Cyan and Nishi arrived at the city gate and met the Mario Brothers along with Prince Peach.
"So you're the bounty hunters who rescued Prince Peach! I'm Mario, and this is Luigi!"
Mario greeted Cyan and Nishi enthusiastically.
"Cyan."
Cyan replied coldly with her name. Even though the Mario Brothers were the protagonists of this world, she had no intention of forcing herself to act friendly toward them.
"I'm Nishi~!"
Nishi smiled brightly and introduced herself, then looked at Prince Peach in surprise. "Your Highness, are you coming with us to Queen Koopa's castle?"
"No, I'm just here to see you off!"
Prince Peach had no intention of going to Queen Koopa's castle with them. It was far too dangerous for him.
Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't go to the castle at all. He planned to use a much safer method to get there and make his appearance at the right moment.
"The Mushroom Kingdom is counting on you to save it!"
Prince Peach said sincerely, though to Nishi, his words sounded somewhat fake.
After saying goodbye to Prince Peach, the four of them headed toward the Koopa Kingdom, with Queen Koopa's castle as their destination.
Once they were gone, Prince Peach secretly met with Kamek.
"Can the Mario Brothers and those two bounty hunters defeat Bowsette?"
Prince Peach had witnessed Queen Koopa's power before, so he was worried whether Mario, Luigi, Cyan, and Nishi would be able to defeat her. If they failed, their entire plan would collapse before it even began.
"Don't worry, Prince Peach. The potion I made using the Ice Flower can suppress the Bowsette's fire power. With the Mario Brothers and those two bounty hunters, they should be more than enough to defeat her."
The Toad that Kamek had transformed into smiled and said, "Whether the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom can form an alliance will depend on your performance, Prince Peach."
"I'm determined to make this happen! Mario and Luigi have already agreed to help me. As long as they can defeat Queen Koopa, everything else will go smoothly," Prince Peach said confidently. Just imagining himself standing at the peak of power made him even more excited.
"Then… what about those two bounty hunters? Do they know about your plan?"
Kamek had considered almost every possibility to ensure the plan's success, but the two bounty hunters still made him feel slightly uneasy.
"They're just bounty hunters who work for money. What does my marriage to Bowsette have to do with them?"
Prince Peach snorted dismissively. To him, Cyan and Nishi were simply greedy bounty hunters. As long as enough money was offered, they would do anything.
"I hope so."
Seeing how confident Prince Peach was, Kamek finally relaxed. He planned to return to Queen Koopa's castle and add the prepared potion to her food before Mario, Luigi, and the two bounty hunters arrived. By the time they reached the castle, the potion should already be taking effect. Given Queen Koopa's personality, she definitely wouldn't try to run away. Her defeat was practically guaranteed.
Meanwhile, completely unaware that she was being plotted against by her trusted subordinate, Queen Koopa was lying lazily on her bed with a face mask on, resting.
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"Yahoo~!"
Mario jumped high into the air and landed on top of a Goomba's head. What followed was extremely bloody.
"Pshhh—!"
Blood sprayed out as the Goomba was flattened. Its internal organs and shattered bones burst out from its crushed body.
The brothers were even more skilled when dealing with Koopa Troopas. They would jump onto the Koopa's shell, and once it retreated inside, they would kick the shell flying at high speed, using it to smash into other Goombas and Koopa Troopas ahead.
The two brothers moved through the Koopa Kingdom's soldiers like unstoppable warriors in a musou game. They could even hit bricks floating in the air to make items come out.
When Cyan and Nishi saw Mario and Luigi hit a brick and make a Super Mushroom appear, they were left speechless.
Aren't Super Mushrooms supposed to be treasures? Why are they just sitting inside bricks?!
Thanks to the Mario Brothers' overwhelming performance, Cyan and Nishi barely had to do anything. They mostly just watched the show and gained a better understanding of just how strong the two brothers were.
That night, after eating, Mario and Luigi went to sleep first. Cyan and Nishi took the first half of the night watch.
"Master, what do you think of their strength?"
