Shredded festival banners fluttered like wounded birds in the wind above Lumecent's ruined town square. The cheerful decorations meant to celebrate peace now served as a bitter backdrop to the confrontation below. The woman known as Beetle stood before the three warriors, her presence as immovable as the earth she commanded. Her weathered face carried the confidence of someone who knew they held all the cards.

"That smile of yours is about to disappear permanently," she said, her voice smooth as polished stone but sharp as broken glass. Each word carried the weight of decades of combat experience.

Sleeser wiped blood from his chin, somehow maintaining his trademark grin despite his injuries. "Can't help it really - smiling in the face of death is kind of my thing." His companions shifted uneasily beside him, trading worried glances as his evolved aura flickered like a dying flame. "Now, about Sigma's condition—" A violent cough interrupted him, spattering blood across the hand he raised to his chest. His evolved aura reverted to its base as he doubled over. "Give me... give me a second here," he managed, his voice raw. When he straightened, a fresh smear of red stained the pendant at his throat.

Beetle's fingers twitched with barely contained violence. "My patience grows thinner by the second. Choose your next words carefully."

"Always do." Sleeser straightened despite his injuries, while Axel and Force exchanged loaded glances on either side of him. "Sigma survived your little ambush, though I've got to hand it to you - using real intel as bait was clever. Keep our forces busy with the 'surprise attack' while your sleeper cells slip across the border..." His analytical tone carried careful calculation beneath the casual praise. "That's what happened, isn't it?"

A cruel smile split Beetle's stern facade. "Wouldn't you love to know? Maybe we've been here all along, just waiting." Her expression hardened again, sharp as chipped stone. "But that's not what matters now. Tell me exactly how badly we hurt your precious leader, or I'll show you pain you can't imagine."

"You've got quite the mind for strategy, I'll give you that." Sleeser's voice dripped with exaggerated admiration that barely masked his true intent. "The truth? Sigma's in rough shape. Won't be fighting at full strength for a while." His next words carried deadly promise despite his weakened state: "Though if you kill us, you might want to start sleeping with one eye open."

"Bold words from a dead man walking." Her smile turned predatory as she stepped closer, the ground cracking beneath her feet.

"Just out of curiosity..." Sleeser's casual tone masked the trap he was laying. "You're not actually planning to call him here, are you? Take him on while he's vulnerable?"

Beetle's eyes lit with savage anticipation. "And miss a chance like this? Please." She gestured at the three injured warriors before her. "You three make perfect bait, and once he shows up..." She let the threat hang in the air.

"Not to burst your bubble," Sleeser said, carefully positioning his verbal bait, "but even at half strength, Sigma's probably more than you can handle. Besides, information was the deal - we never signed up to play your personal lures."

Raw power blazed in Beetle's eyes as her composure finally shattered. "You seem confused about who's in charge here, BOY!" The word exploded from her like a projectile. "Either you do exactly what I say, or I'll make you beg for death before the end!"

Sleeser glanced between his companions, letting his shoulders slump in performative defeat. After a heavy pause that seemed to stretch forever, he spoke: "Look, there's something you should know - I've got Infernian blood. Last name's Sleeser." He confessed.

"The emperor servants? The hair does fit..." Stroking her chin, she studied his appearance - a bit taken by his words.

"Help us take out Sigma, and maybe we can work something out?" His voice dropped lower, carrying false desperation. "Let's be honest, Luminia's not walking away from this mess anyway."

"Captain, no!" Axel lurched forward despite his injuries, horror written across his face.

"QUIET!" Sleeser's sharp command carried layers of hidden meaning that made his companion freeze mid-step.

Beetle studied them with predatory satisfaction, like a cat toying with wounded mice. Her face split in a wicked grin as inspiration struck. "I might consider it, on one tiny condition!" The three warriors tensed as she savored her next words: "Prove your loyalty by helping me destroy your leader."

"If that's what it takes." Sleeser's immediate acceptance drew a strangled sound of betrayal from Axel, but one warning look silenced any protest.

"Just remember who's in charge," Sleeser added, his expression a masterclass in feigned unease. "We're no match for him on our own - we follow your lead completely."

"Smart boy." Beetle's satisfaction radiated like heat from a furnace. "Time to prove you mean it. Call him - tell him his precious squad needs help!"

"Ah, about that..." Sleeser's hands moved in a gesture that drew suspicious attention. "We've got a special way to signal him. Mind if we...?"

"Stop stalling and DO IT!" Her patience had clearly reached its limit.

Sleeser backed up until he stood perfectly aligned with his companions. He extended his hands to them, invitation clear in the gesture. "Well then... showtime!"

What followed looked almost comical – three hardened warriors holding hands like children about to start a game. But as Sleeser's evolved aura ignited, something extraordinary happened. His entire body began to glow orange, the light seeming to come from within his very cells. Beetle's face twisted with growing confusion as Axel started glowing blue and Force emerged in brilliant emerald.

