Immediately after that movement, reminiscent of an implosion-style atomic bomb, a pillar of light with a brilliant blue-white glow was shot toward the National Diet Building from Godzilla's mouth.
All sound disappeared for a moment. The extremely high temperature of Godzilla's heat rays instantly vaporized all objects around the Capitol, bypassing the liquid process and turning them into gas.
The former solid material expanded to an enormous volume and caused an explosion that could be called a "steam explosion of matter" beyond human comprehension, turning into a gigantic fireball that expanded with tremendous force while mercilessly engulfing everything around it.
The blast wave created by the explosion process destroyed surrounding buildings like paperwork, but also pulverized the entire area within a six kilometer radius.
The shock wave and smoke quickly approached the Hattori Clock Store where Shikishima and his friends were standing. Noriko Sukima pushed Shikishima into a gap between buildings.
It was almost an instinctive action. Leaving Shikishima collapsed in the gap between buildings, Noriko was blown away along with the smoke from the shock wave and the large amount of debris it engulfed.
Eventually, as the epicenter became vacuumed, the implosion phenomenon began rapidly. The destroyed pieces, along with the violent wind, are now gathering towards the epicenter. Shikishima endured the turbulent wind by cringing.
Eventually, the world became calm. Shikishima staggered to his feet and crawled out of the gap between the buildings. The landscape had completely changed its appearance. There didn't seem to be anyone alive around.
Shikishima looked towards Mihara Bridge, looking for Noriko who had been taken away by the blast. There was nothing but merciless piles of rubble piled on top of each other.
"Noriko! Noriko!"
Shikishima tried shouting, his voice trembling, but he realized that no one would answer him. When Shikishima turned around, he saw the back of Godzilla standing there to heal the damage caused to him when he fired the heat ray. Ahead, a huge mushroom cloud was rising from the place where the National Diet Building once stood.
Eventually, Godzilla slowly began walking towards Shinagawa. Suddenly, an ominous black rain began to fall. While being hit by the rain, Shikishima continued to roar curses with all his might at Godzilla's back as he walked away.
"The damage caused by the giant creature that landed yesterday is estimated to be approximately 30,000 people dead and injured, and more than 20,000 affected homes. Rescue operations have been ongoing since the disaster struck, but the giant creature has moved. It appears that the route is difficult because there is a risk of radiation in the area."
Under a clear sky that made yesterday's nightmare seem like a lie, a rope and police line had set up a no-trespassing demarcation line in front of a circular rubble area stretching 12 kilometers in a straight line. People whose families would have been there at the time of Godzilla's attack... thousands of people are crossing the border, searching for the safety of their parents, children, wives, husbands, and lovers who did not return last night. They were rushing to the line.
"The giant creature is radioactive, so it is thought that the series of atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll may have had some influence on their growth process. Collection of some of the items has been delayed due to the risk of radioactivity.
Beyond that, researchers in protective gear were measuring radiation levels with Geiger counters in hand. A hopeless number appeared on the meter. A gentle rain kept Shikishima's house wet.
When the mourners from the department store where Noriko worked leave, the members of Shinseimaru, Sumiko, Akiko, and Shikishima, who seems to have lost his soul, remain behind.
On the Buddhist altar, a photo of Noriko with a shy smile that Noda had taken during the housewarming ceremony was displayed as a photograph of Noriko.
"It turned out to be a big deal."
Even when Akitsu spoke to him, there was no response from Shikishima. However, he was just holding a liter bottle and looking up into space.
"What are we going to do about Akiko?"
Sumiko answered in place of Shikishima, who didn't move in the slightest.
"When we're in trouble, we're there for each other. Akiko-chan, when your father isn't at work, you come to your aunt's house."
"What about her mother?"
Sumiko pulled Akiko closer as if to comfort her.
"Akiko-chan. Your mother went to work a little far away. So I'll stay with my aunt for a while."
"Mom is good. She doesn't want to be mom."
Shikishima dragged his heavy body into the room next to her, running away from his girlfriend, Akiko, who started crying loudly. At that moment, a package of photographs that had been placed in a box that served as a Buddhist altar hit Shikishima's knee, causing him to fall with a thud. The soldiers and their families in the photos that fell were staring intently at Shikishima.
"Does that mean you won't forgive me?"
Suddenly, Shikishima started laughing out loud. After a while, the laughter became damp and sounded like nothing more than a cry.
"It's because I had a stupid dream."
At that moment, Noda approached Shikishima and whispered in his ear.
