Battle of the Champions

"H-Heather?" Cam asked in disbelief. "What? I… I don't understand. Wha-"

Heather swung her sword and bent her knees, ready to pounce forward. Her expression remained completely vacant.

"Heather, what's going on? Why are you on the wrong side? Why are you fighting me? How-"

A flash behind her eyes occurred. However, it disappeared just as quickly.

"Heather, listen. I don't want to fight you," Cam said. "Not only will I get my ass handed to me, but this isn't right! You're not supposed to be working for Tabuu! You're-"

"So you're willing to give up the one slim chance you have to save Smashville?You're ready to let Smashville fall into the hands of Tabuu because of cowardrice?" Heather barked out, her eyes flashed with anger.

"No, but-"

"Then what the hell are you doing standing there?" Heather poked his chest with her sword as she held it straight to him. Her eyes seemed to give everything away. Right at this moment, she was fighting for Tabuu. Cam did not know or understand why she was. But the message was clear.

She would give him no quarter.

Cam gulped. "Heather… must it really come down to this…?"

Pointing her sword up in her right hand towards him, Heather's eyes flashed harshly once more to urge him on.

"Unsheathe both swords and point the one you wield in your right hand at her," Ike instructed. "That means that you accept her challenge."

"But-"

"No buts, Cameron," Ike said gravely. "If… if she really chose this path of her own free will, then there's nothing we can do… and… and it's your duty… as Champion of the Guardians, you are to battle whoever Tabuu chooses to send in for battle. And the person he chose was Heather…"

"I really don't wanna do this…" reluctantly, Cam unsheathed Sigmund and Ragnell. Ragnell, which he was wielding in his right hand, was raised and pointed at his opponent. In spite of himself, Cam couldn't stop his arm from shaking. "H-Heather Wolfon… Scion of Rage and Guardian of Wolf…"

"Don't back off now, Cam… you made it this far already. Remember, you're fighting for the future of Smashville… and in the name of your lady…"

". Ready." Cam enunciated each word. As soon as he was done speaking, his arm stopped shaking.

At this, Heather smiled. Albeit briefly, but she smiled, appearing to be proud of him for putting aside his fear and values at last.

It was a strange feeling…

Now all he had to do was wait. Wait for Heather to either attack or wait for him to attack.

"Don't let your guard down," Ike said. "And no matter what happens, don't let your enemy achieve a hit with the first blow. Be on your toes and ready."

Cam stared at Heather. She hadn't moved a bit since he accepted her challenge. A soft wind blew around the two of them, causing Cam's red scarf and Heather's black cloak to swing in the breeze. Despite the tension in the air and the obvious silent urging of others for them to attack, neither of the Champions moved a muscle.

Ike took the time to examine the sword Heather was holding. He wasn't surprised to see that the Wolfon wasn't wielding her red beam sword or staff. Although the two weapons were both powerful in their own right, wielding them would prove to be more of a liability than an advantage. Compared to the likes of other blades such as Ragnell and Sigmund, the beam sword was light and weak and her staff would slow her speed down. Heavy blows from weapons such as those would hurt, yes, but not lethal.

This new sword she had was large, not nearly as large as Ragnell, but still quite large. It was also pitch black, as if made of obsidian. Had it been wielded by anyone else, Ike would have assumed it to be just that. However, the fact that it was Heather, under the command of Tabuu, told the former Smasher that there was something else making up the blade. The fact that the sword was pulsing and throbbing, as if it possessed a heartbeat, only confirmed his suspicions.

It was a blade made of Shadow Bugs, a sword dangerous to both sides of the field. It was said, Ike knew, that although a weapon made of Shadow Bugs granted the user the power to overcome their greatest enemies,it could quite easily turn on them as well. Most powerful dark weapons were like that. Fulfill the duty you were supposed to fulfill and you would be rewarded with great prowess in battle. But fail to do so and you would begin wishing you were dead.

He then proceeded to study Heather's build critically, eyeing in particular her rock hard muscles. Someone built like her would most likely be honed specially for terrific strength, stamina, and defense. But with such skill came a cost. Speed would most likely be extremely low, as would resistance to magical attacks and maybe even luck. Such a thing would be quite important in a battle such as this.

