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November 10th, 2014

On the same night that creatures were queuing up for Dragon Quest, Murata spent his second day in the police station's cell. In a closed room with a bed and toilet, he stared at the window where the bleak light crossed his face, stripped of his badge and uniform, reduced to a sad pair of slacks and suspenders.

In his cell he read a tawdry romance, thumbed many times with claw scratches and creased spine. It was a story that bored him to tears, an island girl and a city boy meeting for the first time in the Swedish isles. No one had come to visit him, except when delivering food as he said nothing to the other officers.

Some gave him a sympathetic look, others disgusted, and a few more offered commiserations in hope that whatever accusation would be proven false. Sauressy never met him for all his three days in prison, the turtle somewhat surprised and fearing the worst until a visitor came.

"Leave us."

The guard stepped away as in walked Baruti Gondo, prim and proper in his chief's uniform with large curved horn at the end of his snout. Murata did not stand up, the door closing behind as Gondo leaned back with arms crossed.

"I came to tell you that things are not looking good for you."

"I see," the turtle nodded, "do I have a lawyer?"

"That depends on how cooperative you are."

"I'm entitled to a lawyer, regardless of my cooperation of which I will speak with them, not you."

"True, but a police officer at the scene of a twenty-five car pile-up is going to look bad either way. And that's not even getting to the fact we've received death threats from the Daiei."

"Oh?" Murata rubbed his chin. "Did you get a special letter from them?"

"We received a call," Gondo picked up the prisoner's book, "they gave you this one, seriously?"

"I asked for something fantastical, and they gave me some suburban book club fodder."

"Well I'll get you a better one, honestly we should just give this one to a charity shop."

"You know there was this bookstore in Osaka," the tortoise looked up, "had some really good choices."

"Oh yeah?" the superior thumbed through the book. "What sort of books you like?"

"I've gotten into old folk stories for some reason, the officer I was with in Shutenbori, he recommended it to me, he uh...dammit what was his name again?"

"Zittelli," scoffed Gondo, "what, you forget?"

"No. I never mentioned his name." Gaho stood up with a sigh and turned to his former chief. "You just confirmed to me that you're the traitor."

"Wha-...what?!" Gondo scoffed waving the book. "Are you, seriously accusing me of...what?!"

"When I filed my report, I never mentioned the name of the police officer who betrayed me. You just did, for the third time and the only way you could have known that was if the Daiei told you."

"Seriously? Murata, this is sad, I-i thought you...YOU, you of all creatures would be above blaming others-"

"Someone assisted the Daiei within our precinct. You know Zittelli's name, even though you never told me who he was, only that you contacted someone from Osaka PD. You also said you were delivering letters for Kaneyama, you had one in your hand after we caught her."

"You're grasping at straws!" scoffed the chief. "If anything these accusations are proving your guilt, why can't you just accept it?!"

"Teeth." Murata tapped his tusks with a growing smirk. "Kaneyama's teeth never matched the original Host's, yet Tsuchimura's body had bite marks just like theirs. Why would the Daiei kill a Toho member, to lead us to the body of a journalist who was murdered when he came back from a Jinuchu-owned territory? It's no coincidence after we discovered both bodies, yakuza attacks increased in the city, especially around the temple!"

"Are you claiming the temple's owned by yakuza?" Gondo snorted reeling back. "That's a very serious accusation."

"The temple is known to have Toho associates. Not officially, but they have patrons, it makes sense for a rival clan to attack it, then there was the dead body in front of their office."

Murata stepped close with a jabbing finger.

"You are trying to help the Daiei take over Tokyo, so they can wipe out the Toho and Jinuchu, so YOU can get an easy job cleaning them up and get a promotion!"

"You have nothing to prove that." Gondo headed towards the door. "This is pathetic, I was hoping you would take your early retirement with a quiet dignity, that's one of the things I respected about you. But it seems you're a brazen coward after all."

"Two-four-one, seven-B, eight-nine-A-six."

The chief suddenly stiffened through his spike-clubbed tail as he turned slowly back to Murata.

"What...did you say?"

"Sorry?" Gaho grinned. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"N-no I just...thought you had an aneurysm."

"Those numbers sure have a BITE to them...don't they, Gondo-san?"

Baruti shuddered with a cold panic, leaning back against the door and clasping his hands very tightly.

"How do you know those numbers?"

"Why would I know those numbers?" Murata crossed his arms. "Maybe it's because I'm a detective, figuring out someone helped Kaneyama escape, taking Jin Gerumba in the process. Maybe because I figured out someone tipped off the one police officer in Shutenbori who was working for Iris, at her request to make sure I would be kidnapped."

"You have nothing to prove any of this," Gondo forced his smile, "you're just, you're, you're just threading a corkboard, this is nothing!"

"Zittelli told me that you were right about me."

"Wh-WHAT?!"

"Right before Iris killed him...because he said too much."

"...fuck." The chief clasped his hands over his horn. "Fuck, fucking dammit Zittelli you STUPID ASS!"

"So you admit it?" Murata spread his hands. "You're helping Iris take over Tokyo, so you can both clear out the Toho and Jinuchu, and then reap the profits."

"Even IF that is true, you have no evidence! You could have looked up the numbers for those teeth moulds, you're not an idiot!"

"Teeth moulds? I never said teeth moulds."

"Wh-what-Sh-SHUT UP, YOU DID!"

"I mentioned Kaneyama's TEETH, but not teeth MOULDS, sir. You know you're really bad at this for a homicide chief, Iris should've asked me instead."

Baruti suddenly shot out his tongue out, punching Gaho back with the hard blunt tip that felt like a battering ram. Thrust back against the wall, he was grabbed by the chief whose trembling fury gripped his shoulders, horn scraping against Murata's beak with bated breath. The captain loomed over his subordinate, who simply smiled with his tusks before Gondo stepped back.

"Alright. ALRIGHT! Fine you, you figured it out, congratu-fucking-lations, what you want a medal?!"

"I want you in jail," the tortoise snarled, "you made a deal with the yakuza, an officer of the law who just spat on everything we worked for."

"Do you know how DIFFICULT it is to be a goddamn chief?!" Baruti snapped punching the wall. "All you ever done was walk on the beat, cuff some perps and file some papers, but I have to balance the budget, I have to suck the council's FUCKING DICK for more money, AND THEY NEVER GIVE US IT! They're all too damn busy building hotels and fucking resorts for all the rich bastards!"

"So you'll punish the good creatures of Kaijurocho instead, by opening our gates to corruption?!"

"Desperate times and desperate measures!" Gondo picked up the tattered novel. "Would you rather we live in a lawless state where the police don't exist, or a balanced world where WE control the levels of crime?"

"If this is the choice we have I'd rather we're gone! What is the point of the damn police when they break the very laws they're meant to uphold!?"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY LIFE! Every goddamn week, I have to allocate what funds we have, and every damn week the Toho keep sliding under our fucking noses with their shit! You should be grateful for this, you DESPISE the Toho!"

"I may despise the Toho but they're not murderers like the Daiei!" Gaho thrust his paw. "I would never consort with any criminal to make my life easier, we're supposed to be a community! You could have appealed to the public!"

"The public are FUCKING MORONS!" Baruti threw the book at him. "They don't understand what it means to be an officer, and that sometimes the law needs to be bent, just a LITTLE bit, to make everything work! They don't understand that our system has to be flexible, so we can do our jobs better!"

"So the law's worthless to you?!" Murata shrugged. "Why should anyone follow it then, if the police can't bother, why should the public?!"

