"We're not finished yet. Where did you think you were going?!"
WHAT?!!! Connor's instincts screamed danger.
A blur moved behind him. Too fast to react.
BAMM!!
A heavy kick slammed into his solar plexus. His eyes widened under his helmet, pain twisting his face as his body was launched backwards—violently crashing into a wall.
THUD.
He hit the ground like a ragdoll and instantly de-morphed. His suit disintegrated in flickers of red light. His breathing was ragged, his body writhing in pain.
"RED RANGER!!!"
"Connor!!!"
Ethan and Kira screamed simultaneously, sprinting to his side. Horror etched across their faces.
Ethan dropped to his knees, helping lift Connor's head. "Connor! Are you okay?" he whispered.
Connor coughed, blood running from the corner of his mouth. Still, he forced a crooked smile, teeth stained. "I'm fine, guys... But we need to stop him. Or he'll wreak even more havoc across the city."
"Stay down, Connor. We'll deal with him," Kira said, her voice both firm and worried. "We already contacted Dr. O. We just need to hold him off till he arrives."
Across the wrecked battlefield stood Solaris.
The cause of all this carnage.
His armor cracked and glowing from excess energy. His breath came out in distorted gasps. The madness in his eyes burned hotter than ever. Killing intent poured from his body like a flood.
"HOW DARE YOU CONTEND WITH ME IN SPEED?! YOU WILL DIE!!!"
With a feral shriek, his aura exploded like a volcano, blasting a crater beneath him as he charged.
The rangers couldn't even move.
He was too fast.
His blade-like arms gleamed. Death was closing in.
Then—
CLANG!!
A sharp echo filled the air. Sparks burst as Solaris's blades met resistance.
A new figure stood between the Rangers and death.
Long coat fluttering. Cape billowing from the shockwave.
Calm. Unbothered.
A voice spoke—cool, composed, and layered with quiet amusement.
"My, my… Aren't you a ferocious-looking knight."
Solaris froze. His twisted face contorted further in disbelief.
"YOU!!! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!!!"
The silhouette stepped forward, revealing the glint of his Ranger suit.
Zayne.
The Omni-Ranger.
Aura flickering faintly around him like restrained lightning.
Connor coughed again, lifting his head slightly. "It's you…"
Zayne looked back briefly and smirked. "Yeah. Miss me, Red Ranger?"
"As if," Connor rolled his eyes, but relief was clear in his voice.
Zayne turned to Solaris, his tone playful but with an underlying threat. "So, you're one of Mesogog's new pets, huh? Last I checked, he was into lab-made freaks. Since when did he start importing medieval knights?"
Solaris didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind reeled in disbelief.
Zayne tilted his head. "No witty comeback? No villain monologue?"
He let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh well… Doesn't matter. You're going to die anyway."
Solaris was still staring at his arms—those blade-hands that were supposed to make him unstoppable. He had sacrificed everything. Years of forbidden experimentation, all for this power.
And still, he was outmatched.
"I… will… KILL YOU ALL!!!" he roared, eyes bloodshot and mad.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!"
His aura surged again, even more chaotic than before.
Zayne's eyes narrowed.
"Very good. Get mad. I want a real fight," he thought inwardly, smiling slightly.
Then he looked at the others.
"You guys get to safety. I'll deal with him."
The Rangers didn't argue. They understood.
They nodded and quickly pulled Connor away from the frontline.
Zayne lifted his arm. "Omni-Saber."
A burst of blue light materialized into the sleek, powerful sword in his grip.
Solaris didn't wait.
"DIEEE!!!!"
He charged, letting out an enraged roar.
CLANG!!
Their blades collided with explosive force. The shockwave shattered nearby windows. Cars were flung like toys. Sparks rained from the sky.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!
A relentless exchange of sword strikes. Zayne's movements were precise, effortless, while Solaris's were wild, brutal, unhinged.
Still, the strength behind Solaris's strikes couldn't be underestimated.
Zayne ducked under a horizontal slash and side-kicked Solaris through a car windshield. The vehicle crumpled beneath him.
Solaris roared and rose again, blood dripping from his mouth, energy spiking higher.
"ROAAAAARRRR!!!"
Zayne brought his sword up just in time to block another charge. The impact slid him back several feet.
"Huh," Zayne muttered. "Even novice bosses are this strong now? Heh… Guess I'll be having more fun than I thought."
Switching the Omni-Saber to his left hand, he slammed his right fist into Solaris's chest—CRACK!—right on the solar plexus.
Solaris flew back, his body crashing against a flipped truck with bone-breaking force.
But even then… he stood up again. Screaming.
"I CANNOT LOSE!!! I AM EVOLUTION!!"
He rushed again. Faster. Desperate.
Zayne's eyes glinted. "You're pushing your body past its limit. You'll burn yourself out before you even touch me."
He deactivated the Omni-Saber.
"V-Blade."
A new weapon formed in his hand, sleeker but sharper, with a high-frequency hum.
Zayne swung—and from the blade surged a massive energy wave.
BOOM!!!
It slammed into Solaris, engulfing him in a spiral of destruction. A building wall cracked from the impact.
Solaris fell—but rose again. Barely.
Blood covered his armor. His arms shook. His aura was unstable—ready to detonate.
And yet… still, he charged.
Zayne narrowed his eyes. "Persistent bastard…"
Then he raised the blade vertically. The air went still. Aura began to rise off his body.
Power building.
His voice echoed across the battlefield—
"OMNI-FORCE… FULL POWER."
Suddenly—
BOOOOMMM!!!
Zayne's entire figure exploded with power. His aura flared violently—crimson, blue, silver and gold swirling together like a living storm. The ground cracked beneath his feet. Lightning danced around him. The wind itself bent to his will.
Even the air felt heavier.
Solaris froze mid-charge.
Zayne pointed the blade.
"I told you… You're going to die."
He vanished.
Instant transmission.
CLANG!!
He appeared behind Solaris. The V-Blade now crackling with unstable Omni-energy.
Solaris gasped. "No…!"
Zayne didn't hesitate.
One slash.
A clean arc.
A wave of white-hot energy exploded outward.
KA-KRAKOOOOOM!!!
Solaris screamed—his body consumed by the energy. Armor cracked. Limbs tore. His aura shattered like glass.
A final scream—
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Then silence.
Solaris's body disintegrated into light, reduced to ash and fragments.
Gone.
The battlefield was scorched, glass melted from the heat, and the scent of ozone filled the air.
Zayne stood silently, lowering his blade.
Steam rose off his armor. His aura dimmed slowly.
The V-Blade dispersed into particles of light.
The threat was over.
Behind him, Ethan, Kira, and Connor—now leaning against Ethan's shoulder—stared in awe.
"That… was insane," Ethan said, wide-eyed.
Connor smirked weakly. "Remind me never to piss him off…"
Zayne turned and walked toward them.
"You good?" he asked casually.
Connor nodded. "Still breathing."
"Then it's a good day," Zayne said, offering a small smile.
Ethan and Kira helped Connor up fully.
"What… what kind of Ranger are you?" Kira asked, still breathless from the display.
Zayne looked up at the sky for a moment, then smirked under his helmet.
"Me." He pointed at himself
"I'm your friendly neighborhood Power Ranger. Just like you guys".
They all snorted, not believing him.
Before they could ask any more questions, the ground started rumbling.
Zayne's eyes narrowed slightly
"And so it begins."
--- ✦ ---
Power stones, guys!!!
Guys, please bear with me. I'll make sure to finish this section of the story tomorrow. It would be fast-paced later.