--They stood under a warm sun in the middle of a dead village. They looked around to see only decay and destruction. Old skulls lay in the dust of the walkways. Gilgamesh had seen the village several times before, so he tried walking through it without looking too closely. The others were horrified and slowed their pace. Gilgamesh urged them to speed up. "Hecate’s villa is over there, at the top of that hill. We must hurry before she senses our presence."

--Mia stopped them. "Wait up everyone! We can’t just run up there and attack. We have to follow a plan. Anubis and I were up late last night thinking of the best ways to beat them. We need to discuss it before we get there. Don’t worry, my fog is making us invisible to her senses. She doesn’t even know we’re here. Anubis?"

--"Based on all of your abilities and what we’ve discerned of their weaknesses, Mia and I have devised a strategy employing teams."

--Something about that bothered Ryo. "You guys were up late? You should’ve called us and we could’ve all talked this out together."

--"We didn’t want to disturb you guys. You were all so tired. Anubis and I were having trouble sleeping anyway."

--Sai spoke up. "Teams? Why can’t we fight them like we always fight—together?"

--Anubis shook his head. "Fire has no effect on Hecate, so the Inferno armor will be useless against her and will only make you weak afterwards. The Dark Sisters have also managed to separate us in previous encounters. We cannot let them take charge in this battle. We must take the initiative and split them up in ways that make the best use of our powers.

Kali is a creature of death--life is anathema to her. Sage and Sai must fight her. Sage’s element is spirit and Sai’s is water, the great source of life. Ryo, Rowen, and Zoe should face Zane. Fire and air can combat ice and I think Zoe may surprise us yet with what she can do. Kento, Mia, and I will face Hecate. I don’t know how much power she has gleaned from the Jewel--we will probably need everyone’s help as soon as possible. In the meantime, Hardrock can destroy her base of operations while Mia and I fight her with the Armor of Occlusion and the light of the Ancients. Occlusion has proven able to hurt her and such a creature of darkness probably has a low tolerance for bright light. And finally, Gilgamesh and Trace should face Astarte. You two have fought together before many times. Gilgamesh also knows Astarte’s battle techniques and, perhaps, may have some influence over her."

--Gligamesh was perplexed. "How did you know yesterday to make plans that included me?"

--Anubis smiled. "I had faith in Trace’s instincts and Mia had faith in her own. We knew we would meet up with you as an ally at either Mia’s or here." He addressed them all. "We can proceed to the hilltop under the cover of Mia’s fog." Anubis saw that Ryo still seemed somewhat antagonistic in the way he stood and looked at Anubis. When they started off on the trail, Anubis slowed his pace to match Ryo’s. When the two of them lagged slightly behind the others, Anubis broke the uncomfortable silence. His tone was matter-of-fact, but slightly disappointed. "Your feelings are plain to me, even if you think you are being discreet. Your resentment of my closeness to Mia is unfounded. Mia’s regard is very important to me. For a thousand years I existed for Talpa’s will—nothing, no one else mattered. After the Ancient One freed me from Talpa’s power, Mia and Uli were the first people to forgive my past and accept me as a friend. Her friendship is precious to me, but friendship is all it is. Would you begrudge me this because of jealousy? Speak to her of your feelings, you may find she is not so unreceptive as you fear." Anubis caught up to the others, leaving an ashamed Ryo with a lot to think about.

--They soon came upon the courtyard of the villa, but it appeared strangely quiet. Kali stood on the top of a crumbling column. "Though she could not sense you, Hecate knew you would come here sooner or later. We have been waiting for you. Now you will be rewarded for your cleverness. I give you the gift of death! Feel my embrace!" She jumped down to face them, twisting in the air like a silent whirlwind. Everything about her was fluid. A blast of arctic air smacked them from behind. Astarte and Loki stood poised for battle behind them.

--Anubis whispered, "Remember. Do not let them dictate the terms of this fight. Separate them."

--Sai pointed his trident at Kali and shouted, "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!" She avoided the brunt of his blast, but it managed to maneuver her a little away from the courtyard. Sage got the idea and started using his ‘thunder bolt cut’ in concert with Sai’s attacks to force her even further away from the others.

--Loki tried to blast the group again, but Ryo shielded them all, melting the icy blasts. Ryo called, "FLARE UP NOW!" and reigned fire on Loki. Loki staggered back from the heat. Astarte rushed in, blade drawn to attack Ryo, but Gilgamesh blocked her blow.

--"So, Gilgamesh. Not only do you forsake me, but you oppose me openly, as well. We should be fighting together, as we have so many times before."

--"I do not oppose you so much as I oppose your actions. Turn from this path and we can fight side by side against Hecate’s evil." Astarte’s emotions were in such turmoil that she didn’t even realize that as they fought, Gilgamesh was forcing her away from the villa entrance, Trace right behind him.

--A dazed Loki regained his equilibrium to find himself facing Ryo and Rowen. Zoe hid behind a pile of rubble, not knowing what she should do. Loki tried a different approach. He drove his spear into the dirt, freezing the ground all around them. Deadly spikes of ice sprung up from the frozen earth, keeping Ryo and Rowen off-balance while he prepared another blast attack. Rowen drew an arrow and shouted, "ARROW SHOCK WAVE!" He let it loose and its power shattered the ice spikes.

--Back at the villa, Anubis called Kento to him. "Hardrock. Bring down the villa."

--"You got it!" Hardrock yelled, "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" A fault opened up running right to Hecate’s home, demolishing the building. A shadow seeped up from the rubble.

--"Fools! Destroying my surroundings does nothing! A feeble attempt to stop me at best. Even though the optimal time for my incantation would have been in two nights, it is not imperative I wait until then. The spell will not be as stable or as powerful if I do it now, but I can always strengthen it later—after you and all your friends are dead!"