Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1030

Chapter 1030

Kwa-gagagak—!!

An enormous shape erupted onto the mountain—a demonic entity shrouded in dark energy, its colossal form blotting out the sky.

This was Mang—a beast of the white grade, a former dragon that had concealed itself in the depths of the Northern Sea.

It was also the very first white-grade creature I had slain after my greed awakened.

Now, that same beast, resurrected as a monster under my command, threw itself at the Leader.

Other monsters were large, but Mang dwarfed them all.

A single sweep of its limb could level a hill—it was no surprise that nothing dared approach.

Kruaaaaargh—!!!

The mountain shook from its roar. Mang swung its immense arm down toward the Leader with crushing force.

“Hup—!”

Kuuuung—!

The Leader let out a sharp grunt, catching the blow on his forearm.

Kwaduduk—!!!

The earth under his feet fractured from the pressure. By size alone, it should have been an impossible struggle.

«Wretched creature—!»

Yet, the Leader showed no fear. He seized Mang’s arm—

Kwack—!

—and hurled its gigantic body into the air.

It was a ridiculous sight—heaving such a monstrous weight as though it were nothing.

«Hoooh—!»

With a sharp exhale, he slammed Mang down into the ground.

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

The impact convulsed the earth. The tremor disrupted the ranks of both beasts and monsters locked in combat.

‘Just as I thought.’

Even witnessing that, I felt no surprise. I never expected Mang to overcome the Leader.

I only wanted to gauge its usefulness.

‘Clear enough.’

The winged beast from before—and now Mang—

‘Both are significantly weaker than they originally were.’

The contrast was obvious. Mang was never agile, but now its motions were dull, its strength faded.

Which meant—

‘It cannot access its full power.’

If even white-grade beasts—beings that once demanded transcendent effort to defeat—were diminished to this degree—

‘Then there’s no point in summoning them recklessly.’

The idea passed through my mind.

Krrrrrr……!

Mang climbed back to its feet and charged the Leader again. Just as the Leader prepared to strike back—

Kwaduk—!

“……!!”

Something bit deep into the Leader’s neck.

The winged beast—the one thrown aside earlier—

It had already regenerated and returned for another attack.

Mang’s fist followed without delay—

Kwaduk—!

The enormous punch connected with the Leader. He barely raised his axe in time to block, but the force launched him through the air.

Mang, jaws gaping wide, surged upward—

Kwaduk—!!

—and swallowed him whole, the winged beast still clinging to his neck.

Gulp.

Mang’s throat bulged grotesquely.

‘What?’

Swallowed? That easily?

I narrowed my eyes, skeptical.

Krrrrr……

Mang released a low, guttural growl—

Then—

Uuuuuuuung—!!!

A deep vibration shuddered from within its stomach.

Of course.

It wouldn’t end so simply.

The Leader—defeated that easily? Impossible.

Uuuuuung—!!!!

The internal tremor intensified—accompanied by a wave of scorching heat.

And then—

Wung—!

A crimson light erupted from inside—

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

Mang’s body exploded from within, flesh and bone scattering before dissolving into motes of energy that vanished on the wind.

A portion of that dissipated power flowed back into me.

I felt it—

The beast had been completely destroyed.

Mang was defeated.

I turned my gaze to the Leader.

«Kirrurrr…….»

He stood gasping, one hand clamped around the broken neck of the winged beast—

«Khhhhh…… Haaaaa…….»

His breathing was labored, fatigue evident. Faint heat still rose from his charred shoulder.

I understood at once—

‘A self-detonation.’

The Leader had compressed his internal energy, using his own body as the catalyst for a devastating explosion.

That was why Mang was obliterated from the inside out.

But the recoil was severe—

Even with his monstrous regeneration, the Leader was visibly strained.

«Huff…… Hoooo.»

I watched his struggling breaths—

Then, I snapped my fingers—

Tak—!

The winged beast in his grip crumbled to dust, its energy dispersing.

A surge of power returned to my heart as I reclaimed what remained.

This was enough.

The Leader’s struggle showed me all I needed—the effectiveness of the summons, the optimal way to wield them.

So—

«This ends now.»

There was nothing left to learn.

I leaped—

Thung.

Landing directly in front of the Leader.

His eyes sharpened—he raised his axe to strike—

But—

«Stop.»

“……!!”

His body locked rigid.

I had issued the command a heartbeat before his swing—leaving no time for resistance.

With his body immobilized—

I opened my palm.

Giiiiiiiing.

