Beyond all space and time

Reality shattered, leaving shards of time and space in an endless void. The Ultimate Power Rangers journeyed through this void to learn the secrets of the end of existence. Using Ranger Keys, they unlocked Time Shards to slowly unravel the broken pieces of history.

The Shards revealed this story.

The Ginga Forrest

The Ginga Tribe lived within the safety of a pocket dimension, sealed against the danger of intruders. Tommy Oliver had chosen this place to hide his fiance, Ashley, and son Tyler, to keep them safe.

Tyler sat around a campfire at night, the light from the flames reflecting in his hazel eyes. Ten-years-old, he never lived a normal childhood, often hunted by those who wanted to use the power of his bloodline, the bloodline of the Dragon and Phoenix.

Ashley and Tommy actually lost him for a time, after the emergence of the Dark One’s Shadow Line. Once reunited, Ashley and Tommy vowed to redouble their efforts to keep the boy safe. They sought that safety within the Ginga Forrest.

As Tyler stared into the flames, he somehow felt the struggles of his father. “Dad…” he whispered. “Where are you…?”

He knew his dad planned on leading the Rangers to stop the Forsaken from freeing the Dark One, but didn’t know the details. Fair enough. Tommy and Ashley didn’t know all the details either, like how when Tyler went missing, he somehow called on enough power to make him and a few other kids Rail Rangers, heroes modeled after a cheesy television show.

The boy sighed, pulled up his legs, and leaned his chin on his knees. He knew he could help his dad and the Rangers. But instead, he had to hide, and that drove him crazy.

“I know that look,” a voice said from behind. He turned to see Ashley walk towards him. The former Ranger took a seat on the grass, pulled up her legs, and leaned her chin on her knees. “Whatcha thinking about?”

“Dad…” Tyler whispered.

Ashley nodded. “Me too…”

“Don’t you wish you were helping him? I mean, we’re just sitting here and he’s out fighting.”

“I am helping him. By keeping you safe,” Ashley said. “You’re the most important thing in the world to him.” She leaned over and kissed his head. “To me too.”

Tyler blushed. “Thanks. But you know that’s not what I mean.”

“I know…” Ashley said.

The boy shook his head and looked back into the flames. “Did…did you know my mom?” he asked her for the first time. “My real mom, I mean.”

Ashley nodded, remembering Kimberly. “Just a little. She’d already moved to Florida when I met your dad.”

Tyler nodded. “Sometimes…I don’t know…I wonder what she would do. If she were here.”

“She wouldn’t want you to worry,” Ashley said. “And she’d want you to be safe.”

The boy sighed as he stared into the flames. For a moment, he felt like he could see an older version of himself staring back somehow, as if from outside of time and space.

An undisclosed location

Simon Kaden polished the demon sword Uramasa. The blade ebbed with the spirits of trapped souls. But more importantly, as a weapon forged by the Forsaken known as Serrator, it could kill the other Forsaken. Those immortals could only die by the weapons they crafted with their own hands.

Simon joined the ranks of the Forsaken not long ago, as a means towards his goal of killing the Dark One and stealing his power. With that power, Simon planned to free the world from its endless cycle of pain and anguish by restarting all of reality. And reshaping that reality.

The Forsaken didn’t trust Simon, but most sought to use him. Mesaana paid for that with her life, although her goals weren’t nearly ambitious as the others, if she even had goals other than feeding off the pain of mortals.

The Forsaken known as Long, on the other hand, wanted to unleash the Great Beast of Destruction upon the world. He tried to do so with the teenager known as Jarrod and demon called DaiShi– heir of the Mogralord– but he failed. Tommy Oliver and Adam Park’s team of Jungle Fury Rangers stopped Long.

But the Forsaken didn’t plan on giving up, apparently, Simon knew. Because he felt the villain hiding in the shadows.

“I can see you,” the former ranger said without turning around. “You’re not at all subtle.”

Smirking, Long stepped from the shadows. His red-and-golden robes appeared wrinkled and worn, and his hair looked disheveled.

“I wasn’t trying to be sneaky, young one…”

“Then what were you doing?” Simon kept his back to Long. Slowly, he lifted Uramasa and ran his hand along the blade. “Keep in mind, this is the only weapon in existence that can kill you.”

Long bowed, humbly and submissively, and took a step back. “Not entirely true, but true enough. You’ll find I’m not quite worth the trouble. Merely coming to say 'hi’ to the newest member of our ranks.”

“I doubt that.”