Their clothes rippled as if caught in an impossible wind. Arcs of electricity danced between them while the ground itself began to tremble. That's when understanding finally dawned in Beetle's eyes – she'd walked right into their trap.

"No... NO!" Panic transformed her face as she commanded two massive boulders into the air behind her. They crumbled into a storm of deadly projectiles that she launched like living bullets toward the glowing figures. But Force's gravity manipulation had somehow grown stronger, creating an impenetrable shield around them.

A tornado of orange, blue, and green energy erupted around the three warriors, electricity crackling through it like angry snakes. The ground shook harder with each passing second. Beetle knew she had to act – her aura exploded outward as she evolved, brown energy flames dancing around her. A strange substance formed over her skin, smooth as silk but hard as diamond, until she stood encased in armor that resembled a humanoid beetle.

A scream of pure power tore through the energy tornado before it exploded outward like a miniature sun. As the light faded, Beetle's eyes widened at what stood before her.

Where three injured warriors had been, now stood a single figure that radiated raw power. His hair defied nature – spiky and half-black, half-orange, while emerald strands flowed from the back of his head. He wore a leather jacket without a shirt. Markings decorated his face – three glowing tattoos that pulsed with blue, orange, and emerald light. While his chest bore a replica of Sleeser's pendant design, all of them blazing with inner fire.

His golden eyes seemed to pierce reality itself as he spoke, his voice carrying otherworldly authority: "I am Sigma - the living sum of three Aurons made one." His evolved aura blazed around him like a contained supernova, electricity arcing between the flames like nature's own light show.

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"You... you played me like a damn fiddle." Beetle's composure cracked before a broken smile spread across her face. "Though if this was your trump card, why wait? The fact you held back means this form has a serious cost."

"Clever until the end." Sigma inclined his head, his calm presence somehow more terrifying than any show of rage. "But now that you've seen the truth, your fate is sealed." The words weren't a threat but a simple statement of fact, as inevitable as gravity itself.

"Time to die, fusion brat!" Beetle's laugh echoed across the square as she charged forward. Her body became a brown blur, moving faster than they'd ever seen. The strange substance coating her body – like liquid earth hardened into armor – formed razor-sharp claws at her fingertips. They whistled through the air as she struck.

Sigma planted his feet and caught her hands in his. The impact shook the entire street, sending a wave of force that shattered nearby windows. Dust billowed around them like a desert storm.

As it cleared, they stood locked together in a contest of raw strength. Beetle's earth-forged claws dug into Sigma's gauntlets while the ground cracked beneath them like glass under too much weight. Sweat beaded on her face as she pushed harder, but Sigma just watched her with an almost bored expression.

"Having trouble?" he asked mildly, as if they were discussing the weather.

"Shut up and DIE!" She broke away with a snarl, launching herself into the air. The liquid earth coating her body rippled as she spread her arms wide. Her fingertips began firing like bullets, each one shooting forward before instantly reforming.

Sigma's voice cut through the chaos: "Mach 2!"

Blue light wrapped around him like a glowing second skin – Axel's signature speed technique. He became a blur of motion, dancing between her attacks. Wherever her earth-bullets struck the ground, they punched through concrete like it was paper.

As he ran, Sigma held out his hands. Pure gold formed into razor-sharp blades around his gauntlets. Each one caught the sunlight like freshly polished treasure.

"Show-off," Beetle spat as she watched him leap toward a building wall. "Those pretty decorations won't save you!"

Sigma leapt at one of the nearby buildings, his legs coiling up like springs. Finally he crossed his golden blades in an X-shape.

"Final Velocity!"

Beetle braced herself, expecting him to bounce between buildings like Axel did to build up speed. Instead, Sigma's next words made her eyes go wide: "Reverse Pull!"

Force's gravity manipulation repelled him straight toward her like a rocket. That single moment of surprise was all he needed. Their bodies collided in mid-air as his golden blades sliced through her earth-forged armor. The impact sent her crashing through the building behind her like a cannonball, smashing floor after floor until she cratered the lobby below.

She burst back out through the hole she'd made, blood streaming from the gash across her stomach. But it didn't flow for long – the liquid earth she controlled oozed from her skin, sealing the wound and hardening into fresh armor.

"That tickled," she taunted through gritted teeth, wiping blood from her mouth. "Got anything else?"

"Plenty." Sigma's calm reply somehow made him more terrifying than any show of anger. "Mach 1," he said softly, letting the blue glow fade slightly. His golden blades had shattered against her armor, crumbling into worthless metal shards.

They slammed together again like colliding meteors. Each punch and kick created shockwaves that ate away at the ground, making nearby buildings shake on their foundations. But Beetle was smiling now – she had a surprise waiting.

The earth beneath them exploded upward in geysers of her strange substance that instantly hardened into deadly spears. She'd been secretly preparing this attack, controlling the ground under their feet the whole time.

Sigma twisted away like a dancer, almost as if he'd known it was coming. But one spear caught him in the side, drawing the first real emotion they'd seen – pure fury flashed across his face.

"Finally!" Beetle crowed. "Let's see what's under that calm mask of yours!"

