Chapter 5:
Back at Peach's Castle, Mario rose as he slowly recovered from the missiles' detonations, shaking off the cobwebs as he looked up and saw the plane that had fired on him and Kevin. A part of him was shocked that a Koopa fighter would fire on him when he was so close to Kevin while another part of him was not too surprised, assuming the pilot knew that Kevin would survive the explosion virtually unscathed. For his part, the Koopa Prince, had recovered faster than the plumber and was already charging towards Mario as the plumber rose, unleashing a barrage of fireballs as he approached, forcing Mario to go evasive. However, before he could reach the plumber, a barrage of coconuts seemingly came out of nowhere and struck him in the head. The impacts dazed the Koopa Prince and knocked him a few steps backwards. Almost immediately, Donkey Kong landed in front of Mario and interposed himself between the plumber and the recovering Koopa Prince. However, he was not here to steal the glory for himself. Instead, he was here to support the plumber. And it was not long before more support came for Mario. However, Kevin was not without his own support.
Just as quickly as Donkey Kong had arrived to help Mario, the other Koopalings, Bowser Junior, and Bowser, himself, appeared on the scene. However, that was not the last of the reinforcements to arrive. Just as quickly as Kevin's support had showed up, Goombario, Goombella, Kooper, Koops, Bombette, Flurrie, Sushie, Watt, Lakilester, Yoshi Kid, Admiral Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz formed a line in front of Mario to engage Bowser's children. Mario looked over to see that Kevin had already recovered and was ready for round two.
"Hey Kev, don't steal all the fun," Wendy chided as she focused her gaze on Mario.
"Yeah, we wanna pound some plumbers, too," Roy echoed.
Kevin was less than thrilled to see his siblings involved in this battle, for he knew the exploits of Donkey Kong and also knew what Mario's other allies were capable of. Still, he did not voice his concerns, for he knew that anything he said would only fuel their desire to fight Mario once more. He still grimaced, though, but not because of the arrival of his siblings. He was more than a little annoyed that one of the Koopa fighter jets had launched an attack on Mario while he was so close. He cast a quick glance into the sky and saw the fighter jet already streaking away as Luigi launched a series of fireballs towards it. He gave a wry grin as he saw Luigi firing on the fighter. He could have gone to help but decided against it. The fighter pilot almost killed or would have injured him if his aim had been a little more off, or better if he was also a target. He would let the pilot get out of that mess on his own.
As for Mario, he also saw the fighter flying away from the battle. He did not think much of it and prepared to reengage Kevin and also help deal with the Koopalings, should his allies need any help, when the image of Eldstar appeared in his mind. It had been quite a while since he had last heard from the Star Spirit so he knew that something important was going on and suddenly, he was searching for that fighter, seeing it in the distance, smoke trailing it as its engine seemed to blow.
"Mario, we have a problem up in Star Haven," the Star Spirit began.
"We have a problem down here, too," Mario echoed. "Bowser decided to go the more direct route and kidnap Peach using most, if not all, of his airship fleet. We're holding on for now, but I'm about to be in the fight of my life."
"So are we," Eldstar countered. "There was a damaged Koopa fighter that was headed towards Star Haven. While the fighter didn't make it, its pilot did and has landed on Star Way. The pilot is a human with dreadful power and an even more dreadful darkness about him."
"A human?" Mario queried. Humans were rare on Hylia, with the only human civilizations being found in the Metro Kingdom, more specifically in New Donk City, and in Ordona Province just outside of the Kingdom of Hyrule. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," the Star Spirit answered with no uncertainty in his voice. "And the evil we are sensing from him makes Bowser look like a saint. We've raised the Star Shield and have placed the Star Rod in the inner sanctum, but if the shield is breached, and it will be, it won't be too long before he breaches the inner sanctum and gets the Star Rod. Mario, we cannot let this person get the Star Rod. Terrible things will happen all around the universe if he does!"
Mario gave a sigh. This was bad. He could not afford to quit the fight against Bowser and his assault force, but if this unknown person managed to get the Star Rod, things could get even worse. He quickly scanned the battlefield to study the situation. Peach was fine, being protected by Vivian. No Koopas were currently after her, either, not even Bowser, who was busy trying to take down Luigi with no success. Luigi also still had both his cape and his Fire Flower and was having no difficulty evading Bowser, even managing to tag the Koopa King with a volley of fireballs, forcing Bowser to go evasive. More than that, though, the Koopa air force had been thinned out significantly. Diddy was having no issues dealing with the remaining fighters while Luigi dealt with Bowser and any fighters, Magikoopas, or Koopa Paratroopas that went to assist the Koopa King. While he only had a couple missiles left, he seemed to have plenty of ammunition in his plane's guns, for the plumber witnessed the plane's guns open fire on a Koopa fighter, shredding it with lead, taking off its wing, causing to go into an uncontrolled tumble and dive. The pilot quickly ejected and floated back down to the ground once his seat's parachute opened.
Turning towards Kevin and the Koopalings, Mario tried to assess his allies' chances against them. The Koopalings would not be too difficult to deal with. Kevin, on the other hand, would. Even with Donkey Kong's strength and experience, he did not feel comfortable with his friends dealing with Kevin, especially if Kevin had support. Seeing more fighters fall from the sky, and that Diddy was doing a lot of the work, Mario decided to call in Luigi to help deal with Kevin and the Koopalings, or Bowser should the Koopa King decide to go after Peach, while he went to deal with whoever was threatening Star Haven. If this human was as powerful and evil as Eldstar said, and if he was working with the Koopas, even if he planned on double crossing them later, he had to make sure that the Star Rod stayed out of this person's hands, no matter the cost.
