Finding it would be easy enough, given how it was just a giant green column of light reaching to the sky. Zack and Yang agreed that it might as well have been a big neon sign that read "BAD GUYS HERE", which earned a laugh from everyone else. While heading there wouldn't be a problem… It's what would happen next that concerned the Rangers. Not the overwhelming force of whatever army Rita assembled or if they could get back home… but something none of the teenagers with attitude expected.

"You know… I'm gonna miss this place."

Tommy smiled at Kimberly. "What happened to 'us stealing the Huntsmans' jobs'?" The Pink Ranger just shook her head. "Okay, so we messed up on that part. Not gonna deny that, but… I feel like I was just getting used to Remnant."

"Well, I'm not gonna miss all the monsters that are running around," Trini countered. "Gimme a monster of the week any day. Although… there's one thing I am gonna miss. The public identities." Zack sighed beside her. "Oh yeah… fighting to save people and you don't have to hide your face. I'm definitely gonna miss that… we sure we gotta go home?"

"Duty calls, Zack," Billy replied. "Honestly… I may wanna come back one day. Under different circumstances." Jason nodded with a smile. "Yeah, me too. But hey… at least we're going out with a bang." A chuckle from Ruby made the Red Ranger look over at the girl. "I don't think that's what that phrase means."

Pyrrha shook her head. "Please don't jinx us, Jason." Jaune bore a nervous smile until Tommy clasped a hand on his shoulder, his smile bringing calm back to the knight. "Are you serious? None of us need luck right now… because we've got each other. And that means something else right now."

"We don't have anything to worry about," Jason agreed. "We've fought alongside each other before, but this time will be different. This time, we're putting our absolute trust in each other." Ruby nodded in acknowledgment. "You don't always have to be the first foot forward and take charge. That may be what you do on Earth, but on Remnant, we don't just protect. We cooperate."

"And that's what we'll do," Yang added. "If we watch each others' backs out there, your one-way trip home will go smoothly." Weiss and Blake shared their teammates' smiles. Nora flashed Kim a thumbs-up while Ren had a serene smile… until a shadow passed over them. Everyone froze as the black shape sped along the ground before several others followed it. Blake and Trini were the first to look up…

…and the girls saw a flock of flying Grimm converging on the green light. Griffons and Nevermores were drawn to the pillar like moths to a flame while faint howls, roars, and snarls echoed from the distant forest. Zack whistled as he spied shadows prowling and lurking in the foliage. "Looks like Rita's hosting one heck of a party."

"Without inviting us as the guests of honor?" Kim said with a fake look of offense. "We can't let that stand, can we?" Yang bore a mischievous grin. "Nope! Good thing party-crashing is my specialty!" Ruby admired her sister's eagerness, but she cast a concerned eye on Jason. "And how many guests do you think she'll have there?" The Red Ranger stared at the swarm before giving his response. "Well… let's just say she's got a crowd. Concert-sized."

The group moved closer until they reached the edge of the forest, moving carefully to not alert any of the possessed Grimm to their position. Once they reached a slope that led into a massive valley bordering a seaside cliff, the fourteen teens bore witness to a humongous horde of Grimm gathered in one place. Larger ones such as Goliaths and Death Stingers stood out amidst the large numbers while flying Grimm circled the source of the green beam: a massive tower that sat close to a cliff's edge, the emerald light shooting up from its top.

Ruby's eyes were alight and she let out a tiny gasp. "That's… that's the Tower of Peace." Jason didn't take his eyes off the structure as he ran his eyes up and down its length. "Lemme guess, important?"

"It was where the Vytal Peace Accord was signed, bringing an end to the Great War," Weiss explained. "So yes, important." Billy followed Jason's eyes, scanning for a possible entry point. "Rita's in there somewhere… and the only thing between us and the front door is way, way too many guard dogs."

"And guard boars, guard bears, guard elephants, guard scorpions, et cetera, et cetera," Trini piped up. "Oof… I've never seen so many in one place."

"Neither have we," Pyrrha muttered. "But then again… numbers aren't much of a problem, are they?" Zack shook his head while Tommy readied his dagger. "Nah. Everybody knows the plan, yeah?"

"'Run straight at them and fight our way through' is hardly a plan," Blake countered. "But if it works, it works." Nora popped up beside her. "Hey! It works for me!"

"Alright then…" Ruby said after sharing a knowing look with Jason. "Everyone… Let's take our friends home."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rita howled from the tower's highest room, her green beam emerging from an arcane sigil drawn onto the floor, passing through the broken ceiling window, and into the skies beyond. "Come, my minions! Come to your master! Once you pledge your loyalty to me, I will give you the destruction your terrible hides have longed for!"

Goldar gave his queen a vile grin. "This planet is as good as ours."

"Agreed," Finster chuckled. "No force in Remnant is capable of standing up to a horde of this size. Your victory is assured, your evilness." Rita's wicked smile grew until it stretched across her face, her eyes green from the beam's reflection as she cackled again. "Yes… and once Remnant is mine… Earth is next! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"My empress…"

The witch rounded on Scorpina. "What is it, you ingrate?!" The female Faunus was standing on the balcony staring out into the valley, her posture still. The golden-clad general slowly turned to Rita, her shining tail swishing back and forth in anticipation while her eyes were full of fury.

"They're back."

"What?!" Rita howled, all but shoving Scorpina aside as she stormed onto the balcony with her minions in tow. The aliens-turned-Remnantians peered out to the valley's edge just in time to see tiny figures approaching from over the hill. Jaune and Pyrrha marched side-by-side until they stopped at the hill's peak, Ren and Nora right behind them. Tommy and Kimberly came up beside them, the Rangers glaring at the tower. Yang and Trini came into view next, the yellow-clad girls cracking their knuckles and stretching their fingers. Blake and Zack approached from the far right, the human rolling his shoulders while the Faunus balled her fists. Billy and Weiss marched in from beside them, the boy adjusting his glasses and the girl tossing her snowy hair over her shoulder. And directly in the center of the group were Ruby and Jason, the girl's silver eyes twinkling in the sunlight and the Red Ranger's stance stoic and proud like a knight of old. No one said a word, but their gazes were all focused on the tower's balcony… as well as the woman who stood upon it.

"So, you fools are still alive, huh?!" Rita roared down at them. "Well, you've made your last mistake coming here! BEHOLD! The mightiest army this world has ever seen!" Down below, the massive horde of bewitched Grimm growled and snarled at their imminent victims, jade eyes burning with evil magic. Yet none of them made a move, awaiting their mistress' command. Beowolves roared, Goliaths trumpeted, and Beringels pounded their chests with devilish howls. "Know this, Power Rangers! As well as the rest of you pathetic fools! Fight them if you will, but you will ultimately perish from the fiercest monsters to ever serve me! Soon, you'll be nothing more than scraps, and then nothing will stop me from conquering this world and Earth! What do you say to that?!"

Only wind answered the witch as the teens kept glaring at both Rita and the horde of Grimm between them and the tower. The beasts were anxious; hooves dragging impatiently through the ground, mouths hanging open to reveal razor-sharp teeth, and furious huffs from devils that paced back and forth. Both sides stared each other down until Teams RWBY and JNPR shared looks with the Power Rangers. Rita, meanwhile, was taken aback by the silence.

"Finster… can they hear me from up here?"

The teens' eyes said all that needed to be said. They were ready to cross the point of no return. The Remnantians gave the Rangers a silent go-ahead and Ruby nodded at Jason with a brave smile. The Red Ranger motioned his friends forward, allowing their Auras to build up until…

"AURAZORD POWER!"

One spectacular flash of light later, five colored constructs of prehistoric beasts snarled and growled at the Grimm, who bellowed back in response with extended claws and searing emerald eyes. Grimm Putties howled demonically, ready to descend on the teens. The horde's howls were abruptly cut off by a triumphant tune from Tommy's Dragon Dagger, the boy's green Aura flaring up before rising above him… and materialized into a glowing jade dragon that landed beside its master with a growling maw. The Green Ranger vaulted atop his valiant steed, giving the creature a comforting pat on its face.

Tommy wordlessly glanced down at Jaune and Ren, offering them a hand while giving them a calm smile. The wannabe knight was wide-eyed at the request but snapped out of his daze and allowed Tommy to pull him up, positioning himself behind the Green Ranger steadily. Ren followed after his team leader, taking up the rear. The pink pterodactyl conjured by Kimberly's Aura lowered to the ground, prompting a giddy Nora to leap onto its shoulders with Magnhild already drawn. Pyrrha mounted as well, her own weapons in hand.

The other Aurazords turned to their comrades-in-arms and lowered into position, allowing them to hop on. Yang vaulted atop Trini's Sabertooth, feeling lush fur under her hands. Blake leaped off the trunk of Zack's Mastodon and landed atop the beast's back, positioning herself just right. Weiss used a glyph to propel herself onto the back of Billy's Triceratops, setting herself down just behind the creature's round frill. Finally, Ruby pulled up her hood and climbed onto the neck of the glowing mass that was Jason's Tyrannosaurus, adjusting onto the creature's shoulders. Her silver eyes landed on the black horde while a rumbling growl emanated from the beast she rode.

Crescent Rose was out and unfurled in a flash, its blade glinting in the sunlight; a warning the Grimm ignored. The scythe was hungry for action, something Ruby could also feel in the dinosaur construct. Each of her friends glared at the Grimm, who stared back with ominous, destructive intent. Her face shrouded by her hood save for the sunlight reflecting off her silver eyes, Ruby gritted her teeth… and rose Crescent Rose to the sky.

"YAAAAAAAAH!"

ROOOAAARRR! Jason's T-Rex bellowed into the sky as Ruby screamed a loud battle cry, the other beasts and their friends following suit. The silver-eyed girl turned her orbs to the howling Grimm and pointed her scythe at the horde, urging the crimson dinosaur to charge down the hill with thunderous footsteps. Weiss drew Myrtenaster from atop the azure Triceratops, which howled as it stampeded after its fellow dinosaur. The purple Mastodon shambled down the slope in a trumpeting frenzy with Blake atop its back, the yellow sabertooth snarling as it sprinted past at full speed. High above, the shrieking pink pterodactyl and the roaring green dragon soared over the valley with widespread wings, its occupants whooping in either delight or surprise. Jaune was struggling to stay on while Nora all but hollered maniacally with her hammer held high.

Rita snarled as her fist clenched around the banister before she thrust her staff forward with an eerie green glow. "DESTROY THEM ALL!" Eager to carry out their master's orders, the Grimm roared and snarled viciously, their noises merging into a symphony of evil intent on shaking their foes' souls. Yet the cries of the colored beasts proved louder than the nightmarish wails, their ferocity making up for their lack of numbers. The black horde descended upon the constructs like a plague of death, with a Griffon swooping in to snatch Ruby off her steed.

It was sliced in half with a single swing from Crescent Rose just as the red dinosaur slammed itself into a Creep. The beast used its weight to shove the Grimm back before closing its massive jaws around the monster's head, quickly crushing the bony mask. Jason commanded the Tyrannosaurus to swing the Creep around like a wrecking ball, swatting aside smaller Grimm before ultimately smashing the Creep against the ground. The dinosaur denied it the chance to stand by stomping on its neck, crushing the body beneath it with a dominating roar to its enemies. "Come on! Who else wants some?!"

A yelling Ruby bounded off the beast's back and cut down a leaping Beowolf in midair, burying Crescent Rose into a Boarbatusk's head upon landing. The girl went into a slicing and spinning frenzy while her companion remained close, using brute strength and raw power to finish off Grimm lucky enough to survive Ruby's razor-sharp wrath. A single sweep of its tail sent small Grimm flying and others were pulverized into paste beneath its feet. Badly-mangled bodies were launched into the air from the dinosaur's jaws…

…and a yellow mass collided with a thrown Beowolf, bringing it to the ground before tearing out its throat. Trini's tiger snarled and sprinted around the valley, swiping its paws at any Grimm that approached while Yang fired blast after blast from Ember Celica. Yang vaulted off the mammal and smashed her fists on an Ursa's skull, popping up its head with an uppercut before bombarding its vulnerable torso. The Grimm howled in anger… and two elongated fangs sank into its black body before a yellow paw smashed its head into the ground. The sabertooth tiger was a yellow blur as it moved, fending off the Grimm while Yang kept laying the smackdown on more monsters.

