"So, you've chosen to give up on Zen Mode, huh?" Kaliq said as he eyed me even as he avoided more of Eiichi's attacks. His eyes were glowing white. It appeared that he had gotten faster as Eiichi was landing fewer hits than before. "Watch me, my pupil."

I transformed Alma into its dual maces form and stepped back. Was he about to unleash the full strength of his Zen Mode? Or was this the power of 'wuji' that he had mentioned earlier? The force that is nothingness and limitless at the same time. A power which beings outside of Munil could never hope to use in its rawest form.

Considering that I couldn't feel his energy at all, it had to be the obscure energy.

My eyes widened as I recalled that Hyosetsu's warning. He knew about Wuji from his past reads, so he must've predicted this would happen.

I held out my hand and gathered the dust that Hyosetsu and Tetsuya had produced during their battle. The particles came together and formed a spherical stone wall around Hyosetsu and me.

"Hideo, spend your mana wisely," I said, as I rose out of the barrier.

"Wait, where are you going?" he yelled.

"I'm going to go help Eiichi," I said, before rushing down at Kaliq.

The sage of Munil held out his hand and stopped my left mace. He smiled. "Powerful swing, but it can still be improved."

I snickered. "Isn't that true about everything," I said, kicking my master in the gut.

He gasped as the orange around me vanished. I had reverted back into Zen Mode.

He laughed. "So, you didn't really give up."

I dashed around him and transformed Alma back into its meteor hammer form. I spun around my weapon and threw it at him.

He held out both hands, grabbing both of the spiked spheres. He continued to grin despite the spikes impaling his hands.

Eiichi rushed at him from behind, but a burst of invisible energy sent both of us flying back. Thankfully, something caught us. The two of us looked over our shoulder and saw that it was a wall of wind.

"So, that's Wuji," Hideo said as he flew over to us.

"Thanks for the save," Eiichi said.

"You're welcome. But we should hurry up and find a way to finish him off."

I gasped. "Wait, you can see Kaliq's energy? I can't even sense it while in Zen mode."

Hideo nodded as he raised one of his guns in front of him. He looked through one of the scopes. "Yeah, thanks to Donato. The energy is odd. It's impossible to describe, it's a color that boggles the mind." He rubbed the side of his head. "It hurts to just look at."

"Incredible," Kaliq said, laughing. "I never expected for someone who can't use Wuji to be able to see it. But seeing it changes nothing."

Eiichi moved in front of us. "Yeah, I didn't think that it would. You said earlier that the energy is a limitless one, then let's see how true that really is!"

Kaliq held out his right hand.

Hideo formed a barrier of wind around the three of us. The next moment, something like a pulse shook his defenses.

"Perhaps it is vital that we see it," I said.

Hideo nodded. "Yeah."

Eiichi grinned. "An invisible power. How exciting."

I sighed. Seemed that he was still a blood knight. But, like Hideo said, he was our best distraction.

"Your wind barrier is rather strong," Kaliq said with a grin before vanishing from view. I turned around and threw Alma at him. Even though I couldn't sense him, I could sense the fluctuations in the wind caused by his movements.

"Hideo, expand the range of your wind!" I yelled as Kaliq flew back, avoiding my weapon.

The sage smiled proudly. "Your Zen Mode is more developed than I thought."

"Thanks for the compliment," I said as I raised my right hand. Alma flew up from the ground where it had crashed. Kaliq held out his right hand and smacked it back down.

"Trying to get an attack in while I'm 'distracted', huh?" He flew higher and held out both of his hands. Hideo's wind mana started to fluctuate significantly. It was as if something were striking it from multiple sides.

Hideo gasped.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking over my shoulder. He was staring at his gun's scope.

"There's a pair of hands around us."

"Hands?" Eiichi asked, staring outside of the barrier. Aside from the wind move erratically, there were no signs of anything wrong.

"It must be an extension based technique," I said.

Hideo smiled as he intensified the output of his aura. "In that case, I'll counter with my own! Move away you two!"

Eiichi and I backed away as the output around Hideo intensified greatly. It was amazing how he could even remain in Second Heaven, given how much energy he was burning.

"Radiant Emerald Flash!" Hideo yelled. Hideo held out his hands and formed a bee-hive-like barrier around the two of us as Hideo's aura pushed us away.

We turned to look at Kaliq, whose eyes were wide with surprise. He closed his hands, but something appeared to be pushing them away.

"It's like an avatar," I mumbled. "Interesting."

"We need to strike him down now, while Hideo still has mana to spare," Eiichi said, gripping his spear. "Come out, Carlos!"

Suddenly, a blond, blue-eyed angel in silver armor appeared behind him. "You called, Eii?" he asked.

I stared at the angel in bewilderment. The angel resembled one of the Seven Hills of old, one who had participated in the overthrow of the monarchy, kick-starting the Warring States Period. The guy was Eiichi's ancestor, but why would Carlos look like him? Then again, Eiichi did take pride in his bloodline.

