Looking at the beautiful, smiling woman standing before him, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven felt his mind completely reject reality.
Although his Master's image in modern Japan had been somewhat skewed often depicted as a girl or a highly effeminate man the core belief in his homeland always portrayed a strict, bald monk. So, even if the legend shifted, he was prepared to protect the "monk" beneath the robes.
This was the tragedy of Rogue Deities. Their forms, abilities, and even their moral compasses were warped by the perceptions and myths woven by humanity. But... a change in appearance was fine. Even a good god could be twisted into a God of Destruction.
However, the "Master" standing before the Great Sage right now was a textbook female—and one dressed in an incredibly revealing, provocative outfit at that! This completely shattered the Great Sage's understanding of the universe.
My Master absolutely does not look like this! The gender isn't even right! If she were a fake, the Great Sage wouldn't be this angry; he would simply smash her with his staff. He had killed plenty of fake Masters on the Journey to the West.
But... despite looking completely different, she radiated a deeply familiar aura. More importantly, there was a natural, undeniable sense of suppression. And that endless, nagging rambling... everything screamed the truth directly into the Great Sage's soul: "That is your Master Xuanzang Sanzang."
"Oh my, so that White Bone Demon actually noticed me back then. But because we didn't have enough food, she made Bajie chase you away so she wouldn't have to feed you! She was probably waiting until we restocked to call you back... Wukong? Wukong?! Are you listening?!"
Watching Xuanzang babble on, dark lines formed on the Great Sage's forehead. Thanks to years of filtering out his Master's nonsense to find the actual point, he realized one thing: The Great Sage under this woman's care must have lived a very, very miserable life...
"Tch, whether you're the same person or not, that rambling is definitely familiar," the Great Sage shook his head, pointing his staff at Xuanzang. "You should know this, right? I am not your disciple!"
"So what?" Xuanzang smiled, as bright and warm as the sun. "Whether you are him or not, you are still my disciple!"
"...Tch." Struck directly in the heart by Xuanzang's straightball, the Great Sage felt a strange flutter. For some reason, this female Master felt much gentler and warmer than his male Master. He actually started to feel a bit jealous of the Sun Wukong who got to travel with her.
"I am not your disciple, Sun Xingzhe..." he muttered.
"I am the one who wreaked havoc in Heaven the [Great Sage Equal to Heaven]!"
With a fierce shout, he raised his staff and charged at Xuanzang.
"Oh dear, why must you be so stubborn about the details?" Xuanzang sighed helplessly, raising her Nine-Ring Monkhkhatia (Staff) to block the incoming strike. "Aren't you all my disciples? The one causing trouble in Heaven, the one running around with me, and the one who became the [Victorious Fighting Buddha]."
The Great Sage didn't reply. He expanded his staff and continued his relentless assault.
"But, if this is what you want, Wukong..." To the Great Sage's absolute shock, Xuanzang summoned her own Somersault Cloud. Standing atop it, she brought her hands together in prayer. "Then your Master will spar with you for a bit."
She opened her arms, extending her right hand. A staff rapidly formed in her grasp. Under the Great Sage's disbelieving eyes, the weapon revealed its true form.
[Golden bands on both ends, black iron in the middle, inscribed with the words: "Ruyi Jingu Bang, Weight: 13,500 Jin."]
Appearing in Xuanzang's hand was the [Ruyi Jingu Bang]!
"..." The Great Sage looked at the staff in his own hands, then at the one in Xuanzang's. He suddenly felt like he was the fake one.
"Why the hell do you have your disciple's weapon?!" The Great Sage couldn't hold back his complaints anymore. "Do you know this is robbery?!"
"A disciple's belongings belong to the Master! Isn't that the law of heaven and earth?!" Xuanzang puffed out her chest proudly. "Besides, a long time ago, I just wanted to borrow Wukong's staff to play with, but he absolutely refused! Now that I'm a Heroic Spirit, the staff finally came to me. Of course I'm going to use it as much as I want!"
"For a woman, it's a miracle you can even lift that thing," the Great Sage muttered, utterly speechless. "That thing weighs 13,500 Jin, you know."
"Aren't you a girl right now too?" Xuanzang pointed out casually. "By the way, Wukong, you look incredibly cute like this! Why don't you just stay in this form forever?!"
The Great Sage fell silent. It was true. Even though Mariya Hikari had been rescued, the body and face of the Great Sage currently manifested was undeniably that of a pretty, petite young girl!
Did I just dig my own grave...? The despairing Great Sage had no choice but to take a battle stance and swing her staff.
Xuanzang didn't back down. She raised her Ruyi Jingu Bang and directly swatted away the incoming strike.
"...Are you really a monk?!" The Great Sage felt her worldview shattering. "Why is a monk stronger than me?! If you're this strong, why did you even need bodyguards for the Journey to the West?!"
"Not exactly. My [Strength] parameter is only E-rank," Xuanzang freely revealed her stats. "But my [Mana] parameter is A+!"
The Great Sage: ...I have no idea what that means, but it sounds terrifying!
Calming down, the Great Sage used her [Fiery Golden Eyes] to observe carefully. She realized that Xuanzang's staff was overflowing with a massive amount of Mana, which was why she could repel the physical strike.
