The group of four arrived in front of the Bowser Queen's castle. Launching a frontal assault, they were immediately greeted by a dense barrage of Bullet Bills.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The Bullet Bill cannons continuously fired their projectiles, their roaring blasts echoing without pause.
"The Bullet Bill cannons must be right ahead! As long as we get close to the launchers, they won't fire any more Bullet Bills!" Mario said as he leaped into the air, spinning continuously on top of the flying Bullet Bills like a human spinning top. Sweat flew from his body, vaporizing into the hot air before it could even hit the ground.
This uncle is so strong!
Nishi watched in shock as Mario bounced across the Bullet Bills like a spinning top.
"Just as I thought! The Bullet Bill cannons are right here!"
Mario arrived before the castle's main gates and saw the rows of Bullet Bill launchers lined up side by side. The moment he stepped close to them, the cannons acted just like sensitive mimosas—becoming too shy to fire another shot.
Cyan and Nishi followed Luigi to the castle doors, looking at Mario, who stood in front of the silenced cannons with a smug grin on his face.
"Beautifully done!"
Luigi flashed a thumbs-up to Mario.
"Let's hurry up, defeat the Bowser Queen, and get out of here! It's way too hot in this place!"
Mario wiped a layer of sweat from his face and walked toward the main doors of the castle.
Inside the castle's grand hall:
My strength is fading...
Bowsette, who was sitting on her throne waiting for the Mario brothers, Cyan, and Nishi to challenge her, sensed an abnormality within her own body. She attempted to breathe out fire, but what came out was laced with freezing air. Before the flame could even clear her lips, it turned into a puff of smoke.
This freezing sensation... is it the Ice Flower?!
Bowsette's expression changed. She realized that a traitor had appeared within her inner circle. Otherwise, how could she have eaten food laced with an Ice Flower?
Who exactly betrayed me?
Bowsette frowned, her mind racing through numerous potential suspects. What baffled her most was her own extreme sensitivity to the power of the Ice Flower; how could she have eaten it without sensing a single thing? And why did it have to happen right at this moment? Could the traitor be collaborating with the Mushroom Kingdom?
Suddenly, Kamek's figure flashed across Bowsette's mind. Every single thing she had done to the Mushroom Kingdom involved Kamek. In fact, it was Kamek who had instigated the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom and the abduction of Prince Peach to her castle in the first place.
The traitor is Kamek? Only a wizard like him could turn an Ice Flower into something I wouldn't notice... But why would Kamek betray me?
Bowsette couldn't think of any reason for his betrayal.
But I refuse to give up!
Thinking of her impending enemies, Bowsette forced her hands to ignite with fire. She mobilized all her strength to resist the effects of the Ice Flower, a sequence of highly erratic, oddly-colored flames beginning to seep from the corners of her lips.
Inside a room of the castle, Kamek waved his magic staff over an exceptionally fat Goomba. Under the radiating light, the fat Goomba's body began to change.
"The Mario brothers and those two bounty hunters have entered the castle. It will soon be time for your appearance, Prince Peach."
"I've been looking forward to this."
Prince Peach remarked as he moved his body. Turning into a Goomba hadn't been a pleasant experience for him.
"Bang!"
The double doors were violently kicked open. The Mario brothers, accompanied by Cyan and Nishi, strode into the grand hall, seeing Bowsette waiting for them on her throne.
The moment Mario saw Bowsette, he shouted angrily: "Bowser Queen! Hurry up and restore the Mushroom King and our residents back to normal!"
So... she isn't a giant, fire-breathing turtle after all.
Cyan mused silently. The image in her mind of a grotesque, over-painted fire-breathing reptile sporting a crown instantly vanished. In its place stood Bowsette: a proud sovereign who was currently rising from her throne with fluid grace.
"Mario, Luigi... and some bounty hunters? Fine. As long as you can defeat me, I will restore your King and residents back to normal!"
Bowsette declared, her voice filled with battle intent. The temperature in the hall spiked violently. Bowsette grinned, her hands igniting with fire as she breathed a massive wave of flames toward the four people standing in the hall.
"Boom—!"
Incandescent fire raged across the stone floor. Even with most of her power suppressed by the Ice Flower, the power of Bowsette's flames was still not to be underestimated. Merely touching them caused continuous damage.
[Survivor No. 11766, you have taken continuous burning damage from Bowsette's fire, HP -10! The special effect of the Fire Turtle Heart-Protection Carapace has triggered, reducing fire damage by 30%! HP -7!]
[Survivor No. 11766, you have taken continuous burning damage from Bowsette's fire, HP -10! The special effect of the Fire Turtle Heart-Protection Carapace has triggered, reducing fire damage by 30%! HP -7!]
[Survivor No. 11766, you have taken continuous burning damage from Bowsette's fire, HP -10! The special effect of the Fire Turtle Heart-Protection Carapace has triggered, reducing fire damage by 30%! HP -7!]
...
Her health pool rapidly decreasing, Cyan had no choice but to eat a Salmon Sushi from her inventory, restoring 40 HP.
