The night sky burned red as the Armada's monster stomped through the streets, its claws tearing through concrete. Yuriko stood shoulder to shoulder with Emma and Gia, her Ladybug Gun drawn and her transformation already active. Energy crackled around her armor, the familiar weight of her basic Rider form giving her strength.
"All right," Emma said, sliding her Ranger Key into her Morpher. "Time to take this one down."
"Let's make it quick," Gia added, her tone calm but sharp.
Yuriko nodded. "We can do this together."
The three charged forward, sparks flying as weapons clashed against the monster's armored hide. The beast bellowed, swiping at them with massive arms, but Yuriko rolled under its swing and fired a volley of shots from her weapon, the blasts exploding against its chest. Emma and Gia struck in unison, their teamwork as sharp as ever.
For a moment, Yuriko thought they had the upper hand. But then her communicator flared with static.
"Troy to base—we've got a problem." His voice was strained, hurried.
Yuriko's heart tightened. "What is it?"
"Another monster just appeared… on the other side of the city," Troy answered. "We're heading there now. Noah, Jake, Orion, and I will handle it."
Emma exchanged a nervous glance with Gia. Two monsters in one night. That wasn't coincidence—it was strategy.
"Be careful," Yuriko called into the communicator. "Don't take any risks."
"We'll be fine," Troy replied, though even through static she could hear the tension in his voice.
---
Across the city, chaos reigned. Buildings trembled as the second monster, a hulking reptilian beast, spewed fire into the streets. Troy led the charge, blade flashing as he leapt forward, Jake and Orion close behind, while Noah provided cover fire.
They fought with precision, years of teamwork fueling their every strike. But even as they clashed with the beast, the temperature of the battlefield seemed to plummet. A shadow fell across them.
From the smoke, another figure emerged.
Armored in black and silver, his body etched with skeletal designs, and a jagged blade resting easily in his hand. The glowing "十五" on his mask gleamed like a curse.
Kamen Rider Fifteen.
The Rangers froze, recognizing instantly that this was no ordinary enemy. His aura was suffocating, heavier than any monster they had faced.
Orion's eyes widened. "That's… a Rider?"
Troy grit his teeth. "No. That's something worse."
Fifteen's voice rumbled through the battlefield, calm yet menacing. "Power Rangers. You should not be here. This war is not yours."
Jake growled. "Yeah? Well, sorry—we don't really do 'stay out of it.'"
The four of them snapped open their Morphers, summoning new power. Keys twisted into place, energy surging through them as they transformed into Legendary Rangers, their suits shifting into forms from past teams.
Troy—Red Zeo Ranger.
Noah—Blue Mystic Ranger.
Jake—Green Samurai Ranger.
Orion—Silver Space Ranger.
Their weapons gleamed under the city lights, and with a battle cry they rushed forward.
Fifteen didn't move. Not at first. He stood tall, his skeletal mask fixed on them as if judging their worth. And then—he struck.
His blade swept forward in a single arc, the impact blasting all four Rangers backward in an explosion of sparks. They crashed hard into the pavement, their suits smoking.
"He's… fast," Noah gasped, pulling himself up.
Jake clenched his fists. "Doesn't matter. We just gotta hit harder!"
They attacked again, combining their powers into a coordinated assault. Fire, lightning, and steel converged on Fifteen from every direction. But he was relentless. His sword parried each strike with inhuman precision, his armor shrugging off their attacks as if they were nothing.
"You fight with courage," Fifteen said coldly, catching Troy's blade mid-swing. Sparks erupted as he twisted it aside, his free hand slamming into Troy's chest and sending him flying. "But courage does not equal strength."
Orion lunged from behind, his blade glowing. For a heartbeat, he thought he had an opening. But Fifteen turned without effort, striking Orion across the chest with such force that the Silver Ranger was hurled into a crumbling wall, the impact shaking the ground.
"Orion!" Noah shouted.
They regrouped, battered but not broken. Their suits flickered with strain, warning them that their powers were nearing their limits.
Troy wiped blood from the corner of his lip, his eyes burning with determination. "We're not giving up. No matter who you are—we're not letting you win!"
Fifteen tilted his head slightly, as if amused. "Foolish words. Noble… but foolish."
His blade crackled with energy as he stepped forward. Each strike that followed was like thunder, every blow landing with devastating weight. The Rangers countered, blocked, and retaliated, but for every hit they landed, Fifteen delivered three more.
Noah's visor cracked. Jake's armor sparked violently. Orion struggled to stand. Troy's sword shattered under the sheer force of Fifteen's weapon.
In minutes, the four of them were on their knees, their powers flickering and failing. The monster they had come to fight still rampaged in the distance, ignored by Fifteen as though it were insignificant. His sole focus was them.
Fifteen raised his blade high, energy swirling around it. The Rangers braced themselves for the final strike—yet it never came.
Instead, Fifteen paused. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his weapon.
"You fought well. Better than I expected." His voice was calm, almost respectful. "But your strength is not enough. Not against me."
He turned away, the bone-like edges of his armor catching the moonlight.
Troy forced himself up on one knee. "Wait! Why… why didn't you finish us?"
Fifteen stopped, looking back just long enough for his golden eyes to glow beneath the mask.
"Because Ohma Zi-O does not require your deaths. Only your despair."
And with that, he leapt into the shadows, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared.
The four Rangers lay battered in the wreckage, their bodies aching, their pride wounded even more. For the first time, they had fought with everything they had—and it hadn't even been close.
Noah clenched his fists, trembling with frustration. "He… he beat us like we were nothing."
Orion coughed, his voice ragged. "If he wanted to… we'd be dead right now."
Troy stared at the empty street where Fifteen had disappeared, his jaw tight. "Which means he's not done. And next time… we might not walk away."
The weight of those words pressed heavily on all of them. They had faced the Armada's worst before. But this… this was something else entirely.
And far away, Yuriko, Emma, and Gia had no idea that their friends had just come face-to-face with a Rider whose shadow threatened to consume them all.