“I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven! The Handsome Monkey King! Emancipator of Cloud Steeds! He of the Fiery-eyed Golden Gaze that roots out all Evil! My name is Sun Wukong, disciple of the Ever-Righteous Lady Trip, and I have come for your head! Come out and face me, cowardly demon!”

Before the huge iron doors within Black Wind Cave, stood Wukong, banging on the doors with his staff, producing a huge racket, so loud that it echoed off the cave walls. Even louder still was his voice. Like the deep roar of a waterfall on the edge of the world, Wukong’s voice was so ominous, it seemed as though Doom itself had spoken.

Having completed his basic introduction, Wukong waited expectantly for a response. And waited. Until the echoes of his challenge had faded away into silence. Giving a loud “Hmph!” in disappointment and impatience, he continued.

“Black Wind demon? You’re nothing but a bag of hot wind! Or does Black Wind refer to what comes out from your behind? Oho, Black Gas Demon! Demon of Dark Flatulence Cave! I see that you are content to cower in your hole, comforting yourself with your smelly farts! If you -”

The iron door opened.

At the very back of the empty cavernous space, the Black Wind Demon posed valiantly, armed with two short metal spears.

“Noisy monkey! Real warriors fight with their fists, not their mouth! Come here and fight me! Or else you’re the coward! Your whole family are cowards!”. With one hand, the Black Wind Demon beckoned, his mocking smirk taunting Wukong.

Wukong brandished his quarterstaff. He would enjoy pounding this delusional bear into the ground to avenge his Mistress. Eager for the duel, he rushed forward.

Which was when countless imps poured into the cave through hidden passages. Screaming their high pitched cries, they swarmed Wukong. More imps with muskets formed wide rows further away.

Wukong screeched to a halt, realising that he had charged into a trap. He turned back towards the iron door, intending to seek a less vulnerable position outside the cave. Alas, the iron door had been barred and secured with huge iron locks.

Since a timely escape… er, strategic withdrawal wasn’t possible, then the solution was simple. Kill all the enemies! Starting with that sneaky cowardly bear!

That would have to wait, as the horde of screaming imps were right before him, while a swarm of bullets were heading for his face!

Shielding his eyes with an arm, he took the volley of bullets full in the head and chest. Most of the bullets flattened themselves against his tough skin, but one was luckier than the rest. It shot right through his ear, leaving a stinging hole behind.

With one hand holding his quarterstaff, he tried to defend against the imps that were jabbing, slashing and chopping at him. He was already surrounded, there were too many attacks at any time for him to block, allowing most of them to slip past his guard. Most of the imps who managed to hit him shouted in triumph, only to find that their weapons simply bounced off him or landed with an ineffectual “THUD”. Some particularly lucky attacks did managed to inflict several shallow wounds, especially on the backs of his legs. He had to improve his position, or he would be poked and pricked to death by a bunch of little imps. That absolutely could not happen! Even his ghost couldn’t bear the shame!

Using his quarterstaff as a vaulting pole, he jumped to the corner of the cave where the imps with muskets had gathered. Finding their target suddenly disappearing from beyond their gun barrels only to suddenly reappear within their midst, the imps were thrown into disarray. Wukong spun his quarterstaff, shattering skulls and limbs with abandon.

Before he could eliminate all the musket-wielding imps, he was once again surrounded by imps with melee weapons. This time, he was prepared. Immediately, he pole-vaulted his way out of the encirclement, turning around to smash the outlying imps. In this way, he gained control of the battlefield, leaping this way and that. All the while, he never stopped imp-bashing, steadily whittling down the crowd.

Besides keeping himself from being surrounded, Wukong’s pole-vaulting served another purpose. With every leap, he tried to get closer to the Black Wind Demon’s position, but the black bear hybrid was too cautious to allow that. He continuously maneuvered so that Wukong was always as far away from him as possible, with as many imps between them as he could manage.

Wukong grew frustrated, but he never stopped trying to get to the Black Wind Demon. All the while, he smashed every single imp that got in his way. If the battle continued in this way, it would only be a matter of time before only the Black Wind Demon was left for him to battle. Things seemed to be going smoothly. Except for one thing.

Wukong had forgotten that he was not the same warrior he had been, five hundred years ago. In the past, he had battled entire armies continuously for days without rest. But now, he could feel that he was nearing his limit. He was breathing hard, almost gasping for air. Sweat dripped from his palms and the soles of his feet. His heart was hammering his ribs, begging to be let out.

Having dealt with the remaining imps, he finally faced the Black Wind Demon. He had to lean on his quarterstaff for a while, before he recovered enough to be able to speak without gasping.

“Now. Just you and me. No way you can avoid this fight!” said Wukong, not having recovered enough for his usual bombastic style.

“Why would I want to? That was just a test! By passing it, you’ve proven you’re qualified to fight me! Come!”

Wukong felt a surge of energy burst out from within him, born from sheer irritation! This demon was just too shameless! Wearing him down with cannon fodder to make him easier to defeat, then claiming that it was just a test! That shameless bear needed to be taught a lesson!

-- Chapter 21, End --