Chapter Fifty-One: Reaper of Souls
Mario stared into the tortured gaze of Setzuka and glowered. The mighty scarecrow demon slammed his scythe into the ground, causing hordes of lightning to shoot through the ground nearing Mario. He jumped out of the way, but the lightning jumped up into the air and shocked him, and sent him sprawling to the ground. Mario lay wincing for a couple of moments, then struggled to his feet and glared at the demon. Setzuka began to twirl his scythe like a raging whirlwind, gathering wind and power.
"Where did you get... such power?" Mario asked weakly.
"Hah. Do you really think I gave it my all back at the castle? I was testing you," the demon mocked.
Mario jumped into the air and brought down his mighty hammer, sending it crashing into his enemy's scythe. The demon parried and slashed at Mario's unguarded back. Mario shouted, but backflipped and landed on the demon's head. He roared and stumbled backwards. Then his scythe, whirling faster and faster, glowed black as the night sky. A pillar of pure darkness came up from the ground and enveloped the caped crusader, and he was tossed onto the hard ground.
The plumber got up and began charging a rather large fireball, and when it was large enough he hurled it with great force like many times before. The fireball crashed into the scarecrow and it growled ravenously. Several dark creatures flew from his back and dove down at Mario. The man in red ran, and dodged every one. The scarecrow charged an orb of lightning, grinned, then threw it at Mario. He dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way of the lightning orb and jumped into the air, kicking the demon square in the face.
It stumbled back as it was hit with a face punch. Then Mario charged a fireball and chucked it, causing the demon to be propelled into the air, where Mario brought him down with a hammerhand. Setzuka crashed to the ground and then got back up, eyeing Mario carefully. He leapt into the air and dissapeared behind a wall of darkness. Mario was very suspicious about this manuever, and he showed it. There was a great rumbling sound and the hero gasped. From the sky, great, gleaming, silver blades fell like hail. Mario rolled out of the way and just avoided being skewered by the enormous blade. Then he jumped to the side and managed to not get killed by a katana.
A large shuriken fell and grazed Mario's shoulder. He cried out but dropped to the ground and rolled fast to avoid six more swords. Then the rain stopped and the darkness lifted and Setzuka jumped to the ground, making it shake heavily. Mario felt himself losing control as shockwaves went up his body. Then the fist of the demon smashed into his face, sending him flying backwards. He recovered quickly and dashed forward, returning the punch. It was blocked, but Mario got in with a kick. Then he round-housed and back-kicked, dealing out some pain.
The creature grabbed Mario's leg and tossed him up into the air and laughed as Mario screamed. The demon unleashed a wave of dark energy upwards into the air, completely frying Mario. The hero fell, but got up again. He leapt high into the air and smashed down on the scarecrow's head with his hammer. Then he kneed the demon in the face. Setzuka stumbled back as Mario punched into his tormentor's gut and then drop-kicked him in the face. Setzuka came with a punch from above followed by a gut kick into the air. Then the scythe came down and Mario rolled to the side, it only grazing his shoulder.
Mario recovered quickly and send pyros of fire into Setzuka's face, making the demon howl in pain. He followed this up with another vicious kick to the face. Mario ducked under the demon and sweeped his legs out from under him. Then he jumped up into the air and Mario Whirlwinded into his gut followed by a ground pound. Then he back-flipped off and started building a fireball. When Setzuka got up rubbing his head, he was hit with the large fireball and pushed back several feet.
There were several burn marks on his hide and he was breathing heavily. His hat was torn in places, and he glowered with an intense ferocity that made Mario shiver slightly. He stabbed the end of his scythe in the ground and closed his eyes. A dark glow began to swirl around his scythe and it entered his body. It swirled about him, and the air radiated with power. Mario locked eyes with the beast as it began to laugh hideously into the dark night.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU FOOL! I have toyed with you too long now. It is time to show you the extent of my power!!!" Setzuka bellowed.
"Extent?" Mario wheezed.
