The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#468 - The Monkey King

"After causing a pile of trouble, you dump the mess for me to clean up? … Though, I suppose the mess is a result of my own indulgence."

Zun Zun sighed helplessly.

Luo Hao's first thought upon seeing Kusanagi Godou was to beat him up first.

Although they were both Campiones, there was still a vast difference in strength. Kusanagi Godou, who didn't know martial arts and only possessed two or three Authorities, was absolutely no match for Luo Hao.

"Wait a moment, Sister."

"Don't stop me. Even if the opponent is the King of Yamato, I have the confidence to eliminate him. That way, we can accurately deal with the Monkey God—isn't that what we agreed on?"

"That's right…"

But that was a countermeasure against Kusanagi Godou rushing in to fight without regard for the consequences. Now, it seemed like he wanted a reason more.

"Y-You… You… You are…!?"

Seeing Luo Hao step forward, Yuri Mariya was so frightened that she completely silenced herself, covering her mouth and trembling all over, her pale face as if she had seen some great horror.

For her, the demonic figure among the Campiones who was even more terrifying than Marquis Voban—the Martial Arts King Luo Hao—was indeed a great horror.

"Yuri? Hey, Yuri!"

Being shaken by Kusanagi Godou's shoulders, Yuri Mariya finally came back to her senses. Seeing his expression of 'Who is this person?', she didn't know how to explain for a moment.

Fortunately, Luo Hao took care of it for her.

"Ordinary people should gouge out their eyes upon seeing me, and destroy their ears upon hearing me speak. However, these are special times, so I will temporarily forgive your impoliteness. King of Yamato, listen well—"

The peerless beauty was like a blooming flower, proudly introducing herself.

"My surname is Luo, my given name is Cuilian, my style name is Hao. I am the leader of the Sacred Sect, the person who reigns supreme at the pinnacle of martial arts!"

Which is to say, a Campione.

Following Zun Zun, the King of Swords, and the Marquis, the fourth fellow Campione to appear. Kusanagi Godou understood clearly the moment he saw her that the arrogant, peerless beauty before him was a demon king as fierce as blazing fire.

"Even so, you can't do such outrageous things, can you? You even turned Hikari—"

"If you weren't a King of the same caliber, I certainly wouldn't forgive your impoliteness and would definitely give you due retribution. However, as a senior walking the same path of domination, I will generously forgive you. Be grateful to me."

"…Thank you so much."

Kusanagi Godou was stared at by Luo Hao's contemptuous gaze, and said this somewhat speechlessly. He also seemed to dislike talking to women with such troublesome personalities, turning his head to look at Zun Zun.

"Sister is just too overbearing, that's why she's like this."

"How dare a younger sibling…!"

Zun Zun pinched her hand, and Luo Hao's cheeks flushed slightly, not knowing whether it was from anger or shame. In any case, she no longer spoke excessively, but still snorted softly to vent her dissatisfaction.

Afterward, Zun Zun gave Kusanagi Godou a look, and the two came to the haystack where the Monkey God had just been lying and sat down.

The haystack here was soft and still had a trace of residual heat.

"Alright," Kusanagi Godou asked impatiently, "Zun Zun, what exactly is going on? Explain it to me quickly!"

"You're really impatient…"

He had always been like this.

So, Zun Zun told Kusanagi Godou everything about her trip to the Netherworld, her learning that Luo Hao could break the tunnel, and the reason for eliminating the Monkey God.

"…So you came to Japan specifically for this purpose."

"You could say that."

After all, Zun Zun had been stating since before becoming a Campione that she was looking for a way to return home, and wanting Luo Hao's help required eliminating the Monkey God.

It was like in a game, wanting to complete Quest A required doing Quest B first.

"But I'm really impressed that you could find me so quickly."

"Because Hikari disappeared."

Initially, Yuri Mariya was worried because her younger sister hadn't returned home so late. She went to look for her and discovered that the leader of the Kusanagi family had taken her away. Thinking about Hikari Mariya becoming the Monkey God's priestess, they hurriedly came here.

"You just happened to witness that scene… You really have a protagonist's constitution, Godou."

"But I still couldn't save Hikari. Damn it, why do things like this always happen? Gods and demon kings are already troublesome enough!"

Kusanagi Godou was annoyed.

He really wanted to say, 'If that's the case, then it has nothing to do with me, so I don't need to get involved,' but when Yuri Mariya's younger sister was being used as the Monkey God's medium, there was no possibility of withdrawing.

"If that's the case, then let me…"

"No, I'll do it."

Zun Zun interrupted him.

Kusanagi Godou was slightly stunned. The reason he fought wasn't because of his innate sense of mission, or even protecting human society, which came later. He fought because Hikari had been taken away.

"But…"

"Hey Godou, do you have an idol?"

"What?"

"Like someone you admire. Whether it's an ancient hero or a figure from mythology, or even your parents and family, you should have had an idol when you were young, right?"

"…It's Takatsu Shingo."

