NIKOLAI
(Auto-Perms From Mallard)
Bowser made his following attack, launching a series of his summonable mallets before charging in behind them. Eyes burning with energy, Nikolai disappeared. For but a split second, he was at the leftmost projectile, slamming his fist into it, making the summon burst into nothing. In almost the exact same millisecond, he was at the rightmost projectile. Before a full second had elapsed, five of the mallets had been dispersed, before the final one, not of shadow, was suddenly pummeled into Bowser's gut.
Bowser was set ablaze as the sound barrier shattered, having been launched so quickly that the oxygen had ignited in an effort to escape his path. Nikolai had grapped the koopa's mallet and used it against him, a hit that had destroyed the weapon. In the blink of an eye, Bowser nearly crashed directly into the airborne Buzzo, but was stopped when the Russian appeared between them, already slugging his fist into Bowser's shell, launching the king in another direction.
A seeming game of ping-pong took place as Bowser was smashed this way and that, all without being given the time to comprehend his situation. Hundreds of times he was hit, and when all was said and done, ten seconds had yet to elapse. Attempting to spare himself too brutal of a punishment, the bewildered koopa closed inside of his shell again, only to feel the fist slug once more into the center of his earlier giga-impact. The shell's integrity was nearly shattered, but it held, the koopa launching skyward---directly for the top of the energy barrier. Had Nikolai known its properties, the battle might have ended then and there with Bowser disintegrating against it, but instead, Nikolai appeared above, his hands clasped into a pile-driving hammer blow.
"Khoroshaya igra."
His fists released a burst of energy that lit up the sky, like a nuclear explosion (though not quite wielding the force of one). One moment, Bowser was nearly a mile high into the air, and the blinding blue light that engulfed the entire arena flashed, before the very same second, the king of the koopa's had impacted the earth, releasing an echoing boom as the impact shattered the ground, releasing a shockwave that flattened a majority of the burning forest, and sent any still remotely near the vicinity sprawling.
With a much, much lighter thud, the Spirit of the Messiah hit the ground on his side with a grunt, his eyes rapidly dimming, his aura of indigo fading. If he could actually feel the intended effects of alcohol, he was certain this was what a hangover felt like. Letting out quick breaths, Nikolai tried to pick himself up, but his arms shook too violently, and he fell back to the ground. That form had sapped all of the energy from him. He had, quite literally, not an ounce remaining. It was why he had only used this power once before in his life, and that had been to escape certain death. This time . . . well, he felt consequences were moot here, for some reason. That, or maybe he just thought the king of the koopas was worth the effort.
Weakly, Nikolai looked up, squinting into the smoke and debris to see a dark form materializing out of the dust, stomping toward him. Shock was the initial feeling the Russian felt. He knew that such a silhouette could only belong to his opponent, who had not only survived such a brutal, devastating barrage, but was standing. Shock was quickly replaced with awe and respect, as Nikolai's lips split into a wide grin. "You . . ." he grunted out as Bowser emerged in front of him, some fire still smoldering along his shell, the back of which was sporting a fresh crack running diagonally along it, and his front shell appeared to have splintered off in a few rare spots, revealing pink flesh beneath. Bowser let out a fury-filled exhale, dark smoke flitting out of his nostrils. "You are great opponent," Nikolai winced out as he tried once again to pick himself up, but his arms gave out under him. He was so weak . . . he wasn't certain even his natural defense would hold up. He might as well be any old human in this state. "You have . . . won, voin."
LEON
"Nah, the pink dude's fine," Leon replied to the robot's question, though there was no elaboration if he was joking, or legitimately believed Omega had asked solely about Kirby. "Myself, on the other hand . . . might need to visit a chiropractor when we're done."
Before his last syllable had been uttered, a sudden blinding light filled the sky, and the agent reflexively shielded his eyes from the burst of blue, which faded almost as quickly as it had appeared. He turned his head toward where he believed the source had come from, brow creasing in slight agitation. "First that beam, now---"
He was interrupted when an ear-splitting boom shook the earth beneath them, followed by a strong gust of wind that nearly bowled him over. Regaining his footing, the DSO agent shook his head. "I think we need more friends."
VADER
The two began their march, following the path of the beam of energy as much of the forest continued to burn around them, the fire spreading rapidly, unchecked. However, in that moment, Darth could sense a disturbance in the force. His eyes directed upward in time to see a sudden and brilliant flash of light consume the sky, something that lasted only a second, but forced the dark lord to turn away, the light bright enough to hurt even his shielded visage, which usually protected against bright light.
Almost immediately, an earth-shattering boom sounded, and Vader grit his teeth, realizing what was happening. His ally would need to take cover with him, lest be caught in the approaching blast as Darth raised his arm, a curving mound of earth rising from the ground just as the concussive wave reached them. The ramp-shield was shattered on impact, spraying dirt and ash over the sith, engulfing him---but sparing him from a worse fate, as the barrier had taken much of the impact, its sloping quality directing some energy upward, leaving Vader to only skid back a foot as the blast passed them by.
The dark lord recognized power when he saw it, and even a blind fool would know this as such. But how could one attain this degree of power in this realm? Vader had been under the impression that everyone had suffered some sort of weakness to their true potential. Perhaps it was something akin to Entermon, some kind of "form" capable of more power. Whatever the case was, Vader sensed a rare opportunity. That kind of power would be useful to have, and if it failed to whatever it fought, then all the better.