"Because everyone out there would do it for their own benefit, robbing, murdering, whatever, because they're idiots, but I am doing it for the city! It's better to have criminals on our side in a mutually-beneficial alliance, then anything else we have!"

"Wrong." Murata shook his head. "You are everything that is wrong with society, and I will not stand for it."

"I don't give a fuck what you think, EX-sergeant." Gondo grabbed his shoulder. "I am too tired from doing this job for years, running on a hornstring budget. So I'm going to give you two choices. Either shut your damn mouth, say nothing, and you'll get a quiet retirement on paid leave. But if you say one thing about the Daiei...Gaho Murata, found hung in his cell too riddled with guilt from causing so many deaths and besmirching his record. I'll see you tomorrow...the choice is yours."

The homicide chief took his leave, slamming the iron door shut as Murata put his head in his hands. Silence filled the halls, but his mind was filled with screams sitting down once again. He picked up the book, a thousand-yard stare burning through the pages as he feared the worst for his department.

Was Gondo the only one working for Iris? What if he had others assisting him in his corruption, colleagues he had known for years lured by her dark promises? He prayed that Sauressy was not one of them, knowing he was the only creature left he could trust and if he had been tempted...then all hope was lost.

He slept poorly after his dinner, a thin steak and what had once been mashed potatoes as the night drifted past his window. The moonlight crossed his body, staring at the ceiling with a head full of futile discussions to tire himself. Then he heard voices from outside, the guard struggling in a fit before the shadow of his body dropped.

"Wha, what?!"

He hurried to the door before it opened.

"Murata, quick!"

"Wha-...Sauressy, what?!"

"Get going, we don't have time!"

Taking the monster's hand, the turtle left his cell stepping over the guard who laid unconscious in the dark corridor. Heading to the back of the building, Sauressy shushed his friend as other police officers were roaming the halls, Gaho sometimes shoved into closets or behind doors as Reed either saluted, or pretended to tie his shoes until they reached the emergency exit.

"What the hell are you doing?" whispered Gaho.

"Getting you out," muttered Reed, "there's a van outside, Gondo's the traitor, I figured it out after he dropped that Zittelli name-"

"Oh thank gods I'm really glad you picked that up." Murata looked at the exit. "This door has an alarm."

"Then you better be quick."

Reed kicked the door open, alerting the entire precinct as they rushed out together. A van opened its doors with the licence plates covered, parked in such a way as to block the security cameras outside.

"HURRY!" cried the driver. "LES FLICS ARE AWAKE!"

"Wait, is that Durond?!"

"ALLONS-Y, MAINTENANT!"

Pumping the pedal as two bodies slammed in the back, the French sushi chef wore a very tall hoodie covering his knife-shaped head, as he peeled out of the police lot and raced through Kaijurocho. Sirens screamed as he tore west along East Taihei then veered north past the Millennium Tower, with one car already blaring behind through the neon streets.

"What the HELL is going on?!" gasped the turtle in the back.

"You don't know a breakout when you see one?!" cried Reed opposite him. "You saw Kaneyama do it before!"

"Sauressy this, this is not how we fight him!"

"You stay in that cell any longer you'll be dead in a week!"

"I will NOT be complicit in breaking the law!"

"YOU WERE ARRESTED UNLAWFULLY, IT DOESN'T COUNT!"

"THIS IS NOT THE WAY!"

"FINE, IF ANYONE ASKS, WE TOOK YOU HOSTAGE!"

"FERME TA GUEULE!" cried Durond at the front. "ARGUE WHEN WE STOP, I MUST FOCUS!"

Seeing the construction pit in the middle of Shachifuku, the shark swerved round then leaned out his head to carve his sharp-bladed skull through a street light in passing. Sparks rippled through the pole as it fell behind him, crushing the bonnet of the pursuing car who then drove straight into the pit. A second police car had thought ahead, and came charging from the Hotel District north ready to ram his van.

Durond stared them down with beady eyes and then suddenly sneezed to shoot out a bladed projectile from his nostril halfway up his head. Resembling a shuriken, the wicked blade ripped through the cop's wheel, bursting the tire and causing the car to violently careen and miss the truck completely.

"HAH, HHHUHUHAHAHAHA, IL SE LA PÉTE TROP, N'EST CE-PAS?!"

"Why did you hire HIM?!" cried Gaho as they turned south to Theater Square. "He has a record, this could put him back in prison!"

"He offered!" Sauressy grabbed the side. "I mentioned you were being locked up on false charges, this was all his plan!"

"But, why?!"

"Because!" shouted the driver. "Out of all the kaiju in this fucking city, you are the only one who does NOT deserve prison!"

"Even though I was the one that put you there?!"

"CARRÉMENT! You do your job well, now let me do MINE!"

Two police cars came from Taihei Boulevard, screeching towards Theater Square as Durond took a sharp turn east into the Kaijuro Mall. Revving through the wide corridor to slip past the cops, he burst out onto Taihei in front of the Millennium Tower. Driving down east then south onto Nagamichi, he rapped his horn causing citizens to yelp and shriek out his path, cackling his deep hoarse laugh as he waved to them.

The main street of Kaijurocho was at its brightest in the dark of night, the few kaiju outside past midnight panicking with bleary eyes and burning headaches at the sirens shrieking past. Durond took aim towards the motorway south where three police cars stood in blockade, the shark gripping the wheel with a sinister grin.

"Haa ha haa merde, HANG ON BOYS, WE'RE TAKING A SHORTCUT!"

"DUROND NO!"

With a violent screech he turned hard into Nagamichi Alley, just barely wide enough for his truck to tear through as two more cars kept chase after him. Ripping past the walled park, he burst out onto Tenkaiju Street, and burned rubber towards the north after screeching hard to almost hit the Poppo mart. One car had managed to keep up with him as he raced back to Taihei Boulevard, and took aim straight for the entrance of Kaijuro Mall.

His goal was the cafe, up a small flight of stairs as he crashed through chairs and tables that rolled past his windscreen. The balcony on the second floor welcomed him, as he smashed through the barrier and drove off straight onto Shachifuku, shards of brick and glass peeling across his vision with a sadistic smile.

Those who were lucky enough to be on that street would be graced by a magnificent view of a blocky grey van, flying through the air before it crunched its wheels on the asphalt and sped off north to Park Boulevard. Streaking past the Hotel District, he escaped out on the motorway and swerved between taxis and rickshaws.

"This is insane," Gaho cupped his face, "this is absolutely insane, this is the worst thing I've ever been part of!"

"The worst thing you've been part of so FAR!" Durond cried. "I think we are clear, ca passe créme!"

"Don't jinx it," Reed looked back, "wait until we're at the hideout, then we can relax."

The hideout was an old storage unit that smelled of fish, boxes scattered to the side with several couches propped up in the centre of the room. All the windows were boarded up, some even smashed with a space heater next to the couches.

"What is this?" said Gaho.

"Mon chateau oublier," chuckled Durond, "a place I used for hiding stuff before you arrested me."

"Huh...never found this place, is anything still here?"

"Non, I'm not that stupid."

"Yes you are, you just assisted in the breakout of a wanted-"

"Murata," Reed grabbed him, "shut up and sit down, you're our hostage now, remember?"

With a rumbling sigh, Gaho slumped down with a cough at the dust swarming off the cushions whilst Guy checked outside. Sauressy sat down beside his friend, a scowl crossing the turtle's face as he gripped his tusks.

"I can't believe this is happening. Our chief is...he's working with the Daiei, to form some kind of...criminal alliance."

