Inside Astrax’s grand mansion, the Power Rangers stood fully transformed, their sleek, colorful armor gleaming under the bright lights. The time for planning was over; it was time to act.
"Let's do this," Ignis said, his voice echoing slightly through his helmet. He reached out and grasped Sophia’s hand firmly. "Let's go."
"we can do this," Ignis said, his voice laced with determination. He reached out and grasped Sophia’s hand. "Let's go."
In a sudden, blinding flash of light, the Red and Pink Rangers teleported away, leaving no trace behind.
In a brilliant flash of light, the two of them teleported away.
"Let's do this," Ignis said, his voice laced with determination. He reached out and grasped Sophia’s hand. "Let's go."
Tunde stepped back, the energy of his own suit humming. "I'll be going now. Bye, Astrax. Bye, Solara." With a sudden rush of displacement, Tunde vanished as well, leaving only Astrax and Solara behind in the quiet mansion.
Solara sank into a plush chair in the sitting room, letting out a breath. Astrax looked at her, his posture tense and eager. "We have to go," he urged. "There's no time to waste."
Solara met his gaze and gave a slow nod. However, instead of standing, she tapped the face of her communicator watch and pressed call.
"What are you doing?" Astrax asked, furrowing his brow.
"Shh," Solara whispered. "I'm calling the President."
"You have his number?"
"No, it's actually the other way around," Solara replied with a faint smirk. "He begged for mine, just in case he ever needed us."
The line clicked, and President Umar’s gruff voice filtered through the speaker. "Hello? Who is on this line?"
"It's the Yellow Power Ranger, Mr. President," Solara answered.
"Ah. It's nice of you to finally call us," Umar said.
"I need your help," Solara stated flatly.
There was a pause on the other end. "You... you sound like a little girl," Umar said, sounding genuinely taken aback. "You have such a soft voice."
"What?" Solara snapped, her grip tightening on her wrist. "You pervert."
"No, no, I have a wife!" Umar defended hastily. "It's just... we thought you were angels, or divine beings of some sort. Does this mean you're actually human?" Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
"That is none of your business," Solara retorted coldly. "We hide our identities to protect ourselves."
Umar sighed heavily. "Why are you so defensive all of a sudden? Look, you have to understand how crazy this is for us. You guys came out of nowhere and started fighting aliens in our streets. At first, the public thought it was angels and demons warring in the sky. But it's just you and those invaders fighting over your power sources, right?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Solara demanded.
"I'm sorry to be blunt," Umar said, his tone hardening, "but we don't trust you. At all. And frankly, we have no reason to."
"We are the good guys!" Solara argued. "We've done nothing but protect your world from these threats!"
"How do we know that?"
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"Know what? Speak your mind."
"How do we know you aren't working together?" Umar challenged. "For all we know, you might be playing the hero just to earn our trust and blindside us."
"What?!" Solara scoffed in absolute disbelief. "Did you read that on Reddit or something?"
"Then why is it only this particular alien race that keeps coming to Earth?" Umar pressed.
"According to my calculations," Solara replied, her voice tight with frustration, "our planet is the only one in this solar system harboring life. We are isolated in this galaxy. The distance between us and any other extraterrestrial life is vast. But this particular race is powerful. Very powerful. They can travel at the speed of light, and yes, they come here because of our power source."
"Good to know," Umar said dryly. "But look, until you are ready to open up and tell us who you really are, we know nothing about you. We are not your friends."
"We are public servants!" Solara shot back. "We obey every law."
"Oh, really?" Umar countered. "When was the last time the Power Rangers paid taxes? Never."
Solara shot a withering look at Astrax. He held his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's just taxes," Astrax muttered under his breath. "Calm down."
"So this entire lack of trust is because we failed to pay our taxes?" Solara asked, incredulous.
"The aliens started coming because of you," Umar said, the burden of his office clear in his voice. "I know you don't want them to get whatever it is you're hiding, but we are completely in the dark, and my people don't feel safe. But let's forget about all that for a moment. Why are you calling me?"
"It's nothing," Solara said bitterly. "Goodbye."
Solara ended the call, cutting him off completely.
Astrax watched her carefully. "What happened? You look furious."
Solara stood up, her eyes blazing with fresh resolve. "We aren't working with them." She paced across the room. "They don't trust us. They will never trust us. I know deep down he's just terrified of us. He'll betray us eventually, Astrax. Or maybe he already has."
She stopped and looked Astrax dead in the eye. "We are going to space ourselves tomorrow. We'll fly out there, and you heard what Ignis said. We will find them, and we will eliminate them ourselves."
"Okay," Astrax said hesitantly. "But aren't we going up against an entire army? Just the two of us?"
"More than an army," Solara corrected gravely. "Before she left, Solara checked her tracking watch. Their energy signature is spreading, threatening to consume all of creation. This is an all-out war. We aren't just fighting an army, Astrax. We're fighting an entire race."
Meanwhile, in the Nexus Realm...
Deep within the dark, suffocating expanse of the Nexus Realm, Azathoth lounged upon his throne. Fake Astragel stood faithfully by his side, a shadow awaiting orders.
"The Rangers have chosen to deploy two of their members," Fake Astragel reported, her voice echoing through the cavernous hall. "The Yellow and Blue Rangers."
She paused, calculating. "How much of the army should I deploy to meet them? A thousand troops?"
"Look at me," Azathoth commanded softly.
Fake Astragel turned her gaze to him. Azathoth’s eyes burned with a dark, ancient exhaustion. "I am tired," he murmured. "So very tired. But I do not make mistakes. I am not a fool."
"Then what is the plan, my lord?" Fake Astragel asked.
"Send the full force."
Fake Astragel blinked in surprise. "But... what about the forced breeding protocol?"
"Shh," Azathoth hissed, raising a hand to silence her. "That can happen afterward. I want the gem at all costs. You and the others have constantly failed me. You always fail to retrieve the gem."
He leaned forward, his terrifying presence suffocating the room. "I like my victories absolute. Inevitable. Obvious. That is exactly why I favor Luciferio. That is why he is different from the rest of you. When Luciferio enters a room, hope simply vanishes."
He settled back into the throne, eyes gleaming with malice. "That is the despair I want. By the time those two Rangers reach the battlefield, an entire army—a kingdom of gods—will be waiting for them. And you will tear them apart in an absolute instant. But that is only stage one. Stage two: you find the rest of the Rangers and you do the exact same thing to them. Only then can the forced breeding begin. Until then, my singular objective is the gem, by any means necessary."
"Of course," Fake Astragel bowed her head deeply. "Your will shall be done. Whatever you desire, just say the word." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "I heard rumors... did you send Simon to the Nightmare Realm?"
"Yes. And he is staying there," Azathoth smiled, a cruel, wicked curve of his lips. "I want his mind to shatter completely. I want him to devolve into a perfect monster. When Ignis finally sees what has become of Simon, he will beg to know what caused such a horror. And through his despair, my name shall be known to all."
"Yes, Master," Fake Astragel said, her eyes alight with dark anticipation. "Thy will be done. We will wage an all-out war and end this once and for all."