The moon hung low over Novaria's skyline as Angelo and Bill bounded across rooftops, their silhouettes briefly illuminated by patches of festival lights below. Energy tendrils whipped through the air as Angelo propelled himself forward, while Bill's wind aura stirred up small vortexes with each leap. They had been traversing the city for half an hour, their muscles beginning to protest the sustained exertion.

"Un-fucking-believable!" Red's voice erupted in their shared consciousness. "That perfectly polished housewife just sent us on a wild goose chase to the ass-end of nowhere! And you two idiots are just happily playing along!"

"Will you shut up?" Angelo snapped out loud, his concentration fracturing at Red's outburst. The words escaped before he could catch them, causing Bill to throw him a concerned glance.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Red's essence swirled with caustic sarcasm, "am I interrupting your lovely evening stroll to literally the other side of town? Please, don't let my completely reasonable concerns stop you from walking right into whatever this is!"

"Your sudden development of common sense is both fascinating and suspicious," Blue interjected with clinical detachment. "Though perhaps these insights might have been more valuable fifteen minutes and several miles ago." His timing was impeccable - Angelo and Bill had just touched down at the entrance to Wine Street, their feet stirring up small clouds of dust from the neglected pavement.

The street stretched before them like an abandoned film set - rows of identical half-finished houses stood in various states of decay, their empty windows staring out like hollow eyes. The few functioning lampposts cast sickly yellow pools of light that seemed to emphasize the darkness rather than dispel it. Angelo pulled out his flashlight, the metallic click echoing unnaturally in the stillness.

"Check this out," Angelo said to Bill, a rare hint of pride creeping into his voice. An energy tendril materialized from his body, its orange glow adding an ethereal cast to the surrounding shadows. With precise control, he mounted the flashlight at its tip, creating what appeared to be a floating beacon. The tendril twisted and extended with fluid grace, sending the beam sweeping across abandoned foundations and weather-worn walls.

"Holy shit, that's amazing!" Bill exclaimed, his eyes tracking the dancing light with unconcealed admiration. "And here you were downplaying this technique earlier. Man, what I wouldn't give to do something that precise." He demonstrated by creating a small whirlwind in his palm. "Wind's great and all, but try getting it to hold still for more than half a second. It's like trying to nail jelly to a wall."

Angelo shrugged. "Give it time, rookie. Maybe your aura will evolve into something that can pull off party tricks like this."

As they picked their way through the construction graveyard, the beam from Angelo's suspended flashlight cast dancing shadows across half-built walls. Bill kept stealing glances at the floating light, his earlier exhaustion seemingly forgotten.

"That's seriously cool," he said, gesturing at the energy tendril setup.

Angelo allowed himself a small smirk. "Eh, It has its moments."

"Angelo," Blue's measured tone sliced through their discussion, "While I hate to interrupt this charming exchange, I feel compelled to point out that your investigative approach lacks... strategic efficiency."

"Oh really?" Angelo's mental voice dripped with exaggerated patience. "Please, Professor Blue, enlighten us with your superior investigative wisdom."

"Consider the psychology of clandestine meetings," Blue pressed, ignoring Angelo's sarcasm. "If you were arranging a secret rendezvous, would you conduct it in the middle of an exposed street where any passerby could witness it?"

Angelo's mind churned through the implications. "Under normal circumstances, no..." he began internally "... Unless you do it in an abandoned street!" The words exploded from him with enough force to make Bill jump.

"For fuck's sake, there's nothing here but rats and rubble!" Red finally burst out, his voice uncharacteristically tense. "We're being played you morons!"

"Well, well," Angelo prodded, trying to lighten the mood, "look who finally rejoined the conversation. Getting scared of the dark, Red?"

Instead of his usual biting comeback, Red merely grumbled something unintelligible, his unusual behavior adding another layer of unease to the oppressive atmosphere.

The beam from Angelo's suspended flashlight continued to cut through the darkness, but somehow the shadows seemed to grow deeper with each passing moment, as if the very night itself was gathering around them.

Their bickering died as Angelo's suspended flashlight swept across the abandoned street. The beam caught something - a dark shape that seemed to absorb the light rather than reflect it.

"Wait." Red's voice cut through their shared consciousness like a knife, all traces of his usual playfulness gone. "Light that bench again..." His tone carried such uncharacteristic dread that Angelo felt his stomach tighten.

The beam swung back, illuminating a figure that seemed to have materialized from the shadows themselves. Dressed in a black robe that seemed to drink in what little light touched it, the figure sat motionless, hood drawn forward to conceal their face. Bill's heart plummeted to his shoes, his wind aura flaring defensively.

