Chapter 25:
The Dribble Taxi rocketed towards North Crater at supersonic speeds. They were high enough above the ground, though, that the sonic blast did not inflict any damage to the homes below. As they traveled, though, Aerith constantly looked out the window, trying to see if there were any signs of Ruby Weapon since despite the fact that it had been released without direction, it would potentially view anyone on the ground or in the air as a threat. Still, it had not appeared during the battle against Bahamut Fury so hopefully, they would be able to avoid a battle against it and it would return to the Lifestream once Sephiroth had been destroyed and the Lifestream cured of his infection.
Looking over at Mario and Luigi, she saw that Mario was actually sleeping, something that surprised her. She wondered how he could be as relaxed as he was. Perhaps he was merely sleeping so as to make sure that he was completely fresh against Sephiroth in the upcoming battle. As for Luigi, the younger Mario Brother seemed to trying to get some sleep but his eyes just could not stay closed for any length of time. Eventually, though, he was able to get some rest for the fight ahead.
Looking around the rest of the cab, she noticed that the rest of the group was getting some sleep for the fight ahead and she decided that it was probably a good idea for her to get some rest as well. As such, she sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. It took a while but eventually, she was able to get some much needed sleep and refreshment for the upcoming battle against Sephiroth.
Meanwhile, over at North Crater, Bowser's submarine had arrived at the shores of the Northern Continent close to North Crater. The trek had been uneventful with no sign of naval ships or submarines from the governments of this planet despite the fact that they knew that the Northern Continent was inhabited, albeit sparsely.
Once they had arrived, Bowser gave a rumble of satisfaction. "Surface now and take us as close to shore as possible. Once we disembark, make sure you bring that ball of Mako. We don't have any cranes this time so you'll have to use your magic wands to keep it suspended in the air."
"Right," the Koopalings answered as they went to guide the submarine to the surface.
The submarine surfaced and its crew saw that it was still several hundred yards away from shore. They were a little surprised to see that the shore was covered with snow, despite the fact that the Northern Continent was known to have icy weather. Gently guiding the submarine to the shore, they approached the shore and did their best to get as close to shore as possible. Once they did, they turned the sub so that its rear was pointed towards the snowy shore.
"Careful," Bowser said as his kids guided the sub backwards slowly and gently. The last thing he needed was a sudden impact to jar the containment systems of the Mako ball and cause it to disperse, or worse.
Larry nodded as he guided the submarine backwards as carefully as possible. While the process was slow, it was better than the alternative where they would lose their Mako ball, or worse, their own lives should it detonate. Eventually, the submarine backed up as far as was safe.
"That's it," Larry called back to his father. "I can't back up any further without risking sufficient damage to jostle the Mako ball."
"That's good enough," Bowser answered. "Okay everyone, it's time to disembark! Make sure you get all the Materia you can carry as well as moving that Mako ball as carefully as possible. It's essential for our plans."
"Roger," the Koopalings answered as they departed their stations and proceeded to leave the bridge and head towards the exit hatch. Upon reaching the hatch, they climbed the ladder and went onto the submarine's top deck. Once they reached the top deck, they went to the rear of the sub to an area that had a single console and a button. Pushing the button, a panel opened and a bridge extended from the rear of the sub to the surface of the water. There were still some ten feet of water to cross. Each of the Koopalings crossed the water and went to shore, followed by Bowser, who waded through the water without difficulty while carrying the still sleeping Kamek. The last to exit were Ludwig and Bowser Jr., who had been in the engine room and shut down the submarine properly. Once they had made it to shore, Ludwig and the other Koopalings turned back. Swishing his wand and directing it towards the open cargo hatch, he fired a beam into the hatch, where it connected with the large ball of Mako they were hauling. Ever so gently, the second oldest of Bowser's children pulled the Mako ball out of the cargo hold and into the air. The rest of the Koopalings then assisted Ludwig in keeping it stable. Once they had gotten the Mako ball out of the sub, the Koopas began their trek to the fallen remains of the Starship Mario.
Back in the sky, the Dribble Taxi continued to rocket towards North Crater at high speed. So far, the trip had been free of incident and the passengers had taken advantage of the situation to get some much needed rest. Dribble did his best to make certain that the ride was as smooth as possible, which turned out to be pretty easy since there were few birds or aerial creatures to contend with on the trip and Sephiroth seemed to have not sent any flying monsters at them. They hoped that Sephiroth would not have control of the any flying monsters since the Octoblazooka was out of commission and would require the help of Dr. Crygor to repair.
He and Spitz periodically checked the map to see where they were in relation to North Crater so they would know when to alert the passengers that they were approaching their destination. So far, they were flying over the Western Ocean and making their way north towards North Crater. While North Crater was at the northernmost tip of the continent, it would still not take long for them to reach the crater once they reached the continent.
Back over at the Northern Continent, Bowser and his children carried the ball of Mako north towards the crater. The cold temperatures did not bother the Koopalings or Bowser all that much but Bowser made certain that Kamek's robes were tied tight so that the Magikoopa would not risk freezing during the trek. The Koopas continued to make their way north and were surprised when they did not find any sign of monsters or other defenses on the continent since Sephiroth had entered the Lifestream at this point and if his control would likely be strongest here.
The Koopas' progress was slow but steady. What slowed them down the most was the fact that they had to cross a small mountain range and there was no shortcut this time like there had been through the Mythril Mines. The Koopalings looked over at Kamek and wondered when the Magikoopa would awaken since there was a chance that Mario and the others could reach North Crater before them if this pace kept up.
"Hey Dad, should we try to awaken Kamek?" Wendy asked. "We'll never reach the Starship Mario in time unless we can either fly or be directly summoned to it. Kamek can both fly and summon us like he did when we were crossing that swamp."
"Yeah," Roy agreed. "We need to find some way to get there fast so Mario won't be able to intercept us."
The other Koopalings voiced similar complaints. Bowser sighed but did not say anything since to silence them since he was feeling the same way. As he was about to continue on his way, though, he felt Kamek stir.
"Hey guys, he's waking up!" Bowser cried as he immediately put the Magikoopa down on the ground and laid him on his back. When he did so, Kamek began to stir some more. Eventually, the Magikoopa's eyes opened and he looked up at Bowser and the Koopalings, who were all huddled around him.
"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked.
"So, you're finally awake," Ludwig said in a sarcastic tone.
