Super Smash Brothers: Mysteries of the Pure-Hearted Soul Chapter 25: Marth's Theatre: Part 2, a super smash brothers fanfic

Marth's Theatre (pt. 2): A Two-Front Battle

This chapter will be split between two battles, with one of them set in what Lina calls the "Snake's Pit". How will the Smashers fare in this two-front scenario? Read on!

And still no sign of Johan. I swear, he better not be planning some prank on me. You know what, I'm just going to take a nap now…

While many evil forces have sought to expand upon the darkness, some have opted to take a different route…

They instead have attempted to turn the light into a harsh force capable of incinerating all that it touches…

For those with no protection, they have succumbed to the wrath of the untamed rays…

This is an uncommon scenario because of the darkness being a more effective tool of provoking fear…

Nevertheless, it has happened on multiple occasions and should be prevented at all costs…

Overexposure to the red rose's power, as pure and clean as it is, will result in adverse effects, including the formation of a stronger, darkness-using evil…

His head was pulsating in pain, mainly because of taking a hard blow from behind. The throbbing did not die after a few seconds.

There was no light in the immediate vicinity. All that surrounded him was total darkness. It was as if his eyes could not open at all.

A foul smell pervaded the area with its suffocating essence. It was as if something or someone had recently died here.

The room, its possible shape and appearance unseen for now, was deathly silent. The only sounds he could hear were his breathing and, though less noticeable, his heartbeat.

The floor felt very cold to his back, and that was with his uniform on. He could only imagine how worse it, the sensation, would become if he was stripped of everything.

Sitting up, he tried to recall the events that took place just minutes before he and his assigned partners were taken prisoner.

The pool of blood, surrounded by bloodthirsty, vampire-like Lords…

The candles getting blown out…

Zelda being attacked, possibly stabbed, by an unseen foe…

But there was something that happened after he fell unconscious. Lillian's voice spoke to him at one point and, presumably, the other Smashers about a substance only known as Antimors. Granted, he was unable to respond, but he was still able to absorb the full statement. Burns and dismemberment were the only two ways of ending a common Lord, but the captains were using something stronger, something that had made them essentially death-proof. He could only pray to Hyrule's good deities that he and the others did not have the misfortune to go up against one.

But what about the vampires? As far as common legends were concerned, burns were not sufficient in killing a bloodsucking being, but cutting off the head, if not outright dismembering the whole body, was. Maybe, just maybe, he and the Smashers could still overcome the obstacles and triumph in the end.

SHEEN!

Link was suddenly dragged from his train of thought when red lights suddenly filled the room with a morbid aura. Besides most of the fallen Smashers scattered around him, the scenery was revealed to be far more horrifying than he initially believed.

Something far worse than anything he had the misfortune to witness…

"…?!"

With Marth and Ike, several minutes past midnight…

"I can almost guarantee that at least one Lord is going to strike tonight," Marth sighed. At this point, he and Ike had already informed Caeda about the change of events. With nothing to do, other than risk getting killed just to rescue the others, the Altean was now acting as a nighttime guard for the town, well after the citizens had fallen asleep. He was observing the half of the town closer to the closed gate; Ike was assigned to watch over the other portion, including the castle's exterior. The cold winds were much weaker at the current time, but the winter chills remained strong. Falchion was in its sheath, its cold blade hidden from visible view. The perimeter was closed off, but the Hero-King still felt no comfort. The Lords were mysterious foes indeed, so it was more than likely that they had at least one way of bypassing the gate. The best he could do was to be prepared for anything.

"..." He was starting to become bored with his self-assigned job. It had been nearly three hours since the start of his shift, and there was still no sign of hostile forces. Maybe this was a break for the Lords. They were possibly running low on supplies, or maybe they were busy with other matters. Either way, this was now a good time to earn some rest and keep himself warm from the winter.

"I better head back inside," he muttered in a weak tone. He was about to leave for the castle when he suddenly heard a faint tapping sound from the town's center. The Altean was suddenly forced into a tense state as he prepared to battle a possible threat. His head twisted itself in all directions, but nothing revealed itself to him… until a green light suddenly sparked from the center of the town.

"What in the…?" The monarch approached the glow very slowly, being so careful to avoid making a hasty approach. The deep shade present in the light's aura was neither peaceful nor ominous; if anything, it was morally blind, independent of good and evil. It also provoked strong curiosity from the depths of his mind, especially with its mysterious origin in question. He was about to tap its core with Falchion, however…

Pik…

"Huh?" The light suddenly bounced backwards on contact, all before it decided to rush its way towards the front of the castle. The Hero-King followed suit, but what he did not know was that the pathway this entity was dragging him through contained numerous turns and led to an obscure part of the town, far outside of Ike's visible view. Speaking of which, the mercenary was also bored with his job and began preparations to rest up. However, just as he was about to abandon his post, his eyes quickly caught the sight of a person still out during the night's darkest moments.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked as he sheathed his blade. The person standing next to a home was a young woman in a velvet red dress. The black-haired, hazel-eyed maiden stared into the sky with a peaceful look on her face, unaware that the mercenary was speaking to her. She was bare-footed, with nothing in place to prevent the exposure of her red toenails. The nails on her fingers were also painted red; the darker coloring reminded the mercenary of blood and red roses, which were appropriate items for a morbid yet beautiful hue.

"Excuse me, madam. I'm not sure if you are aware yet, but there are cultists, some of them being vampires, that come out at night to attack innocents. You may want to stay inside to avoid detection."

The second comment finally got a hold of her attention, and a deep sense of arousal quickly followed. The blue-haired mercenary was a fine specimen of a man; assuming he did not resist, he could be of use to her…

"Hello, dear sir," she spoke in a soothing tone. Her face glowed as the full moon revealed its light from a gap in the clouds. "I have been waiting for an attractive being like you to come along and give me some pleasure. Would you like to help me out? I can assure you that you will never feel a pinch of regret."

The mercenary felt an uneasy feeling latch onto his stomach. Something was off about this woman, and she could even be a possible threat. If possible, he would have to warn Marth about her. "I'm sorry, but I have to be resting right now. We are guarding this town from any potential threats, or at least, we were. Speaking of Marth, I wonder if he's asleep right now."

"Oh, he will be fine. Right now, let's have a bit of fun, shall we?" As the woman stopped speaking, she began removing her dress, much to the discomfort of Ike. Not wanting to be so obvious about his true intentions, he slowly began to back away while keeping his nervousness hidden. Unfortunately, the woman was an extremely observant hawk who was quick to notice even the smaller movements, and as such, her slow movement towards the greatest hero of Tellius was the necessary response. As her dress slipped from her body, her undergarments came into full view; the brassiere and panties were snow-colored in appearance and lacked any fancy details, opting to assume a simpler look.

"What is wrong, darling?" the woman teased again. "Do you not enjoy the pleasure you feel when you enter that state?"

"What are you talking about?" Ike grunted, now feeling like he was in cold sweat. "I don't understand what you're getting at-" But his sentence abruptly fell short when he fully absorbed the woman's comment. From her sort of behavior, especially with most of her clothing off, she could only be referring to one thing. But… he never gave his consent to begin with, so…

"I need to leave now," he sputtered. His subsequent attempt at fleeing was cut short when the woman splashed a pink mist into his face. Besides blinding his eyes for a few seconds, he felt the mist sting his throat as he inhaled it.

"You cannot escape me," the woman whispered. The mercenary could feel his body go numb as simple physical movements became surprisingly difficult to perform. His consciousness was reduced, although not completely incapacitated, as the woman grabbed him by the arms. As he struggled to remain awake, he caught the sight of two important things he had hoped to never witness or be attacked by.

Inside the woman's mouth were fangs, ready to puncture some blood vessels.

Back with the captured Smashers…

"Welcome, my friends, to the Snake's Pit," a deep voice boomed over a set of speakers. The dark tone of each word matched with the speaker's assumed aura, and with the terrifying scenery of the room, it only provoked a sense of nervousness in Link and the now-awake Pit.

"What in the name of Lady Palutena is this place?" the angel gasped. The room's center pit was littered with rotting corpses bounded to the ceiling-high rusted fence, bones scattered across the room in no pattern, and bloodstains, some old and some new; one side of the fence was outfitted with a gate that led into a pitch-black hallway. Close to the ceiling were more corpses, all of them hanging by steel hooks. Surrounding the pit was a large assortment of rows meant to give spectators a place to sit. The far end of the room contained a small podium for a speaker, which there was only one: a male vampire dressed in a robe printed with a green variant of the Lords' logo.

