At that Macaque had instantly shot up with his staff at hand, "Let's test that!" He gave a giant strike of his weapon and manages to hurl a giant gust of wind. The pressure of the wind annihilated a row of trees that were behind the Demon Fox King when he dodged.
Though as soon as he dodged to the left, Wukong's staff went flying straight at him and nailed him in the side, sending him flying out of the forest of Illusions and into a grand open prairie that had nothing but a few dried bushes and drained coloration in the ground.
Getting up quickly, the Demon dodged a strike to the head as he leaned backwards but Macaque was already there with a malicious grin spreading across his face.
"Got ya." His armored hand bands connected with the Demonic God's right cheek.
Stumbling back, he tried to get out of Wukong's range but he was struck in his back leg by his staff, resulting in him kneeling.
Macaque came around again just as quickly and knees him in the nose to stun him for a few more seconds.
In those seconds, Wukong sprinted forward and high kicked him into the ground creating a giant crater around them.
Jinhua using this distraction of the monkey demons tag teaming the very confused Demon Fox King, she sprinted away from the fight and towards the dying relic.
As she gently picked up the fragile flower, she felt sudden surge of power draining from her channels of chin flowing throughout her body and towards the palm of her hand that held the relic.
"Aughhhh-!" She instantly gripped the loose robes that covered her burning chest. Her eyes started glow into a bright yellow as she watched the relic gain more color and perk up with life as it bloomed to life. The petals glowing with health and the shade of gold shining in the sunlight again.
With a faint smile on lips, Jinhua began the enchant and lit her hand on fire, covering the whole lotus as it began to heal its bitten part and regrow itself with its regeneration.
As she focused her chi into filling out the lotus up to full power and strength she let her guard down as she felt a sudden piercing grip on her shoulder as it toppled over her.
Looking up, she was met with the hungry gaze of one of those smoke made Huli Jing soldiers of the Demon Fox King.
"You filthy little DEMON..!!" She hissed back as it started to jerk it's head back, trying dig it's teeth deeper into her bleeding flesh, "Let go, you stupid mutt-!"
And to her relief the weight of the low ranked demon was lift and followed by the sharp yelp of pain that came out of its snout.
"Who knew It would be my turn to rescue you this time, Princess Jinhua?"
Looking over to her left, she let out a gasp as she saw the figure of Zhu Baije strike his Nine-toothed rake into the stomach of the Huli Jing.
Another voice spoke up from behind her as they helped her stand up to her feet, "You seem to be distracted, mind if we assist you in this fight?" She turned to see it was Ao Ji who aided her.
"The Demon Fox King grows in strength as we speak. We need to hurry up and end this as quickly as possible." Jinhua turned to see another stand beside her as they dusted off her robes and handed her back her sword.
It was Shu Wujing.
The last held up the relic to her with glowing golden palms. A smile spreading across they're face with determination, "I'll provide as much protection as I can while you hurry and help rebuild the relic to aid ourselves in this perilous battle."
Jinhua held the relic close to her chest as she looked on at the group in awe, "You guys came..." She breathed out in surprise.
"Of course we did, woman! What do you take us for!?" Zhu Baije shouted with a raised fist in utter irritation that she would ask such a question.
"You came to our aid. So now I think it's time that we aid you in these dire times..." Ao Ji placed a hand on her shoulder.
Shu Wujing hit the ground with his crescent spear with a hardened expression, "Leave the lower demons to us and focus at the task at hand. I don't think our little monkeys can handle any more distracting."
Tang nodded in worry, "The Demon Fox King is beginning to notice as he's sending his soldiers to finish the job he couldn't."
Jinhua looked at they're determined faces and gave a firm nod in return as she strapped the sheathe of her sword back to her hip.
"Very well then. I'll be in your care." She grinned as she turned her back to the group to focus on her task.
The group all smiled and turned towards the growing number of smoke like foxes and soldiers gathering in the shadows of the forest. Their red gleaming eyes all targeting Jinhua in hunger and desperation.
It was indeed nerving.
