"I should have known that guy should have his own backer."
It was the oldest, most infuriating trope in classic Chinese cultivation novels: just as the protagonist was about to ruthlessly execute the arrogant young master, an ancient, overwhelmingly powerful ancestor would suddenly descend from the heavens to save him. Finn just never expected to experience the cliché firsthand.
"The Victorious Fighting Buddha. The Monkey King, Sun Wukong."
The legendary primate who had arrived on the glowing, golden cloud was none other than the protagonist of Journey to the West.
"Oho? I never thought a young Devil from the Western factions would know my legend," Sun Wukong grinned, scratching his cheek. He seemed genuinely pleased that Finn recognized him, knowing perfectly well that the current generation of supernatural youths rarely cared about ancient mythology.
"Akeno, please prepare some coffee... wait, do you prefer coffee or tea?" Finn asked casually.
"Tea for me, kid."
"Coffee for me, tea for our guest, and bring out some of those snacks and fresh fruits we just imported from Taiwan, please," Finn instructed.
"Right away, Finn-sama," Akeno replied politely.
Internally, she was deeply annoyed by the sudden interruption to their intimate afternoon, but discovering their guest was the legendary Monkey King from the storybooks gave her pause. She quickly glanced at Finn's face. Seeing him completely calm and unbothered made her sigh in relief. A fight likely wouldn't break out, and even if it did, she fully trusted Finn's terrifying new abilities to get them out safely.
As soon as Akeno stepped inside, Finn leaned back in his chair and looked directly at the monkey deity.
"So, who is he really working for?" Finn asked, entirely skipping the pleasantries.
"Do you honestly think I am not good enough to be his backer?" Sun Wukong raised a furry brow, hopping off his cloud and casually sitting in the chair across from Finn.
"If it's just you? Then frankly, no. I don't care," Finn dismissed him instantly. No matter how powerful the Monkey King was in martial arts, Finn wasn't intimidated.
"Are you not afraid of me, boy?" Sun Wukong's golden eyes narrowed, and a terrifying, suffocating aura of absolute physical supremacy leaked from his body. Despite his age and enlightenment, his power remained monstrous. He was a being who had casually smashed mountains and butchered demon kings for fun.
"I have my own backers too, you know," Finn replied, completely unfazed by the pressure.
Yes, Cao Cao had a powerful patron, but Finn wasn't a stray dog. He had the entire political weight of the Underworld behind him. Cao Cao had ambushed the heir to a Pillar with the True Longinus. Would he attack the other Devils next? Cao Cao might have temporarily escaped Finn, but if Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan, Ajuka Beelzebub, and the Great King Zekram Bael all collectively declared a blood hunt, could Sun Wukong stop them?
"....."
Facing Finn's unimpressed snort, Sun Wukong was momentarily speechless. He reigned in his aura and sat back with a heavy sigh.
To the mortal world, Journey to the West was an epic tale of religious pilgrimage and overcoming hardship. But to Finn's mind? It was simply a story about the absolute power of political backing.
Throughout the journey, whenever Sun Wukong faced a wild demon with no political connections, he brutally smashed them to a bloody pulp with his staff. But whenever he faced a demon who happened to be the runaway pet, mount, or servant of a powerful Heavenly Emperor or Bodhisattva? No matter how many humans that demon had eaten, their celestial master would suddenly descend, give them a light scolding, and take them home without any real punishment.
Finn possessed his own terrifying celestial backers. Zekram Bael could easily mobilize the Four Great Satans to hunt Cao Cao to the ends of the Earth. Would Sun Wukong truly dare to face the unified wrath of the Devil society just to protect one human pawn?
"I don't know exactly what your employer is planning to do," Finn said smoothly, steepling his fingers. "But whatever his big plan is, Cao Cao is clearly a vital piece on his chessboard. So, shouldn't we be discussing my compensation for his little assassination attempt, so you can make your boss happy, and make me forgive him, eh, Sun Wukong?"
"....." Sun Wukong stared at him. "...You are terrifyingly smart, boy."
"And you were remarkably stupid for needing five hundred years trapped under a mountain to learn a little humility," Finn shot back.
"...."
I really, really hate this kid! Sun Wukong twitched, resisting the urge to summon his staff.
