The skeletal boys along with their higher ups have from the city of Muscat after successfully refueling their vessels. What were once merely two ships were now three, a marginal but notable increase for them. However, when they departed, their yacht went ahead a bit too far due to its speed. It had to wait for other two ships to catch up. Once they did, the skeletons settled down on a formation. It consisted of the capital ship being in the middle while the second ship and the yacht cruised next to it on each side, former being on the left of capital ship while the latter being on the right side of it. While the capital ship and second ship were set to full speed ahead, the yacht was set to merely 25% of its engine power.

As they cruised, they entered the Arabian sea. Nothing but crystal clear water and cloudless blue sky could be seen from the ships. The skeleton with binoculars observed every angle he could from the deck of the capital ship, looking out for either destinations to conquer or hostiles to deter. Other skeletons were either on the decks of their respective ships or inside of them. In the capital ship, the boney henchmen were gathered around Bowser and his colleagues. They were sitting behind the table with a world map on it, just like before.

"Gwahaha! Now that we have done it, we shall continue our conquest! I think we should have our next refueling right about here!" boastfully announced Bowser, raising his arms in the air before he turned towards his colleagues. "Does that sound good?"

"It's a little bit shorter than we had before, but I guess it should work out." commented George, having his arms crossed due to being it his favorite position to be.

"We better get some islands by them! Aye need me desire for battle quenched!" demanded Mosseau, already shaking his chainsaw based weapon in the air, in a desperate need for a bloodshed.

"Do not worry, Mosseau! We shall conquer those islands with overwhelming force!" proudly assured Bowser with his desire for conquest secretly increasing.

"Make it even above that!" boldly requested Mosseau as he pointed at his boss. Bowser chuckled at Mosseau's response, believing that his wish will be granted. He turned towards Sniper Mad John and Brane, wanting to hear their thoughts on the matter. However, they seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, thinking about what has been told to them. Neither of them were excited about it, rather feeling a certain amount of caution within themselves.

"What about you two?" asked Bowser, to which neither John nor Brane answered due to thinking.

"Hey, I asked you something!" shouted Bowser at them as he lightly (by his standards) slammed on the table, quickly gaining their attention.

"Oh, Bowser, while we were in Muscat, we have heard something that we should be cautious about." explained Mad John, making Bowser's eyebrow rise from curiosity.

"Take it with a grain of salt, it hasn't been confirmed yet." added Brane, doubting that it would be dangerous for them.

"Spill it out! Any information is necessary for me and Skeleton Mafia!" demanded Bowser.

"A shopkeeper told us that the Arabian sea is cursed. There even was a map with the drawn section on it, showing the location of the alleged cursed zone. He didn't give us any details, though." said John, to which he also gained some attention from George and Mosseau as well.

"Cursed zone?….Eh, nothing to scary. I've seen things more cursed than this sea!" shrugged Bowser, reminiscing at some of his experiences in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"That's what pirates called any sea where Aye was in!" boasted Mosseau, remembered all the times he used to slaughter pirates over them giving him scurvy.

"Are you sure that it is somethin' you imagine? Divin' in recklessly like that is not gonna do you any wonders, whether or not convenience is there." cautioned George, raising his finger towards his boss while warning him that any future endeavors like that could potentially end up horribly.

"Are ye two laddehs sure ye weren't talking to a scammer?" asked Mosseau, already changing his mood.

"Well, he did seem authentic." said Brane as he attempted to provide a reasonable discussion for them.

"Authentic, me arse! Any scammer can put up a facade!" fumed Mosseau, shaking his chainsaw around without hitting anyone nearby.

"Like you." pointed out George just to make fun of him.

"FUCK off, ye bloody arsetwat!" exploded Mosseau right in front of him, giving him a middle finger. George expected such response, so he was satisfied.

"Anyway, it's not something that is unheard in this world. There's been plenty of locations where ships just disappeared. No one knows how, though." continued John amid the light quarrel between George and Mosseau.

"Huh, so something like in my world? Usually, it turns out it was some kind of monster that gets whooped right back to the bottom of the ocean. Are there any monsters like that here as well?" piqued Bowser, desiring to know even more while giving him some taste of his experience back at his world.

"Some say yes, some say no. No one really agrees on it, mate." answered John as he shrugged off.

"Or it is just bad weather, really." proposed George as he tried to rationalize the thing that John and Brane brought up.

"Hmpf…" thought Bowser, scratching his chin as the thoughts of the cursed zone occupied his mind.

"Are we sure that the monsters are real?" asked Brane with his doubts rising about it. It reminded him of all the hoaxes that were talked about in his social circles.

"Eh, people like to bullshit around, it sells." scoffed George, knowing from all the newspapers he read in his life.

"Hm...I do see your poi-wait a minute..." addressed John before he stopped himself, taking a look at everything surrounding him. He came to a realization about the entire discussion and something else. "Why are we, out of all people on this planet, questioning logic behind the existence of monsters? Can we just take a look at ourselves?"

"We're bones…." said the skeletons as they inspected their bones, especially the ribs. They seemed to rather proud of being skeletons, possibly due many advantages a bone would have.

"And I am the King of Awesome!" gloated Bowser as he let out a large villainous chuckle, fitting for him.

"Real talk though, it does seem kinda strange that we are the only two humans in Skeleton Mafia when you think about it." pointed out Mad John as he turned towards Brane. His Croatian fellow agreed on such statement, but sg

"I mean, this is Skeleton Mafia after all. Do you want more people in it? Not that it is wrong, though." questioned Bowser, not ignoring their concern while thinking of an idea to expand his army, providing some variety in his group as well.

"Probably?" answered both Brane and John, not even sure if they wanted their wish fulfilled.

"Right...more the people in Skeleton Mafia, the better!" said Bowser, welcoming their suggestion with open arms.

"Good luck supplying them." reminded George, juggling with his finger as if he were to taunt him.

"GRAH! WHY MUST LOGISTICS BE LIKE THAT!?" shouted Bowser in frustration, slamming both of his fists on the table. He somehow didn't break it into pieces, despite the slight increase of power in his slam.

"Perhaps we should establish some kind of a supply route for our islands? That could ease up supplying the Skeleton Mafia." suggested Mad John, pointing at the route drawn by his boss.

"Hah! Perhaps it is a good idea to keep ourselves near the coasts!" avowed Bowser, pumping his fist in the air. No desire to change the path was felt within him.

"So, there are no changes in our route?" asked Brane, just making his boss sure about his decision.

"Nope, we are continuing it as I said before!" confirmed Bowser, leaning back a bit as he put both of his hands behind his head in a similar sense a person lying on the beach would.

"Hmmm…." both Brane and John thought, still not letting go of the aforementioned cursed zone.

Time went on as they cruised further. The skeleton with binoculars still observed the area around, checking in for any incoming threats. Suddenly, there was something right in front of him that caught his attention. The clear sky bordered by the wall of dark gray clouds in front of him, getting darker from inside as he looked towards the horizon. Shadow from the mass of clouds cast itself upon the surface, darkening the clear sea. Skeleton's vision got blurred by the endless rainfall from the ominous clouds. The approaching ships were rocked by the ever increasing waves as they traversed towards the rifted sky.

"Oh...oh lord..." fretted the skeleton with binoculars as he immediately rushed inside as quickly as he could. The moment that the entered the main room with a loud door slam, he immediately got attention of the top brass of Skeleton Mafia along with his fellow bones.

