Taninim vs. Lord Malice

[The Great MM]

Taninim vs. Lord Malice

Ref: Inferno Rodan... I guess

[yaburu]

Within the confines of his living quarters, where he’d been forced to go after his confrontation with several other Kaiju, Lord Malice roared his frustrations. He was ready to slaughter every last being on this entire planet.

He had been told, after he’d gone to his quarters, that a battle between him and one of the kaiju, called “Taninim” by the UCA officials, was being set up. But it wasn’t enough. He craved the screams of more creatures. The one who taunted him and revealed his newfound weakness for one. But he can wait. Taninim was first on his itinerary.

“LORD MALICE! Please step on the teleporter pad to be transported to your match! Please be aware that breaking the rules in this match will not be tolerated! Excessive brutality or attempts to kill Taninim will be met with severe consequences!”

”And you will soon find that bringing me here will have severe consequences for you all.” Malice pushed those words into the mind of whoever was behind the announcement.

“P-please refrain from using your powers on UCA officials, Lord Malice.” The voice came again, clearly shaken by the dark, monstrous voice that suddenly invaded his mind.

Lord Malice stepped on the teleporter pad, and herd it hum to life. Just before he was teleported, he invaded the mind of the UCA official again, this time placing the most horrific images he could from a variety of worlds he’d destroyed. Blood-curdling screams from a hundred different races were all the poor man heard and graphic, disturbing death was all he saw until Malice was finally teleported.

”Fool. Serves him right.” Malice growled as he looked around. A lush, tropical paradise was laid out before him.

He was sickened by it.

[The Great MM]

Taninim was confused after his confrontation with the evil one. UAC had separated him from the three others and were almost forcing him into the teleporters. The guardian didn't go without a fight. He knew these creatures were human, but they weren't the ones he had come to know and love. Likewise, he was nothing but another beast to them. Not a savior of millions, if not billions. Not a planet protector. Not even a good guy.

He was just a beast.

Taninim shook his head from side to side. The screens in his quarters showed what they do, but the humans here had given him no reason to trust them yet. He slowly walked forward, placing a foot on the pad before removing it. He looked back, narrowing his eyes as he saw people on the floor and behind huge glass windows.

He groaned before stepping forward. He stood on the center, and soon a hum began to fill his ears. The familiar, tingling feeling of his atoms being pulled apart made him yelp. In a flash of light he was gone!

Before he knew it, Taninim was in the shallow water of a tropical paradise. It was just like home! Seagulls called, or what seemed like seagulls anyway. They were too small to any difference at Taninim's height. The water was cool, the breeze nice, and sky sunny. It was his kind of paradise. But he could sense it. That evil beast he had encountered was here also.

This was to be a battleground.

Taninim walked forward, stepping on the sandy beeches. That's when the feeling he was being watched came over him. And he was being watched. Dozens of floating cameras buzzed around, keeping eyes on both he and Lord Malice. He ignored the machines. Lord Malice was an evil creature, Taninim could feel it. And like he had done with numerous others, he would destroy it for the sake of life.

Soon the towering form of Lord Malice came into view. He wasn't far away. Taninim roared greatly, catching the demon's attention.

[Inferno Rodan]

Yes, I'm reffing.

FIGHT!

[yaburu]

Taninim’s roar drew the attention of the End of Life, just as he wanted. Lord Malice snarled, low and deep, and the two snake-like creatures on his bottom section hissed and snapped at their target. Malice responded with his own bellowing roar. Pointing the tip of his tail at Taninim, Malice fired the deadly laser, but the distance between the two kaiju proved very advantageous for the heroic beast. He avoided the beam with ease. Malice fired again, and again Taninim avoided.

A third blast was fired, but Taninim was surprised to see that Malice wasn’t even firing at him. The beam simply sweeped across the landscape, obliterating trees and killing much of the life there.

He was ruining the pristine beauty of this place, simply to spite it.

Taninim quickly dived into the water as Lord Malice let loose another tail laser at the sky, incinerating several birds that had been forced to take flight by his previous assault. The mighty hero knew he was going to have to engage the evil being sooner or later, might as well do it now before he levels this place. Using his natural swimming proficiency to it’s fullest, Taninim streaked toward Lord Malice like a missile, exploding from the water right below him, as he’d moved to the beachfront of the island he was on.

