For the gang, they could not get to the affected area fast enough. Within a minute of the police commissioner calling, they had rushed out of the office and piled into someone's pickup truck in a nearby car park. Now, with Kotoha driving, they were speeding down side roads and swerving through traffic. At one-point, Kotoha had taken a turn a little early and only just managed to avoid hitting a group of people on the pavement but luckily they were able to dive out of the way in time; Kotoha shouting an apology to them. 'Godzilla', meanwhile, was holding on for dear life in the back of the truck. Hime and Kyosuke sat next to him, holding onto both him and the car.
I'm starting to think that I won't be making it back to my original form before the night is over He mentally said to himself.
Next to him, Kyosuke closed his phone. "I've called my sister and told her to take herself and the twins and get them out of here."
Hime nodded. "Good, we don't need to worry about anyone else." She replied.
She went to speak again but was cut off with a yelp as Kotoha turned hard into another road that was, thankfully, mostly devoid of cars. A few pedestrians along the pavement watched them race by in bewilderment but they, along with practically everything else in this street, were a blur. And right now the gang could care less about what the public thought of them. They had to get to the square before the chaos there spread.
"Damn, Kotoha! Are you trying to kill us?!" Akina exclaimed as said driver turned hard into another road, knocking over a bin placed on the corner of the street.
"Sorry but we are trying to get somewhere and save lives!" she replied with a raised voice, possibly out of the adrenaline from the situation and having to focus on the road.
"Well can you please do it without getting us killed?!" Akina told her but she ignored him; rather she accelerated, making Akina and Ao grip their seats and each other tightly in fear that they were going to be thrown out of the truck.
As they went, Hime could only think of the calamity ahead of them. There was no doubt that something like this was going to be the result of Gin being up to no good but it still left her wondering; what was going to be left of the square? Were there going to be a heap of dead bodies, destroyed and damaged vehicles and buildings and survivors struggling to comprehend what had happened? It just made her sick to her stomach, especially when this sort of area was popular with parents and their children.
And then there was the issue with Gin? It was clear the moment he saw them that he would attack them and try and burn them to a crisp. Would he even be in the square or would he be long gone when they got there? And what if he was being accompanied by others? The police had said there was at least one assailant, along with a high possibility of there being more, firing indiscriminately at people in the affected area. How many of them would they have to face? Two? Three? Five? Oh, it was a repeat of what happened the other night!
She was snapped out of her thoughts when the truck came to a sudden halt, almost throwing her out of the back if 'Godzilla' had not grabbed her and held her steady. She thanked him and looked ahead to see a line of cars having come to a halt in the middle of the road. At the end of the street, a few police cars had been set up with their red and blue lights flashing brightly in the largely dim street. Hime and the others looked and could see several figures in front of the police cars ordering people in their direction. Several drivers had their windows rolled down and were either conversing or looking ahead to see what all the commotion was, though they quickly deduced that with people fleeing down the road, one person being assisted by a man and a woman practically hoisting them onto their shoulders, that it was nothing good.
"Damn!" the three in the back heard Kotoha curse loudly as she through the window at them from the driver's seat. "Police have blocked the road. We'll have to find another way."
"No, that'll take too long, we need to split up," the young mayor announced and jumped down onto the ground. "You guys try and find a way around, cut them off at any exits and make sure that everyone gets out. I'll go on this way."
"No, Hime, you can't do that alone! He could be waiting for you!" Akina protested, and Ao and Kotoha also opened their mouths to say something but she cut them off.
"No, guys! We don't have time to argue. We need to make sure everyone gets out of here alive." She told them vehemently, pausing as a car horn further down the road beeped loudly. "Now go!" she added firmly.
Kotoha still refused to give in but the sound of movement from the back of the truck made her stop. 'Godzilla' approached them.
"I will go with her, now go!" he ordered, accentuating it with the deepness of his voice and the blue fire in his eyes.
Kotoha sighed heavily and looked back at the two passengers and then at Kyosuke, who also looked ready to protest but he said nothing. As much as they did not want to admit it, Hime was right here. Everyone going in one way could potentially enable Gin, along with any possible assailants, to escape via another exit from the square. By splitting up, they could, hopefully, stop him from getting away. Of course, Gin could hold his position and let them come to him but leaving all the other routes into the square unguarded was too much of a risk.
"Alright. C'mon, we may as well get going." Akina said.
Kotoha nodded and looked back at the others. "Stay safe!" she told them firmly and looked at 'Godzilla'. "Look after her. She can be a bit reckless." She warned him.
