Chapter 2209: Mischief Maker
Though she wasn't sure how he had done it, seeing Vahn crush Shuten into nothingness caused a powerful chill to spread through Amaterasu's body. For the first time since she decided to oppose him, the notion that he was far beyond anything she had ever encountered crossed her mind.
"This doesn't make any sense...how can someone be this powerful without..."
Before she could finish her statement, realization washed over Amaterasu's mind as she muttered, "Shiroyasha..." in a low, hissing tone.
Similar to Vahn, Pure-Blooded Dragons, Vampires, and several other ludicrously powerful creatures, Shiroyasha had simply appeared out of nowhere one fateful day. Shortly after that, she managed to flip the entire Divine Realm on its head. Her power had completely transcended the common sense of the Little Garden, and, despite the protests of numerous Sun Gods and Goddesses, she managed to secure her place as the 'original' with extreme ease.
Like her fellow Sun Deities, Amaterasu refused to believe that Shiroyasha was the template that had inspired them all. Unfortunately, even if she wasn't, the power wielded by the oppressively powerful Demoness had allowed her to make it a reality. Such was the nature of the Divine Realm.
Recalling what little information she was able to gather on Vahn and the Sage Dragon's Hearth, the notion he was a pawn acting at the behest of Shiroyasha was firmly planted in Amaterasu's mind. It was the only thing that could explain how someone without a legend could possess such power. He had to be borrowing it from someone, or, at the very least, something else...
"Damn...that loli bitch played us all for fools..."
Convinced that the present circumstances were entirely the result of Shiroyasha's machinations, a vexed expression marred Amaterasu's countenance. She could still recall, in vivid detail, her past encounter with the infamous Demon of the White Night. Back then, Shiroyasha's only power was trajectory manipulation. In spite of this, she was virtually untouchable as anything aimed toward her, even a person's line of sight would simply deviate from its course.
Recalling how Shiroyasha would taunt her every time her sword went off course, the color gradually drained from Amaterasu's face. If Vahn possessed a similar ability, there was very little anyone could do to him. He could just remain seated on his throne, a carefree and roguish smile on his face as his opponents failed to influence him in any meaningful way...
"I see...it all makes sense now. The careless disregard he showed during the weeks leading up to this event, the challenge he issued to everyone participating, and his performance thus far...he is trying to cement the notion that he is 'untouchable' in the hearts and minds of the Little Garden's residents..."
Recalling how the members of the Rakshasa Tribe couldn't strike Vahn even whilst seated atop his lap, Amaterasu found herself bitting the pointed nail of her thumb. The only time they were able to affect him in any way was when they showed no hostility. This implied there were conditions to his ability, but, at the same time, there was a very real possibility he could simply choose when people were able to affect him. Either way, the odds of defeating him in a direct encounter were decreasing with each and every moment he spent seated atop his throne...
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Though he was significantly less disturbed than Amaterasu, Indra, a handsome man that could pass as a distant relative of Vahn, couldn't help squinting his eyes the moment Shuten was destroyed. He was well acquainted with the capabilities of Japan's Three Great Monsters, so, seeing a powerhouse on the level of Shuten defeated with such ease, a pensive expression gradually developed across his face.
"So this is the man you have chosen..."
Closing his eyes, a nearly indiscernible sigh escaped from Indra's throat. It wasn't particularly well known, but, several hundred years ago, Indra had once pursued Shiroyasha as a potential consort. Her passion and vivaciousness had captivated countless people, but, as one of the few Gods fated to experience countless reincarnations, Indra was often the first to support individuals who sought to bring change to the Little Garden.
While others opposed Vahn for fear of losing their positions and having their power stripped from them, Indra opposed him for purely personal reasons. He envied the former's autonomy, and, now that he had all but confirmed there was 'something' going on between Vahn and his ill-fated love, Indra couldn't help begrudging him. He didn't hate him. Far from it, in fact. After all, Shiroyasha had actually given him a chance, but, due to his fear of being forgotten, Indra had refused to relinquish his status and authority. Thus, while he was more than capable of begrudging Vahn, Indra couldn't hate him for supporting the people he had failed...
