Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1068

Chapter 1068

Clang.
*Creeeeak—!!!*

The unending noise of grinding metal filled the area.

A woman raised her head at the constant sound.

In the absolute blackness, where sight was useless, she focused on where the noise originated.

From the heart of the darkness, a far-off sound echoed. The door that was meant to stay closed forever had been forced open.

A door that should never have opened.
No matter the circumstance.
Regardless of how many years went by.
That door was intended to remain sealed for all time.

But now, it was open.

The woman stood motionless, staring.

*Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!!!*

From the other side of the door, a flood of absolute darkness poured out, rushing forward in a furious wave.

The deluge swept inward, instantly filling the barren emptiness that had long been scorched away.

*Shhhhhh.*

She felt the water spread under her bare feet.

As the rising tide washed over her ankles, the woman’s eyes shook.

How?

How could that door be open?

It made no sense. She had sealed it with every method she possessed.
It was never meant to be opened.

If it was—
It meant her decision had been a mistake.

Or—

‘The seal of forgetting has shattered.’

To make her choice, she had sacrificed something vital.

If the door was open, it meant that someone’s lost memories had come back.

«No.»

No. It was impossible.

She had locked it away with all her strength.
So how—how could it have come undone so completely?

*Swooooooosh—!!*

The woman advanced, pushing against the rushing waves.

This place—once a massive, infinite emptiness—was designed to be occupied by this flood.

The memories it contained stretched across innumerable eras, poised to consume her entirely.
The water climbed with fury, as if trying to erase her.

Still, the woman did not halt.

No—she could not halt.

She needed to get to that door. She had to close it again.

She had no other option.

The fact that it was open was a miracle. Leaving it open might even become a fortunate turn for her.

But—

‘No.’

For him, it would not be.

Resolute, she forced her way ahead. The crushing flow pressed against her, but she did not yield.

Through the storm of relentless memories, she fought her way forward until at last—she reached the door.

Her face contorted as she stretched out her hand.

Her fingers touched the door. The violent force of the escaping surge made it hard to move, but she gritted her teeth and pushed.

*Creeeak…*

Slowly, the door started to close.

She planted her feet against the furious water, forcing it shut, when—

*Clench.*

A hand closed around her wrist.

“…!”

Her eyes flew open.

No one else should be here.
It was unthinkable for another person to be in this place.

But she felt the distinct warmth of another’s grasp.

Stunned, the woman looked toward the owner of the hand.

“…Ah.”

The moment she saw his face, a soft sound left her lips.

She never imagined she would see him here.

The one she had always missed.
The one she had always wanted to see again.

His sharp, stoic eyes held a faint gentleness.

The man who had once been her entire world stood before her—
In this place where he should not exist.

“You…”

She tried to say his name—

“Yehwa.”

“…!”

He spoke it.

A name she never thought she would hear again.

Hearing it, Yehwa’s body went rigid.
The door, half-closed, stayed motionless.

The young man tightened his hold on her wrist, then softly drew her hand away.

Looking at her, he asked,

“Is this your name?”

“…”

Yehwa gave no reply.

No—she would not reply.

She felt that she must not.

And yet—

«Your name? A name, huh… Hmm… Fine.»
«From now on, you are Yehwa. Let’s go with that.»

She had wanted it so badly.

But she could not form words.
Silence hung between them.

And with the door still open, the feelings she had imprisoned broke free, overwhelming her completely.

Her world was consumed by the abyssal sea.

**********

*RUMBLE—!!!*

A thunderous blast ripped through the air, tearing a rift in the world. A spear, sliced in half by the impact, shredded the emptiness.

The distorted sky in the distance was clear evidence of Taechon’s devastating power.

“…Hah.”

And yet, after unleashing such an attack, Taechon only released a dry, empty laugh.

*Thud.*

Something fell from his body.

He glanced down.

It was his arm.

His severed limb tumbled across the ground before dissolving into dust, fading into nothing.

“…How can this be…?”

But Taechon ignored his lost arm. His distorted gaze remained fixed on the figure standing across from him.

The being that had just cut through his power—
The being that had severed his arm.

What stood before him defied understanding.

*RUMBLING—!!!*

What could he even name it?

Darkness.

A profound, all-engulfing emptiness, completely absent of light.

It couldn’t be called night. It was something more absolute than that—pure darkness.

It swelled, then compressed, moving like a living thing.

Its motion, its very essence—
Taechon found it indescribable.

“How… can such a thing be…?”

