Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1064

Chapter 1064

If I take in my ancestor, I will become a disaster.

I went completely still at the words.

Disaster. That terrible, infuriating word. Why was I hearing it now, of all times? I turned my head, my eyes wide, to look at Shin Noya. Was this the explanation I had been searching for? I stared at the elder, my silence pleading for him to clarify.

His expression made everything clear.

Shin Noya was watching me with a narrow, shadowed gaze.

Did he know? Did he already understand what was happening?

Thump.

‘Ha.’

My heart hammered wildly, matching the chaos raging inside my body. Fighting to suppress the violent pounding, I turned to face the being who called himself my ancestor and spoke.

“…You’re telling me that if I absorb you, I’ll become a disaster?”

“That is correct.”

“Is that even possible? How in the world…?”

“You already know it is possible.”

“……”

His words left me frozen.

“You must have realized it the instant you heard it. That it is possible. You should have, at the very least. Don’t you agree?”

“……”

I had no reply. As much as I wanted to argue, his statement was unnervingly precise. The moment I heard it, I had a vague understanding. No, perhaps I had been certain.

‘It must have been the moment my vessel broke.’

The moment my vessel shattered and my inner world began to quake.

The moment I encountered this self-proclaimed ancestor.

And—

‘It must have been when I was told I was destined to become the disaster.’

Perhaps I had known all along.

I just refused to accept it.

As usual.

Hissssss.

I glanced at the fracturing sky, then asked the ancestor a question.

“That’s all fine.”

There was still something I didn’t comprehend.

“But why did you hit me?”

Why that sudden, violent slap the moment we met? I didn’t even need to voice the question. When I demanded a reason for the blow, the ancestor answered without hesitation.

“I needed to verify something.”

“…Verify? What?”

“I had to determine if your vessel was strong enough to hold. And to see the condition of your flame.”

“…You struck me just for that?”

And sent me flying like a ragdoll? It was absurd.

“Once I confirmed it, I knew for certain. If I did not intervene, you would die. Or, more accurately…”

The ancestor paused briefly before finishing his thought.

“You would be obliterated.”

“…What’s the difference between dying and being obliterated? Isn’t it the same thing?”

“The annihilation of your soul and physical death are not the same. Of course, from your perspective, it may seem identical, but… that is not the important point right now.”

Fwooshhhhhhhhh.

As the ancestor spoke, his form began to shift. The shape that mirrored my past life burned away, transforming into pure fire until only a figure composed of flames remained.

My eyes widened in shock. It looked familiar. Where had I seen this before? I scrambled through my memories, and thankfully, it came to me quickly.

‘Grandfather.’

That beggar-like old man who had once appeared before me, claiming to be my grandfather.

In an instant, he had stripped me of my control over the flames and summoned me to Shingang, forcing our meeting.

‘Human? Can that thing even be called human?’

Though his fiery form had a human-like outline, it felt utterly inhuman.

The oppressive atmosphere and the overwhelming sensation were indescribable.

I still hadn’t forgotten the terror I felt facing that old man, how my Nine Flames Firewheel Art instinctively recoiled from him.

‘That’s him.’

He resembled that figure exactly.

Crackle.

As I stared at the burning flames, my face contorted in disgust, and the ancestor spoke again.

“How much do you know about the Gu family’s secrets?”

“…Enough. I know you’ve brought struggle upon yourselves through your own reckless actions.”

“You understand well.”

“How very bold of you.”

Despite my sharp tone, the ancestor dismissed it without a second thought. It was clear now. He was undoubtedly of the Gu family.

“The sins I have committed because of my blood are many, but the core of it all is the burden of guilt.”

“The burden of guilt?”

“Yes. The corruption of Zhongyuan. The sin I brought upon myself is now carried by the Gu family.”

The ancestor was speaking of the crime of opening the Magyeong Gate and devastating Zhongyuan, wasn’t he?

That was one of the truths I learned when I became the family head.

But what other sins was he referring to?

As the question formed in my mind, the ancestor answered as if he’d been waiting for it.

“Descendant.”

“What?”

“There must always be a master in this world. Do you understand that this is an absolute, unchangeable law?”

I did.

It was a truth I had been told many times before.

“I speak of what is ‘absolute’ here. A law that cannot be altered. So consider this.”

Swish.

The ancestor raised a finger, and a small flame flickered at its tip.

“There is currently no master in Zhongyuan. Do you know how the world has managed to endure this?”

“…What?”

The subject had suddenly shifted to Zhongyuan.

There is no master in Zhongyuan now. Yes, that’s true. The master is the disaster, and a disaster only becomes the master after destroying and remaking all of life.

To prevent that, Shin Noya and other heroes stopped the Blood Demon in the past.

That was the truth for hundreds of years.

“Correct. The Dragon King failed. Whether from incompetence or because he was forced to fail is debatable, but the result is the same. He did not succeed.”

