Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 854

Chapter 854

Kwa-gak—!!!
A whirlwind of blades swept across the terrain.
An unceasing downpour of swords churned like a violent hurricane, obliterating everything in its path.
Shiiik!
Four radiant swords carved wild, living arcs through the air.
One of the spinning blades tilted its point and shot forward.
“Hup.”
Namgung Bi-ah adjusted her own sword, tilting the flat of the blade to meet the assault.
Kiiiik!
The attacking blade screeched as it slid along hers, deflected away in a shower of sparks.
She had successfully blocked, yet her face showed no relief.
This was not over.
Just as she’d expected, the moment she neutralized one blade, two more surged toward her.
Her brow furrowed in concentration as Namgung Bi-ah grounded her stance, gathering her inner power.
Crackle!
Lightning Qi erupted, spiraling around her sword. She focused her energy into her dantian and released it in a single, explosive burst.
The aura radiating from her body crystallized into the Jeowang Geomhyeong—the Emperor’s Sword Form.
For a split second, the flying swords hesitated. Namgung Bi-ah seized the opening.
Her Lightning Qi-infused blade cut through the air. The two oncoming swords shattered under the force of her strike, clearing a way forward.
She didn’t waste a moment, darting ahead with the speed of a lightning flash.
In a heartbeat, she closed the distance, her sword rising for a decisive strike.
She targeted the neck—a clean, lethal cut.
But—
“…!”
Namgung Bi-ah aborted her attack, throwing her body into a sudden spin.
A blade stabbed through the empty space where her head had just been.
Pik!
A thin line of blood welled on her cheek. Several strands of her hair, neatly severed, drifted to the ground.
She landed at a distance, putting space between herself and her foe.
“Hoo…”
She let out a heavy breath, wiping the blood from her face.
The air was thick with tension.
“Your reflexes are impressive.”
The master of the Celestial Stream Sect watched her with an amused smile.
He had not moved from his spot, his hands still resting calmly behind his back.
Namgung Bi-ah’s frown deepened.
Though they were both at the Hwagyeong level, the gap in their strength was immense.
He was nothing like previous opponents such as the Silver Wolf Sword.
“Even a moment ago… Such wasted potential.”
“…”
“You cannot have reached the Irip stage already… How have you attained such power?”
The old man gave a low chuckle, shaking his head.
As he laughed, the blades orbiting in the air returned to him, swirling in a patient circle.
“The Star King, that little whelp, is no different… The new generation operates on another plane entirely.”
Hoo…
Namgung Bi-ah regulated her breathing and settled back into her stance.
She already understood victory was impossible.
She had known it from their first exchange.
“It is a true shame. To see a jewel like you handled so roughly.”
It was obvious her opponent was restraining himself—playing with her, calibrating his assaults for his own amusement.
Namgung Bi-ah risked a quick glance behind her.
Wi Seol-ah had not stirred.
She remained motionless, utterly captivated by the tree, her gaze locked upon it.
Something was clearly not right with her.
“So, why not simply answer my questions? I will let you live if you do.”
“…”
Let her live? And then what?
Namgung Bi-ah’s nose wrinkled as a foul odor reached her.
The old man carried the stench of something corrupt.
“Naturally, in exchange for your life… you will need to amuse this old man for a time. Ensure it is worthwhile.”
His words oozed with a sickening hunger.
Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes turned to ice.
This sensation… It was familiar. She had felt it countless times before.
It was nothing novel, merely a recurring nuisance.
Whenever such looks fell upon her, the words of Gu Yangcheon echoed in her memory.
“It is because you are beautiful. Not merely a little—exceedingly so.”
Beautiful.
So she was told.
Knowing it stirred no particular feeling. It was a trait that had never brought any advantage to her life.
It was simply a fact she accepted.
No, she had known it since childhood. There was a time she had even considered it a curse.
Most of her troubles originated from it.
She had once wondered, *Would my life not be better without this face?*
But now, things had changed.
She was indifferent.
Those lustful stares, that unbridled craving—they no longer troubled her.
What once revolted her now left her unaffected.
She recalled once asking him about it, and he had looked at her as if she were mad.
“You dislike being beautiful? What sort of foolishness is that?”
“No, it is not that I hate it… Wait, what? Chest? Why are we discussing that? Hey! Fasten your robe! Have you taken leave of your senses?”
