✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 63: Almost

The creature doesn't reply, and instead, releases a cloud of red smoke around her. Another trick, perhaps? But it was unexpected when the woman herself lunges at her. Lady Bone Demon conjured ten layers of shield, only for it to slowly get sucked into the tips of her two fuming weapons for the taking.

Three layers left.

Two layers.

Lady Bone Demon finally shows her exasperation and produces skeletal arms to hold the mortal's arms just as she broke the last shield. Unlike when being in physical contact with the weapon, holding her down by flesh didn't result in the similar outcome, bringing a half-lidded smile on her face, "Enough games." The demon flew in front of her and took her chin roughly, "I was asking quite nicely when I said I wanted the blades, but my patience wore thin." She reached for one blade, and took it by the hilt, prying it away from the woman's fingers. "Quite an insight I've got since you started attacking, little miss cursed. I pity you for having to live your life while remembering your pasts, the pain of having to realize that everyone you've ever knew had long since died, everything you once knew changes, the world and its laws changing as well until you knew absolutely nothing but the fact that you have a task at hand that you were never able to fulfill. And by the time you reunite with the weapon, it just happens over and over again."

Xiu flinches as her icy hand gently hovers over her other one which still held one blade.

"All that misery will end, as well as all others that weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of many living creatures," she takes a hold of the hilt, "A new world is long overdue, I shall see to it that you would experience the life you've always wanted. One that include... the Great Sage, perhaps?"

She glares at her and chuckles, "Nah. I'd prefer this kind of adventure with him over anything. Where's the fun if we can't have a little chase with what we want?" Xiu poofs into a mini version of her and strikes the blade into the demon's stomach, immediately engulfing herself in a surge of power. Lady Bone Demon shrieks, preparing to blast her off of her, but a pair of arms locked hers behind, the Monkey King tightens his grip on her wrists.

"Finish her off, Xiu!"

"Definitely what I'm doing right now~" she hums with a heated glare against the ivory white fabric that once separated her skin from her.

'This is not supposed to happen!' the demon fought back once more, releasing a quarter more of her power to use the souls of all that she took from, reaching more than a hundred that now surrounds them with their lifeless eyes.

The simian grits his teeth, preparing to extract clones of himself if necessary. "Here comes Monkey Kid!" the boy jumps up towards them and tosses in a bunch of his hair up, creating his own clones to deal with them.

"MK!" the woman releases a breath of relief.

"Don't worry, I'll handle them!" he winks at the two and began attacking amongst his duplicates. Monkey King smiles at his disciple, pride filling him for the second time this day. Not only is he capable to trusting others to the point of giving them hope, he's also a reliable young man, especially now that he got the staff back. Xiu felt cold, but not the type of cold she experiences when her soul is being devoured by the dual blades. It's nipping at her skin, but light enough to prevent a frostbite.

The Lady Bone Demon had had enough of them all. She lowered herself to the ground, still in between the two. The arm that held Chimangjing's blade was pointed down, right above the core of her mech where the Samadhi Fire is located. "If the dragon girl won't give me the Samadhi Fire willingly, then I will rip it from her!"

The blades glowed bright red and releases a fume, obeying the will of its new holder. Monkey King's fur stood on all ends, he immediately loosens his hold on her and grabs Xiu and pushes MK along with him, jumping off the platform before the fire explodes in front of their faces.

The woman transforms to her normal size, "Wait— the blade!"

"There's no time!" he holds her closer, blocking a debris with his back.

Everyone got to a good distance from the humongous mechanism, but the real problem has just begun. Xiu felt a painful tug, her hand clutching the prison blade that's trembling from the enormous power, she can only guess what that meant, but the circumstances calls for the word she finds difficult to admit. Failure.

The mech extends its arms, holding two flaming blades on the upper pair. Another two comes out from its sides, holding down one gigantified Chimangjing blade and sticks it deep into the ground. The area around them slowly loses its vibrancy, creating a dull surface as the weapon began sucking the life force of the land.

The woman couldn't hold back the tear that slips from her eye, guilt from thinking she'd have a chance of succeeding, and frustration from the result of that foolishness. Lady Bone Demon was right, she's not suitable to be thinking she could be one of the heroes. Her will to fight will never be as justified as theirs, she was merely tagging along to their stepping stones as they make their way to their goal.

"You went here to save him, did you not?"

She blinks, hearing Chimangjing's voice from within her.

"I think that's good enough. So, wanna try something new?"

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