Still, the Monkey King recognized Finn's strength. Sitting face-to-face, Wukong's sharp instincts told him that while Finn might not be able to pierce his indestructible stone body, Wukong couldn't easily kill Finn either. Furthermore, what would the geopolitical consequences be if he tried?
Wukong had witnessed endless unreasonable bullshit in his long life. He knew that Finn's new ability—absolute invisibility—was a nightmare to deal with. He had also heard the impossible rumors that this Devil had just rapidly regenerated from the absolute Holy Light of the Biblical God. Finn possessed the potential to become an anomaly on par with Sirzechs Lucifer. It was vastly better to negotiate than to make an enemy of him.
The tense silence stretched on until Akeno returned. Finn calmly accepted a slice of cut pineapple from her hand, taking a sip of mineral water and completely ignoring the legendary Buddha sitting across from him.
"Alright, boy. What exactly do you want?"
"Indra-sama."
The voice that suddenly echoed across the terrace didn't belong to Wukong. It was a projection—clear, impossibly dignified, and heavily laced with the terrifying, crackling threat of a thunderstorm. Both Sun Wukong and Finn stiffened slightly.
"Ah, Indra. The King of the Devas," Finn noted, masking his surprise perfectly. He genuinely hadn't expected the legendary Hindu God of War to personally intervene. But his analytical mind instantly connected the dots. "I see. Cao Cao and his little Hero Faction are just disposable pawns in your shadow war against Shiva, the God of Destruction."
"If you know that much, then do you truly dare to interrupt my grand design?"
The overwhelming aura of the King of Gods descended upon the terrace. It was paralyzing. Yet, Indra wasn't a crude bully; he focused his divine pressure entirely on Finn, completely ignoring Akeno. To a God playing a cosmic game of chess, a beautiful Queen piece was utterly irrelevant.
"I do," Finn nodded, his golden eyes dead serious. He wasn't afraid. "Because if this is how you ask me a request, then I will simply take all of Cao Cao's combat data and expose all of your plan directly to Shiva-sama."
"....." Sun Wukong and Indra were both stunned into silence.
Does... does this young man have absolutely no pride?!
A true young prodigy was supposed to be fearless, charging headfirst into hardship, breaking their limits, and screaming about their indomitable will! Like the Red Dragon Emperor, Finn was supposed to welcome the challenge of facing a God!
Yet, Finn had absolutely zero interest in fighting a meaningless battle or having his body pulverized for the sake of 'pride.' Being burned to the bone by the True Longinus was more than enough trauma for one day.
[Notice. The Divine Entity 'Indra' has initiated 'Mind Reading' upon the host.]
[Analyzing the divine frequency.]
[Adapting neural pathways to the power.]
[The host is now completely immune to Divine Telepathy.]
"...." Finn's eyes narrowed slightly.
[Notice: The Divine Entity 'Indra' has initiated 'Future Prediction' upon the host.]
[Analyzing the temporal power.]
[Adapting chronological signature to the power.]
[The host is now completely immune to Temporal Clairvoyance.]
"...."
Finn took a slow, deep breath, staring directly into the empty space where Indra's presence loomed.
"Adaptation."
"...What did you say?"
Both Indra and Sun Wukong spoke simultaneously. Wukong was merely confused, but Indra felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down his divine spine as his absolute powers were suddenly and violently blocked.
"Once someone attacks me, or attempts to force a certain power upon me, I adapt," Finn lied smoothly, leaning forward with a cold, predatory smile. He forced himself to learn the "Self-Made" ability of Suzuki Tensura, which was similar to Mahoraga's ability from the Jujutsu Kaisen universe. "I process it. I evolve. And I render the power that was once used against me completely, permanently useless."
"...." Indra and Sun Wukong fell dead silent.
"Unless you possess the absolute confidence to completely erase my existence in a single move..." Finn's eyes burned with an incredibly dark, unyielding intensity. "...I strongly suggest you talk under my terms. Because if I survive, I will return the favor a hundredfold."
He wasn't joking. If the world truly pushed him to the absolute brink, he wouldn't hesitate to break the ultimate taboo. He would personally unseal Trihexa, the apocalyptic beast 666, and let the entire planet burn to ash.