Emily, Mike, Kevin and Mia arrived in the garden, finding the guardians locked in battle with the Moogers. While it was obvious they were all gifted martial artists, and they were fighting to the best of their abilities, the numbers and the ferocity of the Moogers were quickly starting to overwhelm them, and all they were managing to accomplish was putting themselves in danger needlessly.

"Get to safety!" Kevin called out as he helped one of the guardians back to his feet. "Guys, there's too many of them. We need more room."

"Drive them into the forest!" Mike answered as he converted his sword into the Forest Spear. Mia converted her sword into the Sky Fan.

"One cleansing wind coming up!" She stated, sending out a gust that blasted the Moogers out of the temple into the forest. The Rangers followed them, laying into them before they could regroup.

"Let's finish this up guys." Kevin stated, cutting down a few more. "With this many Moogers, it's only a matter of time before a Nighlock..."

Right on cue, a power blast levelled Ranger and Mooger alike. The Moogers all disappeared back into the Netherworld, clearing the way as Arachtheor stepped into view.

"You had to say that didn't you?" Mike grumbled, looking up at the Nighlock in disgust. "Man I hate spiders."

"You can make this easy on yourselves if you just give up now." Arachtheor told them. "It'll be a lot less painful that way."

"You don't know much about Samurai do you?" Kevin sneered as they all got back to their feet, collecting their swords. "Come on guys, creepy or not, he's just a Nighlock."

"You're going to regret that Blue Ranger." Arachtheor yelled as he charged them.

Over in Rome, Serena was having some difficulty with her own battle. While she had known that breaking into the crypt wasn't going to be easy, the last thing anyone, least of all Hayley, had anticipated, was that she would be attacked by a ghost. Yet, here she was, currently in battle with The Hornet, the guy whose grave she was trying to rob.

While she was an accomplished swordswoman, she found his style unfamiliar, and difficult to defend against. His cloak was distracting, and would occasionally hook her sword and pull at it, likely a deliberate part of his style. It also concealed the stiletto, something she occasionally found it hard to remind herself of. She had defended against most of his attacks with the rapier, but so far, the stiletto had managed to cause a few painful gashes in hit and run attacks. As he scored a particularly troubling strike to her left thigh, she stumbled into the sarcophagus. He just smiled at her as she inspected the wound. It had not gone deep enough to hit the muscle, fortunately, but it still hurt like hell, and she was sure it would limit her movements.

"Some of the best have fallen beneath my sting." He told her. "Do not feel any shame at doing the same."

She shifted her weigh onto her right leg, taking up her sword once more, and prepared a guard as she prepared for another round. She didn't even know if it was possible to defeat a ghost, but so far she didn't seem to have a better plan. He shook his head.

"Why is that sword so important to you?" He asked her.

"It isn't important to me." She replied. "If it was up to me, right now I'd be at home with a mug of cocoa and a warm blanket, but this sword could be very important!"

"So if it isn't important to you, then who?" He asked. "Who are you willing to risk your life for?"

"My sister." She replied honestly. "My parents, my friends...possibly the world. This sword could give us the edge we need in a war that's been raging for centuries."

"Then if it is that important to you, I guess asking you to simply leave it isn't going to work." He sighed. "It is a shame one as beautiful as you must find your end to my sting."

Serena suddenly got an idea and shifted her grip on the sword. She gave him a little smirk.

"If you're so sure of yourself, how about you lead off this time?" She asked him. The Hornet lunged forward, finding his sword smashed aside, but this time instead of moving aside or back, Serena lunged straight for him. The Hornet gasped as he felt her strike him in the chest, and her hidden blade plunged into him. Serena looked up into his eyes.

"You're not the only one with a sting." She told him. He just smiled at her, and then stepped back. She looked on in horror as she realised that despite plunging into his chest, right where his heart would have been, there was no wound, and no blood. There was nothing. Of course! He was a ghost! She couldn't kill him, he was already dead. He put away his weapons.

"No one has managed to beat me with a blade." He said, sounding impressed as he put away his weapons. He reached out a hand. "I think you have earned that."

"Thank you." Serena replied, looking to the sword. She let out a sigh of disappointment. "It's the wrong sword. It's a Masamune."

"That is similar to the name the woman I took it from used, but it is not the same." The Hornet told her. "I believe the name she used was Kasamune."

"That's the one I'm looking for." She told him. She inspected the scabbard, looking disappointed. "I really thought I had found it."

"She was an odd woman." The Hornet reminisced. "She came to Italy, and told a most intriguing tale, saying that she was the latest in a long line of female warriors that stood up to corrupt and evil men. She believed me to be one of them."

"Were you?" Serena asked him. The Hornet just sniggered.

"I suppose that would depend on who you asked." He replied. "There were many families who had more than enough reason to hate me during my life."

"So...she believed she was this warrior, and that she was carrying Kasamune." Serena stated. "She made a mistake."

"One that cost her dearly I fear." He answered. "It is the only time I have ever killed a woman. I fear I had no choice. Though until you, I must admit that she was the best I have ever faced."

Serena inspected the scabbard, finding a little catch on the collar. Opening it, a little piece of parchment came out.

"Not another bloody clue." She groaned. Taking the parchment, she closed the compartment, before putting the sword back into the scabbard. She looked to the ghost, and then replaced it on the weapons rack on the wall. The Hornet removed his mask and looked at her curiously.

