𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟖: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
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《Thirteen Side》
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Having received Ouma’s blood, Thirteen was supposed to have gone berserk and died.
. . . . . . However, he regained consciousness.
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『Ah, wh. . . . . .where am I. . . . . .What the. . . . . .?』
“Have you woken up?”
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In front of Thirteen’s eyes stands a beautiful woman with jade-green hair.
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『W, Who are you. . . . . .?』
“I am Martel. I was once the Tree King, but have evolved into the Spirit of the World Tree.”
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As he converses with Martel. . . . . .
His consciousness clears up.
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『! Did I. . . . . .did I not die. . . . . .?』
“Yes, you died. But you are in a state of suspended animation.”
『Suspended animation. . . . . .?』
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Martel points to the ground.
There lies Thirteen’s body.
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It means he currently exists only as a soul.
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『Am I. . . . . .alive?』
“If Kyrie heals you and Vajra lifts the time stop, your soul can return to your body. But there’s a problem.”
『A problem. . . . . .?』
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Honestly, there are too many problems.
He doesn’t even know why he’s here.
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“Once your soul returns to your body, it will go berserk again due to Ouma’s blood.”
『! . . . . . . I see.』
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Thirteen vaguely remembers.
The time he went berserk, turning into an abomination called a black monkey.
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. . . . . . He had thought Ouma was a good boss.
But in the end, he was betrayed.
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Deemed worthless for losing, he was discarded.
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“What will you do? You could move on to the heavens. . . . . .or be resurrected.”
『What. . . . . .? Resurrected?』
“Yes. With the power of our Holy Demon King-sama, you can live again.”
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Next to Martel stands a young girl.
Kyrie・Inori. The Holy Demon King.
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He aimed for her life. . . . . .the opponent.
. . . . . .It was unforgivable.
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『I’d rather die like this.』
“Why is that?”
『! You. . . . . .you can see me?』
“Yes, I’m borrowing Martel-san’s skill.”
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Martel has the eyes of a spirit, capable of seeing things most cannot.
Once before, Kyrie was able to converse with the late Holy Demon King, Ellison.
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This was possible due to borrowing Martel’s power.
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“Mr. Thirteen, are you truly okay with dying? Do you have no lingering attachments to this world. . . . . .?”
『. . . . . . None.』
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His response was immediate.
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『. . . . . . I don’t have a reason to live anymore.』
“That’s a lie.”
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Kyrie, too, immediately responded.
Thirteen is surprised by how quickly she answered.
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『Why do you think that?』
“You have very sad eyes.”
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Kyrie approaches him.
Touches the cheek of the soul-only Thirteen.
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It’s warm. A very warm feeling is flowing in.
It’s impossible to touch a soul with a physical body.
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So this warmth must be the temperature of Kyrie’s soul.
She genuinely sympathizes with Thirteen.
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“Would you mind sharing? Do you have some regrets?”
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. . . . . . Sensing the warmth from Kyrie’s soul, Thirteen opens up his heart.
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『I used to be. . . . . .the leader of Monkey Mountain. The White Monkey. That was me before I evolved.』
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Before he had the name Thirteen, he lived happily with his friends on Round Table Mountain.
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But one day, a demon called Ouma invaded their peaceful lives.
Armed with weapons, Ouma tried to forcibly seize Round Table Mountain.
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Thirteen attempted to fight back.
However, he had no choice but to acknowledge defeat in the face of Ouma’s overwhelming power.
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To save his friends, Thirteen pleaded for their lives.
He begged to spare them.
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Then Ouma said that if Thirteen joined him, he would let the others go.
Reluctantly, for the sake of his friends, he became a follower of Ouma.
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『Why. . . . . .had I forgotten all that?』
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After narrating his past, Thirteen was shocked.
He had forgotten that crucial memory until now.
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“Probably, your memory was suppressed. Demon Kings have the authority to force their subordinates to obey.”
『That bastard Ouma. . . . . .!!』
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His precious memories with his friends had been sealed by Ouma.
He had been working as a subordinate of Ouma, forgetting all about it.
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And once he became useless, he was tossed aside.
Such was the injustice of Ouma’s behavior. . . . . .
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Thirteen was filled with anger. . . . . .
Kyrie was crying. . . . . .
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『Why are you crying?』
“I’m sorry. . . . . .but it’s just. . . . . .you’re so pitiful. . . . . .”
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What a kind person she is.
This girl is crying for someone she hardly knows.
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She even feels compassion for the person who tried to kill her.
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“Mr. Thirteen. . . . . .You mustn’t die. You have friends waiting for your return.”
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Friends.
Those who care for him.
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Thirteen sacrificed himself to protect his friends from Ouma.
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『Would everyone. . . . . .be waiting for me?』
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Even though he had forgotten them all this while.
Then Kyrie closed her eyes and offered a prayer.
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“God. . . . . .please allow Mr. Thirteen and his friends to be reunited.”
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And then something miraculous happened.
From Kyrie’s body emerged glowing wings.
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And as the light shone brighter. . . . . .
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“Ook, ook. . . . . .?” “Ookyo?” “Ookyo Ookyo?”
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There they were. . . . . .a group of familiar White Monkeys.
They were Thirteen’s friends.
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“Everyone. . . . . .”
“””Ookki!”””
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The next thing he knew, Thirteen was back in his original form.
When his friends realized it was him, they hugged him.
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His friends recognized him, even in his changed form.
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“How. . . . . .why. . . . . .?”
“You see, friendships don’t change. Even if you look different, your heart remains the same.”
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Kyrie smiled.
His friends also nodded in agreement.
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“A, Ah, ah. . . . . .ah, ahhhhhhhhhh! I’ve been longing to see you aaall!”
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Thirteen bursts into joyful tears.
Witnessing this, Martel gives a nod of approval.
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“Bringing back friends through the recollection of memories, removing curses from one’s form, and even reviving the deceased. . . . . .achieving all these miraculous tasks at once is nothing less than extraordinary. Truly, Kyrie is remarkable.”
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After a joyful reunion with his friends, Thirteen deeply bows his head to Kyrie.
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“Thank you, Kyrie-sama. . . . . .”
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