Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1122

Chapter 1122

RUMMMMBLE—!!!

The heavens thundered, and the ground shook with violent force.

«Urgh!»
«Grrr…!»

This was no mere earthquake.

A wave of pressure exploded outward, crushing down upon the entire mountain. The intensity was so immense that those standing wavered and stumbled under its weight.

This was an overwhelming force. And the origin of this shockwave was not the mountain itself.

‘It’s emanating from the Magyeong Gate.’

That White Grand Magyeong Gate—
The energy radiating from it was making the very sky tremble, and that vibration was now crashing down upon the earth.

«Kuh-huk…!»

Under the oppressive force, martial artists dropped to their knees. Anyone below the Peak Realm—those at the level of First-Class martial artists—were completely drained and collapsing.

Many were foaming at the mouth; some had lost consciousness entirely.

Witnessing this, Namgung Jeohwi gritted his teeth.

«What in the world…! Leader of the Azure Dragon Division!»

He shouted, calling out to my father.

«You said we still had time! What is the meaning of this?!»

I turned my gaze toward the Magyeong Gate.

The seals were still holding. Of the two binding rings, one had nearly shattered and was fading away.

According to Father’s prediction, the seal was supposed to break tomorrow, signaling the gate’s opening.

‘Then what is causing this sudden tremor?’

What was behind this abrupt change?

First, the Red Magyeong Gate had mutated. And now, this shockwave?

Creak.

My toes sank into the earth.

The pressure was forcing my body downward, slowly pushing me into the soil.

Crunch.

The ground fractured beneath me as I sank deeper. I quickly pulled my foot free.

Crack.

As I freed myself, I realized the pressure was still increasing—
But for now, it was still something I could manage.

Just as I leaped back, bracing myself—

«Leader of the Azure Dragon Division…!»

«…….»

Namgung Jeohwi’s roar filled the air, but Father merely frowned, his eyes fixed on the Magyeong Gate.

Then—

KUUUUAAAAHHH—!!!

A blazing wave of heat erupted from Father’s body.

The sheer volume of inner energy within that heat enveloped the entire hilltop.

The crushing weight pressing down on everyone immediately lessened.

Father was using his own qi to force back the pressure.

‘Incredible…’

That was an insane amount of inner energy. He could actually release this much at once?

«It seems… there’s a problem.»

Father’s voice was calm, unwavering.

That he could speak so steadily while radiating such immense power was… unbelievable.

With Father’s energy countering the pressure, the others were finally able to breathe again.

«Haaah….»
«Huff… cough….»
«Gah—!»

Everyone let out ragged coughs and heaved as they recovered. The aftershock of escaping that crushing force was severe.

At the same time—

WHOOOSH—!!!

Qi surged from every direction.

Other martial artists, following Father’s lead, began unleashing their auras to push back against the pressure.

Now, at least, we could withstand the force.

But—

‘And this is just from the Magyeong Gate itself.’

The pressure alone was this overwhelming.

If a White-Grade Beast were to emerge from within—

‘What would we do then?’

There was no telling what might come out. But whatever it was, it wasn’t normal.

And that was precisely why—

«…This won’t work.»
«What do we do…?»
«We have to run.»

The morale of the martial artists plummeted.

Given the circumstances, their fear was understandable. But it was a disastrous turn of events.

«…This is bad.»

I couldn’t help but release a heavy sigh.

What were we supposed to do now?

‘And what even is a White Magyeong Gate?’

I had seen Red Magyeong Gates before. But this was my first time witnessing a White one.

‘So White ones emit this kind of energy?’

I had never heard of a Magyeong Gate radiating energy like this. It was entirely new information.

As these thoughts raced through my mind—

CRACK—!

«Huh?»
«T-The seal—!»

A change appeared on the Magyeong Gate.

One of the two remaining rings had snapped.

Now, only a single ring remained.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

The seals had already been at their limit. One more breaking wasn’t a complete surprise.

But—

«L-Look over there!»
«The last ring—!»

Crrrkkk.

The final seal—
A tiny crack had formed on it.

‘Damn it.’

Even at a glance, something was wrong.

This wasn’t supposed to happen yet. The seal shouldn’t be weakening this quickly.

This was bad. Truly bad.

«…We need to prepare for battle.»

Father’s voice was calm, but it shifted the entire atmosphere.

There was no time to hesitate. No room for doubt.

Hearing Father’s words, Namgung Jeohwi immediately shouted—

«Form battle positions! Prepare for combat!»

His shout, amplified by qi, electrified the martial artists.

«Immediately—send an urgent message to the Grand Family Leader!»
«U-Understood…!»

At Namgung Jeohwi’s command, messengers bolted into action.

Not just the Namgung Family’s martial artists, but our group as well began readying for battle.

And then—

The final ring began to break even faster.

It was as if the sheer battle intent of the warriors was accelerating its destruction.

‘Damn it.’

While everyone was focused on preparing for battle, I was thinking about something else entirely.

‘How do I handle this?’

Not how to fight it.

But—

‘How do I make my move?’

I had to step in.

But in this situation, how should I do it?

That was the thought swirling in my head.

‘…If that last ring truly breaks, and the Magyeong Gate fully opens—’

I couldn’t afford to stay idle.

It wasn’t just because I was standing right in front of it.

‘This whole mess is my fault anyway.’

I couldn’t deny it. It was obvious.

So—

‘What should I do?’

How should I step in?

Should I just unleash everything I’ve been holding back?

