Ultimate Legacy: Recap
Space-time shattered, leaving reality in shambles. The Ultimate Power Rangers traveled through the fading remnants of reality to find the Time Shards, unlocked with the Grand Powers of previous Ranger teams, needed to restore the universe.
Before the Shattering: Tommy Oliver tasked Adam Park with forming the Jungle Fury Ranger team to protect the Shaded, children born from demon-possessed parents. The Shaded played a part in plans to break the Seven Seals of the Dark One’s prison.
The Fifth Seal broke when the Mystic Rangers defeated N’Ma, accidentally causing the Apocalypse. N’Ma’s death freed the Hell gods of all mythologies, including Lucifer. Then, the barrier separating the mortal realm from the other gods collapsed, allowing them to enter the mortal realm directly for the first time ever. This event expelled the angels from Heaven, an act called the Fall.
Ultimate Legacy: Chapter Twelve
End of Days
The alternate versions of Casey and R.J. spun through oblivion. Their bodies unraveled as matter and energy shattered around them. With fragmented minds, their memories floated between their pasts and the pasts of their alternate selves, including memories from the Prime Reality.
"This can’t be real…" Casey whispered.
"It is." R.J. kept his eyes fixed on the Legacy Galleon in the distance. "But they can stop it. They can…They just have to remember…"
Casey opened his eyes wide with panic; R.J. unraveled and vanished into nothingness, disappearing completely.
"R.J.!" Casey shouted just as the emptiness swallowed him whole.
The Rangers shook within their cockpit. Total emptiness surrounded their ship and threatened to tear apart their hull.
"This is worse than a reality storm…" the Green Ranger gripped his wheel and struggled to stay on his feet. "It’s…I’m not even sure what it is!"
"We’ll just have to power through," the Red Ranger said.
"There’s nothing to power through!" the Green Ranger shouted. "We’re like our own pocket dimension floating in the middle of…nothing!"
"Like a vacuum?" the Yellow Ranger asked.
"No, a vacuum would be something," the Green Ranger said. "This is nothing. Literally, big blob of nothingness. Actually, not even a blob, because that would be something. This is nothing."
"You’re rambling," the Pink Ranger said.
"No, I’m panicking, there’s a difference," the Green Ranger said.
Suddenly, their Jungle Fury Ranger Keys flashed with bright energy. A sliver of time and space appeared in front of the Rangers, hovering within the cockpit.
"A Time Shard!" the Pink Ranger shouted.
The Red Ranger snapped open his Jungle Fury Key. "Unlock it."
"Um, bad timing?" the Green Ranger said.
"Perfect timing," the Red Ranger said. "We’ll use the Time Shard to jump out of here."
"That…doesn’t even make any sense!" the Green Ranger shouted.
The Red Ranger smirked beneath his helmet. "You have a better idea?"
"…" The Green Ranger sighed and snapped open his own Jungle Fury Key. "Fine. ‘Let’s make this showy, time to take care of business, etcetera, etcetera.’"
The Rangers ignited the Jungle Fury’s Grand Power and unlocked the Time Shard.
(New Generation Year Six)
A supernatural storm covered the Midwest. Clouds twirled through gale-force tornadoes and hurled bolts of lightning. Thunder echoed loudly enough to shake the fields and towns below.
The storm bellowed with the power of the gods, literally. Deities of various mythologies battled, their giant outlines barely visible as traces of wind, lightning and darkness.
Below, Casey, Theo, Lilly, Dominic and R.J. scurried through an abandoned town. Lightning scorched the streets around them and struck through buildings, filling the air with explosions of fire and electricity.
"This was a bad idea!" Dom shouted, but the others couldn’t hear him over the sound of thunder and wind.
Suddenly, a trio of tornadoes stretched from the skies and thrashed through the empty town, tearing apart buildings and ripping off rooftops.
Bursts of power hurled the rangers off their feet, scattering them across town and sending them flying through buildings.
Casey crashed through a storefront and smashed onto a glass display case, which shattered on impact and knocked him unconscious.
