Chapter 68: The True, Lord Vuljiin
Stario and Vuljiin stood silently for one last moment, before their duel took place. The golden flames of Stario’s eyes clashed with the crimson eyes of Vuljiin. Stario grasped the Star Saber with both hands and felt his energy begin to rise as a golden glow enveloped the mighty sword. Vuljiin didn’t seem to notice or care, as his twin blades began to spurt out electricity in random areas.
“Come now!” Vuljiin demanded. “There is no going back now, you must face me.”
Stario glared. “I know quite well of my own mortality, and it does not bother me. However, when a twisted soul such as yours desires to plague my planet with sorrow and pain, I become very frightened.” Stario pulled the sword back slightly and rearranged his feet so the right was in front of his left. “But not nearly as frightened as you must be now!”
The heroic warrior pushed forward with his foot and leapt from his position towards the evil warlock. Stario swung his powerful blade at the dark creature, who had blocked with both of his weapons. Golden sparks and purple lightning flew as the different sabers connected with each other. Stario flew back and flipped in midair before returning to the ground. His right hand released the Star Saber and rose to aim at Vuljiin. His fantastic golden aura concentrated on his open palm, once again producing the gold fire orb. Stario launched the assail forward, but it was diminished by a simple counter of Vuljiin’s swords.
“I’ll show you how it is done,” Vuljiin gloated.
The black figure touched the tips of his twin swords, creating more purple and pink lightning bolts. The chaotic and sporadic jolts condensed into a single solid sphere of unfathomable power. The orb grew twice the size of Stario’s previous attack. Stario clenched his sword tightly, preparing to fend off the attack. Vuljiin’s red slits showed the momentary gawk on his shadowed face preceding the firing of his attack. And he split the two swords apart by chopping forward with one, launching the deadly spell in Stario’s direction. The strong protagonist watched the ball of doom fly towards him, striking at the opportune time to dispell the orb. Stario saw his color-changing blade smite the sphere in two, but also picked up on a second orb flying straight at him. It was too late and the mighty warrior was impacted with Vuljiin’s second sphere. The purple and pink bolts seared through his body, Stario clenched his teeth and his fists to bear the pain. He lifted his head up, staring into the red eyes of his enemy.
“Stario, what a wretched product,” Vuljiin hissed. “The might of the Crystal Star is wasted on you. I must demand that you hand it over to me.”
Stario looked Vuljiin up and down, the strange darkness that covered every inch of his body made something in his stomach turn. And every time he connected eyes with his foe, all of the courage and will that had brought him here was nothing. The golden light surrounding Stario roared back to life as the enraged plumber dashed forward to his foul opponent.
~*~*~*~
Luigi gasped as the mutated Yoshi launched forward to take a chomp out of the plumber in green. He fell backward and slammed to the floor, avoiding the bite. The burning eyes of the Yoster freak rolled down to meet Luigi’s. A heavy, terrorsome foot stamped onto Luigi’s chest. Three razor-sharp claws pierced the plumber’s chest. Luigi cried out as the freakish dinosaur retracted his talon, cutting down Luigi while doing so. The man in green rolled to the side, stopping the claw from cutting down anymore. He felt the cold stone floor touch his wounds, causing a sharp intake of moist air. Luigi tried to move forward but was stopped when the claw entered his back, for a much more painful second time. He felt as if he was on fire. The large foot sliced the green shirt up and revealed the bloody tears on his back. The smell enticed the Yoshi as it licked its lips again and bent forward to lap up the tasty blood. Luigi winced each time he felt the rough tongue of the monster rub against his open injury. The experience was truly sickening. A gloved hand closed together into a hard fist, a faint green beginning to form. Luigi watched his hand open, a tiny flame of his signature color had been born. It wasn’t much, but that didn’t matter right now. He closed his eyes and prayed to the Stars to guide his blind attack. He heard a vile shriek and the licking ceased. Luigi took this one chance to stand up. Not looking back, he ran forward to the exit and fled from the room.
He had entered a long, dark corridor. He hobbled through it, ignoring the extreme pain flowing through his body. That creature was sleek, built for speed. Luigi’s escape may not have even mattered at the moment. He visualized the crazed Yoster just behind him, only a jump away from the ultimate demise. Amazingly, the plumber had arrived to the end of the hallway, where a large bolted door was slightly ajar. He stopped and breathed heavily with a smile until the sound of scaly feet stamping along the stone ground came from behind. Luigi rushed into the room, turned immediately around, and shoved with all his strength to close the door. A small circular window was in the center of the door, Luigi looked outside, the monstrocity still out of sight. He pushed more and felt the door reach its alignment, he fingered for the lock but the device would not close. It needed power to work and for some reason there wasn’t any. Luigi looked up again, recoiling at the ghastly head of the Yoshi glaring into the room, its hot breath steaming the window. Luigi continued to strain himself, keeping the door shut as the mutated Yoshi struggled to open it. Why was the power off?!
~*~*~*~
Stario charged forward, slicing everyway with his weapon. Vuljiin stepped back to defend with each blow. Finally his back collided with the wall, and he was cornered. Stario sliced forward again, the dark fiend barely able to block with his swords. Stario released his right hand again, keeping the hold on Vuljiin. Quickly he built a golden orb in his palm. Instead of tossing it at him, Stario reached forward and placed his hand onto Vuljiin’s dark hide. The golden flames seared the enemy, Stario felt the cloak begin to burn, and the pyros start roasting his flesh. Vuljiin roared in anger, Stario looked up just in time to see a cloud of black and purple fire appear from the unseen face of Vuljiin. The evil fire blew Stario backward, sending him to the ground on his back. Instinctively, he belted his sword forward to deflect an attempt to stab him. Stario performed a somersault in reverse and hopped to his feet, standing off with Vuljiin again.
“Nice trick, but that won’t get you victory,” Stario said.
“Silence, fool,” Vuljiin seethed. “You life ends here.”
Vuljiin sheathed the sword in his right hand and gave Stario a swift backhand, flowing with his dark energy. Stario flew backward again, slamming into the wall. He felt it crumble behind him as he began to lose momentum and fell to the ground. The dust settled as two red eyes drew closer. Stario climbed to his feet and ceased two swords from shredding him with his own. He looked around, he had been propelled through a wall from the former room and was now in a large technology-based chamber. A massive generator was in the center of the area, with pipes and wires reaching upward and exiting through the ceiling. He turned back to Vuljiin and jumped backward. The dark wizard did not proceed to follow him, however. Vuljiin pounced into the air, tucking both blades away in midair, flipped and landed in front of a computer connected to the generator. He turned around to peer at Stario, checking the distance between them. He returned to the monitor and punched the keys with his claw-like fingers, concealed in darkness. Stario sheathed his sword and flipped toward Vuljiin as well, curious of what the enemy was up to. Vuljiin turned back to Stario after pressing a large red button. Three metallic clangs sounded as the large doors were bolted. Then a high-pitched whine bellowed as a laser grid was formed alongside each of the four walls, allowing for no escape.
