"What is it, Middle Bro?"
"I just wanted to say that Big Bro's appearance is really cute this time... A face like white jade, it's so pretty. Kukuku, those lips are just like cherries. This tiny little body fascinates me oh so very much..."
Zhu Ganglie jumped down to the surface from the black cloud.
Standing on the reddish brown rock, he kept staring at Mariya Hikari's face nonstop. And so, the Great Sage kicked a little stone by his feet.
"Hah —"
The little stone flew into the air and smashed into Zhu Ganglie's forehead.
"Ouch! Big Bro, why are you so mean!"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to remind you that staring at this body with eyes of lust could be dangerous. Don't be too concerned."
"I am very concerned!"
"By the way, Big Bro only possessed this little girl in order to release the binding spell of the [Keeper of the Horses]... But you don't look too well."
Vaisravana spoke in a gloomy tone, and the Great Sage nodded in agreement.
"Yes, the [Keeper of the Horses] took away my divine power and mettle of the Handsome Monkey King, turning me into a harmless monkey. I originally thought that I could dispel the binding spell by possessing this miko's body... But the fellow's power suffers from frequent interruptions."
"What do you mean by interruptions?"
"The reason why I can maintain the consciousness of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, is because of this Hime-Miko's disaster purification. But no matter what, this little girl is just a human. Using spirit techniques consumes stamina, making rest necessary and I cannot move freely whenever the miko's body is resting. It is already quite fortunate for me to be able to summon forth you two helpers."
If this challenge was not overcome soon enough, it would become a fatal weakness.
Thus the Great Sage chanted the dharani, and summoned two gods as allies.
These two were the junior disciples who shared the same master with Sun Wukong. Through the effects of the Great Sage's powerful spell, Zhu Wuneng[38] and Sha Wujing[39] — these two gods had heavenly origins and were summoned as [Heretic Gods] with the identities Zhu Ganglie and Vaisravana.
As a side note, their Buddhist names bearing the common character of "Wu"[40] were only bestowed after they were subdued and became the disciples of Monk Sanzang, hence the difference in names.
Zhu Ganglie and Vaisravana were their original names before being subdued.
"Lend me your divine powers, so that I can break through the [Keeper of the Horses]. Simply weakening the binding spell is not enough. I must utterly destroy the main culprit that prevents the recovery of my freedom."
"I see, that's right."
"Yes, acknowledged."
Hearing the orders of their Big Bro, Zhu Ganglie smiled proudly while Vaisravana nodded.
The Great Sage Equaling Heaven walked next to the divine sword embedded vertically in the rock.
"Qian is strength; Kun, of docility; Zhen, of stimulus to movement; Xun, of penetration; Kan, of what is precipitous and perilous; Li, of what is bright and what is catching; Zhen, of stoppage or arrest; and Dui, of pleasure and satisfaction."[41]
The Great Sage grabbed the blade of the divine sword with his hands and began to chant the spell words.
The divine sword, which resembled a rusted stick of iron, instantly disappeared and was absorbed by the Great Sage who had possessed the body of Hikari Mariya.
Using this opportunity, the spiritual and divine energies buried in Nantaisan were drawn out and concentrated into the monkey king warlord of steel.
"O Wisdom of steel originating from the Far West, and divine might of iron! Using the pedigree of this divine sword as the foundation, I, Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong enacts the spell to lift curses!"
Absorbing the immense divine powers of Nantaisan and the divine sword, the Great Sage bellowed loudly.
Flames appeared from behind his back. Like the intense burning fires at an iron forge, the pillars of flame gave off great heat.
"Namah samanta vajranam canda maharosana sphotaya hum trat ham mam namah samanta vajranam canda maharosana sphotaya hum trat ham."[42]
As the Great Sage recited the spell words, Zhu Ganglie and Vaisravana joined in as well.
"Namah samanta vajranam, namah samanta vajranam."