"What happened? Where am I?" Kamek asked.
"You were exposed to Mako while helping us get the giant Mako ball onto the submarine," Bowser lied. He could not risk Kamek knowing that they had force the Mako and Jenova treatment on him until they were certain that he was under Sephiroth's thrall. "In essence, you've become a SOLDIER Magikoopa. But that's not important right now. Right now, we need you to fly across this mountain range and get to the Starship Mario. It's currently crashed near North Crater but if we find it and repair it, we can use it to take the Mako ball…"
"I know the plan," Kamek interjected, cutting off Bowser. Surprisingly, Bowser took it all in stride and did not hit him or jump on him for the interruption.
Kamek then drew out his wand and swished it once. A broomstick immediately appeared next to the Magikoopa floating a few feet off the ground. Kamek then mounted the stick and told the others, "I'll search for the crashed ship. You just wait here and don't get into any battles unless you have no choice."
"Got it," Bowser answered.
With that, Kamek rocketed off to the north. As he did so, the other Koopalings could not help but notice that Bowser had not only gone easy on Kamek, but had not even remotely chastised him for his interruption earlier. Even stranger was the fact that they did not really think it all that strange. The mission was what mattered right now. And for that, they would sacrifice a little pride and dignity if it got them what they wanted.
It only took Kamek a half hour or so to reach the crashed remains of the Starship Mario. Off in the distance, he could also see the edge of North Crater. Once he reached the ship, he immediately swished his wand and summoned Bowser, his children, and even the giant Mako ball to the ship. As soon as they had arrived, Bowser gave a roar of excitement.
"Quiet," Kamek admonished. "We can't risk anyone hearing us right now."
Bowser gave a sheepish look, something that was unheard of for him under normal circumstances but even more, again, he did not punish Kamek for speaking to him the way he just had. And the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. did not seem to either care or notice. All that was left for Kamek to do now was to examine the ship and hopefully repair it.
Upon initial examination, it looked as if the ship would need some extensive repairs, but the Magikoopa had a feeling that the Grand Star that they were carrying would be able to help. Extending his magical senses to the ship, he could see that the only real damage that was done was done to the engines. This turned out to be quite fortuitous since the Grand Star they had would be sufficient to repair the ship and still have enough power left over to open the portal back to Hylia.
"Good news," Kamek proclaimed to the others. "The damage to the ship isn't nearly as bad as I thought. Indeed, we should be able to fix it without too much difficulty and still have enough power in the Grand Star to open the portal back home."
"Alright!" the Koopa King exclaimed in excitement. "Now we're in business. How long will it take?"
"About an hour or two," Kamek answered.
"Then get to work," Bowser directed. "The sooner we can get off this world, the sooner we can take a new power source back home and make my army invincible."
"Yes, master," Kamek agreed. The Magikoopa then went to work using his magic to repair the Starship Mario while the others waited. Still, Bowser and the Koopalings could not shake the feeling that their mortal enemies would be arriving shortly and that they would be forced into a battle. Little did they know how right they were.
Not too far away, the Dribble Taxi had just arrived at the Northern Continent. When the continent was within sight, the cab slowed down a bit and Spitz looked back at the passengers, most of who were still asleep and called over to them, "Wake up everyone. We're here."
The alert promptly awakened the party and they looked out the window, seeing the snow-covered fields and mountains of the continent. It was the first time they had gotten a view of the continent from this position but they did not take in the sights for long. They had a job to do and they were going to do it. As such, they made their final checks to make sure that they had everything they would need for this mission. Aerith proceeded to tie her Holy Materia into her hair with her Ribbon, feeling that Holy would be immensely useful against Sephiroth even though he had the power of the Lifestream at his disposal. Once they were ready, all that was needed was for them to arrive at their destination, which would only take a few more minutes.
Down in the crater, Sephiroth could sense the approach of the Mario Brothers, their partners, Aerith, and Nanaki. The energy signature they were giving off was unmistakable, as was the fact that with Nanaki and likely the Materia he had, the Koopas were going to be in an almost unwinnable fight. They would need reinforcements but he could not risk splitting himself off into any pieces since he could feel that the Marios were far stronger now than they had been when he had last faced them, and they had won that battle. As such, using the Lifestream, he created more Shadow Creepers and Sephiroth Clones but only gave them the bare minimum of power similar to the ones that had attacked Cosmo Canyon. In addition, he only created a dozen of each creature. Once they were formed, he waited for the Marios and their friends to arrive before sending them against them. While he felt that he would be able to defeat Mario and his friends, he did have a contingency plan should Mario and his allies prove to be too strong and Aerith manage to cast her new variant of Great Gospel on the Lifestream and the world. He also hoped that Bowser would not realize the plan until it was too late for him to do anything about it, assuming Bowser still had any will of his own left in him.
Outside North Crater, the Dribble Taxi began its approach to the scene. As they approached, Mario went to his go to combination of super-powers by grabbing his Cape Feather and becoming Cape Mario while also grabbing his Fire Flower to use as a fireball launcher enhanced by his own Firebrand ability. Luigi also grabbed his Cape Feather and became Cape Luigi. He also made certain that he had all of his super-powers and healing items in his pocket and pack and to fully stuff them so he would have everything he could carry. They then checked to make sure that the rest of the party was ready, which they were as indicated by their nods.
"Okay Dribble, Spitz, take us to a few hundred yards away from the crater and drop us off there. Then get out of range of the fighting," Mario directed. "You are our only ticket home right now."
"Got it," Dribble answered as he banked the cab towards the crater.
As they were heading down towards the crater, though, Goombella looked out the window and caught sight of Bowser and his children near the crashed remains of the Starship Mario. "Hey Mario, Luigi, Bowser and his kids are here and they're near the remains of the Starship Mario," she alerted. "And they've got some sort of large ball.
Mario, Luigi, Aerith, and Nanaki immediately looked out the window and the small dots of Bowser and the Koopalings outside the remains of the Starship Mario. They also recognized the large ball of Mako that they recognized as being such. It took Aerith and Nanaki a second to realize just what Bowser was planning but when they did, their faces went ashen.
"We have to stop him," Aerith declared. Nanaki nodded in agreement.
"What's he doing?" Mario asked.
"Bowser's likely trying to use that ball of Mako to create a new Lifestream on a new world," Aerith answered.
"Is that possible?" Vivian asked.
