Shantae: The Eternal Spirit Chronicles

by IllusoryNomad

Following Shantae's latest crusade against the forces of evil, a new Relic is revealed that has the power to LITERALLY change (or even DESTROY) the lives of all who come into contact with it! Added to the emergence of a rogue, vengeful half-genie, as well as the unwelcome return of a certain marauding Pirate Queen, the Half-Genie Hero and company must spring into action once again!

27. Apparition Date

Chapter 10, Pt. 2: Apparition Date

Y'ello, not-so-old friend! You've returned once again to indulge on another exciting excerpt in the lives of Shantae and the gang! Impeccable timing as usual, to boot. If only we could hand out perfect attendance awards… Eh, we'll figure that out some other time. Your reward for now will just have to be getting to hang out with us for another terrific tale of titillating tough times… and toboggans. Or more precisely, Tay-boggins. In case you don't remember (or you cheated and skipped your way over here), Shantae and Tayshan originally planned to fly to the Lucky Laces Lagoon via plane like normal people. Of course, fate had other plans as their plane was blown out of the air long before they reached their destination, forcing them to fly the rest of the way there on magic carpets while being ambushed by a combination of Tinkerbats and monster girls… but mostly Tinkerbats. With heavy artillery and guns galore. And then the carpets got burned up just as they reached the location in question, leaving our scantily clad, spoonerific power couple to sled their way onto the island… with Tayshan being the 'sled.' So, yeah! If you got lost in that sauce, then that clearly means you might need to go back and refresh yourself. If not, then… well, let's stop blathering on and jump right in!

On the arid sands of the Lucky Laces Lagoon…

"Wooooo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" sang an entirely ecstatic Princess-costumed Shantae as she sat, her knees pressed into a much less enthusiastic Pharaoh-costumed Tayshan's back while she held onto his wrists like handlebars. The duo had just made landfall on the monumental sand dunes of the Lucky Laces Lagoon, sliding down at breakneck speed while the half-genie steered her Tay-boggin around piles of Pike Balls, pitfalls with skull-shaped smoke billowing from them, and suspicious mounds of sands that had some sort of antennae sticking out of them abound.

"Pfft! Pagh! Awgh! Ghaaah, there's sand in my eyes!" the poor humanoid entertainment vehicle complained as he squeezed his sandy eyes shut and spat out gobs of the hot, grainy substance. This would be the least of his worries, however, as the pressure quickly began to mount in the form of the obstacles on the sand dunes making themselves apparent and the hill they were on becoming steeper as they slid along.

"Hoom!" Shantae grunted, as she yanked on Tayshan's arms to pull him to the left. As such, the two of them slid past another pile of black Pike Balls that began to flash red as the duo approached them. As soon as they zipped by, the Pike Balls exploded with a collective *PRAPOWGH*. "Aw, jeez! Those Pike Balls BLOW UP when we get near them!? Better not hit any on the way down, then. YAH!" the half-genie observed as she yanked her boyfriend's arms to the right to steer him past another set of explosive Pike Balls that went off with another *PRAPOWGH*. In doing so, however, she left herself little time to avoid the incoming antennae-adorned ripple in the path ahead. And sure enough, they collided with an unexpected *JABWOOOIRNG* that sent them springing into the air. "WHOAA-HO-HO!" yelled an… even MORE excited Shae as she enjoyed the airtime.

"GWAAAAWAAWAAHAH!" yelled an… understandably freaked-out Tay as he opened his eyes just enough to see that they were suddenly gliding… though that did not seem to be where his thoughts immediately went. "Oh, no, no, no, no, this is gonna-!" he tried to point out before his torso hit the ground with a dense *PTWOFF*. "HARGH…! Oww…!" he groaned, though there was nothing he could do about the sudden throbbing pain in his bare, sand-smothered chest as they continued to slide down that sandy mountain like no tomorrow. And as if things couldn't get more unruly…

"BAAWWRROAAWAAARRGH!" roared the antennae-wielding CREATURE that was previously hidden under the sand. The gigantic, magenta-hued, cyan-eyed shark-like monster the size of a van came ripping out of the sand and immediately spotted two humanoid targets. Because this wasn't already messy enough, the land shark monster immediately gave chase.

"Uh-oh… Tay, we're gonna need to pick up the pace!" Shae warned as she craned her head and noticed the incoming threat. "We've got a Dune Dagger right on our tails!" she further warned as she leaned forward and pushed her toboggan's arms harder to the point where she may as well have been trying to dislocate his shoulders.

"Ow, ow, OW!" Tay predictably hollered out his pain (and possibly his protest against this demoralizing treatment). And somehow, it worked as they picked up just a bit more speed. The 'Dune Dagger,' however, kept on gaining on them.

"Gotta think quick…!" Shantae urged herself before craning her head back around and momentarily letting go of one of Tayshan's arms. And with a touch of her tiara's gem… "Take THIS!" she announced as she fired off a *KAKWAAAARSH* of a Crimson Laser at the Dune Dagger. The attack hit with a sizzling *PWEESHK* that damaged the Dune Dagger and slowed it down JUST a bit, though the monstrous shark creature picked up speed in its attempt to potentially eat our heroes alive… or, well, undead in Tay's case, but you get what I mean. And speaking of Tay…

"Shoot…! TORAH!" he hollered, using his free hand to just BARELY propel himself to his feet while Shantae was still on his back.

"Whoa-WOAAHAH! H-hey, what are you-!?"

"Jumpin' over a pit! HYAH!" the wraith answered as he managed to get his feet under him and leap high into the air JUST before the two of them took a nasty nosedive into a bottomless pit. Soon after and while in midair, the Cosmic Couple readjusted themselves to where they were back in full Tay-Boggin position as he hit the ground with another *PWOFF* of his chest against the surface.

"Good work, hon! Looks like we're really gonna have to coordinate on this one, huh?"

"Looks like it…! Gah…!" Tay affirmed as Shae zigzagged him past another two piles of Pike Balls that went off with *KABLAM* after *KARPOW* that sent sand scattering in all directions. Meanwhile, the Dune Dagger had begun charging some form of light into its antennae as it gave chase.

"Aw, here we go...! I was hoping this thing wouldn't get the chance to do that…" Shae grumbled as she continued to focus on the incoming natural predator. And in response to its maneuver, she summoned up a supply of Light Magic into her hand and took aim.

"What even IS that thing, anyway!?" Tay did his best to ask while avoiding eating another metric ton of sand. "An' what is it about t' d-!"

"I'll explain it in a sec! Just be ready to jump again when I say so!"

"Ah, u-understood!"

"Okay… Now… One… Two…!" Shantae counted down as she watched the Dune Dagger's antennae get brighter by the second. So, too, did the magic in her hand. And before long… "THREE! Jump now, Tayshan!"

"Got it! HRURYYAH!" the haloed 'pharaoh' acknowledged as he planted his hand into the ground to hurriedly push himself up to his feet and leap as hard and as high as he could over a set of Pike Balls that began to flash red with the closer they got to the obstacle. And RIGHT as Tay's feet left the ground, the Dune Dagger fired off a burning *PWOOOOOWWWGH* of a laser beam down where it thought our heroes would be. "What in the…!?" Tay nearly questioned as the laser tore through and exploded the Pike Balls with a deafening *KRABWOOMBLOOMBOOM* and burned a trail down a portion of this chaotic sand dune. Before he could even figure out what was happening behind him, however…

"Time to give this a try…! U-um…! Try to think of a name… er… Ah! Here goes! GENIE BOMBER!" Shantae hurriedly shouted… at which point she let loose an ALARMING *KARPWEEEEEEEEEEEEEERSH* of a shining, glittering pillar of bright blue light energy from her hand that almost instantaneously collided with the Dune Dagger… and just completely OBLITERATED the poor thing! It basically vanished with a violent *TAPWOARSHK*, sending a mixture of shark bits, sand, and peculiar floating white spikes scattering all over the place!

"What in the-!? Hey, did you just steal another move fro-!" Tay was about to accuse, evidently not too fond of his girlfriend's very much… er, 'borrowed' technique.

"Look out below, Tay! We're about to fall into that gigantic pit!"

"Ah! Not if I can help it…!" he acknowledged as he charged up a supply of magic into his free hand… and with a swipe of his hand beneath him as he and Shantae were descending… "SHAAAAH!" he howled, letting loose another glorious *FWOOOOOOOOOOOOORRSH* of a Reaper Wind Burst to keep the two of them airborne for just long enough to glide over the unusually large trench… where they would instead fall toward a conveniently-placed stack of proximity mine Pike Balls… that were hovering in midair and ready to completely wipe them out if they didn't act fast. "Uh-oh… Shantae, I could use a bit of intervention here!"

"Ah! Got it! Close your eyes for a sec!" Shantae advised as she aimed her head and pressed on her Crimson Laser Headband before retaking her reins (A.K.A. Tayshan's arms). Almost instantly, and with a *KAKWAAAARSH*, Shantae's jewelry-themed weapon did its job of blowing the Pike Balls out of the way with an emphatic *KRABLOMBLOMBLOMBOMB*. Meanwhile, the two of them landed in full sled position with another thick *PWOFF* that may as well have threatened to knock the wind out of the ghost man's chest. Nevertheless, they remained unhindered as they continued to mix up their approach between zigzagging through pits, Pike Balls, and hidden Dune Daggers alike. It didn't seem to matter whether they actually touched the Dune Daggers, however, as merely passing by them awoke another three of them from their slumber. And from there, it was on like no tomorrow…

"BLOWAAARRAAARRAARRRRRRGH!" the horrific creatures howled out as they swiftly and ravenously gave chase.

"Oh, man… We've got three more of these land sharks ready to try and barbecue us like a midday snack, honey bunny!" Shantae warned as she craned her head back to observe the imminent danger they were in.

"Grrrgh, I TOLD you not t' call me that in public!" Tayshan very irritably complained as he performed another split-second jump to clear a gap just as one of the Dune Daggers fired off its laser with a crackling *PWOOOOOOOORRZH* that burned a trail into the surface of the sandy mountain.

"Oop! Sorry!" the genie apologized, sinking into herself a bit as she continued to steer him along as her toboggan. They landed with another *PLORF* onto the burnt sand, resulting in them actually PICKING UP speed as they headed toward a gigantic shuttle loop near the base of the sand mountain. "On the bright side, no one around us heard-!" she was about to erroneously assume before…

"BLARHARHARHARHARHARGH!" laughed all three of the Dune Daggers, making a truly uncomfortable truth known to the genie and the wraith.

"Ahh… S-so they DID understand what I said…"

"An' now, we can no longer leave witnesses. My turn!" Tayshan suggested as he pulled a hand from Shantae's grip and planted it on the ground to propel himself into the air. Instead of assuming his toboggan stance, however, he opted to charge a supply of magic into his feet… and LAND on them to sprint at the same speed he was just sliding down at! Getting the hint, Shantae wrapped her legs around his waist while letting go of his other arm to wrap hers around his neck to keep herself steady as his passenger. Meanwhile, he extended his arms out from his sides and charged two fingers on each hand with enough magic that they began to pop and crackle like he'd just plugged himself into an electrical outlet.

"Smooth 'transformation' ya did there, Tay!" Shae cheered, giggling a bit as she adjusted herself. "Now, what's the plan from here?"

"Better t' SHOW than tell! TYAAH!" the wraith shot back as he jumped over a trench just as another one of the Dune Daggers fired a *PWOOOOOOOOORRRNG* of its antenna laser at them, whirled around while in midair, and… "HEADSHOT!" he hollered as he unleashed a particularly potent *TWEEEERSCH* of his Sniper's Judgment attack at the pursuing monsters. And with a certifiably cringe-inducing *TAPWOARSHK*, the ornery behemoth was turned into an exploded mass of jelly and smoke in an instant. Tayshan was quick to whirl back around and land on his feet on the other side of the pit, though the remaining two Dune Daggers would not be slowed down. Each of them ALSO leapt over the pit, revealing their full, multi-ton, scaly forms… as one of them charged up its next shot and aimed directly for Sequin Land's best hero duo.

"Gonna have some heavy fire on our six, Tay! I'll summon up a barrier, but be prepared to either sprint or slide your way through that shuttle loop up ahead!" Shae advised as she concentrated a flow of magic into her form to the point of beginning to glow.

"Heard! Go for it!"

"You got it! BUBBLE!" Shantae announced, at which point she summoned up a protective barrier of a bright, shiny blue with a *VWOOORNG*. In that precise moment, the airborne Dune Dagger let loose another one of its signature lasers with a *PWOOOOOORNG* that hit Shantae's barrier like a FRIEGHT TRAIN with an extremely loud, echoing *PATWAAAAAANGH*. And wouldn't you know it? The barrier held! I… couldn't say the same for Tayshan's balance, however.

"GwoaaWOOOAAAHAHAAGH!" the wraith yelped as he found himself being pushed by the laser to the point of running almost too fast for his feet to accommodate for. "Shoot…! I almost lost my footin' the-!"

"TAY! LOOK OUT!" Shantae hollered out as she pointed ahead at an upcoming pile of Pike Balls.

"Dang it! Hrraaaah!" Tayshan realized, snapping to attention as he hurriedly hopped over the Pike Ball obstacle… only to see a bottomless skull-smoke pit hidden right behind it. "Aw, are you for real…!?"

"Tay, Tay, Tay, TAY, TAY, TAY! DO SOMETHING!" Shae frantically pleaded, gripping him tighter as she anticipated his next move.

"Gahh, I was hopin' not t' have t' resort t' this…!" he anxiously grumbled as he charged magic into one hand while switching from having magic charged in two fingers on the other hand into having a supply coursing through his entire hand. And as they were descending into what would've been certain doom… "MAELSTROM WHIRL!" he hollered out as he flung one arm downward to blow a *FROOOOOOWWFFF* of a current of hurricane-force wind hard enough that it kept him and Shantae airborne over the skull pit. He wasn't done yet, however… "TWAAAAAAAH!" he shouted as he swung his other arm downward, creating another *FWOOOOOOOOOORRSH* of a second burst of wind that blew them even higher over the trench. This time, he even did a twirl in the air as our quirky couple managed to just BARELY clear the gap and land with a *PWOFF* of Tay's feet against the sand as he kept on sprinting ahead. It was at that moment, however, that his fatigue began to set in as the *KRAKRACKLE* of electricity ripping through his body caused him to wince something fierce. "GHAAAGH! Hah…! W-wow, that hurt…!"

"Oh, no…! Try to take it easy from here on out, hon! I'll take care of the rest!" Shantae vowed, quickly taking note of his condition as she turned and noticed that they still weren't safe. The second Dune Dagger was about to fire its laser as it and its teammate landed behind them. Worse yet, her Bubble had just vanished. And at that point, Shantae was left low on options and lower on time as she tried to figure out how to protect herself and her boyfriend. Right before it was too late, however… "Gonna have to give this another shot…! GENIE BOMBER!" she hollered, after which she unleashed another tempestuous *KARPWEEEEERSH* of a magic beam that almost instantaneously crashed against the Dune Dagger's antenna laser as it launched with a startling *PWOOOOOOOOOOORRNG*. The resultant *DWEEEEEERRSHHH* of the two blasts colliding sent shockwaves ripping through as sand, Pike Balls, and debris alike were scattered all over the place. Shantae quickly proved to have the upper hand, however, as her totally-not-stolen Genie Bomber pushed back against the antenna laser at the cost of forcing Tayshan to run faster from the sudden boost in momentum.

"GwawaWAAWAWAWAWAAAHAAAH!" the haloed sprinter bellowed out as he fought his hardest to keep his balance despite being made to run at least twice as fast as he was normally used to. And the man already ran like there were rockets in his feet, so like… imagine THAT. Meanwhile, Shantae's magic attack succeeded not only in repelling their shared enemy's move, but also utterly DECIMATING the creature upon contact with another gruesome *TAPWOARSCHK* as it was blown into sandy, fishy chunks. By all accounts, it seemed they were in the clear… until the final remaining Dune Dagger charged up ITS antenna laser while Shantae was recoiling from her latest move.

"Uh-oh…" the genie remarked in mounting dread.

"'Uh-oh?' Uh-oh, what?" Tay demanded to know as he kept on running, zigzagging past another set of exploding Pike Balls and two more bottomless pits, followed by a literal MINEFIELD of exploding Pike Balls both lodged in the ground and airborne.

"Uh-oh, the last Dune Dagger is about to fire off another attack!" the genie frantically warned, instinctively summoning up a bubble shield with one more *VWOOORNG*. I don't have enough time to fire off another Genie Bomber, so our next best bet is to brace for impact!"

"Y'know, we're gonna talk about how you completely STOLE that move from me in a minute, but I got it!" Tayshan suggested as he jumped, whirled around, and fired off a *TWEEERSCH* of a Sniper's Judgment JUST AS the Dune Dagger leapt high and shot its antenna laser directly at them. The beast was immediately vanquished with a gooey *TAPWOARSCH* as Tayshan's lethal beam strike hit its mark. But then, with a soul-rocking *PWAASHK*, the Dune Dagger's antenna laser struck the duo's bubble shield and… unfortunately sent them careening down the rest of the way toward that shuttle loop rolling like a big, blue, ball of chaos.

