[A few moments earlier]

I glanced back. Earlier, we could see a black pillar in the direction of Nine Petal Island. Hopefully, Tetsu was alright. Considering how strong he was when we battled, he probably was. Then again, having Yuko on his back likely prevented him from activating Second Heaven.

I gasped as powerful gusts of wind coming from his direction pushed toward us. The sky had darkened.

"Tetsu activated Second Heaven," Ximena said.

"But Yuko's on his back, wouldn't she get hurt? Lady Miyuki's aura almost froze us at a distance," Nori said.

"I'm sure that my cousin found some way to keep her safe. He doubt he would've risked Yuko's life like that," I said.

Ximena nodded. "Yeah."

"Seems that my brother is having some trouble," a voice called out.

I gasped as a man in lilac robes appeared in front of us.

"Brother? He's another demon," Ximena said, glaring at him.

He sighed as he reached for the weapon strapped to his back. It was a giant silver trident. "I'd rather be doing other stuff than this, but I got no say in the matter. Mom's the boss," he said, sighing. With a blank look, he pointed his weapon at us. "Your lives end here, doves!"

Electricity gathered in the three prongs of his weapon as numerous lightning bolts struck the sea below.

"Ximena, take Nori and Akane out of here," Maki said, extending at hand outward as if he were giving a military command. "Serrano and I will deal with this. You three are the healers of the group. The others might have more need of your skills, considering the likely scope of the situation."

Ximena nodded. "Alright."

"You sure you don't want Nori to stay?" Nori asked, glaring at the demon. "Nori's holy arts can help."

Maki smiled. "You'll be needed if the girls run into another demon. Now, go! Before you lose track of the others. Akane, lead the way."

"Follow me, Xime," Akane said, flying ahead of Ximena.

The demon flashed in front of Akane and swung it down at her. Vines flew from behind and shielded Akane. The electricity coursing through the weapon set the vines on fire. The flames swirled around as Akane flew out of the burning vines like a phoenix rising from its nest.

"Thanks, Ximena," Akane said. She focused the flames around her into seven spheres and flung them at the demon. The white-haired devil spun his trident rapidly, blowing out the fire.

"Is that all you doves can do?"

Maki rushed at the demon.

"Wait!" I yelled, but he didn't listen. Maki was making the same mistake I had against Aster...

The demon grinned and stabbed the air in front of him as Maki drew closer. The Kasai no Ki prince would've been skewered if not for a barrier of darkness stopping him before reaching the weapon's range.

Maki rubbed his nose and glanced back at me. "T-thanks."

I felt a hint of sarcasm in his voice but chose to ignore it. Instead, I grabbed my indigo gem and transformed it into its weapon form. Holding two swords had taken some time getting used to. But, after having trained with Tetsuya in the world of dreams, it felt as if I hadn't ever fought without two.

"Hey, your target is me," I said, pointing at myself as I spun my swords.

"For now," the man said, as we went around the purple screen I had made to shield Maki. He rushed at me, but I flew away. I had to lead him away from Xime and Akane so that they and Nori could escape.

He took a deep breath and pointed his weapon behind him. The tips crackled with white lightning. The energy was being directed at the central prong in the form of a small orb.

I held out one of my swords and directed the lightning over to it—the tip of the blade that had absorbed the lightning emitted black smoke. The demonic aura in his lightning was leaking out.

I directed my sword at the demon and fired off a blast of concentrated demonic energy.

The demon held out his hands and compressed the energy around his palm. His demonic sphere burst, sending him flying several meters away to where Akane and Ximena had been flying moments earlier. The good thing was that they were already out of view.

"What was that?" the demon said, shocked. Maki was too as his mouth was wide open.

"Energy Redirection. Learned it during my training sessions with Tetsu and Aventine," I said, grinning. "I'm surprised that my sword managed to absorb the lightning, to begin with, considering that I've only trained to do it with mana attacks."

