Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1035

Chapter 1035

Huff… Huff…

The ragged sound of strained breath echoed in the air. A colossal shape, far larger than any man, exhaled in heavy, labored gusts.

Two points of violet light burned in the darkness, fixed directly on me.

His naked, gigantic form was a slight assault on the eyes, but I paid it no mind.

I held his gaze steadily and waited for him to speak.

A brief silence hung between us.

“…What did you do to me?”

Him.

A being once known as General, with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Du Ryeong spoke.

“What the hell… did you do to me…!!”

*Kugung—!*

His roar erupted, a raw blast of power that made the very earth shudder violently. The force of it rattled the surroundings.

I merely tilted my head slightly, recognizing the distinct change I sensed in his energy.

The reason was simple.

“You’ve weakened.”

I could feel it—his power had drastically diminished.

Compared to the immense strength he had wielded during our fight just moments ago, it had been reduced by at least half.

I looked up. The moon was still high in the sky.

Confirming this, I moved without a second thought.

*Chwak!*

“Guh!?”

My blade sliced deep into his chest.

Blood gushed from the grievous wound.

His face contorted in pain. And then—

*Shhhhhhh—*

Heat radiated from the injury as it began to seal shut, flesh weaving back together at a rapid pace. His regeneration was quick—

But not quick enough.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue, the sound tinged with disappointment.

“Even your immortality’s weakened, huh?”

His ability to heal was noticeably slower than before.

The idea occurred to me—to sever a limb, or perhaps even his head, to test it further—

But I held back.

“If you can’t regenerate—or worse, if you die—that would be a problem.”

I hadn’t gone to all this effort just to let him perish so easily.

Swallowing the impulse, I continued to watch him.

Despite the horns, he looked more human than ever before.

His size, while still enormous, had shrunk considerably from his previous monstrous form.

“Grrr…”

His face twisted with pure fury, his violet eyes blazing under furrowed brows.

Observing him closely, I assessed his condition.

A Demonic Human.

That is what he had become.

Because I had made him so—by flooding his dying body with Magi.

“…It worked.”

On the verge of death, I had poured my Magi into him—

And he had transformed into a Demonic Human.

It was only possible because he was teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Forcing the change had drained me—I had expended nearly every drop of Magi I possessed to corrupt him.

But something was… off.

“Why does he look like this?”

Once the demonic transformation was complete, I had quickly withdrawn my Magi, securing his life.

I had saved him—resurrected him—

But then—

“Why did his body… change so suddenly?”

His gigantic form had begun to shrink—

And when it was over, he stood as a man.

A human form.

That was the outcome.

“What the hell…?”

Why?

Why had Du Ryeong suddenly become human?

He was not of the Moonlit Night Tribe or any other human-like lineage.

He had never been human to begin with—

Yet the transformation had reshaped his very body.

“Hmmm.”

I pondered the cause of this phenomenon.

I had seen the change occur but hadn’t had the time to investigate.

I had rushed to Marryeong Cavern on urgent business—

And now that I had returned—

“It’s complete.”

The transformation had finalized.

There was no doubt about it—he looked unmistakably human.

And it wasn’t just his form—his presence, once overwhelmingly powerful, had faded.

The authority he once commanded remained, but his actual power had dwindled.

If I had to estimate—

“He’s at the brink of Hwagyeong.”

Or—

“Among the upper ranks of the Ten Great Masters.”

But compared to his former, nearly transcendent might—

He had fallen far.

“Grrr…”

His expression, twisted in frustration, made it clear—

He knew exactly how far he had fallen.

“How… dare you… wyrm…”

His voice seethed with pure, undiluted hatred.

And then—

*Crackkk—!*

“Crack!!”

A violent reaction erupted inside him.

The Magi within him—rebelled.

I felt it—

“You tried to resist me.”

And in response—the Magi moved.

In the Mangye, Demonic Humans who were corrupted by force rarely swore loyalty—

Controlling them was always a struggle.

I had assumed he would be the same—

But—

“It seems… the Magi itself won’t let him rebel.”

This—

‘This is exactly how it was when Cheonma corrupted me.’

The moment Cheonma captured me and turned me into a Demonic Human—it was no different.

Those who willingly submitted to Cheonma’s overwhelming power and became Demonic Humans never struggled with loyalty.

But there were others, like me, who were forced into corruption.

Half of them ended up swearing loyalty, their wills broken by the Magi.

‘I wasn’t one of them.’

I was different.

The Magi shattered my mind, and for years, I lived as a maddened beast, lost to rage.

Only when my cultivation advanced did I finally regain my sanity—

But even then, loyalty never took root.

If anything, I spent years plotting my escape, devising plan after plan.

Every attempt ended in failure, but I never stopped trying.

And now, as I looked at him—

‘This one… is no different from me.’

The Magi suppressed his rebellion but did not instill loyalty.

And yet—

“…Just kill me!”

He was not even permitted to die.

“Hm.”

I flicked my fingers lightly.

*Snap!*

With that crisp sound, the shackles binding him dissolved.

“Graaahh!”

The instant he felt his restraints vanish, he lunged at me, his massive fist swinging—

But before his blow could reach my face, his body froze once more.

It wasn’t by his will.

The Magi flowing through him solidified, binding his limbs and locking his entire body in place.

I glanced briefly at his halted fist and then at his contorted expression.

“Grrraaahhh—!”

