Chapter 16: War! To Seal the Darkness
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.
Nothing.
Tommy turned. He tried to turn. He had no form or shape.
Nothing.
He tried to speak, but he had no mouth. Finally, he managed to think the words and make them manifest.
WHAT IS THIS? he asked.
OUR COVENANT, the Dark One answered. OUR ACCOMMODATION.
OUR ACCOMODATION IS NOTHING? Tommy demanded.
YES
He understood. The Dark One was offering a deal. Tommy could accept this…He could accept nothingness. The two of them dueled for the fate of the world. Tommy pushed for peace, glory, love. The Dark One sought the opposite. Pain. Suffering.
This was, in a way, a balance between the two. The Dark One would agree not to reforge the Wheel of Time to suit his grim desires. There would be no enslaving mankind, no world without love. There would be no world at all.
I OFFER THIS TO YOU, the Dark One said. AND TO ALL MEN. YOU WANTED PEACE. I GIVE IT TO YOU. THE PEACE OF THE VOID. I GIVE YOU NOTHING AND EVERYTHING.
Tommy did not reject the offer immediately. He grasped at the offer and cradled it in his mind. No more pain. No more suffering. No more burdens.
An ending. A way to end the cycles, finally…just as the Dark Man Akuma wanted.
NO, Tommy said. AN END TO EXISTENCE IS NOT PEACE. I MADE THIS CHOICE BEFORE. WE WILL CONTINUE.
The Dark One’s pressure began to surround him again, threatening to rip him apart.
I WILL NOT OFFER AGAIN, the Dark One said.
“I would not expect you to,” Tommy said as his body returned and the threads of possibility faded.
Then the true pain began.
The Moon
The Samurai Rangers faced a wave of White Jokers in monster form. This batch took the form of Saima monsters that faced the Lightspeed Rescue team years ago: Demonite, Thunderon, Falkar, Troika, Cyclopter, Arachnor, Treevil, and others.
Samurai Red leapt at Demonite, Thunderon, and Falkar.
He armed his Bankai disc on his sword’s hilt and swiped the disc.
“Bankai!” he shouted. “Flame and burst, Shinkenmaru!”
His sword ignited with an inferno. He swung wide, firing a wave of flame that bashed the trio, hurling them backward with massive bursts of spark.
Samurai Green moved in next. He dashed towards Thunderon as the bulky monster climbed to its feet.
The Green Ranger swung and slashed his sword. But Thunderon used its massive fists to block the blows.
Suddenly, webs wrapped around the Green Ranger from behind and snapped him off his feet. Arachnor had used its webs to grab the Ranger.
Samurai Red leapt through the air, slashed through the webs, and freed Samurai Green.
The two Rangers snapped towards Arachnor and swung their blades through streaks of energy, slashing the monster with bursts of spark.
Elsewhere on the Moon
Explosions ripped through the surface of the moon, scattering the Sailor Guardians. The Four Heavenly Kings of the Dark Kingdom had regrouped and turned their combined power upon the Sailors.
But the Sailors had back-up.
The Mystic Rangers regrouped and attacked the Kings, who defended themselves.
Jadeite lifted his hand and fired a volley of ice darts.
Mystic Blue lifted her staff. “Magi Majiro!”
She liquified the darts into hydro energy, wove them into strands, and whipped the King off his feet.
Nearby, Mystic Red armed his Magi Sword and charged at Kunzite. “We have some unfinished business!”
Kunzite smirked. “Indeed we do.”
The villain dropped a globe of darkness that expanded over the Red Ranger. He saw nothing but black.
The Ranger cursed beneath is breath. “Not this again…” He lifted his staff. “Jiruma Magiro!”
His staff ignited with fiery energy, illuminating the sphere of darkness. Kunzite lifted his arm over his eyes and staggered backward.
The Red Ranger smiled beneath his helmet. “There you are!”
He thrust his staff at the villain. “Red Fire!”
He fired a burst of flame that smashed Kunzite and hurled him backward, dissolving his globe of darkness.
Without warning, a wave of crimson and black washed across the landscape, sweeping up the Rangers, Guardians, and Kings.
The wave lowered, and Beryl stepped forward, staff-in-hand.
“I have been waiting for this moment…Princess Serenity,” she practically purred.
She looked towards her four Kings as they climbed to their feet. Her face twisted with disgust. “Useless…all of you.”
She lifted her hand. A wave of crimson fire washed them up; the energy burnt through their bodies and souls, disintegrating them into dust.
“No!” Sailor Moon shouted. “Your own people!”
“Hush now,” Beryl said with a wave of darkness that bashed Sailor Moon backward.
The Rangers regrouped.
“Alright,” Mystic Red said. “Let’s go Legendary!”
They armed their morphers.
“Legendary Source! Mystic Force!”
Magick circles slid across the Rangers, morphing them into their Legend Warrior armor.
They armed their Mystic Lion Staffs and attacked.
“Rockslide!” The Green Ranger thrust his staff, firing a wave of stone and earth.
“Whirlwind!” Mystic Pink twirled her staff, firing a wave of wind energy.
“Tidal Wave!” The Blue Ranger thrust her staff with a torrent of hydro energy.
“Lightning bolt!” Mystic Yellow lifted his staff and fired a massive blast of lightning.
“Firestorm!” The Red Ranger thrust his staff with a wave of fiery energy.
Earth, water, wind, lightning, and fire surged towards Beryl. She lifted her hand, summoning a shield of shadow. The attacks blasted the shield and splashed across its surface, leaving Beryl unharmed.
She slid her shield aside and lashed out with a bolt of power; the blast erupted against the Mystic Rangers with massive bursts of spark, hurling them backward. They crashed and skid several meters across the lunar surface, as secondary explosions scorched their amor.
Sailor Jupiter leapt into the air towards Beryl.
“Supreme Thunder!”
She fired bursts of jade lightning that shot towards Beryl.
Beryl lifted her hand. She raised an energy shield of darkness that blocked the blow. The lightning splashed harmlessly against the curved shield of power.
Sailor Jupiter landed alongside her teammates.
Beryl laughed at the girls. She twirled her staff and fired waves of black lightning, intense blasts that thrashed and crackled, igniting the air with power.
The Guardians stepped back and raised their hands, projecting energy shields that blocked the lightning. But the lightning intensified, pushing them backward, ricocheting from their shields with massive discharges of power.
Sailor Mercury ducked aside and swung her arms, dropping a sphere of energy that disrupted the lightning, calling it off.
Beryl lowered her staff; her hair moved on its own like monstrous snakes that lashed out and wrapped around the Guardians, binding their arms and legs, and tightening around their necks.
“I have waited for this moment for all of time!” Queen Beryl shouted. “Endymion was mine! I loved him…and yet he only had eyes for you.”
“So, for that you sell your soul to evil?!” Sailor Moon shouted. “You’re nothing but the Dark One’s pawn! Wake up already!”
Queen Beryl laughed again. “Foolish girls. I am no one’s pawn…I will never be a pawn again! I will rule alongside my dear Endymion for all eternity!”
She ignited her strands of hair with dark power, electrifying the Guardians with pain and anguish. Darkness thrashed the Sailors and sent tendrils of agony through their bodies and souls.
Sailor Venus struggled against the pain. Inch-by-inch, she managed to raise her hand.
“The sword!” she shouted. “The holy sword for protecting my princess! Come into my hand!”
A double-edged sword appeared in Venus’s hand with a burst of light. The sword looked dark-silver, with a golden hilt. She chopped through Beryl’s hair, freeing herself and fellow guardians, and charged to attack.
Venus dashed and swung wide.
But Beryl raised her hand and summoned an energy shield that blocked the blow. The sword ricocheted off the shield, knocking Venus backward. The blade fell from her hand.
Beryl smiled. “Did you really think that would work on me?”
“Venus!” Sailor Moon called out.
Venus looked over her shoulder. She saw Sailor Moon lifting the sword while standing alongside the other Guardians.
“Let’s attack her together!” Sailor Moon shouted.
Venus joined the others. They lined up, with Sailor Moon at the center, holding the sword.
“Holy Sword!” they shouted as one. “Give us the power!”
They charged to attack.
Queen Beryl lifted her hand and charged a bolt of darkness in her palm.
But Venus attacked first.
“Venus Chain!”
Sailor Venus snapped a chain of orange energy that whipped around Beryl’s arm, knocking her hand aside.
Queen Beryl cursed and swung her staff with her other hand.
But Mars attacked first.
“Evil Spirits, begone!”
Sailor Mars hurled a twirling bolt of flame that knocked the staff aside.
“Now!” Sailor Jupiter shouted. “She’s open!”
“All together!” the Guardians shouted, blazing with the light of the Heavenly Saints.
They stabbed the blade through Beryl’s chest with a massive burst of light and power.
Beryl howled with pain and grabbed the sword by the blade. “NO! Even with that sword…you cannot destroy me. I am Forsaken! A Chosen of the Dark One! I will! Not! Lose!”
“You will!” Sailor Moon shouted. “You will lose. And you will bring Endymion back to me!”
