Azure Lion screamed, trying to keep his newfound powers stable. But the magic relented, following the orders of punishment Azure had brought upon himself. Cracks lined the universe itself, golden lines marking starry nights.

Yellow Tusk managed to stabilize the new emperor, waiting until he was settled down once more before speaking. "Azure...This power, and your unresolved deal, are tearing you and this world apart. Perhaps--"

The lion cut him off, flashing a pained smile, "It is fine, brother. I just...need to get accustomed to this newfound title. I am alright..." He let out a pained sigh. Yellow Tusk exhaled, "Alright. But what of Sun Wukong? His scroll was taken. They will want him released."

"...I know."

---

"At least the sky looks pretty..?" Mei smiled at the golden, starry rips across the sky. Pigsy huffed, "Sure, it's the end of the world, but at least it looks pretty." Mei shot the chef a look, "I am trying to be positive here!" Sandy walked over, nudging them gently, "C'mon, Tang needs some of our magic to power the symbol a bit."

They surrounded Tang, watching him draw a symbol on the ground. The scroll was placed down in the middle, innocently showing off a familiar name. MK and Macaque wordlessly stepped forward.

Subodhi spoke up as they got into position, "Be quick to find him, otherwise he will be lost to the memories and will not be able to come back to us." Gold flashed, blinding them all as warmth that could not be matched by the sun took the monkey duo away.

---

MK looked around.

Everything was barren, burned into ash. The sky was dark, and there wasn't a single sound in the air. He looked over to Macaque, examining the warrior's expression. The ebony monkey closed his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths, "This is the day Erlang Shen set the mountain ablaze."

"...Wukong burned, right? He said it happened once, and that he knew the mountain was burning, too." MK reached out, pressing his hand against charred bark. Macaque nodded softly, "Yeah. Come on, he shouldn't be too far away now."

They trudged through the soot and smoke-coated fog, stumbling upon another memory.

This one presented a mountain. Golden chains floated around, and a familiar russet-colored monkey was encased in the rock, head bowed. MK winced, looking over at Macaque, "Is this when he was..?" The warrior nodded, not looking away.

---

Wukong felt numb, his mind a haze. He wanted to think of his small family, but the pain it brought him made the king shut out his thoughts.

The ground beneath him was stone. The sky above him was dark, with golden streaks of lightning striking everything down. Wukong rolled over, sitting up. A rock was nearby, elevated and perfect for sitting.

He stumbled back onto his feet, not registering the harsh memories playing around him as he sat down heavily, closing his eyes. Maybe he'd forgotten to breathe.

---

MK watched their past selves fight, staffs hitting against each other with immense force.

Finally, the sage managed to knock back the shadow user, watching as the ebony took him away. The king's fists were trembling violently as the staff fell from his grasp, sinking slightly into the tumbled soil. Wukong fell to his knees, and screamed.

Macaque flinched, face scrunching with a tight frown. MK blinked owlishly, trying to understand, "But when you fought with him again, you wanted revenge. But..." Macaque nodded, "Foul play, bud. I thought he'd scarred me. I thought he'd killed me. Someone set us up, and used me as a pawn to further destroy him."

It was disgusting, watching this big fight of theirs play out.

"Come, we aren't done yet."

---

"We had an agreement! I completed the journey, you took away the crown-- Let me go home!" The king was backing away from the Jade Emperor, celestials whispering to each other.

MK turned to Macaque, wanting to ask what was going on. But the warrior looked just as clueless.

"You are a danger, Sun Wukong. You may return home, but not with the power you hold." The emperor's hands reached into the ginger, and the pair of hidden brunettes stared in horror as gold was extracted from the king's chest. The hands reaching into him pulled out, the gold exiting Wukong.

The king's body slumped forward, and was caught by Nezha. The prince's face was just as horrified, eyes wide and unblinking.

"Go, Sun Wukong. You may go home now."

MK watched with baited breath as the gold formed into a ghost he knew. Macaque cursed under his breath, watching as the past king's spirit wordlessly retreated away, as if not yet sentient enough to fight back.

"...I don't like this." MK looked away, hands clutching onto Macaque's sleeves, "Where do we go next?"

---

Azure grimaced, holding his head.

The pain was growing, consuming him bit by bit. His powers were hectic as well, feeding on him. Yellow Tusk was barely able to aid the lion with artifacts taken from around the Celestial Realm. But they weren't a permanent solution.