"Om vaisravanaye svaha. Om vaisravanaye svaha. Om vaisravanaye svaha."[43]
Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing — the three divine spirits chanted spell words with their hearts united as one.
They were chaotic divinities that originated from the Daoist realm but also became adherents of Buddhism. These are the complicated origins of the many different spell words they currently chanted.
The chanting continued for several hours, and the sun began to rise over the eastern horizon.
Paying respect to the rising sun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven combined the volcano's spiritual energy with the divine might of the sword, with assistance from the divine power of his two juniors. Finally, he succeeded in the [Sword]'s forging, and the flaming divine sword manifested in his right hand majestically.
This was the Kulikaa Sword[44], the sword of wisdom that severs the Three Poisons of Ignorance, Attachment and Aversion.[45]
Superficially similar to Verethragna's [Sword] that Kusanagi Godou used, it was fundamentally different. The Kulikaa Sword currently embedded in the giant rock was a symbol of Acala and a divine sword that vanquished evil and lifted curses.
"Big Bro, you sure made something rare here."
"This is a sword of [Steel] that hails from foreign lands just like me. I borrowed it from the monk that has intimate ties with this piece of land."
The Great Sage answered Zhu Ganglie's query briefly. The worship of Acala[46] was brought to Japan from China by Grand Master Kuukai.[47] It is said that he was the one who came up with the name of Nikkou for this place, and also the one who left behind the Futarasan Stone Tablet in the biography of the pioneering Great Monk Shoudou.
"Exorcising sword of justice that vanquishes all disasters — infinitely incomparable to a human miko's disaster purification, sever the spell of the [Keeper of the Horses], and return to me my freedom!"
As the Great Sage raised Kulikaa Sword high towards the eastern sky, flames burst out from the blade and shot out.
The flames produced by the sword of wisdom were the weapons to lift the binding spell of the [Keeper of the Horses].
"But Big Bro, is this really OK?"
"Lil' Bro, what's the problem? I am just about to make a cool decisive pose, be quick with it."
Vaisravana spoke gloomily to the Great Sage who responded as he manipulated the flames.
"Very well, I will be frank. The great wizardry spell has been deeply rooted in these lands for the past three hundred years. Furthermore, it was put into place not only by ordinary mortals but also with participation from the gods and wizards living in the Netherworld. If you suddenly dispel it, wouldn't the results be rather unpredictable?"
"You love worrying too much, my Lil' Bro. How could something like that be possible —"
The words had scarcely left his mouth when the Great Sage — Mariya Hikari's adorable face became enshrouded by a layer of worry.
"In other words, such a possibility does exist?"
"Don't talk like it's for certain! We are gods, even if the sky falls down, we'll just prop it back up!"
"Ah, Big Bro, please take a look. There seems to be something over there."
Zhu Ganglie pointed to the east. The peaks of the Nikkou mountain range were shrouded by morning mist. Down below, Lake Chuuzenji and the streets of the humans were illuminated by the hues of dawn.
"Oh, he came here just to suppress me!"
From between the clouds of dawn, a spirit appeared in the form of a handsome youth and descended with splendor.
Wearing the traditional armor of ancient Chinese generals, he wielded a three-pronged spear. In addition to a pair of elegant and slender e
yes, he also possessed a third [Eye] on his forehead.
The handsome three-eyed divine general was the visible manifestation of the [Keeper of the Horses] binding spell.
"Haha, how thoughtful of them to reproduce the divine appearance of the True Lord Erlang[48] to such a degree."
"Big Bro, please hold back for now. The two of us will protect you here."
Zhu Ganglie and Vaisravana did as they spoke and stood in front of the Great Sage.
In the past when the Great Sage came out to the surface world, he had always been taken back to Saitenguu by this spirit. Would the past be repeated again? This time he had the protection of his two sworn brothers.
