Chapter 14: War! Live Together…
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.
The Dark One spun a web of possibility around Tommy.
Tommy knew this struggle between them- the fight for what could be — was vital to the Last Battle.
Humankind had a choice for its future. The path they would take…this battle would decide it, his clashing with that of the Dark One. As of yet, what could be might become what would be. Breaking now would be to let the Dark One choose that future.
BEHOLD, the Dark One said as the lines of light came together and Tommy entered another world. A world that had not yet happened, but a world that very well may soon come to be.
Tommy frowned, looking up at the sky. It was not red or crimson, and the landscape not ruined. He stood in Angel Grove, much as he knew it before its destruction. The color seemed normal- nothing muted. The few churches he saw seemed normal too-no shrines to the Dark One.
Tommy frowned, turning and walking down the street. What game was the Dark One playing? Surely this normal, even preposterous, city would not be part of his plans for the world. The people were clean and did not look oppressed. He saw no sign of the depravity that had marked the previous world the Dark One had created for him.
He stopped in front of a storefront, with several wide-screen TVs on display. Most showed the news.
"Economy at all-time high"
"President declares victory in Midterm Elections"
"America: Great Again."
Tommy arced an eyebrow. "Well this is…"
One screen showed a newscast of the southern border. U.S. soldiers stood on top of a wall and opened fire on a caravan of men, women and children moving towards the border, slaughtering them all.
Tommy stepped closer to the window, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell…?"
An old woman next to him found his reaction odd. "Pardon?"
Tommy shook his head, nodding towards the TV. "What’s happening?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking towards the TV without any sign of surprise or empathy. "Oh, just border protection, nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to…what? Those people are being slaughtered."
"We’re protecting our border," she said. "Why wouldn’t we protect our land?"
Tommy stepped back, slowly, then turned to walk away.
"OK, Dark One…" he whispered. "What is this…?"
He looked again for any signs of shrines or churches in the Dark One’s name, like he saw in the evil being’s previous vision. He didn’t see any. Just normal churches and houses of worship, just as you would expect in a U.S. city.
Tommy turned a corner and entered a small farmer’s market along the street. A kindly old woman waved him over to her fruit stand.
"Welcome, welcome," she said with an inviting smile. "My name’s Tammy, and my shop is a second home to all seeking the finest of fruits from around the world. I have fresh oranges from Florida!"
As the woman spoke, Tommy noticed a small hand appear from under the fruit stand-an urchin hid underneath, a young boy that Tommy had not noticed earlier.
The little boy snatched an apple, then ran off. He was so thin that Tommy could see his ribs pressing against the skin of his too-small form, and he ran on legs so slender it was a wonder the boy could walk.
The woman continued smiling at Tommy as she reached to her side, and took out a small rod with a lever at the side for her finger. She pulled the lever, and the rod cracked.
The urchin died in a spray of blood. He fell, sprawling, to the ground. People moved around him in the flow of foot traffic, though somebody- a man with many guards- did scoop up the piece of fruit. He wiped the blood off it and took a bite, continuing on his way.
Tommy, aghast, looked back at the woman. She tucked away her weapon, a smile still on her face. "Were you looking for any type of fruit in particular?"
"You just killed that kid!"
The woman frowned in confusion. "Yes. Did it belong to you, good sir?"
"No, but…" Jesus! The woman didn’t show a hint of concern or remorse. Tommy turned, and nobody else seemed to care in the slightest about what had happened. This was worse than simply ignoring the scene or looking the other way- they noticed, and noticed in full, but did not care in the slightest. Most passersby even walked over the corpse or kicked right past it.
"Sir?" the woman asked. "I feel as if I should know you. That is fine clothing, if a little out of style. To which faction do you belong?"
"Faction?"
"And where are your guards?" she asked. "A man as rich as you has them, of course."
Tommy met her eyes, then ran to the side as the woman reached for her weapon again. He ducked around a corner. The look in her eyes…utter lack of any kind of sympathy or concern. She’d have killed him in a moment without a second thought. He knew it.
Others on the street saw him. They nudged companions, gesturing toward him. One man he passed called out. "Speak your Faction!"
Others gave chase.
Tommy ducked around another corner. Ahead, he saw a familiar building. The Black Sash dojo, which belonged to Adam Park.
Tommy ran into the building, hustled across the dojo floor, and entered the small office in the back. Adam sat behind his desk while sorting through piles of paper.
"Adam!" Tommy shouted.
Adam looked up and frowned. "Can I help you?"
"It’s me, Tommy!"
Adam cocked his head, then grinned. "Oh, Tommy! I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s been years."
"Adam, we need to talk."
"What is it?" Adam asked. "Is there trouble?"
"You could say that," Tommy said. "What year is it here?"
Adam arced an eyebrow. "What year?"
"Humor me."
"2020," Adam said.
"So the fight against the Dark One and the Forsaken…it happened?"
"Of course it happened," Adam said. "And we won! How could you not remember?"
"It’s a long story," Tommy said. "The past few years are a blur."
"Oh, then you don’t know about the factions, do you?"
Tommy shook his head. "No."
Adam sighed. "Man, Tommy, you are in trouble. Just a second, I’ll get you a faction badge."
Adam walked out of his office, leaving Tommy alone.
Tommy folded his arms, noticing with displeasure that the fireplace in the room contained a nothingness beyond it.
"What have you done to them?" Tommy demanded.
I LET THEM THINK THEY WON.
"Why?"
MANY WHO FOLLOW ME DO NOT UNDERSTAND TYRANNY.
"What does that have to do with-"
Adam walked back into his office. Instead of a faction symbol, he’d gathered three thick-necked guards. He pointed in, towards Tommy.
"Adam…" Tommy whispered, backing away. "What are you doing?"
