. The bow end rolled over and was quickly consumed by the waves. The stern, meanwhile, floated for a moment as if in shock and was assessing what had just happened. Then, it too began to sink from view.

Just keeping himself afloat on the surface near what had been his place of work, Toshio was practically still and did not utter a word. It was as if he had turned into a statue, completely overwhelmed with the sudden destruction of what he had been doing in the blink of an eye. In one fell swoop, an entire ship and the majority of its crew were gone.

A loud splash startled him and he looked to see the tip of a huge tail descend into the bay, moving fast away from the site towards land.

Directly towards Tokyo.

In his eyes, it was all perfect. Watching from the vantage point of an apartment building a few hundred feet behind the docks, he saw the huge ship crumble and disappear into the bay. Several other ships began flocking to its aid in the hopes that there were some survivors scattered around. For a moment, Gin did ponder over the people killed in the attack on the ship. They probably had families and friends and people who would be devastated when they learned of their demise tonight. But acceptable losses were acceptable losses. Sun Tzu had told the world before that trying to save everyone was an impossible task in itself. If only the world had learnt that by now.

He pushed these thoughts aside and set about scanning the water for any sign of the cause of this disaster. It was still relatively early and the many lights around the shipyards provided enough illumination for him to see a part of the bay. Nothing but the blackness of the water greeted him, yet he continued to search.

He has to be here! He has to be!

If Akiro were here, it would be much better as four eyes were better than two. But he had left him in Sakurashin, largely so as to keep him out of his, as well as harm's, way. Plus, it would give him a rest from any constant doubts the water-manipulating Yokai would be throwing at him about this mission of theirs. He's nothing but a compulsive worrier. Gin would have to deal with him soon; try and get him to see that his way of dealing with things was right, and that by removing Godzilla the world would be safer.

They'll all see that I was right when this is done. A lot of people will perish, but countless more will be saved.

A loud moaning sound akin to a gigantic moaning iron bar being bent filled the air. Gin looked in the direction of the noise. The bay! A small smile crept onto his lips, his heart now increasing in its beating rate. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Another loud moan echoed through the air and a huge object surfaced partially, sending huge waves crashing into the docks and forcing a few workers nearby to flee inland, only just missing a few of them by a few metres.

He's here. Now it will begin.

As if on that note, a loud roar pierced the night sky, drowning out everything for a moment as if the world was taken completely by surprise (which it was when considering those in the immediate vicinity of the docks). A second passed. Nothing moved. Everything had turned quiet.

A loud splash erupted as something huge rose up out of the water, its body long and black and shimmering in the light of the nearby buildings. Another roar sounded as if began to move into the docks, pushing aside anything that got in its way, be it buildings, vehicles and the occasional person who failed to move out of the way in time.

Gin found himself smiling again, not one of evil or sadism but of relief.

Hime, Ao, Kotoha, Akina and all the rest: say hello to Manda.

"Is everyone here?"

Akina thought that Hime's demanding voice could be heard streets away. A few people who were standing nearby, having been startled by the sudden noise coming from the docks a few hundred metres away, gave her anxious looks. But she paid them no heed. Right now, they had to focus on getting everything ready, and shouting instructions into her phone seemed to be the best way of getting things done at the current moment in time.

"Kotoha, make sure that there are no people in this when you use your power." She ordered, steadying herself on the top of the bus stop she was on, drawing a few curious glances from people nearby. "And have Kyosuke ready too. He might need to go full out for this one."

"Roger that. We'll-wait!" A pause hung in the air and all she could hear were faint booms from the other end, though they quickly reached her own ears. "Uh oh. Hime, I think it's here!"

Hime shut her phone and turned to look down at Akina who was standing in the street below. He turned to look at her, his worried expression meeting hers. He could see she too was on edge and anxious, maybe even terrified. If she was, though, Hime was doing a bloody good job in hiding it. What would expect from someone like her? She's practically been brought up to be like a Soviet or some kind of army person.

