Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! In preparation for the final battle with Medusa, Pit had to again arm himself with the Three Sacred Treasures. But first he had to retrieve them from the Space Pirates, a crew of thieves who traverse the Galactic Sea stealing constellations. Fighting his way past Space Pirates, Underworld forces, and a ravenous Space Kraken, Pit successfully retrieved the Three Sacred Treasures. Now armed with the mighty weapons, Pit must finally confront the Goddess of Darkness herself. Will Pit emerge victorious? Find out, now!
Before heading out the door, Pit kicked open the box containing the Three Sacred Treasures. In a flash of light, Pit was now clad in golden armor. On his right wrist he wore the Mirror Shield and in his left hand he held the bow that fired the Arrows of Light. "Equipped!" he shouted as he flew through the door. "Are you ready for the final battle, Pit?" Palutena asked.
"It's now or never!" Pit replied as he continued his descent, killing any Underworld troops that appeared.
"For this final battle, you're equipped with the Three Sacred Treasures." she said.
"Using the Pegasus Wings and power of flight at the same time seems like overkill." Pit noted.
"Who knows how reliable the Pegasus Wings are after all this time?" Palutena asked. "I've turned them off."
"Understood!" Pit said. He continued to fly to the Underworld, encountering more monsters as he did. "There sure are a lot of Underworld enemies around here." he said. "Yes, so even though the Arrows of Light do a lot of damage, don't get cocky." Palutena advised. Pit chuckled in response. "Since when am I ever cocky?" He eventually came across a large ravine with Underworld monsters flying out of it. "This ravine leads to the Underworld." Palutena said. "I'm taking you in." Pit descended into the ravine, dodging lines created by Trailtails. "Look at those Trailtails drawing lines." Palutena said.
"Or... trails, right?" Pit asked.
"Maybe." Palutena replied.
"Probably." Pit said.
"Anyway, I don't advise shooting for a little bit." Palutena said. "The Shootflies here will react to your fire." Pit looked to see Shootflies hanging about. "There's a whole bunch of them!" he said. "Just gotta keep quiet." He slowly made his way down, silently killing any Parashooters and Zurees that got too close to him. "Fingers crossed." He finally managed to fly past the Shootflies. "I think we're out of Shootfly territory." Palutena said. "Good! Cause I'm ready to start shooting stuff!" Pit said as he flew down further down.
"The entrance to the Underworld should be up ahead." Palutena said.
"I hope the gem from Thanatos works." Pit replied.
"Watch out for Ornes ahead." Came Palutena's warning. Pit looked to see a lone Orne flying towards him. Without hesitation, Pit fired a charged shot straight at the monster, killing it instantly. "Did you see that?" Pit asked with triumph in his voice. "They were no match for your arrows." Palutena said with equal triumph. "The Three Sacred Treasures have still got it!" Pit proclaimed. As he flew further, the Underworld Key began to glow as a large, eye shaped portal opened up ahead. "Thanatos's gem is shining!" Pit said.
"That means we're good to go." Palutena replied. "Get ready!"
"Whoooooa!" Pit shouted as he flew through the portal. Once he did, he found himself in the red, barren wasteland that is the Underworld. "The Underworld." Palutena said. "We finally made it!" Pit said. The angel was then greeted with a welcoming committee of Underworld monsters. "That's a whole lot of enemies." Pit said.
"Well we are on their home field." Palutena replied.
"Home or away, I fight to win!" Pit said.
"In your past adventures, the Underworld is where you died the most, right?" Palutena asked.
"Oh, absolutely." Pit replied. "The difficulty level was just brutal. I'll brace for the worst." He then came across a group of Boogities, two Grayzers, and a Gloomerang. "The metal backs on Boogities resist everything, even Arrows of Light." Palutena said. "So, be careful." Pit fired on the Boogites, but they would turn their backs and deflect his shots. The Grayzers and the Gloomerang didn't help matters either. Pit felt overwhelmed until suddenly, A flash of light occurred and the monsters were destroyed. Pit cried out in surprise before finding Dark Pit flying in the distance. "Pittoo!" he called out.
"What did you just call me?" Dark Pit replied.
"What are you doing here?!" Pit asked.
