The lightning Auron's aura crackled dangerously, matching Angelo's ferocity. Arcs of electricity danced between his fingertips as his face twisted into a snarl. "Enough of this farce," he growled, his voice like rolling thunder. "Time to send you to meet whatever pitiful god you worship, Luminian dog."

In that instant, Red materialized behind the force Auron, delivering a swift kick to his rear that would have felled a lesser man. The massive Auron stumbled forward, more surprised than hurt, his face a comical mix of shock and outrage. Red leapt back with inhuman agility, landing beside Blue on a nearby rooftop.

"Hey there, big guy!" Red called out, his face split in a manic grin. "Nice muscles! Compensating for something, are we? Maybe a little shortcoming in the brain department?"

The force Auron's aura flared a deep purple, a vein throbbing dangerously in his forehead. "You miserable little insect," he growled, his voice dripping with venom. "What manner of freak show reject are you supposed to be?"

Red's laughter echoed across the square, high and mocking. "Aww, is the big bad Auron getting his feelings hurt? Don't strain yourself trying to come up with a comeback, buddy. We wouldn't want you to pull something important... if there's anything important left to pull, that is!"

He paused for a moment, his eyes gleaming with mischief, before adding, "You know, with that purple face and those bulging muscles, you're looking more and more like an angry bunch of grapes. What's the matter, Grape Ape? Feeling a little pressed?"

The force Auron's face contorted with rage, his muscles bulging even more prominently. "I'll crush you like the insignificant pest you are!" he roared, his voice shaking with fury.

Red's grin only widened. "Ooh, struck a nerve, did I? Don't get your stems in a twist now. Come on, you overgrown fruit basket, let's see if you can catch me!"

With a powerful leap that shattered the pavement beneath him, the force Auron launched himself at Red and Blue. The two entities used their energy tendrils with balletic grace, propelling themselves away in a dizzying display of aerial acrobatics. They leapt from building to building, always staying just out of reach, with the enraged Auron in hot pursuit.

"That's right, you overgrown turnip!" Red's voice echoed back, dripping with gleeful mockery. "Follow the bouncing smartass! Bet you can't catch me!"

"Red, perhaps antagonizing him further isn't the wisest-" Blue's admonition was cut short as they narrowly dodged a chunk of masonry hurled by the pursuing Auron.

"You insolent little shits!" the force Auron bellowed, his voice shaking windows. "When I get my hands on you, you'll be begging for death!"

As Red and Blue led the force Auron on a merry chase across the rooftops, the battle in the square reached a fever pitch.

"That hot-headed fool," the lightning Auron muttered, his eyes narrowing as he watched his comrade disappear into the maze of buildings. But before he could turn his attention back to Angelo, a orange blur was all he saw before a devastating blow connected with his stomach-area. The impact sent him flying backward, his body carving a deep furrow in the ground as he skidded to a stop.

Angelo pressed his advantage, leaping high into the air with his fist cocked back for another punishing blow. But a powerful gust of wind from the female Auron caught him mid-leap, sending him tumbling through the air like a leaf in a hurricane.

"Ah ah ah," she cooed, wagging a finger as if scolding a naughty child. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to ignore a lady? I'm not done playing with you yet, handsome."

Angelo righted himself mid-air with a burst of energy, landing in a three-point crouch that cracked the pavement beneath him. He fixed the wind Auron with a piercing glare, his orange eyes burning with intensity.

She merely smiled wider, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Ooh, I just love those scary faces you make," she giggled, her voice a disconcerting mix of playful and menacing. "Come on, sugar, don't disappoint me now. Show me what the big, bad 'Angel of Death' can really do!"

Without warning, she unleashed a barrage of condensed air waves at him, each one capable of slicing through steel. Though invisible to the naked eye, Angelo's energy vision highlighted the rushing winds, allowing him to dance between the deadly currents with preternatural grace.

"Is that all you've got?" Angelo taunted, his voice steady despite the exertion. "I've felt stronger breezes from a desk fan!"

