Chapter 13: War! A Time to Die
Reality shattered, leaving shards of time and space in an endless void of chaos and madness. Within the void, the Ultimate Power Rangers gathered to learn the secrets of the End of All. Using Ranger Keys, they unlocked Time Shards to slowly unravel the history of existence’s downfall.
The Shards revealed this story.
Somewhere? Nowhere?
I WILL WIN EVENTUALLY.
Tommy stood before the blowing winds, stood strong, though his eyes watered as he stared into the darkness. How long had he been in this place? A thousand years? Ten thousand?
For the moment, he concerned himself only with defiance. He would not bend before this wind. He could not give in for a fraction of a heartbeat.
THE TIME HAS COME, FINALLY.
“Time is nothing to you,” Tommy said.
It was true, and it was not. Tommy could see the threads swirling around him, forming the Pattern of Time. As it formed, he saw the battlefields below him. Those he loved fighting for their lives. These were not possibilities, this was the truth, what was actually happening.
The Dark One wrapped around the Pattern. Tendrils of darkness, spines, touched the world at points all along its length. The Dark One lay like a shadow upon the Pattern.
When the Dark One touched the Pattern, time existed for him. And so, while time was nothing to the Dark One, he–or it, as the Dark One had no gender–could only work within its bounds. Like…like a sculptor who had marvelous visions and dreams but was still bound by the reality of the materials he worked with.
Tommy stared at the Pattern, resisting the Dark One’s attack. He did not move or breathe. Breath wasn’t needed here.
People died below. Tommy heard their screams. So many fell.
I WILL WIN EVENTUALLY. WATCH THEM SCREAM.WATCH THEM DIE.
THE DEAD ARE MINE.
“Lies,” Tommy said.
NO. I WILL SHOW YOU.
The Dark One spun possibility again, gathering up what could be, and thrust another vision at Tommy.
Azmodai’s Mansion
Little remained of Azmodai’s mansion, devastated by battle. Tilted columns and pillars rose from rubble and debris. A few skeletal frameworks and archways remained. Other than that, the entire landscape appeared as nothing but a sea of White Jokers wearing the guises of monsters from the Rangers’ and Riders’ past.
Hurricane Yellow faced an army of such monsters. He slapped his right fist against his left palm.
“Earth Style! Earth Wave Jutsu!”
He slapped his hand against the ground, triggering a rippling wave of earth and dirt that bashed the monsters off their feet, hurling them through the air.
But more monsters flanked the Ranger, and even more closed in from behind.
Dora Turbanshell aimed his shell-shaped staff at Hurricane Yellow and fired waves of power. The blast splashed Hurricane Yellow with bursts of spark, hurling him through the air.
He landed against a column, pushed off, and leapt towards Turbanshell.
“Lion Hammer!” He armed his mace-tipped staff and twirled the weapon to attack.
But Toxipod moved in from behind, blowing a cloud of gas that exploded against Hurricane Yellow, knocking him from the air.
The Yellow Ranger crashed and tumbled aside, rolling into a crouched stance just in time to see Dora Knight.
The monster shield-bashed Hurricane Yellow and slashed, blade sparking on impact and whipping the Ranger off his feet.
More monsters moved in; Tri-fire breathed columns of flame that blasted the Yellow Ranger’s armor, flames and sparks bursting. And Plug Org fired strands of electricity that thrashed the Yellow Ranger’s armor, hurling him off his feet.
The Yellow Ranger crashed and rolled, the impact strong enough to knock him from his armor with a burst of light. Justin groaned and climbed to his feet.
He didn’t even have time to quip.
The Black Cat Mutant pounced at him, tackling him to the ground and clawing his face, drawing blood with each strike.
Monsters surrounded Hurricane Blue, cutting her off from her teammates.
She slapped her right fist against her left palm.
“Water Style! Ripping Torrent Jutsu!”
Water spiraled and thrashed around her, bashing back monsters with massive bursts of spark.
The Blue Ranger lunged towards the nearest monster, the Scorpion Gene-Beast, to attack.
“Water Palm Blade!”
She formed a dagger of water in her right palm and smashed the blade against the monster, bashing him backward with massive bursts of spark.
The Gene-Beast recovered and swung its stinger arm, slashing the Ranger with bursts of spark, whipping her off her feet.
Hurricane Blue crashed and rolled into a crouched stance.
“Water Darts!”
She thrust her hand and fired a wave of hydro darts, stabbing the Gene Beast with bursts of spark knocking him several steps backward.
A wave of monsters blocked Hurricane Green from Graendal.
The Green Ranger pulled a ball from behind his back. “Sonic Style! Spinning Barrage Jutsu!”
He tossed the ball upward as he would a baseball. The ball created dozens of sonic echoes that dropped in front of the Ranger. Hurricane Green spun like a tornado and swung his holstered sword like a bat to knock the spheres towards the monsters. The sonic spheres exploded against the villains with massive bursts of spark.
Darkness flooded Navy Thunder’s soul. The Ranger thought Hunter and Rachel dead, not realizing they still lived. He faced the full fury of his madness.
Navy Thunder slashed his staff back and forth, forcing Crimson Thunder backward. The Crimson Thunder Ranger pivoted and chopped, striking Navy Thunder’s staff and locking it in place.
“I’m still with you, brother,” Crimson Thunder said, keeping his voice soft. “You can fight this.”
Navy Thunder twisted his staff free and slashed Crimson Thunder with a burst of spark.
Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider Garren, Kamen Rider Chalice, and Kamen Rider Leangle regrouped– briefly. A wave of monsters bashed through the Riders with punches, slashes, kicks and blasts of energy.
Kamen Rider Leangle hopped backward and swiped a card through his staff, which spoke the command: “BLIZZARD”
He thrust his staff and fired a stream of ice and snow at Dora Rhinoblaster. The blast froze Rhinoblaster in a shell of ice. But the monster shattered through the ice and lunged at the Rider.
Dora Rhinoblaster tackled Leangle, pushing him backward and slamming him against a column. Leangle kneed the monster, grabbed its horns, and flipped the creature aside.
The Rider stepped back and twirled his staff into a fighting stance. But from behind, strands of webbing thwipped around his wrists and ankles, whipping him off his feet. He crashed and tumbled across the ground, as webbing wrapped around his neck.
Leangle rolled to his knees and tried to pull the webbing free. He looked up to face his opponent, Machine Beast Tarantula.
The Rider swung his staff, slashed through the webbing, and shot to his feet.
He swiped two cards through his staff’s slit. “BITE; BLIZZARD.”
The staff emitted two cards of energy that splashed across the Rider’s armor.