"The same thing you're doing." came the reply. "Pummeling Underworld fools. I'm just way better at it."
"Maybe you also sensed that Pit could use your help." Palutena said.
"Don't make me laugh." the dark angel replied dismissively. "Now, enough talky talk. There's fighting to be done!" he then saw a swarm of Underworld enemies in the distance. "I'm out of here."
"It was nice of you to show up, Pittoo." Pit said. "But I can handle this on my own!"
"You're not on your own, Pit." Palutena reminded him. "You have me."
"Of course!" Pit said. "What would I do without you?!" Pit reached a wall and began to fly upwards, only for it to strangely become totally dark. That's when he was confronted by the giant projection of Medusa. "So, you've made it this far." she said.
"You better watch your back!" Pit threatened.
"Isn't that just... precious." Medusa said, unfazed by the angel's threat. "Guess it's all that hot air that keeps you flying. You are darling. But you'll need more than bluster to defeat me!" The projection then faded and the shroud of darkness lifted, revealing the ghastly sight of the Underworld Castle. "This isn't bluster!" Pit said. "In the name of the goddess of light, I will defeat you!" But before he could fly into the castle, A barrier began to form around it. That's when a strange white machine of some sorts descended in front of the castle. It then unfolded itself and revealed numerous laser turrets as well as a singular pink eye. "What is that?!" Pit asked.
"That's the last line of defense keeping us out of the Underworld Castle, the Underworld Gatekeeper." Palutena informed him.
"It won't be keeping me out!" Pit said as he opened fire on the monstrous machine. Pit shots seemed to have no effect. The Gatekeeper responded with small blue shots from the four triangle shaped turrets. Pit dodged them all and fired a charged shot at one of its turrets, disabling it. So it seemed the turrets were its vulnerable points. The Gatekeeper fired two grenade like blasts from the gear-like turrets in its wings. Pit dodged them all and fired back, disabling those as well. The colossus then began charging a large beam. Pit evaded that too and fired at the other three triangle turrets. It then retaliated with a ring shot from the turret in the middle. Pit flew through the energy ring and fired at the middle turret. The Gatekeeper then shielded its eye with a protective cover and changed its shape into the vague form of a jet. It then flew away and came back to charge at Pit. Pit narrowly got out of the way.
"Why aren't my attacks doing more damage?!" Pit asked with great frustration as he continued firing on the Gatekeeper to no avail.
"Well it is a boss." Palutena said.
"It's so annoying!" Pit said. The Gatekeeper began to continuously fire large orbs at Pit. Pit shot each one of them down until all of a sudden he heard, "Hi-yah!" He then looked to see the most astonishing sight: Dark Pit delivering a kick to the Gatekeeper's head. "Pittoo!" Pit shouted. The colossus fell to the ground and exploded. The barrier around the castle faded. "And that's how you take out a boss!" he said.
"For future reference, face kicking isn't usually this effective." Palutena said.
"Get a move on before more defenses show up!" Dark Pit ordered.
"Pittoo's right. We should go, even if it means taking orders from him." Palutena said.
"Thanks, Pittoo!" Pit said.
"Please stop calling me that." Dark Pit groaned as he flew into the distance.
"Pit, get ready to go in!" Palutena said as Pit flew into the castle, bursting through the front door. "We're finally here." Palutena said. Pit looked around the room and saw a hot spring in the middle. Pit ran in to heal up. He then looked around him and saw statues of Twinbellows, Hewdraw, and Pandora. "Look at these boss statues." he said. "It seems that each statue has a corresponding door." Palutena said.
"Hmm. Well, better go in order then." Pit replied. He then headed to the door on the right and found himself in a facsimile of the first town he visited. The sky was blood red. "This looks like where I had my first battle." Pit said.
"You've really come a long way since then, haven't you?" Palutena said. Pit made his way through the replica of the town, taking out any Underworld forces that crossed his path. He made his way into an alley only to find himself trapped with a Clubberskull! "Uh..."
"Watch out, Pit! It's a Clubberskull!" Palutena said.
"Yeah, I figured that part out." Pit replied. "Got any other ideas of what I should do next?"
"You'll have to defeat it to advance." Palutena said. "Dodge to avoid gettting hurt, and go in for melee attacks when you can!"