"Akina, get everyone moving!" she ordered. "The shit's gonna hit the fan in a second!"

He nodded and began urging the few bystanders who were not already turning to run to flee the area. A loud boom echoed from far ahead of them, followed by what could only be described as a kind of screech that was low and high at the same time, like the roar of a lion mixed with a scream from a woman standing at the other end of the street. It shook the bus stop and went right through Hime. For a brief second, she felt terrified beyond belief, her blood turning to ice and her hair stood on end.

C'mon, keep it together, girl! She mentally berated herself and turned down to the now two people who were glancing between her and the sounds of crashes and loud booms gradually moving closer to them from behind the buildings far ahead of them.

"Get out of here!" she snapped at them. "Go, unless you want to die!"

The last word seemed to have given them more than enough persuasion. The man and his wife turned and fled down the street as fast as they could go. Hime turned back to Akina to see him ushering some more people nearby to evacuate.

"Akina, make sure everybody gets a move on." She called over to him. "We don't need any apples taking pictures of this."

"Got it!" he confirmed, giving her a nod.

Hime turned back to face the street ahead of her, seeing a few cars shoot past from a street on the left and disappear into one on the right at terrific speed. Another roar filled the air, followed by a loud crash and something exploded from behind a building, filling the air with an eerie yellowy glow.

"Looks like it's definitely something big coming this way." She muttered to herself. I just hope we can face off against him.

If not, then they were in for a rough time. I just hope Kyosuke and the others can st-

"Hime, look out!" Akina cried all of a sudden.

Something flew towards her. Hime had barely a second to glance before her peripheral vision was filled with something falling on top of her. She dived out of the way, landing with ease on the pavement as the bus stop was obliterated with a loud crash. She turned away for a moment to shield her face from any debris and then looked back. It was a minivan, thankfully empty but still a deadly weapon nonetheless when it was being used for lethal intentions. Its roof and side were smashed and glass was sprayed across the pavement, both from its windows and windscreens and what used to be the bus stop.

"Lucky miss!" Akina exclaimed as he rushed over to Hime, giving her a concerned look as her face held one of shock and surprise. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded slightly, a little shook up. "Fine."

CRASH! Looking down the street, the two watched as an apartment complex about ten stories tall seemed to disintegrate as if it were made of toothpicks. Pieces of concreate and glass flew down the street and they had to move quickly to dodge them. A parked car further down the road was obliterated by a piece of mortar the size of a small van. Windows on the surrounding cracked and a wall of dust raced towards them as if eager to swallow them.

"Cover your mouth and eyes!" Hime ordered, instinctively throwing her head down and bringing her arms over her head to protect herself; Akina doing the same beside her.

The dust swarmed over them and seemed to send them into another world. Hime coughed and tried to wave the dust away with her arm whilst grabbing Akina. He led held onto her and slowly led them up the street. Another roar sounded from somewhere and, as if terrified, the dust dissipated quickly, revealing a rubble filled street with large lumps of neighbouring buildings scattered everywhere.

It was what loomed over them that took the two by surprise. Hime gasped and Akina muttered something incoherent, almost retreating a step as they stared up at what they could only describe as an abomination, a creature of darkness, a devil from hell itself.

A long, jet black body seemed to occupy much of the street, its size almost touching both buildings on either side of it. The back of the body was unseen thanks to a large pile of rubble, which had once been the apartment building, and a cloud of dust and smoke blocking its way. A series of scales ran along the top of the body, no doubt armour to protect it from any attacks. Two large, black clawed feet akin to those on a komodo dragon clamped down into the tarmac, cracking it and causing a few underground pipes to burst and wet them. What really stood out was the head. It was like that of a mythical dragon Akina had once seen in a Chinese art painting many years previous, except that those had been either jade green or a multitude of different bright colours. Here, this one was completely black to the point that had it not been for the whites of its eyes and the opening and closing of its jaws, it would have been almost completely camouflaged against the night sky above. A large square-like shaped snout jutted out from the centre of the face, the teeth within gritted together and a low growl emanating from within. Two small antennae-like protrusions stuck out from the front of the snout above the nostrils and a row of spines ran from the forehead between the eyes, both of which were a fiery orange in a white background, and across the head and down to the bottom of the neck.