"All the more reason to get you out," the sea serpent nodded, "he talked to you in your cell didn't he? What'd you tell him?"

"Everything except the fact we found the teeth moulds. I rattled the numbers off to frighten him, but he doesn't think we have the evidence."

"Good, let's keep it that way."

"This was a stupid plan," Murata rubbed his hands, "you shouldn't have done this Sauressy."

"Well Gondo shouldn't have been a crook," said Reed leaning back, "you're no longer a cop, so you can't criticise me anymore."

"That's not how it works."

"I'm still an officer, tough shit."

"You won't be after this, you think they're gonna let you back?"

"You let me worry about that." The monster patted his friend. "What I care about now, is you being alive, so we can find a way to bring justice."

Gaho groaned palming his face. He wanted to cry in frustration, but years of hardening his heart through self-discipline made it near-impossible. Finally a tear or two breached, a hard shudder through his body as his partner stroked his shell.

"All clear," Durond came back in, "we are safe."

"Thanks," Reed nodded, "I'm surprised you pulled that shit off."

"More surprised you would join me, but then you are American."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Any plan involving mass destruction, c'est la balle! I knew you'd help your partner more than follow the laws of your crooked superior."

"Thank you." Murata gritted his beak. "As misguided and illegal your plan was...thank you for your support, both of you."

"Hah, batard you never change!" Guy snarled with a creeping laugh. "Would you like some food?"

"Not right now thank you."

"I'll have some!" Reed raised his hand. "Jailbreaks always make me hungry."

"Don't make this a habit Sauressy."

"I won't, long as you don't get arrested again."

With a pot of water and the space heater, Durond made some noodles from his spare supplies and offered them to both, all three slurping together and enjoying the warm savoury meal. The brief cry of police sirens made them nervous, clenching up in quiet solitude before they passed again.

"So," began the chef, "what do you plan to do about your crooked chief?"

"How much do you know?" Gaho asked.

"He is working with the Daiei, your partner told me which is another reason I took the chance to help you."

"I see. I guess I'm really a fugitive now."

"Ouais," the shark rubbed his bladed scalp, "no badge, no authority, c'est nul."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Murata scowled.

"Hohohhh, you have no idea, even if I want to help you take down your superior."

"Why?" Sauressy slurped his bowl. "Because of the Daiei?"

"Well, yes, but also I hate cops, especially the crooked ones. You are no longer one, Murata, and your partner well...he is very bad at being a cop right now."

"I'll take that," the reptile shrugged, "now, the big problem facing us is, how do we stop the Daiei from making their plan?"

"We can't stop the Toho or Jinuchu," Murata twirled his fork, "neither of them will listen to us, and I suspect the war coming on between them has gone too long to stop."

"So we focus on Gondo. Destroy his reputation."

"May I suggest something?" Guy Durond raised his hand. "Back in France, whenever the police did something tres horrible, you know what we did? We riot on the streets."

"That's...counterproductive," the turtle slit his eyes.

"In my country's history, great changes were always made better when we threw down our tools and barricaded the streets. C'est chelou, but it is part of our culture to never tolerate even the smallest injustice from those above us."

"I'm sure that's part of all countries, Durond-san."

"So why not stand against?" The shark stood up with boldened fist. "Civil debate only gets you so far, when those above are criminals who break the laws they are meant to uphold, direct action is your only choice."

"It can't be that-"

"It IS that. There is only one way to frustrate your illicit superiors, be that your boss or the government. By shutting down the streets, by halting the gears of the machine by your opposing force."

"Heh," Sauressy shook his head, "wasn't expecting political discourse with a felon today."

"I have committed crimes yes," Guy nodded, "I was selfish, I was cruel, I did things for my own greed and I served my sentence because of you. I respect your work, Murata, because as insufferable as you are, you actually care about creatures. You are not a cop working a job, stacking quotas to get a paycheck, you are a guardian protecting others from those like me."

"Well, that's nice to hear," Murata sighed rubbing his knees, "but that doesn't help me-"

"Ugh lache-moi la grappe, MURATA!" Durond grabbed his shoulders and stared deep in his eyes. "You are not a guardian because you're a cop, you are a cop BECAUSE you are a guardian! You do not need a fucking badge to be a protector, you can defend the streets against another evil by yourself!"

"I hate to say he's right," Reed finished up his bowl, "we need to do something, and we can't rely on the force so the only other creatures we have are-"

"The public." Gaho's eyes lit up. "Yes. The public can help."

"Ahhhh, il a enfin appris!" The shark clapped his hands. "Now, the first thing to learn about barricades is-"

"No no wait, I got a better idea! I need to contact some folks, we need to set up a network that's off the grid."

"What are you planning?" Sauressy smirked with a gleam.

"Gondo told me that the public are morons," Murata clasped his fingers, "I say let's prove him wrong, show him exactly what they're capable of."

On that same day, in the depths of Issincho, Gojirama Kiryu opened his eyes in a dark room. His head was throbbing, his chest burned with a nuclear sting and his arms felt dead behind his back. His clothes were still on, which was a relief from the cold damp of his confinement, tied to a chair that had been bolted down in a small empty room.

"Rise and shiiiiine."

The door opened with a piercing light as Gojirama cringed from the voice. The one creature he hoped not to see, the golden dragon in his red suit with cresting horns that shone from the light.

"Sleep well, baby bitch?"

"No," Kiryu cocked his head, "if you're planning a new hotel, consider filing for bankruptcy."

"Heh...well, sorry but you already paid, you're not leaving 'til your time is up."

The door remained open, a long white blade cutting across the floor and blinding Kiryu's face. His captor put an illustrious shoe on the seat between his legs, grabbing the Toho lieutenant's head and looming over him with a smile. He punched Kiryu's jaw, beat him once across the face then drove into his eye before stepping back.

"This is the best fucking early birthday I've ever had."

"Nnngh...sorry," Kiryu scoffed, "I don't do strippergrams."

"Not yet." The red suit licked his lips. "That comes later...for now it's time I give you some heavy petting."

With savage blows Gihei struck his face and belly, but the saurian felt he was holding back with practiced punches. The dragon pummelled his cheeks and blackened his eye, at one point holding Kiryu's head to slam his knee into the snout. Sometimes Gihei went for the stomach, testing his blows like a punching bag as he made little steps, twisting his knuckles into Kiryu's ribs.

The wind driven out his lungs, Goji coughed and tightened his chest from every punch that Gihei threw. The dragon was smiling, licking his teeth with a crackling bolt that singed the air round his cheeks as he drove his foot through Kiryu's head, cracking it back against the rigid chair.

"You wanna tell me why the fuck you were at Sha-Wujing?" he put his foot back between Kiryu's legs. "You Toho love to shoot first, it's almost like you want me to fucking kill you."

"I'm not here because of Toho," Kiryu lied, "I left on my own, my boss refused to let me leave, but I did it anyway."

"So what you're on a little vengeance crusade?"

"This is a favour to a friend. A friend you kidnapped, after YOU bombed the temple."

"Ohohhh...ohhhhohohoh," the dragon stepped back spreading his arms. "It's that featherbitch, isn't it? Right, right, the two times you been fucking around with my clan was about her, so you got a crush on her?"

"She is my friend," Goji slit his eyes, "where is she? Tell me now, and I'll leave your teeth in your skull."

"HAH, you still gonna threaten me?!" Gihei popped his collar. "Do you know where the fuck you are?!"

