Chapter 38
A crowd gathered like weather, part reverence, part curiosity. Voices rose and fell in tides as Wukong, crowned by his cloud, stepped forward with two monstrous companions at his side. Eyes widened; hands lifted to mouths; children pointed as if pointing could tether such a sight.
"See—see! The Great Sage Wukong, equal to Heaven!" someone shouted, and the chorus took it up as if amplifying a prayer.
A man in the back leaned close to his neighbor and whispered, sharp as a knife. "He was defeated by Erlang Shen[1], remember?" The whisper slid through the crowd, a rumor seeking purchase.
Wukong let the whisper wash over him and smiled the smile of a man who smelled victory. He raised both hands and called, theatrically warm. "Hello, hello, everyone!" His voice rolled across the plaza, feeling the weight of a king and enjoying it.
Zokraks, surveying the throng with a curl of contempt, spat the observation like a pebble. "Huh. Humans. They went to the court of confirmation."
Wukong glanced toward the courthouse and then back at the judge's high steps. He strode forward, cloud settling like a footstool. "Hey—long time no see, Judge. Okay, give me three confirmation cards to enter Universe 0."
The judge, robed in bureaucracy and wearing patience like armor, cocked an eyebrow and inclined toward duty. "Give me your details."
Wukong's grin slanted into something thin and almost dangerous. He leaned in close, voice low and creaking with mock humility. "I don't think it needs— you can't remember me," he said, the words carrying a chill that made a few in the front row shift their weight.
A trembling court attendant rushed forward, hands wringing. "Huh—no, Master Wukong, not you—your—these two sidekicks," he stammered, nodding toward Xorath and Zokraks in an effort to correct the ledger.
Wukong waved a hand dismissively. "Ohh, my bad. But I think they are with me, so they are also special. Just do your work, Judge, and give me the cards."
The judge's fingers hovered over a stack of forms, respect and procedure battling in his eyes. He swallowed and cited the hierarchy that held the heavens in place. "Sorry, Master, but Master Hajun and the Absolute Lords—Sha Xin Ji[2], Ru Lai, and Di Shi Tian[3]—tell me to get details first, even if they are gods."
Wukong's smile thinned to a line of impatience. He put his palms together in a mock bow that was all heatless courtesy. "Huhh, I don't want a fight here!"
The judge's hand trembled only a little as he reached for the ceremonial console beside his dais. He hesitated, then—bound by orders higher than his fear—pressed the red button.
The sound that followed was not a bell but a summons. The sky answered. Within moments columns of armored figures descended like falling law: two hundred thousand heavenly troops, disciplined and terrible, filling the plaza with a tide of helmets and spears that drank the sunlight. Their banners snapped; their breath smelled of iron and paper and the kind of duty that never sleeps.
Silence snapped into a new tension. Wukong straightened on his cloud, face unreadable for the first time since they'd arrived. Xorath and Zokraks set their shoulders, each bearing the taste of returned life and the weight of what it meant.
The judge stood small amid his summoned order, palms still over the console. Around them the crowd pressed in, watching the heavens answer a bureaucratic call.
The chapter closed on the plaza under the banners—Wukong poised like a sovereign with grudges, the judge compelled by commands, Xorath and Zokraks flanked and unbowed, and the two hundred thousand troops a patient sea awaiting the next motion.
[1] A Very Strong King Of heavenly realms.. Coming Soon
[2] Friend & Rival Of Ru lai A absolute God who Maintain Peace in Absence of Buddha (ru lai)
[3] Absolute And Supreme Emperor Of Heavenly Realms