If there was one thing Indra felt fully justified in complaining about, it was the 'careless regard' Vahn had for his relationships. Any man would be fortunate just to garner Shiroyasha's intention, yet, as if he was some insatiable beast, Vahn surrounded himself with countless women. Most frustratingly of all, the women around him didn't seem to mind. Rather, based on the information he had been able to obtain, many of the women surrounding Vahn felt fortunate just to be with him...
Exhaling a sigh, Indra ran his fingers through his silky, dark brown hair before directing his gaze at the ceiling above. As someone who had only ever loved a single women, he simply couldn't fathom the dynamic between Vahn and the members of his harem. A growing part of him wished he could just drag the former off by his ear and give him a stern talking-to regarding the complexities of a woman's heart. Unfortunately, as someone who had once created a female clone of himself due to a misguided belief that there was no woman worthy of his love, Indra didn't think he was qualified to lecture others...
"How vexing..."
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Unaware of her Lord's dilemma, Ahirani directed her children to continue making preparations to destroy the Sage Dragon's Hearth's planet. The report from Attutyaptish had given her cause for concern, but, upon realizing that Vahn wasn't going to intervene, she elected to carry out her duty without pause.
Though it took three hours and the combined efforts of more than three-hundred of their most powerful sorcerers, shamans, and alchemists, the ritual magic that would have caused the planet to collapse and implode upon itself was well very near completion.
Unfortunately for Ahirani, the machinations of one Community were rarely respected by another, so, while most of the groups that appeared made a quick getaway, others were spurred to action the moment they realized which planet they were on. The forces of Mount Huaguo, in particular, had been sent out to search for Vahn's planet. Thus, shortly after a group of diminutive, mascot-like monkies appeared on the surface, the members of the Rakshasa Tribe could only stare blankly as a certain golden-haired monkey giarl appeared out of thin air, demanding, "What the hell is going on here!? Where's Vahn...!?"
After recovering from their momentary stupor, one of the Eight Great Kings, a princely-looking man with short white hair, golden eyes, and regal attire approached Wu with all six of his hands raised in a placatingly nonresistant gesture. Wu was one of the people they had been ordered to avoid at all costs, so, now that she had appeared, the man, better known as Rathobhos, stooped to one knee as he explained, "We are one of the raiding parties of the Trāyastriṃśa Community. We have been sent at the behest of our Lord to destroy the planet of the Sage Dragon's Hearth. May I inquire as to the reason for your presence here...?"
Surprising everyone present, Wu's response was to whack Rathobhos atop his head using her Ruyi Jingu Bang. This drove the ashen-skinned individual into the ground like a nail, a visible indent atop his head as she shouted, "No one is allowed to beat Vahn except for me! Scram...!"
Without waiting for the group's response, Wu extended her Ruyi Jing Bang before sweeping it in a wide arc towards the largest group of Rakshasa. Severan attempted to defend using their weapons and other armaments, but, with the exception of a few remarkably powerful individuals, everything in the path of Wu's attack ended up being sent flying towards the horizon like a bunch of ragdolls.
Realizing that Wu was beginning to rampage, one of the other kings, a man with bird-like legs and six wings attached to his arms attempted to strike her with his staff. With the exception of Ahirani, he was the most skilled at sealing amongst his entire race. Unfortunately, while he was successful in his attempts to seal his target in a pyramid of inky black energy, several additional Wu(s) promptly popped up out of nowhere...
"Oh...that's no-"
Before he could finish vocalizing his regrets, the winged King, known among his people as Ashvara, found himself reeling backward due to a barefooted dropkick to the face. Wu's raw power was so legendary that the innate defenses of the Rakshasa Tribe members provided absolutely no defense against her onslaught. Even the Eight Great Kings were no exception to this, as, despite their status, there were actually a number of Rakshasa Tribe members more famous than them.
One such individual was Shuvinraja, an inordinately short, thin, and effeminate-looking youth better known as the greatest swordsman in the Trāyastriṃśa Community. Unlike the majority of men in his tribe, Shuvinraja was comparably petite at only 165cm tall. This, coupled with the fact he possessed very little muscle mass and often wore his hair up in a neat ponytail had resulted in many mistaking him as a female in his youth. To compensate for this, he developed his own form of swordsmanship and honed his skills to the point that even the greatest warriors in his tribe would lower their heads in his presence.