Cause they'd would need all the luck they could get…

"It doesn't look like she's going to make a move any time soon," Ike said uneasily. "I guess… I guess you'll have to go first…"

Cam spun Ragnell and slammed it into the ground, the golden blade summoning forth a magical shockwave that headed straight for his opponent. A smirk appeared on his features as Heather immediately sidestepped to avoid the shockwave. Because of that, she had placed herself in such a way that it would be all too easy for him to land a blow.

Using the strength Ike had gifted to him, Cam lifted Ragnell of the ground with ease and charged at the Wolfon, Sigmund crackling with energy. Meanwhile, Ragnell spun in fluid circles easily in his right hand, humming a deep-throated death song. As soon as he was within range, he thrust Sigmund at her neck and Ragnell swooped in for an underhand slice.

Heather might not have been honed for speed, but her reflexes were lightning quick. She kicked Ragnell away just before it reached her, while swiping her metal arm across her neck to catch Sigmund, blocking its path to her neck. Then, using her left leg, she aimed a powerful kick right into the Guardian of Ike's stomach.

Now it was her turn to smirk.

Winded, Cam staggered, almost losing his balance as he recoiled from the impact of the kick. But before he could so much as cry out, another kick was already on its way, bathed in magical light. Although the kick itself stung horribly, nothing could compare to the fiery burning that soon spread forth from the spot where it hit.

"ARGH!" Cam clutched the spot, his head spinning. "What the hell?"

"Magic!" Ike gasped. "Damn that woman! I've never been the type to resist that crap for long!"

Eyes watering in pain, Cam now took this opportunity to jab at Heather with Sigmund. As soon as she moved to block it, he slammed Ragnell into her, jarring the Wolfon to the very bone. Then, with a great 'zap', Sigmund released electricity right into her.

With her low resistance, the magical attack radiating from the sacred thunder blade hurt like hell. Summoning up what seemed to be the last of her will, she pressed her left palm into Cam's chest and it wasn't long before red psychic electricity surged all through his body.

"ASHERA DAMN!" Cam cried out as he was blasted to the ground. Heather rushed at him now, sword drawn as her eyes burned with fiery ambition.

"GRAB HER!" Ike shouted.

The moment the words left the mercenary's lips, Cam rolled sharply to avoid Heather's next blow and swiped at her legs with Ragnell, catching both on the flat of the huge sword and sending her toppling. But just before she hit the ground, he grabbed her left arm and twisted it to the side, ears ringing as she cried out yet again.

But then came the hilt of her sword. With amazing strength, she slammed it into the side of his nose, bringing forth a horrid crunching sound and causing blood to run down his face. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth as Cam rolled away and kicked up his legs, using the momentum to bring him to his feet again. Heather shakily stood up as well; blood running from the wounds Cam had managed to inflict on her.

Cam slammed Ragnell into the ground once again, sending yet another shockwave towards his opponent. Heather side-stepped yet again, giving him the perfect opening through which he would strike. He charged, Sigmund and Ragnell, ready to deliver some heavy, crippling blows.

Heather's sword flicked upwards and caught the blow that Sigmund was intended for, but Ragnell came whirling at her and slashed her upper left arm. With a growl, Heather quickly twisted her sword and stabbed, aiming right for Cam's throat. Taking a step back, Cam crossed both Sigmund and Ragnell in an X-shaped formation, catching the blade between the two and holding it there for all its worth.

Heather smirked.

"It appears you've learned a trick or two. Ha ha ha…I didn't think I'd enjoy this battle so much..." she wrenched her sword free and this time gave him an underhanded cut. Cam dodged just in time.

Then, something strange happened. Sigmund whirled right at her, crackling deadly magical electricity. He was much too fast for Heather to dodge, which cost her quite dearly. A shriek of pain escaped the Wolfon's lips as both the razor sharp tip and the crackling electricity were driven home. Cam grabbed the blade with both hands, twisted once and then wrenched it out of his opponent's struck once more, this time driving his blade him into the right side of Heather's chest. Once he wrenched it out, a lightning fast strike came to him and Ragnell sent the Wolfon flying.

Down on one knee, Heather snarled, taking hold of her sword in both hands and charged. But when she attempted to counter attack, something stopped her. Her sword flicked towards him, but stopped a few inches from his chest.

"What?" Heather looked surprised.

"Skills…" Ike muttered. "Adept… and Cancel…"Cam could just imagine his eyes widening. "I thought that only we were able to learn those!"

Cam had heard of the skills before. They were famous in Tellian legends. It was said that these skills were powerful abilities that could make a fighter all the more deadly. There were abilities such as Astra, which allowed five lightning fast and consecutive strikes and abilities such as Resolve, which increased a fighter's aim tenth fold when they were in trouble.

