Tales of the Cosmic Wars Vol 2: A Star's Twilight

by Darth Necron

The second volume of the tale of Ben Auro as he joins with hero's like Mario, Sonic, Link, Samus Aran, Megaman X, Master Chief, Cloud and more to defeat the many groups of evil that threaten the cosmos. The more Ben fights, the more he faces the horrors of war, from the likes of Bowser, Ganondorf, Sephiroth, Sigma, Xemnas and more, to the darkness within. Character guide added!

7. C 62: Those That Never Stay Down

Chapter 69: Those That Don't Stand Down. The Internal Grudge .

---

Last time, in Tales of the Cosmic Wars, Ben and the others saw Mario reunite with, not just Geno, but, Prince Mallow, Rosalina, and the reformed Count Bleck . All of these people that the plumber has encountered have reunited with him on Nimbus land to help him, Ben and the others stop Bowser and his most ruthless plan yet!

They plan to break through the defenses the Zannacross Empire has set up around Bowser's castle, by summoning Rainbow Road to make a direct path to the Koopa Kings castle. Our group of heroes made a charge to rescue Princess Peach once more. Although Bowser may not be known for his brain power, he is not totally clueless. With Nightmare making sure things are going according to plan, Bowser sends a "Welcoming committee" for the gang. And soon a fleet of airships, under the command of the robotic lord Smithy and Bowser's other seven Koopa kids, were leading the assault! With not much time to waste, the group split up to divide the attacking forces. Even so, they had a handful of pain waiting for them. The Koopa kids attacked Doug's group with the massive Erde Kasier Bowser Mega Zord, and Smithy himself assaulted James's group. Still, while the opponents were not to be taken lightly, Doug and James used the fights to show that Ben was not the only one who had improved greatly over the many battles.

Doug showcased his three new master moves and tore apart the Koopa Kids oversize rip-off. Meanwhile, James unleashed the full powers of the Quincy mages with the Ginrei Kojkyaku and was able to make short work of Smithy. As for Ben's group, just as they were at the front gates of Bowser 's massive home, they were attacked by the deranged bean like madmen Fawful. While he seems more powerful than before, with Ben, Cloud, Mario, Hiryuumon ,Master Chief and the former Count Bleck all facing him it's not likely it will take too long to get through him. But with the ominous Monolith of judgment Nightmare set up almost ready to activate, they are running out of time! And if that's not enough pressure, it's revealed that the bounty hunter the Mushroom Kingdom hired to help fight off the Zannacross Empire was in fact Janus! And now he has arrived to destroy the black tower himself. How will this mysterious warrior's arrival to the battlefield change things? Time to find out, so let's get going!

---

We start off this chapter right where the last one left off. With Ben and co staring down the short, but feisty Fawful,while not very strong by himself has upgraded his battle gear. Now coming out of his head gear is not just his head propeller, but a large mechanical arm, a giant spiked club, a sword, a Chainsaw, and a plasma cannon! Despite how illogical it looks, Fawful seems to be using his weapon with no trouble, much to Ben's dismay! At the moment, Ben has just slashed in half a rocket being fired at him. He then tries to charge at his foe, but is greeted with an energy blast aiming for his head! He is able to deflect the blast, but because of it is not able to get out of the way of the giant fist launched at him! Ben gets punched into the castle gates hard and Fawful laughs. He does not have much time, as he sees Mario charging at him with his hammer!

The green fool hovers back and avoids a pounding, but Mario is fast and, before he even hits the ground, he fires a fireball at his foe, and succeeds at hitting him!

Fawful then screams in pain for his head is on fire. Soon he pushes another button on his head to whip out a giant hose! He then douses himself with water to put it out. He then stares angrily at the plumber and says

," Bah, too many times have suffered, have I, the stroke of heat, thanks to you ugly mustached hero! But this time it is I wipe you out with my rage!"

Hiryuumon jumps to the left of Fawful and says,"

I don't think so, little man! You're not going to stand in the way of me, the boss and everyone else!"

Fawful just looks at the dragon and says,

" HA! A small pup like you can only scare off mere flies! I'll swat you like the annoying pest you are and then roast you into fine toast!"

Digimon just gets angry and growls before saying," We will see who is about to become toasty! "

The digimon powers up, before starting his transformation! He then glows and soon is in his next level state. Now in his Champion form, the much bigger dragon looks at Fawful while saying,"

Hiryuumon Digivole to, Wyrmmon!

Alright, it's time I put an end to you and your bad jokes!"

Fawful then flies higher into the air and says," The only bad joke that is about to be put to an end is you! Size matters not. The might of me will be more than enough then to overcome a mere beast!"

Hearing this, Wyrmmon flies into the sky with his wings and charges up for an attack before saying,"

Enough! Stop wasting our time! Magma Cyclone!"

The red and purple skinned dragon fires a powerful fire attack at Fawful. But the insane laughing one aims his large hose and says," Not so fast, rotten fink-rat! This hose can douse more than flames set on myself! Drown in my anger!"

He then fires his hose at the fire attack and Wyrmmon soon finds out the hard way that it's more than a hose, it's a hydro cannon! The attack fizzles out the fire attack and blasts Wyrmmon with a column of water that's pressure is great enough to pin him to the ground! Fawful laughs once more and says

," Ha! Stupid beast, you cannot stop my parade of revenge!

You, and everyone else here will be flattened by my heel! AH!"

Just as he is about to resume his assault, he is hit from behind! Furious, he turns around and sees that it was Master Chief that blasted him with a Nikka rocket! The villain aims his many weapons at the elite armored Spartan solder and says,

" I have fury! An annoying fool like you will pay for taking the spot from my light!"

Master Chief just opens fire with his plasma rifle and says,

" The more they talk, the weaker they are."

This gets Fawful even madder and he flies erratically, before saying,

"Worthless bugs like you don't have enough style to know what true greatness is! Now, become road paste!"

He shoots both his plasma cannon and his Hydro cannon, but the elite member of the Titans is not only able to dodge the attacks, but throw a plasma grenade at Fawful in retaliation! However, the green foe uses his club attachment to swat it away and then grabs the soldier hard with his large mechanical hand! He then says,

"Now, time for you to taste your final moments, green tin can of annoyance! Gah!"

Fawful prepares to crush the Chief, but then Cloud steps in and, in a burst of speed, slices off the mechanical arm holding him! As Fawful flies back, Cloud gets in fighting stance and says,

"No more people will be lost to the likes of you! It's time we end this fun and stop Bowser from doing whatever crackpot idea he is up to."

This just causes Fawful to laugh even more and he says,

"Eeeyah, ha ha ha ha! I scoff at your dreams of stopping us! The power the forces helping us have is so great, they will sneeze you out like the germs you are! You are the idiots of foolishness! Such worthless little dreams will change nothing? Huh?"

The bad guy notices a vibration and turns around to see Ben is back up, and powering up! As his magic aura expands he says," Enough of this! I'll show you whose dreams are worthless. No matter how many freaks try and stop us, we will save this world! Now, time to end this."

Fawful gets a little nervous, but then says," Oh no, we can't have that. Even if you are an angry knight, I have too much firepower to lose!"

Ben just smiles and says," I'll admit you are armed to the teeth. In that case, time to call some back up. Multi Shadow clones!"

Ben casts a spell to create many copies of him. As two of his clones get behind him Fawful says,

"What trickery is this? It will not help you stop being crushed!"

Fawful fires off again and attacks the Ben group. However, with Ben having many versions of himself to cover his back, he is able to block and deflect the angry assault of Fawful. Then, to the green foe's dismay, he and his clones jump up and barrage him with blows! While he has many powerful gadgets, Fawful is not that durable by himself.

After being punched and kicked around like a ragtag doll for a while, Fawful tries to impale Ben with a lance that he has come out of his headgear!

However, Ben just slashes it in half with his Star Sword, and then slams his blade's hilt on the foe hard in the head!

This hits him hard and Fawful is sent flying to the ground, causing a large imprint. Ben lands on the ground for a moment and when he sees no movement he looks at Mario and says,

" So, think that was enough for him to get the message?"

Mario just shrugs and says," I don't know, he always was persistent like a cockroach. But, in any a case, we don't have too much time to waste, so let's a move!"

Ben nods and everyone prepares to blast open the front doors. But, at that moment, a large energy blast comes out of the hole Fawful made and would have blown Ben to bits, if it were not for his fast reaction time! A damaged and bruised Fawful emerges looking cross and says,

" I have max fury! Thinking that you could defeat me was a foolish thought! But, now you made me realize how annoying you can be! And that is why I will now deliver my final gift to you all!"