“You don’t understand, do you?” Beryl placed a hand over her chest. “He was the Dark One’s Emissary. And he was defeated. I have drained his remaining power and darkness, his essence, into me…Now, your precious prince will be with me always, eternally!”
“No!” Sailor Moon closed her eyes tightly and called out for him. “Endymion…please! Be yourself again!”
He did not answer. She felt nothing from him in return.
“It can’t be…” she whispered. “Where are you Endymion?”
In her mind’s eye, she saw him battle the Rail Rangers, and saw his defeat.
“No…” she whispered. “This isn’t the way it was supposed to be.”
Endymion…lost to her completely, not even a part of her life, not anymore. She felt no love from him. No compassion, despite her destiny to be with him forever.
Instead, though, to her surprise, she felt something stronger. Her own heart. Her own love. Even alone, she shined with compassion and hope. And light. She just needed to reach that power. To use it. To use her own light.
The sword glowed with holy power that washed along the blade, burning into Beryl.
The Forsaken shouted with intense pain as the holy energy stabbed into her very soul. She staggered backward, and the sword slipped free, but darkness bled from her wound, pieces of flesh, soul and spirit.
Queen Beryl erupted into an explosion of black-and-crimson energy.
But from the explosion, Beryl shifted into her true form.
Kamen Rider Wizard, Kamen Rider Beast, and Kamen Rider Agito– all back in their normal forms– landed on the surface of Earth’s moon after freeing Maya. Monsters and Moon Mummies surrounded the entire landscape.
Agito stepped in front of Maya. “Stay back…”
“How?” Maya asked. “There’s-”
Her breath caught in her throat. A trio of monsters leapt towards them. Agito reverse-sidekicked a monster, punched the second, and back-fisted the third. But another group charged at him. Then another. Then another.
An explosion separated Wizard, Beast and Agito. Wizard crashed and rolled across the surface of the moon. When he climbed to his feet and looked up, he noticed geysers of crimson power, shooting several stories high in the distance.
He recognized the energy signature because of his powers’ connection to the Forsaken. “Queen Beryl…”
He armed his sword and ran towards the dark energy.
A pillar of pink-and-crimson fire erupted from the ground with a massive shockwave, scattering the Guardians and Rangers.
The pillar took shape, appearing as a face of fiery energy, rippling with shades of midnight and crimson. Her eyes glowed with pale-blue light, and her maw opened like a red furnace. A crimson star shined on her forehead.
The creature of amorphous energy was Queen Beryl’s true form.
Sailor Moon and Mystic Red leapt in front of her.
Mystic Red twirled his staff into a defensive stance. “Any idea how to beat this thing?”
“Uh…still thinking,” Sailor Moon said.
The Red Ranger shook his head. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
He thrust his staff with a burst if Ki, blasting Beryl. But she countered with a TK burst that bashed Mystic Red with a shower of sparks, whipping him backward.
“Nick!” Sailor Moon shouted as she leapt towards his side.
Beryl lashed out with strands of darkness and crimson, grabbing hold of the Guardian.
“No, little girl,” Beryl mocked. “You will not go to his side. You will fail him, just as you failed Endymion.”
Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes.
She broke free from the tendrils, landed on her feet, and shifted into a fighting stance.
“Moon Tiara Action!”
She hurled her tiara at the villain. The tiara glowed with golden light and turned into a spinning blade, ripping into the center of Beryl. The tiara exploded, and the Forsaken absorbed the energy.
Queen Beryl laughed. She lashed out with an electric storm that pinned Sailor Moon to her feet. “Your every attack becomes nothing but fuel for my power! You are-”
A burst of flame tore through Beryl like a meteor. She nearly ripped apart but re-formed her amorphous body.
Below, Kamen Rider Wizard landed on the Lunar Surface.
“Queen Beryl…” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Mystic Red joined Wizard. And Sailor Moon stepped alongside them.
Sailor Moon armed her scepter and pointed at Beryl. “Alright, Beryl. Let me remind you who I am. I am the Pretty Guardian, who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon! And now, in the name of the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
Wizard shifted his belt’s driver and placed a hand over his buckler, which spoke the command: “ENERGIZE; AWAKEN”
“Here,” he said as he lifted his hand.
Magic flowed from his palm and washed over Sailor Moon and Mystic Red, encasing them in energy armor.
The Red Ranger and Guardian shot through streaks of energy, aimed at Beryl. The Forsaken lashed out with strands of darkness tinted crimson. But the attacks splashed harmlessly against the heroes’ armor.
Mystic Red and Sailor Moon blasted through the villain, sending ripples through her body.
Kamen Rider Wizard leapt towards Queen Beryl with a flying sidekick.
“Rider Kick!”
His kick energized and punctured through her middle with a massive explosion of magical energy, tearing the Forsaken to pieces.
But she knitted herself back together with a wave of TK energy, powerful enough to blast back Wizard, Sailor Moon and Mystic Red.
The villain reached out with strands of energy and grabbed hold of Sailor Moon.
“I told you, child…your every attack is fuel for my power!” Beryl shouted.
Queen Beryl’s spiritual pressure heightened, shaking the lunar surface and nearly crushing Sailor Moon. She felt her soul and heart cry out with pain.
Through that pain, she felt a brief moment of clarity, and knew what she had to do.
“Nick!” she shouted, tossing her brooch to the Red Ranger. “Here!”
Mystic Red staggered to his feet, just in time to catch the brooch. “Serena…no! You can’t!”
“I have to, Nick!” she shouted back. “It’s the only way!”
Sailor Moon looked towards Queen Beryl. “You want power, Queen Beryl! Then take mine!”
Queen Beryl’s monstrous smile widened. The Forsaken surged forward with a wave of darkness, completely enveloping Sailor Moon, who vanished within the amorphous form.
“No!” Mystic Red shouted.
Queen Beryl blasted him away.
The other Sailors climbed to their feet.
Grief gripped their throats.
“Usagi, no!” Sailor Venus shouted.
Queen Beryl pulsed with shockwaves of darkness.
The blasts splashed against the four Sailors, washing them backward with torrents of power.
They crashed and skid across the surface, rolling to a stop.
Slowly, they climbed to their feet and joined together.
They each raised a hand towards the stars.
“Jupiter Power!”
“Mercury Power!”
“Mars Power!”
“Venus Power!”
Light circled around them; spheres of energy formed in their palms.
“Sailor Planet Attack!”
They shot the orbs of power at Beryl.
The blasts combined into a single pulse that exploded within the villain’s form, flashing with power. But the Forsaken channeled the power back at the Sailors, bashing them backward.
Kamen Rider Wizard leapt to their defense and armed his sword. But Beryl lashed out with blasts of telekinetic force; the attack bashed Wizard with bursts of spark, hurling him backward.
The four Sailors leapt into the air and shot towards Beryl to attack. But the Forsaken expanded and enveloped the Guardians, absorbing them into the villain’s essence– they joined the fate of Sailor Moon.
“No!” Mystic Red shouted.
Suddenly, dozens of Moon Mummies leapt onto the landscape and charged at the Mystic Rangers and Kamen Rider Wizard.
Queen Beryl held back as power rippled within her core, her amorphous body growing.
“There’s…so many of them,” Mystic Blue said as they faced the Moon Mummies.
“Don’t worry about their numbers,” Kamen Rider Wizard said as he slid a ring onto his hand. “No matter how many monsters they throw at us, we still have our magic. And as long as we have our magic, we have hope.”
Wizard shifted his Driver. He placed his hand over the buckler, which pulsed with red energy. “FLAME; DRAGON”
The buckler emitted a red magick circle that slid across Wizard and activated his Flame Dragon form.
He looked to Nick. “Nick, have your team use their elemental spells with mine.”
Mystic Red nodded and grabbed his staff. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go!”
Wizard placed a hand over his buckler: “DRAGO SKULL; AWAKEN”
The head of the dragon formed on his chest. The Rider lunged forward.
“Dragon Breath!” the dragon fired a stream of powerful flames that twirled and thrashed with heat and power.
Mystic Red thrust his staff. “Red Fire!”
He fired a stream of flame, joining with Wizard’s and forming a torrent of fire, ripping through monsters and grunts with massive bursts of spark.
Wizard activated the Timer Driver on his right gauntlet: “DRAGON; TIME”
“Let’s get this over with faster, shall we?” he said as he activated the timer: “START!”
He charged through Moon Mummies and monsters, hacking left and right as the timer reached the blue portion of the dial: “WATER DRAGON”
A blue magick circle opened, and a clone of Wizard hopped through. The clone wore the armor of Wizard’s Water Dragon form.
Water Dragon blocked a punch and bashed a kick across a grunt’s head. He spun and smashed the heel of his foot across another grunt’s head, bashing the Moon Mummy to the ground.
Mystic Blue leapt into the air, and Water Dragon joined her.
The Rider placed a hand over his buckler. “DRAGON TAIL; AWAKEN”
He grew a tail of hydro energy and lashed out, whipping monsters and grunts off their feet. Mystic Blue aimed her staff at the scattered enemies.
