Y/N's Pov

The wind whipped across the open field as I dragged my cannon out of the helicopter, barely managing to steady it on the rocky terrain. It was heavy—heavier than any weapon I'd ever carried—but this was no ordinary piece of tech. It was the cannon, the one and only weapon capable of delivering an atomic blast just like Kaiju No.1. Specifically made for taking down colossal sized Kaiju's.

I didn't activate it yet. Not until I knew my team was covered. Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out the small, portable screen I always carried. As the image loaded, I saw the familiar faces of my squad. The bodycams of JP, Tank, Eva, Josie—each of them fighting with everything they had.

I sighed, the weight of the situation settling on my chest. But I had to get this right. We weren't just here to kill—we were here to stop an unstoppable force.

"JP, hold the position!" I barked into the comm, my eyes never leaving the screen. "Keep an eye on the routes the mini Titanos are using. Don't let them flank us."

The sound of gunfire echoed through the speakers, and I could hear JP's loud, unmistakable laugh as his submachine guns roared to life. "Hell yeah, Captain!" His voice was filled with manic joy as his bullets tore through the smaller Kaiju in front of him, turning them into nothing more than shredded meat. "They're no match for me!"

I gritted my teeth. "Don't get cocky, JP! Keep it tight."

At the same time, I glanced over at Tank, who was already coordinating the next phase of the operation. He was huge, towering over everyone, even in his combat suit. The massive axe strapped to his back was a reminder of why he was called Tank. He was in charge of herding the mini Titanos, pushing them toward the town square where Josie's drones could get a clean shot.

"Tank," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Get them into position. We need those mini's funneled toward the square. Keep the main roads clear for evacuation."

His booming voice came through the comms, thick with his usual confidence. "You got it, Cap. They won't get through me."

Meanwhile, Josie's drones were already on the move, zipping across the battlefield like miniature war machines. She had them sweeping the area, picking off stragglers while simultaneously tending to the wounded. Her skill with tech was unmatched, and I knew she'd keep us alive through this mess.

I turned to the final member of the squad, Eva. The sniper. The calm in the middle of the chaos. She was perched on a building's edge, rifle in hand, scanning the battlefield through the scope. Her shots rang out, one after the other, hitting the legs of the Kaiju Titanos as it slowly stormed forward.

She spoke calmly through the comm, her voice steady as ever. "The regeneration's a problem, but I'll slow it down." Another shot echoed, and the massive Kaiju roared in pain as it staggered.

I watched, mentally tracking each member of my team, ensuring they were where they needed to be. This was chaos. But it was the kind of chaos we'd trained for.

Once the Kaiju were in position, we'd get to the real work. But until then... I needed to make sure everyone was safe. The civilians. The other defense force members.

I turned my gaze back to the cannon. The battlefield was full of carnage, but we were here to control it. Not let it take over.

I set my backpack down beside the cannon and took a deep breath. Time to make my move

. . .

I turned the volume down on the comms. I didn't need the noise right now. The chaos on the battlefield could wait. My hands tightened around the cannon's grip, the weight of it familiar but never easy to bear. It felt like I was holding a piece of my own soul in my hands—heavy, charged with power, and dangerous.

I activated it with a smooth flick of my wrist. The hum of the systems syncing with my suit was almost calming, if only for a moment. My heart was pounding, but my breathing was steady. The air around me seemed to freeze as I focused. This wasn't just a weapon. It was my weapon. My connection to everything I've lost, and everything I still had left to fight for.

The screen above my suit flashed: 90%.

I swallowed hard. 90% was dangerous territory. I'd only ever reached that threshold twice before—and the second time almost killed me. It wasn't the cannon that was the problem. It was the power it unleashed. The sheer force of it. Even General Shinomiya, in his prime, only ever hit 89%. But for me to fire this weapon again, I needed to push past every limit my body had.

And I could feel it. The anger. The sorrow. All the memories of my past, all the faces of the people who'd been lost. I channeled it. Every last ounce of pain, every drop of frustration, every bit of rage. I wasn't just fighting for myself anymore. I was fighting for all the innocent lives lost to these monsters, for the families torn apart. And most of all, I was fighting for my parents.