Hours passed. Casey’s vision blurred back into focus. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and looked around the abandoned store, torn apart by wind and lightning. He glanced up through the gaping hole in the ceiling and noticed the storm had passed.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close…"
The rangers didn’t expect to get caught in a battle between the gods. They went to the Midwest to search for Evan, a young Shaded who disappeared around the same time Simon Kaden came back from the dead.
"Casey!" a voice shouted from the street outside. "Theo!"
Casey recognized Lilly’s voice. He went outside and saw her limp across the street, cluttered with rubble and debris.
He started to call for her but coughed instead.
"This is crazy!" Dominic shouted from the other end of the road. He joined R.J. and Theo outside, and they walked towards Casey and Lilly. "The world is ending and we’re looking for some kid?! I don’t care if he’s as cute as a button!"
R.J. arced an eyebrow, and Dom shrugged. "I’m just saying."
"Well don’t just say," Lilly said. "Our whole job was to protect the Shaded before they went dark-side, and that included Evan. He was our friend. He counted on us."
"A lot of people are counting on us," Dom said. "That’s why we should be doing something useful."
"Dom, it’s not just Evan," Casey said. "The Shaded are tied to everything that’s happening."
"Uh, guys," R.J. said as he looked around the war-torn block. "Are you seeing this?"
The others looked at what R.J. saw: Scorch marks across the pavement and sides of buildings. Each scorch mark looked human-shaped with a massive wing span.
Theo knitted his brow. "Were those…angels?"
"This is getting unreal," R.J. said.
"Getting?" Dom said. "It’s been unreal since-"
Suddenly, the clouds darkened and crackled with electricity. Lightning flashed, and comets fell through the air. They exploded within the abandoned town, leaving scorch marks of angels turned to ash.
Casey shook his head. "Something’s killing them."
"I’d rather not find out what," Dom said.
"Let’s get out of here," Lilly said.
Casey nodded, and the rangers fled from the broken town.
Miles away, police sectioned off a roadway bridge that spanned a wide river. Forensic scientists took pictures of men and women, strewn about lifelessly with burnt-out eyes. Black scorch marks spread from their backs like wings.
A trio of Night Troops surveyed the area. Gavin, a young Shaded, Gen, a half-demon, and Tokimori, their leader, wore normal clothing to blend in with their surroundings.
Gavin shook his head with disbelief. "It happened again. Just like New Mexico…"
Tokimorinodded, a grim look on his face. "Gen, see what you can find from above."
Gen vanished with a blur of motion.
Tokimori ducked beneath the police tape and walked towards the crime scene. Gavin followed.
Two officers approached the Night Troops. "Stay back."
Tokimori flipped open a fake badge. "It’s OK. Agent Jensen, Homeland Security. What have we got?"
The officer sighed and shook his head, looking back towards the carnage. "No God-damn idea. A driver reported bodies in the middle of the street. We showed up to find this."
Gavin narrowed his eyes as he looked closer. "They look like they were burnt from the inside out."
The officer arced an eyebrow at Gavin. "Aren’t you a little too young to be an agent? Get out of here, kid."
"He’s with me," Tokimori said, offering no further explanation.
The officer muttered something about "god-damn FEDs" and moved back to the crime scene. Tokimori and Gavin followed.
"It’s a little different this time," Gavin said. "They weren’t angels. They were angels possessing humans. I didn’t think that was possible…"
"Only if the hosts are willing," Tokimori explained. "Some angels must have tried to hide after the Fall."
When the Fifth Seal broke, the gods entered the mortal realm for the first time, and Heaven expelled all the angels to Earth, an event called the Fall.
"Why hide?" Gavin asked.
"I doubt every angel wants to fight in the Apocalypse," Tokimori said.
"I suppose not…" Gavin said.
Tokimori stepped next to a run-down car and spread a map across its hood. The Night Troop pulled a pendant from his pocket and dangled it over the map. The pendant glowed with blue light and swung in a circle.
Gavin glanced around to see if anyone noticed. "Don’t you think someone’s going to see that…?"
