Oh yeah, it's all coming together. All of our main characters in one chapter! Enjoy!
-Joost

Shattering the Stars
Chapter 22: Modern Crusaders

"Empyrea?"

"Yes?"

"What's all that wrapped around you, hm? Those… Those plants? With the thorns?"

"These? They are my passion."

"Really?"

"Of course. You have your own passion, you know."

"I do?"

"Certainly. All the righteous do…"

Shatterhand scowled as he paced around the bridge to his dreadnaught. The guards had never seen him this… troubled. Not angry, just troubled. After the unexpected experience just an hour before, the red-haired leader didn't quite know what to make of it, nor did his second in command.

"Do you think he's gonna snap?" whispered one of the men by the main door, leaning over to his colleague. His words were jittery and stunted a bit, clearly on edge about what might happen.

"I don't know…" The other man was a little more composed, although both wore unsure complexions as the Captain entered, the door behind them opening with a loud hiss.

"We've gotten a scan of the intruder's resonance before he vanished," said the Captain, looking at the holographic screen that materialized from his forearm, "It seems that he wasn't quite physically present," he explained with a sneer, "Instead, he was tapping into some 'third eye', at least that's what the boys down in research suppose."

Shatterhand kept facing the window, staring at the surface of planet Pop Star. For a second, the gauntlet along his left hand clicked, as if he was about to use it to attack, but he only flicked a finger, second guessing before he could act. The guards let go of their breath, not even realizing they were holding it until now. All Shatterhand did was look to his left, then right, contemplating something in his head.

"There is going to be a change in plans, my friend," Shatterhand said slowly, turning around. The Captain didn't show any signs of fear when looking his superior in the eye, much to Shatterhand's pleasure. "We are going on the hunt now."

"Very well, sir, where to first?" asked the Captain, the hologram along his arm disappearing. He walked up and stood beside his leader, also looking out onto the surface below. Onto Dream Land.

"The realm we picked up on when those little pests escaped us back at the Mushroom Kingdom, it was designated 'ADS-2017', correct?"

"That is correct, sir."

"There. That will be a good place to start. I suspect the group has moved on by now, off to another realm. We shall scan everywhere for clues, any traces of my Ultra Sword and its energy signature," Shatterhand glanced at one of the many pilots below and off to the side, and they worked accordingly to his words. Gradually, the sight of Pop Star left their view, outer space facing them. Then, they were off.

For a moment, only the sounds of mechanical whirring, hums, and the clacking of keys on various keyboards filled the air. The dreadnaught tore open a portal and drifted through, heading to a new realm. The stars along the murky, black backdrop of the cosmos seemed to liquify, an effect of dimensional travel, the ship moving so fast it made light bend and smear.

Now, on the other side of the window, that familiar color show was illuminating everything. It was pleasantly quiet for a while until the Captain grew confident enough to ask something that had been on his mind for some time.

"Sir, if I may," he began.

"Yes?" Shatterhand gave his subordinate validation, allowing him to continue.

"The next time we face those… little 'crusaders', may I personally handle a few of them? I wish to give my full support once we finally deal with them," asked the Captain.

"Hm…" Shatterhand gave it some thought. "Which ones did you plan on taking on?"

"I've had my eye on those plumbers ever since they stopped me from vanquishing Link, particularly Luigi. I'd like to have a proper fight with him and his brother before I give the Terminian a rematch," the Captain smirked while he spoke, having a wonderful idea on how to make the green men pay, both Luigi and Link. Shatterhand caught a glimpse of the wickedness plastered along his cohort's face, and he himself smiled.

"Very well, I'll allow it," Shatterhand beamed.

"Thank you, sir," said the Captain.

"Empyrea? Is everything alright?" Eleven had noticed the sudden worried look on the Godbird's beak.

"Y-Yes, forgive me, I just got a chill, that's all," Empyrea had been taken out of a vision that he had been having for eons now. A horrible fate that she feared may befall her and her crusaders if things didn't go as she hoped.

Eleven was suspicious of Empyrea's explanation. He knew better than to believe that she would simply get a chill. Something was wrong, and he felt like he could guess why. If that was the reason, he didn't blame her, as he'd be a filthy liar if he said that he wasn't somewhat worried either. But one look at the three other people perched on the phoenix's back gave him confidence.