“Blue Splash!”
She fired a burst of hydro energy that tore through the villains, hurling them backward.
The Timer Driver reached the green section of the dial: “HURRICANE DRAGON”
A green magick circle opened in midair, and a clone of Wizard leapt through. The clone wore the green armor of Kamen Rider Wizard’s Hurricane Dragon form. Hurricane Dragon leapt through the air and fired a blaster that shot through Moon Mummies with bursts of spark.
Hurricane Dragon landed, used the blaster to block a staff, and then twisted beneath the weapon. He swung his sidearm and opened fire, blasting through a group of Moon Mummies.
The Rider placed a hand over his buckler: “DRAGON WING; AWAKEN”
Wings snapped from his back. He shot upward and flapped his wings with powerful gusts of wind energy.
Mystic Pink thrust her staff in the same direction.
“Pink Storm!”
She fired weaves of wind that joined the Rider’s tempest, smashing mummies and monsters with bursts of spark.
The Rider placed a hand over his buckler. “DRAGON SONIC”
Hurricane Dragon dove downward and circled the monsters and mummies, creating a vortex of wind that crackled with lightning.
Mystic Yellow added his power to the vortex.
“Yellow Thunder!”
He lifted his staff, igniting bolts of lightning that thrashed through the monsters with massive bursts of spark.
The Timer Driver reached the yellow section of the dial: “LAND DRAGON”
A yellow magick circle opened on the ground. Wizard’s Land Dragon form leapt from the circle while slashing through a pair of Moon Mummies with bursts of spark.
The Rider armed his Drago Claws and dove beneath the surface of the moon. He erupted from beneath a group of monsters and mummies, hurling them into the air with bursts of spark and flame.
Mystic Green armed his Mystic Axe and slashed downward.
“Green Ground!”
He chopped the ground with shockwaves of seismic energy that shattered through monsters and mummies.
Land Dragon, Water Dragon, and Hurricane Dragon smashed through the Moon Mummies, leaving a path for Kamen Rider Wizard to charge towards a group of monsters. The Mystic Rangers joined him.
But before they could attack, the ground shook. The heroes staggered and nearly fell, and when they looked up, they saw Queen Beryl grow to giant form. The creature looked like dark flame and smoke, with white-hot eyes, a gaping maw of crimson and red energy, and a red star at the center of her head. Her body remained amorphous, all cloud and smoke and energy.
“Queen Beryl…” Wizard said. “She’s giant.”
“I don’t suppose you have a Megazord or two?” Mystic Yellow asked.
Wizard shook his head. “No…I have a flying dragon…but I can’t use him outside the Astral Plane.”
“Why not?” Mystic Pink asked.
“Well, uh…he’ll eat me,” he answered, slightly embarrassed.
“Oh…” the Pink Ranger said. “Awkward….”
“We’ll have to do,” Mystic Red said as he stepped forward. “Let’s zord-up.”
The five Mystic Rangers flipped open their morphers and raised them towards the skies. “Mahou Dai Henshin! Maagi Magi Magika!”
They grew giant and morphed into Majin. The Majin slapped their right fists against their left palms. “Mystic Fusion! Maagi Giruma Magi Jinga!”
A golden circle of magical energy circled above the Majin as they changed shape and combined into a single Megazord.
The Mystic Rangers joined in their cockpit.
“Mystic Megazord!” they shouted. “Magi King!”
Beryl fired bursts of energy that shot towards the Megazord. The Megazord folded its wings across its chest like a shield, which blocked the blasts with bursts of spark.
The Forsaken charged, clawed Magi King with bursts of spark, and clawed again.
The Rangers lifted their staffs. “Gii Magi Gigiru!” The Megazord summoned its blade with a burst of golden light. “Magi Calibur!”
The Megazord swung upward, slashing the Forsaken with a burst of spark that whipped her backward.
Magi King spun and swung his sword, emitting a circle of white light. Dozens of swords rose from the light and aimed towards the Forsaken.
Phantom Illusion!” the Rangers shouted.
The Megazord thrust its saber; the swords shot through Beryl and pinned her in place.
“Magi Calibur!” the Rangers shouted. “Mystic Slash!”
Magi King swung his blade through a circle, forming a ring of magical energy. The Megazord swung through the ring; Magi Calibur flashed with energy and slashed through Beryl with massive bursts of spark.
Beryl laughed. Her wounds knitted together with strands of energy.
The monster fired waves of telekinetic power, bashing the Megazord with bursts of spark. Secondary explosions tore across armor, intensifying.
“Change modes!” Mystic Red shouted.
The Mystic Megazord flashed with energy, broke apart, and recombined into two forms: a firebird and a lion. The zords recombined into a different configuration.
“Manticore Megazord!” the Rangers shouted. “Magi Legend!”
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Magi Legend leapt through the air. The Megazord aimed its staff at Beryl while diving towards her. The staff spun and crackled with energy.
Beryl fired a TK pulse that bashed the Megazord backward.
The Megazord twisted through the air, landed on its feet, and snapped around while slashing towards Beryl. The staff passed through her like a blade through a cloud. The Forsaken sparked another TK burst that sent the Megazord flying backward.
Magi Legend crashed and tumbled, then rolled to its feet.
The Megazord lifted its staff.
“Magical Climax! Screw Calibur!” the Rangers shouted. The staff’s blade spun like a drill, generating fiery energy. “Fire Tornado!”
The Megazord thrust its staff, firing a twirling beam of flame. The flame punctured through the Forsaken with massive explosions.
Magi Legend pressed forward with an attack charge.
But Beryl swatted the Megazord aside as casually as she would an ant.
Luckily, the Rangers had back-up.
The Solar Streak Megazord arrived, with Mystic Gold in the cockpit.
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“Did you intend to leave me out of this fight, Rangers?” he asked.
“No, no,” Mystic Yellow said. “Please help. Help now. Lots of help.”
The Gold Ranger smiled beneath his helmet.
His zord stepped forward.
“Furnace Blast!”
Solar Streak’s chest fired a beam of fiery energy, puncturing through Beryl with bursts of flame and smoke.
The attack gave the Rangers time to regroup.
Mystic Gold lifted one of his spell cards. The card flashed with golden energy. “Rangers, your courage has earned you a new spell. The Mystic Ultrazord!”
Mystic Yellow smiled beneath his helmet. “Sweet!”
Mystic Red nodded. “It’s time to take care of business.”
The Manticore Megazord ignited with golden power and transformed into a being of pure energy. The energy split into two, forming the Manticore Megazord, as well as the Mystic Megazord. Their light splashed across the Solar Streak Megazord.
“One last Megazord spell,” Mystic Red said. “Make it count!”
The Rangers flipped open their wand morphers. “Mystic Zords assemble! Mahou Choi Tenshin! Maagi Magi Magika!”
The three Megazords burst into columns of light that streaked upward. The columns collided into a single beam of light that struck the moon, forming a new zord. The new Megazord looked similar to the Manticore Megazord, with pieces of the Solar Streak Megazord wrapped around its arms, legs and back like armor. Its upper chest carried the head of the lion from the Manticore Megazord, and its middle body carried the M-shaped emblem of the Mystic Megazord. The wings of the Mystic Megazord extended from its back.
“Mystic Ultrazord!” the Rangers shouted. “Magi War!”
The Ultrazord fired arm cannons that blazed with golden light. The cannons hurled energy bolts like cannonballs, igniting like meteors. But the attack worked as effectively as using a gun to shoot the ocean. The blasts exploded within Beryl with massive burst of spark, rippling her body, but she maintained her form.
The Moon’s Orbit
A Kurliner throttled through space around the moon.
Azmodai stood alone in the front engine. The main cabin looked like a cathedral, with stained glass windows and a wide-open floor of white marble, neatly polished. Jade columns bordered the floor, and golden chandeliers hung between the columns.
Simon Kaden stepped into the cabin from the rear, with his black katana in hand.
“New outfit?” the ranger asked as he raised his sword into a fighting stance.
Azmodai traced his fingers along the lines of his mask. “So much more than that. I have been touched by the power of my father. The True Power.”
The demon lifted his own saber and turned to face Simon. “Have you asked yourself what you hope to accomplish here?”
“Kill you,” Simon said. “No grand plans. No destiny. No purpose, other than ending you and the Forsaken.”
Azmodai smiled. “Very well.”
The demon chopped his blade. Simon lifted his sword and blocked. But the blow drove him to his knees. He knitted his brow. How did Azmodai get so much stronger…?
Simon pushed up, knocking the demon backward. He spun and twirled his blade, slashing at the demon. Azmodai moved with the grace of a dancer, blocking and parrying, swords clanging with bursts of spark as they moved across the marble floor.
Simon slashed towards Azmodai’s head. The demon blocked. They pressed their blades against each other; Simon leaned towards the villain’s mask.
“I didn’t think you were much for swordplay…” Simon said.
Azmodai tilted his head. “You’ll find that my skills have grown to a level beyond your comprehension, boy.”
