Chapter 14: Shadows of the Past-Part 1
After their dizzying battle with Twixic, the six rangers had gone their separate ways and bedded down for the night. All were enjoying a peaceful slumber after their whirlwind beatdown; all…except a certain green ranger. The dormitory room he called home echoed with grunts and distressed moans as Jun fought a harrowing battle in his mind.
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A vast expanse of land just outside the banks of Mari Lake-this is where a fierce battle is taking place. On one side is a confident Lord Reapus; on the other, six rangers embattled to the point of exhaustion. The uniforms worn by Byron and his teammates, the ones forged by the stars themselves, were tattered and torn from the intense blows delivered by Reapus. Fatigue and despair were setting with the multicolored heroes as the crimson demon scourge looked upon his quarry. "Well, well, well." Reapus muttered as he spied his fallen foes. "You six have been a thorn in my side for far too long. Now, it's time I take my rightful place as supreme ruler of this dominion!" "That's not gonna happen! We won't let it!" Byron shouted as he used his strider to pick himself up off the ground. He stood in front of his friends as an example to keep fighting when all hope seemed lost. And in this case…all hope WAS lost. "We shall see about that, Red Ranger! You shall be the first to fall by my hand!" "Guys, I know we can do this!" Byron said reassuringly. "I don't know if we can. Reapus is much stronger!" Hannah replied worriedly. "Maybe he is, but we can't quit!" The red ranger urged. "He's right! The planet needs us!" Tacari agreed. "I'm with you, guys! If we die, we die with honor." Jun nodded. "How about we leave out the dying part?" Helix asked slightly joking. Jun just looked at him as if he grew antlers. "You break out your rapier wit, even in the face of death, huh?" Jun asked the gold ranger. "I'm nothing if not consistent." Helix smirked under his helmet. "Enough talk!" Reapus' eyes glow an eerie yellow as he used inhuman speed to charge at the rangers. The six rangers valiantly fight but their efforts are quickly proving futile. With sword drawn, he thrusts it at Byron's chest. The blade comes out of the red ranger's back as blood dripped to the scorched ground below much to the horror of the others. "NOOOO!" Time seemed to stand still as Reapus impaled the young ranger with his sword. Byron's body convulsed before it finally went limp. The strider blade fell from his hand and hit the ground. Reapus brought his skewered body up to his face and sneered into Byron's visor as if he was still alive. "Say hello to the Galaxy Rangers for me." He snarled in a low voice as he slid his lifeless body off of his blade. Byron's body shone with a red aura as his uniform vanished. His body followed as it dissolved into starlight. The points of light rose to join the twinkling lights that watch over Miranoi. A mix of emotions washed over the remaining rangers: anger, hatred, grief. Byron had come back from the dead not too long ago only to be killed again. As despair multiplied within the rangers, a blinding light engulfed the battlefield. The light condensed and took shape until Celeste's form was revealed. "Byron…" She whispered before she locked eyes with her long-time nemesis. "Reapus! You won't succeed in your evil plans!" Celeste warned. "Even without their leader, these rangers are strong enough to stop you!" "Ah! My dear Celeste. How good of you to come." Reapus greeted sarcastically. "I'm afraid you're too late to witness the end of your red ranger, but you're welcome to watch the others' demise…AND YOUR OWN!" "If you think we're letting you lay one hand on Celeste, you're nuts!" James shouted as he held his blade tightly in his hand. He had lost his best friend again, but this time, he would avenge his death. "And what do you plan on doing about it, blue ranger?" Reapus asked. "Your leader is no more." Tacari stepped forward and stood next to James, joining him in a united front. "We fight on! Until our last breath… WE FIGHT ON!" "You tell 'em, Tacari!" Hannah yelled as she joined the pink and blue rangers. "She's got cajones! I'll give her that." Helix said as he stood with the others. Jun watched as his friends stood together in a last ditch effort to save Miranoi and the universe itself. At that moment, he was prouder than he'd ever been of his friends. "Let's do this…For Byron!" Reapus let out a guttural growl as he charged into the fray. As the five remaining rangers brought their blades up to strike the crimson demon, Reapus brought his to block all the swords from landing a strike. "Nice try. Now allow me to show you how it's done!" Energy radiated through his blade as he swung it in a circle knocking everyone back. The force of the blow was enough