Cancel and Adept were two such skills. Cancel was a skill that rarely activated in the slower fighters, but was still quite deadly. After a successful strike, the fighter would release a magical aura that would prevent an opponent's counterattack. This did not happen often, but when it did, the fighter would always use this to their advantage and either land another blow or run away. Adept, on the other hand, gave the fighter an extra lightning fast strike, allowing them to land up to three consecutive blows.

Cam took this opportunity to strike yet again. Ragnell slammed into Heather, winding her and causing her to stagger back. Then, Adept came to him once again, allowing him two more good hits. But Heather was ready this time. She deflected the first hit off her sword and interrupted its momentum, allowing it to graze her shoulder while effectively greatly reducing the damage it would've done to her. Again, her sword flicked up to counterattack, but again, Cancel kicked in and Cam was immediately surrounded by the magical aura.

"Say Heather...how are you going to beat me if you can't even touch me?" Cam mocked, slamming Ragnell into her yet again.

But Heather merely smirked. A red flash flared up behind her eyes as her hands glowed red. She then grabbed Cam's arm and concentrated, releasing psychic energy into him. Pain surged through his veins, causing him to cry out. His knees turned to jelly and he collapsed, almost losing his grip on Ragnell and Sigmund in the process. Heather's smirk faded to a cold look as she stepped closer to Cam and placed her metal leg on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"Get up! This is the most unfavorable position you could possibly be in!" Ike shouted. "Cam, one hit and you're finished! GET OUTTA THIS!"

Cam struggled to get up, but it was no use. The more he struggled, the more weight Heather put in that single foot. He glared up at her, teeth bared, blood boiling.

"T-Traitor…" Cam gasped, "D-Damn… you…"

Heather did not answer, choosing instead to press her metal leg harder against him. Her face remained cold and indifferent. But it was during this moment that Cam couldn't help but notice that her orange eyes were brighter than usual. In fact, they were practically glowing. Just looking at them seemed to heighten his vision. The longer he looked at them, the more he noticed that they looked unusually moist…

"What's wrong, Wolfon? A little bit emotional aren't we? Come on, do it! TAKE ME DOWN, BITCH!" Cam roared in severe anger.

That was when her fist came. Her right one, metal gleaming in the dim light. She struck him across the face quite hard, but not so hard that he was knocked out. As she struck him, he couldn't help but notice her neck as he braced himself for the blow. Behind all the scars that covered her skin, Cam couldn't help but notice a strange pattern.

A strange, all too familiar pattern….

"It can't be…" Ike whispered."It's the mark! The mark of the Blood Pact! But… but I thought such magic had faded long ago…"

"H-How…" Cam looked up at his opponent. "I…"

Heather only gave him a hard look in the , that seemed to tell him everything. An understanding passed between them, causing Cam's anger to disappear.

"Heather, end it now!" Tabuu ordered from the sidelines. "He is weak and vulnerable! KILL HIM!"

Keeping her face expressionless, Heather's sword flicked upward and descended with amazing speed. It was heading right for Cam's heart. The Guardian of Ike closed his eyes and braced himself, trying to summon up the image of her face one last time…

"NO!"

The moment the dark blade pierced his skin, Cam's nerves were set on fire. It was as if Heather was slowly ripping his nerves apart one by one. Blood flowed freely from this wound, burning every single muscle in Cam's body like acid. He let out an unearthly cry, unable to hold it back. In his mind, he could hear Ike screaming as well.

And then suddenly, the pain was gone…

It was as if a vacuum had come and sucked it all up. Compared to the intense burning he felt before, this was paradise. But it was strange. The pain he had felt wasn't concentrated anywhere around his chest like he expected it to be. It had been concentrated on his left shoulder, a mere inch above his heart…

He suddenly became aware of the fact that he was breathing. A warm wetness flowed all over his left shoulder. He was breathing, his nerves were working, and he was all around alive.

"Miracle," Ike said, answering his unasked question. "A very rare and unique skill. Basically kid, you're one walking anti-death machine."

Heather had wrenched the blade out of his left shoulder. Taking advantage of her temporary unbalance in weight, he threw her off and rolled to the side, shakily getting to his feet. Before Heather was up on her own feet, he had already managed to grab Sigmund and Ragnell. He glared at his opponent, assessing her silently.