He strained with every fiber of his being, trying to strike me down—

But the Magi controlled him utterly, suppressing his every movement.

“Good.”

Even in his weakened state, he was far from weak. Yet the Magi restrained him effortlessly.

‘Is it because my cultivation has advanced?’

My ascension, having moved beyond mortal limits and gained greater power—

It had to be a factor.

‘Though… I still don’t understand what happened to his body.’

He had become human.

If there was a reason—

‘It’s probably because of my mental construct.’

When I turned him into a Demonic Human, I superimposed the nature of a Demonic being over his original race.

But the fact that he ended up so different from a typical Demonic Human—

‘It’s because, to me, a Demonic Human is closer to a human than anything else.’

The shift likely stemmed from my own perception.

I no longer considered myself human. I had accepted that I was a dragon.

But—

‘To me, a Demonic Human is still just… another human.’

And because my perception defined his transformation—this was the result.

‘It’s just a guess.’

But ultimately, it didn’t matter.

“Kill me!” he roared again.

What mattered was how I intended to use Du Ryeong.

“Kill me now—”

“Shut up. I’m thinking.”

His mouth snapped shut instantly.

“Kneel.”

*Thud!*

His body crashed to the ground, knees driving into the earth.

I hadn’t even spoken the command aloud—I had simply wielded the Magi. How convenient.

“To be honest, killing you would be easier.”

“…”

“It’d save me a lot of trouble, really. But the problem is… that wouldn’t be very useful, now would it?”

Was it because of my mother that I hesitated? Sure—that was where it began.

“But since things turned out this way… shouldn’t I see how useful you can be?”

The thought settled firmly in my mind.

A warrior of this caliber—if properly controlled—

Could become an invaluable asset.

“Besides…”

It wasn’t just his strength that interested me.

There was something I wanted to ask him.

“You. Why do you hate dragons so much?”

His shoulders tensed the moment I spoke the word—

Dragon.

And it wasn’t just him.

‘In the Mangye, they all react the same to the word dragon.’

What were dragons to these creatures?

What had they done to be so deeply despised?

Du Ryeong’s hatred was the most intense I’d seen, even among his kind.

‘With the dwarves, it made sense—they were used and exploited by dragons.’

But him—

What made him hate dragons this much?

That—

Was what I wanted to know.

«Grhh…»

He reacted to my question. His expression showed he had no desire to answer—

«Speak.»

I stirred the Magi, forcing the words from his lips.

And then—

“…Dragons must die.”

His trembling lips parted, and his voice was thick with venom.

“Arrogant, detestable creatures…”

His words began with curses—

“They are creatures consumed by their own endless greed. In the end, they are always buried beneath their own desires.”

The core of his speech was hatred—

“And so, when they failed to control their instincts, they were sealed by the master.”

But his final words—those were unexpected.

A seal?

Dragons—

No—The Blood Demon—sealed by Mother?

**********

*Kugugugung—!!!*

The empty sky was torn asunder.

A rift split the air, spreading a wave of discord, and from within—

A figure was hurled out, crashing into the ground.

“Kuugh—!!”

It was a man—one with enormous, jet-black wings.

Blood splattered across the earth as he tumbled, his body broken and wounded.

“Huff… Huff…”

His breath came in ragged, pained gasps. His injuries were severe—

“Damn it…”

A snarl of frustration escaped his lips, his face a mask of anger.

“That… wretched woman…”

The man’s thoughts returned to the opponent he had faced moments before.

A relentless pursuer.

A woman who had chased him with dogged tenacity, trapping him at every turn. Her power was overwhelming—so much so that escaping her had been a desperate struggle.

“Damn it all… I even had to use one of my Beaks…”

He had managed to flee only by sacrificing one of his precious Beaks—of which fewer than five remained.

But the cost—

Was far too great.

“What the hell… was she?”

Who were those people?

And—what had become of Du Ryeong?

From what he could sense, Du Ryeong was still alive—

But only barely.

“This isn’t good…”

The entire situation reeked of disaster.

“I still had time…”

His plans were far from complete. The moment he was waiting for had not yet arrived—

But now—

“…I have to move the plan forward.”

It was a gamble—

But he would force the pieces into place.

“…And perhaps… this might be an opportunity.”

With a sudden thud, he slammed his palm into the ground.

The Mangye was in chaos.

The Abyssal Pit had vanished—

And with it, the Master’s true body was absent from its seat.

If there was ever a time—

It was now.

But—

“Damn it…”

The unexpected interference—the woman—

It had thrown everything into disarray.

Grinding his teeth, he reached into his robes and pulled something out.

A black orb—

Without hesitation—

*Crack—!*

He crushed it in his hand.

The orb shattered instantly, shards scattering into the air—

And then—

*Wuuuuuuung—!!!*

The space above him warped, distorting and twisting—

Until—

*Chhhhhrk—!*

A new rift opened—

But this one shifted in shape—

Forming into a single, enormous eye—

An eye that stared down at him, cold and unblinking.

Under the weight of that gaze, he immediately dropped to his knees, his head bowed low.

The air grew thick—

Tension crushed his lungs.

“…Taechon (Grand Heaven).”

His voice trembled with reverence.

“Forgive me… There has been a complication in the plan.”

*Kuuuuurung—!!!*

The eye responded—its form rippling with unseen power—

And then—

It curved slightly—

Forming the shape of a crescent.

Like a smile.