"I'll ensure she doesn't get herself killed." He reassured her as Hime rolled her eyes in an 'of course Kotoha would say that' manner.
With a final good luck, Kotoha turned the truck around and drove back the way they had come and turned right into another corner, leaving the two alone.
"Alright, 'Godzilla'," she said, meting his gaze with a willingness and determination; a hope that they would be able to get through tonight. "Looks like it's just you and me."
"Before we go," he spoke, this time his voice being a bit softer as he took a step closer to Hime, raising a hand and gently lifting the scarf a little from around her neck. Hime looked at him in alarm but one look from his blue eyes showed her serene curiosity. "Why is it you have this around your neck?" he asked her.
She grabbed his hand and gently lifted it from the fabric. "No, don't!" she took a step back, adjusting it. "It's something personal; I don't want you to see it."
"Why?" 'Godzilla' asked.
"Look, we don't have time to discuss it!" Hime snapped at him, turning away so her back was to him. A gunshot sounded out from further down the street and the people who were observing the street instinctively ducked for cover, fearing someone was aiming for them. The noise seemed to alert Hime as if it had awakened her from hibernation. "C'mon, we gotta get moving now!" she urged him, rushing down the road.
'Godzilla' followed. Even though his powerful legs enabling him to keep pace with her, he had to admit she was running and it was beginning to get to him. I hope this is not a sign of me becoming too old. People ran past them, some with concerned expressions; others nothing short of completely terrified, telling the two that they had likely fled from the square amidst the chaos and were lucky to get away with their lives. Seeing this seemed to make Hime run even faster and 'Godzilla' had to almost sprint to keep up with her.
When he finally caught up with her, he saw her conversing with a police officer who was standing by one of the cars parked horizontally across the road.
"We've evacuated most of the citizens but there's still a few trapped. So far we've identified three gunmen." He informed her, only to trail off when he saw the huge bulking form of a man coming up to them. "Excuse me, you'll have to turn around, sir! This is an emergency zone. No one is allowed in."
"It's alright, he's with me." Hime cut in, earning a surprised look from the officer and two of his colleagues who were standing nearby. Their eyes went from the mayor to him and then back to her. Who the hell is he? What is he doing with her?
"It's a long story, no time to explain. We'll head in and try and stop them." She stated and ordered the police officers to make sure everyone was evacuated and to stop anyone from trying to get in. They understood and the two ran on and turned into the next street.
What they saw before them was something that Hime could only have stayed in the realm of fiction.
The square was a scene of chaos with several of the trees that had once dotted the area now nothing but burning husks, the branches and leaves scattered across the ground. A car with a charred body stood in the middle of the street that led off to the right. The windows of some of the surrounding buildings were smashed and small fires were dotted around the centre of the square, these largely being fuelled by car parts and burning wood.
What stood out though were the bodies. There were none.
How can there be an attack of this magnitude and there not be any bodies? Hime asked herself as she exchanged a confused glance with 'Godzilla'; he being equally perplexed as her. What's more; where was Gin?
"Stop right there!"
Gunshots ran out again and Hime almost jumped out of her skin when they began but 'Godzilla' did not even flinch as they looked in the direction the sound of the gunfire was coming from. Far away near the other side of the square, two police officers fired at something behind two trees whose branches had been blasted off and were now smouldering wooden remnants. A quick and louder burst of gunfire echoed out and the two officers dived for cover behind a parked car that had been abandoned in a hurry as evidenced by the open doors. One of them partially raised himself and fired another shot out before ducking down quickly. A window on the side of the building behind them shattered, spraying the ground with glass.
Anger gripped Hime's heart. No! No way was a group of hoodlums going to put the lives of her citizens, her people who she had sworn to protect, in danger. Not whilst she was still around!
"C'mon!" she said, rushing into the square with 'Godzilla' right behind her.
When they had made it near one of the concrete blocks in the centre, they crouched down behind it (well Hime did as 'Godzilla' struggled to because of his immense size so he just got on his hands and knees, and even then he was still eye-level with her). The mayor poked her head out and saw, about forty feet away, a man in a dark green jacket crouched by the block next to theirs armed and with an AK-47. He was firing a few bursts at the officers and he shouted something over his shoulder to someone people standing in the direction of the top right corner.
"So there's two of the fiends," Hime muttered, loud enough for 'Godzilla' to hear her. "But the third will be a problem if we don't spot him." She added.
"We must work together to surround them." 'Godzilla' said, looking over the block at the gunman.