His razor-sharp claws at the ready, Taninim ran them across Malice’s middle section in a diagonal slash. Following this up, and slashed across Malice’s face, leaving several gashes on the face in addition to the long ones now adorning his middle section.

With both strikes, Lord Malice cried out, feeling something he’s never, ever felt in all his eons of existence.

Pain.

He stumbled back, in utter shock. Taninim simply stood, snarling.

”P...p-pain! H-how...is this!? Have I fallen that far? Am I now so like these insects that I can feel pain!?”

Shock soon gave way to anger. Anger quickly developed to rage. A rage that the End of Life vocalized, with all his might. It nearly made Taninim think twice about committing to this battle. Nearly.

Focusing his eyes on Taninim, Lord Malice made the decision to take his frustrations and anger out on this pitiable thing. He may be weakened, but he was STILL Lord Malice, and he STILL had a mission. To kill. Without discretion. Without mercy.

He opened his offensive with his main ranged weapon, the Dark Energy Beam. It struck Taninim, who was knocked back, screeching in unearthly pain the entire time.

Malice smiled and closed his eyes. The beast’s screams comforted him. Even weakened, he still retained one of his most valuable powers, the ability to set off every pain receptor in the target.

Taninim laid on the ground, stunned and overwhelmed by the sudden pain. Lord Malice took the chance to strike him directly in his exposed underbelly with his tail beam. Taninim groaned and forced himself to his feet, his finely-tuned battle instincts letting him know that keeping himself further exposed could be fatal.

Malice stomped in, his six legs propelling him forward and shaking the ground. Taninim was easily able to tell where Malice was based solely on the vibrations. He whirled around to strike, But Lord Malice caught his arm with one of his pincers, and then quickly clamped the other around Taninim’s right shoulder, stabbing it with his hidden needle and injecting his poison into Taninim’s blood stream.

Taninim cried out and pulled away before he felt the effects of the poison. He stumbled for a moment as Malice smiled a toothy smile and brought four of his middle section’s arms up, clasping them together and preparing to bring them down on Taninim in what could only be described as a quadruple axehandle....

[The Great MM]

The blow came, slamming hard into Taninim's skull! The fish snarled, falling to a knee from the hammer-like blow. As his head spun, Lord Malice reached out, grabbing the body of the guardian and turning him around. He held the mutation from behind in a sort of choke hold, draing him of life!

Taninim struggled against the hold, put his physical might wasn't much against the evil one. He continued squirm, trying to free himself, but it was no use. He could feel his brain being denied oxygen, and if he didn't act soon, he'd be rendered unconscious. Only God knows what would happen then. Taninim tried to claw and kick, but Lord Malice was unfazed.

The guardian's eyes began to roll back into his head. Is this how it ends? Years of fighting the good fight, only to meet his end on an alien world at an alien evil? This couldn't be. Taninim gasped, putting all into trying to get free.

"Useless!" Lord Malice shouted in disgust, holding tighter.

However, Taninim was no longer trying to free himself with brute strength. It was futile, and now he knew it. Taninim focused his strength to his neck, giving him just enough room to open his jaws and clear his throat. He gasped, breathing in. Lord Malice sneered, shouting in rage as the orbs on Taninim's body began to flash with color.

A hum came from his throat and soon a glow. A burp-like noise followed. Then another. And another. It was as if he was throwing up energy! What came out was not a beam, but a bubble. A bubble nearly the size of Taninim's head and made of ion energy! Lord Malice looked at the bubble and tilted his head, confused as it slowly drifted upward and expanded in size. Then another floated up, and another. The three bubbled continued to rise into the sky, expanding in size...

Then a flash...

Lord Malice's eyes snapped shut at the light, but when he opened them, the bubbles were gone! Something else had taken their place! Dozens, if not hundreds, of missile-like Ion Needles showered down onto Lord Malice and the ground around him. The body of the evil one was engulfed in small explosions, making him scream in absolute rage! He dropped Taninim, allowing the fish to roll to the side as the final needles exploded on Lord Malice, making parts of his body catch on fire!

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THA-"

BOOOOOOSH!

Lord Malice's head was transformed into a plume of fire! Taninim knelt, keeping one hand on the ground as he fired his burning Ion Beam directly at the evil one's head! The demon slumped forward, shaking his head to clear the flames that covered it. The beast snarled in hate, gazing at the monster that defied it.

