- Oliver -

Oliver stood on the shattered pier. Smoke rose from fires nearby. His transmitter crackled to life.

"I'm picking up a signature," Hermes-1 said. "It's General York. She's converging on your position."

"Great," Oliver muttered. "Just what I needed."

"Couldn't you talk to her?" a new voice chimed in. It sounded like Hermes-1, but slightly off. Oliver recognized the telltale signs of someone new at the controls.

"Who's the newbie?" he asked.

"Hermes-12," Hermes-1 replied.

"Tell him our connection isn't secure," Oliver snapped. "If he wants to leak information, he might as well go straight to the Empire."

"Told him. I've moved him away from comms," Hermes-1 assured him.

"Of all people, they had to make her a General," Oliver grumbled.

"It's your fault," Hermes-1 said. "Did you have to humiliate the last General?"

"Hey! I didn't humiliate anyone," Oliver protested. "She was a General. I fought with everything I had. How was I supposed to know she was so weak?"

"Hermes-2 says you knew," Hermes-1 countered. "You had leveled up."

"I only leveled up because of the mission Hermes-2 sent me on," Oliver argued. "So it's as much his fault as mine." He sat down, waiting for her arrival. "Is the interference coming from her or someone else?"

"Can't tell, not from this distance," Hermes-1 replied.

"Fine," Oliver said. He looked around at the wrecked pier. Fallen Rangers lay scattered everywhere. He began moving them to one corner. "I should take your Crystals. If I didn't need to fight this second, you'd lose all your armor to teach you a lesson."

"Our Crystal reserves are enough," Hermes-1 noted.

"Even so. As punishment," Oliver insisted.

"Focus," Hermes-2 cut in over the communicator.

"She's coming. She's coming," Oliver murmured. He saw the red armor approaching rapidly toward the pier. Her armor gleamed under the fading sunlight.

As soon as she landed, striking the concrete with force, a new cloud of dust puffed into the air. The thick plume slowly settled, revealing Katherine. But she was not alone. This time, they hadn't sent Rangers. Flanking her were four towering Mechas.

Oliver recognized them. They were the latest generation, freshly manufactured on Mars. They didn't have an official designation yet. However, the NET was calling them Dark Emperors. It was quite an obvious nickname due to their obsidian armor and combat prowess.

"Seriously, none of the satellites picked them up?" Oliver grumbled, his eyes darting over the machines.

"Satellites are occupied with data collection. We still have another mission," Hermes-1 reminded him over the comm link.

"Alright," Oliver sighed, trying to steady his nerves. "Can someone tell me? Is it her or the Mechas that are causing the interference?"

"The Mechas," Hermes-1 confirmed.

"Great," he muttered, relieved to know he would only need to destroy them and wouldn't have to harm her. But Katherine had other plans.

"Don't you dare use teleportation," Katherine's voice cut through the air, laden with pain.

Oliver was taken aback. He thought his 'death' might still impact his friends. But he didn't expect her to be so furious with the Green Ranger.

He watched as Katherine materialized a sword in her hand. Slowly, crimson droplets began to seep from her palm, enveloping the blade in a mantle of blood.

"Give me a reason," Katherine demanded in a low, almost whispering tone, making it hard for him to hear.

"A reason?" Oliver echoed, his voice distorted by the modulator in his helmet.

"One reason. Give me one reason," she repeated, a manic edge sharpening her words.

Oliver could see the blood on her sword quivering, almost alive.

"For what?" he asked cautiously.

"To kill the Hero of Olympus," Katherine replied, her voice trembling. She seemed to be teetering on the brink, struggling to contain the tempest within her.

"Kill who?" Oliver inquired.

To Katherine, it seemed as if he didn't even remember whom he had killed. The thought only fueled her rage.

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With a guttural scream, she lunged forward, channeling all her power into the attack. She wielded her sword with deadly precision, each swing fierce and unrelenting. Oliver was forced to dodge swiftly. Yet, every time he shifted direction, the blood at the tip of her sword pursued him with uncanny accuracy. It twisted and extended to follow his movements.

The pier was a battlefield, a chaos of fire and metal. Towering mechs surrounded Oliver, their glowing eyes locking onto him like predators. Their cannons whirred, spitting lasers and missiles aimed to bring him down.

But Oliver wasn't fazed. At the end of the day, these mechs were no match for him. "Not at this speed," he muttered, a cocky grin spreading across his face.

Katherine stood at the center of the chaos. Her shouts echoed with every attack, each one heavier, sharper, and deadlier. Her rage was a storm, and her movements were lightning-fast and unstoppable. But Oliver knew if he could slip past her, he'd be free. Her power was terrifying, but it had limits.

'I need to take out those mechs to get out of here,' Oliver thought, his heart pounding as he summoned his twin daggers. His eyes scanned, tracking every twitch of the mechs' massive limbs, waiting for the right moment. Energy surged through his body, pooling at the daggers' tips until they glowed like stars.

One of the Black Emperors roared to life, its missile ports flaring. That was Oliver's cue. With a flick of his wrists, he launched both daggers. They streaked through the air, blazing green light. They no longer looked like blades but massive spears of raw energy.

