The earth trembled.
A rhythmic, pulsing tremor swept through the ground, sensed not only by the Thousand Sons' captain but by all members of the squad. Moments later, their Titan III power armor confirmed their intuition—something massive was approaching.
"A giant beast?" the captain wondered aloud, but he wasted no time speculating further. "Prepare for evasive maneuvers!" he ordered over the comms.
Just then, a message arrived from the forward base:
"Attention, Third Recon Team. We have detected a Godzilla approaching from South Asia. It has increased its pace and is now estimated to reach the space gate's perimeter at 17:11, rather than 18:17 as previously thought. Additionally, it's within twenty kilometers of your position. Be prepared to evade."
"Understood," the captain replied.
He quickly expanded the map display and noticed that, if Godzilla stayed on its current path, it would trample directly over the Vulture settlement they had just discovered. Concerned, the captain contacted the base again:
"What's the status of Colonel Quan Ling's Titan unit?"
"They're nearly finished with preparations and are expected to engage Godzilla at close range in about twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes…" the captain murmured, his voice strained with worry. "Forward base, we've made contact with the Vultures and located their settlement. It's directly in Godzilla's path. Third Recon Team requests artillery strikes from the Paris-class frigates to divert Godzilla's course. We'll begin evacuating the Vultures as best we can."
After a few moments of silence, the comms officer responded: "Colonel Price has approved your request. The Leviathan will be in position in three minutes to commence bombardment on Godzilla."
"Thank you." The captain ended the transmission and relayed to his team, "Alright, everyone, we've got work to do!"
Acknowledgments filled the comms channel as the advance team, investigators, and AECS members signaled their readiness. The androids, ever efficient, simply illuminated green icons on their HUDs to indicate their participation in the evacuation.
The captain freed the female Vulture from her restraints, using his psychic abilities to communicate the imminent threat of Godzilla.
The female Vulture's eyes widened with horror as she grasped the situation. Urgently, she shouted warnings in her native language and ran toward her tribe's encampment to rally her people.
---
Meanwhile, twenty kilometers to the south:
Boom! Boom!
A towering juvenile Godzilla, like a moving mountain, lumbered through the metallic forest, heading steadily toward the forward base. The local wildlife scattered at its approach, recognizing the dominant force of this Godzilla with unspoken dread.
Seemingly indifferent to what lay ahead, the creature spotted the Vulture settlement twenty kilometers in the distance. But instead of altering its path, it continued forward, seeing no reason to swerve—it was, after all, the undisputed king of this land.
Yet, as it closed within ten kilometers of the settlement:
Whoosh!
A brilliant blue streak shot down from the sky.
Boom!
A tungsten-tipped projectile, fired at 0.16% of light speed, struck Godzilla squarely on the spine, triggering a massive explosion. Although the projectile's speed had been reduced by atmospheric entry, it retained enough penetrating power to inflict substantial damage.
The ground shook violently, but a defiant roar emerged from within the cloud of smoke and debris—Godzilla was still alive.
As the smoke cleared, the hundred-meter-tall juvenile lifted its head, its fierce gaze directed toward the Leviathan in low orbit above. In response, blue energy began to glow along its spine.
Then, with a thunderous blast, it unleashed its infamous atomic breath—a superheated, high-energy beam that ripped through the atmosphere, streaking toward the Leviathan in orbit.
Fortunately, the Leviathan's crew had anticipated Godzilla's ability to strike at orbital targets. Working with Intelligence and receiving real-time visual data from the Third Recon Team, the helm officer executed a swift evasive maneuver just as the atomic breath shot past the Leviathan's left side. The ship's green energy shields absorbed some residual effects, reducing the damage.
---
On the ground, Godzilla showed a hint of frustration, its initial confusion quickly giving way to anger. The Leviathan's evasion was one issue, but what infuriated the creature most was how the ship's electromagnetic railguns and plasma cannons had nearly penetrated its protective field.
For the first time in millennia, it had felt the sting of mortal danger.
Snarling, the juvenile Godzilla took a step forward, readying itself to launch another atomic breath at the ship.
However, before it could fully charge, a barrage of missiles loaded with metal hydrogen struck its body. In an instant, the creature was engulfed in a fireball resembling a miniature sun.
Boom!
As the light faded, a mushroom cloud rose, the shockwaves reverberating outward. The explosion left Godzilla's surroundings in disarray, though the Vulture settlement, ten kilometers away, was unaffected. The Leviathan's gunners had carefully calibrated the explosive yield to a tactical level to minimize collateral damage while maintaining pressure on the creature.
The task of killing Godzilla would be left to Quan Ling's Titan unit. The Atlas Division in the Pacific Rim universe needed this engagement to gather real-world data on Titan mech performance and justify their ongoing research.
