Rebirth As Godzilla

It was one of those rare moments in this world where he actually felt full, just like after devouring that giant kraken a while back. He couldn't tell when he'd feel this satisfied again, but for now, he soaked in the feeling. 

With a lazy stretch and a contented sigh, he closed his eyes. Still, another thought nagged at him. "When's my atomic reactor gonna kick in?"

Lately, after his feeding sprees, especially when he was stuffed with both flesh and mana, he noticed a strange warmth in his chest. It flickered and pulsed like something was starting to activate. 

Sometimes, if he focused, he could even hear a faint hum, something that reminded him of a reactor charging up.

He figured it had to be his atomic reactor developing. It was the heart of his power, his core organ. 

Like Godzilla, this was what would eventually let him fire his signature breath weapon. And in his case, this wasn't just any version, it was the one from Space Godzilla. 

When the time came, his atomic breath wouldn't just melt steel, it would reduce entire hills to ash. 

In Japanese lore, Godzilla's atomic breath has reached temperatures in the hundreds of thousands of degrees, and in his Burning Form, it surged even higher, releasing pulses of thermonuclear energy capable of vaporizing everything in their path. 

And that kind of power was exactly what Belial needed especially after running into that thing. The kraken hadn't been some cryptic legend; it had crawled out of the depths of a massive lake, a hulking beast easily dozens of meters long. 

The biggest, meanest creature he'd encountered so far. He'd met it when it surfaced to feed on the same shoreline monsters he'd been hunting. Annoyed that his prey was being snatched away, Belial had no choice but to eat both the monsters and the kraken itself.

The giant kraken stayed hidden beneath the lake's surface while Belial wiped out most of the fish population. With its usual prey gone, the kraken was forced to hunt land creatures, which only led to its downfall.

Interestingly, it seemed to release something that attracted other magical beasts. Powerful and intelligent creatures from nearby areas would show up drawn to its presence only to be eaten one after another until it was full.

The fight wasn't easy.

The kraken came at him the moment he stepped into the lake, rising like a mountain from the depths. Its skin was thick, rubbery, and slick with seawater, the color of storm clouds.

Tentacles the size of tree trunks lashed out, crashing against the shore, tearing up earth and stone. Belial didn't flinch. He charged straight in.

The kraken struck first. From its beak-like mouth came a blast of compressed water so sharp it sliced a boulder in half. 

Belial ducked under it, only for another stream to tear across his flank like a high-speed buzzsaw. Blood sprayed, but he didn't slow down. He slammed into the beast's side, teeth flashing.

A massive tentacle whipped around to grab him, but Belial bit down, hard. The limb thrashed, trying to yank free, but he clamped his jaws tighter, until it snapped. 

The kraken shrieked in fury, but even as the tentacle hit the water, it started regrowing. Within seconds, a new one had already formed.

"Of course it regenerates," Belial growled, baring his teeth.

The kraken retaliated, slamming the lake with its limbs. A tidal wave exploded outward, crashing down on him with the force of a collapsing cliff. 

Water surged over his body, slamming him into the lakebed. For a few seconds, all he could see was dark water and bubbles. But then he roared. The lake shook.

Belial burst out of the water with a violent spin, sending gallons of water flying in every direction. He latched onto another tentacle and began ripping it apart, scale by scale, muscle by muscle. 

The kraken tried to trap him in a bubble of spinning water, some kind of prison spell but he tore through it with brute force, bursting out before it could seal.

The kraken's eyes glowed as it summoned dozens of high-pressure water blades, spinning and slicing in all directions like a storm of razors. Belial tanked it head-on, his thick hide shredded in places, but he kept moving forward. 

Belial dove under the water, twisting and weaving past the blades, and shot upward like a torpedo. He slammed into the kraken's underbelly, claws outstretched, and tore through to where he felt its heartbeat. 

With a snarl, he bit down on the spot, his jaws cracking bone, muscle, and something warm and pulsing.

The kraken convulsed, limbs flailing wildly. But Belial didn't stop. He climbed up its body like a beast possessed, slashing through layer after layer of regenerating flesh, until he reached the center of its massive head. 

With a roar, he plunged his claw deep into the beast's skull.

CRACK!!!!

The kraken's body twitched once… then fell limp.

He dragged the carcass to shore, his body dripping with blood. Gashes lined his torso and limbs. 

The kraken's attack is effective, strong enough that for the first time in a while, healing actually took time. More than thirty seconds, even. Unthinkable.

But the meat was good. And the mana was even better.

By now, Belial had doubled in size, growing to over ten meters long. His massive body was armored in sleek, dark grey scales shaped like small triangles, with fresh juvenile scales underneath that grew back fast when damaged. 

His signature Godzilla dorsal plates had grown taller and denser, running all the way from his head down to the spikes at the end of his tail. His claws had become sharper and more defined, backed by visible muscle. 

Along his limbs, new blade, like scales had started forming at the joints, tough and dangerous.

Two pairs of dragon like horns now curved back from his skull, their tips pale and sharp, adding a more ferocious look to his face. Long tusks had grown out from his jaw, and just behind his shoulders, two hard lumps were starting to push outward—maybe the beginning of wings?

When he checked his reflection in the lake, he realized that, compared to classic Godzilla builds, he was still on the slimmer side. But next to most dragons, he looked massive, with bulkier arms and a thicker neck.

While he was capable of standing on two legs, he found walking upright awkward and too flashy. Moving on all fours just felt more natural. 

His strength had also taken a noticeable leap. Most enemies barely lasted more than a swipe now. 

The kraken was still the only one that had managed to hurt him. But the lake, after all the fighting, had become a mess more crater than water. "Yeah, time to head upstream and look for something new to eat."