"Aye aye, Lady Palutena!" Pit then engaged the Clubberskull in battle, tossing a Boom Spear into its eye. The spear exploded, disorienting the creature long enough for Pit to get in some decent melee attacks. The Clubberskull knocked Pit backwards into a wall. Pit sprung back and fired a charged shot directly into its eye, killing it instantly. He made it to the next part of town where he was confronted by a trio of Igniots. Using his Mirror Shield, he reflected their petrifying beams and turned them to stone. Pit finished them off with a grenade. He climbed up the steps to see an Exo Tank in the distance. He hopped in and made his way up the next steps to the front of the collusem where he saw another Clubberskull. Pit got an idea. He charged straight at the Clubberskull then jumped out of the Exo tank at the last minute, letting the vehicle crash into the monster. He then fired a charged shot at the Exo Tank, causing it to explode and kill the Clubberskull. "All right!" Pit said. He then walked into the colusem to find the strange sight of Twinbellows awaiting him. Strange in that Pit was sure he'd slain the hound already.
"Twinbellows!" Pit roared. "Here boy! Old Pit's gonna teach you even more new tricks! And if you're good, I'll take you for a walk and give you a bath and a treat. We're gonna rack up some serious Nintendogs trainer points together!"
"Focus, Pit." came the slightly annoyed reply from Palutena. Twinbellows pounced on the angel, only for Pit to use his Sky Jump power and leap right over the beast, casuing it to crash into the wall. Pit took the opportunity to fire several shots at it while it was down. Twinbellows got up and reared back to breathe a stream of flame, but Pit countered by tossing a grenade at Twinbellows just as the flame hit. The grenade exploded a few inches from the monster's face. Pit seized the moment and fired a charged shot at Twinbellows, a shot that proved to be the fatal blow. "Good dog!" Pit said as Twinbellows faded into nothing. In a flash of light, Pit found himself returned to the castle entrance. "Oh, I'm back at the castle entrance." Pit noted.
"Look, a statue has crumbled." Palutena said. Pit looked to see the statue of Twinbellows was reduced to dust. "So defeating a boss crumbles a statue. These must be keys." Pit said.
"And the only way to get to Medusa is to beat them all." Palutena said.
"Well, on to the next boss!" Pit said. He rested in the Hot spring for a few moments before going to the door on his left. He then found himself in the town where he slew Hewdraw. "Oh, this place again." Pit said. "This looks like where you fought the Hewdraw." Palutena said. "I have a hunch that Medusa is behind these replicas."
"So this whole town is some kind of illusion?" Pit asked.
"It's as real as I am." Medusa chimed in. "I built it myself using your and the Hewdraw's memories."
"That's because you don't know what the original town looked like." Palutena noted.
"No matter." Medusa replied. "You're in my domain now, and you'll play by my rules!"
"Yeah? Well, some rules are meant to be broken!" Pit said as he made his way through the town. Using jump pads to make it across the rooftops, he saw what appeared to be a gyro top of some sorts. It was an Aether Ring, another vehicle of the gods. "There's an Aether Ring." Palutena said. "Why don't you try it out?" Pit got in the Aether Ring and moved about to get a feel for it. It was actually pretty easy to drive. "This Aether Ring is pretty convenient." Pit said.
"Yes, like the Exo-Tank, it's a vehicle of the gods." Palutena replied. "The handling is a little soft but it has a force field to protect you from enemies."
"Nice design!" Pit said as he began blasting Underworld monsters with the Aether Ring's gun. With the enemies destroyed, Pit made his way into the well. The Aether Ring slowed his descent down. "You can use the Aether Ring to traverse gaps in your path." Palutena said. Pit used the Aether Ring to traverse the gaps in his path, avoiding the Monolinth. He then used a jump pad to get back to the surface. "The Hewdraw is behind that door." Palutena said. Pit went through the door to find the Hewdraw resting in the lake. "Hewdraw!" Pit said. "Your chances of winning are lower than your bellybutton! Which is really low!"
"You're pretty pumped up, huh?" Palutena asked.
