Galactic Nova Nucleus

The Galactic Nova Nucleus (originally called the Heart of Nova) is the inside of Nova. It appears in the game Kirby Super Star Ultra. It contains clusters of mechanical spheres that move up and down on electric bars surrounding Nova's actual heart. Damage can be avoided simply by dodging the spheres. Kirby simply has to shoot down the small energy spheres with the stars shot by Star Chariot to damage Nova. However Kirby has to be careful, as the towers can crush him against the sides of the screen. After destroying one part of the nucleus, the parts go faster until two or three are left, then you must go backwards. After all of them are destroyed, Kirby escapes as Nova starts to destruct. Part of Nova's head explodes and one of his eyes closes. Right after he escapes the now-malfunctioning machine, Kirby must fight Marx.

Trivia

 * The fight with Nova's core (as well as the entire level leading up to it) seems to reference a well known and humorous tradition in the famous Shmup series, Gradius. The Final Boss does not put up much of fight and is dispatched rather easily, this being the reason why the level preceding it is deemed harder than the actual fight. In this case, all Nova can simply do to fight back is to try to hit Kirby with the energy columns rotating around his heart.