The barrel of the cannon hummed louder now, alive with power. I aimed at the Titanos—one of the bastards that had caused so much destruction. My fingers hovered over the trigger, waiting for the last surge of energy to fill me.

90%. It was dangerous. But I didn't care. I steadied my breath and focused. I aimed carefully, keeping my eyes locked on the target. I had one shot. One chance to end this. If I missed, if something went wrong, the consequences would be catastrophic. The core had to be destroyed.

Everything lined up. The barrel locked into place.

Then, I pulled the trigger.

The world exploded.

A blinding atomic laser shot from the cannon, cutting through the air like a living thing. I watched it slice through the distance and slam into the Titanos' hide. The impact was explosive—there was no screech, no roar of defiance from the Kaiju. Just pure, unrelenting destruction. The beam tore through its flesh, the energy radiating out in every direction before detonating inside the creature's body.

The shockwave hit me even from this distance, and I had to brace myself, but I never let my eyes leave the target. The Kaiju crumpled, its massive form collapsing in the middle of the city like a ragdoll. The explosion from within tore it apart. I watched as the remains of the Titanos fell, nothing but blood and flesh.

For a moment, everything was still. I could hear the distant cries of my team on the comms, the sound of chaos, but in that moment, I felt... nothing. Just the quiet aftermath of another fallen Kaiju. Another victory.

Mission accomplished.

I collapsed onto the rooftop, my breath coming in ragged gasps as the adrenaline drained from my body. The cheers on the comms—softened by the volume—rang in my ears. JP's voice cut through, full of his usual cocky laugh and congratulations. But I didn't have the energy to feel proud, not yet. Not until the mission was fully over.

I managed to push myself up, barely, my legs weak from the battle. Reaching for the cannon, I tapped the side and folded it up with a heavy grunt. It was cumbersome to carry, but it was mine and leaving it behind was never an option. I threw it over my shoulder and made my way toward the rest of my team. My body screamed in protest, but I ignored it. There were still things to do.

"Y/N!" Josie's voice cut through my exhaustion. "Come here, you need to see something."

I nodded, moving toward her as my legs struggled to hold me up. I followed her voice until I reached her side, where the rest of the team had gathered around. She was pointing at the corpse of Titanos, still glowing faintly, though I didn't see what was so special about it. The massive creature lay motionless, its once-mighty form now reduced to a lifeless carcass. But Josie insisted there was something there—something glowing, hidden from the rest of us.

"I don't see anything," I muttered, my eyes scanning the area. But nothing. The corpse was just a corpse.

Josie wasn't having it, though. She pointed again, her voice more urgent. "No, Y/N. There's something there. Right there."

I frowned but didn't argue. Josie was always thorough. I didn't want to dismiss her without knowing for sure.

But before I could say anything else, JP's voice came through the comms, teasing her. "You sure you're not just seeing things, Josie? Maybe you've been working too hard." His voice was light, the same cocky tone as always, as he ruffled her hair. I could hear the smile in his voice, and for a moment, I almost forgot about the unease that had settled in my chest.

I shook my head and gave Josie a reassuring glance. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

I turned to speak to the Director, updating him on the situation. "Mission accomplished, sir. Titanos is down. It's all up to the clean-up crew now." I glanced around at the team. "We'll hold the area until they arrive."

Tank was poking one of the smaller Titanos, making sure it was dead. Thankfully, once the massive Titanos fell, the smaller ones seemed to go with it. They were all tied to the bigger Kaiju, and once it died, the mini versions followed suit.

But then, suddenly, the ground started shaking. It was subtle at first—just a little tremor. But it quickly grew stronger, shaking the whole building beneath our feet. My body jolted as I steadied myself, but I looked around, trying to find the source of the disturbance.

Tank, as usual, was unfazed. He gripped his weapon tighter and looked around. "Wasn't me," he grunted, though I could tell he was just as confused as the rest of us.

The shaking continued, and then I saw it. The corpse of Titanos began to glow, a strange light emanating from its insides. My gut clenched. I didn't know what it meant, but I could feel it—something was wrong.

Josie's voice broke through my thoughts. "That's the same light! It's happening again!"

Before I could respond, the comms crackled to life. The Director's voice, now frantic, came through. "Get away from there, all of you! The signals are spiking! It's unstable! Get out now!"

