--"But…you’re dead!" The Ronins couldn’t believe their eyes.

--"As with many things in this vast universe, young warriors, death is not permanent. When I gave my armor to Lady Kayura, my spirit left my body and went to rest with the ghosts of the departed Ancients. But my spirit was restless, not satisfied that I had truly redeemed myself in life. With the spectre of great evil threatening all life on Earth once more, I have been given new life and some of the power of the Ancients."

--"Not Talpa again." Kento moaned. "How many times do we gotta fight that creep?"

--"No Kento. Not Talpa. A Sisterhood of ancient goddesses bent on plunging this world into a new dark age. Astarte, Kali, and their leader, Hecate. War, Death, and Darkness. They will only be satisfied when order crumbles and fear reigns."

--"But, Anubis." Rowen said. "How can we fight them? We aren’t Ronin Warriors anymore."

--"You will always be Ronins, but I understand your meaning. Lady Kayura is being blocked from returning to this world by Hecate’s magic, but she was able to open a small hole. I have something for you." On the table lay the orbs they needed to take up their armors once again.

--Kento jumped up, ready for action. "Alright! Let’s smash those Sisters!"

--"There is more you need to know, Hardrock. You will not only face the Sisters, but perhaps the Sentinel Warriors, as well."

--"Never heard of them. Who are these Sentinel guys?"

--"After the Ancient One first defeated Talpa and forged the Ronin armors, others of his clan still feared Talpa’s return. They knew if he could reunite the armors, he would become whole again. Some of them decided to make a set of armor much like yours, but powered by the magic of this realm—not the Dynasty. As they were forged, they were sent out to seek worthy individuals and bond with them for life, waiting for Talpa’s return. Always seeking a new wearer when one would die."

--Ryo was confused. "Whoa. How come we never heard of these armors? Why weren’t they there to help us fight Talpa?"

--"Yeah. We could’ve used the help." Sai chimed in.

--"Something unexpected occurred. The lead armor, the Armor of War, came to a man named Gilgamesh who had been humbled by many tragic experiences. He fell into the company of a goddess of war called Astarte. He became her right hand, fighting at her side and killing many gods of the Sumer-Babylonian pantheon. But they were not strong enough to defeat the Greco-Roman gods and were imprisoned in another realm where they have been trapped for over a thousand years. The armors were made to be interdependent. Without the lead armor in this dimension, the others became dormant. They moved from person to person, but never manifested. Now that Gilgamesh has returned, the other three armors will awaken: Tundra, Gaea, and Occlusion. There was to be a fifth, but it was never completed."

--"This…this is just too much. A whole other set of armor." Kento plopped down on the sofa.

--Ryo was still confused. "But these are good guys, right? Why wouldn’t they help us?"

--"Astarte has the power to control the minds of mortal men. Hecate prides herself on knowing secrets. She’ll know about the other armors and want to use that to her advantage. She’ll want to control this new element in the game. With Astarte’s power she can."

--Mia’s head was pounding and…something else. There was a fire burning in her mind, a fire of knowledge. Things were becoming clearer to her, but she couldn't quite grasp everything. It was too much. Too soon. She opened her eyes to see Anubis staring at her. He smiled enigmatically and said, "You will be fine."

--Mia tried to get back to the discussion at hand. "But won’t the Ronins be vulnerable? This Astarte could control them, too."

--"No. Their armors will protect them. Her magic is Earthbound. She hasn’t the power to overcome the built-in defenses of Dynasty armor. But the Sentinels are fair game. With the Jewel of Life’s power, however, I could weave a protective aura around them."

--Sage smacked his fist into his palm. "Then we have to get to those Sentinels first. Let’s get the Jewel."

--Uli always kept it in a special box in his room. Ryo wanted to ask him to get it, but he suddenly noticed that Uli wasn’t around. "Uh, guys? Where’s Uli?"

--"Hey man. I don’t know. He was here a minute ago." Rowen looked around.

--Everyone started looking. He wasn’t in his room. Mia went to the box where Uli kept all the seashells and other "treasures" he’d found on the beach. The Jewel wasn’t there.

--Anubis came into the room, a grim expression on his face. "Young Uli is in grave danger. Ronins! You’ll need your armors. Come with me!" Anubis ran out the back door and headed for the woods. The others followed him, transforming on the way.

--Uli stood in the clearing where he’d seen his mom. "Is anybody there? Mom? Dad? I brought the Jewel." A voice from nowhere startled him.