"Yeah, I need your help taking out that guy," Eiichi said.

I snickered.

"Huh, what's so funny?" Eiichi asked, looking back at me.

I snorted. "Sorry. It's just, there's something funny about you asking for help."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "What? I've asked for help before."

"Really? I don't recall," I said, smiling.

"Hurry up, you two!" Hideo screamed.

Carlos formed a spear of light in his right hand and threw it at Kaliq. However, nothing happened even though it hit him right on the shoulder.

"Why didn't it hurt him?" I asked.

"It's a technique that hurts those who are evil," Carlos said. "It seems that this man is nearly devoid of it."

"Well, that'll be a helpful technique if we ever go against demons. But it's useless against someone like Master Kaliq."

Kaliq moved his hands away from each other and turned to look at us. He smiled and dusted off his shoulder.

I glanced at Hideo, whose aura had died down completely. Actually, he was starting to lose altitude.

"Hide!" Eiichi yelled, exiting his barrier and flying after him.

Kaliq swung his hand at him. I couldn't feel it, but I knew that a giant wuji hand was after Eii. Carlos must've felt it too as he dashed over to shield his master's back. Using his spear as a shield, he parried the invisible hand.

"Can Carlos see it?" I asked while Eiichi caught Hideo.

"No, he's using his instincts," Zini's voice echoed in my head. "Not to the degree that Zen Mode can bring out, though."

I nodded and exited the barrier. I swung Alma at what Carlos's light spear was pushing back on. I must've hit it as Kaliq let out a grunt. His middle finger turned red.

I smiled. So, it was like an energy avatar. In that case, we only needed to keep an eye on Kaliq to get an idea of what he was up to.

I watched as he swung his arm right.

I gasped as something struck me from behind, sending me flying into Carlos.

"Princess!" the blond angel said, catching me.

"Thanks for the save," I said, rubbing my back with my left hand.

He pushed me aside just before something threw him into the ceiling. I eyed Kaliq, who had his fist in the air in an uppercut pose. He glanced at me and smile before turning to look at the boys.

I gulped and flew over toward Eiichi, who was giving some of his mana to Hideo.

"Defend!" I yelled.

Eiichi glanced up and formed another beehive barrier. Something struck the hive as both boys were sent crashing to the ground.

"No!" I yelled.

"Don't worry, they're fine," Carlos said, smiling as he descended.

Suddenly, a green blur emerged from the dust and shot at Kaliq from multiple angles. I had never seen Hideo move so fast before.

Kaliq held his hands out, pushing back the energy bullets with his wuji.

Where was Eiichi, though?

He snickered. "Your mimicry of your colleague is impressive," Kaliq said. "Though, slight hints of your mana give you away."

My eyes widened. Mimicry? Then that's Eiichi. Where's Hideo?

I moved left as I felt something come at me from behind.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Hideo whispered. He was invisible again.

"A bit." I glanced back at Kaliq and Eiichi, who maintained his guise as Hideo. That technique Eiichi's using, it must be the same one he used to impersonate Tetsuya when he attacked my sister.

I took a deep breath.

"Alma!" I yelled. My angel appeared behind me.

"You called, Princess?" the white-haired angel asked.

"Yes, we need your help defeating Kaliq."

She chuckled. "I know." She glanced at the sage as he avoided Eiichi's energy bullets. "A wuji-user, how rare."

"You can tell? Or is it because you observed our fight?"

"Both. I can't see it, but I can sense it. It's a power similar to that of the eighth mana."

I gasped. "Wait, eighth mana?"

My angel nodded. "One that has only had one known wielder outside of the Divine Couple in the entire history of Zionia."

I thought back to the eight pillars in my family's dining room. One of them only had an opal, while the others had a carving of the angel associated with the mana. Was my grandfather aware of the eighth mana when he had it made? Or perhaps, it was something lost to history with the only remnant being its association with the opal.

"Focus," Zini's voice echoed in my head.

I gulped. I'd done it again...

"Here, let me help," Alma said, placing a hand over my head. Suddenly, I felt as if all of my senses were leaving me. Yet, I could sense everything that was going on around me. I could even see Tetsu cheering us on while Hyosetsu stoically watched as Eiichi avoided another of Kaliq's attacks.

Then there was Hideo, who was moving closer to Kaliq. Someone with the same vibe as his weapon accompanied him.

I dashed forward and slammed my weapon against Kaliq. The sage grunted as my attack flung him to the ground.

"Eiichi, now!" I yelled.

Eiichi raised his spear and poured all of his aura into it before flinging it at the Munilian sage.

Kaliq held his hands out, grasping the lightning-fast spear as it neared his heart. Most people at this point would question whether Eiichi went too far with that attack, but I knew that it wouldn't kill Kaliq. The man was at a level rivaling that of the Pillars of Darkness.