Azmodai knocked Simon’s sword aside, knife-hand chopped his chest, and reverse sidekicked his chest. The blows hammered Simon and knocked him backward. He collapsed to his knees and skid across the floor.
Samuel dashed into a train coach several railcars back from the main locomotive. The carriage appeared lavishly decorated, with wooden paneling and drapes, ornate lights, and chandeliers.
A wave of warrior priests, demon-possessed, charged at Samuel from the other end of the carriage. Samuel sidekicked the leader backward with the force of a battering ram; the villain smashed against two of his companions.
Samuel pressed forward, slashing and parrying past a trio of priests, blade sparking on impact. The knight jumped with a downward swing, chopping a priest to the ground. He spun forward, slashing a priest off his feet.
The priest crashed onto a table that splintered to pieces.
Simon and Azmodai circled around one another with flashes of steel. Their blades clashed with bursts of spark.
Azmodai kicked the side of the ranger’s knee and pommeled his face, knocking him to his knees once more.
Samuel elbowed a priest’s face and slashed through the villain, spinning, blade slashing through another duo of priests with bursts of spark.
The knight dashed forward, kneed a priest upside the head, and landed; he sprinted towards the other end of the carriage.
Azmodai moved with a burst of speed, slashing and kicking, forcing Simon backward. The Forsaken kicked the ranger off his feet.
Simon crashed onto his chest, and Azmodai stomped onto the back of his neck, pressing his boot down hard.
The demon stabbed towards the ranger’s skull.
But Simon vanished with a burst of black light. He reappeared behind Azmodai, slashed his back, flash-stepped in front of him, and slashed his front, whipping the demon’s body backward. Before Azmodai could crash to the floor, Simon swung upward through a streak of black power, slashing the villain and tossing his body upward.
Simon shot towards Azmodai. But the demon disappeared with a burst of black energy, reappeared behind him, and swung his blade. Simon vanished and reappeared. The two opponents tele-skipped and flash-stepped through the cabin with flashes and blurs of black light, swords clanging, kicks snapping, bouncing off the ceiling, columns, and walls.
Simon fired a TK burst that smashed Azmodai to the floor. The demon lifted his twisted hand with a wave of power, tossing Simon through the air. The ranger smashed through a column and crashed to the floor.
From behind, the rear door kicked open, and Samuel leapt inside, his sword in hand.
Azmodai smiled beneath his mask. “Ah, there you are.”
The demon lifted his hand, commanding the train to climb and accelerate upward. The train floor went vertical; Azmodai fired a TK pulse that knocked Simon and Samuel downward, sending them falling down several train cards.
The brothers stabbed their swords into the floor, slowing their fall and skidding to a stop.
Samuel shot back up towards the main carriage. He circled his sword in front of him with a ring of golden energy.
“Garo.”
Golden light flared around him as he morphed into the armor of Garo.
Shooting upward, he swung his sword through an x-shaped pattern that streaked with jade flames, forming a green “x” of energy. He swung his sword through the flames; they blasted upward, striking Azmodai with bursts of spark.
Garo shot into the main cabin and slashed towards the demon.
The train straightened, and Azmodai landed on the floor, dodging the Golden Knight’s attack. The demon shot upward and vanished through the ceiling with a burst of darkness, and Garo followed through the teleportation wave before it closed.
The combatants landed on top of the Kurliner’s forward engine. They stood on a circular pedestal surrounded by black columns, holding a circular ceiling. Clouds of darkness surrounded them as the train throttled through space around the moon.
Garo and Azmodai clashed swords, blades sparking on impact.
Azmodai channeled the True Power, the power of the Dark One, and thrust his palm with a burst of energy, bashing Garo off his feet. The blast hurled him backward as the train sped beneath him. He landed against a spike that extended from one of the mid rail-cars.
Azmodai shot towards Garo. But Simon appeared with a burst of darkness and slashed him aside.
The demon crashed on the train and tumbled, nearly falling from the speeding vehicle. He stabbed his blade into the train’s armor to keep from falling.
Simon shot at him through a streak of shadow, slashing wide.
Azmodai pulled his blade out and flipped backward, dodging the blast and landing further down the train.
Simon dashed upward, hovered in midair, and shot towards Azmodai. The ranger’s eyes glowed with red energy, and his hands pulsed with darkness. He hurled bolts of power that bashed Azmodai, nearly knocking him from the train.
But the demon flash-stepped along the vehicle and made his way back to the pedestal at the front of the train.
Azmodai lifted his demon arm forward. It pulsed with red energy, and that energy started to wash through the train, triggering the birth of Moridyn’s God Killer device.
Garo appeared with a flash of golden light and chopped off the demon’s arm.
Azmodai howled with pain and collapsed to his knees, and the train steered out of control.
The Kurliner from Azmodai’s mansion twisted and turned, out of control as the battle for the God Killer raged. An explosion tore the evil train in two.
The rear cars fell towards the surface of the moon. And from the cars leapt the stowaway champions, arming their morphers and transformation devices.
“Gao Access! Ha!” Gao Silver, Gao Black, Gao Blue, and Gao White.
“Jungle Beast! Spirit Unleash!” Violet Wolf.
“Ninjetti Change!” The Hurricane Power Rangers.
“Awaken!” Kamen Rider Faiz.
“Awaken!” Kamen Riders Blade, Garren, Leangle and Chalice.
“Overdrive! Start-up!” Titan Silver, the last of the Overdrive Rangers.
“Red Python!” Zadie, the Red Python.
“Awaken!” Kamen Rider Black RX.
Magi War leapt upward and aimed its arm cannons, firing massive bursts of golden energy. The blasts shot towards Queen Beryl like cannonballs and exploded within her. But the Rangers may as well have been tossing boulders into a lake. The attacks rippled her body but did no harm.
Mystic Red cursed beneath his breath. “This isn’t working.”
Rahvin felt the Dark One’s presence everywhere. Darkness. Infinite and empty.
Something stirred within that darkness. Light, perhaps? But from where?
He placed his hand over his belt buckler, igniting his ring: “AWAKEN; NOW”
A white magick circle slid over his body as he morphed into the White Mage.
The villain joined the ranks of monsters and grunts that covered the lunar surface.
Above, giant, golden wings spread through the sky, casting brilliant light across the lunar surface. Seraph Knight hovered in the center of the wings as he teleported the heroes from Demon City to the moon. The champions leapt downward as they armed their morphers and transformation devices.
“SPD, Emergency!” the DECA Rangers.
“Emergency, DECA Break!” DECA Break.
“Emergency, DECA Shadow!” DECA Shadow.
“Awaken” — “CHANGE BEETLE.” Kamen Rider Kabuto.
“Awaken” — “CHANGE STAG BEETLE.” Kamen Rider Gattack.
“Awaken” — “CHANGE SCORPION.” Kamen Rider SaSword.
“Awaken” — “CHANGE DRAGONFLY.” Kamen Rider Drake.
“Jungle Beast! Spirit, unleash!” The Red, Blue and Yellow Jungle Fury Rangers.
“Rinki Gaiso!” Jarrod, the Black Lion.
“Galaxy Transform!” the Galaxy Rangers.
“Knight Rebirth!” the Black Knight, Magna Defender.
“Dino! Buckler!” Tyranno Ranger Red.
“Shogun Transform! Ninja Power!” Ninja Black and Ninja Blue.
“Chakra Ignite! Aura Power!” Tenma Ranger, Heaven Gravity Star, Blue.
Seraph Knight landed on the moon after teleporting the heroes from Demon City. He armed his sword and started to join the battle. But before he could, he felt a wave of darkness wash over him.
He turned to face a wave of black energy that bashed him off his feet, scorching his armor with bursts of spark. The blast tossed him to the ground.
Seraph Knight rolled to his feet and looked up to face his opponent: Brajira.
“The great Seraph Knight,” Brajira said mockingly. He looked worn and beaten, as if his skin and muscles would slide from his bones at any second. “Did you really think you could escape the fate of your friends?”
Seraph Knight tightened his grip on his sword. The sentient zord, alive for barely a year, felt a new emotion swell within his body. Anger. Pure, heated rage.
“You,” Seraph Knight said. “You were the one who destroyed the Seraph Rangers.”
“'Destroyed’ them? I slaughtered them! Your Red Ranger was weak. A Nephilim, yes, but descended from an angel that had Fallen. Like me. It was easy to use that to my advantage..to wield his dull mind and body as an instrument. To-”
“Knight Dynamic!”
Seraph Knight shot forward and swung his blade through a streak of silver energy, tearing through Brajira with massive bursts of spark.
Brajira fell apart, and yet laughed. “Your team is dead…” he hissed as his body dissolved. “Your world is dead…you have all failed…”
The Fallen Angel vanished into dust, joining the ranks of the countless villains who had died.
Seraph Knight looked at the villain’s remains. His anger still stirred. If anything, it felt stronger. What could he do…other than use that rage as a weapon.
The Knight joined Earth’s champions in battle.
