Chapter Ten: "The Merger."

In the Alternate Reality:

Enrazu stepped through the shimmering gateway, transcending the very fabric between dimensions, and phasing onto the alternate reality. His dark black and red armour echoed as he walked, the long ancient broadsword stationed on his back glowing faintly in the dim light, as his sharp thinned pupils focussed on the dark form of his Master up ahead of him. His form was hidden, only two dark blood red eyes pulsating through the darkness, and the intense dark power that flowed from his presence.

"Master." Started Enrazu, sending the thoughts directly into his mind. "The second phase of your plan has been set into motion, Riaku and Djiwu have begun their attacks, but, we never foresaw the emergence of a new kind of power."

"Xentu's death has indeed come unexpected, and the power of the Zeo Matrix may have the ability to destroy all that I have planned, but it will not matter, time is against them." He paused. "Is all in place?"

"It is. The Orbs have been concealed in each of the cities, we only need to further weaken the dimensional fabric surrounding Turtle Cove and Angel Grove before we can set the merger into motion."

A deep cold-hearted laugh came from the Master. "Good. Then prepare your Shadow Demons to cross over."

Enrazu slowly nodded his head, turning to slip back through the gateway, a dark smile appearing on his lips.

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In Silver Hills:

Tommy, Kat, Trini, Adam, Rocky, and Jason quickly ran forward as the particles of the teleportation stream faded around them, rushing head on into the raging battle. They immediately found themselves in the thick of things, countering and attacking the horde of Shadow Demons that surrounded them, aiding Wes, Jen, Trip, Katie, Lucas, Eric, Andros, TJ and Zhane. Carlos had not joined the fight, as he steadily recovered in the Underground Resistance Base.

"Guys." Motioned Eric, after destroying a demon with his quantum blaster. "We'll take care of the Shadow Demons!"

"Right." Nodded Tommy. "Leave Djiwu to us." He slowly turned to try and gaze through the carnage, looking on in search for signs of the demon general.

"There he is!" Shouted Trini.

Tommy followed her gaze, his eyes landing on the still form of Djiwu. Djiwu was short, but with a large and powerful build, armoured with a thick set of dark black scales around its skin, and two deadly claws that were protruding out from its arms. He stood watching the flow of battle around him, waiting for his chance to intervene.

"Let's go guys." Said Tommy.

The others nodded, quickly following after him as he darted in between the battles taking place around them, making a clearing when they needed to, until they came face to face with Djiwu. The demon silently watched as they approached, waiting with eager anticipation. There was a brief moment of silence before it spoke:

"I was a-waiting your ar-rival." It slurred. "You may have beat-ten Xen-tu but you will not des-troy me!" As the last words faded from its lips it ran forward, running in a speed that its form presented as entirely impossible.

"Watch out!" Cautioned Jason.

Djiwu rushed forward, unleashing a powerful swipe of the protruding claw in its right arm, the swipe tearing through Adam's chest in a shower of sparks, causing him to cry out in pain and fall backwards. It then turned to the right, deflecting an attack by Trini, and letting rip with its other arm, slicing through her chest.

"Adam! Trini!"

Tommy ran forward, ducking under the first swipe of the claws and unleashing a one-two combo on its chest, but with little effect. He quickly switched his tactics to a powerful roundhouse kick, but Djiwu easily blocked the attack, countering with a forward charge, crushing his shoulders into Tommy's side and sending him falling to the ground.

"Tommy!" Kat pulled back, rushing over to his side as Rocky and Jason ran forward to attack.

Rocky let loose with a fast whirlwind kick to Djiwu's left side while Jason unloaded a powerful kick - sweep hapkido combo attack, but both had little effect, simply stunning Djiwu but not breaking through his hard scales. He retaliated, thrusting his claws forward, Rocky narrowly managing to avoid the attack, but Jason got caught on his side.

"Ugh!" Jason staggered backwards; falling in an eruption of intense sparks.

"Jason!"

Rocky found himself on his own. As Djiwu rushed towards him, his mind quickly raced, feeling the power of the ice wolf begin to rise from within him. The power gradually surged through his body as he concentrated hard, ignoring the rush of the demon, the energy converging into a point in between his hands. He let the power grow, allowing it to take over him, as he summoned the powers of the Zeo Matrix.

"Zeo Matrix Ice Wolf Freeze!"