"Of course I am!" Pit shouted. "If we defeat Medusa, we save the world!" He then went on the attack, pelting Hewdraw with arrows of light. Hewdraw retaliated by spitting out fireballs at Pit. Pit blocked them with his Mirror Shield and fired a charged shot at Hewdraw, causing the serpent to dive underwater. Remembering this trick from the last fight, Pit fired at the orange orbs of light, causing it to drop into the water and force Hewdraw to the surface. Pit took the opportunity to deal melee attacks with his bow. Hewdraw slithered into the water before rising again. Pit fired another charged shot directly into the monster's heart, killing it instantly.
"Re-defeated!" Pit said as a flash of light sent him back to the castle entrance. "OK, next!"
"Just one more to go before Medusa!" Palutena said. Pit went directly through the door behind the statue of Pandora and found himself in the Labyrinth of Deceit. "Now this is one place I wish I could forget." Pit said.
"The Labyrinth of Deceit." Palutena said.
"Which means a second helping of crazy. Ugh." Pit looked around the room to find himself surrounded by spiked walls. it seemed like there was no way out until he spotted a Souflee running through the spiked wall in front of him. Thinking that if it could do it then so could he, Pit ran through the wall after it, coming out completely unharmed. "It'll take more than some fake spikes to stop me!" he proclaimed. Though he received no response, he knew that Medusa was watching.
But he didn't have much time to celebrate as a Sinstew grabbed him and dragged him into the pocket dimension in its pot. Pit struggled a bit, but managed to fight is way out. He immediately slashed at the pot, killing the Sinstew. Pit then moved to the left of the room and saw a small light on the ground. he touched the light and was seemingly teleported to another part of the room. "Whoa-oa!' he yelled before looking around to find the room inverted. "Uh...what just happened?"
"I think you just used a warp of some sort." Palutena replied. Pit walked a little further before finding another warp point. He then found himself back where he was, but this time on the other side of the room. He walked through the door and found himself surrounded by a Mik, a Skuttler Cannoneer, and a Monoeye that kept passing through the ceiling and the floor. He dispatched them all and moved further down the room to find another warp point. He once again found himself on the ceiling surrounded by enemies. The flying enemies such as the Monoeye and Syren were flying inverted. "I'm all kinds of turned around." he said.
"You seem to be passing between the floor and ceiling." Palutena said. "How very strange."
"You're telling me!" Pit said as he took out the Underworld monsters. He walked down the walkway and found himself facing another spiked wall. He hesitated a bit as he had no idea if this was another fake. That's when he got an idea. He fired a shot at the wall and it went right through it. Pit went through it and found another warp point. "Hey, a secret area." he said.
"You're one step closer to getting out of this place." Palutena replied. Pit went through the warp point and found himself facing a switch and two Zurees. He defeated the Zurees and hit the switch with his bow, causing another warp point to appear on the ceiling. He went back through the warp point and was attacked by an Orne. Narrowly dodging the creature, he fired a charged shot at it before heading through the warp point and teleporting to another part of the labyrinth. He then went through the door and found a Cherubot awaiting him.
He hopped in the Cherubot and went through another door and was attacked by waves of Shrips, Grayzers, and Nettlers. He dealt with them all only to find himself facing a Gloomerang and a Snowman. Dodging the Gloomerang's boomerang mask, he fired a few shots at it before dealing a hard melee punch ot the Snowman, shattering its icy body. With the monsters destroyed, the barrier surrounding the door dissipated. He went through the door and found Pandora awaiting him. "Pandora!" Pit yelled. "Ready for round two?!" But the goddess of calamity gave no answer in response. "Seems Medusa couldn't make her talk." Palutena said.
"What do you mean?" Pit asked.
"I mean that's not Pandora." Palutena replied.
"But it looks just like her!" Pit said.
"That's just a soul dressed up to resemble Pandora." Palutena said.
"How clever of you, oh goddess of light." Medusa chimed in.
"I can't believe you'd stoop to recycling souls." Palutena replied. "Is nothing sacred to you?"
