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(Warning: the end of the chapter contains giant insects. Viewer discretion is advised.)

Cranefish Town,

The Mines

To say that it had been a hectic morning would be the understatement of every understatement. When Twinkle Toes gave the word that there was a seriously ticked-off spirit on the way, Toph heard all the deafening chaos surrounding her. One didn't even need to see the feel the fear and panic begin to spread through the populace.

The only thing that kept things from descending into anarchy was the foreman Loban, her father, and the Kyoshi Warriors stepping up to handle the evacuation. Course she had to help out as well. Wasn't like her to just sit on the sidelines and let everyone else do the job for her. Besides, Sokka was right about one thing. Somebody had to take charge of the mines from collapsing. They wanted it done? Better call in the best earthbender in the whole world.

And woah, they needed her. Just grazing her fingers against the battered mine wall was enough to tell her the people who dug these tunnels didn't exactly employ earthbenders to make sure it wasn't going to collapse. Or hired any to make sure it was structurally sound. There were cracks and numerous stress points all over the system, with the only thing keeping things together were old rotten beams, rusty supports, and a prayer.

"Everyone alright sir?" a voice asked, looking to her for leadership. If the circumstances were any different, she would've reveled in the authority given to her by the town's earthbenders.

Right now though, she had a job to do. "Spread yourselves out and keep tabs on the supports." Her voice sent a stampede of feet scurrying to their positions detailed out by Team Avatar's strategist. Sokka's plan was to focus most of their efforts on the western tunnels. If the fighting above was going to be at the edge of town, that's where the most stress would be put. No civilians were put there, but given the rickety nature of the mines, he didn't want to take the chance that one collapsed tunnel could have a cascade effect and weaken the others.

A whole lot of innocent lives were counting on her, including Suki (who would do her best to keep calm amongst the civilians along with her warriors), and Katara (who, despite her concerns about Aang, was needed in case they had a cave-in and they needed a healer). All the more reason to make like a rock and stand her ground.

Out there, she knew that there was a huge spirit on the way. And there was an equally gargantuan kaiju that would rise to face it. Neither one of them was going to take a single life today.

A brush of robes brought her attention from the earth. "So…I guess I can't convince you to join me with the civilians."

"Nope," she bluntly told her father's voice.

"And you're certain-"

"That I'm the only one who can keep tabs on the mines since I'm the best earthbender here? Yeah. I'm certain."

"Is that what I'll have to tell your mother if you get yourself killed?"

"Well, you can tell her I died standing my ground saving people. Tell her that despite everything that came between us, I still loved her. That I knew who I was, and how I didn't need to prove that to anyone else. Not to you or anyone else."

A pause. It couldn't have been more than a second or two, but Toph felt it drag out. Why didn't he say anything? No more words about how he was disappointed in her? How her selfishness would destroy them both? That she wasn't thinking clearly? Oh, she had a response for each question. And she simply didn't have the time for any of them.

Instead, she just heard a slow trodding away from her, the robes brushing against the stony floor. Her father's departure let her breathe a little, letting her focus on the earth. She didn't want to think about how this could be the last time they talked.

Toph stomped her foot into the earth to keep tabs on the surface above. Turns out she didn't need to. The mines shook as heavy tremors shook the walls. One after the other. Footsteps. Even from far away, they were causing tremors.

That wasn't the only thing she felt though. Her stomp revealed all the surrounding earth. The mines, the people in the mines.

And the massive thing tunneling its way toward the footsteps.

It was time.

From the east the sun rose, bathing all of Cranefish Town in its glow. Aang felt its rays fill his soul, the breeze flowing past his robes, the ocean from behind, and the earth beneath his feet. Appa waited beside him, waiting for his rider to get on his back and take to the air.

That time was coming soon as General Old Iron cast his shadow upon the town.

Even from a distance, he was enormous. A towering figure, clad in stony armor. Heavy fists swung by his sides, and boots the size of boulders stomped their way through the jungle. His head was clad in a large helmet, with a threatening glare. And in the middle of his forehead was a glowing orb, possibly an eye.

Momo chittered in concern, seeing the titan lumber towards them in the distance. Chuckling, Aang reached over and brushed his lemur's ears. If nothing else, the lemur sitting on his shoulder was a reassuring weight.

Old Iron was still a distance away when the earth began to tremble. The trees shook before a great mass pushed itself through the earth. Great spines stabbed into the sky, great legs pulling the being from the earthen cradle. And behind it thrashed a long and spiky tail.

Anguirus shook the dirt and earth from his back, growling at the incoming spirit. His presence was enough for Old Iron to stop, silently gazing at the ancient dragon.

"There's our cue!" Aang declared, knowing there was no turning back. Appa grumbled as the airbender clambered onto his back, but both of them knew that Aang was the best person to handle a situation like this. One "yip yip!" and they were off, the bison flying through the air towards the two living mountains. Momo glided alongside, his eyes glued at the awe-inspiring sight.

Two beings, so big that they boggled the imagination. They almost resembled sculpted mountains or monuments amidst the vegetation. The eye of Anguirus focusing on Appa as he flew by was no illusion though.

Aang nodded at the great kaiju. They had one chance to resolve this peacefully. If the spirit was willing to listen to anyone, it was the Avatar.

Cautiously, Appa flew in the great expanse between them right up to General Old Iron. The spirit looked down at the airbender and his mount. Both of them felt small against that massive stony chest plate.

"Avatar," a voice rumbled.

Pulling himself up to his full height, Aang stared back at the giant. "General Old Iron."