The creature stared down at the two with an evil malice in its eyes, enough to force them to retreat a little out of fear and readiness for when it would lunge at them. Hime readied her staff and Akina took out his small wooden sword and pressed a button on the bottom, causing it to unsheathe. Despite being armed, he could feel himself shaking in his shoes. The length of this thing had be at least a couple of hundred of feet! Maybe even more!

"Any idea how we can take this thing down?" Akina asked Hime.

"Split up and attack any weak points. Go for the head if you can." She answered, taking off her scarf and revealing the long scar across her neck, which Akina glanced at for a moment. "And whatever you do, don't die!" she added with a venomous tone on the last two words.

He nodded, though his blood ran cold a little from those last two words. Don't die! He wished that would not happen but it was something he could not guarantee. With something like this facing them, they were going to be in for a fight for their very lives. He looked over at the Sakurashin mayor and saw her staring up at the creature with determination in her eyes, ready to fight. How could she not be scared?! Maybe she was, but if so, then she was doing a very good job of hiding it behind her usual stoic and harsh expression.

Loud cackling made them look up to one of the buildings on the right side of the street just level with the creature'shead. A figure was standing there and smiling evilly down at them. Hime's eyes glared dangerously.

"Gin, you bastard!" she shouted up at him. "We should have known you'd be behind this!"

He only laughed in response, took a deep breath to control himself and then looked back down at them. "Well done, Hime! Even though it's pretty obvious! I would've thought that you of all people would be able to put two and two together."

Hime gritted her teeth in anger, tightening her grip on her staff. He was mocking her! That stupid bastard! That asshole! He comes here and terrorises countless people along the Tokyo coastline and he laughs about it? He needs to be stopped, and fast.

"Hime, don't let him get to you." Akina advised her, though his voice noticeably held the same anger as hers.

"I'll keep that in mind." She muttered in reply.

The creature let out a growl as it moved back slightly, putting the two on immediate alert as it looked as if it was going to attack. Gin's smile held its position on his face and he let out a chuckle.

They're in for it unless they give up. They do that and-what the!

The creature roared as something slammed into the back of its head, knocking its head into a building and causing it to roll over. Gin roared out an interjection and began angrily frantically searching the sky for whatever had just hurt the creature. He saw a group of figures descend and land on the ground near Hime and Akina.

"Nice of you to start the party without us," Kotoha commented as she came to a rest near the two; Kyosuke and Ao landing alongside her.

"Sorry we're a bit late, we had a little trouble with trying to avoid getting stepped on." Kyosuke added, his red horns now noticeably protruding from his forehead.

"Did everyone get out okay?" Hime asked them immediately.

Kotoha's face fell a little, her eyes dropping to a sad expression. "Most of them did. It swarmed ashore onto the ground and washed a lot of what was on the streets away. We saved a couple but …" she trailed off but Hime heard enough. Even though these were technically not her people, they were still innocent. They still had just as much of a right to live as anyone else!

As horrible as this is, thank god, or whatever it out there that we're not fighting this thing in Sakurashin

"Guys, it's getting back up!" Akina exclaimed with a fear filled voice.

He was right. The creature, slamming one of its feet into the ground so hard that it went through the tarmac and crushed a series of pipes underneath it, pulled itself upright and glared down at the group, its eyes now practically on fire with anger. They dare do that to him! Oh, they were going to suffer an excruciating pain for that!

High above, Gin's laughter cackled out into the night air. "Looks like you guys will have a fight on your hands." He said and waved an arm towards the creature. "Say hello to Manda, a water god with incredible strength, endurance and a really big hatred for his enemies."

"What a way to earn a greeting." Kotoha muttered to herself.

