“What the hell is this…”
Ground Monkey and Ground Rooster exchanged glances, unsure whether to seize the moment for a sneak attack or make a run for it.
Sky Rooster and Sky Monkey held hands, their bodies rapidly hunching over as deep wrinkles spread across their skin like tree bark.
No trace of their once-handsome faces remained—only sunken eye sockets and drooping mouths.
They arched their backs like shrimp, their necks nearly burrowing into the ground, their hair sprawling across the floor like a carpet.
At first, Ground Monkey thought they resembled the Black Tortoise, but now? Not even close.
Even if the Black Tortoise had ever undergone “mad growth,” it certainly wouldn’t have lasted this long.
If these two didn’t let go soon, they’d age to death right here.
“Something’s off…” Ground Monkey muttered. “Let’s get out of here… They can sort this out themselves.”
“Right!” Ground Rooster nodded, and the two began edging toward the exit.
Just then, Sky Monkey finally released his grip. The two swaying figures shifted, dragging all the hair in the room with them. Ground Rooster and Ground Monkey stumbled as if the carpet had been yanked from under them.
“Cough… You lunatic…” Sky Rooster tried to curse, but her voice was as rough as sandpaper. “What was the point of this…? You ruined a war we could’ve won…”
“War…?” Sky Monkey’s aged voice scraped out of his throat. “Don’t joke… My life’s already ruined… Why would I care about someone else’s war?”
Sky Rooster opened her mouth to retort, only to feel her consciousness slipping away.
The “mad growth” hadn’t just aged her body—it had withered her mind.
In just a minute or two, she’d already forgotten what they’d been arguing about.
A helpless dread crept into her heart—
With this decrepit body and sluggish mind, could she still turn things around?
Turn… what around again?
“How nice…” Sky Monkey rasped, his head bowed. “We’ve grown old together after all… Now no one will complain about the other’s looks… Right? We can stay together forever. No more tricks, no more lies…”
Sky Rooster paused. That sounded right—but what had she lied about?
And who was this old hag again?
Sky Monkey shuffled forward, but his spine was now a rigid curve, making it impossible to lift his head. Instead, he crawled on all fours like an animal until he reached Sky Rooster.
The gray-black hair around him writhed, stretching across the room until it seemed like the walls themselves were moving.
“Now we’ve grown old together…” Sky Monkey wheezed, clutching Sky Rooster’s wrist. “Only two nuisances left… Kill them, and nothing will stand in our way…”
“Kill…?” Sky Rooster slowly raised her head, her gaze landing on Ground Rooster and Ground Monkey.
That single glance sent chills down their spines.
Her eyes were yellowed, pupils clouded beyond recognition, sunken so deep in their sockets that they reflected no light.
“Yes… Let’s kill them…”
Both Sky Rooster and Sky Monkey lifted their heads, their bark-like faces scanning the room.
“Holy shit… What the hell…” Ground Monkey felt his fur stand on end. This was beyond eerie.
These two were practically on death’s door, yet they were ready to drag everyone down with them.
A deranged Sky Monkey paired with a senile Sky Rooster—somehow, this was worse than before.
Ground Monkey lunged for the door, grabbing the handle—only for all the hair in the room to suddenly recoil like a receding tide.
Losing their footing, Ground Monkey caught Ground Rooster before she could fall, instantly regretting it.
“Ugh! Don’t touch me!” Ground Rooster snapped.
“Shit, I forgot!”
Before they could react, two massive clumps of hair rose into the air, filling the room.
Hidden within them were two figures, but their bodies were completely obscured—just a writhing mass of black strands lunging forward. The sight left them frozen.
Ground Monkey shoved Ground Rooster aside, trying to dodge, but every step tangled his feet in the hair.
The airborne mass surged toward him, two skeletal hands shooting out to seize his throat and slam him to the ground.
“Damn… you old bastard…” Ground Monkey couldn’t tell if it was Sky Monkey or Sky Rooster—only a face creased with wrinkles looming over him.
Their grip was stiff and icy, like wire digging into his neck.
He threw punches, but most hit nothing but hair. Squinting, he barely made out a skeletal figure—more like a withered tree than a person.
Ground Rooster tried to help, but another hair mass tackled her, strands plastering her face and body, blinding her.
It felt like falling into a cave choked with cobwebs, every inch of her ensnared.
“Ugh! This is so damn annoying!”
A bony fist shot from the hair, slamming into her stomach. Blood sprayed from her mouth, but the black strands still clung stubbornly to her vision.
“Quail!!” Ground Monkey roared from somewhere in the hair. “You still alive?!”
“Barely…” Ground Rooster forced her eyes open just in time to block a clawed swipe at her face. “But not for long! This bitch has lost it…”
“Shit, I’m stuck too!” Ground Monkey gritted his teeth. “But these two are like corpses on borrowed time! Just hold out a little longer!”
“Tch…” Ground Rooster’s veins bulged as she grabbed her attacker’s arm, flipping to pin them—only to get tangled further. “At this rate, I’ll die first… This freak’s willing to take us all down…”
“Hehe…” A skeletal hand parted the hair, revealing a grotesque face hidden in the shadows. “Sister… your face is so pretty… Can I peel it off?”
“Sorry, mine’s too thin—try peeling bark instead!”
Ground Rooster punched the face, knocking loose what few teeth remained.
“If you won’t die quietly… I’ll keep you company till the end.”
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