Nishi poked the campfire with a small stick and glanced at the sleeping Mario Brothers before leaning closer to Cyan and whispering.
"They're strong."
Cyan answered honestly. The strength of these two middle-aged men with ordinary looks and slightly large noses had exceeded her expectations.
Who would have thought they could defeat enemies with such ridiculous yet highly effective methods?
"Should we take this chance to…?"
Nishi made a beheading gesture. In her opinion, since these enemies were so troublesome, it would be better to kill them in their sleep while they had the chance.
"No need."
Cyan glanced at Nishi and shook her head slightly.
"It's not that we don't have a chance of winning."
The Mario Brothers looked very strong, but the abilities they used to deal with enemies were most likely the effects of their own skills. If it came down to a real fight, it wasn't certain who would win.
The real question was whether they were still holding back any trump cards.
With that in mind, Cyan decided to observe the Mario Brothers more carefully and gather more information.
The next day, while passing by a prison, the group encountered the Hammer Brothers guarding it.
"It's you! Last time you broke the prisoners out and got us scolded by the Queen! You still dare to show up?!"
"You're asking for death!"
The Hammer Brothers angrily threw their hammers.
"Brother! I'll leave them to you! I'll handle these two!"
The younger Hammer Brother pointed at Cyan and Nishi, then charged toward Mario and Luigi.
Cyan drew her blade and blocked the incoming hammer.
Don't reveal our full strength.
Cyan gave Nishi a meaningful look.
Got it~!
Nishi winked back at Cyan.
And so, without Mario and Luigi knowing anything, their two teammates openly slacked off in the fight. Not only were they slacking, but they were also trying to figure out what hidden abilities the Mario Brothers still hadn't used.
The Hammer Brothers kept throwing hammers, while Cyan and Nishi "struggled" to dodge their attacks.
"Is this all you've got?!"
Seeing that Cyan and Nishi couldn't even fight back under his attacks, the Hammer Brother laughed loudly and mocked them before charging forward with his hammer raised.
"Brother! Catch!"
Luigi, seeing Cyan and Nishi being overwhelmed, grew anxious. He pulled out a Fire Flower and threw it to Mario.
"Got it!"
Mario ate the Fire Flower. His clothes and hat turned white as he began rapidly throwing fireballs at the Hammer Brother. Luigi took the opportunity to jump above the Hammer Brother and spin downward at high speed.
"Crack—!"
A clear sound of bones breaking rang out. The Hammer Brother was hit directly on the head by Luigi's spinning stomp. His neck snapped, and his head was driven into his shell.
One kick and the Hammer Brother was dead…
Cyan's eyes flashed with surprise when she saw the Hammer Brother's HP bar instantly drop to zero after being hit by the spinning stomp.
"Brother! You killed my brother! I'll kill you!"
The older Hammer Brother, who had been toying with Cyan and Nishi, never expected his younger brother to be killed. Enraged, he swung his hammer and charged at Mario and Luigi — only to be killed as well.
Cyan looked at the Hammer Brothers' corpses and felt a bit regretful. If she and Nishi had killed them, they might have gotten Bronze or Silver Cards. But since the Mario Brothers killed them, they got nothing.
Still, it was worth it. At least now they had seen the Mario Brothers' extremely high-damage skill.
Bowsette's Castle
"Queen, the Hammer Brothers were killed by the Mario Brothers. They and the two bounty hunters are heading toward the castle."
Kamek respectfully looked at Bowsette sitting on her throne and suggested, "Should I send more soldiers to intercept them?"
"No need. Let them come. I want to see just how strong they are. If they can really defeat me, then restoring the Mushroom Kingdom's king and citizens to normal isn't impossible either."
Bowsette rested her chin on one hand and smiled excitedly, revealing her sharp teeth. A wisp of flame flickered at the corner of her mouth as her blue eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Kamek, I'll leave that matter to you when the time comes!"
"Yes, my Queen."
Kamek lowered his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Unfortunately, the battle Your Majesty desires is destined not to go the way you want.