Manda growled and slammed his other leg into the ground, making it rumble and almost causing the group to fall over. Kyosuke clenched his fists, the aura of power radiating off his body like the heat from a fireplace. Hime readied her weapon staff and Akina his. Kotoha pulled Ao close to her and got ready to begin commanding for something to appear in assisting them in fighting Manda. Gin smiled.

"Looks like I've got a show on my hand." He muttered to himself.

And on that note, as if on cue, Manda attacked, sending the group scattering as his head slammed into the road, destroying a huge chunk of it. Dust momentarily filled the air, which obscured his vision and gave the group enough time to move away. Manda pulled his head away and saw Hime, Ao and Akina standing further up the street. With a growl, he moved his enormous bulk after him, ignoring an attempt by Kyosuke as he fired a blast at his back that only ended up bouncing off his armour.

Nearby, Kotoha dived into an alley as the huge black mass that was Manda's body barrelled down the street, it rubbing against buildings and tearing chunks out of them. She had to dodge a few pieces of rubble that flew in her direction. Her mind raced. She had to do something! Manda was not going to stop for anything to get them, even if it was a building full of people. If they did not stop him quickly, then thousands of people were going to lose their lives.

Looks like I'll need a big gun like last time she thought to herself, her mind briefly drifting back to when she had used a railroad gun to blast an enemy on the top of the Tokyo Tower. Though I'll need something more convenient … and not as big.

Out in the bay, the few small vessels that had arrived at the scene of the disaster first, were busy moving between the remains of the ship. Crewmembers shone torches or lights from their phones at the water, hoping that the sound of splashing or the sight of another body would mean that a few had survived the attack. I say 'another body', dear readers, because they had already found a few bodies floating on the surface, all of them having expired. It created a feeling of fading hope among the rescuers looking for survivors but they were determined not to give up.

One of the boats, a small trawler that had rushed to the scene so quickly that its crew had forgotten to pull up the nets, manoeuvred around a floating cluster of debris that the driver suspected had once been part of the living quarters for the crew. One crewmember was at the front, scanning the surface of the bay with his torch, the ray of light piercing the darkness like the sun rising during the night. A look of concern was etched across his face, emphasised by his chewed bottom lip and tightened position of his shoulders. Somebody had to be alive; it was unlikely but he had to hope. If not, then what was the point of them being out here?

A roar from the city reached his ears and made him jump, almost dropping his torch in the process. His eyes looked up at the destroyed sections of the docks and the buildings behind it. That thing had been enormous, bigger than anything he, or probably anyone else for that matter thought possible. They had been a few hundred feet from the docks when it emerged. The length of the monster seemed endless. What it was doing right now was unsure but he was not going to complain. If it was able to sink an entire fishing tanker the size of a skyscraper, then apartment buildings standing no more than seventy feet tall would be nothing.

I hope everyone there got out in time he mentally thought to himself, but doubted that very much, forcing himself to turn back to the water.

He stopped. That sound … It was … Splashing? Yes! Someone was out there!

"There's someone in the water!" he paused and shone his flashlight and pointed in the same direction. "Over there!"

The driver turned the boat in said direction and began moving it there. Seconds ticked past and the splashing grew louder and louder. His brown eyes searched the surface, looking for any change in their motion that was not coming from the boat. He had to resist turning back to the city when a second loud roar filled the air so as not to lose sight of anything that might lead them to the survivor. The splashing grew louder and somebody's voice called out for help from not far in front of them. The torch turned in that direction as the boat knocked against something in the water.

"There!"

About twenty feet ahead of them, somebody waved out to them with one arm whilst holding onto the body of another man, likely a fellow crewmember. He coughed as his head momentarily sank beneath the water and then came up again. He cried out to them, urging them to hurry. The driver of the boat responded by slowing the boat down and turning it sideways slightly whilst two others on the ship, one of them being the one with the torch, rushed to grab towels and life rings.

It took about five minutes for them to get the boat in place and throw the rings to the survivors and pull them in but they did it in the end. Coughing and spluttering, the survivor who had cried out to them thanked them and asked about his fellow crewmember.

