Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1054

Chapter 1054

Fssss—!

Pieces of stone and earth tumbled downward.

Shattered fragments fell like rain from above, and the air grew thick with dust, heavier than before.

The sky, once clear, had darkened. Ominous clouds gathered, swallowing even the last remnants of faint light.

Kurrung—! Kuung!!

Thunder growled from within the mass of clouds.

The strange sky was the first thing to draw attention.

The field, once green and thriving, was now devoured by fire, the air saturated with the smell of smoke and burning.

The vibrant, living forest had been utterly annihilated, erased in the wake of the flames.

What had taken place here?

There was no way to tell.

Fsss—!

Amid the charred wreckage, a figure stirred. Someone buried in the dirt was slowly pushing themselves upward.

“Cough…”

The one rising, wounded and bleeding, was the Turtle.

“Cough… hack…”

Just as the Turtle managed to get to his feet, something shot through the air and struck him.

Thwok—!!

“……!!”

The Turtle made no sound as the impact drove him back down, pinning him once again.

“Disgusting.”

The owner of the spear, which had struck the Turtle, spread his wings and drew near.

“Is this the final state of a master who has lost his name? How pitifully brief.”

Though the words pretended sympathy, they were dripping with scorn.

“I’ve often questioned how the Master of the Abyss could acknowledge a master from another world. Now, it makes sense.”

“Grrgh… ugh.”

“Now that you’ve been reduced to nothing, it seems there’s no further need to consider you. Don’t you agree?”

The Turtle groaned in pain at the man’s taunts. Meanwhile, his staff began to emit a soft light.

Kurrung—!!

A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky onto the man.

Kurrururung—!!!

The enormous strike hit him directly, yet—

“Tch.”

The man clicked his tongue, completely unharmed.

“Pointless struggle. You already understand. Without divinity, you cannot hope to bridge the gap between us.”

The man lifted his hand, and the spear impaling the Turtle slid out effortlessly.

“Cough!”

Grasping the bloodied weapon, the man turned his gaze back to the Turtle, a cruel smile twisting his features.

“Did you call me a fool? And what has changed?”

Even if his rank had improved, it meant nothing. No one could defy him with that alone.

“Hhh… hh…”

Exhausted, the Turtle looked up at the man.

He stared into the man’s cold blue eyes and spoke.

“What is your goal?”

“A little late for that question, isn’t it? You should have asked long ago.”

Heh heh.

The man chuckled, holding back his laughter, and went on.

“The heavens gaze down upon the Abyss. All of this is for that purpose.”

“The heavens… ha…”

The Turtle’s eyes widened with realization.

“It’s Taechon.”

Kugung.

At those words, a crushing energy erupted from the man’s body.

“Do not speak carelessly. You are unworthy to utter that name.”

“……So the vile one finally bares his hidden fangs.”

Heh heh heh.

This time, it was the Turtle who laughed.

“Poor child. Do you truly believe you are carrying out Taechon’s will? You are mistaken.”

Staggering, the Turtle used his staff to lever himself up, barely managing to stand.

“You are just a pawn yourself.”

“Perhaps.”

Sshhhrrr—

Feathers burst forth, encircling the man. The white plumes drifted gently before sharpening into countless spears.

“As I told you before, what difference does it make? I have grown mighty by heeding his words.”

“You call that greatness? You understand nothing of what it means to be a true master.”

“That is a lesson I will learn in time. How ironic that one who has fallen from rank dares to advise me.”

“……”

“There is only one thing I wish to know. What could be hidden in that place known as Mount Hua? What is it that the heavens have commanded me to retrieve?”

The words hung in the air as he stared at the master who had lost his name.

He didn’t know what it was, but—

“There must be something. I can tell by what you are guarding.”

“……”

After causing such destruction, the man, blessed by the Abyss, had spent his life so recklessly to protect something.

Whatever was inside had to be immensely powerful. The man was certain of it.

“Impressive.”

He admitted it.

“To maintain such a presence, even without a name.”

Even with the power granted by the heavens, he still couldn’t break through completely.

What could possibly lie within, worth such a desperate defense?

“I can’t stand it.”

He had to know. Resolved, the man reached out.

At that moment—

Whiing.

Innumerable spearheads materialized, all aimed forward.

“Ugh…”

The Turtle tried to move his staff again, but, weakened, he couldn’t even lift his arm.

“Rain down.”

Chwaaaaa—!!!

The spears descended like a torrential downpour.

Kugukukukuku—!!!!

Countless projectiles shot forth, and where there had seemed to be empty space, a wall of impacts formed from their strikes.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga—!!!

The barrage of shocks continued without relent, leaving no time for them to fade. The man possessed the strength to sustain it.

He sought to tear through by sheer force, unleashing wave after wave.

Finally—

Chik—!

A sound of tearing echoed, and then—

Chwaaa—!!!

The barrier, which had held its form, was stripped away in an instant.

