"Don't attack—don't attack!"
Just as Daniel and Ryōko were about to clash with the island's natives, an anxious voice rang out from the distance. An old man, his hair and beard in disarray, raced over, speaking in some incomprehensible language to the natives. After hearing his words, they lowered their weapons and backed away.
"Didn't think anyone would actually make it to this island…" Once the natives had gone, the old man approached Daniel and Ryōko, his expression brimming with excitement.
He then introduced himself. It turned out he was a WWII Allied pilot who—by bad luck—got caught in the storm surrounding Skull Island. His plane lost control, crashed on the island, and he'd been living here ever since.
He hadn't been the only one to wind up here; he'd been part of a flight squad. But in the end, he was the lone survivor. The rest had died one after another—some in the crash, some at the claws of the island's monsters, and still others who tried to leave by boat only to vanish in the storm.
Though he had lived on the island for decades and grown used to its ways, he longed to return—if only once, before death. And not just him: he wanted to bring his fallen comrades back for a proper burial.
As he spoke, the old man led Daniel and Ryōko to the local settlement—a large valley enclosed by towering wooden and stone fortifications, built to defend against the island's beasts. Not to keep out King Kong, though, but the so-called "Skullcrawlers."
Even with Kong guarding the island, Skullcrawlers sometimes attacked these natives.
After explaining the natives' plight, the old man took them to a makeshift boat. Through decades of hard labor, he'd pieced it together using all sorts of wreckage from planes that had crashed. His idea was to try once, near the end of his life, to leave—but now that might be unnecessary.
"Don't worry. Though we seem out of contact with the outside world, relief will arrive soon. Then you can leave safely."
Such expeditions never lack backup. Even if the island storms cut off communication, once the designated time passes with no one returning, a rescue party is bound to come.
Of course, only Daniel and Ryōko could afford to wait calmly for rescue. Those who went deeper inland—and whose helicopters crashed—were now busy surviving the island's terrors.
Once they finished chatting with the old man and told him to ready himself to depart, Daniel and Ryōko wandered around the valley. Neither had witnessed a "primordial tribe" lifestyle before.
"Hopefully, no one will disturb their lives too much."
"I don't think it'll have too big an impact. Under normal circumstances, tribes like this are left in peace," Ryōko said.
Daniel didn't know much about this. Ryōko, on the other hand, did—thanks to her older sister's job. Many such isolated tribal communities exist worldwide, and most nations have related protections in place.
Of course, that depends on who finds them. If discovered by a corporation like Umbrella's founders, the tribe might vanish—like what happened in that "Sun Ladder" fiasco. It's a lot like how archaeology can be benevolent at a national level, yet "grave robbing" at a personal level: the end goals might look the same, but the underlying motives differ drastically.
"Lara…" Daniel suddenly recalled that unstoppable "walking disaster" Lara Croft. Her feats were truly mind-boggling.
"You're still alive! Amazing."
The next day, several members of the previously missing archaeology team and others arrived at the edge of the valley. None were soldiers. This surprised the old man: that first night, most of his own people had died. If not for meeting the local tribes, they'd have been completely wiped out.
"Just our luck."
Those few who returned—faces haggard and drained—finally reached safety and all but collapsed in the old man's quarters. Their escape had exacted a heavy toll.
"What about the colonel's group?"
"He insisted on revenge, and the result…"
Although the man didn't finish his sentence, the meaning was clear enough. As soldiers, their physical training and hazard awareness had given them an edge over the archaeologists and journalists. But they'd overestimated their weapons, ignored the guidance of their hired wilderness experts, and paid with total annihilation.
"But we've made a huge discovery this time."
The archaeological experts showed not a shred of concern over the soldiers' casualties or the destruction of their helicopters. Brimming with excitement, they could only speak of having sighted Kong and the Skullcrawlers—tangible proof of the murals' accuracy. It offered vital evidence for the Hollow Earth theory, so the Emperor's Organization was certain to intensify exploration here.
And that was exactly how it played out. Once the events at Skull Island were reported, the Emperor's Organization dispatched multiple Ph.D.-level experts and elite combat teams.
"This is crazy—I'm heading back," Daniel said, shaking his head. Learning about their plan to dig deeper into the Skullcrawler tunnels and journey below ground, hoping to find the rumored self-contained subterranean ecosystem, left him speechless. It sounded like they barely cared how many might die.
If they didn't mind dying, well, that was up to them. Daniel certainly had no wish to join them in it. He'd much rather explore other worlds than risk his neck hunting giant monsters.
Though technology has reached modern levels, our knowledge of what lies underground or beneath the seas remains woefully limited. Two main theories persist about the Hollow Earth concept—one holding it to be hidden beneath the ocean's depths.
And then there's all the talk of Atlantis. Many folks believe it, too.
"All right, let's go home, then. By the way, my sister wants to meet you," Ryōko said.
"Sure. Let's go see her."
"You've been a great help this time. Without you, Ryōko might have been in serious trouble."
From the vantage of Ryōko's older sister, what was supposed to be a relatively low-risk exploration had nearly ended in catastrophe due to the U.S. military's reckless behavior. The sister was deeply appreciative that Daniel had protected Ryōko.
"It was nothing. Just what I had to do."
Ryōko's sister looked like a classic "Yamato Nadeshiko," but Daniel took no chances underestimating her. Managing a corporation that large and serving as an official in the Emperor's Organization—especially with Ryōko describing her so reverently—meant she was no ordinary figure.