"WAAHAHAHOHAAAAAAAGH!" both Shantae and Tayshan hollered out in unison as they, while stuck in the genie's Bubble, went ZIPPING down the hill. They smashed through Pike Ball cluster after Pike Ball cluster with *KABWOORSH* after *KABLAM* after *PWEERROOOSH*, blazing a trail at near Mach speed as they helplessly tumbled down the rest of the dune with hardly a thing in the way to stop them. They bounced and skidded across the sandy ground, somehow getting lucky enough to AVOID the remaining skull pits as they sped along. And eventually, the two of them would reach this infamous shuttle loop… and roll RIGHT into it like they were being guided by magnets. Goodness gracious, I'd never seen two people stuck in a bubble move this fast…! It was like watching Sequin Land's most horrific vehicle wreck happening in slow motion! Around the loop our spoonerific duo went, spinning fast enough that simply blinking would cause you to miss what just happened. It… didn't help that there were these odd dash panels propelling them forth further and further along this loop with *KATWEEERSH* after *KATWEEERSH* after speed-amplifying *KATWEEERSH* until they completed it… and subsequently rode over MORE dash panels with even MORE *KATWEEERSHes* leading into a gigantic ramp… which they were IMMEDIATELY launched from as they clung to each other for dear life inside the bubble.

Our heroes were sent flying SKY HIGH over a MASSIVE flowing moat that stretched far enough and whose current was rapid enough that any foolhardy traveler could wind up being swept away in seconds. And just past the moat was the astounding pillars and walls to what appeared to be some sort of stadium or colosseum whose structure was built to be miles high! Miles higher, of course, were Shantae and Tayshan as they easily cleared the colosseum's walls while a group of Nagas, Harpy Gals, Slime Gals, and Archer Ladies, and… if… if I'm not mistaken, even a couple of LEOPARD GALS (all of which were armed with spears and wearing medieval-themed armor that left little to the imagination) curiously watched on in wonder at what was entering their vicinity.

"Hm? What issssssss that?" asked a Naga guardswoman to her colleagues as she pointed her spear in the direction of the unidentified falling object.

"If we're lucky, it's our… 'unexpected visitors,' coming in to complete the job they were hired for…" one of the other women, a blue-hued Slime Gal decked out in armor spoke up in a low and suspicious tone.

"What? Wait, when did we greenlight that crazy plot proposed by that crackpot Bat Gal…!?" queried a befuddled armor-clad Leopard Gal as she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in wonder.

"Maybe a couple days ago, though we must remain silent on the matter until we're sure things go as planned," the second guard advised through a whisper as she hurriedly returned to her post. "Until then, let's just keep our positions and refrain from drawing any suspicion from King Khalid…!"

"…Oh, boy… It'ssssssss about to go down…" the first guardian lamented with a sigh as she also returned to her post guarding the entrance to the colosseum.

Rejoining the Cosmic Couple…

Shantae and Tayshan's landing into the battle arena was… as you might have guessed, less than smooth. With a frightening *KATWIRSCHKLRKLRKSCH* like glass shattering to the tune of a brick hitting it, the genie/wraith duo came tumbling all over each other with neither of them able to do much other than eat dirt for the following three meters before they came to a skidding halt on the coarse, sandy ground beneath them. Once they eventually came to a complete stop, however…

"Woogh… Talk about a rough landing…" Shantae was the first to speak up, gingerly climbing to her knees as she shook herself off and dusted sand out of her hair and off her body. "You alright, Tayshan?"

"Gyaaahaaahgh…" the wraith groaned in evident agony as he lay, sprawled out under his teammate as she sat, straddling him over his lap.

"Oof… Heh, I guess we were both a little shaken up on the ride here, eh?" she asked as he opened his eyes to meet her gaze.

"One could say that…" he replied through a weary rasp as he motioned to get up. Understanding the gesture, the half-genie slid downward off his lap and pressed her hands into a… ahem, 'certain' area of his to push herself back to her feet. "Gwagh…!"

"Oopsie!" she apologetically remarked, though she kept her hands there for maybe a second longer than necessary before she allowed her partner to climb to his feet and dust himself off. "My bad, babe…"

"Ah, cut it out. You ain't slick," he shot back with a blushing scowl, not buying her innocent act one bit as he narrowed his eyes at her. The guilty genie involuntarily grinned and giggled as she said nothing to deny his unspoken accusation.

"Fine… but I mean… it's just interesting to me that despite everything that happened in the last hour or so, you could still be-!"

"Wonderin' how we made it through that mess of an obstacle course unscathed? Yeah, a real mystery there," he came in with the save as he pouted at her, knowing what she REALLY wanted to say.

"Haaaa, nice…" she teasingly acknowledged his change of subject as the two of them took in the sight that they were greeted with… and to say the least, our famous duo found themselves taken aback at the marvels before them. "Wow…! This place is gorgeous! It's like a piece of ancient history completely untouched by time…" the genie mused as she visually studied the arena the two of them were standing in. A huge, spacious, stony monument, the colosseum bore seats surrounding the perimeter in an ovular shape neatly packed up in rows full of velvet chairs. Marble statues of monster girls, genies, and ancient folklore-born heroes alike stood tall, each of them striking some form of battle pose as they held up either marble swords, marble shields, or marble bouquets of the most exotic and prismatic flowers known to man… housed in marble vases.

"Shoot, you ain't lyin'… It looks like this arena is really well-kept," Tayshan added as he also peered around to notice the sparkling moat surrounding the huge rectangular island they were standing on. Looking further ahead, he also noticed the ruby and gold-hued barriers around the arena that were fitted with cage doors that appeared to be used to house some form of ferocious, man-eating animal. Eventually, his eyes were drawn to the area within the stands where a ruler or king would normally sit. A gigantic luxury suite akin to one seen in a United Seams Football stadium, it rested high above the other seats and came fitted with state-of-the-art plexiglass and, at least from a distance, housed all manner of comfy designer furniture and expensive decorations and fixtures befitting a high-ranking social elite. Perhaps, the kind of 'social elite' that would decide the fates of those who found themselves battling for glory in the arena.

"Certainly makes ya wonder how often this arena gets used…" Shantae pondered before her eyes were drawn downward to notice… splotches of dark red within he otherwise tan-hued sand beneath them. "Ooh… Maybe more often than we could guess at a glance…" she added, mildly unsettled as she scoured the arena to see even more splotches of red littered across the entire fighting space.

"I'm sure of it myself… This place, however fancy it is, reeks of fresh blood…" Tayshan darkly remarked as he gave the place one more quick visual scan before turning back toward Shantae. "So, boss… How do you say we start on this one?"

"Well… we've gotta figure out where our target is first," the genie suggested as she turned to him, though she continued to scour the arena with her eyes. "And I'm wondering if there are any people here who'd be willing to point us in the right direction. I think I caught sight of some guards posted up in the entrance area to this colosseum, but it'd be a shot in the dark to assume they'd be friendly…"

"Considerin' we're here t' take down their so-called 'king,' I doubt they would be," the ghostly guardian assured as he also began to contemplate. "Thankfully, this oasis ain't too big. We've only got three major areas t' look in, which include this colosseum, the bathhouse/spa area supposedly a short distance away from here, an' the Lucky Laces Palace at the other end o' the island… which might be a bit of a hike t' get to."

"True… Guess we're going about it the old-fashioned way, then," Shantae recognized with a sigh before getting herself into gear. "Hope you're ready for another wild ride, Tay. Maybe the monster girls won't try to swarm you when they see you this time?"

"Wishful thinkin' unless the monster girls here are better behaved than all the OTHER ones we ran into on past adventures…" he disagreed with a sigh of anticipation… and a twinge of nervousness as he followed in his girlfriend's footsteps. "I get a vibe that this is gonna get a LOT crazier than we bargained for, considerin' how we even got here."

"Sure, but it's nothing we can't handle, honey bunny!" she assured, though he uh… he did NOT like the way she put it as he glowered at her again.

"Seriously…!?" he whispered his disdain at her calling him by his most embarrassing pet name yet.

"What? There's literally nobody around this time! You don't have anything to worry about!" she tried to assure. At that, Tay momentarily cast his eyes upward and away as he crossed his arms.

"Ugh… between the surprise dance show you signed me up for, this disastrous trip, an' you insistin' on callin' me that EMBARRASSIN' name, you are gonna be the dea—AH! Uuuuhhh…" he was about to complain, though he caught himself JUST as he was about to say something… regrettable. Realizing right away, his eyes widened as he darted them toward an… entirely unamused Shantae as she shot him a blank, displeased facial expression as she crossed her arms and stared at him. "…Um…"

"Go ahead. Finish the statement. I'm going to be the what?" she asked, appearing calm… though it would take a person being blind, deaf, and incapable of complex thought in any capacity not to just… FEEL the extreme agitation in the half-genie's stance and tone.

"…um…" was all he could stammer out as he completely lost his composure. Uncrossing his arms as he sank, his face quickly contorted into a distressed, sweaty frown as he hurriedly tried to think his way out of THIS one. At that point, Shantae grew impatient.

"Tayshan, I'm going to ask you one more time, and then you're REALLY gonna tick me off. What were you about to say…!?" she DEMANDED to know, at this point glaring at him like she wanted to burn him ali… er, uh… um… l-like she wanted to punish him for being such a naughty boy…? Whew… Not much better, but bear with me…

"I-I was uh… I-I was gonna say you are gonna be… the definition of the woman I want… to marry!" he hastily blurted out as he pointed a finger in the air. "Y-yeah, that's what I was gonna say! Because you're the perfect woman for me, and I would never have it any other way, schweetums! Heh… heh…" he… VERY convincingly tried to spin his point. Did it work? Weeeelll…

"Are you kidding me? You expect me to believe THAT of all things was what you were about to say?" Shantae incredulously asked, cocking an eyebrow as she… began to blush.

"Of course! Because, y'know, d-despite the fact that we've only been a couple for the past few months, I uh… I-I can't deny that I truly love you to pieces, and… whatever happens from here, I… I-I want t' be by your side forever an' always. An' since we finally have the moment to ourselves… Er…" he continued to cobble together this heavily rushed—er, I mean, he was trying his hardest to come up with the right words to woo his cosmic sweetheart as he searched around the area with his eyes while patting himself down until… "Ah!" he proclaimed as he… as he GRABBED HIS HALO FROM ABOVE HIS HEAD (which rang out with a rhythmic *Twiiiiiing~*), GOT ON ONE KNEE, AND… AND… "W-would you do me the honors o' makin' me the happiest man in the universe, Shantae?"

"Wuh…! Ah…! H-HUH!?" the genie being proposed to reacted like any girl would when her boyfriend royally screwed up and then made up for it by instantly proposing to her. "Tayshan! A-are you serious!?"

"D-does my face look like I'm messin' around?" he nervously asked, resisting the urge to crack under the pressure as he remained on one knee, offering the marker of his status as a wraith… as an ENGAGEMENT RING. He was… also trembling a bit, but I suppose we'll ignore that for now.

"You HAVE to be messing around!" she yelled at him, making evident that this little… 'display' wasn't as successful as he thought. Buuut interestingly enough, Shantae's blush only deepened as her frustration was mostly replaced with shock, confusion… and a bit of flattery. "I mean come on… You're really PROPOSING to me in the middle of this random colosseum in the middle of Buttflap, Nowhere, unplanned, with NONE of our friends here to witness it? And with your darn HALO as the engagement ring!?"

"…O-okay, well, you don't have t' make it sound so stupid…" he sheepishly suggested before gulping like five gallons of straight up fear and nervousness down his throat in one fell swoop.

"Wha-!? How can it NOT sound stupid, Tayshan!?" Shantae yelled some more, at this point letting loose an unintentional giggle. "I mean honestly…" she continued as she took the halo from his hands as it glowed brighter and rang out with another musical *Twiiiiing~*… and extended her left ring finger while placing the clearly oversized golden ring on it. "Even if I was to believe this ridiculous proposal that you sprung on me to get out of trouble for making another bad joke about you being dead, how do you think I'd look with this thing dangling off my-!" she ranted on before the halo began to glow brightly enough to rival the sun above them. And with a sudden, ringing *WHEEERRZH~*… the halo… SHRUNK… ONTO HER RING FINGER… And then quickly stopped glowing. "H-hah…?" was all Shantae could say as her jaw basically hit the floor. She found herself ENTIRELY flabbergasted as she stared at the fancy piece of jewelry that used to be an ethereal death marker. Wouldn't you know it? Shantae got Heavenly Engagement Ring! And as a bonus, Shantae got 'Engaged'! Woo! I can hear the disembodied fanfare from here…

"…" Tayshan eloquently replied, clearly unable to contain his excitement about the fact that his girlfriend had just basically become his fiancée in the luckiest (or unluckiest, depending on how you look at it) exchange any couple could possibly have. He, too, had been gawking at Shantae's hand, completely floored at the fact that he had lost his halo. He… wouldn't have to worry for long, however, as a brand spankin' new one willed itself into existence with a *POOF* of golden mist. Neither of the two lovebirds noticed this, however, as they were too wrapped up in their collective celebration of pushing their relationship to the next level.

"…No… way…!" Shantae finally broke the silence to remark as she took the ring off and examined it closely… to see that it indeed was a ring. A very special, one-of-a-kind, completely authentic golden, glittering ring… that perfectly fit her delicate little ring finger. One could even say it was specifically crafted for her.

"…S-so, does this mean you accept the proposal, or…?" he asked, still on one knee that was shaking as though his leg was about to give out.

"Don't read into it! This doesn't count!" she immediately and angrily protested, mushing a hand into his face to shut him up before he spoiled the moment. And though she initially wore a hotly embarrassed scowl on her face as she turned her head away from him… her expression softened into the sweetest, most gorgeous smile she'd ever mustered as she cut her eyes toward him. And I'm no body language expert, but one could clearly tell that she absolutely adored the gesture for what it was. Shoot, I could FEEL her affection toward her wraith boyfriend from all the way out here… in Buttflap, Nowhere, as she so sophisticatedly put it. Once the pair let the moment run its course, Tayshan nervously rose to his feet… while Shantae slipped the Heavenly Engagement Ring back onto her finger and pressed the corresponding hand close to her thumping heart. Before she got too lost in her own imagination, however… "Tayshan?"

"Yeah, Shantae?"

"You're a dolt," she gleefully insulted, causing him to exhale in disbelief.

"Hey…!" he complained as he sank once again and pouted at her.

"But you're my dolt, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Come here, please…"

"Oh gee, how very sentimental. I'm about t' burst int' tears over here," he flatly remarked with a cheery grin as he obeyed her request. Stooping low, he met her gaze, at which point they locked eyes… and I could swear I saw both of their eyes light up like stars in the sky as they took in the view of each other's faces. And it wasn't much longer after that before they went right into making out with each other right there in that fancy colosseum. The half-genie was quick to grab the wraith's face with both her hands as he returned the favor by resting a hand on the back of her head. And with smooch after peck after wet, squelching kiss, the two teens swallowed one another up in a passionate embrace that… VERY well could've threatened to go a LOT farther if they didn't have other priorities. So, however reluctantly, and after maybe… at least a hundred kisses in the span of two solid minutes, they eventually separated and… mostly refocused.

"Whew… I hope you cleared your schedule for tomorrow, because I think we both know we're FAR from done here… I want to pick up right where we left off as soon as we get back home, and I want to have the most intense, melty, passionate… 'bonding time' we've had in literal MONTHS…" Shae teased, that magnificent blush never leaving her face. If anything, the blush reached her ears and chest as each area glowed red like dragon fruit.

"You just read my mind…" Tay wholeheartedly agreed, dealing with many of the same side effects of their amorous embrace as he tried to get himself in gear. "An' you better believe I'll make sure you remember EVERY SECOND of it…~"

"Is that a promise?"

"Better. It's a wish o' yours I certainly would like t' grant, Master…"

"Ahh, that was smooth, my faithful genie~!"

"Baby, you know it," Tayshan confidently remarked with a wink. "Now, you about ready t' wrap this mission up?"

"Yeah. Let's do it!" Shantae agreed as she took point and readied herself for the next part of their quest. With naught but a nod, her 'faithful genie' prepared himself right beside her. They… wouldn't need to go far, however, before the sudden, booming *BATWOOM* of a giant's footstep startled them into whirling around. "Whoa! What in the…?" the actual genie further remarked as she and her partner bore witness to the source of the stomp as it (or in this case, he) approached with *BATWOOM* after *BATWOOM* of his sandaled feet against the sandy surface of the ground beneath him. The giant was at least the size of a two-story house, bearing crimson skin, a gold toga, a turquoise Lummox-skin pelt draped over his shoulders, and a sparkling jewel-encrusted golden crown. He bore four MASSIVE tree trunk arms and legs, a rotund and prodigious stomach that was packed up with abs, and a blanket of white fur on his chest that matched the long, wavy mane of white hair on his head. Following him was a legion of monster girls that included but was not limited to a host of Harpy Gals, Mermaid Gals, Nagas, Leopard Gals, Archers, Slime Gals, a couple Scorpion Gals in bikini armor… and one Bat Gal.

"Hm… Five thousand gems says he's our target," the wraith bet on it as he and Shantae kept themselves wary. "If it is, then it certainly saves us a ton o' time lookin' for him…"

"I'd trust that observation a hundred percent," the heroine agreed. "And don't mind me for pointing this out, but among this entire army of monster girls, it also looks like Leopard Gals aren't as extinct as we thought they were… I see at least eight of them…"

"One thing I will absolutely REFUSE t' tell Bolo," Tay remarked with notable disdain, a certain grudge of his holding strong as the giant and his army of beautiful women closed the distance. And once this yet-to-be-named giant stopped in front of them in the center of the arena…

"Now, what have we here…?" the apparent leader of the monster girl squad curiously pondered as he cast his piercing purple-eyed gaze on the two visitors to his domain. "Shantae the Half-Genie Hero of all people? And in such eye-catching attire? Hmm…~ To what do I owe such an exquisite sight?"