"Boss! We have an urgent situation outside!" reported the skeleton.

"What is it?!" asked Bowser, raising his eyebrow. John and Brane already suspected what skeleton with binoculars referred to.

"Look and see!" said the skeleton as the gang followed him outside, allowing him to show the very thing he saw: the endless gloomy clouds above them.

"Is this what we were warned for?" asked Mad John, squinting at the sky.

"Huh,...so it was weather all along." huffed George, feeling rather confident about his statement from before.

"Nothing too strange, to be honest." commented Brane, scratching his chin while taking closer look at it.

"Hah! We've dealt with this before! If nature wants a rematch, then so be it!" "No change of plan, we're going through! Though, make sure that the cars won't fall off. The sea is not gonna be kind to us now." boasted Bowser as he turned towards skeletons, pointing at them while waiting for his order to be completed. His henchmen quickly brought some rope and black fabric with them, tying up both cars in order to strengthen their positions. After they were done with that task, they covered them with the aforementioned fabric. Bowser gave them a thumbs up after they carried out his order.

Skeleton Mafia's ships left the clear sky behind, entering the dark seas. The waves were rocking the ships with ever increasing force, but Bowser only stood on the deck like a power hungry explorer, crossing his arms as he stared towards the horizon with a grin. After seeing his boss in such mood, Brane and John removed all of their doubts in their mind, grinning at the face of horizon as well. George tipped his hat and Mosseau eagerly awaited for their journey through the wild sea. At first, it seemed like it was just another stormy sea to cross.

Suddenly, an entire barrage of lightnings, spreading through out the entire horizon, struck the sea right in front of them. The entire sky got engulfed by the blinding light from bolts as a simultaneous thunder roared throughout. Everyone on the deck either flinched or jumped back a bit from the strike.

"Oh….this is...not something similar as before…." shuddered Bowser as his eyes widened from witnessing it. Others didn't say a word, but a certain confused surprise was seen through their expressions. After the initial shock, Bowser glared towards the darkened horizon, clenching his fist with

"EVERYONE! GO INSIDE NOW! I'll handle this!" ordered Bowser, directing others to the bridge. Just as ordered, his colleagues went inside to take cover from the storm. Heavy rainfall poured down on decks of all ships, but Bowser remained, still facing forward.

"Stepped up your game, haven't you? Gwahahaha! No matter how much you try, I, the great Bowser, will be always one step ahead of you!" boasted Bowser in the face of the storm. Few of the lightnings struck the sea from the clouds, lightening up the sky constantly. Suddenly, as if the weather heard him, one of the lightnings hit the deck of the ship, being millimeters away from striking down Bowser. Stunned for a moment, he quickly regained composure, but his pride got replaced with determination to cross the daunting sea without losing any of his vessels.

"Oh, this is PERSONAL now!" snarled Bowser right after the attack. The lightnings continued striking down from the above, with one of them even hitting their yacht. However, the no damage was caused on the yacht as it kept going forward. Endless thunder echoed through out the sky as the intensity of waves kept increasing, rocking all of the ships in the process. The cars on the deck, despite the waves trying to knock them off the deck, remained still like statues. Anyone inside the ships held on anything they could in order to not fall down. However, Mosseau was rolling on the floor, cursing the storm through out all the time. Meanwhile, on the deck, Bowser kept evading the lightnings, but one of them hit him right in one of the spikes on his shell, sending the electric shock through out his entire body. Despite being hit, Bowser grinned towards the sky, being motivated even more. He continued dodging the electrostatic wrath from the above as the rainfall poured down as if the entire world was about to get flooded.

As the time passed when they continued crossing the stormy sea, Bowser started to think of a plan to deter the lightnings from attacking him while he continued doing evasive maneuvers in order to not get fried by the lightnings. Rolling around the deck, he thought of something that would redirect the lightnings away from him, something that would transmit the electricity.

Three lightnings struck right behind him, all of them landing in the same spot while barely missing their target. Bowser looked back after the strike, seeing the bridge. Then he got an idea as he dashed towards the entrance while a few lightnings struck beside him, hitting the car covering fabric. Despite the strikes, neither cars were damaged.

As he entered the ship, he ran towards the main room, where his colleagues resided.

"Hey, give me something that will redirect the lightnings!" requested Bowser as his colleagues, regardless of rank, immediately searched for anything that he could find useful.

"Aye, got ye covered, laddeh!" said Mosseau as he threw him one of his surplus iron bars that he uses to construct improvised weaponry. Bowser caught the bar with his hand.

"Don't forget about this too!" reminded Mad John as he brought up a glove from his pocket before he threw it to his boss. Just like before, his boss caught the thrown item. He put it on his hand before he grabbed the iron bar once again. His colleagues stopped the search as their task has been completed.

"Gwahaha! Thank you very much!" approved Bowser before he dashed off outside, facing the storm once again.

The relentless storm raged on as Bowser stepped outside, greeted by surrounding lightnings striking the sea. He ran forward as quickly as he could before stopping at the edge of the deck, raising the iron bar as high as he could. Three lightnings came close to striking the don of skeletons down, but were redirected to the iron bar, transmitting all the electricity through it. The glove, made out of materials that are considered to be insulators, prevented the electricity flow from reaching Bowser. Soon, other lightnings from above struck, only to be redirected towards the same iron bar. As they gathered around, the skeletons from other ships watched in awe as it seemed like their boss was holding an iron torch, which its fire was natural but wrathful electrostatic discharges illuminating the dark sea. With a confident grin on his face, Bowser thought of placing the iron bar somewhere because he was absolutely not in the mood of holding it for the entire journey through the storm. Then he looked towards the bridge of the capital ship, getting an idea on what to do. He dashed off towards the doors of bridge, opening them with one hand.

"Hey, anyone here have some duct tape?!" loudly requested Bowser as he remained outside, still holding the "lightning torch". He thought it would be a bad idea leaving the iron bar, as not only it would redirected the lightning back at him, but the aforementioned item could potentially roll of from the deck, making Bowser lose all of his redirecting capability.

"Got you covered, mate." answered Mad John the moment when he heard his boss, rushing out of the main room almost immediately. Upon seeing his boss standing outside, he brought up the desired duct tape from his pocket and threw it right at Bowser. He caught it with his sole free arm before he gave John a fist shake of approval and closed the door.

After getting everything he wanted, Bowser leaped from the deck. Without much interference, he landed on the roof of bridge, stepping near the closest antenna he could find. He scratched the duct tape with his claw, managing to get the part of it out. Then he bit the duct tape with his mouth, extending it in the process. Bowser placed the iron bar near the antenna as he wrapped the duct tape around it multiple times. Just like the glove, tape was created out of insulator materials. When Bowser deemed the bar was stable enough to be taped to antenna, he tore apart any unnecessary parts before he completed tied it around the bar. The lightnings kept striking the iron bar, satisfying Bowser as he put his arms around his body like a happy artist wondering at the sight of his work.

"Hah! That shall do it!" remarked Bowser as he observed the "lightning torch" up close. Just when he felt he scored a victory, a strong gust of wind hit him, nearly blowing off his captain's hat from his head. He noticed that it came from the front of the capital ship, as he also noticed that the waves were getting even fiercer than before. The vessels were constantly climbing them at that point, before descending down them like sleighs on a steep hill.