"The sacred pact has been violated. Humans have defiled the grave of Lady Tienhai and lay claim to territory that belongs to the spirits. I cannot allow this crime to go unpunished."

"You already got your justice when you killed the Rough Rhinos," Aang said steely. Inwardly, he kicked himself for not being there to stop them from killing themselves. But he supposed there was little he could've done given the fact that he didn't know they were there. "There is no reason to wreak destruction on the people of Cranefish. They had nothing to do with them."

"No. But their refinery has poisoned the forest at its edges with its foul air. I cannot simply ignore such a threat. How long before more humans arrive to drive their borders further into our land? How many more refineries? How much more destruction until this land is no longer sacred? Is it not my right to defend one of the oldest forests in the world?"

"It's in your right, General. But we are trying to fix things too. We have a priestess and acolytes who have dedicated themselves to the teaching of the Air Nomads. They're willing to work with the refinery owner to mitigate the damage, and they have no intention of expanding their borders. The people will honor the ancient boundaries that have existed since the time of my predecessor."

Deep within the black voids where the eyes would've been, the giant stared blankly at the Avatar. "These people ravage you want to protect everything they touch. I cannot ignore that. And I won't let neither Avatar nor beast stand in my way once more."

A low growl thundered from Anguirus's maw. Behind him, the tail swiped across a swathe of the forest, clipping the tallest trees. Its swiftness was surprising considering its massive size.

Aang sighed. He was afraid things would come to this. "So be it." With that, he pulled Appa back into the sky. Way back.

Leaving the two titans to glare each other down.

Both stood, sizing the other up. Weighing whether or not this was a battle they wanted. It had been a long time since their last confrontation, but the memories were still fresh.

Then, out of the stillness, Anguirus reared up and let forth a high-pitched roar from his crocodilian maw.

In response, General Old Iron rushed the beast, stomping his way through the thick jungle towards his rival. He would not be disappointed, for Anguirus practically flung himself from his position and charged right at the incoming spirit. Boar-like snorts and snarls were heard as the earth dragon trampled through the trees like they were grass.

The two titans barrelled toward each other, leaving flung trees and clouds of dust in their wake.

When they collided, one could've sworn a mountain had collapsed as several metric tons of flesh met reinforced stone armor.

General Old Iron planted his feet down and swiveled himself to the side, letting Anguirus's momentum carry the reptile past. What he didn't see was the whip-like tail lashed out and rake his armored torso, chipping the outermost layer. With a speed that seemed so alien for his size, Anguirus wheeled around and aimed his teeth right at the spirit's shoulder.

What he bit down on instead was the heavy stone gauntlet of the warrior's forearm. Sharp as though his tusks were, they couldn't pierce through the thick armor. Old Iron kept the snapping jaws at bay while readying his other fist to smash into the unguarded belly of his rival. Anguirus's arms lashed forward and caught the fist with his arms.

Both giants pushed against one another, throwing their full force into their struggle. Looking above, Aang couldn't help but marvel at the sight. It was like something out of one of the legends the monks told. Of times when spirits and ancient gods vied with one another for supremacy.

It honestly made him wonder if there was even anything he could do in the wake of such power. Sure he was the Avatar, but fighting just one of these things nearly killed him. How was he supposed to handle two of them? It's not like he could just tap into the Avatar State without risking yet more civilian lives deep in the mines beneath their feet.

Down below, the General smashed his trapped forearm into Anguirus's muzzle. Rolling with the momentum, the great beast sharply turned his head with the fist. In turn, he showed his heavily spiked back to the spirit. Before Old Iron could even think, Anguirus threw himself backwards by pushing himself behind with his hind legs.

Great spikes smashed into the armored warrior's face. General Old Iron toppled with a heavy thud to the earth, crushed under Anguirus's full body weight. The fall of such a colossal being caused cracks to form in the earth, and the very ground trembled with the power. It almost seemed an earthquake was about to rock the battlefield.

And that was Aang's cue. Snapping out his glider, he leaped from Appa and dove to the ground. Falling gracefully to the earth and a good distance away from the battle, he stamped his feet into the earth and braced himself for the impact.

Being hit by an earthshattering tremor from two giants wrestling was about as pleasant as one could expect. It took every bit of his willpower to keep himself steady. Not something easy to do when he could see the earth and trees being torn from the battle up ahead.

So he envisioned everyone counting on him in his mind. Katara. Sokka. Toph. Suki. Everyone from Cranefish would be crushed under rubble if he didn't stand his ground. A mountain against the rumbling earth. And hold he did. Digging his heels in, he reached out and strengthened the earth beneath him. The tremors met an earthen shield, colliding against it. Right behind him would be the mines, who hopefully would only get a few shakes at best.

If only Toph could see me now, Aang thought to himself. It was a simple maneuver, but being the Avatar meant he just had to pour some of the power given to him into the ground.

Up ahead, General Old Iron shoved Anguirus's bulk off his body. He pushed himself up on his feet right as the saurian rolled back up and lunged at his shoulder. All those teeth would bite down on would be another massive stony fist. The Guardian Beast found itself dazed from the impact, leaving himself open for Old Iron to launch into a renewed assault.

Before he could lower himself back down, Anguirus was pummeled over and over again. His unprotected belly became a place for the spirit to unleash his wrath. Each punch forced out a pained grunt from that reptilian maw, forcing the kaiju back further and further.