Tetsu had been trying to teach me how to create the barrier he used to repeal attacks at the last moment. I had difficulty copying it, so I decided to use my swords to see if they could serve as a better focal point for my mana. However, it turned out that I could absorb attacks into the blades themselves. This worked even when they weren't being directed at me. However, it lacked the doubling effect of Tetsuya's barrier, and I could only use it twice a day, once per blade.

"I see," the demon said as he dusted himself off. I'd expected him to get angry at me like his younger brother did when I was wailing at him in the abyss.

I rushed at the demon and swung my swords rapidly. He barely could keep up with my movements.

"Why hasn't the lightning worn off?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at my left sword.

I smiled. "It has. This is my lightning," I said, cutting off his trident arm.

The demon-abysmal grunted and flew back. His dislodged arm flew back over to him. Dark tendrils relinked the appendage.

Why hadn't he just regenerated the limb like his brother did with his tails? Could he have been trying to preserve his stamina? While training with Aventine and Tetsuya, the former told me that abysmal regeneration comes with its drawbacks, at least for us hybrids. If one overused it, some of their memories would start to vanish. Apparently, that was what had happened to Tetsu and me after our injuries on the day of the Battle at Grand Crater.

"Mom clearly underestimated your strength," the enemy said with a slight smirk. "She said that you would be pushovers."

"Or maybe she overestimated yours," Maki said. A fire chakram flew at the demon, but it bounced back. An electric barrier had formed around him.

The white demon smiled. "It's really something, seeing you fight alongside a Kuroriku. Your father would be very disappointed," he said, smiling.

Maki gritted his teeth. "What do you know about my dad?"

Satoru's brother snickered. "Well, I've known him since his birth."

The prince of Kasai no Ki and I gasped.

How did a demon get close to the royal family of Kasai no Ki?

"What?" Maki asked as he telepathically recalled his weapon. "How do you know my dad?"

He crossed his arms. "Ever wondered why your family is Zettai?" he asked as a white fox tail emerged from underneath his cloak. "Or where you got your white hair for that matter?"

Maki's trembled. "No..." He said that, but he must've had an idea. One that neither one of us liked.

Another tail emerged from under the demon-abysmal-Xelerian hybrid's cloak. "You really don't?"

Maki gulped. "Well, I know that one of my grandparents is a fox. I think it was my grandmother."

The man laughed. "You're right and wrong. It is from one of your grandparents, but it wasn't your grandmother." Another fox tail emerged from his back.

I bit my lip. I think that I understand what he was getting at...

Maki flew back. "It was my grandfather then."

The man nodded. "Yes. Ever met him?"

"No. I never met either of my grandparents."

The man chuckled. "Well, you have now."

One of Maki's chakram's slipped from his hands, falling toward the ocean below.

"Maki!" I yelled, catching his weapon. "I know what he's implying, but don't listen to him! He could be playing mind games."

"I speak the truth," the demon said, flashing behind Maki. "You're my grandson, Prince Maki. You're a descendant of demons and abysmals, whether you like it or not."

Maki spun around and stabbed the demon barrier. The force pushed him away. "I'm not a demon!" he cried out. "I am an angel!"

The man snickered. "Well, you're actually neither. Your make up consists of multiple lineages. Angel, Demon, Abysmal, Yuki-hito, Kitsune, and not to mention, human."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's right! You aren't a demon, Maki! Even if you were, you aren't anything like him or his brothers!" I yelled.

Maki nodded and recalled the chakram I had caught. "You're right."

The man smiled as the air around him grew denser. "Good. Show me what you can do, grandson."

Maki smiled. The aura around him intensified. No extra pair of wings appeared, so he must've been somewhere between First Heaven and Second Heaven.

Why had he brought up that he's a mix? Wasn't his aim to crush Maki's fighting spirit? It's almost as if he wishes to test him. Hmm, what's his goal...

I intensified my aura, coming short of transforming into Second Heaven. "Wait, if you're Maki's grandfather, how did you get together with an angel? Most demons detest our kind. Your younger brother certainly did."