“I see we don’t like breaking down walls in our residence,” Stario taunted.
Vuljiin snarled. “Correct. However, with this new laser grid I’ll be able to hold your living body up to the wall and watch it melt in my hands.”
“Not if I do the same to you first,” Stario said.
The two launched forward to face each other once more.
~*~*~*~
Clang! Luigi looked down to see the lock had been activated, and the door was shut securely. He smiled and took a moment to catch his breath. He watched the furious Yoster mutant persist in trying to knock down the door, but it stopped after a few more attempts. It gave a most unsettling look at Luigi before the image of its head vanished from the tiny window. The green plumber placed a hand on his chest, the pain returning to him. He turned around, in hopes of finding something to heal, but only found horror. The room was stockpiled with the creepy tubes, only these were full with life-preserving liquid and the very same type of Yoshi mutants that he had just escaped. He also took notice of a large incubater with several off-looking Yoshi eggs under the warm light. Far down the long room was a thin door, his only exit to sanctuary. The plumber clad in green tip-toed nervously passed all of the tubes containing the freakish, horrifying mutants. Once passed the incubater, there was only a few more frozen Yoshis to get passed. Luigi walked confidently after getting out of sight of the last Yoshi and walked towards the door until he tripped over a large cord.
Luigi looked and saw the plug ripped out from the outlet. The calming blue lights on the top of each tube changed to an alarming red. Luigi stared as the liquid was slowly drained from each tube, and the ferocious monster sleeping within awoke. The threatening eyes of each beast blared open, and then the monsters proceeded to slash at the glass keeping them locked in. The green hero scrambled to the door and tore it open, finding only a bathroom, with one overly-sized toilet. Luigi felt the desperation swell up inside him as the first glass containers burst open. Now three of the super-Yoshis were free, and more were coming. Luigi took a chance and entered the lavatory, locking the door behind him. He was knocked from the door when the Yoshis began to pound on it. This door was much more frail than the last, it wouldn’t hold up for very long. Luigi picked himself up and forced himself to think out of this one.
“Gah! What an ironic place for a plumber to die!” Luigi worried.
The thought passed by him again. He was in a bathroom, and he was a plumber. Perhaps there was a way to escape. Luigi walked over to the single large toilet, it looked as if it was never used. The plumber flushed it, and indeed the water swirled down the machine and disappeared into the pipe below as it should. With that in order, Luigi quickly got to work. He pulled out a wrench that he had been keeping for such a time. He kneeled down and twisted at the nearest screw keeping the toilet grounded. Both Luigi and the mutant Yoshis outside were working fast to remove the obstacle in front of them, not knowing who would get done first. Luigi heard another terrifying pound as he pulled out the final screw. He pulled upward on the toilet, revealing a rather large pipe underneath. The plumber shuddered at the thought but knew what he had to do. The door flew across the room and the atrocities filled into the bathroom, only to find it empty.
~*~*~*~
The Star on Stario’s fist lit up with power just before it smashed into Vuljiin’s stomach. Stario followed up with several more punches, and a critical kick to the gut. Vuljiin was thrown backward, Stario wasted no time and jumped into the air, a trail of golden sparks following him, the gift given to Mario from Yoshi so long ago was shining forth. Three flips in the air and Stario sent himself speeding towards the ground. He impacted onto the fallen Vuljiin, a pain-enduced roar exited the dark one’s lips. Stario stepped backward and began to build an enormous golden flame with both hands. Vuljiin staggered to get up, and his eyes widened when catching a glimpse of the gigantic fireball. He rose a hand out when the flame reached its maximum strength. With great power, Stario hurled the ball of gold at the dark enemy. Vuljiin cried out as the flames consumed him. Stario stepped back as the golden pyros danced around Vuljiin, who soon collapsed as the flames went dim to flickers. Smoke and ash rose from the fallen one. Stario pulled out his Star Saber, well aware Vuljiin was most likely playing possum. At the sound of his unsheathing, Stario watched Vuljiin’s right hand clench.
“Mwa ha ha ha ha ha,” Vuljiin snickered. “Very well, truly you have managed to gain great strength since I sent Ekin to exterminate you.”
Stario continued to hold the sword in both hands, wondering if he should allow this as Vuljiin picked himself up and regained his composure.
“I do not know how you do it, even I, the great Vuljiin couldn’t jump forward in such leaps and bounds.” Vuljiin turned away from Stario and walked over to the computer console, typing in unseen commands. Stario cautiously listened. “Or perhaps, you’ve always had this power. This power, maybe it is a, reserve of some kind?”
Stario widened his eyes and then showed his teeth in disgust as Vuljiin looked at him. “So, you are aware then.”
“Oh yes,” Vuljiin explained. “I’ve known for quite a long time now. The increased strength you’re pushing forward isn’t something you had gained, it’s the energy you have left to keep you living. You are actually drawing your own life force to become stronger.” Stario seethed as Vuljiin continued. “Ever since you became aware of the knowledge that you were slowly dying, the fusion was splitting, you’ve held nothing back. When you kill me, you won’t have a breath left in your body. As the dust settles from the collapse of my corpse, yours will fall to shoot up another cloud.”
“My own life to stop you, Vuljiin, you wicked fiend,” Stario snarled.
Vuljiin cackled. “We shall see about that.” Another mechanical noise sounded. Stario looked up to see the ceiling opening up and a tall dark abyss beyond it. “Come, the showdown awaits.”
Vuljiin levitated into the air and flew into the darkness. Stario sheathed his sword and jumped up after the ghastly warlock...
~*~*~*~
Luigi screamed, half of fear, half of excitement, riding down the tight and wet pipe. He felt the twisting turns, and winced when knocked against the sides. A light was seen up ahead and Luigi felt a drop. He saw dozens of pipes pouring out into a humongous drop, with large machines that must have done a recycling process. He plummeted towards the first strainer, sliding down the funnel-shaped descent. He saw a shaft coming closer. He grasped it with his hand as he passed it by, and felt a stop. He dangled for a moment above the drop-off and then pulled himself up to open the mysterious shaft. He felt a falling sequence again, and soon he could see a very mechanical and strange chamber with tons of blinking lights and fluid energy rushing through pipes. A hard landing made Luigi take a minute to rediscover the environment.