Erdrick, Solo, and Eight all had their own determined glares as Empyrea and Landia emerged from their own portal into a new reality. The Godbird had a hunch that either this one or an adjacent one was where her group had ended. She felt when Link had used the Ultra Sword, but it puzzled her that it was ahead of schedule. They had been told the 'day after tomorrow', as that was when she and the others would be fully prepared.

"You're overthinking," Landia could surprisingly sense the sheer amount of worry coming from his companion's silence. He made sure to keep quiet so that the heroes wouldn't pick up on his telepathy with Empyrea.

"Forgive me, Landia, I'm just…" Empyrea stuttered, "I just didn't expect Kirby and the others to leave their realm so soon. It makes me wonder if something happened, something that might have provoked the enemy…"

"We won't know until we find them," Landia felt a little strange talking to Empyrea like she was an old friend. They had only known each other now for a short time, yet they formed a bond that the four-headed dragon hadn't had in a very long time. "Don't worry, I'm sure that Kirby and the rest are alright."

Landia secretly prayed that they were safe. Link, judging by what he saw of the man previously, wasn't the type to make a quick, possibly brash decision. If something had happened to lead him or Kirby to use the Ultra Sword, it might not have been anything good.

"I don't think they're here!" Eight said once he had finished looking around the area where they appeared from.

"Come on, you barely even searched," Erdrick scolded, "Ramia, land down there, we can search around on foot. We need to be sure before moving on." The spiky-haired man pointed to a cliffside where the group would be able to survey the scenery better.

Once the six touched down onto the ground, the quartet of men jumped off of Empyrea's back and each scanned in a separate cardinal direction. Their stares were as keen as a hawk, looking for any signs of the other set of travelers. While they only watched for a moment, their heightened senses told them much more than a simple glance ever could.

"Nothing," Erdrick said when he and the other heroes met back up after a minute. The remaining three just shook their heads in disappointment, coming up with the same result.

"Empyrea, I thought you were certain that this could be one of them," Eight turned and faced the Godbird, the others following.

"Yes, but I fear I may have been mistaken…" she said, her eyelids narrow and focused yet staring at nothing. Inwardly, she cursed herself for making a mistake, thinking she shouldn't have been so distracted by a prospect that once seemed so out of reach.

The four men just exchanged looks.

"I know we all of something on our minds, some things that we may not want to share," Eleven tried not to look at Solo, but failed. It was still a mystery as to why the green-haired man had been so quiet and reserved, but the Luminary hoped to figure that out with his fellow heroes later. "But you, Empyrea, are above us all. Please, tell us what's been going on. What's been troubling you?"

At first Empyrea turned her weary head over to Landia, silently pleading for help. Landia didn't cooperate, knowing that this was not a place for him to speak. "Fine…" Empyrea sighed, facing the heroes once more, "It sounds foolish of a god to be so worried, but… I'm overwhelmed, to be truthful. For so long I've waited for this day, the day that I along with my chosen crusaders would finally put an end to Shatterhand, yet…" she trailed off.

"Yet what?" Eight and Erdrick asked.

"Yet it feels like time is no longer on our side. With Link and the others having left early and us unable to find them, I worry that Shatterhand may be closer to them than we are," Empyrea's head hung low, shame riddling her tired voice. The rest of the group didn't quite know what to say, unsure how to comfort a god.

"It's alright, at least to me," Solo spoke up, his deeper voice almost startling. "We're all afraid in our own ways, and I'd say you're most terrified by destiny."

Empyrea had no words. Even as she had foreseen destiny, a part of her did indeed shudder at the idea of the fate of her heroes in regard to their eventual confrontation with Shatterhand being out of her control. There was knowledge that was burdened to be unknown to all until it came to pass, even to the Godbird.

"Don't feel small, Empyrea," Landia strutted up and huffed, "Fear is something we all feel, including me. We aren't invincible, trust me," The dragon opened his wings to show some of the badges of honor across his body that he had received from battles eons ago.

"But I… I'm supposed to be…" Empyrea again didn't finish her thought, but it didn't really matter. They understood.

Erdrick, Solo, Eight, and Eleven didn't know what to do, what to say, anything. How could they comfort a god going through a crisis? They didn't know if Empyrea was truly mortal or not, she was ageless, after all. Futility scorched their eyes and tore away their determination, paving it down and making way for uncertainty.

"Ugh, let's not waste any more time," Landia shook his head, "Empyrea, if you can't break away from this feeling, then we'll prove that we can tame destiny. We'll get time back on our side if it isn't already," He wasn't the greatest at pep talks, but he tried.

