After Ling gets the twelfth book from Lilith, Tang goes to the hallway where they had the forks and in this she uses a spell to signal that she had already taken the book to the ten witches.
- (Shit... I got the book, but what about Wu? Where is she? )
Meanwhile in a place far from there, where Wu was hiding, it seemed to be a wooden room where on the outside he was making a noise that seemed to be engine noise. Tang opened her eyes to the meditation she was doing and from there opened the door to the place where she was standing. It was Rhiannon.
- (They didn't even realize it, but I had entered here a little after the eleven jumped, I passed by a little... I hope the person who is flying thinks he is just a shooting star).
Athena was in the cockpit watching the landscape and reflecting on the girls' mission, Meridies was looking worried, until she heard some steps in the aircraft and a little strange.
- (Someone didn't come? Why am I hearing steps? Is it something in my head? As far as I can remember they were all together and they all jumped, that includes even Hoffen... She may be a foot in the bag, but it was together. So who is here?)
Athena shrugged and just kept piloting as if nothing had happened until Wu appeared behind the Meridies without her noticing, shortly she realized she had a shadow on her and the lombard started swallowing saliva.
- How wonderful fate is.
Says Wu with a malicious smile.
Athena hearing Wu's voice starts to get tense, her beats are agitated, the skin that was already pale becomes even more pale, the Meridies was a stone of such fear, little by little the reflection of the glass showed part of Tang's silhouette that was smiling.
- What's the matter a cat bit your tongue? Are you surprised with my little visit? Did you really think I would be with your girls? They must be trying their luck facing my best witches, I knew they would show up, now kindly tell me where are the eleven missing Lilith books. You have no choice I will kill you anyway.
Says Wu passing her hand over Athena's shoulder.
- (Shit... It's not the girls who are going to die... It's me who's going to die... Hera... Demeter... Persephone... Aphrodite... Mama loves you... Unfortunately I'll have to get the books... Sorry girls... But I'm going to die anyway; I hope you at least get Wu with Ling's help).
- Come on! Say something, move, don't want me to kill you right here!
Says Wu.
- You don't want to kill who is flying this aircraft; it can explode and catch fire to the point where all the books burn together, so I think it's best not to get excited.
Says Athena trying to be more serious.
- Ah then put this thing down and give me the books.
Says Wu.
Athena then lands the aircraft in a forest region, which ends up damaging much of it, including the wing engines and even making the wings fall until finally Rhiannon stops in the middle of the whole forest. The Meridies shuts down the aircraft's engines and stands up, but before leaving through the cockpit door, Wu takes the hand of the Lombard.
- Before I kill you and get the book I want to do something with you.
Says Wu blushing and with a malicious smile.
- What are you thinking of doing?
Says Athena terrified.
- Take off your clothes and let's go to a place you want from the aircraft, I want to experience your body here and now.
Says Wu while undressing.
- (That's all I needed... Besides being killed I have to satisfy this maniac sexually... Worse than I have no choice... I will do this so that at least I can extend my life... So who knows, I might give the girls time to get here).
In this Athena takes off her clothes and goes to one of the rooms where she starts to make a relationship with Wu, as much as she doesn't want to, it was a way to try to earn what she could from time.
Meanwhile in Changan's palace, Ling was in the fork room signaling for the girls to return and soon Chenoa and Marianne arrived, who were being followed by several witches soldiered along the way, who were killed on the spot by Tang who also took the opportunity to seal the passage of that part after Ayana and Hoffen passed by.
- Whew... That was close... This place is in chaos, we couldn't find the book and we ended up in the soldiers' lodging, but it's a good thing that you signaled that you already got the book; now all that's left is for the others to arrive.
Says Chenoa panting.
- It was horrible... I'm never coming back to this place again... So many people were just following orders and we killed.
Says Marianne.
- It was to kill or die, as you had said. But it's very strange that I found the book so easily... Wu is not here.
Says Ling.
- What do you mean? You are sure that this book is true.
Says Marianne shocked.
- This is without a doubt Lilith's book, but I need to wait for all of you to show up, we need to get out of here as soon as possible and then we will talk about where Wu is.
Says Ling.
Meanwhile in the corridor where Beatrix and Woodward were, the girls ended up in the palace bathrooms, facing the huge empty room with the swimming pools that had fish adornments and statues of women holding vases that came out of the water.
- What a beautiful place...
Says Beatrix.
- What a cruel empress she has as an artist, this palace is very beautiful... What a waste... We could have such a bathroom in our future home.
