Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1125

Chapter 1125

“Kiiiiiaaaaaahhhh—!!!!”

A shriek so sharp it seemed to solidify the air itself tore through the heavens, a brilliant column of light. The devastating aftermath of the Cheonma Soul Prison was now exposed for everyone to witness.

Around that blinding pillar, storms of raw power whirled and raged, voraciously consuming everything in their immediate vicinity.

It was a monstrous, unnatural spectacle.

Could such a thing truly be the work of a human being?

The witnesses to this scene swallowed dryly, their throats tight.

The trembling in their legs was not just from the ground shaking beneath their feet.

It was the pure, undiluted terror radiating from that energy.

It was a display of supreme mastery that would not even allow ordinary martial artists to draw near.

As if they were beholding an entity that existed above the very heavens, the warriors were instinctively overwhelmed by a sense of profound awe.

“Kiaaaaaah-!!”

“Kghhh…!”
“My ears…!”

The roaring energy itself seemed to be screaming. The sound was so deeply unsettling that they clapped their hands over their ears without thinking.

Goosebumps erupted across their skin.

Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the pillar of light vanished. The surrounding storms of energy also dissipated into nothingness.

And finally, the full result of that power was laid bare.

“Haaah…”
“T-That…?”

The onlookers could not suppress their trembling.

The White-Rank Beast that had been a rampaging calamity just moments before, a foe they believed was utterly undefeatable…

«…It’s breaking apart.»
«It’s collapsing…»

Its form was so completely and utterly destroyed that its original shape was almost unrecognizable.

“Kyah… kyarr… kyarruk….”

Before, it had been capable of endless regeneration. Now, it could not even manage that, emitting only weak, pitiful cries.

And then—

Fwooooosh—!!!

A wave of black energy clung to the beast’s ravaged body.

It looked exactly like black fire.

And in its effect, it was no different. The energy devoured the beast’s remains, consuming every last trace of it.

Until not even a single fragment was left.

A handful of dark ashes scattered into the wind and vanished.

The very instant the White-Rank Beast disappeared—

“Kurrr…!?”

“Kyah… kyaaaaaah-!!”

The Red-Rank Beasts that had been swarming through the mountains and assaulting the martial artists reacted.

Some had been held in check, but now, one after another, the once-fearsome beasts began to collapse.

And when the very last of them had fallen—

“Kyarr…?”

The enormous Black Beast at the very center of the massacre tilted its head, a picture of confusion.

Then—

“Kyaa—.”

As if it had suddenly understood something, it gave a slight, almost knowing nod.

And then—

Shhhh—!

Its body seemed to melt, dissolving into inky shadows before disappearing entirely.

The same thing happened to the colossal Black Beast that had been observing from the distant mountain.

In a single moment, every last beast was gone.

Bzzzzzzzt—!!!

A change occurred at the Magyeong Gate in the mountain’s center.

“L-Lord Namgung! The Grand Magyeong Gate…!”
“…What?”

Namgung Jeohwi turned at his subordinate’s frantic cry. The Grand Magyeong Gate, which had been spewing forth monsters, was now beginning to distort violently.

Creeeak… kreeeeek—!!!

It was as if an invisible hand was crumpling a piece of paper; the gate twisted in on itself, folding and contorting.

Then—

Thud—!

A moment later, it was simply gone, as if it had never been there at all.

“What… is this?”

The martial artists could only stare at each other in stunned, disbelieving silence.

Just moments ago, they had been fighting for their lives in the heart of a desperate battle.

But now, in the blink of an eye, it was all over.

The only evidence that the monsters had ever existed was the utterly devastated battlefield that lay around them.

A long, heavy silence followed.

Then—

“We’re alive….”
“W-We survived.”
“We’re alive—!!”

One by one, cries of sheer relief erupted from the warriors.

Understanding the full situation was a secondary concern.

The only thing that truly mattered was that they had survived the ordeal.

**********

Meanwhile…

“Waaaaaah—!!”

While cheers rose from the battlefield below—

“Hoo.”

I quietly observed the situation from behind my mask.

It was good that I had killed the White-Rank Beast, but my body was far from unharmed.

“I used up quite a bit of energy.”

I had summoned two White-Rank Beasts to fight, then proceeded to completely annihilate a true White-Rank Beast.

And in the middle of it all, I had unleashed the Cheonma Soul Prison.

That must have been what did it.

My internal energy had drained at an alarming rate.

“But I had no other choice.”

From the moment I confirmed that damn thing’s powerful regeneration, I knew I had to deliver a catastrophic amount of damage in a very short time.

Using the Cheonma Divine Art was the fastest method available.

I had already observed that beasts struck by the Cheonma Soul Prison lost their regenerative abilities.

So I used it to deliver the final blow to the White-Rank Beast.

“Not bad.”

The plan had worked well enough.

Especially for my first time confronting a White-Rank Magyeong Gate.

“And I learned something new.”

It appeared that when a White-Rank Beast is killed, all the lower-rank monsters under its command are eliminated along with it.

That explained why all the other monsters had vanished.

“…A White-Rank Magyeong Gate, huh?”

No other monsters had appeared.

“Only White and Red-Rank ones.”

There had been no sign of any Green or Blue-Rank beasts.

So this implied that until the Magyeong Gate closed, it would only spawn a single White-Rank Beast and multiple Red-Rank Beasts?

“Yeah, that’s completely insane.”