"Mr. Shiki, there is actually a secret operation underway to exterminate Godzilla. It is a truly unsettling mission led by civilians... Would you like to participate?"
Shikishima's eyes quickly began to shine. Shikishima passed a sign at the entrance that read "Special Disaster Briefing" and entered a large assembly hall.
There were Akitsu, Noda, and Mizushima, who was in pain with a broken arm and hanging. Mizushima tried to call out to Shikishima, but seeing Shikishima's grim expression, he half-heartedly lowered his raised hand. Akitsu was looking at the people around him as if judging them.
"Everyone except us..."
"Yes, all former naval officers."
"Scientist, that's detailed."
Mizushima looked around happily.
"Huh?"
At that moment, a quiet tension ran through the venue. Four former captains, including Hotta, former captain of the destroyer Yukikaze, entered the room. They were former captains of Hibiki, Yukaze, and Sakura, respectively.
Hotta sat down the former naval officers who had spontaneously stood up, and began speaking.
"This is Hotta, former captain of the Yukikaze. As you all know, Tokyo is currently in an unprecedented crisis due to an attack by a mysterious giant creature.
However, our country does not have its own military to protect its citizens.
Military action by the Allied forces stationed there was deemed impossible as it was highly likely to provoke the Soviet troops on the continent. In other words, we have to fight that monster with civilian power alone."
Everyone was shocked by that fact. That means... Hotta's words continued.
"That's why I asked you all to come together. After negotiating with the government, they promised to provide us with four destroyers that had been retired and were being used as salvage ships, but..."
There was a commotion. One of the participants interrupted and spoke up.
"Are you telling us to get back on the ship?"
"I saw that thing in Ginza. There's no way I can defeat something like that."
"Most retired ships probably don't have proper armament."
Eventually, even hecklers started jumping out.
"What's going on there?" "Please clarify."
Noda jumped out behind Hotta, who was confused, carrying a microphone.
"Well, let me explain about that."
Akitsu and his friends were surprised that Noda appeared in that important scene.
"Mr. Noda...?"
"My name is Kenji Noda, a former naval technical officer who planned this operation. First of all, the premise is that the monster, I will tentatively call him Godzilla in accordance with the folklore of Odo Island, but Godzilla is resistant to attacks from ordinary firearms. It takes almost no damage. As I saw with my own eyes, even if it takes a direct hit from the heavy cruiser Takao's main gun class, it regenerates immediately."
These words caused further agitation among the participants.
"It seems that Takao was sunk." "Then, isn't it even more impossible?"
Rumors were flying around in whispers. No, it's not a rumor. The sinking of Takao by Godzilla is a fact.
"Quiet. So I've devised a completely different trick."
Noda headed towards the aquarium brought in by what appeared to be his assistants.
"First, let me show you a simple experiment. What we have here is salt water with the same concentration as seawater. We will float a piece of wood that resembles Godzilla. We will attach a weight to it and make it so that it can barely float. It has been adjusted."
Noda placed a piece of wood cut out in the shape of Godzilla, with a tube attached, into the aquarium. It had a weight attached to the bottom, and as Noda had said, it seemed to have been adjusted so that it could barely float on the water's surface.
"What will happen if we send Freon gas through the tube and wrap the piece of wood in foam?"
One of the participants said mockingly.
"Even if bubbles appear, it will still float, right?"
"I think so."
When Noda turned the cylinder's cock, microscopic bubbles were generated around the piece of wood by the fluorocarbon gas. The piece of wood, wrapped in bubbles, began to sink rapidly.
The participants let out a voice of surprise.
"The freon gas bubbles wrap around the pieces of wood, cutting off the contact between the seawater and the pieces of wood. The strategy I'm proposing this time is to use this on Godzilla, the monster that attacked Tokyo, and sink it into the deep sea."
Akitsu whispered softly.
"Hey, I guess the scholar turned out to be a surprisingly amazing person?"
Next, Noda turned off the lights and instructed them to show the slides on the screen. A map with contour lines of Sagami Bay was projected on the screen.
"As you know, the Sagami Trough in Sagami Bay boasts a maximum depth of 2,500 meters, which is by far the deepest in the coastal waters.The current plan is to attach a large number of CFC gas cylinders to Godzilla and make them foam all at once. I'm thinking of wrapping it in a membrane, then sinking it into Sagami Bay in a short period of time, and using the pressure of the deep sea to suffocate it..."
Noda, who was facing the screen, turned to face the participants. The image from the slide was duplicated on his face, giving Noda's gentle face a strange expression that no one had ever seen before.