Says Woodward.
- Apparently it's not here, so let's go back to the middle and wait for the girls.
Says Beatrix shrugging.
- Let's go!
Says Woodward.
Woodward and Beatrix saw each other and went the way they left so they could return to the central corridor with the forks. Anna and Hera are others who make even when they noticed that they had arrived at the palace kitchen, only this time they had to go another way, which they took a broom and jumped the window out of the palace. Harriet and Freya noticed that on the way to the throne room they had only the royal rooms and with this they also decided to go back to the hall. So all the girls were already practically coming back and going towards Ling.
The time went by every second that couples passed through the corridors, some of them were not so different, only had the presence of a witch guard or another who tried to use other routes through the palace to reach the central corridor.
Away from there after almost 30 minutes trying to gain time, Athena and Wu were both lying naked next to each other on the bed and in this Tang gets down on her knees on Meridies' legs and faces her with a more serious expression.
- It was good while it lasted, but I can't roll here, I know you must have tried to buy time. But I calculated everything, now get the books.
Says Wu with a more serious expression.
- Okay... At least let me give the girls a message...
Says Athena crying.
- I will be benevolent, just because of the ten books, since I will leave one here so your daughter can have a wonderful surprise.
Says Wu with a wicked smile.
Athena gets up from bed, gets dressed and from there goes with Wu to the place where she kept the twelve books, taking the book she had in her hands since before the journey began, while Tang took the other books. After that they go to the table in the main room and from there Meridies begins to write a letter, until the time she was finishing on the last line.
Athena Meridies dies on October 31, 625, after being punctured in the stomach region with a purple energy spell, being killed by Wu Tang.
After killing Athena, Wu looks at Meridies' dead body and gives an evil smile followed by laughter, until she decides to take her broom and leave there carrying a bag that had 10 Lilith's books, possibly towards the place from where it is necessary to leave all the books and thus transport herself to the goddess.
Meanwhile back at Changan's palace, all eleven girls finally arrive in the central corridor with the forks and were finally able to gather, the last to arrive being Harriet and Freya.
- Finally.
Says Marianne.
- So you found the book?
Says Harriet.
- I found it, but I think we are having bigger problems.
Says Ling.
- More than we are?
Says Marianne.
- I don't know why, but when I was returning to the palace I had a strange feeling.
Says Hera with her hand on her chest.
- That is, I saw Hera out of nowhere putting her hand on her chest and jumping, I don't know what that was, but it's strange.
Says Anna.
- Whatever it is, let's get out of here and meet on the outside.
Says Ling taking her broom.
The girls then take their broomsticks, fly to the outside of the palace, this time without any witch soldiers getting in the way, go a little outside the city where they fly over a forest and in this Hera turns on the communication device to call her mother and is not answered. Ling opens Lilith's book and decides to look at the radar where they had 10 points moving together at a very high speed and one point that was in the surroundings.
- (Shit! Wu invaded Rhiannon! She took all the books! That's why she left the book there for us to pick up, but why did she leave a book loose? She's just doing it to provoke us?).
- Mom! Hera speaking! Are you listening to me? Mama! It's me! Mom? Damn it! This device must have broken and I didn't notice.
Says Athena frustrated holding the device.
- It doesn't look broken.
Says Anna with her hand on her chin.
- Then it must be Rhiannon, I don't know... I'll keep trying, if we don't use the book and give my mother a touch.
Says Athena trying to turn the device on.
Little by little the girls continued to fly normally until a few trees fell in the landscape and little by little the fallen Rhiannon was beginning to become apparent in the middle of all that forest, which soon caused Hera to go into shock.
- Mom!
Says Hera crying and flying at full speed towards Rhiannon.
The girls follow Meridies for safety and not let her die in a possible trap. When Hera notices her, she stands in shock and pale with no response when she sees Athena's body with a perforation in her belly and her dead mother with her eyes closed and no longer alive. Besides a message written in Chinese using the blood of the oldest Meridies on Rhiannon's wall.
"She's just the first one, I was nice and let you get the last book, but I think it's good that you get this other one there and show up in Tibet tomorrow until nightfall, or I'll kill you all cowardly, don't try to run away with the two books, I'll go to the most remote places in the world behind you, until tomorrow. With all the benevolence of the world Wu Tang".
- Mom!
Says Hera running to Athena.
- Athena...
Says Anna entering Rhiannon.
- Mrs. Meridies...
Says Marianne looking down and starting to cry.
- I didn't want to be sure that Wu was here... That damn... It's my entire fault, if I stayed here in Rhiannon...