"O-Oh! Er…" Shantae stammered, caught off-guard by the observation as she dropped her battle stance. Tayshan, despite initially saying nothing, remained cautious as he sized up the beastly behemoth of a man standing before them. "H-hey. You wouldn't happen to be uh… King Khalid of the Lucky Laces Lagoon, would you?"

"Ah, so my reputation precedes me," the humongous monarch known as Khalid confirmed, not at all sounding aggressive. "It pleases me so that such a beautiful and talented hero such as you would know me, Shantae."

"Heh… W-well, word travels faster than we often expect," she sheepishly replied. "But as much as we would like to exchange formalities, we aren't exactly here to fraternize, King Khalid."

"Oh? Then what brings such a stunning specimen as yourself to my oasis?"

"Without mincing words, my partner and I are here to stop your evil reign of terror!" Shantae challenged, standing tall and pointing a finger up at him. At that, however… Khalid guffawed loud enough to shake the entire arena and startle most of the crowd surrounding him.

"Is that so?" Khalid incredulously asked. "There are literal hundreds before you who have tried and failed to depose me. I doubt you will do more than share their fates if you were to so brazenly challenge me. Of course, you are by far, the most gorgeous of all my would-be mutineers. It would certainly be a shame to lose such unrivaled vibrant beauty only achievable by the legendary Half-Genie Hero… Perhaps I shall make you my beloved wife after you have been defeated in battle… As it happens, the only kind of woman in this world I have never had an intimate relationship with… is a genie." At that, Tayshan's glare narrowed as he contained his anger.

"Dah! Uh, n-not gonna happen, Khalid!" Shantae declared despite her shock. "And flattery isn't going to get you out of receiving the just punishment you deserve for enslaving the citizens of the Lucky Laces Lagoon!"

"Pah! Such inane claims you make, Shantae. Do you seriously think you could defeat ME?"

"No offense, but I've fought much bigger guys than you and came out on top," she confidently warned the monarch. "You'd be wise not to test me on that, if I'm gonna be honest with you."

"How self-assured you sound… Intriguing! I remain eager to test your abilities, then. Alas, that will have to wait. I have some… unfinished business to settle before our legendary battle for the ages."

"What unfinished business?"

"Well… I find it appropriate to reveal to you now that while I did not expect you to be here to challenge me today… I was CERTAINLY expecting him…" the gargantuan king shared, pointing a finger on his lower right hand toward Tayshan while taking on a tone of notable displeasure. As one would imagine, both of our heroes were caught by surprise.

"What? What do you mean by that?" the wraith asked, even more on his guard.

"You are Tayshan the Tenacious, are you not?"

"…I am," Tay warily confirmed after a moment of pause.

"Yes, that deceptive halo and those disfiguring scars across your body are unmistakable," Khalid acknowledged. "And as it happens, there has been quite the buzz surrounding you and your numerous endeavors across Sequin Land… especially your rather violent exploits as a top-notch hitman-for-hire."

"Hm. Well, I'm not exactly a 'hitman,' but I've earned my stripes as an agent for Sequin Land's protection. What of it?"

"Not a hitman? Tell that to my brother Abel of the Waistline Crags, whom you slew in cold blood…!" At that, most of the monster girls in the vicinity gasped. Joined by them… was none other than Shantae herself. Tayshan? He merely nudged his head and took on a solemn expression of near emotionlessness before offering his response.

"I see. To be fair, Abel was stagin' an uprisin' against the capital an' showed no signs o' stoppin', no matter how many warnings he was given in the past four months. It's when he an' his Belt Grinder cult kidnapped an' imprisoned citizens o' Sequin Land from across the map an' threatened t' execute them unless the Sultana caved into his demands… that she sent ME his way," Tayshan revealed with hardly a modicum of hesitation. "He had his chance t' release those hostages an' stand down, an' he blew it."

"Chance? It was reported to me that you snuck up on him and lasered him through the back of his head while cloaked with some sort of invisibility spell before he was even aware of what was happening! Had you faced him head-on, he would have DEMOLISHED you, you COWARD! Need I even mention the path of destruction and devastation you left leading up to your ruthless assassination of my one and only brother!?"

"See it however you want, King Khalid, but I had a job t' do for the sake of avoidin' a war that didn't need t' be fought," Tay dismissed and clarified. "'Neutralize' doesn't mean 'walk in an' challenge to a duel t' the death.' It means 'eliminate by any means necessary.' Now, if you were expectin' me, then is it the case that you're lookin' for a shot at revenge?"

"Oh, like you wouldn't BELIEVE, you wretched apparition…! I have no qualms against Shantae, so I will not raise a hand against her until I challenge her properly. My purpose for luring you here was to take you on one-on-one… and CRUSH you in Abel's honor! And if you have even a SHRED of honor yourself, then you will accept my challenge and take your punishment in full as I tear you limb from limb…!"

"Whoa, whoa, hey, hang on," Shantae tried to interject. "There seems to be a LOT to unpack here, and I-!"

"Sure. I absolutely accept," Tayshan cut in and agreed, astonishing the half-genie almost completely out of her wits.

"WHAT!? Tayshan, what are you saying!?" the half-genie hollered her question as she whirled around to shoot him a look of complete bafflement.

"He wants t' try an' get revenge against me an' me alone for killin' his brother. I think he deserves it," the wraith matter-of-factly clarified. "Of course, if he doesn't beat me, there's a good chance he'll wind up JOININ' his brother for the crimes they've committed."

"Oh, the ARROGANCE on this one!" Khalid roared in tightly contained fury, clenching his fists hard enough that his veins were visible.

"I get that, but I'm not letting you fight him alone! You heard how insanely strong Khalid is! Plus, we're not here to KILL the guy if we don't have to!" Shantae reasoned, not at all sure what was going through her lover's head as he continued to glare at Khalid.

"I know, Shae, I know. But if this is what he wants, then I'll give it to him. I understand your worry, but I… I need you t' trust me on this one."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that this is… in a sense, a job I knew was gonna come up, an' one that now has personal ties in it. I won't kill him if I don't have to, but his beef is with me."

"Tay, come on. This is NOT the time to be so short-sighted! That's not like you! What do you expect to happen here if we don't fight together? And do you seriously think I'd let you go on ahead and risk your whole existence over giving this guy a chance to wipe you out for revenge?"

"It's for that exact reason, Shantae, that I'm askin' you to let me handle this one. Evidently, I still need t' prove t' you that even for what's happenin' t' me, I can still protect myself. An' I can especially still throw down with the toughest of 'em an' come out a winner. If I can hold my own against Risky Boots, then there shouldn't be a reason you can't trust me here, too."

"Tayshan, no! I'm NOT going to-!"

"The assassin has spoken! He accepts my challenge, so make yourself scarce!" Khalid demanded, brimming with hateful anger directed at Tayshan.

"Hey! Stay out of it! I'm talking to my-!"

"Shantae," Tayshan called, cutting her off once more.

"What?" she asked, still worried about the decision her teammate was making. It was only when he flicked his eyes down toward his hand that she picked up on it. And when she glanced down, she noticed the wraith's appendage trembling and crackling furiously with Dual Magic that had rapidly been growing out of control. "Oh…"

"I need an outlet, an' I don't think this Spirit Fuser piece is a good enough alternative…" he whispered to her. "If things get bad, then you can worry about rescuin' me then, but please. Let me take care o' this one."

"…Shoot. Fine…" an even more worried Shantae acquiesced with a sigh as she acknowledged the situation for what it was. "But you'd better win this, Tay. I'll be mad at you if you don't."

"I wouldn't dare let you down," he assured, flashing a smile and thumbs-up. He winced a bit, however, as his energy continued to crackle and surge.

"You may take your seat in the suite over there," Khalid advised, pointing toward the luxurious viewer box within the spectator stands. "Do you need assistance?"

"Nah, I've got it," the genie assured as she stretched out her arms, gyrated her hips for a second, and… "TRANSFORM!" she shouted before morphing with a *POOF* into her Harpy form, much to the surprise of the Harpy Gals that witnessed the miraculous trick. And with a *FLOOF* of her wings, the chimera-disguised genie took flight and exited the arena to land in the suite before morphing with another *POOF* back into her human form. "Get 'im, Tay!" she cheered, hopeful that her boyfriend had things under control.

"Ladies, take your seats within the stands. I will dispose of this despicable reprobate on my own. And just in case it needs to be said, see to it that the genie doesn't get too fond of the idea of interfering," Khalid instructed his monster girl army.

"YES SIR!" all the monster girls in attendance assured before scattering whether by feet, snake tail, slime trail, or wings, across the colosseum. Many of them had taken seats around the arena in the stands, though there were a few Harpy Gals and Leopard Gals who took on the task of guarding the entrances. One of these Harpy Gals, however, locked eyes with Tayshan as she flew off. This particular Harpy Gal was… how you'd say, a LOT curvier than any of the others, and seemed particularly taken by the wraith's pharaoh-like appearance. And before he could wonder why she was staring at him, she… blushed, sheepishly smiled, waved to him, and then scurried off like she was embarrassed to be noticed.

"…Huh. Odd…" Tay murmured with a raised eyebrow. Nevertheless, the arena was clear for the two combatants as Khalid got himself ready.

"Now, then… Are you ready to die a second time, assassin?" the king asked, recapturing the wraith's attention.

"Ready? Yes. T' die again? Don't count on it," the smaller man confidently asserted as he also struck a battle pose. In that moment, however, he was suddenly engulfed in an aura of exclusively black and purple. "Trust me when I say this, Khalid: This WON'T end well for you."

"And what makes you so sure I will not beat you into a pulpy mass of shattered bones and shame?"

"What makes me sure…" he trailed off before grounding his stance, crossing his arms over his chest, squeezing his eyes shut, and tensing up every muscle in his body. "HRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he roared from his core, at which point the arena whipped up a sudden whirlwind that blew hard enough to astonish the gargantuan monarch into shielding himself. With *CHAPROCKs*, *KRAZAKs*, and *SKRISCHes* abound, Tayshan appeared to be tapping into his overwhelming, overflowing power. Within a few pulse-pounding seconds, and with a sudden, explosive, low-humming *KAVWOOOOOOOOOORRRSH* that blew gale force winds and sand all over the arena… it appeared that he had powered up. The winds had settled and the momentary sandstorm had stopped… but as Tayshan stood tall, his form remained bathed in darkness… and when he opened his eyes… they were revealed to be a bone-chilling silver. "…is the fact that I'll take you down as quickly an' as VIOLENTLY as I have to before that can happen…!" he finished his statement, his voice taking on that ominous doubled effect once again.

"…My word…! I… I had heard the rumors, but this is inconceivable…!" a thoroughly shocked Khalid remarked as he observed the darkness-swathed 'hero' radiating billowing clouds of evil magic from his scantily clad form.

Meanwhile…

"Gagh…! Huh…" Shantae winced and groaned, clutching her abdomen as she took her seat atop an especially decorative jewel-encrusted velvet throne. "Going Dark mode right out the gate? What the heck are you planning…?" she further murmured, doing her best to ignore the sudden moderated discomfort swirling in her stomach.

"Do you… need to go to the bathroom, perhaps?" asked an Archer Lady attendant behind her who… interestingly enough, was dressed like a maid holding a tray of various concessions. Startled out of her train of thought, Shantae whirled around to mee the gaze of the spiky-haired, plum-skinned, voluptuous lady.

"Dah! Er, n-no, I um… it's… ah, I'm just a little nervous about how this fight's gonna go is all…" the genie nervously explained herself as she did her best to hide her issue.

"Ah, I see. In that case, would you like anything to eat or drink while you enjoy the show?" And after a moment of thought…

"…Can I get a menu, please?" Shantae humbly, if not a bit shyly requested as she scratched her cheek with a finger.

"Indeed! Here you go!" the Archer Maid obliged, taking a menu out of the pocket of her apron and handing it over. In that same moment, a small collection of armor-clad Harpy Gals, Leopard Gals, and Mermaid Gals entered the suite from the door in the back. "Ah, and it appears you will have some company! Take your time reviewing the menu. I personally recommend the Mermadian Seabass. It's our king's most frequently requested item. And please do not worry about getting up to find me. I will return momentarily. Please enjoy one of our complementary appetizers while you wait!"

"Oh. Er, th-thanks…" an understandably wary Shantae acknowledged as she peered around the suite to see the monster girls engaging with one another in varying degrees of casual conversation, guarding the doors, partaking of some concessions from other maid uniform-adorned monster girls… and suspiciously watching her. Of course, as the half-genie reached for a bag of popcorn and a canned soda while keeping her guard up…

"So, who ya pulling for on this one?" asked a smooth-sounding male voice as its owner took a seat beside her.

"Hm? Oh, h-hey. Didn't see ya there," Shantae nervously greeted as she grabbed her snacks and set them on the table in front of her and cast her gaze on the slim, yet muscular, shirtless goat/man hybrid, taking note of his sleek goatee and long, wavy brown hair with goat horns poking through it. "And… I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that, all things considered."

"Ah, sure, but I figured I'd ask anyway. The name's Brutus, by the way. What's your name, beautiful?" he rather forwardly asked as he extended a hand toward her.

"Shantae, though I'm sure you knew that. Nice to meet you, Brutus," she returned his greeting with a nervous wave. Brutus took the opportunity to take the half-genie's hand and pull it toward himself, whereupon he laid a particularly… wet, slippery smooch on the back of it. "O-oh… uh… Thanks, I guess…" she expressed her 'gratitude' as she pulled her hand away and resisted the urge to wipe it on the fabric of her seat.

"The pleasure's mine, hot stuff. Y'know, I've got a couple buddies on their way here to watch the fight with us. You think a gorgeous genie like yourself would have time for a little bit of ice-breaking while Khalid demolishes that poser?"

"That 'poser' is my BOYFRIEND, first of all," Shantae corrected, immediately unhappy with Brutus's brash approach. "And this fight might not be as one-sided as you think it is."

"Heh, I should've figured… My bad, my bad…" Brutus apologized as he raised his hands in a show of ostensible repentance. "Still, though, wanna hang with me and my guys while we enjoy the show?"

"Hm. As long as you don't get any funny ideas, then sure," the genie permitted. "Although, I'm surprised to see a Goat Guy all the way out here of all places. How did you find yourself on the Lucky Laces Lagoon? And are your friends also Goat Guys?"

"Nah, we've got a Merman Guy, an Eagle Guy, and a Cyclops named Brandon joining us."

"Brandon? As in, 'Bran-Son' Brandon?"

"Oh, sweet! You two know each other!" Brutus deciphered with evident excitement. "What, are you two friends? Exes?"

"Acquaintances, though I hadn't seen or heard much from him since the last time we met in Genie's Hem," Shantae admitted with a sigh of uncertainty. "Also, just out of curiosity… Are there other monster guys out this way? Like, it isn't just monster girls here?"

"There most definitely are, sweetheart! Why? Got a case of the wandering eye despite you dating that scary-looking Ghost Guy? Because if you're lookin' for a good time… well, y'know… I've got the hookup," he propositioned with a suggestive wink as he leaned closer to her.

"No, no… Just wondering. Oh, but wouldn't you look at that? The fight's about to start," she pointed out, at this point not wanting to engage further. "May the best man win!" she added, turning her full attention to the battlefield.

"Khalid's got this in the bag. He's never lost a battle in his life… y'know, considering he's immortal and all."

"Ah, really? Ya don't say…" Shantae asked with a notable inflection of worry as she glanced into the arena at Tayshan while the wraith and the king stared each other down.

"I do say, babe," Brutus… unwisely remarked as he scooted just a bit closer to the point where he was pretty much rubbing elbows with the half-genie. Understandably put off, Shantae scooted an inch or two farther away from him. "At least, as far as the legend goes. But maybe you and I can ponder that while we-!" he was about to add before a sudden, thunderous *TWEEERSCH* from within the arena cast a piping hot laser beam into the suite. "GYA-AH-AH-AH-AH-AGH!" he howled out (or rather, bleated out) as he nearly jumped out of his seat in fright. Likewise, a bunch of the monster girls also found themselves shaken up and startled as the laser burned a hole in the door… through the corner of the seat the half-genie was sitting in. Shantae, on the other hand, found herself almost entirely unbothered. And as Brutus looked toward the source of the deadly beam… he could see the piercing, silver-eyed glare of the 'Ghost Guy' boring holes in his face with a look of unadulterated wrath. "…Uhh…" You might say that the Dark Magic-fueled Tayshan made it no secret that he had no qualms with MURDERING Brutus for harassing Shantae… y-yikes…

"Yyyyyeah, my boyfriend HATES it when other guys can't take a hint," Shantae casually mentioned as she got set and began enjoying her appetizer while focusing her attention on the arena. "So, let's just have ourselves a good time without any boundary-crossing. Okay? Because he doesn't miss twice…" she additionally suggested (however morbid it sounded as she confirmed the theory I just posed) as she momentarily turned and smiled toward an entirely flabbergasted Brutus. "Oh, and please call me only by my name."

"…Y-yeah, alright, Shantae…" the Goat Guy worriedly obeyed as he scooted away from the half-genie and sunk into his seat. Meanwhile, Brutus's aforementioned friends entered the lounge from the back door and took their seats next to him. It was… worth note that one of them, a gigantic, burly one-eyed, brown-haired man wearing a form-fitting pink button-up shirt and a pair of brown cargo shorts… had a suspicious, smoking burn mark on the collar that… come to think of it, matched the burn mark on Shantae's seat and the door behind them.

Back on the Battlefield…

"Hm… I see that the rumors about you may hold some weight…" Khalid observed as he found himself surprised by his opponent's display of his abilities.

"Possibly. Regrettin' your decision yet?" Tayshan asked as he shook the magic-borne smoke from his hand and settled himself back into his fighting stance.