"He's fine," the driver of the fishing boat reassured him. "Just unconscious. We got to you guys just in time." A pause fell between them as he turned and gave some orders to the man with the torch. "What's your name?" he asked the survivor.

"Toshio." He answered, looking back over where the tanker had been, his face showing that he was completely stunned over what had happened to his place of work. "Ship went under so fast. Gone … Just like that. I barely had time to think."

The driver patted him on the shoulder. Don't worry. "Well, at least we got you guys. And I'm sure there are others who made it." He said.

"Cap!" the crewmember, who was standing at the steering wheel on the deck above them, exclaimed all of a sudden, pointing out to the sea. "Something's happening to another ship. Look"

They all looked, their eyes scanning the darkness with their eyes. What was causing him to freak out like that? They saw nothing other than a few lights of nearby ships doing the same thing as them; searching for survivors. One was approaching them pretty quickly. Maybe they wanted to check on who we-wait!

The captain's eyes looked back at the approaching light that pierced the darkness and was coming straight towards them very quickly. For a moment, his brain went into questioning mode. What was going on? Why was it doing this? How could it even go that fast?! They'd have to be a speedboat to be able to get to that speed, and none passed us.

He got his answers when he saw a huge dark object pushing the water, and the boat, along the surface towards them as if intending to ram them. It was a huge knobbly spire that must have stood at about fifty feet, maybe even more! What was more, two more moving with it. One was sticking straight up into the air (this one being next to the boat) and one each sticking out diagonally up on either side. The water around it was pushed away like knife through warm butter. The captain and his crew could not take their eyes off it or the boat. It was about a hundred feet away now but would be right on top of them.

"JUMP!"

They dived overboard and began swimming like hell away from their boat, adrenaline coursing through their veins. Behind them, the sound of the water being pushed aside was growing louder to being almost deafening. Toshio swam harder. He had to get to the shore! It was far but it was either that or get swallowed by … whatever was coming here.

"Look out!" someone shouted.

He was flying, soaring through the air, the world being turned around immensely as if he were on an amusement ride. Tokyo was spinning. The bay was first above, then below, then above again. His brain could make no sense of it. Then, with a loud SPLASH, he landed into the darkness of the bay once more. Panic seized him as he tried to regain his composure and moved towards the surface as fast as he c-

He stopped dead, his eyes wide as dinner as they fell on a big shape, and by big, dear readers, I mean it was huge. His eyes did not seem to register any pain they would normally encounter in salt water as they remained transfixed on this … this thing. It was like a huge black wall moving through the bay at quite terrifying speeds considering the size.

He watched as the shape moved towards the docks and then … he almost gasped as he saw what looked like two huge legs sprout from the bottom of the shape. One moved up whilst the other clamped onto the side of the wall underwater and pushed the huge bulk that was the body up. Within a second, though, it was gone and all that followed was a long tail that seemed just as endless as the body of the creature that sank his boat.

Toshio swam up and took a big gulp of breath when his head broke the surface. His eyes stung madly and he rubbed them, trying to soothe away the pain. After a moment, he moved his hands away from his eyes … And managed to gasp this time, his body going rigid, his blood turning cold and heart practically stopping dead.

"Watch out!" CRASH!

With a snarl, Manda had lunged Hime again and it was only her quick reflexes that prevented her from being smashed to pieces. The roof, or rather the whole building she had been standing on was a different matter as it collapsed into a heap of rubble, spraying dust and debris across several blocks. She landed on a lamppost that only just reached Manda's thick main body, her heart pounding away inside her. That was close.

Manda pulled back from the building, growling angrily as his eyes fell on Hime once again, determined to strike her down and tear her to pieces. Hime readied herself to jump again when a blast shot past her from below. It struck the slithering creature in the jaw and he roared in pain, staggering backwards and taking out a few small trees and parts of two office buildings. Hime looked down to see Kyosuke standing there. He gave her a nod and she nodded back. Thanks.