Leangle leapt forward, somersaulted through the air, and aimed his descent towards Machine Tarantula. His legs pulsed with icy energy, and he snapped a scissor kick. The kick bashed the Machine, hurling the monster backward as secondary explosions tore through its armor.
Hurricane Red dashed back and forth through streaks of motion along with her two opponents: Ninja Org and Dora Ninja.
The Red Ranger landed and slapped her right fist against her left palm.
“Air Style! Scattering Flame Jutsu!”
A cyclone surrounded the Red Ranger and shot outward. The wind carried pedals of dead leaves, and the leaves erupted into flames.The cyclone thrashed Ninja Org and Dora Ninja with wind and flame, sparking against armor.
The blast hurled them through the air; they crashed and skid.
Dora Ninja rolled into a crouch, vanished into shadow, and reappeared behind the Red Ranger.
The Red Ranger snapped around before the monster could attack.
“Gale Palm!”
She reinforced her blow with wind energy and struck the monster, smashing him backward with bursts of spark.
Suddenly, the Shark Brothers– Onimaru & Yamimaru– dashed at her from behind.
They swung their blades, slashing the Red Ranger’s armor with bursts of spark. The attacks took her off guard.
Luckily, Kamen Rider Black RX leapt out of nowhere to come to her aide.
The Rider flying-side-kicked the Green Shark Brother aside. He landed, punched the Red Shark Brother, and side-kicked the monster, forcing the villain back a step with each blow.
Hurricane Red leapt to the Rider’s side. She charged her blade with wind and flame and swung wide, slashing through a streak of energy that struck the monsters with massive bursts of spark.
Another wave of monsters leapt at the Rider and Ranger.
Kamen Rider Black RX placed his hand over his hilt.
“Revolcane!” He pulled his saber from his buckler, blade glowing with white energy.
Hurricane Red lifted her sword.
“Stabbing Flame!” Wind and fire wrapped around her blade, which ignited with crimson energy.
Hurricane Red stabbed her sword into the ground with a burst of flame. Blades of fire erupted from the earth, stabbing through dozens of monsters and tossing them into the sky.
Black RX leapt into the air towards the flailing monsters.
“Revol-Crash!” He swung through streaks of energy, slashing monsters with bursts of spark, leaping from monster-to-monster, sword swinging with deadly precision.
Hurricane Red shifted into a defensive stance. She looked to her right and saw Justin battle Black Cat Mutant, along with the Cat Yokai, Bakaneko.
“Justin!” she shouted.
The Red Ranger shot to his aide.
“Air Bullets!”
She fired bullets of air with intense speed, battering Black Cat Mutant and Bakaneko with bursts of spark, sending them staggering.
Justin hopped backward and armed his morpher.
“Ninjett Change! Ha!” Energy circled around him like a tornado as he morphed back into his Yellow Ranger armor.
Hurricane Yellow slapped his right fist against his left palm.
“Earth Style! Rock Pillar Spears!”
Pillars of earth and stone erupted from the ground and skewed the two monsters, secondary explosions tearing through their bodies.
Kamen Rider Blade faced Dora Chimaera.
Blade lunged forward and swung his sword through a series of quick precision strikes that slashed across Dora Chimaera with bursts of spark.
Dora Chimaera slashed its claws towards the Rider, but Blade parried the blow and smashed a round-kick against the creature’s side. The blow knocked the monster a few steps back, and Blade pressed forward with a series of diagonal swings that ripped across the monster’s body.
Dora Chimaera crashed against the ground and rolled across the concrete, and the Rider stepped back into a defensive stance.
Blade flipped open a fan of cards on his sword hilt and pulled two cards from the deck: the Five of Spades, labeled with a locust, and the Six of Spades, labeled with a deer. He slid the cards one by one through a slot on his sword, and with each swipe, the sword spoke a command: "KICK; THUNDER."
The Rider crouched down and held his weapon in front of him as two cards of energy projected from the hilt of his sword and splashed across his armor.
"Ha!" Blade leapt into the air, somersaulted forward, and aimed a flying sidekick that crackled with lightning.
The kick bashed Dora Chimaera with a thundering boom that knocked the monster off its feet and sent him rolling across the ground. Body smoking from the wound, the monster thrashed with pain.
Without warning, a White Joker in the guise of Skelekron moved in to attack.
Skelekron shield-bashed Blade, sending him staggering backward.
The Rider flipped open his sword fan, pulled out two cards, and slid them one by one through his hilt’s rouzer slit. “SLASH; THUNDER”
Two cards of energy projected from his sword and splashed across his armor. His sword ignited with crackling strands of blue lightning.
He slashed, shattering the monster’s shield with massive bursts of spark.
Blade slid another card through his sword. “BEAT”
The Rider lunged and swung a punch that energized with blue power. The punch bashed Skelekron and shot him backward. The monster crashed and tumbled aside.
Blade looked around. But he saw nothing except waves upon waves of monsters, amidst the broken columns that still stood within the decimated, gutted ballroom.
“Benjamin, where are you?” he shouted.
Kamen Rider Garren shouted back. “Busy.”
Nearby, Kamen Rider Garren aimed his weapon at Dora Minotaur– which fought with Kamen Rider Black RX– and opened fire. His blasts sparked against the monster and took the creature off guard. The Minotaur immediately turned to face the Rider, growled with annoyance, and charged to attack.
Kamen Rider Garren leapt forward and kicked off of the creature’s shoulders, and while flipping through midair, he twisted around and opened fire on the monster. His blaster sparked with discharges that tore into the monster’s body.
Garren landed, flipped open a fan of cards on his blaster, and pulled three cards from the deck: the Five of Diamonds labeled with a whale, the Six of Diamonds labeled with a firefly and the Nine of Diamonds labeled with a zebra. He slid the cards one-by-one through his blaster. “DROP; FIRE; GEMINI.”
The Rider aimed his blaster and fired at Dora Minotaur. His bullets sparked against the monster, keeping it back, as three cards of energy projected from his blaster and splashed across his armor. Garren sprang through the air, somersaulted forward, and extended both legs as his feet radiated with fiery energy. He split in two, creating an energy duplicate of himself. The two Garrens smashed dropkicks against the Minotaur with massive bursts of spark that hurled the monster off its feet.
Kamen Rider Chalice lunged at the undead form of Serrator. He swung his bow up and down, slashing the villain with bursts of spark, sending him staggering backward. The Rider pressed forward with a side-kick, bashing the Forsaken’s chest.
Nearby, Blade, Leangle and Garren smashed past their foes and regrouped with Chalice.
