Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 865

Chapter 865

Pama.
A force that repels and annihilates demonic energy, inflicting lethal wounds upon those who are saturated with it.
This was the core purpose behind the formation of the Sacred Sword and her blade regiment, and the reason she emerged as a symbol of hope in the conflict with the Demonic Cult.
The only hope.
The light of Zhongyuan.
A miraculous power with the capacity to oppose the Cheonma, the absolute sovereign, and secure triumph.
That was Pama.
An energy demonstrating absolute dominance over demonic forces.
A power that only the Sacred Sword, Wi Seol-ah, had ever wielded.
‘How did things turn out this way?’
How did I come to possess such a power?
I gazed at the white flames spiraling around my hand, deep in contemplation.
«No… impossible…»
The Master of the Celestial Stream Sect was shaking, his despair palpable.
He appeared wretched.
The massive frame that had once stood over eight feet tall, and the skin that had seemed otherworldly, had both returned to their initial state.
No, it was a condition worse than his original form.
He had even forfeited the sturdy build he once owned. Though a martial artist, his body was now so withered it looked like a fragile twig, ready to break at the slightest contact.
He had been stripped of all vitality. The Celestial Stream Sect’s Master was in no state to be considered ordinary. His condition was akin to someone who had…
‘Lost their innate energy.’
The fundamental wellspring of life inherent to every person. He resembled someone nearly emptied of it.
Why had this occurred?
It had to be because of my flames.
‘My intention was to reduce him to ashes.’
I had planned to burn him utterly, leaving not even a trace of bone behind. Yet, something else had been consumed instead.
Likely the strange energy that had distorted his body.
My flames had devoured only that energy, leaving his body enfeebled and broken.
This is why I now named the energy within my flames Pama.
‘It resembles the power Pama exhibited.’
I remembered the Sacred Sword in my former life, employing her power against the demonic entities.
She used the Moonlight Slash Sword to call upon countless blade techniques infused with Pama, effortlessly cutting down the demonic beings.
When demonic energy met Pama, it was eradicated. For those whose very bodies were fused with demonic energy, the annihilation of that energy meant death.
Consequently, whenever the Sacred Sword appeared, the Demon Sword Queen would often emerge to confront her.
Although labeled a demonic being, the Demon Sword Queen had never been granted the Cheonma’s blessing, which made her uniquely equipped to oppose the Sacred Sword.
A power existing for the sole purpose of countering demonic energy.
That was Pama.
‘…Can this truly be called Pama?’
I considered my power to be Pama, yet I could not be sure.
The reason was straightforward.
‘This isn’t destruction.’
What I had just performed was not destruction, but eradication.
If it had been destruction, the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master would be dead.
But he lived. The foreign energy within him had been wiped away, restoring his humanity.
Could this still be named Pama?
Furthermore…
‘His energy wasn’t demonic.’
The transformation of the Celestial Stream Sect was not due to demonic energy. Even so, my flames had erased it.
Should that still be considered Pama?
It was perplexing. However…
‘I am sure of one thing.’
Something extraordinary had occurred with my flames.
‘…And it is not entirely unlike what my father once revealed.’
I had a hazy memory of the time my father faced the Heavenly Elder.
On that occasion, he had extended his hand and erased something, after which the Heavenly Elder’s unstable demeanor had abruptly calmed.
‘So this was always a dormant potential of the Flames Firewheel Technique.’
This must be the evolution that happens upon achieving mastery.
‘When the Flames Firewheel Technique is mastered, it acquires the capability to incinerate external energies.’
But what of the power my father displayed in the Northern Seas?
The way he instantly erased a White-Rank beast.
What was that power my father described as the future I must attain?
And then there was the matter of…
*Whoosh—!*
‘Why did the color of my flames change once more?’
The new abilities and the shifted hue of my flames were puzzles I had to solve.
«…I beg you… I…»
«Hey.»
I moved toward the quivering old man, kneeling down to look him in the eye.
As our eyes met, the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master recoiled.
An instant later, fury twisted his features.
«You—!»
*Smack!*
«Guh!»
Before he could utter another word, I struck him across the face.
His feeble form was thrown sideways as if blown by a gale.
«Don’t we have matters to discuss?»
«…You… you…»
I had not channeled internal energy into the blow; I did not want him dying prematurely.
Seizing him by the hair, I pulled him upright.
«Guhk…»
There was much I needed to understand. Fortunately, some answers were close at hand.
As I lifted my hand, ready to make contact with the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master—
*Ssssss—!*
«Hm.»
I detected motion near the doorway and looked toward it.
It seemed a visitor had arrived.
«Welcome.»
«My apologies for the delay. Locating this place required some effort.»
The person approaching the entrance was the Shadow King.
«All matters have been resolved, as you ordered.»
I acknowledged his composed report with a nod, observing as the Shadow King scanned the area, his eyes moving between the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master and me.
«Do you need any help?»
I was uncertain what form his assistance might take, but anything from the Shadow King was usually fearsome.
I declined.
«No, this is fine.»
«Understood. Then…»
After a brief silence, the Shadow King went on.
«There is something you should see.»
I tilted my head, curious.