"Yokohama, presumably. I know you plan to kill me, but I'll make you hurt before that happens."

"Oh well, glad we're on the same level. But you've seen what I can do, hope you liked Kamoebara's visit."

"I don't care what you do to your own, what I care about is you attacking a sacred temple to kidnap someone. So tell me, NOW, WHERE IS AOSUKAWA?!"

"You're in no fucking position to order me, Toho boy. But..."

He stroked along his horns and turned back to the door.

"I'm in a pretty great mood right now, soooo...alright! HEY, GET THAT FEATHERBITCH IN HERE!"

He called to a guard outside as a shadow passed by the door. The dragon went back to punching Kiryu, his fists sudden and rabid, trading speed for power to blind and bedazzle Goji with whipping strikes that crushed his ribs and riddled his face. Blood started to thicken under his tongue, and one of his teeth soon came loose.

"Hope you fucks got health insurance," the Jinuchu head grinned, "you make a good punching bag you know that? Don't cry or nothing."

"I'm better at punching back," Kiryu rasped, "I thought the leader of the Jinuchu Clan, who prides himself on power over all, would be bold enough to give me a good fight, rather than tie me down in a chair because he's frightened."

"Hah, naaah you don't." Gihei wagged his finger. "I'm not letting you out of this room, I seen what you can do. Rai told me everything about the ass-kicking you gave him."

"Hope you liked," Goji smiled, "I do encores, if you want to tag in."

"Really? You that fucking eager to die?"

"I'm eager to fight you. You want it too, you've been holding back all your punches."

"What are you my fucking trainer?" the dragon snarled flipping him off. "I'm savouring my meal, so when I beat your fucking head, I get to enjoy watching your brains sticky up my fingers."

"Really?" Kiryu scoffed. "You don't want to fight me like a real kaiju, monstruo a monstruo, as a friend of mine would say?"

"Heheh...Doi warned me about you." Gihei walked fading into the dark. "Told me about how you love to rile us up."

"Did he also tell you I upset him so bad he wanted to fight me?"

"Shit, really?!" The dragon leaned back in the light. "You pissed off Doi?!"

"I slapped him when he was rattling on," Goji smirked, "things started levitating and he had this look on his face, like I just squatted in front of him."

"HAH! Awhawww shit...well now I definitely have to kill you." His fist came down and crunched Kiryu's head to the side. "Cuz you did hit my brother, and nobody fucking does that. You also beat the shit out of Rai, so that's two for two you deserve to die. Even though that's pretty funny you pissed Doi off, I only ever seen that once."

"Really?" Gojirama creaked back his head. "You're...close with them?"

"They're the only fuckers I can stand," Gihei walked behind him, "Doi only cares about money, but he always took care of the family. Rai used to be really fun when we were younger, but now he...ugh, he's so different now, never takes a side which pisses me off, but he's still my brother, no matter what happened to him."

"So who's the real boss? Which one of you's in power?"

"All three of us. We all got our own biz, we don't step on each other's toes, that's what dad taught us. Now if he was here, hohohhh...you'd be fucking begging me to kill you before he touched you. He understood me."

The dragon stepped back in front of the door.

"My dad taught each of us the greatest lesson we could learn. He taught me that power was everything, and it's always been true since the day we first crawled out of the ocean millions of years ago. That's why I fucking hate this shit."

"What do you mean?" Kiryu shook his head.

"All THIS!" Gihei plucked his red suit. "This fucking society, where we all gotta wear shoes and put on fancy suits. The only time I feel free is when I beat the fuck out of pricks like you cuz that's what we did in the old days."

"You just want to be a warlord? Some uncivilised bastard?"

"The fuck's civilised even MEAN?!" the dragon snapped his electric teeth. "Everyone out there's a fucking fake, they put on their smiles at the office but at night they're screaming at shits online, they're jerking off to porn, they're drawing sick and twisted shit, writing murder fantasies not cuz they think they're evil, but because we're not civilised, we never fucking were! We're animals. But at least I'm honest about it."

"That's the worst justification I've ever heard," Kiryu scoffed. "You think your cruelty is valid because everyone has some interference thoughts? You think you're special?"

"I'm not special, I'm just not shitting you," Gihei leaned forwards, "I don't pretend that half the creatures I meet aren't jerking off about their wives getting raped, or murdering their boss cuz EVERYONE thinks that! Oh yeah sure they love their family, they don't HATE their job, just sometimes your mind goes off on a little wander and it finds a little cave where your real animal's living. But I don't hide it. Why should I?"

"Because it's wrong to act it," said Goji stiffening his legs, "thoughts don't hurt anyone, nor do fantasies, but acting them out to abuse others is always wrong no matter what."

"WHY IS IT THEN?!" He grabbed Kiryu's shoulders. "Why the fuck is it wrong when it's THERE inside you, a part of you?! You never thought about your boss getting run over so you get a promotion faster?! You never thought about that moth bitch in the temple, hiking up that skirt she wears and that thick fucking abdomen just BEGGING to-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Goji kicked hard in his chair as it rattled with fury, the dragon pulling back with a cackle at the Toho member's face.

"Ohhh you fucking have, haven't you Goji-boy? Hahahahaaaa, you always get so riled up about that lady, last time I talked shit you done this too!"

"I RESPECT her!" Goji shouted. "Shoji-sama is the High Priestess and if you speak like that of her EVER AGAIN-"

"You'll WHAT?!" The dragon slammed his foot into Kiryu's chest. "You can cry all you want you fat bitch, but down here I'm the boss, and you'll die when I fucking tell you to. You know I really think I was born in the wrong century, cuz everything that makes sense to me is just called immoral, indecent, fucked up...but why is it?"

Gihei walked round him again into the dark.

"Where'd it all go the last ten-thousand years, that we stopped doing pillaging and slavery? It used to be just business, you weren't doing it outta hate, you did it because you wanted someone else's stuff, and if they were too weak, well, they didn't deserve to have that kingdom."

"You're an abomination," Kiryu snarled with bloodied suit, "nothing you do can be justified."

"Back years ago it would be. That's the thing." The dragon's claws gripped the back of his seat. "A thousand years back, you'd be the chief of your village, with Shoji your wife and all your little kids running around. You'd be strong and respected, you fight invaders and protect your clan, because that's what you do. And you teach your sons and daughters how to protect them too. But then I'd come."

The face of Gihei loomed above with a long wicked grin.

"I'd come to your village. I would claim it for my own, and I'd see your wife as this strong fertile lady, so I claim her too. And if you couldn't beat me, then you didn't deserve her. And the last thing you see, after I've ripped out your throat, is Shoji's face panting in bliss, when I fuck her on top of your dead children. And she won't even miss you because I gave her better children, a better family, and your bloodline is gone forever...because you were weak."

His claws wrapped under Kiryu's neck.

"That's how the world fucking should be. Not posting likes, not trying to earn your bonus, not following some made-up shit written in a lawbook a few hundred years back but you and me. Armed to the teeth, until one of us dies. That's not cruel, Kiryu. That's just living. And I'm about to show you just how a kaiju should live."

The sounds of panic came from the hall as the dragon walked to the door. Grabbing someone he pulled his next victim into the room, a pale heron in ragged robes who was covered in bruises. One of her eyes was fully swollen, her beak almost bent with her arm in a sling.

"AOSUKAWA!" Kiryu rocked in his seat. "You, you BASTARD!"

"Ki-Kiryu!" the heron cried. "I'm...I'm sorry, I'm sorry I, I couldn't-"

"It's fine, Shoji-sama sent me, I'm here to help!"