Rocky outstretched his arms before him, causing several points of bright blue light to appear in the air, rushing towards a single point between his hands. Suddenly a bright pulse of sharp blue light erupted from where he stood, and a stream of pure ice flashed outwards, hurtling towards Djiwu. The demon had no time to react as he rushed forward in mid-run, the blast of pure ice hitting it dead on, causing it to cry out in a painful scream, a burst of intense explosions showering from its body. As the light slowly faded Rocky looked up to see that an added affect of the attack was that Djiwu was also temporarily frozen.

"Wow!" He said in amazement, staring at his hands. "I did that?!"

With Kat's help Tommy slowly pulled himself up onto his feet. "Ugh . h-how long do you think it will hold for?"

Rocky shook his head. "I don't know. Not long."

Trini turned to the others. "Hopefully enough time to find out what kind of weapons these powers possess."

Kat nodded. "Well, here goes." The others turned to her as she outstretched her right arm into the air, before closing her eyes - listening to the Zeo Matrix spirit inside of her. "Wind Phoenix Blaster!" A bright pulse of pink light emitted from her arm as the weapon appeared, a strange device that was attached to the wrist and designed with two small wings on either side, charged with the essence of pure wind. Kat stared at it for a moment, studying its form. "Amazing!"

Tommy smiled. "Wow . ok guys, let's do it! Zeo Matrix weapons!" He closed his eyes, listening to the spirit within him. "Fire Dragon Saber!" A bright pulse of red light emitted from his hand as his weapon appeared, a short saber that was engraved with an image of the dragon on the blade, and charged with the essence of pure fire.

"Thunder Tiger Staff!" Called Trini. The quick flash of yellow light that emitted revealed the long staff that appeared in her hands, charged with the very energy of lightning and thunder.

"Terra Cobra Striker!" Echoed Adam. A strange projective device appeared on his arm as a pulse of green light emitted, the weapon able to fire poisonous arrows, and charged with the power of the earth.

"Ice Wolf Claws!" Shouted Rocky. A bright pulse of blue light emitted from his wrists as his weapons appeared, two large steel claws that were attached to both his wrists, and tinted with the element of pure ice.

"Shadow Lion Sword!" Cried Jason. A final pulse of golden black light came from his hands, revealing a large two-handed broadsword whose handle was engraved in the design of a lion, and charged with the power of shadow.

"Guys!" Called Kat. "He's breaking free!"

All six suddenly turned to the frozen form of Djiwu, watching as faint cracks began to appear in the ice that held him, growing larger and more forceful by the second. Suddenly there was a loud scream, and Djiwu emerged from the ice, the shards shattering around him. His eyes flared a dark red, the anger boiling within him.

"Y-you will d-ie!" He screamed, running forward once more.

"We'll see about that." Said Jason.

Kat nodded to Adam and together they stepped forward, aiming their weapons at Djiwu. Kat fired, unleashing a powerful blast of pure wind that hit Djiwu with the force of a miniature Tornado, forcing him back. Adam quickly followed through, unleashing a powerful shot of his arrow that pierced through Djiwu's armour, poisoning him.

"Aaughh!" Djiwu cried out in pain, falling to his knees.

"Now!" Trini and Rocky shouted together.

Trini was the first to attack letting rip with her thunder charged staff that tore through the side of Djiwu shocking him instantly while Rocky attacked with his twin claws, tearing through Djiwu's chest in a shower of powerful sparks. As they both stepped out of the way Tommy and Jason appeared, their saber and sword in their arms, ready to strike.

"It's over!"

Djiwu shot his gaze upwards, staring into their eyes. "I-t will nev-er be o- ver! Fools! The mer-ger will soon be un-der-way!"

Tommy paused in mid strike. "M-merger?"

A dark smile appeared on Djiwu's lips. He used Tommy's moment of hesitation to lash forward with its claws, but Jason was right there by his side, thrusting his broadsword deep into the general, and finishing him off. The explosion of sparks sent them both flying backwards as Djiwu exploded, his death sending a ripple of powerful energy through the air.

Adam, Kat, Trini, and Rocky helped Tommy and Jason up onto their feet. Adam was the first to speak. "What was that about some kind of merger?"

"I don't know." Said Jason, shaking his head. "But whatever it is, it doesn't sound good." The group suddenly turned as their communicators went off. "Please tell me you've got good news Justin!"