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

I accompanied the Shadow King to an upper floor of the structure.
“A unique formation seems to be woven into this area. That is the reason for my delayed arrival,” he clarified.
“Is that so?”
When I had tasked the Shadow King, I had also instructed him to return to me immediately upon completion. I had been curious about his lateness.
‘It seems there is something peculiar about this place.’
An formation appeared to be extended across this entire space. To me, the feeling had been subtle and unknown, but reaching my objective had not been hard.
“Correct. Had I not detected the energy emanating from below, it would have taken me considerably longer.”
The energy he referred to was probably the flames I had released earlier.
‘Even the Shadow King could not perceive through it?’
What kind of barrier could obstruct the awareness of someone as powerful as the Shadow King?
“What about now? Can you still feel it?”
“No. It appears the formation has been disabled.”
His reply sharpened my concentration.
The fact that it had been dismantled suggested a catalyst.
‘If there was a trigger…’
One possibility came to mind—the tree.
The sapling with its pale leaves.
Could that be the reason? If so…
‘It might be connected to the alterations that happened after I absorbed the leaves.’
Perhaps disabling the formation was one of those consequences. Naturally, I could not be sure.
As I continued to follow the Shadow King, we reached a chamber at the end of the corridor.
The door was not as large as the iron gate I had encountered below, but it was still substantial.
And then—
‘The odor of blood.’
The metallic scent of blood reached me as soon as I saw the door. I entered without hesitation.
The door was already partly open.
Inside, I found the origin of the smell.
The room was packed with corpses, butchered beyond identification.
Blood covered the floor, saturating the entire space.
And yet…
“These creatures…”
The corpses were unnatural.
Dozens of mangled bodies were strewn about, their shapes disturbingly similar to the monstrous form the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master had assumed.
I looked to the Shadow King, who, seeming to expect my question, spoke.
“They ingested an unfamiliar internal core, which initiated their transformation. I succeeded in eliminating some before their change was complete, but for others, I was not in time.”
Sure enough, some of the bodies still maintained a human shape.
Regardless, he had slain them all.
‘They ate some type of core.’
I gestured toward the individual behind me.
“And what of him?”
By “him,” I meant the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master, whom I had subdued earlier.
“Yes. He also consumed something… and then began to change.”
I nodded.
I understand.
‘So their transformation was caused by ingestion, not a natural occurrence.’
If they consumed something, it was likely the same substance I had absorbed before.
I looked back at the Shadow King and inquired, “Do you know what it is?”
“I do not. However…”
He indicated the bodies he had killed.
“They seem to have been contaminated by a curse akin to my own.”
His words arrived telepathically, his tone laced with venom and contempt.
I concurred with his judgment.
Though not identical, the appearances of these creatures were unmistakably reminiscent of…
‘Dragons.’
Beings like me. Or perhaps, like the Shadow King.
While their transformation was incomplete, the resemblance was clear.
These things were dragons.
The mutated shape of the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master and the dead creatures in this room—they were all the same.
‘They consumed something and turned into dragons.’
An artificial metamorphosis.
How was such a thing even achievable?
“Are there more of them in other locations?”
“All identified threats have been neutralized.”
“Is there a chance others remain?”
“None fall within the range of my perception.”
If that was true, they were either very distant or this was all of them.
I trusted the Shadow King’s capacity to sense them, but…
‘This place is filled with too many unknowns.’
Nothing here could be accepted without scrutiny.
*Splash.*
I advanced further into the room, blood soaking into my boots.
‘What is this place meant to be?’
What was the function of this room?
From the condition of things, it did not differ greatly from what I had witnessed in the chamber below.
The room was more compact, but the existence of furnishings suggested it may have been a living quarters.
As I examined the space, an object at the room’s center drew my attention.
‘A pool?’
A small pond was situated there.
Why would a pond exist in a place like this?
It was bizarre upon first sight.
Moving toward it warily, I looked into the water.
“…!”
The moment I saw what was beneath, my eyes widened in shock.
Lying below the surface was something enormous.
Something far exceeding any expectation.