"You sure about that?" Gihei's arm wrapped round her back. "Don't make promises you can't keep to a lady."

"LET HER GO! She's got nothing to do with this!"

"Ohhh but she does, this little featherbitch has a contract that she owes me, a little office theft. And I want reparations."

"P-please, don't," she pulled away from his face, "y-you're...you're a demon, you don't care about-"

"Don't fucking matter what you THINK!" he grabbed her throat. "You belong to me, and you're still my property until I say when you're done."

"LET HER GO, NOW!" Kiryu roared. "You already have me, she's nothing to you, I'll do whatever you want if you let her leave!"

"Ooooh?" Gihei turned to him. "Damn that's a fun offer...sadly it expired, cuz this little cunt broke the warranty on our deal."

"The hell does that mean?!"

"This little traitor's the reason I lost assets."

"You mean slaves, don't you?!" Goji spat. "I saw your auction at Sha-Wujing!"

"Slaves, assets, whatever, point is she's cost me money, so I gotta get my dues back from her."

"No, no no no, NO!" Aosukawa fidgeted. "DON'T, DON'T LET HIM DO THIS, PLEAAAASE!"

"I'm warning you now," Kiryu tightened his fists, "hurt her one more time, and I will destroy everything you have."

"Hm." Gihei smiled holding her beak. "I'd love to see you fucking try. But you know, she's done a lotta good for me before she left so...I should give her at least a little thanks."

He turned towards her with widened grin, her eyes growing with fear as she tried to push him back, but he gripped her neck even harder causing her to choke. She kept her beak shut as long as she could, his jaws opening with a forked tongue flicking across his teeth that crackled with golden bolts.

Kiryu roared kicking in his seat, trying to wrestle himself free as his arms and legs flexed against his restraints. Aosukawa trembled when Gihei locked lips, forcing her into a kiss before the dragon charged his breath, and blasted his lightning deep in her body.

The heron's scream ripped through the building, as thunder vaporized her lungs when Gihei's kiss would violate her soul, eyes rolling up as her screech went even higher to a piercing shrill. Her arms straightened into violent spasms, her legs rooted to the floor as Kiryu watched in horror at her ribs turning black.

Her chest crackled with a heave, her flesh roasting from inside, until one final death rattle came with her body not allowed to fall, until Gihei was done with his kiss. His vile tongue slathered electric drool inside her beak when he sighed pulling back, dropping her to the floor in front of Kiryu.

"Hoo," Gihei smiled, "was that good for you too babe?"

"You...you sick bastard," Kiryu gasped.

"Oh I'm sorry, you jealous? I don't do guys, but don't worry, I got something special for you...after I'm done with some business."

He stepped out the door and slammed it shut, opening a window to let some light through.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds together, for old times' sake."

His chuckle rang through the hall like a cursed bell, tender but cruel in its spiteful tongue as Kiryu looked upon the dead heron. Her tongue had melted to her beak, her chest turned raw and all her veins lit up like crimson branches. Sometimes there was a twitch, her eye flickering before it stopped, as Kiryu's heart sank in misery.

"I...I'm sorry...Aosukawa."

A few hours later, her body was taken away and Kiryu would be visited by Gihei again. The dragon was far more savage than before, ready to destroy Kiryu with crunching fists into his head and belly. For the next two days Kiryu suffered, beaten every four hours by the Jinuchu leader who took pleasure in pummelling him, and taunting him with Aosukawa's death.

While he still held a modicum of restraint, the dragon tested Goji's limits with crushing elbows and brutal knees that perforated his chest. The happier he was, the more Gihei talked as he beat his prisoner unconscious, then forced him awake with a splash of water to keep punching and kicking. Kiryu was never let out his chair, his limbs turning cold and his white suit turning redder with each day.

But even during the worst of it, Goji was paying attention to the bolts in his chair, rocking them in just the right position to saw through the legs in their weakest parts. He tried to goad Gihei into punching him specific ways, turning his body to take the blows and rock the chair even harder until one night he felt it crack.

Carefully using his bulk, he twisted the wood wider around the bolts until he could finally lift up the chair. He then waited for Gihei to return, bracing himself for revenge as the golden dragon marched back in with his crimson suit. Another creature appeared beside him, a tarantula in a long beige coat with four spindly limbs and two bulkier arms.

"Whaddaya think?" Gihei asked. "I wanna send a message to his family."

"When will you kill him?" the spider's eyes glinted in the dark.

"I was thinking of taking off his arms, watch him crawl around a bit. He doesn't scream like the others so he seems like he'll take a lot."

"I would like to take his suit with the pin. Subtler than usual, gives them no certainty he's dead or alive."

"Nice."

Grabbing Kiryu's arms, the newcomer untied him briefly, but kept hold of him hard enough to make sure he couldn't escape. The dragon slammed his foot into Goji's stomach to knock the wind out of him, pressing his shoe hard on the ribs. Shirtless and exposed, Kiryu looked down at his beaten chest, bruises forming a map of destruction that Gihei twisted the heel into.

With droplets of sweat glistening across his scales, Kiryu groaned as his arms were bent back to rip off his white suit that was thrown across the floor. The stranger then retied his hands, not noticing Goji's tail slipping into his own palm before taking the jacket.

"Where is your clan pin?" the tarantula asked.

"Are you robbing my account?" Goji spat.

"Your pin, if you please."

"Ask my bank, you can take my finger off if you wan-GRRHH!"

The spider grabbed his throat with a powerful clench, suffocating him hard with immediate force as he pinched the kaiju's larynx between two fingers.

"Do not test me," warned the arachnid, "while I cannot kill you unless Gihei-sama orders me, I can damage your throat enough to make your last breaths excruciating."

Gojirama's eyes rolled up with a choking fit, his airways closing up from the twisting pinch that bent the tube and turned his eyes red with suffocation. Gihei pulled back his foot to let the newcomer work, until Kiryu stomped his left leg with a heaving shudder and nudged his head towards his pocket.

"Thank you."

The Toho lieutenant gasped with heavy cough, dry-heaving as the spider pilfered his wallet from his pants and found the pin.

"Think you can get me some shots of them, Maung?" asked Gihei.

"I will do so," Maung replied folding the suit, "the plan is confirmed for next week?"

"Yep, we got the deed finally, that little one-eyed bitch did his job for once."

"Ganbe has performed admirably. When he returns I would recommend him for promotion."

"Hah, I got a better idea." Gihei's phone rang as he picked it up. "Yeah? Oh hey Rai...yeah? You feeling better? Yeah I'm just about to deal with him, gotta get all my tools, thanks for the early birthday gift! Any news on Mr. X and 'the Destroyer'?"

Kiryu cocked his head hearing the names.

"Nice, nice, I wanna catch up with Des before we start our big plan. Alright I'm getting another call, see ya back at the Tower." He hung up and switched to the next call. "Yeah what is it? Ehh?! Well fucking deal with it then, that's your job! I don't care how stormy it is outside, a li'l lightning don't hurt anybody! I don't CARE if you got a head full o' water, it's your FUCKING JOB to keep the roof clear! UGH!"

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and turned to Kiryu.

"I need to teach a little kappa bitch not to be afraid of lightning, I'll be back with my tools to deal with you."

"I'll be waiting," Goji grinned. "Can I get a cigarette?"

"What?!" Gihei snorted.

"I'm owed a last request, aren't I? One last smoke, before I bleed to death."

"Hah, that, that's cute you think I'm gonna let you die today."