"You insolent insect!" He cried, lashing out with his tail beam again!

Taninim dodged to the side, but Lord Malice fanned it about, eventually striking him! The fish fell to the side, groaning as the beam turned his green scales to ash. The hero placed his hand on the burn wound, hissing as he touched it. The fish looked up, Lord Malice was coming in fast, the snake-like heads snapping wildly.

By now Lord Malice's poison was starting to take its effect. He had managed to escape before through sheer determination and adrenaline, but he was getting woozy. He shook his skull, trying to free his head. By the time he managed to, the demon closed in and lashed out. Taninim managed to react just in time, ducking away from one of the snake-like heads, rolling to the side and grabbing the underside of its jaws. As he continued to pull back, bending the head to the side.

Taninim bent the head up to look down at it. It roared in defiance, and Taninim lunged forward, wrapping his jaws around its in a sort of kiss! What followed next made Lord Malice cry in sheer pain as an Ion Beam was channeled directly into the long body of the serpent! Its dark flesh became light, the explosion inside its body becoming visible through its scales. When Taninim pulled his head back, he quickly leaped away, allowing smoke and fire to spill from the jaws of the thing!

"YOU FUCK!"

Before Lord Malice could react, Taninim dove into the abyss, taking refuge in the sea... waiting in the deep and keeping an eye on the enraged Lord Malice. He hoped the warriors he had encountered before were watching, to maybe show he belonged with them. Lord Malice slowly began to approach the water, tilted his head as he snarled.

Suddenly the water exploded into a wall and an Ion Beam launched forward...

[yaburu]

(That french-kiss beam has become your signature move, hasn't it MM?)

Malice roared in pain and staggered back as he tasted Taninim’s Ion power. ”I recognize that kind of energy,” Malice snarled ”Ion Energy. The few worlds I’ve destroyed that harnessed it’s power produced extraordinary weapons....by their standards anyways. I’ve never faced an organic being capable of controlling that kind of power before.”

As he pondered this, Taninim bounded from the water, rejuvenated. He landed on Lord Malice’s head, and unleashed another Ion Beam right into the back of his bottom section, blowing spines off and charring the armored hide.

Malice bellowed out and collapsed to his knees as the much more nimble Taninim leaped off him.
_____________
Meanwhile, outside the Hub, Myston, Aiya, and Musashi stood, watching a gigantic monitor showing Malice’s battle with the heroic Taninim.

“Ass-face isn’t doing too bad.” Aiya observed.

“More then that, he’s winning. For the moment, anyways.” Myston added.

“Do you think it’s because he’s just tough, or is Malice that much weaker?”

“Both. This ‘Taninim’ is clearly a seasoned warrior. Whatever world and whatever dimension he’s from has probably had it’s share of giant beasts. He’s been forged in the fires of combat, like the three of us. But Malice isn’t used to fighting like this.

The same thing happened to the Lord Malice I fought once Unule bonded Anguirus, Nova and I. He’s not used to fighting a foe that is just as powerful as he, and he’s certainly not used to feeling pain. We’ve all been feeling pain all our life, we’ve gotten used to it. But this is the first time he’s ever been confronted with it. Strictly speaking, Lord Malice is still more powerful then Taninim. But Taninim’s advantage lies in his superior fighting skills, and Malice’s inability to handle pain.”

“You think Assface will win?”

Myston sighed. “Why do you not call him Taninim?”

“I like Assface better. Has a nice ring to it.”

“Well, I think if Taninim is to win, he must end it quickly. I fear that Malice will quickly adapt to the pain he feels, and will learn to fight on Taninim’s level quickly as well.”
____________
Taninim landed nimbly behind Lord Malice and whirled around, preparing for another Ion-based attack. But he never got the chance. Malice’s tail lashed out and wrapped itself around Taninim’s neck, yanking him off his feet and opening him up to Malice’s Dark Energy Beam once again.

Taninim’s cries of mortal pain once again comforted the End of Life, and he followed through with a spray of acid from his tendril. The back of Taninim sizzled as the acid ate away at his flesh. With a screech of alarm, Taninim scrambled back into the water, diluting the acid and sparing him any further, more severe damage.

He blinked a few times and shook his head, that damn poison was still in his bloodstream. He decided to try another attack from the water. Bursting forth, Taninim let loose a war cry as he struck...thin air.

Malice was gone!