"Well, I figured that jacket of yours would sell for something online," Adam said. He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic.
"And so you’ll rob me?"
"Well, yeah." Adam seemed confused. "Why wouldn’t I?"
The thugs stepped into the room, looking over Tommy with careful eyes. Two of them carried knives, and the third carried a gun.
"Gee, I don’t know," Tommy said. "The law."
"Why would there be laws against theft?" Adam asked, shaking his head. "If a man can’t protect what he has, why should he have it? If a man can’t defend his life, what good is it to him?"
The men advanced. Tommy bound them in cords of The Power.
"You took their consciences, didn’t you?" Tommy asked the Dark One.
Adam’s eyes widened at the use of the One Power. He tried to run. Tommy grabbed him with invisible strands of energy as well.
MEN WHO THINK THEY ARE OPPRESSED WILL SOMEDAY FIGHT. I WILL REMOVE FROM THEM NOT JUST THEIR WILL TO RESIST, BUT THE VERY SUSPICION THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG.
"So you leave them without compassion?"
COMPASSION IS NOT NEEDED.
Tommy felt deathly cold. "This is different from the world you showed me before."
WHAT I SHOWED YOU BEFORE IS WHAT MEN EXPECT. IT IS THE EVIL THEY THINK THEY FIGHT. BUT I WILL MAKE A WORLD WHERE THERE IS NOT GOOD OR EVIL.
THERE IS ONLY ME.
"Do your servants know?" Tommy asked. "The Forsaken? They think they fight to become lords and rulers over a world of their own making. Instead you’ll give them this. The same world…except one without Light."
THERE IS ONLY ME. NOTHING ELSE IS NEEDED.
No Light. No love. The horror of it sank deep within Tommy, shaking him. This was one of the possibilities that the Dark One could choose, if he won. It didn’t mean he would, or that it had to happen, but…this was terrible. Far more terrible than a world of hopeless captives or blind followers. Far more terrible than a dark and broken landscape.
This was true horror. This was a full corruption of the world, it was taking everything beautiful from it, leaving behind only a husk.
Tommy would rather live a thousand years of torture, retaining the piece of himself that gave him the capacity for good, than live a moment in this world without Light.
He turned, enraged, upon the darkness. "You make a mistake, Dark One!" he yelled into the darkness. "You think to make me despair! You think to shatter my will? This won’t do it, I swear. This makes me sure to fight!"
Something rumbled inside the Dark One. Tommy yelled, pushing outward with his will, the will that could break the threads of fate and destiny, shattering the dark world of lies and men who would kill without empathy. It exploded into threads, and Tommy was once again in the place outside of time, the Pattern rippling around him.
"You show me your true heart?" Tommy demanded of the nothingness as he seized those threads. "I’ll show you mine. There’s an opposite to this Lightless world you would create. A world without Shadow. A world without Nightmare. You…not just imprisoned. You…gone."
Azmodai’s mansion
The Dark One: powerful beyond measure; a universe-spanning force of evil, incomprehensible in his nature and infinite in his being. Presence beyond space, size, and time. Essence, utterly empty. Yet infinite.
Graendal wept as she looked up at him.
Monsters, Rangers, and Riders fought all around her.
And yet, even more combatants arrived. Three Gao Rangers: Gao White, Gao Blue, and Gao Black, coming to face their former leader, Simon.
Also after Simon, the newly arrived Zadie, Red Python; Shirogane; Gao Silver; Eiji, Titan Silver; and Ryan, holder of the Gao Yellow and Kamen Rider Faiz powers.
"Well…" Graendal said quietly. "I do love company."
Ryan flipped open his Faiz caller and input the code 5-5-5
"Awaken!" He snapped the caller onto his belt, sparking his morph into Kamen Rider Faiz.
The Rider leapt into the air towards the nearest monster, Rhino Mutant, which fought Kamen Rider Blade. Faiz flying-sidekicked the creature, smashing him backward.
He landed and looked to Blade. "Where’s Simon?"
Blade tilted his head. "Who are you again?"
Armadeevil charged at them. Blade lunged and slashed, downward and upward, striking the monster with bursts of spark. Faiz pressed forward with a side-kick and jumping punch, pommeling the monster.
Fierra thrust her clawed hand with bursts of blue energy, blasting Hurricane Green and knocking him several steps backward.
The Green Ranger recovered and lunged, swinging his sword through a streak of green energy that slashed the monster with bursts of spark.
To his side, he noticed Navy Thunder, still compelled, fight against Crimson Thunder.
He looked up, to where the giant monstrosity of Aginor and Serrator combined battled the StormMegazord.
The Hurricane Power Rangers needed reinforcements.
Luckily, the newly arrived Gao Rangers came with plenty of help.
Gao White, Gao Blue, and Gao Black clawed and hacked their way past groups of monsters, moving to a clearing that gave them a view of the StormMegazord’s battle with the Serrator/Aginor hybrid.
The three Gao Rangers armed their daggers and called to the skies.
"Wildzords, descend!"
The Wildzords- Gao Lion, Gao Bison, Gao Shark, Gao Tiger, and Gao Eagle- dashed from the skies, down a bridge of light.
"Wildzords! Assemble!" Gao White shouted. "MegaWildzord Fusion!"
The five zords started to combine, and the three Gao Rangers leapt into their cockpit. They placed their daggers onto their control consoles.
"Rise up!" Gao White shouted.
The combined Wildzords took the form of a giant robo and rose up, snapping into a fighting stance.
"MegaWildzord!" the Rangers shouted. "Gao King!"
https://www.ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/14-%20Gao%20King.bmp
Serrator lunged and snapped his jaw at Gao King.
"Fin Blade!" Gao White shouted.
The Megazord armed its Fin Blade and swung upward, slashing Serrator with a burst of spark.
