Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any other series. This is a fan work and not for profit. I would also point out at this time this story could be a fanfiction of any series.
The End
Temporal Location: 0.0.0.0
Universal Reference: 0.0.0.0
Reality: 0-0
Time: Very Little Remaining to Zero
It was the end. There had been a long battle from the dawn of time until this moment, as the battle between good and evil had slowly escalated to the point where the very fate of what remained rested on a single battle. For there was very little left, the universe and all its various dimensions having burnt away during the battle. And beyond the universe, the countless realities that existed along side it had faded leaving only one point that would determine the future of this reality and indeed all existence.
Time was almost exhausted, just a few vital hours that could seem like days as the rules of the universe broke down. Upon a tiny world at the far corner of the universe a battle was about to be fought. For one side victory would mean an opportunity for salvation and for the other triumph would unlock new possibilities for conquest. For the losers and those that did not survive the battle, there would be nothing. There was aftermath as a consolation prize for those that valiantly sacrificed themselves for the greater good or their devotion to their master. The realms of Heaven and Hell had been consumed by the growing void that had consumed so much of the universe.
After all the fighting, the wars and the devastating loses, it all came down to a simple task of capturing or defending an old fortress. Whoever won the fortress at the battle's end would win and the opposing side would be vanquished. All it required was a clear victory, the absolute defeat of one side or the other and the fortress would bestow its gift upon the leaders of the winning side. That was the promise, the prophecy that had been embedded in the secret code of existence since the beginning. It was the prize that has encouraged those on both sides to reach this point.
A voice called out, ordering the assault to begin. It was met with an answering call as warriors on both sides charged into slaughter. On the dark side the demons had gathered. Grey skinned, muscle and sinew with sharp claws and deadly teeth the foot-soldiers were the most primitive of creatures, yet they were obedient to their masters and dedicated to the cause of victory. Behind them game the giants and the monsters, the flying dragons breathing deadly black flames, the sea monsters and the terrifying beasts that existed only in the scariest of dreams. And in opposition the soldiers had gathered, gathered from the survivors of all possible worlds they stood together armed with swords and shields, axes and spears, clubs and energy weapons. Behind them came the more powerful warriors, those with the special powers or the immense size that would threat the largest demon. They drove tanks and flying craft against their opponents, taking down wave after wave of dark creature before they could get close to the prize.
Two giants collided, one a hero the other a beast. They punched and kicked and tried to impale each other with their weapons. Have you ever seen a giant die? It is not a pretty sight. For a giant is very very big and holds a lot of blood and other fluids. And when such a creature loses its head there is a moment where its evil heart continues to beat before it realises it should be dead. And in those few seconds or even minutes, the fluids that had been contained by the severed head are pushed out, covering the battlefield in toxic chemicals that consume and poison all around them. And as more of the giant demons fell, so more and more of those beneath them were lost in a tidal wave of blood and gore.
The dark army pressed forward and the heroic defenders pushed back. Although outnumbered the heroes held their ground cutting down foe after foe in a desperate bid for victory. Swords were thrust into leathery skin as lasers sliced multiple creatures into pieces. Ropes and chains bound the dark beasts allowing others to execute them with spears or behead them with axes. At some point the heroes that possessed superhuman strength joined the battle, taking down even more of the dark army and boosting morale.
But in the end it was a matter of time and of numbers. The dark side had the superior numbers and the defenders had very little time. Lives on both sides dwindled, causing their leaders to call in more powerful forces they had held in reserve. High above the battle a dragon was sliced in two by a noble knight that then plummeted into the path of a throng of demons. Even as he struggled to take some of those he faced with him, the brave warrior could only accept his fate when he was finally overwhelmed. Moments later a burst of white fire eviscerated everything that stood in the area.
The magic users moved to the front of the battleground, casting spells and weaving shields to buy more time. Their actions were wide ranging and bought their side a little time as the sorcerers on the opposing side rallied to counter their efforts. The throwaway demons had been replaced with more competent combatants, those capable of turning the tide. The leaders moved out from their command areas, realising that time grew shorter and that for victory they would need to take to the battlefield.
A destructive spell of dark flame swept across the surface of the planet, obliterating all within its path regardless of whether they were friend or foe. The wizards that had raised the shields tried to fend back the attack only to be consumed by it along with the sorcerers they had been fighting. For the moment was approaching, the stakes were increasing moment by moment and for the leader of the dark forces there was no alternative but to take things into his own hands.
His dark fire had cleared the way for him to march toward his goal hindered by neither the enemy nor his own underlings. The heroes might have planned to share the opportunity that victory presented, but he intended to take the prize for himself. This was the end game where victory could be snatched or lost and he had waited too long to lose.