"I just need one taste...then I'm ready to face whatever you have. I promise I'll last as long as you want me to, I'll be your favourite toy."

"...tch," the dragon shook his head, "what's with this fucking guy? Alright, yanno what, you're kinda growing on me so, fuck it, why not, one last smoke before you die."

"Thank you."

As the dragon headed out in the hall, the tarantula would follow, but not before Goji spoke to him.

"Khoumad Maung...right? You killed Kurasawa...didn't you?"

"...were you acquainted with him?" Maung turned his head.

"A friend of mine was. I just want to know, did you kill him?"

"I orchestrated it. But an associate of mine took his life."

"What's their name?" Kiryu stiffened in his seat. "Tell me, please. Call it a dead creature's wish."

"Hm...Gen Ganbe." The spider looked away. "Gihei-sama ordered him to. I assisted to make certain his death was as swift, and painless as could be."

"That's no excuse, you're a murderer. A murderer can never live free."

"What makes you think I do?" Khoumad stepped to the door. "One prison begets another, in my experience. I hope your friend finds some peace in their life."

His eyes glimmered like opals in the dark, departing from the room with a quiet shut. Gojirama sighed, shaking his head somewhat forlorn.

"I'm sorry Ganbe. I couldn't keep your hands clean."

When the spider had untied his hands briefly, Gojirama had slipped his tail up inside his hand so when his wrists were bound again, the restraints were more loose wrapping round his thick length. It was the perfect chance as he slipped one hand out then the other, sighing with relief as he rolled his arms and rubbed his wrists.

One last loosening of the chair legs ensured that he was ready for Gihei's return. Standing up a few times to flex his legs and test they were ready, he sat back down awaiting the dragon's return, hands behind his back as the shadow of a demon came to the door.

"You ever been to the dentist?" Gihei stepped in with a carpet bag. "They got some nasty shit in there, I kinda wanted to be one."

"Why didn't you?" Goji replied.

"Cuz my dad said I'd be more use knocking teeth out with my fist than drilling root canals. He really understood me."

"You sound close to him. I never had a father."

"Aww boohoo," Gihei rubbed his fists on his eyes, "you spawn out of the fucking gutter?"

"No, cuz otherwise we'd have been brothers."

"HAH!" The dragon waved his finger with a cackle. "That, that's pretty fucking good, you ever do stand-up?!"

"No, and now I probably never will."

"Awww now don't say that." Gihei pulled out a handsaw from the bag. "I was gonna prop up your corpse in the Tower, yanno I think Doi would really love your head mounted on the wall. Personally I wanna make you into a throne, like the warlords did back in old days, have your legs out front, and your skin all across the back."

"You really are a sick bastard," Goji smirked, "I'm...honestly impressed how open you are about it."

"Like I said, I'm the most honest guy you'll ever meet. Anyways, you wanted a cigarette right?"

The dragon pulled out a familiar-looking pack of smokes from his suit.

"I kept your brand from our first meet."

"Hmm, how romantic," Kiryu chuckled, "you taking me to bed after this?"

"Laugh it up Toho boy, you won't be laughing soon."

"I might as well before you kill me. Go out with a smile."

"Heh...sure, whatever."

Gihei popped a cigarette in his victim's mouth, Goji struggling not to use his hands still behind the chair as the dragon leaned in close and sparked the tip with a crackling bolt. His breath fumed across Kiryu's cheek, the scales trembling with a whisper of the storm. The Toho lieutenant took a deep breath, rolling the cigarette between his teeth as he savoured the atoms popping, then exhaled with a rich mushroom cloud.

"That good?" Gihei smiled.

"Mmmmph, it's perfect." Goji grinned. "Thank you. You want one?"

"Naaah I'm good, I got my own brand."

"No, take mine. I insist."

Remembering the face of an Irish mother, Kiryu flicked his lip with a perfect precision and spat the cigarette into Gihei's eye. The dragon roared pulling back from the burning stab, just before Goji leapt off his chair and came crunching down with a heavenly fist.

The chair had lifted with him, ripped free from the bolts and cracking apart when he slammed Gihei's head into the wall with a follow-up kick. Running for the door, he stumbled out in the hall with a sudden wheeze in his lungs, finding himself in the dark dismal depths of an abandoned apartment block.

Green floors and grey walls greeted him with broken doors and peeling paint, scratches from claws and brittles flakes covering the floor as he dragged himself down the corridor. The front hall of reception had been turned into a bar, a mouldy carpet with tables spread out and the desk now full of luxurious drinks beneath a large staircase.

"HEY, WHO'S THERE?!"

"It's...SHIT, THE PRISONER, HE ESCAPED!"

"S-STOP HIM, IF GIHEI FINDS OUT, WE'RE DEAD!"

Several guards shot up from their seats, downing drinks and charging at Kiryu who bullrushed a boar in the stomach, grabbed his throat, and hurled him over the counter to smash through bottles. A kappa swung his fist as Kiryu ducked low to kidney-punch, before kicking high to the chin to slam him backwards against the table.

A fox picked up a bottle and smashed his head from behind, but Kiryu stood his ground burning with adrenaline as he turned slowly. Dripping whisky down his bare back, he snarled at the fox who balked before a turning fist crunched through his head and knocked him down. Racing over to the bar, Gojirama searched under the counter for a medkit and found one to his relief, splashing iodine on his wounds and bandaging up what he could for extra padding.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"SOMEONE ESCAPED, I HEARD SOMEONE SHOUT-"

"HEY, IT'S THAT KIRYU FUCKER!"

Grabbing two bottles and a set of scalpels, he downed a quart and roared with the sharp sting reviving his senses before charging the thugs, the bandaged bare-chested warrior smashing through a bear's face with a bottle. A weasel with a gun took aim and fired, but his aim trembled too much as the kaiju rushed with a scalpel, and stabbed him in the shoulder causing a wretched scream.

When an ox slammed his head from behind Kiryu fell to the floor, set upon by the thug for a beatdown until Goji shanked his leg with another scalpel and twisted hard. The bull roared in agony before he was socked across the jaw, rolling off as the Toho lieutenant made a dash for the exit by grabbing a dog by the arm, and swinging him hard towards another three goons that crumpled underneath.

The front door of the apartment however was barricaded with security shutters. Voices in alarm went off as he heard the sounds of more pounding feet, before racing upstairs towards the roof. Through red-carpet halls he stumbled into a rec room, where old gambling machines and pool tables greeted him.

"STOP HIM, GET THAT FUCKER!"

"DON'T KILL HIM, THE BOSS WANTS HIS HEAD!"

Grabbing a pool cue, Kiryu took arms against the Jinuchu mob who rushed in, stabbing a tiger in the eye before cracking the stick over his head then dodging a mighty swing from a burly ape. He shanked the monkey with his jagged cue, barely inches deep until he hammered the wood deeper in with his knee, sending the the simian down with his screaming stomach wound.

A rhino lifted an entire table to crash down for his head, but Kiryu jumped back in time before it shattered in half, leaving the thug wide open for a running dropkick to the skull. On the ground Kiryu was kicked hard in a rolling toss, slamming his back to the wall before a salamander aimed a gun for his head. Goji responded by kicking both the thug's knees, the lizard shrieking as he dropped his gun whilst Kiryu stood up with a rising uppercut.

Grabbing the pistol, he made a warning shot and ducked behind the slot machines, bullets pinging off the reels with ricochets and high-pitched beeps turning to sad stuttering halts when tokens scattered out. One kaiju blasted a spear of ice that ripped across the slot machines, a violent crest of white that almost sliced Kiryu's scalp.

