Beneath the sea, dozens of merged Kaiju gathered in a circle. Blue light condensed within their bodies, and the intense energy fluctuations caused the seawater to boil. They continuously squeezed the energy from their forms, firing it toward the center where the prototype of a miniature Wormhole began to emerge.
As energy continued to pour in, the Wormhole gradually expanded, tearing through the spatial barriers and slowly linking the passage between two dimensions. Finally, after these Kaiju had exhausted their last shred of energy, the portal stabilized completely. The blue light generated by the Wormhole illuminated the seabed, causing the surrounding water to rapidly evaporate into steam.
At the Hong Kong PPDC headquarters, the piercing wail of alarms filled the air.
"Abnormal energy fluctuations! Large-scale energy accumulation detected in the waters near Kyoto!" a monitor technician cried out.
On the massive main screen, real-time satellite imagery captured the anomaly in the Kyoto sea.
"Comparative analysis complete! Preliminary inference: this is a newly constructed Wormhole! Repeat, this is a new Wormhole!"
The commander's face turned ashen as he slammed his fist onto the control console. "Mobilize all available combat forces immediately to intercept!"
"Sir, all Jaegers are currently engaged! There are no remaining combat forces to deploy!" the adjutant reported, his voice tinged with despair.
On the screen, every single Jaeger was locked in a bitter struggle. Throughout the Kyoto city districts, scenes of violent slaughter between monsters and Jaegers played out everywhere. The portal was nearly formed, yet they were powerless to reach it.
Satellites from various nations detected the anomaly, but it was too late. The Wormhole had fully materialized, radiating an ominous blue light. In the next instant, a burst of intense light erupted from its center as the Wormhole began to operate at an overclocked frequency.
One by one, hideous and terrifying Kaiju surged out of the Wormhole. Though they varied in form, they all radiated the same aura of slaughter.
The only piece of good news was that this hastily constructed Wormhole was becoming increasingly unstable. The passage of a massive number of Kaiju caused the tunnel to oscillate violently, leaking unstable energy fluctuations in every direction.
Seeing this, the high-ranking officials of the United States made an immediate decision.
"Launch the nuke! Repeat, authorize the launch of a tactical nuclear missile!"
A carrier lurking in the waters near Japan received the command. A ship-borne nuclear missile roared out of the launch silo, streaking across the sky directly toward the Wormhole. With the crisis imminent, environmental pollution was no longer a consideration.
The nuclear warhead detonated as it reached the target, and a blinding white light bloomed over the sea. Following the thunderous explosion, a massive mushroom cloud rose into the air. The high temperatures and shockwaves produced by the nuclear blast swept through the surrounding waters.
The Wormhole collapsed amidst the violent tremors. Its energy instantly turned chaotic before exploding; the massive burst of energy intertwined with the nuclear blast, further amplifying its destructive power. With a final flicker of blue light, the Wormhole closed completely.
No more Kaiju were transported through, and a portion of those that had already arrived perished under the nuclear heat and shockwaves. However, the destruction brought by the nuclear blast was far from over.
The shockwave expanded in all directions, and nearly half of Kyoto was directly devastated. Buildings that were already half-ruined collapsed instantly, streets cracked open, and the entire city trembled under the nuclear impact. This level of destruction was even more severe than the damage caused by the initial monster invasion over several hours.
Inside the underground shelters near the coastline, the space was packed with terrified citizens. The sound of the massive explosion traveled through the thick concrete walls, causing the entire shelter to vibrate.
"What happened?" a middle-aged man asked, clutching his child tightly.
No one answered him, as no one knew the cause. Cracks began to appear in the walls from the vibration, the lights flickered, and then finally went out completely. In the darkness, people felt a powerful impact hit them, as if a giant fist had slammed into their bodies. Many were tossed into the air before crashing back to the ground, left dizzy with ringing ears. More terrifyingly, some began to bleed from their noses, mouths, and even their skin.
"Help! Help!" In the darkness, cries and wails rose from all sides.
This nuclear missile from the United States "filled the gap" in Kyoto's history, as the city had never before experienced a nuclear attack.
On the battlefield, the surviving Kaiju did not perish. The corpses of the dead Kaiju were quickly surrounded, devoured, and merged by swarms of Strange Fish. Those still alive made landfall, devouring and merging with the large monsters on the ground.
Watching this scene, the Self-Defense Force soldiers turned pale with despair. The Jaegers fought desperately to stop it, but it was futile. There were too many monsters, and the fusion speed was too fast.
The only silver lining was that, due to some inexplicable force, these monsters did not scatter to other countries as the Precursors had planned. They seemed to be influenced by an invisible power, all of them converging on Kyoto.
Watching through satellite monitoring, the United States and other nations felt this was a perfect opportunity to wipe out the Kaiju.
"Prepare for a second strike," a high-ranking military official of the United States ordered coldly.
A large number of nuclear missiles were already loaded and ready to fire, waiting only for all the Kaiju to finish making landfall before wiping them—and Kyoto—off the map.
The situation on the battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse. The Jaegers, who had initially engaged in a crushing battle against the smaller Kaiju, were now struggling just to stay standing. Several Jaegers had fallen under the monster swarm. Only Gipsy Danger, serving as the main force, continued to fight, though its chassis damage exceeded 70%. If it weren't for the protagonist's plot armor, a machine with this level of damage would have been scrapped long ago.
It is worth noting that Crimson Typhoon had been severely damaged during the great battle in Hong Kong two days prior and was still undergoing repairs. Had it been present, perhaps the tide of battle could have been turned, but for now, the three brothers could only watch from the repair bay as their comrades fell into a desperate situation.
Inside the command center, the high-ranking officials of Japan were filled with despair.
"Is it really going to end like this?"
No one replied. On the monitoring screens, more monsters completed their fusion and pounced toward Gipsy Danger. Eventually, the pilots of Gipsy Danger were unable to fight any longer and activated the escape system. An escape pod ejected from the Jaeger's body and, as if guided by a miraculous force, landed safely within a fissure, narrowly escaping destruction.
As the final Jaeger fell, the monsters completely ignored the firepower of the Self-Defense Force. Missiles and shells hit their targets but failed to even scratch the monsters' hides.
The truly terrifying part was just beginning. The monsters began a horrific process of consumption and fusion upon the ruins of Kyoto. They did not just eat each other; they began to absorb non-biological matter—building debris, car wreckage, and even the damaged Jaegers were dragged into their bodies.
Gradually, as if sensing danger, the monsters burrowed underground to continue their fusion.
The fusion lasted for a long time. When the final monster was absorbed, an unprecedented, giant monster crawled out from beneath the earth. Looking down from a high altitude, its body resembled a colossal centipede, reaching a staggering length of ten thousand meters.
Its metallic carapace shimmered with a cold light under the moon. Innumerable segments were covered in razor-sharp limbs, too many to count. Most terrifying of all was its head carapace—fused from multiple Jaeger remains. The machines that once protected humanity had now become part of the monster.
Kyoto was no longer the Kyoto of humans; it had become the nest of this colossus.