16

"Hey flirty kids, what brings two little devils to this place?" An unknown voice is heard speaking in playful manner. Looking at the direction the young duo find a monkey youkai who appears around the same height as a kindergarten (at least a meter tall), covered in golden fur wearing a monk's cassock, a wrinkled, creased face and black skin, wearing prayer beads around his neck and a golden headband around his forehead.

Nero and Kuroka are surprised by the presence of this man after all, none of them could feel his presence before he revealed himself. They are immediately on guard because of this stranger's presence, but after seeing the stranger's unthreatening appearance they are confused.

"Hmph, you young ones seem to have forgotten the glory of this old man's name. Allow me to introduce myself, for I am the original Monkey King, Sun Wukong, of the first generation." Sun Wukong speaks while smiling at them.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm standing before the legendary youkai, Lord Sun Wukong," said Kuroka with admiration in her eyes as she cuts her head in respect. After a moment of silence, she asked: "May I ask what brings you to this region, Lord Sun Wukong?" As she spoke a little apprehensively, she kept her gaze fixed on him, wanting to hear every word he had to say.

"Little girl I can feel that you have a natural affinity with senjutsu and youjutsu, what a pleasant surprise to meet another youkai here. But I also feel that you exude the same demonic energy that comes from that boy over there, so you are a reincarnated devil. Anyway, you should introduce yourself boy." Sun Wukong point to Nero while speaking with Kuroka.

"Ah, young girl, how delightful it is to sense your natural affinity with senjutsu and youjutsu. It's been a long time since I've met a nekoshou youkai. But wait, I also sense the same demonic energy emanating from that boy over there coming from you. You must be a reincarnated devil as well. Hmph, times have certainly changed, I never thought I'd be happy to see a youkai being a reincarnated devil, but at the same time, I'm glad to see someone of the almost extinct nekoshou race. I already have a idea about you little girl, now boy you should introduce yourself properly, don't be shy."

Sun Wukong spoke with a mix of nostalgia and excitement at first, but as he realized Kuroka was a reincarnated devil, he felt slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, he quickly regained his playful tone when addressing the boy and urged him to introduce himself.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Monkey King. I am Nero Lucifer, the current head of the Lucifer Clan." Nero cordially introduces himself to the legendary Monkey King.

When Nero finishes introducing himself, Sun Wukong is a bit surprised and Kuroka is very nervous in case the monkey youkai decides to attack the two of them. Looking at the two Nero doesn't understand why Kuroka is so scared and why Sun Wukong has turned serious all of a sudden. Which is understandable since he doesn't know much about the Monkey King.

Nero only know that Sun Wukong is a legendary monkey daiyoukai mentioned within Journey to the West who caused trouble in Heaven, he and his group managed to accomplish several legendary feats during their journey in search of the holy books and he was promoted from daiyokai to become a buddha. But Kuroka knows that the Monkey King hates demons from the Old Devil King Faction. She heard it through the Naberius family guards who were mocking the youkai race, they called the monkey king crazy for keeping causing trouble for the old devil kings faction. Sun Wukong claims that they were responsible for the destruction of many members of his kin in the past.

"Ah, young one. You hail from the Lucifer house, yes? Then it must be true that you belong to the faction of the old devil kings, am I correct?" Wukong speaks seriously and Kuroka becomes even more nervous.

"I must admit, you are correct. I am currently the head of the Lucifer house, which makes me a representative of the old faction. However, I do not subscribe to the radical beliefs of the elders of my faction. As someone who takes pride in my family name, I would rather see both factions of the underworld come to a consensus to ensure a more peaceful coexistence." Nero smiles while he is speaking his true wish. He truly yearns for peace to have more free time to train and develop his powers, until he have enough power to protect himself.

Sun Wukong watches him for a while to try to see any lies in the boy's expressions and reactions, but in the end he realizes that he is speaking the truth and decides to go back to speaking casually with his smile.

"Your words show a wise mentality, boy. I, too, wish that the old devil faction would put an end to their trouble-making ways. With you as their new leader, perhaps we will have a chance to see a more peaceful future."

Sun Wukong spoke in a calm and reassuring tone, accompanied by a gentle smile to ease the tension between the two young devils.

The information about the deep hatred nurtured by the monkey king to the old faction devils is extremely correct and know by many people. However, Sun Wukong's hatred of the devils is limited to their past generation as he believes that the current generation of the devils is different and so, cannot be held responsible.

"Hey there, young lad. If I remember correctly, your name is Nero Lucifer, correct? You're the infamous grandson of that Rizevim bastard, right? So, have you heard any news from that lunatic?"

Sun Wukong speaks with a serious tone, but there is a hint of playfulness in his words.

"Yes, he is my grandfather, but the last time I saw him was when he left the underworld to supposedly attend to important matters, as he claimed," said Nero with a serious tone, but also a hint of disdain towards his grandfather.

"Ah, that bastard must be scheming to cause more chaos around the world. Anyway, enough talking about that lunatic. Young lady, you've been quiet and nervous this whole time. Why don't you formally introduce yourself and explain your connection with the youkai?" The old monkey youkai directed his words towards Kuroka, speaking with a tone of wisdom and authority and with a hint of disdain when referring to the crazy old man.

"I'm Kuroka, and I used to be one of the last two remaining nekoshou pure youkai in existence. My sister Shirone is the other one. I was reborn as a reincarnated devil, so I am no longer a pure youkai. I became a reincarnated devil from the Naberius family after my mother, Fujimai, and my father, a researcher from the Naberius family, died in an accident. My former master, the devil from Naberius clan, offered me a deal to be the guinea pig for his project in exchange for Shirone's safety. Unfortunately, my mother has already passed away, but I'll keep my sister out of my problems, until I can meet her again."

Kuroka tell him everything about her past.

"Ah, I see. Your mother, Fujimai, was a respected member of the East Youkai faction, and she knew Magari and Nurarihyon."

"Do you know more about her past?" Kuroka anxious question.

"I don't know much about her, but if you wish to know more about her, then I can assist you in visiting the East Youkai Faction. The East Faction is a safe place to you miss stray devil, and Nurarihyon is a great leader who respected your mother greatly." Wukong smiles at the girl's panic at being easily identified as a stray devil.

"Monkey King, I ask you not to bring up unpleasant subjects like Kuroka's former master, she just got out of trauma, you don't need to tease her like that." Nero shifts the conversation's focus away from Kuroka's current condition, which results in a curious look from Sun Wukong.

"As I said, it's important to know that there are two major factions of yokai, with a daiyoukai as leader in each. Nurarihyon leads the East faction, while Yakasa leads the West. Young nekoshou, you're fortunate to have met me, a former daiyoukai who has ascended to become a buddha and is deeply connected to the leader of the East Youkai faction. In the future, I can help you contact that guy to get more informations about your mother."

Wukong explain to her and suddenly he look to another direction saying some words.

"You two should come here and talk to these kids. Since when did you guys become so shy?"

He speaks in a mocking tone to two other beings who make their presence obvious as they approach the area, one of them is a humanoid and the other one is a dragon.