The water around Garuda Inferno churned violently.
Tomy's hands gripped the controls like his life depended on it—because it did.
Deeper under the bay, sonar signals lit up like a storm. Multiple contacts. Bigger. Faster.
The first kaiju had retreated, but more were coming. Far too many to fight one-on-one.
"Tomy… this isn't a drill," the commander's voice crackled. "All units… offline. You're the only active unit in the sector."
Tomy didn't answer. He could feel the bay itself vibrating, responding to the presence of creatures that dwarfed even Garuda Inferno.
The water boiled and frothed as something massive moved just below the surface.
Something alive, ancient, and utterly alien.
"Brace for impact!" Mikael's voice yelled through the intercom.
Suddenly, a wall of water slammed toward Garuda Inferno. The mecha staggered, left foot gouging the seabed deeper, sand and coral flying. Tentacles whipped up from the depths, each one thick as a building beam, tipped with jagged barbs.
Tomy countered, swinging Garuda's right arm. The cannon fired in rapid bursts, each shot tearing through water and hitting some of the tentacles, sending dark sprays into the air.
Still, the creatures kept coming. Three more surfaces broke at once, eyes glowing pale blue, each bigger than the first. They moved with a terrifying intelligence, coordinating, circling, cutting off escape.
Garuda Inferno roared, metal groaning, hydraulics straining. Tomy's visor fogged with sweat and seawater.
"Target the largest one first. Focus fire on the dorsal plates!" he shouted.
The main kaiju shrieked, a bone-chilling sound that vibrated through Garuda's frame.
Water twisted, lifted, and crashed around them. Tomy fired everything he could. Heat and energy blasts tore through the surface, yet each creature adapted almost instantly, dodging, diving, slamming back into the water.
"Commander… this is insane…" Mikael muttered. "They're… learning."
Tomy tightened his jaw.
"They adapt, we adapt faster."
Garuda Inferno launched forward, its massive feet smashing into the shallow bay, kicking up waves like tsunamis. Tentacles struck, but the armored plates held. Sparks flew as claws and debris scraped against its body.
The water around him turned black with debris, oil, and some unidentifiable biological fluids.
From the depths, the largest creature surged upward, dwarfing the rest. Its massive form threw waves like mountains, crashing against Garuda Inferno. Tomy swung his arm cannon, but even multiple hits only staggered it.
"Hold… steady…" Tomy muttered. "We don't get a second chance."
The sea around Teluk Cenderawasih erupted into chaos.
For the first time, Tomy realized—this wasn't just an attack. It was a test.
The creatures weren't just hunting. They were mapping, probing, learning.
And Garuda Inferno was the only line between them and total annihilation.
The largest creature surged to the surface.
Waves as tall as buildings slammed into Garuda Inferno, spraying seawater and mud in all directions. Tomy bent at the cockpit, trying to absorb the impact, but the legs of the mecha shuddered, steel plates groaning.
"Fire again! Focus on the dorsal plates!" he shouted.
The right cannon erupted, heated projectiles piercing the water, striking the creature's armored folds. Dark fluid spewed out, reeking foul, coating the surface.
Meanwhile, three more creatures appeared from other parts of the bay, their pale blue eyes glowing, each larger than the first. They moved with terrifying intelligence, coordinating, cutting off any escape route.
"Stability dropping!" Mikael yelled.
"Pressure's spiking!"
Tomy clenched his fingers around the controls, pushing Garuda Inferno to its limits. It swung its legs and arms, smashing tentacles, striking approaching creatures. Explosions of cannon fire erupted, water boiling and swirling around them.
One creature circled and attacked from below. A massive tentacle whipped up, slamming Garuda's back. Sparks flew. Sensors failed. Tomy held his breath and pulled the trigger again. A short burst tore through the water, hitting weak points between natural armor plates. Dark fluid sprayed everywhere. The creature screamed—not in anger, but in pain.
Sonar picked up answering signals from deeper, more numerous than before.
"Tomy… additional contacts!" the commander's voice boomed. New blips appeared on the radar—six, seven, eight—all moving toward Garuda.
Tomy gritted his teeth. "No retreat. Focus on the biggest first."
He lowered Garuda Inferno, charging toward the main creature. Its massive legs struck the seabed, generating waves that shielded the smaller three. Tentacles lashed, but Garuda advanced, crushing them with powerful strikes.
The largest kaiju struck again. Water around it twisted, forming a vortex. Tomy spun the arm, firing the main cannon, but projectiles barely made an impact. The creature shrieked, waves crashing around it. Garuda staggered but held its ground.
In the distance, overturned fishing boats, shattered wooden houses, and a demolished pier were swept away by the waves. The air was thick with the smell of salt, mud, and biological fluids. The kaiju's roars echoed, bouncing off cliffs and mangrove forests.
Tomy drew a deep breath, eyes on radar and sonar. Blinking blue dots continued approaching. "They're learning… adaptive," he muttered.
He pressed the controls harder. Garuda's arm spun, cannon glowing red, ready to fire again.
"Log… first, second, and third contacts," he whispered. "This war has just begun."
Cenderawasih Bay had become a killing arena.
Beneath the surface, something far larger began to move. A shadow darker than anything before swallowed the light. Garuda Inferno stood tall, legs in waist-deep water, weapons still hot.
