Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1007

Chapter 1007

Sssss—!!!

The dark energy coursing from my hand flooded into Yusa’s body.

It entered without issue.

At this stage, it didn’t feel much different from infusing a human.

The one real distinction was—

“It’s slow.”

The rate at which the demonic energy saturated him was noticeably delayed. It was even slower than it had been with Heuksaek—I couldn’t tell whether that was due to his level of cultivation or a fundamental difference in his nature.

But one thing was undeniable:

“Demonic energy permeates the Moonlit Night Tribe more slowly than it does humans.”

It was an inefficient method against them.

That much was obvious.

Sssss—!!

“Kwaaaaah…!!!!”

As the energy invaded him, Yusa screamed.

“You…! What are you doing…?! Release me—now!”

Crack—!!!

“Oh.”

As the demonic energy flowed, Yusa began to thrash. His arm, previously severed, was now regenerating.

His injured body was healing rapidly.

It appeared that—

“The chaos has faded.”

The regenerative abilities suppressed by the Cheonma Divine Art returned in full force the moment its influence weakened.

“Uwaaaaaah—!!!”

Now fully regenerated, he tried to unleash his power again. His body, now even more emaciated, caught my attention.

“The more he heals, the thinner he gets.”

He was little more than a skeleton draped in skin.

Yet, paradoxically, his strength had increased.

The veins in my arm strained as I continued forcing demonic energy into him. Though I was holding him in place, completely subduing him with demonic energy alone was difficult due to his overwhelming power.

“How much more will it take?”

I had already injected twice the amount I used to corrupt Heuksaek.

At this rate, my energy would be depleted first.

“Huff!! Huff—!! Let go—!!”

Yusa kept struggling.

With every movement he made, my organs shuddered in response.

“Tsk.”

A sharp impact reverberated through me, bringing blood to my mouth. I swallowed it back down.

“What do I do?”

I continued trying to corrupt him, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as I’d anticipated.

If this continued, my energy would run out, just as I feared.

“Should I kill him instead?”

Maybe it was better to end this cleanly rather than let it drag on.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

Vwoooom—!!!

“Hm?”

The demonic energy moving through his body grazed against something.

“What’s this?”

It should have flowed through his meridians straight to his heart.

But something stood in its path.

Intrigued, I nudged it with a pulse of demonic energy.

Clank—!

Crunch—!

“…!”

The moment I made contact, something bit down hard on my energy.

“Hah.”

You’ve got to be kidding.

I grinned.

Now I understood.

So that’s why the demonic energy wasn’t working well.

“It was because of this.”

Crunch—! Grrrr—!!

Something inside him was acting as a barrier, preventing the demonic energy from reaching his heart.

And that something was none other than Devour.

“Yusa’s Authority.”

The power he wielded under the moonlight—Devour.

An ability that allowed him to consume endlessly, growing stronger with everything he swallowed.

I had seen it once before.

Superficially, it resembled arts like the Demonic Absorption or Greed…

“But its uses are broader.”

My Greed only activated against another’s Authority.

Devour had no such limitation.

A beast that couldn’t resist its hunger would devour anything to turn it into power.

To seek more desirable prey, its senses had sharpened to an extreme.

And to consume all in its path, it had developed resistances to everything.

It would eat anything.

Because of that nature, Devour was even consuming my demonic energy.

Not good.

I glanced upward at the sky.

“If his Authority is awakening…”

Then the Moonlit Blessing would soon follow.

“And that would be problematic.”

The situation I’d carefully constructed could fall apart at any moment.

Time was short. Any longer, and the outcome would become unpredictable.

What should I do?

As I weighed my options, I suddenly smiled.

There was something I wanted to know.

“If he can eat anything…”

And if he supposedly resists everything—

“Does that include demonic energy?”

The demonic energy I was feeding him—

Would he be resistant to that, too?

It was a fleeting thought.

Given how much I’d already poured into him, it seemed he was.

“Grrrr…”

But his pained reactions suggested otherwise.

«Kraaaaa-!»

Crack.

As he convulsed, another sharp pain shot through my arm.

Holding on was becoming difficult.

But I couldn’t release him now. Gritting my teeth, I continued injecting energy.

«Grkkkk-!»

No matter his resistance, it was likely meant for energies or poisons native to Mangye.

Demonic energy probably wasn’t common here.