Serrator snapped his tail, which wrapped around the saber and pulled it from the Megazord’s hand. The monster breathed fire that bashed Gao King like a meteor, blasting the Megazord off its feet.
The Rangers shook within their cockpit.
Gao Blue looked to Gao White.
"Let’s call in the back-up," he said. "All of the back-up."
Gao White nodded. "Right."
They used their gems to summon additional Power Animals.
"Gao Elephant!" Gao White shouted.
"Gao Rhino!" Gao Black shouted.
"Gao Giraffe!" Gao Blue shouted.
The three zords stomped onto the scene. Gao Armadillo also arrived, rolling next to his trusted companion, Gao Rhino.
The Gao Rangers called on more zords.
Gao Bear and Gao Polar.
Gao Gorilla.
Gao Falcon.
Gao Deer.
Gao Bat.
Gao Stingray.
Gao Boar.
"Wildzords assemble!" Gao White shouted. "Kongazord Fusion!"
Gao Gorilla, Gao Bear, Gao Polar, Gao Rhino, and Gao Armadillo shifted shape, surged forward through streams of energy and combined to form a Megazord.
"Kongazord!" the Gao Rangers shouted. "Gao Muscle!"
"Gao Muscle!" Gao White shouted. "Bear Strike!"
Gao Bear opened its jaw and fired a stream of fiery energy. Gao Polar roared with streams of icey energy. The blasts stabbed Serrator with bursts of spark, splashing fire and ice across his grotesque body.
Gao White felt vertigo dizzy her mind, and knew her two teammates felt the same. Even when at their prime, they would have struggled to support so many zords with just the three of them. Now the task seemed nearly impossible. But they pushed through the strain.
"Wildzords, equip!" Gao White shouted.
Gao Bat formed a pair of wings that slid onto Gao King’s back. And Gao Elephant formed a sword and shield.
"Gao King Batwing!" the Gao Rangers shouted. "Sword and Shield Mode!"
The MegaWildzord shot into the air. Serrator snapped its head towards Gao King and spat bursts of energy.
Gao King lifted his shield; the blasts splattered against the shield with bursts of jade energy.
Distracted, Serrator didn’t notice Gao Boar charge towards him. The zord tackled Serrator with bursts of spark, forcing him backward.
Recovered, the StormMegazord dropped onto Serrator from above, driving its sword through the villain’s back. The Forsaken howled, kicked Gao Boar through the air, and clawed the StormMegazord aside.
Below, Navy Thunder slapped his right fist against his left palm.
"Lightning Style! Lightning Cage Jutsu!"
Lightning surrounded him and shot into the sky. The sky rumbled with thunder; dozens of lightning bolts lashed downward and exploded through the landscape, tearing through dirt, rubble and monsters.
Crimson Thunder dashed aside through a blur of motion, barely escaping the area.
He turned towards his brother and slapped his right fist against his left palm.
"Shadow Style. Shadow Thread Jutsu!"
Shadows extended into strands of energy that shot around Navy Thunder and wrapped around his arms, legs, waist and upper body, holding him in place.
"Sorry, Blake," Crimson Thunder said. "This is going to hurt."
The Crimson Thunder Ranger thrust his right hand. "Mind Flay!"
He fired a tendril of shadow energy from his palm. The tendril stabbed into Navy Thunder’s mind, ripping through Graendal’s compulsion.
Waves of agony pounded in Navy Thunder’s head, driving him to his knees, and then all fours. His armor fluxed, as if about to shatter. Then the screaming stopped, and Crimson Thunder lowered his attack, powering down his Mind Flay and Shadow Threads.
Crimson Thunder started walking towards his brother. But a group of monsters dropped in front of him. Each monster had a beetle motif. Stag Beetle, Torbador and Tagredor, Beetle Fangaira, Beetle Undead, and Jewel Beetle Mutant.
Tagredor leaned forward and blew a cloud of gas that surrounded Crimson Thunder, nearly choking him.
Beetle Undead took advantage of the distraction and moved in, hacking and slashing the Ranger with bursts of spark.
Stag Beetle fired beams of energy from his horn, blasting the Crimson Thunder Ranger with bursts of spark that whipped him off his feet.
Beetle Fangaira and Jewel Beetle Mutant lunged to attack the fallen Ranger.
But Kamen Rider Black RX leapt into the fight, kicking the two monsters backward. He landed and snapped into a fighting stance.
Torbador fired energy blasts that exploded around the Rider as he dove and rolled for cover.
The Rider rolled into a crouched stance and hopped through the air with a flying sidekick.
"Rider Kick!"
His kick energized with crimson power that slammed against Torbador. The blow hurled the monster backward; he slammed against Beetle Fangaira and Jewel Beetle Mutant, sending them staggering.
Another beetle-themed monster, Giraffa Undead, moved in on Crimson Thunder. The monster swung twin, curved blades, hacking and slashing. Crimson Thunder Ranger twirled his staff, blocking and parrying, each blow sparking on impact.
The Ranger hopped backward, crouched, and leapt into the air.
"Shadow Style! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Crimson-tinted shadows split from his body, took form, and dashed downward, bashing and hacking through the beetle monsters with bursts of spark, moving faster than humanly possible.
The Crimson Thunder Ranger landed and moved towards his brother, free of Graendal’s control.
"You OK?" Crimson Thunder asked, extending his hand.
"No." Navy Thunder took his brother’s hand and pulled himself up. "I’m pissed. Where’s Graendal."
"First things first," Crimson Thunder said, looking up towards the Megazord battle against the Serrator/Aginor hybrid.
Navy Thunder rolled his hands into fists. "I’m getting sick of Forsaken."
Crimson Thunder nodded. "You’re not the only one."
He and his brother armed their morphers. "Thunder-zords, arise!"
