Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 905

Chapter 905

Oblivion…

For a long moment, I could only sit there, stunned into silence by that single word.

‘A punishment?’

My mother had failed in her duty, and her sentence was oblivion?

“Is that the truth?”

“It is, to the best of my knowledge.”

“…”

I found Noya’s words difficult to accept, yet I had no solid grounds to dismiss them either.

I knew all too well how merciless the world could be. If my mother had indeed been punished, the reason was obvious.

‘…For failing in her role as a disaster.’

That had to be it.

Now, at last, I thought I understood.

‘Why my mother looked at me the way she did.’

Why her eyes held such a profound emptiness. It felt like a piece of the puzzle had finally clicked into place.

But the real problem was this:

‘Then, what of the mother I met?’

The being I encountered in the Divine Dragon Hall, and the one who appeared before me during my confrontation with the Blood Demon—that was undeniably my mother. The entity known as the master of the Banished Realm was also her.

The Blood Demon’s own reaction had confirmed it; I was certain.

‘What is happening?’

It made no sense to me.

Then, I recalled the words my mother had spoken just before I lost consciousness.

‘She told me not to search for her.’

Had she said that because she knew this would happen?

‘Did my mother know I would come to this world?’

However I looked at it, that seemed to be the case.

But how?

‘Was there some kind of trigger? Or did my mother send me here on purpose? No, it didn’t feel intentional.’

I ruled out the latter possibility. Her reaction had been too strange for that. Furthermore, if she had been aware of her own circumstances, I believed she would never have sent me here like this.

Therefore.

‘…It must be the former.’

What recent change could have caused this? I sifted through the chaos of my memories, searching for an answer.

‘My life has been a series of upheavals, so there are many possibilities. But I tried to focus on the most recent events.’

‘The first possibility is undoubtedly…’

The space of those beings. The tree I touched underground. The moment my hand made contact, it disintegrated and was absorbed into my body against my will. Could that have been the catalyst?

‘Or perhaps…’

The Pearl of Wisdom the master of the Celestial Stream Sect had mentioned. Was consuming that pearl the cause?

‘That is possible.’

I hadn’t even meant to eat it. It had flown into my mouth of its own accord, and I swallowed it.

How absurd.

‘…But if it’s not that.’

A flash of white flame crossed my mind.

The White Flame. Could the act of unleashing the White Flame, triggered by the pearl, be the issue? If not that…

‘The Great Success of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique.’

The Nine Flames Wheel Technique, which I had only ever mastered to the Completion stage in my past life. This was the most significant change.

‘I never achieved it before.’

Despite devouring countless demons and amassing a vast reservoir of internal energy, I had remained at the Completion stage.

Now that I had finally reached a realm I never had in my previous life, could that truly be the cause? But…

‘That would be strange.’

There was a major obstacle to accepting that as the sole reason.

‘If that was the cause, why wasn’t it immediate?’

There was a clear delay. It could have been a latent reaction, but stretching the timeline that far felt like a stretch.

‘It can’t be definitively identified as the cause, but…’

It would be more accurate to say:

‘A condition was met.’

Certain conditions were fulfilled, and as a result, something was activated. So, what was that something?

‘The Blood Demon?’

Meeting the Blood Demon. Could that be it? Of course, this was still speculation, but it seemed the most plausible.

‘…’

Was the Blood Demon truly the key? And if…

‘My speculation is correct, then everything was arranged with this outcome in mind.’

Whether it was the White Flame or the Great Success of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique. If that was the case, then someone had anticipated that I would end up here.

How was that possible?

‘If I hadn’t reached this point, it wouldn’t have happened.’

Did my mother, or some other being, have absolute certainty that I would get here? Or…

‘Did they simply believe?’

Did they have faith that I would make it?

‘That can’t be right.’

I shook my head. That was impossible. In fact, in my past life…

“Ah.”

I stopped short, my eyes widening.

“Could it be?”

It was far-fetched, but could they have anticipated my regression as well?

‘That’s insane.’