"The Koopas have potions that can resurrect the dead and Magikoopas can use their wands to turn blocks into Koopas and other Koopa Troop soldiers," Mario answered.
"So, what do you want us to do?" Goombario asked.
Mario considered the Goomba's question. He knew the dangers of the Lifestream so he did not want any of his partners to enter it without the protection of the Power Stars, but he also did not want to go in there without backup from not only Aerith, but also Luigi and Nanaki. Still, he did not want his partners to face Bowser and the Koopalings alone. However, Luigi soon gave Mario his answer.
"You, Aerith, and Nanaki take care of Sephiroth," Luigi told his brother. "The others and I will deal with Bowser.."
"I'll go with you," Nanaki stated. "You'll want to deal with this Bowser and his Koopalings quickly. I can help you do that with my Materia loadout. Once he's beaten, Luigi and I can go into the Lifestream to help out Mario and Aerith against Sephiroth.
"Will Mario and Aerith be able to hold out long enough Sephiroth to wait for you?" Goombario asked.
"We can," Aerith answered.
"How do you know?" Goombario asked.
"I have a feeling that we're a better match against Sephiroth than it would appear on paper," Aerith answered.
"Also, take the Crystal Stars as well as the Star Spirits," Luigi told Mario. "You'll need their power against Sephiroth more than I will against Bowser."
Mario nodded as he accepted the Crystal Stars and the Star Spirits, each of who appeared and gave Mario a confident smile. He then looked ahead and directed Dribble, "Dribble, fly us over the crater so we can jump out and into it; then take the cab relatively close to the Koopas and drop off the others."
"Got it," Dribble answered.
As Dribble turned the cab towards the large crater, Mario looked over at Aerith and asked, "Ready?"
"Hopefully," Aerith answered with as much levity in her voice as she could. Mario then reached out and grabbed her hand.
"I'll guide us down," he told her.
"We're over the jump site!" Dribble called back.
Mario nodded and then opened the rear passenger door. Both he and Aerith then jumped out of cab, hand in hand. Using his cape, Mario guided their controlled descent so that they would not crash into any outcroppings in the crater. After a short descent, they made it into the crater and guided themselves towards its bottom. After a bit, they managed to catch a turquoise glow emanating from below. They were nearing the Lifestream. Mario immediately focused his energy and drew in the power of all the Power Stars he had on him into himself. He could instantly feel his speed, strength, and cognitive ability greatly increase. Not only that, but he could feel the power of his Star Spirit Powers and Crystal Star Powers increase proportionately. This was the power he needed to defeat Sephiroth. He could not help but feel that he might not need Luigi to rush against Bowser and the Koopalings, that he and Aerith could actually beat Sephiroth on their own.
As he drew the power of the stars, a shield formed around his body as well. He knew that this would protect him against the effects of the Lifestream on both his body and mind. However, he could also feel that this shield and the constant pressure that it was under would drain the energy from the stars very quickly. Looking over at Aerith, he went to inform her of the new development.
"Aerith, I think my Star Shield will only last for ten, maybe fifteen minutes at most. We'll have to take down Sephiroth quickly."
"Don't worry Mario," Aerith assured him. "This fight will be over before then, one way or the other."
Mario nodded and gripped his Fire Flower tightly and used the Crystal Star power, Power Lift to boost his and Aerith's offensive and defensive strength while Aerith readied her staff as the two neared the Lifestream. After a couple seconds, the two entered the Lifestream with nary a splash to be seen, though one would have heard one had they been present at the duo's entry.
Inside the Lifestream, Aerith could feel the thoughts and dreams of everyone who had ever been on the Planet flooding into her mind. Using a mental exercise she had learned during her life before Meteorfall, she tuned out the flood of thoughts, emotions, and memories, focusing solely on the mission at hand: the defeat of Sephiroth. As she did so, she could hear and feel the voices quieting, almost as if they did not want to distract her. However, she could also feel something else. She could feel the sickness inside the Lifestream. Sephiroth's cruelty, malice, insanity permeated the Lifestream, which made Aerith glad that she could tune out thoughts and emotions that were flooding into her mind.
Mario continued to hold her hand and she focused her attention on him, using him as an anchor to keep herself grounded as they went through the Lifestream. The duo soon landed on what looked to be a floating rock. Looking around them, they saw several floating rocks and the two jumped to each of them, the jumps taking them further into the Lifestream.
It was not long before they managed to find Sephiroth, standing on a floating rock armed with his Masamune sword, his hair seemingly fluttering in the breeze, though there was no wind to speak of. When they arrived, he raised his head and looked directly at them.
"So, you finally arrived," he said in his usual calm tone. "I must say I'm impressed. However, this will be your journey's end. You will not defeat me. I have the power of a planet at my disposal. Even with all your power, you can't fight against that."
"That remains to be seen, Sephiroth," Mario retorted as he drew his hammer, ready to start the battle of his life. Aerith also held out her staff, not willing to call in her Summons or use her stronger spells until they had a feel for Sephiroth's abilities.
Sephiroth looked over at Aerith and gave an evil smirk. "Just so you know, Zack, Cloud, and the others can't wait for you to rejoin them. They want to spend their last few moments with you before they are purged entirely."
"That's for the Lifestream to decide," Aerith replied with a confident grin. "If you want me to rejoin it, then make me."
Sephiroth's gaze narrowed on the heroes as he raised his sword. Then, with blinding speed, he charged then, forcing them to dodge his initial charge. The final battle against Sephiroth had begun.
Back outside the crater, the Dribble Taxi had landed near the crash site of the Starship Mario and had come to a stop. Once it had come to a stop, the doors immediately opened and the heroes surged out of the cab and made a beeline towards the Koopas. As they did so, Luigi let the power of his Power Stars flow through him. He did not want to take the risk of Bowser being stronger than he was last time. While he felt confident in his ability to beat the Koopalings due to his party having superior numbers, he did not want to foolishly underestimate the Koopas. Once the party had emerged from the cab, the Dribble Taxi backed a safe distance away with the cabbies hoping and praying to the Stars that Mario, Luigi, and their friends would be successful in their quest.
