Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1071

Chapter 1071

Boom—!!!
Crack—!!!

A powerful collision sent fractures spreading across the protective dome. The vast, enclosed space began to break apart.

Crackle.

Pieces of the barrier broke off, falling and shattering into dust as they struck the ground.

I watched this cycle of ruin repeat, my brow furrowed.

“—-!!!”

An earsplitting roar echoed out. It came from the Divine Tree. Or more accurately, from the very roots that formed the barrier—if that was true, then this sound was the voice of the Abyssal Pit itself.

“…This is bad.”

The Turtle’s tone was deeply serious.

Vwooom—! A brilliant light erupted from his staff. The radiance flowed into the foundation of the abyssal space, trying to mend and strengthen the barrier.

But—

Kuaaaaaaah—!!!!
Boom—!!!

Another shockwave tore through the newly repaired barrier, shredding it instantly.

“Kh…!”

The Turtle shuddered, stumbling back from the force. I immediately moved to support him.

“Elder…!”

Drip.

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of the Turtle’s mouth.

Even the restorative heat that sustained him had dimmed.

I had given him a considerable amount of energy, yet it was gone in a flash.

It meant the backlash he had absorbed was tremendous.

As I reached out to transfer more energy to him—

“…Don’t.”

The Turtle gripped my wrist tightly.

“We need to suppress our energy as much as possible… No, that’s pointless now. It must have already detected us.”

His face was etched with clear alarm as he stared upward.

I followed his gaze.

Beyond the enormous cracks in the barrier, a woman stood watching us.

A small figure, floating in the air.

Her long, white hair streamed like silk on the wind, matching her pale skin.

Her eyes held the shifting light of an aurora, and multiple tails swayed behind her.

I knew what she was the moment I saw her.

‘That is divinity.’

The overwhelming pressure, the unimaginable grandeur—

Was this what my ancestors, or Taechon, had meant when they spoke of divinity?

‘This is something else entirely.’

She was nothing like Taechon, who had used a borrowed body, or the Abyssal Pit, who had merely crafted a protective shell.

Just seeing her made it clear—

No, actually—

‘I can’t even process it.’

Her existence was so far beyond my own that my senses couldn’t fully grasp her presence.

Even though the danger was palpable, I felt no fear.

I knew, instinctively—this being was beyond normal comprehension.

Then—

With a look of profound weariness, the woman languidly raised a finger.

The aurora draped across the night sky answered her call.

What had been a mere spectacle now surged forward.

Rumble—!!!

A beam of light slammed into the barrier.

Boom—!!!

The earth shook violently once more.

“—!!!”

The Abyssal Pit roared in fury. Though the barrier tried to heal itself, the damage was outpacing the repair.

Thud—! Thud, thud—!! Boom—!!!

The ground heaved under the relentless assault, threatening to give way completely—

“Abyssal Pit.”

A voice, crystalline yet icy, rang out from beyond the fissure.

“What do you think you are doing?”

The voice held no emotion whatsoever.

The source of the attack—

The Master of Mangye was addressing the Abyssal Pit.

“…You carry the weight of karma upon your form, yet you abandoned your atonement and fled—only to come here?”

“—!!”

“The circumstances are severe. I do not know your reasons, but—this ends now.”

A shudder ran through me.

Just hearing that voice sent tremors through my very soul.

It was suffocating. The stray energies within me, with no vessel to hold them, quivered violently in response to their master’s voice.

The impact of her words hit me even harder because I had no container for that power.

“Ghh…”

My knees gave way.

As I wavered, a gaze fell upon me.

It was heavy.

Even from a great distance, I felt the Master’s eyes on me.

Straining, I lifted my head, forcing myself to look back at her.

“…I see.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had come to a realization.

A cold dread shot down my spine.

‘She’s different.’

Hadn’t they called it Oblivion? I’d heard her punishment was to forget.

Yet, contrary to that idea, her gaze was frostily detached.

Devoid of all emotion.

It was the look one gives a fallen twig or a stone on the path.

It was nothing like the gaze of my mother when I met her in Zhongyuan, or the warmth I felt from the Divine Tree.

That look alone confirmed she was an entirely different kind of existence.

“…So this is what you’ve been concealing.”

Her fingers moved.

Kagagagak—!!!

Another bolt of light was unleashed. But this one was different.

Its power was far greater.

“…A dragon.”

She was talking about me.

“What reason is there to hide a dragon? That thing is merely a remnant of the Dragon Emperor’s lingering attachments.”

The moment she said it, the assault intensified.

“Abyssal Pit. You, of all beings, should understand—how troublesome the Dragon Emperor’s remnants are.”

Boom—! Thud, thud—!!!

Each successive impact sent vibrations deep into my core.

This wasn’t just a physical blow.

This was—

‘…Resonance.’

The energy inside me was revolting.

It was as if it demanded I rush toward the source of the attack.

Grrrrk.