Hime nodded. "Alright, I'll go and deal with the other guy over in the corner. If you can, take out this guy, or at least distract him. I just hope the others get here in time."
'Godzilla' nodded in agreement, realising, for a brief moment, about his own mortality. Because he had been turned into a human from his original form, that meant that he was likely going to be as vulnerable as them. If one of these gunmen succeeded in shooting a bullet into his body, then he could meet his end then and there. Thinking about how vulnerable he was in this new body made him feel a host of new feelings. Worry, concern, anxiety. Fear even.
Hime must have seen the worried look in his eyes because she asked him in a concerned manner. "Are you okay?"
He blinked a little and looked up at her. "Yes, yes. I-I'm fine." He cleared his throat, quickly glancing over at the gunmen as he fired another burst of gunfire at the police officers. "Go on. We must stop them. I'll take care of him."
Hime paused for a second, not entirely believing his insistence that he was okay, but she said nothing more. With a tentative glance at the two visible gunmen, she crouch-ran over to the next block, looked again to make sure they had not seen her and then moved out of view behind the block and the now blackened tree trunks.
Now it is time for me to make my move he mentally said to himself.
He got up and locked his eyes on the gunman akin to a predator finding a suitable target to hunt out in the wild. This was it. 'Godzilla' moved out from behind the block and began to march over in the man's direction. Eventually, as would be expected, one of the police officers began shouting at him in surprise and fear, urging him to 'get the hell away from there!'. This attracted the attention of the gunman, who looked and saw this huge man approaching him.
He aimed the gun at 'Godzilla', finger twitching on the trigger. "Stay right there man! Or I'll shoot you!"
'Godzilla' stopped where he was, his expression calm yet firm and his eyes blazing a fiery blue as he stared into the man's frightened face.
"Put the weapon down before someone gets hurt." He told the man.
The man gave a single, nervous chuckle. "Hey look, I'm the one with the gun. So you better shut up and back off!" he raged, though the fear in his voice was evident from a mile away.
'Godzilla' raised both hands as if to say: "I mean no harm, don't let the situation escalate." But he also took a step forward and the man stepped back nervously, hoping to keep the distance between them. Another step forward and the man stepped back again, cursing at 'Godzilla' to stay back but he ignored him and took a third step forward, which, again, made the man retreat.
He let out a yell as his foot struck a branch that had been blown off from the block near them, and he fell to the ground. 'Godzilla' lunged forward and grabbed the man by the neck of his jacket and held him a few feet above the ground, snatching the gun with his other hand. The man cried out to be spared, fearing this huge person was going to crush him or throw him into the ground but 'Godzilla' silenced him with a command.
"HEY!"
The two looked over and saw the second man, who was dressed in a short-sleeved top, looking over at them with a look of fiery anger; it certainly matched the ball of fire he had in his hands.
The short-sleeved man brought back his hand. 'Godzilla', knowing what he was going to do, turned so his back was facing the man, shielding his captive with his body. Something hot struck his back and a brief but searing feeling of pain shot up and down his body. He felt his skin burning and his jacket fall to a heap at his feet from having been burnt to a crisp, the smell of the smoking fabric reaching his nose. With a painful grunt, he looked over his shoulder to see the man with both arms outstretched towards them, hands open and glowing red hot akin to what one would see in a blacksmiths furnace. His face held a murderous and he snarled as he walked towards them: I'm gonna roast you alive, big guy!
Something moved near him and the next thing 'Godzilla' knew, the man was on the floor out cold. Hime was standing over him, her hand out flat in front of her as she had struck him in the back of the head. She looked up at 'Godzilla' and smiled. He smiled back.
"Glad I got to him in time," she commented and 'Godzilla' nodded in agreement.
"Mayor Hime!" a voice called out.
Four officers rushed over to them from the nearby street. When they saw this huge man holding one of the assailants above the ground, they were … well, surprised to say the least.
"Mayor, who is this?" one of the officers, no doubt a leading one thanks to the chevrons on his uniform, asked, looking at him warily.
"He's helping us out in finding Gin." She replied, ordering two of them over to take the fire-powered Yokai into custody as the third took the one handed to him by 'Godzilla'. "Where's the last gunman?" she asked, quickly scanning their surrounding in case he decided to try and ambush them.
"He managed to slip away before we could get him; he obviously wasn't too loyal to his associates." The leading officer explained. He went to say more but a series of voices cut them off.
"Hime!"
"Over here, Hime!"
