"Look at you all, so prepared." Black Rose, although their face was not visible, smiled. "Unluckily for you, I had also been preparing. I knew you would come."

Olivia ran over to me.

"Black Rose, you need to stop this! Vambrace doesn't like you! They've been avoiding you on purpose!"

"And I know that," they said harshly. They tightened their grip on the melting Vambrace.

"That's my arm you have there!"

"And what are you to do about it? I wanted the Relic of Ages, even if I had to tear off your paper arm to get it."

"Stop! You're hurting it!" Olivia said.

"That's the point. They don't squirm if you hurt them first." They put the arm on their left arm and it melted into the shape of their arm. Vambrace's pattern appeared on them.

The pattern was different from mine. Instead of swirls, it had zig-zagging lines with hallow triangle shapes where the pattern dipped into the separating lines across their arm. The pattern had also spread to their hand, causing their hand to grow claws.

Much like my beast form.

"Stop this!" Peach said.

"You're hurting people just to get what you want?!" Prince Dreambert, a Pi'illo, asked. "That sounds just like Antasma!"

"Unforgivable!" Peasley shouted. "He had just helped me reunite with an old friend of mine!"

"And I don't care." Their gaze shifted to Dimentio. "Hello, Didi."

"I don't go by that anymore."

They floated over to the magician. "So, my little trick didn't work." They grabbed Piper from Dimentio, who tried to fight them for her. "How sad, that her green eyes faded away. It would have made it much more convincing for you."

"Shut it!" Dimentio snatched Piper back from them. "You've already hurt her enough."

"And that implies I had not hurt you enough?"

"That's not what I sa-"

Dimentio dropped Piper on the ground, her fall being broken by a small bush.

"Dimentio," I gasped.

Black Rose had shoved their arm right through Dimentio. It their hand, they held the Chaos Heart, the very thing that was keeping Dimentio alive.

"S-so that's why..." Dimentio coughed up black. I realized then that it was his blood, but it was black instead. "That's why I needed the Chaos...Heart to...live..."

"You didn't think I was this powerful with the Relic of Ages?" They pulled their arm out, still holding the Chaos Heart.

Dimentio fell, and Fawful ran to catch him. Black Rose absorbed the Chaos Heart into Vambrace.

"Stop, you'll kill yourself!" Olivia tried.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Their gaze shifted to me next. I could feel their icy stare piercing through my face. "You know about the Relic of Ages' Beast Form, correct? I can tell you've fallen victim to it a few times. One of them was protecting that orb."

"My name is El!"

"No matter," Black Rose said. They grabbed both sides of their helmet. "Now you can see, that I was supposed to be the Elemental Master, King Olly."

"I won't let you do what you did to King Goomba!" Bowser yelled. He rushed over to them and jumped towards them. Black Rose flew out of the way, and Bowser slammed to the ground.

"I think I-ow-slapped my back out of place again! Ow." Bowser was out of commision now.

Mario punched a mind-controlled Goomba and came over to Bowser. He started wacking Bowser's back with his hammer. Now Mario was out too until he could help Bowser...

Horns crashed through Black Rose's helmet, catching my attention once more.

"Wait, no! You'll lose control of yourself!" I knew they weren't going to listen, but I still had to try. "Plus horns really, really, hurt! Trust me on this one, please!"

"I don't care what you have to say, King Olly." They slipped off their helmet, and fell to their hands and knees; still making it impossible for me to see their face. They screamed out in pain.

I shoved through the crowd as they were fighting off the soldiers coming from all directions around us. I couldn't let Black Rose hurt theirself!

When I finally made it to them, however, it was already too late. They had increased in size, and wings tore through their clothing. They roared at the sky, the clouds swirling gently.

They had transformed into a giant black dragon.