Well-placed glyphs propelled the blue Triceratops to breathtaking speeds, turning it into an unstoppable tank as it barreled through Grimm as if they were nothing. Weiss took care of any unwanted passengers that clung onto the dinosaur's hide while the beasts at the forefront were smashed, clobbered, and trampled. A skewered Beowolf was swiftly beheaded by Myrtenaster and the Triceratops dumped its disintegrating body aside, its horns stained black with ichor. The blue construct bellowed amidst its unstoppable charge, bashing against Grimm and throwing off Grimm Putties that gnawed at its frill. A small number of Beowolves formed a blockade in an attempt to stop Billy's advance, but the barrier was easily broken when the dinosaur smashed through its ranks.

Weiss acrobatically leaped off the dinosaur with a spinning twirl and landed perfectly. Billy moved to stand by her side like a protective guard dog just as a Bewolf lunged at him. The instant its fangs sank into the dinosaur's horn, Billy swung his Aurazord's head in the opposite direction and used the Grimm's momentum against it, sending it sliding through the dirt. The second it scrambled back up, an icicle skewered it through the mouth courtesy of Weiss' glyph. An Ursa shambled up next only for Billy to jerk his Aurazord's head upward and slice its belly with a horn. A sharp jerk to the side sent another horn cutting across its face, forming a scar on one green eye as the beast howled in pain.

Blake swung around the Mastodon's trunk and kicked away a Grim Putty, drawing Gambol Shroud back to her as she rose back into the air and fired on several Grimm climbing Zack's Aurazord. The Black Ranger's beast swung and stomped at its adversaries while the Faunus kept it covered. The purple pachyderm locked tusks with a Goliath and twisted its head, sending the Grimm crashing to the ground and flattening any foe beneath it. Trumpeting in triumph, the Mastodon swatted away some smaller Grimm with its trunk while Blake constantly patrolled its perimeter, protecting the sides and rear while the massive mammal focused its fury on everything in front of it.

A screech from above was the only warning the horde received before the pink pterodactyl dive-bombed towards the swarm, the rushing wind accompanied by Nora's excited laughter. While Kimberly swooped to grab Grimm in her Aurazord's talons and beak, Nora smashed the first Grimm she could find with her hammer and Pyrrha slashed at the closest enemy. They were back in the air before any Grimm could react, although a flock of Griffons and a Nevermore took notice and chased after the pink pterosaur with screeches of their own.

"Kim! Behind us!" Pyrrha shouted while Nora whirled around with a yelp. "They're getting closer by the second! See?! Closer!"

"Hold on!" the Pink Ranger cried. Her pterodactyl dropped into a deep dive to evade the first of the Griffons, who swiftly changed course to give chase. The pterosaur twisted and turned in every direction in its desperate attempts to shake off the Griffons, but they remained locked on Kimberly's glowing pink form. After a quick loop around the tower failed to ditch the Grimm, Nora hugged before turning to her teammate. "Take over! I'll handle those birdbrains!" Pyrrha nodded and switched positions instantly, helping Kimberly steer as she raced through the sky. Nora, meanwhile, reconfigured Magnhild into its grenade launcher form and fired grenade after grenade at the Griffons. The flying Grimm were blasted out of the sky in pink puffs of smoke, and one grenade flew into one's open mouth to blast it to black bits.

"This! Is! AWESOME!" Nora howled as she kept on firing, a devious grin on her face. Kim continued to soar high over the valley while her friends kept fighting down below. The Grimm hordes were many, but the teens had faced odds more dire than these. Tommy's dragon strafed the battlefield and painted the devils with streams of emerald fire, setting them alight and creating burning barriers to keep others from overwhelming his friends. Tommy and Ren fired upon the monsters below while Jaune held his sword high to encourage their efforts. An occasional green fireball was launched at flying Grimm that came close, roasting Lancers and turning Griffons into burning jade meteors that exploded against the ground.

The Rangers and Huntsmen watched each others' backs as they fought back against the onslaught of Grimm. Meanwhile, back in the tower, Rita spectated the teens' efforts with a scowl. "Surround them! Keep them away from the tower! I've come so close now…" The witch turned away from the balcony and spoke to her three minions. "And if those fools somehow do make it here, you are my last line of defense. Show them no mercy."

Scorpina ran a clawed finger down her blade. "I would prefer nothing else, my empress." Goldar cracked his fists with a growl while Finster checked his blasters' condition. She would not allow herself to be defeated here, with her army at full strength and able to conquer any of the two worlds at will. In all the planets she has conquered, Rita Repulsa had never encountered such an evil and diabolical force so destructive and perfect. And yet, here they were trapped on this miserable ball of dust, wandering like animals within a cage. They needed to kill and destroy; it was in their nature… but soon enough, there would be nothing left on this planet for them to tear asunder.

Truly, this had to be her greatest scheme yet. A scheme that would finally ensure the downfall of the Power Rangers and end her long feud with Zordon. And with the Grimm at her beck and call alone, no force in the universe would stand in her way.

"Soon… this world will be mine."

"I beg to differ."

"Eh?!" Rita and her colleagues spun around at the sudden voice and saw a man standing in front of the open door that led to the tower's highest point. He was tall and middle-aged with short dark hair, a thick mustache, and green eyes that eyed the group coldly. His outfit was black and gray with hints of yellow, resembling a businessman or a person of high social standing. Goldar and Scorpina were on him in a flash, teeth bared as they stared down the intruder.

Finster, however, was baffled. "You?! You're supposed to be dead!"

Scorpina turned to him with a puzzled look. "Do you know this meddler, Finster?"

"Arthur Watts," Finster growled. "An Atlesian scientist… make that former scientist. I read the files about the Paladin Incident, but now I see they contain an error. Empress… shall I correct it?" Rita scowled at the intruder and banged her staff against the floor. The green beam vanished in an instant, leaving only smoking emerald embers in the sigil. "If I were you, interloper… I'd choose my last words carefully."

"Very well," the man said with a faint smile. "We come with a message." Goldar and Scorpina raised a brow at the mention of "we", and- as if he was sensing their curiosity- Watts snapped his fingers and allowed two more figures to charge into the room. The first was a tall, muscular man with an imposing stature, hazel eyes, and an olive coat draped over his broad body. His bulky arms were covered in scars near the edge of his sleeves and he stood a few inches over Goldar… but the ape Faunus growled at the sight of his physical state and cracked his knuckles.

The second figure was a Faunus with a scorpion tail, much to Scorpina's surprise. A man with pale skin and wicked gold eyes glared at the other Faunus with murderous intent, a gaze Scorpina matched with a warning hiss as she scanned her opponent. His hair was braided into a stinger-like ponytail while a real brown stinger poised into a striking position. He wore a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts, white pants, a pair of earrings, and a jacket torn open at the front- revealing a scarred torso- with cream-colored bandages and brown vambraces on his arms. Scorpina's clawed gauntlets flashed open and her golden appendage matched the stranger's. The stranger giggled in amusement at the sight of her stance and grinned like a madman.

Rita was none too pleased with these new arrivals and snarled with a menacing glow in her staff. "Who dares interrupt my moment of triumph?!" None of the three newcomers answered… Instead, Rita felt an unexplained chill in the air and swore the room grew somewhat darker. The sound of footsteps echoed towards the open door until a dark shadow was cast on the floor. Watts and the other two silently made way for the figure, the scorpion Faunus bowing in respect while Watts made himself presentable. The large man, however, stayed quiet and watched the stranger… while Goldar, Scorpina, and Finster slowly went wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

There was no sound but the clicking footsteps as a dark figure stepped into the room. The stranger was a woman dressed in ominous black robes with an eyelid-shaped window that exposed her bust and red trim that outlined the garment obscured her legs and slid across the floor like an outfit fit for a queen. But this was no ordinary human… if she was human at all. Her skin was a pale, deathly white with sick black veins covering her arms. Her fingernails were as dark as midnight with a beetle ring on one finger and her eyes were a sea of black with blood-red irises, and she sensed entirely of death.

She was… magnificent. An awestruck Rita was unable to look away from those evil eyes that bore into her being, the woman's posture so still she could be mistaken for a statue. Silence filled the room for a little longer as both women stared each other down. Rita didn't know what that woman was making of her, but what she was sensing was incredible. All this evil… all this malice… all that chaos looming within her… there was no mistaking it. However that was possible, this person was a Grimm unlike anything Rita had seen.

"What in all the universe is that?" Scorpina whispered.

A devious grin spread across Rita's giddy face. "I know exactly what it is… it's MINE!" Faster than either her minions or the Remnantians could react, Rita's staff glowed green and she unleashed a jade beam that struck the woman dead-on in the chest. The entire room exploded in a burst of emerald light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes all while Rita cackled maniacally. The beam died down within seconds and Rita took a dominant stance, her staff aglow for all to see as the green mist faded…

…and the woman remained with bright red eyes.

"Huh?" Rita's posture fell in an instant when she realized nothing had happened. The sorceress looked from the woman to her staff… and immediately fired another green stream at the woman. She gave no reaction when the beam struck her again, nor from the other streams that followed. After several more tries, Rita growled in anger and inspected her staff until her eyes fell on the woman one more time and she blasted her with one last powerful beam. "GRAH!"

The green stream vanished after the woman looked from it to Rita with an unimpressed face. Rita, meanwhile, was left dumbstruck and agitated. "Wh-what is the meaning of this?!" she growled while shaking her staff as if it were a malfunctioning tool. "Why won't you bow?!"

"I bow to none."

Rita froze at the dark voice and spun to face the woman… who bore an irritated scowl as if she was a mother who had just caught a misbehaving child red-handed. Her posture was calm, but her expression was of annoyance. "Especially not to you."

Now it was Rita's turn to scowl. "Whoever or whatever you are, know this! If you believe you can stop me from conquering this world, you are sorely-"

"This world is not yours to conquer, pretender."

Rita sputtered in shock. "Pretender?! How DARE you?! I am Rita Repulsa, Mistress of Magic! And I-!"

"Spare me this frivolous nonsense," the woman cut her off. "You know nothing of true magic and you interfere with my plans for this world. My presence here is enough of a risk as it is, but your actions have left me no further option. And speaking of options, I give you two: take your feckless lackeys and return from whence you came."

"Feckless?!" roared Goldar. "Watch your tongue, you-!" The male scorpion Faunus growled menacingly at Goldar, who eagerly returned the favor. He was going to enjoy tearing them apart for their transgressions.

"HA! Leave, on the cusp of victory?!" Rita scoffed. "I have never heard such a useless threat! I'll only depart from this pathetic planet once I hold it in the palm of my hand!" The dark woman narrowed her brow in a mixture of irritation and aggravation.

"Then you will die."

"Many have dared to attempt…" Rita sneered in response. "...and many have failed. But since you are so eager…" She spread open her arms in a welcoming manner. "Why don't you go ahead and try?" The woman made no move at first, instead looking upon Rita in complete disbelief. She looked like she had better things to do, an expression Rita did not approve of. "So bold… so rash… I have seen many conquerors boast of victory only to collapse into nothing. How something almighty and omnipotent is nothing more than a gullible fool. You, pretender, are no different. And I implore you not to waste any more of my time."

Rita frowned and dropped her arms. "So, you don't want to take me seriously, is that it?! Fine! I'll show you your mistake in dismissing me!" Gripping her staff tightly, Rita leaped and spun through the air, coming down with a blast of magical energy that knocked all of the woman's followers to the ground. She remained firm and standing, watching Rita and remaining still as the sorceress pointed the tip of her staff at the woman's head…

SHKOOM! A sharp blast of red magic reduced the woman's skull to nothing, leaving a headless body to limply collapse to the tower floor. Goldar, Scorpina, and Finster all erupted into mocking laughter while Rita joined them with menacing cackles, the witch glaring over the headless challenger. "HAHAHAHAHA! So much for that dramatic performance!" The Remnantians slowly got to their feet, but Rita had no time to relish their horrified faces as they witnessed their leader's downfall.