This is going to be annoying, the Great Sage thought, flying back to retrieve her staff. She's a tough opponent. Damn it, did this demon-monk really need protecting?!
Frustrated, the Great Sage sat on her Somersault Cloud and began moving at the speed of light.
Even for a powerful Steel Hero like the Great Sage, forcibly moving at light speed placed an immense strain on the body, meaning she couldn't maintain it for long.
"Hm?" Just then, the Great Sage noticed something odd.
Xuanzang's Somersault Cloud seemed much, much slower than hers...
"Uwaaah?!" Watching the Great Sage zip around at extreme speeds, Xuanzang started to feel dizzy, her eyes spinning in spirals. "Wu-Wukong?! Where are you?!"
"Ah, seriously, I can't adapt to enemies moving this fast! My Somersault Cloud can't reach top speed here!" Xuanzang started throwing a childish tantrum. "Wukong! Save me!"
"Who dares hurt my Master?!" The Great Sage stopped instantly, blocking the space in front of Xuanzang, looking around fiercely.
Then, both of their faces went completely blank.
Ah, crap. I called for Wukong out of habit, but Wukong is the enemy right now... Xuanzang.
Dear gods, my body reacted on its own. I heard that sentence and just instinctively protected her...The Great Sage.
After a long moment of awkward silence, the Great Sage finally snapped out of it, quickly backing away and glaring at Xuanzang defensively.
"Aww, protect me for a little longer!" Xuanzang looked at her nostalgically. "It's been so long since I saw Wukong stand in front of me to protect me. I really missed it! Plus, doing it in this tiny body is just too cute!"
"You stupid Master..." Dark lines covered the Great Sage's head. "We are enemies right now!"
With that, the Great Sage resumed her high-speed movement.
"Ugh, I told you I'm not good with high-speed enemies," Xuanzang sighed helplessly. "I have no choice but to call for help... Kongming! I need some backup over here!"
Meanwhile, far away from the battlefield...
El-Melloi II, who was currently "observing the battle" (slacking off), was startled by the sudden shout. Through the Command Spell connection modified by Solomon and Da Vinci, he understood Xuanzang's situation. With a tired sigh, he put down the lamb skewers he was almost done grilling.
"In that direction, right?" El-Melloi II looked toward Xuanzang's battlefield, raised his arm, and released his Noble Phantasm.
["This is the ultimate formation of the Great Tactician."] [Stone Sentinel Maze — The Array of No Return!] ["Try and break it, if you can!"]
Back on Xuanzang's battlefield, massive dark clouds suddenly gathered in front of the light-speed moving Great Sage. Then, eight colossal stone pillars crashed down from the sky. Unable to dodge in time, the Great Sage flew straight into the center of the pillars.
At that moment, a massive stone slab bearing the Yin-Yang and Bagua symbols sealed the top. The Great Sage was officially trapped within the [Stone Sentinel Maze].
"...Even though you are different from the disciple I know," Xuanzang said softly, looking at the trapped Great Sage. "No matter what, you are still my disciple."
"Since a disciple made a mistake and wants to cause destruction everywhere, as your Master, I must bear the responsibility. But before that, let me give you a proper education!"
Xuanzang stood on one leg, facing the Great Sage.
Borrowing the power of the exalted Buddha—a tiny fraction of the power of Shakyamuni Tathagata, her teacher in the Heavenly Realm during her past life.
This was the "Edge of the World" that Sun Wukong had once reached a colossal palm of the Tathagata falling from the sky, a divine punishment for those who opposed the Dharma.
Inside the maze, the Great Sage felt a familiar, deeply despised aura, and her struggles became even more violent.
"The timing should be just about right," El-Melloi II muttered, seeing Xuanzang preparing to release her Noble Phantasm. He dispelled his [Stone Sentinel Maze], sat back down, and continued grilling his lamb skewers.
The first thing the Great Sage saw upon being freed from the array was Xuanzang—and the towering phantom of Shakyamuni behind her.
"Noble Phantasm Release: Five Elements Mountain - Shakyamuni Tatha—"
BOOM!
Just as Xuanzang was about to drop the palm, a sudden, deafening thunderclap interrupted her.
Sensing an unnatural disruption in the atmosphere, Xuanzang quickly looked toward the distance. Over at Tesla's battlefield, a colossal thundercloud had swallowed the sky, and the space-time fabric in that area was beginning to destabilize!
"That electricity-obsessed maniac is actually releasing his Noble Phantasm seriously!" Xuanzang looked over in panic. "Damn it, doesn't he know that a full release of his Noble Phantasm causes space-time fractures?! Is he trying to destroy this entire region?!"
"Wukong! Truce for now! We need to go stop that lightning idiot first!" Xuanzang shouted, turning her back and rushing toward Tesla's battlefield.
The Great Sage looked at Xuanzang's retreating back with a complex expression. The [Stone Sentinel Maze] hadn't blocked her hearing, so she had heard every word Xuanzang said earlier.
"You still... consider me your disciple?"
The Great Sage muttered to herself. Then, steering her Somersault Cloud, she chased after Xuanzang's back.