I stared at the king of Kuroriku as he remained as still as a stone. His face was oddly calm for a guy who had just lost all of his senses.

I cupped my hands together and formed a green fireball. I tended to prefer using my martial arts in battle, but when it came to killing my opponents, fire was the way to go. It simply left behind less of a mess.

"I'll be taking Shiva from you," I said as I launched the fireball. As soon as it came within Osamu's range, a large cloud of green smoke exploded outward.

Did I get him?

"What was with that attack?" a voice called out. It didn't belong to Osamu.

I laughed as I stared at the golden light radiating from within the smoke. The golden armored Seven Hill that I had fought in Grand Crater floated where Osamu once was.

"So, it's you. I didn't expect you Hills were here. I'd heard that you were protecting the palace."

The dark-skinned Seven Hill raised an eyebrow. "You did? From who?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. It came from a third source. Even if I did, I wouldn't reveal our informants to you."

"Fair enough. We'll just need to root out the rats!"

I snickered. "My wife is the Rat Pillar, not me."

He laughed drily. "Very funny," he said as electricity charged at the tip of his shepherd's hook.

My smile gradually faded. "Where did you take your king?" I asked.

The knight laughed. "Worried? I just took Bug-Eyes someplace where he wouldn't get in my way." He spun his weapon around. "Now, let's have our rematch, Monkey King!"

I spun my crimson staff. I could've used my ability on the knight, but entertaining him for a while wouldn't hurt. "Fine, but hope that you don't go down as easily as last time."

I gasped as my senses suddenly returned, knocking me to floor. My eyes widened at the sight of white marble. Something about it felt familiar.

"Hey," a voice called out. Standing in front of me was Miyuki with a hand outstretched.

I glanced around and saw that we were in the arena that Takeshi had made years ago during our training in Munil. The blank sky above the crystal dome confirmed it.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"Eiji brought you here," Eiko said, stepping forward. She smiled and held out her hand toward me. I grabbed both of their hands.

"Where is that guy?"

"He went to fight Daisaru in your place," Miyuki said.

I gritted my teeth. "That idiot! He won't be able to stand a chance! Not without the incantation and even then, that man's special ability renders his enemies unable to fight."

"So, Shi's information was right," Miyuki said, looking down.

"Yeah. Setsuko is the only one who can possibly stand a chance against him."

"Not so," a familiar voice called out. I looked up and saw Kaliq float down. "If you master Zen Mode, you'll be able to stand a chance against that monkey and the other Pillars."

"Zen Mode?" I asked.

"Yes, I taught it to your daughter," the sage said as he landed on a pile of dust. Had Setsuko and the other four sparred here?

I snickered. "Then Setsuko truly is the one who stands the best hope to defeat that man," I said, dusting myself off. "Still, I won't rely entirely on my daughter. Teach me Zen Mode as fast as you can!"

Kaliq pointed his agate covered staff at me. "First, you must push away that demon's presence."

The girls gasped as a black shadow appeared behind me.

"Insolent fool," the figure said as it waved a hand, sending the girls and Kaliq flying.

"A demon?" Eiko asked, eyes wide. She narrowed her eyes at it. "It's just like with Eiichi."

"Eiichi, ah yes. That's the one who Anestarte chose as her toy."

"Toy?" Eiko snapped, rushing at her.

The demon held out a hand, flinging her back with the sheer air force. "That's what our followers are to us, toys."

Eiko growled. "Followers? Eiichi wouldn't follow your kind!"

The demon laughed. "There truly is no blinder person than the one who refuses to see the truth. Your son's lust lured my sister toward him. While his angel might've pushed him away, soon she will regain control!"

"Mammon, leave," I said, glaring at the demon.

The cloaked figure turned around. "Alright, but only as I have a meeting to attend. Though, if you had called upon me, you might've been able to avoid that Monkey King's special ability."

"I told you many times, I won't rely on your power. I only depend on what's mine."

The demon laughed. "That's why I like you, Osa. Then, seek out more power. Seize the worlds with your own hands as you're destined to!"

Miyuki dashed toward the demon and threw her ribbons around it.

Mammon flung her hand out, pushing Miyuki away like she had done with Eiko. "You stay out of this, weakling! Your son looks down at you for a reason."

Miyuki's eyes widened. "What do you know about Hyo? You know nothing! If you try to do to him what Anestarte did with Eiichi, then I'll kill you!"

