Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 945

Chapter 945

The Lord of Mangye (The Myriad Realms).

And below them, four entities endowed with might and sovereignty.

In this land, they are known as Generals.

Each General governed their own nation.
Though Mangye was immense, containing countless territories, only four true kingdoms existed.

These were the lands of the Generals.

Among them, Yahwol Palace was the realm where the majority of the Moonlit Night Tribe dwelled.
And the General who ruled there was said to be called Yusa Sado (Apostle of Yusa).

“Yusa.”

As the name arose, it called to mind a certain person.
He tried to superimpose it with the name he had just spoken—

“It’s nothing like that name.”

He had mentioned Mongmong, but it was not similar in the slightest.

A youth of pale green complexion, named Mongmong?

“What a strange individual.”

He was an odd one. And also—

“A powerful one.”

An exceptionally powerful one.

Their meeting had been brief, yet the impression was vividly clear.

Even the slightest unveiling of his aura had saturated the surroundings.
A force so immense it made one wonder about its true limits.

If that was what a General represented—

“This will be difficult.”

It wasn’t that the leader was uniquely powerful; it was that most Generals operated on that level.
As he listened, he systematically processed the information.

After some time—

“Are you paying attention?”
“Hm?”

The man dressed in black, said to be Gubong’s father and a noble, spoke to him.
He had come here directly after the encounter with Mongmong to talk.

“Yes, I am listening.”
“…”

The man’s eyes showed clear doubt.
It was true he had missed the last part.

Still, he had heard all the crucial information, so it should be fine.
He offered a slightly apologetic smile and said,

“In any case, that General named Yusa appeared to be searching for me….”

He had known about the Generals in a general sense, but meeting one so soon was unexpected.

“Is it because of what recently happened here?”
“…”

The leader did not answer, merely studying him.
Though he seemed deep in thought, the nature of those thoughts was unclear.

So he waited for a response.

After a period of silence—

“What did the General ask of you?”

The leader posed his own question instead of answering.

“What did they ask?”

They asked if I was responsible for the recent events. That was all.

“…And?”

The leader’s brow furrowed as he listened.

“So I told them no.”
“…”

The leader’s expression shifted subtly at the answer. What did that look mean?

“Why?”
“You said no?”
“Yes. I said I didn’t do it.”
“…”
“Why is that so difficult to believe?”

No matter how one looked at it, the leader seemed unconvinced.
And yet, he had truly said no.

With a light laugh, he added,

“Do you also think I was responsible?”
“Well, I cannot say for certain.”
“No, you don’t mean that you aren’t sure.”

Tap, tap.
He drummed his fingers on the table, signaling for the conversation to get to the point.

“What matters to you isn’t whether I did it. That’s the reason you’re here, correct?”
“…”

At those words, the leader’s gaze sharpened.

And in that instant—

Ssshhh.

Shadows began to gather on the floor.

The creeping darkness slowly spread, threatening to consume the room.
Seeing this, he lightly stamped his foot.

Thud!
Crack!

“…!”

The impact shattered the shadows, and the leader’s eyes widened in shock.

“Let’s not waste time with petty tricks like this.”
“You…”
“We’ve already had this exchange. There’s no need to repeat it, is there?”

He had a tendency to employ strange formations—
likely designed to induce mental confusion or illusions.

“But I am not so weak-minded as to be caught by such things.”

These were tricks that only worked on the vulnerable.

While he might have been a little damaged, his life had never been easy, making him immune to such tactics.

“Wouldn’t it be simpler to be direct? I didn’t come here for a contest of strength.”
“…Hah.”

At his words, the leader finally withdrew his power from the floor.
Not that he seemed to comprehend—he looked more astonished than before.

“What are you?”

“Can you not see my attire?”

He confidently pointed to the plum blossom emblem on his chest.
The leader curled his lip in disdain.

“Sheer nonsense. You do not carry the same feeling as them.”
“You offend me. What is so different about me?”
“Resolve.”
“…”

That word left him momentarily silent.

“Resolve, determination, and spirit. Those from Mount Hua may seem overly fervent, but they possess those qualities. You—show none of it.”
“Then what do you see in me?”

What do you perceive in me, then?

When he asked, the leader replied while staring directly at him.

“Nothing.”
“What?”

His face contorted at the absurd answer, but the leader continued.

“There is nothing there. Like an empty void. That is why you are not of Mount Hua.”
“…”

It felt terrible.
How could words carry such a sting?
The worst part was—

“I can’t deny it.”

He couldn’t argue against it.

An empty void.
Words that somehow laid him bare.

Or perhaps—

“You are not of Mount Hua.”

Was that what gnawed at him more?
He didn’t know.

But he had to let it go.

Yet—

“Does it truly matter that much to you?”

He couldn’t keep the edge from his voice.
It was dripping with irritation. Even after speaking, he had to suppress a startle at his own tone.

His emotions had risen more than he’d expected.

He was angry at his own lack of control. Yet, ironically, this was his best attempt at hiding it.

“I know your type all too well.”

Suppressing his anger, he continued.

“Eyes that conceal your true desires. Struggling to find a way to the top, desperate to climb higher.”
“…”
“And once they find it, they don’t charge in recklessly. They watch and wait. That is exactly what you are doing.”

Their faces were close now.
If either wished it, a fight could erupt in an instant.

Yet, he was certain this man would not attack him.

“So, do you still need to be more cautious? What do you see in me now?”
“How utterly foolish.”

Screech.

The leader stood, towering over him by a full head.

