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Half an hour later, the battlefield on Skull Island looked like the aftermath of a storm.
Entire sections of the jungle had been blasted apart; trees toppled like matchsticks, the ground pitted with glowing craters still smoking from the heat of energy blasts.
King Kong lay collapsed at the center of it all, wheezing like a beaten hound.
His massive chest rose and fell in ragged bursts, his tongue lolling out as though he had just run for days.
His once-proud black fur was patchy now, burned off in places or hanging loose in clumps, and deep wounds traced bloody lines across his hide.
He looked broken, miserable.
Above him, Grey circled with draconic grace, her silver scales catching what little sunlight cut through the haze.
The young dragoness twirled once, her wings humming with residual energy, and she let out a triumphant cry.
Her joy wasn't arrogance, not entirely, but raw disbelief at her own strength.
She hadn't known she could fight like this.
From the first moment she had taken flight, Kong never stood a chance.
The sky was her domain.
Every time he tried to climb, leap, or grab her, she was gone darting away with impossible speed.
Her rainbow pulses, beams of shimmering plasma from her wings, peppered him without end.
They weren't as concentrated as her brother Miraluz's electromagnetic blasts, nor as devastating as Godzilla's atomic breath, but they were fast. Too fast.
The pulses lashed against Kong's body, heating the air to thousands of degrees, scorching his thick skin until it blistered and split.
The plasma recoil sent shockwaves that battered him even when the beams missed.
His hide, resilient as ever, kept him alive, but pain was unavoidable.
The great ape staggered, roared, and fought, but every swing landed on empty air, every charge ended in another rainbow barrage slamming into his chest, his back, his legs.
It had been a slaughter disguised as sparring.
Grey landed on a shattered ridge, wings folding, her claws digging into the stone.
She tilted her head, studying her opponent.
"Not bad, Kong. You lasted longer than I thought."
The ape groaned, spitting blood and a pair of broken teeth.
His body twitched with both rage and exhaustion.
He wanted to bellow at her, to show he was no one's toy, but the words that came out were more pitiful than proud:
"Why… why is it always me getting torn up?"
His deep voice rumbled with frustration, his massive hand clutching at his cracked jaw.
He looked like he wanted to cry.
He thought of Skull Island, of how many times he had bled for it.
He had fought serpents, predators, and other challengers, but never had he felt so utterly helpless.
Inwardly, Kong knew the truth: outside of his island, there were monsters far worse.
Alpha Titans who would crush him in seconds.
If he couldn't hold his ground here, what chance did he have elsewhere?
If he couldn't even match a dragon Miraluz's sister, then how could he ever dream of standing among the mighty?
He grunted, slamming his fist into the ground. Dirt and pebbles scattered like sparks.
"Enough," Grey announced, stretching her wings.
Her voice was sharper now, like a command from someone already used to being obeyed.
"The match is done."
She leaped into the air with a single beat of her wings, then swooped low.
Her claws hooked beneath Kong's limp body as easily as if he were a fallen log.
"Let's go."
Kong jolted, thrashing weakly. His pride flared hotter than the pain.
"Put me down!" His voice boomed across the ruins.
"I can walk! I can swim! I don't need to be dragged like prey!"
Grey chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in her throat.
"Swim? At that pace, it will take us weeks. I'll be old by the time we reach Dragon Island."
She tightened her grip, hauling him upward. Kong roared in fury, beating his chest despite the agony.
"I said, put me down! I have dignity!"
"You'll keep your dignity if you stop whining," Grey shot back, carrying him higher.
The wind roared between them, bending trees and tearing leaves from their branches as she gained altitude.
From below, the Iwi people Skull Island's last fragile civilization watched in silence.
They stood at the edge of their huts, eyes wide, as the giant who had once been their god-guardian was carted away like a beaten animal.
Some bowed their heads, whispering prayers.
Others stared, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
For a moment, Kong caught their gaze.
His heart clenched. He had always been their protector.
Their savior. And now… he looked defeated.
He pushed weakly at Grey's claws, and she, to her credit, eased her grip.
"Fine," she said with a sigh.
"Swim if you want. I'll lead the way."
She released him.
Kong splashed into the waves with a thunderous crash, sending sprays of saltwater skyward.
His body vanished beneath the surface, bubbles rising as he sank.
Then, slowly, his silhouette moved, his massive arms pulling him forward with surprising grace.
The genes Miraluz had woven into his body had done their work.
Once awkward in water, Kong now swam like a beast born for it, drawing oxygen through his blood as if the ocean itself were his ally.
He pushed forward, slicing through the deep blue like a colossal shadow.
Grey hovered above, her silver wings shimmering.
She called down mockingly, "Don't get lost, Water Monkey!"
Kong snarled, bubbles bursting from his mouth beneath the waves.
He hated the nickname.
For a time, they moved in silence Grey gliding low, Kong powering through the current.
The endless sea stretched around them, indifferent and vast.
Every so often, a shape stirred below: a colossal serpent, a massive shark, creatures that had once ruled the oceans before Titans reawakened.
They gave Kong a wide berth.
The scent of Dragon God's blessing clung to him.
None dared challenge it.
Still, Grey's patience wore thin.
She circled once, then dove.
"Too slow."
Her claws plunged into the water, seizing Kong once more before he could react.
He bellowed in protest; the sound muffled beneath the waves.
She yanked him skyward, droplets spraying from his soaked fur.
His mouth gaped, the force of supersonic flight warping his face into a ridiculous mask.
"Grey!" he roared, words snatched by the wind.
"Put me down!"
She only laughed, soaring higher, her speed breaking the sound barrier.
The shockwave rippled across the sea, churning the waves into chaos.
Below them, the ocean foamed white, as though fleeing from her wake.
Kong flailed in her grip, humiliated beyond measure.
"I swear when we land, I'm going to."
Grey twisted her head to smirk at him.
"What? Fight me again? We both know how that ends."