The Hurricane Power Rangers, Samurai Rangers, and Jungle Fury Rangers regrouped. Seraph Knight joined them, and they bashed through monsters and grunts, blades sparking on impact and fighting against a wave that showed no signs of stopping.
Suddenly, the lunar surface shook as the giant battle between Magi War and Queen Beryl came closer.
Hurricane Red looked up. “That’s the Mystic Ranger team.”
Jungle Fury Red nodded. “They look outmatched.
Samurai Red pulled out his origami. “Let’s give them some back-up.”
Beryl erupted with a shockwave of darkness, bashing Magi War through the air. Secondary explosions tore across the Ultrazord’s armor, rocking the Rangers within their cockpit.
The Forsaken fired bursts of energy that shot towards the Ultrazord.
But a giant figure dropped in front of the Ultrazord and swatted the blast away.
Mystic Yellow opened his eyes wide beneath his helmet. “Is that…?”
“The Hurricane Megazord,” Mystic Red said.
The Hurricane Megazord stood in a defensive stance in front of the Mystic Ultrazord.
The Jungle Pride Megazord somersaulted through the air and landed alongside the Hurricane Megazord.
The Samurai Megazord stepped to the robo’s other side.
And from behind them, the Grand Totem Megazord took shape, piloted by Seraph Knight alone.
The Grand Totem Megazord helped Magi War to its feet.
The Samurai Megazord stepped forward.
“OK,” Samurai Red said. “Let’s see if this evens the odds.”
The five Megazords moved to attack.
The Mystic Ultrazord. and Hurricane Megazord snapped their wings and shot upward.
The Mystic Ultrazord powered up its arm cannons.
“Mystic Barrage!” the Mystic Rangers shouted.
The Ultrazord fired volleys of cannonballs that glowed with fiery energy, like meteors.
The Hurricane Megazord powered up its samurai star blade.
“Hurricane Typhoon!”
The Megazord spun its star blade like a propeller, generating a vortex of power that shot towards Beryl like a horizontal tornado.
The combined blasts exploded through Beryl, thrashing as energy and power erupted within her.
Beryl narrowed her eyes with a massive TK burst. The blast smashed the Mystic Ultrazord, which broke apart into its individual components.
The Mystic Megazord crashed and skid across the Lunar Surface. The Solar Streak Megazord vanished, its power low.
The Grand Totem Megazord stepped in and aimed its lancer.
“Gosei Lancer!” Seraph Knight shouted. “Holy Dynamic, Victory Charge!”
The Megazord fired a spear of energy that exploded within Beryl, scattering her body.
The Samurai Megazord and Jungle Pride Megazord moved in before she could knit herself together.
The Samurai Megazord energized its saber and slashed wide, ripping through strands of energy. And the Jungle Pride Megazord launched a flying kick, spinning its lower body like a drill. The kick pulsed with power and tore into Beryl.
Her energy exploded outward, scattering the Megazords as she knitted herself back together.
Within the body of Queen Beryl, within her essence, Sailor Moon reunited with her fellow Guardians. They joined together and prayed, reaching the soul of Endymion– tearing him free from darkness– and joining their power with his to reach outward.
The Red Mystic Ranger shook within his cockpit. His mind scrambled for a plan of attack.
As if by instinct, Mystic Red held Sailor Moon’s brooch close to his chest. It started to glow. And through the brooch, he heard Serena’s voice whisper into his heart and soul.
“Nick…I know the two of us were not meant to be soulmates. We were not destined to be together. And although my heart belongs to another…there has always been room inside for you. I did love you, Nick. Always and forever.”
He felt her energy flow into him and extend into the Megazord. That energy…that power…felt more intense than any he had experienced. He called upon that power and knew what he had to do.
“Guys…Serena left us the power to end this. Let’s use it.”
“How?” Mystic Yellow asked.
“To unite,” Mystic Red said. “To bring together all five of our Megazords!”
“That’s insane…” Mystic Yellow said. “And awesome!”
The pendant’s power extended through all five Megazords and their Rangers, filling them with the hope, love, power and strength of the fallen Guardians.
“Megazords!” Mystic Red shouted. “Assemble!”
“Hurricane Megazord!”
“Samurai Megazord!”
“Mystic Megazord!”
“Jungle Pride Megazord!”
“Grand Totem Megazord!”
The five Megazords burst into light and shot upward like comets, swirling around each other. The comets combined and ignited with power. The light shined brighter than the sun, illuminating the Moon and Earth below.
From the light stepped a towering, massive giant, covered in silver and gold armor plating of Greco-Roman design. Light burnt across the armor, engraving it with the symbols of the Hurricane, Samurai, Mystic, Seraph, and Jungle Fury teams.
Its golden chest shield looked like a giant “V.” And its helmet appeared styled after the head of the dragon, with a silver visor and white mouthpiece.
The warrior’s shoulder pauldrons were massive, engraved with giant lightning bolts.
A pair of massive wings extended from its back, winged with blades of golden metal.
The giant carried a broad gold-and-silver sword, as long as he was tall.
The Ranger teams joined in a massive cockpit.
“Omni-Power Gigazord!”
Beryl laughed. “Take any form, any size, and you will still fall before the power I wield. The True Power!”
She fired crimson optic blasts.
The Gigazord lifted the flat of its blade, deflecting the blasts.
With a dash, the Gigazord snapped its wings and shot towards Beryl.
“Rangers, together!” Mystic Red shouted.
The Gigazord’s visor glowed with red energy. Golden power washed along the Gigazord’s blade, which glowed with holy light.
“Mystic-Storm Saber!” the Rangers shouted. “Elemental Fury!”
The Rangers’ power symbols glowed and circled the blade. The Gigazord swung wide through a streak of power, shaking the heavens. The blade slashed through Beryl, igniting her amorphous body with golden fire. She howled with pain, which turned into wind and storm that started to consume her from within. Lightning and thunder clashed, rupturing her essence with a roar of energy and power.
She exploded into dust and mist, which disintegrated into holy fire, joining the ranks of the dead.
The Gigazord glowed with power and split apart with a thundering boom.
The Rangers fell to the moon, worn and exhausted.
But they had no time to recover. Monsters and demons still covered the surface of the moon and showed no signs of relenting.
A giant metal sphere erupted from Azmodai’s Kurliner with massive showers of flame, spark, and shrapnel. The sphere expanded and grew giant, with three Hellfire Knights on top: Zachary, Stefan and Grayson.
The mechanical monstrosity contorted and shifted shape, with spindly legs and bulbous appendages.
Hundreds of demons–Horrors–sprouted from the mechanical creation.
Grayson sighed and lifted his sword, as did Stefan and Zachary.
Zachary took the lead– one of the first Hellfire Knights, he didn’t care much for his “teammates” or the other champions of Earth. But he preferred to stay alive so joined them in their fight to prevent the end of all existence.
Stefan looked to Zachary. “Know how we can stop this thing?”
Zachary shook his head.
Dozens of Horrors snapped their wing and shot towards the knights.
The knights scattered.
Stefan shot through the air and swung his sword through a circle, creating a ring of light.
“Gaia.”
His armor clamped around him with bursts of light, transforming him into the Stronghold Knight, Gaia.
Gaia swung his greatsword through a wide arc, tearing through horrors, as he landed on a lower level of the monstrosity– the God Killer.
A wave of Horrors bashed him from behind.
Zachary leapt downward and smashed through the Horrors, clearing them from Gaia. He bashed his knee upside a Horror’s head, dual-wielded his blades to slash through another trio of Horrors, and flipped backward, kicking a Horror upside the head.
Another wave of Horrors flew at him.
Zachary circled his blades above his head, creating a ring of light. He snapped his words down.
“Zero.”
The silver armor or Zero flashed onto his body. He shot through the air and swung his swords wide in an x-shaped pattern, tearing through Horrors with bursts of flame.
Grayson leapt upward and landed on top of the God-Killer. He swung his sword above his head, creating a ring of light.
“Zoro.”
His armor clamped onto his body with bursts of light, transforming him into the Shadow Cutter Knight, Zoro.
He stabbed his short-swords into the God-Killer’s armor and dropped downward, tearing a gash in its side, ripping through armor as easily as flesh.
A wave of Horrors flew at Zoro; the demons rammed him from the God-Killer, bashing him into the air.
Azmodai had retreated into the God-Killer. Simon and Samuel followed.
The brothers entered a circular room walled with stained glass.
Samuel narrowed his eyes as he looked around. “Something’s not right.”
“We just a rode a demon train to the moon,” Simon said. “Of course something’s not right.”
“You know what I mean,” Samuel said. “It’s almost as if…”
A pocket dimension dropped and surrounded the brothers. They found themselves in darkness, and snapped into defensive stances.
Simon cursed beneath his breath. “Way to jinx us.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask for this team-up,” Samuel said.
“It’s not a team-up. I want Azmodai and the Forsaken gone,” Simon said. “Just because you do too…that doesn’t make us family.”
“But we are family,” Samuel said. “What happens when this is over, Simon? When Azmodai and the Forsake are gone?”