"Well, you're in for quite a treat, Medusa." Pit said. "Now watch in amazement as I slay Pandora for the second time!" Pandora opened her mouth to spit out bombs, but Pit responded by throwing a Boom Spear in her mouth, causing it to explode and grievously wound her. Pit then attacked with melee strikes while she was disoriented, only for her to recover and slam the ground, sending him back. She then spat out fireballs in his direction. Pit blocked them with his Mirror Shield and leaped upwards to slash down, killing Pandora. "Slaying complete!" he said as Pandora faded into nothing. As usual, a flash of light sent him back to the castle entrance. "Nicely done, Pit!" Palutena said. "You've destroyed all three statues."
"Then it's time to destroy Medusa!" Pit replied.
"The path to Medusa is back the way you first came in." Palutena said.
"How is that even possible?!" Pit asked.
"Remember, Pit. This is Medusa's domain." Palutena began. "She's in control here, and I'm sure she's got more surprises for you in store. So be careful as you make your way to Medusa."
"I'm on it!" Pit shouted. He went through the door behind him and was met by a Collin and Phil and two Skuttler Cannoneers. Pit took out the two cannoneers before reflecting the bugs back at the Collin. He then found himself against a Spcknose, an Igniot, and a small group of Shernums. Taking out a spiked ball to defend himself, he charged at the Igniot and slashed at it with his bow before firing a charged shot at the Specknose. He then dealt with the Shernums. With them gone, he now faced a Suit of Skuttler, Skuttlers wearing protective armor, and a swarm of Shootflies. Taking care not to alert the Shootflies, he dashed behind the Suit of Skuttler and gave it a few good melee attacks. With all the underworld monsters defeated, he made his way through the newly unlocked door and found himself in a cavern.
"I find it very ironic that you would call yourself the 'goddess of light'." Medusa said. "After all, it was you who turned me into a monster. It was you who hunted me down.
"You shouldn't blame me for that." Palutena replied. "I only reflected in your appearance the ugliness I saw in your heart."
"And what about your heart?" Medusa asked, barely concealing the bile in her voice. "I can only imagine what resides there."
"Why just imagine it?" came Palutena's rebuttal question. "Don't you have the power to make it a reality?"
"There's no point" Medusa replied. "We all know it would be some sort of hideous creature."
"You shut your mouth, Medusa!" Pit finally replied with clear anger in his tone. "Lady Palutena is nothing like you! Who turns people to stone and poisons the rivers? Who reduces cities to rubble? And who is leading the Underworld destruction of the land and heavens? Not Lady Palutena! You're the one responsible for all this, Medusa! But what I don't get is how you managed to resurrect yourself in the first place!" The response Pit recieved was silence. It lasted for a good few moments before the Underworld Queen finally replied. "...I suppose I don't really understand how that happened either."
"Don't play dumb with me!" Pit shouted.
"I...I don't remember what happened." Medusa replied. "My memories aren't what they were."
"You're slipping, Medusa." Palutena said. "Your mind isn't all there anymore. And I can sense that your life force is weaker than it used to be. Twinbellows, Hewdraw, Pandora, and Thanatos have all been defeated. But if you withdraw your army and promise to stay in this castle, I will spare you."
Medusa gave a haughty, derisive laugh in response. "Don't be ridiculous! Besides...it hardly matters how I returned. What matters is why. To exact revenge on you! Turning your little angel to stone is a nice first step."
"Threaten all you want." Pit replied. "You don't scare me! I will put an end to you. I'll return to Skyworld victorious!" Pit navigated through the cavern, avoiding the streams of flame as he did. Eventually, he made it through the cavern and into a room inhabited by three Skuttler Cannoneers and a Suit of Skuttler. Pit dispatched them all and entered the next room. There he was ambushed by an Eggplant Wizard. Pit narrowly avoided its Eggplant Bomb and fired a charged shot into its single eye, dizzying it. He then pulled out his Atlas Foot item and summoned a giant foot to crush it. One of the elevators in the room summoned another Suit of Skuttler. Pit took out the Underworld monster only for a Clubberskull to appear. Pit took out a Lightning of Judgement item and used it on the Clubberskull, causing lightning to strike the beast repeatedly. Pit then pelted it with shots from his bow. Eventually the monster fell and Pit walked out of the room. But the next area he entered was mostly a bottomless abyss.
"I set up a grind rail, but I had to get creative." Palutena said. "It's going to be a wild ride, so good luck."
