*Tabiki*

I looked the boy down. "Do I have to repeat myself?"

"I took a portal here," the black-haired youth said, glaring at me.

My eyes widened as it clicked. "A portal? Are you the one who killed my father?"

He gasped. "Killed? I just gunned him down. He was still alive when I left. Would he really pass away from those injuries? He's an abysmal..." He hit his right palm with his fist. "It must've been those crystals that did him in."

"Crystals?" I turned away. That meant Father died a more agonizing death than I'd thought. But, if he had come through the portal, I could have saved him.

"Yeah. I'm not sure how he got them, but it had to have been from either Emon or Kiyoshi."

I nodded my head. "I get it now. It had to be Kiyoshi. At least my father was killed by a Kasai no Ki rather than one with Kuroriku blood."

Hideo gritted his teeth. "So the king was right. Both sides do look down on us Makkuroyama. What if I'm part Kuroriku? As someone with kitsune blood, shouldn't you know how it feels to be looked down on."

I snickered. "You look like a coward, yet can talk to me like that. Guess appearances are deceiving."

He reached for his necklace but stopped himself.

"Not going to fight?" I asked, leaning forward.

"No. Koukyuu and Dad want to speak to you first. As do Zaki and her husband."

I raised at eyebrow at him. "Koukyuu is heading here?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I know that to you I'm not a welcome sight, but..." He got down on one knee and bowed. "Please take your time to listen to what Koukyuu has to say. She doesn't wish to fight her own father. Nor do her brothers."

Kou... Will she fight me if I continue with my plot against Kuroriku? I don't wish to see her sad, but I can't give up either. What do I do?

"I know that it's laughable to hear this from someone who is willing to attack his extended family. B-but please do. Please don't fight your own family!"

I raised my eyebrows at the boy. "Why do you care for Koukyuu?"

The rifle knight's face turned bright red as he rose to his feet. "I..."

I closed my eyes and snickered. "You like her, huh?"

I opened my eyes and watched he looked around frantically. Even someone who struggled recognizing emotions as a kid could read the meaning behind that expression.

"What's the matter? Takeshi got your tongue?" I asked, snickering.

He tilted his head. "Huh?"

I sighed. Maybe that wasn't funny. I was never good at jokes. Even my reincarnation wasn't.

"Based on your reaction, I take it the answer is a yes." I stood up from my throne and held my hand out. "Tell you what, while we wait for her and the others to arrive, let's have a match to pass the time. If you win, you can have Koukyuu's hand in marriage."

"R-really?" he asked, jumping.

I nodded. "Yes. But don't expect me to go easy on you. I won't let my remaining daughter marry someone who can't stand his ground."

He gasped. "Remaining daughter?"

I averted my gaze. "I had another, but I'm not even sure if she lives. She was my first child. Shin'en, Maki, Kei, and Koukyuu are the second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively."

He gasped. "So, Koukyuu is similar to Dad, Serra, and me," he mumbled.

I lowered my hand. "You have a missing sibling too?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yeah. One that the rebels you funded hurt!"

I raised my head. "Right, Dante," I said, touching my head. But, it wasn't my niece and her family who hurt him the most. Rather, it was my uncle Satoru. Not that Senbonzakura's actions didn't play a part in the lead up to said unfortunate event.

He gasped. "Did my aunt mention his name?"

I smiled. "No. She only called him Dan." I held out my hand and summoned a black broad sword. "Now, how about we start this fight, Hideo?"

His eyes widened. "How do you know my name? Also, that sword, why does it resemble Baldo?"

I flashed him a knowing smile. "Why indeed?" I dashed at him and kicked him in the abdomen with my knee. Hideo flew through the closed doors.

"So fast," he said, staggering up. An emerald aura flashed around him. "I didn't wish to fight, but guess since we already began I have to see this to the end."

"Good seems like you have spirit after all," I said, smiling. Now, show me what that fighting spirit can do, Grandnephew.

Hideo stood up and vanished from view.

I gritted my teeth as a gust of wind pushed me back into my throne. Emerald feathers flew at me, tearing holes into my long robes.

The kid was stronger than I had anticipated. Had he grown this much while in Munil? The events there, they were blurry to me despite my reincarnation observing them. It had to have been due to the unique nature of that realm.

I held out my hands and ignited the air. The winds strengthened my flames as I took control of the latter.

Hideo gasped.

"What?"

"Earlier, you used wind, but that's a combination of wood and darkness mana. Are you a Makkuroyama yourself?"

I scoffed. "Yes, Grandpa had taken a Makkuroyama noblewoman as his bride. That's why my mother and brother had such an attachment to that place. For me, it was simply a way of getting back at the Kuroriku. By losing their eastern province, their capital would be within attacking range. Orlin knew that, it's why his forces fought tooth and nail to reclaim it."

The wind within the room started to pick up and take on the form of a dust devil. The crimson banners dotted throughout the royal hall were torn from the ceiling as the gales increased in strength and reach. The boy had to be within the twister's eye.

"Did my words make you mad?" I asked.

"Less so your words, more so the actions both sides took," he said in a unusually calm voice.

I jumped as blades of wind emerged from the twister, slashing the wooden pillars and the throne.

"You're right to be mad," I said as I wrapped myself with the flames from earlier. "Both Orlin and I caused your people further pain. But know this, while my objectives were cold and calculating, my brother did care for that land. Your grandfather and grandmother saw the needs of grandmother's homeland ignored. Other than serving as a buffer to Kasai no Ki to the west and Mizu no Kin to the northwest, Makkuroyama was nothing more than a backwater to the elites in Kaguya."