“Yes, I suppose you would…”

“I’ll ask you one more time.” Simon tightened his grip on the blade. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you for myself,” Long said, truthfully. “You see, being locked in a prison for the entirety of time and space can become…boring. Once released, I found Jarrod to play with, and the spirit of DaiShi. That spirit, that power, resides within you now, doesn’t it? Along with quite the quilt-work of energy and abilities.”

“The Dark Man tricked me into supercharging my soul, so that when I was killed, I could be strong enough to break out of Hell. That does tend to leave a mark.”

“Indeed, indeed.” Long dared to step closer to the former ranger. “I know what you are trying to do, Simon. Allow me to help you. I am a master of the First Fist. Of Genki. Yet another source of power for you to add to your arsenal.”

“If I wanted Genki I would kill you and take yours.”

“Of course, of course,” Long said, slinking back. “Then perhaps I can interest you in…this.”

The Forsaken pulled a stone tablet from his robes. Etched with runes, the tablet ebbed with a strength and spiritual pressure of its own, which Simon could feel, like a hum or vibration through the air.

“The Demon Tablet,” Simon said.

Long’s smile widened. “You’ve heard of it, I see. So many secrets, so much knowledge, all within these little runes. Legend says this tablet is one of three, the word of the gods, inscribed by the angel Metatron– a sort of instruction manual for all of reality. If you wish to kill the gods, and use their power to face the Dark One…these words of wisdom can only help. But what would help even more, are all three tablets, together.”

“And I suppose you know where to find the other tablets.”

“Of course. Your old home…the quaint metropolis now known as Demon City.”

Ruins of Angel Grove

Silver Guardians and ZECT Troopers patrolled the perimeter of Angel Grove. After the Second Countdown to Destruction, the center of Angel Grove became Demon City, a wasteland of demons, spirits and monsters, with a tear through reality that extended straight into Hell..

The taint was confined to Angel Grove Central, for the most part. But when Simon Kaden broke free from Hell and returned to life, he unknowingly broke a seal to the Dark One’s prison. When that seal broke, so did the supernatural barriers that contained Demon City. That evil spread across all of Angel Grove, and then outside of the city and into the world.

The government destroyed Angel Grove in a failed attempt to eliminate the threat. But Demon City remained.

Within Demon City, the villain named Xanathor commanded a legion of monsters, including demon-infused Death Knights and creatures called Worms. Tommy didn’t know why the villain chose to remain in Demon City. And to further complicate matters, Dr. William “Billy” Cranston’s INET organization seemed particularly interested in the area.

Tommy sent his most recent Ranger team, the Seraph Rangers, to investigate and report back to the Command Chamber.

The teens stayed in the shadows as they crept towards an outpost of Silver Guardians. They crouched low behind the ruins of a fallen building, and looked ahead to where Guardians and ZECT Troopers stood guard around a makeshift bunker.

Jake stayed down and sighed. “What are we doing here again?”

“Being covert,” Gia said, not even trying to hide her annoyance. “So stop talking.”

“Hey, I was only trying to-”

“Not now, Jake,” Troy said in his usual, half-dead demeanor. “We have to find out what all these INET troops are up to without causing any trouble.”

“Could you maybe wake up the next time you need to say something?” Jake asked. “You might as well have just yawned.”

“Guys, let’s focus,” Noah said. He nodded towards the distance. “It looks like they’re protecting that bunker. I bet whatever they’re here for…it’s in there.”

Emma nodded in agreement. “Too bad we can’t just go up and knock.”

Jake smirked. “Is that a challenge?”

“No,” Gia practically hissed.

The boy smirked. “Whatever. Sounds like a challenge. I’m going on.”

“Jake, don’t-”

He had already bolted to his feet and rushed towards the bunker, while crouching down low.

Gia shook her head. “This is why we can’t take him anywhere.”

“He’s going to get caught,” Emma said.

“Not if we help him,” Troy said. “Come on.”

Xanathor stood within his palace of black rock in the center of Demon City. He stared through a portal of green fel energy, and through that portal, he watched the Seraph team close in on the bunker.

“More of Tommy Oliver’s pets,” he whispered with a voice like ice. “How quaint.”

He didn’t like the idea of Rangers meddling in his domain, especially with his plans so close to fruition– all thanks to his new “allies.”

Three shadowy projections appeared behind him. One ebbed with strands of digital code. “Our alliance has only just begun. And already, you have Rangers encroaching on your domain.”

The other apparition appeared humanoid, but with wings folded across his body. “Allow me to serve you, oh great God of Death and Destruction.”

The third apparition scoffed. “No one trusts you, you winged miscreant.”

Xanathor ignored them and grabbed his broadsword. “I will deal with this personally.”