"Don't worry, I'm ready!" Pit said as he hopped on the orange grind rail. It looked like something one would see at an amusement park. It was full of twists and turns. Pit rode his way through, taking out Underworld monsters as he did. He eventually landed on a plateau. "I can sense you getting closer, Pit." Medusa teased.
"There's nowhere left for you to run!" Pit replied.
"Y'know, I'm very much looking forward to your arrival." Medusa began. "I feel like Rapunzel waiting for her prince."
"Sorry to break it to you, but those aren't exactly golden locks on your head." Pit chuckled.
"And you're not exactly a brave hero." Medusa remarked. "Yet somehow, the thought of our confrontation fills me with anticipation. So hurry to me, Pit. I'll strip you of your wings and sever you from the heavens forever!"
"I don't think so!" Pit proclaimed. He jumped on the next grind rail and continued his voyage, eventually landing on another rocky walkway where he was surrounded by Magmoos and Handoras. He killed them all and jumped on the final grind rail, landing in front of tow Boogities. Pit dispatched them both and entered the next room, but there was nowhere to go. "Where am I supposed to go?" he asked.
"There's a path somewhere." Palutena replied. "Step on the switch and use the lights to guide your way." Pit followed Palutena's instructions and stepped on the switch next to him, summoning a row of lights. Pit followed the path and made it to the next room where he was surrounded by an Orne, an Igniot, and an Eggplant Wizard. There was also a diamond-shaped object called a Gilded Bomb. Pit fired at it, causing an explosion that obliterated all three monsters. He then made it to the next room. "There are hidden platforms nearby that you can jump on." Palutena said. "First, reveal the platforms. Then dash up to a ledge to jump."
"Well, that's easy!" Pit said. He stepped on the switch to reveal the platforms and leaped from platform to platform until he landed near a Mimicutie. Pit defeated the Mimicutie and kept going. That's when he was met with the strangest sight: A monster with a tempura for a head. "Huh? What the heck is that?!"
"A Tempura Wizard!" Palutena replied.
"A Tempura Whatzerd?" Pit asked.
"If he deep-fries you, keep your distance." she began. "One bite, and you'll be finished!"
"Well, that's a step up from eggplant, I guess." Pit replied. He then paused a minute. "No, not really." Pit dodged the wizard's Tempura Bombs before firing a charged shot at it, killing it instantly. He then dropped down to the ledge below and walked into the next room. "We're getting close to Medusa." Palutena said. "Be careful not to fall." Pit killed the three Monoeyes in front of him and a path appeared. He followed that path to a platform where there were two Miks and a Grayzer waiting for him. He disposed of them and another path appeared. He followed it to another platform where he was attacked by three Shrips. He destroyed them to summon another pathway that led to a staircase. But before he could move further, he had to deal with another Orne and another Eggplant Wizard. "This appears to be the final guard." Palutena said.
"The last step before Medusa's defeat!" Pit replied as he fired a charged shot at the Orne, dispatching it. He then slashed away at the Eggplant Wizard, killing it as well. Just then, a large blue, cycloptic monster in a matching blue cloak appeared. "There's an Erinus nearby." Palutena said. "They split into two halves that you can take out one at a time." Pit charged at the Erinus and slashed at its midsection, bisecting it. Instantly, the top half began to float in midair while the bottom half began running around in purple boxers. "Uh, It looks like the bottom half lost its pants." Pit said in confusion. He then fired a charged shot at the Erinus's singular eye, causing it to careen out of control and crash into the bottom half, sending both off the platform and inot the abyss below.
With that taken care of, Pit made his way to the top of the staircase, an exercise that proved to be tiring as he was out of breath by the time he got to the top. "You'd think Medusa wouldn't have an escalator in this place." he muttered to himself as he took a few moments to catch his breath. He then walked through the door into what would certainly be the final battle. Once he walked through the door, the air began to fill with Medusa's taunting laughter. That's when he caught sight of the Goddess of Darkness in all her glory. She was every bit as tall as her astral projections, making for a very intimidating stature. "So we finally meet again, Pit." she said.
"S-She's huge!" Pit said as he took a few hesitant steps back.
"Be careful!" came Palutena's worried response.