Not too far back behind him was the airbender. Aang's eyes widened, seeing that the battle was getting closer to him. He had to get them away. Waving his arms alongside him, he conjured a gust of wind to propel him towards the warring beasts. The winds also came in handy in keeping him on his feet, letting him dodge the incoming flying trees and foliage uprooted from the battle.

Right as he was about to reach the point where Anguirus was thrashing his tail, he leaped into the air. He used the winds to propel him up high before crashing down with his feet. The increased altitude let him force up a great ridge before him.

Both of Anguirus's back feet pressed up against the ridge. In the grand scheme of things, it could've only slowed his retreat down. But what they did give the kaiju was some temporary stability. Using the ridge as a bit of, he pushed himself right at Old Iron, smashing his horn right into the spirit's mask.

With the momentum behind him, Anguirus lunged forward and sunk his fangs into a gap in Old Iron's armor: the shoulder. The General let out a grunt of pain and tried to shake off the monster, pounding his fists into that armored back. Anguirus held on like a rabid dog, turning with the spirit to keep his fangs embedded within the spirit's flesh.

The violence of their struggle resulted in that massive tail of Anguirus whipping around and kicking up another torrent of trees right at Aang. He snapped open his glider and took to the air, just barely avoiding the trees.

…only to run into Anguirus's thrashing tail.

Aang bent a defense ball of air before him to cushion the impact, but he still felt the wind being knocked out of him. Desperately, he grabbed onto one of the huge spikes and hung on for dear life. He heard a distressed roar from Appa, but there was little the bison could do without getting dangerously close to the warring titans.

Their struggle came to an end when Old Iron curled his fist and landed a huge uppercut right into the kaiju's jaw. Anguirus cried out in pain, the momentum of the punch sending him plummeting to the earth. Seeing the world getting dangerously close, Aang pushed himself off of Anguirus's tail and snapped open his glider, trying to get as much distance as possible.

A resounding THUD could be heard throughout the forest as Anguirus landed on his back, blood running down his maw. The Avatar couldn't help but squint, knowing such an impact was going to shake up the mines down below.

Everyone in the mine held their breath as they heard a massive impact from above, with dust and pebbles being dislodged from the wall. Katara sweated a little, both from her concern about Aang and the ever-present danger of those walls collapsing all around them.

At her feet though, the hurt earthbender groaned in fear. She gingerly brought out her healing water and helped soothe the nasty bruising he received from deeper in the mines. There wasn't a failure in the supports yet, though he got hit by a couple of large rocks if his companion was accurate. He certainly couldn't walk under his own power.

"It's okay. It'll be alright," Katara tried to reassure, cleaning the blood from a cut on his arm. Though she wasn't sure if she believed her lie. The wounds looked far more serious than she was willing to admit.

Looking around, everyone was working overtime. Suki, her warriors, and the Air Acolytes were doing what they could to reassure people that things were alright. That the Avatar was doing everything he could to keep the fighting away. Sokka was keeping tabs on the earthbenders by having some of the fastest runners relay messages between here and the deeper tunnels. Even Loban was doing what he could by cleaning people's faces from dirt. Most surprisingly, he came to check on some of the wounded earthbenders, particularly those that didn't seem long for this world. Katara had to give him credit, he certainly knew when to get his hands dirty.

The crying and moans of the wounded were a lot for her to take in. Such enormity weighed down on Katara, who wasn't quite used to carnage of such scale since…well, best not to think on that right now.

Her attention was drawn to one of the tunnels, hearing one of the runners come through the entrance. Sokka ran up to him, waiting for him to catch his breath. "We had a few rocks being dislodged. Nobody got hurt, but it was a bit of a close call. Toph's ordered the earthbenders back to the next stretch."

"What about her?" Sokka asked.

"She…said she was going to hang back and hold up the ceiling as much as she could."

"WHAT?!" Lao cried. The patriarch of the Beifong family pushed his way through the civilians to the mine entrance. "LET ME THROUGH! I NEED TO GET MY LITTLE GIRL OUT OF THERE!"

Suki and Sokka had to hold onto his arms to prevent him from rushing into the shaking mines. "With all due respect sir, but you've got a death wish if you want to go down there!" the Kyoshi Warrior snapped.

Lao struggled even more violently, forcing both of them to strain with effort keeping him still. "I WON'T LOSE HER AGAIN! SHE CAN'T HOLD THOSE WHOLE COMPLEX TOGETHER BY HERSELF!"

"Yes, she can!" Katara retorted, marching right up to the noble. "Toph's not just one of the best benders I've ever seen. She's also one of the bravest people I've ever met."

"But she's-"

"A pain in the ass?! Yeah, I know! But she's not helpless! And trust me, the last thing she would want is to hear about how her father got himself killed trying to save her!"

Their argument was caught off as more tremors ripped through the mines, causing more dust and pebbles to rain down on them.

Hopefully, she doesn't kill herself trying to impress you, Katara silently shot at Lao. Not out loud since quite frankly, an argument was the last thing anyone needed. She swore that the more she spent time with this man, the more she understood why Toph wanted to get away as far as possible from this family.

Though whatever familial problems her friend had paled in comparison to the chaos going on above.

Up above, General Old Iron slammed fist after fist into Anguirus's soft underbelly. The saurian cried out with each blow, but his assailant's patience had run out. In desperation, he lunged forward with his jaws open wide. He got a mountain of rock driven right in his face.

For but a moment, the assault petered out. He coughed out blood, forced up from what had to have been a few broken bones in his chest. Every breath came out with effort and pain. Despite it all, Anguirus glared up at General Old Iron who loomed ominously over his broken body.