"Hardly, though I can't help but shudder at the murderous aura you're giving off," Khalid remarked as he also prepared himself and took a deep breath to steel his nerves. "And with this kind of power, and your track record, people seriously have the nerve to call YOU a hero?"

"Seems t' be the case, but I don't do what I do because I wanna be seen as a hero. At least, not anymore…" the wraith sternly clarified. "I do what I do t' preserve the peace… an' sometimes, it means takin' on tyrants like YOU an' your brother t' make sure y'all don't threaten it. An' just like Abel before you, you've got A LOT t' answer for…!"

"That what you think? How naïve… In that case, I shall hold no regrets over your demise. If anything, this may serve as a cruel reminder to those that admire you that not all 'role models' are what they seem. Come on, then! Do your worst, and allow me to relish in the thrills of breaking you down and stripping you of your shady reputation before I put you out of your misery!"

"A pleasure you will NEVER enjoy, but if you're ready, then there's no more need for chitchat. Let's go…!" And with that…

KING KHALID THE IMMORTAL: MALEVOLENT MONARCH!

"Objective: Terminate the Tyrant!" Tayshan… rather ominously announced as his battle cry as he charged forth at blistering speed. Khalid, ready for just about anything, braced himself as he anticipated his adversary's move. The ghostly guardian leapt high and far, boosting his altitude with a *WOOOOORSH* of a Reaper Wind Burst under him before charging his fist up with Dark Magic with the intent to annihilate the king's face.

"TAHH!" Khalid shouted as he grounded his stance and put up an iron guard with all four of his arms. In the next instant, and with a devastating *KAKRAKAZAARSH* of his enemy's fist against his forearm, Khalid was sent stumbling back a couple steps despite the obvious size difference between himself and his opponent. "Ghah…! Not bad… but not unmanageable!" he proclaimed as Tay came dashing in with the intent to deliver another punishing blow. As he was running toward Khalid, however… "Let's see how you handle it on the receiving end!" the monarch shouted as he stomped his foot on the ground with a thumping *WHABWOORGH*, sending forth a massive shockwave across the ground that not only threw Tayshan, but also flung him into the air.

"Whoaawhoahaah!" the guardsman bellowed in surprise, caught off guard as he tried to reorient himself. Meanwhile, Khalid cupped his top right fist into his top left hand, and charged a fiery orange aura into it. And within the next second, he wound up, took aim, and…

"TAKE THIS!" the gigantic ruler of the Lucky Laces Lagoon yelled as he flung his fist forth with all his might. And with an utterly DECIMATING *KRADWOOOORRSH*, he threw a god-tier haymaker at the airborne Tayshan and landed it full-force. Tayshan was sent BULLETING back across the arena so hard and so fast that the air around him emitted SMOKE.

"KAHAAAGH!" he howled in pain as he soared across the arena and crashed with a *KRABLORGBLOWGH* into a warrior statue that immediately shattered into a thousand pieces and rained all over him as he fell to the ground. A collective gasp could be heard across the entire arena from all who witnessed the monumental display of the king's awesome power. And once the dust settled and the moment had been absorbed, Khalid let out a mighty cackle of triumph.

"HAH! All that arrogant blustering, just to go down in a single strike? Pathetic!" he taunted, absolutely certain that he had won… before a sudden *KARPWOOOOOOOORSH* of an explosion from the direction of the pile of rubble that was the statue cut him off. Chunks of marble and gravel were sent careening in all directions from the area as the source of the explosion erupted in a cloud of black and purple light. "What…? How did he-?"

"HOOOWAAAARAAAAAAAH!" Tayshan roared at the top of his lungs as he dashed ahead, his hands crackling with electricity as his tattered headdress came off to reveal his dreadlocks. "YAH!" he further shouted as he pointed two fingers on one hand forth while he raced toward his enemy. And with a *TWEEERSCH* of a Sniper's Judgment, Tay made it apparent that he was here for a battle like no other. The light-speed beam almost instantaneously struck Khalid in the chest, PIERCING THROUGH HIS LEFT SHOULDER in the process.

"HRAAAAGH! Ghaah…!" Khalid yelled and winced, stumbling back a bit more as he grasped at his injured shoulder with a hand. He wouldn't be distracted by this for long, however, as he witnessed Tayshan leap over the moat surrounding the inner arena while aiming his other hand forth with a crackling ball of electricity and swirling wind in his possession. And with a *BWEEERSH*, the undead assassin fired a Specter Flash that Khalid was quick to swat out of the way with a *TWAAARSH* of his lower left hand against it. Within the next millisecond, Tayshan had closed the distance and appeared ready to try the same maneuver of attacking Khalid that he had previously. "Fool…! I'll BURY you!" Khalid proclaimed, stomping on the ground with another *KRADWOOORGH* to send forth another shockwave… only for Tayshan to jump over it and propel himself forth with another *WOOORSH* of a Reaper Wind Burst.

"TYAAAAH!" Tay hollered, his form continuing to emit suffocating waves of Dark Magic as he flung himself high and far to try and land a solid shot on his gargantuan enemy.

"You're more vulnerable in the air! Now, PERISH!" Khalid proclaimed as he charged up his fist and flung it forth, though Tay seemed to see this coming as well.

"WHIRL!" the haloed 'pharaoh' announced, sending the second half of his unexpected Maelstrom Whirl maneuver directly into Khalid's face with a powerful *FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRSSSSHHHH* before the tyrannical ruler could throw his punch.

"Gwahuhugh…! Ack…!" Khalid gagged, unable to breathe or see for a moment as the sudden hurricane-force wind in his face disrupted his senses. That would prove to be the least of his worries, however, as a sudden *KRATHAAARRSH* of a BOOMING impact of Tayshan's shin against his ankle sent his whole leg flying out from under him. Khalid fell to his knees with such a voluminous *DADOOORGH* that the impact rippled through the arena. Tayshan wasn't done yet, however…

"HRRRRRAAAGH!" the wraith howled, charging an ALARMING amount of Dark Magic into his fist as he chambered it and dashed forth once again. He got himself into position, grounded his stance, and dug his heels into the cracked, sandy ground beneath him. And as soon as Khalid recovered from the suffocating wind gust and got himself set to climb to his feet, he was met with a horrific, explosive *KATHRAAAAAAAAAASH* of a Dark Magic-infused jumping uppercut as Tayshan dug his fist as HARD into the king's chin as he could.

"GWAAAARGH!" Khalid wailed loud enough that one could've likely heard it from a hundred miles away as he was actually rendered AIRBORNE from the dynamite-level force of the blow. Tayshan followed up by charging energy into both of his hands once again while he was in the air. This time, however, he winced like someone had stabbed him while a startling *KRACHOCK* of electricity surged through his arms. Nevertheless, he stretched his arms forth, took aim, and…

"DOUBLE GEIST BULLET!" he announced, firing twin *KAPWOOAAARRSHes* of crackling balls of electricity at Khalid that struck him in the chest with *KAKRAKAZZAAAP* after *CHAPROKAZAASH*. Khalid was sent SMASHING into the ground with such a DEVASTATING *KABWOORGALAORGH* that he left a gigantic hole where he landed. A mixture of water, sand, dust, and chunks of rock were sent scattering all over the place as the impact sent another massive ripple through the arena.

"Ghaah…! Hah…!" Khalid further groaned, feeling every bit of the assault laid upon him. Despite this, however, he spotted Tayshan dropping down toward him with a magic-infused foot extended downward and ready to deliver more unholy punishment. The king was quick to mount a defensive effort in the form of flinging his lower right fist upward to meet with a clashing *KATHRACKAZASH* against the wraith's foot that sent visible shockwaves rippling through the air. Immediately afterward, Khalid lashed his lower left hand forth to grab hold of his bloodthirsty enemy and squeeze him tight.

"Akhaaagh…!" Tay choked out, feeling the IMMENSE pressure of Khalid's giant, meaty hand clasping around him with the intent to crush him.

"ENOUGH OF THIS FARCE! HRRRREAAGH!" the tyrant roared as he painstakingly pushed himself up and, with as much force as he could muster, he slammed Tayshan onto the ground with such a sickening *KAPLOOOOORGH* that he left an INDENT in the ground beneath him. By all accounts, this should've knocked out or outright KILLED a regular person. And while the wraith was more than disoriented by the borderline LETHAL impact with the ground, he somehow remained conscious. Meanwhile, Khalid rushed ahead and attempted to stomp on the smaller man while he was implanted in the stony terrain. "I WILL GRIND YOUR BONES TO DUST, ASSASSIN!" Khalid announced as he lifted his foot up high with the intent to come down with all his might. Yet, as his foot was on its way to meet his enemy's torso… another *TWEEERSCH* rang out, accompanied by a beam of light that RIPPED THROUGH the monarch's foot. "GHAAAAAAAHAAAAAGH!" he yelled in absolutely unfathomable pain, stumbling back even further.

"Ghaaah…! S-shoot…!" Tay groaned, still reeling from the impact of the spike he suffered as he pulled himself out of the person-sized indent in the ground. The battle had only carried on but for so long, though he had already looked worse for wear with numerous tears to the remaining pieces of his outfit as his form found itself matted with dirt and riddled with scratches. "He's a lot tougher than I gave him credit for… In that case, we won't drag this out for too much longer…! HrrrrAAAAAAAAAH!" he urged himself and began to yell as he grounded his stance and stretched an arm upward to channel more crackling Dark Magic into his hand. And once he was ready, he took aim at Khalid while the four-armed giant was still hopping around and trying to nurse his injured foot. "YOU'RE DONE FOR! YAAAAAH!" the ghostly warrior hollered as he fired off a monumental *KRAKABWOOOOORSH* of a Banishment Blast that immediately raced across the arena and struck the distracted monarch in the chest with a thunderous, exploding *PATWOOAAAAARRSH* that sent him flying back at least a good FIFTY yards. His fall would only be broken by the stands as fell into them like a five-ton wrecking ball. The resultant *PAPWOALRGLROGGH* sent stone, wood, metal, and marble scrambling all over the place as many a monster girl spectator evacuated the damaged portion of the stands in collective panic.

"Daahaaagh…! Gwoh…!" Khalid groaned again as he did his best to shake off the shock and inconceivable agony he was in. Blinking a few times as he registered what was happening, he scoured the damaged arena to see swaths of his subjects either gazing at him in shock, fleeing the immediate area, or staring and noisily cheering in awe at his opponent standing near the center of the colosseum. And just before Khalid turned his gaze toward Tayshan, he hacked and coughed as he pushed himself off of the wreckage that used to be a set of bleachers. And when he spat out the product of his cough, he was both mortified… and enraged to see red… and within that puddle of red, the fractured remnants of at least a couple of his teeth as surges of pain ripped through his fractured jaw. He'd also taken a look at his chest where the blast hit… to see that he'd suffered scuffs and scrapes across torso that also began to ooze the same crimson red liquid. It was then that he turned his infuriated gaze toward his enemy.

"Ghaaaagh…! Hah…! Darn it, I'm already pushin' it too hard…! Gah…!" complained a heavily burdened Tayshan as his body began crackling with painful surges of purple and blue electricity. "Agh…! This… ain't really workin' the way I hoped it would… Come on, cooperate with me just ONCE…!" he further complained, though I had no idea what he meant… Whatever the case, it seemed he may not have been able to finish the battle outright if he didn't play his cards right.

"You…! You heinous, wretched, abominable spectral WASTE OF SPACE!" Khalid lambasted, glaring seething hatred at the haloed man. "I will crush you flat, and then tear you asunder before feeding your remains to my LIONS! Do you have ANY idea who you're dealing with!?"

"Another egotistical criminal who's about t' have his day," Tayshan answered as confidently as he could, though he couldn't hide the fact that he was plagued with a mixture of battle damage and his magic running rampant.

"Foolish boy!" Khalid disdainfully spat as he stood tall, clenching all of his fists and entering a readied position as he ignored the shocks of pain from his battle-related injuries. "It takes naught but a glance to recognize that you're already weak and at your limit. Those cheap shots you landed on me have SEALED YOUR FATE!"

"Hate t' break it to ya, but… what you're seein' ain't me bein' weakened. It's just the opposite…!" the wraith warned, though he was wincing, crackling with electricity, and breathing raggedly all the way through. "An' if you know what's good for you, you'll give up here an' now. If you don't, there's a good chance you won't live t' see the end o' today…!"

"YOU DARE TO CONTINUE MOCKING ME!? THEN YOUR DEMISE WILL BE AN EXCRUCIATING ONE! YRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a thoroughly incensed Khalid roared loudly enough that most of those in attendance had to cover their ears. Meanwhile, the ground beneath them began to quake violently as Khalid's entire form suddenly became engulfed in an eruption of jade-hued flames. By all accounts, it seemed he was ready to take things to the next level to ensure his victory.

"No way…! He's transformin' already…!?" Tayshan remarked, evidently aware of what he was in for as he shielded his face from the hot, swirling winds with an arm. "Didn't think I'd have pushed him into that corner so early on… Looks like this has officially gotten ugly…"

In the VIP Box…

"W-whoa…!" an entirely astonished and worried Shantae remarked, gripping her seat as she bore witness to the king's latest maneuver. "What's happening out there!?"

"It seems King Khalid is about to reveal his true form…!" a handsome, yellow-and-turquoise scaled, periwinkle-haired, green-eyed merman answered as he also gripped his seat. It seemed the entire lounge's worth of spectators were in varying states of alarm as they grabbed onto walls, pool tables, chairs, and other objects to avoid being knocked over by the rippling quakes of the ground beneath them.

"True form…!?"

"Th-th-th-that's correct, Shantae," spoke the big, burly, brown-haired man as he hugged his seat like it was his long-lost puppy, he seemed so frightened. "King Khalid is a horrifying BEAST of a titan whose unrivaled regality is… well, rivaled by his immense power and penchant for shameless cruelty…! I-i-i-i-it's said that one punch from him in his true form could split an entire ISLAND in two, and that he is basically impervious to all forms of damage…! He won't stop until his enemy has been entirely eradicated…"

"How exactly do you know all this, Bran-Son?" Shantae asked the cyclopean man evidently known as the former leader of the Overlords of the Galaxy.

"It's actually Brandon in my civilian form, but I know this b-because I tried fighting him the day before you and your evil psychopath boyfriend showed up here. We were trying make a heroic comeback after a brief hiatus, but he destroyed me and my newest squadron in under five seconds in that form," Bran-Son (or, Brandon) rather… bluntly admitted. "My new squad is six feet under, and he only spared me because he found me amusing… Your main squeeze is in serious trouble if he incurred Khalid's wrath THIS early on…!"

"What…!? Shoot, I need to get out there, then!" she urged herself, heeding Brandon's word as she leapt out of her seat and attempted to jump through the window… only to be stopped by a pair of Leopard Gal guards who had crossed their spears in front of her. "H-hey! What the heck do you think you're-!?"

"No one shall interfere with King Khalid's battle," one of the guardswomen spoke. "Especially not you, Shantae. You will stay put and watch this battle to its bitter end, as decreed by our overlord."

"Like heck, I will! Get out of the way! I need to be out there right now!"

"You will do no such thing!" the other Leopard Gal guard warned, pointing her spear in the half-genie's face. "King Khalid has ordered that until the battle is over, no one is to enter or exit the arena. Any attempt to force your way into the battle will be met with the harshest of consequences."

"Do you seriously think you can hold me here!?"

"Perhaps not, but the blood of these spectators will be solely on your hands if you make one wrong move…" the first Leopard Gal guard warned before snapping her fingers, prompting a collection of other guards to round up the monster guys, as well as some of the spectating monster girls, and hold them all at spearpoint. "So, what will it be? Shall innocent civilians lose their lives over your selfish desperation to save your mate? Or will you cooperate and sit back down?"

"You miserable FIENDS! I should've KNOWN there was something fishy about this whole setup! You scheming jerks split us up, so Tayshan would be stuck in that arena by himself!"

"Think what you'd like, genie. It hardly matters. Nyah-ow, if you value the lives of our 'guests' here, then you will take your seat and watch this battle unfold without your interference. And for every time you even FLINCH in a way that makes us believe you will disobey our demand, we will EXECUTE one of them…!" Faced with no other choice, Shantae… acquiesced as she sat back down, glaring at the Leopard Gals all the way through. "Good. Now, then… enjoy the show! The other guests will be released without harm at the end of the battle."

"You are all going to pay for this…!" Shantae swore, glaring with the intensity of a hundred angry bulls. It was then, however, that a mysterious feminine figure draped entirely in a plain tan robe with baggy sleeves and a huge hood covering her entire face calmly walked in. This individual paid no heed to any of the commotion, calmly strolling past all the hostages and their captors… and took a comfortable seat next to Shantae where Brutus was previously sitting. "Huh? Who are you?"

"Simply an observer," the hooded woman spoke, not even making eye contact as she made herself comfortable and faced forward. "Although, I do wish to engage in some enthralling discussion with you about this spectacle as we watch together. Would you do me the honor?"

"Eh… kinda hard to do that when there are innocent people here being held hostage under the threat of serious harm if I do anything to interfere with the match."

"Interfere? Why would you need to do anything of the sort? Do you not trust your teammate to get the job done on his own?"

"Well… No, that's not it. I just… I don't want him to get hurt."

"No battle worth fighting has ever left a winner without his or her scars," the hooded lady sagely advised. "I have heard much about him, nevertheless. And based on what I have heard, I say you should have a bit more faith in him. He may surprise you…"

"…I… I guess, but… hm…" a worried Shantae trailed off as she gulped and ignored her rampaging nerves to set her eyes on the fight as everyone else had.