"You are not taking it?" He asked her. "You earned it."

"This is all I need to take from here." Serena told him, showing him the parchment. "It has been in your possession here for a couple of hundred years. I figure there's no point in taking what's yours. I'll close the crypt on my way out."

"I appreciate that." He told her. She just looked at him curiously.

"So...the fact you're here...did a Nighlock trap you here or something?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"There are many mysteries in the world." He told her. "I suppose one of the families I wronged may have placed this curse on me. When most die they find the peace of the afterlife. In my case, I see only the inside of this tomb."

"So what do you do now?" She asked him. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose I wait for the next grave robber." He answered her honestly. Serena just nodded sadly. Despite their battle, despite the fact he had openly admitted to her that his life had not necessarily been a good one; she couldn't imagine anyone deserved this.

"I have to go." She told him. "I swear, if I find some way to help, I'll come back."

"Thank you for saying that." He told her. "Ciao."

As he disappeared, Serena climbed out of the crypt, back to the roof. She closed the hatch, figuring that no one really needed to know that the entrance was there. It was a lot harder getting out than it was getting in, but pretty soon, she was dropping on the other side of the fence and limping back towards the hotel.

"Hayley, can you arrange some first aid or something?" Serena asked her. "I doubt I'll be able to explain these wounds to the hotel staff or a hospital."

"Vincenzo should be able to arrange something." Hayley assured her. "Just go to your room and wait there for him."

"Thanks." She replied, looking back to the graveyard. "But please, no more crypts."

Back in Japan, Antonio was locked in battle with Octoroo, hacking at him wildly in a rage. He hadn't any choice but to allow Dekker, the man that wanted to kill Jayden take him in order to heal him. Octoroo had been the one to create the poison that threatened his life, and Antonio had every intention of making him pay.

Octoroo rolled away as he was smashed to the ground. Antonio replaced the Barracuda Blade in its scabbard as he glared at him, his eyes burning through him. He started to stride towards him intently.

"You can't even face us in a straight fight, can you coward?" He spat angrily. "You need to scheme and plot with poisons!"

"Why should I sully my hands with the likes of you?" Octoroo asked him. "Still, if you don't believe I have any power, then try this on for size?"

He fired blasts at Antonio, but the Gold Ranger was far too fast. Between his mastery of the Light Symbol Power, and his focus on the man that had poisoned Jayden, he swatted the blasts out of the air with his Barracuda Blade, even smashing one back into Octoroo's face.

He lunged forward, slashing him multiple times, at which Octoroo screamed in agony, before deciding that this battle was a lost cause.

"Another time Gold Ranger!" He stated as he disappeared into a Gap. Antonio put away his Barracuda Blade and turned towards the garden, finding the battle site worryingly quiet. He sprinted off towards the rock garden, finding no one there. Continuing into the forest, he found the Rangers all lying unconscious on the ground.

"Emily!" He screamed, running to their side, checking on them. "Mia? Kevin? Mike?"

He collapsed to his knees, feeling the weight of his failure wash over him. He had come to Japan at Dekker's invitation to try and save the Rangers from Octoroo's plot. Now though, he could see how badly he had failed. Jayden had been poisoned, and was now missing with The Cursed Warrior, a man who only wanted to heal him so he could kill him at his best. The other four were all clearly out of the fight, and they were still no closer to decoding The Black Box. He was the only one left.

"We must get them inside." Daisuke announced as he and Kenzo arrived with some guardians. "We can treat them in there."

"I've failed." Antonio whispered. "I was too late..."

"Take heart Gold Ranger." Daisuke told him. "Help us bring them inside. We can discuss what we will do from there."

Antonio didn't know what they could do, but he just nodded and got up, picking up Kevin as the Guardians saw to the others. He could do nothing for Jayden right now, but as far as they could tell the others were still alive. Right now, helping them was the most important thing.

Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, Arachtheor struggled against his bonds. He had been close to victory, so close he could taste it. The Red Ranger had been poisoned, and the others were all down and out, ready to be put out of their misery at his leisure, but then something happened. Someone had released Master Xandred from his room. Now, he was helpless before the Lord of the Nighlocks, as Octoroo and Dayu were watching on. Octoroo had ensured that he was gagged so that he couldn't implicate him in the plan.

"I torture you, I banish you and still you try to usurp my throne?" Xandred roared angrily. Dayu sneered.

"If you ask me, I think noodle face here had something to do with all this." Dayu stated. "It all sounds far too creative for web-for-brains to have come up with."

"I merely utilised him to further our cause." Octoroo stated. Arachtheor struggled against his bonds, lunging for Octoroo without success. He could see that he was being sold out by the spineless squid to save his own skin. "His plan did produce some favourable results."

"He was just trying to poison the Red Ranger." Xandred told her. "Leave him be. In the meantime, we still have a traitor to deal with."

Xandred pointed his sword at Arachtheor, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Destroying you would be too easy." He commented. "You are a powerful Nighlock, and could have been useful. Still, if you want some of my power, I'll give you all you can handle!"

With that, he blasted the spider Nighlock, causing him to disappear outside. Lightning arced into him, infusing him with power, more power than should have been possible for him to take. As the bonds burned out, and the gag disappeared, all that could be heard for miles around were Arachtheor's screams of agony.