"Marry a wife?"
Hearing Pigsy's words, Axel paused for a moment, then a strange smile spread across his face.
He crouched slightly, patting Pigsy's shoulder.
"Haven't you already had one?"
Pigsy shook his head immediately.
"When did that ever happen? Don't joke like that, Great Sage. That thing at Gao Village doesn't count. Bowing in a hall like that means nothing."
His voice grew heavier, and his eyes started to moisten again.
Axel watched him for a moment, then casually patted his head.
"I've said it enough times already. I'm not that monkey."
"Yes, yes, good. Better that you're not," Pigsy muttered quickly. "That guy had too many problems. If not for him, I would've left long ago. Found a place, settled down, married, lived quietly. That would've been a proper life."
He sighed deeply, then lightly tapped Axel's leg.
"But you're different. Smarter. This time, we're not following that path."
His tone shifted as he looked Axel over.
"But you really should get some armor. Walking around like this doesn't fit your image. Once we settle somewhere, I'll take you to find something worthy of you."
"Sure."
Axel nodded.
"But we're not settling here."
He stood up and pointed at the temple ahead.
"This place deserves to be wiped out along with its owner."
His expression sharpened.
"Watch closely. After I flatten this place and strip whatever's left, we'll build something better here. A palace. And one day, even the so-called rulers will come bow to me."
As his voice fell, Axel raised his hand.
A surge of invisible force gathered instantly, compressing the air in front of him. The pressure alone made the surroundings tremble.
Just as he was about to release it, a child's voice cut in.
"Benefactor."
Everyone turned.
A chubby young monk approached from a distance, his voice unnaturally clear despite the space between them.
"You possess great power, but destruction like this goes against natural order. The evil has already been dealt with. Why destroy what remains? This place could still serve a purpose, offering shelter and saving effort—"
"Shut up."
Axel brought his hand down.
The explosion that followed shook everything.
The temple, along with the surrounding mountains, was crushed into a massive palm-shaped depression stretching for miles. Snow and debris filled the air as the ground itself seemed to collapse inward.
Pigsy and the others struggled to keep their footing.
In the distance, the young monk stood frozen, staring at the devastation. Even with clear sight, he could not see the end of it.
His expression shifted from confusion to shock.
What kind of power was that?
Nothing he had learned could explain it. Nothing could counter it.
And yet, the one who caused it appeared completely ordinary.
That made it worse.
Bue dropped to his knees instantly.
"Your Majesty's power is unmatched!"
Pigsy let out a short laugh.
"You're quicker than me when it comes to praise."
Then he moved closer to Axel, lowering his voice.
"Where did you learn that? Think you could teach me sometime?"
He hesitated, glancing toward the monk.
"That kid doesn't feel right. If we push too far, won't this get messy?"
Axel scoffed.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
He shrugged.
"Just another so-called enlightened figure who can't even control his own people. Gets tricked once, fine. Twice? That's just stupidity."
He lifted the small bag in his hand and waved it toward the monk.
"You think I'd take people like that seriously?"
With that, he tossed the bag to Pigsy.
Pigsy caught it instinctively, then immediately stiffened.
For a moment, he considered throwing it away.
But something stopped him.
Fragments of his past surfaced, memories he had long avoided. No matter what he had been, immortal or otherwise, he had never truly lived freely.
If nothing had ever worked out, then why hold back now?
He tightened his grip and hung the bag at his waist.
A crooked grin spread across his face.
Across from them, the monk sighed.
"You are too attached."
He stepped forward.
In an instant, his appearance shifted. The child disappeared, replaced by a smiling, round-bellied figure.
With a simple motion, he raised his hand.
Pigsy's expression changed immediately.
The bag was gone.
He looked up and saw it resting calmly in the monk's hand.
Pigsy's face darkened. The difference between them was obvious. Effortless for one, impossible for the other.
He glanced at Axel, expecting a reaction.
Instead, Axel only grinned.
"That move was interesting."
He raised his own hand, mimicking the motion casually.
"So you just lift it like this, then twist…"
The monk smiled faintly.
"It is not something you can copy so easily. This treasure has followed me for—"
He stopped.
Axel was holding the bag.
The monk stared at his now empty hand, then back at Axel.
Without another word, his form dissolved instantly, vanishing from sight.