The witch turned to her own minions. "Now do you see what happens to those who believe they have the faintest hope of standing in my way?!" Scorpina chuckled in amusement, Goldar smiled in satisfaction and Finster had a knowing grin on his face. "Just like all the rest, this planet will answer to me! And once I rule this world, we move onto Earth and finally claim it as my own! And after that… we continue our conquest! The rest of the galaxy, all of the other galaxies, and soon… the whole universe will be mine!"

Rita continued to relish in her soon-to-be-victory… but she failed to notice what was happening on her minions' faces. Goldar's smile slowly dropped, as did the rest of his jaw and he stumbled backward. Scorpina's giggling turned into a low gasp and her tail sunk between her legs. Finster's eyes were blown wide and he raised his glasses. "If only I could see Zordon's face once he learns I have finally won! The Power Rangers will be no more, that stupid Eltarian will remain forever trapped, all things will answer to me, and… and…" Rita's monologue died down once she finally noticed her minions' expressions. "And just what are you idiots gawking at?!"

The only answer she got was Scorpina slowly raising a finger and pointing right behind her. Rita immediately rounded on the other people in the room… and went into stunned silence when she saw the strange woman's headless body unexplainably rising from the floor. Contrary to what she had thought, none of the other three Remnantians were terrified at all. Instead, Watts was smiling sinisterly, the broad man crossed his arms as if he was expecting this, and the scorpion Faunus was slowly giggling with his hands clapping together. As for the woman's body, something was growing on the black stump of her neck with red specks. The black gave way to white skin until the woman's entire head reformed, a bone-white hand setting her jaw back into place with a crack before her crimson irises shot open.

Rita stumbled back and her heart skipped a beat. "Wha… h-how… th-that's not… what sorcery is this?!"

The woman glared at both Rita and her minions. "Watts, the Atlesian is yours. Hazel, Tyrian… take the Faunus." The muscular man nodded, Watts' arms drifted to his waist- Finster mimicked his movements while reaching for his weapons- and the scorpion Faunus all but squealed in glee. "I thought you'd never ask, Your Grace!"

"Your Grace?" Rita repeated, the shock slowly wearing off. "What… who are you?!" The woman pondered that question for a moment before her palms lit up with colored energy: energy Rita recognized as this world's magic. "I suppose a proper introduction is in order before you perish. In these last moments, you can call me… Salem."

Magic blasted from her hands and Rita's staff, colliding in a colorful blast of energy that engulfed the room. A bellowing roar erupted from Goldar as he charged at the bulky man, who broke into a sprint to meet the Faunus. Finster and Watts drew their weapons in a flash like a Western duel, Hard-Light Dust lasers and bullets flying. Scorpina lunged towards the other scorpion Faunus in a predatorial frenzy, who wasted no time in his own attack.

Down in the valley below, the raging battle showed no signs of letting up as its combatants remained unaware of the second duel within the tower's walls. The Sabertooth Aurazord was locked in a violent skirmish with multiple Sabyrs; dark and twisted reflections of itself. And while the yellow beast was a single one, its might and ferocity were the perfect counter to the feline Grimm. One Sabyr lunged atop Trini only for her Aurazord's hind legs to buck it off. Another Sabyr had a claw slashed across its face before Trini grabbed its nape and tore it apart with a savage snarl. She spun towards the remaining pack members with a growl and took a step forward…

…and the cat's front leg sent a spark through the ground when it made contact.

"Huh?" Trini paused before taking another step, noticing bright yellow sparks flowing from her Aurazord's leg. The Sabyrs took a wary step back, yet their aggression did not cease. The electricity buzzed through the Sabertooth Aurazord's legs and coursed through its body, much to Trini's surprise.

"Whoa…" The sabertooth's blazing yellow eyes whirled on the horde before her. "Okay… this is gonna be fun." A deep and guttural roar ripped from the beast's throat and Trini lunged at the Grimm, lightning surging from her Aurazord's limbs. The Yellow Ranger slashed and struck at the rest of the Sabyrs before sinking her beast's fangs into the last one, electrocuting it from its bite. While Trini left it to disintegrate, the sound of distant explosions and grunting drew her attention back to her blonde partner…

…who was seconds away from getting swarmed.

Trini launched herself into the air without thinking, all four of her Aurazord's paws supercharged with yellow lightning. Yang had only a second to jump out of the way before the tiger crashed down with an electric blast, frying the closest Grimm and sending others flying with sparking bodies. The baffled blonde could do nothing but gawk at the yellow tiger as it stood with a crackling energy around it.

"Where did that come from?!"

"Don't know… but I'm not gonna question it!" The beast bellowed before charging next to Yang, keeping the brawler covered as they sprinted towards another batch of Grimm. Nearby, the purple pachyderm commanded by Zack was not letting up against its attackers while the black-clad Faunus kept it covered. The Mastodon Aurazord locked its trunk around a Creep's neck and used its tusk to get a good grip on the Grimm, chucking it into the crowd. A pack of Beowolves and other predatory Grimm drew close to the pachyderm, forcing Zack to rear up with a loud trumpeting noise. His Aurazord's front legs lit up with a purple glow…

…and when they smashed into the earth, purple pulses shot through the ground and launched the Grimm skyward. With gravity reversed for the Grimm, they were easy pickings for Blake. The Faunus latched onto a Grimm Putty with Gambol Shroud and decapitated it upon swinging off, shooting various Grimm while propelling herself towards other foes to slash them from up close. Zack commanded his Aurazord to lift its head upward, positioning a purple tusk to impale a falling Beowolf before its trunk tossed the Grimm away. "Wow! That was uplifting!"

Blake just gave him a cold stare.

"What? Not a fan of puns?"

"Just stay focused," She snapped before charging for a Sabyr. Zack only sighed before following her. "You'd be a lot more fun to hang around if you lightened up a little!" The Mastodon hurried after the cat Faunus, paying no mind to the fast-moving pink blur high above it. Close-range shots from Miló and explosive blasts from Magnhild downed Griffon after Griffon, but the haunting screeches of the remaining swarm reached Pyrrha and Nora's ears. "We only have so much ammo, Kim! And while I really enjoy blowing things up-!"

The Pterodactyl Aurazord performed every aerial maneuver Kim commanded it to perform: weaving away from diving Griffons with barrel rolls, eluding close calls from behind with loop-de-loops, and making sharp turns to try and throw off the flying Grimm. But there were too many of them; the black cloud of death threatened to swallow the pink pterosaur construct whole. "Uh… Kim?!"

"Argh…" Kim whirled her Aurazord around without warning, her passengers yelping in alarm. "Back OFF!" The shrieking pterosaur gave a hard flap of its wings, launching two pink wind waves that crashed into the cloud. Like a bowling ball striking pins, the waves' force sent the Grimm scattering in all directions. Griffons plummeted to the ground and Lancers spun wildly out of control, two of them colliding into one another before dropping the rest of the way. The rest of the swarm dropped like flies, struggling to regain control before crashing into the ground or the walls of the tower. Pyrrha's awestruck eyes were transfixed on the scene while Nora whooped in delight and punched the air. "That was awesome! What'd you just do?!"

"I-I don't know! Did my Semblance evolve furth-"

WHAM! A giant Nevermore blindsided Kim from the left, cutting off the Pink Ranger's words with an alarmed shriek from her Aurazord. The sudden force flung Nora and Pyrrha from the construct's back, sending the screaming girls on a collision course for the ground while the pink and black avians tussled about in the air. Pyrrha quickly spread out her limbs into a controlled freefall, but Nora was having trouble righting herself amidst panicked cries.

"Nora! Landing strategy!"

"Trying…!" But they were falling too fast and too close to the ground to execute such a maneuver. The girls had just realized that before they felt something snatch them up and save them from a grisly fate. Pyrrha was the first to look up at their savior: a smiling young man atop a shining emerald dragon. "You looked like you needed a pickup!" Tommy called out, his steed focused on a nearby struggle. Two pairs of bright and dark wings flapped wildly and talons locked with each other, but the Nevermore's size brought the Pterodactyl Aurazord crashing to the ground. Kimberly shot from the ensuing dust cloud in a tumbling heap, the giant bird shrieking above the Pink Ranger.

A green fireball blasted it in the head before its beak could snap closed around the girl. It rounded on its attacker too late; the jade dragon snatched its neck around its jaws and promptly separated the Grimm's head from its body. Tommy spun over his shoulder, turning to Jaune and Ren. "You four need to help the others! I'll take back control over the skies and keep you covered!"

"By yourself?!" Jaune hollered. "You sure?" The Green Ranger just shot him a wink. "Positive!" His dragon lowered to the ground and briefly slowed, allowing the boys to leap off its back and release the girls from its talons. As soon as its passengers had disembarked, the dragon ascended back into the air and Tommy gently closed his eyes. His steed did the same… and the Green Ranger phased inside his Aurazord, his consciousness spreading throughout the beast. Its green eyes flashed open to see a swarm of flying Grimm converging on it.

Tommy's only answer to that was a devastating roar and a storm of emerald flame, the jade dragon fighting the dark storm single-handedly. The battle on the ground was no less fierce, with Team JNPR quick to reinforce the Rangers and their sister team. Trini's tiger was an electrified blur that struck the Grimm with shocking swipes and a shocking blast that dislodged Grimm Putties clinging to the mammal as if they were fleas. Several more Grimm were sent skyward by the Mastodon's stomps, leaving them vulnerable to be finished off with precise shots from the Huntsmen.

Billy's Triceratops Aurazord bellowed with its horns a bright blue… and the appendages blasted out cerulean beams that solidified every Grimm they touched into intimidating ice sculptures. Weiss set to work on smashing them while the dinosaur construct pulverized the largest targets to be petrified, freezing others that got too close to him. "Incredible! Is this what happens when Dust is infused with Semblances?"

"Not usually!" Blake answered, leaving behind a stone clone for a Beringel to crush. "Well, not for me, anyway!" The Faunus cartwheeled away from a Death Stalker's stinger, the Sabertooth Tiger and Tyrannosaurus converging on the giant scorpion. While Trini kept a claw pinned and weaved away from its oversized tail, Jason closed his beast's jaw around the limb and yanked hard, using the insectoid Grimm as a flail to smash away the horde. After spinning the writhing bug around, his construct smashed it into the ground… and Zack crushed its head with a stomp.

"Jason!" Ruby cried out. "You've got Teryxes closing fast!" The red dinosaur whirled around to see a pack of raptor-like Grimm surrounding its massive frame while others leaped on, causing the monster to growl while Jason set to work shaking them off. "Argh! No fair! Rex never had to fight this many in the movie!" Grabbing one Grimm by the tail and flinging it into its leaping partner, the dinosaur crushed another underfoot and swept away more with its large tail. Before long, the construct grabbed the last Teryx in midair and tore it apart with its jaws, bellowing with black-stained teeth.

The red tyrant lizard snarled when more Grimm converged on it. A roar of defiance erupted from its throat before the beast took a deep breath… but instead of a supersonic bellow, a raging stream of red fire burst from its maw and roasted the demons to ash. The construct angled its head to direct the stream in any direction, the burning Grimm howling and shrieking as they retreated from Ruby and Yang, the latter's hair brighter than the rest of the flames. The T-Rex roared into the sky, only to cease when the emerald dragon swooped overhead.

"Stealing my moves again, Grimlock?"

The dinosaur growled in irritation. "Come on, Tommy, I used your ax kick one time! Just once! Will you just drop it already?!"

"Nope!" The dragon released another jet of emerald flame at an oncoming Nevermore, sending its blazing form careening away with an agonized howl. Down below, the dinosaur snarled before trudging through its flames. It didn't get five steps in before a Goliath charged through the smoke and rammed the construct's hip, sending it toppling with a surprised roar. The ground shook when the T-Rex fell, its eyes barely catching the black pachyderm raising its front legs to crush the dinosaur's chest.

