Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1046

Chapter 1046

Kwaaaahhhh—!!!

An immense pillar of azure light erupted outward.

Its scale was so vast it dwarfed the crater I had made.

Kugugugu—!!!

The ground shook with violent force. The tremors were so powerful I could barely keep my footing without channeling energy.

“Kugh.”

I just managed to land after being thrown backward by the blast.

Even then, the sheer pressure of the air continued to push me back.

Crack.

My feet scraped across the earth, carving grooves into the soil.

I gritted my teeth and poured more strength into my stance.

Crack—!!!

Only when the ground fractured under the strain was I able to halt my momentum and reach out.

Whoooosh—!!

Energy streamed from my fingertips, coiling around Yarang where she stood beside me.

I anchored her firmly in place.

Yarang, held steady by my energy, turned her gaze toward me.

Even concealed behind her mask, her eyes were perfectly clear.

Though her expression was hidden, I could still see her gaze.

I couldn’t fully decipher what she was feeling, but at the very least, I detected no hostility.

Thank goodness.

The thought flickered through my mind, but I pushed it away immediately.

This wasn’t the time for that.

‘What do I do now?’

I stared at the colossal energy pillar before me and released a tense breath.

‘What is that?’

I knew instantly it was no ordinary power, and I could feel its overwhelming intensity.

The true issue was—

‘It’s even more than I anticipated.’

The massive energy column was made purely of life force—the fundamental essence of life. The innate energy all living beings possess.

It had been compressed and refined into this shape.

It was unbelievable. I had never encountered such raw, untamed vitality. What kind of energy was this?

In truth, I didn’t need to wonder. I already knew the origin of this life force.

‘Crystal.’

The life force was radiating from the crystal. It had gathered in the atmosphere before pouring directly into him.

‘That crystal…’

I had sensed the life force the moment I first saw the crystal.

It was obvious now. The crystal wasn’t merely a vessel; it had contained living creatures inside.

‘The beings within were still alive.’

Even though turned to crystal, the life forms trapped inside had still been breathing. They weren’t dead. They were alive, imprisoned within the crystal.

It was horrifying.

How could they survive in such a state?

‘Did he do this?’

The last general, the crow.

It seemed he had been working on something in secret, away from the mother’s attention. But something went wrong, forcing him to act hastily.

‘What is this…?’

Was this pillar the outcome of his efforts?

What kind of ridiculous justification was that?

Shiiiing—!!!
The relentless torrent of energy continued to pour out. It was saturated with life, but knowing its origin made it feel sinister.

‘This is not the time to be thinking about that.’
Now wasn’t the moment for contemplation. If I could feel it, I had to move.

If I left it like this, everything would be destroyed.

I knew this instinctively.

Crack.
I pushed against the pressure and sent my energy forward.

I threw a punch, releasing a burst of flame, but—

Fwwwh—!!
The fire was absurdly knocked aside, deflected by the energy.

“Huh?”

What was that? Why was it deflected?

I stared in shock, completely taken aback.

Gripping.

Someone seized the collar of my clothes. I looked and saw, unsurprisingly, it was Yarang. She pointed toward her sword.

“What the hell?”
In that moment—

Fwaaah—!
The energy of Pama enveloped her blade.

“……!”
I understood then. Was she telling me to use Pama?

At the same time, questions arose.

“You…”

How did you know I could wield Pama’s energy? I wanted to ask, but the situation was too desperate.

I set the questions aside and focused inward.

Fwwwhh—!!!
Flames instantly wreathed my body. They climbed over my shoulder, and I seized them with my hand.

I drove the energy deep into my core.

Then—

Fwaahk—!
The color of the flames shifted. Or rather, the outer layer I had been maintaining seemed to shed, the blue hue vanishing, leaving only pure white behind.

Pama.
The otherworldly energy that destroys demons. The flames of Pama whirled around my hand.

I grasped the white fire and focused its power.

Fwaahk—!
The ring that had materialized behind me had also changed color earlier.

Kiiiiing—!!
As I fed power into the transformed ring, it began to spin furiously. The white flames spiraled outward, erupting with force.

I reshaped the flame.

From Flame Jade to Sacred Spear.

It was my first time forming it with white flames, but it wasn’t overly difficult. There was only a slight discomfort in my chest. Other than that, it was fine.

Once the Sacred Spear of white flame was solid in my grasp—

Kwaaaahhh—!!!
I turned to see Yarang readying her sword as well.

I pivoted at the waist to match her movement, and as if she had been waiting for me, Yarang swung her sword.

