Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 981

Chapter 981

Yusa looked down at the Red Commander lying defeated on the ground.

She was broken, barely clinging to awareness.
And yet—

Cheonma stood unchanged, exactly as he had been when the battle began.

Yusa had witnessed it himself.

This could hardly be called a fight.

And that was what troubled him.

‘…What exactly is he?’

Even when Yusa had faced Red Commanders in the past, it was never like this.

Yes, he had always emerged victorious. Even against Commanders, he prevailed without great difficulty.

But—

‘Not like this.’

Playing with her as if she were a toy—
That was beyond his capability.

That was why Yusa now stood with his lip clenched between his teeth, watching Cheonma with deep unease.

“Well, well.”

Tap. Tap.

Cheonma prodded Hong Jeong’s cheek with the tip of his boot.

“Do you actually care about your subordinates?”

His voice was thick with mockery.

“I assumed you merely offered her to me for amusement.”

“……”

“Or is this sufficient to confirm your suspicions?”

Confirm.

At that word, Yusa clenched his jaw.

‘He’s aware of what I was testing.’

Did this man truly comprehend Yusa’s doubts?

Had he known everything from the start, and still chosen to come here deliberately?

As Yusa continued his silent glare,

Cheonma turned away with an air of utter nonchalance.

Step by step, he began to walk.

Step…

His pace was unhurried. There was no rush, no worry in his movements.

His leisurely steps commanded Yusa’s full attention.

“I have been exceedingly generous with you.”

The murderous intent from earlier had dissolved completely.

The dreadful aura that had choked the battlefield moments before—

Was gone, as if it had never been.

“Are you aware of that?”

With each step closer, Yusa’s tension coiled tighter.

“I held my tongue.”

Cheonma took another step.

“I brought no petty insects to verify matters for me.”

Another step.

Yusa’s muscles tightened, the veins in his arms rising to the surface.

“And though you overstep, you at least had the wisdom not to foolishly display your power before me.”

By now—

Cheonma stood directly before him.

A single fist’s distance away.

Yusa could see the fractures in his mask, the piercing stare from behind it.

“But.”

As Yusa’s focus wavered for an instant,

Cheonma—his hands clasped behind his back—spoke again.

“How much longer must I extend this generosity?”

His tone was quiet, yet it sent a tremor through Yusa’s entire being.

“I am nearing my limit, you understand.”

His composed words carried an immutable weight of dominance.

“What do you think?”

“……”

How long did he intend to delay?

That was the true question.

Yusa’s thoughts scrambled. What was the right play?

But before he could form a reply—

“…Hmm.”

Cheonma let out a sigh that sounded like disappointment.

Then, he spoke again.

“Your eyes are set too high.”

“Lower yourself.”

BOOOOM—!!!

“—Kuhh!!!”

Gravity crushed down upon him.

Yusa’s knees smashed into the earth.

That command again.

Identical to before.

Cheonma had invoked his Authority upon him.

The disparity in their presence was unchanged from last time.

The burden etched into his very soul—

The law that decreed:
Kneel before your superiors.
Command those below you.

It had triggered against his will.

‘He… is the child of the Abyss.’

The words echoed in Yusa’s mind.

Was it true?

Was this man truly the son of their master?

‘The Abyss has never had a child.’

To his knowledge, such a thing was impossible.

The sole exception had been that girl, Yarang.

Their Master had named her his daughter, but she had appeared from nowhere.

And this man—

He was the same.

He had arrived one day, proclaiming himself a child of the Abyss.

It was precisely the same circumstance.

‘…Then how can he wield this power?’

If his lineage was a lie,

How could he command this Authority?

This power wasn’t unique to the Master’s bloodline. It merely required a being of a higher existence to wield it.

Which meant—

‘This man is… on par with the Abyss?’

How could that be?

No other entity in this world could rival their Master.

The only conceivable exception was the ruler of the Abyssal Pit, but even he could not use this power.

‘Then what in the world… is he?’

As Yusa stayed silent, his mind reeling,

Cheonma spoke once more.

“Let me pose the question again.”

His voice was measured, patient.

“What will you do now?”

Though Yusa’s head was forced down, he could feel Cheonma’s gaze drilling into him.

“Will you take my hand and ascend as a new sky—”

“—Or will you remain a worm and die as one?”

Words escaped him.

He didn’t understand what becoming a new sky entailed. He didn’t know what refusal would bring.