The wind Auron's playful demeanor cracked for a moment, revealing a flash of genuine anger. "Oh, honey," she purred, her voice dropping an octave, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

Meanwhile, the lightning Auron had struggled to his feet, his face contorted with rage and humiliation. Electricity arced across his body in violent, unpredictable patterns as he lunged at Angelo with a roar of fury.

"You uppity little pissant!" he snarled, his voice crackling with power. "I'll fry every last nerve in your body!"

But before he could connect, a wall of earth erupted between them. Jack, his arms encased in rocky gauntlets, stood defiantly beside his improvised barrier.

"Not on my watch, spark plug," Jack growled, his voice strained but determined.

The lightning Auron's fist connected with the earthen wall, sending cracks spider-webbing through its surface but failing to break through entirely. "You think this pebble can stop me?" he laughed, mad glee in his eyes. "I'll reduce it to sand, and you with it!"

As the lightning Auron focused his assault on Jack's barrier, Angelo seized the opportunity. He charged towards the wind Auron, zigzagging to avoid her attacks. Just as he was about to reach her, he feinted left, then dropped low, sweeping her legs out from under her with a low kick.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The wind Auron, caught off guard, began to fall. But even as she descended, she managed to unleash a powerful gust that sent both of them flying in opposite directions.

Angelo crashed through the remnants of a market stall, wood splintering around him. He rolled to his feet, shaking off the impact, only to find himself face-to-face with the lightning Auron, who had finally broken through Jack's defenses.

"No more games," the lightning Auron growled, his body crackling with barely contained power. "Time to end this!"

He thrust both hands forward, unleashing a devastating beam of pure lightning that illuminated the entire square with its blinding radiance. Angelo, caught flat-footed, had no time to dodge.

In that split second, as the lightning raced towards him, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Angelo could feel the hair on his arms standing on end, could smell the ozone in the air. This was it, he thought. This was how it ended.

But then, a blur of motion caught his eye. Bill, his face set with determination, had leapt from his hiding place. With a cry of effort, he thrust his hands forward, summoning a powerful gust of wind that slammed into Angelo from the side, pushing him out of the lightning's path at the last possible moment.

The lightning blast streaked past, missing Angelo by mere inches. It struck a nearby building, the resulting explosion sending debris raining down across the square.

Angelo hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. As he came to a stop, he looked up to see Bill standing there, his chest heaving with exertion, a mix of fear and pride on his face.

"Nice save, rookie," Angelo managed, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Bill's answering grin was shaky but genuine. "Just returning the favor, sir."

Their moment of relief was short-lived, however. The lightning Auron let out a bellow of frustration, his aura flaring to new heights of intensity.

"Enough of this!" he roared, his voice barely human. Arcs of electricity began to dance wildly around his body, growing larger and more violent with each passing second. "I'll reduce this entire square to ashes, and you with it!"

Angelo's eyes widened as he used his energy vision to assess the situation. The amount of power the Auron was gathering was staggering, far beyond anything he'd encountered before.

"He's going all out," Angelo muttered, his mind racing for a solution.

As if in answer to his thoughts, Red's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, urgent and excited. "Angelo! I've got an idea, but we need to move fast. We need to hit him with everything we've got, right now!"

"Are you insane?" Angelo thought back, even as he began to gather his own energy. "You heard Albert. My power is always cut in half. We can't match a normal Auron in raw power, let alone this maniac!"

Red's response was tinged with desperation and a manic sort of glee. "Trust me on this one! This guy's tough, sure, but he's no elite. Together, we're at 75%, right? That should be enough to at least stall him. We don't have time to argue!"

Feeling the urgency in Red's thoughts and seeing no other option, Angelo made his decision. "Alright, let's do this. But if we die, I'm going to kill you."

"That's the spirit!" Red laughed in his mind.

