6B - Vs. Tutankoopa
"I got the third shape, Luigi!" Mario exclaimed after rejoining the group.
"Brilliant! I can solve this puzzle now because I saw this diagram in that room above!" Luigi responded before taking the crescent-shaped stone. "Watch this."
Luigi proceeded to place the stones in the following order: the triangular stone in the far-left statue, the diamond stone in the center statue, and the crescent stone in the far-right. Just as the crescent stone was inserted, a loud rumble echoed throughout the hall and a staircase was lowered near the south wall.
"Whoever this Tutankoopa guy is has to be down there," Dr. Kolorado said, pointing down the shaft where the staircase was lowered. Mario went and swapped Bombette with Goombario before leading him, Luigi, and Dr. Kolorado downstairs. In the middle of the shaft was a Yellow Question Mark Block holding a Super Mushroom. Luigi collected the powerup before the group went through the doorway at the bottom.
In the next room, Tutankoopa's voice boomed again, "This is your last chance to turn back! Enough of this foolishness! Leave now!" This time, Luigi was not affected by the voice.
"We're already down here, Tutankoopa!" Mario said. "You can't stop us!" Prior to going through the next doorway, Mario spotted a Brick Block to his left that contained 10 Coins and took the Coins for himself. "Let's-a go, guys."
This would be the final room in the ruins Mario and friends would enter because everything was dark all around with absolute silence.
"Okay... This is one small thing I'm scared of..." Luigi muttered while looking around the dark room. "I kinda don't like the-"
"BLEAH HEH HEH HEH!" Tutankoopa's voice shouted. Since Tutankoopa's voice was louder than his earlier warnings, combined with the darkness, Luigi screamed with fright again and fell over before quickly getting back up.
A pharaoh's crown and small blue eyes appeared instantly at the same time Luigi screamed.
"WHOA! WHOA!" Dr. Kolorado cried upon seeing the crown and eyes. Mario and Goombario flinched a small bit. The crown and eyes floated up at the same time the lights turned back on and moved above a platform attached to the wall in front. Small fragments then gathered around the crown and eyes before formulating Tutankoopa's body.
"You! You ignored all those very scary warnings!" Tutankoopa scolded the group. "Don't you have the common sense to get scared and run away? What in the blazing sands is wrong with you?!"
"I... I was...close...to running...away..." Luigi hesitated.
"Well, you should've left when I first warned you, coward!" Tutankoopa replied. "No one messes with me: Tutankoopa, a faithful follower of King Bowser! Prepare yourselves!"
Right on cue, Tutankoopa thrusted his arms up and summoned three Buzzy Beetle shells to his right.
"How do we attack him?" Mario asked Goombario quietly.
"I suggest deflecting those shells if he throws them at us. Try to also avoid his magic spells," Goombario answered.
"You think you can simply elude these shells I just made?" Tutankoopa taunted. "How about I bring out my pet to play with you too?"
Mario held his hammer like a baseball bat while Luigi took out his Super Mushroom, crushed it in his hand, and grew a foot taller while a white glow surrounded his body.
At the same time, Tutankoopa stomped his right foot, opening a grated door in front and releasing a Chain Chomp that stopped in front of the group.
"Come on, Chompy! Bite those intruders!" Tutankoopa ordered the Chain Chomp before he started throwing the shells.
The Chain Chomp thrusted itself toward Mario and Goombario; Mario ducked before Goombario leaped above him and was launched in the air. He then landed on one of the Buzzy Beetle shells Tutankoopa just threw in midair and headbonked Tutankoopa, causing him to fall back against the wall.
"Ruddy heck..." Dr. Kolorado uttered; he was surprised at the stunt Goombario and Mario just performed. Meanwhile, the Chain Chomp, having missed Mario and Goombario, bounced off the back wall and landed back at its starting position.
"All right! Time to show off my magic!" Tutankoopa declared before raising his arms up again. This time, the other two Buzzy Beetle shells turned giant and hurtled towards the group. Mario used his hammer and broke both shells with one swing, scattering the shards all over the place. The Chain Chomp ate some of the broken shell pieces following the destruction. Luckily, Tutankoopa was not injured.
"I can't believe you!" Tutankoopa roared. "I guess I'll just have Chompy here eat you for dinner! Bon appétit, Chompy!"
Luigi stepped forward and grabbed the Chain Chomp's chain as soon as it lunged forward. He then spun it around four times really fast due to his super strength and yelled in a deep voice, "Take this!"
"NO!" Tutankoopa yelled before the Chain Chomp was released and flew towards him with its mouth open. It then swallowed Tutankoopa whole, leaving no trace of him at all.
"Please don't eat us..." Luigi said with anxiety as his Super form wore off. The Chain Chomp leaped off the platform and barked twice before going back through the doorway in front; the grated door immediately closed shut.
"Thank God it's over," Goombario sighed with relief.
"Good job all around, guys," Mario said while high-fiving Dr. Kolorado and Luigi. "We're one step closer to getting the Star Rod back."
Suddenly, a glowing white orb rose from the floor, attracting the group's attention.
"Here comes another Star Spirit," Luigi said, knowing what's going to happen next. After four seconds, the orb blew up and imploded to reveal Mamar stuck in a playing card.
"I bet once you get that card, we're gonna be teleported to just outside the ruins," Goombario told Mario, who approached the card and grabbed it.
Then, a bright white light shined from the ceiling and everyone flew up with the card before fading away. Only five more Star Spirits are bound to be rescued.