Both of them were sporting horrible injuries. It was surprising that neither of them had fallen yet. It surprised him even more to know that he was still alive after all that had transpired. The fight might've felt like an eternity, but the light in the skies had never changed. It had probably been about half an hour at most since he had chosen to land the first blow.

Heather charged at him, her sword whirling. Despite the considerable fear he felt, Cam held his ground. The closer he got to her, the more likely he would be able to land a hit. He planted his feet and set his jaw, preparing to dodge or block if necessary.

Then, something awoke within him. He felt it deep within his gut. He felt the raging anger of a great beast about to attack, rearing its noble head and roaring with all its might. But at the same time, he felt the serene grace of a bird in flight, smooth and untroubled. This clashing of emotions, so balanced that neither could ever overtake the other, meant only one thing.

The presence of an Eternal.

Ashunera.

Goddess of Dawn.

"Looks like she's sending you her blessings," Ike said. "Release everything you've got. Everything we've been fighting for all this time comes down to this last blow."

Cam hesitated. "Are you sure that I can do this?"

Ike laughed. "You're my Guardian. I'm pretty sure Fate wouldn't stick me in your head if it didn't think you could."

Electricity crackled all around him. Flames roared in his veins. Ragnell and Sigmund glowed with an unearthly light, the kind of beauty and terror seen only at the peak of dawn. With a shout loud enough to shake the heavens, he raised both the Blessed Blade and the Cursed Sword to the skies, as if calling down the spirit of the Goddess of Dawn herself.

A blue flame descended from the heavens and encircled the swords, feeding them with divine energy. Carefully harnessing this energy, Cam closed his eyes and listened hard for the voice of his goddess. Instead of a voice, he felt a gentle push, a push that told him that it was time to end it.

He planted his foot and faced Heather, a smirk appearing on his face. Slamming Ragnell into Heather as she approached, Cam flung her into the air and flipped up after her, slamming her with Sigmund. A final strike with Ragnell sent her hurtling to the ground, kicking up dirt and dust as she went. He finally landed not far away from her, splattered with blood. He leaned on Ragnell, panting.

Heather coughed up blood as she lay there, blood dripping down her face and her cape completely torn up. The hand that clutched her sword quivered with exhaustion as she smiled, gritting her teeth. Cam, having recovered some of his energy through the use of Aether, was obviously in much better condition than she was.

"Well done…" Heather commended, starting to push herself up. "Aether…the occult skill of the Vanguard class…" she pushed herself up completely and leaned on her sword. She then looked up at him, her wide grin still plastered on her face.

"You've come quite far, kid…"

At the last words, her voice sounded devious, her grin turning wider than before. It was too wide, too wild to truly belong to the Heather Wolfon he knew. It was here that he noticed that Heather's eyes- usually magma orange- were turning to a deep red. Nevertheless, he held his ground and watched as she pushed herself up on one knee, still leaning on her sword and shaking.

"Give her the option to yield," Ike said. "We don't want any more blood to be spilt."

Cam held out his hand to her. "I give you the option to yield, Heather Wolfon."

For a moment, hesitation flashed behind the Wolfon's eyes, which had reverted to orange. It seemed to him that she was just about ready to give in. Neither of them wished to keep fighting this war. If Heather surrendered, Tabuu would lose the Trial by Combat and the Guardians would be victorious. They would finally achieve what they had been fighting for.

Hesitantly, Heather extended a hand…

"HEATHER ELEKTRA WOLFON!" Tabuu's cold voice pierced the silence. "By my order, I command you to finish him! Finish him in the name of the Subspace Army! End this now!"

Heather closed her eyes and it was only seconds that Cam could see the guilt…

"But I'm afraid it's not enough."

Standing up with renewed energy, Heather cast her sword aside and pulled out a light tome that Ike was all too familiar with seeing…

"Rexaura…"

Underneath Heather, a magic circle appeared and then a flash of red happened. Ike sharply gasped in terror.

"Corona…mastery skill of the Arch Sages of light…negating all resistance and halving the enemy's accuracy…"

She raised her arm and created a triangle in the air, her eyes never wavering from her target. As she pointed to her opponent, magical light energy from above converged on him and exploded, taking full advantage of what little magical resistance he had.

The last thing he saw was a huge flash of green. Choking on dirt, Cam attempted to speak. But something stopped him. Shadows loomed over him, whispering gibberish that he could just barely understand.

They said that everything was going to be alright…

But it wouldn't be.

