もののけ | monster | soshiro hoshina (Kaiju No. 8) (COMPLETE)

ななじゅうなな | seventy seven

もののけ | kaiju | monster

77

[A lengthy chapter ahead]

Soshiro

A SHRILL, DEAFENING RING FILLED my ears as I drifted in and out of consciousness, the chaos around me still a blur. Everything was distorted—the sounds, the flashes of light—and for a moment, I couldn't fucking tell up from down. My head pounded like it had been split in two, a dull, throbbing pain at my temples. It took every ounce of strength I had to pry my eyes open.

Darkness.

Then there was light—blurry, shifting, but there.

"Kiyomi..." Her name barely escaped my lips, a groan clawing its way from my throat. The last thing I remember before blacking out was her—shielding me, transforming, her body covering mine like a fucking force field.

I blinked again, harder this time, fighting through the haze clouding my vision. The ringing in my ears started to fade, and that's when I saw it—those enormous, golden eyes staring right at me, glowing through the dust and rubble.

My heart skipped a beat.

I blinked again, the blur slowly fading, and reality hit me like a goddamn freight train. The chaos around me came into full focus, sharp and brutal. I was on the ground, pinned beneath the weight of debris, but I wasn't crushed. No, I was alive. And the reason why was right in front of me.

Kiyomi.

She was in full Kaiju form now, her massive figure towering over me, her golden eyes locked onto mine, wild but protective. One of her arms was extended above me, holding back the mountain of rubble that should've fucking killed us both.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my chest tight, panic clawing its way through me as I tried to process what the hell was happening. My eyes darted around, and that's when I saw it—Kafka, in his Kaiju form too, holding up what was left of the ceiling, his monstrous hands straining to keep the rest of the structure from collapsing on us. His teeth were gritted, his body shaking with effort as he fought against the sheer weight pressing down on him.

"Fuck..." I muttered under my breath, my voice barely a whisper as my eyes darted between them. Two goddamn Kaiju standing there, one trying to save my life, the other trying to keep the fucking building from burying us alive.

I struggled to push myself up, but the moment I moved, a sharp pain ripped through my skull like a fucking blade. My hand shot up to my head, my fingers brushing against something warm and wet.

Blood. It was dripping down the side of my forehead, pooling under my fingers. I must've gotten hit in the collapse, but that didn't matter right now.

What mattered was Kiyomi.

She shouldn't be transforming. Not in her condition. Not when we're barely holding things together. I glanced up at her, my vision still hazy, and saw it—the head of her Kaiju form slowly disintegrating, like fragile shards of crystal breaking apart into a thousand tiny butterflies. They shimmered in the air for a brief moment before dissolving completely, leaving her human head in place, her face twisted in agony.