The Navy Beetlezord and Crimson Insectazord swooped down from the skies, and the Thunder Rangers leapt into their cockpits, embedded within the zords’ armor.
"Thunder-zords assemble!" Crimson Thunder shouted. "Thunder Fusion!"
The two zords radiated with energy and shot into the sky like comets. The streaks of energy twirled around each other and collided with a flash of light that dissipated as the zords started to merge.
The zords formed a warrior similar to the design of their old ThunderMegazord, only more slender. Two pieces of chest armor folded over the Megazord to cover the front of its body; then the plates of armor flipped back like a pair of wings as the Megazord snapped into a mid-air fighting stance.
"ThunderMegazord!" the Rangers shouted from their cockpit. "ChoiGouraijin!"
"Thunder Scythe!" Crimson Thunder shouted.
The ThunderMegazord armed a staff weapon that ignited a yellow energy blade shaped like a scythe. The Megazord leaned forward and dove from the air towards the Serrator/Aginor hybrid.
Serrator looked up and spat volleys of energy blasts that shot towards the ThunderMegazord like cannonballs.
ThunderMegazord flipped its chest shield closed, and the blasts exploded harmlessly against the shield’s surface. The volley cleared, and the Megazord snapped its chest shield back open and dropped towards the Forsaken.
ThunderMegazord landed while chopping the creature with a burst of spark. The Megazord stepped forward with a powerful horizontal slash that sparked on impact and knocked the Forsaken off its feet. Serrator crashed hard with a thundering boom that shook the earth.
Slowly, the giant monstrosity climbed back to its feet, just as the StormMegazord swooped down to attack.
The StormMegazord somersaulted through the air and drop-kicked Serrator to knock the monster backward.
"Storm Saber!" the Wind Power Rangers shouted as the Megazord summoned a slender blade in its right hand. The blade radiated with ebbing, yellow-tinted power, and wisps of flame and vapor danced along the blade’s edge. "Storm Slash!"
The Megazord swung its blade through a powerful, horizontal swing that ripped through the creature’s midsection with a massive burst of spark. The creature howled with pain, but quickly recovered.
Serrator lashed out with its tail, whipping the ThunderMegazord and StormMegazord backward.
Below, Hurricane Green slashed through a trio of monsters and leapt onto a pile of rubble. He armed his morpher.
"Sonic Eagle-zord, arise!" he shouted.
His zord flew downward from the skies, and he leapt into his cockpit. "Guys!" he shouted to his teammates. "Let’s combine!"
Hurricane Red nodded, smiling beneath her helmet. "You always have the best plans, Kou," she said before calling out: "Zords assemble!"
The StormMegazord, ThunderMegazord, and Sonic Eagle-zord shot into the sky. They glowed with power and circled around each other like comets of energy.
"StormMegazord…" the Wind Power Rangers called.
"ThunderMegazord…" the Thunder Rangers shouted.
"Sonic Eagle-zord…" Hurricane Green called.
"Armor merge to…" they called out together.
The comets of energy collided with a flash of light and power. As the light bled back, the fused form of the zords emerged. The robo looked similar to the original StormMegazord in Lightening mode, and wore pieces of the ThunderMegazord like a suit of armor. The Sonic Eagle-zord attached to the Megazord’s back, forming a second set of wings, along with the wings from the Storm Hawk.
The eagle’s star shape blade snapped onto the Megazord’s left fist, and the horns of the ThunderMegazord snapped onto the Megazord’s right fist, like a pair of fist weapons.
The Rangers joined in their central cockpit and called out. "Hurricane Megazord! ChoiTenrai Senpuujin!"
Azmodai grabbed Simon’s mask. "Get that stupid thing off your face, boy."
The mask shattered, revealing Simon’s face in Shaded form, chalk-white with solid black eyes except for red irises, and pale-white hair.
Azmodai barely needed to move. Without even a shrug, he fired a wave of TK energy that tossed Simon several meters backward, sending him crashing and skidding through dirt and debris.
Suddenly, a wave of black feathers fluttered near Azmodai. From the feathers stepped Moridyn, a Forsaken.
"You’ve played with your son long enough, Azmodai," Moridyn said, his voice like silk, as he placed a hand on Azmodai’s shoulder. "It is time for us to leave this place, and present ourselves to the Dark One as the ultimate instruments of his will."
"But the boy…"
"Is no longer necessary," Moridyn said, not even sparing Simon a glance. "The seals are broken. He served his purpose. Now…come, to the Shadow Line."
His feathers fluttered around his body and wrapped around Azmodai. They vanished with bursts of black light.
Simon dashed back to the site of the mansion. Megazords battled the giant Forsaken above. Monsters and demon-possessed men and women covered the landscape below.
He slashed, punched, and kicked past dozens of monsters, making his way to Graendal, who still sat on a throne- an odd site in the midst of a war-torn battle-scape.
"You." Simon aimed his sword at her. "Azmodai and Moridyn, where did they run to?"
"Here, although they’ll be leaving shortly." She leaned back, casually, caressing the arms of her chair. "I would lower that sword of yours. You’re far too young to use such a weapon properly."
"You’re not exactly powerful, Graendal," Simon said. "You’re not a fighter. You’re not much of a caster. All you have is your compulsion, twisting the weak-willed to-"
She waved her fingers; Simon collapsed to his knees, tensing with pain- emotional agony.
"Do you feel that?" Graendal asked as she stood and walked towards him. "That’s all the guilt and self-loathing you’ve buried over these last few years. Utter disgust at your own actions. All your confusion. All your hopelessness. All I need to do is wave my little fingers, and all of those simple, human emotions drive you to your knees."
She leaned next to him and whispered in his ear. "That’s my power, Simon. Care to mock me some more?"
"I would!" a voice shouted.