Of all the possibilities, that was the most unbelievable.

‘To prepare for my return? That isn’t even remotely funny.’

If that were true, the implications were utterly terrifying.

‘…It would mean my entire life has been orchestrated by someone else.’

That couldn’t be, it mustn’t be. Gritting my teeth, I forced the thought away and spoke to Noya.

“Noya.”

“Yes.”

“Even if everything you say is true, I still have doubts. There are clear contradictions in your story.”

“Contradictions?”

Noya’s brow furrowed slightly. That was when I asked the question that troubled me most. Yes, there was one glaring inconsistency in Noya’s account.

“If the Blood Demon’s world was lost, and he invaded the central plains as a disaster… I see a parallel in my mother’s situation. Here is my doubt.”

His own world vanished, so the disaster invaded the central plains? The narrative holds, but then what of my mother?

“The Banished Realm still exists. Mother had no reason to come to the central plains as a disaster.”

It was both a question and a contradiction. It had bothered me from the start. As I pressed him, Noya nodded.

“That is a fair point. It is a reasonable doubt.”

“Then…”

“However, the Banished Realm is different.”

“What?”

The Banished Realm is different?

“The reason the world sent your mother to the central plains is also because of that. She is recognized as the ruler of the Banished Realm.”

“Could you explain further?”

“A master, as the term is used, is not as exceptional as you might think.”

The conversation suddenly shifted to the nature of a master, but I did not interrupt. He must have a reason for bringing it up now.

“The life of a world is tied to its master, but a master is not necessarily a being of great power. They are simply born into that role.”

“Simply born that way?”

“Yes, that is the essence of being a master.”

It was a difficult concept to grasp. And I couldn’t understand why he was telling me this now.

Then.

“Young one, as I said, typically there is only one master over the life forms of a world.”

“And that means?”

“As I’ve mentioned before, the Banished Realm is a convergence point for all manner of life. So.”

Noya rubbed his neck, a gesture of weariness.

“Do you believe there would be only one master in the Banished Realm?”

“!”

I barely suppressed a gasp. That meant…

“…Are you saying there are multiple masters in the Banished Realm?”

“Yes. Precisely… It is a place where several could potentially exist.”

That seemed to be the implication of his earlier words.

“However, the Banished Realm and the world itself do not desire that. So, when beings are accepted into the Banished Realm, conditions are imposed under the guise of accommodation.”

Shin Noya held up two fingers.

“The first is to swear loyalty to the master of the Banished Realm.”

And the second.

“To become a member of the Yueya—the Moonlit Night.”

“…Moonlit Night?”

“It refers to those who were originally native to this world. In that way.”

“Does it prevent other masters from emerging?”

“So they say. But…”

Noya moved to pet Kurung. The creature lay on the floor, utterly unresponsive.

“There is one other master she uniquely acknowledged. That allowance is what enabled her to accept the duty and descend into the central plains.”

“What… another master?”

“You are looking at it right now.”

“What?”

I turned my head and my eyes fell upon the very thing that gave me pause. It was right there.

When I had encountered my mother or the Blood Demon, they possessed a distinct, overwhelming presence.

“…Kurung?”

“Yes, Kurung.”

[….]

The creature twitched slightly at the sound of its name. Its gaze seemed displeased, but within it, I also sensed a deep resignation.

“This one is also a master?”

Now that I considered it… it seemed possible, especially given how it had confronted my mother.

“As I said before, being a master does not simply mean one is strong. Though it is generally true that they appear powerful.”

“If Kurung is a master, how can it even exist here?”

“Because it is necessary.”

Noya stopped petting Kurung.

“Darkness is needed everywhere. Not the gentle night, but true darkness.”

“What does that mean?”

At my question, Noya let out a soft sigh, his face etched with sudden fatigue. Why did his expression darken? As I wondered, his words reached me.

“If she manages the surface, then this one signifies the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“The Banished Realm is full of those who might become masters, or those who refused to join the Moonlit Night. An entity was needed to govern them. Not only that…”

[Grrr.]