to knock a mere mortal unconscious, but there weren't mere mortals. With the rage of losing Byron a second time coursing through their veins, they stand up and rush in for another round. James led the charge as he shouted, " He fired of flurry of shimmering blue arrows, but they were all deflected easily by Reapus' powerful sword. Seeing how reckless the blue ranger was, he waited for him to get within ranger. "Yes, come to me." He thought with malice in his heart. When James got too close, Reapus drove his sword into the ground, grabbed James by the head and quickly twisted it until his neck snapped. James was dead before he even hit the ground. "You weren't worthy enough to taste my blade." He said as he spat on his body. As with Byron, James powered down and his body dissolved into starlight before floating into the sky. He pulled his sword from the ground and waited for the next unlucky soul. As Jun tried to make sense of it all, the pink amazon called on all of her primal instincts and took the fight to Reapus as much as she could. "I'll have your head for that!" She snarled as she sliced and slashed at her greatest foe. When she brought her blade down, Reapus caught it with one hand and pulled her close to him. "Such a wild spirit. A pity; you would have made a suitable queen." With one last sneer, he thrust his hand through her chest and pulled out her still beating heart. "On second thought, eating this should infuse me with your savagery." "Mmmm, spicy!" Reapus taunted after he devoured Tacari's heart in front of the remaining rangers. He licked his fingers to further goad them. It may have been 3 against one to the untrained eye, but the crimson scourge of the universe clearly had the advantage. "We can't let him get to Celeste. No matter what!" Helix ordered taking the leadership role. "If we go down, at least she'll be able to find others to continue on." Hannah grasped her strider tightly. Inside, she was a mass of nerves. She had just witnessed three of her friends lose their lives at the hands of Reapus. She thought back to her father; though she still held bitterness towards him, she remembered the sacrifice he made to save her. Now, it was time for her to do the same. "This is for my friends, the universe… The yellow ranger, Star Grazer in hand, ran in and managed to strike a blow to Reapus' chest, much to everyone's surprise. Unfortunately, that would be her first and last assault against the red menace. Seemingly unimpressed by her bravado, he brought up his sword and, with one mighty slash, he separated Hannah's head from her shoulders. "She actually struck me." Reapus chuckled sinisterly. "That's more than any of the others managed to do." Both the head and the body demorphed before breaking up into thousands of points of light. The starry form of Hannah floated to the atmosphere to join the red, blue and pink rangers. Jun's hands shook as he watched her life end in the blink of an eye. Helix…his outrage took a more proactive route. "Hannah…" He whispered as he slowly raised his head to shoot death glares at Reapus. He grabbed his Aquos Hatchet and he seemed to glow. "I'll avenge you. "As these young ones say 'BRING IT ON!'" Reapus challenged. As expected, Helix moved at the speed of light as he battled with the one who had taken four friends away from him. What wasn't expected was the fact that Reapus matched him move for move and stroke for stroke. Parries and thrusts were given and blocked by both combatants with neither of them gaining an advantage. That is until… "If you miss your precious yellow ranger so badly, you can join her!" He brought his blade up and swung it down like a massive guillotine. With great force, Helix was cleaved in half. As with the others, his suit disappeared before his mutilated body dissolved into thousands of stars. "And then, there was one." Reapus taunted as he slow walked towards the lone green ranger. Jun stood protectively in front of Celeste as he held his sword in front of him. "Jun; run! Save yourself!" Celeste ordered. "No! Helix was right. You're the only one who can find others to take up our cause. I have to protect you!" Jun said as he stood his ground. "How noble. How righteous. HOW PATHETIC!" Reapus shouted. "You're more naïve than the red ranger if you think you can defeat me on your own! But, if you really wish to join your comrades, far be it from me to ignore your wishes!" The red scourge ran full force at Jun and Celeste with his sword drawn for the final epic strike. He was just yards away from them when a beam of brilliant light descended from on high. Reapus was thrown back and the light blinded him. "Who… who are you?" He asked in a shushed voice. Before he could get an answer, the light's brightness intensified to the point where Jun was unable to see even with the tinted visor of his helmet.