“Do you truly believe you can act as a bridge?”
“That isn’t for me to decide. It’s the reason you’re here, holding your cards, is it not?”
“A man who cannot even declare his identity—what can he possibly achieve?”

The leader spoke with a faint, mocking smile.
For the first time, an emotion was clearly visible.

“I already told you, didn’t I? I am from Mount Hua.”
“Are you going to keep playing games with me?”

Crackle—!
Suddenly, the room filled with palpable energy.
Unlike before, this was no illusion—it was real power.

It wasn’t qi. The energy here, though different from the qi stored in one’s dantian, felt distinctly unusual.

“Gubong, Seol Yeong, and the Mount Hua disciples seem to use it, but…”

For others, calling it qi felt completely foreign.

Yet it prickled at the heart, almost like—

“It resembles sorcery.”

Of course, it wasn’t sorcery either. It was simply closer to that than to qi.

“You might have been tolerable enough to be shown mercy, but your arrogance is no different from the rest of those Mount Hua wretches.”
“Mercy? Arrogance?”

He let out a dry laugh.

“…Why is it that no matter where I go, people say the same damned things?”

As always, those words never changed.

Grit—!

He resisted the pressure and stared back at the leader.
The mocking expression had long vanished from his face.

“I don’t know how you slipped past the General’s notice, but if they have taken an interest in you, it is already too late.”

The leader continued speaking, and the pressure in the room intensified.
That prickling sensation clawing at his heart grew stronger.

It was strange.

“If that’s the case, I might as well eliminate you now and save myself the future trouble.”
“So, what is your plan? To kill me?”

As during the last encounter with the White Leader, this energy made his heart and even his skin feel itchy, as if—

“I should do something.”

That was the feeling it gave.

“What is it?”
What am I supposed to do?

“What’s bothering me?”

Why was he wasting time with this verbal sparring?
No—this was no longer just words; it was on the verge of turning physical.

He had no intention of fighting here.
This was a rare opportunity he’d created—why spoil it with a conflict?

The plan was to handle things smoothly and use this chance to his advantage.
Yet, he was provoking the leader.

“Why?”

He tried to think.
Why was he doing this?

Why was he acting on instinct rather than reason?

“Was it because of earlier?”

That moment when he met Yusa.
And even the fleeting instant when they parted.

If he had to pinpoint it, the problem started then.

Since that moment, his emotions had been running high.

Especially—

“When I heard the words.”

The moment he heard something akin to Dragon Speech with his own ears.
That was the turning point.

The leader in front of him held his head high, looking down on him.

And the way he kept prodding—it grated on his nerves.

“…Damn it.”

It was an emotion he was barely holding in check.
Since becoming the Dragon, he’d often been swept up in strange surges of euphoria and unnecessary feelings.

After mastering the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique, it had only grown worse.

And today, it was particularly intense.

He scratched his neck with his fingers.
Perhaps a little too hard—his nails dug into his skin, and he felt a sharp pain.

Drip.

Blood trickled down, staining his neck.
At that moment, Cheonma, who had been standing behind him, stirred.

“Don’t delude yourself.”

The leader’s energy flowed along his shoulders, its black hue matching his hair.

“No matter what secrets you hold, here, I am the law.”

Buzz—!

A vibration reverberated in his chest.

The floating sensation that spread out began to take hold of his body.

It felt familiar.

“This is—”

It was similar to the strange energy Mongmong had infused into his words.
The sensation when his words suppressed him, encasing him completely—

But this time, unlike then, it didn’t dissipate before making contact.

“…It’s certainly a peculiar feeling.”

Even one experience had left a vivid memory.

It wasn’t the same as using Dragon Speech.
This was something else entirely.

It didn’t just suppress the body or actions—

“Hmm…”

Yes.

“It tramples the soul itself.”

That description seemed more fitting.

For example—

“You dare not raise your head—”

[Sit.]

Thud—!!

“…!!”
“Oh.”

The leader suddenly collapsed into his chair, as if an invisible force had shoved him down.
His eyes were wide with shock as he looked up.

“…This… What is this?”

He trembled, his expression frozen in disbelief.
The sight was almost comical, given how utterly startled he was.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one surprised.

“It works?”

It actually worked.

He hadn’t felt anything when he was on the receiving end, so he wasn’t sure.
But using it on someone else—it seemed effective.

“It’s certainly similar to Dragon Speech.”

The method was similar, but the effect was different.

“It’s more definite.”

For someone as strong as the leader, Dragon Speech might have struggled to suppress him.

But oddly enough, the moment he heard the command, he was subdued with ease.
As he marveled at this—

Thunk.

He felt something unbind in his chest.

“…Tch.”

The leader’s body regained its freedom.
Not that he had released him intentionally.

“The duration is short.”

Was the short duration a trade-off for its effectiveness?
Or was it simply that he hadn’t used it properly?

Questions arose.
But now wasn’t the time for them.

“Who… are you… truly?”

The leader looked at him with a mix of awe and disbelief.

“Who are you…?”

His tone had changed entirely.

“What the—?”

What was wrong with him?
He should’ve been furious, ready to fight.

Instead, he suddenly seemed deflated.

“Was it because of that?”

That moment when he mimicked what Mongmong or Yusa had done—it seemed to have caused some kind of reaction.

That must be why he was acting this way.

And while it was amusing—

“My identity?”

He smiled and replied,

“What do you believe it to be?”

This was perfect.

If he was misunderstanding, all the better.
He decided to take full advantage of it.