“Something was also needed to contain and incinerate the extinguished ones.”

“…What?”

My eyes widened at his next words.

“A pit of unimaginable depth. A place you cannot see the bottom of, and from which there is no escape once entered.”

Could Kurung be…

“The world calls it an Abyss. And this one is…”

The entity that contains and erases those who have lost their master.

“In other words, it is the master of that Abyss.”

Which meant it was the very source of demons.

***

As the day slowly faded, I couldn’t feel the sunset, but I could tell by the dimming light that night was approaching. I sat motionless, my expression blank as darkness drew near.

“…”

My face was a mask, but internally, my mind was reeling, on the verge of shattering from the sheer weight of my thoughts.

“What a wretched life.”

The words slipped out in a quiet mutter of frustration.

Could life truly be this cruel? I dragged my dry hands over my face again and again.

It felt like the deeper I dug, the more horrifying truths I unearthed.

“Damn it. Can’t they ever throw me a bone?”

I might have been able to endure it if the challenges weren’t so monumentally unfair.

“Phew…”

Why was nothing ever simple?

Whether in my past life or this one… Ah, was this one even harder? It seemed so. Just when I thought I could manage, another layer of complexity was added, making everything worse.

“Damn it. If you’re going to help me, just see it through to the end.”

Then Noya, who had been explaining everything, suddenly looked exhausted and vanished, saying he needed to go somewhere. Once Noya was gone, Kkurung glanced at me and then retreated into its usual hiding spot. Feeling awkward just standing there, I eventually had to return to my quarters.

I was told to rest, but how could I possibly rest with all this? It was unthinkable.

“Phew…”

Sleep was definitely out of the question. I didn’t particularly want to move, either. It was a clear sign of my mental exhaustion.

And so.

“…Can’t you just leave me alone? I’m not in a good place right now.”

I spoke the words to the empty air. This wasn’t a comment aimed at myself.

The moment I returned to my room, I’d sensed someone watching me from a distance.

Hearing me, the observer slowly stepped out of the shadows.

A figure with black hair and beast-like ears.

It was Gubong, whom I had met earlier. The sight of him drew another sigh from me.

“What do you want from me… Ah, forget it.”

I was too weary to ask. I stood up, deciding it wasn’t worth the breath. His intention was written plainly on his face.

Looking at Gubong, I said,

“I didn’t like the look in your eyes since this afternoon. Those who stare at me like that usually want a fight.”

I’d lived long enough to be irritated by the predictability. I glared at Gubong as he spoke.

“Master may have said it was acceptable, but I do not agree.”

I just stared, silently urging him to get on with it.

“No matter how long Master has awaited your arrival, your attitude is unacceptable here, on this sacred ground of Mount Hua.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Nonsense. This isn’t a mountain, let alone Mount Hua. What are you even talking about? Have you ever even seen a real volcano to be lecturing me about Mount Hua? You probably don’t even know what Mount Hua truly is.”

“Do not insult Mount Hua.”

“Why would I insult it? I respect it too. If anything, you’re the one being absurd… No, forget it.”

I waved a hand dismissively, too tired for word games.

“So, you’re saying you want to fight?”

Gubong looked taken aback by my directness. Had he not expected me to cut to the chase?

His surprise was short-lived, however. Gubong’s eyes hardened as he addressed me.

“I, as the top disciple of Mount Hua, will teach you manne—”

“Shut up. So we’re fighting. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Crack.

I clenched my fist, and the sound of knuckles popping broke the silence.

“I should warn you, I’m in a foul mood right now and might not hold back. Is that alright?”

“…”

Gubong’s brow furrowed deeply at my words.

“Such provocations will not work on—”

His sentence was cut short.

Crash-!

“Urgh!”

“Then let’s get started.”

My fist was already buried in his abdomen. I tilted my head, assessing the impact.

It hadn’t sunk in as deeply as I’d expected. He was tougher than he looked.

Maybe that was why?

‘Perfect for working out my frustration.’

The thought crossed my mind unbidden as I settled into my stance.