Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1008

Chapter 1008

Yusa’s body was cold and still. I frowned as my hand made contact with his lifeless form.

“This fool actually died?”

He was truly gone.

Only moments before, he had been speaking clearly—then, without warning, his heart burst, and he perished.

To confirm it, I could sense the energy swiftly fading from Yusa’s corpse.

“What in the world…?”

Why had he died so abruptly?

And more importantly—

“Why did his heart have to explode?”

It had ruptured completely.

What did that signify? Others might not understand, but I did.

This was—

“…The same as Cheonma’s Restriction.”

The absolute constraint Cheonma had imposed on all demons.

It was unbreakable, and any effort to defy it resulted in immediate death.

Even under torture, those bound by it could never speak.

The instant they attempted to disclose anything, they would perish.

The most skilled formation masters of the Orthodox Sect had tried endlessly to decipher the restriction.

The outcomes were catastrophic.

No one had ever succeeded in lifting Cheonma’s restriction.

Not even by the time of my own death.

And now, Yusa had died in precisely the same way.

“…I’m not certain if it’s a restriction or not.”

But no other explanation fit.

The moment he revealed the location of the Sacred Tree, he died.

If that wasn’t a restriction, what could it be?

“Tsk.”

I rubbed my chin. This was troublesome.

Yusa’s sudden death was an issue, but not the main one.

“I’ve lost a valuable asset.”

The fact that Yusa died before I could fully utilize him—

That was the real problem for me.

Losing Heuk Saek had been my error, but this…

This was different.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and ran a hand along my jaw as I stared at Yusa’s remains.

What to do now?

“I hadn’t intended to kill the general.”

No, to be truthful, the thought had crossed my mind.

But once I successfully transformed him into a demon, I meant to make use of him.

Now he was dead, and that made things more difficult.

“Sigh.”

I pushed my hair back, exhaling in irritation, and gestured.

A small spark ignited at my fingertips and dropped onto Yusa’s body.

Fwoooosh—!!!

Blue flames erupted, devouring his corpse.

In moments, even his bones were consumed.

As I watched the fire consume him, a thought occurred to me.

“Was that truly identical to Cheonma’s Restriction?”

That thing inside him—if it was indeed a restriction, was it the same one Cheonma used on the demons?

If so—

“That means the restriction persisted even after he became a demon.”

How was that possible?

Whenever I had corrupted others in the past, any existing restrictions were cleansed, overwritten by demonic energy.

Demonic energy always superseded any prior constraint.

There had been instances where I used this to remove restrictions entirely.

“And yet…”

Yusa had become a demon, and still died because of a restriction.

“This means the restriction overpowered the demonic energy.”

And if someone existed who could impose such a restriction…

“…Could it be Mother?”

The present sovereign of Mangye.

Could she have placed this restriction on Yusa?

Logically, she was the most probable candidate.

And yet, somehow, I found it difficult to accept.

Or rather—

I didn’t want to believe it.

I didn’t want to believe that Mother would enforce such a dreadful restriction.

I clicked my tongue at my own naïve thinking.

“Futile sentimentality.”

Hadn’t I already resolved this?

She was my mother, yet not my mother.

She had fallen into oblivion and forgotten me completely.

If we encountered each other now, she might see me as a foe and attempt to kill me.

She was no longer my mother.

I couldn’t afford to think of her that way.

So I had no reason to dwell on this restriction.

“Speculating on its mechanics is pointless.”

I still lacked enough knowledge to judge its feasibility.

I knew too little about this world.

“For now, I should concentrate on what I do know.”

Demonic energy affects generals.

They can be corrupted, but the transformation is slower, and even when completed—

“They don’t become loyal.”

Compared to humans, the process is far less efficient.

And in addition—

“Restrictions aren’t removed.”

Even after corruption, the restriction remained active.

That implied the existence of a force superior to demonification.

What was it?

What had been placed on Yusa?

The question lingered in my mind, but—

“For now.”

I set aside Yusa’s death and the mystery of the restriction.

“I should complete my original goal.”

I lifted my gaze to the sky.

The moon was now fully risen, casting a bright glow over the land.

Even after dispelling my Hwarunseong, my body still carried the mark of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

“Where did he say it was?”

I recalled the location Yusa had mentioned.

“Underground, beneath the banquet hall.”

The place he named just before he died.

Fortunately, I knew exactly where that was.

I gathered strength in my legs.

A spark flared under my feet as I launched into the air.

From above, the ground was a scene of utter devastation.

What was once a dense forest had been entirely obliterated.

The aftermath of combat.

I surveyed the destruction, then propelled myself forward.