Simon shifted his stance. “You wouldn’t understand…”
Suddenly, a serpentine dragon shot from the shadows and knocked Simon aside. The dragon twirled around and snapped towards Samuel. Samuel leapt upward, passed over the dragon, and landed on its side.
Samuel circled his sword above his head.
“Garo.”
He transformed into the armor of the Golden Knight.
The dragon circled back and roared, opening its fiery maw. The creature exploded into hundreds of twirling blades that shot towards Simon and Garo. Garo and Simon swung their swords, slashing the blades aside with bursts of spark.
Garo spin-kicked a blade aside and slashed through a second blade. But a third bashed his back with a burst of spark.
The blades swarmed around the brothers like insects as they slashed and kicked.
Another dragon swooped from the shadows, bit Garo’s arm, and swooped upward, carrying the Knight along. Garo slashed and chopped the dragon, but it merely bit harder, teeth digging into armor.
Simon shot into the air, leapt against the side of the dragon, and stabbed its eye. The dragon roared with pain, releasing Garo. Simon jumped off the dragon.
The brothers landed side-by-side.
Simon twirled his blade and swung wide, firing a wave of black power. Garo shot into the air and dashed through the wave, absorbing its power into his sword, which ignited with jade energy.
Garo slashed through the dragon’s neck, severing its head. The wound bled– but he blood transformed into spinning, metal blades.
Simon cursed beneath his breath. He shot into the air and dashed past the dragon while slashing through its spine, the blade dissecting the monster with splashes of blood that transformed into spinning blades.
Garo landed below. He noticed one blade looked different than the others. Red markings appeared engraved in its center.
“Simon, that one, that has to be its heart!” Garo shouted, aiming his sword.
Simon twisted through midair and slashed his blade, firing a crimson-tinted wave of black power. The wave shattered the heart blade with massive bursts of spark.
The rest of the blades exploded with darkness, as the dragon vanished piece-by-piece.
Samuel powered down his armor.
Black light erupted in the center of the pocket dimension. A woman in black robes extended her arms; webs of sickly black connected her cloak to the darkness. She wore a hood that covered her face in shadow.
Simon recognized her. “Lanfear…”
“What, are you the God-Killer?” Samuel asked her.
“I am the soul of the God-Killer weapon,” she said. “With the power of my mind, I will-”
Simon and Samuel lifted their blades and shot towards her.
Lanfear hurled bolts of psionic power. Simon and Samuel dodged in midair.
Simon unsheathed Uramasa and landed against Lanfear; he stabbed the blade through her chest and twisted.
“You’re done,” he whispered.
She burst into black flames and exploded into ash and dust, as her pocket dimension dissolved, and the God Killer started to crumble.
The brothers landed back in the circular room.
Samuel breathed heavily. “That was…that seemed too easy.”
Azmodai dropped into the center of the room. “Lanfear was half-dead when she took her place at the soul of this machine.”
The villain lifted his demon arm, regrown. “Come, children”
Samuel leapt at Azmodai to attack.
Azmodai waved his hand with ripples of telekinetic energy; the waves bashed Samuel and hurled him backward.
Simon charged his black katana with power and slashed towards Azmodai. Azmodai blocked; the weapons clanged with a shockwave that shook the God Killer.
Azmodai leaned forward, pressing his sword against Simon’s. “You don’t seem to understand that I wield the True Power now, the power of the Dark One himself. Strength that rivals the One Power, and even the Power Cosmic. I could kill you anytime I-”
Simon knocked the villain’s sword aside and narrowed his eyes with a TK burst that tossed Azmodai across the room.
The villain crashed and rolled to his feet.
Samuel moved in and chopped his sword. Azmodai caught the blade and kicked Samuel backward. The demon waved his hand; he summoned waves of darkness that wrapped around Samuel, binding his arms to his sides.
Simon slashed his brother free, turned towards Azmodai, and fired a barrage of shadow blasts, tinted crimson.
Azmodai lifted his demonic hand. Simon’s blasts exploded into nothing before they reached their target.
The demon swung his arm slowly. It ebbed with darkness; his palm fired pulses of shadow that transformed into wolves and tackled Simon and Samuel. Samuel spun, slashing through shadow wolves.
He shot towards Azmodai. But Azmodai fired a TK pulse that bashed Samuel aside.
Simon lifted his palm. His energy reached out and grabbed the shadow wolves with gusts of wind and darkness. He absorbed their power through his palm until they vanished.
Samuel moved in with a spin-kick that bashed Azmodai’s head.
Azmodai snarled at launched at the brothers with swords swinging. They danced around each other, blades clanging and sparking.
Samuel hopped backward and circled his blade above his head.
“Garo.”
He transformed into his armor, shot forward, and tackled Azmodai. The Knight lifted the villain by the neck and slammed him against the floor.
Garo twirled his sword and stabbed towards the demon’s head. But Azmodai grabbed the sword and erupted with a pulse of darkness; the blast hurled Garo upward and smashed him through the ceiling.
Simon dashed to attack.
Azmodai slashed the sword from the ranger’s hand.
Simon unsheathed his second sword, the Kuroryuuken, the blade of the Green Dragon Knight before space and time. The blade of the Dark Man, Akuma.
He chopped through a streak of jade energy, slashing Azmodai with bursts of spark that dropped him to the ground.
Azmodai rolled to his feet and swung his demon arm, firing bursts of darkness.
Simon slashed the blasts aside. He ignited his sword with green energy that thrashed within the entire room, snapping with tendrils of power. Shadow and darkness tinted the energy, which intensified.
The ranger aimed his sword at Azmodai. “This is the end for you. You…you violated so many men. Their wives. Their children. And for what?!”
Azmodai stepped backward. He lowered his hood and pulled off his mask, so that he could look at his son through his eyes, unfiltered.
“You will understand, Simon,” he said, speaking softly. “In the end I suppose I wanted the same thing all men want.”
“What’s that?”
“The love of their father.”
Simon narrowed his eyes. He shot forward and stabbed his blade through Azmodai’s chest. The demon tilted his head back and screamed as energy tore him apart from within, ripping his soul and very essence into pieces.
Azmodai, the First Demon, child of the Dark One, exploded into ash that vanished in the darkness.
Simon lowered his blade, which still glowed green.
Nearby, Garo landed back in the chamber. He powered down his armor and moved to his brother’s side.
“It’s done?” Samuel asked.
Simon nodded. “He’s gone.”
They stood silently for a moment, absorbing the death of the creature that tainted their bloodline, and the bloodlines of countless others. The creature that schemed to release the Dark One and bring his evil upon all of creation.
“Now what?” Samuel asked.
“This doesn’t change anything.” Simon turned and walked towards the shadows. “I’m going after Moridyn. He’s all that’s left.”
“Simon…” Samuel started to plead.
“Don’t,” Simon said. “Just…don’t.”
Kamen Riders Wizard, Faiz, Blade and Kabuto — each in their standard armor — surrounded White Mage.
Kamen Rider Faiz turned a dial on his wrist: “START UP”
He shifted into Axel Form.
https://ryuranger.com/RangerBoard/Fixes/16-%20Faiz_powerup.bmp
Kamen Rider Kabuto slapped his belt’s side panel: “CLOCK UP”
His belt triggered a wave of time distortion.
Faiz and Kabuto shot at White Mage moving faster than sight, bashing and pommeling the villain.
The Forsaken managed to slip a ring on his hand and place his hand over his buckler.
“BURST; NOW”
The villain ignited a shock wave that hurled the two Riders backward.
Blade and Wizard moved in with flying sidekicks. But White Mage lifted his hand with a pulse of invisible energy, knocking them from the air.
He placed a hand over his buckler: “EXPLOSION; NOW”
Magical circles snapped open across the landscape, exploding with shock waves of fire that bashed the Riders, scattering them with bursts of spark.
Blade rolled to his feet and held his sword forward. Kamen Rider Faiz rolled to his feet and armed his saber, on the other size of White Mage.
The two Riders charged to attack. They pounced at White Mage with swords swinging and slashing. The Forsaken twirled his saber, blocking and parrying, blows sparking on impact. His power reinforced every movement. Every step.
Blade swung high. White Mage blocked. Faiz side-kicked the villain’s side, knocking him back a step. Faiz pressed forward with a volley of sword swings, striking armor with bursts of spark. Blade moved in and swung wide, slashing the villain aside.
Blade attached his Rouze Absorber to his gauntlet. He inserted his Queen card. “ABSORB QUEEN” He swiped his King card. “EVOLUTION KING”
His cards snapped from his belt, glowed with energy, circled him, and splashed across his armor, activating his King Form.
Blade swung his sword. White Mage blocked. But Blade’s sword shattered the saber and struck the villain’s helmet. The blow cracked the villain’s faceplate, which sparked with secondary explosions.
Faiz took advantage of the attack and moved in with a jumping side-kick. The kick bashed White Mage, and Faiz pressed forward with a duo of punches, battering the villain’s chest.
Nearby, Kamen Riders Gattack, SaSword and Drake joined the battle.