"Hm, 'tame' destiny?" Solo mused to himself, almost humorously. After the things he had been through, he considered destiny to be against him until Empyrea and the others came and swooped him away from all the pain.

"I think the dragon is right," Solo commented aloud, "Let's tame our destiny."

Erdrick, Eight, and Eleven smiled at Solo's optimism.

Link opened his eyes to see a dusty, clouded sky, yellowish like a desert and flowing rapidly from the wind that rushed past him and through the portal. He took in the scene as the rest of his companions entered from the opening in space. The land was arid, dry, but mountainy and cool. Sunlight lit up the clouds above, but didn't break through and touch the ground, giving the area a dull, almost shadow-like appearance.

"What is this place?" Mario asked once his eyes adjusted to the new light.

"I don't know, but it's remote," Link said.

"That's good, right?" Tael flew up as high as he could and looked around. All he could see was more desert, but without the sand. The rock was a dark beige, almost brown, like a lake in the middle of a drought.

"I'm not sure, it might be too dry for our friends," Link warned as Team Inkstrike finally joined them. Of what little he knew about squids, they might not be compatible with this sort of dry, barren environment.

"Woah-ho… Jeez, this is…" Amy instinctively coughed, the air lacking the same humidity as Inkopolis. It instantly made her and her fellow Inklings and Octoling yearn for a drink.

"Augh… This already isn't great," Freddy wheezed, the wind blowing particles small enough to mess with the filter on his mask. He didn't take it off, though, choosing to just deal with it and adapt.

"You guys alright?" Luigi asked.

"Gah… It feels like I just got knocked onto my ass… And I don't even have any reception!" Violet complained, holding her phone up into the air and waving it around.

"Uh… Here, wait!" Crystal looked around for a spot on the ground that was flat and free of cracks and pulled out her Octobrush. She swatted at her feet, covering the area with her ink before resting in it, sighing contently. "Ah, that's better."

The rest of the team did the same, regaining some moisture in their bodies and getting back on their feet in no time. It was funny that just a little bit of their ink could be reabsorbed to refill their entire tanks, but who would try and argue against something that would give them an advantage?

Once all of Team Inkstrike were back to normal, they left the ink and found themselves better resisting the dry environment.

"So, what's our plan, Link? What do we do?" Mario tipped his cap so that the brim would shield his eyes from some of the sand as he tried to look around. The trick didn't help either him or Luigi, the two giving up after just a few tries. It'd be impossible to get a feel for the wasteland if they couldn't see.

"Link?" Luigi called out.

Link was standing atop a rock structure that had been situated nearby, scanning the surrounding land without any protection along his face. His time trudging through Gerudo Desert, during both his original quest through Hyrule and when he returned when only sixteen alongside his friends, gave him a bit of an edge when it came to places harsh on the eyes.

Mario jumped up and stood next to Link on top of the rocks, arm raised so cover his face from the wind. "What is it?" he asked.

"There's nothing. Nothing at all," Link sounded cross, and Mario could just barely see a light scowl donned on the Terminian's mouth. "First place we go to, and it's just a desert, as far as I can tell," He practically growled, "Tch, what a waste…" Then he turned around and leapt off the rocks, rolling out onto the ground and walking back to the group.

"Woah, hey," Mario jumped down to follow Link. When he caught up, he put his hand on Link's shoulder. "You alright? I didn't think that the place was that bad."

"It's not that, I just…" Link still wore his frown, "I just feel like something's wrong. Off. Not right."

"Poyo?" Kirby puffed up and floated into the air, meeting Link at eye level.

"Maybe we shouldn't have left so early, but… what if…" Link mumbled, feeling his wedding ring as his mind wandered.

"Mmm… Poyo poy," Kirby consoled Link, flying up and setting himself down on the hero's head, using his paws to rub his aching temples. It helped a little, relaxing Link enough to let him take a deep breath.

"Hey Weege," Mario whispered, "What'd Kirby say?" It annoyed the red plumber that he still couldn't understand Kirby, but he hoped to one day figure it out.

"He just said not to worry," Luigi retorted.

"Hm, good advice, I guess," Mario replied. It was something that all of them could do to rest their singed nerves. They hadn't even encountered any danger, yet they all held this unspoken fear of what may happen next.

By the time an hour had passed, the group noticed that it must've been transitioning to night where they had landed. The wind was dying down, the clouds were darkening, and a serene silence blanketed the world. Now that the dust storm had dissipated, the clouds finally parted, giving the crusaders a glimpse at the fresh night sky, stars spangled across the pitch-black backdrop. It wasn't much of a view, but it was beautiful regardless.