Over at the crashed Starship Mario, Kamek was making the finishing touches on the repairs for the ship. The process had gone far faster than the Magikoopa had expected and he would be finished in only half the time he had told Bowser. While it would need the power of a Grand Star to achieve orbit, that would not be a problem for them since they had one. However, just as he was about to finish the repairs and allow the Starship Mario to fly once more, he heard the sound of rapid footfalls approaching, something that had caught the ears of the other Koopas as well. Turning around, the Koopas saw the ranks of Luigi, his party members, and Nanaki lined up before them, causing their eyes to go wide. Their appearance had been so sudden that Ludwig had almost let go of the containment field surrounding the Mako ball.
"Luigi?" Bowser gasped. "How did you get here so quickly?"
Luigi ignored the question. "Let that Mako ball disperse and surrender now," Luigi offered. He knew that Bowser would refuse but he decided to give him the offer anyway, hoping against hope that Bowser would not choose to fight and they could just go and help Mario defeat Sephiroth. Bowser, of course, refused.
"No!" he roared. "In fact, how about I fry you right now!"
With that, Bowser unleashed a stream of flame from his mouth onto Luigi and the others present. Luigi took to the sky using his cape while Vivian and Bow pulled most of the other allies into the shadows or made them intangible. Kooper, Koops, and Parakarry ducked into their shells so as to avoid the worst of the flames. As soon as Bowser unleashed his flames on the party, the Koopalings joined in, forcing Kamek to shift his focus from repairing the Starship Mario to keeping the containment field up over the Mako ball. The Koopalings fired numerous blasts of magic from their wands, targeting the still tangible partners, Nanaki, and Luigi.
Luigi went evasive in the air and managed to avoid all but one of the magical blasts. The last one, however, managed to tag him, striking his cape but not destroying it since the cape had been open at the time. Luigi floated back down to the ground and went to counterattack by powering an orb of lightning in his hand. When he landed, he unleashed his Thunderhand lightning ball at Ludwig, since he was crowded around Wendy, Roy, and Morton. The ball traveled too fast for Ludwig to react to and he took a direct hit, with the ball detonating upon impact and proceeding to damage Wendy, Roy, and Morton as well. Electricity arced across the bodies of the four Koopalings and they went rigid for a few seconds, praying that the Thunderhand lightning ball had not paralyzed them. However, they would not be fighting alone for long.
The rest of the Koopalings quickly came to their siblings' aid and fired off more magical blasts at Luigi while also targeting Nanaki. Unfortunately, for the Koopalings, Nanaki's Reflect Ring had taken effect the moment he entered battle. As such, a reflector shield formed over his body and managed to reflect their blasts back at them. The Koopalings took the hits and were forced backwards by the impacts of their spells.
Nanaki soon went on the offensive as he closed his eyes and cast Ultima on the party. Bowser and his children ducked into their shells as green waves of energy were unleashed by Nanaki upon their party. The waves washed over the Koopas and they did their best to absorb the hits but the spell still inflicted significant damage to the Koopas even through their shells. It was bad enough that the spell knocked Wendy and Morton onto their backs while still inflicting severe enough damage to Ludwig and Roy that they eventually emerged from their shells, dizzy and confused. The other Koopalings fared little better as they also suffered catastrophic damage from the spell.
Nanaki grinned as he saw the Koopalings struggle against their might. He then took the opportunity to cast Shield over the entire party. The Koopalings' eyes could only go wide as they suddenly realized that for as long as Shield was up, that most of their attacks, save for non-elemental spells and battle items, the latter of which they had none of, were useless. And if Nanaki's Reflect Ring were still active, he would be all but invulnerable. Still, they were not out of the fight yet.
"The Materia!" Ludwig cried as he managed to shake off the cobwebs from the fight. "Get the Materia! It's our only chance against them!"
Seeing his older brother's wisdom, Bowser Jr. rushed over to the chest that had the mastered Materia they had taken with them for just this type of problem. He opened it and went to reach inside.
"Not so fast!" Luigi cried in response as he powered another Thunderhand lightning ball. Tossing it over to the chest of Materia, the ball struck the chest and exploded, shattering a lot of the Materia and scattering the rest. The ball also inflicted a lot of damage to Bowser Jr. and the hit was like getting stomped on by Mario for the youngest son of Bowser.
As the intact Materia hit the ground, Kooper curled into his shell and spun around rapidly, generating flames around his shell. After a few moments, he rocketed across the battlefield seeking out the scattered Materia, using the flames on his shell to incinerate them and reduce them to ash. After a minute or so, all of the Materia that Bowser and the Koopalings had gathered during their trip to Gaia was destroyed. The Koopalings could only watch in horror.
"Now what'll we do?" Lemmy whined. And things were about to get worse.
While Kooper was destroying the Materia, Vivian took the opportunity to twirl her fingers and perform a Fiery Jinx on the entirety of the Koopa's party. The Koopas's shells and bodies instantly erupted into flames and they immediately went to the ground in an attempt to smother the flames. They actually got help when Sushie performed a Tidal Wave move on them and sent a massive wall of water headed straight for them. The wave crashed down upon them and washed them several dozen yards away. While the water thankfully extinguished their flames, the pounding of the water and them being deposited many yards away was enough to take all but Bowser out of the fight.
Bowser made one last stand against the allied force by attempting to breathe fire on them since the effects of Nanaki's Reflect Ring had just worn off. However, he would have to contend with Luigi instead as the plumber unleashed a Thunderhand lightning bolt on the Koopa King. The bolt of lightning scored a direct hit on Bowser and electricity arced across his body as his body seized up and he gave a groan of pain as he fell to the ground, defeated. All that was left was Kamek and the partners knew that they could deal with him.
With the Koopalings having been defeated, the heroes took stock of themselves so they would be fully ready to help Mario face Sephiroth. They had been surprised at how easily Bowser and his children had been defeated. Luigi figured that his Star Power really helped increase the power of his attacks. He then looked over at Kamek and then back at the partners and Nanaki.
"Nanaki and I will go to Mario and Aerith's aid," he told them. "You all go and deal with Kamek. You can beat him, right?"
"You bet we can," Goombella exclaimed in reply.
"Good," Luigi said, nodding. "You all deal with him and that Mako ball while we finish off Sephiroth."
"Got it," the Goomba answered as she led the others to Kamek, who was in no position, or condition, to fight all of the party members.
As for Luigi and Nanaki, they immediately charged towards the crater, Luigi making sure he still had his cape and gripping his Ultra Hammer while Nanaki just charged forward, knowing he still had plenty of magical power to help deal with Sephiroth. As they approached the crater, though, a dozen Shadow Creepers and a dozen Clones of Sephiroth erupted from the crater and proceeded to make their way towards the two heroes, prompting them to glare at them and grunt.