Troy slid a Power Card into his Totem Morpher. The card emitted a subtle breeze of energy– Invisabreeze– that shrounded the teens from sight as they followed Jake towards the bunker.

“Jake, slow down,” Noah whispered after his friend.

“Hey, I’m just trying to do our job,” Jake said defensively.

They made it to the door of the bunker, concealed by the Invisabreeze technique.

“Guys,” Emma whispered. “They’ll see the door open. We can’t just walk in…”

“Another challenge?” Jake asked.

Gia swatted his arm.

The doors opened, and two ZECT Troopers walked out. The teens scrambled back to avoid getting bumped into, and as soon as they had an opening, they rushed into the door before it closed.

“See?” Jake said. “Easy peasy.”

The others didn’t pay him any attention. Instead, their eyes fixed on the occupants of the bunker. Jake looked for himself, and his eyes opened wide.

The small room held five cylinders. And each cylinder held a captive: Seth, Kamen Rider SaSword; Marx, Kamen Rider The Bee; Skyler, Kamen Rider Drake; Dylan, Kamen Rider Gattack; and Tendou, Kamen Rider Kabuto. Their eyes closed, they looked unconscious, or possibly dead.

“Whoa…” Jake’s eyes opened wide. He recognized the captives from Tommy’s files. “Guys, those are Kamen Riders! Actual Kamen Riders!”

“But why are they being held captive?” Troy asked, his voice even and unsurprised.

Jake sighed. “Dude, seriously. Drink some coffee or something.”

Suddenly, ZECT Troopers burst into the room. They aimed their weapons at the teens and shouted.

“Freeze! Backs against the wall, now!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jake said, lifting his hands in a non-threatening manner. “Let’s not get carried away, no need to get trigger happy. We’re all good guys here…I think?

A soldier grabbed Jake and threw him to the floor. The other teens started to protest, but the troopers slammed them against the walls.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” one of them practically hissed.

“Yeah, I kinda got the sense of that,” Jake muttered.

Hearing the commotion, two Silver Guardians stepped into the bunker. They stopped in their tracks, taken aback by the sight of the teens, as well as the trapped Kamen Riders.

“What the…what the hell are you-”

The ZECT Commander gunned the two guardians down without mercy or hesitation. “So much for our cover.” He looked over his shoulder to some of his men. “Eliminate anyone who isn’t one of us. We’ll clean-up here.”

The troopers nodded and rushed outside, leaving only two behind with their commander.

Jake rolled aside and climbed to his feet, regrouping with his friends.

The commander and his two troopers started to blush, sweat, and steam, as if overheating. Their skin molted and dripped from their bodies, cooling to reveal their monster forms, Worms disguised as human.

https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Worm.bmp

“That explains it,” Jake said.

“Come on, guys,” Troy said. “It’s morphin’ time.”

They grabbed their Totem Morphers and inserted their transformation cards. They thrust the morphers forward and shouted: “Seraph Summon!”

Wings of energy flared from their morphers, wrapped around them, and morphed them into their armor.

The Rangers leapt outside, landed on top of the bunker, and snapped into fighting stances.

“Fury of the Dragon. Seraph Ranger Red.”

“Venom of the Snake! Seraph Ranger Black!”

“Bite of the Shark! Seraph Ranger Blue!”

“Claw of the Tiger! Seraph Ranger Yellow!”

“Flames of the Phoenix! Seraph Ranger Pink!”

“Earth’s defenders,” Seraph Red said. “Never surrender. Saint Task Force…”

Together they shouted: “Seraph Rangers!”

Seraph Black stepped forward. “Let’s step on some bugs!”

The five Rangers somersaulted through the air and landed among the army of Worms.

The Black Ranger and Yellow Ranger stood back-to-back.

Seraph Black loaded an attack card into his morpher, which spoke the command: “TENSOU!”

“Rock Rush!”

The spell lifted rocks and shot them like missiles towards the Worms. The barrage blasted through grunts with massive bursts of spark and ichor.

Seraph Yellow loaded an attack card into her morpher: “TENSOU!”

“Spark Quake!”

Vibrations shook beneath the Worms and sparked blasts of electricity, thrashing the villains’ bug-like armor.

Nearby, three Worms molted, their skin melting and dripping, bodies steaming, revealing their evolved forms. Mantis Worms.

https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Mantis%20Worm.bmp

The Mantis Worms sprang to attack with surprising speed, dashing back and forth past the Rangers, claws striking armor with bursts of spark.

