Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1005

Chapter 1005

KWAAAAAAAH—-!!!!

An immense Ocean of Flame exploded from my hands, swallowing everything before it.

The Nine Flames Firewheel was originally a technique that compressed fire into the shape of a beast before release.

But now, fused with the ultimate expression of the Fire Wheel Star, its power had reached a ridiculous level.

I was stunned by my own attack.

“What is this?”

How could the same martial art produce such a devastating difference? Even seeing it with my own eyes, it was difficult to believe.

FWOOSH—!!!

The fire rose up like a tsunami, devouring the world.

Gigantic beasts of flame ran wild across the landscape, turning everything upside down.

Just like when I had consumed those Crimson-Rank Beasts.

The fire erupting from my hands was more ferocious than anything.

GIIIIIIING—!!!!!

The ring spinning behind me let out a constant, deafening roar.

SIZZLE—!

A searing pain bloomed in my palm. I looked down to see my hand glowing a fierce white-hot.

It was the backlash of the heat.

The accumulated, compressed energy had taken on that color. But it wasn’t just gathering—it was spinning without cease.

«It’s rotating continuously.»

The heat pooled in my palm was undergoing endless cycles of compression and revolution.

The speed and force were immense, allowing me to hold this scorching power.

And then, there was the ring—

«The center is here.»

The ring behind me whirled madly.

The power and pressure radiating from it were being fed directly into my flames.

Now that I had achieved Transcendence, the Fire Wheel Star had become an extension of my will, letting me wield its full potential with zero waste.

This was the outcome.

CRACKLE—! SNAP—!

The sight before me could scarcely be called the result of a single strike.

Everything was burning, the enormous battlefield buried beneath Azure Flame.

And at the very heart of it—

A single figure stood, draped in brilliant blue fire.

«Krrrhh… kghh…!»

Astoundingly, it was still moving.

It was Yusa, the creature I had just hit with everything.

«Keugh… Kyaaak…!»

It was a pitiful spectacle.

Its skin was charred black, its flesh so thoroughly burned that bone showed through—the extreme heat had melted its body to the core.

It was gruesome.

Even as the one who caused it, the sight was still a shock.

«KRRRRR—!!!»

SSSHHHAAAA—!!

«What?»

With a low growl, Yusa’s body began to mend.

Its recovery speed was horrifying.

The burnt, melted skin rapidly reknit, and fur sprouted anew.

«Krrr…»

By the time I processed it, it had already returned to its original state.

No—there was a change.

«It looks… thinner?»

Its massive, powerful frame had noticeably diminished.

Its stomach, in particular, seemed hollow, as if it hadn’t eaten for days.

«You bastard…»

That hunger was mirrored in its eyes.

Its gaze was far more bestial than before.

Then—

THUD—!!!

It charged me again, its footsteps even heavier than before.

It had no intention of surrendering.

Even with a smaller body, its aura was more vicious than ever.

Hunger.

A desperate, all-consuming need to devour.

That alien emotion was seeping into its energy, amplifying it further.

«KRAAAAA—!!!»

SLASH—!!!

Its claws tore through the air.

THUD—! SLASH—!!

Again, there was no technique or structure.

Even with my Insight, it was hard to predict—its movements were purely instinctual, utterly chaotic.

I narrowly avoided the attack.

But even if my Insight wasn’t effective, it didn’t matter.

It had no form—no patterns.

Which meant—

«That just makes it simple.»

It was relying solely on brute strength and speed.

Fast and powerful, yes—but also crude and predictable.

It was overwhelming, yet unrefined.

Sure, its flexibility and erratic motions made it a handful—

But it wasn’t something I needed to fear.

If the problem was getting hit—

«Then I just won’t get hit.»

As long as I could evade its attacks, I would be fine.

GRRK—!

I twisted at the waist, pivoting on the balls of my feet.

«One more time.»

I prepared to unleash the pinnacle of the Fire Wheel Star again.

The ring behind me began to spin.

WHIIIIIR—!!!

I could feel its violent rotation as I gathered my flames—

But then—

TICK—!

«…Huh?»

The ring—

Suddenly halted.

FIZZLE—!!!

It sputtered, emitting a puff of smoke.

The heat rushing through my meridians vanished instantly.

«What is this?»

The soaring feeling of exhilaration crashed into helplessness.

What kind of nonsense was this?

I didn’t have time to ponder.

SCRAAAAPE—!!

Claws ripped toward me. I contorted my body at the last possible instant to evade Yusa’s strike.

CRASH—!!!

Its claws gouged the earth, splitting the ground apart.

«You damn rat. Are you just going to keep running?»

It snarled before whipping its tail toward me.

THUMP—!

The whip-like tail lashed out, slamming into my side.

I barely blocked with my arm, but the impact sent shockwaves through my entire body.

CRACK! CRACKLE—!!

I was hurled backward, crashing through trees as I flew.

«Damn it.»

I felt a fracture in my bones.

If I hadn’t reinforced my body with Protective Qi at the final moment—

«That would’ve been more than just a crack.»

I dug my heels into the ground, skidding to a stop.

Then, I flexed my left arm.

«Healed already?»

The fracture from the impact was gone, as if it had never been.

As I expected—Wolya’s body was the best.

The greatest advantage of becoming a Dragon was this.

An insane regenerative ability.