Back in the arena…

"YOOOOORRRRRAAAAAAAAAWWWWGH!" Khalid shouted as he, with a tempestuous *KAPROWWWWGH* that sent a shockwave ripping through the arena with enough intensity to knock over all the statues surrounding the arena at once, completed his transformation. And boy oh boy, was it a sight to behold. The king's skin had changed from crimson to a blazing orange. His muscle tone intensified as his prodigious belly morphed almost instantly into a pack of washboard abs. His formerly snow-white hair had gone from being smooth and wavy to spiky like someone rubbed a balloon all over his head. I swear he'd also GROWN a few extra feet as well! "Haaaah…! Shocked to see my true form, assassin?"

"I won't front… I most definitely am," Tayshan unabashedly admitted with a deep breath as he took on his battle stance. "But I'm more shocked that you'd pull out your trump card so soon," he added, much to Khalid's ire. "Is it safe to assume you're not ready t' die today?"

"You…! You cocky BARBARIAN!" Khalid shouted at the top of his lungs. "Only a fool with a DEATHWISH would speak to me so impertinently when they're staring their own destruction in the face!"

"Then stop wastin' your energy babblin' at me an' come on! YAAAAAAH!" Tayshan roared as he tensed up his every muscle and powered up with a sudden, startling *KAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORSH*, turning his Dark Magic into Dual Magic as another gust of unfathomably heavy winds blew all around him. The sudden *KRAKAZZAKAK* of electricity and his subsequent flinching, however, made it apparent that the quick transformation was already taking its toll on him. "Ghaaah…!" he groaned, though the swirling purple and blue aura coating his body burned bright as ever. It seemed like both forms of his magic went to war with one another as the unbridled power rose off him and flickered sky high, crackling endlessly with *KRAZZAKAZOK* after *CHAKRAZAAP* like the world's largest, most violent thunderstorm localized itself entirely around a single person.

"Hah! Your own transformation harms you!? How pitiful!" Khalid taunted, sure of himself that he would make quick work of his would-be killer. "Yet, you will earn NO mercy from me! TORRAH!" he further grunted as he stomped on the ground with a *TWOORGHARAUGH*, sending a massive shockwave across the colosseum's ground.

"Hm!" Tay uttered as he quickly ran… TOWARD the shockwave and leaped over it! Immediately following this, he charged directly at Khalid at full speed.

"That eager to face your doom!? I welcome it! TYAH!" the monarch jeered as he stomped on the ground two more times to send quake after quake ripping across the ground. Tayshan could only accommodate but so much before he landed on the ground just in time to be hit with the third shockwave. The instant he touched it, a horrifying *KRAKAZAAAP* ripped through his form, temporarily immobilizing him.

"Daaagh…!"

"Good…! Now, eat my Fifty Fist Frenzy!" Khalid announced as he blitzed forth at blinding speed, stopping only to wind up a foot and, with a *KAPROCK*, kick the wraith high into the air. And once the defenseless ghost man was high enough… "FEEL MY UNBRIDLED RAGE!" the diabolical titan yelled as he charged all four of his fists up with a menacing red glow and cocked them all back… and immediately afterward, delivered the most rapid-fire, unforgiving flurry of punches that landed with *KAPROWGH* after *KAPROWGH* after bone-crushing *KAPROWGH* in a hailstorm of knuckles that pummeled their target with reckless abandon. "YOU WILL FEEL EVERY OUNCE OF MY VENGEANCE, YOU FILTHY SPIRIT! DYAAAAAAH!" Khalid let loose his relentless assault until his fists stopped glowing. After the presumable forty-eighth punch, followed by a gruesome *KATHRACK* of an uppercut that belted Tayshan in the stomach, Khalid flung him upward. And at the apex of his unintended flight, Khalid charged an especially large quantity of energy into one fist… took aim… and… "DIE!" he commanded as he threw the punch with all his might… only to MISS the attack entirely. Wanna find out why?

"HWARAAAH!" Tayshan grunted as he swung an arm downward to summon up a *FWOOOOOORSH* of a Reaper Wind Burst. With the maneuver, he propelled himself up JUST enough to barely dodge Khalid's attack. Before the ruthless king could figure out what was happening, Tayshan looked him directly in the eye, pointed two glowing fingers at that eye, and… "BANG!" he shouted as he fired the most merciless *TWEEERSCH* of a Sniper's Judgment… right into Khalid's open eye. And without saying too much, the piping hot laser pierced right through the unsuspecting monarch's face.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Khalid howled… and I mean HOWLED in absolutely indescribable pain as he stumbled back, bringing his top right hand to his injured visage. Meanwhile, Tayshan fell back to the crack-filled ground, where he landed with a *PLOOMPH* of his bare feet on the rocky terrain. His landing was anything but clean, however, as he went tumbling along from the momentum of his fall before hurriedly climbing to his feet. He had certainly felt the impact of the attack he took, however, as he hunched over in excruciating agony and panted raggedly while he recovered.

"Hah…! D-darn it... I missed by just a hair an' only got his eye…!" he complained… which… I-I mean… I don't think you even need me to explain just how dark his statement sounded. "An' I'm not sure how much longer I can last like this before I completely lose control… agh…!"

"GHAAAAH! Haaaah…! GRAAAAAAAGH!" Khalid continued to roar in agony and rage as he recovered enough to take his hand off his eye… to reveal that it had been bleeding profusely despite him squeezing the eye shut with his eyelid. "THAT IS IT! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS FOOLISHNESS ANY LONGER! RAAAAAH!" And with that shout, he took a knee and began rapidly pounding the ground with his fists. In response, the ground began to quake like tectonic plates were grinding against each other beneath the arena itself. The catch, however, was that the quakes were deliberate and rumbling toward Tayshan. Catching on quick, the wraith hopped backward as soon as he noticed the quakes getting stronger as they approached him. And right as he jumped, a giant, razor-sharp stalagmite just SHOT up with a *KABLORGOGGH* about a dozen feet high with the full intent to IMPALE him if he hadn't dodged in time.

"WHOA! Shoot…! I need t' be-! GAH!" he tried to urge himself as he landed, only for more quakes to rumble toward, him, followed by another *KABLORGOGGH* of a second stalagmite rising up at nearly the speed of sound as the first stalagmite sank back into the earth. And just as the second one slowly sank back down, a third one NARROWLY missed him as he hopped to the side to avoid the third *KABLORGOGGH* of the stony spike before it got him.

"Quicker than I thought, you rat…! In that case, let's see how your speed measures up to THIS!" Khalid challenged as he punched the ground a few more times to create a wave of stone spikes that chased Tayshan all around the arena. This time, however, the gargantuan monarch dashed forth as he backed his enemy toward the center of the arena. And right as the ghostly 'assassin' dodged the last stalagmite, Khalid came bolting in with the full intent to punish him.

"HRAAAH!" Tay shouted as he flung a hand forth and fired a *BWEEERSH* of a Specter Flash at Khalid's chest… that did NOTHING as it uselessly collided against his rock-hard chest with a *PWOFF* while the dastardly ruler kept on rushing him down. "WHAT!? Gaah, he just ATE that…!" he grumbled as he took in the info… as he also took a MASSIVE *KRADWOOORSH* of Khalid's foot against his stomach, propelling him backward. Immediately following this, Khalid punched the ground once again to summon up another stalagmite that Tay slammed into with a *THROCK* of his back against the smooth, rounded surface of the rocky spear. "Kahaagh…!"

"DOOORROOOOYAH!" Khalid hollered as he threw a nasty haymaker that connected with a *KABWAAANG* that knocked the wraith THROUGH the stalagmite as it shattered into bits. Tayshan was sent flying even further back, though he somehow remained conscious enough to maneuver himself into a proper landing position. But Khalid had other plans, as he stomped the ground to send forth a shockwave that caught its target with a *KATRAKAZAAP* as soon as his feet touched the ground. Seizing the opportunity almost immediately, Khalid sprinted forth, every *KRADWOOSH* of his massive feet against the heavily damaged arena sending quakes ripping across to the point of knocking spectators off their feet. Some of them even tumbled into the arena as they clamored over one another to escape to safety. And likewise, those that fell into the arena were ALSO struck by paralyzing shockwaves. Indifferent to this, Khalid stomped on and trampled multiple attendees (that were his own subjects, mind you) to get to Tayshan. They weren't even able to scream out of panic before he stomped them… They merely disappeared with *POOF* into astral projections of themselves that withered away in seconds… Khalid's only focus in that moment was on ensnaring his opponent in his hands and lifting him high as though to spike him into the ground again.

"Ghah…! H-hey! Stop! There are spectators in the ring!" Tay warned, well aware of the innocent people that had fallen victim to Khalid's aggression.

"These peons mean NOTHING to me!" he uncaringly announced, demonstrating his callousness by kicking other innocent spectators across the ring as they tried to escape. "The only one whose miserable existence you should be worried about is YOUR OWN! Now, prepare to be sent back to the hole you crawled out of! RAAAAGH!" he added out of further agitation as he knelt down and punched the ground again, crushing yet another civilian into oblivion to then summon up another stalagmite that popped up with a *KABLORGOGGH*. At that point, Khalid hurriedly raised Tayshan up high by his leg and one arm, evidently planning to impale the wraith onto the stony pillar. Yet, Tayshan thought as quickly as he could, took aim with his one free hand, and…

"TORRAAAGH!" he hollered, firing off a *BWEEERSH* of a Specter Flash directly into Khalid's open mouth. This time, the attack went off with a *KRABOOOWSH*, stunning the behemoth into dropping him once again. Tay wouldn't waste a second, however. As he descended, he rolled himself past the stalagmite and NARROWLY avoided being skewered on it as it then began to sink back into the ground. Meanwhile, as he charged his hand to the brim with hotly crackling Dual Magic, the wraith looked downward and spotted a weak spot in the form of an open wound on Khalid's foot from where he was previously shot with a Sniper's Judgment. He took aim with his wide-open appendage and… "BANISHMENT BLAST!" he hollered, firing off a *KRAKABWOOOOOOOORSH* of an intense magic blast directly at the wound. And to his relief, the blast… well, in no better words, OBLITERATED Khalid's foot with an utterly GHASTLY *KRATROOOOAARSHK*. The targeted appendage was blown to smithereens, sending smoky chunks scattering about as the giant was sent toppling over. The badly injured ruler hit the ground with a terrifying *BABWOOORMM* within the following two or three seconds.

"GHHRRAAAAAAAHAAAAAAGH…!" Khalid wailed in unfathomable anguish, hurriedly clamoring up to a seated position to inspect what was left of his foot. Meanwhile, Tayshan landed on his feet while still gasping for air and crackling with electricity.

"Gaah…! Heh… Alright… So, invincible skin, but anything not covered by skin is fair game… includin' open wounds…" he deduced as he shook off the shocks of pain and discomfort and rose to as capable a stand as he could before turning and looking at the civilians who were caught in the crossfire. He was disheartened to see that while most of them had managed to clear the area, they were badly injured, crying over the lost members of the crowd that Khalid carelessly snuffed out, and doing their best to manage. He was additionally concerned to see that the only person that did not yet make it out of the arena… was a little purple-skinned Archer Girl who was barely able to climb to her feet, much less run to safety. "Shoot…!" he cursed, wasting no time rushing toward the girl to try and get her out of harm's way. As he was making his way toward her, however, Khalid struck again.

"WOOAARAAAAH!" the badly injured king roared as he slammed his fist against the ground with a *KRADWOOOSH*, beginning the most heart wrenching sequence of quakes one could have ever hoped to see or hear.

"KIMALVI!" shouted a certain super curvy, prismatic Harpy Gal from the stands (the same one that waved to the wraith shortly before the battle) as she found herself unable to take flight to try and save her due to an injured wing. "Ghah…! Get out of there!"

"Gwoooh… Wha…? What's happening…?" the dazed and confused Archer Girl asked, unaware of the imminent danger she was in as the quakes rapidly rippled toward her position. It would seem that the poor thing was all but doomed… were it not for a VERY lucky break.

"REAPER WIND BURST! TYAAAAAAH!" Tayshan roared at the top of his lungs as he swung his hand to the side, generating a MASSIVE gust of wind with a *FAFWOOOOOOOOOOORSSSSH* that sent the girl flying into the air at an angle where she NARROWLY missed being impaled by the inevitable stalagmite that rose from the ground with a *KRABORGOGGH*.

"Whoaaoawowaaaah!" Kimalvi bellowed in understandable terror as she was swept up in the gale force wind. Before she could truly be taken away, however, Tayshan leapt high and grabbed the young girl and cradled her as he made as safe a landing as he could. He landed on his feet and quickly took a knee, though he was plagued with another *KAKRAKACKLEZAP* of electricity borne from his overuse of magic.

"Haagh…! H-hey… You alright, kid?" he fought through literal surges of agony to ask as he looked the girl in the eye. And once she seemed opened hers to get a good look at the person who saved her…

"…The Unknown Hero… Y-you… You saved me…!" Kimalvi observed in starry-eyed wonder.

"Heh… Yeah, I did. Now, come on. Let's get you back t' safety before anything crazy happens to ya. Alright…?" he suggested as he pushed through a torrent of agony to rise to a stand. From there, he carried the Archer Girl toward the stands where that same Harpy Gal was holding her wings out to receive her.

"Y-yeah! Totally! Thank you very much, Mr. Unknown Hero! I've heard all about you, and you look WAAAAAY cooler in person! And I LOOOOVE that doubled sound in your voice like there's two of you talking at the same time!"

"Oh. Ah… Thanks," he modestly, if not a bit nervously acknowledged and accepted the girl's praise. Although he seemed to be preoccupied as he curiously looked her in the eye.

"You're welcome! Oh, and you should know something!"

"Somethin' like what?"

"I went to your gravesite on Soldier's Ascension Beach to pay respects to you yesterday when this mean old, ugly Ammonian Army lady fought me!"

"…Gravesite…?" Tay murmured to himself, evidently taken aback by the girl's revelation as she gushed. "…Soldier's Ascension Beach…?"

"Ya-huh! There's this monument dedicated to you on a beach on the western end of Sequin Land," Kimalvi excitedly shared. "But like I was saying, this mean, ugly Ammonian lady fought me there and hit me with one of her exploding arm cannons, but I was rescued by my guardian Liasha and this really pretty blonde human lady with a purple hood and a weird-looking bird!"

"…Ya don't say…?"

"Okay, Kimalvi, that's enough. Come back up here and let the Unknown Hero finish the match with King Khalid," the Harpy Gal urged as Tay handed her over.

"Ooh! Right. Um… Thank you again for saving me, Mr. Unknown Hero, sir! Can you maybe give me your autograph after you kill our big, stinky, evil jerkface of a 'king'?"

"Kimalvi!" the Harpy Gal chided, covering the girl's mouth with a wing.

"Hm. I… take it she's not too fond o' your leader?" the 'Unknown Hero' took it upon himself to ask. Startled (and blushing like someone just paid her the highest compliment imaginable), the Harpy Gal shifted her eyes all over the place. Buuuuut after a moment of barely getting herself together…

"Er… I am… not at liberty to discuss in front of the big man himself… heh…" she nervously dismissed, clearing her throat as she also shot her gaze toward Khalid.

"That's a tellin' response…" Tay acknowledged as he followed her gaze to see that the tyrannical leader had painstakingly climbed himself back to a very weary, troubled stand. "In other news, this still ain't over yet…" he further lamented with a sigh as he turned his full attention toward his adversary. Yet… "Hey. Harpy lady."

"Y-yes, sir?"

"Take the girl to a safer spot. I don't know how much longer this is gonna take, an' it's clear 'King' Khalid ain't too worried about y'all as long as it means he has a chance t' win this fight. It's too dangerous for y'all t' be so close t' the chaos."

"Yes! I definitely shall! Good thinking, Mr. Unknown Hero! Oh, and if you care to know it at all, my name is Liasha! Pleasure to meet you! I hope we get a chance to chat after the match!" Liasha fought through her rampaging nerves to reveal herself as she obeyed his request of her to move to a safer area. In response, Tayshan momentarily turned his head toward her and nodded in understanding before refocusing on the fight.

"That little girl… she looked so familiar… but why do she an' that Liasha lady keep callin' me the 'Unknown Hero'?" he murmured, his eyes momentarily shifting toward the ground as he gave the prospects some thought. Before he could ponder any further, however…

"Hrrgh…! Ah…! You… I hope you understand now that you will only be allowed to leave this arena in PIECES for this…!" Khalid threatened as he glared through his remaining eye at the wraith standing before him.

"You'll have t' catch me first if you want THAT t' happen," Tay taunted, though he wasn't smiling as he readied himself for what appeared to be the final stretch of this tumultuous battle. "An' considerin' how that foot looks, you ain't gonna be movin' fast enough t' MAKE it happen."

"Ohh, the GALL you have to perpetually talk your rubbish to my face like I don't have at least fifty different ways to vanquish you slowly and painfully…!"

"The threats are gettin' old, Khalid. You can surrender now, or we can keep fightin' to the bitter end. Just so you know, though… at this point, it's almost certain you'll wind up DEAD by the end o' this if you don't give up…!"

"Oh? Does that mean you intend to kill me?"

"It ain't my first choice, but if you force my hand… just know you brought it on yourself."

"Pah! Such a coldhearted way to disassociate yourself from your own heinous brutality, assassin…"

"Oh, don't get it twisted. I know what the act is, an' I won't shy away from it. But I'm givin' you a chance here an' now before this crosses a point o' no return. An' it sounds like you're about t' throw that chance away."

"As if a spineless mercenary like YOU could ever kill ME! You clearly do not know who you're dealing with, and I will show you-!"

