Standing on her flying blade, Jinhua watched from above as her army of translucent warriors marched forward. Right behind her, Shiwen stood stall with his arms folded behind him.
One of her ears angled to the right of her as she listened to the wind howl around her. Closing her eyes, Jinhua didn't even need to know who it was.
"Jinhua... I... What happened to you...?"
Turning her violet gaze to match darkly lit amber ones, Jinhua tilted her head back with a weak smile.
"I'm getting answers, my dear friend."
Princess Iron stood in the air with a saddened face, "By marching a destructive army across the lands...? It's like you WANT everyone to know that your going off to war—!"
"I am doing what is necessary."
Iron Fan looked at her exasperated, "Necessary? Have you gone mad!?"
Jinhua's eyes flashed a dangerous gold, "Mad? Ah... I've long past the term of Madness.... I've gone completely insane at this point. I've lost all hope to my sanity." A twisted grin spread across the demoness' face, "I've lost everything...!" She let out a high pitched cackle with her eyes widening in glee at the almost petrified face the Princess made.
"Jinhua...! Please—! See reason through all this absurdity...! This is far from the friend I once lived to call friend. You've changed the past few months..." Princess Iron Fan pleaded with utmost genuine concern.
Jinhua glanced at the demoness with an almost bored expression, "And so have you it seems..." She finally turned her body to face her friend, "Tell me... Do you think I will make it out of this battle...?"
The expression alone on her friend's face answered her, "I can only hope, Jinhua..."
"That's all I need to know." Jinhua glided past her on her weapon, her arms folded behind her back.
"I hope you take care of Redson for me, it's gonna suck not having his God mother spoil him every time she visits." Jinhua stated without looking back.
The quiet sobs that broke from the Demon Princess' lips once again answered her question.
And with that, she continued on.
—
She had traveled over mountains and lakes for a few weeks now. It was time she sat and rested for a couple of hours.
She now sat at the edge of a steep hill that had an overhang.
She had a knee pulled to her chest and the other dangling over the edge. In her free hand, she stared down at the two bells that rung nothing but silence.
All in the motion of death.
"I've come to talk."
Keeping her gaze on the bells, Jinhua let out a frustrated sigh, "When will you people understand that I don't want to talk...!"
"Even if it's a friend?"
Glancing over her shoulder, she was met with Ao Ji in his human form, his jade sword strapped to his hip.
"I see you've heard of the news."
His face hardened, "I've heard of the death of Macaque and I'm grieved by it. But it seems you have taken it differently."
Jinhua turned back to face the rising sun.
"I've thought it over and I only have a few simple clues to what happened during the argument that broke out. But I need to know from Wukong himself...!"
"...And if he doesn't talk..?"
Jinhua exuded her aura out and filled the air with a heavy pressure of anger.
"Then I'll have to beat the truth out of him."
Dipping his head in respect, he stated with a bow, "I hoped that one day I would have the honor of you teaching my children, but it seems fate has other plans for us..." He locked eyes with her in a desperate plea, "But if that is what you desire, Jinhua, then as your friend, I have no other choice but to accept it..."
With a twist of his figure, he transformed into his magnificent dragon form, and flew away with slight hesitance.
Closing her eyes once again to find her peace, Jinhua noticed the shift in the air around her.
"𝕸𝖎𝖑𝖆𝖉𝖞, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖔𝖕𝖘 𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖜 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖇𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖉𝖆𝖞. 𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖘..?"
"Rally the troops. We're heading towards the empty fields of Ebril."
"𝕺𝖋 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊, 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕳𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘."
Jinhua watched him start to move but she raised a hand to stop his movement.
"I'm sure the titles are growing boring.. So call me by my name."
"𝖄-𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊—!?"
"Yes."
"𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖉𝖊𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖘—! 𝕴 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗—!!"
"I insist..." A small smile was provoked on her face at the stuttering mess.
Shewin felt the warming of his flame brighten at the sight of his mistress finally smile. His glowing eyes softened at the sight.
He pledged to himself that he would do his best to keep her happiness alive til the moment she falls in battle.
"𝕬𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊, 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝕵𝖎𝖓𝖍𝖚𝖆."
With a smile on her face, Jinhua snapped her fingers and a helmet flared over her face, masking her once beautiful features.
"Let's get this over with."
—
"Your anger is poisoning the air behind you, Jinhua."
Standing in the open fields, stood Jinhua with the backing of her dead Nekomata.
And on the other side, stood Wukong with an unreadable expression. He looked to be dressed in the same manner as Jinhua.
Both expecting a battle to commence.
"I'd like to avoid a battle with you Wukong, but my mind is drained from fatigue that I feel almost too tired to care..." Jinhua let out a dry laugh.
"And you say I'm the reckless one..." Wukong let out the same laugh. His tone anything but humorous.
Shewin took no humor in his slight insult and took out his broadsword, striking it down in front of his mistress protectively.