As the dust settled, the only thing standing amidst the crystalline remnants of the battlefield was Godzilla, its biological force field flickering as it reestablished itself. The creature's skin bore signs of burns from the attack, which had forced it to deactivate its defensive field momentarily. Unlike a nuclear explosion, metal hydrogen yielded no radiation, frustrating Godzilla's hopes of absorbing energy.
This perceived humiliation fueled Godzilla's rage. How could Earth's apex predator—a species that shaped entire ecosystems—tolerate such mockery from "insignificant" humans?
"Roooaarrr!"
It released a piercing, enraged roar, its spines glowing intensely as it fired blue beams indiscriminately toward the ground and sky. Nearby regions, previously spared by the metal hydrogen explosion, were now scorched by this onslaught. Several beams even struck the Vulture settlement.
Boom!
Explosions and flames devastated the encampment, but thanks to the Leviathan's diversionary tactics, the Third Recon Team had successfully evacuated the majority of the Vultures, minimizing the casualties.
Up in orbit, the Leviathan fared worse. Godzilla's wild barrage made evasive maneuvers nearly impossible.
Buzz…buzz…
The Leviathan's shield generators and magnetic deflectors worked at full capacity, deflecting the deadly beams and preserving the ship's integrity. Meanwhile, the gunners locked onto Godzilla and resumed their suppressive fire with the plasma cannons. Once the electromagnetic railgun was recharged, they fired another tungsten projectile at Godzilla's weak spots.
On the ground, Godzilla let out anguished, furious roars, its cries echoing through the smoke as it endured the relentless barrage.
Overhead, Quan Ling's Titan unit finally arrived, flying above the remnants of the Vulture settlement. Through her Titan's advanced optics, Quan Ling had a clear view of the juvenile Godzilla being bombarded by the Leviathan.
She adjusted her 1200mm Gauss cannon and shoulder-mounted plasma cannons, issuing the command over the comms: "Fire!"
The Titans unleashed a coordinated volley, with four 1200mm railgun spikes and plasma cannon blasts joining the bombardment.
This relentless assault brought Godzilla to the edge of desperation. Its protective field could withstand nuclear or hydrogen bomb explosions, but against concentrated strikes from electromagnetic railguns and Gauss cannons, it was beginning to falter. And the Titans' 1200mm Gauss cannons were semi-automatic, allowing for rapid, continuous fire.
Faced with imminent death, Godzilla instinctively turned to flee. But the Titan unit wouldn't allow it to escape so easily.
Quan Ling and Titan Two boosted their engines, rapidly closing in on Godzilla. Wielding their plasma-enhanced power swords, they closed the distance and, slowing down just enough, slashed through Godzilla's massive arms with controlled precision.
Slash—crack!
The slowed swing of their plasma swords pierced through Godzilla's biological force field and cleanly severed its limbs.
In agonizing pain, Godzilla tried to let out another roar and fire its atomic breath indiscriminately to clear an escape path. But Quan Ling, seizing the moment, swung her power sword at its neck.
With a thunderous blow, Godzilla's head, filled with a final look of defiance, fell, and its massive body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
---
The Vultures, watching from a safe distance, were awestruck by the speed and efficiency with which the Titans had slain the beast they revered as a "representative of nature."
Amid their astonishment, the female Vulture who had spoken with the Thousand Sons captain approached him with a worried expression. In halting, accented speech, she cautioned, "B-be careful…another…bigger one…might come."
"Oh?" The captain was intrigued to hear her speaking in their language, wondering if her rapid learning indicated a natural aptitude or even latent psychic potential.
He immediately reported to the forward base:
"This is Third Recon Team. Please inform Colonel Quan Ling that intelligence indicates a larger Godzilla may appear soon. We advise extreme caution."
"Understood," came the reply.
Turning back to the Vulture woman, the captain knelt and removed his helmet, revealing short dark-red hair and a youthful, handsome face. Despite the toxic atmosphere, he showed no discomfort breathing freely.
The young V
ulture's cheeks flushed slightly, but the captain, sensing her reaction, simply smiled kindly and introduced himself:
"My name is Lin Haiyang of Atlas's Thousand Sons. And yours?"
"Ha-hai…Yang?" she stammered, then composed herself and said, placing her hands over her chest, "I…I am Maina."
"Maina, got it!" Lin Haiyang replied with a hearty laugh, then added, "Stick with us, Maina. I think we could use someone like you among the Thousand Sons."
Given Maina's remarkable adaptability and telepathic talent, Lin was already considering recruiting her into the Thousand Sons' auxiliary forces.
Suddenly, a mournful roar echoed through the air, a sorrowful lament that resonated across the entire area.
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