Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1087

Chapter 1087

*Crack—!!*

A sharp, percussive sound echoed as Namgung Jin’s head whipped backward.

“Ugh—”

A choked grunt was forced from his lips, but it didn’t last.

Before his head could even come to rest—

*Boom—!!!*

My fist smashed into his face again.

The noise of the impact was like a massive rock splitting apart.

The power behind the blow lifted Namgung Jin clean off his feet, sending his body spinning through the air.

A spray of blood flew from his nose, tracing a crimson circle in the air as he tumbled.

He was moments from slamming into the earth—

But—

“Guhhh…!”

Even in that fleeting instant, he never met the ground.

A hand was already clamped around his throat, holding him suspended.

“Ah, damn it all.”

A harsh curse escaped me.

My face contorted in annoyance, my blue eyes flashing as I stared coldly at him.

Everyone nearby recoiled.

“This is just sad.”

*Tsk.*

I clicked my tongue, my entire posture radiating pure contempt.

“I have to wonder—what is actually wrong with every man in your miserable family?”

“Ghk… ugh…!”

Namgung Jin’s form shuddered.

He was trembling from the shock and pain wracking his body.

*Thwack—!*

“Gah—!!”

I drove my fist into his stomach.

His body convulsed violently as a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

“You know what I can’t stand the most?”

I asked, my voice thick with scorn.

“It’s weaklings who have no idea how pathetic they are but still strut around like they rule everything.”

*Crunch!*

I hit him again.

“If you can’t fight worth a damn, then keep your mouth shut and live a quiet life. Stop wasting my time.”

My words carried a bitterness that was almost self-directed.

Because in my previous life, I had been guilty of that very failure.

That was why, without fully realizing it, I had let my fury take over as I pummeled him.

While I was distracted by my own memories—

The members of the Azure Dragon Division, along with the watching recruits, sat in complete silence, their eyes wide with shock.

“…Namgung Jin is being defeated like this?”

“What…?”

“I couldn’t even follow the movements.”

The veteran members of the Division were visibly disturbed.

It was to be expected.

Who was Namgung Jin, the Sword Dragon?

He was the heir to the Namgung Clan and had been considered the strongest of his generation before the Divine Dragon appeared.

Many had believed that if not for the Divine Dragon, Namgung Jin would have become the Vice Leader of the Azure Dragon Division.

Yes, he had his flaws, but in terms of raw combat strength, he was nearly peerless among the youth.

And yet, that very Sword Dragon was now being demolished, unable to fight back.

The new recruits were equally stunned.

“…The mighty Sword Dragon is being handled this easily?”

“This can’t be real. And by someone… who is the same rank as us?”

The concept was incomprehensible.

A fellow recruit—someone who had just entered the Martial Alliance—was completely overwhelming Namgung Jin.

Amid the astonished recruits—

“Hah. You all sound so foolish.”

A calm, amused voice cut through the whispers.

All heads turned toward the speaker.

There, standing with a look of knowing confidence—

Was Do Yun.

“How can you even think to measure yourselves against Baek Comrade? That’s the most ridiculous notion I’ve ever heard.”

“…Do Yun? What are you saying?”

“What do you mean, what am I saying?”

Do Yun let out a derisive laugh, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“Baek Comrade is fundamentally different from the rest of us.”

“What…?”

“Just consider it. Are you all forgetting what Baek Comrade has accomplished since arriving at the Martial Alliance?”

At his prompting, the other recruits began to remember the chain of events since Baek Yangcheon’s arrival.

First.

In the entrance examination, he had knocked out the sword proctor with a single strike.

There had been others who beat their examiners—

But no one had ever done it in one move.

Second.

During the test on demonic beasts, he was the only one to achieve a perfect score.

He wasn’t just physically powerful; he was also immensely knowledgeable.

And third.

“…He is the one personally acknowledged by Paejon, one of the Three Supreme Masters.”

The Three Supreme Masters.

Paejon, a legendary figure within the righteous sects, had taken a personal interest in Baek Yangcheon.

He had even attended the Azure Dragon Division’s banquet specifically for him.

That alone had sent waves through the Martial Alliance.

Yet despite all this—

“The real mystery is…”

Do Yun’s voice dropped, making the others lean closer.

“Why has someone this extraordinary remained completely unknown until now?”

“…Hah!?”

“…That’s… a good point.”

It was strange.

A man with such overwhelming power—

And yet, until recently, no one had heard of him.

It made no sense.

Because—

“Look at him. He’s dismantling the Sword Dragon by himself.”

How could someone this skilled have stayed hidden for so long?

How—

“…Is it possible he was never awarded a Dragon title?”

The most talented young prodigies were granted titles of Dragon or Phoenix.

But Baek Yangcheon had never been recognized as either.

As the recruits were deep in thought—

“I have a theory.”

Do Yun suddenly spoke in a hushed, confidential tone.

The recruits immediately pressed in, keen to hear.