But it was already too late. The ground trembled, and a flash of light erupted from the corpse of Titanos. It was blinding, overwhelming, and in an instant, everything around us was consumed by it.

"Get back!" I shouted, but the words barely escaped my mouth as the light swallowed everything in its path. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched in horror.

One by one, my team started disappearing. First, JP's form flickered and vanished into the light, his voice echoing in my ears as he disappeared. Then Josie, her drones scattering as she was pulled into the brilliance. Tank followed, his massive frame swallowed up in an instant. Eva was the last to go, her face frozen in fear as she, too, faded into nothingness. Their screams rang out, and then silence.

"NO!" I shouted, reaching for them, but my voice was drowned out by the light. My body shook as I looked down at my hands, the familiar form of my body beginning to flicker, fading from existence. My heart skipped a beat, and I tried to hold onto something—anything—but it was no use.

I felt the pull, the overwhelming force of the light dragging me into the void. "NO!" I screamed again, my voice growing fainter, distant. And then, just like that, everything went black.

. . .

. . .

"I'll kill them all!"

. . .

. . .

"They'll pay for what they did!"

. . .

. . .

"I WIL HUNT THEM ALL DOWN!"

. . .

. .

.

I gasped, jolting awake, the cold ground beneath me harsh against my skin. My body trembled from the shock of whatever had just happened, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I took in the strange new sounds surrounding me. The rustling of leaves in the breeze, the distant chirps of birds, and the quiet hum of nature filled the air. My head spun as I pushed myself up, my eyes scanning the unfamiliar landscape.

I was in a forest—dense, dark, and filled with towering trees. The sky overhead was a soft blue, the sun filtering through the canopy in broken rays. But it didn't make sense. I had just been with my team, facing Titanos, and then... that light. The blinding flash. Where the hell was I?

I frantically looked around, searching for any sign of my team. But nothing. No JP, no Tank, no Josie. My heart pounded in my chest. What happened? Where did they go?

But then, relief. My weapon. There it was, right behind me. The folded-up form of my cannon, still intact, nestled against the ground. I grabbed it immediately, pulling it into my lap. Good. At least that hadn't disappeared too. It wasn't much, but it was something.

I reached up to check my comms, my fingers shaking. The familiar buzz of the connection should have greeted me, but when I pressed the earpiece in, there was nothing. I tried again, calling out to JP first, then Josie. Silence. Static. Nothing but dead air.

I frowned, tapping at the side of the earpiece and frantically checking everything I could. But I knew, deep down, it wasn't just the comms. All of my technology—my earpiece, my suit's systems, the uplink to the Defense Force—was completely fried. It was like the light had scrambled everything. No signals. No responses.

I checked my suit's internal readings, only to find that my UCP was still functional—stable at 87%, just under the threshold I needed to be fully operational. At least I could rely on that. And the weapon... The faint pulse in the cannon assured me it was still working. That was good. I wasn't completely helpless, at least.

I stood up, the unfamiliar weight of the terrain beneath my boots throwing me off balance for a moment. My legs were sore, and my head felt like it had been hit by a freight train, but there was no time to waste. I had to figure out where I was—and, more importantly, where my team had gone.

As I started walking, the silence of the forest was unnerving. The only sounds were the occasional snap of a twig underfoot and the wind rustling through the trees. I reached for the sidearm holstered on my leg, my fingers brushing against the cool metal. Even with the pistol, I still wasn't sure if I was fully prepared for whatever I might find out here.

That's when I heard it.

A screech. High-pitched, terrifying, and unmistakable. It was overhead, cutting through the air like a dagger. My heart skipped a beat as my body instinctively ducked behind the nearest tree. I held my breath, listening closely. It was big—too big to be just any bird. And the screech sounded... familiar. Like the call of a Kaiju.

I clenched my jaw and slowly drew my pistol from the holster, my fingers tightening around the grip. With the amount of UCP I had coursing through me, I didn't need to worry about using the pistol in close range. It would pack enough power to take down just about anything. But it was the fact that I had no idea what kind of Kaiju was lurking out there that had me on edge.

I stayed crouched behind the tree, my eyes scanning the treetops, trying to catch sight of whatever had made that noise. The forest felt... wrong. Like the air itself was different, heavier, as if something far more dangerous than I'd ever encountered was lurking just out of sight. My instincts told me to be on high alert, but there was still the gnawing question that kept eating at me—where the hell was I, and where was my team?