He had lost the Battle of the Champions.

Nothing mattered now.

Smashville was doomed.

What was he thinking?

What in the name of all that was holy was he thinking?

He could still hear Cimar and Zelda chiding him, even though he was already halfway across the battlefield. Trying to close his ears to them, Rinku gritted his teeth and gripped his sword all the more tighter, his gaze intent upon one person.

Heather.

"YOU STAY RIGHT THERE, YOU BITCH!"

Rinku charged and kicked off the ground, leaping high into the air. Flashing silver, the Gamersword descended towards his foe's throat. Injured though she was, Heather's reaction remained sharp. Rinku felt her foot connect to his stomach before he could even slice through her skin.

Rinku was thrown away, temporarily stunned by the force of the blow. He managed to stop his momentum just in time to keep him from falling. He found that he was right in front of Cam, who was being tended to by the healers.

Already he could feel the stares- both of the enemy and his friends- boring into him. For a moment, he wondered why they were staring so intensely. After all, the fact that he- wielder of the Triforce of Courage- was bravely (or mindlessly) rushing in to help a fellow Guardian shouldn't have been that surprising, right?

Then it hit him. He had broken the rules. The ancient laws of Trial by Combat. By stepping in for Cameron as he was about to fall, he had just basically handed Smashville to Tabuu on a silver platter. The more he looked at the hated creature, the clearer he saw the sneer that was playing all over the Subspace Lord's otherwise unfathomable face.

He had two choices. He could fight or he could run. If he fought, he might just be able to hold off Heather long enough for some of the Guardians to escape. But that would be at the cost of his own life. If he ran, others might jump in save his neck. After all, it was imperative that he survived long enough to visit Hyrule once again. The Sacred Realm still needed someone to guide it, right?

Rinku's sensitive Hylian ears twitched slightly as he picked up sounds from the sidelines. They were protests, mostly. A couple mumbled about his foolishness. Some whispered of his courage. Others asked what would happen next. But the voice he was searching for the most, the one who had guided him for what seemed like years, was silent.

He looked at Heather, watching as her gaze darted between him, Cam, and a man on the sidelines that bore quite a resemblance to her. Although her gaze remained cold as ever, there was just the slightest hesitation in her movements, as if she was unsure of what to do. Rinku himself felt a strange pang within him as he realized that at this moment, everything now rested on his shoulders.

Rinku charged yet again, his sword humming as he swung it in a deadly arc towards Heather's chest. The Wolfon leaped aside, putting away her tome as she did so. By the time Rinku was charging at her again, Heather had unsheathed her jet black blade.

CLANG!

He found himself in an all too familiar position, locking blades with his foe. Both he and his Smasher had been in this position before and both knew how to conquer it. It was a simple, yet effective method known only as "Chance".

He took a step forward, plunging all of his weight into the blade. With the sudden shift in weight, Heather was forced to shift her balance, giving Rinku just the right opening. Flicking his sword upwards, he quickly removed it from the lock and slashed her not once, but five times. Astra, one of the many Secret Sword techniques, had kicked in.

As soon as the fifth slash had run its course, Heather was back in the game yet again, her sword creating indents on the ground every time she missed her opponent. Rinku, who was built for speed and evasion, easily swayed to the side as she attempted to hit him, but sooner or later, she would resort to some other tactic…

And it would all be over for him.

On and on they continued in this frightful dance of death. Heather's sword wove and struck with the fluidity of the snake, only to be cruelly evaded. Rinku, meanwhile, twisted and flipped his way past her strokes, carefully timing his own so he could hit her at just the right times. Of course, Cam had once told him he was built much like a Trueblade; wonderful speed and skill, but strength and defense that was sub-par at best. No matter what happened, he could never allow Heather to land a blow on him and she was just barely grazed by his own.

His one hope lay in his own Mastery Skill, which people normally mistook to be , as it was called, doubled his strength when activated. Unlike most skills, this one could be activated after a certain amount of time had passed. If his calculations were correct, Rinku knew that such a time was nigh.

A blue aura covered his hands, engulfing the hilt of his sword. He watched as his opponent's sword hesitated for a moment before resuming its deadly course, intent on landing a fatal blow before anything else could happen. But it was already too late. Using his weapon to block a jarring blow, Rinku looked at Heather right in the eye and spoke one word.

"Charge."