Watching the Mario brothers engage in a fierce battle with Bowsette, Cyan had Nishi hide in the distance and charged toward Bowsette with her blade drawn.
Sincerely, during the initial fire blast, Cyan had picked up Nishi and carried her on her shoulder; otherwise, the effects of the Super Mushroom on Nishi would have disappeared. No matter what happened next, Nishi's combat power was indispensable.
"Conserve your strength and wait for the right moment," Cyan whispered as she placed Nishi in a relatively safe corner, then drew her blade and charged at Bowsette.
The spiked turtle shell on Bowsette's back flew to her left arm, acting like a shield to block a coordinated dual spiral stomp from the Mario brothers. Instead of harming her, it caused the effects of the Super Mushrooms on the brothers to vanish. Taking advantage of the temporary invulnerability frames from losing their power-up state, the brothers quickly retreated.
"Clang!"
Cyan slashed at Bowsette's arm, but her strike was blocked by the spiked shell. Sidestepping Bowsette's burning hand, Cyan twisted her waist and struck her flank with the back of her blade, whispering: "You've already realized the fact that there's a traitor by your side."
"What do you know?" Bowsette's gaze shifted, staring intently at Cyan.
"I just don't want to be used."
Cyan leaped into the air and slashed toward Bowsette's head with an incredibly exaggerated motion.
Bowsette raised her shield and easily blocked the attack.
"Does it have to do with Prince Peach?"
Bowsette could establish the Bowser Kingdom not just because of her raw power, but also because of her intelligence.
"Exactly. Right now, he is highly likely inside your castle. The moment you are defeated by the Mario brothers, he and his accomplice will show themselves. Take this to restore your strength. Trust me, I have a plan that can help you..."
Cyan quietly slipped a vial of Flame Nectar into Bowsette's left hand.
"Heh... and why should I trust you?"
The spiked shell perfectly concealed the vial of nectar, ensuring that even the Mario brothers didn't notice Cyan's movements. Bowsette glanced at the Flame Nectar in her hand, her lips curling into a mocking smile.
"So, what's your plan?"
Bowsette looked at Cyan with interest, their movements never stopping as they fought.
"I'm going to speed up my attacks. Focus them on your shield."
As Cyan spoke, a flurry of silver-white blade light enveloped Bowsette. The continuous clanging sounds echoed through the hall, so loud that Mario and Luigi had to cover their ears. Even though they wanted to help, they couldn't find an opening to step in.
"Losing on purpose..."
Bowsette pondered for a moment and agreed to Cyan's plan.
"Then what are your conditions?"
"Restore the Mushroom Kingdom back to normal."
"Deal! I hope you won't betray me, or else no one leaves this castle alive," Bowsette said with intense killing intent.
The continuous clanging of the blade against the spiked shell perfectly masked their conversation.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Kamek and Prince Peach huddled together, watching the image displayed in a crystal ball.
"This bounty hunter is incredibly skilled!" Kamek couldn't help but praise as he watched Cyan fighting Bowsette to a standstill.
"Indeed, I didn't expect her to be this strong."
Prince Peach nodded. Seeing Cyan's petite and slender frame unleash such immense power, a hint of jealousy flashed through his heart as a fellow man.
Because the fight looked so intense, Mario and Luigi didn't suspect for a second that Cyan was talking to Bowsette. Looking at Bowsette's expression, they just thought she was mocking Cyan, while Cyan kept a completely straight face. It looked exactly like two people hurling insults at each other while trading blows.
Cyan intentionally let herself get hit by the spiked turtle shell, instantly losing 60 HP—even after factoring in her defense stats and gear damage reduction. Her demonic blade ignited with a pale-golden Holy Flame as she slashed Bowsette, and both of them flew backward at the same time.
Cyan crashed onto the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her clothes torn with several puncture wounds from the spikes, blood leaking out.
"Master!"
Nishi rushed to Cyan's side, gathering him into his arms, frantically pulling out recovery items.
"I'm fine... it's an act," Cyan whispered softly into his ear, stopping his movements.
The pale-golden Holy Flame was still burning on Bowsette's clothes. She coughed a few times, covered her mouth, and bit her tongue to spit a few drops of blood onto the ground. Stumbling back a couple of steps, she sank heavily onto her throne.
"You win..."
Bowsette raised her left arm, using the spiked shell as a shield, and quickly drank the Flame Nectar Cyan had given her. She used to use this stuff as a face mask, but right now she had no other choice but to swallow it. After drinking it, she secretly inhaled a bit of the lingering pale-golden fire.
This fire... tastes pretty good...
Savoring the taste of the Holy Flame, Bowsette's eyes lit up. She coughed violently twice to keep up the act and looked around.
"Kamek... Kamek, where are you?"
Bowsette called out for Kamek, naturally intending to make him undo the magic placed on the Mushroom King and its residents, and to see if Prince Peach was indeed right by his side.
"My Queen, I am here."
A flash of light appeared, and Kamek and Prince Peach manifested in the center of the grand hall.