I continued walking through the forest, the oddness of the whole situation slowly setting in. The silence of the place was eerie, only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves and the sound of my boots crunching over the underbrush. Eventually, I stumbled upon a stream, its water sparkling as it trickled over the rocks. My throat felt dry, so I knelt down, cupping my hands and drinking from the stream.

The water tasted... strange. It wasn't like any water I'd had before. It wasn't bad, but it was almost like drinking a glass of water at 3 a.m. when you're half-awake—refreshing but with an odd aftertaste, almost like it was too pure.

As I stood up, wiping my mouth, I looked around again. Everything seemed... off. The animals here weren't like anything I'd seen back home. The birds flew through the air, glowing faintly, their bodies shimmering with an unnatural light. A group of deer grazed nearby, their antlers made of shimmering crystals, each one pulsing with a different color. Some were blue, some were violet, others a strange mix of red and green.

Either I was hallucinating, or I was in another world. The thought made my head spin, and I rubbed my temples as I stood up, trying to ground myself in the reality of the situation. I needed to keep moving, to find my team, to find out what was going on.

I reached up to a nearby tree and plucked an apple from one of its branches. Thankfully, it tasted just like the apples back home—sweet, crisp, and familiar. As I bit into it, I continued walking, the crunch of the fruit oddly comforting in the stillness of this place.

That's when I heard it—a sharp snap of a twig breaking. My senses instantly went into overdrive, adrenaline coursing through me as I spun around, drawing my pistol in one smooth motion. The barrel aimed toward the source of the noise, and I squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet flying in the direction of the sound.

But as I looked up, ready for whatever might appear, I froze.

A woman stood there, her eyes glowing a vibrant golden yellow, staring directly at me. She was tall—at least 6 or 7 feet—and her presence was unlike anything I had ever felt before. There were blue energy pulses weaving through her clothes, glowing across her body like veins of light. Her face had similar blue patterns, and the soft glow around her made her look almost otherworldly.

My bullet lodged itself in a nearby tree with a dull thud. The woman didn't flinch. She didn't even move, just tilted her head slightly to the side as if she were curious about me, her gaze unwavering.

She exhaled a trail of blue smoke from her mouth, the air thickening around her for a moment before she spoke, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. 

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, her tone commanding, the air around her pulsing with authority. "What are you doing in my kingdom?"

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I had no idea what this woman was—or where I even was—but something in her presence told me she wasn't just a random inhabitant of this world. She was important. And, given the way she was looking at me, I was definitely in trouble.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath, still holding my gun, though I was now unsure of what to do with it. "I—I'm lost," I muttered, trying to find my words. "I'm not sure how I got here, but I mean no harm. I'm just looking for my team."

The woman's golden eyes narrowed, her arms crossing as she studied me. Her head tilted slightly, as if she were trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth. The energy around her pulsed again, almost like she was testing the air itself for any signs of deceit.

"Your team?" she repeated slowly, her voice laced with skepticism. "Are you from the realms outside of this place? What is this 'team' of yours?"

I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to do was give away too much, but I was beginning to understand that I wasn't going to get anywhere with vague answers. And honestly, I wasn't sure how much I could trust her yet.

"I'm a soldier," I said carefully, "and we were on a mission. Something happened, and... we got separated. I woke up here, alone. I don't know where I am, or how to get back."

The woman didn't move, still watching me with those piercing golden eyes. The silence between us stretched, thick with the weight of unspoken questions and dangers. After a long pause, she exhaled again, her gaze still locked on mine.

"You're in my kingdom now," she said, her voice softening just a little, though the authority remained. "And if you're lost, then I suppose you're my responsibility for now." She glanced at the ground, her fingers twitching as if feeling for something. "But you'd better start answering my questions—because where you come from doesn't matter here. Not unless you want to get yourself killed."

I swallowed. This woman wasn't just someone I had to deal with—she was someone in power, and she had control here. Which meant I had to play this carefully, or my chances of survival in this strange world would be slim.

To be continued. . .

(Hope you enjoy that I mixed in parts from the Anime Kaiju no 8, I had fun making this part. Stick around for more)