And worse still, the group were certain to free the Monkey King soon enough. They were resilient, and it seemed the king was beloved by them. A manipulation tactic made by Wukong, it had to be. The king was too brash for such whole-hearted support.

Then again, Azure had once trusted him to go through with the rebellion.

---

"Wukong?" Macaque called out softly to the figure turned away from them.

The king flinched, turning around. His eyes widened, life sparking back into his face as he examined them, "You found me..." He stumbled across the rock, suddenly embracing the warrior and the young hero, muttering fervently.

MK clutched him back just as roughly, bursting into tears of pure relief. Honestly, MK was planning on hugging Monkey King for a million years, wrapping him up like a burrito, and try not to cry himself blind while throwing the king into the safest bounce house in the world.

Man, this must be what Pigsy feels like--

"I'm sorry it took us a while, Wukong! We--We were going through your memories, and--" Wukong shushed the brunette, rubbing his face free of tears. "I was afraid, "he began softly, "that you wouldn't come back for me."

MK let out an airy laugh, shaking his head, "No, never. Come on, we need to stop the Brotherhood." Wukong's excitement fell, his exhaustion creeping back, "I...It hurts too much. We loved each other, but they assumed I..." His expression then hardened, "And they did not treat Macaque well. I was blind to it then, but now..."

Macaque's expression softened as he patted Wukong's shoulder, "Then come on. Fight with us, it will hurt less." MK nodded along, pulling on the king's arms, "We can punish them accordingly. Not how heaven would, not by death, okay? They will understand their wrongs. Come on."

Wukong let them take him away.

---

The king was dressed in his fancier outfit, cape and headpiece finishing off the regal look.

"Okay, so here's the plan. We will go up to heaven, and make ourselves as sneaky as possible. We need the element of surprise. Macaque, while there, will use his shadows to get any weapons the Brotherhood can use against us away. That will leave them a bit more defenseless." He took out a crayon, drawing out each stage meticulously.

"And then we split into pairs! Yellow Tusk is a heavy hitter, and with the brains to match the brawns!" He pointed at the elephant drawing on the wall, making sure everyone was watching. "That brain, however, can be reasoned with. Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy! You will distract him by defending against him, speak to him. Taunt him, point out the cracks in the sky, do what needs to be done to show him this is wrong."

Pigsy sighed, "Easier said than done, Wukong." Tang nodded nervously, unsure of how they would fight the elephant. Sandy simply tried to be positive, giving the king a big thumbs up.

"Peng! A very dedicated fighter, but they'll also do anything to save themselves, even if it means running away. Mei and Macaque, you two will be in charge of fighting them, run them down good. Once they see a big boom, they'll definitely try to scurry away. Trap him."

Macaque gave a feral grin at that, leaning in, "I'm gonna fucking snap them in half." Mei blinked owlishly, "Damn, bro, I know they're a Mean Girl and all, but--"

Wukong huffed, wagging a finger, "Nope! That guy scarred Mac's eye and casually sent him to the Diyuu. Framing me wasn't them, though, but just slashing Macaque's face is bad enough. Fucking shank them. But, y'know, keep 'em alive."

Mei nodded wisely, her grin becoming downright menacing, "Cool."

"And now... Azure Lion!" Wukong visibly wilted at that, but pushed on, "He's at a serious disadvantage. He clearly never prepared to take on enough power to literally overflow his core, leaving him open to extract the power making all this mess." He then smirked cheekily.

"MK and I will go to him. If there's anything that can annoy emperors, it's monkeys!" Wukong shot MK a reassuring smile, which the brown-furred monkey returned.

"Now, let's train and see what you've all got!"

---

Peng walked into the throne room, spear in their grasp, "It seems they are moving the battle to us, Azure."

The lion stood, staggering out of the room. Yellow Tusk and Peng followed, eyes narrowed by what they were presented with. The palace, in disarray yet glorious, was being watched intently by a familiar group of heroes. Wukong being amongst them.

Azure flinched, eyes wide before settling into a neutral glance, "I see you have been freed." Wukong snarled, throwing out his hands, "And I see you still have your delusions running rampant in that skull of yours!"

Shadows flashed across their vision, and then they were all set apart.

---

Mei growled, sword blasting energy at the bird. Peng simply dodged, smirking at the display, "I didn't know Ao Lie's descendants could have so much bark." The dragon girl huffed, shifting her body to throw another hit.

The bird suddenly turned away from her, looking around as a familiar rustle of whispers moved. Macaque emerged, grinning wildly, "Well, well, well! If it isn't the glorified killer! Cheating in battle, all to take down someone minding their business."