Angelo's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as the figure rose with unnatural grace, their movement so fluid it seemed almost choreographed. The hood tilted up, and familiar delicate hands reached to pull it back, revealing Jill's perfect features caught in the harsh beam of the flashlight.

"Shit," Angelo muttered, the word carrying the weight of sudden understanding.

"Don't wanna say I told you so, but..." Red's ominous thought trailed off, for once finding no satisfaction in being right.

Jill's sweet smile remained fixed in place, more terrifying now than any snarl could have been. The silence stretched between them like a tripwire waiting to be triggered.

"Alright," Angelo broke the tension, his energy vision scanning Jill's form. Her energy signature was deceptively low - the kind you'd expect from someone who'd never seen combat. "You've successfully lured me here. But something doesn't add up. How did you beat us here?" His orange eyes glowed as he studied her. "You're clearly an Auron, that much is obvious. But the speed required-"

"I don't usually converse with my prey," Jill interrupted, her melodic voice making the word 'prey' sound like a caress. Her perfect smile widened a fraction. "But you... you're special. I want to savor your reaction..."

"Boss," Bill's whisper carried barely-contained panic, "I really don't like where this is going."

"Me neither." Angelo's response was granite-hard. "Bill. When I give the word. Run." The command brooked no argument.

Jill continued as if they hadn't spoken, her voice taking on an almost dreamy quality. "I had a son... he was seventeen... he died a year ago..." Her expression shifted, beauty fracturing to reveal something monstrous beneath. "Because of you!" Her finger stabbed toward Angelo like an accusation.

"That's impossible!" Angelo shot back, "I've never crossed someone that young!"

"Not you specifically!" Her composure shattered completely, rage distorting her perfect features. A red-pink aura exploded around her, her eyes igniting with an unnatural pink glow that seemed to pierce the darkness. "The police! My boy fell in with the wrong crowd, yes. Their influence led him to that chase. But it was the police who killed him! They wield their power without consequence, deal death without repercussion!" Her voice rose to a fever pitch. "That officer went home to his family while mine was destroyed! Though 'went' is the operative word now."

Her cackling echoed off the abandoned buildings, the sound setting Angelo's teeth on edge. His orange aura flared in response to the growing threat, casting wild shadows across the decaying structures.

"You..." Angelo's voice shook with barely contained fury as realization dawned. "Are you saying..."

"I took my revenge," she purred, satisfaction dripping from every word. "And I kept going, delivering judgment under the mantle of The Grim Reaper. Reaping your putrid souls - it's exactly what you deserve."

The revelation hit Angelo like a physical blow, his aura intensifying until it lit the street like a small sun. Bill cast increasingly worried glances between his mentor and the monster wearing a housewife's face.

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"You're lying!" Angelo's denial carried desperate hope. "We would have heard about this!"

Jill's laughter cut through the night like broken glass. "Oh, but you did! I left a calling card each time. Your superiors just kept it quiet - too ashamed to admit they couldn't catch one grieving mother!"

"No... that's impossible," Angelo's voice grew hoarse as his last hopes crumbled. "A civilian can't possibly overpower trained Auron division officers..."

Her chuckle turned dark, predatory. "A civilian? No, they couldn't." She clenched her fists, muscles tensing. "But you see, when my son died..." Her aura began to shift and writhe, transforming from a simple glow into what looked like living flames of pink-red energy. The color deepened as the flames danced around her form, each flicker seeming to distort the very air. With a grunt of effort that seemed almost pleased, she released a shockwave that kicked up dust and debris. When it cleared, her transformation was complete - and any trace of the grieving mother was gone.

"Evolved..." The word fell from Angelo's lips like a stone, reality crashing down around him.

"Angelo, we need to abort - NOW!" Blue's voice cracked through their shared consciousness, his usual analytical calm shattered by genuine panic. "This situation has escalated far beyond our capabilities!"

"God, I want to tear her apart so badly..." Red's essence churned with violent desire before deflating. "But fuck me, we're completely outmatched here. We stay, we die."

"That's how she beat us here..." Bill's voice quavered as the implications sank in. His eyes darted between Angelo and the transformed monster before them. "Boss, what's the play?!" The desperate question echoed off the abandoned buildings.