"Who are you?" Link snarled, trying to keep his cool.

"I am Kristoff Lindqvist, the primary operator of this room and twin brother to Lina, the captain of this world's group," the man replied. "Today, you will take part in a grueling battle to see if you can withstand our organization's wrath. My sister will not be able watch the battle because of more pressing matters at hand."

"What… is going on?" Ganondorf, now awake, slowly moaned. As the Gerudo sat up, Zelda and Toon Link also regained consciousness.

"We're stuck in a death pit," Pit answered. Before Kristoff spoke again, the youthful fighter noticed a red stain on Zelda's dress, which appeared to be more intense due to the lighting; she was most likely bleeding, he believed.

"On this night," the black-haired man continued, "You will face a swarm of Helvetingar, the insect portion of our mighty vanguard. These creatures have poisoned many a foe, and their vast numbers and blinding speed have earned them a feared reputation in Rosträdgård. You beings appear to possess special powers by your side, but will it be enough?"

"I really wanna get outta here," Toon Link moaned. The room was making him sick to the stomach, and if he could just find a way out…

"You should realize that there is no escape. If we see any of you attempting to leave early, we will attack with no mercy. Furthermore, this room is shielded from magical interactions with the outside world, so telepathic communication and teleportation are useless to anyone who is not a Lord. Now, you must prepare yourself."

WHOOSH…

"This is gonna be bad," Pit mumbled. Swarms of Helvetingar rushed out of an open gate in the fence, their minds filled with nothing but bloodlust. Their black eyes were voids seeking to swallow the body and soul of each Smasher, the shape and coloring of their disgusting bodies were very complimentary to their sheer destructive potential, and the loud buzzing of their wings shattered the previous silence. As all five adventurers prepared to fight, numerous Lords began teleporting into the seats just to watch the carnage unravel.

"So, this is how it's going to be," Ganondorf growled in frustration. With his right hand, he pulled out a sword hidden underneath his cape; this powerful weapon was bulkier than most of its brethren, being almost twice as wide, and possessed a rounded tip at the end.

Let's do this, a combat-ready Link pondered as the bugs began rushing towards his party's position.

Marth was still in pursuit of the green light, with no success in capturing it. He was now inside his family's castle, now almost left in total darkness except for a few lit torches. His heart was pounding as he struggled to figure what created the glow or what was controlling it, but these thoughts did not deter him from his current objective. He was led into the bedroom where Elice and Caeda were resting, and to ensure that he did not disturb them, he reduced his speed to a silent walk. Creaking the door open, he set his eyes on the light; with the windows closed and the room being small enough to prevent large-scale movement, there was next to no chance of escaping.

"I got you now," the monarch whispered. He was about to continue his pursuit when the light suddenly disappeared with a sudden snap. Interestingly, the loudness of the event did not disturb either sleeping woman. So much for that potential omen…

"I better get back to the outside." As the Hero-King progressed back to the front doors, there was nothing to be heard except for his own footsteps. However, just as he was about to open the door…

"MAAAAAAARRRRRTH!"

"Ike?!" The blue-haired man nearly hopped backwards in surprise. Even behind noise-reducing walls, he could easily hear the mercenary's painful yell. Something was happening on the outside, which, combined with the way the yell was vocalized, was more than enough to provoke serious concern. Wasting no time at all, he rushed outside and quickly forced his way to Ike's position, where he was met with an unpleasant surprise.

"Get the hell away from him, now!" Marth unrelentingly proceeded to attack the woman by grabbing and throwing her before she could dig her fangs into Ike's neck. As the woman stood up to prepare for a retaliatory strike, the young king rushed over to his friend's side and examined him for any injuries, of which there were none. However, he also noticed that the muscular fighter was somehow unable to stand up on his own.

"You wretched bastard!" the king could hear the woman yell. As he turned around to face her, he noticed her skin beginning to turn pale and her eyes assuming a deep shade of red. Furthermore, a robe symbolizing her position in the Orm's Lords began to form over her body. "How dare you get in my way?! I ought to have you castrated for this!"

"You…" Ike grunted. Even with his body paralyzed, his voice still sounded strong. "You're a member of the Lords, aren't you?"

The woman, now revealed to be Lina, calmed down to let out a soft giggle. "So, you must be the travelers who escaped our residence, correct? I should have known you would be plotting against us once you found out about our plans, but no matter. I am Lina Lindqvist, one of the five captains of the Lords and leader of a special group of vampires."

"What did you do to our allies?" Marth asked in a fierce manner.

"Oh, they are in the Snake's Pit right now, slowly suffering under our organization's power. But don't worry; you will never have to worry about them when I kill you both."

"Like I would let you do that!" With fury backing up his strength, Marth unsheathed Falchion and attempted to skewer Lina.

In the Snake's Pit…

"Damn!" Link grunted. It had not been two minutes since the start of the gruesome fight, and already he was beginning to feel tired. Although he could tear apart several Helvetingar with only the Master Sword and nothing else, it was now clear to him that Kristoff was not lying. Speed was certainly on the side of the insectoids, which, like the beings that supposedly created or modified them, made them intimidating foes despite their vulnerability to dismemberment and burns. It also did not help that one member of the Smashers was still not able to fly around and another was burdened by slowness, at least when on the ground. Link himself had an enormous amount of equipment on him, but at least he could dash quickly enough when push came to shove. While the fight continued, nearly all spectators began yelling loudly.

"HRRAAAA…!" Ganondorf yelled. His bulky sword tasted black blood as it eviscerated and even outright bisected many Helvetingar at once. Despite being backed into a wall with one of his major enemies, his efficiency in battle refused to falter. Meanwhile, Zelda conjured a magical shield courtesy of the goddess Nayru's magic to deflect a few launched stingers.

CRACK!

"Gotcha," Pit chirped as one of his fired arrows beheaded an unknowing target. The projectile landed into one of the constricted corpses, adding on to the ugliness of the scenery. With the bow subsequently split into two blades, the winged fighter began slicing those who dared to approach him. His reflexes kept him safe from surprise attacks, especially from behind or above, but even with all the energy in his form, he felt fatigue after around a minute of non-stop fighting.

Concentrate… Zelda spoke to herself. The stab wound in her abdomen still infected her with serious pain, so it was more difficult for her to focus than usual. Nevertheless, she successfully conjured a fiery projectile using magic granted by Din, another one of Hyrule's goddesses. The flame crawled a short distance before it exploded next to a trio of aggressors attacking Ganondorf. With less pressure on him, the King of Evil seized his opportunity by grabbing a bug from the air and then stomping on its head.

SPLACK!

The inner workings of the creature's cranial area violently scattered across the floor, with some of the black blood coating the Gerudo's right boot. He was about to continue his spree when a Helveting began charging at him from the right. While he swiftly dodged in time, the stinger punched a hole into his cape. This new trace of clothing damage was a wound consisting of empty space, although Ganondorf was not bothered by its presence and continued to fight like normal. The Wizard's Foot was brought into play to ironically protect the Gerudo's longtime nemesis from a stinger to the chest. Toon Link shot several arrows with his bow, although many were dodged effortlessly. The few that did make their mark did not leave the unlucky Helvetingar stunned for long, forcing Ganondorf and Zelda to finish the creatures off with their sword and magic, respectively. Meanwhile, the older Link fired off his trusty Clawshot to drag a foe down. As the creature felt pain from total constriction, the young hero was quick to decapitate it in a heartbeat. This action had the unfortunate side effect of leaving him oblivious to a launched stinger from behind, which grazed him at the right shoulder. Despite the minimal damage inflicted, Link felt like something eating away at him in the most painful manner possible. In self-defense, he positioned his shield in front of him.

Why does this wound hurt me so much? the Hylian pondered. Several stingers tried to punch through the durable shield, but to no avail. With Toon Link backing him up with bombs, he managed to regain his physical stability before tearing through more Helvetingar. Meanwhile, Pit suffered from serious pain when a launched stinger pierced through his left shoulder.

"Yow!" he yelled out. Words could not describe how serious his agony was; even when ignoring the potential poison that was likely hiding inside the needle-like object, his nerves were unable to feel anything pleasant or, at the very least, tolerable. Despite this, he still sliced at least five approaching foes into tiny pieces, with most of said bits flying into the corpse-infested fence.

"Try this for size," Ganondorf snarled. After leaping into the air, he grabbed a single insectoid by the neck and drove it into the floor via darkness-fueled plunge. A small explosion produced from colliding with the floor temporarily clashed with the red lighting due to its violet tint. As the dust cleared up, it was revealed that the defeated enemy was reduced to an unrecognizable mess, with segments of its body scattered around the point of impact.