Seraph Blue crashed and tumbled aside. A Mantis Worm leapt towards him, and he quickly inserted a card into his morpher: “TENSOU!”

“Defense Stream!” A wall of water sprang upward, and the Mantis Worm crashed into the barrier.

The Blue Ranger rolled to his feet and inserted another card into his morpher: “SUMMON BATTLE GEAR!”

“Shark Bowgun!” He fired arrows of blue energy that stabbed through the Mantis Worm with bursts of spark.

The monster staggered backward but stayed on his feet.

As one, the three Mantis Worms increased their speed to hyper levels, dashing back and forth and bashing the Rangers, claws and fists sparking on impact.

The attacks drove Seraph Black to his knees. “How are they moving that fast?! We can’t even-”

A claw slashed his helmet, whipping him backward.

Nat throttled his motorcycle through the outskirts of Angel Grove’s ruins. The Red SPD Ranger ignored the beeping from his morpher. Corinith had issued an Omega Level Code-Red, which signaled all INET-aligned Rangers to return and defend the city.

But Nat ignored the call.

Instead, he focused on a communications blackout that popped up near Demon City. Something told him he needed to focus his attention there, and he learned long ago to trust his instincts– mostly because they came from a parasitic alien called a Daemon that lived in his body, granting him preternatural senses.

The ranger skid his cycle to a halt when he noticed an all-too familiar sight, the bodies of Silver Guardians and ZECT Troopers strewn across the streets.

He flipped open his morpher, which also served as a communications badge. “DECA Base, this is Nat.”

“Go ahead, Nat, this is Swan.”

“I need a sweep on my location. I’ve got Guardians and ZECT Troopers down. At least…two units.”

He hopped off his cycle and walked among the dead, holding his morpher as Swan finished the scan.

“This can’t be right…” Swan said.

“What is it?”

“They were killed by blaster fire. ZECT ordinance.”

Nat narrowed his eyes. “It’s bad enough we have Oliver’s Rangers to fight. Now ZECT Troopers are turning against each other?”

“I’ll need to dig deeper into these readings,” Swan said. “I’ll notify-”

Thunder boomed in the distance. Nat snapped around, and the sounds of battle started to creep closer.

He sighed. “Something tells me I’ll have answers here in a bit. Contact the Commander. I’m going to need back-up.”

Within the bunker, the containment tubes slid open, and the Riders started to awaken. Dylan, Kamen Rider Gattack, winced and grabbed his forehead as he stepped out of the tube.

“What…what was that? I thought I was dead…”

His vision blurred into focus. He looked to see Tendou step from a similar tube. Tendou, Kamen Rider Kabuto, looked completely composed, per his usual calm-and-collected demeanor. He carried himself with an air of superiority.

“Almost dead,” Tendou said, wiping dust from his sleeve.

“Seriously?” Dylan said. “How are you not losing your mind right now?”

The other Riders stepped from their tubes as they awakened. The last thing Dylan remembered: Kamen Rider TheBee, still loyal to ZECT, hunted down Kamen Rider SaSword. Kamen Rider Drake got caught in the middle of the fight, and Kabuto and Gattack stepped in to help.

Dylan looked to see Marx, Kamen Rider TheBee, step from his tube. “What are you doing here? Did ZECT turn on you?”

Marx knitted his brow but said nothing.

Tendou looked to the dead Guardians on the floor. “I don’t think this was ZECT.”

“Worms?” Dylan asked.

Tendou nodded, noticing the residual goo of Worms that molted. “Looks like they tried to infiltrate ZECT. And captured us…”

Skylar arced an eyebrow. “How can you possibly tell that?”

Tendou smiled. “Grandmother always said…”

Dylan rolled his eyes, but Tendou continued.

“Look to your surroundings to steer you right, and they will never steer you wrong.”

Skylar shook his head. “Pretty sure your grandma was senile,”

Seth, Kamen Rider SaSword, ignored them all and opened the door; they immediately heard and saw the battle, Worms scrambling about the war-torn streets while fighting Rangers.

The teen sighed. “Fucking Demon City, I swear.”

Tendou smiled. “Looks like we’ll all be fighting together for once.”

He grabbed his Zector. Reluctantly, the other Riders did the same.

The Mantis Worms blurred across the battle scene, keeping the Rangers pinned down. The villains pommeled the Seraph team, slashing and bashing faster than the Rangers could see.

Just as quickly, and suddenly, the Worms fell, battered and defeated.

Seraph Black tilted his head. “Uh…did I miss something?

