"Where Illusions Burn" [Part 39] Wukong's Path - An Infinity Kingdom Story

🔷 Introduction

Welcome to part 39 of my Wukong series. We are following three famous fire immortals and their ally Wukong, who is currently training in the arts of fire. They have had a challenging journey as of late, and their adventure is only going to get harder with new enemies hiding in the shadows. 

📄 Recap of Part 38:  "Clarity Before Fire"

After a crushing failure against the elusive Tut, Seondeok and her allies regroup and shift from brute force to disciplined strategy, forging a unified plan built on deception, clarity, and trust. As dawn rises, they stand renewed—not just powerful, but precise—ready to outwit the enemy who once outplayed them.

🔷 Part 39:  "Where Illusions Burn"

The fortress loomed beneath an orange sky, the castle swallowed by storm clouds. Lightning cracked the horizon, not from nature but from the battle waiting to begin. This place, once a temple of light, had rotted into Tut’s stronghold. It’s walls thick with illusion and silence. But this time, they came prepared.

They crossed the threshold without a word, each step deliberate and measured. Seondeok took the lead; her senses were wide open and focused. Wu followed, eyes blazing low and steady. Wukong spun his staff, every twirl a signal. Hippolyta walked rear guard, her sword clenched and at the ready.

The illusions came immediately! A child screamed there was a field of golden water, and the walls closed in like jaws. All at once, attempting to trick their minds. 

But they didn’t break formation despite it.

“First change,” Seondeok said.

Wukong dropped back, his eyes sweeping left to right. “It’s not real,” he confirmed, and they moved forward, unshaken.

Tut revealed himself at the summit—on a dais of obsidian, lit from below by violet flame. His form shimmered, too perfect to be real. His voice, when it came, was soft and knowing.

“You’ve learned. I’m proud.” He smiled. “But still too late.”

A wave of darkness exploded from him like smoke made solid, lashing through the hall. They scattered, not in panic, but in precision. The plan was in motion just as they had planned.

Wu struck first, launching a ring of fire across the floor, forcing Tut to lift into the air. Hippolyta hurled her sword through the smoke, not to hit, but to herd. Wukong leapt, rebounding off pillars, staff blazing with charged flame, drawing Tut’s attention with a series of feints.

Then Seondeok raised her bow. A single flaming arrow, glowing, materialized in her fingers.

Tut’s gaze locked onto her.

“There,” he whispered to himself.

He surged toward her, diving to intercept the obvious strike. Shadows curled in on themselves to form a barrier, his signature defense.

But that was the decoy.

The real shot had already been fired, silent and unseen.

From behind a pillar to the right, Wukong released a mirrored flame arrow, shaped by Seondeok’s sigil, masked by Hippolyta’s thrown sword, guided by Wu’s wall of fire to arc perfectly.

Tut turned just in time to realize.

Too late.

The arrow struck his exposed flank, bypassing his shield. It didn’t explode. It burned him, unmaking his form from the inside out. His illusions cracked, revealing the frail, withered husk beneath.

He gasped, staring at them not with rage but in disbelief.

“You… coordinated,” he rasped, his body beginning to crumble. “Fire alone cannot kill me…”

“No,” Seondeok said softly, walking forward, “but unity can.”

With a final burst of golden light, Tut collapsed into ash. No scream. Just silence.

They stood still for a moment, watching the smoke swirl in the windless air.

Then Wu stepped forward with a lacquered urn, crafted days ago in solemn foresight. One by one, they knelt, collecting the ash—not as a trophy, but as a warning. Or perhaps, a tool.

“His power isn’t gone,” Hippolyta said. “Just broken.”

“Contained,” Wukong added. “For now.”

Seondeok sealed the urn with a quiet chant, and the final trace of Tut vanished from the open air.

Outside, the storm began to clear. The fortress, stripped of illusion, stood as stone and ruin once more.

They emerged into dawn together, Ash behind them, sun ahead. Not as four wandering flames—but as the Watch.

Ready for whatever darkness dared return.

📄 Recap Questions

Has our group finally leveled up in synergy, or was this luck based on their previous outcomes?

Why did they collect his ashes at the end, and what could they be used for?

🔷 Conclusion

Wukong and his friends have finally outsmarted their enemy, and it has changed the mood within their little circle. The ability to try, fail, and overcome has made a huge impact on their friendship, and it has shown. 

See you next week!

🔷 Hades, Press Officer.

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