Even if I took a few hits, it was irrelevant—I could recover.

«The Moonlit Night Tribe is even beyond that.»

«This damn body… its regeneration surpasses a dragon’s.»

Watching Yusa regenerate, I was reminded of the Authority of Regeneration that Mang had once used.

Even a severed arm had regrown instantly.

Yusa’s regenerative power seemed nearly on that level.

«Tch. A shame.»

I’d felt this before—somehow, regeneration just didn’t feel like it suited me.

Back then, even when I gained the Authority of Regeneration, it had only marginally improved my healing.

«The one thing I actually need.»

When I realized it didn’t properly integrate with me, it had been incredibly frustrating.

Maybe that was why—now that I was part of the Moonlit Night Tribe, the regeneration I possessed felt all the more valuable.

I dusted myself off. As I was shaking the dirt away—

«Grrrrr…»

I could feel Yusa closing in.

No, I didn’t even need to sense it.

With that enormous frame, its approach was impossible to miss.

CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

It stomped forward with earth-shaking steps, crushing everything underfoot.

Even in its beast-like form, I could tell it was smirking.

«…So? Have you come to your senses now? Do you realize who you picked a fight with?»

As Yusa drew near, it reached out, ripped a tree from the ground, and shoved it into its mouth.

CRUNCH.

It chewed, but the taste was clearly awful.

Its face twisted in disgust, and it spat the pulp out.

PTUI!

The mangled remains of the tree hit the dirt.

Wiping its mouth with the back of its hand, Yusa spoke again.

«You toyed with the subordinates, so I suppose you thought their commander was weak. What a shame.»

GRRRRRR…

It snorted aggressively.

«You’re nothing. The fact that I was even pushed back by a rat like you… It’s embarrassing.»

It looked utterly self-assured.

That irritated me.

So, I started to think.

What was the best move?

«If you’re waiting for nightfall, you’d best give up that dream now. The hungrier I get, the stronger I become… and at night, I’m at my hungriest.»

«Stronger when hungry…?»

Hearing that, I took another look at its body.

Thin. Gaunt.

The hunger blazing in its eyes.

If regenerating had reduced it to this state—

«Is this tied to the Authority of Predation?»

It was possible.

The information I had on Predation wasn’t complete.

But one thing was clear.

«So, it gets even stronger at night?»

If Yusa was already this powerful, then when night fell…

It would become far worse.

I considered that carefully—

And soon, I reached a decision.

«So, stop wasting your time and just give up—»

Yusa was about to say more, but I interrupted.

«I admit it.»

«What?»

Yusa froze.

«What are you talking about? What are you admitting?»

«That I was wrong to think I could deal with you like this.»

«Hah.»

Hearing that, Yusa let out a scornful laugh.

«You’re admitting it now? What, are you going to beg for your life? Go ahead, who knows? I might just listen.»

It laughed mockingly.

I stared at it for a beat before speaking.

«I also admit… that letting this drag on until night would be a pain.»

If it grew any stronger, handling it would be far more troublesome.

Even though I had joined the Moonlit Night Tribe thanks to the Fire Wheel Star—if the real moon rose, Yusa would receive an even greater boost.

So—

«Let’s end this here.»

«Oh? And if you say so, I’m just supposed to stop—»

«Stop.»

«!!!»

At my command, Yusa’s body locked rigid.

Its pupils dilated, its expression frozen.

«You… how…?»

«You thought I could only command you at night? My apologies. You were so certain, I figured I’d humor you.»

I clenched my fist.

«Turns out, that worked in my favor.»

WHIIIIIR—!!!

The ring behind me began to spin again.

Unlike before, it turned without any issue.

«Why did it stop earlier?»

That question lingered, but I pushed it aside.

For now, I focused on the ring.

WHIIIIIIIR—!!!!

Its speed intensified.

As it reached its peak, I drew upon the energy of Tua Pacheonmu.

Qi crashed against Qi, forging something new.

Cheonma Divine Art stirred within me, rising to the surface.

The Nine Flames Firewheel had reached transcendence.

The Tua Pacheonmu was nearing its perfected form.

The collision of these forces gathered at my fist, condensing into pure chaos.

«You… you… guh…!»

Yusa realized something was wrong.

It struggled desperately.

But was this also thanks to transcendence?

My command over Dominance had grown stronger.

Of course—

CRACKLE—!

The sheer power of Yusa’s body meant it wouldn’t last long.

I could feel my hold fracturing, moment by moment.

If I delayed, Yusa would break free soon.

It didn’t matter.

«A moment is all I need.»

That was enough.

I stepped forward, bringing the chaos in my hand closer.

As I neared, the swirling chaos took shape.

Unlike the Cheonma’s Single Strike I had created using Tua Pacheonmu—

This was something different.

Its origin—Flame Core.

Or perhaps—Heaven-Shattering Fist.

A sphere of condensed chaos.

Just holding it made my entire body shudder.

I brought it right up to Yusa.

It was smaller than a Flame Core, about half the size.

But the power contained within—was beyond comparison.

Born from friction, its force was immense.

The concentrated chaos in my palm.

I gave it a name.

«Cheonma Chaos Core.»

The sphere of chaos touched Yusa.

The moment it made contact—

POP.

A small, almost gentle sound.

Then—

WUUUUM—!!

Sound vanished.

The loudest silence in the world swallowed everything whole.