Chapter [X]: The Echoes of Invasion
Cue: "Conquest of Paradise" playing faintly in the background…
The winds around the shattered ruins of India howled gently, as if whispering sorrow for the destruction that had taken place. Rajesh, Jayesh, and Sakamoto moved cautiously toward the enormous black hole swirling above the broken land, its pull increasing with every step they took. The air grew heavier—thicker—with a strange hum of Shen and something darker… more ancient.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps broke through the low wind. An old woman came rushing out from the wreckage of a small hut nearby, her bare feet silent against the dusty ground. Without hesitation, she grabbed Sakamoto's hand tightly.
Surprised, Sakamoto turned. The moment their eyes met, a memory flashed across his mind—a soft image of his own grandmother smiling as she handed him a wooden carving, just like this.
The woman reached into her woven bag and pulled out a simple necklace: a mini wooden Buddha, worn and smooth at the edges.
"Wear this," she said, her voice raspy but warm. "It is a gift, young warrior."
Sakamoto reached for it, but the old woman was quicker than expected. With a smirk, she pulled back playfully.
"You're fast for an old lady," he said, raising a brow.
She smiled, revealing gums void of teeth, and gestured for him to bend down. He did so, and she placed the necklace around his neck with a gentle pat on his shoulder. As soon as it rested against his chest, a warmth spread through his skin, like sunlight.
"Thank you," he whispered, and turned back toward Rajesh and Jayesh.
They continued their slow walk toward the abyss in the sky—the black hole's swirling mass now pulsing with strange, unfamiliar energy. Rajesh's brows furrowed.
"This energy… it's not just Shen," he muttered. "It's darker. Twisted. It feels like… Negative Shen."
Meanwhile: Washington D.C., America
The ground trembled softly beneath the boots of soldiers stationed in front of the black hole just outside Washington's borders. Tanks lined the city perimeter. Helicopters hovered in the skies. News crews filmed nervously from a distance.
Suddenly—THUD… THUD… THUD…
Footsteps.
They grew louder, heavier. The ground began to quake.
Then—KRAAAAK!
From the swirling blackness, a swarm of enormous armored monkey warriors burst through. They were monstrous, towering creatures with glowing red eyes, snarling maws filled with jagged teeth, and swords and shields bigger than most men. They moved with purpose and primal precision.
"Open fire!!" Cecilia shouted.
Explosions erupted from the tanks. Machine gun rounds rattled from mounted turrets. Missiles launched. Helicopters spun in desperate action. And yet… nothing worked. The monkey warriors shrugged off the attacks like dust in the wind.
One of the beasts leapt into the air, grabbing a spinning helicopter mid-flight.
Inside, the pilots screamed—"Mayday! Mayday! We're going down!"
But a blur of light broke through the chaos.
"Glitch System."
Marcus' body glitched—pixelated into streaks of colored lines and light—and in an instant, the pilots vanished from the air. They reappeared safely on the ground beside the reporters. The helicopter was redirected into the mouth of the black hole, where it exploded mid-air, taking out three monkey warriors in the blast.
Standing atop a tall building, Marcus unsheathed a sleek silver blade.
"Let's clean this up."
He whispered, "Glitch System Technique: Magnetic Tour Field."
His eyes flickered—lines of code running across his irises like a digital virus. Instantly, red indicators appeared on every monkey's vital points. In the blink of an eye, Marcus's form disintegrated again and reappeared mid-field.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Dozens of clean cuts flashed. In a matter of seconds, hundreds of the monkey invaders dropped—slashed and annihilated with surgical precision.
Seymon whistled, clapping slowly from the side. "You make it look easy."
Cecelia nodded. "He always does."
But the battlefield wasn't silent for long.
Another footstep echoed.
THUMP… THUMP…
From within the fiery glow of the black hole's mouth, a new figure emerged. A taller, leaner, more dangerous-looking humanoid monkey walked forward. Its red staff shimmered like blood. Fire licked its body—but it didn't burn. It stepped through the inferno like a king through a door.
Cecelia narrowed her eyes. "We've got something different this time."
Meanwhile: China
The black hole above China cracked the sky in half. Winds screamed. Lightning flashed. From it, the monkey warriors began pouring into the land.
Perched atop a mighty dragon, Zichen observed with narrowed eyes. At his side stood Wei, dressed in elegant, flowing Mandarin robes.
Zichen gave him a sidelong glance. "You're taking this one."
Wei smirked. "With pleasure."
Without another word, he leapt from the dragon's back. His robes flared in the wind as he descended, barefoot, toward the battlefield below—ready to meet the invaders head-on.