Yet another arm comes out of his headgear, and everyone is alarmed to see it's a giant bomb, with his face on it!

Cloud then says," How did he fit that in that thing? And is he crazy? He will blow himself up, along with us if he is keen on using a bomb that large!"

Mario then says," Well, he is crazy enough to do it."

Wyrmmon then says," I'll smash him before he has the chance!"

Fawful then hides behind his own bomb and says,"

Hold it, dragon, attack me once, and boom you all will go! Luckily for me I am wearing a bomb proof cape. You can do nothing now, but watch the last moments of your foolish shows of life! Now, time to go boom, Fink Rats! My final comeback is your last act! And now, the last joke ends, AH"

Just when he was about to hit the giant bomb to make it blow, all of a sudden, a giant flash appears and everyone sees Fawful and his house sized bomb frozen solid in ice! Ben then turns around and sees that the man responsible for it was Blumiere! The man with the white hat tips it before saying,

"Sorry for not saying anything first. But, I thought it would be wise to fire first and explain later."

Mario then smiles and says," Nice work! Alright, let's send him far away, before he can do any unnecessary exploding."

Ben then winds up his fist and says,"How about a team effort?"

Mario then takes out his hammer and says,

" Ready when you guys are."

Ben, Mario, and Wyrmmon all charge at the large block of ice. Then, at the same time Mario slams it with his hammer, Ben punches it with his fist infused with magic energy and Wyrmmon headbutts it hard. The combined force sends the iceberg Fawful flying, and lands right into one of the magma streams around the castle.

A few seconds later, it seems Fawful's own bomb blew up in his face, as a giant magma geyser erupts from the stream! It's not clear if Fawful is dead, but everyone can hear a loud

" FURY! "

being echoed from somewhere in the area and Ben then sees a part of his headgear land on the bridge.

Ben then takes a deep breath and says," Well, you don't find nuts that crazy every day. Still, glad that's over with. Now, onto the main event! Hope Bowser had his castle cleaned, because it's about to be a bit messed up!"

Cloud goes up to Ben and says," Hold on, Ben. We still don't know the status of Doug, James, Yoshi, Geno and the others."

Ben then gets worried and says,

"Oh, right! A lot of Bowser's guys went after us. Even that large Mega Borg rip off. I hope they did not get overwhelmed."

All of a sudden he hears a voice say,"What, are you kidding? Come on buddy, it's insulting to think I can't handle such jokers!"

Ben and everyone then turn around to see Doug, James and the others all walking down from the end of Rainbow Road! Ben then runs up to them and says," You all did it! Glad to see everyone is okay Oh wait, were there not more of those salvation soldiers with you?"

James looks down and says," That Smithy was a little more powerful than I thought. I even had to resort to using my new power. But, in the end, I showed him the power of the Quincy."

Doug punches the air and says,

"The bad guys can throw whatever dirty tricks they have, we will just kick them harder!"

Cloud sees that everyone is there and says,' Well, now we are at least altogether at the castle. Alright, let's go in and end this, before whatever that thing is over there starts, huh?"

With a moment of irony, everyone hears the ground shake, and the large black monolith glows with red energy at the top! It seems it's finally fully activated, as the energy drill at the bottom blasts into the ground! Everyone can then see the ground is shaking and Luigi says,

"Oh no! It's too late! We're all doomed!"

Geno says,"Calm down, we still have time. However, not much of it. It's clear whatever thing Bowser set up, it has to be shut down fast."

Mario then says,

"Alright, then let's a go! We will just stop Bowser and force him to stop right now! "

Cloud looks at the device, which is as large as the castle and says,

"I am not sure we can burst through the fortress defenses and all the minions Bowser set up in enough time. Yes, the only way to have enough time is if we split up."

Ben stops in his tracks and looks uneasy before he says," Are you sure, Cloud sensei? Cloud puts his sword away and says,

"Yeah, it's the best course of action. I think I will go, you could say I have experience in shutting down large reactors. And, I believe you all are skilled enough to leave the castle in your hands for now. After all, you four have proven to be true Enji Knights now. Heh, you know you don't really have to see me as your superior."

Ben smiles and says,"

Maybe not officially, but for all the training and all that other stuff you taught me. And for sticking with me as an apprentice, even when I did not look to be so promising a warrior at first, you will always be one of my mentors, along with my cousin Max. And you're right, we can handle Bowser, even if he powers up a little more. After Xehamaru, someone on his level is not so bad. Err, no offense guys. "

Mario chuckles and says,"

It's okay, Bowser has not really been a serious threat for a while now, more like that annoying next door neighbor that never learns his lesson. Still, if anything, he is quite persistent. Oh well, time to kick shell again! "

After the rest of Mario's gang nods in agreement, Master Chief walks up to Cloud and says,

"Captain Strife, please allow me and my remaining commandos to follow you. Many of my men here are skilled and equipped in the demolition of such structures. Having us will hasten the objectives."

Cloud then looks at the monolith to the left continuing to glow brighter, looks back at the soldier and says,

"Alright, it makes sense. Just try and keep up with me, because I am not going to slow down. Time for another bombing mission. Well, squad 7, you all know what to do. As soon as this is taken care of, I will join you at once. Be careful, and good luck."

Cloud salutes his team, and the others do the same, before Cloud surrounds himself with magic energy and runs at top speed to the Zannacross Monolith of judgment in the distance, while Master Chief and his remaining Salvation commandos follow him. Ben looks at the front doors to Bowser's castle and says to the others " Alright everyone, ready to do a little home cleaning?"

Doug says," Always!"

---

Finally, with, for the moment, no Koopa or other evil foes out to attack, they press through the giant double doors. When they enter, Ben sees a giant hallway with ledges that fall into magma lakes on both sides, with pillars of fire emerging from the walls to barbecue any poor sap that walks there in intervals! If that's not enough, the gang can see that the ceiling is tipped with spikes! The room is rounded off with a carpet and two statues of Bowser himself, and this is only the front entrance! Ben notices it's hot in here and uses his magic energy to cool himself down before saying,

" Man, Bowser sure knows how to make people feel unwelcomed. Oh well, looks like there is no one here to greet us. Hello? It's the plumbers, we came to fix the sinks, and clean out the gutters of evil idiots!"

Yoshi then looks around nervously and says,"Bowser always has booby traps all over, so Yoshi thinks it's a good idea to be careful."

James then says," It's to be expected, I guess. Still, this will slow down our progress."

Doug just walks down the hall and says,

"Oh, relax. So he has some more traps for us, huh? Well, let's just charge on in at full throttle and blow them all away! Heh, they must all be cowards! There is not even anyone to meet us at the entrance!" Ben says," I guess Doug is right, it's not like we are trying to be stealthy.

Hey, what the?"

Ben sees that as Doug is walking down, there is a large shadow over him. Ben then looks up, and sees a massive stone spiked Thwomp monster, as big as most of the room hovering above! And when Doug walks past it, its eyes open!

Ben then gets a alarmed before he turns to his pal," Um, Doug? You might want to look above you!"

Doug then looks confused and looks up, and says,

" WHOA! Not cool, oh man! "

Just as Doug sees the Thwomp, it descends to crush him. With no time to dodge, Doug braces himself and, as it lands on him, he readies to catch it. However, the massive Thwomp weighs tons, and even with all his strength, Doug is having trouble lifting it off him. Ben notices Doug is having trouble and dashes over to help him get it off, and he is soon followed by Mario, Luigi and DK. Working together, they are able to match the power of the Thwomp and, with a combined push, throw it off them, and through the front doors!

The massive Thwomp lands with an equally massive thud on the bridge and, when they are sure nothing else is about to fall on them, Blumiere says,

" Well, I do believe rash actions like that would best be avoided, unless any of us would like to lose our heads."

Doug just chuckles nervously and says," Heh, sorry about that. Guess the traps are a little better than I expected them to be."

James then sighs and says," Now is not the time to be arrogant, Doug. Who knows what else is waiting for us. It's best we move before they stop hesitating. Huh? Oh great."

Just after that, everyone can hear a lot of footsteps heading their way. And if that's not bad enough, out of the walls come Bullet Bill Blasters and newly added automatic laser turrets! As Ben sees a rain of attacks heading his way he says,

" Hey, no need to shoot the mailman! Ah, whatever. Time to begin!"

Ben and the others charge through the attacks and fight their way through the castle. Standing in their way are all the usual annoyances of Mario.

