CHAPTER 14

Chapter 14

The battlefield was chaos. Smoke and seawater mixed with the glow of Jaeger lights and the haunting roars of the Kaiju. Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha were crippled, their pilots barely holding on. Shane, inside Rajah, was gasping for air, his neural interface warning him of severe damage. His right arm was gone, torn off by the brutal Kaiju assault. Despite the pain, he clenched his fists and forced himself to stand.

Then, Gipsy Danger landed with a resounding BOOM!, sending waves crashing outward. The sight of the Mark-3 Jaeger standing tall in the moonlight brought a wave of relief to the struggling pilots.

Wei Tang Brothers (inside Crimson Typhoon, exhausted):

"Finally... that was too close."

Aleksis Kaidonovsky (from Cherno Alpha, voice strained):

"They arrived just in time. That rookie almost got himself killed."

Inside Rajah, Shane took a deep breath, steadying himself as the three remaining Kaiju roared in unison, their eyes locked onto him. They weren't going to retreat. No, they wanted blood.

Shane chuckled, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Shane (grinning despite himself):

"Glad to see you, Raleigh. Any later, and I'd be a scrap heap."

Raleigh (smirking, from Gipsy Danger):

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome. Now, what's the plan?"

Before Shane could answer, one of the Kaiju—a sleek, spiny creature with glowing bioluminescent veins—suddenly broke away from the pack and sprinted toward the city.

Shane's eyes widened. That Kaiju was heading straight for Hong Kong.

Shane (urgently):

"Raleigh, Mako! That one's heading to the city! You need to stop it—now!"

Mako (determined):

"Understood!"

Raleigh (hesitant):

"What about you, Shane?"

Shane exhaled, rolling his shoulders despite the pain. His left arm—his only arm—twitched in anticipation.

Shane (grinning, but serious):

"I'll handle these three alone. Protecting the people is our duty. Stop that Kaiju first, then come back when you're done."

There was silence for a second. Raleigh didn't like it, but he knew Shane well enough to trust him.

Raleigh (gruffly):

"Don't die on me, rookie."

With that, Gipsy Danger turned and sprinted after the escaping Kaiju, leaving Shane to face the three remaining monsters alone.

The moment Gipsy was gone, the Kaiju shrieked, their guttural roars shaking the ocean. Then they charged.

Shane, standing tall in Rajah, muttered to himself, "This is getting tiring."

But he didn't flinch. Instead, he activated Melee Mode.

With only one arm remaining, Rajah's right shoulder hummed, gears twisting and shifting. SHNK! A massive, sleek blade shot out from where his missing arm once was. The gleaming metal shone under the blood-red moon.

Shane (to his Jaeger):

"We should get serious now, my friend."

Then, he charged.

The Battle Begins

The first Kaiju in the center—a hulking brute with spiked armor—lunged at him. Shane didn't hesitate.

Rajah leapt into the air, blade raised high.

SWOOSH—SLASH!

With a clean downward strike, Rajah's blade sliced clean through the Kaiju's arm, severing it completely. The monster howled in agony, black blood spraying into the sea.

Before Shane could land, the second Kaiju—a reptilian beast with jagged, serrated teeth—came from his right, jaws wide open.

Shane (gritted teeth):

"Oh, no you don't—!"

At the last second, he twisted Rajah mid-air, backstepping and parrying with his blade. The Kaiju's jaws snapped shut on empty air.

SWOOSH!—SLASH!

With a brutal upward strike, Rajah's blade carved straight through the Kaiju's skull, splitting it in half.

The monster went limp before it could even scream.

THOOM! Its body crashed into the ocean, lifeless.

Shane panted, sweat dripping down his forehead. Two down. One to go.

But the last Kaiju wasn't going to let him rest.

WHAM!

A massive tail slammed into Rajah's side, sending the Jaeger flying through the air like a ragdoll.

CRASH!—SPLASH!

Rajah skidded across the water, slamming into a half-submerged cargo ship. Metal crumpled and water exploded into the air as Shane struggled to regain control.

Inside the cockpit, alarms blared.

Tendo Choi (from the command center, shouting):

"Shane! Damage levels critical! You can't take another hit like that!"

Shane grunted, shaking off the impact. His vision blurred, but he forced Rajah to stand. The last Kaiju roared, its yellow eyes burning with rage. It wanted him dead.

Shane (grinning despite the pain):

"Alright, big guy... let's finish this."

The Kaiju charged.

Shane activated his missile system.

BEEP—TARGET LOCKED.

FOOM! FOOM! FOOM! Rajah's shoulder cannons fired a barrage of missiles, each one whistling through the air toward the charging beast.

The Kaiju screeched and swung its tail, deflecting some of the missiles. But it couldn't stop them all.

BOOM!—BOOM!

Explosions rocked the battlefield, fire and smoke rising into the night sky. The Kaiju stumbled but didn't fall.

It was still alive.

Shane gritted his teeth. Fine. If missiles weren't enough—

He'd do it the old-fashioned way.

He charged forward.

The Kaiju, enraged, did the same.

At the last moment, Shane dodged left, twisting Rajah's body.

Then, with one final, powerful strike—

SWOOSH—SLASH!

Rajah's blade tore straight through the Kaiju's chest, slicing it in half.

The beast let out a final, agonized roar before collapsing into the ocean.

Shane exhaled, his entire body shaking from exhaustion. He stared at the three lifeless Kaiju floating in the waves.

He did it.

But he couldn't relax yet.

Far in the distance, Gipsy Danger was still fighting.

Shane took a deep breath and activated his comms.

Shane (grinning, despite everything):

"Alright, Raleigh... I held my end of the bargain. Time to finish this fight."

End of Chapter.