Pretentious Faces (Masquerade Au)

Clashing Skies

Wukong moved his hands across the drawings, his grin growing with his determination, "Alright! Now, this fight will not be easy. But it can be done!" He looked back towards the others, his bright eyes making them sit up a little straighter.

"First up; Yellow Tusk! He is a heavy hitter, and with an intellect to boot. However, because of his sharp mind, it is possible to convince him that what Azure is doing is beyond wrong and therefore he will help us. Sandy, Pigsy, and Tang will be tasked to him."

Tang sputtered for a moment, "But he's a heavy hitter! What– How do we-?" Wukong's smile turned into a small grimace as he waved his hands out, "I swear he won't aim to kill you or anything! He may be a wonderful fighter, but he is also based on morals and honor. His aim will be to stop your attacks, not to completely get rid of you." The scholar wilted slightly but nodded, "Well, that's something."

Wukong moved towards a second drawing, "Then there's Peng." Macaque made a disgusted scoff sound, and the king flinched slightly at it, "They are a warrior that can cause trouble for even Macaque and I. However, at the first sign of imminent trouble at their expense, Peng will try to flee. I actually have an artifact that can help retrain them long enough to hold them down for good. Mei and Macaque can go up against them!"

Mei sent the shadow user a grin, "I'm guessing you were hoping to hear that." Macaque sent her a strained smirk, "Shame we can't bury them alive, but...humbling a coward should be fun."

MK raised his hand with a small frown, "Wait, what about Azure?" Wukong shrugged bashfully, "You and I will go up against him, bud. He's got a whole...thing against monkeys. Azure's prideful, never quite acknowledging when he's in the wrong. He lets his emotions influence him easily, meaning we just need to annoy him. Make him sloppy."

Slowly, the king's red eyes sharpened, his stature becoming more powerful as he spoke. "Once he's in too deep, Nezha and I can go ahead and take back the emperor's power." He then gestured for MK to come up to the planning board, smiling fondly, "MK, come on up. I think that big brain of yours has some ideas."

---

A beam of light appeared from the Heavens, signaling the new emperor's arrival. Azure stood tall, staring down the group of heroes as Yellow Tusk and Peng positioned themselves behind him.

Tang lifted his staff, forming golden symbols as it crashed back down against the ground. Spheres of light appeared around everyone, and the world began to turn as they were all transported to different areas of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Wukong glanced over towards MK, his mask firmly in place as he tilted his head in question. MK grinned, nodding back as the golden spheres dissipated, signaling the start of the battle.

---

"Fighting alongside your own replacements– Is there anything that could break Sun Wukong's hold over you?" The eagle teased, swerving through the air as Macaque fought with them. "What? Like how Azure's hold keeps you still as long as you don't run away?" The shadow user smirked, and Peng glared at the monkey as a green glow appeared from behind them.

Peng turned sharply, eyes narrowing as a large green dragon snapped at them. The eagle twisted their body, spear carefully positioned as they caught sight of the dragon girl within her larger form. "I didn't know a descendant of Ao Lie's could have so much bark...your bite, however, could use a little more work."

They smirked, diving down towards the girl as a beam of green blasted through the air.

---

"Surrender, mortals. My strength far surpasses yours." The hammer came down, the ground splintering as the heroes moved out of the way. Yellow Tusk lifted his weapon once more as Sandy used his powers to keep their opponent in a single area, "We don't want to hurt you, but the world is falling apart!"