The four Riders swarmed around Serrator and struck with overwhelming force. Blade slashed the villain with a burst of spark. Chalice swung upward and slashed the creature’s chest. Leangle swung his staff; the weapon clubbed the monster’s head. Garren bashed a round-kick against the monster’s side.
The attacks knocked Serrator off his feet, and the monster tumbled across the ground.
Quickly, the villain climbed to its feet, but Blade and Chalice moved in. Blade dashed past Serrator while slashing the monster. And Chalice dashed past the creature with a slash from his bow. The attacks knocked the creature to the ground.
Leangle leapt through the air to attack.
Garren pulled out his blaster and fired. Bullets sparked against the monster. And Leangle landed with a chop that sparked through the villain’s chest.
Kamen Rider Chalice pulled the King of Hearts from his holster and slid the card through his buckler: “EVOLUTION”
His cards flew from his buckler and formed a line in midair. Then each card shot towards his buckler and splashed across his midsection. The Rider’s armor rippled and transformed into Wild Mode.
Kamen Rider Blade attached his Rouze Absorber to his left gauntlet. He slid the Queen of Spades into the absorber: “ABSORB QUEEN.” He swiped the King of Spades through the Absorber’s slot. “EVOLUTION KING”
His cards burst from his buckler and circled around him while glowing with golden light. Then, the cards shot towards him and splashed across his entire suit of armor, transforming him into his King Form.
Chalice swiped his Wild Card through his bow: “WILD”
Kamen Rider Blade slid five cards into his sword: “SPADE TEN; JACK; QUEEN; KING; ACE — ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH”
Chalice triggered his bow and fired a pulse of jade-tinted energy that punctured through Serrator with massive bursts of spark.
Five energy fields, shaped like giant cards, slid into place between Blade and Serrator. Blade charged through the fields. They splashed against his armor one-by-one while energizing his sword. Kamen Rider Blade dashed past the monster and swung his sword through a streak of golden energy that tore the villain apart.
Secondary explosions erupted through the Forsaken’s body.
Nearby, Aginor widened his eyes with horror. “No…NO! My creation!” He ran to the fallen monstrosity and thrust his arms into its back. “Did you think I would recreate Serrator as something so frail?! Behold…the power of the Forsaken!”
Serrator’s undead body turned gelatinous and flowed over Aginor, coating the Forsaken with a second suit of muscle and skin. The villain’s body crackled with energy and started to expand, growing giant, into a massive monstrosity.
The monster still looked like Serrator– mostly. His back hunched over, and his hands grew into claws. His mouth opened in a wide jaw, full of razor-sharp teeth. And he grew a tail, tipped with a bone-like mace.
Below, Hurricane Red, Hurricane Yellow and Hurricane Blue regrouped with the four Riders, looking up at the monster.
“So…” Hurricane Yellow said. “That’s…” He shook his head. “Yeah, there are no words.”
Hurricane Red armed her morpher.
“Storm-zords, arise!” Hurricane Red shouted. Hurricane Hawk, Hurricane Lion, and Hurricane Dolphin swooped down from the skies. The Rangers leapt into the air and phased into their cockpits.
“Storm-zords assemble!” Hurricane Red shouted. “Whirlwind Fusion!”
Hurricane Hawk, Hurricane Lion, and Hurricane Dolphin radiated with energy and shot into the sky like comets. The comets twirled around each other and collided with a burst of light, which cleared as the zords started to merge.
The zords formed a robo similar in shape to the original Storm Megazord in Lightening mode. A pair of wings extended from the Megazord’s back, and armor formed around the wings as they snapped into position. Most of the Megazord’s armor was white, with accents of blue, and the red-colored, H-shaped symbol of the Hayate Way etched on the Megazord’s chest.
“Storm Megazord!” the Rangers shouted together. “ChoiSenpuujin!”
Demon City
Energy blasts pelted Xanathor with bursts of spark, barely phasing him. He looked to his left and saw Kamen Rider Drake standing with his blaster raised. Kamen Rider SaSword charged from beside the Rider.
“Did you think I was done with you?!” the Worm-turned-human shouted.
“I didn’t give it a second thought,” Xanathor said.
The villain lifted his hand and tightened his fist, summoning a burst of unholy energy that whipped SaSword off his feet.
Nearby, Kamen Rider Gattack took advantage of the distraction to run to Kabuto’s side.
“Tendou!” he shouted as he crouched next to the fallen Rider. “Come on…you’re not going to die yet. You have too much of your grandma’s nonsense left to share…”
Kabuto grabbed Gattack by the wrist. “Grandmother…always said…” he said weakly, barely able to speak. “It is the fool who knows how to…but it is…turn the teabag inside out…”
Gattack sighed and shook his head. “I was kidding about the grandmother thing, come on, get up.”
He helped his friend to his feet.
Meanwhile, two combatants leapt onto the scene: Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper, having teamed up with Gattack following the initial battle within the city. ZECT’s newest three Riders, Hercus, Caucus and Ketaros, joined the Hoppers.
The five Riders attacked with fresh energy and vigor, pommeling Xanathor with punches and kicks, each blow thundering on impact. Xanathor seemed to let them come, standing with his arms lowered, his gaze casually interested.
Bonze-armored Ketaros and silver-armored Hercus stepped back. They armed their Kunai Blasters in blade mode.
They both shouted, “Rider Break!”
They flipped their zectors; each spoke the command: “RIDER BREAK”
Their zectors energized their blades with crackling power. They pounced and chopped, hacking Xanathor’s armor with bursts of spark.
Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper leapt through the air, flipping their zectors.
“RIDER KICK”
“RIDER PUNCH”
Kick Hopper’s flying sidekick crackled with energy. And Punch Hopper’s flying punch ebbed with power. The blows smashed Xanathor, knocking him several steps backward.
Golden-armored Caucasus moved in next, slapping the panel on the side of his belt. “Hyper Clock-”
Xanathor grabbed Caucasus by the wrist, snapped his arm, and punched his face, smashing his faceplate and killing him. The Rider’s armor shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Have you humans decided to mass produce cannon fodder?” Xanathor taunted.
The villain hurled a bolt of frost energy that froze Hercus, then fired a bolt of unholy energy that shattered the Rider to pieces, killing him instantly.
Kamen Rider Drake flipped the switch on his blaster’s zector. “RIDER SHOOTING”
Kamen Rider SaSword flipped the switch on his sword’s zector. “RIDER SLASH”
Drake triggered bursts of powerful energy, blasting Xanathor with bursts of spark, sending him staggering.
SaSword charged and swung his sword through a streak of energy, slashing Xanathor with bursts of spark.