The first dagger slammed into a Black Emperor's chest. A burst of green fire erupted, frying its circuits in a shower of sparks. The mech collapsed, its frame sizzling and smoking. The second dagger hit another mech's leg, shearing it clean off with a screech of tearing metal. Wires and jagged scraps dangled from the stump as the machine toppled into the water with a booming splash.

"Interference dropping," Hermes-1's calm, robotic voice chimed in Oliver's earpiece.

"One. Reason." Katherine's voice was a low growl, each word punctuated by a swing of her blade. "One. Reason." She slashed and stabbed, her movements a blur of fury. "Green! You're not escaping!" she yelled.

Oliver's heart raced. Katherine was faster now, her attacks a whirlwind of blood and rage. Dodging was getting harder, her blade grazing his armor with every twist. 'She can't fly,' he thought, a plan forming. He violently kicked the air as he shot upward, away from her reach.

But the remaining mechs weren't done. Their jets screamed to life, propelling them toward him from both sides. Oliver braced himself, crossing his arms to block. The impact was like a hammer, shaking his bones and rattling his teeth, but his suit held firm. He gritted his teeth, ready to counter, then froze.

A shadow loomed ahead. Katherine soared through the air, her silhouette framed by two massive blood wings. They pulsed like living things, dripping scarlet trails. In her hands, she gripped a colossal sword, its blade forged from the same crimson energy.

She swung. The blade carved a diagonal arc from Oliver's shoulder to his waist. Metal screamed as his armor split open, the cut so deep it bit into his flesh. Pain exploded through him, white-hot and searing. His blood sprayed, mingling with the crimson tendrils of Katherine's power.

"Fuck it!" Oliver snarled, clenching his jaw so hard his teeth ached. His suit whirred, green energy flaring as it stitched itself back together. But beneath the armor, his skin burned, blood seeping into the padding.

Katherine landed, her blood wings folding behind her, her eyes blazing through her visor. "You're not going anywhere, Green," she said, her voice a deadly promise.

"Don't mess with me, Green," she snapped, her voice sharp as a blade. "Tell me what happened, or I'll end you right here."

Oliver let out a low chuckle. The irony of being hurt by someone who wanted to protect him was almost too perfect. She took his laugh as a dare, stiffening her posture, her hands balling into fists.

He could've finished this fight in seconds. His Energy Pistol or Prometheus was enough to handle the mechs. However, he couldn't use anything that might reveal his identity. Also, any new power was kept hidden so his enemies couldn't anticipate his moves.

"Green, I'm not playing," Katherine growled. "You're my last lead. Talk now."

"Catch you later," Oliver teased, his grin widening. But his stance shifted, muscles tensing. He was done messing around.

With a deep breath, he unleashed the energy coursing through his suit. The air buzzed with static as power flooded every fiber of the armor, making his skin tingle. It was a risky move. The armor would consume much more energy, leaving him battered and bruised. It would also take hours to recharge. But right now, speed was everything.

With a swift kick, Oliver launched himself into the air. He soared toward a towering mech. Oliver swung his dagger, slicing through the mech's chest. The machine was split in half with a deafening screech, sparks raining down like a meteor shower. Without pausing, Oliver spun toward another mech, his boot slamming into its side. The impact crumpled its armor like tinfoil, sending it crashing into the dark water with a thunderous splash.

"Sorry, like I said," Oliver called out, wiping sweat from his brow. "Not today."

"You sure about that?" Katherine shot back, her voice dripping with defiance.

"Hermes-1, get me—" Oliver began, his fingers brushing the comms device on his wrist. But before he could finish, a force gripped him, yanking him down. His body slammed into the concrete with a bone-jarring crash, cracks spiderwebbing beneath him. Pain shot through his ribs, stealing his breath.

Groaning, Oliver glanced down—crimson chains, slick and pulsing like living veins, coiled around his boots.

"Not bad," he said, forcing a grin despite the ache in his chest.

"You haven't seen the half of it," Katherine replied, her voice low and dangerous. [Blood Coffin]

Katherine raised her hand, and the air grew heavy, thick with the metallic tang of blood. Scarlet liquid erupted from the concrete, spreading across the pier like a tide. It surged and swirled, painting the ground in red, as if the earth itself were bleeding. The pools rose in waves, faster than Oliver could blink, shaping into a cube around him. Its walls pulsed faintly, trapping him in a crimson prison.

Oliver tilted his head, his curiosity outweighing his caution. He'd underestimated Katherine, and part of him was eager to see what she could do.

[Execute]

Katherine's fist clenched, and the cube reacted instantly. Its walls snapped inward with a sickening lurch, shrinking until they pressed against his armor. Jagged spikes of hardened blood shot up from every surface. Each spike was as sharp as a blade and glinted like polished rubies. They hurtled toward Oliver in a deadly storm.

When the cube cracked open, it revealed the crimson spears, each strong enough to pierce steel. They filled every inch of the space, leaving no room for anything.

Yet Oliver was gone.

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