"Zelda, behind you!" Pit yelped. On cue, the princess immediately teleported away from the path of a launched stinger. Creating a massive explosion with the palm of her right hand, she scorched two Helvetingar right above her and, as an unintentional result, a portion of a hanging corpse. Her wound, though still serious in the magnitude of pain, did little to slow her down.

"Hey, can any of you guys give me a hand here?" Toon Link announced in a loud voice that could be heard over the yelling. His boomerang and arrows were keeping several foes back, but fatigue was beginning to overtake his muscles. The strain impacted the rate at which he could fight, with slower swings of his blade and a shakier aim with his bow. If this battle kept going for any longer than a few minutes, complete exhaustion would be unavoidable.

With Marth and Ike…

"Leave this place at once!" Marth shouted. After impaling Lina with his blade, he swiftly tossed her into the ground, but just when he was about to follow up on his earlier move, the vampire kicked him with superhuman strength.

CRACK!

The Hero-King was sent several meters into the air with several of his ribs almost broken. As he fell back to the ground, he could hear Ike struggling to stand back up, with deeply limited progress. Lina leaped into the air to catch the soaring king with her hands, all while preparing to bite him in the neck. She was successful in the former task, but when she tried to drain his blood, he responded with a swift headbutt that left her stunned for a few seconds. Not willing to let the battle last any longer, he swiftly bisected her at the waist before removing her head. Black blood instantly soaked the once-pure snow as the woman instantly fell apart before the eyes of the swordsmen, but no comfort was provided; with Lillian's warning about the captains in mind, there was no doubt that Lina would regenerate to cause more chaos in this town, maybe even drag several innocents into the crossfire.

"I still can't stand up," Ike grunted. Although the numbness was fading away, he was still in no position to regain his composure by himself. Ragnell was the only thing that sustained him.

"What did she do to you?" Marth asked out of curiosity.

"She blew some strange powder into my face, which I must have inhaled. I'm not sure if it's fatal, but either way, I can't be out here for the moment."

"I need to get you inside before Lina patches herself up." As the smaller Smasher assisted his larger partner and friend into the castle, the segments of Lina's body came together via a highly viscous liquid that nearly resembled tar. Passing through the doors, Marth placed Ike on a wooden bench to the right of the entrance.

"Stay here until I get her out of this town," the king demanded. The mercenary simply nodded in agreement as he rested his sword on the unoccupied portion of the bench. To his knowledge, the seductive vampire had no means of bypassing the doors, not counting any methods involving magic, so he could take this opportunity to let the numbness wear off. In contrast, Marth rushed back to the exterior to confront Lina once more. When he returned to her location, his eyes found her body to be fully reassembled.

"So, you think that you can put me down easily, you damn fool?" the vampire spat. While speaking, she magically conjured a thorn-laced whip in her right hand. The whip was a dark green in color, whereas the thorns were coated a red substance that was likely to be blood. "Well, you need to be taught a lesson!"

The Hero-King simply smirked out of disbelief. This woman was lacking a proper sense of morality, he believed. "Sorry, but I sincerely believe that you are the one in need of behavioral management."

"Die." With a loud snarl, Lina swung her whip in a horizontal motion in the hopes of cutting and ensnaring her foe. This attempt was met with partial success; although Marth was not hit, the weapon managed to wrap itself around Falchion and pull the mighty blade out of his hands. He was instantly forced to play defensively as he tried to rearm himself, but a stinging blow to the chest stopped him cold. The individual cuts formed were coated with extreme pain, so much so that he could not feel blood soaking his clothing. Leaping back, he narrowly avoided another hit from Lina's whip, which was aimed for his face. Then, with the speed of a nimble athlete, he executed a running slide that tripped the attacking vampire and brought him closer to Falchion. Lina felt minor pain in her right leg, a thing that was easily ignorable when considering that she had been through worse injuries.

"Very clever," she hissed. "Do not, however, assume that you can outsmart me forever. Those who have tried to face me with an inflated sense of bravado are now either dead or integrated into my group."

"You should realize that I have fought and defeated many foes who were believed to be unstoppable, including Medeus and the corrupted Hardin," Marth replied. "With that in mind, I can stop you and your group as well, even if I don't know much about the Lords in general."

The beautiful but vicious vampire froze as she realized the identity of her opponent through the last comment. It was indeed him, the hero who had saved Altea from two vicious wars. She knew this through her group's studies on this region. "Medeus and Hardin, you say? Must I take it that you are the Marth Lowell fellow I keep hearing about in this region? That is fine with me... It will so pleasant watching myself break you when I finish this fight!"

"You may imagine yourself doing that, but I should stress that I'm not an easy opponent to beat. I'm certain that others can vouch for what I said, including the man you tried to kill."

WHOOSH…

The spike-laced whip almost landed on his head, with a quick sidestep being the only thing that saved him from a bloody headache. Falchion created a diagonal streak of blue light with its only pointed finger, a streak that was interrupted when Lina caught the blade mid-swing. Marth was quick to analyze the change in events, however, and swiftly kicked her in the gut. To defend herself, Lina fired off three shadow balls from her left hand. The first two were avoided, but the last one launched him backwards like an utterly helpless ragdoll. The affected area was on fire, scorched by mental flames that remained strong despite the snow and cold climate.

I know Lillian gave us a warning saying that the captains would be powerful, but this certainly defies expectations, the king pondered. The thorny whip wrapped itself around Falchion, forcing him to respond by hugging the latter's handle. Luck would deliver a harsh kick to the gut when Lina, utilizing superhuman force that exceeded what was expected of a shorter person, yanked hard enough to disarm him, and the force was strong enough to give him temporary pain.

"I do not believe you should be playing with swords," the vampire jeered. "You are better off sticking to your little toys."

"Treating me like a child, eh?" Marth responded. "Explain your reasoning behind your statement."

A slight anger arose from Lina's mind upon hearing the question. "That is none of your business. You men always demand almost everything you can possibly think of-"

The young king was quick to interrupt. Sexism, whether it was directed at women or men, was unacceptable to him. "All men? Please, you should stop using stereotypes-"

CRACK!

"Shut up! You do not interrupt me, arrogant maggot!" The blow left a few cuts on Marth's right cheek, with blood oozing down to ruin the once-clean architecture of his face. Using his warp staff to ensure a quick getaway, the Hero-King teleported into the castle, albeit not into the same room as the recovering Ike; he was now inside the bedroom with his two closest relatives. Meanwhile, Ike began the struggle to stand up.

"Damn, I'm still feeling numb," he grunted. Ragnell was a supporting friend who kept its arm next to his body, but even so, numbness was the reason why he was unable to travel a significant distance in a shorter amount of time. He could hear Lina shouting for Marth while moving away from the bench; what exactly the latter had done was not witnessed. Maybe he just used his personal staff to hide, perhaps?

"I hope she doesn't get you," he muttered in a tone that barely had enough to echo across the room. His mind was set on hiding inside a potentially safer room in the castle, and the royal bedroom was his current choice. The ascent to his destination was dark and very cold, especially the torches were no longer active. Ragnell was placed in front of him to provide support in a steeper environment, partly offsetting mobility issues at the cost of straining his arms. Outside the castle, Lina was losing her patience.

"If that meddlesome bastard thinks he can hide from me throughout the night, then he is sorely mistaken," she growled in a demented tone. Not willing to search anymore, she proceeded to contact a squadron so that an attack on the town could be unleashed…

Inside the Snake's Pit…

"Yow!" Toon Link yelped. A stinger embedded itself into his right arm, which had the unfortunate side effect of disarming him. As the young adventurer reached down to retrieve his blade, he noticed his blood discoloring the cel-shaded clothes, yet the redness was strengthened by the horrid environment filled with hostiles of differing types. Worse yet, the lighting was now starting to hurt his eyes after being subjected to it for a few minutes. The Helvetingar were getting increasingly harder to keep track of because of this problem.

"Try standing up to this," Ganondorf snarled. Levitating into the air, he dragged his blade in all directions to counter a vicious swarm of insectoids and deflect any projectile thrown at him. The rounded tip also sliced through a few hanging corpses, exposing whatever remained of their decomposed innards. Sounds swirled around him as his action was carried out, and they did so in a vein reminiscent to the portal's noises, albeit not to an extreme extent. The yelling worsened out of anger and spite as more insectoids were slain, almost to the point where Ganondorf's head was vibrating in a painful manner. Such a physical feeling was also felt by the other Smashers.

SHINK!

