Setsuko escorted her fellow knights, the one-hundred soldiers, and Teresa upstairs and then turned right to another flight of stairs, which ascended toward the third floor.

"So, as I was saying back in the king's chamber," Setsuko said. "These five weapons were crafted from scarce materials. Though not all of the ingredients are from this world. In fact, not even all are from this realm. For example, the green emerald at the center of Agnes is a dragon sphere. This type of container is used in Wynaga to contain dragons and harness their incredible powers.

"Other than the sphere, I don't know what else it can do other than what a plain shield does. I'm not even sure if the sphere can be used like it was originally intended to be."

Tetsuya stared at his Agnes. Could the tiny sphere really contain dragons? He couldn't even see what the need for something that could hold dragons was, considering there were none in their realm.

"The markings on Baldo are the incantation of a powerful ice spell from the southernmost regions of the world of Xeleria in the magic realm," Setsuko continued. "The blade itself is crafted out of an ancient ice dragon's fang found in the Ryussia region of Wynaga in the dragon realm. Together the two allow you to use powerful ice attacks. The golden hilt it has is formed from a substance that is hard to come by even in Kuroyuki's lands."

Hyosetsu turned Baldo upside down and stared at the lustrous hilt. The raven-haired, icy-blue-eyed youth had seen something akin to the material when he was a kid. He had walked in on his father working on a weapon. He let out a slight gasp as he glanced up at the princess.

"This hilt is made out of seraphium. Where did you find it?" the duke of Kuroyuki no San asked.

Tetsuya tilted his head. Seraphium... that stuff, even he had heard of it.

Father once found a small pebble of it on our farm. He said that the material can increase the durability, power, and speed of an object and the person holding it.

Tetsuya still had the small pebble and kept it as part of a rock collection he made as a kid. He grimaced as he thought about it. It was one of the few memories he had of his father before he passed away.

Setsuko chuckled. "That's something that even I don't know. Even if I could tell you, the king said they didn't find much more than what it took to make Carlos and your Baldo's hilt."

Eiichi smiled as he stared at the tip of his spear. "Wow, so this thing must be worth a fortune!"

"It is, but you must not sell it, even after this ordeal is done. These five weapons will kill their owners if abandoned," Setsuko said. A smile spread across her face. "Wait, on second thought, sell it!"

Eiichi's smile faded. "You really hate me that much, huh?"

Setsuko nodded as she continued to grin. "Pretty much!"

The blond knight sighed. "Well, it is quite powerful, so it's not like I'll trade it for something else. So is this thing pure seraphium?"

"No, it's not," the first princess said. "A pure seraphium weapon wouldn't work. Seraphium is like gold. It's too soft to mold an entire thing out of. Unlike gold, it doesn't wear off over time. Mokin, a tree that grows in the dense forests of Xian in Xeleria, makes up the interior of Carlos's shaft. The wood is as tough as diamond. The Agnes is also made out of Mokin if I remember correctly."

Hearing that excited Tetsuya. Only later, did he learn that its hardness wouldn't help all the time.

"What about the spearhead?" Eiichi queried.

"It's made of dragon tooth as well. I can't recall which kind."

"Now mine!" Hideo said, raising Donato. "So, is this entire gun dragon skin or something?"

Setsuko nodded a bit. "Kind of. The outside of your Donato is made out of scales from a dragon also from the Ryussian region. Under the scales is orichalcum from the mines of Mina in Xeleria. The gears are all made out of an alloy of orichalcum mixed with the leftover seraphium we found. They're what allows you to gather the energy needed to fire off your bullets."

"I see," Hideo said, marveling at his gun.

"And Alma?" Tetsuya asked as they passed the exit to the fifth floor.

Setsuko glanced down at her weapon. "The majority of my meteor hammer's composition is Minan orichalcum. The diamond spikes, meanwhile, are from the spine of the same dragon whose fang makes up Baldo. Within of the spheres are black meteorite."

"How did ya gather them all?" Teresa asked as they passed the exit to the seventh floor. "Wait, I have a better question. How many floors until we arrive?"

Setsuko stared at Teresa, who was slightly out of breath. "Not much further, the next floor is the one we are going to."

The country girl let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Sky Father."

"There'll be refreshments there too for all of you."

Teresa smiled. "Yay! Hey, so is it true that ya and little Serra are engaged? How did ya meet?"

"Little Serra? That's cute," Setsuko said, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"You sure you're tired?" Tetsuya asked, nudging his sister. "A tired person doesn't gossip, ya know?"