A burst of energy ripped through his veins, the blue aura around his hands flared until it had completely engulfed the blade of his sword. He twisted his wrist and caught Heather's blade in a deadly lock, wrenching it away from him and attacking with surprising speed while she was still vulnerable. Again, the five lightning quick strikes came as he slowly chiseled away at his foe's health, praying to the three goddesses that somehow, he would be able to pull through.

Then it happened.

Heather's magma orange eyes flashed deep red, a snarl appearing on her once emotionless face. For a moment, her facial features seemed to melt and distort, giving rise to all too familiar, horrid shapes.

Caught off guard, nothing was able to prepare Rinku for the shattering counterattack Black Heather delivered to the right side of his jaw as he finished the fifth strike…

Rinku staggered back, narrowly avoiding yet another blow as he gazed upon Black Heather in both fear and disbelief.A trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth. His sword shook as he faced the dreaded second form of his foe. Black Heather grinned maniacally as she stood straight, ignoring the pain of all the many injuries he had left painted with blood. She licked her lips as she leered at him, as if deciding which part of him she should dine on first.

"Well, Rinku…" Black Heather grinned. "I must thank you for deciding to step forward as my prey to hunt for dinner tonight."

With that said, Black Heather pounced on him, her eyes flashing maniacally. Rinku's armor was soon bathed red with his own blood as she landed blow after blow on him. Her timing and speed were incredible! Her strength was even deadlier than Heather's!

It was as if they were two separate people…

"Heather! Goddess dammit, Heather! What the hell is wrong with you?" Rinku shouted, ducking as her sword swung overhead. For a moment, he could've sworn that he saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. It seemed to come from a man standing on the sidelines, right next to Tabuu.

He sure looked a lot like her…

Rinku was now forced to switch into the defensive, desperately blocking and evading his opponent's blows. Although Black Heather was quite slow, her reflexes were lightning quick. While most of the time she was unable to catch up with Rinku's speedy dodging long enough to land a blow, her blocks were timed to absolute perfection.

His one hope lay in those behind him. Maybe, just maybe, someone would think of something. Maybe, just maybe, someone would come in and help him.

But for now, all he could do was try his best to stay alive.

What in the name of the Three Goddesses was he thinking?

Two things happened at once.

If only she had been quick enough, she probably could have prevented these from happening. But Zelda, former Princess of Hyrule, had allowed her guard to drop. She had, in fact, been much too involved with watching Link's Guardian fight for his life, being so involved that she paid no heed to her Guardian and her Hero until it was much too late.

It all begun with a single sheet of paper. It flickered out of the shadows of a man's cloak for only a second, but it was quite clear that whatever that was had some kind of huge impact on the Wolfon. The moment her eyes shifted to it, her attack on Rinku became even more merciless than before. Zelda was much too far away to make out whatever the sheet said.

But that didn't mean that it escaped the notice of her Guardian.

"NO!" Cimar gasped, eyes widening as the sheet disappeared. "That…that monster!" in one fluid motion, he drew his sword. "I'll KILL HIM!"

"Cimar?" Zelda asked, shocked at his sudden outburst. "Wha- CIMAR, NO!"

Her guardian had just charged at the man, moving so fast it was no wonder that he was little more than a blur. It wasn't long before that blur of green and silver was joined by another, this one characterized by something red flying behind him. The shouts and protests of the healers filled Zelda's ears as she watched Cam and Cimar both charge at the same target, unable to do a thing to stop them.

"CAM, NO!"

"YOU IDIOT! GET BACK HERE!"

"YOU'LL TEAR OPEN THAT WOUND AGAIN, FOOL!"

"They've both lost their minds…" Zelda murmured, placing a gloved hand over her mouth. "Link, you- LINK!"

Without her notice, the Chosen Hero had charged, managing to slide in front of Rinku in time to catch a blow on his shield. A large dent appeared where Black Heather's great sword had whacked it, obviously jarring Link's arm. But that caught Black Heather off guard long enough for Rinku to perform a powerful Spin Attack on his foe.

Her Hero was a doughty warrior. But still, the princess worried. She looked between the two teams, trembling as she saw that the battles they fought were indeed in the Guardians' favor. Two against one were fantastic odds, but the enemy was truly something to be reckoned with. In fact, the man who held the paper was an even match for the likes of Cimar and Cam. He had procured a long sword from out of nowhere and was currently dodging Cimar's blows whilst keeping Cam at bay with blows of his own.