"I see you gained a couple hundred strays.."
"You might recognize some of them. After all, your the one who slaughtered their clan." Jinhua stated with a cold voice.
At that Wukong stilled, all but a twitch of his finger on his staff's handle.
"What happened after you slaughtered the elder's in cold blood?"
"..."
"Do you regret it?"
"..."
Locking eyes with the simian made something twist in her chest. His eyes looked unfocused and seemed to be looking at something else entirely.
Rolling her shoulders back, Jinhua readied her weapon. Her ears twitched at the slight touch of drizzling rain pour. It soon fell harder as they stared down one another.
Wukong closed his eyes with a sigh as he raised his staff up and grabbed a fist full of fur and threw them out into the air. The wind carried them out around him as clones started forming one after another. And soon he had an army of his own.
"Shewin."
At her call, he answered.
"𝖄𝖊𝖘, 𝕷𝖆𝖉𝖞 𝕵𝖎𝖓𝖍𝖚𝖆?"
"Form a barrier. I can sense a few guests coming our way. And I don't like my duals being interrupted."
"𝕬𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖍."
He raised a large clawed gauntlet to the sky and shot up a beam of golden fire. It branches out into a cage like center, reaching far and wide to give the battle room.
"Jinhua—!"
"Wukong—!"
Multiple demons and friends came to watch the battle as news traveled high and low across the realms.
But before some could even think about stopping them, the barrier had reached the ground and finished its full effect.
Jinhua's ears perked up at the sounding was swirling fire at a fast pace.
"I'm surprised you even got the chance to escape your duties. Nezha."
Her eyes met his sakura ones. His eyes void of any childishness freedom, despite his young physical form and body.
"What in blazes do you think your doing—! Even the gods from heaven are watching this battle!"
Jinhua gave a snort, "Is that so?" With a snap of her fingers, she quickly wrote a letter to her mother for a small favor.
"What did you just do...?"
"I don't want anyone to listen in on my conversation with Wukong."
His eyes widened in shock, "You asked your mother to silence the other Gods ears!?"
"Indeed. Nosy ones aren't they?" With another snap of her finger, the favored Enchantment was set.
"Now then. Let's continue our discussion—!" At that she raised her blade high up in the air, her helmet covering her face, "All men ready!?"
Her soldiers let roars tear the sky above and all chaos ensued.
"CHARGE—!!"
They let out battle cries when they rushed forward. Each disappearing from sight.
Wukong was instantly spotted by Jinhua as he stood in the middle.
And he was met head on as Jinhua whipped her sword out.
Wukong barely had time to par it when he reacted. The impact sent him flying from out of the sky.
"Wait—! I'd hardly call this a discussion—!"
Jinhua seethed at his tone. It's the tone he uses to avoid answering something. She fell down with a landing kick to the ground, but Wukong again barely dodged it when he rolled over in a slight daze. He stumbled back up and shook his head of its slight ache. His amber gaze hardening at the approaching enemy.
"Do you absolutely ANY idea, what you did—!?"
Two weapons clash in the heavy rain pour. Lightning struck in the midst of battle, each time their blades connected.
"Destroying a city?? Decimating an entire clan!? What was going through your mind at the time-!?" Her desperate plead for an answer rung through deaf ears.
"I- I can't.. I don't know how.." His frazzled state left him unable to form clear thoughts nor straight answers as he was left no choice but to defend himself against the onslaught of her rampaging attacks.
"Don't you dare hide behind that false charade! I know you, Wukong! And this-? You would never do such a thing!" The woman brandished her katana high up into the air and swung it down full force, decimating the terrain around them as he struggled to block the blow with his staff, "I ask— I plead—! I beg of you—! Just tell me what happened back there!"
At that, his eyes flickered from gold to a tiny glint of blue. It was almost missed if the woman didn't have enhanced eyesight. But as they struggled to overpower the other, Wukong still could not answer as he turned his head to the side in disdain, his lip forming into a tight line.
The woman's hackles raised as her eyes pricked with small droplets, "Your never gonna tell me, huh?"
Wukong hesitantly looked up to meet her gaze at the low and shuddering tone. His ears folding back in shame as he watched his friend let out a heart wracking sob.
"Your never gonna tell me why."
Her eyes then glowed a menacing gold. Her canines bared as she glared hatefully at the simian in front of her.
"Why did you—!"
Wukong gritted his teeth and pushed her back at the sudden question, "It wasn't my fault—! It was..! It was just a—!" But he was cut off when She swung back again but, more powerful as her aura raged on in his wrathful path of revenge.
"Don't you DARE say it was an accident!" She growled lowly from her chest, her katana glowing even more dangerously. Her golden fire roaring in a ravenous hunger, it started to absorb his staff's chi.
"I want the truth!" She pushed forward. Gaining more ground as Wukong started to stumble back, "I asked a question—!"
"GIVE ME AN ANSWER—!!!"