They fight through the poor Goomba and Koopa soldiers stationed to hopelessly try and stop them. They also encounter the tougher troops of the Koopa king like the terrapins, Piranha Plants of various sizes, the Magi Koopas and the various Hammer brothers and even some of the more rarer of the Koopa King's troops like the Charging Chucks and the large spiky Tap-Tap.

As if that was not enough, Bowser also has the Necrocalcous and some Sithantos war machines lying in wait for our heroes. However, even with the additional forces from the empire of darkness, Mario and co knew their world was on the line and showed them how hard they fought to protect what they held dear to them. Not wanting to be left out, Ben and the rest of squad 7 fight just as valiantly

. After going through room after room, trap through trap, maze through maze, and luckless minion after another,he approaches the bridge and says, " Now that's a bad palace design. Why add a bridge when you're inside? Must be a trap."

Wyrmmon says," Don't worry, boss. I'll test the bridge, and, if it is a trap and falls down, I'll just fly you all over."

All of a sudden, they all hear a large laugh, and they can tell it's coming from above, as the voice shouts ," Gra har har har! Don't worry; this bridge is the one that's not going to fall! Welcome esteemed pests! I have been expecting you all! And most of all you, Mario!"

Everyone knows it's clear that Bowser is talking to them, and sure enough, the red haired spiked shelled long time foe of the Mario brothers jumps down to the floor and roars loudly! He then sharply shouts,

" Well, well, like I did not see this coming! Looks like you can't but help and run to your dooms! Oh well, if you really want to die today, then I'll be happy to destroy you all for good!"

Mario gets annoyed as he responds with,

" Bowser! Enough is enough! You have gone a too far this time! Why are you doing all this?"

Bowser just laughs before he grasps his fists and eagerly answers with,

" Why? To do what I have been trying to do for years! World domination!"

Luigi then looks disturbed as he responds by saying," This is much nastier than your usual schemes. But now, me, my bro, and everyone else are going to flatten this newest master plan right now."

Bowser then laughs out a harsh,' Bah, you wish, losers! Nothing is going to stop me this time! I have the ultimate power on my side!"

Yoshi wags his tongue out at his long time foe and snaps back with a defiant,

" You always talk big, Bowser! But you can't fool us! Even Princess Peach was able to defeat you, you can't expect Yoshi to be scared of you anymore. You're just a big bully!"

Bowser just gets mad and stomps the ground so hard the floor shakes before snorting out a vicious, "Bah, that only happened because I was playing nice with her! This time it's not a game, this time you all are going to see just how vicious I can really be! That Enji sidelining me a few weeks ago during the invasion of Neo Arcadia really ticked me off! No one disses the king of koopas and gets away with it! But I see that I have an even better guy to get my revenge on.

You're that kid from before when me and K rool invaded Peach's castle last year, with the help of that Vile dude, right? Seems you built up quite the name for yourself. Jackpot! When I crush both the mustache loser brothers and the Enji that beat Xehamaru, everyone in the universe will respect my power!"

Ben just gets into fighting stance and calmly says, " You're delusional to think after surviving Xehamaru and all the dark magical power he held, that I would allow myself to lose to the likes of you! You're making a big mistake, Bowser; if you have any brain at all, you will surrender now before it's too late. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to make it the last mistake you ever make."

Geno then walks in front of Ben and sternly says, " Bowser, despite what you keep thinking about yourself, I know deep in your heart you're not truly evil. You helped me and Mario defeat Smithy to save Star Road and this world. You also allied with him to stop the void from absorbing this galaxy. Can't you see that by siding with the agents of the god of all darkness, you're fighting for someone that is just using you?"

Bowser just laughs and says,

"Ah, so you came back to help dollboy? Piff, you all are such suckers! I did not help you dorks because I liked you! Smithy, the Shadow Queen, those annoying Shrooms and their freaky queen, nuts like Cackletta, Fawful, and Dimentio! All those clowns kept trying to mess with my turf!

But the Zannacross Empire is different. Xehamaru knew I was a man whose strength was to be respected and offered me a piece of his pie. The guys who took over are the same, and I dig that. As long as I help them revive their big boss of theirs, I get to control the Mushroom Kingdom and the rest of this world under his banner. And you know that sounds good to me! Ruling the whole universe sounds a little too busy to run. I'll be happy just controlling this planet absolutely! So what if it's an era of darkness? As they say, whatever works!"

Mario then takes a deep breath before the plumber firmly says," Bowser, I don't understand how you can side with these maniacs. But if you insist on siding with them, I will defeat you once more, to rescue the princess! Where are you keeping her?"

Bowser then snorts out a gruff,"That's a stupid question to ask! It's not like it will matter when you're nothing more than burnt charcoal! Alright, it's time. I swear, this will be the last time we fight Mario! And this time I will be the one to have ultimate victory! Now, it's time I destroy you all!"

Bowser takes out not one, but two cursed seal crystals from his shell and absorbs them! Now filled with the power of the dark side, the symbol of the Necrocalcous appears on his forehead, his eyes glow red and an aura of darkness envelops him! If that's not enough, he grows to twice his size! Bowser then gives off a large roar, and Ben is shocked that the power from the Koopa king is great enough to push everyone back!

He then says, "Man, he really is taking this seriously. I guess that means we will too!"

Ben and the others all power up and the battle begins. Bowser starts off blasting them all with a stream of powerful fire! James tries to cancel it with a high level ice spell, but he is shocked to see it get melted by the power of Bowser's heat! Bowser then says,

" HA! You can't beat me with that kind of weak magic anymore! I have truly become invincible! And this time I mean it! Here, let me give you a taste of my power, punks! Its go time!"

Bowser retracts himself into his spiked shell and begins spinning fast. He then charges at the group to try and impale them with his shell!

Ben and Doug are able to grab Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and DK and jump high in the air to avoid it, and land on the other side of the bridge fast enough to avoid the attack.

Geno, James, and the former count, all attack the charging king with their attacks. But even a Geno blast from Geno, a few energy arrows from James, and a gravity blast from Blumiere just bounces off his shell ! Bowser slams into the other side of the room as he gets back out of his shell. He then snorts and says,

" Not going to make this easy, huh? Fine! I want you to see that even throwing everything you've got at me will still not be good enough!" Mario says," Mama mia! This is going to be a doozy. And, talk about an ironic location."

Ben says ," What do you mean, Mario?"

Mario says,"This room we are fighting in. It looks like the place where Luigi and I first faced off against this stubborn Koopa."

Bowser hears them and chuckles before saying,"

Ah yes, that's right. All those years ago, when I first went for my totally great plan to make Princess Peach Toadstool mine and rule over the Mushroom kingdom. Everything was going great until you two annoying plumbers just could not mind your own business and went after me, even after I had all those decoy castles! But you would not stay down, and thanks to one idiot minion leaving an Ax near a bridge, you made me look like a fool! Well that's not going to happen today! No axes or switches here, you're mine!"

Ben looks at the bridge, then at Bowser and grins before saying,

"Um, Bowser, you're forgetting something."

Bowser looks confused and says," No, I didn't, everything is foolproof today! Gar?"

He then sees Ben take out his Star Sword and prepare to slash at the bridge and he says,

"Hey, no fair, that's cheating! Not again!"

Bowser charges at Ben, but it's too late, and with one wide slash he slices into the bridge and causes it to fall, with Bowser on it! Everyone has made it onto the other side in time and they all see Bowser fall into the lava pit! Mario just sighs and says,

"What can I tell you? He never learns."

DK pounds his chest and says," Well, that should keep him on his toes for a while. Let's find where K Rool and the rest of the jokers working for him are and slam some sense into them, so we can go home!"

Everyone nods, but just as they are going to climb up the stairway, they hear a loud roar that says,

" YOU'RE ALL NOT GOING ANYWHERE! "

Everyone turns around and is shocked to see Bowser jump out of the pit covered in an aura of darkness! He lands with a large thud that cracks the ground he was on.

Though smoke is coming out of his ears, he still looks okay and growls out a angry,

" Give me some credit! I am way too powerful to be defeated so easily now!"

Ben gives a confident grin and with his free hand makes a beckoning gesture before he wryly reacts with," Well, if you keep coming back, you will just keep getting knocked until you stay down."

Bowser just clutches his claws and snarls," OH, bring it! The more you think you can toss me aside the more I can't wait to see you with your face glued to the wall! I'll plow through anything that tries to stop me! Time to have some pancakes of light!"

Bowser jumps high into the air, and prepares to do his trade mark ground pound attack at Ben and Mario.

Luckily they are able to dodge in time, and as Bowser collides with the floor, he hits it so hard that he falls through it Mario Bros 3 style!

The group of hero's soon all hear Bowser yell out , " OH, COME ON!"