Graendal whipped around to see Kamen Rider Faiz launching at her with a flying sidekick.
His kick bashed the Forsaken, hurling her backward. She crashed and tumbled, rolling to her feet.
Red Python leapt through the air and landed next to Faiz. So did Gao Silver and Titan Silver.
Graendal smirked at the sight of them. "Well look at this, Simon. Even after everything you’ve done, you still have friends."
"We’re not friends," Simon said through a clenched jaw as he climbed to his feet.
"Ouch," Faiz said sarcastically. "That hurt."
Simon ignored him. He glared at Graendal and raised Uramasa. "We all just happen to want you dead. You and all the Forsaken."
"Didn’t you consider yourself one of us?" Graendal asked.
"Briefly…"
"Well…unfortunate, I suppose." She waved her fingers. "Now…let me show you why my power, my compulsion, makes me the most dangerous of the Dark One’s Priests…"
Faiz, Gao Silver, the Silver Overdrive Ranger, and Red Python collapsed to their knees. They felt Graendal worm her way into their minds, and into their souls, penetrating their being until…until…
"You are all mine."
Simon resisted, his jaw clenched. He looked to his side and saw his former comrades stand eerily still, all victims of Graendal’s compulsion.
"Shark Surge!"
"Tiger Fury!"
The MegaWildzord swung flurries of punches with its shark and tiger arms, battering Serrator with bursts of spark.
On the ground, Kamen Rider Blade looked upward, uncertain of how he could help. Then a thought struck him. "The Forsaken can only be killed by weapons made by other Forsaken, right? Because they’re immortal…"
"Right…" Garren said.
"So what?" Leangle asked.
"I’m immortal too," Blade said. "The only human to become an immortal," Blade said. "Maybe that’s enough. Maybe it takes an immoral to kill one."
He tightened his grip on his sword.
Chalice stepped to Blade’s side. "I will strike with you, Ken."
Garren nodded. "Count me in." He pulled his Category King from his blaster holster. "About time I put this to use. My King Form…"
Kamen Rider Garren attached his Rouze Absorber to his gauntlet.
He slid the Queen of Diamonds into the absorber: "ABSORB QUEEN" He swiped the King of Diamonds through the absorber slot: "EVOLUTION KING"
The King of Diamonds projected a field of energy that splashed against Garren and activated his golden King Form. Unlike Blade, in King Form, Garren bonded with his Category King only, the Giraffa Undead, and not all the cards of his deck.
His blaster grew into a massive rifle trimmed with golden plating.
He held the weapon with pride and looked to Blade. "How’s this?"
Blade smiled beneath his helmet. "That should definitely help…"
Kamen Rider Leangle stayed back, hesitant to use the power of his Category King. That card reminded him of the lust for power that almost consumed him after becoming a Rider.
Blade noticed and didn’t want the younger Rider to feel useless. He looked to Leangle. "Help keep the White Jokers back."
Leangle nodded, twirled his staff, and moved off to attack the army of monsters.
Kamen Rider Blade looked back towards the giant Forsaken. "OK. Garren, Chalice, I’ll hit him first. Follow-up after me."
Kamen Rider Blade leapt upward, several stories high, and hovered in midair. He slid five cards into his sword: "SPADE TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING, ACE — ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH"
Five fields of energy ignited in front of the Rider. They looked like giant cards and glowed with golden light.
Blade shot through the fields one-by-one as they splashed across his armor and energized his sword. He aimed his descent towards the giant Serrator/Aginor hybrid.
Blade’s sword glowed with golden power and expanded. He stabbed into Serrator’s neck and dropped downward, slashing through the beast with a massive gash of golden power.
Garren aimed his blaster towards the wound. He slid five cards into the weapon: "DIAMOND TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING, ACE — ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH."
Five fields of energy ignited in front of the Rider. He triggered a burst of golden energy. The blast tore through the cards one-by-one, growing in size, and blasted through the giant monster’s wound, secondary explosions ripping through his body.
Kamen Rider Chalice leapt upward and swiped a card through his bow. "WILD"
He triggered a pulse of jade energy that ripped through the giant, sparking on impact.
The Serrator/Aginor hybrid staggered, his gashing wound glowing with energy.
The Rangers and their Megazords took advantage of the opening.
"Now!" Gao White shouted. "Attack him now!"
Gao King leapt upward.
"Roaring Fury!" the Gao Rangers shouted.
Each of the Megazord’s Power Animals roared with a pulse of energy. The energy beams combined into a single blast that punctured through Serrator with massive bursts of spark, sending secondary explosions rippling through his body.
The Hurricane Megazord shot into the air.
The Megazord armed its samurai star and spun the weapon like a propeller. The whirling blade crackled with the energy of the storm.
"Hurricane Typhoon!" the Rangers shouted.
The blade fired a swirling vortex of power, crackling with thunder and lightning, and ebbing with hydro energy, seismic power, and the power of air and fire. Sonic waves blasted from the typhoon, which splashed against Serrator with powerful, elemental forces, ripping through the monster’s wound and tearing into its body.
Serrator possessed an old wound as well, from Uramasa, that flared with agony and re-opened.
The Hurricane Power Rangers’ wave of power intensified, pouring through the Forsaken and ripping him to pieces, from Blade’s wound outward, like peeling a rotten fruit. The Serrator/Aginor hybrid screamed and howled with agony, flesh stripping from bone.
With a final explosion, the Forsaken exploded and scattered into dust and ash. Serrator had died for the second and last time.
But from his ashes stepped a giant, frail-and-twisted Aginor, his monster form skeletal and filled with muscle and organs of transparent ooze. The monster opened his mouth wide with a silent wail of agony.
He lifted his hands. His creations, dozens upon dozens of White Jokers, exploded into dust. That dust floated and twirled around the giant, filling him with energy and power, and starting to assemble a new body, with new armor and new abilities.