He stood up and walked forward to a tall podium in front of a machine altar. Incased in the podium was an eerie sword with an emblem on the hilt that was printed onto all LVK Industries products. Only the emblem’s black color was haunting, and the red eyes were soul-piercing, much like Vuljiin’s. Luigi looked away from the ghastly blade and to the keyboard on top of the podium. He accidently slipped his finger and pushed a button. A disturbing whirring sound began, and vile green lights appeared at the ends of the towering spikes of the altar. Purple flames and green lightning filled the center of the altar when the horrifying image of darkness appeared. The same as the emblem on the sword, the symbol of LVK Industries, this figure made Luigi cringe. Its eyes opened, pouring out the deadly red glow, and Luigi felt his insides begin to crush as a frightening tendril of dark colors stretched out from the dark figure and slithered towards him. The green plumber saw it now five meters away, and had recomposed himself. Luigi made to run, but was instantly snatched and coiled by the tendril of darkness.
Luigi screamed. The most horrifying images raced through his mind, yet he watched them go by in slow motion. The plumber didn’t even notice when he involuntarily threw up. The tentacle wrapped around him felt colder than anything he had even imagined. Bolts of what looked like green and purple electricity only made him shiver, no warmth came from this demonic thing. Luigi couldn’t hold on, the images continued pumping through his mind, but a veil of shadow crept from the sides of the visions. He saw the princess, scared to death and wasting away locked in her room. He saw the entire Mushroom Kingdom aflame, two colossal monsters spreading doom in their primal battle. He saw Mario, his brother, decaying. His skin was gray like stone. Luigi couldn’t take it anymore, his bones were crushing from the dark tendril. He began to sob as he felt his very body split in two, and his mind disintegrate into a blizzard...
~*~*~*~
The first light Stario saw was a gruesome purple. A bolt of lightning. Vuljiin had arranged the final fight on the top of his grand lair. Stario flipped out onto the arena set for them. A thick mist hovered all around him, he could barely see the edge of the tower. He searched around, pulling out his sword. Where was Vuljiin? A sinister laugh beckoned through the fog as a pair of demonic eyes bruned forth.
“This time I won’t give you a chance to escape,” Stario shouted.
“Is that so?” Vuljiin replied. “You’re acting quite cocky for someone who is about to die. Perhaps I show you the true power of what you are up against...”
Stario flashed a confused look as the fog parted, and Vuljiin was seen at last, only the dark warlord he knew before was no more. Now stood a humongous figure, veiled in the same darkness. Vuljiin’s cloak was obviously torn in some areas, telling from the silouhette. His smooth hands had transformed into jagged, gaping claws. Two demonic horns twisted up from a crown of feral hair flying in all directions. Stario squinted at the shaded figure, something inside him stirred up, but the Star-gilded hero did not recognize it. The new, monstrous form of Vuljiin roared wildly and breathed the dark flames into the air.
“I am Lord Vuljiin, fear my wrath!!!”
Chapter 69: Clash of the Titans!
The entire army of the Koopa Troop, the Mushroom Kingdom’s defense teams, and everyone in the area dropped their jaws in awe at the amazing spectacle of the two creatures now facing off. Inferno, super-monster of the fire. Tundra, super-monster of the ice. Who would prevail?
The flames gleamed off the Inferno’s dark green hide as it growled and opened its mouth to show the massive amount of teeth and a forked, black tongue. Down its neck and on its belly to the end of its tail was pink colored. Surging veins of red, yellow, and lighter green pumped power all over the monster’s body. A grotesque horn protruded from its head, glowing red because of all the visible veins. The long tail of the behemoth swayed back and forth, the end a grand club-like shape with a single spike sticking out of the end. The entire tail end was bright red, even more so than the horn.
And the tall pyros from afar reflected off the Tundra’s four glassy, red eyes. The Tundra’s body was white, with bright blues for veins. From its head down the back and to the tail was a row of jagged icicle-like spikes. The tail’s end was not as large as its opponent, but still quite big, and it was surrounded in a constant snowstorm. Snowflakes fell to the ground from the mighty wings of the Tundra creature.
“This is it!” Kumquat shouted. “The Age of Fire begins anew!!!”
“I disagree to the MAX!” Kunquat replied. “Fire is no longer a hot topic, and so I shall coat Plit in a freezing blanket of snow and ice!”
Both of the brothers growled at each other, and with a strong voice, commanded their super-monster to attack. The Inferno let out a low bellow that shook the ground, as it went down on all fours stomping towards its opponent. The Tundra gave a high-pitched shriek that sliced the air, and flapped its wings to become airborne. As the Tundra flew upward, it flung its tail below and slammed the end into the Inferno’s ugly face. The Tundra gained altitude quickly, but was brought back down to the planet with an immense ray of firebreath, with colors of red, orange, and black in the cloud of heat. Another shriek from the Tundra as it fell to the ground. The Reznor beast raced over to it and started a close-range battle.
“This is terrible!” Toad worried. “No matter who wins, they’ll still destroy the Kingdom in their struggle!”
“You’re right Toad,” Mallow said. “What can we do though?”
Splooshi scratched his head and his eyes scanned the area, falling upon the two dormant creatures of Crystal and Scorch. He began to growl when he saw Scorch.
“Hey! What are they doing here?!” Splooshi snarled.
Everyone took notice, and seemed surprised as they stood there. Mallow and Splooshi walked over to them, finding that they didn’t move. The Nimbian waved his hands in front of Crystal’s eyes, no reaction.
“They’re in a trance!” Mallow revealed.
Merlink walked over to the area and placed one of his hands on both Crystal and Scorch. “They’re being fed information from their masters, those two buffoons that will result in the death of our land! But... there’s something else going on here.” The others took greater interest as a purple light surrounded the wizard. “They are in one mind with the terrible monsters that are destroying the Mushroom Kingdom. They are experiencing the same as the Inferno and Tundra.”
“Perhaps there is a way we can use that link to our benefit?” Jinx suggested.
“Yeah, but how would we do that?” Dasher asked.
“Maybe these two can break the hold of those two villains, so the monsters will be able to think of their own free will,” The Master proposed.
“That’s not a bad idea... but how would we do that?” Mallow asked.
“I might be able to break them out of the trance, but it will take some time,” Merlink said. “Until then you will have to come up with a way to restrain the fight.”
