✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 56: Shadow Realm

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'Oh right...

Why didn't I remember it sooner.'

Macaque kept himself at a distance, cautioned of the new presence that walked in his little realm. He'd seen it twice before, and it's not something that he was aware of until the second time. The king didn't know it as well actually, and it seemed to have only started recently.

Xiu chucked herself in all directions as if she's fighting dominance over some invisible force. She falls to her knees and hands on the obsidian surface, taking hurried breaths after her struggle. He figured that was the moment to close the distance and walked further towards her. She can't possibly do anything to him, he's at his best in this place after all.

"Heya, sweetheart. That was... uhm... a nice plan you got earlier."

She slowly glanced towards him, tears in her eyes that already shifted back to normal. The words on the blades beside her flickered a little, making him tense down to his toes, it wasn't until it stopped glowing that he could finally release a breath of relief. He knows he's stronger, but whatever that was, it still sends shiver down his spine.

1451...

The first lifetime that the black furred simian stayed by her side. His shadow cudgel strikes her, sending the woman flying off to the side of the cliff. His skin unexpectedly tingled at the mere sound of the blades being pulled out of the stone, but he didn't know exactly why it made his instincts react as if warning him of trouble. She was just a human with the power to reincarnate, a cursed soul that's tied with the artifact that came from a lesser demon named Chimangjing. He wasn't supposed to lose.

"Kill me," she coughs, already drained from moving too much. "Kill me before it's too late."

Macaque held his bloody side, barely standing with the help of his own shadow staff.

"Power... "

He hears a whisper coming from her direction, but her mouth doesn't speak as she bended over in a coughing fit. His brows furrowed in confusion, looking around him to find whoever uttered the word.

"Kill me, Macaque. It's fine," her eyes slowly turned red, the blades almost eating her all her qi dry. "I'll just... reincarnate again... like I'm used to."

Macaque grits his teeth, this wasn't part of the deal. 'Protecting her from death' was the first thing that the damned golden fur made him promise, not the other way around. He was hesitating, but he knew he had to do it otherwise, it's her or him, and there's no way he's gonna get himself killed twice after escaping the Netherworld.

They raced for each other, weapons at a ready. He couldn't keep track of how long he'd been fending for himself, but he got really worn out. His armor in tatters and his side bleeding from the last strike. Macaque felt his power drain, 'So this is what they must've felt' he glared at the unconscious woman, her eyes closed while still standing on her feet. The darkness seeped up to her neck like a disease, who knows what will happen if this went on. Certainly he didn't.

The simian fought with every last bit of his remaining strength just to put her down, but it wasn't enough. He coughed up blood and was already on his knees. Xiu stood in front of him, ready to plunge the blades down to behead him.

A flash of gold flew towards them and knocked her off to the trees. Monkey King removes his hood, glaring down towards Macaque, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! She attacked me first!"

Wukong blocks an incoming attack, his feet digging to the ground at the heavy force. He looked into the woman's unconscious features, his face contorting to pain. How many bloody times is he going to see her like this? He thought that removing himself from her life would end this once and for all, but her situation just continues to end as is, and by now she's gotten even stronger.

"You have to kill her!" shouted Macaque.

He knew he had to, just like any other of her lifetimes. Whether he does kill her or not, Xiu will still die no matter what. Macaque watched as his former sworn brother ended the battle with the crushing weight of his own weapon. The simian cradled her body in his arms as a final goodbye, clearing away the black tufts that obstructed his view of her features. It's evident to the black furred that the king has his heart set on the woman, and yet he wanted him to... claim her as his. Macaque doesn't know whether to feel pity for him or scoff at the absurdity.

Monkey King stood, walking towards his direction, "I can never trust you to do one single thing, can't I?"

He averts his gaze to the ground, stifling another cough from his injuries, "... Says the one who resolved to killing me the last time," he muttered.

The simian never said anything back and walked away. Macaque sighed, cursing to himself for agreeing to involve himself into this mess. He touches the ground, creating a shadow portal for himself.

"Wu... kong..."

His eyes blinked back to the dying woman. She stared at Monkey King's back as he retreated back to nowhere, possibly away from her, or perhaps near but never visible to Xiu. Macaque finds himself contemplating on his neutrality. As much as he wants to go back to the way things were, doing things just for himself, he couldn't bear to see this end like this. At the short time he spent with the formerly known demon huntress, he'd grown quite attached to the woman— but not like how Sun Wukong felt for her, no— more like a good acquaintance of sort.

"Reincarnation, huh..." he chuckles, making his portal disappear before limping towards her. Macaque scoops her off the ground, his clothes bloodied as he carried her off with him. The least he could do was bury her, and maybe afterwards... he'd make things a little more clear by analyzing the situations better. "Alright. I'll see you later then, sweetheart."

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