Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1165

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Chapter 1165

A deep gloom had settled over part of the woods.

The heavy odor of scorched meat saturated the atmosphere.

Hiss.

The sputtering of flames blended with the sharp smell of seared skin, biting at the nostrils.

“Tch.”

I spat to the side and gave a dismissive wave of my hand. A subtle surge of inner force pushed the foul odor away.

The wind took it as I turned to look ahead.

“……”

The man had already drawn his last breath.

What was once known as the Fire Artisan Demon was now merely a scorched shell.

“Hm.”

I tapped my foot lightly.

Crack.

With that alone, the remains fractured into ash and dissipated.

“Perhaps I was too heavy-handed.”

It was my first attempt at interrogation since attaining this level of strength.

Maybe that was why my restraint was lacking.

“It appears I require more practice in this as well.”

I needed to hone my control. Without caution, I would eliminate my subjects before obtaining any useful intelligence.

As had just occurred.

I squinted in irritation.

There was still much I wished to learn, but the opportunity was lost.

The Fire Artisan Demon simply lacked the endurance to last.

‘In that case, I should have just demonized him.’

Indeed, I ought to have compelled his demonic transformation to secure the details that way.

But instead, I idled my time with torture.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and brushed off my hands.

Still, it wasn’t a total failure.

‘At least I discovered his purpose for being here.’

The Fire Artisan Demon.

One of the Four Demonic Monarchs, notorious for his viciousness.

Or, more accurately, he formerly was.

‘Because the instant he encountered me, his fate was sealed.’

Not only him—his very title of Demonic Monarch was now part of history.

From what I recalled, the Fire Artisan Demon…

‘Was said to have been slain by the Martial Alliance on the front lines.’

After violating the daughter of a prominent merchant guild leader,

He escaped to the battlefield to conceal himself, only to be found and put to death by the Martial Alliance.

His demise had been wretched, ignominious, and common knowledge.

I had believed him to be merely a foolish savage.

But now…

‘This does not align.’

Encountering him personally gave me reason to doubt.

‘It wasn’t solely about concealment on the front, was it?’

His arrival here served a greater aim.

‘Y-You… you are here for that as well…!? Are you the contact…?’

The Fire Artisan Demon had journeyed to the battlefield with an objective.

True, he sought to remain hidden, but more crucially—he was pursuing something.

‘What was he searching for?’

What could be significant enough to justify this risk?

And—

‘How did he even acquire that intelligence?’

If he came with prior knowledge, then an informant must have been involved.

Something was foul in all of this.

‘There is a scheme here.’

A deeper conspiracy was at work.

‘And there is a contact.’

The Fire Artisan Demon was anticipated to meet someone here.

“Hm.”

My eyes scanned the area as I flicked my wrist casually.

Whooosh—!!!

Fire burst forth, devouring the scattered corpses on the ground.

I eliminated the bodies of those the Fire Artisan Demon had slain.

Then, I settled atop a nearby large rock.

‘That leaves a single path forward.’

I was unaware of the precise details,

But I was aware that someone was expected to appear.

Which meant—

‘I will wait.’

Not indefinitely, but long enough to identify the visitor.

For the moment, I resolved to bide my time.

**********

A brief time later

The minutes flowed slowly as I remained seated on the rock.

Not much time had elapsed—perhaps less than thirty minutes?

The night remained profound, with the moon suspended high above.

Just as boredom began to set in and I thought of departing—

‘Oh?’

A disturbance flickered within my expanded sense of awareness.

‘An approach.’

A human.

Not an animal.

‘Fortunate.’

They did not appear to be from the Martial Alliance.

Most likely, this was the contact the Fire Artisan Demon had referenced.

The moment had arrived.

Vwoom.

I concentrated my energy toward my core.

And then—

Snap. Grind!

My bones warped, my physique contorting as my shape began to alter.

Within seconds, I had assumed the likeness of the Fire Artisan Demon.

“Aah.”

My voice had shifted as well.

It was not flawless, and my form was not an exact match,

But at the very least, I had replicated his facial features and outward appearance.

‘This should be sufficient.’

Even if the voice was not perfect, it was adequately close.

It would have to serve.

As I waited—

“Are you the Fire Artisan Demon?”

A figure had arrived.

“I am.”

I answered smoothly, lifting my eyes to meet the person before me.

Their face was hidden behind a veiled mask.

One thing was evident—it was a man.

‘I could intensify my energy perception to see behind that mask…’

But the man was employing a technique to obscure energy.

And given my incomplete familiarity with this altered form, channeling more internal energy into my senses would be difficult.

‘Hm.’

For the present, I needed to collect more data.

“It is an honor. You appear every bit as formidable as reported.”

“I hear that frequently. So, what matter did you wish to discuss?”

“…Oh?”

The man’s reaction was slightly delayed.

Damn. That was not the correct reply.

‘Was I the one who should have initiated this meeting?’

A brief silence ensued.

I had missed the ideal moment to respond.

But then—

“You are already aware of the purpose, are you not?”

Fortunately, it seemed my assumption was correct.

He was the one who had organized this encounter.

“I may know the reason, but I desired to hear it again.”