All the while, the other Guardians were ready to surge forth, to throw away all thought of the original method- the Trial by Combat- in favor of an all out battle. But as strong as they had grown to become, Master Hand was stronger still. From out of his palm grew a barrier, powerful enough to prevent the Guardians from crossing through it. From the way he sagged afterwards, Zelda could tell that creating such a thing greatly weakened him. If it all truly came down to all-out war, it was highly likely that he would not be participating.

Tabuu, she noticed, had simply stood there all this time. There was an expression on his glowing blue face that she could not quite read, the closest emotion she could think of linking it to was amusement. There was just something on that sick, twisted face that sent Zelda's blood boiling. Was it the fact that he hadn't even bothered to attempt stopping the fights? Was it the fact that he seemed to glow all the more brighter every time another drop of blood was spilt? Or was it something else?

A darker, deeper reason that only the blackest folds of Subspace could ever hold?

The shouts of the Guardians, the unearthly cries of the Primids, and the resounding clang of the swords as they met swirled all around her. Rinku and Link were both teaming up on Heather and keeping her at bay well-enough, so Zelda turned her attention to the fight between Cam and her Guardian against their foe. Blades whirled like there was no tomorrow and there was many a time when Ragnell, flashing gold, would come clashing down to the ground to send a shock wave straight at their foe.

"Who is that man?" asked Beeh, who was standing behind Zelda. "And why are Cam and Cimar attacking him like that?"

"That man… his name is Clark Wolfon," Mah answered, glaring at the barrier that currently encased the rest of the Guardian army. "He… he used to come to the slave room and whip us like there was no tomorrow. He always threatened us with death… which would have been salvation compared with what the slaves went through…" she shook her head. "I don't know what he has done to Hyrule or to Tellius… but those two are attacking him for a reason…"

"What do you know about him?" Zelda asked sharply. "Surely there is more to him than just some bit of sadism."

Mah looked her in the eye. "Princess… I don't know much about him beyond the sadism. But I can say this: he is a liar and a swindler. Like Tabuu, he does not play by the rules. If he wants something, he'll get it through any means available to him…" her voice took on a hate-filled edge. "Even if it means destroying everything that's left to us down at the bottom…"

Zelda turned once again to Cimar and Cam's battle, her lips trembling as she watched Cimar nimbly duck under Clark's swing. His retaliation blow was immediately followed up by two more powerful swings from his partner. But Clark managed to dodge them all, sneering as he did so. Although she was no longer part of Cimar, the princess was still able to feel the wind whistling past her Guardian as he ducked each swing, the pain he felt in his chest as his strength began to waver.

Surely some piece of her must have remained within him. Surely it was impossible for her to sense as Cimar, in a last desperate attempt, raised his eyes to the heavens where the three enemy Arwings floated tauntingly above. She had the impression that her Guardian was mentally calling out to either Falco or Wolf, as if begging them for help.

But before she could even think to comprehend any of this, It happened.

A gray blur burst from one of the Arwings, streaking down straight towards Clark. Like an arrow it pierced him, spraying a fountain of red in every direction thinkable. Cam and Cimar both only had seconds to wrench a scroll of paper free from Clark's grip before deadly claws raked into the enemy flesh, mangling Clark's neck beyond recognition.

Cam held the paper. Zelda watched as he ripped it to shreds, relief sweeping through her as the Guardians on all sides of her roared their approval, although she was sure that most did not truly understand what had just happened. But whatever had happened, a victory had been scored for them. In the most simplistic way, they had gained a victory. And one victory could quite well lead to another, even greater triumph.

All too soon, the roar stopped, replaced by a scream of horror. As Wolf was pinned down by the bodies of Bowser and King Dedede,Zelda whirled towards Rinku and Link's battle just in time to see Black Heather send a Psyforce to Rinku, blasting him off his feet. He was tossed away like a rag-doll, slamming into Cimar and Cam as they tried to help. All three young men were sent sprawling back.

Meanwhile, Link had used the moment Black Heather struck against Rinku to deal a few blows of his own, the Master Sword weaving familiar patterns such as the Helm Splitter and the Great Spin through the air. As he did this, Zelda found herself reaching for her Bow of Light. She watched as her love's sword glowed before he kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. She nocked and arrow as he brought his sword down towards his enemy's head, the latter's sword arm much too far away to block in time.