"Y'know, you should consider yourself lucky I'm givin' you a choice at all after you stomped on all those defenseless spectators you call your 'subjects' an' almost killed that little girl," Tay uncaringly interrupted, though the frustration in his tone was evident. "But please. Go ahead an' push me."

"Mock me at your peril, you devilish reprobate! YAAAH!" Khalid roared, at this point done with talking as he took one step forward and felt such a debilitating surge of pain shooting from his heavily damaged foot through his leg that he nearly toppled over. He caught himself, however, on his four arms as they hit the ground with a collective *KRADWOOORGH*. In that same instant, another shockwave ripped through the ground. Recognizing it, Tayshan swiftly dashed away and toward the center of the arena before the shockwaves could get to him. It was especially good he took evasive maneuvers there, as a stalagmite sprouted up with a *KRAGOROGGH* where he was previously standing.

"Alright, this is almost over…! Just gotta get a few good shots in, an' one way or another, he'll be down for the count…" Tay encouraged himself as Khalid crawled on like a spider toward him, imitating a spider as every hand that touched the ground pounded it with a *KRADWOOORGH* that sent rapid fire shockwaves across the increasingly crumbled, cracked, quake-riddled ground. Taking note, the wraith elected to commit to evasive maneuvers as he hopped backward and wordlessly fired a *BWEEEERSH* of a Specter Flash that Khalid charged through. The blast hit the desperate monarch with a *PWOOORSH* against his fractured jaw, which actually slowed him down a bit despite him not flinching at the blast…

Back in the VIP Box…

"Jeez…! What will it take for this guy to go down already…!?" Shantae muttered in increasing concern as she clutched her aching stomach like she was about to throw up. "Tay's gotta be at his limit at this point… One bad move, and he'll wind up being paralyzed and skewered…!"

"Hm. Seems to me like you really DON'T have faith in your partner if THAT'S what you're worried about…" the mysterious hooded woman disagreed, remaining in a position of completely hiding her face and limbs behind her gigantic robe. "That being said, I find myself disappointed that you are not seeing the bigger picture."

"What do you mean?" Shantae asked, rather irritably so. "What do YOU know that you think I don't?"

"Well… it doesn't necessarily take a seasoned scientist to notice the trend taking place since the beginning of this battle," the hooded woman explained as she kept herself focused on Tayshan and Khalid tussling around the arena. "Take a closer look…"

"Oookay…?" Shantae agreed as she focused on the fight to see Tayshan hopping and leaping away from a relentlessly quake-crawling Khalid as rock spikes kept shooting up from the ground. Every so often, however, he would get JUST close enough to possibly catch the wraith in a shockwave that would spell the end for him… only for the undead guardsman to hop away and fire a Specter Flash or Sniper's Judgment at seemingly random times that appeared to have little effect on Khalid as the monarch pressed on. And once she figured she had gathered a strong enough example… "I see my teammate struggling to figure out a way to damage King Khalid while he plays keep away to avoid being impaled on a rocky spike," the half-genie asserted as she turned her attention back to the hooded lady.

"Then you really ARE as naïve as they say," the woman remarked without a hint of emotion, though it still managed to get on Shantae's nerves.

"Oh, really!? Fine, then! What do YOU see!?"

"Figures that I would need to spell it out for you…" the hooded lady acknowledged with a sigh. "Your lover has been ruthlessly cold and calculating with his moves from the very beginning of the match. He fights with DEADLY precision. And that precision has shown itself more and more with every passing minute."

"…What? What do you mean?" Shantae requested to know, caught off guard by the assertion.

"Ever since the battle began, Tayshan has been using a mixture of carefully premeditated strikes and psychological warfare to lure Khalid into a false sense of security or into a fit of rage, only to then land a critical blow at the most opportune moments that quickly turned the battle's tide in his favor. Khalid has taken the bait at every opportunity and has been heavily damaged despite his reputation for supposedly being invincible," she explained.

"Invincible how?"

"Invincible as in, when he is transformed, his skin becomes nearly impossible to damage or penetrate. He also increases his strength fiftyfold, which, combined with his other powers and the fact that he is immortal, makes him a truly DANGEROUS opponent to be up against. In fact, you may not have known this, but Khalid is over 3,000 years old and has NEVER lost a battle to this day… or rather, BEFORE this day with the way this match is turning out for him. There's a first for everything, I reckon…"

"Whoa… s-seriously?"

"Seriously. Through countless battles and wars lasting over 1,000 years, Khalid became ruler of this entire island and had the potential to contend with the Pirate Master to take over Sequin Land. Although, he settled on having his own little dominion that, upon an agreement with the Pirate Master, would be left untouched. He has ruled the people of what is now the Lucky Laces Lagoon with an iron fist and while many of his subjects starve, squabble amongst each other, or struggle to make ends meet while they serve him and make this place look like a hot vacation spot to those who don't know better. He lives a life of luxury and decadence that has made him complacent and cocky. Y'know, the classic 'corrupt, tyrannical overlord' deal, though with a twist of it being rumored that he doesn't even WANT to rule the Lucky Laces Lagoon anymore."

"…Ya don't say…?"

"Oh, but I do say, Shantae. In fact, it was only when Tayshan apparently killed Khalid's younger brother mere months ago that the king shook himself out of his lethargic stupor and began to reawaken the conqueror he used to be. But at this point, it may be too little, too late for him…"

"What makes you say that?"

"Keep watching and witness it unfold in front of you. Even now, and despite his fatigue and apparent magic strain, Tayshan remains in control as he picks specific moments to launch his magic attacks directly at the king's weak points. Speaking of which, Khalid HAD no weak points until Tayshan created them earlier in the battle," the hooded sage continued to divulge as she kept her focus on the fight. "Despite the way it looks right now… Khalid is fighting to keep his reputation intact and to protect himself. Tayshan, on the other hand, is fighting as though he plans to ASSASSINATE Khalid the moment the chance arises."

"…N-no way… Are you sure?" the half-genie asked in surprise as she turned back toward the battle. "And what about the part where you said Khalid was immortal? How would he lose if he can't be…?" she further inquired, though she uncertainly trailed off.

"Perhaps I should clarify. Khalid is biologically immortal in the sense that he cannot die from old age or sickness. He CAN, however, be killed. And as it appears, he may face that exact fate with all of us here to witness it…"

"Oh…! Oh, jeez… But… is Tayshan really in control like you say?" Shantae murmured as she studied the fight closer. And sure enough, she was shocked to see that it had progressed to a point of a severely injured, bleeding Khalid slowing down significantly as his attack lost steam. Meanwhile, Tayshan had been continuously pelting him with beams and blasts alike aimed at Khalid's injured eye, shoulder, jaw, and other areas that bore open wounds. He, too, had slowed down as he winced with every magic attack he launched, but it appeared to be true nevertheless that the fight was drawing to a most gruesome conclusion. "Y… Y-you're right…! Tay…"

"Yes… While it's true he was outmatched in terms of raw power and ability, Tayshan found a way around it by playing to his own advantages while Khalid grossly underestimated him and paid the price for it. Such is to be expected from the fabled Ethereal Executioner…!"

"What!? W-when did THAT name come up for him!? Where did it come from!?" Shantae rapid-fired her questions in complete astonishment as she turned her attention back to the other woman for a moment.

"Just made it up, though I certainly expect it to catch steam after he murders this decrepit sack of spoiled meat…!" the hooded lady ominously 'joked,' though there was an alarming level of malice and sadistic enjoyment in her tone. While certainly freaked out by the macabre comment, Shantae kept her attention focused on the battlefield as Tayshan fired one more *BWEEERSH* of a Specter Flash that hit Khalid with an awe-inspiring *KRABOOORSH* that finally stopped the weary king in his tracks…

Back in the arena…

"Gaaah…! Hah…! Hrrgh…! H-how… is this happening…!? How is this HAPPENING!?" an even more ragged and worn-out Khalid shouted through his fatigue as he raggedly panted, propped up on one knee while he found himself hunched over and barely holding himself up. It was certainly a sight to behold… A four-armed practical demigod that towered over anyone and everyone around him, and who by all accounts appeared unstoppable… instead put in a position of near submission to a much smaller foe. His eye had still been shut and bleeding, his chin was matted in his own blood, his toga was in tatters… his shoulder had been pouring out blood, and, judging by the way his top his foot… or what was left of it… it looked like a pack of wild animals had gnawed and gnarled it beyond recognition. His entire form was matted in mud and dirt as he stared down the halo-adorned man standing across the arena from him. "You… If it's the last thing I do, I will END you…!"

"Hah… Hah… Don't bet your bottom gem on it…!" Tayshan denied, equally as weary as he stood, slightly hunched over himself. He, too, had been matted with dirt, bruises, and a bit of blood dripping from his mouth and nose. He also had multiple cuts across his sweat-drenched face and body. His outfit had been completely ruined, as most of his decorations were damaged in one way or another. Some of his arm bands were missing, his usekh collar had a chunk of it torn off, and his shendyt… was ripped to the point of revealing some… er, 'unmentionables' as though someone tried to feed him to a pack of lions. Beyond the battle damage, however, it was apparent that the wraith was still massively overcharged with Dual Magic. This was evidenced by violent surges of purple and blue electricity crackling with *KRAZAK* after *CHAPROCK* as though he had become a walking storm cloud. And judging by his wincing, labored breaths, and trembling arms, it was apparent that our undead friend was having the farthest thing from a good time.

"A jester to the last breath…" Khalid dismissively murmured. "You have not won this battle yet, and you will NEVER experience the pleasure of toppling me…!"

"You're one foot in the grave by this point, an' you know it!" Tay argued. "But I ain't here t' listen t' you spout a bunch o' garbage t' me about how invincible you thought you were. It's time for us t' finish this…!"

"My, how eager you are to return to the throes of oblivion from whence you came…" Khalid mocked. "Had enough of being a remorseless, cold-blooded killer? Because I'll GLADLY put you out of your misery…!"

"Hm… Maybe you took one too many shots t' the head if THAT'S what you think," Tayshan mocked right back with a derisive chuckle. "Then again, it's hard t' tell. You never did give the impression that you were very smart."

"WHAT WAS THAT!? Ohh, that does it…! I WILL VAPORIZE YOU, SPECTER!" the highly offended monarch shouted as he pushed himself to as capable a stand as he could muster. Soon after, he stretched out all four of his arms… which began to surge and crackle with red lightning before, with four simultaneous *VWOOOAARSHes*, he summoned gigantic balls of a reddish-orange light in each of his hands. "HWAAARRRRRRYAAAAAAGH!" he further howled to the heavens as he combined the four light balls together, at which point they fused with a *CHAKAPWEERRSHK* into a GINORMOUS energy ball that very well could've been seen to rival the MOON in its size. Adding to it was the violent crackles of electricity surging from it as it uttered a low, ominous hum like a buzzsaw on overdrive as swirling winds and a sweltering heat began to overtake the entire arena. As one might imagine, spectators all across the arena began to panic as they either clamored over one another for the exits or braced themselves for a surprise meeting with their ancestors.

"Gah…! Shoot…! Hey!" Tay called out as he braced himself. "What do you think you're doin'!? If you launch that attack at me, you could wind up killin' all the people behind me!"

"Then you'd better either get out of the way and save yourself, try to stop me, or BE COMPLETELY ERASED ALONG WITH THEM!"

"What!? You're INSANE!"

"No, boy! I am LIBERATED! Little do you know, you're wasting precious time and energy protecting a filthy collection of degenerates, energy-sucking predators, harlots, and abominable skeezers who were kept here for their own good and for the good of the rest of the world! Killing them would be a MERCY for this planet and one of the biggest favors I could do for myself! You haven't the slightest clue what they have put me through over the last two thousand years…!"

"You can't seriously expect me t' stand aside an' let you kill more innocent people, regardless o' whatever it is you're sayin' they did t' you! Playin' the victim while you're threatenin' their lives ain't helpin' me t' get where you're comin' from!"

"Then die alongside them, for all I care!" Khalid shot back. "But if you want to protect them, you'd better do everything in your power right now! Far as I hear, you have precisely ONE special trick that could possibly save these bottom-feeding peasants! Use it now if you dare!"

"Gaah…! Alright, fine! If that's how you want this battle t' end, then SO BE IT! HRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the wraith roared as… as his left eye began to flash between gold and silver! Oh boy… Worse yet, the crackling aura around him intensified as he stretched his arms out to his sides. And there, and with twin *KRAKAVWOOORZHes*, he formed two giant balls of Dual Magic… and with a swirl of his hands concluded with him clasping his palms together, he combined the energy spheres into a gigantic ball of electricity-infested flames with a truly mesmerizing, albeit extremely frightening *CHAPWEEEEERSHK* and aimed it up at his intended target. He committed to aiming with one hand while he grasped his wrist with his other hand to hold the blast steady. The heat in the arena picked up even more along with the tornado-level winds as the wraith focused all his energy into this one last-ditch effort to take down the Lucky Laces Lagoon's leader and save his estranged subjects from the malevolent tyrant. The homicidal lightning ball violently crackled with *CHAPROCK* after *ZZRRKAKRAK* after deadly *KRAZOCK* like the world's most dangerous lightning storm. The kicker this time, though? Tayshan's energy ball was two to three times BIGGER than it was the last time he employed this potentially fatal technique, given that he had no Inhibitor Vambraces to limit his overflowing power. Worse yet, he began to visibly wince as he drew in ragged breaths and… and even began to fade to a point of being somewhat transparent as he prepared to bring this battle to a most gruesome end.

"Ahh, there it is… The fabled Sun's Wrath Cannon that Risky Boots informed me of…" Khalid observed in a surprise show of amazement.

"Risky Boots…?" Tayshan murmured, hearing Khalid loud and clear… and as a result, the Sun's Wrath Cannon attack grew another size BIGGER as it crackled and surged even louder. Tayshan had even stopped fading out of existence as his anger at the mention of the Pirate Queen's name locked him into focus. "If SHE'S the one who put you up to this, then you're gonna explain yourself in full once this is over… provided you survive! An' if she told you about the move I'm about t' use, then you know your only sensible choice is t' stand down an' surrender! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! STOP THIS NOW!"

"And cast aside my pride while running away from a truly awesome battle that would solidify my status as the strongest man in this world once I've done away with you once and for all!? HAH! Wishful thinking, assassin! PREPARE TO RETURN TO THE AFTERLIFE!" Khalid defiantly challenged, locking in his choice to end the battle with a bang. "Though, in the slightest chance that you could truly defeat me… I thank you in advance for freeing me from this miserable curse of immortality and herding these detestable monster girls for all eternity…" he muttered to himself, which… huh… odd thing to end off with, huh?

"…Of all things, it had t' come t' this…! Sorry, Shantae… I can only hope that doin' this at full power won't wind up killin' me, too…!" Tayshan… regretfully murmured to himself as he took aim, accepted his fate… and got ready to launch…

Back in the VIP section…

"H-HEY! LET ME GO! Ghaaah…! Hah…! I-I CAN'T LET HIM GO THROUGH WITH THIS! HE'S GONNA-! Ghaaaaaaah! Hah…!" Shantae fought through unrelenting torrents of stabbing abdominal agony to yell as she attempted to climb from her seat, only to be heavily restrained by the Leopard Gal guards that were previously threatening other guests in order to keep her still. "S-STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN! Ghhaaaaaaah!" she further shouted, unable to wrestle herself out of their grasp despite the valiant fight she put up as her body began to glow with a strong surge of Light Magic. She couldn't use her full strength, however, as she was too impacted by her torturous abdominal pain to draw up the energy to wrest herself free.

"Hrrgh…! Jeez, she's strong…!" one of the guards complained as she narrowly avoided being kicked with bone-crushing *THRACK* in the face before grabbing hold of Shantae's leg. "Gahh, you rambunctious little PEST…! Should we simply kill her to shut her up, boss?"

"No. You wouldn't be able to anyway, even if that were the better option," spoke none other than the hooded lady as she remained stationed in her seat, seemingly unbothered by any of the commotion. Shocked into momentarily ceasing her efforts to escape, Shantae cast her gaze immediately toward the other non-guard woman in the room. "Besides, the grand finale is about to take place. Look!" she further urged, pointing toward the arena and directing everyone's gazes toward the two men in it who were ready to kill each other at a moment's glance… And then that moment came, everyone in the lounge found themselves stricken with awe at what they were about to witness… except for Shantae, who had used the moment to break free of her would-be captors' grip and attempt to rush out of the VIP box to stop the battle. However, she wouldn't even get the chance to climb out of the window leading into the arena before it was too late.