“I do not dislike either. In fact, I am fond of them, so cease your questions and go! I must train!”
Those once-burdensome attributes no longer felt heavy.
The way his face flushed when he glanced at her secretly. The subtle trace of yearning in his eyes.
Strangely, it did not bother her at all anymore.
Sometimes, watching him struggle to restrain himself, she thought he need not bother. If anything, she wished he would not.
But that was a sentiment reserved for him alone.
“So, why not cease this hopeless struggle and yield? Peacefully…”
The Celestial Stream Sect master’s words died away as his eyes narrowed on Namgung Bi-ah.
“Why are you smiling?”
Namgung Bi-ah was indeed smiling.
Partly because her thoughts had drifted to him.
And partly because she was savoring this very moment.
A fight she could not win. A battle with no hope of triumph.
A moment where death felt palpably close.
It all made her want to smile.
“Haha…”
The Sect master let out a dry, understanding chuckle.
“I believed you were merely a gifted blossom. But this… My, my.”
The swords circling him stilled. The desire in his gaze was replaced by a new wariness.
“You are a Du-Gwi.”
Among martial artists, there existed those who lived for the exhilaration of combat.
Those who reveled in killing were named Sal-Gwi (Killing Ghosts).
Those intoxicated by the joy of battle were called Du-Gwi (Fighting Ghosts).
This girl was a Du-Gwi.
To smile while feeling the thrill of combat in such a dire situation—it was absurd.
“Well, so be it.”
The Celestial Stream Sect master grinned.
Even if she was a Du-Gwi, it changed nothing about her beauty.
The value remained.
“If I can take her, she will be a valuable piece to hold.”
How had they arrived here? How had they unsealed the door?
And more pressingly—
“Who is that girl behind her?”
The golden-haired girl mesmerized by the Ilcheon Sect’s Sacred Tree.
He knew her identity.
“The Sword Master’s descendant. They named her the Seomwol Sword, did they not?”
The memory of that name sent a cold shiver down his spine.
He had crossed paths with her once, briefly.
In the heart of a battlefield, where countless swords fell like rain, slaughtering all in their path.
A spectacle that dwarfed his own four blades.
And yet, despite her heritage, she stood transfixed, doing nothing but staring at the Sacred Tree.
“I will take them both.”
He would use them as leverage against the Star King.
He would uncover these secrets, and in doing so, gift his followers an unexpected prize.
“See if you can withstand this.”
Smirking, the old man flicked his wrist, and the swords descended once more like shooting stars.
In that instant—
“Hoo.”
Namgung Bi-ah exhaled slowly.
The voice in her ears screamed relentlessly.
[Draw it now!]
The elder’s voice stabbed into her mind, but Namgung Bi-ah refused to listen.
Not yet.
She could still push further.
[Foolish child…! This is not a matter willpower can overcome—!]
The falling blades were a hair’s breadth from her skull.
The strike was inescapable.
And then, just as the angled swords were about to connect—Namgung Bi-ah finally drew her sword.
It was not the Thunder Fang.
Kugugugung—!!!
Her blade slammed down, unleashing a shockwave that tore into the earth.
Swish.
At that exact moment, something was cut.
“…!!”
The Celestial Stream Sect master faltered, collapsing to one knee.
“Guh…!”
He coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth as he clutched at his chest.
Something else poured from his torso—blood.
A deep wound had opened across his chest, spilling crimson.
Wracked with pain, the Sect master glared ahead.
“You…! How can you wield a Heart Sword (Simgeom)?!”
His face contorted with rage as he snarled the words.
Ssss…
“Hoo…”
From within the settling storm of blades, a soft exhalation sounded.
The disarmed swords lay scattered across the ground.
And standing among them was Namgung Bi-ah.
She was not unharmed.
Cuts and gashes covered her body.
Her robes were in tatters, and blood seeped from her lips, hands, and legs.
The injuries were severe.
Yet even so—
Namgung Bi-ah was smiling.
A radiant, blooming smile.
As if the circumstance delighted her utterly.
“You’ve got… good instincts, haven’t you?”
She threw the Sect master’s own words back at him.

*******************

A vast, damp chamber deep underground.
A large, elderly man burst inside, his face a mask of alarm.
“What is the meaning of this—?!”
“Elder!”
The individuals inside turned to him, their complexions pale with fright.
