Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 897

Chapter 897

(“Grrrr…”)

A low, stifled growl escaped from Kurung. The air was thick with the remnants of swirling energy.
A delicate floral scent drifted through the air, mingling with the glow of a crimson aurora and the light of two moons.

Within this dreamlike setting, my attention was locked on a single presence.

A woman stood barefoot, as though the air itself were solid beneath her feet.
Her hair was stark white and so long it brushed the ground.

From this distance, her form was unclear, but she did not appear particularly large.

Her skin was as pale as fresh snow, and her eyes were a brilliant, vivid red, like petals adrift in the wind or the shifting aurora overhead.

Even at a glance, her appearance was extraordinary. Yet, what truly stunned me wasn’t her unusual features.

“Mother…?”

The reason for my shock was simple: the being before me was unmistakably my mother.

At first, I was doubtful.
Her appearance didn’t perfectly match the image engraved in my memory.

While her hair and facial structure held some resemblance—

‘Those ears… and is that a tail?’

In place of human ears, she had the pointed ears of a beast.
And from behind her waist hung a bushy tail, the same color as her hair, swaying lazily.

It was clear that she was not entirely human. That doubt flickered through my mind.

But still—

‘It’s her.’

No matter how I looked at it, this was undeniably my mother.

“…What.”

Why had my mother appeared so suddenly?
And more concerning, it seemed she had been the one to assault Kurung.

‘Why?’

What was happening?
I had heard there was some connection between Kurung and my mother.

‘Didn’t they say she was the one who sent him to me?’

Was that a lie? If not, what possible reason could she have to attack him?
Or was Kurung not who I believed him to be?

My mind spun, tangled in confusion. Countless questions and possibilities arose, each more baffling than the last.
The situation felt utterly strange.

But regardless—

‘Mother.’

With my mother standing right there, I couldn’t just do nothing.

“Let me out of this thing. Now.”

Thud!
I struck the barrier in frustration, but it didn’t so much as shudder.
I scowled deeply.

‘What is her intention?’

It was obvious she wasn’t trying to harm me, but beyond that—

‘What does she want?’

Why had she trapped me like this?

[“Grrrrr…!”]

Kurung roared, pushing himself back to his feet. Every slight movement made the ground tremble like an earthquake.

[“Abyss.”]

My mother’s voice rang out, clear and far-reaching despite her small stature.

[“Why have you broken the rules?”]

[“GRAAAH—!”]

[“Even now, you may return to where you belong.”]

[“ROAAAR!”]

Instead of complying, Kurung answered with another furious roar.

[“I see.”]

My mother gestured slightly, and in that instant—

Shhhhhh—!

The petals floating around us began to swirl and dance. And then—

‘The sky…’

The aurora overhead started to twist and writhe. Stars and clouds slowly drew together.

‘This isn’t possible.’

Boom! Boom-boom!

I could only stare, dumbfounded, at the spectacle unfolding before me.

Nature itself was bending to her will.
This was no martial technique. It was something far beyond any power I had ever known.

[“You need to be taught a lesson.”]

[“GRRRRR—!”]

Kurung lunged toward my mother. His mist-like body coalesced into the form of a massive beast, all gaping maw and sharp fangs.
Paired with his overwhelming size, the sight was terrifying.

[“How insolent.”]

But my mother simply waved her hand as she had before.

Crash! CRASH! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!

The gathered aurora slammed directly into Kurung. Beams of crimson light rained down from the sky.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom! Rumble—!

Each impact shook the earth violently.
I stood frozen, my mouth agape.

‘…Even compared to the Celestial Sovereign’s lightning—’

This was different from the power that had once wiped out the crimson beasts.
It wasn’t necessarily more overwhelming, but it felt fundamentally superior—a strength that defied all logic.

[“ROAAAR!”]

Struck by the barrage, Kurung cried out wildly, and the barrier around me shuddered.
I knew instinctively—this was my chance. If I acted now, I could break free.

But—

‘…’

Even realizing that, I didn’t move.
Why wasn’t I reaching out to shatter the barrier?

I couldn’t explain it, even to myself.

‘…Something.’

Something felt wrong as I watched my mother.
She was undoubtedly her, yet a strange feeling told me that facing her now would be a mistake.

That hesitation held me back.

‘Why?’

She was right there.
The person I had longed to see for so long was standing right in front of me.

She had even protected me just moments ago.

‘So why?’

Why was I hesitating to go to her?
As confusion clouded my mind—

[“How strange.”]

My mother’s voice held a note of curiosity.

[“Are you toying with me, Abyss?”]

[“Grrr…”]

[“If not, then why are you sitting there so uselessly?”]

Whoosh.

The beams of light vanished. At the same time, something began to shift behind my mother.

‘…A tail.’

