Atop a tall building, three beautiful figures stood against the wind: the elegant Alice, a frowning Luo Hao, and the coolly composed Athena.
"Miko, begin," Athena said coolly, looking down at the monkeys swarming everywhere below.
"As you command, Lady Athena," Princess Alice replied with a confident smile and stepped forward.
She closed her eyes, and an invisible wave of thought spread out from her.
The aimlessly wandering monkeys all froze. Then, their eyes turned blood-red, and they became incredibly violent, all rushing frantically towards the building where the three women stood.
The horde of hundreds of thousands of monkeys became a raging torrent, a truly massive and intimidating sight. The dense swarm was enough to give anyone goosebumps.
Before long, the entire horde had gathered at the base of the building, their shrieks filling the air as they scrambled over one another to climb the skyscraper.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, feeling that was enough, Athena unleashed her [Petrification] Authority. A ripple of divine power spread out, and wherever it passed, the rampaging monkeys were instantly turned into stone statues.
"You're up," Athena said, glancing at the Cult Leader. Their part of the job was done.
Luo Hao nodded without a word and stepped forward. Her lips moved, chanting a few strange spiritual words. The sleeves of her white Hanfu billowed open as a gale-force wind kicked up, sucking the stone monkey statues into her sleeves, where they vanished without a trace.
"So this is the Chinese Daoist art of [Universe in the Sleeve]... As expected of the Cult Leader Luo Hao," Princess Alice said, looking deeply at the Cult Leader, her admiration undisguised.
Among all the Campiones, the Cult Leader had the fewest Authorities, yet she dominated the other kings with her peerless martial arts and mystical Daoist techniques. It had to be said, she was a miracle in her own right.
The Cult Leader accepted the princess's praise without false modesty, not out of arrogance, but because she had truly earned that right.
"Is it done? Thanks, Alice!"
Sora's voice rang out as he teleported to their side. He looked at the princess's astral body, which had become somewhat faint from the exertion, and thanked her.
Now they could finally fight Sun Wukong without holding back. After the battle, the humans who were turned into monkeys could be restored, and the Cult Leader could release them.
"You really don't hesitate to order people around, do you, my dear Demon King? My astral body is about to collapse and return," Princess Alice retorted, shooting Sora a slightly resentful glare.
"Now, now, don't be so stingy, Alice. After this is over, I'll come visit you to make it up," Sora said. Although she was a noble princess, in some ways Alice was like a seven-or-eight-year-old girl, and Sora had long since mastered how to handle her.
"Really? You better not be lying!" Princess Alice's eyes lit up with excitement.
She was usually kept on a tight leash by her attendant, and the young maids at home were too afraid to play with her. In front of others, she always had to maintain a dignified and virtuous appearance. Only Sora dared to play with her.
Hmph, now that Little Sora is a Demon King, that pesky attendant of mine won't dare to stop him, right?!
"I'm not lying, I'm not lying," Sora said with a wave and a wicked smile, thinking to himself, Silly princess, silly princess. If I don't come to play with you, how am I supposed to devour you?!
Of course, the innocent princess was still filled with excited anticipation, completely unaware of his wicked thoughts.
Having expended a great deal of spiritual power to lure the hundreds of thousands of monkeys, Princess Alice's astral body could no longer hold. After bidding farewell to Sora, Athena, and the Cult Leader, she dissolved into a shower of light and vanished.
After Alice left, Sora noticed Athena looking at him with contempt. The wise goddess had clearly seen right through his evil intentions.
"What are you looking at? Let's go!"
Without a shred of embarrassment, Sora tapped Athena on the head and scooped the little loli up into his arms...
…
Night fell. With all the humans gone, the city was exceptionally quiet.
However, this tranquility was only temporary. When the sun rose again, a world-shaking battle would erupt here, and whether the city itself would survive was uncertain.
Erica and the others found a luxurious hotel to use as their temporary base. Though deserted, everything was still intact. The girls found some ingredients in the kitchen and prepared a lavish meal.
They had a big fight tomorrow; they couldn't go in on an empty stomach.
Although the girls had been through many battles with Sora, the thought that their opponent tomorrow would be the ancient monkey war god who shook the heavens in mythology, Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, still made them feel a little nervous and tense.
Of course, alongside the tension, there was also a strange sense of anticipation and excitement...
After dinner, Sora and the girls soaked in the hotel's large bath. Looking at their fair, seductive bodies, though he had tasted them countless times, Sora couldn't help but feel a stir of excitement.
Normally, this wicked fellow would have grabbed one of them and ravished her without hesitation, but thinking of the battle tomorrow, Sora forced himself to hold back.
The monkey's strength was no joke; Sora didn't dare to recklessly waste his energy. It was just for one night. He would endure and behave himself for once.
Seeing Sora sitting by the edge of the bath with a frustrated expression, the girls giggled endlessly. That vixen Erica even went so far as to walk up to him and strike a series of provocative poses.
He almost lost control several times. For the first time in history, Sora chose to be a gentleman and fled in defeat. The girls' triumphant laughter echoed in his mind, and Sora seethed, silently vowing, Just wait until I'm done with that damn monkey. See how I'll deal with you all then!
Wrapped in a towel, he walked out of the bath, only to run into Yuri and Hikari, who were coming out of another bath.
"S-Sora..."
Though wrapped in a towel, a significant portion of Yuri's ample chest was still exposed. The naturally shy Yuri was mortified with embarrassment.
"Hehehe... Sora-oniichan," the precocious little Miko, Hikari, was much bolder than her sister, greeting him with a smile.
"Yuri, you go on and rest. I have something to discuss with Hikari," Sora said. Though it was a rare opportunity to tease Yuri, he restrained himself, remembering his important task.
Seeing that Sora seemed serious, Yuri forgot her shyness, nodded, and went back to her room.
"Sora-oniichan, you didn't send my sister away just to do bad things to me, did you? Nooo, I'm still little..." Hikari said, clutching her chest and taking a few steps back with a frightened expression.
Sora's eye twitched. He suddenly felt the urge to grab this little brat who dared to tease even him and give her a good spanking.
"You little rascal, I'm not interested in your tiny frame. Wait a few more years!" he said, exasperated. "Come here. I have something important to tell you."
"Hmph, they may not be as big as my sister's, but they're not that small..." the little girl muttered, looking down at her own slightly budding chest, but she obediently walked over to him.
"Little one, listen carefully. This is very important. Tomorrow, I need you to do this, and this..." Sora whispered in her ear. The little Miko's expression changed constantly—from confusion to surprise, and finally, her face turned beet red.
"Um, Sora-oniichan, can I really do that?" she stammered. "Also... is that... the only way to bestow Sora-oniichan's divine protection?" Her voice trembled with boundless shyness.
A wicked grin spread across Sora's face. Little brat, you dared to tease me earlier? Scared now, are we?!
"Hmph, this is the only way!" he declared. "And if you can't do it tomorrow, you can get ready to collect everyone's corpses!"
After deliberately scaring her a little, Sora didn't hesitate. He lifted the girl's chin and kissed her small lips, simultaneously activating his [Youth] Authority to transfer divine power into Hikari's body.
At first, her expression twisted in pain, but soon her mind went blank, leaving only a look of dazed enchantment...
The blessing complete, Sora released Hikari. Looking at the little girl who was now completely dazed and disoriented, he shook his head speechlessly. A little girl is still a little girl, he thought. She's still so green...