Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1026

Chapter 1026

A Shard of a Scarlet Gem.

This signified it was being utilized to sustain the existing magic within the Abyssal Pit.

It was also rumored to have once served as a conduit to the past sovereign of Mangye.

“I sensed its potency upon my first glimpse as well.”

The power concentrated within that shard was of an overwhelming intensity. Its full depth was impossible to measure.

I had been informed that the energy harbored inside was what fueled the sorcery enveloping this region.

“Considering its energy alone, the scale of the spell becomes understandable.”

With such a colossal reservoir of power, it seemed entirely plausible. The energy was so profound and immense that I couldn’t dismiss the notion.

However—

“Did you genuinely intend to bestow this upon me?”
“……”

At my question, the spirit’s hand shook.

“This is the only tribute we can present to a being of your magnitude, a ruler from distant shores….”
“And what becomes of you if you surrender this to me?”

If they relinquished this, they would lose the means to uphold the barrier that defined their environment. Was it truly acceptable to part with it so freely?

The spirit responded to my inquiry.

“……Should you grant us deliverance, there will no longer be any necessity to preserve this sanctuary. It will not pose a significant concern—”
“No, that is not the core of my question.”

I interrupted the spirit’s explanation. That was not what I sought to know.

“If you give this to me, the channel through which you speak with the ruler of Mangye will be severed. Are you truly prepared for that?”
“……”

My words gave the spirit pause.

Without that fragment, all contact with their master would be lost. Could a shaman truly afford such a loss?

When I pressed further, the spirit was quiet for a long moment before finally replying.

“It is acceptable…”
“Is that so?”

Hearing the quavering answer, I gave a slow nod.

“Very well, if you insist.”

Gradually, I extended my hand. My fingers were moments from brushing the shard the spirit held out—

*Whoosh!—Clench!—*

“Ugh!?”

But rather than take the offering, my hand shot past it and closed around the spirit’s throat.

Its small form was lifted into the air.

“Shaman!”

The bestial soldiers stationed nearby moved to lunge at me in reaction to the sudden violence.

“Halt.”
“!!!!”

At my softly spoken command, they all froze in their tracks.

Dragon Speech had erupted from me, shackling their movements.

“Do not make any rash moves. It will change nothing, no matter how many of you attack. Before I break the neck of the one you cherish, you will remain still. Is that clear?”
“……”
“If you understand, nod.”

The lead soldier gave a reluctant nod.

Seeing this, I smirked and released the hold of the Dragon Speech.

“Ugh… ngh….”

The spirit, still suspended by its throat, emitted a strained gasp of pain.

I looked at it and spoke.

“I had considered letting this pass, you understand? But my time is limited, and presently, I have no patience for nuisances. So I will ask you directly.”
“Kuhk….”
“What are you concealing from me? What is it you truly desire from me?”
“……!”

The spirit’s form shuddered violently at my words.

That reaction was all the confirmation I needed.

“I see. You held a hidden agenda concerning me, didn’t you?”

There was something they were omitting.

And with that response, they had just confessed to it.

“Th-that’s… not… that isn’t true…”
“Not true? Do I appear to be a fool to you?”

*Clench—!*

“Kuuaagh—!!”

“I can endure many things, but I will not tolerate anyone attempting to deceive me when the truth is plain to see. Especially when my temper is already frayed.”

I was already deeply irritated.

I had ventured out and gained nothing, only to come back burdened with more unresolved questions. Everything was infuriating.

And now, these unfamiliar creatures were feigning reverence while plotting in the shadows. How could I be expected to endure that?

“I apologize, but I am exceedingly busy. I have no time for your petty schemes.”
“Kuhk….”
“So, speak plainly. Before I gather you all and reduce you to cinders.”

*Rumble—!*

A wave of lethal intent spilled from me, devouring the space around us.

“Kraaaah—!!”
“Gurrrgh…!!!”

The sheer pressure of my killing aura caused the surrounding beings to froth at the mouth and crumple to the ground, one after another.

Even while restraining its full force, my aura had become so potent it was virtually leaking out.

There was only so much I could contain.

As a precaution, I ensured only the spirit was spared its direct effects.

“Kh….”

Even so, merely sensing the periphery of that aura was enough to make the spirit’s body convulse with terror.

“I will count to three. If you do not answer, I will execute every single one of you.”

To erase any doubt of my seriousness, I amplified the aura further.

“One.”

I began the count.

“Two.”

Energy coalesced in my empty left hand. I would incinerate everything, complete my business with the Sacred Tree, and depart.

That was my intention as I voiced the final number.

“Three—”
“A s-sacrifice….”

The spirit finally found its voice.

Hearing this, I curled my lips and demanded.

“What did you say?”
“A s-sacrifice… A sacrifice was… required….”

As soon as the words were out, I relaxed my grip slightly.

A silent command for it to continue.

“A sacrifice?”
“Yes…”
“A sacrifice, you say…”

That was certainly a word with dire implications.

“Explain. In detail.”
“……”
“Do not make me ask again.”

*Fwoosh—*

I summoned flames as I spoke, and pure dread washed over the spirit’s face.

But it was not fear for its own life—

It was the terror that I would slaughter those under its protection.

“To depart from this place… to be unshackled from our duty… a sacrifice was necessary.”
“Duty?”
“Our oath to guard the Sacred Tree….”

