Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 979

Chapter 979

An hour had passed. The sun remained high overhead.
By its placement in the sky, evening was still a long way off.

I advanced cautiously, one step at a time.
While my movements were controlled and steady, my mind was racing.

I remembered Shin Noya’s words concerning Yusa.
Simultaneously, I evaluated my physical state, preparing for the possibility of something going wrong.

‘…Tsk.’

As I circulated my energy and took stock of my condition, it was clear my body was in poor shape.
This was to be expected. The fight with the Blue Commander the previous night had already left me significantly injured.

There were no critical wounds, so it wasn’t the worst it could be.
However, because I had kept moving without resting, my injuries had no opportunity to recover.

‘…The Qi Substitution Technique impedes healing.’

Though it was an incredibly useful skill that allowed me to alter my form, its disadvantages were obvious.
Every transformation felt like having my bones broken and remade.

Even after changing, sustaining that form demanded a considerable drain on my energy.

On top of that—

Wounds healed more slowly while I was transformed, and the sensation of pain was intensified.
Objectively speaking, aside from the ability to change my physique, the technique offered few advantages.

Because of that—

‘I hope nothing happens.’

Taking into account my recent battle with the Blue Commander and the injuries I’d sustained before that, my body was far from its best.

Knowing this, I wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict.

‘…But will that actually be possible?’

A vague, creeping sense of dread washed over me, and I tried to push it aside.

I kept moving until I finally reached my destination.

‘Hmm.’

I stood in a small clearing surrounded by thick forest.
I carefully examined my surroundings.

‘There’s nothing here?’

I couldn’t see anything unusual.
Was I being observed from afar?
To check, I subtly sharpened my senses.

*Rustle.*

A presence.

The instant I sensed it and turned—

“Hahaha!”

A loud, exuberant laugh echoed through the clearing.

At the same moment—

“There you are!”

An overwhelming wave of killing intent crashed down upon me.

*******

BOOM—!

Something dropped from above like a meteor. I twisted my body out of the way.

‘What is this?’

A sudden ambush. What was going on?
As the assault continued, I avoided the strikes while trying to understand the situation.

Was this Yusa’s doing?
If so, then he had undoubtedly planned this.

However, it didn’t seem like he was the one attacking me directly.
Had he called for backup?

‘No, that’s not it.’

I could only sense one presence.
It was just that this single individual was emitting a ridiculously powerful aura.

I narrowed my eyes and focused on my opponent.
Through the cloud of dust kicked up by the impact, another blow came flying toward me.

I evaded a swipe of clawed fingers and, in doing so, caught a glimpse of the attacker’s face.

‘Ah.’

Now I understood who it was.
It was my first time seeing her in person, but I knew exactly who she was.

‘The Red Commander.’

Hong Jeong.

The so-called strongest noble among the Commanders—or something along those lines?

‘If the title is accurate, it suggests she is the most powerful of them all.’

She appeared young.
The other Commanders also looked unusually youthful for their age, but that was a known characteristic of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

Even so—

‘She doesn’t look even twenty.’

While the others appeared to be in their thirties or forties,
this Red Commander seemed barely out of her teens.

“Hehehe—!!!”

For some reason, she was overflowing with excitement as she charged at me like a madwoman.

‘Tsk.’

She was fast.
She wasn’t using any weapons.
Her style was pure hand-to-hand combat, focused on her fists and claws.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Every time her fists or claws struck the ground, the earth shattered and trees were ripped apart.
The power behind her movements was immense.

‘Hmm.’

What should I do about this?

‘Why did she suddenly appear?’

I didn’t even need to ponder it.
It was obvious.

‘It’s Yusa’s doing.’

That bastard was behind this. Was this the confirmation Shin Noya had been concerned about?

Why had he specifically sent the Red Commander?

One question led to another. But—

FWOOSH—!

‘Damn it.’

This wasn’t the time to be thinking.

I dodged another slash of her claws.

THUD!

I slammed my foot into the ground and pivoted my body.

My spinning kick connected with the Red Commander’s torso.

BOOM—!!!

A shockwave exploded out, throwing her backward. But it wasn’t a direct hit.
Even in that split second, she managed to block and adjust her landing.

“Oh… You found an opening to counter?”

She widened her eyes in surprise.

Suppressing a sigh, I spoke to her.

“You are not the one I came for.”

The meaning was clear—
Where was Yusa, and why was she here?

But—

“No, you found the right person. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Hong Jeong grinned as she replied.

“I got curious after hearing my foolish older brothers got beaten so badly.”

CRACK—!

She crouched low, ready to spring forward.
The ground beneath her feet fractured under the pressure.

“Let’s see what that face of yours looks like.”

BOOM—!!!

A crimson blur shot toward me.

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

Seeing her charge so recklessly, I frowned behind my mask.
I hadn’t anticipated her rushing in so mindlessly.

CLANG—!

‘Tsk!’

I barely avoided her claws.
But in that instant, her tail lashed out violently.

SWISH!

I saw the tail whipping toward me.
I moved my hand—dodging was impossible from this angle. I had to block it.

THUD!

