In no time at all, word that Ashiro had succeeded in neutralizing the honju was getting around to the officers.
“Mina did it!”
Kafka, who was finishing off yoju, as well as the other officers, who were still in combat, were boiling over with excitement.
“This is the last one!” Kikoru said as her bullet pierced the core of the last remaining yoju. With that, the neutralization of yoju in the surrounding area was complete. A sense of relief spread out among the new officers.
But as if to wipe away that afterglow, there came a loud thoom that shook the ground.
“Huh? What’s that?” Kafka wondered. Unable to keep his footing amid the shock, he stumbled and braced himself with both hands on the ground. He had a feeling that this shock wave was somehow different from the kind that occurred when a kaiju was walking. It was more of a deep vibration that he felt in his stomach. The ground cracked at his feet and began to bulge upward. Kafka could hear the rumble coming from right beneath himself and his teammates.
“What is this? What’s happening?” Kafka asked unsteadily.
Not even Kikoru had a firm handle on what was happening.
Oh no!
That was when it dawned on Kafka. “Everybody! Get away from here!” he shouted.
And then it happened—right after the officers had reacted to Kafka’s warning and taken off running. With a massive thoom, the ground danced skyward. A heavy rain of dust covered the area, and it became next to impossible to see anything.
“All officers: high alert! High-energy breakout in the northeast quadrant of Zone D.”
When Kafka heard the operator’s communiqué, everything clicked into place. Why had ichthyoid kaiju been coming ashore as juveniles? Because they felt their lives were in danger, and they were trying to get out of the lake as fast as possible. Most likely, another enormous kaiju had already been lurking in the lake for decades or more when the honju first arrived.
“Estimated fortitude: 7.1!”
At last, the dust cleared, and the creature revealed itself. At its tallest point, it rose to a height of around fifty meters. Its body was grayish brown, long and slender like a serpent’s, although it had a thick barrel chest. On its trunk were limbs resembling suction cups, which supported its body. On its head were many blue eyes that sparkled like strange jewels. Using its suction cups, the kaiju began to move. Trees at its feet were trampled and crushed as it made for the city area.
“Mr. Hibino, is that —?”
Kafka answered Reno’s question before he’d finished it. “Probably a species of ichthyoid kaiju.”
“Ichthyoid? That?”
“There’s a behavior called estivation,” Kafka explained. “On rare occasions when they dig into the ground for road construction, ichthyoid kaiju will emerge from nearby places without any water!”
Estivation occurred in a number of fish species, such as the lungfish. They would wrap their bodies up in a membrane that served to protect them from dehydration.
“In the past,” Kafka continued, “kaiju that came to this land went into estivation and were too deep in the ground to be discovered. Then, more recently, the four-legged ones came and settled here. The ichthyoid kaiju who reproduced woke up the sleeping kaiju. The juveniles were terrified of them and scrambled over each other trying to get out of this lake.”
“A kaiju has come ashore in the Nagahama District of Kawaguchi Town, Fuji City! It’s advancing in the direction of Lake Sai!”
Unease spread over the faces of the newly minted officers. Evacuation wasn’t entirely completed in the direction of the advance. If they couldn’t hold the line, many casualties would occur among the residents there. But could they really hold out against that thing until the officers who were across the lake from them got there? It didn’t seem likely.
A single shot rang out, blowing away all doubts and concerns. Kikoru had her gun poised. “If that’s the case, all the more reason we’ve got to stop that thing!” she said, unleashing fire.
Haruichi and Aoi also began shooting. Among the incoming officers, they, along with Kikoru, were top class when it came to unleashed combat power. As they continued their fusillade, explosions erupted on the surface of the kaiju’s body.
“Sir! I’m going too!” Reno shouted at Kafka.
The sight of the best officers in battle inspired Reno, along with the other newcomers, to open fire as well.
The kaiju’s advance didn’t stop, however. Perhaps it only considered the attack something along the lines of a mosquito bite.