To make his decision easier, Bowser quickly disengaged from his battle against Luigi and banked towards Princess Peach, followed by four Magikoopas. Vivian was quick to defend Peach by unleashing a Fiery Jinx on Bowser and the Magikoopas. The Magikoopas' robes and broomsticks immediately burst into flames, though the Magikoopas, themselves, only suffered minor burns. The loss of their mounts, though, would cost them, for Peach soon showed that she was far from helpless as she charged them, drawing a golf club and hitting them each in the head, rendering them unconscious, or worse.
As for Bowser, Kamek had placed magical charms on his Clown Car so it suffered only scorched paint from Vivian's Fiery Jinx and Bowser's own magical prowess allowed him to limit the damage he suffered from the attack. He still felt the attack, though, but he did not retreat into the Clown Car. Instead, he jumped out of it to try to grab Peach, himself. This proved to be a big mistake, though, as Mario quickly quit the battle against Bowser's children, feeling that his friends and Donkey Kong could deal with the Koopa princes and princess, and engaged Bowser, performing a flying side kick into the Koopa King's head.
The kick dazed Bowser and he took a few steps to the side as his charge missed the princess. Peach followed up with a golf club to the Koopa King's head, dazing him even more and knocking him back a few feet. The Koopa King then fell to the ground, groaning and trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. Soon, Luigi came down to join the battle, ready to protect Peach as Mario saw two more Koopa jet fighters fall from the sky, smoke and flames trailing them, likely the latest casualties inflicted by the man in green. That was when Eldstar telepathically contacted Mario once more.
"Mario, we need your help. This enemy is already assaulting the Star Shield. It won't take much more abuse. If he gets the Star Rod, it would be to the detriment of all."
Mario paused as he listened to Eldstar, considering his options. Looking over at Bowser and seeing how he was having trouble standing, much less fighting, he quickly scanned Donkey Kong and his friends from previous adventures, who were currently engaging the Koopalings, Bowser Jr., and Kevin Koopa. So far, they were holding their own, but if worse came to worse, help could come in the form of the Marios, Vivian, and Peach. Peach, however, turned to Mario and noticed that he had paused and was studying the situation. She looked around but could not see much to worry about at the moment. The Koopa airship fleet was devastated, with only a few ships still in fighting shape. Bowser was still woozy from his pounding at the hands of Mario, Vivian, and Peach. Donkey Kong and Mario's friends were holding their own against Bowser's children and the Koopa air force, or what was left of it, had its hands full against Diddy Kong. Worrying that she was missing something, she asked him, "What is it?"
Mario turned to Peach and answered, "Eldstar just contacted me. He said that a human was attacking Star Haven in search of the Star Rod. I'm almost certain that that human was in a Koopa jet fighter that fired on me while I was close to Kevin, almost as if its pilot were not concerned about Kevin's fate should he be able to kill me. Eldstar also says that he senses a great deal of power and evil in this person."
"Then go," Peach answered in no uncertain terms.
Mario looked at her questioningly. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," she answered. "We've got this. Bowser's down and your friends are holding their own against his children."
"Do you want me to go with him?" Luigi asked.
"No," Mario answered, making the decision for Peach. "Kevin's still a threat. If I go, you'll need to help DK and the others deal with him."
"Okay big bro," Luigi answered hesitantly. "But once Kevin's either beaten or retreats, I'll be coming right behind you." The younger Mario brother then took out two Cape Feathers, a Fire Flower, a Hammer Suit, a Life Shroom, and a few badges and handed them over to Mario. "Here bro, take these. You'll need them when you fight that guy in Star Haven."
"Thanks Luigi," Mario answered, accepting the power-ups. With that, he gripped one of the Cape Feathers and transformed into Cape Mario. He then got a running start before taking off and rocketing towards Star Haven. Once he took off, Luigi and Peach then joined Donkey Kong and the others already engaging Bowser's children.
Meanwhile, just outside of Star Haven, Sephiroth continued his assault on the Star Shield. When he had arrived, he had found that the translucent barrier had already been erected. He marched forward and drew his sword, thrusting it into the shield. When his sword made contact with the shield, a loud ring sounded and electric blue sparks seemed to spread from the point of impact between the sword and the barrier. Despite the human's strength, though, the barrier remained intact and the former SOLDIER had a feeling that the damage to it had been negligible. A part of him regretted having killed Korry, for in his current state, he did not have any magic beyond his superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. That would, of course, change once he got the Star Rod and became whole once more, but for the time being, he was stuck as merely a strong human. He then performed a series of slashes at the barrier to test its strength against multiple strikes. As before, the barrier held, with only minor damage seemingly being inflicted upon it.
After the last flurry of slashes, he drew back his sword and examined it, wanting to make certain that the barrier was not damaging it. The last thing he needed was to lose his sword before reaching the Star Rod, for he had a feeling as if his departure from the battle at Peach's Castle had not gone unnoticed. Checking the blade, he saw that it still looked pristine, as if it had just come out of the forge. At least Korry had crafted the blade correctly. Once he was finished checking the blade, he continued his assault on the barrier.
He thrust his blade into the barrier once more. This time, he added far more force to the assault, knowing that his blade could withstand the force. The barrier shimmered once more as the sword struck, blue streaks of energy spreading out from the point of impact. This time, though, the sword seemed to be moving forwards, for Sephiroth could feel it move a few millimeters. He grinned. Pushing more energy into his thrust, the sword began to move more and more. More streaks of energy were spreading from the point of impact, as if the barrier were like a window cracking before it was about to shatter. Sure enough, after a few seconds, the barrier collapsed. The sound of a window shattering echoed all throughout Star Haven as the barrier was breached and disintegrated in a series of lightning blue sparks. Sephiroth grinned as the barrier collapsed. It would not be long now for he could sense that the great power that was still located in the area. Soon, he would become whole again. And the world of his origin would soon be his once more, as would many others.