“Th-the formation… it was deactivated without warning!”
“What are you saying?! What of the guards?!”
“We cannot contact them.”
“What…?”
The elder’s face contorted in disbelief.
The formation deactivated? Just like that?
“When was the last guard rotation?”
“Approximately half a sichen ago.”
“Merely half a sichen?”
He could not accept it.
Half a sichen, little more than an hour. The formation that even the famous Wind Dragon Division Chief could only hold back for days—neutralized in so short a time?
It was inconceivable.
The elder’s disbelief turned to dread.
“You are certain of this?”
“Yes, Elder. The formation was dismantled. There was no discernible cause.”
“Could it have failed on its own?”
Perhaps the mechanism had broken? The elder clung to the possibility.
“The Formation Division inspected it earlier today and found no flaws.”
“Then it must be an external assault.”
“That is what we suspect…”
“Where is the Sect Master? What is his location?”
“The Sect Master departed earlier, stating he was going to deal with some ‘vermin’…”
“Tch.”
The elder’s agitation grew. He had known of intruders for a while, but the Sect Master had wanted to wait.
‘Could it be them?’
The ones who had infiltrated—had they accomplished this? But how?
The elder had no solutions, but he knew inaction was not an option.
“I will go and examine the formation myself. You, accompany me.”
He motioned for one of the formation specialists to follow.
He stood quickly and headed for the exit.
Moving at a half-run, he navigated toward the sole true entrance among the many deceptive passages.
Unfamiliar with the precise layout, the elder relied on his guide.
“To the left.”
They weaved through the maze-like halls, following directions.
As they approached the correct entrance—
“Now, turn right…”
“Wait.”
The elder stopped dead, raising a hand to halt the guide.
“Be still.”
“Elder…?”
The guide looked at him, bewildered, but the elder’s focus was locked ahead. Sweat beaded on his temples.
“Who is there?”
He called out to the darkness before them.
The only answer was the sound of footsteps.
The guide froze as a crushing, suffocating wave of killing intent washed over him.
From the shadows of the entrance, a faint blue light glimmered, shimmering faintly in the air.
It took the guide only a moment to recognize the light came from a pair of eyes.
“W-who are you…?”
The elder’s eyes widened as the figure finally stepped into view.
“The St—”
“I have a question for you.”
The young man’s icy tone cut the elder off.
The guide shook uncontrollably. The oppressive killing intent was one thing, but there was something else—something far more terrifying.
‘His… his eyes?’
The blue radiance in the stranger’s eyes began to shift, its hue transforming.
The cold, luminous blue darkened into a profound, chilling violet.
The guide felt the air leave his lungs.
He could not think. He could not move.
Sheer terror consumed him.
Clatter.
His teeth chattered uncontrollably as his body trembled.
“I am searching for someone,” the young man continued, his voice calm yet piercing.
“Do you know anything?”
“S-someone?”
The elder gritted his teeth, his muscles swelling as he gathered all his energy.
He roared, expelling a surge of Qi to break the killing intent crushing down on him.
“Do you have any idea where you are—?!”
The elder’s powerful frame emanated strength, the clear mark of a Hwagyeong-level master.
The guide felt a flicker of hope. Surely the elder could hold him off—
Thunk.
“Huh?”
The guide emitted a confused gasp.
The elder, who had been radiating power just a second before, suddenly dropped to one knee.
“E-Elder?!”
The guide tried to comprehend what he was seeing, but the elder did not answer.
Instead, his massive form pitched forward and collapsed onto the ground.
Thud.
The heavy impact echoed, and the guide instinctively moved to aid him—
Thump.
Something dropped in front of him.
The guide’s eyes widened in pure horror, and a scream of utter terror ripped from his throat.
“Aaaagh—!!!”
A heart, still feebly pulsating, lay on the floor by his feet.
“Wh-who’s…?”
He looked at the elder, now lying dead in a expanding pool of blood, a gaping hole in his chest.
“E-Elder…”
Crunch.
A boot came down, crushing the heart into a pulp, splattering blood across the guide’s face.
“I will ask again,” the young man said, his voice measured and cold.
A hand reached out, gripping the guide’s jaw and forcing his head up.
Their eyes met.
“I am searching for someone. Do you know anything?”
The guide felt the warm, thick stickiness of the elder’s blood on his chin.