Seconds earlier…

The Kamen Riders slapped the sides of their belts, which spoke the command: “CLOCK UP”

The Riders extended fields of energy that manipulated time, making it slow to the point that everything looked frozen– except for the Riders and hyper-speed Worms. The time manipulation field allowed the Riders to match the villains’ speed.

Kamen Rider Kabuto took the lead Mantis Worm by surprise with a punch and kick. Gattack leapt at the monster from behind with a knife-hand chop to the neck.

Kamen Rider SaSword moved towards the second Mantis Worm. The Rider swung through a butterfly pattern, slashing the monster with bursts of spark.

He stepped back and lifted his blade.

“Rider Slash.” He flipped a lever on his sword’s Zector, which sparked a charge and spoke the command: “RIDER SLASH”

He slashed through a streak of violet energy that tore the Mantis Worm in two, its body bursting with sparks and ichor.

Kamen Rider TheBee lunged at the final Mantis Worm.

“Rider Sting.” He flipped a lever on his wrist Zector, which sparked a charge and spoke the command: “RIDER STING”

He punched with his stinger aiming from his fist. His stinger smashed the monster with massive bursts of spark, sending him staggering backward.

Kamen Rider Drake aimed his blaster at the Worm to finish him off.

“Rider Shooting.” He flipped his blaster’s Zector: “RIDER SHOOTING”

He triggered an energized pulse of power that tore through the creature, ripping it apart with bursts of spark and flame.

Nearby, Kabuto spin-kicked the lead Mantis Worm, and Gattack followed with a flurry of punches.

Kamen Rider Gattack armed his curved blades.

“Rider Cutting.” He flipped the level of his belt Zector, which spoke the command: “RIDER CUTTING”

He swung his blades outward through streaks of blue energy, tearing the Mantis Worm to pieces with bursts of spark.

The time field started to slow, and time returned to normal upon the warning from their Zectors: “CLOCK OVER”

Now

Seraph Black opened his eyes wide beneath his helmet. “Did the kamen Riders just save us? Sweet!”

TheBee wasn’t amused. He kicked and punched the Black Ranger to the ground.

“Hey!” Seraph Yellow rushed to defend her teammate.

TheBee leaned forward to attack, but Gattack held him back.

“What are you doing?!” Gattack shouted.

TeBee elbowed him away. “We’re not on the same side all of a sudden, just because we killed some Worms.”

Suddenly, a figure slammed to the ground with the force of a bomb; the shock wave hurled the Rangers and Riders off their feet, shooting them through the air and sending them crashing through nearby buildings.

Slowly, Seraph Red crawled from the rubble and climbed to his feet. When he looked up, he saw Xanathor standing at the landing site.

The Red Ranger remembered Tommy’s warning to avoid Xanathor. And he ignored that warning.

“You must be Xanathor,” Seraph Red said as he walked towards the villain.

Xanathor thrust his hand, firing a strand of violet energy that wrapped around the Ranger. Xanathor pulled back; the strand reeled Seraph Red into the villain’s grip. He held tightly onto the Ranger’s neck.

“I’ve grown tired of playing games with Rangers. A pity for you…”

Seraph Red struggled to break free but could barely breathe. Even with warning, he didn’t expect this level of raw strength from the villain. “What…are you…?”

“I am the one who will stand at the head of a new Pantheon of Gods. Let the Forsaken try to free the Dark One. Let the old gods fight amongst themselves. They will all fail. And from that failure, my new order will rise.”

Suddenly, explosions sparked against the villain’s armor, although he barely seemed to notice. Xanathor looked aside to see the other four Seraph Rangers charge towards him, their blasters held forward.

“Hmph.” He didn’t even bother to lift a hand. He merely uttered two words. “Ice Chains.”

Chains of ice lashed from the ground and wrapped around the four Seraph Rangers, pinning their arms to their sides, binding their legs, and knocking them to the ground.

“You and your companions reek of angelic energy. But you wield it like children.”

“We’ll…stop you,” Seraph Red gasped as he continued to struggle. His team beat the Warstar aliens, the Yuumajuu demons, and Machine Alice robots. He knew he could-

Xanathor kneed the Ranger, strike sparking on impact, and tossed him aside. Seraph Red crashed and tumbled across the ground, secondary explosions sparking across his armor.

DECA Red watched the battle from the fourth floor of a nearby ruined building. He cursed beneath his breath and opened a comm-line to his team.

“Are you in position yet? Those Seraph Rangers aren’t going to last. They really suck.”

“Not yet,” Commander Kruger answered. “Hold your position, Nat.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” the Red Ranger asked.

DECA Blue cut into the conversation. “Could you just listen for once? That guy is a demon warlord demi-god. We’re way out of our league. So just stay where you are until-”

“Last time I checked, you didn’t give the orders.”