"TAYSHAAAAAN!" she hollered out in absolute panic, though he couldn't hear her…

In the warzone…

"HOOORRYAAAAAAAH!" Khalid yelled as he fired off his attack with a mighty *PATWOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRSH* of a crackling orange beam of light directly at Tayshan, completely disregarding the spectators who could potentially be caught up in the crossfire. Meanwhile…

"TYAAAAAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Tayshan shouted at the top of his lungs as he unleashed his attack with a devastating *KRAKABWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSH* of his deadliest attack. Both of the titanic beams of magic kicked up tempestuous waves of debris as they barreled toward each other like two fighter jets filled to the brim with nuclear bombs ready to destroy literally EVERYTHING around them. And with a mighty, earsplitting *KADWEEEEEEEERRRSSSSSSH*, Khalid's and Tayshan's ultimate attacks collided with one another to commence a tense life-or-death battle for supremacy. With *KAKROCK* after *CHAPROCK* after *KRAZAAKAZAAP*, the energy beams violently pushed against each other and sent out lightning bolts that were so intense that they struck random parts of the arena without warning. As spectators high and low took cover or frantically made their way out of the danger zone, the lightning bolts struck the stands, struck a bunch of the already downed statues, and struck the ground hard enough to kick up chunks of rock that were immediately swept up into the harsh, suffocating high winds. And as the two warriors found themselves deadlocked in the most catastrophic beam struggle this side of Sequin Land…

"Haaagh…!" Khalid grunted as he dug his heels in and put his all into his attack. It was clear by the veins protruding from his forehead and arms, as well as his profuse sweating, that he was being given a run for his money. He wasn't going to give up, however, as he pushed even harder and increased the intensity of his blast as it grew in size JUST enough that he began to push the Sun's Wrath Cannon back. "This is… most impressive…!" he began, though he sounded highly strained. "Truly, you have proven yourself a worthy contender despite your insufferable hubris…! And although you have slain my brother… you may leave this world knowing that you have at least earned my respect….! Hrrraaaaah!" the king further bade as he took one step forward and began to take a steadily increasing advantage in the deadly clash. In that moment, Tayshan's attack had started to shrink as Khalid's blast grew in size. At this point, it seemed that Sequin Land's top guardsman was done for…

"Hrrgh…! No…! I need t' push harder…! HrrrrRRRRRGH, I AIN'T GOIN' DOWN! YA HEAR ME!?" Tayshan defiantly roared despite the fact that he found himself quickly losing ground. His body was crackling like someone had hooked him up to a car battery and turned its output to the max. His Sun's Wrath Cannon had been holding steady, though it was clear that he was losing ground. "GRAAAAAAH, COME ON! Haah…! HRRRAAAAAAAAH!" he continued to protest as veins began to protrude from his head, arms, and even his legs. He leaned into the attack as hard as he could, pushed beyond his limit as his Dual Magic aura exploded from him like a volcanic eruption of wind, electricity, and heat. Through his effort, he had managed to at least stall his enemy's blast and lock his position into a somewhat disadvantaged stalemate. Filled with determination, the wraith put everything he had into his attack, clinging to a dwindling hope that he would be able to pull off a miracle. It was clear from the fact that his entire body had resumed fading from view, however, that he couldn't keep it up forever. He paid no heed to this as he locked his eyes on the struggle ahead of him. Yet, when all seemed lost, and it appeared he was going to die at the hands of the king of the Lucky Laces Lagoon… the little black diamond affixed to his nose began to glow with an ominous purple. And within the next couple of seconds, it pinged with a low-humming *TWIIING~!* and appeared to activate on its own.

"Hmmmh…! Hargh…! How hasn't he been completely overwhelmed by this point…!?" Khalid asked himself as he continued to put the pressure on. Right as he asked this question, however, he noticed a brilliant glint of purple that appeared to come from his opponent's side of the field… followed up by a sudden *KRAFWWOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRSH* of the haloed man's amplified aura intensifying to the point that he felt its scorching heat wash over him. "Wha…!? What in the…?"

"HaaaaaaAAAAAH!" Tayshan roared once more, refusing to give up as he pressed on with every bit of energy he had within himself poured into his attack. At that precise moment, however, he took note of his body being swallowed up in an intense, burning, stinging aura of purple mixed with slight wisps of blue. He felt a sudden surge of magic coursing through him as though he'd swallowed piping hot liquid mercury. "Ghaaah…! H-huh?" he grunted as he, for just a split-second, shifted his eyes toward the pulsing, gleaming black gem embedded in his nose. Just then, the diamond let loose an ominous *DWOOORGH* as it pulsed even harder and sent a heaping dose of… of something that looked like a HEAVY concentration of Dark Magic through its owner's body that caused the entirety of his form to flash a truly unsettling shade of dark violet before encasing him in a shroud of shadowy, smoky black clouds. And let me tell you… These clouds just… EMANATED with a spine-chilling feeling of impending death. And as soon as the gem's mysterious effect took hold… "Hagh! GHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Tayshan hollered… and I mean HOLLERED bloody murder as though he'd been impaled seven times over with javelins dipped in lava. In that same horrific moment, and with an intensified *KRAKAZWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSH*, his Sun's Wrath Cannon GREW to at least three or four times its initial size and IMMEDIATELY began to overpower Khalid's blast as it pushed back with far more force than the giant monarch was able to anticipate.

"W-WHAT!? NO! NO, THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE…! Hrrrrrgh…! W-WHERE DID HE GET THIS POWER…!?" Khalid asked as the Sun's Wrath Cannon barreled its way through his attack and headed right for him with there being nothing he could do to stop it. "Grrgh…! Hah… So, this is how it ends for me…! Hm… Fine, then. It's about time, and I've waited long enough… I welcome death with open arms… See you soon, brother…" he vowed to himself as he… seemed to lose his will to fight in that moment. He spent his last moments cancelling out his blast and opening his arms as the Sun's Wrath Cannon hit with an explosive *DWEEEEEEEEEEEEERRSH*, followed by an utterly HEINOUS *SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRSSSSSSSCH* of the deadly magic attack COOKING HIM ALIVE. "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaawwwwugh…!" he wailed in unimaginable agony as he began to disintegrate in the confines of the Sun's Wrath Cannon. Meanwhile the gigantic, crackling, fiery death laser ripped through and past its target and stretched miles upon MILES up through the air. The blast was thankfully angled upward enough to where no spectators were in harm's way, though it still managed to vaporize a portion of the upper stands as it crashed with a *KRABWOORGHLGH* against it and kept on extending into the skies above.

Seriously, this attack was big enough that if we were to pan out and get a view of the entire island, you'd see the beam shooting through with enough force to disturb the ocean waves as it wiped out clouds and wrapped the surrounding area in unbearable heat before it eventually dissipated within the following ten seconds. And when we return to the Lucky Laces Colosseum to follow up on the aftermath…

"Ghaaaaah…! Haaah…! Haah… Humh…" panted a heavily, HEAVILY fatigued Tayshan as he barely stood, his every limb shaking as he gasped for air. His entire body was still transparent as he also popped and crackled with post-magic electricity ripping through his haggard form. He'd still been in the pose he'd assumed when he fired off his Sun's Wrath Cannon with his hand heavily smoking like he'd just set it on fire and put it out. His head was bowed to the point where his hair obscured his face… except for the faint glow of purple shining through his dreadlocks. Meanwhile, as the dust settled and silence overtook the annihilated arena… one could take a mere glance and see the crumbled statue remnants… the broken-down stands complete with the massive dent that was left by the wraith's magic attack… the shocked, horrified, or otherwise astonished expressions of all the witnesses as they began to whisper among themselves in the stands… and at the center of the arena… the fallen King Khalid as he… or at least, what was left of him lay motionless at the center of the ring. He was reduced to naught but his legs, one disembodied hand, and his crown that rested in a pile of dust.

"…What…? H-he… He did it…?" Shantae murmured, her eyes wider than satellites as she tried to absorb what had just transpired in front of her.

"…How in the blue BLAZES could this dog have been holding back THAT much power all this time…!?" the hooded lady also murmured, though she sounded utterly displeased to have witnessed Tayshan's climactic victory. Or at least, it SEEMED like she was displeased. "Hmm…" she hummed, though she never took her focus off the man wearily standing in the ring. Speaking of whom…

"Ghah… Ooogh…" he groaned as he dropped his stance and got set to fall over and pass out. As he did, his face was unsheathed from his locs JUST long enough to reveal that his pupils had turned not silver, not gold… but amethyst purple from under his eyelids as he closed his eyes and prepared to faceplant into the dirt. He caught himself, however, by using what little energy he had left to extend a leg forth to catch himself before he keeled over. Trembling immensely as he started to completely disappear, he hurriedly patted himself down until he took out a certain golden cylindrical Relic and pressed it close to his chest. Sure enough, and with a sudden *Krafweeeeeeeerrzzzzzzzzh*, his entire body was briefly engulfed in a familiar mixture of blue and purple aura. Meanwhile, his body solidified once more as he regained more of his consciousness. He took in a sharp, deep breath as he blinked his eyes a few times… at which point, they turned back to their usual gold shade.

"Hrrgh… ah… J-jeez…" he finally murmured, his voice having returned to normal as he shook off a good deal of his disorientation and stood as tall as he could. Meanwhile, he quickly stashed his Spirit Fuser fragment back into his inventory. And while he remained completely worn out, he was alert enough to take in the sight of the destroyed battlefield… and his destroyed adversary as the former king's remains disappeared with a *POOF* into dust, save for his crown. Yet… rather than celebrate his victory… "Hm. It ain't have t' be this way… Maybe you'll have learned your lesson in the next world…" he murmured, staring with disdain at Khalid's crown as he let it sink in… that he completed his mission of fatally deposing the Lucky Laces Lagoon's monarch. Before he could think much further on it, however…

"TAYSHAN!" Shantae called out to him as she slipped out of the VIP lounge uncontested and sprinted toward him with a look of utmost concern on her face while the crowd around them erupted into cheers and chatter in the distance.

"Hey, sweetheart…" he tiredly waved at her as he turned toward her with as warm a smile as he could muster. And when she finally reached him, she resisted the urge to pounce on him out of worry that she would make him collapse. Instead…

"How are you feeling? A-are you okay…?" she nervously asked, scanning him up and down as her worrying never stopped.

"Tired beyond belief an' ready t' go t' bed for the next five years, but yeah… I'm good…"

"Are you feeling like you'll pass out again? And… was that the same attack you used against Risky Boots in the Phantasmagoric Forest?"

"I don't think I'll pass out this time…" he began. "There was enough o' my excess energy in the Spirit Fuser fragment that I got a partial recharge from it. There may still be a bit left in it, but I'm not sure… An' yeah… that was the infamous Sun's Wrath Cannon…"

"I see… I can't believe how powerful that spell is… Even for having seen it once before, it's still uncanny to me that you gained the ability to use it."

"Trust me, I feel the same. Weirdly enough, though, it was WAY stronger this time than I thought I was capable of," he revealed to her surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I was strugglin' t' draw out enough magic t' overwhelm Khalid without burnin' myself completely dry, but at some point, this diamond nose ring started flashin' an' pulsin'… an' as soon as that happened, I was hit with this EXTREME power boost that came equipped with enough pain that it felt like I was bein' beaten, stabbed, shot, an' burned alive at the same time…"

"Goodness…! Hm… We'll have to take a closer look at that thing, though it's safe to say that it basically saved you this time."

"I don't know about 'saved…'" he countered to Shantae's continued surprise. "I had enough juice t' take Khalid down, but it would've taken a lot more out o' me if it wasn't for this weird nose ring."

"What? Are… Are you sure about that?" she asked, seeming to struggle with taking her partner's statement at face value.

"Positive, Shae. An' yet, the pain this gem caused me… it was such a familiar feeling… Almost like the first time I got overtaken by Dark Magic way back when…" Tayshan further explained as he stretched his arms out and observed them like they would come off and attack him on their own if he didn't check them out right away.

"Oh? Interesting… I mean, considering it's called the 'Diamond of Devastation,' it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it was loaded with Dark Magic. I'm just glad it didn't corrupt you into turning evil again. Although, before I forget… I was really worried about you, Tay… I couldn't help but notice you were starting to fade from view during your struggle…"

"I know…" he acknowledged as he looked back at the worried genie. "I saw it as well, an' I'm sorry for makin' you worry," he further regretfully apologized. "If I could've helped it, I wouldn't have pushed myself that hard t' stop Khalid. Or better yet, I'd have called you in…"

"Don't worry about that, babe," she assured. "I… was a bit preoccupied myself trying to figure out a way to deal with the guards who were holding me and most of the other guests in the VIP box hostage."

"What? Hostage? What was goin' on in there?" he curiously inquired.

"Confirmation that your hunch was right. Something fishy's happening around these parts, and our trip here may not be done, even after taking down King Khalid," she warned, suspiciously scanning the immediate area.

"Hm… I knew it wouldn't be so simple…" he remarked, heeding her words. "So, what do you think is goin' down?"

"I'm not sure yet, but if you still have the energy for it, we'll need to investigate. That said… are you sure you're okay?"

"For a given definition, yes… at least, for now, I am," he clarified.

"That'll have to be good enough for the moment. And… good job beating Khalid all by yourself. You really have… um… g-gotten a lot stronger…" she tried to congratulate, though she lost her nerve and broke eye contact as she grabbed one arm with her opposing hand as she cast her gaze downward and away.

"…Why do you seem so disappointed?" he took it upon himself to ask, noticing her discomfort.

"H-huh!? Oh, no, I-I'm not disappointed!" she frantically denied, evidently not expecting him to pick up on her previous mannerisms as she straightened herself up.

"If you say so, but I can't help but feel like you're not happy with me right this second."

"What? Tay, no, I'm fine! Honest!" she did her best to reassure, even flashing him a disarming, toothy grin to emphasize her point. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt worse than you already were. I'm also proud of you for handling the Boss Battle on your own once again! It was definitely one of our toughest yet, for sure!" the half-genie added, though Tayshan had stopped listening once he heard something in the distance.

"…Huh?" he hummed as he looked up high to see something rattling with a distant *klikliklikliklikilkilkik* aimed straight at him. "Ergh…!" he grunted, pulling out his Spirit Fuser fragment and shoving it into Shantae while shoving her out of the way.

"Wha-!? H-hey, why are you-!? OWAAH!" the unaware half-genie yelped, barely managing to catch the forbidden Relic as she flew backward. In the same moment that she hit the ground with a *TWOPH*, she heard a *KATRIK* ring out into the air that was followed by the collective gasp of the onlookers in the stands.

"Ghagh…! H-hey! What…? Haaaah…!" Tayshan struggled to protest, instantly brought down to one knee as he grasped at the anchor and chain wrapped firmly around his neck. Worse yet, a steady flow of the magic he'd just supplied himself with began to drain out of him and travel down the links of the chain. "Ghaaaaaaaagh!"

"Huh…?" Shantae murmured as she quickly recovered and stashed the Spirit Fuser fragment into her outfit. Once she saw what was happening, however… "HEY! GET THAT THING OFF HIM!" she shouted, immediately dashing ahead, only to be met with a sudden *KRABWOOORSH* of an explosion from seemingly nowhere blew her back. Not entirely caught off-guard, the heroine exhibited expert agility in performing a last-second somersault to land on her feet. Her troubles were only at their beginning, however, as a group of Leopard Gals, Slime Gals, Archer Ladies, Harpy Gals, and even Tinkerbats with propeller packs poured into the arena to further restrain the haloed wraith with rope while he struggled to break free to no avail.

"The target is secure! Now, let's get him back to the chamber!" ordered the airborne Bat Gal who'd apparently been siphoning energy out of hers and her friend's shared captive.

"What in the…? VENUS!?" Shantae yelled out in shock and ire as she spotted (and evidently recognized) the blue-skinned, leather-clad, bat-winged woman hovering in the air with a chain in her hand.

"In the flesh, gorilla girl!" Venus teasingly confirmed, blowing a winking kiss at the half-genie. "Been a little while since we last spent quality time together, huh?"

"What the heck do you think you're doing!? I thought we were on the same side after what happened in Genie's Hem!"

"Fat chance, short stack!" Venus vehemently denied. "We had a common goal back then, but the tables have turned! And now, your boyfriend is OURS to have fun with! Hope you enjoy being single again~!" she further taunted with a malicious cackle before snapping her fingers to signal for her allies to take him away. They would find it difficult, however, as a sudden *KRAZZAKAZZAAAAAP* shocked a bunch of the guards and Tinkerbats into momentarily letting go of their bounty.

"Get me out o' these binds NOW!" a highly agitated Tayshan demanded, though his arms had been tied behind his back and the chain's grip held tight. Even worse, he was sweating profusely as the chain continued slowly sucking energy out of him. "An' YOU, you filthy traitor!" he shouted directly at Venus, indicating that he also knew her. "When I get out o' these ropes, I'm gonna-!" he tried to threaten further before a *KATHRACK* of a Leopard Gal's fist belted him across the face. "Kahagh…! Hrrrgh!" he grunted, though the attack seemed to only agitate him further as he struggled harder against his binds.

"Mrowwww, he has a lot more fight in him than I thought…" the sucker punching Leopard Gal remarked in surprise as she flexed her paw. As one could imagine, however, Shantae didn't like the sight of the exchange one bit.

"GrrrRRRRAAAGH!" she let out an animalistic roar as she grounded her stance and powered up. Within the next instant, she found herself ignited with a *FWOOOORSH* of Light Magic. "Don't you EVER put your hands on him again! TYAAAAAH!" she further shouted as she charged at her enemies, who'd prepared themselves for an attack before another individual… the lady in the robes and hood made her grand entrance by leaping from seemingly nowhere into the air. She maintained total composure as she landed in between Shantae and the squadron of kidnappers detaining Tayshan. "Wha…? What are YOU doing here? I noticed your little stunt in that VIP box of commanding the guards to hold me down earlier! Are you in cahoots with these criminals?"

"Hm. I suppose you could say that…" the woman spoke, her tone cold and callous as she brought a hand to her robe as though to tear it off. "Or more accurately, they all work for ME!" she revealed as she, with a forceful *FROOWF* of her tearing off her disguise and casting it to the wind… revealed herself to be none other than the one… the only… the single most DIABOLICAL pirate captain in all of Sequin Land…

"RISKY BOOTS!" Shantae VERY angrily called out, her Light Magic's glow intensifying as she took in the deplorable sight of her archnemesis… similarly dressed up in an exact copy of her Desert Princess costume as she shot the half-genie an evil grin.

"In the flesh, still pulling off this ridiculous outfit FAR better than YOU ever could," Risky unabashedly claimed with her trademark cackle. "And now, as I warned you before, I'm about to take your precious lover here to make him serve me like he knows he was supposed to be doing all along!"

"Like HECK, you are! I told you before that if you ever came near him again, I'd-!"