"I see," Hideo murmured as I got closer. He was still oddly calm. It made reading him more difficult than it already was.

The hairs on my back rose. Brown bullets flew at me from behind.

Huh? Wasn't he in the center of the twister? His voice was coming from there. Or can he throw it around like a ventriloquist? 

I moved my flames to my back and melted the earth-mana bullets. My eyes widened as something akin to a fist struck me in the stomach. A metallic object hit me on the left, sending me flying into the wall.

Did he move that quick? It was hard to tell where he stood as his movements couldn't even be picked up by the wind.

"Quite the ability you got there," I said, pushing myself up. "You might be worthy of Koukyuu after all."

"R-really?" he asked.

I smiled as I traced the source of his voice.

"Yeah, sure," I said, slamming him with my arm.

Hideo coughed as he became visible again. He slammed into one of the wooden pillars. In his right hand was a large black handgun with a clover insignia on the side.

"Y-you tricked me," he said, trying to push himself up.

I snickered and struck him with vines. "You're the one who reacted like that. I'm lucky you did, else I might've actually lost."

Green wisps of energy appeared but just as soon vanished. He closed his eyes and didn't say another word. His body drew up mana from our surroundings.

I lifted him up. "I won't let you recover your energy."

Hideo squirmed as I lowered him to floor.

I knelt down in front of him and reached for the gun on the floor. It vanished as soon as I touched it. Oddly, only half a necklace appeared around his neck.

I jumped as purple bullets flew at me. In the air was a another gun, this one slightly larger than the one Hideo had on him.

So, it can split into two just like Baldo.

I dodged the various bullets and slammed the side of my broad sword against it. The gun dropped to the ground and spun around until it hit one of the wooden pillars.

My gaze shifted back to Hideo as he stood up. The vines around him had been sliced.

"I'm not done yet," he said, waving side to side.

I smiled. Seemed he liked Koukyuu more than I thought. But, was it just a crush? If so, he probably couldn't make my daughter happy.

"Dad, Hideo?" Koukyuu said as she strode into the throne room.

"Kou," I said, lowering my sword.

Hideo's gun vanished, completing the necklace.

"How did you get here before us?" a black-haired man said, rushing over to him.

"I took a portal to get here," Hideo said, lowering his eyes. "Your grandfather had made it."

"Grandpa?" Zaki asked.

"He's dead now," I said.

Zaki cupped her mouth as hint of tears appeared from the edge of her eyes.

Her brother glanced at me. He didn't seem particularly sad. Likely has he didn't know him well. "Uncle."

"Hideaki, you've grown," I said. The last time I had seen him, he was a one-year-old toddler. His hair might've been black like his mothers, but it was styled in a way reminiscent of my little brother.

Hideaki shifted his gaze. "Uncle. Please excuse my son's actions. We don't wish to fight."

I nodded. "I know that. Hideo told me."

He turned his eyes back to his son. "He did?"

Hideo shifted his eyes to the floor and remained silent.

Zaki looked up. "Does that mean diplomacy is off the table?"

"Father, please listen to us," Koukyuu said before I could respond to her cousins' questions. She spread her arms out. "Please stop this fighting. We have to work together with Kuroriku and the other kingdoms to push back the abysmals and the demons."

I turned around. "The abysmals I can help with, but I'm allied with the demons."

"So, what Ken said was true," Zaki whispered.

I glanced at the hall outside. Ken peered out of the pillar.

"You may show yourself, Kentaro," I said.

Kentaro emerged from behind the pillar with his head hung low. "I'm sorry, your majesty. I made a decision without consulting you first."

I ruffled my hair. "It is alright. Do not concern yourself about it. Go and get the other Seven Flames. I wish to speak to them about something."

Ken nodded. "Alright, I will do," he said, dashing away.

"Dad, do you know what will happen if the demons win?" Koukyuu asked. "Or have you not thought things through?"

I nodded. "I do know. There's a plan for when that time comes." I looked at Hideo from the corner of my right eye. His eyes were still on the floor. "Or at least there used to be. It's not necessary anymore."

Koukyuu smiled and ran over to me. "Does that mean that you'll help us, Daddy?" she asked, hugging me.

I patted her head. "I'll try to do what I can, but don't expect me to fight side by side with the Kuroriku. I'm fine with allying with the other two, but them."

"Well, that solves things, sorta," Zaki said, smiling.

Hideaki sighed and smiled. "That was easier than I had expected."

I eyed Hideo who had a slight grin.

"Thank your son," I said as I ruffled Koukyuu's white hair.

"Hideo?" Koukyuu asked, letting go of me. She walked over to him.

"I-I'm s-sorry for going a-ahead," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact with her.

She averted her gaze and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm not sure exactly how you managed to convince Dad, but thank you for doing it, Hide."

His face became like a red pepper.

"Y-you're welcome," he managed to squeak out. I could swear I saw steam coming out of his head.

I snickered as I sat down on my broken throne. He would make a good son-in-law one day. I doubted I would see that day with my own eyes. Though, simply knowing that someone loved Koukyuu like that was enough for me to rest in peace.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. FYI, I changed a detail in the last chapter as it created a plot hole. It was Shin'en's sister having a fever. She was already missing by that point in the story, so I changed it to Shin'en's mom having the fever.**