But something most unexpected happened as the Jump Strike made its descent. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. A red aura surrounded Blackther, licking her heels like flames. Her sword came up with impossible speed, so fast that it was nearly invisible…

The next thing anyone knew, Link had fallen, a wide red gash opening up upon his abdomen and bleeding horribly…

Black Heather cackled her triumph as she raised her sword to strike yet again, her eyes glowing with sadistic light..

"The Resolve skill…" she her Nask whisper behind her. "But Heather didn't have that before… could it be that she and Black Heather are two different people?"

That was all that Zelda needed.

She raised her bow and aimed a Light Arrow directly at the young woman's blackened heart. Like a viper, it struck home, opening a hole so wide it was a wonder that the young woman's head did not fall off then and there…

A horrific scream of pain filled the ears of all in her presence. Black Heather slowly fell backwards in the air.

She landed with a thud.

The Guardians could only stare with widened eyes as Black Heather disappeared in facial features, being replaced with Heather.

Slowly, her body began to dissolve into the air from the effects of piercing light…

Link struggled to his knees, grasping his mangled middle. Much to Zelda's surprise his blue eyes- trained on Heather- were moist.

Zelda felt a lump in her throat. When she spoke, her voice shook with tears.

"I don't understand… I…I thought-"

"That you killed Black Heather?" Heather laughed humorously. "Light can't exist without darkness…you of all people should know that, Zelda Hyrule…"

Zelda found herself dead-panned with the words she'd spoken to Midna before she left for the mirror…

"I…I didn't mean…I-"

"Don't apologise," Heather smiled, her eyes half-closed. "You…were only protecting the man you loved from certain death."

Turning her head to Wolf, who was held back by King Dedede and Bowser, her eyes flashed warm as her smile turned sad.

"If it were me…I would've done the same…"

And she dissolved into thin air, never to be seen or to be heard again.

At long last, the Scion of Rage had been put to rest…

…and so had Heather Wolfon.

For a few moments, no sound was made but for Wolf's shallowed stared at the spot where she dissolved, his mouth quivering as tears formed in his eyes…

Zelda too, felt the sting of her own tears as she realized that it was she and no one else that was responsible for her death…

Then, the spell was broken yet again by a foreign noise. This time, it was the slow, calm, rhythmic sound of clapping. All eyes turned to Tabuu, who seemed to glow brighter at the attention. It was all too obvious that he would have been sneering, had he possessed a discernable mouth.

"Well, well, well, Guardians," he mused. "I must admit, you have done quite a good job. After all, you took down one of your own. And not just one of your own… one of the most powerful of your number." a deadly edge crept into his voice. "Most intriguing…"

"Even so, Tabuu," Master Hand said quietly. "Your Champion has fallen. You must abide by our agreement and take your leave of Smashville. I shall give you one hour's time to prepare for-"

"Foolish hand!" Tabuu cackled, a laugh cold enough to cause Zelda's blood to freeze in its veins. "Do you really think that after you broke the rules, I would merely walk out of here?"

"What are you saying, you mad man?" Master Hand demanded, curling into a fist. "By the rules of Trial by Combat, your champion has lost and you therefore forfeit all hold over Smashville, as abiding with the terms of-"

Tabuu laughed again. "Master Hand, you are truly a fool. By allowing Rinku to fight Heather in place of young Cam, you have forfeited the match! Though my Champion has fallen, you have broken the rules! As such, you must release all hold upon Smashville and it is you that must abide by the terms of our agreement!"

"Spineless worm!" Master Hand spat. "You know quite well that there are seconds allowed in Trial by Combat! Rinku, acting as Cam's second, stepped in when he-"

"Ah, but it seems that I was not informed of such seconds was I, you old fool?" Tabuu sneered.

"Enough, Tabuu! You are to take your leave of Smashville immediately!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Master Hand. Not while I fairly hold the winning end of the deal," Tabuu hissed. "But since it seems that you refuse to honor your so-called 'fair terms'…" he unfurled his shining wings, still battered and broken from the time Sonic had damaged them so long ago. "It seems that I will have to resort to my original plan… destroying you and your stupid Guardians… BY FORCE!"

A single beat of his wings sent an off-wave right at the barrier, so powerful that it shook the ground as it travelled towards it. Zelda watched as Master Hand released some more of his great power in an attempt to hold it up, but he was jarred the moment the powerful wave smashed into it. Cracks ran down the golden shield, revealing just how fragile it truly was. Another off-wave shattered the barrier completely, freeing the Guardians, but now allowing the Subspace Army to enter their side of the field.

And that was when all hell broke loose.