Chapter Twenty-Four: The Jungle of Monkeys

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Because of the rampant overgrowth of plants, this place resembled a rainforest gone wild. Were it not for the words still visible on the walls, I would never have guessed it had once been a zoo.

Most of the animals in the cages had disappeared, perhaps dead from starvation, perhaps killed during the disaster, yet I couldn't be certain if there were other dangers lurking here. The only thing I knew for sure was the kidnapper—he must have been hiding deep within the zoo. Otherwise, why would he have come this way?

From atop several trees, I heard hurried, shrill cries. I looked up and saw a group of large, robust apes, their bodies as big as grown men, climbing nimbly up and down. They moved from tree to tree, baring their sharp teeth—their carnivorous nature was unmistakable, and they had clearly claimed this patch of woods as their domain. Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed me.

Still cloaked in invisibility, I dared not alarm them. Yet I began to doubt my sense of direction. How did the kidnapper make it through here unscathed?

If he could pass these apes unharmed, could it be that they were his pets?

I was hopelessly lost in the jungle, circling endlessly, unable to find the signs Bella had left behind. Anxiety gnawed at me, and I dreaded that the mysterious kidnapper might already have harmed Bella.

At that moment, I sensed the water of Amon was about to wear off. I quickly found a small building to hide in—likely an office for the staff. I pushed open the door, my head spinning slightly as the potion's effect ended.

Inside, I saw three apes attacking one of their own—a great golden-furred ape, blood streaming from its wounds, while the other three assailants had brown fur. I was stunned by this brutality. The attackers turned, shrieking, and charged at me.

I wielded my iron lotus, using defense as offense, and killed one. Another leapt for my head; I ducked, and my fish-bone spear flashed white, piercing its skull and shattering the ceiling. The last one let out a terrified scream and tried to flee, but I yanked the spear’s handle downward, sending chunks of masonry crashing down, crushing its head. I stepped forward and finished it off.

I went to check on the golden ape. It gazed at me with bright eyes. I hesitated, wondering whether I should kill it too, but Bella’s words about animals made me reconsider. Its trachea was nearly torn apart, so I used a healing injection to treat its wounds. After a few minutes, its breathing grew steadier. It bowed its head in gratitude and crawled outside.

I shouted, “Hey, you can’t leave—where are you going?” But it had already vanished into the woods, leaving me to sigh and shake my head.

There were a few zoo computers here, but power was long gone. I pried open a safe and found a printed encyclopedia about the zoo’s animal population. I looked up the apes—they seemed to be some kind of golden-furred species, but their size had multiplied several times.

The book noted that these apes would have a leader, followed by the rest of the group; the leader claimed all the females and would kill any potential threats. The females’ fur was gold, the males’ brown. So the one I saved was a female?

I flipped to the page on moose, which gave a brief overview of how to care for them.

I thought perhaps there was an animal clinic here; the drugs would be long expired, but the paper records might still be useful. I could learn a thing or two from them.

But I wasn’t here to learn how to raise moose—I was here to rescue Bella.

As I left the hut, a cold alarm rang in my heart. Dozens of apes were climbing the trees, all staring at me. I gripped my fish-bone spear, but the female I’d saved dropped to the ground, pointed at me, and chattered. Then the largest male approached, exuding authority, his family trailing behind.

I realized they meant me no harm.

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The great ape pointed to the female’s neck, then to the hut. Its followers went inside and dragged out the corpses of the three slain apes. The leader, furious, beat the bodies with force.

I guessed that these three had plotted rebellion and tried to eliminate the leader’s allies in secret. I said, “So that’s it. Glad to be of service.” I doubted it understood, but the leader bowed to me.

I asked, “Have you seen a strange winged creature pass by here, carrying a woman?” I gestured as I spoke.

The ape leader nodded, took my hand, and climbed into the trees. The female hugged me in thanks, urging me to follow, while several young apes trailed at my side with low cries.

I thought, “Are they afraid of the kidnapper? Do they want me to kill him for them? Not so foolish after all—trying to use me? Fine, let’s see who’s cleverer.”

I had no room to bargain.

They led me to a small hill, atop which stood a dark, two-story house. On the balcony, I saw the kidnapper, with Bella beside him, lying in a stone coffin. The sight of the kidnapper chilled me—he had a tail shaped like an anchor, fingers ending in long, sharp claws, and a head that was entirely white, smooth, and grotesquely square, with a protruding rear skull. His face was twisted with greed, hunger, and malice.

He resembled those white demons, yet I had never seen one quite like him. He lacked horns, was tall and thin, less robust than the others, but his eyes gleamed with wicked intelligence. He was wearing clothes—proof that he was the kidnapper in transformed guise.