“Okay, Merlink you get to work on that,” Toad said as the Shaman closed his eyes and the aura of purple surrounded the three of them. “In the meantime, does anyone have any ideas on how to stop these two creatures?”
Orchil, who had been quiet this whole time, stepped forward to speak. “I have an idea.”
“What is it, Orchil?” Mallow asked.
“Well, I am certain that Mosolunar would lend her powers to stop these two beasts,” Orchil suggested.
“Mosolunar? Who’s that?” Toad asked.
“Mosolunar is the Guardian Spirit of my native island,” Orchil explained.
“Wait Orchil, I thought she was in that huge cuccoon!” Splooshi pointed out.
“Yes, but if she needs to be awakened early, it can be done,” Orchil said. “Shall I ask her to help?”
“Yes! That’d be wonderful Orchil,” Mallow said. “Are you sure she’d be ready in her true form?”
“Yes,” Orchil said.
“True form?” Splooshi questioned.
“There’s no time to explain! Orchil, summon her quickly!” Mallow pleaded.
“Okay, I will,” Orchil said, closing her eyes and stepping into an open area.
Orchil closed her eyes and placed her hands together over her heart, and envisioned the Sacred Nesting grounds where Mosolunar’s pupaa lay in wait.
“Mosuriah, Mosura...
Mosuriah, Mosura...
Doun Ny hingu, nu yah! In demoo......
Ela hai, ya! A! Humba, humba nu yah, al deestowah, al deestowah!”
All eyes were on Orchil, as she sang Mosolunar’s enchanting song. Back on Flora Isle, Nuba and Naya watched knowingly as the Pupaa began to split open. Orchil continued singing.
“Mosuriah, Mosura...
Mosuriah, Mosura...
Doun Nu hingu, nu yah! In demoo.....
Ela Hai ya! A! Humba, humba nu yah, al deestowah, al deestowah!
Mosuriah, Mosura...
Mosuriah, Mosura...
Doun Nu hingu, nu yah! In demoo.....
Mosura,
Mosura,
Mosura~!”
And Mosolunar’s head emerged from the now-shattered shell. Her head was no longer yellow, though it still contained the symbol of the Sun and Moon combined. The Mosolunar larva was no more, and out came a magnificent butterfly creature that looked astonishingly beautiful. Its humongous wings were decorated with rich designs and loving colors. Her eyes were large and blue, with pink eyelids above them dangling long lashes. Nuba and Naya walked to their Guardian Spirit and climbed aboard, and soon the heroic moth took flight for the Mushroom Kingdom.
Orchil opened her eyes and smiled. “She has answered! And she is coming!”
Everyone smiled, though most had no idea what was happening.
“Unfortunately, it will still take her some time to get here...” Orchil groaned.
“That’s true,” Mallow said. “Maybe there’s another way we can stall them for time... any ideas?”
“Well... they’re obviously weakened by their opposite powers... maybe there’s a way we can rig a huge mirror to repel any blasts back at the monsters,” Genji thought.
“That would be a great idea... if only we had a mirror large enough...” Mallow despaired.
“Ohhohohohohoho!” an elderly chuckle came. “I might be of some help, my friends.”
“Professor Gadd?” Toad said confused.
“It just so happens that I have placed a massive Disco Ball on top of the new Starbeans Cafe I recently opened, you know to bring in customers,” Gadd explained. “You’re all more than welcome to use it.”
“All right!” Splooshi shouted.
“This is very bizarre, but wonderful news!” Toad said. “We can attach it to a helicopter to use it while airborne. Mallow, Genji, Professor, come with me to set this idea up. There’s no time to waste!”
The four rushed off hurriedly toward
the city in hopes of making this hair-brained scheme a reality.
Merlink was now diving deep into the subconscious of Crystal, in hopes of finding the source of Kunquat’s soveriegnty placed over her mind. He found himself walking down a long path, a fierce blizzard far off in the distance. He continued to step forward when he found a large purple mass of goop that seemed out of place. Merlink nodded and retrieved his magic wand. He fired a yellow laser at the goop but the jolt backfired and slammed into the wizard, knocking him off his feet. The Shaman rubbed his head, watching the goop take on the form of Kunquat.
“HEY! What are you doing here?! This in MY mind to control!” Kunquar seethed.
Merlink stood up, grabbing his wand again. “Not anymore, I’m afraid.”
The wizard thrust his wand forward, releasing a red heat beam at the quivering mass. Kunquat screamed and spun around to douse the flames that had covered his body.
“That’s not very nice!!!” Kunquat snapped. “TAKE THIS!!!”
Merlink watched as one by one, tiny snowflakes began to circle the Kunquat figure. Once he had dozens flying around him, Kunquat rose both hands to the air and enlargened each snowflake to become a Diamond Saw.
“ATTACK!” Kunquat yelled.
Merlink gasped and turned around running as the legions of Snowblades pursued him. Once enough distance had been gained he took a risk and turned around. Using a great amount of his magic, he stopped all of the Snowflakes in midair. Kunquat watched angrily, when suddenly Merlink created a gust of wind to blow the Snowflakes in the opposite direction. A wide-eyed Kunquat shrieked before being diced to pieces. Merlink walked forward and completely disintegrated the goopy mess, freeing Crystal of his hold.
“Now to Scorch...” Merlink said, vanishing
from the area.
“Are we ready?” Toad asked.
“Yes, the disco ball is secure and locked in place,” Mallow yelled over the blaring chopper blades.
Toad patted the pilot on the shoulder twice. “Let’s go!”
The helicopter lifted into the sky, sending beams of light from all of the flickering flames in the background still, creating a huge disco arena. Ahead were the two monsters entrapped in their battle.
“Let’s hope this works,” Genji mumbled.
Inferno belched out a pool of lava that flowed downhill to the fallen Anglor. The spicy soup of magma caught the eyes of the winged creature, and it hopped to its feet quickly. Tundra released a cloud of ice, freezing the lava on spot. It continued with a large flap of its wings, ripping the iced lava off the ground, and sent the shards at the Inferno. The sharp pieces of ice slammed into the pink belly of the Inferno, causing it to roar in pain. The helicopter swooped into the area, unnoticed by the monsters or their masters. The raging Inferno started to build fire in his throat.
“This is it!” Mallow said. “Position the chopper to deflect the blast at the Tundra!”
The Inferno released his super-heated firebreath, and the heliopter dropped just enough for the disco ball to come in contact with the whirling beam of flame. The disco ball absorbed the blast, and twirled around extremely fast, stopping in the perfect position to released the blast and fire it at the Tundra. The ice monster shrieked as the fire tore away at its chest.