-
Wukong dodged a attack aimed at his leg by the Demon Fox King's dangerous gauntlets that would burn at just a touch.
The Fox King saw through this and grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. Swinging him in a full circle before releasing him into colliding with his ally who tried to stalk up on him.
"AGH-!!"
"EUGH!"
The more they fought, the more the Demon Fox King could read they're movements better and more clear than before.
Getting up, Wukong immediately started to discard his shoulder pads and threw them aside as he watched it start to melt into a golden liquid.
Wukong turned to the Demon Fox King and watched him start to look around for a certain golden haired demoness.
"Where is my favorite little warrior, hm..?" He tilted his head in thought as he onserved how the two monkey instantly went into a battle stance at the mere mention of their friend, "You seem awfully protective of such a demoness... Too bad you weren't there when she was at her breaking point. It was the most entertaining thing I've seen yet..!!" He chuckled in amusement.
Wukong and Macaque's face hardened at the mention of that. They still didn't know what had caused Jinhua to be in such pain but they both almost sensed it simultaneously. It was like they could feel themselves get struck by a thousand lightening and crushed by multiple mountains at once. It was like a void had taken out in they're stomachs and nothing could fill it.
But when they looked at eachother with tears in they're eyes, they knew instantly it wasn't they're own tears but Jinhua's.
And then at that moment, Macaque had heard the most heart wrenching scream far in distance. It nearly drove him over the edge and made him trip. He felt his vision swirl and blur at the mere scream as he instantly knew who it was.
Now they stand before the man who made they're friend break and feel such things. Even after she had gone through so much for them and now she stands over in the forest still trying her best to push down her grief.
But they can still feel it.
The void that still felt bottomless.
The never ending guilt and regret filling they're minds as it wasn't even their own.
Gritting his teeth, Macaque summoned his spike ended staff and jutted it at the Fox King with a dangerous glare, "What the hell did you do to her, you mutt...!"
Wukong stood firm next to his friend as he held his staff with white knuckles, "Answer us! And don't give us riddles, old man!"
"Female demons are so fascinating to me... We males believe that we're the strongest because of our gender and dominant abilities in certain races, but that all doesn't matter when they are faced with a female demon who has made a bond with a person they think as family."
The two demon monkeys did not like where this was going but they held firm and listened quietly as it was also distracting him.
"See even when you are the strongest in your demon race, it all goes to waste because a female demon will utterly destroy you if you so much as touch or harm they're family or child in any way."
Macaque and Wukong could feel they're fur rise and bristle as the grin on the Demon Fox King's face stretched.
"So I put that to a test." He tapped his chin casually as if he was talking to wasn't talking to his enemies on the battlefield, "And the results were utterly disappointing as she instead broke instead of going for the kill."
With that sentence alone, the two friends could feel they're power surge to dangerous rate.
They're eyes wide and dismayed with pure fury as they felt veins pop on they're temple and jaws.
They're auras creating a devastating pressure sending cracks into the ground they stood on.
"Macaque, hold my staff. I'm bouta pound this motherfucker into hell itself when I'm done with him..." He could feel his teeth grinding against eachother as he started to stalk forward in slow strides. His eyes flashing a golden bronze.
Macaque on the other hand could almost hear the agonizing screaming ringing throughout his head and ears as he kept staring at the Fox King's oblivious smirk.
"Not if I kill the filthy mutt myself-!" He growled out as he let out a battle cry with his astral projection forming around him into his shadow monster.
With the sudden urge to punch this demon in the face, both monkey's struck their weapons into the ground creating giant craters.
The Demon Fox King raised a brow at their actions before questioning, "Why are you discarding your weapons..? Are you giving u-!" Before he could even finish the last word, a fist came flying at him and connected to his right cheek. Sending him flying out of the sky and into a mountain.
Wukong looked up at the looming astral shadow being still in his punching position, letting out a short whistle call, "You really sent him flying, huh?"
Macaque rolled his eyes with a small huff, still prickling from the anger that rose from his chest, "You'll get your turn... He's coming back, see?"
And that he was. Zooming through the sky straight towards Macaque's shadow astral and pissed off as well.