Jill's perfect features twisted into something inhuman, her smile stretching too wide. "Oh, what a glorious night this has become!" She raised her arms skyward in mock celebration, and the air itself seemed to shiver. Metal conjured around her skin like twisted vegetation, forming skeletal gauntlets that ended in wickedly sharp talons. "The Angel of Death himself, soon to join my collection of putrid souls!"

The metal continued to grow and shift, coalescing into a massive scythe that she caught with practiced grace. The weapon's blade caught what little light remained, its edge promising nothing but pain. Combined with her flowing black robes and skeletal gauntlets , the transformation was complete - the grieving mother had become death incarnate.

Angelo's mind raced, tactical options flashing through his thoughts. "Can't outrun an Evolved Auron - she'd catch us before we made it three blocks. Only shot is keeping her focused on me." His voice hardened with resolve. "Bill, the second she's fully engaged with me, you run. That's not a suggestion, it's a direct order!"

Bill swallowed hard, torn between loyalty and terror. The raw fear in his eyes made him look even younger.

"Red, Blue," Angelo's thoughts carried razor-sharp focus. "She doesn't know about you yet. That's our only advantage. We play this like with the Force Auron, but the stakes are higher."

"A distraction is needed while we charge the attack," Blue's analytical mind was already mapping possibilities.

"Exactly. I'll keep her busy. Once you're materialized behind one of these buildings, hit her with everything we've got. If we're lucky-"

The thought shattered as Jill launched herself forward, moving faster than should have been possible. The scythe's blade whistled through the air where Angelo's head had been a split-second earlier. His energy tendril had already latched onto a nearby building, yanking him and Bill backward in a movement that looked more arachnid than human.

Jill's eyes narrowed at the unnatural escape. "Interesting trick."

"NOW!" Angelo's command carried the force of a thunderclap. In the same instant, three figures scattered - Bill vanishing behind one half-finished house while Red and Blue's smoke forms slipped behind another. The coordination was perfect, each movement precisely timed.

Angelo rose to his full height, orange aura blazing. "Time to see if this technique has any merit after all." His aura expanded outward, forming a sphere of misty energy around him.

Jill's response was immediate and brutal. With a flick of her wrist, the nearby lampposts tore free from their concrete bases, whipping toward Angelo like metal serpents. But something impossible happened - he dodged attacks he couldn't possibly have seen coming, his body twisting away from strikes that should have crushed him.

"Clever boy," Jill breathed, genuine surprise coloring her voice. Her fingers splayed wide, and the air filled with spinning metal blades that screamed through the night. Yet somehow Angelo danced between them, moving with impossible precognition.

Behind their chosen building, Red and Blue materialized, immediately thrusting their hands forward. Energy - crimson and azure - poured from their palms, swirling together in a violently unstable sphere. "Keep it together," Blue muttered through clenched teeth. "Just a little longer..."

"Stay focused on your attack!" Angelo's thought cut through their concentration. "I'll handle her!"

Meanwhile, Bill crouched behind decaying walls, his phone's screen casting a ghostly glow on his face as he frantically typed messages calling for backup. His hands trembled slightly, but his jaw was set with determination. He couldn't abandon his mentor - not like this. The air between his palms began to compress, just as they'd done against the Force Auron. The unfinished buildings offered perfect sightlines through their skeletal frames. All he needed was the right moment...

Angelo's dance with death continued, his Aura Area proving its worth with each impossible dodge. But hope turned to ash in his mouth as a thunderous explosion rocked the street. His heart plummeted as Red and Blue's unstable energy detonated prematurely, their smoke forms rushing back to his body in defeat.

"Fuck!" Red's essence roiled with frustration. "We had one shot, and we blew it! We are so monumentally screwed!"

Blue's usual eloquence failed him. "Angelo, I... we..."

Jill leaped toward the explosion's source, her scythe raised. "Show yourself!"

Angelo seized the moment, gathering every ounce of energy he could control. "Let's see how you handle THIS! Energy Wave!" The beam that erupted from his hands lit up the street like daybreak.

Jill turned back to face him, and her smile turned predatory. One gauntleted hand stretched out almost lazily, and Angelo's world tilted sideways - his energy didn't strike her, it was being consumed. The skeletal gauntlet drank in his orange power, beginning to glow with his stolen light.

"How..." The word escaped him in a horrified whisper.

Jill's laughter echoed through the abandoned street. "Oh, this little thing?" She admired the glowing gauntlet with mock modesty. "I call it 'Void Metal' - though really, it's just a very efficient sponge. It does love drinking up energy attacks." Her smile turned razor-sharp. "But the real fun part? It doesn't just take..."