The last heroes in the cosmos realised that the moment was coming as they took their stand against the forces of darkness. The sky had grown completely black and only the fires burning across the planet allowed most of them to see. The fire had destroyed most of their army, but it had completely decimated the dark forces. Unfortunately that meant that those they faced now were the most powerful servants of evil, each aware of the need for victory and intelligent enough to allow their own greed to fuel their efforts.
A battle cry was heard, a desperate call for those heroes that survived to rally their efforts and fight to the last. And then their champion emerged, dressed in the most powerful armour that he possessed. Though armed with only a sword, his appearance caused the enemy to take a step back. He was the last line of defence, the one they would need to take down to secure victory. And he had no intention of allowing them an easy fight.
Behind him his warriors responded with a cheer, their courage and determination bolstered by his presence. When he moved, they followed him into the carnage that would come. The leader of the dark forces responded with his own command as his most valuable pawns were committed to the fight. Swords against swords, magic against magic, might against might; minutes turned into hours as more and more fell to one side or the other.
In the end it all came down to a battle of ideals and morals as the two leaders clashed in open combat. The Champion of Darkness, now ascended by his own words to the position of Supreme Darkness, with his black armour with tarnished silver highlights bared his clawed fingers against the Champion of Light, whose thick golden armour glowed from the light of his large sword. Dark magic was was thrown aside by a faithful shield, a powerful sword blow blocked by a summoned barrier. They threw everything they could muster against each other, the dark energy blasts from the Supreme Darkness bouncing off the golden shoulder panels of the Light Champion's armour.
Their fighting carried them inside the walls of the fortress. So determined to defeat each other, they failed to notice that outside the boundaries of the crystal walls, the planet had crumbled to dust. This was now the only battleground and they were seemingly all that remained of the combatants. The void closed in as they fought their way into the fortress itself, ignoring how the drawbridge lowered upon their approach. Each step they took into the inside, more and more of the area outside vanished. Soon the outer walls were gone, then the massive empty moat and finally the walls of the fortress itself. The chambers and hallways followed as the combatants descended into the depths where the promised prize awaited them.
From the outside perspective, all that remained of the planet was a huge chunk of crystal and the golden throne that had once been the seat of the creator. Time had expired and existence was frozen on the instant between a fraction before the end and the absolute end of everything. And still the two beings clashed. The Champion of the Light was sent crashing back by a bolt of lightning. He stood with a growl and charged, knocking his dark nemesis to the ground, narrowly avoiding a blast from the villain's eyes in the process.
As they struggled to gain the advantage, the gold-clad warrior had to admit to himself that his chances of success were diminishing by the moment. The Supreme Darkness was the embodiment of evil created by the forced merger of the Champion of Darkness with his forces. The Champion of Light, the Guardian as they had called him, had been summoned by the prayers and wishes of those that opposed the darkness. He was the combination of their minds, bodies and souls and was by his own admission... imperfect as he possessed both their strengths and their weaknesses. While the Supreme Darkness lacked any redeeming features, the Champion of Light had to admit that there was perhaps a little darkness within himself that only helped to strengthen his foe.
The Supreme Darkness summoned an axe crackling with dark energy. With each moment he grew more powerful. And now, so close to the moment of destruction, he was nigh unstoppable. The axe tore into the Guardian's armour, penetrating the gold and silver layers to draw blood. He replaced the axe with two wicked black claws that sliced into the Guardian with ease. One strike caught him across the neck, causing the gold armoured warrior to stagger backwards.
The Guardian knew that his time was limited as blood oozed from his many wounds. The loss of blood weakened him and unlike his opponent who had transcended beyond such petty things as mortality, he was still capable of bleeding to death. The protective magic that the sacrifice that had summoned him had granted early in the battle had faded after the first few exchanges and now it appeared that the weapons his opponent had chosen could eat away his armour. There was so little time left to snatch victory and yet so much depended upon it. All those that had lost their lives would have done so in vain if he could not claim victory for the ones that could survive. But it was getting more and more difficult to fight back. And the longer he waited the weaker he became and the harder it was to find the strength to fight.
He desperately tried to control the pain, drawing upon his residual strength and directing everything he could manage into a single strike. He knew that it would not be enough to destroy the Supreme Darkness, but if done correctly it could at least stop him long enough to be declared the winner. He struck outward with a single strike, hoping that it would be enough to turn the tide against the enemy. Just as those that had created him had poured themselves into his creation, so he channelled everything he had into his sword. He threw his entire being into the strike, fuelling it with the dreams and emotions of those that had created him. The sword glowed brightly, empowered by the purity of the sacrifice he had made, multiplied by the sacrifice of those that had come before.
And then he stepped forward, thrusting the sword with a determined strike. The sword broke through the black armour, lifting his opponent from his feet. He stepped forward two steps and changed the angle of the blade, driving it down into the crystal ground. The blade buried itself into the rock and sunk through the enemy until only the handle could be seen.
