Match 17: Gigan vs. Dagahra

Match 17: Gigan vs. Dagahra is the 17th match of the KWC and is written by Thomas Fairchild.

## Story

The Sun had vanished from the heavens. Darkness had fallen upon the land, robbing it of its precious light. Amid the surrounding obscurity, a towering figure stood motionless. Sharp, jagged spines protruded from its backside. Green scales encased its exterior. Powerful paws guarded a scarlet staircase, which concealed a deserted elevator. From a distance, the gargantuan object resembled a mighty creature cursed to walk the planet alone, forever feared by its life forms. But up close, its appearance was revealed to be deceiving. It was an artificial structure designed to resemble Godzilla. To nearby travelers, it was coined: the Godzilla Tower.

Godzilla Tower’s lifeless stare surveyed the abandoned ruins of the World Children’s Land. Facilities secretly designed to strip humanity of their dominion over the planet had become overrun by vermin and insects. Within the inanimate cranium of the Godzilla Tower, the abandoned headquarters of the Nebulans remained suspended in time. Power no longer coursed through the electronic circuits. Spider webs hung from the ceiling panels and ensnared the walls.

A computer monitor rested on a cubicle’s flat, dusty surface. On the black screen, a red, blinking light frequently glowed. Beneath layers of hard, fortified floors, a hidden machine of alien origins offered the last bit of backup power it had left. Beyond the boundaries of the Godzilla Tower, linked video cameras observed the desolate area. A strange object soared over the skies. Its trajectory was on course with the World Children’s Land.

The cameras spotted the object, and relayed their recordings to the computer monitor. A maximized image of the object took up the screen, revealing its distinguishing features. Emerald flesh coated its body. Yellowish scales resided on several different areas of the creature’s massive figure. Thin layers of skin stuck out of the tips of its limbs, designed to assist it in its underwater adventures and aerial flights. Amber glowing cornea sparkled out of its eyes. Large, reptilian wings attached to its sides flapped without any sign of fatigue. Sharp fins jutted down its spine and tail. Three horns crowned the top of its skull. Residing in its shoulders, empty holes eerily awaited the chance to deploy its deadly arsenal.

A loud, thundering roar rumbled out of Dagahra’s gaping maw. Its ancient gaze glared at the Godzilla Tower, deeming it a threat. Primordial energies crackled inside Dagahra’s throat. The dragon’s body channeled its demonic power to its jaws. Searing torrents of lavender-hued energy blazed out of Dagahra’s mouth, striking the Godzilla Tower’s lifeless chest. It ruptured the staircase and impaled the central cortex of the structure.

Plumes of fire and smoke replaced the Godzilla Tower’s immobile figure. The disfigured head of the Godzilla Tower struck the ground, signifying its destruction. Dagahra’s victorious cries filled the skies and bounced off the earthly terrains. The sea dragon descended from the dark sky and landed on the soil. It curiously observed the abandoned facilities, deeming them a threat. Pulsating energies of light flared within Dagahra’s mammoth jaws. But before its fury could be unleashed, a cybernetic howl filled its ears with dread.

The malevolent shape of an alien cyborg filled Dagahra’s binocular vision. He crash landed into the ground, forcing the soil to rise above its ankles and break away. Crimson light emanated out of its singular eye. A harsh, synthetic beak extended out of his mouth, surrounded by razor-sharp pincers. A horn resided on top of his head. Long, metallic blades stretched out of the wrists. Sapphire coated armor, dark and gritty, covered his body. Extending saw blades resided down its sternum. Three wings, equally swathed by scarlet colors, protruded out his backside. At the tip of his tail, a scythe-blade swung steadily.

Crackling flames glinted off Gigan’s silvery carapace.

Dagahra embraced the alien’s unmerciful stare. Never before had the sea dragon seen such a sign of ruthlessness. Just by analyzing Gigan’s movements, he sensed the cyborg’s revulsion of the world and its inhabitants. Dagahra envied Gigan’s cruelty, wishing it could captivate such a demeanor. But the assassin ignored his target’s envious feelings. He considered it a carcass waiting to be exterminated, nothing more. Without any further delay, Gigan attacked.

Gigan’s singular orb shot a crimson strand of energy. It stopped hundreds of yards in front of Dagahra, dispersing in a shower of exploding beams. The explosions singed the ancient beast’s sacred hide. Smoke filtered out of its sizzling skin. Dagahra’s horrible screams rolled across the land. No longer feeling a sense of envy, the poisonous dragon retaliated; a lavender-hued beam poured out of the dragon’s mouth and ravaged Gigan’s shoulder. Its energetic stream managed to penetrate the outer hull of its foe’s armor. A curtain of sparks covered Gigan’s body, temporarily concealing the damages caused.

Vengeance lurked within the cyborg’s cybernetic mind. It raised one of its metallic blades. Grappling hooks were mounted to its wrists. One set tore out of its compartments and entangled itself around Dagahra’s throat. The other wrapped around its abdomen. The ancient menace attempted to break free, but not even its powerful jaws could mutilate the cables. Shrouded in-between the assassin’s wings, rocket boosters sparked to life. They manipulated gravity and propelled Gigan upwards, ascending him high above the clouds.