"I heard from Ryōko that you're not on board with this exploration plan," her sister remarked while pouring Daniel some tea. "But there's not much choice. Some things just can't wait."
"'Can't wait?' Something's happened?"
Originally Daniel was about to say how he didn't care either way—he wasn't leaving Skull Island because of that. He wasn't a bleeding-heart crusader. But Ryōko's sister's tone piqued his curiosity.
"Not even everyone in the organization knows about it. But given your status, there's no harm in telling you," she explained, handing Daniel a tablet. Displayed on it were strings of murals and the Emperor's Organization's investigative findings.
"Aliens? Feels strangely familiar."
Scanning the mural data and notes, Daniel felt a pang of exasperation. The images were surprisingly simple—showing Kong, Godzilla, and other monsters battling yet another cluster of creatures—some of which were Skullcrawlers, some labeled as MUTO.
"You're worried alien monsters might attack from the Hollow Earth?"
"I'm not sure. But it's better to be prepared. We can't just rely on the Avengers for everything, right?"
Although the Avengers boasted great strength, they weren't accepted equally everywhere. Stark and company couldn't just waltz into certain nations.
"This Avengers group sure never lacks troubles," Daniel said. Should actual alien monsters appear, the Avengers would inevitably get involved.
"Something's happened!" Right then, one of Ryōko's two maids rushed into the room in a frenzy.
"Speak of the devil, I guess? Maybe that's not the right idiom," Daniel muttered. With the news the maid brought, the group all stood. What was supposed to be a "someday in the future, we might face giant monsters" scenario had suddenly become "today." MUTO had surfaced in a city—two of them, in fact.
One originated from an Emperor's Organization base, the other from a U.S. military facility. The casualties were already massive. Ten-story-high beasts, even if they do nothing but stroll along, can wreak havoc.
"Looks like the Avengers have their match," Daniel noted. MUTO was no joke. Even if the Avengers teamed up with the Fantastic Four, they might struggle to stop it. Hulk might be powerful, but the size gap was just enormous.
The Emperor's Organization, having monitored the battle, relayed all available data on MUTO to the Avengers in hopes they wouldn't resort to nuclear weapons. Indeed, the only real fallback humans might have was a nuclear strike, but using it on MUTO was a colossal mistake.
"Anomalous reading in the ocean depths—Godzilla, presumably."
"So Godzilla's shown up too. Guess I don't need to pitch in," Daniel thought, originally prepared to help Tony. But once Godzilla was detected, Daniel had another idea. Telling Ryōko he'd be off, he opened a secret gate and vanished to Godzilla's location.
"Up!"
First, Daniel cast the Tri-Sanctum wards to seal off any cameras. Then, using water-element Immortal Arts, he lifted the sea away—revealing Godzilla, long hidden beneath. The giant creature, startled, prepared to attack—but Daniel teleported it near MUTO before it could.
"Stark, you and your guys should pull back. Another 'ally' has stepped in," Daniel warned through the comms.
"Who, you think that monster can handle it for us?"
"It's literally that monster."
Though he loathed retreat, Tony complied. Against MUTO, only he, Wanda (the Scarlet Witch), and Hulk could do anything at all. Captain America and Natasha were relegated to the sidelines to help evacuate civilians. The Fantastic Four contributed: Human Torch and the Thing advanced, whereas Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman stayed behind analyzing weaknesses.
Boom—boom—boom.
Once Godzilla appeared, it launched into a fierce confrontation with MUTO. Their every blow devastated the city blocks, toppling several multi-story buildings in moments.
Fortunately, thanks to Captain America, Natasha, and others, the city had been mostly evacuated. Despite the monstrous duel, there were no major casualties now.
"Human militaries… always absent when needed, only to rush out at the worst time," Daniel said as the Avengers withdrew. Indeed, the army arrived, deploying two squadrons—ten advanced fighter jets—to strike both Godzilla and MUTO. In one instant, MUTO's EMP field took them out, sending all planes hurtling down. Ten jets lost.
"Time to build an anti-monster suit," Tony remarked. Even the Hulkbuster pale by comparison to Godzilla or MUTO. Tony's mind was already drafting a "Mech vs. Monsters" plan.
"Lucky me—Godzilla's blood sample secured."
Battling two MUTOs left Godzilla wounded, but it managed to kill them both. Then, battered and bleeding, it ambled off toward the sea, disappearing beneath the waves. Afterwards came the city's rescue efforts.
Subsequently, the Avengers and the Emperor's Organization hosted a short meeting. People were quick to note that MUTO could feed on nuclear energy, effectively disposing of radioactive waste. Some argued that harnessing them would benefit humanity—but if nuclear pollution is easily managed, nuclear arms might be used more frequently. Meanwhile, an Animal-Animal Fruit, Mythical Zoan "Godzilla Fruit" sounded extremely appealing…
After the Kaiju battle ended, many took positions on Godzilla. Some hailed it as humanity's protector, others as a threat that must be eliminated. The internet flared with controversy. Smart investors saw it as an opportunity—within days, Godzilla and MUTO merchandise hit stores worldwide, selling out fast.
Amid the flurry, no one noticed that while Godzilla fought the two MUTOs, in a certain section of the Pacific Ocean, the seabed briefly glowed with a mysterious radiance.
End of Chapter 850: The Emperor's Plan (Part Three)
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