Multiverse's Holy Right

Although the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, originated from the novel Journey to the West, he had, through ancient legends, become a Steel God—naturally drawn to the blood of dragon-serpents and their divine authority.

In ages past, he had been bound by the curse of 'Keeper of Horses.' Whenever a Heretic God appeared, the Tendai monks would lift the curse, restoring Sun Wukong to his true form as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, using him to drive away the Heretic God. Once the Heretic God was expelled, the 'Keeper of Horses' curse would reactivate, forcing the Great Sage back into his role as a minor celestial official.

When Roy learned how Sun Wukong had been treated as a mere tool, he understood why Luo Hao was so enraged. As someone whose soul was deeply rooted in Chinese heritage, Roy felt a surge of indignant fury upon hearing that the hero he had idolized since childhood had been subjected to such humiliation.

Yet even so, sealing away the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was not without justification. As a Heretic God—a deity unbound by myth—if Sun Wukong were allowed to roam the earth freely, he would not act as the hero who defied tyranny in Journey to the West. Instead, he would become a Demon King bent on destroying human civilization, bringing calamity to the world.

Any understanding of deities from mythology cannot be applied to Heretic Gods. Even benevolent gods, when they become Heretic Gods, bring immense calamity to this world. As Campiones, our duty is to either slay these Heretic Gods or subdue them, preventing them from wreaking havoc upon the world.

"To break the Bimawen's seal, three elements are required: first, the manifestation of the Dragon-Serpent divinity, the nemesis of steel heroes; second, a blade capable of weakening the ritual; and third, a shrine maiden possessing the power of calamity purification... My Five Mountains Holy Sect has ruled over the Celestial Empire for centuries. Obtaining a treasured blade capable of bearing the ritual should pose no difficulty."

Luo Hao's expression betrayed a hint of excitement as her blazing gaze fixed upon the enraged monkey deep within the courtyard. She turned to Roy beside her and continued.

With a swift motion, the sect leader reached into empty air and drew forth a treasured blade. The weapon was unadorned, its simplicity belying the faint scent of blood that clung to it—evidence of its storied past as a veteran of countless battles.

"This blade is a military weapon from the Tang Dynasty, known as the Mo Dao. Wielded by numerous generals across battlefields, it has claimed countless lives—a truly vicious blade. I shall have my subordinates perform a ritual to imbue it with the necessary spell, then have that Japanese shrine maiden wield it to sever the incantation."

Grasping the long blade, Luo Hao met Roy's gaze with confidence.

"As for me, I shall offer the blood of the Dragon-Serpent to manifest its divinity, thereby provoking the steel god's nature. Thus, the 'Keeper of Horses' curse shall be broken."

Roy picked up where the sect leader left off, his right hand in his pocket, eyes glinting with amusement as he smiled.

"Exactly so. Once the Keeper of Horses curse is lifted, what follows will depend on our respective abilities."

Luo Hao laughed heartily, flipping her jade-like wrist to send the blade flying behind her, where it embedded itself among a group of Taoist nuns. These nuns, already prepared with wooden swords and standing in the Seven-Star Stance, began chanting Taoist incantations to bestow the blade with the weakening spell.

Roy turned his attention to the fifty-meter-long white serpent beside him, speaking gently: "...Asherah, bear with it for a moment. Though it will hurt and leave you weakened afterwards, the pain will pass quickly."

His tone was as tender as a man coaxing an innocent maiden through her first time.

"Do what you must quickly, Campione! My pain is of no concern to you."

The ethereally beautiful white serpent swayed slightly before replying coldly.

Without further ado, Roy extended his left hand, summoning his Sword of Judgment. Taking a deep breath, he brought the blade down upon Asherah's magnificent serpentine body.

Asherah made no attempt to defend herself, allowing Roy's sword to cleave her form in two. As her body separated, excruciating pain wracked her being, twisting her expression in agony. Yet the ancient goddess endured, letting her Dragon-Serpent blood spill forth as the divinity of the fallen ancient Earth Mother manifested.

"RAAAAAAAAAGH—"

Stimulated by the appearance of enemies, the old monkey in the courtyard let out a furious roar. Its decayed, aged eyes began to glow with golden light, as if flames were burning within. The expression in its eyes gradually turned wild and violent—this was none other than the famous "Fiery Golden Eyes" of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

The hunched figure of the old monkey began to stand upright. Muscles bulged on its frail body, and sharp, terrifying fangs extended from its mouth.

"Now is the time!"

Luo Hao saw that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was in the process of restoring his divine rank due to the appearance of the dragon-serpent, but the restraints of the "Keeper of Horses" prevented him from fully breaking free. The sect leader grabbed the modao (a type of long saber) and threw it in front of Yuri Mariya, speaking coldly:

"...Shrine Maiden, use this blade well to sever this curse. If you fail, everyone here will die with you."

Luo Hao's murderous words made Yuri Mariya tremble all over. Shaking, she drew the blade before her, exchanged fearful glances with the other terrified shrine maidens, then closed her eyes and began chanting an incantation.

"Sever it—the shackles of the Keeper of Horses! Manifest, O Divine Lord who shakes the four seas! Thy name is—Great Sage Equal to Heaven!!"

"Rooooooaaaaaaaaar————————!"

The modao slashed downward through the air, and an invisible curse within the Western Heavenly Palace was cleanly severed.

The decrepit monkey's height, originally less than a meter, began to rapidly increase, and a violent, terrifying divine aura erupted from its body.

In the blink of an eye, the old monkey recalled its revered name, and a tempest of savage power roared forth from its robust frame.

A terrifying shockwave swept outward, instantly flattening the massive Western Heavenly Palace beneath their feet. The shrine maidens and Taoist nuns around them screamed in terror.

Roy and Luo Hao stood atop the mountain peak, letting the raging winds buffet them as if they were nothing more than a gentle breeze. Amid the flying sand and stones, Roy narrowed his eyes slightly and finally got a clear look at the monkey now standing before them.

Its fur was golden, its eyes aflame with golden light. It wore a brocade robe tied with a tiger-skin skirt, wielded an iron staff banded with gold, and trod in deerskin boots. Its face was hairy, its mouth like that of the Thunder God, its cheeks broad, its ears pointed, its forehead wide, and its fangs protruding outward—this was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven as he existed in people's imaginations.

However, unlike the depictions in TV dramas, the real Sun Wukong was extremely ugly, nothing more than a violent monkey. This was the true image of Sun Wukong from the original text, while the TV adaptations had beautified him. As for Sun Wukong calling himself the "Handsome Monkey King"—that was merely self-proclaimed.

"Eeeeee—yaaaaaa—Old Sun has arrived!"

"Demon King! Since you dared to release Old Sun, you shall first taste my staff!!"

The terrifying monkey, having just appeared, immediately scratched its head and ears before raising its iron staff and leaping toward Roy and Luo Hao with a mighty swing.

In that moment, Roy felt as though a mountain peak was descending from the heavens. The 13,500-jin golden-hooped staff was like a meteor from beyond the skies—capable of stilling the seas, shaking the Thirty-Three Heavens above, and smashing through the Eighteen Hells below.

However, both Roy and Luo Hao had endured endless hardships to stand at the pinnacle of martial arts. Fearless, they each extended a hand, gathering surging magical power in their palms. With a thunderous boom, they caught this world-destroying strike.

***

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