"Listen well, all you demons of the Underworld!" Pit began as he made several poses. "In the name of the goddess Palutena, the defender of all that is good! Those who hide in the darkness will be made to face the light!"
"Fly, Pit!" Palutena said as she activated the Pegasus Wings just in time for Pit to evade Medusa's incoming fist. Medusa then twirled her staff around before using it to create a gust of wind that sent Pit flying back. "I'm going to try to get you closer!" Palutena said.
"Thank you kindly!" Pit replied.
"But...Medusa's using her power to hold you back." she said, causing Pit to give an annoyed groan in response. "I know its tough but hang in there!" Pit tied his best to get close to Medusa, dodging orbs of dark energy, lasers, and petrified Skuttlers. Pit made it to the circular arena and fired off a volley of arrows, but none had hit their mark. "You're still too far away." Palutena said.
"She's so big that it's hard to get a feel for which shots will hit her." Pit replied as he flew closer. Medusa blew two dark energy orbs that hovered near Pit before exploding. Pit tried his best to avoid the explosion and attack Medusa, but the Underworld Queen teleported away. "Wow!" Pit said. "Warping that huge body must be a real pain!"
"Who are you calling huge, you insignificant little thing?" Medusa asked.
"Let's get you closer." Palutena said as Pit flew towards Medusa again only for her to warp away. Medusa's teleporting became more and more frequent as she fired beams from her eyes. Pit avoided them all before he finally closed in on Medusa, pelting her with shots from his bow. By the time he reached her head, Medusa vanished once again. Pit frantically looked around to find Medusa. Watch out!" Palutena shouted as Pit turned around for Medusa to attack with her claws, knocking Pit to the ground.
"Do you like that?" she taunted. "Well you'll love this!" She then fired dark energy beams from her eyes at Pit, attempting to turn him to stone. Pit took out his Mirror Shield and blocked the beams. The snakes in Medusa's hair began firing energy beams from their mouths to increase the pressure. Pit struggled valiantly against them, but was eventually forced to move. He narrowly avoided the beams and retaliated with a charged shot that hit her directly between the eyes. Medusa stumbled backwards until she was at the center of the arena. That's when something happened. Chains of light appeared and bound Medusa's legs. "Now's your chance!" Palutena said. "The good news is that I've chained Medusa's legs in place for you. The bad news is that you'll have to get up close and personal with her."
"You'll pay for that!" Medusa raged as she struggled against her bonds. Pit opened fire on Medusa while she was distracted, causing her to flinch and protect herself. Medusa responded by waving her right hand in front of her, revealing a mouth that expelled poison gas. "Ugh! Nasty!" Pit said. "Is there any part of her that isn't a weapon?" Palutena asked. "I guess it's to be expected." The gas disoriented Pit a bit, allowing Medusa to strike him with her staff like the batter at a baseball game. The hit knocked Pit back, but not before he managed to get off a charged shot that hit her directly in the eye. Medusa hunched over and planted her staff in the ground. She then rose up again with a roar and a hideous visage that would haunt Pit's dreams. Medusa now had green skin and a large red eye. The snakes in her hair were now orange. "Her head!" Pit said, completely repulsed.
"Now this is the Medusa I remember." Palutena replied.
"She's hideous!" Pit shouted.
"I can't believe she's still fighting like this." Palutena said. "But this is a battle we cannot lose. We must overcome the darkness of the Underworld with light!"
"The fight against evil ends here!" Pit proclaimed. Medusa's head then ripped itself off its body and flew after Pit, the snakes in her hair firing energy blasts from their mouth. Pit used skillful flying to avoid them and attacked in kind, returning fire with his bow. Medusa would also attack with orbs of posion gas from her mouth. Pit dodged them as well only for the snakes in her hair to extend and wrap around Pit's waist. Pit retaliated by slicing the head of the snake off. Medusa gave an enraged yell and fired a red beam from her single eye. Pit defended against it with her Mirror Shield before firing back. Medusa became frantic, sending more of her snakes at Pit. The angel simply decapitated each snake as it attacked. Medusa's head then retreated to her body. "Now, Pit! The eye!" Palutena said.