"Quite. I am exerting my full power now. You are a great warrior, but your life ends here," the creature said.
"I swear with all my might I will see you dead," Mario growled.
"THEN PROVE IT!!!" The demon roared and jumped into the air. When he landed on the ground, waves of dark fire erupted from the ground and flowed high up into the air, coming for the warrior in red and blue. Mario shot a fireball with force at the wall of dark flames, but it deflected and drilled into his bones. The power of the dark fire amplified it, then he was hit with the wave itself and pain blazed through his body. He flew back and hit the ground roughly.
Mario's eyes were closed but he felt a great weight land upon him. He opened them and saw the scarecrow creature upon him. He held his blade high into the air as a dark flame rose up behind him and he laughed evilly. Mario struggled with all his might but could not get the massive figure off of him, and he was crushing the hero's body.
"This is where you die, hero," the demon pronounced coldly. As the scythe fell, Mario thought he saw a red glow in the background. Next thing he knew, the weight had lifted off him. There was a lean, robed, hooded figure and it slammed into Setzuka. The startled demon gasped and rolled onto the ground. Then he growled.
"WHO DARES?" Setzuka demanded of the figure. No anwser was given, instead the demon was stabbed through the heart with a sword and kicked off the edge of the platform. He screamed before plunging beneath the magma-like substance. The figure shot a large fireball into the pulsating object hanging from above, which then exploded.
Mario gasped, standing up. "Who are you?" he asked.
"I AM TAKOI, THE MASTER OF PUPPETS!!!" the figure growled before pulling off its hood.
Chapter Fifty-Two: Greatest of all Hunters
Morcious rose into the sky and laughed evilly. Ludwig and company stared up into the sky as a bright fire enveloped him. Then, when the smoke cleared a gigantic dragon stared back at them. It was enormous and red, and its scales glinted. Flames shot out of his mouth and nostrils. The other thing that was more disturbing than the beast itself was the new surroundings that were, well, surrounding them. There were large walls all around that were like the inside of the computer with chips and curcuits and power veins everywhere.
Giant, bat-like wings folded off from the back of the dragon and it roared into the air. Then it stared down at the Koopas below it.
"Kamek, plan alpha," Bowser growled.
"Yes, my lord," Kamek replied. Kamek shot a spell at Bowser and the Boom Boom glowed with rainbow light. Then, he grew much taller until he was half the size of the dragon.
"I'll teach you to mess with the Koopa Clan, you dragon thingie!" Bowser roared as loud as the dragon himself. The dragon looked a bit surprised but shrugged it off like it was nothing. Ludwig and Karma held each other close as Clawdia talked to Kamek. Soon she was just as large as Bowser. Flame poured out of her mouth at the same time as it poured from Bowser's. The dragon growled in annoyance. It looked towards Kamek and a claw shot down. Kamek flew off into the sky, avoiding having his head cut off by a giant claw.
He barrel rolled into the sky, speeding like a bullet. Flames shot up into the air after the Magikoopa, but they were avoided. Kamek twisted on his broom and shot a blast of fire straight into the dragon's face. Morcious winced and spread his wings and lifted off into the sky. Kamek began to sweat as the enormous dragon came from below. Another burst of fire, and Kamek swerved to the right. Then Kamek eyed the dragon and slammed into him on his broom. The dragon fell to the ground and opened its eye after a couple of seconds. Flame poured on it and it kicked back its head in pain. Morcious then felt claws dig into his hide, and it bellowed. Bowser and Clawdia grinned.
The two Koopas swirled around, ducking in their shells at faster and faster paces. Then they slammed into Morcious. The dragon roared, tired of playing games. It flew up high into the air and folded its wings in on its body as the Koopa parents wondered what the creature was up to. It started to glow blue, green, and other colors as the creature seemed to laugh. Bright beams of color flew off the creature. One collided with Bowser and sent the turtle tyrant sprawling on the ground. Another collided with Clawdia and she fell on her back before getting up.
