A biting wind swept past, drying the blood on his body, leaving only flecks of crimson still clinging to his fur, like scorched red earth.
His wounds had been simply dressed. He sat dazed on the charred ground, resting the Cloud Staff across his shoulders, and looked up at the western sky. "You and Moon should go first. Take the wounded demons with you, and bring Little Fox along."
His gaze was as calm as water.
In the distance, the few surviving demons were reorganizing themselves to prepare for the next battle. Two captured Celestial Army warships stood ready to take off.
"What about you?" Anna Yang stared at him intently. "Are you really going to stay and wait for the Drake King? Maybe not just him—there could be another Celestial Army unit..."
The Monkey King lowered his head, pursed his lips, and blinked his bloodshot, weary eyes. "Even if I wanted to escape, there's nowhere to run, is there?"
"I can erase every trace of your presence, so he won't be able to track you!"
"But can you erase their traces too?"
By 'them,' he meant those pitiful demons in the distance.
They were staring at the Monkey King, quietly watching him.
Those eyes held no hope of escape.
A stifling atmosphere spread around them.
The Monkey King bowed his head; Anna Yang clenched her fists tightly.
Silence. Only the howling of the wind remained.
After a long while, Anna Yang stood frozen, took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. She stared at the Monkey King, biting her lip. "You promised me you'd only fight this one time."
"Isn't it not over yet?" The Monkey King turned his face, grinning foolishly. His voice trembled, sounding both evasive and guilty.
"Do you even know who you're up against?" Her voice suddenly rose. "That's a Drake King, a Celestial Adept at the Taiyi level. Do you understand? And there's also a unit of the Celestial Army—most likely General Percy's troops. Do you think General Percy's soldiers are anything like these Black Tortoise Division grunts?"
Facing Anna Yang's furious expression, the Monkey King looked up at her and could only smile. "It doesn't matter who they are. What matters is that I am myself."
There was a trace of gratitude in his eyes, but gratitude was not what Anna Yang wanted.
That was not what she wanted.