The Rangers couldn’t let that happen.
Hurricane Red narrowed her eyes beneath her helmet. "He’s still wounded," she said. "We have one more chance to hit him before he stitches himself back together."
"How?" Hurricane Yellow asked. "We can’t toss another Hurricane Typhoon at him, we’re barely holding this Megazord together."
She smirked beneath her helmet. "Plenty of zords to go around…"
The Red Ranger looked through the far side of the viewport, through which she saw the MegaWildzord along with its army of Power Animals.
Navy Thunder sighed. "OK, you’re crazy, it officially runs in your family."
"Can’t hurt to try," Hurricane Red said.
"Pretty sure it can," Navy Thunder said.
The Red Ranger ignored him and opened a commline to the MegaWildzord. "Gao White, we need a favor."
Gao White listened to the plan and had to stop herself from saying "no" outright. "We’ve never done anything like that before."
"Us either, but we’re out of time to debate. Focus your Animal Crystals towards us. We’ll take care of the rest.
Hurricane Red and the rest of her team closed their eyes. The Red Ranger called on the power deep within herself, the power descended from the First Angel. And she used that power to wash through the Gao Rangers’ Animal Crystals, and the Power Rangers’ Power Discs.
"Hurricane Megazord…" she whispered.
"Wildzords…" she kept whispering.
"Armor merge to…"
The Hurricane Megazord ebbed with holy light and shot into the skies. The Wildzords, all of them, shot upward through streaks of power. The zords circled around each other like comets and collided with a flare of power that ignited the sky for miles.
"…Roaring Hurricane Gigazord!"
The Hurricane Megazord formed the core of the new, massive zord, plated with golden armor patterned after the Power Animals. Ten wings extended from the Gigazord’s back. The golden head of the lion appeared on the zord’s chest. Gao Rhino, now golden, formed a massive pauldron on the Gigazord’s right shoulder. And Gao Boar, also golden, formed a pauldron on the Gigazord’s left shoulder.
The head of Storm Hawk formed the top of the Gigazord’s helmet, with the heads of Gao Falcon and Gao Eagle on the sides of the helmet.
The massive Gigazord, even larger than the Samurai Gigazord, hovered in midair with flares of light, shining down upon Aginor. The light sizzled his molding skin and bones. The Hurricane Power Rangers and three Gao Rangers joined in a central cockpit.
"Roaring Hurricane Gigazord!" the Rangers shouted. "Stampede of the Storm!"
The Gigazord blasted a massive wave of power; it flowed and ebbed with the images of various animals, like a stampede racing through a hurricane. The blast slammed against Aginor with the force of a mighty torrent, ripping through his wounded body, and scattering the remains of White Jokers the Forsaken used as fodder.
The Forsaken opened his mouth with a final scream. His previous wounds flared and erupted with ichor, and his body exploded, vanishing into ash and dust, joining Serrator in death.
With Aginor and Serrator defeated, and most of the White Jokers cleared, Kamen Rider Blade, Garren, and Chalice, regrouped with Leangle. Kamen Rider Black RX joined them, and they moved on Graendal.
The Forsaken sat back down in her chair and leaned back, twirling her fingers. "Yes, come and fight, little insects…"
She used her compulsion to summon her newest thralls: Gao Silver, Titan Silver, Red Python, and Kamen Rider Faiz.
Kamen Rider Faiz charged at Kamen Rider Blade, who maintained his King Form.
Blade lunged and swung his sword, slashing upward and downward, striking Faiz with bursts of spark. Faiz staggered backward; he spun and swung wide, slashing Blade with a burst of spark. Faiz pressed forward with a reverse-sidekick and round-kick, battering the stronger Rider.
Blade hopped backward to gain distance. He slid two cards through his sword: "KICK; THUNDER"
Faiz crouched, slid his exceed charger onto his ankle, and pressed a series of commands on his buckler: "EXCEED CHARGE"
The opponents leapt towards each other, somersaulted through the air, and launched flying sidekicks. Blade’s kick crackled with lightning and electricity. Faiz’s kick pulsed with a red energy grid shaped like a cone.
The kicks smashed into one another with a shock wave, hurling the Riders backward as secondary explosions sparked across their armor.
Gao Silver and Titan Silver circled Kamen Rider Leangle.
Leangle twirled his staff, slashing and chopping at the Rangers. The two Rangers blocked and dodged, weapons clanging on impact. Gao Silver wielded a staff/sword hybrid called the Lunar Cue, and the Silver Overdrive Ranger wielded a blade-tipped staff called the Drive Detector.
The two Silver Rangers stepped back and attacked.
"Lunar Cue!" Gao Silver shouted. "Breaker mode!"
He tossed three animal crystals into the air. They fell downward, glowing with energy. He struck the crystals with the tip of his cue, blasting them through streaks of energy that shot towards the Rider.
Next, Titan Silver swung his staff. "Drive Detector! Silver Slash!"
He spun and slashed wide, firing a blade of silver energy.
The energy blade and bolts of power smashed Leangle with bursts of spark, hurling him backward. He crashed and tumbled, then climbed to his feet.
Kamen Rider Leangle cursed beneath his breath. He armed his Rouze Absorber, attaching the device to his left arm. He didn’t want to use the weapon. But he needed it.
He slid the Queen of Clubs into the Absorber. "ABSORB QUEEN." He slid the King of Clubs through the absorber’s slit. "EVOLUTION KING."
A card of energy shot from his belt and splashed across his armor. He powered up into his golden-armored King Form, bonding with his Category King. His staff transformed into a massive two-handed axe with thick double-blades. His armor intensified with power, forming gold trimming.