Not too far away, Mario was flying towards Star Haven as fast as he could. Quickly finding Star Way, he scanned the area for the location of Star Haven, for he knew that simply following the winding path of the road would slow him down. Seeing Star Haven not too far away, he saw the barrier shimmer for a moment before collapsing. This was bad, for the barrier had been developed after Bowser's invasion of Star Haven and his theft of the Star Rod. If this newcomer had managed to breach it this quickly then he must have been very powerful indeed. Mario then rocketed towards Star Haven as quickly as possible. He could not allow this new enemy to reach the Star Rod.
Meanwhile, inside Star Haven, Sephiroth used his abilities to scan for the location of the Star Rod. As he scanned the haven, he came across several stone structures with small fences and tents on them, likely the dwellings of the small yellow star-shaped beings called Star Kids. These were of little concern to him so he did not stop to engage, or slaughter, them as he searched for the Star Rod. He could decide what to do with them later. Looking at the buildings, he could tell that most of them held little to nothing of interest for him. He did sense some magic power emanating from a small building on top of a small hill that had brick steps leading up to it. Outside the shop was a sign that had the picture of a Fire Flower on it. Heading up the stairs and to the shop, he opened the door and peered inside. Inside the shop were a single Star Kid, likely the shopkeeper, who froze at the sight of the imposing man, as well as an assortment of items on a rack along the wall. The items consisted of a Stop Watch, Shooting Star, Super Soda, Maple Syrup, Super Shroom, and a Life Shroom. He grimaced at the sight of the items, items that he believed would not be of use to him. He was not interested in these. He was interested in the Star Rod. Still, he may have been able to get some information out of the Star Kid. To that end, he went over to the Star Kid, pointing his sword at the small star-like being.
"Where is the Star Rod?" Sephiroth asked in a low, cold voice.
"Uh, I, uh, don't know exactly," the Star Kid stammered in reply. "The Star Spirits usually hide if an intruder comes, especially after it was stolen a few years ago by Bowser."
Sephiroth neared the Star Kid, keeping his sword pointed at the kid, the tip of the blade now touching the Star Kid's skin. "And where would they hide the Star Rod?"
"Anywhere," the Star Kid blurted. "There are at least six different locations where the Star Rod would be hidden!"
"And where would they be?" Sephiroth asked, his patience beginning to wear thin.
The Star Kid looked over his shoulder towards a large domed building in the distance, as if trying to think of where the artifact could be hidden. While the Star Kid had said nothing, Sephiroth, seeing the Star Kid focus on the building in the distance, decided that he had gained all that he needed to know. Ignoring the Star Kid, he jumped over the fence and made his way towards the large structure in the distance, the Star Sanctuary. The former SOLDIER quickly made his way towards the bridge, ignoring the scenery and the sounds of the flowing water as he neared the bridge. Crossing the bridge, he then made his way towards the open entrance to the Star Sanctuary.
Upon entering the Star Sanctuary, he saw pillars where the seven Star Spirits stood. At the center of the pillar, there was what looked to be a fountain. Extending his senses, Sephiroth could feel the magic emanating from the fountain. He grinned. He had found it. He had found the Star Rod. The seven Star Spirits soon came down from their pillars and formed a line in front of the former SOLDIER.
"Stand aside if you want to live," Sephiroth warned.
"You will find nothing of value here," Eldstar replied, staring down at the former SOLDIER.
The Stars then formed a circle and proceeded to make their way towards Sephiroth, only for the silver-haired man to rush towards them far faster than a normal human could react to and swept his sword at them. His sword made contact with the center of their formation and it broke the formation apart, sending the stars flying in all directions as if a bomb had gone off in their midst. The Stars crashed into the walls, pillars, and even the floor. They were slow to rise, but rise they eventually did. Still, they knew that they had no chance against Sephiroth in a straight fight.
After dealing with the Star Spirits, the former SOLDIER went up to the fountain. As he did so, he cast a sideways glance at the Star Spirits as they struggled to rise. "Don't," he said nonchalantly, knowing that he could dispose of them with contemptuous ease if need be. He then casually walked up to the fountain.
When he arrived at the fountain, he looked inside only for his eyes to go wide with shock as he found that there was no trace of the Star Rod in the fountain. In fact, there was nothing in the fountain to speak of except for water.
"What?" he blurted, barely able to maintain his composure. "It's not here."
He then looked up at the seven Star Spirits, who at him knowingly. He then narrowed his gaze on them. "Where is it?"
"Where you will never find it, Jenova," Eldstar answered.
Sephiroth's eyes flashed at the mention of the name Jenova. For a fleeting moment, he thought he remembered the name from somewhere before. However, after a few moments, it seemed like it was about to go away, only it did not. The feeling that Jenova was something more than just a name remained with him. Still, he knew that his name was not Jenova. However, he began to feel as if this Jenova did carry some importance to him; that it was a part of him. He then shook off the thoughts that were whirling around his head. He would get his answers once he obtained the Star Rod.
Narrowing his gaze on Eldstar, he once again asked, "Where is the Star Rod?"
Eldstar was silent. Sephiroth then looked around at the other Star Spirits. "Well?"
They, too, were silent, prompting Sephiroth to sigh. "Then you are no longer needed alive," the former SOLDIER concluded.
He was about to finish off the Star Spirits when he heard the footfalls of a new arrival from behind. He smirked and turned around to see a short, stocky human male dressed in a red shirt with blue overalls, wearing a red cap with an M on it, and a cape. Given the appearance of the human standing at the entrance to the sanctum, he surmised that the new arrival was Mario.
"So you have come to stop me," Sephiroth began.
Mario gave no answer for a bit, merely standing in the entrance holding his Fire Flower out in front of him. After a few seconds, Mario spoke. "Who are you, what do you want, and why are you here?"
Sephiroth then narrowed his gaze on Mario. "I am Sephiroth. I want the Star Rod and I have come here to acquire it. You may either stand aside and allow me the Star Rod or you can die."
Mario did not make a move, merely glaring at the former SOLDIER. Soon, the Star Spirits rose and got back on their pillars. "Be careful Mario," Skolar warned. "This man has Jenova cells. He has superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance, and reflexes. He is far more dangerous than any opponent you have faced in the past."
