Looking the black clothed youth’s eyes that were burning in determination, the Qilin emotionally nodded.

“...... Hm.” But the Qilin suddenly looked at Allen with a sharp gaze.

“I’m not doubtful about that, Human King. You are different! If I said that they are the true monsters then you too are also without a doubt a real monster.”

Then Qilin’s eyes, for the first time, went towards Mia and the other people standing behind Allen.

“… but when that time comes, will you still hold on to your conviction?”

!!?

That conviction, Allen immediately realized what the Qilin was talking about.

Protecting the people he wanted to protect... If he became a monster similar to the Monster Kings while standing in the apex of strength… would he still care about them?

Is he certain that he won’t change…?

When that time comes, will he still think the same…?

“That’s right, Human King. You’re already aware that you're different from the other people. You understand that you're not a normal being even without having been told by anyone…

Your ‘True Self’ sleeping in the depths of your mind, is unconsciously noticing it… isn’t it?”

“What do you want to say, Qilin?” Allen frowned.

A sharp light flashed through his eyes, showing how he’s shaken by the beast’s words.

“I didn’t notice it before but during this battle, all the pieces finally connected. You are different from other humans, you are also not a monster, but surely not a demon… then what are you, Human King?”

Allen finally couldn’t hold it in and turned back. He understands what the Qilin was saying but even so, he doesn’t want to hear it.

He started walking as if he was running away.

“Human King, just what kind of future do you want to see…” But the Qilin wasn’t fazed and still continued as if wanting to hear Allen’s deepest feelings.

“Are you really moving on your own chosen path or just treading on someone’s designated path?”

At those words, Allen stopped.

The people present stayed as they couldn’t understand what the Qilin was saying. Although the Qilin was talking in human language as if wanting them to hear it but they still failed to understand the meaning behind those words.

… With the exception of one person.

Mia Bianchi.

Although she doesn’t understand why a mythical beast like the Qilin calling Allen [ Human King ] and why is it saying all these things but she understood what the beast meant. After all, she was also worried about similar things.

She didn’t make any action and just stared at Allen’s back.

She also wants to hear what Allen would say.

Allen blinked and hanged his head as if contemplating something.

At this moment, as if reading the mood, the thunderstorm had already disappeared but the sky was still covered with a blanket of the night. However, one thing is different.

As if comforting the youth standing alone, a single speck of snow falls slowly from the sky.

One after another, the snow started falling.

Allen raised his head and looked at the sky as if he was in trance.

His eyes contained a bit of sorrow.

Then he spoke: “Don’t think that other people are as stupid as you.”

It was cold yet indifferent.

As if scolding the Qilin but if one listens carefully, it sounds like Allen was reminding himself.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky. He said seriously: “You don’t need to taunt me like this Qilin. I always know who I am and who is me.”

His words are too profound.

Looking at the sky, he stopped for a long time and didn’t take a step forward.

In the midst of snow falling, such a figure of him made those looking at him feeling desolate and lonely.

Perhaps Allen and this thing called snow can’t go together.

Most of the girls felt enamored and charmed by this scene. But for people like Tang Yu, Ye Yuesheng, Raya, and Mia, a sudden pain surge inside their hearts.

Suddenly seeing Allen like this, all kinds of complicated feelings came to the surface. They have an impulse to run to him and hug him. This impulse, made their hearts feel surprised.

They then noticed him fisting his hands at his sides. Fisted and loosened, loosened and fisted again. It looked like he was restraining from an impulse.

Unbeknownst to their overflowing emotions, Allen continued: “… Designated path? Ever since the beginning, I have never cared about that. I was walking on my own path, that was what I have always believed and that would never change. Even if that wasn’t the case, I will still walk on this… that is the decision I have made a long time ago. The resolve I come up with. Even if I turned into something else and be left alone, I wouldn’t regret.”

After saying that, Allen step forward.

Although he was slightly staggering and a bit weak, he was still walking forward.

Lonely and desolate. It doesn’t seem like his always straight spine; Stubborn and yet trying to be brave.

After a short moment of daze, Mia regained their senses as they hurried towards Allen to catch up.

Looking at him, a strange glint flashed across the Qilin’s eyes. Letting out a deep sigh, “It’s the path you chose, Human King. Prove to me that you were correct if you are truly a man…”

The world will change… the era of monsters will once again turn to a new direction.

The Lightning Qilin gave his suspicious smile before turning his back and walk towards the opposite direction. Waving its tail, the Lightning Qilin started walking away.

The beautiful yet dangerous night finally come to a close as the battle that would never be forgotten by the people living in that place ended.