"Stepping up your game, aren't you?" jeered Bowser, squinting towards the incoming waves before he jumped off the roof, landing on the deck. Despite the fierce waves, which rocked the vessels to no end, they still managed to cross them but not without a struggle. Bowser held on the fence as he stared at the waves. After the initial strikes of waves, the sea calmed itself down. The lightnings stopped striking, but the rainfall continued to pour down. It was just like when they first sailed in such territory.

"Something's not right…There must be some kind of trick up its sleeve!" suspected Bowser at the sight of the calming sea. It remained tranquil for some time as the ships went on.

Suddenly, his suspicion materialized right in front of him: a sole colossal wave, coming right at them. It blocked their view of horizon, signaling only one thing: their demise in the depths of the dark sea. Just by the size alone, it was clear that none of the ships could cross it. However, when Bowser saw the wave…

"SHOWTIME!" he shouted with all the pride he had in his heart as he faced the wave, standing on the edge of the deck. When the colossal wave got just close enough, Bowser started inhaling the wave with all the suction powers he had. The tsunami-like wave turned into a vortex, spiraling right into his mouth. All the mass of water got rapidly reduced as Bowser continued inhaling the monstrous wave, filling his mouth with saltwater. The storm attempted to disrupt Bowser's inhalation by pushing him with strong gusts of wind, but those only got sucked in instead. Once the tidal wave got reduced to a mere tiny one, he heated up all the water he had inside of him with internal flame. Steam started spewing out not only from his nostrils, but from his closed mouth as well. He let out a triumphant roar, releasing all the steam he had into the stormy sky, covering the entire exterior of the capital ship with it. The crew of both supporting ships watched with their jaws dropped as the vision of the capital ship started to become clearer due all of steam leaving it.

As the tidal wave got neutralized, the storm let out its last ditch effort attacks in the form of lightnings, only to be redirected once again towards the taped iron rod. Upon seeing the attack, Bowser got an idea on how to counterattack.

"So, you thought you've had me beaten, that you've won by default. Gwahahaha! I am about to show what it means to go face to face with ME!" boasted Bowser right in front of the storm as he jumped on the roof of bridge, landing right near the "lightning torch". He started inhaling the lightnings as they got redirected right in his mouth. When he decided that he stored enough electricity without being internally fried from it, he started mixing lightnings with his fire inside of him. Upon the heat inside of him reaching the breaking point, he fired a beam made out of fire and lightning right towards the stormy sky, piercing right through it. A path, split from clouds, appeared on it, leading them somewhere unknown.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" shouted every single skeleton who saw the event. Bowser then jumped off the roof, but not before he held himself above the window, looking at Scrongus and Krongus inside the bridge.

"You two! Follow that path!" ordered Bowser, pointing at the path in the sky.

"Capisco, boss!" responded Krongus as he redirected the ship to navigate under the path. Other two ships followed as they traversed underneath with sun peeking through the split clouds. The lightnings kept striking the iron rod, shaping the whole flow in a single V. The sea around them rampaged, but it gently rocked them under the path.

As they followed the path, they spotted something that caught their attention immediately: an island in the middle of a cloudless circle in the sky. From what they could see, the island appeared to be a plateau, sticking out of the sea. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, the vessels of Skeleton Mafia followed the path until they left the storm. Lightnings stopped striking once they entered the cloudless circle. After some time, they docked on the shores of the island, being faced by the rocky wall in front of them. Bowser, along with the "top brass" of Skeleton Mafia jumped off the deck to see the island up close.

"Gwahaha! We did! We showed that storm who's the true boss!" laughed Bowser as he took a look at near vertical but jagged walls of the plateau island.

"Can't believe we were first one to cross the cursed zone, mate." wondered John as he looked back at the ongoing storm, with all of them being on the "sanctuary" island.

"Tromba's got nothing on this!" commented Brane, reminiscing something from the past.

"Well, we can brag about that later in our lives." jested George, also taking a look at the walls of plateau island.

"FUCK YE, YE BLOODY ARSEHOLE OF A WEATHER! YER GIVIN ME THE GODDAMN ROLLIES ALL IN ME HEAD!" lashed out Mosseau as he turned back towards the storm, shaking his fist at it. Despite being rolled around earlier, he displayed no signs of dizziness whatsoever.

"Mosseau! Now is not the time to rage, but rather to celebrate!" reminded Bowser as he happily raised his arms in the air, still having a feeling of triumph.

"Oh, aight, new island." suddenly calmed down Mosseau, taking a glance of the center of attention. "What does it have?"

"Hmmm...Skeletons!" called Bowser. In a moment, two of the skeletons, armed with Tommy guns, jumped off the deck, joining their higher ups.

"Aye, boss?" asked two of the skeletons, awaiting his order.

"Inspect the area around it!" ordered Bowser as he pointed the coastline at them.

"Roger that, boss!" responded the skeletons as they began walking around the coastline as a part of their inspection. As time went on, they could see nothing but either barren gray sand or jagged rocky walls.

The skeletons returned, sporting the same expression and position like at the start of their task.

"Well, did you find anything?" piqued Bowser as the skeletons approached closer.

"It's same as here. Entire coastline of it is like that." reported one of the skeletons, making the top brass think about their activities on the island.

"Hmm...then I guess only one obvious option remains!" said Bowser as all of them faced forward, prepared to climb the jagged walls of plateau. Suddenly, they heard a voice that caught all of them off guard. It

"Greetings, fellow travelers!" greeted voice of the unknown, revealed to be from some kind of masked shaman in a crimson robe, who appeared right out of nowhere. Everyone who saw him was startled from sheer surprise.

"Wha?! Who are you?!" asked Bowser upon seeing him. Shaman only quietly approached them, as they were unsure if he was a threat or not. George already put his hand in his pocket, where his Silver Coyote resided, just in a case of an attack.

"Ey, where did you come from?" questioned one of the skeletons, being only slightly surprised by shaman's appearance.

"I hereby think that you want this island, isn't that correct?" acknowledged masked shaman while he pointed directly at Bowser. His colleagues, skeletal or made out of flesh, looked at their boss, assuming that Bowser has done something in advance.

"Hahaha, of course! I mean...how did you know?" confirmed Bowser, boastfully laughing before he realized that he hasn't even truly gloated in front of shaman's face.

"I can see through all the desires of living beings….but fear not, the island is yours!" offered masked shaman, surprising them all in the process.

"You're just giving it to me?…..That's nice!" thanked Bowser, raising his fist in the air in a same sense a sportsman being filled with satisfaction over winning a golden medal.

"Aw, come the fuck on!" groaned Mosseau, still feeling the need to quench his need for battle.

"That is, if you solve the riddle of this island." reminded masked shaman with a raised index finger, ending the triumphant feeling inside of Bowser, but also causing greater mystique around his colleagues.

"Gah, knew there was some catch there. What is it, some kind of question that seems vague at first but becomes clear if you grind your gears a bit?" grumbled Bowser

"The riddle is not a question, but rather a task." corrected shaman, raising Bowser's curiosity about the meaning of his words.

"A task? What could that be?" asked John as he leaned towards the individual. Suddenly, the masked shaman fell on knees as he faced the jagged rock walls. He bowed down before he rose up, raising his arms towards the plateau.

"You must cross this holy mountain horizontally!"

"...Wha?!" everyone around him blurted out upon hearing his words shouted like that.