A growl left the reptile's maw. One last act of defiance in the snarling masked face of destruction. In response, the General clenched his fist and raised it to smash his wounded opponent.

Before he could end this fight once and for all, a fireball exploded on his mask. Growling in frustration, the spirit's face tracked the passing form of Appa pulling up to his face. Aang stood firm on his bison's head, his stance falling into that of the Dancing Dragon.

"THERE'S PEOPLE BENEATH US!" he shouted. "You keep going like this, and you'll kill them all!"

"Then maybe they should've thought of that before despoiling this sacred place!" Old Iron swung ponderously at the comparatively small target. Appa glid just out of range, roaring as if to tell the spirit to stop and listen.

"You're doing a pretty good job of destroying this place yourself, Old Iron!" Aang gestured around them, showcasing the ruined earth and the smashed forest all around them. "For somebody who's supposed to protect this place, you're causing more damage than that refinery has ever caused!"

Old Iron stomped toward him, his booming footsteps drowning out Aang's words. "The forest WILL grow back. You on the other hand don't see the big picture. They will cause more damage to this place in the long run if they keep on their destructive ways. This is but a small sacrifice to the desolation they will bring."

"They'll learn!"

"And how much you will sacrifice until they do so Avatar? Until they destroy this whole world?!" The General reached out to crush the Avatar with his gigantic hand, the shadow falling over Appa.

Aang gave no fear though, despite how badly he wanted to run. "It won't come to that. Cause we won't allow it."

It was then that Old Iron wondered why this child was so calm in the face of certain death. The answer came to him in the rumbling of the earth.

While the Avatar was busy trying to talk the General down, Anguirus regained his breath and dragged himself to his feet. Shaking his head clear, he spotted the unguarded flank of Old Iron. His instincts caused him to lunge forward, and with surprising dexterity for an animal of his size, curled himself up into a ball. The lunge caused him to roll forward, a gigantic spiky boulder bearing down on the distracted spirit.

All General Old Iron saw before impact was a wall of spikes and pure muscle. A strong BOOM! resounded across the ruined fields from their contact. Old Iron himself cried out in surprise as he plummeted to the ground on his back. Anguirus landed on all fours, baring and fangs and roaring that he was not out of the fight just yet.

The spirit dragged himself up, shaking pieces of broken armor off his body. Seeing the cracks in his defenses, Old Iron quickly brought himself up on his knees to face the charging kaiju. Anguirus snarled, sensing the chinks in the spirit's defense as well. Old Iron tried to swing his fist in retaliation, but the saurian ducked his head under the incoming blow before bringing both it and his nasal horn right into the spirit's chest.

Old Iron found himself crashing to the earth again, but this time, he managed to use the momentum of his fall to roll back up onto his feet. So when Anguirus tried to press the advantage, he was able to plant a heavy boot in the kaiju's face.

A being as old as the Guardian Beast was not some mindless animal though. Like Old Iron, he turned with the impact and brought his lashing tail around to rake the mask of the spirit. He managed to chip a few more pieces of armor as the giant backpedaled, trying to get some breathing space.

Appa flew forward, carrying Aang as he blasted gusts of air at the stricken spirit to keep him off balance. Every step that Old Iron took backward was more space and hope that the people of Cranefish Town had.

Behind, Anguirus felt the pain sap his strength and drain his burst of adrenaline. Curling one of his forefeet into a fist, he smashed it into the ground. It wasn't just out of frustration with how violent this battle was becoming. A beast of the earth had to have been in tune with the element he drew strength from.

His eyes widened sensing the collapsed tunnels beneath him. They were right on the edge of the mines, and their fighting had caused the furthest-reaching shafts to crumble. This was all turning into a repeat of their previous conflict.

Just as bad, the fighting was taking its toll on the surrounding forest. This used to have been an untouched wilderness for countless generations. Now their fighting had ruined it in just a day. If this dragged on, the damage would spread even more and threaten the future of this region for both man and beast. What little they would've been fighting to protect would've been destroyed with their war.

They needed help to end this quickly. Luckily, Anguirus had sensed it.

Down below, he sensed a powerful earthbender holding up a crumbling portion of the mines by themselves. He had felt such power only a day before. Seeing the damaged but still thick stone armor of Old Iron, Anguirus understood that the earthbender would be more than well-suited for the job.

Wheeling around, Anguirus dug through the earth where he knew his ally would be. He cried out, hoping that she got his message through the ground below.

If anybody knew how to finish this battle, it would be one who understood and could see the earth as he did.

Toph was soaked in sweat from both the strain and the screams.

She heard the last few earthbenders who tried to escape from the deeper tunnels cry out as they were buried. Being somebody who saw the world through the dirt, she also felt their struggles cease as they were crushed.

Her stance hardened though, knowing that many more lives would be lost if she didn't hold this tunnel back. The warring titans above and the destabilized tunnels made that job more difficult. It was as Sokka said. A few collapsed shafts threatened a chain reaction.

Even for her, it was a losing battle. Running wasn't an option. If there was a chance she could stabilize this collapse, she had to take it. But it was like back with the drill. Alone, this was too much for her. Toph began to wonder if these mines would be her grave. If that's the case then…

She choked out a sob. All she'd done was to find and earn validation for her condition. To find people who loved her for who she was. Yet despite how much she saw Aang and the others as family…it didn't fill that empty hole her mother and father dug.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, knowing it was just a matter of time before she was overcome by the angry earth.

A huge obstruction fell right in front of her.