"Ao, try and distract him!" came Akina's voice from nearby.

As if on cue, Ao ran towards Manda from a nearby side street and threw a small ball-like object at him. A blinding light exploded in mid-air and Manda roared in surprise, staggering back a little as the light stunned him. Hime also had to look away for a moment until the light faded. When it did, she jumped down to the ground, keeping her eyes on Manda though as he tried to shake away the strobe from the device.

"A flashbang, courtesy of Kotoha, no doubt." Kyosuke said.

"But it still doesn't bring up closer to stopping him," Hime replied, a tone of annoyance in her voice. We're getting nowhere! There has to be a way to stop him.

"Don't even try it, missy!" a familiar voice snidely said to them from behind. They looked and saw Gin standing a few metres away, his arms holding two staffs with jade green points and red Kanji script along the side. "Look familiar?" he said rhetorically, holding up the one in his left hand to Hime.

She gritted her teeth in anger. "Give it back, Gin!" she snarled.

He laughed. "How about; screw you, bitch!" he said mockingly and charged forward, swinging both staffs at his enemies, forcing them to move out of the way. He growled and swung at Kyosuke, who dodged it with a swipe of his hand and punched Gin in the side. "Agh!" he spat, staggering back a little, finding himself between the Oni and Hime. "Ha! A little encirclement, is it?" he said with an air of mock impressment.

"Give it up, Gin!" Hime growled, tightening her grip on her staff. "You can't beat both of us."

Gin glared at her, furious that she would say something like that to him. Then, his eyes looked up past her and a smile crept across his face. Behind him, Hime saw Kyosuke's face turn from anger into an expression to a ghostly white of fear and he stepped back a pace.

"Or it is," Gin said nastily.

As if on cue, a growl made Hime stop dead. It came from behind her! If that happened, then … that meant …

Turning, she almost let out a scream as the angry eyes of Manda looked down at her, glowing with hatred like molten lava spewing out of a volcano. He slammed his forward leg into the ground, almost knocking her over. It was a clear move of intimidation, as if he wanted her to run so he could pursue. Hime had to admit to herself mentally that it was working. He wanted her to flee; he wanted the thrill of a chase. But she was not going to give it to him, even if she was close to soiling herself.

"Looks like you're outmatched, mayor," Gin said mockingly, half-turning to face Kyosuke. "Have fun fighting-"

A loud whoosh filled the air as something shot overhead like a bullet. The next thing they knew, Manda let out an ear-splitting cry as something exploded on his side. His body writhed and Hime had to dive to a nearby doorframe to stop herself being crushed by his immense body as he landed on the ground. Dust filled the air and she raised her arm to protect her face. When it subsided, she saw Manda still standing, though he was now looking angrily up at the sky.

Damn, Kotoha! You almost killed me! Hime thought, but then heard the WHOOSH of a jet and saw two of them fly overhead, one of them firing a barrage of ammunition that tore up the street. It shredded an already flattened car and struck Manda in the back, though they bounced harmlessly off his armoured back. Still, it was enough to make him roar in anger, momentarily distracting him.

Down the street behind Manda, Kotoha, Akina and Ao pushed a large army cannon into place, its end pointing directly at him. It was a large weapon big enough to fire shells that could break through tank armour. Whether that would apply to monsters as well, they did not know. Ao was hoping that Kotoha's ability to conjure up these things meant they were more powerful. Probably not.

"Kotoha, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ao asked as Akina glanced warily at the behemoth before them, thankful it was too preoccupied to look over its shoulder.

"Nope," she replied, tightening her jacket and taking off her glasses. "But right now, we don't have a choice." A pause hung between them as she muttered something and a huge shell appeared in her hands. "I just hope it's enough."

Me too Ao thought to herself.

The ground shook a little and she immediately turned her head to look up the street. "What is it?" Akina asked, immediately concerned when he saw her face.

"Something's coming!" Ao said, her voice full of alarm and her face looking slightly panicked. "And it's something big!"