“…As thorough as your reputation suggests, I see.”

I had narrowly averted suspicion—just barely.

The fact that the Qi Translation Technique restricted my facial expressions proved beneficial.

“The request is unchanged from before.”

Swish.

The man produced a sealed letter from within his robe.

“I want you to lead me to the Vigo concealed within this forest. In exchange, I will grant you your freedom.”

“……”

Vigo?

My attention sharpened at the unfamiliar term.

A Vigo exists within the battlefield?

I had never heard any mention of such a thing being here.

“Freedom, you say…? And how exactly do you plan to provide it?”

Before inquiring about the Vigo, I wished to learn more of the offer—the kind of bait that would have attracted the Fire Artisan Demon.

It was necessary to prevent unnecessary doubt.

“Your identity will be erased, and the Fire Artisan Demon will be pronounced dead here.”

“……”

“Your body, ravaged by beasts, will be recovered by the Martial Alliance. They will report your execution to the main sect. From there, I will furnish you with a new identity, one I have prepared in advance. Once this is done, the Martial Alliance will cease their pursuit. What is your opinion?”

‘Hah.’

I scoffed inwardly.

…If that is true,

Then the narrative of the Fire Artisan Demon’s death here could be entirely false.

‘He might have actually survived and returned under a new name.’

If this man spoke truthfully—if the Fire Artisan Demon had faked his death—

Then he was not genuinely killed by the Martial Alliance on the battlefield.

Instead, he vanished after erasing all evidence of his existence.

“…Hm. An acceptable offer.”

I gave a slight nod.

Now, what course to take?

Should I seize this man and compel answers from him?

After a moment’s consideration—

“Very well.”

I replied.

“We will proceed as you suggest.”

For now, I would observe how events unfolded.

**********

After concluding our discussion, I moved with the man.

With no knowledge of our destination, I simply followed his lead.

‘Who is he?’

The question lingered as we advanced.

Who was this man?

What kind of individual would make such an offer to someone like the Fire Artisan Demon, one of the Four Demonic Monarchs?

And more importantly—

‘Does something named Vigo truly exist?’

If such a thing was hidden within the battlefield—

‘Why was I unaware of it?’

Why had I never heard of it before?

The battlefield was under close watch by the Martial Alliance.

But it was also, technically, under the authority of the Gu Family.

‘…Naturally, I do not know all.’

Was my father aware of this?

Did he know something was concealed in the battlefield?

‘Uncertain.’

Then again, this Vigo might not be real.

I could not afford to trust anything so readily.

For now, only one thing was important.

‘An event is transpiring here.’

I was instructed to look into an anomalous occurrence.

And that indicated something was developing in this location.

Keeping my senses alert, I continued onward.

“This way.”

“Mm.”

I followed the man’s direction, advancing deeper into the battlefield.

Along the path, monsters occasionally emerged, but they posed no challenge.

They were merely green and blue-rank beasts.

Aside from that—

‘There are martial artists in the vicinity.’

I could detect patrols of orthodox fighters in the area.

But not only them—

‘There are unorthodox practitioners as well.’

The battlefield was a zone without law, after all.

In this age, the unorthodox sects were even more unrestrained than in my own time.

Their presence here was not unusual.

‘But there are more than I anticipated.’

Their numbers were surprisingly high.

And worse—

‘They radiate bloodlust.’

It seemed they had been engaged in constant combat with both monsters and orthodox warriors.

«Dieee—!»

«Graaah—!»

I quickly handled those who charged at us.

I eliminated the unorthodox fighters and only disabled the orthodox ones.

It required effort to do so without arousing suspicion.

‘This is an absolute disaster.’

This battlefield was not as I remembered it.

Normally, humans could not roam so freely here.

‘There is no organization.’

The Martial Alliance, the Peng Clan—those responsible for this battlefield—

Their patrols and operations were utterly chaotic.

Even someone as impulsive as I could perceive the complete disarray.

‘It is a total mess.’

Suppressing a sigh, I continued onward.

«We have arrived.»

In time, we reached our endpoint.

‘Hm?’

Something felt… amiss.

‘Who are they?’

We had come to a small clearing within the battlefield.

Two figures stood waiting there.

One was a woman.

The other, an elderly man.

«What is the meaning of this?»

Before I could question the man who had guided me,

I sensed it.

‘That bloodlust…’

The killing intent radiating from them was powerful.

These two were not ordinary individuals.

Their martial skill was considerable.

As I registered this, the man stepped forward and spoke to them.

«Fire Artisan Demon.»

«Yes.»

«You claimed to know the location of Vigo. You stated you would guide me to it. In return, you requested your identity be cleansed.»

“……”

“Then why did you ask me for directions?”

Ah.

Hearing that, I halted for an instant.

So that was it…

“I erred.”

I had made a mistake from the very beginning.

That was the difficulty of impersonation.

“You are not the Fire Artisan Demon, are you?”

The man’s eyes narrowed.

I offered a rueful smile.

“Who can say?”

The moment I spoke, the two experts beside him sprang toward me.

“I suppose you will have to discover for yourself.”

I stepped lightly on the ground, summoning dark flames to my hands.

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