Sasword and Drake armed their weapons. .
“RIDER SLASHING”
“RIDER SHOOTING”
Kabuto and Gattack flipped their zectors..
“RIDER KICK”
“RIDER KICK”
Drake fired an energy beam that blasted Mage with massive bursts of spark, sending him staggering. SaSword moved in and swung his blade through a streak of energy, slashing the villain with bursts of spark.
Gattack and Kabuto somersaulted through the air with flying sidekicks that crackled with energy. The kicks bashed White Mage with the power of a meteor blast that hurled him off his feet.
The villain crashed and skid for several meters, secondary explosions ripping through his armor. White Mage rose to his feet and looked up to face Kamen Rider Beast, in Hyper Mode, holding his blaster.
“HYPER MODE. MAGNUM STRIKE”
Beast fired a wave of energy shaped like a chimera that punctured through Mage, shattering his armor with massive bursts of spark, revealing his Wiseman form.
Kamen Rider Faiz and Kamen Rider Blade leapt towards him with flying side-kicks. Faiz’s kick radiated with a cone of crimson energy. Blade’s kick crackled with lightning. The kicks smashed Wiseman with a thundering boom, sending him hurling through the air.
Kamen Rider Wizard leap into the skies.
His buckler flashed with energy. “INFINITY DRAGON; AWAKEN”
Energy washed over him as he powered-up into his flying Infinity Dragon Form.
He placed a hand over his buckler: “AWAKEN; FINISH STRIKE”
He snapped his wings, shooting towards Wiseman with a flying sidekick. The kick surged with silver power that flared like a comet, bashing the Forsaken with massive bursts of spark.
Explosions tore through the villain; he crashed with an explosion that carved a crater into the moon. His monster form exploded, revealing his immortal form, Rahvin.
The Forsaken started to push himself to his feet, but his skin started cracking and peeling, with jagged lines that bled dark energy.
Kamen Rider Wizard landed and shifted back into his standard armor.
He grabbed Rahvin’s ring and crushed it with a final, pitiful burst of spark.
“You’re done,” Wizard said. “All this pain you’ve caused. All this destruction. It’s over.”
“Over?” Rahvin asked. “This isn’t the end. There are no endings. There are no beginnings.” He looked up, into the all-encompassing darkness of the Dark One. “There is only…”
His eyes rolled backward as he died, disintegrating into dust.
Simon landed on the moonscape. The God-Killer, destroyed. Azmodai and Lanfear, dead.
Only Moridyn remained.
The last Forsaken stepped towards Simon from behind.
“What now, Simon?” Moridyn asked.
Simon narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t think you cared anymore.”
“I didn’t.” He looked towards the darkness above. “But then you went and destroyed my gift to the Dark One. Perhaps I will have to make do with another gift instead.”
“Let me guess,” Simon said. “Me.”
“You will suffice,” Moridyn said.
Simon unsheathed Uramasa. “Let me tell you what’s going to happen. In thirty seconds, I’m going to ignite my power…all of it…and cut you down faster than you can flutter a feather.”
“I don’t believe you understand your situation. You are lost, without a plan, as creation unravels around you. Your world’s remaining champions are taking their final steps towards death. Their battle comes to an end, and they do not understand that they have already lost. You have-”
Simon ignited with shadow and swung his blade, firing a streak of black energy.
Moridyn lifted his hand with a wave of black feathers, blocking the blast.
The Forsaken twisted his hand; feathers shot at Simon like daggers. The ranger leapt backward with a burst of Ki, blasting the feathers away.
Simon tightened his fist, igniting shadow fire that erupted around Moridyn. The villain flash-stepped from the flames and hurled waves of feather daggers.
The feathers fluttered around Simon. But he burst with a shock wave of darkness that knocked the feathers clear.
Moridyn lifted his hand to strike again. But nothing happened. His eyes widened with surprise, perhaps for the first time in his existence.
He collapsed to his knees.
A voice spoke a single word from around and within, resonating within their minds and souls.
NO.
Moridyn gasped for air.
YOUR TIME HAS ENDED.
The Forsaken vanished with a burst of darkness, the same darkness that enveloped Simon and whisked him from the mortal plane.
The Pattern spun around Tommy, forcing him to watch.
He looked through eyes streaming with tears.
He saw the people struggle.
He saw them fall.
Seraph Knight, Magna Defender, DECA Shadow, and Phantom Ranger charged as one towards a wave of monsters.
“Knight Dynamic!” Seraph Knight shouted.
“Black Slash!” shouted Magna Defender.
Seraph Knight shot forward and swung his sword through a streak of silver energy. And Magna Defender somersaulted through the air while chopping his blade through a streak of black energy. The blades tore through monsters with massive bursts of spark.
Seraph Knight tossed his sword to DECA Shadow. DECA Shadow caught he blade and slashed through a monster with bursts of spark. He tossed the blade back to Seraph Knight and side-kicked the monster backward.
The Phantom Ranger moved in with a flying punch, bashing the creature, sparking on impact.
“SWAT Mode, on!” the five DECA Rangers switched to SWAT Mode and opened fire, blasting through monsters with bursts of spark.
DECA Break moved next to them.
“Electric Fist!” His slapped his hand to the ground, sparking a charge of energy that thrashed several monsters with bursts of spark.
Nearby, Time Red, Time Blue, and Time Pink moved in from the side, swinging their Vector Sabers, hacking and slashing through monsters with bursts of spark.
The four Jungle Fury Rangers: Red Tiger, Blue Jaguar, Yellow Cheetah, and Violet Wolf, fought alongside the five Galaxy Rangers and remaining Gao Rangers: Gao Silver, Gao White, Gao Black, and Gao Blue.
Gao Silver leapt through the air, slashing through a group of monsters, and landed alongside Violet Wolf. The Violet Wolf Ranger armed his bracer and fired a burst of purple KaGeki, blasting through monsters with bursts of spark.
Without warning, Gao White collapsed. Her armor flashed and powered down. Gao Black and Gao Blue followed. They no longer had the stamina of youth, stamina needed to sustain a Ranger form. In Ranger form, the Body, Soul, Mind or Spirit channeled a consistent stream of energy from the One Power. This required a certain level of vitality that vanished with age after the teenage years.
Monsters converged on the fallen Rangers.
Galaxy Red thrust his palm. “Mane of Flame!”
He fired a stream of flame that splashed through the monsters, knocking them back.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of vertigo, and he collapsed to his knee, using his sword for balance. His armor powered down with a burst of light. A monster kicked him upside the head.
“Ryouma!” Galaxy Yellow shouted.
He thrust his hand with a bolt of lightning, blasting through a monster that closed in on his leader.
Nova Black and the Titanium Silver Beetle Borg stood back-to-back. They armed their weapons.
“Metallix Grappler!” The Beetle Borg activated his claw-tipped staff.
“Laser Lance Command, now!” the Nova Trooper activated his double-bladed laser saber.
Titanium Silver snapped his grappler around a monster. He lifted the creature, and Nova Black thrust his spear; the blade extended and pierced through the monster with bursts of spark.
The Beetle Borg tossed the monster aside, twirled his staff, and bashed the weapon against another monster’s head.
Nova Black whirled his staff through streaks of energy, slashing through monsters and grunts with bursts of spark.
Cybertron and Shaider leapt to his side.
“Lightning Hand Command, now!” Cybertron leapt upward.
He raised his hand, which ignited with lightning, and landed with a knife-hand chop that tore through a monster.
Shaider moved in on the same beast.
“Laser Saber Command, now!”
He spun and swung his laser sword through a wide arc, streaking with blue energy, that ripped through the monster. The villain collapsed into pieces that exploded.
A dozen monsters launched a flurry of attacks. Energy beams and projectiles bashed Ninja Black and Ninja Blue hurling them backward. They crashed and skid across the ground, rolling to a stop near a group of grunts.
The grunts lifted them and pommeled them with punches and kicks.
Their armor flashed and powered down.
Zack and Richie felt bones break, and muscles tear.
Suddenly, six figures dashed to the scene. The Hurricane Power Rangers. They slashed and kicked past the grunts and monsters, which dropped Zack and Richie.
Rail Red dashed forward and slashed a monster to the ground. He moved to Mystic Red’s side.
“Hey. Nick, right? Brother from the future?” he asked as they kept fighting.
“Huh- Tyler??” Mystic Red asked, taken aback by the sight of Tyler in the Red Rail Ranger outfit.
“Yeah,” Rail Red said. “It’s a long story.”
“It’s not like you’ll get another chance to tell it.”
“You feel it too, right? Dad?”
Mystic Red nodded while slashing a monster aside. “It’s getting stronger. I don’t think…I don’t think he’s going to make it.”
Rail Red lowered his head. “We have to do something…” he whispered. “We can’t just…lose.”
“We’re not going to lose, little-big brother.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I have hope,” Mystic Red said as he cut down a monster. “Don’t you?”
Rail Red placed a hand on his chest. He felt the fire of the Phoenix stir within. The fire and light of hope. But also…the nagging doubt of darkness, lingering.