"Zelda?" a boomerang-tossing Link gasped. While stunning a few of the remaining twenty-plus creatures from a dark bowel of Hell, he was slammed with an image of Zelda, who raised her magical shield too late, impaled in the very same place she was originally stabbed. Her scream was essentially a soprano's note gone horribly wrong, with delicate overtones mixing in with pure terror and pain. Despite all the loud buzzing and fierce yelling, he could easily hear her voice in front of and, due to the duo's connection via Triforce pieces, even inside him. Had he not noticed a stinger being fired in his direction, he would have been distracted long enough to be killed.

BANG!

The durable shield got the job done in less than a second, giving the older swordsman enough time to assist his counterpart by lobbing two bombs. The first was quickly avoided and instantly struck a corpse's head, but the second was more successful.

BOOM!

"Thanks, buddy!" the cel-shaded fighter complimented. Fast reflexes allowed him to nail three Helvetingar with arrows that had enough stunning power to give Pit his opportunity.

SP-SP-SPLACK!

All three arrows tore black-eyed heads off and sent them into the fence. A foe recovering from boomerang-related dizziness launched a stinger, but the projectile was reflected at the last possible moment by a small shield with metallic coloring.

"Nice try!" the angel taunted. As soon as the stinger impaled its owner, Ganondorf swiftly cut the latter in half with a darkness-fueled uppercut known as the Gerudo Dragon. His sword was in his other hand as the vicious attack was carried out. Over the chaotic environment of the slaughterhouse, Kristoff was silently standing right at the area he was initially glued to.

They are better than I expected, the black-haired vampire spoke to himself. They would have been wise to serve our interests, but something must have turned them against us. What could it be? Whatever the cause is, they must not get their hands on the staff pieces or the Pure-Hearted Soul, lest our plans falter. When they are finished with the first two rounds of the Snake's Pit, there will be a final test ready for them.

BLAM!

The sound of Ganondorf single-handedly dismembering a foe with one punch echoed for a short amount of time, but soon got swept under the rug by louder noises. The Gerudo, Pit, and Toon Link successfully finished off the remaining foes in under a minute, resulting in a massive spike of enraged yelling and Kristoff being frozen in place. The vampire was, admittedly, impressed by the Smashers' performance; over the years of Rosträdgård's ongoing war, not even the most powerful of enemy infantry could defeat that many Helvetingar at one time, and yet the small group of five had done such a task with relative ease.

"Congratulations, madam and gentlemen," he announced over the speakers. The other Lords instantly fell silent as he spoke. "You have successfully slain the smaller Helvetingar in this building. Your next battle is against an enhanced version of our insects developed by Lina and me, complete with some contributions from dearest Lars Isberg. Are you ready?"

"Can you stand?" Toon Link asked of Zelda, ignoring Kristoff's announcement. The monarch felt warm blood shoot up her throat as she slowly resumed a standing position. Her earlier wound was now in flames, spreading pain from the area of impalement, and even her healing magic offered little comfort despite successfully repairing damage.

"Dearest Nayru, I don't believe I can tolerate this pain for any longer," she gasped. A single cough let out several drops of blood, with all of them subsequently striking the morbid-looking floor. With all things considered, she could only hope that the luck of the goddesses was still on her side.

"If we can take out your little bugs," Ganondorf, the only Smasher who paid any direct attention to Kristoff, snarled, "Then we most certainly will be able to slay your enhanced variant, too."

"Very well," the vampire replied. "The Alpha Helveting will soon arrive in the next minute or two. Brace yourselves."

"Did he just say…?" Pit gasped, not immediately comprehending the previous statement.

"We must be ready," the Gerudo sighed. "I hope your tools are enough to slay the enhanced monster, because Death is preparing for another attack." Not long after he spoke, a slight rumble vibrated the room. There was no doubt in either the Smashers or the spectating Lords that the larger creature was approaching.

With Marth and Ike…

"Should I wake up Caeda…?" Marth whispered to himself. He had, for the past couple of minutes, been contemplating whether he should wake up the woman that he bonded with through matrimony. With Lina's activities unknown for the current moment, the decision became understandably difficult for him. If he did wake Caeda up and Lina was no longer in the town, then he would have bothered the former for nothing. On the other hand, if he did nothing, then he would be condemning his wife to death if the vampire were planning something terrible. But…

Wait a second, why was he struggling to make a choice? It was obvious that the knowledge about Lina, regardless of what she planned to do next, was of utmost importance to the monarchy of Archanea. It was better for Caeda to know about the situation as soon as possible. In the next second or so, he approached the queen with the intent of waking her up.

"Caeda, wake up…" he whispered in an agitated manner. He kept his walking speed slow enough to avoid loud noises. "Caeda…"

"…? Marth?" the queen moaned. As she pulled the blanket from her body, it was revealed to Marth that her body was draped in a nightgown reminiscent to the transforming Elice's. "What do you want…?"

"We got a problem. There is a woman outside by the name of Lina Lindqvist, who claims to be a leader for the Lords. She partially paralyzed Ike with a strange powder and nearly killed him. The two of us are safe for now, but we better drive her back before she causes any further damage."

"Is that true? And where is Ike? Is he still-"

The Hero-King rotated his head towards the door. Hopefully, he believed, Lina had not gotten to the mercenary by now. "He's inside the castle. And yes, everything I've said is indeed true. Do you think you can help me out?"

"I can. Just give me a few seconds and I-"

Boooooooom!

What the hell? Marth pondered to himself. A faint explosion provided a slight rattle to the entire castle, forcing loose objects to shake and almost knocking the king himself off his feet. Lina was truly pulling off something huge right now.

Click…

"Marth!" Ike gasped. Having emerged from the doorway, the muscular hero was still unable to move too far without support; as soon as he allowed Ragnell to rest on the floor, he took a few steps before collapsing to his knees. However, his strength was gradually returning with every passing second.

"Have you seen what Lina's up to?" the king asked. There were windows in the rooms prior to reaching this location, so the mercenary might have some visible views of the town.

"While I was making my way up to this floor, I noticed a large army approaching one of the town's walls. The members were wearing black robes, so I believe we're dealing with the Lords. I didn't have time to see the explosion, however."

"Damn… Looks like it's up to us to push back the dark army. Ike, I recommend that you stay here until it is safe to come out; you also need to make sure that none of our foes get to Elice. Caeda, get ready."

As Ike settled down by Elice's side of the bed, Caeda slowly emerged from her resting position so that she could gather her equipment and assist her husband in battle. As soon as the married monarchs exited the room via warp staff, the room fell silent. A sound-suppressing specter, previously held back by the presence of visible sounds, instantly spread its influence over the room, bestowing upon the son of Greil some chills. He now felt like there was something dangerous in this room despite all evidence to the contrary, and with no visible way of countering the Lords before they were to enter this room, the chills were exacerbated. Elice's condition was also a cause for concern; despite Malledus stating that the transformation process lasted for an average six days, it was possible that the young princess was succumbing quicker than most. And if she reached the half-vampire stage…

This scenario better be going in the right direction, he spoke to himself.

Outside the castle, Marth and Caeda landed right in the middle of the town, only a few meters away from an army of vicious Lords—vampire and non-vampire alike. With Falchion out of reach, the young king simply stared at the group as his wife readied herself. Within the dark group, Lina was in the process of searching for her opponent.

"I know you are hiding somewhere, Marth…" she snarled. Kicking the Hero-King's blade aside, her impatience was reaching a breaking point, exhibited by a look of sheer anger on her face. She would have exploded from overload by negative emotion… had she not noticed Marth and Caeda.

"There you are," she hissed. "And it appears you have brought someone else to fight by your side, which will be all for nothing."

"Be ready for anything," Marth sighed.

Inside the Snake's Pit, around the same time…

"Let's see what this bug looks like," Ganondorf grunted to himself. By now, the shaking was so intense that some of the Smashers—Zelda and Toon Link to be more exact—nearly lost their footing. Link and Pit held their blades up in preparation, but in the split second that surprised even them…

CRASH!

"Woah there!" Pit yelped, narrowly avoiding a flying piece of the now-destroyed gate. Emerging from the hallway was a creature that resembled its smaller brethren in many ways, although the differences were incredibly significant to the point where the physically dominant insectoid could almost be considered its own species. The horns were sharply curved backwards instead of pointing straight up, the exoskeleton was smooth instead of wrinkled, and the skin was mostly green with a few purple areas. There were two mouths on the creature's face, with the lower one being smaller in diameter. But the most significant difference was the color of the eyes; instead of being completely black, there was an orange glow at the center of each.