"Everyone’s a bit preoccupied at the moment, I doubt they’ll notice." The pendant throbbed with power as it hovered over the map.
"What are you even doing?" Gavin asked.
"We should be able to zero in on the source of these attacks."
"You mean ‘murders,’" Gavin said. "This was a slaughter."
Tokimori nodded. "Either way, we need to find the cause. And I think I just did."
The pendant stopped swinging over a small town called Alliance, Nebraska. "There," Tokimori said. "The source of the angel’s trouble."
"What is it?" Gavin asked.
The pendant shattered.
Tokimori narrowed his brow and stared at the broken chain. "A very bad omen…"
Tyler, Seth, Mat, Kira and Kym walked through the vision, which parted like mist.
Kym looked down upon the scorch marks left by the bodies of dead angels.
"What’s killing them?" she asked.
"Who knows? Spiteful Tooth Faeries, maybe?" Mat shook his head. "I’ve lost track of basically everything at this point."
Tyler knitted his brow and stared into the distance. "This is Earth during the Apocalypse," he said. "After the Mystic Rangers killed N’Ma and released the Hell Gods."
The landscape shifted like dust blowing in the wind. Light reformed to a vision of the Heavenly Saint, Mikhail, appearing before the Jungle Fury team.
The Jungle Fury Rangers didn’t know Mikhail. And he had little time to explain himself. Instead, he waved his hand, which flashed with Holy Light. The light shared his story– the brief version: The Heavenly Saints banished him into a mortal body for meddling with Time Magick. Now, in human form, he tried to help the Rangers stop the breaking of the Seven Seals and Rise of the Dark One. Only two Seals remained, the Sixth and Seventh.
Mikhail explained the source of the angels’ deaths: A boy named Jesse.
The rangers managed to find Jesse and meet with him. He seemed like a normal grade-school kid, adopted by a nice family, and oblivious to his own power, which manifested through outbursts of anger. He could summon bursts of energy, seismic forces, and even alter reality to bring inanimate objects to life as demons.
They also tracked down his birth mother, Julia, who reluctantly told them about a prior demon possession that lasted nine months– just long enough to conceive and give birth to Jesse. She gave him up for adoption and fled to live in seclusion.
The rangers regrouped with Mikhail to discuss their findings.
"It’s lucky you found the boy," Mikhail said.
"Oh yeah, real lucky," Dom said.
"What do we do with him?" Lilly asked.
"Kill him," Mikhail said matter-of-factly.
Casey narrowed his eyes. "Mikhail…"
"This child is half demon and half angel, but its far more powerful than either. Other cultures call this hybrid cambion or katako. You know him as the Anti-Christ," Mikhail said.
"So Jesse’s the devil’s son?" Theo asked.
"Of course not," Mikhail said. "Your Bible gets more wrong than it does right. The Anti-Christ is not Lucifer’s child. It is just demon spawn. But it is one of the devil’s greatest weapons in the war against Heaven."
"If he’s a demon nuke-bomb, what’s he doing in Nebraska?" R.J. asked.
"The demons lost him," Mikhail said. "They can’t find him…but they’re looking."
"And they lost him because?" Lilly asked.
"Because of the child’s power. It hides him from both angels and demons. For now," Mikhail said. "With Lucifer and the Gods of the Underworld risen, the child grows stronger. Soon, his powers will grow strong enough to draw the demons to him. The demons will find this child. They will twist him to Lucifer’s purpose. And then, with a word, he will destroy the Host of Heaven."
Images shifted to the home of Jesse, in a rural area of Nebraska. Adopted, he lived with his elderly parents and kept to himself.
The young boy sat on the living room floor and played with a set of Beetle Borg action figures. He made blaster noises as he bashed the figures together, telling a story through the toys.
He had no way of comprehending the power he emanated; power that attracted the forces of light and darkness.
The Knights of the True Cross dispatched a squad of exorcists to the boy’s town. They planned to wipe the child from existence.
Tokimori led a group of Night Troops, with the goal of capturing the boy and turning him into a weapon of their own use.