"A baseball player?"

Zun Zun covered her forehead, looking really troubled, which made him a little agitated.

"W-What! I was originally a seeded player for Koshien, and I was going to join a professional baseball team! Takatsu Shingo had high hopes for me, saying that my future was promising, s-so…!"

Kusanagi Godou seemed to have had some interaction with him, but Zun Zun wasn't interested.

"My idol is Sun Wukong."

"Sun Wukong? Why is that name coming up? W-Wait a minute, you don't mean… the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!?"

He couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Honestly, he only learned about the existence of the Monkey God today, so he always thought it was just some obscure little god. After all, powerful gods couldn't possibly be imprisoned.

However, the [Keeper of Horses] curse, and the name Sun Wukong, sent a chill from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

This was a name as well-known as Zeus.

Especially in Southeast Asia, Japan was also deeply influenced by a certain manga, or rather, it borrowed some of his fame.

And Zun Zun couldn't possibly admire the alien Sun Wukong, so it could only be that one.

"This is really bad…"

"Yeah."

Seeing Zun Zun's expression that was about to cry, Kusanagi Godou didn't know what to say.

His idol was imprisoned, raised, and even used as a tool for fighting. This sense of frustration and the gap in power would definitely make people angry.

Honestly, Kusanagi Godou thought it was already good that Zun Zun could talk to him so calmly like this.

Putting himself in her shoes, he might be angry and vent his anger on the entire Japan.

"…Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing, Godou?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Actually, I've been trying to convince myself not to get emotional. After all, this wasn't originally my world, and the so-called Great Sage Equaling Heaven was just separated from another mythology, or maybe seeing him imprisoned would shatter the filter… But, inexplicably, I became good friends with him."

Zun Zun's voice was slightly low, her head drooping, her red eyes dim and dull.

She became good friends after only meeting once!?\n

Although he found it unbelievable, Kusanagi Godou could say very seriously: It's possible!

That's how it was with Veleslana.

They met for the first time, then played baseball games and soccer games together, trying their best but unable to win. Then the two had already become good friends.

If Veleslana hadn't chosen Zun Zun in the end, then perhaps Kusanagi Godou's current Authority would be…

No, I can't think like that.

He shook his head.

People are emotional animals. Whether they get along well the first time is a big factor. Whether they can become friends, whether they can become lovers, etc., especially after becoming a Campione, when the senses are amplified, it's even more so.

Kusanagi Godou also understood Zun Zun's reason for wanting him to face the Monkey God.

Zun Zun planned to use this method to send her idol back to mythology, to free him from this slave-like life, no longer being used as a tool.

"Also, don't worry, I'll help you bring Hikari back safely."

"…Please."

Kusanagi Godou sighed.

See, that's how things are resolved.

Although Luo Hao always had the idea of 'If you don't submit, I'll beat you until you do,' and insisted on Kusanagi Godou leaving and not getting in the way; Zun Zun felt that there was no need to fight, and could even win him over.

If you had to say it, Luo Hao was domineering, while Zun Zun was kingly.

—Suddenly!

"Oh dear, why are you still here? It's really surprising that the three Campiones aren't fighting."

A girl's refreshing voice came from the sky.

Looking up.

A girl was floating in the night sky on a golden cloud, looking down at the lower realm from the air.

Her eyes were very strange. The eyeballs were red, as if they had been smoked and congested, but the pupils were golden.

Hikari Mariya had become a rebellious god.

A mask appeared on the young priestess's face. It was a white mask with a monkey face, with red around the eyes, similar to a Peking opera mask.

This was the mask used when playing the Monkey King.

She was wearing yellow attire, decorated with beautiful black and green embroidery. The sleeves were so long that they reached her ankles, and there were large slits on both sides. The lower half of her body was wearing red pants.

It was a costume from Peking opera, the armor worn by a military general.

The monkey mask was also moved away, revealing Hikari Mariya's face, as well as the red eyeballs and golden pupils.

"Finally awakened, the Monkey King?"

Luo Hao stared at her intently.

"That's right, that's right, fellow Campione from the same hometown!"

Hikari Mariya pointed to the sky.

That majesty didn't belong to the bright and cheerful priestess, nor did it belong to the comical monkey.

"I am not the Monkey God, I am the Heaven, the existence that equals Heaven! I am the Monkey King born from stone, infinitely gifted, changing in myriad ways. I stole pills in the Heavenly Palace, indulged in wine, stole peaches, practiced martial arts, was fierce, and displayed evil!"

Then, a steel rod appeared in the girl's hand, with golden hoops at both ends, and a long rod of black iron in the middle. Next to the hoops were engraved lines of words, sparkling with starlight.

They were traditional Chinese characters.

Zun Zun understood, no, even if she didn't understand traditional characters, how could a person from the Celestial Dynasty not know what these characters were?

—Ruyi Jingu Bang!

"My surname is Sun, my given name is Wukong! I call myself the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!"

She announced her name.