"Guys, we've got serious trouble on our way! Our scanners have picked up increased dimensional activity over the eastern sector of Angel Grove. It looks like Enrazu is massing his Shadow Demons for his all out attack!" Justin paused to catch his breath. "And from the data that we're getting through this is no small force! It's huge!"

"What are we going to do?" Asked Adam.

"There's no way that the Ninja Storm rangers we'll be able to hold them all off!" Said Kat.

Tommy's mind raced, rushing fast as he weighed up all the available options, looking back at the Time Force and Space rangers to see them finish off the surrounding demons. "Justin, contact the other ranger teams and get them over to the Angel Grove Resistance Base fast! It looks like we're going to need to all join forces if we are to take on Enrazu. Get them to rest up their energy until we stop Riaku over at Turtle Cove. Even if Enrazu attacks, they are not to engage until we've rested up also."

Justin nodded his understanding. "Right. But you guy's better hurry. Justin out." His voice slowly faded.

Jen walked up to Tommy. "We're with you all the way."

He smiled his thanks. "Rest up guys. The deciding battle still lies ahead."

"We will." Nodded Wes.

Wes nodded over to Jen, Trip, Lucas, Katie, and Eric before all six disappeared in a flash of bright light as they teleported to Angel Grove. Andros, TJ and Zhane then nodded to one another, following suit as they both disappearing in the next flash of light. As everything finally fell silent the Zeo Matrix rangers gathered their strength for the next intense battle against the second strongest demon general: Riaku. After they catched their breath they teleported once more, over to Turtle Cove.

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In Turtle Cove:

Cole cried out in pain, falling to the ground hard as the claws cut through his skin, exploding in a shower of painful sparks. He was surrounded, seven Shadow Demons closing in for the kill, his side going numb from the pain. In the distance he could hear his name being called and saw flashes of three different uniforms appear, belonging to Light Speed, Galaxy, and Wild Force. Ryan, Kai, and Taylor ran forward, ducking low under the swipe from the demons, and countering with fast punches that connected hard, sending the demons back.

"Cole! Cole are you alright?!" Shouted Taylor, dropping to her knees.

Cole groaned slightly as he pushed himself up onto his feet. "Y-yeah, I'll be ok."

He couldn't see it but he could feel the smile appear behind her visor. "You shouldn't scare us like that!" She sighed; turning as Kai and Ryan protected them, giving them a chance to regain their breath. "Luckily there's only a few Shadow Demons left. Trust you to try and take on half of them!"

Cole smiled slightly. "I promise, I am not doing that next time." He groaned again as the pain flashed in his side. Looking up he watched as Alyssa, Merrick, Carter, Joel, Dana, Leo, and Damon finished off the last of the remaining Shadow Demons, before aiding Taylor, Kai, and Ryan in finishing off the ones still around them. Soon all of the demons had been taken care off.

"That's 'em all." Said Joel, breathing hard.

"Not all." Noted Kai, looking over at the form of Riaku in the distance.

"Should we try and take him?" Asked Damon.

"No way. He's way too powerful." Said Leo. "We should wait for word from Tommy and the others."

"But there are eleven of us." Noted Taylor. "Maybe we can take him on." She suddenly paused as her communicator went off and listened as Justin explained the situation. "Right. The Zeo Matrix rangers are on their way, they can handle Riaku, we've got to get what rest we can so that we can help fight Enrazu."

Leo nodded. "Ok. Let's go."

The three teams stepped back, disappearing in separate flashes of light as they activated their teleporters, vanishing into thin air as they headed for Angel Grove. As soon as they teleported: the Zeo Matrix rangers appeared, quickly getting into their fighting stances as they surveyed the situation. They slowly scanned the area, seeing the fallen Shadow Demons on the ground, and the approaching form of Riaku from up ahead of them.

Riaku stood tall, but thinner than the other four generals, but with the same muscular and powerful physique. The most distinguishing features about him were the strange rune markings that were engraved onto his sleeveless arms and onto the centre of his forehead. Instead of a dark red, his eyes burned a dark green, and he carried a simple looking staff in his right hand.

"So - you are the Zeo Matrix rangers." He said slowly, projecting his words into each of their thoughts. "Pitiful. I was expecting someone more - intimidating."

Rocky shook his head, smiling. "You should be intimidated. We beat your two friends!"

It was his turn to smile. "They were weak - far weaken than I." He stepped forward, positioning himself into a fighting stance.