And suddenly…the collapse stopped. The obstruction not only halted the tremors, but it allowed the earth to pile up and prevent the system failure from spreading by forming a buffer. It had to have taken some serious earthbending to pull off if it was earthbending she was sensing.

Letting her muscles relax, Toph reached out with her hand and touched the obstruction. It didn't feel like a fallen portion of the mine.

Certainly didn't feel like earth either. She would've sensed a big chunk of rock landing in front of her.

In fact, it almost felt like bone.

Reaching around, she felt the scaly skin of the toe, and the warmth of blood coursing through its veins. High above, a familiar cry was heard through the earth.

Toph smiled, knowing then and there who her savior was. More importantly, she knew where she was needed.

Appa roared with surprise, narrowly avoiding the massive stony fist coming right at him. Try as Aang might, the spirit managed to stabilize his backpedaling. Turns out that when one's the size of a mountain, it's pretty hard to keep them on the defensive for too long. Granted, it was a fact he learned fighting Godzilla, but at least his diversion bought Anguirus a little bit more time to recover.

Didn't do him too much good though. Aang pulled on the reigns, bringing Appa back further from the swinging fists of General Old Iron. Plumes of dirt kicked up from the spirit's charge, his shadow swallowing both bison and rider.

Aang was about to pull the panicking Appa to the side when a massive boulder came flying into the General's face. The impact stopped Old Iron right in his tracks, allowing the two airbenders to escape to a safe distance. Who in turn, got out of the way of a charging Anguirus who smashed his armored body into the spirit's chest. Once more, the spirit was pushed back from a renewed assault.

The save from Anguirus was appreciated, but Aang was still surprised by the boulder. It was pretty small for something a kaiju would just fling across the battlefield.

"HEY TWINKLE TOES! DOWN HERE!" he heard a familiar voice cry out. Aang did a double take as he landed Appa to confirm that yes, Toph was calling him down. Granted, she was yelling in the wrong direction, but it was the thought that counts.

He leaped off of Appa and ran over to the blind girl. "Toph? What are you doing here?!"

"Big guy over there needed my help, so he dug me out of the mines," she said, pointing directly at the grappling titans. Aang didn't bother to ask how she was able to sense them and not him. Probably easier to see giant monsters than somebody who was naturally light on his feet.

"But what about-?"

"He plugged the shaft up with some earth and stabilized the collapse. As long as we keep those guys away, everyone down there should be okay." Toph proceeded to walk over to a huge stony structure that had embedded itself in the earth. She ran her fingers across its surface in puzzlement. "What's this thing?" she asked.

Aang recognized it right away. "It's a piece of Old Iron's armor. He's completely covered in it, so we haven't been able to wear him down too much."

"And it's completely made of stone…"

Toph got a wicked smirk on her face. The same realization hit Aang.

They knew then how to beat General Old Iron.

Meanwhile, General Old Iron was close to breaking Anguirus's back.

The second wind had caught the spirit off guard, but Anguirus's own injuries had sapped him quite a bit of his strength. Granted, the point was to get Old Iron farther away from the mines. And that was something he knew how to do.

So he stood his ground, stomping into the earth. Lowering himself to the ground, the kaiju once more curled himself up into a ball. Anguirus exposed his armored shell towards the raging Old Iron, feeling the heavy impact of those massive fists raining down on his back. He grit his teeth, the earth shaking beneath him with each punch.

His armor held out before his body was broken though, when two great ridges of earth slammed into the legs of Old Iron. The spirit cried out with surprise as he was forced back. Down below, Aang and Toph simultaneously raised a block of earth in front of them on the ridge before kicking the blocks right at the General's knees.

Old Iron stumbled back a bit, before rapidly bringing his arms in front of him to block a ram from Anguirus, springing out of his curl into a lunge. The spirit grunted, being forced further back. A crack had formed on his mask, accentuating his glare towards the benders and monster that defied him.

The sight made him roar with rage, smashing his fists towards the ground. Such an impact ripped cracks in the earth. Both Toph and Aang stood their ground, hardening the ground underneath them to buffet the tremors (and to shield the mines behind them). Anguirus just went low, taking the earthquake head-on and letting it crash against his body.

Not content with just shattering the earth, Old Iron swiped through the cracks in front of him and threw up a hail of boulders in the air. Aang and Toph just kicked back at the boulders, both of them being more than capable of taking on such a barrage. The former added in a few fire bombs to his counterattack, adding more projectiles for the spirit to deal with.

Once more, Old Iron was forced back, and once more Anguirus lunged to push him back further. He pummeled him with fists, denting and chipping the armor. This time though, the spirit was ready. With one massive fist, he backhanded the kaiju. Unfortunately for him, when one was held back, another picked up the assault. Aang took to the air on his glider and threw another fire bomb in the General's face. Distracted by the explosion and the fire, he didn't see Anguirus clamp his fangs down on his shoulder.

The bite was shallow though, letting Old Iron easily punch the kaiju in the face to get him off. Anguirus crouched to the earth, coughing up blood and glaring at the General looming over him.

And the earthbender on the spirit's chest currently ripping apart the armor.

While the tremors slammed into Anguirus, he allowed Toph to clamber onto his arm, letting her leap from him to the spirit during his pummeling. Truth be told, the blind earthbender panicked a little jumping into the air, but her confidence was restored feeling the stony armor of the spirit. This she could work with.

Reaching forward, she began bending piece after piece off, tearing it to shreds. Being the best earthbender in the world had its advantages, and that meant she got the spirit's chest exposed in no time. Beneath the stone, she would've seen a huge swirling core of white energy. If she was able to see of course.