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Back in the dormitory, Jun sat up in his bed like a shot. His eyes were wide and he was sweating profusely. His breathing was heavy as he recalled every moment of his nightmare. He thanked his lucky stars that he had a solo room.
"What the-" He gasped. His dream was so vivid, he was sure it was more than just a dream. And what about those strange images he saw when the light saved them. He had so many questions, he was unable to go back to sleep.
"I have to talk to someone about this." He whispered to himself. He knew there was only one person who could shed some light, so to speak. He just hoped this Q&A didn't leave him with more Q's than A's.
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On Reapus' vessel, things were also in a state of unrest. Reapus heard about the unauthorized use of one of his monsters to battle the rangers and was more furious about someone going over his head than the fact that Twixic was defeated.
"UNBELIEVABLE! It's bad enough he was beaten, but he was beaten by ONE RANGER! And of all the rangers to destroy him, it was YELLOW! HE DIDN'T EVEN GET THE CHANGE TO GROW AND GET BEATEN!" Reapus growled as he threw his red bowl at the wall just missing Kalamax's head. "WHO! Who sent that sorry excuse for a hedgehog into battle without my permission? He shouldn't have been allowed to do laundry, let alone fight!"
Kalamax, strangely, kept silent during his master's rants. Crescenda played her beloved shamisen during the tirade. She had nothing to do with the Twixic fiasco, but she was anxious to see who was responsible.
"Reappy-boy! Don't get your panties in a knot!" Shadius said jokingly. "So, Twixic was better suited for ADD commercials. At least we're rid of him. Got rid of some dead weight."
"That doesn't change the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to go behind my back!" Reapus growled. "I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you sent that jittery reject out."
"Moi? I wouldn't associate myself with such subpar talent." Shadius said as he fanned himself. The crimson lord looked to Crescenda and shook his head. He knew she wouldn't send out someone like Twixic. That wasn't her style. He then looked to Kalamax.
"You wouldn't happen to know how this happened, do you?"
"N-n-no, my Lord!" Kalamax stammered. "I have no idea. It was a gross oversight by whoever allowed that to take place."
"Indeed it was." He snarled. "If I find out who had the audacity to go over my head, I don't care who it is, THEIRS WILL BE MOUNTED ON MY WALL!" Reapus threatened as he went back to his quarters.
"Ouch. Roid rage, ahoy!" Shadius snickered as he pulled Kalamax off to the side. When he was sure they were out of Crescenda's range of hearing he whispered. "You got off easy, Kally-boy. I think you should take a powder before you try that again."
"I do admit that Twixic was a poor choice. Looking back on it, I should have picked someone more capable." Kalamax reluctantly agreed. If he was going to show Reapus what he could do, he had to be smarter about it.
"Water under the bridge, my boy." Shadius nodded. "Why don't you go over your strategies a bit more? I have some business to attend to."
"What business?" Kalamax asked.
"That's none of YOUR business. Now, shoo!" He ordered. When the squid-headed aide left, Shadius fanned himself as he thought of his next plan of attack.
"I'm so close to finding the Heart. So close, I can taste it." He thought to himself. "Shady-boy, it's time to bring out the big guns!"
A chuckle rang through the ship as the water outside mysteriously grew hotter.
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The next morning, Jun told Mike that he had something important to take care of and needed the day off. When Mike granted him the time off, Jun went to Celeste's star, anxious to find some answers. He walked through the crystalline chamber and found Celeste meditating. Her eyes were closed but she could still sense the presence of someone in her midst.
"Green Ranger." She said quietly as her eyes remained closed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"I had a nightmare last night and…" He began. He wasn't entirely sure how to ask her about this. "…and I believe it was more than just a bad dream. I think it was a vision. During it, I got these flashes of memories. They were vague but… somehow… I know they were some kind of message. I guess what I'm asking is where are these memories coming from and why am I getting them?"
Celeste slowly opened her eyes to look at the green ranger, but quickly averted her gaze.
"I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you." She said simply. "Please, leave."
Jun looked at her weirdly and stepped forward. Though he could only see her eyes, he could tell she was hiding something.