Luigi then looked back and called to the partners, "Guys, we may need a few of you to come over to help here."
"What is it?" Goombella called back in reply.
"A dozen Shadow Creepers and Clones of Sephiroth," Luigi answered.
That got the partners' attention and Goombella, Goombario, and Parakarry immediately went back to help Luigi. However, as they were about to arrive, Nanaki stepped forward and said, "Don't worry Luigi. I've got a Summon that can handle this."
"Wait," Luigi cautioned. "We don't want to waste magic against these guys if we can avoid it. I've got several area of effect items we can use so don't have to use Knights of Round against them just yet. Let's save that for facing down Sephiroth."
Nanaki could see the wisdom in Luigi's plan and nodded in agreement, accepting one of Luigi's Thunder Rages while he handed an Ice Storm to Goombario and Goombella, each, and a Shooting Star to Parakarry. They then formed a line to face down the Shadow Creepers and the Clones of Sephiroth.
As for the Clones of Sephiroth, one of them drew out a sword and pointed it towards Luigi and the others. Then as one, the Clones of Sephiroth and the Shadow Creepers charged towards the heroes. Raising their attack items high, Luigi let loose with one of his Shooting Stars, causing stars to rain down upon the ranks of the Shadow Creepers and Clones of Sephiroth. All of this was done while Goombario and Goombella activated their Ice Storms and sent freezing winds and snow towards the monsters arrayed against them. Nanaki followed up with the Thunder Rage, causing lightning to rain down upon the monsters while Parakarry finished up with his Shooting Star, raining even more stars down upon the Shadow Creepers and Clones of Sephiroth.
Since these Clones of Sephiroth did not have the same constitution as those faced by Aerith during the Ninja Tournament, or even those that had attacked Cosmo Canyon, they fell to the withering assault unleashed upon them by the heroes. As for the Shadow Creepers, though, they were never that powerful to begin with and they, too, met their end due to the assault.
Once the battle was over, Luigi and Nanaki took one look at each other before heading towards the crater. However, as they did so, Eldstar telepathically appeared to them and told them, "Wait, go and keep Kamek contained for the moment. Mario and Aerith have this. I'll contact you if we need any additional help."
Luigi had his misgivings about the communiqué but he was not connected to the Lifestream in any way, so he doubted that Sephiroth could get into his mind that easily without him knowing. As such, he decided to take Eldstar's advice and go back to help the others keep Kamek from taking any action that could endanger the mission. Once he, Nanaki, and the others arrived, he gave his ultimatum.
"Kamek, lower the containment field and disperse the Mako ball at once," he commanded.
The Magikoopa, seeing the forces that were arrayed against him could only slump forward in defeat. He had no chance whatsoever of defeating them in battle. The only thing he could do at the moment was wait for the inevitable to come.
As for Mario and Aerith, they were fighting relatively evenly with Sephiroth in physical combat. Mario's Star Power had closed the speed gap between the two significantly so he could fight evenly against the former SOLDIER in hand-to-hand combat, or sword to hammer combat as was the case in this fight. The former SOLDIER had repeatedly attempted to stab or cut the plumber in half only for Mario to either dodge or parry the blow. While the few hammer swings Mario had launched at Sephiroth failed to connect with the silver-haired fighter, he could not help but be satisfied with how the fight was going. Sephiroth attempted to stab Mario once more, only for the plumber to see the attack coming and dodge it to the left. As Sephiroth attempted to launch another attack, Aerith came in and swung her staff at his head. He attempted to dodge the swing but had not seen the attack coming soon enough and she managed to score a hit on his shoulder. The strike did not inflict any damage but that was only due to the Shield that he had raised over himself. Had he not had a Shield over himself, he felt that the strike would have hurt, for he could feel a tingle as the Shield strained to hold back her swing. Apparently, Aerith had undergone some training while inside the Lifestream. Either that or she was far stronger in her previous life than he had initially guessed.
He then turned around and slashed at the half-Cetra's throat, only for Aerith to catch his blade with her staff. He attempted to have the blade ride down the staff and cut her only for him to be blindsided by Mario. The full force of an Ultra Hammer smash came down on the former SOLDIER's head, even managing to pierce the Shield that he had erected over himself before the duo had arrived. The impact caused Sephiroth to lurch forward and issue of grunt of pain as the smash actually hurt. It was far stronger than Mario's previous hammer smashes had been, indicating that whatever power Mario was using, the plumber was not quite accustomed to it and it granted a significant power boost.
Seeing that he needed to make this a magic battle, the former SOLDIER backed off and prepared to unleash a blast of Thundaga on the duo, knowing that Mario could switch to a Hammer Suit and make himself immune to Firaga. Mario, seeing the attack coming, took to the air and opened his cape in order for it to take the blow without it suffering any damage in the process. As for Aerith, her Lightning Materia linked to an Elemental made it so she was immune to Thundaga, something that caught Sephiroth completely off guard. While the Thundaga blast that had targeted Mario did, indeed hit his cape, it did not vanish, and the plumber was quick to retaliate.
Wanting to test Sephiroth's elemental defenses, he took out a Thunderbolt attack item and raised it high. Almost immediately, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and crashed into Sephiroth, catching him off guard. Electricity arced across his body and he grunted from the hit as it inflicted noticeable damage. Sephiroth retaliated with a cast of Freeze upon Mario. As he was casting the spell, and seeing the icicles form, Mario quickly drew out his Penguin Suit and put it on. He knew that it would not completely negate the damage but it would blunt it and quite possibly with his Star Power boost, allow him to not lose the power-up in the process. Soon a pillar of ice formed around him and converged on him. He jumped up and only took a glancing hit but it still inflicted noticeable damage. Fortunately, though, it did not cause him to lose his Penguin Suit.
The plumber quickly retaliated by firing off a barrage of fireballs from his Fire Flower as well as tossing a series of ice balls granted to him by the Penguin Suit. Sephiroth deflected most of the strikes with perfectly timed swings of his sword but he could feel that these balls were heavier than before, similar to him having to deflect hammers from the Hammer Suit, which meant that they contained far more power than the previous iterations had. He had to be careful in how he fought the plumber now.