If I did—
How would that change the outcome?

‘Hmm.’

As these thoughts raced through my mind—

‘Ah.’

A realization struck me.

‘That’s it.’

There was a way.

‘I just have to make sure it’s not me.’

It wasn’t that I couldn’t step in.

I just had to ensure—

Someone else did it instead.

Narrowing my eyes, I smirked.

I had found a solution.

**********

GUUUAAAAAHHHH—!!!

The tremors spread even further.

Watching this, Gu Cheolwoon frowned.

He could feel it—the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

Tension burned in his chest as he stared at the Magyeong Gate.

WHOOOOSH—!!

His inner energy surged, and the Nine Flames Firewheel roared to life.

The compressed flames continued to spiral as Gu Cheolwoon scanned the surroundings.

The atmosphere had turned rigid.

He could sense it. An overwhelming mix of unease and fear.

The energy kept growing stronger.

Loosening his body, Gu Cheolwoon exhaled.

His instincts screamed at him.

‘It’s breaking.’

That crumbling seal—

It was nearly gone.

Something wasn’t right.

His sharp intuition sent a clear warning—
If that last ring broke, something terrible would happen.

A disaster was about to be unleashed from within.

His instincts were screaming at him.

Clench.

Gu Cheolwoon’s fist tightened.

Could he stop this?

He didn’t know.

But—

‘I have to.’

There was no turning back.

He had seen what was coming—
And he couldn’t ignore it.

Focusing his resolve, Gu Cheolwoon enveloped himself in flames.

WHOOOOOSH—!!!

A crimson inferno coiled around him.

The Nine Flames Firewheel reached its eighth stage—
Unleashing its full force.

«Hah…!»
«…Urgh!»

The heat became uncontrollable.

Nearby martial artists flinched at the sheer heatwave.

He had fully released his fighting intent.

«…….»

No longer holding back, he unleashed his power completely.

The burning rings of flame expanded and spun rapidly.

«Huff…»

A hot breath escaped Gu Cheolwoon’s lips.

He was ready.

Then—

TUK—!

A small sound came from the Magyeong Gate’s seal.

«Lord Namgung! The seal has broken—!»

The final ring snapped, dissolving into scattered energy.

Martial artists rushed to report it to Namgung Jeohwi, but—

GUUUUAAAAAHHHHH—!!!!!

A roar of destruction erupted from the Magyeong Gate.

The moment the seal shattered, an impact unlike anything before detonated outward.

A pressure wave, fueled by a sinister force, burst forth like a bombardment.

«AAAGHHH—!!»

Martial artists were flung backwards.

Some were even swept off the mountain entirely.

The White Magyeong Gate quaked violently.

The distortion of energy around it was so severe that reality itself seemed to warp.

«…Something is coming. Prepare yourselves—.»

Gu Cheolwoon’s voice rang out.

At his words, Soi and Do Yun unleashed their auras.

At the very least—they weren’t afraid.

Feeling reassured by their presence, Gu Cheolwoon turned his attention to someone else.

Baek Yangcheon.

A man with an unknown identity. Someone that felt off.

Studying him closely, Gu Cheolwoon found Baek Yangcheon simply staring at the Magyeong Gate.

He wasn’t releasing any energy.

But somehow—

‘What is this?’

Something felt strange.

It was off.

He was just standing there, yet…

This sensation—what was it?

At that moment—

KIIIAAAAAAHHHH—!!!

«…!!»
«Grrrr…!!»

A piercing shriek echoed from within the Magyeong Gate.

And then—

SSSSHHH—!

Something began to emerge.

A hand?

A giant, pale-white hand.

Its clawed fingers were razor-sharp.

Then—

A twisted maw pushed through behind it.

An immense creature.

Since the Magyeong Gate itself was large enough to engulf an entire mountain, whatever was inside wasn’t ordinary.

The sheer size was beyond comprehension.

Seeing it, the martial artists turned pale with horror.

«H-Holy… holy shit… it’s a monster!»
«What the hell is that?! What the hell is that?!»

Everyone was panicking—frozen in terror.

This was a White-Grade Beast.

Its ghostly white limbs, and the disastrous energy radiating from it—

That thing was a calamity.

The moment it fully emerged, this entire region would be doomed.

It couldn’t be stopped.

The instant they saw it, the truth was clear.

Despair filled the air.

As everyone stood paralyzed—

RUUUUUMBLE—!!!

Only Gu Cheolwoon clenched his fists of fire.

Even if they couldn’t stop it.

Even if they couldn’t win.

‘What does that matter?’

It wasn’t a reason to stand still.

Glaring at the monster, he refused to waver.

«KYYYYAAAAHHH—!!!»

A deafening shriek shook the entire mountain.

And then—

As the creature fully emerged—

Thud.

KYYAAGH…?

A short sound rang out.

And suddenly—

The monster’s cry stopped.

At the same time—

«…What?»

Gu Cheolwoon’s eyes widened.

The monster’s head dropped.

It was staring at its own chest.

A gaping hole had been torn straight through its massive body.

«Kyaa…aaah…?»

The beast stared at the hole in its torso, bewildered.

What the hell had just happened?

As everyone stood stunned by the bizarre event—

A voice echoed from the air.

«Do not bark.»

Heads snapped upward.

And there—

«You’re too noisy.»

A martial artist, clad in black robes, looked down upon them.

A white mask concealed his face.

His hand—

Shrouded in black energy.