They looked and saw the others approaching them, Kyosuke and Akina holding a third man dressed in a black jacket with his arms behind his back. His face was swollen, and his jacket was dirty and torn slightly. The others had obviously caught up to him and taken him down.
"Ao pointed him out after he ran out in front of the car just as we turned into the street coming here." Kotoha explained to them. "And nice work capturing the other two." She commented approvingly.
The boys handed the third man over to the police. "So now that this is over, only one person remains."
"Yes, but where is he?" 'Godzilla' asked.
"Hey, look! Up there on that building!" Ao exclaimed, pointing to a nearby rooftop of a block of flats.
The group looked at where she was pointing and saw someone standing there near the edge, seemingly facing them. He held an object in each hand and they were flashing a jade green against the night sky as if teasing them, beckoning them to approach like a man taunting his opponent. Well here I am, assholes! You found me, now come and get me!
"It's him!" Hime exclaimed. "It's Gin!" She wheeled round to the police. "Keep these men under guard. Guys-" she looked at the others. "-c'mon, we've got him now. It's now or never!"
Hime ran and the others followed behind her, the form of Gin becoming more discernible. Hime's eyes were locked on him. She was the predator and now she was going in for the kill, for the final blow to end this mess. As far as she was concerned, Gin was finished. Screw what he felt, screw what Ao would say, screw what anyone would say! It's over for you, Gin! You and your devil schemes.
"Kotoha!" Hime called out. "Get us up there!"
Her friend nodded and, with a cry of 'stairs!' a set of them appeared before them, leading up to the roof about one hundred feet above the ground. They raced to the top and found Gin standing to the side, an impressed look on his face.
"Not bad!" he commented, pursing his lips a little. "Though, Koto, baby; next time, try something a little more creative like a jetpack or something!"
"Cut the crap, Gin!" Hime snapped. "It's over, your little attack didn't work. It's over and you're finished!"
He cackled loudly, throwing his head back and taking deep breaths between each laugh. "Oh, you're still the same, Hime." He said after pausing and then chuckling a little more. He paused and took in the face of Ao standing next to Hime.
"And look who's here, how ya doing, sis'?" he asked her cheerfully as if he had not seen her in years. Ao's head sunk low into her shoulders and she backed away a little.
"Leave her alone!" Kyosuke growled at him.
"Ooooohhh, here comes the Oni, all brave and strong!" he said mockingly. "Start looking at the world with realistic eyes you piece of shit!" he paused and scanned the faces of the rest of the group. Kotoha's glare; Hime's gritted teeth and body poised like she was about to throw herself at him; Akina's wary but ready-to-fight expression and -
Him. "Well, well, well … and look who's here!" he said, taking in the form of the huge man with the group. "If it isn't the King himself; the legendary Godzilla! Right here with us! I would say it's an honour but seeing as you're not in your human form, I can't bring myself to say it."
His voice dripped of mockery and insult, and 'Godzilla' just glared at him, his fiery anger coming through thoroughly.
"I have to say, you look like a steroid junkie, it's almost sickening." Gin continued. "But I bet you've had a few of the ladies wanting to jump all over you so think of it as a favour from me."
"Maybe, but if you stay still and allow us to pummel you into oblivion then that would be an even greater favour!" 'Godzilla' replied, taking a couple of steps towards Gin, but he stopped when his enemy raised the spears at them.
"Oh, don't try and threaten me. The real you is in here, 'big boy'!" he warned with a mocking smile. He caught Hime's eyes widening at the sight of the spears. "I have to say, Hime, these are great things and I'm proud you were able to let me borrow yours!"
Hime wanted to speak but Ao beat her. "Look, Gin, please just stop!" she pleaded walking up next to 'Godzilla'. "Just stop all this chaos! Please!"
Gin sighed irritably. "Ao, it's nothing to do with creating chaos or trying to take over the world or anything! It's about Mr 'I'll be back!' here." He indicated at 'Godzilla' with one of the sticks.
Now that caught everyone by surprise, even Godzilla. They all exchanged shocked expressions. What? It was all because of him? What had he done to justify Gin doing any of this?! How could this be because of him?!
"Surprised, I take it." Gin spoke up. "Don't be, this freak has had it coming all along. He's been the target of Enyou Hiizumi since he went to the 'Otherworld'. That battle in the far past with Ghidorah screwed everything up and he wanted you out of the picture for what you did. Oh, you remember that now! Well good, you damn well should!" ('Godzilla's eyes had widened when he had recollected the fierce battle many centuries before). "And since then, I've taken it upon myself to finish what he started. And that's killing you, Godzilla!"
