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"Summon the Zords!!!"
The roar tore through the sky, thick with madness.
It was so intense that Zayne could literally feel the desperation and killing intent emanating from the fallen squad leader.
The retreating squad members froze at the command. They exchanged conflicted glances. Yes, they had ambitions. Yes, they wanted control—another SPD headquarters on another planet, authority, status.
But not like this.
Their lives meant more than a promotion.
They couldn't understand why their leader had gone this far over a position that could've been earned slowly, strategically.
Even Zayne was puzzled, confused as to why this particular mission was making a leader of a ranger team act like this. It was not normal.
Seeing his team hesitate, Red's eyes flared with even greater insanity beneath his visor.
"Damn it!" he snarled. "You forced me. I'll risk it all!"
He gritted his teeth and rapidly dialed a hidden code into his Morpher.
Far away—thousands of meters from the battlefield—metal groaned.
Inside an SPD base, a towering machine stirred.
A colossal Megazord, nearly rivaling a skyscraper in height, trembled as dormant systems activated. Its body jerked once… twice… then its optic sensors flared to life in a violent glow.
The A-Squad Megazord.
Formed from A-Squad Runners 1 through 5—massive, weaponized counterparts of standard SPD cruisers—it was a symbol of elite authority.
Normally, summoning and combining the Zords required the team to lead each runner, but Red used a mysterious code and bypassed it.
As for how Red accomplished that, only he knows.
Red forced himself upright, his arrogance shattered and replaced entirely by mania. He stared at Zayne, and for the first time—
Jealousy.
Raw. Bitter.
"If only I had this power," Red thought darkly. "My sister wouldn't have been taken by that bastard."
His grief twisted into something uglier.
The chaotic aura surrounding him shifted.
What had once been an indistinct darkness solidified into a tangible, suffocating green energy that expanded outward like a spreading plague.
As it touched the remaining SPD members, their bodies stiffened.
Their Ranger suits dematerialized.
Their eyes glazed over.
They stared blankly at the ground, unresponsive—like puppets whose strings had been cut.
The green wave rolled toward Zayne and his team.
But the moment it reached them—
It dissolved.
Skill: Innocence activated effortlessly, neutralizing the influence.
His team exhaled in relief.
They were unaffected.
Only Zayne's eyes sharpened with interest.
"The aura of Greed is this intense…" he murmured. "He's almost completely demonized. I should stop this."
Yes. The spreading green force was Greed itself.
The fallen SPD Rangers were trapped in illusions—visions of ultimate success. Wealth beyond measure. Authority without limits. Power that bent entire systems.
Their deepest desires realized. It was bliss.
And if left unchecked, they would never wake.
Then—
"Hehe… hehehe… Hahahaha!"
Red's laughter echoed unnaturally, sending a chill through the battlefield.
It didn't sound human.
It sounded layered—like two voices speaking in disturbing harmony.
"Ha…"
The laughter cut off abruptly.
Silence.
In the next instant, Red's battered body restored itself completely. Armor sealed. Fractures gone.
His aura surged violently, climbing to C+ tier.
Zayne's expression shifted slightly.
Before he could act—
A new voice spoke.
"Hmm~, this vessel is acceptable."
It was Red's body.
But not Red's tone.
Indifference dripped from every word.
A crushing pressure descended, directed solely at Zayne and his team.
Zayne looked at it calmly.
Then he snorted.
"Hmph. Trying to scare me with only this much aura? You look down on me too much."
He lifted his hand casually.
The oppressive force shattered like glass.
His team behind him didn't even flinch. They had endured far worse during training. Zayne had tempered them with pressures that could crush steel.
This?
Nothing.
And Zayne himself—
He wasn't an ordinary C+ tier being.
He stood infinitely close to B-tier.
The gap between him and others in the same classification was astronomical.
While Zayne's side remained composed, the unconscious Squad A wasn't so fortunate.
The lingering shockwave from the demonic pressure collided with them brutally, tearing them out of their illusions.
They were blasted backward, fully powered down, and rendered unconscious upon impact.
"Oh?"
The entity inhabiting Red's body tilted its head slightly.
Its eyebrows rose in faint surprise.
"Interesting. I can't even see through him."
