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

ななじゅうはち | seventy eight

もののけ | kaiju | monster

78

[A lengthy chapter ahead]

Gen

THE MAIN BASE, ONCE A FUCKING FORTRESS designed to withstand every goddamn Kaiju that came its way, is half fucking ruined. It was supposed to be invincible, built for resilience, for every kind of attack. But now? Now it's a fucking wreck. I could feel my blood boil, my mind spinning with frustration. We were too fucking off guard.

I was too fucking off guard.

I could've handled this. I should've seen it coming. Hell, I could've captured Kaiju No. 9 myself, crushed it before it even had a chance. But no, that son of a bitch Kazuya—he fucking caught me off guard. And now look at us, stuck in this wreckage because I was too busy fucking around, not expecting that bastard to show up like that.

That motherfucker Kazuya—he's been playing us all, and now I'm ready to burn everything he's done to the ground. I'm so fucking pissed right now, I could tear this whole place apart with my bare hands. As soon as I see him again? No hesitation. I'm fucking ending him, piece by piece. That bastard doesn't deserve to breathe another second.

And now? Now he's a damn Kaiju too. That's the kicker. The one thing I didn't expect-that he'd be a fucking monster himself. But it's not even stable. I saw it when he transformed. The strain in his face, the way his body was struggling to hold it together. It was almost like he was breaking apart from the inside. He's a Kaiju, but not a perfect one, not like the rest of them. Not like Kafka and Kiyomi.

Doesn't matter though. I want him dead. No more games, no more fucking delays. With or without the Lieutenant's orders, I'm going to hunt that bastard down and make him wish he'd never crossed my path. Kazuya doesn't get to walk away from this.

Not after everything he's done to my Lieutenant...I'm going to make sure of it.

It fucking hurts my ego, being the second strongest soldier in the Defense Force, and still letting those two monsters slip through my fingers. The sting of failure is a bitter fucking pill to swallow, gnawing at me with every second that passes. I should've done more. I should've been fucking quicker, stronger, better—but I wasn't. Now, those bastards are gone, and it feels like a goddamn punch to the gut.

The faint sound of a small girl crying cuts through the air, a mournful wail that echoes through the broken ruins. My eyes snap to the source, and there's Kikoru, kneeling on the ground, her hands clutching tightly to whatever's left of her father's insignia. The General Director, her father, is gone. Consumed by Kaiju No. 9. Fucking hell, I think as I watch her sob. The weight of everything crushing me. She's lost him, just like that.

But that's not even the worst part. Worst case scenario is we couldn't find any trace of the Lieutenant or Soshiro. This place is a goddamn wreck. It could have swallowed them whole. I don't want to believe it, but the doubt is creeping in like a virus, and I can't shake the fear gnawing at my insides. I don't want to tell Kikoru yet—don't want to break it to her that we can't find the Lieutenant, her sister.