Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1017

Chapter 1017

Kurururung.

The creature’s fiery breath swept past me. Even with flames of my own flowing through my veins, the heat was staggering—undeniable evidence of its intensity.

How?

How did he find me?

Behind my mask, I frowned at the chieftain standing ahead.

…I was certain I had hidden my presence.

My gaze lifted. The Nine Flames Firewheel still hovered near the moon.

Did I misuse it?

There was a method to use the Firewheel to magnify one’s presence rather than conceal it, but—

No.

I had executed it correctly this time. I was the one who activated it; I knew exactly what I was doing. I had used the heat to erase my existence completely.

And still, he detected me.

Somehow, the chieftain had sensed me.

How is that possible?

Even Amwang, who had mastered this art to its absolute peak, would have sworn no one could find me in this state.

I couldn’t comprehend how the chieftain had done it.

Unless…?

My eyes shifted sideways.

Is it because of him…?

Cheonma, who had been observing beside me. Was it his doing?

No.

I checked again, but there was no flaw in his concealment. Even this close, his presence was faint. At this range, the chieftain shouldn’t have been able to sense him.

…Tsk.

I didn’t understand, but this wasn’t the moment to figure it out.

“Intruder.”

The chieftain’s voice carried across the distance.

“Are you the one they say disrupts the order of Mangye?”

“……”

I stayed silent. Perhaps he was only pretending to have spotted me, trying to provoke a reaction. That was possible, but—

No.

Sadly, that wasn’t it. His eyes were fixed directly on me.

That was irrefutable proof—he had truly seen me.

Tsk.

However he managed it, the ‘how’ no longer mattered.

I rose from my crouch and stepped out from behind the rock.

At the same moment, I focused my will and unleashed my energy.

Kukugugugugu—!!!

The sheer force of my power made the ground tremble.

“Disturbing order? What a ridiculous accusation.”

Even after I revealed myself, the chieftain’s stare didn’t waver. He had been looking right at me all along.

He had known exactly where I was.

“I am order itself. And you dare speak to me of order—”

“Pfft.”

“……”

I shot a glare at Cheonma. Is this fool serious?

“…Ah, my apologies.”

Cheonma quickly said. I clenched my fists behind my back, fighting the urge to shatter his face. Damn it. A wave of humiliation washed over me, but I pushed it down.

“…Go.”

“……”

I barely forced the word out. It was a miracle my voice didn’t shake.

The chieftain watched me with a strange look, but thankfully, he didn’t seem overly interested.

Or perhaps… he simply didn’t need to be.

“Order? You claim to be order?”

“That’s right. I am order itself.”

“How arrogant.”

Boom! Kwaaaaa—!!

The chieftain drove his massive axe into the earth, unleashing a violent shockwave.

His aura flared even brighter.

Kuhuhuhuung—!!!

His breath carried embers, and those embers spread across the ground, devouring everything they touched.

“But it makes no difference.”

Crunch.

I could feel the power in his grip on the axe.

“No matter what you are—”

The instant his knees bent, I braced.

“Those who disrupt the order of Mangye— I do not forgive.”

Kuwaaaaang—!!!

The chieftain’s huge form shot toward me. It was instantaneous. That massive body closed the distance in a split second.

By the time my eyes refocused, the giant was already bringing his axe down upon me.

I shifted my foot, twisting my body.

Kuaaaaaaa—!!!

The monstrous axe split the ground. The earth beneath it shattered, sending out a powerful shockwave.

Stone fragments exploded outward. I scanned the flying debris and locked onto the largest piece.

Without hesitation, I kicked the rock, hurling it toward the chieftain. The shard, wrapped in Ganggi, shot toward him with immense speed, but—

Kuhuhuhung—!!!

The flames from his nostrils consumed the rock before it could strike.

Unbelievable.

I have to exert everything I have to release this much heat, and this guy just breathes and fire comes out?

It was absurd.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and moved my left hand.

Srrrk—! I felt the coils of Eternal Bind loosen.

First test.

Whirrrrr—!!!

The released Eternal Bind shot toward the chieftain, wrapping around his left arm.

“……?”

The chieftain’s brows furrowed slightly at the sudden constraint.

Crunch!

He yanked his arm. I saw his muscles tense as his arm moved, pulling me with it.

“Hmph.”

Whoosh!

With a casual, violent swing of his arm, my body was hurled into the air.

The moment I felt myself being pulled, I released Eternal Bind.

That was the only way I barely managed to regain control.

Yeah, a contest of pure strength is hopeless.

I would lose in power. The gap wasn’t even comparable to Yusa.

Then, the second test.