Mario nodded in acknowledgment and then focused his attention on Sephiroth, his Fire Flower at the ready. Sephiroth proceeded assume a fighter's stance and focused his gaze on the plumber, his Masamune at the ready. He would deal with the Star Spirits later. Right now, he would deal with this interloper. As he focused on Mario, he could sense a great deal of power emanating from the human. Magic was definitely active within him, but he did not seem to have the ability to use magic, at least not the way Sephiroth could on the planet of his origin. It seemed to Sephiroth that the magic of this world was affecting the human standing before him in some way. However, there seemed to be something more to it, as if Mario was special, even for a human that had come to this world. He would not underestimate this opponent. He would deal with him quickly and efficiently.
To that end, Sephiroth initiated combat against Mario by rushing towards him far faster than Mario would have expected, even with Skolar's warning. Skolar and the other Star Spirits' shocked expressions at Sephiroth's speed indicated that they, too, were astounded at the former SOLDIER's speed. Still, Mario had been far enough away that he still had time to react, and react he did. He fired off a barrage of fireballs from his Fire Flower at Sephiroth, managing to score several hits on the former SOLDIER. However, the hits did minimal damage and Sephiroth was barely fazed by them. Still, they did slow him down and allow Mario to take a few steps back and continue pelting the former SOLDIER with fireballs.
Sephiroth grimaced as he endured Mario's assault. While the fireballs were little more than beestings to him, taking hundreds or thousands of fireballs would likely be sufficient to finish him off. As he endured the assault, he seethed as he knew that he was missing so much of what made him, him. Trying to bring out some of his former power, he swiped his sword at Mario, hoping to project a beam of energy at him or something similar. Nothing happened save for him managing to deflect a fireball into the water. He grimaced. Still, deflecting a fireball was better than nothing, so he charged the plumber once again, this time taking care to bat as many of the incoming fireballs away as he could.
As Sephiroth approached, Mario backed away, knowing that his one edge over the former SOLDIER was his ranged attack. As Sephiroth continued to bat away the approaching fireballs, taking a hit here and there in the process, he could see Mario retreating out of the sanctuary and towards the bridge leading to it. He suppressed a grin. If Mario backed off of the bridge and went towards the more open area of the Star Haven, he would have full range of motion in terms of approaching the plumber, but if Mario remained, then he would be locked into having to go straight at him, which could be problematic if he had more powerful attacks than fireballs.
Mario continued his fireball barrage as Sephiroth approached. He did his best to keep Sephiroth at a distance since he realized that Sephiroth had no ranged attacks. If he could keep this a ranged battle, he would not have to worry about Sephiroth's physical abilities. Still, as he backed away, he could tell that he was heading precariously close to town and if he went into the Star Haven town, proper, he would not be able to limit Sephiroth's movement options, which would likely allow the former SOLDIER to close the distance between the two of them without suffering more damage. More importantly, it would put the other residents of the town in grave danger, for he could tell by the look in Sephiroth's eyes that he had no care for the lives of the residents of Star Haven.
Sephiroth continued to near the plumber as Mario continued his assault. Sephiroth grinned, though, as he got what he thought was close enough to Mario for him to charge. As such, Sephiroth held his sword up and charged the plumber faster than Mario had expected, catching him off guard. Sephiroth then thrust out his sword towards Mario as the plumber tried to dodge and scored a hit on the plumber's chest. However, despite the power of the thrust, and the sharpness of the blade, it only managed to go in less than an inch into the plumber and the plumber's dodge meant that the former SOLDIER only got a glancing hit on Mario. He did not even lose his cape in the process. Sephiroth grimaced. The magic of this world must have increased Mario's durability as well. Still, that did little to stop Sephiroth from continuing his assault. He pulled back his blade and thrust it at Mario numerous times, each stab managing to bite into Mario's flesh. Soon, Mario's cape disappeared and Mario de-powered. The plumber continued to back away, trying to put some distance between him and Sephiroth so he would be able to intercept the former SOLDIER's next charge. Sephiroth grinned as Mario retreated. He was wearing down the plumber's defenses. This battle would not last too much longer.
As for Mario, he knew he had to think quickly. Gripping the Fire Flower tightly, he transformed into Fire Mario, the flower disappearing from his grasp, and drew out his Ultra Hammer, knowing that he would have to go on the offensive against Sephiroth if he were to have any hope of victory. Waiting for Sephiroth to charge again, he readied himself. Sure enough, Sephiroth charged towards Mario once more, but this time, the plumber was ready. Barely managing to step aside, he avoided the stab and swung his hammer at Sephiroth, prompting the former SOLDIER to raise his sword to intercept the hammer. A loud clang rang out over the townscape as the two weapons clashed.
Sephiroth quickly pulled back his sword and attempted to behead Mario with a slash. Mario ducked the swipe and fired off a series of fireballs at Sephiroth, managing to score a series of hits on him. He then rushed towards the former SOLDIER and attempted to bring his hammer down on Sephiroth's head. The silver-haired fighter was too fast, though, and easily sidestepped the hammer blow. He then swiped again at Mario, barely missing him as the plumber jumped over the swipe. This was an unfortunate mistake for Mario, though, since Sephiroth knew Mario's trajectory and, thus, exactly where Mario would land. Taking perfect aim at the hero, Sephiroth thrust his sword out once more. His blade caught Mario in the torso but only managed to go a couple inches in. Sephiroth quickly withdrew the blade as Mario reverted to his normal form and backed away again, this time not having the Fire Flower or Fire Mario powers to fall back on. Sephiroth could only grin. He had the plumber now.
"It's over now," Sephiroth said in a confident tone.