Teresa elbowed him on the side. "I am only a little tired."

Emphasis on the little.

Setsuko hurried off to the eighth floor, which looked very little like the other floors that Tetsuya had caught glimpses of along the way. The halls were reminiscent of those from Elitia's angelic dome, long and as pale as snow with multiple colored doors, each one numbered.

"Hey!" a voice called out. Heading their way was none other than Eita. "You've made it!"

"Didn't expect to see you here," Tetsuya said, walking over to him. The two exchanged fist bumps.

"You forget who my parents are," Eita said, scoffing. He glanced over at his older brother. "So, where is this large crowd heading to now?"

"We are going to have a little tournament among us five," Setsuko responded. "It should help these knights decide which of us five to join."

Eita turned around. "Interesting. Well then, I'll like to see which knight I should join."

"Huh?" Eiichi asked, making a face. "You're joining us?"

The young brother scoffed. "You think I'll let you take all the glory, big bro? As if! Plus, both our parents will be playing their role, I do not wish to be left out."

"Though if you join, the others might want to too," Eiichi said as he continued to make an annoyed face.

Eita looked over his shoulder. His blue eyes seemed to spark with electricity. "They're too young, except for Eika. She already said she'll stay behind to care for them and our dukedom while we're out here, serving the role of knights. Though, Eisuke might want to join knowing him, but I'm sure that Eika will talk some sense into him."

"Eika as leader? Well, she was always ambitious. You might have made a mistake to hand her the reins," Eiichi said, shaking his head. "Oh well, I'll deal with her when the time comes."

Eita rolled his eyes at him. "She's not going to keep the throne, you know. She has enough respect for our mother to accept her wishes."

Tetsuya looked over at the first princess as the Kuroichi brothers continued to talk.

"Do you know what Serra and the others might be discussing?" Tetsuya asked.

"Surely it's the war," the crown princess said as she came to a stop in front of a silver door. When she placed her hand on the doorknob, the door itself transformed into a giant gate, big enough for all one-hundred-plus of them to pass through with ease.

The large doors swung open with a single tap from Setsuko, revealing an empty stadium large enough to host marine battles inside the center. Battling in the white-tiled ring in the middle were Etsuo, Reno, and Roa.

The three young men came to a stop and turned to look at the crown princess and the others.

"They've made it," Roa said, grinning. He walked over to them as if he owned the place.

Reno wiped the sweat off of his forehead. Unlike Roa, he and Etsuo were panting.

"Come on, you wimps," Roa said, snickering as the two failed to talk. He turned back to the princess as they continued to catch their breath. "Seems I went too hard on them. So, can I finally see what all five of you are made of?"

Eiichi walked over to Etsuo and held his hands out to Reno and Etsuo. "May I help you, miss."

"Miss?" Etsuo choked out.

Reno slapped the blond's hand away. "Who the heck are you calling 'miss'? I am a man through and through!"

Eiichi stepped back from him. "Sorry about that, cutie."

Flames enveloped Reno. "Cute? You dare call me cute? Want me to fry that tongue of yours?"

"Please do," Setsuko muttered, a grin on her face.

"Hey!" Eiichi said, glaring at her.

The princess turned away and whistled a bird song. "Did I say something?"

Tetsuya chuckled. "Nice first impressions, dude."

"He really is an idiot. It's obvious that they're guys underneath those sweat-soaked shirts," Teresa whispered to him.

Etsuo smiled at Eiichi and put a hand on his sweat-soaked chest. "Yeah. Just so you know, I'm a guy too, and you're not my type," the snow-white young man said, standing up on his own.

"Burn!" Roa yelled, snickering. He walked over to Eiichi and put an arm around his neck. "Man, hope that you are better on the battlefield than when it comes to picking up chicks and dudes."

"Unhand me, peasant," Eiichi said, grabbing Roa's arm and twisting it in the process.

"Roa!" Reno yelled.

"He'll be fine," Etsuo said, placing a hand on Reno's shoulders. He shifted his gaze to Eiichi. "If you hurt Roa again, I'll ruin your pretty face."

Eiichi smiled. "Oh, so you think I got a pretty face, huh?"

Etsuo shrugged. "It's the only pretty thing about you, apparently."

"Burned, again!" Roa yelled, snickering. He had recovered as if nothing had happened.

Teresa and the knights joined in the laughter.

"What an embarrassment for a knight," Hyosetsu said, covering up a smile.