She also didn't see Old Iron notice his armor being ruined, and swing his arm to squash the irritant…

What she did feel though was Aang grabbing her collar and yanking her away before hearing the fist smash where she was. "Cutting it a bit close there, Twinkle Toes!" she called out, realizing she just avoided being a bloody smear.

Aang would've smiled if Old Iron's rage hadn't reached a peak and reached out with a crushing hand.

He didn't get far. Anguirus had curled himself up once more and rolled himself into Old Iron's exposed chest. Now stripped of his armor, the spirit cried out as 30,000 metric tons slammed into the energy within his chest.

The once proud General Old Iron plummeted to the earth with a heavy thud. Anguirus proceeded to slam both of his arms on the spirit's hands, pinning them down. A roar erupted from that crocodilian maw, practically ordering his rival to stand down.

Aang and Toph landed a good distance away from the titans, falling into their stances in case Old Iron decided to drag this out any longer. If not, then the fangs of Anguirus hovered dangerously close to the spirit's exposed core. The Avatar recalled there being a curse against those who killed spirits, but he wasn't sure if that worked against one such as the Guardian Beast.

General Old Iron looked Anguirus in the eye, before sighing.

"I…yield…"

At once, the spirit's body began to glow with an unearthly light, blinding anyone who looked at it. When it faded, the great stone soldier had vanished from under Anguirus's pillar-like feet. Instead, a figure twice the size of a man stood before the Avatar. He wore a lighter set of armor, and his skin was as red as blood. A black beard and mustache gave him a dignified look, while his glowing white eyes (including the third one on his forehead) only hammered in the fact that this being was not of this world.

Spirit and Avatar held this gaze, an almost otherworldly peace amidst all the chaos and destruction. They both took a moment to gaze at such destruction, the jungles and earth turned to ruin all around them. Even Anguirus took a moment to take it all the destruction in.

"I…have failed in my duty to keep this place sacred," Old Iron lamented. "I've failed Lady Tienhai. And in doing so, I've let this place come under the thrall of humanity."

Indeed, Cranefish Town stood untouched far behind Aang and Toph. Down below, they knew that the mines had held out as best they could. The people were safe.

They also knew that it was sorry comfort for Old Iron. Behind the spirit, Aang could see the unspoiled jungle that survived the battle. Somewhere in there, the old ruins lay untouched. For how long though? Around them was destruction. And if he knew people well, it wouldn't take long for others to come along and take advantage of this.

"We'll honor the old agreement. The jungles will remain under the protection of you and Anguirus when it grows back. The people of Cranefish will keep to theirs as best they can," Aang firmly declared.

The spirit though shook his head. "There will be more. Already, humans have built a settlement on my borders. It won't be long before they encroach on this place."

Behind him, Aang saw many people emerging from the mines. They must've heard that the tremors above had stopped and wanted to see what was going on. Didn't take too long before he was embraced by two pairs of arms.

"Aang, if you're going to be fighting giant monsters from now on, please let me watch your back," Katara playfully chastised. It was at that moment that Momo decided to land on Aang's head and barking at him. Evidently, the lemur wanted to let him know how worried sick they all were about his safety.

Appa on the other hand just landed with a heavy thud and affectionately licked his rider. Aang let out a warm laugh despite (or maybe because of) the heavy saliva running down his clothing. Leave it to the bison to have good spirits despite nearly getting crushed.

All Sokka had to say was, "Good work, buddy! We managed to save the majority of Cranefish!"

"...not all of them though?" Toph asked.

The water tribe siblings' cheer was dimmed a bit from her question. It took a few moments of nervous silence and trying to muster up the courage to give the news before Suki stepped in. "We lost some people during the collapse. Maybe some of them are still alive, but…it was pretty bad."

"They'll be honored as heroes regardless. I'll make sure of that," Loban announced, his tone being a bit more somber than usual. The other owner of the refinery stood a distance away, unwilling to look Toph in the eye.

Hei Wan and Imana on the other hand, rushed forward and knelt in reverence at the towering figure of Anguirus, who stood quite a ways from the gathering. "Thank you Anguirus!" Imana thanked. "Without you, more lives would've been lost."

The kaiju breathed heavily in and out, licking the blood off his maw and attending to his wounds. Right now, he wasn't exactly in the mood for reverence. Aside from his two unexpected worshippers, nobody wanted to get too close to a bloodied and bruised monster.

His rival looked more sorrowful at the swelling crowd. "It seems my time here has ended."

Aang broke from the hug at the spirit's words. "Wait a minute! Old Iron, this is your home too! Don't you want to stay?"

The spirit just shook his head sadly. "This will no longer be a forest unspoiled by humans. Its purity has been lost, and now they who ravaged this world are in control. I have nothing to offer."

"I wouldn't say that! Look at Hei Wan and her acolytes!" Aang pointed out. The leader of the Air Acolytes looked up at the mention of her name, causing her to rush over. "Despite everything, they managed to keep the teachings of Yanghcen alive," the Avatar continued. "Sure, they might not know everything there is to know about the Air Nomads. But that doesn't mean they can't learn."

"I…thank you. Avatar." Hei Wan gave a grateful bow to the last nomad.

"If people are willing to take up the old ways, even if they weren't born into it, maybe that means the villagers of Cranefish can learn too," Aang explained. "Maybe you can teach them! You know, maybe get them to help the forest heal!"