“WHAT THE?!” Kunquat shouted. “Tundra, my lovely pet! How dare you harm my pride and joy! ATTACK THAT HELICOPTER!!!”
The Tundra’s eyes opened again, and it flapped into the air, drawing in great amounts of air. The ferocious beast fired its blast of ice toward the helicopter, which rose at the right time so that the blast collided with the disco ball again. It absorbed the ice and rotated speedily, stopping to release the energy in a powerful blow to the opposing Inferno. A bellow was let out as the ice nipped away at the Inferno’s body.
“Inconceivable!” Kumquat snorted. “DESTROY
THEM, INFERNO!!!”
Merlink reappeared in a very similar path, only the background contained an eternal fire, not a blizzard. He stepped forward to find another purple mass of goop awaiting him, in the form of Kumquat.
“Intruder! Prepare to be toast!” Kumquat alarmed.
The Kumquat figure snapped his fingers and summoned two fireballs that appeared circling around Merlink. The Shaman nervously watched as the balls of flame slowly got closer to him. Just before they roasted his feet, the jumped into the air avoiding the fire. The fireballs dissolved and Kumquat snarled.
“Not spicy enough for ya? TRY THIS!!!” Kumquat cried.
A wall of fire formed and rushed against Merlink, causing him to fall to the ground.
“Aarg,” Merlink groaned. “I’ve had enough of this. It’s time I use a family secret, the Shiver Shock!”
“Shiver Shock?” Kumquat said perplexed.
Flakes of white danced around Merlink as a periwinkle glow twinkled in his hand.The snowballs spun faster and faster as they were drawn into Merlink’s hand, and the size of the glow increased. The Shaman leapt into the air and fired a bolt of lightning, empowered with ice, straight at the Kumquat goop. It cried upon impact and crystallized. Merlink landed and kicked the iced being, shattering the former gelatin-like substance to nothingness. Both were free, now Merlink had to awaken them.
The Shaman reappeared on the battlefield, no one noticed as all eyes were on the fight. The purple glow dissipated and Merlink shook the two to bring them back to life. Slowly they recomposed themselves.
“Huh? Where am I...?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah, thiz one would like that anzwer too,” Scorch said.
“Listen to me. You both have been under the evil Kumquat and Kunquat’s spell, now is the time for revenge. Go fight your former masters and free your ancesters from their grasp as well!” Merlink explained.
All at once Crystal and Scorch knew what had to be done. The Snow Birdo nodded and took to the air.
“Thiz one may need help getting to Kumquat, no wingz,” Scorch explained.
The Master stepped forward grinning. “I’ll be able to help you there.”
Kunquat stared at the helicopter and its clever ploy in hate. “Gah! This is terrible! No matter, my Tundra will overcome!”
“Your Tundra?” Crystal asked. “That monster in my ancestor! And you shouldn’t be telling my ancestors what to do!”
Kunquat turned and growled at the Birdo. “I see you’ve gotten your free will back? No matter. With this MYSTIC MOON, I will destroy you effortlessly!”
A ray of silver shot forth and crashed into Crystal, knocking her backward.
“Hmmhmmhmm!” Kunquat chuckled.
Crystal flipped upright and launched
forward at the white Shy Guy.
“That’s it!! GET THAT CHOPPER!!!” Kumquat commanded.
“Special delivery!” Scorch shouted.
Kumquat looked down in time to see his old servant slash him in the face.
“AGGAH! You worthless... hey, where’d you go?” Kumquat asked.
Scorch shot up again and this time smacked Kumquat with his tail.
“YOU PUNK!!! Hey... STOP DISAPPEARING!!!” Kumquat shouted.
The Master caught Scorch and tossed him up again with a smile. Kumquat was ready this time, and fired a cloud of smoke to blind Scorch.
“Aha! Take this!” Kumquat yelled, shooting
a blast of fire.
“Great! They’re distracted...” Mallow said. “Let’s hope this continues being as easy...”
As Mallow finished his sentence the entire helicopter shook and almost went out of control.
“What was THAT?” Genji asked.
“Oh dear,” Gadd said. “That Tundra monster is in the air now, I guess they have figured out that they cannot attack us with their breath weapons.”
“That’s not good!” Toad worried. “What do we do now?”
Mallow looked out of the window concerned, but turned back with a smile. “Now we’ll let Mosolunar finish ‘em off!”
The others gathered at the window to see the magnificent butterfly creature fly into view. The Inferno and Tundra creatures stopped their siege on the helicoper to watch the newcomer fly in. As Mosolunar circled the area, she dropped sparkling flower petals from her wings to put out all of the fires and wash away the ravaged plains of the Fungi Fields, where blooming patches of spectacular plants sprouted. The massive moth landed near Orchil, Splooshi, and the rest. Everyone gathered around to get a good sight of the astonishing Guardian Spirit. Nuba and Naya appeared before Splooshi and Orchil smiling.
“Nuba, Naya! You both came!” Orchil said overjoyed.
“Yes young one,” Nuba said.
“Mosolunar helps those in need,” Naya explained.
“Wow, she’s beautiful!” Splooshi gasped.
“A treat for the eyes, truly,” Jinx said.
“Should have sent a poet,” The Master chuckled.
Mosolunar replied with a soothing, long hum.
“She is ready now. Fly Mosolunar, fly!” Nuba and Naya said in unison.
The bright blue eyes of Mosolunar glowed majestically as the Guardian Spirit rose into the air and flew back towards the two beasts, who continued to peer at her with confusion.
“All right guys. Those monsters will start attacking soon! Let’s cover Mosolunar!” Mallow ordered.
“Right!” Toad said, signaling to the pilot.
Mosolunar flapped around the two monsters
once, dropping more petals to the ground from the pockets in her wings.
The petals touched the ground near the feet of the creatures, and sank
deep within the barren ground. After a brief moment huge, green vines ripped
up from the ground and coiled around the feet of the creatures. Shrieks
and bellows were heard as the two struggled to break free. Kumquat and
Kunquat had finally taken notice.
“BURST ME BOILS!!!” Kumquat shouted. “What is that BUG doing to my Inferno?!”
Scorch was launched up again at the right time and took the Infernal Lord off guard with a swift kick to the jaw, launching him out of the air. Four things fell, Scorch, Kumqaut, his wand, and the Sacred Sun.
Meanwhile Kunquat was fuming about the recent predicament.