They took up position, each extending a hand behind them. Two orbs of energy – one red, one orange – began to form, slowly merging into a swirling vortex of unstable power that grew larger with each passing second. The air around them began to warp and distort from the sheer energy they were gathering.

The lightning Auron, seeing their preparations, let out a laugh that bordered on hysteria. "You think you can challenge ME?" he roared, his voice barely audible over the crackling of his own power. "ENOUGH! DIE, YOU MISERABLE INSECTS!"

He thrust both hands forward, and all the electricity he had amassed converged at a single point before his palms. With a sound like booming thunder at point blank, a blinding beam of pure lightning erupted towards Angelo and Red, so bright it turned night to day.

They responded in kind, bringing their hands forward in perfect unison. "You want power?" they shouted as one, their voices melding into a single, powerful roar that shook the very foundations of the square. "THEN TAKE THIS! ENERGY WAVE!"

The unstable orb of mixed energy followed the path of their hands, erupting into a beam of swirling orange and red that met the lightning Auron's attack head-on. The two forces collided in a cataclysmic explosion of light and sound, sending arcs of energy and lightning dancing across the ruined square. Windows shattered for blocks around, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the clash.

As the two attacks pushed against each other, Angelo felt himself being driven back, his feet carving furrows in the ground. "This isn't working!" he growled through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his brow from the effort. "What now, genius?"

Red's response was maddeningly calm. "Now, I'm going to let go, and you're going to hold him off on your own for a second."

Angelo's eyes widened in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind?" he shouted, both aloud and in his thoughts. "We're barely holding on together! How am I supposed to do this alone?"

"Just trust me!" Red insisted, his voice filled with an excitement that bordered on mania. "Push harder! Ready... Now!"

Before Angelo could protest further, Red's presence vanished, transforming into smoke and reintegrating with Angelo's body. The full force of the lightning Auron's attack slammed into Angelo, driving him back even further. His feet carved deep trenches in the ground as he struggled to hold his position, the edge of the lightning beam inching closer with each passing second.

"Is this it?" Angelo thought, his arms trembling with the effort of maintaining the energy wave. "Is this how it ends?"

But Red wasn't done. His smoky form erupted from Angelo's back, unnoticed by the distracted Infernians, and streaked towards the lightning Auron like a crimson comet. In an instant, Red materialized behind their opponent, wrapping his arms and legs around the surprised Auron in a full-body grapple.

The effect was immediate and dramatic. The pressure on Angelo's energy wave lessened significantly, allowing him to push back against the lightning beam. The Infernian Auron struggled violently, trying to shake off Red while maintaining his attack, but his concentration was shattered.

"Get off me, you son of a bitch!" he roared, electricity arcing wildly around his body in chaotic, destructive patterns.

Red's laughter was manic, filled with a joy that bordered on madness. "Oh? If I'm a son of a bitch, that makes me a dog, right?" Without warning, he sank his teeth into the Auron's ear, eliciting a howl of pain and rage that echoed across the devastated square.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the lightning Auron screamed, his attack faltering as he tried to pry Red off his back.

Angelo, seeing his chance, knew he had to end this now. With a scream and a final, mighty push that sent pain lancing through every fiber of his being, he poured every last ounce of his will to draw more energy into the beam. The energy wave surged forward, growing in size and intensity as it overtook the lightning.

In the split second before impact, Angelo saw the lightning Auron's eyes widen in disbelief and fear. Then, the energy wave engulfed both Red and the Infernian Auron in a blinding explosion that sent vibrations throughout the ground.

As the dust began to settle, revealing the extent of the devastation, Angelo fell to one knee, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Through bleary eyes, he saw the lightning Auron lying unconscious amidst the rubble, his ear a mangled mess where Red had bitten it. Red's physical form had been destroyed in the blast, his essence retreating to Angelo in a wisp of crimson smoke.

Nearby, Jack stood victorious over the fallen wind Auron, his rocky fists stained with blood and a look of grim satisfaction on his face.

But this wasn't over, not yet...