"I'm going to enjoy this challenge," the Gerudo sighed with a smirk. As he spoke, the crowd once again began roaring like a dark horde of starved tigers. "And if the others were like me, they would be feeling the same way."

"Wait, what did you say?" Toon Link mumbled. The ear-piercing yelling prevented him from fully overhearing the warlock's comment.

"Oh, nothing. Never you mind, child. Let us take down this pest, shall we?" Keeping his sword in hand, Ganondorf prepared to stab the creature in the head, but his luck instantly traveled south when he was sent reeling with a swift headbutt.

WHAP!

He was sent flying into one of the corpses that littered the rusted fence. The rotted flesh that rubbed against his clothing and armor was like a slimy creature that crawled across his back with the intent of reaching his head. As he remained still for a few seconds, he noticed Link and Pit attempting to attack the Alpha Helveting with their blades, an attempt that provided relatively little damage for the receiving end. Even though the creature was stabbed, the wounds healed up in seconds, followed by both Smashers sustaining a quick spin attack that sent them soaring into the fence. Toon Link, in a bid to play it safe, fired off a few arrows with flaming tips, but despite the fast speed of each projectile, the enhanced insectoid merely hopped backwards to avoid most of the damage. Only a single arrow made its mark, and even that failed to make a major impact for one important reason.

"Hey, why is it healing off fire damage?" he muttered. Even with the red lighting's inhibiting effects on vision, he witnessed the earlier burns being erased from smooth skin through a magical force stronger than Återuppliva.

"Okay, let's try that again-"

WHAP!

"AIEE!" The cartoony Smasher was instantly launched sideways by one of the creature's legs. His stomach writhed in pain, and the process to breathe become far more difficult as he felt the full effects of being winded. While he flew across the pit, the wounded Zelda was preparing a more powerful attack. With all the mental power remaining in her form, she conjured a massive energy sphere that morphed into a disembodied suit of armor. By the monarch's orders, the Phantom proceeded to attack the Alpha Helveting; the powerful steel golem drove its sword deep into the creature's upper abdomen, completely tearing through the exoskeleton and razing any organs that were caught in the path. A terrible screech echoed throughout the room in such a loud manner that the Smashers almost lost their hearing.

And I thought Luigi's shrieks were terrible enough, Ganondorf believed, his ears shielded by the palm of each of his hands. As the Phantom prepared for a second attack, Pit and Link were firing arrows to provide additional firepower, however minimal their contributions were.

WHOO-SHINK!

The grand horizontal swing completely beheaded the fearsome insectoid, yet the common Lords and Kristoff were not disturbed by this change of events at all. If anything, the yelling only escalated to a more intense level of loudness, a sort of loudness that fell only a few decibels short of matching the Alpha Helveting's painful scream.

"Do you really think that you have won just now?" the pit operator commented. "Time is about to prove your belief wrong."

"Prove us wrong, eh?" Pit retorted. The vampire was just bluffing, he believed. There was no way that he could be correct in his statement. "And what makes you think that you're right?"

"Look closely."

Squelch…

The organic noise that followed Kristoff's comment emerged from the creature's still-standing body. As luck would have it, the creature was growing a new head in place of the dissolving old one. As the old head dissolved into a tar-like substance, Toon Link felt like he was ready to vomit. Only his sheer willpower kept him intact through that disturbing moment. Ganondorf and Link paid no mind to the event and simply kept their eyes focused on the Alpha Helveting, now ready to continue fighting. Pit simply braced himself for an impending attack. Zelda kept her influence over the Phantom intact despite the major wound on her torso detracting from her concentration.

Strike with the fiercest of winds, Wisdom's bearer mentally commanded. The Phantom attempted to decapitate its foe again, but a massive blow to the center of its steel body abruptly interrupted its attack in a harsh way.

"What…?" the controller gasped. She could do nothing but watch her creation get launched into the fence, and the loud noise that accompanied the impact only intensified the unpleasant vibe of the scene. The metallic sentinel collapsed and disappeared afterwards. Meanwhile, Ganondorf drove one foot into the creature's head with the mighty Wizard's Foot.

CRACK!

"Prepare to fall," the Gerudo grunted. However, he was unable to continue attacking when the monstrous bug shook him off and then spat acid at his armor.

Ssssssssssss….!

"URGH!" The King of Evil felt enormous pain as the acid tore through his armor and began dissolving his skin. In desperation, he discarded a large portion of his protection in exchange for the preservation of his life. Link fired his Clawshot to climb up the creature's back, and for a while, his ascent was mostly unhindered. At that point, his current goal was to attack by stabbing his foe right in the head. But things took a nasty turn when the creature, while slamming the leaping Pit into the floor with its head, jerked so far forward that the Hylian was thrown right into a hanging corpse. He could feel the right side of his face getting lightly slashed by the rotting figure's respective hook, drawing a light of blood before he fell back down. As he landed by the fence, he took note of the fact that, had he been thrown at a slightly different angle, he certainly would have been slain by the hook. Ganondorf, now dashing at a slightly faster speed than normal, slashed one of the Alpha Helveting's legs with the bulky blade. As a temporary geyser erupted on the creature's body, the Gerudo attempted to cut the other leg.

CRACK!

Failure came in the form of a massive stinger fired right from the creature's abdomen and into the warlock's back. Although his endurance and pain tolerance were the highest among all Smashers, they completely failed to stop pain from ripping through his body. To make things worse, the stinger had come dangerously close to puncturing his heart. This left the Gerudo concerned; since the Triforce of Power was not in his possession, he was vulnerable to death from anything that could kill a normal person in a guaranteed fashion. Not willing to receive more possible damage from a poisonous object, Ganondorf reached behind him and quickly yanked the creature's launched weapon out.

SQUELCH…

"Urgh…" The King of Evil managed to remain standing after his task, albeit barely. As he tightened his grip on the sword, he witnessed both Links and Zelda attacking with their respective arsenals. Another Phantom was summoned by the monarch, and in the split second that followed, the armored entity slashed its foe in the abdomen.

SLASH!

"Ow…" the beaten Pit moaned. He had been thrown into the floor with such force that a crater nearly wrapped itself around him, almost as if he were a winged meteor. His head, never spared from the impact, spiraled with a sort of dizziness that left him disoriented and on the verge of blacking out. Miraculously, however, his grip on the magical bow was still intact.

"Okay… Now that… felt like an attack… from Medusa or maybe even Hades…"

Marth and Caeda were engaging their foes with fierce determination on their minds. While Caeda held off her foes with her signature Wing Spear, Marth shoved his way past the villainous group to retrieve his cherished blade, all while luckily avoiding the projectiles fired in his direction. Now rearmed and ready to fight, he directed his attention towards Lina, whose whip still harbored a vicious appearance.

"So, you have a woman by your side, dearest Marth," the vampire whispered. "Am I to assume she is your spouse? But I suppose it matters not in the end… When I am finished with you, I will enjoy breaking her spirit and body."

A slight snarl stretched across the young king's face. She did not just threaten his wife, did she? No doubt, the captain's ominous words were a sign of what awaited the queen if the Lords triumphed. "Not a chance. Whilst I live, I will never let you lay a finger on her or Elice."

CRACK!

The whip came dangerously close to striking the Hero-King, and it was only thanks to his quick reflexes that he was spared. As Lina prepared to strike again, he rushed forward and pulled a four-hit assault with the powerful Dancing Blade. Each blow spilled blackened blood onto the floor and gave the captain almost no time to fight back, and on the concluding slam-smash, the soaked blade instantly severed her whip-holding arm. Marth delivered a fast punch to ensure he had some breathing room while the captain regenerated from her injuries. On the other side of the field, Caeda's weapon left a few Lords dismembered and others incapacitated.

Despite what Marth told me about their weaknesses, these enemies appear to be worse than Hardin's soldiers, the queen pondered. She was in the process of beheading a foe when a second, blood-drinking member of the cult scratched the upper part of her right arm. Almost immediately, she recoiled as blood was drawn from her body, and any chances of recovering were reduced to zero when a shadow ball sent her flying into a house.

"Caeda!" she could hear Marth yell. Over the battle's cacophonic plethora of noises, Falchion was heard slicing off several limbs and heads. As the monarch tried to stand back up, an ordinary Lord swiftly stepped on her chest with the intent of finishing her off, and the method of execution was an icicle sharp enough to cut through bone. As the light blue glow filled her vision…

"NO!"

SHINK!

A single swing of Falchion left the would-be killer decapitated and bleeding out onto the winter environment. As Caeda finally stood back up, Marth was revealed to be right in front of her.

"In a pinch of trouble, I'm assuming?" was his remark.

