Continuing on with her lessons, Jinhua put on a smile for her students as they continued with they're progressives.
Mei had almost fully gained control of the Samadhi Fire, with the help of Redson's patience and Jinhua's very helpful words, now able to send forth a massive powered dragon with a few advanced skills.
Redson had been slowly progressing with his inner being trying to find ways to strength and lengthen the time rate of how long he can hold said projection. His longest was 20 minutes.
Jinhua was very positive that without her, they would be very subpar to what they were right now. Redson would've probably taken a few more hundred years before he considered learning how to project an astral projection. Considering with how much firepower he still held, even after ripping most of it away with the ritual, he just had to wait to let the dormant beast free from its slumber.
Jinhua assumed that Mei would've still been a great fighter and would've done everything in her abilities to protect her friends and family. But she would've been reckless with such actions without a proper teacher. Sure she could've just winged it like a similar friend of her's but that choice doesn't work for everyone. Sometimes you must calculate your enemies next move before doing any action.
And that is what they are against. A very calculated demoness who sees the battlefield as a chess board. And she was the player.
On the other side of the board sat a stern Jinhua with chains surrounding her in a seat as she was forced to watch everything play out just as her enemy wanted.
And she had just checked her King piece. While simultaneously creating a pawn into her own King on the enemies territory.
Jinhua felt her nails dig into her forearms, 'This is getting out of hand... She's just repeating history... It's like she's taunting a reaction out of me with getting Wukong...' A hackle rose on her nose at the thought.
Hearing a sudden roar from one of her students' projections. Jinhua whipped around on alert to see Mei laughing at a annoyed Redson. Mei noticed her on edge master and laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head, "Sorry, Master... I got too excited and wanted to spook Redson."
Jinhua let out a small snort at her apprentice, "Try not to drag too much attention to this place. It's one of the few places that the Lady Bone Demon hasn't yet sunk her claws in." She stepped back into the temple to see if they had any left over food stock to carry on for a few more days.
But as she was folding a few discarded jackets and sweats, she felt her chest tug in distress as she felt a bond rush closer to her area, "MK...?"
A sudden yell from her apprentice and large blow of fire racing across the door frame of the temple, made the demoness rush out to see only MK in a silicone of hardened mud. He then slammed his tail into the ground, immediately cracking the mud on his body as he rushed forward with such strength that it sent a powerful sonic boom behind his wake.
Jinhua leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, a smile rising on her lips as she watched MK reunite with Mei after tackling the poor girl to the ground, smothering her in a round of nuzzling, a simian way of showing affection to those your close with. Seems even he couldn't help to give in to his monkey temptations. He must've missed his best friend dearly if it was this bad.
"I'm glad you made it back to us safely, my little Xiàngshù~" Jinhua spoke up, taking MK's attention from his suffocating friends. Her tail swayed patiently as she opened her arms out to the already racing simian.
"Jinhua—!!"
He crashed into her arms, his legs wrapped around her waist and his arms hooked around her neck as he vigorously started to muzzle the crook of her neck like a touch starved simian she knew, "You have no idea how much I needed this hug right now." He sighed in relief as he felt Jinhua support the young demon with her hand holding his bottom and the other rubbing his back soothingly.
"And that's okay, MK. Everyone needs a hug after this is all over." She hummed in delight as she saw his monkey tail started wagging happily at the idea of this entire thing ending.
"I'd like that very much..." MK gave a shaky laugh out of pure exhaustion. His eyes then widened as he came back to his senses and realized the overbearing problem that's been looming on his back for a hot minute now. He jumped off the demoness and let out a loud gasp, "So... Lady Bone Demon is coming after the Samadhi Fire..." His tail dropped as he watched his friend's face turn pale and twist in fear.
Redson then burst into flames, "And you lead her here!? What about Monkey King—!? Wasn't he supposed to be fighting her?? What happened to him!?"
Mei stood to the side as she didn't like how MK's face grew even paler than it should be, "MK...?"
"About Monkey King..." MK's voice grew smaller as he thought of ways to explain exactly what happened.
"He is already in my possession."
A sudden misty fog surrounded the area, dropping the temperature into the freezing. The air itself was almost too cold to breathe in.
MK jumped as a whisper chilled his sensitive ears for a moment, "And you have done exactly as I wished."
Mei stepped forward with her sword drawn, "Come out bitch—! I haven't given you the beating you deserve for what you did to Ren!"
Redson snapped his head to the dragon warrior, his face almost appalled by her sudden use of the filthy profanity.
"Ah.. The Samadhi Fire dares speak up after almost destroying the world... How cute." A flicker of the Lady Bone Demon appeared behind Mei, but flickered away before Mei could land a strike on her.