Taninim looked around, but couldn’t find his enemy. It was then that he noticed a massive shadow to the left of him. A shadow that was growing. Looking up, he saw the form of Lord Malice, plummeting toward him.

All of Malice’s tonnage came crashing down on Taninim, crushing him beneath his bulk. Stepping off, Malice looked at the serpent that had been attacked earlier. It was effectively dead for the moment, but would come back to life later when he healed.

Snarling, Malaice waved his hand, and used his pyrokinesis to create a blanket of fire above Taninim....

[The Great MM]

Taninim lifted his arm to protect his face, but if Lord Malice actually believed fire would destroy his opponent, he was a bigger fool than Taninim thought. The flames came down like a wave of water, making the guardian's sound bellow out. Lord Malice walked back, chuckling as his flames blanketed the fish mutant. The demon looked at the inferno, looking for any sign of life.

And then he got it.

Taninim burst from the inferno, scales scaled and some actually burnt off. His burst of speed surprised the beast, making Malice yell out. Before he could react, the guardian leaped up, spinning in the air and slamming his long tail across Malice's mid-section. The evil one lashed out, trying to catch the hero. Taninim ducked down, avoiding a blow and kicking out...

What he hit was the area between his front legs...

Lord Malice screamed in rage. Taninim didn't know if he hit Lord Malice's groin or not, the damn thing was so bizarre, but it seemed to cause enough pain to make the beast collapse down, allowing Tanimim to leap up, driving both knees into the underside of his jaws! The fish snarled as he stepped back, but just as he did, the devil lashed out. The two serpents bit down on his forearm, pulling him close.

Malice reached out with a pincer once Taninim's jaws popped open. The guardian was preparing to fire again, but the demon clamped his jaws shut. Taninim began to struggle as Lord Malice stood back up, pulling the fish off of its feet and into the air, staring face to face with the superhero.

"And now you die." Taninim's eyes slowly closed and he sighed, his squirming stopping. "Accept your fate."

------

"Looks like assface is done." Aiya declared, slowly turning around from the screen and beginning to leave.

Myston didn't respond. The hero didn't believe Taninim was destined to die like this. The beast had to have something else up its sleeve...

-----

And Taninim did, indeed, have something up his sleeve! As Lord Malice slowly applied pressure to his jaws, spilling blood as the pincers cut into his flesh, his lure stood on its end. If Lord Malice wasn't savoring the pain so much, he would have heard the hum coming from the lure and seen the bulbs on Taninim's chest flickering with light.

Lord Malice finally noticed something was up and looked at Taninim. He tilted his head, taking his eyes away from the bloody maw to the lure.

"What are you gonna' do? Flash me?"

Just as Lord Malice finished his mockery, Taninim's eyes snapped open. He did exactly what Malice asked. The lure surged with Ion Energy, and a light, as bright as the sun, ripped out. Lord Malice instantly screamed, releasing Taninim and allowing him to fall. The demon wanted to bring his arms up to his eyes, but his limbs wouldn't obey.

Because what happened was no normal flash of light. The light itself blinded the titan, but with the light, trillions of Ion Energy Particles entered his being. Now they were devastating his body! He fell to the side, jaws foaming as he struggled to breath. His numerous limbs twitched and smacked the ground uncontrollably. His six legs dug trenches. His tail knotted itself as it whipped. And the serpents on its lower half continued to squirm and bash the ground with their skulls.

The energy screwed with his innards. His heart skipped beats, and then rapidly accelerated, before slowing down again. His eyes, even as the blindness left, began to focus and un-focus. They looked in different directions. His brain pulsated, giving him a nasty headache. His stomach began to churn. His lungs refused to breath in and then breath out.

Taninim remained on his knees, popping his jaws open. When he flexed his jaws, a stream of blood fell from the deep wound caused by Malice's pincer, but his pain was nothing compared to what Lord Malice was now suffering from his Ion Flash. The guardian stood up tall, popping his neck and spitting a crushed tooth out of his jaws.

As Lord Malice continued to spasm and twitch, a pool of saliva and foam formed under his head, Taninim began to release Ion Bubbles again. The bubbles emerged from his jaws and began to float up above the juggernaut, expanding in size and preparing to pop...