Her arm snapped forward, and Angelo's own energy rocketed back at him with devastating force. His tendrils barely yanked him clear as his attack carved a glowing path through the night.

"Shit," Angelo's muttered, his low voice carried bitter irony. "I literally just mentioned this to Bill. Some mentor I turned out to be..."

The night had only begun to show its teeth.

"Any brilliant ideas would be really appreciated right now!" Angelo's thoughts carried rising panic as he faced down death itself. "Because fighting solo clearly isn't working out!"

"You're not fighting alone, dumbass!" Red's voice carried an unusually warm undertone that caught Angelo off-guard. "When everything went to hell with Blue, I noticed something weird about that energy sphere. Managed to shift to smoke at the last possible second."

"That's fantastic, but we're still severely lacking in the 'not dying' department!" Angelo's mind raced as he watched Jill's predatory stance.

The Grim Reaper pressed a metal-clad hand to her cheek, drinking in Angelo's mounting desperation. "Oh yes," she purred, her voice dripping with twisted delight. "That look of dawning horror - it's absolutely perfect! Give me more!"

"This witch is completely off her fucking rocker!" Red's essence churned with disgust.

"Focus!" Blue's voice cracked with uncharacteristic strain. "We need a strategy, now!" The guilt in his tone was palpable as the image of their failed attack flashed through their shared consciousness again.

The memory sparked something in Angelo's mind. "Wait - Albert's theory! Our energies naturally repel each other!"

"Fascinating scientific principle," Blue shot back, his usual analytical calm fracturing under stress. "But how exactly does that prevent us from being eviscerated?!"

"We hit her together - me and Red! If she absorbs both our energies, maybe they'll destabilize like they did with you and Red!"

"That's... actually brilliant," Blue's confidence flickered back to life.

"Better move fast," Red warned, eyeing Jill's increasingly predatory posture. "Because our resident psychopath looks ready for round two!"

Red's crimson smoke poured from Angelo's body, twisting and coalescing into his physical form. The sight stopped Jill dead in her tracks, her perfect features twisting with confusion as two identical figures faced her down.

"What manner of trickery is this?" she hissed.

They seized the moment of confusion, unleashing a devastating barrage of orange and crimson energy blasts. Jill drove her scythe into the ground like an anchor, both gauntleted hands stretching wide to catch their assault. The void metal began to glow with an ominous dark orange light.

"Yes, feed me your power!" she crowed. "Every attack only makes me-" Her voice faltered as something shifted in her gauntlets. The metal began to vibrate, emitting a high-pitched whine.

The explosion was devastating. Void metal shattered as opposing energies tore each other apart, launching Jill backward with bone-crushing force. Her scythe went spinning away into the skeletal framework of an unfinished house.

"Now's our chance!" Angelo shouted, his hand shooting backward. Red mirrored his movement perfectly as they began charging their ultimate technique - the same devastating blast that had felled the Infernian electric Auron.

Jill rose like a vengeful spirit, one hand extending imperiously. Her scythe ripped free from the building's embrace, returning to her grip. She launched forward with terrifying speed, the weapon's blade singing through the air.

Angelo and Red's voices rang out in perfect unison: "Mixed Energy Wave!" The combined blast lit up the night like a newborn sun.

But Jill had learned. Instead of absorbing the attack, she brought her scythe around in a perfect arc. The blade split their energy wave cleanly in two, never slowing as she closed the distance.

Time seemed to slow. Angelo saw the attack coming but couldn't move fast enough. Red lunged sideways, throwing his shoulder into Angelo's ribs to shove him clear - and the scythe carved through Red's materialized form like he was made of paper. But Angelo wasn't completely unscathed; the blade's tip opened a deep gash across his chest, blood immediately soaking his shirt.

Jill's eyes gleamed with triumph as she raised her scythe for the killing blow. This time, there would be no escape.

"Vacuum Cannon!"

The shout came from behind one of the houses, followed by a sound like all the air being sucked from the world. Jill's eyes widened in genuine surprise as she was catapulted sideways, her body smashing through walls with devastating force. The entire structure groaned and collapsed inward, burying the Grim Reaper under tons of concrete and steel.

Angelo turned toward the source of his salvation. There stood Bill, his uniform coated in dust, hair disheveled, eyes wide and unfocused and his chest heaving as he struggled to remain standing. His aura flickered and died, completely spent from over exertion.

The rookie's eyes met his mentor's, carrying equal parts triumph and exhaustion. He had refused to run, and in doing so, might have just saved the Angel of Death himself.