However, Mario was not about to give up. If anything, he began to grin. Sephiroth had underestimated him, figuring that the power-ups that he had used against him earlier on were the only ones he had access to. He was about to prove the former SOLDIER wrong. As Sephiroth neared him, the plumber contemplated using the Hammer Suit, figuring that its increased durability and ability to throw a limitless supply of powerful hammers would be helpful but he decided to hold off on that until he had more space for dealing with Sephiroth. The last thing he needed was another flurry of attacks stripping him of his Hammer Suit before he could use it to damage Sephiroth. As such, he clutched his Ultra Hammer in both hands and decided that it was time to stop holding back and display the hammer's full range of abilities, especially since Sephiroth seemed to have the edge in terms of speed and agility.
As Sephiroth charged the plumber once again, Mario smashed the hammer into the ground. The ground immediately began to shake and the former SOLDIER was knocked off balance as the ground shook and seismic waves washed over him, shaking his body, along with his bones and internal organs, as well. A look of utter shock crossed Sephiroth's face as he faced the new assault. He could feel the seismic waves washing over him, along with the damage that was being inflicted. Had he not had his increased strength and durability, he would have suffered severe, possibly fatal, injuries from that attack. All he could do was look over to Mario in disbelief. His shock soon subsided, though, and a new look of determination crossed his face.
"So Korry was right about you," he said calmly, having regained his composure. "You are a powerful foe. I have a feeling that there are very few enemies I have ever faced that were either as strong as you or stronger. But you are alone here. And I will not let you stop me from acquiring the Star Rod. To that end, I will destroy you."
Mario gave no answer as he gripped his hammer once more. He then went to smash it into the ground once more but this time Sephiroth was ready. Just before the hammer struck the ground and created another earthquake, Sephiroth jumped high into the air, avoiding the seismic shockwaves that spread out from the point of impact. His trajectory carried him towards Mario, the former SOLDIER thrusting his sword downward in an attempt to skewer Mario top to bottom. Mario stood ready to intercept this attack, though, and stepped forward, swinging his hammer as Sephiroth came down, the stab missing him by at least a foot. The massive swing connected with the former SOLDIER, catching him on the chin no less. The force of the impact caused Sephiroth to drop his sword and sent him flying in the opposite direction several feet, where he hit the ground and skidded along it until rolling and standing back up, a split lip seemingly being the only true damage suffered by the former SOLDIER. Mario's eyes, however, went wide at Sephiroth's display of durability.
What does it take to put this guy down? Mario wondered as the former SOLDIER charged at him once again. Mario swung his hammer and managed to catch Sephiroth in the side, causing him to exhale the air in his lungs and stagger backwards a step, but he quickly recovered and retaliated with a fist to Mario's abdomen. In turn, Mario's air was forced from his lungs as he almost keeled over in shock but caught himself, only to see a kick coming from the former SOLDIER. Mario caught the kick and swung Sephiroth around before tossing him into a lamppost not too far away, where the former SOLDIER crashed and fell to the ground. Picking up his hammer, Mario charged Sephiroth and brought his hammer down on Sephiroth's head before the silver-haired fighter could recover. The impact forced the former SOLDIER downwards and caused him to stagger forward and a line of scarlet issued forth from the top of his head towards his left eye, but he was still far from finished.
Another fist lashed out at Mario and managed to catch the plumber in the head, sending him reeling backwards, and into Star Haven's town, proper. The Star Kids all turned to see what the commotion was all about; and they were greeted with Mario and Sephiroth fighting the battle of their lives against one another. Despite having lost his sword, Sephiroth proved to be no less dangerous than he was with it.
Sephiroth charged towards Mario once more, pulling back his fist in order to strike at the plumber, who had dropped his hammer. Seeing no time to pick up his hammer, Mario was forced to duck under the former SOLDIER's punch, barely managing to avoid it. He then thrust his leg towards Sephiroth's knee, scoring a direct hit on the knee. Sephiroth grunted in pain as he took the hit and staggered forward, right into Mario's punch. The punch connected with Sephiroth's throat and the silver-haired fighter had to keep himself from clutching his throat, and opening other parts of his body to attack, while gasping for air.
The former SOLDIER seethed as he backed away from Mario, heading back to retrieve his sword. Mario was tougher than he had expected. Mario was strong, stronger than all but maybe a couple opponents he had faced in his life. And to make matters worse, when he had been revived by Korry, he had been revived improperly and while he felt that he had most of his physical strength, speed, and skill, he was far from his best and was missing his magical abilities. And he began to feel as if he may need magic of some sort if he was to defeat Mario, or at least his sword since Mario was far better than he anticipated in hand to hand combat. It was now that he was regretting having killed Korry. What he lacked in magic in this world, Korry may have been able to at least partially supply. As it was now, though, he was on his own and if worst came to worst, Mario had allies in the Star Spirits and likely the other stars present in town. And to make matters worse, his knee was still throbbing. He was beginning to be thankful that it was not broken.
As he went to get his sword, Mario went over to retrieve his hammer as well as put on his Hammer Suit. As he gripped the miniature suit, he immediately transformed into Hammer Mario. Mario now had a black helmet on his head and a black shell on his back. In addition, his overalls were now black too, with a white shirt underneath. Sephiroth grimaced again. Just how many power-ups did he have? It did not matter. He would defeat Mario regardless of how many power-ups the plumber had. He would not lose this fight.
He focused his gaze on the plumber, who was cautiously moving away from him and reaching behind his back. The plumber soon pulled out two hammers with black heads, smaller than the hammer that he had been using earlier, but still looking quite strong. Gripping his sword, he charged Mario once more, the plumber retaliating by tossing the two hammers at the charging SOLDIER. Sephiroth swung his sword to deflect the hammers, only see that they were, indeed, quite strong, far stronger than the fireballs that Mario had used earlier. He was able to deflect the first hammer but his sword was knocked a little loose from his grip, enough so that he was unable to intercept the second hammer. Fortunately, though, he was able to avoid the hammer and retaliated with a thrust at Mario, who had curled up into a ball, ducking into the shell on his back. The sword collided with the shell, but failed to pierce it.