The air around them began to vibrate like a plucked guitar string. Beetle's triumphant grin melted into fear as she realized her mistake. Fire and lightning exploded from Sigma's body in a devastating combination, catching her point-blank.

She stumbled backward, ears ringing from the blast. When her vision cleared, Sigma was already there. His fist glowed emerald with Force's power as it slammed into her stomach, launching her through the air. She bounced across the street like a skipping stone before grinding to a halt.

"Had... enough... yet?" she gasped out between bloody coughs as she pushed herself up.

"Almost." Sigma landed across from her, pressing one hand against his bleeding side. "But we're running out of time. Let me show you something special."

He cupped his hands as if holding an invisible ball. "Black hole," he whispered. Pure darkness formed between his palms, so dark it seemed to eat the light around it. Then he began to chant, his voice taking on an almost ritualistic quality:

"Earth, Water, Fire, Lightning..."

Understanding dawned in Beetle's eyes. "Nature's Fury..." she breathed. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Wrong again." A hint of a smile touched Sigma's lips. "Nature has nothing to do with this anymore. This is pure theory." He continued his chant: "Gold, Light, Linked Light..."

Beetle's face went pale. Before he could finish, she dove into the ground like it was a swimming pool, her liquid earth ability letting her move through soil as easily as water. But she'd made one critical mistake – she assumed Sigma's earth-sensing was as weak as Sleeser's. While he couldn't match her precise control, he could still feel her general presence moving beneath the surface.

That was all he needed.

"Finally – Energy." His voice rang with certainty. "The building blocks of all matter..." Orange light streamed from his hands into the dark sphere, joining the other elements swirling within. "Let me show you true power –"

"Theory of Power!"

The black sphere shot forward like a bullet, twisting the light in its wake as it headed straight for the festival podium where he sensed Beetle hiding. The attack moved so fast it seemed to bend reality around it, promising devastation when it found its mark.

Deep underground, Beetle swam through earth like it was water, her fingers shaking as she pressed her communication device closer to her mouth. Desperate words tumbled from her lips. But her escape was cut short as daylight suddenly flooded in from above – Sigma's attack was literally pulling the ground apart over her head.

She fought against the force trying to drag her upward, using her liquid earth ability to create anchors that dug deep into the soil beneath her. The strange substance oozed from her body like living clay, hardening into rope-like strands that held her in place. But something was wrong. The explosion wasn't normal – instead of one big boom, it spread outward in slow motion like ripples in a pond.

"No... NO!" Beetle's scream was lost in the chaos as she wrapped herself in a cocoon of her liquid earth. Layer after layer of her strange substance formed a shell around her body, getting thicker by the second. For a moment, it seemed to work – her makeshift armor held against the creeping destruction.

Then something impossible happened. The explosion stopped spreading and collapsed inward like water down a drain. The force yanked Beetle and her protective shell through the air until she hovered just feet away from what looked like a tiny black sun.

Then the world went white.

Light brighter than a dozen suns erupted from that single point, devouring everything it touched. The town square vanished along with every building around it, replaced by a massive crater. Surviving structures at the edge began to crumble, sliding into the newly formed pit as clouds of dust rolled outward like fog.

Sigma stood at the crater's edge, eyes closed as his power reached its limit. A tornado of orange, blue, and emerald energy swirled around him for several heartbeats before exploding outward. Where one warrior had stood, three now collapsed to the ground.

Sleeser, Axel, and Force lay sprawled in the rubble, their bodies carrying more than just their original injuries. The wound in Sigma's side had transferred to all three of them, adding fresh pain to their already battered forms.

"We... we actually did it," Axel managed through gritted teeth, his smile more of a grimace.

Sleeser's hand shook as he reached for the communication device behind his ear. "Prime... do you copy?" His voice was barely more than a whisper. "This is Sigma. Threat neutralized... over."

"Prime copy," came the response directly into their minds. "What's Sigma's status? Over."

"Sigma... out of commission." Sleeser had to force each word out. "Over."

"Recovery team is on the way. Stay where you are. Over."

Sleeser let his hand drop, turning his head slightly to look at his companions. "That's it for us, boys. Time to trust in the others now."

"Yes... captain." Even Force's usually steady voice carried the strain of their shared injuries.

They lay there in the settling dust, unable to move as they waited for help to arrive. Each breath was a struggle, but pride helped ease the pain – they'd won their part of this battle. Now it was up to others to protect Luminia.

As darkness crept into the edges of his vision, Sleeser's thoughts turned to his former student. "Angelo..." he whispered as consciousness began to fade, "wherever you are... please make it out alive..."

The dust continued to settle around the three warriors who'd given everything to stop one of Luminia's greatest threats. Their victory here would mean nothing if the battles raging in other cities didn't go as well. But they'd done their part – they'd shown that even the mighty Beetle could fall. Now they could only hope it would be enough.

The sound of distant explosions carried on the wind, a reminder that while this fight was over, the war for Luminia's future was far from finished.