The demoness scoffed. "Idiot. Only Valencia and her reincarnations can permanently kill me."

"That's fine. I can kill you over and over," Miyuki said as the ground around her became covered in a thick layer of ice.

"Hilarious. A weakling like you stands no chance against any of us archdemons," she said before vanishing.

"Kaliq, take me back to Xeleria."

"Hmm, are you sure?" my old teacher asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Someone like me isn't compatible with Zen Mode."

Kaliq snickered. "That's funny. I figured that you were the most compatible, given how serious you are."

I lowered my eyes toward the white floor. "That's mostly outwardly."

My old master nodded. "I thought so. You still have a lot of thoughts going through that head of yours, don't you? Like I told you when you were young, relax."

"How can I when the fate of the universes rests on my shoulder?" I asked, looking up at him. I bit my lip. My voice, it sounded pained.

"Highness," Eiko said, furrowing her brow. "You have us, your knights. Together we can carry that weight."

"Thanks, Eiko, but as things stand now, you're more of a burden than a help."

Eiko bit her lip. "I see." Traces of tears appeared in her eyes. "I promise that I will do my best so that you won't see me as a burden!"

I sighed. "I didn't only mean you. Eiji, Anis, and Miyuki too. Three of your generation's knights have already perished. While Shi came back to life, it wasn't without a heavy cost. Not to mention, he's currently sealed up in the abyss. I rather not lose another," I said, stepping forward.

"I'm disappointed that you have such low confidence in us, but considering our performance, I can't blame you. Together with Eiko, I'll become strong enough to protect you," Miyuki said.

I gasped as I felt Miyuki grabbed my hand. "What are you doing?"

She smiled slightly. "Sebastian would do this whenever he made a promise," she said, shaking my hand.

I laughed as I recalled my late brother-in-law. He had given me handshakes back then. Shi meanwhile enjoyed pinky promises. "Oh, yeah, he did. But are you sure that you'll be able to fulfill your promise?"

Miyuki nodded as she gave me a stern look. "Absolutely."

I nodded back. "Then I'll take you at your word."

"You should stay, Osamu. Don't you wish to refine your Third Heaven?" Kaliq asked. "Not to mention, master using Brahma."

I stared at the third ring in my hands and took a deep breath. "I don't think that I can use it." Not with Mammon's lingering influence on me.

"Then it'll be refining your Third Heaven?" Master Kaliq asked with hopeful eyes.

I smirked. "Alright. I'll stay." Daisaru's comment about Shi putting up more of a fight than me had some validity to it. My spar against Shi at the palace proved to me that our strength was no longer the same. Despite being in bad health due to having low mana, he still managed to give me a challenge. It was made worse by the fact that I had trained my base form in my youth. At base, I should've easily overpowered him, but I couldn't. I had been so focused on ruling that I had slacked off on my training.

"Yes!" Eiko said, jumping at me. She gave me a massive hug.

"Oi. You two, enough with the sentimentalism," I said, sighing.

"Pardon, Sir," Eiko said, blushing slightly.

"Miyu, Eiko, I want you two to fight me together," I said, gathering the dust around me.

"I know that the two of us have grown rusty too, but does your Highness really think that you can take us both on?" Eiko asked as she raised her kunai.

I smirked. "If you can't then that only proves how far you have to go in order to protect me."

Miyuki took a deep breath and covered her ribbon in ice. "Eiko, it's time that we prove ourselves to our liege."

Eiko jumped back and radiated electricity from her hands. "Let's try not to hurt his pretty face," the blond knight said, smiling.

The dust around me formed multiple spikes. "Just try it."

[In the Xianian Skies]

A shockwave caused the heavens and the land to tremble as our weapons clashed. I pushed Eiji back and kicked his left arm, sending him flying towards the forest below. However, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

"Did he just-" As if in response to my question, Eiji came down from the sky. The knight stabbed my back with the bottom tip of his scepter. Lightning coursed out of it and electrocuted me. For the first time in a long time, someone had actually managed to make me scream in pain.

Eiji kicked my back, sending me flying back toward the lake I had crashed into.

My cloud caught me and flew me away from the lightning wielding knight.

Eiji smiled and formed several portals around me. Golden spikes emerged from the vortices. I held my hands and unleashed a burst of green flames in all directions. The spikes dissolved under the heat of my flames.

"You appear to be struggling, Monkey King," Eiji said, smirking.

I glared at him. "How is it that you're able to use your space powers? You aren't an abysmal, so your power should be nullified!"

