CHAPTER 23
THE FINAL BOSS
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As the sunlight greeted the Red Zone, several officers stood stiff, disbelieving a simple piece of information from a soldier with a skull mask. The projector showed a misty silhouette of a gigantic monster that had been taken inside the vortex. The final boss towered like a walking mountain. It was so big that a constant earthquake should have come from its steps. The clock was ticking. The bullhead gathered all the officers to discuss how to deal with it. Listening to a soldier with a skull mask and a crunch, the strategic meeting went on.
“Its length is around 250 meters, and it weighs 77,000 metric tons. Its body proportions and muscle mass are less dense than those of its earthly Komodo counterpart, but its bone density is higher to support its weight from gravity. The thickest skin is around 8000 mm of osteodermis, equivalent to 10,000 PSI of solid concrete. The shape is similar to a crocodile's backskin on earth ....”
For 25 years, all Red Zones around the world had been the spearheads protecting the earth from otherworldly threats, to the extent that citizens wondered if monsters really existed. Thousands of species have been recorded. Everyone could openly access the UNEMS public database to find out all monsters name, type, rank, height, weight, and every single piece of information they needed. However, the final boss in recent Portal Break had never set foot on Earth, which forced everyone to believe every single detail from Varg's mouth. Including a smart-looking person with glasses and a lab coat. He seemed to disagree with a comprehensive explanation.
“How did you know it when modern science has no clue about it?”
“I'm a Valoran. Everything about the Dragona Army is archived in our royal library ... and here.” He tapped his own head.
”Do you expect me to believe a folklore?”
Varg's expression twisted behind the mask. He turned to the lieutenant colonel and gestured why there was a fussy academic guy in a strategic meeting. The bullhead nodded. He permitted the prince to speak at will.
“Well, mister ... hmmm ... researcher.” He glanced at the UNEMS logo on the scientist's name tag. “I have converted the Valoran unit of measurement so you guys don't lose any braincell to comprehend my word. And the armed forces have paid another $100,000 worth of mana serum for me to get this valuable intel. I understand your desire for the sake of science, Mr. Researcher. But please. Shut your mouth and let us find a way to deal with that god-damned monster. Thank you.”
The United Nations of Ethereal Management and Security's researcher gasped at Varg's politely rude remarks. Feeling insulted, he turned at the bullhead and talked with a chin high. “Lieutenant Colonel, there's no data on UNEMS's index of codenaming. I've contacted Brigadier General Jimmy and followed up with UNEMS's office. The final boss is completely new.”
“So, what's the problem?”
“You are obliged for data input. We want to study it.”
“Just name it Titanodrake. Submit it to UNEMS's index, and let's move on to the real thing. We have no time for academic bullshit.”
A firm reprimand prevented the meeting from becoming a useless debate. Every single second was precious. As the 44th biggest tower in the world, Surabaya Red Zone has been built with 20-meter-tall walls with various thicknesses, from three meters wide to 10. No B-ranked monster could breach it. Indonesia had spent half of its annual defense budget to build it from scratch. Nevertheless, by measuring the final boss dimensions, the thick wall could be destroyed with no effort. Bullhead didn't waste time. He made sure to find out every possible way to mitigate the final boss before everything went wrong. The king of the land dragon, also identified as the Titanodrake on Earth, should have been put on the A++ list.
Rumblesss!
The earth was shaking when the monster took its step.
“Its getting closer, Commander. We can see its silhouette.”
Everyone gulped in fear when they saw how big the monster was. It was huge. With a length of around 250 meters (820 feet), its height towered three times that of the wall. Everyone wondered what kind of firepower to use to deal with the final boss.
“Gather all the information around the world. Ask any member of the armed forces who has dealt with A++ monster. What weapon did they use, and how? Do it!”
All officers glued themselves to the computer like underpaid game developers.
“Nevada Red Zone, 200-meter-long Gigantortuga. The giant turtle has thicker back skin than Titanodrake. The United States used Bunker Buster to kill it. GBU-57, equipped with a specialized BB with a ferro-cobalt alloy fuse. Dropped from Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.”
“Skip!” The bullhead yelled because there was no way Indonesia had similar military assets.
“Kadykchan Red Zone, Russia. 180-meter-long Behemoth. The Russian Navy killed it with a RSM 56 Bulava Submarine-Launched Balistic Missile. China also used naval-based missiles to deal with Kraken. North Korea used their ground-based ICBM to destroy a Leviathan.”
The bullhead ruffled his waist and shook his head like a child rejecting their meals. All the biggest Red Zones in the world used their big punchers worth dozens of millions of dollars. If the Indonesian Armed Forces intended to get one, all factions in the House of Representatives would dry their throats to say no. Every single balistic missile's price was enough to make any political party buy democracy for themselves.