"Pardon?" Mad John raised his eyebrow. Despite being absolutely baffled by the task, he couldn't help his morbid curiosity

"I say again, you must cross this holy mountain horizontally!" repeated masked shaman, picking himself up before he approached them

"Excuse me, but how do you cross ANY MOUNTAIN HORIZONTALLY?!" bickered Bowser, flailing his arms around in frustration. His colleagues did agree with him on that, but they chose to remain silent about it.

"That is up to you, as only the one with desire of ownership is allowed to walk on the plateau. However, while your time to solve this riddle is limitless, it mustn't leave your mind..." warned masked shaman, completely changing the tone around his "guests".

"What would happen if it does? I imagine something not good, as per course." asked George, already preparing assumptions in advance.

"A cruel fate will be cast upon you. It's better to not imagine it, focus on the riddle." answered masked shaman, leaving them even more confused.

"Cast? By who?" questioned Mosseau, finding shaman's choice of words to be a little bit ominous. He felt that something was not right, but before he could get any proper answers, shaman vanished from everyone's sight.

"Where did ya go, ye fucken twat?!" raged Mosseau at the shaman's disappearance, not satisfied with anything he said. Even though he was gone, the thought of crossing a mountain horizontally hasn't left anyone's mind. They kept giving our questions about how would one person perform such an act, why would such thing be needed and many more, but none of them could come up with a decisive answer.

"Do you think the island is related to the storm?" asked Brane as he turned towards Mad John, scratching his chin.

"Probably. Can't say that it being the only thing in the storm not affected by it isn't suspicious in the slightest." concurred John, both of them observing the barren but tall natural walls.

"We must now focus on how to solve this riddle! Gentlemen, it's time to give your brains some workout!" reminded Bowser, redirecting everyone's thoughts towards the act of crossing a mountain horizontally.

"So, how would you cross a mountain horizontally?" Bowser gave out a question for everyone, including himself.

"Definitely not by itself. You would need an external device to properly cross a mountain like that." suggested John while thinking on how would a device like that operate on plateau.

"Somethin' like an elevator?" remarked George after hearing John's advice.

"That could work, but are you sure we have enough resources to build one?" asked Brane to make sure that their plan is feasible.

"We do have a plank, enough for like, all of us to cross it." pointed out Mosseau, pointing right at the capital ship.

"We are not lacking in rope department either, so we could construct one." added John.

"But if we do build an elevator, that means it has to be built on the mountain, right?" asked Bowser, imagining a very simplified elevator being placed on top of the plateau.

"...Oh, yeah. I mean, it's only you that has to cross it horizontally, but we could climb it and build the elevator just for you." offered John with a rather unsure smile on his face.

"...Nah, not worth the broken bones. We need something else." rejected Bowser for John's own safety. "What if...we build a ladder instead? It should be connected to the plank and we could use that as a bridge…."

"Do we have enough resources to build a ladder of such size?" reminded George, thinking that the idea of a really tall ladder is far less practical compared to the elevator.

"Checked before. Aside from that plank, we barely even have wood. I don't think we have enough metals for such ladder either." interjected the skeleton with a Tommy gun.

"We could go back to Rastplatz island-" suggested Brane, only for Bowser's eyes to squint.

"NOPE, we are not going through that again! Pretty sure that the storm would cook up new tricks at that point. Besides, I've had ENOUGH of saltwater for a whole week!" rambled Bowser after everything he experienced that day.

"Well, what options do remain?" asked Brane.

"Another thing, which I think would be unlikely, is to land horizontally on the plateau" said John, giving out his hypothesis to them.

"We have yet to obtain anythin' flying, though." cautioned George, raising his index finger.

"Hmmm...perhaps I could call Kamek to bring me an airship here, but that cursed storm is quite a deterrent! I'm sure that not even he could withstand it!" answered Bowser before he tossed the idea away.

"With even that out of the way, now what?" asked Brane one more time, but everyone around him ran out of answers. They were stuck all day, thinking how to solve shaman's riddle.

The day came to an end as night took its place. The members of Skeleton Mafia went inside their vessels to take a rest, but their minds were flooded with one thought: to cross the holy mountain horizontally. Even when they were deep in their slumber, horizontal crossings of mountains was a priority for them. However, one particular individual remained awake, doing his nocturnal schedule of inspecting his weaponry.

"Who the flying fuck was that?! Why would someone need to cross the goddamn bloody mountain horizontally?!" rumbled Mosseau to himself while checking out his weapons. As he kept raging to himself, something appeared inside his mind. An idea out of a sudden that also managed to cheer him up.

"Wait a minute….Who said ye need contraptions to cross it? Gyahahaha! In this world, ye gotta improvise!….Mosseau, ye have the galaxy brain of Scots right there! Gwahahaha!" boasted Mosseau to himself as he prepared himself to execute him plan for the next day.

Next followed, with Bowser, George, John and Brane being outside, standing on the gray beach, still observing the jagged walls of plateau. For some reason, certain someone was absent at that moment.

"Got any ideas, boys?" asked Bowser as he turned towards them.

"Nope." his colleagues answered, leaving Bowser with only a groan. Suddenly, they heard a voice. A voice that warms the hearts of many girls and that inspires hope in many people. That voice being...

"YE BLOODY GOBSHITE, GO THROUGH THE FOOKEN DOOR ALREADY!"

"MOSSEAU! What is with your-" Bowser immediately rushed in to see what was even happening, only to see Mosseau with a plank tied around his trash can. It was placed behind Mosseau's back, along with additional rope for some reason. "….What are you even planning?"

"Aye, Bows! Aye been needing a wee bit of yer help there." requested Mosseau, to which Bowser carried him out of the capital ship like a plank before placing him near his colleagues.

"Aight, Bows, listen up. All ye gotta do for me is to climb the wall and carry me there. Ye'll be following me instructions as we go further!" explained Mosseau, pointing at some spot in the wall.

"This is going to be easy, but are you absolutely sure this will work out?" doubted Bowser, knowing that Mosseau's way of thought doesn't really align with anything, not even the most abstract life forms probably.

"Aye, me plans always work out!" gloated Mosseau, throwing the additional rope at him. Bowser caught it with his hand.

"...I genuinely wonder if your plans are influenced by what you drink." wondered Bowser as he tied the rope around his arm.

"Oh, absolutely." jested George, taking an opportunity to have a laugh.

"Shut the fuck up, ye don't know SHITE!" lashed out Mosseau at him, which greatly amused George, before he turned towards Bowser with the same cheery expression he had on his crusty skeletal face. "Anyway, lets have it a go, laddeh!"

Bowser started climbing the near vertical jagged wall of the plateau as the rope around his arm carried Mosseau. Without any proper difficulties bar some rubble going in his way, Bowser slowly but surely kept ascending towards his goal. His colleagues watched, believing that their boss would make mincemeat out of climbing.

Some time passed, as Bowser was approaching the edge of plateau, almost reaching the top of of. When he was just few inches from reaching the top, Mosseau gave out a sign of halt.

"Lad, can ye move just a wee bit up?" asked Mosseau, to which Bowser complied.

"A wee bit down." Mosseau requested once again. Bowser moved his position just like his Scottish colleague told him.

"A wee bit left." cautioned Mosseau one last time before Bowser moved to a place, where Mosseau was finally satisfied.

"Here we go! Now, punch the stoney fucker!" signaled Mosseau as he pumped up his skeletal fist.

"Gladly!" approved Bowser, aligning his arm right towards the spot where Mosseau pointed out. Then, with a considerable prowess, punched a hole right in the wall. It was as deep as the length of his arm. Despite the powerful punch, Bowser remained in his position without any slips.

