In the dark void of the Nexus Realm, Simon looked at Azathoth, his brow furrowed in frustration. "What now? Should we send another monster, or should we send an army?"
Azathoth stared down at him, his face completely cold and unreadable. "Go there. How about you go?"
Simon blinked in surprise. "I should go?"
"I want you to show Ignis who I made you become," Azathoth commanded, his voice rumbling through the emptiness. "I want you to show the world who you are. I want them to see the masterpiece I have created with my own hands."
Simon straightened his posture. "What should I do?"
"Collect the gems," Azathoth said. "Give Luciferio all seven gems so his chains will shatter, and he will be free once more."
Simon bowed his head, but his jaw clenched tight. Why always Luciferio? he thought bitterly. Why always him?
He looked back up at Azathoth. "I will be going now."
As Simon turned his back and began to walk away, Azathoth watched him intently. "Make me proud."
With a dark flash, Simon vanished. Left alone, Azathoth stood up from his throne and slowly walked away into the endless, empty void.
High up on the mountain, Ignis stood across from Sophia. He offered a small, reassuring smile. "I will be alright. Let's continue our sparring match."
Sophia tilted her head, searching his eyes with concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes," Ignis nodded. "It was just my imagination."
"Cool," Sophia grinned, dropping into a fighting stance. "Then let's get going."
Ignis paused, his smile fading into a serious frown. "I feel like something is coming."
"The dragon?" Sophia asked, her eyes widening.
"No. It's a silence," Ignis murmured, looking up at the sky. "It feels like a consuming fire is coming to burn us all."
Sophia softened her expression and looked at him firmly. "We will handle it. I know we can. There is nothing this universe can throw at us that we cannot handle."
Ignis’s eyes hardened with determination. He charged at her, and Sophia fiercely charged right back.
In the middle of the busy city, Simon appeared on the sidewalk. He walked calmly, blending in as people rushed past him, completely unaware. He stopped and looked up at a massive digital billboard showing the Power Rangers. The news ticker below it read: Heroes Save the World Again from Unknown Alien Threat.
"How can I get the attention of these Rangers?" Simon whispered, a wicked smirk creeping onto his face.
He looked down and saw a little girl walking nearby. Simon reached out, grabbed her hand tightly, and pulled her against him. He pulled out his dark gem and pressed it to his chest. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
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"Haaaaaa!" Simon roared.
His body glowed with an intense, pitch-black light, and he instantly transformed into the Black Ranger. The surrounding crowd froze, staring at him in shock.
Meanwhile, inside his multi-billion-dollar mansion, Astrax was sitting on his couch watching TV. Suddenly, the tracker watch on his wrist began to beep and glow red.
Astrax groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Again? Can we ever get a break?"
He pulled out his phone and called Tunde. Loud gunfire immediately blasted through the speaker.
"Where are you?" Astrax asked over the noise.
"I'll call you back!" Tunde yelled. "I am handling a group of terrorists!"
"Typical," Astrax sighed and hung up. He stood up and dialed Solara. No answer. He dialed Ignis. The phone was switched off. He called Sophia. Her phone was off, too.
Astrax frowned, his face hardening. "Fine. I will handle it alone."
He pulled out his Blue Gem. With a brilliant flash of blue light, he morphed and teleported directly toward the energy source.
Simon stood in the street, holding the crying little girl, just as a blinding blue light engulfed the area. Astrax appeared. The terrified crowd immediately started clapping and cheering loudly for the Blue Ranger.
Astrax glared through his visor. "Let the girl go."
"Of course," Simon said smoothly. "I just held her to get your attention. She has nothing to do with this. I only want the gems. You can go."
Simon gently pushed the girl forward. She ran crying into the arms of her mother.
Astrax relaxed his shoulders slightly. "Thank you."
The mother hugged her child tightly. Suddenly, she looked down, her face turning pale. "What is this object on your neck?"
Simon smiled beneath his helmet.
The small object exploded. A massive burst of roaring flames instantly engulfed the mother and the child, violently blasting outward into the street. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Astrax froze in absolute horror, staring at the blazing fire. "A bomb?! You monster!"
Simon threw his head back and laughed uncontrollably. "Hahahaha! Is it not fun?"
"What is so funny?!" Astrax roared in fury. He charged forward, throwing his hands out. Crackling blue lightning shot from his palms straight at Simon.
Simon effortlessly stepped to the right, dodging the blast. "That was close."
He calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a normal, metallic handgun.
Astrax stopped, scoffing at the weapon. "What is a normal gun going to do to me?"
"Oh, it wasn't for you," Simon chuckled. "It’s for the crowd."
Simon aimed the gun at the cheering bystanders and fired. A bullet pierced straight through a man's head, splattering blood onto the people behind him. Pure chaos erupted as the crowd screamed and ran for their lives in sheer panic.
Simon turned back to Astrax, tilting his head. "I like you. Let's get to know each other more."
Astrax screamed in rage and charged. He threw a devastating punch, but Simon simply vanished, reappearing right behind him.
Astrax spun around, but Simon was already laughing at him. "You are weak. Is this your first time facing your equal?"
Astrax threw another furious punch. Simon blocked it easily.
"You are supposed to be a protector of the freaking universe," Simon mocked. "I expected more."
"Who the hell are you?!" Astrax grunted, struggling against Simon’s grip.
"You don't deserve the gem. I can see it," Simon said coldly. "But I came for Ignis, not you. I will be leaving."
"You think I will just let you walk away?" Astrax yelled.
"Do you have a choice?" Simon let go, stepping back. "This is just the beginning. The beginning of me."
Simon pointed a finger at Astrax. "You don't know what Azathoth has made. You think all this is a joke. You so-called heroes don't understand anything! You think the gems are just toys, or simple powerful objects."
Simon stepped closer, his voice dropping to a deadly, intense whisper. "You hold one day of the Crown of Seven Days. You hold one of the Seven Cosmic Gems. You are a god... and you are not even using your powers well. You are a god!"
Simon turned away. "I need to see Ignis."
Before Astrax could attack again, Simon vanished into thin air.