The dinosaur vanished in a flash of red light, leaving the forelimbs to smash solid ground as the Red Ranger dashed beneath the beast with his sword already drawn. A loud cry tore from his throat as he buried his blade into the monster's belly, never breaking his stride. A low moan filled his ears, letting him know the damage was great. As soon as he reached open light, a swirl of red petals zeroed in on the wounded Goliath… and Ruby Rose came out of her Semblance spinning, a scream leaving her form before Crescent Rose split the Goliath clean open, both halves disintegrating while the girl landed in a heroic stance next to Jason.

Trini's Sabertooth Tiger shot into the air to avoid a Death Stalker's stinger, vanishing in a flash of light to reveal the Yellow Ranger whipping out her daggers. A swift slice disconnected the barb from the rest of the appendage, leaving the insect screeching in pain. It moved to smash the girl with a claw, but an explosive blast blew it to smithereens. Yang shot for the Death Stalker with burning red eyes and blazing hair, barraging the beast's legs before catching its collapsing form by the underside. A powerful shot from both of Ember Celica's gauntlets launched the wounded Grimm skyward, and Yang cupped her palms together to launch Trini airborne. The Yellow Ranger hovered over her prey before shooting right through it dagger-first, landing perfectly in front of the Death Stalker's dissipating corpse with the blonde brawler by her side.

The trumpeting Mastodon disappeared in a purple flash, sending the Beowolves and Grimm Putties falling to the ground. Blake chucked Gambol Shroud at Zack, the Black Ranger swiftly catching the weapon and yanking it with all his might. The swinging Faunus cut down the dazed Grimm before Zack flung her skyward, preparing his ax as the remainder charged at him from all sides. A barbaric roar left the Black Ranger as he smashed his ax into the ground, launching the Grimm with Gravity Dust… and leaving them wide open for the airborne Blake to slash them to bits with cat-like agility.

A swirling blizzard trapped several Grimm from their comrades, Billy keeping the storm flowing with his spinning lance and Weiss' supply of Ice Dust. The heiress' glyphs sent the Grimm in every direction while ranged shots from both Myrtenaster and Tri-Pole's sniper mode picked them off from a distance. The Blue Ranger focused his efforts on the Grimm blinded by the freezing winds, nailing them before they could gather their bearings. Once the last of them fell, Billy and Weiss shared a smile and a fist bump until the snowstorm faded, revealing many more Grimm waiting for them. Both teens readied their weapons in response and launched for the horde with the help of a Glyph placed beneath their feet.

A pink tornado tore through the battlefield, picking up Grimm after Grimm as it traveled at high speed and deposited only disintegrating pieces. Once the last of them were nonexistent, the tornado died down to reveal Kimberly twirling her blades with great precision. A quick whistle drew her attention and she charged towards Nora, the other girl bashing and smashing any Grimm unfortunate enough to be near her. Kim placed herself back-to-back with Nora, shooting arrows at the approaching Grimm until the sight of more made her frown. Retrieving one arrow from her quiver and switching its rim to yellow, Kim held it out to Nora expectantly… and the other girl closed her palm around the tip, crushing it to release a surge of electricity that coursed through every nerve in her body. Once she was fully charged, Nora unleashed a powerful slam that Kim avoided by shooting into the sky, leaving the Grimm to suffer Nora's supercharged wrath.

Kimberly landed next to Pyrrha, breaking her bow into blades to join the Huntress in close-quarters combat. Ren and Jaune stayed close to their teammates, slashing and stabbing at any Grimm that got close. An Ursa imposingly loomed over Jaune, casting the young man in its shadow… and a powerful roar made it pause.

THOOM! A giant green talon crushed the bear-like Grimm and the dragon's form retreated inward, leaving only Tommy Oliver behind as he rolled to his feet beside the boys. The Green Ranger backed up Ren first, his shots blasting off limbs and heads before Ren's volleys cut down the rest of them. Tommy ducked under a Grimm Putty's swipe before stabbing it in the neck, shoving its body away before drawing in a deep breath and spewing out a wave of green fire from his mouth. The oncoming horde of Grimm Putties screeched and wailed as they were roasted alive, a Beowolf leaping over the flames only to receive a green fireball to the gut.

The Dragon Dagger in Tommy's hand erupted into green flames… but Tommy paused before he could lash out at another Grimm. His eyes flickered back and forth in thought until they lit up with an idea. The Green Ranger turned to Jaune and Ren and whistled for them, holding out a palm with a controlled emerald flame. The boys didn't quite get it at first… but their own eyes widened in surprise when Tommy suggestively lifted his blazing dagger.

"Wanna turn up the heat?"

The tip of Jaune's sword touched the jade flame, igniting it with green fire and causing the boy to laugh in excitement. Ren only smiled warmly before touching StormFlower's collapsible blades to the fire, sending his weapons alight. Extinguishing his palm with a clenched fist, Tommy spun around with Jaune and Ren by his sides. The three boys engaged the next wave with a fury that matched their weapons' temporary upgrade, although Jaune was a little cocky with his strikes. "HA HA! That's right, come and get me! WOO!"

Tommy rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Ah, rookies…"

Ruby shot a Beringel in the head and flipped over a retaliating arm sweep, unfurling Crescent Rose with another twirl. Jason slid behind the ape-like Grimm and sliced its leg, making the beast topple. The Red Ranger sprinted up the Beringel's back and jabbed Tyrant in its skull, leaping off and allowing Ruby to swiftly decapitate it with an upward slice. Both red-clad teens whirled away from the disintegrating mass and braced themselves for another Beowolf swarm…

…but before the creatures could attack, they suddenly howled in pain and clutched their heads in agony! Their shrieking howls made the teens lower their weapons with surprised expressions and they watched the Grimm writhe and spasm uncontrollably. And most confusing of all, the Grimm's eyes were flickering between an ethereal green and an ominous red. Flying Grimm crashed to the ground, larger beasts roared and shook their heads in discomfort, and dozens of Grimm shrieked as their eyes flickered between each color.

"Uh… Ruby…" Jason asked nervously. "What's going on? What's happening to them?"

Ruby was just as confused. "I-I was hoping you knew…" Everybody else froze as they noticed what was happening, looking between each Grimm in bewilderment. A Beowolf's eyes uncontrollably spasmed between green and red until the latter overtook the former, its now-crimson orbs ablaze with rage. And the first thing it did was lunge at an emerald-eyed Grimm Putty, impale its chest with a bony hand, and tear the fusion in half with a savage roar.

Several more Grimm Putties turned on the red-clad teens, their eyes matching their outfits with murderous intent. The demons charged, swarming the two like ravenous zombies the humans were forced to fend off with frantic swipes, slashes, and shots. One dove at Jason only for the Red Ranger to throw it over his shoulder and crush its head with a foot. Ruby, meanwhile, bisected and chopped each one with a swirling Crescent Rose. Each of the Rangers and Huntsmen snapped back into action as they fought against the divided horde, which was both attacking their living enemies and their own ranks.

The top of the tower was an independent battleground now, flashes of light visible from the windows. Everyone down below was too preoccupied to notice what was happening up there, unwilling to be distracted. But within the structure's walls, a fierce fight was being waged between two groups that sought to claim Remnant as theirs. Finster threw a table to the ground and ducked behind it, its wooden surface already being riddled with bullets. One shot right past the man, who retaliated with laser blasts that struck a pillar Arthur Watts was using for cover. The two scientists traded gunshots as they frequently changed positions, lasers and bullets flying.

"Whoever you are," spat Watts, a blue beam zipping past his face while he reloaded behind another pillar. "You're not half as brilliant as a real Atlesian!" He opened fire on Finster, who rolled away from his shots before grabbing a vase from a shelf and chucking it at Watts' face. The opening allowed Finster to score some hits on Watts' torso, forcing the wincing man to take cover and allow his Aura to heal the burns.

"That's the problem with you humans," Finster countered, allowing his blasters to charge up while he aimed at the pillar. "Your intelligence leads you to develop a superiority complex, which makes you think you're the greatest species in the universe!" The charged shot obliterated the pillar into chunks of rock, but Watts rolled away at the last second and shot Finster in the shoulder. A blue Aura flashed around the alien-turned-human, who fired blindly as he slid next to a bookcase and threw it to the ground. Its supply spilled over the ground while the two continued their shootout.

Scorpina and Tyrian snarled as the former's curved blade connected with the latter's bladed bracers, both scorpion Faunus wanting nothing more than to maliciously murder one another. After parrying Scorpina's sword, Tyrian jabbed at her with his tail only for the other Faunus to backflip away and strike him across the face with her weapon's whip form. Hissing at the pain, Tyrian grabbed the whip and tried yanking Scorpina towards him, but the gold general wrapped her heel around the whip and turned the tables on Tyrian, clawing him across the cheek as soon as he got close. Seizing the other Faunus' neck with one hand, Scorpina snarled and flashed open her gauntlet's clawed fingers…

…when, much to her surprise, Tyrian chuckled in delight. "More."

Scorpina roared and slashed Tyrian repeatedly, each of his maniacal laughs enraging her further. "More! More! MORE! MO-rrk!" Both hands were around his throat this time and Scorpina's eyes burned into his soul. "You. Are. Not. Supposed. To ENJOY THIS!" She shrieked, wrapping her tail around Tyrian's leg and smashing him into the floor. A final roar erupted from her mouth before she slammed the other scorpion Faunus against the wall. "You sicken me, animal!"

Only another savage laugh devoid of sanity answered her. "Pain is pleasure, my dear… whether mine or yours!" Bullets flew from his bracers and Scorpina's whip cracked them out of the air, the woman growling as she charged for her foe. Her irritated and enraged snarls were drowned out only by a pair of furious roars. Two charging muscular forms collided with a great slam, both sets of bulky arms locking with each other. Goldar and Hazel's roars mixed until the human hurled himself backward, chucking the Faunus over his shoulder. The floor shook with his impact, but Goldar clambered back to his feet and pounded his armored chest before charging for Hazel again. The human tore off his jacket and pounded a palm, baring his teeth like a beast.

Goldar's fist rammed into Hazel's face before swinging a right hook; one the human caught before socking Goldar in the side twice before bringing a knee to his chin. The ape Faunus howled in pain before blocking Hazel's haymaker and catching a kick, slamming an elbow into the human's knee. A one-two combination to Hazel's midsection staggered the human before an uppercut smashed into his jaw, Goldar bellowing before closing the distance. Fighting through the pain, Hazel grabbed both of his fists before ramming his forehead into Goldar's face and punching him to the ground. Growling in anger, Goldar waited for Hazel to march toward the downed Faunus…

…where he drew his blade and spun with a roar, burying it into the human's chest. Hazel's mouth popped open in a gasp and Goldar kicked him into a wall, watching as the human slumped to his knees. A sneer donned Goldar's face as he stomped towards his wounded foe… until Hazel unexpectedly rose from the ground and stared Goldar down with anger in his eyes as if there was never a sword in his stomach.

"What?! Why do you still stand?!"

Hazel grabbed the blade's hilt and pulled the weapon out without even a grimace. "My Semblance allows me to block out pain. Whatever punishment you give, I take." His words brought a scowl to Goldar, who released a feral bellow and lunged at Hazel. Hazel moved to stab Goldar, who closed his gauntlet around the blade and ripped it from Hazel's grasp. He slashed the human several times across the chest before kicking him back… but the human barely had any scars on him.

"Grrr… you can only ignore so much pain until I tear your head from your shoulders!" Goldar roared as he readied his blade. Hazel's only response was a frown… until he retrieved two Fire Dust crystals and- much to Goldar's surprise- jab them into his shoulders like syringes. Hazel's arms immediately surged with red light and a boost of energy, but Goldar answered with another rampaging charge and a swing of his sword.

Magic swirled and exploded throughout the chamber; the aftereffects of two witches dueling within the tower. Several blasts connected against Salem's form, but she showed no reaction as her body immediately mended the wounds. She retaliated with dark blasts from her palms that Rita swatted away with her staff, the sorceress' weapon shooting Salem again and again while driving beams back and redirecting spells that zeroed in on her. Rita's staff shot out a volley of green orbs that Salem simply swatted away, grabbing the last one in her palms before throwing it right back at Rita. The impact launched the witch onto the balcony, her staff clattering at her feet until the woman scrambled to retrieve it.