A white arc sliced through the air.

Her strike and my Sacred Spear shot toward the pillar simultaneously.

The wind pressure lessened, but only slightly. We were still fighting against an overwhelming force.

Energy surged toward the light, and then—

Thoom—!
A soft sound was followed by—

Kuuuoooh—!!!!!

A tremendous explosion. The pillar shattered, fracturing in every direction. The energy that had been flowing downward broke apart and rocketed up into the sky.

A mushroom cloud bloomed overhead.

Life force and white energy mingled within the cloud. As I watched it expand, I lowered my gaze.

It wasn’t over.

‘Where is he?’

Pama had consumed him. The energy flow was severed, but—

‘He’s still there.’

Even after the explosion, I could still sense him.

‘He didn’t die.’

He wasn’t dead. Quite the opposite—

‘What is this feeling?’

A sense of unease swelled. The hairs on my arms stood up. A profound discomfort welled up inside me.

Whoooosh.

The smoke began to clear. This was my doing.

I waved a hand, summoning a wind to disperse the smoke. I had to see what was ahead.

No matter how I focused, I couldn’t perceive what lay within through the haze.

As the smoke finally thinned and my view returned—

“…What is that?”

Something was there.

Thud.

Something shattered its outer shell and began to rise.

It had a humanoid form, but its skin was deathly white, and the wings on its back were no longer two pairs, but three.

Is that a crow?

It was utterly different from what I had first encountered.

What is it? What in the world is that?

‘Is it a living being?’

Even as I watched, I couldn’t comprehend it.

Its hair was long, spilling and scattering across the ground.

It began to rise slowly.

Whoosh—!

Three pairs of wings unfolded, revealing their full, massive span.

It lifted its head, its gaze cutting through the curtain of hair.

Blue.

Eyes of deepest, most vivid blue.

In those eyes, the sky itself was reflected.

Chill—!

“……!”

A cold shiver raced down my spine. The instant our eyes met, my entire body trembled.

What is this entity? It felt like I was gazing up at the heavens.

An incomprehensible, distant existence. Something far beyond my understanding was looking back at me.

Then—

“Repulsive.”

It spoke. Something was off. It was speaking, yet its voice seemed to descend from above, falling from the sky.

“To be interrupted even here. How is it that you could pierce through the blessing of the gods? That is truly puzzling.”

Swoosh.

Its foot moved.

It took a single step.

The instinct of the human I once was screamed: run.

The instinct of the dragon I had become roared: devour it.

Confronting a being I couldn’t understand filled me with dread, while the dragon’s nature demanded I tear it apart.

Whatever it was, facing the impossible felt the same.

“You didn’t even get half. How unfortunate. But…”

The creature disappeared. Seeing this, I moved at once.

“This is enough. How does it feel?”

It was already directly in front of me.

“How does it feel to face a truly great being?”

“……”

The blue eyes addressed me. I bit my lip. I was certain.

‘I can’t win.’

I couldn’t win.

I couldn’t sense its energy, nor could I feel its presence. All I perceived was a faint, shallow life force.

I grabbed my own arm. The dragon instincts thrashed inside me. They screamed to sink teeth into its neck.

‘Damn it. Just stay still.’

I forced them down.

“What are you?”

I asked.

“Hah.”

At that, it let out a scornful laugh.

“You don’t even lose your spirit when facing me. I have to commend that.”

Its smile widened grotesquely.

“I am, indeed. The new master of the Abyssal Pit, sent by the heavens.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

The new master of the Abyssal Pit? It was a title I had never heard before.

A new master, just like that? What absurdity was this?

I couldn’t make sense of it, but as I stared—

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.”

Its eyes curved into mocking crescents.

“You don’t need to know. This is not something for you to understand.”

Hearing that, my wound twitched. A reflex born from a shiver of pure fear.

Swoosh.

Its hand was already buried in my shoulder.

It was too fast. I couldn’t match its speed.

If this continued, my upper body would be ripped apart. My eyes widened in alarm.

Something slammed into me.

Fwaah—!

A body crashed into mine, shoving me backward.

Swoosh—!

It took the blow meant for me.

It was Yarang.

“Eh?”

Yarang fell.

Thud.

The black mask that had covered her face clattered away.

It tumbled across the ground, and her face was unveiled to the world once more.

It was a face I knew.

A face I had yearned to see.

“……”

That face fell limply to the earth.

She lay there, completely still.

“Aah.”

A breath escaped me.

And then, something in my mind shattered.