And then—

“I believe Baek Comrade—no, our friend Yangcheon, is a secret weapon cultivated in secrecy by the Baek Clan.”

“…A secret weapon?”

At some point, Do Yun had dropped the formal «Comrade» and begun calling him a friend.

But the others were too focused on his claim to notice.

“Yes. The Baek Clan, long seen as too insignificant, secretly trained a genius to reclaim their standing in the martial world…!”

“Hah…!”

It was a plausible explanation.

The Baek Clan had never been a major power.

“…So that’s why he was hidden for so long?”

“If that’s true… it actually clarifies everything.”

His incredible fighting prowess.

His vast knowledge of demonic beasts.

His previous anonymity.

If he was a hidden prodigy raised in seclusion, it all fell into place.

“Perhaps… we are watching the rise of a new legend.”

Do Yun, encouraged by their attention, nodded with gravity.

“Haaah…”

The recruits murmured in dawning acceptance, slowly believing the story.

And as their whispers solidified into conviction—

‘These absolute idiots.’

The real Baek Yangcheon—

No, Gu Yangcheon—

Listened to every word with a look of pure revulsion.

**********

I heard it all.

‘What? A secret weapon?’

Unbelievable.

A secret weapon, of all things.

This ludicrous misconception was spreading rapidly.

And they weren’t even being quiet about it.

With my enhanced senses, it was impossible to ignore.

‘Hah.’

I barely suppressed a sigh.

This was not good.

‘What do I do now?’

That absurd conversation was one thing—

But there was something much more serious.

‘I really went too far.’

Namgung Jin, the bloody, gasping wreck at my feet—

This was a problem.

I hadn’t even landed that many blows, but he was already barely conscious.

I had intended to hold back, aware of the gap in our cultivation, but—

‘I… misjudged.’

I had never fought someone so weak since achieving transcendence.

I had underestimated my own strength and overdone it.

‘…What next?’

It seemed I had truly created a mess.

On top of that, I’d lost my temper.

But honestly.

He kept provoking me.

I had tried to restrain myself.

This was ultimately his fault.

‘And besides, he looks just like Namgung Cheonjun.’

Technically, Namgung Cheonjun looked like him, not the other way around—

But that wasn’t the point.

That infuriating face, staring at me with such arrogance, had set me off.

‘So I ended up hitting him a bit too much.’

This wasn’t according to plan.

It was becoming inconvenient.

Still, I had at least avoided striking his face.

Even in my rage, I had instinctively held back.

‘Because that’s the only part of him that looks like Namgung Bi-ah.’

I had shown restraint.

And—

‘Normally, I would have crushed his pelvis.’

For a moment, I had considered ensuring he could never have heirs, ending my grudge against Namgung Cheonjun with him—

But—

‘I can’t do that.’

Because of that bastard, I couldn’t risk preventing Namgung Bi-ah’s birth.

Hoo…

I let out a quiet breath, a soft sigh escaping.

At the same time, I opened my hand.

*Thud.*

Namgung Jin slumped to the ground.

His shallow, ragged breathing confirmed he was still alive.

As I watched him, a thought occurred to me.

‘So he really did improve with age.’

Was it just this world that made him this way?

Or was Namgung Jin like this in my Zhongyuan as well?

I didn’t know.

But compared to the Sword King of the Firmament I remembered, this Namgung Jin was merely a bully.

‘Hm.’

As I looked down at Namgung Jin, I felt a specific gaze fixed on me.

Everyone was watching—

But one particular stare was distinct.

I wanted to keep hitting him.

I had cooled down slightly, but—

‘Since it’s already come to this, I should make the most of it.’

Even if my anger had faded, this moment could still be useful.

*Swish.*

I lifted my foot over Namgung Jin’s head.

And at the same time—

*Ssss…*

I released a faint, almost imperceptible thread of killing intent.

A thin, precise wisp—something most would miss.

I coiled it around my foot, poised to crush his skull.

And just as my heel began to descend—

*Fwoosh.*

A spark ignited beside my ear.

Heat.

An intense wave of heat bloomed inches from my skin.

I turned my head.

*Roar—!!!*

A great crimson inferno erupted in front of me.

Fast.

Fierce.

The flames swirled around my body, filling the air.

But they didn’t touch me.

Not quite.

A single movement would let them sear my flesh.

A fire woven from pure aura.

It was blisteringly hot, yet within that heat—

I detected a strange, cold undercurrent.

A power entirely different from my own flames.

I shifted my eyes to the source of the fire.

“The duel is over.”

A low, resonant voice.

A pair of crimson eyes gazing intently at me.

«Step back, Baek Yangcheon.»

My father stood there, his expression inscrutable, his aura pressing down on me.

I smiled.

«Step back?»

Still smiling, I met his gaze and said—

«Make me.»

«…….»

A deep furrow appeared between my father’s brows.

…Truthfully, I was terrified.

But I would never let it show.