Watching the battle from behind, Kafka clenched his teeth and thought, Crap, at that rate, it’s gonna break through! There was no one here who had the power to stop the kaiju’s advance. There was only one way.
If I transform into a kaiju—!
At that moment, a huge and devastating explosion occurred on the kaiju’s stomach. Soon, it stopped moving forward. The one who had fired the shot was in a spot even farther back than Kafka. When he turned to look, his fellow rookie Iharu was the one standing there.
“Iharu!” shouted Reno.
“Sorry I’m late! I’m not gonna let you guys be the only ones showing off!”
The reinforcing barrage unleashed by Iharu and his group struck home, and the surface of the kaiju’s body was blown away.
“Honestly, this is no time for that kind of talk!” Reno said, although a smile was brimming on his face.
It wasn’t only Iharu who had arrived. Other veteran officers were assembled behind him, with Platoon Leader Ikaruga in the lead. This platoon was supposed to be stationed in an urban area in the opposite direction, so what were they doing there?
Why are they here? From that distance, it should’ve taken them longer to get over here—
As if in answer to Kafka’s unspoken question, a transmission from Hoshina came through. “All hands, can you hear me? I just sent Ikaruga Platoon your way. I’m sending along Agatsuma Platoon and then Takao Platoon as well. Hang in there somehow, and keep that thing where it is!”
Kafka thought, Vice-Captain Hoshina already knew about this kaiju?
Boom! Another explosion went off, this time near the head of the kaiju before them. Nakanoshima Platoon, Itakura Platoon, and Ebina Platoon all came running. The Third Division’s powerhouses were gradually coming together.
The kaiju had completely ceased its forward march. Facing skyward, its body squirmed.
“It’s working! Concentrate fire on the lower leg!” At Platoon Leader Ikaruga’s order, the barrage was concentrated on a single point near the suction cup at the bottom of its leg.
Kafka had a bad feeling about that. The kaiju’s body was covered in a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, and the bullets were not penetrating deep. So why had this thing stopped moving forward?
Kafka realized that the kaiju’s eyes, which were turned toward the sky, were giving off a blue light.
The operator’s message came through. “High-energy reaction detected in the target’s head! All officers, shields on!”
Kafka instantly obeyed her words and raised his shield to maximum.
Kiiiin! A shrill, metallic-sounding noise rang out.
The buildings, the ground, the lake jumped upward. The high energy emitted by the kaiju’s head uniorgan struck the officers. Kafka, no longer an exception, was blown far into the distance.
“Gah!”
His body rolled across the ground. While monsoon rains mixed with dirt and sand poured down from overhead, Kafka somehow managed to get back on his feet. The sound of gunfire that had continued without cease had now fallen completely silent. In a haze of dust, the kaiju’s colossal silhouette towered above him.
Just look at the size of that thing!
Kaiju and human—Kafka once again felt the overwhelming difference in strength between the two.
“Ugh.”
A groan sounded not far from Kafka. One of the officers was down. Most likely, he’d been fighting on the front line. His arm seemed to be injured.
Kafka immediately set about helping him. The officer’s arm was hurt, but he was conscious and lucid, and had no other noticeable injuries. His life didn’t appear to be in danger.
A hiss came from Kafka’s comms. He could barely make out Hoshina’s voice. Maybe the shock wave just now had broken his communicator. Either way, the static was awful, and he could hardly make out any words.
Again, Kafka saw a blue light overhead. The towering kaiju’s eyes were glowing again.
With another crackle of static came a faint transmission, this time from an operator. “Targ … again … high energy reac … ! It’s gonna fire that … again—!”
Even with his shield raised, Kafka had been blasted through the air like a rag doll. If the kaiju kept on firing like that, what would become of the injured officer who couldn’t move? Even worse, destruction of the area seemed all but assured.
Kafka clenched his fists and made up his mind.
Sorry, Ichikawa, Kikoru. You tried to stop me, but I—!
The surrounding atmosphere snapped, crackled, and popped, as if being purged of moisture by flame. The instant before he attempted to transform—Kafka saw it.