Without a word, they ran forward. Trini ducked under the swing of his staff, diving behind him while Jason attacked with a force punch to his chest, knocking him back. Tommy let loose with a quick whirlwind kick before diving out of the way of a counter attack, before Rocky ran forward to unleash a powerful drop kick. As Riaku hit the ground Adam and Kat ran forward, ducking and countering as Riaku raised his staff to defend himself.

"Pathetic!" Riaku laughed as the rangers stood back.

He thrust his staff outwards, the runes of his arm beginning to glow, until a sudden burst of dark purple light erupted from the end of his staff and flashed across the air. The energy blast ripped through the rangers, exploding on contact. They landed on the ground hard, struggling to get back onto their feet as he approached.

Kat pushed herself up first, facing Riaku. She closed her eyes, focussing on the wind phoenix spirit within her, willing the power to the surface. She concentrated hard, letting the energy surge through her body, as it slowly converged into a single point. She waited until he was directly in front of her before she unleashed its power.

"Zeo Matrix Wind Phoenix Kick!"

Kat thrust herself upwards, her movement seeming to be fuelled by the very wind as she drove her knee upwards into Riaku's chest, crushing his rips. She then leaned backwards, flipping in mid air and her kick lashing out at Riaku's chin, driving hard, the blood flowing from his lips. The sparks flew, covering them both for a long moment, before Kat lightly landed down onto her feet, and Riaku dropped to the ground in a heap.

Before he had a chance to get back onto his feet Trini, Adam and Rocky ran forward with their weapons, preparing to unleash their power onto the form of Riaku, but a sudden burst of purple light erupted from where he lay, sending the rangers flying backwards. Riaku slowly got back onto his feet, the protective shield fading.

"You-ll have to do better!" He laughed. He thrust his staff out once more, this time sending multiple blasts that hit them hard, ripping through their protective suits.

"Ugh!" Trini fell to the ground, unable to get back onto her feet.

"T-Trini!" Cried Adam from where he lay, pushing himself over to her.

"H-he's really tough!" Said Jason, holding his side.

Tommy held his arm over Kat, helping her up onto his feet. "We're going to have to give him all that we've got!" He turned to Trini, Jason, and Adam. "We still haven't seen what your powers can do guys."

Adam nodded. "I-I'll try. B-but I don't know if I can." He slowly fell silent, clearing his mind so that he could concentrate.

Trini nodded also, closing her own eyes. While they concentrated on their powers Jason summoned his broadsword. "We'd better keep him occupied until they have time to unleash their attacks!"

"Right." Said Rocky, summoning his claws.

Tommy, Kat, Rocky, and Jason ran forward with their Zeo Matrix weapons, unleashing a combination of saber, blaster, claw, and sword attacks onto Riaku, beating him back. Finding themselves close up they then switched to martial arts, mostly countering and deflecting, circling around him so that Riaku had trouble attacking them all at once.

Adam suddenly opened his eyes, the power rushing to the surface. "Zeo Matrix Terra Cobra Pulse!"

He arched his arms backwards before turning forward to pound his right fist into the earth, the ground suddenly shaking furiously as he made contact. A bright intense pulse of green light formed from where he hit the ground, shooting outwards towards Riaku. Hearing the oncoming attack the others distracted Riaku long enough for the attack to reach them, and then jumped out of the way, hearing the painful screams come from his body.

Immediately after the attack, Trini stepped forward. "Zeo Matrix Thunder Tiger Bolt!"

Trini thrust her right arm into the air, dark clouds quickly forming ahead of her, until a deep rumble echoed through the sky. Suddenly a jolt of pure lightning flashed from the heavens and blasted Riaku, exploding him in a shower of intense sparks as he cried out in pain. As the fire that had appeared slowly died down the rangers looked on to see the fallen form of Riaku, twitching slightly as his body still held a thread of strength within it.

"I can't believe he's still trying to get up!" Said Kat in disbelief, not wanting to mention how powerful Enrazu must be.

The rangers held their weapons before them, fatigued and exhausted, but ready to attack once more if Riaku got back onto his feet. They waited in silence for a long time, seeing the struggling form push hard to get himself up off of the ground, but his body finally gave way, and he collapsed, a final explosion of sparks signalling his death. A wave of relief washed over them, as they powered down from their ranger forms, starting to contemplate what lay ahead.

Tommy closed his eyes. "We better get some sleep." He said silently. "We'll need all our strength for the final battle."