The bundle of fur separated and rose into the air.
Three distinct tails, each glowing with crimson energy, lifted toward the sky.

[“Do you think I don’t know this isn’t your true form? You’re not even pretending to be weak convincingly. So then—”]

Just then—

[“Is that the issue?”]

“…!”

My mother’s gaze shifted toward me—or more precisely, toward the barrier enclosing me.

Shiver.

A cold chill shot down my spine the moment our eyes met.

This was nothing like facing Kurung earlier.

Thump.
Thump-thump!

Her gem-like crimson eyes.

They now looked languid and empty of emotion.
Her gaze held no discernible feeling, but my body reacted on its own, flooding with deep unease.

[“Grrrr—!”]

The instant her attention turned to me, Kurung roared with renewed hostility.

Rumble—! The ground quaked violently once again.

[“So I was right.”]

In response, my mother gave a soft laugh.

[“Did you think you could deceive me? If so, you’ve made a mistake.”]

She reached her hand out toward me.

[“Let’s see what you’re hiding, shall we?”]

Despite her gentle tone, the energy gathering at her fingertips was unmistakably deadly.
This was bad.

If this continued, I could really die.

[“ROAAAAAR!”]

Kurung charged at my mother once more.

This time, however, it was different.
A far more violent and intense aura exploded outward.

[“Oh my.”]

My mother smiled faintly as she watched.

[“How curious.”]

She withdrew the hand she’d extended toward me and turned it toward Kurung.

Boom!

Once again, light erupted from all directions.

Thud!

As my mother and Kurung resumed their battle, the barrier in front of me suddenly vanished.

Thud! Rumble—!

The heavens and earth shook.
Just witnessing the clash between them made my legs feel weak.
What kind of battle was this? I stared, utterly bewildered.

-Run.
-Run.
-Run.

A voice echoed in my ears, three times in succession.

‘Kurung?’

It felt like it was coming from him.

‘Run?’

Was that why the barrier disappeared? To give me a chance to escape?

But running from my mother? It sounded absurd.

-Run. North.

“…”

If I had to run, it made more sense to run from Kurung, not toward him.
Shouldn’t I go to my mother and tell her I was here?

“Hey.”

Ignoring reason, my body moved on instinct. I seized the Heavenly Demon’s wrist.

“Run.”

I had always trusted my instincts, and now was no different.

“…!”

The Cheonma’s eyes widened as I gripped him.
Using all my strength, I pulled him with me and launched forward.

We ran north.

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

Rumble—!

In the distance, a black mountain rolled and shuddered violently.
The ground shook so fiercely that the mountain crumbled inward.

[“Grrr… grrrrr…”]

Kurung groaned in pain, his cries echoing faintly.

My mother, watching silently, allowed her smile to fade and waved her hand.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

The aurora’s light hammered Kurung’s body again and again.
When the light finally faded, nothing remained where he had been.

Not even a trace.

[“Hmm.”]

My mother showed no surprise at the sight.
She had expected this.

[“As expected, it was just a fragment.”]

Though immense in size, the divine power it wielded had been pitifully weak.
No wonder she hadn’t believed it was the true form.

[“But why?”]

She tilted her head, puzzled.
Why had it gone to such lengths to put on this display?

Using a clone would have come at a cost. What could it have hoped to achieve?

[“Was it just to distract me?”]

To divert her attention, even for a moment? But why?
As she pondered, she recalled what had happened just before.

[“Could that be the reason?”]

The Abyss had gone to all that trouble because of something hidden within its divine power.

She remembered it clearly.

[“A dragon.”]

Two small dragons. One was faint, hardly worthy of the name.
But the other—

[“Hmm…”]

What could she call it? It was a dragon, yet something about it felt off.

And more troubling—

[“Familiar.”]

A familiar energy had radiated from within.
It felt eerily similar to her own power.

Why? She couldn’t explain it.
In the end, it didn’t matter.

Whatever the case—

[“Dragons have no place on this land.”]

Those vile and arrogant beings did not belong here.

[“I thought I had dealt with them all… Strange.”]

For some reason, they had dared to enter her domain. But now that she had seen them, it was over.

[“Chief.”]

[“Yes, my lady.”]

A voice answered from the torn dimension behind her.

[“Send the children to deal with the dragons.”]

[“As you command.”]

The presence departed immediately to carry out her order.

She would have preferred to handle it herself, but other matters demanded her attention.

With that, my mother turned to leave.

Just as she was about to step through the rift in space—

[…]

Something lingered in her thoughts.

One of the dragons that had briefly met her gaze.
That strange being with a familiar aura.

It was a dragon, yet it couldn’t simply be called one.

[“What is this?”]

Why couldn’t she shake its image from her mind?
She tilted her head briefly before dismissing the thought.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.
To her, it was just another existence that needed to be erased from this vast world.

As always.