Sephiroth's eyes went wide with surprise. He remembered times when his sword could cut through solid steel and concrete, and here it was being stopped by what looked to be mere shell. He continued to thrust his sword at the shell, hoping to weaken and, eventually, pierce it. The Hammer Suit's shell held firm, though, and Mario was not about to emerge until Sephiroth had worn himself out. Sephiroth, however, was not about to let Mario just stay in the shell without consequence. Turning his sword upside down, he thrust it into the ground right next to Mario, bits of concrete rising as the sword gouged a large furrow into the ground. With a sweep upwards, the sword swept towards Mario and the edge managed to catch the underside of the shell, creating a small furrow in the Hammer Suit. Still, the furrow was not enough to cause Mario to lose the Hammer Suit. More importantly, though, the force of the sweep launched Mario into the air. Knowing that it would be his end if he fell onto the back of his shell, Mario uncurled himself and tossed a volley of hammers at Sephiroth.
Sephiroth deftly dodged the hammers and with blinding speed faster than he had demonstrated earlier in the battle, rushed towards Mario and thrust his blade at the plumber just as Mario tossed another hammer at him. The hammer managed to catch the silver-haired fighter in the head and daze and stagger him, but Sephiroth's sword managed to catch Mario in the chest. The suit's armor managed to protect Mario from the full impact of the blade, so the suit did not disappear, but he could feel its point before Sephiroth staggered back a bit. Mario knew that any further damage to the suit would likely be enough to cause it to vanish.
Taking advantage of Sephiroth's dazed state, Mario unleashed another volley of hammers at the former SOLDIER. Sephiroth recovered much faster this time, though, and managed to deflect the hammers. He then charged right at Mario and slashed at him. The slash destroyed Mario's Hammer Suit and reverted him to normal, but inflicted no damage to the plumber. Knowing that he was running low on options, he gripped his Ultra Hammer once more and prepared to smash the ground to try to cause Sephiroth to lose his footing. Sephiroth was ready for this trick, though, and thrust his sword forward, attempting to skewer Mario before he could attack, forcing the plumber to try to parry the strike. Intercepting the sword, Mario managed to knock it away so it lashed out at nothing but air. However, Sephiroth was not finished and pressed his attack, using his superior reach and speed to his advantage, forcing Mario to back away while making him have to use his bulky hammer as a defensive weapon, something it was ill-suited for.
Finally, Sephiroth scored a hit. On his last thrust, Mario was caught out of position and had to try to evade the thrust, only for the sword to pierce his shoulder. Pain exploded in his brain as the sword bit into his flesh and he attempted to back away. However, the former SOLDIER was far from finished. Quickly withdrawing his blade, he grinned. "This ends here," he said as he thrust his sword at Mario once more.
This time, his target was the plumber's heart. The sword pieced Mario's chest and burrowed its way into his heart, piercing it. Mario immediately went limp and dropped his Ultra Hammer. "I'm disappointed. I expected a more difficult challenge than this," he taunted the seemingly dead Mario. However, Mario was not finished yet.
Shockingly, to the former SOLDIER, the outline of a pink mushroom with a heart on it rose from Mario and his body flexed and became active once more, the plumber instantly reviving. Grabbing the blade, Mario pulled it out of his body as he went to pick up the Ultra Hammer. As he did so, he heard a high-pitched, "Mario, heads up!"
Looking behind him, he saw a Star Kid preparing to toss him a small, gray Stopwatch. Sephiroth noticed this as well and went to try to kill the Star Kid before it could toss Mario the Stopwatch, figuring that it was a powerful tool or weapon of some sort. This proved to be a calamitous mistake on his part for while he lunged towards the Star Kid, Mario picked up his Ultra Hammer and swung it at the former SOLDIER with all his might, smashing a direct hit on the silver-haired fighter's head. The smash sent Sephiroth reeling backwards and stunned him as a second swing knocked the wind out of him. Seeing a window, the Star Kid tossed the Stopwatch at Mario. Grabbing it, the plumber immediately activated it and time immediately froze for the former SOLDIER. Mario then took advantage of Sephiroth's vulnerability and proceeded to go about ending the fight.
He rushed towards the former SOLDIER and repeatedly smashed his hammer into the frozen figure. Each smash inflicted massive damage on the silver-haired fighter and would have knocked him backwards had he not been frozen in time. With each hit, Mario could see that Sephiroth was beginning to look more and more ragged, rips, tears, and rends marring his once pristine trenchcoat, pants, and even his sword as Mario smashed his hammer into the sword for good measure, hoping to weaken it if not outright break it.
When time eventually returned to normal, the force of the impacts sent Sephiroth flying backwards towards the edge of the haven, where he eventually hit the ground and skidded along it before coming to a stop. Mario rushed after Sephiroth, gripping his final Cape Feather and transforming once more into Cape Mario. He then flew after the former SOLDIER and flew into the ground, creating an earthquake just as Sephiroth was beginning to stand and recover. Seismic waves washed over him and he staggered forward before falling once more. Still, he would not stay down for long as he quickly stood up and rushed towards Mario, though his gate was unsteady, the damage from Mario's attacks throughout the battle taking their toll on the incredibly durable fighter. But even Sephiroth had his limits.
Sephiroth unsteadily jumped into the air and attempted to bring his sword down on top of Mario once more, but the plumber was ready and stepped out of the way of the former SOLDIER's downward thrust. The sword struck the ground and burrowed itself into it, small pieces of the blade chipping off as it struck the ground. Mario then took a massive swing at the sword with his hammer and broke it with a single strike. The breaking of the blade shocked Sephiroth and he staggered backwards a bit. Sephiroth then checked his broken blade and saw that all that remained was the hilt and about a foot of blade, with no point for thrusting. He grimaced and glared at Mario.
"I will never just be a memory," he seethed as he charged towards the plumber, the former SOLDIER not out of the fight yet.