The spirit’s gaze shifted toward the immense black Sacred Tree.

“We… are tethered to this place, forbidden to leave until our master grants permission. Protecting the Sacred Tree is our fate…”
“But I was told this refuge was forged to evade the scrutiny of your leader?”

And yet, they needed a sacrifice to leave?

“Which is the truth?”

What was real? I frowned and pressed.

The spirit, its body still quaking, gave its answer.

“Both statements are true…”
“What does that mean?”
“We fashioned this sanctuary to prolong our lives… and yet, we also yearn to escape it.”
“That is a contradiction. Continue.”
“From the day the general emerged and began capturing our kind, we were permitted to hide here by our master’s mercy… and yet, it also became our prison…”

As I listened to the explanation, I slowly lowered my arm.

The spirit had no avenue of escape regardless.

“…We are bound to the Sacred Tree, unable to quit this desolate, wretched place until our master bestows freedom…”
“So when you claimed to be bound to Mount Marryeong, that is what you meant?”
“That is correct.”
“Then answer me this.”

I fixed a sharp gaze upon the spirit.

“The sacrifice you mentioned—”

That was undoubtedly a reference to me.

“If you obtain it, does it mean your duty will be transferred or dissolved?”
“……”
“If you hesitate instead of answering again, I will kill you.”
“……Yes, that is correct.”
“Hmm.”

So, with a sacrifice, the duty would be lifted.

“And how, precisely, does that function?”
“The duty our master decreed… is that the shaman must remain within this space and protect it until the designated time arrives.”
“And that time is now, is it not? So why attempt to flee?”

If the spirit’s words were true, there was no reason for such underhanded tactics.

“Did you not say all would be resolved if I eliminated that wretch for you?”
“……That is…”

The spirit clearly did not wish to answer. But given my ultimatum, it had no alternative but to speak.

“We… have lost faith in our master.”
“What?”

This time, my eyes widened in genuine surprise.

They didn’t trust their master? What was that supposed to mean?

“…It has been centuries since our master vanished. We have stayed in this place, never setting foot beyond it, as the ages slipped by… and it has grown intolerable.”
“So… you had no guarantee your master’s promise would be fulfilled. That is why you sought a means of escape. Is that it?”
“……”
“Answer me.”
“Yes… that is correct.”
“And the sacrifice you found… was me? What exactly is this sacrifice?”
“A being capable of inheriting the duty…”
“That being… is me?”
“…Yes.”
“And what does ‘inheriting the duty’ specifically entail?”

At my question, the spirit glanced down—at its own hand.

In its palm lay the fragment it had almost given me.

…No.

“…If I interact with that, the duty transfers to me?”
“…That is corre—”
“Ha.”
“……!”

The moment I let out a low, humorless laugh, the spirit flinched back.

“I stated I do not work without compensation, and now you try to palm the shaman’s duty off on me by handing me that?”

I didn’t know the exact mechanism, but the spirit’s desperation to make me accept it indicated there was one.

“You possessed quite the audacity, trying to force that into my grasp.”
“I… I beg your forgiveness… I implore you…”

The spirit urgently dropped to its knees and bowed its head deeply.

I knelt slightly to meet its eyes and asked.

“What do you propose I should do with this?”

Everything was a convoluted mess.

The so-called ‘plan’ I’d been told of was absurd, and the entire situation was ridiculous.

“There is no conceivable way this was part of any true plan.”

The notion that simply grasping that shard would make me the guardian of this place was preposterous.

Their eagerness to unload it onto me was even more suspect.

None of it aligned.

“But if I consider it from another angle—”

Could it be that they were simply that desperate?

So desperate that rational thought had abandoned them?

Was that how I should interpret it?

“I do not know.”

Understanding was one matter. Acceptance was another.

“……”

I tilted my head slightly, observing the trembling spirit.

Their loss of faith in their master—that detail resonated.

Their master had supposedly prophesied my arrival to deal with their leader.

Yet for centuries, nothing had changed. Their master had vanished, and communication had ceased.

They were trapped in a confined space, bound by sorcery, unable to depart.

“Was this conclusion inevitable?”

I stared at the spirit in silence.

Could I consider this my fault?

Or should I place the blame on my mother instead?

“Regardless, I cannot overlook their attempt to manipulate me.”

And yet…

It was pitiable.

“Hmm.”

I rose to my feet.

“Under normal circumstances, I would have simply killed you all.”

*Ssshhhhh…*

At my icy tone, the very air seemed to solidify.

“…But I suppose I might carry a fragment of responsibility in this affair.”

I turned my head away.

“Remain here.”
“…What?”
“Do not mistake this for clemency, so do not dare to hope.”

I bent my knees slightly.

“For now, I have a prior engagement. Therefore, you will wait here quietly.”

Flames licked around my form as I leaped backward toward the entrance.

The scenery blurred and changed in an instant.

Just as before, I passed through the doorway and ascended into the sky.

“……”

Feeling the thin, high-altitude air, I looked upward.

“How much time remains until nightfall?”

Not an excessive amount, but sufficient.

“I should make preparations in the interim.”

Closing my eyes, I began to circulate my energy.

It was time to get ready to welcome my guests.

And I intended to do so… in the most brutal way possible.