For a few seconds, the three of us watched each him in silence. Now, Samus had turned her visor brightness up to maximum, and lime effulgence was casting light over the great, circular arena. I could fully see Ridley, in all his utter grotesqueness.

The dragon's body was mutilated. In some places were armor, and in others were his innards. Half of his face was skull, and the scrawny, decomposing neck was the only thing keeping his head on. Phazon plating was hanging loosely off of his rotting limbs. The open jaw bone was filled with highly sharpened teeth, and his wings were complete machine. The merciless sapphire eyes were blood curdling.

Ridley leaned forward, booming an ear-slitting shriek. Then he charged towards us, and we leaped to the sides to escape his attack. I dove with Samus, and U-Mos was on the other side of Ridley. The monster was standing over Dark Samus's body, uttering pitiful whimpers as he picked up the carcass in his claws. We all stared as he mourned.

I watched a lone tear gush from his eye, and it land softly on the gap in Dark Samus's chest. The real Samus pointed her gun at Ridley's rancid cranium, the barrel pulsed to attack. He didn't move a limb, except for tremble in mute sobs. I felt deep reaching grief for him.

Suddenly, the thin creature tightened his hands, crushing Dark Samus's corpse with snaps and spurts of Phazon blood. We all tensed as he let go of the remains, talons dripping bluely. Then, with a vicious sweep, Ridley's arm whacked into my chest, sending me careening backward and smashing into the veiny Leviathan wall. My breath was once again stolen from my lungs, and I sunk to the mushy floor with a mumbled groan.

Ridley got up from his crouched position, squawking menacingly at Samus and U-Mos. The beast stretched his robotic wings, and his long, half-rotted, half-droid tail thumped on the ground. With great beats, the demon lifted himself off the floor, making the chamber cool with the air his flaps produced.

U-Mos went and stood next to Samus, who I could tell was scanning the monster that flew overhead. I slowly got to my feet, scooting my way towards them and finally made it, with Ridley not caring about me personally and watching us intently.

"How many times do I have to kill you for you to stay dead?!" Samus screamed.

"Any useful information?" U-Mos asked in a softer tone, coming over to me after and checking the cracks in my Hazard Suit.

She sighed, but still kept her gaze hooked to the zombie dragon. "My scans say that 'ᾏРђѦ' Ridley is somewhat immortal, and the new leader of the armies from Phaze II. He's been entrusted with one heck of an assignment. After I beat him in his Omega form, someone tried to piece together his putrefied body parts -doing a terrible job, mind you- in an attempt to bring him back. He's been enhanced with Phazon, which is the only thing that's keeping him from falling apart." Samus shivered. "I've seen a lot of disturbing things in my lifetime, but this has got to be one of the worst."

"What should we do?" U-Mos quickly ducked as a fireball whooshed above his head. Ridley cackled.

"He's weak all over the place. I guess we just shoot him till he dies," Samus fired a burst of her cannon, plastering Ridley straight in the chest. "Which luckily, is what I do best." She sent out a wave of missiles.

I looked up at U-Mos, and his expression was utterly confused. "I do not have any weaponry. How shall I help, hunters?"

I shrugged, Samus not listening. "Maybe you could use your mind powers, or something. I don't know, whatever floats your boat."

He considered this. "Is there any specific vulnerable part of ᾏРђѦRidley? If so, I could tamper with his brain to make him think he is experiencing pain."

Samus kept fighting, but was rereading her screening. "His mouth wound hasn't healed, and neither has his chest or hand scars. I suppose you could attack those, Rundas, U-Mos." The hunter blasted an exceptionally large missile that was covered in ice, and once it struck Ridley, his peeling neck was frozen over.

I gaped. How in the world did she do that?!

U-Mos placed his six fingers on his temples, closing his eyes and humming. Samus remained attacking, and I decided to stop standing and do something, so I lifted my arms and shot ice at ᾏРђѦ up as thickly and dangerously as I could.

I made my mark several times, and, on a few of the spears, they sunk into his stringy guts, making the things bleed like crazy. We were all showered with the gory blue rain, and it seeped through the splits in my armor. I shivered. Ridley blood... Eww....