Taking refuge within a depression surrounded by rocks, the team settled in. There was even a large structure that hung over them, protecting them. Link, using one of the many fire arrows that he hadn't found use of yet, started a camp. He was glad that they worked since the air was starting to grow chilly. Thankfully, the powerful flames provided a good amount of warmth without the need for wood to feed it.

"Y'know, it's kinda nice here! It's quiet, calm, and I can focus enough to still play my games!" Freddy reached into his bag and pulled out his Switch, smiling wide as he powered it on.

"Why did you bring that?" Violet asked annoyedly.

"Because I get bored easily! Why did you bring a palette of your makeup, huh?" Freddy pointed tauntingly to Violet's bag, where a stick of lip balm was poking out from an opening in the zipper.

"Cuz a girl has gotta look her best if she's gonna help save the multiverse!" Violet defended herself by unzipping her bag and showing off all of the cosmetics she had packed. Amy and Crystal just rolled their eyes. "Not like any of you are looking as nice as me!"

As Freddy and Violet playfully argued the semantics of what they had packed, Luigi stood guard while his brother and Link rested. With his arms crossed and a light breeze flowing through his unkempt moustache, he shockingly felt proud being there, watching over the now cleared-up land.

"Poy… Poyo poyo…" Kirby waddled up and laid down on his stomach, deciding to keep watch with Luigi. It's not like he had anything better to do with his time. He had been napping a large part of the day, so he had a lot of energy where the others didn't.

"What's up, Kirby?" Luigi looked down at the pink puffball.

"Poyo!" Kirby rolled over to see the green man.

"Yeah, I'm not all that tired either. It's weird, 'cuz Mario and I always have this pattern," Luigi chuckled to himself as he turned his gaze back to the barren plains, "Whenever we're out on a mission, like to face Bowser or whatever, once night comes, one of us is up and at it, the other is takin' a snooze."

Kirby just giggled, causing Luigi to do the same.

"I think it's what Daisy always talked about, the 'twin power' that she said we have," Luigi smirked, but then his smile slowly faded. He just now realized that, after five days of being away from his home realm, he had never got to say goodbye to Daisy. He didn't even know if she was aware of the whole matter of Shatterhand. If Peach didn't tell her, which he hoped she did, then Daisy could be in the dark about the attack on the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Poyo?" Kirby had noticed Luigi's silence and sat up.

"O-Oh, I'm alright, sorry. Just… thinking," Luigi struggled through his sentence. Now, he couldn't even try to smile because he knew it'd look forced.

Some time passed with nothing to report. Team Inkstrike fell asleep surrounding the still-burning fire arrow, comfortable and cozy. Mario had woken up in the middle of the night and taken Luigi's place keeping watch, with some help from the wide-awake Kirby.

However, slowly, things somehow became fuzzy. Even though Mario and Kirby were fully rested, they found themselves fighting to stay awake. The last thing Mario saw of the sky, there wasn't any sign of dawn coming. He snorted, trying to keep his eyes open. He slapped his cheek, made flames from his hand, rolled up his sleeve, and burned his arm, whatever he could, but nothing really worked. He and the Star Warrior fell asleep just like the rest of the group.

An explosion knocked Mario wide awake. It went off right across from him and sent him flying. He landed on the now extinguished fire arrow, startling everyone else out of their sleep.

"WAH?! What the-?!" Violet screamed as Mario's hat hit her in the face by accident.

Another explosion rocked the camp, making sure the other crusaders were up and alert. Kirby narrowly dodged one more as he dived into Link's lap and away from the sunlight.

"Mario! What's going on?!" Luigi called out to his brother.

"AAHH HA OW! M-My back…" groaned the plumber, slowly rolling off of the fire arrow and rubbing his behind. The crimson gem didn't break his fall, the rock stuck to his shirt, lodged in between one of his vertebrae. He pulled it out and grimaced, his entire spine tingling like it was on fire.

One last explosion caught everyone's attention, and they quieted down. From what they could see, the clouds that perpetually obscured the sky were gone, but there was still a raging gust of wind flowing, except now it was in the opposite direction. Most noticeably, there was a large, lumbering shadow that covered the rocks making up the camp.

Link, Mario, Luigi, Kirby, and Tael all looked at each other with worry. Without even needing to see the source of the shadow, they knew what it was. Dread wrapped its cold fingers around their backs and sent a chill down every one of their spines.