“Nat, don’t do anything-”

DECA Red leapt through the window and flipped through the air, passing over Xanathor while facing down and opening fire with his D-Magnums. His blasts splashed across the villain’s armor with bursts of spark.

The Red Ranger landed with his back to Xanathor. He combined his D-Magnums into a single Hybrid-Magnum and turned towards his opponent.

“Magnum Shot!” He triggered a burst of orange energy that blasted towards the villain.

Xanathor swatted the blast aside. He thrust his other hand and fired a burst of unholy energy from his palm. The blast slammed against the Red Ranger with a burst of spark that hurled him backward.

The villain slashed, firing a wave of icy energy that shot towards the fallen Ranger.

Before the blast could strike, Seraph Red moved in to attack. He slid a Power Card into his Totem Morpher and snapped it shut: “TENSOU!”

He thrust the morpher forward. “Defense Storm!”

A wave of wind energy blew through the air and formed a wall, deflecting the villain’s frost blast with massive bursts of spark and ice.

Seraph Red ran to DECA Red’s side and helped him to his feet.

“Thanks…” DECA Red said begrudgingly. “Got one of those for me?”

“Maybe-”

Xanathor charged and slashed his sword. The two Red Rangers dodged, but barely; the villain’s blade clipped the side of DECA Red’s arm with a burst of spark, and slashed Seraph Red’s Totem Morpher from his hand.

The villain twisted his grip and slashed wide, striking the Red Rangers with bursts of spark that whipped them backward.

Xanathor charged his blade with unholy energy and stabbed towards Seraph Red. “Goodbye, irritant.”

A limp creature smashed against Xanathor and knocked him back several steps. He swatted the body away– the corpse of a dead Worm– and looked up to face a newcomer: Kamen Rider Kabuto.

“So…” Kabuto said. “You’re the source of the Worms.”

“And you. I know you, Kabuto…”

“As you should. I am the man who walks the path of the heavens to rule over all. Souji Tendou.”

“Do you expect me to take you seriously?” Xanathor asked. “With an introduction like that? I am an avatar of the God of Death and Destruction. You are nothing, clothed in the scraps of my creations.”

Slowly, Seraph Red and DECA Red staggered to their feet. The Seraph Ranger moved to Kabuto’s right, and the DECA Ranger stepped to Kabuto’s left. All three shifted into fighting stances.

Xanathor laughed, a cold rumble within the depths of his helm. “Very well.” He lifted his sword. “Come.”

DECA Red, Seraph Red and Kamen Rider Kabuto charged to attack.

DECA Red armed his morpher: “SWAT Mode, on!”

His badge flashed with energy that washed across his chest, morphing him into his SWAT Mode armor. He aimed his rifle and fired rapid bursts of orange energy.

Seraph Red loaded an attack card into his morpher: “TENSOU!”

“Twist Tornado!”

He thrust his morpher and fired a whirlwind of red energy.

The whirlwind wrapped around Xanathor and thrashed his armor, while DECA Red’s blasts pelted his body with bursts of spark.

Kamen Rider Kabuto leapt through the air with a flying kick.

Xanathor swung his sword wide, slashing through the wind and energy blasts. He slashed again, hacking the Rider from the air with a burst of spark.

The Rider flipped backward and landed in a crouched position.

Xanathor lunged and chopped at Kabuto; the Rider dodged, each blow forcing him back a step.

DECA Red jumped in, swung the end of his rifle, and bashed the back of the villain’s head. Xanathor slashed the Red Ranger aside, barely needing to pay attention.

Seraph Red slid a weapon card into his morpher: “SUMMON BATTLE GEAR!”

“Dragon Sword!” He hopped and slashed his blade.

But Xanathor blocked and kicked the Ranger backward. Seraph Red stumbled as Kabuto and DECA Red regrouped around him.

Xanathor slashed wide through a streak of unholy energy, striking the Rangers with massive bursts of spark that hurled them off their feet.

Kruger and Sam ran to the scene, their legs pumping as they passed the bodies of dead Silver Guardians and fallen ZECT Troopers. They made it to the edge of the battle and armed their morphers.

“Emergency! DECA Shadow!”

“Emergency! DECA Break!”

Their badges flashed with energy that wrapped around them as they morphed into their armor.

DECA Break rolled across the ground and slapped his palm against the earth, activating his bracer.

“Electric Fist!” His bracer triggered waves of electricity that shot through the ground and exploded beneath Xanathor.