After a few seconds they hear a large thud, and everyone has those anime sweat drops fall from their faces. Ben then looks down the hole his enemy made before he reacts with," Err, well he kept his word at plowing through anything in his way."

Yoshi then chuckles before he adds a chipper ,

"Bowser does not have much luck. But then again, he is a baddie, so he deserves it."

James shrugs before reacting with," Come on, let's get going. I doubt he is really gone, but hopefully that will knock him out long enough for us to make it to where the Princess is being held. Huh?"

All of a sudden, the group hears a loud buzzing noise, and then, from out of the hole, comes Bowser riding on his Koopa Clown car!

His vehicle has expanded to fit his own increased size and the horned foe snorts before he furiously shouts," Sorry to ruin your fun, but I don't plan on being knocked out anytime soon! It pays off to have your ride on standby, huh? See I did think things out this time loser bros!"

Ben is dumbfounded and says," You mean you're the one who rides that thing? I remember using that to escape this castle last time and I thought one of his kids rode it! You know clowns are not the best way of making an imposing ride."

Luigi flinches at this remark before he fearfully says,"What, are you kidding? Clowns are some of the scariest stuff out there! Why just last night I had that nightmare again."

He then shudders and says," Ah, too many pies!"

Mario shakes his bro and says,

"Keep it together, Luigi, now is not the time!"

Bowser sneers at this before he lashes back with," Bah, like fashion challenged clowns know what good fashion sense is. But enough of that, it's time I get back to getting my barbecue ready! All right, lets try this again! Its go time!"

Bowser blasts powerful fire balls at the group, but Ben is able to defect those coming his way with his sword and the Mario bros are able to smash the rest back with their hammers. Bowser sees this is not working and goes for a different tactic. He flies right above the wielder of the Star Sword , flies upside-down, and defies logic by throwing a massive bowling ball at Ben! Ben just manages to avoid being hit and the bowling ball goes on to crush the floor!

Ben then says," Giant bowling balls? Where does he fit them? Oh, never mind, your unorthodox attacks will not get let you get the jump on me! I'll show you what the power of the one chosen to save the universe from the ultimate darkness!"

Bowser strokes back his hair and says," I may not be able to get the jump on you, but if so, I'll just bowl a strike to smash you pin heads!"

He throws not one, but two giant bowling balls at the heroes! However, this time, the good guys are ready, and Doug and DK run up and both use their power to grab the balls! Doug then says,"Hey, I'm all for a strike, but you're throwing the ball the wrong way! Alright then, I guess I just have to be the bumper!"

DK nods and says,"

I always do like rolling things along! "

The Enji and the gorilla both gather strength and punch the two round objects hard, right in the way of Bowser! The Koopa King panics and tries to fly out of the way, but his ride is not fast enough, and he gets hit with his own attacks! His Clown car is now flying out of control and he says,"

Hey, watch it! I just remolded the place! Now it's time I settle this for the last time! Whoa! Bah, stupid ride, stabilize already! I knew I should have gotten the new model! You guys just stay there for a sec and I'll be ready to pound and roast you!"

James sees Bowser trying to get his ride under control and just sighs and says,

"Enough, time you go bother someone else so we can finish the mission."

James aims and fires a barrage of energy arrows at the clown car, damaging it further and causing the engines to go nuts! It then blasts off into the nearest wall, with a screaming Bowser on it! As he blasts out of control to some other part of the castle, he shouts,

" You think you can get rid of me this easily! Yeah, right! Just wait till I get my hands on you cheaters! I'll tear you all to pieces for messing with the King of cool! AH!"

Bowser is gone, for the moment. But everyone knows it's only a matter of time and Ben says,

"Well, at least this gives use some time."

Geno then looks at the staircase and says,"I doubt that this will keep Bowser down for long. But perhaps we can use the time we gain from this to hurry and rescue Peach."

Mario says," Alright, then, let's pick up the pace!" Everyone hurries up the stairway and Ben thinks to himself,

"Well, this mission is going on course, more or less. I wonder how Cloud Sensei is doing with that thing. With Bowser so bent on crushing Mario and me, most of his forces are likely to be in the castle. Even if there are still people guarding that Imperial machine, I doubt any of them will be a match for Cloud Sensei.

Oh well, no point worrying about what can't be controlled. Time to focus on slashing my way to the end of the castle! Here I come! "

Ben and everyone finish climbing up the seemingly endless stairs and reach the second floor of the castle, with more minions like Boom Boms and Raizor rhinos, among others, waiting for them! As the next round of foe smashing begins, let's check on Cloud and his group for the moment.

---

It seems the former first class SOLDIER has just managed to reach the entrance to the Monolith of Judgment and Master Chief and the other soldiers are not too far behind, thanks to stealing some hover bikes from the opposition. Cloud feels the ground shake and sees the drill at the bottom tearing into the planet. Master Chief then walks up to the spiky haired warrior and says,"Well, what way should we enter? Normally I would advise going through the front gate. But who knows what chain reactions could be caused by trying to blow up a section unevenly.

Cloud sighs and says," I see your point. Well, might as well unlock the front door, the hard way."

Cloud takes out his " First Sword" sword and charges at the gates to slice it, only to be repelled by a barrier around the device! He then says," I see this is going to take more effort than I thought."

Master Chief then takes out his rocket launcher, while the other soldiers do the same, and he says,

" Step back, we will blast the doors open. Fire now!"

They all blast their missiles at the doors and they cause an explosion! However, when the smoke clears, the doors still stand.

Cloud then says,"Well, I guess I will have to put more power into my next attack. Sigh, I was hoping to save some power for the real fights. Oh well. Stand back."

Master Chief sees Cloud beginning to power up his magic aura and he says," Wait, I think we can try one more thing before that. Well, scan this place over Cortana and see if you can pick up any weakness in the defense program."

The Spartan soldier goes over to the control module around the front doors and takes a disk out of his helmet and puts it into the computer. Moments later, a data screen appears in front of it, and the image of a woman appears before Cortana says,

"Well, it seems that this is interesting. It seems the defenses were already breached, and then this barrier was set up by the intruder to keep anyone else out!"

This surprises Cloud and he says," What? Who would do that, a minion of the imperial forces? Never mind, what is more important is, can you open the barrier?"

The AI nods and says,

"It was set up hastily. I don't think they were expecting any resistance. Too bad, just a sec."

Cortanan succeeds in hacking the shield's program and it goes down.

Cloud then steels himself and says," Alright, let's move out. And, be quick, we don't have much time!"

Cloud dashes into the machine and expects a few monsters waiting for him, only to be shocked that he is half right!

Cloud sees two giant ball and chain monsters called Chain Chomps barking loudly. The only thing is that someone seems to have already been here, and tied the two guard dogs, of sorts, together like shoelaces! As they see Master Chief and the others run into the area, they both lunge to chomp into the intruders, only to slam into each other and are knocked out! As they land on the ground, Master Chief says to Cloud

,"You Enji did not send another member without telling us, did you?"

Cloud then says,

"No, I assure you. Whoever this guy is, he is not with us. He must be the bounty hunter they said they hired to protect them. Well, in any case, it's clear he is good. Time to see how good."

They all move forward. On the way, Cloud sees several soldiers of the legion of the Covenant that joined the Zannacross Empire on their way through, and, they are already dead.

Cloud sees severed body parts of Elites, Brunts, Grunts, and Jackals all over the hallways. Cloud also sees severed body parts of a group of multi colored group of warriors with axes, and while Cloud does not know it they are the corpses of the Axim Rangers, who's revival seems to have have been cut short.

As they move on, Cloud begins to hear screaming, and various laser blasts! He then says to Master Chief," It seems our guest has just arrived here a little while ago, and is not making a good first impression."

Master Chief then readies his gun and says," Your orders?"

Cloud looks straight ahead and says,

"Be ready, this is going to get ugly."

Cloud and the others then look around the corner of the next room, and see a large room with several computers that seems to be the main control room. They also see several Elites and Hunters blasting at what appears to be nothing!

However, Cloud then sees that, in an instant, half of them get slashed in half! Cloud then sees that a figure is in the room that is almost completely invisible, with only a trace of a outline able to be seen. Cloud then sees the remaining Hunters fire at the fighter with their fuel rod guns, but only disintegrates the corpses of their comrades!

The fighter then responds by firing two energy sword waves that destroy the remaining hunters! He lands on the center computer and becomes visible, revealing he is Janus!

The Bounty hunter has his twin shoulder blades retract and he looks at the main screen. He does not seem to notice Cloud and co yet, because he just turns around and looks at the data before saying," Well, looks like that took care of the guards.