Titan Silver pounced and swung wide, slashing the Rider’s armor with a burst of spark. Gao Silver hopped and chopped, striking the Rider with a burst of spark.
Leangle barely noticed. He twirled his massive axe and swung wide, bashing the Rangers with bursts of spark that hurled them off their feet.
Kamen Rider Garren, still in King Mode, fired his blaster at Red Python. Powerful bolts of golden energy shot towards her. But she dodged each blast as she charged at the Rider. She moved with the agility and speed of a ninja. And Garren didn’t care for that much.
He swung his cannon like a club and bashed Red Python aside. The blow knocked her into the air. But she twisted to keep from falling out of control. And while in midair, she threw two energy daggers at the Rider.
The daggers stabbed Garren with bursts of spark, knocking him several steps backward.
Kamen Rider Black RX and Kamen Rider Chalice, still in Wild Form, charged at Graendal.
The Forsaken reached out, snagged RX’s mind with her compulsion, and twisted his will.
RX armed his Revolcane and slashed Chalice aside, blade sparking on impact and taking the Rider off guard.
Chalice armed his bow, lunged, and swung upward, slashing RX with bursts of spark.
RX hopped backward, landed in a crouch, and pushed off, launching a flying side-kick towards Chalice.
Chalice leapt into the air with a flying side-kick of his own.
Simon managed to stay on his feet, despite the crushing, mental weight of Graendal’s compulsion.
With Chalice and RX occupied, the Forsaken stood and looked towards Simon, an evil glimmer in her eyes.
"Oh, you’re still here?" she mocked.
Graendal stretched her mind across the battlefield. She reached into the possessed men and women under her thrall, and yanked the demons from them, pulling them through clouds of black smoke.
The smoke twirled around her, then shot towards Simon like comets of black fire. The demons exploded around him with massive bursts of energy, spark and flame, whipping him off his feet. He crashed and tumbled across the war-torn ground, thick with rubble and ash.
Her compulsion felt like red-hot wires worming through the insides of his brain, searing agony. But he resisted.
Slowly, he climbed to his feet. He narrowed his eyes and called on all his power. She tried to use his guilt, anger and self-loathing against him, but he used those emotions as fuel.
Simon pressed against her force of mind. His spiritual pressure shook the earth, driving Graendal to her knees. Her eyes flickered with fear for the briefest of moments.
He stepped closer. And closer. Each step a strain.
Graendal smiled at him, blood dripping from her nose. "Your mind. It’s…not quite human anymore, is it? Not quite demon, either. Not god-like. Nor demi-god. What have you done to yourself?"
"To myself?!" Simon shouted.
He broke from her power, lunged, and stabbed Uramasa into her gut. "All I ever wanted, you bitch, is to save people. I didn’t choose to…I didn’t choose this!"
The sword flared with black light that consumed Graendal from within, eating away at her insides like acid and fire, rupturing her body and skin.
"Just die," Simon said. "Just…leave me alone. All of you…just leave me alone."
Graendal ignited with shadowy flame that burnt her into ashes that scattered into nothingness. Simon had killed yet another of the Forsaken. And he wasn’t finished.
Samuel and the remaining Hellfire Knights stepped closer to the remains of the mansion. From below ground, a massive, demonic train rose, charging with shadowy power.
Grayson, one of the knights, knitted his brow. "Is that a fucking train?"
Samuel nodded. "They’re leaving…for the Shadow Hub."
Another knight, Stefan, shook his head. "Yeah, I don’t know what that means, man."
"It means we have to go after them," Samuel said. "Come on."
Simon, the Rangers, Riders and Hellfire Knights charged onto the train, just as it blasted towards the skies on tracks of darkness.
Demon City
Tyranno Ranger sat alone in the Megadinozord cockpit.
"Alright, guys," he said to his teammates through the comms. "Let’s get to work!"
The Megadinozord, Ninja Megazord, and Shogun Megazord advanced on the giant monstrosity that had been Xanathor. Ninja Black controlled the Shogun Megazord, and Ninja Blue controlled the Ninja Megazord.
"Megadinozord Saber!" Tyranno Ranger shouted. "Battle Crash!"
The Megazord armed its saber, which crackled with lightning and power. Megadinozord swung wide through a streak of energy, slashing Xanathor with massive bursts of spark that sent him stumbling.
"Shogun Megazord Saber!" Ninja Black shouted, summoning the Megazord’s golden blade. "Ignite!"
The sword ignited with fiery energy and slashed downward, ripping through Xanathor’s outer armor.
Xanathor roared and snapped his tail, aiming its point at the Shogun Megazord. But the Ninja Megazord spin-kicked the tail away.
"Wolf Punch!" Ninja Blue shouted.
The Megazord’s wolf fist energized and bashed Xanathor with massive bursts of spark.
"Ape Punch!" Ninja Blue shouted.
The ape fist energized and smashed the giant villain.
"Ninja Megazord…" Ninja Blue shouted, drawing enough power for the Megazord’s finisher. "Double-Knuckle Strike!"
The Megazord’s two fists energized and crackled with power; blue for the wolf, red for the ape. The wolf fist and ape fist punched Xanathor with a massive burst of force and energy, buckling another layer of the villain’s armor.
Nearby, the Lion Knight Megazord, Gosei Ground, regrouped with the Totem Megazord, Gosei Great.
"Rangers," Seraph Knight called on the team, taking command from his zord form. "We must add our strength to this fight by combining our powers."
"You got it, Seraph Knight," Seraph Red said. He slid his Ground Gosei Great Card into his morpher, which spoke the command: "SUMMON MEGAZORD"
"Totemzords assemble!" the Rangers shouted. "Dual Fusion!"
The two Megazords pulsed with energy, shifted shape, and combined to form a single robo.