Only then did the man raise his hand. The spears vanished.

Where the barrier had been, a completely different world was revealed.

“…I see.”

The man understood upon seeing it.

“It wasn’t hidden. It was created.”

This was no simple illusion meant to deceive the eyes. It was fundamentally different from the gray space granted to him by Taechon.

This was a fully realized creation of space.

Or perhaps, a space borrowed from some unknown origin.

He didn’t know how it connected to this place, but he could accept it, knowing exactly who had fashioned it.

‘The Master of Sorcery.’

Or, the King of Sorcery.

Known by the name Juryung.

Once a being who stood as the sky of a world, he had lost everything—even his true name—through a series of events. His original name was long forgotten.

He was said to dwell somewhere within the Mangye, though the ruler of Mangye had explicitly forbidden seeking him out. Thus, his existence remained veiled.

“…So, you were keeping a secret home here.”

To think such a being was concealed within Mount Hua.

He couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Sssss…

As the last vestiges of the barrier dissolved, the interior was fully exposed.

It was a space linked to another dimension—alien in its backdrop, yet perfectly clear.

Numerous presences filled the area, and in the far distance, an artificial village stood. But more than that—

“Hah… I see. So that’s what you were hiding.”

Far beyond, despite the distance, he could see it clearly—a tree of incomprehensible size.

It scattered petals of a deep crimson, as if it had borne fruit from some unknown seed.

A sacred tree—and it was colossal.

“So, it’s that.”

That was what he was after.

“How… how can it be so immense?”

The size of a sacred tree reflected the stature of its owner. As his own power had grown, the tree connected to him had also expanded.

That should have made his tree large and noticeable. But it didn’t matter. He had already absorbed all the energy radiating from this place.

Whether the ruler of Mangye sensed it was beyond his concern.

“…Well.”

The ruler wouldn’t be able to act. It was obvious—they would be using all their strength to seal the Abyssal Pit.

That was why he had chosen this moment.

“Oh, heavens…”

Even his own tree was considered huge.

But what was that? How could a sacred tree reach such an unimaginable scale?

A question arose within him—along with a ravenous hunger.

“If I could claim that…”

If he could seize that sacred tree, he would fill the void in his power.

With it, he would finally ascend to the heights he sought.

With that thought, he raised his hand toward the sky.

“…So, you intend to cross the line after all.”

A voice—hoarse and aged—echoed.

Without turning, the man answered the speaker—the Turtle.

“A line? Such a thing never existed.”

If he had ever cared about boundaries, he would never have begun this endeavor.

Hearing that, the Turtle replied wearily.

“…So, you feel no fear?”

“Fear?”

What was there to fear?

The man glanced briefly at the Turtle.

“Are you speaking of the ruler of Mangye? Save your concern. She will not come—”

“That’s not it.”

“…What?”

The Turtle interrupted.

Not the ruler of Mangye?

Then what, exactly, was there to fear?

His expression twisted in confusion as he stared at the Turtle.

“The one who has been sleeping peacefully all this time…” The Turtle’s voice grew low.
“…I believe they have awakened because of what you just did.”

“What…?”

What nonsense was this? Was the Turtle merely stalling?

It wouldn’t matter. Nothing could change the outcome.

“What are you trying to—”

As he moved to continue—

—he froze.

Abruptly, his gaze snapped toward the sacred tree.

“…What—?”

His eyes trembled.

From that colossal tree—so vast it defied understanding—something was approaching.

At first, he mistook it for the sheer aura of the tree itself. But as it drew closer, he realized—

It wasn’t the tree.

He flinched, his body locking up.

And then—

Step.

Someone walked forward, treating the sky as solid ground.

The man’s eyes narrowed.

“…You.”

He recognized them.

A being he had seen several times—thanks to the grace of the ruler of Mangye.

A figure who once stood on the verge of being named a General—until they committed a crime: stealing the seed of the sacred tree and disappearing.

The very one who had founded that laughable sect, the Mount Hua Sect (화산파).

An old man, dressed in white martial robes adorned with petal-shaped patterns across the chest.

Not from the Moonlit Night Tribe. Not an exile from another world.

A true Outsider—one not welcomed in any realm.

“…You…”

A cold sweat traced a path down his temple as he stared at the old man.

Something was wrong.

“…Why?”

Why—?

Why did the old man feel so overwhelmingly powerful?

He had met him before. Back then, he had sensed nothing remarkable.

But now, standing here—after his own power had reached heights he once couldn’t imagine—he perceived it.

No, this was impossible. An outsider with no standing in the ranks of power should not—could not—feel like this.

And then—

“Good grief,”

The old man spoke, his voice tinged with weariness.

“I was merely trying to sleep… and you had to create such a disturbance.”

In the blink of an eye—

“…Annoying.”

Swish!

“…Huh?”

A sharp, cutting sound.

The man’s gaze dropped.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

His body—

—was split in two.

Without him even realizing when it had happened.