Alright, let's blow this joint, so I can get off this rock. I went here to have a nice vacation, but looks like I will have to go to some planet even further away. Now, let's see what's the best way to blow this up without blowing me up is."

As he proceeds to read the readout, Cloud thinks to himself with,

"I remember that profile, and it matches with what Ben told me. So this is Janus, the second most deadliest Bounty Hunter, besides Samus Aran. That is one of the last of the Zandalorin's. It seems he is here to collect a bounty. He is unpredictable, but at the moment we have the same desires. Maybe we can work together for now. First, Huh? What the?"

Cloud is caught off guard when he sees Master Chief and the other salvation soldiers have stormed into the room. They all point their guns at Janus!

It seems that the Bounty hunter knows they are there, but does not bother to turn around. All he says, while typing in the screen, is,"

So boys, got some nerve to come out and play, huh? But how rude, didn't your mothers tell you it's not nice to shoot a man when his back is turned?"

Cloud runs up to them and says,"

What are you doing? I said not to just rush in! And we are not even sure he is an enemy!"

Master Chief aims for the head of Janus and says,

"Sorry, Cloud. But this guy has been a priority target for a while now. He has been spotted breaking into several Titan's bases and has attacked our forces several times. He must be arrested or terminated. Hear this bounty hunter, you are going to have one chance to surrender. I suggest you take it. "

Janus just chuckles and says," You want to play? Hope you know what you're in for soldier, because I don't play nice."

Cloud gets in front of them and says,"

Now is not the time for this, Chief! Our priorities are to save this world. He may be one who needs to be brought to justice, but right now, fighting him when time is short, is a big mistake! Stand down!"

Master Chief cocks his gun and while his men do the same he says," Sorry, but I can't. Taking down Janus was a priority order from Kira himself. Fire!"

All the soldiers fire their automatic plasma rifles at Janus. But, in a flash Janus, appears on the leftmost commando's gun with one foot! He then says,

"You Titan snobs are so lame. You blindly follow your orders like dogs. Really so eager to die? Then the Terror of Death will grant your wish!"

The soldier he is standing on takes out a spare blaster pistol and says

,"You're the dog, you lousy rebel scum! For the sake of bringing justice to the Lylat Kingdom, die! AH!"

Just as he is about to fire, in an instant, his arm is chopped off by the retracted shoulder blade of Janus! As the soldiers of the Salvation unit screams out in pain, Janus says,

"What a drag, you guys are so pathetic. But, I don't like getting shot at, and that means you're through!"

In a blur, Janus slices the soldier he was standing on in half, and then a moment later kills the others firing on him with ease!

Only Master Chief and Cloud remain standing from the swift brutal assault of Janus! Master Chief then jumps back and takes out his rocket launcher. He then says," You monster, I won't let a selfish punk get away with doing this to my men!"

He then fires the missile, only for Janus to knock it into the ceiling with one hand! He then shrugs and says,

" Hey, don't blame me. You shot first, so blame yourself! Sigh, you military guys always think you can blame others for your own incompetence. Well, time you get what's coming to you!"

Janus then goes to slash the chief's head off, but Cloud flash steps in front of his ally and blocks the killing blow with such force, it creates a shock wave that rocks the room!

Janus then says," Well, want to die with him?"

Cloud has his eyes blaze with anger before he responds with," I will not allow you to kill anymore. They may have not acted right, but I won't let you take out your anger!"

Janus jumps back and cracks his neck and rasps out a wry,"Ah, that's right, you're Captain Cloud Strife of squad 7. Heh, and you're also the one who is Captain of that silly Ben Auro guy."

Cloud then nods and says," That's right. Ben saw you when he was at SR-388. Apparently you were seen attacking some of the Dark Enji. Seems you like having everyone annoyed at you."

Janus gives a cocky shrug before he responds with a confident,"

I admit, I don't like being bothered with things like allegiances. It's a drag having to be weighed down. I heard you're good, Cloud, let's see if you're good enough to get me to feel alive."

He powers up his aura and Cloud does the same.

Cloud tries to keep calm as he then says, "This is a waste of time. Both of us are here to shut down this thing. I prefer not to fight you at this time."

Janus chuckles before he coyly retorts with," I admit I have more pressing things to do. How about you just stand aside? Let me blow up this joint and give some idiot soldiers what they deserve and I'll be on my way"

Cloud takes out another blade from within and says, "I can't let you do that. I have a job to do as well. And I won't let you just get away, after what you did."

---

Janus then looks at Cloud and says,

" Man, your serious about this, huh? Alright then, let's see how good you really are, First Class Soldier!"

Janus motions to attack Cloud and the Enji readies himself. However, when it looks like the bounty hunter is going to slash, all of a sudden, he disappears! Cloud then sees images of Janus laughing all around the room!

Cloud then says," Afterimages, huh? If you think you can afford to play games with me, you're going to find yourself gravely mistaken."

He sensed where the real Janus is and slashes at him, and it seems he guessed right, as it was the real Janus! The bounty hunter blocks with his shoulder blade and as the force of collision causes a shock-wave

Janus says," Ah, not bad. I see you're not one of those lame guys who paid to get where they are. Good, then this will be a fun mission after all!"

Cloud then glares at Janus and says," You really are something. The fate of this world hangs in the balance and you're just taking this like a crush ride. "

Janus then says," Hey, I did come here for a vacation till these Zannacross zealots came crashing into town. But it's not all bad, now I can get enough money to pay for that upgrade I was working for a month sooner!"

Cloud then says," You bounty hunters are pieces of work, all that talent and you only think about helping yourself. I won't let your carelessness for the universe put the people of this planet in jeopardy!"

He then jumps into the air to attack with a diving slash. But Janus is too fast, and by the time Cloud lands his large sword down, it only slashes an electrical wire.

Cloud then raises his blade just in time to block a furious assault of strikes that press him back to the wall! He then tries to take out a second sword and tries to break through his foes' defenses. But Janus then slashes the ground to create some sparks that block the Enji's vision.

Even though Cloud can't see at the moment, he knows Janus will try and land a killing blow and quickly slashes to the side, only to feel his leg is slashed! He grunts in pain, but recovers faster and jumps up a level. Janus then jumps up to the highest level of the room and stares down at Cloud. He then laughs and says,

" Oh please, don't bother telling your hypocritical views of justice to me, Enji. I have seen this war from the beginning. And you can't expect me to by your garbage!"

As Cloud uses a cure spell to heal his injury, he says," You may not have a high opinion of the Enji Knights, but while you may think of us as people that spoil your fun, we exist to protect the people of the universe from those that try and have their way at any cost. And right now the people of this world need us to protect them from Bowser and the Zannacross Empire!"

Janus just laughs even louder and says,"

Oh, you guys are always good with your little cover stories. But, if you so called warriors of light really care so much about peace and freedom for the cosmos, tell me this. Why is it that for all the planets that you guys kick the Zeon forces out of, they are then controlled by Lylat garrisons and mostly from the Titans?"

Cloud finishes healing his injury and jumps up to meet Janus at ground level and says,"

Don't twist things around. Of course we keep troops stationed on liberated worlds. It helps them recover the loss and damages they took. "

It seems this strikes a chord with Janus and he powers up so much in anger that his magic energy gives off enough pressure to push Cloud back! His blades glow and he says,

"Oh, really? If that's the case, then how come the Titans take control of whatever they like in the name of universal security? And why do they arrest anyone for the slightest protest? If they are just trying to help rebuild then, why did they poison whole countries, killing millions for not going with their wills?"

Cloud pauses for a moment before he gets mad and says,"

I don't know what could possibly make you think that. The Enji would never allow such actions. Yes, the Titan's Special forces under the command of commander Kira are very harsh. They don't always act with the best of manners. But all of their actions are to secure justice to all. Grand Master Myers of, all people, would know if his son was leading a fanatic military group that killed countries."

Janus then gives out a cold laugh and says, " Heh, I guess it's true what they say. The Enji are just as oblivious as the rest to what is really going on in planets not important enough to get major attention. You want to know how I know the real face of the Titans? The world of my race, the people of Zandolor, were one of the first that found out what happened when Kira decided to deliver an "act of judgment."

Cloud is taken back by this and says," What are you trying to pull? Your home world was severely damaged by an asteroid. There were even live videos of the Lylat forces trying to prevent its fall! Just because they miscalculated how large it would be, it does not mean you have to hold this vendetta against the Lylat Kingdom!"

