Ashes of the titan

R22 — The Blighted Expanse

A place where gods bled, and monsters were born.

Dark clouds thundered above as Kael and Tyren stood facing a Kaiju unlike any they'd seen. The true Origin-class Kaiju, titanic even among titans, loomed like an obsidian mountain crowned in hellfire. It wasn't just large—it was evolving as it breathed. With each heave of its chest, its carapace shifted, scales expanding and pulsing like living armor. Its second pair of arms were now extended fully, lined with jagged blades, and its tail, long and serpentine, coiled like a whip with a mind of its own.

Ravager and Brawler stood bruised and battered. Their paint was scorched, armor fractured, core temperatures nearing meltdown. But their pilots?

Unbroken.

Kael's grip on the controls tightened, his eyes locked. A bead of sweat slid down his temple, trailing into the shallow cut across his cheek.

Tyren's voice crackled in the comms. "You ready?"

Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, his HUD zoomed in on a newly formed energy vent on the Kaiju's back—a weak point, possibly temporary.

"Neural Sync. One hundred percent. Let's finish this."

Phase One: The Reckoning

The Kaiju struck first—its roar split the sky, and in a blinding moment, it released a shockwave that sent debris hurling like cannon fire. Ravager lunged forward, activating its plasma lance. Brawler flanked, activating twin thermal sabers.

Kael struck first, vaulting into the air with a boost kick and slamming Ravager's lance into the Kaiju's shoulder, forcing it back a step.

But the creature didn't roar—it simply reacted.

It learned.

One of its auxiliary arms lashed out and crushed Ravager's right forearm, sparks flying. Kael grunted but rolled Ravager back, only for the Kaiju to spin and bring its tail whipping around. Brawler caught the blow square in the chest—metal shrieked, and Tyren cursed as red warnings flared across his cockpit.

"System Integrity: 61%," the AI warned.

"No time for crying," Tyren hissed, switching his blade cores to max output.

He dashed forward, using the damaged shoulder to bait a strike. As the Kaiju lashed, he ducked, surged under the blow, and sliced through the left ventricle armor under its ribs.

Kael didn't miss the opportunity.

"Tyren—now!"

Ravager launched into the air, activating EMP Overload.

Kael shouted, "COME ON!"

He slammed the charged lance into the exposed vent, detonating an electromagnetic blast directly into the Kaiju's system. The explosion knocked everything sideways—the land cracked, fire rained from above, and the Kaiju dropped to one knee.

But it wasn't down.

Not even close.

Phase Two: Hell Awakens

The Kaiju screamed, and the sky answered.

It stood again, this time with molten fury erupting from its body. Its tail split in three—each one snapping like a scorpion's stinger. Plasma cannons rose from its spine. One shot disintegrated a cliff behind the mechs in a blink.

Kael and Tyren were panting.

Kael: "We can't let it evolve again. We stop it here."

Tyren: "Copy that. No retreat."

The sync deepened. They stopped speaking. Their thoughts connected.

Ravager surged ahead.

It zigzagged between blasts, rolling over boulders, sliding under falling debris. The Kaiju turned, launched a trio of tendrils at it. Ravager spun, lost its left leg to a whip, but still thrust its remaining leg into a full-powered dash.

Brawler wasn't far behind. Tyren activated the Core Split Protocol, channeling raw power into his arms.

He leapt onto the Kaiju's back, stabbing down both blades and digging in.

"Kael! Go for the core!"

Kael's teeth clenched. "Don't die on me!"

Ravager leapt into the air, dragging its burning lance behind it like a comet.

The Kaiju reared back—opened its mouth—prepared to fire.

Kael snarled. "Override limiters."

Ravager burned from the inside, every panel glowing red-hot.

He drove the lance through the Kaiju's chest.

A deafening explosion erupted, blowing the top third of the Kaiju into burning fragments.

But it still stood.

Headless. Limbless. It still stood—and began collapsing toward Brawler.

Tyren saw the mass falling.

"…Kael."

Kael: "Don't you dare."

Tyren: "It's the only way."

Brawler's chest opened. Tyren initiated Core Detonation Protocol.

Ziya's smile flashed in his memory.

"Don't look away now, Ziya."

Boom.

A second explosion, massive and final, tore the Kaiju in half. The shockwave cratered the entire valley.

Silence.

Ash.

Several Hours Later — R22 Perimeter

Ziya and Ryssa stood outside a rescue cruiser. Their mechas were behind them, towering, silent, damaged.

No one spoke.

No Kaiju in sight.

Nothing but a slowly expanding glow where the Kaiju had been.

The scanners found the wreckage.

Fragments of Ravager's chestplate. Brawler's forearm. Pieces of a broken lance. Blood inside the cockpit shards.

Ryssa covered her mouth. Tears fell freely, even as her eyes widened in disbelief.

Ziya clutched her chest, trembling.

Then—

Movement.

From the smoke and ash…

Kael.

Dragging himself forward. One arm limp. His uniform burnt. Bleeding.

Behind him, holding Kael up—barely conscious—

Tyren.

Both collapsed at the edge of the crater. Breathing. Alive.

Not intact.

But victorious.