Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 898

Chapter 898

For a long time, I flew.

I drove myself to the absolute edge, cutting through the sky with violent, explosive bursts of speed. An eternity seemed to pass, though in truth it was only about one *shijin*.

“Huff… Huff…”

My breathing grew ragged, and a cold sweat began to soak through my robes. I finally forced myself to halt.

“…Hah.”

The moment I stopped, heavy, labored breaths tore from my throat uncontrollably. The backlash from pushing my speed to its absolute limit was now washing over me.

‘This is more draining than the journey from Sichuan to Hanam.’

On that occasion, I had flown for almost two days without a break and felt relatively fine. Now, a mere two hours of flight had left my body feeling heavy and worn. To be honest, I could likely force myself to continue for another day in this condition, but—

‘There’s no chance I could keep this pace for two days.’

Perhaps the strange energy in the atmosphere had made my body feel deceptively light. I must have pushed far harder than I realized, failing to properly gauge my own output.

‘Even so…’

I glanced behind me.

‘I was moving at least twice as fast as I normally can.’

How much distance had I covered? It was impossible to calculate. I was even startling myself with the speed I had achieved.

‘This has to be far enough, right?’

I had flown north for two hours. I had followed Kurung’s directive and come to this place.

“…”

Even now, I wasn’t convinced this had been the correct decision. It was made purely on instinct.

‘Was it truly right to run away and leave my mother behind?’

Choosing to listen to Kurung over my own mother in that critical instant—was that truly the right choice?

I had wrestled with that doubt the entire way here, but—

‘What’s done is done.’

The moment was already behind me. Once an action is taken, it’s more important to decide what to do next than to dwell on it.

I looked to my side. The Cheonma was there. Noticing I was still gripping her wrist, I immediately released my hold.

“Ah.”

She reacted to the motion. She didn’t appear the least bit tired.

‘After a flight like that, she isn’t even breathing hard?’

I was completely drained, so why did she seem perfectly fine?

‘…Is the difference in our strength really that vast?’

It was a peculiar feeling, but now wasn’t the time to ponder it. I set the thought aside and heightened my senses.

*Whoosh—!*

My perception rapidly expanded, sweeping through the immediate area. Fortunately, I detected nothing.

The issue was—

‘It’s too silent.’

It was unnerving. There wasn’t a single trace of life. Normally, I would sense insects in the grass or the presence of wild animals. Here, there was nothing. This utter void of presence felt alien and wrong.

‘What is this place?’

The more I observed, the less I understood. What kind of land was this?

I could tell it wasn’t Zhongyuan. I could even tell it wasn’t the world I originated from.

But still—

‘Where am I?’

That was the question that mattered most.

I took a moment to steady my breathing and replayed the earlier events. The battle between Kurung and my mother.

I still didn’t know the reason for their conflict, but the mere fact that my mother had appeared here was profoundly significant.

‘Mother was called the master of a world.’

Muah had told me that.

The name of that world was—

‘Mangye (The Myriad Realms).’

A world referenced by both the Blood Demon and Muah. I didn’t know much about it, but it sounded analogous to certain realms within Zhongyuan.

Which meant—

‘The world that exists beyond the Magyeong Gate.’

This place was likely that very world.

‘…But is it always like this?’

It felt deceptively tranquil. Compared to the desolate world where I had found Muah, this was completely different.

That place had been so barren that not even weeds could grow, but here the land was lush and vibrant, covered in dense greenery and colorful flowers.

‘Of course, I still can’t sense any living creatures here.’

That part remained strange, but still—

‘This is Mother’s world.’

Or more precisely, the world where Mother reigned as its master.

“…”

So, what now?

My thoughts hit a wall, grinding to a complete halt.

“This is bad.”

My mind wasn’t functioning clearly. It was undoubtedly a result of the earlier shock.

“…Mother.”

The image of my mother overpowering Kurung was seared into my mind.

Her beast-like ears in place of human ones,
and those white tails raised high against the sky.

Her presence and form were utterly inhuman.

‘And that unnatural, threatening aura I felt from her…’

That was the true reason I had listened to Kurung and fled. Even though I knew it was her, something about her felt profoundly dangerous.

Just being near her had felt like a threat to my very life. My every instinct had screamed at me to get away immediately.

“Damn it.”

What in the hell was going on?
I racked my brain, but no answers surfaced.

“Are you okay?”

The Cheonma’s voice cut through my thoughts. Without looking at her, I let out a sigh.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But—”

“It’s just… frustrating, that’s all.”

I turned to face north again.

‘What do I do now?’