"Teach…humans?" Old Iron's eyes widened from the implication, the stoic demeanor faltering. "Avatar, I cannot teach those I had sworn to destroy. And I cannot certainly teach those who do not know where they failed."

"I am willing to learn." To Aang's surprise, Loban strode right up to the spirit. Reverently, the foreman knelt before Old Iron and bowed deeply before him. "All this destruction, all of this despoiled wilderness. It all happened because I came here with my refinery and workers. I wanted to make things better for my people, but their safety was my responsibility. I had failed. I tested your wrath and failed to properly protect them from the dangers of my mines. If you will impart your wisdom on one such as myself, I'll honor your name and adopt your teachings."

"And we'll help," Hei Wan declared, also giving a reverent bow. "We'll teach Cranefish all we know. Teach them how to improve their ways and ensure the safety and prosperity of all. Spirit, human, and beast alike."

Imana joined them as well. "The denizens of Infant Island are willing to help. We may not be Air Nomads, but we've lived in harmony with nature for all our lives."

"Looks like there's people willing to learn, Old Iron," Aang observed. "Will you have them?"

The General looked between the Avatar and the people. What thoughts were churning behind his eyes? He held himself like the warrior he was, yet his brow was furrowed. "I…don't know what to say. I cannot call myself a teacher."

In time though, he allowed his shoulders to relax. "But they do deserve the chance if they want to learn. I will teach what I know. If this will ensure the survival of the forest, then I shall stay."

Team Avatar watched as more people of Cranefish gathered before Old Iron, ready to hear the spirit's first words. It was a surreal sight. One who once would've been their doom had offered to guide them. But they were willing to follow.

Aang wondered how long it had been since spirit and humans had come together like this since the war started. Too long, a voice answered. And for a moment, a vision of an ethereal woman flashed before his eyes. A woman he had seen before in the form of a great statue.

"I'll make sure things will turn out okay," Aang told Lady Tienhai. The vision smiled before dissipating.

With that, Aang turned towards Anguirus. "Thank you. I know we haven't been the best stewards of the world as of late, but it's good to know that one of your kind hasn't given up on us yet."

Anguirus looked upon Aang and Toph, leaning down and bathing them in his breath. He bowed his massive head towards them both, before turning to the jungle. Slowly he lumbered away, leaving the heroes of Cranefish behind to celebrate.

One thought emerged in Aang's mind though: Anguirus was benevolent, or at least as benevolent as a kaiju could be. Yet they all couldn't be like that. Godzilla certainly proved that.

How many less benevolent kaiju were out there?

Colonel Mongke gasped for air as he ran deeper into the woods. He'd lost his rhino to some nightmarish creatures in the panic, and he was just trying to get as far away from the ruined city as possible.

It had gone all wrong. Old Iron had killed most of his men. When he sounded the retreat, the rest of them were overcome by many of the jungle's most savage beasts. Not just the Horned Ones, but giant predators and other herbivores that proved to be just as brutal. It was as if the entire forest had come alive to strike them down.

There came a point where he simply couldn't run anymore. He fell to his knees and panted. He had never imagined a time would come when he would be the last of the Rough Rhinos. It had to have been a sick joke.

"How sad…" a familiar and infuriating voice from the trees mocked. "The once proud Rough Rhinos now reduced to a scared and pathetic man. I expected better from you."

"SHUT UP!" Mongke screamed, getting into a firebending stance. He looked around him, trying to find out where the voice came from. "You knew this would happen. You KNEW that spirit would come after us!"

"You should've seen it coming," the voice taunted. Mongke spun around, but it seemed to come from everywhere. "A band of war criminals lost in the realm of spirits and ancient beasts? Your time was numbered the moment you set foot in this land."

"You bastard. You'll pay for butchering my people."

A shrill laugh pierced the air. Mongke froze. That laugh didn't sound human.

"I'M the monster? Typical Fire Nation. You incinerated and slaughtered innocents over a century, yet the moment the tables are turned, you call your betters 'savages'. Face it. This was a long time coming. And if you cannot fathom what you've wrought, then you have no place in this world."

"Come out and FIGHT!" Mongke screamed, desperately trying to find those blue eyes.

"I'm right…here…"

He turned around…

The last thing he saw was blue eyes, a gaping maw line with teeth, and a deathly pale body with sharp dorsal spines running down the back.

Colonel Mongke couldn't even scream before he knew no more.

Mt. Aso,

Aso Island

Azula fought her captor the whole way.

She couldn't see her assailant in the tunnel, but she could certainly blast bursts of blue fire at it. The predator simply hissed in frustration. Its angle meant she couldn't get a good shot, neither could she risk bending too much fire lest she suffocate herself in the tight space.

Didn't mean she struggled and kicked its face over and over again. By the time she felt the tunnel space out and she was dragged into a more spacious area, the insect's annoyance with her reached a peak. It abandoned all common sense and lunged at her with a massive claw aimed at her head.

Azula threw a fireball at its face, scorching one of its eyes. A shrill hiss erupted from its maw, pulling back to avoid another eye being ruined. She hurriedly scrambled up to her feet in the meantime, holding a fire in her hands to light the room.

What she saw was a whole swarm of those bugs looking back.

They didn't attack at first, eyeing her waringly. Some of them didn't even pay attention to her. Instead, they were more focused on devouring the soldiers they had killed, their mandibles and claws making short work of their armor. The massive insects that sized her up held back, no one wanting to be the first to get their faces burned. It wasn't like it for prey to last this long.