If that was truly the case, the difficulty was absolutely absurd.

“How in the world is anyone supposed to stop this?”

Even an elite martial squad would be incapable of handling it.

And this time had been no different.

“If I hadn’t been here…”

Even with Cheonjon present, what if he hadn’t come?

If that had happened—

“Anhui might have been wiped off the map.”

The Namgung Clan’s home in Anhui itself might have been completely destroyed.

That was how dangerously powerful a White-Rank Magyeong Gate was.

“…Still, at least we managed to stop it.”

No one had died.

And that was only because I had been running all over the place to prevent it.

“Hoo.”

I let out a long sigh and ran a hand through my hair.

This was my first time going all out since arriving here, and the exhaustion was hitting me hard.

But I forced myself to stand tall, to act as if I were fine.

I had no other choice.

“What’s the matter?”

Because there were eyes watching me.

As I spoke, the figure behind me stepped forward.

I clicked my tongue silently.

It was my father.

“Ah, seriously, he’s persistent.”

I had done more than enough already. Was there really more to say? My father was walking toward me, his expression intensely serious.

“I still haven’t heard your answer.”

“Ha…”

I sighed. This man’s stubbornness was truly something else.

What should I do? Just knock him out? I had wanted to avoid confronting my father if possible, but if it came to this, I might have no choice.

Just as I was considering my options, preparing to approach him—

“I have a question for you….”

My father spoke once more.

And then—

“Are you, perhaps, the former head of the Gu Clan?”

“….”

I froze completely.

What?

“What are you talking about?”

I frowned beneath my mask. Thankfully, the mask hid my expression; otherwise, he would have seen just how much his words had shaken me.

The former head of the Gu Clan? Where did that come from?

Just as I was wondering why he would ask such a thing, my father added—

“The power you displayed today—that was the power of the Gu Clan, was it not?”

“….”

Ah. So that’s what this was about.

“He noticed it.”

He must have sensed the nature of my energy.

The Cheonma Soul Prison was ultimately born from the friction between the Nine Flames Firewheel and the Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance.

He must have recognized traces of those arts.

Or perhaps…

It was the demonic flames I had used to burn the White-Rank Beast.

Since those flames also originated from the Nine Flames Firewheel, it was possible he had sensed it from that instead.

But it didn’t matter now.

“The important thing is that he felt something.”

Even just a fragment of my energy had been enough for him to notice.

That was the problem I now faced.

“But why would sensing my energy make him ask if I’m the former head?”

It didn’t make any sense.

The former head…

“Doesn’t that mean he’s talking about my great-grandfather?”

My great-grandfather.

The current head of the Gu Clan was my grandfather, so my father must have been referring to the generation before him.

“Do I look like your grandfather to you?”

“…I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

Even my father didn’t seem entirely convinced of his own question.

I didn’t need to think long about my response.

“That’s not even worth answering. Get lost.”

I turned my back on him and leaped away.

I neither denied it nor confirmed it.

It simply felt like the right response to give.

“…!”

My father moved as if to react, but he stopped himself.

Because by then, I had already vanished from sight.

**********

Later…

I left the battlefield behind me and climbed a different mountain.

Not the one that had been devastated, but another that was relatively intact.

It was located between the Namgung Clan’s stronghold and the central region of Anhui.

Only after arriving did I finally allow myself to relax.

“Huuuh…”

It was only after confirming that there were no signs of life anywhere around me that I let out a long, weary sigh.

“Damn… I’m exhausted.”

A deep ache permeated my entire body.

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, feeling the cold sweat clinging to my skin.

“I used way too much energy.”

Had the sudden, explosive output of power taken its toll?

A wave of fatigue crashed down on me all at once.

“…I should rest for a bit before moving on.”

I had already taken care of everything that needed doing.

There was no harm in catching my breath.

Besides, there were things I needed to think about.

So I decided to stay there for a little while.

“As long as the Authority remains active, it should be fine.”

No one would realize I had disappeared.

I had left behind an illusion using the Authority of Wind.

It would maintain itself for about half a shichen before dispersing.

“That should be enough.”

It was enough time to get some proper rest.

I leaned my back against a tree and closed my eyes.

With my energy senses fully expanded to monitor my surroundings, I planned to take only a short break.

Inside the darkness of my closed eyelids, my thoughts began to wander.

“…My great-grandfather.”

Why had my father looked at me that way?

Of all the possibilities, why the former head of the Gu Clan?

Something about it felt strangely significant.

“He’s right.”

The Gu Clan did still exist in this era.

And I had already seen my grandfather.

That meant—

“It should be easier to find out more.”

The Gu Clan’s purpose as the Master’s Proxy.

Perhaps I could learn more about it now.

“…Should I visit Shanxi?”

I hadn’t previously considered visiting the Gu Clan of this era.

But now, I was curious.

“Not a bad idea.”

I muttered to myself without realizing I had spoken aloud.

And then—

“Yeah, not bad at all.”

“Right? It’s not bad….”

A voice answered me.

“…?”

I slowly opened my eyes.

And there—

“Hello.”

“….”

A woman with hair like snow and gleaming crimson eyes.

My mother was sitting there, watching me.

…Why is she here?

I was so completely caught off guard that I didn’t even have time to feel startled.

Then—

“Tell me something.”

She spoke suddenly.

“Are you the same as me?”

It was a question I had never, ever expected to hear.