Peng scoffed, feathers rustling, "I've no idea of what you speak of, coward." The warrior's grin dropped, eyes glaring into the other's soul, "You know damn well. Or are you truly that much of an idiot?"

The bird dove after him, spear poised.

---

Tang gasped, golden shield protecting him from the elephant's hammer. "Please, we don't want to fight! I-I know you want to help the world--" The elephant grunted, blocking away a hit from Pigsy, "I know. The world is falling apart."

Sandy frowned, eyes staring at the tears in the sky, "Then why are you still..?" Yellow Tusk exhaled, almost sorrowfully, "They are my brothers. I..." The water demon hummed, "What is the point of having your brothers, if the world and all of you will cease to exist?"

Tang suddenly yelled, throwing out a large shield as scrolls speared down. Yellow Tusk dropped his weapon, eyes wide at the display.

---

"This is just embarrassing, Azure! First time battling as emperor, and you can't even keep up with some monkeys!" Wukong cackled, moving with his cloud. MK flew beside him, laughing wholeheartedly.

It seems their training before battle had paid off well, and now MK could soar with his mentor.

"MK, this is your last chance. You do not need to share your mentor's fate." The lion tried in vain to pin himself as the one in the right, face set sternly. MK smirked, sticking his tongue out, "Nah, I don't think so!"

Azure snarled, sending scrolls at them, "So be it."

Wukong whooped, splitting up with MK. They dodged and weaved the attacks, surfing the wind. Eventually, the ginger managed to land a solid kick against the emperor, sending him crashing back. Wukong quickly backed away, however, as a powerful roar pushed the monkeys back.

---

Clones gathered up the scroll pieces, brunette and russet monkeys piled up the scrolls into two piles, those that held names and those that were still unused.

Artist MK huffed, dusting off his hands, "OG's getting tired. We should move these before our perfect work gets ruined." One of the king's clones snickered, picking up one of the piles, "Then move along, Mr. Perfect."

Artist hissed at them, moving an armful of scrolls as well as the realm trembled.

---

Azure grew in size, becoming a fierce giant.

He roared, "If you will not kneel before your emperor, then you will perish." A mech emerged, standing against him. The lion grabbed it roughly, tearing the top off. Inside was MK, but he was wearing a different outfit and had a different voice. Beside him was a fake Wukong.

"Heyyy Big Guy! Lookin' for OG?" He slammed his hand down on a button, triggering the cupboard Wukong to launch a banana peel onto Azure's snout. The lion saw the distinct beeping and grimaced.

"I hate monkeys..."

The blast sent him snarling, stumbling back as smoke clung to his eyes. MK and Wukong darted around him, taunting him mercilessly. Azure swung, nearly hitting the younger hero. Wukong yelled out, anger flaring momentarily.

MK huffed, repositioning himself, "Oh, SHUT UP! What have you even done to improve the world since becoming emperor? And trust me, destroying the world doesn't count!"

The lion faltered, eyes wide, "I...I am still getting used to this power. It-- I am doing a better job than your mentor if he were in my position." He grimaced, shakily inhaling, "He betrayed us, he surrendered just to save his own skin--"

Wukong barked out a harsh laugh, his grin strained and face expressing clear anger. He glowered, face lowered as he stared at Azure, "I surrendered to make sure you could get away. You wanna know what happened, Azure? I was fucking shoved into a furnace, trapped beneath a mountain, and had to endure a journey with that stupid circlet constantly threatening to crush my skull."

Azure flinched, eyes flickering as memories played.

Wukong had a crown when he and his companions had sealed him and the others away. It simply seemed like a symbol Heaven used to mark Wukong as their own. He hadn't thought...

MK sighed deeply, shaking his head, "Dude, he was literally a ghost after the journey, too. He only got his body back not too long ago." The brunette then frowned, determination taking over his features, "It's not too late to turn back."

"...I..."

The lion suddenly screamed, skin buzzing as the sky began to splinter further.

---

Peng paused in their attack, looking back at the power being sent out. The bird faltered, eyes widening before smirking once more, "Well, it looks like my time here is up." They turned, ready to fly off.

Mei suddenly laughed, "Of course the coward runs away! Spook a pigeon, and off they go! Can't say I'm surprised."

The eagle turned their head sharply, eyes narrowed on the girl, "The hell did you say..?" They hissed, wings open wide. Macaque ran his fingers against the shadows, acting oddly calm, "Go on, little coward, run along. This is only a battle for true warriors."