To make matters worse, while he was deflecting the fireballs and ice balls, Aerith had added her own weight to Mario's attack. Seeing a unique opportunity, she cast Flare on the former SOLDIER. Almost immediately, four Flares erupted towards Sephiroth far faster than he had expected, indicating that Aerith had increased magical power as well as increased speed. He attempted to counter by using Blizzaga to blunt the blow and while the large ball of ice did blunt the first Flare, the others managed to score direct hits on him. In addition, after firing off his barrage of fireballs and ice balls, Mario used his last Thunderbolt on Sephiroth, managing to inflict even more damage to the former SOLDIER.
Sephiroth soon decided that it was time to start fighting seriously. He began the next phase of the fight by casting Shadow Flare on Aerith, hoping to take her out so he could focus on Mario. Aerith, however, had other ideas and the shadowy fireballs rocketed towards her, she cast Reflect over herself and Mario. The shadowy fireballs struck her shield and were immediately reflected back at Sephiroth, forcing the former SOLDIER to endure his own attack. The grunted from the hit and staggered backwards. Mario quickly added more fire in the form of his fireballs and ice balls. Each hit sent Sephiroth staggering backwards. Aerith then fired off one more magical spell, using Break to cause the ground to rise up from beneath the former SOLDIER and engulf him. It then shattered, inflicting tremendous damage to him. It continued to do this four times until the Quadra Magic effect ran out. By that time, Sephiroth had had enough. He lurched forward and fell to one knee.
"Incredible," he muttered. "You really have come so far. Now it's time for this battle to end," he declared.
With that, the former SOLDIER's body was engulfed in a bright light that almost blinded Mario and Aerith, forcing them to cover their eyes. The light soon transformed and began to expand. Aerith could only grit her teeth as she told Mario, "Sephiroth's transforming into Safer Sephiroth. He's going to be a lot stronger in this form."
Mario nodded and figured that this was as good a time as any to heal up with a Jelly Ultra so he would be at full strength for whatever else Sephiroth would throw at them. He also took out a Hammer Suit and transformed into Hammer Mario, figuring that the additional defenses of the Hammer Suit, as well as his Defend Plus badge would help him weather whatever Sephiroth could throw at him. Aerith took an Elixir in order to restore her magical energy since she knew that Safer Sephiroth was incredibly powerful. She would need to pull out all the stops if they were to defeat him.
Looking back at Sephiroth, they saw the light begin to fade and in the place of the former human SOLDIER, a being that resembled Sephiroth stood, but also significantly different from before. Sephiroth was now a quadruped creature that had a white wing for one of his arms and long, flowing white hair. He no longer had his sword but Mario figured that he would not need it. He almost looked angelic but it was clear to both Mario and Aerith that there was something wrong about him.
Once Sephiroth had finished his transformation, rose into the air and looked down at the two heroes standing before him and declared, "Now you die. De-Spell."
Almost instantly, the Reflect shield over both Mario and Aerith vanished. Safer Sephiroth quickly followed it up with a Shadow Flare. Black flaming orbs erupted at Mario and Aerith far faster than before and Mario barely had time to duck into his shell before the orbs that were targeting him collided with him. His shell managed to protect him from the worst of it but he still suffered some damage from the attack as he felt the force of the hits as well as the heat from the unnatural and non-elemental flames. As for Aerith, her magical defenses allowed her to survive the attack and she managed to bat away a couple of the orbs but it was nowhere close to enough as she took direct hits from the rest of the orbs. Each impact forced her back a few steps and it came to the point where she was precariously close to the edge. However, she managed to keep herself from falling over and was able to recover, though her clothes were smoking and her jacket had been burned off, leaving her only in her light pink sleeveless dress.
Aerith gritted her teeth as she cast Curaga over herself and Mario, hoping to repair the damage dealt to the Hammer Suit as well. Sephiroth did not let up, though, and he soon unleashed a Pale Horse attack on the heroes. Blue waves of energy lashed out at the two heroes, forcing them to go on the defensive once more.
"Wall," Aerith muttered as she erected a shield over herself and Mario that would halve the damage taken from physical and magical attacks. Her Wall greatly blunted the effects of Pale Horse and each one only felt like a moderate punch to the sternum for Aerith. For Mario, though, the Wall, combined with his Hammer Suit's shell, prevented him from suffering any damage. Once the attack had finished, the heroes decided that it was time to go on offense and to use their strongest techniques against Sephiroth that they could.
First up, Mario cast Power Lift on himself and Aerith once more, increasing their already boosted offense and defense even further. While he was casting Power Lift, Aerith immediately decided to start using Summons to help fight Safer Sephiroth.
"Summoning Knights of Round!" she cried as she focused her power on summoning one of the most powerful Summon she could.
Almost immediately, the Knights of Round appeared on the battlefield and charged towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth smirked. He had faced these Summons before and this time it would be no different. He was about to cast Ultima on the Knights using Quadra Magic and W-Magic, which would hurt, if not kill, all of the Knights, as well as Mario and Aerith. However, before he could do so, stars rained down upon him, preventing him from casting the spell before the Knights could arrive and assail Sephiroth. Sephiroth looked over at Mario and saw the plumber being supported by that purple mustachioed Star Spirit.
As for the Knights, they did not waste time coming at him one at a time. Seeing the distraction as their golden chance, they converged on him all at once. The ranged attackers stayed back and cast their Fire, Ice, and Comet spells at the ascended former SOLDIER while the close range combat Knights slashed and thrust their weapons at Sephiroth. The ascended former SOLDIER attempted to evade the attacks but it was not to be as the Knights converged on him, making it impossible to evade them. All together they managed to slash and skewer the former SOLDIER and inflict massive damage upon him, far greater than Sephiroth would have expected. After the last sword slash had scored its hit on Safer Sephiroth and even managed to draw blood, the ranged attackers came in and launched their attacks on the former SOLDIER, burning, freezing, and bombarding him with energy meteors. Once the attacks were finished, the Knights vanished, snapping back to where they had come from. Despite the incredible damage inflicted on Safer Sephiroth, he was still able to fight. And he was about to cast his ultimate Limit Break on Aerith and Mario.
"This ends here," he declared as a ball of fire formed over his head.
Recognizing this as a prelude to Supernova, Mario took out a Super Star and tossed it to Aerith. "Use it once he launches the Supernova," he called over to her.