“SHIVER ME INUETS!!!” Kunquat screamed.
Crystal grunted and gave a good one-two
punch combo to the Tundra Lord. He dropped his wand, which separated from
the Mystic Moon that fell in another direction. Kunquat glared up at Crystal
as she brought down her elbow on his face.
The Inferno and the Tundra vomited up their respective breath attacks, but both were absorbed by the giant disco ball and fired back at the opposite monster. It seemed that at last, victory was in sight for the Good Guys. However, the Inferno and Tundra had broken free from the grasp of the strong vines. Tundra took to the air and the Inferno jumped up from below Mosolunar. A giant green claw sliced at Mosolunar’s wing, tearing through it. The Guardian Spirit let out a stifled cry, but was silenced when the Tundra slammed down on top of her and sent her to the ground.
“Oh no! Mosoluar’s hurt!” Orchil cried.
“Quickly! Find the two pieces of the treasure! Only when the Ancient Light if formed, will Mosolunar’s true strength shine forth!” Nuba said.
“We’re way ahead of you!” Crystal said, grasping the silvery glow of the Mystic Moon in one claw, Kunquat in the other.
“Yez, take thiz and stop our anceztors from this terrible miztake!” Scorch said, dragging Kumquat by the collar, and handing the golden Sacred Sun.
Nuba grabbed the Sacred Sun, Naya grabbed the Mystic Moon. They held each object over their heads for a moment before pushing them together. In an amazing bright white flash that knocked everyone off their feet, the ultimate power of the Ancient Light had been restored. In front of Nuba and Naya floated a humbling sphere of pure white light. Both of them placed a hand on it, and the light enveloped each of them. Nuba glowed golden, Naya glowed silver. Their other hands aimed in the direction of Mosolunar, and each fired out the same colored light that launched together in a double-helix formation, racing along the fields of green to the fallen Spirit. The coils of light combined together into one force of white light just before touching Mosolunar.
The white light surrounded her body,
but Mosolunar did not rise. The others beckoned her to awaken. The symbol
of a connected Shine and Moon began to glow, and transformed into the very
same light as the Ancient Light. Mosolunar’s eyes opened wide, and her
damaged wing healed. The flying fantasy creature flapped into the air and
hovered in between both monsters. As they prepared to jump again, Mosolunar
fired a blast of the Ancient Light directly from her forehead into the
giant disco ball. A blinding light exploded on contact, sending spurts
of the powerful light in every direction. Whereever the magic light touched,
flowers and majestic plants grew. But at the end of the rotation of the
disco ball, two mighty, wrathful beams of the Ancient Light fired at both
creatures, enveloping them entirely in the white light. Kumquat and Kunqaut
cried for their defeated beasts as a final bellow and shriek were emitted.
The light dissipated and there stood eight new figures, four massive eggs
of ice and four statues of hideous creatures. The Clash of the Titans was
over.
Soon after, all had gathered near the eggs and statues. Scorch with the fire rod had Kumquat trapped inside a dome of fire, and Crystal with the ice rod had Kunquat inside a snowglobe.
“You two, farewell,” Nuba said.
“You both are now the true Rulers of your Realms. Please, don’t go corrupt like these two foolish ones. Good luck,” Naya said.
“Goodbye friendz. Thiz one aplogizies for all the bad thingz done. May the Starz watch over you!” Scorch said.
The Reznoth and the statues and Kumquat vanished in a whirl of fire.
“This is goodbye for me too. If any of you ever see that Soshi guy again, give him a good punch in the face for me. Farewell!” Crystal said.
And the eggs and Snow Birdo, along with a fierce Kunquat, vanished in a brief blizzard.
“Well, all’s well that ends well, right?” Splooshi said.
Mosolunar gave out a low, moan.
“Not quite Splooshi,” Nuba said. “There are three of your friends still in mortal danger.”
“Stario, Luigi, THE PRINCESS!” Toad gasped. “I forgot!”
“Yes. Those three are in big trouble as we speak. But do not despair, there is one way we can help them,” Naya explained. “It is possible to transport the Ancient Light through time and space to one’s heart who really needs it.”
Nuba placed the sphere of light in the center of the crowd.
“Everyone place one hand on the Ancient Light, and wish to give the power to the one who truly needs it,” Nuba said.
Mallow, Toad, Splooshi, Orchil, and all the rest placed their hands on the magical orb of the Ancient Light, and closed their eyes deep in concentration. They wished indeed for the one who truly needed it, in a bright flash of light the orb was gone, and Mosolunar was flying in the air, showering the land with golden sparkles from her wings as the sun came up on a new day.
Lightning rained down far below the arena set at the top of the tower. Now the playing field was quite clear for Stario to see, one advantage against this new, hideous form of the enemy. The old Vuljiin was merely twice the size of himself, a weak body relying on intelligence to win. But this Vuljiin was an entirely different problem. Stario thought nervously about the wretched creature’s new defense. He also discovered a long tail and a huge spikey hump covering his entire back. The thing inside him continued to punish his mind with migraine. What was it he couldn’t remember?! Stario’s frustration was lost when a terrorsome roar howled from the monster.
“Pitiful worm! I command you to fight me!!!” Vuljiin ordered.
Stario gripped on the Star Saber, the five-pointed emblem glowing symbolically. “As you wish.”
The caped plumber dasher forward grasping
his sword with both hands. He gave out a cry of fury as he jumped into
the air and swung forward to his enemy. Instead of making a cut, a black
fist shot out and sabotaged the attack. Stario flew backward and slammed
his head into a large stone along the outer rim of the tower, and slowly
he slipped into unconsciousness...
Luigi awoke with a bitter slap of cold. The green one opened his eyes and found his vision to be greatly unfocused. First he found himself, and to much relief was not in two pieces. Luigi stepped up and reached a hand forward, looking with it since his eyes were rendered useless. He felt around for awhile until his weakened eyes managed to spot something other than the endless white surrounding him. It was something in shadow, he couldn’t make it out. A cold wind slithered through the air and met Luigi’s face from the unknown blackness. The plumber recoiled away, but couldn’t stop looking towards it. Something about the strange black object in front of him was comforting. He felt all of his worldly troubles would lift away every time he looked at it. He reached forward, missing the darkness by far. He lifted his extremely heavy leg and stepped managed to step forward. He continued straddling to the figure, walking as a virgin infant would. A smile of tranquility peeled along his face as he continued to get closer. He stepped forward again, now very close, another and he could touch it. He exhaled and saw his breath form into a cloud. His vision was slowly returning, when he realized how cold it had gotten. The strange relaxation was shedding from his mind as he regained his senses and turned to look at the dark thing once again.