Clawdia jumped into the air and landed on the foot of Morcious. She climbed up it and started up his leg. The dragon roared and his giant claws came, trying to throw Clawdia off. The Koopa Queen jumped into the air, front-flipping several times before sticking her claw into the dragon's chest. She jumped up higher and breathed more flames into the massive dragon's face. It roared with anger and swatted at the queen.
Meanwhile Bowser faced Kamek. Kamek shot a spell at Bowser and the king became enveloped in a gray, glowing aura. Bowser started to run at super fast speeds up to the dragon's tail. He picked it up and started swinging. There was a tornado that formed around them, and the King of the Koopas released. The dragon flew into the computer wall and electricity surged through its body before it fell to the ground. It roared and turned its gaze on Ludwig and Karma. Everyone screamed as the dragon leaned down and swallowed the two lovers.
Karma and Ludwig at first saw only blackness before them. But they felt a rough, bumpy tounge beneath them and screamed. They found themselves sliding down his throat as the steep drop became slightly less steep. They flew into a pool of scorching hot liquid. It was stomach acid. Karma and Ludwig screamed again. Inside the beast it was like a washing machine. They got pushed about and bruised and battered. Then Karma found herself slipping into unconsciousness...
Bowser roared in anger at the hideous act of evil that had been performed. The dragon faced them with a smirk, then bellowed a river of fire. Bowser shot out of the way inside his shell and went over to Kamek. The wizard shot a blast of fire at the large scaled dragon and it started to chase him before Bowser could talk to the Magikoopa. Bowser landed a punch on the creature's bulbous head and it reeled backwards. It screamed in fury at the Koopa King.
Bowser went over to Kamek. "Kamek, it's up to you. Get my son and his girlfreind out of there," Bowser said sternly.
"You can count on me, Sire," the Magikoopa replied.
"GO GET 'EM, KAMEK!!!!" Bowser roared. The Magikoopa flew off into the air near the dragon's face. Kamek shot a blast of electricity at the dragon's mouth and he roared. This gave Kamek enough time to fly inside his mouth. The dragon was confused over getting a free meal, but didn't argue. Meanwhile Bowser crashed shoulder first into the large dragon beast. The dragon toppled over and Clawdia slashed at Morcious's stomach. The dragon whipped his tail forward and smacked Clawdia off of him. Bowser's wife ran forward again, ducking into her shell and slamming into the dragon's stomach.
Kamek flew through the inside of the dragon, illuminating the way with a fire spell. If he didn't find the kids soon, they would surely be dead. He gasped at the strange markings that were inside the beast. There were pictures of something long and twisting. Kamek looked closer, steam fogging his eyes. He leaned into the wall and gasped at what he saw. There in front of him was a demonic symbol. A symbol... of a golden dragon.
Ludwig pulled Karma onto a dry part of the stomach and sighed as he fell on his back. How was he going to get out of here, he wondered. Karma opened her eyes beside him and stared up at Ludwig. He looked at her and held her hand for comfort. Karma sobbed and hugged Ludwig. Then they seemed to see a faint light in the distance. Then from around the corner came a blue Magikoopa. "KAMEK!" the two cried in unison.
The Magikoopa came down and gave them both a hug.
"I'm sorry about before, Ludwig..." Kamek muttered.
"That's okay," Ludwig sighed. "You were just following orders. Now get us out of this place!"
Bowser was dangling in the air from Morcious's claw and Clawdia was down below. The Koopa King bit into his attacker and the dragon dropped Bowser. He landed in his shell and rode over the dragon's foot. Morcious screamed in pain as Clawdia slammed into his leg and he fell over again. Morcious got up and breathed a torrent of fire at the Koopa Queen.
Kamek and the kids were on the Magikoopa's broom, just shaking off the last quake due to the king and queen.
"What was that you put back there, Kamek?" Ludwig asked.
"It's a magical pulse bomb. It blows up everything inside a certain place, but does not harm what is outside. We just have to make sure we're outside before it blows!" Kamek said. They flew up his throat, higher and higher. Kamek shot a bolt of lightning at the creature's mouth and it opened, allowing them to get out. The dragon roared with realization of what had just happened. Kamek flew down to Bowser and whispered in his ear.
