Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1003

Chapter 1003

Kwaaaaa—!!!!

An overwhelming power exploded outward.

Yusa’s tail thickened, and a fierce light glowed within his shredded pupils.

The very air seemed to warp under the density of his bloodlust.

That killing intent, woven through with his aura, coiled around Yusa’s form, slowly solidifying into something tangible.

I saw it clearly—it took the shape of a wild beast.

The flickering shadows around us trembled violently in response.

I observed silently—

“Regret?”

At my question, Yusa turned his gaze toward me and spoke.

“I am Yusa, General of Mangye.”

Crack—!!

As Yusa took a step, the ground shattered. It wasn’t from applied force—it was as if the earth itself could no longer bear his weight.

“All who oppose me shall die as prey. That is—”

He lowered his head.

Seeing this, I steadied my resolve.

“You are no different!”

Kwaaa—!!!

Yusa lunged straight for me.

Fwooooosh—!!!

I instantly wreathed my body in blue flame.

The emerald beast and the burning azure fire collided directly.

*****************

Kwaaaaa—!!!

A deafening roar of pure force erupted. Power met power, shattering everything nearby.

Kraaaaa—!!!

Accompanied by the beast’s cry, the ground fractured. The rocky terrain, battered by waves of pressure, crumbled as easily as soft tofu.

Fwooooosh—!!!

Raging flames were caught in the turbulent winds, soaring high into the sky.

Boom! Bang!

Auras clashed with violent intensity.

Shraaak—!!

I twisted away from an attack coming from my blind spot. I propelled myself backward with a burst of fire, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Shraak! Shraaak—!!

Slashing attacks continued to tear through the air. I weaved between them, but found no opening to retaliate.

‘Interesting.’

They weren’t just swift—the raw power behind each one was immense.

And above all—

There were too many.

The relentless onslaught left me no room to do anything but evade.

‘What’s the move?’

I considered my options as the attacks fell like an endless storm.

There were multiple ways to halt them.

The easiest would be to use Dragon Speech and command them to stop.

‘Not now.’

I wasn’t ready to use it yet. It was pure stubbornness.

‘I haven’t seen enough.’

How far could I truly go?

What could I achieve with this newly ascended level of strength?

I needed to know.

I had reached transcendence.

And now—

I wanted to see if this newfound power could stand against an enemy of this caliber.

From what I could sense, a General was comparable to the Three Elders.

The Three Elders of Zhongyuan, the absolute masters of the orthodox sects.

Could I confront an enemy of their stature using only my martial prowess, my own strength?

That was the question I needed answered.

So—

‘I will seal away all external powers for now.’

No Dragon Speech, no Heaven’s Command.

Not even a wisp of Demonic Qi.

I would face Yusa with nothing but my own cultivated power.

Crack.

I sidestepped another slicing attack.

‘He’s truly enraged.’

I smirked, feeling the heat of his fury.

‘Well, it’s understandable.’

To be honest, it was a letdown.

This wasn’t the confrontation I had envisioned.

‘I always knew we would fight—but not like this. Not now.’

It should have come later. Ideally, at the very end.

‘But plans have changed.’

Everything had been thrown into disarray.

The moment my realm advanced and I killed the White One, it created complications.

His master’s absence was another issue.

But most of all—

I had misjudged Yusa’s temper.

Given the circumstances, it made sense.

The mounting frustration from all sides, the loss of his subordinates—

His master’s continued silence despite it all—

And then fools like me constantly prodding him, testing his limits.

An explosion was inevitable.

‘I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.’

I hadn’t thought a General could be shaken so easily.

I believed I would need to push him much further.

‘Hmm.’

If it were possible, I would have liked to use him a while longer.

It’s a pity that chance is gone.

‘But I’m also out of time.’

A slow, methodical approach was no longer an option.

So, even if it was rash and perilous—

I had to move forward.

In that sense, his outburst was almost convenient.

Except—

‘The risk has just multiplied.’

I scanned my surroundings.

The attacks had ceased abruptly.

The ground was gouged and torn, and a thick haze of dust hung in the air, limiting my vision.

I sharpened my focus.

I activated Heaven’s Sight to pierce through the obscurity and assess the situation.

And in that instant—

Clack—!

Something shot through the dust, aimed directly at my face.

I jerked my head aside, barely avoiding it.

But—

Krrrhhhhh—!!!

It was a feint.

Yusa burst through the air.

His tail snapped out and coiled around my ankle, anchoring me in place.

With my movement trapped, his fist descended toward me.

BOOM—!!!

The blow hammered my body into the ground.

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

The assault did not relent.

There was no time to recover from the impact.

I had to rise immediately.

Kraaaaa—!!

Yusa’s monstrous roar signaled the shift to close-quarters combat.

My eyes flickered rapidly.

I had to analyze every minute movement, to break down his offense.

Thud! Thud-thud!

Our limbs met in jarring impacts.

Each collision rang out like striking metal.

And the force behind them—

‘Damn, that’s painful.’

Even reinforced by my Qi, every impact sent splintering pain through my bones.

It was absurd—like trying to crack a walnut bare-handed.

He was considered equal to the Three Elders for a reason.

His destructive capability was tremendous.

‘And it’s not even night.’

The true strength of the Moonlit Night Tribe had not yet awakened.

How much more powerful would he become under the moon?

I was both curious and apprehensive.

Bang!

As we exchanged another blow, I subtly adjusted my stance.

I pivoted at the waist and swung my arm back.