The volatile power raged within me, completely out of control.

Without a vessel to contain it, the internal chaos only grew worse.

As I fought against the sensation—

“Hm?”

The Master tilted her head, staring at me.

“…What is this?”

An unfamiliar note sounded in her voice, and the bombardment stopped abruptly.

“This is strange.”

Her voice grew closer.

The distance between us was vast, yet her voice felt unnaturally near.

It meant the Master had truly taken notice of me.

“…Why.”

That was the issue.

“Why do I sense the divinity of Mangye emanating from that thing?”

At that moment, the energy gathering around us shifted again.

It was on a completely different level than before.

The oppressive force flooding the atmosphere made me shudder.

And then—

Kuaaaaaaah—!!!!!

A massive shockwave reverberated through the space.

Paaaah—!!

The barrier exploded into countless shards, creating a gigantic rift. It tried to restore itself once more, but—

The Master was faster.

Tap.

Before I knew it, she had stepped onto the ground.

A small, pale foot touched the ravaged earth—and a miracle followed.

Crackle…

Starting from where her foot landed, vibrant green life began to spread across the devastated terrain.

The shattered earth knitted itself back together; the oppressive air suddenly felt light.

But the tension grew only sharper.

As I stood trembling, watching the Master, her gaze moved past me—to Cheonma.

“…Two dragons.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“And both carry divinity within them.”

The Master of Mangye murmured as if to herself.

“This is peculiar. How did I never sense this?”

Rumble—!

The dark sky twisted into a vortex.

Perhaps the barrier had lost its function—the loosened energy began to converge into a single point.

And then—

“…This isn’t a doppelgänger.”

The Turtle stared at the Master and spoke in a hushed tone.

“…All Realms… You have come in your true form?”

The Master’s eyes turned to the Turtle.

“How could I not? With a disturbance of this magnitude, my presence is required.”

“…Taechon was here.”

The Master’s eyes narrowed.

“Taechon?”

“Yes. He came to All Realms and caused a problem.”

“That is impossible.”

The Master shook her head.

“I sensed nothing of the sort.”

“It is the truth. We—”

“Shh.”

“……!”

A soft whisper cut the Turtle off.

His face contorted as if something physical was preventing him from speaking further.

“I will not engage in meaningless talk.”

“Unfortunately, I am very tired at the moment.”

The miraculous energy she had released continued to spread, enveloping the entire area.

By the time the war-torn land was fully restored with new life—

Kagagagak—!!!

The dark energy churning in the sky plunged toward the ground.

Though it had been massive, its size rapidly shrank as it hit the earth.

And by the time the energy had completely dissipated—

Grrr…

All that remained was a small, dog-like form.

It was the Abyssal Pit.

“…Abyssal Pit.”

The Master narrowed her eyes as she looked at it.

“…You have become small.”

Grrrr…

“And this is your true body. Where have you left your divinity? What exactly are you trying to achieve?”

Her expression showed clear displeasure.

“Fulfill your karma. All Realms is crumbling without you.”

Grrrr—!

Despite the Master’s words, the Abyssal Pit only growled, its eyes filled with hostility.

Seeing this, the woman finally frowned.

“…I do not understand.”

What was the reason?

“You act as if you are trying to protect them.”

The Abyssal Pit stood defiantly in front of me, glaring at the Master.

The Master’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“…Is this about the Dragon Emperor?”

Grrr!

“Even after I sealed him and cast him away, could he still have influenced you?”

A deep crimson light flickered in her eyes.

It was strange.

The more I looked, the more unnatural it felt.

‘Oblivion.’

So this was the punishment she had received.

An existence that believed in nothing, following only a preordained path.

I felt a profound unease seeing the Master—the woman I had once known as my mother.

…Enough.”

And just like that, the thought was cut short.

“I will simply erase it.”

The voice came from right in front of me.

The Master was already within arm’s reach.

I hadn’t even seen her move.

“…Damn—!”

“Grrr—!”

The Turtle and the Abyssal Pit reacted, but—

The Master’s hand was already at my throat.

She was too fast.

The instant her fingertips touched my neck—

Zzt.

“…Hm?”

“Kh…!?”

A brief, sharp pain shot through me.

It was an unfamiliar, fleeting sensation.

Like the static shock from sudden friction.

As my eyes widened in surprise—

—Listen carefully.

A voice resonated from deep within me.

It was my ancestor’s voice.

—Time is short, so I will be brief.

‘What… now—?’

—This is a contingency your mother prepared. And more than that…

I didn’t even have time to respond.

Because my lips, my body, the entire world had frozen solid.

The Master’s hand remained pressed against my neck—utterly still, frozen in time.

I had experienced this before.

Just as I realized what was happening—

—Descendant. This is a warning.

The ancestor spoke.

—No matter what you do, nothing will change. Remember this.

And with that final, cryptic message—

Darkness swallowed my vision.