Mario responded by countercharging towards Sephiroth in a zigzag pattern, Mario reached the former SOLDIER and swung his hammer at him as Sephiroth swung what remained of his sword. A loud clang rang out over the haven as the two weapons clashed, neither fighter giving an inch or conceding any part of this battle. Still, fatigue and damage were setting in for the former SOLDIER. He would not last much longer. Sephiroth swung at Mario again, but the arc was wide and the attack was telegraphed, allowing the plumber to easily dodge the swipe. Sephiroth then stumbled a bit as he breathed heavily. Still, he was not about to surrender.
Gripping his broken sword, he charged Mario once more. Mario stood ready, his hammer in his hand as Sephiroth jumped high into the air, hoping to bring his sword down onto Mario's skull. This proved to finally be Sephiroth's undoing, for Mario quickly dodged the stroke while performing an uppercut with his hammer, managing to catch Sephiroth in the chin. The force of the strike sent Sephiroth flying through the air, and over the edge of Star Haven, where he fell over a mile to the ground, and likely to his death, though Mario could not see Sephiroth hit, he was so far up in the sky.
Once Mario had defeated Sephiroth, he gave a sigh and fell to his knees, breathing heavily. This had been one of his most difficult fights of his life. As he caught his breath, the Star Spirits came out of the Star Sanctuary to thank him. "Thank you Mario for your tremendous efforts against Sephiroth."
"Please tell me Sephiroth is dead," Mario stated in a tired voice. Some of the Star Spirits were taken aback at how tired the hero had seemed.
Eldstar closed his eyes and attempted to ascertain the former SOLDIER's fate. After a few seconds, he answered, "Hard to say. He suffered incredible damage and fell over a mile back down to the ground, likely falling among jagged rocks. If your final hammer blow and impact from the fall did not kill him immediately, chances are he will die from his wounds. However, I would check on that if possible, for he was infected with Jenova cells. You will most certainly want to make sure that those are destroyed, preferably with fire or stars. Still, that will have to wait. Your friends are in need of help back at Peach's Castle. Take a few Shooting Stars and go. You'll need them."
Mario then nodded and rose, his fatigue leaving him as he went to the shop to get the Shooting Stars. Once he got the items, he proceeded to leave the shop and rocketed into the sky before diving back down towards Princess Peach's Castle. If his friends were in trouble, he would save them; and currently, they were having troubles of their own dealing with Kevin.
Meanwhile, during Mario's battle against Sephiroth, Luigi and the others had their hands full with Kevin, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings. While they were holding their own against Bowser's children, for the moment, the strains and fatigue from all the fighting was beginning to set in for the heroes. Ludwig attempted to mow down Luigi by curling into his shell and rolling towards the plumber, the plumber just barely managing to avoid the roll. Ludwig attempted to maneuver himself so he could continue chasing Luigi, only to roll over a time bomb planted by Admiral Bobbery. The bomb immediately detonated and sent the Koopaling hurtling through the air, and into Lemmy, who was flattened into a pancake by the much larger Koopaling. He gave a grunt as Ludwig flattened him, the younger Koopaling then giving a muffled groan from underneath the larger, and now unconscious, Koopaling. This drew a sharp rebuke from Wendy as she fired a series of energy rings from her wand at the salty Bob-omb. Fatigue was setting in for Bobbery, though, and he was unable to avoid Wendy's attack. The rings struck him and broke apart for a moment before forming a circle around him and ensnaring him, preventing him from moving, attacking, or even blowing himself up.
Vivian, seeing that Admiral Bobbery was in trouble, went to perform a Fiery Jinx in the hope of hurting all of the Koopalings at once, and hopefully disrupting Wendy's magic, only for a stream of lightning to lash out at her from behind. The bolt of lightning struck her, the Shadow Siren giving a short cry as electricity arced across her body. After she had partially recovered, she turned to see Kevin, electricity sparking at the tips of his fingers.
"Watch out!" she cried in warning. "Kevin's about to attack!"
Seeing that they did not have much time, Luigi rushed towards the Koopa Prince and powered his Thunderhand. He knew that he would not reach the prince before he fired, so he interspersed himself between the Koopa Prince and the others, steeling himself for the attack, expecting the Koopa Prince to target him rather than focus on the others since he was one of the nemeses of Kevin's father. Just as expected, Kevin unleashed the lightning blast towards Luigi, prompting the plumber to hold out his electrified hand and intercept the lightning. The plumber gritted his teeth as he caught Kevin's blast of lightning.
Luigi held firm against Kevin's attack for a while, but as the Koopa Prince continued his assault fatigue was beginning to get the better of the younger Mario Brother. Knowing that he would give out soon, he pushed as much energy as he could into his Thunderhand and attempted to fire the lightning back at Kevin in a single blast. He thrust his hand out to send his lightning back at Kevin, hoping to force the Koopa Prince to endure both attacks. Kevin tensed up but held firm as he resisted Luigi's attack and put more energy into his own, quickly overpowering the younger Mario Brother.
Kevin's lightning blast struck Luigi and he writhed in agony as electricity arced across his body. The Koopa Prince then spread his attack out against the other allies, managing to catch Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Sushie, Lakilester, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshi Kid, Admiral Bobbery, Ms. Mowz, and Donkey Kong. Electricity arced across their bodies and they fell to the ground, either paralyzed or unconscious but not dead. Those that were paralyzed hoped that, beyond living through the fight, that they would get the necessary medical attention so that their paralysis would only be temporary. But things were looking grim for the heroes, for only Princess Peach, Toad, Watt, Lady Bow, and Vivian were still able to fight, and they were currently outnumbered by the remaining Koopalings; and with one of them being Kevin, they knew that they would need help fast. This fact was made more apparent as Kevin neared them and powered another blast of lightning, electricity crackling at his fingertips. Fortunately, help was about to arrive.