Azmodai, the First Demon, learned of the boy’s existence and sent minions to capture him. Azmodai believed the boy played a role in breaking the Dark One from his prison.
The five Jungle Fury Rangers arrived last.
They saw exorcists and Night Troops scattered across acres of empty land that surrounded the boy’s rural home. The two forces fought against one another, with flashes of steel and bullets, and blazes of spells.
Yellow Jaguar shook her head at the sight. "This is going to get messy."
"Which ones are the bad guys?" Blue Jaguar asked.
They heard footsteps come from behind, and snapped around to see Arthur Angel and a group of exorcists: Sword-wielding Knights, gun-carrying Dragoons, spell-casting Arias, and demon-summoning Tamers.
Arthur unsheathed a sword that practically glowed in the darkness. "Step aside, Rangers. The boy must die."
"Bad guy." Red Tiger and the others slid into fighting stances.
"Very well…" Arthur armed his Cross Knuckle: "READY."
"I! Arthur Angel! Paladin of the Knights of the True Cross! Guardian of goodness and justice! Do, with all my power, command you to stop! Or…face my might! Awaken!"
He snapped his Cross Knuckle onto his Cross Belt: "AWAKEN."
Energy flashed around him as he transformed into Kamen Rider Cross.
Violet Wolf looked towards his teammates. "Dom and I will take Cross Face. You guys get to Jesse."
Kamen Rider Cross armed his Cross-Calibur. "You villains will find that I-"
The Violet Wolf Ranger pounced and kneed Kamen Rider Cross upside the head.
The Rider staggered backward and slashed wide. Violet Wolf dodged, shuffled behind the Rider, and struck.
"Ban Ban Shuu!" He jumped onto the Rider’s back and elbowed his head, knocking him to his knees.
Kamen Rider Cross twisted and swung upward, slashing Violet Wolf with a burst of spark that whipped him off his feet.
"Do not touch me, wolf!" Kamen Rider Cross shouted as he stood.
White Rhino charged and chopped his Rhino Blade. Kamen Rider Cross blocked and parried with bursts of spark; White Rhino continued his advance. Their blades clashed and sparked as they circled one another.
The Rider side-stepped and round-kicked the White Rhino Ranger's helmet.
"You attack with such savagery." Kamen Rider Cross swung upward, slashing the Ranger with a burst of spark that sent him staggering backward.
The White Rhino Ranger cursed beneath his breath. "You don't ever shut up, do you?"
"I am Arthur Angel!" Kamen Rider Cross shouted. "I never-"
"Rhino Blade! Ei Ei Tou!"
White Rhino swung upward through a streak of orange energy that slashed towards Kamen Rider Cross. The blast ripped through the dirt and bashed against the Rider with massive bursts of spark, hurling him off his feet.
Red Tiger, Blue Jaguar, and Yellow Cheetah ran towards Jesse's home. Demonic energy circled the house like a tornado, with wind that howled like the cursed screams of the damned.
Knights of the True Cross and Night Troops scattered across the yard as they battled.
Yellow Cheetah cursed beneath her breath. "How are we supposed to get through that?"
Red Tiger tilted his head as he stared at the storm. "We move with the wind," he said. "Instead of fighting the storm, we let it guide us through."
"That…actually makes sense," Yellow Cheetah said.
Blue Jaguar nodded. "It will take some crazy-good technique."
"Good thing we have you along then," Red Tiger said as he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. "Take the lead?"
"Glad to," Blue Jaguar said.
Before they could move, the ground shifted; three demons shaped like hulking piles of dirt, plants and mud emerged from the earth. They towered several meters high, with massive trunk-like tentacles for arms.
Red Tiger shifted into a defensive stance. "It’s Jesse…" Red Tiger said. "He must know we’re coming."
"You mean he made those things?" Yellow Cheetah asked.
"Wouldn’t be the first time," Blue Jaguar said.
The Rangers scattered just in time to dodge the demons’ fists. The creatures smashed the ground with shockwaves of seismic force and dirt.
The three Rangers rolled into crouched positions and armed their Claw Boosters.