Not that it calmed her nerves. The chittering and waving of claws made her feel…small. She was trapped amidst a whole horde of predators clad in powerful chitin capable of tearing a man to pieces. She looked all around her, trying to find a way out. There were a few larger tunnels, but those lay far behind the insects.

One of whom decided to test its luck and charged at her, knocking her over with its massive head with her attention towards the tunnels. It raised one of those massive claws to pierce her through, its maw already salivating at a potential meal.

Azula saw red. Roaring, she lunged up and drove a fist of blue fire right into the insect's eye. It shrieked and struggled in agony, but the Princess was out of mercy. She thrust her other fist forward and drove it into the thing's throat, incinerating it from the inside out.

Her assailant fell over dying, twitching from its burns. Landing on her feet, she breathed fire from her nostrils and glared at the other foul things around her. They all backed away nervously, seeing that this prey still had some fight left in her.

"COME ON!" she roared, bringing fire to her hands, daring them to make another move.

Their stalemate ended when a dull explosion was heard from below, shaking the earth. Azula's thoughts first went to the explosives. Somebody must've survived and set them off.

Her thoughts then wandered to the insects rushing her, their nerves breaking. Their numbers helped embolden their charge. Azula stood her ground, dodging to the side and driving a fire dagger into the thorax of the first bug. She then rolled across its back before kicking a blade of flame into another on her right. A hiss caused her to lash out at her left, driving a fist full of flame into its open mandibles.

The bug shrieked, stumbling back. Azula took the initiative and rammed her body against it, knocking it to the ground with her on top. She let forth blast after blast into the soft underbelly of the vermin, before driving a fist of fire into the underside of its jaw.

Leaping off the dying creature, she opened her mouth and let forth a huge burst of blue fire. The insects back off, for such rage in their prey was alien to them. Truth be told, Azula was surprised by her sudden burst of adrenaline and strength, but that wasn't the most pressing matter on her mind.

What did press on her mind was the desire to not be food for mere beasts. She was a Princess of the Fire Nation. She REFUSED to be devoured.

The insects backed away nervously, realizing that two of their kin were dead and more were injured. They were weighing the odds, and before long, some of them made a run for the tunnels.

It was a start, but some of them were still stunned by her display. Azula snarled. Looks like she'd have to fight her way out.

Then one of them was plucked from above. It screamed, dragging its claws into the earth in a futile attempt to save itself. The others just watched as it was hoisted up…before they all ran for cover.

Azula dove to the earth to avoid being trampled by one of the insects, before it too was plucked by something. All around her, the foul things scrambled for safety, either being snatched up or being crushed by massive claws. The survivors retreated to their tunnels, sounding the alarm as they descended.

Rolling up on her back, Azula looked up.

And up.

Before her was a massive drop-off into the mountain's heart. Down below, the red glow of lava rumbled as the volcano came alive. From it rose a massive chest, lined with spikes. Those claws clutched the walls of the chamber, while an avian head crunched through the chitin of its captured prey with a massive beak. That beak was lined with gnashing teeth, while a pair of horns sprouted from its scaly head.

Azula knew what this was. And so did something else. Deep down in her soul, the three voices came together and proclaimed, My old servant…

At once, Rodan snapped its head down, glaring at Azula.

She shivered. Did…it hear the voices too?

Her answer came in the form of a piercing scream from the great phoenix. Azula had to cover her ears, the fury of the monster was so great.

For she was in Rodan's sights. And now, she was its next target.

A/N: Okay, truth be told I did have this chapter in the pipeworks, but my proofreader had other obligations. I also proofread this one myself so forgive me if it's not up to the standards you guys are used to.

Anyways, the big fight. First big fight of this arc anyways. This sort of scene did play out in The Rift where Aang constructed a giant rock golem in order to fight General Old Iron, but I wanted to give Anguirus the spotlight here. Plus I can't imagine anyone in-universe would want THREE giant beings fighting if they could avoid it.

I also wanted to make sure that Anguirus was viewed as an equal to Old Iron. During the later Showa films, he had a bit of a tendency to get beaten up by the newest monster of the week. I wanted to harken back to his first outing where it was established he could easily go toe to toe with Godzilla. Or make it seem like this is a being that could draw blood from King Ghidorah while hanging on to his neck. Hopefully, I did him justice.

I also didn't want to make the fight too over the top either. The stuff I had with the mines was to show that people could potentially get hurt. The most I did was have Anguirus use a variation of his spike ball move from Final Wars and the Pipeworks Trilogy, but have it more subdued. Basically, I wanted this battle to feel brutal and lay the groundwork for future clashes.

The conclusion I had for Old Iron here is a bit of a departure from the comic where he did leave entirely. Here, I wanted to give Cranefish Town a better chance of reforming and striving for a brighter future. It was hinted at in the original comic, but I wanted to give more of a concrete way forward for them. Plus I didn't exactly want Old Iron to be like the spirits from Legend of Korra and absolutely despising humanity yet being in the right for it.

Now for Azula. There was no way in hell she was going to die this easily. Doesn't mean she didn't have to fight for her life though. Again, I sort of took this scene from the original Rodan where the hero gets trapped in a cavern full of the Meganulons.

It's also the scene where Rodan hatches and devours the bugs. Which we see here. We'll be seeing more of him in the next chapter, but hopefully, his introduction here is a good appetizer.

So once again, thank you all for reading. Make sure to leave your thoughts in a comment. Follow and favorite if you want to see more. And as always, have a great day and I'll see you all next time for the finale of the arc.

…also I haven't watched the live-action Netflix ATLA. Still working up to that.