Chapter 88: Buddha and Demon, Luo Hao's Resentment
Sha Wujing and Zhu Ganglie were merely summons called forth by the 'Heretic Sun Wukong'; their strength was naturally much weaker than the originals, which was why Shirou was able to defeat them so easily.
"With my current strength, it seems I am no match for you," Sun Wukong spoke, narrowing his eyes.
As he spoke, he withdrew his power, no longer continuing his assault on Shirou. Seeing the Jingu Bang in the monkey's hand vanish, Shirou likewise retracted his authority.
"In your current sealed state, even if I were to kill you now, I wouldn't be able to obtain an authority, would I?"
"That is correct." The monkey shrugged and began flying toward the ground.
Shirou looked at Luo Hao beside him with some confusion, only to find her staring at him with a similarly perplexed gaze.
"In the past... whenever I came to find this monkey, he was never like this."
"Does this count as me being too strong, or you being too weak?" Shirou asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You...!" Luo Hao was momentarily speechless, her beautiful eyelashes trembling slightly. Finally, she exhaled and said, "I am too weak..."
It felt as though the previous sparring match had shattered the arrogance of this "pinnacle of martial arts"; now, facing him, she lacked that sense of defiance entirely.
"This doesn't seem like you," Shirou frowned.
"The fact is that you are stronger than me. You defeated me, and the loser should listen to the winner," the woman of peerless beauty said, her brows knit in slight displeasure.
"Oh? Listen to anything?" Shirou suddenly became interested.
Luo Hao's beautiful eyes glared at him. "...Can you not think of something serious?"
"How do you know what I'm thinking isn't serious?" Shirou laughed.
Luo Hao suddenly ignored him, descending and flying toward the ground.
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Upon reaching the ground, Shirou saw the 'Monkey Divine Lord' sitting on the haystack in the 'stable.'
"To think that the dignified Great Sage Equal to Heaven would end up in such a state in Japan," Shirou said, shaking his head gently.
"Exactly! A god of our country, willingly being sealed in a place like this island nation—it is simply a disgrace to our Great Middle Kingdom!" Shirou had only mentioned it casually, but Luo Hao immediately took it to a higher level of indignation.
"Oh? It seems you, youngster, know of my origins?"
The monkey produced a honey peach, took a rather enjoyable bite, and looked at Shirou.
"I am actually a native of the Purvavideha (Eastern Continent) myself. As for my current identity, there are various reasons."
Hearing Shirou's words, a strange light flashed in Luo Hao's emerald eyes, and she sized him up with curiosity.
"To me, you currently look neither like an Asian nor like a foreigner; rather, you seem like a Heretic God who has stepped out of mythology yourself."
This was likely due to him having devoured the divine power of two 'Heretic Gods.' Shirou didn't waste much time on this topic, asking directly:
"Great Sage, why are you willing to be sealed here? If you were to reclaim the status of the 'Victorious Fighting Buddha,' with your power, breaking through a seal like this would be a simple matter, wouldn't it?"
This was what puzzled Shirou; why would this Monkey King stay in a small place like Japan when he could easily leave? At this, the monkey put down the peach and asked:
"Youngster, do you know the difference between a 'Buddha' and a 'Demon'?"
"For a Heretic God, is there any difference between a 'Buddha' and a 'Demon'?" Shirou frowned. "Regardless of form or essence, in the eyes of humans and Godslayers, both are natural disasters—existences that must be expelled or slain. If I had to name a difference, it would only be the distinction between a 'Good God' and an 'Evil God'."
Hearing Shirou's words, Sun Wukong nodded.
"You are correct. My myth is a model for 'civilizing evil' and 'taming evil'... Heh, in Buddhist terms, it is the so-called 'refuge'."
Sun Wukong sighed. "I also come from myth, but I bear two statuses. One is the demon god 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' from before the journey to the West; the other is the 'Victorious Fighting Buddha' after attaining Buddhahood. Once the seal is broken, my current 'self' will be erased, transforming into that other 'Buddha'."
"I see..." Shirou understood the reason instantly. "You chose to live voluntarily in this seal to maintain your sense of self..."
Luo Hao also suddenly understood. "So that's how it is..."
Hearing her, Shirou looked puzzled. "You've been here so many times, yet you didn't know this?"
"I..." Luo Hao turned her face away, refusing to look at Shirou, seemingly unwilling to dwell on this topic.
But Sun Wukong exposed her. "This little girl—every time she comes, she starts with a stream of insults and then wants to fight me. She's nothing like you, youngster, who actually thinks to ask for a reason."
"...So that's it." Shirou's lips couldn't help but twitch.
Then, Shirou stretched. "Now that I know the reason, I won't disturb you further. Let's go, my foolish, silver-tongued Leader~"
"Do you wish to die?" The woman looked at Shirou with suppressed anger.
"You can't beat me anyway."
Saying this, Shirou stepped quickly into the grayish-white tunnel.
"Don't you dare run! Fight me again, I won't lose this time!"
Crying out with a hint of rage, Luo Hao activated her 『Divine Footwork』 and chased after him.
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Outside, Ancera, who was waiting, suddenly felt her body tremble slightly.
"What's wrong, Ancera?"
"I sense a terrifying aura..." Ancera wrapped her arms around herself, staring intently toward Mount Nikko.
Just then, a figure appeared in the sky, trailing golden light behind. "It's quite lively here," the man said as he landed. Another beautiful woman in Hanfu followed immediately after.
"Disciple pays respects to Master!"
The moment Lu Yinghua saw the newcomer, he knelt almost reflexively, quickly cupping his hands in greeting.
"Mmh, get up." The woman gave him a cold glance and then ignored him.
But for Lu Yinghua, this was already the best possible outcome. At least he wasn't beaten; today was a happy day.
At this moment, Ancera unexpectedly stared in Shirou's direction. Her eyes narrowed and her tongue flicked out like a snake's, emitting a signal of danger.
"The aura of a Dragon-Snake." Shirou sensed her gaze and shifted his eyes toward her.
The Dragon-Snake is the symbol of the Mother Earth Goddess. What Shirou found strange was how a Dragon-Snake could exist on Japanese soil. In Japan, influenced by the Middle Kingdom, Dragon-Snakes are generally worshipped as local "Sea Gods" and would not have the appearance or mannerisms of a European. Furthermore, a Dragon-Snake should definitely not appear near this shrine.
The moment she was met by Shirou's gaze, the hair on Ancera's body stood on end. Sensing an extreme crisis, she turned around without hesitation, transformed into a giant white-scaled serpent, and fled immediately.
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