"Jungle Master Mode!" Energy wrapped around them as they morphed into their powered-up forms.
Red Tiger flared with KaGeki and shot towards the center demon with the speed and force of a cannonball. He blasted through the monster, which tore to pieces and exploded with massive bursts of flame.
The Red Ranger shot into the air to strike again, but before he could, another demon rose from the surface. It swatted the Ranger from the air.
Red Tiger crashed and skid across the ground, tearing up grass and dirt.
Blue Jaguar and Yellow Cheetah moved in. They hacked and slashed, tearing through the demons, but the creatures acted as if they felt nothing. A demon swatted Yellow Cheetah aside, and a second demon kicked Blue Jaguar through the air.
The demons regrouped and stalked towards Red Tiger, who struggled to climb to his feet.
The middle demon lifted his fist like a massive club ready to strike; before he could, a burst of golden energy smashed into the demon’s back and knocked him to the ground. The light dissipated to reveal Jarrod in his Black Lion armor.
An invisible whip thrashed the other two demons, hurling them off their feet. The whip retracted; Camille shimmered into view, in her Green Chameleon armor.
"Jarrod…" Red Tiger said with surprise as he climbed to his feet. "Camille…"
"Do not bother to thank me, ranger," Black Lion said. "We are not allies. We simply share a common enemy, yet again."
"Jesse…"
"Yes," Black Lion said. "The boy must die."
"No!" Red Tiger shouted. "He’s just a kid!"
"He is the Anti-Christ– an agent of the Apocalypse."
"Not yet he’s not!"
"Look around you, you fool," Black Lion said. "The evil here will spread, feeding the Dark One and his forces. You-"
An invisible blast smashed Black Lion off his feet. He crashed and skid across the ground. When he rolled into a crouched stance, he noticed Evan standing with his eyes narrowed.
"Leave him alone," Evan said defiantly, despite his meek appearance.
Black Lion tilted his head and stood. "You…my ‘brother’ and fellow heir of DaiShi. There is something…different about you."
"Yeah, I kind of don’t have a soul," Evan said. "It really sucks."
"Evan!" Yellow Cheetah shouted as she and Blue Jaguar ran towards him.
The boy lifted his hand with a wave of invisible energy; the blast smashed the Rangers off their feet.
Evan shifted into his Shaded form, with chalk-white hair and skin, and solid black eyes except for red irises.
"Evan…" Red Tiger and his teammates climbed to their feet. "What are you doing?"
"I didn’t come here to help you," he said. "I came here to…feel something."
"To what?" Yellow Cheetah asked. "Evan-"
"To feel something!" he shouted.
"The boy has no soul," Black Lion explained. "He is void of emotion. Void of feeling."
Evan narrowed his eyes. "Stop talking about me like I’m not here."
He pounced and swung his fist, firing a bolt of black light that Black Lion swatted aside.
"Fool," Black Lion said. "Even without a soul, you strike out like a brat."
"This boy you’re trying to kill…" Evan said. "I’ve been watching him. Talking to him…"
"You…" Black Lion’s body stiffened with surprise. "You what?"
"He’s interesting," Evan said. "And his power…it called to me."
Nearby, the Rangers climbed to their feet. Red Tiger started to move towards Black Lion and Evan, but Yellow Cheetah held him back.
"Wait," she said. "Remember why we’re here. This may be our best chance to get to Jesse."
"But Evan…"
"I know," Yellow Cheetah said. "But Jesse’s the one lashing out and killing people. We have to help him first. Then we’ll come back for Evan."
Red Tiger nodded. "OK…Come on."
The three Rangers turned and ran towards the home.
Three exorcists slashed their swords towards Gen. Gen shot over the exorcists, flipped through the air, and blasted towards them. He clawed through the Knights before they could react.
Nearby, a Night Troop leapt through the air and hurled a volley of wooden stakes. The stakes stabbed through several Dragoons and sparked with electrical power, knocking them unconscious.
Meanwhile, Violet Wolf and White Rhino circled Kamen Rider Cross.
Violet Wolf pounced with a flying knee strike. The White Ranger charged and chopped his Rhino Blade.
