Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1057

Chapter 1057

Rustle—!

The tentacles dissolved within the flames, crumbling into ash as they fell.

Thud—! Thud, thud—!
Ssssshhh—!!

Where the remnants struck the ground, they vanished instantly, leaving behind only seared, molten scars in the earth.

A sharp, acrid odor filled the air, but the owner of the tentacles appeared unaffected. His gaze remained detached, fixed on a point ahead.

There, a young man shrouded in white fire stood with a face twisted in fury, his eyes burning toward Taechon.

“You damned bastard… How dare you.”

The raw hatred in his voice was palpable. Taechon found such untamed emotion amusing and allowed a faint smirk to touch his lips.

“So, it is you. The fracture the world observes.”

He knew the instant he saw him. That distortion—it was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

No threads of fate were tied to him. Everything about him was knotted, coiled beyond recognition.

And beyond that—

“You defy divinity, do you?”

Taechon glanced at the flames still consuming his tentacles. The white fire continued its feast.

It was affecting his divine essence. That alone intrigued him.

Who was behind this?

“Mangye?”

That was one possibility.

Or perhaps—

“One of the others?”

Dissenters were not rare. Among them, one was particularly adept in such arts.

Especially—

“Looking to the side, there is a rather likely candidate……”

Taechon shifted his attention to those standing near the young man. His focus settled on a woman with black hair.

“Was it you, Dragon Sovereign? Did you weave such a tangled fate around him?”

Dragon Sovereign.

Once the arrogant ruler of the Dragon Realm.

Taechon voiced his suspicion, but—

“What the hell is he talking about?”

The young man.

Gu Yangcheon gave no indication he had heard. Instead, he surged forward, his body engulfed in white fire as he charged straight at Taechon.

Whoosh—!!!

The sphere clenched in his hand changed form.

Flame Jade Spear.

A white spear shot toward Taechon.

Fwoosh—!

It moved faster than sound.

Taechon reacted, his tentacles moving on instinct.

Crunch—!!

Yet the spear tore through them effortlessly, driving straight for Taechon.

“Hmm.”

Taechon reached out, catching the spear in mid-flight—

Creak—!

The moment his fingers closed around it, intense heat flared, disintegrating his hand.

Frowning slightly, Taechon twisted the spear, altering its path.

The redirected weapon sliced through empty air, and a moment later, a deafening explosion erupted in the distance.

Kuaaaaaaaa—!!!

A pillar of white flame scorched the sky.

And then—

Cheonma Divine Art.

“……!”

Taechon sensed it directly in front of him.

Turning his head, he saw Gu Yangcheon already upon him, something taking shape in his palm.

“Cheonma Soul Jade.”

A white, ominous sphere.

Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.

Thump—!

A soft sound echoed, followed by a chorus of screams.

Kiaaaaaaaa—!!!

A wave of tormented energy ruptured outwards in a massive shockwave.

“Oh…….”

Shin Cheol, watching from a distance, let out an admiring sound.

“This kid.”

He had created something new since their last encounter.

It was half admiration—

And half—

“……Disappointing.”

A tinge of regret.

A technique learned too recently, or a martial art not yet perfected. Gu Yangcheon’s power had gaps.

That was the problem.

That single flaw diluted the technique’s destructive force.

“Tsk, tsk.”

And there was no chance the enemy would miss it.

“You almost surprised me there.”

As the agonized wails subsided, Taechon’s voice, tinged with amusement, rang out. Simultaneously, the ground shook violently.

Rumble—!!!!!

The earth split open, and an overwhelming mass of tentacles burst forth.

Seeing this, Gu Yangcheon swiftly withdrew his energy and moved. Amid the chaos, Taechon still stood.

His body was damaged—clearly wounded by the attack. Parts of his flesh were torn away.

But that was all.

Taechon looked at Gu Yangcheon with an entertained grin.

As if to say—

“Is that all you have?”

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, Gu Yangcheon took a deep breath.

And then—

“Huuu.”

He inhaled, gathering his energy.

White heat. The same White Flame he had used before.

He had learned from their last battle that White Flame caused greater damage to them. That was why he used it now.

The white energy rose into the sky, forming a barrier.

Baekcheon (White Sky).

Beneath the ashen heavens, a white domain unfolded.

And then—

Whoooong—!!

At its heart, a sun was born.

Flame Wheel Star.

The moment the sphere materialized, power flooded Gu Yangcheon’s body.

The trait of the Moonlit Night Tribe activated, pushing his physical form to its absolute limit.

“Heh.”

Watching this, Taechon chuckled.

“Interesting. To think your body can contain so much.”

Especially—

“With a vessel on the verge of shattering.”

He swallowed the rest of his thought.

Because just then, Gu Yangcheon attacked.

“Hup!”

With a sharp exhale, his fingertips slashed toward Taechon’s position. A blast of wind pressure tore through the ground like gigantic claws.

Screech—!!!

He dodged.

Gu Yangcheon’s pupils, narrowed with battle instinct, scanned for Taechon.

Behind.

Was he still too slow? Realizing his strike had missed, Gu Yangcheon willed another transformation upon himself.

Heavenborne.

He became one with the sky.

The energy of Tua Pacheonmu surged through him, amplifying all his abilities.

Creak—!!

His muscles screamed in protest.

Only his body, strengthened as a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe, allowed him to endure such strain.

Boom—!!

As he stomped the ground, the earth shook as if ready to erupt.

Feeling the power swelling in his legs, Gu Yangcheon shot forward.