This was a fatal weakness of Indonesian Armed Forces. While the rocket technology had been developed for 80 years, Indonesia didn't go anywhere. Even a random Middle East paramilitary force launched their handmade rockets into Israel on a daily basis. Facing a Titanodrake was close to impossible. There was no way to penetrate the 26-foot-thick skin of an 820-foot monster with any weapon available.
“How long until it comes out?” The bullhead shifted his gaze at a soldier with as skullmask.
“About five hours, Commander. The more dangerous the monster, the longer its preparation.”
“Are you sure no other monster around?”
“Affirmative. The radioactivity has stopped at alpha-one status a long time ago.”
It was seven o'clock in the morning. The clearing process should be done in three hours, and the remaining time should be used to reorganize various defenses. Relocating hundreds of monster carcasses wasn't an easy job, regardless of the dozens of heavy-duty vehicles around. A nine-meter-ankylodrake weighed twice the average African elephant. A 56-meter-long meganodrake's weight could be compared to six Leopard II MBTs. It had to be cut piece by piece to relocate it.
“Hundreds of manpower with chainsaws and dozens of transport trucks back and forth, not even half have been cleaned.” After three hours, Bullhead had no choice but end the relocation. “Time's up, boys! Get your asses out of there and put some firecrackers in. Move!”
The vortex pulsated sound when the final boss’s silhouette was getting clearer. The earth shook as the titan took more steps. Titanodrake finally stepped on the final boundary of the vortex and stayed in its place, as the vortex had not yet become a dome. The Red Zone's soldiers had more time to prepare. Two Leopard III MBTs were on standby while two Apaches took off. After two hours of preparation, finally, a head as big as a three-story building showed a nightmare.
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“Graawwwwwwwww!”
A single roar tore the air apart and trembled the earth so hard.
***
“Fuck! My ears!”
“Medic! Man down! Man down!”
Several unlucky soldiers dropped to their knees with blood in their ears, noses, and eyes. The roar destroyed their eardrums and vibrated any liquid in their brain. Military vehicle noise, gunshots, explosions—a soldier should get used to loud sounds beyond threshold. Hearing loss became a common thing. However, the Titanodrake's roar was louder than any sound they had heard on Earth. It literally sent a shockwave that tore the eardrum. At least 200 to 250 decibels vibrated the air molecules and traveled dozens of miles away.
“Jesus. It's louder than my wife when I forget her birthday.”
“Its roar alone could easily kill us! Holy shit! Look at it size! Oh my God!”
After roaring, Titanodrake seemed to have lost its power as its whole body had come out. Post-dimensional illness kicked in. The bigger the monster was, the longer it took to adapt to gravity and the atmosphere. Varg stood beside the lieutenant colonel with a binocular. Observing the monster's mana pathways, he did his important job as a spotter.
“Don't shoot yet, Commander. Take a couple more minutes for it to adapt.”
“Pumping mana?”
“Affirmative. The king of the land dragon has five hearts to flow oxygen and mana to entire blood vessels. In this state, its natural protection system will reinforce its skin hardness with mana layers. No weapon will do a scratch. We have to wait until the mana layer moves to its bones. A creature that big will be crushed by its own weight without skeletal support.”
The lieutenant colonel tapped his shoulder once more. Watching how big the lizard was, Bullhead didn't waver at all. His body language remained calm as he grabbed the microphone. “Hold your fire, boys. Take your breath and remember your family. Make sure that cute gecko doesn't go anywhere. Its ugly face will traumatize your kids, I tell you.”
“Huwooh!” Hundreds of soldiers shouted a warcry.
“Don't shoot the back and abdomen. Aim for the lower part of the neck. Neutralize the eyes. And set the firecracker. I mean, I lot of firecrackers.”
Receiving an order, a crazy guy drove a truck with piles of explosives comparable to a conventional ICBM warhead. He parked the truck near the monster and ran away as fast as possible. Preparation had been completed. Bullhead tried to defeat it with all the nastiest tricks in his sleeve. Fighting with probability, he grabbed his radio and contacted his plan B.
“Silver Fork, your boss here. Any report, boy?”
“All units have spread up to hunt the remaining target, sir. Is something happened in the Red Zone? I heard a loud roar from here. What the hell was that?”
“Your new mission. Bring Horny Granma with you.”
“On my way.”
***
There was a belief that all monsters were protected by the mana layer, so modern weaponry would not do a scratch. For 25 years, Walker educated people using media, movies, comics, games, and even formal academics. However, it wasn't completely false. The mana layer indeed existed on an A++ monster. Shooting a Titanodrake in its invulnerability phase was wasting a bullet.