"Aye, let me take the job now." said Mosseau as he launched himself right in the hole, fitting right in. It seemed like luck blessed both of them, as the plank was perfectly aligned to the surface of the top.

"Ayehahaha, yes! Now, get on the plank!" said Mosseau. Bowser, with the help of the additional rope, jumped right on the plank. It didn't even budge, despite the weight of the boss. He untied the rope around his arm, letting it fall from him. Then he looked forward, being prepared to cross the plateau horizontally.

"Gwahahaha! Yes! I did it! I have solved the riddle of the holy mountain! Take that, shaman!" thought Bowser to himself as he walked on the plank. With an immense satisfied grin on his face, he stepped on the plateau from the plank. To him, crossing felt like the greatest symphony played in the most prestigious concert. His colleagues saw him cross the plank, cheering him all the way through.

Suddenly, as Bowser was quite away from the edge of the plateau, the ground on the top started to rumble. The ground collapsed by itself as Bowser watched in shock, but the crust around remained.

"Huh?! What is going on?!" exclaimed Bowser while being the witness of the ground of the top collapsing, slowly revealing worn out stairs that led to some kind of beige entrance. While the event was going on, the vibrations caused by it forced Mosseau to slip out of the hole in the wall.

"Off Aye go." said Mosseau before he jumped out of the hole, but not before letting out a war cry (or in that case, a fall cry) as he fell towards the bottom of gray shore:

"AYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEE LADDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!"

Once the collapsing ceased to be, it fully revealed what the plateau was hiding: broken pillars and few preserved lion statues, accompanying the stairs that lead to the entrance. Although it did remind Bowser of some tombs back in his world, he was still puzzled by it.

"Huh…so this is it. Perhaps going inside will clear up some things." decided Bowser as je casually strolled down the stairs, getting closer to the entrance. Staring right in the entrance felt null, as if darkness was staring right back into his soul. Suddenly, just when he was just about to enter, he stopped. He felt a cold shiver around his shoulder as he was being aware of a certain presence.

"It seems you have solved the mystery that took many lives..." a voice spoke to him, a rather familiar one at that. The don of skeletons turned towards the source of it, only to find a familiar man, wearing a gas mask and a cape. Bowser's eyes widened when he saw the presence of Balkan Lord of Čevapi.

"...You?" blurted out Bowser at the sight of him, freezing from sheer surprise.

"I must say that I am impressed. You have done something that no one has ever accomplished before." praised Balkan Lord of Čevapi as he slowly approached the stunned Bowser with his cape following the flow of a slight breeze. "In a short amount of time too. Many beings took years, decades to even get a slight hint, only to succumb to the cruel fate."

"Were you perhaps-" Bowser attempted to ask, trying to confirm whether or not he is connected to the shaman.

"Now, you wonder about this place, don't you?" interjected Balkan Lord, changing their subject. Bowser was ready to complain about not getting an answer, but there was a certain feeling that lashing out against someone like Balkan Lord would be a very unwise idea.

"I mean, yeah I do?" said Bowser,

"What is your assumption? I would like to know, Bowser." asked Balkan Lord, catching the turtle conqueror off guard. Somehow, being referred by the name by him greatly unsettled Bowser.

"How am I supposed to know?! There's probably the owner of this island, I guess. Some monster or something." hesitantly badgered Bowser, trying to come up with a sensible hypothesis for Balkan Lord's question.

"You are quite light with terminology, for someone who's about to face a higher being." noted Balkan Lord of Čevapi, giving the turtle man a slight idea what is waiting for him.

"...Wha? What do you mean by a "higher being?" asked Bowser out of bafflement, sounding like he's in denial about someone actually being threatening to his rising skeletal empire for once. "What is all of this vague nonsense?"

"I cannot speak much about him, but the sovereign of this island is a defiant...of both Heaven and Hell." elaborated Balkan Lord in a rather warning tone. Although those concepts were blurry for Bowser, it's been all but confirmed that Bowser should not take things lightly at that moment.

"...Right." uttered Bowser. His mind couldn't imagine what he was about to face.

"Follow me. This is where you'll need my guidance." demanded Balkan Lord as both of them stepped inside the darkness of the entrance. From the vast outside of plateau, they crossed the narrow dark hallway, leading only forward. Carved by the stone floor, they emitted barely audible footsteps through out the gloomy hall.

"I must ask you to remain silent, if you want to come out alive." requested Balkan Lord as they continued traversing. Although annoyed by Balkan Lord's demand, Bowser remained quiet through out their journey through the hall. After exiting the hall, they found a giant, singular gray stalagnate, as tall as a skyscraper while wide as a football stadium, connected by the numerous marble bridges around it. Each bridge led to a tunnel towards the unknown. Barren pitch black water ran underneath the bridges, calmly residing there as the part of the unknown megastructure. Bowser and Balkan Lord walked over a single marble bridge among the labyrinth of many. When it was necessary, both of them jumped over to another bridge with relative easy. Leaping from one bridge to another, Balkan Lord finally found out the one he was looking for. Despite all the leaps, none of them even made a sound. In the grand scope of things, Bowser felt tiny when compared to Balkan Lord's presence and the sheer size of mystic stalagnate. After traversing over the correct bridge, they found themselves at the another entrance, similar looking to the holes on the natural pillar. Without hesitation, they went through it, only to end up in another hallway. However, unlike the initial hallway, that one seemed to be decorated with various mural paintings on it.

"This is where the fate is left up to you. Good luck, for you will need it." said Balkan Lord of Čevapi before he disappeared in the darkness, leaving Bowser all alone. Realizing that it was fruitless to ask additional questions, Bowser pushed forward as he slowly crossed the hallway. As the curiosity got him, he decided to check the mural paintings that decorated the narrow space. Upon seeing it, he was left quite stunned.

Demons, begging for aid, as they were being purged by the divine light. Some of the demonic beings were crying in anguish, being vaporized by the eternal luminosity of lords, reflecting from a shield.

"….I hope the other side is as messed up as this one." thought Bowser to himself as he stepped toward the other mural paintings on the other end of the hall.

Angels, pleading for mercy as they were being burned alive by the infernal fire. All of them wept for their goddess, who couldn't respond to their pleas. She was being impaled through her abdomen with a giant spear. The divine blood covered the floor of slain angels as the fire even engulfed the goddesses body.

"What am I going up against?!" panicked Bowser to himself, having his jaw dropped after seeing the mural paintings. However, he quickly picked himself up, realizing that he shouldn't let the feeling of hopelessness overcome him.

"No! I will not end up like either of them! I must remember who I am: I am Bowser and I will achieve what is impossible for all. I will be the greatest conqueror!" Bowser motivated himself before he faced forward. He decided to speed up his walk, so that he could face whatever was waiting for him. Stomping all the way through, he reached giant wooden doors. Although he couldn't understand it, there was a rune on it, written in an ancient language:

"Here rests Shah Hzalazan. May the bringer of balance prosper even in death."

"It's showtime!" announced Bowser to himself as he slowly opened the creaking doors. As the opened doors gave out a clearer vision, he saw another set of stairs, leading towards a wide but near empty hall. Light was emitted from the two streams of emerald water, running across the sides of the room. Despite providing a great amount of light, there was an amalgamation of darkness in the middle of the room. Bowser slowly walked down the stairs, glaring at the darkness.

