Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 980

Chapter 980

‘I have located him.’

That was the report General Yusa delivered to Hong Jeong.

So soon?
The banquet had only just concluded.
How had he managed to track him down so quickly?

A question flickered through her mind, but to Hong Jeong, the answer was irrelevant.

The only thing that mattered was—

‘You will handle this.’

The General had issued a direct command.
Rather than shock—

‘My, my.’

—a wide, exhilarated grin spread across Hong Jeong’s face.

How could she not be thrilled?

A mysterious foe had emerged from nowhere, defeating one Commander after another.
Their identity was unknown, their true strength a mystery.

The White Commander had already fallen.
The Blue Commander had been brought to the brink of death.

But that meant nothing.

The White one was a fool.
The Blue one was laughably feeble.

As for the last one—
he was a nuisance she couldn’t stand.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t give them the time of day, let alone fight beside them.
They were all beneath her notice, mere insects.

But that did not mean they were weak.

Even Hong Jeong could admit that much.

‘And yet, two were defeated.’

By someone no one could comprehend.

Just how powerful was this individual to achieve such a thing?

The very thought sent a shiver through Hong Jeong’s body.

‘…I want to fight them.’

She held a deep contempt for the weak and worshipped only the strong.

This was the creed of the Red Clan.

It was why—

She had consumed her own father for his weakness.
She had torn out the hearts of her feeble older brothers.

They were so pathetically weak,
yet they stood above her simply because of their status.

She could not tolerate it.
She refused to accept anyone weaker than her holding a higher rank.

So she slaughtered them all.

This was who Hong Jeong was.
She lived to battle the powerful and loathed the weak.

She had even once challenged General Yusa himself and nearly died for it.
That tale was now legend among the Moonlit Night Tribe.

Her craving for the strong—
her insatiable thirst for combat—

This was the very core of her being.

“Hahahahahaha—!!!”

That was why, as the killing intent before her erupted—
Hong Jeong could not contain her laughter.

BOOOOM—!!!

‘What is this?’

Hong Jeong recoiled as an overwhelming aura of murder exploded in front of her.

It was immense.
So dense and sharp it made the hairs on her tail stand on end.

How could any living creature emit something so purely concentrated?

A cold sweat trickled down Hong Jeong’s face as a memory resurfaced.

The day she had fought Yusa.

She had been completely overpowered by his murderous intent.
It was so vast and suffocating it nearly crushed her will to fight.

But this—

This was different.

If Yusa’s killing intent was filled with rage and emotion,

Then this—

‘This is… nothing but pure, absolute intent to kill.’

It was an unwavering will.

A desire for nothing but slaughter.
No rage, no hatred, not a trace of emotion.

There was only one thing within this man—
the intent to eradicate everything in his path.

‘…This is unbelievable.’

A cold tremor ran down her arms.

She had never witnessed anything like it.

As she felt his overwhelming energy, a grin split her lips.

“Hehe.”

She wanted him.

Should she be thankful to the General for granting her this chance?

She didn’t know.
She didn’t care.

Hong Jeong clenched her fists.

And in that instant—

“You wretched insect.”

The man before her finally spoke.

What was the name he used?
Ah, yes—

‘Cheonma.’

The Heavenly Demon.
That was what he called himself.

And he spoke to Hong Jeong.

“I despise those who do not know their place.”

With every word,
his killing intent grew denser.

The more she observed him,
the more she sensed his presence—

The more his strength seemed an impenetrable mystery.

Hong Jeong instinctively lifted her eyes toward the heavens.

The sky was clear.

It was broad daylight.

The blessing of the Moonlit Night Tribe—

The power bestowed upon them by the Abyss.

The blood-gifted strength that made them invincible under the moon.

And yet—

How could a member of their tribe be this powerful without it?

‘Could Yusa be like this as well?’

Yusa was a pureblood.

The strongest of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

Could even he exert this kind of pressure in the daylight?

She was suddenly curious.

But at the same time—
she felt a certainty that he could not.

And then—

“Where are you looking?”

Cheonma’s voice cut through the air.

“How dare you seek the sky when the sky stands before you?”

An arrogant proclamation.

He declared himself the sky.

Hong Jeong’s eyes widened slightly.

There was only one sky in this world.

Every living being knew the Abyss was their true ruler.

That he was the one who forged this land.

For someone to proclaim themselves the sky within his domain—

“You… You are truly mad.”

Hong Jeong laughed in sheer disbelief.

“Perhaps.”

Amusement tinged Cheonma’s voice.

“Perhaps I am.”

CRACK—!!!

 

“……!”

A sickening sound of shattering bone echoed.

Hong Jeong’s eyes shot to the side.

Her own arm—

His knee had smashed right through it.

The force of the blow had crushed the bone, twisting her limb into a grotesque shape.

And before the pain could even register—

BOOOOM—!!

Her world upended.

Her view, once steady, was now fixed on the sky above.

She was airborne.

Her mind struggled to keep up with reality.

Gritting her teeth, Hong Jeong forced her energy to erupt.