"You rusting pile of bones...!" Mei hissed out.
A sudden burst of pressure rained down upon the younger demons, they're knees almost buckling beneath them if they hadn't been so frozen in place by raw terror.
Wukong looked up from the crater he made, his battle armor tinted a dull silver than the majestic gold he sported proudly. His ginger fur was now a light brunette as it swayed in the roaring winds. His once twinkling red eyes full of mischief was now gone as it was replaced with an eerie blue glow. His face void of any emotion that might hinder or show weakness.
"SHE GOT HIM—!?" Mei looked flabbergasted, "SHIT—!"
Redson glanced back at the group, "If she has now taken Monkey King over, we definitely cannot allow her to get the Samadhi Fire—!!" He reached to urge Mei to run but a sudden gust of wind behind him made his hair raise dangerously.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Monkey King's fist only inches from his stomach.
"REDSON—!" Mei panicked, her hand reaching out to yank him out of the way but she was too far away.
A sudden tornado of golden fire lit in front of Wukong, a hand catching his fist with a small tremble in strength against the other.
MK's face lit up, "JINHUA—!!"
The fire cleared, showing Jinhua smirking up at the possessed simian, "What's wrong, Wukong? I thought you'd be stronger than this—!" Her eyes lit a fiery gold as she began to use force against the Monkey King, pushing him back slowly.
The possessed simian gritted his teeth as he flashed his canines in irritation. His strength increased immensely as full on craters grew at they're feet. Trees and bushes were uprooted from the ground, from the two powerful demons' strength alone. They hadn't even used they're abilities yet.
MK watched with wide eyes, "So this is the strength of Monkey King and Jinhua..."
Mei had dragged Redson far enough from the destructive forces of her Master and the possessed monkey, "Master is amazing, isn't she?"
Redson glanced up at the brightly smiling girl as she observed her master with a face full of passion, "Yeah... Amazing..."
Jinhua felt her arms push back against Wukong's even if it was a sliver of an advantage, she took it to gain a few inches in this display of power, "Come on...!~ Aren't you a little rusty to be fighting me again~?" She flashed a wild grin as she pushed forward, making the King take a knee.
But just as Jinhua was about to summon her sword to try and knock him unconscious, a sudden jolt across her skin had stopped her momentarily. Resulting in Wukong slamming her into the ground in only seconds, "AUGH—!"
"Master—!" Mei jumped up quickly.
Jinhua immediately held up a hand to the young demons, sensing they're distress and worry, which would lead only to unnecessary recklessness, "STAY WHERE YOU ARE—!" She choked on her spit when she felt Wukong's fist connect with her chest.
"It is quite entertaining to see the great and mighty Golden Guardian of the Heavens, get beat to the ground like the mutt she is...." A flicker of the Lady Bone Demon flickered into view as she looked over Wukong's shoulder to see the bloody mess of Jinhua.
Her nose continued to flow a river of blood as she spat blood at the looming spirit, "Bitch."
"It seems that term is a rather rude way to describe me and my cause." Lady Bone Demon smirked as she playfully poked her chin in thought, "You seem to be the cause of this...! A punishment is due." A slight giggle left her lips as she raised her hands towards the pinned Demoness. Her arms were pinned on either side of her head while Wukong straddled her so she wouldn't kick him.
The demoness then released a blood curdling scream as her tattoos lit up across her body. Her body squirmed as she tried to find something to make it stop. The searing cold that burned at her flesh like it was another round of branding her newly, "Make... IT— STOP—!!" She grinded her canines together as she tried to fight against another scream wanting to tear out of her throat.
"Jinhua—!!" MK was about to rush forward but both Redson and Mei held his arms as they dragged him at a safer distance.
MK glared at the two, "What are you two doing!? We have to help!! She's being tortured!!" He snarled at them angrily.
Mei gritted her fangs, "YOU THINK I CANT SEE THAT!?" She jabbed a finger into the simian's chest, "I understand what's happening but—!!" She glanced at the scene of her master squirming helplessly under Wukong's grip.
Redson patted her shoulder and finished for her, "Do you honestly think we have a chance against the Monkey king? Without him holding back his punches!? We'd just get in the way—!"
MK turned to Mei with a pitiful look, "What about the Samadhi Fire—!? Surely—!"
Mei held up her trembling hand, as if she was remembering a certain event, "And risk burning Jinhua again—!? I'd rather cut my own tail off!"
MK and Redson instinctively tucked they're tails in at her harsh statement.
"Then... What are we supposed to do!? Watch this!?" MK blurted out, his mind in scrambles.
