Chap 141: third form

"In breaking news, the government has yet to come up with any statement regarding the new creatures appearing at Tokyo Bay...." The voice from the reporter continued to be a white noise for Takumi as he focused on finishing his food.

"We are here at the national conference hall, let's see what our leader has to say."

The room is suffocating with heat and flashbulbs. Rows of reporters are packed shoulder to shoulder, the low hum of whispered outrage barely suppressed.

At the podium, the camera pans to a woman in an ill-fitting suit who dabs her forehead with a crumpled handkerchief. Her nameplate reads: Minister of National Crisis Response – Hiosi Taka.

“Ah— yes, yes, I understand everyone’s concern. The situation with... that creature, the, uh, so-called ‘Shin Godzilla’. It’s very serious, of course. But the government has the situation well under control.” The woman tried her hardest to force out a smile, no matter how horrible she looked while doing it.

“Minister Takada, Shin Godzilla has already leveled three districts and radiation levels are spiking! What does ‘under control’ even mean?” A reporter stand up to ask her.

“Well— ‘under control’ means, uh, we’re closely monitoring it! Our, uh, specialized task force is analyzing the... biology. Very technical work. You wouldn’t understand, it’s all classified.” She glances toward the exit, as though hoping the nightmare might end if she can just slip out fast enough.

“Then what about the silver giant that appeared in Shinjuku. The one fighting this Shin Godzilla? Is it true your ministry labeled it an ‘unauthorized foreign weapon’?” A second reporter came up to ask.

Taka stiffens, blinking rapidly. “Yes— I mean, no— I mean, the cabinet is still reviewing that situation. The so-called ‘Ultraman,’ as people are calling it. That’s..... an ongoing investigation. It’s too early to tell whether it’s a friend, an enemy, or some... publicity stunt.”

A murmur ripples through the crowd. Cameras flash like gunfire.

“Publicity stunt!? That being saved thousands of lives while your forces sat frozen! Are you suggesting it’s fake?” The first reporter came at her with a new question.

“Now, now, let’s not jump to conclusions! The government cannot act based on emotions. We are proceeding with caution. If this ‘Ultraman’ interferes with official military operations, that’s a serious legal matter. We can’t have vigilantes, even giant ones, setting a bad precedent.”

“Minister, you didn’t do anything! Helicopter footage shows you evacuated your own convoy before the civilian zone was cleared!”

Taka laughs, high and thin, the kind of laugh that dies before it leaves the throat. “A-ah! That was... a standard precautionary procedure. Leadership must survive to coordinate relief efforts. If I had died, who would be here to answer your questions, hm?”

Silence. A single reporter coughs.

The woman straightens her tie, which is slightly stained with sweat and ramen broth. “Look, everyone, I assure you, the government remains committed to protecting the people. We are forming a new committee to discuss forming a sub-committee to draft recommendations regarding these— ah— extraterrestrial matters.”

“So, you’re doing nothing.”

Takada forces another smile, teeth tight as glass. “We are considering for a meeting about doing something. That’s a process.”

Not letting the chance for any more questions to be made, she clears her throat suddenly. “Ladies and gentlemen— that will be all for today. Please direct further questions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I believe they’ve just... relocated their headquarters somewhere safer.”

She bows quickly, too quickly, and shuffles offstage, tripping slightly over a microphone cable as the room erupts in shouts.

"Wow." He can't believe this world has such incompetent humans sitting at the top.

After yesterday, Takumi has to lie low until he can use the Beta capsule again, which is the next day.

"It won't come to the same place again now that it knows about me, maybe I can just go elsewhere." Shin has a sensory part of its biology, so could it sense him in a way ?

Then, a siren sounded. The news channel he watched just got a new update. The screen, showed Shin Godzilla in her new form.

Her body is changing right in front of his very eyes. Shin's skin is darkened and cracked from the abrupt evolution. Mouth opening wider as she screamed, the stub is now growing a small vestigial arm fused to the side.

She hobbled on top of an apartment building before its weight snapped the support pillars, causing it and the creature to topple over. Its own weight is causing it to shift from crawling to bipedal moving with its hind legs. Lumbering to some unknown target.

'Oh! Back already.' Taking off to somewhere no one can see him, not really hard when he is the only man to walk against the tide of people running in terror. Takumi take out his Beta capsule, and press.

*ZZZZ*

"Suwatch!"

Flying over the city, he saw Shin. This is her second ? No, third form. She hadn't been able to use her beam attack yet. Right now, she continues to grow in size and stature until she is taller than the buildings next to her.

The camera captures Takumi as the silver giant, flying just over the city where Shin is also at.

Takumi stared at her, seeming to decide on what to do. He looked to the sea, and back at Shin.

'I could push you to the ocean, but that could be a window for you to run again. So this is where I have to kill you.' Making up his mind, Takumi, in his Ultraman body, crossed his arms to shoot his Spacium beam.

White light fire at Shin's face, staggering it to fall on a building and crashed right on it.

Takumi didn't relent his beam, continuing to release the white light on Shin's entire body. For one full minute, his spacium beam enveloped the beast and every cell of it.

Unable to hold his light anymore, Takumi's light faded as his beam slowly dissipated until stopping completely.

Shin Godzilla was nothing but a charred corpse. Or he thinks it is.

Something shifted, small but undoubtedly, it was Shin.

*?!*

"This thing!" In a panic, Takumi dropped down from the sky. His leg forms a kick and lands directly on Shin's head.

*Stomp!*

The city shook as if it were hit by an earthquake. Takumi lifted his feet up to inspect, and there was indeed nothing.

The beast is showing no sign of being alive. Or not anymore.

*Beep* *beep* *beep* his timer started to beep in its red light.

This should be the end, for some reason, he still feels something is off.

"Why didn't I get a notification?" His senses picked up something, moving, far from him. But very distinct.

"No!" His body flew up, toward the signal of it.

"Damn, I thought it couldn't do it until the fourth form." Speeding over the Pacific Ocean, Takumi flew all the way to America. Specifically, New York.

A familiar giant creature is causing damage just by walking through the city. It was Shin, but how ?

Through mitosis, Shin can split its own cells to create more versions of itself, each would be able to grow and evolve just like the original.

"Shah!" A flying punch from Takumi tore the jaws off this Shin. Knocking Shin through a dozen buildings. The beast just immediately gets back up.

Dealing with Shin Godzilla, the hardest part isn't beating it or killing it. It's making sure Shin stays dead.

He can't use his Spacium beam anymore as he is low on energy. Takumi tosses out a dozen saw discs made from energy, tearing off one of Shin Godzilla's arms as well as taking chunks out of its leg and face. Shin roars in pain, even without a lower jaw. It's horrid screech reverberating through the ruins of New York.

Then, he saw something horrible, under the healing jaw of Shin, he could see what almost looked like a face.

There are eyes, a nose, and a mouth, a human mouth. A terrible realization dawned on him.

That this thing might not be trying to evolve in a normal way, but it's evolving to be like him.

*Beep* *Beep* *beep*

The beeping became a white noise for him, ringing to no one. This sensation was wrong, it felt wrong just to look at it.

Before his timer ran out, Takumi could still buy a good 30 seconds. Summoning all the strength he had, he flew into Shin. It tanked his body slam like nothing, but that is what he wanted.

Both of them were lifted off the ground in a matter of seconds. Takumi carried Shin Godzilla and himself into the sky.