Aresus's body began to emanate a demonic aura that completely enveloped him. He was no longer an avocado; he had transformed into a soulless, irrational beast. His eyes turned a deep red, glowing with an infernal light, and with superhuman speed, he lunged toward Mok.
Mok was ready, his sword in hand, prepared to counterattack. The two clashed with devastating force, their weapons meeting in a duel of opposing powers. Aresus's sword was wrapped in dark flames, while Mok's radiated pure and controlled energy. Upon impact, they unleashed a shockwave so powerful it felt as though two comets had collided in the sky.
"What's happening?" Rykaru shouted, nearly blown away by the force of the energy clash.
"Calm down, I've got you," Paltio said, quickly rushing to the little one and holding him firmly.
"Thanks, Daddy," Rykaru replied, clinging tightly to him.
"We should create a barrier before we all get blown away by that shockwave," Lume suggested, quickly conjuring a protective barrier around the group.
"Meow! That foolish guy is going to pay for this," Toco-Toco growled, struggling to his feet and heading toward the others to enter the barrier created by Lume.
"You did well, Toco-Toco," Golden said encouragingly.
"Yes, you did great, kitty," Lucca added, being healed by Paltio after having been defeated by Aresus.
"That guy is too strong, but you did well, little cat," Lukeandria commented, observing the scene with concern.
"Yes, you're right," Toco-Toco said, blushing slightly at the praise.
"Leave everything to Mok. He can handle it," Paltio affirmed confidently.
"That's right, lad. He'll be able to defeat that evil entity," Geki added with determination.
On the battlefield, Aresus, now fully consumed by darkness, roared with fury: "MOOOOKKKK!" He charged at Mok with blows fueled by pure rage, each one faster and more brutal than the last. Mok blocked with precision, but the assault was relentless. He searched for an opening to counterattack, but Aresus gave him no respite.
Suddenly, a large purple glow erupted from Aresus's mouth, like a lethal laser advancing directly toward Mok.
"Mok, watch out!" Geki shouted, quickly conjuring several mirror shields to reflect the attack.
"Stay out of this, damn lizard!" Aresus roared, shooting a demonic glare at Geki and the others.
"So scary, Daddy, save me!" Rykaru said, hiding behind Paltio.
"It's alright, I'll protect you," Paltio responded, thinking that although Rykaru was strong, he was still a small child who needed protection.
"I'm coming for you pests next. You'll suffer, and this butler will watch," Aresus growled in a guttural, demonic voice that sent chills down their spines.
"You won't do it!" Mok shouted, delivering a blow that momentarily forced Aresus back.
But Aresus didn't stop. In the midst of his fury, he began charging energy, letting out a pained scream as a dark, twisted tail emerged from his back. With it, he caught Mok off guard by the waist and hurled him forcefully to the ground, leaving him stunned.
Taking advantage of his demonic state, Aresus turned his attention toward Paltio, his red eyes glowing with malice.
"Paltio, all of this is your fault, you damned prince," Aresus roared in a voice filled with hatred. "If you hadn't given that foolish butler brother of mine hope, he wouldn't have hurt me."
With an enraged scream, Aresus charged toward Paltio's position. He opened his mouth impossibly wide, and from it emerged a purple glow signaling the launch of a lethal beam aimed directly at Paltio and the others.
"That thing is extremely powerful," Lume said urgently, his voice tense. "I don't think my forcefield can withstand that attack."
"Calm down, I'll put up some shields to protect us," Geki interjected quickly, focusing on conjuring additional barriers. "But it will only hold for one attack. I hope he doesn't fire more than one in quick succession, or we'll be in serious trouble."
"Meow! Lord Golden, can't you do something about that?" Toco-Toco asked, looking at the golden being with concern.
"I can only raise rocks to use as a second barrier, but that's all I can do," Golden replied, moving his hands to create an improvised wall in front of the group.
Aresus was ready to fire when something stopped him. A firm hand grabbed his dark tail with great force. It was Mok, who had risen from the ground with determination.
"You won't do it," Mok said sternly, pulling on Aresus's tail with all his might. He slammed him to the ground with a thunderous crash and then hurled him out of range of Paltio and the others. Aresus's dark beam veered off toward one of the walls, sparing everyone from his destructive wrath.
"Don't interfere, Mok! Can't you see I'm going to kill them?" Aresus shouted, quickly getting back up and resuming his assault.
"You'll have to get through me first," Mok responded calmly, positioning himself once again in front of Aresus to block his path.
"I need to get you out of the way," Aresus growled in a demonic voice. Drawing his sword, now engulfed in dark flames, he began launching attacks indiscriminately in all directions. Meanwhile, he used the chaos to charge his deadly beam once more without anyone noticing. His target remained Paltio and his friends.
"It doesn't matter if they need the little prince alive," Aresus muttered to himself, his thoughts brimming with cruelty. "As long as I can use his lifeless body to obtain the scepter for my master, everything will be fine."