Says Ling clenching her fists.
- You are not to blame for anything! I had no way of knowing that bitch would kill my mother! I swear that tomorrow she will pay dearly for what she did to me!
Says Hera as she continued to hug Hera.
- And what are we going to do? Go to the trap Wu is waiting for us?
Says Marianne crying.
- She will only want to kill us and the two books that are with us. That's why we will have a battle and so much ahead, we eleven will kill Wu Tang and not let her go to Lilith so easily.
Says Ling determined.
- Love! A letter on your mother's side table. It has a few drops of blood on it.
Says Anna taking the letter and giving it to Hera.
Hera picks up the letter still crying a lot, wipes her tears and starts reading aloud to the girls.
"Bye Hera, Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite, mommy loves you, unfortunately I couldn't get back to you, but I want you to take care of yourselves, you're all grown girls, I'm sure you'll guarantee a fruitful future for the Meridies family. Unfortunately I had no choice girls, I even tried to curl what I gave of time, I only ask you to defeat Wu Tang at once, I'm sure you will manage to reach Lilith and become the new goddesses of magic. Athena Meridies is proud of what she did for humanity and the world of magic. Goodbye..." The blood drops on the letter cover the rest that was written on the paper.
Hera starts to collapse into more crying and hugs her mother's dead body and Anna goes to her girlfriend trying to push from there, but Harriet puts her hand on Arnoux's shoulder, who decides to hug Meridies.
- Let Hera stay with her mother...
Says Harriet.
- Okay...
Says Anna.
- Can I spend the night with my mother? If only I could sleep. I would at least like to bury my mother's body... But because of this fucking Wu Tang I can't even...
Says Hera crying.
- It's ok, we do everything you want Hera, Athena deserves all the tributes for the greatness she has done... I'm with you on this one, as much as I have disagreements with your mother I feel her death as much as you do... I'm sorry I was such a jerk at first... We can give Athena Meridies a funeral and leave a pot of your mother's ashes... What do you think? I know Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite will have something to remember their mother by...
Says Marianne crying as Chenoa hugged her.
- It's an excellent idea Mari, despite the disagreements I admire that you have respect for my mother.
Says Hera with her head on Athena's chest.
Marianne runs out of there crying towards her room, since she couldn't stand to see that scene and Chenoa follows her girlfriend through Rhiannon's corridors, Anna decides to stay right there and lies down on the couch while Hera was leaning on her mother's lifeless body and still crying a lot. Watching that scene, Ling decides to walk a little and look at the skies.
- (Satisfied? You got what you wanted your damn. But tomorrow I won't spare your life anymore, you know one thing, you were right that I made a mistake saving your life several times, but this time I promise I will kill you Wu! For all the evil you caused this will be a favor for the world! Your reign of cruelty ended Wu Tang).
- Ling...
Says Beatrix.
- Ah Beatrix. What is it?
Says Ling.
- All this... I'm really enduring one of the biggest traumas of my life... I just want to say that in case I can't get close to hold on to Wu Tang... That you take mine and Woodward's magical powers, the more magic, the better.
Says Beatrix.
- About it... Just focus on you, I will stay and fight Wu, I was thinking about going with this tactic of you giving me all the magic power you can while you open the portal to Lilith.
Says Ling.
- I understood a little, but we will discuss it tomorrow. Today was already a very full day... So far I've been traumatized by having my hands dirty with blood... We killed innocent people who were just following orders... Do people like us really deserve to meet Lilith?
Says Beatrix.
- Speaking this way of course yes, but now you will rest, tomorrow will be your big day, I guarantee you will become the most powerful goddesses in the world and I am sure of the bright future you have ahead.
Says Ling smiling to Beatrix.
Beatrix agrees with his head and leaves the room going to Woodward to meet his wife where he hugs her still tense with all that mission to invade Changan's palace. Meanwhile in Rhiannon's main room, Hera was still hugging Athena and Anna was watching her wife.
- Bye mom... Your sacrifice will not be in vain, we will kill the damned one who did this to you and then we will reach the level of goddesses. We'll give you pride and you'll be proud to see us from paradise.
Says Hera.
- We will get yes my love, I love you Hera... I know it's gonna be okay as soon as it's all over.
Says Anna.
Hera and Anna continue to talk for a while, and little by little Meridies was trying to open a smile, spending that night lying with her head on her mother's chest, until she slept. That was a day full of surprises, but none of them had been pleasant.
Farewell, Athena Meridies...