Hideo and who I assumed was his angel sent volleys of bullets at Kaliq. A burst of energy blew the bullets away and pushed away Eiichi's spear.

I swung my meteor hammer as fast as I could. "Meteor!" I yelled before letting go of my weapon.

Kaliq rolled out of the way of the weapon. However, the shockwave that followed sent him rolling into the opposite side of the battlefield.

I held out my hands and recalled Alma, before descending to the ground.

Kaliq smiled as soon as he noticed me. I grinned too and swung my weapon at him, hitting him with strike after strike. No matter where he shifted to, I would hit him. Every time he raised his hands to attack, I would strike, making him unable to activate his wuji techniques.

"How did you awaken Zen Mode to this extent?" he asked, dumbfounded as he used his staff to block my attacks.

"Alma helped me," I said, hitting him in the gut.

"Your angel?"

"Yes. You see, Alma's powers include control over the senses. For example, my weapon prevents my senses from being blocked by others. The only exceptions are Alma and me. It's one of the reasons that I wanted to learn Zen Mode. A skill that has one use a sense beyond that of the typical six."

"I see. So your angel sealed your senses. You made a wise decision in seeking to master Zen Mode. Hopefully, you'll be able to reach this level of power without having to rely on your guardian angel's power," he said as he was pushed back. I knocked his staff off his hands and kicked him to the floor.

"I hope so too, but with Hideo's sister possibly being in danger, we don't have the time for that."

Kaliq nodded as he closed his eyes. "You three have passed."

"Really?" Hideo asked.

"Yes, we did it!" Eiichi said, wrapping an arm around Hideo.

I gasped as my normal senses returned. That level of Zen Mode, it was incredible. I wondered if I could defeat my dad with it.

I glanced back at my teammates and gasped as I saw Dan standing behind Hideo. "What? Oh, wait, are you his angel?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. And I'm not the Dan you know. I look like this because of the bond that Hideo and his little brother share."

I glanced up at Halim, who smiled at us. Behind him was a small vortex with gradually grew in size.

"Papa!" Kassim yelled as he ran over to his dad.

"Oh, hey son," Kaliq said, pushing himself up. He had a downcast look to him. "I'm sorry that you had to see my lose like that."

The boy tackled his dad. "Papa's still strong in my eyes!" he yelled.

Kaliq patted his son's head and smiled. "Thanks, son."

"Nice job, you three!" Tetsuya yelled, running over to us.

"That combo you used at the end is truly something. I'm not even sure if I would be able to withstand it," Hyosetsu said as he calmly walked behind Tetsuya.

I smiled. "Who knows, you had grown a lot since our match half a week ago."

He chuckled. "We all have."

I glanced at Hideo and Eiichi, who were smiling as well. We really had, but were our skills enough to defeat the Pillars of Darkness? Or to at least give us a fighting chance?

"Are you ready to go back home?" Halim asked as he descended.

"Yeah!" Hideo yelled. "Take us back to Zionia! I need to check up on my sister!"

"On my part, I'll like to go to Xeleria," Tetsuya said. "I want to help Yuko and the others."

"Same here!" I said.

"I'll go with Hideo. Eita could be in trouble too," Eiichi said.

"I'll go with Setsuko and Tetsuya. That's where we were originally going to go," Hyosetsu said.

"Alright, then step ahead!" Halim said as he moved away from the portal. "It'll take you to your desired destination."

Hideo smiled and jumped into it with his angel.

"Bye!" Kassim yelled, waving at us.

Tetsuya turned around and briefly stared at his shield. He smiled. "I'll try to find a cure for you. Once I do, I'll give it to your grandfather."

Kassim blinked. "You know about it?"

"Yeah, your dad told us about it. A kid like you should be able to live a healthy life," he said, raising Agnes up.

The kid smiled. "Thanks. Uh, sorry for having attacked you the way that I did."

Tetsuya laughed. "And I'm sorry for having smacked you with Agnes after you tried to do that." He turned around. "Well, I go to go. See ya!"

"I'll also try to find something to help you. So in the meantime, take care, kid!" Eiichi said before rushing at the portal with Carlos.

"Bye, take care too!" Kassim yelled. Tears had formed around his beady red eyes.

Kaliq hugged his son from behind and patted his head. "Thanks for everything," the sage said, tearing up too.

I shook my head. "We should be the ones thanking you. Thanks for your training. I'm not sure if we'll ever have the chance to meet again, but know that we'll always have you in our hearts."

"Yeah," Tetsuya said, grinning.

"How sappy," Hyosetsu said, snickering.

Tetsu grumbled. "You don't have anything to say?"

Hyosetsu averted his gaze. "What can I say? I am not good with farewells."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around the two boys. "Let's go. We got abysmals to defeat!"

Alma appeared behind me and snickered. "Yes, so get going already," she said, pushing the three of us into the portal.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^_^. This marks the end of the Five Knights' Training arc. Thoughts? Predictions?**