The battlefield was filled with dust and debris from Aresus's continuous and erratic attacks. Visibility was almost nonexistent.
"I couldn't see anything," Paltio said, trying to make out shapes through the cloud of dust.
"I can see," Toco-Toco interjected, using his green eye to peer through the chaos. "That guy is planning to fire his beam again this way, meow!"
"I'd better add another layer of protection," Geki said, preparing to conjure another shield.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Mok exclaimed, using his wind ring to disperse the dust and clear the battlefield. As he did so, he saw Aresus, who was already fully charged and ready to attack.
"I need to finish him off once and for all," Mok muttered, running toward Aresus with determination.
But it was too late. Aresus fired his beam directly at Paltio and the others. Mok couldn't reach them in time and could only watch in horror as the beam advanced inexorably toward his friends.
"It's time for you to burn in hell!" Aresus screamed, laughing with a wicked and unhinged cackle.
"No! Paltio!" Mok cried out in desperation as he watched the beam strike the group directly, raising a large cloud of dust that covered everything around them.
"Done. I've finished off all these useless pests," Aresus hissed with contempt, flicking his tongue like a snake. "Only you're left, Mok."
Mok fell to his knees, feeling his fighting spirit begin to fade. But then, a familiar voice pulled him out of his despair.
"We're fine," someone said from within the dust cloud. As it cleared, it revealed Paltio and the others were safe and sound thanks to the illusion created by Lume.
"What? How is this possible? I launched my attack!" Aresus exclaimed, visibly frustrated and confused to see his enemies still alive.
"Good thing I used one of my Royal Illusions," Lume commented with a sly smile. "That fooled the enemy. We almost didn't make it," the little ferret added, shaking his head in relief.
"Come on, Mok, finish him off. We're okay," Paltio encouraged the butler with a look full of confidence.
"Yes," Mok replied, regaining his determination. With his sword in hand, he charged toward Aresus, ready to deliver the final blow.
Aresus tried to counter Mok's advance with his sword engulfed in dark flames, but Mok, with astonishing precision, managed to disarm him. Desperate, the demonically possessed figure resorted to using his tail and limbs, throwing clumsy and uncontrolled strikes. However, something strange was happening: his movements were growing slower, as if he was rapidly losing energy.
Mok seized the moment. With a swift and decisive motion, he plunged his sword into the center of Aresus's body. A dark liquid oozed from the wound, and the villain collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. Finally, his eyes dimmed, signaling his definitive defeat.
"This is over," Mok declared firmly, sheathing his sword. The others, seeing the battle had ended, ran toward him to congratulate him. However, the exhausted butler collapsed to the ground. Paltio and Lucca caught him before he hit the floor.
"You did well, Mok," they both said in unison, smiling with admiration.
"He was a very strong opponent, meow, but you defeated him, butler. You're not weak after all," Toco-Toco remarked, crossing his paws proudly.
"Look who's talking," Rykaru shot back with a mischievous grin. "Do you want to fight, kitty?" the cat retorted, glaring at him, still irritated that he hadn't been able to defeat Aresus himself.
"Well, Master, it's time to search for the last piece of the scepter," Mok said, attempting to rise despite his exhaustion.
"Relax, rest, Mok. Leave it to me now. I'll find the piece. It's here somewhere—I don't know exactly where, but it must be here. I'll search every corner if I have to," Paltio assured him with determination. Everyone laughed at his enthusiasm.
But just as calm was about to settle completely, Golden interrupted urgently.
"Be careful! I sense Aresus getting back up... and he's charging his beam again!"
"Damn it! Is that thing immortal?" Lukeandria exclaimed in frustration, watching as Aresus began to recover.
"Mok is no longer in any condition to fight," Paltio said, looking at the exhausted butler with concern. "There's no other choice… I'll have to step in."
"Golden, lend me your power," Paltio requested urgently, his voice firm but filled with determination.
Golden nodded without hesitation, ready to channel his energy into the young prince.
"You will all die!" Aresus roared, finishing charging his deadly beam. With a blood-curdling scream, he launched the attack towards them. But before it could hit, a massive orange beam shot out of nowhere, intercepting it and blasting a huge hole in one of the walls, completely obliterating Aresus.
Everyone stood speechless at what had just happened. From the dust and rubble emerged a colossal creature, its imposing silhouette casting shadows across the entire chamber.
"What is that?" the onlookers whispered among themselves, their eyes wide with amazement and confusion.
Voices echoed as they approached from the darkness.
"So that thing is around here. Let's finish it off quickly," two familiar voices said, resonating confidently amidst the echoes of the cave.
Paltio felt his heart leap as he recognized them. Emerging alongside the creature were two young figures, unmistakable even amid the chaos.
"Paltio!" one of them shouted, waving enthusiastically.
The prince couldn't contain his excitement. "I can't believe it! It's you!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with joy and relief at seeing his friends again.