Luigi let out a silenced scream as time seemed to slow down and two familiar, soul-stabbing, crimson eyes opened. Luigi turned to look away, but felt something pulling him back. He didn’t want to look into those eyes, something bad would happen. He felt a gust of wind push him forward and he caught a peek of the eyes, nearly fully opened. The icy breath of death cut his body. Luigi felt thousands of wounds begin to bleed as he locked eyes with the darkness. The eyes opened full, and Luigi felt his eyes burning. He tried to scream again, but to no avail. His body was being frozen, and he felt the intense burning flowing past his eyes and into his skull. Luigi could feel the burning glare of his eyes painfully caressing his brain. The glare felt like infinite tendrils of heat scanning his brain. With each passing moment a painful prick occurred and Luigi found himself remembering memories from long past. He saw Mario, the pair’s arrival to the Mushroom Kingdom. The princess, Yoshi, Bowser. All of these past events flashed before him as he came to a conclusion. It was searching. The Darkness was seraching for something, Luigi felt an incredible responsibilty rush over him. He couldn’t allow that thing to find what it was looking for. Luigi summoned up a great amount of strength and attempted to break free.
“AAAHHHHHHHH!!!” Luigi shouted.
The green plumber suddenly found himself
in a cavernous world of ice and snow. Luigi looked down and gasped, finding
that he was on the very edge of a tall pillar of ice. He stepped forward,
not wanting to fall, and found an old chest, opened. Hovering above the
chest was the furious Dark figure. Luigi didn’t make eye contact again
and turned to run. He took the only path down, a long spiraling way that
lead down into the snow-coated ground. Once at the bottom, Luigi tripped
and dived face-first into the frigid snow. He pulled himself up and tried
to run again. As he ran he noticed several trails of footprints left in
the snow, someone else was here recently. He launched himself forward,
escape ahead of him in the form of a tall opening in the cave’s wall. Suddenly
his hopes were crushed as a thick, dark muck drooled down and blocked his
exit. Luigi stepped back as the muck formed into the Darkness again. He
closed his eyes and ran in the opposite direction. He cried out heading
as fast as possible to the nearest opening but was blocked once again by
the Darkness. Luigi stepped back and clenched both fists. There was no
use, he would have to fight.
Deep, deep into a world of despair, the last breath was drawing near for a pitiful Princess Toadstool. She gazed up and found the guard standing idly by. Peach averted her eyes to the window and saw a bolt of lightning streak down through the sky. She closed her eyes as her hair fell upon her face again. A final droplet of purity formed in her lash and made its way down her cheek. Her last tear tricked down her face. Peach felt the teardrop run along her face and hang onto the bottom of her chin for a moment. She exhaled and felt it leave her. The tear descended quickly and splashed upon the stone floor. Peach stared down with dry eyes at the remnants of her final hopes and admitted that her time had come. As the fair princess allowed herself to drift away from this world, she saw the twinkle in her tear grow brighter. Peach watched as the twinkle grew larger and became very bright, the purest light she had ever laid eyes on. Though it was blinding, she couldn’t look away. The light growing from her final tear filled her heart with emotion and she remembered her friends and loved ones. She couldn’t let them down, she couldn’t let the Mushroom Kingdom down. She reached out and touched the light, and upon doing so a miraculous sensation fell over her. Her entire body was consumed int the light, she felt the warm glow heal her wounds, feed her hunger, repair her tattered clothes, and overall leave a heavenly glow to the princess.
“Eh? What’s going on?!” the guard rasped, finally noticing the princess and the bright light enveloping her.
Peach turned to the hooded lackey and rearranged her face to show a disgust. “I pity you, I can now see that your heart was once pure and rich with love. Now that you have surrendered your will to that vile creature, your spirit is fading.”
The green claws were visible. “What did you say about my Lord?!”
“Please, look into my eyes, and see the light,” Peach spoke.
The guard snarled. “What kind of trash is this?!”
Peach stepped forward and firmly took her hands. The light shined into the hood, revealing her face to the princess. The guard recoiled protectively, but soon dropped to the ground, sobbing.
“Stars above, I have failed you,” the hodded figure said. “I do not deserve this, please princess, let me die here, for I have caused so much trouble.”
“Oh shut up!” Peach said unexpectedly.
“Wha?!” she replied.
“That’s no way to talk, come on I need your help. Where would I find Vuljiin?” Peach asked.
The figure looked up, her round green
snout poking out. “Follow me.”
The loud, rhythmic pounding of impending doom stirred Stario and he pulled himself back into consciousness. “Mamamia?”
Stario quickly found the pounding’s source. The terrible monster that Vuljiin had become was stomping closer to the fallen fighter. Stario leapt to his feet and reached for his sword, finding nothing.
“Oh no,” Stario whispered.
“Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! Looking for this?!” Vuljiin chuckled, holding the Star Saber in his hand. The glorious weapon looked like a pocket knife in his huge claw. “I planned on using it to clean my teeth once I finish eating you!”
Stario jumped into the air, a trail of golden sparks behind him. Vuljiin ceased his laughing when he discovered Stario shooting towards him. With a bright flash and several stars bursting out, Stario slammed his feet down on Vuljiin’s head. The dark lord recovered from the assail as a second blow to his head came crashing down.
“AAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!” Vuljiin roared.
As Stario continued trouncing his foe, a transparent image of Defender appeared before him. Stario concentrated on his attack, but listened to the wise words of the Cosmos Champion.
“Stario, time is running out! The fission will begin soon! Defeat him!!!” Defender pleaded.
Stario said nothing and nodded in midair before flying back down to Vuljiin in a super-powerful Stario Whirlwind. Faded images of colorful Stars poured behind him as he descended. Vuljiin looked up with a shriek as the great attack fell upon him. The mighty power of the Stario Whirlwind gave the atrocious beast an intense beating and followed through by blasting him with an awesome wind. The enormous dark creature fumbled backward and fell onto his thorny back. He let out a low wheeze as Stario grabbed the dropped Star Saber.
“You can’t win...” Vuljiin grunted. “My power is forever, and I am immortal!” Vuljiin climbed to his feet and glared fiercely to his opponent. “You are indeed strong Stario, but your might lacks skill. Even using your life force to the maximum extent cannot finish me, no one can finish me!!!”
Stario gave an amused snicker. “We’ll see about that.”
