Chapter 31

Chaos Unleashed

The seven Rangers arrived on the battlefield, their Olympian Warrior armor gleaming in the fading light of the dusk. But their triumphant arrival was short-lived, as they were met with a shocking sight.

Helios, once their trusted ally and Chris's brother, stood before them. His golden eyes blazed with an inner fire, and his long sword shimmered with an otherworldly energy.

"Helios?" Chris whispered, disbelief etched on his face. "What's going on?"

Helios's expression was cold, detached. "I've made a choice. You have two options: stand aside and let me settle this with my brother, or face my wrath."

Jason stepped forward, his voice firm. "We won't abandon Chris. You know we're a team."

Helios's gaze swept the Rangers. "I'll spare the rest of you if you don't interfere. This is between Chris and me."

Sofia's eyes narrowed. "What's happened to you, Helios? You're not thinking clearly."

Helios's smile was a thin, cruel line. "I'm thinking clearer than ever. The Goddess of Death has freed me from my doubts."

Robert's grip on his war hammer tightened. "You're under Hel's control. We won't let you harm Chris."

Helios's eyes flashed with warning. "Don't make me destroy you all. I'll give you one last chance: step aside."

The Rangers exchanged determined glances. They knew they couldn't abandon Chris.

Helios's eyes flashed with a fierce determination. "This is not your fight but if you stupidly refuse to step aside, then I have no choice."

With a burst of speed, he struck, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. The Rangers scattered, barely avoiding the attack.

Jason countered with a powerful slash, but Helios parried with ease, sending Jason stumbling back.

Emily unleashed a rapid-fire trident strike, only to have Helios dodge and counter with a blow that sent her crashing to the ground.

Robert charged forward, war hammer swinging, but Helios sidestepped and landed a crushing kick that sent Robert flying.

Sofia's arrows flew swift and true, yet Helios sliced through them as if they were mere illusions.

Mei's dual scythes danced with deadly grace, but Helios's sword sliced through the attack, forcing Mei to retreat.

Sarah's chakram spun with furious speed, only to be knocked aside by Helios's swift sword.

Chris, determined to stop his brother, launched a fierce dagger assault. Helios countered with a blistering combination, sending Chris stumbling back.

The Rangers regrouped, battered and bruised, their Olympian Warrior armor cracked and dented from the initial attack.

"We can't keep this up," Jason panted. "He's too fast, too strong." Robert grimaced. "We need a new plan, or we'll fall."

As they hesitated, Helios advanced, his sword shining with an ominous light.

The Rangers launched a desperate, all-out assault. Their powers combined in a spectacular display: Jason's sword slashed, Emily's trident speared, Robert's war hammer thundered, Sarah's chakram spun, Mei's scythes danced, and Sofia's arrows flew.

Helios, unfazed, bypassed the attack with inhuman speed. His sword sliced through the barrage, striking true with devastating precision.

Jason stumbled, his armor cracking. "No...!"

Emily's trident fell from her grasp. "Ahh!"

Robert's war hammer slipped from his fingers. "Ugh!"

Sarah's chakram dropped, spinning harmlessly to the ground.

Mei's scythes clattered to the earth.

Sofia's bow slipped from her shoulder.

In an instant, Helios's fury unleashed a powerful blow which demorphed the Rangers, leaving them vulnerable and battered.

Jason, Emily, Robert, Sarah, Mei, and Sofia lay on the battlefield, their Olympian Warrior armor shattered, their bodies bruised.

Only Chris remained, still clad in his White Ranger armor, his eyes locked on Helios with a mix of shock, fear, and determination.

"Brother, stop!" Chris pleaded. "Snap out of it!"

Helios's gaze didn't waver. His sword rose, poised for the fight.

Chris steeled himself, ready to face his brother's wrath.

Helios barely spared the fallen Rangers a glance, his focus fixed on Chris. "At last, I break my curse," he muttered, his voice dripping with an unsettling resolve.

Chris, determined to reach his brother, took a step forward. "Helios, stop! You're not thinking clearly. Hel's controlling you!"

Helios's gaze snapped to Chris, his eyes blazing with intensity. "You're the only one who can free me, brother."

With a swift, deadly motion, Helios struck. Chris parried the attack, but Helios's ferocity sent him stumbling back.

The duel erupted, a maelstrom of clashing steel and Olympian energy. The streets shook beneath their feet as the two brothers exchanged blows.

Chris landed a series of swift kicks, but Helios countered with a crushing blow, sending Chris crashing into a nearby building.

Helios pursued, his sword slicing through the air, leaving trails of glittering energy.

Chris leapt from the rubble, daggers flashing in the fading light. "You're my brother, Helios! Don't let Hel consume you!"

Helios's response was a frenzied assault, pushing Chris to the limits of his skill.

The duel raged on, neither brother yielding. The streets became a battleground, with crumbling buildings and shattered glass testament to their clash.

As the fight intensified, the air crackled with energy. The very fabric of reality seemed to bend under the force of their confrontation.

The fallen Rangers struggled to rise, their battered bodies screaming in protest. Jason grimaced, clutching his side. Emily's vision blurred, her head spinning. Robert's war hammer lay out of reach, his arm throbbing in agony.

"Chris... needs... us," Sofia whispered, her voice barely audible.

Mei nodded, summoning a final burst of strength. "We... can't... give up."