DECA Shadow armed his sword and charged, slashing the villain with bursts of spark, moving as fast and efficiently as possible to take advantage of the villain’s surprise.

It didn’t last long.

Xanathor grabbed the Shadow Ranger’s blade. “You’re an actual dog?”

The villain’s hand ebbed with frost energy that traveled along the blade. Xanathor smashed the sword against his knee; it shattered to pieces. The villain kicked DECA Shadow with enough force to shoot him backward, crashing through a fallen building.

Xanathor charged his sword with unholy energy and stalked towards the fallen Shadow Ranger.

“Your powers are lacking, Shadow Ranger,” the villain said. “What made you think you could stand against an avatar of a god?”

Suddenly, the Seraph Rangers’ Lion Totem shot down from the skies and shifted shape into an armored Ranger form: Seraph Knight.

The Knight snapped into a fighting stance. “The Angel of Purity! Seraph Knight!”

Xanathor looked over his shoulder towards his new opponent. “More angels?”

The Seraph Knight armed his sword and charged, slashing and chopping as Xanathor blocked and parried. Their swords clanged and sparked on impact, both combatants twirling their weapons through tight and powerful arcs.

Xanathor swung wide. Seraph Knight slid back to avoid the blow. The Knight twisted his grip on the sword and energized the blade with golden power.

“Knight Metallic!” He swung the blade through a streak of power that slashed Xanathor, sparking on impact.

From behind, DECA Shadow climbed to his feet and charged. He launched a flying side-kick that bashed the villain’s back. Xanathor whipped his blade around and slashed DECA Shadow with a burst of spark. The villain followed with a wide swing that hacked Seraph Knight backward.

Seraph Red climbed to his feet amid piles of rubble and debris. His teammates regrouped around him.

“Troy!” Seraph Pink shouted. “Are you okay?”

The Red Ranger shook his head. “Xanathor’s too powerful. He tossed us around like we were nothing.”

“We can beat him if we work together,” Seraph Pink said.

Seraph Yellow nodded. “Never surrender, right?”

Suddenly, a fel portal opened in the skies. A blur of motion shot from the portal and slammed past the Rangers with bursts of spark.

The blur landed on the rooftop of a ruined building and looked down towards his opponents.

The Rangers looked up and recognized him instantly.

“No way…” Seraph Black said. “Vrak?”

Vrak had fought alongside all of the Seraph Rangers’ villains: The Warstar, the Yamajuu, and Metal Alice. The later had turned Vrak into a cyborg, which the Rangers destroyed. Apparently, that didn’t stick.

“My true name is Brajira,” the villain said.

“You’re supposed to be dead!” Seraph Yellow shouted.

“You’ll find I’m much harder to kill than your average monster,” Brajira said. “When you destroyed my machine body, it was like breaking me free from a cocoon, allowing me to assume my true form.”

Seraph Blue tilted his head, noticing the villain’s wings. “What are you?”

“A Fallen Angel, freed from Hell when Simon Kaden escaped from Hades and broke one of the Seals of the Dark One’s prison.”

“That’s great,” Seraph Black said, waving the villain away. “But we can only deal with one villain at a time, you’ll have to get in line.”

Brajira laughed, a menacing noise. “Cowards. What you are witnessing here is part of my grand design.”

“We don’t care about your grand design, Vrak!” Seraph Yellow shouted.

“Don’t you? I thought that was why you were here? To spy, and learn Xanathor’s intentions? Well, Rangers, his intentions are my own. I convinced him to form an alliance, of sorts, with myself along with others, with one goal: A New Creation.”

“A what?” Seraph Black asked.

“A New Creation. A new dimension, with a new Pantheon of Gods and angels, a new cosmos, new beings. A new Heaven. And this world…Well, this world will become the new Hell. No changes required.”

“We’ll stop you, Vrak,” Seraph Red said. “We always do.”

“Not this time,” Brajira said. The villain thrust his hand. “Thunder.”

He fired a bolt of crimson lightning that exploded against the Rangers with massive bursts of fire and spark. The blast knocked them to the ground.

Brajira floated downward and landed next to them. “You cannot defy me, this planet’s savior.”

Seraph Blue rolled his hands into fists. “You’re no savior…”

He grabbed his Shark Bowgun. Seraph Pink lifted her Phoenix Shot. They opened fire with bursts of blue and pink energy. But Brajira swatted the blasts aside.

“Dealing with you is a waste of time…” the villain said mockingly.

Slowly, Seraph Red climbed to his feet, lifted his Dragon Sword, and charged to attack. “Say that again!”