"What brings you here, being from another world?" spoke the darkness out of a sudden with deep booming voice as the glowing emerald green eyes appeared from it, staring right into Bowser's soul with its deathly vision. Bowser, all in the name of spite, only confidently smirked at it, as if he was prepared for it.

"What bring me here, you say. Well, listen very carefully as I am about to say. I am Bowser and I have come to take over this island! I will become the most influential person on this planet. I will become greater than Alexander the Great-" boastfully introduced Bowser to it, only to be stopped as the darkness stood up, revealing its humanoid shape. Its bronze armored head had a pair of horns facing downwards, with his mouth infested with infernal fangs. With its body protected by the bronze armor, the being held a giant spear, dubbed "The spear of Djinn" in its one hand, while holding a giant circular shield in another hand. Shoulders of the being were armored by iron pauldrons, giving it the appearance that sows fear to hundreds of armies. When it stood up, it towered over Bowser like nothing has ever before, with the turtle king only reaching the size of its nail on the foot.

Bowser, the don of skeletons, was standing right in front of the ancient king: Shah Hzalazan.

"Do not besmirch the name of Alexander III of Macedon, as he is the only being who achieved something no one did before!" warned Shah Hzalazan as it prepared its battle stance. His revelation caused Bowser to flinch in surprise, with his eyes being completely wide upon hearing it.

"You...f-fought him?!" stuttered Bowser, barely imagining how would his idol fight such a menace.

"Indeed. When I was at the height of my power, fate made us cross paths in Babylon. A fierce opponent to the bitter end, my defeat at his hands banished me to this lonesome island. However, it shall be known as I put a great curse upon the Arabian sea, establishing the remnant of my reign." explained Shah Hzalazan, causing even more mind blows for the turtle king.

"I...uh…." stammered Bowser, trying to come up with something to say directly to Hzalazan's face.

"Yet you claim to follow his footsteps? I would like to see you back up such preposterous claim." scoffed Shah Hzalazan as he stood with pride.

"….Yes! Just like him, I will also score a victory against you! Our encounter shall mark your second defeat and it will be a permanent one!" boasted Bowser, deciding that it would be a better idea to face the ancient Persian king, rather than to be stuck in a loop of confusion. He raised his fist, pointing directly at the giant shah.

"Overconfidence of a man is the downfall of many. It shall be yours too. Now face me, false conqueror, as I shall inflict unspeakable torment of divine proportions upon you!" challenged Shah Hzalazan as both individuals let out their roars at each other. While Bowser's roar sounded like a prideful lion, Hzalazan's roar resembled a volcanic eruption, followed by the earth shattering earthquakes as it echoed through out the room, silencing Bowser's roar in the process. Without wasting a moment, Hzalazan pointed his spear of Djinn directly at Bowser and struck first, being inches away from impaling him right through his head, had the turtle king not tilted his head just the right moment. It hit the staircase, leaving a small crater due the tip. Bowser, after reacting to the first attack, dashed towards the colossal king as Hzalazan pulled out his weapon. He noticed the rushing turtle conqueror before Bowser leaped at him, preparing to deliver a punch right in his face, only for Hzalazan to put up his shield. His punch would have left a dent in the shield, but Hzalazan attacked him with it, sending him right to the nearest wall. Bowser's crash caused a crater in it as the rubble fell down from it. The moment he saw Bowser being stuck in the crater, Hzalazan prepared for another offense with his spear. Just when the Persian king nearly scored a hit with his spear, Bowser, with a smug smirk on his face, jumped off from the impact zone as he fell. He hid himself in his shelf, rolling towards Hzalazan when he landed on the shallow stream of emerald water. Rolling kept going faster, approaching the standing king with considerable speed. Suddenly, just when Bowser's rolling attack was about to connect, Hzalazan kicked him and sent him crashing into a wall once again, that time leaving a bigger crater than before. Despite being deflected, Bowser's rolling attack did cause minimal piercings in his foot, but not enough to be noticeable. Some of the emerald water leaked over to the hole left by crashed Bowser.

"Gwah! What's the deal with-" grumbled Bowser, only for him to be facing Hzalazan's deathly stare as he attempted to strike him down. Bowser ducked just in time as the spear struck just above him head. Realizing that he has no window of opportunity to talk, let alone boast, he attempted to run circles around the Persian king, but he was soon met with a swing of a spear, which sent him flying to the nearest wall in the room again. Bowser, knowing that any second could cost him life, quickly rushed away from another impact zone in the wall, as Hzalazan attempted to skewer him, along with swinging his spear around to deny area from his opponent. It was just large enough to cover the entire room, but still fitted in it.

"How am I supposed to even land a hit?!" angrily thought Bowser to himself as he kept evading both thrusts and swings of the spear of Djinn in any possible way, from covering down while running to jumping over the swings. Suddenly, as one of the swings managed to strike him, he was just lucky enough that he grabbed it, holding on it without being launched from the hit. It was that lucky moment that gave him an idea in a heat of the battle.

"Oh right! I should dispose of-" he planned out in his head, but his train of thought was quickly derailed when Hzalazan started spinning his spear around like a propeller in order for Bowser to lose his grip. Suddenly, the Persian king stopped rapidly rotating his spear as he smashed Bowser right in the wall, leaving another impact zone. As Bowser got removed from his spear, Hzalazan quickly prepared himself, striking Bowser right in his shoulder. The tip of the spear pierced through Bowser's arm, causing a heavy amount of bleeding. Bowser roared in agony from the attack, but he quickly spat a small but fast fireball right in Hzalazan's demonic face, causing him to flinch. It was just enough for Bowser to remove the spear and move his position away from the crater, landing in a shallow stream again.

"You're going to pay BIG TIME for this!" threatened Bowser, covering the wound with his other hand. He could still use his damaged arm, but not without considerable pain. In response, Hzalazan turned towards him with burning armored face, whom didn't seem to be too bothered by it, as the only thought being to secure a victory over him.

"Not before you are slain." said Hzalazan, preparing to take his life with the weapon of holy worth. Bowser jumped the right time before he could have been struck by the spear again. If it wasn't for the leap, Hzalazan's attack could have been lethal for him. The turtle warrior landed just far enough to briefly get out of Hzalazan's sight, making him turn towards him.

"There has to be some window of opportunity!" thought Bowser to himself in a haste as he attempted to use his "running in circles to confuse the enemy" tactic, however now he could at least predict where and how would Hzalazan attack. Suddenly, when Hzalazan kept swinging his spear along with some thrusts, Bowser thought of something. In a rush, he quickly calculated the risks, to see if the tide of the battle would turn in his favor.

"Alright, I think I have to risk it!" decided Bowser in a haste, as he suddenly stopped running when Hzalazan was about to swing his spear again. Just when the blunt end of the spear was about to send Bowser flying towards the wall just like before, Bowser, with all his might placed in one undamaged hand, punched the incoming handle. With the sheer power of the punch alone, he broke the spear in two, sending the pointed head flying before it landed out of Hzalazan's sight.

"What?" perplexed Hzalazan as he took a look at his broken spear. Then he glanced over, realizing that the distraction hindered him when he saw Bowser, despite still having a wounded arm, dashing off towards the pointed head.