If I pushed hard enough, I could overwhelm it.

With that in mind, I didn’t stop.

However—

“Instead of forcing it in blindly…”

I needed a precise target. Mindless infusion wouldn’t work.

“I’ll aim for that thing.”

The thing my energy had brushed against.

The one eating it.

Devour.

I focused directly on it.

Rumble—!!!

Gathering power in my heart, I released a concentrated surge of demonic energy all at once.

«Grkkk-!!!»

Yusa groaned.

The veins in my arm swelled to their limit.

Crunch—! Crunch—!

Devour frantically chewed through the incoming energy.

Before it could even swallow, I forced more in.

“How much can he take?”

Just how much could he devour? It couldn’t be infinite.

I kept feeding him, again and again.

I knew I would reach my own limit eventually.

Still, I continued.

After a long while—

Crunch… Crack… Crrrk…

Devour, which had been greedily consuming my energy, finally closed its mouth.

Gulp.

It let out a burp, as if signaling it was full.

In that moment—

Whoooosh—!!!

«Keoheok!!»

Like a broken dam, demonic energy flooded through Yusa’s entire body.

«Kwaaaaaah!!»

Soon—

His pale green eyes turned completely purple.

Thud.
Boom—!!

His large body dropped to its knees.

As his massive frame hit the ground, dust billowed around him.

“Keuh… Heuk…”

Yusa, coughing and retching as though heaving up his insides, began to change.

Fur scattered across the ground. His body shrank.

“Keu… Heuk…”

His voice returned.

Before long, he had reverted to the Yusa I originally knew.

“Haa… Huff… Kuh… Haaah.”

His eyes shook violently.

He looked down at his own hands, his face a mask of disbelief.

«This… What is this…?»

His fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

I stepped closer.

«Look up.»
“…!”

At my command, Yusa’s head jerked upward.

His eyes were now stained with the clear mark of a demon—violet irises.

A true demon.

As expected, his Devour had no resistance to demonic energy.

That said, he had consumed a staggering amount before it took effect.

But in the end, I succeeded.

“How does it feel?”
“You…”

Yusa tried to speak, but clamped his mouth shut.

Then his eyes widened.

It seemed he couldn’t act on his own will.

Seeing that, I realized:

“He’s no different.”

No different from Heuksaek.

Forcing him to submit didn’t mean he felt any loyalty or respect toward me.

It didn’t matter.

Loyalty was never the goal.

“I’ll ask you again.”

I held his gaze.

“Where is the Sacred Tree of Yahwol?”
“…!”

The Sacred Tree.

Turning a general into a demon was secondary.

Right now, the location of the Sacred Tree was what mattered.

So I pressed him again.

«Keuk…»

Surprisingly, he was fighting to keep his mouth closed.

Even as a demon, he shouldn’t have been able to resist answering.

And yet, he was straining with everything he had.

“Keuk… Krrk.”

Yusa was enduring, determined to oppose the compulsion.

But as I watched silently, his lips slowly began to part.

And then—

«Meeti…»

Bit by bit—

His mouth opened.

«Meeting… Meeting hall…»
«Meeting hall?»
«The… The meeting hall… Underground… Underground.»

Beneath the meeting hall.

Hearing that, I smiled.

So that’s where it was.

That’s where they hid it.

I was about to voice my satisfaction—

«Kugh…!»
«Hm?»

Suddenly, Yusa vomited blood.

What now?

Was he trying to resist again?

«Ku… Heok…»

His body convulsed, veins rising grotesquely.

This wasn’t resistance.

It felt different.

«A… Aaagh… Agh…!»

His reaction was unusual.

His whole frame shook.

And then—

«Kuheok!»

He spewed a larger mouthful of blood.

What in the world.

What’s wrong with him?

I hid my confusion behind my mask and observed.

“A… Aaah… O, O Great One…”

Yusa muttered, his voice quaking.

Thunk—!

A sharp, bursting sound echoed as Yusa collapsed.

«What…?»

I took off my mask and checked him.

Placing a hand on his body—

«…He’s dead?»

He was gone.

His heart had stopped.

No, it was more than that.

It hadn’t just stopped beating.

It had exploded.

This was—

«…Just like a Restriction Breaking.»

The restriction Cheonma placed on me.

It had resulted in the exact same outcome.