[yaburu]

Malice was still twitching and could do nothing to stop or avoid the Ion Bubble’s deadly payload as they exploded, the small needles shooting into his body, covering it in a blanket of Ion-fueled explosions. Malice’s bellows of pain could be heard for miles, and the impact his body made when he fell over could be felt just as far.

Taninim ushered a cry of triumph and began building another Ion Beam in his throat, hoping to strike the prone Lord Malice in the head and end this battle. But before he could unleash his attack, his legs were swept out from under him, and the Ion blast was released harmlessly into the air. Taninim looked in confusion. Malice’s tail was nowhere near him.

”Foolish being.”

Taninim felt himself suddenly picked up off the ground, his body levitating off of it entirely. Malice picked his bulk up off the ground and roared. ”I...will...not...be...BEATEN!”

His powerful legs slammed into the soft sand as they propelled him forward, and Taninim looked on in frustration, unable to move. He decided it might be time for another Ion Flash, but before he could start the attack, he felt ten fists drive themselves into his exposed body, all at once. The impact sent him flying into the jungle of the island they were on.

Malice’s laughter echoed in Taninim’s mind. He felt the familiar tell-tale tremors that let him know Malice was on the move. Using these as a beacon to hone in on him, he unleashed an Ion Beam that struck him dead center in the top section’s chest.

Malice roared again, more in anger then anything else ”These Ion energy attacks of yours are getting irritating, insect. Perhaps it’s time....you tasted them.”

Taninim stood back up, ready to attack, but was struck from behind by a searing pain. He whirled around, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw another of himself, snarling at him. But it was different, the angler lure on it’s head was replaced with a curved horn, with a red orb on the end that continuously dripped blood. It’s eyes were a deep crimson, and it’s body was black, with strange cracks running along it that leaked blood as well.

Taninim was too stunned to avoid the sudden attack that came from his evil twin, as it leaped in and sank it’s large, sharp teeth into his shoulder. Taninim roared in pain as his doppleganger moved his head from side to side, further damaging the bite area. Finally, he shoved the beast off of him, only to see it charging up for another Ion attack....

(Note: Just a heads up, stopping the Ion beam with an attack won’t count as one of your three attacks.)

[The Great MM]

Taninim roared in rage as the beam fired. The hero raised his arm, allowing his forearm to take the beam. His arm was covered in an explosion and a cloud of smoke and fire drifted upward. The dark twin sneered as he finished firing. Through the inferno caused from the blast, Taninim's Ion Beam launched! The beam smashed hard into the clone's chest, and the fiend instantly vanished from existence!

The guardian turned around to face Lord Malice once more. The killer snarled in rage as he fired his Dark Energy Blast. Taninim nimbly jumped back, barely dodging the beam as it struck the ground. As a wall of fire rose up, Taninim leaped to the side as Lord Malice fired again.

Just as Taninim landed on his side, his jaws fired another beam, striking the beast's chest, between its many arms. The beam exploded, showering the demon with flames, but he didn't relent. He fired again, finally striking Taninim on the back, making the hero yelp.

As the fish pressed his body against the ground, Malice began to approach again, laughing evilly as he did. Taninim shook his head, snarling. He remembered how the pincers gave him a nasty dose of poison. His eyes narrowed before he sprang to life. Using his speed, Taninim trucked forward. The serpents lashed out, but Taninim sidestepped, jumping to the side before leaping onto his back!

Lord Malice began to act as a bull trying to rid itself of a rider. He leaped up and down and lashed out with his tail, but Taninim held on and managed to keep an eye on the tail, dodging the blows. He reached around, making the devil snarl in rage. "GET OFF!"

Taninim crawled up to his shoulders, wrapping an arm around his throat. As planned, Lord Malice brought up his pincer, but Taninim's free arm lashed out quickly, grabbing it at the elbow. By now, Malice's tail was repeatedly whipping his back, creating bloody gashes and tearing his dorsal fin. The hero fought through the pain as he got a better grip on the claw, squeezing it as hard as he could until a thin needle was forced from the claw.

Taninim sneered and pulled his other arm away from Lord Malice's throat. Like a monkey, he swung around the demon's body, kicking the many arms as he forced the claw up, plunging Lord Malice's own needle into his throat! The demon screamed in pain and rage, coughing as his own poison was pumped into his body! Taninim released the arm and fell, rolling away as Lord Malice tore the claw away from his neck. He hissed, nearly snapping the needle off as he pryed it out of his flesh.