The frost-breathing lion received a heart-shot from a dampening bullet, shutting him down with a stuttering cry as he coughed his wretched ice with Kiryu making his escape. But a large rat blocked his path with a sonic scream that deafened his senses, and sent him staggering back with a burning headache. When the rodent grabbed for his throat and took his gun, Gojirama lunged with biting jaw that crunched the rat's snout causing him to shriek with tears in his eyes.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE SOMEONE STOP HIM!"

"THE BOSS IS COMING, IF ANY OF YOU FUCKS LEAVE HIM STANDING, YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

The Toho lieutenant ripped his teeth through the rodent's snout, recovering his senses enough to grab the thug's ears and slam him against the side of a darts machine. The rat managed to grab one dart and try to shank Kiryu's face, but Goji grabbed his wrist and threw himself backwards to roll-kick the punk off himself, a judo-toss that hurled him into a crowd of Jinuchu.

Higher he ascended through the old hotel, surprised by the lack of cries or outbursts from rooms that he passed as he made for the emergency stairs. Climbing up 15 floors with sheer adrenaline burning his legs, his footsteps echoed throughout the stairwell. Another pair of feet soon followed, and he soon knew who it was.

" KIIIRYUUUUUUU!"

The dragon's roar shot a bolt of lightning, a conduit shooting between the stairs with violent bursts on the walls that Kiryu dodged. He slammed open the top door, finding himself on a cluttered set of rooftops covered in blue tarp, with various wooden planks and iron bars piled up against AC units.

A storm grew above his head, the rain trickling down on his face and dampening his bandages. Some of the tarps would flutter, phantoms of azure gasping in the wind as thunder cracked the sky. A golden shot ripped past his ear, causing him to stumble when he turned back to see Gihei.

"YOU THINK I'M GONNA LET YOU LEAVE?!"

Another burst of lightning forked from his throat, Goji dodging best he could before lunging close to attack the Jinuchu leader. His heavy swipe was blocked by Gihei, who punished him with a crunching knee and a vicious elbow to the jaw knocking him down.

"YOU SEE THIS?!" screamed the dragon. "This, is MY FUCKING CITY! I own every goddamn thing you see, I own the park, I own the roofs, I OWN EVERYONE IN ISSINCHO!"

"So you know how to fight!?" Goji roared above the rain. "The way you killed Aosukawa, I thought you were a coward who can't handle anyone fighting back!"

"YOU WANNA FIGHT?! You wanna fight me for real, well COME ON TOHO BOY, GIMME YOUR BEST SHOT!"

With a Muay Thai stance, Gihei balled his fists and lifted up his toes before he lunged at the saurian, thunder sparking above their heads with the rain tearing across the roofs. The dragon swung an elbow for Kiryu's face, then spun his body when the yakuza dodged to drive his knee into Goji's waist, before grabbing his head to knee him twice in the jaw.

Kiryu stumbled back with blinding pain, blocking another elbow to jab swiftly at the dragon's eye then grab his throat to punch him twice more. When he tried to slam forth with a boot-kick, Gihei swerved fast with a jumping knee into Kiryu's cheek, then leapt high above to drive down his knee straight for Kiryu's throat.

Rolling fast, the Toho member dodged the golden limb that crunched a small crater in the asphalt, Gihei's suit fluttering in the wind as Kiryu stood up and made a taunting jab to make the dragon counter. When Gihei grabbed his fist, Goji pulled back to headbutt his enemy's snout, tripping him at the same time to toss him at an AC unit and crunch his back against its sharp corner.

Roaring with fury, the dragon charged in a full run as lightning cracked in a brilliant flash, blinding Goji briefly as he swung too soon and was punished with a brutal rising kick. Gihei grabbed his head and slammed it down to earth, mounting his head to hammer Kiryu's skull with a vicious knee, blood pouring down the saurian's temple before he was kicked away to the side.

Clutching his head as he staggered back up, Gojirama took a deep breath with bleary eyes and braced himself. Gihei came flying with a mighty jump, landing on Kiryu's shoulders with a driving elbow for his weakened scalp that Goji blocked with arms crossed. Crushing limbs punched down into his, before Kiryu swung his body low to crunch the dragon's spine against a stack of wood.

"Howsit FEEL?!" Goji slammed a foot into the skull. "Fighting like a real KAIJU, AGAINST SOMEONE WHO FIGHTS BACK!"

"I didn't wanna embarrass you, FUCKBOY!" The dragon grabbed his foot and threw him back. "But you wanna die like that featherbitch, then FINE BY ME!"

Jumping onto his feet, Gihei slashed for Kiryu's throat as the saurian blocked, claws raking the back of his hand when he grabbed the dragon's wrist and slammed his knee into his stomach. Gihei blocked the following punch to his head, wrapping his long tail round Kiryu's leg to pull him hard and snap-kick his whole foot into Goji's chin, then smashed the sole in his face.

Stumbling to almost fall, Gojirama threw himself forwards into a bullcharge to grab the dragon's waist, and crush him against the wooden planks. A brutal backhand to the golden jaw, followed by an uppercut crunched his head harder before Gihei ripped off his own tie and lashed it round Kiryu's neck. Startled by the sudden choke, the Toho lieutenant was punched hard in the chest whilst the dragon slipped round to behind and strangled him viciously.

Suffocating coughs rippled through as Gihei snarled behind his ear, fingers trembling as he choked his prisoner harder, whilst Kiryu clenched his neck with heaving gasps and reddening eyes. Throwing himself backwards, he crushed Gihei underneath when they fell, untangling the tie before rolling off to send an almighty fist into Gihei's eye. The second hit even harder, but the third fist Gihei countered with a straight jab to startle Kiryu, before kicking him off and standing back up.

"Not bad," Gihei snorted blood out his nostril, "you fight better than most bitches I've met. Been in a lotta fights as a fucking orphan, a pathetic little baby shitwad their mom didn't even want."

"Least my father wasn't a filthy coward," Kiryu smirked.

"THE FUCK YOU SAY?!"

"You said your dad taught you how to be, right? Is that why you're such a coward, killing me in a dark room no one can find me in? You talk all about being honest of who you are, but you don't even have the guts to kill me in broad daylight!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU-"

"DID YOUR FATHER KILL LIKE A COWARD TOO?!" Gojirama roared. "Skulking in dark rooms like a sad little boy, just like his sad little son who's so terrified of ladies he'd rather treat them as objects, than ever give them the chance to reject you."

"I'M FUCKING WARNING YOU!"

"Your father died a coward and every lady he knows probably spat in his damn grave, just as they will on yours. So why don't you do the one bold thing you ever did in your worthless life, and STOP HOLDING BACK?!"

"_You...you fat-faced FUCKING TOHO CUNT! _"

With a vile scream Gihei blasted his hands, raw electric breath surging with bolts of golden tongue across his knuckles. Grabbing his suit, he ripped it from his body and blasted bolts through the fabric when it fluttered above them, turning it to ash in the howling winds of the Yokohama sea. His muscular golden chest became slick with the rain down his pecs, his washboard stomach shining like the sun as he charged with venomous strike.

The first two hits Goji dodged, but when he tried to block a fist it punished him with violent recoil when thunder burned his veins, a crushing punch to his head following up to burst his snout. Two more punches came left and right, his eyes blinded by the discharge as he grabbed Gihei's neck and threw himself on top of him.