"Save your idle threats for someone who cares, brat!" Risky cut her off before turning her head toward her cohorts and snapping her fingers. "Take him away! We'll start the 'ritual' as soon as we get back to the palace…"

"Risky Boots, I swear I'm gonna TEAR YOU T' PIECES FOR THIS! NYARRRAAAAGH!" Tayshan shouted as he continued trying to break free. Meanwhile, the mixed legion of Risky's minions got set to drag Tayshan out of the arena and into parts unknown.

"Ooh, you're such a rowdy boy~!" Venus flirtatiously remarked as she hovered closer to him. "But you're gonna need to save that energy for what we have in store for you tonight, handsome…~ For now, though, here's a little reward for helping us get rid of Khalid…" she further whispered as she drew her face closer to his while he tried to pull away… only for her to grasp him by his cheeks, force him to face forward, and… a-and straight up KISS him right on the lips! Oh, no… "Mmmmmmh…~"

"Hrrm! Hrrrrrrrmg!" Tay tried to yell as, with a *Growaafweeeeeeerrsh* like water going down a drain, magic began rapidly draining from his body and into Venus's while she continued lip-locking him. Much as he tried to wriggle and twist himself out of her grasp, his rapidly decreasing strength prevented him from doing so. Before long, he went nearly limp.

"I SAID GET OFF HIM!" Shantae demanded in a heated rage as she pointed two fingers toward Venus, channeled her magic into them… and pressed them to her snake tiara, which then caused her to fire off a deadly *KAKWAAARSH* of a Crimson Laser directly at the offending Bat Gal that NARROWLY missed its mark as the succubus finished incapacitating him. Meanwhile…

"NONE OF YOUR TRICKS TODAY, TWERP!" Risky challenged as she, while Shantae wasn't looking, raced toward her in the blink of an eye with a fist cocked back, charged with Dark Magic, and ready to annihilate anything in its path. And with a crackling, burning *KATHRAAAASH*, the Pirate Queen delivered an AWFUL surprise uppercut that dug so hard into the half-genie's exposed abdomen that the impact echoed across the decimated arena.

"Kwaahaagh…!" Shantae eked out in excruciating pain, her eyes wide with shock as she found herself propelled into the air by her archenemy's fist. Risky Boots wasn't done yet, however, as she cocked her other fist back, charged it with a *KRAFWOOOORSH* of Dark Magic, and…

"TORRRAAAAH!" the dastardly captain roared as she took a step forward, aimed, and threw the MEANEST Dark Magic-charged hook I think ANYONE could ever witness. And with a *KRADWOOOOORRSH* that sounded like a nitrogen bomb going off, accompanied by a massive puff of black and purple smoke from the impact, Risky sent Shantae soaring across the arena at nearly the speed of sound. The poor genie would only find her fall broken by a pile of rubble that she smashed back-first into with a cringe-inducing, echoing *KERPLOWGH* that kicked dust and pebbles miles high before she fell into a seated position, her head hung low as though she'd been knocked out cold.

"Jeez…! Now, THAT'S a hit I know I'd never want to take," remarked Venus as she and her allies were busy restraining Tayshan and carrying him out of the arena… speaking of whom…

"You… YOU…! I WILL MURDER YOU FOR THAT! HRRAAAAH!" he roared in unrelenting anger, glaring down at Risky as he suddenly flashed back into consciousness. His body crackled and popped with a dim *Fwoooorsh* of his remaining energy as he began anew with struggling to break free from his binds. Doing so, however, caused a sudden *KRAZOK* of fatigue-borne electricity to run through his body. "Hrraaaaagh…! D-darn it…! DARN IT! Ghaaaaaagh…!"

"Oh, my…" Venus observed in wonder as she and her crew kept their grip on him firm. "I thought I'd sucked enough out of you to render you unconscious. And yet, you're still so fired up… Most men would've been out for WEEKS with how much of your energy I pulled from you. Guess I'll just have to suck it harder when we get settled in, honey…~" Her extremely salacious statement caught enough of her captive's attention that he was rendered speechless as he froze and gawked at her, COMPLETELY stunned. Venus's response, of course, was to blushingly giggle and wink at him as she ran her fingers up and down his bare chest while… staring at a certain part of him that I uh… find it… 'hard' to describe… ahem… before turning back and shooting him a most suggestive grin. "And I certainly do mean that in the way you're so lustfully thinking right now…~" she just had to add as she licked her lips and helped herself to a… a 'handful' that made him flinch in increased shock.

"…Oh, naw… Yo, you TRIPPIN'! Hrraaagh!" he accused as he continued on with trying to wriggle his way out of his binds, succeeding only in making Venus laugh louder. "Gaah, come on…! Is this really happenin' right now…!?"

"If he's still this feisty after all that's happened here, I only WONDER how much more energy he has to spare when we all have our turns with him…" remarked a Harpy Gal as she hovered nearby, curiously observing the struggling wraith.

"Hmmmrow, something tells me that he'll be quite the entertainer…~" added a Leopard Gal as she prowled on all fours, nuzzling her body against their shared captive like a common housecat cozying up to an old human friend. "I can detect COPIOUS amounts of pheromones in his sweat, meaning he's LONG overdue for a breeding session…~" THAT extremely intrusive statement was enough to do two things. A. Make all the other monster girls carrying him hum in collective wonder and intrigue. And B. Make Tayshan go…

"WHAT!?" as he ceased all his struggling and cast his astonished gaze at the Leopard Gal rubbing up against him and purring.

"You heard it right, human," the Leopard Gal affirmed, grinning with naughty glee at him. "We Leopard Gals possess a VERY keen sense of smell that can detect all sorts of things that your kind could only dream of. And of those things, one of the most important… is the scent of a male who has been experiencing… 'frustration' in the realm of intimacy."

"…There is NO way you co-!"

"And your aroma is QUITE alluring. By my estimate, you have been raring to go for…" she paused as she sniffed him all over for a couple seconds. "…at least TWO ENTIRE MONTHS, meaning you will make the PERFECT breeding partner. You will have enough 'material' to produce offspring with ALL of us! We have struck GOLD! Mmmrrow, we are going to have so much 'FUN' with you~!" she added, propping herself up enough to lay her paws on his chest and flick her tongue on his face to… er, t-to lick the sweat off his cheek… as well as licking his lips, kittenishly purring all the while.

"Gagh! No! No, no, no, NO!" Tayshan fervently denied as he turned away and began his useless, fatigue-laden squirming anew, though his cheeks grew red as he let it sink in what these girls had planned for him. "Hrrgh…! This is such a load o' GARBAGE…! Gaahh…!" he further complained. It wouldn't be long, however, before Risky Boots ran her way over to him and her mixed bag of minions. And once she caught up…

"Long time no see, my pet," she taunted with a most sinister grin on her face as they locked eyes. As soon they did, Tayshan glared piping hot DEATH at her as his left eye began to rapidly flash between gold and silver once again. He relented on his efforts to free himself once again, though his passionate hatred for the lady pirate still burned hotter than a neutron star.

"Hrrrgh…! Hah…! I shouldn't be surprised that YOU were behind all this! And for you t' stoop as low as waitin' for me t' burn myself out fightin' Khalid, an' then sendin' these monster girls an' your raggedy little mutant freaks t' ambush me…!? You're PATHETIC, Risky!" he barked at her, cutting right to her core as he caused her to glare back at him like she wanted to kill him all over again. Meanwhile, the 'raggedy little mutant freaks' of Risky's that heard his insult all scowled at him. Yet, as the Pirate Queen raised a fist with the intent to strike him as hard as she could for his rampant disrespect… she instead took a deep breath, put her evil grin back on… and reached her hand over to cup his cheek.

"A crying shame you feel that way, Tay-Tay, but I wasn't exactly planning on wasting all my time and energy today trying to wrangle you in all by myself. You'll have to forgive me for playing it smarter than I did last time we crossed paths…" she calmly retorted. "I've got a tight schedule to keep, but all YOU need to know is that this was too good an opportunity to pass up when I saw it. And now, my pet, you're MINE once again! Right where you belong…" she continued to tease, running her fingers down his cheek as she leaned close enough that her breath grazed his face.

"Keep this up, an' you're gonna wind up bein' sent where YOU belong, you triflin' DEMON WITCH!" he vulgarly shot back, though Risky… CHUCKLED at his brazen insult before leaning even closer and… and giving him a truly spicy, yet entirely unwanted peck on the lips (to put it lightly) that, despite the tiny *pop* of their lips smacking, had a disastrous effect on him. His body began to exude a slightly increased concentration of Dark Magic as his right eye turned from gold to silver… though he also began to tremble as his death glare at her intensified. He appeared too shocked and too… dare I say, enraged to even give a response to the unwarranted advance.

"Ah, there it is… That sharp tongue, that do-or-die attitude in a position of disadvantage that I missed SO very much… and ESPECIALLY that irresistibly SEXY death glare you always give me when I get you all riled up for me… Mm-hmm~! It's also good to see I still have the magic touch when it comes to you…~" Risky flirtatiously gloated some more, thoroughly reveling in his torment and frustration. "And while I won't spoil too much, Tayshan… I'll at least clue you in by telling you that, based on what we have planned for you… let's just say you won't be missing Shantae at all by the time we're all through with you…" she 'hinted' before letting out another horrendous cackle as the entire group made their exit.

"GRRRAAAAAAH!" the weary, yet highly agitated wraith could be heard roaring at the top of his lungs as Risky and her collection of bandits took him to parts unknown…

Meanwhile, roughly a half-hour later…

"H-hey, are you alright!?" asked none other than Brutus the Goat Guy as he, Brandon, and the rest of the group she'd previously been sitting with rushed to her aid. And when she didn't immediately respond as she sat in the same position she was left in… "Shantae! Hey, wake up!"

"Good gravy, girl, pull yourself together!" Brandon demanded as he took a knee and began to shake her like she'd been asleep. "That nefarious vixen Risky Boots is absconding with your morally ambiguous, psychopathic lover after he completed the seemingly impossible task of dispatching King Khalid! Are you really just going to sit here, slouched over in defeat!? What kind of hero do you want us to believe you to be!?" he… offered an ill-timed emotional speech as he kept engaging in an ill-informed measure of restoring Shantae's consciousness. But before too much of his badgering could be accomplished, Shantae suddenly awoke.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME…!" the half-genie growled… sounding just a TAD unlike herself as she kept her head bowed. Her harsh command came accompanied by a sudden *SWOOORSH* of her Light Magic flaring bright… except… that it came out as an ominous purple hue instead of its usual glorious, glittering blue.

"H-hey! We're just trying to help!" Brandon was quick to let her know, though he obeyed her 'request' to let her go. He remained on one knee as he tried to inspect her condition, though Shantae rose to a capable stand on her own. Her head remained lowered and her eyes were squeezed shut as her magic aura continued to pour from her form and grow steadily darker and more purple in its hue. "…Uh… What's happening to y-?"

"Don't worry about it…! I'm fine…!" she rather irritably informed, though she was trembling as her magic signature grew stronger… and yet, darker… "Now, get out of the way. I need to rescue him…!"

"Excuse me? We're trying to make sure you didn't get your clock totally cleaned by that avaricious, yet alluring she-devil Risky Boots!" Brandon continued to argue as he rose to a full stand himself and glared at the half-genie. "You certainly have some nerve when your show of 'gratitude' is to-?"

"ENOUGH!" Shantae commanded as she finally opened her eyes and glared up at Brandon with the intensity of a thousand angry polar bears. Only, when she opened her eyes…

"W-whoa…" the burly one-eyed man remarked as he flinched in surprise at the ostensibly furious look on her face. "Easy there, genie girl…" he did his best to placate her as he held his hands up in a defensive position and backed away from her.

"Do you know where they took him?" she abruptly asked, her energy giving off a vibe that she demanded an answer instead of simply requesting one.

"Er-ra-ah-ah-ah-ah-ai, I think they brought Tayshan to King Khalid's palace at the other end of the island…" Brutus cautiously responded with a bleat, his eyes wide with fear as he pulled Brandon back by the back of his shirt. "Ch-chances are, they're gonna enact the 'Triumphant Patriarch' ritual with him…"

"And what exactly is that?" this much angrier, golden-eyed Shantae demanded once again to know, her glare intensifying as she turned it on the Goat Guy.

"Er… Uh-ah-ah-ah-ah, it's a ceremony where the man who brings down the previous ruler of the island is crowned the new 'king…' and is uh… is then made to… t-to 'pass his genes' on into worthy progeny by breeding with a host of the Lucky Laces Lagoon's most powerful, most capable women… w-whether he wants to or not…" Hearing this, as one might imagine, sent Shantae's temper through the roof as her energy almost IMMEDIATELY switched from light purple to DARK purple. Her aura had grown immensely with another suffocating *FROOOOWWWSH* to the point where those in the immediate area needed to shield their faces to protect themselves from the whirling, sand grain-riddled winds.

"Of course…! Yet another DISGUSTING attempt at turning him into a baby factory…! This has gotta be the 48th time this has happened in the last six months, and I have had ENOUGH…!" she very, VERY angrily declared as her aura grew more overwhelming and more foreboding all the same. Although… I dare to ponder if it was true that he got kidnapped THAT many times for the same reason… Meanwhile… "I WILL BLAST THAT CASTLE INTO DUST BEFORE I LET THEM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIM!" Shantae further roared, her aura exploding along with her temper as got herself ready for what was about to become an extremely chaotic mad dash.

"Sh-Shantae, wa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ait!" Brutus tried to warn. "If you go racing off toward Khalid's palace without a plan or some backup, you'll end up being overwhelmed by the hordes of monster girls and monster guys patrolling the island's only path there! Not to mention that the path is laden with traps! Don't you think you'd at least benefit from taking someone along with y-!"

"I don't need your help," she rudely interrupted, her fiery gaze aimed forward as she got set and leaned forward. "With how ugly this is gonna get, you'd only get in the way. Stay here and help the spectators that were hurt if you want to make yourselves useful…!" the genie further coldly remarked, shocking Brutus and Brandon into silence as she proceeded to dig her feet into the ground and… "HRRRYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she roared as she took off with the most EXPLOSIVE *KRADWOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRSH* anyone had ever witnessed. She raced out of the arena in a heartbeat, leaving behind a trail of purple magic wisps, dust, and a powerful wind that nearly knocked the two men off their feet as they shielded their faces with their arms. Once the dust had settled, however, and once Brutus and Brandon dusted themselves off…

"She thinks she's all that… Hmph!" Brandon complained as he scowled and crossed his arms. "It'll be a wonder when Risky Boots clobbers her again for her insufferable arrogance…"

"I don't know about that, Bran," Brutus disagreed. "I've never seen her that mad before… and I mean… if her boyfriend could kill Khalid in the way we just saw, who's to say she's not about to do the same to Risky Boots and all those monster girls?"

"Hm… Well… I suppose we'll have to wait and see," he nonchalantly remarked, though the expression of pure agitation was present on his face. Meanwhile…

"And to think that guy nearly LASERED my head into bloody chunks for flirting with Shantae…" Brutus lamented in retroactive fear with a shake of his head… which had thankfully remained un-lasered and therefore not a mass of bloody chunks. "Never making THAT mistake again…"

"Anyway, we've got wounded to tend to. Let's make this quick, so we can still make our fruit smoothie appointment," Brandon urged, evidently wanting to get a move on before too long as he patted Brutus on the shoulder to snap the Goat Guy out of having his life flash before his eyes.

"Ah, right! Y-yeah, sounds like a plan…" the Goat Guy agreed, prompting the two of them to scatter toward the stands where many monster girls had been either nursing their wounds or assisting others with various tasks such as cleanup and evacuation. Or rather, they were GOING to help with cleaning things up. That didn't come before…

"…Wait a sec, Brutus," Brandon requested as he halted his caprine/human hybrid friend. "I gotta clarify something…"

"What's up, dude?"

"Did… Did I mishear her, or did Shantae say that this was the 48th time her consort was kidnapped by a horde of dangerously sexy monster girls to be turned into their breeding source?"

"Ah-ah-ah-ai-ai, I think that's exactly what she said, though she could've been exaggerating..." Brutus confirmed as he turned and continued on with Brandon following close behind. "Why?"

"Ah… N-no reason," the burly cyclops dismissed after a brief, yet notable pause as he cast his one-eyed gaze toward the cracked, battle-damaged ground beneath him. "…Why hasn't anyone tried to kidnap me recently? Much less, THAT many times…?" he murmured an additional question to himself. "I may not have my reputation as I once did, but I'm still a catch…" Aaaaaaand on that note, I figure we'd best leave Brandon to his envy-littered thoughts about wanting to be dragged off and turned into breeding stock for superpowered, man-eating vixens that would just as soon blow him a kiss as they would slice him open and feast on his guts. And I thought Bolo was bad…

Anyhow, let me ask you something… Would you REALLY have expected an adventure with the likes of Shantae and Tayshan to have gone ANY other way? Chaos and turmoil at nearly every corner, enough near-death experiences to induce an entire city's worth of heart attacks, and a splash of… er, a certain ghost man (or Ghost Guy, if I'm picking up on the trend?) being kidnapped and dragged off by a bunch of opportunistic thirsty monster girls (and Risky Boots) right under the nose of the Half-Genie Hero… who had found herself so stark-raving furious at the development that she may very well have just temporarily turned evil over it as she blasted off like the world's angriest rocket ship to rescue him… You couldn't pay me a LIFETIME'S worth of salary in a day to make any of that up. Sheesh… Regardless, keep your eyes and ears peeled! Because you'd better believe that this gigantic rabbit hole of an adventure will somehow find a way to get EVEN DEEPER. Till then, I'll be seein' ya~!