"You are a fool in believing this world is worth conquering, Rita Repulsa," Salem scolded as she drew near, their minions too busy fighting to come to their queens' aid. "Why would an idiotic excuse for a sorceress want to possess something so broken and fractured? Something that has survived past its time?"

"If this world is broken… then I can reshape it!" Rita blasted lightning from her palm, but Salem blocked it with her own and crushed the stream with a closed fist. "Even for you, that is impossible." That word brought a scowl to Rita's face. "Impossible?! You dare speak of what I can and cannot do?! I have conquered countless worlds! Many species bow before me! I won't stop until everything is mine! So I say I do whatever I please!" Rita fired another blast at Salem with a cry, but the other witch merely deflected it with a wave of her arm and an annoyed scowl. "And with this new army of Grimm, I will-!"

"Be silent, pretender," Salem snapped with a cold tone. "The Creatures of Grimm obey only one." The dark queen stared out at the massive horde below, her blood-red eyes focused on the unholy demons. Confused, Rita followed her gaze and observed the battle. The Grimm were outnumbering the Rangers and those Huntsmen they joined forces with, and the monsters were beginning to up the ante with raised aggression…

…until a Beowolf howled in agony and its bony hands flew to its face. A crescendo of screeches and bellows echoed through the valley as the horde was overcome with immense mental pain. Eyes flickered between green and red, taking the teens by surprise. Rita's eyes flew wide open as she took in the sight. "Wait! What are you-?!"

A Beowolf's eyes turned fully crimson and it lunged at an emerald-eyed Grimm Putty, tearing the fusion apart in a gruesome display of ferocity. Others quickly followed as their eyes went from an ethereal jade to a ravenous crimson, wasting no time in attacking everything that moved, from their own kin to the teenage heroes. Not even Rita's creations were safe, as the Grimm Putties with burning red eyes savagely tore any bewitched Grimm they saw to shreds. A Boarbatusk toppled another before viciously goring it with its tusks and a Goliath stomped a swarm of spasming Grimm Putties into black paste.

"NO!" Rita howled. "My army! What have you done?!"

"They were never yours to begin with," Salem answered as her eyes washed over the Grimm, bringing as many as she could back under her command. Rita only growled in rage before she blasted Salem back a few meters. The tip of her staff glowed a bright green and she raised it into the sky with a yell, immediately entrancing all Grimm who looked upon it. Baring her teeth in response, Salem struck Rita with a surge of lightning from her fingertips, causing the other witch to howl in pain and drop to her knees. Her crimson eyes whirled back to the horde, prompting the enchanted Grimm to break free from Rita's hold and return to their savage roots.

Rita's emerald blast from her staff was met with a crimson beam from Salem's hands, both witches glaring at each other while they fought for control over the Grimm. Salem concentrated with a scowl and pushed the beam in her favor, sending the connecting point closer to Rita's wand. Straining in effort, the Mistress of Magic fired multicolored orbs from her free palm in an attempt to disrupt Salem. The Grimm Queen responded by releasing one hand from her struggle and countering the orbs with fireballs. However, the beam intensified in Rita's favor thanks to the lack of strength behind it… but it was inches away from hitting Salem full-force when the pale witch vanished in a swirl of black smoke.

With nothing to oppose it, the green beam burned a hole in the tower's stone wall. Rita paused and her eyes darted around the scene; Finster and Watts were continuing their shootout with the latter using Hard-Light Dust shields to block Finster's shots, Scorpina and Tyrian's bloodlust was unmatched as they lashed out with blades and tails- Tyrian's bracers coming dangerously close to cutting off Scorpina's tail until the general whipped it away and swept out his legs- and Goldar and Hazel were going all-out. The gorilla Faunus' raw might struggled to keep up with the human's Dust-infused strikes, with Goldar's hand reaching out and crushing a crystal lodged in Hazel's shoulder to bits. The human howled in pain before kicking Goldar away, ripping out the damaged crystal, and injecting another in its place with a slight grimace.

"Show yourself, you-GYAAAAAH!" Rita's body was lit up with electricity as Salem reappeared behind her and grabbed the alien sorceress by the head, surging her on the spot. Fighting through the electrical torrent, Rita channeled a highly concentrated amount of energy into her staff before unleashing it in a massive blast of green flame, throwing Salem backward as the Grimm Queen's body was covered with already-healing burns.

"Irritant," she growled. Rita was none too pleased as her staff burned with green light. "You are the irritant for daring to oppose me! For that trick, I will burn you to ash!"

"I grow tired of your empty threats," Salem spat back with crackling hands. "Why do you not see the uselessness in this endeavor?"

"Uselessness?!" Rita roared. "I don't care what I have to do to do it, but you! Will! DIE! HRAAAAAH!" The witch unleashed everything she had at Salem: bombarding her with magic bursts, setting her alight with fire, and electrocuting her with lightning. Salem simply marched through the onslaught as her body was torn and blasted apart, stumbling whenever one of her legs was destroyed. Regardless, every bit of damage was immediately undone as her skin stitched back together and her flesh reformed.

Rita screamed in rage and released a destructive beam of green energy at Salem, the force enough to send her sliding back as it struck her in the chest. Salem cringed at the beam's strength as it punctured her from front to back, the magical ray spreading throughout her entire body. Despite all of this, Salem showed no signs of pain and simply glared at Rita with burning red eyes… while Rita gritted her teeth and screamed with all her might.

Green energy coursed through Salem and tore her apart from the inside, consuming bit by bit by the second. Soon, the witch was overloaded with destructive power, yet she still glared daggers at Rita until… KABLAM! A devastating explosion rocked the tower and everyone was blown back by the blast. Goldar, Finster, and Scorpina coughed from the smoke while Watts, Tyrian, and Hazel fought against the sudden dizziness. All eyes turned to Rita as she stared down at Salem… or what used to be Salem, as all that stood in her place now was a dark pile of dust.

Rita's weariness and exhausted breaths were poorly masked by a wicked grin as she glared down at the dust. "Who… is… useless… now?" She hissed, kicking the dust and spreading it across the tower. The room plunged into silence until Rita's minions made short work of restraining the Remnantians. Scorpina wrapped her tail around Tyrian's throat, Goldar pinned Hazel to the floor with a foot, and Finster restrained Watts' limbs with his own shielding. "What now, my empress?"

Rita picked up the faint sounds of gunfire, roaring, and shouting from down below. The Rangers and their friends were making progress… and Rita knew just the thing to halt them. "Goldar! Finish those fools! The rest of you, show these interlopers what happens to those who resist Rita Repulsa's rule."

"Gladly, your evilness," Goldar growled joyously before turning his attention to the downed Hazel. "If it were up to me, human, I would make your death a slow and painful one. But alas, killing you is not my duty. Normally, I would be ashamed… but what my empress wants, my empress gets. For I will now destroy a far greater adversary than yourself…" Stomping Hazel's head into the floor, the gorilla Faunus made a break for the balcony and leaped over the railing.

"You… you think you have defeated my goddess?!" Tyrian shouted in disbelief. "Her Grace is eternal, and she will- ack!" Scorpina's coiled tail tightened around his throat and cut off his words in a brutal strangle while she snarled at him, dragging a clawed finger down his face. "You…" she hissed. "...are truly sad, lowly, and pitiful if you believe your 'goddess' can save you now. If you worship her so much…" She drew her blade and angled it against Tyrian's heart. "...you are more than welcome to join her."

Watts had a knowing smirk on his face; an expression Finster immediately caught. "Wipe that smile off your face!" he snapped, punching Watts across the jaw as if that would do the trick. "Are all you humans too dense to realize it?! You've lost, and you stand on the brink of death." Watts only shook his head and chuckled at Finster. "It seems you're the one with the superiority complex now, foreigner…"

Rita had no time for this babbling nonsense. She was seconds away from commanding Finster and Scorpina to finish the Remnantians when she noticed something blowing past her feet. A dust particle rolled by, followed by a second… and a third and a fourth and a fifth until they were all moving, gathering into a small pile just like the one Rita had just scattered to the winds. The sorceress eyed the pile curiously, watching it gather…

…and rise…

…and reshape amidst black swirls spotted with red.

And for the first time in her life, Rita Repulsa felt something she swore would never cross her mind.

She felt fear.

"No… no no NO NO NO!"

That terror manifested itself into a swarm of dark, demonic hands that grabbed Rita from everywhere and slammed her into the tower floor. Several more hellish limbs sprouted from red sigils and snagged a hold of a startled Finster and a surprised Scorpina, tearing them off their victims and binding them to the walls. Fingers grasped faces and kept limbs pinned in place, their weapons falling to the floor. The materializing shape stood at full height as the final features took form, revealing a scowling face glaring at the helpless woman beneath it.

"As I have said…" Salem spoke grimly. "It. Is. Useless."

Rita could only look on in horror at the woman- no, the thing who had undone everything so quickly. A monster not even she could tame. Normally, Rita would roar in denial or swear vengeance upon this foe… but all that left her mouth was a shaky question.

"Wh… what… do you… want…?"

The hands lifted Rita's meek form off the floor, shoving her face-to-face with the Grimm Queen's soulless expression, her pale white skin dotted with black veins and those eerie red eyes. A cold hand took Rita's chin as she was forced to make eye contact with the monster. And deep within those eyes, Rita could see… pity?

"What I want… you can't give me."

The floor rushed up to meet her until it connected with Rita's face in a hard slam. The hands held her in place while Salem nonchalantly walked by, turning her gaze on her three henchmen. Watts brushed off his jacket, Tyrian bowed before his queen, and Hazel stood up straight. "The interlopers are dealt with, my lady…" Hazel spoke. "But what of the Huntsmen?"

"Our secrecy remains intact," Salem promised. "As for the Huntsmen and their strange allies… they will be disposed of momentarily."

"AI-YAH! HAI! AH-YAAAAH!" Tommy wasn't sure what the heck was going on with the Grimm, but he doubted it was worth worrying about. He made short work of them while they were spasming out of control, their eyes like Christmas lights that repeatedly blinked between red and green. Jaune and Ren had left to aid the rest of their friends, leaving Tommy alone in the meantime.

But the Green Ranger had a job to do. There were too many Grimm even for him and the other Rangers. His friends were getting closer to the tower, and he would join them as soon as he was clear. He turned a Beowolf to ash before spinning on his heel and making a run for it, gunning down Grimm and throwing fireballs at any who got close. Distant colored figures were directly ahead, he just needed to-

ROOOOAAAAARR! Something swooped in from the right, forcing Tommy to roll backward to avoid a gaping maw and deadly claws. The Green Ranger sprang back to his feet with fists balled, his eyes landing on what had just tried to eat him: a giant Grimm dragon that was circling back for another run.

"Two can play that game!" Tommy yelled, whipping out his Dragon Dagger and playing the summoning call. His Aura flared up and the emerald Dragon Aurazord was by his side in no time. All it took was the Green Ranger pointing his dagger at the incoming Grimm dragon and his own creature took flight to meet it in midair. Claws and mouths flashed open in mighty roars before the creatures connected in a flurry of black and green… and Tommy spotted somebody leaping from the Grimm dragon's back. That somebody landed inches away from Tommy and glared at him with burning amber eyes, a pair of ominous blades in hand.

The Green Ranger was taken aback before he narrowed his eyes in anger. "You?!"

"You escaped me before, Oliver," sneered Cinder Fall. "I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen again." She lunged at Tommy before he could respond, forcing the Green Ranger to dodge and block the blades as best as he could. His dagger parried a thrust and he socked Cinder across the face, but the woman ducked under a swipe, swept out his legs, and moved to stab him through the torso. Tommy rolled away and reconfigured his dagger into its pistol form, firing a volley of shots that Cinder deflected with speedy twirls of her blades. She quickly closed the distance with a yell and almost took off Tommy's head, but the Dragon Dagger jammed between her blades like a wrench in cogs, halting them at the last second.