U-Mos caught my attention as he looked towards the beast, shouting in a low voice, "Lortnoc ЏҁӥїԎ!!" He threw his arms out widely, and red flash gleamed in the monster's eyes.

ᾏРђѦ's wings went inelastic, and he fell to the ground like a rock. Samus stopped shooting. U-Mos quickly put his fingers to his temples, mumbling more of his language, but keeping his gaze fixed on Ridley. We each watched the mangled body twitch and spout, with a garbled bellowing issuing from the open jaw that leaked boiling saliva. I was horrified, and Samus came to me, holding my arm.

I looked down at her in awe, feeling new comfort and happiness that she was this close to me. I smiled beneath my visor, recollection teetering on my mind.

My pleasure was broken by a sudden cry from U-Mos, who was holding his head and thrashing from side to side. His exclamations were pained, and he was digging his fingers into own his skin. Ridley stirred.

"He is... too strong..." U-Mos bawled, his fingers wetting from the gore cascading from the scratches. "I... can't..." He abruptly threw his head upward, screaming, "LOOK OUT!!"

I had barely enough time to shove Samus away from me as a clawed blur rushed forward. She gave a short clamor, but I cut her off as I howled when Ridley's hand smacked into me full on, throwing me backward into the wall. He got up from lying down, and crushed me beneath his degrading palm with another almighty roar. My bones and muscles were shooting numbness throughout my body, and I went limp as I felt my back start to give way.

Darkness began to invade my sight, and a relaxed feeling came over me, along with consoling warmth. I felt at peace, even though a part of my brain was wailing I was being flattened to death. Out of sheer bliss, I began to gradually let go.

"Oh no you don't, soulless corpse!!" I heard a distant voice screech, and then the pressure on my body faltered by an all-consuming light. There was blurt of surprise, and then I landed on the Leviathan's ground with a thump. More venomous shouts came from above me, but I dared not move, finally realizing the utter pain that was pulsing in every fiber of my being.

I was rolled gently only my searing back a second later, staring up at U-Mos. Little rivers of gold still ran down his face, but he seemed to have gathered his senses. His red eyes were thoughtful and his hands were skilled as he gently removed my sparking and splintered Hazard Suit, piece by piece.

I lolled my head over to Samus, who was completely wasting ᾏРђѦ Ridley like nobody's business. She was firing all sorts of missiles, charge shots and grapples at him that at this point, his body was nothing more than a shriveled, gangly, sinewy organ with legs, arms, and a head. I chuckled once, for it really hurt. "Man, she's a beast."

U-Mos pulled a shard of the Suit away and laid it on the ground. "That is what makes her so professional. I really admire her for that."

"Being a beast?"

He chortled. "No. Her dedication and care for her missions, and her friends. I wish I were more like her."

Samus had ripped off one of Ridley's arms, which lay fidgeting mindlessly. "Dang..." I got another laugh out of U-Mos.

"Can you stand? We must leave before-" he cut off as a heavy bang came from the left, and we both saw Samus standing in triumphant conquering over ᾏРђѦ Ridley.

She was sniggering and shooting her foe's cold and shredded body, saying teasingly, "What now, Ridley? I just kicked your butt for like, the millionth time? Ha! I always win!! You, Dark Samus, Mother Brain, and the X Parasites all suck!!" She turned with one last energy pelt at his lifeless face, walking to us as U-Mos helped me to my feet. He was hunched over so I could sling my arms around his shoulders. She sighed with satisfaction. "Well? Should we go? I've had my fun. Maybe that'll just about do it."

U-Mos checked a screen on his armor. "Actually yes. Now that ᾏРђѦ Ridley is dead, the rest of the armies are collapsing as well. The Chromia are all dying and if Phaaze II blows up, then the Phazon in all the galaxies will be destroyed. We must hurry in case the Leviathan Seed implodes, which will kill us all."

The two of them turned to leave, but I stopped them. "One problem. We jumped down this cliff, and unless you guys can float, we're not going anywhere."

Samus and U-Mos looked at each other. "Didn't think of that."

The Leviathan made a grousing noise, and the arena shuddered. The three of us watched the walls begin to drip Phazon, and then the pores we stood on secrete it. I and the others panicked when we heard rippling, and that's when the ceiling started to sink.