As the effects of Lord Malice's own poison began to rise, Taninim's jaws opened up, firing another beam at his skull.

[yaburu]

Once again, The End of Life was struck hard by the powerful Ion-based beam emitted by Taninim. He stumbled, but did not fall. However, with his own poison coursing through his system, Malice wavered. A flying kick from Taninim was all it took to send him down, as well as dislocate his jaw.

The dislocation was only temporary, as Malice’s very impact had the ironic effect of popping it back into place. Malice groaned, but only for a moment. He raised himself back up with telekinesis as Taninim watched him, preparing to counter any move he made.

Lord Malice used his telekinetic abilities to levitate a good distance in the air, though the effects of his poison were making it very hard for him to stay aloft, and his body constantly wavered.

”Die.”

Taninim watching it alarm as the entire island seemed to be engulfed in flames, all at once. Himself included. Malice had used his pyrokinesis to set fire to most of the plants and even animals that were on the island, and the flames were spreading quickly.

But Malice’s move had consequences for him. Both pyrokinesis and telekinesis required concentration, and trying to use them both, while under the influence of a poison that fogs the head, was inadvisable at best. Malice was unable to keep himself aloft while he created the flames, and plummeted into the water below.

Taninim ran through the flames, his entire body on fire, and plunged into the water, the sudden shock of going from extreme heat to sudden cold causing parts of his skin to painfully warp. But Taninim pressed on, shooting gracefully through the waves when he saw Malice. Despite his pain, he smiled internally.

Now they were in HIS element.

Claws extended, Taninim rushed in to attack without mercy. But his body suddenly started burning again and he was thrown off-course. The water around him was literally boiling. Stealing a quick glance at his enemy, Taninim saw that Malice was simply standing in the water, looking at him, eyes glowing. Amidst his pain, Taninim realized that Lord Malice was using his pyrokinesis to cook him alive!

He shot toward another nearby island, his sudden speed giving him a brief reprieve from the burning. But the heat followed him, which made sense. All Malice had to do was look at him to attack him. Taninim burst forth from the waves and collapsed on the sandy beach of the island he’d made it to. He figured he’d have maybe a few moments of rest to rest and regain his composure before Malice came at him again.

But Lord Malice was staying put. He didn’t need to breathe, and Taninim knew if he went into the water again, Malice would cook him until he was medium rare and probably eat him. No, this was a chance to formulate his next offensive salvo.

The End of Life’s wicked mind began working, trying to discover what means would yield the most damage and, perhaps more importantly, pain and suffering. When he had a game plan set, Malice went into action.

On the beach, Taninim was still waiting, but there was no sign of Lord Malice. What was he waiting for? The pain from his burns was screaming at him for his attention, but he feared that if he let his mind focus on the pain, Malice would burst forth and use that one moment of distraction to possibly kill him. So he watched, and waited, until he heard a strange rumbling below him.

Putting himself on high alert, Taninim prepared for the inevitable. The inevitable was beneath him, using telekinesis to tunnel under and then up towards The heroic kaiju. Malice exploded from the ground right directly in front of Taninim. Even as on guard as he was, Taninim couldn’t have anticipated this, and Malice got his opening.

With sinister intentions, Lord Malice raised his pincer arm up and brought it down with all his might on Taninim’s jaw. the impact would have sent Taninim flying had Malice not instantly followed up with a backhand from the same pincer hand, causing his foe to shift momentum in the opposite direction. But Malice would not let him out of his range. This combination had been planned out ahead of time in Lord Malice’s head. To the millisecond.

As Taninim started to be thrown away, Malice’s tail sped around and slammed into his body with unnerving force, which forced him back in the original direction, until four of Malice’s arms shot forward when he was in front of him, propelling him away from the End of Life for the finale.

Taninim lay, unmoving. Lord Malice just smiled, and had the serpent on him bottom section open it’s mouth, preparing to spray Taninim with the burning napalm-like substance....

[The Great MM]

The so-called "End of Life" had forgotten one of Taninim's most devastating attacks, and under such pain and brutality, it was going to come in handy again. Just before the napalm was unleashed, the lure on Taninim's head flashed with life. A brilliant light followed, and before Lord Malice even knew it, his body wasn't obeying him again. He fell to the side, kicking out and smashing hard on the ground as Ion Particles tore through every nerve in his body.

