Malakor (Negative Warlord), Dagon (Negative Commander), and the frozen Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) watched as the plateau became a theater of slaughter.
Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) moved first. He charged at lightning speed, his movements leaving trails of frost in the air. Rex (Red Ranger) barely raised his arms to block, but the force of the collision sent him sliding across the ice. Rex (Red Ranger) tried to throw multiple punches in a desperate counter, but Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) dodged every single one with a bored expression. The traitor pulled out his jagged blue sword and began to slash Rex (Red Ranger) in every direction. The blade hissed as it cut through the red armor, drawing sparks and blood.
Rex (Red Ranger) flew back, crashing into a pillar of ice and breathing heavily. He pulled out his own sword, the metal glowing with a faint, dying heat. Both warriors charged at each other again. Their blades met with a scream of metal, but Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) was a master of his craft. He dodged every clumsy swing from Rex (Red Ranger) and used his negative power to freeze the ground beneath the boy's feet. Locked in place, Rex (Red Ranger) could only watch as Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) charged, his energy forming a massive Ice Dragon that struck Rex (Red Ranger) head-on.
The explosion of frost sent Rex (Red Ranger) spinning through the air. He hit the floor hard, his armor cracked and leaking energy. Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) screamed from her frozen prison. "You can't give up! I believe in you! Get up, Rex (Red Ranger)!"
Driven by her voice, Rex (Red Ranger) forced himself to stand. He channeled everything he had into a fire dragon strike, but Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) simply pointed his hand. "Absolute Zero," the traitor whispered. The fire died instantly, frozen into a statue of orange glass before it could even reach its target. Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) began to beat Rex (Red Ranger) without mercy, delivering blows to the head and chest, using his sword to slash the joints of the red suit.
"Listen to my voice, love!" Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) shouted. "Go left! Right! Sideways! Punch now!"
Following her commands, Rex (Red Ranger) actually managed to land a solid punch across the visor of Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger). Malakor (Negative Warlord) narrowed his eyes. Realizing that the boy might actually have a chance as long as she was helping him, Malakor (Negative Warlord) used his power to mute her voice.
"Shut up," Malakor (Negative Warlord) commanded. "Just watch. Stop teaching him."
Rex (Red Ranger) de-transformed from the sheer damage, his human body exposed to the sub-zero winds. He screamed and transformed back, but he could feel the absolute ice seeping through his suit. Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) continued to disgrace him, kicking him across the wasteland while Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) wept in silence, her mouth moving but no sound coming out.
As Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) raised his sword for the killing blow, Malakor (Negative Warlord) raised a hand. "Wait. Do not let me forget to motivate him."
Malakor (Negative Warlord) enabled her voice again. He began to charge his dragon breath, the same horrific technique he had used to slaughter the family of Rex (Red Ranger). A barrier of dark energy surrounded Solara (Original Yellow Ranger).
Rex (Red Ranger) charged at the barrier with full speed, his sword glowing. He struck the wall over and over, trying to cut through to save her, but the barrier would not penetrate. Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) and Dagon (Negative Commander) began to laugh at his desperation.
Rex (Red Ranger) dropped his sword. He began to beg. "Please! Please! I am sorry! Please don't do it!"
Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) looked at him through the dark glass of the barrier. She didn't look afraid. "Rex (Red Ranger), take it upon yourself to kill Malakor (Negative Warlord) so no one has to suffer what you have experienced. Defeat him. Become stronger. Be the strongest so no one ever suffers again. I love you. You are my everything."
Malakor (Negative Warlord) released the blast. The ancient flames swallowed her instantly. Instead of screaming, Solara (Original Yellow Ranger) smiled at Rex until the fire turned her into a handful of grey ashes.
"NOOOOOOO!" Rex (Red Ranger) shrieked.
He charged at the tyrant, but Malakor (Negative Warlord) caught him in the air with telekinesis. He held the boy suspended in the freezing wind. "That is the point," Malakor (Negative Warlord) said. "The weak must bow to the strong."
Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) stepped forward, looking down at his feet. "I am sorry, but Malakor (Negative Warlord) is absolute. I told you. You either join him or you die."
With a wave of his hand, Malakor (Negative Warlord), Dagon (Negative Commander), and Astrax (Negative Blue Ranger) vanished into the Negative Zone, leaving Rex (Red Ranger) alone in the wasteland.
The Birth of a Legend
"I am sorry," Rex (Red Ranger) whispered into the wind. "I have had enough. I must be the strongest."
Something inside him snapped. The boy who felt love was gone, burned away with the ashes of Solara (Original Yellow Ranger). He became broken forever. For three days straight, he did not sleep or eat. He visited every hidden master and every ancient site of power. Rangers across the galaxy began to hear whispers of a new warrior. They called him the New Ignis.
Rex (Red Ranger) became the legendary red. He showed no emotion. He spoke no unnecessary words. There was only a cold, predatory rage in his eyes. He hunted monsters across the stars, defeating every single one he faced with brutal efficiency.
One afternoon, Lyra (Original Pink Ranger) found him on a desolate moon. "Hi," she said softly. "I heard you are the legendary New Ignis."
Rex (Red Ranger) did not even look at her. He ignored her completely and teleported away to a volcano on a distant planet to continue his training. He became a ranger who lived only for power. He would find other rangers and beat them, taking their germs to increase his own strength. He was no longer a hero. He was a force of nature. He was just like Ignis (Original Red Ranger) had been, but perhaps even more dangerous.
The new Rex (Red Ranger) had arrived, and the universe trembled.