Just as Kevin was about to finish off the remaining heroes, a series of stars rained down from the sky and landed among Bowser's children. The Koopalings and Bowser Junior were rendered unconscious as they sustained numerous direct hits from the stars. Kevin, however, managed to raise a magical shield over his body and absorb some of the stars. However, the stars continued to assault his shield and by the time it was over, the attack had drained his shield.
The Koopa Prince looked up to see Mario descending towards the ground. The Koopa Prince smirked as he prepared to attack, only to have his outer shell erupt into flames as Vivian performed a Fiery Jinx on him, forcing the prince to use his magic to extinguish the flames before they killed him. This left him open to Watt's Mega Shock. Beams of electricity erupted from the Li'l Sparky and lashed out at Kevin, inflicting damage as well as paralyzing him, despite his magic defenses. The other Koopas that were close to the action and even beginning to come to support their prince did not escape unscathed either as the Mega Shock also lashed out at them, paralyzing them, too. Mario then touched down on the ground and went to administer to the needs of his unconscious and paralyzed allies, giving them all Life Shrooms and Super Sodas to cure their paralysis. While he was administering to the needs of his allies, though, Kevin used a spell to cure himself of his paralysis, though he knew that it was a new battle with Mario having returned and his allies now being revived and ready to battle once more.
Meanwhile, not too far away, Bowser was slowly coming back to his senses as he regained consciousness. He was slow to stand and when he did, he took stock of the situation. In the air, his air force had been devastated. The skies that once teemed with Koopa fighters and jet fighters were now practically barren, with only a dozen or so planes left, with one promptly being shot down by Diddy Kong, reducing the air force to eleven. Not only that, but only six airships remained in the fight, two of them having had their entire weapons complement destroyed and having also suffered engine damage. Adding to the fact that all of his children but Kevin were now either unconscious or paralyzed and he was in no condition to continue fighting, he knew that things were grim. He could try to let Kevin salvage the situation, but despite his son's strength, even he would not be able to defeat both Mario Brothers, all of their allies, and Donkey Kong, while also having to worry about Diddy Kong making an attack run. As such, he saw that he had only one option left to him.
Getting out his radio, he activated it and bellowed, "All forces disengage and retreat. We've lost enough."
He then sighed as he listened for his forces to acknowledge his command, which they did with no grumbling. Of course there would be no grumbling. With what we've suffered today, those that survived are lucky to be alive. After giving his command, several Medi Guys emerged from one of the airships in their own hover cars and went to administer to the needs of Bowser's children and to take them onboard the airship. Kevin covered them, drawing out a magic wand and pointing it towards the allies as the Medi Guys tended to his siblings' needs and got them onto the airship. The airship also landed to allow Bowser to board. As he boarded, he looked back at Mario and glared. This was one of the worst losses he had sustained in quite a while. And he had not even managed to kidnap Peach before suffering this disaster. Once he and his children were safely onboard, the airship took off and ascended towards the sky, leaving the Mushroom Kingdom behind as it, and the five remaining airships sailed, or rather limped, towards the Koopa Kingdom, neither the Marios, their allies, nor the remains of the Mushroom Kingdom military giving chase.
During the battle, Kamek had been at the back of the lines, supporting the Koopas from his broomstick by casting strength increasing and defensive spells to aid them in the attack on Peach's castle. However, during the middle of the battle, he had seen Mario take off after a fighter that was flying towards Star Haven. He had followed the plumber at a distance and had witnessed the epic battle between Mario and Sephiroth. His eyes had gone wide at the clash between the two. He could sense the magical potential within Sephiroth as well as the former SOLDIER's strength.
He had eagerly watched as the two clashed, part of him hoping against hope that Sephiroth would pull off the victory, for he knew that if the silver-haired fighter was a danger to the Koopa Kingdom, he could finish off the fighter after Mario had died. The other part, though, could see the danger Sephiroth posed considering how, despite being far from his best, he had given Mario the fight of his life, having forced Mario to use all of his power-ups, and also rely on a bit of luck, to beat him. Even when he saw Mario finally beat the former SOLDIER, he had seen what he need to see. This Sephiroth could help the Koopa Troop finally defeat the Mario Brothers, one way or the other. This had to be what his master meant when he had told him of a warrior that would bring the Marios to their knees.
With that, he scanned the area to see where the former SOLDIER had landed after Mario's final strike. Scanning the area, he eventually came across what looked to be the body of the silver-haired fighter. Descending to the ground, he dismounted from his broomstick and walked over to the fallen fighter. Taking out his wand, he performed a cursory scan on Sephiroth, his eyes going wide when his scans indicated that Sephiroth was still alive, albeit in grave condition.
"Unbelievable," he muttered. "He fell over a mile after taking that pounding from Mario and he's still alive, after a fashion."
While it was clear that Sephiroth would soon succumb to his wounds if he did not get immediate magical medical attention, the Magikoopa was still amazed at the fact that he had not died from the impact of the fall, itself. Performing another scan, he checked to see the condition of Sephiroth's body. As expected, Sephiroth had a fractured skull, shattered spine and ribcage, along with multiple breaks to his arms and legs. Given the body's condition, he was amazed that Sephiroth was not just a bloody smear on the ground. Either way, he had work to do, for Sephiroth could hold the key to beating Mario. He had to learn how Sephiroth had become what he had. And he had a feeling that it would be easier to do if Sephiroth were both alive and in a cooperative mood.
With that thought, Kamek cast a stasis spell over the fallen fighter to ensure that he did not die during transport. Once that was done, he carefully encased Sephiroth in a magical barrier that would keep him from suffering further injury. Then he cast a tractor spell from the back of his broomstick so that it could pull Sephiroth behind it. Once everything was ready, Kamek took off, heading towards the Koopa Kingdom, pulling Sephiroth behind him. As he made his way to rejoin the remaining airships, he could only grin with satisfaction. Mario may have won this battle, but in the end, he would lose the war.