"I know that's not true, Celeste." He challenged. "Why won't you tell me anything? Maybe if I told you what happened in my dream…"
"Ranger!" She interrupted. "There is nothing to be gained from looking backwards. You'll do best to remember that." With those words, she turns away from him and leaves her chamber.
"Well, that helped." He said to himself, his statement dripping with sarcasm. "Well, Jun, it looks like you're on your own."
In a flash, he beamed back down to Miranoi and stood near the outskirts of the jungle Tacari called home. Something in his gut told him that if he wanted answers, he had to go deeper into the untamed part of the planet than anyone has ever traveled.
"Well, our team comes here all the time. Today, I'm flying solo." He said to himself as he got psyched up. He began his journey by moving vines and large leaves out of his way. The foliage in this part of the jungle was thick and Jun was thinking he should have brought a machete, but thought better of it.
"If I did that, Tacari would use the machete on me." He murmured to himself.
"Yes, I would." A voice from behind agreed, scaring the bejeezus out of the green ranger.
"AAAAH!" Jun ran forward and smacked into a tree that was just a few inches from him. The force nearly knocked him out and now he moved like he was drunk. "Medic!" He squeaked like a little mouse.
The voice belonged to none other than Tacari who was leaning against another tree. Seeing her teammate ram into something that a blind man could navigate through made her shake her head.
"Are you alright?" She asked slightly interested.
Jun looked towards the source of the voice and shook his head.
"I'll let you know when I stop seeing five of you." He said dizzily. Jun shook his head quickly until his vision righted itself. "Okay, I'm good."
"What are you doing in this part of the jungle? Even the construction workers are too scared to venture this far." She asked.
Jun wondered if it was a good idea to let the pink amazon in on the dream he had last night.
"Let's just say I'm on a fact finding mission." He said vaguely. In a way, he was telling the truth…kinda.
Tacari looked into Jun's eyes and she could tell that he wasn't lying to her but, at the same time, she wasn't getting the whole truth, either. Jun figured she sensed something and decided to interject.
"It's something I have to do alone. No offense."
"None taken. But know this…" Tacari jumped onto a large branch and looked down at the green ranger. "In this jungle, you're never completely alone."
She swung through the jungle canopy leaving Jun to figure out what she meant.
"What did she mean by…"
He was interrupted by the sounds of the jungle animals around him.
"Okay! Pressing on!" He shouted as he quickly ran forward. He recognized this stretch of the jungle as the one his archeology team often visited. Here were some of the ancient ruins he and his team were excavating and this was where he found some of the tablets scribbled in Tacari's language. Beyond the ruins was a dense forest. Jun always looked at it and wondered if those trees were there to hide something even more extraordinary. He didn't deny that the jungle had secrets it wanted to keep…secret. But being a man of knowledge, his curiosity got the better of him.
"I might get eaten by something, but this vision is killing me. I have to find out what it means." He thought as he trudged through the thick foliage. There was something creepy about this part of the jungle; almost…alive. Jun sensed something was watching him but had no idea if it was a creature…or the forest itself. He traveled a good distance away from the ruins until he arrived at a remote location. There was a clearing in the middle of the dense forest that had dozens of stone pillars and in the middle was a massive stone temple sitting atop mossy steps.
"No frickin' way!" Jun whispered as he eyed the great structure. "Oh, I HAVE to check this out!"
He took only one step towards the temple before an explosion threw him into one of the ancient pillars.
"UUUNNHHHH!" Jun grunted as he slowly stood up. "Man, that wasn't fun."
"You're not going anywhere, brother!" Grunted a voice. When Jun looked up, he saw a hulking red monster with craters jutting from his body. Yellow eyes glowed under two craters on his forehead that stuck out like cannons.
"Great! Another one of Reapus' backup dancers." Jun grumbled.
"Reapus? You've been living under a rock all this time, kid?" The monster asked. "The name's Volcanum and The fabulous Shadius is my boss!"
Jun glared at Volcanum and figured that if Shadius sent him, then the temple held something he was looking for, too.
"Why are you here?" The green ranger asked. "I think I already know, though." He thought.
"That's none of your business! I'm just here to keep you from getting in my master's way!"
"You're here about the 'Heart', aren't you?"
"So what if I am? It's not like you're gonna stop me, ya pencil-necked twerp!"