Vuljiin pulled back, drawing in ominous-colored
energy into his mouth. Stario cried and his eyes shined bright gold as
did the Star Saber. The legendary warrior pounced into the air, sword in
hand, just as the tyrannical terror came down to unleash his most powerful
wave of demonic firebreath. Stario disappeared in the fury of flames, but
charged on. Vuljiin’s death breath stopped when the mystical blade stabbed
into his heart...
Luigi blindly hurled green orbs of fire in the direction of the heinous Darkness. The balls bounced off of the demon as it hovered ever closer to the man in green. Luigi walked back defensively as it came forward, but never stopped shooting the green flames. This continued until Luigi found himself trapped against the pillar of snow. He panicked as the thing was the closest yet. He pushed both arms forward and expelled the most powerful blast he had ever shot. His entire arms burned with the green flame as a wall of the fire pushed forward, knocking the Darkness behind its wrath. Luigi closed his eyes and continued to exsponge all of his energy into the awesome attack. He saw the last ember of green leave his fingertips and collapsed to the ground, dropping his head forward with his hands on his outstretched legs. A soft whisper of tortured souls forced him to look up, finding the blaring red eyes of his enemy. Again he felt the terrible pain as the Darkness entered his mind and began scanning through his brain.
Luigi cried in pain as all of the heat focused in one area. He started to see images of Yoshi’s Island, the Mecha Mario and Mecha Yoshi battling. He relived the experience of breaking into the Mecha Yoshi and running up to the control room. He saw the control room door in front of him. Something was happening. The Darkness was close to finding whatever it was looking for. And then as the door opened, a white light shined out and purified Luigi’s mind. The heat and cold had vanished. For the first time, Luigi opened his eyes and saw a white beam destroying the large dark figure hovering in the altar. The tendril suffocating the plumber faded as the darkness grew weaker. A demonic cry bellowed out as the thing disappeared in an explosion of white light. Luigi shielded his eyes as he fell to the ground. As the explosion subsided, he stared forward at the podium, noticing that something was missing from it, inside the glass casing.
“Luigi!” a tender, wonderful voice called.
The plumber looked up with disbelief, finding Princess Toadstool in an aura of pure light walk forward. He jumped up and embraced her, Luigi had never shown such affection for her. Tears streamed down his face and he looked behind her shoulder and saw a familiar face that he once knew to be an enemy. A dark green Yoshi-looking creature with sharp teeth and claws, and a head full of messy black hair stood there in a dark robe. Luigi released Peach and stared at her.
“Karma?”
Stario pulled the glowing sword from Vuljiin’s chest. He couldn’t see because of the darkness shrouding his silouhette, but something told him the feral monster was bleeding badly, and in a tremendous amount of pain. Stario stepped back as Vuljiin clutched his wound. He seemed astonished at the fact and staggered backwards. Stario gasped as his foolish foe fell backwards off the edge of the tower into the thick fog below. Stario ran forward and peered off the edge to see the beaten Vuljiin plummit into the clouds, until they smothered him completely. Stario laughed lightly.
“I guess I won, hoo-hoo!”
A symbolic bolt of lightning crashed into the center of the tower, creating a large opening. He stepped forward and looked down the smoking crater. He smiled in delight, seeing two faces he longed to see for such a time. Luigi and Princess Peach stood down into the next floor and waved excitedly. A third person was down there as well but Stario didn’t recognize her, but something told him Mario might have had an encounter. He waved back with a smile when a painful beam drilled into his back. He watched the others’ faces gasp in despair as the pain flowed all through his body. Stario turned around to see a hooded figure grasping a laser machine labeled “A.I.D.S.”
“No one can destroy Lord Vuljiin!!!” the hooded figure hissed.
Stario shouted as he felt something inside of him break. He lost his balance and plummit into the hole, landing a floor below him. Luigi and Peach gathered to him immediately. Stario reached his hand forward, as if trying to grab something and pull it back to him. Peach and Luigi were muttering inaudible words to the heroic hybrid. The beam of blue light from the A.I.D.S. device had not dissipated yet. Stario’s chest glowed brightly as it seemed to open up. Stario looked one last time into his friends’ eyes before closing his own. A torrent of desperate cries stormed from Peach and Luigi as they witnessed an object begin to form out of his chest. They watched in awe as the Crystal Star was removed from Stario’s body, and drawn upward to the hooded fiend. The Star was clamped tightly at the gun’s port. Luigi shouted in rage as Peach collapsed onto Stario’s dead corpse, crying incessently. Back on the tower’s top, the hooded figure removed a pair of transparent containers, each holding a separate Cosmos Crystal. He opened the containers and released the lock on the Crystal Star. He outstretched his hands as the three majestic treasures swirled close together.
“Crystal Cosmos, I command the! Give my Dark Lord life once more, let him breathe again!”
The Crystal Cosmos flashed white and combined into a single force. For one second, everything was lost in a flash of light. The hooded figure lowered his hands as the light blue crystallion items hovered into the air and parted into three separate directions. A blue lightning bolt showered down from the last spot the Crystal Cosmos were linked and fired down the side of the tower.
Luigi shooks his head. “No... it can’t be!”
Karma growled up the tower and pulled out a blade. Luigi clenched his fists and a green light began to form around them. Suddenly the hideous pair of demonic eyes peered down at them, as the beastly Vuljiin was restored.
“Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Do you two really think you can stop me? When your precious Stario couldn’t? You are pathetic. Luigi, you will never amount to such strength. And my former disciple, what a laugh! Both of you will be destroyed, along with your princess as well as the rest of the planet!” Vuljiin laughed.
Luigi was furious, but he knew that Vuljiin was right. “I may not be able to stop you, but I’ll be blocking water if I’m going to let you kill me without a fight!”
“I await your arrival,” Vuljiin laughed, extending a hand, beckoning him to come up.
Luigi and Karma leapt into the air and onto the battlefield where Vuljiin lurked. Peach continued to sob as their cries of pain reached her ears.
“Mario... I know you’re in there! PLEASE! We NEED you! Mario...” Peach whimpered.
The princess moved up and looked at Stario’s face. She bent down and kissed him on the nose, just as she used to do to Mario. As she kissed him, a bright tear fell from her eye and landed on Stario’s eyelashes of his closed eyes. The princess stood up and continued to look down on her perished hero. Peach took notice that the white glow surrounding her head left, she looked down and shrieked as the aura now enveloped Stario. She placed a hand on her chest as he opened his eyes, now full of a white light. Stario stood up and pulled out the Star Saber, which now shined with a bright white light.
“I will not let you down, Princess Peach.”