"So why didn't you when you turned me into a human?" the huge human asked forcefully. "Why let me turn into a human?"
"Well I thought I did, but obviously I was wrong. I presumed you were sent back the other night in Tokyo when you were fighting Manda, but you weren't. Instead, I made you into a human but with your original form still breathing away inside of you. Not exactly what I had intended, but oh well. And all of this?" he pointed at the scene below with one of the spears. "All of this was meant to be for them, to draw all of them here so they could witness the end of not only their lives but the Nana-Gou as well."
It was as if they had been struck for a second time by a brick wall. "What?!" the group exclaimed.
"Yep!" Gin smiled. "You see, as we all know, the Nana-Gou act as a bridge between this world and the Otherworld. They keep both worlds stable and prevent the mass death of Yokai here. Well, tonight, will be the last time Sakurashin see's them because it's time for some remodelling."
"Gin, are you insane?!" Kotoha exclaimed, aghast. "You'll kill every Yokai in the city, probably even the whole country!"
He shrugged. "Sacrifices have to be made if it's to stop him-" he pointed a spear at Godzilla as if he were a judge ridiculing a criminal in court. "- from causing anymore chaos and problems, regardless if it's sooner or later. And as for the Yokai being killed, it will help me because it will get rid of all of you." He paused and corrected himself. "Well, except for the boy here." He nodded towards Akina. "But as for you, mayor," he added a mocking tone on the title word. "You'll be going down with the rest."
Hime's eyes widened again, her heart almost stopping mid-beat. "W-what do you mean?" she said, one hand clutching her scarf.
"It doesn't matter." He told her. "Anyway!" he announced loudly as if he were a sports commentator at the beginning of a match. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time we wrapped up our little story. May I present to you the climactic, well-anticipated, nail-biting moment we've, or really I've, been looking forward to!"
With that, he turned so he was facing the square and, with both spears raised, fired a green ball of energy from each jade crystal out into the air. They flew separately at first but then came together as one, growing to the size of a man quickly. When the ball was over the centre of the square it stopped, and it quickly grew; going from human sized to the scale of a building in a matter of seconds, and it kept going. It grew bigger and bigger, and taller and taller, towering over much of the surrounding infrastructure. And covering almost the entire square. The police and their captured assailants quickly fled into the surrounding streets, unable to comprehend what was happening.
The ball grew until it was about three hundred feet high before stopping and, almost simultaneously, becoming as bright as the sun on a clear day. Everyone present covered their eyes and looked away. What on earth was he doing?
Then, as quick as the light came, it and the green ball of energy disappeared, and the night returned to Sakurashin. For a moment the gang were bewildered. What was the purpose of Gin doing something like that? Was he trying to scare them or intimidate them into fleeing?
Did he even know what he was doing?
Their questions, however, were answered when their eyes fell on something in the square.
Something big. Very big.
It stood about 300ft tall on two legs that were bent at the knees and between a pair of clawed feet and a heavily built torso; a six pack and noticeable chest muscles visible across its body. Two arms hung down past the hips and almost to the knees and both had four fingered clawed hands on the ends. The arms had muscles akin to what one would find on an athlete. The skin was blood red and glowed in the light of the fires around its feet. But the face was incredibly terrifying. It was like that of Godzilla's with a visible snout, a pair of closed eyes (which was probably a good thing considering how terrifying the thing looked) on the front of the face, a half-circle shaped mouth that was filled with countless razor-sharp teeth and a pair of horns on the crest of the skull. A line of spikes ran down the back of the head to the bottom of the neck.
The group stared at the creature with unblinking eyes. All of them wore terrified expressions; even 'Godzilla' looked shocked. Then again, this was the first time he was seeing another living creature bigger than him, and the fact that he was a human did not help shake off the fear. Unlike Godzilla, this creature had no tail, but this was only an external difference. What else it could do they did not know but it was obvious to them that they were going to discover it very soon.
"I present to you the one who will bring in the new age of Sakurashin and Yokai." Gin said with delight. "This is the so-called 'Accursed Demon' from the Otherworld. Meet Dagarkra."
As if on cue, the creature opened his eyes and glared at its surroundings with a look of fury and hatred. They were a deep red and clearly told anyone looking at him that his intentions were nothing short of aggressive and destructive.
With seemingly no effort, it let out a roar that sent chills down their spines and their blood run cold.
HHHHHHHYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!