As the Demon Fox King rammed himself into Macaque's Shadow Monster's stomach, Wukong gained the opportunity to get behind the Fox King and pull him by the scalp and slam his hand down into the earth.
As soon as Wukong pinned him, he grabbed both of his arms and twisted them behind his back and pulled until he heard a satisfying pop on his end.
The Demon Fox King let out a pained scream but he was cut off again as the Shadow Monster shot his fists down again at the Fox Demon.
This continued back and forth between Wukong and Macaque dealing blows after blows, passing the demonic god back and forth to relief the sudden rise of anger.
At some point Wukong picked up his staff to go and finish the demonic king off as he flew up into the sky and shot down with his staff pointed.
As he was about to land the hit, the Demon Fox King's hand shot up and grabbed the end of the staff as it was only inches from his scratched up face.
"I think I've played along with your little tantrums long enough, little sage." He chuckled lightly as he smoothly shoved the staff aside and thrusted his palm out, connecting it to Wukong's stomach as shadowy figures spiraled around the demonic god's arms and up onto the Monkey King's body.
Wukong let out a grunt of frustration as he was suddenly latched onto by the smoke like figures. They all were deformed and disfigured as they all turned they're faceless features to his and a empty void like smile stretched across they're faces.
They're anomaly long and bone like fingers reached upward and yanked on his robes and armor down to the ground as they kept they're attention on Wukong.
"Wukong!" Macaque called out in concern before he felt his head get grabbed from inside the shadows monster and thrown out of it.
Once his body hit the ground with a big explosion of dust flying everywhere, the Demon Fox king descended upon the earth and had finally started to talk again.
"You try and try again, but it won't change a thing. I'm only doing what's best for our demon race..." He stood right in front of Macaque bruised form on the ground.
The demon monkey winced as he propped himself up by his elbows as he looked up at the Fox King with utter hatred, "Doing what's best for us..?? How dare you say such a lies when all you've done is make things into one big show of entertainment for your pleasing!"
"Your wrong."
Macaque bristled at this, "I'm wrong.!? Then what about Jinhua! I'm just going to assume that what you did to her what for the BEST!?"
"Why of course. It was necessary to gain control of the relic by using her child as leverage for my plan. I needed power and I got it."
Macaque looked at him with narrowed dilated eyes, "Her child...? What the hell did you do...!?"
A smirk grew on his face, "Well if you must know..." He held his hand over his cheek playfully, "I sealed them away right before her eyes, using the slave contract I had with them."
"You FIEND!" Macaque hissed out and was ready to lash out again but as he raised his staff up, the Demon Fox King stomped his foot and pinned it.
"Ta ta ta ta~!" He waved a finger at the demon monkey in a scolding manner, "I didn't say the magic word for you get up."
"What do plan do now-?" Macaque glared.
"Well that's simple." The demonic god stated like it was the obvious, "I'm going to kill you and your friend and then finish the job with your precious little golden haired warrior."
Gritting his teeth, Macaque struggled against the Fox King's strength as he tried to wiggle his staff out from under his boot.
"This won't take long."
Closing his eyes, Macaque pinned his ears back waiting to ear the rushing wind or sparking flames of the attack hit his body, but instead of that, he heard the sudden chimes of Japanese bells ring throughout the air.
"Why is it that every time you two do something, I have to always be there to back you up."
Peeking his eyes open, Macaque was met with the back of Jinhua's armored robes and her golden locks lit aflame as they roared in power, showcasing her fire abilities.
"Jinhua...?"
The said demoness peeked over her shoulder to the still laying on the ground monkey, "Why hello to you too, Macaque."
Macaque observed her for a moment in silence before letting out a soft chuckle, "Glad you could make it..." He sighed.
"As am I." A dark chuckle erupted from Jinhua's opponent as she kept her palm out over his scarlet flamed gauntlet, "It'd make it so much easier to kill you off now than to search for you."
Jinhua looked back to the Demon Fox King with a smirk of her own as her eyes flashed a bright yellow, "This time, I think you'd find it a lot harder trying to kill me."