Kamen Rider Gattack somersaulted through the air with flying scissor kick. His buckler spoke the command: “RIDER KICK”
His kick energized with crackling strands of blue power. He kicked Xanathor with massive bursts of spark, knocking him further back.
Gattack landed. He, SaSword, and Drake slapped the panels on their belts, which spoke the command: “CLOCK UP”
In the blink of an eye, they dashed forward at hyper speeds, barely visible, and pommeled Xanathor with punches and kicks, battering the villain’s armor.
Xanathor swung his arms wide with a burst-field of unholy energy, hurling the Riders backward. They crashed and skid across the dirt, their clock-up effects fading.
The villain started moving towards the fallen Riders. He lifted Kick Hopper and smashed the Rider’s head, killing him. He stomped the fallen Punch Hopper’s head, killing him too. Ketaros scrambled to his feet. Xanathor tore the zector from his wrist, formed a pulse of unholy energy in his palm, and smashed his palm through the Rider’s gut.
Energy tore the Rider apart from the inside, killing him. His armor sparked and exploded, and his body collapsed to the ground.
Xanathor stepped towards Gattack.
Before the villain could attack, a flying sidekick smashed his back. The villain turned to see Kabuto, still in his Hyper Form, his horn broken.
“Get back!” a voice shouted.
Kabuto looked to see the Galaxy and Seraph Rangers charge onto the scene, catching up with Xanator after their battle with Brajira.
“Xanathor!” Galaxy Red shouted, his Seijuuken in hand. “We’re the Sword of Legend…and we’re cutting you down!”
The Galaxy Rangers and Black Knight surrounded Xanathar. They stabbed their swords into the ground and called on all their power, all their Aasu. Their blades glowed with their energy. Red, fire. Green, wind. Yellow, lightning. Blue, water. Pink, flowers. Black, earth.
The hilts of their swords fired beams of energy that splashed against Xanathor, holding him in place and thrashing his armor with bursts of spark.
Galaxy Red looked over his shoulder towards the Seraph team. “Use your power with our Aasu!”
Seraph Red nodded and grabbed his morpher; the others did the same.
Seraph Red and Seraph Pink slid cards into their morphers and thrust the bucklers forward.
“Power of Air!”
They fired gusts of energy that wrapped around Galaxy Green’s sword and intensified its stream of wind power.
Seraph Black and Seraph Yellow inserted cards into their morphers.
“Power of Earth!”
They fired seismic power that wrapped around the Black Knight’s blade, intensifying its blast.
Seraph Blue slid a card into his morpher and snapped it shut.
“Power of Water!”
He fired a pulse of hydro energy that splashed across Galaxy Blue’s blade and intensified its power.
Xanathor howled with pain. His armor started to crack and buckle, and he collapsed to his knees. With a final shout, his body exploded with bursts of unholy energy, fire and ice.
But from the explosion, the villain reformed and grew giant, his body twisting and contorting into a monstrosity with a dragon-like tail, clawed hands, and the head of an ice dragon, covered in cold iron.
The Seraph Rangers and Galaxy Rangers regrouped with the Riders.
Nearby, DECA Shadow and the rest of the DECA Rangers ran to the scene, as did the three Jungle Fury Rangers, all in their standard Ranger armor.
“Uh…hey?” Seraph Black said, uncomfortable at the size of the gathering. He noticed the Jungle Fury Rangers. Even with their armor, they looked worn and weary.
“Man,” Seraph Black said. “You guys look beat up.”
Blue Jaguar tilted his head. “Who are you again?”
“Enough talk,” DECA Shadow said. He looked upward towards the twisted monstrosity that had been Xanathor. “It’s time to combine our forces. Mobilize your zords, Rangers!”
Seraph Red…just kind of stood there.
Seraph Black nudged him. “Dude, Troy, that’s us.”
“Wha? Uh, right,” Seraph Red said.
The Rangers grabbed their Totem Morphers.
“Summon Totem Zords!” the Rangers shouted. They slid their zord cards into their morphers, which spoke the command: “SUMMON ZORDS.”
Their Totem Headers flew through the air and took shape, forming zords. The Seraph Rangers jumped into their cockpits.
“Totem Zords assemble!” the Rangers shouted. “Gosei Fusion!” Seraph Red slid his Gosei Great card into his morpher: “SUMMON MEGAZORD”
The zords flew through the air and combined, forming a single Megazord.
“Totem Megazord!” the Rangers shouted. “Gosei Great!”
The three Jungle Fury Rangers slapped their right fists against their left palms.
“Geki Beasts, emerge!” They thrust their hands and fired waves of energy shaped like their animal spirits. The spirits expanded and grew giant.
The Rangers leapt through the air and entered their Geki Beasts, which solidified and formed zords: Geki Tiger, Geki Cheetah, and Geki Jaguar.
“Geki Beasts unite!” they shouted. “Jungle Fury Fusion!”
The three zords shifted shape and combined to form a Megazord.
“Jungle Pride Megazord!” the Rangers shouted. “Geki Touja!”
The Galaxy Rangers leapt back onto their Star Beasts. They lifted their Kiba Daggers into the air.
“Zord Transform!”
Energy shot from the skies, struck their daggers, and splashed across their Star Beasts, morphing them into Galactazords.
The Rangers dropped into their cockpits.
“Star Beast Fusion!” Galaxy Red shouted. “Gingaiou!”
The Galactazords surged and changed shape, combining into Megazord mode.
“Galaxy Megazord!” the Rangers shouted. “Gingaiou!”
Seraph Knight activated his Totem Morpher. “Summon Knight Zords.”
“SEA LION KNIGHT ZORD”
“SKY LION KNIGHT ZORD”
The Sea Lion and Sky Lion Totem Headers appeared and morphed into zords.
Seraph Knight snapped his arms to his side. “Lion Zord, Morph!”
He pulsed with energy, shifted shape, and morphed into his totem form. With another burst of energy, he morphed into a tank-like zord with the head of a lion.
“Knight Zords assemble!” he shouted. “Gosei Ground Megazord!”
“SUMMON MEGAZORD”
The three Knight Zords combined into a giant robo, with Seraph Knight at its center.
“Lion Knight Megazord!” he shouted. “Gosei Ground!”
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/13-%20Gosei%20Ground.bmp
Below, DECA Red lifted his badge. “Delta Runners! Mobilize!”
The DECA Rangers’ mecha scrambled onto the scene. The Rangers dashed into their cockpits.
The Red Ranger attached his badge to his console. “Delta Runners assemble! DECA Fusion!”