Kamen Rider Cross spun and swung his sword, slashing the Rangers aside with bursts of spark.
The Rider stepped into a defensive stance. "And now...face my true power!"
He shifted his buckler, which ignited with power: "BURST MODE."
His armor crackled with energy and transformed into its powered-up form: Burst Mode.
He extended his pommel and thrust his hilt, which fired blaster bolts. The two Rangers dashed aside as the blasts sparked around them.
"Flee before my might!" Kamen Rider Cross shouted.
The Rider shifted his buckler, igniting a surge of power that washed over his blade: "CROSS JUDGEMENT."
His chest glowed with golden light, and power bled behind him in the shape of a sun.
Energized, he swung his blade through a streak of fiery power.
White Rhino lifted his Rhino Blade and blocked the blow, sparking massive bursts of energy. He side-kicked Kamen Rider Cross; Violet Wolf moved in next with a flying knee strike upside the head. The blow hurled the Rider off his feet. He crashed and skid across the ground, with an impact that knocked him from his armor with flashes of golden light.
Arthur moaned with annoyance as he rolled onto his stomach and lost consciousness.
"Good…" White Rhino said. "He finally shut up."
Violet Wolf nodded. "Come on," he said. "Let’s get back to the others."
Mikhail walked into Jesse’s home and found the boy sitting on the living room floor. Jesse looked up from his toys and opened his eyes wide with shock.
"Who…who…" he stammered with fear.
"Don’t be afraid…" Mikhail said as he adjusted the mystical dagger beneath his coat sleeve. "I won’t hurt you."
"Mom!Dad!" Jesse screamed.
"Your mother and father are sleeping," Mikhail said. "I assure you, they won’t wake until morning."
Jesse’s breath quickened, and he scrambled to his feet.
"I’m sorry." Mikhail unsheathed the knife.
Two things happened before the Heavenly Saint could strike. Casey, Theo, and Lilly kicked through the front door, and a flash of dark light sparked through the living room.
"Jesse…" Lilly said. "Was there a man here? In a trench coat?"
Jesse pointed towards the floor, to an action figure shaped like Mikhail.
Theo leaned down and lifted the figure. "Is this really him?"
"Was he your friend?" Jesse asked.
"Him? No," Casey said.
"I did that…but how did I do that?"
Lilly smiled and leaned closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You’re special, Jesse. You have powers…just like the three of us."
"Powers?" he asked.
"Yeah," Casey said with a reassuring smile. "We’re Rangers. You heard of us?"
Jesse nodded.
"Good," Casey said. "We can take you someplace safe. To the same person who taught us how to use our powers. He was a Ranger too."
Suddenly, an invisible force hurled the rangers off their feet and pinned them against the wall.
Julia stepped into the living room. Her eyes flashed black, demon-possessed.
"They’re lying to you, Jesse," she said.
Jesse’s breath quickened with panic. "Leave them alone!"
Julia smirked and walked closer to the boy. "Jesse…you’re so beautiful. You have your father’s eyes."
"Who are you?"
"I’m your mother," she whispered.
"No you’re not."
"Mm-hmm," she said. "Half of you is one of us."
"She means demons, Jesse!" Casey shouted.
She held up her hand and tightened her fist. Invisible energy tightened within Casey’s chest, and he struggled to breathe.
"These people you call your parents…they lied to you," Julia said. "You’re not theirs. Not really."
"My mom and dad love me."
"Do they? Is that why they leave you alone all day? Because they love you so much? These people, these impostors, they told you that the tooth fairy was real and that your toys could hurt you and a hundred other things that aren’t true. They love you so much, they made your whole life a lie. Look into your heart, Jesse. You’ve always known you weren’t theirs. You’ve always known you were different. Everyone has lied to you."
"Then what am I?"
"You’re powerful. You can warp reality. You can have anything you want. Do anything you want."
"Don’t listen to her, Jesse!" Lilly shouted.
The demon lifted her hand, and Lilly gagged with blood.