"What's happening?" Crystal yelled in a panic.

"It's him," Link said, looking terrified, "He found us."

As if on cue, the sound of the dreadnaught proved their suspicions. It was like the blaring horn of a ship, only it made the eardrums of all who heard it almost burst. High up in the sky, the ship prepared to deliver its payload of drones, as it did before, but the little machines never came. Instead, a pod flew out of the starboard side, soaring down towards the ground.

Link, Mario, Luigi, Kirby, Tael, and Team Inkstrike slowly walked out into the open, ready to face whatever the Archfiend of Reality had for them. The ones familiar with Shatterhand's dreadnaught were confused. What was that pod heading towards them?

The strangeness of the situation only multiplied, as the dreadnaught started to ascend out of view. It left the sky, letting the pod take center stage as it neared the crusaders. Once it got close, just four meters off the ground and about thirty away from the group of warriors, it split.

The top of the pod opened like a clamshell, unveiling Shatterhand and his men. Over two dozen of them. It wasn't the same group of goons as before, though, because now they wore padded armor, made of a mesh, sponge-like material. Amy instantly knew that the armor the men wore was designed to absorb ink, because it was just like suit upgrades that she could find back in Octo Canyon.

A few of them wielded swords and shields, some held blasters that looked similar to the Amy's Dualies. They appeared to be hand-picked to match each of the heroes evenly.

"I was right to assume that you had gotten these… creatures to join your little adventure, Link!" Shatterhand called out. Link grabbed the hilt of his sword and brandished it tightly, already imagining what he could do if anyone got too close.

"So this is Shatterhand…" Freddy muttered, his own hands trembling, struggling to hold his E-Liter steady.

"Hm, I was never a fan of squids or octopi, they were quite a nuisance during my own adventures…" Shatterhand strode in front of his men, approaching the heroes at a scarily brisk pace.

"His own adventures? Wha- What's he talking about?" Freddy leaned over and asked Mario, but the only response he got was a shrug.

"I have to know, which one of you was the one that was spying on me? I need to at least congratulate him on the effort," Shatterhand looked at the Inklings and Octoling, but none of them matched up with what he remembered the intruder had looked like.

"Pretty stupid to assume he's with us, you big, freckled weirdo," Violet commented, her tone snarky.

Shatterhand's eyes widened, and his grin disappeared beneath his moustache. Without a word, he lifted up his good hand and flicked it, letting the yo-yo that was concealed within his sleeve come out into his hand with a quick 'shhkk!'. Behind him, his men murmured amongst themselves, wondering why their leader was going against their initial plan.

The crusaders tensed up as Shatterhand stared them down with a malice that was unmatched. He was about to fling his arm forward and let his yo-yo loose but stopped at the last minute. "No, I refuse to let a child goad me," Shatterhand said to himself, "A squid, no less! A meaningless animal!"

"Men!" Shatterhand stepped back and put away his weapon. Then, with his other hand, he pointed to the group opposing him with the Dark Matter gauntlet, "End them," he ordered, his words smooth and decisive.

The soldiers jumped from the pod's platform and charged, running past Shatterhand as he retreated. His shrill, haunting cackle echoed through the valley as the pod flew up and hovered in the air, observing the battle that started to unfold.

Link was the first to meet the new group of goons, using the Gilded Sword to quickly cut one in the chest before kicking him away. Then his blade met with another, and he was suddenly occupied with defending himself from three separate swordsmen coming at him.

Mario cupped his hands in front of his torso and bent down, nodding towards his brother. Luigi, wasting no time, jumped, and put one foot into Mario's hands, letting the red plumber lift him into the air.

"Yea-hey!" Luigi exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. When they parted, strands of electricity crackled between his fingers and enveloped his palms.

Aiming for the area away from Link, the moment Luigi landed, he slammed his opened hands onto the ground, letting lightning surge through the stone and zap the incoming group of enemies. Luckily, Luigi was far enough away from Link to help take care of one of the soldiers attacking without electrocuting the Terminian as well.

"Thanks!" Link said, smiling when he got the chance.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped before sucking up the blaster that the man closest to him had. Swallowing, Kirby jumped up into the air and obtained the Plasma Ability.

"Yeah! Look at them! They're SO COOL!" Freddy forgot that he was in a battle for a moment, admiring all of his heroes as they fought.

"Focus!" Amy shouted at her blue friend, "We aren't here just to watch, remember?" she inked her surroundings whilst berating Freddy.