With Odin’s Eye, my vision sharpened. I saw the statue of the Three Sisters of Ix on Bella’s abdomen. The demon moved his sharp fingers in slow gestures, muttering arcane incantations, and the statue glowed red, its radiance flowing over Bella like liquid.

He was using Bella as a sacrifice, seeking to enhance the power of the evil idol. Could he also be a servant of the Three Sisters of Ix? Did the Maya once consort with demons?

There was no time to ponder. I had no divine sword rounds, so I had to get as close as possible and unleash the full power of the stone pine.

A night breeze rustled the trees. The demon was utterly absorbed, deaf to the world. My chance.

Light as a wildcat, I darted across the grass and circled behind the house. To be safe, I drank another vial of Amon’s water, though I worried about overuse leaving Lamia a widow. I forced myself to endure.

I remembered that when Lamia had been ambushed, Kiryu could see through invisibility. I could not be careless.

Quietly, I pushed open the door and found the stairs to the second floor. Passing through corridors and rooms, I glimpsed the balcony, separated from the room by two large sliding glass doors. The square-faced demon was still chanting, his voice unearthly, as if echoing from outer space.

The glass doors slid open sideways, but if I touched them, he would notice instantly. Standing two meters from the glass, I judged that the window wasn’t thick—my stone pine could pierce it without losing much force. Whether it could harm him was in fate’s hands.

Gripping my fish-bone spear, body and shadow merged as one—when suddenly I heard a dog’s bark. A black hound, as large as a lion, appeared behind the glass, baring its fangs at me. I acted at once, unleashing the stone pine.

The hound leapt to shield the demon. The stone pine shattered the glass and cut the hound in two; brilliant blood spattered, staining both the demon and Bella.

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The demon turned, seized the hound’s corpse, and flung it aside without a trace of pity. He raised a finger, conjuring a jet of flame. I responded with the iron lotus—an explosion, and the room between us became a sea of fire. The demon’s fingers twisted, shaping the flames into three humanoid figures that attacked me.

The demon’s strange powers caught me off guard; I could only retreat. One fire-man swung a fist at me. I dodged, and its blow struck the wooden wall, igniting another blaze. I swept my spear sideways, hitting one of the fire-men—the sensation was neither solid nor illusory, as if they existed in a liminal state. The fire-man staggered back, but another one seized me, and flames erupted.

Agony seared my body. I summoned the blade of will; shadows enveloped me, dousing the fire. The wind stung my exposed skin, as if it were being flayed, but I realized these fire-men, like my shadow, were neither real nor unreal.

A flash of insight struck me. I tried to send my shadow forth to block one of the fire-men—and to my amazement, it obeyed. I faced the other, stabbing it again and again until it dissipated. My shadow quickly finished off the remaining foe, fighting with more resolve and ferocity than I could muster, wielding all my sword skills with uncanny mastery.

Having grasped the secret of manipulating my shadow, a plan formed in my mind. I stepped forward, sending my shadow into the darkness.

The demon spoke: “You... Are you a blood descendant? Are you of the Larsen lineage?”

I shouted, “I am human, yet the equal of any bloodline! Your end is here, demon!”

The demon sneered coldly, snatched up the Ix idol. I saw he was weakening. He gestured again, and a rift opened before him, spewing flames—yet they were illusionary, setting nothing alight. Then, one of those armored octopuses I’d encountered before rose from the rift, which promptly closed. Its tentacles smashed walls and blocked my path, driving me back.

Just then, my shadow reached its mark, stabbing the demon’s heart from behind. The demon howled in pain, turned to claw at my shadow—but it shifted to intangible form, slipping into the darkness.

Gritting my teeth, I dashed through the gap between the octopus’s arms, snatched the idol from the demon’s grasp.

He roared, “What have you done? You wretch! Maggot!” I thrust the fish-bone spear again, striking him. The demon shrieked, his body shrinking. He tumbled from the balcony, and in the next moment, soared high into the sky. I could do nothing but watch my chance to kill him slip away.

The armored octopus still raged behind me. I lifted Bella in my arms and leapt from the house. The creature did not pursue. Soon after, the summoning ended, and it vanished on its own.

I pulled the wooden spike from Bella’s chest. She gave a low moan and instantly awoke. I tried to speak, but Bella pressed her red lips to mine.

She did not drink my blood; instead, I felt her bite her own lip, feeding me her blood. The pain of my burns vanished in an instant.

Bella released me and laughed, “Well? How do you feel? Isn’t it amazing?”

I had no idea where she’d learned that phrase. Exhaustion overwhelmed me, and I could not reply.