With three katana-like blades in hand, Shuvinraja resembled a graceful black and white phantom as he attempted to bifurocate one of Wu's clones at the waist. His swords were B-Rank Gifts bestowed to him by Lord Indra himself, so, while he was well acquainted with the legends pertaining to Wu's invulnerability, Shuvinraja refused to believe she could resist his blade with mere flesh and bone.
Though she was marginally surprised when someone appeared in her blind spot, Wu didn't even flinch as she caught the seemingly unstoppable blade with her bare hand and stated, "The Mantis stalks the Cicada..."
"Unaware of the Oriole Behind..."
Hearing the second voice coming from behind him, the stupefaction on Shuvinraja's face turned to panic as he released the sword in Wu's vice-like grip, spun around, and sliced through the empty air behind him. The lack of a Wu left him feeling indescribably disconcerted, but, before he could even begin to rationalize what had transpired, the monkey girl behind him promptly muttered, "Monkey Steals the Peaches of Immortality..."
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Though he knew Wu had been searching for him, even Vahn was surprised to see her rampaging among the members of the Rakshasa Tribe. In hindsight, he realized had severely underestimated just how 'overprotective' she could be in regards to things she believed were hers. In this particular instance, the thing she wanted to protect was him, so, while he initially believed she had decided to participate just to play around, Vahn was now beginning to suspect Wu had different intentions...
("This damned monkey girl is going to propose to me, isn't she...?")
(*I'm not too sure a proposal is what she had in mind. Based on all available data, I'm pretty sure her intentions are to 'lay claim' to you in front of the largest crowd possible. After all, there is no way the 'Legendary Sun Wu Kong' could be reduced to the position of someone's wife. If anything, she would attempt to make you hers...*)
Imagining Wu kneeling before him with an engagement ring in hand, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he ran his fingers through his hair and muttered, "Someone needs a spanking..."
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Amaterasu is finally starting to realize how deep of a hole she has dug for herself...','Oof...how can Indra be such a chad and such a simp at the same time...?','Wu go hard...')
(A/N: A storm swept through my area yesterday and knocked out the power for a few hours. Sorry for the lack of updates.)
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Chapter 2210: Surprise
Though they did their best to hold her off, it wasn't long before the lesser members of the Rakshasa Tribe were 'wiped out' as a result of Wu's onslaught. None of them had been eliminated, but, unless they received medical attention and care, the odds of them waking within the next day or two were slim.
Seeing wave after wave of her children sent flying, Ahirani could do little more than glare at the rampaging monkey girl. She had tried to support them, but, no matter what anyone threw at her, Wu would just shake her head and shrug it off. Thus, less than forty minutes after Wu's assault had begun, the only members of the Rakshasa Tribe left standing were Ahirani, her two guardians, and Attutyaptish. There were a few others, but, as far as the spectators were concerned, only these four had any chance of standing against Wu's 'tyranny'.
Brandishing her Ruyi Jingu Bang, Wu stared up at the trio of massive women glaring at her with grim expressions on their faces. She also noticed Attutyaptish, but, sensing he wasn't a threat, she largely ignored him as she directed her gaze at Ahirani and said, "You're the leader of this motley group of ghosts, right? Why didn't you order their retreat...?"
Inhaling a deep breath through her nose, Ahirani did her best to remain calm as she answered, "We, the Rakshasa, are forever indebted to Lord Indra. If he tasks us with an objective, we will...attempt to see it through without fail..."
Though she had initially wanted to say they always complete the tasks assigned them, the present situation would have contradicted such a claim. At this point, the success or failure of their mission depended entirely on Wu's whims...
"Hmm..."
Scratching the back of her head, Wu took a moment to consider Ahirani's words before ultimately shaking her head and saying, "It doesn't matter. As I mentioned previously, the only person allowed to defeat Vahn is the Great Me, Sun Wu Kong. Brats like you simply aren't qualified. Now, get out of my sight before I decide to pay your so-called Lord a visit."