I had internal injuries, and my energy was greatly diminished, but it didn’t matter.

Night had arrived.

And with the body of the Moonlit Night Tribe, my recovery would be swift.

I trusted in that.

Like a sudden gust, I flew through the air, glancing down at the final flickers of flame on the ground.

Soon, everything was burned away, scattering like ashes on the wind.

I cast one last look at the vanishing traces of what had been Yusa.

By then—

Any lingering interest or feeling I had toward him had already dissipated.

If anything remained—

“What a waste.”

Not sorrow over Yusa’s death.

But the fact that I’d been forced to expend my life force to secure victory.

That frustrated me more than Yusa’s death itself.

Just that.

That was the only sentiment I held for Yusa as he turned to ash.

**********

Carried on the embers, I reached Yahwol.

As anticipated, even during the short flight, my body had recovered considerably.

I alighted on the fortress wall and shook off the remaining sparks.

And then—

“What—?!”

A soldier on the wall noticed me, so I flicked my finger.

Thunk!

“Guh!”

The soldier crumpled as my energy struck his chin. I tilted my head slightly as I observed.

“The number of troops has grown.”

The military presence had expanded noticeably.

Before, there hadn’t been many soldiers stationed on the walls, even if the grounds were well protected.

But now, soldiers were positioned everywhere.

“Hm…”

I could have concealed my presence, but it wasn’t necessary.

I simply surged forward.

Fwoosh—!!!

Leaving a trail of fire, I ascended to the highest structure within Yahwol.

This wasn’t the correct spot. It was somewhere slightly lower.

“There it is.”

I scanned the area and located my target.

Not the tallest building in Yahwol, but the largest.

That was the meeting hall Yusa had described.

I drifted down lightly, landing on its roof, then descended smoothly to the ground.

Naturally, I incapacitated the guard stationed below.

I reached for the door handle of the meeting hall and pulled.

Creak.

It was locked.

So I channeled heat into my palm and pressed it against the door.

Sizzle.

The metal liquefied.

Reaching through, I seized the inner latch and pulled.

The locked door swung open.

I entered.

It was a vast, dark space.

I closed the door behind me and fused the melted metal to seal it shut.

If I were discovered, I wouldn’t last long, but this would at least buy some time.

And—

“Not that it makes much difference if I’m caught.”

At this stage, it hardly mattered whether I was found or not.

I simply accepted it as part of the situation.

Fwoosh.

I summoned a small flame to hover in the air, lighting the surroundings like a lamp.

Step.

The space was so large my footsteps echoed.

“No guards inside, it seems.”

No patrols, no movement.

It was merely an empty hall.

I extended my senses but detected nothing.

I let my gaze travel around.

Where could it be?

“He said it was underground, so there must be an entrance.”

It wouldn’t be out in the open.

Most likely, there was a hidden mechanism.

So, just to be thorough, I activated my Divine Sight and examined the area.

If there were any spells or formations, Divine Sight would reveal them.

I searched for a considerable time—

“…I don’t see anything.”

There was no sign, nothing I could perceive.

Was there truly an underground level here?

Or…

“Could he have meant a different meeting hall?”

It was possible Yusa was referring to another location.

He hadn’t specifically said this was the place.

But the problem was—

“There’s no reason for that.”

Why would he call some other place the meeting hall?

It didn’t make sense.

All evidence suggested this was the correct location.

“Where is it?”

Where was the passage leading down?

I had inspected every room.

“This is odd.”

Something was wrong.

What was it?

Unable to find an answer, I stood motionless for a moment.

I remained in place, doing nothing but observing.

I had no specific reason.

I just stood there.

Silently watching.

And then—

“Ah.”

A memory surfaced.

The events at Mount Hua.

The changes in my body after consuming the Divine Fruit.

I remembered.

“The energy of the Sacred Tree.”

The Sacred Tree possessed its own distinct energy.

I recalled the overwhelming aura of the Sacred Tree at Mount Hua.

So I slowly closed my eyes.

Could I sense it this way?

A brief moment passed—

Hummm.

“Ah.”

A faint sensation brushed against my awareness.

“I found it.”

I had detected it.

It was directly below my feet.

“It really is underground.”

Just as Yusa had said.

But now what?

“This doesn’t solve anything, does it?”

If I couldn’t find a way down, it was useless.

I still needed to locate the entrance.

What to do?

“…Hmph.”

I crossed my arms and considered.

“Guess I have no choice.”

Nodding, I reached a decision.

“I’ll just break through.”

I clenched my fist and drove it straight into the floor.

Boom—!
Kraaaaaaaash—!!!

The impact shattered the ground beneath me.