I had come north because Kurung instructed me to. But if I couldn’t sense anything, what was the point?

‘Do I need to go further?’

Should I keep moving until I find something?
It already felt like I’d traveled an immense distance.

“Damn it.”

I scowled. With no information to guide me, all I felt was a building irritation.

‘Should I just turn back?’

Maybe I should return to where my mother had been.
If I had no plan, wouldn’t that be the better option?

“Ah, shit.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I found no solution. Frustrated, I ran my hands through my hair.

What should I do?
How could I navigate this wretched situation?

Just as I was drowning in my thoughts—

*Whoosh.*

“…Hmm?”

I sensed something abnormal. My head snapped up toward the sky.

In that instant—

*Screeeech—!*

“What the fuck?”

The sky was ripping apart, revealing crimson Magyeong Gates. Not just one.

Dozens of them.

Dozens of Gates materialized in the air.

“What fresh hell is this?”
I narrowed my eyes, my entire body tensing with heightened alertness.

[“Found you.”]

A deep, resonant voice echoed directly in my ears.

[“The filthy young dragon has been located. The hunt begins.”]

“What?”

A dragon? A hunt?
As the words registered, my expression contorted.

[“ROOOAAAR—!”]

With an earth-shaking roar, things began pouring out of the Magyeong Gates.

*Thud! Thud-thud-thud—!*

[“ROOOAAAR—!”]

‘Demons?’

What rained down upon the earth were unmistakably demonic beings.
In a heartbeat, they swarmed the land. I studied them closely.

They were all creatures I had never seen before.
And more than that—

‘Their colors are all wrong.’

Unlike the standard classifications of green, blue, red, or white-ranked demons, each of these things had its own unique hue.

Some had gray fur, others were orange.
Their appearances were completely foreign to me.

‘What are these things?’

I stood my ground, momentarily stunned by the bizarre creatures—

[“The master was right.”]

*Boom—!*

An enormous figure dropped from the largest crimson Magyeong Gate.
The impact sent dirt and debris flying in every direction.

[“Indeed, a dragon.”]

Squinting against the violent gust of wind, I stared ahead.

[“I will ask you, you arrogant, vile creature.”]

The sheer, overwhelming malice radiating from the figure triggered my body’s instincts.
*Whoosh—!* Flames erupted and swirled around me as I dropped into a stance, cloaking myself in protective energy.

[“How is it that your kind, who should have gone extinct alongside the Dragon King, have appeared here?”]

As the disturbed air settled, the speaker came into full view.

He was colossal.

Even compared to Elder Il, one of the largest men I’d ever seen, this creature was many times bigger.
Next to the other demons, his immense size made him seem like he had two extra heads.

His powerful build was covered in thick black fur, and his head was that of a bull.
In one hand, he held a massive axe that was easily larger than my entire body.

And the most shocking thing—

‘It can speak?’

The demon was using human language.
Then again, I’d encountered others who could, like the Mangdo in the Northern Sea, or even Dol-Dol.

‘…And judging by its aura.’

The crushing pressure radiating from him confirmed this was no ordinary foe.
As a martial artist, he would be at least Hwagyeong-level.
Among demons, his presence was on par with a White-Rank beast.

“What are you?”

When I spoke, the bull demon snorted, releasing a cloud of hot air.

*Whoosh!*

Flames flickered from its nostrils.

[“I have no obligation to answer a lowly creature. Your role is to respond to my questions.”]

“…Well, this cow sure has a talent for pissing people off.”

[“If you refuse to answer, it changes nothing.”]

*Thud!*

The demon raised its gigantic axe and leveled it at me.

[“The result will be the same either way.”]

“Hah.”

At those words, I flared my aura.
Whether it talked or not, the end result was obvious. That much was certain.

‘It intended to kill me from the very beginning.’

I relaxed my muscles and scanned the area. There were many of them. At least a hundred demons had me surrounded.

They hadn’t assembled this force for a casual conversation.

“Well, this works out just fine.”

A fierce grin spread across my face as I took in the horde.

“I’ve been looking for someone to question. Don’t stumble over your words later, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

[…]

The bull demon snorted again as I unleashed my power.

[“As expected.”]

*Rumble—!*

His enormous muscles flexed, veins bulging across his body.

[“Dragons are arrogant.”]

“I get that a lot.”

With that, I pushed my energy to its absolute limit.

*Whoosh—!*

Blazing blue flames erupted from my body, surging outward in a great wave.

*Whoooosh—!*

[“Screeee—!”]
[“Graaaah—!”]

The demons closest to me were instantly engulfed by the flames, their shrieks echoing as they were incinerated to ash.