Furrowing her brows, Ahirani was prepared to unleash her most powerful attack when the familiar voice of her Lord entered her ears, saying, "Just fall back. Even if you had managed to complete the ritual magic formation, I doubt it would have had any effect. Order those that can still move to help those that can't. Dhanvantari is on standby and waiting to treat them."
Lowering her arms, Ahirani continued to stare at Wu for several seconds before nodding her head and saying, "Very well. We shall withdraw..." in a reluctant tone. This earned her a brow raise from Wu, but, having already given the group the option to withdraw, she ultimately just shrugged her shoulders, replying, "Good for you." before vaulting towards the nearest teleportation nexus.
Following Wu's departure with her eyes, Ahirani was half-tempted to send a grudge-based attack at the retreating monkey's back. Instead, she dutifully transmitted her Lord's message before directing her guardians to retrieve those in critical condition. They were capable of storing and sealing things within their bodies, so, while they darted around like phantoms devouring 'corpses' on a battlefield, Ahirani turned to Attutyaptish, asking, "What do you make of this development, Atty...?"
Shaking his head, a conflicted expression marred Attutyaptish's feline visage as he answered, "There is clearly a connection between the Sage Dragon's Hearth and the Jade Palace. Whether or not they have conspired against the other Communities remains to be seen. One thing we can be absolutely certain of is that the Sage Dragon, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, possesses incredible power. This is merely speculation, but, even if we had completed the ritual, I doubt it would have had any effect..."
Exhaling a sigh, Ahirani's body rapidly contracted until she was around 220cm tall. Then, with a look of considerable weariness on her face, she directed her scarlet eyes to the cloudy sky as she uttered, "I can't keep doing this..."
Due to their proximity to one another, Attutyaptish's sensitive, feline ears were able to pick up his mother's hushed musings. Extreme guilt briefly marred his expression, but, soon thereafter, it was replaced by grim resolution as he balled his paw-like hands into tiny fists and said, "Mother...there is something I failed to mention in my previous report..."
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Following the sound of an explosion, the metallic doors separating Vahn's throne/control room from the adjacent antechamber were sent careening into the far wall with enough force to embed them into the surrounding stone walls. Shortly thereafter, Wu meandered into the room, a cheeky smile on her face as she briefly passed her honey-colored gaze over Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita.
Before a fight could break out, Vahn sat up straight atop his throne, a faint smile on his face as he mused, "You really know how to make an entrance..."
Half-covering her mouth, Wu snickered in response to Vahn's words before embedding her Ruyi Jingu Bang into the floor and stating, "There is something else I wanted to discuss but my main reason for coming here is to accept your challenge. Now, are you going to get up or do I have to drag you off that throne by force?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the corners of Vahn's smile curled up as he replied, "You're free to try..." in a teasing, untroubled tone. This caused the smile on Wu's face to turn notably more ferocious, but, instead of trying to attack him, she surprised everyone spectating by simply walking over, climbing onto his lap, and sitting with her back against his chest. Then, after making herself comfortable, she turned her head to stare up at him, a provoking smile developing across her face as she teased, "My throne is better than yours..."
Though this was a little outside his expectations, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised by Wu's words and behavior. Instead, he sat a little straighter before raising his arms, palms turned upward in a manner that resembled armrests. Seemingly understanding his intentions, Wu immediately rested her arms atop his, palms turned downward as she linked their fingers and said, "Good boy..." in the same teasing tone as before.
Rolling his eyes, another pair of arms sprouted from behind Vahn's back before promptly linking around Wu's abdomen. This briefly caught her by surprise, but, as it wasn't the first time he had sprouted additional limbs against her, the tensions in her body gradually relaxed as she secretly snaked her tail into his tunic and asked, "Did you create an illusion...?"
Shaking his head, Vahn surprised Wu quite a bit by answering, "Nope. You're the one that decided on this course of action. Now you reap what you sow..."
Inhaling a deep yet inaudible breath, the expression Wu's face froze as the realization that billions, if not trillions of people would be observing and reviewing this particular moment in time. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that history was being rewritten, as, depending on her next course of action, the way in which every person in the Little Garden viewed her was bound to change. It was kind of exciting...