Leaving one single thing. The people who saw the battle had a sudden premonition.

This man reflected in their eyes, in the future he would definitely have an extraordinary good fortune.

If he were given enough time, he could become significant enough to influence a country’s fate, or worst, the world’s fate!

In the even more distant future, he would become legend.

--- ---

It was a little more than ten minutes after the end of the intense battle between Allen and the Lightning Qilin.

Not so far away from the city, there was a beautiful little girl standing on the peak of the tallest tree inside the forest, overlooking the distant world beneath while her fiery gaze directed towards one direction.

She was a very beautiful lovely girl with long hair tied up at the back. She had big eyes and juvenile features. A girl with a playful loveliness.

If one were to look towards her hand, a golden slim staff would come into view. In the side of her beautiful face was a mask; a white one with a monkey's face with red around the eyes.

A playful but lovely smirk was showing on her beautiful lips.

The girl gazed unerringly at the direction where a thunderstorm had just taken place.

“I came because I was bored… but I never expected,”

The blonde girl who resembled a classic eastern doll looked to be about twelve or thirteen in age happily twirl the golden staff in her hand like a baton twirler in a parade. She looked like a child who had seen her new toy.

As he is right now, fighting a mythical beast in an equal position is already praiseworthy…

However,

… But as one of my kin, that kind of strength isn’t enough …

“That Qilin could only be considered as trash compared to ‘us’ so if you are like this then you are just worse than trash. Well, even so, you are still a child, you can still grow~”

The girl smiled as if she just thought of a splendid pran – no, plan.

“Kuhahahaha, this will be good.” The girl laughed as if she was enjoying the situation.

"Well then..." She pondered for a moment.

Just as she was planning to leave it was at this time that the little girl noticed a presence.

"How lucky I am to meet another one of my kin today,” The little girl without any sort of vigilance stared at the darkness and spoke with a playful tone.

“… Do you want something from this old Sun…?”

"Hmph, just like what I had heard. Your sense of smell is extremely sharp."

From the shadows of the trees, out stepped a woman with a pair of beautiful butterfly wings. It was one of the twelve Monster Kings, the Insect Queen; Alkrasha.

“The new Insect Queen sure has a sharp mouth~” The girl spoke in a clear and bright voice.

She turned around and looked at Alkrasha with an amused look.

"Red eyes and golden pupils..." Seeing the girl’s eyes, Alkrasha faintly muttered.

Yes, the girl’s eyes were strange.

She looked like a normal human little girl but if one looks closely, one would find the strangeness of her eyes. The eyeballs were red as if bloodshot from smoke irritation, but the pupils were golden in color.

It gives off a different charm of beauty.

One of the oldest in the Twelve Monster Kings.

One that was even worshipped as a deity.

An extremely peculiar existence and the most irregular out of the entire Twelve Monster Kings.

Known as the playful monarch; Her name is— “… This has been my first-time meeting you in person, — “Handsome Monkey King” or should I say, "Gorgeous Monkey King!" Sun Wukong …..!”

“Ku hahaha, indeed it’s the first time, however, I have seen and met your predecessor. I liked her, she was a gutsy lady~”

Rustling her golden rice-like hair, her fiery golden eyes glimmered with laughter.

Contrary to her mature voice, she had an appearance that only looked like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. But the power and shine radiating from her eyes alone displayed an air of an over achieving fighter.

The corner of Alkrasha’s lips twitched. “… She was just a woman with no brain.”

“Hohoho looks like she was hated quite a lot~”

Sitting on the tree branch, the Handsome Monkey King began to swing his golden Staff around.“I have no time to play with you, Monkey King. What are you doing here?”

There was an intense sharp tone at the end of the words and killing intent enveloped the whole area.

“I have no time to play with you, Monkey King. What are you doing here?” There was an intense sharp tone at the end of the words and killing intent enveloped the whole area.

Of course, Sun Wukong ignored Alkrasha and turned her gaze back at the former direction she was looking before. “I saw a demon, a demon that shouldn’t be here~”

!!?

“… Although he was disguising himself quite well. However, he would never deceive this divine monarch.”

“A demon?!”

“Hm, a demon. But it was no normal demon, it’s completely different from an ordinary demon… it’s a cursed existence that shouldn’t exist and yet it does… Very interesting phenomena.” An ecstatic smile appeared on the monkey king’s face.

“… This kind of curse, even I, who crowned myself, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven would find reversing this curse impossible… Ku hahaha ha ha!”

Sun Wukong clutched her stomach and burst in laughter as if she found something very amusing.