The Red Ranger lunged with a high chop that Brajira blocked with his sword. The villain countered with a swing that slashed the Red Ranger’s chest with a burst of spark. They struck again, swords swinging and blades clanging, as they circled around one another.

Their blades clashed, and the opponents pressed forward, sword against sword.

Seraph Red pushed as hard as he could, but couldn’t get Brajira to inch backward. “We…We never surrender.”

“Empty words.” Brajira pushed back and slashed wide.

The Red Ranger hopped back to dodge. He lifted his sword, and the blade pulsed with energy.

“Dragon Sword! Sky Slash!” Golden wings unfolded from his back, and he slashed through a streak of crimson energy.

Brajira caught the blade and threw the Red Ranger off his feet.

Seraph Red crashed and tumbled across the street. His teammates called his name and ran to his side, regrouping.

Brajira laughed. “Just disappear!”

He thrust his hand with a bolt of golden energy that exploded against the Rangers with bursts of fire and smoke.

Through the smoke, golden energy flared. The Rangers morphed into their Ultra Mode and leapt to attack. They moved so quickly that they took their opponent completely off guard.

Seraph Red and Seraph Black leapt past Brajira while slashing wide, striking the villain’s chest. Seraph Pink and Seraph Yellow dashed past the villain and struck his torso, blades sparking on impact. And Seraph Blue leapt at the villain and landed with a chop, slashing the villain with enough power to send him staggering backward.

Seraph Yellow charged and spun, slashing Brajira from the side. Seraph Pink leapt through the air and landed with a chop against the villain’s back. And Seraph Black moved in while swinging his staff through a butterfly pattern, slashing the villain with bursts of spark.

Seraph Red jumped onto the Black Ranger’s shoulders and pushed off, leaping towards the villain. Wings of golden energy flared from his back, and his Seraph Staff pulsed with golden power.

“Ultra Sky Slash!”

He slashed through a streak of crimson energy that tore across Brajira with massive bursts of spark, sending him staggering several steps backward.

Seraph Red landed, and the Rangers regrouped.

“Totem Morphers, set!” They attached their morphers to their staffs, and inserted attack cards into their morphers. “Ultra Gosei Dynamic!”

They thrust their staffs and fired bursts of golden energy. The comets of power combined into a single blast that shot towards Brajira, forming the shape of the Rangers’ emblem.

Brajira lifted his hand and caught the emblem. It sparked and surged against his palm, but he closed his hand, tightly, condensing the blast into a single sphere of power that he shattered with a squeeze of his fist.

Seraph Black shook his head. “No way!”

Brajira opened his hand; steam rose from his palm. “I guess that really is the limit to your powers. Now…let me show you mine.”

Brajira spread his wings wide. They fired wide beams of golden energy that splashed against the Rangers, smashing their armor with bursts of spark and lightning that tore through the street around them. The blast hurled them off their feet; they crashed and tumbled backward, their Golden Armor powering down with a shattering of energy.

“Don’t you people understand that you have zero chance of survival?”

Seraph Red staggered and climbed to his feet. “Don’t…count the odds…yet.”

He lifted his Dragon Sword, leapt through the air, and landed with a chop. Brajira dodged with a mere sway of his body. The villain grabbed the Red Ranger by the throat and lifted him off his feet.

“There are no odds. Nothing will interfere with the birth of my New Creation.”

“Your New Creation?” Seraph Red struggled to break free. “Xanathor will kill you you when he’s done with you.”

“Not if I destroy him first. Don’t you see? I’m the one who has used him. I convinced him to join with me. I brought us together for this one purpose.”

Brajira ignited his palm with strands of lightning and electricity that thrashed Seraph’s Red armor. Sparks exploded across the Ranger as the lightning intensified; the attack knocked Troy from his armor.

Brajira dropped the teen to the ground.

The villain dashed to Seraph Black and Seraph Yellow and lifted both by their necks. “The crude Land Power…”

He fired bursts of electricity and spark that knocked them from their armor and hurled them backward.

Seraph Pink shot to her feet and fired her blaster. Brajira dodged, grabbed her arm, and grabbed her neck. “The feeble Sky Power…”

The Blue Seraph Ranger charged, but Brajira grabbed him by the neck. “And the equally useless Sea Power.”

He ignited bursts of lightning and spark that hurled them backward and knocked them from their armor. They crashed and skid backward, rolling to a stop near their teammates.

“Do you see now?” Brajira asked. “My Dark Angelic Power is invincible. You frail, little beings are no match for me.”

The villain spread his wings and fired beams of golden energy, exploding around the teens with lightning and fire.

—To be continued…Chapter 05