As expected, the blow had not been enough to end the foul creature, whose dark essence was already attempting to counter the wound inflicted, though with little success.
"Is that it?" the Supreme Darkness mocked as the pain he suffered seemed to disappear. "One final blow with everything you could muster and that is all you could manage. Pathetic."
Dark hands reached for the handle of the sword, planning to pull it free and turn it upon its master. But instead of a cry of victory, there was a howl of agony as the blade burnt its wicked fingers. Smoke poured from its limbs as the purifying energy of the blade destroyed the evil that had tried to touch it.
"I think it worked perfectly," came the reply as the weakened hero stumbled to his feet. His armour dropped away, too severely damaged to be of further help and now a hindrance. The wounds he had suffered during their frantic exchange bled freely, dripping down upon the ruined castle floors. "I could never defeat you. You are the embodiment of all the evil contained in this universe, bound to exist so long as there is darkness. Even the darkness within me. There was no way you could be destroyed and to try and do so would accomplish little. But… I can contain you; I can hold you here until the end of the universe."
"Which won't be that long now. This universe is doomed. All you've done is delayed my triumph," the enemy warned.
The Guardian shook his head. The destruction and end of existence had long been a matter of fact. Once the universe had reached a certain point of decline there had been no way to reverse it. No, this was not about whether the universe died. It was how it died that mattered and there was no way that the beings that had given him life would allow evil to claim that it had triumphed, especially since their were so many depending upon his victory.
"You're defeated," he told the struggling thing, marvelling at how even now in the last moments of existence, the purity of the blade had eaten away at the darkness, exposing the evil for the pitiful creature it truly was. "The universe will die, but it will die on its terms, not lost in the darkness and ruled by the likes of you. And you forget that victory goes to the side that holds the fortress at the last moment." He sat upon the throne and smile as his opponent realised that there was no way he could take it for himself. "Good wins!"
The Supreme Darkness tried to respond but its words were reduced to growls of anger as it struggled against the power of light. It squirmed in place and tried to slink away as the hero moved toward the sword. As the blade was pulled free, the darkness broke apart, scattered by the light from the sword. Before it was drawn back into the surviving warrior. Just as energy could not be created or destroyed, so evil could not be obliterated evil by light. But it could be chased away and it could be contained within a righteous heart. The Guardian's heart was pure enough to handle the task, his willingness to hold the Champion of Darkness inside himself long enough for others to take action guaranteed his success. The crystal rock that had been their battleground shook as the universe closed in around it. Evil had been conquered in that it had not triumphed, but there was nothing that could save existence.
As the universe grew smaller, so the light from the sword, reflected by the crystal rock into which it had been embedded, shone ever brighter and the dark creature seemed to shrink in size. Soon all that remained was a lone figure stood upon the crystal rock, looking out into the void, ready to welcome the end of all things.
"I still win," the Supreme Darkness whispered. "The end has come and you have not been offered salvation. I shall settle for stalemate."
Existence had shrunk to the point where the material universe was the Champion, the ground upon which he stood, the discarded armour from his battle and the atmosphere around him. Soon the planet of crystal faded into the darkness taking with it the lone survivor of the battle between Good and Evil. Good had triumphed this time and Evil had been conquered.
The last moments of the old existence had finally passed but in those last moments the Guardian of Light saw a glow on the horizon and smiled. Then he laughed, sensing his enemy's confusion.
"The problem with evil is that you are so selfish that you assume everybody else to be the same. This was never about us, it was never about our armies or this war. It was about them..."
It had never been about the soldiers on the battlefield. Those fighting had known that they would never make it beyond the end point. But the promise that victory would bring the opportunity to survive had pushed them to fight until the end. And their efforts had created a champion that had defeated the darkness and gained his side the promised prize.
For the warriors on the battlefield had never expected to leave it alive. They had not been the ones that would gain the opportunity to survive beyond the end. No, they had given their lives willingly so that others could survive. Not warriors and knights sullied by war, but families and loved ones; scientists, artists, teachers and children... the future of a society. They were the ones that would claim the prize, opening a rift through which they could escape the all-consuming-darkness by plunging into the vast energy that even after the physical universe had faded, remained. What lay beyond was unknown and for many it would be a journey spent in a state of near sleep while their brave pilots sacrificed themselves to carry their precious cargo to safety through the vast currents of the Morphin Grid.
Would they succeed or would they be lost along the way? It didn't matter - for the opportunity was enough to bring hope and against the darkness hope was a powerful weapon. And so they had seized the moment, set their course and silently prayed that there was something beyond the rift for them to travel to. The howl of despair as the Supreme Darkness noticed the distant glow warmed the Guardian's heart in his last moment. Whether he had won or lost, evil had been conquered. And just moments later....
THE END
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