Janus gives another bitter chuckle before he darkly retorts with," Man, you really are all so gullible, it's pathetic! Kira staged the images you saw. While the public sees Kira regret his miscalculation, he was really blasting whole cities into dust and poisoning the rest of the planet to assure no survivors! I was one of the few who survived his treachery, and I won't let any of you hypocrites get away!"

Cloud 's resolve wavers as he looks down and then says," Kira, did he really do that? He always was committed to the path of justice, at any cost. But, even he has his limits on what he would do. I might not know all the answers, but right now I know that this world is in danger. And I won't let you endanger innocent lives. Now, get out of my way!"

Cloud throws an energy sword wave beam at Janus. This gets Janus to respond by jumping into the air, and, in midair, his energy begins to surround him and he says,"

Oh, please. Like that is really going to work on me. Come on, try harder or all you're going to do is bore me!

Shadow Shuriken storm! "

Janus throws a single large Zandalor Shuriken. While it seems basic enough, it then glows, and an instant later it multiplies, until it becomes a rainstorm of sharp objects heading for Cloud! As they all begin to glow with magic energy, intensifying their lethal power, Cloud tries to slash back the ones aiming for him. But they just are redirected back at Cloud by Janus's power!

The bounty hunter then says," Tsc, no use running. They will just keep at you till you're in pieces. Well, Cloud, guess your biography will have to end here! "

Cloud says," No, I don't plan on dying any time soon. However, much of what you said is true I don't plan on letting you beat me! Finishing Touch!"

Cloud then powers up his energy even more and creates a light on his sword. He then jumps in the air and uses his power to throw a funnel of rising air that sucks up all the Shuriken, and blow them all back at Janus' direction! Knowing he does not have time to dodge them all at such speed, Janus, in an instant, fires a double X shaped energy wave blast that destroys the sharp objects heading his way, while the rest go onto slices through the walls and keep going on outside!

Janus then says," Well, you're quite resourceful, but you're kidding if you think you can ruin my fun! Huh, what? "

Janus is shocked that Cloud is already attacking with a lunging slash for the torso. Janus deflects it just in time, but the force of impact pushes him to his knees! Cloud then says," I think you think the Enji are just blind pushovers. Let me show you how wrong you are!"

He then swiftly kicks Janus in the chest and he is knocked back ! Cloud then goes and jumps into the air once more. And as he charges up his magic energy, he says," Look, I don't know what your deal is, Janus. But I have a job to do. And if you won't get out of my way, then I will force you to! Time I show you just how strongly I will fight for these people. Meteor Rain!"

Cloud then twirls his sword and jumps into the air, before blasting Janus with his level three limit break, a group of energy meteors! The bounty hunter does not have time to dodge, and the blasts hits him dead on with a explosion that shakes the room!

Thankfully, though, they were not near any of the major gear, so no meltdowns have to be worried about for now. As the smoke rises up, Cloud says,

" His energy is still strong, I know that's not enough to defeat you. Still, your skills are almost on the same page as Sephiroth and me. Too bad you waste your talents for your selfish needs. You would make a good Enji. Huh?"

All of a sudden, Cloud sees a spear coming his way! He sidesteps to the left, but he is shocked to see it break open to reveal an energy web! The web hits Cloud and hurls him to the nearest wall! At once, the web shocks him with painful jolts of energy, to prevent him from breaking free. And, at each corner, is a smaller spear to keep the web and him pinned. Cloud then sees out of the smoke, emerged Janus.

While his armor is smoking from that last attack from Cloud, he seems mostly unhurt. He then walks right up to Cloud and smugly says,

"Heh, I see how that Ben kid was able to hold his own. You're not too bad of a warrior to train with. Still, you are dealing with one of the top warriors in space. So don't feel too bad that you can't keep up with me. Tsc, you know for someone who is supposed to be a squad leader, you don't seem to be very good at it. That sap Ben Auro was all alone, except for Samus on SR-388, till that other squad happened to drop in to bust some Space Pirates.

And now you're not covering your teammates backs yet again. Just another example of Enji hypocrisy. All your talk about honor, and you let them go off on their own, without a second thought, huh? What a joke!"

This gets Cloud mad and he sharply says, "

You seem to be fond of judging, when you don't know all the facts! Ben was warped onto SR-388 by a malfunction. I would never abandon a teammate and a friend like that. And I have not done so now either. Right now Ben, James, Doug and Wyrmmon are helping Mario and his friends fight Bowser and the rest of his men. They are all true Enji Knights now. And I trust in their abilities to get the job done while I handle this."

Janus laughs once more and has his net shock Cloud again, before wryly saying," Man, you're really a piece of work! You almost could pass as a decent guy! But you're a fool. Depending on others is for idiots. I survived because I knew the only person in the universe you can really count on is yourself. "

Cloud then says," I use to think like that. But then I learned that it's not weakness to trust others, it's true strength to trust in others. I see someone like you can't understand such a concept. "

Janus just cracks his neck and he says," Man, what a drag. I am wasting time talking to you. Sigh, I guess there is no choice then. I really am not a guy who gets his jollies by killing. However, I also hate to have people keep pestering me. Guess there is only one option then!"

Janus then surrounds himself with magic energy and he forms it into an energy blast! He then says,

"You're a good fighter, Cloud Strife, and maybe even a decent guy. But you, like your teammates, are way over your head. All that honor and dream stuff you Enji talk about is a joke. And it became old old a long time ago! Maybe in the next world you will understand how much of a moron you are! Goodbye, Howling Gale Cannon!"

Janus fires a powerful dark blue colored energy blast that heads right for Cloud! But, as the spiky haired warrior sees his life flash through his eyes, he remembers all his friends and says,"

No! Dying now will sadden too many people I care about. And besides, I am not fond of dying much myself. That's why you're not beating me! "

Cloud digs deep into the depths of his power and unleashes everything he has! This outburst of magic energy is enough to blast off the energy web and he then fires a double sword beam attack with his two swords at Janus's Howling Gale Cannon energy beam.

The two blasts collide with such force that both fighters are blown back! The blast cancels each other out, and the resulting mess of energy blasts through the ceiling as well as blasts out any remaining lights. Janus jumps back and sees Cloud back at his fighting stance ready to resume the fight and the bounty hunter then says,

" Heh, you're really not going to make this easy, huh? "

Cloud says," Sorry, not in the mood. Still, I can see you're not really evil. Why do you persist on causing so much havoc?"

Janus just shrugs and says, "

Hey, I'm not out to rule the universe. I'm just a guy trying to make a living, in style. But, I see, that like me you're the type that lives free and dies hard! You get props for lasting this far, Cloud. I can honesty say I am having fun. But, I'm kind of running out of time. And you are too. How do you know your comrades are not in mortal danger right now?

Cloud then smirks and says," I know Ben and the others. Maybe because they are facing the likes of Bowser that I am so confident but, I know that all of them won't let any opponent stop them. And besides. Soon enough I will be joining them, once I arrest you. "

Janus then begins to charge up his magic energy even further and says," Sorry pal, not going to happen. No one is ever going be allowed to let the flash of death look bad. Time to show you why I have that nickname!

Sturm Und Drang!"

Janus extends his two spiegel blades and begins spinning like a top! A really fast and deadly top!

As he spins at Cloud, like a tornado of death, Cloud thinks to himself,"

This guy is quite the powerful opponent. A shame he has so much wrong. Still, he seems to know a lot. Could Kira have really done such things? No, I can't let such thoughts distract me now. I will wonder about that, after I defeat him. Hang on guys; I am going to end this. Shut down this reactor and be on my way, so hang on!" He then combines his swords into one again and says,

" Janus! You're good, but not as good as you think! It's time you answer for all the crimes you committed, Climhazzerd!"

Cloud has his First Sword glow with a bright light and he goes to strike at Janus's own attack. The resulting clash causes yet another massive spike of energy.

---

In fact, it's such a large spike that Ben and the others can sense it back at Bowser's castle! At the moment, they are in a room with windows, and, as fate would have it, Ben sees the clash of fierce enormous power levels from out the window! Shocked at such huge levels of power clashing he says,

" Cloud Sensei, who are you fighting that has such power? I doubt its any of Bowser's minions. Maybe it's was not such a good idea for all of us to go here and leave all of that to him. Huh? Oh so you guys still don't get the message huh? "

Ben looks and sees energy shots being fired at him from the automatic defenses. He then deflects them back with the Star Sword and sends them back to its sender, blowing them up! The resulting explosion also blasts open the corridor doors .

James then says," Pay attention Ben. After nearly being crushed and impaled about fifty times since getting here, we can't afford to get distracted now."