He couldn’t even ask.

This wasn’t a negotiation.

It was an ultimatum.

A simple acceptance or denial.

“Decide.”

Despite the force in his words, his tone remained perfectly calm.

It was as if—

He had already decided that Yusa’s answer was irrelevant.

What would occur if he refused?

Before Yusa could think—

A hand settled on his head.

“I will count to three.”

He understood what that signified.

His instincts roared it.

He didn’t know the precise outcome,

But he could already envision it.

“One.”

CRACK—!!!

He fought to move, but his body would not respond.

“Two.”

The number climbed.

Yusa could only remain there, helpless, watching as the count neared its end.

He couldn’t even speak.

His blood seethed, his thoughts raced,

But—

“Three.”

Time had expired.

WUUUUUNG—!!

The very instant an incomprehensible force began coalescing above his head—

“…Fine…”

Yusa’s lips parted, his voice a strained whisper.

“I’ll do it…”

At those words, Cheonma’s motion ceased.

“Hm.”

The weight vanished from Yusa’s head as Cheonma withdrew his palm.

Relief washed over him.

“Haa… Hahh…”

He fought to control his breathing, wiping his chin with unsteady fingers. A cold sweat coated his skin, dripping down his neck. Simultaneously, the invisible bonds holding his body released, and he slowly raised his head.

His eyes found Cheonma.

The sun remained high, yet shadows seemed to congeal unnaturally around the man.

A pair of violet eyes shone from within that darkness—both emitting and devouring light.

Yusa swallowed hard.

“What… do you require of me?”

His voice shook. He heard it himself, and the humiliation ate at his pride. But he forced himself to bear it, to push the words out.

Cheonma was silent for a moment before replying.

«Your tone lacks proper deference.»

CRACK—!

Once more, Yusa’s shoulders buckled under an invisible load.

Feeling the pressure, he hastily corrected himself.

“W-what… do you require of me?”

The moment his tone shifted, the pressure lifted.

“What I require…”

Cheonma tilted his head slightly, then turned and walked to where Hong Jeong lay unconscious.

He grabbed the collar of her limp form and tossed her casually toward Yusa’s feet.

THUD!

Hong Jeong’s battered body landed before him.

“For now, remove this,” Cheonma stated, his voice laced with disdain. “I have no desire to look upon such a pitiful sight.”

He dusted his hands as if cleaning off grime, and added,

“I will return shortly. Be prepared.”

And with that—

Cheonma vanished without another word.

“…Hah.”

Gone. Just like that.

Only then did Yusa finally allow himself to exhale fully.

*******

He fled through the thick woods.

He ran—and ran, and ran—

Until he was sure no one pursued him.

Even then, he pushed himself twice the distance, for certainty.

Only when he reached a place he considered safe did he grasp a tree for support.

As his body finally relaxed—

FSSSSSHHHHHH—!!!
CRACK. CRACK. CRUNCH—!!!

A sound like releasing steam echoed as his bones shifted back into their natural positions.

His enlarged frame contracted, returning to its normal size.

His clothes hung loosely, and the mask he wore dropped to the forest floor.

Thud.

“…Ugh.”

Blood trickled from his lips.

And then,

Agony overwhelmed him like a wave.

“Guhh—!!”

A severe backlash.

Not only had he pushed far beyond his limits, but he had also expended every last reserve of his internal energy.

Now, his body demanded payment.

“…Damn it…”

He had only just survived that confrontation.

It was almost too shameful to admit.

Fighting the Red Commander alone was one challenge.
But facing Yusa immediately after?

He had been on the very brink of death.

‘My heart nearly gave out.’

He had drained himself completely.

Any further, and he would have consumed his innate energy—a critical error risking Qi deviation.

He had sustained it through sheer force of will, but the cost had left him shattered.

‘I barely held on…’

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK—!!!

The backlash intensified.

‘Damn… this is serious…’

If this continued, it would become a grave issue.

‘At this rate…’

He was going to black out…

THUD.

Before the thought could fully form,
Gu Yangcheon collapsed to the ground.

Then—

Rustle.

Not far off, concealed within the shadows,

A figure emerged.

Their movement was too fluid, as if they had always been present.

The figure approached Gu Yangcheon, looking down at his unconscious form.

After a moment of silence—

Swish.

They lifted him onto their back.

The figure, a woman with brown hair concealed behind a black mask—

Yarang.