The fusion program initiated, combining the Rangers’ main five zords into a robo.
“Gear up!” the Rangers shouted. “DECA Megazord!”
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/13-%20Dekaranger%20Robo.bmp
The Patrol Trailer leg opened a side panel and popped out the Signal Cannon, which the Megazord caught in its right hand.
DECA Break activated his bracer. “OmegaMax Cycle! Mobilize!”
His giant cycle throttled onto the scene, and he dashed into his cockpit.
“OmegaMax Cycle, rise up!” The cycle shifted shape, forming a robo. “OmegaMax Megazord!”
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/13-%20Dekabike%20Robo.bmp
Xanathor grunted with annoyance. He opened his iron-toothed jaw and spat torrents of ice energy.
The DECA Megazord dove aside and triggered its blaster, firing bursts of energy that sparked against Xanathor– but did no damage. Xanathor started thrusting his claws, hurling bolts of icey power, unholy energy, and shadow power.
The blasts exploded around the DECA Megazord, hurling the robo backward.
Xanathor leaned forward with blue optic blasts that speared towards the fallen Megazord.
But the Galaxy Megazord stepped in front of the attack and chopped through the blast, explosions sparking around the blade.
Geki Touja leapt through the air, landed on the Galaxy Megazord’s shoulders, and pushed off, launching a flying sidekick towards Xanathor.
Xanathor turned and snapped his tail, swatting the Jungle Fury Megazord from the air.
Geki Touja flipped to keep from crashing, and landed on its feet, skidding across the street.
Below, DECA Shadow regrouped with the Riders. All around them, the shadows of Specters returned, flowing across the ground. They rose into armored warriors, shadow creatures with greco-roman style armor colored midnight black.
DECA Shadow and the remaining Riders shifted into defensive stances.
“Stay together,” DECA Shadow said, easily taking command. “The enemy may be unrelenting. But we are the champions of the Earth. And we will not fail.”
Above, Specters grew giant, surrounding the group of Megazords.
Gosei Ground jumped backward to gain distance.
“Grand Strike!” he shouted, unleashing a barrage of missiles.
The missiles exploded through Specters, and Gosei Ground dashed forward, tackling a Specter off its feet. The blow hurled the villain backward, and he crashed against two of his teammates.
Three Specters shot towards Gosei Ground to attack. But Gosei Great blocked their path.
“Multi-Header Attack, now!” the Rangers shouted.
The Totem Headers shot from the Megazord and bashed the Specters backward, hammering their armor with burts of spark.
Meanwhile, the OmegaMax Megazord and DECA Megazord stood back-to-back, firing their cannons at Specters that closed around them.
“We could use some extra firepower…” DECA Blue said.
DECA Red nodded. “Let’s do it.” He activated his badge. “Megazords assemble! Delta-Omega Fusion!”
The two Megazords shifted shape and combined, forming a heavily armored robo.
“DeltaMax Megazord!” the Rangers shouted.
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/13-%20Dekaranger%20Dekabike%20Robo.bmp
The Megazord’s jets fired, dashing aside.
“Gatling Punch!” The robo launched high-speed punches that smashed past a group of Specters.
“Dynamite Upper!” The Megazord swung an energized uppercut that hurled a Specter into the air, with a shock wave that bashed several other Specters off their feet.
Xanathor roared with rage and moved in.
The villain ripped the arm from the DeltaMax Megazord. Explosions tore through the empty shoulder socket. The robo staggered and crashed onto its back.
The Jungle Fury Megazord shot at Xanathor with a spinning heel kick. And the Gosei Great Megazord launched its Totem Headers like missiles.
Xanthor crackled with unholy energy and fired a pulse of power that bashed the Megazords backward.
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a massive fist bashed Xanathor and sent him staggering.
A giant Specter charged to help the villain. But a flying kick bashed him away.
An even bigger fist bashed a second Specter.
Xanathor looked up to face three of the most powerful Megazords that ever walked the Earth: The Megadinozord, Ninja Megazord, and Shogun Megazord.
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/13-%20Zyu%20Ninja%20Shogun.bmp
Ninja Black stood on the Shogun Megazord, and Ninja Blue stood on the Ninja Megazord.
Tyranno Ranger stood on the Megadinozord’s shoulder. “Sorry we’re late!”
The Moon
Within the Underworld of Maya’s subconscious: Kamen Rider Wizard leaned forward on his dragon. The beast shot through the darkness towards Lanfear. From below, Kamen Rider Beast hopped onto Chimera and flew towards Lanfear from another angle.
The dragon and chimera breathed bursts of energy. The blasts streaked towards the Forsaken like comets. But she lifted her hands and summoned a dark magick circle, blocking the strikes with bursts of spark.
She spread her arms, shattering her own magick circle, which discharged with bolts of lightning. The lightning struck the chimera and dragon, knocking the beasts aside.
The impact hurled Wizard and Beast from their companions.
The landscape shifted.
The two Riders landed on the mindscape. The area looked barren, with a sky that danced with various lights and colors.
The sky darkened into night.
Lanfear appeared hovering in midair. She spread her arms. Wisps of shadow and smoke lashed out, whipping the Riders with bursts of spark, hurling them backward. Wizard crashed and tumbled, and Beast rolled to his side.
“She is not fun,” Beast said.
“Try being stuck here with her for…how long have I been gone?” Wizard asked.
“Long enough.”
They dove aside to dodge a volley of black energy blades.
“So how do we beat her?” Beast dodged a ball of flame. “I was thinking 'magic’ but hoped you had something more specific.”
“We need Maya,” Wizard said. “This is her mind. No matter how powerful Lanfear is…this is still Maya’s turf.”
Kamen Rider Agito stood within a deeper corner of Maya’s mind. Seperated from Wizard and Beast, he faced a hall of mirrors.
“Maya,” he whispered, his voice echoing. “I know you’re still in here. I can feel you. Come back to me…”
The mirrors shattered, raining glass. Shards struck Agito, sparking on impact.
A wail cut through the air, nearly bursting the Rider’s ears. He crouched, the sound vibrating his body and soul. “What the…”
A banshee flew into the darkness, covered in fur that shifted colors from blue, purple, and red to black as midnight. The creature’s demonic face looked contorted in pain and anger. And its wings appeared bat-like.
The creature dove at Agito. The Rider leapt over her while kicking her neck. He pushed off, flipped through the air, and landed in a crouched stance.
The banshee opened her jaws and screamed, emitting another sonic wave.
Agito leapt over the attack, somersaulted through the air, and aimed a flying sidekick at the creature.
“Rider Kick!”