Jinhua could feel the distress rise in her students as she stood her ground against the burning sensation coursing through her frozen veins. Her terrified eyes turned to look up at her capturer. His face scrunched up in a strained expression. It was like he hated what he was doing and he wished for nothing but this to end.
Jinhua's mind went blank as this was also a familiar position. Her stuck in a tortured state. The fault seemingly being Wukong's but was influenced by a third party. This was just like the moment of her sealing. The day she lost all trust in her finger monkey.
"Ji—"
Her ears perked through the buzzing in her head.
"I— Jinh—"
Jinhua watched with wide eyes as she watched a tear glide down the side of his face as his bottom lip trembled in pain.
"Please... Don't..."
Jinhua saw a flicker in Wukong's eyes as he tried to fight back.
"Please don't hate me..." He almost whimpered out weakly. His tail straining to move on it's own free will. Though pushing through the influence, he managed to curl his tail with her spasming ones, "I-I'm sorry...!" Trying to give her some sort of comfort through the agonizing pain.
Jinhua's mind had been made up as soon as she saw through all the fear and doubt that clouded her, "You... You don't deserve this... Not again." Gritting her teeth through the pain, she reached down in her core to pull out that power that raged forward through her own desires.
"Give me aid once more... Reaper of Hell's Kings."
A sudden glow imitated from Jinhua, surrounding both her and Wukong, deflecting Lady Bone Demon from interfering.
She yanked a hand free of Wukong's clutches and grabbed onto his face. Inserting her power towards the sigil that was placed on his back, "You will be free from her reign...!" She loaded her powers of necromancy to overload the cracking sigil. Shattering it into pieces as it released all the ghouls and souls from his cold body.
MK and Mei tackled eachother, dragging a innocent Redson down with them.
"Hey—!"
"SHE DID IT—!"
"MONKEY KING IS FREE—!!"
Taking a moment to breathe in the once silent air. She watched Wukong's barely conscious body fall limp right on top of her, "Ack—! Wukong! Your FATASS has been eating too many peaches over the decades." She shouted in his ear.
But all she heard from him was a gruff laugh, "Admit it. You miss my presence...." He slurred tiredly.
Jinhua rolled her eyes with a small chuckle, "Maybe a tiny bit."
Wukong nuzzled into the crook of her neck affectionately as he was finally able to reach her, "Well I missed you too..." His voice muffled. His tail curling loops around her twin tails.
Jinhua sighed in relief until she felt her tattoos react to something. Her eyes snapping up to see the ghouls and souls flying around freely and without a host.
And they wished to return to their vessel.
She watched as they sky dived right towards her and Wukong, "No..."
"Huh? What's happening?" Wukong was then shoved to the side as he could barely move his own limbs. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Jinhua taking the blow for him.
Her face void of any anger that she gave him over the few months. None of that rage. No disgust in sight.
Just a soft smile gracing her lips, "I will not allow it to happen the third time..."
Wukong reached out desperately, "JINHUA—!! NO—!"
But it was too late as the swarm of spirits and souls dive bombed straight into the chest of the demoness, making her only have time to take a sharp inhale before a burst of gold fire twisted around her.
The three young demons could only watch in horrified silence as they realized what happened.
"Oh no..."
A high pitched cackle rang out in the air, "OH YES—! This is so much more better than I could have planned—! But it is welcomed greatly to the cause—!! Destiny will always have its way! This proves it!" Lady Bone Demon flickered around the group as they edged closer to the Monkey King.
"Forget the Moneky King when you can have Jinhua, The Guardian of the Heavens as your new toy!?" Her twisted grin stretched eerily across her face.
"Now, I have the most perfect champion."
Up in the sky, surrounded by a blaze of fading gold fire, it's color fading into a bright blue as it revealed the one and only.
Jinhua.
Her attire changed from her comfortable garments of light robes, into a more western style of attire. A loose dress shirt with white flower designs. A corset that looked like it could break spines if you pull hard enough. Her loose pants now tight fitted as she wore black skinny pant. Her face covered in a lose veil as it twisted in the wind. Her once beautiful violet eyes gone and now a familiar blue eerie glow.
And in her hand was a silver katana with a curved end, like a sickle of death.
"Crap... That doesn't look good..." Redson stepped back nervously.
Wukong stumbled up to his feet, "We. Are. FUCKED." His eyes then widened in realization, "Macaque's gonna kill me—!!"
MK and Mei gave the Monkey King a deadpanned look.
"Really?"
"Not the greatest of moments."
But the realization was a lot harder to process now.
Jinhua was now they're enemy.
Not they're protector.
FINALLY I CAN POST THIS—