"No worries, dear husband," she replied. Her Wing Spear was pointed at the group of hostiles. "For together, we ride."

"I will see both of you dead before this night is over!" Lina growled in a bloodthirsty tone. She conjured an icy projectile meant to freeze whoever was caught in its vicinity, but when the attack came to completion, both monarchs swiftly dodged an icy fate.

"I would not be so overconfident if I were you," Marth replied. Although he was then hammered in the gut by a darkness-enhanced fist, he mustered the agility to avoid yet another dose of whipping. A well-timed Dolphin Slash gave the young king an opportunity to escape several incoming foes while simultaneously attacking the seductive mistress.

"We'll see if you can slay the two of us before the sun rises." Marth attempted to strike Lina again, but a combination of a focused thunderbolt and a punch that launched him into a wall completely tore his plan to shreds.

The situation was gradually growing worse for the Smashers inside the Snake's Pit. A stinger to the abdominal wound left Zelda unable to fight anymore, the already-injured Pit was struggling to remain standing after he was once again launched into the ground by a giant foot, and the two Links were running out of arrows and bombs. To exacerbate the situation, Zelda's summoned Phantom was launched into the fence, although it, through a stroke of luck, miraculously avoided the fate of its predecessor. Only Ganondorf was unhindered, and even then, his attacks failed to produce a lasting mark on the ferocious beast; the closest he came to success was amputating one of the creature's devilish limbs.

"Are you losing confidence, my friends?" Kristoff asked. "If you can, make sure you answer with all honesty."

"…" the Gerudo sighed in a tone barely noticeable to the other Smashers. To him, answering the vampire's question was simply a waste of his time. Besides that, not focusing on the immediate threat at hand would more than likely result in a gruesome death, a fate which had previously awaited the room's deceased occupants. Mustering up the remainder of his strength, Ganondorf worked in conjunction with the Phantom to stab and slash the insectoid, but success was removed from immediate reach when both sword-wielders were shoved backwards. The Phantom was also struck with a burst of the extremely caustic acid, right at the center of its body.

"Looks like I have no choice," Toon Link sighed with slight worry. With his bombs depleted and his arrows close to vanishing from his supplies, his sword was the only effective way of consistently tacking on some damage to the horrifying creature. With a loud yell, he rushed to where the Alpha Helveting was at, only to get smacked into a hanging corpse. Unlike his older counterpart, he was not cut by the corpse's hook, instead receiving greater exposure to the disgusting textures of one of the room's many unneeded additions. The Lords were now yelling at their loudest as the Smashers felt doom arise from their bodies.

Can't give up now, Link mentally stated, trying to fight off detracting feelings in his head. With his shield to provide some anti-projectile defense, Courage's wielder rushed up to the monster, its mind distracted by the aggressive Ganondorf, and proceeded to stab it square in the middle part of its torso. The shriek that followed was even worse, and because Link was increasingly close to the creature's two oral orifices, he sustained the full punishment. However, as he maintained his grip on the Master Sword, he noticed something unusual behind the wound. Underneath the oozing black substance and the silvery hue of the holy blade was a purple glow that was strong enough to stand out in an environment painted with the color of blood. It was appropriate that the Hylian interpreted this property as strange; as far as basic anatomy extended for most creatures, organs did not glow, so this had to be the product of some larger. The only question was: what…?

WHAP!

Link was given a wake-up slap back into reality when one of the creature's limbs knocked him into the bloody ground. Nearby, the recovering Phantom pummeled the dangerous insectoid with the flat side of the blade before stabbing it at the now-regenerating wound from before. At this point, the ears of each Smasher now felt like they were about to collapse from intense pain and subsequently stop sensing sounds altogether.

"Make it stop…!" Zelda gasped. On top of the pain experienced by her abdomen, her ears were forced to lock her delicate body in utter torment. Of course, this resulted in her mental connection with the Phantom becoming weaker and over the next few seconds. The ghostly suit of armor eventually faded from existence when its connection to the monarch became too fragile. Meanwhile, Kristoff harbored an expression of concern; he and Lina had worked long and hard to create the beast standing inside the Snake's Pit, and for the longest time, no one who confronted it ever lived to tell the tale. Furthermore, all available resources at the time of creation were put forth to create it and the mutated organisms placed under the watch of Agnetha, Lars, and Johan. But now, the tides were seeking to turn in a manner that could result in utter defeat.

"If they find its weakness…" he sighed outside of the microphone's range. As he continued to watch the battle, he noticed his creation completely throwing the semi-mindless Phantom against the fence, blowing it apart.

I should try attacking the torso again, Link pondered. He fired off an arrow to get the creature's attention, but just when he was about to bring the Master Sword into play, the creature attempted to batter him with one of its limbs. It was only due to his shield being raised up in time that he avoided any serious damage. Ganondorf, being the opportunist he was, floated into the air and successfully stabbed the creature in the back. In response, the Alpha Helveting soared into the air with its wings to shake the Gerudo off. A sudden, extremely fast aileron roll resulted in the warlock being launched into the fence, yet his sword remained glued to where it was initially at. Pit, still recovering from his injuries, moaned in response:

"A commonly-known Arwing and overall aerobatic trick… I bet Fox and Falco didn't get enough of those during their adventures, and now that I'm thinking about it, neither did Wolf."

While the Lords were getting cut down in size, Lina was still kicking with no problem. After launching Marth into one of the town's many homes, she dragged him across the ground with her whip before tossing him into a rooftop. Once again, the Hero-King lost his grip on Falchion, leaving him with reduced offensive and defensive power. Meanwhile, Caeda was impaled just below the ribs by a magical icicle from an advancing Lord. Although her determination refused to falter, her attacking speed began to drop over time, slowly but surely.

"This is what happens when you defy me, interfere with my plans," both monarchs, especially Marth, could hear the vampire hiss. "You will taste slow, agonizing death at my hands."

"Damn!" the young king gasped. His spine felt like it was shattered into an innumerable number of pieces. That alone was enough to stop him from standing up. As he slowly slid off the roof, he made a crawling rush for Falchion, but just as he placed his grip on the handle…

CRACK!

"Do you think I will let you have your precious blade for long?" The bloodthirsty woman slammed one of her feet against Marth's outstretched left arm, right on top of his wrist. Though bare-footed, she utilized the right amount of force to crack whatever bones she might have impacted. A twisted grin stretched across her face as she heard her opponent yell in pain.

"Marth!" Caeda shouted. Even with the remaining Lords placing a heavy amount of pressure on her, she could notice the agony on her husband's face, and that was something that could not and would not be ignored. With the strength remaining in her body, she decapitated three foes with her weapon before impaling a fourth. The woman that was impaled was then cut in half at the waist.

"I'm coming, Marth," the queen grunted. She was about to strike Lina with the Wing Spear…

SMACK!

…until the vampire delivered a powerful slap than stunned her. To add on to the counterattack, Lina utilized her whip to drag the queen forward while simultaneously cutting her.

"You little bitch," the captain snarled angrily, "Do not get in my way!" With a single punch, she sent Caeda soaring right into the castle's front wall. The Lords that were still standing gathered around their leader to watch the execution, while Lina herself planned to tear the Hero-King apart.

"I will not have you or anyone else interfere with our plans for long." The vampire grabbed Marth by the neck and shoved him against the wall. Since the monarch was weakened by his earlier injuries, it was easy for her to keep him in place for the coup de grâce. "I will, however, give you one chance to gain the mercy of my group. Now, will you surrender to us?"

The Hero-King remained firm in his resistance to the evil group. There was no way he was going to allow Archanea to be put in dire peril. "Think again. I will not let my kingdom fall to your group of murderous cultists."

The grin on Lina's face suddenly shifted into a look of growing frustration. "So, this is how it's going to be. Then I have no reason to let you live beyond this night." With her fangs in full view, she prepared to bleed her victim dry and watch him suffer as slowly as possible. Marth attempted to teleport away with his staff, but the vampire snatched his handy tool away from him and tossed it into the ground.

This is it for me…

The thought continuously looped through his head like a broken record as Lina's fangs came closer to his neck. He had faced situations in both wars where everything appeared to be completely hopeless, especially when it came to finally defeating the menaces responsible for the chaos, be it Medeus or Hardin. Despite those bleak periods, his courage and noble determination had pulled him through and sent him into the golden glory of triumph. After all, he would have faltered if it were not for those two traits, traits that were, in a sense, spiritually inherited by Anri.

But he could not see an escape route out of this predicament. Lina's grip was too strong to break out of, and his injuries did not help his situation at all. Furthermore, Caeda was unable to help him because of her own problems. With all things considered, this was certain death for him.