Closing her legs for fear that the cameras might catch a glimpse of something they shouldn't, Wu stared up at Vahn for several tense moments before dropping a veritable bombshell as she said, "I love you..." in an uncharacteristically serious tone of voice.
Surprised by the very public confession, the look of stupefaction on Vahn's face was so extreme that it would soon become a 'meme' amongst the people of the Little Garden.
While it was remarkably easy to imagine Wu proposing to him as a sort of prank, Vahn had never suspected, not even for a single moment, that she would sincerely confess her feelings for him. The former would have made sense. After all, Wu had an overbearing, ostensibly tyrannical character. By confessing to him in this manner, she was exposing her vulnerable side, an aspect of her character that even he had only seen glimpses of, to the entire Divine Realm...
Satisfied by Vahn's reaction, a cheeky smile developed across Wu's face as she leaned the back of her head against his chest and closed her eyes. To the people observing the scene, she appeared to be resting comfortably. In reality, her heart currently felt as though it was doing sommersaults in her chest. For the first time in her life, she was genuinely at a loss for words, so, instead of saying something that could potentially ruin the moment, she allowed her confession to linger in the vast and silent hall...
Noticing the rather prominent palpitations of Wu's heart, the look of stupefaction on Vahn's face gradually eased into an affectionate smile. He was still surprised, but, as Wu had clearly made her decision, he had no reason to hesitate. Instead, he held her lovingly in his embrace before kissing the top of her head and answering, "I love you too..."
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Seeing the scene play out overhead, Katana and Dagger, the two sisters Shoutcasting on behalf of the Sage Dragon's Hearth, found themselves at a complete loss for words. Fortunately, they were far from the only ones. In fact, with the exception of a few people who clearly had no idea who Wu was, everyone as far as the eye could see had fallen silent.
Recovering a bit quicker than most, Katana promptly muted both her and her sister's microphones before turning to the latter and shout-whispering, "Holy shit! Did this really just happen!? If so, this is the scoop of the fucking century...!"
Though she hadn't recovered completely, the blue and black-haired Dagger gradually came back to her senses when she heard her sister's words. Then, despite the latter not asking, she extended her hand to give the fleshier bits of Katana's waist a not-so-gentle pinch.
Swatting her sister's hand away, Katana shouted, "Wh-what the fuck...!?" before glaring at the still-dazed Dagger. In response, the latter offered an insincere smile as she explained, "I wanted to make sure this wasn't a dream."
Rubbing the spot where Dagger had pinched her, a vengeful look marred Katana's face as she said, "If that was the case, you should have pinched yourself..."
Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Dagger shamelessly rebutted, "Are you an idiot? You know I bruise easily. There's no way in hell I'm going to pinch myself when I'm wearing a string top and a thong."
Glowering in response to her sister's words, Katana had to summon willpower she didn't even know she possessed in order to resist pouncing on the blunette and giving her a series of pinches...
"Fine...be that way...I was originally going to introduce you to Vahn after the post-match interviews. Now you can go and eat a dick for all I care..."
Furrowing her brows, Dagger seemed to consider her sister's words before ultimately shrugging her shoulders and asking, "Does it even matter at this point? If someone like Wu is laying a claim, there is no way people like us can compete. I don't know about you, but I'd rather avoid having the Ruyi Jing Bang shoved up my ass..."
Though she was originally looking forward to meeting and potentially have a one-night stand with Vahn, Dagger wasn't nearly as 'resolute' as her younger sister. She also had aspirations to be a Poet, but, unlike Katana, she was content publishing the stories of people in the 6 and 7-Digit Gates. Not every Poet aspired to write and influence the legends of Gods...
Clicking her tongue, Katana had to take several deep breaths to suppress her growing desire to smack Dagger's head. As she was unaware of her 'tangential encounters' with Vahn, she had been planning to use the bustier blunette to try and entice her quarry into a threesome. Her chances of success were slim when Dagger was still on board. Now that she had all but given up, the odds of Vahn tending her garden or turning her soil had diminished considerably...
"Damn traitor..."
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Wu be like, "Git..."','Wu used Charm. It's super effective...!','Katana is a very 'ambitious' young woman xD...')
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