Dagahra was forcefully removed from the ground. It hung from the cables, hundreds of feet above the earth. Gigan fiendishly skimmed the air, twirling his foe around in circles. The air was cut off from the dragon’s lungs. Dagahra’s eyes rolled up into their sockets, unable to adapt to the unbearable conditions it was forced into. Finally, Gigan’s grappling cables detached from the arms, sending Dagahra helplessly falling to the earth below, demolishing an abandoned facility. Shards of the destroyed structure flew everywhere, pelting the environment.

Noticing his foe was immobile; Gigan abandoned his flight plans and made his descent. The cyborg landed near the fallen Dagahra, determined to escort the sea dragon to Death’s domain. But as he ventured closer, Dagahra emerged from the rubble. A crimson wave of energy shimmered around the toxic destroyer’s figure. To Gigan’s dismay, Dagahra rapidly twirled around in circles, its body deploying energy discs every second. Each energy disc clashed into Gigan, inflicting burn marks on his dense armor. Ignoring the damages, Gigan marched forward, determined to mutilate the sea dragon with his blades. Realizing the ineffectiveness of its attack, Dagahra’s rotating form ceased. It examined its synthetic foe, contemplating how to overcome it.

Gigan stopped, several hundred meters away. A crimson beam shot out of his glowing eye, releasing a swarm of cluster rays. The rays singed Dagahra’s burnt hide. An agonized growl departed from its maw. And yet, the sea dragon’s yellow-hued eyes glazed with a vengeful promise. Gigan’s cold, hypnotic stare failed to offer any merit to Dagahra’s emotions. Instead, Gigan resumed his stride and fell upon Dagahra.

The cyborg’s razor-sharp blades grazed the air, narrowly avoiding the dragon’s cranium. A shimmering streak of energy shot out of Dagahra’s jaws, detonating upon the alien weapon’s thick sternum. The dragon’s destructive projectile failed to inflict a severe injury, but it did succeed in blowing off chunks of Gigan’s metallic skin. He retaliated by swiping Dagahra’s shoulder, splitting the flesh. Blood sprayed out of its fresh wound, staining the soil beneath their feet.

Dagahra unleashed another devastating beam. It pulverized Gigan’s synthetic carapace, yet the dense armor remained intact. The sea dragon jumped forward, clamping its jaws around its foe’s neck. Unfortunately for the destroyer, it was a fruitless attack. Despite his appearance, Gigan had no reason to breathe oxygen. Not even Dagahra’s powerful jaws could crush the outer hull of his neck.

It was then that Dagahra heard an unusual, yet frightening sound.

The strip of saws attached to Gigan’s sternum was activated. They shredded Dagahra’s underbelly, rapidly removing the layers of flesh and bone that shielded its internal organs. Dagahra hollered painfully as its intestines and bodily organs were ripped away, forced to reveal themselves to the outside world. They succumbed to Gigan’s buzzsaw and were unintentionally discarded into the wind. He barely placed his left arm against the dragon’s throat, and applied enough strength to crack Dagahra’s entire upper body back.

With its chest exposed, the assassin pulled his right blade back and plunged it forward, sinking it deep into Dagahra’s sternum. The blade ripped through the ancient menace’s back, fracturing its spine and cutting off all sensation to its lower body. Life was rapidly dwindling from the sea beast’s eyes. Gigan, with the support of his right arm, kept Dagahra steady for one final swipe. The cyborg prepared to decapitate his foe with his other metallic blade, but Dagahra refused to die without giving Gigan a painful memory of him.

Blazing torrents of light seared out of the toxic reptilian’s mouth, striking the alien’s singular eye. It failed to withstand the beam’s sheer force and transformed into a shower of broken shards. He released a frightening, high-pitched screech, informing the world of his agony. Scarlet bolts attempted to conjure Gigan’s cluster beam, but the energy particles malfunctioned, fading from existence. He was now blind, unable to decipher his surroundings. But he still had Dagahra trapped. The sea dragon tried to wriggle free, but the blade forced it to seek a different plan. Gigan fiercely swiped the air, failing to strike his intended target.

Gigan’s mounting impatience reached its limits. The cyborg stopped and raised Dagahra in the air, and blindly aimed his left blade. The ancient beast realized the trajectory of the blade was aiming directly at its skull. Gigan paused, realizing he had found his target. The ruthless cyborg not only desired the sea dragon’s imminent demise, but also the realization of oblivion. Dagahra’s weary eyes scanned the distant horizon. Dark clouds hovered above the earth, preventing its inhabitants from seeing the stars. A bolt of lightning singed the sky, temporarily bathing the land in its beauty. It was then that Dagahra, a sea dragon that had once sought to contaminate the oceans with its barem and eradicate every life form, repented its demonic desires.

Dagahra closed its eyes, accepting death. Gigan fulfilled the sea dragon’s inclination and hurled his metallic blade into his foe’s skull. The last remnant of a passed society died instantly, no longer destined to return to the seas it once roamed. Thunder bellowed from the distance. The cyborg’s horrific cries of conquest subdued the thunder, notifying the world of his triumph.

Gigan dreamt of bringing chaos to the rest of the world, but until then, he would have to wait until his cybernetic body finished repairing the damages. Thus, Gigan decided to toy around with his latest trophy, eager to dissect it and learn of the anatomy of Earth’s creatures.