Ben says embarrassingly ," Heh, sorry about that. I just felt that large power level clashing with Cloud Sensei. Oh well, I am sure he can handle it. Alright, let's finish what we started! Well, at least we got Bowser out of our hair."

Mario smashes back a Dry bones Skelton baddie and says,"

I would not count on Bowser being out of the count so easily. His best ability is his stubbornness. Alright, let's hurry and make our way to the princess as soon as possible. "

---

Ben and the others dash through the doors and see that they have made more progress than they thought, because they see they are in what appears to be Bowser's throne room! The eerie white room is filled with statues and paintings of the Koopa king. Despite the sense of dread Ben is sensing, he neither sees anyone nor picks up a power level.

However, Ben sees he was off slightly, he sees a person on the throne, but this person is gagged and tied in chains. This person is none other than Peach! Mario is the first to rush to her and he says," Princess? Can you hear me? "

Yoshi and Luigi also rush up to her and Ben sighs a breath of relief that she is ok before walking up to Geno and saying, " Whew, I am glad we made it before it was too late. "

Geno then looks at Ben and says," Still, don't you expect this is a little to easy? "

Ben's face turns serious and he says," Yeah, you're right. This is way too simple, even for Bowser. Hey, Wyrmmon, smell anything funny? "

His dragon friend takes a whiff and he frowns before saying," Sorry, boss. All I can smell is lava, even on the Princess."

Ben then says," Really? I thought that Bowser would keep her in better conditions since he values her so much. That's a little odd."

Yoshi looks upset as he responds with," Don't think too much about it, Ben. Bowser does not have much in the way of manners. Yoshi just wants to free Peach and go home already. "

He licks the blindfold off the blond woman with his tongue. When at last she sees them all, she smiles and says,

" Oh, Mario, everyone! I knew you would come to rescue me!'"

Mario says," Sorry for the delay. Bowser was pretty set on finally beating us down to a pulp. But now we are here to get you out of here! "

Peach begins to laugh and says," Oh, I expected as much. You boys came right on schedule. Now, it's time to take care of you!"

Ben begins to sense a dark energy and says,

"I knew it! You're not tricking us, faker! Get away from her, Mario, it's another imposter!"

Everyone sees Peach's eyes glow red and her hands glow, but in a flash, Doug warps right in front of her and punches her in the face! As she is sent hurling to the wall, a puff of smoke covers her, and a new figure appears! Ben and co then see that the person playing Peach was none other than the green skinned bean witch, Cackletta!

She then laughs as everyone surrounds her and she says,

" Eeyah ha ha ha! I see you Enji clowns are smarter than I thought! Oh well, you Enji will just have to suffer even more wrath of the great Cackletta!"

Mario then takes out his hammer and he says," I should have known you are back as well! You won't get away with tricking us like this! Where is the Princess?"

The witch says," Oh, I think you should be more worried about your own pathetic lives for a moment! It's payback time for you loathsome brothers!"

Luigi stands besides his Bro and says,"

You're not thinking with a full head! We beat you before. And now we have help!"

The villain says," AH, true. You Enji Knights have even more of a super star status. Still, I brought some alleys of my own to thrash you with!"

Just as the two plumbers are going to charge her, all of a sudden, they hear a noise. They then look at the two large chandeliers above. And they then see an energy blast and a spiked cannon ball heading their way! Ben then warps in front of the ball and slashes it in half and James fires an energy arrow to intercept the energy projectile.

Ben then powers up once more and says,"

Whoever you two are, show yourselves now!" The group hears two evil laughs and two figures jump down from the chandeliers. One of them is the odd Sir Grodus, and the other is the Kremling leader King K, Rool!

The tic eyed crocodile points his odd musket gun at Ben and says," You blasted Enji are a real annoyance. But we have you now!"

Seeing his long time foe, DK pounds his chest and says," K Rool! So even you dragged your ugly mug here! Want a piece of the pie Bowser is trying to carve out of this world? Too bad you're following an idiot!"

Sir Grodus lifts up his specter and says," Fools, it's not Bowser we serve, but the all powerful god of darkness! Like I leave things up to that nitwit. We all know Bowser is just a figurehead for this invasion. That's why we will just kill you now and make a good impression for Nightmare! Then we will be on top!"

Doug then gives a hack cocked smile as he brashly says," Not a bad plan, expect you jokers don't stand a ghost of a chance!"

All three of the villains shock the Enji by taking out the curse seal of Necrocalcous crystals!

K rool then says," Oh really? Even after we use the ultimate power? "

They all infused themselves with the energy of the dark side. As their eyes glow red, a dark aura comes out of them and they all laugh. They begin to surround Ben and co before

Grodus says, " Tsc, it seems you fools need a proper lesson about the ultimate power of darkness! Prepare to be obliterated! Cackletta and he both gather up their power and fire powerful magic blasts at the group! At the same time the gold plated stomached villain charges at DK. However, at that moment the Enji go to work!

Ben then says," You guys always bet everything you have on the darkness. Well, it's about time you see how much your gamble is worth! Take this!"

He fires off an energy sword wave attack that blasts into the incoming spell of Grodius, and it's strong enough to cut through it! James then gets behind him and fires a powerful holy spell to overpower Cackletta 's own spell. As the two villains find themselves being overpowered, Doug jumps in front of K rool. The giant reptile king tries to do a belly flop on the hero, but Doug is quicker and uppercuts the Kremling so hard his crown is knocked off! At the same time, the other two's magic spells are blasted back into them and, as they scream in pain, they blast into the wall. Ben then has his Star Sword begin to glow as he says,

" It's over for all of you; we will not let Bowser or any of you fulfill your greedy desires."

King K rool slams the ground with his tail and says," No! This can't be happening to us! We are not morons like Bowser!"

Grodius then gets back up and says,' Yes, this is all because of that idiot's plan! He should have just let Nightmare wipe out the planet from the sky! But no, Bowser wants to conquer this filthy world!"

Cackletta then laughs and says," Heh, he may have revived us, but he is foolish to think we are going to let him mess up our chance at glory!"

Mario then says," You guys are all wrong! If you won't learn your lesson, then we will take care of you all, along with Bowser!"

The three villains then ready themselves for another attack, but then everyone hears a loud roar, followed by Bowser making his return, landing down from the ceiling to crash down in front of the others with such force it almost knocks everyone over!

Looking furious after being sent flying for so long, he glares at the three smaller villains and snarls out a furious,

" HEY! Stop trying to steal my show! I got you guys working for me only to keep pests out. But if you're trying to take away the moment I have been dreaming about for years, then you're all fired!"

K rool scratches an itch on his head and says," Now, Bowser, be reasonable! We are just as hungry for revenge as you, so don't go and, AH! "

Before he can finish his speech, the Koopa King swings his tail and launches him , Sir Grodius and Cackletta clear out of the castle! He then turns around and roars loudly at the others and says,"

Alright, this is it! No more tricks, no more cheating! Right here, right now, I will finish all of you off! And then everyone will at last fear the name Bowser! "

Ben just sighs and says, "Man, Mario is right. He just won't give up! "

Mario then says," Bowser, can't you get that you have no chance of winning! "

Bowser then snorts and says," That's what you think , but I did not show you all the power I have now, I was saving it for this very moment! You want to know were Peach is? Right above you all on the roof! And she has a front row seat to your demise!"

Ben then points his sword at Bowser and says," Let me guess, its go time right?"

Bowser grins and says," Hey now your getting the, hey wait, shut up! I swear on my shell, this time your through, all of you!"

Ben sighs before he responds back with," I would not count on it. Bowser, this is your last chance to survive. All the chaos you caused, and all the damage you have done to this world for so long. It ends now! You were foolish to think you could beat the Enji Knights. "

Bowser then laughs and says," You Enji think you're hot stuff, do you! I wish that over sized muscle head that got the jump on me from the invasion was here, so I could pay him back too! Guess that will have to wait, so I will just have to settle for you fools! No one makes a fool out of king Bowser and gets away with it!"

Ben then sighs and says," He must be talking about Brad. Man, he gets on the nerves of everyone he meets, besides Lacus."

Mario then looks on edge as he shouts out,"Stop this Bowser! This has gone too far, even for you! These a guys like Xehamaru, they want to destroy everything and rule what remains with darkness! You always act tough, but I know you're not that evil in your heart ! Stop that crazy a machine out there, before it's too late!"

Bowser just puts his hand on his head and laughs even louder and says,

"You just don't get it! I am evil! Always have been, always will be! That's why I am working with the Zannacross Empire, to win it all! If it was not for you annoying Mustache bros, always ruining everything for me. If it was not for you Mario, then at last Peach would be mine. But today is also the day that I prove I am the biggest, baddist, greatest stud in this world. Oh yes, after all of theses years of just looking at me like some loser monster, even Peach will have to see me as a winner!