'Red' tried to peer through Zayne's Ranger form, attempting to see the face beneath the helmet.
All it saw was a void.
A depthless darkness that swallowed its gaze whole.
For a brief second, its vision even stung—as if something had pushed back.
Then—
"Hmph. Ants."
'Red' snorted in disdain as it glanced at the unconscious Squad A members scattered across the ground.
Weak.
Pathetic.
They had crumbled at the slightest overwhelming force.
But in truth, they weren't weak.
Squad A had cleared missions far above their designated danger levels without casualties. They were elite.
The only reason they had fallen apart today was simple.
They provoked a monster like Zayne.
And now they were standing in front of something even worse.
'Red' lifted his head slightly, sensing the A-Squad Megazord rapidly approaching. It would arrive within a minute.
Time was short.
He turned back to Zayne, greed flickering beneath his visor.
"Ranger… why not join me?" 'Red' asked, voice smooth and dangerously tempting. "You're strong. I'm strong. Together we could rule this planet… even the galaxy. Nothing would stand in our way."
Zayne didn't respond immediately.
He simply stared.
Silent.
Then—
"Who… or what are you?" Zayne asked calmly, his voice low yet clear.
His team straightened slightly, curiosity evident even behind their helmets. They wanted answers too.
The moment the question landed, 'Red's' posture grew even more imposing. A transcendent aura flared outward.
"I am the 27th Sin of Greed," it declared. "Future ruler of the Chaotic Galaxy. Supreme Lord of Wealth and Wonder. Say my name, and you shall receive power. Speak my true name, and all your problems shall be solved."
The words carried weight.
They felt ritualistic—like an ancient incantation woven into reality itself. To most beings, such a proclamation would cloud judgment, bend knees, invite submission.
Except—
Zayne remained completely unfazed.
So did his team.
To him, this so-called Sin of Greed sounded like someone rambling in full chuunibyou fashion.
It was dramatic.
Almost embarrassing.
As for ruling the galaxy?
Zayne's goal lay far beyond that—multiversal horizons and greater mysteries. A single galaxy was insignificant.
The Sin of Greed faltered.
"How is he unmoved?" it thought. "Isn't he human?"
Every time it declared its name, even the strongest wavered—if only for a fraction of a second.
But this Ranger?
Nothing.
Worse, the team behind him was unaffected too.
The Sin of Greed immediately concluded that the anomaly was Zayne himself.
With the Megazord nearly upon them, it abandoned pretense.
"Fine. If you won't submit… then prepare to die."
It shot upward and, in a flicker of warped energy, teleported into the incoming Megazord.
Rumble—
The A-Squad Megazord landed with seismic force. The surrounding city blocks trembled. Skyscrapers swayed—before stabilizing instantly under the protection of the Innocence skill.
Zayne looked up at the towering machine staring down at him.
Without hesitation, the Megazord lifted its massive leg, intending to crush him in one decisive blow.
Boom—
The mechanical limb descended like divine judgment.
Too fast for his team.
Not too fast for him.
Baam!
Zayne raised one hand and blocked it.
With a sharp push, he forced the colossal machine backward. The Megazord stumbled several steps before regaining balance.
"This is stronger than most Megazords I've fought," Zayne assessed calmly. "But bringing out the Shark Zord would be overkill. The White Tiger will suffice."
He sent the command.
"Summon the White Tiger Zord."
A radiant, multicolored portal tore open midair. From within, a majestic white mechanical tiger leapt out, landing gracefully as it roared to the sky.
At the same time, a white tiger saber materialized in Zayne's hand.
"Wuwuu… Master, you finally summoned me," it spoke in a playful, genderless tone.
Zayne chuckled softly. "Sorry, Saba. I've been using the Shark Zord too often. I neglected you. But I promise—I'll use you more from now on."
If a weapon could pout, Saba was definitely doing it.
"Fine… it's a promise," Saba replied, sounding less aggrieved.
Zayne smiled faintly before turning to his team.
"Stay back. Scout for anything unusual. I'll handle this Sin myself."
They nodded without hesitation.
They understood.
He teleported into the White Tiger Zord's cockpit.
"Initiate Tiger Mode."