Kuaaaaaa—!!!

The axe swung down again.

I had already lost my balance, making evasion impossible.

At this rate, I’d be crushed.

“Stop.”

“—!!!”

And then—

He froze.

The chieftain’s body locked solid at my single word. Seizing the chance, I quickly regained my footing.

Then, I charged toward him, gathering Cheonma Divine Art in my core.

Kiiiiiiiiiiing—!!!

A frictional force erupted. The tremendous pressure and recoil slammed into my body.

I let that vibration sheath my arm.

Chaos coalesced in my fist.

Cheonma Divine Art.

First Form.

Cheonma First Fist.

The condensed chaos struck the chieftain’s abdomen directly.

Kiaaaaaaaah—!!!!

A piercing, screeching sound erupted as an explosive force tore through the chieftain’s entire body.

“Kuhhhhaaaa—!!!”

He screamed as he was launched backward.

Boom! Kwaduduk—!!

That enormous form tumbled through the air and crashed onto the ground, rolling uncontrollably. The rocky terrain cracked and shattered from the impact.

The chieftain rolled for a time before finally skidding to a halt, struggling to steady himself.

“Kuhk….”

He was in a sorry state. The place my fist had struck was torn wide open.

Strangely, no internal organs spilled out—as if his body held together by sheer will.

Ssuuuuuu—!!

“Hm.”

His body began regenerating at a rapid pace. In moments, his wounds vanished as if they had never been.

Watching this, I let out a low chuckle.

“You have something quite interesting there.”

“Kuhuhu… You…”

The chieftain’s eyes were wide with shock. Was it because of the attack? No.

“How… How are you using Myeong…?!”

Just like Yusa before him, he was stunned that I had wielded Myeong.

I nodded to myself.

The second test was a success.

Myeong worked on him. That was all I needed to know for now.

The problem was—

The recoil is too severe.

I clicked my tongue inside my mask. A metallic taste spread through my mouth.

Blood was trickling out. The backlash had hit my body hard, causing blood to surge up momentarily.

Just like with Yusa… I need to be careful with this.

This was the recoil from using Myeong.

More precisely, the backlash from forcibly halting someone in motion.

Using it on a stationary target was one thing. But when applied to someone actively attacking or channeling energy, the opposing force flooded back into me.

I could withstand it, and my regenerative abilities at night lessened the damage, but caution was still necessary.

“You ask the obvious,” I said, hiding my injury.

“When I tell you to stop, you stop.”

I spoke with a sharp grin.

“As if a mere thing like you could defy me.”

“…Kuhhh.”

The chieftain was still reeling from disbelief, but despite that, he showed no sign of quitting. He tightened his grip on his axe once more.

Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames enveloped the axe.

A suffocating wave of heat burst forth.

“Hoooop—!!”

He flexed his muscles and swung his weapon at me with all his might.

Fwaaah—!!!

A massive inferno instantly filled my vision.

Should I dodge? The thought flashed, but my feet stayed planted. Instead, I thrust out my hand.

The raging flames crashed against my palm.

Kwaak—!!

The fire seared my flesh. Pain flared, but I suppressed it by force of will and energy.

The flames sputtered and died under the pressure of my aura.

My right hand was a mess. While not burned to the bone, the flesh was visibly charred and sizzling.

I gave it a brief glance before twisting my body.

Whoosh—! Kwoong—!!

The moment the flames vanished, the axe was already coming at me.

He had used the fire as a distraction before closing in.

Boom! Kwaduduk—!!

Close-quarters combat began.

I dodged the axe or deflected it using Eternal Bind, countering whenever an opening appeared.

Each time my attacks landed, his body sustained damage—only to regenerate instantly.

We traded blows as I evaluated the situation.

I’m faster.

Avoiding his attacks wasn’t too difficult. However—

If I take a direct hit, it’s over.

Even one solid blow would shatter my body.

So, I focused entirely on evasion while maintaining the fight.

Kwoong—!!

At the right moment, we both pulled back, creating space.

The heat that had saturated the air began to dissipate in the night wind.

As we both paused to recover, I spoke to him.

“I think the introductions are over. Shall we continue? I’m growing bored.”

“……”

Neither of us had revealed our full strength yet.

Pointing that out, I watched as the chieftain adjusted his stance.

He planted his axe into the ground like a staff and—

Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames erupted from the axe, rapidly spiraling around his body.

The heat was just as fierce as before—violent and scorching.

Energy raged wildly in every direction.

“What is he doing now…?”

I narrowed my eyes.

The chieftain’s body was transforming.

His dark skin began to develop crimson patches, and the fur on his head slowly turned a vivid red.