Facing the [Keeper of the Horses] spirit brandishing the three-pronged spear, Zhu Ganglie wielded his Nine-Toothed Rake while Vaisravana attacked head on with a treasure staff that had a core of steel.
As his sworn brothers guarded him, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven vigorously waved the Kulikaa Sword and threw it towards the eastern sky with a sound like slicing wind.
Like a falling meteor, the flaming sword flew across the sky. Soon after, it fell and landed, embedding its blade into the surface of the ground, ripping apart the [Keeper of the Horses] wizardry cast on the lands of Nikkou. The manifested spirit immediately vanished without a trace.
With the disappearance of the three-eyed divine general, the Great Sage immediately yelled:
"Excellent, the interloper has vanished! From now on, we three brothers will work together and build our kingdom of paradise on this vast land! First, let's gather my people and bestow upon them the blessing of immortality just like what I did in the past at the Water Curtain Cave in the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers!"
"Hmm, I want boobs, butts and thighs. A place without women cannot be called a kingdom of paradise!"
"Ah... I don't really have any particular desires, but I will give my all to assist you."
With the collapse of the great wizardry spell, the imposing presence of the three divine spirits greatly increased.
"By the way, Big Bro, now that the [Keeper of the Horses]'s cursed bonds have been broken, you don't have to stay in that miko any more, right? Are you going to leave her body?"
"That's right, I should recover my original form — Hmm, why can't I change back?"
Hearing the Little Brother's suggestion, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven shook his body.
However, there was no effect and the Great Sage was unable to leave Mariya Hikari's body.
"Looks like you've accustomed yourself to this miko's body more than expected."
"Well, I guess there's no real problem to stay like this for now."
The sworn younger brothers commented casually. Like the Great Sage, they were all very spontaneous in character and lacking in long term planning.
"Yes, in time it'd probably peel off like a scab."
As the Great Sage replied frivolously, an unexpected change occurred.
Vaisravana and Zhu Ganglie's movements suddenly stopped and the two of them petrified and turned into stone. Faced with two stone statues of divine spirits, the Great Sage became a bit displeased.
"The manifestation spell lost effect? Looks like not everything can go smoothly after all."
No matter, when necessary he will simply cast the spell again.
Shrugging his shoulders, the Great Sage chanted a mantra and shrunk the stone statues of his brothers to the size of little fingers and placed them in his pocket.
"Great, the preparations are now complete. Now for some fun!"
From the mountain top of Nantaisan, the view overlooking the lands below was superb, just as recorded on Kuukai's Futarasan Stone Tablet.
'Looking down there was a great lake. Not very wide in the east-west direction / But stretching far along north-south. Silver snow covered the land / Golden flowers bloomed in the trees. The lake surface was a generous mirror / Reflecting all scenery and colors. The mountain and the lakes complemented each other / The view was breath-taking.'
The great lake mentioned was Lake Chuuzenji, but since winter had yet to arrive, the silver-white snow covering the scenery was not present.
As the Great Sage used Hikari's eyes to survey the majestic scenery, he released divine power, spreading the dominating power of transformation from the surroundings of Nantaisan.
On the nearby volcanic rocks, monkeys were continuously being created.
Like the divine messengers released in the Netherworld stable yesterday, these monkeys' bodies were covered with golden fur that approached a shade of reddish brown with a metallic luster.
The number of these sacred monkeys born from rocks reached several hundred.
"My underlings, come here and serve Old Sun well! Gather your talents and offer them to me! Look up high and witness the Great Sage's might which once threatened the heavenly armies!"
With one order from the Great Sage, the little monkeys squeezed close together and began colliding with one another. Their bodies merged into giant bodies that grew larger and larger.
When a hundred small monkeys came together, they became a single giant monkey about ten-odd meters in height.
The appearance was the same as the giant ape divine beasts that descended at the Nikkou Toushouguu.
A total of six giant monkeys were born, with arms longer than legs, and their bodies built like gorillas.