"Raaaaaaaawr!" Pit roared as he fired a charged shot into her single eye, a moved that proved to be the mortal blow as a shrill scream ripped from her throat. "You did it!" Medusa staggered back then outstretched her hand as if trying to reach out and grab Pit. She then froze in place before disintegrating into dust. "Victory!" Pit said. But his celebration was interrupted by a large rumble as the castle began to collapse. "Man, I hate these load-bearing bosses!" Pit said as Palutena extracted him from the Underworld. The castle then collapsed into ruin.
Meanwhile, back at Palutena's temple. Pit had just finished resting up from the arduous battle with Medusa. The Three Sacred Treasures were back in their case. Upon seeing Palutena, he rushed over to her and gave her a big hug. "We did it!" He said. "We really did it!"
"Congratulations!" Palutena said as she returned the hug. "I know it wasn't always easy."
"Aw, but it was so worth it!" Pit replied. "With the world at peace again, even the sun feels warmer!"
"Aw, you're so cute, Pit!" she said as she and Pit dissolved into laughter. At last, it seemed like it was finally over. Medusa and the Underworld had at last been defeated. The world was at peace once again. Good thing too as the author was getting tired. But the happy moment was rudely interrupted by a voice. "Now wait just a second." The voice said.
"Huh?" Pit asked.
"Did you hear something. "Palutena asked as she and Pit looked around for the source of the voice. "I said wait just a second." the voice repeated, slightly louder. "I've got to be hearing things." Pit said. The two then looked at the screen displaying the credits for the game. That's when the strangest thing happened. A clawed, purple hand gripped the credits, stopping them in place. With a malevolent laugh, the hand tore the credits away. revealing a demonic, humanoid entity surrounded by a background of flame. The being had predominantly purple skin with red lines trailing down his arms and legs. He had red eyes and red markings near them. His hair was green with red spots in it. He wore matching purple robes that looked grotesquely organic as well as a large cape made from darkness and fire. The robe was held together by an orange sash. The sum total of him proved to be the most unsettling thing they'd ever seen.
"Hades?!" Palutena said with shock.
"Who's Hades!" Pit asked.
"The true master of the Underworld." Palutena replied.
"Sorry to keep you wating." Hades began. "But now that I'm here, let's get this party started. Welcome to my Underworld, Pitty Pat. You too, pretty Palutena."
"I'm... honored you know who I am." Palutena responded. Hades didn't answer, but took a moment to look at Pit. "So, this little angel took down big, bad Medusa all by himself. What an accomplishment! Goodness, you should put this on your resume!"
"Uh, what's with this guy?" Pit asked Palutena, put off by Hades's demeanor.
"But before you do, you should know that I whipped up that Medusa especially for you." Hades continued.
"Wait, how?!" Palutena asked, stunned by the revelation.
"Add a pinch of memories to a ton of souls. Put them in a blender and hit frappe!" Came the answer.
"Explain yourself!" Pit demanded.
"Her thirst for revenge was so great, it seemed a shame to let it go to waste." Hades said. "Oh, pretty Palutena... you must have done a real number on her."
"I won't deny that." Palutena said.
"But she's old news, and old news bores me." Hades said. "We must look to the future, and that future is me, the true leader of the Underworld! Next to me, little miss Medusa's going to look like a sweet, cuddly bunny."
"No! This can't be happening!" Palutena said.
"I must bid you adieu." Hades said as the screen faded to black. Pit and Palutena looked at each other with flabbergasted expressions, completely stunned by this unforseen turn of events. Medusa was bad enough, but this Hades seemed even more dangerous. "So, what do we do now?!" Pit asked.
"For now, we just wait. That's about all we can do." Palutena said for lack of a better answer. It was Hades's move now. The battle against Medusa was won, but the war against Hades was just beginning.
In an unexpected turn of events, a deadly new player has joined the game. Just what dangers does Hades have in store for our heroes, and will they be able to counter his threat. Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!
Next Chapter Preview: The heat turns up on the next chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising! Hearing rumors about a wish granting artifact named the Wish Seed. Pit ventures to the fiery home of the Phoenix to investigate. But more surprises than just fire awaits our angelic hero. Can Pit stand the heat, or will he drown in the inferno? Find out on the sweltering next chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising!
OOC: Sweet Christ! This chapter was long! 6,762 words! My fingers ache!