Cinder kicked Tommy away and it took every bit of strength in his body to not fall over. The boy's green eyes glared at the approaching woman and he thrust a hand forward to blast her… but nothing came out, puzzling the Green Ranger. He shoved his hand at Cinder again a few more times, but not even a spark flew from his palm.

"Huh? What's-"

Angry roars from above drew Tommy's attention skyward. The green dragon construct weaved away from the Grimm dragon's dive, blasting it in the back with a fireball before slamming into it. The Grimm was quick to recover and redirected its momentum, forcing the Aurazord off and leaving it fighting to pull up before smashing into the ground. The Grimm spread a pair of giant bat-like wings and roared challengingly, the Aurazord responding in kind by tackling the beast. Cinder watched the battle with a smile as she turned back to Tommy. "Maybe it wasn't such a risk to bring a Wyvern here. After all… it rid you of what you needed most."

"What are you…" but it hit Tommy instantly. The Dragon Aurazord was made of pure Aura, hence the name his fellow Rangers gave the beasts. And it took all of his Aura to bring the dragon to life. So, that could only mean Tommy had no Aura left… and no Aura meant no Semblance.

He must've had a look of shock and horror on his face because a sinister smile split Cinder's face. "Now you're just a helpless little boy who's going to die alone." And then she struck, like a serial murderer taking pleasure in her cornered victim's fear. Powerless once again, the Green Ranger was forced back on the defensive and kept away from the blades, slashing wherever he could on Cinder. But the older woman was faster and anticipated each of his predictable strikes born from desperation, and Tommy was on the ground before he knew it. A black heel pinned him down before he could stand and Cinder loomed over him, a single blade ready to strike while she wore a devilish smile…

"Almost there!" Jason grunted as he sliced a Grimm Putty in two. "Just… a little… further!" Zack grabbed a Beowolf by the midsection and slammed it into the ground with a suplex, breaking its skull. "So what's the plan for when we actually get there?!" Jason had one up and ready, which he explained while he eliminated an Ursa with Ruby's help. "We scale the tower, find Rita, and make her send us home! Ruby, you and your friends cover the doors!"

The silver-eyed girl had worry written all over her face. "So… this is goodbye, then?" Jason just shrugged. "Faster than I would like, but yeah. Don't be a stranger, Ru-"

"RANGERS!" Everyone whirled to see a familiar gold figure slam onto the ground, blocking their route to the tower. "Your end is nigh!" Teams RWBY and JNPR were the first to engage Goldar, the eight teens swarming the gorilla Faunus and bombarding him from all sides. The general knocked away Yang and bashed Jaune to the ground, ready to plunge his sword through the boy's chest. Pyrrha jumped in the way at the last second, her hand giving off a black glow and magnetically redirecting the blade to pierce the solid ground. A quick shield bash staggered the Faunus, who reared back his sword arm with a snarl.

A black ribbon snagged his arm and Blake flipped towards Goldar, a heel striking him in the face before Blake used Gambol Shroud to slam the other Faunus' face into the dirt. He moved to stab Blake only for the cat Faunus to summon an ice clone to take the hit, leaving the golden sword stuck in the clone. Nora charged in from the left, but Goldar swung quickly, using the ice clone as a bludgeon to smash Nora away while the sculpture shattered on contact. Reconfiguring his sword into its cannon form, Goldar opened fire on the Huntsmen while Ren and Yang alternated between dodging rolls and returning fire. Weiss skated in on glyphs while Ruby hung back, lining up Crescent Rose's sights and ready to pull the trigger once she saw the opportunity. The Rangers were right behind her… until a sudden cry turned Jason's attention elsewhere.

Not too far away, the Red Ranger saw Tommy barely holding his own against a woman he didn't recognize. The Green Ranger was trying to blast her with a fireball from his palm, but nothing was happening… and that's when the woman struck, taking Tommy off guard until she eventually grounded him. "Tommy!" Jason cried, his eyes darting between the Green Ranger and Goldar. Ruby's eyes were already on him. "Help him! We can handle this!"

There was no room for argument. "Rangers! On me!" Jason led his friends into a charge for the strange woman, configuring Tyrant into its rifle mode and firing a few shots at the woman. The Red Ranger managed to stop her from slashing a blade across Tommy's face, his bullets making her stagger in surprise and giving Tommy the chance to shoot back to his feet. The Green Ranger scrambled back to the others, who were none too pleased with what she had just tried to do to their friend. The woman, on the other hand, had an expectant look in her eyes.

"So… you must be these 'Power Rangers' his device spoke of…"

"And you," Jason countered. "...must be Cinder Fall. Tommy told me about you. He said you tortured him."

"Tortured?!" Kim echoed in horrified shock before whirling to Cinder with fury in her eyes. "Alright, I don't care who you are or what you can do… but nobody hurts our friend like that and gets away with it!" Zack held his ax in a ready position. "Because we have a saying where we come from: you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

"Tommy, you good?" Billy asked, the Green Ranger nodding in response before Trini looked him up and down. "What's going on with your Semblance?"

Tommy just gestured at the open air. "My Aura is… busy." The Rangers could see two dragons duking it out in the sky, one green and one black with bony features and reddish markings. Billy nodded in understanding. "Then hang back. We'll take care of this creep." Jason stared Cinder down, observing the woman's sadistic smile and gleaming amber eyes. She looked confident with the belief of a doubtless victory over what she thought was six kids that didn't stand the slightest of chances. Yet another person who judged with their eyes and not their brain.

He was on her in less than a second, blades striking and scraping against each other in a shower of sparks. She was fast, but Jason was tough. She got a few good hits in; nothing his Aura couldn't handle. The Red Ranger maneuvered around the woman and nailed her in the back with an elbow. There was a flash of annoyance in Cinder's eye as she whirled on the boy, only for a yellow-clad foot to clock her in the back of the head and a brown fist to fly for her face.

Cinder staggered from the blow but dodged the next set of swipes, pinning the weapon with a leg before swiping at Zack's face. The Black Ranger hopped back a considerable distance and Cinder superheated the ground beneath her feet, creating a storm of glass shards she promptly launched at Zack. The shards shattered against the boy's blocking pose, his purple Aura flickering as they rained down on him.

A weight fell on Cinder's shoulders and a pair of thighs locked around her neck. She urged her body to flare up instantly, earning a pained yelp from Trini as she collapsed to the ground. Ignoring the pain in her stinging legs, the Yellow Ranger rolled away from a slashing flurry until she leaped back to her feet, blocking a blade with both daggers. Trini shoved the blade away and landed an ax kick on Cinder before using her other leg to smash the older woman in the chin and knock her onto her back. She promptly pounced at the downed Cinder like a lunging predator only for the other woman to kick her out of the air before spinning back into a stand.

The next volley of glass shards was met with a spinning blue lance that shredded them to dust, Billy charging for Cinder at full speed. Rather than meet the woman head-on, the Blue Ranger pole-vaulted behind the woman and kicked her in the back. She attacked in a frenzy and her blades flew at great speeds only to be met by Billy's twirling polearm, Tri-Pole putting up an unbreakable defense Cinder's weapons could not penetrate. The lance's tips snagged the woman's blades and twisted, yanking them out of her grip and giving Billy the chance to kick her away. Cinder caught the following jab with her bare hands and gripped it tight, sending a wave of heat through the weapon…

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" Billy dropped the lance and shook his hands in pain, leaving himself wide open for a powerful strike from Cinder. The woman retrieved her weapons and moved on Billy… but stopped when a volley of red-tipped arrows landed near her feet. Thinking fast, Cinder shot into the air just as they went off in a series of fiery bursts, drawing the string on her bow and releasing a retaliatory barrage of her own arrows. Those arrows were swiftly sliced out of the air by pink slashes and Kimberly sprinted toward Cinder at ninja speed, the other woman breaking her bow into blades to meet the girl in close quarters.

Both women blurred as their pink and black blades clashed against one another, two pairs of eyes burning into each other once they locked together. Cinder broke the clash by shoving Kim back before unleashing a spinning flurry, an attack the Pink Ranger backflipped and somersaulted away from before closing the distance as soon as Cinder ceased her attack. The older woman anticipated her charge and swung, only for Kimberly to sail over her head and aim a blade at her back. Cinder whirled around and struck Kim out of the air before it could come close to touching her, leaping up to bury her blades through the downed teen's chest…

"AI-YAH!" Something knocked Cinder aside and her face hit the dirt. Groaning in annoyance, the woman grabbed Midnight and spun around… where Tommy Oliver stood protectively in front of Kimberly with a scowling expression and the Dragon Dagger in hand. Both the Pink Ranger and the woman were confused by this intervention. "Tommy, what are you-"

"Is your life really that insignificant that you throw it away like this?" Cinder snarled. "You have no Aura! No Semblance! No power!" The Green Ranger's stare never faded. "Lemme tell you something, lady. If you think I'm just gonna sit back and watch you beat up my friends, you are terribly mistaken."

"Then you choose to die. You have nothing to protect you from-"

"That's not gonna stop me," Tommy interrupted. "This may sound crazy to you, but I've been fighting long before I got any powers. I don't rely on them like some obsessed maniac or an addict… and they don't make me who I am. You think you can kill me like this, huh?" He spread out his arms in invitation. "Why don't you go ahead and try?"

A roar was the only warning Tommy had before he sprang into action, dodging blades before blocking one and striking Cinder across the face. He weaved away from each of Cinder's swings and deflected a kick. "You're too aggressive!" he critiqued as he parried a blade and kept another from slicing off some hair. "That makes you cocky! It makes you predictable!"

"Shut UP!" She came at him with both blades now, forcing Tommy to duck low and sweep out her legs. While she was downed, Cinder grabbed the Green Ranger's foot and sent heat through his leg, forcing him to stagger back with a pained hiss. "You think you know power?! You think you know everything about it?! You're just a kid!"

A rush of flame made Cinder spin to meet a charging Jason, his sword alight with fire. Her blades met his sword until they locked together, making the woman seethe at the Red Ranger. "You… each of you are stupid, simple-minded children who think they know everything about power! About the world!"

Each of the six Rangers converged on Cinder, who continued her rant as she lashed out at each of them. "You want to 'save the day'! You want to 'make the world a better place'!" She swatted Jason aside and redirected Billy's momentum, throwing him to the ground. "Your minds are corrupted with 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in this black-and-white vision of things!" An explosive Fire Dust crystal blasted Zack off his feet and a volley of glass shards pelted a midair Trini. "But you're wrong! This world doesn't care about 'heroes' or 'villains' or any of that crap! There's only one language it really understands!" Cinder fired arrows to knock Kim's volley out of the air before firing a shot she barely avoided in time. Finally, she lunged at Tommy and kicked him hard, sending the Green Ranger spinning.

"That language…" she snarled at the Rangers' battered bodies. "...is power. And, to put it in a way your simple minds will comprehend, I intend to be very fluent in it." The teenagers with attitude slowly got back to their feet, but Cinder was more than pleased to knock them back down again and then some. Jason, meanwhile, had an intrigued look.

"Power…"

"Stupid, huh?!" Trini roared, lashing out in a frenzied barrage of swipes and kicks that Cinder matched flawlessly. "How's this for stupid?!" The Yellow Ranger kicked Cinder into the air and left her wide open for another volley of Kim's arrows, with only a few hitting their mark before Cinder landed on her feet. Fighting through the pain with a feral growl, her Semblance superheated the arrows until they melted off and landed in puddles just in time for Zack to charge in bare-handed. Cinder caught each of his fists easily, barely moving an inch as she remained rooted in place.

She sharply twisted the Black Ranger's left arm, backhanded him across the face, and blasted him point-blank with another Dust crystal. The woman was about to retrieve her weapons when bullets grazed her skin, forcing her to block Tommy and Billy's bullets with the Aura in her palms before superheating the ground beneath them. Both Rangers barely leaped away in time, the Green Ranger rushing to get in close while Billy sat up groaning.

"Billy!" Jason slid over to his friend's side. "Listen, I have an idea…" The confused look on the Blue Ranger's face was a sign for him to explain. "She says she wants power, yeah? So I say we give her some."