His kick crackled with energy and bashed the banshee, hurling her backward. Secondary explosions tore through the creature, ripping her body to shreds.
Agito landed in a crouched stance.
All around, images blurred in and out of the shadows. And pieces of glass started to float, with images dancing within the shards.
The Rider closed his eyes beneath is helmet.
“Maya…” he said. “I know you lost your brother. What happened to him…what happened to Simon…it’s worse than death. But it wasn’t your fault. And you don’t have to lose anyone else…you don’t have to lose me.”
He felt the shadows stir. Within the images of glass, he saw Maya with her younger brother, Simon. They looked happy. And he saw himself, with Maya, when they met on an archaeological dig. They looked…happy. Happiness, images of happiness, surrounded him.
“Have hope, Maya,” the Rider said. “We need your hope…”
Lanfear twirled her fingers, using her mind to lift hundreds of blades of grass. She snapped, turning the grass into insects that shot towards Kamen Rider Wizard and Kamen Rider Beast. The Riders dove aside as bugs smashed their armor with bursts of spark.
Wizard rolled to his feet and slid his Infinity Ring onto his hand.
He shifted his Driver and placed his hand over his buckler. “INFINITY: AWAKEN”
A white, dragon-shaped burst of energy shot upward from the Rider, and then dove into him with a splash of energy. A magic circle formed beneath his feet and slid upward, shimmering with shards of white and silver power that surrounded the Rider like a cloud. The magic circle formed a shell of energy that encased the Rider like ice, and when the shell shattered, Wizard stood in his Infinity Form.
He armed his weapon, the AxCalibur, a sword-axe hybrid. He channeled energy into the weapon, enlarging it, as he lifted the blade high.
The Rider shot into the air.
“Dragon Shining!”
He swung through a streak of silver, shining energy that slashed through Lanfear’s defenses, striking her with bursts of spark that hurled her backward.
The Rider pressed the attack, shooting towards Lanfear, placing a hand over his buckler.
The buckler flashed with energy: “INFINITY DRAGON; AWAKEN”
Energy washed around him. The wings of the dragon formed on his back, the head of the dragon formed on his chest, and the claws of the dragon formed over his gauntlets.
He placed a hand over his buckler: “AWAKEN; FINISH STRIKE”
“Infinity Kick!”
He snapped his wings, shooting towards Lanfear with a flying sidekick. The kick surged with silver power that flared like a comet, bashing the Forsaken with massive bursts of spark.
Desperately, the Forsaken lifted her arm, summoning tendrils of shadow that snapped towards Wizard. He dashed aside, shooting upward, as his body glowed with golden power.
Somehow, he felt Maya reach out to him through the power of her mind. He felt her heart and soul, and Kouishiro, and their love. Their hope.
Wizard’s armor shifted from silver to gold, glowing with energy, his ultimate, fully evolved Gold Infinity Dragon form.
He placed a hand over his buckler: “AWAKEN; FINISH STRIKE”
Wizard opened his arms wide. His wings unfolded. And his golden armor ebbed with power. The dragon on his chest fired a massive stream of golden fire, crackling with energy that slammed against Lanfear.
The energy splashed across the Forsaken, tearing through her robes with massive bursts of spark, ripping the material to shreds. She crossed her arms over her face as the blast intensified, holy flame reaching into her unholy soul.
The blast burned Lanfear from Maya’s mind.
Earth
Lanfear screamed with agony. Her astral form snapped back into her body, carrying the flame of Kamen Rider Wizard, scorching her skin from head-to-toe.
She collapsed, breathing heavily, as she summoned shadow energy to extinguish the flame. Even with the flames gone, her burnt flesh remained.
“Wizard…” she whispered.
Her fight wasn’t over.
Corinith City
Rubble pinned the five Lightspeed Rescue Rangers beneath the ground. Darkness seeped around them, feeding their fears and pain.
Rescue Red saw images of his father, looking down on him with disapproval, as always.
“Really, dad?” Rescue Red whispered. “Even when you’re not here, you’re giving me grief…”
The Red Ranger started to push up, tons of rubble on his back, pressing down. But he pushed, as hard as he could, with his arms, his back, and his will.
“You never wanted to be a father, did you? And you hated me for it. But it wasn’t…my…fault!”
He pushed.
“I did everything I could to try to make you happy. To make you accept me!” he shouted, power surging through his muscle and bone. “But you know what?! What did it matter?! I had a family. And it wasn’t you!”
He pushed up, hurling the rubble and debris off his back, standing tall, breathing heavy.
Rescue Red moved to his teammates, his friends…his family…and started to help pull them from the rubble.
“Come on, guys,” he said. “We’re too young to retire. Back to work!”
Rescue Blue rolled his eyes beneath is helmet. “Is that supposed to be inspirational.”
The Red Ranger shrugged. “Yeah?”
Rescue Blue sighed. “OK, I’ll take it.”
Techno-demons shattered through the Victory Trailer’s viewport and charged into the cockpit. The Phantom Ranger stood his ground, blocking and dodging their blows. But they moved too fast, and multiplied, overwhelming him.
He side-kicked a demon and punched a second creature. But a demon slashed his chest. A second demon slashed his back, and a third bashed his head, sending him staggering backward.
Dark Buster and Red Falcon circled around one another. They stood on a disc of distortion energy that floated in the crackling void of the Enetron Matrix.
Their swords clashed with bursts of spark, striking and slashing, blocking and parrying.
Red Falcon somersaulted over Dark Buster. He landed and snapped around with a wide swing, blade glowing with energy. The villain blocked and side-kicked the Ranger, knocking him several steps backward.
Slowly, Dark Buster climbed to his feet, laughing.
Without warning, energy blasts struck his chest, sparking on impact. He looked up to see four of the Jet Force Ranger dive towards him: Aero Red, Aero Yellow, Aero Blue, and Aero White.
Dark Buster tilted his head. “More of you?”
The Overdrive Task Force Titan Rangers dropped from above. As did RPM. Then the remaining Digi Rangers, and the rest of the Bio-Beast team.
Red Falcon placed his sword over his shoulder. “Took you guys long enough.”
Suddenly, Kamen Rider Drive, still possessed, burst onto the scene. He charged at hyper-speed, bashing through the Rangers with bursts of spark.
RPM Ranger Red shot through a burst of speed of his own. He armed his Road Saber and slashed Drive with bursts of spark, sending the Rider staggering.
Kamen Rider Kaixa and Kamen Rider Delta, still possessed, dropped to the scene and split up to attack the scattered Rangers, taken off guard by the newcomers.
Dark Buster laughed. He rolled his hands into fists and pulsed with strands of dark energy and digital code, shifting into a monster form, Enter Unite.