"Yes, go forth! If any enemies try to invade my territory, you guys will be the vanguard for intercepting them!"
The six giant monkeys descended down the mountain with great speed and agility in spite of their massive bodies.
Having completed this, the Great Sage casually lied down on the ground. He was tired out from the various tasks and now needed to rest and recover his energy.
...While all this was unfolding, trivial things were happening behind the Great Sage's back without him noticing.
A certain youth had hidden himself in the middle of the mountain a couple hundred meters from the top, and had been observing the events at the peak.
As a rare martial arts genius, he saw everything clearly despite the great distance.
Unnoticed from beginning to end, he quietly began to descend from the mountain.
Of course, this youth was Lu Yinghua.
Part 4
That night, Kusanagi Godou had difficulty sleeping.
He needed adequate rest in order to prepare for battle, but how did it end up like this? The reason was the scene that happened just before bed time.
After deciding everyone's rooms in the cabin, Erica followed Godou into the same room.
"H-How much longer are you going to follow me for? I'm about to go to bed!"
"It's been so long since the last time we shared the night under one roof. Of course I have to make the most of this opportunity. Don't you think it'd be nice for us to share a bed tonight?"
Erica responded to Godou's questioning with a pure and innocent smile. Just as Godou was about to drive her out of his room, even Liliana and Yuri entered. After understanding the situation, the silver-haired knight made the following suggestion.
"Erica sure is a pain, Kusanagi Godou. I suspect such a noisy presence will prevent you from resting properly. Thus I too, shall sleep in this room, and guard you while you rest!"
"E-Everyone please be mindful of the situation! For young men and women to sleep in the same room, how improper!"
Yuri yelled with her face all red.
Godou was about to agree with her completely, but Yuri's next words silenced him.
"I shall sleep here too, in order to prevent you all from doing anything indecent!"
Thus the beautiful Hime-Miko also made her declaration. In this room which only had a single bed, three sets of futons were brought over.
"Mariya, how could you say something like that too?"
"I-It cannot be helped... If you all stay in the same room, who knows what could happen, s-so I must come along."
Godou questioned the girl who was supposed to be the mos
t normal, but ended up getting such an answer.
Thus the sleepless night began. With four people packed in this tiny room, it would not be exaggerating to use the term 'overpopulated.' Although Godou was the only person lying on the only bed, he was unable to close his eyes.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not stop noticing the other three people in the room.
Before sleeping, the three of them had changed in their own respective rooms. Liliana and Yuri were wearing common pajamas which looked like they were brought from home, but it was still a look that Godou never had a chance to witness under normal conditions. On the other hand, Godou found it incredible that he found himself unable to look at them straight despite the simple thin fabric without fancy decoration. Besides, there was the problem of Erica.
As usual, she went to sleep under the covers in just her underwear.
A Campione's vision allowed him to see clearly even in the dark. With just a simple glance, he could see portions of Erica's bare skin as white as snow where they stuck out from under the blanket, as well as her blonde hair that had been messed up by sleep. Godou frantically pulled up his cotton blanket and tried his hardest to close his eyes and sleep.
The breathing noises of the girls and their occasional dream talk troubled Godou immensely.
Despite his excited state of mind, Godou's exhausted body still needed sleep. As his consciousness began to fade, he was able to doze lightly for about two or three hours worth of sleep.
When he regained his senses again, it was early in the morning, and the rosy rays of dawn came in from the window.
"—W-What is going on? My body..."
On the bed, Godou was greatly taken aback.
His entire body ached exceptionally, and all major and minor joints throbbed with pain. There was also a sense of nausea. It was the first time he ever felt pain like this.
"Perhaps... it's the injuries from the beating yesterday!?"
Come to think of it, every time his body was struck by Luo Hao, he felt like his body was accumulating serious internal injuries. Now it was evident it was not simply his imagination. Once again, Godou was reminded of Luo Hao's terrifying existence.
Campione 07 Page 5