"We'll see about that!"
Jun rushed in with Strider poised to strike. But before he could make contact with the creature…
"MAGMA BOLIDES!" He shouted.
(A/N: "Bolide" comes from the Greek word "Bolis" meaning "Missile" or "to flash".)
"RIDE THE NOVA!" Jun shouted as he quickly morphed.
Fiery orbs flew out of the craters of his body and zoomed towards Jun. He tried his best to deflect them with his blade, but a good number of them collided with him. The force sent him flying into far end of the ruins.
"YEAH! Whatcha gonna do when Volcanum runs wild on you!" The demon shouted in victory.
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Back at the Command Tower, Mike was in his office when the alarms sounded signalling a monster attack.
"Bring it up on screen!" Mike ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The officer said as he brought up the location of the latest attack. Mike's eyes widened when he saw Jun battling with an earthen red colored monster.
"He's in the jungle, but I don't recognize that part of it. It's not marked on any of our maps." He didn't have time to figure that out; Jun needed help. "Rangers! Jun's in the jungle and he's in big trouble. He's in an uncharted part so I can't send any coordinates."
"Leave that to me! I can lead the others to him." Tacari said as she spoke from the console on his desk.
"Good, hurry! He looks like a tough one!" Mike said. "Guys, Tacari's on her way to help Jun. I think she's gonna send you directions."
"She's doing better than that, Mike!" James said through the link.
"What do you mean?"
"You-you just have to see it to believe it."
Mike pulled up a visual of James, Hannah and Helix and he soon saw what the blue ranger meant. As the three rangers were running through the outer regions of the jungle, the animals there were guiding them to the location of their amazon savior either by pointing or physically leading them to her.
"Who needs GPS!" James chuckled.
"Clever girl." Mike smirked to himself.
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Back at the ruins, Jun wasn't faring very well against the much stronger Volcanum. The massive creature was having a field day with the green ranger as he manhandled him easily. Jun managed to make contact with his blade but it had little effect against his rock hard body.
"VULCAN HAMMER!"
He balled his fists and pounded the ground. The vibrations sent the green ranger into the air like he was on the other end of a teeter totter. He waited for the ranger to fall back down and when he was within range, Volcanum slammed his craggy forearms into Jun's body. His body skidded across the granite floor of the ruins until he stopped at the trees that made up the boundary between the ruins and the rest of the jungle.
"Now for my finishing move! MAGMA BOLIDES!"
Jun braced for the inevitable impact but instead of being blown to bits…
"CELESTIAL FAN!"
He felt an arm go around his waist and soon after, he found himself in the air; he just barely dodged Volcanum's attack. He looked over his shoulder to see who it was that saved him.
"Tacari?"
"Are you alright?" She asked in a serious tone.
"Yeah, thanks. Where are the others? This part of the jungle isn't on any maps. They could get lost."
"They're on their way… and I won't let them get lost." The pink ranger said as the two touched ground.
"Awesome! I love handicap matches!" Volcanum chuckled evilly.
"For now, we tangle with Hot Head until the others get here." Jun said. "Watch him. Those fireballs he shoots come hard and fast."
Tacari nodded as the pair got ready to go toe to toe with the walking lava flow.
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Byron was the last to enter the jungle and, thanks to the animals, they were leading him through without much difficulty. As a precaution he morphed as he entered the pink ranger's home just in case of an ambush. That forethought would prove to be an asset. He was close to the innermost part of the jungle when a blade flew through the air and stabbed the ground in front of the red ranger. The handle and the front blade of the katana were bone white while the serrated edge was a metallic red color.
"What a piece of hardware." Byron said in awe. Before he could reach out to touch the weapon, he was kicked from behind by a mysterious assailant. When Byron recovered long enough to see who attacked him, he looked up to see a white skeleton with blood accents along the arms, legs, ribs and shoulders. What was most noticeable was the skull. The face was also a sinister blood red color. The figure grabbed his sword and immediately attacked Byron with a flurry of slashes and swipes.
"Whoa!" He shouted as he brought his sword up just in time to block the assault. Soon, the two were engaged in heated swordplay. Each parry and thrust came fast and furious and, to the red ranger's surprise, they seemed to mimic his own. The creature seemed to match him move for move and neither swordsman gained an advantage over the other as their blades locked.