"Heheheh..." Bowser said. "Do you still think you're the greatest hunter?" The dragon's eyes went wide when he felt something inside him. The next instant there was a large explosion and guts flew everywhere. The greatest hunter, was no more. Then a portal appeared in front of the Koopas and they stepped inside, returning home to Castle Koopa.
Chapter Fifty-Three: The Stake of the World
"I AM TAKOI, THE MASTER OF PUPPETS!!!" Takoi roared, pulling off his hood. Underneath was the face of a black-scaled Yoshi.
"Wait, what?" Mario asked confused.
"THIS PLANET WILL BELONG TO US!!!" he bellowed. Long, white wings split his robes and spread out far into the sky. "I AM ONE OF THE LAST OF THE SKY YOSHI!!! BUT SOON THAT WILL CHANGE!" Takoi said evilly. And with that he leapt forward, unsheathing his sword surrounded by a reddish glow. Mario readied his Star Hammer as lightning flashed above in the skies of death. Takoi rushed forward and slammed his blade downwards. The Sky Yoshi slid it down and around and attempted to sever Mario's head from his neck.
Mario jumped backwards in the air and shot several pyros at the Yoshi. He blocked with his sword and ricocheted them everywhere. Mario ducked under Takoi and popped up on the other side, and swung his hammer dangerously. Takoi blocked it and pushed forward. He dropped his sword and sliced upwards. Mario blocked it and forced it down before smacking the Yoshi in the face with his hammer repeatedly. The Yoshi flew off the ground and began to glow brighter, and a multitude of colors slammed into Mario. The caped hero was thrown back several feet.
He slid to a stop just before falling off into the lava. He sweat heavily as the Yoshi walked over and held his sword high. He stabbed downwards. Mario rolled to the side and avoided death just barely. He stabbed again but Mario rolled and kicked him in the face, sending him flying backwards. Mario leapt forward and shot a fireball, but once again it was deflected by the sword. Mario gasped as he stared at his new opponent. Where had he come from? And where had he learned to fight so well? Takoi didn't give Mario time to think for another rainbow beam shot from his hands and Mario jumped out of the way, getting grazed by the shot.
Mario shot several fireballs before charging through and attempting a kick. Takoi grabbed his leg and twisted it downwards. He is fast! And agile! Well of course, the species that trained you, Mario thought as he screamed in pain. The Yoshi raised his sword but Mario threw fireballs in his face and he let go, growling like a cat with its tail pulled. He set off into the air and sucked in his mouth. A rainbow color, similar to the one before, built. He shot it out at intense speeds, and it drilled into Mario's bones. Not only did it hurt, but it made him feel weird, like he was being compressed and vibrated at the same time. When it left him he felt sick.
The Yoshi ran over to the downed hero and kicked him in the face. Mario yelled in pain as he was thrown into the air. A sharp object drilled into his back and he was pushed down into the floor. With a roar, Mario back-flipped into the air and kneed the Yoshi in the face followed by a couple of fireballs. Then he raised his hammer and swung it forward. Takoi brought up his sword and defended against the attack. The air rippled as the two powerful weapons collided. The Yoshi backflipped and shot a bolt of rainbow light at Mario and he ducked.
Takoi ran forward, but Mario tripped him and brought down his hammer. Takoi rolled out of the way and kicked at Mario's head, but he ducked and kicked back at the Yoshi. Both fighters were so agile, it now looked like a dance instead of a fight. Takoi finally landed a punch in Mario's face and the hero flew back in pain onto the hard ground. As Takoi approached, Mario kicked him in the face with both his feet and then punched him, sending him reeling and hitting the ground. Mario jumped into the air and slammed his hammer down, but Takoi rolled and jumped into the air.