The blond's face reddened. "Whatever! Let's begin this tournament!"

"We need to wait for the Seven Knights to return," Setsuko said, glancing over at the empty black throne inside the glass and steel VIP box on the highest level of the stadium.

Eiichi jumped over to the concrete and iron barricade and sat down on one of the front seats with his arms crossed. "Well then, guess I'll take this time to catch up on my beauty sleep."

"What a narcissist," Teresa said underneath her breath.

Setsuko nodded. "You got that right, girl."

Tetsuya stared at her in awe. "You princesses aren't anything like how I had imagined."

The first princess flipped her hair. "We certainly aren't quiet, dressed up dolls if that's what you expected."

"I mean, both Rosa and you seem rather down to earth," Tetsuya said, rubbing the back of his neck. His lips curled up as a chuckle escaped them. "To be honest, it's refreshing."

The crown princess smiled and walked over to him. She punched him in the chest playfully, causing the male knight to blush. "Well, I can say the same to you. I'm glad that there's someone in this young order of knights who isn't a stuck up snob."

Hyosetsu leered at her as he leaned back against the concrete barricade. "Me being quiet does not make me a snob. Though both your sister and you would do better to act even an ounce more like the royalty you are."

"Yeah, you cannot hang out with peasants," Hideo said as he leaned back on the wall too. "Though you are engaged to marry one." The knight of Donato shrugged and shook his head. "Honestly, what were your parents thinking?"

Setsuko winced. "Listen here I-" She stopped as Tetsuya stepped in front of her.

The golden-eyed knight grabbed the short emerald-eyed one up by the collar of his shirt. "Is that any way to show your gratefulness to those who helped save your little brother? Because if it weren't for Serrano teleporting Etsuo and me to your town, there was a chance that the second princess would've gotten kidnapped by your aunt."

Hideo slapped his hand away, causing Tetsuya to drop him. He growled. "Don't call that woman my aunt! I am not related to that rebel trash! I refuse to believe it! She had to have confused my father!" he screamed into Tetsuya's face.

"What was that, shorty?" Reno yelled, stomping over, flames in his hands. Tetsuya stepped out of the way, letting the red-haired rebel have his go at the half-pint.

Hideo flashed his cousin a smug grin. "You heard me, 'Rebel Trash'," he said, getting close to his face. "That's what you are. You're only here to get your prison sentence erased, criminal."

Reno's red flames shot into the air until they reached nearly an eighth of the way to the ceiling, which climbed four-hundred-and-four-feet off the ground. He displayed the same grin on his face as he had in the cave. "To be frank, I do not trust your father either. I do not trust one so willing to serve as a dog to the crown."

Tetsuya laughed nervously. "Uh..."

Reno turned around and sighed. "Not saying that you are all bad people, but I cannot bring myself to trust you, so do not expect it. Nor do I have any fantasies about your trust in me."

Hideo smirked. "As you should, 'cousin'!"

The red-head glanced at Roa and Etsuo. "I wish he were more like one of you."

"As you should," Roa said, grinning.

Reno stepped back and looked into Hideo's emerald eyes. They were filled with as much anticipation as his. "Well, are you going to fight me or not? We never did get to fight back in the cavern?"

Donato's knight nodded. A grin like that on his cousin's face plastered his own. "Aye! I have been waiting for a long time to get a shot at your sister and you! You'll regret what you did to Dan."

***

[Moments Earlier]

Serrano appeared on top of a black throne raised several feet off of a giant crystalline floor. He had never been in this room at all. Everything, including the walls and the ceiling, was black and devoid of light. The only reason he could see was because of his night vision, a trait he got from Hanketsu.

"It's like a cave in here," Kohri said.

"Where is this?" Rosalba asked.

"The war room," the masked man seated to Serrano's right said. Serrano blinked.

"Kuroshi? Why are you here? Making it a habit to appear where you aren't invited?" Serrano asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Hey, I was invited this time! Last time I was ordered to talk with Anis, not that I mind talking to her. And you're lucky that I intervened against the rebels the time before that."

King Osamu snickered from on top of the highest throne in the room. "Perhaps you're not too bad, Serrano," he said as he crossed his hands together. "Though in this case, I did invite the gadfly."

Kuroshi turned his eyes toward the king. "You got no respect at all, do you, Osamu?"

"When has he ever?" the woman seated to Kuroshi's left said. Serrano gasped as soon as he saw who she was.

"Aunt Anis? Wait, why are you here?"