Another loud WHOOSH filled the air as the jets passed over again and something dropped from one of them. Instinctively, Kotoha grabbed Ao and Akina and pulled them away from the gun, shouting something out. A huge titanium cube formed around them, each piece shooting out of the ground like plants doing an entire year's worth of growth in a matter of seconds.

"Hang onto your teeth!" Kotoha advised them, kneeling down and covering her head with her hands. "And Ao, I'd cover your ears," she added.

Hime ducked into a shop through a smashed window when she heard the jets passing overhead again, knowing what was coming. For a moment, she could only hear the movements created by Manda's body. Then, as if the sun was crashing into the earth, a wall of fire swept down the street, scorching everything in its path. Hime ducked and covered her head, thinking that in the next few seconds she would be burnt to a crisp in a shop. Her entire body would be nothing but ash and dust. Nothing would be left, nothing for the others to find.

Another loud roar filled the air, no doubt meaning that Manda was struck by whatever was being dropped. The ground shook a little. Something fell to the floor nearby with a crash whilst outside she heard loud crashes and glass smashing, though she was unsure if it was because of the monster or the military. Then she felt heat flash across her head despite there being a wall between the outside and her. A few loud booms echoed out, though Hime realised they sounded a bit too distant to be anything from Manda.

What are they?

After about five seconds, she groggily got up and looked outside to be greeted by a wall of smoke and dust. Manda was shaking off debris and dust, several noticeable wounds scattered across his body. The surrounding buildings were peppered with holes and the ground was covered in smashed glass. Anyone who was left in the buildings was going to be dead by this point.

Hopefully none were Hime thought to herself.

Boom! Manda looked up and let out a surprised roar and backed up a few paces, tearing some chunks out of some nearby buildings. Hime too looked up and almost fell over at the sight before her.

Up and down the street, and likely all over this part of Tokyo, everyone looked up and their faces turned to shock, fear and … being pure aghast. The three behind Manda broke out of their cube, only to stop dead when they looked up. Akina muttered something under his breath, Ao gasped and Kotoha just stared in absolute disbelief, shaking her head a little. That's not possible. Something that big can't exist.

What they were staring at, dear readers, was humungous, gigantic. No, none of these words did any justice in trying to describe the size of this creature. Two legs with huge calf muscles held the creature upright with a set of four clawed toes sticking out of each one. Above the hips was a heavily built torso, one that was held defined chest muscles and even what looked like a six pack. A pair of powerful arms stuck out of the torso, both covered in pulsating muscles as if it were exercising constantly. The neck was wide and thick and attached to it was a head that was like a dinosaur with a pair of eyes on the front, a pair of large slits for nostrils and a mouth that revealed hundreds of teeth that would be inadequate to describe as razor sharp. The fact that they were clenched together, along with the fists, made this creature all the more terrifying to witness. A huge tail about four hundred feet long trailed out behind it and down the creature's back from the neck all the way to the end of the tail were a row of dorsal fins; those that were in the middle of the back being the biggest of the lot.

Looking at the creature was terrifying enough, but what really stood out was the size. It stood, no it towered over much of the surrounding city-scape, its huge body barely fitting between the remains of several buildings Manda had knocked down during the fight with the group earlier. They must have looked like toys to it, and people were probably no more than insect sized when standing next to it, or close to it would probably be a better word. Despite this, the creature did not look set on playing or exploring. The look on its face was one of anger, fury, hatred. It was as if it were a demon from hell come to destroy, a monster come to remove any competition or enemies, a behemoth once relegated to mere mythology that had now become reality.

Hime, who had no doubt the others were thinking the same thing, had seen this for the first time. Yet, the name came to her as the only logical thing. And even then she had not the power to voice it as if it would summon something unimaginable.

A monster, a behemoth, a creature, a titan. The one her grandmother had written about in her works, and had been around before Sakurashin even existed.

One that held a name they all knew but had not the power to utter it.

Godzilla.

SKKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ooooooooonnngggggghhhhhh!