"They treated you like a child. Nobody trusted you. Everybody’s lied to you. Doesn’t that make you angry?"
Jesse clutched his fists; the room rattled, and the lights burned brighter, sizzling with electricity.
"See? It does make you angry. But I’m telling you the truth, Jesse."
Dishes and windows shattered, and the lights flickered.
"Wouldn’t it be better if there were no lies? Come with me and you can wash it all clean. Start over. Imagine that– a world without lies."
"Jesse," Casey pleaded. "She’s right. We have lied. But we’re telling the truth now!"
Jesse knitted his brow.
Julia tightened her hand into a fist. Invisible energy wrapped around Casey’s throat and started to choke him.
Jesse shook his head. "Stop."
He swung his hand; invisible energy bashed Julia off her feet and pulled up a chair for her to land in.
The demon grinned with delight. "You are powerful…"
"I wanna hear what he has to say," Jesse said.
"Jesse…" Casey continued. "The truth is, your powers are out of control. It’s like they’ve taken on a life of their own. They’re lashing out, hurting people, and killing angels."
"So I’m…a demon?" he asked.
"Part demon," Casey said. "But a part of you is human too. And part angel. There’s good inside you. You have a choice-"
Invisible energy ripped the side of the house apart. Azmodai stepped through the gaping hole and smiled, smugly, as he walked towards Jesse.
"My, my. How you’ve grown," Azmodai said.
Jesse opened his eyes wide with fear. "Who…who…"
"I am the answer to all your troubles," Azmodai said. "I stand at the pinnacle-"
Violet and orange energy bashed into Azmodai, knocking him several steps backward. The demon looked to see R.J. and Dom leap into the home.
"Stay back!" R.J shouted.
"R.J…" Azmodai said with a crooked grin. "How lovely to see you, my son."
R.J. tightened his hands into fists. His knuckles crackled with violet power. "I’m not your son. I had a father. And you killed him…"
"Well, you humans do break oh-so easily…"
R.J. pounced with a flying knee blow aimed towards Azmodai’s face.
Before he could strike, black-and-gold energy swept through the living room, bashing R.J. and Dom aside.
Jarrod and Camille stepped into the home.
Lilly sighed. "This is getting ridiculous…"
"Boy." Jarrod glared at Jesse. "Your life has come to an end."
Jesse narrowed his eyes.
"Stop it!" he shouted with a force that exploded outward. The shockwave blasted his home to pieces and hurled everyone through the air.
Jesse lifted his hand; invisible energy grabbed Julia and held her in midair. "Leave me alone!"
With a thought, Jesse forced the demon from the woman’s body. She screamed; black smoke poured from her mouth as her whole body wretched.
Jesse tossed her aside and collapsed to his knees. He breathed heavily as he stared at his hands, which dampened with his own tears.
"I wanna go home…" he whispered. "I wanna go home…"
"Jesse!" Evan shouted as he moved through the wreckage. He spoke with feigned caring and concern, doing his best to act like a friend. Evan crouched next to Jesse and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Jesse shook his head, his eyes wide with shock and sorrow.
Evan nodded. "It’ll be OK…" He spoke softly and cradled Jesse’s head. "I promise. I know what you’re going through…"
"I want…" Jesse whispered. "I want my mom…"
"I know," Evan said. "And I want my soul back. But yours will have to do."
Evan snapped Jesse’s neck.
Kym gasped. "I can’t believe he did that…Why?"
"He absorbed Jesse’s soul," Seth said. "His power."
The images shifted and dissipated into smoke. When the smoke cleared, the rangers found themselves back within their cockpit.
"Well…" Mat said. "That was unsettling."
"Guys, look," Kira practically shouted.
They looked out the viewport and noticed an unusual sight, even for them. Chunks of planets and asteroids spread across the area like a solar system, cobbled together with interlinking conduits of energy. Thousands of Armada ships floated between the make-shift planets, patchworks of various fragments of space and time.
"The Armada…" Kym whispered.
Seth tightened his grip on his controls. "We’re in their main hub…" he said. "Their home…"
To be continued…Chapter 13