She tried to twist her body around.

But—

CRACK!

Her waist contorted at an unnatural angle.

THUD! CRACK!

And then—

Her leg shattered next.

“Guhh—!!”

Even as she coughed up blood, Hong Jeong could not conceal her shock.

He struck precisely where she was about to move.

Preventing her from turning.
Preventing her from escaping.
Preventing her from resisting.
Preventing her from moving.

Cheonma was systematically dismantling her.

No, not just dismantling.
He was beating her.

That was the only way to describe it.

THUD!

Her forehead smashed into the ground, bouncing her body back up.

One moment she was looking at the sky, the next she was eating dirt.

“Guh…!”

Blood gushed from her mouth, but she refused to shut her eyes.

And so she saw it.

His foot driving straight for her face.

She raised her arms to block.
This time, she would stop it—

SMACK!

“Kuagh…!”

Not her face.

Her stomach.

His foot had feinted, baiting her perfectly.

Her body soared upward,
utterly defenseless in the air.

And yet—

WHOOSH—!!

 

Even that was denied.

A cloth materialized from nowhere, coiling tightly around her body.

A perfect bind.

She immediately strained to tear it apart,
but—

‘Why… why won’t it rip?’

The fabric was unnaturally resilient, refusing to yield.

And then—

“Hah.”

Cheonma’s quiet sigh reached her ears.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!—!!!

In an incomprehensible barrage, Cheonma relentlessly pummeled her.

Even as her body recoiled from the impacts,
even as she writhed and shook,

There was no escape.

The pain consumed her entirely.

“—!!!”

She couldn’t even scream.

All she could do was watch,
her gaze blankly fixed on the incoming storm of fists.

Only after countless blows did the restraints finally slacken.

“Guh… Ughh…”

She collapsed, her body crumbling like a shattered puppet.

Was it over?

As her blurred vision began to dim—

GRAB!

Cheonma seized her by the hair and yanked her up.

Then—

He pressed a finger to her forehead, channeling a pulse of energy directly into her skull.

ZZZZZT—!!!

“……!!”

A shock, like lightning, jolted through her system,
forcibly jolting her back to consciousness.

“Guh… Ugh…”

She wasn’t sure if she was drooling spit or blood anymore.
Her trembling eyes locked onto Cheonma.

“What… are you doing?”

His voice was calm.

Just as it was when they first met,
his tone and demeanor had not changed at all.

Neither had his eyes.

Those arrogant eyes, gazing down at her from above,
as if looking upon a insignificant bug.

“You worthless filth.”

His deep voice brushed against her ears.

“I have not permitted you to fall unconscious yet.”

THUMP—!

Her body shuddered involuntarily at his words.

“You will, at the very least, serve as a minor diversion.”

For the first time, his words carried a hint of emotion.

Laughter.

Behind his stoic, heavy tone—
there was a trace of amusement.

Hearing it, Hong Jeong felt something unfamiliar stir within her.

What was this?

This new sensation—

It shook her to her foundation,
drenched her in a cold sweat,
and made her entire body tremble.

‘Ah…’

She considered it for a moment.
She did not need long to understand.

‘This is… fear.’

This was fear.

A feeling she had never experienced before.
Not even with Yusa.

This was true fear.
And with it—

This was dread.

“Ku… Hahaha… Hehehe…”

Even as she bled, she laughed.

‘…This is exhilarating.’

Could fear be this exhilarating?

She had never known.
She wanted to feel more of it.

This strange, electrifying sensation—

She craved more.

Hong Jeong’s gaze snapped back toward Cheonma.

But—

“Your eyes disgust me.”

Cheonma’s voice was dripping with boredom.

His hand moved toward her eyes,

slowly pressing inward—

Was he going to gouge them out?

Just as his fingertips made contact—

“…Stop.”

A voice.

Cheonma paused.

Then, with a soft chuckle,
he turned toward the owner of the voice.

“A pity. Had you delayed a little longer, I would have enjoyed myself further…”

His tone was flat—
completely unconcerned.

As if he had known all along who was there.

“Why have you come?”

His gaze remained indifferent.

“If you intended to lurk in the shadows like a rat,
you should have remained there.”

“……”

The newcomer—

Yusa—

frowned.

“…You knew I was observing?”

“Haha.”

Cheonma could not help but laugh at the question.

Then—

THUD—!!

He slammed Hong Jeong’s limp body into the earth.

Her unconscious form rolled limply across the dirt.

“Did you believe I would not notice your pathetic scheming?”

“……”

Yusa’s brow furrowed slightly.

“…And yet you still fought her?”

If he had known,
then he must have also known Yusa could have intervened at any time.

But he had chosen to fight Hong Jeong regardless.

Why?

“You call that a fight?”

Cheonma’s lips curled with disdain.

“You consider humoring a child’s tantrum a ‘battle’?”

“……”

Hong Jeong’s actions—

To him, they were nothing more than a pitiful display.

Even if Yusa had joined,
it would have changed nothing.

Hearing those words, Yusa’s face twisted with anger.