Unfortunately, the number I managed to eliminate was only a small portion of their total force.

[“Rip him apart.”]

At the bull’s command, the remaining demons surged toward me from all sides.
I thrust my hand outward in response.

Nine Flames Firewheel.

The blue flames spiraled out, spreading in a wide, scorching arc.
But unlike ordinary demons, these creatures resisted the fire and pushed through it.

‘Their resilience is higher.’

They were different from any demons I’d faced before.

In that case—

*Clench.*

I tightened my fist. The embers scattered in the air suddenly froze in place.

*Whoosh—!*

The scattered sparks coalesced into dense orbs of flame.

Dozens of these fiery spheres hovered around me. I twitched my fingers slightly.

*Ssssshhhhh—!*

The orbs began spinning at a terrifying speed, mimicking the pattern of the Nine Flames Firewheel.

They fanned out, expanding their lethal radius.

*Boom! Boom-boom-boom!*

Whenever a demon was struck by one of the spinning orbs, a violent explosion tore through it.

[“Screeeech—!”]
[“Grrraaah—!”]

The demons that had resisted the initial flames could not withstand the concussive blasts and were ripped apart.
The resulting fires spread, swiftly turning the surroundings into a raging sea of flames.

While more than half of their forces still remained, it also meant I had annihilated half of them in a matter of moments.

‘Not bad for a warm-up.’

It had been a while since I’d felt this exhilarated.
Given the nature of my power, large-scale annihilation was my specialty.

As I continued manipulating the remaining orbs, I gathered flames into my other hand.

Reshaping and compressing them, I forged a spear of pure, rotating fire.
Once its velocity reached its peak—

“Hup!”

I hurled it with all my might.

The flaming spear shot forward, piercing straight through several demons on its path toward its true target—the bull demon.
My intention was a decisive, killing blow.

But—

*Clench!*

*Boom!*

“What?”

The bull demon caught the flaming spear in its bare hand and crushed it.
A tremendous explosion lit up the area.

“…Is this guy insane?”

I stared in pure disbelief.

[“How unexpected.”]

The bull demon spoke calmly, as if completely unfazed.

At first, I thought he had emerged unharmed, but that wasn’t the case.

His arm—the one that had caught the spear—was blown off almost to the shoulder.

But—

*Crack. Crack.*

“…!”

Before my eyes, bone and flesh began knitting back together at an impossible rate, and within moments, his arm was fully restored.

‘What kind of regeneration is that?’

It was absurd, on the same level as facing a Mangdo.

[“For a young dragon to wield such power… It’s remarkable.”]

“Who are you calling remarkable?”

[“It seems I underestimated you. My apologies.”]

The demon took a step forward, and the surrounding demons fell silent at his motion.

[“I am the Chieftain.”]

“…”

[“And now, I will kill you.”]

It was a blunt, crude declaration. But—

*Rumble—!*

The overwhelming pressure radiating from him made it clear these were not empty words.

‘Damn it.’

This was a completely different level of power.
It far surpassed the aura of any of the Ten Great Masters.

‘This is bad.’

It looked like I would have to use everything I had.

‘And it’s not just him.’

Having to fight someone of that caliber while also dealing with the remaining demons?
The situation was dire.

The only silver lining—

‘The Cheonma is here.’

She was standing behind me, her gaze fixed on the sky.
I turned toward her, hoping for assistance.

“Hey. Stop standing there and—”

“They’re here.”

Her words made me frown.

“They’re here.”

“What are you talking about? Instead of saying that, help me—”

“Something strong has arrived.”

“What?”

What in the world was she talking about?
I followed her line of sight upward.

“…There really is something?”

There was indeed a figure there.

Hovering just below the moonlit sky was a person.
I narrowed my eyes to see more clearly.

Then, it became unmistakable.

“Oh…”

The sound escaped me as I stared in utter disbelief.

Floating in the air was unquestionably a human.

With his hands clasped serenely behind his back, he looked down upon us with an air of detached arrogance.
Though the details were faint, he appeared to be tall.

Dressed in white martial robes, with white hair and a beard, he was clearly an old man.

Honestly, none of that was important.

What mattered was—

‘That…’

The intricate embroidery on his chest.

The distinct floral pattern stitched onto his pristine white robes.
There was only one place in all of Zhongyuan known for such attire.

As I stood there, my face frozen in shock,

“Ha-ha,”

The old man in the sky let out a soft, low chuckle.

“My, you’re still as ugly as ever.”

With those words, the faint, sweet scent of plum blossoms drifted down on the air.