The only words he could form were words of disbelief.

Because there was no other explanation.

That thing—
It was divinity.

An immense divine aura, immeasurably vast. A power that seemed to appear from nothing.

“…This is no mere fragment coming down.”

A god.

No—something greater than a god had arrived in this world.

The sheer divine force radiating from it…
It was like a full descent.

Even with all Taechon had experienced—
Even with all he knew, this was too much.

The pressure alone could influence entire dimensions.

The world itself could not bear something like this.

And as if to confirm it—

*Creeeeeeaaaak—!!!*

Fractures spread through reality, splintering out from the darkness.

For now, they were minor.

But soon, they would consume everything.

“…”

Taechon’s eyes narrowed.

An anomaly.

Everything so far had been an anomaly, but this—this was beyond that.

This was something he could not overcome.

Even he could not endure that thing.

“…Where did you come from?”

It was far too late to think this was just a piece of the Dragon Lord.

No—
That was a standalone divinity standing there.

And among all the divine beings Taechon was aware of—
Very few possessed such an immense aura.

If he had to draw a parallel…

Only the Master of the Myriad Realms could compare.

“This is impossible.”

He spoke his thoughts aloud.

“Why do I sense the Myriad Realms’ divinity from you?”

That was the source of his shock.

That thing was not a single divine presence.

It was countless divinities merged together—
A monstrous existence.

And worse—

“…I can feel my own divinity within it.”

Something inside that thing vibrated in tune with his own power.

How?

How was that even possible?

“…What… are you?”

As Taechon whispered in disbelief—

*Vrrrrrrrrr—!!!*

The churning darkness suddenly grew still.

Then, it began to take form.

The shapeless mass condensed into a human silhouette.

At first, it was merely a shadow.

Then, strands of hair appeared.
Skin formed.
Eyes took on color.

Purple eyes.

Pale skin.
Long, flowing hair.

The shape it took—

It was her.

The woman Taechon had been fighting just moments before.

“…!”

A cold tremor ran down Taechon’s spine.

No.

It wasn’t just the same face.

It was something utterly different.

*Hssssss.*

As her body finished solidifying, it was obvious—
This was not the same woman he had faced.

“Huuh…”

A soft sigh escaped her lips as her hair stirred.

Her half-lowered, amethyst eyes slowly turned toward Taechon.

*Fwoosh.*

The darkness that surrounded her flowed into a cloak, settling over her shoulders.

A long, black robe lined with fur, imposing and royal.

In her hand—

A sword, clearer than before, now fully realized.

The woman—
Now completely changed—

“…Ah.”

She covered her eyes with one hand and released a heavy sigh.

“Why…?”

Why had this occurred?

Her expression showed no comprehension—
Only deep, boundless confusion.

“You… what are you…?”

Taechon attempted to speak.

But—

*RUMBLE—!!*

Before he could finish, an overwhelming force crashed down upon him.

His jaw clamped shut.

*Crack—!!*

His bones groaned, then splintered under the weight.

He collapsed to his knees.

“Guh…!”

“…Be silent. I have no desire to hear you speak. My head is throbbing.”

The woman looked down at the crumbling Taechon.

Her eyes glowed—
Not just with power, but with feeling.

“You… what are you…?”

Distant.

Her divine aura existed beyond any scale.

This was—
A true descent.

It was exactly as he had guessed.

She was a being like himself.

Yet—
How?

How had she achieved a successful descent?

“The Myriad Realms… should have prevented this.”

Something of this scale should have been stopped.

The Master of the Myriad Realms would never have allowed something like this.

And yet, here she stood, defying all logic.

As Taechon, breaking under the pressure, strained to ask—

“Permission?”

The woman gave a faint smirk.

“That was settled long ago.”

A moment lost to the past.
A moment no one recalled.

“…”

At her response, Taechon’s face twisted.

“What… are you?”

A question he had asked repeatedly.

He expected no answer—
But this time—

“Cheonma.”

A single word.

Said quietly, with certainty.

The instant he heard it, Taechon tried to respond—

But—

*Slash.*

A black line sliced through the air.

And—

His head was cleft in two.

*Thud.*

His severed head hit the ground—
Turning to dust, just like his arm.

Scattering into nothing.

Yehwa watched the dust disperse—
Her violet eyes shaking.

And behind her—

Gu Yangcheon.

He stood there, his face impossible to read.

His gaze was fixed on her.

Not with surprise.

Not with dread.

But as if he were deep in thought.