Sound lagged behind him.

Kuuuuuung—!!

The sonic boom arrived late, trailing his movement.

With a fist sheathed in White Flame, Gu Yangcheon unleashed a barrage of strikes at Taechon. Taechon evaded swiftly, but he could not entirely escape the young man’s speed.

In the end—

Slam—! Slam, slam—!!

Gu Yangcheon seized Taechon by the ankle.

Then, without pause—

He began slamming him repeatedly into the ground, each impact shaking the earth.

After a relentless volley of blows—

Whoosh—!

He hurled Taechon toward a distant hillside.

Taechon’s body soared through the air, crashing toward the rocky slope.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Yangcheon formed another Flame Jade Spear and hurled it with all his strength.

Thwuck—!!

The spear impaled Taechon mid-flight, pinning him against the cliff.

Boom—!!!

The impact sent tremors through the earth.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Yangcheon pursued.

His azure eyes, fractured with bloodlust, glinted coldly.

With one hand, he conjured a sphere of flame—Flame Jade Core—and drove it into the spear holding Taechon.

Sizzle—!

A searing sound, like something tearing—

Then—

Kuaaaaaaaa—!!!

The explosion that followed dwarfed the previous one. A convergence of layered techniques, powerful enough to obliterate the entire area.

From the inferno, Gu Yangcheon emerged, landing heavily on the scorched ground.

“…….”

His face was tight with frustration. An expression unbefitting one who had seemingly struck true.

There was only one reason.

“Damn it.”

It hadn’t worked.

Fwoosh—!!!

Withdrawing his flames, his vision cleared. The landscape lay in ruins, devastated by the blast—

And yet—there were no melted surfaces.

That was the nature of White Flame. Unlike ordinary fire, it did not burn or corrode physical matter.

It consumed only one thing—

‘Demonic Energy.’

The unnatural energy he called Magi—that was the only thing White Flame could devour.

But—

“Shit.”

This time, it wasn’t enough.

Because from the very center of the blast—

Taechon stood.

Half his body was destroyed, his torso barely intact. Yet, despite his ravaged form—Gu Yangcheon felt no victory.

“What are you?”

Though his face resembled the Crow, the enemy he had fought before—Gu Yangcheon knew.

This was not the Crow.

It wasn’t the missing wings—he simply knew. Instinctively.

“Well now.”

Taechon, broken and battered, spoke.

His voice was eerily calm, contradicting his shattered appearance.

“Is it something about this place? Everyone I meet is terribly violent.”

The moment Taechon spoke, power surged once more into Gu Yangcheon’s hand.

Without a second thought—he moved to strike—

Grip—!

But his wrist was caught.

Eyes widening, he turned to see who held him—

“……Noya?”

Shin Cheol.

«Hold still. You’re making it hard to concentrate with all this chaos.»

“Noya…… Have you recovered?”

«Obviously. If I hadn’t, would I be standing here talking with you? Hah! What a foolish question.»

The familiar arrogance.

Under any other circumstances, Gu Yangcheon would have scowled at such cheek—

But this time—he could not.

Shin Cheol, noticing his silence, gave a crooked smile and clicked his tongue.

“Look at that face. Don’t make that expression. I’m in better shape than you think.”

«But—»

«I said I’m fine. I only nodded off for a moment, that’s all.»

‘Like hell you did.’

With a flicker of irritation, Gu Yangcheon tried to pull his arm free—

But the grip held firm.

“Be still. Rushing in now won’t change anything.”

«That’s—»

“Besides—”

Shin Cheol’s gaze shifted past him.

“Even if you did, I doubt you could stop that.”

“……!”

Alarmed, Gu Yangcheon whipped his head around toward Taechon—

And saw.

Crrrkkk—!!!

Taechon’s body—began to change.

His once-white hair darkened into an eerie blue.

The sapphire of his eyes—bled into a hollow white.

Completely devoid of pupils, his eyes became an unsettling, inhuman white—so unnatural it chilled the blood.

The broken body—began to mend.

“Ah—”

A whisper.

Goosebumps.

That single sound—sent terror coursing through every fiber of his being.

What was this feeling?

What was this thing?

Gu Yangcheon had charged in blinded by rage—

But now, a deep, primal instinct screamed—Something was wrong.

A flicker of fear—urging him to flee.

But then—

«Kid.»

A low voice reached his ear—

And a presence—rested lightly on his shoulder.

A soft sensation—on his left arm.

Eternal Bind.

His sword—had left his side—moving on its own to Shin Cheol.

Firmly gripping the blade, Shin Cheol—his eyes locked on Taechon—said:

«In that state… how long can you maintain it?»

“……What?”

“Your body. With White Sky, Nine Flames Firewheel, and Tua Pacheonmu coursing through it—”

“How long can you last?”

Without hesitation, Gu Yangcheon calculated.

“…7 or 8 minutes… at most.”

If he pushed to the absolute limit—7 or 8 minutes—no more.

Hearing this, Shin Cheol chuckled.

“That so? Perfect.”

Shhhkk—

With a whisper, he raised Eternal Bind, its point aimed directly at Taechon.

«Watch closely.»

Petals—

Began to fall.

Soft, fleeting—petals of plum blossoms—

Drifting gently through the air—and settling upon the earth.

The very instant those blossoms touched the ground—

“This is—”

A bloom—

Exploding from his form—

“—everything I have to show you.”

Hwaaaaa—!!!

From Shin Cheol—

The Plum Blossom—fully bloomed.