Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1135

Chapter 1135

Rumble.

A dense cloud of dust swirled around me. I brushed the grime from my clothes as I took stock. Far off, I could still feel Heavenly Lord’s aura.

My blow had connected. The only letdown was that it hadn’t felt as decisive as I’d hoped.

«He parried it.»

In that split second, he had gathered his qi to guard against my strike. It was to be expected—he was known as the absolute peak of martial arts. It was only natural he could manage at least that much.

However—

«Just as I thought.»

There was something I had understood after clashing with Heavenly Lord.

And that was—

«He’s imprisoned by a Heart Demon.»

At this very moment, Heavenly Lord was dominated by a Heart Demon. Exactly as it had happened in my previous life, exactly as it occurred in the world I came from—this was the precise instant it had consumed him.

For any martial artist, a Heart Demon was a catastrophe. It not only barred them from accessing skills they normally commanded, but it also distorted their perception, blinding and deafening them to what they truly needed to see and hear.

And more troubling still—

«There are almost no reliable cures.»

Being an affliction of the mind, there were few established methods to treat it.

This bizarre and delicate condition was what now held Heavenly Lord captive.

And I had only become aware of it in this lifetime.

«The Heavenly Lord I knew after he broke free from his Heart Demon was a completely different man.»

It had likely happened in Sichuan.

More accurately, it was because of my father that Heavenly Lord overcame his Heart Demon.

The Heavenly Lord I had known then bore no resemblance to the one I faced now.

He had been compassionate, firm of will, and carried himself with true dignity.

There was a time I had even wondered if this gentle, steadfast elder was truly the same arrogant and unbearable man from my memories.

«But this old man before me now—he is not that person.»

The Heavenly Lord I saw now was the one from my past life.

The same man who had been completely powerless against Cheonma.

The contrast was sharp—impossible to deny.

Which meant—

«In this condition.»

He could be defeated. That was my assessment.

Rumble—!!!

From afar, another lightning bolt crashed down. A searing flash of light illuminated everything. The instant I saw it, I pivoted my torso.

And then—

BOOOOM—!!!

A tremendous wave of light roared directly at me.

Instead of blocking it head-on, I needed to divert it.

Sssssssss—!!

«Damn.»

I tried to channel qi around my arm to guide the force away, but even so, the blistering heat shredded my protective energy like paper.

Even gripped by a Heart Demon, Heavenly Lord was still Heavenly Lord.

BOOM.

I twisted my body, using the torque from my waist to counteract the momentum.

My legs swept through the air—

CRACK—!!

My foot connected with something solid. A blade.

Heavenly Lord was rushing toward me, sword in hand.

«Hmph!»

I registered the immense power behind the strike.

I channeled my own energy into the impact, deflecting it.

Thump—!!

Heavenly Lord’s form shuddered as the force rebounded, pushing us apart. In that opening, I activated my martial technique.

Fwoosh—!!

I intensified Black Heaven, reinforcing my entire body.

Ziiiiiing—!!

I maximized Firewheel Nature, simultaneously suppressing my presence entirely.

Vwooooom—!!!

Merging Azure Sky with my movement, I drastically heightened my agility. As Black Heaven synergized with it, my body responded with explosive speed.

I was driving myself to the absolute limit—but it was necessary.

I surged toward Heavenly Lord.

«Hmph!»

Heavenly Lord seemed to have predicted my acceleration. His lightning-wreathed sword lashed out with incredible speed.

It was so fast it produced countless afterimages, as if an entire tempest of blades had materialized.

But—

I was not so weak as to be caught by them.

My heightened speed was sufficient to match his flurry.

I weaved through the strikes, my eyes tracking every motion.

«…Well, this is interesting.»

A dry laugh nearly escaped me.

This sword style—I had definitely seen it before.

Shiiiing—!!

Just as Heavenly Lord’s sword was about to reach its peak velocity—

Thwack—!

Thunk—!!

«……What?»

Heavenly Lord suddenly released his sword.

The blade clattered to the ground, skidding away.

Heavenly Lord stood motionless as a statue, staring at his empty hand.

His bewildered expression said everything.

What just happened?

I watched him and asked,

«What are you doing?»

His eyes snapped up to meet mine.

«A swordsman, dropping his sword? How pitiful.»

«You…!!»

Heavenly Lord gritted his teeth and lunged.

He didn’t bother to retrieve his sword physically—yet it flew back into his grip as if pulled by an invisible force.

Rumble—!

The lightning-clad blade swept toward me once more.

And yet—

Thwack—!

It happened again.

Heavenly Lord dropped his sword.

«H-how…!?»

I had struck his wrist at the perfect angle and moment, forcing his grip to fail.

It was only now that Heavenly Lord seemed to grasp that something was fundamentally wrong.

He stared at me, his gaze full of stunned disbelief.

«How…?»

His eyes demanded an answer—how was I disarming him so effortlessly?

I decided to give him one.

«Isn’t it obvious?»

«Obvious…?»

«Yeah.»

I could see it clearly.

Back when I had first returned to this life, it had been the same with Namgung Cheonjun.

And now, it was the same here.

«Your flawed sword will never touch me.»

The Namgung family’s swordsmanship—

It had already declined and decayed beyond recognition.

As long as Heavenly Lord wielded such an imperfect blade, he would never be able to hit me.

«Know your place, you fallen one who fled to the heavens.»

Long ago, Namgung Bi-ah had been chosen by Noe-a, earning the title of Demon Sword Queen.

But Heavenly Lord?

He wasn’t even close to her level.

