I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 192 – Pivot

- Oliver -

Oliver's heart clenched as recognition set in. The metallic tang of blood hung heavily in the air, mingling with the sterile scent of the underground facility. Lian, the leader of the Children of the Past, lay motionless with a hand through his abdomen. His once-vibrant eyes stared lifelessly, and a crimson pool slowly expanded beneath both of them.

As Darius removed his hand, letting Lian fall to the ground, blood dripped from his gloved fingertips, each droplet joining the scarlet puddle at his feet. Darius's expression was inscrutable, a mask of detachment that sent a chill down Oliver's spine.

"Why?" Oliver stammered, his voice barely more than a whisper as he took a hesitant step forward. His mind raced, struggling to reconcile the scene before him. "You saw what he showed us. You saw the other bases. We know the Empire is evil."

Darius turned his gaze toward Oliver, eyes cold and unyielding. "And yet, you lack the power to oppose the Empire," he replied evenly. "Neither you nor they ever stood a chance. With a mere gesture, they can deploy monstrosities far more powerful than I am, capable of obliterating everything. Meanwhile, other enemies surround us, waiting for our internal strife to leave us vulnerable."

"No," Oliver insisted, shaking his head vehemently. "The war can be stopped."

"By whom?" Darius challenged, arching an eyebrow. His tone was laced with skepticism as he assessed Oliver, measuring his resolve.

"By the Emperor. He just needs to choose peace," Oliver declared, hope tinging his words.

Darius let out a mirthless chuckle. "Which means the war will continue. Oliver, nothing will change. Neither you nor I have the power to alter that." He stepped closer. "In this game, we're merely pieces reacting to moves made by greater forces."

"You're wrong," Oliver retorted, his fists clenching. "Maybe until now, I've only been reacting. But after what I've seen in those labs, I refuse to be a passive player any longer."

A flicker of curiosity crossed Darius's face. "And what do you intend to do?" he inquired, a hint of genuine interest coloring his voice.

"I'm going to finish what they started," Oliver declared, his eyes steeling with determination.

"A pity," Darius sighed. "I knew that eventually, I might receive orders to end you. I had hoped it would be later, not now."

"You don't have to do this," Oliver urged, taking a cautious step forward. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

Darius regarded him coolly, wiping the lingering blood from his hand with a dismissive flick. "Oliver, I know you're strong," he acknowledged. "But, I'm sorry to say. Not strong enough."

"How much time do we have? Ten minutes?" Darius asked.

"A little more than that," Oliver replied, glancing at his gauntlet.

"Not enough time to get back via the elevator," Darius mused.

"No. Not via the elevator," Oliver confirmed, his mind racing. "But there must be another way out. They would have planned for an emergency evacuation. Maybe there's a mecha bay."

Darius considered this, his brow furrowing. "Perhaps. That means we don't have ten minutes, we have five, to make it out in time."

"Exactly," Oliver agreed, taking a deep breath and steadying himself.

Without warning, Darius sprang into action. He launched himself at Oliver with a speed that belied his size, unleashing a barrage of punches. Each strike was precise and powerful. Oliver met him blow for blow, their fists clashing with resonant thuds. The air around them cracked with kinetic energy, each impact sending shockwaves that rattled loose debris from the ceiling.

Every collision was solid and explosive, the force of their combat echoing like thunder in the confined space. The walls of the facility amplified the sounds. But despite Oliver's skill, it was clear the fight was one-sided.

Darius's attacks were relentless, each one more ferocious than the last. His fists blurred as he targeted vital points, attempting to break through Oliver's defenses. To Oliver's dismay, Darius wasn't even wearing his Ranger Armor. The sheer power he exhibited in his unenhanced state was overwhelming.

Sweat dripped down Oliver's brow as he deflected another strike, his arms numb from the repeated impacts.

Finally, their fists met in a head-on collision. The force of the impact generated a shockwave that rippled outward, causing the entire facility to shudder. Overhead lights flickered, and a fine dust drifted down from the tremor.

'I haven't activated Prometheus yet,' Oliver thought desperately. 'I can still fix this without resorting to my trump card.' He hoped to incapacitate Darius without having to use the Green Armor.

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"Darius!" Oliver shouted over the din, sidestepping a vicious uppercut. "We don't need to fight! We can escape the Empire together. We were trained for this, to disappear, to change our identities."

But Darius's expression remained impassive, his eyes steely with determination. Oliver's words seemed to bounce off him like bullets against armor.

"There's no point in pleading, Oliver," Darius replied coldly, his voice echoing in the chamber. "There's only one way this ends."

He lunged forward, delivering a thunderous punch that Oliver barely managed to block. The impact numbed his forearm, and he was forced back several steps.

'I don't even know what his boon is,' Oliver mused, wincing at the pain radiating up his arm. 'Is he already using it? Something that enhances his strength?'