It's over…

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Whoosh… CRACK!

"ARRRGH!"

The sudden noises forced Marth to close his eyes in shock. Lina's scream was so loud that Marth's ears were nearly damaged from the harmful soundwaves, and the warm blood that sprayed onto his face nearly sprayed onto his eyes. While falling to the floor, his mind was plagued with the temporary illness known as confusion, but there was one thing that clearly stood to him; something had just sliced apart more than a few Lords and struck the captain hard enough to inflict a serious wound upon her body. The only mysteries that remained unsolved were the identity of the object and the person responsible for utilizing it, if any. Such mysteries did not last for long, however.

"I may not be at my best, but I will still do whatever I can to fight for my friends."

That deep voice… Could it be…

"I… Ike?" the Hero-King stammered. As he wiped the blood from his face, he was greeted with an image of his allied swordfighter, still hindered by his condition but now strong enough to fight with some degree of efficiency. Ragnell initially appeared to be entirely missing from the mercenary's person, but as Marth examined the scenery behind him, the blade was revealed to be jammed right into the side of Lina's head. Additionally, most of the Lords were either decapitated or bisected diagonally; only two cultists remained standing.

"I got bored of waiting inside that room," the mercenary sighed. "Besides, there were no enemies attempting to go after Elice."

Marth slowly stood up, ignoring the pain that was still strangling his back. "You were supposed to remain inside until it was safe, but I guess I can set that issue aside, for now."

"You…" Lina growled, pulling the blade out of her head. "I will murder you for this! Why is it that you bastards must always stand in my way?!"

"I think it's already obvious as to why we repeatedly do such a thing," Marth, now retrieving his blade, responded. "The Svärtad Orm is a demon that is not to be awakened, lest all good innocents get exposed to an endless wave of terror and destruction."

"A misconception that will result in your doom, hmm? That is fine with me." She attempted to disarm Marth yet again, but the Hero-King nimbly dodged the incoming attack and was even able to wrap the flat part of his blade around her neck to slowly strangle her into unconsciousness. Ike exploited the vampire's moment of weakness by regaining his blade, albeit clumsily, and using it to stab her in the heart. The two Lords tried to pull the Hero-King away from their leader, but the mercenary swiftly beheaded both enemies with a single swing. Lina was screaming and gagging loudly as the blade gripped her throat, and with her attempts to fight back being hindered by Ike, the situation was becoming more difficult for her to handle. Luckily, there was one move that she could try.

BZZZZZ-ZAP!

Inside the Snake's Pit…

"Will this damned thing ever die?" the tired Ganondorf snarled. With his sword outside his reach, he leaped into the air and gathered enough dark energy into his right fist to create a strong enough glow in the bloody pit. A vicious yell at the top of his lungs blocked out what the spectating Lords were dishing out, at least in his mind, and with the force of several bombs, his fist impacted the Alpha Helveting in the same area where Link impaled it.

BOOOOOOM!

The resulting dark blast forced the insectoid backwards a few meters, right into the corpse-infested fence. Produced from the brutal attack was a gaping hole in the creature's chest, with all previously existing flesh having retreated into different locations. The glow that Link discovered before was now in full view to all who could notice it; past the damaged organs and torn flesh was a tubular heart commonly present in insects, but instead of the usual color manifesting on the vital part's outer layer, the ominous glow dominated entirely. The organ pulsated in a manner that projected an eerie sensation and extreme worry onto the Smashers and Kristoff, respectively. For those in the group, they had all witnessed more than a handful of disturbing sights into their lives, but this could be one of the few moments that would never be erased from their minds. Even Ganondorf was starting to become extremely disturbed by the tubular component. On the other hand, the vampire now felt that failure was inevitable on his creature's part. If the heart was torn to shreds…

"I hope I don't get to see something like that again," Pit moaned. While he spoke, he witnessed Ganondorf leaping into the sickening hole to attack the exposed heart, all at the risk of getting suffocated by the regenerating organic tissues. With his sword still stuck in the creature's back, the only option he had of ending the malevolent foe's life was through his raw power. The tissues stretched their slimy extensions out to constrict the Gerudo with extreme prejudice, and they instantly halted nearly all his movements when he was so close to rupturing the most important organ of the monster's cardiovascular system. Pit rushed forward in a hurried effort to keep the massive wound open, only to be kept away by a series of acidic blasts. One shot came remarkably close to damaging one of his wings.

"I'm out of bombs!" Toon Link announced. Indeed, the tossing of his final bomb, which detonated near the open hole, meant that his arsenal was reduced to only his bow and sword. He fired off an arrow that left no lasting mark, but the response he soon received was disproportionate in terms of damage.

SPLACK!

"WHAT…" The launched stinger was too fast for him to dodge. Almost immediately, blood slowly poured out of the new hole on his body, while pain left him unable to move.

SPLACK!

"Eaaagh!" The older Link was also impaled by a stinger soaring at ridiculous speeds. While his shield kept most of his body safe, the poisonous projectile did strike one of his vulnerable spots: his left leg. Unable to remain standing, the Hylian collapsed to his knees while struggling to avoid another urge to scream.

"I guess the Alpha Helveting will win after all…" Kristoff sighed to himself. He smirked with satisfaction as he watched his creature shove Pit against the fence before completely knocking him unconscious with a well-timed headbutt. The Lords were now yelling at their loudest as the monstrous insectoid prepared to execute all Smashers still out on the field; they had long been waiting for this exciting moment, waiting for the moment when those interlopers finally came to be executed for what they had done. The creature was about to disintegrate its foes when a sudden glow, accompanied by a growing pain, appeared on its back. Kristoff's worry returned as soon as he noticed this concerning change, but worry would soon transform into outright shock.

BOOOOOM!

The Warlock Punch completely decimated the monster's heart, and in performing such a violent action, Ganondorf had finally disrupted the power of rapid cellular regeneration. Climbing up the giant insectoid's back to reobtain his precious blade, the King of Evil proceeded to quarter his foe without any sense of mercy or remorse.

SLASH! SLASH!

"How could…" The vampire was, in all honesty, left speechless. As each of the defeated monster's four segments struck the floor with loud splattering noises, he could only imagine how frustrated Lina and, worse yet, the leader of the Lords would be if they ever obtained any word of this disaster. Even the Smashers suddenly succumbing to the fury of Igel over the next few minutes failed to comfort his soul. Lying about this ordeal would do him no good, so the only option for him was to reveal the truth. Meanwhile, the spectating Lords fell silent as the battle ended abruptly. They, too, were in shock, but not to the same extent as their assistant leader.

"I must call Lina back to this place…" the presiding man sighed. "And while I am at it, I must also inform the leader about this… event. I will have a few of the common soldiers take the fighters into the lower chambers."

CRACK! WHAM!

"You will regret the day you chose to defy the Lords," Lina snarled. After electrocuting Marth, she tossed him right into the floor before stepping on his chest. Ike rushed in to help his longtime ally but was sent flying more a few meters into the air with a swift uppercut. Meanwhile, Caeda was slowly regaining consciousness after remaining incapacitated for a good portion of the battle. While able to stand, she was wracked with the pain from being slammed into a stone wall; the back of her ribs and head ached to no end, while her brain felt like it was about to burst. The Wing Spear was effective in keeping her standing, although her hands were starting to slip down to its bottommost point. Her eyes caught the glimpse of Marth and Ike on the ground, supposedly beaten up by Lina, with the former fighter also pinned down by the vampire herself. As she was too weak to travel fast enough, Caeda could do nothing but watch as her husband face the imminent threat of death.

"There is no escape this time, dearest Marth," Lina whispered with a cold aura in her voice. Her red eyes appeared to darken as she prepared to finish off her fallen opponent. "Do you have anything else to say before you die? I would love to hear you beg for mercy."

But the Hero-King only responded with a harsh glare. He was in no mood to beg for anything, and he was especially not willing to crack under pressure. He had promised to himself that he would remain strong for all those who depended on him, especially Elice. There was no sensible reason to tear up such a promise to shreds. Even if he were going to die, at least he would go down as a hero and not as a pathetic coward.

"So, you have nothing to say, hmm? Such an utter disappointment. I have enjoyed hearing your citizens and soldiers scream in agony as I tore through their flesh and drank their blood, and I can guarantee that many of your partners will face that fate as well, assuming they survive the Snake's Pit. And as for the young princess of this kingdom, she will be serving me until the day when all is accomplished by the Orm's Lords. Too bad you won't live to see that event play out…"

Without further ado, the vampire slowly lowered her body to place her fangs near Marth's neck. At long last, she could finally taste his fresh blood…

"My sister, I need you back at the hideout."