My palm splayed open—

Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames gathered and took form.

I shaped an Inferno Spear, then instantly restructured it.

With transcendence, my speed and control had evolved dramatically.

Before, it would have taken a breath.

Now, it was near-instantaneous.

I leveled the spear and thrust.

Kiiiing—!!

It cut through the air, aimed squarely at his torso.

But—

Krrr—!!
Crack—!!

‘Heh.’

He caught it.

His arm was now sheathed in fire.

The spear, compressed and spinning violently, should have torn through flesh and bone—

But Yusa simply stood there, gripping it.

He held the holy spear and stopped it cold.

Just like that.

«Ugh!»

With his free hand, he formed a fist and drove it toward my face.

‘Tsk!’

I clicked my tongue and released the energy bound within the spear.

Not a recall—a detonation.

Boom—!!!

Triggering an explosion at such close range would injure me as well, but there was no choice.

The holy spear erupted. Ignoring the backlash, I focused on the erupting energy.

Even if it harmed me, this was my own power.

I gathered the scattered embers and sparks.

Dozens of flaming orbs materialized.

Without pause, I hurled them all at him.

Boom—!!!

They fell like a meteor shower. Seeing the orbs flying toward him, he momentarily crouched.

«AAAAAAHH—!!!»

With a furious roar, he unleashed his energy outward.

It was a mere expulsion of power from his body, yet it was so fierce that the flaming orbs were snuffed out before they could reach him.

Blue flames burst in the air like scattered fireworks.

‘Hah.’

Just a roar, and it’s this intense? I couldn’t help but feel a spark of admiration.

But it wasn’t the time for appreciation.

«Grrr-!»

He charged again, claws raised and battle aura swirling.

The hand that had grasped the holy spear had already fully regenerated.

Crack—!!!

His swinging claws tore into the ground. His tail lashed toward me, too large and swift to dodge fully.

It swelled, showing its full bulk.

This time, I didn’t evade. The range was too vast; evasion was impractical.

‘I have to block it.’

If I can’t dodge, I must strike.

So, I threw a fist wreathed in erupting flame.

Fire Infant Technique.

The flame-encased punch met his tail. Fire enveloped the appendage, halting its momentum.

«Argh!»

He let out a pained grunt. A flicker of agony crossed his features, pausing him only for a moment.

Swoosh-!!

His claws swept across my upper body. An attack I couldn’t block.

‘Ugh.’

Suppressing a groan, I put distance between us. The wound wasn’t deep, so it was manageable.

Tick-!

He extinguished the flames on his body with a surge of energy.

Thud thud.

I casually wiped away the blood trickling from the cut as I watched him.

Our eyes met. He glared at me, his expression twisted.

«What?»

His face was full of confusion.

«You. You’re weaker than I expected. Are you holding back?»

He thought I was weak. I clicked my tongue inwardly.

I hadn’t used everything, but it seemed he was dissatisfied with what he saw.

«Hmmm…»

His question turned to doubt. Was I truly hiding my strength?

If so, why would I hold back?

Or was I actually just weaker than him?

His face showed all these suspicions.

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

In truth, I had been pretending to be stronger than I was.

But.

‘Half right, half wrong.’

As he suspected, I was weaker than he might have expected.

But, I was also holding back.

‘It seems this isn’t enough.’

At this level, I was being overpowered.

So, I decided to advance another step.

Whooooosh—!!!

I drew power from my core and summoned my energy.

Instantly, the sky altered.

The slowly darkening heavens rapidly shifted to a deep azure.

It was a limited area, but a definite change, and it was my doing.

Azure Sky.

I used my energy to expand my territory.

Under the blue sky, the heat intensified.

There.

Whooooosh—!!!

At the heart of the Azure Sky, energy coalesced, forming a sphere like a rising sun.

Fire Wheel Star.

This too was a secret technique of the Fire Wheel Art.

Creating a sky and suspending a sun within it.

I had perfectly constructed the territory.

The opponent was visibly shaken by the transformation, his eyes darting wildly.

Seeing that, I clenched my hand.

Fire Wheel Star was originally a technique to concentrate the caster’s presence into the artificial celestial body.

It could be modified to maximize that presence.

‘With this.’

I could briefly divert the attention of this perceptive enemy.

That was my intention when I cast it.

But as the Fire Wheel Star fully ascended—

Thump!

‘Hmm…?’

My body locked up for an instant.

‘What?’

Something felt strange.

A mistake? My body felt different.

As I puzzled over the peculiar sensation—

«Grrr!»

The alerted opponent charged. I moved on instinct.

Yes, it was pure instinct.

Thump-!

«Gah!?»

Before I realized it, my fist was buried in his solar plexus.

The opponent, struck by the blow, was thrown backward, skidding harshly across the torn ground.

‘What…?’

Why had the attack landed so easily?

Just moments ago, I could barely touch him.

With bewildered eyes, I looked down at my hand.

Then I understood the strange feeling I’d had.

Why.

‘…The power of the Moonlit Night Tribe has emerged?’

My body had somehow transformed into the shape of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

I had used magic to craft ears and a tail before, but this felt unmistakably real.

It had truly changed.

‘The moon isn’t even out, so why?’

As I turned this over in my mind, a thought occurred to me.

‘Could it be.’

I immediately looked up at the sky.

There, resembling the sun I had created—or perhaps a moon—the Fire Wheel Star hung, brilliant and luminous, casting its light everywhere.