"Respect me?"
Hearing Yaruu's words, Axel grinned, his teeth still stained with blood.
The sight made Yaruu tremble. He dropped fully to his knees and began bowing repeatedly, his forehead striking the ground over and over until pain forced him to stop.
He straightened slightly and spoke with forced composure.
"I naturally respect you, Great Sage. Not only did you eliminate the evil of this land, you also resolved the bet between Merna and me."
He swallowed before continuing.
"I am the son of the Jing River Dragon King. After my father was executed in a dream by Wei Zheng, my four brothers and I were condemned as accomplices and sentenced to death."
His voice shook, grief and frustration bleeding through.
"But we refused to accept it."
Tears mixed with dirt on his face as he went on.
"Long ago, when the Human King's grandfather controlled the floods, my brothers and I fought beside him against Wuzhiqi. Because of that, we were granted dominion over the great rivers, Yangtze, Yellow, Huai, and Ji."
His expression twisted with anger.
"And yet, when the time came, we were still dragged out and sentenced as criminals. Did Heaven truly ignore everything we did?"
Axel listened, nodding faintly while wiping blood from his hands. Then he let out a low chuckle.
"Yeah, it's messed up. Real dark."
He glanced around.
"Ever wonder why it stays that way?"
He looked back at Yaruu.
"Because merit means nothing."
Yaruu froze.
Axel continued, voice casual but sharp.
"In another world, the kind of merit you're talking about might make you something great overnight. But here? It doesn't reward you, it doesn't protect you, it doesn't even punish properly."
He smirked.
"So what is it worth? Nothing. Just an excuse people in power use when it suits them."
Yaruu lowered his head, unsure how to respond.
Axel stepped closer and patted his shoulder.
"One day, when I take a seat above all of them, I'll build a system that actually works."
His grin widened.
"Not something controlled by a bunch of hypocrites pretending to hand out justice."
Then he laughed and kicked Yaruu lightly.
"I'm entertaining myself. Keep going."
Yaruu flinched, his thoughts scrambled. He hesitated before finally speaking again.
"Great Sage… I have nothing more to say about the past. The bet between me and Merna ended with his death."
He took a breath.
"I am free now, but freedom is not what I want. I want peace."
He bowed deeply.
"If you will have me, I pledge myself to you. You are far stronger than Merna, and you will surely take control of this territory. You will need followers. I am willing to serve, to fight for you, to stand at your side."
Axel laughed, clearly amused.
"That actually sounds useful."
Without another word, he grabbed Merna's strange storage bag and flipped it over.
What came out was far more than expected.
Creatures poured out in waves, hundreds, then thousands, each one twisted or bizarre. Among them were strange spirits and beasts that immediately began fighting and shouting.
In the chaos, Pigsy rolled across the ground before slowly standing up, dazed.
"Ha! That Yellow-Browed bastard, I had a great nap in there…"
He blinked and looked around.
"…Wait, what is all this?"
Before he could react, something slammed into the back of his head.
"Ouch!"
Furious, he spun around and transformed instantly, his body expanding into a massive wild boar. His presence surged, forcing the weaker spirits nearby to fall silent and back away.
Nearby, Yaruu glanced at him with faint annoyance before turning back to Axel.
"If you allow it, I can bring these creatures under control for you."
Axel waved lazily.
"Go ahead."
Yaruu's eyes lit up. He leaped into the sky, his form shifting into a massive azure dragon. His roar thundered across the area, silencing the chaos below.
He circled once before shouting down.
"The Yellow-Browed one has been defeated by…"
His voice faltered.
He froze midair, then slowly turned toward Axel, nervous.
"Great Sage… what should I call you?"
Axel gave him a sharp look.
"Does the Jade Emperor need to introduce himself?"
The answer hit hard. Yaruu stiffened, then immediately understood.
Axel smirked.
"I am the Great Sage."
Yaruu swallowed and roared with renewed force.
"The Yellow-Browed one has been defeated by the Great Sage!"
His voice echoed across the land.
"All of you, kneel!"
The spirits hesitated for only a moment before dropping to the ground.
Pigsy, now back in his smaller form, watched the dragon in the sky, then shifted his gaze to Axel.
Axel turned slightly and caught him staring.
"What, Piggy? Looking for your father?"
Pigsy grinned.
"Of course I'm looking at you, Great Sage."
He rubbed his hands together.
"So, where's that Yellow-Browed corpse? Mind if I hit it a few times?"
Axel shrugged.
"You won't be hitting much, but you can deal with what's left."
He gestured casually.
"It's yours."
With that, Axel walked toward Kang, who still stood in stunned silence.
Behind him, Pigsy stared at the remains on the ground and swallowed hard.
In the distance, the old tortoise let out a long, satisfied cry.
Pigsy paused, then nodded to himself.
"Yeah… no point pushing my luck."
He exhaled.
"I still need to get my senior brother's spiritual root back."
He looked ahead, uneasy.
"And that means dealing with him."
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