Kamen Rider Black RX collapsed and grabbed his gut. His insides felt ready to burst into flames, with sickly tendrils of pain worming from his King Stone.
“What is…?”
His powers always felt vile. Tainted. But this felt different.
A hand reached out and touched RX’s shoulder. “Brother…”
RX shivered at the sound of the voice. “Sasuke?” The Rider turned to face the ghostly image of his brother, the former Kamen Rider known as Shadow Moon. “How are you here?”
“We’re connected by our King Stones…more so now, as you and the whole world draw closer to death,” Sasuke said.
Hikaru powered down his RX armor and stood. He grasped his brother by the shoulders and nearly cried, sore with grief.
“I…I killed you…”
“And you’ve carried the weight of that guilt for far too long,” Sasuke said. “The Gorgom…they took me from you. Turned us both into monsters. The fault lies with them, and them alone. It’s time to let go of your guilt. Let go of your pain. Instead…embrace your power…”
“I don’t…I don’t know how. It’s been…so long.”
“I will show you,” Sasuke said with a smile.
Sasuke looked ahead, and he shifted into a transformation pose.
“Shadow Moon!”
Energy flashed around him as he morphed into the armor of Shadow Moon.
Hikaru shifted his own stance, tightening his fists.
“Black Sun!”
His King Stone flashed as he morphed into his original armor, the armor of Kamen Rider Black.
Black Sun and Shadow Moon leapt forward, somersaulted through the air, and aimed flying sidekicks towards a group of monsters.
“Rider Kick!” Black Sun’s kick ebbed with crimson power.
“Shadow Kick!” Shadow Moon’s kick ebbed with jade energy.
Their kicks bashed through monsters with a thundering boom, triggering explosions that tore through villains left and right.
Zeo Gold and Astro Silver stood side-by-side.
“It’s time for a Gold Rush!” the Gold Ranger shouted as he swung his staff. “Victory Flash!”
His staff fired a volley of golden energy blasts, tearing through monsters with massive bursts of spark, scattering them.
Astro Silver moved in before they could recover.
“Blazer Impact!” He triggered darts of energy that punctured through monsters, then switched his weapon to blade mode.
He lunged forward and slashed through a streak of energy, then slashed again, and again, tearing through monsters with massive bursts of spark.
His arms burned with fatigue with each swing. And his legs ached with each step. He felt his power, typically a refreshing steam, turn into a torrent that threatened to crush him in its waves.
The Silver Ranger staggered. A monster grabbed him from behind and squeezed. He slammed the back of his helmet against the monster’s face, but the villain merely squeezed tighter.
Zeo Gold leapt at the monster from behind and speared his staff through its back, sparking on impact. The monster staggered, dropping Astro Silver.
The Gold Ranger clubbed and side-kicked the monster, knocking him several steps backward. He hopped to attack again, but felt a wave of vertigo swirl through his head. He fell, and his armor started to shimmer.
Tenma Ranger leaned against his staff. Vertigo pounded his skull.
“Not again…”
His armor flashed and powered down, and he toppled over.
“Rocky!” Zeo Blue shouted as he kicked past a grunt. “Guys, circle around him!”
Zeo Blue, Zeo Green, Zeo Yellow, and Zeo Pink circled around Rocky, bashing back the wave of grunts and monsters that surged towards them.
“Zeo Power Spin!” Zeo Blue spun backward and shot through the monsters, bashing past them with bursts of blue energy.
“Zeo Power Cloud!” Zeo Pink gathered a sphere of pink energy between her palms. She shot the sphere through a comet of power that blasted through monsters and grunts.
“Zeo Power Punch!” Zeo Green swung a flurry of energized punches, bashing monsters and grunts with bursts of spark.
“Zeo Power Kick!” Zeo Yellow snapped energized kicks, striking monsters with bursts of spark and yellow energy.
Tyranno Ranger leaned on his sword. He felt ready to wretch his insides, his body strained well past its limits. His armor flashed with red light and powered down, and he nearly collapsed, landing on all fours.
Slowly, he started pushing himself to his feet.
He wouldn’t die on his knees.
And he wouldn’t die until he got the job done.
“Ai-ya!” the young man shouted and leapt at a monster with a jump-kick, followed by a tornado-kick.
More villains swarmed towards him.
The Red Ranger rolled his bloody hands into fists and kept fighting.
Somewhere? Nowhere?
Simon stood within the darkness.
YOU HAVE COME TO ME. AT LAST.
Simon knitted his brow. “The Dark One…what is this place?”
ALL THAT IS. ALL THAT IS WITHIN YOU.
Tommy strained his soul. His essence felt ready to tear apart and scatter into nothing. I’m out of time…
He reached into The Power and stretched his senses, touching the powers of the Earth’s champions; calling on those powers.
“Dino Buckler…” he whispered.
The symbol of the first Power Rangers flared with crimson light and slammed onto an unseen door.
“Chakra ignite…”
The symbol of the Heaven Star Power Rangers flared beneath the first, another bolt to lock the prison.
“Ninja Power…”
The symbol of the Ninja Rangers burned onto the unseen door.
Tommy felt his energy wain. He collapsed, feeling more at one with the sensation of vertigo than The Power he tried to channel. How much longer could he keep this up? So many more powers to go, and he wasn’t even sure…
No, he told himself. He didn’t have time for uncertainty.
“Galaxy transform…”
The symbol of the Galaxy Rangers emblazoned itself on the door.
“Ultra transform…”
The Zeo Crystal symbol joined the others, a shining beacon of power and might.
“Shift into Turbo…”
The symbol of the Turbo Rangers flared beneath the others, continuing the line of powers that would lock the Dark One back in his prison.
Tommy felt his spirit start to bleed away, and parts of his soul started to chip apart.
“Install…Install…” He wavered. And started to drift.
A hand grabbed his. He looked over his left shoulder and saw his son, Tyler, as young as Tommy remembered, and somehow older, at the same time. A child and a teenager, an image out of focus.
“Install, Astro Ranger!” Tyler shouted.
The symbol of the Astro Rangers flared onto the door.
“Lightspeed Rescue!” Tyler shouted.
The Lightspeed Rescue symbol ignited beneath the others.
Phoenix flame ebed from Tyler, washing the darkness with the power of creation, the energy of life. Tommy drank in that energy, like a refreshing stream and cool breeze.
“Chrono Trigger!” Tommy shouted, channeling more from the One Power.
The Time Rangers’ symbol appeared.
“Gao Access!”
The Gao Ranger symbol.
Another hand joined his. Tommy looked to his right. Nick…his son from the future.
“We’re almost there,” Nick said. He looked into the darkness with eyes like fire, ebbing with the power of the Heavenly Saints.
“Ninjetti!” Nick shouted.
“SPD Emergency!” Tyler shouted.
Tommy felt a presence behind him. The power of the Phoenix itself, once again appearing as Kimberly. She spread wings of fire that flared brighter than every sun in creation.
“Samurai Scribe!” Tommy shouted.
“Suit up!”
“Saint Summon!”
“Magical Source, Mystic Force!”
“Overdrive, Start up!”
“RPM, Get in Gear!”
“Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleash!”
“Let’s Morph-in!”
“Bio-Burst!”
The symbols appeared, one after another, forming a straight line that sealed the door of the Dark One’s prison. The Dark One’s energy still bled from the door, forming a torrent of midnight power and blackened energy.
Tommy cursed beneath his breath. “Seal, already…Seal!”
He called on the powers of the other champions, the virtual heroes and Riders, the Hellfire Knights…anyone who ever wielded The Power, he called on that strength. With his mind, he reinforced the door, reinforced the locks, pushing against the unbreakable will of the Dark One himself, an impossible task that Tommy felt determined to make possible.
“Seal!”
By the One Power.
“Seal!”
By the Power Cosmic.
“Seal!”
By the Heavenly Saints.
“SEAL!”
Fade to black.
Angel Grove City, 2019 AD
The fall signaled Tommy Oliver’s favorite time of year: the start school.
He walked through the park and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. Mentally, he reviewed his lesson plans for the day. He loved teaching Ancient Civilizations and-
Beyond all space and time
“Hold on, hold on,” Mat said as he stepped away from the Time Shard. “What the hell just happened?”
“You saw the same thing we did, Mat,” Kira said.
“OK, that still doesn’t answer the question of 'what the hell just happened?'” he said.
Seth shook his head. “Did they win…?” he asked. “Did they reseal the Dark One?”
“They couldn’t have,” Mat said. “We know they failed. Reality’s gone, time and space are gone, they lost.”
“What if they didn’t…” Tyler said.
“Huh?” Mat asked. “You’re confusing me now. And I hate being confused.”
“You must feel a lot of hate a lot of time,” Kira said.
Tyler lifted his hand, signaling them to stop their banter, as he looked at the Time Shard. “What if they didn’t fail…” he said. “What if they sealed the Dark One.”
“If the Dark One didn’t cause reality to Shatter…” Seth asked. “What did?”
—To be continued…Chapter 17