Darius paused, a faint sigh escaping his lips. "It would be better if you just surrendered," he said, a hint of weariness in his tone. "I hate having to use this armor."

Oliver watched intently as Darius closed his eyes, concentrating. Tiny sparks of energy began to flicker around him, like fireflies gathering in the twilight. The air grew heavy with charged particles, and a low hum resonated through the room.

There was no opportunity to interrupt. Oliver used the precious seconds to strategize, his mind racing. 'His armor… I've never seen it deployed before. What am I up against?'

The sparks intensified, coalescing into streams of energy that swirled around Darius's form. The light grew brighter, forcing Oliver to shield his eyes. When the glare subsided, Darius stood clad in a suit of armor unlike any Oliver had ever seen.

The Ranger Armor enveloped him completely, the material a deep, iridescent purple that seemed to absorb and refract the surrounding light. Intricate silver patterns traced along the armored plates, their designs mesmerizing. The helmet's visor glowed faintly, obscuring his features.

"It's uncomfortable, to say the least," Darius remarked, attempting to move within his newly summoned armor. His movements were stiff, each gesture labored as if the suit resisted him.

‘Low synchronization?’ Oliver speculated internally, observing Darius's hardship. ‘Perhaps.’

Seizing the moment, Oliver drew his twin daggers. He advanced swiftly, every muscle poised for the confrontation.

[Observation]

Activating his boon, Oliver's vision sharpened. Time seemed to slow as he anticipated Darius's defensive maneuvers. He adjusted his strategy accordingly, aiming to exploit any openings. But even with the enhancement, Darius's speed in the armor was astounding, far exceeding Oliver's expectations. The armor amplified his agility to a level that strained even the predictive capabilities of [Observation].

Darius met Oliver's assault head-on. His fist collided with the twin daggers, and upon impact, the blades shattered into energy fragments, disintegrating before Oliver's eyes. The sheer force left Oliver momentarily stunned.

‘What?’ Oliver's mind raced as he attempted to re-summon the daggers, but nothing happened. The weapons remained dormant, unresponsive to his commands. ‘Damn,’ he cursed under his breath. A cold realization settled in; his options were dwindling.

Oliver's hope of incapacitating Darius without causing serious harm was fading rapidly. He knew that escalating the battle could have irreversible consequences.

‘If I resort to the Green Ranger armor,’ he contemplated grimly, ‘I can't let him leave here alive. And he wouldn't let me leave alive either.’

Darius observed him with an unreadable expression. "Given up already?" he inquired.

"Not yet," Oliver replied, attempting to keep his tone steady. "If we leave now, we can lower some of the PODs before the explosion and find a way out."

Darius's face hardened. "No chance. Oliver, I don't care who's in those PODs or what happens to them," he retorted. "I only know the people from the Silo. They're my whole life. What do you think they'll do to the children if they find out I betrayed the Empire?"

He continued, his voice edged with bitterness. "At the very least, they'll torture them, trying to extract information. Where I am, what I've done, where I intended to go. I won't risk putting them in danger."

Darius raised both of his hands, a gesture that was both a warning and a preparation for further combat.

"I understand," Oliver nodded slowly. "It seems there's no easy solution here. I'm sorry, Darius, and thank you for looking out for me in the Sixth Division. But I have no intention of going back."

[Green Crystal – Activate]

The blue armor enveloping Oliver began to dissolve, breaking apart into shimmering particles of energy. In its place, a new armor materialized. The green armor seared against his skin, a fiery agony coursing through his body. Even with his increasing compatibility, the connection was excruciating.

"So that's where your confidence comes from," Darius remarked, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the new armor.

"Yes," Oliver gritted out, his teeth clenched against the searing discomfort.

[Prometheus]

There was no time to prolong the battle. Oliver channeled all the energy he could muster into his right fist. An intense white flame ignited around his hand. The very air seemed to vibrate with power, a palpable tension building as energy crackled around him.

Darius mirrored the action, gathering his own energy. The purple hues of his armor intensified, arcs of electricity dancing across its surface.

Without another word, both rangers propelled themselves forward, the ground beneath them fracturing from the force of their launch. They aimed their empowered fists at each other, the trajectories set for a cataclysmic collision at the center of the chamber.

Time seemed to stretch as they closed the distance. Oliver's senses heightened; he could hear the hum of Darius's armor and feel the heat of his own energy surging. Every detail etched itself into his mind.

But the anticipated impact never came.

Just as they were about to collide, a blinding explosion erupted between them. The clash of their energies detonated, creating a massive shockwave that engulfed the entire space. The roar was deafening.

Oliver was thrown backward, the force of the blast overwhelming. He tumbled through the air before crashing into a wall. Debris rained down around him as he struggled to regain his bearings. The green armor flickered, its energy fluctuating from the strain.

The force of Darius's punch never reached him. The energy of [Prometheus] destroyed and absorbed everything in front of it until nothing remained.