"R-Right, sorry! Just got a 'lil excited!" Freddy chuckled nervously and ran back towards camp. Finding suitable cover, he laid on his stomach and propped up his E-Liter. Closing one eye, he peered into the scope and waited, aiming carefully.

Violet wasn't really fighting with her Undercover Brella. Instead, she had her phone out, snapping a picture of herself posing with a trio of goons approaching. Freddy noticed her surprising confidence and instantly knew what she was doing. Adjusting his sights, he targeted the biggest of the men and fired.

'BANG!' A direct hit. The soldier was sent tumbling into his companions, and they all toppled over, covered in ink.

"Woohoo! Way to go, Freds!" Violet put her phone away and cheered for her friend.

Freddy was about to say, 'thank you', when he saw the men getting up. To his horror, they didn't get splatted as he expected. Because they weren't Inklings, the ink covering their bodies was more of an annoyance than anything else.

"Violet, watch out!" Freddy yelled, standing up from his spot in a panic.

"Huh?" Violet turned around, and just before the goons could get their hands on her, Crystal appeared from the ink splattered across the ground for a surprise attack.

"Veemo!" Crystal squeaked as she hit all three men with her Octobrush, knocking them away. Amy was ready right where they landed and inked them further, incapacitating them for a time.

"Haha, great job, guys!" Violet congratulated her team for the effort to protect her. Every time something like that happened, she secretly felt the most respected ever, even more than when a desperate boy wanted to date her.

Across the battlefield, Link managed to take down one of the men coming after him, staining blood along the blade of the Gilded Sword. He hated the need to kill, but it was either his life or theirs, and he was determined to see his wife again after all this. The Mirror Shield vibrated at the sudden impact of another sword, and the Hero of Termina countered with a swift bashing of the skull with the hilt of his weapon.

Mario and Luigi stayed together, firing off their abilities in a pattern. With their backs against each other, the whirlwind of fire and lightning kept every soldier coming towards them at bay.

"Poyo!" Kirby narrow dodged a shot from another blaster. He retrieved his Warp Star and was about to hop into it when it was hit by a bolt of plasma, sending it spiraling like a spinning top away from the Star Warrior. "Wha?!"

"Bro, Kirby needs some help!" Luigi pointed out Kirby's predicament.

"Go! I've-a got this!" Mario said confidently, a bit of his Italian accent coming out as more flames appeared around his fingers. He unleashed the burning passion from his heart onto the enemy, the heat so strong it could melt steel. In fact, it did, as the swords of some of the soldiers caught in the blast started to drip.

Luigi broke off from his brother and ran over to Kirby. Thinking quickly, as Kirby was struck with the blunt of a shield from one of the goons, the green man put his hands together and charged some lightning.

"Poyo!" Kirby landed before Luigi.

'Hit me', Kirby had said.

Luigi did as he was told, taking the electricity that was originally meant to take care of some of the soldiers and blasted Kirby with it. The green aura surrounding the pink puffball was strengthened, the Plasma Ability absorbing the lightning and giving the little hero the edge he needed.

Now normally, when Kirby scuttled around with the Plasma Ability, he built up a charge that could grow powerful enough to light up Cappy Town for a week. With Luigi's help, said charge outgrew what it could be before. Wave Energy moved independently, flowing out of Kirby's paws and taking down the soldiers with ease. It was so bright that even Shatterhand, from the pod high up above, had to avert his eyes.

"Poy! Poyo!" Kirby smiled. To be completely honest, he had no clue if his plan would've worked or not.

"Bang bang!" Luigi made a pair of finger-guns and pointed them at the defeated men, smirking.

"Sir," the Captain appeared on Shatterhand's intercom, having seen the entire battle from the dreadnaught. With a slightly concerned tone, he said, "It seems that they are very much capable of handling this. Should I assist you?"

"No, no, that won't be necessary at the moment. Just send the drones, I assure you that this is not our final confrontation with these pests," Shatterhand replied, opening the pod, and gazing down at the ensuing fight below with his own eyes.

"Very well, sir," the Captain signed off, and just a moment later, hundreds of drones emerged from the clouds, soaring towards the ground, weapons aimed at the crusaders.

Tapping his feet, the pod drifted down. Shatterhand leapt off of the platform and landed in a clearing, joining his drones as they started to fire, smirking. He started running, his cape fluttering in the wind, with the Dark Matter gauntlet sparkling its usual, dark hue. He used his other arm and grabbed onto some of the exposed machinery of a drone flying by, taking it for a ride straight into the center of the battle.

