Evolving Monster in the Monsterverse

The wind howled across the South Pacific, carried over thunderous waves that broke against steel and salt alike. From above, the twelve Jaegers descended like gods of war, one after another, their alloyed frames illuminated by the flashes of distant lightning and the blaze of booster flares. The ocean itself trembled at the sheer weight of their arrival, metal titans crashing into the water with seismic consequence. Around them, the darkened sea boiled, for it was not theirs to command. It belonged to something older; something far more monstrous.

Mark rose slowly from the abyss, massive limbs unfurling with deliberate menace. Ten tentacles spread wide across the ocean's breadth, forming a wall of living flesh and armoured keratin that dwarfed even the tallest of the arriving mechs. His thirty-six eyes glowed with burning orange light, scanning the approaching threat with both amusement and hunger. He recognised them not as soldiers, but as vessels. They were carriers of nuclear power, and to him, they were prey.

Without warning, the Russians struck first. Cherno Alpha and Zarya Moloch advanced in tandem, unflinching in their direct assault. Cherno's massive reactor arms spun into motion, crashing down like twin hammers against Mark's flank. Zarya came from behind, its elbow-pistons firing with tremendous kinetic force, pummelling Mark's carapace with relentless precision. But the blows did little. Mark's fused body; thickened through countless mutations, absorbed the assault like stone beneath rain. In one sweeping motion, he snapped two tentacles forward, wrapping them around Cherno's torso and pulling. The reactor hissed, limbs buckled, and the old warrior collapsed beneath the ocean's surface, crushed like a tin toy.

Zarya Moloch tried to retreat, only to be ensnared by another limb and torn in half with mechanical screams echoing across the waves.

"That's two down already!" shouted a technician over the UEDC comms feed, voice strained with disbelief.

From the east, the Japanese Jaeger Coyote Tango burst into motion. It moved unlike the others; fluid, sharp, almost elegant. Twin swords, sleek and folded along its arms, deployed with a hiss of hydraulics. With surgical precision, it slashed along Mark's outer tentacles, drawing blood but not pain. Mark responded with a high-pressure acidic spray from his vents, burning into the Jaeger's shoulder. Before the pilot could react, Mark coiled one tentacle around the machine's chest and crushed it, watching the blades fall limp as the pilot's life faded into silence.

Then came the Chinese. Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rogue attacked in tandem, a flurry of coordinated movements and alien designs. One wielded three arms and flowed like a dancer, the other brandished weapons instead of hands; heavy cannons and slicing arcs of plasma. Their attacks came rapid and rhythmically, striking Mark from multiple angles with precision drills and focused energy beams. It almost seemed effective, until Mark split his limbs in response, overwhelming them with numbers and weight. Crimson was the first to fall, a high-velocity impact shattering its thoracic plate. Shaolin Rogue managed a desperate leap away, only to be speared through the core and tossed into the ocean, limbs flailing like broken branches.

From behind, the Indian Jaeger Vajra Ananta surged forward. Black and gold, it glimmered with power as lightning arced across its chest and down its limbs. Twin coil generators spun to life and released bolts of electrified energy directly into Mark's torso. For a moment, his body convulsed under the electric torrent; but only for a moment. Mark absorbed the voltage through his magnetically-anchored core, redirected it into a tentacle, and struck back with concussive force. The Jaeger cracked, lights dimmed, and it sank into the waves like a temple swallowed by the earth.

Above them, Romeo Blue fired its plasma cannon, attempting to maintain distance. Mark turned, irritated more than threatened, and fired twin atomic beams from his eyes, carving across the Jaeger's shoulder and leaving a molten trail. It stumbled, fired again, then was caught mid-step and hurled into the remains of Shaolin Rogue. The impact detonated both.

Germany's dual Jaegers advanced next. Schwarzer Donner and Eisenhund moved like a single unit, every step mirrored, every decision synchronised. They didn't hesitate. They charged as though death held no meaning. They struck with unity, landing jointed punches into Mark's tentacles, severing one temporarily. Mark respected their efficiency—but not their odds. He feigned retreat, let them advance, then looped beneath and snapped upward, driving four tentacles through Schwarzer Donner's abdomen. Eisenhund fought on, blades spinning, but was crushed beneath the returning limb of its companion. They never broke formation, even in death.

The French Jaeger, Chevalier Léviathan, arrived last in a swirl of blue energy and dramatic flair. Twin chain-blades glowed at the elbows. Its pilots shouted declarations of honour over the open channel. Mark turned slowly, tilted his head, then simply caught the machine mid-lunge and crushed it like a tube of paint. It had never stood a chance.

From above, Gipsy Danger dropped into the fray. Its body still bore scars from its last encounter with Knifehead, but now it moved with new purpose. A retractable sword gleamed along its arm, and its mobility had clearly improved. It landed a solid blow across Mark's side, slicing deep into a tentacle. Mark snarled, turning with three more limbs, slamming Gipsy against the waves. He reached for the core, that delicious nuclear thrum vibrating in his sensory range, preparing to bite it free.

Then the Rift pulsed.

A flicker of unnatural light drew Mark's attention as the waves parted. Two shadows emerged—Kaiju. Category Four. Larger than most, and filled with primal malice.

Mark paused, tasting the change in the water's current. The scent of new genes. He dropped Gipsy Danger, disinterested for the moment, and turned toward the approaching monsters.

'Let the Jaegers wait,' he thought, baring his fangs, 'There are better meals ahead.'

{AN: We are nearing the end of the plot. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far.}