The half-Cetra woman nodded and gripped the star as Mario took out both his Vanish Cap and his Metal Cap. He wished that he had a second Super Star, but he was down to only one Super Star since he and Luigi had used the others in their previous match against Sephiroth and during their missions and he felt that this one would be best in the hands of Aerith. He just hoped that his Vanish Cap and/or his Metal Cap would allow him to endure Supernova and that his intangibility would allow him to not take any damage.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, Sephiroth pointed his hand and wing down at the heroes, crying, "Supernova!"
A massive ball of flame rocketed towards the heroes and that was the cue for Aerith to use the Super Star and for Mario to put on his Vanish Cap. They did so just as the ball of fire was about to make contact with them. It soon struck the rock they were standing on and exploded with far greater force than Mario remembered. Fortunately, his Vanish Cap seemed to protect him from the effects of the Supernova, which may well have had the actual power of a supernova, or at least the power of a planet destroying attack. Looking over at Aerith, he saw that the Super Star that he had given her was protecting her against the attack just as effectively as she was showing no signs of strain. The Supernova's explosion lasted for quite a while and Mario could feel his Vanish Cap's time running out so he put on his Metal Cap to extend his time of invulnerability. The explosion lasted until the Metal Cap almost timed out as well but the cap's power managed to outlast the explosion, as did the Super Star's power for Aerith.
Once Safer Sephiroth's Supernova dissipated, he looked down and saw that Mario and Aerith were still unharmed. He seethed as he realized that he would not have an easy win against them. Even though they had survived his Supernova Limit Break, he knew that they had used up valuable items in doing so and that he might be able to take them out with his more conventional spells. However, Mario and Aerith still had powerful spells of their own.
Sephiroth began the assault by unleashing another Shadow Flare on the two heroes. Mario ducked into his shell once more while Aerith cast Wall over herself and Mario. Once more, an opaque shield flared into existence over them and managed to greatly blunt Sephiroth's attack. Aerith was not finished, though.
"Bahamut Fury!" she called as she cast another Summoning spell.
Almost immediately, the golden majestic dragon appeared on the battlefield and began powering up an Exaflare attack. Sephiroth countered by casting Shield and Reflect over himself but it was to no avail as Mario concentrated and used the Star Spirit power Star Beam on Sephiroth, instantly collapsing his Shield and Reflect barriers. This allowed Exaflare to score a direct hit on Sephiroth, inflicting even more damage on the ascended former SOLDIER. The impact of the beam forced him back several yards and he grunted from the beam's impact. Mario also went all out, pulling out every stop as he went to cast his own Supernova on Sephiroth. A ball of fire erupted from a Crystal Star that Mario had summoned and rocketed towards Sephiroth, striking him squarely in the chest and detonating. While this Supernova did not have star-busting power behind it, it was still quite strong and without any defensive shields over him, the former SOLDIER was forced to endure the entirety of the attack. After the attack had dissipated, Mario could see that Sephiroth was on his last legs as burns, cuts, and bruises marred his once pristine body. It would not be long now.
The duo went to end the fight now as Mario readied the hammers from his Hammer Suit and proceeded to toss them at Sephiroth before the former SOLDIER could cast another spell. Aerith went all out, summoning a tactical version of Holy.
"Holy!" she called as she held her hands forward, taking the Holy Materia piece from her hair and holding it out in front of her.
Almost immediately, a blue beam of energy erupted from the Materia piece and lashed out at Safer Sephiroth. The beam pierced Sephiroth squarely in the chest and he slumped forward and fell out of the air and to the ground. He hit the ground with a massive thud and fell down upon hitting the ground. As soon as he fell, the feathers on his wing arm began to fade and break apart into sparkles of energy to be carried away by the Lifestream. His body then began to dissolve before them but Mario and Aerith both knew not to lower their guard. And their caution was rewarded, for while Safer Sephiroth's body vanished, it was not the end of Sephiroth just yet. In the place of the angelic Safer Sephiroth was a normal Sephiroth only with one black wing extending from his back. The former SOLDIER also had Masamune once more. He stood up and went to face the heroes, but as he did so, the duo could not help but notice that he was breathing heavily and he that his coat and body were marred with numerous cuts. Still, Sephiroth was not dead yet. And he would not go down without one last fight, a fight that Mario and Aerith were eager to end, and win.
Mario and Aerith prepared themselves for the next phase of the battle as they looked across at Sephiroth. Despite the damage that the former SOLDIER had taken and the fact that he was no longer in his angelic form, Mario had the feeling that the silver-haired fighter still had a lot of fight left in him.
"Don't let your guard down," Aerith cautioned. "He's not out of this yet."
Mario nodded in acknowledgment and drew out two hammers to toss at the former SOLDIER, knowing that if Sephiroth engaged them in close combat, that his Hammer Suit's shell would offer good protection against his sword. The plumber, however, hoped that it would not come to that, though, as he and Aerith stood side by side as they faced down the former SOLDIER.
Sure enough, Sephiroth came charging at them, holding out his Masamune sword. Mario countered by tossing a volley of hammers at the former SOLDIER while Aerith cast Tornado on him using Quadra Magic to cast it four times. Sephiroth, seeing that the tornadoes were the greater threat, proceeded to do his best to avoid them. Unfortunately, this caused him to stumble into Mario's hammer volley. Using his sword, he managed to deflect the first hammer but the force of the hammer's impact was enough that it knocked his sword out of position and before Sephiroth could swing his sword to deflect the second hammer, it struck him in the head, causing him to stagger a few steps backwards and precariously close to the tornadoes. Mario continued his assault as Sephiroth attempted to cast Sleepel on Mario, only for Mario's Feeling Fine badge to protect him from being put to sleep. Sephiroth sustained more hits from Mario's hammers, the force of the impacts causing him to step into one of the tornadoes.
The moment Sephiroth was forced into the first tornado, he could feel the force of the winds tearing at his clothes and body. Small twigs, leaves, loose stones, and discarded hammers from Mario's Hammer Suit suddenly became deadly projectiles as they spun around in the tornado. Mario added to the deadly tornado by bringing out his Fire Flower and unleashing a barrage of fireballs into the tornado, turning it into a Fire Tornado. He did this with the other tornadoes and transformed them into fire tornadoes, too. The deadly debris, now ignited and/or superheated by Mario's fireballs made the tornado even deadlier for Sephiroth as he was now not only having to worry about his body being torn apart, but also having to worry about being burned alive by the fire as the burning and superheated debris made contact with his skin. And to make matters worse, Sephiroth had to endure this assault three more times, with Mario tossing more hammers and fireballs into the mix.
