Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum

Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum is the setting of Chapter 8-4 and thus is the last area in Castle Bleck in Super Paper Mario and it is also the last area in the game. The puzzles in this area are harder than any other level. This is also where Count Bleck has plans with his minions.

Chapter 8-4: Tippi and Count Bleck
Storyline text A frigid wind blew through the dim and drafty corridors of Castle Bleck.

''Bowser, Peach...and even brave Luigi were gone. Mario was the only hero left.''

''It was up to Mario to stop the dark prohpecy. Every world hung in the balance.''

What thrilling conclusion awaited our hero?

Mario ran to the count's inner sanctum, his mustache fluttering in the breeze... At the start of the level, Mario is the only character available. In the first couple of sections, Mario must make his way through several pillars and platforms moving up and down, often using his Flip. Spiky Parabuzzies are found in these areas. In the second area, the door at the end is locked and Mario must find a key in a hidden pipe. The rest of the level consists of large mazes. Using Flip to navigate through the doors of the maze, Mario must find a door leading to the next maze. The mazes are filled with enemies found throughout the game. At the end of the maze, Mario will find a staircase. At the top, there is a Save Block, a ? Block containing an Ultra Shroom, and a door leading to Count Bleck.

When Mario enters Count Bleck's chamber, the count taunts him, but quickly turns his attention to Tippi. The two reveal themselves as Lady Timpani and Lord Blumiere, lovers of a time long ago. Tippi tries to convince the count to come back to her, but he refuses, having given up any hope of stopping the dark prophecy. He orders Nastasia to leave while he deals with Mario himself. The boss battle with him then begins. Count Bleck cannot be harmed, as he is shielded by the Chaos Heart. After being hit several times, the count will laugh at Mario's weakness and decide to end his game by sucking him into a small version of The Void. However, Bowser (who fell through the floor before getting crushed by the ceiling), Peach (who landed on top of Bowser), and Luigi (who appeared next to Peach and can't remember what happened) show up to help Mario. The Pure Hearts appear and shatter Bleck's barrier, allowing the Four Heroes to defeat him.

The Chaos Heart emerges from Bleck and he begs the Heroes to end his game, which would make the Chaos Heart and The Void disappear. Tippi, however, asks otherwise, having just been reunited with him. Nastasia teleports in, then turns around and sees a bolt of magic headed for the defeated count. She leaps in front of it to save him and gets knocked out. Dimentio (who fired the magic) appears and reveals that he is controlling the Chaos Heart. He then activates a Floro Sprout in Luigi's head (planted by Dimentio at the end of the previous level), reverting him to Mr. L. Dimentio then combines Mr. L, the Chaos Heart, and himself to create Super Dimentio. He sends Tippi, Count Bleck and Nastasia to Dimension D, then attacks the heroes, who find that he is invulnerable. Meanwhile, Flopside, Land of the Cragnons, and The Overthere are shown being destroyed by the void.

In Dimension D, Tippi and Count Bleck argue about whether or not it is worth it to even try and stop Dimentio. O'Chunks and Mimi enter and say that Tippi is right. They should fight back against Dimentio and the minions want to help. Count Bleck is touched by their loyalty and a new set of Pure Hearts appear, existing because of Count Bleck's love toward his minions. Tippi takes them to the Heroes and they are used to nullify Super Dimentio's invincibility and restore the heroes' HP. They are able to defeat Super Dimentio.

Super Dimentio's head lands on the ground in front of the heroes, shocked. Tippi says that they will add a footnote to the prophecy about his failure, but he just chuckles and says that he has been saving one last surprise, he spits out Luigi, now free of his brainwashing, and the Chaos Heart, before exploding and sinking into the floor. He dies laughing. However, the Chaos Heart still exists and the Void continues to ravage the universe. Count Bleck and his minions appear and Count Bleck presents a theory that Dimentio left behind a shadow of his power to continue controlling the Chaos Heart. He creates a large door that they all enter.

Everyone emerges in the Castle's chapel, where the Chaos Heart was created. Count Bleck says that in order to destroy the Chaos Heart for good, another set of Pure Hearts must be created. He asks Tippi to go with him, warning her that it may nullify both of their existence. Tippi agrees to go anyway and after saying good-bye, they fly up and exchange vows, creating a final set of Pure Hearts that combine into the Purity Heart and destroy the Chaos Heart, destroying the Void and restoring the damage it has done. 🇵🇲