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/13-%20Enter%20Unite.bmp
Enter lifted his hand and collected the dark energy and digital data that surrounded him, amplifying his already-supercharged powers.
Outside, the six Samurai Rangers swiped their morphers, drawing energy symbols that glowed with power. They swiped through the symbols, igniting their energy, which splashed against the Enetron Matrix.
“More power, guys,” Samurai Red said, drawing another symbol. “Every ounce of Symbol Power you have. Let’s exorcise this damn thing.”
Titan Red armed his Drive Lancer and charged, swinging the weapon through streaks of power that Enter Unite dodged. The villain round-kicked the Red Ranger and slashed his chest, sending him staggering backward.
A voice shouted from behind.
“Hey!” Rescue Red shouted, arriving with the rest of the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers. “Get away from my team!”
Titan Yellow tilted her head. “Max?! Is that you?”
“Sure is,” Rescue Red said. He looked to his Lightspeed team. “Let’s introduce ourselves, shall we?”
They snapped into fighting stances.
“Rescue Red!”
“Rescue Green!”
“Rescue Blue!”
“Rescue Yellow!”
“Rescue Pink!”
“Rescue Task Force…” Red Ranger called out.
“Light!”
“Speed!”
“Rangers!”
The Overdrive team snapped into fighting stances.
“Titan Red!”
“Titan Black!”
“Titan Blue!”
“Titan Yellow!”
“Titan Pink!”
“Overdrive Task Force!” the Red Ranger shouted. Together, they called out: “Titan Rangers!”
Enter Unite lifted his sword at the Rangers. “Are you quite done?”
“Go!” Rescue Red shouted.
His Rescue Ranger teammates armed their Rescue Blasters and fired lances of energy, stabbing Enter Unite with bursts of spark.
Rescue Red leapt at Enter Unite from the front. Titan Red leapt at Enter Unite from behind. They stabbed their lancers, puncturing through the villain with bursts of spark, driving him to his knees.
Rescue Red pulled his blade free and swung upward, slashing Enter Unite with a burst of spark that whipped him to the ground.
The Samurai Rangers nearly collapsed. But they kept drawing symbols of power that splashed across the Enetron Matrix, flowing across the structure’s surface and starting to peel apart the demon spirits that infested the technology.
The Rescue Rangers lined up and switched their V-Lancers to blaster mode.
“V-Lancers!” they shouted. “Spectra Blast!”
They fired power beams that combined and formed a V-shaped insignia of energy. The insignia blasted forward and crashed against Dark Buster, hurling him backward with massive bursts of spark that ripped across his armor.
The four Jet Force Rangers pulled out their sidearms.
“Aero Blasters!”
They fired four beams of light that combined into a single energy pulse, blasting through Enter Unite’s chest.
Samurai Red unsheathed his sword and stabbed the blade into the Enetron Matrix.
“Let’s make this go faster.”
He swiped the Symbol Disc on his sword’s hilt, igniting fiery power that washed through the blade and into the matrix.
Enter collapsed to his knees. Secondary explosions tore through his armor.
Digi Blue grabbed the villain by the shoulder, punched his faceplate, and punched again; he kept punching until Enter’s faceplate cracked, and he fell to the ground.
The other Samurai Rangers stabbed their swords into the Enetron Matrix. They spun their Symbol Discs, and spun again, channeling waves upon waves of elemental energy.
The power washed across the Enertron Matrix, until the entire structure glowed with energy, flashing with kanji symbols.
The Enetron Matrix burst with a wave of light that washed across Corinith, purging the city of demons that possessed circuitry and technology, including the Megazords.
When the light died down, the Rangers pulled their swords free, exhausted from the depletion of energy.
They looked out across the streets. The darkness, like thick fog, remained. And the skies still looked like black fire– the presence of the Dark One.
“I thought it worked?” Samurai Green asked.
“It did…” Samurai Gold said. “But it doesn’t look like that matters.”
Samurai Red shook his head. Trembling, he collapsed to his knees.
Teddy powered down his armor with a burst of red light. “It can’t end like this…” He rolled his hands into fists. “It can’t.”
Ryan powered down his armor and leaned next to him, placing a hand over his shoulder. “Teddy…the whole city was possessed. And we just saved it. That’s big deal.”
“Did it matter?” Teddy asked. He shook his head.
Teddy closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Ryan’s.. He ran his fingers through the back of his soft, dark hair, and breathed in the scent of him, like a fresh breeze of ocean.
“Ryan,” Teddy whispered. “I’m not my brother. I don’t know what to do…”
Enter shimmered back to his human form, laughing. “You think you won? You have won nothing. Not even your lives. You are trapped here, as am I. And the power contained within this place…will not be contained for much longer.”
The vortex vibrated, shaking with strands of energy and flashes of explosions.
Enter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “The Matrix can no longer stand. Too much strain. It will be destroyed, and you along with it.”
Enter exploded into bursts of spark and digital energy, vaporizing into nothingness.
The Rangers looked out upon him, and powered down their armor.
Stephanie, the Pink Rescue Ranger, shook her head. “Now what?”
Max looked into the distance, shrouded with blankets of midnight.
He had no answer.
Summer looked to Dillon. Then to Scott. She yearned for them both, and knew they felt the same. She reached out, wrapped her left arm around Dillon, and wrapped her right arm around Scott, pulling them close.
They held each other and stood in silence.
Max looked to his teammates. Junior, Kevin, D.J., and Stephanie. And he looked to the Overdrive team, that he mentored and lead.
“Guys…” Max whispered to them all. “Thank you for being my family.”
Dax sighed, staring into the abyss about to consume them all.
“Never thought I’d actually die trying to save the stupid planet.” He looked over his shoulder to Kylie, who stood back with Ian, his arm wrapped around her waist. “Kylie…there’s something I want to say.”
She tilted her head, curious. “What…?”
“I love you.”
“What?!”
“Kidding, we’re barely friends.”
The Enetron Matrix exploded.
The Bio-Beast Rangers. Lightspeed Rescue Rangers. RPM. Overdrive. The Digi-Rangers. Jet Force. Kamen Riders Drive, Kaixa and Delta. The explosion vaporized them all into death.
Demon City
Long, in his monster form, grabbed Camille. He snapped her neck, killing her, and dropped her body to the ground.
Black Lion shook with rage, which made Long laugh.
“Did you think this was going to end any other way, little lion cub?” Long asked. “You were never a hero. Not even an anti-hero You-”
“Fist of the Beast King!” Black Lion lunged with a punch, firing a blast of energy shaped like the head of a lion.