--"Uli. You did it! You’ve saved us all. Put the Jewel down in front of you and step back. Then its magic will start working." Uli did as she said. Two figures stepped out of the shadows. An armored woman with intense eyes and blood-red hair and a big-shouldered warrior with scars on his face. The woman bent down to pick up the Jewel. It sprung to life in her hand, glowing with power before it subsided.

--"Put down that Jewel and back away if you know what’s good for you." Ryo and the others burst into the clearing. Uli turned to them in panic.

--"Ryo! What are you doing? That’s my Mom. I’m gonna save her and my Dad and all those other people! You gotta let the Jewel help them!"

--Mia stepped out from behind Ryo. She had a strange expression on her face, the symbol of truth emblazoned on her forehead. "No, Uli. That’s not your mother. Can’t you see that? ARMOR OF OCCLUSION!" A hazy mist rose around Mia’s feet, traveling upwards, spiraling around her. She was suddenly clad in grey and black armor. She pulled several shurikens from her gauntlets and threw them at Uli’s mom. They sparked with light as they passed through the spectre. Uli’s mom hissed in pain as darkling energy crackled around her. She suddenly transformed into a creature of shadow with glowing red eyes.

--"Mom?"

--She cackled, her voice no longer even human. "Stupid child! Your mother is dead. I am Hecate, goddess of dark magic. You and all your kind will soon tremble at my name once more."

--Kento stepped up. "Not if we can help it, lady!"

--Another figure emerged from the woods. "Hecate is certainly no lady. But I am, brash one. If you like to play games with death, them I am the woman for you. I am Kali, and I will bring you the death you court so vigorously."

--"Uh…is this a fight? Or are you asking me out?"

--She charged him with a blood-curdling wail. It was then Kento noticed she had four arms—a sharp weapon in each one.

--"I guess that means it’s a fight." Kento got his staff up to block two of her strikes, but jumped back barely in time to avoid being skewered by her other two blades.

--"Maybe we should try a long-distance relationship." Kento raised his staff. "IRON ROCK CRUSHER! He brought his staff low to the ground, ripping up the earth in a line straight for Kali. She gracefully dodged the wave of rocks flying at her. She smiled at him.

--"A warrior of destruction. I like that. Maybe I’ll let you live. Until I tire of you, of course." Kali kept drawing back until she had lured Kento away from the clearing—and his friends.

--Astarte and Gilgamesh used the same tactic on Sage, Sai, and Rowen. Attacking and retreating until they were separated from the others.

--Rowen turned to Gilgamesh. "Hey, man! You’re supposed to be one of the good guys, the Sentinels. She’s controlling you. You’ve got to break free and help us fight their evil."

--Gilgamesh’s expression was grim. "You don’t know what you speak of. I follow my own will as I always have. I am an immortal, immune to Astarte’s powers. I will fight you because war is my destiny."

--Sai raised his trident. "Then you’re going down with the rest of them. And you’re going down hard. SUPER WAVE SMASHER!" A torrent of water blasted Astarte and Gilgamesh. Astarte seemed only mildly fazed by the attack. Gilgamesh was knocked to the ground, dazed.

--Back in the clearing, Ryo tried to blast Hecate with his Flare attack, but she merely folded in on herself and expanded back out after the fire died. "Oh, man! This is gonna be a tough one." With a flick of her hands she sent out bolts of black energy—one at Ryo and one at White Blaze. Ryo dodged just in time. White Blaze was slammed into a tree, his fur singed from the blast. "White Blaze! Nooo! You’re going to pay for that, witch!" Ryo raised his sword ready to charge, when Anubis grabbed his arm.

--"You’re abilities are not best suited to fight hers. Help your friends. This battle is Mia’s."

--He turned to Mia. "Are you sure?"

--She stepped forward, a determined look on her face. "I’m sure."

--Ryo reluctantly ran off to find his friends who’d been lured deeper into the woods.

--Anubis spoke. "Mia, let instinct guide you. The armor will know what to do."

--She closed her eyes and sliced the air with her katana. "DARK FOG RISE! A grey mist rose up and reached out for Hecate. It was able to grab her intangible form, pulling her in several directions. She screamed in unearthly sounds. Like harsh smoke, her voice drifted through the woods, contacting the others. "Astarte, Gilgamesh, Kali! To me! Our powers may not be enough to fight them at this time. We have what we came for. There will be more battles later, when we are ready." They fought their way back to the clearing, Ronins right behind them. They moved near Hecate.

--Gilgamesh crossed his huge axes, SONIC SHOUT! HEEAAAAA!" A wave of sound crashed against the Ronins, Mia, Uli, and Anubis, knocking them to the ground. When they recovered their senses, the Dark Sisters and Gilgamesh were gone. They looked around to see the trees were flattened throughout the area.