"…?" The vampire suddenly pulled away at the sound of her twin brother's voice. "What is going on?"

"The Alpha Helveting, alongside all the ordinary Helvetingar, has been slain by the people we placed into the Snake's Pit. I need your help to come up with a replacement squadron in over the next few days."

Almost immediately, Lina was overcome by total frustration. "How?! Did they manage to figure out the weaknesses of those incompetent bugs?!"

"That is my assumption. I will let our leader know of our current situation as soon as possible. Just return to the hideout as soon as you can."

Lina, now left with no choice, decided to leave the town with all due haste. However, just before she disappeared for the night, she left behind an ominous message for the beaten swordsmen:

"Mark my words, men, you may be lucky this night. But on the next time I show up, you will not be able to retain the blood you have inside your bodies. I will lay waste to Archanea, this I swear."

As soon as the captain was truly outside the town's borders, Marth and Ike slowly stood back up, ready to rest up for tonight. Caeda, still weakened by earlier events, limped over to her husband's side.

"She's gone," the queen sighed. "But I believe we may encounter her for the next few nights to come."

"I have to concur," Marth replied. "The possibility of the Lords giving up on their search is close to none. If anything, they will only become more aggressive with time."

"We should check on Elice," Ike added. "I can only hope that she hasn't reached the half-vampire state yet."

The Hero-King stared at the mercenary in confusion. "But didn't Malledus say that the victim reaches the half-vampire state on the fourth day? I don't understand why you want us to check on Elice this instant."

"Your advisor said that the six-day period was only the average length of time. For all we know, Princess Elice could be transforming at a faster rate than normal. It's better to be safe and check on her for the night."

"He's right, my husband," Caeda spoke up. "We should be cautious in this scenario. We don't want the transformation to go unchecked."

Marth, after a short moment of silence, finally came to a decision. "Very well. We will examine my sister for a while, then it'll be time for us to get some sleep."

Inside the hideout, throne room…

"And how did they find the Alpha Helveting's sole weakness?" Lina sighed in disgust. She was now dressed in a dark gray uniform consisting of a long-sleeved shirt, plain leggings, a silver necklace, and stiletto heels. "There is no possible way that they were able to defeat our greatest creation so easily."

"The pit has been isolated from any form of long-range communication," Kristoff replied. "It would be impossible for someone to give the fighters any shred of information during the fight. The only two conclusions I can form are as fellows; either they discovered the Alpha specimen's weak point by sheer luck, or someone had given them important information beforehand. For the latter scenario, there are only two possible people that I can place the blame on."

"And who would those people be?"

Kristoff exercised his neck for a second before continuing. "The young prince of the Rosträdgårdian monarchs is one possible suspect. He had been exposed to many of our organization's inner workings prior to his capture, and now that he is wandering around inside the kingdom, he is most likely seeking out a person with whom he can share his knowledge."

"And the other?"

"The second suspect is another person who has escaped captivity from our group."

Inside the castle…

"She hasn't reached the half-vampire stage yet," Marth noted. Indeed, Elice was in the same condition as she was on the previous day, although her bite wounds were no longer bleeding. Her eyes were still colored red, but the overall hue was darker because of the dimmer lighting.

"She looks stable to me," Ike muttered. "Has she awakened from her slumber as of late?"

"She has," Caeda responded. "While you were heading towards the hideout, she remained awake for a few minutes. Malledus and I had to inform her that you were out to resolve the situation, but a few minutes after we did so, she fell back into an extended state of unconsciousness. I am not sure when she will wake up again…"

The time for the princess's awakening came much sooner than any of the beaten fighters could have imagined. Elice's moaning once again attracted those in the room to her location, even though her vocalizations were quieter this time around. As she dragged herself out of an extended slumber, three unique faces were presented to her, one of which she had hoped to see again.

"Marth, my brother…" she whispered in a joyous tone. "It's been a while since you've left this fair kingdom, but I am finally overjoyed to see you come home."

"I should be lucky that I came here in time," Marth replied. "If it weren't for being assigned to a mission involving a segment of a certain artifact, I would have lost you before I even knew it."

"Mission? What are you talking about? And I would like to like know the identity of the man standing next to you."

"The name's Ike," the muscular mercenary greeted. "I lead the Greil Mercenaries of Tellius, and I am also an acquaintance to your brother. The mission that he and I have decided to take involves a magical artifact designed to defeat a powerful demon… and a certain cult that seeks to destroy us all."

Over the next few minutes, Marth, Caeda, and Ike proceeded to explain the situation to the princess. As more information was revealed, her face slowly morphed into one of shock and awe; the situation was revealed to be significantly more complicated than she initially believed, and it only made her support for Marth and his group even more necessary. To add, the fact that a demon capable of decimating realms with ease was on the verge of resurrection chilled her spine and whatever blood remained in her body. In all honesty, the centuries-old scenario involving the murderous serpent's rampage seemed far worse than any atrocity Medeus or Hardin had committed.

"So far, you're doing fine," Marth finished. "But if we don't find the vampire that attacked you, as dear Caeda was so kind to point out, we may not be able to save you from your condition."

"Goodness, this is far worse than I thought," the princess muttered slowly. "I can only hope that I don't succumb before you slay my attacker."

"Don't worry," Ike assured, "We'll find your attacker and the staff piece before it's too late. But for now, we should get some rest."

All four persons in the room began preparations for bedtime. Ike chose to sleep on a spare mattress originally hidden underneath the bed, while the monarchs settled down on the bed itself. Before long, the room fell completely silent, complete with a soft tranquility that soothed all minds to sleep.

Somewhere in Rostradgard, hours earlier…

"I have done everything I can for the prince," the owner of the polished home sighed. The elderly man dressed in green robes brushed his graying hair away from his face as he observed the wounded man he found in the forest. Minutes were spent using whether healing magic he had in his possession to partly heal up all wounds before bringing some available medical equipment into play. Whoever attacked the prince sought to make his death as agonizing and slow as possible, and the Lords were possible suspects in this regard, given their brutal nature. Thankfully, the older man had taken it upon himself to keep a member of Rosträdgård's ruling family alive.

"I should let him rest for the night." The mustachioed owner proceeded to exit the room, having nothing else to do with the unconscious prince. Tomorrow, he could help the young man with whatever task he was trying to carry out…

I will be honest and say that Lina is the kind of woman who can utter mortify any man she comes across. With numerous tricks upon her sleeves and great physical power, it stands to reason that very few men who encounter her can keep their sanity intact. Even I felt chilled when she came dangerously close to ending my life, especially in a very disturbing manner. That is not to say that she does not terrify those of her own gender; I am almost certain that a lesser woman would rather not face her as well.

I can only hope that I do not get plagued by nightmares as I sleep…

-Ike

Zzzzz…

Johan: Okay, here goes nothing… I'm gonna make this nice and loud…

HOOOOOOOOOOOONK!

AHHHHHHHH!

Johan: Hey, how's that horn for ya?

DAMN IT, JOHAN! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I DO NOT LIKE BEING DISTURBED WHILE I'M SLEEPING!

Johan: C'mon, man! It was just a harmless prank! Besides, the people have been waiting for this chapter for quite a long time! Don't you think that they're getting a little impatient?

THAT STILL DOESN'T JUSTIFY YOU BRINGING MY EARS CLOSE TO THE POINT OF BLEEDING OUT!

Johan: I… I'm sorry. I just can't control myself at times. Next time, I'll just give you a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Ugh… I'm serious right now, just don't do that again. By the way, what have you been?

Johan: I was out getting some drinks in Rosträdgård… and setting up some pranks on a few of the Smashers.

Do not overdo the pranks, or you'll have a handful of pissed-off people on your tail. Anyway, we now know the name of the area where Lillian, Johan, and all the original characters come from. And, for the first time in quite a while, we bring our focus back to the man searching for Lillian, who is revealed to the kingdom's prince. How will the next chapter play out? You will find out about that later.

A/N:

-The sword used by Ganondorf in this story is the same one that was seen in the Space World 2000 demo and then brought back in Super Smash Brothers Melee. I personally like Ganondorf using that blade more than the one seen in Twilight Princess; the bulkier aspect of the former makes him look more awesome.

-Rosträdgård is derived from ros (rose, a flower) and trädgård (garden).

Anyway, I will just go back to sleep. For now.

Johan: Like, comment, and sub-

This isn't YouTube, Johan.

Johan: Oh. Read and review if you feel like it.