The blast struck Long with massive bursts of spark, but he stood his ground.
“Calm down, little lion cub,” Long said. “We are, all of us, dead anyway. The Dark One is free. There is nothing that can be done. Only watch…as we fall deeper and deeper into darkness.”
A voice shouted from above: “Not if we can help it!”
Long looked to see two figures leap from the ruined rooftops. They landed and snapped into fighting stances. Their names: Adam Park and Rocky DeSantos.
“Long…” Adam said, his voice stern. “Leave my students alone.”
“Or don’t,” Rocky said. “We’re going to kick your butt anyway, Dragon-Head.”
Adam arced an eyebrow. “Dragon-Head?”
Rocky shrugged. “My banter’s rusty, gimme a minute.”
Long hurled bolts of golden flame. Rocky and Adam dove aside, sparks exploding around them.
The two rangers rolled into crouched stances. They thrust their hands.
“Ki!” they shouted in unison.
They fired waves of invisible energy that boomed like thunder, bashing Long and hurling him off his feet. The villain crashed and bounced across the ground, secondary explosions sparking across his body.
Adam and Rocky sprang to their feet.
The two rangers stood side-by-side, and they armed their Aura Bracers.
“Chakra Ignite!” they shouted. “Aura Power!”
They connected their bracers, sparking their chi and morphing them into their armor. They snapped into fighting stances.
“Lion Ranger! Heaven Illusion Star! Green!”
“Tenma Ranger! Heaven Gravity Star! Blue!”
“Power of the stars…” the Green Ranger shouted. “Brought down! Heaven Star Task Force!”
Together, they shouted: “Power Rangers!”
“Two of you?” Long asked. “That is all?”
The Blue Ranger pointed at Long. “It’s more than enough…Goldie-Locks. Red-Face?” He scoffed and shook his head. “How did I forget how to name call?”
Long charged to attack.
Tenma Ranger spun his staff, charging the weapon with blue gravity energy.
“Iron Rock Crusher!” He bashed the staff to the ground, triggering a shockwave of energy that tore through the earth and exploded beneath Long, igniting the skies with light and power, and shaking the earth around them for miles.
The blasts lit the sky and hurled Long upward.
The villain twisted in midair, looking back towards the two Rangers and firing bursts of golden energy.
Lion Ranger shot into the air, unsheathed his Thunder Sword, and swatted the blasts aside. He energized his blade with pale-green light. Lightning erupted from the sword, illuminating the night skies above the ruins of Demon City.
“Thunder! Bolt! Cut!” He swung his sword, firing a comet of energy that splashed against Long, blasting his body with massive bursts of spark and light, hurling him miles through the air.
Long crashed and skid for several dozen meters, bashing through rubble and debris.
Tenma Ranger and Lion Ranger leapt through the air and landed near the villain.
Slowly, Long climbed to his feet; the Rangers didn’t give him time to counter-attack.
Lion Ranger thrust a fist. “Shining Fury!”
Tenma Ranger thrust his right palm. “Gravity Well!”
The Green Ranger fired a twirling pulse of jade light, and the Blue Ranger fired a stream of thrashing blue energy. The attacks blasted Long, hurling him backward, smashing him through the ruins of a nearby building.
The ruins collapsed on the Forsaken.
Golden light ebbed from the cracked pile of rubble; Long exploded from the building, his body flowing with Genki.
He shot at the Rangers like a comet, fists and kicks glowing with power, battering the Rangers at rapid speeds.
The villain hook-kicked Tenma Ranger to the ground and palm-heeled Lion Ranger’s chest, sending him skidding backward.
Long pressed forward with a jump-kick aimed towards the Green Ranger’s head. But the Green Ranger pivoted and jumped with around-kick, bashing the villain aside.
The two opponents exchanged punches and kicks– Lion Ranger infused each blow with his Ki, and Long infused each blow with Genki. Kicks, blocks, and punches struck with bursts of jade and golden light, and the sound of thunder, shaking the earth.
The Blue Ranger climbed to his feet and charged.
“Tenma Flash Kick!”
He snapped a series of tornado kicks, streaking with blue energy, that bashed Long, knocking him back with each strike.
The Blue Ranger armed his staff. But before he could attack, a wave of vertigo struck him.
Tenma Ranger collapsed, using his staff for balance. “What the…”
He breathed heavily, his vision blurring.
His armor powered down with a flash of blue light, and he collapsed into unconsciousness. The cause: his own powers, which had taxed his body to the limit, no longer possessing the stamina of youth.
“Rocky!” Lion Ranger shouted.
Long hurled bolts of golden Ki that blasted the Green Ranger with bursts of spark, hurling him backward.
Lion Ranger flipped through the air and landed on his feet.
Long charged with a flurry of punches, smashing the Green Ranger, and hurling him backward. He crashed and skid across the ground.
Pain, vertigo, and fatigue washed through him.
No…I can’t be out yet. Not now…
He thought of Rocky…and of his students, Casey, Theo, Lilly, even Jarrod. If he didn’t stop Long, he would kill them all. And Adam couldn’t let that happen.
He reached into himself, into something even deeper. Something holy. His enemies always called him an Angel of Light. One of his ancestors had been possessed by an angel, and Adam inherited some of that power.
Time for him to unleash it.
Lion Ranger climbed slowly to his feet. He rolled his hands into fists. Pale green light started to ebb beneath his armor.
“I hear you can’t die,” Lion Ranger said. “No weapon can kill you, except a weapon forged by another Forsaken.”
Long tilted his head with amusement. “That’s right…”
“Well…that may have been true back in your time, back in ancient history,” Lion Ranger said, his energy charging and crackling, shaking the very air. “But there’s been plenty of new weapons since then…and I’m one of them!”
He ignited with green light that illuminated the skies, and charged forward. He slammed into Long, and they shot upward through a column of power.
Long screamed. “What are you doing, you fool?!” He sounded terrified and overjoyed at the same time. “You maddened fool!!”
“Let me show you the weapon that can kill the Forsaken!” Lion Ranger shouted. “Let me show you the Power of Light!”
The Green Ranger ignited with the fury of a supernova; his light and power pierced through Long and tore the skin and muscle from his body, vaporizing his bone, and his very essence and soul, into ashes.
Lion Ranger smiled beneath his helmet. Finally…
His body glowed, peeling away his armor, channeling more power than a grown mortal form could handle. Adam closed his eyes and smiled as the light intensified, washing over him and giving his soul peace.
Kujaku…I’m coming…
Adam, the Lion Ranger, died…vanishing into the light.
—to be continued…Chapter 14