"An audacious move for unholy vermin like you!" seethed Hzalazan, preparing to strike down Bowser with the broken spear, only to be met by a quick glance from him as he fired another small, but fast fireball at him. However, instead of directly hitting Hzalazan, it struck the broken spear, engulfing it in flames. It quickly crumbled right in the Persian king's hands as it turned into charcoal. Filled with an intense amount of wrath, Hzalazan faced toward Bowser, but soon saw that he was already holding the burning pointy head in his hands. The Persian king quickly put up a shield to cover his head and torso before Bowser threw the pointy head right at him with all force he had in both of his hands. What Hzalazan didn't expect was that the pointy head was thrown with such force that not only the shield was pierced, but it went right through his hand, burning it as well. He let out an agonizing roar, which gave Bowser an opportunity to rip the shield out of his hand. Such move caught Hzalazan completely off guard before Bowser threw the shield like a frisbee, hitting him right in his face as he flinched due the impact.

"Gwahahaha! Not so mighty, are you?!" taunted Bowser as his bleeding wound started to feel less like a detriment during the fight, pointing with his arm in a mocking manner.

Hzalazan, after removing the pointy head from his wounded arm, clenched both of his fists in anger as he smashed the floor with both of his fists. From the sheer impact alone, the entire floor of the room collapsed in seconds, dragging both of them down in a free fall.

"HUH?!" yelped Bowser as he started flailing his arms around like a madman when he, along Hzalazan, started falling down. The collapsed floor revealed a narrow abyss, surrounded by the dark jagged walls of the stalagnate. After regaining some composure, Bowser turned towards the falling Hzalazan, facing each other right in the eyes with only glares that could kill a man. The rubble from the destroyed floor joined their descent, but the puny stones were no match for the battle of two titans. Bowser started charging the flames inside his mouth as he attempted to approach Hzalazan closer, but he was soon met by a smack from the Persian king's hand, which sent him straight to the jagged wall. Despite bouncing off the jagged wall, Bowser kept charging the flames inside his mouth before he returned to his original falling position. Hzalazan attempted to smack him into the walls once again, but Bowser managed to evade all of the attacks. When the time was right for him, Bowser unleashed a large fireball right at the Persian king, engulfing his entire colossal body in furious fire. Despite being distracted by the flames eating up his armored body, Hzalazan continued retaliating as much as he could, but Bowser only got closer as he fell towards him with flames spewing out of his mouth. When he got close enough, Bowser started slashing Hzalazan's face with his claws. He unleashed multiple strikes, but the results were just mere scratches, thanks to both armor and Hzalazan's durable skin. The Persian king countered him with a headbutt, sending him flying upwards from the impact. Soon enough, Bowser regained the control of his fall and hid himself in a shell, rolling towards his adversary with ever increasing acceleration. Hzalazan tried to predict the path of Bowser's strike, preparing himself to smack him away, but Bowser fell so fast, that the Persian king couldn't even react as the rolling turtle king crashed right in his torso, tearing apart every bits of armor he had. Hzalazan could only attempt to remove Bowser from causing even greater damage, but to no avail.

As the fireball of two titans kept falls, the walls suddenly expanded into the vastness as they left the vertical tunnel, entering the lowest point of the island. The ceiling was filled with thin but sharp stalactites, while the bottom was filled pitch black but calm water. There was a large circular land sticking out of the water, resembling a gladiatorial area. The descending fireball illuminated the even the darkest places of the whole underground.

When both of them finally crashed the gladiatorial-like land, the flames from Hzalazan spread around it before they were quickly extinguished by both water and coldness of the underworld. Just before the impact, Bowser landed a little bit away from Hzalazan as he quickly stood up, preparing himself for the another phase of the fight. Soon afterwards, the Persian king stood up, revealing his colossal size once again. Both of them quietly glared at each other, filled with only the intent of ending their opponent's lives. Suddenly, instead of attacking him immediately, he held both of his hands together as he raised them above his head. Bowser's flinched from being startled as Hzalazan chanting in the ancient language:

"May you hear my plea, Lords from Above, for this water to cleanse all of those deemed too wretched to exist."

Suddenly, the entire pitch black water lit itself in a holy rampaging blue fire, surrounding them while illuminating everything in the underground.

"Woah, you have prepared an awesome background for our battle! But that won't be enough to take down me!" boasted Bowser while marveling at the sight of the roaring flames on the water.

"This divine fire shall be your grave!" threatened Hzalazan as he prepared his battle stance.

"Then make it my grave!" taunted Bowser before each of them let out their roars at each other. Bowser sprinted towards him, ready to strike him at any moment. Hzalazan swiped with his hand, but Bowser stopped just in front of the attack before he continued running. When he got just close to Hzalazan's leg, he punched it with his unharmed arm, making him flinch in the process. However, Hzalazan quickly reacted and swiped with his arm, managing to get a hit on Bowser as he was sent towards the inflamed sea. When Bowser landed in it, the divine flames engulfed him, making him shriek from the absolute agony from it. It was not the body that was being combusted, it was Bowser's very own soul drained by the holy fires. He swam as quickly as he could to minimize as much draining as possible. He was just in time when he reached the land, spinning around to extinguish the fires as he stepped on the area. However, he was out of his breath when he reached the land, despite being exposed to the fire for a relatively short amount of time.

"Crud! I can't prolong the battle anymore! I have to defeat him in a decisive blow!" thought Bowser to himself while immediately continuing evasive actions against Hzalazan's swipes. He realized that the only thing Hzalazan needed to do was to throw him in the water and keep him there for long enough for his soul to completely burn. When he thought about this, he formulated the plan in his head.

He shall fight fire with fire.

As he kept dodging Hzalazan's attacks, he started charging fire within him. Evasive action after evasive action against Hzalazan's swipes, the flames in his mouth, already leaking out in a small amount, kept getting hotter as the time went on.

Suddenly, Bowser stopped on the tracks, facing right at the Persian king. The flames in his mouth got so intense and heated that he could barely contain them anymore. Hzalazan, seeing his adversary standing right in front of him, wasted no time as he prepared for the decisive swipe, to finally secure his position as the sovereign of the island while continuing the terror in the Arabian sea.

"Say your last prayers, false conqueror!" warned Shah Hzalazan as he was moments away from dealing the final strike, but something happened. Something that the Persian king never imagined to happen.

Bowser, after charging the flames for enough time, unleashed an exothermic inferno from his mouth, consisting of similar blue fire, right in Hzalazan's face. His wrathful fire consumed Hzalazan's entire body as he shouted in absolute agony, his body quickly disintegrating from the sheer heat alone. Despite the unholy torment unleashed upon him, Hzalazan still attempted to strike down Bowser, but to no avail, as his entire body got vaporized at that moment. Nothing but his fiery spirit remained from him when Bowser ended his massive attack on him. The blue flames of his seamlessly joined in the sea, continuing burning like they used to.

However, once Bowser ceased with his attack, he suddenly collapsed on the ground, feeling absolutely exhausted from all the things that happened to him that day. While he was laying on the ground, he saw Hzalazan's fiery spirit right in front of him. Frustrated at the sight of it, he dragged himself, trying to beat him up for the last time.

"That shall be enough. Your fighting shall be remembered for ages, especially for someone completely out of this world." declared Hzalazan's spirits, ending their fight with such words.

"Heh...I did it...I truly did it…I achieved something that only Alexander the Great did!…." chuckled Bowser, feeling an immense amount of satisfaction despite complete exhaustion.

"Before our fates depart, I must ask you few things." asked the spirit just before a farewell.

"...Yeah? Island is mine now, right?…." responded Bowser with a sincere grin on his face.

"Of course. But, did he send you here?" approved the spirit, but not before it referred to someone who he might find familiar.