“…So what is your point? What now?”

The Blood Demon failed.

My mother stepped forward.

And now, it seems the next disaster is meant to be me. So what does that mean?

As my frustration with his vague words grew, the ancestor continued.

“Descendant, do you believe the world is so merciful that it would let an ownerless world stand for hundreds of years? No. The world is not merciful. What despises distortion more than anything is the world itself.”

“But Zhongyuan has been fine. Master or not, it was stable. So what is the problem?”

Even with my mother’s brief appearance, I knew the world had endured without a master.

Yet the world was not merciful?

Then what was the issue?

“You are mistaken. It has not been fine. We made it fine.”

The ancestor’s words made me blink. It wasn’t that things were fine, but that we had made them that way?

“The sin of the Gu family. This is it.”

“What…?”

“An ownerless world. The act of bearing the burden and preventing the world from collapsing because of it. That is the Gu family’s current sin.”

“…!”

My eyes widened in shock. What was he saying?

“…We’re bearing the world’s distortion?”

“The judgment of the world. The martial world’s inability to raise its rank. Especially…”

The ancestor’s gaze turned toward Shin Noya.

“That person. Or others like him, who have lowered their rank to ensure they never break their limits. Do you understand that?”

“……”

I did. It was something Shin Noya had told me.

“The Gu family is the only one to have broken free from that boundary.”

“…Huh?”

This was a new statement I didn’t comprehend.

You’ve broken the boundary? Wasn’t that only your father?

“Do you know why? This, too, is a burden you must carry.”

Whooshhhhhhhh.

The flame at the ancestor’s feet slowly expanded, spreading outward.

“With a weak level, one cannot endure the punishment decreed by the world. And, with the position of Zhongyuan’s owner vacant, it is impossible to maintain it for even a moment. Therefore, the Gu family must be strong.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

I scowled and spoke to the ancestor.

“So what does this have to do with me?”

The Gu family was exempt from the world’s punishment.

If that was true, and I was someone whose level rose more easily, then—

“What does that make me?”

What was I? I couldn’t have become strong without the Cheonma’s help in my past life.

As if anticipating this, the ancestor responded.

“That is right. You were different.”

The ancestor acknowledged it. But—

“That is why you are the anomaly.”

“…What?”

“The seed of the Gu family is within you, but you are not part of its fate. Yet, you force your way into every flow of destiny. That is why they call you a disaster.”

Whoosh.

The ancestor moved forward, coming closer to me. With each step, his feet left marks of fire on the ground.

“From the moment your mother bore you, or perhaps, from the moment the world sent your mother to Zhongyuan and connected her to the seed of the Gu family.”

Perhaps.

No, more accurately, from that very moment.

“You were destined to be this. The world is not merciful, and so it was inevitable.”

“…Inevitable?”

“It was meant for you to make the final choice yourself. If a crack appears, you must be the one to maintain it. In the end, I had to use my blood to cleanse the world and restore its balance.”

The harsh punishment dealt to the goblin, desperate to return home.

Because it began with the Gu family, it had to end with the Gu family.

That was the meaning.

“…Bullshit.”

I couldn’t stop myself from cursing. What kind of nonsense was this?

“So, what? You’re saying this entire mess is your fault?”

“…I will not deny it.”

“You can’t deny it because it’s true! You damn bastard.”

Crunch-!

I grabbed him by the collar.

Though he was now only flame, I could somehow still grip him. Was he allowing it?

And it wasn’t even hot. Had he let me seize him on purpose?

“…Why is any of this my responsibility?”

I gritted my teeth as I spoke.

“I just wanted to live a simple life. No, I didn’t even need it to be easy. I just wanted to live a little more normally. Why does it always have to be me…!”

As I spat out my resentment, the flame-being spoke to me in a hushed voice.

“…I am sorry.”

“Sorry? You’re sorry? The one who’s apologizing is the one telling me to become a disaster?!”

I never wanted this. I was fighting just to survive.

What? Become a disaster?

“I’d rather die. Just kill me.”

Obliteration or death.

Either would be better than this.

Just as I was ready to give up completely…

“If you do not accept this, the ones you tried to protect will die by your hand.”

At the ancestor’s words, a murderous intent flared in my eyes.

Was this a threat now?

“You bastard.”

Whether it would work or not didn’t matter. If I had to die, I would take this bastard with me.

I decided this and drew back my fist—

“I will help you, so it does not come to that.”

Thud.

The ancestor’s words made my body halt.

“Even if you become a disaster, there is a way to avoid reconstructing Zhongyuan.”

“….”

I didn’t answer, simply glaring at him.

I’ll hear him out. I stared with that single thought.

After a moment of silence, the ancestor spoke.

“…The preparations your mother made for you. The answer lies there.”

What came next was, unexpectedly, about my mother.