On Fire (Power Rangers Samurai)

106 - Bomb / Shrivel

Ito seemed so broken that all Antonio needed was to knock him over, just so he could lay down and die.

Antonio approached Ito first, readying to swing at him. But as he swung, his sword caught nothing but air.

It seemed impossible for Ito to have such stealth as a zombie. And although Antonio kept coming after him, he couldn't put the finishing move on Ito.

Ito finally responded with a slash that almost got Antonio's neck, making him centimeters away from death. Even in his current state, Ito was still going for lethal moves.

As Ito plunged his sword downward, Antonio defended himself by meeting Ito's sword with his own.

As their weapons pushed against each other, Antonio didn't expect to struggle so much.

But clearly, Ito had the advantage with gravity on his side. While Antonio was at an awkward angle, straining his back.

The atmosphere intensified as Antonio was lost ground and Ito's sword neared his body.

Antonio struggled with all of his strength, his face turning red as he engaged all of his muscles. He couldn't help but miss the strength boost of his samuraizer.

As his body was beginning to give out, another sword joined the clash, pushing with Antonio. It was easier to win with Mia on board, and together they toppled Ito.

But Mia still could hardly stand with her pain and the fogginess in her head, causing her to take a knee.

"Mia, you should get back." Antonio was thankful, but concerned.

Antonio looked towards Ito, seeing a strange object hurled towards their direction.

The object came in contact with them before he could fully process it, letting out a fiery burst that expanded outwards and blew them away.

The two rangers were thrown in separate directions, enduring burns and harsh landings on the stone ground.

Heaving through the smoke, Ito was the only one standing, though blood emptied out of his pale body.

His legs twisted into a stagger, heading towards the rangers who remained in silence and stillness.

He dragged his sword stubbornly even though his body couldn't physically bare it any longer.

Finally before his target, Ito tried to lift his sword to finish off the red ranger before him. But it slipped.

His own blood made the sword slippery, and now Jayden's hand weakly clenched the blade, not allowing it to move.

Seeing no use of his bloody sword, Ito dropped it, causing Jayden to let go of it as well.

Ito had one more bomb.

He could throw it at Jayden, catching Mike and Emily as well.

As Ito reached for his final resort, Jayden understood what he was doing, but could merely watch.

If only he had even the slightest amount of energy, he would try to escape what was before him. But if he could somehow jump out of the way and save himself, how could he leave Mike and Emily at Ito's mercy?

Jayden closed his eyes, shielding himself from the sight of a bullet piercing through Ito's chest. Then another one punching through his shoulder. Then finally, right through his head.

The sound of bullets ringing made their ears pop before continuing to echo throughout the quiet atmosphere.

The shakiness in Mia's arms spread throughout her entire body as she clenched onto her gun, the gun Jen gifted her.

Mia was so stunned that she couldn't let her weary body relax, continuing to tensely point her gun at Ito while looking past the burns on her hands.

The bullethole in Ito's chest began to dry up into a gaping hole, which only expanded outwards. His other bullet holes followed in its footsteps, shriveling into grayness and rotting him from the inside out.

The blood on his body boiled into gold, shaping into gold armor enwrapping a broken interior.

A thorny golden crown, a green tunic, and the t-rex skulls on his shoulders. It was the deformed shape of Serrator, dying and creaking and crumbling.

A nighlok desperately clinging on to life, but tortuously melting in the human world. Polluting the air with the putrid scent of the other world.

A croak of some sort escaped his mouth as his throat dried up and solidified.

Gray particles of Serrator began to rise into the air, up towards the moon in the late afternoon sky.

Mia and Jayden's vision of Serrator's oblivion became less detailed in the dark. But they could see Serrator's silhouette fade into nothingness.

a/n

For so many months, I've been planning for Serrator to come back this way. It feels surreal now that I've finally published it. I'm really happy it's out