The critical weakness in the Namgung family’s sword art remained.

Speed and raw power were meaningless without flawless technique and true mastery.

And that—

Was why Heavenly Lord had never earned the title of Sword Master.

And—

«You little brat—!!»

This reality was his most profound shame.

ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!!!

The very air quaked as an overwhelming power erupted from Heavenly Lord.

So he still had this much energy in reserve…

«Now that’s a proper old monster.»

If that wasn’t an old monster, then nothing was.

ROOOOOOOOOAR—!!!

The glare from his lightning qi was so intense it was nearly blinding.

I had to sheath my eyes in a layer of qi just to see.

Rumble—!!

BOOOOOM—!!!

The unleashed lightning qi scoured the entire forest.

He had abandoned all pretense of control.

And—

«Tch!»

Even his own grandson, Namgung Hyeong, was now caught in the onslaught.

I snapped my fingers.

Snap—!

With a sharp crack, a protective barrier materialized around Namgung Hyeong.

BOOOM—!

The violent lightning qi smashed against it, unable to break through.

«Hahh…!»

Namgung Hyeong gasped in shock.

I glanced at him and said,

«If you’re not going to leave, then at least stay put. You’re a distraction.»

«……»

I turned my attention back to Heavenly Lord.

The old man was still pouring out his power.

«Just how much does he have left?»

In terms of raw energy, I was not lacking.

In fact, I was likely superior.

But—

«When it comes to unleashing pure destructive force… he might actually be stronger.»

Because he knew—

That his sword was weak.

So he had made up for it by focusing everything on overwhelming firepower.

‘What should I do?’

Should I meet him with pure force as well?

Even while throwing a fit like this, he’s still careful. He’s not dropping his guard.

He’s just enraged because I struck his deepest insecurity.

If that’s the case…

‘I need to create an opening.’

I need to find a gap to break through.

The problem is—how?

Just as I was weighing my options—

‘Ah.’

It came to me.

‘This might just work.’

It was a plan that seemed… somewhat amusing.

**********

Rumble—!

Heavenly Lord’s face contorted with rage, his Lightning Qi reaching its absolute zenith.

‘That wretch dares—’

There were lines that must never be crossed. Not in Anhui, not anywhere in Zhongyuan. Words that no one had ever dared to speak to him—

«Your flawed sword will never touch me.»
«Know your place, you fallen one who fled to the heavens.»

Flawed sword.

Fallen one who fled to the heavens.

Those words scraped against every raw nerve in Heavenly Lord’s body.

His entire life, he had been hailed as a genius. He had refined the Namgung family’s sword techniques, striving to ascend to the heavens.

‘Because of that bastard, the Sword Master…’

Wi Hyogun, the Sword Master.

The man proclaimed the absolute pinnacle of the sword. Because of him, Heavenly Lord had faced a wall he could not surmount.

Still, he possessed something else—mastery over Lightning Qi. If he could not claim the heavens with his sword, he would become the supreme master through this path instead.

That was what he had told himself.

But was it because he had neglected the sword? Noe-a (Thunder Fang), the sacred blade and symbol of the Namgung family, had not chosen him.

For a Namgung to turn from the sword, despite belonging to its most revered lineage…

Perhaps Noe-a had despised him for it. Or perhaps there was another reason. He did not know.

But Namgung family tradition was absolute.

The next family head could only be the one chosen by Noe-a.

That rule infuriated Heavenly Lord.

He had the talent. Managing the elders had been trivial.

And besides, if even he wasn’t chosen by Noe-a, then who else could be?

So, naturally, he was the rightful heir.

The choice of Noe-a? It was irrelevant.

He was Namgung itself.

«My swordsmanship is weak?»

The Namgung clan remained a prestigious family.

It wasn’t that they were inferior. It was simply that Wi Hyogun was an exception.

And yet—

«What the hell is that bastard?»

Who exactly was this Cheonma?

That man had materialized from nowhere—then deconstructed his swordsmanship without any effort.

It had taken only an instant.

In that fleeting moment, he had found a vulnerability and struck his wrist.

A feat impossible without absolute, unshakable confidence.

‘What is his origin?’

What was he? Why had he appeared?

And—

‘Could he be… connected to Him?’

If so, why was he interfering now?

Questions flooded his mind, but—

‘No. Enough.’

Heavenly Lord wiped the thoughts away. That wasn’t important right now.

‘I will kill him.’

What mattered was exterminating the wretch who had dared to touch his deepest shame.

And—

‘Him as well.’

His own grandson—the one capable of drawing Noe-a. He would erase him, too.

The boy had no conception of his own significance.

Not that it mattered anymore.

‘Noe-a is meaningless now.’

Even without it, he would become the family head. And if that proved impossible, he would simply make it possible.

Because he was Namgung.

Just as Heavenly Lord prepared to release his full might—

«I’ll borrow this for a moment.»

The one called Cheonma said something incomprehensible.

And then—

Whoosh—!

«What…?»
«Huh?»

Heavenly Lord and Namgung Hyung reacted with identical shock.

Noe-a, which had been held fast in Namgung Hyung’s grasp, suddenly flew into Cheonma’s hand.

«What the—!»

Heavenly Lord’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

Even a direct descendant of Namgung could not fully command Noe-a.

Yet Cheonma… had taken hold of it with ease.

And that wasn’t all.

«Bite.»

Cheonma gripped Noe-a firmly and spoke its true name.

«Noe-a (Thunder Fang).»

ROOOOAAAARR—!

A monstrous power erupted from Noe-a, engulfing both Heavenly Lord and Namgung Hyung.