Pain shot through my arm from the impact, forcing me backward.
It looked like a simple tuft of fur, so why was it so solid?

‘Goddamn it.’

I bit my lip and gathered my energy.
A layer of Qi enveloped my body, enhancing my physical state.

I channeled my Insight into my eyes, attempting to analyze her movements.

‘What the hell?’

I had to stifle a curse when I saw her.

‘I can’t read her technique.’

Even with my Insight, I couldn’t properly decipher her actions.
The entire point of this ability was to read an opponent’s energy and anticipate their next move.

‘This bitch…’

But with the Red Commander, that wasn’t working.
It wasn’t that she lacked energy.

She was still radiating fierce killing intent as she came at me, so she clearly had power.

‘Does that mean she simply doesn’t use techniques?’

I couldn’t predict her movements at all.
She wasn’t employing any structured martial form—only raw, instinctive motion.

‘This is new.’

She wasn’t some kind of wild animal.
She looked human, yet she fought exactly like a beast.

I had never faced an opponent like this before.

“Hahahahaha!!!”

Red Commander Hong Jeong laughed maniacally as she charged again.

Watching her, a realization clicked into place.

‘Ah.’

This wasn’t a completely unfamiliar feeling.
I had fought someone like this before.

‘She fights like Bong Soon.’

Her style was nearly identical to Bong Soon’s—fighting purely on instinct.

She looked human enough, but the way she lunged was just like that damned beast.

“Why do you keep dodging?!”

CRACK!

Her claws tore through the air.
Her Qi was so potent that the space she slashed actually left visible scars behind.

I twisted my head from side to side, narrowly avoiding her attacks.
If she had been swinging a club, she would have been Bong Soon in human form.

The problem was—

‘She’s a much stronger Bong Soon.’

The difference in power was staggering.
At a minimum, she was as strong as Gui Ak-chang from my past life.

“Hahaha!”

The way she laughed continuously while attacking,
the deranged look in her eyes—

‘Anyone would think she’s a damn demon.’

I had no idea how anyone with a sane mind could make an expression like that.

After maneuvering for a while, I suddenly stopped.

“Oh my? Are you giving up—”

THUD!

“Gah—!”

I dashed in and drove my fist straight into her solar plexus.
The blow sent her flying backward.

This time was different.
She couldn’t block it, and she didn’t land safely.

CRASH!

A loud crash sounded as her body plowed into the earth.
I dusted off my hands and relaxed my muscles.

A stronger Bong Soon?
At Gui Ak-chang’s level?

‘So what?’

It didn’t matter.
It was daytime.
And the Moonlit Night Tribe without their moon was nothing to fear.

“Cough…!”

Through the settling dust, I saw Hong Jeong on her knees.
She clutched her stomach, coughing up blood.

“Heh… Hehehe…”

Even now, she was laughing.
Grinning while vomiting blood—it was a truly grotesque sight.

“This is fun… It’s been a while since I’ve had fun…”

Her eyes glowed with a sinister light.
She radiated a pure, unadulterated desire to kill me.

What should I do with her?
Even in my current state, I could win.

‘There’s still plenty of time before nightfall.’

Preserving my stamina was my main priority.

‘Should I provoke her a little?’

Might as well. If I could bait her into fighting recklessly, it would make things easier.
With that in mind, I spoke.

“Pathetic.”

Hong Jeong’s gaze snapped toward me.

“You aren’t even entertaining enough to be a proper performance.”

“…Hahaha. What? At least I’m more fun than the Blue Commander, right?”

“The Blue Commander? Ah.”

I nodded as if I had just recalled.

“Oh, that guy existed.”

“Pfft. You put a hole in his chest, and you forgot? It hasn’t even been a full day yet.”

“I do not waste my memory on the weak.”

“Oh… I like that answer.”

“And you are no different.”

Flick. Flick.

I casually brushed off my hands.

“This is nothing but a dull waste of time. Boring and tedious as ever.”

I tightened my grip, letting Demonic Qi coil around my fingers.

“If I had to pick, the show from yesterday was more amusing.”

“What…?”

Hong Jeong froze.
Hearing that the Blue Commander had been superior seemed to shock her.

‘Hoh.’

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

I had only meant to provoke her a little, but did it actually affect her?
If not, I’d have to think of something else.

“Oh, that’s…”

Fortunately, I didn’t have to.

“That pisses me off.”

BOOOOM—!!!

‘Fucking hell.’

I cursed inwardly as her energy exploded outward.

The sheer killing intent and aura she unleashed was on a completely different level from before.

‘…What was it they called her again?’

The strongest noble?
The greatest noble?

I vaguely recalled someone mentioning that.

‘This is overkill.’

It felt like she had been holding back until now and had finally unleashed her full power.

Did I make a mistake?

I clicked my tongue in irritation.

It seemed I had.

At this rate—

‘I have to kill her.’

I had wanted to keep her alive to see if she would undergo demonification.

But at this level, I wouldn’t get that chance.

I hardened my resolve.

‘Let’s kill her.’

Just as she did,
I unleashed the killing intent I had been holding back.