"Oh shit," Link finally noticed the drones and readied his shield. He expected to be met with a blast from one of the guns, but when they only roared past him, he lowered his defenses for a moment, confused.

Then, the ground in front of Link rumbled, Shatterhand letting go of his ride and touching back down on the ground.

"You," Shatterhand hissed, "You're mine."

"You son of a bitch…" Link whispered as he threw his arm into the air, bringing the blade of the Gilded Sword down onto Shatterhand.

With the stolen Galaxia in hand, Shatterhand parried the blow, smirking as he locked eyes with Link. He cackled once again and shoved himself against his foe, getting the pressure of the Gilded Sword off him and swinging his own weapon.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Shatterhand snarled, using his gauntlet to imbue Galaxia with Dark Matter, corrupting the once proud sword.

The darkness made Link's arm quake, and he had to get away. Kicking Shatterhand in the leg, he jumped back and reached into his bag to find a light arrow. Gripping it by the shaft, he held it alongside the hilt of the Gilded Sword, powering it up. He figured since the trick with the light arrows worked against Bellum all those years ago, it'd be worth a try against another form of that same dark energy.

When the two swords crossed each other again, Shatterhand was jolted with the power of the light, his gauntlet weakening just temporarily. Assurance filled Link's soul and he bashed the fiend with the Mirror Shield and then struck Galaxia again with his sword.

Freddy was struggling to keep up with the drone's impeccable speed. He was always meticulous with his shots, the E-Liter fully charged every time he fired. However, it wasn't enough. The drones were coming faster than he could take them down, and only when they were just a few meters away did he realize he was in trouble.

"Uh oh," Freddy lifted his head away from the sniper scope and gulped.

"Gotcha!" Violet came out of nowhere with her Brella and fired at the incoming drone, covering its large, glass eye with ink and causing it to crash.

"Heh, thanks, Vi!" Freddy gave Violet a thumbs up.

"Don't mention it, I had a feeling you weren't gonna see that you were cornered 'till it was too late," said the purple Inkling, almost mockingly. "I've always got to save your ass!"

Meanwhile, Mario wasn't having much luck with hitting the drones whizzing by. His fireballs moved slowly in the air, too slow to hit any of their targets, even with the most careful of planning.

"Here, Mario, we've got this!" Amy called over to the plumber, Crystal right beside her. The two ladies looked at each other and smiled.

Crystal held up her Octobrush and Amy jumped up, going into her squid form. Swatting Amy as hard as she possibly could, Crystal sent her girlfriend flying into the air, high above Mario. There, she shifted back into her normal shape and took down all the drones that were in range, her Dualies moving so fast it was like she was experiencing everything else slowing down.

By the time Amy touched the ground, it was raining machinery. Either the drones had been blinded and crashed into each other, or they collided with the surrounding rocks after their thrusters had been rendered useless by the ink.

"Booyah!" Amy said, pumping her fist up as the drones around her exploded. Crystal just stared lovingly at her partner, making Mario put on a wide, adoring smile at his friends.

But then, that familiar metal wire spun itself around Amy's body and trapped her, just as it did with Mario back in the Mushroom Kingdom. The red plumber's face was filled with dread while Amy was dragged away, Shatterhand using her to distract Link.

"AMY!" Crystal, Freddy, and Violet screamed, jumping into action.

"Come on, Link, hit me!" Shatterhand boasted, holding the wire with Amy wrapped in it just in front of him. He grinned, knowing Link wouldn't dare risk it.

"Do it, Link! I can take it!" Amy didn't care if she got hurt, she'd do anything to make sure Shatterhand was struck down. She overlooked the cuts she was already getting from the wire digging into her skin.

Link, for a second, lowered his sword and shield, thinking about what angle he could swing from to hopefully avoid cutting Amy while still doing good damage to Shatterhand. From below and to the left was an option, as it was only Amy's shoes dangling in front of Shatterhand's stomach.

"TOO SLOW!" Shatterhand roared, blasting Link with a surge of Dark Matter point blank. The blob-like shadow hit the hero in the chest and sent him across the battlefield, landing in a heap with smoke rising from his body.

"No, Link!" Tael rushed over to his friend and looked at his face. He was completely unconscious.