"Grand Totem Megazord!" the Rangers shouted. "Ground Gosei Great!"
https://www.ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/14-%20Gosei%20Great%20Grand%20Ground%20Whatever.bmp
The Megazord armed its Gosei Lancer.
"Remember, guys," Seraph Blue said. "We may be up against some evil deity. But we’re Nephilim! We have the power of angels in our blood. Let’s use it!"
The Seraph Rangers reached into themselves and called on the angelic power of their bloodlines. Each of them had an ancestor that, although mortal, served as a host to an angel. And that angelic power had passed down from generation to generation.
Seraph Red pulled a blank card from his deck. The card flashed with Holy Light and formed a new ability. He slid the card into his morpher and snapped the morpher shut.
"Gosei Lancer!" the Rangers shouted. "Holy Dynamic!"
The Megazord shot upward, and comets of energy circled around its Lancer.
Meanwhile, the Jungle Pride Megazord and Jungle Master Megazord grabbed hold of Xanathor, holding him still as his body thrashed.
"Holy Dynamic!" the Seraph Rangers shouted. "Victory Charge!"
The Gosei Lancer fired a massive, burning arrow of energy- holy light wrapped around elemental power. The arrow stabbed through the core of Xanathor and ignited, burning through his armor from the inside out, and scorching his monstrous form.
The Galaxy Megazord moved in for another killing blow.
"Galaxy Megazord Saber!" the Galaxy Rangers shouted. "Blazing Slash!"
The sword energized and swung through a flurry of slashes, ripping into Xanathor with massive bursts of spark and flame.
Xanathor thrust his arms outward, and snapped his wings, firing a shock wave of unholy energy that hurled the Megazords off their feet. They crashed and skid across the war-torn streets, bashing through rubble and debris.
Ninja Black rolled his hands into fists. "What does it take to beat this guy?!"
Xanathor looked ready to fall apart, armor slagging from his beast-like body, covered with gashes and wounds. Secondary explosions still tore through his armor. But he still stood, and roared with fury.
"We’ve got this, Zack," Tyranno Ranger said over the commline. "Rangers, it’s time to bring ‘em together!"
Seraph Black hesitated. "Wait, what?"
"All our zords," Tyranno Ranger said. His Power Coin flashed from his buckler, as if joining the Red Ranger in his call to combine.
"Is that even possible?" Red Tiger asked.
"We’ll make it possible!" Tyranno Ranger shouted.
The Megadinozord roared with affirmation.
"Megazords assemble!" Tyranno Ranger shouted. The strain of the upcoming fusion threatened to rip his body apart, but he pressed forward. "God-Slayer Fusion!"
The Megadinozord, Shogun Megazord, and Ninja Megazord ignited with energy and shot into the air like comets. The Galaxy Megazord shot into the skies through a streak of energy, and the Jungle Master and Jungle Pride Megazords followed. Lastly, wings of holy energy spread from the Grand Totem Megazord, and it shot into the air.
The Megazords, as comets of energy, circled around one another. As they did, a final zord appeared: Titanus, the carrierzord. The comets of power crashed into Titanus with a burst of light that lit the skies for miles upon miles.
The Megadinozord slimmed and wore pieces of the Shogun Megazord as armor plating. The Dino-Shogun Megazord formed the core as the Galaxy Megazord and Ninja Megazord wrapped around it, as if the Dino-Shogun Megazord drove the framework of a larger Megazord exoskeleton.
The massive Megazord slid onto Titanus, riding the Carrierzord, as the Jungle Fury’s individual zords reinforced the carrier’s sides, neck and bottom.
"God-Slayer Gigazord!" the Rangers shouted from the cockpit of the largest zord to ever look upon the Earth.
The God-Slayer floated in midair and looked downward towards Xanathor, small by comparison. God-Slayer’s armor burnt with golden, holy light that shined as bright as a sun, casting light across all of Demon City and beyond.
"God-Slayer Megazord!" the Rangers shouted. "Grand Victory: Giga Charge!"
The Gigazord fired dozens of beams of energy that combined into a single wave of white light. The flood of light splashed through Xanathor, disintegrated his armor, and ripped through the core of his being, burning away the very fibers of his essence.
The shock wave tore through the dozens of remaining giants- Specters- that covered the landscape, washing them away with tides of light and heat.
With a final explosion of power and light, Xanathor burnt into dust and disintegrated into death.
The Gigazord split back into its individual components. The process nearly killed Jason, Zack, and Richie, along with the Galaxy team, strained far beyond their stamina- but they survived.
Even the youngest Rangers, the Seraph Rangers, felt drained as they leaned back in the cockpit of their Megazord.
But they didn’t have time to relax.
Seraph Red stood from his seat. "Guys…" he said, his body shaking. "Something’s wrong."
The Black Ranger tilted his head. "More than usual?"
The Red Ranger nodded. "I feel…" Wings of golden energy erupted from his back. The wings turned to shadow, corrupted by darkness.
"Wha-" Seraph Black started to shout.
But the Red Ranger stabbed his sword through the Black Ranger’s chest, killing him instantly.
"Troy?! What are you-" Seraph Pink started to shout.
Seraph Red tightened his hand into a fist, igniting a flame that burned inside the Pink Ranger, killing her from within.
The darkness took hold of Seraph Red completely, wielding him as a weapon.
Seraph Yellow pulled out her blaster and fired, blasts sparking against the Red Ranger’s armor. The Red Ranger slashed the blaster from her hand and swung his sword through a streak of red energy, cutting her down and killing her with a single strike.
Seraph Blue couldn’t move, paralyzed by fear.
Seraph Red stabbed through the Blue Ranger’s faceplate, killing him.
The Red Ranger screamed and dropped his sword. His body ignited with flame and shadow, burning his body and soul until he died alongside the teammates he slaughtered.
—To be continued…Chapter 15