He pointed his shepherd's hook at me. My eyes widened as I noticed what appeared to be a red crystal on the end of the curve. "It's one of Shi's experiments. He transformed the cores that we gathered during our battles in the Abyss and Grand Crater into a pseudo core. This enables our weapons to bypass your natural space-warping abilities."

I gritted my teeth. "You're telling me that Shi used my comrades to make that?" I snapped.

"Yes. Though, I didn't think that you cared. You didn't appear concerned to have them risk their lives despite having enough power to defeat us by yourself."

"That's because they wished to aid me," I said. "I wanted to give them the chance to fight! I was fine knowing that they had died the way that they wanted. But for them to have been turned into what basically amounts to an accessory is unacceptable!" I extended my staff, but Eiji vanished before it could hit him.

The Seven Hill knight appeared behind me and swung his weapon down. I curled my left arm around his weapon and extended my staff in his direction. The angel flew back in pain as my weapon punctured through his upper-right wing.

"I'll break you," I said, jumping out of my cloud.

Eiji laughed as he pointed his weapon at me. Golden chains emerged from his staff, gripping me in place. Quickly, I started to lose altitude.

I took a deep breath and unleashed the same infernal screech that I had used against Osamu.

The knight appeared in front of me and whacked me on the abdomen with his weapon.

It didn't work. Did he neutralize my power with those chains?

I gasped. Eiji elbowed me on the back, sending my flying toward the sky.

My hands curled into fists. I tore through the chains and unleashed fire in multiple directions. "You've made this monkey mad. You must never make a monkey mad."

Eiji snapped his fingers, unleashing another wave of golden spikes.

I burned through them and swung my staff at him, forming a tornado which picked him up and threw him toward me.

"You spared Osamu this fate," I said. "But now you find yourself at its doorstep!"

Eiji clapped his hands vanishing from view.

I growled. "Stop running away, coward!"

"Who are you calling a coward."

I glanced up and saw the knight within an electrical sphere. His wings were healing.

"You should've stayed hidden for a while longer," I said, thrusting my staff at his direction. A burst of displaced air exploded against his barrier destroying it completely. Unfortunately, the knight got away before it could tear him apart.

I glanced up again and saw him flying at me at the speed of sound. I spun my staff over my head, forming a wind tunnel.

Eiji warped away and reappeared behind me.

I grinned and sent a fireball at him.

He gasped as the flames flew around his staff and flew toward his exposed chest. He swung his left arm over it. The golden plating on his arm melted upon touching my flames, causing the knight to scream in agony.

"Expected me to target you with my staff, didn't you?" I asked. "Sorry, but this monkey isn't a fool who tries the same tricks over and over."

I whistled, calling upon my cloud to catch me as I started to lose altitude once more.

"Those are some intense flames. Old Hide's flames were nothing compared to yours."

I smirked. "Thanks for the compliment, but you're not going to be spared!" I held my staff back and threw it at him as if it were a javelin. The angel's eyes widened as he failed to teleport. He swung his shepard's hook, throwing my staff aside.

"You broke the pseudo core," he said, staring at the charred remains.

"Yes, you weren't paying attention as you were too focused on defending, but some of the embers from the fire just now broke the gems. Now, my friends can rest in peace," I said, sighing.

Eiji flew up.

"What? Trying to flee? You're fast, but I can still catch you!" I yelled as my cloud shot upward.

A golden aura burst suddenly struck my cloud and me, sending us in an uncontrollable spin toward the forest. The skies and the land trembled vigorously from the surge of energy. The power being radiated was greater than that of the king.

"What's was that?" I asked, blinking.

My eyes widened as I saw Eiji emerged from the dying light. A large quantity of golden crackled around him. His black hair had turned golden and a bit longer. On his back were two equally sized pair of wings. Even his body appeared to become more toned.

I laughed. "Third Heaven, huh? So it wasn't only Shi and Osamu who were holding back at Grand Crater."

Eiji smirked. "If you hadn't fled, we would've been forced to use this power."

"You didn't use it as it would've drained you in a few minutes, isn't that right?"

Eiji closed his eyes. "That's a part of it." He appeared in front of me and opened his eyes with glowed with light mana.

I smiled as I jumped back. Luckily, the incantation's effect was starting to wear off. Whether first, second, or third, no form that they threw at me would be enough to stop me.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :). Only six more main chapters left to go! Predictions on what's left of the book? Thoughts?**