Eventually, the Tornado spell came to a merciful end, though once the tornado dissipated and the dust settled it became clear that Sephiroth truly was on his last legs. His coat was in tatters and looked like it was about to fall off and his single black wing was nowhere to be seen, having been incinerated in the fire tornadoes. He stumbled forward and fell to one knee, his coat falling off and revealing his bare chest now covered with numerous cuts and burns. How could this be happening to him right now? How could he be losing like this to Mario and Aerith? He understood Mario gaining a great deal more power from using the Power Stars but this was on a whole different level. Then there was Aerith. While she had a great deal of magical power during her life, she was not a match for him and when they had battled previously in the Lifestream, he had had the upper hand before she had returned to the land of the living. How could she be so much stronger now? The only explanation for her was that she had learned a lot about magic and the Lifestream while she was in it. He even began to wonder if she really even needed the Materia she had slotted into her staff and armor to use their spells.
Sephiroth grimaced as he realized that he had committed the cardinal sin of battle: he had underestimated his opponents. Not only that, he had overestimated his own abilities. He had believed that joining with the Lifestream would grant him god-like powers and while it had, indeed, done just that; he had not gained the necessary knowledge on how to use such powers effectively. All the while, Aerith had spent five centuries inside the Lifestream and Mario had been surrounded by the power of the Stars for years, if not his whole life. They knew the ins and outs of the power they used while he did not. It then dawned on him that Bowser had made the same mistake when wielding the Star Rod some years ago against Mario. He seethed in realization that his mistake would make this battle far harder than he had initially imagined.
Realizing just how powerful Mario really was, he was suddenly happy that Luigi had not joined Mario and Aerith in the battle. He was also very thankful for the arrival of Bowser and the Koopalings when they had. While he could feel that they had been beaten with contemptuous ease, they had still made it so that he would not have been facing Luigi and Nanaki in addition to Mario and Aerith.
Stepping forward and lifting his sword, he knew that he could not win a physical engagement against Mario and Aerith any more. He had taken too much damage and even though his magical reserves were practically infinite due to having the power of the Lifestream, he was realizing that with all the secrets that Aerith knew, that he might not win a magical battle against the duo that was standing before him. He only had one chance: his Limit Break Supernova. Fortunately, he could feel the energy welling within him and his limits breaking. He still had a shot of winning this, but it would have to end here. This was his only chance.
Slinging his sword over his back, he held his hands high and a ball of energy formed in them. Aerith took one look at this and knew that Sephiroth was about to cast Supernova once more. She looked over at Mario to see if he had any more Super Stars or other items that allowed for intangibility. Mario shook his head in the negative. He was about to toss some hammers and fireballs at Sephiroth so that it would be mutual kill, but Aerith shook her head instead. Judging from the look on her face, though, she was not about to admit defeat. Instead, it looked as if she had a plan.
"Mario, come to me!" she called.
The plumber went over to her and when he arrived, he said, "So, you do have a plan, right?"
"Yeah," Aerith answered confidently.
"What is it?"
"This," Aerith answered. She then looked into the sky out of the crater and cried, "Great Gospel Version One!" The moment she did so, it began to rain.
Mario's eyes went wide as she cried out "Great Gospel", fearing that she was going to use the Limit Break to cleanse the Lifestream before Sephiroth was dead, allowing it to be re-infected and all their plans come to naught.
"Don't worry," Aerith assured him. "This is the standard Great Gospel. It will not only heal us but also make us invulnerable."
"Will it protect us from his Supernova?"
"If your Super Star was able to protect me against it, then Great Gospel should work to protect both of us."
Mario was satisfied with the answer and simply looked forward as Sephiroth cast his Supernova Limit Break on them while the rain from Great Gospel hit them, even through the Star Power shield Mario had erected to protect him from the Lifestream's effects. The moment the rain hit him, he felt all fatigue and lethargy leave him. Not only was he fully healed of any of the cuts or bruises sustained from the battle, he also felt his Star Power return, allowing him to cast his Star Powers from the Star Spirits and Crystal Stars. In addition, another shield form over his body that he could feel protecting him from the Supernova as it fell between them and detonated, engulfing them in flames. The shield, however, held with no indications of any strain whatsoever. Mario knew that the shield would not last forever, but it did not need to. It only needed to last long enough for them to endure the Supernova and allow them to retaliate and finish off Sephiroth once and for all.
Indeed, after ten more seconds, the Supernova dissipated and both Mario and Aerith emerged from the center of the blast completely unscathed. They then focused their attention on Sephiroth. It was time to end this battle once and for all. This time, they would pull out all the stops and leave nothing of Sephiroth behind.
Mario went first and stepped forward as he extended his hand towards the former SOLDIER. Feeling the power of the Star Beam, he could feel the Star Power from the Power Stars also being infused with the beam and he knew that when it hit Sephiroth, it would be devastating. Folding his hands, he used Star Beam on Sephiroth and a beam of Star energy rained down on the silver-haired fighter, inflicting catastrophic damage to the man.
While Mario was casting Star Beam, Aerith was preparing to cast Holy once more. She took hold of the Holy Materia once more and held it forward. As she did so, she cried, "Holy!"
The moment she uttered that one word, a blue beam of magic erupted from her hand and lashed out at Sephiroth just as he was enduring, or trying and failing to endure Mario's new Star Beam attack. This beam of Holy was far wider and stronger than the previous version, almost as if Great Gospel had powered up the spell. Aerith's Holy sealed Sephiroth's fate as it washed over him and it, combined with Mario's Star Beam, completely disintegrated him. When the spells had dissipated, there was nothing left of Sephiroth, not even dust or magical sparkles.
Wanting to make sure that Sephiroth was truly dead, Aerith closed her eyes and tried to scan for any presence that could indicate his survival. Mario also called upon the Star Spirits for confirmation of Sephiroth's demise. Aerith could sense no energy or abnormal magic around them save for the Star Spirits that were helping Mario and the Crystal Stars.
Eldstar also appeared to Mario and confirmed, "I cannot sense Sephiroth's presence any more, save for his infection inside the Lifestream."
Mario and Aerith then breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was finished. They had killed Sephiroth. All that was left now was to cure the Lifestream.