Inside me, the ring began to spin—

Black Heaven unfolded, draping the sky in darkness.

Azure Sky ignited within, tightening every muscle, honing every sense—

Giiiiiiiiiing—!!!!

Friction—

Chaos roared, forcing my energy to peak. Blood vessels strained, pain radiating through me—

The raw power, forged through agony, condensed into my palm—

A perfect sphere of black—

Inside, a blazing sapphire flame churned.

The sphere, radiant and volatile, formed a faint halo around itself, like a ring of clouds.

“Kgh—!”

Sensing the imminent threat, the Leader fought to move. My hold wasn’t absolute—his will was too strong to bind for long.

Tuk—!

A sudden snap, and the restraint shattered.

The Leader lunged toward me—

«Explode.»

But I was already prepared.

“Cheonma Soul Core.”

Wung—!

Kiaaaaaaaaah—!!!

The energy screamed as it detonated. The blast consumed everything, a towering pillar of ruin tearing into the sky.

A vast mushroom cloud engulfed Mount Marryeong, swallowing the entire area.

**********

Tuduk.
Tududuk.

Amid the swirling smoke, fragments of rock and earth pattered down.

A rising wind began to sweep the thick haze away.

There—

A enormous, gaping crater now scarred the stone ground.

The earth sizzled and hissed—stone liquefied by the residual heat, flowing like molten rock.

The magma, murky and tinged with a sickly blue, oozed through the channels of the crater.

At the center of that grotesque landscape—

I stood.

I stepped forward, my boots sinking into the molten sludge.

Chiiiiik.

The searing sound reached my ears. I let out a hollow laugh.

‘Even shielded by protective energy, this is the result.’

The molten ground wasn’t burning through my shoes—

It was dissolving the protective Qi enveloping them.

Considering the Qi was my own—

‘The power doesn’t even recognize its master.’

Perhaps because I had forged it with Chaos, it had gone mad—unable to distinguish ally from foe.

A truly absurd force.

‘A single loss of control could destroy me just the same.’

The destructive potential was overwhelming—but the slightest error would mean being consumed by it.

Tch.

I clicked my tongue and moved forward.

The ground ahead seethed with thick, boiling sludge—

The epicenter of the Cheonma Soul Core’s detonation.

There—

“Tenacious old fool. Still alive, I see.”

“Kuhuhu……”

The Leader was on his knees.

Half of his right torso was gone—exposed bone where flesh should be.

I felt a flicker of respect.

For his entire upper body not to have been vaporized—

‘So he managed to evade, at least partially.’

Even in that split second, he had focused entirely on defense and survival.

As I watched, he spoke—

“You…”

His scorched body sizzled, but his voice—weak and ragged—was thick with confusion.

“What… have you done…?”

Disbelief trembled in his words.

And for good reason.

“Why…”

I offered a cold smile—

“Why aren’t you healing?”

His body—

Was not regenerating.

That so-called immortality—useless.

Instead, his flesh continued to melt away—

Endless agony, yet his confusion outweighed the pain.

Very well—

It seemed only right to answer.

“Simple.”

I stepped closer, looking down at his kneeling form.

Even on his knees, his massive frame was imposing.

“Because I never allowed you to live.”

“……What?”

“Without my consent—

—nothing is permitted.

That is how it must be.”

I grinned.

His expression contorted into something grotesque—a look I didn’t know he was capable of making.

I found it strangely intriguing—

And stirred my energy.

Why couldn’t he regenerate?

The answer was simple—

Because of Greed.

The Cheonma Soul Core I had unleashed—

I had woven my authority into it—the dominion of Greed.

‘So, it can be applied this way, too.’

It wasn’t just a power.

It could be embedded into my martial techniques.

An experiment—a test—

But one that yielded a valuable outcome.

The effort drained me, of course. Maintaining it after the release ate at my stamina—

But the fact that it worked—

That was more than enough.

«Krrrrr……»

The Leader’s body, robbed of its immortality, continued to burn—

Then—

Tuk—!

A soft sound behind me.

I turned—

It was the Cheonma.

I met her gaze—

“Is it over?”

“Yeah.”

Her body—was untouched.

No wounds, no blood.

Her clothes—torn in places, dusted with debris—

But nothing more.

‘Was her opponent that weak?’

Or—

‘Is she simply that strong?’

I pushed the thought aside and asked—

“And the other one?”

“Ah.”

She answered with a casual shrug—

“He escaped.”

“……”

“Fast little rodent.”

She said it—

Without a trace of shame.