His vision blurry from the shocks, Gojirama roared with pummelling fists into Gihei's face four times before the dragon grabbed both wrists, and howled a lightning screech that shot Kiryu's chest and threw him back several feet. One eye was starting to bruise on Gihei's face, but Goji was far worse off with blackening scars and the welts from his torture.

The saurian felt his vision come back just in time to dodge Gihei's murderous punch, the dragon crunching an AC unit with his force as lightning exploded the machine. The top burst off with steam as Kiryu watched the grill fly above their heads, before kicking Gihei's gut to knock him back underneath the hovering metal plate that crunched down upon his head. Grabbing the grill as it clanged off his enemy, he swung it like a buckler to crack the dragon's jaw and send two of his teeth flying.

But Gihei recovered swiftly, grabbing the grill with a rabid snarl as lightning flicked across his teeth. Kiryu let go as the dragon charged it with bolts, sending it flying towards Goji who dodged fast when it embedded itself deep through a wall with frightening charge. When the dragon rushed him, Kiryu grabbed a tarp fluttering nearby to wrap round Gihei and blind him, his legs getting caught in the thick fabric as he struggled to grab the Toho lieutenant.

The saurian pulled him close for a brutal haymaker to his covered head, dodging back when Gihei tried to kick through the tarp before grabbing his head, and slamming him hard into the AC. With pummelling fists he pounded the back of Gihei's head before the dragon shrieked, blasting the tarp open with a shotgun blast of bolts that melted through the fabric. His face seethed from the blackening threads, like a demon escaping Hell.

"You...are going to wish you let me fucking kill you back in that chair."

He tore the cloth free and tightened his fingers, trembling with latent power as clouds grew above his head. With scattering rain across his shoulders, his eyes burned a solar white with lightning gathering in his form. The bars of iron laid strewn across the roof started to move, one he shot with lightning breath pulling towards him like a magnet before shooting like a harpoon for Kiryu's head.

The Toho member dodged in a desperate roll, clenching his wounded stomach as another iron bar came spinning for his skull that he ducked. A third one Gihei snatched up, blasting pure bolts into the middle that warped the iron to split it in half. With two molten jagged points, the dragon lunged for Kiryu who jumped back, one of the burning tips of his steel staffs scraping across the saurian's chest.

Grabbing one of the other bars, Gojirama blocked the first strike and barely countered the second before Gihei screamed a lightning burst, ripping the iron free from Kiryu's hands and burning his fingers in the process. Trembling agony made his arms nearly shut down, as when he tried to grab one of the dragon's wrists, Gihei shanked him in the thigh with the burning jagged bar.

Kiryu roared as the twisting staff gouged his leg, throwing his entire weight into a single punch that slammed Gihei hard to the floor, with steel bar still sticking out his leg. Tearing it free with a shudder, he charged with short spear for Gihei who blocked with his own weapon in a clash, Goji grabbing the dragon's neck before he had a chance to shoot lightning, and pulling him forwards in a hard knee to the jaw.

The saurian threw Gihei with a spinning toss, slamming him into a wall before dropkicking the Jinuchu fiend's stomach, then savagely beat him with the broken iron bar. The dragon shot a violent bolt to blast Kiryu back across the roof, thrown by several feet as Gihei charged his strongest attack.

"_Say goodbye, Kiryu. _"

The air started to turn thick with heaving pressure, bearing down upon Kiryu's head as he felt his own power grow. With a dark breath rumbling through his lungs, he charged up his aura with desperation, his heart turning thick with a blue brilliant energy. His bare chest glowed with cyan strips, as Gihei's lit up white with bolts dripping from his fangs. Kiryu's teeth smouldered with fire, waiting for the right moment as the dragon roared with a thunderclap, and Kiryu responded in turn.

" SKRRREEEEEOOOOOOOONK!"

A sapphire beam tore from his throat, clashing with Gihei's lightning as golden arcs cracked through the air. The bolts of yellow rage pushed against a nuclear blast, their forces meeting in the middle as the storm burned sharper above their heads. The roof lit up in a blinding force as their throats burned from exertion, their screams intensifying and their heads trembling harder.

Gihei's shriek rang through the sky as his lightning warped around Gojirama's beam, serpents of gold coiling across and trying to suffocate the raw atomic breath. But Kiryu pulled from the deepest pit of his strength, and with a flooding burst his sapphire beam burned the dragon's eyes. The head of Jinuchu was devastated by the full force of Kiryu's power, sending him hurtling across the roof and crashing into the pile of materials.

An earth-shattering explosion threw wood and steel all over the place, wrothful flames of azure seeping into the dragon's scales. His head slumped unconscious beneath debris, his arm cracked and bent with twitching fingers and scars of black peeling off his scales. The storm would cease, if only for a moment, as Kiryu fell to his knees with a shuddering breath and a fierce burn in his lungs.

"That...was for Aosukawa...worthless bastard."

"KIRYU! HEY, KIRYU!"

A voice called out from the far end of the roof, the thundering boom casting a silhouette through the deep dark sky. Gojirama sighed with relief, a pair of red wings turning bigger at his approach.

"Da-...D-danzaki."

His smile grew as he limped towards the pteranodon, Roberto flapping over to walk him over the roofs.

"You okay hermano?" he asked. "I just got here, saw your beam blasting out what the fuck?!"

"Gihei," snarled Goji, "got...caught, at Sha-Wujing."

"Alright...listen. I'm gonna get you out, just hang tight and follow me."

"Good...thank you."

With an arm round his friend's shoulders, Kiryu was half-carried across the roofs beneath flickering clouds. The apartments were all abandoned or squatted in, as he struggled to make sense of where in Issincho he was. He saw the river stretching north and south, the houses decrepit as they walked over planks and poorly-built bridges. Far from Gihei's hideout, six roofs away, Roberto brought Kiryu to the edge of a roof with the river below. The pterosaur looked around briefly then turned Goji round to face him.

"Alright, this should be good." The pterosaur looked around briefly.

"Where...where are we going?" Goji turned to face him.

"I just need to tell you something," Roberto patted him, "this is important."

"_What...what is it, I, need to- H-HRRKH! _"

A cold knife buried deep in his stomach. He looked down and saw Roberto's hand wrapped round the handle, sliding deep enough to hold as an icy chill went through his kidneys.

"Rai-sama sends his regards." Danzaki stared at Kiryu's face. "Remember what I said to you? I always follow the strongest."

"Wh-wha...you...Danzaki?"

"Vaya con Dios...hermano."

Roberto kicked his friend off the roof, as Kiryu saw the world rising above and Danzaki staring down from the heavens. The buildings became epitaphs to a cemetery, the splash never heard by anyone beneath the storm as his eyes closed under the murk, and the darkness embraced him. Watching the body disappear to a watery grave, Roberto pulled out his phone.

"It's done, Rai-sama."

"Excellent," said his voice, "the hardest part is over. We can now progress to phase two."

"What...what do I do now?"

"Return to your duties in Kaijurocho. Make no mention of Kiryu, Gihei's assassin will notify his family."

"And the rest of the Toho?"

"I will send a message for you to give them, when the plan begins. Expect it in a week."

"Sure. This better work."

"You would not have done this, if you did not believe it would. Have faith, Danzaki-san. You shall see a new Tokyo rise from this, if your faith and my calculations coincide."

"Yeah...hasta luego."

He clicked off his phone and rubbed his beak, a long deep sigh trembling from his throat before he flew into the sky. The long journey back to Tokyo was silent for him, as under the bridge there came a light, drifting down the river to where his brother disappeared.