He backflipped twice, then took flight into the air. Mario was tired of this and flew off with his cape to confront the flying fiend. Mario punched Takoi in the gut and Takoi kicked him back. Mario shot several fireballs, ignoring the pain, and then swung his hammer. Takoi ricocheted the fireballs but Mario hit them with his hammer, Takoi stumbled back, but managed to block the incoming hammer. Takoi forced Mario's weapon up, and punched Mario in the face four times. Mario blocked it the fifth time, and twisted Takoi's arm behind his back with a judo technique.
Takoi swung his blade forward several times, trying to hit Mario, but the caped hero blocked and countered. Takoi flew backwards, jostled, but Mario hit him again, repeatedly. Takoi, after a bruising, blocked with his sword and thrust forward. Mario backflipped in the air and shot a large fireball at the Yoshi. Takoi rose higher and dived down at Mario. He went a bit off to the side, and slammed the Yoshi into the ground with his hammer. There was a loud crash and Takoi roared in frustration.
Mario flew down and slammed on top of the Yoshi. Takoi threw Mario off of him, and Mario in the air shot a fireball. While Takoi was covered in smoke, Mario jumped into the air and slammed down boots first into his stomach. The Yoshi coughed in outrage. His long tongue came out and grabbed Mario's leg. It slammed his head into the ground a multitude of times, but then it slowly dragged him towards the Yoshi's mouth. Mario yelled and slammed his hammer down hard on Takoi's tounge.
Takoi recoiled and glared at Mario. Then he looked up into the sky.
"The time has come... my kind will walk upon this planet once more..." Takoi said and his eyes glowed a dark red. His red aura became a lot larger. And Mario gasped.
~~~
Out of the dry earth, clawed hands poked up. And large, draconic creatures crawled out of the ground...
~~~
Toads sighed as they patrolled their posts, but then they felt a rumbling somewhere. Over the horizon a cloud of black came. CRASSH! The castle windows exploded and large, demonic Sky-Yosters came flying in. The Toads gulped as they eyed them with hungry eyes...
~~~
Slimer was kicking back and relaxing with his friends at his brother's house. They heard a rumbling sound and saw something outside. The rushed out to see a dozen Sky-Yosters surrounding them.
"GET AWAY!" Slimer yelled and shot several Bullet Bills at them. One deflected it and it blew a hole in Brian's house.
"MY HOUSE!!!" Brian screamed.
~~~
Wario and Waluigi made it back to their house, and were panting, when they found themselves surrounded by the resurrected Sky-Yosters.
~~~
When Bowser, Clawdia, Kamek and the kids had made it back to their home, they saw the large creatures coming.
"This can only mean one thing..." Clawdia said. "He's awake..."
~~~
Takoi laughed evilly as he stood before Mario.
"AND NOW, MY FOLLOWERS!!! TRANSMIT TO ME YOUR POWER!!!" Takoi screamed. Great lightning bolts of energy came from every side, drilling into Takoi, filling his blood and making his power rise intensely. He grew three times his size and had large, diamond-like scales and a draconic head. He rushed forward and smashed Mario in the face with his claw, making him fall back in pain.
~~~
A large crowd had gathered in the center of Toad Town. Slimer and his friends, Wario and Waluigi, the Toads, and even the Koopa Clan had come. Mario's children were among the crowd too. They saw the fight that was occuring overhead because of some strange, eerie cloud.
"KICK 'IM, MARIO!!!!!" Slimer shouted.
"Go Mario! Go Mario!" Bowser cheered.
"Hey Wario, that's the guy who tricked us!" Waluigi told his brother.
"Yeah, I know. GET EM' MARIO!!!" Wario shouted.
~~~
Mario gasped and struggled to get up. Suddenly there was a bright glow from underneath him. He held his Star Hammer up to the sky. It was glowing! He heard a voice from in his head. It reaches its full power when people believe in you... when people cheer for you... Mario stood up straight, his wounds being healed by the Star Hammer. Takoi growled at this.
"BY THE POWER OF PLIT, YOU SHALL DIE!!!" Mario roared...