Taninim sat up, woozy and coughing. This bastard was taking a lot from him, but the Ion Flash had boughten him so much needed time. From the boiling he had endured, over a third of his scales were stripped off, left to rot in the abyss. Several of his glowing bulbs had popped, spilling a strange liquid across his front side.

Even as he stood, he hissed in pain. But he focused, looking down as Lord Malice still lay twitching and drooling. The hero limped over, looking down as the stunned Malice tried to look up at him, but his eyes wouldn't listen. Instead they rolled back and forth in his head. The superhero lifted a foot and, with a thunderous yell, smashed it down on Lord Malice's throat! He dug his three claws into the flesh, spilling blood. Again he lifted his foot and grinded it down, and once more! On the final blow, something must have gave and Lord Malice's jaws shot open, spitting a wad of gore onto Taninim's groin!

The attack also snapped the fiend out of the flash's effects. The serpents on its torso lashed out, sinking their fangs into Taninim's thighs! The hero cried in sheer pain as the teeth carved into his burnt scales before tearing out mouthfuls and gulping them down. The demon began to stand up again, coughing as blood still fell from his maw.

The superhero stumbled back, covering the bloody wounds with his hands...

------

"Scrappy lil' bastard." Aiya declared, finally giving the mutation his props.

Myston nodded, "Not bad at all."

-----

[yaburu]

”It's fortunate for me that I do not share your weakness for needing to breathe.” Malice snarled ”Still, I am in great pain because of you.”

Malice grabbed Taninim with his telekinesis and flung him hard into the air. He then positioned himself directly under his opponent, causing him to land hip first on one of his horns. The horn went in rather deep into the right side of Taninim's hip. Lord Malice laughed as blood trickled down his horn, and quickly aimed his tail at Taninim, blasting him directly in the face with his Tail Laser. Not one to show mercy, Malice clasped both of his pincers down on Taninim's sides before he even had the chance to roar in pain. Both needles stabbed their way into the Ion-wielding Angler Fish, and more of the vile poison was pumped into his system.

Knowing he was completely at Lord Malice's mercy while in this situation, Taninim unleashed a stream of Ionized energy from his tooth-lined maw directly at the back of The End of Life's neck. Malice lurched forward and let go with his pincers, allowing Taninim to push himself off of the horn. He landed in a heap, his legs in too much pain to support the landing, and rolled away from Malice. Looking up, he saw Lord Malice's maw open, and a black energy building up, with Taninim as the target....

[The Great MM]

The darkness again smashed into the green hero, sending an unbearable wave of pain through his body. The mutation snorted, shaking his head from side to side as he began to cough up blood. Where he was from, he’d have allies for an opponent such as this, but this time there was no A.K.D.F. backup. He was alone. He pushed out, determined not to retreat. As another blast tore a massive chunk of bloody flesh from his back, Taninim rolled to the side.

When he got a safe enough distance, he lashed out with another Ion Beam, targeting the demon’s face one again. For a moment, Lord Malice was stopped, bellowing in rage as a plume of fire rose from his shoulders. Taninim quickly got to his feet, wincing as every nerve in his body cried out in pain. The thought of this being his final battle crossed his mind, but as another beam of darkness launched, he forced it from his mind and dove to the side.

He fired again, once more hitting Lord Malice’s face with an Ion Beam.

The devil was too big to go up against on his own, and his power was starting to weaken. Never before had he wished to see Plague, Swamp, and the Hessian as much as he did now. Even Rosie and Thresher would due…

But nobody came…

[yaburu]

”Time to end this, hero.” Lord Malice bellowed as he brought his jaws down on Taninim's shoulder, eliciting a roar of pain from his opponent.

He let go, then brought two fists down on his target, causing Taninim to crumble to the ground. He followed this up by rearing up on his hind legs, and bringing the other four down hard with all his weight on Taninim. The mighty Angler Fish coughed up blood and felt his body start to give under the horrific assault.

Standing directly over him, Malice smiled. An evil, toothy smile ”Now, insect, you know. To trifle with me is invite death to your home. I'm going to kill you now. And if you think these pathetic creature's weaponry will stop me, you are very, very wrong.”

Taninim responded the only way he knew how. By striking. He opening his toothy maw and unleashed another powerful Ion Blast that struck Malice in the neck. The End of Life backed away, but only for a moment before he recovered. ”A warrior to the end. How...meaningless.”