“… I’m guessing that the one that made this curse have never expected for someone to survive it and even turned into this… Ku hahaha, but even so, what a pitiful creature indeed…”

A demon? It seems like she was not looking for him. Hearing the monkey king’s words, Alkrasha breathe a sigh of relief.

She had already known Allen was fighting just a while ago. And it seems his opponent was a mythical being, however, she was not worried.

She has confidence that Allen would emerge victoriously. She was the human she had chosen after all…

However, what alarmed her and even made her run all the way to her in a rush was that she had sense another Monster King in the vicinity from Allen’s fight.

She knew that Allen had become a newborn king. Although she doesn’t know how a human achieves it, however, she welcomes it. In this sense, they would become even more compatible with each other…

In addition, this also proven that Allen was someone noteworthy among humans and even among the monster realm!

As a wife, who wouldn’t like a husband that would become a dragon or a phoenix… ?

However, the other Monster Kings wouldn’t think so. That is why she was keeping Allen’s existence as a secret until he had matured.

But how could she have forgotten the existence of one of the oldest and strongest of the Monster Kings that treated this part of the world as its territory…

But she couldn’t be blamed on this. She had just become the Insect Queen and she had never seen or met the rascal of the Twelve Monster Kings in person before.

But hearing Sun Wukong mentioning about a demon and not him, Alkrasha somehow felt relieved.

“Is that so, a demon huh, why hasn’t I sense someone like that…?”

“That is natural. This demon is sealed… and only a God can do something like this. Even a monster king would be impossible to notice it, however, I am an exception~” Sun Wukong answered.

“Don't judge me by appearance; I am the strongest member of the pilgrimage. Hunting demons are just business as usual...”

The pilgrimage Sun Wukong was talking about was a story that is too famous for an explanation.

It was depicted in the very famous Chinese legend “Journey to the West”.

“Ho, so that’s what it is… however, why are you looking at that direction?” Alkrasha frowned as she followed the monkey king’s gaze.

Feeling something amiss, a bad feeling suddenly arose inside her. “… Is that demon you’re talking about in that… direction…?”

Sun Wukong raised her head and looked at Alkrasha. With a usual playful and mischievous smile, she replied, “… do you want to know…?”

“… …”

“I think that you have felt it, the birth of the new king…”

At those words, Alkrasha was petrified.

That can’t be…!?

Her entire body trembled as a bad premonition appeared inside her mind.

“You’re saying…”

“That is right, new Insect Queen. I have found him though I never expected this outcome~”

“He’s the demon you’re talking about?”

“That’s right, and I’m---”

Before Sun Wukong could finish what she was saying, she suddenly felt something behind her.

Swoosh!

She made a backflip in the air with her body and in her former position, a sharp sound like cutting air resounded.

“Ho-?!”

Sun Wukong somersaulted and gracefully landed in a golden colored cloud that had appeared out of nowhere.

“What is the meaning of this, new Insect Queen…?”

In front of her was Alkrasha in a cutting position with her hands transformed into a scythe like those of a mantis.

Alkrasha’s unexpected attack caused Sun Wukong to ponder in puzzlement.

I've never quarreled with you. What on earth was that?

She looked like a child suffering an injustice.

“I warned you, monkey king! Don’t touch him! He is my husband!!”

This time Sun Wukong was completely shocked. After a moment, with a ‘Kuhahahaha’, she burst into laughter. “I see, I see,”

Tears started forming under her eyes as the monkey king rolled into the golden cloud while laughing.

“… so he was your husband then it’s natural for you to attack me~” Sun Wukong nodded her head as if she didn’t mind Alkrasha’s sneak attack a while ago.

Scratching the back of her head, Sun Wukong tilted her head. “… I’m wondering how did he become a monster king all of a sudden, but now, are you perhaps related to it…?”

“… …” With her question, Alkrasha frowned. “… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Of course, Alkrasha didn’t know the specifics about Allen’s ascension to a monster king but she also held some doubts about it.

And these doubts involve her as well.

However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t arrive at an answer. Don’t tell me, just because one had a relationship with a monster king meant that he would also become a monster king…?

What is this? A sexually-transmitted disease?!

That is why her becoming a reason for it is completely unthinkable. If that really happened, there would already be many monster kings by now.

She doesn’t know that she was only half-right.

Looking at Alkrasha’s expression, Sun Wukong was also confused. It doesn’t seem like she was related to it… then, is it really because of the seal that had gotten somewhat loose that he regained his monster king’s status…?

That’s the most probable answer…