Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

The Monkey King

"I thought we were hidden!" Melody shouts, turning her attention to the real Sun. Oliver nods, firing a beam of light at the advancing hoard. The clone at the front takes it in the chest, brushing his armor off like it was nothing.

"W-we should be!" Oliver squeaks, shooting another beam to the same result. Melody tries to snake her magic threads into the clones, but there are too many of them. Lightning flashes, striking the ground in front of the Sun army. Koji floats down from the sky, arcing another bolt at the first Sun. Sun doesn't flinch as it streaks past his head, slamming into the ground.

"You should stick to hiding, pacifist," The real Sun hums, examining his nails. "Even if you could hurt me, I know you wouldn't."

"But I would!" Marcus says, springing into the air. He takes on his winged lion form, crashing into the center of Sun's clones. He claws and bites at them, but they just stomp past, thumping him with their shoulders. Oliver tries blasting them some more, his aim getting worse as his hands shake uncontrollably.

"Koji, over here!" Emelia calls, waving her hand. "Get me over them!" Koji nods, lifting Emelia into the air with a miniature tornado. Emelia twists her body to aim downward, drawing back her bow. She fires five arrows in quick succession, landing in a circle around the twelve copies. Each arrow turns into a different symbol, giving off a blinding light. The light from the five points connects to create a dome, boxing the copies in. The clones stop, looking around at their new prison. Then the copy at the front of the pack kicks through it, shattering the dome instantly.

"I need to get my power into him," Melody grunts to herself, panting heavily. She can connect to her friend's power just fine, but that won't do any good. She has to find a way to get it into Sun - the real Sun. Oliver blasts another clone, and suddenly an idea springs to mind. She grabs Oliver's arm, dragging him back a few steps. "Oliver, I need you to attack the original. Just like you've been doing to the clones, but keep the beam connected," she says quickly. At the same time, she presses her palms into his back, trickling magic into him. "Can you do that?"

"I-I think so?" He whimpers, looking into the approaching hoard fearfully. They all giggle and smirk back, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. He swallows hard, his body twitching. "Actually, on second thought, I don't think-"

"Just one shot, that's all you need," Melody insists, squeezing her eyes shut. She feels her power swirl and mixes with Olivers, and she pushes even more into him. "You can do it; I believe in you. Just like with Orochi," she adds softly. Oliver nods, raising his staff. Sun raises an eyebrow, clicking his tongue. His dozen copies freeze in place, parting to give him a clear shot.

"Go ahead, let's see what you can do," he taunts, waving Oliver closer with two fingers. "I'll give you a free shot - it won't change anything, anyway." He throws his arms out to his sides, exposing his chest.

The clones suddenly turn on Emelia, Marcus, and Koji, going on the attack. Koji shoots into the air again, screaming when four copies close in on him. Emelia suddenly drops, tucking into a ball and rolling when she hits the ground. She smacks one of the copies with her bow, diving onto her back to avoid another's fist. Marcus breaks off into a dozen clones of his own, each taking on a different animal form. But they're easily dispatched by Sun's clones, and Marcus struggles to fight back when they start grabbing at him.

"Oliver, you can do it! Just fire!" Melody begs, hearing her friend's cries of pain. Oliver closes his eyes, letting out a guttural battle cry. Caduceus glows brightly, the rounded head burning amber. A thin beam of light shoots out, slamming into Sun's chest. The Monkey King suddenly gasps, his eyes going wide. He stumbles back, and Oliver grits his teeth, forcing his hands to stay steady.