"Uh...I think so…." answered Bowser, deep down knowing who was being mentioned.

"So...do you seek it?" asked the spirit once again.

"...Seek what?" quietly requested Bowser for a clarification as he was barely looking in spirit's eyes from exhaustion.

"Do you seek...something I've brought upon this world? Something I righteously tore from the above?" elaborated the spirit.

"I...I don't know. Maybe..." mumbled Bowser, being rather unsure about it.

"Perhaps you don't realize it yet, but what you seek shall gain you the ultimate knowledge. Your ambitions will become realized with such power. I must bid you farewell, Bowser." said the spirit in a rather calm tone before vanishing away from Bowser's eyes, disappearing into nothingness.

Being left alone, surrounded by the ongoing fire, Bowser turned towards the ceiling as he placed his arms on his belly, happily looking at the stalactites above him.

"Hehehe….it's hard to believe how far I have come. From trying to take over Mushroom Kingdom to not only creating the most awesome group ever to exist, but to actually conquer something even in this world!" silently cheered Bowser at himself as he let out some heartfelt chuckles. However, even in such mood, his eyes were forcefully starting to close down. He did all the efforts to remain awake, but it was slowly overtaking him.

"But I feel….so tired...Just so tired...Not that I feel bad...just...a little nap would help. Yeah, that's all I need now. Just a little nap….Even if the journey ends here, I'll be happy…."said Bowser with a smile on his face just before he shut his eyes.

"Junior….you're going to be so proud of your Papa when I tell you all about it…."

Bowser passed out in the middle of the area as the flames around him got extinguished, covering him in the cold blanket of nothingness.

Suddenly, he woke up, seeing a clear sky above him. A sole seagull flew above, squaking like all seagulls love to. His wounded arm seemed to have been seamlessly patched up, no longer bleeding unlike before. Completely confused by the sight, he stood up to see what was happening. As he got a better look, he saw not a single cloud above him, even at the horizon. The sea was completely calm, sparkling under the bright sun.

"...So this is what it looks like when you're-" wondered Bowser while observing the sea. All the feeling of magic and wonder vanished when one familiar voice spoke up.

"You have nearly died." reminded Balkan Lord of Čevapi, standing right behind him. His sudden appearance completely startled Bowser as he turned towards him.

"HUH?! REALLY?!" loudly sputtered out Bowser at mere imagining of him even being close to dying. "I mean, that's just hard to imagine, really."

"Indeed. I have pulled you out of it before it was too late. It is admirable, though, to slay a higher being. You have warranted a decent amount of pride within yourself." further explained Balkan Lord, cheering up his colleague(?) a bit.

"Gwahaha! Of course! Nothing stands in a way of Bowser, the greatest don ever to grace this planet!" boasted Bowser while letting out a huge villainous chuckle.

"Your journey shall be continued, as intended." said Balkan Lord of Čevapi.

"Hahaha! Now I've seen everything! I am ready to face whatever this world will give!" gloated Bowser, raising his fists towards the sky.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you." warned Balkan Lord, halting the usual Bowser's self complementary nature.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Bowser in a rather unsure tune.

"There are still some things unimaginable by your mind. You will see them soon enough." cautioned Balkan Lord before he walked away, disappearing from Bowser's sight completely. He had many question to give to him, as he was completely confused, but decided that he will think about them later. When he looked at the ground, he saw a new staircase leading down to the shores. He crossed the staircases with relative ease just before he saw his colleagues on the shore, waiting for him.

"Hey, guys! I did it! The curse is no more!" announced Bowser, to which his friends gave him a huge applause along with some cheering.

"Congrats, Bows. You did it once again." praised George, giving him a gesture of a finger gun.

"Good job, mate!" cheered Mad John, giving him an applause.

"Jače! No one is unbeatable when Skeleton Mafia is there!" boasted Brane as he triumphantly pumped up his fists. However, only one individual remained quiet amid the cheering. Mosseau gave out an impression that he was squinting at the plateau.

"What's up, Mosseau? We have taken over this island!" asked Bowser, unsure why is Mosseau sticking out like a sore thumb when it came to the mood.

"Oh, aight, congrats on that. But there is something that's been irkin' me a bit, lad." answered Mosseau in an unusually quiet tone.

"What is it?" questioned Bowser.

"Something...Aye think aye'll not involve ye in this, but Aye did see something familiar." hinted Mosseau before he returned to the capital ship, leaving Bowser sort of frustrated.

"Why must everything end on an ominous note?! Anyway, it's time to celebrate!" said Bowser before all of them returned to their respective vessels, celebrating their new territory with a lot games and booze.

The clock hit midnight, with sleeping inside. However, Mosseau remained awake, inspecting some book under the lamp, frustratingly searching for some contents that are unknown to everyone else.

"Aye saw that bloody fucker, Aye swear!" thought Mosseau to himself as he continued inspecting the book. Suddenly, a dark figure appeared right behind him as it slowly approached him.

"Are you perhaps looking for me, Mosseau Haggisbourgh of Skrumpskin I.?" greeted Balkan Lord, startling Mosseau as he turned towards him.

"...Aye." confirmed Mosseau. "Aye assume that Aye should give some questions that ye can actually answer."

"I see you have taken some precautions. A wise choice, given for someone with a lot of experience." said Balkan Lord, being illuminated by the lamp.

"Aight, first of, who the fuck are ye?" asked Mosseau right of the bat.

"I am Balkan Lord of Čevapi, Sentinel of Darkness. I ensure that everything is going in this world as intended. Balance must be remained for a prosperous world."explained Balkan Lord in a calm tone, but his words only made Mosseau even more uncomfortable.

"Yer not divine nor infernal, but Aye don't think ye'll answer me that. Rather answer me this: where are ye leading Bows?" Mosseau gave out another question to get a better idea on who he is.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me about yourself, because you are also a rather fit candidate for it. Perhaps it is because you are already satisfied with your way of life?" assumed Balkan Lord due to his expectation being heavily based upon Mosseau's tempter.

"Aye, Aye've got everything Aye need, but lets return to our main point, shall we?" said Mosseau.

"I saw an incredible amount of ambition in him, hence I decided to help him a little. Once he would truly reach it, his desires could become realized by a mere snap of a finger." continued Balkan Lord of Čevapi, walking around Mosseau for unknown reason.

"What the bloody hell is this it yer referring to?" fumed Mosseau, frustrated at Balkan Lord's vagueness.

"It, you say? The ultimate knowledge, a goal of the seekers. One gains powers that a mere man could never comprehend. It's something that the being slain by your boss has brought upon this world after committing something you have done four times in your life, but on a much more devastating scale. So devastating that the entire pantheons from above got their control torn by Lords from Above, beings that I serve." explained Balkan Lord in a calm tone, but there was some underline of fury in his words, which unsettled Mosseau even more. "It goes by the name..."

"….By...what name?" asked Mosseau, still trying to comprehend how could gods be mere parts of a machine of a greater scope.

"Wisdom of Falcon…."

Utterance of the name left the Scottish skeleton speechless, as he tried to comprehend everything the Balkan Lord said.

"I must warn you this, Mosseau, since you got lucky now, but take this as a warning…." cautioned Balkan Lord, leaving one statement before he disappeared into the night:

"Do not interfere with the forces greater than you."

"...What the fuck?!" blurted out Mosseau after Balkan Lord vanished from his sight. Many questions were left unanswered that day.