Tomy clenched his fists. Eyes focused.
"If we lose here… Papua is gone," he muttered.
He drew a deep breath, ready to face the next wave.
The next wave came.
The next wave hit like a freight train. Water columns rose tens of meters, crashing against Garuda Inferno. Tomy's arms strained on the controls, every joint in the mecha groaning. The cannon in its right arm fired in rapid bursts, steam hissing as bullets tore through the water, striking tentacles and armored backs. Dark fluid sprayed everywhere, mixing with seawater, salt, and oil.
Three more kaiju appeared from the shadows of the bay. Each was massive, with pale blue eyes that gleamed like ice. They moved with terrifying precision, circling Garuda Inferno, testing defenses, probing weaknesses. One lashed a tentacle against the mecha's leg, carving a trench through the seabed. Sparks erupted where steel met bone-like barbs.
"Stability down!" Mikael shouted.
"Hydraulics at limit!"
Tomy gritted his teeth. "Keep moving. Don't let them pin us!"
Garuda stomped forward. Each step raised a wall of seawater, smashing smaller kaiju into the bay floor. Tentacles lashed, but armored plates held. The main cannon fired again, the heat boiling the water, making the creatures dodge—but they adapted almost instantly.
One of the secondary kaiju twisted midair, launching a crushing blow toward Garuda's chest. Sparks flew. Panels bent. A sensor array went dark. Tomy swung the arm cannon, firing short bursts into its dorsal plates. Dark liquid erupted. The creature screamed—a low, bone-chilling sound—not in anger, but in pain.
"Additional contacts detected!" the commander's voice crackled. Radar blipped with seven new shapes, larger, moving faster. Tomy scanned them—some came from under the cliffs, others from mangrove channels.
He tightened his grip. "Focus on the biggest first. Others—keep them off balance."
Garuda Inferno lunged, crushing smaller kaiju with punches and kicks. Tentacles snapped against armored limbs, sparks flying. One massive limb wrapped around a pier, snapping it like twigs, sending wooden debris flying. Fishermen's boats overturned, houses on stilts crushed. The bay became a war zone.
The largest kaiju roared and surged upward.
The vortex it created pulled Garuda backward, but Tomy pressed forward, thrusting the mecha's legs into the seabed. Cannon fire ripped into its dorsal plates.
Blue light from its body pulsed in pain.
Tentacles lashed again, striking arms, legs, and torso. Sparks, steam, and seawater mixed into a blinding storm.
"Pressure critical!" Mikael screamed. "Keep your balance!"
Tomy ignored him. He couldn't retreat. Every action now was survival. Each blast, each punch had to count.
The creatures coordinated. One surrounded a small island in the bay, another slammed into Garuda's right side, a third looped tentacles under the water to strike from below. Tomy swung Garuda's arm, crushing two tentacles. A massive tentacle slammed into the hull, throwing Garuda sideways.
Sparks and hydraulic fluid sprayed.
He fired the main cannon point-blank into the creature's side. The blast tore through armor, spraying black fluid. Another shot struck a secondary kaiju's dorsal plate, staggering it backward.
Sonar picked up more signals—smaller shapes from deeper waters, moving fast. The bay was alive, writhing, and adapting.
"Tomy…" Mikael's voice was low. "This… this is insane. They're learning faster than we can track."
"They adapt, we adapt faster," Tomy muttered.
Garuda's left leg slammed into the seabed, propelling the mecha forward. Tentacles were thrown aside like sticks. Cannon fire tore the water, hitting armor weak points.
Sparks flew. The largest kaiju roared, a wall of water crashing into Garuda Inferno. Tomy braced, letting the weight of the mecha absorb the shock.
He swung the arm again. The punch connected with a dorsal fold, cracking it. Dark fluid sprayed. The kaiju screamed, stumbling back. Another blast tore a second fold open, the creature staggering in pain but not defeated.
From the cliffs above, debris fell into the bay as the shockwaves traveled. Trees snapped. Mangrove roots were torn from the soil.
Buildings along the shore crumbled. Fishermen screamed, running through collapsing pier structures. Seawater and debris covered everything.
Tomy's visor fogged. Sweat and seawater ran down his face. He glanced at the radar. New contacts were appearing—blinking blue dots rushing from the depths. "At least ten more," he muttered.
Garuda Inferno's arm cannon fired, scorching water as projectiles tore through approaching tentacles. Sparks flew. Panels bent. Hydraulic servos screeched. Tomy swung the mecha, smashing two secondary kaiju into the bay floor. Dark fluid and debris clouded the water.
One tentacle wrapped around Garuda's leg. Tomy twisted the mecha. The limb snapped under armored steel. Another tentacle struck the cockpit hatch. The hatch groaned but held.
He took a deep breath. "Log it… all contacts. First wave complete. Second wave ongoing."
The bay shook. Water churned like boiling oil. From the depths, shadows moved, massive shapes unseen but sensed. Tomy could feel the pressure, the intelligence, the coordination. This was no random attack. It was a war.
Garuda Inferno stood tall in waist-deep water. Weapons hot, armor scorched and bent, sensors partially offline.
Tomy's hands tightened around the controls. Eyes focused.
"If we lose here… Papua falls," he whispered.
The next wave hit.