Sarah's eyes fluttered open, her gaze locking onto the blurred figures of Helios and Chris.

The two brothers had become whirlwinds of divine energy, their movements almost imperceptible. Chris's White Ranger armor shone with intensified brilliance, while Helios's sword crackled with dark, solar power.

Their duel raged across the battlefield, leaving destruction in its wake. Buildings crumbled, pavement shattered, and the air rippled with the force of their clashes.

Helios unleashed a wave of solar flames, which Chris countered with a blast of icy energy. The flames danced, frozen in mid-air, before dissipating into nothingness.

Chris retaliated with a flurry of dagger strikes, each infused with the power of the gods. Helios parried the attacks with ease, his sword slicing through the divine energy.

The battle's intensity reached unprecedented heights. The very fabric of reality began to unravel, as if the outcome would determine the fate of the world.

In the distant camp, Moira and Chiron sensed the duel's escalating energy. Their faces etched with worry, they felt the balance of power shifting.

"The threads of fate are unraveling," Moira whispered, her eyes locked on Chiron.

Chiron's expression turned grim. "A god and demigod, brothers, clashing. The consequences will be dire."

Back on the battlefield, Chris and Helios reached their limits. Their divine energies clashed, shaking the earth. The air crackled with solar flames and icy blasts.

In a final, desperate bid, Chris unleashed a barrage of dagger strikes. Helios parried each blow, his sword shining with dark, solar power.

With a swift, decisive motion, Helios struck. His sword pierced Chris's White Ranger armor, stabbing the demigod in the torso. Death's dark energy coursed through the wound.

Chris's eyes widened in shock as he fell to his knees. His armor, once shining with brilliance, now dimmed, its protective powers breached.

Helios stood over his brother, his face aglow with radiant light. "I am free," he declared, his voice triumphant.

As Chris fell sideways, his vision fading, the Rangers watched in horror. Jason's eyes went wide, Emily's face pale, Robert's jaw slack. Mei's eyes welled with tears, Sarah's breath caught in her throat, and Sofia's face contorted in anguish.

"How...?" Jason whispered, stunned. "The Olympian armor... should have protected him."

Emily's voice trembled. "Helios's power... it's too great."

The Rangers rushed to Chris's side, but their brother lay still, his life force ebbing away.

Helios's brilliant smile illuminated the darkening landscape. The sun god had claimed his freedom, but at what cost?

As Chris fell, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness. A hand, clad in black armor known as the Erebus Gauntlet plunged into Helios's chest, grasping his heart. The sun god's eyes widened in shock.

With a twist, the hand ripped out Helios's heart, and the sun god crumpled to the ground.

Emperor Mordred stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with malevolence. "The gods' favored son, no more."

He turned to the Rangers, his voice dripping with contempt. "I won't bother with you now as I can see that you're beaten. But mark my words: the day will come when we meet again. And when that day arrives, not even the imprisoned gods will intervene. You will fall by my blade, just as the gods will."

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Mordred vanished into the shadows.

The Rangers rushed to Chris's side, their faces etched with worry.

"Chris, no! Hold on!" Jason pleaded.

Emily cradled Chris's head, tears streaming down her face. "Don't leave us!"

Robert's voice trembled. "We have to get him to Moira, now!"

Mei's eyes welled with tears. "His armor... it's soaked in blood."

Sofia's face was pale. "We can't lose him!"

Sarah's voice shook. "Chris, stay with us!"

Chris's breathing grew shallow, his vision fading. His White Ranger armor, once shining with brilliance, now lay tarnished, drenched in his own blood.

With a Herculean effort, Chris opened his eyes, focusing on his friends. A faint smile crossed his lips.

"I... love... you... guys," he whispered.

The Rangers exchanged desperate glances. They knew they had to act fast.

The Rangers held Chris's battered body, their faces etched with despair. They knew the truth – Chris was slipping away but they didn't want to accept it.

Chris's gaze swept across his friends, his eyes filled with a deep affection. "Don't... mourn me," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Jason's tears fell unchecked. "Chris, no! We can't lose you!"

Chris's smile was faint, but resolute. "We always knew... this day would come. Since Matt fell... we knew that there was no denying it."

Emily's voice trembled. "We should have been able to save you."

Chris's eyes locked onto Emily's. "You did... everything. We... thought of everything. I'm proud... of us."

Robert's face contorted in anguish. "Brother, I'll miss you."

Chris's hand weakly squeezed Robert's. "I'll always... be with you."

Mei's tears fell like rain. "My friend, my hero..."

Chris's gaze softened. "You're... my hero, Mei."

Sofia's voice cracked. "We'll keep fighting, Chris. For you."

Chris nodded, his chest rising with difficulty. "For... Matt... for us... for the world."

Sarah's whisper was barely audible. "I love you, Chris."

Chris's eyes locked onto Sarah's. "I love... you... too."

As the Rangers bid their farewells, Chris's breathing slowed. His body relaxed, his eyes closing.

In the silence, the Rangers held their friend, their hearts shattering.

Chris's final breath escaped, his body still.

The Rangers held him, frozen in grief, as the world around them seemed to fade away.

Their brother, their friend, their hero was gone.

A/N

Well, you must probably hate me by now but damn, eight Rangers has turned to six. Their battle has just become much more urgent than ever. Still, it wouldn't hurt to tell me what you think through reviewing. Xoxo