Anis smiled at her nephew. "Hey there, Serra."

The king glanced down at Anis. "You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Serrano asked, raising up in his seat.

Anis took a deep breath. "I'll tell you, but you must promise to keep this a secret from your cousins."

The blue-haired knight shifted in his throne uneasily. "Sure, what's one more secret?"

His aunt-in-law nodded. "You see, I am one of the Seven Hills."

Serrano's silver eyes widened. Though surprise soon gave way to a chuckle. "I thought that might be the case. Considering all of the Seven Hills except for Sofia married a fellow knight."

"I didn't think that you would show," a blond woman dressed in silver armor said as she crossed her legs. She laughed. "You rarely ever join us."

Anis laughed. "I didn't wish to come, Eiko. If not my youngest son weren't one of the Five Knights of Prophecy, I likely would've refused."

Eiko glanced at Kohri. "Nor did I think that we would see you here. Didn't you say that you were retiring after you failed to save your friend?"

Kohri tensed up. He glanced at Serrano and closed his eyes. "I did..." He opened his icy-blue eyes. "But, I decided to come out of retirement to help my brother, even if it's not direct assistance."

"You don't think that he'll let you join his team?" Anis asked.

The hammer-wielder smiled slightly and shook his head. "Not a chance. My brother is prideful. But, I wish to see how he grows as a knight, even if it's from afar."

Rosa smiled. "I understand. I probably will do the same with Setsuko." She glanced at Serrano. "Plus, I don't think she'll need me when she has the strongest one of us three."

Serrano sighed. "I'm not as strong as they say."

"On that topic, the Seven of you, plus Kuroshi, will be aiding the Five Knights of prophecy one way or another. I will be having you brief them on what we're up against," the king said as he interlaced his fingers.

"I already told Tetsu when I handed him Agnes," Rosa said.

"You did? Well, that makes things a bit simpler." The king glanced at the others. "Did the rest of you do so as well?"

"Not really," Eiji said as he wiped his shepherd's staff with a white cloth. The thing would've glimmered if it had any light to reflect.

Eiko sighed. "Unlike my inattentive husband over there, I did."

"Pardon me, but before continuing the discussion, I would like to request for aid when it comes to an important matter concerning the north," Miyuki asked with a stoic look in her eyes.

"You mean the recent demon sightings?" Eiji asked as he looked up. "Can't you and your sons handle it yourselves?"

"Yeah, Mom. Why didn't you recall me? I could've helped," Kohri said, leaning forward.

"I wished to deal with it myself, but it now seems that was a mistake. Though, I wonder how much help one more person would've been. This creature keeps disappearing whenever anyone close to it."

Kuroshi rubbed his chin. "Could it be..." He whipped his head toward the king. "Your majesty, I think we should aid her. These could be the invaders."

Rosa and her father gasped.

"What?" King Osamu asked, splitting his hands apart. "You claimed that the invaders wouldn't appear for another month. Though, even if it's not them, the disappearance of large numbers of soldiers is concerning. We will need those forces for our war against the Abyss."

"No offense, Your Majesty, but you sure screwed up by reducing our army to a few after the war," Eiko said.

King Osamu leaned his head back against his throne. "A small but elite army is better suited for these days. Numbers can only carry an army so far."

"He's right," Kuroshi said. "Plus, our army is still pretty large when you think about it. If we ever use its full size, we need to use it wisely. Or we might just end up with a bunch of lifeless bodies. That is, if are there are any remnants left behind to begin with. Additionally, we also have the armies of the other clans to aid us against the invaders."

The king scoffed. "I don't trust them enough to call for their aid when it comes to matters within Kuroriku. I will have you seven, and the Five Knights of Prophecy march to the north in two days. Slaughter the enemy as soon as you can. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by more regional issues. Now, tell them what we know, gadfly."

"You want a guy's help, yet insult him? Seriously?" Kuroshi asked, shaking his head at the king.

The king furrowed his brow. "Stop joking around, gadfly, and do as you're told."

Kuroshi raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay." He cleared his throat and spoke up. "What we're up against is an entire universe."

The eyes of all the knights except for Rosa's widened. "An entire u-universe?" Anis asked. "You mean that this is going to be a-"

Kuroshi nodded. "A dimensional war."

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :3. So, what did you think of Hideo's lingering animosity toward the rebels? What about the revelations of the enemy that Kuroshi made to the Seven Knights? Think that the group will manage to put aside their differences to face the looming threat?**