"Who are you!" Byron asked in a strained grunt.
The monster's skull seemed to shine like a polished ruby as the sun's rays hit its surface. With a glare, he answered the curious ranger.
"I am the shadow of your existence."
"Huh! Look, I don't have time to deal with you right now!" Byron summoned his courage and fought off the new menace for the moment. With a sneer, the skeleton jumped into the trees and looked down at the confused Byron.
"We'll fight again, Red Ranger." He promised as he vanished through the canopy.
"Why do I always attract the wackos?" Byron asked as he continued his push to his friends. Thanks to the animals, he quickly arrived to see that James, Hannah and Helix were fighting with Volcanum…and desperately needed his help.
"NEBULA BOGEN!""ASTRAL LANCER!""STAR GRAZER!""AQUOS HATCHET!"
James fired of rounds of his water arrows hoping that it would douse his fire but Volcanum just radiated enough heat to evaporate the arrows before they got too close.
"WHAT! You have got to be kidding!" James shouted in disbelief.
Jun, Hannah and Tacari went in next hoping that a combined attack would topple this walking monolith. Hannah threw her weapon like a boomerang while the pink ranger gave it an extra boost by propelling it with a gust created by her fan. Jun pole vaulted onto Hannah's grazer and rode it like a surfboard; he held his weapon like a knight in a joust.
"Get a load of these pythons, brother!" Volcanum taunted as he used his powerful forearms to knock Jun out of the sky and flying into the girls.
"AAAHH!" Hannah yelled.
"Will you get off of us!" Tacari shouted.
When Jun saw how he was positioned on top of the girls, he blushed under his helmet.
"Sorry!" Jun apologized as he got up quickly, slightly embarrassed that he was on top of Hannah for a brief moment.
"You guys flaking out on me? This match is NO HOLDS BARRED, NO DQ's and NO COUNT OUTS!" Volcanum's eyes glowed as he got ready to unleash his favorite move. "MAGMA BOLIDES!"
Fiery meteors flew from every orifice of his body; each one was ready to collide with the rangers.
"SHOOTING STAR BARRAGE!" Helix called out. His lightning fast reflexes met with every fireball as he deflected them away from his teammates.
"AURORA BLADE!" A streak of red entered the fray and helped the Gold Ranger beat back the streaking meteors. Both rangers lunged forward and double teamed the lava maniac. The red and gold rangers were holding their own, but Volcanum soon brushed them away like pesky flies.
"Man! Someone's been training hard and taking their vitamins!" Byron grunted.
"Well, he better start saying his prayers!" Helix grumbled.
As the others tried to regroup, Jun found himself surrounded by blackness.
"What's happening!" He shouted. A flash of gold appeared in front of him and it formed into the knight from Byron's tale.
"Warrior of the Verdant Star… are you willing to forfeit your life for your comrades?" He asked.
Jun was dumbfounded but he still had the presence of mind to answer.
"Of course. It's what I was asked to do."
"You would not do so of your own free will?" The knight asked with concern. "Not even for those you care for?"
Jun blushed under his helmet. Somehow, this knight managed to see into his heart and know his deepest secret. He then felt ashamed because in his nightmare, he wasn't able to save Hannah from her fate.
"You cannot hide your true self, warrior. Would you forfeit your life for her?"
Jun searched his soul and it was as if a light bulb went off.
"In a heartbeat."
The knight nodded and a golden orb of light appeared in Jun's hand. As the light faded, the Omega Terminal was in his palm.
"Fight with all you have." The knight said as he faded into his own golden light. The darkness lifted and he found himself back on the field with his friends.
"Guys, I think we need to pull out all the stops!" Byron shouted. Everyone took their star discs and placed them on the hilts of their striders. With a mighty spin, their respective colors whirled around their swords they yelled:
"AURORA BLADES! CELESTIAL STRIKE!"
With Helix and his Aquos Hatchet by their side, the rangers charged forward. With swirls of fire, water, earth, leaves and air, striders and hatchet alike slashed the air connecting with Volcanum's hard exterior. But to their dismay, even their combined attack wasn't enough to make a dent in Shadius' newest flunkie.