You know, back when I had the Star Rod the thought of turning me in to a human came to mind, so I could be like the man she liked to. But, then I realized that was stupid, I am going to get her and EVERY one else to see that the Koopa King is the man, not some lazy moron with a mustache! At last, she will look at me like I wanted her to, when I am done with you!"

Doug then says," Man you are crazy! You really think causing mass havoc will hide the fact that you're a jerk? Get a grip! If you're going to these lengths just to impress a woman that does not even like you, you're clueless!"

As Doug gets himself pumped for the coming fight he says" You're even more delusional than I thought, Bowser. "

Blumiere hears Doug's comment and tips his hat down before saying to Doug," It's not as insane as one would think. When a heart filled with loneliness and despair reaches out, it will go to any lengths to be recognized. I too once felt this way. "

Ben then hears this comment and thinks about it before thinking to himself, "

Bowser, is all of this because you so desperately want Princess Peach to recognize your feelings? I wonder, how far off my wish for Lacus to love me instead of Brad matches that. How sad, that I can compare such feelings . However, I am not like him at all! For one thing, I will not fail to get Lacus to someday to return my feelings! And for that to happen, I can't lose here!"

He then gets into fighting stance and says," Bowser, this is it. Together we defeated Xehamaru. We will defeat you, and all others like you, even the supreme god of darkness Chaos Zannacross Necron!"

Bowser stomps up to Ben. Just as he raises his claw, everyone hears a new evil laugh!

They all look up and see a new figure standing on the top of the throne, and it's none other than Nightmare! The envoy of darkness must have just strolled in and he continues to laugh before darkly saying,"

A worthless fool like you will never even be able to amuse my master!"

Luigi then sees Nightmare glaring at him before he says," What the? Who invited mister Sword happy? I think he came to the wrong party."

Ben then tenses up before he turns to the thin plumber says," We fought him before. He is Nightmare, one of the most persistent minions of Sithantos. I see you're the one who is giving Bowser a hand. "

Nightmare then lifts up his blade and says,

"But of course. Like someone of his caliber could be trusted to fulfill his task. Think of me as the one who ties up loose ends, and slashes them!"

Bowser seems annoyed at Nightmare's arrival and says," Hey! I told you before, the only ones that will give Mario and Luigi their final game over is me! Go, do whatever you want, somewhere else! "

Nightmare just chuckles as his sword hand glows before darkly saying,"

I care little about your grudge with these inferior begins. I am here for one purpose. Ben Auro, the supposed hero of light that can defy the impossible and challenge my master. I will complete the task that Xehamaru failed in his arrogance to complete. One who was chosen by the Star Sword, this is the end! I will burn you alive!"

Ben then powers up once more and snaps back with a fierce, "Don't think it will be so easy, maniac. I took care of your superior and I can beat you! I may at one point have been no match for you. But, it's time to show you how much stronger I have become! We will stop you. Cloud sensei is already just about to shut down your little tower up there! "

Nightmare unleashes his own dark magic energy and it's enough to blow the statues of Bowser down hard to the ground! He then swings his Soul Crusher sword around his head and narrows his eyes before he says,

" HA! You fools have no clue. The monolith of judgment will not be destroyed so easily. And you can not stop it. It will not be stopped until it absorbs all the energy of this pitiful world until nothing is left!"

Bowser then seems shocked and says," Hey, hold on! If the world's destroyed, want am I going to rule? "

Nightmare just looks annoyed and glances to his comrade before he responds with," Don't worry, for your servitude you will be granted a planet to rule as one of the master overseers of the new era."

Bowser then looks worried and says," Hey, but I want to rule this world! "

Nightmare then says," All of this corrupt cosmos must be destroyed . You are either part of the new order or part of the trash needing to be wiped out! So, get the message? "

Bowser is starting to get the picture and he almost looks sad before saying," Got it dude. As long as I have Peach, I'll do it. "

Nightmare then has his sword glow red and he says," Good, you're not as stupid as I thought you were. Alright then, let's resume with the slaughter! Heh, let's see how much you can amuse me!"

Doug gets besides Ben and says," Hey, you want a piece of our buddy, you fight us too!"

Wyrmmon then gets on the other side and says," That's right, we won't let you fight the boss alone!"

Nightmare just says," Well, this arena seems a little to crowded for a proper fight to the death. Bowser, I am taking the boy outside. Kill the rest, if you have a hard time even killing these maggots I will return to assist you . Now then, envoy of light, let's see which side is truly the dominant one right now!"

Nightmare creates a shock-wave from his power that blows everyone back, and then he charges at Ben at full speed! Ben has only time to raise his sword and says," Whoa!"

He then blocks Nightmare's blow, but it's so strong that the force blasts Ben out of the castle! An instant later, the Imperial Inquisitor blasts off, to further his assault! Everyone is speechless as to how brutal Nightmare's attack is and Wyrmmon then screams,"Boss! We've got to help him!AH!"

The Digimon goes to follow where Ben was launched, but then a large fireball gets in his way!

Bowser then screams," Hey! You're fighting me, punk! That will be the last time you ever turn your back at me! Heh, I have my own setting for the final battle in mind. Come, let's go to the final battle ground, Mario!"

Bowser raises his hands and his own dark magic fills the room! All of a sudden, everyone is lifted into the air and out of the ceiling! They then are lifted outside the castle and Mario sees a giant sphere that Bowser is leading everyone to, it's a sphere, just like the one the heroic brothers fought Bowser in, in Super Mario galaxy!

Bowser lands first on his feet while the others have a much rougher landing! Seeing Mario land on his feet makes the Koopa king chuckle and he says,

" Oh yeah, now I don't have to wreck my home while I eat you all! "

Mario looks at Bowser right in the eyes and says," Bowser, this a guy Nightmare. He wants to destroy everything in this world! Everything! You really think he will not destroy you too?"

Bowser almost looks nervous, but then looks deadly serious before saying,

"Bah, what do you know, no way he would ever turn on someone who reeks of pure badness like me! And even so, I can't turn back down now. Otherwise, they will, no. You're the ones who are doomed! Now is the time, I'll make the last thing you all do will be respecting my true strength! Kamck, Kammy, NOW!"

The two loyal magic koopas hover above their boss with the toddies still holding Peach in her magic triangle prison.

Kameck then says," As you wish! By the powers of dark magic. '

Kammy then says the next part and says," Magic wands! Make my monster, err I mean my master grow!'

The two both fly around and spray what appears to be magical dust on the Koopa king. It makes him glow, until he begins to grow even more than before! Now just as big as the large robot his kids rode on Rainbow Road, he stares down at the heros and

Doug then says," Sigh, another giant foe. Today must be that day or something. Still, I do sense his power, and I admit it's a doozy."

Mario then says," Bowser, so this is it is it? Mamma Mia."

Geno then says to his friend, " It's no use. He has made his choice. Now we must make our own and fight with all our strength to fulfill it."

Bowser then roars so loud his nearby castle shakes and he then says," Yes, this is power baby! I am King Bowser of the koopas! I will never be destroyed! I will destroy you all first! Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and all of your friends. You're the ones who are going to die! Brahahaha!"

Well, talk about a tense moment! It seems our heroes are being pushed to the edge. Cloud still has Janus to handle. Ben must fight the bloodthirsty Nightmare and Mario and the others must face a desperate Bowser with more power then he has ever had!

Can justice prevail? Well, the only way to find out is to tune in next time to Tales of the Cosmic Wars!

In our next chapter the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom hangs in the balance. Ben faces off against Nightmare and unleashes his Bankai power to put him in his place. However, when Ben seems to at first overwhelm Nightmare, the dark knight reveals a startling truth, that he has been hiding his true power all this time! He then shows it's not a bluff by transforming to his true form, Night Terror!

As Ben fights against the true power of the envoy of darkness, everyone else faces off against Bowser once more. However, this time Bowser is not playing around. In fact he is fighting for his life.

With Mario's resolve and Doug and James's new powers they are able to match the Koopa King. But Bowser knows he can't afford to lose if he wants to make it far in the Zannacross Empire. He then pulls out his trump card, the advanced curse seal given to him by the Shin Emperor of darkness himself! He then fully opens his heart to darkness, and transforms into the horrifying Giga Bowser! Is this the final moment of Bowser? Meanwhile, Cloud still has to deal with Janus too! To find out don't dare miss Chapter 70: Pride of the Koopa King. Dark Roar of Giga Bowser! Till next time!