He then looked up, giving Peng a sharp grin, "I wouldn't expect you to...fit the criteria, after all. You are only all bark, lacking less bite than a groveling pest." Mei yawned, putting her sword away, "Come along, Macaque. We have only been wasting our time. Macaque got up, beginning to walk away.

Peng snarled, diving forward with his spear, "How DARE YOU--"

Macaque turned and grinned, eyes squinted and glowing, a clean scar running over his right eye. Shadows accumulated, forming into a giant.

---

Yellow Tusk eyes the tears, frowning with concern. He turned to the trio fighting against him, "Take me to Azure! We need to get that power out of him, quickly!"

Tang nodded, not uttering a word as he slammed his staff down against the soil.

Golden magic swept over them, bringing them closer to the main battle while keeping a decent distance away.

---

Azure whined, stone and chains floating around.

MK exhaled, surging forward as the late emperor's magic began to push forward. Gold filled the area, revealing a giant form. Wukong beamed, analyzing MK's war form.

It was a warm yellow, with multiple tails and long hair. They moved, hands pushing against the magic. Smiling faces surrounded them, pushing with their creator. The magic throbbed, forming into a clumped pile before Azure.

The lion grunted, trying to hold himself together. Wukong called out, "Azure, expel it! Let go of the magic, now!"

Azure wheezed, obliging as a familiar surge of power surrounded them all. Wukong smiled in relief as he realized Tang and Yellow Tusk were working from outside to reign the magic into some sort of seal. Wukong turned to look up at the new emperor, "Keep fighting! Don't you dare stop!"

Magic surged out, rolling into a neat sphere. The lion shrank back to normal, falling from where he'd been along with the stone and chains as the sky repaired itself. Wukong flew forward, catching the other in his arms. MK chirped, his thundering voice helping the magic seal compress the magic.

Finally, MK shrunk down as well, holding the sphere of volatile power. He stumbled, handing over the sphere to Tang, who held it with care.

Pigsy rushed over as Wukong handed Azure off to Yellow Tusk, snagging both monkeys. He checked them over, placing band aids and pressing his hands against their skin. Wukong snorted, batting him away lazily, "We're fine, Pigsy. I promise." The chef huffed, "I am this close to locking you both up in a hundred pounds of bubble wrap!"

Macaque then appeared, holding a diamond-ensnared Peng over his head, "Look what I got with the Dragon Girl." Mei grinned fiercely, pointing at Peng, "What should we do with 'em?!"

MK blinked owlishly, glancing over at the pile of named scrolls, "...I think we have a few solutions."

---

The Demon Bull Family eyed Azure, glancing back at MK.

Red Son cleared his throat first, "And you are sure he cannot...betray us?" Princess Iron Fan glanced down at the golden cuffs on the lion's wrists, "Do those truly work in keeping him from harming those he should not?"

Nezha nodded, standing beside MK, "That is true. Azure will serve as one of your guards until deemed free to go, where he will then continue to live as he pleases as long as he does not cause any more trouble." MK smiled, patting Azure as the lion slowly stepped forward.

He kneeled down, eyes glued to the ground, before Demon Bull King. He inhaled softly, "I am solely at your service as a way to give back due to my unforgivable actions."

"...Rise, Azure Lion. I accept you as a guard. Do not fail me, and serve your duty well."

---

Nezha glanced at Yellow Tusk, watching the elephant work diligently at Lao Zhu's side.

He was an incredible asset to them, mind bright and heart big and caring. Current officials were working towards improving the realms, guarding dangerous secrets with the help of Yellow Tusk. Cuffs were on his wrists as well, limiting his ability to attack if he wished to.

But he seemed to genuinely regret what had occurred, and was working hard to improve the worlds balancing within the same universe. It was honestly mostly thanks to him that the Diyuu was being investigated and heavily monitored now compared to the past.

Too many incidents kept escaping the underground, after all.

"Message." The tone was dull, sharp, and blatantly displeased. Nezha turned, eyeing the Golden-Winged Eagle. It was funny, seeing such a formidable opponent reduced to a messenger bird. But it was either that, or let Macaque get his hands on them.

Of course, Peng chose life over slow torture.

The deity walked over, taking the letter and unraveling it. His eyebrows raised slightly as he read the invitation, looking out the window in silent contemplation. A break sounded nice, and Nexha could honestly use a day at the beach.

He wrote his reply, handing it over to Peng who grimaced, but flew off without any further commentary.