Inside the pristine white control chamber, a glowing disk representing the White Tiger Zord floated before him.
At his command, it spun rapidly—transforming into a vortex.
Time seemed to slow.
The White Tiger Zord shifted into a more agile, streamlined combat form. Majestic. Predatory.
The Sin of Greed observed the transformation in a split second. Startled—but not panicked.
"Hmph. Prepare to die, human."
The Megazord lunged forward with a crushing right hook.
Baam—
The Tiger Zord dodged effortlessly and retaliated with razor-sharp claws.
Slash—
Sparks erupted from the Megazord's chest.
Enraged, it followed with a calculated left hook, predicting the Tiger Zord's movement.
Fwoosh—
The mechanical arm tore through the air with devastating pressure.
Inside the cockpit, Zayne's eyes remained calm.
He increased the Omni-Force output.
The Tiger Zord surged with enhanced speed and strength.
Swiish! Swiish! Slash! Slash!
It blurred across the battlefield, striking from multiple angles in rapid succession.
The Sin of Greed grew furious.
It couldn't comprehend the sudden spike in power.
Nor could it accept being pressured by a Ranger of "no renown."
If it lost now, the vessel would reject it entirely—sealing it away for years.
Unacceptable.
Without hesitation, it began burning the vessel's lifespan to fuel more power.
Boom—
A suffocating aura exploded outward, distorting the sky and shaking the earth. Only the Innocence skill kept the environment intact.
Inside the cockpit of the Megazord—
Red's body began to age.
Five years—gone.
Ten years—gone.
Thirty years—
Fifty—
His hair turned white. His skin withered. Internal organs began failing.
But the Sin of Greed didn't care.
This wasn't its true body.
"As long as I get that stone, I'll leave immediately," the Sin of Greed gritted its teeth as it attacked the Tiger Zord once more.
"Master, the Zord before us is getting more powerful by the second," Saba spoke anxiously. "We should stop it now."
"I know, Saba. I've been waiting for this moment," Zayne replied calmly.
Saba was puzzled by that response, but it trusted its master completely and didn't question further.
Inside the A-Squad Megazord, the Sin of Greed gathered every ounce of stolen vitality and channeled it into the chest core.
"Chest…" it commanded slowly, its voice strained.
Spark!
Green lightning began to flicker violently around the Megazord's chest.
"Lightning…"
The energy intensified, multiplying rapidly. The air crackled as the storm above darkened slightly, influenced by the unnatural surge.
Zzzttt— Spark!
"Barra—"
Before the final word could leave its mouth—
A radiant beam tore through the heavens.
Zoom!
It descended like divine judgment, faster than thought.
The Sin of Greed felt it.
A chill of pure despair.
Of death.
It twisted around instantly—
Too late.
Pierce!!
The beam impaled the A-Squad Megazord effortlessly, ripping through metal and corrupted energy alike.
The explosion that followed was catastrophic.
Boom!!!
The Megazord detonated mid-charge, fragments scattering across the battlefield in an apocalyptic display of sparks and debris. The combined Runners were blasted apart, crashing down in separate directions.
But the beam didn't stop.
It continued forward.
Straight toward the White Tiger Zord.
Zayne's eyes remained calm, though a flicker of intrigue passed through them.
"Tsk, tsk… ruthless indeed."
Without hesitation, he launched himself out of the Tiger Zord, his body flipping mid-air as he activated Stage 2 of his Omni-Form.
The radiant crimson armor enveloped him, gleaming under the sunlight. Sleek. Majestic. Dominating.
But there was no time to admire it.
The beam was already upon him.
As the blinding light closed in, Zayne coated both hands in solidified Omni-Force and punched forward.
Boom—
Energy clashed against energy.
The collision tore through the air, shockwaves rippling outward as the two forces struggled to overpower one another.
But whoever had thrown that beam had severely underestimated Zayne.
With a slight increase of force, he pushed forward—
The beam shattered and was sent spiraling away.
Clang!
It struck the ground, revealing its true form—
A spear.
Zayne floated calmly in mid-air, red armor glowing faintly as fragments of light dissipated around him.
His gaze lifted toward the sky.
"Aren't you a little too rude?"