"Come on, you!" Freddy, while running, aimed his weapon at Shatterhand's face. It didn't matter if he didn't have a clear shot, his own anger was visible in his eyes, even from under his mask. He finally pulled the trigger, and at that moment, Shatterhand's eyes darted over to the Inkling.

"Squids," Shatterhand scoffed, lifting up his other arm. His armor shifted around his body and gathered around his limb, forming a shield that protected him from the bolt of ink flying at his face. Relaxing his wrist, the wire around Amy loosened, and flicking the yo-yo up, Shatterhand sent it to Freddy.

"GAH!" Freddy gasped as the yo-yo coiled around his head, covering his eyepieces.

"Let's see what's under that mask of yours…" Shatterhand smiled as he yanked the yo-yo, pulling Freddy towards him.

Once the boy was close enough, Shatterhand wrapped his good hand around Freddy's neck, letting his yo-yo return to him. Then, slowly, and methodically, Shatterhand put his gauntlet around the gas mask and started to pull it away from the blue Inkling's face.

"N-No!" Freddy wheezed, fighting to breathe while his throat was constricted. He gripped the Dark Matter gauntlet, trying to get Shatterhand to free his grip, but nothing worked.

"Uh, s-sir?" The Captain's voice interrupted on the commlink in Shatterhand's ear.

"What?!" Shatterhand snapped.

"Something just entered the atmosphere!" the Captain worded frantically.

Shatterhand looked up and saw the overhead clouds be cut in two, as if they were sliced in half by a gargantuan blade. The sky revealed the dreadnaught, flames erupting along its hull. From behind the ship, a four-headed dragon flew by, spouting fire from each of its mouths.

"What the hell?!"

"At last," A motherly voice echoed, "We've found them!"

Empyrea, her four heroes riding on her back, cut across the horizon, taking down every drone that tried to follow. The majestic Godbird caught Shatterhand by surprise, and he let go of Freddy, the mask snapping back onto the Inkling's face roughly.

"So that…" Shatterhand backed away, hiding his newfound fear, "That's who has been helping Link and his pitiful little band of misfits!"

"Hey Freddy, you alright?" Luigi was first to come to Freddy's aid, followed by Amy, Crystal, and Violet. Kirby, Mario, and Tael were over by Link, helping him stand after he finally woke up.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright," Freddy's voice was shaky. Shatterhand, meanwhile, pointed at the gathered heroes and commanded his drones to fire.

Before their weapons could even get hot, Empyrea swooped down and landed before the group, using her wings to shield them from the drones' fire. The shots did practically nothing to her feathers, bouncing off them like they were pins falling against a sheet of metal.

"Come on!" A voice called out. From Emyprea's back, Erdrick jumped up, his fellow magic wielders right behind him. The four all called upon the same spell, Sizzle, and blasted away the drones effortlessly in a fiery explosion. Once they landed, the heroes held up their shields defensively, challenging the last remaining enemy, Shatterhand.

The Archfiend's only response was to growl, the pod flying down and picking him up away. To the heroes, Shatterhand was fleeing back to the dreadnaught like a coward as the ship tried to handle Landia's assault. He escaped without words, no call for a rematch, no curses to any of the new arrivals halting his plans, nothing.

As soon as Empyrea, Landia, and the others appeared, the enemy retreated. The dreadnaught warded off the red dragon's attacks and summoned a portal, flying through and out of this dimension.

"You better run, bastard," Landia thought to himself, satisfied.

"Is everyone alright?" Empyrea asked when things calmed down. Immediately, she noticed Link was injured, and gestured towards him, Mario, Kirby, and Tael. Her four men acted accordingly, going over to help.

"His tunic is a little burned and he's a little bruised," Mario explained.

"Poyo!" Kirby added.

"But I'm fine," Link finished.

"Here, I've got this," Eight volunteered himself to use some magic to help heal his new ally. Focusing, a light-green energy flowed from his hands to Link, soothing the Terminian's battered body. "The name's 'Eight', by the way," he said, offering his hand for Link to shake.

"Thanks," Link replied, wasting no time in greeting the hero. "So, you're the four that we saw back in the dream, huh?"

"Yep," Eight clarified with a smile. Solo followed up with a nod, as did Eleven and Erdrick.

Empyrea took a step back and gazed with awe at the group. "My goodness, the day I've waited for so long, it's finally here."

Everybody looked at the phoenix with curiosity.

"My chosen crusaders, fully assembled," Empyrea proclaimed, pride emanating from her voice. She raised her wings into the air and cawed majestically, a cry of joy. For her, this would be a day long remembered.