With that, Lord Malice began raining all ten of his fists down on Taninim. Repeatedly. Mercilessly. Finally, Malice dragged the beast back up to eye level with him. ”Fear me.” he snarled.

Taninim only snarled back and slashed Lord Malice across the face, taking out his eye.

Malice roared, and slammed Taninim back to the ground, four times over before looking him in the eyes again ”FEAR MEEEEEE!!”

"LORD MALICE! You will cease and desist your assault! You were warned about excessive brutality and attempts to kill your opponent!"

”And I'm ignoring that warning, insect.”

"Every weapon on the battlefield is currently trained on you, if you persist in brutalizing Taninim, we will fire on you!"

________________________________________


Meanwhile, with Myston and Aiya (Musashi had left to go explore the Hub), the two look on with grave faces.

"Well, Assface put up a good fight, but I don't think Malice's gonna let him live through this one."

Myston could only let out a low, feral growl that sent a shiver up his companion's spine. "The hell is wrong with you?"

"He must not die."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Taninim must not die. We need him."

"Need him? You may need him on account of you bein' a pussy and all, but all I need is my fists. And feet. And various weapons, gadgets and..."

"We need allies in this place Aiya. Taninim would be a very valuable ally to the both of us. Think of it. How long until Lord Malice starts allying himself with other monsters here?"

"Malice? Yeah, that guy's not exactly the 'plays well with others' type." Aiya shrugged.

Myston only growled again "That's only because he's never NEEDED to play well with others. Here, he's no longer all-powerful. Once that idea gets drilled in his head, he may seek out others like him. I've sensed some very evil beings here. Beings who might strike an alliance with something as evil as they are, like Lord Malice. And if that happens..."

"We're slarged."

"Indeed." Myston said as he turned to walk to a teleportation pad.

"What are you doing?" Aiya asked as Myston keyed in a few commands on the pad.

"I'm going to help our new friend." Myston answered simply as he dematerialized.

_________________________________

Malice bent down and continued assaulting Taninim, one hand choking him while the other nine pounded into his battered body. True to their word, the UCA opened fire on Malice, assaulting his form with powerful missiles, railguns, and lasers. He roared in pain, his now-vulnerable body taking damage the likes of which he had never had to deal with. But he still refused to relent, turning his own ranged weaponry on the UCA weapons themselves, obliterating many of them, all while continuing his assault on Taninim.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, several powerful discs of energy exploded on his side, followed by a kick to his head that toppled him. With a roar, Lord Malice picked himself up, snarling when he saw where the attacks had originated from.

”Karmian!”

"My name is Myston."

”You name will be on a gravestone when I'm done, Karmian!” Malice threatened.

Myston only smirked "Not likely. You've been pretty beaten up by Taninim, and that assault from the weapons has weakened you even more. I, on the other hand, am at full power. Take me on now, and I'll kill you."

Rage flashed in the End of Life's eyes. He hated to admit it, but Myston had a point. He'd taken a lot of damage, but he was still capable of taking on this insect. At least he thought he was anyways. Opening his maw, his eyes glowed blood red as the dark energies swirled in his throat. Myston saw the attack coming and cupped his hands together, much like a Hadoken fireball. White energy built in his hands, as bright as Malice's was dark.

Both beams launched at the same time, and slammed into each other. Neither fighter gave an inch, pouring all their energy into the attack. But Lord Malice was, above all else, a dirty fighter. He snaked his tail around and fired the beam from that one as well. Myston caught wind of that, and countered with his horn beam, initiating a second beam war!

But Lord Malice still wasn't done. The serpent creatures on his bottom section hissed, and one of them spewed black fire at Myston. The distraction was all that was needed to break Myston's concentration and force him to lose both beam wars, getting struck by fire, Malice's tail beam, and his Dark Energy Blast all at once.

The Forever Warrior remembered the unrivaled pain the Dark Energy Blast was capable of inflicting, and braced himself as the beam hit, not having the time to shut off his pain receptors. His bellows of sheer agony cut into the ears of all watching the fight. as he crumbled to the ground. Myston hoisted himself back up, but found himself on the defensive again. Even weakened, Malice was a dangerous enemy, made all the more-so by his anger at being so severely powered down. Myston knew in the back of his head he could still defeat him and spare Taninim any more damage, but he would pay a price.