Maki's grandfather snickered as a cloak of prana surrounded his body. "Satoru? There was one angel he was fond of. My mother is the one who truly hates you 'doves'. As for how I got together with the princess of Kasai no Ki, it was her kindness that drew me in."

"Kindness?" I asked, baffled to hear a demon say that. Perhaps, he meant it in a sadistic manner, but his tone certainly didn't imply it.

He nodded. "Yes, she knew that I was a demon when we met, yet she treated me the same as if I were an angel. The only hate I ever saw in her was toward you, Kuroriku."

I lowered my head. "Toward us?"

"Yes, your ancestors murdered her parents in cold blood during another of your failed attempts to engulf Kasai no Ki into your empire." He crossed his arms. "In those days, your nation was hated by all. My wife tried rallying the various nations against you like her ancestors had done prior. Still, the others had internal matters to take care of. Seeing her dilemma, I chose to help her."

"So, a demon saved Kasai no Ki," I muttered under my breath.

"Much to the discomfort of their people," he said with what appeared to be sadness. "But, just because we're born demons, it doesn't mean that we can't become angels."

Maki and I gasped as a pair of white wings emerged from his back. One was a bat-like wing, typical in demons, but the other was an angel wing.

"H-how?" Maki asked.

"Your grandmother's kindness and hate made me who I am today," he responded, before rushing at me.

I blocked his trident but was pushed back by his strength.

"You bear the blood of their royals," Maki's grandfather said as he appeared behind me.

I spun around and blocked his jab.

"I have mixed feelings about it," I admitted.

His eyes bulged a little.

"My dad created a lot of issues for our family. As did my grandfather. There have been several times in which I've wished that I could've been born into another."

"So, you're the grandson of my son's sworn enemy." He snickered. "How amusing!" The aura intensified further, sending both Maki and me flying.

"Yeah, this guy is definitely Satoru's brother," I muttered under my breath as an extra pair of wings appeared on my back.

Maki flew over to me. He also had two pairs of wings.

"Hey, you did it," I said, smiling.

"Yeah, it was all thanks to Emon," he said as he focused his red aura into the tips of his chakrams.

His grandfather smiled. "Copying my technique, aren't you?" he asked as he did the same thing with his trident.

"It's not a bad one!" he yelled as he rushed at him. He dodged the trident as his grandfather swung horizontally.

If my grandfather were around, would I have fought with him if the chance presented itself?

Maki threw his weapon at his grandpa. The man gasped as the chakram punctured through his energy cloak and skin.

He laughed as he reached and pulled it out. "Not bad. I see that you're a quick learner, just like your old man." Several fox tails flew out of the man's back and swatted Maki away.

Maki stretched his wings, slowing his descent. Multiple white tails with red tips emerged from his lower spine. He swung them at his grandfather as he had done to him, pushing him into the clouds.

"Woah," I said, powering down. Perhaps Maki could handle it on his own.

"Serra!" a voice called out.

I smiled as I saw Tetsu flying toward us. Yuko continued to cling on to his back. Around her neck was Zangetsu. Had Tetsu lent it to her for safe-keeping?

"You finished off the other demon?" I asked.

"I wish. He ran off. Same with his father."

I gasped. "His father?" I gasped as nine fox tails reached over to grab me from behind. I turned around and saw a red-haired fox glaring at me. My aura had burned his wings.

You might look different, but your eyes give you away, Mr. Obi...

Tetsuya snickered. "Looks like he doesn't learn."

I narrowed my eyes at the fox. "Tetsu, leave this one to me."

Tetsuya nodded. "I planned to." He glanced around. "If he's back, then the other must be around somewhere."

Yuko turned around and screamed as the blond demon from earlier emerged from a black portal and grabbed hold of Zangetsu.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Like 79, this one was too long that I had to split into two chapters. I'll published 82 in five or six days, or when this book reaches 7K read, whichever comes first ^^. So, thoughts? Predictions?**