“Judging from the ground pressure, it weighed about the same as Yamato Battleship. And its lengths is almost the same. Your calculation is correct.” Bullhead muttered, observing Titanodrake, which remained lying motionless.
“Commander, are you sure it's okay? We don't have to kill it. Earth is not its natural habitat, anyway. As long as we keep it away from any food or water supply, Titanodrake will die in a month. It will die faster with poison.”
“And let it destroy the entire city? I would rather fight with that gecko alone than hear any craps politician blabbering.”
Behind the mask, Varg squinted at his commander's remarks. He knew that the lieutenant colonel was a superhuman. However, even a party of S-ranked walkers in Ethereal would say no to hunting an A++-rank monster that could eat them alive. Titanodrake strength wasn't simply from its size.
“More information, boy?”
“Be careful when the monsters start looking up. That's a burst of fire.”
Rumblee!
Everyone gulped when the monster passed through its post-dimensional illness. With trembling legs, Titanodrake tried to stand. Any vibration from its trembling could be felt from hundreds of meters away. The soldier's heart was racing. Every second felt like a year. They opened fire as soon as Bullhead gave the order.
“Slayyyyyy!”
Boooom!
An Apache said hello with a hellfire, drawing a trail of smoke from its hard point. It blasted one of Titanodrake's gigantic eyes and changed it into a lump of jelly. The attack helicopter also fired a series of 30mmhigh explosives from hundreds of meters away. Titanodrake cried out a deafening roar. And its roar sent a vibration through the air, creating turbulence that shifted Apache's flight.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Stall! Stall!”
“What's going on, helo-boy?”
“EMP, sir! Electronic devices are malfunctioning. The shockwave delivered EMP blast! Engine is down!”
“Save your ass. And save your helo.”
“Yes sir.”
What will happen if a helicopter's engine fails in the air? The answer was simple. The Apache glided like a leaf and landed safely with autorotation. Luckily, the EMP blast wasn't severe enough. The attack helicopter could start its engine and continue to fly.
Leopard II, on the other side, moved back to gain a proper elevation angle on its turret, firing a 120mm depleted uranium APFSDS into another eye. The Titanodrake's body system sent a layer of mana protection that covered its retina. The hardness was like comparable to a dozen-millimeter-thick titanium alloy. Of course, with its 1,500 meters per second of muzzle velocity, a thin layer wasn't an issue at all. The DU-APFSDS penetrated it and delivered 12,000,000 joules of kinetic energy.
Titanodrake was completely blind. It growled in anger at the worst welcome party on a planet it stepped into. And it was just the beginning. As it walked near a truck, someone depressed a button.
“Poof!”
BOOOOOOOM!
Earth rumbled when piles of TNT shattered Titan's lower scales. The final boss just realized that the tiny creatures around it were dangerous. The blast lifted its massive neck like a boxer receiving an uppercut. The welcoming party kept going. As its neck was exposed, dozens of soldiers shot their arsenal. 20mm, 30mm, 40mm, RPGs, recoilless, and field guns barraged its thinnest skin, which was protected by a magical layer. The soldiers cheered when their sole enemy stopped moving.
The gigantic creature remained looking up amidst the smoke and dust, frozen, and showed a bizarre gesture that had been mentioned by a soldier with a skullmask. Varg had goosebumps. He grabbed the microphone when he realized what the lizard was going to do.
“Take cover! Take cover!”
The lizard's enormous size was more intimidating when it looked up for a long time. A flash of light visually gathered in its mouth as it sucked the oxygen away. The wind was so strong that every single piece of trash flew into its mouth. Behind a hurricane-like scene, a pillar of fire formed a kilometer long toward the sky, signaling how big its attack would be. The pillar erupted violently as the boss monster slowly dove to the ground.
Wraammmmmmmmmm!
The fire was more destructive than napalm bomb.
“Run! Get cover!”
Half-standing, with a height of almost 60 meters above ground level, kilometers-long inferno streams pass through the Red Zone's highest wall. The retaliation was incoming. Following the Titan’s mouth, the dozen-meter-wide inferno swept away and burned the dead town in the distance. The effect was terrifying. It instantly raised the temperature of everything in its path, and the damage was like an explosion in a petroleum warehouse. Everything was on fire. The danger was more pronounced when the angle was lowered to attack hundreds of soldiers in Sector 1.
“Arrgghh! My skin is blistering!”
“Save yourselves! Leave your post!”
Not even touching the inferno, dozens of soldiers were burned to death.