"Wow, that tickled!" He taunted. "Now, I get to flex my muscles! VULCAN ROCK SLIDE!"
He fired meteors from his back and used them to propel him forward at breakneck speed. He held his arms out at his sides and clotheslined the rangers until they scattered throughout the ruins. Seeing that the green ranger was vulnerable, he grabs Jun by the neck and begins to squeeze.
"It's high time I got rid of a few pests!" Volcanum threatened. "Might as well start with you, green bean!"
Jun clawed at the stone hand that held him by the throat as he struggled to breathe. He gagged helplessly as he tried to kick Volcanum off of him. Hannah woozily got up and saw that Jun was in deep trouble.
"Jun! I'm coming!" She yelled as she ran to him. "STAR GRAZER! STAR DISC EPSILON!"
She swung her weapon blindly, striking Volcanum's back with everything she had. She wasn't about to let this crater-laden monster hurt her friend. Annoyed at her attack, Volcanum swatted her away with his free arm.
"You're dancing on my last good nerve, little girl! MAGMA BOLIDES!"
The creature sends a shower of meteors at the yellow ranger. The impact sends her crashing through the temple walls.
"AAAAHHHHH!" Hannah screamed.
"HANNAH!" Jun managed to squeak out. When he saw the person he cared about the most crash through the stone wall, something in him snapped. With a fury that burned brighter than the sun, he pried Volcanum's hand from his neck and kicked him away.
"This match just turned into a LAST MAN STANDING match!" He grasped the terminal in his hand and the glare he shot at Volcanum was felt by all present. "This is for you, Hannah." He thought before he yelled:
"OMEGA TERMINAL!"
The green ranger pressed the button on the black device. The golden emblem grew and shot into the sky like a rocket before it formed the image of a robe-like garment. The image burst into hundreds of stars before the shimmering points of light merged onto Jun's body. When the light faded, the Green Ranger stood in a robe trimmed in gold with and upturned collar and flared tails that reached the ground.
"STRONG AS THE PLANET'S FORESTS! OMEGA STRIZER GREEN!"
"ALRIGHT! GO GET 'EM, JUN!" Byron yelled.
"Whoa, brother! Where'd THAT come from!" Volcanum asked as he felt the level of the green ranger's power increase.
"There's no referee to ring the bell for you! STAR DISC DELTA!" Jun placed his disc in the terminal and swirls of shimmering leaves spun around the more powerful blade. "AURORA BLADE! OMEGA MODE!"
With his rage coursing through his veins, Jun went ballistic on Volcanum. Every strike he dealt, every slash and thrust was for Hannah and his friends and Volcanum was unable to withstand them. He made quick work of the lava monster and was about to deliver the final blow when a long, deafening roar stopped all the fighting. Jun glanced back at the temple through the hole Hannah's body made when she crashed through the wall and saw that the glyphs were glowing a bright red.
"What in the world…" Jun whispered in shock.
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Back on Reapus' ship, he and Shadius clutched their chests simultaneously.
"That-that power! It can't be!" Reapus shuddered.
"It is, Reappy-boy." Shadius said in a serious tone that uncharacteristic of him. "That power… it's the same power that sealed us away over a millennia ago."
Reapus emitted a low growl. He knew that things were going to come to a head…and soon.
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"What was that!" Byron asked, his head whipping around frantically.
"Like I know!" James scoffed.
"Something's been awakened." Tacari began. "And it's not happy."
As if to agree with the jungle woman, a large explosion of energy shot out of the temple and knocks everyone out of morph. It also sends Volcanum back to the depths of Mari Lake. At this point, Helix would have a smart aleck remark ready to go, but what was in front of him commanded his full respect. He takes a few tentative steps towards the temple entrance and said in a serious tone:
"The gates to Mu… They have been opened."
One by one, the faces of the rangers looked upon the temple as the inside glowed a brighter red. With Helix taking the lead, they all enter the stone structure.
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A new chapter is about to be written. Will the rangers be able to cope with what the find inside, or will the discovery just lead to more unanswered questions? Find out in the next chapter of Power Rangers: GALAXY STRIDERS!
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End of Act 14