"Jace, this woman's tough!" Billy exclaimed as she fought Trini and Kim without breaking a sweat, parrying both of their blades before downing the girls with a split kick. "We're giving her everything we've got, but she's giving us twice that!" The Red Ranger leaned in close, whispering something in Billy's ear… and the young genius' face slowly lit up as he listened. "Oh… oh! That's a great idea! Let's do it!" Billy grabbed Tri-Pole and climbed to his feet, following Jason's lead as they circled into position.

High above the island, a black mass slammed into a glowing green construct and closed its jaws around the emerald beast's head, causing a pained roar to erupt from its maw. The tip of its tail spun like a drill, burying into the Wyvern's chest and digging into its interior. The following screech allowed the jade Aurazord to break free and loop around to the Wyvern's roar, grabbing the dark tail with its mouth and swinging the Grimm around. It released after five swings, sending the Grimm smashing against the cliffside. The stunned Grimm plummeted amongst a shower of boulders before crashing into the sea. With the danger passed, the green dragon soared back to its master while its defeated foe remained stunned and pinned beneath the boulders.

"HYAH! HAI! AI-YAH!" Tommy and Zack's blows failed to get past Cinder's defense, the woman's limbs keeping their fists from landing. She flipped Tommy to the ground and threw him away before grabbing Zack's next punch and whacking him in the face with it. A spinning kick was enough to down him, but it left her open to a barrage of bullets from Tyrant. Jason strafed around the woman while she tried blocking as many as she could, the Red Ranger whirling on Billy as he took up a sniper position and added his own shots to the mix.

"Billy! How much longer until our Power Morphers are fully charged?!"

"According to my calculations, less than a minute!"

Cinder's eyes widened in surprise. "Power… Morphers?" A memory made its way to the front of her mind. There were two things Tommy had on him when Emerald and Mercury found him outside Evernight Castle: his weapon and a device Cinder couldn't identify. She had tried to torture the information out of Tommy, but the boy was stubborn and claimed the device was "the very last thing she should be holding".

If each of these children possessed similar devices, devices that held power greater than any Semblance within, then…

No.

They didn't deserve it!

"HRRAAAH!" Cinder was startled out of her thoughts just in time to avoid the giant boulder Zack just chucked at her. The woman superheated the ground to keep him from getting in close again, but Kimberly shot skyward in a pink blur to avoid the blasts and fired several arrows at the arc of her leap. Cinder dodged and maneuvered away from each of them until a yellow blur caught her attention. Trini moved at inhuman speeds and dodged each of Cinder's swipes with feline-like agility, throwing several kicks at Cinder until another fiery blast threw her away. Cinder gritted her teeth, growing more and more irritated at these children…

A green mass swooped over her surprised face and flew directly at Tommy, vanishing within his form and providing him with a glimmering green glow. The Green Ranger smirked before thrusting his palm at Cinder, unleashing a storm of green fiery wisps from his fingertips she swiftly avoided, heating an arrow that blasted Tommy back when she shot him.

"Good to go, Jason!"

Billy's call made Cinder spin in his direction like a madwoman, the blonde boy freezing up in horror when he noticed her. "Do it! I'll cover you!" He threw up his arms, letting his shield block the storm of glass shards before his lance met Midnight's swords. The Blue Ranger blocked, parried, and deflected Cinder's savage blows as best as he could, but the woman's focus on the device she now saw Jason holding fueled her further. An enraged cry finally broke Billy's guard and she kicked the boy aside, launching for the Red Ranger as he held the round device outward.

"IT'S MORPHIN' TI-" A powerful palm strike knocked the boy off his feet, his Power Morpher flying. Everyone's eyes locked on the airborne morpher, its golden coin glinting in the sunlight… before it landed in Cinder's awaiting palm.

All the Rangers froze while Cinder caught her breath, her golden eyes gazing at the device like a prized trinket. Her mouth lifted in a satisfied smile, the air passing through heaving lungs the only audible sound. When her eyes finally lifted from the roaring visage of a strong beast, she took in the sight of the stunned teens. So arrogant of themselves that they thought such a thing impossible. Movement up ahead directed her smirking gaze to Jason, whose face was covered in rage.

"Put. That. Down."

Cinder allowed herself to chuckle. "I don't think so…" She resumed her examination and ran a hand across the glowing gold coin, taking in the strange creature's mighty appearance. "So… you have a power unlike anything I could imagine… and this is how you get it."

"This is your first and only warning," the boy growled like the coin's beast. "You have no idea what that thing can do. It's dangerous. You-"

"You," Cinder spat back. "...are a naive, gullible child who believes your way is the right way. All of you are pawns in a larger game, with the sole purpose of fighting and dying so somebody else can have all the glory. This power isn't a plaything… it doesn't deserve to be in the hands of someone who couldn't possibly understand it."

She relished the sight of Jason balling his fists in anger. "This power was never meant for you, I'm afraid… such a simple mind like yourself doesn't have a chance in achieving its greatest potential. So…" She held the morpher proudly in her hand, a finger moving to the button.

"...allow me to show you what power really means."

Cinder took the time to engrave each of the Rangers' terrified expressions: their eyes widened in horror and their bodies frozen in bewilderment. Her sadistic smile enveloped her entire face and excitement flowed through her, her finger pressing down on the button…

Click!

"..."

The smile dropped. The tense heartbeat slowed. The steady breathing started picking up as her finger mashed the button again. And again. And again. Click. Click. Click click click.

Now it was her eyes that widened in horror "What?!"

"NOW!"

The Power Rangers all moved and struck as one. Zack clocked Cinder's head hard enough to make blood fly from her mouth, Kimberly landed a flying kick, Tommy landed a spinning flame strike that pummeled her, Billy whacked her with both ends of Tri-Pole, and Trini used Fierce Fangs to send an electric shock coursing through Cinder's vulnerable form. As the woman gasped for breath, Jason marched up until he was a few feet from Cinder and took a deep breath…

ROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR! The red sonic pulses slammed into Cinder and she howled in agony, clutching her ringing ears while she writhed on the ground. Her Aura flickered dangerously, even when the sound waves faded. Bending down to pick up his Morpher, Jason looked at it proudly. This was the one time it wasn't useless in Remnant. Which reminded him…

"We weren't given this power," Jason began to the battered woman before his team. "It chose us. And it chose us because each of us has our unique qualities, much like somebody's Aura develops a Semblance that fits them and them alone. You said we see power as a tool… you're wrong. You see it as a tool, a means to get yourself stronger until nobody can threaten you."

Cinder's eyes burned with anger as her orange Aura sputtered in and out of sight. "We may not be as strong as you, Cinder… but we have something greater than strength. These 'simple minds' have fought things far worse than you and won, and we conquered each of them through trust, teamwork, and friendship. That is the real power we have… and that's why you'll never have it. Because you're selfish, alone, and…" He chuckled. "...and the craziest woman I've ever met. Seriously, you're a real freak show. Now, are you gonna surrender, or…"

"I… I…" the woman struggled to speak. "I'll… kill… you all…"

"Alright… have it your way," Jason switched Tyrant to its rifle mode and aimed, focusing his bright red Aura to direct it into the weapon. Before long, the rifle's barrel glowed a brilliant crimson and a low hum rang through the air. Beside him, Billy readied Tri-Pole's sniper mode and channeled his own Aura into his weapon, another hum and a bright blue glow joining Jason. Trini followed suit by charging up Fierce Fangs' pistols and Zack switched to Masto Blasto's shotgun mode, a violet glow flowing from his body to the chamber. Kimberly drew back an arrow infused with Aura, the tip shining like a star. Finally, Tommy pointed the Dragon Dagger's high-caliber pistol form at Cinder, a green light shining from the barrel.

Cinder's rage was boiling at this point… and although her Aura was on its last legs, she grabbed Midnight's blades and charged for the Rangers with a bloodcurdling scream of immense anger, rushing for the teens with murder in her burning amber eyes. "RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

"POWER RANGERS, FIRE!"

SHABLAM! A multicolored blast from all of the teens' weapons enveloped the cliffside in a spectacular light, the amplified explosion of pure Aura eradicating the last of Cinder's supply. Now completely powerless and stripped of her means to fight back, the woman could only shriek in denial as she was sent sailing off the edge. Her screams accompanied her for dozens of feet until she hit the waters below with a great splash… and the waters went still in seconds. The defenders of Earth gathered near the cliff and peered down into the ocean, adding another vanquished foe to the list of other defeated villains.

"Well…" Kimberly broke the silence. "I guess that's why she's called Cinder Fall." The others groaned at the terrible joke while Billy approached the solemn-looking Jason. "She'll be okay, right? Remnant's people are sure to survive things like that…"

"Let's just hope she learned her lesson," Jason replied. "But if she didn't, it's gonna be a long time until she comes back for revenge… only we're no longer here."

"Too bad," Trini chuckled. "I'd say I feel sorry for her, but… man, she gave me the creeps. So good riddance."

"I'll say!" Zack agreed. "That woman needs therapy. Serious therapy."

"We're not done yet," Tommy reminded everybody, his green eyes focused on the swarm of Grimm that was still wreaking havoc on each other over whatever the heck was happening to them. Off in the distance, bestial roars and bellows echoed over clashing weapons, grunts of effort, and battle cries. The Rangers didn't waste a beat and rushed away from the cliff…

…unaware of the watching eyes from miles away.

"That's the problem with Cinder," Watts sighed, pinching his nose. "She's far too reckless and always rushes into things without a proper plan."

"She has her uses…" Salem replied. "Like each of you, she plays an essential role in my plans for the new world order."

"New world order?!" Scorpina hissed from her black bonds. "This world only belongs to one, and that one is-mmmph!" Salem snapped her fingers and a dark hand clasped around the Faunus' mouth before she could get another word out. Watts cleared his throat. "Shall I retrieve her, your grace?"

"That won't be necessary. Despite her shortcomings, Cinder is a resilient woman. She will endure… and use this failure as a motivation."

"So what do we do now?" inquired Hazel.

"We let this battle play itself out," Salem answered calmly. "And if events unfold as I expect… these foreigners will no longer trouble us."

Pyrrha and Ren's shots pinged off Goldar's gleaming armor, the beast bellowing in the middle of its rampage. Blake cartwheeled away from a fist that smashed the earth and Ruby landed a vaulting kick that connected with his blade, forcing the Faunus back. A heavy combination from Yang resulted in explosive blasts against Goldar's chest plate, forcing him to slide away from the teens. The gorilla Faunus grunted as he stood back up, growling at the children before more familiar faces joined up with them.

"It's over, Goldar!" boomed Jason. "It's one of you against all of us! You've got no chance!" Despite being outmatched fourteen to one, the Faunus erupted with menacing laughter. "No chance?! Have you forgotten your previous defeat so quickly, Red Ranger?! But there's one thing you are correct about: this is over!" His eyes rounded on the teens… and they had now gone from a crimson red to a brilliant gold. "For you!" Goldar tucked in his limbs and concentrated, a golden glow surrounding his body… and the Rangers and Team RWBY dropped their guards in remembrance.

"Oh… right…" Trini whispered awkwardly. "He can do that now…"

Nora shot her a confused look. "What can he do now?"

rrrrrrroooooOOOAAAAARRRRRGH! The golden glow grew higher and higher until it faded in a flash, revealing Goldar's new form that towered over the teens. The gigantic Faunus roared dominantly into the sky, his size matching that of the distant structure… where Salem and her cronies were stricken with awe. The witch brought a finger to her chin, smirking in curious delight. "How interesting…"

"GOLDAR!" Rita roared from her bonds. "If you can hear me, crush those loathsome children like the pests they are!" Salem's only response to this was a nonchalant wave of her hand, causing a dark hand to plant Rita's face on the floor. Her message, however, did not go unheard as the golden goliath roared at his soon-to-be victims, all of whom covered their ears from the sound and force.

"What the?!" Jaune all but shrieked. "That's his Semblance?! He can make himself bigger?!" Pyrrha and Ren were just as surprised as he was, but Yang looked up at the Faunus with annoyance. "Yeah! He did this before back in Vale, but we-"

"BRING IT ON!" Nora screamed, firing several grenades at the giant Goldar while screaming like a maniac. She only stopped once she saw the projectiles detonating against his massive form… and not even a dent left in their wake. Her eager demeanor dropped like a stone. "Uh oh."

"OH NO, BY ALL MEANS…" Goldar growled with booming laughter. "YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO FIGHT BACK. IT WILL MAKE YOUR DEMISE FAR MORE ENTERTAINING! AND I KNOW WHAT WILL MAKE THIS MORE EXCITING… YOU GET TO HEAR YOUR FRIENDS DIE, POWER RANGERS! AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!"

Before anyone could question what he meant, Goldar drove his blade into the earth and broke through the ground, ripping a gash as he dragged it around the shocked Rangers. Like a kid drawing with a stick, the Faunus formed a circle around the Rangers, separating them from the Remnantians. After yanking his sword from the earth, Goldar slammed a fist into the ground that caused a large tremor throughout the entirety of Vytal…

…and also made the carved piece of ground crumble away, making the Rangers plummet into the island's dark depths!

"NOOO!" Ruby cried as the daylight- and the visage of her horrified face and outstretched hand- drew farther and farther from the screaming Rangers' eyes. They were gone in seconds, leaving the girl and her friends at the gigantic general's mercy. Ruby looked up with a shaky grip on Crescent Rose, the memory of how futile her team's efforts were last time rushing back.

Goldar, meanwhile, was relishing that memory with the biggest evil grin the world had ever seen.

"NOW… WHO WANTS TO GO FIRST?"

The Remnantians immediately scattered from the golden goliath, moving as quickly as they could to avoid being crushed or stabbed. The quakes of Goldar's missed attacks and his echoing roars reached down the chasm he had carved, where six flickering Auras accompanied groaning, struggling forms. The Rangers slowly stood and regathered their composers, with Trini stretching out her arms and Zack adjusting his back.

"Ow… I think I landed on my spine…"

Billy looked up at the tiny hole of sunlight far above them. "We've gotta get back up there. He's gonna kill them! Kim, Tommy, can you fly us all up?"

"Well… yeah…" the Pink Ranger answered with uncertainty. "But what are we gonna do when we get there? All of us couldn't land a scratch on Goldar last time, and he freaking impaled Trini!"

"None of our Aurazords can match him in that state…" the Yellow Ranger grimly added. "And each of our Auras is close to breaking… but we can't just sit here and let him crush Team RWBY and JNPR into colored paste!"

"So…" Zack asked the question everybody was thinking. "What do we do now…?" Nobody had an answer, and not even Jason had a response at the ready. Their situation was dire: their friends in trouble, their Auras dangerously low, and facing a seemingly unbeatable foe. The Red Ranger crossed his arms with a sigh and thought… but those thoughts drifted and his mind flashed with memories.

All hope lost… and still, after everything…

Isn't the smallest chance of victory enough of a reason to keep on fighting?

They weren't going to give up here. He knew that. They needed to fight back… but how? Jason understood his Aura, his Semblance, his Aurazord… but something was missing. Something about him was incomplete, even after all his time on Remnant. Jason let his mind wander as he watched his friends discuss their next step. He: a brave and strong-willed leader unwilling to back down. Billy: always willing to put himself for the team in both body and mind. Zack: clever and quick-witted. Trini: fearless and fast. Kimberly: graceful and ever-moving. Tommy: honorable and determined. Each of them was incredible on their own, and when they acted together as one- whether here or back on Earth- they were just as unstoppable as any well-forged and well-trained Huntsman team just like Team RWBY was bound to be.

Wait a minute…

Together as one…

It clicked instantly for Jason. He knew what needed to be done now. "Guys…"

All voices ceased and everyone turned to their leader. Each pair of eyes told Jason the same thing: they trusted him and were willing to listen to any idea their best friend had. "I'm gonna need you to listen closely. We've never shied away from a fight and we're not about to start now." The Rangers nodded in agreement, but Billy didn't quite get it. "What do you want us to do?"

"We've still got some gas in the tank, guys. I need you to bring out your Aurazords."

"Here?" Zack questioned. "There's nowhere to go!" Trini placed a hand on the Black Ranger's shoulder, giving him an encouraging look before turning to the Red Ranger. "We trust you, Jason." This was enough to calm Zack down and he took a deep breath as each of the Rangers stepped a fair distance away.

Several bursts of colored light later, five constructs of prehistoric beasts stood in the underground chasm. Notes on a flute called forth a green dragon construct that Tommy vaulted atop, each of the beasts awaiting their next orders. Jason's Tyrannosaurus stood tall, creating a dominating and commanding presence over the other creatures. "Billy… Zack… Kim… Trini… I need each of you to think."

"About what?" Kim asked curiously.

"About us. About each other. Think back on what we've done and dream about what we can do in the future. Those small moments we have in Angel Grove and our cooperation in battle. Concentrate on our bond: how well we work together. Remember every lesson Zordon's taught us and each one we've discovered on our own. Every fear we've faced, every challenge we've overcome… let it all flow."

And they did. Memories washed through the Rangers' minds and they fantasized about their futures alongside each other. As they recalled every monster they vanquished and each evil scheme foiled, a harmonic glow surrounded each of their Aurazords while Tommy looked on in awe. Sparks and wisps of colored Aura trailed from the beasts' forms, gathering and collecting and swirling high above as they rose to the surface. Not long after that, the Aurazords themselves began to glow.

Kimberly's Pterodactyl flashed open its wings with a mighty shriek before it dissolved into pink swirls of light lifted by the winds, the girl's form being swept up with the current of light.

Trini's Sabertooth Tiger snarled before it vanished in a storm of yellow rays, swirling around and reshaping like a mold.

Zack's Mastodon trumpeted loudly before the Aura folded in on itself, weaving through the air while its purple light took on a darker shade.

Billy's Triceratops bellowed before it, too, was swallowed by the invisible winds, its glowing sapphire light joining the others.

And Jason's Tyrannosaurus roared to the heavens, the last Aurazord dissipating into streams of crimson light that mixed with the others. The five Auras swirled together in a spectacular light show that forced Tommy to shield his eyes, the entire cavern filling with a tremendous light that shot for the hole leading outside…

A humongous armored foot slammed down with the force of a meteor and sent the Huntsmen flying like ragdolls, each of them landing clumsily in the beast's massive shadow. Ruby clung to her sweetheart for support, gasping for breath while Goldar's magnified laughter shook her body.

"MY EMPRESS OF EVIL… THIS WORLD SHALL SOON BE-"

FWASH! The massive hole behind the teens erupted with brilliant light that spilled into the sky, catching the attention of both heroes and villains alike. Salem lifted a brow, her henchmen staggered backward, and Rita's eyes grew in shock while the trapped Finster and Scorpina were forced to look on.

"HUH?!" Goldar growled in shock. "WHAT IS THAT?!"

Ruby and her friends all turned around in confusion, watching the light fly from the hole like smoke and fire from a volcano. The silver-eyed girl could pick out five colors in the dazzling display that reflected in her orbs: a mixture of red, blue, yellow, black, and pink. The ground rumbled beneath her feet, forcing her to keep her footing intact before Yang grabbed on to steady her. Teams RWBY and JNPR heard the very world around them rumble and fill with light…

…before a massive hand arose from the hole, casting a dark shadow on the students.

Everybody yelped and dove out of the way before five oversized fingers smashed into the earth. Once Team RWBY was safely out of the way, the girls saw a giant black gauntlet accompanied by a midnight-shaped vambrace aglow with an abyssal black Aura that shimmered with energy. They had barely taken in the sight when a second arm emerged from the depths on the teams' left side, shaking the ground with a hard grip: this one decorated in bright-pink armor. The limb's shiny shielding was bedazzling to look at… but the girls and their sister team didn't have time to admire it before the two arms pushed against the ground.

And what emerged from the pit was something that made their hearts stop beating.

A massive, multicolored behemoth rose higher and higher into the sky, shimmering with five different Auras that painted it in a brilliant, gleaming glow of colors. A red helmet stood between a right pink pauldron and a left black shoulder guard, an engraved visor staring silently. A left leg sporting a sapphire sabaton stepped onto the ground with a slight tremor, greaves, poleyns, and cuisses shifting as the limb straightened out and aided the titan's rise. A similar leg- this one donned in yellow colors- followed suit and stomped the earth with another tremor.

Goldar's jaw dropped and he absentmindedly shook his head, unable to understand what his glowing golden eyes were seeing. Everyone in the tower had equal expressions of stunned silence and shock… while Salem looked on in interest. The hundreds of Grimm still standing on the battlefield were entranced at this new sight, red and green eyes alike gazing at the being. Not even Team RWBY and JNPR were safe from a wave of awe and bewilderment, some of the teens taking a careful step or two back.

The torso of the colored colossus was a swirl of colors that made up the breastplate, cuirass, and the surrounding pieces of armor. Underneath the Aura-composed exterior were five still figures that were evenly distributed throughout the torso. A girl in pink hovered near the titan's right shoulder, a boy in blue was positioned by the lower left hip above the leg, a girl in yellow sat near the right hip, a boy in black rested close to the left shoulder, and a boy in red floated just below the neck.

All five pairs of eyes shot open, revealing themselves to be a swirling blend of their colors.

A green dragon shot out of the hole and threw open its wings with a roar, its rider wearing a steadfast expression. All eyes, however, couldn't look away from the massive multicolored form that matched Goldar's current size. Jaune's jaw was on the floor and his weapons clattered to the ground, Ren brushed his hair out of his eyes to get a better look, Pyrrha gazed up in wonder, and Nora's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her skull.

Blake's golden eyes were alight with awe and a flustered Weiss stepped back, shaking her head in denial. Yang slightly moved forward as she looked on… and Ruby's silver eyes glistened as the gigantic knight painted with five colors were reflected in them.

Watts sputtered from his post in the tower. "Wh-wh-what is that?! A-an Arma Gigas?! Or…" He quickly shoved his shock aside. "Th-that's impossible! No Aura can ever link with another in such a manner!"

"Ooooh, shiny…" whispered Tyrian. Hazel could barely speak beside him.

"Well, now…" Salem chuckled to herself. "This just got very intriguing…"

Finster's mind had utterly shut down. "Muh… muh muh… t-the muh muh muh…"

Each of Scorpina's drawn breaths was shaky and erratic. "N-no! They can't-! That shouldn't be-!"

Fear, shock, and anger all washed through Rita as she screamed her next words. "Those… childish… brats… made… the Megazord?!"

The giant rainbow knight loomed over Vytal as the teenage heroes inside locked eyes with a befuddled Goldar. Zack closed his hand into a fist while Kim did the same, the colossal colored construct mimicking their movements and clenching a pair of pink and black gauntlets. Their gazes all narrowed before all of their voices called out as one. "AURA MEGAZORD ACTIVATED!"

Their shouts snapped Goldar out of his daze… and his confusion quickly turned to rage. His fists shook with fury and a low growl rumbled past bared fangs. His anger burst to the surface in no time as the Faunus slammed down his visor, which bore the visage of a roaring ape. RRROOOAAARRR! His tremendous bellow shook the earth and he pounded his mighty fists against his chestplate, breaking into a heavy charge. His footsteps shook the earth with each thunderous step, the sight alone enough to startle both student teams.

A hellish howl rose from the Grimm horde, the devils closing in on the Huntsmen and making them snap back to reality. Ruby unfurled Crescent Rose as her revitalized teammates sprang back into action… but before she joined them, she turned back to the titan, who looked down on her like a gentle giant.

Inside the torso, each of the five Rangers were smiling at her.

And she smiled back.

A mighty battle cry tore from Ruby's throat as she launched back into action with a rush of petals, leaving the knight to turn its attention to its charging opponent. Zack and Kim raised their fists, the Aura Megazord raising its own in response. Billy and Trini broke into a steady run until they reached a full charge, earning movement from the colossus' legs as it slowly moved into an imposing stride… followed by a steadfast charge with each step leaving massive footprints behind. The multicolored and gold knights charged with the force of armies until they were in colliding distance…

…and the force of their fists sent a shockwave throughout the entire island, signaling the beginning of their behemoth-sized bout.